Challenge 4th Generation Battle Facilities Discussion and Records

[Squilliams]

Castle Doubles 734
proof: playlist (streamed live at twitch.tv/squilliams7008 )

Team

Gengar
Ability: Levitate
Level: 50
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
IVs: 0 HP / 0 Def / 0 SpD
- Shadow Ball
- Protect
- Destiny Bond
- Explosion



Garchomp
Ability: Sand Veil
Level: 50
EVs: 12 HP / 252 Atk / 244 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Dragon Claw
- Swords Dance
- Protect



Latios
Ability: Levitate
Level: 50
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 30 HP / 0 Atk / 30 Def
- Protect
- Psychic
- Ice Beam
- Thunderbolt

From a few months ago. Forgot to make a post about it.

 

[tobiuo]

maybe with a side of not understanding how the spread penalty works.

Click to collapse...

Yeah so it turns out I didn't understand how the spread penalty works, but it's also stupid:

1. For moves that hit both opponents, the spread penalty applies if there are two mons with nonzero hp on the same side as the victim.
2. For moves that hit all other mons, the spread penalty applies if there are at least two mons with nonzero hp other than the victim.

...and I think prong 2 is straight up bugged, and should be counting mons other than the attacker rather than the victim. For EQ/Surf type moves that's not such a big deal since you're counting the same number of mons whether you skip a victim that's still alive or the user that's still alive, and basically rounds off to no spread penalty if you two are the last things on the field (even if that's only because everyone else died from the same attack already). For booms, this turns out to that the last *two* victims on the field take full damage, yes if you kill your partner first you do full damage to both opponents.

(This was already known, and circumstantial evidence suggests that gen 4 vgc players knew Explosion got full damage on two targets too, but darned if it was documented anywhere I could find it—I dug that post up through a chain of Showdown bug reports after identifying the issue......)

now someone else pls do the work of getting this written up on bupi or w/e so I don't have to defile my hands

 

[IAmHeratic]

Battle Factory Singles 63 wins (Lvl 50)

Full recorded run:

List of Battles and Pokemon fought

Round 1:
Initial Rentals: Togetic, Treecko, Remoraid
Battle 1: Togetic, Treecko, Remoraid vs Carvanha, Murkrow, Delcatty
Battle 2: Togetic, Delcatty, Remoraid vs Eevee, Buneary, Combee
Battle 3: Togetic, Delcatty, Buneary vs Mime Jr., Krabby, Geodude
Battle 4: Togetic, Delcatty, Geodude vs Tentacool, Kricketot, Ledian
Battle 5: Togetic, Delcatty, Tentacool vs Onix, Illumise, Rhyhorn
Battle 6: Togetic, Delcatty, Onix vs Ledian, Yanma, Charmander
Battle 7: Ledian, Delcatty, Onix vs Grumpig, Zangoose, Shelgon

Round 2:
Initial Rentals: Purugly, Piloswine, Noctowl
Battle 8: Purugly, Piloswine, Noctowl vs Charmander, Croagunk, Magnemite
Battle 9: Purugly, Piloswine, Magnemite vs Tentacool, Lickitung, Budew
Battle 10: Purugly, Piloswine, Lickitung vs Shuppet, Gloom, Roselia
Battle 11: Purugly, Piloswine, Gloom vs Wormadam, Croconaw, Wartortle
Battle 12: Purugly, Piloswine, Croconaw vs Charmeleon, Torkoal, Pidgeot
Battle 13: Purugly, Piloswine, Pidgeot vs Numel, Seel, Gible
Battle 14: Purugly, Piloswine, Seel vs Mightyena, Vigoroth, Gligar

Round 3:
Initial Rentals: Piloswine, Magnezone, Muk
Battle 15: Piloswine, Magnezone, Muk vs Lunatone, Monferno, Sealeo
Battle 16: Lunatone, Magnezone, Muk vs Purugly, Machoke, Bellossom
Battle 17: Purugly, Magnezone, Muk vs Dusclops, Camerupt, Arbok
Battle 18: Camerupt, Magnezone, Muk vs Luxio, Lunatone, Carnivine
Battle 19: Luxio, Magnezone, Muk vs Wartortle, Sealeo, Venomoth
Battle 20: Wartortle, Magnezone, Muk vs Zangoose, Solrock, Tangela
Battle 21: Solrock, Magnezone, Muk vs Aggron, Charizard, Metagross

Round 4:
Initial Rentals: Venusaur, Drapion, Poliwrath
Battle 22: Venusaur, Drapion, Poliwrath vs Gliscor, Walrein, Raichu
Battle 23: Gliscor, Drapion, Poliwrath vs Grotle, Kabutops, Dodrio
Battle 24: Gliscor, Dodrio, Poliwrath vs Claydol, Dragonite, Roserade
Battle 25: Gliscor, Dragonite, Poliwrath vs Machoke, Stantler, Ivysaur
Battle 26: Gliscor, Stantler, Poliwrath vs Tauros, Skarmory, Heracross
Battle 27: Gliscor, Skarmory, Poliwrath vs Electabuzz, Sneasel, Machoke
Battle 28: Gliscor, Electabuzz, Poliwrath vs Floatzel, Probopass, Miltank

Round 5:
Initial Rentals: Tentacruel, Electivire, Machamp
Battle 29: Tentacruel, Electivire, Machamp vs Vespiquen, Dewgong, Skuntank
Battle 30: Tentacruel, Electivire, Machamp vs Kingdra, Floatzel, Ludicolo
Battle 31: Tentacruel, Electivire, Machamp vs Cradily, Blastoise, Walrein
Battle 32: Tentacruel, Electivire, Machamp vs Bastiodon, Bronzong, Scizor
Battle 33: Tentacruel, Electivire, Machamp vs Ursaring, Rhyperior, Mr. Mime
Battle 34: Tentacruel, Electivire, Machamp vs Abomasnow, Poliwrath, Rapidash
Battle 35: Tentacruel, Electivire, Machamp vs Arcanine, Raichu, Blastoise

