Catching Shiny Pokemon with the PokeRadar (READ FIRST POST PLZ)

[Erik Destler]

Rules

• Discuss chaining only.
• Don't offer/request to trade
• Don't ask foolish questions, such as "How do I chain pokemon?!" Read the F.A.Q.
• Three Sentences per post, please.
• Do not post more than once per 15 posts. That's right. You should post only once per every fifteen posts. There's an edit button for a reason. .-.;
• Do not post posts merely about "Congratulations" or whatever. It is a shallow post. .-.
• If you don't wish to comply with the rules, you will be infracted for spamming.

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:- ninjascyther's Tips:

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Chaining Resources Contents.

Click on the links to go to that individual resource. Or simply go to Page 443 of the Pokeradar Thread and they are all there.

Route Summaries: Acuity Lakefront - Route 213
Route Summaries: Route 214 - Valor Lakefront
Best place to chain every Pokemon
Shiny Patch Percentages
Swarms, Radar Exclusives, GBA, Trophy Garden
Static & Magnet Pull
Best & Worst Appearance Rates
Dangers when catching certain Shinies
 

    Spoiler:- 13mjvr's guide:

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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
[B]

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.

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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:- Shuko's Guide:

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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:- Merbear's Guide:

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I've been chaining for a while and learned a lot from reading Shuko and Pokerealm's posts, guides and videos. Here are some tips to help folks who are having trouble:

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

 

And no, I don't plan on remaking this topic again any time soon. .o.;
If you have any suggestions for the thread, simply PM me. ^^;

[zombietrudy]

Ooh, new thread! :3
I'm still trying to get Ponyta..chains keep breaking in the 10s and 20s. I have a good feeling about this one though! Even though it's only at 3..>_>

Woot! First post in the new thread ^_^

[PokInfinity]

Wait.... why is there a new thread? Oh well...

I tried to start a bagon chain, but it broke at 11...

[Ninjitsu15]

ANOTHER new thread?

Did something happen in the old one that caused it to be...*gulp* removed?

[hello moto]

^ probably that spam thing that People were talking about.

New thread, but Old news, horrible time chaining Larvitar, but finally it's up to 25.
Good luck all of you

Next target- Eevee

[Bigbob774]

New thread, much?

I've been resetting on and off. I'm currently at SEVEN Shiny Ponyta, but working on some other stuff atm. I'm not going to stop Ponyta until I break it on accident.. Ftw.

[mew..]

well, i was chaining dugtrio, waiting for one with arena trap and jolly nature, and then out of the blue, a shiny appears. i tried running, hoping for arena trap to kick in(yes i could've risked the shiny) arena trap. whew! i capture it in an ultra, and jolly natured. ^_^

[hello moto]

^ congrats, you tried to run away from a shiny O_O, congrats on the nature as well
also Congrats Bigbob774, Blue ponytas are awesome.

Larvitar@ 30

Sorry- just noticed the new rules "gulp"

[VTUSH]

Wow congrats mew... on dugtrio.
Tried chaining farfetch'd but broke on 12. I'm about to start chaining growlithe, for the first time, i didn't get around to doing it yesterday because there was a doduo swarm there . But i give it a go now if i can find one at least

[tonyg44x]

im at my first 40 chain and its phanpy so i've been resetting so i hope i get a couple of shinys...

good luck to you all

[Deceptionex]

Although it was my first chain I done pretty well getting into the 1x's and got myself a shiny starly. I know it's not much but it is my first chined shiny and I just feel proud. My only other shiny was a random encountered tentacool.

[fireballs]

CONGRATS to everyone with their new shinies i got a ponyta i really wanted 2 well im impatient oh well. good luck and i need luck with about any pokemon

[akillakai]

God. Last night I had a dream that I got a shiny Electrike on a chain of 3.

Bleh.
...I think this is a sign!!!!
Today's swarm is Electrike..

Edit: Chain @ 11
Chain broke at 16.

[halcyonXlll]

...

After my first Rhyhorn chain broke to a Skarmory, I found the Steel-winged bird again and began chaining those. I got up to 11 and then my chain randomly ended just as my Repel ran out :l
I guess it was nothing more than coincidental timing..

Anyways, I found another Rhyhorn and was able to bring the chain all the way to 40 in only 10 MRs, out of 607 =)
So I reset the Radar, and in just 5 Repels more I find my first Shiny. Naturally I caught it, and.. Another Shiny bush appears immediately after
This one was on the edge and, hand in hand with my apparent luck, the chain kept intact upon entering it ^_^;;

So I have two Shiny male Rhyhorns in only 15 Max Repels.

x2

Oh, pictures -

A shiny Rhyhorn appears!

Armaldo VS Rhyhorn

Good luck everyone ;-)

Edit: Congrats on your Meowth chain S_D! ^_^

Edit 2: I found my third Shiny awhile ago at 576 MRs ~

[Storm_Dragoon]

Well, I'm ready to start chaining for shiny Meowth in the horror known as the Trophy Garden. The first time I chained for Meowth, for my first one a while back, I got to 40 on the first attempt. I'm hoping to have success like that once again.

Thanks for the reply about the synchronizer halcyonXlll .

