Absol Only - Pokemon Emerald

Playthrough Rules:
1. Only my starter in battle
2. No items in battle*
3. No glitches or exploits*
4. No Double-Team TM before level 100*
Other rules:
-- *Pokeballs are allowed in battle when I need to catch an HM user
-- I play the game at 4x game speed (238 frames per second)
-- I allow myself to manipulate my starter (IVs, nature, HP type)
-- Using the bike for movement speed increases is banned (it can be used to obtain items)
-- Saving between league members is allowed
-- If the solo Pokemon faints and I choose to blackout it counts towards my reset counter
*Double-Team:
-- Almost every Pokemon can learn Double-Team through TM
-- The TM can be purchased in Celadon
-- Using it would centralize the meta
-- Every Pokemon would use it to overcome tough battles at lower levels
-- It raises evasion
-- It triggers the badge boost
-- Banning the TM allows Pokemon who learn it through level up to use it
-- I believe evasion is part of Pokemon and shouldn't be banned entirely
-- I don't want the videos to all be double-team spam though, that's not fun or entertaining
-- Only two Pokemon learn Double-Team through level up: Pikachu & Scyther
-- Minimize is the other evasion raising move, these Pokemon learn it through level up:
-- Clefairy, Clefable, Grimer, Muk, Chansey, Staryu
Illustrations
Sarina Vail: / sarinavail
Support me on Patreon
/ scottsthoughts
~~Connect with me~~
Twitter
/ psychicflying
Email
[e-mail]

[@ScottsThoughtsPokemon]

Re-upload: here's the story. I got the flu last week and because I didn't do my regular work Friday morning I accidentally uploaded this video alongside Houndoom. After someone notified me I got out of bed and switched it to private. However, when I made it public again today, it received very few views, likely because KZbin wasn't notifying people. So I'm re-uploading to make sure all of you fine people know where to find it!

[@Offbreed309]

I didn't get the notification before but I got it this time.

[@kalebrhea5822]

I was wondering where the Friday vid was when I was looking in my subscription feed

[@chrisdixon7377]

I caught like 7 minutes of it lol

[@shinipede3998]

I knew I saw it the first time! I knew I’m not going insane!

[@grundgutigertv6170]

Youre right, I didnt see it on re release even though I check your channel daily.

[@Silvitewolf]

Scott: "I don't consider Matt a major battle" Matt : its ok I don't consider Scott a Major battle.

[@apache3133]

Really like the battle intros for the leaders, Camerupt nudging Numel to wake up vs Flannery especially 16:27

[@kalkkar]

Its the small things is why i love watching scott play

[@888Grim]

And the way the Wailord enters at 36:30 =)

[@silverrey7379]

29:52 just in case you didn't know: Even if you were faster, Sharpedo's ability Rough Skin would've knocked you out if you attacked it with a contact move

[@skeetermania3202]

Just a note, Shadow Ball is physical, so it would be better than HP Dark.

[@iantaakalla8180]

It should be noted that ironically, Dark types in the third generation want Ghost-typed moves because they are physical and Dark types are physical attackers, and Ghost types want Dark-typed moves because they are special and Ghost types are special attackers. It is so silly.

[@fightingfitz214]

@@iantaakalla8180 i think houndoom is the one exception that really likes dark being special

[@jordanthejq12]

@@fightingfitz214 Sharpedo and Murkrow can make it work, both having decent SpA stats, but yeah, Houndoom is the champion of pre-split Dark-types.

[@nomis2268]

@@jordanthejq12 tyranitar would like to have a word with you

[@sailorsloth8183]

@@nomis2268 Houndoom has a higher Special Attack than Tyranitar. The doggo is still the king of dealing damage with pre-split Dark type moves, even if Tyranitar has better stats overall.

[@anusthing]

I remember using absol as a kid and being confused why dark moves were so weak. I always thought dark was physical lol

[@et34t34fdf]

Welcome to gen 1-3, where ghost moves are physical, but bite is physical!

