The Definitive Nuzlocke Document
Version 0.1.8 - Date of Update: 17/10/25
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Overview
You will find various different segments that can assist you at different stages. There is a General Installation/Setup Guide which assists you with getting Pokémon running on your PC or Mac. Please note: Linux could be a bit more tricky depending on what emulator you will be running.
There is the Fundamentals section will help you as a begginer or novice. A lot of core aspects will compound into more difficult concepts in future sections.
Introduction
Hi my name is Gary! Since early 2024 I have been streaming Pokémon on Twitch.
I have loved Pokémon since I was a kid and even played Nuzlockes of the base games as early as 2013. Whilst I do not recall completing many of the base games, I had a fond memory of playing these games with this rule se as a kid.
I seriously started playing Nuzlockes early 2020 during the COVID years during my Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology (primarily as a procrastination tool). I started by returning to the base games, moving on to a Genlocke (a Nuzlocke variant) and running my Pokémon Blaze Black Elite Four in my friend’s discord on 18/07/2023. Only a few months prior, the thought of beating a Romhack was unthinkable. Now, I find these difficult hacks incredibly rewarding and is the main way I enjoy he series nowadays.
You can find me here:
What is a Nuzlocke?
The challenge was created by Nick Franco, who created a comic documenting his adventure through Pokémon Ruby. The term ‘Nuzlocke’ originates through the combination of ‘Nuzleaf’ (a Pokémon) and the TV Series Lost character ‘Locke’. The original rules were created by Nick Franco to make his experince more meaningful and interesting. Since circa 2011, the Nuzlocke challenge has become a core aspect of the community.
A Nuzlocke is essentially a difficulty challenge, whereby you catch the first Pokémon in each new area and if it faints, it cannot be used again in any capacity. To form a bond with your Pokémon, you must give it a Nickname. Those are the 3 most important rules. The exact rule set is seen in below.
Why Nuzlocke?
This is an excellent question. Pokémon is an incredibly simple, yet versatile game. Whilst the intended audience are children, is quite apparent that people of all ages enjoy the games. Nuzlocking whilst from the outside is seen as difficulty challenge only, is also a powerful narrative tool.
Being unable to have full control over your Pokémon and being forced to used Pokémon you perhaps wouldn’t, allows you to get to know and appreciate them more. Prior to my Blaze Black nuzlocke, I had a dislike for Toxicroak. However, it played a pivotal role for my Elite Four and eventual win. Also, no nuzlocke will be the same, with difficulty comes a bond. If your team keeps pulling through time and time again, you will become attached and a loss can end up being devastating.
Thought Process
The reason I created this document/series is due to the fundamental issue in the community that there is a large amount of knowledge that has been dispersed through various discord channels and YouTube videos. When I started nuzlocking, I found it incredibly frustrating that a lot of concepts and ideas were not explained or explored properly, or were the culmination of niche conversations 3 years ago. This guide also aims to contextualise why specific strategies are beneficial and when you should consider them.
As nuzlocking increases popularity thanks to community efforts, I wish to contribute with this document at hand. This document will attempt to convey fundamental concepts and then assist you in developing and improving your own skills.
Aims of this Document
There are specific learning outcomes of this document:
- Running the Game
- Staring your first Nuzlocke
- Beating your first Nuzlocke
- Advancing into Romhacks
Content Creators to consider following
The Nuzlocke Community has many people to consider following. This is my no means a definitive list, nor should these be considered “the best” for you to follow. These are simply a mix of best known Nuzlockers and my own personal favourites.
Pchal
Perhaps the reason why this document is written. Pchal is known for beating the hardest Nuzlockes out there, including Emerald Kaizo and Run & Bun. They are known for being tactically adept and (imo) the best Nuzlocke storyteller with their Run & Bun video being the standout Nuzlocke video. They are the reason I even considered taking on harder challenges.
Squerk
Squerk will always have a spot in my heart for raiding my stream and helping me get affiliate (king). He is known for being perhaps the most unlucky nuzlocker out there, but his perseverance is unmatched. His personality is boisterous and incredibly fun. His guides on the different Run & Bun segments are a great way to help new players feel more able to take these on.
