Prof. Oak's Lab: The Q&A Thread - USE THIS

[UltiMario]

Masuda method? Is that the thing where Pokemon from different countries produce more shinies?

If so, I'm not sure.

 

[Claire Diviner]

Masuda method? Is that the thing where Pokemon from different countries produce more shinies?

If so, I'm not sure.

Yep, that'd be the method. I've produced a few great shinies, even though I wasn't aiming for shinies. The Japanese Ditto I have happens to have great IVs all around (none below 25), including a 31 Speed IV.

I ask this question so that I may aim for a shiny Zoroark. Normally, I wouldn't care for it, but it has a beautiful purple color scheme, and purple happens to be one of my favorite colors. ^ω^

 

[*JuriHan*]

So I've been lurking around and I notice people are using dream world abilities, and some people (without pokesav) are complaining about hackers and stuff.

To me, Dream World abilities are event because Nintendo has to release them, and not all are released yet (I'm looking at you.... shadow tag ghost) so at this point using them would be... illegal. They may be programmed into the game but we don't know if Nintendo will release all of them. Why are people using things that aren't released yet?

 

[Fuelbi]

They may be programmed into the game

That's exactly the point. They're all programmed into the game, so why not?

 

[Wave⁂]

What would you say if when HGSS first came out I used Flare Blitz Entei? Or how about I just go out to a bar right now and drink a ****ton of beer, I mean, I'll be allowed to do so in three years, why not right now?

 

[UltiMario]

That's exactly the point. They're all programmed into the game, so why not?

Say hi to my Azure Flute Arceus.

 

[Claire Diviner]

What would you say if when HGSS first came out I used Flare Blitz Entei? Or how about I just go out to a bar right now and drink a ****ton of beer, I mean, I'll be allowed to do so in three years, why not right now?

One could argue they do so for the sake of testing potential future strategies that could alter the metagame, rather than just wait for their official releases. I see it as shaving time off what could potentially be an entire Generation worth of metagame research if they did otherwise.

That said, I can see your argument. Though I don't condone hacking or SAVing, I do tolerate it so as long as it's within legal reason (PID matching the Natures, IVs, etc., legal movesets and so on). ^-^

 

[Wave⁂]

One could argue they do so for the sake of testing potential future strategies that could alter the metagame, rather than just wait for their official releases. I see it as shaving time off what could potentially be an entire Generation worth of metagame research if they did otherwise.

I agree, that's a legit reason, but a legit reason for me drinking beer is so I can get drunk.

 

[Claire Diviner]

I agree, that's a legit reason, but a legit reason for me drinking beer is so I can get drunk.

I suppose, but the current topic isn't about underaged drinking more than it is about the ethics behind PokéSAV use. Regardless, though I'm tolerant of both, I don't condone either one (the latter for obvious legal reasons). XD

 

[kirbyraeg]

I always think of Sol Badguy when I see you post.

 

[Claire Diviner]

I always think of Sol Badguy when I see you post.

Ahaha! A close friend of mine uses that name as a gamer tag! XD

Funny thing about my gamer tag: Originally, I wanted to go with "lunadiviner" after the title of Kingdom Hearts 2's Saïx, The Luna Diviner as an AIM screen name. Unfortunately, it was already taken, and I detest using numbers, "xX(screen name)Xx", or underscores in my screen name, so I decided to try something else. After several minutes of thinking, I figured I could try a contrasting screen name. "Luna", being Latin for "moon", sounded cool... so as a contrast, I went with "Sol", the Latin word for "sun". Of course, they're both Spanish words also. Anyway, that's how I got it.

For the record, I think of Sol Badguy on some occasions myself because of it. XD

 

[Terywj [태리]]

So back with the questions: does Marvel Scale reactivate if the user somehow restores their HP to 100%? For example through Recover, Roost, or Rest.

 

[kirbyraeg]

Marvel Scale is triggered by a status condition, not when health drops below 50%.

