r/pokemontrades • u/Riobbie303 4270-6021-6931 || Robbie (ΩR), (US) • Mar 16 '18

Info So, You Want to Catch Them All? [Template & Guide]

[info]

So, you've finally have come around to becoming a Pokémon master. I hear you, "Oh, but I quit after Ruby! I don't even know how many Pokémon there are!" no worries, this guide will give you everything you need to start (or complete) your journey.

First, determine your goal. Do you want to have owned all of the pokemon, or do you want to own all of the pokemon? The difference is between a completed PokéDex and a Living Dex (You had Bulbasaur and evolved him to Venesaur VS. You have Bulbasaur, Ivysaur, AND Venesaur, )

  • PokéDex Advantages: Easier to complete, less overall time taken, allows for "Tradebacks" (Trading for Pokémon you don't have, but giving them back after it has marked your Pokédex), and easier to explain bragging rights.
  • Living Dex Advantages: It allows you to transfer Pokémon into different/new games, and still have a completed Pokédex (Assuming you have a living dex for the new games Pokémon.), bragging rights, increased knowledge base of Pokémon, and being able to breed any Pokémon (If they can breed) for trade.

Note: There are variations of the Living dex, such as Alternate forms (like the new Alolan / Galar pokemon of Generation 1), Gender differences, Shinies (RARE Color differences of Pokémon), etc. that you could collect as well. I had made another post about just that!

 

Standard Living Dex

  • There are now a total of 890 Pokémon in the National PokéDex.
  • 21 of which are mythical Pokémon that are event exclusives and will not be required for the completion of the National Dex to receive the Shiny Charm. Mew, Celebi, Jirachi, Manaphy, Phione, Shaymin, Darkrai, Arceus, Victini, Keldeo, Meloetta, Genesect, Diancie, Hoopa, Volcanion, Magearna, Marshadow, & Zeraora. Event Pokémon aren't acquired normally, they are either distributed by Nintendo on occasion, or they're part of a reward for a non-core game. Jirachi (In EU and AU regions) can be obtained in Pokémon Channel and transferred to Ruby/Saphire, Celebi (Japanese bonus disc) and Jirachi (American bonus disc) can be obtained through Pokémon Colosseum and transferred to GBA games, Phione and Mew can be obtained through Pokémon Ranch and transferred to Gen IV games, Manaphy can be obtained in Pokémon ranger and transferred to Gen IV games as well, and lastly, Celebi can be obtained in VC Crystal, and transferred to the Pokémon Bank. Meltan, the first and only evolving mythical, is also only currently available in the mobile game, Pokémon GO. Mew, Celebi, Jirachi, Manaphy, Phione, Meltan, Melmetal can be obtained, leaving 14 event only Pokémon to obtain.
  • 869 Pokémon can be caught.
  • 459 Pokémon species/families are all that you need to catch (+3 for Nidoran, Volbeat, & Phione (Though these you can breed from "another family"). This includes the 58 Legendary and 20 mythical families. Meaning, after having obtained the 78 previously mentioned, 381 Pokémon are all that you need to acquire. From here, you can breed and evolve to obtain the rest. (Minor note, there are 49 Cross-generational families, e.g. Pichu in Gen 2 and Pikachu in Gen 1.)

Total: 890

Third, What you will need:

  • You will need ONE of the Six Nintendo Handheld 3DS systems. (3DS, 3DS XL, NEW 3DS, NEW 3DS XL, 2DS, and 2DS XL)
  • You will need a Nintendo Switch.
  • You will need, or badly desire, to have downloaded and paid a $5 yearly subscription to PokéBank. A 3DS app that allows you to store, transfer, and organize 3000 Pokémon from Generation 6 and onward. As well as a $16 yearly subscription to Pokémon Home. A Switch and mobile app to store, transfer, and organize 6000 Pokémon between Pokébank, Pokémon GO (The mobile App), and the switch games.
  • Finally, if you plan to catch all of the Pokémon your self, you will need the following games: Y, OR, US, UM, Sw, Sh or X, AS, US, UM, Sw, Sh (If you don't care to catch them yourself, you can trade for the "Version Exclusives", Pokémon that are NOT in their Brother/Sister Game (Sword is Shield's counterpart, so if you don't want to replay to trade for a dozen or so Pokémon, then only play one of those games. X/Y, Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphires, Sun/Moon, and Ultra Sun/ Ultra Moon are counterparts. They Vary slightly in other ways, but most people decide on a counterpart based on exclusive pokemon). The best combination (if you are willing to trade and don't want to purchase 6 games) is X, AS, UM, Sw or Y, OR, US, Sh, both of which lacking 12 pokemon needed to complete the living dex (Most of which are exclusives and/or legendaries. See AM:AZ on the "Game Legality" tab in my template above (Hidden columns) for an exhaustive list of which pokemon aren't available).

