The Official Shiny Thread

[TwilightBlade]

Nokon, you can still reset for a shiny Dialga. As soon as you battle it, if it doesn't shine and look like a like aqua color, reset. I personally never liked Dialga's shiny color.. But I'd love to have shiny Giratina. Good luck either way.

I'm waiting for Platinum to chain for shiny Marill, Gligar, Houndour, etc. So yeah, dry spell for me. <_<

 

[Gunners]

I need some help shiny hunting. I fail at it the most i've ever got is 18 O_o -____- anyway it always breaks i go into patches that are the same and which is the furthest away but i always get a bidoof or sumthing coming help please?

 

[TwilightBlade]

Well, don't follow the "furthest patch" method. It's faulty.

I would recommend you watching this video and use the "4th ring" method, as it's more efficient. Keep in mind that it's not 100% perfect; there are certain patterns that will break your chain. You can view them here.

If you're still a beginner, try chaining Electrike/Magnemite with Static/Magnet Pull in the front of your party. Even when you mess up, you still have a 70% of seeing said pokemon and continuing your chain.

 

[Nokon]

I need a more specific answer. Do I need to reset before I see the sprite, or do I rest before I start the dialog to fight, or am I too late since I already entered the room to fight Daigla?

 

[Zowayix]

Reset before the dialog to fight.

 

[Shadow 3944]

Quote time. Started this over at SPPF.

Things to Consider While Chaining: (by shadow3944)


1. The animation for the pokeradar grass patches appear above the fog. (Very useful for people chaining Bagon)
2. For Chaining in the sandstorm, be in a very dark place, have your DS (Preferably a DS Lite) on highest light setting, and have it be around 11 Am. It should be very bright and easier to see the grass patches. You can also tilt the screen a little to semi-invert the colors and see better.
3. Every chain breaks for some reason. (Yes, they all do. It's in the coding.)
4. Magnet Pull attracts Steel type pokemon.
5. Static attracts Electric type pokemon.
6. Synchronize attracts pokemon with the same nature as the pokemon with Synchronize.

Spoiler:

13MJVR's CHAINING GUIDE

Because my chains broke although I entered the 4-zone patch, I decided to spend three weeks of my life to develop a new theory for chaining, because I read all guides posted in many forums, and any of them don't seem to work for me. Well, after three weeks of proving patterns, I wrote a new chaining guide for obtaining shiny pokemon easier This is the PATTERN THEORY made by me, 13mjvr

First, there are some aspects we have to remember when using this guide about other developed guides, the rest established by other guides MUST be forgotten, to succeeding when using my guide:

1. Max Repels (avoid non-pokeradar encounters), Poketch app 20 (show your number of chain), Swarms (easiest pokemon for chaining), Synchronizers (for obtaining good nature shinies), Static and Magnet pull (increase the chance of appearance of pokemon).
2. There are three types of patches: common, sparkly and Shiny. It's very important to distinguish them while following this guide.
3. The number Chart:

4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4
4 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 4
4 3 2 2 2 2 2 3 4
4 3 2 1 1 1 2 3 4
4 3 2 1 0 1 2 3 4
4 3 2 1 1 1 2 3 4
4 3 2 2 2 2 2 3 4
4 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 4
4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4


Essential to see it while chaining with this guide: Type of patches and the number chart determine all the patterns.

4. Patches in the edge could break a chain (explained by Merbear), so all the following patterns AREN'T in an edge.
5. If you use a Max Repel after resetting, recharge and reset again.
6. 40th chain (or more) has the great chance of encountering a shiny patch.

That's all of the other guides. Now, the following are some aspects that according to my research are incorrect from other guides, and indeed, must be ignored while using my theory:

1. "The 4-zone patch is the safest patch"
2. "Resetting affects the continuing of a chain"
3. "There are some unsafe tiles in the number chart"


Ok. Now, I'll explain the main aspects of my theory required for understanding the patterns.


1. Essential to see the four shaking patches and the chart number while resetting.
2. There are PATTERNS which determine the zone with the highest chance of continuing a chain.
3. If any special PATTERN doesn't appear during your chain, the chances of continuing a chain are the following:

a. 4-zone patch: High chance of not breaking your chain
b. 3-zone patch: Good chance of not breaking your chain
c. 2-zone patch: Medium chance of not breaking your chain
d. 1-zone patch: Low chance of not breaking your chain

4. A PATTERN is an arrange of patches that increases or transfers the chance of continuing a chain to a specific patch. A PATTERN could appear if:

a. The type of 1,2,3,4-zone patches are the same or different

4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4
4 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 4
4 3 2 2 2 2 2 3 4
4 3 2 1 1 1 2 3 4
4 3 2 1 0 1 2 3 4
4 3 2 1 1 1 2 3 4
4 3 2 2 2 2 2 3 4
4 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 4
4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4

Yellow: Sparkly-type
Red: Common-type
Starting with sparkly-type grass

In this case, the different patches suffer a decrease in its chance (3-4 zone) and the total decrease is added to the same-type patches (1-2 zone patches)

b. There are 2 or more patches in the same grass line

4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4
4 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 4
4 3 2 2 2 2 2 3 4
4 3 2 1 1 1 2 3 4
4 3 2 1 0 1 2 3 4
4 3 2 1 1 1 2 3 4
4 3 2 2 2 2 2 3 4
4 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 4
4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4

