Alpha Sapphire Any% FAQ
Is this on emulator?
Nope, I'm running on an New 3DS with an internal capture card from Delfino Customs.
Why Mudkip over Treeko or Torchic?
Mudkip can learn four HMs that we need to complete the game, and generally wrecks house once we get Bulldoze in Mauville City.
Why do you keep resetting on Rival 1?
Most Mudkips don't have high enough IVs to survive the route. At level 6, we need at least the following stats:
14 Attack
10 Defense
10 Special Attack
10 Speed (9 is okay with a minus Speed nature)
please enjoy this guide to good mudkips
What are IVs?
Individual strengths (Japanese: 生まれつきの強さ innate strengths), abbreviated IVs from its more commonly known fan term, Individual values (Japanese: 個体値 individual values), are the Pokémon equivalent of genes. They are instrumental in determining the stats of a Pokémon, being responsible for the large variation in stats among untrained Pokémon of the same species. In the context of Generations I and II, which have a different IV system, IVs are also referred to as determinant values (DVs).
Each of the six battle stats has an IV associated with it, with that IV coming into calculation alongside the Pokémon's base stats, Nature, and EVs to determine the actual stat number. A Pokémon's IVs are fixed when it is generated by the game (i.e. when it is encountered in the wild or given to the player by an NPC), and cannot be changed (although Hyper Training causes stats to become values corresponding the maximum IVs).
– https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Individual_values
What is that grid of numbers at the bottom of the screen?
As Pokémon level up, I enter their stats into a custom IV calculator program. As the program gets more data, it narrows the range of possible IVs for those stat values. Once I'm happy with the level of precision, I stop entering stats.
If a stat has a red name, it is boosted by the Pokémon's nature (+10% to its value).
If the stat has a blue name, it is reduced by the Pokémon's nature (-10% to its value)
Why don't you just manipulate a good starter?
It's not feasible to manipulate RNG in Generation 6 Pokémon games without hacking your 3DS, as there is no other known way to determine what RNG seed you are on.
What are the differences between Alpha Sapphire and Omega Ruby?
The Alpha Sapphire route uses Latias and Kyogre, while the Omega Ruby route uses Latios and Groudon.
Latias is much worse than Latios for speedrunning, as its base stats are geared towards defense instead of offense. This makes the midgame much less reliable.
However, Kyogre is better than Groudon for the Elite Four, so the time to beat either game is generally about the same. (Update Jan. 2022: I no longer think this is true. Omega Ruby is faster except in the most optimal of situations, and even then...)
Team Aqua and Team Magma also use slightly different Pokémon, with Aqua having Sharpedo, Carvanha, and Grimer and Magma having Camerupt, Slugma, and Weezing. Sharpedo is far more dangerous to Mudkip than Camerupt and Slugma as it has Swagger, but Weezing is easier to deal with than Grimer as it doesn't have the Levitate ability.
If Alpha Sapphire is worse than Omega Ruby, why do you run it?
Because I make bad life choices.
What are the dangerous run-ending fights?
Pretty much every other fight in this game can go badly.
Aqua Grunt in Petalburg Woods
Sand Attack can result in a long fight, and a critical hit on Tackle can kill.
Roxanne
A critical hit on Tackle or Rock Tomb can kill.
Aqua Grunt in Rusturf Tunnel
Same problems as the Petalburg Woods Grunt, but with Bite instead of Tackle.
Black Belt Hideki in Brawly's Gym
If we get hit by Low Sweep twice, we likely die. If Low Sweep crits on the second use, we always die. This is the worst fight in the game.
Ace Trainer Tessa in Brawly's Gym
Confusion has a 10% chance to confuse, which breaks our Echoed Voice chain if we hit ourselves and often results in a reset.
Leader Brawly in Brawly's Gym
Sometimes he just decides to kill me because he is a jerk.