Round 6:
Initial Rentals: Staraptor, Sceptile, Gyarados
Battle 36: Staraptor, Sceptile, Gyarados vs Marowak, Lanturn, Heracross
Battle 37: Staraptor, Sceptile, Gyarados vs Donphan, Whiscash, Exeggutor
Battle 38: Staraptor, Sceptile, Gyarados vs Rampardos, Luxray, Hypno
Battle 39: Staraptor, Sceptile, Gyarados vs Nidoqueen, Froslass, Glaceon
Battle 40: Staraptor, Sceptile, Gyarados vs Rampardos, Lopunny, Breloom
Battle 41: Staraptor, Sceptile, Gyarados vs Rapidash, Bronzong, Slowking
Battle 42: Staraptor, Bronzong, Gyarados vs Aggron, Heracross, Floatzel

Round 7:
Initial Rentals: Tauros, Gengar, Heatran
Battle 43: Tauros, Gengar, Heatran vs Gliscor, Scizor, Glalie
Battle 44: Tauros, Gengar, Heatran vs Lanturn, Rampardos, Dugtrio
Battle 45: Tauros, Gengar, Heatran vs Exeggutor, Bastiodon, Rapidash
Battle 46: Tauros, Gengar, Heatran vs Slowbro, Drapion, Lickilicky
Battle 47: Tauros, Gengar, Heatran vs Nidoqueen, Rapidash, Sceptile
Battle 48: Tauros, Gengar, Heatran vs Whiscash, Glaceon, Ludicolo
Battle 49: Tauros, Gengar, Heatran vs Manectric, Flareon, Scizor

Round 8:
Initial Rentals: Swampert, Gengar, Mamoswine
Battle 50: Swampert, Gengar, Mamoswine vs Kangaskhan, Sceptile, Bastiodon
Battle 51: Swampert, Gengar, Mamoswine vs Magnezone, Roserade, Tentacruel
Battle 52: Swampert, Gengar, Mamoswine vs Floatzel, Typhlosion, Skarmory
Battle 53: Swampert, Gengar, Mamoswine vs Mr. Mime, Nidoking, Slaking
Battle 54: Swampert, Gengar, Mamoswine vs Shiftry, Lapras, Dewgong
Battle 55: Swampert, Gengar, Lapras vs Whiscash, Tangrowth, Houndoom
Battle 56: Swampert, Gengar, Lapras vs Victreebel, Charizard, Staraptor

Round 9:
Initial Rentals: Mr. Mime, Ursaring, Tyranitar
Battle 57: Mr. Mime, Ursaring, Tyranitar vs Latios, Crobat, Hypno
Battle 58: Latios, Ursaring, Tyranitar vs Slowbro, Espeon, Starmie
Battle 59: Latios, Ursaring, Tyranitar vs Exploud, Dragonite, Porygon-Z
Battle 60: Latios, Porygon-Z, Tyranitar vs Lopunny, Ampharos, Vileplume
Battle 61: Latios, Porygon-Z, Tyranitar vs Typhlosion, Latias, Lickilicky
Battle 62: Latios, Porygon-Z, Tyranitar vs Ambipom, Crobat, Dugtrio
Battle 63: Latios, Porygon-Z, Tyranitar vs Porygon2, Politoed, Marowak

Round 10:
Initial Rentals: Breloom, Tentacruel, Golem
Battle 64: Breloom, Tentacruel, Golem vs Kangaskhan, Walrein, Registeel (lost)

Yeah that last round gave me poor rentals to work with...

 

[straightouttatwinleaftown]

Hi, I submit a streak of 43 in the Battle Factory Multis (L. 100), on retail. I played with a friend.
It's something we did purely for fun some months ago and I know it's probably nothing special, but I thought it would make sense to post it since there aren't many submitted streaks in this specific category.
We may try again, this time at L. 50 (as you can see below, we started a new streak). But I'm anything but sure we could achieve a better result lol

The loss

I don't have the replay of our loss. But I remember quite a few things about how the game went.
We had a terrible lead with Sceptile-3 and Starmie-2, while the opponents had Regigias-3 and Wailord-4. I miscalculated the damage from Leaf Blade on Wailord, that survived when I fought it wouldn't. Then Starmie attacked but I'm not that sure of what it did: it probably landed a Hydro Pump on Regigigas or something, but it really doesn't count. What matters is that Wailord struck back, landing a Blizzard on both its targets: Sceptile went down, because of a crit, and Starmie got cheaped. Right after that, Regigigas' Thunderbolt finished our Starmie and, with it, our chances to win the game. Not because a 2v4 is necessarily an impossible scenario, but because the two we had in the back — I only remember I had a Skarmory — couldn't do anything against our opponents' team. As far as i can recall, we managed to kill Wailord, but eventually Gengar-4 popped out and OHKOed my Skarmory with Thunderbolt, putting our last mon in a hopeless 1v3.

 

[Master Leyterh]

Hello, I would like to submit 2 of my own streaks. They were done on my European English Pearl cart 2-3 years ago.

I will provide pokepastes for all the records, HOWEVER I am unsure about the items used since I'm going partially off of memory. I do have certain items still held by some of the mons in my PC but I swapped them around a lot, especially when it came to Lum Berry vs Chople Berry on Tyranitar. I am only 100% sure about the Pokemon, IVs/EVs, and moves.

Yes the teams have some dumb moves, like Stone Edge on Garchomp. iirc missing Stone Edge multiple times in a row on a Moltres is what ended my Singles run. The items could've also used some work. I have improved since then.

