Ribbon Master GuideIntroductionIn this guide, I will be discussing all of the possible ribbons a Pokémon can possess starting from Generation III all the way to Generation VIII. There are 3 categories ribbons fall under: Contest ribbons, Battle Ribbons, and Miscellaneous Ribbons. Some people collect them due to personal reasons or perhaps as a challenge to obtain all of them. These Pokémon are what we call "Ribbon Masters". Now, without further delay let us begin this journey together! Table of ContentsGeneration IIIIn Generation III, a Pokémon can have a total of 27 Ribbons, given that they were a Shadow Pokémon coming from Pokémon Colosseum or XD: Gale of Darkness and are level 50 or below. Any higher level would prevent them from participating in the Level 50 bracket of the Battle Tower. They would have a maximum of 25 Ribbons if they came from another game as a non-Shadow Pokémon and they are higher than level 50. Below are the ribbons you can have in Generation III:
PokéblocksDuring contests, your Pokémon will be judged on 5 unique traits and, which are the following:
The best way to ensure success in your contest hunting is to give your Pokémon Pokéblocks. These little candies are what will give you the edge over your competitors and hopefully will allow you to get first place. In order to obtain these Pokéblocks, you will need to get the Pokéblock Case from a young girl at the Slateport City contest foyer, or the Lilycove City contest foyer in Emerald. You can make Pokéblocks by taking part in Berry Blending in the Lilycove contest hall foyer. Below are the flavors, preferences, and dislikes based on the Pokémon's nature. Lastly, neutral natures are, for a lack of a better term, neutral to the flavors.
ContestsIn Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire contests are divided into four ranks, which are spread throughout the Hoenn region. They are located at Verdanturf (Normal Rank), Fallarbor (Super Rank), Slateport (Hyper Rank), and finally Lilycove (Master Rank). In Emerald, this was changed so all the contests are held in one area, and that is at the Lilycove City contest hall! Winning a lower-tier contest such as Normal allows you to enter a higher rank like Super, and so on. Your Pokémon will be judged based on five unique characteristics - Coolness, Beauty, Cuteness, Cleverness, and Toughness. Each category has a sub-category where your Pokémon will not be penalized for using an incompatible move in the second round. Below are the primary and secondary categories under which they will be judged:
For each of the 5 contest types, the judges compare how you stand up to the other contestants. So, if you have a high Tough rating for example, you will score higher than everyone else in the first round of the Tough contest! The second round is where everything comes together. Here, you must appeal to the crowd by instructing your Pokémon to use one of its 4 moves. It is highly recommended to use moves that match the table above based on the category you are in, as this will greatly improve your potential to win. A couple of things to be aware of in contests: try not use the same move twice in a row (greyed out moves), but if a move is red use it! Using a red move will double your score that turn, and it is what is called a combo. The scoring is based of the following:
In order to obtain the Artist Ribbon, you need to talk to the Artist NPC at the museum in Lilycove City. Battle Tower (or Battle Frontier)You can challenge the Battle Tower in either Ruby, Sapphire, or Emerald, with Ruby and Sapphire being the easier of the two compared to Emerald. As I mentioned above, there are two brackets: Level 50 and Open Level. In the former, the highest leveled Pokémon will be level 50. However, in the Open Level, the pre-set level will be a level 60 Pokémon. So, to explain further, assuming you have a level 65 Entei, a level 60 Zapdos, and a level 25 Pikachu. Due to Entei's level being past the pre-set level of 60, all trainer's Pokémon will match Entei's level of 65, and the other two will stay the same. In addition, only the three Pokémon you choose to use for battle will obtain the Ribbon. Here is an example of a team I used to complete the Battle Tower:
You are probably wondering why two post-game Pokémon and a starter Pokémon, right? Well, truth be told, I thought these three had the best synergy with one another. If you want to know more about these three, please refer to the in-game tiers. This on-site guide was created by Fireburn and Blue Frog, so thank you both for your hard work. Please know that Latios, Swampert, and Metagross are not required and you can choose any Pokémon you like. If you are not sure of which Pokémon to use, the in-game tier guide can help shed some light! 
