How many Pokemon beat Falkner without Optional Battles? - Episode 12

Minimum Battles is the ultimate challenge. But how many Pokemon can beat the first Gym of Gen 2 on Minimum Battles?
On my main channel ‪@RBYPokemonChallenges‬ , I have already completed this challenge with all 151 Pokemon on Gen 1, but Gen 2 presents a massively different challenge - sleep and Wrap were nerfed, there's no Gen 1 miss (1/256 glitch), and all the trainers have better AI. But Minimum Battles might just be possible with some effort and ingenuity.
Today's challengers:
Hitmonlee,
Hitmonchan,
Lickitung,
Koffing, Weezing,
Rhyhorn, Rhydon,
Shuckle,
Heracross,
Sneasel,
Teddiursa, Ursaring,
Hitmontop,
Tyrogue

[@greenet5018]

We’re so back. I’ve been loving this series! Thanks for all the take and dedication you’ve taken to make this!

[@GSCPokemonChallenges]

Absolutely! More o come, really excitted to finish Falkner and do a wrap-up for this section! Then it's on to Bugsy!

[@ShadyScienceFeline]

In generation 2, Focus Energy is not bugged, but it only increases crit ratio by one stage. At +1, critting is a 12.5% (1 in 8) chance. From gen 3 on, Focus Energy raises crit ratio by two stages, and at +2, in gens 2 to 5, crit chance is 25%. A high crit chance move adds two stages in gen 2 and one stage in gen 3 on. (From gen 6 on the effect of crit ratio stages is increased, so +2 gives a 50% chance to crit, while at the same time the crit damage multiplier is reduced from 2 to 1.5.)

[@GSCPokemonChallenges]

For sure. I looked it up and saw that it only raises one stage. Still took forever to get the crit though, but that's just RNG 😂

[@robertmcdonough2990]

Does Scope lens only raise it by 1 stage as well (i.e. 12.5 percent chance )

[@Asthinus817]

Absolutely no frustration! Love the series and how well you make each of the videos. Glad you had a good break and can't wait to see more!

[@GSCPokemonChallenges]

Thanks so much for watching!!!!

[@BlueViera]

For the asterisk runs you could call them minimum experience runs and just have them in their own list

[@GSCPokemonChallenges]

Yeah, I will make a separate list. I need to go back through and review.

[@dragonslayerz2220]

I think Hitmontop's existence is due in part to how Tyrogue evolves. (Attack vs Defense on Tyrogue, Top is if they're equal.) It's based off of Capioera fighting.

[@GSCPokemonChallenges]

Fair enough. It just felt to me like an odd choice when I first encountered it

[@ryanbenedetti-kp2yx]

No Kingdra in the next group of challengers? Besides that love these videos, keep em coming.

[@GSCPokemonChallenges]

RIP! I will update that on the next one, Kingdra must be included.

[@peacocca190]

@@GSCPokemonChallenges You’ll want Blissey with Chansey too.

[@DarKnightKilla13]

3:35 love the MDB reference! Btw was lurking on your livestream the other day, quite enjoyed it (sorry for not chatting as much!)!! Looking forward to settling in for this!

[@GSCPokemonChallenges]

Dude, MDB is a goat! No worries, always great to have you tuning in, chatting or no! Hope you enjoy the content!

[@michaelpapili4139]

My favorite ongoing series by far! Selfish suggestion from someone watching on mobile: normally when your layout switches to show possible moves there aren't other charts/boxes to accompany it on the right. Could you just make that box (the potential movepool) bigger when this happens? It's sooo close to being easily readable on a phone screen, just a smidge bigger would be perfect :)

[@Missingn0mast3r]

While i'm all for improving the experience for everyone, the youtube mobile app has a solution for ya in the meantime. While in landscape mode, you can pinch to zoom now!

[@michaelpapili4139]

@Missingn0mast3r Woah I completely missed out that this was a thing! Thanks, stranger!

[@GSCPokemonChallenges]

I will work on that for sure. I have a couple of ideas.

[@Muzgrob]

Cant wait to see this series move on to the next gym leader. This is one of my favourite series to follow at the moment.

[@GSCPokemonChallenges]

Thank you! I'm grinding as we speak to finish up Falkner!

[@Muzgrob]

@@GSCPokemonChallenges 80 to go. Thats a lot of grinding! Cant wait!

[@androidboyd]

Technically, you have infinite berries, since they respawn every day.

[@GSCPokemonChallenges]

Fact, but who can wait a day?