To my knowledge, no moves exclusive to PtHGSS were used, but feel free to double-check my pokepastes

DP Battle Tower Singles - 123 Win Streak: https://pokepast.es/8bdb8af0aba8679e
DP Battle Tower Multi (NPC Partners) - 52 Win Streak (Could've been longer but I switched to my Ribbon Masters after the 49th Win, and they didn't get super far. Pokepaste is for battles 1-49): https://pokepast.es/b9855a60b0e03532

 

[Sakito]

set this battle factory pb a month ago

it really just happened to me after i had pretty bad runs, some logs i shared in a chat while i was playing

saki — 23/09/2026 22:52
Just reached w9
In a while
I got moltres3
I hate that set
saki — 23/09/2026 23:01
Reached w10
saki — 23/09/2026 23:10
Reached w11.
I didnt switch a single mon
I had pz3 mismagius4 mamoswine1
Im 3 Wins from my pr

yo my draft is broke

latios4 zap1 miltank4
Pix [PAT], — 23/09/2026 23:28
Yo that's super broken lmao
saki — 23/09/2026 23:34
Yooo i did it
Thank god
I swapped miltank for starmie mid way

Borja — 23/09/2026 23:35
goat
saki — 23/09/2026 23:36
I had a battle where id lose if i didnt get super lucky
I faced kingdra2 with zap
Gets yawned, i land thunder
And then it ice beams into the Yache and freezes me
So i dodge the yawn but thaw the next turn
That was a crazy interraction
Roro [PAT], — 23/09/2026 23:42
saki is too nice with it damn
impressive
saki — 23/09/2026 23:44
I wanna try w12 either way it was a crazy run
Definitely got very lucky with some drafts and battles
I got garchomp1 and pz4
Ok i lost i think i misplayed
saki — 23/09/2026 23:52
I had chomp vs full life outraging kingdra i figured my best bet was going for dclaw Altho i could have tried sandstorm ou double team
But kingdra lived short
rly crazy run

Click to collapse...

 

[Master Leyterh]

Here to post some of my emulator streaks. The Multi streak is 2 years old, the Arcade streak I continued just now from an old run, and the rest are a few months old.
All the Pokemon used for these streaks originated from my Pearl Cart (refer to my previous post). The primary emulator is US HeartGold. The secondary emulator (for Multi) is EU Platinum.
Empoleon, Staraptor, Luxray are some of my playthrough mons from when I was 4 years old. I mistakenly included pictures of Empoleon and Staraptor in my previous post despite ending up not posting a streak where I used them.
Tyranitar and Garchomp were bred to be perfect for the Battle Frontier.

- PtHGSS Multi Battles (w/ Self): 62 Wins (https://pokepast.es/f4d24893485d13c7). Kinda bad movesets since I still had much to learn in 2024.

- Battle Hall with Empoleon: 173 Wins (https://pokepast.es/f9ff7b3ec6afb797). Lost quickly after 170 because I returned to the streak long after hitting 170, unprepared to actually do well.

- Battle Castle: 49 Wins (https://pokepast.es/7bbb454618dea955) (technically ongoing, but I have no plans to continue that run because it had pretty bad early set Castle Point farming, so I would much rather start over). Video of Darach fight: https://files.catbox.moe/atqsvi.mp4

- Battle Arcade: 57 Wins (https://pokepast.es/0a1dd7fd9275b602). Video of Dahlia fight: https://files.catbox.moe/g9do5j.mp4 / Livestream of battles 50-58:

 

[Shoeman]

I've been pushing my ongoing multi w/myself streak further and I've hit 105 (I'll info dump about it once I lose). Just wondering if I should start recording some streaks to raise my standard of proof now that I'm going into 'big' numbers? Conscious that I post less than once a year so dumping a high ranking streak out of the blue might seem suspect.

That being said I think anyone who's done a big multi streak would agree that the reason that there aren't more higher streaks recorded is that nobody wants to sink that much time into it, not that people can't do it

Also in case anyone is wondering, getting a 100+ multi streak upgrades your trainer card. Wonder how many other people have done it this way?

 

[Takava]

You should definitely start recording if you can. I'd watch it.

 

[straightouttatwinleaftown]

Just wondering if I should start recording some streaks to raise my standard of proof now that I'm going into 'big' numbers?

Click to collapse...

Technically it's not required. But the more proof you have, the better.
Btw I would be interested in some in footage too, seen how underexplored Multi is as a format.

 

[Shoeman]

Well I recorded 106 - 112. I choked on turn 1, game 1 and enjoyed a fair few lucky turns throughout those games so not a good look for me but I'll upload it anyway

The footage is almost an hour long so I'll try to speed it up as much as I can without ruining the battles (most of the time is just me looking at calcs)

Edit: here we are:

I made some wonky decisions (I do pretty much every set) but I just want to say I wouldn't normally let an aero rock slide me like that. My line of thinking was something like:

- From the trainer, we know it's 715: | Aerodactyl | Adamant | Yache Berry | Giga Impact | Earthquake | Rock Slide | Crunch | Atk/Spe
- Weavile outspeeds, but can't KO due to Yache berry
- Oh but Latios can with TBolt, so I'll go for that!

So I was sorta thinking about Latios' damage but with Weavile's speed tier still in my mental register. Aero is a bit problematic for the team in general though so there's often no ideal solution. In this case I'd rather flinch and KO it and deal with the annoyance of Ampharos than take a rock slide though.

 

[ManBearPig265]

Hi ,

First time posting here. Lately I have been getting back into the old Pokemon games and I have been spending a lot of time on Pokemon Platinum. I tried looking for cool and usable teams for the Battle Tower win streak but only found old forums. I noticed some HGSS references here tho. Is my input for a Platinum Win streak challenge here in the right place? I am currently on a streak of 196. I wanted to upload or share details when I reach 200 if anyone is interested. If this is not the correct place, does anyone have a reference to where I can post it?

Thank you!

 

[Latin]

Will Yawn cause the AI to switch out?

 

[Brucolac]

Hi ,

First time posting here. Lately I have been getting back into the old Pokemon games and I have been spending a lot of time on Pokemon Platinum. I tried looking for cool and usable teams for the Battle Tower win streak but only found old forums. I noticed some HGSS references here tho. Is my input for a Platinum Win streak challenge here in the right place? I am currently on a streak of 196. I wanted to upload or share details when I reach 200 if anyone is interested. If this is not the correct place, does anyone have a reference to where I can post it?

