Hardcore Nuzlocke Rules

Hardcore rules vary between runs. FlygonHG publishes a common version: normal Nuzlocke rules, no battle items with held items allowed, a cap checked at the start of the battle, and Set mode. Nuzlocke University documents the same item and level restrictions and describes Set mode as generally accepted.

Boxing healthy Pokémon and replacing team members remain allowed in this usual ruleset. A ban on using the PC is a separate restriction, known as the Notepad Clause in the Nuzlocke Forum glossary. Hardcore does not mean that the first six catches must stay in the party forever.

The usual item ban covers manually using Potions, status medicines and X items from the bag during a battle. Poké Balls for legal catches are the exception. Held items remain allowed. Healing between battles is also allowed unless a separate rule limits it.

Specify that the ban applies to bag items. “No healing” could also be read as a ban on healing moves and held Berries. A ban on recovery moves or held items needs its own line in the rules.

Before entering a trainer battle, inspect HP, status, PP and held items. Once the battle starts, the plan must work with the Pokémon, moves and held items already available. Carrying extra Potions cannot repair an unsafe battle plan under this restriction.

A common cap uses the highest level on the next Gym Leader’s team. If the game does not use Gym Leaders, choose which opponent sets the cap. Check the opponent’s team for the exact edition and difficulty setting. Games set in the same region can have different teams.

In the version documented by Nuzlocke University, a Pokémon above the current cap is boxed until a later cap makes it eligible again. Passing the cap during the target battle is allowed. FlygonHG also specifies the start of the battle as the checkpoint. A Pokémon that passes the cap before the battle must therefore stay in the box.

Decide separately how the Pokémon League works. A cap for entry into a sequence of fights and a new cap before every fight are different rules. Record the chosen opponent and checkpoint, rather than assuming that one convention covers every game. This article provides no edition-specific cap table.

Set mode removes the free switch offered after an opposing trainer’s Pokémon is knocked out. Ordinary switching during a turn remains possible. The battle plan needs to account for what happens to the Pokémon switched in.

Use the setting when the game offers it. If an equivalent free-switch prompt appears without a Set setting, declining that prompt can serve as the run’s agreed substitute. Write down whether the free-switch prompt must be declined.

Build a party for the next opponent using Pokémon that are alive and allowed under the rules. The same six do not have to fight every battle. Keep the encounter history intact when rotating a Pokémon out: boxing it does not make its original area available for another catch.

A written battle plan should name the lead, which Pokémon will face each opponent and what to do if an attack fails to knock it out. A damage estimate is useful evidence, but it does not remove the need to account for misses, critical hits or an unsafe switch. Recheck the actual moves and items after changing the party.

A full-party wipe ending the run despite living reserves is an additional rule. So are duplicate clauses, shiny exceptions, team-size limits and Pokémon bans. Write these choices on the rules sheet so another player can tell which version of Hardcore the run follows.

For a first attempt, establish the common battle restrictions and resolve the edge cases before adding more bans. If a rule changes later, record when it changed and whether the attempt continues under a revised ruleset. Rewriting a restriction only after it causes a loss makes the result hard to compare with the original plan.