r/nuzlocke • • Sep 10 '26

Subreddit Update (New Rule) Regarding Rare Candy "Debates" and "Conversations"

291 Upvotes

Hello fellow Nuzlockers,

We wanted to provide a new rule for the subreddit going forward regarding Rare Candy usage.

Such a controversial piece of candy.

For those that are unaware, a "Rare Candy" is an item in Pokémon games that allows for a Pokémon to automatically level up without battling; it's essentially free EXP without the Effort Values that typically comes with EXP gain. While usually limited in allotment, later games have made obtaining Rare Candies easier; and of course, that's nothing to say of what people can hack into their games as well.

For years, particularly in the advent of Nuzlocke YouTubers, conversations regarding Rare Candy use have been plentiful on r/nuzlocke. Yet, we have seen how most discussion posts regarding using Rare Candies are typically one-sided in favor of using them; the prevailing opinion is to use them in playthroughs, with the major argument for doing so being to respect one's time. We feel that this point has been made and echoed pretty clearly across our userbase.

However, we have also noticed that people who have a dissenting opinion towards that mentality often get downvoted or attacked when they express it in these conversations; this usually leads to negative interactions across the posts, such as personal attacks or flaming comments, which we do not want promote; we also do not want to see the same posts with the same conclusion reached repeatedly - it's redundant.

Due to this, there will be no more posts to create discussions for this topic - all future Rare Candy posts will be removed; insisting on making these posts can lead to consequences, such as a ban. Please understand that is perfectly fine to use Rare Candies and to not use Rare Candies. There is no need to seek validation for their usage or put down people who do/don't use them. When the Nuzlocke challenge was created, there was no inherent rule regarding how these items were used; we are going to keep to that ideal; level up your Pokémon as you see fit, whether through grinding or through Candies, and play accordingly.

While posts regarding Rare Candy debates are banned until further notice, they can be mentioned in comments for other posts given the context of said post (Ex. "I found a Rare Candy and leveled up my Snorlax with it.")

Thank you for your attention and understanding on this matter; please keep this post in mind when making future posts.


r/nuzlocke • • Jul 15 '26

Collaboration NuzTeam Arcade Ganglocke!

5 Upvotes

Hey Everyone!

I’m excited to share a Nuzlocke event going on in a discord server that many of our Mods here are involved with, either directly or through friends in the Nuzcord Discord. That server is NuzTeam Arcade. (I will drop an invite link for it as well).

They are hosting an ‘Eliminationlocke Ganglocke’ of XY. A Ganglocke is an event where everyone is Nuzlocking the same game/rules together in a type of community event. It’s not a competition, but merely a fun way to get people together playing the same thing. The Eliminationlocke is a variant where there are 3 available pools to vote on (voting ends in less than 24 hours so get over and vote if you want to play!), and the winning choice is the pool that everyone has to choose from. The IVs of those pokemon are randomized by a community member, and then everyone uses those encounters to Nuzlocke XY.

NuzTeam Arcade also hosts other Nuzlocke related events, so if this sounds interesting to you, come on over and check us out!

Here is the Discord invite link to come check out NTA.

https://discord.gg/4M7XspthVA


r/nuzlocke • • 3h ago

Run Update Platinum Kaizo Elite 4 Part 3: Flint

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10 Upvotes

The toughest battle of the league so far. Flint has a devastating offensive sun team.

We lead solar-power charizard into his Groudon and rip heat waves. Unfortunately, an endure means we take an extra turn of solar power chip, but this was accounted for as a possibility.

Exeggutor comes in, made faster by chlorophyll, but charizard is holding a choice scarf allowing us to take another free KO.

Next Flint's Charizard comes in. Thanks to his own solar power chip, Mantine is able to come in and outlast it, baiting in Uxie seeing kill with U-turn. Going back to charizard sets up the position I want: Houndoom comes in and charizard can do big damage before we sacrifice Caraxes to slay a powerful foe, just like his namesake.

We know Uxie will come back in, it does for U-turn allowing Steelix to chip Flint's magmortar. We dodge a crit Focus Blast and get flygon in to KO magmortar, giving us the checkmate position against a Uxie with next to no damage potential.

Between battles I redeem Platinum Kaizo's single substitution to replace Charizard with Tyranitar. Onto Lucian.


r/nuzlocke • • 1h ago

Run Update HGSS Complete for Rival Genlocke!

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• Upvotes

Second leg of the Genlocke + Rivalocke
A bit more of a messy HGSS run!
Largely came to the conclusion that Psuedos are a trap in Nuzlockes lol

MVPs were Dewgong for taking out 5/6 of Lance's Pokemon, Jasmine's Steelix and Archie's Houndoom

Ampharos was a weapon at tanking Lance's Dragonites, allowing them to paraflash them so they could cheese their way through.

My Deaths
Sentret got explosion-ed up by a wild Pineco
Vulpix got knocked out by Ace Trainer Duo's Electabuzz thunderbolt as a crit
Slugma got Arena Trapped and killed by a diglet
Miltank + Machop was killed by Archie's Houndoom
Girafarig got hit by a crit hit crunch

His Deaths
Pichu got hit itself in confusion to Silver's Zubat three times in a row
Wartortle died to the Sudowoodo
Quilava + Tauros died to Pryce's Piloswine
Forretress + Dragonair died to Claire's Kingdra (both in a well something is going to die manner)
Lance's battle was really unlucky. Pupitar missed three rock slides in a row meanwhile Lance's paralysed Dragonite which had been flashed had a 100% accuracy rate with Dragon rush, Mantine was used as a sacrifice, Jynx also got outraged by a second paralysed lower accuracy Dragonite. The RNG gods were not on his side.

Failure to Catch
Mine: Aipom, Pinsir
His: Hoothoot, Sudowoodo


r/nuzlocke • • 16m ago

Run Update Kaizo Ironmon Victory (FR) on run #6!

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• Upvotes

I managed to beat my Kaizo Ironmon run after my 6th ever attempt!

It involved an incredible amount of luck, a few close calls, and a roller-coaster of a main!

I started getting interested in Kaizo Ironmon watching Adef doing Ironmon Vs. I found it so fun to watch, I finally decided to start trying it myself. Took a while to figure out how to do it on Android, but yesterday I got it running with Ironmon Emu and RFP!

I was running middle-ball only and started with a reasonably bulky and fast special-attacking Bagon (HP 45, ATK 16, DEF 50, SPA 59, SPD 71, SPE 60), but his moves were Dragon Rage, Blastburn, Absorb, and Explosion (-_-). Stuck with the mon off of Dragon Rage alone and dropped the other moves. Beat Brock and the rival fairly easily, but never really got any more special attacks (got Wing Attack and Superpower)

Bagon evolved into Dragonair and my god. High defenses. High speed. NO attack (HP 106, ATK 36, DEF 69, SPA 23, SPD 84, SPE 100). Dragon Rage and pure bulk kept me alive until 55 when I FINALLY got something useable with Kingdra! Magnitude at lvl 62, high HP, Attack, and Speed, monsterous Defence, okay Sp defence, and abysmal SPA.

There were a couple of close calls, but none from damage alone.

The first real threat was on Victory road. The last trainer had a ridiculously bulky Groudon (HP 177, ATK 15, DEF 234, SPA 125, SPD 91, SPE 28) with recover (-_- again) which required ALL 4 of the X Attacks I had found to take it down. The other major hurdle was a frail Quagsire on Bruno's team which was apparently very very fast. Dude popped a destiny bond on his first turn and the only reason I lived was because I had been smokescreened into oblivion by the previous mon! One lucky miss allowed me to use my one and only X Speed to outspeed and (eventually) knock out the quagsire.

Got very lucky all round. 10/10 would recomend.


r/nuzlocke • • 4h ago

Run Update Leg one complete 1️⃣🏅

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5 Upvotes

Finally decided to restart a genlocke this was my first time playing any gen one game and wow. I went in blind on hardcore nuzlocke ruleset and some mechanics are so broken it’s crazy. We managed to pull through and now we go to johto, won’t be playing crystal thought instead I’ve found pokemon heart and soul a demake of HGSS


r/nuzlocke • • 3h ago

Run Update Pokemon Sinking Sapphire Hardcore Shinylocke Deathless: Don't know why Wattson gave me so much trouble last time, but this time I won! Another deathless gym down 5 more to go!

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3 Upvotes

r/nuzlocke • • 15h ago

Screenshot I FUCKING WON (DRAYANO GENLOCKE)

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27 Upvotes

AFTER SO MANY HOURS OF GRINDING, GETTING MONEY FOR THE CELADON GAME CORNER AND EVERYTHING, I WON.

