How To Become Pro At Chaining

[Diesel]

How To Become Pro At Chaining​

1.0 Introduction

Discussion thread in Stark Mountain, post there!
Look At What I Chained

Hello and welcome to Diesel's guide on How To Become Pro At Chaining. Study this guide, and use these techniques to instantly become a better chainer. I guarantee you'll be finding shinies in almost no time at all. This thread is a place where you can ask questions of pro chainers like myself, discuss chaining, update us on how your chaining is going, etc. There are really no formal rules about posting, just have fun with it, and talk about whatever you want. Please be helpful and respectful to others in order to keep a friendly environment please. I really don't want to see flaming of any kind in here.

Table of Contents

• 1.0 Introduction
• 1.1 Need to Know
• 1.2 Coming Prepared
• 1.3 Hail to the Grid
• 1.4 Let's Get Chaining
• 1.5 Swarms
• 2.0 Credits
• 2.1 Helpful Links

1.1 Need to Know

The Basics

~ Chaining: Using the PokeRadar to catch multiple pokemon of the same species consecutively.

~ There are two basic types of patches, Regular, which just shake, and Flashing which shake and flash white.

~ PokeRadar pokemon, or pokemon that can only be found with the PokeRadar, only appear in the Flashing patches.

~ Shiny pokemon appear only in patches that "glow" or "glimmer" two times. I will refer to these as Shiny patches. Not to be confused with the Flashing patches that you see all the time. A link showing what these patches look like is posted below, but you will know it when you see it without question.

~ 40 is the "magic number," meaning that once you get to 40 on your chain, your chances of seeing a Shiny patch are maximized.

~ After 40, Shiny patches typically appear about 1 every 20 super repels. I think the ratio is a little better than that, but that's the safe estimate.

~ Turning off the game will break your chain, saving will not. I recommend saving after each shiny or two that you get, just in case.

~ Start easy! Generally a very common pokemon, like Shinx or Starly, that appears in Regular patches. I started with Swellow, a PokeRadar pokemon and it sucked... a lot.

General Advice

1. Read this!! Basically everything I know is in here, so I think you have almost all the information you need to become pro at chaining. There are a lot of tidbits in here, so if you have a basic question, chances are it's somewhere in here.

2. Read this... in moderation. If you read this entire thing all at once and expect to become a decent chainer right away, you're probably wrong. What I recommend is to absorb as much of this as you can, and try to use it when you begin chaining. There is a lot of detail and knowledge crammed in here though, so you won't be able to use it all your first time out. So keep referencing this guide as you go along, and keep incorporating the finer details into your chaining. For example, when you're just beginning you probably won't be able to tell a good patch from a decent one, but the more you chain the more you'll be able to grasp the concepts in here that allow you to find the best patches, and avoid the dangerous ones. Like a pokemon, you must evolve and learn new skills.

3. Chaining is very very difficult to master. You have to be persistent, or you will never be good.

4. Chaining takes a lot of focus. Getting distracted for 5 seconds can break your chain very easily. So turn off the TV, and maybe even *gasp* the computer, and try to chain in a distraction-free environment.

5. From my experience, if I get frustrated with chaining, I need to take a break from it. If you're like me, you'll find that if you chain for a couple hours and keep breaking your chains, it probably isn't going to get any better. So know when you need to set your DS down for a while, and you'll find chaining to be much more enjoyable.

6. Try to figure out what you're doing wrong. I can guarantee you your chain did break for a reason, so figure out what that is. This is a very efficient way to improve, and eliminate bad habits.


1.2 Coming Prepared
"Not bringing your compass to Geometry is like not bringing your clothes to PE." ~My old Geometry teacher.

1. Bring repels, many repels! Running out of repels is a pretty lame way to break a chain, and can easily be avoided. I recommend bringing 200+ super repels every time out if you want multiple shinies. It took me 500+ repels to 27 shiny Budews, fortunately I came prepared. It also took me 150+ repels to get 1 shiny Lickitung, and I was pissed. Even if you think you're no good at chaining, you never know when you might get good, so stock up.