[@iantaakalla8180]

When ghost types should have crunch but dark types should have Shadow Ball

[@1stclasswarior]

I've played Emerald a lot - including my own solo run of Absol and I think there a lot of optimizations you could have made that would have dramatically improved its performance. The biggest one is that you didn't ascent Mt Pyre. Shadow Ball can be found at the top and it's the most important move in Absol's arsenal. You can pick it up before Tate & Liza, and it makes that fight significantly easier, able to oneshot the Xatu and maybe even the Lunatone. You easily oneshot everything after a Sword's Dance. You then carry it all the way through the game, sweeping Phoebe with ease after a single SD boost. This, in combination with Return will beat just about anything that isn't a steel type. You used Shock Wave very late in the playthrough when you could have just used Thunderbolt in that slot instead. Shock Wave is useful as soon as you beat Wattson as it can be used against Maxie to ignore Intimidate and serves as a backup plan for if you eat a Sand Attack, as well as against Flannery, hitting her Torkoal on its weaker defensive side. Speaking of Flannery, you had spammed Double Team for so long, trying to rely on boosts to get you through. There's an NPC you encounter after Fiery Path that gives you Secret Power. This is a 70 BP move with a range of useful effects including but not limited to paralysis, sleep, and flinches. This would have been much better to use against Flannery than Quick Attack and you need to get the TM before you can face her. If you didn't want to use Secret Power and instead wanted pure damage, then you have access to Strength after beating Wattson, and that will serve you well up until the point at which you reach Lilycove. This has the added benefit of having a higher BP than Return by the time you get access to Return, so you have a stronger early/mid game. By the time you reach the move deleter, Return will be the better move. In addition, you should have used Bite against Torkoal to avoid the 140 base DEF. The combination of Secret Power and Bite would have meant much less time spent boosting and potentially a lot less attempts, too. You also don't have to put your fate into the hands of RNG. You could have done something similar to Shock Wave with Ice Beam. It's not quite as useful, since by the time you need it, you can use SD more reliably, but it's best not to ignore it until the end of the run. Based on your footage, you skipped the Silk Scarf. It can be given to you by an NPC in the house that's right there as you get off of the boat when you first arrive. This will boost your damage throughout the entire run since you rely so heavily on normal moves for what amounts to the entire run. Pick up the Blackglasses as soon as you can reach that side of the cave, which is basically as soon as you beat the notorious rival fight north of Slateport. It'll make your Bites that much better, setting you up for an easier time into Wattson and Flannery. If you *really* want to use Hidden Power, go for either fighting or ground type. This is primarily to deal with steel types. They resist your main attacking combo of Shadow Ball and Return, but out of the three types that steel is weak to, these two options make the most sense for Absol since they're physical and benefit from SD boosts. This way, you have access to the ability to hit anything for at least neutral damage with this combination of moves. You can forget Hidden Power for the League, but then teach it again when preparing for Steven. This is just about everything I can think of. I don't want to seem like I'm nitpicking, since you're clearly working on learning your way through the 3rd generation of games. It's like your gen 1 content - you went back to revist 'mons you had already used in the past once you learned the game more. I see this as no different. You could make better decisions in-the-moment and long-term in each gen 3 run you do, and so I just want to help you out by filling in the gaps in your knowledge. I'm looking forward to your Tropius run! I've done that one myself and it turned out to be much more difficult than I expected it to be at some stages of the game.

[@thenerdbeast7375]

Should have grabbed the Shadow Ball TM while in Mt. Pyre. I know Bite/HP Dark is tempting for stab, but Shadowball is just better to use on these physically strong dark types like Absol because it is a physical move and provides similar coverage.

[@spideymenz5738]

Shiftry is based on the Tengu, a yōkai (japanese spirit/demon/monster/ *insert magical creature terminology here*). They’re usually represented as wearing a mask with a looong nose, just like Shiftry’s nose. Shiftry’s feet also look very much like traditional japanese sandals.