Thank you!

Click to collapse...

Yes you are in the right place, and yes there is interest

 

[ManBearPig265]

Hello again!

I would like to share my cool team that I use(d) in Pokemon Platinum for the Battle Tower Win-Streak (Singles). I got to a 203 win streak (and still going) with it, so it seems to be consistent enough for a 100 win challenge to post.

Quick disclaimer: I play on an emulator on my phone. I post this because I wanted to share it with others to enjoy and try the team for themselves, but I do realize it might be frowned upon to post non DS footage.

This is the team: https://pokepast.es/5b7a05456cd459d4

Zapdos @ Yache Berry
Ability: Pressure
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Thunderbolt
- Toxic
- Substitute
- Roost

Metagross @ Custap Berry
Ability: Clear Body
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk
Adamant Nature
IVs: 6 Def / 27 SpD
- Meteor Mash
- Earthquake
- Explosion
- Endure

Garchomp @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Sand Veil
Level: 50
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
IVs: 28 Def
- Outrage
- Earthquake
- Dragon Claw
- Aerial Ace

Yes, I am aware the IVs on Metagross and Garchomp aren't optimal. Currently looking for a better Beldum in a Swarm haha.

Let me break down the team.

**Garchomp**
The first member I started with was Garchomp. Dragon is such a strong type to utilize. Most people prefer a Lati@s, but I was not able to get one. I think Garchomp is a more then good alternative. Contrary to Draco Meteor which nukes and then limits your offense the next turn, Outrage is a consistent strong click to delete opponents. On most forums I saw Garchomp paired with Tyranitar and also often used as a set up (Sub / Swords Dance) breaker with the Sand. I am convinced Choice Scarf with the speed control is the best set. I can't emphasis enough how clutch it is to have its speed tier boosted with the Scarf. It can consistently close / end games or revenge pretty much any prior threat.

Move choices: Earthquake = best attack with little drawback. Outrage is the strongest move you can click, but has the drawback that you are forced to attack a second or third turn in a row, meaning that sometimes when you take a KO and then next pokemon that comes in you can't KO with Outrage, you risk losing Garchomp. That's why I also like running Dragon Claw. Last move I would recommend Aerial Ace. There has been many times where this saved me against Double Team (usually Grass types) users like Sceptile, Torterra etc. It is nice to have a guaranteed form of damage into them.

**Metagross**
In most matches, this is the trader and safety insurance against top threats like Lati@s, Cresselia, Salamence, Kingdra, Starmie but also against the Ice types that aren't part Water type, like Weavile, Abomasnow, Regice etc. Metagross Meteor Mash and EQ hit most things for good damage and more often then not it is able to trade a KO due to his high bulk and power. Then when the next threat comes in, you can Endure + Explosion for a second KO. Because of the Endure you can also use Metagross relatively safe as a swap in against strong hits because if it can survive 1 hit instead of usual 2, you can always Endure and Explosion and trade to make progress. This is also very useful into Quick Claw users, to ensure you get the faster hit off, as Metagross is naturally faster then the Quick Claw users.

**Zapdos**
Zapdos was added last, but functions as a lead. Zapdos has good synergy with Garchomp and Metagross because it deals with bulky waters like Suicune, Feraligatr Slowbrothers, but also punishes most steel types like Skarmory, Scizor, Bronzong, Heatran. Garchomp is a good pivot into the electric types that often occur into Zapdos and Metagross is a good midground switch to scout for ice or rock moves meant for Zapdos. Zapdos' bulk is very consistent and with Substitute + Pressure it can Sub 3 times and stall all PP of strong attack like ex Blizzard, Stone Edge or OHKO moves, and Roost up after. The Yache berry allows it to beat all water types even with ice coverage. It can maintain health w a Toxic exchange into Ice move and then follow up w Roost Sub stall. Because of the Speed, Zapdos outspeeds most threats you will see and can Toxic + Sub + Roost stall them. Thunderbolt is a nice strong STAB move that KOs or 2hkos a lot of threats, even uninvested. The Zapdos lead is so strong because it has the ability to scout opposing sets and also matches up nicely into a lot of pokemon, so generally it is very easy to start a match with it. There is a bit of a learning curve to when you stay in turn 1 with Zapdos and Sub / Toxic, or when you outright swap turn 1, to have a better position. Depending on the trainer class you face, you can also accurately guess if Zapdos is important to keep around later or immediately go for damage with.

I could go into more depth or share recording of my games if anyone wants to.

Thanks for reading!

 

[evilblob]

Finally after 161 attempts over 12 months, I've got Gold Print in HGSS Battle Factory, Level 50 Singles, played on emulator.

Following the incredible guides posted in the main post, and MagpieLabs tier listing as a starting point to develop an understanding of what Pokemon are worth drafting, I've made it here.

General strategy was to always trade in the first two rounds to ensure 2 elevations for the first Thornton fight, then in Round 3 prioritise having S and X tier Pokemon alongside the two elevations. After beating Thornton, I was prioritising getting enough trades in Round 4 to ensure I had 3 elevations going into Round 5, to avoid as many of the Set 2 Pokemon as possible. From that point onwards, I would only trade as necessary to improve the team, not worried about elevations.

The team that got me over the line in my last Round 7 was an initial draft of Gengar-4, Porygon-Z-1, and Jolteon-1. Gengar in the lead slot, to at worst Destiny Bond and do the rest of the fight 2v2 with two fast Pokemon in the back (including Jolteon's Focus Sash, meaning I almost always got 3 moves off). Or best case, Gengar would pick up 1 kill, Destiny Bond a second kill, then leave the fast Pokemon to kill the remaining one. After the first battle, I traded Porygon-Z-1 for Staraptor-4, with it's Choice Scarf allowing it to fill the fast revenge kill role even better.

For the Thorton fight, Gengar-4 fell juuuust short of KOing Ambipom-4, but luckily got the Sludge Bomb poison to knock that out, then Destiny Bonded to take out Bronzong-4 as a parting shot. This left Staraptor-4 to come in and beat Cradily-4, securing the Gold Print.