Underlined: Shaking patches

Patches in the same line could alter chances by switching their chances to each other, or by mixing their chances and obtaining new chances (equal chances or transfer chances to another zone)


c. There are 2 or more connected patches:

4 3 2 2 2 2 2 3 4
4 3 2 1 1 1 2 3 4
4 3 2 1 0 1 2 3 4
4 3 2 1 1 1 2 3 4
4 3 2 2 2 2 2 3 4
4 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 4
4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4


Red: Common-type

Connected zones transfer chances to the following zone.

d. There are 2 or more diagonally connected patches:

4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4
4 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 4
4 3 2 2 2 2 2 3 4
4 3 2 1 1 1 2 3 4
4 3 2 1 0 1 2 3 4
4 3 2 1 1 1 2 3 4
4 3 2 2 2 2 2 3 4
4 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 4
4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4

Yellow: Sparkly-type patches

Diagonal patches cause an alteration in all the four patches' chances. This modification has some chance of breaking chains.

5. PATTERNS maximize the chance of not breaking your chain. However, some of them aren't 100% safe.

6. Chance of appearance affects the chains. So:

a. 24% or less chance of appearance pokemon: Chained pokemon in 0-1 tiles.
b. 25-49% chance of appearance pokemon: Chained pokemon in 1-2 tiles.
c. 50-74% chance of appearance pokemon: Chained pokemon in 1-3 tiles.

So that means as high the chance of appearance, as high the chance of more tiles containing the chained pokemon. That's the reason why I proved this theory with 24% or less chances pokemon: When you chain a higher chance pokemon, you have more probabilities of continuing your chain if you make a mistake with the following patterns.

PATTERNS

All these patterns were proved when starting with Sparkly type grasses. So I recommend using them too. Proving this theory with common-type patches requires another two weeks…. However most of the patterns should work similarly. But I read time ago, a theory of type of grasses: it said that was impossible to switch a sparkly-type to a common-type patch while chaining, but sometimes you can switch a common-type grass to a sparkly-type grass and your chain doesn't break, so this give more support to the idea that the sparkly-type are the best for using the following patterns.


LINE-PATTERN: one main pattern of my theory. When you start with common or sparkly type grasses, and if ANY two patches are on the same line, the chance of breaking your chain if you enter the 4-zone patch increases.

For example:

3-4 zone patches in a line

4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4
4 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 4
4 3 2 2 2 2 2 3 4
4 3 2 1 1 1 2 3 4
4 3 2 1 0 1 2 3 4
4 3 2 1 1 1 2 3 4
4 3 2 2 2 2 2 3 4
4 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 4
4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4

2-3 zone patches in a line[/b]

4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4
4 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 4
4 3 2 2 2 2 2 3 4
4 3 2 1 1 1 2 3 4
4 3 2 1 0 1 2 3 4
4 3 2 1 1 1 2 3 4
4 3 2 2 2 2 2 3 4
4 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 4
4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4


1-4 zone patches in a line

4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4
4 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 4
4 3 2 2 2 2 2 3 4
4 3 2 1 1 1 2 3 4
4 3 2 1 0 1 2 3 4
4 3 2 1 1 1 2 3 4
4 3 2 2 2 2 2 3 4
4 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 4
4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4

I entered hundred of times to this kind of arranges and I have a lot of chain breaks. I also entered patterns which didn't have patches in-a-line, and almost all my chains continued. No-lined patterns according to my data have 85-90% of working, so they're very safe. According to what I have seen, two-lined patches alter the normal chances of patches by mixing chances one with another, for example, if the 3-zone and the 4-zone patches are in a line, both patches "mix" and may have the highest chances of continuing a chain, so 4-zone aren't completely safe (I proved this a lot of times and I got a 41% for 3-zone patch and 59% for 4-zone patch, assuming that the chain pokemon was on those patches) I also proved this with other two-lined patches and had similar results. So, when you see lined patches, is recommended to Reset your pokeradar and search no-lined patches. But that doesn't mean that if you enter a lined pattern, your chain will break instantly, some of them can continue, but they have a lower chance that no-lined patterns. Some safe arranges according to this pattern would be:

4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4
4 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 4
4 3 2 2 2 2 2 3 4
4 3 2 1 1 1 2 3 4
4 3 2 1 0 1 2 3 4
4 3 2 1 1 1 2 3 4
4 3 2 2 2 2 2 3 4
4 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 4
4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4

4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4
4 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 4
4 3 2 2 2 2 2 3 4
4 3 2 1 1 1 2 3 4
4 3 2 1 0 1 2 3 4
4 3 2 1 1 1 2 3 4
4 3 2 2 2 2 2 3 4
4 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 4
4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4

And others. Important to apply this pattern when others patterns appear.