[@OathOfRevenge]

I feel like he'd appreciate Shiftry more if he knew its origins, it's one brilliant design! Shiftry's shoes are Tengu's geta as you said, its hands look like the strong fans Tengu use to control the wind and its magical powers are the reason he learns psychic and fire moves. His hair also resembles the white mane of Kabuki actors

[@spideymenz5738]

@@OathOfRevenge such layered design work deserves more credit!

[@DeuxisWasTaken]

Also its counterpart, the Lotad line, is based on Kappa, another youkai.

[@spideymenz5738]

@@DeuxisWasTaken YES! Mexican Kappa ftw

[@SMCwasTaken]

And GOOD LORD he's UGLY

[@trevorwendt6274]

Just a quick thing to point out: you also had access to Secret Power before Flannery. A 70 BP normal move that doesn't make contact. Once you have it, you can also buy copies of it in Slateport.

[@jakerockznoodles]

Secret Power IMO is a very underrated move for challenges he's doing in this gen. I remember him totally skipping over it in the Fire Red run with Dunsparce, when that is absolutely the perfect Pokémon to use this move with (taking advantage of both STAB _and_ Serene Grace)

[@skeetermania3202]

@@jakerockznoodles Are you referring to MDB?

[@jakerockznoodles]

@@skeetermania3202 Yes, sorry, I realise I'm crossing wires here lol

[@brendanhart517]

I love how they have a differential between physical and special and contact non contact in this gen. It's interesting Fire punch is a special move but it makes contact all sorts of interesting combos that i think are unique to this gen

[@Aliyah_666]

@@brendanhart517 I wish they had done a proper physical special split though. Gen 3 really missed out on alot of good movepools and sets due to lack of it.

[@G0ATFAC3]

God I laughed so hard at Magikarp's presence in Tate and Liza's fight. What a name!

[@dakotahadley2865]

Rest/chesto berry might be a really good strat in the future, free full restore essentially. Might miss out on some damage, but the setup should cover that weakness

[@terras6418]

I'm pretty sure that Torkoal is a Bug/Poison type. I think they're making up for giving Koga a Fighting/Electric type in gen 1.

[@snake909]

It's insane how much the overlay improved since I've started watching. Great work!

[@ScottsThoughtsPokemon]

More to come!

[@excadream]

Using Rest against Steven's Skarmory with your first set up could easily work, just using a Chesto berry instead of a Pecha berry 😁 Love your forays into gen III! You are, in fact, a fast learner (despite what you say)

[@skeetermania3202]

Honestly, with the changed EV system in Gen 3, I feel like Rest simply shouldn’t be used unless the mon in question is fairly bulky and needs more staying power.

[@nautgamingnautgaming9949]

It depends on what you need for Steven really If you need 4 moves for Steven you want pecha unless you outspeed n one hit skarmory, Chesto is if you need 3 moves for steven n not 4 otherwise this strategy is counterproductive If cradily is the only problem you want persim berry If neither of these are viable you want sitrus in ruby or sapphire or figy in emerald Also take in type boosting items if ranges are a problem

[@excadream]

Both fair points! Typically in a solo playthrough, I'll up HP if speed and leveling aren't a problem, so good ol' RestoChesto is a favorite of mine. And thank you for the detailed item selection, I always forget about the figy berries

[@eliyaskiya]

13:03 If Thunder Wave was an issue, you could've used Taunt

[@andersonantunesdeleu8591]

Absol wad absolutely astounding! Its massive attack really made it possible to surpass the obstacles, you got a great result, Scott, congratulations! Thank you for this new video! After Gengar's video I wasn't already expecting one more video! You're great man! I'm your fan to the end! Really, really, thank you!

[@Absolbr]

Thank you so much for making these videos, they always are a fun watch n make my day whenever i sit down to watch them. Looking forward to watching this run, Absol is my favorite pokemon!!

[@ScottsThoughtsPokemon]

You’re welcome! Thanks for the encouraging comment.

[@scottprice1330]

My second favorite Pokémon of all time! Thank you for the great content and what a surprise. I am so happy.