FlygonHG
Slow and Steady wins the race is the best description of Flygon’s playstyle. Flygon is known for extensive knowledge of the base games and playing through them with various restrictions. Also, owner of the cutest dog out there.
Marilland
Nuzlocking has been around for longer than one may think. Marilland is a content creator I grew up with and his Pokémon Emerald Nuzlocke was the first time I came into contact with nuzlockes. This series was released in 2012 and is still a solid watch for beginners. Marilland also introduced variants like the Wedlocke.
General Installation/Setup Guide
Please note that this section is solely for players who are not using Nintendo Hardware and cartridges. If you have a Nintendo Switch and a copy of Pokémon Sword and want to play using that set-up then feel free to pass this section by!
Please note that software like PKHeX will not work without significant tools and workarounds, so specific stats like IVs and EVs will need to be estimated.
In order to play games from a different console on your computer, you will require an emulator.
Emulators
An emulator allows you to play the games on a different device (i.e. computer or phone). This guide will soley look at computer assistance. I will provide one example per console.
Please note:
Emulators themselves are legal, but downloading or distributing copyrighted BIOS files or game ROMs you don’t own is illegal.
Gameboy Advance - mGBA
Gameboy Advance Emulators are used for Generations 1-3.
Download the file and execute it. Please select the correct version for your operating systetm (Windows, Mac, Linux etc.).
There is a guide by Moxi on preferable settings for your emulator.
See FAQ for any specific queries.
Nintendo DS - DeSmuME
Nintendo DS Emulators are used for Generations 4 & 5.
Download the file and execute it. Please select the correct version for your operating systetm (Windows, Mac, Linux etc.).
There is a guide by Moxi on preferable settings for your emulator.
See FAQ for any specific queries.
Nintendo 3DS - Citra
Nintendo 3DS Emulators are used for Generations 6 & 7.
Download the file and execute it. Please select the correct version for your operating systetm (Windows, Mac, Linux etc.).
There is a guide by Justinian on preferable settings for your emulator.
See FAQ for any specific queries.
Nintendo Switch - Yuzu
Nintendo Switch Emulators are used for Generations 8 and beyond.
Download the file and execute it. Please select the correct version for your operating systetm (Windows, Mac, Linux etc.).
There is a guide by World Of Emulation on preferable settings for your emulator.
See FAQ for any specific queries.
Roms
A rom (Read-Only Memory), in essence is a digital copy of the game you are playing. It’s been extracted from a physical cartridge or disc.
For various legal reasons, a direct link to ROMs is something you will not find here. Please obtain your ROM within legal parameters.
Romhacks
A Romhack is modified version of a base Pokémon game. Some will give cosmetic overhauls, others harder battles, and other will create entirely new regions to explore. I would recommend doing some research on the game you would like to play, prior to beginning.
Romhacks require specific patches. Many will assist you within their guides, but in essence you need to know the following:
- the version of Pokémon you are patching
- the console (GBA, NDS etc.)
- a patcher
Patching
Roms will frequently provided the patch to their Romhack. If you happen to only have the patch file, you can use the [Macrobledo Patcher](https://www.marcrobledo.com/RomPatcher.js.
Extra Resources
PKHeX
PKHeX is a save editor software where you can see your Pokémons’ information in far more detail than the base game allows.
There is also PkHex in webversion.
This software is relevant for many difficult romhacks and using the calculator such as IVs and EVs.
Calculators
Most Calculators are based on the original showdown calculator which is frequently used for VGC and SMOGON competitive battling.How to use this will be outlined in a later section.
The Kingler Calc is an excellent tool for the base games as it includes all the trainers of the base game (bar Gen 9 as of writing). It is based on the showdown calculator. You can enter in the your Pokémons’ stats and see how the compare to others. This give you exact insight into how much damage you will do and take.
Important to note is that most Romhacks will have their own separate calc.
The Fundamentals
Core Rules
As mentioned prior, the 3 main rules are:
- Catch the first Pokémon in each area only
To know what area which encounter is associated with, you will check the ‘met or caught’ location in the summary screen of your Pokémon.
Importantly: It is up to your discretion to ‘Gift Pokémon’ such as your starter, as in some games it is on the same route as your first patch of grass is (i.e. Pokémon Emerald above). You may say that the starter is fine as an exception, but anything handed to you and not caught is not.
- If a Pokémon faints it cannot be used again (either release it or put in a box in your PC)
You can use the last Box in your PC as a graveyard or farm where the fainted Pokémon can reside. This may be useful if you are using any clauses.
- Each Pokémon needs to be nicknamed
This is to enhance the bond with your Pokémon. If you are unsure what to name them, you can consider using overarching themes such as Food, Mythology, Numbers etc.
Clauses
Pokéball Clause
Whilst being so common it is basically part of the standard ruleset, but many start their nuzlocke only once they get access to Pokéballs. In some entries, you will have the possibility of encountering Pokémon on routes when you do not have Pokéballs yet. Effectively, this means that you would miss out on core encounters early on.
Dupes / Species Clause
For the sake of variety, many players run a Dupes/Species Clause, as a lot of areas will have similar Pokémon. This clause essentially means that if you already have a Pokémon or a Pokémon within it’s evolution line, you are allowed to re-roll until you find something “new”. This allows your box to have a strong variety.
For example, if you caught a Taillow in Route 1 and the first Pokémon you encounter on Route 2 is a Taillow or a Swellow, then you can “re-roll” this encounter until the first encounter that you have not caught before. Reason being is that Taillow is a duplicate and Swellow is the evolution of Taillow, meaning it is the same “species”.
Note: Players will have their own rulesets for “regional variants”. Such as Geodude and the Alolan-Geodude lines. It is up to you how you want to regard them, as they will have different types and abiliies.
Shiny Clause
Many players play with this clause, as encountering a shiny Pokémon is very unlikely (unless you are actively hunting for one). Some replace the encounter in that area, others will use it as a lucky bonus Pokémon. This is entirely up to you.
Nuzlocke Variants
There are far more variants than listed below and I can only recommend you look around if none of these tickle your fancy. Also, you should absolutely pick and choose which rules you want to use. This is YOUR nuzlocke after all.
Hardcore
Considered the ‘standard’ for many these days. It includes the following extra rules:
No items in Battle (including healing, satus or X-items), however held items are allowed
Set Battle style (no preview when the enemy trainer send in a Pokémon)
Level Caps (You may not exceed the next Gym Leader/Elite Four Pokémon level.)
Losing a fight (wiping) means you have lost the run and must go back to the start.
There is a subcategory of Hardcore called Hardcore + which adds the banning of weather and set-up moves.
1D=R
1D=R or, 1 death = Reset. The simple rule addition is this: Any Pokémon faints, you reset and start again.
Monolocke
Commonly used by FlygonHG, the Monolocke is simply that you use only one type (i.e. Water) and beat the game exclusively with your type.
Genlocke
You play through all Pokémon Generations you have access to and beat them in a row. There are different ways to go through it, some will defer to the remakes (Leaf Green & Fire Red instead of Blue & Red) instead of the generations.
Essentially, when beating the first game in your series, you then bring the surviving Pokémon from your Elite 4 team to your next game. This is commonly done via PKHex.Some will provide bonueses for each game beaten, such as giving them better stats or turning them shiny.
The goal is to beat all the games in a row and bring through your Pokémon from previous generations to make your start more interesting or straight up better.
Shinylocke
Basically shiny hunting all your encounters.
New Game +
Popularised with Run & Bun. Once beaten, you can run the same game, but use the dupes clause to bring variety in the new run.
This can be done several times, adding a ‘+’ for each sucessive run.
Drayano Gauntlet
What should I play?
Don’t fret this document is to be inclusive to all players - you can find tierlist of the base games (Figure 5) if you are new(-ish) and we also go over the Romhacks that provide more difficult challenges.
It really depends on you as a person and player, not so much on your Pokémon knowledge. If you are not interested in opening up calculators spending a couple minutes (and sometimes hours depending on the game) determining exactly what can happen each turn and planning extensively outside of fights, then the more difficult Romhacks (i.e. Radical Red or Run & Bun) may not be for you. That doesn’t mean that they never will be!
Base Games
The base games vary significantly from one another in mechanics and difficulty. Difficulty is an important aspect to consider when nuzlocking, as this will determine how you navigate the hardships of this challenge.
However, difficulty is not the be all end all. Whilst this guide can give you tips and tricks, you are always best off playing the game you know the best or enjoy the most. Motivation is a key part to your experience.
I will however, provide some minor pointers on each game, to set expectations for each entry.
Here is a tierlist of difficuly, in no particular order within the brackets:
Hardest
(From Left to Right)
Platinum:
- Gen 4
- Hard Elite Four
- Difficult Villain
- Limited Fire Types
Black 2 & White 2:
- Gen 5
- Better Trainer AI
- Steep Curve in late game
Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon:
- Gen 7
- Perfect EVs and IVs
- Totem Pokémon
- Ultra Necrousma
Hard
Emerald
Black & White
Medium
HGSS
SV
DP
RS
SM
Novice
Sword & Shield:
Red & Blue:
Yellow:
Gold & Silver:
Crystal:
Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire:
Beginner
Let’s Go Eevee & Let’s Go Pikachu
X & Y
Leaf Green & Fire Red:
Spin-Offs
There are some spin-offs of the main series, that I have personally not played in a nuzlocke fashion. There are all considered quite hard (comparable to the highest tiers of the base games). However, you may need to adapt your ruleset to the nature of the game. If you have turn-based combat, you will be able to find a nuzlocke ruleset that works.
Pokémon Legends: Z-A Pokémon Legends: Arceus Pokémon Colosseum / XD: Gale of Darkness
Technically you could also run nuzlockes for the Mystery Dungeon series, however this guide is not applicable for this series.
Romhacks
There are so many types of Romhacks out there, and they will all do different things. Many will have Quality of Life (QoL) improvements, implement new Pokémon into older generations (i.e Radical Red & Astral Emerald). No two romhacks are built the same, and you should look at them as such. This section will go over different hacks.
Please check out the Setup Guide in case you have any questions.
IMPORTANT: None of these games provide the base Rom of their games! As mentioned previously, these are merely patches for the base game which create new experiences.
If you have any questions, you may want to check out the Discord!
Drayano Hacks
Drayano is regarded as the godfather of romhacks. Drayano has over a decade of experience creating romhacks that provide enhanced experiences for players. These include a wide array of QoL changes from streamlining evolution, implementing the fairy type into previous gens and making items more accessible.
Their collection is as follows:
- Fire Red Omega (FR, 2009)
- Blaze Black & Volt White (BW, 2011)
- Sacred Gold & Storm Silver (HGSS, 2012)
- Blaze Black 2 & Volt White 2 (B2W2, 2012)
- Rising Ruby & Sinking Sapphire (ORAS, 2016)
- Renegade Platinum (Pt, 2018)
- Aurora Crystal (TBC)
Whilst all of these vary in difficulty, they are all improvements on the base games they build on. It is generally accepted that Renegade Platinum is the best ‘first difficulty romhack’ for players.
Hardest
Below you will find a wide array of Romhacks that are regarded as the “hardest”. All of these require either pre-existing extensive knowledge or the willingness to acquire it. Calculators are seen as essential and planning and preparing is a big and perhaps even the main part of these hacks. All of them are regarded as prestigiuous with many having Hall of Fame documents where streamed winning runs are documented.
The Basics
Whilst the term ‘basic’ is used for these segment, please bare in mind that every good nuzlocker will consistently return to these, as there are so many key aspects that will compound into a complex fight.
Notable Sites
There are various sites that can assist you in learning more about Pokémon:
Bulbapedia is excellent at providing walkthroughs for the mainline games. It also is a great database for anything related to the games. Whenever you need to know something I strongly recommend using this site for anything you need to check.
The Pokémon Database is great for getting quick info on moves or mechanics. This site is quicker to navigate and allows you to find information very quickly.
There are so many databases out there. I recommend checking your Romhacks database or changes document if there is one provided.
Type Chart
Know. Your. Types.
It sounds incredibly simple and borderline numbing, but you really need to know your type chart in and out. The basics are easy, right? Fire beats Grass, Grass beats Water, Water beats Fire. But what about secondary types? What about Water & Grass against Fire & Poison?
You need to know your type chart to know what on paper beats what (scissors of course). Pokémon that are weak to a type will take x2 damage. Neutral will remain the same (x1) and resisting a type will half the damage (x0.5). Some types are immune and will not take any damage at all.
However, given you can have up to 2 types, this then means the damage can be x4 x2 x1 x0.5 x0.25 or x0, as the effects can compound. This means that as per the type chart (Figure 6), you need to multiply effectiveness with eachother.
For example, Crobat resists Breloom incredibly well. As a poison & flying type. Poison resists both grass (x2) and fighting (x2), so it will x4 resist that type (2*2). Both its types x4 resist (take x0.25 damage) both of Brelooms types (grass & fighting). In this vacuum, Crobat does incredibly well against Breloom.
Moves
During battle, you have the option to select one of up to four moves on your Pokémon. It is important to understand what your moves do and when to use them. Imporantly, not all moves are made equally.
At this time, there are simply too many moves to outline which move does what, considering generational changes and customisation in romhacks. If you do not know what a move does, you should use one of the sites. There are many
When considering a move be aware of the following:
Type
The type of the move determines how effective it is against different Pokémon types. As discussed in the type chart(Figure 6).
Category
The category of move determine what exactly it will do.
Physical — uses the user’s Attack and target’s Defense.
Special — uses the user’s Special Attack and target’s Special Defense.
Status — doesn’t deal direct damage, instead causes effects (e.g., Poison, Sleep, stat boosts).
Important to note is that there are generational differences for the moves. Generation 4 introduced the physical special split, meaning in Gens 1-3 a moves category was determined only by typing
Gen 1-3:
Physical types: Normal, Fighting, Flying, Ground, Rock, Bug, Ghost, Steel
Special types: Fire, Water, Grass, Electric, Ice, Psychic, Dragon, Dark
So: Fire Punch and Flamethrower are both special moves.
Gen 4 onward the move is separate from the typing.
Fire Punch is physical and Flamethrower is special.
Power
A number (usually between 20 and 150) that determines how strong the move is.
Status moves usually have no power value.
Accuracy
A percentage chance (1–100%) that the move will successfully hit its target.
Moves like Swift always hit, while others like Thunder may miss.
PP (Power Points)
89i n
How many times the move can be used before it runs out of energy.
Max PP can be increased using PP Ups or PP Max.
Secondary Effects
Some moves will have secondary effects that will make them more unique than others with similar or same Power levels.
Priority
Gen 5
| Priority | Moves |
|---|---|
| +5 | Helping Hand |
| +4 | Detect, Endure, Magic Coat, Protect, Snatch |
| +3 | Fake Out, Quick Guard, Spotlight, Rage Powder |
| +2 | Extreme Speed, Feint |
| +1 | Ally Switch, Aqua Jet, Baby-Doll Eyes, Bullet Punch, Bide, Ice Shard, Mach Punch, Quick Attack, Shadow Sneak, Sucker Punch, Vacuum Wave, Water Shuriken |
| 0 | All Other moves |
| -1 | Vital Throw |
| -2 | None |
| -3 | Beak Blast, Focus Punch, Shell Trap |
| -4 | Avalanche, Revenge |
| -5 | Counter, Mirror Coat |
| -6 | Circle Throw, Dragon Tail, Roar, Whirlwind, Teleport |
| -7 | Trick Room |
Gen 6
| Priority | Moves |
|---|---|
| +5 | Helping Hand |
| +4 | Baneful Bunker, Detect, Endure, King’s Shield, Magic Coat, Protect, Spiky Shield, Snatch |
| +3 | Crafty Shield, Fake Out, Quick Guard, Wide Guard Spotlight |