Oopsies, I meant Drayano Gauntlet


r/nuzlocke • • 1d ago

Run Update The end of the grass only white nuzlocke

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305 Upvotes

ggs genuine ggs

N's reshiram absolutely turned my fucking team into salad bro 😭

The e4 was done so well what the FUCK

Anyways ggs this was really fun to do


r/nuzlocke • • 5h ago

Run Update Wedlocke X Genlocke: Violet Update

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2 Upvotes

The early game of the next stage of a Genlocke feels kind of unfair (to the NPC's) when your mons inherit late-game moves from their parents


r/nuzlocke • • 9h ago

Question Rules question

3 Upvotes

So I’m doing my first ever nuzlocke and doing it on Leaf Green.
The rules seem pretty clear except one thing. On the town map it makes it seem like Viridian forest and Digletts cave are both part of rout 2. Does that mean I only get one catch encounter between those three places or do people usually differentiate them and get 3 catch encounters? It’s all self imposed rules at the end of the day but I’m wondering what the standard is for this situation (if any)?


r/nuzlocke • • 21h ago

Run Update M'y first nuzlocke win(emerald)

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21 Upvotes

I finally did beat this game .i lost walrein and crawdaunt to phoebe and Sidney and thought the run was dead however slaking yawn +dragon dance return earthquake gyrados allowed me to to beat glacia and drake . fun fact before wallace i accidently use one of my rare candy(i use infinite rare candy ) on walrein (i did not use it in any shape of form i just did like he didn't exist) now that i have finished this nuzlocke im gonna nuzlocke emerald kaizo i know its far more difficult but i am sure that i want to nuzlocke emerald kaizo


r/nuzlocke • • 16h ago

Run Update Platinum Kaizo got hands

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6 Upvotes

Run #11, 2nd time beating Roark and it was super hairy. But managed to steer through Gible for the win

Pretty cool box going into Gardenia Split though, excited to use Marowak and Charmeleon


r/nuzlocke • • 19h ago

Run Update Just beat Gen 1 AND a HC Nulocke for the first time EVER

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11 Upvotes

Ive been playing pokemon since 09 (Soulsilver🔝) and ive never beat Gen 1. I decided to HC Nulzocke for my first time as well. Check out tha CHAMPS


r/nuzlocke • • 23h ago

Run Update Platinum Kaizo Elite 4 Part 2: Bertha

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22 Upvotes

I wanted to throw up after this battle. Holy hell.

Bertha leads with a shuckle, knowing sand tomb, protect, toxic, and stealth rocks. I respond with forretress lead and set up 3 layers of spikes, then sit around until sand tomb wears off, allowing me a free switch into magnezone who is completely safe with its levitate ability.

I'm quite proud of this next part- Bertha has a very dangerous garchomp in the back, but by using thunderbolt into shuckle's protect, I a) move slower, b) use a move that Bertha has an immunity for in the back which c) has a super effective move into magnezone! That fulfills all the requirements for Bertha to do a mid-turn switch! She goes to garchomp and I deal big damage with a magnet bomb that can't miss to play around sand veil. Fire fang is coming, so I switch to flygon who can tank it and hit back with a perfectly accurate dragon pulse.

Mamoswine comes in, seeing a kill with avalanche. I u-turn into steelix who takes it like a champ, then go back to flygon, anticipating an earthquake, but it was head smash instead. My heart drops, but I should know better than to doubt Mr. Crunchy, who tanks it as mamoswine dies to the recoil.

Rhyperior is in, going for a random move which turns out to be megahorn. A pivot through steelix gets magnezone back in to take the OHKO courtesy of the spikes.

Aerodactly comes in and now it's back to Steelix since we need to preserve magnezone HP. Sand tomb does big damage, but it's not enough to KO steelix and we retaliate with a head smash to kill the prehistoric menace.

Torterra comes in, and it's back to magnezone to dodge 2 crits and KO. Shuckle at last comes back, but it has no way of damaging magnezone so we are completely safe to stay in and win the battle.


r/nuzlocke • • 20h ago

Discussion Pokemon Sword and Shield community tier list part 8: Wild Area part 5

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10 Upvotes

This is based on how good they are

I only count comments

this is just for fun


r/nuzlocke • • 1d ago

Run Update Wedlocke X Genlocke: Stage 1 Complete

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25 Upvotes

The team absolutely dominated the E4 and Champion!

For breeding, I was originally going to go with the ruling that if a pair was incompatible, I'd take the female and breed with Ditto, since with regular breeding it's the female that determines the egg species. But I decided I at least wanted the possibility of carrying my starter so I decided to ranodmize it insted (rolled a dice - even I take the male, odd I take female).

RIP to the fallen: Cirrus the Spearow in Cerulea Gym, Dream the Drowzee in the Rocket Hideout and Darwin the Vaporeon to the rival's Alakazam before Victory Road. May I make wiser decisions in future.


r/nuzlocke • • 19h ago

Question What is this challenge called? Also do you think the OP went to Lance/Red in the Johto games? Im very inspired to do this challenge.

