So for those of you who are not aware, I have been a huge fan of Pokemon since I was a kid. Considering the game is as old as I am, As soon as I discovered the world of pokemon through a friend of mine, I was hooked. Funny enough, my discovery of the game was actually not due to the games or the anime itself, but rather the Trading Card Game first. With my first card actually being a Cubone. (Which is why that pokemon is near and dear to my heart.) However, there is one thing I have never done in all of my years of playing pokemon games.
A Nuzlocke.
Now, as for the rules of the game, if you do not know, Is a set of self-imposed rules of the game. Making it have an actual “Game over” Screen when the games themselves don’t actually have one. The following are the rules set forth as a general start.
1, In the start of each area (Route, city, or any other location) the first wild encounter I have, I have to catch that pokemon, and only that one. I cannot catch any other pokemon in that zone or area. Also, if my first encounter in a zone dies, then I cannot just find a new one. Its my one and only chance at a new pokemon.
2, Every pokemon I must name something. In many cases it forces you to have an attachment to the pokemon and it leads into the third rule.
3, Any pokemon that faints, is considered “Dead” and thus cannot be used anymore. I am required to put it in the box. Secondly, if All of my pokemon at any point faint, or I “White out.” which means I lose a pokemon battle, then I lose. Its game over.
Of course, there are many other ways to play the game too. There are other rules you can impose upon yourself when playing the game, and if you want to know more about them, looking them up is best. I will be adding in other rules myself just to make it fun.
4, Repeat clause. Lets say in the first route, I find a Zigzagzoon, and catch it, then I go to the next zone and find for my first encounter again, a Zigzagzoon, I am required to skip it, and reroll for another pokemon. This is good and bad. Good because then it allows me to potentially find a better pokemon. Bad, because if I happen to find a really good pokemon in that zone, I cannot catch another one just like it. IE, I can’t catch 4 Magicarp and have a team of 4 Gyrados. (if you know how powerful Gyrados is in the games, then you know what I mean)
5, I am allowing gift/trade pokemon. I can accept them so long as the area I find them in does not conflict with another pokemon And, should it be a trade pokemon, it can only be IN GAME TRADED. Not training with another player, or with a separate system to get a stronger pokemon. (IE, No Steelix Alakazam, Scizor, etc.)
6, No “X items.” X Items are typically named what stat they increase. For instance, XDefense increases my defense stat by two stages. It is a really broken way to play with these items as I can just put out a pokemon that has a good defense, and throw on two XAttacks and then sweep with little to no problem. Other items that are included are just items that increase stat changes in battle, such as Direhit.
7, I will allow potions or other healing items in battles. Its my first time at a nuzlocke, and the game is significantly harder when playing without items. It requires a type of planning and gameplay style that I do not believe I am ready to deal with yet.
8, My nuzlocke starts as soon as I get pokeballs. That way the Encounter rules can come into play. Since I get a pokemon before pokeballs, I cannot fight other pokemon with it unless required by the game. (It happens in some games where you fight your rival before you can get other pokemon, so I will only do the rival fight before obtaining pokeballs.)
So, now that all the rules are out of the way, I will begin the playthrough, and will record it here with “Episodes”
Waking up inside a moving Van that my mother stuffed me into, Does the normal opening credits and tells me about how pokemon are part of the world. My journey is only now beginning. Great stuff. I pick myself as a Female trainer, and name myself Locke after the Nuzlocke naming. Visit my mom, talk to her and Brendan’s mom, as well as Brendan. (Brendan is your male rival counterpart.)
After walking out to the first route, and seeing that Prof. Birch is being attacked by a Poochyena. Now that I can choose my pokemon that I want to keep, I choose Mudkip. Reasons for it? When a Mudkip evolves into Marshtomp and Swampert, it gains the ground typing, along with its water typing. Making its only weakness, Grass types. Which I know there are very few required grass type fights in the 3rd gen(Remakes) It's a really good pick for pokemon playthroughs. Even more so because Ruby version, has you face Team Magma, who tend to have ground, and Fire types.
A really quick battle ended the threat to the Fat-man professor's life, and so I got mudkip after returning to his lap. Naming the Mudkip “Squirt.” Then, the Professor tells me that his son Brendan, my rival is up on route 103, and he wants me to beat the crap out of him. I oblige and start to head up that direction. Along the way, I encounter a pokemart employee, annoying as ever, because he walks me less than 10 feet away to just give me a potion. While that's nice having a free potion, the music at this point, and being stopped here is always annoying for me.
After that talk, I make my way to Brendan. For Brendan’s first pokemon, he gets the “stronger” option of the starter that I choose. So since I chose Mudkip, he gets Treeko. A grass type pokemon. However, Since this is just a fight of starter pokemon with Tackle/Pound going back and forth, it's just a Tackle Mashing until I beat the Treeko. This will likely be the easiest fight I get in the game.
