Meganium-line Solo Challenge - Pokemon HeartGold

Voltorb Flip References:
Salamence - The Ultimate Voltorb Flip Guide: • The Ultimate Voltorb F...
Cave of Dragonflies: www.dragonflyc...
TheAbysmalKraken - A.I. DESTORYS this Pokemon Minigame: • A.I. DESTROYS this Pok...
Werster's SoulSilver Glitchless Speedrun: • Pokemon Soul Silver Gl...
Reddit: / i_have_found_a_working...
/ solving_voltorb_flip_o...
/ werster_destorying_vol...
Rules:
1. Only my starter in battle
2. No items in battle, except held items
3. No glitches, exploits, or save states
4. No movepool evasion-boosting moves before level 100*
Rule details:
-- I make no attempt to have the exact same rule details between generations.
-- I am allowed to manipulate my starter
-- I play the game at 4x game speed
-- For fair comparisons my Pokemon have perfect (or near perfect) DVs / IVs
-- I am allowed to catch HM users - I can use all field moves
-- Evasion boosting is allowed if the move is not obtained from the Pokemon’s movepool. For example, using Mimic or Mirror Move to boost evasion is allowed.
-- Surge's trash-can-puzzle is automatically solved
-- The bike is allowed in gen1 & 4, banned in gen2, and allowed only to bypass terrain in gen3
-- Saving between league members is allowed
-- I can pause the game and timer to take breaks
-- Items obtained with the ability Pickup can only be used if the starter obtained them
-- The footage is sped up & slowed down to match the pace of my narration
These Rule details apply only to generation 1:
-- All battle-mechanic glitches are allowed (glitches that occur outside of battle are banned)
-- In generation 1, I'm allowed to skip Marowak with the Poke Doll
If you didn’t read these rules and left a comment. Thanks for helping with the algorithm.
Solo Challenge Discord: / discord
Patreon: / scottsthoughts
KZbin memberships:
/ @scottsthoughtspokemon
X: / psychicflying
Thumbnail art by BrianLS: / brianlsart
Illustrations by Sarina Vail: / sarinavail
Video Editing by Shawn McMullen
STAB: bulbapedia.bul...
DVs / IVs: bulbapedia.bul...
Damage Calculation: bulbapedia.bul...
Stat and Catch Calculators: pycosites.com/...
Gen1 Crit Rates: www.smogon.com...
Growth Rates: bulbapedia.bul...
Learnsets: bulbapedia.bul...
Base Stats: bulbapedia.bul...)
If you're new around here, Venomoth is a Psychic/Flying type, you can't change my mind.

[@pokecomic]

I actually really like the way you solved Voltorb Flip. There's still time being spent playing the game to account for the fact the pokemon who want the TMs need to invest time into it but you've removed any unnecessary bloat that could leave a sour taste in people's mouths regarding the time a pokemon might get if they get bad luck. Really good job on this Scott!

[@midge2946]

Agree, the comparison to the speedrun definitely seals it in my mind. I always thought it was a little messed up they didn't still let you just buy coins with money, but I suppose they really didn't want any kind of elements of gambling there.

[@superpika1of4]

​@@midge2946 If they had any form of gambling there they would've had to raise the age rating in Europe. That's the whole reason the game corner was changed in the first place.

[@mjjjynx]

Idk I feel like he should just hack in coins for all mons to make it fair

[@KD8_NotTheShoes]

@@mjjjynx not every mon will need to play voltorb flip tho is the issue, hacking in the coins means that some mons get an unfair advantage in that regard

[@mjjjynx]

@ so punish the Pokémon that have access to those great moves when they could stomp the game like they should? personal preference I guess

[@lamiaprincess6371]

Chiming in after the segment, but the Voltorb Flip issue was resolved perfectly, although the changes to the Game Corner were actually the result of updates in PEGI (European rating service) content guidelines rather than anything regarding balance. It's why this is the last time the Game Corner appear in the series.

[@lamiaprincess6371]

Meganium has those antennae because its supposed to be the middle of a flower!

[@adventureoflinkmk2]

Exactly. A lesson on censorship and localization that matt stone and trey Parker would have to learn the hard way with south park stick of truth

[@mistresskixen6142]

In Japan however they still had the game corner playing with the slots. They did however remove them from even the Japanese versions when Gen 6 came around.

[@lamiaprincess6371]

@@mistresskixen6142 Yeah that's to be expected. The JP versions don't have to be rated under PEGI while international releases do. But it does make sense for why the game corner never comes back for the series as well, it's just too much hassle.

