Rival Burned Tower:
Cloyster (20): Surf 2HKOS the faster Haunter (Curse+Surf does it in one turn) and leaves Magnemite in red. My first attempt had Lick paralysis and Supersonic Confusion. You live a Magnemite Thundershock in red. Aurora Beam 2HKOs Bayleef and OHKOS Zubat though confusion and Curse can be annoying. Magnemite looks like it’d be OHKOed from Surf at higher levels, so I try it at level 22: Surf OHKOS Magnemite but Bayleef crits Razor Leaf and kills me from full after a Lick so yeah. You barely live a normal Razor Leaf from full.
Flareon (25): Pink Bow. Mud-Slap crits and OHKOs Haunter (2HKO otherwise but Mud-Slap + Curse does the job). Headbutt OHKOS Zubat. Then Headbutt crits and OHKOs Bayleef (2HKOs it normally). Mud-Slap destroys Magnemite. Curse is a non-factor because if you OHKO a foe in Gen 2 Curse damage doesn’t incur. Pretty great, actually.
Gengar (25): Charcoal. Charcoal Fire Punch takes Haunter to red and it uses Curse to commit unalive. Ice Punch OHKOS Zubat (fun fact: Fire Punch leaves it in mid-red after a misclick). Fire Punch OHKOS Magnemite and I grow to level 26. Charcoal Fire Punch OHKOs Bayleef. Curse is again a non-factor.
Morty:
Cloyster (25): Mint Berry (cures sleep). Outspeed and OHKO Gastly with Surf. Outspeed and sometimes leave Haunter in red with Surf (you OHKO on rolls). Gengar outspeeds and tries to Hypnosis you and it looks like Surf barely 2HKOs it (never seems to be a range). Dream Eater 2HKOs you easily. The second Haunter seems to outspeed you and is the same as the other, a damage roll (it used Mean Look on me). I crit both Haunter in another attempt. Died to Gengar in another so your big win here comes from Gengar missing one Hypnosis: it’s otherwise fairly reliable.
Flareon (25): Mint Berry. Mud-Slap leaves Gastly in red and Curse commits unalive (it only very rarely uses Lick). Mud-Slap 2HKOs Haunter (you outspeeds) and Curse + Night Shade takes you to half HP. If Gastly did not use Curse on you the first Haunter will. You get one Slap off on Gengar (looks like a 4HKO) and then die (Shadow Ball 3HKOs you). The second Haunter seems to be a range to 2HKO with Mud-Slap (Night Shade 4HKOs) but accuracy masochism got me the win. Average: avoid Gengar.
Gengar (25): Mint Berry. Ice Punch OHKOs Gastly. I crit Haunter out the first time (2HKO it normally) growing to level 26. I attempt sleep cheese on Gengar: we mutual miss twice in a row, I miss AGAIN while Gengar sleeps me, but I wake up and sleep it. I crit it to red with Ice Punch. It seems better to just spam Ice Punch over choosing to sleep Gengar. Ice Punch 2HKOs the second Haunter. I think I outspeed everything including Morty’s Gengar at level 26: also Ice Punch freezes can be hilarious if you roll them. Seems like a pretty reliable sweep.
Chuck:
Tentacruel (32): Poison Barb. Sludge Bomb takes Primeape to red and I think what was a critical hit Karate Chop 5HKOs you so yeah. Sludge Bomb 3HKOs Wrath but if you poison it on the first use you take it out in two turns. Even the attempt where I think he crit Dynamic Punch AND I hit myself in confusion once, I still won in red. Incredibly hard to lose here because he tends to waste a turn with Mind Reader.
Cloyster (32): Mint Berry. Tested once. Outspeed and 2HKO Primeape with Surf while Karate Chop roughly 4HKOs (I was left at 65/85 HP, so even with a crit you’d be safe). Surf 6HKOs Poliwrath and Dynamic Punch 2HKOs you. I got it down to red with I think one confusion turn, but you should simply use something else for Poliwrath.
Gengar (32): Magnet. Outspeed and 2HKO Primeape and Poliwrath with ThunderPunch: you must dodge one Hypnosis for the latter. Mint Berry makes it even easier if you have it. Primeape seems consistently 2HKOed by Thunderpunch without Magnet even if it looks a little close.
