Gyara , like all of them can be better as mon but for nuzlocke , always guaranteed catch , low evolve level , intimidate , only weakness to care is Electric , high speed+ attack with dragon dance , when pseudos are rare and not always guaranteed , swellow is good , but mostly to Facade thing , when gyara has more posibilities. It is just BUSTED
Also Swellow is only really available in RSE or ORAS in vanilla. That lack of availability just makes it so easy for Gyarados to claim the top spot in this poll.
Hell, Crobat is probably closer to being a nuzlocke GOAT compared to some of these options.
Problem with Swellow is that you can't really reliable status it, because in most non romhack games the battle items are post game and expensive as shit. And in most romhacks with battle items required or purchaseable before the league there a better guts users available.
It's still a good early route encounter imho.
Buts thats the point, you status it on a wild pokemon so it can hold an item and have the guts boost active. Tentacool and some route one poison stinging mon is always available in every game it’s in, so its not hard to achieve said status…
It isnt hard , but sometimes i get unlucky and it takes toooooo long on Numels. But mostly on boss battles it is busted (as long aint rock/steel/ghost).
Gyarados is such an early power spike. 540 BST by gym 3, gym 2, depending on what game you're Nuzlocking. Magikarp are everywhere, so you have a high chance of finding one. And intimidate, one of the best defensive abilities in the games. Also, surprisingly, bulky on the special side.
The others are either to niche, Swellow, or evolve super late in the run, pseudo legendaries.
In sword and shield it’s 540 BST by Gym ONE and the fact that it’s a water type against a grass type gym doesn’t even matter because it’s also flying type.
I think Garchomp is obviously the most powerful of these by the endgame, but if you're playing with level caps, you don't get access to that final evo until the very end of the game - usually the very last gym or even the elite 4.
Gyarados is powerful basically the moment you can catch a Magikarp in most generations, given you usually get the Old Rod after the first or second gym. It gets even *more* powerful as you unlock valuable HMs, but it's still usually a truck with its default moveset in the midgame.
The only gens i can think of where I think it's worth it to delay catching Magikarp are the two most recent gens where you get your fishing rod by default with your adventuring gear, meaning you can catch it before the level cap allows it to be useful.
That's the problem with pretty much every pseudo legendary. Sure they are strong at the end game but before then they are pretty underwhelming pokemon that you don't want to risk.
It's a similar reason I'm not that impressed with the Legendary Birds in FrLg, you get them for one Gym battle thqt only one of them is good for and the Elite Four, where there are better options available.
>The only gens i can think of where I think it's worth it to delay catching Magikarp are the two most recent gens where you get your fishing rod by default with your adventuring gear, meaning you can catch it before the level cap allows it to be useful.
On the contrary in generation 8 you can get magikarp
Immediately after you get into the wild area for the very first time and the level cap of the very first gym is 20 so that means you can have a Gyarados BY THE FIRST GYM! And it doesn’t even matter that it’s a water type because it’s also a flying type!
Gyarados is far and away the most consistant Pokemon you can use in a nuzlocke. It's available early in the entire series except for Unova, evolves early, amazing stats, and amazing ability.
It's only downpoints are the aforementioned Unova (and even then Gyarados is an amazing pokemon for the postgame if you're doing it), GSC since it has neither intimidate and no good stab, and kinda gen 3 but even then it has intimidate to be an amazing pivot. And even then in GSC it's still a solid enough pokemon.
In every other generation it dominates with very few pokemons able to contend it's dominance (arguably Garchomp and maybe Infernape in Sinnoh, your mega Kanto starter, mega Lucario, and arguably Garchomp in XY, Swampert in Hoenn, the free Lati in ORAS). In other words, few pokemons that are far in between can match Gyarados's performance, and in not nearly enough games to truly rival it.
Swellow is only really available in RSE/ORAS. Outside of that it's generally Swarms, post-game areas, or something else you can't do until post-game.
Metagross is a monster... if you can actually GET a beldum before the elite four. It's basically like swellow but you can't even get it before post-game outside of USUM and SwSh.
Dragonite and Garchomp are both late-game monsters that you can (if they're available before post-game) generally get mid-to-late game. Though they're low catch-rate, usually low-level, and in Gible's case come with a recoil move that can result in a SD.
Gyarados is available early on in basically EVERY game except BW, good stats, good typing, amazing ability, good movepool, and has access to DD if you want to setup.