Now, I have to follow him back home to talk to the fat man himself, so then I can leave Littleroot town. Also, to get the pokedex. And now that I finally have pokeballs, I can start the run. My first encounter? Its actually a set encounter.
In tall grass, if a pokemon is moving or shifting, You can see their tail, or their crest or whatever pop up in the grass. By sneaking over to it, you can get a set encounter that gives you a better chance to catch a stronger pokemon. In this case, it's a Poochyena.(Route 102) The move it has is Howl, a really good set up move, and later the pokemon Mightyena gets Intimidate. An ability to make pokemon it fights drop its attack stat before any turns are done. After catching it, I name the Male Pooch “Percival,” after my own Dog. The moves it knows are Fire Fang, Good for coverage, and Howl. A setup move that increases the attack stat. Likely the best encounter for this area honestly.
Moving on, to the first pokemon battles! They were uneventful. Zigzagoons for two of them, which were fought with Squirt, and his watergun. No threat. A third fight was against a Wurmple, and Percival easily took it down in one hit after a set up with Howl and then a firefang.
Now to meet our Second (kind of) rival. Wally. He looks not imposing at all, and we have to help him catch what is arguably one of the better pokemon evolution lines in the game. A Ralts. So we walk him over to a patch of grass, he catches the pokemon with a pokeball. And off we are to go, literally, Over the river and through the woods, to get to the first City that has a gym. On the way there through route 104, I pick up a Zigzagoon named “Goony.”
After catching it, I decide I need to grind Squirt up a little bit. Some of the fights through the next area are tougher because of the trainers with Zigzagoons, and my own is no where near high enough level to fight it, and its prep for Roxanne and her Gym. Plus, I can fight other Zigzagoons that give Squirt Speed EV’s which will help later game with possible sweeps. And, I’ll grind up Percival in the Forest since most of the pokemon in there are Bug or Grass type. With his Fire Fang, it's super easy. Any other grinding or uneventful battles I’ll just leave out so then I don’t have a massive wall.
Funny enough, The first encounter in the forest is a Tailow. Pretty good Flying pokemon that has good speed, and gets the ability Guts. Named it “Birb.” I didn’t know what else to name it. One thing I forgot about the Forest, is that you have to fight a Team Magma member that is trying to steal something from a Scientist. I mean, you need to get lunch money somehow right? But we can’t stand for that and fight him. He has a Poochyena, I forgot about this fight until it happened. And I was surprised so my Squirt was only level 11, facing off against his level 9. Luckly, its not a difficult fight, just a couple water guns took it down.
In the next Episode! Finally getting to the first Gym.
A Nuzlocke.
Now, as for the rules of the game, if you do not know, Is a set of self-imposed rules of the game. Making it have an actual “Game over” Screen when the games themselves don’t actually have one. The following are the rules set forth as a general start.
1, In the start of each area (Route, city, or any other location) the first wild encounter I have, I have to catch that pokemon, and only that one. I cannot catch any other pokemon in that zone or area. Also, if my first encounter in a zone dies, then I cannot just find a new one. Its my one and only chance at a new pokemon.
2, Every pokemon I must name something. In many cases it forces you to have an attachment to the pokemon and it leads into the third rule.
3, Any pokemon that faints, is considered “Dead” and thus cannot be used anymore. I am required to put it in the box. Secondly, if All of my pokemon at any point faint, or I “White out.” which means I lose a pokemon battle, then I lose. Its game over.
Of course, there are many other ways to play the game too. There are other rules you can impose upon yourself when playing the game, and if you want to know more about them, looking them up is best. I will be adding in other rules myself just to make it fun.
4, Repeat clause. Lets say in the first route, I find a Zigzagzoon, and catch it, then I go to the next zone and find for my first encounter again, a Zigzagzoon, I am required to skip it, and reroll for another pokemon. This is good and bad. Good because then it allows me to potentially find a better pokemon. Bad, because if I happen to find a really good pokemon in that zone, I cannot catch another one just like it. IE, I can’t catch 4 Magicarp and have a team of 4 Gyrados. (if you know how powerful Gyrados is in the games, then you know what I mean)
5, I am allowing gift/trade pokemon. I can accept them so long as the area I find them in does not conflict with another pokemon And, should it be a trade pokemon, it can only be IN GAME TRADED. Not training with another player, or with a separate system to get a stronger pokemon. (IE, No Steelix Alakazam, Scizor, etc.)
6, No “X items.” X Items are typically named what stat they increase. For instance, XDefense increases my defense stat by two stages. It is a really broken way to play with these items as I can just put out a pokemon that has a good defense, and throw on two XAttacks and then sweep with little to no problem. Other items that are included are just items that increase stat changes in battle, such as Direhit.