[@IBEDAVE87]

I have never played Emerald/Ruby/Sapphire. I'm a Gen1 guy. However, I like watching your videos so much that I just watched this whole thing completely oblivious to what was happening or what Pokemon were being used. Keep up the good work, Scott!

[@LycorisOni]

I love absol so much. I'm so happy to see you doing a run with them.

[@hypertane]

Been watching your videos for a while now and im glad your channel is getting bigger you are well presented and very entertaining!

[@TheAuron32]

honestly, i love this thing mainly as a capture Pokémon, its ability later on raises critical hit rates which go nice with a Razor Claw hold item, teach it False Swipe, Thunder wave and a weather move and you have a great little Pokémon to catch others. side bonus: Super Luck also increases the odds of wild Pokémon having hold items, so use the 4th slot for Thief. very good utility in one Pokémon.

[@nemesisofeden]

Absol is one of my fave pokemon ever. I'm so glad you did this! Thank you!

[@antshield]

Happy to see more gen 3 content. Another new journey to see your progression though the gen. The simultaneous timer and game time was a nice inclusion.

[@auralistank]

Aerial Ace would be a good counter to sand attack spam in conjunction with swords dance.

[@samzito8067]

great run! swords dance shadow ball would’ve really helped against phoebe since it’s physical (but still had a chance to drop special defense for some reason)

[@MrBii03]

A run of my favorite pokemon! I only used it post split so that definitely helped even more with me enjoying it.

[@runeplay2]

Eeeeeee thank you for the video, Absol is my one and true favorite!!! And, one thing that also always gets me just soooooo happy, even though it's not a big thing, and probably not intended as a major thing; it's whenever you say "however", there's always something unique and just... I can't explain it, but I LOVE hearing it from you! Thank you fir the wonderful videos, and I hope you continue doing well!

[@ScottsThoughtsPokemon]

You’re welcome Maple Parapet! I’m glad you’re enjoying

[@balefire384]

So glad that Absol is getting some love, not only is it one of my favorite mons but my birthday is coincidentally right around Halloween as well

[@juanchirino4900]

10 million views milestone is so close for you now. Your hard work has really been paying off. Congrats.

[@ScottsThoughtsPokemon]

Whoa! I didn’t even realize.

[@milkdud8993]

Nice name choice! I really like absol so I’m happy to see you make a video with it! Naughty by nature too!

[@giacomoalessandrodeluca]

Great great quality, as always, and you're improving at dealing with 3rd gen mechanincs., such natures, abilities and held berries some tips: ghost is physical in this gen, so shadowball could have been a better option. Boosting items give you a 10% boost instead the 20% from gen4 , so they are not as usefuel. Persim berries or Cheri berries can be more useful. Return is a must have for a physical attacker. Never choosing a speed lowering nature.

[@iBIackieChan]

Your voice is very pleasant to listen to! Just discovered your channel, great video!

[@ScottsThoughtsPokemon]

Thanks so much! Glad you’re enjoying.

[@zerraticz]

Hello Scott and Denis! Excited to finally check this out!

[@nightfan1983]

Looking through your videos I just noticed, I never watched the Absol video. Changing that now. Also, for the algorithm :D

[@vincentsterel6448]

I think a naive or jolly nature would have been better, using the moves swords dance/shadow ball/return/hp fighting at the end. Naive nature might make early game easier when using dark-type moves, but I don't think you need the sp. atk stat very much once you learn swords dance. Either way, thanks for the great content, was really cool to see someone use Absol in a playthrough! :)

[@sulferzero]

dude the visuals are crisp and look great. Good Job.

[@ScottsThoughtsPokemon]

Thanks! Glad you like them :)

[@roberte.o.speedwagon6043]

YES 🤩 Nice to see you took my advice to heart on the increase/decrease of Natures, I've been dying to see the next Gen3 video! 😂 Watching it now, I hope it pays off! I've been loving your content, and I've found myself watching other creators like Jrose and Vanman because of you. Keep up the amazing work 😄

[@ScottsThoughtsPokemon]

Little up down arrows for nature are coming soon.

[@TryLimeAde]

my all time favourite pokemon, absol-utely love this run!

[@powwowken2760]

"Shifty is not very aesthetically pleasing and Nuzleaf..." Ooh is this going to be a call back to how Nuzleaf was the inspiration for the term Nuzlocke, the original Pokemon challenge? "Nuzleaf has nipples" What do... Omg it does... Now I can't unsee them... Thanks...

[@ScottsThoughtsPokemon]

Welcome ;)

[@kevpinto7096]

Let’s gooooo, I’ve been waiting for this one. Can’t wait to see how it does 🙌🏽

[@roymirke168]

Hey Scott. Loves your videos and Absol. I did a playthrough with it too. What I can recommend. Use a special attack plus nature. Maybe it's special attack is lower but the stab bite gets boosted and icebeam and thunderbolt are powered up too. You can still use return/ shadowball for special defense pokémons.

[@zachsimmons5882]

Against the Armaldo you had a +5 boost from calm mind when flamethrower barely didn't ko, then when you checked water pulse the next fight you were only +3 so you still barely missed the ko. With some luck against Skarmory you could have swept at +4-5 if you had ice beam instead of rest to handle Cradily and Claydol. If you could get through the champion with ice beam it might give you a easier fight against Steven. Nice video though, always happy to see one of my favorites used.

[@Hearthstoned632]

I love the new playthroughs, I'm sorry you got sick. Hope your feeling better and the next solo should be the jhoto starters

[@FernandoRafaelNogueiraReis]

Here's a thought: Special Flying-Type Sharpedo is scary! The touches you give keep making me watch it and not just use it as a sleep-aid. For example, the Wailord smashing everyone else! Thanks for re-uploading, I saw the wrong upload but it didn't notify me that it wasn't private anymore. Lastly, Hoenn level curve seems really bad! It's not Johto levels of "everyone is lvl 30 the whole game and Red is almost 90" but still.

[@newtonnicholas4836]

I can’t wait for you to get better at it … gen 3 is my fave and your contents are great 😇😇😇

[@Thollis1987]

It is refreshing to see you playing Pokémon Generation 2 and 3.

[@ScottsThoughtsPokemon]

They will be regular on the channel from now on. The long stretch of only Yellow was due to technological limitations with my software. Development took serious time!

[@juanchirino4900]

Good video man. Keep up the great work.

[@shanoc5902]

Looking at the app, Flamethrower having 95 power (due to neutral effectiveness) vs Water Pulse having 120 power (due to super-effectiveness) means that Water Pulse should consistently outpreform on Armaldo, roughly 25% more damage even. You probably got a low roll on your one use of it. You may want to develop a new methodology for testing out off strategies at least on hard battles, maybe a damage calculator or something, as you've had several videos where due to getting one or two low rolls you completely discounted a move that on average would overcome a wall you had. Even if it's just for end-game fights like Steven or the champion, it may not be good to rely purely on play-tested experience for getting a feel for the viability of rogue strategies you're unsure of. Also I'm not sure how viable it is, but against Steven instead of a Pecha berry maybe a Chesto Berry+Rest would be a better way to deal with toxic, to cure it and get a full heal for 1 turn, letting you play through toxic a bit? Something to consider for future runs at least!

[@tylorvezina9793]

Can we all just take a second to appreciate how the Magikarp is named Bruno? lmao Love it! Great video as always!

[@tylorvezina9793]

Also I loved Shiftry's design until you pointed out that its chin is its crotch, and now I can't unsee it. I always thought it was a cool unique design, but now I just think of Ballchinians from Men In Black. lol

[@charlessegale6493]

I remember noticing the Absol video on my feed alongside the Houndoom video while I was at work and found it odd that it was gone when I got back home. Now I know why. Welp, time to watch this while keeping an eye on the Lightning game. Absol definitely has the best design of the regular Gen 3 Pokémon.

