Which Shiny?

[Over 9,000 Superkowz]

I've been chaining for shiny Pokemon in Platinum lately and have the basic concept down. Now I have a question for you. Which shiny do you think looks the coolest?

[Yo Shee]

Rampardos.

Unfortunately, he can't be obtained by chaining. The first one I chained for in Platinum was Slowpoke, so now I've got Phoebe the shiny Slowbro. Awesome.

Remember, if you're looking for a pokemon that's relatively rare, you have to try using the flashy patches rather than the modestly shaking ones. That was the only way I could get Slowpokes.

[Over 9,000 Superkowz]

Thanks for the input. :D

I've basically been trying for a Shinx. He looks pretty cool with the whole alternate color thing. By the way, my biggest chain is 24 with Abra.

[Yo Shee]

There's a lot of rules/superstitions, it's up to you which ones you believe or not. But I guess you already know that if you've already gotten a chain that long. Remember, don't give up, and when you get to 40, stop running into wild pokemon until you see the shiny patch. And don't let the TV and stuff like that distract you.

[Over 9,000 Superkowz]

Hehe, trust me, I read the whole Psypoke guide.... It's pretty good at explaining stuff. Thanks for tips. :D

[FreezeWarp]

Call me a n00b, but I hadn't heard of shiny chains. Care to explain them?

[Over 9,000 Superkowz]

Here's a link to Psypoke's chaining guide. I'll also try to summarize below.

http://www.psypokes.com/lab/shiny.php

Mmkay, well it's ovbious that shiny Pokemon are rare. You have a 1/8192 chance of finding one in the wild... So why chain? Chaining brings down the ratio of finding a shiny. For example, if you have a chain of 8, then your chance at finding a shiny is now 1/1024. The ratio of finding a shiny will stop going down once your chain reaches 40, which means your chance of finding a shiny will be 1/204.8. That's a significant deacrease, isn't it? Now I'll tell you how to chain. First you need a PokeRadar, which I believe you get from Proffesor Rowan after you get the National Pokedex. Talk do Dawn or Lucas to see how it works. To chain, you will need a few things.

1. A Pokeradar

2. Lots of Max/Super Repels (Super Repel saves money)

3. 1-3 High level Pokemon with lots of PP

4. 1-2 Pokemon around the level of the shiny you're attempting to catch (Scyther is reccomended for false swipe, a Pokemon that can use Thunder Wave or Stun Spore is good too)

5. Pokeballs

Once you have these items, use a repel and go into a patch of grass. REMEMBER TO HAVE REPEL ON AT ALL TIMES!!! The patch should be at least this big.

000000000
000000000
000000000
000000000
0000X0000
000000000
000000000
000000000
000000000

0 - Grass
X - You

Once you're standing at that spot on the grass, use your PokeRadar (registering it helps). There are 3 kinds of grass that will shake.

1. Normal shaking grass (contains common Pokemon)

2. Flashing grass (may contain rarer Pokemon)

3. Shiny and sparkly grass (sparkles with 4 stars, contains shiny Pokemon)

Once you go into a patch of grass and use your PokeRadar, go into a patch of grass that shook. If you catch/defeat the Pokemon in that patch, you will start a chain. WATCH CLOSELY AFTER A BATTLE!!! Patches of grass will shake immediately after a battle. Do not go into one that is not in one of the safe patches, shown in the diagram below, or you'll break your chain.

####0.####
#_________#
#_________#
#_________#
_____X_____
#_________#
#_________#
#_________#
####_.####

_- Unsafe Patch
# - Safe Patch
X - You

So basically, the outer patches (excluding the ones in the row/column you're in) are safe to go in. Now you'll want to keep chaining until you get your chain to 40. Once you're at 40, just keep resetting the PokeRadar (by walking 50 steps), being extra careful not to go into any patches, until you find a shiny. Here are some tips you can use while chaining.

1. Don't look away from the screen, you might miss a shiny!

2. Pokemon with the Static ability attract Electric types and Pokemon holding a Magnet attract Steel types if they're at the top of your party.

3. Don't walk directly up after resetting your PokeRadar. The trainer sprite obscures your view of the patch behind you.

4. Reset your Radar in the middle of the grass.

5. Don't turn off your DS or run from a battle. It will break your chain!

Good luck catching shinies!

[Yo Shee]

It is, in my opinion, the best way to obtain a shiny. Some people like to just run around the grass and hope for the 1/8192 chance of a shiny occurs, and some people like to save and reset in front of legendaries and fossils and stuff like that. However, with this method, assuming that you know how to do it and you are patient and don't have major attention span problems, it's nearly guaranteed you'll find a shiny. Not only that, but multiples.

It involves the use of the Pokeradar, which you should have in your Key Items pocket, and lots of Super Repels. Don't forget to bring many balls, to catch them with, of course. Dusk Balls work great at night, Quick Balls are good against weak pokemon so you won't have to worry so much about weakening them, and Repeat Balls are good against pokemon you've caught before.

Various guides on what you actually have to do with it shouldn't be too hard to find. If you need anything explained, I'll be happy to help. I've caught, I'd say, at least 30 shinies, so I've had a lot of success with it. Once you know what to do and get the hang of it, it won't be as hard as it may seem now.

[Over 9,000 Superkowz]

Dude, you are owning. :D

How many hours do you have on Diamond/Pearl/Platinum?

[Yo Shee]

A lot.

Haha.

But you'll see. Once you've found one, it's not difficult to find more. In fact, you'll most likely have to just decide yourself when you've caught as much as you need and are ready to stop chaining and go back to actually having a life... and of course, actually using the shines!

[Over 9,000 Superkowz]

Umm... So you have so many hours that you won't tell me? Mind telling me some of the shinies you caught?

[Yo Shee]

Just give me a couple of minutes, then I'll edit this post and tell you that stuff.

[Over 9,000 Superkowz]

Okay, awesome. And thanks for taking the time to find out. :D

[Yo Shee]

In my Pearl, which I'm gonna start a new game in soon, I have 320 hours and:
-A Floatzel.
-A Magneton and one other Magnemite,
-An Electrode and a few Voltorbs,
-And two Dunsparces.

In Platinum, I've got 200 hours, and:
-Phoebe the shiny Slowbro, plus multiple other Slowpokes.
-Kaboom the shiny Claydol, and a few Baltoys.
-Two female Arons.
-A few Slakoths.

And don't even think about asking if you can have Phoebe!

[Over 9,000 Superkowz]

That's nice dude. I wouldn't ask for Phoebe anyway cuz I got no Wi-Fi. ;)