[DS] How do you get 3,000 pikachus on a bus? POKEMON!

Saayyyy...if anyone else is interesting in blowing off some dust, I gave in and picked up Diamond about a month ago. I've beaten the Elite 4 already and am now just grinding more or figuring out just who I want for my team. One or two I've decided just have to go and have only been around for the ride for the sake of having some TM/HM move handy.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Well, my team's only in the 50-60s range right now, and some of their moves are less desirable. So right now I'm trying to figure out my team and maybe do some trading and grinding before I give some actual battles a try. (My Kadabra cries himself to sleep every night because he can't evolve. )

FC: 3007-8067-3064

I do have a couple of (stupid?) questions, since I haven't been into this franchise since Blue:

1. Is there even such a thing as just a straight battle of 6 on 6 with the levels and such unchanged anymore?

2. I noticed you can only seem to offer/search over Nintendo WFC for Pokemon within D/P only. So if I want to get [insert Pokemon here] that you can only get by importing them from the GBA games, would I have to get the games myself, or could I get [x Pokemon] through a trade with a friend who has them?

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Well, I'm finding Rapidash just isn't really making the cut for a Fire Pokemon, so I was looking into either Heatran (Fire/Steel) or Blaziken (Fire/Fighting). Both of which are fairly good types (Heatran's double ground weakness aside). Heatran I can get with enough masochism...

..but for Blaziken I'll need a Torchik first. Hence why I was looking to trade for one. And get my Kadabra evolved too.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Originally Posted by Generic Badass

Just so you know, it's kind of... faux pas to ask someone to give you a legendary.

I'll be more than happy to breed you any other Fire type you want, though. Can I interest you in a Torkoal or Cyndaquil, maybe (or the fire chicken, if you really want it)?

Oh I know, I wasn't asking for someone's Heatran, I was just saying I can get the one in my game, it'll just be a big pain in the rear is all. (For example, one fight ended because I had him down to one bar and paralyzed but he ran out all his moves and used Struggle. ) Torchik still looks good to me, doesn't matter if you find a low-level one. I could trade you my Kadabra for it to make him evolve to Alakazam; you looking for anything in return for Ala, something you want to evolve by trade, maybe?

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Woohoo, caught Heatran! I had a pretty lucky break, I think; only used around 9 or 10 Ultra Balls. Rapidash actually made a decent "tank", despite being only 57.

EDIT:

Originally Posted by ^-^

I'll give you my Heatran. I need to get off work first though.

Nah, you don't have to do that. But I do appreciate the offer!

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Originally Posted by Generic Badass

I don't really have any more pokemon I need to collect, but thank you. Just bring me a Bidoof or whatever to complete the trade.

What I do need, though, is for someone to help trade-evolve my Magmar. The problem is that it's shiny, so I'd have to have major cajones to do this with a complete stranger on GameFAQs. This isn't something I need done in the near future, though.

I could do that for you. It's the least I could do for what you're doing for me.
But not tonight, I'm feeling pretty tired. Just post your FC and I'll post when I'm around or something.

EDIT: I'll be around for a few hours this afternoon if anyone's up for trading and whatnot.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

A little bump here, but I also had a question or two and was hoping to get some more trading going as I'm giving some more thought on a team. Which brings up a question: is there really any downside to training a Pokemon you didn't catch/hatch, aside from "Oh, it's not originally yours"?

Anywho, I know I don't have a whole lot to offer but I'd greatly appreciate if someone would be willing to help.

If I could get a Beldum, that'd be fabulous. (Metagross sounds like he hits like a truck. ) And if anyone wants to trade Gibles (for the sake of being able to level one more quickly), I'm down with that too.

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I guess I lucked out, Beldum was the swarm Pokemon of the day for me, so I got two. But looking at this one raises another question: there's one base ability, Magnet Rise, that it doesn't have as Beldum, but does as Metang or Metagross. Since it doesn't seem possible to encounter a wild Metang/Metagross (or hatch one, but correct me if I'm wrong on either), does this mean I can't get one with this move? Or maybe that only in-game trainers with Metang/Metagross are the ones that have it?

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

Originally Posted by Kairyu

Just going from memory here~ but Beldum can't learn Magnet Rise until it evolves (at level 20 I think.) Once it does you can take it to the move tutor and learn Magnet Rise that way.