| +2 | Ally Switch, Extreme Speed, Feint, First Impression, Follow Me, Rage Powder |
| +1 | Accelerock, Aqua Jet, Baby-Doll Eyes, Bullet Punch, Bide, Ice Shard, Mach Punch, Quick Attack, Shadow Sneak, Sucker Punch, Vacuum Wave, Water Shuriken |
| 0 | All Other moves |
| -1 | Vital Throw |
| -2 | None |
| -3 | Beak Blast, Focus Punch, Shell Trap |
| -4 | Avalanche, Revenge |
| -5 | Counter, Mirror Coat |
| -6 | Circle Throw, Dragon Tail, Roar, Whirlwind, Teleport |
| -7 | Trick Room |
Gen 7
| Priority | Moves |
|---|---|
| +5 | Helping Hand |
| +4 | Baneful Bunker, Detect, Endure, King’s Shield, Magic Coat, Protect, Spiky Shield |
| +3 | Crafty Shield, Fake Out, Quick Guard, Upper, Hand, Wide Guard |
| +2 | Ally Switch, Extreme Speed, Feint, First Impression, Follow Me, Rage Powder |
| +1 | Accelerock, Aqua Jet, Baby-Doll Eyes, Bullet Punch, Grassy Glide*, Ice Shard, Mach Punch, Quick Attack, Shadow Sneak, Sucker Punch, Vacuum Wave, Water Shuriken |
| 0 | All Other moves |
| -1 | Vital Throw |
| -2 | None |
| -3 | Beak Blast, Focus Punch, Shell Trap |
| -4 | Avalanche, Revenge |
| -5 | Counter, Mirror Coat |
| -6 | Circle Throw, Dragon Tail, Roar, Whirlwind, Teleport |
| -7 | Trick Room |
Gen 8
| Priority | Moves |
|---|---|
| +5 | Helping Hand |
| +4 | Baneful Bunker, Detect, Endure, King’s Shield, Magic Coat, Protect,Spiky Shield |
| +3 | Crafty Shield, Fake Out, Quick Guard, Upper Hand, Wide Guard, Spotlight |
| +2 | Ally Switch, Extreme Speed, Feint, First Impression, Follow Me, Rage Powder |
| +1 | Accelerock, Aqua Jet, Baby-Doll Eyes, Bullet Punch, Ice Shard, Mach Punch, Quick Attack, Shadow Sneak, Sucker Punch, Vacuum Wave, Water Shuriken |
| 0 | All Other moves |
| -1 | Vital Throw |
| -2 | None |
| -3 | Focus Punch, Shell Trap |
| -4 | Avalanche, Revenge |
| -5 | Counter, Mirror Coat |
| -6 | Circle Throw, Dragon Tail, Roar, Whirlwind, Teleport |
| -7 | Trick Room |
Gen 9
| Priority | Moves |
|---|---|
| +5 | Helping Hand |
| +4 | Baneful Bunker, Burning Bulwark, Detect, Endure, King’s Shield, Obstruct, Protect, Spiky Shield, Silk Trap |
| +3 | Fake Out, Quick Guard, Upper Hand, Wide Guard |
| +2 | Ally Switch, Extreme Speed, Feint, First Impression, Follow Me, Rage Powder |
| +1 | Accelerock, Aqua Jet, Baby-Doll Eyes, Bullet Punch, Grassy Glide*, Ice Shard, Jet Punch, Mach Punch, Quick Attack, Shadow Sneak, Sucker Punch, Thunderclap, Vacuum Wave, Water Shuriken |
| 0 | All Other moves |
| -1 | None |
| -2 | None |
| -3 | Beak Blast, Focus Punch, Shell Trap |
| -4 | Avalanche |
| -5 | Counter, Mirror Coat |
| -6 | Circle Throw, Dragon Tail, Roar, Whirlwind, Teleport |
| -7 | Trick Room |
Flags
STAB
Level-Up
Pokémon will receive access to new moves through leveling up. You should check to make sure you know when they will learn which move, as occasionally it makes sense to delay an evolution, if you are playing with level caps.
Technical Machines (TMs)
Technical Machines (TMs) are items you receive that can teach a Pokémon a specific move. This is frequently a move a Pokémon will not gain access to through level up.
They are single-use from Generation 1 through 4. From Gen 5 onward, they are infinite use.
Move Tutors
Some NPCs in the game will teach your Pokémon specific moves. Frequently, they can be accessed several times, however it does vary from tutor to tutor.
See this list to see what moves can be learned where:
https://pokemondb.net/mechanics/move-tutors
Abilities
Battle
Overworld
Items
Overworld
Consumable
Held
Key
Whilst most key items are not particularly exiting, a lot of them are incredibly interesting and impactful for nuzlocking.
