Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Explorers of Sky: Wonder Mail S: Treasure Memos, Part 1

One of the wonderful things that sets Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky from its predecessors is the variety of ways one can get missions. Not only can one obtain missions from the bulletin boards at the Guildhouse, one can also get them from patrons at Spinda's Juice Bar or even the occasional message in a bottle. It is from the latter that the subject of this post comes from: Tresasure Memos.

Treasure Memos aren't anything like ordinary missions. You're not told exactly where to go (it doesn't even show up in the dungeon selection menu when taken); all you get are a few vague clues. Once you get to the proper level in the proper dungeon, you are taken to an irregularly-shaped room full of money, traps, and a treasure chest. Bring a Key and a Pokemon that can walk through walls (or a Drought Orb and a Mobile Scarf). The treasure is usually a Wonder Gummi, but other items like Joy Seeds (yay!) or Eyedrop Seeds (boo!) are obtainable.

Without further ado, here are a half-dozen Wonder Mail S codes for Treasure Memos. Now, I can't tell you exactly where they'll take you; you have to figure it out for yourself.

Treasure Memo #1:

P8TTK - 3RT8N74 - N4WPH
935QR - Y0J&J1F - 8@@+C

Treasure Memo #2:

=-%NF - +#=+6MN - +J1Q9
+1R5N - X&MR+JQ - 0M5P@

Treasure Memo #3:

FRQFM - 1603286 - R+NHP
H0J&3 - H#X8X83 - XCF@S

Treasure Memo #4:

P01YH - KMY-%MH - 8F2%J
-9CHT - WR3&C9F - SM7R6

Treasure Memo #5:

P1J58 - Q-QXKT& - NRT#N
-0T9S - 79FNY1P - 29+QM

Treasure Memo #6:

2YY5% - %4#SXH= - H8%1F
7W#%- - SWY6H@Q - 1Y3PX

YouTube of the Week: Hidden Messages in the Soviet National Anthem

Well, not quite. More like laugh-out-loud misheard lyrics - and visuals to go with them.



Thanks to Dr. Buzzo of www.depletedcranium.com (quite possibly the most irreverent skeptical site out there!) for creating this masterpiece!

Carnivorous Potatoes?

Well, not exactly.

However, it does seem that the humble spud (and its close relative, the petunia) have sticky hairs on their leaves that trap and kill insects that might otherwise feed on it. When these insects fall to the ground and decompose, they provide food for the plant.

Think about that the next time you're eating French fries.

Belated YouTube of the Week: Christmas Tree Fire Safety

Well, the Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa season is upon us, and many of us are decking the halls and trimming the Christmas tree. In the spirit of the season, I bring you this YouTube video, with some advice from the National Christmas Tree Foundation (yes, Virginia, there is such a thing) on how to keep a live Christmas tree fresh, green, and (most importantly) fire-resistant. Basically, if you treat your live Christmas tree as if it were a giant cut flower, you're OK.



Happy Holidays!

City Championships are in full swing!

I'm sorry if I haven't been posting lately. It's just that the Pokemon City Championships have taken up most of my time. The top 4 players in each age group get prizes, and the promo given out to all competitors this year is Gible from Supreme Victors, with the same foil treatment as the League promos.

For m ore information and to find a City Championship near you, visit the Pokemon TCG's official website.

YouTube of the Week: Macy's Thanksgiving Parade Pikachu Balloon

A lot of other blogs seem to have an "X of the Week", so I decided to jump on the bandwagon. Every week, I will (or at least will try to) feature a cool or interesting (and usually family-friendly) YouTube video that most of us might not know about.

Today is Thanksgiving Day, a time for us to thank the deity of our choice - be him Jehovah, Arceus, or the Flying Spaghetti Monster - for all that is good in the world before settling down for an enormous, belly-busting feast. It is also a time for watching football, holiday movies, and, most imprtantly, the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Today's YouTube video is that part of the Macy's parade we geeks all wait for: The Pikachu balloon. Enjoy it in all its yellowy goodness.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4WkNWYGXC0

(Until I find out how to embed a YouTube video into Blogger, a link will have to do. I apologize.)

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky: Wonder Mail S Special Dungeon Codes

Recently, I've been playing Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky and I can't seem to put it down. If you liked Explorers of Time and Darkness, you'll love Explorers of Sky. There are many more dungeons to explore, items to find, a juice bar to hang out in, an extended storyline, and even the chance to play as certain NPC's in special episodes that deal with the game's backstory.