Flareon (32): Charcoal. To my utter astonishment, Charcoal-boosted Fire Blast one shots Chuck’s Primeape. Even without Charcoal, you still OHKO it on rolls. Poliwrath is 4HKOed by Fire Blast. Strangely, Flareon can win here. Poliwrath missed Hypnosis on the Fire Blast turn, I flinched it with Headbutt turn 2, and it died turn 3. Headbutt consistently 3HKOs Wrath without Pink Bow. Easy sweep, you outspeed both and Poliwrath tends to derp around and never hit you despite having Surf. Both items are viable.
Jasmine:
Tentacruel (33): Mystic Water. Surf OHKOS the Magnemites reliably. Steelix seems to be a roll to OHKO with Surf. Worst case scenario Jasmine will Sunny Day and Hyper Potion, but that’s only two to three turns extra and it’s not like Steelix will beat you. Also, it seems if you derp and don’t kill the Magnemite (demonstrated by a Sludge Bomb misclick), they Thunder Wave you. Great.
Cloyster (32): Mystic Water. Surf OHKOS the Magnemites reliably. Like with Tentacruel, Steelix seems to be a roll to OHKO with Surf (my Cloyster has 70 Special Attack versus Tentacruel’s 64, so pretty comparable). Worst case scenario Jasmine will Sunny Day and Hyper Potion, but that’s only two to three turns extra and it’s not like Steelix will beat you.
Gengar (32): Charcoal. Charcoal Fire Punch OHKOS Magnemite and knocks Steelix to Hyper Potion range. Steelix’s Iron Tail does 2/3s if it hits but that means literally nothing because you outspeed and 2HKO easily.
Flareon (32): Charcoal. Mud-Slap leaves Magnemite in red, so you are forced to Fire Blast to kill. Steelix’s Rock Throw barely avoids 2HKOing you (42 damage out of my 94 HP) so you can afford to miss a Fire Blast. You OHKO everything with Fire Blast, so put your right hand on the Pokedex and pray I guess. Good but not great due to accuracy issues.
Pryce:
Tentacruel (33): Poison Barb. Sludge Bomb looks like a roll to OHKO Seel (never landed it in all 3 attempts) but it does less than 10 damage so it’s not like that matters: occasional poison chance can help here. Dewgong you can barely 2HKO (did so in all three attempts but I got another poison in my first go): Headbutt from it does 15 of your roughly 100 HP so it’s not like you’re in danger here either. Piloswine looks like a rather unfavorable roll to OHKO (missed the range twice, hit it once, crit it in another attempt) but it also does no damage. Incredibly safe, Ice Wind dropping your Speed at least once doesn’t seem to mean much.
Cloyster (32): Mystic Water. Cloyster 3HKOs Seel with Mystic Water Surf but its attacks do next to nothing with Cloyster’s titanic Defense. I think you 5HKO Dewgong with Surf (one hit criticaled). It does minimal damage to you but Rest makes this a stalemate: even if you crit one Surf it’ll have time to wake up and Rest again. Though it didn’t use Rest a second time in my second attempt, you’re better off using something else for Dewgong. Surf consistently OHKOs Piloswine. Good for tanking potential: you could revive your whole party before Pryce faints you. You can sweep (I think I did so twice, the other time I switched out of Dewgong) but you might run out of Surf PP doing so.
Gengar (33): Magnet. ThunderPunch OHKOs Seel and 2HKOs Dewgong which 5HKOs with Aurora Beam. Fire Punch takes Piloswine to red as it uses Mist and gets healed via Hyper Potion. Incredibly consistent: not even Dewgong’s Aurora Beam and Piloswine’s Blizzard combined come close to beating you (you’re left with 1/3s HP).
Flareon (32): Charcoal. Headbutt takes Seel to low yellow as it does nothing (Shadow Ball doesn’t OHKO either, leaving it in red). Charcoal Fire Blast does 2/3s of Dewgong’s HP: enough for Headbutt to consistently pick it off (it does no real damage back). Fire Blast OHKOs Piloswine and you can afford to miss a couple times. Piloswine does noticeable yet still non-worrying damage with Fury Attack.
On my second attempt, I noticed something nasty, Seel dropped my Speed with Icy Wind, then Dewgong flinched me four turns in a row with Headbutt and I lost. I was slower again on my third attempt but I overcame RNG that time. Flareon is pretty good here, but similar to Jasmine I wouldn’t call it watertight because once more RNG can rear its ugly head.