Ironically, I had Gengar-4 and Staraptor-4 in Round 7 in a run back in June, but lost this streak with a loss on Battle 48.

Unfortunately my Round 8 draft was rotten outside of Garchomp-1, and my streak ended immediately after the Gold Print.

I hadn't read the proof requirements so didn't think to save this to Vs Recorder, so hoping this screenshot and story check out enough. I've also included the full rentals across the rounds below

As part of these attempts I've built a tool to help track runs, and apply the common filtering rules that the community uses across spreadsheets for upcoming Pokemon, after I was finding this rather time consuming. I have a bit more refinement to do on this, but I'll be looking to do a public release of this in the coming months.

Thank you to everyone in this thread who has posted about the Generation 4 Battle Factory, the wealth of information here is incredible and I wouldn't have made this achievement without you all!

Round 1

Round 1 Draft: Haunter-1, Krabby-1, Ponyta-1, Bagon-1, Nuzleaf-1, Spinda-1
Chosen: Spinda-1, Ponyta-1, Bagon-1
Spinda-1, Ponyta-1, Bagon-1 vs. Tentacool-1, Beautifly-1, Swablu-1
Traded: Bagon-1 for Beautifly-1
Spinda-1, Ponyta-1, Beautifly-1 vs. Mudkip-1, Bulbasaur-1, Nidorino-1
Traded: Beautifly-1 for Bulbasaur-1
Spinda-1, Ponyta-1, Bulbasaur-1 vs. Parasect-1, Beedrill-1, Krabby-1
Traded: Bulbasaur-1 for Parasect-1
Spinda-1, Ponyta-1, Parasect-1 vs. Bronzor-1, Magnemite-1, Gible-1
Traded: Parasect-1 for Magnemite-1
Spinda-1, Ponyta-1, Magnemite-1 vs. Finneon-1, Venonat-1, Vulpix-1
Traded: Ponyta-1 for Vulpix-1
Spinda-1, Vulpix-1, Magnemite-1 vs. Natu-1, Snover-1, Murkrow-1
Traded: Vulpix-1 for Snover-1
Spinda-1, Snover-1, Magnemite-1 vs. Shelgon-1, Kecleon-1, Octillery-1

Round 2

Round 2 Draft: Wigglytuff-2, Gorebyss-1, Grovyle-1, Luxio-1, Lairon-1, Swellow-1
Chosen: Wigglytuff-2, Gorebyss-1, Lairon-1
Wigglytuff-2, Gorebyss-1, Lairon-1 vs. Spinda-1, Duskull-1, Bagon-1
Traded: Lairon-1 for Spinda-1
Wigglytuff-2, Gorebyss-1, Spinda-1 vs. Haunter-1, Koffing-1, Bonsly-1
Traded: Spinda-1 for Bonsly-1
Wigglytuff-2, Gorebyss-1, Bonsly-1 vs. Gloom-1, Venonat-1, Wailmer-1
Traded: Bonsly-1 for Gloom-1
Wigglytuff-2, Gorebyss-1, Gloom-1 vs. Minun-1, Smoochum-1, Shinx-1
Traded: Gloom-1 for Smoochum-1
Wigglytuff-2, Gorebyss-1, Smoochum-1 vs. Grovyle-1, Venomoth-1, Hitmonlee-1
Traded: Smoochum-1 for Venomoth-1
Wigglytuff-2, Gorebyss-1, Venomoth-1 vs. Riolu-1, Graveler-1, Snubbull-1
Traded: Gorebyss-1 for Graveler-1
Wigglytuff-2, Graveler-1, Venomoth-1 vs. Raticate-2, Bellossom-2, Lunatone-2

Round 3

Round 3 Draft: Seviper-2, Ninetales-1, Persian-2, Tyranitar-1, Chansey-2, Kadabra-2
Chosen: Persian-2, Ninetales-1, Tyranitar-1
Persian-2, Ninetales-1, Tyranitar-1 vs. Croconaw-1, Octillery-1, Sudowoodo-1
Persian-2, Ninetales-1, Tyranitar-1 vs. Seviper-2, Tropius-2, Grovyle-2
Traded: Persian-2 for Tropius-2
Tropius-2, Ninetales-1, Tyranitar-1 vs. Kingler-2, Raticate-2, Swellow-2
Traded: Tropius-2 for Swellow-2
Swellow-2, Ninetales-1, Tyranitar-1 vs. Torkoal-1, Charmeleon-1, Qwilfish-1
Swellow-2, Ninetales-1, Tyranitar-1 vs. Dodrio-1, Seviper-1, Zangoose-1
Swellow-2, Ninetales-1, Tyranitar-1 vs. Huntail-1, Masquerain-1, Magcargo-1
Swellow-2, Ninetales-1, Tyranitar-1 vs. Donphan-1, Meganium-1, Mr. Mime-1

Round 4

Round 4 Draft: Mamoswine-1, Manectric-2, Lucario-1, Glalie-2, Toxicroak-1, Infernape-1
Chosen: Infernape-1, Mamoswine-1, Lucario-1
Infernape-1, Mamoswine-1, Lucario-1 vs. Zangoose-2, Dodrio-2, Quilava-2
Traded: Lucario-1 for Dodrio-2
Infernape-1, Mamoswine-1, Dodrio-2 vs. Huntail-2, Kecleon-2, Piloswine-2
Traded: Dodrio-2 for Huntail-2
Infernape-1, Mamoswine-1, Huntail-2 vs. Claydol-1, Gyarados-1, Tauros-1
Traded: Huntail-2 for Gyarados-1
Infernape-1, Mamoswine-1, Gyarados-1 vs. Venomoth-2, Purugly-2, Tropius-2
Infernape-1, Mamoswine-1, Gyarados-1 vs. Solrock-2, Tangela-2, Sandslash-2
Infernape-1, Mamoswine-1, Gyarados-1 vs. Primeape-2, Rotom-2, Gorebyss-2
Traded: Gyarados-1 for Gorebyss-2
Infernape-1, Mamoswine-1, Gorebyss-2 vs. Toxicroak-2, Lanturn-2, Blissey-2

