How many Pokemon beat Falkner without Optional Battles? - Episode 15

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:
Staryu, Starmie,
Mr. Mime,
Scyther,
Jynx,
Electabuzz,
Magmar,
Pinsir,
Scizor,
Mantine,
Skarmory,
Houndour, Houndoom,
Smoochum,
Elekid,
Magby

[@ignisbad9158]

Staryu might be doable with a single Harden into Struggle. Might being the key word here

[@GSCPokemonChallenges]

I was messing around a bit with the combo, but I'll recheck the tape!

[@DarKnightKilla13]

Before I watch-- just wanted to say happy that you are feeling better, bro! Take care of yourself, and I look forward to the vid... cheers!

[@GSCPokemonChallenges]

Thank you so much! I am feeling great and ready to go!!!!

[@jeffdeneum]

Wooo! Best series on KZbin! Thanks for this!

[@GSCPokemonChallenges]

Thank you so much! 3 more episodes before Bugsy, Episode 16 is already edited!

[@raptors11111]

Glad youre feeling better man! And another great video as usual. Starmie getting recover and bubblebeam is unreal lol. Cant wait for the next one with Eeveelutions, ill be so sad if they all just get tackle/tail whip and suck.

[@GSCPokemonChallenges]

I only check the learnsets right when I get the Pokemon, which for me is a little more interesting going in blind and strategizing on the fly.

[@raptors11111]

@@GSCPokemonChallenges for sure, i like how you do it that way, more fun when its a surprise. I dont look either till its on screen.

[@brolsroyceyt2362]

The Goat is back glad your feeling better King 🙏🏾🙏🏾

[@GSCPokemonChallenges]

Thank you so much! Good to be back!

[@ekwfan6]

I like the different things you tried with this video!

[@GSCPokemonChallenges]

Always messing with different ideas for presentation and strategy. Goal is consistent improvement in some facet.

[@GroundThing]

I believe the reason they had two bug/steel types was less due to lore of some sort, and more due to the mechanics. Gen II is where it first feels like they started designing primarily for use by the player, as Gen I feels like most pokemon were designed primarily as enemies first, Onix being probably the most obvious example of this mindset. Steel covers all the weaknesses of bug type except fire, so it makes for a formidable type pairing, and having a defensive and offensive option allows for different playstyles.

[@GSCPokemonChallenges]

That makes sense. On the other hand, I question Pineco being Bug type by design through, it's clearly a Grass Type

[@DamnUsernameAvailabi]

Yo! Glad you're feeling better!

[@GSCPokemonChallenges]

Thank you! We're back!

[@A_levs]

Great video. I just noticed that you have attack abbreviated differently on your Pokemon (atk) and your opponents (Att) not sure if it’s intentional but I just wanted to mention it!

[@GSCPokemonChallenges]

It's a oversight! I will get that fixed!

[@beltyro]

The houndoom strat came down to the level up XD making pidgy a 2 hit that's crazy granted a burn turn 1 on pidgotto would have probaby done it too but still

[@GSCPokemonChallenges]

Yeah it's the effect of the Slow Level Group, which makes it get there a whole level lower than other Pokemon. Roar is OP on this case, but with a Crit or a burn, I think it's basically fine.

[@philipmurphy2]

The great guy is back, hooray

[@GSCPokemonChallenges]

Thank you Philip, It's good to hear from you again too!!!

[@stardf29]

SPOILER for quick recaps... ... ... Starmie: High Special Attack and STAB Bubblebeam destroys the gym. PASS Staryu: Doesn't get Water Gun early enough to deal with Spearow. FAIL Mantine: Requires some crit luck (or maybe a Speed drop) to get by Spearow, and needs even more crit luck for Falkner to just barely PASS. Mr. Mime: Only starts with Barrier, so Struggle stats needed to reach the gym, but after that, STAB Confusion makes quick work of the birds. STRUGGLE Scizor: High Attack and Quick Attack is enough to get past Spearow. Pidgey ends up mudslinging but even the accuracy drops aren't enough to stop Scizor. PASS Scyther: Good ranges and being able to outspeed Spearow is enough to squeeze past Spearow, and then needs some crit luck against Falkner. PASS Skarmory: High Defense, resists all moves, can't be Mud-Slapped, is basically invincible. PASS Pinsir: Gets hit too hard by Spearow. FAIL Jynx: STAB Power Snow puts the gym on deep freeze. PASS Smoochum: Only Pound and Lick to start means its doomed. FAIL Electabuzz: Literally OHKOs the entire gym with Thunderpunch. PASS Elekid: Doesn't get Thunderpunch early enough to deal with the mudslinging Pidgey. FAIL Magmar: STAB Fire Punch is too strong; even OHKOs the mudslinging Pidgey to avoid accuracy shenanigans. PASS Magby: Needs a burn to get past Spearow and some accuracy luck against Falkner but otherwise, STAB Ember is enough. PASS Houndoom: Interesting strategy against Falkner here: use Roar to scare away the mudslinging Pidgey and fight Pidgeotto with minimal accuracy loss, then get the level-up and destroy the Pidgey to just barely get through. PASS Houndour: Crit or burn luck needed against Spearow. AI wonkiness means the mudslinging Pidgey is opting to Tackle instead, which ends up making the Falkner fight a lot easier. PASS Final Results: PASS: 11 STRUGGLE: 1 FAIL: 4