[@adventureoflinkmk2]

@@lamiaprincess6371 Exactly. It's as gaijin goombah said in his censorship two parter, if you keep your work in your home country (this case japan) then go wild and crude and all that, as long as it goes with your country rules. Hell put game corners on every corner of the cities if ya want It's when you go international where you better do your homework and research

[@Dpmt]

33:38 Just be aware that Hidden Power is always special starting in Gen 4, so it won’t combo as well with Swords Dance and won’t be as useful for physical attackers.

[@mmpsp693]

Isn't him banning HP for HGSS?

[@Dpmt]

@ I believe it will only for first attempts, like in Crystal version. Which is why he mentions it here.

[@mmpsp693]

@@Dpmt 2:46 oh, I see it now. Thanks!

[@daankerkhove9602]

Scott: "Now, if you've made it this far, you're incredible" Me: "No Scott, you're incredible" Much love for following your passion and sharing it with the rest of us

[@TipOfTheSauce]

It’s happening! You’ve probably figured all this out, these are likely gonna be the biggest threats when compared to gen 2. 1. Falkner, his ace now has roost meaning it’s gonna be able to outlast way more pokemon than in the previous games. 2. Kimono Girls, while individually they aren’t super threatening, it’s the fact you have to fight all 5 of them back to back; basically just think of them as a single trainer. 3. Lance, outrage had its power increased to 120 and it now utilizes dragonite’s higher attack stat. Finally Red is absolutely brutal in these games. His levels got increased and some of his sets have had significant upgrades.

[@raikaria3090]

Kimonos are worse than just 5 pokemon on a trainer, your stat boosts get reset every time.

[@TipOfTheSauce]

@@raikaria3090that’s true, but I feel like the inability to heal is gonna cause issues more often…

[@Buddy26420]

Red is Insane Perm Hail and 3/6 pokes have Blizzard for 100% accuracy Pika has a Light Ball with 2 powerful Electric Attacks Snorlax no longer walled by Ghosts, can easily kill them. Lapras is more Bulky than Espeon, imo I think Espeon was better since it's Faster, but still pretty powerful Electric Coverage is even better in HGSS, as 3/6 of his team is weak to Electric and he has no Ground Coverage

[@calebjohnson9740]

Pikachu being level 88 with a Light Ball is absolutely terrifying

[@Silvitewolf]

Just remember that a Pikachu with lightball hits roughly as hard as a Mewtwo with psychic against a neutral Target

[@TheMoogleKing93]

The Chikorita line are winners in my heart

[@lazypaladin]

Never do a HG/SS run without it. _besides first playthrough. Since then, always been Chikorita._

[@ash2silly]

all it truly needs is light screen and reflect earlier, and leech seed at like level 11 or so.

[@veghesther3204]

They ALL SUCK so Its still crap in both the original Gold/Silver games and STILL IS in this remake.

[@oscarisaksson4809]

Ok but let people like what they like​@@veghesther3204

[@ash2silly]

@ point to where the meganium line hurt u

[@jacobrcorreia]

Scott, you didn't need to take the reset vs the Kimono Girls. Vaporeon's attack knocked Meganium into Overgrow range so you would've gotten the KO even with the burn.

[@perkypenguin1663]

The Vaporeon knew Quick Attack, so it very likely would’ve knocked out Meganium, considering it only had 4 HP left.

[@welshlout3400]

@@perkypenguin1663Was it a certainty the ai would have picked quick attack

[@perkypenguin1663]

@ If it sees even a range to KO, then yes

[@jacobrcorreia]

@@perkypenguin1663 It depends on what kind of trainer ai the Kimono Girls have. "Boss" trainers like the E4 will always choose priority moves if they see a KO. Regular trainers can't see if an attack gets the KO so they prioritize move selection based on type effectiveness.

[@perkypenguin1663]

@ Kimono Girls have “boss” AI as you put it.

[@Mariokemon]

51:30...Pidgeot IS Blue's ace now. in GSC, his Arcanine, Gyarados, and Exeggutor were all lv 58. Now, the Pidgeot is the highest level, at 60, plus it has the sitrus berry.

[@efuii]

And canonically it is as well. Even in the new TCG Pocket game, his main Pokemon is Pidgeot Ex.

[@lelandwhitehead56]

@@efuiiI was going to mention this as well, good call.

[@Mariokemon]

@@efuii it was also his sync pair in Masters. Pidgeot is the PERFECT pokemon to be Blue's ace, as its a Pokemon he ALWAYS has, regardless of starter (in RB, FRLG). It was also his first catch. SOMETIMES, he uses Aerodactyl in its place, but Pidgeot is one of his most used Pokemon in all canons

[@mmpsp693]

Even the rival in Let's Go mega evolves the bird

[@dirtydard4870]

@@Mariokemon Cool it with the capital letters. We can understand what you're getting at without them.

