Pokemon Diamond/Pearl - Pokemon Customization FAQ
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Pokemon Diamond and Pearl
Pokemon Customization FAQ v1.4
///////////////Contents\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
1) Introduction
2) Version History
3) Before Reading (FOR BEGINNERS)
4) Before Training (READ FIRST!)
i) Beat the game.
ii) Have lots of money.
iii) Get a pokemon with Flame Body or Magma Armor.
iv) Get as many Rare Candies as possible.
v) Get a Macho Brace or the Power Items
vi) Get a Ditto
vii) Get an Everstone
viii) Get a Third Generation Game (Optional)
ix) Get a Lucky Egg (Optional)
x) Plant some Happiness Berries (Optional)
xi) Get Heart Scales (Optional)
xii) Turn off Battle Animations (Optional)
xiii) Get a Notepad (Optional)
5) Getting Your Pokemon
A. Catching
B. Trading
C. Transferring
6) IV Calculating
A. IV Calculator
B. Preliminary IVs (Optional)
C. Determining IVs by Candies
7) Job Setting
8) Breeding
A. Order of Precedence
a. Egg Moves
b. Natures
c. IVs
d. Abilities
9) EV Training
A. Explanation
B. Getting HP EVs
C. Getting Attack EVs
D. Getting Defense EVs
E. Getting Special Attack EVs
F. Getting Special Defense EVs
G. Getting Speed EVs
10) Leveling Up
A. Getting a Lucky Egg
B. Gaining Experience
11) Battle Items
12) Afterword
13) FAQ
14) Email Ettiquette
15) Legal Content
16) Credits
///////////////////////////////Introduction\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
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Hi. I'm Super Saiyan Zero. You may remember me from such faqs as Metroid Fusion
and Sonic Gems. Yes, I know they weren't well written. They were back in the
day when I was still a tenderfoot. But I've improved. Somewhat...
So, if you're here, then you must want to customize your pokemon. And train
them well. Let me tell you now, I'm no expert. I'm just experienced, and I'm
sure there are many out there who know a lot more than me, waiting to pounce on
any mistake I make in this FAQ. Nevertheless, I have been playing pokemon games
since good ol' red and blue. I've also trained my pokemon pretty well since
the third generation games came out, and I've pretty much applied them to the
pokemon training process in Diamond and Pearl. Whenever I train my pokemon, I
try to maximize their potential as much as possible.
And therein lies the purpose of this FAQ. In the FAQ, I go through everything
that I know to training and customizing pokemon, whether it's breeding,
leveling up, or EV training. If it's essential to creating and customizing
pokemon, it's here. If you want to train your pokemon to their greatest
potential, whether you're a beginner or a veteran, this is the place for you.
//////////////////////////////Version History\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
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6/12/07 Version 1.4
Added a FAQ.
Random updates.
General Tweaks.
6/6/07 Version 1.3
Before Training Updated.
IV calcuating has been expanded.
General tweaks.
6/4/07 Version 1.2
Added a section on email ettiquette.
Added a small section for battle items.
Added new places for EV training.
General tweaks.
5/29/07 Version 1.1
Already, the emails are booming...
Added new places for EV training.
Added the Power Items.
Lucky egg section added.
General tweaks.
5/25/07 Version 1.0
It begins. Expect plenty of updates in the weeks to come...
///////////////////////////////Before Reading\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
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Before reading the FAQ, I'm going to explain a few terms that you may or may
not know. These terms will be used frequently in the FAQ. If you know it,
great, if you don't, you need to know at least the gist of it to better raise
your pokemon. You can skip this section if you're already initiated.
Base stat: A base stat is a value on a pokemon that stays consistent with all
pokemon of its species. All Tauros have a Base Attack Stat of 100 and all of
them will have an attack of 205 at level 100. The only things that can change
that is IVs, EVs, and natures.
Individual Value: An individual Value (IV) is a hidden value. It is a set
random number from 0 to 31 that is added to the base stat of your pokemon. In
simplistic terms, if Tauros has a base attack of 100 and an IV of 31, it has a
total of 236 attack at level 100. Each of the six stats have their own IVs. You
cannot change the IVs of a pokemon, it is set the moment you catch it or when
you recieve the pokemon as an egg. The higher the IV, the better.
Effort Value: An effort value (EV) is a hidden number you can manipulate to
increase the stat of a pokemon by either battling pokemon or using vitamins. In
simplistic terms, if your pokemon battles pokemon with high base attack, your
pokemon will also increase its base attack. Effort values allow you to do
whatever you want to make your pokemon better in particular stats.
Nature: A nature increases one stat of a pokemon by 10% and decreases a stat of
a pokemon by 10%. For example, an "Adamant" nature increases attack by 10% and
decreases Special Attack by 10%. Some natures do not increase or decrease
stats.
//////////////////////////////Before Training\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
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What's the most important part of Pokemon training? All the stuff before it.
In Diamond and Pearl (or any other pokemon game, for that matter), you need to
accomplish all the basic tasks before you can really begin training your
pokemon. Here's a list of things you need to do before you can even begin
thinking about creating your customized pokemon.
i) Beat the game.
Just because you beat the game doesn't mean the game is over. On the
contrary, the game has only just begun. If you've played through the game
normally and use your pokemon, they will not be at their maximum potential
after you beat the game. It's only till after you beat the Elite Four can you
begin training and customizing your pokemon. You'll also get the National Dex,
have a lot of money, and be able to access the entire Shinnoh region for
training purposes. Speaking of money...
ii) Have lots of money.
