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Rules and Regulations for In-Game Challenges
Let's be honest here, once you've played through the same game multiple times it can get really boring to play it again. If you're looking for a way to add a bit of spice to your playthroughs, this is the place for you! Here we have a list of different challenges you can use to make your adventures more interesting, along with the rules for each of them. If you want your challenge to be added to the Hall of Fame, you need to follow these rules. (Credit for compiling these back on Azurilland goes to shhmew!)
Here are the Universal Challenge Rules, or rules that apply to all challenges:
These aren't necessary rules for your challenge to make it to the Hall of Fame, but if you want to make your playthrough even more challenging you're free to use these additional rules.
Let's be honest here, once you've played through the same game multiple times it can get really boring to play it again. If you're looking for a way to add a bit of spice to your playthroughs, this is the place for you! Here we have a list of different challenges you can use to make your adventures more interesting, along with the rules for each of them. If you want your challenge to be added to the Hall of Fame, you need to follow these rules. (Credit for compiling these back on Azurilland goes to shhmew!)
Here are the Universal Challenge Rules, or rules that apply to all challenges:
- You can always catch up to two HM buddy Pokemon if you need to. This prevents you from getting stuck because your actual team can't use HM moves. Just be sure that your HM buddies aren't being used in battle!
- You can combine multiple challenges if you feel so inclined. Some challenges go better with others, though, so make sure that you can still follow all of the rules involved!
- No hacking or cheating! If you want to have your challenge added to the Hall of Fame, you need to leave your Action Replays out of this.
- You can't change the rules of your challenge partway through. This means that if you start a Nuzlocke and your favorite Pokemon dies, you can't change it to a Monotype and enter the Hall of Fame. You can always give up on your challenge and finish your playthrough, but it won't be elligible to be entered in the Hall of Fame.
- This is not an official rule per say, but using Legendary Pokemon (or possibly Mega Evolutions), Pokemon Amie, Super Training, or the Experience Share can take away from your challenge. This is up to user discretion (and depends a lot on which game/challenge you're doing), but it's reccomended that you keep these to a minimum.
- Have fun! The whole point of a challenge is to enjoy yourself. Don't stress, and remember that the ultimate goal here is to get you to enjoy playing a Pokemon game in a new way.
These aren't necessary rules for your challenge to make it to the Hall of Fame, but if you want to make your playthrough even more challenging you're free to use these additional rules.
- No using healing items in battles- you can only heal in Pokemon Centers.
- Conversely to the above restriction, you cannot use the Pokemon Center to heal. A variation of this rule is that you can only use the Pokemon Center to heal a certain amount of times.
- Changing the battle style to "Set" so you can't switch out easily.
- Using a level limit, meaning that your Pokemon can't be higher leveled than the next Gym Leader's (or other important trainer's) strongest Pokemon.
- Most challenges have some sort of clauses, or exceptions to the rules. If you want to make your playthrough even more rough, you can choose to ignore these clauses to add some difficulty.
- Any other restrictions you'd like to use! The sky's the limit.
The Nuzlocke Challenge is one of the most well-known and popular challenges that people play on Pokemon games. Nuzlockes can be rough, but they'll send you through an amazing adventure!
Rules:
Rules:
- If your Pokemon faints, it has "died" and can no longer be used in battle. After a Pokemon "dies", you must either place them in the box permanently or release them. Revival items cannot be used to bring them back, and you can't reset your game either.
- You can only catch the first Pokemon you encounter in an area. This means that if you run into a Pikipek on Route 1, that is the only Pokemon you can catch for that route. If you aren't able to catch it, your encounter for that location is used up.
- Bodies of water count as the route or town they're in. If you encounter a Magikarp by fishing on Route 204 and it's your first encounter for that route, you can't catch something from the grass or other areas on Route 204 anymore.
- Trades and gift Pokemon count as encounters for the areas they happen in.
- You can choose how you want to handle encounters before you receive Pokeballs, as well as areas like the Safari Zone.
- Bodies of water count as the route or town they're in. If you encounter a Magikarp by fishing on Route 204 and it's your first encounter for that route, you can't catch something from the grass or other areas on Route 204 anymore.
- You can only trade with other games to activate Trade Evolutions. This means that you can only use Pokemon you can actually catch/obtain in your game. In-game trades and gift Pokemon are up to your own judgement.
- You MUST nickname every Pokemon you catch! This makes the Pokemon more personal- which causes deaths to have an even bigger impact.
- Dupes Clause: If your first encounter in an area is a Pokemon you have already caught, that encounter doesn't count. This also applies to Pokemon that belong to an evolutionary family you have already caught. This way you don't get a team full of Pidgeys or Bidoof.
- Shiny Clause: If you encounter a Shiny Pokemon, you are allowed to catch it. You can choose to replace a Pokemon you already have with it, or just trade it to a different game if you don't want to use it in your challenge.
- When you resume your game, immediately release the Pokemon.
- Play through the game normally until where your Pokemon died, and then release/box it like you did before.
- Restart from your last save and continue like it didn't happen. This option treats it like a second chance for your Pokemon, but not all people would agree if it's fair.
This challenge (created by Marriland himself!) puts a spin on the original Nuzlocke challenge. Because of this, it's a good idea to read through the Nuzlocke Challenge rules before reading this. You can also watch this video where Marriland himself explains the challenge.
Rules:
Rules:
- Pokemon that faint are considered dead. This is the same rule that applies in a Nuzlocke Challenge. Any fainted Pokemon must either be released or boxed forever.
- You can only catch the first Pokemon you encounter on a route. However, in this challenge there's a bit of a twist! You need to be sure that your team ends up with 3 male and 3 female Pokemon. You also need to have an even number of male and female Pokemon at all times (see rule #4 for more information about this). Because of this, if your starter is male, the next Pokemon you catch needs to be female. No male encounters count until you've caught a female. This pattern repeats until you have a full team of 6 Pokemon. Once you have your full team, gender no longer matters and your first encounter on a route is the only encounter for that route, just like in a Nuzlocke.
- Because genderless Pokemon cannot be paired up, they cannot be used in a Wedlocke. As such, running into a genderless Pokemon never counts as your encounter for that route.
- Pokemon that are "paired up" become partners, and fight in pairs. When in battle, you can't switch to any Pokemon in a different pair.
- Once a male and a female are paired, they cannot be unpaired until one of them dies or is released. If a Pokémon does lose its partner in battle (or you choose to release it), it can gain a new one of the opposite gender either from the Wild (in a new route) or your PC Boxes.
- If a Pokémon on your team faints, you have to switch into that Pokemon's partner. They want revenge!
- In Double or Triple battles, there can be exceptions. Just do whatever feels right in these circumstances.
- If your Pokémon gets switched out forcefully, you must use that new pair for the remainder of the fight.
- Once a male and a female are paired, they cannot be unpaired until one of them dies or is released. If a Pokémon does lose its partner in battle (or you choose to release it), it can gain a new one of the opposite gender either from the Wild (in a new route) or your PC Boxes.
- You cannot put any of your Pokemon into the PC! If you want to place a new Pokemon on your team when you already have six party members, you either need to release a Pokemon or have one of them die in battle.
- There are a few times when you can make an exception, such as for HM moves or to receive a Pokemon. In these situations, you can deposit a Pokemon- but it cannot battle, and needs to be switched out as soon as you are able.
- Just like in a Nuzlocke, all of your Pokemon must be nicknamed. Gotta build up those bonds!
- All Clauses from Nuzlockes can be used in a Wedlocke.
- Gay/lesbian variant: A Wedlocke is meant to be restricting by making you pair things together based on random things like gender. However, if you want to do same-sex couples, there are a few way to accommodate that. One possibility is to tie sexuality to natures- meaning that if your Pokemon has one nature it needs a partner of the same sex, and if it has the other it needs a partner of the opposite sex. You could also do an all-male or all-female variant of the challenge.
A Wonderlocke is a pretty random and crazy variation of the Nuzlocke challenge that uses Wonder Trade to give you a completely unexpected team.
Rules:
Rules:
- All of the rules in a Nuzlocke apply. If your Pokemon faints it's dead, you can only catch the first Pokemon you encounter, etc. Be sure to read the Nuzlocke rules if you haven't already!
- As soon as you catch a new Pokemon, you need to trade it away using the Wonder Trade feature. This can be accessed using the PSS in Gen 6 and the Festival Plaza in Gen 7 (as soon as you've unlocked it).
- You cannot use Pokemon Amie or Super training. The only exception to this is if you want to evolve an Eevee into Sylveon.
- The EXP Share should be left off during story progression, and only turned on for grinding. You might want to consider leaving it off completely- since all your Pokemon are traded, they'll be getting an experience boost anyways!
- Dupes Clause: Since the first Pokemon you encounter on a route will always be traded away, it always counts (even if you've caught it before). However, if you get a Pokemon from a Wonder Trade that you already have, you can Wonder Trade it again to get something new.
- Shiny Clause: The shiny clause is pretty much the same as the one from the Nuzlocke challenge. If you encounter a shiny Pokemon, you can catch it and use it if you wish. It does not have to be wonder traded, and if it dies you can just box it and not use it in your challenge instead of releasing it.
A very possible and generally easier challenge is the Scramble Challenge! Your team will be chosen for you by other people, leaving you to use Pokemon you may not have used before. Be prepared for anything!
Rules:
Rules:
- You can only use Pokemon that other members choose for you. You can't say no, unless the Pokemon they give you is on the "banned" list.
- Any Pokemon can be chosen, except for the following: Magikarp, Unown, Beldum, Feebas, Togepi, Sunkern, Ditto, Wobbuffet, Wynaut, Cosmog, and Cosmoem. Evolutions for these Pokemon may be chosen, though. Unevolved Pokemon can also be chosen, meaning that if someone gives you a Grotle you won't be able to evolve it into Torterra!
- You can't use multiple Pokemon from the same evolution family. If one person gives you a Treecko, you can't use Sceptile in that chalenge.
- To increase variety, one person can only choose up to two Pokemon for your team. This stops one member from choosing your entire lineup, and makes it more fun for other people to get involved.
- If you aren't able to catch a Pokemon that's been given to you (or if it's only available in the late game), you may trade over an egg of that Pokemon so you can use it earlier. It should be an egg so you don't get the trade EXP bonus when it hatches. If you aren't able to obtain an egg yourself, you can either request on in our Trading Forums or turn down the recommendation.
- You can use your starter Pokemon until you're able to obtain one of the Pokemon that was chosen from you. No other Pokemon can be used, and as soon as you get your hands on one of your chosen Pokemon, you need to box or release your starter.
Have you ever wanted to be like a gym leader and play through a game with only one type? This challenge might be right for you!
Rules:
Rules:
- Once you choose a type, you need to stick with it for the whole playthrough!
- You can't use two Pokemon from the same evolution family. If you use Poliwhirl, you can't also use Poliwrath, etc.
- This is less of a rule, but be sure that the type you choose is realistic for the game you choose. For example, Sinnoh has a lack of fire types, so doing a fire monotype in Diamond might not be the best decision.
- If a Pokemon is not currently the type you chose but will be in the future, you can still use it. This means that if you're doing a fire monotype, you could use Fletchling because it will become a fire type when it's fully evolved.
- Dual types are allowed!
- If your starter isn't viable for you to use, you can use it until you're able to catch a Pokemon for the type you chose. After you catch that Pokemon, your starter needs to be put away and not used again.
- You are allowed up to two trades total for your challenge. This includes trading eggs or Pokemon you normally couldn't get and in-game trades. You may evolve a Pokemon via trade as many times as you would like.
This challenge is really simple, but it can also be incredibly challenging! Are you ready to take on the world with a single Pokemon?
Rules:
Rules:
- You may choose one Pokemon to use in this challenge. Once you choose that Pokemon, you may use no other Pokemon in battle, all the way until you defeat the champion. You are allowed multiple HM slaves if you need them, since your single Pokemon can't learn all of the HM moves (and to be honest, those moves aren't that great- you want to save the four moves you get).
- You must obtain this Pokemon before the third badge. You can trade it in or catch it yourself, but you cannot use any other Pokemon after you've reached the third gym badge. What's the point in a challenge that only starts halfway through?
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