I Balanced Every Gym Leader in Pokemon Emerald

[@smithplayspokemon]

Download Poly AI here：poly-ai.onelink.me/RfDq/u8xw2thi and search my code 【Smith8】 to unlock premium features！

[@jerra1168]

@@smithplayspokemon nah

[@Themacattack1209]

@@knodelimperator8790Weird

[@Kulkogo]

Brace for the backlash everyone!

[@helloitsme472]

urging you not to endorse AI

[@corenlavolpe6143]

Get that bag, ignore the loud moral panic people

[@BGZAM18]

For Juan and Wallace, I always liked the idea of splitting them between saltwater (wailord, tentacruel, kingdra) and freshwater pokemon (ludicolo, whishcash, milotic) respectively to help better distinguish their team identities.

[@waverunner6]

Fantastic idea!

[@ghost245353]

The distinction with a difference we needed!!!!

[@MysticGohanVegeta]

Ok you are based, this needs to be heard

[@just_a_tepig3611]

That does run issue that wailord and milotic are more iconic for wallace

[@zaca8845]

This is such a good idea holy shit, commenting to bump this

[@joshchrono]

why not give Gorebyss to Wallace? Fits his elegant theme and is an unrepresentated Gen 3 water mon. While we're at it, Juan can get a Huntail to show their relationship

[@TheAzulmagia]

Shelly and Matt are getting those.

[@curiouscase0075]

@@TheAzulmagia Shelly shouldn’t get Gorebyss imo. Give Gorebyss to Wallace. And no reason why the 8th gym leader can’t have 6 Pokemon.

[@ArnulfoSalgado]

@@curiouscase0075well too bad,this has already been decided

[@curiouscase0075]

@@ArnulfoSalgado Settle petal.

[@danielsales442]

Thank you

[@calamelli209]

Giving Magcargo Water Absorb is unhinged in a good way, but giving Tate/Liza an odd number of Pokemon is unhinged in a bad way. A double battle with an odd number of Pokemon just feels wrong.

[@JoshTheValiant]

🤝

[@smithplayspokemon]

Respect this :)

[@JayClearman411]

I agree about it being unhinged…just thinking about it Magcargo's stats seem to be way lower than they should be. I think at some point it had a similar BST to Ponyta. They are. Magcargo's BST is 430 (it was 410 prior to Gen VII), yet Magcargo evolves from Slugma at Level 38…. Magcargo's BST should be around other Pokemon that evolve at Level 38 - which is around 490-510 at least. IMO. Being healed by Water Type Moves is really not the way to go. Even just from a gameplay/balance perspective, getting completely healed by Water is extreme.. Even though obviously Magcargo wouldn't likely break the game doing it because it's not Primal Groudon, but still..thematically doesn’t fit. Magcargo's body temperature is approximately what 18,000 degrees F. Water is vaporized on contact. If this Pokémon is caught in the rain, the raindrops instantly turn into steam, cloaking the area in a thick mist or fog. Yet white smoke wouldn’t help or work for it really. I’d much rather Instant burn through contact..make it the only Pokémon that can burn anything regardless of water veil fire typing etc..make a corrosive burn ability. flame body only has 30% burn rate that activates if it's hit directly. it needs to be about 50 of better % rate through contact period. Or A new Ability with similar effects shouldn't be exactly Dry Skin, but rather something different with similar effects. OR we could give it, it’s own item like latias soul dew or clamperl deep sea scale or dittos metal powder something that increases certain fire pkmn Attack Defense an Special Defense stats by 25% that more plausible, or give it a passho berry! Maybe.

[@rollingpines9411]

@@smithplayspokemon also keep in mind that if chimecho has no offensive output the player can just focus on the other opposing Pokémon, making it a 2v1 and overall potentially reducing the difficulty of Tate and Liza’s gym battle

[@glitchwarrior7270]

Honestly, I don't get why they *have* to have 5 Pokémon anyway. More isn't always better, even in Pokémon.

[@montyeggman3075]

Giving Roxanne the two Hoenn fossil Pokemon makes perfect sense, since Rustburo is where you can revive the fossils you get later in the game.

[@smithplayspokemon]

Another good point!!

[@Taijirai]

Anorith is great as a low-level threat, but is Lileep getting Absorb now, or is it wading in with Astonish still?

[@JayClearman411]

That’s why she has fossil Pokémon on the rematch if I’m not mistaken

[@elwafflejr3856]

@@smithplayspokemon Also, I think it stated in her profile that Roxanne does help out with museum pieces like in oras because the first part of our gym looks like a museum

[@nickgohan346]

Also their 2nd types are super effective against grass and Water

[@Yomismo28]

I don't think Tate and Liza should have an odd number of pokemon since they are a pair. This kind of breaks the balance between them in my opinion.

[@AnonEcho98]

Plus, it's a double battle, so an odd number of pokemon feels... well, *odd*

[@halohawkxx]

Somehow make this the only Gym Battle w/ 6 Mons? I'd be cool with it

[@AnonEcho98]

@@halohawkxx tbf, it's double battles, so the usual 4 mons don't quite work.

[@JayClearman411]

Yes I’d give em a chimecko.. calm mind psychic heal bell yawn maybe dual screens reflect and light screen! It has options

[@Gravy_Jones22]

I wouldn't even touch them. They were hard enough depending on your team.

[@keonhazel2799]

Starmie goes well with Tate and Liza their theme is cosmic, with the space center being in their town too

[@VTWS]

Yeah. Chimeco fits well but it might actually make the fight easier because you won’t face an outright offensive onslaught like in the OG fight, even if it’s using Wish it might be easier to keep Chimeco alive and focus on the other pokemon that come out

[@JayClearman411]

I am in agreement with this! Chimeco would be very cool for them to have because 1.) not many trainers have it 2.) it’s native hoenn an decent in doubles since it has heal bell and yawn it can also set up screens calm mind psychic

[@smithplayspokemon]

It might have to be the 6th

[@Gojira-ri6rj]

staryu can also be fished for at lilycove, which is right next to moss deep

[@timovos5371]

​@@smithplayspokemon and as gym 7 is known for spamming surf, starmie will resist it and can counter with thunderbolt to punish those water types, ice beam for grass types, confuse ray for being an annoying psychic type and use recover as a rare form of healing as items are removed (and can use psychic of course)

[@ivanbluecool]

Smith plays: this will be the last legacy game. Promise Smith plays in 5 years: pokemon platinum.......is broken(cue intro music)

[@cellP8]

not as much as diamond and pearl lol, still it needs a few tweaks...

[@kuroexmachina]

5 years? you mean next year LMAO

[@VTWS]

Give Cynthia that Giratina

[@inspectorspinda]

i hope someone will make new pixel art for all the trainers. some of them desperately needed redesigns and bdsp didnt do that job

[@melfice999]

NGL I would love him to do Platinium on GBA

[@ottav69]

I know some people complain about it, but I actually like it when a gym leader uses a Pokemon that doesn't necessarily have the "right" type but still fits the team well thematically. It almost always makes the gym leader more challenging and fun to fight than if they just used all the exact same type. I do think Diamond and Pearl went too far with some of them, but still, it usually made battles more interesting.

[@TheAzulmagia]

Perhaps an Absol on Tate and Liza's team would be appropriate as an addition for their team? It would balance out the odd number of their teammates alongside Chimecho, add a counter for Ghost, and its Pokédex entry would give it appropriate positioning as foreshadowing to the upcoming Magma/Aqua disaster. As a bonus, it could also be an excuse to give Wallace 6 Pokémon to subtly allude to his future status as Champion.