[@GSCPokemonChallenges]

Thank you for these3, I even look back now to remember some of the close spots!

[@alexrobinet7576]

Hidden power ice on that starmie if you take it.

[@GSCPokemonChallenges]

It ends up with HP Dark because of Max DVs, which will be the same for all of these Pokemon. I may mess with adjusting DVs for HP Types only if absolutely necessary.

[@alexrobinet7576]

Dark is good too

[@DoctorNovakaine]

Honestly, apart from the Rival I'm not sure there's anything in Johto that's going to give Skarmory trouble. And Mud Slap giving accuracy strats naturally is going to help with that. It could have some issues with Blaine and Surge when it gets to Kanto, but Mud Slap still might be the play there. Elekid didn't manage minimum battles, but it's one of those that a few early extra battles will probably make all the difference. Magby might be fine against Whitney, actually. One, it can burn Miltank. Two, it can use Mud Slap to lower accuracy and reduce the chance of it hitting Rollout, and definitely make it harder to build up. Three, there's a way to neuter Rollout a bit - just about every Pokémon in the game can learn Protect, and I'm pretty sure that can be bought in Goldenrod. Protecting on the turn after Rollout is initiated will break its growth, so you can limit the damage. Those three together make victory at least plausible. Freaking ROAR strats. Solo runs are a wild beast. Houndour had no business getting through, but SMART AI strikes again.

[@raptors11111]

Protect is Celadon dept store, not Goldenrod. So thankfully everything wont just get it early. But yeah mud slaps could be enough to throw Whitney off her game for quite a few pokemon

[@DoctorNovakaine]

@@raptors11111 Ah, shoot, I misremembered. Well, at least the first two still apply.

[@GSCPokemonChallenges]

I remember testing Ho-oh inn an earlier test run and the Mud-Slap strat was key on Whitney.... I was taking optional battles there though, just scouting Crystal last summer.

[@turbotreehouse9780]

there is a type of snail in the indian ocean that uses literal iron to build its shell. Steel type irl, prolly steel/water tho and not bug/steel, lol

[@GSCPokemonChallenges]

Fair enough. We need the sea snail Pokemon!

[@17Master]

Before watching, I predict Staryu and Magby to fail.

[@17Master]

Huh. Weird that only Magby gets to start with a STAB attack out of the trio. Pinsir losing is a mindblower, but I guess that's the trouble of slow level up groups.

[@GSCPokemonChallenges]

That is the challenge as we get later onto the Pokedex. Far more Pokemon have great stats, but the Slow Level Group comes back to bite them.

[@johncalabro8710]

Everything but ditto and magnkarp

[@GSCPokemonChallenges]

Basically my prediction too!

[@alexrobinet7576]

Magby can do it. Believe.

[@GSCPokemonChallenges]

Your faith is commendable!

[@ShadyScienceFeline]

“Who takes the route back to New Bark Town” Anyone who wants to complete anything, clearly. Btw Skarmory forms a pair with Mantine, being version exclusives in Silver and Gold and having the same stat numbers, just with physical and special swapped. Regarding Fire types, I think most gen 1 Fire types have better Attack than Special, so I really wonder if they originally intended or expected to make Fire physical, and that’s why they tend to get Defense-lowering moves … though that doesn’t explain Houndour obviously, since that’s a gen 2 pokémon and also has better Special Attack.

[@GSCPokemonChallenges]

I just ever had the patience to go back down south when Fly was already available. Guess I'm just lazy lol. Yeah, it really makes you wonder because so many Fire-types get higher base Attack than Special, and the moveset just makes no sense. I much more understand Growl + Ember, Or at least something like Scratch/Tackle + Leer/Tail Whip with fire types coming later.

[@bruna8476]

I haven't caught up with your videos in a while, is this the first time you've shown your face???

[@GSCPokemonChallenges]

It's the second video with the new overlay and face cam

[@Hushyluv]

Scyther was trash due to a limited movepool

[@GSCPokemonChallenges]

Yeah, if it had gotten Flying and Bug STAB, it could have been legit in Gen 1.