Rival Tunnel:
Tentacruel (34): Mystic Water. Surf 2HKOs Golbat but OHKOS Magnemite and Haunter - I grow to level 35. Sludge Bomb 2HKOs Sneasel which takes you to 2/3s with a few Quick Attacks. Sludge Bomb 2HKOs Meganium as Body Slam takes you to 1/3. Pretty easy sweep: the only issue is if Golbat confuses you as that can lead to Magnemite paralyzing you which is gross (Full Heal that off if necessary). So if Golbat Wing Attacks turn one you win.
Cloyster (34): Mystic Water. Aurora Beam knocks Golbat to red and confusion can cause issues with Magnemite’s Thunder Wave (Full Heal that off if necessary). Magnemite’s Thundershock barely 2HKOs you for reference. Surf OHKOS Magnemite and Haunter. Faint Attack from Sneasel 5HKOs you and it is 2HKOed by Surf. Aurora Beam 2HKOs Meganium but Razor Leaf finishes you off. If you land a Blizzard on Meganium you seem to OHKO. Continues the trend of Cloyster being only decent.
Gengar (33): Magnet. ThunderPunch leaves Golbat in red as Bite 4HKOs. Fire Punch leaves Sneasel in red (not even Charcoal changes this) as it takes you to 1/3s after a Bite with Faint Attack. Magnemite dies to Fire Punch. Shadow Ball OHKOs Haunter as I grow to level 34. Ice Punch cleanly 2HKOs Meganium with Razor Leaf critting and taking me to red in my second attempt. Charcoal Fire Punch changes nothing on Meganium. Good, but I’m starting to notice how you fail to OHKO more.
Flareon (33): Charcoal. Golbat seems to speed tie with Flareon so that means you’re confusion bait. Fire Blast doesn’t even OHKO here as it knocks Golbat to red. While Headbutt does 2HKO, just avoid Golbat (this is one scenario where Quick Attack would help). Flareon grows to level 34 from teammate help as Sneasel comes in. We mutually crit each other (think it was Sneasel’s Quick Attack that did 1/3) but I imagine Fire Blast roasts it (Headbutt 2HKOs). Haunter outspeeds and uses Curse as you Shadow Ball it. Fire Blast roasts Magnemite and Meganium. This performance is good but I really don’t like how Flareon struggles with Golbat + Fire Blast accuracy.
Clair:
Tentacruel (38): PRZCureBerry. Outspeed and cleanly 2HKO Dragonair with Sludge Bomb while paralysis gets nullified. Hitting a Blizzard OHKOs a Dragonair, which I did twice on my first attempt letting Tentacruel take on Kingdra with full health. Sludge Bomb 3HKOs Kingdra and Barrier can help shield you from Hyper Beam (4HKOs at +2 Defense). I got a poison but I don’t think it mattered. Dragonair’s Thunderbolt 3HKOs you. If you’re unlucky enough to miss Blizzard a few times, Barrier then Hyper Potion on Kingdra. I lost without healing in my third attempt though. Good, they have trouble killing you.
Cloyster (38): NeverMeltIce. NeverMeltIce Aurora Beam outspeeds and consistently OHKOs all three Dragonair. Kingdra outspeeds and DragonBreath 2HKOs you but you 3HKO it with Aurora Beam and it can derp with Smokescreen. Hilariously, in an attempt where she used Smokescreen AND paralyzed me with DragonBreath, I hit two Blizzards to 2HKO Kingdra. Great at worst, possible sweep is a bit of a toss-up.
Gengar (38): NeverMeltIce. NeverMeltIce Ice Punch outspeeds and OHKOs all three Dragonair. Ice Punch outspeeds and 3HKOs Kingdra as Surf 2HKOs you. Even with NeverMeltIce off, you still OHKO all three Dragonair. If Kingdra derps with Smokescreen and you hit through accuracy, you actually beat it. Pretty great.
Flareon (38): PRZCureBerry. With Pink Bow, Flareon 2HKOs Dragonair with Headbutt but gets paralyzed: Surf 3HKOS you. Kingdra comes out and nukes you. With PRZCureBerry, you can easily take the first Dragonair and let something else deal with Kingdra. I was lucky enough to flinch the second Dragonair so I beat it without being paralyzed. I think I got a Thunder Wave not affect on the third one and oddly beat it. Flareon is kinda okay here I suppose. On another attempt, the first Dragonair went for Surf. I got another flinch later in that attempt and beat all three Dragonair. My third attempt revealed Headbutt can be a range, but if that happens Shadow Ball next turn. I beat all three Dragonair in three attempts. Though I did occasionally crit to finish them off, I don’t think I would have missed those ranges.