[@ottav69]

Tate and Liza could definitely use a full team. It's weird for twins that always double battle like that to not have an even number. They should either add one to the team or lose the Chimeco. I know they're not even the last gym, but you could always lower the levels a little more to compensate for the full team, so it's still an easier fight than the next gym and Elite 4. Absol can work, so can anything that uses psychic moves but isn't psychic type, particularly if they are known for it or have something else about them that you would associate with psychic (like Noctowl, Golduck, or Ninetails for example). Wallace could probably use something more "on brand" than Absol I think. Water has so many type combinations and so few weaknesses that you can keep the water typing and still have a huge variety of type advantages and disadvantages just from the second type, and Wallace already has a Masquerin in this scenario, so adding an Absol seems a bit much. I would much rather see the Absol go to Archie or Maxie to make their battles more interesting, and I think it fits their teams better too.

[@harikiranv8580]

Like flint from gen 4 elite four, ppl meme him though thematically his team is personification of hot.

[@thevioletbee5879]

Hot take (ha), while Flint’s Lopunny and Steelix were a bit much, Drifblim was a perfect choice.

[@kryzethx]

I think Diamond and Pearl's issue was more about lacking type coverage.. similar to gen 1, but instead of spamming out multiple of the same pokemon when there were no other options (multiple Dragonair/Dragonite, multiple Gengar/Haunter in the E4), they decided to include any pokemon that could use the move type in general, even if it made no sense thematically. The most egregious example being the fire E4 member, with Fire Fang Steelix, Fire Punch Lopunny, and Will-o-Wisp Drifblim.

[@Vrsds]

Why put Masquerain on the 8th Gym??? If you do what you said about the switch, Gorebyss makes more sense. Wallace is also a pokemon coordinator and not only a gym leader. And Gorebyss is a lot more good looking than a bug type Pokemon. (Masquerain can also be place in some of the bug catcher teams). Juan is also the teacher of Wallace. So you can give Juan, the more aggressive looking Huntail. So Juan has one of the Clamperl evolutions, while Wallace (the student) has the other one. Also both Huntail and Gorebyss are very underrepresented in gen3. So it make more sense to have them, than having Masquerain.

[@JayClearman411]

Yup when I saw him get rid of luvdisc this is what i thought he’d do.. :/ but I was sorely mistaken.

[@nazeersadek6705]

I was about to write a similar comment this makes more sense especially that Smith insisted on not changing Masquerain typing

[@potatoman2580]

masquerain offers great type diversity and is very fitting tho also huntail and gorebyss fit very well as the aces of the aqua admins

[@Thunderjpg]

I didnt just like this comment I loved it, great idea

[@zaca8845]

Gorebyss is such a perfect fit for Wallace due to its beautiful yet dangerous aesthetic Huntail would be great for Archie for being dark type in vibe with it learning Crunch

[@nevenpatrk9661]

I like a majority of these changes but adding a Pokemon to Tate and Liza sounds really unnecessary. The main reason why they have 4 pokemon in base Emerald is because 2 of them are Tate's and 2 of them are Liza's so adding another Pokemon ruins that balance. Also, I'd argue that Double battles are harder than Single battles so having 1 less Pokemon evens out the difficulty a little bit.

[@Taijirai]

While the early Gym leaders' teams scale pretty evenly, each Ace being about 4-5 levels apart, there is a sizeable jump between Fortree City and Mossdeep gym of 9 levels as you explore most of the map between them. Since you fight your rival for the last time in Lilycove, I think it would be great to include a Wally encounter in Mossdeep City, where he establishes his desire to be your rival. This would foreshadow his appearance in Victory Road and also provide a basis for his team growing between just having a Ralts and his eventual team of 5 Pokemon. We just dont get enough of Wally, dig?

[@Israel_Augustine]

I think that should actually begin just before Norman’s gym when you’re about to enter but you’re stopped by Wally. He could talk about how grateful he is to you and Norman for jumpstarting his Pokémon journey, then battle you. Also I think Wally should have a Kirlia at the Mauville fight.

[@Taijirai]

​@Israel_Augustine I agree in having more battles, but I could also see him spending that time going to the earlier gyms and collecting badges with his Ralts to get it up in level. He needs to work quite hard to catch up once he sees you in Mauville, luckily you get distracted by Team Aqua and Magma for some time.

[@matthewroberts198]

​@@Taijirai I say either before you fight Norman or because you can't Fly yet and it intersects with a lot of areas, you fight Wally again in Mauville City. He has like 3 Pokemon showing he has grown but is still starting out.

[@Israel_Augustine]

@@Taijirai Yeah, I thought it would just be a great full circle moment for both the player and Wally. And it would make a nice bridge between helpless weakling and maybe I actually see you as a rival before being a legit challenge.

[@apple-cv2xj]

​@@Israel_Augustine maybe he walks out of the gym as you're walking in, and he challenges you fresh off his high from beating norman

[@Powerman3858]

I don't like the broly change, gym leaders hold back by using weak pokemon but they use them seriously not by using good mons and going easy on the challenger.

[@IWestrada]

I'd give it headbutt instead of false swipe. It's a move it actually learns, and it actually kills.

[@MiguelMartinez-wv4ql]

I agree, feels too tutorialish to have a move that cannot KO the player

[@TotalAnalyst2]

I think Mahinkutia is a good ace Rory the fiend made a much better video fixing honnen gym leaders this guy is still good

[@RealCutieMutie]

A very easy change would be make the Breloom a Special attacker. Give it Leech Seed for more recovery on top of Giga Drain, and Mud Shot for coverage.

[@IWestrada]

@@RealCutieMutie Then it would feel out of place in the fighting gym imo

[@Vaati1992]

Totally think that your ideas for Norman are fire. Love Girafarig there, plus it getting Psychic-type moves with STAB would be a fun counter to players who hope that a single Fighting-type could sweep there.

[@devilsandchargersfan385]

Man, I know you thought about this a lot, but I think one thing that you didn’t consider is the fact that after you beat Stephen, you’re the champion now. Why would Wallace beating Stephen make him the champion if you’re the champion. I personally am OK with overlooking this as we don’t want to be the Proto typical champion and want to be more like the red type of champion but I feel like that would need to be mentioned.

[@Casterisk45510]

This ☝

[@Yeah_Nice]

EDIT: Never mind, you're talking about in the mod. Yeah, what you said makes sense.

[@TrueFlameslinger]

-I feel like Emerald is a slightly different timeline from RS, so it'd make sense that Wallace is champion because your player character is still May/Male May. It doesn't really feel like a continuation, unlike B2/W2 or GSC- Having gotten to that point in the video now, I see what you mean. I think that's kind of a plot hole throughout the series, since you're either having to rebattle the champion, or you have to battle through the elite four just to face the challenger to your title

[@Leogiuca]

I agree with this comment

[@Taijirai]

@devilsandchargersfan385 Well, we can't assume that all Pokémon Leagues are structured the same. In Paldea, beating the Champion makes you a Champion-level trainer, but you don't get any special position as a result. Clearly Steven and Wallace have interests outside of the Champion title, so they move around and change seats from time to time.

[@carterlazarus813]

I feel the fossils also make sense for Roxanne because you both revive your own fossils in Rustborough; and in the remakes, they make very clear that she has an interest in fossils. I'd say it's strange she doesn't use them in her regular fight to begin with

[@gabrielkorzanowski3844]

So. Regarding the Wallace-Steven Conundrum, I think that a good way to expand on the dynamic is gove wallace more appearances. There were changes made in Crystal Legacy with giovanni for example, so this wouldnt be completely outlandish. And I remember in one of the stream someone commenting that we should get a gift feebas from one of the contests since it's so hard to get. Considering Steven gives you a Beldum and his Ace is Metagross, I think having Wallace give you the Feebas according to his ace Milotic AND his lore connection to the contests would be a neat way to showcase his character more during the story. Not only that, but he could also appear sometimes in the other contest locations to check on how your possible contest career is doing or how the feebas is or speaking with Scott or some if the interview crews, while also giving opening for him to give a hint of Working (maybe) with Steven against Team's magma and Aqua once he hears you've been getting involved with them, which would lead well into his reveal during the skypilar event of being a descendant of an ancient line of guardians (or something) You could even add him thinking about or wishes of becoming the champion, which would tie in to the story you guys are thinking of him becoming the champion In the post game, since after the 8th gym battle, (which the character might be surprised he would be the gym leader since he'd been appearing more as focused on contests and on the Skypilar thing) and after you beat him, he'd finally be sure of his resolve to beat Steven and become the next Champion since the battle would maybe ignite more of an interest for it in him.

