FRLG Charizard Race Strats (Incomplete, but Probably Will Never Finish)

Strats for Racing with Charizard

These notes are additional safety strats to the Charmander Any% route. These notes assume you know the standard route. I believe that some of these strats are viable in pb attempts given how hard it is to get a deathless run, but this is more focused on finishing runs with decent shots at sub 2:25 in marathon/no reset/race runs. Early Misty is a route that is being worked on at the moment, until I try that route out and feel fairly confident in actually beating Misty, I will not put any mention of early Misty in these notes.

TO DO (not listed in any order)

   - Add exp yields of bugs in case anyone wants level 18 for pidgeotto
   - Figure out how much safer boat rival is without poison
   - Persim berry for Misty/Zubat? Sitrus berry for Misty? Oran berry for Misty?
   - Figure out hp thresholds for Flint (also calc quick attack damage rolls)
   - Figure out what HPs and kick counts to boat heal with (and exactly when)
   - Kick miss consequences on Dig Rocket?
   - (the obvious one) FINISH THESE NOTES
      * test early Misty
   - Kick + punch ranges on slowpokes
   - Sitrus for Lorelei/Bruno(/Lance...???????)

Preparing Backup Save (Before the Race)

   - NEVER accept 26 spatk iv or 29- speed iv quiet or 7- speed iv neutral
      * If you take 30 iv quiet or 8 iv neutral speed, you MUST get 2 more speed evs than normal from weedles/rats/pidgeys/etc (consider level 18 for Pidgeotto)
   - Only accept 27-28 spatk iv if 27+ atk iv and/or good bulk
      * In this case, grab the Hideout Calcium when you get there
   - Consider grabbing the Hideout Calcium if 29 spatk iv
   - 22- speed iv (or 31 quiet) is preferred for safer Brock
   - Highly consider increasing your minimum HP iv requirement

Brock

   - Do not yolo extra Route 1 tiles while delivering parcel
   - Potion to stay out of crit range
      * If you take a lot of damage before and during the parcel quest, take Mom heal
   - Grab mart guy and bug catcher potions
      * If 23+ speed and low hp entering forest (or bad defense), consider the item ball potion in the forest
   - On second pass from Pallet to Viridian, prioritize getting (in this order):
      * 31 exp for ember
      * an HM poke (rat is highly favored)
      * 47 exp for metal claw on onix
   - Note: once all three have been achieved, you can catch a second HM poke if you encounter it (do not camp for encounters)
   - Ember a bug to complete 47 exp if you only got ember
   - (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED) Alternate strat 1: Ember bug(s) to reach 74+ exp for level 18 entering Rival 2 (if you reach 137+ exp you will gain an extra level for the Onix, keep this in mind)
      * There's an experimental version of the level 18 strat that does not need even more encounter exp
   - Alternate strat 2: if 31-46 exp and 23+ speed, skip getting 47+ exp and Growl + Ember x7 the Onix (very slow but very safe)
      * All the alternate strats require taking the Pewter center, keep this in mind!
   - NEVER do minion strats
   - Take center if on an alternate strat or you want to save a potion and save pp
   - Always buy 6/2/4 (if you want 7 potions, sell all poke balls)
   - Potion before Brock if really low hp
   - SAVE for Brock (dying is very costly)
      * Absolute MUST for 23+ speed and 47+ exp
      * If you die without saving, use your repels to walk back to Pewter, sell Rock Tomb after beating Brock to buy replacement repels (and 1 awakening)

Route 3

   - Save embers on the lass if necessary
   - If going for level 18 entering Rival 2 with 74+ encounter exp, fight the bug catcher instead of the lass (should evolve on the third bug catcher)
      * Because of Pewter center, you do not need blaze on this strat (also, there is no good way to stall against bug catcher)
   - If going for level 18 entering Rival 2 with less exp (the experimental, untested strat), ember spam the lass (do not stall for blaze)
   - If lass gives you perfect blaze setup or you already have HM poke(s), do not enter the Route 3 grass unless to pass the walker (run from encounters if you get 1%)
   - CONSIDER grabbing the persim berry and equipping on first moon repel menu (for Zubat miss range and Starmie Water Pulse)

