iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

ricky @undercoverricky.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

I got my grubby hands on some more 30th Anniversary packs! The highlight for me was for sure the Pikachu ex but the two Greninja and the Fuecoco were also huge. I read you have a 1/10 chance of getting a classic collection card per pack, I think it might be lower because I've only found one so far

In order, Pikachu ex SIR, two Greninja ex SIRs, a Toxriticity IR, a Moltres IR and an Alolan Meowth IR. The last two are dupes for me but I love the Alolan Meowth so I'm okay with that

In order, Fuecoco ex SIR, a Lapras IR, Salamance ex SIR and a classic collection amazing rare Raikou with a copy of the original version for compairison. The classic collection uses the same holo pattern as the TCG Classic cards do, which I think is a fun choice. When I pulled that card I thought "it's weird they would reprint such a recent card," but then I saw that it came out 6 years ago so I got to have an I'm getting old moment while opening the sparkly children's cardboard ☠️

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ricky @undercoverricky.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Shiny Nidoran from Heart Gold in 630 eggs with the Masuda Method! I've done so much egg hunting in VC Crystal it felt weird doing a Masuda hunt in the remakes lol #pokemon #shinypokemon #shinyhunting

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ricky @undercoverricky.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

I fear it has never been this over for Red's Pikachu

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ricky @undercoverricky.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

My Nidoking during a Gen 4 contest

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ricky @undercoverricky.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

All Gen 4 contest ribbons have been obtained! Here's the absolutely diabolical fits we went into the Master Rank contests with. Definitely not piles of trash I heaped onto Amaryllis or anything... With that out of the way it's back to Johto for the Legend Ribbon!

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ricky @undercoverricky.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

I found my first ever Pokeradar shiny! After about 5 broken chains this little guy showed up on a chain of 39. I'm really happy I finally gave it a try but I gotta say but it can be a little nerve wracking #pokemon #shinypokemon #shinyhunting

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ricky @undercoverricky.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

The Battle Tower Singles and Double ribbons have all been obtained. I'm off to grind out some accessories for the contest ribbons but that's a wrap on the Gen 4 Battle Tower!

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ricky @undercoverricky.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

Both multi Battle Tower ribbons and all 7 daily ribbons have been obtained. I'll put my thoughts/advice on the multi ribbons in the alt text in their respective screen shots. Hopefully the Single/Double ribbons will be easier than the Multi Ability ribbon was!

I used the Latios and Heatran SirToastyToes recommended in his recent ribbon master speed running video for my first two attempts at this ribbon but failed those attempts at 41 and 42 battles respectively against teams with multiple bulky water types. Because of that I ended up replacing Heatran with this Suicune:

Suicune @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 28 HP / 252 SpA / 228 Spe
Modest Nature
- Calm Mind
- Hydro Pump
- Ice Beam
- Hidden Power Grass

I picked Hydro Pump over Surf because I was worried about it hitting my partner's Pokemon, but I don't think there was ever a point where the Surf damage would've cost me a match.

As for partners I always ended up picking Mira or Marley. Their pages on Bulbapedia have spreads for every Pokemon they can have so I just keep resetting what they had until one of them had two fast sweepers with EVs in an offensive stat and speed. I like Alakazam, Gengar, Moltres, Zapdos and Latias for Mira and Alakazam, Aerodactyl, Jolteon, Starmie and Raikou for Marley.

I just used the Bronzong/Togetic/Machamp team from SirToastyToes' ribbon master speed running video. It works really well. The only thing I think is worth pointing out is that he does not specify what ability Bronzong should have so I just went with Levitate. On my first attempt I faced a team with an Overheat Ninetales and one with an Overheat Houndoom and both times they targeted and OHKO'd Bronzong turn one and ruined the team's strategy. My first attempt actually ended with that Houndoom team on battle 41.

I switched to a Heatproof Bronzong for attempt 2 and that's the one I got the ribbon with. On this attempt I faced an Overheat Charizard and Entei and neither targeted Bronzong turn one because they didn't see KOs thanks to Heatproof. In one of the later battles Bronzong was able to survive an Arcanine's Flare Blitz thanks to Heatproof too. I didn't see a single Earthquake on either attempt, so if you're planning on using this team I strongly recommend using Heatproof over Levitate.

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ricky @undercoverricky.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

The Wi-Fi Battle Tower ribbon has been obtained. It ended up taking me a few days, and I got frustrated a few times and almost gave up, but now that it's all over I'm really glad I stuck it out. I'll put the story in the alt text if anyone wants to read. I'm going after the NPC Battle Tower next!

Putting this up front in case someone sees this and wants to try to get the ribbon too because I had to do a lot of Googling and hopefully this helps someone out. Here's the steps I took to access the Pokemon Classic server:

Set up an unsecured hotspot access point on your smartphone. I have a Galaxy S26 and it was under the connections option in the settings. I also had to manually disable the password security for this to work. I could connect my 3DS to it with the security enabled but it would not connect to Pokemon Classic until I disabled security.

