Over the last decade, the Pokémon community has exploded with love for the grueling Nuzlocke challenge. Serving as a difficult challenge run on any Pokémon game, the rules are basic. A player can only catch the first Pokémon on a route, cannot use any Pokémon that faint in battle and must nickname captured Pokémon to establish a bond.
While the rules may be simple, they create an incredibly difficult challenge. In fact, completing a Nuzlocke challenge is seen as something of a badge of honor within the community. However, for players who like it, but find it too difficult (or too easy), there are many clauses that can be added to the rules in order to alter gameplay.
Dupes Clause
Likely the most common clause used by Nuzlocke fans, the Dupes clause allows players to bypass the rule of catching only the first Pokémon encountered. The condition states that if the first Pokémon encountered is one that has already been captured, such as a Rattata or Pidgey, a player can continue to search on that route until they’ve discovered a new Pokémon. Some players will rule that so long as the Pokémon is on an evolutionary line that has already been caught, that it can then be skipped. So, if a player has already caught a Caterpie, for example, but then encounters a Metapod on a new route, they can elect to skip that encounter.
Friendly Rival Clause
All players have had the experience before. The player's Pokémon are hurt, they’re trying to get to the Pokémon Center, when who should come around the corner other than Gary Oak. He challenges the player to a battle and decimates their weakened team without a second thought.
The Friendly Rival Clause states that Pokémon who faint in a Rival battle are just unconscious. The reasoning is that the rival, who is sort-of the player's friend, would not go all out in battle to the point of eliminating the team. After all, beating a rival in battle is one thing, but killing their Pokémon outright is another.
Revives And Rare Candies Clause
Most Nuzlocke players have an agreed upon rule that Revives cannot be used during a run. However, a clause that can be used is that revives are allowed to be used on two conditions. Firstly, they have to be ones found on the ground, thus limiting the amount obtained. Secondly, they must be used in the battle within which the target Pokémon fainted. This can apply also to Rare Candies, which few know not only levels up a Pokémon when applied, but will also revive one that has fainted with very low HP. Some players even rule that a Rare Candy need not stick to the second part of this clause, due to their rarity.
No Breeding Clause
While it’s not technically against the rules to breed Pokémon during a Nuzlocke run, many players feel that this cheapens the experience. The No Breeding Clause is rather self-explanatory. A player cannot breed Pokémon during their run, because doing so allows an infinite number of Pokémon.
Instead of banning breeding outright, some players point to the rule that states only one Pokémon may be caught in any particular location. This means that while a player can breed Pokémon, they can only do so once, as receiving the egg would count as the one Pokémon caught in that location. Either way, it adds a secondary challenge to the game by cutting off an access point for additional teammates.
Pokémon Center Cost Clause
It’s a common expression that nothing in life comes free. While this doesn’t apply to the free healthcare granted to Pokémon in the games, some players feel it adds an interesting challenge that inserts a bit of realism into their run. This clause states that any time a player uses a Pokémon Center, they must then go to the PokéMart and purchase a set value of items. Some players cite 5000 as being the amount, while others grant the much friendlier 1500. Upon purchasing the value of items, all items must then be discarded from the inventory, representing a Pokémon’s hospital fees coming out of the player's wallet.
One Pokémon Center Clause
An extreme twist on the previous clause is to be used only by expert Nuzlocke runners. Instead, this clause states that a Pokémon Center may only be used to heal the player’s Pokémon one time. After that, it’s off limits for the rest of the run. While this may sound impossible, a few hardcore players have managed to pull it off, though not without struggle. If this feels too harsh, but the challenge is intriguing, a good twist that can be used is to not include rest areas such as the player’s home or places where NPCs urge the player to rest in bed in this clause. That way there is always somewhere a player can get free healing for their Pokémon, even if it’s a bit of a hike.