[@gabrielkorzanowski3844]

In a way, it would be a parallel of what happens with your rival, since they start in the battling scene with you, but midway through decide to do something else. I know technically they start doing Pokedex research and stuff, but May participates in contests in a lot of the media of pokémon, so maybe it could be like an inverse. A trainer that used to be more focused in Contests becomes the champion, and your rival, which in previous games was the main contender to become the next champion instead of you (that logic only kinda works for Silver, I don't know if they really we're aiming for the pokemon league, but he still is the biggest hurdle on that part of your story besides the pokemon league itself.) while in this one it'd be different.

[@SparxStorm]

This would also be a fantastic parallel to the pokemon adventures manga. In it, Brendan travels around with Wallace to the different contests AND has a feebas (which he did catch himself, but I digress). Really nice parallels.

[@BluemoonLacrymosa]

That’s a cool idea. I’d make the contests actually part of the storyline. Not necessarily that you have to win them, but that participating in them is important to progression story. You could have Wallace be at some of the contest stages, giving insight

[@JoaoThreeCakes]

That's such an amazing idea. I love it so much! Hope Smith sees this

[@MelancholicGiuseppe]

17:49 I remember that Steven voluntarily left his place as champion to travel the world, just like Red in Gen 2. And they both are post-game bosses

[@NyanMacrusJohnson]

Bug/water Masquerain. I know you're reluctant for type changes, but It makes it more distinct from ninjask, beautifly and the previous gen mons. Plus I feel its the same sort of change as switching ghost's and dark's physical and special, its intuitive. It also means that even with trite stats, both of its stab types will at least come off of its dominant attacking stat. It fits Hoenn water presence, and only half breaks your "no more water type rule" since the line already had a water type. I could go on! So I will. I even feel that making masquerain bug/water is a smaller change than the slugma line getting water absorb because its not entirely knew to the line. AND IT FITS WITH WALLACE. ITS PERFECT

[@rocketterrier]

Seconding. I think it makes a lot of sense, plus there's a lot of bug types in Gen 3 already; I think making it Water/Flying would be cool :)

[@Tomas-nq8gf]

There are a lot of great suggestions that have been made thus far but there are some glaring ones that I have yet to see here: 1) Vito Winstrate - The mini boss run with his family is one of the most memorable events in the game then you meet Vito, and it is not abundantly clear who he is, and on top of that, he is a mediocre trainer. Vito should more appropriately be a mini superboss at the end of Victory Road to complement Wally. This would add so much more intensity to the story and would also contribute to world building. Likewise, the Winstrates should also be rematchable with Vito back home after your becoming champion. 2) Wandering Gym Leaders and Elite Four Members, there is a KZbinr named King Cradi who has done a wonderful job of incorporating “What if scenarios” in Emerald and while some of them are a bit over the top like “Wes from Pokemon Coliseum in Pokemon Emerald” I do think that the concept of having these leaders being in random areas would reward exploration that often goes unrewarded in Emerald. 3) Static Encounters - There are pokemon in Emerald that could easily be contextualized as static encounters, and it would be a tasteful add to the game thematically.

[@TheLostSheep578]

Dive, toxic, leftovers Milotic will make me hate myself.... I love it

[@typhoon008]

Add a couple hyperpotions/full restores 😛

[@robertlupa8273]

@@typhoon008 sorry, no healing items on NPCs in Legacy This kind of reminds me of Lorelei's Cloyster from FRLG, which has Dive, Protect and Hail for stalling.

[@mazeppa1231]

Add mirror coat and recover for extra lolz.

[@JayClearman411]

@@mazeppa1231 I love that it reminds me of my own milotic except it have dragon breath

[@lawdactyl]

I physically recoiled when he said that. How diabolical

[@LocalMaple]

12:55 When I played Emerald, I didn’t like Whismur and dropped it. Adding Exploud can reinforce the idea that Norman sees the best in overlooked Basics (see Truant Slakoth), but also that he has explored some of the region. It can even act as a Special attacker to mirror Slaking’s physical might, balancing out his team. Finally, with his original 2 Slaking, Pokémon with Protect and Substitute make the fight too easy; for the same reason you added Chinchou to Wattson and Water Absorb to Flannery, give a Sound attacker to Norman.

[@bass746]

Recently play an Emerald rom hack called Emerald Seaglass. They kind of used your idea for the Roxanne fight, however they chose to use the Gen 9 stats, typing, and abilities for the game so it was an extremely hard fight, even with mudkip.

[@keyblade4999]

Would the clamperl line not work for Wallace and juan? Wallace could have a gorebyss and juan could have a hauntail or vice versa. Just feels like the clampel line would work here since you have to dive just to get to the last gym.

[@nazeersadek6705]

12:42 that’s a great idea!! Girafirig is already part of the Hoenn dex so this works on all levels

[@egg1899]

2:08 Isn't Grant the second gym leader, not the first?

[@FinishQuantum64]

yes, he is the 2nd

[@Toast_94]

Yea, I think he got Grant and Roark mixed up for his point.

[@PokeInspired]

Yeah it's funny he happened to use Grant when to reach his gym you travel basically across the region before battling him.

[@_Weebra]

ok so basically.... I forgor 💀

[@BardockSkywalker]

I was just about to comment that

[@Thunderjpg]

Isnt it a crime that someone uses just plusle and not minun?

[@istokipsy6289]

Take my upvote, dangit. I would love to see Plusle and Minun on Wattson's team, with one getting Hidden Power and the other getting Secret Power. You get both moves from the Slateport Market.

[@aceclover758]

They are useless in the main game and too weak for the battle frontier And in colosseum when every battle is a double, they only give you a Minum

[@MachineVox]

Love these changes, but can't help but feel that water absorb Magcargo flies in the face of the "legacy" philosophy. Imagine not knowing, hitting it with water gun and thinking "oh... right, this is a fan project" Seems a huge compromise to the goal, just to make an F tier pokemon, E tier.

[@JayClearman411]

@@MachineVox yup I definitely agree with this.. I prefer either Give it a brand new ability that fits it thematically something like rock absorb/ stone absorb ability have it heal 1/4 of its maximum HP when hit by a rock-type move. Makes way more sense then a fire/rock type Pokémon getting healed by water move.. Or tweak it slightly so slugma/macargo flame Body to give it a corrosive burn ability that burns 50% instead of just 30 from contact moves…anybody even fire types. It way more flavorful then water absorb..especially IF we were to make flame body double the power of fire type moves! It’s no danger especially considering how poor macargo stats are. It’d make it slightly more viable. Or we can change magma armor a lil bit..to make it a tad bit more useful look Magma armor already prevents freeze condition how about it also halves the damage taken from ice & water type moves, OR… instead of the relatively useless trait of just preventing being frozen. Let it Cut damage from Ground and Rock. Or go the extra mile an say it halves All super effective moves! This also has the added benefit of making Maxie’s battles a bit more difficult cuz camerupt!

[@MachineVox]

@JayClearman411 I reckon magma armor halving all super-effective damage is the way to go. Only being 2x weak to water and ground and eliminating the weaknesses to fighting and rock would be a big buff. It would still be bad overall, but not every mon has to be great!

