Pokemon Sapphire Any% Route Revisions

Pokemon Sapphire Any% Route Revisions

Based on our newfound ability to manipulate for specific Mudkips (http://forums.pokemonspeedruns.com/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=398), we've made changes to the route in an effort to make the 7th gym fight much better.

Standard Tate and Liza strats require an X Speed on the first turn, but combining a very specific Mudkip (10536F Hasty 5/30/22/28/21/26) with 2 carbos allows us to hit one speed point faster than both the Lunatone and the Solrock (which are speedtied with each other), if you also take into account the number of speed EVs accumulated to that point in the run. This allows us to Surf immediately, dealing at minimum half of each of their HP before Solrock even has a chance to set up Sunny Day. On these strats, the ONLY way the run is dead is if you get Solrock Sunny Day and Lunatone Psychic on Castform first turn, but covers any other possible combination of moves. Not only does this make the fight worlds more consistent, but it's also technically faster anyway, and the time spent picking up the Carbos (the first on route 114 where you catch Swablu, the second a minor detour off the current path on route 121, just around the corner from the Pokefan trainer) is minimal.

These strats REQUIRE the Mudkip we are using: a +speed nature and at least 25IV speed; this Mudkip is the only one that meets this criteria AND has a good stat spread elsewise. A 28IV on a +speed nature permits these strats with just one Carbos, but the only feasible candidate that meets that criteria is 10824F Hasty 8/25/10/22/16/28, and has worse stats overall; in particular, 25IV attack on a neutral attack nature makes certain ranges worse (rival 3 grovyle, Kylee's Swablu in Fortree gym), and also introduces ranges that don't otherwise exist (first Grunt's Poochyena on Mt. Chimney).

In addition to outspeeding TnL, these stats make a number of other fights less risky due to outspeeding major threats. Notable pokes that are not normally outsped but that are on these stats include Wattson's Magnemite, Brooke's Wingull, and Archie's Golbat and Sharpedo (after +1).

Additional improvements are more solidified Shock Wave strats, supported by more recent damage calculations. Shock Wave is made consistent further by new Glacia strats in which we set up X Specials on the Sealeo, not the Glalie, preventing us from losing time to Light Screen (similar to how we stopped setting up X Speed on Shelgon in the Drake fight and instead now OHKO the Shelgon and X Speed on Altaria).

Thanks to Mountebank for his original thread on R/S RNG manipulation (above link) and xSpitfire08x for his contributions to the conversation that generated these strats.

G_heinz