Topic: Pokemon Shuffle

@maceng: Okay, replayed the levels.

Cobalion: Definitely use Mega Lucario, and then your three more powerful super effectives after that. If you are only trying to beat it, and have a decent catch rate, use all the powerups except for +5 moves and -1 Complexity. I strongly suggest Mega Start at a minimum.

Chesnaught: I used a Double Normal team to S rank it, but you have to be very good at that strategy. If you aren't, then Mega Aerodactyl is probably the way to go with those double vertical wall disruptions. Match Aerodactyl as much as possible. Bring along super effectives that do 100 damage (Genesect, Heatran is what I used).

@Klimbatize: Many, many thanks. I re-read some posts and some guys used a Normal team, including Arceus, but I haven't been able to successfully use that strategy.

I'll give it a whirl and post. Thanks again!

Edit: Manage to catch Chesnaught. Used M-Aero and an optimized team. I think I'm gonna go for a full item list for Cobalion.

Roserade is the bane of my existence, any tips?

@Sparx:
Well, just to get a B rank, an optimize team with +5 Moves, DD and mega Start are needed. No catching guaranteed...
To S-rank Roserade, an optimized team, with all items. (I haven't done it myself...). Also, I've read that with a full fire team, including M-Blaziken is the way to go, again with full items.

Usually I have fully leveled teams for every type, or at the very least 3 fully leveled and other with level 7 upwards. The only exception? My fighting team, with only 2 fully leveled and other two at level 5...

A new passcode has been released for Pokémon Shuffle and Pokémon Shuffle Mobile. This code gives you 3000 coins and was distributed at the World Hobby Fair in Japan today. This code has to be redeemed by February 23rd 2016. The code is 20160123

I only just realised that there are now 300 main stages! Lately I've been going back and S-ranking all of the main stages that I had missed, bringing me up to stage... 245 (or thereabouts). From now on, I intend to S-rank and capture as I go, with no backtracking (except for Meowth). However, before I proceed, I intend to capture all of the expert Pokémon that I've unlocked as well (won't make S-ranking them a priority unless it becomes necessary) as there are about 5-6 in waiting, and they may take the edge off when it comes to beating some of the upcoming main stages (as they've become ridiculously difficult and some almost impossible to beat let alone S-rank without items).

I no longer try to S-rank or play any new stages unless I have 99469-99999 in the bank so that I have adequate funds on me at all times. Worst case scenario is that I plummet to around 86000 after an all-items run, and it usually takes a day (sometimes a little more) to restore my funds to the maximum amount. Perhaps there are more efficient ways to farm Meowth, but I use it as an opportunity to strengthen my Pokémon too (I'm trying to max a few water Pokémon now as it had only just occurred to me that I had no maxed water types).

@sillygostly: I usually keep a stash of 30k-40k coins, but I was so behind S-ranking the main stages that I blew it for levels 231-258 and some Expert Pokemons.

And yes, the latest stages are way too hard!! I wish that more 80+HP Pokemons are available, like Arceus, Darkrai and Tyranitar, because having to use full items (13,300 coins) just to S-rank some 40 or 50HP critter seems like a complete waste.

Now, a new Escalation battle is set to start tomorrow, with Kyurem(?), which is a 80HP, ice Pokemon. Therefore, you just might try and level up some Fire, Fighting and Steel Pokes, just in case.

I had an aggravatingly blonde moment this morning...

So I maxed out my coins, and I decided to do an all-item run on Greninja... forgetting that I had already done that and caught him a few days ago. =P And even after two all-item attempts I still haven't S-ranked him (stupid me for forgetting to bring along Cresslia or Diancie).

So that's another day wasted. Gaaaaaaarrrr....

@Rikaria: You can post the link here. No rules against it. I'd welcome it, too.

One question: I have the Sharpedonite jewel already, but if I play and place among the top tier (top 2,000), would I get a jewel and the Mega Speedup? If I get the Mega Speedup I'll go for it...

@Rikaria: Thanks for the info on the Escalation battle as well as for the Sharpedo Competition.

