Is it Possible to Beat Pokemon Emerald with Just a Smeargle?

People have used a team of Smeargle, but what about just one?
Edited by: Me
Custom Smeargle art by: ‪@Pentax25‬

[@philclip23]

When I was younger, I used a Smeargle in my party just because I could teach it Fly. Flying around the game on a Smeargle just made me feel like an absolute madlad.

Now I imagine it painting itself a pair of wings, Drawn-to-Life style.

[@corenlavolpe6143]

I imagine it flies the same way Tails does

[@ekim613]

ima be that guy and say i dont think it could learn the HM so im curious to know how you got it to know fly? from a linked battle or an in game one?

[@emma48586]

@@ekim613 probably just teach fly to another mon and engage in a double battle, then sketch your partner

[@solidzack]

Or fight a Ditto with a Pokémon that knows fly, then switch to Smeargle

[@TheZackofSpades]

Repeatedly fighting Norm with nothing but a Smeargle has the energy of a rebellious son telling his pops “I won’t just be a trainer like you, I am an ARTIST”

[@dissraps]

"Now ill fight you later i have to clock in at starbucks"

[@edoyuki1030]

​@@dissrapsFailure management

[@calebjohnson9740]

One of the best comments I’ve ever read 😂

[@Evenmixer]

Hey Jrose, I'm not used to donate to content creators but you definitely deserves it 🙌 I really enjoy watching your pokemon runs and as an old content creator (I stopped years ago) I know how difficult it is, especially the type of runs you're making Thank you a lot, for the ideas you have for the runs to entertain us, for the good format of your videos (long but enjoyable) and finally for your commenting that makes the video fun and interesting I'm not the only one but I also will be sad once your month of Jrose will end and when you'll finish the pokemon 1st gen runs Keep up your awesome work !

[@phoebe5114]

Couldn't have said it better myself. Jrose is a killer creator.

[@CSSFruity]

King behaviour

[@pablo_hermandez_]

Who’s a good pay piggy :)

[@strawbtangerine6087]

@@pablo_hermandez_ Jesus Christ lol

[@michaelabrown7226]

Damn why does he only reply to comments to defend himself but doesnt reply to amazing friendly comments

[@crazychristopher1989]

You can Sketch the move Surf before even getting the HM after beating Norman. A youngster south of Slateport City owns a Zigzagoon that knows Surf.

[@iododendron3416]

And you can also get thunderbolt froma zigzagoon in the third gym!

[@ziocarlone]

@crazychristopher1989 yes, exactly. I tried this challenge with a friend during the covid-19 lockdown and we used that trainer to get Surf and we used it for a long time.

[@DemonRaticate]

Don’t forget about the random Kecleon in Flannery’s gym with Flamethrower of all things… so Surf, Flamethrower and TBolt before Flannery!

[@BRYCONIC]

Lol I love how all these unique pokemon trainers live rent free in my head. Wow what a great memory!

[@vinegarhusbands]

any trainers or wild pokemon that know leech seed?

[@slippythefrog]

I know this consistency is unfeasible, but this has been the coolest thing you've ever done. Jrose month has been so awesome for my boredom.

[@wickederebus]

A month of edited videos is hard, but a month of VOD uploads would be doable

[@MrCrousenn]

Cheers up my days too, love the constant stream of content. Absolute machine of a man

[@Richard_Nickerson]

@@wickederebus VOD?

[@Richard_Nickerson]

Yeah, I already lament the end of this month. The daily uploads have been awesome.

[@TortoiseMaximus]

@@Richard_Nickerson recording of a stream that is unchanged to as it was when live

[@yokoelf1293]

The fact that Sketching Ice Beam from Glacia is so convenient and powerful against the next member Drake is the reason I like these videos. There's always a new surprise or some creative strategy that can be made up that shine a new light on these games that have already been beaten countless times.

[@lilwoodiewood3457]

Not that creative to add a ice move or much strategy if u actually cared about strats competitive battling is where ud be at this game is ment for a 5 year old to beat .. it's not hard to beat the cpu

[@haveagoodday7021]

@@lilwoodiewood3457ok bro

[@valx5]

@@lilwoodiewood3457Aiight bro

[@chaosvolt]

In this episode, JRose demonstrates why it'd be way less annoying if Sketch could just let you *pick a move* like Gen 1 Mimic.