 

[Terywj [태리]]

Marvel Scale is triggered by a status condition, not when health drops below 50%.

Dang it. I apologize. I meant Multi-Scale. Sorry.

 

[kirbyraeg]

Multi-Scale probably works the same as other new abilities in B/W like Sturdy, which will activate again if the user gets to 100% hp again.

 

[Claire Diviner]

Dang it. I apologize. I meant Multi-Scale. Sorry.

I believe it does, as Sturdy can reactivate in much the same manner.

 

[Terywj [태리]]

Multi-Scale probably works the same as other new abilities in B/W like Sturdy, which will activate again if the user gets to 100% hp again.

I believe it does, as Sturdy can reactivate in much the same manner.

Alright, thanks for the tip, guys!

 

[Wrath`]

Should I use CB or CS on my Shanzadora(Dark/Dragon)? I have had great success with CB, but sometimes I feel quite slow.

 

[Wave⁂]

I suppose, but the current topic isn't about underaged drinking more than it is about the ethics behind PokéSAV use. Regardless, though I'm tolerant of both, I don't condone either one (the latter for obvious legal reasons). XD

SAVing a flawless Pokemon is fine because a flawless Pokemon can exist without PokeSAV. SAVing an Eccentric Ditto is like SAVing a Psycho Boost Alakazam. Neither exist.

 

[Terywj [태리]]

Should I use CB or CS on my Shanzadora(Dark/Dragon)? I have had great success with CB, but sometimes I feel quite slow.

Why exactly are you running Choice Band? Correct me if I'm wrong / ignorant since I'm not looking up his base stats but doesn't Sazandora have a higher base Special Attack?

And Choice Scarf variants seem more popular at the moment.

 

[Kofu]

Choice Specs are also decent; a Draco Meteor off of 574 Special Attack HURTS. Besides, you're generally not going to outspeed anything significant with a Choice Scarf except, perhaps, once Dragon Danced Ononokusu.

 

[Wrath`]

Oh yeah I did mean Specs, whoops. Yeah He's not that fast, but he is powerful. I have OHKO'ed some Steels on a Draco Meteor after Rocks.Guess i'll stick with CSpecs.

 

[UltiMario]

You know not all Steel types are bulky, right?

I assume you mean Doryuuzu, who is about as Bulky as Slack Off Infernape.

 

[Wrath`]

I thought Dorry had some bulk, i knew the new Dark/Steel didn't. Still it's good Special Attack no matter how you look at it.

 

[M.K]

Hey, not sure if this was asked before or not, but has it been confirmed if the Masuda Method will be present in Black/White? Few people think not, but I don't believe Nintendo/Game Freak will just up and remove a mechanic out of nowhere.

Ah, yes, the Masuda Method does return in Black and White!

An individual on Serebii Forums managed to hatch a Shiny Munna in ~90 eggs.

 

[UltiMario]

Either the Masuda Method has been cranked up to 11, or that person was insanely lucky.

 

[Kofu]

Most likely, it was luck.

When HG/SS came out in Japan, one of the moderators happened upon a Shiny starter first try.

 

[UltiMario]

I remember that bahaha.

It's probably what motivated me to get my Shiny Cyndaquil for my starter in SS.

 

[Claire Diviner]

Shinies I've obtained using the Masuda Method by accident:

Beldum
Charmander
Ralts

The funny thing is, I was aiming for good IVs and specific Natures. Turns out, I got an Adamant Metagross, an Adamant Charizard, and a Modest Gardevoir with great IVs whilst shiny. I felt so lucky.

I also got another shiny Ralts before the mentioned Gardevoir, but that was no accident. It was male with decent IVs, but a "meh" Nature... so I evolved it into a Kirlia, raised it to Level 50, and nicknamed it Bridget, after the character from Guilty Gear. XD

That aside, it has been confirmed that you can now pass down Natures with an Everstone from the father... not just solely from the mother! Gen V keeps sounding better and better. XD

 

[Circa]

Shinies I've obtained using the Masuda Method by accident:

Beldum

I am extremely jealous right about now.

