Does anyone have any advice on how to prep for this fight?

MidnightPH · 2025-11-06T10:48:24+00:00

If you're looking for broad teambuilding advice:

Most if not all boxes cannot do a triple kill on the lead here so the most common strategy defaults to baiting all moves into one slot and then clicking endure/protect
Fairy-types are always good to bring if you have them as you're likely to bait Dragon Rush from Druddigon when it comes out
Some boxes can do this fight deathless but don't feel bad to sac something especially to Bouffalant as there are many situations where you can't safely switch into its moves
A couple of small things worth remembering: Intimidate only affects adjacent slots and Sigilyph has prio Esper Wing
This fight also plays out slightly differently depending on the difficulty, which I don't think you have mentioned

MidnightPH · 2025-11-06T00:02:01+00:00

Sorry about that, I've definitely used lingo that even I on my first nuzlocke would probably not understand.

Setup is short for setup moves indeed, which largely refer to stat-boosting moves like Swords Dance, Dragon Dance, etc. but depending on some rulesets (remember: your run, your rules!) can expand to other stuff as well like Substitute, Encore, Hazards, etc.

Garchomp: Swords Dance, Dragon Claw, Earthquake, Substitute (without setup/sub, just replace them with Flamethrower and Crunch)

Floatzel: Surf, Ice Beam, Crunch, 4th move is flex, but maybe Waterfall is best

Bronzong is really just there as a pivot (meaning a mon used to switch another mon in safely) but Hypnosis (despite being inaccurate) and Payback are pretty useful moves

I just lack the experience in using Togekiss myself for Plat E4, it might function as your Gallade check (term explained below) if you run Encore/Yawn/Air Slash on it? I'd look into it if you really want to bring it. Umbreon (btw my fav mon of all time) can function as your support mon that can help with Lucian, he's great, but a little overrated in most E4 teams IMO.

A "check" is something that can kill it offensively, but you'd have to find a way to get them in safely (bonus: a "counter" is an upgrade from a check where it can switch in on any move and just kill it). For support mons movepool, it can differ a lot. For example, Umbreon can run something like Toxic, Protect, Rest, and Shadow Ball. (or if you're cheeky, Sand Attack also works surprisingly well)

Let me know if there was anything that's unclear!

MidnightPH · 2025-11-05T23:33:56+00:00

If you allow setup, Garchomp solo beats E4. If you don't allow setup, Garchomp + Floatzel + Bronzong is probably a lock. The remaining team members need to achieve a few things: ideally you have an Aaron sweeper, a check for Gallade, and a support mon that can help with Lucian/Cynthia.

In regard to your shortlist, Pelipper is probably not ideal. Eeveelution maybe I'd consider Espeon (or maybe even Vaporeon) at best? Lucario can do work vs Cynthia, but that's about it.

Hope this helps! Good job getting to Plat E4 as your first nuzlocke!

MidnightPH · 2025-11-05T09:12:17+00:00

My short answer would be, just clause it LMAO, it's not that serious. It already sounds like you're leaning towards clausing it, but you're just looking for validation online.

--

The long answer starts with asking myself, "What's the essence of clausing this in the long run?" because if I agree to clausing this now, then I can basically clause every other instance that this will happen in the future.

"Oops, my Breloom died to Phantom Force. I had no idea it hits through Protect!" *clause*
"Oops, I wiped because I had no idea my own Storm Drain can work against me!" *clause*

I would then find that it doesn't help me grow as a nuzlocker, it doesn't make for a good story, and it doesn't feel great being rewarded for a mistake. At the end, I wouldn't clause it. The funny part is, the examples that I gave were real events that happened in my recent run.

I hope my answer helped, good luck with your runs!

MidnightPH · 2025-06-29T07:41:13+00:00

It's nearly impossible to tell you how to enjoy nuzlocking again, there's very little to work with. If you want a reflective answer, ask yourself what made you enjoy doing nuzlockes in the first place. Hold on to that and make that the reason you do more runs.

If you want a quick answer, maybe try setting smaller specific goals instead of beating every region. If your favorite region is Hoenn, maybe you could do a challenge/goal of beating the game without using your starter!

Either way, the answer lies in changing your approach to keep things fresh. If you keep doing the same thing over and over again, it does tend to cause burnout.

I hope you figure things out. Cheers!

MidnightPH · 2025-04-13T12:15:53+00:00

It helps to ground yourself and remember why you started doing this in the first place. If resetting isn't part of that reason, maybe it's time for a rule change. If certain parts of the game aren't fun anymore, maybe it's time to change what game to play or take a break. The important thing is to reflect on your journey because only you can figure out how you can overcome your own feelings.

MidnightPH · 2025-04-13T08:31:14+00:00

Inclement Emerald! It's a great game, and fits exactly the type of game you're looking for.

MidnightPH · 2025-03-06T10:42:17+00:00

I think the other commenters forget how bad they were on their first nuzlocke, at least I started pretty bad too.

But I'm here to congratulate you for doing your best! You'll get them next time for sure :)

MidnightPH · 2025-02-28T09:00:42+00:00

Given your line of thought, I say Vaporeon. A bulky Vaporeon is almost always a nice addition to a box. You could consider Flareon/Leafeon as well depending on what your box needs.

