It's best to have a Pokémon with both this move, and a move that'll either cause the Sleep or Paralysis effect.īreloom is my favourite due to its high Attack stat, and access to the move Spore. It always leaves 1HP on the opposing Pokémon. The move False Swipe is key to catching Pokémon easily. Now, just make sure Pikachu changes into the right costume for each Contest, teach him a few extra moves via TM, and equip the correct scarf. Show him your Pikachu five times and you'll receive five scarves - each one boosts a particular Contest stat. Next, go and visit the Pokémon Fan Club President at Slateport City. When each stat is maxed it'll sparkle on Pikachu's contest screen. Try to use Pokéblocks marked with the "+" if possible. You can max out its stats quite easily once you have a good selection of berries and the Pokéblock Kit.
The Cosplay Pikachu you receive after entering your first Pokémon Contest is already well-rounded for each contest type. It might be worth the gamble just to round out your team's typing or fill up your Pokédex. Traded Pokémon earn experience 50% faster than your own. This opens up the world of Wonder Trading, where other Pokémon players recycle their unwanted Pokémon for new ones.įor the most part these will be quite rubbish Pokémon, but every so often you'll get a well-bred Pokémon that's just not quite perfect enough for their Original Trainer. Once you receive the PlayNav, you'll have access to the Player Search System from Pokémon X and Y. You can still train the rest of your troupe with the Key Item Exp Share, which is recommended if you're bringing a bunch of Zigzagoons. If you mix up your moveset enough, you'll be able to steamroll the Pokémon Champ by the end of the game without an issue. I tend to choose just one Pokémon - often my starter - and stick with it for battling each and every Pokémon in the game. If you tend to take a while between each Pokémon Center visit, they'll prove mighty useful. I also recommend growing plenty of Leppa berries as they restore 10PP to moves. You can sort your berries in the item screen by tapping the button that looks like a refresh icon in the bottom-right corner and choosing "from fewest". Berry goodĪny time you pass by a berry tree, pick them all, then plant the berries you have the least of. Use this money to buy Poké Balls in sets of 10, which gives you a bonus Premier Ball. I recommend you sell any medicine and battle items you get until you're rolling in cash towards the end of the game. just about everything outside of Poké Balls and rare hold items aren't really needed through the course of the game until you fight the Elite Four. These can be used in battle, or sold to buy other bits and bobs. If you set off with your starter Pokémon and five Zigzagoons with Pickup, you'll net loads of items in no time. Don't worry about it evolving either - Linoone also has the Pickup Ability.Īlso, Linoone learns Cut, Surf, Strength, Secret Power, Dig, and Rock Smash, making it a very useful Pokémon in the field once you've received the HM and TM for each move. The higher your Zigzagoon's level, the greater your chances of getting a better item. Around half of them will have the Pickup Ability, enabling them to nab items like Rare Candies, Nuggets, and Revives as you play. Zigzagoon is one of the first Pokémon you can catch in Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire. Note that you can also set the L button to work as the A button for one-handed gaming. Set the text speed to fast, battle effects to off, and battle style to set, and away you go! Battle style refers to whether you wish to be asked to change your Pokémon after defeating a trainer's Pokémon when they have multiple Pokémon. Ever since then, I've always started my game by using the above options, accessible from the main menu (X button).
Speed up battles and textĪfter a while, the battle animations may start to grate. Swampert also learns the insanely overpowered move Earthquake at level 52 or via TM to round off its moveset nicely. Swampert can use the HMs Surf, Strength, and Waterfall, while Blaziken and Sceptile can only learn Cut and Strength.
Look no further than these handy tips! Which starter? So, you've picked up either Pokémon Omega Ruby or Alpha Sapphire - perhaps even both - and you want to optimise your first playthrough.