[@androidboyd]

​@GSCPokemonChallenges I guess there is merit to the idea of limiting the number of resources you have access to, but that seems punitive if you leave a berry equipped on a fight you don't need it on, if the intent is to find out which Pokémon can actually win the run on minimum battles. You run into similar issues if, say, you want to pick up the Poison Barb and the Magnet. Technically not doable on the same day. So if you are primarily focused on the real-time aspect, you are limited on the number of berries and can only get perks granted on 1 given day of the week (includes Return TM and the post-league move tutor), or assume the run stops and starts at a different day/time so you can access more berries too.

[@myhandleiswhat]

@@GSCPokemonChallenges In the western versions of the games you can do a clock reset and that automatically makes the berries respawn.

[@KyleLeeman]

The goat Pokémon series is back babyyy

[@GSCPokemonChallenges]

Aw yeah!!!

[@raptors11111]

Love this series man pumped to hear i youre planning to ramp it up! I think Bugsy/Rival 2 is gonna knock a ton of pokemon out so once youre in stage 2 it should go by a lot quicker

[@GSCPokemonChallenges]

Absolutely. The first section is really the longest grind. After that, were going Bugsy + Rival 2, then Whitney, then I'm still thinking how best to handle the middle-game.

[@raptors11111]

@@GSCPokemonChallenges Yeah ill be interested to see what you cook up for the mid-game once it gets to that point. The roster of pokemon is gonna be a lot thinner after Bugsy and Whitney for sure lol wont be such a slog like section 1 here

[@philipmurphy2]

Great video from GSC Pokémon Challenges

[@GSCPokemonChallenges]

hank you, philipmurphy!

[@stardf29]

SPOILER for quick recaps... ... ... Hitmonlee: Needs low damage rolls from Spearow to survive. Against Falkner, Meditate on Pidgey to one-shot Pidgeotto. PASS Hitmonchan: Needs two 5-hit Comet Punches against Spearow. Against Falkner, use Agility to break the speed tie and hope for more high-hit Comet Punches. PASS Hitmontop: Needs one crit against Spearow. Against Falkner, use Focus Energy to increase chance of getting one crit against Pidgeotto. PASS (Side note: It's pretty amusing how all three Hitmons had fairly similar strats: get some kind of luck against Spearow, and then set up in some way against Falkner's Pidgey to make Pidgeotto easier.) Tyrogue: Only Tackle? Spearow absolutely mauls the little kid. FAIL Lickitung: Only has Lick to start, so Struggle strats are already needed going into Abe. A crit gets past him and gets it Supersonic, which a single use of helps against Falkner's Pidgey. STRUGGLE Ursaring: STAB Fury Swipes off high Attack easily tears through the gym. PASS Teddiursa: STAB Scratch just barely scratches through. PASS Weezing: Spearow goes down with Poison Gas help. Against Falkner, needs to start with a turn 1 Smog poison (effectively a 28% each) on both Pidgey and Pidgeotto, to minimize mudslinging and get Pidgeotto to faint even with some misses. PASS Koffing: Weezing was already a struggle and Koffing is weaker and has no Smog. It's not getting through. FAIL Rhydon: In Falkner's Gym, the horn aims for you. Does need some accuracy luck with all of Falkner's mudslinging. PASS Rhyhorn: See Rhydon. PASS Shuckle: Massive Defense doesn't mean much with such pitiful HP and weak moves. Even Spearow is just too much with neutral Pecks. FAIL Heracross: As strong as it is, it stands no chance against a 4x super-effective Peck from Spearow. FAIL Sneasel: Combination of high Attack and Speed and the Medium Slow growth rate for fast leveling means it Scratches through with minimal issue. PASS Final Results: PASS: 9 STRUGGLE:1 FAIL: 4

[@GSCPokemonChallenges]

Woah, these recaps are awesome!!!! Thank you for these!

[@DoctorNovakaine]

Me last time: Hitmonchan has NO CHANCE of making it through. Me now: Those words are a bit too salty for my taste, but I have to eat them anyway. But yeah, did NOT think Comet Punch would carry. Chan's better defense was the difference, if it had Lee's stats it's dead in the water. Hitmontop should have gone better than Hitmonchan, you just borrowed my luck stat. I want to know what it WOULD take for Tyrogue to win. I'm not sure it does it at level 100 with its best TM moves. Ursaring's stats are going to help it considerably down the line. Mondo attack power combined with decent bulk should ensure it can hold its own, and it gets coverage moves with a Special Attack stat that isn't feeble. My boy Rhydon going like "You doubted me? Come on. I'm not losing to a bunch of birds no matter how much mud they sling." I was pretty confident Rhyhorn would make it as well, if Weezing could manage it. The thing that's really going to get in their way is the Rival, I just don't see them surviving a Vine Whip. Alas, poor Heracross. One of the worst possible type match-ups for Falkner's gym. Sneasel could struggle due to its STAB moves being handicapped by its atrocious Special Attack. But its quick leveling in the early game could carry it for a bit.

