Empoleon-line Solo Challenge - Pokemon Platinum

Rules:
1. Only my starter in battle
2. No items in battle, except held items
3. No glitches, exploits, save states, or RNG manipulation
4. No evasion moves before level 100*
Rule details:
-- *In gen1, evasion boosting is allowed if the Pokemon does it through means other than learning the move by level up or TM. For example, using Mimic or Mirror Move to boost evasion is allowed. (This exception is to keep ranking consistent with my legacy videos.)
-- I am allowed to manipulate my starter
-- I play the game at 4x game speed
-- For fair comparisons all my Pokemon have perfect (or near perfect) DVs / IVs
-- I am allowed to catch HM users - I can use all field moves
-- All in-battle glitches are allowed in generation 1
-- In generation 1, I'm allowed to skip Marowak with the Poke Doll
-- Surge's trash-can-puzzle is automatically solved
-- The bike is allowed in gen1, banned in gen2, and allowed for bypassing terrain in gen3
-- Saving between league members is allowed
-- If the solo Pokemon faints and I choose to blackout it counts towards my reset counter
-- I can pause the game and timer to take breaks
-- The footage is sped up / slowed down to match the pace of my narration
-- The ability Pickup can only be used if the starter has it
Patreon: / scottsthoughts
KZbin memberships:
/ @scottsthoughtspokemon
Twitter: / psychicflying
Twitch: / scottsthoughtspokemon
Illustrations by / sarinavail
Thumbnail art by / brianlsart
STAB: bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wi...
DVs / IVs: bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wi...
Damage Calculations: bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wi...
Gen1 Stat Calculator: pycosites.com/pkmn/stat_gen1.php
Gen2 Stat Calculator: pycosites.com/pkmn/stat_gen2.php
Gen1 Crit Rates: www.smogon.com/rb/articles/cr...
Learnsets: bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wi...
Base Stats: bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wi...)

[@TheManitobaTV]

Oh also! You can get a TM for pluck in Floaroma town! This would help greatly with your struggles with Gardenia and her gym

[@Rhyzilla]

In addition it helps into the battles w the admins because their aces hold sitrus berries

[@alwayskindasleepy69]

Can't help but feel like swords dance was a gigantic bait, once empoleon evolves i think its able to just straight up beat the game with coverage moves pretty easily with it's amazing typing and good special attack + coverage

[@alwayskindasleepy69]

Surf, Ice Beam, Earthquake, Grass Knots beats basically everything especially since you overlevel so easily in the lategame

[@magicannon6285]

@@alwayskindasleepy69 love ur pfp, nora goat

[@eunotv]

So i’m not crazy.. Scott you coulda got the move Pluck which is 60 Power Flying Attack in Floaroma Town. Return to the path you entered Floaroma Town from, and go into the house directly north from the entrance. Talk to the girl with the Clefairy and she'll ask you a question. Say "yes" and she'll give you some TMs (TM88) for the move Pluck.

[@steijnvanb4634]

yes, you can even minimum battles that fight with pluck (and a reasonable amount of luck)

[@rooislangwtf]

That cost the run about 30 minutes (even if he had to grind after getting Pluck that's still probably like 25 minutes of time loss)

[@dvillines26]

I was going absolutely insane about this.

[@DigiRangerScott]

Single TM. Bulk TM acquisitions outside of the Department Stores aren’t a thing until Gen 8 or 9

[@Ravenstorm163]

​@@rooislangwtfit is 10 minutes maximum

[@teo9376]

I'm pretty sure the tm for pluck is available before Gardenia. That would probably be even faster than torrent strategies + Roserade has a berry your can steal.

[@KeithTheGeek]

Hey Scott, I think sometimes you either misread Bulbapedia or don't read enough of it. Everyone's already mentioned your mistakes not grabbing Pluck and confusing Rock Tomb's Gen 6 buff as being from Gen 4, so I'm not gonna harp on it. Admittedly this is just a minor mistake, but while it is true Cherrim only receives a base stat boost in sun in PLA, that's only because abilities don't exist in that game. In every other game, Cherrim's ability gives it an equivalent stat boost while sun is up, as well as its partner in a double battle. If memory serves correctly, you can get Ice Beam in the game corner. I've seen a lot of comments saying that focusing on a physical set was a mistake, so it might be worth it to save your coins and grab Ice Beam instead. It would have saved you that backtracking you did after Candice.