If you already have the Mega Stone for Sharpedo, I don't consider it worthwhile to bother being at the very top just for a Mega Speedup. I've done all item runs for the competitions and struggled to place at the very top, and it certainly isn't worth over 13,000 or so coins purely for an item that provides only a minute boost in mega evolving more quickly. I instantly regretted finally giving 5 of them to Mewtwo this week as he still required a fair amount of turns to Mega Evolve (with no decent combos to make him Mega Evolve in under 5-7 turns), yielding only 2,400 coins by the end of the weekend Meowth stage. I could have gotten a higher net profit if I had just used a Mega Start instead, which felt like a huge insult considering the struggle it was to get those 5 Mega Speedups.

Nice as they are, I'm only going to be even more frugal with the use of Mega Speedups from now on, as they certainly aren't worth wasting tens of thousands of coins on in the escalation battles considering the obscenely high amount of coins you'd have to spend to obtain such a negligible increase in the rate it takes to mega evolve a Pokémon.

I'll try to at least make it to level 100 with Kyurem and see where I can go from there, but the last escalation battle had gotten so ridiculously difficult by stage 90, that even with items, it just wasn't worth pursuing level 100 for a single Mega Speedup and the additional 5 or so Speedups given that I'd have to spend at least ALL of my coins (99999) just to get them. No thanks. I'd much rather use those coins for catching up on main/expert stages instead, and the Mega Start affords superior "value" to the Mega Speedups in most instances. To each their own. From memory, Gengar and Mewtwo are my only Pokémon with maxed Speedups.

I don't particularly care about mega speed ups, either. In the case of escalation battles, I only play enough to catch the Pokemon and get the first speed up.

I think if you qualify to get the speed up in a competition, you don't get the jewel.

Yes, in all competitions you get a jewel if you already have the megastone.

Well, then that's good to know.

@Rikaria: I'm definitely going all the way. Already beat the first 40 levels. Those Mega Speedups are just too handy to pass!

I completely agree with @sillygostly the Speedups are not worth it. I think I have almost 30 that I haven't used (I've actually only used 1 or 2). Anybody who puts enough time into this game to get to level 300 and is good enough at it to beat all those levels clearly doesn't have any need for them, either. Definitely anybody good enough to get in the top 2000 of these competitions doesn't need them. It's much easier and better to just spend the 2000 coins for a Mega Start if you need one. I will likely go to level 100 and be done, like I always do. And I don't like to take away a stone from someone who may not have gotten one the first time, so I always aim for the Attack + level on repeat competitions.

Huh? Even if you don't think mega speed ups are worth the effort, if you have 30 of them why not allocate them to your megas? What's the rationale in not using them?

@sillygostly: Firstly, the mega speedups are very hard to come by: only by means of an Escalation battle or a Competition.

Secondly, the Escalation battles have become easier than ever. Kaldeo was a walk in the park, compared to Giratina.

Thirdly, the Escalation battles are quite generous in terms of items given. So, there is very little need to blow a lots of coins. I spent like 40k on Kaldeo, and in return I received 8 Mega Speedups (if memory serves) plus several items and about 10k coins.

You had a lot of bad luck with Mewtwo has I usually amass 5.8k-7k every time, so a fully candied Mewtwo paid up already (he evolves in just 3 moves). Also, guys like M-Garchomp and M-Sharpedo receive a lot of benefits from being fully candied.

Also, before the update I had like 45k coins, sitting at level 258. For me there is no rush to S-rank every Poke, as the Expert stages usually have 70HP- Pokemons only. I can get equally strong or stronger Pokemons from Daily challenges (like Regigas, Landorous, Ho-Oh, Palkia, etc). Therefore, I prefer the Escalation battles. When a recurring special stage comes by, back to S-ranking, easy as that.

At the end, as the game goes, you gonna need every ounce of whomp! to get thru the levels. I have heard people requiring 13k coins just to S-rank a given Pokemon, for example, but thanks that I have several fully or almost fully candied -Mewtwo, Lucario, Garchomp, Gengar, Sharpedo-, I end up saving lots of coins.

Also, there is the challenge. Why not getting all the way to the end, if someone can do it, why not me?

P.S.: Sorry for the broken English, as I'm not native.

There is no rationale other than not wanting to take the time trying to decide who I should put them on and how many, especially since I don't need them. I've gotten everything in the game up to this point (except catching and S-ranking some of the new onslaught of levels) without them. I put one on Gengar because he only needed one and didn't require much thought.

Also, if you are really serious about winning these competitions or S-ranking very hard Pokemon, one or two moves can be the difference between success or failure, so even with a fully-candied Mega you are likely to use a Mega Start anyway, so what's the point?