[@nutmegdoesstuff1339]

Absol is just such a cool pokemon, glad it performed well.

[@matthiasrauert8397]

Haven't watched yet but if u have a physical attacker and don't plan on using special moves adamant is the nature to go for u. Btw been wathcing and rewatching ur vids since i found ur channel a couple months back and u always lighten up my day, just keep ur awesome personality u are just so excited and energetic u are rly good at drawing people in with ur energy.

[@ScottsThoughtsPokemon]

Thanks for the kind words Matthias!

[@iantaakalla8180]

I saw that Roxanne’s Nosepass tipped over during the intro animation, and that was fun.

[@loulou3676]

7:40 Lotad pizza looks delicious. Imagine you order a pizza delivery and it arrives like this. I wouldn't even be mad about the one missing slice, you earned it little buddy.

[@weebrahim]

Can't wait for absols improved time in the future...there's so much potential

[@TheDanishGuyReviews]

Me: Hey, I've seen this one before! People only seeing the one uploaded today: What do you mean? It's brand new!

[@theone825]

The Gen 3 runs are getting better Scott!

[@ronaldmaxwell6668]

after months of not watching your videos then i see this banger

[@ScottsThoughtsPokemon]

Welcome back Ronald :)

[@OctiPye]

Taunt is great against Watson, unless you get an unlucky para from the sparks, it would have been a good move to use against his thunder wavers. But anyway, amazing content like always 🥰

[@nightblade3709]

Taunt also helps a ton with the Mightyena bc it stops Swagger/Sand attack strats and confusion was a massive issue with this playthrough

[@Krazymaddog]

Wow your UI is really awesome. It seems to get better every video

[@ScottsThoughtsPokemon]

Thanks so much Chris

[@TheThrownOutSofa]

I found your channel a couple weeks ago and must say I love your content. Your videos are the perfect length for me to put on while I go to sleep and you explain everything so well that I can “watch” without needing to watch my screen. It might be a little weird that I listen to you when I sleep but don’t worry, I also have a girlfriend.

[@ScottsThoughtsPokemon]

I’m always working to make these both a watchable and listenable experience!

[@Colin1Moriarty]

Ah well I feel like a weirdo cause I watch everything you upload almost instantly.. but it's time to prepare dinner so let's watch again haha! Also I am a big fan of Absol. Reminds me of myself in the Rawr-ing xD noughties hahaha

[@ScottsThoughtsPokemon]

That makes me really happy. I’m glad you watch my stuff right away and I’m glad you’re enjoying the content! :)

[@calebbevan]

Natures definitely add a wrench into the thought processes. I would personally lean towards either a negative attack or special attack for most Pokémon. Unless you think they’re gonna be a truly mixed set. You could also choose to grind some place that will give you a lot of a particular EV when forced to grind. There’s definitely a lot of moments where mindlessly grinding can be appealing to get faster levels but EV‘s can easily add so much to a stat.

[@tsawy6]

Yeah, but Absol has a much better special movepool than physical. Every calm mind sweep he had after the gym battles was special, no?

[@calebbevan]

@@tsawy6 there are multiple options that can be explored. Shadow ball was never used. slightly different IV you could pick physical hidden type. giving you return, shadow ball , ???, and swords dance. we are nowhere near optimization on gen 3. i’m just throwing out some thoughts so more strategies can be explored.

[@tsawy6]

Mm, thinking now there weren't as many calm mind sweeps as I thought. Didn't work on Glacia, Sidney, or Wallace. Which really only leaves Drake. The best HP choice for him would have to be Rock, which isn't a terrible choice in general. Iunno, I think Dark is possibly still the go to. Rock doesn't help with that much, you can hit everything for neutral with normal/ghost, and having a special attack is good against some opponents. Tho in fairness, HP dark is only 10 more BP than Bite...

[@Chronoflation]

Better after Gen 4 when physical and special is determined by move and not type. When you have access to physical and special moves that will both be useful, leaving a poor defense with the negative nature could be better, or just going Serious and letting the neutral maintain your defenses while at the cost of a few KOs not happening with the stat you'd normally boost

[@ScottsThoughtsPokemon]

I’m leaning this way now too.