[@SmashMath151]

Seconding what everyone else is saying about Pluck, you can get it in Floaroma Town. Also, I'm pretty sure Rock Tomb wasn't buffed until Gen 6. Also, not sure if you're aware since you've been using physical sets, but you can get Choice Specs from Celestic Town in the morning. That said, Empoleon did quite well! There are 2 separate Any% Glitchless speedrun routes for Infernape and Empoleon that are currently about 45 seconds apart, which is quite good for the slower Water type.

[@ZanderKreegan]

Yeah, the Rock Tomb error has been mentioned in the comments in previous videos

[@Poppipower]

I noticed the sad little teardrop on sad little Volkner’s intro screen. I love the attention to detail on these screens. Wattson’s Voltorb threatening to explode, Candace’s Sneasel dashing around, they all give so much character. I love it

[@rooislangwtf]

My prediction was that Empoleon was going to be between Infernape and Torterra, didn't expect it was going to be because Scott missed Pluck (not sure if him choosing to run a physical Empoleon made the run slower / faster, but it was nice to see something different)

[@davidjimenez3822]

Fun Fact: Empoleon has the theorically fastest time possible in Platinum speedrunnning using the Choice Specs at Torrent range, since most of the lategame is neutral to Surf (most notable resist beint Cynthia's Roserade). However, this is largely possible thanks to the X items. Also, it should be noted that the early game is much more difficult than with the Infernape line

[@N12015]

The latter is why the record is on Infernape, because while Empoleon is faster, Infernape can bypass the 2nd gym consistently.

[@Great_Olaf5]

I have no oíche What choice specs are...

[@silver_was_found]

@@Great_Olaf5 It's an item that gives a 1.5x boost to a pokemon's special attack when equipped.

[@N12015]

​@@Great_Olaf5An item who locks you into a move but increases the special attack by 50%. There's equivalents on speed (Scarf) and attack (Band) btw and are cornerstones of PvP since gen 4 (Except the band, it was released in gen 3).

[@uli11]

25:45 Scott you aren't crazy. He used Willowisp which is a guaranteed burn. Flamethrower did not burn you.

[@MegaMacX]

In the second battle flamethrower burned him, but yeah, the first time it was will-o-wisp.

[@midge2946]

It really is interesting how different the pain points in a solo run are compared to standard ones. Cynthia is the stuff of nightmares in casual runs, but when one Pokemon has absorbed essentially all the experience in the run, it's strong enough to sweep her with some setup. But the gym leaders can be big roadblocks when they have the type matchup in a solo run, whereas the casual playthrough has a whole lineup of mons to deal with various typings. And then Cyrus can be pretty tough for both kinds of runs.

[@unboundsoul3582]

In future runs, why not consider using the choice specs? If you come pre-damaged for torrent to a fight, you get 1.5x from STAB, specs and Torrent each for a whopping 3.375x multiplier before type effectiveness. Could be worth checking out for Pokemon with big Sp. Atk in the future!

[@kieranbennett7453]

Not sure if its still the case, but glitchless speedruns of this game use this combo as basically nothing in the latter half of this game resists specs Surf

[@jesusinacan2]

Ah yes words. Stab. Like with a knife??? Specs? Like spec ops? Idk man. What do these words mean.

[@pommyadam]

@@jesusinacan2 they're fairly common competitive/pokemon terms STAB = same type attack bonus - a 1.5x boost to a moves base power when it shares a typing with the pokemon using it (it's why Snorlax/Tauros dominate using HyperBeam in Gen1 - normal-type move being used by a normal-type pokemon) Specs = Choice specs - a 1.5x boost to a pokemon's special attack when equipped, but ONLY lets you use one move (this is mostly a late-game item, or only post-Psyduck's in Platinum)

[@dragonmaster951753]

​@jesusinacan2 anyone who plays pokemon know these terms. The game itself uses STAB as a word, that isn't made up. Choice specs is an item in the game, the only item with specs. Pretty straightforward

[@PlushSine7]

​@jesusinacan2 scott has for sure used the phrase STAB dozens of times in the gen 2 videos

[@retloclive9118]

Similar to what I mentioned in the Infernape video, it's kind of a shame that the end of Gen IV solo runs are such a breeze because of all the Rare Candies. Makes for some dull endings when overleveled 80+ mons just clean sweep everything

[@chrisdaignault9845]

I think it’s more the sheer length of the game that allows a solo mon to get to huge levels. The rare candies will be huge for slow growth rate mons, though.

