The Value of Legendary Pokemons in the GTS.

So, with Pokebank open, I decided that I want to complete the National Pokedex. To complete it, you'll have to obtain all the Pokemons from the National Pokedex except for event only Pokemons (like Mew, Celebi, Jirachi, etc.). Obtain means you would have to own it before. If you trade away that Pokemon it is still recorded in your Pokedex as you owning it before. Which is why there is a method people use to trade legendaries called 'Touch-Trading', where one trades to another a legendary Pokemon, and that Pokemon is then traded back to the original owner. The Pokedex still records the data of the legendary and considers that you have owned the legendary (because you did, for a few seconds).

While I do have friends with the complete set of legendary Pokemons, I decide to give myself a challenge by trading away extra copies of legendary Pokemons I have at the GTS, hoping to find good trades to obtain better legendaries. And by the end of the day, I have not only obtained some nice legendaries, but I have also completed the Pokedex entries for non-event legendary Pokemons I do not own.

So, to people having trouble with Legendary Pokemons' data, here's a short guide on how to trade better.

Whether you have access to Pokebank Legendaries or not, the most important thing you should know is the value of your Pokemon. Knowing the value of your Pokemon will enable you to get good trades, and hopefully, reaching your goal of getting legendary Pokemons. One thing you can do is to use Wonder Trade to obtain Pokemons that can only be obtained via Pokebank. If they can be bred, breed it and make your offer on the GTS, and see how lucky or skilled you are at trading.

To get non-event legendaries for trading, you have to know the value of them. So let's rank them from least valuable to most valuable. These are my opinions by the way, so don't take it too seriously.

Zygarde & Mewtwo - Least valuable (Rank D).
They are the most common legendaries you can get. Any player who plays post-game are sure to get one.

Xerneas & Yveltal - Not valuable (Rank C).
Sure, they're version exclusive, but with the release of Pokebank, some may store their legends in there and restart the game, getting another version mascot. Still, they're quite sought after by certain trainers who wants the complete set of legendaries. Also, I think Yveltal is slightly more valuable than Xerneas, as Pokemon X seem to be the more popular version (with Mega Mewtwo X and Mega Charizard X being Fire/Dragon playing a huge role in its popularity).

The Legendary Birds - Not as valuable as you think(Rank C+).
They are quite sought after prior to Pokebank as you'll only get one of the three depending on your starter (and it's quite a pain to get one), but once Pokebank is out, their values drop a lot as the trios are present in many games (Fire Red/Leaf Green, Platinum, Heart Gold/Soul Silver). Nonetheless, some do not know about their value and you can use the birds to get some good trades.

Kyurem, Cobalion, Terrakion, & Virizion - Valuable (Rank B-)
They don't rank as high as other Gen V legendaries as 1. They're not version exclusive, and 2. They're not as hard to get as the other Gen V legends.

Reshiram, Zekrom, Tornadus, & Thundurus - Slightly more valuable (Rank B)
Resh and Zek are mascot legends, and the two Kamis are version exclusive roamers, so they have some value in them compared to those in Rank B-.

Landorus, Cressellia, Heatran, Lake Trio, & Regirock - More Valuable (Rank B+)
Landorus have more value as it is harder to get it in Black/White and can't be obtained in B2/W2 in unless Dream Radar is used. The remaining listed are legendaries that can be obtained easily in B2/W2 and not found in B/W

Regice, Registeel, Regigigias, Latios, Latias - Much more Valuable (Rank B++)
Regice and Registeel's cave can be unlocked by using a key that is exclusive to versions, so you need some with the other game to pass you the key to unlock the cave for the other Regi. Regigigas can only be obtained if you have the Regi trios, and Lati@s is version exclusive in B2/W2.

Lugia, Ho-Oh, Dialga, Palkia & Giratina - Valuable (Rank A)
Can only be obtained in Gen IV, which means more trouble to transfer them over to Gen VI, meaning higher value. Though Dialga and Palkia is slightly more valuable than Giratina since they're version exclusive in D/P even though you can catch both of them in Platinum. Both Lugia and Ho-Oh are equally as valuable as them however.