Round 5

Round 5 Draft: Forretress-2, Aggron-2, Miltank-2, Victreebel-3, Staraptor-3, Hippowdon-3
Chosen: Aggron-2, Miltank-2, Staraptor-3
Aggron-2, Miltank-2, Staraptor-3 vs. Probopass-2, Walrein-2, Porygon-Z-2
Traded: Aggron-2 for Porygon-Z-2
Porygon-Z-2, Miltank-2, Staraptor-3 vs. Infernape-1, Muk-1, Gliscor-1
Traded: Miltank-2 for Gliscor-1
Porygon-Z-2, Gliscor-1, Staraptor-3 vs. Dragonite-2, Toxicroak-2, Drapion-2
Traded: Gliscor-1 for Dragonite-2
Porygon-Z-2, Dragonite-2, Staraptor-3 vs. Swampert-2, Lapras-2, Dugtrio-2
Traded: Staraptor-3 for Swampert-2
Porygon-Z-2, Dragonite-2, Swampert-2 vs. Muk-2, Glaceon-2, Manectric-2
Porygon-Z-2, Dragonite-2, Swampert-2 vs. Flareon-2, Crobat-2, Gengar-2
Traded: Swampert-2 for Gengar-2
Porygon-Z-2, Dragonite-2, Gengar-2 vs. Mr. Mime-3, Gallade-3, Staraptor-3

Round 6

Round 6 Draft: Nidoking-4, Electivire-3, Lickilicky-4, Electrode-4, Blaziken-4, Gyarados-3
Chosen: Lickilicky-4, Gyarados-3, Nidoking-4
Lickilicky-4, Gyarados-3, Nidoking-4 vs. Aerodactyl-3, Hypno-3, Dugtrio-3
Lickilicky-4, Gyarados-3, Nidoking-4 vs. Kingdra-3, Electivire-3, Poliwrath-3
Traded: Lickilicky-4 for Kingdra-3
Kingdra-3, Gyarados-3, Nidoking-4 vs. Golduck-3, Machamp-3, Abomasnow-3
Traded: Gyarados-3 for Abomasnow-3
Kingdra-3, Abomasnow-3, Nidoking-4 vs. Rhyperior-2, Blastoise-2, Starmie-2
Kingdra-3, Abomasnow-3, Nidoking-4 vs. Medicham-3, Dusknoir-3, Snorlax-3
Kingdra-3, Abomasnow-3, Nidoking-4 vs. Blaziken-3, Dugtrio-3, Exeggutor-3
Traded: Abomasnow-3 for Blaziken-3
Kingdra-3, Blaziken-3, Nidoking-4 vs. Blissey-4, Pinsir-4, Ambipom-4

Round 7

Round 7 Draft: Gengar-4, Donphan-2, Jolteon-1, Porygon-Z-1, Shiftry-1, Hypno-4
Chosen: Gengar-4, Porygon-Z-1, Jolteon-1
Gengar-4, Porygon-Z-1, Jolteon-1 vs. Staraptor-4, Kingdra-4, Tyranitar-4
Traded: Porygon-Z-1 for Staraptor-4
Gengar-4, Staraptor-4, Jolteon-1 vs. Vaporeon-3, Skarmory-3, Golduck-3
Gengar-4, Staraptor-4, Jolteon-1 vs. Magmortar-4, Meganium-4, Politoed-4
Gengar-4, Staraptor-4, Jolteon-1 vs. Victreebel-4, Yanmega-4, Rapidash-4
Gengar-4, Staraptor-4, Jolteon-1 vs. Lapras-4, Honchkrow-4, Donphan-4
Gengar-4, Staraptor-4, Jolteon-1 vs. Steelix-3, Shiftry-3, Breloom-3
Gengar-4, Staraptor-4, Jolteon-1 vs. Ambipom-4, Bronzong-4, Cradily-4

Round 8

Round 8 Draft: Bronzong-2, Nidoqueen-1, Garchomp-1, Skuntank-4, Yanmega-1, Lanturn-1
Chosen: Garchomp-1, Lanturn-1, Yanmega-1
Garchomp-1, Lanturn-1, Yanmega-1 vs. Granbull-1, Aggron-4, Gardevoir-4
LOST

 

[LucaRiolu493]

Hello. I am on an ongoing 1995 winning streak in the Platinum singles battle tower. I haven't got any videos of this (but recorded battle #1841 on vs recorder - explanation as to why is below!). I mostly play on emulator on mobile or laptop, and on weekends (time permitting) occasionally on the DSL via flashcart. I'm very conscious that short of livestreaming or discord calls etc. it is difficult to 'prove' a streak (which is a totally fair expectation for players that want to be considered for records / leaderboard).

I'm a looong time lurker. I've followed this thread for yonks but never planned to post anything myself - this time two things motivated me to post: (i) ManBearPig265's post above, since I had similar reservations to them about playing on mobile emulator being poorly received (and the general skepticism + appetite around 'debunking' streaks that sometimes results in scrutiny that (while welcome) is probably stressful to navigate and ultimately probably not worth it just for kudos / acceptance), and (ii) I wanted to ask the community whether one specific mechanic I encountered from battle 1792 is a known 'glitch'. Details below.

So from battle #1792 (iirc, facing a Murkrow, Aron and Chimecho...), it's as if the tower trainers 'reset'. I was suddenly facing the same weak early trainers as you would when starting a new streak of <#49 wins. Sure enough, 21 battles later I was facing Palmer (21), and later faced Palmer (battle #49 team) again on battle #1841. Unlike the early-streak standard Palmer battles though, the sprite that walked out to battle me was a normal trainer (maybe a camper or fisherman, can't quite remember). Instead of the usual pre-battle 'quote' from the opponent, there was a blank text box. The battle began, and Palmer was the trainer that appeared opposite. Also there's not the usual message before the trainer walks out that Palmer wants to battle you. Very unusual! Since that battle, it has been back to regular programming. I'm very curious to know if people were aware of this mechanic or if someone has seen it before / is able to replicate it somehow? Please let me know!!