[@eorthanes]

Future schedulde : 2025 : Scott starts challenging B/W 2026 : Scott starts challenging B2/W2 2027 : Scott starts challenging X/Y 2028 : Scott starts challenging ROSA 2029 : Scott starts challenging S/M 2030 : Scott starts challenging Colosseum 2031 : Scott starts challenging Mystery Dungeon Keep up the cool vids

[@megariderfire1994]

Ah yes, the Hoenn Remakes: Pokemon ROSA (Ruby Omega Sapphire Alpha)

[@monopolyrubix1875]

2030 hype

[@NevG27]

I think he said he's just doing the 2d games

[@seifer447]

​@@NevG27 I was pretty sure he said only main series games. But I'm not watching back to see, so I could be wrong.

[@Jynxed_Storyteller]

27:51 Fun fact about Meganium’s design: those “antennae” are modeled after Stamen which is where flowers produce their pollen. Considering Gen 2 introduced breeding, I thought it was a lovely subtle nod to the fact that Meganium is fully mature and capable of such a thing.

[@WhatTheHeck6969]

The second I realized they weren't antennae Meganium's design became so much better to me

[@aeolus7762]

I'm surprised I haven't seen anyone mention it yet! So, around the time that HG/SS was beginning development, the system for PEGI (who classifies what ratings games get) was adjusted. To curve this, they had to put in a game where you did not have any slot machines (for random gambling, even though Voltorb Flip itself is still 100% not skill based and has luck to it, even with spreadsheets), so in essence, the Game Corner in HG/SS and any further games where it was removed entirely was due strictly to Pokemon following the new PEGI rules, but also to combat child gambling, so a win I guess? Most of us who grew up with the OG games were very disappointed, but learning these facts as an adult made a ton of sense.

[@melfice999]

My only issue with this change is, that you can't buy coins either. and for a kid, that game is just dumb. and made me as an adult just look back at the older gen's game corners. I would had honestly turned the game corners into game corners, aka Arcades. with minigames instead of slots instead. But well, that might be hindsight 20/20 in action.

[@DarkBowser64]

​@@melfice999 It was absolutely unconscionable of them to remove the ability to buy coins for those who didn't want to play VF. If they had just still allowed you to buy coins to get the rewards, then people wouldn't have had to engage with that game if they didn't want to, and they'd just need money from trainer battles to afford everything they want. If the players had Mom store money, then they usually would have had enough spare money stored to get something they wanted. And since you wouldn't have had to pay to use the machines, there's no link to gambling at all. Not to mention that they didn't get the idea about making Game Corners into simple arcades until way too late. They actually went with it in Let's Go Pikachu/Eevee but you can't play any of the games at all. They could have had for example, ports of the mini-games from the Stadium games if they didn't want to think up completely new games. It was just a waste of a concept at that point.

[@johnokane1899]

@@melfice999 or at least have the pokeathalon in more games

[@nyambrosial1244]

​@@melfice999They probably just thought of buying coins as a way to get enough coins to start using the slots and nothing else

[@nyambrosial1244]

My first Pokémon game was hg and to this day I do still love voltorb flip, it's a cool minigame. Tho tbh only really realised that you can just buy out as many coins as you can for purchasing tms and stuff when watching challenge runs of these games since I just never really cared to interact with the slot machines since that's what the game corner is, even though my second game was platinum. However because the Japanese release of hgss didn't have to care about the European age rating, it still has slot machines and I think the ability to buy coins, I'd imagine that it's possible to mod that into a non jp rom? It's also disappointing that these rules make games like balatro 18+ which is just using cards, poker isn't even necessarily gambling, but then EA lootbox bullshit and MTX are still allowed for games rated 3+ anyway. I do think that overall the removal of the game corner in future games is better anyway, like the safari zone. Better to have the broken tms be rewarded for exploration rather than having an absurd price tag.

[@twilightjoltik3151]

I’m in complete awe of y’all solving Voltorb Flip, that’s genuinely amazing work. And, as someone who’s pretty familiar with Gen 4 rng manipulation, I completely agree with your assessment. There’s nothing wrong with trying to make luck work for you in these games, honestly I find it really fun to play like that, and the main point of playing games is to have fun and do it in whatever way you find most fun.

[@manjiimortal]

Regarding Berries Scott, you can get shards from the ruins by smashing rocks, and then in Violet Town (the one with Falkner) there's a dude that exchanges the shards by berries, and that way you can get many of them relatively easily. Merry Christmas!

[@ChrisNelson93]

Merry Christmas everyone! And thanks Scott for all the series and now a new series to look forward to!

