![[Image: Ld6VPNs.png]](http://i.imgur.com/Ld6VPNs.png)
Soft-resetting is the second most common way I hunt for Shiny pokémon. As most of you know, my preferred method is Masuda Breeding because you can customize the Shiny. But when it comes to things like starters, legendaries, Fossil pokémon, or event in-game gifts like Type: Null, soft-resetting is the only way to go. I've heard too many horror stories where people don't know what to do, and/or accidentally reset over the Shiny once they find it. So today, on this lovely Friday, I'm going to share some tips and tricks that I've developed over the last few years to help beginning and experienced hunters soft-reset effectively. With these pointers, you should be able to find any Shiny you want via this method, as with the Shiny Regice I just recently obtained as seen above.
Tips for Soft-reset Shiny Hunting!
Tip 1 - Choose your target wisely!
I know this seems like a no brainer, but you'd be surprised by how many trainers just run head first into a soft-reset hunt for which they're not prepared. Usually, since you'll be soft-resetting for legendaries, it's wise to research your target beforehand and bring the necessary pokémon to hunt accordingly. As with the Shiny Regice I just successfully hunted in Alpha Sapphire, I knew that it had meager defenses and little offensive with which to retaliate, so I proceeded to tip 2.
Tip 2 - Research your target!
Again, you'd think this should go without saying. Going into a soft-reset hunt, unless you intend to use a Master Ball, you should always know what moves your target has, and how much PP they have total. The total amount of PP will usually equal how many turns you have to try and catch the Shiny, otherwise you risk losing it to Struggle. In the case of Regice, it had 55 PP total, and nothing it had was super-effective against my Shiny hunting Breloom, Kung Fungus. Therefore, I could send her in safely and spam Spore after using False Swipe to get it to 1 HP. By then, it was only a matter of time until I caught it.
I know this seems like a no brainer, but you'd be surprised by how many trainers just run head first into a soft-reset hunt for which they're not prepared. Usually, since you'll be soft-resetting for legendaries, it's wise to research your target beforehand and bring the necessary pokémon to hunt accordingly. As with the Shiny Regice I just successfully hunted in Alpha Sapphire, I knew that it had meager defenses and little offensive with which to retaliate, so I proceeded to tip 2.
Tip 2 - Research your target!
Again, you'd think this should go without saying. Going into a soft-reset hunt, unless you intend to use a Master Ball, you should always know what moves your target has, and how much PP they have total. The total amount of PP will usually equal how many turns you have to try and catch the Shiny, otherwise you risk losing it to Struggle. In the case of Regice, it had 55 PP total, and nothing it had was super-effective against my Shiny hunting Breloom, Kung Fungus. Therefore, I could send her in safely and spam Spore after using False Swipe to get it to 1 HP. By then, it was only a matter of time until I caught it.
![[Image: breloom.png]](http://pokemonforever.com/images/pokeimages/gen3/breloom.png)
Tip 2.1 - Plan for your target's moveset!
Kind of an extension of Tip 2, but I feel it's worth a little more explaination. Take Palkia in Omega Ruby, you encounter it at level 50 knowing Hydro Pump, Spacial Rend, Aura Sphere, and Aqua Tail. That's a total of 40 PP. So roughly 40 turns to catch it, give or take 10 turns of paralysis or so. To hunt it, I got a Jellicent with Water Absorb to sponge its attacks after I had paralyzed it and used False Swipe. It could only hit me with Special Rend, and thanks to Water Absorb any damage it did do was immediately recovered. Of course, that's just one example. If you need help planning for your hunt specifically, let me know what Shiny you're hunting and I'll tell you what I used to hunt it. If I have.
Kind of an extension of Tip 2, but I feel it's worth a little more explaination. Take Palkia in Omega Ruby, you encounter it at level 50 knowing Hydro Pump, Spacial Rend, Aura Sphere, and Aqua Tail. That's a total of 40 PP. So roughly 40 turns to catch it, give or take 10 turns of paralysis or so. To hunt it, I got a Jellicent with Water Absorb to sponge its attacks after I had paralyzed it and used False Swipe. It could only hit me with Special Rend, and thanks to Water Absorb any damage it did do was immediately recovered. Of course, that's just one example. If you need help planning for your hunt specifically, let me know what Shiny you're hunting and I'll tell you what I used to hunt it. If I have.
![[Image: mq2RwDj.png]](http://i.imgur.com/mq2RwDj.png)
Tip 3 - Overstock on Poké Balls!
This, this! One hundred times this. I've never ran out of balls on a soft-reset hunt, but that's mostly because I always over-prepare. If you think you'll need about 50 balls, get 70. If you want to try using a Quick Ball, bring a backup 30 Timer Balls. Since most of these Shinies are being hunted in Gen 6 and earlier, getting a plethora of Poké Balls shouldn't be a problem. Especially in Gen 6. It's also worth noting which balls are most effective against your specific target. I personally like to catch all my Shinies in Poké Balls, which I know is a terrible idea, but I always bring backup Ultra and Timer Balls as a fail-safe. If I were smarter and I hunted Regice differently, Dusk Balls would've been the best choice because they have boosted effectiveness in caves. Or if you're hunting Lugia in Alpha Sapphire, try bringing Dive Balls! And again, Timer Balls are always a good idea. I believe their effectiveness maxes around 30 turns, and most Legendary hunts will go beyond that. In short, bring more balls than you think you'll need! It never hurts to be over-prepared.
