Eleven Ways To Get Better At Reborn Challenge Running

[Yeshua_Kristos]

So, you’re done with Reborn and want to replay it. Want to get better at playing Pokémon in general? Maybe you want to roleplay as a Reborn character, a canon series character, or one of your OC’s. Perhaps you want to see one of the game’s other endings, but don’t want to just do another regular playthrough. Or you are—for whatever reason—striving for the dubious honor of being called crazy by Ame herself.

 

In any case, welcome to the world of Reborn challenge running! Ever since I began hanging out with the runners of this game, I’ve wanted to write an article about our runs. They’ve been very kind and welcoming to me, so this is my small way of paying it forward: by telling you, dear readers, about different ways you can improve your skills at running Reborn. Here we go!

 

1. Have fun!

This won’t necessarily improve your skills at the game per se, but it will improve your mentality when you go into this game. Challenge runs are meant to be fun! Whether you’re nuzlocking or speedrunning or roleplaying or doing some kind of mono, these are always supposed to be fun, and there is no wrong or right way to run. A common line runners say is “Your run, your rules.” Who cares about what other people think if you’re not doing a run the “right” way?

 

The only right way to play Reborn is to do whatever is most fun for YOU. If one of your rules is too stressful for you, change the rule and keep going! If you’re not having fun with a run, take a break! Play a different game, make yourself a nice cold drink, rant about your frustrations to a friend or to God, go to sleep—then either go back to your run, or ditch it entirely and do something else.

 

A significant reason why I got into running Reborn is because I saw how much fun everybody was having. Yes, it is awesome that my friends have limit tested this game by blowing it away with only Vivillon, or beating it up with unevolved Fairies, or even pelting it with Sunkern. And don’t get me started on Skies and Terra, the only people who have cleared postgame under hardcore nuzlocke rules. Twice.

 

But the important thing is that they are having FUN doing it, and chuckling at Ame’s befuddlement. And speaking of having fun…

 

2. Keep things fun for everybody!

Pokémon is primarily a single-player game, but if you’ve spent any amount of time in a Pokémon community before coming to Reborn, you know that it takes a village to reach a championship—a village full of people cheering you on. So be kind to the residents of that village! Remember that what is fun for you may not always be fun for others.

 

When a newbie asks you for advice, give them that advice and don’t look down on them for being inexperienced. When a veteran offers you advice, accept that advice graciously, or turn it down respectfully if you think the advice doesn’t fit your situation. When you are having a hard time in your run, let your feelings out if you must—but not to the point of making people uncomfortable.

 

When someone is making you uncomfortable and unwelcome while you’re running, don’t hesitate to block them, even report them if you must. That way, you make them stop and you keep the community peaceful for everybody’s sake. Then we can all have fun beating Pyrous Garchomp’s ass again.

 

3. Use passwords and QOL features.

Passwords were added to Reborn for a reason! This game is hard, yes, but it is no longer tedious. Level grinding is easy. EV training is easy. Finding Pokémon for your team is easy. Heck, due to story changes, getting to the next gym has become easier, too! Passwords are in this game and they are here for you to use, so take advantage of them.

 

4. Maximize your resources.

One of Reborn’s avenues for skill expression is testing how well you can use what the game gives you, especially in the earlygame. “Aw, Taunt/Torment/Psych Up? What am I supposed to do with these???” “Man, the mons in Peridot Alley are so lame, and the mons in Seacrest’s garden aren’t much better!” But all these “lame” moves and mons are there for a reason: for you to use. (In fact, somebody’s already beaten the entire game—postgame included—with just mons available in Chapter 1. How’s that for “lame” mons?) 

 

For example, if you’re running mono-Bug and you’re fighting a double battle, you can have Crustle use Shell Smash, then have Vivillon use Psych Up to copy Crustle’s boosts. Another example: don’t want Radomus to get up Trick Room turn one? Use Taunt on Malamar and Fake Out on Reuniclus. Problem solved, now the momentum is on your side.

 

Make the most of your earlygame resources, and you’ll learn to maximize what you get in lategame/postgame.

 

5. Look things up/ask for help.

Is there something you don’t know or are unsure about? Go to Serebii and look up movepools. Is it something specific to Reborn? Then go to the guides channel on Reborn’s Discord server; it’s there for a reason. Guides not enough? Then go to the Challenge Run Discussion thread; this is not the first run any of us has done, and we’ll be glad to share our knowledge and experience with you. (Most of the time. XD)

 

Part of getting better at anything is knowing what you don’t know, and then getting to know it. So never hesitate to look something up or ask others for help.

 

6. Get familiar with how AI works.

Reborn’s AI is a hydra that seemingly makes the worst decisions at the worst possible times, especially in partner battles—but it does have consistent behaviors, and it pays to keep track of them. A non-exhaustive list:

 

-AI acts according to what mon is currently out on the field.

-AI will usually go for the most consistent killing move, unless your mon’s HP is low enough that any move will kill it—then, it will pick its attack randomly.

-AI will take more aggressive actions when it sees you only have one mon left/you only brought one mon/your current mon’s level is significantly lower than the AI’s.

-AI will take note of what mons and moves you have revealed in battle thus far, and decide its actions accordingly—for example, Heather’s Gengar is less likely to use Thunder if you have shown Heather that you have a Ground-type in the back.

-AI will not try to use setup moves if it thinks it isn’t safe to do so, such as when it sees you can score a kill on it.

-AI will heavily favor switching out if it’s been drastically debuffed, particularly in offenses or speed.