[@hitmanx200]

I never use rare candies in normal play-throughs for this very reason, they just feel like cheating the game

[@lz_paige]

Does Prinplup not get Pluck for Gardenia? I thought you got the TM in Floaroma Town. Maybe I'm thinking of a ROM Hack or something, but I thought it was there in vanilla Platinum too.

[@f1r2o3g4]

Came here looking for the same comment! It’s a huge help for that fight with Prinplup.

[@spacedoyster7686]

You're not imagining it. The Pluck TM is in Floaroma.

[@Silver-Arm]

Yeah. He missed it. It would've been much better than return

[@garrett7261]

it's given to you by a girl beside the flower shop in floaroma town standing beside the building where the berry spot is in front of building

[@Great_Olaf5]

He probably wouldn't prioritize it bergstation it's a physical move and this line is special attackers.

[@pokemonchannel59shepard54]

Scott your channel is my absolute favorite. Every time you upload I watch immediately. The spotlight you give on older Pokémon and your A plus narration providing so many helpful tips and point out all the nuances of the early games. Your channel revived my old love for Pokémon.

[@kevinkirkwood8844]

I think your often forgetting about torrent and the other pinch boosting abilities. For instance against the first purugly you didn't just get a better roll you had torrent boost so it was always gonna KO. Just something to try and keep in mind in case you go for a status condition one time when you do have the KO with your pinch boost.... EDIT i see you address this later on in the video

[@britishpalmtree9268]

Hi scott, just want to say, im a huge fan, and i really appreciate your content. Its amazing to watch you grow. Ive been reall sick over xmas, and goijg through some mental health stuff as well. Your videos have been a huge confort and something to look forward to each evening. Thank you so much for this content and keeping me going. Please know you have a fan for life.

[@silvercharts]

Yo I hope stuff gets better for you in 2024!❤

[@redwings13400]

With access to so many rare candies in this game, I wonder if it would make more sense to end this game on the E4 rematch. Especially if you have setup, your pokemon is just so overleveled and overpowered during the basic e4 that it feels like these runs might be more interesting if there were some sort of Steven-like final boss at the end. In this case, I think that's Cynthia and her level 78 Garchomp. It might also be more interesting if there were still a reason to hold off on rare candies during the league if you have later challenges ahead. That said, adding in Stark Mountain would probably increase play time by a ton on an already super long game, which might be boring for you, so its up to you if you want to do this.

[@PhAyzoN]

More like "Somewhat Uncommon Candy" in this game!

[@Matty2Saints]

Scott, Rock Tomb is a terrible move until generation 6. Most of the time, having strong STAB moves will give a power similar to or greater than what a super-effective Rock Tomb would provide. Also, in a lot of occasions, even a powerful resisted STAB move would be more consistent and as strong as neutral Rock Tomb. This move has just traumatized me so much as a kid I hate to see it lower your speed (pun intended) Double also, I’m seeing a lot of comments about Pluck being a saving grace for Prinplup, but a lot of good moves in Platinum are slightly hidden in houses, random people, behind surf, rock climb, or strength barriers. Maybe looking for specific TMs in each area and highlighting them could help mons that are stuggling

[@jamescallaghan7726]

Your commentary and jokes throughout this play through were hilarious! Your delivery and narration have gotten better and better! Thank you for the entertainment, Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!

[@PvtPikman]

Scott at 25:43 what burned you was Will-O-Wisp, not Flamethrower

[@Bl3Moze]

Thanks Scott and Shawn for all the work you guys have done. Hope you enjoy your vacation while we enjoy all the content.

[@somerandomgoblin2583]

piplup is my absolute favorite pokémon ever!! no matter how it performs, i'm still happy you chose to run it! this line will always be #1 in my heart!

[@TheOmegaDragon]

Piplup is my favorite starter as well. Love the design of Empoleon.

[@somerandomgoblin2583]

@@TheOmegaDragon absolutely! it's been my favorite pokémon for longer than i can remember, and i'm so happy it was shown off today!

[@danpitzer765]

'Pressing B'...what I always want to do with Litten, because I know the horror that is coming, as the adorable kitten turns into a luchadore.