Once that's done open your Gen 4 game of choice. If you're using a 3DS like I did you don't connect to the hotspot through the 3DS's settings but through the game's WFC settings on the main menu and connect though the hotspot from there. Once you're connected change auto-obtain DNS to no and enter 178.62.43.212 for the primary DNS. I read other people had to change the secondary DNS to that too but I didn't. From there you can start the game and connect to the Wi-Fi tower.

All that took a shamefully long time for me to figure out, but then I ran into another problem: my copy of Platinum was already at rank 10 from when I played as a kid. What I ultimately ended up doing was ranking all the way down to 6, downloaded a room and threw the first match so I could trial and error my way thought it with the "Challenge Previous Room" option and then redownloaded it again once I tweaked my team enough to beat each trainer. Even after all that I'm pretty sure one of my wins depended on the opponent's Garchomp low rolling their Outrage. I don't have much time to play right now so this ended up taking me two days.

Before anyone asks, yes I saw Sir Toastytoes' Wi-Fi tower video, and I even ended up using the same team as him, but even using room 2 like he says to I only saw 5-6 other trainers using that same team. I think it's because I started at rank 10 and went down but to be honest I'm not sure.

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ricky @undercoverricky.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

Some of my 30th Anniversary packs showed up! The Alolan Meowth IR and the stairs Pikachu were two of the cards I wanted the most from this set so I'm really happy with what I got

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ricky @undercoverricky.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

The last of the Gen 3 ribbons have been obtained and I got Amaryllis moved into Sinnoh. I'm going to try getting the Wi-Fi Battle Tower ribbon first, mostly because I'm not sure I can even get that one. I can never get any of the DNS exploits to work but fingers crossed.

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ricky @undercoverricky.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

The LV 50 Battle Tower Ribbon has been obtained. For some reason I thought you had to beat Anabel's gold symbol team to get it in Emerald, but that battle's at 70 wins and you only need 56 for the ribbon. Kind of anti-climactic but that just leaves two more ribbons for Gen 3!

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ricky @undercoverricky.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

I just finished the silver symbol battle against Anabel and it went really well! Suicune was for sure the MVP and I barely used Metagross at all so far so swapping it out for Nidoking for the gold battle for the ribbon shouldn't be too bad

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ricky @undercoverricky.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

All Gen 3 contest ribbons have been obtained, and I even got all 5 portraits! I really like the title for the cute contest portrait. Nidoking IS the cutie Pokemon. We all agree on this. ...Anyways, I'm going to tackle the Battle Tower next, wish me luck! 😁

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ricky @undercoverricky.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

Nidoking stood in the back while my Kyogre literally did all the work but I got the Earth ribbon! I was able to get him to lv 50 and got some extra berries for his contest stats so I think starting here was the right idea. It was a short trip to Orre, but any reason to visit is a good one!

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ricky @undercoverricky.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

Changing his met location to the Kanto Safari Zone worked! We're so back!

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ricky @undercoverricky.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

Well, I already hit a road block. Colosseum does not recognize Nidoking. He's supposed to be in slot 1 on the GBA side. I'll be honest, I'm not really sure what to do here. I'll try to do some troubleshooting later

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ricky @undercoverricky.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

I don't know if I'm actually going to be able to complete it or not, but I'm going to try ribbon mastering my Nidoking. I managed to get him into one of my physical Sapphire cartridges, and once I figure out where all my Gamecube stuff is he's going to Orre for the Earth ribbon

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ricky @undercoverricky.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

Shiny Stantler in 55 eggs in VC Crystal! Once I evolve it into Wyrdeer I'll have a shiny of every Hisui Pokemon that can have the Gameboy stamp! #pokemon #shinypokemon #shinyhunting

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ricky @undercoverricky.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

I sent some cards out to be signed for my birthday back in the spring and I got some of them back today! These were signed by Eric Stuart, who voiced James, Brock and just a ton of Pokemon, including Charizard, during the 4 Kids era of the anime.

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ricky @undercoverricky.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

Shiny Teddiursa in 56 eggs in VC Crystal! I don't think I ever really looked at Teddiursa's Crystal sprite before starting this hunt but I absolutely love it now. It's too cute! #pokemon #shinypokemon #shinyhunting

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ricky @undercoverricky.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

Looking for some outside opinions here. After some playing around I got Amaryllis, the Nidoran I shiny hunted in VC Crystal last week, into my childhood Emerald save file. If I were to ribbon master him would he legitimately count since he was sent into a game he shouldn't be in?