[@MachineVox]

The other thing about the pokemon being so hot that the magma turns to rock on contact with water is that... rock is weak to water 😅 I can understand the reasoning to an extent, but halving the damage is enough. Immunity is too much and ultimately immersion breaking, which is why I'm surprised Smith is suggesting it.

[@JayClearman411]

@@MachineVox yes I get your point full immunity to water moves is too much. I rather like the idea of magma armor working like a unique version of multi scale reduce the damage taken from damage dealing moves by half BUT it doesn’t have to be when at Max HP! I think that will do. If the other suggestions are too much or to on the nose.

[@Anteo4ever]

Maybe something like: Magma armor: the pokemon is inmune to water, but takes effective damage from ice

[@z0iney]

Giving Wallace a Huntail and Juan a Gorebyss might fit better overall. You maintain the core concept of what you were going for, but you could also make it a minor point that Juan and Wallace traded them to each other as a means to further establish a sense of familiarity and respect between them.

[@Kulkogo]

The change with the champion is brilliant! We get to experience the might of both Wallace and Steven, and we don’t just delete the original 8th gym. Nice job!

[@MachineVox]

Smith, I implore you... Don't give Magcargo water absorb. Turning a 4x weakness into not only an immunity, but an actual benefit does not fit the legacy philosophy. It will be jarring to veteran players, as well as set dangerous presidents for future projects.

[@DillyBobBanana]

I love the girafarig on norman adds a solid fighting neutrality and fighting counter to his 100% mono normal team

[@tehSunBro]

Giving Water arbsorb to Magcargo really doesn't make much sense. Water would immidiatly evaporate with his body temerature, so being able to absorb it is just not possible. Would make more sense to give it sturdy, white smoke or shell armor. Sturdy + Shell Bell could be a fun option.

[@JayClearman411]

@@tehSunBro yes I like the idea of changing magma armor an making it work like multi scale have it reduce damage taken from damage dealing moves by half BUT it doesn’t have to be when it is at Max HP.

[@tehSunBro]

@@JayClearman411 Making entirely new abilities, or ever backporting newer generation ones really doesn't fit the whole idea of keeping it in the spirit of emerald. It needs to be something that has originally existed in Emerald

[@JayClearman411]

@@tehSunBro ok … I hear what your saying but if that’s the case sturdy is out the window. Do you Remember how useless sturdy was…I mean before it was reworked, how it worked BEFORE gen 5.. it was Bad. Really bad In gen 3 it’s only use was to make a pkmn unaffected by fissure gullotine an sheer cold. That’s it. I mean it didn’t even stop Destiny bond or Perish Song… At that point it’s natural ability is miles better all around. Plus Sturdy has no secondary effect outside of battle. While you can use flame body to hatch eggs..cuts the steps required to hatch by half. Thats if what you say about backporting newers uses is correct sturdy is out of the running entirely and it would Not be fun trust me. White smoke just isn’t enough quite frankly..the Only reason White smoke works with torkal is because it has Abnormal high defense stat for a pure fire type at 140. Sadly marcargo doesn’t have that going for it. While I like this suggestion better because it has a overworld effect. with White Smoke in 1st place in-party (even if fainted), the chance of encountering a wild Pokémon is decreased by 50%..that’s cool Shell armor is the only 1 of your ideas I think that makes sense imo really…preventing critical hits is good plus it fits far more thematically but an I know I sound like a broken record unless it’s stats are changed substantially I’m talking At Least a 40-60 buff in base stat total..things don’t look good. If what you say is right that it has to be something keeping in the spirit of emerald. I say we keep flame body just increase the burn rate from 1/3 to 50% chance of burning instead. We can have it activate both when macargo is hit by a contact move, but Also activates if the Pokémon with the ability uses a contact move…

[@arrowblade_1238]

Smith, here’s an idea for fixing the rival Wally that I saw this other KZbinr named CoryTheFiend came up with where after beating Norman, when you leave the gym, Wally is there and says how he’s beaten the first four gyms and is here to fight Norman. And he fights you to show you how strong he’s become. You’d have to watch his video to get more details on it, but to me, I felt that it was such a good idea and that it fit so perfectly into the game. I think adding something like that to add more story development to Wally may be a great idea.

[@TheChessicfayth]

Tate and Liza are a strong case for going six pokemon early. Double battles feel gross with an odd number, and them having the same amount of pokemon (2 each), to complement each other, is deeply tied to their identity as a gym leader(psychic twins who are perfectly in tune with each other). Bumping them up to three each feels necessary if including Chimecho (which does feel like a good move).

[@RobinandZephyr]

I sincerely hope you don't continue to sponsor AI in the future. With the damage it does to the world and to creatives, it is not worth it. Your content is great, and I hope you reconsider this stance going forward.

[@melismati]

I disagree with a lot of your design philosophy, and was skeptical that Brawly needed a rework; as you said, there is not much EXP between Roxanne and him, and I remember him feeling like one of the more challenging gym leaders when I played Emerald. However, I am in love with the false swipe Breloom addition to his team. Really smart idea, and distinguishes him from other fighting type gyms.

[@Salnax]

Not a fan of AI sponsors or False Swipe Breloom. Just give it some other weak move like Tackle.

[@waverunner6]

Stray observations: - I don’t think giving Anorith and Lileep Rock Tomb would make the Roxanne battle that hard. Also give Anorith STAB Cut (as established in Crystal Legacy) and give Lileep STAB Bullet Seed. The TMs for both are available in and around Rustboro. - Not a huge fan of giving Brawly Breloom, at least not for the first battle. I think his ace should be a higher-level Makuhita or an underleveled Hariyama with a crappy moveset. Also switch out Machop with Geodude. It’s found in Granite Cave, fits with Brawly’s theme, provides coverage for Taillow, and you’ve already established that Gym Leaders can have Pokémon of types other than their specialties. - Breloom should still be more prevalent in-game, though! More regular trainers should have it. Also add it to the Brendan/May’s (rival) and/or Wally’s team. - I think Tate and Liza having an odd number of Pokémon is weird, though I like the addition of Chimecho. - Give Wallace Starmie instead of Masquerain - Not Gym Leader related but I think Phoebe should have Medicham and Ninetales. They’re both found in Mt. Pyre and fit her overall vibe imo

[@Germanjorge]

To make it slightly less hard, I'd give Fury Cutter and Absorb to Anorith and Lileep instead. Absorb is kinda needed since a Marshtomp just kinda rolls through that team, but makes more sense thematically and does less damage than Bullet Seed, while Fury Cutter is a gamble on Anorith but it won't be likely staying up for long anyway.

[@potatoman2580]

rock tomb and cut anorith literally sweeps everything you can have up to that point anorith has more attack than mightyena

[@yejisus]

Breelom having false swipe sound awkward... Couldn't be Rock smash a better idea tho?

[@mrdrprofessor8849]

Yeah I'm not too big of a fan of that addition as well unless there is a cool scene where you help out Brawly defeat some grunts in Petalburg Forest and he befriends a Shroomish in the process. You then later fight that Shroomish as a Breloom.

[@XiaoKerr]

Agree. False swipe is doing no damage. Headbutt would be better imo.

[@KingOfDarknessAndEvil]

I think the fear of giving him a STAB fighting move when his attack is so high is that he'd just instant kill most early game pokemon

[@yejisus]

@@KingOfDarknessAndEvil yeah, i think so too. Idk if they buffed rock smash bcuz it used to be like the weakest fighting move... Maybe tackle or something would be better bcuz I'm sorry, but I'm not buying the "holding back" thing, way too different from emerald...

[@XiaoKerr]

@@KingOfDarknessAndEvil a flying move would kill Breloom pretty quickly tho.

[@markmariani1684]

I’ve always thought masquerain should’ve been a bug-water type from the start

[@Randroth]

Roxanne's Gym in ORAS is also a museum, so her having the fossil Pokemon is perfect!

