[Event] The Infernal Parade [Halloween Challenge 2024]

[Reginald Cosmic]

I'm ready to declare the team! I'm assembling the dream team, and we're going to pull the heist of the century by stealing that W from this thread just for fun! We don't even want that shiny virtual mon! Try that on for size!

WANTED: Tropius

I chose Tropius to hack in as one of the two starters because it's a grass-type which means it can crush Brock's Pokémon gravel and steal his girl, then hard-carry a Magikarp to evolution, then beat the tar out of Misty's team. Tropius will have the final moveset of Miracle leaf, Aerial Ace, Fly, and Strength

(+10) One 4x weakness to ice

(+10) Base speed stat at 60 or lower

(+10) Both attacking base stats at or below 80

(+5) No Status Moves at all by Level 25

(+6) Two HM moves

(-3) One TM move (Aerial Ace)

Total: +38 points

WANTED: Claydol

Claydol is another hacked stater, a psychic type, which as we all know were busted in Gen 3 Kanto (completely bonkers in Gen I but that's beside the point). Claydol can fire so many Psybeams. Claydol will have the final moveset of Psybeam, Earthquake, Ancient Power, and Cosmic Power.

(+15) Six or more weaknesses

(+8) Reaches its second and final form at Level 35 or higher

(+10) Both attacking base stats at or below 80

(-3) One TM move (Earthquake)

Total: +30 points

WANTED: Butterfree

Butterfree is an early catch in Viridian Forest. (Sorry, Pikachu, I can't catch you this time. I got bigger plans that don't involve a Raichu.) This thing will (hopefully) knock out Brock's Geodude, but once it reaches Level 25, it'll mostly be for status moves, though it will pack a powerful psychic-type move. Butterfree will have the final moveset of Stun Spore, Sleep Powder, Poison Powder, and Psybeam

(+6) Reaches final evolution by lv 15 by level up

(+10) Both attacking base stats at 80 or lower

(+15) Base stat total below 460

(+10) No STAB move at lv 25 and later

Total: +41 points

WANTED: Gyarados

Gyarados is rad. Do you want me to spell it out? ... Okay, Gyarados won't provide many points, but it is really strong for the team. Gyarados will have the final moveset of Return, Surf, Bite (thanks, Darkglasses), and Splash (What the hecc?)

(+10) One 4x weakness

(+5) No status moves once reaching Level 25

(+6) Splash (It's just a splash.)

Total: +18 points

WANTED: Exeggutor

Exeggutor will be a late addition arriving once I get to the Safari Zone, and look, the Safari Zone even has a Leaf Stone for this guy (though I won't evolve it until Level 40). It does come with a 4x weakness to bug-types, but let's be real. That's just for the points. I'm not gonna lose to a bug-type in Gen 3 Kanto. The final moveset is Giga Drain (TM), Psychic (by TM), Sleep Powder, and Reflect (by TM)

(+10) One 4x weakness to bug

(+15) Six or more weaknesses

(+10) No type other than the ones listed in that one rule (eg, Psychic/Grass)

(+8) Does not evolve until Lv 40

(-6) Three TMs

Total: +37 points

WANTED: Slowbro

Finally, the moment you've all been waiting for: Slowbro. His final moveset will include Psychic, Surf, Amnesia, and Headbutt

(+15) Base speed at 30

(+8) Reaches its second and final form at Level 35 or higher

Total: +23 points

Billy Mays: "But I'm not done yet!"

I'm going higher! [Fires giant laser beam from space]

Due to the rule regarding 3 or more Pokemon weak to the same type, I gain an entire 190 points!

[The laser beam blows up half the moon]

(+190)

This comes to a grand total of 377 points for the starting point! Oh, yeah! Get ready, Earth!

Swiggity Swubbleyoo! We're coming for that W!

Edited for mistakes: Exeggcute can learn Reflect by level up before evolving into Exeggutor (and Move Relearner doesn't count as a move tutor, as the mod ruled), and Slowbro isn't actually going to learn any TMs (because I only get the one TM for Psychic for Exeggutor). Also, uhhh, I wasn't expecting the post right before this one (on page 2). I thought it'd be cool to have a heist theme for this post without thinking someone would have already beaten me.

EDIT 2: Guys, can I please redo the movesets since I haven't even started yet? I'm happy with the team members, but I can start with 383 points by changing Gyarados to no stab (Return/Thunderbolt/Bite/Splash) and Slowbro to "no status moves" with one TM move (Surf/Psychic/Ice Beam/Strength). Pretty please?

 

[Eleanor]

EDIT 2: Guys, can I please redo the movesets since I haven't even started yet? I'm happy with the team members, but I can start with 383 points by changing Gyarados to no stab (Return/Thunderbolt/Bite/Splash) and Slowbro to "no status moves" with one TM move (Surf/Psychic/Ice Beam/Strength). Pretty please?

Yes, that's alright :) they simply need to fulfill the right conditions from lv. 25 onwards, you can also change the specific moves during the run (as long as those conditions are in place).