[@mahnameisj]

Great vid! Gonna be waiting for a Nosepass only run now 😏

[@someguyontheinternet2399]

Seeing as Absol is my favorite Pokémon, I completely approve

[@Randroth]

Since you mentioned the rival in the remakes in 23:37 , I wanted to add that in ORAS they also made the Rival battle in Lilycove City mandatory to progress. They "ambush" you on the steps next to the pokemon centre (where you need to go in order to reach the Magma/Aqua hideout), instead of waiting in front of the mall.

[@b.r.v.8609]

I looove Absol, my absolute favourite Pokémon

[@RezeedTheDataspirit]

You could have won that Wallace fight with the Shell Bell. Also, with the steven fight, one option could have been chesto resto strats. Regarding that, you could have set up how you want to fight with the "scary armor" and then refreshed once you got to the next pokemon. Also, if you weren't keen on Calm mind, Shadow ball could have been a nice alternative since it can lower special defense while doing physical damage.

[@weebrahim]

This was an Absolutely glorious run

[@PrincessGoth574]

I'd love to see this run in the remakes, not only physical dark moves, but also the mega evolution!

[@Noman69420]

Good ol disaster boi, great run scott

[@gabr.7878]

This video is Absol-lutly perfect!!

[@Just.Nightmare]

My favorite pokemon 3 days before my birthday, Perfect

[@ScottsThoughtsPokemon]

Happy Birthday! (Soon)

[@String.Epsilon]

Oh, you added the badge tracker! Nice.

[@marcoraliti4116]

On Armaldo water pulse was better than flamethrower. When you compared the damage you had 2 less calm minds compared to flamethrower damage! However, amazing video as always!

[@wiseguise5960]

I can't wait to see a run with my #1 favorite mon the terrifying Tyranitar! I loved having this thing on my team in gen2, such a beast! Best dark type mon introduced in gen2(Sorry Houndoom lovers lol.)

[@richarddill692]

If you're taking suggestions, my favorite Pokémon is Shuppet. I imagine it'd make a good Halloween run, and would probably be a really fun FR/LG solo challenge.

[@mycreativeandgamerschannel]

Absol head looks like yin and yang ☯️

[@Skipatronic]

Absol was definitely one I overlooked

[@browncow5210]

That reminds me that in the remakes there were a group of grunts that challenge you to 5v1 where they all have Mightyena to spam intimidate.

[@ScottE-2]

Ghost being physical is a leftover from Gen 1 with the only Ghost damaging move being: Lick. Ghosts counter Psychic types so it deals physical damage at least that was the idea since it shakes you to your core. They fixed it with the Move category from Diamond and Pearl. NOTE: Be wary that in gen 3 they also have it so that wild Pokemon give out 1 Effort Value. Depending on who you are grinding for, you can improve your general stats in the proper places to make moves hit harder. Also, I'm surprised you didn't give it the Charcoal to give Flamethrower the extra edge of a 20% boost which is probably what you were looking for. You can pick it up while in Lavaridge Town from an old man near the Herb Shop. If you end up using a fighting type, make sure you steal a Black Belt from the Blackbelt trainer Nob with Thief in route 115. Knowledge of the items will help in small situations like this for Steven.

[@Diz_27]

Man I love the Rustboro city theme song 💜

[@ryanwells137]

How he says dynamo is killing me 😆. Its "die-nuh-mo" not "die-nam-oh" don't mean to be critical, love the videos!

[@PrimeFatherNature]

Absol is one of my og polemon. I love it. So its my favorite 😍

[@TheEliseblackbriar]

Yooo what the f***? Two vids in 2 days? :o Keep it up!

[@ZaneZephyr]

When you get to lavaridge I am pretty sure you can enter the hot spring on the left edge of the town and it will heal your Pokémon so you can double dip into not having to use the poke center there as well getting healed before the gym battle

[@mspires03]

I used Shiftry on my team as a child. I loved it!