Aqua Grunts in the Oceanic Museum
Crits can kill, missing Rock Tomb can get us killed, and we have no way of healing confusion if Zubat's Supersonic hits.
Brendan 2
A low Speed Marshtomp acts after Grovyle, which kills us if it uses Giga Drain. Alternatively, Slugma's Incinerate and Ember each have a 10% chance to burn, which can drop Marshtomp in to Grovyle's Quick Attack range, though this is very rare.
Archie 1
Can die to crits. If Mightyena doesn't use Swagger or it misses and we don't have an extra X Attack because we had low Special Attack or Speed, the run is dead.
Ace Trainer Mary in Norman's Gym
Delcatty knows Attract, so if our Mudkip is male (as 7 out of 8 Mudkips are) we can fail to break through Attract and die a slow, painful Double Slap death.
Ace Trainer George in Norman's Gym
Linoone's just does a lot of damage idk this fight can suck.
Norman
This is the second worst fight in the game. If the first Slaking gets a critical hit on Retaliate, we die unless we have full health. If the second Slaking gets a critical hit on Retaliate or Chip Away, we die no matter what.
Shelly 2
If Ice Fang crits, we sometimes die. This is also not a guaranteed 2-shot kill except at very high Sp. Attack, and a third turn makes this fight a lot dicier.
Brendan 4
Sceptile can kill us if it feels like it. With the PP Max strategy I use now, this is a lot less likely than it used to be.
Archie 2
We need to use a Guard Spec and 2-4 X items. If Mightyena uses Embargo before we're done setting up, the run is over.
Elite Four Sidney
In almost all cases, if we are at full HP on Sidney's Ludicolo, it will use Fake Out, giving us a turn to set up the rest of the fight. I pretty much always play this fight with that assumption; occasionally it attacks me instead, which can put me into a situation where Kyogre dies.
Elite Four Glacia
Walrein knows Sheer Cold, which has a 34% chance to instantly kill (30% plus 4%, as Walrein is level 54 and Kyogre is level 50). Unless I use Primal Kyogre (which is slower), this is a possibility and ends the run.
There's a couple other fights that can go badly, but those are the main offenders. Suffice to say, this is not a safe route.
Why do you play as May instead of Brendan?
May and Brendan have different natures on their Pokémon, and Brendan's are easier to deal with. Also, I am also May, so you'd best bet I'm playing as her.
Why do you watch the credits at the end?
There is a post-credits fight with Brendan that is required by the current rules to be accepted as a valid run by the ORAS community. We do not have to win this fight, so we intentionally lose it, and time ends when the game fades to black after this fight.
What stats make a good Mudkip?
The higher our HP, Attack, Defense, Special Attack, and Speed are, the better. We do not care about Special Defense.
Higher HP and Defense make the Norman and Hideki fights much safer. Higher Attack makes the route faster after Brendan 2. Higher Special Attack makes it more likely to get past Hideki and makes the route faster before Brendan 2.
In general, I prefer Mudkips with high defenses and speed, as they are more consistent.
What stats make a good Latias?
The higher our Special Attack and Speed are, the better. We do not care about Attack and preferably want it to be lower. All legendary Pokémon in ORAS are guaranteed to have three perfect (31) IVs, and we'd like those to go to Special Attack and Speed if possible. Defensive stats aren't important, but higher is better.
What stats make a good Kyogre?
The higher our Special Attack and Speed are, the better. We do not care about Attack, for the same reasons we don't care about Attack on Latias.
We want HP and Defense to be as low as possible, as it makes dying to the post-credits Brendan 5 fight quicker.
Why do you drag Kyogre into the box and then back into your party sometimes?
Putting a Pokémon in the box heals them and restores all PP in all games before Let's Go.
Which bike do you pick?
We use the Mach Bike for the entire run, as the Acro Bike is never required to complete the game.
Why do you name the trainer "!"?
It's the fastest name to input.
What is the world record?
The world record is 3h 04m 48s by truely.