 

[Devalue]

Champion

Level limit: 63 (Lucian's Bronzong)

Uh...Serebii? Hello? Entered Victory Road. Lacks a lot of Diamond/Pearl trainers. Is not just mislabeled or something either. Battled a trainer with a Haunter, Gengar, and Alakazam. Nearly matches a trainer with a Gardevoir instead of Alakazam. Actually, is the BDSP section correct for Diamond/Pearl? ...Yes on Pokemon, no on moves.

Met the Blissey trainer. Tried the Vs Seeker, just in case. Nope. Argues the time and place to be very much now.

Oh, a trainer switch, and not because of Wonder Guard. Swapped out Staraptor for Hippowdon after getting hit by Stone Edge from Botano (Golem).

Is glad to have chosen Strength + Rock Smash for Botano (Golem). Makes the trip through Victory Road smoother.

Exited Victory Road with the highest level at 52. Ho boy. Remembered a Chronos (rival) fight in the Pokemon Center somewhere, likely in the center. Avoided it like the plague. (Has a really scary team. Included a move to hit through Wonder Guard on every single Pokemon too.) Normally fights a battle like this as a gym leader. Not in this challenge. Will return at level 60, a full 7 levels above their starter.

Originally planned to use TMs for several Pokemon. Held off before. Revisits that decision now.

• No on Shadow Claw for Algo (Shedinja). Considers Shadow Sneak good enough. (Ought to go get Screech over Sand Attack, though, in case of getting PP stalled.)
• No on Rock Slide for Botano (Golem). Prefers Rock Slide over Stone Edge. Is not willing to sacrifice 3 points for it. Gains good power for the accuracy, at least. Doubts a ton of flinch opportunities too.
• No to Shock Wave, Energy Ball, and Shadow Ball for Nycto (Alakazam). Benefits the most from Energy Ball. Handles Cynthia's Gastrodon, Flint's Steelix, and basically all of Bertha. Already has a Pokemon with Grass + Psychic moves on it, though. Probably only uses Shadow Ball on Medicham and maybe Drifblim, at most.

Wait. Cannot pick up Screech on Algo (Shedinja). Only learns that as Ninjask, which also gets passed onto Shedinja. Does not appear in Shedinja's actual level-up moveset, though. Bars you from relearning it.

Missed a good opportunity earlier to get a Lucky Egg. Had Compoundeyes on Algo just before gaining access to that area. Could have saved so much time. Thought about looking for a new hold item, on the plus side. Chose Metronome over Wide Lens to boost both Shadow Sneak and Fury Cutter. Ought to be a bigger damage boost.

Spent about seven and a half hours grinding to 60. Beat up the sailor on a little island north of Sunyshore for a while. Eventually moved to the Gyarados trainer (for those that could do that). Hated all the Ice Fang freezes. Anyways, Chrono time.

Strategy for Chrono (rival): Blast Staraptor out of the sky with Nycto's (Alakazam's) Psychic, hopefully. Ideally smashes Heracross next. Will try to set up a Dragon Dance with Geloto (Gyarados) versus Snorlax and hope to not get paralyzed. Holds a pretty hefty level advantage.

The fight: Obliterated Staraptor, Heracross, and Floatzel with Psychic. Switched to Geloto for Snorlax. Got paralyzed on the switch-in, of course. Set up two Dragon Dances and swept the remaining three without getting fully paralyzed.

Back to grinding. Leveled everyone to 63. Spent two hours on the nose. Saved time by using five Rare Candies. Heavily suspects this game to be like Crystal, where you are not expected to be anywhere near the Champion's level. Harvested a proper batch of Leppa Berries as well. Feels pretty necessary with Stone Edge, Leaf Storm, Psychic, and Algo's weaker moves. Stocked up on healing items and Revives for good measure too. Still had tons of cash left.

Strategy for Aaron: Lead with Nycto (Alakazam). Stays in to blow up Beautifly or Heracross. Switches to Petra (Masquerain) for Drapion or Botano (Golem) for Vespiquen. Counts on levels carrying the battle easily.

The fight: Thrashed Dustox and Beautifly. Switched to Botano for a Stone Edge one-shot against Vespiquen. Sent Petra in for Heracross. Handled the Night Slash fine. Did not outspeed Heracross, however, and fainted to a critical Stone Edge. Unlucky. Threw in Nycto to easily defeat Heracross with Psybeam. Closed it out with Botano's Earthquake (which was a sliver of health off from a one-shot).

Strategy for Bertha: Lead with Pyro (Wormadam Plant). Smacks down Quagsire with Leaf Storm, hopefully. Likely switches to Geloto (Gyarados) for Whiscash. May tag in Pyro for another shot later in the fight...or just Dragon Dance in Whiscash's face.

The fight: Eliminated Quagsire with Leaf Storm. Switched to Petra for Sudowoodo. Realized a better plan of putting Geloto in, Dragon Dancing x2, then sweeping. Easy peasy.

Strategy for Flint: Lead with Botano (Golem). Only switches after Rapidash if Infernape comes out (for...Petra?).

The fight: Beat Rapidash no problem. Set up a Sunny Day before going down. Faced down Infernape. Reconsidered Petra. (Wrote these strategies two days before playing.) Probably takes two hits, which includes Flare Blitz and Thunder Punch. Did not overly need Botano for the rest of the fight. Stayed in to Earthquake...or intended to. Paused right before doing it to write this. Accidentally switch Petra in when going back in. Whoops.

Worked okay. Ignored Infernape's Earthquake on the switch. Appreciated Infernape being dumb and Mach Punching for 7 damage. Was not enough to one-shot to Air Slash. Fainted to the sun-boosted, -1 Flare Blitz. Returned Botano to the field to one-shot it with Earthquake.

Stuck in for Drifblim. Dropped Drifblim to half health after hitting with a Stone Edge while burned. Baton Passed that to Lopunny. Hit pretty weakly on both sides. Lost a lot of health to burn, though.

Tossed in Geloto. Tried Dragon Dancing, which was met with Charm (and later a Sunny Day). Kept the damage on both sides pretty low. Ended up beating the rest with Geloto, though.

Strategy for Lucian: Lead with Algo (Shedinja). Finally faces Pokemon that cannot pierce Wonder Guard. Hopefully defeats Mr. Mime trying to put a screen up. Probably sticks Geloto in for Girafarig or Petra for Medicham. Only needs to defeat Girafarig and Medicham to give Algo the win.

The fight: Unfortunately switched Mr. Mime out immediately. Chose Geloto to beat up Girafarig. Felt safe enough to Dragon Dance x2. Ate the held Sitrus Berry at the end of that setup. Devoured everything in one blow after that, including Bronzong on a critical. Feels good to beat up Bronzong so well. Hated all the Hypnosis + Confuse Ray Bronzors along the way. Almost ran out of Waterfalls, also. Whoops. Fixed that right after the battle.

Strategy for Cynthia: Amounts to a 5 on 3. Completely stops Lucario, Milotic, and Garchomp with Wonder Guard. Wants Nycto (Alakazam) to face Roserade and Pyro (Wormadam Plant) for Gastrodon. Leads with...Geloto (Gyarados)? Probably starts with one Dragon Dance before Waterfalling Spiritomb. May be able to take down Gastrodon as well, if lucky. (Bets on Gastrodon after Spiritomb because of Stone Edge, the only super-effective move on Cynthia's team.)

The fight: Did as planned, with one Dragon Dance into Waterfall. Flinched Spiritomb and brought it to 25%. Felled it no problem. Had a bad switch-in to Pyro with a Stone Edge from Gastrodon. Lived it with...40% health? More after a Sitrus Berry. One-shot with Leaf Storm. Handed it over to Nycto after Roserade took the field. One Psychic, one faint.

Closed it out with Algo. Cost 20 Shadow Sneaks and one Confuse Ray, thanks to all of Cynthia's heals. Actually hit maximum power on Shadow Sneak with Metronome. (Took off about one-quarter of Lucario's health, resisted.)


______

Scoring:

• Pokemon + team points: 327
• Move points: 11 (+6 from two HM moves and +5 for no status moves on Golem)
• Mishaps: -3

Final points: 335

Good challenge. Apparently played way safer than necessary. Remembers...four (maybe five?) fainted Pokemon during all gym and Elite Four battles? Not many, at any rate. Overestimated how necessary items would be. Admittedly had some decent luck during the major fights. Happens when you are not totally familiar with a game, though.

Team thoughts:

• Geloto (Gyarados): Lived up to its hype. Might have only fainted once all game (as Gyarados, anyways).
• Nycto (Alakazam): Also as amazing as expected, even with only Psychic attacks. Should have farmed more points from it. Never used Recover once. Barely used Calm Mind too.
• Botano (Golem): Used Golem enough in recent games to not be too surprised. Handles pretty well. Is glad to have given it Strength and Rock Smash for points. Made traveling around Sinnoh a little easier.
• Algo (Shedinja): Feast or famine, basically. Not as overpowered as expected, but definitely helpful at times. Blames all the Bites, Night Slashes, and Crunches everywhere. Was still a nice option and a forced switch sometimes. Wishes the AI was more predictable in this game.
• Petra (Masquerain): Is on the fence here. Performed okay, but never overwhelmingly well. Sidestepped its excessively late level-up moves with that Hidden Power Ground. Never needed the Intimidate or Stun Spore that much, actually.
• Pyro (Wormadam Plant): Bad, as expected. Had the lowest offensive stat of everyone. Learns several Psychic moves by level-up, but no Bug moves. Was not that durable either. But hey, big points.

Diamond thoughts: Is not eager to step back into Sinnoh for future challenges. Moves pretty slow. Cannot speed it up much out of battle, similar to Black. Ran around most of the overworld at 75-80 frames per second. Improved in buildings. Zipped up during battles to as high as 180 frames per second in battles, at least. Grinded waaaaaaay too much.

Spoiler: Final Team Stats

Botano
Level: 63
Nature: Careful
Ability: Sturdy
Moves: Stone Edge, Earthquake, Strength, and Rock Smash

Algo
Level: 64
Nature: Brave
Ability: Wonder Guard
Moves: Shadow Sneak, Fury Cutter, Confuse Ray, and Sand Attack

Geloto
Level: 64
Nature: Impish
Ability: Intimidate
Moves: Bite, Ice Fang, Waterfall, and Dragon Dance.

Petra
Level: 63
Nature: Rash
Ability: Swift Swim
Moves: Bug Buzz, Stun Spore, Hidden Power (Ground), and Air Slash.

Nycto
Level: 63
Nature: Quirky
Ability: Inner Focus
Moves: Psychic, Psybeam, Calm Mind, and Recover

Pyro
Level: 63
Nature: Calm
Ability: Anticipation
Moves: Psychic, Leaf Storm, Captivate, and Growth.

Spoiler: Mishaps

Details all the mishaps for the entire playthrough here.

• TMs: 1 (Hidden Power on Petra)
• In-battle items: 0
• Whiteouts: 0
• Levels over the cap: 0

Defeated at least one gym leader Pokemon with every Pokemon.

Total point loss:
(1 * -3) = -3

 

[Explorer of Time]

Pokemon Shield
Infernal Parade - Poke Maniac Haley
Update 2 (Route 5 -> Hulbury Stadium)

I made my way through Route 5, crushed Hop again by 1HKOing his team with Frosmoth's Ice Beam, and went to Hulbury Stadium and beat Nessa. I also bought two Lax Incenses for Dottler and Frosmoth which helped me out during the gym battle. The only new moves were Mist on Amaura and Feather Dance on Frosmoth, both via level up. Every single one of my team members has now beaten a gym leader, with my fossil Pokemon having beaten one of Milo's Pokemon each, Dottler having beaten Nessa's Goldeen, Frosmoth beating Nessa's Arrokuda, and Mime Jr. dynamaxing and defeating Nessa's Drednaw.

With Eleanor's score being what it is, I have much less room for TRs than I thought I did. I only have room for one more unless I can fit some move-based restrictions on my team, which I plan on using for Stored Power on Lunatone once I catch it. I can fairly easily get a five point bonus on Mr. Rime to get room for a second TR, but a third would tie me with Eleanor and I'd still need to play nearly-flawlessly to do so. I could also de facto sacrifice Orbeetle by loading her up with four Psychic-type status moves, or ditch a STAB move on Mr. Rime to get more room for TRs.

Whatever I do, though, it needs to happen before the next gym. All of my Pokemon are going to hit Lv. 25 soon and at that point the only thing I can do to get more points is pick a moveset for Lunatone.

Nessa Battle Log:

Spoiler:

Turn 1: Goldeen misses a Horn Attack
Dottler hits with Struggle Bug (~75% HP) (Sp Atk -1)

Turn 2: Goldeen hits with Horn Attack (42/52)
Dottler sets Reflect

Turn 3: Goldeen misses a Water Pulse
Dottler hits with Struggle Bug (~50% HP) (Sp Atk -2)

Turn 4: Goldeen hits with Horn Attack (37/52)
Dottler hits with Struggle Bug (~25% HP) (Sp Atk -3)

Turn 5: Goldeen hits with Horn Attack (32/52)
Dottler KOs Goldeen with Struggle Bug [2/3]
Nessa switches to Arrokuda

Turn 6: Arrokuda hits with Bite (21/52)
Dottler sets Light Screen
Reflect wears off

Turn 7: Arrokuda KOs Dottler with Bite [4/5]
I switch to Frosmoth

Turn 8: Arrokuda hits Frosmoth with Aqua Jet
Frosmoth sets Reflect

Turn 9: Frosmoth nearly KOs Arrokuda with Struggle Bug
Arrokuda misses with an attack.

Turn 10: Arrokuda hits Frosmoth with Aqua Jet (54/72)
Frosmoth KOs Arrokuda with Struggle Bug [1/3]
Light Screen wears off
Nessa switches to Drednaw

Turn 11: Drednaw dynamaxes and hits Frosmoth with Max Geyser (33/72)
Max Geysers starts rain
Frosmoth uses Feather Dance on Drednaw (Atk -2)

Turn 12: Drednaw hits Frosmoth with Max Darkness (Sp Def -1)
Frosmoth uses Feather Dance on Drednaw (Atk -4)
Reflect wears off

Turn 13: Drednaw KOs Frosmoth with Max Geyser [3/5]
I switch to Mime Jr.
Drednaw's dynamax wears off

Turn 14: Mime Jr. dynamaxes
Drednaw hits Mime Jr. with Razor Shell (52/80)
Mime Jr. hits Drednaw with Max Lightning and sets Electric Terrain (45%)

