Pokémon Lottery Corner
|
This article is incomplete. Please feel free to edit this article to add missing information and complete it. |
The ID Number Lottery is a periodic opportunity in the main series Pokémon games for the player to receive a reward for owning a Pokémon with a certain OT ID number. Each day (or each week in Generation II), a random ID number is generated; if the player has a Pokémon with the same or similar ID, they can talk to an NPC in a certain location to receive an item. In order for a Pokémon's ID to match the random ID, one or more consecutive digits of the IDs must be the same, starting from the rightmost digit. Thus, if the current lottery number is 12345, a Pokémon with the ID 12340 will not match, and one with the ID 12305 will win for matching only the last digit (except in Generations II and III, which do not give rewards for matching only one digit).
Generation II
In Pokémon Gold, Silver, and Crystal, the ID lottery is part of the Lucky Number Show, a radio program broadcast on channel 8.5 of the Johto airwaves. Each Friday, a random ID number is generated and then broadcast on the Lucky Channel throughout the following week. The player can bring a Pokémon with an ID number matching that week's lucky number to a receptionist on the ground floor of the Goldenrod Radio Tower to receive a prize. When the receptionist is spoken to, the IDs of all Pokémon in the player's party and in the currently selected box of Bill's PC are checked for matches, and a prize is awarded if one is found. The player can speak to the receptionist to check for matches multiple times in one week, but once a prize has been received, the player will not be able to participate any more until the lucky number changes again at the start of the next Friday.
Generation III
In Pokémon Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald, the lottery is conducted by a receptionist on the ground floor of the Lilycove Department Store, and the winning number changes daily.
Generation IV
In Pokémon Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum, the lottery is part of the Pokémon Lottery Corner on the ground floor of the Jubilife TV building, where it is conducted by a receptionist named Felicity. The winning ID number changes daily, and the game looks for matches by examining the IDs of all Pokémon in the player's party and in all PC boxes (but not Pokémon in the Day Care). In Pokémon Diamond and Pearl, the player may only check for matches once a day, and this occurs at the same time that they are told what the winning ID is. This is changed in Pokémon Platinum so that the player may check for matches multiple times in one day; however, after winning a prize, they may not participate again for the rest of the day.
In Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver, Felicity and the Pokémon Lottery Corner appear on the ground floor of the Goldenrod Radio Tower; the lottery in these games works the same way that it does in Platinum.
Prizes
| RSE | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Last digit matches | Nothing | Backdrop | Ultra Ball | ||
| Last two digits match | PP Up | ||||
| Last three digits match | Exp. Share | ||||
| Last four digits match | Exp. Share* | Max Revive | |||
| All five digits match | Master Ball | ||||
In Pokémon Diamond and Pearl, once all of the Backdrops have been won, the player will no longer be able to win for matching only one digit.
Trivia
- In Generation IV, the winning ID number is determined using the same mechanic as mass outbreaks and Great Marsh Pokémon. Thus, players in the same group will have the same winning number on any given day, and resetting the game will not change the day's winning number.
Aspects in Need of Investigation
- Is there a better, non-generation-specific name for this feature than "ID number lottery"?
- The note about matching four digits in GSC is purely hypothetical and needs to be confirmed.
- In Generation III, can you attempt to win only once or more than once per day?
- In Generation III, does the game search the entire PC system for a match or only the currently selected PC box?
- Does the lottery exist in Generation V?
- It is assumed that, if a player has more than one Pokémon with a matching ID, the game will select the one whose ID has the most matching digits, and if there is still a tie, it will use whichever comes first in the player's party or PC system. However, none of this has been rigorously tested.
