I Made a Pokémon Challenge Run That’s a Variant of Nuzlocking: The 3-to-4 Death Run
I like the stakes of Nuzlockes, especially permanent death, but I’ve never really liked how restrictive the catch rules can be.
I still want to catch Pokémon I like and actually build my own team. So I came up with a simpler challenge that keeps the tension of permanent death while putting the restriction on party size instead of which Pokémon you’re allowed to catch.
I’m calling it the 3-to-4 Death Run.
Rules
-Battle Style must be SET.
-You have 3 dedicated party members.
-Every dedicated party member must have a nickname.
-If a dedicated Pokémon faints, it is permanently dead and must be boxed or released.
-If your entire dedicated party wipes in a battle, the run is over. You cannot rebuild your team from Pokémon in the PC.
-Whenever you leave a Pokémon Center, you must leave with exactly 3 dedicated Pokémon.
-Whenever you visit a Poké Mart, you must also return to 3 dedicated Pokémon if there is a Pokémon Center available in the same area. If there isn’t one nearby, ignore this rule until your next Pokémon Center.
-You can catch any Pokémon you want. There are no encounter or route restrictions.
-Pokémon caught while you’re away from a Pokémon Center can travel with you, even if that temporarily puts you above 3. The next time you visit a Pokémon Center or applicable Poké Mart, you have to choose your 3 again.
-Every Gym must be challenged with exactly 3 dedicated Pokémon.
-Items, grinding, switching, held items, evolutions, etc. are all allowed.
The Elite Four Rule
Once you reach the Pokémon League, you finally get to choose 4 dedicated Pokémon.
Those four take on the Elite Four and Champion, with all normal death rules still active.
If you defeat the Elite Four and Champion, you’ve earned your fourth party slot permanently. For the rest of the save, your dedicated party can contain 4 Pokémon instead of 3.
So the challenge progresses with you:
Three for the journey.
Four for the Elite Four.
Survive the League. Earn your fourth.
That’s basically it.
I wanted something with the stakes and attachment of a Nuzlocke without having to follow a giant list of restrictions or being told I can’t use a Pokémon I actually want because it wasn’t my first encounter on Route 6.
I’m starting one in FireRed now. Curious what other Pokémon players think of the rules. ☠️🔥