You need money. And lots of it. Mostly for drugs. Alright, so they're
not drugs, they're vitamins, but they achieve the same purpose. You'll also
need a lot of money for the game corner. And unless you want to win coins at a
sluggish rate, you need lots of money to buy important TMs like Substitute and
Ice Beam. And those TMs get pretty pricy. Not to mention any other random crap
you may need to buy in your journey. A good, quick way to get money is to beat
the Rich Boy on route 222 using the Amulet Coin and VS. Seeker. You can also
fight the old people west of the pokemon mansion and get $24000 with the
Amulet Coin. Each.
iii) Get a pokemon with Flame Body or Magma Armor.
A pokemon with Flame Body or Magma Armor will hatch pokemon eggs twice
as fast, which will save you a huge amount of time in the long run. The easiest
pokemon to get would be a Slugma in Stark Mountain.
iv) Get as many Rare Candies as possible.
NO! BAD! Rare candies are NOT used to train a pokemon from level 1 to
100 and be at maximum potential. Rare candies are used to serve two purposes.
One is to level up a pokemon to level 100 to determine it's IVs and then reset
afterwards (WITHOUT SAVING!). We'll talk more about IVs later on.
Two is to level up a pokemon AFTER it has been fully EV trained. After you have
maximized your EVs, you may use rare candies to finish leveling up to 100.
We'll also talk more about EVs later on.
Rare candies are, as the name implies, rare. If you want a semi-consistent
supply, you'll need pokemon with the Pickup Ability, such as Meowth or Phanphy.
If you're lucky, they'll pick up items after every battle and might hold a rare
candy. Or you could buy them for an insane amount of BP at the battle tower,
which I don't recommend that you do. The easiest way to get rare candies is to
transfer them from Pokemon Emerald. (see viii)
v) Get a Macho Brace or the Power Items
A Macho Brace will double the EVs a pokemon gains but lower it's speed.
Another valuble item. You can get a Macho Brace by getting it from a third
generation game or in Pastoria City.
The Power Items are also an option. When equipped, they give +4 to the
EVs you want to raise, in addition to the EVs you get by fainting the opposing
Pokemon. But unlike the Macho Brace, their obtained by going though the battle
tower for 16 BP a piece, meaning you'll need 96 BP for all Six Power Items.
Here's the list.
Power Weight | +4 EVs in HP
--------------------------------------------------
Power Bracer | +4 EVs in Attack
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Power Belt | +4 EVs in Defense
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Power Lens | +4 EVs in Special Attack
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Power Band | +4 EVs in Special Defense
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Power Anklet | +4 EVs in Speed
--------------------------------------------------
vi) Get a Ditto
You need a Ditto. It's a necessity to breed with pokemon that have only
one gender, no gender, or if you only have one of the pokemon you want to
breed. Better yet, try to get at least 1 ditto of every nature, so it would be
easier to breed natures to your pokemon using an everstone. You can get some
ditto on route 218.
vii) Get an Everstone
Another important breeding item. If you have this equipped to a female
pokemon, there's a 50% chance that it's offspring will have the same nature as
it's mommy. If Ditto is holding an Everstone, there's a 50% chance that the
offspring will have the Ditto's nature. You can get an Everstone by digging
underground or trading some girl in the game for a Haunter.
viii) Get a Third Generation Game (Optional)
A third generation game is either Pokemon Ruby, Sapphire, Emerald, Fire
Red, or Leaf Green. You technically don't need them, but their presence is
invaluable for many purposes, such as getting old pokemon or items that would
be easier to get than in Diamond and Pearl. If you had to pick just one, go
with Emerald. There's a glitch in Emerald that causes duplication of Pokemon
and items. Don't get me wrong, I think cloning is unethical and wrong in the
world of pokemon, I only use it to duplicate Rare Candies and PP Maxes. I don't
want any hatemail, that's all I use it for. Honest!
Oh, and I'm not going to tell you how to use the glitch, mainly because of
liability purposes. You can find it somewhere on the internet. Or Gamefaqs...
ix) Get a Lucky Egg (Optional)
A Lucky Egg will speed up the experience gain of a pokemon by 50%. A
wonderful item that's only optional because it's so darn hard to get. Chansey's
have a very small chance of holding them when you catch it. In the Leveling Up
Section, you can find information on how to get one. Or, if you have a bunch of
rare candies, then it doesn't really matter.
x) Plant some Happiness Berries (Optional)
Happiness Berries are the ones that increase Happiness but lower a base
stat. When it says base stat, what it really means is it decreases the EVs of
one stat by 10. This is useful if you want to raise one of your pokemon from
scratch or if you screwed up in your EV training. But if you're perfect (like
me) then you don't really need it. You can find these kinds of berries lying
around Shinnoh.
Here's a list of those berries.
Pomeg Berry | Decreases 10 HP EVs
--------------------------------------------------
Kelpsy Berry | Decreases 10 Attack EVs
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Qualot Berry | Decreases 10 Defense EVs
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Hondew Berry | Decreases 10 Special Attack EVs
--------------------------------------------------
Grepa Berry | Decreases 10 Special Defense EVs
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Tamato Berry | Decreases 10 Speed EVs
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xi) Get Heart Scales (Optional)
Heart Scales allow your pokemon to relearn moves that it can learn
through level up. Some moves a pokemon learns can only be through heart scales.
Give heart scales to the guy in Pastoria City in order to do this. Heart scales
are found in the underground.
The list is still in limbo, you'll see more added or stuff removed, but this is
the basic stuff I can list off the top of my head. Once you've done most or all
of the above, you can then start your mission to training your awesome pokemon.
xii) Turn off Battle Animations (Optional)
I know the battles are cool and fun to watch, but for the purposes of
training and raising pokemon, it's better if it's turned off. You'll save a lot
of time in the long run by not watching your pokemon use the same move over and
over and over again. Not to mention it'll be easy on the eyes...
xiii) Get a Notepad (Optional)
If you reading this, chances are you're sitting at home at your
computer and most likely going back and forth raising your pokemon and looking
to the computer for help. This also means that you're never going outside.