Victory Road Rival:
Gengar (43): NeverMeltIce. Outspeed and OHKO Sneasel with Fire Punch. Outspeed and OHKO Golbat with NMI Ice Punch. Outspeed and OHKO Magneton with Fire Punch. Outspeed and OHKO Haunter and Kadabra with Shadow Ball (NMI Ice Punch OHKOs the former, crit the latter), growing to level 44 after Kadabra. Meganium is left in red by NMI Ice Punch and does nothing back. Brainless sweep.
Flareon (43): Charcoal. Sneasel outspeeds and does nothing with Fury Cutter as you OHKO with Fire Blast. Golbat is outsped and OHKOed by Fire Blast. Outspeed and OHKO Haunter and Kadbra with Shadow Ball (oddly crit the latter, doubt it mattered). Magneton and Meganium get nuked by Fire Blast, leaving this performance again “good if Fire Blast likes you.”
Tentacruel (43): Mystic Water. Sludge Bomb leaves Sneasel in red (Surf does basically identical damage). Surf barely leaves Magneton alive in red as it paralyzed me: Full Restore that stuff off (Thundershock is a 5HKO). Sludge Bomb OHKOs Kadabra. Blizzard against Golbat is unadvised, it confused me turn 2 and I got bad luck: on the other hand upon resetting I crit OHKO with Surf (I imagine it is a 2HKO). Haunter dies to Surf easily and Meganium is left in red by Sludge Bomb. Good, maybe avoid Magneton.
Cloyster (43): Mystic Water. You outspeed Sneasel but Surf leaves it in red. Cloyster actually OHKOs Magneton with Surf which was nice (makes sense, as Cloyster has 10 more points in Special Attack than my Tentacruel). Outspeed and OHKO Haunter and Kadabra with Surf. Aurora Beam leaves Meganium in red but it only does 2/3 with Razor Leaf and can derp with Reflect. Golbat is outsped and nuked by Aurora Beam. Since these results were so good, I tested it again and got identical performance. Great.
Lugia (43): Mystic Water. Sneasel gets nuked by Aeroblast. Magneton is a 2HKO with Surf and I rolled a “didn’t effect” turn (if Thunder Wave happens heal it off then kill (FYI even critical hit Thundershock only roughly 3HKOs you). Golbat is barely 2HKOed by Surf (I crit Aeroblast in the attempt I used it). Aeroblast nukes Haunter, Kadabra, and Meganium easily with you taking…a grand total of 20 damage of your roughly 160 HP. Surf 2HKOs Haunter and Kadbra. Overall even if you get statused a little, aside from paralysis you can mostly spam Surf and win it seems.
Will:
Gengar (43): NeverMeltIce. Outspeed and OHKO Xatu with Ice Punch. It’s worth noting you 2HKO Jynx with Fire Punch: I lived at 1 HP from STAB Psychic: on the other hand Shadow Ball OHKOs Jynx. Ice Punch OHKOs Exeggutor on rolls, consistent with Turdterra’s results - if Eggs lives it it likely OHKOs you back (got it on 2/4 attempts on it, lived Psychic on 1 HP again oddly-this prompts Slowbro to kill you). ThunderPunch leaves Slowbro alive at 1/3 HP but it tends to Amnesia and thus let you kill it (growing to level 44). Ice Punch OHKOs the second Xatu. Seems great if you avoid Exeggutor and have Shadow Ball for Jynx.
Flareon (43): Spell Tag. Xatu outspeeds and can be a pain with Confuse Ray (confusion damage comes close to 4HKOing you): you OHKO with Shadow Ball (Psychic 4HKOs). Shadow Ball knocks Slowbro to yellow. The second Xatu is exactly like the first: annoying but you OHKO. Jynx outspeeds but confusion from Xatu can completely screw you up here. Best case scenario has both Xatu use Psychic and Slowbro Amnesia: if this happens you’re at 1/3 HP for Jynx which BARELY lets you live another Psychic at 2 HP and OHKO (crit but doubt it mattered, grew to level 44). Fire Blast roasts Eggs (Shadow Ball also seems to OHKO, interestingly). A sweep requires everything to go right (no Confuse Ray / snap out early): seems on average you beat three mons.