Note: Yellow: Sparkly-type patches


- 4-ZONE GLOWING PATTTERN (Free +1 to your chain): When starting with Sparkly-type patches, if the 1,2,3 zone patches are of common type, and the 4-zone patch is of sparkly type, the 4-zone patch has a 99-100% chance of continuing your chain. This pattern is prior to any other pattern. For example:

4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4
4 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 4
4 3 2 2 2 2 2 3 4
4 3 2 1 1 1 2 3 4
4 3 2 1 0 1 2 3 4
4 3 2 1 1 1 2 3 4
4 3 2 2 2 2 2 3 4
4 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 4
4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4

Red: Normal-type Grass
Yellow: Sparkly-type Grass

This is the safest patch possible. This happen, because 1,2,3-zone patches are of normal-type so its chances of continuing the chain decrease, and the decrease total chance is added to the 4-zone patch (because it's of the same starting grass type). This seems to work similar when you start with common-type patches, but instead, 1,2,3-zone patches must be of sparkly-type and 4 patch of common type.

With this pattern, some chainers could think that something similar will occur when 1,2,4-zone patches are of common-type and 3-zone patch of sparkly type for example (if starting with sparkly type). I proved this kind of patterns a lot of times and they could work, but the greatest results appeared with the 4 glowing patch. As I explained before, 1-2 and 3-zone patches has less chance than the 4-zone patch in "normal conditions", so maybe the additional chance couldn't be enough for 1,2 zone patches to be higher than the normal-type 4-zone patch's chance, and this causes a chain to broke. Entering this pattern when the 3-zone patch is the glowing patch has about 60-75% chance of working.

NEVER-SAFE PATTERNS: When you start with sparkly-type patches, if ALL four patches are of normal-type, your chain has a 100% chance of being broken if you enter any patch. This pattern seems to appear with 22% or less chance of appearance pokemons, and this could happen because any of the four patches contains the chain pokemon. In that case, reset again.

When you start with Sparkly-type patches, and normal conditions appear (no lined patches, separated patches, no diagonal patches), if the 1,2,3 zone are of sparkly-type, and the 4-zone patch is of common type, the higher chance of the 4 patch is decreased and is added at random to another patch. So, is impossible to determine which patch contains the chain pokemon (if anyone has it). In that case reset again.

DIAGONAL PATTERN: When starting with Sparkly-type grass (also seems to work with normal-type), if any of the patches is connected diagonally with another patch, the normal chances of 1,2,3,4-zones are altered and a chain could be broken. FE:

4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4
4 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 4
4 3 2 2 2 2 2 3 4
4 3 2 1 1 1 2 3 4
4 3 2 1 0 1 2 3 4
4 3 2 1 1 1 2 3 4
4 3 2 2 2 2 2 3 4
4 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 4
4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4

Yellow: Sparkly-type

In this case, the 4-zone patch would normally have the highest chance, however, being connected with the 3-zone patch causes some alteration on the zone patches, and could make the 3-zone the safest place for the chain (It seems both have similar chances). The diagonal connection between 1-2, 2-3 zones could also alter a chain (they're other patterns, but I couldn't determine how the chances are affected, but I got a lot of broken chains with those patterns when entering the 4-zone patch). So, when a diagonal appears, the safest option is resetting again.

- TWIN PATTERN: When two patches are connected (normal-type), their chances of containing the chain pokemon decrease and they're added to the following zone patch. This pattern was proved with Sparkly-type, seems to work with common-type, but it hasn't be confirmed.

a. 1-2 NORMAL TWIN PATTERN: When starting with Sparkly-type patches, if the 1 and 2-zone patches are connected and of normal type, and the 3-zone patch is of sparkly-type, the 3-zone patch has a very high chance of continuing a chain. For example:

4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4
4 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 4
4 3 2 2 2 2 2 3 4
4 3 2 1 1 1 2 3 4
4 3 2 1 0 1 2 3 4
4 3 2 1 1 1 2 3 4
4 3 2 2 2 2 2 3 4
4 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 4
4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4

Red: Normal-type
Yellow: Sparkly-type

b. 2-3 NORMAL TWIN PATTERN: When starting with Sparkly-type patches, if the 2 and 3-zone patches are connected and of normal type, and the 4-zone patch is of sparkly-type, the 4-zone patch is the safest place for continuing a chain (80-85% of chance).


4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4
4 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 4
4 3 2 2 2 2 2 3 4
4 3 2 1 1 1 2 3 4
4 3 2 1 0 1 2 3 4
4 3 2 1 1 1 2 3 4
4 3 2 2 2 2 2 3 4
4 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 4
4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4

Red: Normal-type
Yellow: Sparkly-type

c. 3-4 TWIN PATTERN: When starting with Sparkly-type patches, if the 3-4-zone patches are connected and of sparkly type, the 4-zone patch has the highest chance of continuing a chain (no following zone to transfer the chance, so I think it remains in the 4-zone patch). This chance could be increased to 80-90% if the 1-zone patch is of normal type, and to 95-100% if the 1-2 zone patches are of normal type.

