Pokémon Emerald Hardcore Nuzlocke - Enemy Always Lands A Critical Hit! (No items, no overleveling)

Can I beat Pokémon Emerald using Hardcore Nuzlocke Rules if the enemy Pokémon always lands a critical hit?
Thanks to Drayano60 and XLuma for creating this mod! Show them some support by following them on Twitter!
Drayano60 - / drayano60
XLuma - / thefanatiker
Join my Discord Server to download the patch file (in #resources) to play the mod yourself: / discord
Normal Nuzlocke Ruleset:
1. Fainting = Death
2. Can only catch the first encounter per Route
3. Nickname Pokémon
Hardcore Nuzlocke Ruleset:
4. No items in battle (held items okay)
5. No leveling past the next gym leader/E4 (at the START of the battle)
6. Play on "Set" battle mode
Highlights Channel: / @flygonhghighlights
Follow me on Twitter: / flygonhg
Follow me on Twitch: / flygonhg
#Pokemon #Gaming #Nuzlocke #PokemonEmerald

[@Amanda-zt8et]

Flygon: So i switch to 8Mile so she can do what the whismur line does best Me: oh soundproof into sonicboom, cool Flygon: Die. Me: oh.

[@volts6286]

I really did think it was gonna be soundproof. he got me

[@alejandropetit6573]

I though that was the play as well but then voltorb blew up and I lost it

[@alvis6970]

I thought the exact same thing.

[@diazcarlos760]

Building up to that joke really had me rolling 🤣🤣

[@raygunner87]

To be fair he’s not wrong. self destruct is 800 base power in this playthrough. Nothing is eating that 😭

[@rorymccrink2680]

Wow. You got SO unlucky with critical hits this challenge

[@somerandomgoblin2583]

right??? the rng in the early games is insane smh

[@reebro]

Don't you just hate that rng?

[@justarandomguy8942]

Bro the challenge is always critical hits, thats why he keeps getting hit by them

[@malgai]

@@justarandomguy8942 What? No. He just got very unlucky

[@theholycrusader6788]

@@justarandomguy8942 *VERY* unlucky smh 😔

[@charleszoetmulder3905]

This is insane, incredible job. The coolest thing about a run like this is that it allows you to play a pokemon game with significantly less RNG while also making it immensely difficult. Makes planning harder but also way more valuable.

[@GamerGrovyle]

I noticed that while it was more terrifying having to take 1.5 damage from each attack it's also somewhat reassuring not having to worry about taking random 1.5 damage

[@alexlee7983]

@@GamerGrovyle crits are 2x before gen 6

[@zes3813]

wrr

[@swordsmancs]

Same vibe in Smallant’s ‘worst luck’ run. He had to deal with the same 100% crit rate, but he also had to ensure his attacks had 100% accuracy (if they could miss, they would always miss), among other things. Basically whatever the worst possible thing that could happen, no matter how unlikely, it would always happen It was way more difficult but it turned battles into puzzles, where smant just had to find the right solution

[@usedpidemo]

“Guess I found Ratatouille’s missing L” I lost it right there. Another great run and a unique mod! I’m surprised this hasn’t been done yet from what I’ve seen

[@mattmc1234]

i had a dream about this challenge idea im kind of scared that flygon is living in my head

[@cliffburton13]

I've just took a sip of drink before he said that and that took a lot of self control 😅

[@travv88]

classic

[@starcrusher7304]

Fun fact: he should have gotten the claw fossil for anorith, as it's battle armour ability blocks crits!

[@itsOZone]

@@starcrusher7304but the challenge is "enemy always lands a crit", that would most likely cover abilities too. the challenge is everything does 2x damage and ignores stat buffs, not how to dodge crits. of course its a nuzlocke so it would ultimately be up to the person doing it(or the modder creating it). if you think about it, one way partially breaks the challenge, the other just makes 1 ability worthless for the challenge.

[@BumroyV2]

"Thanks to [Frozen's] thick fat ability, the cold never bothered her anyways." I actually groaned.

[@diamonddust4486]

Ironically, this is technically the one run where you don't have to consider a potential crit.

