CyberManectric
Active Member
This is something many kids at league ask me for help on, so I've decided to write a guide on it.
This post contains info on the Roaming Legendaries in Platinum. If you need help catching Raikou, Entei, or Lati@s in HGSS read this post.
Basically, everyone is annoyed by Roaming Ledgendaries. Platinum has a whoping 5 Roamers. Most of us just clone Master Balls on Emerald and then catch the Roamers with no problem. What I've written here is a guide to help you catch a Roaming Ledgendary WITHOUT USING MASTER BALLS. I've checked every pokemon's movesets and found out that only two pokemon are capable of learning Mean Look, a Status Move, and False Swipe: Gallade and Smeargle.
Here's my reccomendation on using Gallade or Smeargle to catch Roamers:
Moveset:
False Swipe
Hypnosis
Taunt
Mean Look
Other attack options:
Swords Dance
Thunder Wave
Mean Look and False Swipe are the key moves here. Gallade is the only pokemon who can legally learn both of those moves. However, Mean Look is an egg move, meaning you must mate a female Gardevoir/Kirlia/Ralts with a male Gengar or Dusknoir to breed the move. If Gallade faints or is Switched out after using Mean Look, the Roamer will flee on the next turn.
Taunt is prove invaluable as it stops the ledgendary birds on Platinum from using Roost, Safegaurd (moltres), and Reflect (articuno). That way you will not be hindered as much when trying to put them to sleep or False Swipe them. Caution when using Taunt: If the pokemon you're facing runs out of attack moves (Aticuno using up all 10 Ice Beams) and you use Taunt, the pokemon will use Struggle and KO itself if you've False Swiped it.
Smeargle will have to Sketch the moveset. Double Battles are the easiest way to Sketch the move you want.
Other good False Swipers:
Scizor
Zangoose
Pinsir
Garchomp
Marowak
Breloom
Status Move is also important. You got two options:
Hypnosis: When catching a pokemon a Status condition will raise the odds of catching a pokemon. Sleep raises those odds higher then paralysis. Plus, Sleep condition will buy you extra turns if you're planning on using a Timer Ball. Reminder: Hypnosis is a level up move for Ralts and Kirlia but not for Gallade.
Spore/Dark Void: Good Favorites to use if you're planning on raising a Smeargle for catching Roamers.
Thunder Wave: Unlike Sleep, Thunder Wave effects the wild pokemon for the rest of the battle, but won't raise your odds of catching a pokemon as high as Sleep status does. A nice bonus is that the wild pokemon won't attack 1/4 of the time. Give you time to heal your Gallade/Smeargle.
I suggested Swords Dance becuase The ledgendary Birds in Platinum know Roost. Also Articuno knows Reflect. If Gallade is at Lv.100, he can chip off all but 1 HP after one Swords Dance, but he'll need to perform 3 swords dances if Articuno uses Reflect and is at full Health.
Held Item
Wide Lens: I use this so Hypnosis will hit slightly more often. Since the ledgendary birds come with Pressure, Accuracy on Hypnosis is important.
Leftovers: Gallade/Smeargle will take a beating while battling, so Leftovers will help maintain HP.
Strategies:
Search and Quick Ball:
A classic strategy that was common in DP when Catchin Mesprit or Cresselia. Now it's easier since we have a Mean Looker and False Swiper available to us.
1) Have Gallade/Smeargle use Mean Look.
2) Then False Swipe the ledgendary down to 1hp.
3) Then afflict your Status with Thunder Wave or Hypnosis.
4) Switch out Gallade/Smeargle with another one of your pokemon and let the Roamer flee on the next turn.
5) Seek out the Roamer with the help of your Marking Map. Once you run into it again, use your Quick Ball.
6) If the Quick Ball fails, simply seek out the ledgendary until you finally catch it with the Quick Ball.
