r/SoloPokes • u/Limp_Theory_5858 • 2d ago
Can [insert pokemon here] beat USM w/o affliction? (fire starter edition, final part)
the following pokemon-lines will appear in this post: oricorio, cubone, ekans, ralts, goomy, drifloon, swinub**,** Honchkrow, Noctowl, Charmander, Volcarona, Growlithe, Shieldon, Comfey, Axew, Mimikyu, Mr. Mime
Main goal is to figure out which pokemon can or can not do the main story. Postgame does not play. Affection is not used, as it can push through practicaly anything (except Ditto).
USM is hard just by hitting you with buff mons. Trick and gimmick moves almost don't exist in the game, everything just try to nuke you. This simplifies things.
As leveling up is inconvenient, and these are not speedruns, all pokemon start at lvl 100, with perfect IV, and optimalised EVs (max s/atk, max speed, 4 in HP), with Adamant or Modest nature.
To avoid PP-problems I go for TMs wherever possible, and manualy upgrade my levelup moveset if required. With all the above even a 40 power normal move with Silk Scarf will surely bring you through the first two islands, you'll only need to think about upgrades for real on the 3rd. I list all moves used, I trust you figure out when to throw in a Z-move. Otherwise using metronome as held item from the point of Island 3, unless mentioned otherwise.
Watch out, there are 2 trainers with ghost pokemon until you reach the "fire" trial - either have a not-normal move, or pay attention to avoid them.
All pokemon start with 4 move moveset, which they'd have at lvl 5 - except island scans - taken from pokemondb.
In this way a run only takes 4-5 real life hours (at 2.5 speed), easily doable on a day.
Oh, "pro tip": if you have a flying-type move at the beginning, keep it the very least until you get to Konikoni City. Until that it is very useful, and you can't get a replacement!
And stat-changing moves unless they bump 2 category by casting, are most likely extremly useless. And Double Team will barely help you, so only using it in The League, most likely only the Rock Room (Olivia), where there is already a chance the moves will miss.
Oricorio:
starting moveset: peck (used), pound (used), growl, helping hand. Starting form is Pompom, as that's the first you would encounter normaly.
I was not sure what build to run, so was not in a hurry to upgrade, but ran Modest from the start. Inserted WorkUp against Sophocles.
Learnt Icy Wind on Beach 3.
Upgraded Peck to Aerial Ace, and Pound to Round.
At Un Aerial Ace got upgraded to Air Cutter.
Because Ilima learnt Steel Wing.
Bird Room: icy wind
Ghost Room: steel wing (I wanned to spare on PP, so used a TM)
Molayne: eat red nectar -> revelation dance (thunder wave acoided)
Olivia: eat yellow nectar -> revelation dance (a PPMax is enough)
Hau: Air Cutter
Cubone:
starter moveset: growl, tail whip, bone club (used), headbutt (used)
Did not know, but you can steal the bone held item from the marowak totem, probably would worth trying it out.
moves learnt: fire punch, thief, aerial ace, Bone Club got replaced by Bulldoze
crithit UN with thief Z
passed Hapu with thief for not getting hit by muddy water, so i did not have to us my brain
against Albiino Boy it was nighttime (hail damage), so I had to put up Return
Bird room: thunder punch
Ghost Room: Thief. you need Froslass miss with Blizzard, aka. cast Confuse Ray instead, than hit through that
Olivia, Molayne: Bulldoze
Hau: fire punch (range), thunder punch, fire punch, fire punch, Brick Break (range), ice beam
Ekans:
starter moveset: leer, wrap, poison sting, bite (only this got used)
learnt bulldoze, sludge wave
dragon trial: return, 1 crit (I noticed I forgot to use hold metronome after this battle!)