4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4
4 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 4
4 3 2 2 2 2 2 3 4
4 3 2 1 1 1 2 3 4
4 3 2 1 0 1 2 3 4
4 3 2 1 1 1 2 3 4
4 3 2 2 2 2 2 3 4
4 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 4
4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4

Red: Normal-type
Yellow: Sparkly-type


- 2,3,4 CONNECTED PATCHES: When starting with sparkly-type grass, if all the four patches are of sparkly-type and 2,3,4-zone patches are connected, the 1-zone patch has the highest chance of continuing a chain (I couldn't prove this a lot of times, because this kind of arrange is very rare, but I have enter about 12 times to this pattern and it worked).

4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4
4 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 4
4 3 2 2 2 2 2 3 4
4 3 2 1 1 1 2 3 4
4 3 2 1 0 1 2 3 4
4 3 2 1 1 1 2 3 4
4 3 2 2 2 2 2 3 4
4 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 4
4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4

Yellow: Sprakly-type

Connected patches transfer its chance to the following zone, so because the 1-zone patch is the only not connected, it obtains the additional chance.

- FOOT PATTERN: When starting with Sparkly-type grasses, if 1-2-zone patches are connected (twin) and 3-zone patch is diagonally connected to the 2-zone patch, a foot pattern appears. If the 1,2,3-zone patches are from sparkly type, the 3-zone patch has the highest chance of not breaking your chain (75-80%). If the 4-zone patch is of normal-type grass, the 3-zone chance increases.

4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4
4 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 4
4 3 2 2 2 2 2 3 4
4 3 2 1 1 1 2 3 4
4 3 2 1 0 1 2 3 4
4 3 2 1 1 1 2 3 4
4 3 2 2 2 2 2 3 4
4 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 4
4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4

Red: Normal-type
Yellow: Sparkly-type

- 3-IN-LINE PATTERN: When starting with Sparkly-type grass, if three patches are on the same line (one of the patches is the 4-zone one), is not possible to determine which patch contains the highest chance of continuing a chain.


4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4
4 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 4
4 3 2 2 2 2 2 3 4
4 3 2 1 1 1 2 3 4
4 3 2 1 0 1 2 3 4
4 3 2 1 1 1 2 3 4
4 3 2 2 2 2 2 3 4
4 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 4
4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4

Yellow: Sparkly-type

That's because normally the 4-zone patch has the highest chance, but being in line with another 2 patches causes a mix between their chances (eventually the 4-zone highest chance could be transferred to another patch in a line, so that causes a chain break)….so any of them could be the best patch. If a 3-in a line pattern appears and the 4-zone patch is not in the line, the 4-zone patch maintains the best chance of continuing a chain. However, there's some risk in entering this zone…. The best option when a 3-in-a-line pattern appears is to RESET again.

- 1,2,3 LADDER PATTERN: When starting with Sparkly-type grass, if the 2,3,4-zone are connected diagonally and of sparkly-type, the patch in the medium of the ladder has the highest chance of continuing your chain (75-85%) in "normal conditions" (1-zone patch not in line with any patch of the ladder).

4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4
4 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 4
4 3 2 2 2 2 2 3 4
4 3 2 1 1 1 2 3 4
4 3 2 1 0 1 2 3 4
4 3 2 1 1 1 2 3 4
4 3 2 2 2 2 2 3 4
4 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 4
4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4

Red: Normal-type
Yellow: Sparkly-type

When the 1-zone patch is in line with any of the ladder patches, the high chance seems to be transferred to the patch of the ladder in a line with the 1-zone patch. However, this makes it an unsafe patch, so when it appears, is recommended to reset again if you are in a high chain.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

There're other patterns as well that I have noticed, but they need to be proven more times, but the above patterns are the main ones from my research. I'll add others as soon as I have more time to begin another research, but I think this guide will help you to get easier a 40th chain of any pokemon Thanks Pokerealm for helping me proving some patterns. I hope this guide will help all chainers with their chaining skills.

Spoiler:

Don't want to read the text? Watch the amazingly boring video!

There is a lot of dispute going around as to whether or not this method works. I believe it does, because most people who get a high enough chain and catch a shiny are able to keep the chain going, and catch more shinies within only a few minutes of each other. For that reason, I think it deserves its own topic.

First off, I'll assume that you know what both shinies and the Pokeradar are. If not, I'd suggest not reading this, as it'll only confuse you.

Second, I'd like to begin by letting you know a few things you'll need to begin this method. Be sure to have the following:
1. The Pokeradar.
2. Pokeballs (to catch the shiny with, of course)
3. LOTS of max repels. You'll need to buy a lot of these, over 120 in some cases. I'd suggest fighting the Socialite and Gentleman on Rt. 212 with the Vs. Seeker and an amulet coin until you have enough for some max repels. You're gonna need them!
4. A strong, high-level Pokemon with enough PP in high power moves to take out a bunch of Pokemon in one blow. You'll want to specialize this in some cases, depending on which Pokemon you'll be chaining.
5. A Pokemon that can whittle your shiny's health down for catching. Obviously, this is optional, but very helpful if you're not swimming in master balls.
6. PP Restoring items. (I prefer leppa berries, as they're easy to find).

Now that we know what we'll need, let's get started! The first thing you'll want to do is go to Sandgem town and find out from Dawn's/Lucas's sister what Pokemon are swarming that day. In my case, it's Spoink, and they're on Rt. 214.