Mean Look and Battle
Basically it's like Battling a stationary ledgendary like Giratina. Use Mean Look turn one and then keep the battle going until an Ultra Ball, Timer Ball, or Dusk Ball succeeds. When a ledgendary bird heals, use False swipe to keep it at bay. If you're really going to battle the ledgendary, I recommend carrying some X Sp. Def. to boost your Sp Defense and Max Potions/Full Restores.
Searching for Roamers
For some people, trying to find Roamers maybe the most frustraiting part. Make sure you have the marking map Poketch app active on the Touch Screen. The easiest way to find a roamer is to Fly to Hearthome City. Whenever you use Fly, the Roamer(s) you currently are looking for will randonly change to another route. One thing I've noticed, when your chasing a Roamer, it will STAY at its currunt route if you go though a building or a cave.
That's why I recommend you Fly to Hearthome. You have access to Routes 207, 208, 209, and 212 and as you travel between those four routes using the buildings and Mt. Coronet, the Roamer will remain stationary. Also, as a bonus you won't need to carry an HM Slave for Cut and Rock Smash. Once you're at the same route as the ledgendary, simply Surf or walk through the tall grass until you find it.
However, if you run into a common pokemon there will be a slight chance the Roaming Ledgendary will change its location, meaning you either have to follow it or Fly to Hearthome City to reset its location. If you lead pokemon is at the same level or lower then the ledgendary you're searching for, then Repel is strongly recommended.
A few friendly reminders
If you're the kind of person who likes to use Synchronize ability to get the right nature you want on your ledgendary this trick won't work. Once a Roamer is "activated" it's Natures and IV's are determined right at that moment. So if you want a specific nature on a Roamer, you'll have to save right before pressing A on Cresselia, Mesprit, or Prof. Oak.
Roamers will flee unless you use Mean Look, Block, Spider Web, or have Shadow Tag ability active.
If a Roamer does Flee, it will have the remaining HP and Status Condition it had when you last saw it.
In DPPt, Roamers don't go to Battle Zone or Route 223. So no use flying to SunnyShore, Fight/Survival/Resort Area while on your wild goose chase.
Thanks for reading and good luck capturing your Roaming Ledgendary Pokemon.
~Cyber~
This post contains info on the Roaming Legendaries in Platinum. If you need help catching Raikou, Entei, or Lati@s in HGSS read this post.
Basically, everyone is annoyed by Roaming Ledgendaries. Platinum has a whoping 5 Roamers. Most of us just clone Master Balls on Emerald and then catch the Roamers with no problem. What I've written here is a guide to help you catch a Roaming Ledgendary WITHOUT USING MASTER BALLS. I've checked every pokemon's movesets and found out that only two pokemon are capable of learning Mean Look, a Status Move, and False Swipe: Gallade and Smeargle.
Here's my reccomendation on using Gallade or Smeargle to catch Roamers:
Moveset:
False Swipe
Hypnosis
Taunt
Mean Look
Other attack options:
Swords Dance
Thunder Wave
Mean Look and False Swipe are the key moves here. Gallade is the only pokemon who can legally learn both of those moves. However, Mean Look is an egg move, meaning you must mate a female Gardevoir/Kirlia/Ralts with a male Gengar or Dusknoir to breed the move. If Gallade faints or is Switched out after using Mean Look, the Roamer will flee on the next turn.
Taunt is prove invaluable as it stops the ledgendary birds on Platinum from using Roost, Safegaurd (moltres), and Reflect (articuno). That way you will not be hindered as much when trying to put them to sleep or False Swipe them. Caution when using Taunt: If the pokemon you're facing runs out of attack moves (Aticuno using up all 10 Ice Beams) and you use Taunt, the pokemon will use Struggle and KO itself if you've False Swiped it.
Smeargle will have to Sketch the moveset. Double Battles are the easiest way to Sketch the move you want.
Other good False Swipers:
Scizor
Zangoose
Pinsir
Garchomp
Marowak
Breloom
Status Move is also important. You got two options:
Hypnosis: When catching a pokemon a Status condition will raise the odds of catching a pokemon. Sleep raises those odds higher then paralysis. Plus, Sleep condition will buy you extra turns if you're planning on using a Timer Ball. Reminder: Hypnosis is a level up move for Ralts and Kirlia but not for Gallade.