[@kheireddineattala1281]

eggsactly my thought

[@Super-or9fm]

I don't get the yolk

[@ItsFireTiger]

Consider the potential non-crit 👀

[@57mac01]

I was thinking that too, wouldn't a run with all crits be technically be easier to plan for since you know the exact damage every time

[@xsah2]

@@57mac01not really lmao bcus it just means you have to do a shit ton more planning. Imagine if this same planning was done for a normal run it would just breeze through the game cus the 1/16 crit would be so irrrelevant

[@itsfinn2183]

10:38 “guess I found ratatouille’s missing L” 😭literally ruthless, a menace to society

[@andrewwelch5302]

The story of Nosey was expansion into Pokemon lore I didn't know I needed.

[@alexanderelsbeth3529]

can you explain? I did not get what you want to say

[@huntersnider9621]

@@alexanderelsbeth3529 When FlygonHQ is in the cave to deliver the letter to Steven, pause your screen and read the letter that pops up for just a second.

[@alexanderelsbeth3529]

@@huntersnider9621 ah I get it now, I was just confused about the "expansion"-part.

[@xy_metaknight_yx3901]

@@alexanderelsbeth3529 the same joke was made in a different video. Don't remember which one but it was in Hoenn

[@Himmel.Himmel]

it's why i love his r/s/e playthroughs the most.

[@aslightlysavageburrito8217]

21:28 "The cold never bothered her anyway." You should work as a courier for antiques and furniture, Matti. You've got the smoothest delivery.

[@KelseyHontz]

All of us, absolutely stanning Dr. Flygon: "He's going to have to always, always play around the critical hit!!"

[@kai_3788]

FlygonHG: The Whismur line has a very special skill set that will be invaluable to this fight. Me: You mean because it has soundproof against sonicboom and supersonic, right? FlygonHG: … Me: Because it has soundproof, right?!

[@jasonreed7522]

I love the whismur line, but its blamd enough to always be the logical sack. And a crit explosion/self destruct is litteral murder that nobody is surviving without sturdy/sash. I actually really value the psyduck line for the damp ability (cloud nine is cool but if i had to choose between baning self destructs or nullify weather I'm taking damp every time).

[@rileyackison4495]

That was exactly my thought.

[@ItsFireTiger]

lol Padme

[@MHAL]

This reminds me of a type of run I used to see on the nuzlocke forums way back when called 'Worst Luck Possible' nuzlockes. Basically this but much worse. All the opponents attacks are guaranteed to both hit and crit regardless of accuracy or evasion and are also guaranteed to proc any additional effects. So headbutt flinched 100% of the time, Ice beam always froze etc, and all adverse affects would last the maximum turns possible when you suffered them. The opposite was also true, meaning any move you made with less than 100% chance to hit would always miss, plus a bunch of other stuff I'm probably forgetting. It turned the game into basically a puzzle game, since you were guaranteed to always get the worst results possible, you knew exactly what would happen each turn and had to plot surefire paths to victory. The guy that did the runs unfortunately never made his roms public though, but the runs are still viewable on the wayback machine sort of.

[@ethanharvey6236]

Those were great. Definitely made me think of that as well.

[@garbagelord4374]

So just a normal Pokémon game then :Kappa:

[@tombaker5926]

He could also only catch a pokemon if there was no possibility of it escaping the ball

[@bionetik]

That sounds like HELL. I mean I would watch it, but Geez, humans really are a masochistic species

[@joeywargo3650]

So its like pokemon showdown?

[@Thund3rDrag0n12]

The scariest thing about crits is that you never know when one is going to happen. If you know they're gonna happen 100% of the time, it just turns into an increased damage run. Still challenging, but I find it interesting it can be thought of that way

[@tsawy6]

certainly this run would be horrifying if the enemies could crit again!

[@extramayo5437]

I think it would have been a cooler mechanic if the crit chance would take an extra 1.5x damage.

[@blake4179]

Not necessarily. Increased damage runs would still allow set up moves to have a use. Crits bypass any defense buffs and offense drops of the user, making strategies more limited

[@Begeru]

Ideally you should always assume your opponent will crit when nuzlcoking tho.

[@tsawy6]

@@Begeru yes, but as games get more difficult this becomes more restrictive

[@JumpinJew]

"I guess I found Ratatouille's missing L" that line hits deep man

[@AzureKite]

I agree with you on the Rare Candies, Flygon. I stream myself, and my early streams were a lot of me just grinding for an hour or so on speedup with some music on, having very little to talk about. Sometimes chat is active and I get to talk to people, but sometimes it isn't, and while my viewers have said they enjoy the chill streams where I'm just grinding and rambling or listening to some music, they also agreed that it's more fun for me and them if I just use rare candies sometimes. Honestly, I don't really see the point that it cheapens the challenge. The challenge is how well I can beat the game within the restrictions, not how long I'm going to stay patient and grind on low level pokemon.

[@alessiodaniotti264]

Agree. The challenge still is there with all trainer battles. Using candies instead of grinding is in reality a sort of disadvantage: leveling up (in a mode where there are level caps) with candies and not with SELECTED wild encounters means that a player train their pokemons in usefull EV less efficently. For example a Kadabra level up by candies and not by defeating 600 low level Gastlys (? Or Gastlies?) take less SpAtt EVs, and since it is usefull against fighting pokemons, it takes some (not needed) Att EV.

[@oodogla]

I agree

[@GamerGrovyle]

If I could ever make cheats work for me I'd use them too 😂

[@jasonreed7522]

@@alessiodaniotti264 and that brings uo how stupid the EV system is, to specifically train your pokemon to be strong in a given stat you must only kill SELECTED pokemon and in the base games would have no way of knowing that. (Also I don't know if the games prior to gen 4 even tell you that spec / phys attack is based on move type and not the move, and some pokemon like sneasle have crazy high attack but garbage spec atk despite only having stab on spec atk) But you are 100% right, using rare candies deprives you of EVs in the early game so using candies is a gameplay disadvantage, and what you gain by using them is skipping litteral days of grinding that was going to be edited out of the final video anyway. (A worth while trade for any streamer/content creator to not lose real irl days to grinding that doesn't meaningfully contribute to their content)

[@Jonathan-dy9ju]

Rares candies from the game or from cheats ?

[@enzo4132]

"oh wow a run that lessens the odds of getting screwed over by RNG i wonder ho-" *gets burned and dies to a Magnitude 7*

[@emanuelkukucka9349]

Gotta love the Wattson's laugh every time paralysis activates

[@francis7336]

Oh so that's why! I only noticed him once and was wondering what it was for xD

[@sabtronyx5686]

i noticed that too very nice touch

[@bumblepop8501]

So glad you’re getting close to 200k subscribers!!! You totally deserve it, certainly my favorite Pokémon KZbinr

[@Squirtle_Squad_Supremacy]

Agreed

[@potatovine]

19:00 This man just bombed a highly populated Gym. He's a terrorist

[@zes3813]

wrr, no such thing as gx or dx orgx or not

[@kyle601]

The gripping saga about the Stones and Nosey continues. Love it

[@smethanreal3462]

I've never even thought of this, let alone seen it attempted. Awesome idea and challenge!

[@ReidMcCorkle]

What a unique, interesting challenge idea! Especially with "I'm dead to crit here" basically being a meme in the nuzlocke community

[@funkboy2850]

“I guess I found Ratatouile’s missing L” is legit one of the funniest lines ever. What an amazing run this is to come back and watch every time

[@emilysmith2965]

Other streamers: “I got crit! Ugh!!! Are you kidding me!” Flygon: “We’re gonna have to always, always, ALWAYS… play around the critical hit.” This run really proves that it’s possible. This, the Snaplockes, the baby-only run, and the incredibly strange Inverse Platinum are some of my all-time favorite Pokémon-related content. Thanks Flygon!

[@Lucas-ky7dc]

Flygon spells Magnemite as "Magnemite", makes a joke about it, and immediately says it as "Magnemite". Peak comedy!

[@ItsFireTiger]

Has he ever said it properly or is it just an inside joke between him and chat?

[@Lucas-ky7dc]

@@ItsFireTiger I'm pretty sure he spells it wrong intentionally to piss off who gets annoyed by it. Which is the right thing to do.

[@zvephemeral]

Legitimately vocalized my grief when it became clear that Dune was going to get sac'd. The price you pay for victory. Absolutely loved this one--what a cool idea for a challenge.

[@jasonreed7522]

Flygons always die on me so i wasn't surprised, still sad to sack any pokemon. But the timing on the Loudred sack & voice over was so perfect.

[@King.Anfernee]

The way you did that Loudred Dirty 💀☠️ Honestly, i didn’t think this was going to be possible. Great job! 🙌🏻

[@petermorgan4318]

thank you making pokemon fun for me again I'd never really thought nuzlockes would be fun but I'm loving them currently in the middle of a wonderlocke on x

[@gator-tater9827]

That letter killed me 😂 absolutely worth pausing to read it!!

[@pianoguy8927]

Where?

[@havoctastic_]

Poor nosey

[@ahumanbeingfromtheearth1502]

Im guessing this is gonna turn Battle armor armaldo into the best pokemon in the game.

[@revalentinemashups510]

And then he didn't even go for anorith. I wonder if battle armor is disabled in this mod, as it would certainly trivialize the whole video's gimmick

[@GamerGrovyle]

@@revalentinemashups510 I don't think it would trivialize it. Hoenn notoriously has a lot of Water. It'd make some battles easier but Arnaldo isn't really great resistance-wise.

[@bradleybowen6253]

so in the manga, the reason may(sapphire) delivers the letter is that mr stone doesnt want team aqua to get the information, so he sends someone who they wouldnt expect, sapphire(who he trusts due to her saving him from being kidnapped)

[@DarkIceKrabby]

"How much more difficult would a hardcore nuzlocke be?" Since this is Generation 3, I'd say it'd be about twice as hard.

[@hitavi4965]

"I guess I found Ratatouile's missing L" funniest thing I've ever heard XD

[@Jimjamatic]

"Looks like I found Ratatouile's missing L" Damn that was both brilliantly funny and harsh!

[@DanKeehner]

This one was interesting, you absolute MadLad HG. The "letter" from Mister Stone to Steven was pretty class, really enjoyed that one. Does anyone know the nicknaming convention outside of them being movies? Are they Critical acclaimed movies? That's the only connection I could come up with.

[@KelseyHontz]

I think you're right, critically acclaimed movies!

[@backpackerraden6268]

Yeah all of them have pretty widespread critical acclaim, and if I'm not wrong are all above 90% approval on RT

[@tsawy6]

probably also movies he likes

[@KainaX122]

Are they all Disney affiliated by any chance? I know the first couple were all Disney movies but then he started doing stuff that wasn’t animated

[@backpackerraden6268]

@@KainaX122 Definitely not Disney. Godfather is Paramount, Fight Club is New Line, Dark Knight is Warner Bros. Those are just the ones I remember off the top of my head

[@Saphtism]

I'm really glad you got to use a Flygon, honestly. Really showcased her value! Great run.

[@gamingtoaster2714]

I love runs where the starter dies, it means you see more interesting Teams IMO, also Moneyball was the mascot of this run!

[@patrickgabriel9433]

Remember to always, ALWAYS play around the critical hit! Great video as always. Thank you! 😁😇

[@Slimecantdefeatme]

Its very sweet that the manectric was one of your favorites as a kid and then was with you until the very end.

[@SnackScale]

Nosey is the only one who's truly struggling, please Steven do it for him.

[@adetabiremre]

I love lots of nuzlockers on here, but yours are always so different and unique. Keep up the fantastic work! 👏🏻

[@benjaminauerbach8611]

Your content has always been absolutely amazing, but i think this is the first time your writing has somehow surpassed the insanely high quality gameplay and editing. I’ve been watching since the beginning and watching your writing and editing skills improve is almost as fun as watching you improve at nuzlocking

[@joaopcoutinho]

At the same time it made the challenge harder, it made it more predictable, which is incredibly important at a nuzlock. I think it struck a nice balance! Great run, as always.

[@radical6905]

Got me in the first half of the Loudred joke ngl Always happy to see you get to use Flygon

[@buoy-]

I love the names this run! I can't believe i saw someone reference the lighthouse in a non-cinema circle :) Love this channel, keep up the amazing work Dr. Flygon.

[@buoy-]

Bad luck to kill a seabird...

[@VALDiesel01]

this takes "playing around the critical hit" to a whole new level. well, least you wont have to worry about getting a super critical hit or something

[@pebbellz]

The real question on this channel: Will Steven ever go home and be a good older brother to Nosey? 😂

[@funnylittleman8050]

The jokes in this one were all really funny, & I think that + how thorough you are with your commentary makes you one of the best Nuzlocking youtubers out there!

