"The Illustrious Quarter"

In the Advanced Generation, I was a pretty awful Pokémon Trainer. I was the best out of my friends, and never lost to anyone in my school who I found myself in battle against, but I was still pretty bad. I bred for natures and effort trained, but my Pokémon had poorly planned sets of moves and battling strategies. I won mostly because I had the greatest variety of Pokémon trained, and had access to rarer monsters my friends were unfamiliar with (as far as types, abilities and moves are concerned) or simply never had seen at all. The point is that I was only as good as I needed to be to win.

With the onset of online play came more serious competition. After being crushed in my first online battle, I stepped up to the plate, researched and raised stronger Pokémon. I didn't battle again until I was positive my next match would end in my embarrassing first loss being tied with a win.

I got that win by creating breeding webs for Individual Values, collecting 'Nature Dittos' with tolerable IVs, and breeding my battling Pokémon to perfection. It took an entire summer, but by the August after Diamond and Pearl's release I had a box of trained battling monsters with many more coming easier and easier thanks to the growing web of IVs.

It was after I stepped my game up like this that I was made aware of Pokésav. In my life, I've experienced that in the face of a challenge, you're going to find two kinds of people... people who have the self-respect and drive to do things the correct way, and those lazy folks who will try any cheap trick possible to cut a shortcut through to the end. Pokésav, as it turns out, was the shortcut in Pokémon. It allows people to cut out all of the work and make the best possible Pokémon, even make them shiny, ruining the game for everyone who made an honest effort.

I mentioned in a previous entry that rampant Pokésav users can be identified by the fruits of their greed, in the form of the overuse of shiny Pokémon.

Shiny Pokémon are not only rare, but one that has the nature and IVs to make it a decent battler are even more rare. Shiny legendary Pokémon ideal for battling are practically an impossibility... but I see them everywhere.

However, a good battling shiny Pokémon is NOT impossible. I, myself, have hatched TWO shiny Pokémon worthy of the battlefield in terms of both IVs and nature.



Togepi, named Truck Jr., was almost given away. I bred my battling Togekiss, Truck, with a Ditto simply to produce an egg for my friend who needed Togepi and its evolutions to complete the Pokédex. I was about to trade him the egg when he realized Togepi was available by using the Pokéradar in-game. Not wanting to have an egg sitting in my PC, I proceeded to hatch it just to get rid of it... when it hatched, I was amazed to find it was shiny, and that it had inherited two of its father's 31 IVs. However, the father Togekiss had better stats (and a tutored move from FireRed) so I passed on raising him, and instead put him with my shiny collection in the PC.

Azurill was a different story. I was hatching eggs for the sole purpose of raising an Azumarill when this shiny cracked open in front of me, and he glistened his way right into my battling armory. His genetics aren't as perfect as my other Pokémon, but he does what he is intended for quite well, and he became my first ever trained shiny Pokémon.

I realize that the number of eggs hatched when breeding can be a very high amount, thus increasing the chance of finding a shiny... and if you are on the last leg of a breeding chain for IVs, a shiny in this case could very well turn out like my Azumarill... shiny, but battle-ready! I call this pocket of chance the "Illustrious Quarter". The small window where a Pokémon like Buoy, my Azumarill, can emerge from.

I write this journal not only to brag, but to share the thought that the use of a shiny Pokémon in battle should be noted with caution before accusing the trainer of fraud. Use your best judgment!

Personally, I always judge based on how the trainer behaves in regards to his Pokémon. I also like to think about how cool the shiny may look, as the more awesome looking shinies tend to be more often hacked... guys like Metagross.

The Illustrious Quarter is small, but it does exist, and so does the possibility of good shiny Pokémon.

Pokémon Video Game Showdown 2008

This morning, Nintendo made a surprise announcement...

The Pokémon Video Game Showdown 2008, a tournament for the Pokémon games for the DS!

Click here for the official site!

Don't be surprised if it doesn't load right away. Traffic is heavy, it just launched! Give it some time.