Once you know where the swarm is, go to that route, and find an ideal place to begin chaining. An ideal spot is one where the grass nearly covers the screen. My ideal spot is pretty far down, as you can see. Once you're there, save the game.

Now, I'm going to introduce you to a method known as "chaining." Chaining is a process by which you "chain" multiples of the same species of Pokemon one after another by using the Pokeradar. When done correctly, you can get dozens of these things in a row, and an added bonus to doing so is that it boosts your chances at finding a shiny Pokemon dramatically.

So first, we'll use a max repel, and then we use our radar. Notice all the wiggling patches of grass? I tend to go for the ones that aren't sparkling, as they're harder to confuse with others.

Now it's time to let you know about the "Rules of Chaining."

Rule 1:
Only choose a patch of grass if there are FOUR patches shaking.

Rule 2:
After the first patch you choose, all subsequent patches MUST shake in the same way. Choose any others, and you'll break your chain.

Rule 3:
Never choose a patch of grass that forces you out of the radar's range.
(The range is dictated by whether or not you can see all of the moving patches. This is especially important to consider when you only see two or three patches moving. Often this is due to the fact that there are patches shaking in other areas of grass on the edge of the screen. Take care not to choose a patch of grass from these sets, as you could break your chain)

Rule 4:
ONLY choose a patch of grass that's farthest from you, and is at least four patches away.
Important
The patches must be four grass patches away. Look at the following.
A good patch to go into: P####%#
A bad patch to go into: P###%##
P=Your Player
#=Non-shaking grass
%= Shaking grass

Rule 5:
When using another repel, NEVER choose a patch of grass until you reset the radar. (This one is kind of up in the air. Most of the time, using a repel doesn't seem to upset my chosen patch of grass. This may only be a superstition. But proceed with caution anyway.)

Rule 6:
NEVER choose a patch of grass that occurs on a corner. Beware of patches on an outside edge as well.

Rule 7:
Avoid patches of grass if they are right beside other moving patches.

Rule 8:
When in doubt, reset the radar and try again.

Rule 9:
If you see a patch of grass that sparkles twice dramatically, and seems to have a differently colored hue, it's a shiny Pokemon. Proceed with caution! What the grass will look like (video courtesy of Pokerealm)

Rule 10:
Never run away from the Pokemon, and never let it flee either.

Rule 11:
Never use your bike.

It's a lot to remember, but in time, it'll become second nature. Now, I should address one more thing before moving onto the tips and tricks. Resetting the radar.

Here's how you do it. The Pokeradar needs to recharge after every fifty steps. If you come across a set of wiggling grass that doesn't go by the rules, walk fifty steps in non-wiggling grass, and use the radar again. This will not break your chain, so long as you are in range when you use the radar again. And believe me when I say this: you'll be doing a lot more resetting than running into Pokemon.

So now you have the basics. Is there anything else you should consider? Of course! Here are a few tips and tricks you might want to keep in mind before you begin:

1. Swarming Pokemon make the best chains. I've found through experience that swarming Pokemon make longer chains for me than any of the standard ones you might run into. It's worth noting.

2. Never enter the grass directly behind your character. Unfortunately, this grass is mostly hidden from view, and if it wiggles, you'll be hard pressed to see it. I make it a point never to enter this grass unless I can see all four of the wiggling grasses elsewhere.

3. It's good to have a Pokemon that knows super fang or false swipe in your team. They'll help make the Pokemon easier to catch. Any immobilizing statuses like sleep or paralysis are good too.

4. If you're hunting an electric Pokemon, put a Pokemon with static at the head of your party. This'll help ensure even more that you'll run into your chosen Pokemon (or so it is believed).

5. App. No. 20, the Pokeradar App, is very helpful. It will tell you how many pokemon you've chained, as well as your longest chains so far. This'll help you determine when you're ready to start resetting for shinies.

6. Register the Pokeradar. This'll help you out a lot.

7. Put your max repels at the top of your item list.

8. At some point, stop chaining and start resetting. Most people say 40 is a safe number to start resetting the radar, but as long as you have enough patience and max repels, even 20 could work. It's all a matter of how far you're willing to go to raise your chances. A chain can break for seemingly no reason at all sometimes. It's best to be extremely cautious.

9. If you need a break, take one! But make sure you'll know where you are when you come back. I find it best to take breaks in the middle of a battle, or right before I reset the Pokeradar. But whatever works for you. Real time won't affect your chain, so take all the breaks you need. Just be sure to plug your DS in if you need to leave it on for a while, and putting it in sleep mode won't hurt either.

And that's it! If you stick at it, you too should notice results. I've only been doing it for five days, and I already have five shinies to show for it!

And Merbear's guide as well.