If you are interested in my team, I've put it below, along with some super rough notes about gameplay. I appreciate others have provided more details / useful examples of battles than I have, so I'm happy to revisit and provide further updates or anecdotes to the extent anyone is genuiney interested. You may notice that I am not a usual poster (though I've been an 'active' read-only user since 2009...); sorry in advance if this post is not v readable. Very happy to answer questions (and feedback!!!).

My team is Latias, Suicune, Scizor. I employed the trick-scarf / t-wave tactic with which so many others have had success, and rely mostly on Suicune being a monster tank that is very forgiving of inaccuracies that can otherwise sink a streak. It can tank critical hits, pressure stall if needed, and has good enough coverage with surf and ice beam.

If you want to use this team or understand how it works I've added some notes below that should help (although it's quite an easy team to use if you're familiar with the tower / trick-t-wave tactics).

team

Helia (Latias) (F) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 216 Def / 40 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 30 HP / 4 Atk
- Trick
- Thunder Wave
- Dragon Pulse
- Recover

Parnassus (Suicune) @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 17 Atk
- Calm Mind
- Surf
- Ice Beam
- Rest

Lakonia (Scizor) (F) @ Life Orb
Ability: Technician
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Bullet Punch
- Brick Break
- Aerial Ace

Click to collapse...

notes

1. How do I deal with [x]?
   1. Freeze. Using Latias instead of Uxie will draw a lot of ice type moves turn 1, which I don't want Scizor to take because of the freeze risk. Lock them in with trick, and go to Suicune. Inevitably you will be frozen - hopefully after a calm mind or two. Suicune takes the hits very well either way (+ leftovers recovery). 95% of the time (stat pulled out of thin air) I will thaw before the opponent dies from struggle recoil, and will calm mind / rest as appropriate. I try to avoid being asleep when the next opponent comes in, so time your Rest well if you can. If I don't thaw before struggle starts, I have a decision to make: stay in and hope for thaw (a tiny bit tempting if I have huge boosts via calm mind already and a lot of HP), or, maybe more sensibly, switch to Scizor on the struggle and get swords dances up while opponent dies (switch on the turn opponent has 75% HP for 3 SDs, 50% for 2 SDs, etc etc.). Alternatively you could put Lum Berry instead of Life Orb on Scizor (originally I had envisaged this Scizor alongside Uxie and Lum Berry Garchomp so wanted a different item on Scizor - Occa Berry is useless imo). You can also switch Latias in on struggle and take the choice scarf back and reset, but that's not always safe if Suicune is frozen / low HP and something comes in that can threaten Latias / Scizor.
   2. Specs / Band users. You can trick scarf even onto specs / band users - e.g. Slowbro and Jynx and Tauros. Better to quell their firepower imo and come in (with Suicune usually, depending on the move) to set up and rest to stall their pp. Alternatively if it's something that can't 3HKO Suicune you can t-wave with Latias and keep the scarf for later in the game.
2. Eisencalc / eisenlookup are my most essential tools as I'm sure this community knows. When I'm playing on my mobile emulator I speed things up and very occasionally miss the trainer name though, which I'm aware is sloppy play and can be annoying for running calcs. I'm also a bit more complacent now than I was in the early 00s - I use Rest less often than I should and that occasionally opens me up to bad luck although I've not paid the price yet and that might be why I haven't learned my lesson and maintained discipline.
3. Imperative to keep track of the opponent's PP usage when locked into a move, because you want to know when they will start to struggle - sometimes it is a trade-off between getting extra calm minds up or resting and keeping max HP for whatever's next (I prefer the latter if I've already got 2-3 calm minds up) - if you want to wake for the next opponent, Rest when your struggling opponent is on half HP. Pressure might be seen as a downside to using Suicune because of taking struggle damage but overall I prefer it because it helps wear down 5pp moves that otherwise might give me grief like DM or the OHKO moves (which maybe begs the question: why not just use a substitute chomp or something instead?).
4. Keep Latias alive if you can. Often if you find yourself facing a bulky faster opponent with Scizor and can't KO then it's useful to have Latias to clean up / come in and cripple with t-wave to ensure Suicune outspeeds (and Latias also has recovery so you can stall to win if you need to or give Suicune a safer switch in). Also useful in case of v bad luck and you need a last minute rescue. Dragon Pulse does the trick for me, considered surf and draco meteor instead but dragon pulse gives me what I need in terms of neutral coverage and longevity alongside recover.
5. Why don't I use substitute / charm (or even flash)? Substitute is great but I find Rest on Suicune together with its bulk and resistance to ice (so that I can survive freeze-scenarios) does the job for me. Never used Charm - it could be handy but I think the physical attackers that give Latias trouble would KO Latias before I could trick + charm, at which point I'm still vulnerable to crits with Suicune so Charm wouldn't have helped me. Flash I haven't considered, not sure it would help me other than for Scizor getting more time to set up. For what it's worth, I did start my streaking (lol) with Uxie, Scizor and Garchomp but I lost around battle #200 - I was generally having trouble with bulky water types and my love for the OG crocune set made me pivot to using Suicune. I kept Scizor because it can switch into opponents chice-locked into poison and most dark, ghost, psychic, bug, grass (non-stab dragon pulse/dragon claw, depending) and evasion moves (or calm mind / amnesia - but Garchomp could do that too so that's not really a tick in Scizor's favour).
6. If you lock an opponent into bulk up, curse etc., go to Suicune, if calm mind, go to Scizor. If trick room, go to Suicune after turn 1 and trick room will end when your opponent faints from struggle recoil. Don't paralyze an opponent you don't need to paralyze, especially if it means Latias takes more damage than it needs to. Confuse ray / swagger - I usually just stall this out or set up Suicune anyway in the face of confusion.
7. Because I am vulnerable to critical hits and hard-hitting physical and special attackers, and crit draco meteor (which I swear happens more than the average crit...), I sometimes just have to scrape a battle without getting a 'neat' setup. Being patient, calculating and hoping for the best are my three secret ingredients. For 5pp moves like draco meteor or stone edge, usually I will switch in Suicune because of access to Rest recovery, with the downside that there is less time to calm mind before I have to rest and struggle recoil takes down the opponent). More than once my +6 Suicune has been bested by a faster crit leaf blade from Leafeon - that's happened at least twice but thankfully Scizor was there to clean up (it lives 2 crit aerial aces from Leafon4 so can SD + aerial ace to win the 1v1), so the battle passed without incident (at least without any incident that I can remember). You can also just switch out Suicune into Scizor directly if you think you'll need Suicune later.
8. If I've set up Scizor, bulky water types are hard to take down, as are Heatran and Metagross (e.g. if I've set up Scizor and a Feraligatr comes in, then Scizor will die - all 4 gatr sets have max def and outspeed, so they survive +6 BP from Scizor and usually KO as I'm usually down to low HP by then, having set up and taken some LO recoil). In those cases I rely on Suicune + Latias together to clean up and scrape through. Lanturn 3/4 have almost ruined me with crit t-bolt a couple of times because of Lanturn's bulk and coverage - especially if I have Scizor on the field because I usually have to hit it with BP or (if I've got a lot of HP left) a brick break, and then hope Suicune is not crit or fully paralysed by Thunder/t-bolt. This has happened with Lanturn 4 before and it thankfully did not crit or freeze Latias with ice beam (and two dragon pulses took it down). Even without a crit on Suicune, I am vulnerable to Lanturn. A sensible player would use a Scizor with a few more speed EVs maybe, or just have a better team with the ubiquitous hammerhead. My chief mitigant for this risk (i.e. bulky water types, heatran, metagross) is that I favour Suicune as the switch in wherever possible.