[@Jeikobu]

Yeah, I don't inherently dislike Incineroar, it just feels like an odd choice in line with Litten and Torracat

[@crazychatot5788]

I just wanted to say thank you Scott for the hard work you put into your videos and hope you and your wife have a happy new year

[@andreapareti324]

I really like your pre-battle animation for the Elite Four! And it's nice in general that your VS bar mimics the one seen in-game; cool touch!

[@Lazergician]

I feel like Torterra having all the resets waiting for a blizzard miss prooobably didn't do it many favors 😂

[@TheTrollmasterYT]

The piplup line is one of my favourite lines in the entire series so it's awesome that your doing a solo line of it😊

[@Great_Olaf5]

Okay, I'll grant that prinplip doesn't look great, but empoleon looks badass. Also, being a Also attacker would certainly explain why metal claw always did so little... Was always my favorite starter.

[@cryogyro3779]

Route 211, east of Eterna City, is much better for Gardenia grinding than the forest. The little Coronet area you can enter there is slightly better with its higher levels, but you run into a lot of Geodude and Bronzor, which are annoying for certain Pokemon. And yes, Gardenia is the single most important question to answer for Pokemon that are slow and take a lot from Grass Knot.

[@dustindean4618]

Yet Pluck was available at this point which would of definitely gave Empoleon the win,

[@auraswan951]

This is almost a week late, but thank you for doing my FAVORITE Gen 4 starter on my birthday! Love your videos!

[@ScottsThoughtsPokemon]

Happy Birthday!

[@Silver-Arm]

You probably know that already, but you do have access to choice specs on both all the gen 4 games (DPP and HGSS). It's gonna be helpful on future runs.

[@Panda_SMM]

bless you scott for another great video

[@astralnekomimi]

I've been working on a White 2 solorun and might have an answer to the Poison Sting thing. At minimum, in Generations 4-5, when the player is on lower health, lower power moves will be prioritized by the AI, presumably to save PP on the higher power move. Chances are you had just enough HP to trigger this but not enough to actually faint from Poison Sting.

[@cameronneveu7277]

Also I think there is some thing where the AI will see your Pokemon is on low heatlh and will try to predict a switch. This might be another thing to try and patch for a solo run challenge, like in previous Gens where the AI is making Bad Choices because it sees you have more pokemon in your party.

[@44MagnumNA]

Now that you've brought it up, it would be awesome to see either a Weavile or Honchkrow playthrough in the future. I hope you and Shawn have a relaxing break!

[@richkra8161]

Loving the platinum video, its also showing the learning process for a game with little info on

[@deadpool425fjf8]

I always did like Empoleon. To be honest, i think it's design is fitting. The piplup line are pretty priddful, and Empoleon's look of a yee-old aristocrat fits it's pompous nature.

[@jamescannon229]

Love your videos scott! That being said, about halfway through this video now and it has been very painful. You can get the pluck tm before gardenia, and also i feel as if going swords dance on empoleon is not the right choice, the amount of coverage it has more than suffices with special attacks.

[@megariderfire1994]

27:23 Lol, the tear on Volkner's face in that intro animation. XD

[@deansouza3747]

I audibly yelled "WHAT?!" when you said that you didn't like Empoleon's design when you first saw it, because its design is the reason I became a fan of the Pokémon series in the first place. I had only watched the anime up to that point, but when I saw my sister using it in Pearl version, I immediately fell in love with it, and to this day, it's my favorite Pokémon. It's honestly just a super fun Pokémon to use as well, and I've had great results with it in competitive battles. It's crazy looking back, knowing that Empoleon is the one that introduced me to not only Pokémon, but video games as a whole. Side note, I'm REALLY looking forward to seeing the Shinx line in one of your videos. Platinum is CRUEL to Electric types, which is a shame, because Luxray has such a cool design.

[@TheManitobaTV]

5:37 this time and some other times in the past i can’t recall if you’ve mentioned or accounted for the starter abilities, Blaze, Overgrow and Torrent. In this case it seems like you probably got the knockout on Purugly due to Prinplup’s torrent

[@deathby1808]

You are correct about the pokeball seals. I like how they added them to specific trainers to give them more personality

[@pedromoura1352]

I never comment here, but I'd like to say thanks for the videos. I like pokemon, but the way you do it makes them more interesting. And I also like your voice

[@f1r2o3g4]

Enough mentions of Pluck to cover it, so I'll just say great video. I'm enjoying seeing you dip your toes into Platinum--it's maybe my favorite of the series. Great job!