[@GSCPokemonChallenges]

Yeah, I'm really interested to see 1) how much of a wall Rival 2 ends up being and 2) just how far we can get with an unevolved Pokemon. There is likely going to be a point where only one unevolved Pokemon remains.

[@LEfaHB]

50:09 If my math is correct, the odds of that fight happening - two crit smog poisons, hitting through accuracy drops - are roughly 1/20,000. For comparison, shiny odds are 1/8192. It took ~3 minutes of resetting to get this fight. This Weezing is the chosen one. Poison molecule must reach Indigo Plateau.

[@GSCPokemonChallenges]

He is legend, though hell being short of breath and wheezing when he reaches the mountain top

[@LEfaHB]

​@@GSCPokemonChallenges I'm invested in the Weezking Crystal solo. Surely nothing stops his minimum battle rampage; it will just be long and exhausting :)

[@myhandleiswhat]

In Gen 4 you can skip both trainers in Falkner's Gym. It's an interesting trade off. Also in that game neither Pidgey nor Pidgeotto have Mud Slap (Pidgey does have Sand Attack, while Pidgeotto trades it for Roost (a healing move that also removes your flying typing, thus making you not weak to Rock moves if faster than the opponent) and both of his Pokemon are a higher level than the original). So I'm not sure if the extra/fewer battles would help all that much.

[@GSCPokemonChallenges]

It's an interesting thing to test in Gen 4 when we get there!

[@brolsroyceyt2362]

Ursaring was always my favorite as well his Air Guitar Sprite animation in Crystal was great 🔥🔥

[@GSCPokemonChallenges]

Absolutely, Ursaring is a rock star!

[@ShadyScienceFeline]

Returning for a third comment; I decided to actually try Heracross with minimum battles in SoulSilver, though I did not bother manipulating its IVs, and got a Naughty nature, which raises Attack and lowers Sp.Def. The required battles (as far as I can tell) before Falkner are Youngster Mikey, Sages Nico, Chow, Jin, and Neal, and Elder Li. Two sages are skippable, and the gym trainers are also optional. Elder Li has a Hoothoot with Peck, but Heracross outdamages it just fine. Heracross arrives at Falkner at level 9, and levels up to 10 after the Pidgey. However, level 13 Pidgeotto outspeeds and Gust is an easy two-hit KO on Heracross (it does about ¾ on mine so even without the Sp.Def.-lowering nature it would probably always 2HKO after one Tackle from the Pidgey), and without a crit Pidgeotto looks like a 3HKO with Horn Attack (and it looks close so you’d probably not get even that without the Attack-raising nature or a better IV). Might be possible if max IVs and a more favorable nature allow to both outspeed and get a 3HKO (i.e., needing one crit for a 2HKO), otherwise seems grim to me.

[@GSCPokemonChallenges]

Yeah, I'm sure it's not great there either, just better than here. I will get around to testing that myself once I get a Gen 4 setup done

[@irishrunner27]

hitmontop is a capoeira (spelling) artist, like Eddie Gordo from tekken. it is basically breakdance-fighting

[@GSCPokemonChallenges]

Got it. So he is , in fact, a Breakdance Pokemon

[@PKMNwww411_MkII]

GSC Starting moves for Gen 1 legendaries Articuno and Mewtwo got nerfed, Zapdos and Moltres got buffed. Mew gets Ancient Power at level 50. Lugia and Ho-Oh start with only their signature moves and only have 5 PP. Celebi requires insane luck against Bugsy. It'll all be in 2024.

[@GSCPokemonChallenges]

Facts, all the way around!

[@patrickvogelaar7732]

Great serie! Don’t forget about blissey next time!

[@GSCPokemonChallenges]

For sure. I just finished recording the next episode and added Blissey and Kingdra in!

[@johncalabro8710]

Merry Christmas rby

[@GSCPokemonChallenges]

Merry Christmas John!!!!

[@theteutonicorder9158]

So after Falkner will you take the winners and then move on to the second gym, then third, etc.

[@adventureoflinkmk2]

Thats the point, to eventually see which Pokémon can beat the game on max DVs and minimum experience (and yes i can say that since teo used struggle strats with some Pokémon)

[@GSCPokemonChallenges]

This!

[@philipmurphy2]

Lets go another video

[@GSCPokemonChallenges]

LFG!!!!

[@Spudmay]

Time stamps for the specific pokemon would be awesome. I'm not sure if that would hurt your channel stuff or not. I do love the series!

[@GSCPokemonChallenges]

For sure. It takes time to go back and put them in, so hang tight for a little bit!

