Pokemon Fire Red Round 2 FAQ (Charizard route)

Pokemon Fire Red Round 2 FAQ (May 2020)

Q: What are you trying to do?
A: Beat the second round of the Elite Four as quickly as possible using Charizard as the main Pokemon.

Q: Why are you catching Pokemon?
A: I need to catch 60 to get the National Dex, which unlocks several sidequests that unlock the second round of the Elite Four.

Q: What is the world record?
A: 3:32:55 by Gunnermaniac, using the Blastoise/Mewtwo route. Video here: https://www.speedrun.com/pkmnfrlg/run/yokjnxdz

Q: Is Charizard faster than Blastoise?
A: It's certainly not faster on average, but if you get extremely good luck, it might be. Both rounds of the Elite Four are blazing fast (pun intended) if Charizard hits every favorable damage range and doesn't miss any Fire Blasts or Overheats. Full comparison here: https://pastebin.com/d8qkQDWC

Q: What is the fastest Charizard time?
A: 3:43:33 by snorms. He used a similar early-game route but a slower/safer late-game route. Video here: https://www.speedrun.com/pkmnfrlg/run/8yvk83xm

Q: What are the numbers on the chart in the bottom-left?
A: The top-left number (TOTAL) is the number of Pokemon I've caught. I start at 18 because that's the number of Pokemon I always catch, regardless of luck. The remaining 42 (top right) depend on luck. The number to the right of that is how far ahead or behind I am on Pokemon, compared to an average run. If it says 1, I have one more Pokemon than I normally do, which is worth about 50 seconds. So my time is effectively 50 seconds faster than whatever it says on my splits. If it says -1, I have one fewer Pokemon than normal, so I'm effectively 50 seconds slower than my current time.

Below that, you can see which Pokemon I've caught and which I'm missing. The numbers to the right of each catching area are:
- The number of Pokemon I expect to catch in that area (e.g., 6 for Viridian Forest)
- The number of Pokemon I have actually caught in that area this run

If I catch a Pokemon that I can evolve without a Rare Candy (e.g., Growlithe, Nidorino, Exeggcute), that counts as 2 (or 3 in the case of Caterpie and Weedle, since they evolve twice). If I catch a Pokemon that I can trade (e.g., Venonat, Ponyta), that also counts as 2. Pikachu counts as 3 because I can evolve it into Raichu and then trade the Raichu for Electrode.

Q: Why are you resetting?
A: Probably because my Charmander's stats were bad.

Q: What stats are you looking for?
A: I want 20+ IV Attack, 30+ IV Sp. Atk and 20+ IV Speed with a Mild (+Sp. Atk, -Def) or Rash (+Sp. Atk, -Sp. Def) nature. Defenses matter too; I won't take less than 12 IV Defense with a Mild nature, and it helps to have good Sp. Def.

Q: Why are you checking your trainer ID at the start of the run?
A: This enables me to RNG manipulate a good Charmander, albeit with a couple of restrictions. Each ID produces a unique list of Charmanders, so by checking my ID, I'll know which Charmanders I'll get on certain frames. If there's a great Charmander at, say, frame 4200, I'll want to select Charmander in Prof. Oak's lab 4200 frames after my trainer ID was generated. This method is inconsistent because the RNG doesn't always advance at the same speed, so I might get Charmander #4195 or #4205 in the example above.

Q: What is your goal?
A: For now, to complete a decent run with the new route. Eventually, I'll want to beat Gunner's world record.