Spoiler:

o Buy hundreds of Max Repels. Once you have a chain at 40 you don't want to run out. I usually start chaining with over 300. Money is easy to get using the VS Seeker on the rich folks near the mansion. Keep battling them until you have enough to buy lots of Max Repels.

o Each time you are in a grass space and activate the pokeradar imagine this grid around you (with you being 0 in the center):

4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4
4 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 4
4 3 2 2 2 2 2 3 4
4 3 2 1 1 1 2 3 4
4 3 2 1 0 1 2 3 4
4 3 2 1 1 1 2 3 4
4 3 2 2 2 2 2 3 4
4 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 4
4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4

Four spaces are chosen to be shaking spaces. One in the 1 area, one in 2, one in 3 and one in 4. (If you want to verify this, watch some videos on youtube and pause it during the shaking.) Those four spots chosen to shake may or may not land in grass. If where you're standing causes any part of the grid to be on a non-grass space there is a chance you won't see four shaking grasses as some may end up in non-grass spots.

This is why the chain can break if you're near an edge. If all four chosen spaces land on non-grass spaces your chain will end. This would explain why you really do need to stay at least one space away from a wall or edge so you're guaranteed to get at least one grass to shake in the 1 area and not break your chain. Remember you can always reset the radar if you don't like the shaking grasses available to you.

The above explains why sometimes people go into battle with the right type of pokemon, but it still breaks the chain. I think the next four spaces are chosen as you enter battle and if you are near an edge and the four land in non-grass areas, the chain breaks. It's happened to me, but not since I've followed these steps.

When building your chain to 40, the safest shaking grass to choose is one in the 4 area. It should shake in the same way as the first grass you went into in the chain. I like to choose the bright sparkle shaking grass as that is easiest to see. From what I can tell there are four types:
long no sparkle
sort dim sparkle
short bright sparkle
long bright pulsing sparkle <- shiny!

Try to reset the radar near the middle of the grass so that the 4 area will not land against a wall or edge. If the one in the 4 area has any non-grass area around it, don't choose it or you risk braking your chain on the next round of shakes. Just reset the radar. Be patient.

The next important thing is resetting the radar. Don't be afraid to do it often. You should have hundreds of Max Repels (see above) so don't skimp on using them. When resetting, stay a few spaces near where you last used the radar or you risk walking out of range and breaking your chain. I like to choose a row where no grasses shook and run back and forth three or four squares in each direction.

Once you hit 40, stop going into grasses unless it is a shiny pokemon. Just stay near the middle of the grass area and reset the radar. Run back and forth in a short range and reset again. Make sure not to walk into the space above your head unless you clearly saw 4 grasses shaking, otherwise you risk stepping into the wrong type of shaking grass if you didn't see one shake behind your character.

Most important of all, stop and take breaks when you're not concentrating fully. Just stop in the middle of a battle or when you reset the radar and need to walk more spaces. Close the lid on the DS and plug it in. You can keep a chain going for days. The ponyta chain I'm on now started several days ago. I just come back to it and continue resetting the radar for shinies when I have time. It may take 20 minutes or an hour between shinies, but they appear eventually.

This next is just a superstition on my part. If you're looking for a particular pokemon to start a chain and can't find it, try switching your lead pokemon to something else. I think certain pokemon in the lead cause you to encounter certain types more easily than others. Could be wrong, but it works for me.

Hope this didn't sound preachy. I just want to help everyone get more shinies. Hope this helps someone out there. Good luck to everyone,
Merbear

Spoiler:

WARNING: Before reading this you need to fully understand 13mjvr's patterns theory, which can be read here​

Introduction:​

Hi, everybody, I hope you all have a nice 2009. So, I'd first like to say what is this text you're reading: In the last days, I've been thinking and researching about chaining mechanics and in this time, I ended up proving why people say that the patches in zone 4 are safer to go into while chaining, if there aren't any patterns. When you finish reading this introduction, you'll see how I proved it and, obviously, why the 4-zone patches are safer. So, here it is:​

The theory:​

What the colors mean on the number charts:​

Black = grass patches that didn't shake.

Red = grass patches that shook.
Orange = grass patches that would be associated with patterns if they shook.
Pink = grass patches that wouldn't be associated with patterns if they shook. ​

Situations:​

- 1-zone patches:​

4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4

4 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 4
4 3 2 2 2 2 2 3 4
4 3 2 1 1 1 2 3 4
4 3 2 1 0 1 2 3 4
4 3 2 1 1 1 2 3 4
4 3 2 2 2 2 2 3 4
4 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 4
4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4​

Comments: The 1-zone patch that shook in this case isn't at any of the corners of zone 1. When a patch like this, that isn't at any corner of zone 1, shakes, out of all the 16 patches on zone 2, 6 of them would be associated with patterns if they shook, and 10 of them wouldn't. ​

4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4

4 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 4
4 3 2 2 2 2 2 3 4
4 3 2 1 1 1 2 3 4
4 3 2 1 0 1 2 3 4
4 3 2 1 1 1 2 3 4
4 3 2 2 2 2 2 3 4
4 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 4
4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4​

Comments: The 1-zone patch that shook in this case is a patch that is at one of the corners of zone 1. When a patch like this, which is at one of the corners of zone 1, shakes, out of all the 16 patches on zone 2, 7 of them would be associated with patterns if they shook, and 9 of them wouldn't. Therefore, in the first situation, the chances of patches that aren't associated with patterns being generated are bigger than the chances on this situation.​