-If items are on for the AI, it won’t use items on the same mon more than twice in a battle.

 

Why does it pay to learn how the AI works, see how its behavior changes/doesn’t change between resets, even look at the battle log if you can? Because when you know what it will do, you can plan and implement better strategies and tactics. For example, if you can get Terra’s Lycanroc to always use Swords Dance during the finale gauntlet, you can punish her for it by bringing Spectral Thief Marshadow and soloing her with it.

 

But an even better reason to learn how the AI works is coming up right…

 

7. Try pivoting.

…now!

 

If you don’t know what pivoting is, it’s when you switch one mon in to bait a move, then switch in another mon that can take that move. For a basic example, let’s say you have Skarmory and Toxapex facing down a Camerupt. Pex can switch into Flamethrowers baited by Skarm, and Skarm can switch into Earth Powers baited by Pex. 

 

(As smart as Reborn’s AI can be at times, it will never try to predict switches. If it uses Flamethrower on Skarm as Pex switches out, that just means Pex had low enough HP that any move could kill it, and Camerupt decided to use Flamethrower at random.)

 

More broadly, pivoting is the art and science of switching teammates in while taking little to no damage in the process. Switching in Clear Smog Amoonguss right as Xerneas uses Geomancy; using Ally Switch or slow U-turn to get in Dragonite with its Multiscale intact; switching in Heliolisk and Lucario right as Blake uses an Ultra Potion on his Walrein…

 

When you’ve learned how Reborn’s AI works, you can apply that knowledge by making aggressive decisions to punish your opponents, and pivoting is certainly an aggressive strategy.

 

Do note, however, that pivoting is generally more useful when you’re playing on Set mode (when you don’t get the option to switch out after killing an opponent’s mon) than when you’re playing on Switch mode (when you DO get that option). But it’s still a useful skill to hone—especially given how many double battles there are in this game, and how doubles fights do NOT prompt you to switch out even if Switch mode is on.

 

8. Think!

You’d be surprised by how much people take thinking for granted—both in real life and in challenge running. But the best runners don’t just stop thinking about the game when the game is over.

 

The best runners are good thinkers—after fights, we talk about what happened with each other, make a writeup about the battle, pinpoint where RNG was in our favor, and so on. Before fights, we use damage calculators, write down flowcharts, and prepare movesets and EV spreads. Heck, before we even start a run, we think about what mons we’re allowed to catch, what our matchups against bosses will look like, and if clearing everything up to the postgame is feasible.

 

Think about what goes right or wrong in your run. Won a fight cleanly? Great! Think about how you were able to maximize your team’s strong points. Won the fight narrowly? Think about how you managed to eke out a win and what you could’ve done to make the victory cleaner. Losing the same fight repeatedly? Think about what you could change in terms of your mons and your strategy.

 

Don’t think TOO hard, though!

 

9. Don’t overthink things.

Yes, even the most experienced runners think a little too much—game knowledge can fail you like that. But sometimes, the simplest play is the best play! Sure, coming up with a flashy strategy can help you stretch your teambuilding muscles, but there’s no need to create complicated plans if the simplest plan will be just as effective. 

 

Yes, Charlotte will go down to Wide Guard spam and Shell Smash Rock Slide Crustle. Yes, you can sweep Luna at the Glass Gauntlet with one mon, freeing up your other five team slots for the first and third fights. Yes, you can sweep Anomaly Manaphy with Thunder.

 

Think hard, but not too hard. Sometimes, the answer to your latest problem is simpler than you think.

 

10. RNG is a double-edged sword.

Reborn is a tough game with many opportunities for skill expression…but it is still a Pokémon game. Thus, it is full of RNG. Blizzard double freeze. Icy Wind double miss. Three crits in a row without any crit modifiers. Two turns of full paralysis. One turn sleep. High rolls and low rolls, especially in the Circus. All these have happened to us, in our favor or otherwise.

 

But as some people like to say, luck is a skill. More accurately, luck management is a skill.

 

You can’t ever avoid RNG entirely, so the best thing you can do is create strategies that minimize the impact of unfavorable RNG, while also leaving room for good RNG. Part of doing that is ensuring you can end fights in as few turns as possible. The longer a battle goes on, the more likely it is you’ll get screwed by a crit or a side effect—that’s just how probability works.

 

Expect the worst, hope for the best! Always keep RNG in mind, especially when you’re nuzlocking. Can’t exactly F12 your way out of unlucky crits in a nuzlocke! (You could, actually, but then the Nuzlocke Validation Council would come hunting for your head.)

 

11. Practice makes perfect!

My father has always said there are only three ways to get better at anything. First, you practice. Second, you practice. Finally, you practice. It applies to everything, especially challenge running.

 

“But nobody’s perfect, so what’s the point of practicing?”

 

Self-improvement, if nothing else. Yes, nobody is perfect—but the process of striving for perfection in Reborn grants you a deeper understanding of Pokémon. It allows you to bond with and befriend veteran runners and new players alike. And it lets you grow into the pro gamer your younger self would have loved to watch.

 

In short: git gud. Gitting gud is excellent for your health. ^_^

 

And that’s eleven ways you can get better at challenge running Reborn. Good luck and have fun out there--and I'll meet ya in the Hall of Fame. 

 

Spoiler

Shout-outs to my challenge runner buddies. Torre, Arcane, Vug, stardust, Rainer, Apophyll, Skies, Terra, Garde, mordy, Dusk, Maken...y'all made these past months fun. I hope you enjoyed this little tribute. Ily!