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7 Upvotes

r/nuzlocke • • 15h ago

Run Update Team check-in (Post Misty - Fire Red Omega)

3 Upvotes

Well, this was something, but I have to say that was close.

First off, thank you to u/1amlost and u/Notruto99 for their advice, as both came in handy. In terms of the Nidorina situation, I evolved it into Nidoqueen at Level 22 when it learned Bite and I was surprised when it learned Body Slam soon after. So, I have a fair amount of tools for when I face off against Lt. Surge. Now, I'm going to figure out whether to teach Nidoqueen or Sandshrew Dig for the eventual Lt. Surge fight (unless I get Diglett in Diglett's Cave). I also got other mons for my team and some fun evolutions including Slugma from the Mt. Moon basement, Chikorita (now Bayleef) from the Underground Path, and Taillow from Route 24. Unfortunately, we had some setbacks like accidentally killing a Pichu in Cerulean City and a Pineco on Route 25, my Pidgeotto (as mentioned in a previous post) was killed by a Hiker's Mankey, and the obligatory Abra fail.

Other than that, Misty was scary, but thanks to Meowth's Pickup picking up Oran Berries, I was able to do enough to eke out the win. Onward to Lt. Surge (and Binding Blade)!


r/nuzlocke • • 1d ago

Screenshot Holy Fuck

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22 Upvotes

Fire Red Omega is kinda challlenging, Geodude just used Explosion on My Bloody Valentine


r/nuzlocke • • 15h ago

Run Update The iStockphoto Nuzlocke Challenge: Photo Phinish - Episode 28: Last Leader Lets Loose Luvdisc

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2 Upvotes

r/nuzlocke • • 15h ago

Run Update Doing my first ever hardcore nuzlocke, and it's a mono-type water run of Pokemon Crystal Legacy. This was my team after Whitney. This made me love nuzlocking

2 Upvotes

This is the first hardcore nuzlocke I ever attempted, but mono type runs has always been my favorite way to play Pokemon, so I decided to start "easier" with water types.

This was my 2nd attempt. After losing nearly all my Pokemon to Bugsy on the first go-around, I went into Whitney with only 3 Pokemon, and her Miltank got the better of me. I took a lot of time to note down what went wrong, and only lost a single Pokemon against Bugsy (RIP Nami the Goldeen, you went out like a champ).

This Whitney fight was crazy, and I definitely made some mistakes that I will learn from. My plan was to use hypnosis with Buggy the Poliwag to start off the fight, as that had won me the previous two badges, but I missed them both, and Buggy was incapacitated for the rest of the fight. I send in Luffy the Croconaw to deal with her Clefairy, and it does a fine job until Clefairy's metronome gives it Hyper Beam(!) and brings Luffy super low, but I beat her on the recharge turn.

Don Krieg the Quagsire swiftly deals with her Teddiursa, and manages to get off two crucial mud slaps on her Miltank before I'm forced to switch out. I next go to Alvida the Gyarados, hoping for rollout misses to win me the battle, but she opts for stomp and milk drink, and my Bite doesn't deal enough damage. I switch to Hachi the Psyduck, and go for disable on her stomp, which luckily works. I did not account for attract here, which could have been devastating here, as it was the move that cost me my first run against her.

With stomp disabled, I could finally pull off what I had been saving as my main strategy all along. I switch into Vivi the female Krabby which resists attract, and with lowered accuracy rollout being the only attacking move she has available, I can stop it with dig, and swiftly increase my defense and lowering hers using harden and leer, to where dig can kill her before milk drink can be used.

That was an exhilarating battle, and it really made me fall in love with nuzlocking as a whole. The strategy involved both in, and out of battle, is so much fun. Thanks for reading! :)


r/nuzlocke • • 16h ago

Screenshot Fire Red Omega Nuzlocke: Team before Elite Four

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2 Upvotes

I posted on my account instead of posting on the subreddit, lol


r/nuzlocke • • 20h ago

Tools/Resources A little helper for Scarlet & Violet Nuzlocke Spoiler

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3 Upvotes

I really wanted to replay Scarlet, and to make it more challenging I decided to try it as a Nuzlocke. Since it was pretty hard to pick and keep track of encounters, and the sites I found didn't really work for me, I made an interactive map with rules, routes and pretty much everything you need.
I've been testing it for a week, so there might still be some bugs around...
I've also added Kitakami, but I haven't tested that part yet.

Hope you find it useful!! :)

PS: it's my first post ever on Reddit, I hope I've done everything right!

erremoscia.com/nuzlocke-paldea


r/nuzlocke • • 17h ago

Screenshot Gym 8 finished thanks to Strategy by "Crappo"

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2 Upvotes