4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4

4 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 4
4 3 2 2 2 2 2 3 4
4 3 2 1 1 1 2 3 4
4 3 2 1 0 1 2 3 4
4 3 2 1 1 1 2 3 4
4 3 2 2 2 2 2 3 4
4 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 4
4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4​

Comments: This situation has been simulated just to prove that the idea on the first situation about patches that aren't at the corner of the zone is correct.​

4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4

4 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 4
4 3 2 2 2 2 2 3 4
4 3 2 1 1 1 2 3 4
4 3 2 1 0 1 2 3 4
4 3 2 1 1 1 2 3 4
4 3 2 2 2 2 2 3 4
4 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 4
4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4​

Comments: This situation has been simulated just to prove that the idea on the first situation about patches that are at the corner of the zone is correct.​

- 2-zone patches:​

4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4

4 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 4
4 3 2 2 2 2 2 3 4
4 3 2 1 1 1 2 3 4
4 3 2 1 0 1 2 3 4
4 3 2 1 1 1 2 3 4
4 3 2 2 2 2 2 3 4
4 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 4
4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4​

Comments: The 2-zone patch that shook in this case is a patch that is at one of the corners of zone 2. When a patch like this, which is at one of the corners of zone 2, shakes, out of all the 24 patches on zone 3, 7 of them would be associated with patterns if they shook, and 17 of them wouldn't.​

4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4

4 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 4
4 3 2 2 2 2 2 3 4
4 3 2 1 1 1 2 3 4
4 3 2 1 0 1 2 3 4
4 3 2 1 1 1 2 3 4
4 3 2 2 2 2 2 3 4
4 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 4
4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4​

Comments: The 2-zone patch that shook in this case is a patch that isn't at one of the corners of zone 2. When a patch like this, that isn't at one of the corners of zone 2, shakes, out of all the 24 patches on zone 3, 6 of them would be associated with patterns if they shook, and 18 of them wouldn't. Therefore, on this situation, the chances of patches that aren't associated with patterns being generated are bigger than the chances on the previous situation.​

- 3-zone patches:​

4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4

4 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 4
4 3 2 2 2 2 2 3 4
4 3 2 1 1 1 2 3 4
4 3 2 1 0 1 2 3 4
4 3 2 1 1 1 2 3 4
4 3 2 2 2 2 2 3 4
4 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 4
4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4​

Comments: The 3-zone patch that shook on this case isn't at any corner of zone 3. When a patch like this, that isn't at any corner of zone 3, shakes, out of all the 32 patches on zone 4, 6 of them would be associated with patterns if they shook, and 26 wouldn't.​

4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4

4 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 4
4 3 2 2 2 2 2 3 4
4 3 2 1 1 1 2 3 4
4 3 2 1 0 1 2 3 4
4 3 2 1 1 1 2 3 4
4 3 2 2 2 2 2 3 4
4 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 4
4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4
Comments: The 3-zone patch that shook on this case is at one of the corners of zone 3. When a patch like this, which is at one of the corners of zone 3, shakes, out of all the 32 patches on zone 4, 7 of them would be associated with patterns if they shook, and 25 wouldn't.​

Conclusion:​

After studying these hypothetical situations, I concluded that I had proved why people say (and they're right to do so) that going to 4-zone patches is the best option if you want your chain to continue when there aren't any patterns (the four patches aren't connected in any means, neither lined or twin nor diagonally). Here is what I concluded that proves what people say: The 4-zone patches are the best ones to go into if there isn't any pattern and you want to continue your chain because it doesn't matter what 3-zone patch shook, the chances of the 4-zone patch generated being a patch unassociated with patterns are bigger than the chances of the 2 or 3-zone patches being unassociated with patterns when any 1-zone or 2-zone patch, respectively, shakes. ​

When a 1-zone patch that isn't at one of the corners of zone 1 shakes, the chances of a patch that shakes on zone 2 being unassociated with patterns are 10 in 16 (62.5%) and, if the patch is at one of the corners of zone 1, 9 in 16 (56.25%). When a 2-zone patch that isn't at one of the corners of zone 2 shakes, the chances of a patch that shakes on zone 3 being unassociated with patterns are 18 in 24 (75%) and, if the patch is at one of the corners of zone 2, 17 in 24 (70.833…%). However, when a 3-zone patch that isn't at one of the corners of zone 3 shakes, the chances of a patch that shakes on zone 4 being unassociated with patterns are 26 in 32 (81.25%) and, if the patch is at one of the corners of zone 3, 25 in 32 (78.125%). So, we can see clearly that the chances of the 4-zone patches being unassociated with patterns are bigger than the other zones' ones and that's why people allways say that 4-zone patches are safer. Also, with these conclusions, I have proved that the patches at the corners of the zones have a higher chance of forming patterns than the ones that aren't at zone's corners. In case you were confused with the percentages, here are them in a more simple way:​

Chances of patches unassociated with patterns being generated:​

Zone----Corner----Not-corner

2--------56.25%-------62.5%
3--------70.833…%----75%
4--------78.125%------81.25%​

If you see anything you think is a mistake, leave a message telling what is it on my profile.​

By: Mega Weavile

Special thanks: to ninjascyther for reading this before I posted and giving his opinion and suggestions.​

​

Follow the rules, discuss and good luck on your chains!​

 

[hikaru1234]

omg, i have... a shiny... ESPEON!!! :D im sooooo proud!!! woo!!!

