How to win every Super Contest Show in Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl

As each Pokémon title bears its own whimsical series of mini-games, Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl continue this trend with the Super Contest Shows. This is an event your Pokémon can attend to test their looks, dancing abilities, and attacking moves against other Pokémon. Although it is all in good fun at first, more advanced shows definitely offer a hefty challenge later on.

Boosting a Pokémon’s conditions

Your main requirement to win at each show’s rank is by raising the condition that corresponds with the contest type you have entered. This can only done through giving particular Poffins to your Pokémon. Pokémon with high-level conditions will then earn bonus hearts when participating in each part of the contest, likely leading to them to be Star of the Show. Here’s which Poffins will aid in winning each contest.

• Beauty contest: Dry Poffins
• Cleverness contest: Bitter Poffins
• Coolness contest: Spicy Poffins
• Cuteness contest: Sweet Poffins
• Toughness contest: Sour Poffins

Create a themed Ball Capsule

The first test in each contest is the Visual Evaluation. This is where the crowd will reach to Pokémon coming out of their ball. With Pokéball Stickers creating unique animations above your Pokémon when they are released, you’ll earn bonuses for creating a Ball Capsule that revolves around the contest’s theme.

For instance, if a Ball Capsule is chock-full of heart and floral stickers, it is more likely to excel in the Beauty and Cuteness contests. Meanwhile, fire and rock stickers manage to perform well in Coolness and Toughness contests, as Ribbon and Party stickers help greatly in Cleverness contests. Custom Ball Capsules can be created from the in-game main menu, but be sure to apply the ball to the Pokémon you plan to have entered into a contest.

Timing dance moves and attacks

Even if you underperform in the Visual Evaluation, the Dance Evaluation will be the biggest decider on if you are the Star of the Show. During this stage, keep your eye on the Heart and Hype Gauges, as well as the Groove icons. A full Heart Gauge will indicate when you can use your chosen attacking move, while the Hype Gauge displays how well your dance team is performing.

As this dance stage does take teamwork into account, wait for the other three Pokémon to finish displaying their moves before you activate your own. This will create a Move Chain bonus which quickly fills up the Hype Gauge if done successfully. In the top corners of the screen, there will be arrows (or Groove icons) accompanying each performing Pokémon. These foretell how your rhythm timing is being perceived by the audience. Players can get an understanding for who will win Star of the Show by seeing which Pokémon gets the most orange “Positive Groove” icons (as shown above).

Related: Where to find the Pokémon Nursery in Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl