Pokemon challange runs that don't use the nuzloocke rules

[sirmola]

I love pokemon, and would love to mix things up. However, challange runs of pokemon tend to use the nuzlock rules as a base, and i really don't like ironman runs of any type. Most other challange runs are utterly ridiculess things like "never use any kind of healing" The exeption is monotype runs, which are fun. I realy want less of an insain challange and more of an unusual and interesting playthrough. Can anyone suggest anything? I have easy access to any non-remake game, so game-specific challenges are okay.

[Jedi]

Monotype is a thing, its where you can only use pokemon of one particular type of your choosing, if they have dual typing thats fine. But they must have the one type you specified as one of them.

[Emerson]

Soloruns are a thing too. Using one Pokemon throughout the whole game. I believe you're supposed to not evolve it, but it's up to you.

I was doing a randomized Insurgence solo-run with Zorua a bit ago, never finished because it kept crashing. Might do it with randomized solo of BW or something.

Monotype is a thing, its where you can only use pokemon of one particular type of your choosing, if they have dual typing thats fine. But they must have the one type you specified as one of them.

Monotype is something I've wanted to do for a while, might do one eventually.

Edited August 5, 2016 by TrueEm

[Jedi]

Monotype is something I've wanted to do for a while, might do one eventually.

It's something I've wanted to do for a bit as well. It's part of why I made my thread for suggestions ^^

[Quamosthy]

I semi-recently did a no evolution run of Alpha Sapphire, which was pretty fun. The main challenge there is in the latter part of the game where you start seeing opponents using evolved pokemon, and thinking outside the box with your little unevolved 'mons. I think the only real 'rule' in a run like that would be you can't use single-stage pokemon.

[Jedi]

I semi-recently did a no evolution run of Alpha Sapphire, which was pretty fun. The main challenge there is in the latter part of the game where you start seeing opponents using evolved pokemon, and thinking outside the box with your little unevolved 'mons. I think the only real 'rule' in a run like that would be you can't use single-stage pokemon.

I'd affectionately call this the "Ash Ketchum" style of run although I hear he evolves pokemon more nowadays.

[CooledEvergreen]

A challenge I've heard about for the 6th Generation is the Wonder Trade Challenge, where as soon as you can you trade away your starter and 5 other pokemon on Wonder Trade and you have to use whoever you get back.

[sirmola]

Monotype is a thing, its where you can only use pokemon of one particular type of your choosing, if they have dual typing thats fine. But they must have the one type you specified as one of them.

I thought i mentioned in the OP that I have already done a monotype or two.

Soloruns are a thing too. Using one Pokemon throughout the whole game. I believe you're supposed to not evolve it, but it's up to you.

I was doing a randomized Insurgence solo-run with Zorua a bit ago, never finished because it kept crashing. Might do it with randomized solo of BW or something.

Monotype is something I've wanted to do for a while, might do one eventually.

Did a solo run of blue using blastoise. Far too easy.

A challenge I've heard about for the 6th Generation is the Wonder Trade Challenge, where as soon as you can you trade away your starter and 5 other pokemon on Wonder Trade and you have to use whoever you get back.

THat sounds quite fun. Might look into that.

I semi-recently did a no evolution run of Alpha Sapphire, which was pretty fun. The main challenge there is in the latter part of the game where you start seeing opponents using evolved pokemon, and thinking outside the box with your little unevolved 'mons. I think the only real 'rule' in a run like that would be you can't use single-stage pokemon.

THat also sounds interesting. Excuse me while i go get a scyther.

Another interesting ruleset might be: ONLY use single stage pokemon.

[Moblin Major General]

I considered doing this one at one point.

This one also sounds fun. Tried it in Gen III and contracted PokeRus.

[17thSeraph]

I thought i mentioned in the OP that I have already done a monotype or two.

Did a solo run of blue using blastoise. Far too easy.

THat sounds quite fun. Might look into that.

THat also sounds interesting. Excuse me while i go get a scyther.

Another interesting ruleset might be: ONLY use single stage pokemon.

The thing here is that you can't get enougth before the second badge, the first usable single stages you can get are after the second badge (like Gen 1 Snorlax or Gen 3 Roselia)

[Ether]

You can do just about anything if you set the time to think about it. One 'challenge' I had in mind is kind of simple, since it revolves around gym badges. Basically, before each badge, you can capture one Pokemon. You get your starter, can catch one wild pokemon before gym 1, then another before gym 2, etc, catching your final pokemon before the elite 4. You can only capture Pokemon that are available within the natural progression from badge to badge(aka no going back and catching a second thing from an earlier area)

It might seem simple, because it really is, but if you want it to be more of a challenge run, it's as easy as adding a few more rules:

1. You MUST capture a Pokemon before taking on the next gym challenge.

2. Newly captured Pokemon MUST be added to the team immediately. Box a current team member if team is full.

3. Boxed Pokemon are no longer on the team and can no longer be used.

4. You may not box the most recent addition to your team before the current addition.

And suddenly it looks a lot more like a challenge run.

[sirmola]

I considered doing this one at one point.

This one also sounds fun. Tried it in Gen III and contracted PokeRus.

THe catholic one seems to exist more to make a joke than to be a fun run. Lots the rules (like the egg one) encourage pointless grinding.

THe rocket run looks decent, although the only significant restriction in most games is the type restriction. It might be fun alternative to a monotype if i feal that there are not enough pokemon of any given type.

The thing here is that you can't get enougth before the second badge, the first usable single stages you can get are after the second badge (like Gen 1 Snorlax or Gen 3 Roselia)

Not always. In gen 5, for example, you can get 3 single stage pokemon before the second badge. (troh, sawk, and auduino).

You can do just about anything if you set the time to think about it. One 'challenge' I had in mind is kind of simple, since it revolves around gym badges. Basically, before each badge, you can capture one Pokemon. You get your starter, can catch one wild pokemon before gym 1, then another before gym 2, etc, catching your final pokemon before the elite 4. You can only capture Pokemon that are available within the natural progression from badge to badge(aka no going back and catching a second thing from an earlier area)

It might seem simple, because it really is, but if you want it to be more of a challenge run, it's as easy as adding a few more rules:

1. You MUST capture a Pokemon before taking on the next gym challenge.

2. Newly captured Pokemon MUST be added to the team immediately. Box a current team member if team is full.

3. Boxed Pokemon are no longer on the team and can no longer be used.

4. You may not box the most recent addition to your team before the current addition.

And suddenly it looks a lot more like a challenge run.

THat sounds like a good idea (with maybe some slight tweaking of the rules).

[Augestein]

No Pokeballs is pretty fun. Where you play through the game with Pokemon that are only given to you via story or special events. Generally speaking, the third generation is easier than the other two because you generally are given more Pokemon.

I personally like "no mart" as well. It makes healing items a godsend rather than something that you use to cheese the game.

[Espinosa]

No Pokeballs is pretty fun. Where you play through the game with Pokemon that are only given to you via story or special events. Generally speaking, the third generation is easier than the other two because you generally are given more Pokemon.

I personally like "no mart" as well. It makes healing items a godsend rather than something that you use to cheese the game.

The other... two?

Anyway, in RSE, you get your starter + Wobbuffet + Castform. In RBY, you get your starter + Magikarp + Hitmon + Eeveelution + Fossil + Lapras. In GSC, you get your starter + Fearow + Togetic + Eeveelution + Shuckle (+Odd Egg + Dragonite in Crystal).

RSE sounds worse than GSC, with RBY giving you one of the easiest runs. RSE and DP sound like the hardest games to pull this off in.

[sirmola]

No Pokeballs is pretty fun. Where you play through the game with Pokemon that are only given to you via story or special events. Generally speaking, the third generation is easier than the other two because you generally are given more Pokemon.

I personally like "no mart" as well. It makes healing items a godsend rather than something that you use to cheese the game.

Iv'w considered that, but the first non-starter gift usualy comes 3-4 gyms in.

Edited August 5, 2016 by sirmola

[Reality]

mono pokedex color.. I think it only exists in gen 3-5 though, and it requires you to stop to look things up more than monotype since some of the brown//orange blue/purple and grey/black divisions don't seem to match up with the sprite very much, and stuff like hitmotop and jynx get one of their two colors chosen arbitrarily as the primary. Some pokemon have plain weird designations (arcanine is brown , milotic is pink, etc).

Some of the dex colors like black, yellow, and pink, might not have more than 4 pokemon in some generations, and it can be weird deciding how to handle pokemon that change pokedex color as they evolve like trapinch>flygon.

[sirmola]

mono pokedex color.. I think it only exists in gen 3-5 though, and it requires you to stop to look things up more than monotype since some of the brown//orange blue/purple and grey/black divisions don't seem to match up with the sprite very much, and stuff like hitmotop and jynx get one of their two colors chosen arbitrarily as the primary. Some pokemon have plain weird designations (arcanine is brown , milotic is pink, etc).

Some of the dex colors like black, yellow, and pink, might not have more than 4 pokemon in some generations, and it can be weird deciding how to handle pokemon that change pokedex color as they evolve like trapinch>flygon.

THat sounds interesting. I'd probably use the final version's color as the color for the whole line. It looks like this mechanic is technically only in gens 3, 5,and 6, but you could do it in any game using an online color chart, and colors assigned in other gens. Color is surprisingly unrelated to typing, so it is a decent variation.

[Tamanoir]

I've seen some persons doing a variant of the Team Rocket Challenge when you can ONLY used pokemon captured from trainers.

I think it may be quite interresting. It ws in Gold and Pokemon had Zero Moves once captured, making it more painfull, but the idea still looks interresting.

I don't know if there are some rules to do a N's challenge, but it may be interresting (basically olnly uses Pokemon for the Aera if possible, and leave them afterwards.)

Edited August 10, 2016 by Tamanoir

[sirmola]

One challange i just thought of is using only pokemon eligable for a sky battle. Optionaly, only use moves allowed in a sky battle as well. your choice on whether to use pokemon like trapinch that evolve into sky-battle eligable pokemon.