Spore/Dark Void: Good Favorites to use if you're planning on raising a Smeargle for catching Roamers.
Thunder Wave: Unlike Sleep, Thunder Wave effects the wild pokemon for the rest of the battle, but won't raise your odds of catching a pokemon as high as Sleep status does. A nice bonus is that the wild pokemon won't attack 1/4 of the time. Give you time to heal your Gallade/Smeargle.
I suggested Swords Dance becuase The ledgendary Birds in Platinum know Roost. Also Articuno knows Reflect. If Gallade is at Lv.100, he can chip off all but 1 HP after one Swords Dance, but he'll need to perform 3 swords dances if Articuno uses Reflect and is at full Health.
Held Item
Wide Lens: I use this so Hypnosis will hit slightly more often. Since the ledgendary birds come with Pressure, Accuracy on Hypnosis is important.
Leftovers: Gallade/Smeargle will take a beating while battling, so Leftovers will help maintain HP.
Strategies:
Search and Quick Ball:
A classic strategy that was common in DP when Catchin Mesprit or Cresselia. Now it's easier since we have a Mean Looker and False Swiper available to us.
1) Have Gallade/Smeargle use Mean Look.
2) Then False Swipe the ledgendary down to 1hp.
3) Then afflict your Status with Thunder Wave or Hypnosis.
4) Switch out Gallade/Smeargle with another one of your pokemon and let the Roamer flee on the next turn.
5) Seek out the Roamer with the help of your Marking Map. Once you run into it again, use your Quick Ball.
6) If the Quick Ball fails, simply seek out the ledgendary until you finally catch it with the Quick Ball.
Mean Look and Battle
Basically it's like Battling a stationary ledgendary like Giratina. Use Mean Look turn one and then keep the battle going until an Ultra Ball, Timer Ball, or Dusk Ball succeeds. When a ledgendary bird heals, use False swipe to keep it at bay. If you're really going to battle the ledgendary, I recommend carrying some X Sp. Def. to boost your Sp Defense and Max Potions/Full Restores.
Searching for Roamers
For some people, trying to find Roamers maybe the most frustraiting part. Make sure you have the marking map Poketch app active on the Touch Screen. The easiest way to find a roamer is to Fly to Hearthome City. Whenever you use Fly, the Roamer(s) you currently are looking for will randonly change to another route. One thing I've noticed, when your chasing a Roamer, it will STAY at its currunt route if you go though a building or a cave.
That's why I recommend you Fly to Hearthome. You have access to Routes 207, 208, 209, and 212 and as you travel between those four routes using the buildings and Mt. Coronet, the Roamer will remain stationary. Also, as a bonus you won't need to carry an HM Slave for Cut and Rock Smash. Once you're at the same route as the ledgendary, simply Surf or walk through the tall grass until you find it.
However, if you run into a common pokemon there will be a slight chance the Roaming Ledgendary will change its location, meaning you either have to follow it or Fly to Hearthome City to reset its location. If you lead pokemon is at the same level or lower then the ledgendary you're searching for, then Repel is strongly recommended.
A few friendly reminders
If you're the kind of person who likes to use Synchronize ability to get the right nature you want on your ledgendary this trick won't work. Once a Roamer is "activated" it's Natures and IV's are determined right at that moment. So if you want a specific nature on a Roamer, you'll have to save right before pressing A on Cresselia, Mesprit, or Prof. Oak.
Roamers will flee unless you use Mean Look, Block, Spider Web, or have Shadow Tag ability active.
If a Roamer does Flee, it will have the remaining HP and Status Condition it had when you last saw it.
In DPPt, Roamers don't go to Battle Zone or Route 223. So no use flying to SunnyShore, Fight/Survival/Resort Area while on your wild goose chase.
Thanks for reading and good luck capturing your Roaming Ledgendary Pokemon.
~Cyber~
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