The Legendary Dogs & the Therian Forms of The Kami Trio- Quite Valuable (Rank A+)
Can be obtained either via Fire Red/Leaf Green or Heart Gold/Soul Silver. Even so, the legendary dog you get depends on the starter you choose, so they are indeed quite rare. The Kami Trio's Therian Forms can only be obtained using the Pokemon Dream Radar 3DS app, and transferred to a copy of Pokemon Black 2 or White 2. Having one of them is pretty rare.

The Weather Trio - Very Valuable (Rank S)
In Gen III, Groudon and Kyogre are slightly more valuable than Rayquaza. In Gen IV's HG/SS, getting Rayquaza is much more difficult than Groudon and Kyogre (which is also quite difficult in it's own right). Therefore they are all very valuable indeed.

Huge Disclaimer:
There are Pokemons (most notably legendaries) that are either cloned or created with methods like Pokegen. Cloned Pokemon do not pose much of a problems other than the having people questioning the Pokemon's authenticity (original or a copy), but a legendary created by Pokegen might to some people. So do be careful when making a trade as you might be trading an authentic Pokemon for a cloned one, or even worse, a hacked one.

So if you have extra legendaries to spare, you can try to trade in the GTS to get the Pokedex entries of Legendary Pokemons. As for me, I don't really mind my legendaries being cloned since I don't use them for battles, it's just obviously hacked Pokemon that I do mind.

Anyways, I shall continue my Pokedex completion quest. So that's all for now.

I'm not dead, I'm just celebrating Chinese New Year.

Yeah, this blog was pretty quiet for the past few weeks. I was busy breeding some new Pokemons, and playing my Wonderlocke. I also had to prepare for Chinese New Year, where I had to do some spring cleaning and stuff.

Anyways, long story short, I bred some new Pokemons, lost and got some new Pokemons from the Wonderlocke, and won some money by gambling during Chinese New Year (it's a thing we do once a year over here). I'm pretty surprised since this is the first year as far as I know where I win money during Chinese New Year gambling sessions.

Which brings me to the next topic, I've won quite a sum of money, which I might spend on my 3DS. But I'm not so sure on what to spend it on. I have two options (and a 3rd one which is to not spend it at all). The first option is to spend it on Bravely Default (it's not enough, so I'll have to top-up some cash), or a 20$ eShop Prepaid (which will mean I have some spare change from buying that, and also means that I'll wait for a secondhand copy of Bravely Default).

Anyways, depending on what happens on Friday, I'll consider buying either one of those. There's a 3DS gathering this Saturday, and a copy of the game will be available for sale. So we'll see whether I get the game or not, or I'll stick to the eShop credit since Pokebank is just around the corner (why isn't it released in US yer?!).

That's all, for now.

Working, and Wonderlocking

Not much updates in this blog. I've been a little busy lately.

I just started my part time job, and I received my used copy of Pokemon Y for my Wonderlocke challenge, so I've been playing that too.

Despite playing the Wonderlocke, I'm also hard at work breeding some competitive Pokemons in my Pokemon X. Needless to say, I'm playing two games that are considered very similar, but playing them in very different ways.

Also, my Wonderlocke updates are posted here on my Tumblr page. The reason why I do the postings on Tumblr is that I've been posting my updates for my Nuzlocke runs on Tumblr since I had a Tumblr, so yeah.....

Anyways, this is just a short update for this blog, just to show that I'm still alive, just busy.

Coming soon: Playing a Nuzlocke Challenge Variant: The Wonderlocke

I will be getting a second hand copy of Pokemon Y within this week. The main reasons why I wanted to get a copy of Pokemon Y was that I could collect the remaining Mega Stones, as well as sell it to one of my friends (who loves Pokemon but does not own a 3DS) at a lower price when they decide to have a 3DS.

The third reason for this is also to play a Nuzlocke. If you read my previous Nuzlocke challenge posts, I am a big fan of Marriland's Nuzlocke challenges. And with Pokemon X and Y, comes a new variant - the Wonderlocke. I decided to make some rules that will make this game challenging, but hopefully not impossible.

Standard Nuzlocke rules:
1. You can only catch the first Pokemon you encounter in an area. No dupes clause for this since you're gonna wonder trade the Pokemon away. Pokemon received by someone is also considered the first Pokemon encountered in an area.
2. A Pokemon that faints is considered dead and has to be released.
3. You can nickname your Pokemon. Though there's not much of a point since you're gonna Wonder Trade it.