2. Bring balls! It takes balls to chain, it takes Pokeballs to catch, so have both. Make sure you've packed the balls you want to catch the pokemon. For example, some shinies look great coming out of Dusk Balls or Premier Balls. Quick Balls are my lucky balls, because I get my best IV's in them typically, so I like those, plus they're very efficient on most pokemon.

3. Scout the pokemon you're chaining! A quick trip to Serebii can save you a lot of suffering. Know where your pokemon is most common, what level it is, its catch rate, etc. Also check to make sure it won't have Roar or Whirlwind, because that could screw you over. If it does, prepare adequately. I had a tough time on my recent Chatot chain because I didn't expect that its catch rate was 30, so my 40+ Quick Balls were rendered useless, and eventually I ran out of viable balls.

4. Create your chaining team! There are a few choice pokemon I would recommend bringing with you. Generally, I would recommend that you bring high-level pokemon, since they're low-maintenance, meaning they won't get hurt and will OHKO and outspeed everything. Synchronizers (we'll get to these). Something that can easily OHKO the pokemon you're chaining, and has enough PP for the genocide you'll be starting. I recommend bringing a couple of these. Static-er, a pokemon with Static for if you're chaining an electric pokemon, as it makes them more common. Same goes for a Magnet Puller if you're chaining steel types. Something with False Swipe, and/or something with a sleep-inducing move, makes things easier to catch. I bring something with Pickup also, so that I can get items. However, this is pretty much worthless unless you can't afford Revives. Also anything with the HM's you'll need. I highly recommend that you have pokemon that fit two or more of these categories, since you only have several slots in your party. Make your party based on what/where you're chaining.

5. Synchronizers!! Make sure you have the correct nature of Synch for whatever you want to chain. They must be first in your party, and they can be KO'd. I typically have mine KO'd, since most are Lv. 1.

1.3 Hail to the Grid

The Basic Grid
Learn this shit!

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 Y 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
Green = Shaking, Red = Bad, Y = You

This is an incredibly helpful mechanism, and something every chainer should take time to master. While chaining, you should visualize this grid around you, and it will make your life much easier. When your patches appear after resetting or battling, you should be able to identify the coordinates (x,y) of each patch. In my mind, I don't see all the numbers, I just see it like a graph pretty much. Basically it helps you to specifically identify where each patch is in relation to the others. As opposed to saying, "4 is in the upper right, 3 is in the upper middle, 1 is to my left, etc.," you can say "4 is two up and on the right, 3 is 1 left and up, etc." It's difficult to explain, but as long you're identifying the formation of patches you're fine. You'll see how the grid is used specifically below.

Furthermore...
~There will always be one patch in the 4's, one in the 3's, one in the 2's, and one in the 1's.
~Never enter the patches above that are in red, in any scenario, they will break your chain more often than not!
~ONLY ENTER 4-AWAY PATCHES!! 3's, 2's, and 1's aren't safe, and should never be entered... ever. Can't stress this enough.

You Shall Not Pass!
Formations that can send you packing.

On the following grids are formations that are NOT safe to enter. Sometimes they'll let you off easy, and won't break your chain, but don't expect them to be so friendly the next time. Avoid entering these at all costs! Note that

4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 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 3 3 3 3 3 3 4 |~|~| 4 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 4
4 3 2 2 2 2 2 3 4 |~|~| 4 3 2 2 2 2 2 3 4 |~|~| 4 3 2 2 2 2 2 3 4
4 3 2 1 1 1 2 3 4 |~|~| 4 3 2 1 1 1 2 3 4 |~|~| 4 3 2 1 1 1 2 3 4
4 3 2 1 Y 1 2 3 4 |~|~| 4 3 2 1 Y 1 2 3 4 |~|~| 4 3 2 1 Y 1 2 3 4
4 3 2 1 1 1 2 3 4 |~|~| 4 3 2 1 1 1 2 3 4 |~|~| 4 3 2 1 1 1 2 3 4
4 3 2 2 2 2 2 3 4 |~|~| 4 3 2 2 2 2 2 3 4 |~|~| 4 3 2 2 2 2 2 3 4
4 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 4 |~|~| 4 3 3 3 3 3 3 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 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4

1. Clusters: This is the easiest to identify, as it will be hard to overlook. If all 4 of your patches are in the same quadrant, always reset. If 2, 3, and 4 are all together, reset. If 3 is adjacent to 4, or their corners are touching, reset. This is pretty basic, and should be avoided with ease.

