Nuzlocke Challenge

After hearing about this from a friend and finally figuring out how to spell it (thanks, Strife89, for posting your fic) so I can look up the rules, I present to the Nuzlocke Challenge. It's basically a set of rules you impose on yourself as you play through the pokemon games in order to make everything more interesting and harder. The rules can change based on your play style, but here are the most basic ones that define the Nuzlocke:

The Rules:
- Any pokemon that faints is considered dead, and must be released or permanently boxed
- The only pokemon you can catch are the first pokemon you see in each route and nothing else. If it faints, or flees, tough luck.
- You must nickname all your captured pokemon, form strong bonds with them, and love them with all your heart, so their "death" will be more devastating.

Optional Rules:
- A variant on the second rule: You may only catch the first pokemon you see in each route that you do not own already
- "Blacking out" aka losing all the pokemon on your current team is Game Over
- No Pokemon Centers, or
- No healing items
- Limiting Pokemon Center visits
- Limiting the number of pokemon you can have on you at a given time
- Make up your own!

Anyone else doing Nuzlockes? Or maybe have done them already and want to share their thoughts? Discuss the epic tales of your runs and deaths here.

I'm currently planning a Fire Red Omega run when I finally figure out which rules I want to follow. Watch me die horribly on my first run!

Crazy Linoone said:

I'm currently planning a Fire Red Omega run when I finally figure out which rules I want to follow. Watch me die horribly on my first run!

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Haha I found a youtube video where a guy started an FRO run with Smoochum, fought a Nidoran first thing, was poisoned through Poison Point, ran, and died before he could heal. x333

At the beginning of the game, ALWAYS BUY LIKE TEN ANTIDOTES. It helps.

Brock just handed my butt back to me along with the burnt corpse of my team.

I didn't even reach 2 hours ;;

Polymetric Sesquialtera said:

Haha I found a youtube video where a guy started an FRO run with Smoochum, fought a Nidoran first thing, was poisoned through Poison Point, ran, and died before he could heal. x333

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That almost happened to me in the first ~30 minutes with a Poison Sting, but I managed to get to a healing place in time.

I sucessfully did one on a secpnd copy of Ruby.

FUCK. God damned shroomish and beautiflies.

Took me three times to get past the second gym. Then an additional two to bea the fourth.

Total times needed to beat the game((I lost the game)): 23.

I am in the middle of one in Sapphire, as I got borred of doing fire red again.

Status: Just beat Wattson

Nap Electike (L22)
Richie Marshtomp (L22)
Ziggy Zigzagoon (L17)
MAKIT Makuhita (L22)
Cheep Swellow (L22)
Eats Aron (L22)

Stored
Wingull
Beautifly
Roselia

Dead
Nincada

Though I am also doing the rule where you can't catch repeats. So I suppose it makes it easier.

I'm doing this on Sapphire. Have to train loads before Norman, especially since Flannery killed my beloved strongest Mightyena which wouldn't have happened if someone hadn't killed by Marshtomp. That would have made it easier to beat Wattson too. :(

What is the rule about beating a gym leader but then the battery running out after without saving? Is it allowed to beat them again and act that any Pokémon who didn't faint the first time didn't faint? That's what I did but I feel like I cheated.

tryin' one on diamond for kicks.

team so far:
[Top Gun] Starly (lv. 7)
[Sandy] Bidoof (lv. 6)
[Cookie] Turtwig (lv. 6)

heading toward oreburgh. I really wish I had found a Shinx first thing :(

I've done one on Diamond, while watching a livestream of people doing Nuzocke Challenges. Advice for Diamond: watch out for Geodudes and the Machop line. Machop just loves to crit everything you have with Karate Chop coming off a high attack stat, while you have no strong Psychic or Flying-types. Machoke loves to live on 1 HP and then hit you with 120 base power revenge, usually also a critical. And Geodude explodes. Of course.

Highlights were: Managing to solo Gardenia with an underleveled Kricketune. Looking for Snover and finding it in the last possible route where I could. Finding Gible in Wayward Cave, despite its rarity. Finding out that one of the commander's Golbats knows Giga Drain when I had Whiscash out, who managed to survive. Torterra sacrificing itself to KO Dialga. Finding a shiny Mr Mime (it was the 2nd Pokemon in the area but I caught it anyway, I just didn't use it). Fun times.

After literally grinding for 3 hours and getting two pokemon up to level 20 (I accidentally killed everything else because I wasn't paying attention, and my third one is Nosepass and therefore horrible to level), I finally beat Brock.

And now I can hopefully finally get my Running Shoes. Walking around at this speed is painful.

Current team:
[Wazzup] Elekid (level 20)
[Carlita] Shroomish (level 22)
[Pathos] Nosepass (level 12)

Since I kinda need unlimited heals to survive, my only extra rule is battling on Set. Which also means that I need to grind like Giratina's after my tail.

What is the rule about beating a gym leader but then the battery running out after without saving? Is it allowed to beat them again and act that any Pokémon who didn't faint the first time didn't faint? That's what I did but I feel like I cheated.

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Eh, depends on your play style, I guess. There're no real set rules for Nuzlocke, so just do whatever you feel like is right.