[@chaossnowkitsune6377]

Funny I was actually been thinking something similar while rewatching this.

[@dse763]

Would have been useful if Smeargle has Splash.

[@HECKproductions]

that would make sketch way too overpowered tho

[@chaosvolt]

@@HECKproductions Fair I guess, but that's kinda the problem with Sketch in a nutshell. Not giving you any real way to filter for what move your target uses makes it very sketchy (heh) which is bad since that's the core of what makes an otherwise underwhelming pokemon even remotely useful, while having free rein to pick the move you want would be potent as hell. There's no real middle ground with that sorta thing.

[@galaxyquestminute7490]

7:10 The speedrunning community has actually amassed a list of all of the movesets for every Gen 3 game

[@pkmntrainermark8881]

Oh, dang.

[@lumensmith2001]

The reason the AI looks like it always gets double protect against Winona is because of a quirk with the way the AI selects moves. Essentially it will roll the move before selecting it, so if protect fails it just won't use it, this is the same reason why the AI sometimes doesn't use moves that should OHKO because they hit a very unlikely range. There's still a 50% chance protect will fail, but Winona just won't use select the move if the roll fails.

[@catholic_zoomer_bro]

Frickin AI using save states smh

[@lumensmith2001]

@@catholic_zoomer_bro basically yeah lmao

[@fortnitesexman]

kinda wish the psychic trainers had special ai where they used prediction like this, like having a move that sucks against your pokemon, but using it anyways because it's super effective against the pokemon they know you're switching into they actually pull this shit in gen 1 as far as i remember and in general i wish different groups of trainers had different behavior or movesets to fit their personalities and such

[@andreaaurigemma2782]

Source? I am aware of AI predetermining a roll but not of AI "predicting" a miss?

[@TwigsGames]

Not true? I've had the ai try protect multiple times in a row and fail

[@billdewall6152]

You had me at "I think I just sketched astonish." Never change, Jrose. Your dad jokes sustain me.

[@gravethestampede3454]

You can always tell your in for a trip whenever these videos breach the hour mark

[@musupasu]

Thank you for these videos Jrose, they are best to watch while trying to get baby to sleep

[@charallave1000]

The pokeball thing was such a big brain move lol. Glad that the month of Jrose is going strong!

[@TheKavan00]

I am absolutely loving the month of Jrose. There's nothing better after working a night shift than coming home and watching one of your vids to go to sleep. Thanks man!

[@MeteoraZero]

This was a LOT easier than I would've expected. Smeargle has pretty bad stats, but damn is sketch extremely versatile. Also, fella even battled Steven and that's dedication. Continue the great work, Jrose

[@lemurw431]

Impeccable timing literally just came on to see if it was there and here it is! Another impossible challenge for us to sink our teeth into! Month of Jrose has been incredible so far!

[@Willingmess]

Awesome! It’ll be really fun to see the strategic decisionmaking that’ll have to go into crafting a moveset for smeargle! It’s really fun to explore the movesets out there in the game and see what’s possible.

[@SillyInsaneGamer]

Honestly, it's awful lol I've done a Smeargle solo in up to 3 generations and while it seems amazing that you can get so creative with various moves for every gym and encounter, the stats are just SO awful to deal with LOL! I mean, it's fun but just SO annoying hah

[@prpiyer8325]

you were already my favorite pokemon youtuber but the community reference made me smile as big as the moon, loving the month of JRose and your content in general, keep it up!

[@arthurjeannin3357]

High Jump Kick actually deals you half of the damage it would have dealt the enemy when you miss in gen 3, not an eighth!

[@boianko]

Came here to say this, according to Bulbapedia 1/8 of the damage is a gen 2 thing.

[@jamtone4492]

Gen 5 and onward it does 50% of your max hp. Thats what jrose was refering to i believe.

[@Chris01114]

Yeah I doubt a Lv31 Slaking has like almost 640 HP lol

[@caliburnleaf9323]

Amusing how Smeargle was basically a glorified Wingull in the early game, but without its STAB bonus. Sketch really made for interesting decisions as the game progressed.