[@naikyou]

I didn't expect to see Werster there. Truly Onixpected. Probably the most gifted Pokemon speed runner I remember. His routing is world class and I always enjoyed the theory crafting videos back in the day

[@retloclive9118]

One neat little bit of trivia is that Red's Pikachu has the same moveset as Ash's Pikachu before Volt Tackle was dropped for Electro Ball.

[@lastfullast8819]

I was so happy when I saw this video! Thank you, Scott, for this amazing gift. And yes, Meganium line is absolutely adorable. Their main problem, I think, is that they don’t show themselves well in Johto gyms. In any other region they would’ve been greeted much warmer.

[@bremalerage5935]

Nawww

[@adventureoflinkmk2]

Then by that logic, how would the bulbasaur line and treecko line and turtwig line and snivy line and chesapin line would do in johto

[@welshlout3400]

⁠@@adventureoflinkmk2 they would probably do not much better, unless they got specific coverage moves I’m not remembering. Point is, Johto shits on grass as an attacking type (particularly in the early game) and it’s not kind defensively either

[@sirensoulegaming4158]

@@welshlout3400 It's not even just the gyms, but team rocket is stacked with poison types, and meganium doesn't even have its own secondary typing to offset grasses innate weakness to poison, something which greatly helps pokemon like venusaur and Chesnaught. Also Your rivals team is entirely stacked with pokemon that resist grass. the whole region is so, so oppressive towards grass types its a wonder any of them survive there lol.

[@robertanna2693]

I love the voltorb flip decision, it cuts out searching for an HM user and and grants pokemon access to important tool options.

[@johncalabro8710]

I disagree I think the game can be broken by making it too easy to solve

[@jonahhex18]

I'm honestly incredibly surprised you're playing this game. With as many games as you're already playing, i thought your schedule would be too full. I expected this to come next year at the earliest. I guess Christmas miracles really do exist!

[@pommyadam]

but realistically Yellow's going to be completed next year (with 30 pokes yet to be ranked), so it's plonking a new series onto it obviously won't mean Yellow's gone entirely, but might be moved to once-per-month for "improvements" rather than a new mon being run weekly suspect it might slow down a bit (Black/White or Black2/White2 are EXTREMELY season dependent, plus they take AGES)

[@jonahhex18]

@pommyadam that's still 30 left to rank, plus any backports or reranks he feels like doing. That's still a decent chunk of content that'll take a while to get done. It probably wouldn't last until next Christmas, but trying to balance all of it still feels like a lot

[@TheShinyFeraligatr]

Blue's ace IS Pidgeot in this - but, Koga 2's ace is Crobat. People don't always have their ace in the back of their party in HGSS, it's a thing.

[@chillcloak]

Oh we're eating good this Christmas. Your vids have gotten me through so many shiny hunts Scott, thanks for doing what you do!

[@vfranceschini]

Love seeing you play these awesome remakes of my favourite gen! All the best! Cheers!

[@michelleslay2701]

How many videos until he realizes crits from clair’s kingdra are doing 3x damage

[@shootingstardust97]

U mean the critdra set? I remember it being a unconventional set that works decently during competitive lol

[@TheShinyFeraligatr]

I think two or three fights into it critting him will have him figure it out. Maybe.

[@TheSirtempest]

Same with bugsy's Scyther technician

[@JoeCherries]

I was going to DM you to tell you that I think you are one of the best Poketubers if not the best but then I thought you know what I will comment for the algorithm! Keep up the amazing work my friends!

[@ChrisG667]

HeartGold and SoulSilver are such fun games. You’ll find that a lot more mons can actually do damage (cough Weedle)

[@aggapuffin]

1:03:18 Hey Scott! Just wanted to let you know that you actually _don't_ have to wait until Generation 5 to get the automatic repels. You actually have to wait until B2W2, since the automatic repels weren't in the first Black and White.

[@sashasscribbles]

HGSS Hypeeeeee!!!!!! Okay, just to give support to Scott because ik there will likely be angry comments about the mapping of Voltorb flip; I completely agree with Scott and his team's decision here and find the specific solution of having the map on the overlay to be an elegant and satisfying one. The main goal of this channel is to, as accurately as feasable, rank pokemon in how well they beat each game; removing RNG unrelated to the pokemon's performance is a necessary step for accuracy imo This being said however, given how easy and fast obtaining coins in a fixed Voltorb Flip is, I can easily see it becoming an overpowered and overcentralising factor that needs to be limited in initial playthroughs; similar to hidden power. Lets see how it plays out though!