Please, you need fresh air every once in a while. Get a notepad, write down the
IV equations, the natures, and the base stats of the pokemon you're training.
Now, you can customize, IV breed, and EV train anywhere you go. Just for god's
sake, get out of the house!
///////////////////////////Getting Your Pokemon\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
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Alright, we're all set. Now let's start getting pokemon and training. There are
four ways to getting pokemon, catching, trading, and transfering.
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Catching
--------------------
Catching is the most obvious way to get pokemon. It's also easy. The only
drawback is it's unpredictable for determining anything important, like IVs and
natures. Sometimes, you don't have much of a choice if the pokemon is one of a
kind and it can't be breed. Getting a rare, legendary pokemon with both good
IVs and a good nature is near impossible. Theoretically, if you have the
patience (and the Master Balls *wink, wink*), it could be done. Breeding is the
best way to go for pokemon that can mate, but if you don't have one, you won't
have much of a choice and you'll need to catch it.
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Trading
--------------------
Personally, I don't like trading except to get pokemon that I don't have. And
then, once I have it, I just breed it anyway. I just don't like the idea that
the traded pokemon could have been haxed and I can't change it's name (yeah,
I'm petty like that.) Theoretically, you could get any pokemon with any IV and
nature that you want over Wi-Fi trading if you let someone know. But that just
takes the fun out of customization, now doesn't it?
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Transferring
--------------------
At least through transferring, I know what my pokemon have been through. So I
have no qualms through transferring, it's legit. Just like the glitch is legit.
Sort of. Also, if you find that it's easier to train some pokemon on a third
generation game than DP, this is also a viable option. The only drawback is
some moves may be messed up when the pokemon is transferred, because of the
special and physical split. Just be wary of that when you do it that way. I
might post some information in the future on third generation training if I
believe it necessary.
So, there are the four ways...wait a second. That's only three ways! Did I lie
to you? No, I didn't. Breeding is the fourth way. But it's so important that I
had to give it its own section. It is the basis for all customization, so
you'll see it in a bit.
//////////////////////////////IV Calculating\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
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IV Calculator
--------------------
Okay, so by now you probably want to know how to calculate IVs. It's pretty
simple actually, you just need to follow a simple equation.
IV = [{^((Stat)/(Nature))-5} x (100/Level)] - (2 x Base Stat) - (EV/4)V
This is how you calculate IVs. Stat is the number of the stat on the status
screen. Nature is the bonus provided.
If it's a 10% increase, put 1.1
If it's a 10% decrease, put 0.9
If it's neutral, put 1.
Level is your pokemon's actual level.
Base stat is your pokemon's base stat.
EV is the effort value you put in. It doesn't apply unless you've battled with
the pokemon.
You'll also notice an up arrow and a down arrow. That means round up or down
when necessary.
If you want to calculate your HP IV, you have to use a different equation.
HP IV = [(Stat - Level - 10) x (100/Level)] - (2 x Base Stat) - (EV/4)V
There is one thing to keep in mind when calculating IVs, it's only an estimate
The higher the level of your pokemon, the better the estimate. The only time
the equation is exact is if the pokemon is at level 100, which is why I suggest
the use of rare candies when determining IVs.
And I know you're never going to use this equation. So I'll just tell you to go
to Serebii.net and use the IV calculator over there.
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Preliminary IVs (Optional)
--------------------
Whether or not you have a bunch of rare candies, you should do
Preliminary IV testing to save time. But this section is a bit complicated, and
is not necessary, but it helps.
Here's what I mean, go to Serebii.net and use the IV calculator for the
Pokemon you want to IV raise. When you try to determine IVs of a Pokemon that
is not level 100, there are percentages listed to the right of the IVs,
signifying that the calculator is only giving an estimate. It looks like this
something like this...
Individual Values
-----------------------------------------------------
Average % Min Max
HP 26 17 24 29
Atk 25 14 22 28
Def 25 14 22 28
Sp.Atk 26 17 24 29
Sp.Def 26 17 24 29
Spd 26 17 24 29
In case you're wondering, this is the stat of a level 15 Bulbasaur, which are
42/23/23/28/28/22, respectively. The numbers under Average is it's IV using the
IV calculator and the numbers under percentage is the chance that it's right.
Min is the minimum amount of IVs that the pokemon could possibly have and the
Max is the maximum number of IVs it could possibly have. But since it's at a
low level, there is a huge discrepency and range for the IVs, which is why
using rare candies is important to determining it's true IVs.
However, there is one imporatant thing. Notice the numbers under Min. If your
Bulbasaur has the stats I listed above at level 15, then it looks as though the
minimum amount of IVs it could have in any single stat is 22. These are what I
call Preliminary IVs.
So, let me explain. When you want to check the IVs of a pokemon, you should
determine what amount of IVs it should have. You level up your pokemon to level
15 or so, using the day care or rare candies, and look at it's stats and then
compare.
Let's say I were to continuously breed Bulbasaurs until I got one I liked. I
want his IVs to be above a certain point, in this case above 22. I then check
his IVs by leveling him up to level 15. But I don't plug anymore numbers into
the IV calculator, I just look at his stats and compare it to the stats of the
Bulbasaur above. For example, his attack. If his attack at level 15 is higher
than 23, that means that it has an IV higher than 24. If his attack is lower
than 23, that means that it has an IV lower than 24.