2. Isolation: This is when 1, 2, and 3 are all bunched and 4 is far away. The example in the grid above is a pretty obvious example of isolation. However, it is best to avoid having your 4-away isolated in any way. If it looks like your 4 is standing alone you should probably reset.

3. 1, 2, 4 together, 3 far away: This is certainly the trickiest of the three categories. It looks good at first, and will probably remain looking good until it has ended your chain, unless you examine the situation properly. Whenever you see 1, 2, and 4 together, check where 3 is. If it's far away, you'll probably want to reset. Even if it's close, you may want to reset anyway, because it could fall under the cluster category. Note that this is probably the least likely of the three to end your chain, but it's the most dangerous because you're inclined to think it's good. Even I still fall for this one sometimes, lol.

Good Bets
Ideal formations... usually.

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 3 3 3 3 3 3 4
4 3 2 2 2 2 2 3 4 |~|~| 4 3 2 2 2 2 2 3 4
4 3 2 1 1 1 2 3 4 |~|~| 4 3 2 1 1 1 2 3 4
4 3 2 1 Y 1 2 3 4 |~|~| 4 3 2 1 Y 1 2 3 4
4 3 2 1 1 1 2 3 4 |~|~| 4 3 2 1 1 1 2 3 4
4 3 2 2 2 2 2 3 4 |~|~| 4 3 2 2 2 2 2 3 4
4 3 3 3 3 3 3 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

1. (2,2) & (4,2): This is my favorite formation, and I'll always put my faith in it. Those exact coordinates almost never fail me. The 1's and 3's can be wherever, so long as they're not near the quadrant that the 2 and 4 are in. Slight variations on this are also very very good, such as (2,2) & (4,3) or (2,3) & (4,2). Also you can invert these combinations, of course, so that the x and y coordinates are flipped. It's just the pattern that matters, not which part of the grid it's on or if it's "horizontal" (like the example) or "vertical," like what the inverse of the example would be.

2. (2,3) & (4,3): Very similar to the previous one, same concept pretty much, both the 3's are highlighted because they're both probably good. This is so similar to the previous one because of the following explanation.

General Theory on Optimal Patches:
My general theory is that there are very few formations that will give you the maximum percentage. There is probably no one formation that will always work 100% of the time, there is always the slight chance it will break your chain. Don't despair, however, because there are formations, like the ones above, that will almost certainly extend your chain if you stick to them. My criteria is generally to have the 4-away in one quadrant, accompanied by either the 3-away or the 2-away. I like to make sure the 4-away "has a friend" (lol) that isn't too close, but doesn't isolate it either. The examples above are perfect representations of that, but not the only ones. If I can get these conditions, I like to have the 1-away outside the given quadrant, but sometimes it's okay if it's in there with the 4-away and 3-away, but obviously not with the 2-away. Then the 2-away or 3-away that is not the friend, should be outside the quadrant, and probably shouldn't border it either. Please note that this is the most conservative of strategies, and is not at all necessary to get to 40. I'll explain to you when to use it later.



1.4 Let's Get Chaining

Pre-40 Tips

1. Enter 4-aways only!! Once again, this is extremely important.

2. Reset the radar when necessary. There is never any harm in simply reseting the radar. If you don't see a patch you like, then reset.

3. Avoid moving directly up. Your character obstructs your view of the patch directly above you. I would recommend not moving directly up. That is, unless you've seen a 1-away patch in another location, then you're safe, since there can only be one 1-away. In general though, it would be best to get into the habit of not moving up.