[@MaxiemumKarnage]

From the title and length alone, I can tell this is going to be one of those runs

[@benkesler487]

I've been watching too many of your Gen 1 runs, because I kept getting nervous that your Smeargle would crit and not use the boosts of all those calm minds.

[@Crimson_Dragon01]

Hearing Smeargle and Emerald brings back a heart-breaking memory from when I was kid where I accidentally knocked out a shiny Smeargle in Emerald. The only difference between regular and shiny Smeargle is the color on the tip of the tail. I was playing while watching TV and it came on screen while I wasn't looking, so I missed the sparkle animation. I select an attack, and as the HP bar drains to 0, I notice the tail. After it went down, I had a moment of denial where I start searching around hoping to find it again to no avail. I was pretty devastated that day.

[@johnnyrankin]

This man deserves an award, a firm pat on the back, a hearty handshake. A parade should be help for this man. Thank you JRose! You the realest

[@gleetR]

this was a creative and extremely entertaining challenge, thank you so much for the hard work you put into your content, i’m proud to say that i’ve been watching for a few years and you’ve only gotten better!

[@trev_jackson]

I think a Double-Battle/Solo Run of two Smeargles would be worth watching

[@khaotix64]

You are one of the hardest working content creators who goes above and beyond for us. Thank you Jrose ❤️❤️

[@carltonhenry7671]

Did u use one hand or two ??? Lol

[@qweschuning]

Yes.

[@moshadj]

Thank Jrose for Jrose

[@Hitmanfreak123]

@@carltonhenry7671 yes

[@kcidd12]

his narration is 💯👌

[@AzureKite]

Smeargle runs are really fun, because you can use any move, so it's a lot about figuring out what are the best moves you can use. This video (just like all of your videos) was a joy to watch.

[@alexspeedwagon3701]

I can’t imagine not knowing about EVs with all the resources available online, yet I know that every single time they’re mentioned in anybody’s video thousands of people learn something.

[@Ewansarmy]

Genuinely JRose December is making you my favourite KZbin altogether as of late. So many high quality videos and your upload schedule fits perfectly with my mornings before work. Thank you man!

[@765craven4]

I've been doing a 6 Smeargle run of Pokemon Black and I'm just gonna say your dedication here is amazing. I actually allowed myself to use non Smeargles as long as it isn't a trainer battle just to get Level-Up moves onto non Smeargles and Sketch them that way using Double Battle grass. Allows much more versatility and comes at the cost of the time investment of having to grind up other Pokemon.

[@azargaming9648]

Love all your uploads. I'm a father of two and I put the kids to bed and 1st thing I do is check for an upload from you. Hope you get your 300k sub soon

[@Axecon1]

Thank you for showing the Steven Stone battle at the end! It doesn't feel right to cap off an Emerald challenge without that fight included.

[@Luminous13]

Your videos have been my go to for curing insomnia for years now. I sometimes watch older videos since I don't exactly watch them most of the time. Now that I get a new and exciting video to watch while sleeping every day I am super happy. You are the real deal man, much love

[@NoLimitSquad]

As a content creator myself, I know you put a ton of thought and planning into Month of Jrose well before Nov/Dec. Great job bro

[@dylahn7]

shameless plug

[@ArtUndertheArch]

@@dylahn7 perhaps but there’s a reason full-time content creators pay people to edit their content - one high quality video takes dozens of hours, let alone a month of them

[@roamingnyiad]

So this is ONE Impossible Challenge that DOES actually sweep the post-game battle with Steven in Emerald. It may have been quick, but still AWESOME that Smeargle can do Steven's battle AND the rest of the game. All in all, awesome run! Very happy to see this! =)

[@TheJum]

To date, your emerald ditto solo run is not just my favorite video of yours, but one of my favorite videos on KZbin. Smeargal is also amazing so far. I hope you do more Emerald runs.

[@19NOTAFOX91]

Every time you have mentioned magnitude in videos I always say "pop pop" in my head and wondered if you knew about that too. I'm very pleased that you finally said it, this alone has made today a good day for me

[@starlite-1up20x6]

Smeargle's sketches in this run: 1: Water Gun 11: Wing Attack 21: Hi Jump Kick 31: Magnitude 41: Sleep Powder (Replaces Water Gun) 51: Crunch (Replaces Wing Attack) 61: Ancient Power (Replaces Magnitude) 71: Surf (Replaces Ancient Power) 81: Thunderbolt (Replaces Surf) 91: Ice Beam (Replaces Crunch) After replanning: Calm Mind and Ice Beam (Replaces Hi Jump Kick and Crunch)

[@ShadowOfCicero]

He didn't explicitly mention it, but there is a Move Tutor that could re-teach Sketch at least once. That's how he got to Calm Mind.

