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Personal Rules or Traditions?

-Always, ALWAYS use my starter.
-Have 5 PKMN and 1 HM slave.
-Always have one flying type and one water type PKMN for Fly and Surf/Waterfall.
-Always use rare candies just before the champion.
-Keep all my PKMN's levels even (unless I'm desperate to evolve a PKMN.)
-Try to get either a Fighting, Psychic, or Dark PKMN.
-Only raise one slow-exp PKMN (one that eats up a lot of exp points, like Garchomp)
-Never, NEVER, raise a PKMN that eats up THE MOST amount of exp points (like Hariyama)

That's about it, I guess.
 
There's only three I can think of that I've actually stuck with in all my playthroughs:
  • Nickname everyone in the team.
  • Everyone in the team must be of a different type (dual types are fine, so long as one of their types is unique to the rest of the team)
  • Have one Water-type in the team (not really a rule, but I tend to stick one in the team every time for some reason)
 
They are not rules, but I have habits.

- Always use the starter.
- When I reach the E4 I must have 6 Pokemon.
- They all must be nickname by the E4.
- I can't cheat or trade Pokemon into the game.
- If I can have an Eevee I must use it.
- I must have a Dragon on my team.
 
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my rules are: raise starter to level 100, trade a lot and use those traded pokemon, never teach an HM to a team pokemon, and I only use 3 pokemon to finish the game then I catch 3 extra ones to beat the elite
 
I usually play with Nuzlocke rules if I have played the game before, and while if I haven't played it then I use adapted rules where I won't release the pokemon if they faint. Otherwise, same rules, catch the first pokemon you see in the area, whatever it is.
 
I usually play with Nuzlocke rules if I have played the game before, and while if I haven't played it then I use adapted rules where I won't release the pokemon if they faint. Otherwise, same rules, catch the first pokemon you see in the area, whatever it is.

What are Nuzlocke rules? Are they the Hardcore rules I keep hearing about?
 
For me, I always use a starter, I choose the starter depending on a pattern I set by acident. Grass, Fire, Water, Grass, fire....etc. My team will be as close as possible to this: Grass water fire flying tough (steel or rock) and a special agent (A pokemon that can turn the tide of most battles.) This can include legendary pokemon and dual types. I rarely nickname, but if I do it's either a latin word, name with multiple meanings, or Iust stamping a pokemon with "HM SLAVE". Yes, I use those, I use two, fly is the only HM I'll have on a main member. I always keep my pokemon close together in level, except for my starter or a legendary, which will be slightly higher.
 
-Keep all of my Pokémon between 1 level of each other

-Never use the masterball on anything other than a Shiny

-I avoid HM slaves.

-No legendaries.

-Show no mercy, weakness will not be tolerated (lol)
 
I don't enforce anything upon myself as a rule, but I do none the less...
Avoid using starters;
Avoid using legendaries;
Primarily use lightweights;
Play the female character;
Use the Master Ball on the roaming legendary (the reason being more so it won't bother me than to have it);
Maintain a 1:1 gender ratio on the team to counter the potential threat of Attract (of course, genderless species are ideal);
Keep Dasada (Jolteon ♂; Volt Absorb; Gentle) in the most current generation; only use post-game. I suppose this is because he serves as a throwback to the Jolteon I used in the first generation.


What are Nuzlocke rules?
See: https://www.nuzlocke.com/challenge.php
 
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For my non-challenge playthroughs:


  • Always pick female character if possible.
  • Name rival their actual name, whether it be anime or manga based (ex. Rival in RBY/FRLG could be called Gary, Rival in GSC/HGSS could be called Silver)
  • Always pick fire-type starter. I used to solo the whole game with the fire-type starter, but nowadays I actually use a team.
  • In regards to actually using a team, I like to keep them all at the same level, or at least very close.
  • Also, use a team of six.
  • Use multiple HM slaves if needed, but only take them out of the PC when I absolutely have to.
  • I used to only catch and use all female Pokemon, but I don't think I do this anymore because it doesn't really matter.
 
What are Nuzlocke rules? Are they the Hardcore rules I keep hearing about?