If many of the stats give me IVs above 20, I might continue to raise
this bulbasaur to get more accurate IVs using Rare Candies.
But if the stats give me IVs that are below 20 and I don't like them, I
will usually quit on this Bulbasaur. Put it simply, I'm not going to waste time
using rare candies on it if I know it won't reach potential.
So this is what I mean by Preliminary Stats. When you what to begin raising a
pokemon, you should figure out it's stats at a certain point, like level 15,
and a minimum IV that you want it to have. If it's stats are above the minimum,
you can continue to raise it and determine it's IVs. If it's below the minimum,
you may not want to keep going and start on another pokemon, since you know it
won't be as high as you want it to be.
Although this is somewhat complicated, the advantage of doing this is purely to
save a little more time. It's not necessary, but it is nice to know.
--------------------
Determining IVs
--------------------
As of right now, there are two ways to efficiently determine IVs. The most
easiest way right now is simply using rare candies. It's foolproof. The only
disadvantage is merely getting the rare candies, and it could be a difficult
task for someone without the third generation games or the patience to use a
bunch of pokemon with the Pick-up Ability. But this is the method I most
recommend.
A second way, however, is not AS efficient, but does indeed work. You can
temporarily raise all of your pokemon to level 100 by going into a Wi-Fi battle
with a friend. This is very simple to do and instantly gives you access to the
pokemon's stats at level 100, thus allowing you to determine it's IVs. You also
do not have to find or use any rare candies, which is a huge plus. There are
only two drawbacks. One, you need to have a friend who's willing to do this on
demand. Two, you have to do this every single time you want to check IVs.
Most of the time, you only need to check the IVs of a pokemon one at a time and
it may be more work than it's worth.
So my suggestion, if you want a quick way to find out IVs, use the Wi-Fi
battle. For everything else, there's mastercard..,er, I mean rare candies.
////////////////////////////////Job Setting\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
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So, now you have the pokemon you want to train. Before we begin perfecting it,
you need to decide beforehand everything you want the final pokemon to look
like. You need to ask yourself the following questions...
1) What do I want my pokemon to do?
I'm not gonna tell you what your pokemon should do. That defeats the
purpose of customization. What do you want it to do? Do you want it to be a
physical sweeper? A tank? A hazer? Or some crazy attacking Shuckle? You need to
decide that before you start doing stuff. Here's some of the most common jobs.
--------------------
Physical Sweeper
--------------------
A physical sweeper is customized to have high attack and speed. Use it
to knock out as many pokemon as possible with damaging attacks. Since physical
sweepers usually focus on attack and speed and not in other areas, they also
can be knocked out easily if the trainer is not careful. A good example is
Aerodactyl.
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Special Sweeper
--------------------
A special sweeper is customized to have high special attack and speed.
It's like the physical sweeper in almost every way. A good example is Alakazam.
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Mixed Sweeper
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A mixed sweeper can do physical or special attacks. Mixed sweepers can
cover both grounds of attacks, but are harder to train since stat increases
are spread between raising attack and special attack. A good example is
Swampert.
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Tank
--------------------
A tank specializes in attacking as well as being able to survive
attacks. Most tanks have above average defenses and above average attacks.
A good example of a tank is Snorlax.
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Sponge
--------------------
A sponge specializes to absorb attacks, like a sponge, and live to tell
the about it. Most sponges are limited in what they can do, other than abosorb
attacks. Skarmory is good for absorbing physical attacks, and Blissey is good
at absorbing special attacks.
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Baton Passer
--------------------
A Baton Passer specialzes in using stat modifications and then
applying them to the rest of the pokemon team using Baton Pass. Baton Passers
need a lot of speed to pull this off, but supply a lot of power if the opponent
is not ready for it. A good example is Ninjask.
--------------------
Hazer/PHazer
--------------------
A Hazer exists to negate stat changes with the move Haze. A PHazer is
using a move that is not Haze, but accomplishes the same purpose of Haze. Moves
like Haze are Roar, Whirlwind and Yawn. Since a pokemon that switches out loses
all its stat changes, those moves do what Haze do. Usually, most pokemon teams
carry at least one Hazer to counter any surprizes that may come up. A good
example is Crobat.
This is just a quick list of jobs, but you'll see these types of pokemon often.
2) What nature do I want it to have?
A nature increases a stat by 10% and decreases another by 10%. The
nature of your pokemon should be based on what you answered above. If you want
it to attack a lot, pick a nature that raises Attack. If you want it to absorb
attacks, pick a nature that increases one of its defenses. Logically, I always
take a nature that increases a pokemon's highest stat. I do this because it's
usually the most beneficial. Think of it this way. If you go to a store and you
get 10% off of any one item, what would you get to save you the most money? A
pack of gum for a dollar or a big screen t.v. for 1000 dollars? Save 10 cents
or 100 dollars? It's not this obvious in the game, but this is only a
suggestion. Remember to do what you want it to do.
Here the nature list for quick reference...
-Atk | -Def | -Sp.Atk| -Sp.Def| -Spd |
-----------------------------------------------------
+Atk |XXXXXXXX| Lonely | Adamant| Naughty| Brave |
-----------------------------------------------------
+Def | Bold |XXXXXXXX| Impish | Lax | Relaxed|
-----------------------------------------------------
+Sp.Atk| Modest | Mild |XXXXXXXX| Rash | Quiet |
-----------------------------------------------------
+Sp.Def| Calm | Gentle | Careful|XXXXXXXX| Sassy |
-----------------------------------------------------
+Spd | Timid | Hasty | Jolly | Naive |XXXXXXXX|
-----------------------------------------------------
No change - Bashful, Docile, Hardy, Quirky, Serious
3) What Ability do I want it to have?