4. If all of the patches you see shake move off screen, your chain will break. So don't go running too far away. So if you enter a patch if the upper corner of a field, then make sure you don't go running across the field and lose sight of the patches you saw shake.

5. Learn to count your steps, it makes things easier and more efficient. I like to go 5 steps out and 5 steps back 5 times when reseting the radar. (5+5)*5 = 50.

6. Find the best square to start from, and use the PokeRadar from there. This means finding the patch where the most viable 4-aways are available to you. Depending on the size of your field, it can be obvious, but many times it isn't so count the number of viable 4-aways you would have in a certain patch to determine if you will start there or not.

7. Patches touch the edge of the field, trees, or other obstacles are dangerous! This is very important, even if you get your pokemon it can still break your chain. This is because all the patches that would appear after you killed the pokemon can land outside the field. If you didn't understand that, just take my word for it. Because of this, corners are especially dangerous, as they leave less room for patches to appear.

Pre-40 Strategy:
I would recommend starting out loose, then becoming more and more cautious as the chain progresses. For the first 15 patches I just enter most 4-aways, unless I'm almost certain they're no good. If I break my chain at 8, so be it, it didn't take very long anyhow. After 15, I tighten it up quite a bit, and take into account my Optimal Patch Theory (above). After 30, I am very very cautious, and strictly follow my Optimal Patch Theory. There is nothing more discouraging than breaking a chain when you're so close to the finish line, so be very careful here. Again, I'm pretty conservative while chaining, and prefer not to rely much on luck. If you want, disregard this completely and figure out what works for you, this is just a guideline.

Post-40 Tips

1. Enter only Shiny patches!! This way, you will only get shinies, and prolong your chains far easier. There is absolutely no reason to enter anything else, unless you feel like it I guess.
2. Shiny patches that are on edges are risky. I've only broken a chain on these once, but I haven't entered many either. If you're really looking for a big chain, and you have a lot of repels, you may want to just reset, as painful as that is. I'd say you definitely have better than a 50/50 shot at continuing your chain, however.
3. Constant vigilance! Never look away, you can easily miss it when the patches are showing, and enter one you didn't see. This is how I break almost all of my Post-40 chains, and how you will break yours also. If you always pay attention, your chains will be very high.

1.5 Swarms

Swarm pokemon are pokemon that only appear on a certain route on a random day. Each day you will have a different swarm. To find out what your swarm is, ask Dawn/Lucas's sister in Sandgem Town, and she'll tell you what and where it is. Swarm pokemon can be found in both Regular and Flashing patches, and appear 40% of the time. This is why they are considered easier to chain, which is nice because your time is limited. If you have a chain going, your swarm will not break at the end of the day (00:00)! This means you can keep your chain going as long as you can, but once it's broken, it's gone. If you have a swarm you like, but can't do it that day, simply make a chain of 1 before midnight, then continue it (with extreme caution) the next day. There are quite a few swarm pokemon, so chances are you'll have to wait for your swarm... or will you? 0.o

Changing Your Swarm
Skitties and Dunsparces not doing it for you? Here's how to get Absol and Beldum...

1. Check your swarm in Sandgem, even if you've already done so that day.

2. Save and turn off your DS, then turn it on and set the time to 23:59.

3. Turn on your DS (after it turns itself off -__-) and go into D/P.

4. Make it snappy because it must still be 23:59 when you enter your game.

5. Once the clock hits 00:00, talk to Dawn/Lucas's sister again.

6. How about that? Your swarm is now different! If your new swarm doesn't tickle your fancy, then simply repeat step 1-5.


2.0 Credits

~ The PokeRadar Topic on GameFAQs! This certainly deserves the biggest shout out. I learned to chain there, and I appreciate all the help everyone there has given me. I have brought many ideas from that thread here, but I can only hope I can recreate a small portion of its magic. Its longevity is unmatched, and has had over 55 threads of 500 posts each, which is absolutely incredible. I would like to thank Kyle, Lief, and B1001 from GameFAQs for their contributions to the PokeRadar Topic.

~ The Grid is credited to Kyle_Clarthy a genius from GameFAQs, who is a master of chaining as well as teaching people to chain.

~ The "Bad" Grid formations are credited to Fallen Seraphic, also from GameFAQs.

~ Thanks to everyone who originally supported this idea here on Smogon!

~ Thanks in advance to anyone who participates here, and who helps me to teach the art of chaining.

2.1 Helpful Links

Links work now. Yay!
Shuko's Video Tutorial
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkeKPlBYYbs
This will give you a visual on the basics of chaining, well done.

Shiny Patch
Even though you'll know it when you see it, here's a picture of a shiny patch, in case you're anxious.

This is a clean copy of the grid for you to copy and paste if you need it.

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 Y 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

Good luck, and happy hunting!
~Diesel

 

[Diesel]

Reserved.

This is still being updated slightly, suggestions would be appreciated. Notify me of any typos or errors you find, no matter how small. Thanks for the support! Comment on the Layout also, clear or not?​

 

[Cooper]

You might want to try posting that in the Contributions & Corrections thread, or ask to have it moved. This thing is a fatty.

 

[FFMaster]

Very nice, I didn't know anything about the patch formations... This will help quite a lot.

 

[Sunday]

Wow, this really does seem like it belongs in C&C though. I'll go through it for errors in a minute though =)

EDIT: Ok, about the staticers. Only the first Pokemons in your partys ability will work, si it's best to have your fainted Static (or Magnet Pull for Steels!) pokemon first in your party right up until you see a shiny patch. When you see a shiny patch change to your Syncroniser.

EDIT2: Hmmm, does it really work if you have the sync in #2 spot? I wouldn't think it would...

EDIT3: In "scout the Pokemon your catching" you may want to put a note about Pokemon with Roar/Whirlwind, as they would be sure to break your chain and a bitch to catch when you find them shiny.

 

[KoA]

I'm not entirely sure, but didn't I see this on Gfaqs a long while ago when I still perused the Pokemon Boards? The main gist is almost the same.

I could never chain for the life in me though.

EDIT: Scratch that, I just now noticed in the other thread that you got the idea by the Gfaqs one, my bad.

 

[jujuomi]

I love it, Bravo.

 

[1059860]

Beautiful.

 

[Chronos]

This is awesome, Diesel.
Way to go.

 

[AJC]

shiney patch image link is broken

 

[BlueCookies]

This was a great guide, and very helpfull. I definitely plan to start chaining. I have one question though. When you get to 40 and you said reset if there isn't a shiny patch, you mean reset as in the Pokeradar, not soft reset right? I just want to get clarification. Thanks again for writing this.

 

[Sunday]

Yes, BlueCookies. Continually reset the radar. Turning off the game at any time will end the chain.

 

[Phizzlax]

I'd like to mention that chaining for Swinubs (as far as I know) is IMPOSSIBLE barring absurd luck. You cannot see the spots that move due to the heavy snow.

Additionally, chaining for Beldums is very hard, but possible. It's difficult to see the spots that shake due to Sandstorm. Luckily they are affected by magnet pull, making it significantly easier. BEWARE, they have a catch rate of one, and their only attack is Take down. My strategy against them was to lead synchronizer, switch to Kyogre (to kill sandstorm), switch to Shedinja, False swipe away, switch to Gengar (@Wide Lens) and Hypnosis. Non ghosts will cause Beldum to KO itself with Take down. You don't have many turns to do this, as he will KO himself anyway with Struggle after he's used Take Down 20 times (yes, it's that hard to catch something with a one catch rate). I recommend having Master Balls available and tallying each Take Down to make sure Beldum doesn't KO itself. I have twice fought shiny Beldums only to have them faint, and that is NOT a fun chain to get up to 40. The other shiny Beldums I've caught are both in Master Balls (thus people think I'm a hacker, but oh well).
For Chaining Magnemite I recommend a Magnet Puller. Common sense, right? Well, by this I mean DO NOT use a Staticer, as it will cause you to run into Excitebike and Pachirisu. I don't use Static or Magnet Pull in an area unless the Pokemon I'm chaining is the only Electric/Steel type respectively in that area, otherwise other Electric/Steel types almost always break my chain (Pikachu breaking my Pichu chains in the Olive Garden).
As far as I know the order of the Synchronizer and Magnet Puller/Staticer are not important. I often Synchronize second slot and Magnet Pull first slot.
Hope that can add a bit about specific chains. Nice guide by the way.
Sleep mode is your best friend while you chain, also remember to always have your charger available when starting a chain.