Nuzlocke challenge rules are as follows:
  • You can only use the first pokemon you encounter in an area (area can be as loose or rigid as you want [I usually go by new route/area(like victory Road as a whole)/city counts as a new route])
    • This means you can use your starter but can't get any new pokemon in the starting town (usually doesn't happen), and the first pokemon on any route you find is the only one you are allowed to catch, regardless if it faints, runs away, or you don't have an pokeballs. This means, more than likely, you will not catch legendaries.
  • If a pokemon faints, at any point, you must release it. This really makes it a challenge besides having to work with what you get.
    • However, I usually make an exception if I am power leveling or grinding because random pokemon can do the weirdest unexpected stuff sometimes. But this is your personal choice.
There are optional rules too, like itemless, only obtaining pokeballs by those given to you or found on the ground (can't buy them), No healing items, no pokemon centers and so on. But remember, those are all optional rules to make it more of a challenge.
 
Two sort of rules I kept when playing were always catch whatever you found to be cool looking, don't capture something just because you're told it can do well and in the same vein, I don't EV train just because as a kid, I played for fun, to this day I will always just play for fun (and locations and the music).
 
~Always start with Fire-type starter, and keep starter until the bitter end
~The next Pokemon to be caught must be a Flying-type
~Have 6 Pokemon by the 7th-8th Gym Leader
~Out of the 6 Pokemon, 3 of them must be a Grass-type, a Water-type, and a Flying-type(See Rule 2)(And if possible, have the Grass and Water types the other starters as well)
~Name my character the official name give(Johto: Ethan, Hoenn: Brenden, Sinnoh: Lucas, Unova: Touya(Hilbert just sounds soooooo lame) (Kanto was the only one where I named the character Ash instead of Red) )
 
  • Always keep my starter.
  • Always pick the male trainer.
  • Always name my character Spike. Always have, always will.
  • Have an all-around team, usually with a Pokemon that can fly, not always Flying-type.
  • Try to level up my team at least 3 levels higher than the gym leader in the area.
  • Catch any new Pokemon; use the ones I like in a team.
  • Always have a team of six.
  • Keep my team near the same level.
  • And finally, after completing the game, it's Pokedex time!
Well, that's all of them! I think...
 
Rule Number 1 my starter have to be the highest lv pkm in my party, unless everyone else is at lv 100. And always fight gym leader's toughest pkm with my starter!!
 
I tend to always keep my starter within my time. And while it never was a rule set in stone, I usually kind of OCD about keeping all of my pokémon at the exact same level, in addition to that, it's kind of a thing of mine to rarely, if at all, use repel. I used it only once at some point and then figured, I didn't really think it was worth the hassle so I just tolerated running into pokémon every few steps I take in tall grass.

I usually, when beginning a new game, make out a plan in my mind on which pokémon I absolutely want in my team. For every generation, I make it an absolute goal to have my favourite of that generation in my team. For example, Breloom in Hoenn, and Slowbro in Kanto.
 
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- Pick male trainer
- Name trainer Dominic
- No Pokémon nicknames
- All male Pokémon unless gender-specific
- Only catch the 6 Pokémon I intend to use
- No HM slave
- Use starter until the end of the game
- Keep my Pokémon at least within 5 levels
- Never run away from wild Pokémon
- Battle every trainer within that route/cave/etc.
 
My rules for my runs.

Once I catch a Pokemon, I use it on my team. Period.
Don't use more items in battle than the opponent.
Always give a nickname for my team mates.
No HM slaves.
Always level grind before a Gym or the E4.
Always complete the game to 100 percent.
Battle everything.
Plan out effective movesets.
My default name is Seth or Ven.
No uber legendaries such as Mewtwo or Ho-Oh unless underleveled.
Always go with the weakest starter and train it to where it's an actual threat.
 
i have only one rule that makes the game far more interesting.
-whenever you have a ball that ISNT a pokeball, throw it away.
try catching legendarys like that. almost impossible
 
Forgot a few:

~Battle every trainer in area
~Catch every Pokemon you come across(Helps lessen the stress of completing the Pokedex)
~Start completing Pokedex after beating the Pokemon League
~After Diamond, never use any Legendaries
~No nicknames

I usually, when beginning a new game, make out a plan in my mind on which pokémon I absolutely want in my team. For every generation, I make it an absolute goal to have my favourite of that generation in my team. For example, Breloom in Hoenn, and Slowbro in Kanto.

Same. In SS it was Typhlosion, Umbreon, and Scizor and Noctowl. Diamond is was Infernape, Lucario, Staraptor, and Carnivine, in Black is was Emboar, and Zoroark~
 
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