Fishing rods (Old, Good, Super) will allow you to gain access to encounter in areas with water that may not have wild grass encounters. Importantly, many encounter tables with your fishing rods will differ from surfing.
Dowsing Machine / Item finder will help you find hidden items that you may not normally be aware of. They can be impactful for your run.
The EXP Share in modern generations can be a key item, which you can turn off and on, allowing you to grind up weaker Pokémon without putting them at risk.
Vs. Seeker (Gen 3/4) – allow you to rematch trainer for EXP and set EVs as the Pokémon will always be the same.
Special
Stats (BST)
IVs
EVs
Natures
Understanding Your Pokémon
It is incredibly important to actually understand what it is your Pokémon are capable of within the parameters of your nuzlocke. Whilst some Pokémon are generally “good” based on their stats, it’s important to know what your encounters are good at to utilise them appropriately. The important thing is to understand the context in which they are used which determines their “role” in your fight. Base Stat Totals (BST) are a general indicator as to what your Pokémon is capable of. Let’s look at Weavile as an example:
Let’s focus on the stats more so than the typing of the Pokémon for now. Weavile has a 510 BST total, meaning it’s a fairly strong Pokémon. However, it shows two clear strengths: Attack and Speed. Its lowest stat is Special Attack, meaning it won’t do well with Special moves. It has underwhelming defensive stats in HP, Defense and Special Defense. This means that generally speaking, Weavile is a very fast and hard hitting physical attacker, with lackluster defensive stats. This means, it can faint other Pokémon with bad defensive stats or types it that are weak to the used move quite well. However, it is apparent that should it fail, it’s defenses are not sufficient to survive many hits.
Now, lets have a look at the Pokémon in context with the type chart (Figure 6). It is weak to Fire, Bug, Rock, Steel and Fairy for x2 effectiveness and x4 for fighting. So, you would not typically want this Pokémon against these types. Unless, you are looking to use more distinct stragies, like pivoting.
Context
Understanding Your Enemies’ Pokémon
Identifying
Generational Gimmicks
Encounters - ? (no idea what I wanted here)
Terminology
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Dupe | A duplicate encounter you are permitted to skip as per dupes/species clause |
| Sac | Short for sacrifice |
| Pivot | Switching into one Pokémon to then switch into another on a beneficial move |
| Hit/Miss | Hit = good Pokémon , miss = bad Pokémon |
| Edging | When using level caps, you get as much experience as possible in that level so when you get more experience, you level up during the fight |
| Frag | The process of fainting/“killing” an enemy Pokémon |
| Line | Your “line” is your plan |
| Steer | When your line/plan collapses or something unexpected happens you need to “steer” your way back on course |
Advanced Strategies
Building a Line
With all the fundamentals in place,
Building your line can be very simple or incredibly difficult depending on the enemy team. This segment will provide insight into what to consider when looking at enemy teams.
Threat Evaluation
Individual matchups
Going down the line
Slot Compression
Strategies to employ
Sweeping
PP Stalling
Switch In AI
Switch In AI is one of the most important things when preparing your lines in a battle. If you don’t want any surprises, it is vital that you know what comes out when, for you to evaluate who you should bring to your fight.
Unless a Romhack has specified that it has custom Switch in AI - you should use the generation it is built on as your guide.
For example, Emerald Kaizo has no custom AI and will therefore follow Gen 3 logic.
Gen 1
Simply Team Order. That’s it!
Gen 2
Gen 2 impliments a scoring system from -1 to +1. The AI looks at typing of player Pokémon and determines score values to switch-in their next Pokémon. Each Pokémon starts at 0 points and checks the following 2 aspects:
If the Pokémon has a move that is super effective (including status moves) against the player, it gains +1.
If the Pokémon receives super effective from the player, it receives -1.
If Pokémon are tied for the highest score, then team order is prioritised.
Note: If all remaining Pokémon have a score of -1 then switch-in is random!
Gen 3
Gen 3 Switch-in AI is incredibly weird and requires some thought. Typings of Pokémon and moves are pivotal and you may need to do some manual scoring to make sure you know what is going to happen.