[@SecretGizmo1902]

On the topic of voltorb flip, I'm glad you decided to allow use of the game corner. I've honestly wondered why you didn't use the card game (maybe roulette? I don't remember) in crystal and just use save states. It never seemed significantly different to me than manipulating the iv's.

[@Duothimir]

He explained the save states thing in a previous video, I forget which. Basically using save states means the game time isn't accurately portrayed, which is one of the metrics by which he judges Pokemon.

[@adventureoflinkmk2]

Not to mention using the game corner would be a gigantic waste of time ​@@Duothimir

[@laureate90]

Thank you for including these games, Scott! They're my all-time favourites and pitch-perfect remakes in my opinion. I'm sorry for the hours you'll lose to the extended Rocket plotline and end-of-game Red grind, but I shall personally look forward to these runs most of all.

[@Cream147player]

A new game added to your roster is always a Christmas highlight! This might not be the best game for solo challenges but it’s my favourite Pokémon game for casual play through so I’m glad to see it here. Regarding your quandary about Voltorb Flip, I think you’ve gone for a great approach. One piece of advice, people will always complain about the rules you choose. There is no such thing as a perfect ruleset, I wouldn’t sweat over it. Go with what feels right to you, you have good instincts on how to choose rulesets that create a watchable format, and for me, that’s the most important thing. I think seeing Pokémon with access to their best TMs is a great decision. And I like how open and honest you are about this kind of thing, that’s important. Looking forward to these runs and learning more about solo running HG!

[@perkypenguin1663]

I’m excited for this series! HeartGold is my favorite game ever and Chikorita is my favorite Pokemon ever, so I really liked this video! Potential spoilers below: -I really like the ways you went about solving RNG elements, like Voltorb Flip and the lottery in the department store. One other thing I hope you do is add one for Rock Smash items. You can use them to get shards (they get redeemed for berries) and Heart Scales if you need more than the two free ones in the overworld. -This is mainly Chikorita specific, but one way you could’ve beaten Bugsy is by using Rock Smash in Ruins of Alph to get a Blue Shard. Redeeming it in Violet City will get you a Wiki Berry, which turns into a Rock type attack when used. -Silk Scarf is a really good item to get from Voltorb Flip, which would have fixed a lot of damage ranges for Meganium. -I feel like a post game moveset of SD, Synthesis, Return, and Earthquake would’ve been more effective so that you can keep reliable healing around for tough battles. That’s more of a hindsight decision though.

[@MasterofInterspace]

28:00 Actually, the antennae it has are actually the stamen of a flower. It is meant to symbolize that Meganium is fully evolved. The pokemon is ready to produce or receive pollen from a mate and have the next generation of Chikorita.

[@Sk801Erik]

Thank god someone said it

[@deathby1808]

I’m glad you went the way you did with voltorb flip. I think it’s the most fair way to do it, because it still takes time, but doesn’t put you in rng hell.

[@shadex08]

Love the dive into HeartGold and the changes you've made to streamline the solo runs. Wow that is a challenging lategame...some brutal runs will await no doubt.

[@nicholaskling2425]

Before you downplay the Machamp on Blue’s team, don’t forget that he sets up Trick Room and can send out his pokemon in any order. No Guard Dynamic Punch will likely be a hard wall for a lot of fast normal types

[@Colin1Moriarty]

This is so exciting! We're around the same age i think scott because I did the same thing and stopped playing pokemon around the time this game was out. However I have never played heart gold and watching this footage I am blown away at how good it looks! You've reignited something in me and I want to feel the nostalgia, I'm going to go out and buy a DS and a physical copy of this game. It's about time I played all of the main series games finally and now I have money to do so from my job I also fully agree with the voltorb flip situation, you're right it's unfair RNG and by making your pokemon perfect with IVs you are taking a consistent approach. Very happy with this approach and at the end of the day it's how you want to play these games! In order to rank it doesn't matter the rules but as long as they're applied consistently across the board I think for the league rematch I disagree however, if the goal is to beat the game as fast as possible than the league rematch being optional should be the same approach as any other optional trainer. I know credits roll however that's what I think! It can be used however as an exp pool or blackout training

[@teo9376]

I was worried about how the hgss videos would end up being, but I was very pleasantly surprised by this video! One of my favorite things about these remakes is the Pokémon that follow in the overworld. It’s such a unique part of these games. Unfortunately a lot of your footage naturally ends up being in-battle so we don’t get to enjoy all the unique sprites. I would love it as a viewer if you could somehow incorporate the Pokémon’s following sprite in the overlay near its picture. You could even have it rotate every x seconds or each turn in battle. If that’s something that you could incorporate for this series it would add a lot to my experience as a viewer. Thanks for making my December better with all these uploads!