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ricky @undercoverricky.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

I had to do some battles in GO's Great League for some research tasks and this about sums up my experience

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ricky @undercoverricky.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

It was so close to being my first ever shundo in GO. Also sorry for not getting a screenshot of it hatching, I was mashing though the hatch animation like usual 😅 #pokemon #shinypokemon #pokemongo

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ricky @undercoverricky.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

Shiny Sneasel on VC Crystal in 117 eggs! Sneasel's my absolute favorite Johto Pokemon so I'm so happy to finally have a shiny one that's actually from Johto. Also, LOOK HOW PINK HE IS! #pokemon #shinypokemon #shinyhunting

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ricky @undercoverricky.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

My copy of the Deluxe Pokemon Character Guide just showed up! I really can't wait until I get a chance to really read through it this weekend

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ricky @undercoverricky.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

Shiny Marill in VC Crystal in 15 egg! I love how happy his sprite looks in this game! #pokemon #shinypokemon #shinyhunting

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ricky @undercoverricky.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

Sorry for the repost. I still have plenty of these Mews if anyone wants one.

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ricky @undercoverricky.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

I just got a shiny Nidoran from VC Crystal! It took 167 egg hatches via the shiny Ditto method and despite going over double odds it's been really nice shiny hunting in Gen 2 again 😄 #pokemon #shinypokemon #shinyhunting

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ricky @undercoverricky.bsky.social · 22/08/2026

Someone on my friends list invited me to a Mega Starmie raid and it ended up being shiny! Also, it looks like Mega Starmie is whispering intrusive thoughts to the regular one on the summary screen 😂 #pokemon #shinypokemon #pokemongo

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ricky @undercoverricky.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

Imagine finding this guy hanging out in your attic 😂 #pokemon #shinypokemon #pokemongo

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ricky @undercoverricky.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

Totally hypothetical question: let's say I have a VC Red save that's set up to make shiny Mews via the 8F glitch and they can go to Home/SwSh/SV. Hypothetically, if I maybe wanted to hand a few out before the Bank shutdown would anyone like one? Hypothetically, of course.

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ricky @undercoverricky.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

After three total Odd Egg hatches in VC Crystal I have a shiny Smoochum and good lord why does she look so angry!? #pokemon #shinypokemon #shinyhunting

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ricky @undercoverricky.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

I don't know if anyone here plays on TCG Live but here's some code cards

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ricky @undercoverricky.bsky.social · 16/08/2026

The Pokemon Center vending machine actuallg had something! I actually haven't bothered checking in a while because I thought they stopped restocking it It's been a pretty hectic week work-wise so opening some packs sounds like a such a great pick-me-up rn

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ricky @undercoverricky.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

The Pokemon Bank shutdown notice made me decide to finish up the shiny legendary apriball hunts I started several months back and I got a shiny Raikou in a Fast Ball! It took 1918 total SRs to find I caught it on my very last Fast Ball #pokemon #shinypokemon #shinyhunting

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ricky @undercoverricky.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

I decided to keep hunting for Nidorino and Nidorina after Safari Week ended since I still want them for my SBQ and after weeks of grinding I've... hit double odds. I've been lucky enough to find all my other targets under odds, so this isn't THAT bad, but hopefully I don't go to triple odds 🫠

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ricky @undercoverricky.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

I took a quick walk to the other side of the office and found two shinies. I guess that's where they're hiding now 😂 #pokemon #shinypokemon #pokemongo

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ricky @undercoverricky.bsky.social · 01/08/2026

I found this little guy on my front doorstep this morning #pokemon #shinypokemon #pokemongo

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ricky @undercoverricky.bsky.social · 26/07/2026

I wanted to try making scones with shredded cheese instead of chocolate or fruit like I normally would and I just pulled my test batch out of the oven. They look good and held their shape better than I thought. I'm bringing them to my mom's for breakfast

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ricky @undercoverricky.bsky.social · 26/07/2026

Professor Willow looks different, I think he might've got a haircut or something 😆 #pokemon #shinypokemon #pokemongo

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ricky @undercoverricky.bsky.social · 25/07/2026

You know what, I don't care what anyone says Cliff's alright in my book #pokemon #shinypokemon #pokemongo

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ricky @undercoverricky.bsky.social · 23/07/2026

Imagine this thing crawling under your car to take a nap 😂 #pokemon #shinypokemon #pokemongo

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ricky @undercoverricky.bsky.social · 22/07/2026

I've been seeing a lot of Reddit posts of people trolling Pokemon card scalpers over the past day and I gotta say they're healing my soul

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ricky @undercoverricky.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

I found my first Safari Week shiny! This Nidorina came in at 2794 total encounters and fled after two balls. Hopefully I can reclaim it 🥲 #pokemon #shinypokemon #safariweek

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ricky @undercoverricky.bsky.social · 19/07/2026

I sent some cards out to be signed for my birthday back in May and I just got two of them back! These are my Mewtwo SARs signed by Dan Green, Mewtwo's VA from Mewtwo Returns and the CG remake of the first movie! I really don't like PSA but I'm glad I went through with this. These are so cool!

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