There is also a new form of Wonder Mail: Wonder Mail S. Unlike Wonder Mail in previous games, Wonder Mail S codes are in a 5-7-5 character format, meaning they are incompatible with previous games. In this post and probably in future posts, I will reval some interesting, cool, and maybe even some bizarre Wonder Mail S codes for you to try.

Our first list of Wonder Mail S codes open up the 7 Special Dungeons that hold the Guardians of the Seven Treasures. As some may already know from Explorers of Time and Darkness, these 7 dungeons are available when your exploration team rescues Scizor, gaining the Secret Rank. Each dungeon holds a Legendary Pokemon and a special item which increases the recruitment rate of Pokemon of a certain type.

The Wonder Mail S codes for the 7 Special Dungeons are as follows:

Shimmer Desert:

1HMTN - PR#MKFX - 4W@5%
=XR0& - N=+NSHX - R7@HJ

Mt. Avalanche:

-QFPM - Y+XFW9X - 8J3@@
5%6+6 - 4M9R6TY - 219J2

World Abyss:

-R9-@ - -8H-H&=0 - #8%3M
H=5MN - QSS884F - -@WXX

Sky Stairway:

=F%@H - - WH&=YN8 - =5k0+
0SMHN - 49CN+N+ - @4%=N

Bottomless Sea:

F#FK- - W1-9+85 - FHWQN
7@87# - 8#4&CWS - =W@WJ

Mystery Jungle:

X3QW% - @T@N0Y1 - 4RTHQ
5W7&3 - F92N0Q - 5821Y

Giant Volcano:

2P#QP - 3PN3Q0R - YJX+R
Q#Y-4 - 1C%R#%6 - X7KS5

Update on the Arceus event

Pokefans in the Land Down Under, rejoice! From today until November 16, Arceus will be available for download at selected EB Games and K-mart stores across Australia. This will have the same moveset and properties as the American Toys 'R' Us Arceus. Don't miss it, mates!

Why you STILL don't bring Pokemon cards to school....

Wisconsin kid banned from the bus after assaulting girls over Pokemon cards.

When will they ever learn?

Some notes on future Pokemon releases....

The Platinum: Arceus TCG set comes out tomorrow. It looks to be a pretty exciting set, and the Arceus cards (1 of each type, plus 3 Lv. X) are easier to get than you think. It's a must-have for any Pokemon TCG player!

In video game news, Pokemon Rumble, a real-time action game featuring Pokemon from the 1st and 4th generation games, will come out on WiiWare in the States on November 16. It will probably cost 1500 Wii Points (about $15). A related TCG promo set will be released on December 2.

Finally, this is old news for most of us, but Heart Gold and Soul Silver, the long-anticipated remakes of the 2nd generation games, will come out on April 23, 2010 in the States and in Europe shortly thereafter. I can't wait that long!!

I wish I was this lucky....

I had to talk about this since I'm such a Civil War buff....

A farmer in Pennsylvania found a Civil War medal while tilling a turnip field. The medal, valued at about $1000, apparently belonged to a soldier who lived in the area. The farmer gave it to his mother, who in turn wanted to turn it in to the wife of the soldier's grandson, who died a few years ago. So far, the woman hasn't been able to attend the church she and the farmer's mother attend, so the current plans are to donate it to a local veterans' museum.

I'm not sure what I would do if I was in such a situation. I would probably try to donate it to some museum or another where all could see it, but the thought of having it reurned to its rightful owners is too much to resist.

Like I said, it's just too bad I can't turn up stuff like this when I'm gardening.

Folks, don't pay to pray. I cannot emphasize this enough.

This isn't about Pokemon, but it needs to be said.

A few weeks back, 3 people died and another 18 were hospitalized due to
heat-related injuries from a misguided sweatlodge ceremony in Sedona,
Arizona (a noted hotbed of New Age nuttery). The perpetrator? None other
than James Arthur Ray, proponent of "The Secret" and Oprah Winfrey's
favorite guru. A homicide investigation has been set up, and I hope Ray
gets a long prison sentence for this.

64 people paid Ray several grand (yes, up to 10,000 bucks apiece!) to
engage in a number of cult-like activities that included fasting for 36
hours, going out in the desert with no food or water, and pigging out on
a big breakfast before cramming into a so-called "sweatlodge" made from
plastic and heavy blankets.

This is wrong on so many levels.

Simply put, white guys like Ray shouldn't dabble in Native Amercian
traditions. Now I'm about as white as they come, but I've known quite a
few Native Americans over the years, including a very talented one (whos
is unfortunately in college in Orlando now) who went to my Pokemon
League for a long time. All of them would say that what Ray did was
bastardize the most sacred elements of some of their cultures.

