Get Ready to Transfer with the Pokémon Bank

Now that Pokémon X and Y have been released (I bought Y) and the Pokémon Bank + Poké Transfer will be out in about a month's time, everyone with older Pokémon games should be thinking about what they want to transfer over.  (Never underestimate the importance of planning!)  

Below is a list of what I have to transfer and what I still have to get.  I want to take advantage of the free trial that you have until January 31, 2014 to claim, and you probably do too.  After the trial, you must pay $5 to transfer, and you have to renew your subscription to it every year (in other words, you have to keep paying $5 every year if you want to keep on transferring).
  
Pokémon White 2 to Pokémon Y

• my shiny collection (in PC, ready to transfer)
• the Pokemon I caught to complete the National  Pokédex in White 2 (in PC, ready to transfer)
• my competitive teams (in PC, ready to transfer)
• Pokémon that have sentimental value (some in PC; most are still in Emerald, FireRed, Pearl and HeartGold and need to be transferred to White 2 first)
• female Pokémon in special apricorn balls, since X and Y let female Pokémon pass down their ball when breeding (still have to catch in HeartGold)
• legendaries and event legendaries (most are still in Pearl and HeartGold)
• Pokémon with moves taught by special move tutors that aren't available in newer games, such as Seismic Toss Chansey/Blissey (still have to research)
• Pokémon from NPC trades and gifts (still need to research)

 Remember that the Pokémon Bank only lets you transfer Pokémon from Black/White/Black2/White2 to X/Y.  You cannot transfer items to X and Y.  You also cannot transfer your Notch-Eared Pichu from HeartGold/SoulSilver because it's impossible to transfer it to Gen 5 in the first place.  Pokémon hacked using an Action Replay or a computer program probably won't be transferable too, unless you did a perfect job of hacking them.  Duplicated/cloned Pokémon should have no problems, as long as the original was legitimately obtained.  The image below is from the official  Pokémon website:

When the Pokémon Bank and Poké Transfer features are released, I will be writing a step-to-step guide with pictures explaining how to use it, so look forward to that.  For you collectors with older games, I will also be writing a guide explaining what move tutors you should be interested in, as well as how to get all of the NPC trade/gift Pokémon.

Big Pokémon Announcement on January 8, 2013

A trailer promoting Pokémon Black 2 and White 2 recently aired in Japan, and a teaser which popped up at the end tells us there will be a big Pokémon announcement on January 8, 2013.

2012 Winter Giveaway Ends

The two winners can receive their prizes tomorrow at 9:00pm EST (which is 6:00pm PST).  If you are unable to make it at that time, or would prefer to contact me outside of comments, you may PM my GameFAQs account: Usagi_Wand.

My 5th gen friend code is 2022-7471-2313.

2012 Winter Giveaway

What do you want me to write about next?

 Leave a comment with: your answer, and the version (e.g. White 2) and friend code of the game you want your prize on.  The first 6 comments will get a shiny Voltorb chained from my Pearl.

**Remember, no duplicate answers.  If someone above you has the same answer, submit a new comment and you will still be eligible for the prize.**

Edit: the giveaway will end once all the shiny Voltorbs have been claimed, or on December 27 (which ever comes first).  I will be making another post, providing my 4th and 5th gen friend codes, and detailing when and how you can get your prize.

2012 Winter Giveaway Details

With my college finals ending tomorrow, I figured now would be a good time to drop some details on how my first giveaway will go:

• The giveaway will start on Sunday December 23, 2012, at 3:00pm EST (Eastern Standard Time), which is 12:00pm PST (Pacific Standard Time).
• You will need a copy of Diamond, Pearl, Platinum, Heart Gold, Soul Silver, Black, White, Black 2, or White 2 to receive a prize Pokémon.
• I will make a post titled 2012 Winter Giveaway on the day of the giveaway.  The question in the post will be what do you want me to write about next?  (I am giving the question in advance so you can think about it and have answer ready.)  The first 6 people to leave an answer to the question through the comments will be responded to, in order, to receive their prize.  Be prepared to provide your friend code, and what generation game you want the prize on.
• 1 Pokémon per person.
• Serious answers only.  Anyone who posts a joke answer will immediately be disqualified.
• Please do not repeat answers already given.  If you repeat a previous answer, you can submit a new comment, change your answer, and still be eligible for the prize.
• The 7th to 12th comments can have any Pokémon starter of their choice.

Every serious answer I get, I will take seriously.  Even if you don't walk away with a prize Pokémon, I can still take your suggestion(s).  If you have any questions about the giveaway, feel free to leave them here.

Optimizing Your Join Avenue - BW2

The Join Avenue, located just south of Nimbasa City, is a new addition to BW2 that allows you to set up a maximum of 8 shops, and there are 8 different types of shops to choose from.  So, should you have one of each shop?  Are there shops you should have more than one of?  Are there shops that aren't that useful?

The goal of this post is to give you an idea of what shops to open, depending on your playing style.

Watch Out for the Diamond Dust in BW2

For those of you who didn't know, diamond dust is a rare weather effect that was introduced in Diamond and Pearl, and has been in every core title since then.  Here's how diamond dust looks like:

Diamond dust in Snowpoint City (Platinum) - image from Bulbapedia