diff --git a/discord/gateway.py b/discord/gateway.py
index fcba2dfcc..8180f4ec3 100644
--- a/discord/gateway.py
+++ b/discord/gateway.py
@@ -214,35 +214,6 @@ class DiscordWebSocket(websockets.client.WebSocketClientProtocol):
         else:
             return ws
 
-    @classmethod
-    @asyncio.coroutine
-    def from_sharded_client(cls, client):
-        if client.shard_count is None:
-            client.shard_count, gateway = yield from client.http.get_bot_gateway()
-        else:
-            gateway = yield from client.http.get_gateway()
-
-        ret = []
-        client.connection.shard_count = client.shard_count
-
-        for shard_id in range(client.shard_count):
-            ws = yield from websockets.connect(gateway, loop=client.loop, klass=cls)
-            ws.token = client.http.token
-            ws._connection = client.connection
-            ws._dispatch = client.dispatch
-            ws.gateway = gateway
-            ws.shard_id = shard_id
-            ws.shard_count = client.shard_count
-
-            # OP HELLO
-            yield from ws.poll_event()
-            yield from ws.identify()
-            ret.append(ws)
-            log.info('Sent IDENTIFY payload to create the websocket for shard_id: %s' % shard_id)
-            yield from asyncio.sleep(5.0, loop=client.loop)
-
-        return ret
-
     def wait_for(self, event, predicate, result=None):
         """Waits for a DISPATCH'd event that meets the predicate.
 
diff --git a/discord/shard.py b/discord/shard.py
index 2be0ea128..df0973b34 100644
--- a/discord/shard.py
+++ b/discord/shard.py
@@ -32,6 +32,7 @@ from . import compat
 
 import asyncio
 import logging
+import websockets
 
 log = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 
@@ -93,8 +94,10 @@ class AutoShardedClient(Client):
                                                      syncer=self._syncer, http=self.http, loop=self.loop, **kwargs)
 
         # instead of a single websocket, we have multiple
-        # the index is the shard_id
-        self.shards = []
+        # the key is the shard_id
+        self.shards = {}
+
+        self._still_sharding = True
 
     @asyncio.coroutine
     def request_offline_members(self, guild, *, shard_id=None):
@@ -135,6 +138,56 @@ class AutoShardedClient(Client):
         ws = self.shards[shard_id].ws
         yield from ws.send_as_json(payload)
 
+    @asyncio.coroutine
+    def pending_reads(self, shard):
+        try:
+            while self._still_sharding:
+                yield from shard.poll()
+        except asyncio.CancelledError:
+            pass
+
+    @asyncio.coroutine
+    def launch_shard(self, gateway, shard_id):
+        try:
+            ws = yield from websockets.connect(gateway, loop=self.loop, klass=DiscordWebSocket)
+        except Exception as e:
+            import traceback
+            traceback.print_exc()
+            log.info('Failed to connect for shard_id: %s. Retrying...' % shard_id)
+            yield from asyncio.sleep(5.0, loop=self.loop)
+            yield from self.launch_shard(gateway, shard_id)
+
+        ws.token = self.http.token
+        ws._connection = self.connection
+        ws._dispatch = self.dispatch
+        ws.gateway = gateway
+        ws.shard_id = shard_id
+        ws.shard_count = self.shard_count
+
+        # OP HELLO
+        yield from ws.poll_event()
+        yield from ws.identify()
+        log.info('Sent IDENTIFY payload to create the websocket for shard_id: %s' % shard_id)
+
+        # keep reading the shard while others connect
+        self.shards[shard_id] = ret = Shard(ws, self)
+        compat.create_task(self.pending_reads(ret), loop=self.loop)
+        yield from asyncio.sleep(5.0, loop=self.loop)
+
+    @asyncio.coroutine
+    def launch_shards(self):
+        if self.shard_count is None:
+            self.shard_count, gateway = yield from self.http.get_bot_gateway()
+        else:
+            gateway = yield from self.http.get_gateway()
+
+        self.connection.shard_count = self.shard_count
+
+        for shard_id in range(self.shard_count):
+            yield from self.launch_shard(gateway, shard_id)
+
+        self._still_sharding = False
+
     @asyncio.coroutine
     def connect(self):
         """|coro|
@@ -150,11 +203,10 @@ class AutoShardedClient(Client):
         ConnectionClosed
             The websocket connection has been terminated.
         """
-        ret = yield from DiscordWebSocket.from_sharded_client(self)
-        self.shards = [Shard(ws, self) for ws in ret]
+        yield from self.launch_shards()
 
         while not self.is_closed:
-            pollers = [shard.get_future() for shard in self.shards]
+            pollers = [shard.get_future() for shard in self.shards.values()]
             yield from asyncio.wait(pollers, loop=self.loop, return_when=asyncio.FIRST_COMPLETED)
 
     @asyncio.coroutine
@@ -166,7 +218,7 @@ class AutoShardedClient(Client):
         if self.is_closed:
             return
 
-        for shard in self.shards:
+        for shard in self.shards.values():
             yield from shard.ws.close()
 
         yield from self.http.close()