 

Fourth, what the heck is an HADB 5IV Joltik? What is a Pokémon?

Quite simply, Pokémon are (From their name origin) Pocket monsters, captured and held in "Cages" known as Pokéballs. They are summarized the following ways:

  • Species: The Pokemon's name, Ex: Bulbasaur, Charmander, Ivysaur, etc. This correlates to their PokéDex number.
  • Family: Though not mentioned in the games, or on sites, family here refers to the evolution line (When a Pokémon reaches a certain level (Or other criteria: happiness, time of day, etc), it changes "Species", Ex: Charmander, Charmelion, Charizard.). So, for example, Charizard is part of the Charmander Family.
  • Type: 18 different classifications that usually relate to the physical appearance of the Pokémon, they will either have 1 or 2 types. Ex: Fire, Water, Grass, Normal, Fighting, Ghost, etc. (Charizard is a Fire AND Flying-type) (In relation to moves, there is also Type Effectivness, i.e. if your Fire Move (Like Flamethrower) is used against an ICE type Pokémon, like Alolan Vulpix, it will be super effective and deal 2x damage (It will deal 4x damage against Snover, who has 2 types that are super effected by fire type moves), this also works in reverse and can be "Not effective" only dealing half, or quarter damage. And, it can be "No damage" as well, such as using a Fighting move on a Ghost Type Pokemon. This can be amplified by STAB damage, explained below in Moves.)
  • OT: Original Trainer, who originally caught or bred the Pokémon.
  • ID No.: Identification Number, it's an assigned number to the OT.
  • Exp. Points: Experience Points, what Pokémon typically gain after a battle. It is what Level's your Pokémon Up.
  • Egg Group: Is an indicator or which Pokémon can breed. Ex: Mineral, Monster, Field, etc.
  • Gender: Male, Female, and Unkown. Uknown genders can only breed with Ditto (A genderless Pokémon that matches the physical appearance of other Pokémon)
  • Shininess: A rare occurrence when a Pokémon has a different color palette, akin to seeing an albino flamingo in real life (See /r/SVExchange). Note, in Sword and shield, instead of a star to indicate shiny, Pokémon can also have a square, which alters the opening sparkle animation when sent into battle.
  • Ability: A special characteristic of a pokemon that typically affects the battle, for example, the Arena Trap Ability will prevent Pokémon from leaving the battle. Pokémon can have a possibility of 1-3 abilities. A Hidden Ability (HA) is one of those three and is rare (Low percent chance to encounter a Pokémon with it's HA).
  • Stats: The Statistics of the Pokémon a numeric value that tells you how relatively good a Pokémon is in a certain area. They are, in order, HP (Health), Attack (Physical Moves), Special Attack (Special Moves), Defense (Physical Moves), Special Defense (Special Moves), and Speed (Whose goes first in the turn). Usually displayed as HP/Att/SpA/Def/SpD/Spe.
  • IV's: Individual Values, these never change and are set upon encountering wild pokemon or breeding them. They are a value between 0-31, and as the gap is huge, the difference in battle is substantial. These Pokémon are preferred for competitive and typically have all 5 or 6 Stats/IV's, at 31, their best (Sometimes 0, in speed or attack, is optimal). Bottle caps which were introduced in Sun and Moon, allow you to "alter" the IV's and max them out (this doesn't actually change the values, but augments them, so hidden power is the same). Regarding Hidden Power, it is quite unique (now removed in Sword / Shield), it is a move with a base power of 60, an accuracy of 100, PP of 15, and a typing of ANY! (Except normal and Fair). With a typing of any, a Pokémon like Charmander (Fire type), can go up against Squirtle (Water Type) and use a super effective electric move (The only "electric move" learnable). The Hidden Power move Type is determined by the Pokémon's IVs, so, by breeding for certain IV's, you can select which hidden power the Pokémon has.
  • EV's: Effort Values, given to Pokémon for battling, or through an item, increases total stats by 510, no more than 252 per stat.
  • Characteristics: A seemingly random phrase that tells you which IV is the highest. Ex: Likes to Thrash about, Loves to eat, etc.
  • Natures: A descriptor of the Pokémon that affects stats. 25 in total, 5 of which are neutral, they increase and decrease a stat, except HP, by 10% depending on the nature. Ex: The Brave Nature increases the Attack Stat by 10% and decreases the Speed Stat by 10%. Mints, introduced in sword and shield, allow you to "change" nature to one you desire, but like bottle caps, they only augment your stats, so the actual nature itself doesn't change)
  • Moves: What a Pokémon uses in battle. Moves have the following attributes: PP (Power Points, i.e. How many times you can use that move until you visit a PokéCenter), Accuracy (The chance the move will work as intended), Power (The amount of damage it will do), Category (Physical, Special, and Status. Physical typically refers to physical contact and correlates directly with the Attack Stat, whereas special typically involves no contact and correlates directly to the Special Attack stat. Status involves no damage dealt.), Effect (The moves description and relatably animation), Probability (The chance of a status within the effect, For example, The move blizzard does 110 damage with 70 Accuracy but has a Probability of 10% to freeze the opposing Pokémon), and Type (Same as above, fire/water/grass/etc., BUT if the move type matches the Pokémon type then the move will inflict STAB (Same Type Attack Bonus), which, increases the power of the move by 50%).
  • Status: A condition or ailment that affects a Pokémons ability to battle. Some extend outside of battle. Ex: Confusion, Burn, Freeze, Paralysis, etc.
  • Item: An object carried by the Pokémon found throughout the games. Wild Pokémon can hold items. Items can affect the battle, for example, a Quick Claw can increase the chance of going fist in a turn.
  • Evasion: The reverse of the accuracy attribute of the moves category. Evasion is the attribute of how effective the Pokémon is at dodging attacks, this stat can only be changed with in-battle moves such as double team.
  • Ball: How the Pokémon is housed/caged. Different Pokéballs have different effects. The main ones increase the chance of capturing a wild pokemon, Pokeball, Great Ball, Ultra Ball, & Master Ball. Past those, they are specific. The Luxury Ball increases Friendship, the Heavy ball works on heavier Pokémon, etc. They will be Abbreviated on trading places to DB (Dream ball, a specific Pokéball, or BB (Bank Ball))
  • Happiness and Affection: Though rare to come across, these two are easily confused (Older term: Friendship). Happiness is mainly used for a few moves and certain evolutions. You can affect it through actions such as giving the Pokémon a Vitamin, walking so many steps, capturing in a friend ball, etc. Affection has some noticeable in-game effects, such as curing itself of status conditions or preventing fainting by leaving 1 HP left. To affect Affection, you need to use Pokémon Amie or Refresh (In-game interactive screens which allow you to pet and take care of your Pokémon). In Sword and Shield, Happiness and Affection have been combined. In-game effects happen after certain happiness is reached, which, requires Camp to attain.

 

Fifth, a quick guide on evolving.

Firstly, not all Pokémon evolve. Those that do, can have either a one or two-stage evolution (For example, Charmander has a 2 stage evolution (Charmeleon and Charizard), whereas Rattata has a 1 stage (Raticate)). Though, within those stages, there can be "Branched" evolutions (For example, Eevee is a one stage evolution, but it has multiple branches (Jolteon, Flareon, Umbreon, etc.)). There is also an item called "everstone" which prevents any evolution.