[@IGamebreadI]

HEARTGOLD?!? AND ON CHRISTMAS?!?!?! ITS A MIRACLE!! MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY HOLIDAYS

[@rainbowskin3379]

That elite 4 transition into Will is so clean. Whoever animated that should be proud.

[@CMZneu]

27:38 Actually it kinda makes sense if you consider that Bayleaf turns into a flower and meganium's antenna are actually Anthers(male reproductive part of a flower) that make pollen(plant sperm) would have been neat if the female had a single horn as the stigma of the flower(female part) but thats getting a bit technical idk haha. TL;DR: Flowers have antenna like stuff in them so makes sense.

[@theSato]

I'm excited for this - such a big video I'll have to actually watch it in full instead of falling asleep to audio only. wish it was soulsilver due to nostalgia bias but I'm just glad hgss will be a thing! and probably better for you to stay within gen 4 than go to gen 5 now too (i can imagine 4x game speed being hard to keep consistent in those games and it's a whole new thing to learn in full and code the overlay for..)

[@Silver-Arm]

I love the way you solved Voltorb Flip. It still requires some time investment to get the TMs, but takes out the RNG. It's a near peerfect solution for the purpose of the video

[@rainbowskin3379]

I 100% agree with your solution for voltorb flip. This way all pokemon that should have access to these tms do, but still have to commit to the time penalty to obtain them, as well as giving all pokemon access to both abra and dratini. Overall I think this will make not only your HG runs more interesting to watch, but also significantly reduce the production times of these videos. I think with enough RNG removal, and the physical special split, HG has the potential to outshine your crystal series.

[@MayVeryWellBeep]

Voltorb flip solution is absolutely ideal. The amount of time it takes to sit and play Voltorb Flip if necessary is preserved, but just like with IVs, the player is granted "perfect luck" so that we can see what would happen if the Pokémon got its best possible background circumstances. And, it looks great on the overlay! Really fabulously done.

[@timeducktorkie]

Merry Christmas, Scott! We're very grateful for all the work you and your team put into these videos. :}

[@Mariokemon]

55:15 "ace" would typically mean the highest level mon on their team. so while Muk and Swalot are the ones holding items, I'd still say Crobat is the ace, as its the highest level

[@vasilykalugin6129]

I played soul silver when the games came out and i spent countless hours playing them. So glad you are starting this

[@mufasa5851]

I swear gen4 has a mercy AI that makes trainers more likely to use a non damaging move when you're about to black out

[@TJF588]

YESSSS! I likewise had not beat Platinum Version back when, and still have hiatus'd around Fantina, which is where I've stopped watching each of your runs of that game. _HeartGold,_ however, is a _darling_ of mine, and up there with Gen V as the height of the series in my eyes, despite my basal affinity for Yellow Version. Sooo excited for this series~

[@matti1003]

I don't watch any videos past Gen 3 but I'm here to wish Scott and this community a great and blissful Christmas! Have a good one guys!

[@D-Cal-yt]

Those quick mentions of the difference between this and OG are gold dude

[@PillzmansFox]

Voltrob flip replaced the game corner because the ESRB was threatening to raise the age ratings for gambling, so they removed the slots and the ability to buy coins thus not gambling. But people hated voltrob flip so gen 5 and on has no game corner.

[@MrStrawtube]

Hey Scott, Merry Christmas! Thanks for all the great work youve done for us and community as well as debuting another mainline game for us to enjoy A suggestion I would like to make is adding an FAQ section in your descriptions for some questions like: 1) Why do you start with evolution lines for certain games? 2) How do you pick between games without a central version such as FRLG AND HGSS?

[@foxryyy]

So happy we've arrived at HGSS! They truly are the best looking 2D games. I hope if gamefreak ever goes with a new 2D game that they'd follow the look of these games. Bugsy is gonna be a problem for so many mons. That early rock tomb tm is going to be clutch.

[@cheesehotdog3471]

So glad to see Scott play the best Pokemon games!!!

[@davidv5574]

HeartGold and SoulSilver are amazing (physical/special split) please do a lot more! I love your content Scott!

[@T____W____7777]

Looking forward to HGSS games now. I think your decisions with things like Voltorb Flip and fighting Red in the hail was well done. Also I agree HGSS is the best looking 2D, and honestly I think it might be the best looking Pokemon game of all time.

[@rixuko2218]

Expecting this late game to be brutal. Godspeed. Merry christmas.

[@Frenchguyal]

What a Christmas present. Favourite game, favourite pokemon and my favourite KZbinr. Thanks Scott!

