So I may have just finished Platinum, but I felt like trying Black again, so I deleted my file and started again.
Rules of this run:
-Standard rules apply
-Dupes and Shiny Clause are on
-Gift and stationary Pokemon can be caught regardless of if I've caught anything before. However, the Muskedeers are exempt from this rule- I feel like using Forge was a little cheap, and I want to avoid that happening again.
-I'm invoking a sort of 'Trade Clause'. Because I'm not able to take advantage of trading, I will be allowing myself to pass up any Pokemon that needs to be traded to access its final evolution.
According to my traditional rule in my Nuzlockes- use the starter you use least- I've got my least favourite Unova Pokemon on hand- a Quiet Snivy. Joy. I've been enjoying the Redwall series again lately, so in honour of that, I nicknamed him Asmodeus.
So far, I've just been to Route 1 and caught a Patrat called Shrike.
EDIT: All right, so I fought N. Asmodeus took him out with a few Vine Whips. Afterwards, I went to the next route and caught a Lillipup named Louie. I began training him and boxed Shrike.
After hitting level 11 with both Asmodeus and Louie, I progressed onwards (and kind of forgot about the Bianca fight). Immediately, I healed Asmodeus and switched to Louie. Though Bite didn't quite KO it, and she healed, Tackle took it out. I switched back to Asmodeus for her Oshawott and took it out with two Vine Whips.
I took out Cheren, too, and got my Panpour, named Boomer. I started to gromd for the gym. I'll try to evolve Louie before I fight the gym.
EDIT: And that's that! I defeated Cheren. Things went okay for the first bit, but Lillipup delt worrying damage to Asmodeus. I thought he could take it, but it picked up his Oran Berry, so I wasn't risking it and sent out Louie. He finished it, and took out Chili's Pansear with little effort.
EDIT: Oh. Crud. This doesn't bode well.
So I went to go train in the Dreamyard, when guess what? Wild Musharna. And Asmodeus ended up dying to it... I have a feeling this isn't going to be a good Nuzlocke if my starter's dead, and this soon...
I'll keep going with just Louie. I hope so much that I'll get something good on the next route to support him with... At least Louie hits like a truck. I haven't lost hope yet.
I went onto the next route with Boomer the Panpour as backup. There, I defeated Cheren and caught my next encounter- a lonely Pidove which I nicknamed Maddie. I have a feeling I'm going to regret it, though, if she dies, given her sentimental name. From there, I progressed the story in Wellspring Cavern and caught my next team member, Havoc the Modest Drilbur.
After that, I progressed to Nacrene, caught Metronome the Calm Tympole, and began grinding for the gym.
EDIT: I finished up grinding. I put away Boomer, and took out Shrike. Those who saw my previous attempt at a Black Nuzlocke will know what happened with him. N was kind of a cakewalk with such high levels- Louie OHKO'd Pidove and Tympole, while Maddie took care of Tympole.
After an easy gym with Louie wrecking everything with Rock Smash, I went to fight Lenora. I led with Metronome and Supersonic. Though his defence was lowered with a Leer, her Herdier hit itself and I finished it off without consequence. I sent out Shrike then to take the boosted Retaliate. He didn't stand a chance. I got a free switch-in with Louie, though, and although he took a Retaliate, two Rock Smashes were enough to finish it.
EDIT: I carried on with the game, dealing with Team Plasma twice over and caching two new Pokemon, Aries the Cottonee and Rocco the Sandile. I opted to box them both, though. I sincerely hope that I'll be able to catch something good soon- all I pretty much have are Normal and Ground types. Havoc ended up taking a critical Razor Leaf, which he survived with 2HP.
I defeated Burgh, though. Maddie 2HKO'd Whirlipede with Air Cutter, Metronome defeated Dwebble with Bubblebeam, and to finish, Maddie dealt Leavanny a critical Air Cutter. It didn't survive.
I progressed a little and caught my newest teammate, Lock-On the Hasty Darumaka, and began training him. Afterwards, I went on and caught Clockwork the Dwebble and Enigma the Yamask.
My nicknames make no sense, do they?
EDIT: I actually defeated Elesa pretty easily, deapite having nothing to counter her Zebstrika. As I tore through the gym, Havoc evolved ito Excadrill. He cleared through both her Emolgas remarkably easy, while, though Louie took a pretty powerful Spark and got paralysed as a result of it, he managed to hit it with a particularly powerful Dog that wiped it out in one hit.
