I have been replaying several Pokemon games lately, and after pausing my shiny-only challenge in Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen because the odds make it a bit too draining, I decided to do the exact same thing in Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl. Before starting this, I came up with an ideal team based on the colors of my shiny starter of choice, which was Chimchar. I typically pick either Turtwig or Piplup, so it was time for me to choose the cute little monkey. Since Infernape’s shiny has golden/yellow and purple tones, I decided to make a purple and yellow shiny team in Pokemon BDSP.
The idea was to get Chimchar, then hunt for the second shiny on Route 205, the Valley Windworks, or Eterna Forest, as the team was supposed to feature Infernape, Pachirisu, Kricketune, Gastrodon, Mismagius, and Purugly. Pachirisu and Shellos are both found on Route 205 and Valley Windworks in Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, whereas Misdreavus is in Eterna Forest and is exclusive to Shining Pearl. Technically, Kricketot is even earlier, on Route 202, but the odds are not great, and I decided to skip that hunt at the beginning of the game to avoid unnecessary phases. So, plan in mind, I finally decided to delete my previous save data on my main profile and then start hunting for the Chimchar, knowing it would probably be a massive pain. Little did I know that the game had other plans for me — good plans, that is.
35 Rarest Pokemon In Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl
There are many Pokemon available in Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl, but some are much rarer than others.
How I Got an Almost-Perfect Shiny Chimchar in Pokemon BDSP
Chimchar is the best starter in Pokemon BDSP and Gen 4 as a whole, at least in a few areas like Gym matchups, the lack of good Fire-type Pokemon in the Sinnoh region, and stat distribution. This is not why I chose Chimchar, and I was even considering going with a different starter to catch and use a shiny Ponyta later, but the idea of a full team with similar colors appealed to me, and so Chimchar it was. When I started the hunt, I expected it to take a very long time, to the point that I could maybe start playing a month later, if not more. I started on May 11, with just a handful of resets, probably between 15 and 20, because I didn’t have the time.
New Questions Added!
GameRant Quiz
Easy (15s)Medium (10s)Hard (5s)Permadeath (5s)
Then I only had time for another 60 or so resets on May 12. It’s worth noting that, since there is no way to soft reset the games, hunting for a shiny starter in Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl can take much longer than other games because the process of entering Verity Lakefront, going through the dialogue, selecting the starter, and waiting for battle animations can take about two minutes each time. As such, I knew it was going to take a while.
On May 13, I had a bit more time, and I probably attempted to get Chimchar between 120 and 150 times — honestly, I was not counting. No luck, but that was to be expected. Then, since I’m more of a night owl than an early riser, I started playing the game at around 11:30 PM my time, casually resetting for a shiny monkey while watching a video. I was fully expecting a shiny Starly phase after reading so many horror stories about shiny hunting starters in Pokemon BDSP, but then, all of a sudden, I saw a pink Chimchar when I had just pressed the Home button on my Switch, ready to close and restart the game. I had to double-check because I was convinced it wasn’t possible, but there it was — a shiny Chimchar in under 300 encounters.
A “phase” in Pokemon games is when you are shiny hunting a specific target, and you get a different one instead. In this case, getting an uncatchable shiny Starly in Pokemon BDSP when you’re looking for a shiny starter is a phase.
My Shiny Chimchar’s IVs are Incredible
Who’s That Character?
Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
Easy (7.5s)Medium (5.0s)Hard (2.5s)Permadeath (2.5s)
Not only that, but my shiny Chimchar also came with a Brave nature and max Attack IVs, as well as very high IVs in general, which I calculated shortly after by leveling the little guy up. For those who don’t know, Brave nature means my Chimchar (now a Monferno) had an Attack-increasing nature at the cost of Speed. This is not the best nature for Chimchar in Pokemon BDSP, as that would be either Jolly or Adamant, but in a world where it could be neutral or Attack-reducing, this is one of the best possible outcomes, especially when combined with max Attack IVs. The IVs of my Chimchar/Monferno are as follows:
- 18/31 HP
- 31/31 Attack
- 26/31 Defense
- 26/31 Special Attack
- 15/31 Special Defense
- 26/31 Speed
Considering that IVs roll anywhere between 0 and 31, having 15 as the lowest, followed by one 18, then three 26, and finally a 31 is pretty incredible. I don’t think I’ve ever been as lucky with random shiny Pokemon in terms of nature, stats, and more importantly, number of attempts with a full odds hunt. The odds in this game are 1 in 4,096 encounters, so for my Chimchar to shine in under 300, I was very lucky. And that’s not even all.
After 89 Hours in Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, I Want More Pokemon Games Like These
I recently started a second playthrough of Pokemon BDSP, and I think I judged these games too harshly when they came out – to the point I want more.
How I Got Shiny Misdreavus in Pokemon Shining Pearl
After I got my Chimchar, I was very happy with the outcome, and I didn’t expect to find anything else for quite some time. Still, I decided to reach the Route 205/Eterna Forest area as soon as possible, which meant reaching Oreburgh City, beating Pokemon BDSP‘s Oreburgh City Gym, then going to Floaroma Town, and completing the Valley Windworks quest. I got through it very easily with my Monferno with a mix of Mach Punch, Power-Up Punch, and Ember (until it learned Flame Wheel).
With all this done, I had to choose whether to hunt for Pachirisu and Shellos or go to Pokemon BDSP‘s Eterna Forest. I started looking for the first two at Valley Windworks, but only did so for about 200–250 encounters. Then, I decided to switch to Eterna Forest because you can encounter two Pokemon at once when accompanying Cheryl, and I would have been fine with a Wurmple, Cascoon, or Dustox in place of the Misdreavus. This is because you can encounter the following Pokemon in Eterna Forest at night:
- Wurmple (20%)
- Cascoon (20%)
- Dustox (2%)
- Misdreavus (20%)
- Budew (19%)
- Buneary (19%)
Now, I really, really didn’t want shiny Budew and Buneary because I got plenty of shiny Lopunny and Roserade in Pokemon Legends: Z-A while looking for other shinies, but anything else would have been fine. Misdreavus was my original goal, but I also didn’t want to phase too many times, so I was ready to take a Wurmple, Cascoon, or Dustox as replacements. Bonus points because both Beautifly and Dustox fit my team’s color scheme.
And yet, after a few days of setting the clock at 8 PM on my Switch 2 in order to make it always night in Eterna Forest for the Misdreavus spawns, I got my first shiny — and it was a Misdreavus. Not only did I not phase, but I also got my second shiny just slightly over odds, at around 3,000 encounters total. Normally, it would be 1 in 4,096, but since Cheryl in Pokemon BDSP makes every encounter a double battle, the odds are either 2 in 4,096 or 1 in 2,048. Anyway, yes, I got my second dream team member in only a few days with no phases, and I still can’t believe it.
What’s Next in My Pokemon BDSP Shiny-Only Playthrough
Honestly, I wouldn’t consider myself lucky overall, but my Pokemon Shining Pearl run so far is definitely an argument for the opposite. I started this journey on May 11, and after a week, I already have two shinies out of the six I wanted to catch. I don’t know what the future brings just yet, but I am going to keep this journey going and aim for my next target, which I don’t know yet what will be. I could go back to Route 205 and hope for a Pachirisu or Shellos, but I would need the Eterna City Gym badge in Pokemon BDSP first to catch another shiny.
We’ll see how things go from there, but for now, I have been extremely lucky. As much as I want to believe it will always be relatively easy to find the shinies I want, I know it can’t be like that all the time. But I’ll take things one step at a time. For now, Pokemon BDSP‘s Eterna City awaits.