[@yurr7408]

Lmfao your commentary is just top-notch. "I think I just sketched astonish because I didn't expect that!" was so funny

[@dragonseatcheese8727]

"And today I'm going to slam my head into THIS brick wall for your entertainment!"

[@geodudism]

This is the most fun video you uploaded in a while! Though most are interesting regardless, keep it up, much love

[@Ridorana12]

I use to adore Smeargle for the sheer fact that I couldnt consider so many possible combinations of move sets. Although, I'd have to have multiple smeargle, but it was cool.

[@ftwcrazyman]

Bit late but amusingly, one of the Tuber boys in Slateport City beach has a Zigzagoon with Surf. Only knew because Smallant got blindsided by one during an Emerald run 💀

[@Alex_Off-Beat]

Hell yeah! I've been wanting a Smeargle solo run for so long!

[@dennisdunker8764]

Ok so pretty much most of your runs id never have the patience time or foresight (planning ahead) to do... but this is such a cool run. Kinda mapping out which moves you wanna sketch and what not. Super unique. Very enjoyable to watch!

[@kode-man23]

Every time, every time somebody says Magnitude in a Pokemon game, I always say "Pop, Pop" in my head. And every time I just assume that nobody else would get it. Thank you Jrose for finally saying the thing.

[@haruwu9556]

i can't believe just as i opened the app this got uploaded i was so excited for the video, once again jrose tysm for this month of content :D i use ur videos to sleep since i overthink and can't sleep without them (adhd things) so this month has been a bless for me rlly thankful for ya

[@HaydnG266]

Interestingly, in Pokémon Colosseum, Smeargle learns Sketch, Tail Whip, Double Slap and Iron Tail

[@beunjoris]

Early game: Ah yeah water gun and wing attack Late game: Set that could be considered competitive

[@allbrave8781]

Smeargle is my favourite pokemon in the Sun and Moon games, because it is so easy to teach it any move fairly early, and it can have some really silly move sets. You can teach it Boomburst which is STAB 140 base power 100% accuracy 10 PP and no negative side effects (unless its a double battle). It also allows for infinite SOS chaining because you can teach it recycle and give it a leppa berry for infinite PP restoration, and a healing move for infinite health regen.

[@AKingofBacon]

This really brings me back to your Sun/Moon guides that pretty much started your rise on KZbin! Nice to see you using a Smeargle again

[@fairlyimaginary8895]

Thank you for the Community reference! Glad I’m not the only one who obsessively says “pop pop” every time I hear that move. It made the Numel video excruciating for me lol

[@dynamitedemon9972]

Haven't even started the video yet and know this is gonna be a banger

[@LunarWingCloud]

You can tell because it's over an hour, the beefers are always his best

[@cadenlang02]

Month of Jrose videos continue to be the highlight of my day, so glad I found your channel!

[@kotyrollins]

I did a run like this in crystal, but allowed myself to catch wild smeargles. Each had its own strategy, but my favorite 2 were the sleep build (spore, nightmare, dream eater, and agility) and the stunlock bulld (Stomp, Confuse ray, Attract, and Thunderwave.)

[@averyv7986]

7:30 If I recall correctly, most user submitted text-based gameplay guides (remember those, with the ASCII art?) were comprehensive enough to list every single trainer encounter, their Pokemon stats and movesets

[@kevintreese4544]

This is interesting! This seems like it’ll be really unique compared to other runs.

[@HECKproductions]

trying to catch a pokemon that has like 10% hp and is paralyzed -> 10th ultra ball failed; pokemon runs away throw pokeball at unscathed wingull in order for it to break free and attack -> catch *3* specimens

[@chucktaylor2172]

I love your channel Jrose. You've become my favorite KZbinr of them all. There's a few who come close, but your the best. I know you can't maintain doing a full video every single day. But I'll be damned if I didn't wish you could lol. Just keep it up Jrose cause your the best!