To register to compete you have to create a MyPokémon account, if you don't already have one, and then take a quiz that will test your Pokémon knowledge. It's short, but can be a little tough. You get a fair amount of time to take it, so it shouldn't be too much of an issue. If you get at least 75% right, you'll be put into a random drawing from which the actual tournament competitors will be selected... That part is a little frustrating, but not much can be done about it. 128 people will be selected from two age groups.

You can take the quiz from today until June 17th. After that, the winners will be decided randomly and contacted via e-mail. The qualifying tournament will be held nearly a month later, on July 12th in LA or the 19th in NY. Winners from that tournament will go onto the finals in Orlando.

The rest of that jargon can be found here.

Full rules for battle can be found here.

Double battles with 4 Pokémon. Species and Item clauses. Some other Nintendo nonsense. Simple enough. All Pokémon normally banned in the Battle Tower are also banned here. Pokémon Battle Revolution will only be used in the final battle so DS signals don't get all goofed up, so this presents an interesting problem...

All battles will be held via the DS's local wireless, so Nintendo is requiring that all Pokémon you intend to use are level 50 and below. This means anyone evolving past level 50 is not eligible, so that means Dragonite and Tyranitar are out.

Remember that you can breed for level up moves learned past 50 if both parents are the same species and also know the move, and the baby is able to learn it by level up, as well. You can get Water Spout on Wailord at level 50 because Wailmer can learn it by level up and can have it bred in, but it is impossible to get a level 50 Swampert with Hammer Arm, because Mudkip doesn't learn it by leveling up ever.

You may have to breed all new Pokémon for this tournament because of this limit. I know I have to, but at least there is a reasonable amount of time between then and now, so I'll be getting to it right away.

This is a rare occassion, Nintendo has only held a handful of these tournaments over the years. The last one they held was on their 10th Anniversary two years ago. I've registered already, and will cross my fingers while waiting to be selected to actually battle. You do the same!

The grand prize is a trip to your choice of several locations, as well as a Nintendo prize package, the whole mess being worth about 10,000 bucks!

Individual Values and Inheriting Stats

Why are some Pokémon stronger than others? Imagine you have two level 50 Salamence with the same nature and the exact same effort points, but have completely different stats. Why is that? Is there a way to maximize your stats by manipulating this difference? The answer is YES.

Each of your Pokémon's stats has a hidden 'Individual Value' that determines this difference from other Pokémon. These values are determined either at random or through special breeding conditions (which I will go into later) when a Pokémon is created by the game in the wild or from an egg. IVs are numbered 0 through 31, and at level 100 each number can be considered that many extra points toward your stat.

For example:



We have two level 100 Modest Charizard with no Effort Points. One has 245 Special Attack, and the second has 279. The first has a 0 IV in Special Attack, the second a 31. See? The difference between the two stats is 31, like I said. Ideally, for battling, you'd choose the Pokémon with the 31.

How do you figure out what IVs your Pokémon's stats have? Well, there are two methods. The first is by hand, through a special mathematical equation. The second is a automated Individual Value calculator that does all the work for you. Most people choose the second method.

Serebii's page on Individual Values has the math equations, and their automatic Calculator is really top notch. I've added the Calculator to the list of links for your convenience. Doing the math yourself can not only be tricky, but may return incorrect results if you do it poorly. When you open the calculator, you'll see it to be very self-explanatory, you just have to input the Pokémon species, nature, stat numbers, level and amount of Effort Points. If you don't know what Effort Points your Pokémon has, it's pretty much impossible to determine its IVs without first removing the Effort with berries.

Level 100 will always return exact results, but raising your level that high might not be easy. However, you can check the IVs at levels below 100, but the results will not always be exact. Adding your desired Effort Points and raising the Pokémon's level as high as possible before checking your IVs will help. I always check at level 30. When looking for a specific number, knowing what characteristics do helps a ton.