[@jasonvernish7366]

I know the rematches will probably be there own video...but i have a few takes Norman gets a snorelax eventually to fit his sleepy monster vibe Tate/Liza gets a baton passer(like espion or even putting it on xatu)

[@joress]

18:14 YES!!! You did exactly what I wanted. This is exactly what happens canon-wise in the ORAS remakes as well at the end of the Delta Episode.

[@zate5355]

Goes against the mission of Legacy but who cares

[@collinfrazier9343]

Putting in Girafarig also gives a fighting coverage making it a tougher fight

[@hydraheadhannukah]

The Breloom thing isn't great. False Swipe on a gym mon feels pathetic, and a fanfic reason (I say fanfic because thats what it feels like, I know gyms in some media have said "Oh we use weaker teams for less badges") doesn't feel great justifying it. Ill be going into this fight feeling absolutely no pressure.

[@seanforbes1034]

😂 and you're probably underestimating 120 bst attack then. The move will still hit hard my dude

[@hydraheadhannukah]

@@seanforbes1034 130. And you're probably right. But it still looks and feels bad. Rock Smash or even Tackle would've been better.

[@Blanktester685]

really underestimating a base 120 attack stat lmao

[@franciscofernandezmedrano9613]

​@@hydraheadhannukah if You give brellon antthing at that point of the Game it Will sweep false swipe is the only fiscal attack that doesnt presente an inmediatez kill on your not fully evolved team

[@luizfelipevbf5567]

​​@@seanforbes1034I think you are the one vastly overestimating it given how low level this is. Lvl 17 0 Atk Breloom False Swipe vs. Lvl 17 0 HP / 0 Def Taillow: 16-19 (35.5 - 42.2%) -- guaranteed 3HKO Lvl 17 0 Atk Breloom False Swipe vs. Lvl 17 0 HP / 0 Def Beautifly: 11-14 (21.1 - 26.9%) -- 14.1% chance to 4HKO Lvl 17 0 Atk Taillow Peck vs. Lvl 17 0 HP / 0 Def Breloom: 30-36 (57.6 - 69.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO Lvl 17 0 Atk Beautifly Gust vs. Lvl 17 0 HP / 0 Def Breloom: 34-40 (65.3 - 76.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO It also barely deals 25% to either Combusken or Sceptile while deal massive damage back to it.

[@sosukelele]

I get why Magcargo needs water absorb, but it kinda feels like the antithesis to what the legacy games are all about. I'm fine with Tropius getting thick fat (it already has terminal allergies to half of the types), but at least it can still be hit with the moves you'd expect. Water absorb would definitely take me out of the immersion, in the same way that having a pichu get hacked to have a base hp of 200 would

[@JayClearman411]

@@sosukelele since it’s the lava pkmn how about making it pure fire…maybe but I get it smith isn’t up to the idea of changing types sooo what about we push that to the side. And give it a brand new ability that fits it thematically something like rock absorb/ stone absorb ability have it heal 1/4 of its maximum HP when hit by a rock-type move. Makes way more sense then a fire/rock type Pokémon getting healed by water move.. Or tweak slugma/macargo flame Body to give it a corrosive burn ability that burns 100% instead of just 30 from contact moves anybody even fire types. It way more flavorful then water absorb..especially IF we were to make flame body double the power of fire type moves or just increase there power by 1/3! It’s not game breaking especially considering how poor macargo stats are. Or we can change magma armor just a lil bit..to make it more useful look Magma armor already prevents freeze condition how about it also halves the damage taken from water type moves, OR…It’s halves super effective moves! Huh how about it. Not just prevents freezing!! But actually working like armor an protecting it. This has the added benefit of making Maxie’s battles a tad bit more difficult cuz camerupt A beast!

[@AndresLopez-rd3lt]

What if... You make all the gym battles double battles? Double battles were introduced in third Gen. Would be a nice touch to give this specific characteristic to only Hoenn region.

[@NewController01]

12:41 I WOULD say Stantler, but that would just be repeating Morty, so yh, I think Girafarig would work here

[@colinvazquez5643]

For Brawly you could do an Lt Surge move and literally just give him hariyama

[@Iceblade269]

I’m of the opinion that the last two gym leaders should have 6 pokemon. For Tate and Liza, having 5 pokemon disrupts their unity and make their team appear lop-sided. As for Wallace, I mean its the final gym battle before the E4. This is where the player should be bringing their A-game. And it could be a cool prelude to his champion team

[@jakewren5369]

I feel like Vulpix and Ninetales are mystical and magical enough to get Magical Leaf

[@JayClearman411]

@@jakewren5369 honestly I don’t think that is a very good idea..,it does Not suit or fit ninetails At All..whatsoever given this is Gen 3 before it gains access to drought an Solarbeam by extension and that was only because of that. imo give it Psychic Extrasensory Calm Mind momento All of which goes with its background lore. Momento Especially since not enough Pokémon learn the move an it goes with Ninetales whole curse revenge dex entry Spite grudge Pain Split Dream Eater since you can breed it to learn hypnosis..

[@matthewesposito6973]

The final decision to give Magcargo water absorb after all makes me so happy. I'll probably use him for a little bit for that reason only hahaha

[@ghost245353]

It seems like I am the only person who disagrees. The logic is senseless.

[@trentcrim1933]

​@@ghost245353Exactly what I said. Like how the actual hell does water turn into a rock lmfao

[@DaviCoimbra-gl4tq]

​@@trentcrim1933 I think it's like the water and lava interaction that create Obsidian in Minecraft. If that's gonna make Cargo usable, I'll fly with it.

[@JaharNarishma]

I am think of another ability that simply negates offensive Water moves. Kind of like Levitate but for Water.

[@JayClearman411]

@@JaharNarishma same I believe Magma Armor should be reworked. Have it Double the power of fire-type moves while it halves super effective moves, not just prevent freeze.

[@SuperAutastic]

Wallace never beats Steven... Steven steps down and Wallace takes over. Steven is canonically way stronger than Wallace.

[@ShaytheProtagonist]

Not massively, they ARE relative, somewhat. Wallace is definitely champion tier, but yeah Steven Stones him.

[@alpsi285]

While it's true that Wallace never beats Steven and that he stepped down, they are MUCH closer in strength than how you are portraying it

[@wizardgradstudent]

I like the upgrades, but one main concern. If you’re upgrading Flannery to be more resistant to water types, then we need more ground type options. I would enjoy if we could go to the desert sooner, so we can properly get ground type coverage. Plus, the desert doesn’t really offer anything for the Norman fight anyway

[@shadowdragonlord2295]

3:23 You could always add a cutscene or an NPC saying that Steven often gave some of the fossils he finds to Roxanne for the Pokemon school.

[@sortfaar3]

gym leaders in the anime often seemed to have some sort of authority in the town/area they reside in. wouldn't be too farfetched to imagine that Roxanne have earned the respect of Mr. Stone directly, cutting steven out of the equation entirely (other than the fact that steven is likely the main provider of fossils for Mr.Stone to ressurect)

[@Nsix4]

Careful when adding a lot of coverage to Pokémon in the battles. if you're too heavy handed it just becomes punishing for using a Pokémon strong against the enemies. I 100% understand decisions like giving ground coverage to Watsons team, but again if it's done too heavily, there becomes actually no reason to bring a ground type. I'm sure you guys are looking at this carefully and I'm sure you have more experience with this than I do, but I ask that you keep it in mind.

[@LuckyLucifer25]

I think leech seed on breloom instead of stunspore makes more sense. As its a little devious you think, "oh, im fine i lived on one health. " and now the leech seed effect triggers

[@DirtDude117]

For Flannery you should make the ENTIRE gym already in sunny weather

[@estabravo]

If she says something like, how do you like the heat lamps I just installed? They're suppose to boost the power of my fire type Pokemon!