[@djwindex849]

This isn't the first time I've been slightly confused about a nickname theme in one of these videos before it hit me like a ton of bricks a few days later. Critically acclaimed films. Box office hits. I finally get it. Seriously though the naming conventions are always really good. Either super clever so it's a fun puzzle to solve or just flat out hilarous (a la emerald flying type monolocke). I love it.

[@miachiiiii]

This was a super fun run to watch! I'm curious though: did you ever consider getting Armaldo to use for its Battle Armor ability? It's not the best pokemon ever but not getting crit seems huge.

[@jacoblawton7716]

In a way it’s kinda nice to know you’re always getting crit. You at least can accurately guess how much damage you’re about to take

[@skullkiddow]

that's just the BEST pokémon challenge i've ever seen (and I watch A TON of them). So fun to watch, thank you for this! Looking foward to see more challenges like this one!

[@JonponMusic]

I loved the script when you were fighting Wallace's Ludicolo haha. Some of your best writing to date during this episode!

[@AhmedHussain-ju6xd]

We need justice for nosey. He deserves an entire video dedicated to him.

[@naplockblubba5369]

Good thing crits don't stress out your team like in Darkest Dungeon, else this would be much more infuriating

[@pokemaster9958]

he did lose sharpedo though because... overconfidence is a slow and insidious killer

[@Prof_D_Nerdice]

I really liked the concept of this run Flygon. Im loving this kind of different challenges you've been putting out. 😁

[@ghostingskies]

What a fun run! Super impressive that you succeeded on the first attempt with minimal deaths (although the loss of Dune - may she rest in peace - hit particularly hard u_u). Seeing you take on a challenge that plays with the reviled critical hit mechanic is fascinating - I'd love to see more runs in the future that alter the gameplay in similar ways! And thank you for bringing me many smiles with each of your videos.

[@BlueSodaPop_]

I really appreciate how you use they/them for pokemon that don't have a gender. It's a small and maybe strange thing to notice and be happy about, but still.

[@henrymars6626]

As someone who is nonbinary, it makes me feel validated every time HG validates a nonbinary Pokémon.

[@BlueSodaPop_]

@@henrymars6626 entirely same, that's why I notice it so much. HG really just went "i got you, enby pals"

[@gay.cannibal]

Omg glad I wasn't the only one who noticed- little things like that make me happy too :)

[@djwindex849]

I'm not enby I'm just a trans dude but it definitely feels nice to have male gamers saying hey, I'll do my best to respect you. I mean bare minimum but still not something I see often enough.

[@Yam-jt3vw]

If you didn't know, in his discord server rules he also specifies to not be transphobic :D not something that everyone does unfortunately. but I'm really happy he does

[@jackmurphy8635]

“Guess I found Ratatouille’s missing L” 💀

[@andersonantunesdeleu8591]

That run was a crazy thing! HG you played really well, congrats! And thank you for the fun content!🤙

[@otopenyCooper]

The more videos you make the more amazing your commentary becomes - I will never get tired of these challenges

[@russianbot8576]

interestingly i imagine at times having always crits makes it much more predictable--not necessarily easier, but more predictable for sure. in some cases, it probably does make it easier mentally, since sacrifice becomes unavoidable instead of the stress of managing disparate damage rolls in every fight to gauge chances. which, considering how long the renegade plat run is taking, must be a relief!

[@YAKlSOBA]

wow, so for this run you’re gonna need a TON of *critical* thinking skills to *hit*

[@cringies]

one of your best imo! you absolutely nailed this and it was unbelievably entertaining.

[@Wired_User]

I gotta say that weird bit about Steve’s half-brother Nosey was amazing! Also I do indeed love how you say mag-nem-it-E!

[@Squirtle_Squad_Supremacy]

Playing around the crit seems like the strat here

[@Squirtle_Squad_Supremacy]

I just saw someone elses comment about battle armor Armaldo that's kinda op if the Pokémon don't crit through the ability Edit: nvm he chose Lileep

[@nerdyfalco408]

I was hoping for a nuzlocke where the AI always crits and I can't believe I actually got it from you. You're so good and so entertaining and I'm looking forward for more nuzlockes like this in gen 4 and 5

[@zpuff1]

this was a super fun watch!! really love a specific challenge run like this

[@sydneyhester7042]

These videos are the highlight of my weekend. Thanks for all your hard work.