EDIT: Found the first kitty, time to get started . Broke that one at 4 though.
#2: Broke a second one at 21. I'm trying once more, then I'm putting it down and trying tomorrow.
#3: The kitty is at 40 and I caught a shiny male.
#4:

My Meowth chain from last night is still going. I am now up to 46 with 6 shiny kitties . I've been using my Jolly synchronizer for the first 6, and will try and get at least 6 more with my Timid synchronizer.

I am up to 4 males and 2 females. All of them except the first one were caught in Luxury Balls.

EDIT: Nevermind, just broke the chain .
#2: Here are the natures/characteristics:

Male #1: Jolly, Somewhat vain
Male #2: Bashful, Often lost in thought
Male #3: Quiet, Strong willed
Male #4: Jolly, Likes to thrash about
Female #1: Jolly, Highly persistant
Female #2: Jolly, Highly curious

Looks like my synchronizer worked on over half of the shiny Meowth, now to figure out what to use. I'll check my swarm and possibly chain it or something else.

[mifune]

Been practicing with Shinx, and have had a couple of 30+ chains, my question is, when I do finally get it to 40, do I just reset the radar until the shiny appears, or do I go ahead and risk going into the grasses for it?

[ninjascyther]

^ Definitely dont keep trying to incease the chain if you want shinies. The reason 40 is the best place to chain to is because when the chain reaches 40 the shiny patch rate cannot go any higher. Just go ahead and reset at 40 until you have as many shinies as you want. Then if you want you can chain up, mainly to try and get a new top chain for pokeradar app 20 and because there is a (slight) chance of getting a shiny patch while chaining.

Thanks to Erik Destler for putting the resources I made into the opening post .

EDIT:

One of the reasons for the new thread:

Rules from Thread (2):

Discuss chaining only.
Don't offer/request to trade
Don't ask foolish questions, such as "How do I chain pokemon?!" Read the F.A.Q.
Do not post unless you have a paragraph's (for this case, two good sentences) worth of information. We don't need separate posts for every little detail.
If you don't wish to comply with the rules, you will be infracted for spamming.

Rules from Thread (3):

Discuss chaining only.
Don't offer/request to trade
Don't ask foolish questions, such as "How do I chain pokemon?!" Read the F.A.Q.
Three Sentences per post, please.
Do not post more than once per 15 posts. That's right. You should post only once per every fifteen posts. There's an edit button for a reason. .-.;
If you don't wish to comply with the rules, you will be infracted for spamming.

That is a big new rule for a thread of this nature. I guess the last thread was still too spammy without a posting limit. I dont know if it can be sucessfully enforced though.

[jiang]

Need quick help...I am chaining budew up until now and on chain 53 already still no shiny, should i keep on resetting or let it go up further? I might have missed something earlier I ma not sure, hopefully one turns up right now...

EDIT:

Now I hate roselia! I am at chain 53 of my budew, then for some reason, on a perfectly clear/safe patch, a roselia appears instead of a budew, and breaks my chain! And worst, not even one shiny budew on a chain of 53. I am going to sleep now. hmp.

you call that miserable now, how unlucky of me tonight. But at least I Aced my exams today! yahoo! now I should really sleep. =D

[kirkeastment]

Last night i managed to get a chain of 35 eevee (damned easy compared to other attempts i made), however my chain broke when i went into a 4 patch that was diagonal to a 2 patch, so yet again i feel disheartened.

However my swarm pokemon to day is electrike, so i hope to get a shiny one of those today.

[Space Guard]

I really don't understand why we need a new topic, but I'm not really bothered.

Still chaining Floatzel, got as high as 28 and my chain broke last night. Starting again today

[kirkeastment]

Well i've just got my electrike chain to 40 (without a staticer in front), and am currently in the process of resetting the radar (15 resets down).

It took me over 40 MR's but i finally got two shiny electrikes, before the chain broke (shiny patch on the edge broke the chain).

[Royboyvdm]

im getting co crazy.. first 6 of my absol chains break becouse i cross finger
then a chain of 30 break becouse i accidently did my ds off
then a chain break becouse no reason

[Murra Myrrh]

TT_TT I can't get a good chain on Eevee! ARG! Can anyone give me some hints and tips? I know, go to the wiggle grasses that look JUST like the one I'm chaining, don't go into a corner blah blah blah, I follow ALL the rules, but I CAN'T GET AN EEVEE CHAIN!! And yes, they are in my garden currently. It is seriously frustraiting me. The best chain I've got on Eevee was like...a 7. It just doesn't make any sence to me...

On a brighter note, I chained for Clifairy this morning(out of spite of those Eevee) and I got up to 20, but it broke. Stupid Kricketune. I'm going to try again today maybe...Or maybe I'll chain for something else, maybe something easier, something with more than a 5% chance of appearing lol. Anyways, good luck you guys. ^^

[Aesir22]

Pearl:
had a budew chain at 32 but then it broke because it was at the edge. no shiny.
Solrock is a real pain..... all the chains break before reaching 10 today.
My swarm pokemon is Farfetch'd so im going to chain that one later today.

offtopic: the new rule of posting only once every 15 posts is difficult to check i think...well we will see if that works

[Rabid Jigglypuff]

Last chain I had was 73 @ Shinx, I was just looking for shinies at 70 caught 3, I decided to go to 74 normally, bad idea.