Turn 15: Drednaw hits Mime Jr. with Razor Shell (22/80)
Mime Jr. KOs Drednaw with Max Lightning [Win]

Team

Spoiler:

Anorith (♀) | Rock/Bug | Level 21
Moves: Fury Cutter, Smack Down, Metal Claw, Iron Defense
Stats: 51 HP / 57 Atk / 30 Def / 21 SpA / 28 SpD / 43 Spe
Ability: Battle Armor | Nature: Adamant | Item: Leftovers | Dynamax Level: 10

Amaura (♀) | Rock/Ice | Level 21
Moves: Thunderbolt, Icy Wind, Ancient Power, Mist
Stats: 64 HP / 27 Atk / 31 Def / 42 SpA / 37 SpD / 26 Spe
Ability: Snow Warning | Nature: Modest | Item: Leftovers | Dynamax Level: 10

Dottler (♀) | Bug/Psychic | Level 21
Moves: Struggle Bug, Confusion, Light Screen, Reflect
Stats: 52 HP / 27 Atk / 40 Def / 27 SpA / 47 SpD / 23 Spe
Ability: Swarm | Nature: Gentle | Item: Lax Incense | Dynamax Level: 10

Frosmoth (♂) | Ice/Bug | Level 23
Moves: Ice Beam, Struggle Bug, Feather Dance, Reflect
Stats: 72 HP / 40 Atk / 33 Def / 69 SpA / 51 SpD / 41 Spe
Ability: Shield Dust | Nature: Hasty | Item: Lax Incense | Dynamax Level: 10

Mime Jr. (♀) | Psychic/Fairy | Level 22
Moves: Confusion, Thunderbolt, Encore, Role Play
Stats: 41 HP / 20 Atk / 25 Def / 43 SpA / 45 SpD / 39 Spe
Ability: Soundproof | Nature: Lonely | Item: Expert Belt | Dynamax Level: 10

Points:
Original total: 400
Points lost from TM Use, Segment 1: -15

• Anorith: Iron Defense
• Amaura: Thunderbolt
• Mime Jr.: Thunderbolt
• Frosmoth: Ice Beam, Reflect

No points gained or lost in Segment 2
Segment 2 points: 385

No Pokemon are over Lv. 25 yet
No items, team wipes, or soft resets in any trainer battle
No Pokemon above Level Cap
Five total TMs or TRs used across all segments
No uses of Toxic or 3+ Attack/Special Attack/Evasion stages
All Pokemon except Lunatone have defeated a Gym Leader Pokemon
No Wild Card Pokemon have been used
Lunatone has not yet been caught

 

[Simply Dunsparce]

Alright, I'm going to do this!

Name: Simply Dunsparce
Game: Black 2

Team:
Serperior (+20)
+10 for pure grass typing
+10 for 75s in both attacking stats

Dunsparce (+35)
+10 for 45 speed
+10 for a 70 in attack and a 65 in special attack
+15 for a base stat total of 415

Swoobat (+41)
+10 for a 57 in attack and a 77 in special attack
+8 for 55s in both defenses
+15 for a base stat total of 425
+8 for the ability Klutz (I'll make sure to catch on with that ability)

Cohagrigus (+23)
+15 for 30 speed
+8 for pure ghost typing

Lunatone (+46)
+15 for 6 weaknesses
+10 for Psychic/Rock typing
+15 for a base stat total of 440
+6 for being unobtainable before the 6^th gym badge

Shuckle (+41)
+15 for 5 speed
+10 for Bug/Rock typing
+10 for 10s in both attacking stats
+6 for being unobtainable before the 6^th gym badge

Team Bonuses (+97):
+50 for shared weaknesses (+20 from Ghost which Dunsparce is immune to, +30 from Dark which is unresisted): Swoobat, Cohagrigus, Lunatone
+20 for shared color (Yellow): Dunsparce, Cohagrigus, Lunatone, Shuckle
+15 for shared egg group (Field): Serperior, Dunsparce, Swoobat
+12 for shared starting letter (S): Serperior, Swoobat, Shuckle

Total Points, not counting move based bonuses: 303

Not going to declare move-based bonuses yet, but here are some I have in mind:
* I'm going to try and teach Serperior two HMs because it's the only pokemon on my team that learns more than a single HM
* Planning to try to not have any STAB moves on Dunsparce, hopefully I won't need to use TMs/Move Tutors, but we'll see what happens
* I'm probably not going to use any status moves with Swoobat (not like it learns many particularly useful ones by level-up anyway)
* Going to try to get ghost-type curse on Cohagrigus, which means I'm probably going to have to catch a Yamask that's at least level 29 because I don't want to deal with the hassle/grey area that would be Exp Share training.

Also, do held items count towards the items penalty?

 

[Explorer of Time]

Also, do held items count towards the items penalty?

They do not. The penalty is for using items from the bag, and applies to each item used rather than each battle where you use an item.

 

[Simply Dunsparce]

They do not. The penalty is for using items from the bag, and applies to each item used rather than each battle where you use an item.

Thank you, that's good to know.

 

[Simply Dunsparce]

Alright, I'm going to do this!

Name: Simply Dunsparce
Game: Black 2

Team:
Serperior (+20)
+10 for pure grass typing
+10 for 75s in both attacking stats

Dunsparce (+35)
+10 for 45 speed
+10 for a 70 in attack and a 65 in special attack
+15 for a base stat total of 415

Swoobat (+41)
+10 for a 57 in attack and a 77 in special attack
+8 for 55s in both defenses
+15 for a base stat total of 425
+8 for the ability Klutz (I'll make sure to catch on with that ability)

Cohagrigus (+23)
+15 for 30 speed
+8 for pure ghost typing

Lunatone (+46)
+15 for 6 weaknesses
+10 for Psychic/Rock typing
+15 for a base stat total of 440
+6 for being unobtainable before the 6^th gym badge

Shuckle (+41)
+15 for 5 speed
+10 for Bug/Rock typing
+10 for 10s in both attacking stats
+6 for being unobtainable before the 6^th gym badge

Team Bonuses (+97):
+50 for shared weaknesses (+20 from Ghost which Dunsparce is immune to, +30 from Dark which is unresisted): Swoobat, Cohagrigus, Lunatone
+20 for shared color (Yellow): Dunsparce, Cohagrigus, Lunatone, Shuckle
+15 for shared egg group (Field): Serperior, Dunsparce, Swoobat
+12 for shared starting letter (S): Serperior, Swoobat, Shuckle

Total Points, not counting move based bonuses: 303

Not going to declare move-based bonuses yet, but here are some I have in mind:
* I'm going to try and teach Serperior two HMs because it's the only pokemon on my team that learns more than a single HM
* Planning to try to not have any STAB moves on Dunsparce, hopefully I won't need to use TMs/Move Tutors, but we'll see what happens
* I'm probably not going to use any status moves with Swoobat (not like it learns many particularly useful ones by level-up anyway)
* Going to try to get ghost-type curse on Cohagrigus, which means I'm probably going to have to catch a Yamask that's at least level 29 because I don't want to deal with the hassle/grey area that would be Exp Share training.

Also, do held items count towards the items penalty?

Just realized I forgot to include Dunsparce's points for it's low attacking stats, so I made sure to update my points

 

[Explorer of Time]

Pokemon Shield
Infernal Parade - Poke Maniac Haley
Update 3 (Galar Mine No. 2 -> Motostoke Stadium)

Since Eleanor blew my original plan to pieces with her high score, I had to rapidly devise a new moveset plan to get me more points, and I decided to, for now, forgo STAB moves and status moves on Mime Jr. and give Dottler exclusively Psychic-type status moves. I taught Mime Jr. Shadow Ball via TM, but I had to teach her Pound of all things for her third move and used the Move Deleter for her fourth. Dottler had to have both her attack moves forgotten, leaving her with just her important screen-setting abilities. They'll both get full movesets again after evolving.

Bede was quite easy; Anorith 1HKOed his whole team with Fury Cutter just like last time. The only problem was that he outsped Anorith with Ponyta and confused her with Confusion, but even with bad RNG where she hurt herself once, she still barely survived a second Confusion and 1HKOed Ponyta too with Fury Cutter.

Marnie was a little trickier. I had Frosmoth 1HKO her Croagunk and 2HKO her Scraggy, taking a Low Kick in the process, but he got KOed by Morpeko's Bite after hitting it with an Ice Beam. Morpeko then flinched and 2HKOed Anorith, but Amaura survived a Bite and won the battle with an Aurora Beam.

Lastly, Kabu's gym battle wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I used Amaura to 2HKO Ninetales with Ancient Power and wound Arcanine before going down. I accidentally switched to Dottler instead of Anorith at this point but it didn't do anything but take hits, and its screen wore off at just the wrong time for it to faint. Then, Anorith dynamaxed, got burned, and KOed Arcanine with Max Rockfall, and then 2HKOed dynamax Centiscorch with Max Rockfall.


Kabu Battle Log:

Spoiler:

Turn 1: Amaura's Snow Warning sets Hail.
Ninetales burns Amaura with Will-o-Wisp.
Amaura hits Ninetales with Ancient Power.
Ninetales takes Hail damage (49% HP).
Leftovers and Burn cancel each other out.

Turn 2: Ninetales hits Amaura with Ember (58/80)
Amaura KOs Ninetales with Ancient Power [2/3].
Leftovers and Burn cancel each other out.
Kabu sends out Arcanine and lowers Amaura's attack.

Turn 3: Amaura hits Arcanine with Ancient Power
Arcanine criticals with Flame Wheel (11/80)
Arcanine takes Hail damage (45% HP)

Turn 4: Arcanine KOs Amaura with Bite. [4/5]
Arcanine takes Hail damage (40% HP)
I switch to Dottler

Turns 5-9: I try to set up Reflect with Dottler
Arcanine takes so long to KO Dottler that Reflect wears off. [3/5]
Arcanine takes Hail damage (35% HP)

Turn 10: I dynamax Anorith
Arcanine burns Anorith with Will-o-Wisp
Anorith KOs Arcanine with Max Rockfall [1/3]

Turn 11: Anorith hits Centiskorch with Max Rockfall (35% HP)
Centiskorch dynamaxes and hits Anorith with Max Flutterby (49/124)

Turn 12: Anorith KOs Centiskorch with Max Rockfall [Win]

Team

Spoiler:

Anorith (♀) | Rock/Bug | Level 27
Moves: Fury Cutter, Smack Down, Metal Claw, Iron Defense
Stats: 62 HP / 72 Atk / 37 Def / 27 SpA / 35 SpD / 54 Spe
Ability: Battle Armor | Nature: Adamant | Item: Leftovers | Dynamax Level: 10

Amaura (♀) | Rock/Ice | Level 27
Moves: Thunderbolt, Aurora Beam, Ancient Power, Mist
Stats: 80 HP / 34 Atk / 39 Def / 53 SpA / 46 SpD / 33 Spe
Ability: Snow Warning | Nature: Modest | Item: Leftovers | Dynamax Level: 10

Dottler (♀) | Bug/Psychic | Level 27
Moves: Light Screen, Reflect, (Empty Slot), (Empty Slot)
Stats: 65 HP / 33 Atk / 51 Def / 33 SpA / 60 SpD / 29 Spe
Ability: Swarm | Nature: Gentle | Item: Lax Incense | Dynamax Level: 10

Frosmoth (♂) | Ice/Bug | Level 27
Moves: Ice Beam, Struggle Bug, Feather Dance, Reflect
Stats: 83 HP / 47 Atk / 38 Def / 80 SpA / 59 SpD / 48 Spe
Ability: Shield Dust | Nature: Hasty | Item: Lax Incense | Dynamax Level: 10

Mime Jr. (♀) | Psychic/Fairy | Level 27
Moves: Thunderbolt, Shadow Ball, Pound, (Empty Slot)
Stats: 48 HP / 25 Atk / 29 Def / 51 SpA / 55 SpD / 47 Spe
Ability: Soundproof | Nature: Lonely | Item: Expert Belt | Dynamax Level: 10

Points:

Spoiler:

Original total: 400
Points lost from TM Use, Segment 1: -15

• Anorith: Iron Defense
• Amaura: Thunderbolt
• Mime Jr.: Thunderbolt
• Frosmoth: Ice Beam, Reflect

No points gained or lost in Segment 2
Points lost from TM Use, Segment 3: -3

• Mime Jr.: Shadow Ball

Points gained from movesets, Segment 3: 40

• Mime Jr.: No STAB Move: 10
• Mime Jr: No Status Move: 5
• Dottler: No Attack Move: 15
• Dottler: No Non-Psychic-Type Moves: 10

Segment 3 points: 422

Dottler has not been used in battle with any move but Psychic-type Status Moves since Lv. 25
Mime Jr. has not been used in battle with any move but non-STAB Attack Moves since Lv. 25
Anorith, Amaura, and Frosmoth have been used in battle past Lv. 25 and cannot receive moveset points.
No items, team wipes, or soft resets in any trainer battle
No Pokemon above Level Cap
Six total TMs or TRs used across all segments
No uses of Toxic or 3+ Attack/Special Attack/Evasion stages
All Pokemon except Lunatone have defeated a Gym Leader Pokemon
No Wild Card Pokemon have been used
Lunatone has not yet been caught

 

[Reginald Cosmic]

My mental health's been dog [looks in a thesaurus] excrement ... so I don't think I'll be completing this challenge. I think I need to let this one go. My apologies.

 

[Simply Dunsparce]

Pokemon Black 2
Part 1: Start of game to Aspertia City gym

I start the game and pick up my starter and first member of the team, Snivy. From there I most of the section goes by pretty uneventfully. I avoid every optional trainer battle to avoid overleveling and also to make training up Dunsparce easier (rustling grass doesn't start appearing until after you get your first gym badge in this game).

Once I reach the Aspertia City gym I run into some problems. I end up having to use a potion in battle against one of the gym trainers because i foolishly thought I could beat them both without healing in between.

I lost once to Cheren because his Patrat one-shot me with a critical hit tackle from full health. I beat him on my second attempt because his Patrat doesn't crit against me and his Lillipup wasted both of its turns going for Work Up. Snivy having Growth for this fight is great. (Also, Snivy hit Lv. 14 during the gym battle, so it doesn't count against my points)

Points Lost:
-1 for using an item in battle
-10 for getting a team wipe

Team:
Natrix (Snivy) | Lv. 14 | Male
Ability: Overgrow
Moves: Tackle / Growth / Vine Wip / Wrap

 

[Simply Dunsparce]

Pokemon Black 2
Part 1: post-Aspertia City gym to Virbank City

After beating Cheren rustling grass starts to appear now, meaning that I can finally catch a Dunsparce. After going through a few Audino in Flocessy Ranch I finally find one. It has Run Away instead of Serene Grace, which is disappointing, but the only move that it would matter for would be Ancient Power. From there I level it up against the optional trainers I hadn't battled yet before moving on to Virbank, where I help the people at the Virbank Complex with their problems.