[@dragonyyy]

Shawn and Scott u both deserved that vacation have a good time and thanks for ur hard work!

[@realbloodydoves]

Hi Scott, great video, really happy to see Platinum on the channel! Love Generation 4, hope to see HeartGold/SoulSilver one day too! Did want to point out one thing on the overlay though: the badges are being ordered incorrectly. When you get the badges and they pop up in the overlay, Fantina's badge (Gym 3 in Platinum) goes into the fifth slot (first slot of row 2) as though it's the 5th badge. I suspect this is because the badge order changed between Diamond/Pearl and Platinum. In DP Fantina *is* Gym 5, perhaps the ordering was done based on that badge order in an early form of the software? It's a very minor issue of course but thought I'd point it out for you. Really love the stuff, very excited to see the new content in 2024! Thanks so much for being a great content creator!

[@egoDario]

rip to TM Pluck in Floaroma Town :(

[@Drewy01134]

Its crazy to think how close Empoleon was to Infernape's first playthrough time in spite of so many more misplays. I think they've already all been covered in previous comments so I wont beat a dead horse here. It seems like Empoleon has the potential for a really fast time once it gets secondary playthroughs after more experience. I think 2hrs30mins or less is a reasonable goal for it tbh.

[@MrEnte3000]

Yeah, Electivire and Magmortar have Ball Capsule seals attached.

[@csherman1559]

Great vid, as usual. That said, I really hope you consider capping rare candy use in Platinum (or level cap or some other mechanism), because the E4 and Cynthia overleveled OHKO sweep is already feeling anticlimactic.

[@gaminggoddess85]

I find it really funny that I got a Pokemon Scarlet & Violet ad while playing Pokemon Violet while watching this video of someone playing Pokemon.

[@OmegaScorpio96]

Scott. Please take your vacation away from work. Enjoy the family and etc. Thank you for all the hard work you put in. But this past year alone has been insane. You turned on the Turbo mode to make all the videos you make. Much love and happy new year.

[@LordRazzia]

25:48 Houndoom burned you with WIll-O-Wisp in that first battle. Flamethrower in the 2nd. Also, interesting choice with the physical Empoleon. I had no idea it could learn swords dance, but I remembered its movepool was good for both physical and special attacks. I do remember Agility Empoleon giving me some issues in PvP lol. Substitute w/ Petaya Berry and activating Torrent was scaarrryyy

[@N12015]

Agility is an Egg move.

[@LordRazzia]

@@N12015 yeah, and I was talking about PvP when I mentioned it.

[@adrienneladd8375]

yeah, you are definitely my favorite poketuber so good job!

[@somectguy17]

Your commander Mars fight was guaranteed win because of torrent! These abilities can save a run! Great video as always Scott!!

[@tylerhartman3034]

BTW Scott you gotta do the Garchomp line! I'd love to see how one of the most iconic pseudo legendaries in the entire franchise!

[@bortzanator3018]

Yo Scott, I am overjoyed you are finally playing Platinum. I can't believe you have been making videos this long. Anyways, I know Gen4 can be a slog especially in battle. I don't know how you feel about mods (specifically since you JUST got to gen4) but there is a mod that speeds up animations in battle, including the health bar. Visually, there is also a mod that adds pokemon following you in the overworld (a la HGSS) for Platinum which I think would be PERFECT for your gen4 solo playthrus. I know you have tons on your plate already, and I can't wait to see more content from you!

[@lenlimbo]

I'm going to join the people that are mentioning pluck. I know I used that tm a lot in gen 4, because it was crazy useful for your bird mons. Also, Rock Tomb's buff was a gen 6 thing, not a gen 4. Besides that, very nice playthrough with piplup's line. Taking into account the missplay of Pluck and forgetting about Torrent (can't fault you there, half of the time I forget about it, and the other half I manage to get myself an ability patch, to teach the starters their hidden ability), the fact that Empoleon still managed to almost match Infernape's time was a thing of beauty.

[@poweruppikawho9007]

Pluck saves empoleon a disgusting amount of time. It makes getting past the grass gym trainers much easier with less time needed to heal and you save the 30 minutes of training and attempts against Gardenia herself. It might make the Fantina fight a little less free though. Still, I don't think infernape can compare to empoleon in an optimized playthru. This makes me happy, since Empoleon is my favorite Sinnoh starter. Although I'm not sure how it measures out if both are starting at the final stage. I imagine empoleon still edges out infernape since then Swords Dance is available to you at lvl 11, where infernape still has to wait for the game corner TM.