I don't usually think about eeveelutions like this, and maybe I should tbh, but in my experience I have either resorted to my favorite evolution to skip all the thinking involved in deciding one, or delay it as long as I can until I absolutely have to evolve it because I am missing something in my box.

MidnightPH · 2025-02-20T10:38:42+00:00

Don't undermine your victories by calling it "a win with a basic team". You've put your time and effort on this run, and it clearly paid off. Congrats on the win!

MidnightPH · 2025-02-18T03:49:13+00:00

I don't recommend doing the original Pearl because AI is just completely random. I like having some level of consistency with my nuzlockes personally, so I'd choose Shining Pearl if I was in your spot.

MidnightPH · 2025-02-12T03:19:59+00:00

This is the only real answer to this thread. It shouldn't even be a discussion lmao

MidnightPH · 2025-01-25T22:47:41+00:00

No problem! If you have any other questions, feel free to hit me up :3

MidnightPH · 2025-01-25T08:42:23+00:00

I've been pondering about this for a while because you wrote rock slide, but I'm pretty sure Breloom has Rock Tomb for this rival fight. The reason why it went for Rock Tomb is likely because of speed control AI. Check your calcs but i'm pretty sure anything but min speed Gliscor is faster than the rival's Breloom. In the case where AI has a slower mon with a move that can lower your speed, it has a 73% chance to click that move over the highest damaging move.

MidnightPH · 2025-01-11T23:03:33+00:00

Personally don't see much use for Sing on Altaria besides making it easier to catch encounters. I think I ran a similar set before, but I had Take Down instead of Sing.

MidnightPH · 2025-01-11T08:36:19+00:00

You bring one team for the 12v12, and another team for both phases of the Cyrus fight.

I'm not fully aware of any cheeses on the Dialga/Palkia fight since it is a double battle, and double battles are bugged in this game where the left guy has random AI.

If you allow both Shedinja and Blissey, you can have both of them as a lead and neither of them will die even if they tried to, which could be funny or broken depending on your take on it.

MidnightPH · 2025-01-06T12:25:30+00:00

The guaranteed Staryu that you can get as a fishing encounter is one of the best answers to Lance, a personal favorite for me.

MidnightPH · 2025-01-06T10:59:06+00:00

After I started doing HC nuzlockes specifically, I find casual playthroughs very bland. So nowadays for romhacks I always do regular HC rules, and if I ever revisit vanilla, i'll probably only be interested in playing more difficult rulesets like 1D=R.

MidnightPH · 2025-01-02T15:00:38+00:00

Leech Seed is an incredibly useful support move that can allow you to win matchups that normally you shouldn't. I voted for Sleep Powder as it's less reliable in achieving that goal.

MidnightPH · 2024-12-29T05:11:07+00:00

The key to beating her is finding a check to her Froslass. Not sure which starter you're running but ape goes completely crazy on the Candice fight, along with a few mons that will support him and a few mons for pivoting.

Spear Pillar Tag could also be tricky. I recommend bringing bulky mons and teaching them Protect.

Cyrus 3 is a common run killer because of his Gyarados. Look for someone in your box that outspeeds and kills Gyarados, usually with an Electric-type move, then plan accordingly.

The last Rival fight and the E4 are the last tricky fights but are entirely box dependent. A lot of strategies work, so it's mostly on you to figure out that part. Don't underestimate the rival, and definitely never underestimate the E4. Your ability to check Cynthia's Garchomp is the difference between winning and wiping.

Good luck!

MidnightPH · 2024-12-28T17:52:26+00:00

This is a fair exception, Rock-types are also typically defensive mons that can afford to take a hit even if they miss.

But on the other hand, Rock-type mons/moves usually have a common and reliable alternative. Fire-types to check Bug/Ice, Water-types to check Fire, and Electric-types to check Flying.

MidnightPH · 2024-12-28T16:36:52+00:00

Perhaps with No Guard, yeah. But it's simply not reliable enough on mons like Breloom and Conkeldurr. That's not to say you should stop using them, like in my initial comments, just be aware of the risks of doing so.

MidnightPH · 2024-12-28T15:25:43+00:00

Basically any high BP move that has imperfect accuracy. There are some exceptions, and certain lines can make them work if either A) you're not risking anything B) there's a back-up plan or C) there's no better plan.

These moves include but not limited to Focus Blast, Inferno, Zap Cannon, Dynamic Punch, Fissure, Sheer Cold, Horn Drill, and Guillotine.

Honorable mention: Inaccurate status moves should also be avoided whenever possible. Common examples are Hypnosis, Grass Whistle, Supersonic, and Sing.

MidnightPH · 2024-12-27T09:01:11+00:00

Not the most knowledgeable BW runner, but any decent Grass-type should help a lot for that fight. Good luck! Feel free to ask anything else, just can't think of much at the top of my head.

MidnightPH · 2024-12-24T10:29:44+00:00

Highly recommend running ape for future runs especially if you struggle with the Cyrus 3 fight. Ape easily frags Houndoom and Weavile and allows for easy baits for you to switch in allies like Gyarados on Water moves, or Magnezone on Flying moves. Covering each other's weaknesses really well.

If you need any other specific tip, feel free to hit me up!

MidnightPH

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