With its Calm Mind + 3 attacks set, Latios can become a terrifying force. I personally went with Lum Berry to counter status effects. Thanks to its ability Levitate that grants it a Ground immunity, Latios can be brought in on a predicted Ground-type move against Metagross 
Metagross's immense Attack stat can bring an explosive victory to you should you decide to blow it up... I mean, use the move Explosion. Meteor Mash is its main STAB move, being supported by its base 135 Attack. Shadow Ball is here to protect Latios against Ghost-types, as Metagross can switch in should Latios have an unfavorable type matchup. 
Swampert's unique Ground/Water typing grants it immunity to Electric-type attacks. Ice Beam is here to help against Dragon-type Pokémon to aid Latios. Refresh is used to remove unfavorable status ailments. Protect can be used to gain some more health back, as you never know if that extra HP can save the match! In summary, Latios is here to come in on predicted Ground-type attacks. Metagross can be brought in for Latios and can follow up with a Shadow Ball if necessary. Swampert can be switched in for Metagross should you face a Fire-type that outspeeds Metagross, as Swampert can check it with Earthquake or Hydro Miss...err, I mean Hydro Pump. Lastly, it is recommended that you properly EV train your Pokémon; if you are unsure of how to do so, please refer to the on-site guide to Effort Value training, which was created by Jubilee! Now it is time to move to Generation IV for some more Ribbon fun. Generation IVYou can acquire a staggering 39 Ribbons in Generation IV, for a total of 66! Seven are the weekly Ribbons that you obtain by talking to an NPC in Sunyshore City, one is for beating the Elite Four, and then there's the Best Friend Ribbon (Route 213), which is available in Generation IV, VI, and VII. New as well are the purchasable ones and the one received by defeating Red at the top of Mt. Silver in HGSS. The main portion of the ribbons is obtained from the contest hall in Hearthome City (20) and the Battle Frontier...again. I would recommend waiting on the expensive ribbons, as they make a return in Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire. Below are all of the Generation IV ribbons:
The same rules for contests in Hoenn apply here, but Sinnoh added a few unique things: dressing up your Pokémon, dancing, and Poffins replacing Pokéblocks. Things are a little bit easier due to Pokémon having more moves and the presence of various move tutors scattered across the Sinnoh region. PoffinsIn order to obtain Poffins, you need the Poffin Case, which you can grab from the Pokémon Fan Club Chairman in Hearthome City. I'd recommend doing this in Platinum, as you can buy level 32 Poffins with 20 smoothness from the Veilstone Deptartment Store B1F. Contest ScarfsIn Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum, they introduced some new held items in the form of scarfs:
The scarfs help in each of the 5 categories stated above. In the Super Contest in Sinnoh, there are three rounds that you have to do: Visual, Dancing, and Acting, as described below. Visual CompetitionIn this part the player is required to dress up their Pokémon depending on a certain "theme", which the announcer states as the competitors head to their dressing rooms. Dancing CompetitionIn this round all four Pokémon are gathered on the stage to give a little dance by pressing Left, Right, Front, and Jump. You can use the A, B, Y, and X buttons in addition to the touch screen to control your Pokémon. The lead dancer chooses up three steps in Normal and Great Rank (DP), and four in the Great (Pt), Ultra, and Master Rank.. The key is to match the tempo as closely as possible. Acting CompetitionIn Sinnoh, the Super Contest has 4 rounds and not 5 like the Hoenn contest did. The judges award the contestants with the following points at the end of each round:
It is best to use moves matching the category of the contest to increase the voltage (noted by a yellow star above the NPC's head). Using an incompatible move, such as a Smart move in a Tough contest, will lower the voltage. If you can get the maximum voltage, your Pokémon gets +5 from Jordan and Keira and +8 from Dexter (head judge). Battle FrontierThese are the Battle Ribbons which you can obtain:
Unfortunately, the last Ribbon, the "World Ability Ribbon", is no longer available due to the Wi-Fi connection being shut down. In order to have the best odds at obtaining the above ribbons, I would recommend looking at the 4th Generation Battle Facilities Discussion and Records, as you can find sample teams that other users have used. Having your Pokémon properly EV trained can greatly boost your overall odds of winning. Please refer to the on-site guide The 4th Generation EVing Manual by Erodent. This guide effectively describes how EVs work and what EVs you should invest depending on the Pokémon you are using. Thankfully, Generation V has no ribbons, so we will make a trip to Kalos next! Multi-Generation RibbonThe Effort Value Ribbon is available in Sinnoh. You can find the NPC at the Sunyshore City Seal Shop. Just know that, from here on out, some ribbons are repeats and you do not need to get them because you have them already! These are called the Multi-Generation Ribbons. Keep this in mind as you progress through your journey! Generation VIStarting from Generation VI, all of your Contest Ribbons and Battle Tower ribbons will consolidate into one of two types:
Starting from Generation VI, your Pokémon does not need to participate in any of the battles in order to obtain the ribbons. They simply must be in the party when you challenge the Battle Maison in Kalos or Hoenn to obtain it! There are five new ribbons that you can obtain in Pokémon X and Y:
If you are struggling with the Battle Ribbons, I would suggest checking out the Battle Maison thread, which can give advice on the various trainers. Multi-Generation Ribbons
Omega Ruby and Alpha SapphireContests have been quite literally watered down compared to the previous generations, as there is no longer any "feel" and "level" mechanic. In addition, only the Master Rank gives out a Ribbon, which in turn allows another Pokémon to head straight to the Master Rank competition instead of having to do each contest individually. Your Pokémon also no longer gets "full", so just feed them Pokéblocks or Pokéblock+ to max out the categories. Unfortunately, there's only a 70% and 30% chance of getting a Pokéblock or Pokéblock+, respectively, by blending 4 Berries of the same type. Here are all of the Ribbons that are exclusive to the Hoenn Region (ORAS only):
Multi-Generation Ribbons
If you want an easy time getting the expensive Ribbons, please refer to in-game tips, which was created by Mambo and Imanalt. Thank you both! Now, in the guide, please look for the "Fast Money" section, which will describe how you can become a rich Pokémon Trainer. This wraps up the Generation VI Ribbons section. Now it is time to move overseas once again to the beautiful sub-tropical paradise called the Alola region. Generation VIIWelcome to the Alola region! We have four more Ribbons that need to be attached to our Ribbon Master Pokémon. Here are the Generation VII ribbons:
Multi-Generation Ribbons
Battle Royal Master RibbonAll Pokémon here will be forced to stay at level 50, so your level 100 Ribbon Master will be level 50 temporarily. However, if your Pokémon are under level 50, they will remain at that level. The battles end when all of the trainer's Pokémon have fainted. The winner is determined by the number of KO points they earned and the number of their remaining healthy Pokémon. Should there be a tie, the winner is decided upon whose Pokémon has the highest remaining HP. Below are the following ranks:
Each victory allows you to challenge the next highest rank before reaching the Master Rank. Here, you face the "Masked Royal", but between us, we all know who it is, right? Upon the defeat of the Masked Royal, your team (even if the Pokémon did nothing) will receive the Battle Royal Master Ribbon. Some things to keep in mind while challenging the Battle Royal is to have a diverse team and moveset. Try not to switch your Pokémon, as they may be targeted and KOed easily. Be wary of multi-target moves such as Surf, as its Base Power is reduced to 50%. That is all the info you need to succeed at the Battle Royal. I wish you the best of luck! Battle Tree RibbonsTo obtain the Battle Tree Great Ribbon and the Battle Tree Master Ribbon, you need to beat Red or Blue. The Battle Tree Great Ribbon requires you to win 20 consecutive regular battles and beat a Battle Legend. The Battle Tree Master Ribbon requires you to achieve 50 wins in a super battle. One thing to keep in mind while climbing the tree is that the opposing Pokémon will have different items and abilities as you progress. That is everything you need to know about Generation VII's Ribbons. If you are having a difficult time, please join the Battle Facilities Discord server and check out the Battle Tree Discussion and Records thread. The Discord server contains veteran players who can help you succeed, and the forum provides sample teams as well as some more advice too! With that, we wrap up Alola, so pack your gear and head over to Galar! Generation VIIIIf you have made it this far you are in the homestretch! Welcome to the Galar region. Here, we have three new ribbons:
Multi-Generation Ribbons
ConclusionBefore I bring this guide to a close, if you are curious on how to bring your Ribbon Master across the generations, I would highly recommend reading the Pokémon Transfer Guide, which was also created by me, Light Sanctity. If you managed to make it this far, I congratulate you! This is the longest possible journey a Pokémon can take! Please do not hesitate to reach out to me if you have any questions or concerns! |