The Beldum line houses one of my favorite shinies ever, only being beaten by Miltank, Abra, and Smeargle.

 

[Claire Diviner]

I am extremely jealous right about now.

The Beldum line houses one of my favorite shinies ever, only being beaten by Miltank, Abra, and Smeargle.

Beldum and its evolutionary family has one of my favorite shinies too. Pair that with the fact that Metagross remains my favorite Pokémon, and you can imagine my shock. Charizard and Gardevoir have great shinies too, the latter of which I nicknamed "Rei", after Rei Ayanami of Neon Genesis Evangelion, due to the blue hair scheme. I also hatched what is now a shiny Roserade (my favorite Grass-type) a few years back... but that wasn't using the Method.

Smeargle has a nice-looking shiny. Abra, Kadabra, and Alakazam's shiny's nice too, especially since purple's one of my favorite colors. Miltank has a really smexy shiny: I've been wanting one for the longest time, but never got one, even when trying the Masuda Method.

Another shiny I really like is Starmie's. The way I see it, if one is going to propose to a significant other, but is too broke to afford an engagement ring, yet happen to have a shiny Starmie, you can trade said Pokémon, substituting it for a ring, since given how beautiful it looks, it may as well be jewelery. XD

Now that I'm thinking about it, does anyone know the chances of passing down a Dream World Ability through breeding? Though passing it to offspring has been confirmed, I don't believe they confirmed the chances of doing so. :3

 

[Terywj [태리]]

Since I can get us back onto topic, I guess: What exactly is the Masuda Method?

 

[Claire Diviner]

Since I can get us back onto topic, I guess: What exactly is the Masuda Method?

The Masuda Method is when you breed a Pokémon of one language with a Pokémon of a different language. For example, I breed my English language Meowth with a Japanese or French Skitty. By doing this, the odds of hatching a shiny goes from 1/8192 to 1/2048, increasing one's luck fourfold.

EDIT: For the record, breeding Lt. Surge's Pikachu or Meister's Magikarp with another Pokémon generated in your game will not work, since they are generated on the same game as the player's Pokémon. You can still breed them with Pokémon generated in a different language game. Furthermore, passing down Natures with an Everstone while using the Method is not present. As the name suggests, the method is named after Game Freak director, Junichi Masuda, who documented its effect (albeit cryptically) in his column. Hope that helps. ^ω^

 

[Fuelbi]

You know the bar that shows your health in PO? How do you make it show percentages automatically instead of the actual numbers? I'm tired of clicking on the bar every game

 

[Terywj [태리]]

You know the bar that shows your health in PO? How do you make it show percentages automatically instead of the actual numbers? I'm tired of clicking on the bar every game

I thought the self health bar on Pokemon Online would always show the amount of HP in numbers, not in percentages.

Only your opponent's health is show in percentages.

 

[Fuelbi]

No, if you click your bar, it changes to percentages

 

[Terywj [태리]]

No, if you click your bar, it changes to percentages

Ahh. Still, why do you need it to always show percentages?

 

[Fuelbi]

It's the easier and more convenient way to show my HP is all

So is tehre any way to show it like that or not?

 

[Terywj [태리]]

It's the easier and more convenient way to show my HP is all

So is tehre any way to show it like that or not?

It's roughly as easy to just estimate max roll / min roll and work from there, especially since the Pokemon Online logs give you how much HP you lost.

And as far as I know no there isn't. =\

 

[Claire Diviner]

Hey, an interesting thing I think is worth noting: In Gen 5, Nature Power becomes Earthquake when used in wi-fi battles. Also, Secret Power has a 30% chance of lowering Accuracy as opposed to paralyzing when used in wi-fi battles. This may give physical attackers with access to Nature Power who cannot learn Earthquake a great option in a move. Secret Power, on the other hand, loses usefulness, but can still - at the very least - force a switch with enough Accuracy drops... I guess.