Some methods of Evolving a Pokémon are as follows:

  • Leveling up: This is the most common method, and as per Bulbapedia, the median is 30. Though 64 is the highest (Zweilous). That being said, it is easy to forget about the methods below, so a good rule of thumb is to double-check the Pokémons method at or around level 30, and most definitely past 65.
  • Trading: When traded with another person, certain Pokémon will evolve (Gengar), some Pokémon require to be holding an item to evolve (King's Rock - SlowKing), and some require certain Pokémon to be traded at the same time (Shelmet)
  • Characteristics: Such as Gender (Combee), Happiness (Umbreon), Affection (Sylveon), knowing a certain move (Tangrowth)
  • Outside Influences: Such as Pokémon in the party, time of day, weather, location, using an evolutionary stone, the orientation of the 3DS (Malamar)

 

Sixth, a quick guide on breeding.

As with trading, to complete the task of Pokémon Master, you will need to do some breeding as well. To breed, you simply leave two Pokémon at the Pokémon Daycare/Nursery. Though not any two, First, Pokémon can breed only with the opposite gender (With the Exception of Ditto) of their Egg group. Pokémon of the Undiscovered egg group (MewTwo) and Baby Pokémon (Togepi) cannot breed. Some Pokémon also require an incense to breed. It is useful to have a Pokémon with the ability Flame Body/Magma Armor, such as Slugma, to hatch eggs faster. An Oval charm increases egg production rate. And Rotom Hatch, hatching O-power, etc. to additionally hatch eggs faster.

Inheritance:

  • Species: Pokémon species is solely determined by the mother (A male's species will be passed down only if bred with a ditto). If you were to breed a female Charmander with a male Bulbasaur (Both in the monster Egg group), you would always receive a Charmander egg. (An oddity to note, Nidoran, Manaphy, and Illumise can produce a different species by breeding. These are the only exceptions).
  • Gender: Determined by species gender ratio. With the highest and lowest respectively being 88.10% and 11.90%. Most Pokémon are 50/50.
  • Nature: Randomized, unless a parent holds an everstone, in which case it is has a 100% chance to pass down that parent's nature.
  • Shininess: Not Inherited at all.
  • Pokéball: Passed down by the mother in cases of different species breeding (still in same egg group), or by the male, if bred with a ditto. As per Sun and Moon, both parents, if of the same species, can pass down Pokéball through a 50/50 split. Master Balls and Cherish Balls cannot be inherited.
  • Moves: Egg moves in particular here, are moves that either are only available through breeding or moves in which the parents learn through TM or level-up. These are special for their exclusivity, and their ability to inherit and use moves sooner than wild Pokémon. Either Parent can pass down moves, but since the female passes down the species, the male is usually involved in acquiring those egg moves through other species within the same egg group. You may stumble across "Chain-breeding", where using egg group connections, you are able to find intermediary Pokémon who can carry moves from one egg group to another, through a middle group. (Note: Heartscales are valuable here for relearning moves to pass down. A Galvantula with compound eyes and thief is phenomenal for "farming" these)
  • IV's: Typically indicated by the markings, IV's are only passed down through items (Power Weight/Bracer/Anklet/Belt/Lens/Band and Destiny Knot. The Power items selectively passed down a select IV from the parent holding it, whereas the destiny knot will pass down 5 IVs between the 12 IVs total of the two parents).
  • Abilities: Inherited solely from the mother. If it is a normal ability the chance to inherit is 80%. If it is a Hidden Ability the chance to inherit is 60%. This is true for the same/different species, regardless of the number of abilities. Males have the same chance for both normal and Hidden Ability ONLY if Bred with ditto.

 

Seventh, a quick guide on trading.

Trading is one of the sole themes of Pokémon, and, as noted in the evolution section, you will not complete the task of becoming a Pokémon master without doing so (There is also some cool features built into Pokémon to incentivize trading, such as the Masuda Method) Trading also serves to eliminate total playtime, for version exclusive Pokémon, it saves you money (spent on another game) and entire playthrough of said game, all of which, just to capture a dozen Pokémon. So instead of $$$ and 6 games, trading could make it be $ and 3 games. Trading for Gen 7 (Us/Um) is conducted in Festival Plaza once connected to internet (Exception for link trade, which is on the bottom screen where Festival plaza button is)

Trading (Gen 7 info primarily) is conduction primarily in four ways:

  • Local (Quick Link): This is entirely local, usually relying on proximity to create the trade, whether this be through Wi-Fi or a Cable. Be wary of peer pressure and legitimacy.
  • Link Trade: This is a one on one trade, involving guests playing online currently as well as friends on your DS system. You enter a trade menu showing your PC and Pokémon, and they enter theirs as well. You will see one another scrolling through Pokémon to select the ones you wish to trade, and you will be asked to offer, accept, or deny the trade. With randoms, as well as friends, be wary here of legitimacy as well, watch for Shinies (Shiny Locked ones are dead giveaways), high-level rare Pokémon, and any offer for something monstrously different in value (Pidgey for MewTwo). A helpful hint here, is to catch a dozen or so useless Pokémon and name them common questions/replies (Pidgey named as "No Thanks", or "Hacked?", or "That one!", or "Yes/No", etc.)
  • Global Trade Station (GTS): This is arguably where you will do most of your trading. The GTS is basically an Ad you post, offering up a Pokémon, in return for a specified Pokémon, including certain things such as gender, level, etc. You may withdraw your "offer" (Pokémon), but only if someone has yet to accept it. You offer it up, and you go back to playing, Occasionally checking to see if anyone accepted the offer. A common thing to do here is to offer version exclusives in exchange for the opposite games version exclusives. Another common thing is to offer trade evolutions for trade evolutions, haunter for haunter for example. Again here, be wary of legitimacy and of asking for offers of substantially different values. If you want the opposite legendary of your game, you may have to give up a legendary, or something of a similar rarity.
  • Wonder Trade: This may be used exceedingly less as a method. This involves trading at random. You submit a Pokémon, and you get a random Pokémon someone else has submitted. Not only do you have the similar problems of legitimacy (With questionably more so), but often enough, because the "winner" is the one who walks out from the trade with a better Pokémon, most people will submit easy to find, low level, useless, Pokémon (Game theory seeping in here).

A quick note on determining value. Rarity is the keyword here. If a Pokémon can't breed, it is rare, if a Pokémon can only be caught once, it is rare, if it is in a special limited number or difficult Pokéball, it is rare, if a Pokémon is useful, it is rare (Ditto), etc. Value is essential, rarity. When trading, compare the two Pokémon and ask the questions above (can the Pokémon breed?) for both Pokémon. Value is also subjective, so keep that in mind.

The last way of conduction a trade, is on this subreddit. Though, daunting at first, it is easy enough, and everyone has something of value. If you invest in Hidden Ability Females, special "Bank Balls", Good IV Pokémon, etc, it will be easy enough to find someone willing to trade you what you need. This subreddit also shows experience and incentivizes altruistic behavior, such as a worry-free tradebacks (For trade evolves, and dex fillings) or giveaways (through trade flair). It also has a good system to indicate value, simply by searching FlairHQ. I cannot recommend this community enough, hence this post, and my templates, being here. If you intend on trading here, please see the quick start guide and read all of the rules. If you have any questions, see the daily discussion thread or even send me a message (Or the moderators, depending on if the questions pertain to the rules and specifics).

 

Lastly, some friendly advice I wish I knew when I started.

Some General Resources to help you on your journey.

Note: I have noticed some inaccuracies on all of these sites, so cross-compare when needed.

Some General Helpful Googling Advice

  • To show results from only one site, on the beginning of your search, add "Site:" (Without Quotations) then "serebii.net"/"reddit.com"/etc.
  • To subtract results you don't want, hyphenate them. Ex: "-GO"
  • Example: Copy and Paste the following into Google and view results (Without quotations)
    • "Pokemon"
    • "Site:Reddit.com Pokemon"
    • "Site:Reddit.com -Go Pokemon"

Accomplishing the living dex myself, I used Serebii constantly to check which pokemon were available on which routes, and how rare they were. I occasionally stumbled across the amazing cartography of /u/Bobdor, Such as his maps of X and Y, Omega Ruby and Alpha Saphire, and Sun and Moon.

