Reasonable Path for Nuzlocke Hard (part 2)

General Discussion Guides
1

Contents:

Part 1

  • I. Introduction
  • II. Starting tips, rules, tricks
  • III. Catching order for Nuzlocke encounters + level caps

Part 2

  • IV. Quick overview of Items
  • V. Quick overview of Strategies and Battles
    • 1. Quick overview of battle planning
    • 2. Quick overview of main Pokemons with strategies
    • 3. Quick main counters in major battles

Previously: Reasonable Path for Nuzlocke Hard (part 1)

IV. Quick overview of Items

Starting invaluable items on your path
(use wiki to get particular information on exact places)

  • Cult of Darkrai: Ice Heal, Awakening, Burn Heal, Repel
  • Shade Forest: Super Potion
  • Telnor Cave: Hard Stone, Super Potion
  • Route 1: Full Heal
  • Midna Town: Psychic Gem, Leftovers, TM 128 Work Up, Super Potion
  • Midna Mine: Super Potion, Awakening, Full Heal, Burn Heal, Soft Sand (Rock Smash)
  • Route 2: Old Rod, Ice Heal
  • Ancient Ruins: Outside: Dusk Ball, Super Potion. Inside: 2 Super Potions, Charcoal, TM 104 Silver Wind, Rare Candy, Spell Tag
  • Cyan Cavern: Magnet
  • Suntouched City: 3 Friend Balls, 2 Heart Scales, Moon Stone, Shiny Stone, Normal Gem, Lava Cookie, ennumerous Lemonades, and other healing items available
  • Suntouched City Exitway: TM 124 Struggle Bug

V. Quick overview of Strategies and Battles

1. Quick overview of battle planning

2. Quick overview of main Pokemons with strategies

  • Riolu (guaranteed): Swords Dance (Heart Scale) with Focus Sash and sweeping attack, including priority one
  • Pancham: 100% accuracy Circle Throw to guarantee force-switch foe and nullify any buff
  • Delta Aipom: Perish Song to force-switch foe and nullify any buff
  • Wynaut: Shadow Tag can prevent fleeing
  • Dratini: Dragon Dance and coverage
  • Sturdy/Carbink: invaluable for Gym 1 Charmeleon to outheal with Lemonade to full
  • Shieldon: PP-stall with abundant healing, since a guaranteed Sturdy

3. Quick main counters in major battles
(in a sketchy way)

There are 10 main battles (use abovementioned Damage Calc and Pastebin to plan!) on your way to Helios City:

  • Damian
    Corphish, Delta Charmeleon, Eevee, Delta Wartorle, Delta Ivysaur: Durant [49 HP or 20 SpDef to survive Water Pulse crit]
    Luxio: Rotom

  • Nora
    Honedge, Trapinch, Bayleef, Sewaddle, Totodile: Durant
    Quilava: Rotom or Delta Charmeleon, but not really

  • Ancient Ruins Abyssal Cultist
    Horsea: Rotom [31 Def or 49 HP; beware of Rain Dance crit, so start with Thunder Wave], Finneon
    Skrelp: Rotom [or first Durant to outheal Rotom]
    Corphish: Rotom [Thunder Shock to minimise the chance of potential second Swords Dance], Finneon, Qwilfish, Durant [beware of Swords Dance Water Gem Aqua Jet]

  • Suntouched Gym 1
    Vulpix: Gyarados [51 SpDef and 83 HP or 48 Speed to avoid casualty on lowered stat from Energy Ball]
    Deerling: Durant
    Ivysaur: Durant
    Charmeleon: Any with Sturdy/Carbink. If no, Corsola, Octillery, Relicanth, Shellder
    Delta Aron: Gyarados, Shellder [Supersonic, switch to Gyarados if Dig]

  • Nora Metchi
    Honedge: Qwilfish, Durant
    Golbat: Qwilfish, Durant
    Swadloon: Durant
    Floette: Qwilfish
    Bayleef: Durant
    Trapinch: Gyarados [Def+HP distribution: 50+97, 49+99, 48 or 47+103, 46+105, Arena Trap fails so can switch], Durant
    Croconaw: Qwilfish, Gyarados
    Quilava: Any with Sturdy/Carbink to PP-stall, Relicanth, Corsola
    Celebi: Durant

  • Vipik Gym 2
    D.Meltang: Blastoise
    Heracross: Togetic
    Croagun: Gyarados, Tentacruel
    Tentacruel: Tentacruel
    Gengar: Shieldon [paralysed, underlevelled with less than 80 max HP to sustain Explosion and full-heal with Lemonade]
    Beedrill-Mega: Durant

Since then you can PP-stall with Bastiodon and Hyper Potions

  • Rezzai Damian

  • Perfection Taen

  • Helios Gym 3

  • Helios Augur
    Rayquaza-Mega: Delta Ambipom with Focus Sash Perish Song, Bastiodon with Rocky Helmet, heal with Sturdy

Since then you have a decent varirty and are set free to plan for the ultimate challenge.
You have all tools for that.

  • Elite Four/League
    You can have some guaranteed encounters that are known as good for that challenge, including Excadrill, Metagross-Delta-Spider, Scizor-Delta, Haxorus-Mega, Chandelure-Delta, Haxorus-Delta, Gallade-Delta/Gardevoir-Delta and many-many more.
    The only exception is Delta Snorlax due to Durant Hidden Grotto first encounter. Just remember you cannot use items. And there are a lot of guides on the matter, with exact teams and strategy.

As a sidenote

In fact the first battles are the hardest as there is no way you can guarantee your win without casualties if all goes wrong or even cannot guarantee your win (with worst natures).

We might need a more profound step-by-step strategy for the first four battles that increases the chances.

Of course, Sand-Attack, Thunder Wave, Double Team are essential as your first move, to outheal under foe’s miss. But some examples:

  • Damian Corphish Water Pulse can confuse. Moreover, in worst case the lowest roll of Corphish Water Pulse is more that 20 HP (and you may run out of Super Potions)
  • Ancient Ruins Abyssal Cultist Corphish priority move Aqua Jet under Swords Dance in worst case can OHKO Durant on crit, may wipe anyone else without crit, and there are no counters
  • Gym 1 Charmeleon. Nothing can sustain under Sun Crit (if no sturdy) with bad luck. Corsola and Relicanth are best to sustain without crit, and Shellder to avoid a hit with Protect under Sun and switch. Whereas Qwillfish Toxic Spikes can be absorbed by Ivysaur. With several causualties you will win here though

However!

Since Gym 1 it is neat to proceed.
So all odds that YOU gonna make it!
Starting Luck that you need to succeed
May score You a Win with no fainting!

1 Like