So how can you manipulate these numbers? That's the real entry here. When you breed two Pokémon together, they often share their stats with the baby Pokémon when its stats are determined. Your new Pokémon can potentially have up to 3 stats from its parents, with the rest being determined at random, like a wild Pokémon whose stats are all determined at random. First, a random stat IV is passed from either parent to the child. Next, another stat IV, other than HP, will pass to the child from either parent at random, just like the first. This second IV will override the first if it is randomly determined to be in the same stat. The third stat IV that passes will not be HP or Defense, and follows the same behavior as second one. As such, the number of stats you inherit will be 1 to 3.

Breeding Pokémon with 31 IVs together could possibly create baby Pokémon with 31's in multiple stats. I breed all of my Pokémon together in this way, to maximize the most important stats.

I use my knowledge of Pokémon characteristics to first create a web of breedable Pokémon with 31 IVs. I use not only the Pokémon I've already fully trained, but samples from my collection of wild-caught Pokémon who I've also determined to have 31 IVs. With these many potential parents representing most of the egg groups, I can breed essentially any Pokémon to have 31 IVs in usually two stats. My standard is that a Pokémon must have two 31 IVs and all other important stats cannot be less than 20. It's doable, but time consuming. Experiment with these methods to find what works best for you!

Characteristics!

So your Sudowoodo is 'proud of its power', and you're wondering what that means...

This is your Pokémon's characteristic, you can find it on their Summary, right over what flavor of berry they like to eat. It serves as an indicator of which of your Pokémon's Individual Values is the highest, and knowing what each means can be a priceless breeding tool.

These characteristics represent a top IV in HP:
'Often dozes off' can be: 1, 6, 11, 16, 21, 26, 31
'Loves to eat' can be: 0, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30
'Likes to relax' can be: 4, 9, 14, 19, 24, 29
'Scatters things often' can be: 3, 8, 13, 18, 23, 28
'Often scatters things' can be: 2, 7, 12, 17, 22, 27

These represent a top IV in ATTACK:
'Likes to thrash about' can be: 1, 6, 11, 16, 21, 26, 31
'Proud of its power' can be: 0, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30
'Quick tempered' can be: 4, 9, 14, 19, 24, 29
'Likes to fight' can be: 3, 8, 13, 18, 23, 28
'A little quick tempered' can be: 2, 7, 12, 17, 22, 27

These mean you have a top IV in DEFENSE:
'Capable of taking hits' can be: 1, 6, 11, 16, 21, 26, 31
'Sturdy body' can be: 0, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30
'Good perseverance' can be: 4, 9, 14, 19, 24, 29
'Good endurance' can be: 3, 8, 13, 18, 23, 28
'Highly persistent' can be: 2, 7, 12, 17, 22, 27

These indicate a top IV in SPECIAL ATTACK:
'Mischievous' can be: 1, 6, 11, 16, 21, 26, 31
'Highly curious' can be: 0, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30
'Very finicky' can be: 4, 9, 14, 19, 24, 29
'Often lost in thought' can be: 3, 8, 13, 18, 23, 28
'Thoroughly cunning' can be: 2, 7, 12, 17, 22, 27

These represent a top IV in SPECIAL DEFENSE:
'Somewhat vain' can be: 1, 6, 11, 16, 21, 26, 31
'Strong willed' can be: 0, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30
'Somewhat stubborn' can be: 4, 9, 14, 19, 24, 29
'Hates to lose' can be: 3, 8, 13, 18, 23, 28
'Strongly defiant' can be: 2, 7, 12, 17, 22, 27

These ones mean you have a top IV in SPEED:
'Alert to sounds' can be: 1, 6, 11, 16, 21, 26, 31
'Likes to run' can be: 0, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30
'Quick to flee' can be: 4, 9, 14, 19, 24, 29
'Somewhat of a clown' can be: 3, 8, 13, 18, 23, 28
'Impetuous and silly' can be: 2, 7, 12, 17, 22, 27

If two of your Pokémon's IVs are tied for highest, the characteristic represents a random stat. So if you have a 31 in Speed and Attack, it may say 'Likes to thrash about' OR 'Alert to sounds'.

