Gaming
Gaming
Magikarp Jump tips to help the Pokémon leap higher
Become the master of jumping with these top tips
Have you ever dreamed about looking after your very own Magikarp? Well, the brand new Pokémon mobile game Magikarp Jump lets you do just this. Available for free (you guessed it, with some in-app purchases) on iOS and Android, Magikarp Jump lets you train a Magikarp to become the master of jumping, so that it's competitive in the league.
Making your Magikarp master of the jump requires a bit of training first, however. Here are some tips on how to be the best Magikarp trainer you can be.
1. Power up your berries
While it could be tempting to power up training, you get more berries given to you as your Magikarp swims around. Consider powering up your berries earlier on in the game as they also give JP (Jump Points), which are needed to power up your Magikarp. You can find this option in the town shop. It costs an increasing amount of coins to upgrade your berries, and the higher the rank of the item, the more expensive the upgrade. You can also buy better berries as your trainer rank increases. Do note, the lower powered berries will spawn more commonly to begin with, but if you power them up to above the JP given by another berry it will become less common.
2. Which decorations should you buy?
As your Trainer Rank increases, you are able to purchase a number of decorations for your aquarium. Try to prioritise items like Whimsicott Cushion and Shaymin Planter. These items benefit you by boosting the experience you gain by participating in the Jump League, and also boosting the amount of JP you receive from food. These can be bought with diamonds which you earn in the game for free, as well as to purchase with real currency. So if you're wanting to play for free, try and save up for these decorations first to help boost your progress.
Train Magikarp to jump
© The Pokémon Company International
3. Play it safe in random events
After you have been training your Magikarp, a random event will take place. These can range from a random guy giving Magikarp a massage, to a scientist asking you to try a mystery drink. Some of the random events require you to take a risk. For example, if you can see berries on a tree, can your Magikarp jump to reach them? If you choose to try the jump and are successful you will get to eat berries and gain JP.
However, should you fail, a Pidgeotto will come and carry your Magikarp away. While it can be tempting to 'go for it' with these random events, failing them can result in sometimes loosing JP, or even retiring your Magikarp before it's time. It's wise to play on the side of caution, and do not take the risk as the rewards are not as beneficial as they seem. Not taking the risk still rewards you in JP. Play safe Magikarp trainers!
4. Don't take risks with diamonds
There may not be 800 odd Pokémon to collect in this game, but there are still many different Magikarp with different patterns to catalogue. As your Trainer rank increases, you have a better chance of fishing up an interesting looking Magikarp. On the fishing screen, you get to choose one of three rods. If you fish up a Magikarp and you decide you don't want it and wish to try for another pattern, you are given the option of paying 10 diamond to re-fish, going up to 50 diamonds if you decide to go for another try.
Even though you can be rewarded in-game with diamonds, these are very hard to come by unless you spend real money. Try to resist the urge of paying for another go at a Magikarp. It's a risk, and you can't guarantee getting a new pattern from doing so. The patterns won't register in your Pattern Dex, until you have levelled the Magikarp up to larger size.
5. Pick the best Support Pokémon
Litten is a good Support Pokémon
© The Pokémon Company International
As you progress in the game you'll befriend and have the option to buy some Support Pokémon with diamonds. These have varying effects on your Magikarp. There are three Support Pokémon that are the better picks. These are Litten, which gives a heavy amount of JP every three hours, Slowpoke, who revives a Support Pokémon (so you can reuse the previously mentioned Litten if you wanted too).
Charizard gives items like training soda and skill leaf, as well as coins. You can also earn Support Candies in your adventure to rank up your Support Pokémon. These can be earned by levelling up food and training to level 25, as well as completing leagues.
6. Every loser wins
If you lose three times in a row in a league battle, it will trigger an event where you will be given three LP (League Play) restores. LP usually takes an hour and a half to restore normally after a loss. This will allow for you to far more quickly recover from the loss and move on with your stronger Magikarp
7. Don't like your Magikarp?
After you reach a high enough Trainer Rank, you have the option of giving Magikarp an early retirement. To do this, you must have had six training sessions with it first. Alternatively, you can keep tapping on your Magikarp quickly to break its Everstone, forcing it to evolve once it gets to level 20 or above, and causing it to retire as a triumphant Gyarados
8. How to get achievements
Get rewards for forcing Magikarp to retire
© The Pokémon Company International
Magikarp Jump has many achievements to collect as you play though the game. Some of these achievements will happen passively, while some you may have to try a little bit harder for. You can find these achievements in the menu. If you have completed an achievement it will have a blue 'collect' button next to it. You can receive many rewards such as items, coins, and diamonds for completing certain criteria. Each achievement has got 5 different levels of it with increasingly more fruitful rewards.
9. Zoom out!
Can't see everything in your aquarium? Phone screen too small? No problem! Just swipe your fingers to zoom out (as if you were viewing a photo or web page etc) to see more of your Magikarp's surroundings.
10. Diamond Miner
The Diamond Miner will give you 100 diamonds
© The Pokémon Company International
When you purchase diamonds from the store, you also get tickets. These tickets can be exchanged for various items, including training soda, skill restore, coins, and, most importantly, the Diamond Miner. The Diamond Miner requires 2500 diamonds to have been purchased (this is just under £40 if you're in the UK). The Diamond Miner will then give you 100 diamonds every 22 hours, which is especially useful, as you can never, ever, purchase more than 5000 diamonds total in the game. Which means the highest amount you can spend on this game is capped at around £85.