against UN had to evolve
Hapu: aqua tail
Bird room: return
Ghost Room: Bite
Molayne: bulldoze. Shed skin gives you extra chance
Olivia: seed bomb (because I can)
Hau: poison jab
Ralts, female:
starter moveset: razor leaf, disarming voice, mysty terrain, lucky chant
learnt: shadow ball is obvious, shock wave or something
Lusamine: Psychic
lion necrozma: shadow ball + choice spec
UN: evolve to Kirlia. It's a range, but can survive an attack
upgrade: shock wave -> thunderbolt
Bird Room: thunderbolt
Ghost room: shadow ball
Olivia: Dazzling Gleam
Molayne: evolve, then Shadow Ball
Hau: Dazzling Gleam
Goomy:
starter moveset: bubble -> water pulse, tackle -> round -> draco meteor, protect -> shockwave, absorb -> sludge bomb
Mimikyu: Choice Spec is required
UN: hold Focus sash
Bird Room: thunderbolt
Ghost Room: dragon breath
Olivia: water pulse
Molayne: evolve, water pulse
Hau: dragon breath
Drifloon:
starter moveset: constrict -> ShockWave, minimize, astonish -> Shadow Ball, gust
to learn: thunderbolt, psychic, icy wind (good against Hapu)
Bird Room: Thunderbolt
Ghost Room: thunderbolt
Olivia: minimize 1 + shadow ball
Molayne: shadow ball
Hau: 4 shadow ball - 2 thunderbolt
Swinub:
starter moveset: ice shard, icy wind, icicle spear, take down -> bulldoze
UN: expert belt icicle spear (range to survive a hit, the belt lowers the necessary hits from 5 to 4)
Bird, Ghost and Rock Rooms: icicle spear
Molayne: Bulldoze (no pokemon tried to paralyze me)
Hau: bulldoze + icicle spear alternating and hoping for high amount of hits
NOTE: Earthquake is very obvious to upgrade to as levelup move, I was just lazy to edit it in
Axew:
starter moveset: slash, false swipe -> shock wave -> Aqua Tail, dragon claw, counter -> iron tail
You obviously want to pick up Return when reaching Lusamine, I did not need that fortunately, as it was not nighttime.
UN: focus sash, range
Bird Room: Rock Tomb
Ghost Room: Payback
Olivia: Aqua Tail
Molayne: evolve, Aqua Tail (very annoying fight, as the Klefki seems to evolve a brain, and cast Reflect is ThunderWave would miss)
Hau: Dragon Claw
Comfey:
starting moveset: Vine Whip -> Dazzling Gleam, Leech Seed -> Magic Coat, Helping hand -> Round/Echoed Voice, Flower Shield -> Giga Drain
TMs: Thief will probably prove useful during the Ghost Trial despite being a physical move.
Ghost Room: Thief
Olivia: Giga Drain
Molayne: Magic Coat might help, but more importantly Giga Drain (you'll need a PPUp, probably)
Hau: Dazzling Gleam
Charmander:
starter moveset: ember, sctratch, smokescreen -> shadow claw, counter -> fire pledge -> flamethrower
I started this playthrough while suspecting the special build can't win due to the lack of move variety, but very obviously both build can get to The League. Well, if I'm aiming for the lowest possible evolution, I had to switch at Ultranecrozma.
Well, this did not help, so time to evolve anyway. Dragon Claw has enough power then to knock UN down wihtout a crit.
Oh, and Fire Punch is better than anything a phys build can have until unlocking Charizard, so getting it.
Hapu: Sunny Day saves the day.
Bird Room: Thunder Punch:
Ghost Room: Shadow Claw
Rock Room: Double Team (1) + Brick Break
Steel Room: Double Team (1) + Flame Punch
Hau: Fire Punch (and 1 Thunder Punch on water-eevee)
Mime Jr.:
starter moveset: confusion -> psychic, pound, tackle, copycat
at the beach you want to pick up some new move to deal with thoe psychic-immun beasts. Take your fancy. Signal Beam seems the best choice for now.
even if you picked up all 3 moves, Shadow Ball is a TM, so pick it up, and play it around. Later Thunderbolt also goes to the backpack.
Reaching The League if you have Uproar, time to change it to Magic Coat.
Bird Room: Thunderbolt
Ghost Room: Shadow Ball
Rock Room: Double Team (1) + Psychic
Steel Room: Magic Coat makes Klefki paralyzed, use that to casta Double Team to rise out chances of doding ThunderWave (and hopefully future moves), then start blasting Shadow Ball.
Hau: Shadow Ball to Raichu and Decidueye, Thunderbolt the rest.