Hoever,it can be exploited under the right conditions, allowing you to chain-kill enemy Pokémon if set-up correctly.
Gen 3 has a 2 Phase system that determines the next Pokémon to switch in:
Phase 1
Check for a super effective move against the player Pokémon. If true, it follows the sub-phases below. If not it skips to Phase 2.
If only one Pokémon fits this category, then it will be switched in.
If there are more than one Pokémon then it switches in the Pokémon with the worst type match-up against you.
However, the way it is calculated is convoluted:
The game compares every type individually against each other(maximum of 4 match ups).
Importantly, if your Pokémon has only one type then it is copied to their second slot. So, your Pikachu (only electric type) would be considered Electric/Electric. However, if the enemy Pokémon with a super effective move is mono-type, then it will only see 2 match-ups.
It is very important to note, that the order in which the types are pitted against each other are not fully intuitive and there is this document which provides full insight into which gets scored first.
Pokémon start with a base score of 10 points and then receive points based on the match-ups.
- Immunity multiplies base score by O*
- Resistances halves the score (remember to round down)
- Super Effective Damage double the score
After all of these match ups are calculated the highest scoring Pokémon is swapped in which is the worst type match up Pokémon against yours. Again, if several Pokémon are tied, team order prevails. The only caveat is that if a Pokémon scores a 0 due to type immunity, then it will not be sent out.
Phase 2a
If no Pokémon has a super effective damaging move, then it will select a Pokémon with a super effective status move.
This occurs in team order.
Phase 2b
If no Pokémon has a super effective move, then it will select a Pokémon with the same type of move as the most recently, fainted Pokémon. This does apply to status moves!
Example: You defeat the enemy trainer’s Delcatty (Normal type Pokémon). The trainer has no super effective types against you, so it switches in a Heracross, because it knows Headbutt (Normal Type Move.)
If there are no Pokémon that fulfills this condition or your Pokémon resists that type, then the Pokémon are sent out in team order.
Gen 4
Phase 1
Check for a super effective move against the player Pokémon. Unlike Gen 3, it looks for the best type match up against you.
Starts with 0
Evalutes it’s individual types against the combined typing of your Pokémon.
The Pokémon gains scores as follows:
+4 - if Type 1 is x4 effective (super effective against both your types)
+2 - if Type 1 is x2 effective (super effective against one of your types and neutral to the other)
1 - if Type 1 is neutral against both
0.5 - if Type 1 is neutral against one and resisted by one
0.25 - if Type 1 is resisted by both
0 - If one type is immune
If the Pokémon is a dual type Pokémon then it will run all these scores for it’s second typing and add the scores (maximum 8 points and minimum 0).
If the Pokémon has only 1 type, then it will double it’s score.
Bug Pokémon scoring +8 actually score +1.75 due to a bug in the code.
Phase 2
Highest Damaging Move
When a Pokémon faints it will look at all remaining move Power and see how much damage the fainted Pokémon would do, not the remaining ones.
This is where having a calc is helpful to determine these factors as STAB is included in this.
Gen 5 and beyond
The Generation 5 AI is used for all following Generations.
The Pokémon that is sent out is the High base power move when factoring in type match-ups.
Moves that vary on base damage (i.e Grass Knot or Electroball) are calculated with Base Power of 60
Moves that do a set amount of HP damage or Psywave all are calculated with 1 Base Power
So, you look at the base power of the moves of the enemy Pokémon and multiply it by how effective it would be against your Pokémon:
x 4 - if Type 1 is x4 effective (super effective against both your types)
x 2 - if Type 1 is x2 effective (super effective against one of your types and neutral to the other)
x 1 - if Type 1 is neutral against both
x 0.5 - if Type 1 is neutral against one and resisted by one
x 0.25 - if Type 1 is resisted by both
x 0 - If one type is immune
Calculator
Damage Rolls
Baiting
Pivoting
Slot Compression
Encounter Routing
Repel Manipulation
Play Around the Crit
Tempo
Turn Sequence - indepth
Ability Storage
See - https://www.youtube.com/shorts/bkGXEZHg2_Q
Minimizing Risk
Long Term Evaluation
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