Shinies I've captured:
Adamant Beldum
Timid Beldum
A couple of lousy Bidoofs.
Seven Phanpys (two Adamant, one Impish, despite synchronize for Impish)
One Modest, Magnet Pull Magnemite, 4 Magnemites without Magnet Pull -_-
One Levitate, Relaxed Bronzor with good IV's XD
Three other Bronzors that all sucked
Four Flaffys, two Modest
Three Absols, no useful natures, one Super Luck
One Nosepass, Careful, Magnet Pull
My brother caught a Bold Slowpoke that was 8 points from perfect (not including Atk) and then lost his copy of Pearl >_<, we're still looking though.

Currently working on: A better Magnemite (mine had bad IVs).
On the horizon: Thick Fat, Adamant Makuhita. Also, Impish Sandveil Gligar.
Anybody else working on anything fun?

 

[Acme]

My brother caught a Bold Slowpoke that was 8 points from perfect (not including Atk) and then lost his copy of Pearl >_<, we're still looking though.

If you find it I will trade anything in my thread for it. Slowpoke is my favourite Pokemon.

 

[Phizzlax]

I personally love Slowbro (I use him on like half of my teams), so I really hope we find it. If not I could just chain them myself, but there's virtually no chance I'll get one that good =(
I kept telling him to let me find somebody to clone it, but he doesn't trust the internet, he thought he'd get scammed. Now I can clone things myself... just a couple of months too late.

 

[Sunday]

<TEXT>
- t3hde

http://www.gamefaqs.com/portable/ds/file/925601/48478

Ok, here's the most important part of this FAQ. The actual formula for whether
a Pokemon found using the Pokeradar is shiny or not. Ok, so is everyone ready?
Here's the formula, over three lines for ease of reading:

....................14747 - 40(n) Where P = Probability
P(shiny) = ------------------ and n = Chain length
....................2621440 x (41 - n)

So what does this show us? Well firstly, it shows that the probability of
finding a shiny Pokemon with the Pokeradar DOES increase as the length of the
chain increases, and it also shows us that the optimum chain length is 40. Any
higher, and there will be no difference to the outcome of the equation, even
though it is impossible to divide by zero

Anyway, as you can see because on the bottom line the equation is 2621440 x (41-n) if your chain reaches over 40 it does not affect the chance of getting a shiny.

 

[DougJustDoug]

This is an awesome guide, and I know I've seen other versions of it on some other pokeboards. The earlier version of this guide was the key to me getting my first shiny ever in any pokemon game. It took four or five straight days and hella patience, but I finally got a streak of 40 and then about 150 resets later -- boom, shiny pokemon. I didn't keep going after that, I was really tired of the whole thing.

Chaining for shinies requires even more patience than fishing for Feebas in Emerald, and that's saying a lot. I pride myself on being able to do all the abusive ingame time-consuming tasks, but this one tested me severely. I couldn't have done it without the guide.

This needs to be posted in the Contributions forum.

 

[Sunday]

Awesome x 6 Lord_Sunday. Thanks for that nifty formula. Wonder who/how they came up with that. Either way, I'm a believer. Any idea where the proof is for the 'grid' and optimal patch theory?

Well, I'm off to get 40 once again, this time not breaking the chain for a completely stupid reason. Wish me luck :P.

