Pokemon Ruby: The Slaking Solo Run

 

 

Here's another 'Mon I've been wanting to cruise with for years, without ever finding the right time to do so. But no more procrastinating: this summer autumn, Slaking is finally taking center stage — in its introducing game, no less. Given Slaking's unique Stat distribution and Ability, I expected a wildly interesting ride. I mean, we're talking about a 'Mon that boasts the same total base Stat as Groudon and Kyogre themselves — which, incidentally, is the 10th highest total base stat of all 'Mons including Legendaries — along with a crippling Ability that immobilizes it in battle half the time. This had to be a neat challenge, right? 

 

 

It was a neat challenge allright, especially in the early stages. I'll say it: Slakoth is absolutely horrendous. Not only can it only use Moves every two turns, but it solely knows the weakest of the weak Scratch, and learns no other offensive Move until lv. bloody 19. Let it evolve at lv. 18, and it will learn Fury Swipes at lv. 19; stall its evolution, and it'll learn Faint Attack instead. Not knowing that, I let it evolve, and deprived myself of an useful Move for the Rock Gym; however, a couple of Battle Items did the trick instead. Upon discovering that Vigoroth was the exact opposite from the two forms sandwiching it — i.e. an hyperactive 'Mon that doesn't loaf around and literally never sleeps — I decided to delay its evolution not just by a few levels, but until the Elite Four itself. That was another brand of challenge, all the more so as I don't remember having ever run so long with a middle form. 

 

 

One Everstone later, I was on a roll, ready to get more powerful and learn new exciting Moves. The latter were in no hurry to come, and I had to do with Shock Wave, Slash, Fury Swipes and Scratch until the darn 4th Gym. However, better Moves made a welcome entrance after that: first my beloved Return right before the 5th Gym, then the awesome Ice Beam right before the 6th Gym, then Aerial Ace right after the 6th Gym; combined with Shock Wave, those three made my Move pool until Victory Road. An Electric Move is a godsend in Hoenn, and it made all aquatic Routes a cakewalk; Aerial Ace neatly disposed of all Fighting 'Mons, and Return could take down everything thanks to the STAB. 

 

 

And talking about Victory Road, it was a bit different this time around. By the time I exited it, my Sapphire was only at lv.80 — the result of her Slow leveling-up rate, her non-traded status and the absence of a Lucky Egg. This was certainly good enough a level to submit the Elite Four; however, I was not satisfied. Not only have I somehow got used to tackling the League at lv. 100, but I also wanted to see how impossibly high Slaking's Attack would be at the big 100 — all the more so as my Sapphire boasted a Lonely Nature, making her Attack even impossibly higher. And thus started the Great Rare Candy Farming, folks. This is another neat trick I learnt from Jrose's run-changing Feebas Solo Run video: to make use of Zigzagoon's Pickup ability to reap all sorts of lovely items, including Rare Candies. And so, I recruited three Zigzagoons on top of the two I already owned, jumped on my Bike and started roaming the last segment of Victory Road. One hour later, I had reaped enough Rare Candies to hit the big 100, and finally let Sapphire take her final evolutionary step. I was rewarded by a whopping 411 Attack, which is totally the highest Attack I've ever encountered in a solo run — heck, it makes even powerhouse Zangoose look like a weakling! 

 

 

The Elite Four showdown that followed was, as you'd expect, absolutely unique. I tweaked my Move pool right before it, replacing Shock Wave and Aerial Ace with Brick Break and Earthquake; this means that I had super-effective Moves against all League Trainers, bar Phoebe. I can say it: I one-shot every single Elite Four 'Mon, including Steven's ones — oh, how sweet it was to take down his darn sturdy Metagross with a clean, devastating super-effective Earthquake. As for my Sapphire's survival during inactive turns, it was more than guaranteed by her rock-solid defensive stats. This created a fascinating Elite Four experience that was both intense and relaxed. You had that mandatory pause between active turns, followed by a deadly blow — creating a satisfying, pitch-perfect battle rhythm. 

 

 

And so, it turns out that the Slaking line is perfect solo run material. Not only that, but it also gave me something rare: a middle form I like better than its pre- and post-forms, both aesthetically and strategically. Hey, I think that's totally a first! Given how smoothly my run unfolded and how many Moves ran on me in the late stages, I don't think another Slaking run in a more recent entry is justified — but hey: better never say never, especially when it comes to Pokemon solo runs! And now, I'm sailing towards what will probably be the very last runs of that Summer 2020 Pokemon Solo Run Season — but certainly not the least interesting, oh no precious. Until these ultimate run reports, dear fellow gamers, keep gaming and take care!