Sometimes, this matters, sometimes it doesn't. When it does matter,
however, it matters a lot. For example, Machamp has two completely different
abilities, Guts and No Guard. Guts gives a 1.5 boost to attacks if he has a
status condition and No Guard gives all his attacks 100% accuracy. With these
types of abilities, it will affect the moves given and their effectiveness. It
only further increases the customization process.
4) What moves do I want it to have?
This is the most imporant part of questioning. Some moves can only be
learned by level up, some through TMs, some through breeding. You need to know
now so you can prepare on whether or not you need to breed moves, buy TMs or
get Heart Scales.
5) What item do I want it to have?
Pokemon can hold different items for their battling needs and sometimes
that item can be the defining characteristic on what your pokemon should be
after you finish training. If you wanted to train a pokemon to have high attack
and skip some speed, you could give it a Choice Scarf to increase it's speed
instead. If you wanted a super Pikachu, you could give it a Light Ball and not
evolve it into Raichu. If the item is inconsequential to your pokemon, then
don't worry too much about it, but sometimes it does make a difference. (See
Battle items section)
Once you've answered these questions, you can now begin getting the pokemon
that you want.
/////////////////////////////////Breeding\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
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Breeding is perhaps the best and worst part of the game. It's a time consuming
process that requires a lot of patience. But it is necessary if you want to
create the perfect (or near perfect) pokemon by your standards.
Before we begin, there's the matter of basic information. To breed pokemon,
you need to go to Pokemon Day Care couple in Solaceon town. You'll either need
a male and a female pokemon of the same egg group or one pokemon and a ditto.
You'll also need only one pokemon in your party, and it needs either Flame Body
or Magma Armor. The rest of you pokemon are empty spaces for eggs.
The old man outside the Day Care Center will give you eggs when there are eggs
to give you. Normally, he looks straight forward. When he has an egg, he'll
look to the right of the screen and you can grab it from him. When you hatch
the eggs, you can ride on the bicycle back and forth on route 209 and 210,
while periodically passing the old man to see if he has an egg in Solaceon
Town. You'll need to do this over and over again to get the pokemon that you
want.
There is also an order of precedence that you need to follow to breeding your
pokemon efficiently.
--------------------
Order of Precedence
--------------------
1) Egg Moves
2) Natures
3) IVs
4) Ability
If you don't follow the order of precedence, you're going to waste a lot of
time breeding and you're going to cause yourself a lot of headaches in the long
run. If you know about PEMDAS from math class, you'll see that the Order of
Precedence works the pretty much the same way.
So let me explain.
First, if you want egg moves, you train egg moves. The male pokemon needs to
have the moves you want it to pass down and the female pokemon is the pokemon
you want it to be. This also works if the you're using ditto as your female
pokemon. You may have to spend time breeding with many different pokemon to get
the moves that you want, which is why this must be done first before anything
else.
Second, you train the nature. Every time an egg hatches, you'll get a random
nature, and you have a 4% chance of getting the nature that you want.
Eventually, you'll get the nature you want. But that's not enough, it also has
to be female. Once you do this, give it the everstone and breed it. This way,
you'll have a 50% chance of getting the nature that you want, which should give
you a constant supply of pokemon with the egg moves and the nature. You can
also train the nature by using ditto as the male pokemon, but if you do, you
won't get any egg moves.
Third, you breed IVs. Pokemon not only pass down natures but also pass down IVs
while breeding. You get three IVs for three of the six stats, picked at random,
passed to the egg from the parents, one from the male, one from the female, and
one from one of the two. The other three stats will recieve random IVs. By
breeding IVs, you'll get half of the IVs you want, meaning half the work
that you need to do. Whenever you hatch an egg, but it doesn't quite fit your
standards, don't quite throw it away yet. If it had good IVs, you could replace
one of the parents with it and get a better chance of training good IVs.
Remember that if you replace the female parent, it should also have the nature
that you want and the everstone. And if you replace the male parent, it should
have the egg moves you want.
Finally, you check the ability. This is the absolutely last thing you do. If it
has a good ability, good IVs, good nature, and all the moves you want, you're
good to go. If it doesn't have the nature you want, but everything else is
good, you might what to use it for breeding better IVs.
Here's a schematic of the order of precedence on what you should follow when
breeding pokemon...
Put Pokemon in Day Care Center
|
|
\/
Recieve Egg
|
|
\/
Hatch Egg
|
|
\/
Check Egg Moves
|
|
\/
Check Nature
|
|
\/
Check IVs <
| \
| --(These two may sometimes be interchangeble to
\/ / save some time. Judge accordingly to your pokemon.)
Check Ability <
Once you've got the pokemon you want, there's two things you can do. If you're
completely satisfied, you can move on to EV training. If not, you can continue
breeding until you are satisfied. This can be done by keeping some potential
pokemon that can be used. Once you have a couple of them, you can then compare
their IV totals and pick one from there.
After that, the hard part's over...
////////////////////////////////EV Training\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
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The next part of the customization process is EV training. So let me go a
little more in depth first.
--------------------
Explanation
--------------------
EVs are essentially bonus points given to a pokemon's stat. For every 4 EVs,
you get one point for a particular stat. The maximum EVs a pokemon can have is
510 and the maximum EVs a pokemon can have in one stat is 252 EVs.
(Technically, it's 255, but there's no point in going over 252)
Essentially, you can raise a pokemon's stat by a full 63 points, if you really
felt like. That's a big difference, and that's why EV training is so important.
There are two ways to get EVs. The easiest way is to use the vitamins like
Calcium or Iron. Each vitamin gives 10 EVs to their respective stat, up to a
maximum of 100 EVs. If you want to go above 100 EVs, you need to battle
pokemon.