Additional rules of the Wonderlocke:
1. When Wonder Trade becomes accessible, you have to Wonder Trade any Pokemon you have whose original trainer (OT) is you.
2. Whatever you Wonder Traded now becomes your party member. Good or bad, you have to use them for battle.
3. Dupes clause may apply for Pokemon you receive from Wonder Trade. Should you receive a Pokemon that comes from the same evolutionary line with a Pokemon you have in your team (or a Pokemon you once had but died), you have the option to Wonder Trade that Pokemon for another one.
4. There is a level limit equal to the upcoming Gym Leader (or Champion)'s highest leveled Pokémon. Should any Pokemon reach that level, they must be put into the PC until the fight against that Gym Leader. However, should you receive a Pokemon from Wonder Trade that exceeded the level limit of your upcoming Gym Battle, you're not advised to use it (unless you don't have a choice, like having not many Pokemons left you can use). Also, since most people Wonder Trade Lv 1. hatched Pokemons, you can keep your starter to switch-train the first Pokemon you Wonder Traded (if it is Lv 1.) before Wonder Trading your starter.
5. Pokemon Amie is only allowed for use if you plan to get a Slyveon. Super Training is not allowed either.
6. The only type of trade you are allowed conduct is a Wonder Trade (unless you need to evolve a Pokemon by trade)
7. You can't use O-Powers, but passerbys can use it on you.
8. No use of Exp. Share since traded Pokemons already gain more experience than non-traded ones.
9. Battles must be set to 'Set'. Items are not allowed in battle.

Let's see whether this will work out or not.

By the way, I will be posting my updates on this using my Tumblr (or maybe here, it depends).

Part 2 of my experience in competitive Pokemon battling.

Continuing from where I left off from the first post....

The next Pokemon that I bred and trained after Shuckle was a Vivilon. I heard it was considered a lethal joke character as people who don't know it well will sorely underestimate it, and it will annoy the crap out of people with its surprisingly decent speed, and Compoundeyes boosted Sleep Powder. I named my Vivilon Soul Crusher due to it's ability defeat opponents who doesn't know it's potential, underestimating it, and end up getting their Pokemons defeated by the hands of a butterfly. It must really crush their soul. Also, it's Pokemon #666, so that's another reason.
I find Soul Crusher doing quite well in double battles, especially when paired up with someone whose known to be a pain in the ass like Kangaskhan or Klefki (which we'll talk about later). Opponents usually target the more well known annoying Pokemon and forget about the butterfly, which I think is a brilliant and evil plan.

Next up I bred a Gen VI Pokemon known for being annoying - Klefki. I named it Boo-boo Keys, a reference to a pair of keys some that is dear to some random fish that appeared in the 'bubble buddy' episode of Spongebob Squarepants. Boo-boo keys is nothing short of annoying, being able to get priority for Thunder Wave, and having Foul Play so it makes physical attackers worry when they Sword Dance. She's also my Dual Screener. Using Light Clay, she can reduce the damage my team is receiving by setting up light screens and reflects. She's also an integral part of my Sand Storm team.

Another Pokemon I bred was a Skarmory named Knight Light. He's a solid tank and was able to save me in many situations. I had a battle where I was down I think 4 to 1 and had Skarmory left. Thankfully with perfect play, I was able to slowly cripple the opponent with Spikes and Whirlwind until he has a Gliscor left, which stood no chance against Knight Light. I also found it to be a somewhat viable counter to Mega-Kanga, having stop one in it's tracks before.

I then bred a Riolu, hoping it will be good for my Sand Storm team as a Mega Lucario. Luke was a Special Attack based Lucario, and I think he's good, but he didn't make a splash in my Sand Storm team.

Needless to say, I need to revise my Sand Storm team. I went to GameFAQs for help, and the users there have made me consider replacing Skarmory and Lucario for Gastrodon and Venusaur.

Gastrodon was a Pokemon I liked because of its cry, it sounds so darn adorable. I bred one that has Storm Drain, and despite its speed, it can hold up to certain opponents pretty well. I named my Glaucus, after sea slug glaucus atlanticus, one of the most beautiful creatures in the world. I plan to breed another Glaucus for use in Double Battles soon.