[@MarkTheDead]

Thank you for your videos. They're genuinely some of the best gaming content on the site, very genuine and passionate.

[@bobosmith101]

Yeah, usually when I see this challenge, they have a full team of Smeargle, not just one.

[@werisekk3]

"A solo run is one pokemon, not two pokemon." Please be foreshadowing for an upcoming duo/duet run - Plusle and Minun conquering the Hoenn region in Emerald.

[@satisfiedskullservant]

Here's an idea, for future mandatory double battles, maybe you could clone your Pokémon for the second spot? So this way you're doing basically 2 single battles and it's all with the designated Pokémon?

[@commandershepard4235]

I've watched a lot of your runs, I don't know why but this one has been the absolute Most Fascinating so far

[@chairkun3095]

Regarding Pelipper never failing 2 Protects in a row, I think gen 3 has an AI quirk where the opponent sometimes calculates whether a move will succeed before it decides to use it. So on the turn after the first Protect it'll determine whether the next one will work, and if so it'll use it, otherwise it'll go for one of its other moves. Bit of survivorship bias there.

[@leeeitrem1743]

Every day you make my days better. Im currently pending separation from the US military and life looks a little bleak. Thanks for making these days so much more enjoyable. I love your content.

[@jordanthejq12]

Ah, Smeargle. One of the greatest shows of flexibility and creativity a solo runner can create. Let's see the artistry on display tonight. If y'all haven't seen it, go check out Scott's Crystal Smeargle. Absolute work of art.

[@maryconley4233]

I watch you when I’m playing Pokémon, or if I’m driving, I play it and listen. And when I go to bed, I play this to help me fall asleep. ❤ my partner showed you to me about a month or 2 ago. Now it’s our thing. Thanks so much! I try to watch and rewatch as much as I can, because you deserve every view you get and more!

[@markky3050]

I often use these when I'm trying to fall asleep aswell. It's quite nice to have a video that stays at fairly consistent volumes to play in the background. The amount of times I've been woken up in the past because someone has screamed or played incredibly loud music.

[@Slickcactus]

That Wingull tactic at the start was a very smart play 👏

[@SomeGuy712x]

Nice job with this Smeargle run, and thanks for at least showing the Steven Stone battle this time. Yeah, maybe not as epic as the Elite 4 and Champion, but I still like seeing that battle at least attempted to close out an Emerald challenge run.

[@samig9032]

I normally don’t get into the non-gen 1 challenges. But this is incredibly interesting. Thank you!

[@xj-may]

I’ve been a fan since the beginning and this has to be one of the coolest runs you’ve ever done. This sounds like it was a super fun run to do, going through all the Pokémon you have access and trying to figure out what the best move to Sketch is

[@bugcatcher8989]

This Smeargle run gets the OG Bug Catcher official stamp of approval! 👍

[@theschnozzler]

Evolve your damn kakuna and metapod I swear there are only 2 og bug catchers with fully evolved bugs

[@leftysheppey]

This month of Jrose is very difficult to keep up with. Especially since your voice sends me to sleep 😂 enjoy the ad money from me watching these 4 times over lol

[@uvega414]

Been waiting for todays episode to drop all day , loving month of jrose 🎉🎉🎉

[@bigkevinm84]

Really enjoyed the video, don't mind the long run time at all! Smeargle is not one of my favorites but I have used it competitively like most others watching. I think the calm mind, bolt/beam strategy was really smart. Crunch and High Jump Kick were good for a while but what you won with is basically perfect coverage. I was really expecting you to sketch spore instead of sleep powder, but Shroomish doesn't learn it until level 54. Glad sleep powder at least hit sometimes when it needed to. Been enjoying every video, the month of JRose has been fun.

[@KyleLeeman]

After years of sporadic and inconsistent jrose uploads, this month has been a true joy

[@RoyArkon]

Another run with tons of creativity and figuring out what to do at any moment! Fantastic work once again dude!

[@plebisMaximus]

Always great to see Emerald on this channel.