Awesome, you were right, thanks.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

I've been getting more into the breeding aspect of the game now, so...anybody want a Skarmory? I had to breed a freakin' army of them before I got one with the desired nature. It felt like it took an age, even with a Slugma in the party. Anyways, if anyone wants one with Drill Peck I've plenty to trade. Shinx is the next one for the "assembly line", if anyone's interested.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Originally Posted by Sacred X

The last one I bought was FireRed, which was a few weeks ago. There should be a 3rd Pokemon game coming out, that's the "special" of Diamond and Pearl, right?

The most recent incarnation is Explorers of Time/Darkness, which (correct me if I'm wrong) only just came out like a week or so ago. They're a bit different from D/P and I don't know if and how they might interact with D/P.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

About EV training...is there much of a good/bad time to start doing that with a pokemon (aside from the obvious, like near level 100)? I've looked in guides and none really seem to specifically state when is an ideal time. From what I have read on the subject, it does sound like you could pretty much start whenever as long as you pace yourself in such a way that you'll have the spread you want by the time level 100 starts to get fairly close. (Close as in within 5-10 levels of it.) Correct or no?

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Yeah, I dunno. The other impression I got was that even if you started a bit late, it would kinda catch up for you a little if you then started working at it. For example, one of my pokemon, I gave it a little try at around level 50 or so and upon leveling he gained a whopping 12 attack. I don't remember what the other stat gains were, but I read that the boost could be even bigger than that, depending on how long you wait.

I guess what I'm basically trying to say is it seems that the stats will eventually even out to match the desired EV spread, provided you don't wait too long. I could be wrong, but the guides I've looked at aren't all that clear on it.

I was speaking idiomatically.

Originally Posted by Generic Badass

No matter what time you start, so long as you're done with EV training by the final level up (to 100), the stats will always be the same for that one Pokemon. There is absolutely no difference in stats gains regardless of when you start, so do it whenever you feel like doing it.

The reason your Lv. 50 pokemon gained 12 attack is because you were able to stack a lot of attack EVs onto it before it reached Lv. 51. That only seems like more than usual because it takes longer to level a Lv. 50 pokemon than it does a Lv. 1 pokemon. However, there is no difference in the end.

I hope that clarifies things.

It does, thanks. At least I know now that I can level quickly for a while and then start considering where to EV grind at a higher level.

The only other question I have on the matter is this: is there a way to calculate what the EVs are at a specific moment, given the pokemon's level, stats, nature, etc. ? I know I could keep track of gains with the counter app, use berries to lower EV in stats where I don't want them, talk to so-and-so to see if I've gained all the EVs I can for that pokemon, etc. but it'd be nice to see where I'm at and go about EV grinding from there. The calculators I've found assume you know the EVs exactly already, or where you want them to be, anyway.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

After some trials, I've found it's better to EV train from the start, but for a different reason. It's simply easier to keep track of them that way, since (if I'm not mistaken) you start fresh from a level 1 whereas with a level 64 (just an example), who knows where they are. And unless there's some easier way I don't know about to clean them up, you're going to need a LOT of berries if you want to get the EVs distributed exactly how you want, or at least close to where you want them.

How ya doing, buddy?

Originally Posted by Crash Landon

FYI, wild Pokemon have no EVs. A level 50 Sandshrew caught in the wild has the same amount of EVs as a freshly hatched level 1 Sandshrew: zero.

Good luck catching a wild one with the nature you want (if you care for that), but in any case this is good to know.

Some words were said recently about possibly doing a tourney, does anyone want to give that a try? I'm up for it, I would just need a little more time to get my team together. If this was tried before, how did that go?

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Originally Posted by KrelEN

How do you feel about this?

I suppose the only question I have is how it will be able to interact with D/P or vice versa. I had stopped playing Blue by the time Yellow came out, so I don't really know.

Originally Posted by Crash Landon

It went reasonably well. I think a couple people dropped out due to other obligations but that's about it. We saw it through to the end and nobody went undefeated.

We had a system in which teams were posted beforehand, including movesets. This was so that nothing illegal was used. But you were allowed to list up to nine; nobody quite knew which ones you'd be taking into battle; forming counterstrategies against particular players was more difficult.

We did this last summer or so, and I've had plenty of time to bulk my roster. Depending upon when the tournament is held, I could participate. (The end of May/beginning of June is out, as I'll be on vacation then.)