[@snake_rattler4689]

One thing I remember about Faulkner in HGSS is that he has a chance of using Roost on his Pidgeotto whenever it’s lost like…any amount of health. So you using Poison Powder (or inflicting another residual damage effect) can inject RNG into the battle and help Pokémon that might struggle with the fight to win. This might help with a frailer grass type that also learns Poison Powder or something.

[@thedancingguy828]

Merry Christimas everyone, thank you Scott for making me watching your content for the last 3 years, Cheers!

[@anni321]

No, YOU are incredible! You playing HG made me want to play HG - I have never. I used to play Silver on my GameBoyColor back in the day and loved it so this should be fun! Just started this morning :) Thank you for the inspiration!

[@jn503351]

Super excited that this series is finally starting!!

[@dozokhu7392]

Overall I think this is a pretty awesome solo run of Heart Gold. All the little tweaks make sense and fit with the casual feel of the format. I remember when you asked about running this game in a poll and my first thought was "Oh god Voltorb Flip", but you solved that in a great way. Can't wait to see more runs of one of my favourite games! Also... CHIKORITA SUPREMACY

[@derekrobb2458]

Love your dedication Scott can't wait to see how the heart gold series goes

[@TheWispGuy]

51:04 Others have pointed this out, but Blue's ace is intended to be Pidgeot, not Arcanine. -HGSS made it his highest-leveled Pokemon, plus it's holding a Citrus Berry. -It's always on his team in RGB (not Yellow, where it's replaced with Fearow) and FRLG (except for the post-game) -When Blue was made available to obtain in Pokemon Masters, he was paired with Pidgeot. It took a while before he got Blastoise. (and later, Charizard) -Pokemon TCG Pocket has Blue as an opponent for Expert Solo Battle, and his deck is called Blue & Pidgeot ex Deck. Arcanine, along with Gyarados and Exeggcutor, are intended to be Blue's replacements to the Kanto starter Pokemon. He has all three in Johto because Red has all three starters on his team. (plus, it keeps it vague on which Pokemon the two picked, even if recent adaptions have Red with Charmander and Blue with Squirtle) If any of those three Pokemon are intended to be Blue's "ace," it would probably be Gyarados, because the developers initially called him "Gyarao" as a placeholder name due to him owning one. But to get back on track, in a way, it kind of mirrors Red, who's ace is Pikachu. Blue just got really attached to Pidgeot, the first Pokemon he ever caught in his adventure. And honestly, I think that's kind of sweet in a way. (even if it sometimes gets replaced now and then, like in B2W2 or the initial battle in SMU)

[@TheOriginalJphyper]

Funny how you mention you aren't going to use diamond dust when this video came out on a day when diamond dust appears.

[@chozochiefxiii3298]

Scott is covering the twin of my favorite mainline Pokémon game? It truly is a Christmas miracle.

[@Killagoose77]

I'm very excited for this series. In particular, one of the cool things that is possible is actually getting Pokemon like Mamoswine or Tangrowth early before the Elite Four thanks to a nicely placed Heart Scale to get them Ancient Power. I'm sure the elemental stones now being buyable via a mini game also has some interesting implications down the line. Also being able to get some insanely good items during the playthrough like Choice Scarf from the main character's mom or Choice Specs will give some variety to solo playthroughs.

[@mathturtle37]

I'm glad you're doing the round 2 elite 4 in these. I couldn't remember if they were optional and I was looking forward to seeing how you deal with them. I do remember cheesing Red with Diamond Dust when I beat him the first time I played the game (and I didn't know about the Blizzard accuracy in hail thing until you found it in Platinum).

[@WHYAREGOODNAMESTAKEN]

Finally! HG/SS are the best games ever, ready to see you crush them Scott! Gen 2 always has a special place for me in the environment and the BGM, but the remixes take these all the the next level. I get chills - environment BGMs taunt me with nostalgia and battle BGMs make you feel like you got something on the line. Also, Chikorita is the best starter!

[@pokefanwilliam]

Merry Christmas bro. Honestly love the gift you gave us all this month. Hope you and yours are well

[@Penguindude1]

16:44 To clarify, Natural Gift is the move. Natural Cure is an Ability some Pokemon have that gets rid of their volatile status condition (PSN, PAR, BRN, SLP, and FRZ) when switched out.

[@Cream147player]

I am very pro including Elite Four rematches. They are cool battles that will be great to see and undoubtedly present some unique challenges. At the end of the day, this isn’t an official speedrunning category, you can define what it means for you to beat the game, and as long as you’re consistent, it’s fine.

[@brandonsoto7225]

My favorite game. You’re definitely in for a treat. Much better, yet more challenging than the originals.

[@weaponizedemoticon1131]

Oh heck yeah! So excited. Still not sure it shouldn't be SoulSilver, but I trust you! Good luck in the new year Scott, the Thought Family and Co.