Now, I've done some research on legitimate sites, and there are numerous
differences between what real Native American elders do vs. what New Age
"plastic shamans" like Ray practice. Needless to say, the differences are striking.
Here are just a few ezamples:

Real Native elders don't go around the world trying to preach love and
peace to everyone; they stay on the reservations, where they are most
needed by their people.

Real Natives don't charge money for their ceremonies. A symbolic
offering (usually tobacco or blankets but varies from tribe to tribe) is
offered in exchange for an elder's services. Sometimes donations to
cover the cost of food, gas, or the like may be requested, but never the
exorbitant prices that "plastic shamans" ask for.

Real Native elders don't take elements from other cultures (this
includes other Native American tribes) and mix it with their own. Native
American religions are highly culture- and tribe-specific: a ceremony in
one culture would lose most of its context if performed outside the
culture. They're also highly proprietary: oftentimes, non-Natives are
not even allowed to participate, let alone stand and watch.

I could go on and on about this, but I'll let sites like
http://www.newagefraud.org/ do the really detailed talking. We white people
should look to our own cultures' ceremonies and find something
enlightening in them before horking others' cultures, especially from
peoples as downtrodden as the Native Americans. We've taken too much
from them over the past 500 years; can't we at least leave something of
theirs for themselves?

Toys 'R' Us Arceus Giveaway in November!

Attention, Pokemon Trainers! This is the moment you've all been waiting for!

Arceus will be available for download at Toys 'R' Us stores across the US from November 7-15, 2009! All you need is your DS and your copy of Pokemon Diamond, Pearl or Platinum. This is a very special Arceus, which will open up the Shinto Ruins in Heart Gold/Soul Silver (available April 2010 in the US) when traded to those games. Once there, Arceus will give you a Dialga, Palkia or Giratina (your choice) to call your own.

This is going to be a very special giveaway, so don't miss it!

Japanese HeartGold/SoulSilver Set Scans on Pokebeach!

The Pokebeach has all the scans of the Japanese HeartGold/SoulSilver TCG set out, and I must say, my initial impression has been favorable. I highly enjoy the art (the evolution items in the card art of the Pokemon that need items to evolve is a very nice touch), especially on the new "Great" and "Legend" Pokemon. Several old Trainer cards have been reprinted (Full Heal, Moo-Moo Milk, Fisherman, a Supporter-ized Bill, and especially Prof. Elm's Training Method and Copycat), and Double Colorless Energy returns after a decade-long absence. I'll post more on the latter's return later.

To see the HeartGold/SoulSilver set in all its glory, click here: ALL ‘LEGEND: HeartGold & SoulSilver Collection’ Scans and Translations

Hope to see this set come February!

Arceus Prereleases Announced!

While the Battle Roads are still raging, the time approaches for a new Prelease! This time, the Platinum Series goes out with a bang with the Platinum: Arceus set! This set centers around Arceus, the "god" of Pokemon, and all the Energy types he can assume. besides Arceus, there are numerous excellent Trainer cards, including some interesting Pokemon Tools, numerous Lv. X's, the usual trio of Shiny Pokemon, and (unlike the previous three sets) only a handful of SP's.

The Prerelease promo card is Raichu (heh, heh) and the card sleeves feature (who else?) Arceus:

The Arceus Prereleases take place on the last two weeks of October. To find one near you, check out http://www.go-pokemon.com/op/premierevents/prereleases/. For set spoilers, go to PokeBeach's list.

Card Game Predicts 9/11. Fnord.

Thanks to Will Walton of The Escapist Blog for finding this choice tidbit of woo!

Some far-out religious site claims the Steve Jackson card game Illuminati predicted the 9/11 attacks. Read about it here if you dare.

As Dave Barry would say, you just can't make stuff like this up.

The guy's also running a pyramid scheme on his site as well. Turning what's supposed to be a house of worship into a den of thieves is despicable. Seeing as he's into fleecing the faithful like that, would you trust the rest of what he says?

It's people like this that give religion a bad name.

Things to Pack for a TCG Tournament

The excellent Pokemon TCG blog SixPrizes.com (a very good place to go for deck-building advice) has this article detailing essential items to pack for a tournament. I pretty much agree with all of them (except for the Battle Dictionary, which is only really needed for an international event such as Worlds or if you're attending a tournament in a foreign country), but I can also think of a number of other good things to take with you:

Hand sanitizer. When you're in a room with 30+ people who often handle each other's goods, you're bound to catch some weird bugs. Better to be safe than sorry.

Gum or mints - for you and for others. Proper hygiene is greatly appreciated.

