Bug-Catching Contest

[Wednesdayz]

Gold and Silver introduced the Bug-Catching Contests which occurred every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday at National Park. What were your thoughts and opinions on these competitions? Please explain your answers in detail.

Personally, I thought they were a watered-down Safari Zone. I liked the idea behind them though and how we could earn prizes, but the Bug-types available for capture were...underwhelming.

 

[Mrs. Oreo]

I remember waking up early on Saturdays to enter the Bug Catching Contest on Gold version to seek out rare bug types like Scyther and Pinsir hee hee. I got first place in most of the campaigns that I entered and had a stockpile of Sun Stones as a result. :3

 

[Alloutℯ]

I found these competitions to be fun except for the time limit and lack of good Bug types to catch. Yanma and Spinarak should've been found there instead of appearing elsewhere.

 

[Cat's Eye Draco]

I usually had fun with the Bug Catching Contests, though I don't remember ever managing to win one. It could be frustrating, though, to spend the whole time running around looking for a Scyther or a Pinsir or some other "exotic" Pokemon only to come in second or third to a Caterpie.

 

[CrimsonAce777]

I usually had fun with the Bug Catching Contests, though I don't remember ever managing to win one. It could be frustrating, though, to spend the whole time running around looking for a Scyther or a Pinsir or some other "exotic" Pokemon only to come in second or third to a Caterpie.

This was generally my experience. I mostly used it to try and catch the more exotic bugs anyways tho. That or I would shoot for whatever position got me a sun stone. Gotta get that sunflora and bellossom XD

 

[Aquarelle]

I remember waking up early on Saturdays to enter the Bug Catching Contest on Gold version to seek out rare bug types like Scyther and Pinsir hee hee. I got first place in most of the campaigns that I entered and had a stockpile of Sun Stones as a result. :3

This is what I did on my Gold, too. For quite a while, I would start my Saturdays off by participating in the Bug Catching Contest.
Scyther and Pinsir were my most commonly caught Pokemon.

However, I didn't win too often...I got some Sun Stones, but most of the time I came third or didn't place at all. I had a lot of fun with the contest, but it was sometimes pretty frustrating when I lost still hate Cooltrainer Nick.

 

[KyogreThunder]

I liked this competition. I don't remember winning Sun Stones too often, though, but I don't mind. The only thing I disliked about it was the fact the best Bug Pokemon available were all Generation I ones, although in the Johto games, this kind of thing isn't unheard of.

 

[Captain Jigglypuff]

I never won the Contest during Gen 2 but in the remakes I won three times. Once with a Scyther, the second with a Butterfree, and the third I think with Kricketune. I remember one of the wins was definitely with one of the non Johto Pokémon.

 

[Leonhart]

I enjoyed these mini competitions at first when I tinkered with Gold and Silver, but eventually finding common Kanto Bug-types and a few rare ones like Strike (Scyther) and Kailos (Pinsir) got bothersome. I think that the execution of the Bug-Catching Contests could've been better.

 

[ᎠᎬȺᎢḤ]

These competitions were fun although I only got to try them on Saturdays when there was no school. I wish Johto Bug mons could've been found in these contests though.

 

[Leonhart]

These competitions were fun although I only got to try them on Saturdays when there was no school. I wish Johto Bug mons could've been found in these contests though.

I definitely agree with that. Hard-to-find Jouto Bug-types such as Kunugidama (Pineco), Heracross, and Yanyanma (Yanma) for instance should have been available in the Bug-Catching Contest. It would've added diversity and made these competitions slightly less repetitive.

 

[Cíconne]

I loved the Bug Catching Contest, I used to do it whenever I could. I remember often feeling confused when someone won with a Pokemon like Kakuna or Venonat when I had caught a Scyther.

 

[Leonhart]

I remember often feeling confused when someone won with a Pokemon like Kakuna or Venonat when I had caught a Scyther.

This happened to me often in G/S/C, and to this day I'm still not sure how the winner of the Bug-Catching Contest is decided since the scoring system isn't something that I've ever researched.

 

[Captain Jigglypuff]

I just tried to capture the highest level Pokémon I can find. That’s how I won in the remakes.

 

[Mega Altaria]

The only reason I felt like playing the Bug Catching Contest was to obtain Scyther and Pinsir. On my VC Silver I caught a Scyther so that I could have earlier access to False Swipe, which wasn't a TM back then. And at that time I came second and I think that I lost to a Pinsir.

 

[Alloutℯ]

I loved the Bug Catching Contest, I used to do it whenever I could. I remember often feeling confused when someone won with a Pokemon like Kakuna or Venonat when I had caught a Scyther.

I lost with Pinsir and Beedrill a few times. Not that I minded since the first place prize was kind of lame anyways.

 

[Kyuu-Tales]

I developed a simple strategy for the Contest, and I've won twice in a row by sticking to it:

1. Save before speaking with the guy by the entrance.
2. Make sure the first Pokemon in your party--the one you'll bring along with you--knows a sleep-inducing move like Hypnosis.
2. Search for a Level 14 Scyther or Pinsir.
3. Put it to sleep and chuck Park Balls at it until it's caught. Whatever you do, do not inflict damage upon it. In the event you run out of Park Balls, or time runs out before you can find a suitable Pokemon, simply reset and try again.

The game appears to determine one's score (at least in part) based on the Pokemon's HP remaining when caught. I think I beat Cooltrainer Nick this way.

 

[Aquarelle]

If anyone is curious, this is how the Bug-Catching Contest is scored in GSC:

The score earned for a given Pokémon in Generation II is the sum of the following:

~4 times the max HP of the Pokémon
~The sum of the Pokémon's other stats
~Up to 29 points based on the Pokémon's individual values:
16 points if the Defense IV is odd, 0 otherwise
8 points if the Attack IV is odd, 0 otherwise
4 points if the Special IV is odd, 0 otherwise
1 point if the Speed IV is odd, 0 otherwise
~1/8 of the current HP of the Pokémon, rounded down
~1 point if the Pokémon is holding an item, 0 otherwise

 

[Leonhart]

If anyone is curious, this is how the Bug-Catching Contest is scored in GSC:

That's much more complicated than I expected honestly, although in hindsight this makes the winner of the competition much less predictable, which I guess is a good thing.

 

[Daizy]

I just tried to capture the highest level Pokémon I can find. That’s how I won in the remakes.

Same here. I would always catch stuff like Scyther and Pinsir, but the prizes in this competitions sucked. Sun Stones were only useful on two Pokemon.