Forest the Venusaur is another pretty solid Mega. Despite not having no immunity from Sand Storm damage, he's extremely vital to the team. His ability to recover with Leech Seed and Giga Drain makes him a solid tank as he can hold any item other than the Mega Stone for his Mega Form. Thick Fat really helps hit take hits from Ice and Fire moves. I had a post-Pokebank battle with a guy who used Landorus and Heatran, which were two OU threats in Gen V. Despite me and Forest's lack of experience against those two, Forest did extremely well in the battle, tanking Heatran's Overheat and being able to recover back to full health.

Soon, I started to want to breed for Pokemons to be used in Double Battles. Moolerb the Breloom was one of them. Moolerb is Breloom's name spelled backwards in case you didn't know. I had a Breloom last time in Pokemon Emerald, and I had a thought of giving Pokemon nicknames that are essentially their names spelled backwards. Moolerb sounded surprisingly good, so I stick to that name for this Breloom. Being a Technician user, his Bullet Seed and Mach Punch hurts a lot. He also has Spore, a 100% accuracy sleep move, which is vital in certain battles.

I also bred two other non-double battle Pokemons, which were Dragonite, Mamoswine, and Cloyster. Good Night, the Dragonite is the Dragon Dance sweeper that has Weakness Policy to boost her attack, and it combos with her ability, Multi Scale, allowing it to take a first hit. Hiney the Mamoswine was my first Stealth Rock user. I brought them for their first battle together, and I realized how amazing Stealth Rock is to cripple opposing teams and how amazing of a sweeper Dragonite is when done correctly. Cloyster was a traded Shellder from a friend, and he has yet to make his debut into the world of competitive. But I'm sure he'll do fine, since he's an amazing Shell Smash Sweeper.

One EV trained Pokemon I did get for free was a perfect 6IV Shiny Azumarill from a guy in a convention I went to a few weeks back named Comic Fiesta. Alvin (the guy that gave me the Azumarill), posted on the Pokemon Facebook group that he'll be giving away some 6IV Shiny Pokemons at Comic Fiesta at a first-come-first-serve basis, but you have to find and identify him to get it. Finding him was an accident for me, really. I was just chatting with some people, only to realize one of them has a team of shiny Pokemons. Then I realized he was Alvin and I got the Shiny Azumarill from him.

Well... I've definitely bred more Pokemon since the last post. And I'll be raising even more Pokemon such as a Slowpoke, Snover, and a Larvesta. So until then, that's all the experience I get to share for now.

New Year

So, I was not posting stuff for almost half a month, but that's because a lot of stuff happened.

I went to an anime convention to compete in their Pokemon tournament, didn't make it past the first round (even though I believe I can do so) but I was there just to battle for fun, so there's that.

I plan to make a double battle team next, and I've breed several new Pokemons since the last post.

Then I went on holiday for Christmas and had a Pokemon hiatus since there isn't any internet. I went on and finished Ocarina of Time's Master Quest. The puzzles were more challenging (with the exception of the Water Temple, which was a lot more easier), and it was rather satisfying for me to have completed this game.

I was going to start breeding for my Double battle team after that, but then I went to Skytrex (some outdoor adventure thing) with my cousins and a friend and I had an awesome time there. Then I saw my friend playing his Shin Megami Tensei IV on the way back home, and that made me continue playing my SMT IV (I stopped playing the game after Pokemon X came out). Continuing from where I left off, I aimed to get the Neutral ending, and I was able to do so in the end, which was quite satisfying to me. I continued playing on the neutral pathway until I defeated both final bosses and the credits rolled yesterday. So now I can start breeding my team for good.

The last Pokemon I bred before the new year was a Slowpoke with Oblivious as her ability. She will be my Trick Roomer, since I plan to make a slow team for Double battling, which will become a fast team once Trick Room activates. It's very hard to coin a nickname for Slowpoke since I wanted to make a nickname based on the Slowpoke meme and that I can only put 12 letters into the name. In the end, my friend came up with 'OMG2NewTypes', which refers to X and Y having a new Fairy type but Slowpoke being slow only caught up to Johto's two new types (Dark and Steel).