Click to collapse...

Simple stuff in theory...

Edit - thanks doipy hooves for answering my question re the 'reset' (and magpie ai for having previously provided the explanation). Related point is that magpie's YT video where they break down some historic youtube streaks that were potentially fudged is one of the things that made me a bit self-conscious about posting (I've got the trick-scarf strategy lifted from previous successful runners but don't run Charm and am therefore vulnerable to physical threats; my streak is currently just under 2k; I've got the very basic / standard water/dragon/steel; and I'm not a usual poster - all points raised in that video as signs of potential exaggeration by those that oversimplify the game mechanics or make the tactic out to be straightforward). This doesn't really add anything to my post tbh but seeing magpie's name prompted the thought

 

[doipy hooves]

So from battle #1792 (iirc, facing a Murkrow, Aron and Chimecho...), it's as if the tower trainers 'reset'. I was suddenly facing the same weak early trainers as you would when starting a new streak of <#49 wins. Sure enough, 21 battles later I was facing Palmer (21), and later faced Palmer (battle #49 team) again on battle #1841. Unlike the early-streak standard Palmer battles though, the sprite that walked out to battle me was a normal trainer (maybe a camper or fisherman, can't quite remember). Instead of the usual pre-battle 'quote' from the opponent, there was a blank text box. The battle began, and Palmer was the trainer that appeared opposite. Also there's not the usual message before the trainer walks out that Palmer wants to battle you. Very unusual! Since that battle, it has been back to regular programming. I'm very curious to know if people were aware of this mechanic or if someone has seen it before / is able to replicate it somehow? Please let me know!!

Click to collapse...

https://www.smogon.com/forums/threads/platinum-hg-ss-battle-frontier-and-dp-battle-tower-records.52858/post-2334884
https://www.smogon.com/forums/threads/platinum-hg-ss-battle-frontier-and-dp-battle-tower-records.52858/post-2334928

Hello, I play with emulator desmume the HG game and after 1792 wins (with back ups and using random teams, not a legal streak) I discover something strange.
The trainer number 1793 send Aipom, hapinny and buneary. That shocks me but after wining the seven oponents my streak was 1799.
So....seems that the game "resets" the trainers or something. Unfotunately I forget to made a back up to show that.

So i'm sharing the 2 back ups I save.

In the first back up I'm in front of battle tower boss gold symbol (showed as other diferent trainer but using his team and avatar when battle start). Sorry for no post a back up more recent.

In the other back up my streak is 1700+ (don't remember the exact number). My fault no having other more recent back up. Asuming someone hit 1792 streak without losing when playing this back up.....is possible to see the "reset" that the game have.


Other notes:

-At first, this "reset" happens when the player exits to the battle tower building. But I tried the same with 1700+ and nothing happened, so I discarded this hyphotesis.

-I start playing this streak after 1000+ wins but the streak was ilegal so I don't hit trainers in the 210-1000+ range, just I put the streak to start in 1000 after wining the 203 or 210 trainer, so not sure how this afects the game. This means that in a legal cartridge maybe you need to hit more than 1792 trainers..or not, no idea about that.

- The two saves have the same name because changing the name seems that deletes the save, not 100% sure. Are played in spanish.

Click to collapse...

This is already known and also happens in Emerald, 1792/7 is round 256 which is 2^8. The game's check for trainer ids to use takes a number with only 8 bits of information, so round 256 is actually read as round 0 and 257 is round 1, etc.

The same thing will also happen at 3584 as that is 512 rounds (0 mod 256)

Click to collapse...

 

[LucaRiolu493]

https://www.smogon.com/forums/threads/platinum-hg-ss-battle-frontier-and-dp-battle-tower-records.52858/post-2334884
https://www.smogon.com/forums/threads/platinum-hg-ss-battle-frontier-and-dp-battle-tower-records.52858/post-2334928

Click to collapse...

thank you, that's super interesting (and ty to magpie ai for the explanation - makes sense). Shows my reading comprehension.