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Hi there, apologies for double posting in 1 day but had a question I wanted to get a sense check on.

I am looking to train up a Clefable for the BF and was gonna do the classic Bolt Beam for its attacking set.

My plan is:
- Load EVs as following: HP: 252, Defense: 252, and Speed: the remaining
- Moves: Ice Beam, Thunderbolt, Calm Mind, and Softboil
- Thinking Lum Berry for Item, but still haven’t completely decided

Any and all help is appreciated 🙌

Question 1: Best Item for Mixed Attacker Arcanine for Battle Frontier?

Question 2: Final 4th move for Butterfree?

Question 3: Focus Band or Brighpowder for Butterfree Item?

For context for the questions:
- Arcanine - I sunk EVs into his Attack, Special Attack, and Speed stat (fairly evenly) though his attack stat is definitely his best (See Pic for stat spread).
- Butterfree - plan to take advantage of Ability (Compound Eyes) for nearly perfect sleep with Sleep Powder. Additionally, I sunk EVs evenly between Sp. Att and Spd and was initially thinking Bright Powder for the item.
- Umbreon - Classic wall-n-stall set w/ leftovers as the item, while being extra cheeky w/ mud-slap (when I get it) for the Accuracy drop + some damage; EVs were split between HP, Def, and Sp. Def (fairly evenly as well).

For Arcanine, I was thinking running Choice Band to boost his physical attack, especially since I planning to lead w/ Butterfree to put anything that’ll sleep to sleep, but then pivot regardless to either Umbreon or Arcanine for anything it would just be walled/unable to handle. I don’t believe choice band will boost his special moves (unless I’m wrong there, at which point, please correct me), but thinking the boost to his attack should allow him to 1 or 2 shot pretty much everything I’d pivot him in on.

For Butterfree, I was planning Double Team as the 4th move since I think it would only be helped by Bright powder as the item (aside from never miss moves like shockwave) and really allow to take advantage of the sleep powder combo. Though was maybe thinking Sunny Day for any bulky water types and boost Arcanine’s flamethrower.
For the item, I was thinking bright powder to help avoid most moves, but was potentially thinking Focus Band to potentially survive any hits that would KO and allow to get a sleep powder off.

Anyways, this was most of my thought process on this.

Any tips or recommendations would be greatly appreciated 🙌, but PLEASE don’t spoil fights or anything, just want to get general pulse check on my planning here.

Also please note, I am rounding out move-sets and some other small details as well that may not line up with the photo and whats written.

Got a modest natured Kyogre, wanted to train him up lvl 100 and see what he’d look like stat wise and didn’t disappoint. Unfortunately can’t use him for the BF…. Cause they fear him lol.

Anyway he got me a TON of that drug money for Energy guru guy, retire in peace my guy🫡💰

Hi everyone, I have a shiny Zigzagoon with what seems like a pretty good nature and some good and favorable IVs.

I wanna use this guys for the BF, what do you recommend / how do you recommend I train her up?

She’s pretty much a clean slate here and open to suggestions. I was thinking belly drum combo, but is that the move?

I wouldn’t call this team the most optimal, but I got lucky with a modest natured Kyogre from a previous run and traded over my Shiny Gengar; they have great synergy together with Kyogre’s ability (Drizzle) and auto-setting the rain up so that Thunder on both are 100% accurate.

I was sort of on the fence for Swampert, but am not sure a good alternative option; plus he’s already lvl 100 lol.

I have a couple pics of the other mons I have on my team and that I have in the boxes.

Here is the E4 and Champion Fight for my Hardcore Nuzlocke/challenge I was doing, hope y’all enjoy!

Some highlights for the run:
Modest Natured Alakazam was definitely a find and key member for the run… as seen in the video lol.
Yawn, Swalot is really OP imo; probably what saved my run at Norman fight and just helped a ton during the run.
Koffing/Weezing was another great find; super versatile, awesome ability, and just a nice thicc bulky boi.
Was not expecting Duck Soup (Golduck) to pop-off that hard for some Calm Mind Sweeps but she definitely COOKED at the end there.
Finally was able to bring a Whismur/Exploud to the end…. Thanks to losing Magneton at the FINAL battle before the E4 😭

Couple of honorable mentions that didn’t make it but we key parts of the squad:
HeavyMetal (Magneton) - Literally lost this guy at THE last battle of the game (that double battle at the end of Victory road) to an EQ from Slaking😭
Majin Buu (Hariyama) - Lost to Norman’s Slaking when it used counter…. Really though it had the focus punch strat thing going on… but maybe that’s sapphire 😅

Rules for context: It’s Standard / typical HC Nuzlocke rules w/ a couple other rules I run to spice things up:

- Must match gym leaders amount of Pokemon (forget what people call it)
- Couldn’t carry any intentional sack Pokemon through my journey (gym leader fights was fine though, if needed), HM mules were cool though; I mean that every pokemon must be an active member of the team, though didn’t have to make the ‘Final Cut’ (per say), but needed to be in training or something, if that makes sense.
- Dragon Ball/Krillin Clause.

I am now looking to roll this over as my ‘forever save’ file and slowly complete out the Battle Frontier, Pokédex, and other things throughout the game and will take an pointers, but please no major spoilers!

