Pokeradar

Overview

The Pokeradar was introduced in Diamond Pearl and Platinum as a post-game item, which allows the player to find rare National Dex Pokemon, alongside being a method to find shiny Pokemon at increased odds. It can only be used on foot, in a patch of grass. When used, it will cause up to 4 patches of grass to shake, where players can encounter a Pokemon. It involves a method called chaining, where a player will continue to catch or KO the same Pokemon over and over, with each Pokemon increasing the odds of finding a shiny patch in the next use of the radar. There are a lot of rules when it comes to chaining Pokemon, so we'll go over them in detail here.

To get the Pokeradar, the player must see every Pokemon in the Sinnoh Dex, and head to Rowan's lab in Sandgem town. Talking to Rowan, you'll get both the National Dex and the Pokeradar automatically.

How The Pokeradar Works

When the player uses the Pokeradar, up to 4 grass patches will shake. There are 3 different types of shaking grass:

Once you choose one type of grass, you will need to continue chaining the same type of grass.

The 4 shaking patches will appear within 4 separate rings around the player, shown here.

Which patch you enter will directly affect the chance of your chain continuing, as will your choice of either Catching or KO-ing the Pokemon. Running will break your chain.

Red = 28% chance to get same species
Orange = 48% chance to get same species
Yellow = 68% chance to get same species
Green = 88% chance to get same species

Catch Pokemon - 10% flat boost for next encounter

This means you have a 98% chance of continuing your chain every encounter as long as you always catch the Pokemon in the outer ring. If you were to hit this 98% chance for every encounter, you would theoretically hit a chain of 40 approximately 44% of the time. It's also worth mentioning that resetting the radar will get rid of your 10% catch boost, which will also affect your odds of getting to a chain of 40.

It is important you use a large patch of grass when chaining, as every time you use the radar the game will randomly assign grass patches within the 4 rings. If all 4 positions it chooses do not have available grass, the chain will simply break.

According to Smogon, "A recent discovery by ShantyTown indicates that if a patch is set to break a chain, there is a 50/50 chance it will rustle as the opposite type". This technically helps us, as 50% of the time our chain would break out simply out of bad RNG, it will instead rustle as the type of grass you should be avoiding, allowing you to chain for a little longer.

How to Chain

Before you start your chain, there are a few things you should do to prepare.

• Stock up on Max/Super Repels
• Stock up on Pokeballs (Quick Balls are great for this)
• Save before you begin chaining, you so you can reset and get your balls and repels back
• Grab the chaining Poketch App

The Poketch Chaining app can be found at Pal Park, and will be given to you by Professor Oak. The app will keep track of your top 3 longest chains, as well as your current chain. If you watch your bottom screen as you enter a patch of grass, you can see if your chain will end early, as your current chain will disappear from the Poketch.

1. Choose a target.
2. Use a repel, and enter the middle of the grass.
3. Save your game so you can reset if your chain breaks.
4. Use the radar. Four patches should shake. If you are going for a rare encounter on the route, be sure to go to the vigorous shaking grass shown above. Whatever patch you choose, you will need to continue chaining the same kind.
5. Once in the encounter, catch or KO the Pokemon. Catching it will give you better odds of continuing your chain.
6. Once out of the battle, your radar will go off again. Be sure to aim for a patch 4 tiles away, and make sure it is the same kind of grass that you entered initially.
7. If you have no good patches, you can run 50 steps to recharge the radar and use it again in order to generate 4 more. However, this will get rid of your 10% catch boost.
8. Continue until you get to a chain of 40, where shiny odds max out.
9. Once at 40, you will simply run back and forth, avoiding any encounters or patches, and continue resetting the radar until you find a shiny patch.
10. Once you find your shiny, you can catch it and continue chaining, or catch it and be done!

What Breaks Your Chain

Here are things to watch out for when chaining.

• Encountering a different species of Pokemon
• Encountering a Pokemon outside of the radar
• No available patches of grass shake
• If all patches of shaking grass leave the screen
• Getting on your bike
• A Pokemon Evolves
• An Egg hatches
• Entering the wrong kind of grass (Even if it is the same Pokemon as you're chaining, the chain breaks)

The Math

The probability formula for generating a shiny patch is:

[65535 / (8200 - ChainLength * 200) / 65536]

This caps at a chain of 40, with the chance of encountering a shiny patch being 0.5% per patch, or about 2% per use of the Pokeradar (assuming all 4 patches appear).

Encounter Tables