More specifically, you can gain EVs by knocking out pokemon with the one you
are training. Certain pokemon give more EVs that other pokemon. Some even give
EVs for multiple stats.
You can also gain EVs as long as the pokemon was part of the battle, either by
switching out or the use of Exp. Share. As long as it gained experience, each
pokemon will gain the same amount of EVs.
If that's not enough, you can also double the amount of EVs a pokemon gains
with the use of the Macho Brace.
AND if THAT'S not enough, you can also double the amount of EVs gained if it
has a rare virus called the 'Pokerus'
You'll notice that if you have a bunch of EVs and then level up, the stat
you're EV training will recieve a significant boost.
You won't notice the full EV stat bonuses until you reach level 100, so once
you have gained all the EVs you want, level them up and marvel at your newly
fully trained pokemon.
Below is a list of good places to go battle pokemon for EVs. I've recieved many
places to go, but these are generally the most efficient places. If there are
better places to go, be sure to let me know, but if I don't reply, it may be
because they don't achieve the efficiency of the places listed below.
--------------------
Getting HP EVs
--------------------
I'm not very fond of HP EVs, as I usually think there are better things
to improve. Bidoofs give 1 EV to HP. I know it's low, but they are EXTREMELY
common and easy to find on route 201. If you also what to gain experience in
the process, Woopers and Quagsires are at a moderate level, giving 1 and 2 EVs,
respectively. They're found in the water on route 212
--------------------
Getting Attack EVs
--------------------
If you head west from Pastoria City to route 212, you'll find a lot of
Bibarel and Kricketune in the grass, both giving 2 EVs to Attack. If you have
a Super Rod, you can also fight a bunch of level 40ish Gyarados north of
Sunnyshore City for 2 EVs.
--------------------
Getting Defense EVs
--------------------
Geodudes are very common in route 203, but only 1 EV to defense. On
Iron Island, there's a bunch of Graveler and random Steelixs you can fight for
2 EVs a piece and they're around the level 30 area.
--------------------
Getting Special Attack EVs
--------------------
Ghastly's give 1 EV and are very common in either the Old Chateau. If
you have a third generation game in the GBA slot, you may run into Haunters for
2 EVs. And if you head into the room with the glowing eyes, you might even find
a Gengar for 3 EVs.
--------------------
Getting Special Defense EVs
--------------------
Tentacool and Tentacruel both give 1 and 2 EVs, respectively. They're
found everywhere and anywhere in the ocean water using surf. Moderate leveled
Tentacools are found on 218, average Lv.30. Tentacruels appear often on route
223, but at a high level around 40-50.
--------------------
Getting Speed EVs and Maybe a Lucky Egg
--------------------
Starly and Staravia are very prominent in the grass next to the Lost
Tower, on route 209. Both are 1 or 2 EVs, respectively. If you're looking to
gain experience in the process, there's Raticates and Fearows in route 225 and
226, giving 2 EVs and are around level 30-40.
Once you finish getting all the EVs you want, save your game. Then, use those
rare candies and pump your pokemon up to level 100. If you EV trained properly,
your final stat total should reflect it. If it looks like you haven't trained
enough EVs, you can go back and fight more pokemon. If it looks like you
screwed up somewhere, you can use the happiness berries. A quick word of
caution though. If you trained more than 100 EVs for a stat and then you
realize that you want to fix it, the first berry you use will reduce ALL of the
EVs in that stat down to 100. Afterwards, every berry you use will reduce the
EVs by 10 a piece.
One more quick word of advice. Be absolutely sure you are happy with the EVs
that you put in. Once you reach level 100, you can no longer manipulate your
EVs, because you need to level up in order to recieve the stat bonus.
Sometimes, I wish they would invent a Common Candy...
////////////////////////////////Leveling Up\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
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Okay, so after you finish there's only one thing left to do and that's to raise
the pokemon up to level 100. If you have a lucky egg, now's the best time to
put it to good use. If you don't, here's a good way to get one.
--------------------
Getting a Lucky Egg
--------------------
First, you'll need a couple things.
1) You need a pokemon with either Covet or Trick. An easy pokemon with Covet
is Linoone, which you can find in swarms once in a while, or an Alakazam, if
you've already raised one.
2) You need a pokemon with Compounded Eyes, which increases the chance of a
wild pokemon holding an item, more specifically, increasing the chance that
the Chansey has the lucky egg. Nincada or Venonat is an easy choice.
Now, head to the Pokemon Mansion and save. Talk to the owner and see if he says
he's seen Chanseys in the back. If not, reset and keep asking him until he says
he does. Since the pokemon he says he sees is always random when you talk to
him, eventually he'll say he sees Chanseys, which is why you save before you do
it. Otherwise, you'll have to wait a few days before you can ask him again.
When he says he seen Chansey, head to the grass. Put the pokemon with
Compounded Eyes as your leading pokemon, equipped with a smoke ball for easy
escape if need be. Then find some chansey.
Make sure that the pokemon with Covet or Trick doesn't have an item before
battle. When you encounter Chansey, switch to your Pokemon with Covet or Trick.
Then use Covet or Trick. If it says you got a Lucky Egg, you got a Lucky Egg.
If not, don't give up, eventually you'll find one.
--------------------
Gaining Experience
--------------------
Now to raise your Pokemon.
If it's under level 20, the easiest way would just to leave the pokemon in the
day care center. It'll reach level 20 in no time. This is also a good way to
level up your Pokemon before EV training, so as not to recieve any unnecessary
EVs.
Between 20 and 40, you should be gaining level through the natural process of
EV training, so there shouldn't be too much to worry about.