7, I will allow potions or other healing items in battles. Its my first time at a nuzlocke, and the game is significantly harder when playing without items. It requires a type of planning and gameplay style that I do not believe I am ready to deal with yet.
8, My nuzlocke starts as soon as I get pokeballs. That way the Encounter rules can come into play. Since I get a pokemon before pokeballs, I cannot fight other pokemon with it unless required by the game. (It happens in some games where you fight your rival before you can get other pokemon, so I will only do the rival fight before obtaining pokeballs.)
So, now that all the rules are out of the way, I will begin the playthrough, and will record it here with “Episodes”
Waking up inside a moving Van that my mother stuffed me into, Does the normal opening credits and tells me about how pokemon are part of the world. My journey is only now beginning. Great stuff. I pick myself as a Female trainer, and name myself Locke after the Nuzlocke naming. Visit my mom, talk to her and Brendan’s mom, as well as Brendan. (Brendan is your male rival counterpart.)
After walking out to the first route, and seeing that Prof. Birch is being attacked by a Poochyena. Now that I can choose my pokemon that I want to keep, I choose Mudkip. Reasons for it? When a Mudkip evolves into Marshtomp and Swampert, it gains the ground typing, along with its water typing. Making its only weakness, Grass types. Which I know there are very few required grass type fights in the 3rd gen(Remakes) It's a really good pick for pokemon playthroughs. Even more so because Ruby version, has you face Team Magma, who tend to have ground, and Fire types.
A really quick battle ended the threat to the Fat-man professor's life, and so I got mudkip after returning to his lap. Naming the Mudkip “Squirt.” Then, the Professor tells me that his son Brendan, my rival is up on route 103, and he wants me to beat the crap out of him. I oblige and start to head up that direction. Along the way, I encounter a pokemart employee, annoying as ever, because he walks me less than 10 feet away to just give me a potion. While that's nice having a free potion, the music at this point, and being stopped here is always annoying for me.
After that talk, I make my way to Brendan. For Brendan’s first pokemon, he gets the “stronger” option of the starter that I choose. So since I chose Mudkip, he gets Treeko. A grass type pokemon. However, Since this is just a fight of starter pokemon with Tackle/Pound going back and forth, it's just a Tackle Mashing until I beat the Treeko. This will likely be the easiest fight I get in the game.
Now, I have to follow him back home to talk to the fat man himself, so then I can leave Littleroot town. Also, to get the pokedex. And now that I finally have pokeballs, I can start the run. My first encounter? Its actually a set encounter.
In tall grass, if a pokemon is moving or shifting, You can see their tail, or their crest or whatever pop up in the grass. By sneaking over to it, you can get a set encounter that gives you a better chance to catch a stronger pokemon. In this case, it's a Poochyena.(Route 102) The move it has is Howl, a really good set up move, and later the pokemon Mightyena gets Intimidate. An ability to make pokemon it fights drop its attack stat before any turns are done. After catching it, I name the Male Pooch “Percival,” after my own Dog. The moves it knows are Fire Fang, Good for coverage, and Howl. A setup move that increases the attack stat. Likely the best encounter for this area honestly.
Moving on, to the first pokemon battles! They were uneventful. Zigzagoons for two of them, which were fought with Squirt, and his watergun. No threat. A third fight was against a Wurmple, and Percival easily took it down in one hit after a set up with Howl and then a firefang.
Now to meet our Second (kind of) rival. Wally. He looks not imposing at all, and we have to help him catch what is arguably one of the better pokemon evolution lines in the game. A Ralts. So we walk him over to a patch of grass, he catches the pokemon with a pokeball. And off we are to go, literally, Over the river and through the woods, to get to the first City that has a gym. On the way there through route 104, I pick up a Zigzagoon named “Goony.”
After catching it, I decide I need to grind Squirt up a little bit. Some of the fights through the next area are tougher because of the trainers with Zigzagoons, and my own is no where near high enough level to fight it, and its prep for Roxanne and her Gym. Plus, I can fight other Zigzagoons that give Squirt Speed EV’s which will help later game with possible sweeps. And, I’ll grind up Percival in the Forest since most of the pokemon in there are Bug or Grass type. With his Fire Fang, it's super easy. Any other grinding or uneventful battles I’ll just leave out so then I don’t have a massive wall.
Funny enough, The first encounter in the forest is a Tailow. Pretty good Flying pokemon that has good speed, and gets the ability Guts. Named it “Birb.” I didn’t know what else to name it. One thing I forgot about the Forest, is that you have to fight a Team Magma member that is trying to steal something from a Scientist. I mean, you need to get lunch money somehow right? But we can’t stand for that and fight him. He has a Poochyena, I forgot about this fight until it happened. And I was surprised so my Squirt was only level 11, facing off against his level 9. Luckly, its not a difficult fight, just a couple water guns took it down.
In the next Episode! Finally getting to the first Gym.