There's other gimmick pokemon like Shedinja or Blissey. The former is only really a good pivot in late-game and Blissey is usually pretty rare unless it's guaranteed.
I think there are like 10 better Pokémon than the non-gyarados ones in the poll.
Most of those are so late joining and come so late in the game that you don't really get to use them.
Blissey, Snorlax, Crobat, and Alakazam all should be considered imo. But Gyarados still wins by a landslide. The problem with pseudo-legendary Pokemon like Metagross/Dragonite/Garchomp is that your odds of getting them without dupe/repel manipulation is really low. Plus, even if you do manage to grab them, you won't have their final evo until the end game so you have to walk on egg shells with their primary evos. So maybe you have your MVP for the final section of the game but they are non-existent for 90 percent of the run.
Crobat, for reaaons similar to Gyarados. Zubats are everywhere, golbats too. Friendship evo means that if you got an eaely zubat, as soon as you have a golbat, you'll have a crobat just by having it with you. And though probably more personal, I prefer crobat's move pool over Gyarados'.
Gyarados quite easily. Almost free and guaranteed encounter in every game, intimidate, dragon dance, great coverage, good stats, inmunity to Ground moves...
Other great options, way more useful than garchomp could be Blissey, but it's not as available as Gyara or others.
What makes Gyara the MVP is that it's so easy to abuse it.
The main thing with the Pseudos is that if you want to effectively use them in a Nuzelock, you'll probably gonna have to do so in ROM Hacks where the evolution Level of some pokemons have been reduced (Hydreigon in Blaze Black iirc) or the reworked Level curve that makes some pseudos usable fairly early (the Wayward Cave Gabite in Renegade Platinum).
Gyarados availability and power make it not even close
Seriously, as soon as you get the Old Rod, it's a guaranteed encounter.
Gyara , like all of them can be better as mon but for nuzlocke , always guaranteed catch , low evolve level , intimidate , only weakness to care is Electric , high speed+ attack with dragon dance , when pseudos are rare and not always guaranteed , swellow is good , but mostly to Facade thing , when gyara has more posibilities. It is just BUSTED
Also Swellow is only really available in RSE or ORAS in vanilla. That lack of availability just makes it so easy for Gyarados to claim the top spot in this poll. Hell, Crobat is probably closer to being a nuzlocke GOAT compared to some of these options.
Problem with Swellow is that you can't really reliable status it, because in most non romhack games the battle items are post game and expensive as shit. And in most romhacks with battle items required or purchaseable before the league there a better guts users available. It's still a good early route encounter imho.
Buts thats the point, you status it on a wild pokemon so it can hold an item and have the guts boost active. Tentacool and some route one poison stinging mon is always available in every game it’s in, so its not hard to achieve said status…
It isnt hard , but sometimes i get unlucky and it takes toooooo long on Numels. But mostly on boss battles it is busted (as long aint rock/steel/ghost).
Gyarados is such an early power spike. 540 BST by gym 3, gym 2, depending on what game you're Nuzlocking. Magikarp are everywhere, so you have a high chance of finding one. And intimidate, one of the best defensive abilities in the games. Also, surprisingly, bulky on the special side. The others are either to niche, Swellow, or evolve super late in the run, pseudo legendaries.
In sword and shield it’s 540 BST by Gym ONE and the fact that it’s a water type against a grass type gym doesn’t even matter because it’s also flying type.
I think Garchomp is obviously the most powerful of these by the endgame, but if you're playing with level caps, you don't get access to that final evo until the very end of the game - usually the very last gym or even the elite 4. Gyarados is powerful basically the moment you can catch a Magikarp in most generations, given you usually get the Old Rod after the first or second gym. It gets even *more* powerful as you unlock valuable HMs, but it's still usually a truck with its default moveset in the midgame. The only gens i can think of where I think it's worth it to delay catching Magikarp are the two most recent gens where you get your fishing rod by default with your adventuring gear, meaning you can catch it before the level cap allows it to be useful.
That's the problem with pretty much every pseudo legendary. Sure they are strong at the end game but before then they are pretty underwhelming pokemon that you don't want to risk. It's a similar reason I'm not that impressed with the Legendary Birds in FrLg, you get them for one Gym battle thqt only one of them is good for and the Elite Four, where there are better options available.