Tentacruel (43): Mystic Water. Outspeed and 2HKO Xatu with Surf as it 2HKOs with Psychic (second Xatu goes the exact same way). Sludge Bomb leaves Jynx in red (poison can kill it) as it finishes you off. Slowbro is 4HKOed by Sludge Bomb as Psychic 2HKOs you. Sludge Bomb 2HKOs Eggs, might derp and raise its Defense. Can get in a fast hit, but ultimately mediocre: the first boss Tentacruel can’t do much to.
Cloyster (43): Used Mystic Water in an attempt where Cloyster oddly outspeeds and OHKOs Xatu with Aurora Beam. Surf 2HKOs Jynx as it derped with DoubleSlap (did this on my second attempt too). Aurora Beam left Eggs in red as Psychic left me in red. I avoided Slowbro altogether. The second Xatu outspeeds and kills you.
In my NeverMeltIce attempt, Cloyster barely 2HKOs Jynx with Surf and still leaves Eggs alive with Aurora Beam but this time it derped and raised its Defense. The second Xatu is massively unfavorable due to confusion hax but if you break through you OHKO with Aurora Beam. Average, you might get a couple KOs.
Lugia (43): Mystic Water. Outspeed and 3HKO Xatu with Surf…this sounds bad until you realize resisted Psychic does 15 damage of your 157 HP. Aeroblast leaves Xatu in red. Jynx I think 3HKOs with Ice Punch (!) as you 3HKO with Surf, but Aeroblast OHKOs Jynx. Surf + Aeroblast 2HKOs the second Xatu. Two Aeroblast and a DragonBreath kill Slowbro (got a crit on DragonBreath). Eggs got knocked out by Aeroblast. If you get low on health, you can literally use Recover on Xatu and laugh: not even confusion and paralysis (from Slowbro’s Body Slam) is really a pain. Hilariously braindead and fun.
Koga:
Gengar (43): Charcoal. Fire Punch OHKOs Ariados but leaves Venomoth alive in red unless you hit an OHKO range: Psychic from it 2HKOs you. Forretress dies to Fire Punch. Shadow Ball 3HKOs Muk but Minimize is annoying. If you don’t heal on Muk Crobat is likely to kill you from red (ThunderPunch 2HKOs). On the other hand, an attempt with me hitting the Venomoth OHKO left me about half HP, so it seems like they can derp. Much like Will, this depends on what Venomoth does to you. Great again.
Flareon (43): Charcoal. Missing Fire Blast on Ariados is a non-issue as it does nothing with Giga Drain. Be wary of Forretress’s Protect as it can waste Fire Blast PP. Muk should generally be avoided: Fire Blast 3HKOs, Acid Armor makes coverage moot: and Sludge Bomb roughly 2HKOs you which is a problem with the poison chance. I imagine Fire Blast + Shadow Ball 2HKOS Crobat (former did a little over half, crit the latter) but evasion sucks. Venomoth dies to Fire Blast: “good if Fire Blast likes you.”
Tentacruel (43): Mystic Water. Surf outspeeds and cleanly 2HKOs Ariados and Venmoth: the latter’s Psychic seems to 3HKO you. Surf 2HKOs Forretress as it uses Spikes. Surf 3HKOs Muk, but you’re pretty sturdy against it: a crit Sludge Bomb from Muk doesn’t seem to 2HKO you: Minimize sucks. Crobat is faster and 4HKOs with Wing Attack as you 3HKO with Surf: I think I used two healing items here. Tentacruel’s failings here aren’t so much Tentacruel’s fault as they are evasion, as it has good tanking potential here. You should likely beat three mons at absolute worst, maybe avoid Muk and Crobat (only tested them once).
Cloyster (43): Mystic Water. Surf leaves Ariados in red (Giga Drain 3HKOs) and 2HKOs Venmoth (it outspeeds you). Surf 2HKOs Forretress as it sets up Spikes. Cloyster outspeeds Muk and 3HKOs with Surf: notably Sludge Bomb looks like it might not even 4HKO here (23 damage of 114 HP). Aurora Beam 2HKOs Crobat as it does nothing with Wing Attack. While not particularly fast at killing, Cloyster does great here.
My second attempt died on Crobat (final mon) but that was only due to Toxic + evasion nonsense thus I don’t really count it as a negative.
