About midway through Pokémon Platinum you’ll be able to visit the Pokémon Mansion. This is a luxurious abode owned by an eccentric Pokémon collector named Mr. Backlot.
There are a few things you can do while at the Pokémon Mansion, but its biggest draw by far is Backlot’s Trophy Garden in the back, where wild Pokémon of many types can be found.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
What is the Trophy Garden?
The Trophy Garden is a mid-sized field of tall grass behind the Pokémon Mansion on Route 212. For most of the game, the majority of wild Pokémon found there will be of common species, and you will have little need to visit it.
But getting the National Pokédex upgrade at the end of the game adds a whole new dynamic to the Trophy Garden.
At this point you will be able to speak to the Pokémon Mansion’s owner, Mr. Backlot, to add much rarer species of Pokémon to the pasture.
Adding Pokémon to the Trophy Garden is something you can do once per day.
Finding the Pokémon Mansion & Trophy Garden (Step-by-Step)
Before you can visit the Pokémon Mansion, you’ll need to have visited Pastoria City at least once—the way to Route 212 will be blocked off until that point.
Assuming you’ve visited Pastoria City before, the quickest way to reach the Pokémon Mansion is to start from Hearthome City.
First, head south from the Hearthome City Pokémon Center.
When you reach the white picket fences to the south, head eastward.
Take the south turn by the fisherman NPC standing in the middle of the street’s intersection, then turn west at the Hearthome City sign.
Travel westward until you reach the two city gates in the southwest corner of town. Take the one to the south—this will put you on Route 212.
Pass through the gate and continue southward on Route 212.
Continue moving south, circling around the ponds you encounter along the way.
Head south when the bushes begin to resemble a sort of hedge maze, and eventually you will see the Pokémon Mansion’s gilded front fences and statues.
Circle around the fence and pass through the open gate.
Head all the way to the north to find the massive Pokémon Mansion.
To find the Trophy Garden, enter the Pokémon Mansion’s front doors and head straight north to the back exit.
Searching for Pokémon in the Trophy Garden
The Trophy Garden works like any other field of tall grass:
Just walk around in it until a wild Pokémon pops out.
As mentioned previously, however, your options for catching Pokémon change drastically depending on how far you are in the game—specifically, whether or not you have entered the Pokemon League Hall of Fame and received the National Pokedex upgrade from Professor Oak.
Before the National Pokédex
Before you receive the National Pokédex, the Trophy Garden will mostly contain common Pokémon that can be found in several other places across the region.
The only notable Trophy Garden Pokémon available at this stage in the game are Pikachu and Pichu.
You won’t find either of these Pokémon anywhere else in Sinnoh. And if you manage to catch a Pikachu holding a Light Ball, you’ll have an Electric type that can hold its own throughout much of the game.
After the National Pokédex (Mr. Backlot’s Lies)
After Professor Oak upgrades your Sinnoh Pokédex to the National ‘Dex is when things get really interesting:
Aside from the common Pokémon that you could catch before, you will now be able to encounter a new rare Pokémon every day.
To make this happen you’ll need to speak to Mr. Backlot, the owner of the Pokémon Mansion.
You can find his office by walking down the Mansion’s eastern wing and entering the first door to your north.
Inside the office, you will find Mr. Backlot standing next to his butler.
Tip: Save the game before you speak to Mr. Backlot.
Speaking to Mr. Backlot will cause him to go on a long, self-congratulating speech about the rare Pokémon he has in the Trophy Garden. Occasionally he’ll stop to make sure you’re envious of his good fortune; just say yes to keep him talking.
Eventually Mr. Backlot will mention the latest rare Pokémon that he saw in the Trophy Garden.
The Pokémon he mentions is random and changes once per day.
Then Mr. Backlot’s butler will inform him that the specified Pokémon species isn’t actually in the Trophy Garden. This takes Mr. Backlot off guard, and after a quick discussion between the two, the butler will hurriedly leave the room.
Mr. Backlot will continue lying in an attempt to save face.
At this point, the butler will have already snuck out and released the wild Pokémon Mr. Backlot mentioned into the Trophy Garden under Backlot’s orders.
Now you can leave the room and head out back into the Trophy Garden, where each wild Pokémon encounter will have a 5% chance of being the Pokémon Mr. Backlot bragged about.
A couple of the more noteworthy Pokémon that can be obtained this way are Ditto (an invaluable species when it comes to breeding at the Pokémon Day-Care) and Eevee, the famous mascot Pokémon with seven (in Gen IV) potential evolutionary forms.
Note: In the Trophy Garden, you will always be able to find the last two Pokémon species Mr. Backlot mentioned; each time you speak to him, the Pokémon from two days ago will leave the garden to make room for the latest one.
Soft Resetting for Rare Pokémon
There is a good reason you should save your game before you speak to Mr. Backlot:
By resetting the game, you can change which special Pokémon will be released into the garden each day.
Speak to Mr. Backlot and go through the motions of populating the Trophy Garden with a new Pokémon. If Mr. Backlot mentions a Pokémon other than the one you’re seeking, simply reset the game.
Then turn the game back on and reload your save file.
Repeat the process of speaking to Mr. Backlot until he mentions the Pokémon you want.
Full List of Trophy Garden Pokémon
What follows is a list of every wild Pokémon that can be caught in the Trophy Garden, both before and after you obtain the National Pokédex.
Remember that you can only find the latter Pokémon if Mr. Backlot mentions them specifically.
SCROLL
| Before & After National Pokédex | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pokémon | Levels | Encounter Rate | |||
| Morning | Day | Night | |||
| Pikachu |  |
20, 24 | 10% | ||
| Pichu |  |
21-22 | 30% | ||
| Roselia |  |
22-23 | 30% | ||
| Staravia |  |
22-24 | 20% | 30% | 10% |
| Kricketune |  |
22-23 | 10% | 0% | 20% |
| After National Pokédex Only | |||||
| Clefairy |  |
16, 18 | 5% | ||
| Jigglypuff |  |
22 | 5% | ||
| Meowth |  |
22 | 5% | ||
| Chansey |  |
22 | 5% | ||
| Ditto |  |
22 | 5% | ||
| Eevee |  |
22 | 5% | ||
| Cleffa |  |
16, 18 | 5% | ||
| Igglybuff |  |
22 | 5% | ||
| Marill |  |
16, 18 | 5% | ||
| Azurill |  |
16, 18 | 5% | ||
| Plusle |  |
16, 18 | 5% | ||
| Minun |  |
16, 18 | 5% | ||
| Castform |  |
16, 18 | 5% | ||
| Bonsly |  |
16, 18, 22 | 5% | ||
| Mime Jr. |  |
16, 18, 22 | 5% | ||
| Happiny |  |
16, 18, 22 | 5% | ||
Guide Navigation
-
Pokémon Platinum
- Pokémon Platinum’s Trophy Garden: Location + Wild Pokémon List
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