A repost of the shiny thread for a few reasons.
Firstly; the current one already had over 1000 pages so a restart just for that is not a bad idea. Secondly, the previous rule of having to post once per page is currently being relaxed. That means you can post multiple times a page! On that note however, you are not allowed to spam or post meaningless stuff like 'I haven't found any yet' too often; otherwise that rule may well reappear.
Anyways! Post if you have found any shiny Pokemon and discuss them for the BW games (not in other games, please; they have their own threads). Follow these rules for the thread if you don't want to be infracted.
Frequently-Asked Questions about Shinies
Check the main site’s Shiny Mechanics Page first.
1. Q: Shiny Pokemon? What are those?
A: Shiny Pokemon first appeared in the Gold and Silver games for the Gameboy Color. Basically, they are alternately colored Pokemon (for example, shiny Charizard is black instead of orange).
2. Q: Wow! Are shiny Pokemon more powerful?
A: Unfortunately, no. The ONLY difference between shinies and regular Pokemon is the color. They’re pretty much just for bragging rights.
3: Q: How can I find a shiny Pokemon?
A: Every single catchable Pokemon that you find (Eggs, Gifts, Wild, etc) has a 1/8192 chance of being shiny. There are a few ways to find certain Pokémon as shiny quicker, but you still need to rely on luck. They are often called Masuda Method and PokeRadar Chaining (note the latter is for D/P/Pt only).
4: Q: But I’ve seen over 10000 Pokemon in my game and haven’t found a shiny yet! That can’t be right!
A: 1/8192 is a probability. That doesn’t mean that after 8192 Pokemon, you will automatically find a shiny.
A good example of this is when you roll dice. You have a 1/6 chance of getting any particular number when you roll, such as the number 2. That doesn’t mean that you will roll a 2 in six rolls, or that your second roll will be a 2, etc.
The same goes for shiny Pokemon. You may find a shiny on your first try, or within a hundred tries, or maybe not until 10000 tries.
To delve in a bit deeper, picture that whenever you encounter a Pokemon, a random number between 1 and 8,192 is generated. Let’s say that the number 500 is the “shiny number.” If 500 happens to be the random number that’s generated, the Pokemon will be shiny. If the number is anything else, it will be a normal Pokemon. Nice odds, aren’t they?
5: Q: If I breed a shiny Pokemon, will the baby from the Egg be shiny as well?
A: Unlike in G/S/C, where you had a higher chance of hatching shiny offspring when the parents were shiny, this is NOT true for any of the later generation games. In the 4th Generation, almost every Pokemon has the same odds of being shiny. There is the exception to this rule, being the Masuda Method.
6: Q: What is this soft resetting/SRing thing I’ve been hearing about?
A: Soft resetting (SRing) is when you press Start + Select + L + R to reset your DS (just like turning the system off and on, skipping the firmware screen). It’s helpful when trying to find a shiny of a Pokemon you can save in front of, such as your starter at the beginning, legendaries, etc. It's faster than turning the game on and off, and it's less stressful on the system/batteries. Save, see if the Pokemon is shiny, if not SR your game and try again. Just like finding any shiny, this depends completely on luck, but if you’re patient you should eventually get your shiny. Keep in mind that this could take hours or days with luck, and months and months without.
7: Q: What does a shiny _____ look like?
A: The Pokedex on the main site shows sprites of every Pokemon:
http://www.serebii.net/pokedex-bw/
8: Q: How do I know if I have a shiny Pokemon?
A: Besides the change in color, a shiny Pokemon will sparkle when it
comes into battle. There are also a couple changes on its summary page, which you can see on the main site’s shiny page (link above).
9. Q: When will I know if I’ve gotten a shiny starter?
A: When you’re choosing your starter, the game will show you a picture of each Pokemon. This picture will NOT show you whether that Pokemon is shiny or not (unlike in HGSS). You will have to choose it and check its summary, or use it in battle, to find out if it’s shiny or not.
10. Q: Can I save before hatching my Egg, and reset until I have a shiny?
A: No. All of the Egg's values are set once you take it. However, you can save before taking it and have a chance.
11. Q: If my shiny Pokemon evolves, will it stay shiny?
A: Yes. Once shiny, always shiny.
If you have any other questions or think something should be added here, don't hesitate to PM me.
Masuda Method
Essentially, the Masuda Method consists of this:
1. You obtain a Foreign Pokemon [E.g. a German Ditto]
2. You breed your Pokemon with aforementioned foreign Pokemon.
3. The Game checks to see if one pokemon is foreign.
4. Thus, the chances of getting a Shiny Pokemon is roughly fourthed [supposedly 1/2048 instead of 1/8192 in 4th gen games, but in B/W it is 6/8192 (!)]
Masuda's Official Blog.
Firstly; the current one already had over 1000 pages so a restart just for that is not a bad idea. Secondly, the previous rule of having to post once per page is currently being relaxed. That means you can post multiple times a page! On that note however, you are not allowed to spam or post meaningless stuff like 'I haven't found any yet' too often; otherwise that rule may well reappear.
Anyways! Post if you have found any shiny Pokemon and discuss them for the BW games (not in other games, please; they have their own threads). Follow these rules for the thread if you don't want to be infracted.
- All general Serebiiforums Rules and B/W Rules, of course.
- You may not go offtopic in this thread at all. This is discussion of and questions about shinies only. This means no talking about your favorite ice cream flavor or which Pokemon is the coolest, or anything like that. This also means none of the ever-annoying "congrats" or "good luck" messages. If you feel the need to say that to someone, do it on their profile.
- This is B/W, which means Black and White shinies. Don't post here talking about SRing for Rayquaza or your Red Gyarados in Silver.
- No "semi-legit" (aka still hacked but makes people feel better about themselves) or "hacked" shinies. No one can stop you from cheating to get Newmoon Island on your Pearl, but don't share it with us. Don't post here saying you got a fake shiny Reshiram/Zekrom or something.
- Want a trade? Use the trade corner sections!
Frequently-Asked Questions about Shinies
Check the main site’s Shiny Mechanics Page first.
1. Q: Shiny Pokemon? What are those?
A: Shiny Pokemon first appeared in the Gold and Silver games for the Gameboy Color. Basically, they are alternately colored Pokemon (for example, shiny Charizard is black instead of orange).
2. Q: Wow! Are shiny Pokemon more powerful?
A: Unfortunately, no. The ONLY difference between shinies and regular Pokemon is the color. They’re pretty much just for bragging rights.
3: Q: How can I find a shiny Pokemon?
A: Every single catchable Pokemon that you find (Eggs, Gifts, Wild, etc) has a 1/8192 chance of being shiny. There are a few ways to find certain Pokémon as shiny quicker, but you still need to rely on luck. They are often called Masuda Method and PokeRadar Chaining (note the latter is for D/P/Pt only).
4: Q: But I’ve seen over 10000 Pokemon in my game and haven’t found a shiny yet! That can’t be right!
A: 1/8192 is a probability. That doesn’t mean that after 8192 Pokemon, you will automatically find a shiny.
A good example of this is when you roll dice. You have a 1/6 chance of getting any particular number when you roll, such as the number 2. That doesn’t mean that you will roll a 2 in six rolls, or that your second roll will be a 2, etc.
The same goes for shiny Pokemon. You may find a shiny on your first try, or within a hundred tries, or maybe not until 10000 tries.
To delve in a bit deeper, picture that whenever you encounter a Pokemon, a random number between 1 and 8,192 is generated. Let’s say that the number 500 is the “shiny number.” If 500 happens to be the random number that’s generated, the Pokemon will be shiny. If the number is anything else, it will be a normal Pokemon. Nice odds, aren’t they?
5: Q: If I breed a shiny Pokemon, will the baby from the Egg be shiny as well?
A: Unlike in G/S/C, where you had a higher chance of hatching shiny offspring when the parents were shiny, this is NOT true for any of the later generation games. In the 4th Generation, almost every Pokemon has the same odds of being shiny. There is the exception to this rule, being the Masuda Method.
6: Q: What is this soft resetting/SRing thing I’ve been hearing about?
A: Soft resetting (SRing) is when you press Start + Select + L + R to reset your DS (just like turning the system off and on, skipping the firmware screen). It’s helpful when trying to find a shiny of a Pokemon you can save in front of, such as your starter at the beginning, legendaries, etc. It's faster than turning the game on and off, and it's less stressful on the system/batteries. Save, see if the Pokemon is shiny, if not SR your game and try again. Just like finding any shiny, this depends completely on luck, but if you’re patient you should eventually get your shiny. Keep in mind that this could take hours or days with luck, and months and months without.
7: Q: What does a shiny _____ look like?
A: The Pokedex on the main site shows sprites of every Pokemon:
http://www.serebii.net/pokedex-bw/
8: Q: How do I know if I have a shiny Pokemon?
A: Besides the change in color, a shiny Pokemon will sparkle when it
comes into battle. There are also a couple changes on its summary page, which you can see on the main site’s shiny page (link above).
9. Q: When will I know if I’ve gotten a shiny starter?
A: When you’re choosing your starter, the game will show you a picture of each Pokemon. This picture will NOT show you whether that Pokemon is shiny or not (unlike in HGSS). You will have to choose it and check its summary, or use it in battle, to find out if it’s shiny or not.
10. Q: Can I save before hatching my Egg, and reset until I have a shiny?
A: No. All of the Egg's values are set once you take it. However, you can save before taking it and have a chance.
11. Q: If my shiny Pokemon evolves, will it stay shiny?
A: Yes. Once shiny, always shiny.
If you have any other questions or think something should be added here, don't hesitate to PM me.
Masuda Method
Essentially, the Masuda Method consists of this:
1. You obtain a Foreign Pokemon [E.g. a German Ditto]
2. You breed your Pokemon with aforementioned foreign Pokemon.
3. The Game checks to see if one pokemon is foreign.
4. Thus, the chances of getting a Shiny Pokemon is roughly fourthed [supposedly 1/2048 instead of 1/8192 in 4th gen games, but in B/W it is 6/8192 (!)]
Masuda's Official Blog.
