Tips To Strategically Build Up Your Pokedex

Whether you're thinking of belatedly jumping onto the Pokemon Go train or want to avoid wasting all your Ultra balls, it's good to know all the major hacks to catch more Pokemon in Pokemon Go. OK, sure, you could go about it the old fashioned way by relying on luck and a whole lot of power-walking, but sometimes you just have to tip the scale in your favor. Simply knowing shortcuts to get rare Pokemon won't make you Team Rocket, and after all, didn't the original Red and Blue versions benefit from a little GameShark action?

So let's not waste any time, because there's at least 150 — or more — Pokemon out there to see. You need to be on top of all the ways you can maximize your catching, quicken your hatching, and get all your evolutions out of the way. It's all about knowing the ins-and-outs of the app, prioritizing certain game elements while neglecting others and being generally strategic AF.

So along with all the things that will win you specific Pokefriends, here are a slew of tips, tricks, and general words of advice that should help you on your quest to (wait for it) catch 'em all.

1. Get Pikachu As Your Starter

I had a deep love for Pokemon Yellow, so I only wish somebody told me this: to get Pikachu as your starter, all you have to do is ignore Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle. Do this long enough, and a Pikachu will spawn, ripe for the catching. The bad news is that this literally only helps you if you are the last person on the planet to download this game, or if you're willing to create a new Gmail to manipulate the system.

2. Manipulate Your Eevee Evolution

I mean, let's be honest, we all have a favorite Eevee evolution. Personally, I own a Vaporeon named Mermaid who is my pride and joy. But back in her Eevee days, she went by Rainer. See, in order to get a specific Eevee evolution, you just have to name it the corresponding name of the Eevee brothers from the Pokemon episode, The Battling Eevee Brothers. You don't have to remember their names, or their ridiculous, strangely varied hairstyles. All you have to know is...

Rainer = Vaporeon

Pyro = Flareon

Sparky = Jolteon

This will come in handy if you really have your heart set on getting a specific one first, or if fate keeps giving you the same evolution time after time. I mean, one Vaporeon is enough, you don't need six.

3. Don't Hold Onto Any Duplicate Pokemon You Don't Need

Transferring to Professor Willow is the main way to get candies. Come on, fam, that's Pokemon 101. So don't leave them at hand unless it's an Eevee situation and you're going to be mass evolving in the near future. Likewise...

4. As You Approach The Higher Levels, Don't Waste Your Items On Pokemon You Don't Need

This is less of a hack and more of just sound advice, but I need to throw it out there: do not waste your Balls on common, already-evolved, high CP Pokemon that you don't plan on powering up further. For example, if you have a Pigeot and run into a Pidgey with an absurdly high CP, don't waste your time and your items. There's nothing more frustrating than emptying out your bag after something as basic as a Pidgey.

5. Hatch Eggs In Your Leisure By Making The Most Of Traffic Jams

Or hatch eggs by biking, or by leisurely jogging. Look, there are several methods to hatch Pokemon eggs quicker in lieu of walking, feel free to dive into that literature.

6. Use As Many Incubators At The Same Time As Possible

Whether you want to invest money in a bunch of incubators or not is a personal choice. But while you have them, try to sync them up so you can hatch as many eggs as possible, as quickly as possible. They're all going to register the steps the same, so less walking in the long run.

7. Turn Augmented Reality Off

When you're on the catch-a-Pokemon screen, simply switch the righthand switch off. I'm pro-Augmented reality, but when you situation the Pokemon on the virtual background, they hold still, and subsequently become easier to catch.

8. Use Yelp So You Can Dine In The Vicinity Of Pokestops

If you're planning on making the most of your Tinder date and the venue is up to your discretion, head over to Yelp and click the "Pokestop Nearby" tab. Ideally, you want to find a restaurant (or two) that falls directly on a Pokestop, because most likely the owners of said restaurants will be using lures to, well, lure customers (and Jigglypuffs.) For instance: there might be great brunch places at an intersection near your placethat double as Pokestops. Choosing to get mimosas there versus any other number of hangs will ensure you can catch and eat at the same time.

9. Go Back To The Area Where A Certain Pokemon Type Tends To Spawn If You Need To Evolve A Specific Kind

If you went the Squirtle route and hope to have a Blastoise one day, take a trip to the waterfront. Water Pokemon stick to water, Grass type Pokemon are in the woods, and all the goddamn Pidgeys and Rattata's dwell in urban areas.

10. Don't Waste Your Incense By Sticking To One Place

Incense will attract Pokemon to you in the scenario where you can't really move around yes. But really, it's supposed to be more of a facilitator for when you're on the go, it draws more Pokemon to you that way.

11. And Likewise, It Helps To Use Incense You're Trying To Draw Out A Specific Friend

If you know there are Magmar hiding in your local Chipotle and you need candy to get a high-CP fire breather, that is where you use your incense. If you're taking that waterfront trip to evolve Wartortle and need the Squirtles to head your way, that is when you use incense. Do not use incense in the Doduo-rich park across your street, it will be a waste.

As long as you keep my tips in the back of your mind, you'll have a Pokedex that would make Professor Oak cry tears of joy.

Images: 4Kids Entertainment (1); Giphy (11)