Pokemon White 2 FAQ

> What's new since you last ran this category?
> The Tepig used for the run is now a Rash nature instead of Naughty due to it having slight advantages in a few fights at the cost of making some of them riskier (but not necessarily slower as long as they go well). I'm using new seeds for both Tepig and Drilbur manip thanks to new tools the community made that make finding good seeds much easier than previously. Most importantly, the Timer0 parameter will no longer kill off runs just because it doesn't want to cooperate, because it's now better understood and a method of making it consistent is known. Using the DS's Auto Mode, which boots into a game automatically when the console is turned on, the console can always boot the game in the same amount of time, which standardizes the Timer0 parameter since it is based off of console cycle count.

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> Are you playing on an emulator?
> I am playing on a DS Phat modded with a capture card so that I can record video

> Why do you use Tepig?
> While Tepig isn't used for the whole run, he is preferable for the early stages of the game to the other 2 starters.  He notably deals super-effective damage to many Pokemon in Virbank and Castelia Gym.

> What are Tepig's stats like?
> Tepig's stats are manipulated to be near perfect, with IVs of 30/31/31/31/20/31. The low special defense isn't an issue since ideally Tepig will only be struck by 1 special attack throughout the run, and not restricting special defense to a higher number gave me a greater number of potential seeds to use. Additionally, I also manipulate for a Rash nature (+SpAtk/-SpDef) as this is preferable for the parts of the game in which he is used.

> If you don't use Tepig for the whole run, then what else do you use?
> Upon reaching Castelia City, I will catch a Drilbur that I will begin using after the Gym in Castelia.

> Are Drilbur's stats manipulated as well?
> They are! Not only are its IVs and nature manipulated, but also the appearance of a dust cloud to catch it in, the gender, ability, and the level. If done correctly, I will catch a level 19 female Adamant natured Drilbur with IVs of 31/31/31/13/31/31 and the ability Sand Force.

> Why are any of those things necessary?
> Level 19 just happens to be the highest level of Drilbur in that area, and it also learns Dig at that level, which allows us to exit the area quickly after catching it. Adamant nature (+Atk/-SpAtk) maximizes Drilbur's attack while leaving its other important stats unaffected. Special attack is only used in the first Colress fight against Magnemite, and even with lower special attack, Drilbur will always get a 2HKO as long as the special attack IV is 4 or above thanks to Sand Force, which enhances its attacks in the sandstorm of that area. Finally, the Drilbur is female in order to be immune to Attract from Skyla's Swoobat and from Grimsley's Liepard, at the cost of being vulnerable to Rood's Swoobat's attract (it uses it less often, however).

> How are you manipulating these things?
> This is a heavily summarized version of it, but essentially what I want to do in both cases is hit a particular initial seed for the RNG from which I can advance the RNG to the point that allows me to catch my target Pokemon. The initial seed that you hit is determined by a few things. The first is the DS system date and time, which you'll see me changing before booting up the game. Besides that, there are 4 parameters that also are used to determine your initial seed. Three of these parameters are static and only change between Black2 and White2. The fourth, known as "Timer0" fluctuates between a few values based on console cycle count, therefore making manipulations a lot more precise, but still possible thanks to the DS auto boot mode.

> Can you just manipulate battle outcomes if you can do all this?
> No. There are many reasons this isn't possible, but the most prevalent of them all is that once a battle is initiated, the relevant RNG value pertaining to battles begins advancing EVERY frame, making frame perfect inputs necessary if you wanted to manipulate anything. The only exception is the first turn of a battle can be manipulated since the outcome is decided before the RNG begins advancing every frame. This is used to make sure Drilbur never uses Dig on turn 1 in case it pops out of the Great Ball.

> Why White 2 and not Black 2?
> The more significant differences are an extra trainer in Reversal Mountain in Black 2 and Charles being a Rotation Battle instead of a Triple Battle.

> What is the WR?
> The leaderboards can be found here: http://www.speedrun.com/pkmnbw2

> What is your goal?
> World Record.