I'm considering reorganising my team to deal with Clay. I'm going to wait and see if I get a Deerling before I do anything. If I do, I'll likely replace either Louie or Maddie with them. As useful as they both are, having two normal types that serve similar roles is a little redundant. At least Havoc and Metronome have two radically different types.
Regardless, I'll train to level 35 (36 with Louie) before I make any decisions. I gave Maddie a couple of Rare Candies, however, so that she evolved. Tranquill is a little more fragile around level 30 or so.
EDIT: Well, my luck's getting better! My encounter for that Route ended being a Serious Deerling which I nicknamed Bucko. Though he's had a few close calls from Jump Kick, I managed to get him to level 32 with the rest of my team. I went to the Cold Storage, caught Neapolitan the Vanillite, and resumed training.
Because I lucked out with Bucko, I'll train to level 34. That should suffice. I evolved Lock-On, though- it was only one more level.
EDIT: I finished grinding and evolved both Clockwork and Bucko. I'll be taking on the gym now.
EDIT: I defeated Clay easily. Metronome and Bucko took out Krokorok and Palpitoad easily. Excadrill was a little more problematic, but Scald managed to burn it and weaken its inevitable Rock Slide.
After the battle, Metronome evolved.
EDIT: I defeated Skyla, and contrary to how I believed, without danger from Swanna! It and Swoobat were OHKO'd by Rock Slide. Unfezant resisted it, but I took it out quickly too.
EDIT: I made it through Twist Mountain- unfortunately, however, losing Clockwork on the way due to a Sawk. I decided to rework my team and put on my two latest catches, Halberd the Axew and an unnamed Mienfoo. I boxed havoc, preferring to use the faster Halberd in hopes that she and the Mienfoo might be a good counter to Ghetsis' dreaded Hydreigon.
EDIT: Halberd evolved, and I came up with a proper name for my Mienfoo. I decided upon 'Whiplash'. Now I'm just hoping that she'll live.
So I just defeated both Brycen and Drayden. They were kind of really easy- three Fire Punches from Lock-On and Dragon Claws from Halberd respectively were enough to defeat them. And now- to the Pokemon League!
...once I hit level 55. Speaking of, Halberd and Whiplash reached their final stages.
Cheren's Liepard almost crit-killed Whiplash. 1HP. That's how much she survived by. One more point, and my Nuzlocke would pretty much be doomed.
EDIT: Guys.
Lock-On's dead.
I was fighting Corey's Sawk. I used my new Vullaby's Toxic on it, and figured he'd be safe to switch into. I thought he could finish it. But he couldn't. And now... The Darmanitan I relied on for so much is just... Gone.
I'm replacing him with my Litwick. Renaming it because of a shared nickname between it and my Druddigon. Not sure whether I want to keep using Full Moon, or return Maddie to my team now that I have an extra counter for Ghetsis' Cofagrigus. Maddie'll at least come through the E4.
EDIT: I started on the Elite 4. Marshall was easier than anticipated- though his Throh's Stone Edge left Maddie with 49HP, I Roosted while he healed and switched to Whiplash. Acrobatics managed to finish it. I went back to Maddie, and though I expected her to die to Stone Edge, she dodged both its and Sawk's and took them both out with a Fly and Return.
The battle with Caitlin was an easy Farewell sweep. Her Sigilyph outsped and hit with Shadow Ball, but Farewell retaliated with his own.
Almost had a clean sweep with Whiplash against Grimsley, too. His Scrafty survived a Drain Punch, but she remedied that with a Jump Kick. The rest of the battle was a cinch for her. Drain Punches and Jump Kicks destroyed everything.
Shauntal was remarkably easy, too. Cofagrigus was OHKO'd by Farewell, Metronome took out Golurk with the help of Curse, Bucko managed to take out Jellicent with a Horn Leech, and Metronome again took out Chandelure with a Dig and damage from her Rocky Helmet.
Here's my review on my final team. I'm mentioning Maddie, though, for her huge role in the story.
Team for the Elite 4/N
:537: (Swift Swim)
Metronome, level 58
Female
Calm, Likes to fight
Surf/Dig/Drain Punch/Scald
Caught at Pinwheel Forest, level 12
I honestly never expected Metronome to last this long, seeing as I've found Tympoles lackluster before. However, Metronome's the go-to member of my team, what with her rather impressive power and her lack of weaknesses. I've always kind of liked Seismitoad, so I'm glad I could use one that would justify me liking it.
:586: (Chlorophyll)
Bucko, level 58
Male
Serious/Likes to relax
Jump Kick/Leech Seed/Horn Leech/Return
Caught on Route 6, level 23
Bucko may have just been insurance against Clay, but he filled the Grass slot on my team, and pretty dang efficiently too. Though not quite as reliable as Metronome and Lock-On both where, when it was Bucko's time to shine, he did it spectacularly.