Lugia (43): Mystic Water. Aeroblast nukes Ariados (Surf 2HKOs). Surf 3HKOs Forretress as it does nothing (looks kinda close to a 2HKO though I never rolled it). Aeroblast roughly 2HKOs Crobat (crit from full didn’t OHKO) as Surf 4HKOs: Toxic and evasion and heal potential make this actively annoying. Aeroblast nukes Venomoth. Aeroblast also seems to 2HKO Muk with Surf 4HKOing it. Sludge Bomb seems like it’d 5HKO you thanks to poison potential. Died to Crobat in second attempt, again: good but Toxic evasion hax is less Lugia and more RNG.
Bruno:
Gengar (44): Spell Tag. Shadow Ball barely misses the 2HKO on Top as it barely misses the 2HKO on you with Dig (15 HP shy of a 2HKO): you can heal up on its second underground turn. Onix is OHKOed by Ice Punch. You knock Hitmonlee to red with Shadow Ball as it wastes a turn with Foresight. Hitmonchan is 2HKOed by Shadow Ball as it knocks you to yellow with Top’s effectively one use of Dig. Machamp takes you to red from Rock Slide, but not even Shadow Ball critting + another Shadow Ball killed it. You die to Machamp but are solid otherwise.
Flareon (43): Charcoal. Fire Blast does 2/3s to Hitmontop as Dig does 1/3 to you: Shadow Ball picks it off. Then Onix comes out and Earthquakes you to kill, so avoid it. With some sandstorm damage going, Fire Blast into Shadow Ball seems to take care of Hitmonchan and roughly Machamp (crit once) but it takes me near red. Hitmonlee is faster and seems to roughly 2HKO with HJK as you 2HKO with Shadow Ball. Heavily mediocre: lost count of how many times I revived it.
Tentacruel (43): Mystic Water. Surf on Hitmontop to 3HKO as it uses Dig: use Barrier twice when it is underground before you KO: you will be at 2/3s HP this way when it dies. Hitmonchan is likewise 3HKOed by Surf (looks like ranges to 2HKO it): a couple ThunderPunches will take you to just above 1/3 HP. Hitmonlee is also 3HKOed: heal up before you kill it - this can help with Swagger’s confusion too. Onix is 3HKOed by Surf. You easily tank Machamp due to your +4 Defense and end the battle in green HP: not even a crit Rock Slide from near full OHKOs you. Slow but solid: the one healing item used here doesn’t detract from my opinion because you tank Bruno easily.
Cloyster (43): Mystic Water. Surf Hitmontop to 2HKO: if it uses Dig, feel free to use Spikes to help with ranges. Hitmonlee’s Double Kick / HJK takes you to around half but you outspeed and 2HKO. You outspeed and 2HKO Hitmonchan but it stops your sweep with ThunderPunch to red + Mach Punch. Onix is OHKOed by Surf. Machamp 2HKOs you with Cross Chop as you 3HKO with Surf. Should beat three mons consistently.
Lugia (43): Sharp Beak. Amazing performance. Aeroblast nukes Top, Surf destroys Onix, Aeroblast OHKOs the rest. I crit Machamp in two attempts but there’s no way it’s killing you from virtually full (Top might Quick Attack). You outspeed everything. Even when I missed Aeroblast three times in a row allowing Chan to Ice Punch me three times, I was still in green. You even live Machamp’s critical hit Rock Slide from full. Literally the only issue is Aeroblast’s 95% accuracy. Surf seems to 4HKO Chan and Lee.
Karen:
Gengar (44): NeverMeltIce. Avoiding Umbreon and Houndoom (you 4HKO the former with Ice Punch and the latter looks like a 3-4HKO with ThunderPunch, I saw in another mon’s log it OHKOs you with Crunch). Outspeed and OHKO Murkrow with Ice Punch. Ice Punch takes Vileplume to red and Shadow Ball looks like a range to OHKO Gengar (it might Curse). Decent.
Flareon (43): Charcoal. Fire Blast comes very close to 2HKOing Umbreon - so much so one round of burn damage bridges the gap. Unfortunately Umbreon has Confuse Ray and Gengar paralyzed me with turn 1 Lick, leading to a necessary Full Restore. Gengar can’t hurt you outside of Curse but he CAN paralyze me twice in a row with Lick. I don’t wanna deal with Curse so I switch out and heal up again. Murkrow is faster and barely 4HKOs with Faint Attack but Fire Blast OHKOs: I’m at half HP since I had to switch back in. Houndoom 3HKOs with Crunch while you 3HKO with Headbutt, now in red so I heal up and switch out once more for convenience…only for Doom to Pursuit trap me. Vileplume is outsped and OHKOed by Fire Blast.