[@Fabio_26]

hi Jrose, i know this is an older video, but i've been binge watching these, just found your channel through my recommended, I really like your videos, will actually SUB right now! I love pokemon and grew up playing blue>yellow>gold etc and your channel hits a nostalgia spot like no other

[@averageduck1327]

Me finishing the Butterfree run a few minutes ago "wow Butterfree had a perfect storm for a normally bad bug type come together for a run way above expectation" JRose "Yeah I'm gunna beat your favorite Pokemon game with a hipster next" Me "This is the single greatest month of all time'

[@mattvarner5825]

This is the first KZbin video my infant son has ever seen. He finally settled down during your battle with Wynona, thank you for your soothing voice Jrose

[@whatsthedealwithairlinefood24]

Dude, how do you get these many videos out so quickly?! Feels like an endless stream on content Definitely entertaining, I’m just amazed by the sheer amount of content being put out

[@pattyofurniture694]

Same!!! I wonder how many months he was preparing for this.

[@ChillDragonGaming]

@@pattyofurniture694 probably one of the many reasons for his hiatus a while back. That was a fairly long period and some of these challenges probably took a while to finish. So it makes sense to me at least.

[@QbiKz]

There was a video last week (I can't remember which one) where he said the footage was from like 2 years ago so I think he's been saving up for a while

[@OrigamiAhsoka]

Smeargle’s such a unique Pokémon and this was such a unique run because of it. I’d love to see you try to do this in other games, too!

[@3mac555]

Such a banger of a month! Great content every single day

[@dethiamthelaw1353]

First off; love the content, pumping out so much content with so much quality is truly amazing. There is a way to check basic trainers move sets somewhat reliably using rom hack tools. I used a trainer editing software on PC to see them. However, there are some with no specific movesets coded in, and those are just basic level up moves. Was something I came across and thought was cool

[@fifkun_]

Jrose being even more fun than usual with the Community reference ❤

[@KingOfAquariums]

Dude I love the longer videos. I enjoy all of your content for sure! Please don't "sell out" to just 10 minute videos like similar channels do. Or atleast have some longer ones like this. I've been a fan for a long time and Will always watch your content!

[@blastification2]

Couldn't you have gotten past May 2 more easily by Sketching Surf off of that one Zigzagoon on the beach south of Slateport? That seems like a move that would be worth keeping long term, too.

[@johnapple6646]

Which trainer has surf this early in the game?

[@blastification2]

@@johnapple6646 Tuber Ricky. Like I said, he's on the beach south from Slateport.

[@cyphate]

I think this is a really good example of how if you can learn a bunch of high power coverage moves you really can win with anything

[@kaitlynbanks340]

Thanks for all the hard work you're putting into this channel! Love watching your videos with my husband. He's a huge fan!

[@andersonantunesdeleu8591]

Incredible Jrose! You are unbelievable, you really work seriously when it's about Pokemon content! Just amazing the way you worked with smeargle, very very creative! Congratulations! Keep it up, we love it!

[@briannovak3623]

God may the month of jrose never end! These videos have been 💯💯💯

[@orchidmtg5186]

I dont comment on most videos i watch but i felt like i had to thank you for putting this amount of effort lately. Its been a blast to get a new video every day and i watch all of them.

[@JonseyThe]

JRose is such a goat, loving this month of videos

[@brandondawson4086]

Jrose I can't even begin to tell you how much more of love and appreciation I have for you for the community reference🤣! Thank you for the month of Jrose dude!

[@Ghee_Buttersnaps]

Gen 3 is Best Gen 💜💙💚💛🧡❤️

[@thatenglishgentleman]

Agreed! Zangoose is best boy

[@Red-yt2dk]

This is one of the best runs you've done, I have no complaints on this one! Awesome work jrose

[@DrPotatoSkins]

Something about this challenge seems a bit... sketchy... In all seriousness, this is gonna be a fun, if tedious and kinda difficult, run from the look of it. I forget if Smeargle can relearn Sketch from the Move Reminder. If it can Jrose is in business, but if it remembers the move Sketch copied instead of Sketch... ooh boy. As for what solo run to do next in Kanto, I have an interesting question: Which Gen 1 Fire-type is worth using your Fire Stone on? You've done Eevee and Flareon, now how about Growlithe/Arcanine and Vulpix/Ninetales? As a massive Arcanine fan, I would like to know which is best. (Day 17 of asking)