Spare decklists, pre-printed or otherwise. Saves you registration time.

A good luck charm, if you wish. Nothing too adult, however.

Healthy snacks like trail mix or carrot sticks and a refillable bottle of water. Big tournaments can often go on into the night, especially if you're in top cuts or the side event.

Money. Quite possibly the most important thing of all. Most tournament venues have vendors on site, and a lunch break is often provided mid-tournament.

If you have any more suggestions, feel free to leave a comment!

Oak's Letter Wi-Fi download starts today!

From today until November 8 , owners of Pokemon Platinum will be able to obtain an Oak's Letter via Nintendo Wi-Fi! Here's how to get it:

Select "Mystery Gift" from the main menu.
From there, select "Get Via Nintendo WFC"
If there's a Wi-Fi connection in your area, you should get the Oak's Letter event, assuming you don't aready have three Wonder Cards. If you do, delete one to make room for this.

Once you get the Mystery Gift, go to any Poke Mart and talk to the man in green. He'll give you Oak's Letter.

From there, go through Victory Road to Route 224. Professor Oak will be waiting for you at the end near a white rock. He will tell you to write down what you're thankful for on the white rock. Do so and you will hear Shaymin's cry (it's so cute!), the area around you will bloom beautifully and a new path will appear to the north. Follow that path to the Flower Paradise (save your game beforehand!) to capture Shaymin. He's at Level 30.

One you've captured Shaymin, you can take him to Floaroma Town to obtain the Gracidea Flower. This Key Item allows Shaymin to trasform into his Sky Forme during daylight hours.

On the (Battle) Road again...

I'll be on the Battle Road circuit next week and in mid-October, so I won't be running League on the weeks I have tournaments. The Battle Roads I hope to attend are:

Saturday, Sept. 26, 2009:

Outland Station
12540 SW 120 St
Miami, FL 33186

Sunday, Sept. 27, 2009:

BRADS Sports Cards
10548 Wiles Rd
Coral Springs, FL 33076

Saturday, Oct. 10, 2009

Tate's Gaming Satellite (one very cool place!)
4588 University Dr
Lauderhill, FL 33351

To find a Battle Road near your town, check out http://www.go-pokemon.com/op/premierevents/championshipseries/battleroad/autumn/.

Worlds 2010 info

The 2010 Pokemon TCG and Video Game World championships will be held in sunny Hawaii, in the Hilton Waikoloa Village on the Big Island itself! The Last Chance Qualifier (aka the "Grinder") will be held on August 13, while the main event will be on August 14-15.

I can't afford to travel that far, so I probably won't be there. It's still worth a try.

New Pokemon League Promos are here!

The scorecards and promos for the Rival season have arrived, and I must say they look great! The scorecards are bigger than in previous years, and fold up in the middle for some reason. The front has separate tracks for the TCG and the video game, and you can obtain a set of promos for both! The back contains a space for writing one's name and POP ID, as well as a picture of a notable Pokemon trainer and one of his/her favorite Pokemon.

The promos have a special shiny foil treatment as well as a Pokeball watermark in the text box. There are two types of promos for each season: one nice-to-have promo representing one of the featured Trainer's favorite Pokemon, and the other a have-to-have card that's a staple in many tournament-level decks.

In addition to promos, every other season players who finish one side of their scorecards in two consecutive seasons will be able to earn a special League-themed Nintendo DS skin.

The 2009-2010 League Seasons and their associated promos are:

Season 1 (Rival): Snorlax (Rising Rivals, rare) and Uxie (Legends Awakened)

Season 2 (Cyrus): Arcanine G (Supreme Victors), Dialga G (Platinum)

Season 3 (Cynthia): Milotic C (Supreme Victors), Claydol (Great Encounters - a must-have!)

Season 4 (Palmer): Dragonite FB (Supreme Victors), Roseanne's Research (Secret Wonders)

Season 5 (Thorton): Skarmory FB (Supreme Victors), Felicity's Drawing (Great Encounters)

Season 6 (Dahlia): Dusknoir FB (Supreme Victors), Bebe's Search (Mysterious Treasures)

Season 7 (Darach): Empoleon FB (Supreme Victors), Underground Expedition (Rising Rivals)

Season 8 (Argenta): Butterfree FB (Supreme Victors), Warp Point (Majestic Dawn)

As you can see, there's a definite Battle Frontier theme going on here. Aside from some of the later-season promos and the timing of the Claydol season, I'm quite happy with it. It's going to be a great League year for sure!

For more information go to: http://www.go-pokemon.com/op/leagues/.