Baiting in Murkrow after Umbreon, you can easily 1v1 Murkrow with Fire Blast, Gengar with Shadow Ball (which prompts in Doom so you avoid Curse), then Vileplume with Fire Blast. Decent but fails to take on the big threats, blah blah “good but Fire Blast.”
Tentacruel (43): Mystic Water. Umbreon is 4HKOed by Surf but confusion is annoying. Honestly, just avoid it - I was lucky enough to hit a Blizzard on Vileplume (does 2/3s HP) but Sand-Attack and Plume’s subsequent paralysis is a pain, and Moonlight heals more than Sludge Bomb does.
I KO Umbreon with a teammate and bring in Murkrow. Murkrow is extremely safe - you outspeed and knock it to red with Surf while a crit 3HKOs you. Murkrow prompts in Vileplume, and if you’re lucky enough to hit Blizzard and dodge a Stun Spore, you KO it with Sludge Bomb. Highly unfavorable obviously.
Tentacruel outspeeds and 2HKOs Gengar with Surf on ranges (failed to KO it in another attempt), hope you don’t get paralyzed by Lick. Houndoom takes you to red with Crunch but you outspeed and 2HKO (prompting a useless heal from Karen) with Surf. Overall good. Just take Murkrow, Houndoom and Gengar, you should end the fight in low yellow.
Cloyster (43): Mystic Water. Roughly 3HKOs Umbreon with Surf (I consider this notable, second attempt had it 3HKOed by two normal hits and a crit, so take that as you will). Aurora Beam knocks Vileplume to low yellow and somehow Cloyster tanks a Petal Dance from full (!).
Taking a page from Tentacruel’s test, I KO Umbreon with a teammate and bring in Murkrow. It outspeeds and Faint Attack comes close to 2HKOing you (roughly 15 HP off from doing so), but you OHKO with Aurora Beam. Vileplume comes in, you must hit Blizzard to OHKO. Gengar uses Curse on you and dies to Surf. Unfortunately since you’re just above half from Murkrow, Houndoom comes in, outspeeds and kills you with Flamethrower. I tried reviving and 1v1ing but…it actually just up and OHKOs you with Flamethrower.
He's colossal! Stupendous! One might even go so far as to say… he's mediocre.
Lugia (43): Mystic Water. You have to use Aeroblast against Umbreon - not even a crit Aeroblast + regular Surf is enough to KO it from full (2 Aeroblast + a Surf does it and Faint Attack does little damage). You might want to switch out and back in for Murkrow because accuracy can get funky. Murkrow 4HKOs with Faint Attack as you outspeed and 2HKO with Surf, meaning you can hilariously Recover super-effective damage off until you’re at 2/3s HP. You outspeed Houndoom, but Crunch is strong enough to actually 2HKO Lugia as you 2HKO back with Surf - you lose to it. After reviving, Aeroblast nukes Vileplume out of existence and knocks Gengar to red, letting Surf pick it off (latter is a 3HKO otherwise). Better than you’d expect for a Dark type trainer, but it does hurt it can’t fight Houndoom at all.
Lance:
Gengar (44): NeverMeltIce. ThunderPunch OHKOs Gyarados…on rolls. I succeeded hitting it on my first two runs but the third run survived…and pointlessly used Rain Dance (this won’t affect Zard thanks to Aerodactyl living). Level 47 Dragonite comes out, is outsped and OHKOed by Ice Punch. The second level 47 Dragonite comes out, is outsped and OHKOed by Ice Punch as Gengar grows to level 45. Somehow, my Gengar outsped Aerodactyl but Ice Punch only knocks it to mid-red while Rock Slide 3HKOs. ThunderPunch 2HKOs Zard but Rock Slide into Flamethrower comes REALLY close to 2HKOing you. The level 50 Dragonite comes out and is outsped and OHKOed by Ice Punch (Outrage 2HKOes, found this out later).
After two successful and one failed sweep attempt (dying to Zard) this matchup is still insanely good. 5 of his team doesn’t threaten you, and even if you were hypothetically slower than Aerodactyl and got flinched to death there’s no way an average Gengar can’t beat Gyarados and the three Dragonite.