Lost two of my team members, my Modest Natured Kardabra being the tough loss here😭

HiddenLeaf (Grovyle) Survived a crit slash from his vigoroth on 1HP(!!!), which actually turned out to be a blessing cause that put him in overgrow range and that helped secure this fight.

Shout out to Swalot; this thick boi with Yawn was vital for this fight, Sponged hits left and right for me, while putting the Slaking to sleep to secure the W.

For Context: This is Vanilla Emerald, Hardcore Nuzlocke Rules, plus a couple additional rules, like having to match the gym leaders amount.

So not the biggest EV haul I’ve personally got or seen when grinding, but I got a couple of +5 for the previous couple levels as well, and 93 with STAB Psybeam hits like a truck

Doing a Hardcore Nuzlocke on Pkmn Emerald (Vanilla), and ran into this guy.

Stoked and excited to get to use one as never have ran this line for this game (never have been fortunate enough to get one).

It’s Standard / typical HC Nuzlocke rules, + a couple other rules I run to spice things up:

- Must match gym leaders amount of Pokemon (forget what people call it)
- Can’t carry any intentional sack Pokemon through my journey, HM mules are cool though; With this, I mean that every pokemon must be an active member of the team. They don’t have to make the Final Cut, just need to be in training or pulling their own weight, if that makes sense.
- Dragon Ball/Krillin Clause

Maaaaannn, did not realize his Ludicolo had double team and is what did me in, along with playing sloppy and losing my other mons to previous e4 members.

Overall, MVP was easily Pika-Bleu (Azumarill).

SERIOUSLY, the Huge Power ability is stupid broken lol, especially early game 🙌. Like Azumarill saved the run against Brawley and Juan, both with rollout clutches, but Juan specifically being in one of the most epic ways by somehow hitting a 4x Rollout against his 3x boosted Double Team Kindra; I would’ve lost that battle otherwise.

Anyways, gonna restart and say it’s in honor of the 22 year anniversary of emerald lol. I plan on rolling this into a forever save, but couldn’t do it off a loss haha.

Wish me luck and details below of how e4 + Champion went if ya wanna read ‘em!

E4 & Champion Fight Details:

To Preference: I am not familiar with Emeralds e4 and am going off the assumption it’s close to Pkmn Sapphire’s e4. In addition, I don’t look up enemy teams or move-sets, just go off memory as that’s most fun to me; I like the heat of the moment challenge

Sydney - Was easy and a push over like normal for me.

Phoebe - Screwed myself and lost Banette needlessly 😭

- My Banette took out her first Dusclops and 2 Banettes no problem; 2nd Dusclops comes out, I use shadow ball and it hangs on in the red, retaliates with its own shadow ball, I survive at 1/3 health, and then it’s Sitrus Berry activates, bringing it to about 1/4. In my hubris I decided to use Faint Attack, thinking it’s gonna be enough for the KO…. It was not and immediately hated myself. I send in Kindra to finish Dusclops and take down her Sabeleye.

- Sucks though cause I was really banking on using Banette to try and Calm Mind sweep Wallace; obvi did not go according to plan lol.

Glacia - Lost Blazekin here; really just continued the momentum of playing dumb and over thought things.

- I started with Blazekin thinking that she started with Glalie; she did not and started with Sealeo. I feared her using surf and Blazekin not being able to tank the hit, I switched out Donphan to scout and tank a hit, but Hail was set up. I stayed in, fired off an EQ, thing survived in the red, and I took a body slam (no paralysis -Thank Arceus lol). Now thinking this thing doesn’t have a water move, I switched in Blazekin anticipating the heal. Right I was, she healed, so I set up a bulk up. I go for bulk up again, and Sealeo uses Body slam (no paralysis again). But now I am worried and use Double kick to KO the thing, as paralysis would’ve made Blazekin useless. In comes Walerin, and I’m thinking I just gotta go for it and fire off a double kick to try and go for the KO ( as I was at + 2 bulk ups). I watch as her health ticks down with the first hit and stops right before the half way mark, and the second barely brings it into the red. Walerin of course uses surf and cleanly KOs. I bring in Pika-Bleu with BrickBreak to finish off the rest of Glacia’s team.

Drake - Lost Walrein here, got crit rock slide on. This was me just thinking Kindra was faster than what it was and starting off bad.

- I should have used Rain Dance to boost its Speed, but opted to just try and muscle through with straight up Ice Beams. That Didn’t work, I got out speed by Drake’s Flygon and took some damage before Salamanca came in. Now fearing a KO, I switched to my own Walrein thinking I could out muscle with Ice Beams for the win. I switch in, take a Dragon claw to just under 3/4 health, said ‘eff it we ball’ and went for Ice Beam, not remembering it had rock slide to which I got cleanly one shot by a crit on. Pika - Bleu of course comes in to save the day.

Champion (Wallace) - I was already going in with low expectations, I had only 3 mons left, one of them being a ground type and weak to basically the whole team😭.

- I managed to take down Wailord with Donphan, then take down Tentacruel (losing Donphan in the process) but it ended it Ludicolo; the Double Team/Evasion and 2 Full Restores did me in and ended the run

As the title says, I am trying to determine if the move psychic or faint attack would be better for Banette.

The no miss with Faint Attack is nice, but the higher power with Psychic is also nice; both work well with Calm Mind too