I was thinking of doing one before, but now I'm actually gonna try on my Ruby.

I would've named all my Pokemon after friends a la my HeartGold but then I realized they're probably gonna die. So now I'm using medieval names. Should be fun.

Pokemon:

[Sans] Treecko (m) Lvl 8 (Serious)
[Lorencio] Zigzagoon (m) Lvl 2 (Gentle)
[Mack] Poochyena (m) Lvl 3 4 (Quiet)

EDIT: not even at Petalburg and Lorencio kicked the bucket D: but he gave me a Rare Candy so all is good now (god I'm heartless)

I've got one going on my Diamond game that I've been doing for ages. I should pick it up sometime.

My team:
Zaphod the Torterra
Cumin the Staraptor
Waffle the Pachirisu
Helga the Graveler
Scuba the Buizel

Dead:
Quentin the Budew
Frizbee the Zubat
Samus the Sneasel
Tea the Raichu

R.I.P., guys ;;

Nuuuuuu

Just had my first death. RIP Symphonia the Vulpix. Your skill at burning Weedles to death will be remembered...

Everyone: please watch out for all potential Self-Destructing/Exploding pokemon such as Pinecos because those things are evil.

EDIT: Also, GODDAMN DUGTRIO ARENA TRAP my poor carvanha ;;

EDIT2: Finished murdering Dugtrios and Digletts. Jetstream, your death has been avenged!
Also, because I managed to kill off most of the pokemon I'm supposed to catch, I don't have enough in my 'dex to get HM05 (Flash). I sense joyful tunnel exploring ahead....

It's been a while since I played with any stipulations. This looks like it could be fun. Trying one on Fire Red.

Suffice it to say, I'm ignoring species clause. Missed one on Route 3 (another Mankey), but so far managed to avoid any deaths. I've also decided to step it up and prohibit myself from using items in-battle. And I've added a rule where my team can't exceed the levels of any gym leader's pokémon. Thoughts?

LeafGreen, Cerulean City, just beat my rival.

Team:
Jackson the Charmeleon, lv.20
Orson the Mankey, lv.19
Draculina the Zubat, lv.10
Weddstein the Weedle, lv.3

Dead:
Brittany the Rattata, lv.6, died bravely while grinding on Pidgeys.

Started one on my neglected copy of Diamond. So far...

Xavier/Monferno Lv. 17
Flora/Starly Lv. 12
Rocky/Geodude Lv. 11
Shelly/Shinx Lv. 12

So far so good, just beat the first gym and no one is dead yet. That'll probably change once I have to start fighting the Team Galactic admins.

If you return to a route, can you catch the first Pokemon you see upon your return? Also, are different ends of a really long route that are very different (Route 210) still considered as the same route?

Rarity said:

If you return to a route, can you catch the first Pokemon you see upon your return? Also, are different ends of a really long route that are very different (Route 210) still considered as the same route?

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Nope. One pokemon per route, period. This prevents people from cheating via going back and forth between two routes to look for a specific pokemon.

And for the second question... Yes, I'm pretty sure it still counts as the same route.

And now it's time for me to explode Rock Tunnel with no Flash. I sense immense joy and happiness ahead.

Current team:
[Flail] Wailmer Lv 28
[Wazzup] Electibuzz Lv 35
[Kidd] Meowth Lv 17
[Carlita] Breloom Lv 35
[Mole-rat] Diglett Lv 22
[Taylor] Swellow Lv 22

Dead:
[Symphonia] Vulpix
[Jetstream] Carvanha

EDIT: Got through tunnel without needing Flash. Weird.

Also, everyone: watch out for Metronome. That attack is scary.
CLEFAIRY used METRONOME!
CLEFAIRY used EXPLOSION!

I started one of these in Sapphire a couple days ago~ I'm currently in Slateport. 2 Badges and only one lost team member, not too shabby.

My Team:

[Zipper] Wingull F <Keen Eye> (Route 103)
Quirky - Water/Flying - Lv16

[Tammy] Lombre F <Swift Swim> (Route 102)
Brave - Water/Grass - Lv17

[Katniss] Taillow F <Guts> (Petalburg Woods)
Naive - Normal/Flying - Lv17

[Darkly] Sableye F <Keen Eye> (Granite Cave)
Impish - Dark/Ghost - Lv17

[Myrr] Grovyle M <Overgrow> (Starter)
Lax - Grass - Lv17

[Katydid] Nincada F <Compoundeyes> (Route 116)
Naive - Bug/Ground - Lv6 {in-Training}


Dead:
[Chomper] Poochyena M <Run Away>

Darkly took him out with a crit-scratch when I was trying to catch her 8C

Otherwise, I've had some pretty good Pokemon luck so far...

Some more questions before I start:

1) If you see a Pokemon as the first on the route, run, then come across the exact same species again on said route, can you catch that instead?
2) What are the rules on HM slaves?
3) If the first thing you catch on a route is by fishing and you catch it, can you catch something else in the grass on that route?
4) Do different floors of a cave count as different routes?
5) Are you limited to just one Pokemon from a safari area?
6) What are the rules on soft-resetting for starter natures/catching legendaries/legendaries' natures?

Thanks in advance - I'm starting a Platinum Nuzlocke.