Flareon (43): Charcoal. No chance in heck you’re doing something here and Flareon’s tier is cemented. I already know it’s gonna be slower and a potion hog.
Tentacruel (43): Mystic Water. This matchup is interesting. You can Barrier up on Gyarados because Surf does like 13 of your 133 HP. Max your Defense, then 3HKO with Sludge Bomb. Heal up before you kill - Hyper Beam does roughly 20 damage at +6 Defense. The level 47 Dragonite comes out and you 3HKO it with Icy Wind. It tried to Thunder me but missed: it still outspeeds when I’m paralyzed even after two Icy Winds. However, Tentacruel easily lives Thunder from near full, doing about 3/4s of your HP. I Full Restore as the other level 47 Dragonite comes out and…6-7HKOs with Twister, so you can easily heal here. I tried Sludge Bomb out of curiosity and it seems to be like a 4HKO over Icy Wind’s 3HKO: sadly Dragonite paralyzes you again. Dragonite crits me to half as I take it to kill range with Icy Wind. I Full Restore as he Hyper Beams, leaving me near half health before I kill.
The level 50 Dragonite comes out and is 3HKOed by Icy Wind as it wastes a turn with Safeguard. I healed up to check Outrage - it does roughly 60 of your 133 HP and is thus not a 2HKO at full HP, but will be a 2HKO with basically any prior damage, leaving me just above half at level 44 as Zard comes in. Tentacruel outspeeds Zard and knocks it to red with Surf, only for Zard to crit me to low yellow with Flamethrower, prompting another heal as Aero is coming in next.
As Lance’s final mon, Lance decides he’s had enough and crits me to red with Wing Attack as Surf knocks Aerodactyl to red. I healed up…only for Aerodactyl to miss two Hyper Beams in a row. While Tentacruel is a potion hog here, it’s a very safe one. Even the level 50 Dragonite struggles to break your bulk with Outrage.
My second attempt had Icy Wind knock the first Dragonite to half only for me to roll full paralysis. He missed a Thunder leaving the item count at 2 when second Dragonite comes out. I crit the second Dragonite to red and get paralyzed again. I use three healing items on the level 50 Dragonite and Lance eventually heals it. I Sludge Bomb expecting the kill and poison it…chipping it down enough to where it would have died from Icy Wind + poison if not for Gen 2’s weird poison mechanics. It’s worth noting Hyper Beam from Aerodactyl 2HKOs you. I think you’re decent overall here though, not too bad for a Water type. Basically, you knock Aerodacytl and Zard to red, but Hyper Beam will hurt without Barrier buffs.
Cloyster (43): Mystic Water. Aurora Beam 4HKOs Gyarados and you are faster but it will get you near red with repeated Surfs before you kill it. Notably, both level 47 Dragonite are outsped and OHKOed by Aurora Beam even without NeverMeltIce. Aerodactyl is unfavorable, while Cloyster’s high Defense avoids the Rock Slide 2HKO from full and Surf OHKOs back, flinches suck.
The level 50 Dragonite outspeeds and finishes you off even if you heal up to kill Aerodactyl (you’ll be in red). With about 3HKO worth of confusion damage, I crit it down with Aurora Beam at level 44, whoops. Charizard outspeeds and knocks you to red with Flamethrower only for you to knock it to low red with Surf. With NeverMeltIce on you 4HKO Gyarados so no meaningful difference. Okay, you beat half the team it looks like.
Lugia (43): NeverMeltIce. Aeroblast roughly 2HKOs Gyarados on rolls as it sets up rain and dies (crits seem likely to help this, rolled one in both attempts). Icy Wind crit the level 47 Dragonite to red as its Thunder doesn’t only 3HKOs you (!) The next level 47 Dragonite misses Blizzard (3HKO) and is 2HKOed by Icy Wind. Aerodactyl Rock Slides me to red (3HKO) and I roll a full paralysis turn: Surf 2HKOs after a heal so this is massively unfavorable.
Fully healed and at level 44 now, Lugia takes on Charizard. Lugia outspeeds and 2HKOs Charizard as Flamethrower roughly 4HKOs you. Weirdly I crit the level 50 Dragonite to red with Icy Wind, from full HP after a heal Outrage looks to be a rough 3HKO.
Basically, you 2HKO all Dragonite with Icy Wind (level 50 looks a little close) and you safely take on Gyarados and Charizard. Thunder Wave from Dragonite sucks though.