[@MrBlitzballer]

If creating a new ability isn't to much to ask maybe give Macargo something like "Intense Heat" having it nullify water attacks (like Desolate Land on Primal Groudon) without having the absorb effect. Having it absorb water just feels like a bit too much but giving it a levitate style ability that just makes it immune to water feels better imo.

[@DaviCoimbra-gl4tq]

Magcargo is still ass though. Water Absorb is cool imo.

[@nataliecoronado4206]

if we were to go Full Romhack, an accurate ability would be one that nullifies water moves and inflicts accuracy down on the opponent when hit (the steam turning into a smokescreen and making Magcargo harder to hit)

[@JayClearman411]

@@MrBlitzballer yes I like the idea of changing magma armor an making it work like multi scale have it reduce damage taken from damage dealing moves by half BUT it doesn’t have to be only when at Max HP. Or, Or we have Magmar Armor Prevent Freezing And Double it’s Defense stats. So its like Pure Power, but for defense instead of attack. like a personal Acid Armor Or just maybe have it decreases damage taken from physical moves by about 25%. I think it be cool instead or water absorb We have magma armor Prevents the frozen status and grants immunity to rock and ice type moves.

[@tedscheett9420]

I will be honest here, I think some of these concepts are a little overbaked. For people who don't want to read my essay level analysis, here's the TLDR: I believe that difficulty for where the Gym Leader is in the game, primarily in the early game needs to be lowered, until the midgame where the changes become more acceptable, and that thematic elements, such as Brawly being a sporty, one with nature martial arts buff should not be abandoned for the sake of a harder fight in the early game. I also want to point out that I'm trying to be constructive with my criticism. There's no point in me saying all of this to be a jerk. The Hoenn Fossils are a cool idea, but for the first gym, they seem a little too powerful in conjunction with Nosepass, which is a hurdle in and of itself. It's good that Anorith has only two moves at this point, but also for this point in the game, it's a little too fast and a little too strong, but I can still give it a pass. My problems begin with Lileep. Yes, it's neutral to the Fire/Water/Grass core, but realistically at this point, the only Pokemon you can find that hit it for super effective are Bug types. I would argue that this goes against the spirit of Gym Leader Battles. Yes, they are meant to be challenges to overcome, but they're also meant to be learning experiences. 9 times out of 10 when you pull out a Bug Type on a Rock type, it'll get bodied. Maybe it's the weaker of the two, but it's also good enough to be the more annoying of the two to get off the field, and once again, Nosepass is still in the back, ready to wreck havoc. Next, Brawly. I honestly disagree with making any changes besides moveset changes because of another thing Gym Leaders represent: theme. Tell me, thematically, what makes more sense for Brawly: a Pokemon that practices martial arts on the beach all day like Machop or a mushroom Pokemon that likes to live in damp forests like Breloom? Losing Machop and changing Meditite's moveset, the only true Fighting type on this Fighting Type Gym is Makuhita, where in the vanilla game is where this Gym gave me the most problems. Also, yes, while his Pokemon are a bit on the squishy side, he has still been the cause of my defeat more times than other Gym Leaders in this game. But guys... the second gym is SUPPOSED to have some squishy Pokemon! Think back to every second Gym Leader and ask yourself: if two Pokemon on the team were not as squishy as they were, would the fight feel like a Gym 2 or a Gym 5? Point is, Breloom feels very out of place here for me, unless you want to throw Shroomish in Granite Cave where the Pokemon in there need some buffs in levels, unless you want to grind a Zubat up 10 levels to be on par with the Gym Leader, but I digress. I don't actually have a problem with Wattson here, per say, but I will say this: there had better be another option for a Ground type or Ground type moves at this point. I know how polarizing (no pun intended) Wattson's team is. At base, he's either really, really difficult, or he's really, really easy. There are three Pokemon in the base game that have Ground type moves at this point in the base game: Marshtomp, who needs no introduction, Geodude, who you probably will ditch not too long after, and Aron, who learns the pitiful Mud Slap. With the new changes, the chance to make the fight a total cakewalk is mitigated, but there should at least be a way to change certain Pokemon's learn sets that would give them a fighting chance against our jolly old electrician. Maybe a slightly wider distribution of Magnitude or an earlier Dig TM. Because as it stands, Marshtomp is pretty much the only option for this fight, even with Plusle having a Grass move. I don't know why, but I audibly groaned when Magcargo was elected to get Water Absorb. I guess it makes sense, having a Pokemon be so hot that Water would either just give it more Rocks or turn to steam on contact which works thematically, but guess if I had my way, Magcargo would have a unique ability that makes Water only do Neutral damage rather than actually heal it, but limited resources and all that. Flannery's team is alright for this point, but don't go nuts with the Sunny Day Solarbeams. You still want to give her this feeling like she's inexperienced. Norman... is actually pretty solid. So is Winona. At this point, we start getting enough Pokemon to counter Gym Leader's Pokemon so a slight bump in difficulty is expected. Tate and Liza... drop the Chimecho. Their whole thing is that they are twins in total synch and balance with each other. Unless you add a Grumpig to the mix, the scales will feel unbalanced with 5 Pokemon. Make the number even. The whole Wallace idea is pretty cool, not gonna lie. And you could pretty much put any Water Pokemon in place of what's already present and have a better fight. All in all, the changes do seem solid, but when making a Rom Hack where you are trying to improve certain elements, it's important not to lose the range for the peaks. Don't just make a fight difficult or harder just for the sake of making it difficult or harder or for the sake of giving a Pokemon because the 7th gym should have 5 Pokemon. Double battles are harder anyway, so 4 is fine. My main piece of advice is not to overthink things and to try and preserve the spirit of the early game.

[@JayClearman411]

@@tedscheett9420 in like what you had to say for some parts. I agree with your Roxanne point giving her both fossils so early in game feels a bit much especially since Steven has them both on his team.. 1 is cool but both is pushing it, Now the macargo situation now I’ve thought about this an since it’s the lava pkmn smith isn’t up for changing types I’ll respect that an move on to some other plausible ideas. I say we give it a new ability that fits it thematically something like rock absorb/ stone absorb ability have it heal 1/4 of its maximum HP when hit by a rock-type move. Makes way more sense then a fire/rock type Pokémon getting healed by water move.. Or we tweak slugma/macargo flame Body to give it a corrosive burn ability that burns 100% instead of just 30% from contact moves anybody even fire types or anybody but 🔥 types. It way more flavorful then water absorb..especially IF we were to make flame body double the power of fire type moves! It’s no danger especially considering how low macargo stats are. To fix marcago you either make it hit hard or move REAL fast! Or we can change magma armor just a bit..to make it so it functions like armor an not just prevents freezing but, halves the damage taken from ice/water-type moves OR… ;) It’s halves super effective moves! how about it. Not just preventing freezing!! But actually protecting it. This has the added benefit of making Maxie’s battles a tad bit more difficult cuz camerupt A beast!

[@intergalactic92]

@@JayClearman411you can see what he is going for with the water absorb thing, it may be a bit of an over correction though. But perhaps reworking magma armour to make water moves (and ice) do neutral damage.

[@JayClearman411]

@@intergalactic92 indeed I believe as much definitely an over correction as I said in another comment somewhere..I still believe the 🔑 is making magma armor do more then just prevent being frozen that’s not enough maybe it cuts super effective moves damage in 1/2.. or better yet we specialize it or make it hit harder We can have flame body burn ANYTHING ANYONE that comes in contact with it even other fire type pkmn I like this.. personally either that or make it double the power of all🔥 type moves.. make it useful. It’ll be a change sure just slight one.