[@ShadyScienceFeline]

JRose11 beat Gold/Silver with a Shuckle, not minimum battles of course. Rollout definitely carried that run, but early for Falkner it was just a matter of leveling up and getting good luck with Wrap hitting, then Bugsy required leveling up to 28 to learn Bide.

[@GSCPokemonChallenges]

Yeah, I'm sure Shuckle is mostly just meant to be a gimmick.

[@ToxicCross1]

Let’s gooooo another video

[@GSCPokemonChallenges]

LFG!!!!!

[@Canaris4]

There's still a way for Shuckle to beat Pidgeotto that doesn't require two critical hits. Berry Juice. After each battle a Shuckle participates in there is a chance for the berry Shuckle is holding to transform into berry juice. If Shuckle is on 10 hp, then that would make him recover to 22 hp. It would have made the difference against that Pidgeotto in his last fight.

[@GSCPokemonChallenges]

According to Bulbapedia at least, Berry Juice can only be obtained after reaching Goldenrod. But I will test it a bit to be sure.

[@AutisticJesusGaming]

Hey as someone starting up on KZbin any recommendations you have?

[@GSCPokemonChallenges]

I would say 1) have fun and do something that you enjoy whether or not anyone watches. 2) learn from other creators that you like, but don't directly copy them. Watch Ludwig's excellent video on the "Yoink and twist" 3) decide on an editing software you like and start watching free tutorials on KZbin. I personally recommend DaVinci Resolve, which is free, and creators like MrAlexTech, Casey Faris, and Patrick Stirling for tutorials on how to do various things in the software, from basic to intermediate levels. 4) focus on audio first - get a decent mic, use royalty free music, and really focus on that aspect. I personally use streambeats for my bgm and a BEACN mic, but research your options. Senpai Gaming is a great channel to learn about gear. 5) find advice and inspiration from others of that works. I recommend Nate Black for great videos about how to operate a KZbin Channel and self-evaluate, Finzar is great for ideas on editing gaming videos, Hillier Smith for editing vlogs etc. Mr. Beast interviews are also great for learning about KZbin as a platform and how to succeed.

[@calocaerus]

why no Blissey or Kingdra? thought you liked to include the whole evolution line

[@GSCPokemonChallenges]

Yeah, this was an oversight. It will be fixed in the next episode!

[@alexrobinet7576]

Tyrogue is often put in slot 2 for worst mon. Right next to ditto.

[@GSCPokemonChallenges]

Makes sense. No movepool to speak of, bad stats, even Magikarp gets Flail.... So it's what... just above Caterpie, Weedle and Bruno?

[@alexrobinet7576]

If you god tier the shuckle put it in gen 1 please.

[@GSCPokemonChallenges]

It would be great to do a backport run of Aw Shucks!

[@thekakeking9400]

I predict that you won't even try with tyrogue because of how bad it is.

[@GSCPokemonChallenges]

I did try, and wow, is it bad!

[@delciv5854]

Bump for algorithm

[@GSCPokemonChallenges]

All hail the mighty algo bump!

[@ACountrymansLPs]

Looks like you forgot to update the episode number

[@GSCPokemonChallenges]

Nice catch! Fixed!

[@celticv]

Am expecting at very least good old scukle not making it tho I'll be surprised if does . Just about watch video . Am thinking at least two won't make it maybe 4

[@celticv]

Yer its basically 4 pokemon i thought that won't make it . For next challengers don't think tangler make it . Think rest will make it . Tho I do worry about horsea . Think goldeen may be ok longs get supersonic

[@dragonslayerz2220]

Tyrogue is really bad. Scotty did a run of it, and it took over 3 hours.

[@GSCPokemonChallenges]

I believe it!

[@ignisbad9158]

Do you allow Rare Candy fermentation with Shuckle (if someone does not know, give him a berry and you eventually get a Rare Candy) EDIT: Urban legend. Berry Juice is probably still super useful

[@GSCPokemonChallenges]

MY understanding from Bulbapedia is that it can only be obtained after Goldenrod, but I will test it out.

[@adventureoflinkmk2]

You are still NOT RBY Pokémon Challenges!!!

[@Hushyluv]

No, he has evolved to the next generation 😅

[@adventureoflinkmk2]

​​@Hushyluv its an inside joke off his latest video on RBY Pokémon Challenges Edit: xmas eevee live stream for anyone wondering

[@Hushyluv]

@@adventureoflinkmk2 oh i know

[@adventureoflinkmk2]

​@@Hushyluvoh good, was gonna say it was the xmas eevee stream

[@GSCPokemonChallenges]

Let's just keep this kind of engagement on every video!!!!

[@jeffdeneum]

Instant click!

[@GSCPokemonChallenges]

Thank you!