When breeding, I check every Pokémon that has not only the characteristics indicating the IVs I'm looking for, but also any characteristic indicating a 31 IV. For example, I was breeding for HP and Special Attack in a Pokémon, when I hatched a baby who was 'Alert to Sounds', possibly meaning it had a 31 in Speed. When I checked his stats, on a whim, I realized he had 31 IVs in HP, Special Attack AND Speed, which is incredibly rare. So never toss a Pokémon aside because it doesn't appear to have what you're looking for.

Ideally, you should check every Pokémon. When hunting for 31s, you may pass up checking a Pokémon with a 'sturdy body'... and that Pokémon may turn out to have straight 30 IVs in every stat. Certainly a keeper!

Don't let the often boring task of making and hatching eggs make you forget to pay attention to the tiny details.

Overdoing Clausing!

No Skarmblisslax, no Double Team, no Baton Pass...

Sometimes you'll run into people who will demand ridiculous rules before battle. More often than not, you'll see folks trying to remove techniques, items and Pokémon they aren't prepared to battle or try to minimize luck.

I urge you not to humor these people.

The idea that techniques a majority of players use without incident are flawed or broken is absolutely absurd! Instead of revamp a team, or think outside the box regarding strategies, these people would rather attempt to change the format of the very game to suit themselves.

That's sad, isn't it?

If you lose, take the loss as a chance to grow. Don't avoid a learning experience because of an over-inflated ego. Some people claim that evasion moves, of even one-hit KO moves cause the game to focus less on 'skill' and more on 'luck', they feel the winner should be the person who wins without introducing luck, but I say that overcoming these situations is a skill that these people obviously lack. Introducing luck is just as viable a winning strategy as anything else. This is a game of percentages, and learning to master them takes real skill.

It really speaks for a person's level of skill when they can only win at a dumbed down version of a game, doesn't it?

Genderless Pokémon Breeding Problems

When I breed for Individual Values, I always check my armory of trained Pokémon and collection of untouched wild-caught Pokémon for high stats to breed into my newest idea. That way I'm sure what Effort went into the stats, if any at all, and know the IVs calculation comes out correctly.

However, there are times when a collection cannot help achieve high stats when breeding new Pokémon. Genderless Pokémon!



All of these Pokémon are genderless, as well as their relatives through evolution. Genderless Pokémon can't breed with anything other than Ditto, so unless your Ditto has the stat you're looking for, you may be out of luck.

However, there are techniques that may aid you in your quest. Catching any of these Pokémon, fresh from the wild, offers a chance at high stats as IVs are generated completely randomly. Some of these Pokémon are even found in swarms, making your job catching a lot of them a lot easier on the right day.

Others, like Porygon or Beldum, can be obtained through events in previous generation games. Saving, grab these Pokémon, check them, and reset if you aren't happy with what you get and want to try again.

Male-only Pokémon like the Hitmon trio also fall under the same category as before, they can only breed with Ditto. So remember the same rules when breeding these guys as well. Remember that Hitmonchan and Hitmonlee can be picked up in FireRed and LeafGreen, just like Porygon and Beldum.



These techniques are certainly a lot faster than breeding these Pokémon with a Ditto, waiting for Eggs and then hatching them, hoping for high IVs. Catch 'em and breed them for natures instead!

King of the Bugs! Countering Yanmega

Yanmega was once one of the most commonly seen Pokémon on teams seen on Battle Revolution's online feature. His ability, Speed Boost, makes him faster on every turn AND he's capable of using Hypnosis. To an unprepared team, Yanmega can spell certain doom.



Enter the Yanmega killers. These three insomniacs can't be put to sleep by Yanmega, two are capable of slowing him down with Paralysis, and all three resist his most common attacking move, Bug Buzz. In Stadium Style battles, these guys can really shut Yanmega down.

Many people still use Yanmega. I can tell you personally that if you don't have a counter for this monstrous bug, he'll probably end up doing severe damage to your party. Any of these three counters are useful, and Stealth Rock certainly gives Yanmega trouble, due to 4x weakness. Also take note that Yanmega's base speed is actually pretty average, and when it appears he may not out speed his opponent initially, he may use Detect or Protect for a free Speed Boost. Take away that free boost by putting up a Substitute, using Agility, or trying something else devious.