Anyways, so yeah, 2014, a year whereby each day of each date matches that of 2003. Why is this so significant to me? Because I had this as a present in 2003 but I was too young to appreciate such an awesome thing.

It's a Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring Datebook for the year 2003. I didn't really received this in the beginning of the year, and I never really use it for the rest of the year, so it was kind of a huge waste. But I decided when the time comes where the day and date for that year matches that of 2003, I can use this book to the fullest. 

The world has change quite a lot since 2003. With smartphones and tablets, you might wonder if I have use for this book. And the answer is... yes. I can still keep track of my assignments and notes from lectures (as in additional stuff that they don't mention on the lecture slides), so this book may still come in handy in this day and age. Typing stuff (especially important notes) on your tablet/smartphone quickly takes up way too much time in my opinion, so I prefer writing stuff down the old school way. 

2013 was an awesome/awful year. On one end, I get to play a lot of awesome 3DS games and made a whole lot of new friends with it (which is why I absolutely love their Streetpass feature). On the other end, my grades are slipping due to the immense trolling and ridiculously strict marking scheme of exams. Here's hoping 2014 will be a better year. 

End of the year round-up: The 5 Best 3DS games I've played this year.

So 2013 has been an amazing year for the Nintendo handheld. While it has its shares of ups and downs in the past, it has become one of the must-own consoles of this year with so many games coming out.

While I do admit that I'm a rather picky gamer and I don't play everything that came out this year, I did play more than 10 3DS games since I got the console at January and it has been a really amazing experience. I knew that the 3DS will deliver but it delivered exceptionally well.

For this Top 5 I'm counting down the 5 best 3DS games I've played this year. The only rules are that they have to be 3DS or 3DS eShop titles (I don't consider Virtual Console titles in this list). Games on this list may include 3DS games from previous years as this is a list of best 3DS games I've played this year, not those that came out this year. Also, this is my personal opinion so you can't argue with that. Another thing, this list will not include games that I've played but yet to complete (which is only 2 games, SMTIV and Kingdom Hearts 3D).

But before we list the Top 5, here are the honourable mentions;

Project X Zone: Awesome game with nice fanservice (in the form of gratuitous fanservice and character cameo fanservice). A good strategy game with non-luck based combat mechanics, not making the list for having extremely repetitive gameplay and a lack of a story.

Virtue's Last Reward: This game has one of the best stories in a game out there, and it has some really nice puzzles, tidbits of information and a really nice soundtrack that complements the atmosphere. Too bad it's not as good as its prequel 999 (in my opinion).

Animal Crossing: New Leaf: One of the most addictive social games out there, and a game I find myself playing at least an hour a day everyday since it's release. However, this game requires long term commitment, and so this game lost most of it's hype today with many AC communities from where I'm from dying out as members of the community has left to play other games (myself included).

So begins the Top 5 games that I played this year!

5. Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D

Like the Metal Gear series, the Legend of Zelda series has always been a series that I'm fully aware of for being critically acclaim and has been a series that I've always wanted to try but never did. For this year, I did tried both series. While I enjoyed MGS3D, the port isn't very good. 

Ocarina of Time 3D, however is a better port. Menus load faster and several problems from the older game (like the confusing Water Temple) has been addressed in this game. While you can say it does make this game easier than the N64 version, this version also comes with the Master Quest, which makes each dungeon harder (with the exception of the Water Temple, which was ironically easier). 

Also, this game comes with better graphics, which is always a plus. 

4. Legend of Zelda: Link Between Worlds

Another Zelda title (surprise, surprise), only this time, it isn't a port. Link Between Worlds, while resembling Link to the Past (which I've not played), does things differently than most Zelda games. When I play the game I felt lost, and I have no idea where to go (that's a good thing, by the way).

This game encourages you to explore as dungeons can be completed 'in any order'. It's not entirely true for the first three levels (which I consider an exception) and the Desert level, which requires the use of an item that can only be obtained after completing the Thieves Hideout level. Still, it's okay (just a minor nitpick). I bumped into several dungeons on my journey, playing one dungeon halfway and dying, then went to complete another dungeon before returning to that first dungeon.