[@Hushyluv]

@@GSCPokemonChallenges there was no good bug stab

[@135forte]

Did I miss it somewhere else or did you use your downtime to upgrade the overlay? And I am not sure if there is anything you would want to do with it, but the Kanto Expansion Pack is officially out. It's fan attempt to put everything Kanto into Gen 1, including a pile of beta mons.

[@GSCPokemonChallenges]

Upgrades are coming in where I have time. Still errors to work out and further improvements to be made. Have yet to even look into the Kanto Expansion Pack. Sounds interesting, though, on the flip side, I've already said publicly that I'm, not a bit fan of "fixing" Gen 1. I know a lot of people are all-in on the fixes to old games, Smith Plays is dedicating his channel to it recently, but my unpopular opinion is that people who think Gen 1 is broken fail to understand the beautiful perfection of Gen 1 is precisely because it was so broken. It's like taking glitches out of Skyrim, then you just have a meh adventure game that you play once ad then forget - the glitches are what make it a game that ever dies. Same is true for Gen 1.

[@135forte]

@@GSCPokemonChallenges That's the joy of KEP, it was done by people who actually like Gen 1 as the janky mess it is. The only real fixes they did to a main game playthrough were to have Pokemon learn some TMs by level up (Nidoqueen gets Earthquake at lv36), transparency to a lot of mechanics/bugs and adding running and instant text. They even used the Spaceworld demo type chart for Steel and Dark and left the original 151 typings alone to be closer to the core feel of Gen 1.

[@celticv]

been waiting for this video all i can say its worth wait !!! i have decided change my mind. now try think about it am going say 4 wont make it i am hoping be lot less :) make sure leave a like once i have watched video .getting ever closer to 2gym :)

[@celticv]

if your ever wonder why Mr mime doesn't look like more like mime than a clown . somehow i don't see it going down to well since any time you picture a mime normally black and white . and fact people maybe complain about it been too realistic. idk at least that's my idea why... but would love hear yours :)

[@GSCPokemonChallenges]

I still subscribe to the Ash's Dad theory.... But that is definitely a clown, no two ways around it!

[@ttc3453]

12 is what I think Edit: just finished the video and I thought my boy houndour was going to fail hard because of mudslaps but he came in clutch

[@GSCPokemonChallenges]

The stat rounding, which is something that doesn't get discussed enough, was clutch there. I think Scott's Thoughts shared it to me before, the ways Defense stats interact with Pidgey's Mudslap vs. Tackle. If I can dig it up, we'll put that in a video sometime.

[@andrewpalmer1873]

Oh my god I forgot about Auntie Olga!😂😂😂

[@GSCPokemonChallenges]

Auntie Olga returns and takes them to Pound town...

[@andrewpalmer1873]

@@GSCPokemonChallenges 😂😂😂

[@patrickvogelaar7732]

What do you mean magikarp is the godkarp right he should beat this game easily.

[@GSCPokemonChallenges]

GodKarp will have his day in Gen 2！

[@Canaris4]

I don't know how many pokemon will fail, but Magbee will be one of them 1:20:00 ish You're thinking too competitively on what moves a pokemon should learn, and not what the pokemon should realistically learn. Growl would work better as a low-level move for Houndoom, but do you honestly expect a dog like that to growl at you instead of leering. Come to think of it, why doesn't Houndoom learn growl? edit: 1:22:00 How ironic, as you talk about not knowing what was good against Dark-Type, the Psychic-Type Venemoth shows up.

[@GSCPokemonChallenges]

Magby is putting in work though! I agree to some extent about the movesets, but Growl makes more thematic sense, and Leer could be added later after it gets access to a physical move

[@celticv]

thank for video again great your doing well spoiler spoiler spoiler spoiler seems i was right with 4 tho its not 4 i was expecting am guessing 13 will make next challenge plus 13 my lucky number :D

[@GSCPokemonChallenges]

For sure. This is why I love this format, without pretesting, I get the joy of surprises in real-time, figuring out puzzles in close spots, and the occasional chance to talk about a rare situation.

[@andrewpalmer1873]

12 my guess

[@GSCPokemonChallenges]

Fair guess!

[@mackowens7234]

I think scyther can do it

[@GSCPokemonChallenges]

LFG!

[@adventureoflinkmk2]

Hey you are still NOT RBY Pokémon Challenges!!!

[@GSCPokemonChallenges]

I keep forgetting. I've been using Mimic too much recently. And next episode is Ditto, so I might transform into RBY then....

[@adventureoflinkmk2]

@@GSCPokemonChallenges hoo boy... good luck with that one 😂