Do you know Unova by heart? Play it again with rules that change everything. The Nuzlocke, the most popular challenge, turns every battle into a moment of tension. Black and White lend themselves to it particularly well: all the Pokémon in the adventure are new, and every route holds surprises.
These challenges were born among players, not developers: the rules are open, and everyone adapts them. Here we offer a solid base, then the specific points where Unova will catch you out.
💀The Nuzlocke rules
- One Pokémon per area: you can only catch the first Pokémon you encounter on each route, in each cave or in each town. If it flees or faints, the area is lost.
- Fainted = dead: a fainted Pokémon is considered dead. Release it, or store it permanently in a PC box.
- Nickname all your Pokémon: you get more attached to them.
- Defeat = game over: if your whole team goes down, the challenge is lost.
Common optional rules
- Dupes Clause: if the first Pokémon in an area is a species you have already caught, you keep going until you find a new one.
- Shiny Clause: a Shiny Pokémon can always be caught, on top of the rest.
- Set style: set the battle style to “Set” in the options, so that you do not get a free switch when the opponent sends out a new Pokémon.
- Level caps: never go above the level of the next Gym Leader’s best Pokémon.