Aww, teams with movesets posted? Oh darn...though the reason for it does make sense. I just feel like there's more of a "Surprise!" element to it if you bust out some more obscure move that ends up being real bad for your opponent, but oh well, that's what having 9 pokemon posted is for. Now who else to train if more than six were to be posted...

Were legendaries allowed in this previous tourney, or were there any other restrictions in terms of what pokemon one could have in their group (besides the obvious like no hacked pokemon)? None of the six I'm getting ready are legendary, since I know some tournaments say they're a no-no.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Me personally, I wouldn't mind going with the format Crash first suggested. I only got the game a month or so ago so I have been in the process of making a team with the expectation that a tournament would be something akin to what he first stated. It might've been said and I missed it, but in the event of a "type" tournament would all of the team have to fall under the chosen type? I ask because it just happened that all but two of my team are steel. It's been really useful and a major headache at the same time. Seems like every day I learn a new pokemon that naturally learns (or can learn via TM) Brick Break or Earthquake, for example.

On a different note, speaking of Earthquake....I'm contemplating giving that to my Metagross, replacing Hammer Arm. But I'm not all that sure which is more practical. Earthquake does well against many types, including steel with only a few exceptions (*cough*skarmory*cough*). Even those to which EQ does normal damage, would get hit pretty hard with it coming from Metagross. Its accuracy is 100%, and it will even hit digging pokemon. The problem? Well, a lot of pokemon (though not all) using Dig might already be Ground-type so theoretically EQ wouldn't hurt them all that much. Also, I have the TM you find in-game saved for another already, so to get a second would mean the headache of getting 64 Battle Points.

Hammer Arm is also useful against various types (and would even hit a Skarmory for normal damage), hits pretty hard, but has 90% accuracy. Its use also drops speed, which could come back and bite me easily.

Any suggestions?

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Originally Posted by Kairyu

But if you're having that much of an issue with Skarms I would probably start using electric types or at least Electric/Fire type moves.

Yeah, I've pretty much concluded that a Metagross would either slowly lose or be stuck in a stalemate against a Skarmory. It would depend on the movesets or the items being carried, but yeah I agree, fire/electric moves would definitely work better.

As for Ozzie's question, I still use the wireless USB adapter. I got one because I was having trouble getting my DS to work with the wireless setup I have at home. Then again, I'm a bit dumb when it comes to that stuff.

You might have trouble finding an adapter nowadays, though.

Originally Posted by support.nintendo.com

Important: The Nintendo Wi-Fi USB Connector has been discontinued until further notice.

They haven't really done anything for it of late aside from an update to make it compatible with Windows Vista. I don't really see why they would discontinue it though, it does the job just fine for me.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Sheesh...from what we've been saying in the other thread, you'd think they would be smart enough to ban Wobbuffet (sp?) too. I could see some cheapskate bringing a team of four of those.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Might anyone have a Shroomish or Breloom to trade, preferably male (but doesn't have to be)?

I apparently haven't seen a Shroomish yet and the only deals for a Breloom on the GTS are either silly or stupid. I've come to expect that from there lately.

I know Shroomish can show up in the Great Marsh, but they don't today. Just seeing if someone might have one already to save me the trouble of waiting for them to turn up.

I was speaking idiomatically.

Does TRU make older events available along with any current events they do? I'm heading to one for the Darkrai event this Saturday and thought maybe I could get a Manaphy or something too if they did.

And...not to brag (since I don't know if it's worth bragging to begin with), but is it much of a good indicator for a team if one can beat Palmer (the first time) with said team? I've managed it twice now with three from my "normal" team I've raised for the tournament, and it's only slightly quelled my fears of getting destroyed by everyone else participating.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

I probably could, but if I can't for whatever reason, I doubt I'm the only one on here going to it. Or should I expect an avalanche of PMs with similar requests?

Oh, and glad I could help with that trade, Generic. I have no doubt I'll be seeing that pokemon again fairly soon.

FELIPE NO

So, is there anything I need to do for this Darkrai event prior to heading to TRU? I already checked ahead with the TRU I'm going to, I figured all I have to do is just download the data at the New Game/Continue screen when I get there and the rest is all in-game....right?

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

Gotcha, Mystery Gift's available now. Looking forward to Saturday! And who knows, maybe I can find some people to battle, too. Though I get the feeling that I do find some person (or people) they'll mop the floor with me because, unlike our current tournament, they'll probably have every legendary and their mom to fight me. Literally on the 'mom' part with some, lol.

Jam it back in, in the dark.