I wipe once to the trainer with the Grimer in Roxie's gym due to it using Disable on me mid-Rollout, leaving me with a turn where I couldn't do anything and pretty much killing my momentum in that fight. After that I go level up more in the Virbank Complex, where Snivy evolved into Servine. After that I beat the gym trainer on my second attempt. I prepare for the gym battle against Roxie by having Servine hold a Silk Scarf so that his Tackles would hit slightly harder and giving Dunsparce a Pecha Berry so that I don't have to worry about poison as much in the fight.

Servine nearly took out Roxie's Koffing before being knocked out by poison damage, after which Roxie healed Koffing back up. Dunsparce was able take out the Koffing with Yawn and the Defense Curl+Rollout combo. I might have been able to one-shot Roxie's Whirlipede if I hadn't missed with Rollout the turn it came out, but I was able to put it to sleep with Yawn and survive its Venoshocks before taking it out with Rollout.

Points Lost:
-1 for using an item in battle
-10 for getting a team wipe to Cheren
-10 for getting a team wipe to the drummer in Roxie's gym

Team:
Natrix (Servine) | Lv. 18 | Male
Ability: Overgrow
Moves: Tackle / Growth / Leaf Tornado / Wrap

Nocivophis (Dunsparce) | Lv. 19 | Male
Ability: Run Away
Moves: Ancient Power / Defense Curl / Rollout / Pursuit

 

[Explorer of Time]

Due to being busy with Archipelago, I don't expect to make the deadline. I'm going to keep playing with my team past the deadline, but I'm not going to bother trying to get a high score, and aim for something in the mid-300s to play a more casual run with this team. I'm also not going to be quite as fastidious about staying under level caps, so I may lose some points there, but I'm not going to intentionally grind over the Gym Leaders' levels.

Eleanor, do you mind if I post my post-deadline updates in this thread, or should I move to Travel Journals at that point?

 

[Eleanor]

Due to being busy with Archipelago, I don't expect to make the deadline. I'm going to keep playing with my team past the deadline, but I'm not going to bother trying to get a high score, and aim for something in the mid-300s to play a more casual run with this team. I'm also not going to be quite as fastidious about staying under level caps, so I may lose some points there, but I'm not going to intentionally grind over the Gym Leaders' levels.

Eleanor, do you mind if I post my post-deadline updates in this thread, or should I move to Travel Journals at that point?

That's alright, you can post updates here! :)

 

[Kostucha]

White 2 Infernal Parade Final Update

Whew managed to finish up this one in time, let's write the summary quick~

Overall it was a really fun run, I enjoyed strategizing for upcoming battles and seeing how the events unfolded. The team itself was really strong so even when my plan feel through due to some unlucky crits, I could still finish up the battles unharmed.

As far as the extra points are concerned, I made sure to evolve Riolu after level 15, evolved Kirlia before level 40, failed all moveset related ones somewhere along the way and did not lose points on the mishaps (each team member picked up a kill at of the gyms too). Making me end on a nice round total of 0 points. Yay!

Spoiler: Hall of Fame

Spoiler: Team:

None, Adamant, Steadfast, lv.62, @ Razor Claw
- Psycho Cut
- Close Combat
- Swords Dance
- Night Slash

Nada, Careful, Steadfast, lv.58, @ Soft Sand
- Close Combat
- Bone Rush
- Swords Dance
- Quick Attack

Nothing, Careful, Inner Focus, lv.58, @ Poison Barb
- Fly
- Air Slash
- Cross Poison
- Confuse Ray

Zero, Naughty, Intimidate, lv.59, @ Leftovers
- Strength
- Work Up
- Surf
- Crunch

No, Timid, Magic Guard, lv.59, @ Light Clay
- Psychic
- Light Screen
- Tailwind
- Reflect

0, Timid, Levitate, lv.59, @ Mystic Water
- Shock Wave
- Thunder Wave
- Hydro Pump
- Confuse Ray​

 

[Eleanor]

The Event Challenge has now ended! Thanks to all the participants for playing, coming up with very creative teams and helping each other out!
This thread will now be unpinned, but still open for further updates and for any feedback about the event.

As for the final scoreboard...
⭐ 1. Eleanor - 381 points
⭐ 2. Devalue - 335 points
⭐ 3. Kostucha - 0 points

Shout out to Kostucha for approaching the challenge in a totally unique way, and of course to Explorer of Time, Reginald_Cosmic and Simply Dunsparce for joining the challenge and building their scary teams ♥

 

[Explorer of Time]

I'm having issues with crashes again, so I'm going to cancel the rest of this playthrough. In the future, I'm going to wait for Switch emulation to get better before doing any more challenges of Sword and Shield.