[@Pepega580]

Cooked. Empoleon design is o cool. It looks so full of pride.

[@salamense6791]

well the pluck tm is available in the house in the middle of floroma town. also empoleon can one hit most of the game with choice specs (located in the shop of celestic town during morning (between 4 am and 9 am)).

[@arcuscotangens]

I can't imagine the sheer will power it takes to play gen4 three times in a row. cudos!

[@TheFriley4]

He's doing a full week of Gen 4 releases!

[@arcuscotangens]

Did he lose a bet or something?@@TheFriley4

[@arcuscotangens]

Did he lose a bet or something?@@TheFriley4

[@frostedbyte0759]

Great video dude!

[@dvillines26]

I wonder what level would have been needed for Gardenia with Pluck on the moveset. I have to remember to be forgiving, but I feel like in the future, locations and availability of particularly useful TMs should be a priority to memorize. that being said, maybe I'm worked up because I always taught my Prinplup Pluck, to the point I misremembered it as a level-up move.

[@steeliodoesminecraft2645]

Yooo, my comment made it! In all seriousness, great job and looking forward to seeing you improve at platinum!

[@silver_was_found]

Empoleon is my least favorite Sinnoh starter, but I still like it conceptually. I'm pretty sure it's the same height as Napoleon Bonaparte, which it was also named after. Great video as always. Hope you guys have a good break!

[@devinbuettgenbach2941]

Time to see how my immortal steel emperor measures up in Scott's eyes.

[@Tyshink]

While the different cherrim form doesnt have different stats, its ability activates in the sun and increases its attack and special defense. Just to keep in mind for the future

[@josephbrewer8206]

Was coming to say this as well.

[@kevinsips3658]

Thank you, Shawn!

[@christopherballero866]

I know this doesn't matter for this playthru as it's done but for Gen 4 if u, Scott, r going to see future immediate issues training in the forest with the girl in double battles helps a lot as she heals u after each battle & more experience. Interesting that all the starters weren't that far apart time wise

[@WorkInProgressX]

As many have said you can get the Pluck TM in Floaroma, it would have benefited Prinplup greatly because besides the 120 bp it would remove Roserade’s Sitrus Berry and heal you with it.

[@WillowEpp]

Empoleon is so cool, like if Zeon engineers got drunk and designed a penguin.

[@micjevan]

Scott, don’t know if this would’ve mattered but Piplup would’ve learned Brine at level 29, which may have been consequential to this run’s outcome. Other comments have mentioned pluck, which would’ve also helped, love the series already though and really appreciate all your efforts!

[@NevG27]

After reading the comments i really look forward to how much you improve your gen 4 runs lol.

[@robpettifer4495]

Thanks Shawn!

[@Abigdummy4life]

Yes Scott, both Flint and Volkner's aces do indeed have Poke Ball seal effects for their entrances.

[@shootingquasardragon7971]

Bubblebeam Was Not A Better Roll, It Was The Torrent Ability

[@sutoriimmortal2177]

My boy Freddrick, he's out here tellin' ya to pick a god and pray.

[@0zNIE]

hey scott, LOVE the videos, been watching for a long time and hope you had a great christmas! one thing that caught my eye was at 22:40, the Bastiodon shows its ability is sturdy, but you KO it in 1 hit. is this a bug? hope you have a great new year!

[@onioncritter]

before generation 5 sturdy only prevents OHKO moves like horn drill, fissure, guillotine, etc.

[@0zNIE]

awesome! didnt know that. thanks for the info@@onioncritter

[@garrett7261]

thanks scott for more pokemon challenges as always enjoying them so much

[@goldbanker2777]

When in Celestic Town you should check the shop if you are there in the morning you can pick up a choice specs. I think this can make certain mons very strong for particular fights. Also you could get the wise glasses at night to boost special moves useful on Empoleon for ice beam and surf.

[@InciniumVGC]

Two things, for gen 3+ playthroughs of starters, you can take advantage of Torrent, Overgrow, and Blaze. 1.5x boost is huge. For gen 4 consider type damage reducing berries for things you are weak to, for instance if you need to be able to tank a Blizzard, Yache Berry can save you a few levels of grinding/candy.