[@robertlupa8273]

I like your analysis/criticism. You give credit where credit is due, while pointing out mistakes and questionable choices in a mostly civil way. I do really like the idea with Breloom's moveset, but I agree that it doesn't feel right in a thematic sense, especially if we're removing Meditite to make room for the mushroom. Good point on the scarcity of Ground moves for Wattson. Never really thought about how little there were or how weak most of them were. I agree with others that Magcargo could instead have a reworked Magma Armor that either just makes it immune to Water, without any healing (so a Levitate clone), or simply makes it take neutral damage from Water (so a Heatproof clone, one gen early).

[@JayClearman411]

@@robertlupa8273 I like the idea of a sort of heatproof like ability, that halves the damage done by Water-types attacks.. what would you call it? but if I’m being honest I don’t think smith’s going for it he seems single-mindedly determined not to introduce later gen abilities..I’d totally be ok with giving macargo a ability similar to this.. considering it still prevents the freeze condition. With breloom maybe he could have it know rock smash cuz it’s senses for him to be the fight gym yet his Pokémon don’t know fighting type moves.. besides I believe it’d be too much at this point in the game at around level 20 it learns headbutt.. that plus stun spore is rough but then again breloom is far stronger the hariyama,in almost every stat breloom is it’s superior and makuhita is supposed to be brawly Ace…

[@catmenorah]

Interesting alternate idea for magcargo: Ability: ‘extinguished’ It takes 0 damage the first time it’s hit with a water move, but upon that hit its fire is ‘existinguished’ and it becomes pure rock type. Loses 4x weaknesses at the cost of fire stab.

[@15thobserver]

Dive+Toxic on Gym Leader's Milotic? That is pure evil.

[@notsosilentprotag]

Worldbuilding wise, love the fossil additions to the 1st gym, Not only do they make the fight better but also with the fossil revives happing at the Devon Corp in the same city it makes sense she would have easy access to both pokemon.

[@belodie]

Instead of using an AI... how about you just talk to a real person?

[@nicwoolfe6660]

This

[@pastpatour]

Hey, man gotta pay his bills

[@VideoGameTypeBeat]

@belodie 🐐 comment

[@orsonzedd]

​Then he should get a raycon sponsorship I'm always flushing those things down the toilet ​@@pastpatour

[@franbh94]

Let's just let this slide. Bills don't pay themselves.

[@JaharNarishma]

The music info being inserted in a corner is something I appreciate.

[@PixelPenguin77]

9:49 how about going all in with this idea and give Flannery a Ninetales...?

[@aninymouse1651]

I agree, that would be a little better

[@TuftyTaltan]

Magcargo with water absorb is such a fun idea. I'll be using one for sure

[@macacotaku6268]

Rip for my dream of a gym double battle of juan and wallace

[@KremBotop]

Seeing the Hoenn leaders' BW2 sprite animations in this video, and those games in general, is fascinating. Pretty sure ORAS already started development by the time it came out so GF might have already redesigned them for the remakes, but still needed to make new sprites for the PWC mode with their original designs since the remakes were still a couple of years away. Idk, just a thought I had.

[@gameraz1990]

"I'll pick Kime Echo" "Wait a minute, did I say "Kime Echo"? Sorry, old habbit of mine. CHIME. ECHO. There. fixed. I gotta stop calling him Kime! Anyway, I'll give Kimeecho these moves..."

[@Ocarinist_Drew]

Huge fan of what you're doing with Juan, Wallace, and Steven. Makes perfect sense. Also I am definitely running a Magcargo. Never used this mon in my life but I'm so excited to see how it does.

[@robertlupa8273]

The only reason why I don't like giving Magcargo Water Absorb is the healing part of the ability. It just... doesn't feel right. I know it'd be a huge change, too huge for a Legacy game, but what about changing Magma Armor to _just_ give an immunity to Water (no healing), on top of its usual functionality? And maybe remove it from Camerupt if that becomes a necessity, and since it has no other ability in Gen 3 then uhh, give it Oblivious or Flame Body, I guess?

[@danielquinlan2457]

Seconding the idea of just buffing Magma Armor.

[@istokipsy6289]

Magma Armor is shared with Camerupt, which would take it down to only one weakness as opposed to Magcargo's remaining 3 weaknesses (4x against Ground, 2x against Fighting and Rock). Giving Camerupt Oblivious could be an interesting change, though.

[@JayClearman411]

@@danielquinlan2457 Same I’d much prefer the idea of changing magma armor an making it work like multi scale have it reduce damage taken from damage dealing moves by half BUT it doesn’t have to be only when at Max HP. This makes both macargo an camerupt viable. Or, we have Magmar Armor Prevent Freezing And Double Defense stats. So its like Pure Power, but for defense instead of attack. like a personal Acid Armor Maybe have it decreases damage taken from damage dealing moves by about 25%. Also i think it be cool instead of water absorb We have magma armor Prevents freezing and grants immunity to rock and ice type moves.

[@caturiges]

Rock is just the first gym in order to teach the new players to not use only normal damaging moves, that are by far the most common. And the gym leader have fodder pokemon like Geodude in order to help players to get easy experience points while they can't figure out how to beat the actual challenge, which is Nosepass, since you only lose half of your money when you lose to them.

[@ivanbluecool]

Roxanne definitely could make the fossils and nosepass a perfect starting team. Or aron corsola nosepass. Brawly breloom to deal with mudkip. Meditite machuita. Watson. Too bad plusle and minun don't exist for a full hoenn team. Flannery could use a castform with sunny day strats to show it off before we as players get one with her team. Dad one slaking vigaroth linoone exploud is perfect Winona team is great. Just better moves needed. Tate Liza. Same team but add grumpig Juan give him reverse in kanto and Johto mons while wallace has the hoenne water types instead so each are unique

[@Alienldr]

I wanted to recommend Focus Punch on Breloom instead of False Swipe, but if the AI makes it choose the move every turn just because of a kill, then there's no point. If the AI remains the same, then i guess False Swipe is the best we can do. But if we can change it by making him a normal trainer or wild pokemon AI, then I'd like to put Focus Punch out there. It would feel more satisfying to beat FP Breloom since it feels like strategy is being used to beat him while still being a nerf. But if the AI will never let him use his other 3 moves, then it's not really worth it.

[@chubberdunkus6153]

Magcargo turning in to a sauna rock wasn’t on my bingo list 😂🔥

[@pizzahutkidman8806]

My hot take is that while this is nice, I still don't think it solves one of Hoenn's biggest problems. Too much water. Yes, it's a memed line for a reason, but it's also not wrong, the late game of Hoenn is water routes, into a water evil team, and then into a water gym, and with Glacia having half of her team be water types. In addition to feeling like Aqua gets more screen time than Magma at some point. You fight Mamga Hideout before the Undersea Cavern and while Water is the main theme of the game, it becomes monotomous by the end of it. It doesn't really do much help for the starters either, since Swampert still does well thanks to mostly netural matchups, it wrecks Blaziken for a LONG time and Sceptile isn't really helped since Water types are just so versitile that they can really easily find a counter to the grass gecko. This DOES run into the problem of "how do you even add anything inbetween those areas" though. It's all so plot focused and you can't really just swap Magma Hideout and Undersea Cavern, as it also leads into the Space Centre (unless you were to do Space Centre first, but in canon that's depected as Maxie's last attempt at doing something until he realises that his plan is flawed). I'm no game designer and adding a whole new map isn't likely planned or worth the effort, but another typing themed trainers before the last gym would be nice. Maybe utlising Route 123 as a more late game area with multiple battles facing Bug and Grass type trainers, two types that despite having decent amount of mons in the dex, just never gets a chance to be shown off? It can't really be done before you summon Rayquaza because that would ruin the tension of the story (if it could, I would say that referencing ORAS with the Dragon Clan could be a neat nod in Metior Falls), and after the gym doesn't really do anything to help the situation, it could feel like padding though, espiscally if it's forced, which wouldn't be great for the story structure. Plus late game Grass area would help at least slightly knock Swampert down... just a bit. Just some thoughts I had, or you could just turn Team Aqua into a Dark type focused team but that's also really boring and taking away from their idenity.