[@Dpmt]

Soul Silver and Platinum are harder to distinguish at a glance in the thumbnail. It was always going to be Heart Gold.

[@linkinboss2]

I see where you're coming for with the Voltorb switch game. I think its a great implementation to even out rng. However, since the japanese version of the game still has the casino, maybe porting it to the english version would be the superior choice from a viewer's perspective, as you can buy the coins and that plays into how many optional battles you do to get the money, and what's the trade off between coins, exp and time, making it a factor into routing, rather than eliminating the "getting coins" altogether. Anyway, I totally understand the frustration of not having a perfect solution that will make everyone happy. Keep up the good job Scott! I was looking forward to HGSS 😁.

[@RaVen145CoBy]

YEAAAA FINALLY HGSS, thanks scott, merry xmas and a happy new year buddy!

[@AdamAtYourService]

I also disagree with you about Gen V sprites. Those moving sprites had a lot more personality than the 3D models we got in gen 6 and beyond.

[@Zelfal]

I had to laugh about the voltorb flip rage cause i have played it so much that i do rage over the same reason. I love how u fixed that mini game to make it manageable for speed comparisons.

[@kevbauer1994]

Merry Christmas Scott, thanks for all the great content!

[@TheDarkFiddler]

Looking forward to the new series! I really like the way you handled Voltorb Flip - it maintains an impact on the runs of Pokemon that need resources locked behind it without being unbearably RNG-reliant, like buying coins in past generations. Gen IV overworld is better than Gen V and its weird camera angles, for sure, but I think the moving battle sprites made the most appealing battle format of the entire series. I really miss that look.

[@rc4780]

Great run. This was my first solo-run game with Gardevoir. It's a very fun game to do solo runs in because you've got lots of options for how you'd like to personalize your play. Don't forget that Choice Specs is in Lake of Rage.

[@6smeargle]

Happy Holidays, Scott! Thanks for the bevy of videos this month!

[@MrEnte3000]

I guess after beating Lance you could go to the Battle Factory and farm for BP for Seed Bomb. Probably breaks the Single Pokémon rule though.

[@psyxypher3881]

Scott I've been watching you for a while now and I have to say this: You made the right choice with Voltorb Flip. It's just pure awful.

[@alejandrocortes1149]

Bugsy's Scyther in Gen4 is particularly scary because it has Technician, so the Quick-attack is a 60 base priority move.

[@huedah7712]

So excited for this new series! Always loved these games!

[@WeJammin]

I love watching the Red battles, this heartgold series is gonna be my favourite

[@JR-ii6hq]

I'm happy to have the rematches included: they honestly should be the place to grind for red. Finally a full Johto playthrough!

[@jasperskwar4824]

I got a gameboy color for christmas, am playing pkmn silver on it rn and chose Chikorita as a starter. Now you post this video 😂

[@kingcygnus]

My FAVORITE Pokémon games! What a great Christmas gift 🎉

[@Fencrux]

I'm so excited for this series!! I love how it looks, I really think the sprite art aged like fine wine

[@SaintoftheHonest]

For the design of Meganium, the antennae on its head are Stamen. They're the parts of the plant that collects pollen for making seeds, which makes a LOT of sense as its neck is a huge flower. This isn't random at all.

[@myggmastaren3365]

Oh man, time for by far the hardest pokemon game so far (looking at you Red) , and with the hardest starter pokemon too

[@BenediktWindisch]

HG/SS are for me the best remakes. Yes they still didn't fixed the level curve problem but following Pokemon, Pokeathlon, the Pokewalker, some Gen 4 Pokemon like Tangrowth and Yanmega available in the main game were great additons. And it's a beautiful design too, like the tower of Ho-oH. I bought HeartGold together with a DSi from my first self-earned money and I play on this DSi and my cartridge still to this day Also the Safari zone is cool (fun fact in one of the caves before it you can encounter 1% wild Steelix at Lvl 19) and picking Chicorita in normal playthroughs isn't that bad anymore as you can get eggs from this one guy, I guess he's called Primo, in the Pokemon center with the right passwords which contain Wooper, Mareep and Slugma

[@magla5818]

I love what you did in Voltorb flip, a great middleground.

[@jonahhex18]

Thanks!

[@_Vengeance_]

IMO a better Voltorb Flip solution would've been to restore the original Game Corner (which is still in the rom, just the slots have been removed and textboxes are blank) and buy the coins you need. But this works as well.

[@Veritos777]

So hyped for all the HeartGold content! Also, I believe that the "antennae" on Meganium's head are meant to actually be stamen, the male reproductive organs of a flower... take of that what you will 😂😂