[@patrickborosky23]

With the swagger spam from mightyena, getting the protect tm at lilycove might be worth. As it is usually the doggos opening move.

[@NonexistentIntellect]

My first time playing through gen 3 I thought tropics looked so cool when I found it. I immediately caught it and put it on my team. I didn't really know anything about stats back then but I flew all over on that flying banana tree

[@pidiokouloup5355]

Hey, just wanted to draw your attention to Taunt. It prevents the use of status (non damaging) moves from the opponent, forcing them to go for attacks. Seeing how annoying they are, it is mindboggling to me that you just ignore it, and replace it for a % move like Double Team. Keep up the good work

[@elijahgooley385]

Naughty absol is best. Sometimes adamant is good if your not giving it special moves, but its kind of annoying when your using it for exclusive dark type. Absol is my favorite pokemon of this gen. I remember it was the first encounter on the route where it appears on my first playthough. Its something I always go out of my way for now. Shadow ball always the move I go with because it always goes in tandem with its dark type. That plus aerial ace and swords dance and bite for flinch cheese. Often times i replace bite with hyper beam. Cool seeing the diverse move pool I never use in action.

[@gmanz5]

When a Pokémon uses Bite or Crunch after they given the Dark typing I just imagine their teeth radiating a dark aura. Crunch looking a like boardline possesion

[@bateltheassistant]

Wow, watching you do a run with absol, reminds of my first run in emerald I had one on my team, that swept the entire league, and it was a special attacker(because of playing too much gen 1 and 2,I thought special attackers are better then physical ones😅). So having absol use it's best stat was well played overall.👏👏👏 And thanks for reminding me about the amulet coin, I always tend to forget about that in gen 3 for sone reason 🤔... That battle with Steven was brutal, even after grinding, that team is really hard to beat with one pokemon, but you've managed to that, with a non stab, special attack. 👏👏👏I find that to be very lucky. But always remember, in gen 3 in major fights trainers tend to set up, but you have a good solution for that and that's Taunt. Tanut is massing up that set up, because the opposing pokemon can't use them for 5 turns, you will take hits form thier attack but, you can set up safely for a turn or two. You could pair that with sword dance and shadow ball, because ghosy is physical in this gen, for some reason... Or if you'd like to mass up with thier sweep, you can use torment,(torment makes the onter pokemon to not use the same move in a row. Then you can kind of predict what's going to be thier next move) and heal the status with rest. Also, maybe setting up hidden power fighting could be the best play for Steven or in general, with the mightyena, because mightyena has usually a very low defence. By the way, dont forget about teaching substitute(it's a tutor move located in the highest floor of lilycove's department store) , it could help in some cases, so you can try that out too, in your future runs Buy onter then that, you've done an excellent job at learning a little by little about these games, and I really appreciate that, and I hope that you'll get better in these 😊.

[@ScottsThoughtsPokemon]

The tip about taunt is something I won’t forget!

[@bateltheassistant]

@@ScottsThoughtsPokemon it helps me a lot in my nuzlockes, so I figured that it would be helpful to you as well. 😊

[@dudecickle]

In slateport from the Incense seller you can buy a Luck Incense for 9600 which works as an amulet coin. It might be worth picking up that much earlier even at the price. This vendor also sells other incenses that boost damage types similar to miracle water.

[@dragonfly4441]

Nosepass is a MAGNET. It's a compass. That's why it can learn a few electric moves and is slightly more special inclined than rocks. Also if you run a dark type again, beware bug moves. Pin missile on Zigzagoon, for example.

[@SirSeabass]

Absol-lutly one of my favorite pokemon.

[@maxspecs]

Whenever you hit an Absol with some Swagger, it always ends in disaster.

[@ninjadolphin01]

Secret Power coulda been helpful for Maxie and Flannery. It's a pretty solid move in general. Usually it's basically headbutt and also doesn't make contact so has some niche use against Sharpedo, Roselia etc.