This, this! One hundred times this. I've never ran out of balls on a soft-reset hunt, but that's mostly because I always over-prepare. If you think you'll need about 50 balls, get 70. If you want to try using a Quick Ball, bring a backup 30 Timer Balls. Since most of these Shinies are being hunted in Gen 6 and earlier, getting a plethora of Poké Balls shouldn't be a problem. Especially in Gen 6. It's also worth noting which balls are most effective against your specific target. I personally like to catch all my Shinies in Poké Balls, which I know is a terrible idea, but I always bring backup Ultra and Timer Balls as a fail-safe. If I were smarter and I hunted Regice differently, Dusk Balls would've been the best choice because they have boosted effectiveness in caves. Or if you're hunting Lugia in Alpha Sapphire, try bringing Dive Balls! And again, Timer Balls are always a good idea. I believe their effectiveness maxes around 30 turns, and most Legendary hunts will go beyond that. In short, bring more balls than you think you'll need! It never hurts to be over-prepared.
![[Image: tumblr_mgw895X7VT1rv97cno4_1280.png?heig...&width=194]](https://sites.google.com/site/pixelblademc/_/rsrc/1457838269978/home/pixelmart/pokeballs/tumblr_mgw895X7VT1rv97cno4_1280.png?height=200&width=194)
![[Image: e47791e509645094be029587499cbcc2ee437e58_hq.jpg]](http://pm1.narvii.com/6328/e47791e509645094be029587499cbcc2ee437e58_hq.jpg)
Tip 4 - Beware the groove!
The groove is a term I've heard used to describe the pattern of motion Shiny hunters get into after soft-reset hunting for roughly 25 - 30 minutes. Start the game, check the pokémon, reset if not Shiny, rinse and repeat until the motions are automotized. There's plenty of videos on YouTube of Shiny hunters getting into a groove and then accidentally resetting over a Shiny because their hands acted before their brain. It's never happened to me, but it probably will one day, and I'm dreading the day. Try to stay in control when you hunt. Don't lose a Shiny like this poor guy:
The groove is a term I've heard used to describe the pattern of motion Shiny hunters get into after soft-reset hunting for roughly 25 - 30 minutes. Start the game, check the pokémon, reset if not Shiny, rinse and repeat until the motions are automotized. There's plenty of videos on YouTube of Shiny hunters getting into a groove and then accidentally resetting over a Shiny because their hands acted before their brain. It's never happened to me, but it probably will one day, and I'm dreading the day. Try to stay in control when you hunt. Don't lose a Shiny like this poor guy:
Paragon example of the groove trap. 
Tricks for Soft-reset Shiny Hunting
Trick 1 - DO NOT USE RUBBER BANDS!
Using the rubber band trick makes it very easy to accidentally reset over a Shiny once you find it, because it only takes one button as opposed to three. Nothing beats using your own hands to press those buttons, and it decreases your chances of blundering into the next reset autonomously.
Trick 2 - Keep one hand off the 3DS
Here's my personal favorite trick to use. Every time I soft-reset, I make sure to always keep one of my hands off the 3DS. Once you get into the groove of resets, it's easy to absentmindedly move both hands into positon and click Left + Right + Start. However, if you consciously remind yourself every reset to keep a hand off the 3DS, it virtually negates all chances of you accidentally resetting over the Shiny, and forces you to watch for the sparkles.
Trick 3 - Keep the sound on!
I've made the mistake of hunting with the sound off before, and it almost cost me a Shiny Lillipup. When I saw it, I looked at my screen and thought something was off, but I just couldn't tell what. I caught it just in case, and sure enough it was Shiny. For Legendary and starter hunts, this usually isn't a problem. But every once in a while you have mons like Regice, or Palkia, or Heatran, or any of the Sinnoh starters that look a little too similar to their non-Shiny counterparts. The volume doesn't have to be blaring, just loud enough that if you happen to be looking away from the screen, you can clearly hear that long-awaited sparkle.
Well, those are all the tips and tricks I have to share. If you have any tips of your own, feel free to insert them in the thread below. Let's make sure to ban together so that we don't accidentally lose any more Shinies! See you all on Monday with my "All Our Favorite Shadow Pokémon" post!
Thanks so much for reading, everyone! Battle onwards, friends!
- 0kamii
Using the rubber band trick makes it very easy to accidentally reset over a Shiny once you find it, because it only takes one button as opposed to three. Nothing beats using your own hands to press those buttons, and it decreases your chances of blundering into the next reset autonomously.
Trick 2 - Keep one hand off the 3DS
Here's my personal favorite trick to use. Every time I soft-reset, I make sure to always keep one of my hands off the 3DS. Once you get into the groove of resets, it's easy to absentmindedly move both hands into positon and click Left + Right + Start. However, if you consciously remind yourself every reset to keep a hand off the 3DS, it virtually negates all chances of you accidentally resetting over the Shiny, and forces you to watch for the sparkles.
Trick 3 - Keep the sound on!
I've made the mistake of hunting with the sound off before, and it almost cost me a Shiny Lillipup. When I saw it, I looked at my screen and thought something was off, but I just couldn't tell what. I caught it just in case, and sure enough it was Shiny. For Legendary and starter hunts, this usually isn't a problem. But every once in a while you have mons like Regice, or Palkia, or Heatran, or any of the Sinnoh starters that look a little too similar to their non-Shiny counterparts. The volume doesn't have to be blaring, just loud enough that if you happen to be looking away from the screen, you can clearly hear that long-awaited sparkle.
Well, those are all the tips and tricks I have to share. If you have any tips of your own, feel free to insert them in the thread below. Let's make sure to ban together so that we don't accidentally lose any more Shinies! See you all on Monday with my "All Our Favorite Shadow Pokémon" post!
Thanks so much for reading, everyone! Battle onwards, friends!
- 0kamii
Amethyst Ωmega - Guild Leader/Founder
I was thinking of hunting a Shiny Azelf for my recreational Singles team. I'd be hunting in the Gen 6 games of course, so is there anything you would recommend to me going into hunting it?