[@rooislangwtf]

5:37 The overlay is also not taking Torrent into account for the move's power (guess it's the same for Blaze and Overgrow etc., too lazy to go check the previous two videos / the gen 3 videos)

[@chrisdaignault9845]

Yeah I think those abilities should animate when they’re active to draw attention to themselves. The games themselves are awful at letting you know, even in modern games.

[@ZanderKreegan]

Small note: you said that Cherrim doesn’t have boosted stats in its Sunshine Form except in PLA. That’s sort of true: its base stats don’t change, but its Flower Gift ability increases its Atk and SpD by 50%. The PLA stat change was done to mimic this in a game without abilities.

[@HavenKhaos]

So Game knowledge is a valueable thing that will definitely improve runs but another thing that'll help change things is understanding and getting involved with the mechanical complexities of later Pokemon. The funny thing is as often as Pokemon is called a simple game the underlying mechanics can be so complicated and create many interesting routes. As others have mentioned, Torrent Empoleon just... can destroy the entire game with the Choice Specs item. Properly leveraging your abilities and held items can shift so much of what a pokemon can do and handle. This is no knock at Scott, it's very interesting to see the developmental knowledge of someone who primarily runs generation 1 as they slowly begin to run more of each later generation. It's extremely interesting just how optimized I think both Empoleon and Infernape can get. Tortrerra though...

[@kevinsips3658]

This was my starter in Diamond. Coolest looking one imo

[@ShiningJudgment666]

Water/Steel being fantastic typing also helps.

[@juanca2648]

THANK YOU SHAWN!!!!

[@user-mu9rf3tx3p]

"I think it's cool that each of the starters has a specialty and Empoleon is a special attacker. ...lol, but forget that, I'm running a physical attacker." This playthrough made me sad.

[@stabbygenki]

Cherrim in sunshine form has gotten a stat boost since Gen 4. Under harsh sunlight, Cherrim's ability Flower Gift gives it a 1.5x boost to Attack and Special Defense.

[@browncow5210]

Watching a special attacker like Empoleon sweep with swords dance makes me realize that Feraligatr is eventually going to rip Sinnoh to shreds about as hard as he did Johto. More attack and better moves. Water gun beats the early game more quickly than bubble. Ice fang shows up just in time to chew apart Roserade to make Prinplup's biggest setback far more manageable. He even gets crunch and evolves at 30 to beat Fantina easily. The electric gym leader is basically gen 4 Bruno as far as I'm concerned, and gets destroyed by earthquake. The only drawback is that you need to drop a small fortune at the game corner to get Swords Dance, but at least that's much quicker than gen 1.

[@michaelgault6550]

I can already see Luxray having a bit of a struggle in the early game since Geodude and Onix have extremely high Defense; more specifically, it'll need to evolve and level up to 17 to defeat Roark, or level up to a damage-rounding threshhold while evolving into Luxio to be able to deal more damage from evolving into Luxio. It'll also have a lot of trouble against Bertha since it's main coverage against Bertha's Rock/Ground types aside from Hidden Power, is Iron Tail, which to be inaccurate. Luxray's main weakness will be Ground Types; especially Rock/Ground types.

[@vanochristian7639]

YO GUYS, Scott did a run with TCNICK3!

[@Conklestothemax]

5:32 p sure the two hit happened cause Purugly's scratch put you into torrent range

[@martinnesvaag5949]

Pluck should be avalible and usefull for gardenia in this case rigth?

[@bobjoe3492]

Oh great Scott!!

[@fireworks6468311]

Mighta made a typo in your script, because during your move recap, you said you were mentioning water pulse because it was physical. Anyways, keep up the good work. Sinnoh was one of my favourite generations (minus the fact that the original games lacked fire types.

[@bredbug]

Im curious if at the end of the run what the ev spread would be for these mons when the game is beat like im just curious what all the evs would be for a mon especially if it has to grind in specific parts of the game its just a thought cuz gen 4 has actual special evs that you can get where emerald its not as full of special evs

[@damianwilliams7084]

Empoleon is the coolest looking starter.

[@kashmir0077]

Hi Scott, the second bubblebeam on Purugly at around 5:35, wasn't the additional damage due to the Torrent ability rather than a better range? Really enjoying the start to this new generation 🙌

[@ScottsThoughtsPokemon]

I always forget the starter's abilities. Good catch.