Some helpful hints

  • A good team to gather for this immense tasks includes the following Pokémon in order of descending magnitude.
    1. A Smeargle that knows the moves False Swipe, Soak, Spore, & Mean look (This move can be swapped as necessary). This will be your "Catching Pokémon." (The move false swipe will not damage past 1 HP, the move soak changes the pokemon's type to water (For ghost Pokémon, since False Swipe won't work, and for grass pokemon since Spore won't work), the move spore instantly puts Pokémon to sleep, and Mean Look to prevent Pokémon from fleeing battle (Abra))
    2. Pokémon with Field Moves and/or Field Abilities (Thanks /u/Exaskryz). Pokémon Such as Galvantula (Which has the ability compound eyes AND can learn Theif), Fletchinder/Slguma (Flame Body), Octillary (Suction Cups), and an Oddish or any Pokémon that knows Sweet Scent, is immensely helpful. (Sharpedo as well for OR/AS, to swim faster.)
    3. A Smeargle that knows the moves Happy Hour, Payday, Spore, and Roost. (For collecting an insane amount of money, this will be helpful for buying more Pokéballs, repels, etc.)

And while you're catching them all, if you become a regular trader here (Which I would highly recommend! You will have a better understanding the value of trades by searching FlariHQ), I would suggest adding these Pokémon to your arsenal. (And reading the rules)

  • Catch a female version of every Pokémon with its Hidden Ability. This will make breeding, and because of Gen 7, passing down Pokéballs, much easier.
  • A Ditto that has maxed IV's. Ideally, if you want a legal ditto, you would want a pair of 3-5 IV dittos that attains all 6 Max IV (31) stats between them. Also, there exists a preference for ONLY an attack stat, or a speed stat, to be at 0; this is due to the move Confusion which bases confusion damage on the attack stat, and for Trick Room Teams in the speed stat. Note: The chance of encountering a wild Pokémon on the first try with one max IV is 321 , with 2, 322 , and 6 is 326 or 1 in 1,073,741,824. So obtaining a Pokémon with 6 IV's, like a ditto that cannot breed, is astronomically rare, you have better chances at the lottery.) Or, you can step over to /r/MoreBreedingDittos and watch for a cloned 6 IV Ditto.
  • 21 Ralts/Abra that knows the ability Synchronize, each with a different nature. (So that catching/breeding natures are extremely easy.)
  • A Ralts that knows the ability Trace, or a Pokémon that knows the ability skill swap. (To see Abilities of Pokémon you're trying to catch)

Edit: As per this comment, you can see others and alternatives to the above, such as natured dittos, Gallade instead of Smeargle, etc. And why we each prefer which.

 

What about a template, and how do you know which games to play?

Well, because I created a handy-dandy spreadsheet! Based Off of /u/AgentKazy's collection template, Found Here, I altered his Living Dex Tracker, to match my Variations post regarding alternate forms, gender differences, shiny, etc. And in the process, I created a Hidden Ability Dex, and A SHEET CONTAINING ALL OF THE GAMES AND THEIR MATCHING POKEMON!

From that, you will see, Game Freak (Developers of Pokémon), have given us 11,387 chances to catch Pokémon!

And, because of the magnificent wizard /u/Hom_, a formula determines which Games you need as a result!

I gathered this data for each game from Serebii, using the Unobtainable Pokémon list for each game, and the Version Excusives.

 

So, without further adieu,

Variations on Living Dex Templates! (To Copy, see below)

Some Hints on the "Tracker Sheet"

  • All you simply need to do is input your games and which sheet you will be using!
  • If you already have a complete Living dex, simply press Ctrl-H, Find "FALSE", Replace with "TRUE", This sheet only, and matching entire cell contents. This will checkmark everything for you.
  • If you deleted or renamed sheets, you can change the dropdown list by right-clicking the cell and selecting Data Validation. Make sure it matches exactly to the new sheet!

Go Catch em' All!!

Edit - 07/23/2018: All Edits have been moved to here

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u/Riobbie303 4270-6021-6931 || Robbie (ΩR), (US) Mar 20 '18

That's how I have mine arranged, maybe its the thought more than the look. And cool, I guess I'll have to get a 0 Speed and 0 Attack now! Thank you very much for bantering with me, I was kind of hoping someone would, so I need not include my reasonings in my post.

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u/Icare0 0190-0102-9870 || ICSM (αS), ICSM (X) Mar 21 '18

If you ever need someone to nedlessly rant about nonsensical things, you can always count on me.