:612: (Mold Breaker)
Halberd, level 58
Female
Hardy/Often scatters things
Swords Dance/X-Scissor/Poison Jab/Dragon Claw
Caught in Mistralton Cave, level 30
Fortune shone upon me when I found Halberd. Though a little lacking in her lower stages, Halberd turned out to be another core member of the team- and better yet, she wasn't kept from her true potential by Rivalry! Dragon Claw will most likely destroy anything foolish enough to stand in her way, and though I'd much rather replace Poison Jab with Earthquake, she's at least another possibility for Ghetsis' dreaded Hydreigon, should Whiplash ever fall.
Incidentally, she has the same nature as my shiny Haxorus from Y, Tuscany.
:620: (Regenerator)
Whiplash, level 58
Female
Adamant/Alert to sounds
Drain Punch/Acrobatics/Work Up/Jump Kick
Caught at Dragonspiral Tower, level 30
Whiplash may have initially been intended as a foil to Ghetsis' Hydreigon, but with her Adamant nature and phenomenal Speed IV, Whiplash turned into a devastating force that very little can survive (provided that she doesn't miss with Jump Kick, of course). I wouldn't be surprised if she was the one carrying the team.
:630: (Overcoat)
Full Moon, level 58
Female
Impish/Quick-Tempered
Faint Attack/Fly/Toxic/Bone Rush
Caught at Badge Check, level 39
Full Moon's a little odd. I'm not really used to using a dedicated tank, but... Moony does her job well? She's also my lead against N to entice out a Fusion Bolt, and against Ghetsis' Cofagrigus.
:609: (Flame Body)
Farewell, level 58
Male
Quiet/Good endurance
Shadow Ball/Will-O-Wisp/Hex/Flame Burst
Caught at Celestial Tower, level 26
I still miss Lock-On... Though I digress. Farewell was added late because of Lock-On's death. At least he fills a specific role I desperately needed well.
:521: (Big Pecks)
Maddie, level 54
Female
Lonely/Often lost in thought
Fly/Return/Roost/Work-Up
Caught on Route 3, level 7
I'm going to say it right now. Maddie will not be on my final team. However, I can't write up this without mentioning her. She was the Pokemon that gave me hope for the Nuzlocke after Asmodeus' death. She's been on my team, always a reliable member, throughout this journey. At first I thought I just lucked out with Fluster in White 2. After all, my regional birds tend to die. But both of my Unfezants have defied this curse. And though I can't say that Maddie was on my final team, I can at least say that she was my second Unfezant to clear the Elite 4.
Final battles:
Reshiram was caught with one Quick Ball. Though I'm not using it, I called it Rhea.
N's Zekrom was taken out with little consequence. I got a free switch-in to Metronome due to Fusion Bolt, and Dug, which took it down to half-health. Her Rocky Helmet did damage to it twice before she finished it with Scald and its burn. Kingklang fell to Whiplash's Drain Punch, as did Vanilluxe and Zoroark. Though Archeops surived Drain Punch, and N healed, two more finished it. I switched to Bucko for Carracosta. It survived a Horn Leech due to Sturdy, but Bucko survived Stone Edge and finished it.
I led with Full Moon against Ghetsis. I used Toxic on Cofagrigus, and took it out within two Faint Attacks. Next came Bisharp and Whiplash. Drain Punch took care of it. His Bouffalant was next. I took out that with Jump Kick. Then the dread Hydreigon came. Jump Kick was enough for that, too. Then Eelektross. That Pokemon that's been my bane in Nuzlockes. I sent out Metronome for that, Scalded it, and burnt it. The damage done by that and her Rocky Helmet was enough to finish it with a second. And lastly, Bucko OHKO'd his own Seismitoad with Horn Leech.
And, thus, ended my Nuzlocke, with a final result of four deaths.
I'm surprised I got it all in one post.
Deaths:
:495: Asmodeus, male, level 5-15 (Killed by a wild Musharna)
:504: Shrike, level 2-7 (Sacrificed against Lenora's Watchog)
:558: Clockwork, female, level 20-42 (Killed against the Sawk in Twist Mountain.)
:555: Lock-On, male, level 20-47 (Killed against Corey's Sawk. Worst death in all of my Nuzlocking career by far. Lock-On had been such a reliable member, and a Pokemon whose personality came to me so easily that it did genuinely hurt when he fell.)