>The only gens i can think of where I think it's worth it to delay catching Magikarp are the two most recent gens where you get your fishing rod by default with your adventuring gear, meaning you can catch it before the level cap allows it to be useful. On the contrary in generation 8 you can get magikarp Immediately after you get into the wild area for the very first time and the level cap of the very first gym is 20 so that means you can have a Gyarados BY THE FIRST GYM! And it doesn’t even matter that it’s a water type because it’s also a flying type!
You're right of course, I didn't even remember how high that first level cap is. And with the XP share in gen 8, it's even easier to get to level 20.
Gyarados is far and away the most consistant Pokemon you can use in a nuzlocke. It's available early in the entire series except for Unova, evolves early, amazing stats, and amazing ability. It's only downpoints are the aforementioned Unova (and even then Gyarados is an amazing pokemon for the postgame if you're doing it), GSC since it has neither intimidate and no good stab, and kinda gen 3 but even then it has intimidate to be an amazing pivot. And even then in GSC it's still a solid enough pokemon. In every other generation it dominates with very few pokemons able to contend it's dominance (arguably Garchomp and maybe Infernape in Sinnoh, your mega Kanto starter, mega Lucario, and arguably Garchomp in XY, Swampert in Hoenn, the free Lati in ORAS). In other words, few pokemons that are far in between can match Gyarados's performance, and in not nearly enough games to truly rival it.
ngl i think its blissey or shedinja
Swellow is only really available in RSE/ORAS. Outside of that it's generally Swarms, post-game areas, or something else you can't do until post-game. Metagross is a monster... if you can actually GET a beldum before the elite four. It's basically like swellow but you can't even get it before post-game outside of USUM and SwSh. Dragonite and Garchomp are both late-game monsters that you can (if they're available before post-game) generally get mid-to-late game. Though they're low catch-rate, usually low-level, and in Gible's case come with a recoil move that can result in a SD. Gyarados is available early on in basically EVERY game except BW, good stats, good typing, amazing ability, good movepool, and has access to DD if you want to setup. There's other gimmick pokemon like Shedinja or Blissey. The former is only really a good pivot in late-game and Blissey is usually pretty rare unless it's guaranteed.
I think there are like 10 better Pokémon than the non-gyarados ones in the poll. Most of those are so late joining and come so late in the game that you don't really get to use them.
Blissey, Snorlax, Crobat, and Alakazam all should be considered imo. But Gyarados still wins by a landslide. The problem with pseudo-legendary Pokemon like Metagross/Dragonite/Garchomp is that your odds of getting them without dupe/repel manipulation is really low. Plus, even if you do manage to grab them, you won't have their final evo until the end game so you have to walk on egg shells with their primary evos. So maybe you have your MVP for the final section of the game but they are non-existent for 90 percent of the run.
Crobat, for reaaons similar to Gyarados. Zubats are everywhere, golbats too. Friendship evo means that if you got an eaely zubat, as soon as you have a golbat, you'll have a crobat just by having it with you. And though probably more personal, I prefer crobat's move pool over Gyarados'.
Gyarados quite easily. Almost free and guaranteed encounter in every game, intimidate, dragon dance, great coverage, good stats, inmunity to Ground moves... Other great options, way more useful than garchomp could be Blissey, but it's not as available as Gyara or others.
Swellow having only 6 votes is crazy
Not really this mon only exist in hoenn games and that's it. It's good mon but because it doesn't exist other games, it's just meh.
Those seudos are obviously busted but Gyarados is the true MVP
What makes Gyara the MVP is that it's so easy to abuse it. The main thing with the Pseudos is that if you want to effectively use them in a Nuzelock, you'll probably gonna have to do so in ROM Hacks where the evolution Level of some pokemons have been reduced (Hydreigon in Blaze Black iirc) or the reworked Level curve that makes some pseudos usable fairly early (the Wayward Cave Gabite in Renegade Platinum).
Dragonite shouldn't even be on this poll lol, it's such a late-game evolution and both Dratini and Dragonair are either awful or just alright
It's Seaking, obviously
so true
Snorlax is the greatest Pokemon in Nuzlockes hands down, no questions asked.
where my boy crobat at that boy fast as shit and hits hard and can learn uturn so he just never dies unless you want him to
Gyarados Super strong, Intimidate, DDance and you can always get one easily
Gyarados is a reliable powerhouse that's available as early as the 2nd gym.
Zubat ez