[@ProjectJesseMichael]

I know Tate and Lisa are the double battle team, but Emerald is so full of double battles I would love to see Wattson in double battle open with Plusle and Minun

[@CartoonKarma]

That nearly all of these only changed one species really shows how the Emerald gym leader rosters were in a much healthier state then Crystal or Yellow. Some of the changes surprised me, but largely in a good way. So glad to see Chinchou, Vulpix and Girafarig as side showcases in Gyms 3-5, and while I’m unsure about a 5-mon team for a double battle, Chimecho in the Tate&Liza fight has been on my wishlist forever. Love to see it! Can’t wait to see the next few stages of refinement for this project.

[@Urilicia]

That AI sponsorship was rather distasteful.

[@RayneGrimm1]

Ditto. Mega disappointed to see that

[@Christopher-y8r]

I don’t even fw ai but the sponsor was unobtrusive and the actual app that sponsored him isn’t taking anybody’s jobs with such a novel concept, I guarantee you’d do the same shit to make some quick cash.

[@robertlupa8273]

I didn't like the way he transitioned into the ad, but I don't have any strong feelings towards what's sponsored _(mostly because I skipped it completely)._

[@rocketterrier]

​@@Christopher-y8rApps like these are mostly run on user submissions, too. Stolen data is not the fault of the company but the userbase stealing fanart, writing.

[@cooltanberry]

AI isn't the boogyman y'all think it is. Watch your pokemon video bro. You're not changing the world.

[@jamescampbell6728]

I 100% agree with how you proposed handling Steven, Wallace, and Juan.

[@mancininichols8566]

5:35 didn't Gardenia have a Turtwig on her team in DPPt?

[@kildawg]

Yes, and those games made sure that the regional dex is at least seen before the national dex is given. This can be accomplished by beating Cynthia

[@donp3857]

The Macargo change makes sense considering its pokedex entry it can theoretically get hotter than the sun. Water Absorb just fits.

[@ahmedal-kloda7640]

I like most of the proposed changes, except three things. I dont like Breloom, doesnt seem to fit the vibe at all. Maybe Machoke? I dont like odd numbers for tate and liza I would like Wallace to actually have Gyarados for that sick synergy with Whiscash

[@purnen]

It'd be really cool if Norman offered to gift you Girafarig and had some dialogue about you growing up with it, maybe even letting you nickname it implying you did when he caught it

[@tea3154]

Normally love your stuff, really disliked the AI sponsorship :/

[@nicwoolfe6660]

Such a 180 turn from excitement to disdain

[@mdalion]

Dude's gotta eat. Why be upset about a sponsorship.

[@Themacattack1209]

It’s not that big of a deal, AI has been around longer than most of his viewers.

[@InsertFunnyThingHere]

Look as long as the sponsor isn't some actively malicious shit like Betterhelp I won't stop people from getting the bag

[@grunkleg.2934]

AI chatbots are like the least important thing of all time

[@OGJackW]

For tate and liza, if youre dead set on having a 5th mon, using Metang as like a mind melded duo mon would be cool. Rig it so it has to be the last mon set out and have them say something like "Now here is both of our ace" idk

[@Kashikizu]

Okay so hear me out on this one. Wallace going from Gym Leader to Champion sounds amazing imo but I dont think defeating Steven to be Champion is quite it. Why not make it so that after we beat Steven, he goes on his journey and we leave for Battle Frontier which makes the champion spot open only for Wallace to come and take it? That way - Steven keeps his status as the final boss without it feeling like he was outshone by the 8th gym leader - A proper reason is there for Wallace to become the champion considering we are busy enjoying Battle Frontier Idk it just could be me. I just feel like Wallace beating Steven (who becomes the final boss) makes Steven be painted weaker or Wallace as stronger Really excited either way tho. Emerald is my favorite game and legacy series have been really amazing. Excited to see what you do with it! (⁠ﾉ⁠◕⁠ヮ⁠◕⁠)⁠ﾉ⁠*⁠.⁠✧

[@nazeersadek6705]

This is honestly the best option to solve this issue

[@primrosevale1995]

Then have Juan as a 'ninth' Gym leader fight!

[@hannahfbr]

Getting an AI to just shart out a core part of the game takes the passion out of the passion project

[@smithplayspokemon]

It was just for the ad, we had already made up our mind on what we were going with LOL

[@RayneGrimm1]

​@@smithplayspokemonstill lame to have an ai sponsor in general.

[@RayneGrimm1]

Was super disappointed to see the ai ad sponsor. Thought you'd have more Integrity than that working with creators/creatives

[@arcticgalaxies9160]

money > integrity

[@coltonramey98]

A concern I have with this is that would mean Steven cannot be rematched more than once. You'd get his champion battle then a post game battle only. I hope that if you do go with merging Ruby/Sapphire and Emerald like this you will make Steven rematchable continously like any gym leader, E4 or champion.

[@jwinterspring]

Skarmory with Spikes as the first Pokémon of Gym 6 would be great but Skarmories learns it too late... What about having Wallace as the last gym leader while also having Juan as one of the last trainers in the gym? Sort of like an apprentice or "special guest"? And of course the Steveman as the Champ. OR...Double Battle for the last gym?

[@jwinterspring]

Also what about Norman with Dunsparce as a starter?

[@jwinterspring]

...your idea for Steven-Juan-Steven is even better.

[@JWHSHK]

The Norman Gym battle could have a fifth pokemon added as the relationship of father and child could cause Norman to be a bit tougher on you as he would expect you could handle the challenge that he would not think other trainers could. It could also be because as his child you could already know most of the pokemon he normally uses so adding a new one unknown by the player could read as your father wanting to give you a surprise of the unexpected.

[@nazeersadek6705]

3:08 why wouldn’t you keep the Geodude and add Aron?

[@arthurfreitasschmitt9477]

I think the idea is that something like geodude, onyx or ryhorn would always be one shot by whatever water or grass type you have, making it a useless slot

[@seda_11]

@@arthurfreitasschmitt9477 Maybe for most romhacks or fangames where the idea is to be more difficult, but a core concept of the pokemon series is to have the first gym teach you about type matchups. I think it’s okay to have one slot be 4x weak to an early game water or grass type. In fact, having 3 pretty resilient mons on the first gym leader feels distinctly fan-gamey.

[@codystevenson9648]

Giraffarig makes a good compliment to the Normal team on the grounds you can get STAB on the fighting types that otherwise sweep the team

[@AlloranKurenai]

I think It would have been super cool if every odd gym leader did double battles. This generation was the introduction to the concept and it would be cool to see it get some love in this game. Like Roxan would be a good first one with just the fossles and nosepass as she is a teacher and is showing you the concept, but also not be anything but a "Hit them hard" tactic needed. Wattson would be a good double battler since Electricity is all about possitive and negitive currents and could be a good place for Plusle and Minun to show up in supporting rolls. Norman could show off the true power of double battles with a atronger strategy showing ehy he was picked to be the gym leader despite being from Johto. Then Tate and Liza are already strong double battlers. The following up you could add a double battle rematch for the E4 and Champ.

[@aquartertwo]

This opens up Plusle & Minun for Watson, & Slaking shenanigans for Norman

[@kryzethx]

Absolutely loving all of these changes, especially the way the champion and 8th gym are being handled. Girafarig on Norman does seem a bit weird, but Spinda was already pretty weird, so I think the change works out pretty well!

[@jameypomeroy7113]

Please please allow us to pick between upgraded leader teams and regular teams in the post game 😊 it would be so much fun to train up other mons while completing the dex!

[@ZawZaw-yb3nf]

very glad you're adding vulpix as a pokemon for flannery, not only can it be found pretty much next to mt. Chimney, I always pictured flannery having a vulpix, her character design SCREAMS vulpix