Mt. Moon (and a little more)

   - Experimental level 18 strat: fight the running lass with ember x2 (gives level 22 for onix)
   - Grab the revive
   - If not yet Charmeleon and no blaze, consider saving for Moon Rocket
   - If no HM pokes yet, grab the great ball and use it to catch one
   - Only consider skipping Mega Punch if 27+ atk iv and caught a flier (even then you still shouldn't)

Nugget Bridge / Bill

   - SAVE for Rival 2 ALWAYS (even if you have not used the revive yet)
      * Ember + Kick Pidgeotto if Level 18 for it
   - Once in blaze or barely out of blaze, kill the rat
      * Can stall on Ekans for about 5 damage, Oddish for 1
   - SAVE for Hiker Wayne (Onix) if no revive or pokes to revive with
   - NEVER yolo spinner Dan (either double bag manip or bag manip -> run to walk manip, which is very tight)
   - Grab oran berry?
   - Ether is a good backup for kick pp if bad attack
   - Potion turn 1 (or before the fight, idk which yet) on Camper Flint if in deep blaze

S.S. Anne

   - Optional save for Dig Rocket (kick miss can be super slow, idk how bad things can get)
   - SAVE for Raticate camper (Jeff)
   - Grab sitrus berry?
   - Grab bike voucher before shopping
   - Ember nido if in blaze
   - Consider damaging into blaze then using antidote if you trigger poison point (work in progress, idk how risky deathwarp strats are or how many more super potions are consumed)
   - SAVE for Rival 3 AlWAYS

Misty

   - Heal to appropriate HP and equip berries if using berry strats?
   - SAVE for Misty

Rock Tunnel

   - Can punch Bellsprouts/bugs if deathwarped/took boat heal post rival 3, otherwise ember them all then take center
   - Highly recommend grabbing hidden super potion
   - If grabbed ether, you can ether kick after first Slowpoke
   - Kick + punch is a fairly bad to really bad range for both Slowpokes
      * Mostly consider it if medium to high attack and high rolled the second Slowpoke
   - Optional saves: second Slowpoke if medium to low kick pp, Allen, Dudley
   - Consider grabbing revive if used previous revive
   - Can ember (or punch?) or brick break picnicker's pidgey and meowth depending on ember pp
   - Heal above half health for Allen and Dudley
      * Super Potions are usually good, for Allen preferably heal so rock throw can put you into blaze for Lenny

Celadon/Rocket Hideout/Surge/Lavender

   - Consider selling nugget (allows you to buy extra x specs/guard specs/hyper potions/revives)
   - Grab hideout calcium if low spatk (slightly safer regardless of iv but not required)
      * Can use in a special menu some time before 2nd guard Rocket if you want benefits for Giovanni 1
   - Heal out of Rock Throw range before Giovanni 1
   - Potion if in Kanga Fake Out range, Super instead if not going for the Wartortle range
      * Can go for without a revive but much riskier before Wartortle likely kills you with torrent water gun

Silph/Sabrina

   - Optional saves: Rival (recommended), Giovanni 2 if you can't heal out of kill range and keep blaze
   - Can grab plant revive if you don't have one
   - Use calcium before escape rope if haven't yet

Koga

   - Candy if can keep blaze and going for range
      * If miss range and you bought extra x specs, use one on the heal turn?
   - (Optional) Save for Koga

Blaine

   - Heal to about 100 hp, more if low defenses
      * (Optional, very unlikely to die but dying is very slow) Save for Blaine
   - Do not fight Blaine at +2
   - Remember that you need to stay in blaze for about 2 levelups after this fight

Giovanni 3/Victory Road

   - Not much to say for the gym, don't misclick and save flamethrower pp as necessary
   - Optional save for Viridian Rival (dying, while unlikely, is very costly and slow)
   - Grab sitrus if necessary

Elite Four + Champ

   - Save for each fight
      * Fairly optional for Agatha (especially if you outspeed her), however a random shadow punch crit is a huge setback
   - Use Sunny Day on champ to simulate the blaze boost if out of blaze and low on x specs or guard spec turns
      * In this case, go for a range on Arcanine (or heal if low health), use Sunny Day on heal turn if you miss the range