After 40, your pokemon should already have all the EVs that it needs, so it
doesn't matter what pokemon you battle anymore. If it's good enough, you can
just fight the Rich Boy's Luxio one on one on route 222 and gain experience as
well as money.
At around 60, your pokemon should be good enough to take on the entire Elite
Four by itself, assuming of course that it has usable, damaging attacks. If
not, you can do the whole switcharoo process, but that's very time consuming.
At level 75, you have an option. Because of the game's mechanics of levling up,
the curve changes. Whenever a pokemon levels up, the amount of experience it
needs to go to the next level increase exponentially. Okay, so that's somewhat
of an overexaggeration, but at level 75 is when this is most noticible. If you
send your pokemon to fight the Elite Four, it's won't gain more than 2-3 levels
each time. Which means, you'll have to fight the Elite Four a lot more times
than you can count. At this point, and ONLY at this point in the game is it
reasonable to use rare candies the rest of the way. I only get so many rare
candies a day through Emerald, so this is a viable option near the final levels
of your pokemon.
Another option to gaining experience is to train your pokemon on a different
game. Traded Pokemon gain a boosted experience of x1.5, you could trade to
another game and raise it there. Of course, that's assuming you had another
game to do so.
///////////////////////////////Battle Items\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
/////////////////////////////////////\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
Just because you've finished leveling up your pokemon doesn't mean we're
finished customizing your pokemon. On the contrary, what item should we give it
when it's in battle? Leftovers? Choice Band? Stick? Jeez, it's just keeps
getting more and more complicated for pokemon trainers, doesn't it? I've listed
here the most important hold items you can give your pokemon, what pokemon you
should give it to and why.
--------------------
Leftovers
--------------------
Restores 1/16 of a pokemon's HP every turn.
This is the default item. This is ALWAYS the default item you can give
to a Pokemon if you don't know what item to give. In competitive battle, you
can't use any restorative items, so a hold item that does that for you is very
invaluble. It's also useful to negate chip damaging effects like Sandstorm and
Hail, and it somewhat allieviates burn. It is essentially free recovery every
turn.
--------------------
Choice Band
--------------------
Boosts Attack by 1.5x, but only allows 1 move.
Choice Band is a very important item since its incarnation from third
generation that multiplies your pokemon's attack power by 50%, equivalent to
STAB bonus. It's a big difference, but the drawback is that you can only use
one move until the pokemon switches out. Like, if a pokemon used earthquake, it
can only use earthquake and nothing else as long as its out. This item is
useful for fast pokemon that want to do nothing but attack.
--------------------
Choice Specs
--------------------
Boosts Special Attack by 1.5x, but only allows 1 move.
Choice Specs is essentially the same thing as Choice Band, but for
Special Attack. Again, big difference, but only good for pokemon that are fast
and want to do nothing but use special attacks.
--------------------
Choice Scarf
--------------------
Boosts Speed by 1.5x, but only allows 1 move.
This is a new item in D/P that may shift the metagame slightly to favor
some of those really powerfu, but really slow pokemon. Put it simply, give
this item to one of your pokemon and they'll most likely be at a speed
comparative to those in the competative environment. Or, give it to an already
fast and strong pokemon, and you'll virtually be faster than every pokemon in
the game that's not also using Choice Scarf. Again, they can only use one
attack, so judge accordingly.
--------------------
Life Orb
--------------------
Boosts damage by 1.3x, but always takes 10% recoil.
If you want power, but still have the versatility of being able to use
any move you desire, then Life Orb is the way to go. However, if you use a move
that does damage, you'll take 10% recoil damage whenever it hits. This is also
a good choice for either Physical Attacks or Special Attacks, just as long as
damage is being done.
--------------------
Focus Sash
--------------------
Prevents KO hit if KO'd with full HP.
Another new item in D/P that guarantees you a second turn, provided
that you have full HP. This is extremely useful if there are those crazy
sweepers trying to KO you with 1 hit. Focus Sash guarentees that you'll have at
least 1 HP leftover to either counterattack or go to another turn. Use on
pokemon with huge, glaring weaknesses or if you want to combo with moves like
Reversal or Endevor.
--------------------
Focus Band
--------------------
May prevent KO
Unlike Focus Sash, this may or may not prevent KO of your pokemon. I
believe there's like a 10% chance of it working, so it's not as reliable as
Focus Sash. But then again, Focus Band doesn't require you to be at full HP, so
it may stil work after random damage like Sandstorm and whatnot. IMO, Focus
Sash is superior, but to each his own...
--------------------
Lum Berry
--------------------
Heals any status condition
This berry speaks for itself. Healing for any random status that could
potentially hinder your pokemon useless like freeze or paralysis is very good.
--------------------
Chesto Berry
--------------------
Heals Sleep
So, why use Chesto Berry when you could use Lum Berry? Mainly because
it's usually used in conjunction with Rest, giving a pokemon a free recovery.
Also, if you use Lum Berry and your opponent inflicts a status condition, you
will no longer get a free recovery.
--------------------
Salac Berry
--------------------
Raises Speed 1 level when HP is below 25%
Berries like this usually are not used normally, but rather, they force
their pokemon HP down to below 25%, like through the use of substitute, and
take advantage of it's bonus. The most prominent is the Salac Berry, which will
generally turn the tide and allow a pokemon to attack first for the virtually
the rest of the battle, assuming the pokemon is very strong in the first place.
Because these are the most used items, the others are only used in special
circumstances and are not listed. Unless you guys want me to list more...