[@nickybecnel5047]

Hey, just wanna say I’m a long time fan and I just wanna applaud you for your continued innovation and original content to keep your vids HELLA entertaining. Your videos are awesome man and I can’t wait till your next projects!

[@ErikEdlund11]

I’ve been watching for about 14 months now and I think this is my favorite video of yours. It’s super hype that you got Drayano to help you out, Dray is a legend

[@kisslevente4109]

Way to go to step up difficulty lvl after mon type runs.. your content keeps real fresh! Thank you, Dr. Flygon

[@miguelfreitas5343]

Wow, props on the creativity for thinking of a challenge like this. And props to Drayano60 and XLuma for their help on a really fun video ^-^

[@sirenstrike4163]

You are one of my favorite content creators, yet I constantly forget that Saturdays are FlygonHG days - so not only am I always surprised with videos from you, they're always super entertaining. Keep up the good work, man :)

[@devincyr4992]

Awesome run man very creative and good strats even after losing some good encounters. Ggs!

[@federicodebiasi6228]

Wow amazing job, this was brutal! The definitive hardcore nuzlocke 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

[@grittykitty24]

great video! this challenge sounds really, uh, challenging, but the silver lining i bet is that you KNOW the moves will ALWAYS crit so you don't have to play around the CHANCE of a crit, but the reality of one every single attack... fun stuff!

[@NigelGrab]

WOW the attention to detail with your avatar changing to Wattson's at around 15:35 because of the paralysis - incredible stuff!!

[@georgiosvavliaras1066]

Loved this challenge, one of my favourites so far!

[@Nikkipediaah]

I swear I've had to subscribe to you like 5 times now. Worth it

[@laurenholderman1931]

I always come back to your emerald runs for the letter saga from Daddy Stone 😂 great work!!

[@ConcernedAboutCrows]

This was a great watch. The concept is so fun.

[@wathannilson9034]

Sounds like a good challenge! I'm excited to watch it :D

[@edu.8552]

and that was white horse, one of my favorites songs! you're the best nuzlocker that ever did it. no lie.

[@EliManny2000]

that team change for juan was really impressive. its moments like these that really show the adaptability and planning of nuzluckers.

[@davidshowalter120]

That was excellent. Your content is fabulous. Thank you FlygonHG!

[@atsukana1704]

I have been hoping for this for a long time now. Glad to see it come to pass

[@francescomalguzzi2123]

This is such a good idea for a challenge! GG dude

[@KindaKaon]

I love the Nosepass letters. The extra lore here is amazing. I desperately need to see more emerald playthroughs just to learn the rest of this story

[@dancook6114]

this was really fun to watch, would definitely love more videos like this. Don't get me wrong i really enjoy the mono type runs but these would add some variety and i'm sure you can continue to punish yourself by coming up with obnoxiously difficult changes to the base game

[@heppyzx5877]

Okay but I need more of the nosey storyline! I’m invested can’t wait for the next part :)

[@olympian543]

This was really cool idea. I love the idea of fundamentally changing the game more than just restricting what pokemon you can do (both are good though)

[@willywonderbread1691]

Great concept for a challenge, great job again Doctor

[@prestonm-f382]

Oh man, love this. Reminds me of the Worst Luck Possible run I used to read on the old Nuzlocke forums.

[@dirkbragg7428]

This was a dope run. I think it would be awesome if you could continue to do more challenges like this

[@alessandropierini330]

great video as always, also very good films you mentioned!

[@cradels613]

this is actually such a great idea! love it

[@dylanpich9902]

It was a lot of fun watching my favorite Nuzlocker use my favorite Pokémon! Way to go, Moneyball!

[@somerandomgoblin2583]

wow, i am so early this time! also, a really unique nuzlocke idea- i'm really looking forward to seeing how this pans out!

[@cashflow559]

LOVE the idea. Your videos never fail to deliver.

[@Gaterdesignstudio]

This is such an incredible challenge, I loved seeing that it was even possible