- t3hde

The proof, as they say, is in the pudding! Or in this case the hundreds of shinys people have gotten by doing it that way. Or in other words I don't really have any proof from the games coding >.< Well, good luck wiht your hunt!

EDIT: Ok, Algebra 1-0-1 with Sunday.

14747 - 40(n)
P(shiny) = ------------------ and n = Chain length
2621440 x (41 - n)

Where P = Probability, and n = Chain length

So if you're on a chain or 10, the chances of getting a shiny is...

14247/81264640 = 0.000176, or 0.017%

but if you're on a chain of Twenty, the chance is 0.00025, or 0.025%

Or a chain of Forty, 13147/2621440 = 0.005 chance, or 0.5% chance.

But keep in mind that you see four patches each time, so you need to quadruple it! So at forty for every radar reset you do you have a 2% chance of seeing one, or 1 in 50.

 

[Blu]

So time consuming... but I might as well try it

 

[DougJustDoug]

The proof, as they say, is in the pudding! Or in this case the hundreds of shinys people have gotten by doing it that way. Or in other words I don't really have any proof from the games coding >.< Well, good luck wiht your hunt!

So time consuming... but I might as well try it

I actually started my chaining exercise to prove that it was a false "pokemon urban legend". I was shocked when I actually got one. It took freakish time and patience. Keep in mind that you will "reset" the radar a LOT. Each time, that means running back and forth in the grass, avoiding "bad" spots. You will reset hundreds and hundreds of times, before you get your streak to 40. If you don't follow everything to the letter, you'll probably find your streak broken in the teens or twenties.

Good luck!

 

[Diesel]

Cooper - I didn't even realize that contribution page existed. lol @ me spending all my time on the Wi-Fi board. I'll decide what I want to do with it, and PM a mod. I think it probably does belong there, but I also want people to contribute to it in the ways I mention in the first paragraph, and I don't think that could happen very well on the contributions board, we'll see though. Thanks for the suggestion.

Lord Sunday - It doesn't say that synchs will work in the second slot, I think you misread. I don't know where I got the Synch + Static thing from, but I'll find out if it's true or not, because I actually have no idea. I was just under the impression it was for some reason. Maybe because I'm so good that I just never break a chain anyway ;) . Also I've added the roar thing, good call, I've gotten buttsexed by that on a chain before.

BlueCookies: Good point, I'll add a little terminology section later.

phizzlax - I was going to add a little part about specific pokemon later, so that should help, thanks. Once I conquer the sandstorm I'll write a little something about it. Shiny Mamo is kinda cool too :( .

t3hde - There is a very very complicated formula that proves it, if you want I can post a link, but it's really not too exciting, just a bunch of big numbers, lol. And I think that rule is there so that you can't just run away to do something else and have your chain still be there, but it does suck.

EDIT: Oh, I see Sunday gave you that, nice find Sunday. And yes, the proof is in the pudding, the Grid was made by the best chainer I know, and everything I wrote about it has proven true for me. I've spent A LOT of time chaining, and everything the grid says adds up exactly. Also the Optimal patch theory is mine, I made it up. That's what's worked for me over and over again, and if I stray from it then I break chains. It'll work for you, trust me. Given, there's always a small chance of failure. Maybe there are other ways, but I think I've found the best. Plus, there aren't many other ways that don't directly violate the rules of the grid.

I think the .005 is right. I say 1 in 20 repels to be on the safe side.

I'll be making more updates tonight, thanks for the contributions. If you find that this guide is mysteriously absent from Stark Mountain, check the contributions thread, in case I decide to have it moved.

 

[Blu]

The link for the shiny patch picture isn't working

 

[Diesel]

I know, I'll fix those, what am I doing wrong?

[url+=+link]blah[/url]

For some reason it takes you to the site, but not the specific page. In this case, YouTube and Photobucket, but not the links I'm putting in.

 

[the Lexx]

use this:

{url=insert_link_here}insert_text_here{/url}

just with the brackets

 

[xBLUEx]

Great job Diesel. Very detailed and helpful. I will be following this guide whenever I chain.