////////////////////////////////Afterword\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
/////////////////////////////////////\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
Now that you have your completed Pokemon, it's time to put it to good use. The
Wi-Fi Battle Tower is the perfect place to test your pokemon out, since these
are usually the type of Pokemon you might encounter in competitive play. You'll
also recieve Battle Points to trade for those rare TMs and items, so there's
no drawback to doing this. And this is where I leave you. There's a lot that I
hope I have taught you, and frankly, there's not much more for me to say.
Now get out there and battle!
////////////////////////////////////FAQ\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
/////////////////////////////////////\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
Q: What is a Pokemon's Characteristic? Does it affect stats in any way?
A: A Pokemon's Characteristic just tells you which of its stats have the most
IVs. Like if it had 31 IVs in Attack, the characteristic will most likely tell
you that. But other than that, it doesn't affect any stats. It doesn't do
anything.
Q: What's the Box/Depositing Trick?
A: Back in the day (first three generations), when you EV trained a Pokemon,
you could deposit your EV trained pokemon into the box and then withdraw it and
the Pokemon's stat will adjust according to the EVs it gained. The advantage of
this was that it didn't need to gain a level in order for the stats to adjust.
Which meant that, even at level 100, you could still EV train your Pokemon.
Unfortunately, that no longer works in Diamond and Pearl. The EV trained
Pokemon actually has to gain experience in order to gain EVs. Since level 100
Pokemon don't gain experience, they don't gain EVs, and the Box Trick is
rendered useless.
I believe, though, it still works for the other 99 levels. But there's no
advantage to that, because you can just level up. It was actually only useful
for level 100 Pokemon.
Q: Can you tell me the Duplicating Glitch?
A: I am not personally going to tell you how to do it. But I know you can find
it on the Emerald Message Board.
Q: What's the best pokemon you've customized?
A: I've breed many good, many obscure, and many that exist simply to make me
laugh. But I don't kiss and tell...
Q: Why are you so picky about Wi-Fi Battling?
There are two reasons for that.
1) I don't have Wi-Fi. Simple as that.
2) The only time I have to do Wi-Fi battling is when I'm at work, since my
workplace is the only place in the state where I can use Wi-Fi and use it for
free. Obviously, I can't play during work, only when it's not busy, which is
usually after 10 PM Saturdays. And that's still a rare oddity...
/////////////////////////////Email Ettiquette\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
/////////////////////////////////////\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
I've been recieving a lot of email lately, which is good. However, it's not
good if it constitutes as garbage. If it's garbage, I'll either reply and say
it's garbage, or I won't even reply at all (which is generally the case) and
promply delete it. What constitutes as garbage...
1) Incoherent babble (Typing Ettiquette)
If you don't use proper grammer, spelling, punctuation, or even
complete sentences, you will be considered garbage. If you at least attempt to
type properly and make it so what you're trying to communicate makes at least
SOME sense, I might read it. If you type well, I might even respond.
2) Poke Poking (Reading Ettiquette)
If you email me a question that I answered in the FAQ, but you don't
even give me the courtesy of knowing that you actually read it, you will be
considered garbage. For example, asking me "What are EVs?" constitute as
garbage. However, if you email me about clarification or for a deeper
understanding, like "What's a good way to raise such and such EVs?", then I
might respond. Put it simply, read the FAQ first. If I didn't explain it, then
email me about it.
3) Be my Friend! (Battling Ettiquette)
I'm not battling or trading right now, so don't ask me for my friend
code and whatnot. But, there will be an opportunity to contact me about such
sometime in the future. If I want battles or trades, I'll let you know about it
in the FAQ or on the message board. But for right now, any emails about battles
and trades are deleted.
4) Pointless (Relative Ettiquette)
If you're not emailing me about Pokemon, it may or may not be
considered garbage. It depends on whether or not I'm in a good mood. It also
depends on whether or not you're nice about it.
I'm not discouraging you from emailing me, it's just that I don't need a
clutter of garbage on top of all the junk email I'm already getting. But enough
talk, I supposed you want my email now.
xstreamzero@hotmail.com
///////////////////////////////Legal Content\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
/////////////////////////////////////\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
This document is copyright 2007 R. Ke a.k.a Super Saiyan Zero
You are not authorized to take, use, give, distribute, rewrite, reproduce,
display, publish, ripoff, sell, or anything else that may come to mind to this
faq without permission. To violate any of the above is a serious crime and you
will be dealt swiftly by the law. This is a free faq that is open to the public
and is meant for personal use only.
//////////////////////////////////Credits\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
/////////////////////////////////////\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
CJayC - For putting up my third faq. Huzzah!
jacob b, gogojirachi - For the information on the Power Items. Please, no more
emails about the Power Items...
thekitchensinks - For, essentially, the entire Lucky Egg section. And the
Gengars.
bugeye999 and saitoumwolf - For the Gyarados idea. Very handy.
ianschow, fabio874, and zaloholth - For pointing me in the direction of Iron
Island, where all those defense EVs were hiding...
Manny - For the spot near the Lost Tower for Staravia. Very nice.
manaphyfan - For more Speedy Speed EVs. Awesome.
device and cwm_spanky - For the information on Wi-Fi leveling. Sweet.
grimm_10 - For giving me lots of money. Good man...
txh0881 - For letting me know the trick error. And frisk is irrelevant!
Gamefaqs - For being the best video game website in the world!
Serebii.net - If I didn't cite it and it looks like I pulled it out of thin
air, it probably came from the best pokemon site in the world.
Nintendo - For being munny grubbers who want my money so badly that they have
to keep releasing Pokemon Games
And thanks to those who read my faq. If anyone has any questions, comments,
want to contribute, want to say hi, or just about anything, read my email
ettiquette section and give me a call!
Fun Eating!
Super Saiyan Zero