 

[Floris2Burn]

i only got 1 shiny in all my gaming time on all my games so far..
it was when i was breeding some phione for a forum event

one of them hatched and it was a shiny :)

chaining is still a bit hard for me... and can't chain on charmanders, so i'm breeding eggs for it (almost filled a second box)

i'll put them in the farm on my wii, it'll grow like crazy ^^

 

[Floris2Burn]

shinies, odds and numbers

Hey people,

I just got a bit interest in mathematical stuff again, as i was wondering about the odds of shinies

As most of you people know, every time you see / get a pokemon, there is a chanse of 1 in 8192 that it is shiny.

Now some people start thinking;
If i see 8192 pokemon, there should be at least one shiny right?

Well, it's a bit different:

Let's say we do come across 8192 pokemon, then the chance that they are all non-shinies is about 36.7857%.
So, there is 63.2143% chance on hitting at least one shiny :) .
But, the chance that just one of them is a shinie is about the same, 36.7902% (just a tad higher)
Two shinies: 18,3951%
Three shinies: 6,1309%
Four shinies: 1,5324%

If you add these odds, you're getting close to the full 100%, meaning that the chance on 5 and up is very very slim.

It's impossible to calculate the number of pokemon you need to come across in order to have 100% chance of getting at least one shiny, as that number would be infinite (we're working on odds here!).

Yet, we could try to get close:
The chance of 99%, that at least one is shiny, would require you to meet about 37 723 pokémon.


If eny of you got questions about how to calculate odds or got certain calculation requests, go ahaid and ask :)

Happy hunting!

-------------
This topic was moved, I wasn't shure would it fit here as it was mostly about which and how meny shinies you got etc..
Sorry for the inconvenience

 

[CaptainFanboy]

I don't know why, but I always preferred (MOST) the originals rather than the shinys...

 

[~Kavin~]

omg, i have... a shiny... ESPEON!!! :D im sooooo proud!!!

Congrats! it was my first shiny I chained for ever and is still my favorite pokemon! I just got a shiny Skitty off a chain of 13! Man my luck has increased ten fold lately! Yay me! :D If it wasn't for my pair convincing me to go for it, I wouldn't have my skitty today. Thanks man.

 

[Tac One]

When hatching eggs, if the egg hatches normal, can you soft reset if you saved before it hatched to get a shiny?

 

[Floris2Burn]

I've heard the shinyness of the pokemon from an egg is determined when the egg is created, so when the daycare man gets it, or gives it to you,
In either case, you need to hatch new eggs to check for a shiny the whole time. Saving won't work.

At least, I hope that's right caus I've spent a lot of time completely hatching dozens of eggs

 

[~Kavin~]

Last night caught two shiny pachirisu out of a chain of 76! My highest chain yet! :D

 

[ParadoxJester]

My first shiny

I've never caught one until the other day. I was on my way to catch my swarm of the day, smoochum I think it was, and I was walking to the lake when boom I hit a random battle. Stupid pokemon in my way but I'll spare it's life so I can be on my way. Then it hit me. This Snover looks different. Did I just see a sparkle? I couldn't remember so I had to look it up. It was! A shiny Snover decided to run my way. Caught him very easily as I had my False Swipe Zangoose with me and there you have it.

Other shinies I've gotten from trades mainly are

Deoxys
Glaceon
Houndour
Charmander

Snover was the first legit I caught though which made me happy cause I never even saw a shiny in the wild before that.

 

[Gunners]

Cool, i was shiny hunting them but i forgot yesterday and now the swarm has gone :(

My first was a machop while EV training attack against them. Second in the chain all i had was majikarp and a lvl 60 fearow (machop was lvl 7) i freaked out lol and got it in a timer ball

 

[~Kavin~]

This morning I became the proud owner of a shiny Stunky at chain number 72! That was the most stubborn shiny ever. To think it took to chain 72 just to spit out one shiny! MADNESS!

 

[SHINYCATCHER]

I have just caught my 301st different shiny a shiny rotom on my japanese platinum, all together that is my 682nd shiny with only ten coming from trades

My best shinies:
*All starters
*All legendarys except shaymin+(soon to be a pokemon)arceus
*All swarm pokemon
*All trophy garden pokemon

 

[Wichu]

This morning I became the proud owner of a shiny Stunky at chain number 72! That was the most stubborn shiny ever. To think it took to chain 72 just to spit out one shiny! MADNESS!

You know that once you get to 40, the chance stops increasing? It's best to stop at 40, then just keep resetting the radar (while the chain is still going, charge and use it again) until you see a shiny...

 

[xiraiya]

My first shiny: Golbat

I caught it in "Victory Road" on Pokemon diamond about 5 minutes after reading about Shiny Pokemon in the "Prima Guide" funnily enough the example they use is a Golbat.
Nothing too amazing but a shiny is a shiny, he remains UT and in my Pokemon Box.