The use of rental items allows one to explore the same dungeon in different ways. While it's quite obvious that there will be 'that one item' that will help you complete the dungeon, you can actually complete certain puzzles or obtain other extra items by using other items you have, which promotes experimenting (and that's good). 

Overall, this game is pretty amazing for not hand holding you all the way. While there are times where I have no idea what I'm doing or where I'm suppose to go, the game is kind enough to subtly lead me to the next place. 

3. Fire Emblem: Awakening

I have a very hard time deciding who to place on 3rd and 2nd place. Ultimately, Fire Emblem got 3rd place because while it is an extremely entertaining game, it lacks a lot of the turn-based strategy elements the game was famous (and infamous) for. 

Sure, the game had the marriage system that FE 4 had, and the inheritance system as well, but the game doesn't have the strategic depth of older FE games, and there were several skills considered to be broken too. And the story isn't that great (don't let it fool you, it's not good). 

Now I might sound like I'm ranting on the game even though this game is placed at 3rd place, but this game was, for a long time, the only game I consistently play on a daily basis for months. The music is amazing, the support conversations are hilarious, and some of the DLC chapters are pretty darn good. There's tons of fanservice (less gratuitous, more character cameo), and some of the DLC artwork of older characters are pretty awesome (and some are not...).

The only reason why I could find so many flaws in this game is because I've sank in a lot of play time in this game (and that I've beaten the game 3 times already). But even as grumpy as I sound typing this like a rant, I could still remember the time when I first got the game in February and enjoyed the crap out of this game, and how I loved every moment of the game. 

2. Pokemon X (and Y)

Beating Fire Emblem: Awakening slightly is Pokemon X and Y, my current time-sinking game. I usually do not care at all for competitive battling. But this game made me enter this realm of battling, and make normal Pokemon battles seem like child's play. 

I love a lot of the new features of the game. Super Training is nice, Pokemon Amie is awesome, and PSS is one of the best things they've ever made. Also, Mega Pokemon, as well as the new Fairy typing makes old Pokemon relevant again. Some of the Mega Evolutions are hit and miss however, and some Pokemon who received Mega forms didn't really need it in the first place (like Scizor, Tyranitar, and Blaziken). 

The main story is unfortunately, a step-back from last gen, and none of the rivals have any traits that make them likable (at least to me). Also the change in Pokemon cries are nice for some, but not for others (most notably Staraptor and Musharna, I liked their older cries). 

Despite all that, Pokemon X and Y did one thing right, and that is it made me feel like a Pokemon trainer. The movements of each Pokemon are really nice, and since breeding is easier in this game, I was able to breed my team and use them to battle strangers around the world, and it feels great. I feel like a trainer telling my Pokemon what to do in order to get the strategical advantage over my opponents. 

Also, Pokemon is my childhood. And seeing it getting more and more awesome and also being a game which is much more well accepted by older fans (or Genwunners) is a really nice moment. 

So, what could beat the four games I stated above? It's none other than....

1. Ace Attorney: Dual Destinies

By far, the best game I've played this year. Everything about this game seems right in my opinion. The 3D models looked way better than I expected, with characters (ranging from witnesses to the main crew) looking amazing and move so fluid with the models. 

The story is also a step in the right direction. And the pacing of the game is good (cases never felt too short or too long). Not only that, each main lead got some rather equal screen time, and they also get some good character development (especially Apollo Justice, who went from an unlikable plain character in his game to one of the most popular characters of the series). Oh, and the dialogue is awesome, it's hilarious and sometimes full of pop-culture references. 

Each case is quite good in my opinion, with Case 2 being the weakest (but it isn't that bad), and Case 3, 5, and the DLC case being my favourites of the game. This game is easily the Top 3 best Ace Attorney games of all time (Trials and Tribulations is still first though, nothing can top that, yet..). For such a top quality game, it is definitely worth the eShop credit. 

With such a story driven game, I couldn't really find a plot hole, which is nice. While I do wish the plot points of Apollo Justice be addressed in this game, I do hope that it will in the next. And when it does happen, prepare to see Trials and Tribulations' new contender for best Ace Attorney game.

So there you have it, the best 3DS games I've played this year. Next, I guess I'll make some other top 5 list.