Pokemusings, week 49

Why Should I Soft Reset?

Yes, it's pretty cool that you've acquired a rare Mystery Gift Pokemon or captured a once-in-a-game legendary. But don't you want it to be the best it can be? Don't you want it to have an edge in competitive battles? A powerful Pokemon with a poor nature and shoddy IVs is nice to own, but a rare Pokemon with the perfect nature and great IVs is way better! This is why you should soft reset.


Above: There's no reason to accept a bashful Heatran with crap IVs. Soft reset!

Since natures and IVs are randomly generated, soft resetting can take up a lot of time. For example, some of us spent hours soft resetting for a timid Darkrai and some of us spend more than a day. In our opinion, it's totally worth it. Having an optimal nature can make a difference between victory and defeat. Getting strong IVs can determine who wins and loses. Only an uncompetitive idiot would say something like, "Obsessing over stuff like this really takes the fun out." After all, you schlepped your way to a store for a Mystery Gift or spent tens of hours to make it to a showdown with a legendary Pokemon. Spending a bit more time will make the difference between getting a good Pokemon and a great one.

Perfect for Platinum

Now that you're armed with the knowledge of soft resetting, there's no excuse for you not to receive a great Deoxys at GameStop. While these Pokemon events haven't happened for everyone and might not be accessible for some of you, there's no excuse not to use this technique in the upcomingPokemon Platinum. Whether you're acquiring old standby legendaries or one of the exotic new forms, your new allies should be armed with the right nature and great IVs through the power of soft resetting.