AnnaH

Sparkly Wind chaining isn’t the core of the team — just one mechanic that happens to work in the current build because you left it untouched. The real synergy is in Permanent Rain + Swift Swim + Helping Hand, backed by full trap immunity. I even noted in the post that other mods specifically removed the Speed boost from these kinds of moves to avoid this interaction — here, it’s still in, so I assumed it was intentional. Either way, fish goes brrr until further notice.

[Explorers of Alpha – HC Mode Team Drop] TL;DR: Fish goes brrr – Lumineon/Phione Rain Team Hardcore Mode too hard? This team abuses untouched mechanics. No cheats, just a fast fish on a mission. Core Strategy Swift Swim + Rain = attack twice per turn for big (STAB) damage Sparkly Wind chains extra turns when the omni-boost activates Helping Hand = +2 Atk/Sp. Atk in one turn Everyone runs Protect + Water Pulse = don't die in boss fights + arguably the best STAB line of sight (LoS) attack Full trap immunity (IQ skills) = walk freely Lumineon (Hero) Swift Swim = attack twice; Sparkly Wind can theoretically hit up to 8 times in one turn Sparkly Wind, Protect, Water Pulse, Moonblast X-Ray Specs + Map Surveyor = sees all, snipes all Phione (Partner) Swift Swim + Helping Hand = team-wide +2 Sp. Atk/Atk Rain Dance, Protect, Water Pulse, Helping Hand Special Band = support that punches back Pelipper (3rd) Drizzle = free Rain forever Surf, Air Slash, Protect, Water Pulse Special Band + Concentrator = boosted room-wide and LoS attacks that never miss Honorable Mention: Delibird Prankster = Helping Hand used twice per turn, rain or not Does the same job as Phione, but lacks Rain Dance (so Lumineon would need to run it) If you like NU-tier Pokémon with attitude, go for it Why It Works Moves like Sparkly Wind, Silver Wind, Quiver Dance, etc., that can give a Speed boost also reset the turn - other mods removed only the Speed boost, not this one Protect saves lives — bosses are immune to status, but they can't KO what they can’t hit Since bosses almost never use Light Screen, you can safely go full Special Attack Fish goes brrr. Bosses cry. Hardcore goes byebye.

Calling Finneon’s movepool "abyssal" seems like a stretch. It gets Rain Dance, Water Pulse, and can learn Surf (now an AoE move that targets only enemies). Lumineon even adds Fairy typing and Sparkly Wind, which makes for a solid core: weather setup, two AoE STABs, and arguably the strongest STAB line-of-sight option. It’s far from weak or limited. In contrast, Buizel doesn’t even learn Rain Dance. Without support, it can’t activate Swift Swim on its own. If the concern is early-game snowballing, adjusting Buizel’s availability might’ve been a more balanced approach than outright removing its ability on higher difficulties. What surprises me most is the labeling of weather synergy as “degenerate.” That seems misplaced. Weather mechanics aren’t about cheesing; they’re about understanding and building around the systems the game provides. Designing synergistic teams is a key part of strategic gameplay, not a shortcut. The mod itself demonstrates just how powerful weather mechanics can be. For example, Deep Dusk Forest pits players against a Drought Ninetales, creating permanent sun and a field full of Chlorophyll users who act twice per turn. That’s brutal because of the weather. It’s odd to see this tactic called “degenerate” while you intentionally create a sun-based level in a world that’s supposely dark and paralyzed. Why is the AI given that power while discouraging the player from using the same strategy? And just to geek out for a second: Sparkly Wind has a chance to raise all stats, including Speed. Combine that with Swift Swim and you get some crazy synergy. Imagine being in a Monster House and it's raining. If one of the two Sparkly Winds triggers the stat boost, the turn resets, allowing for two more attacks. If you activate the boost again, you get two more attacks. This can potentially quadruple your Speed, leading to up to 8 Sparkly Winds in a single turn.

Thanks for the feedback. I just wanted to point out one thing that felt a bit inconsistent: if Buizel’s Swift Swim is disabled due to being a list starter and potentially enabling strong early strategies, then it’s a bit odd that Finneon (also a list starter) retains both Swift Swim and Storm Drain on the same difficulty. Also, I think it’s worth saying that researching and building teams with synergy — like rain-based comps — doesn’t necessarily fall under “degenerate” strategies. To me, that label feels more appropriate for things like giving your Pokémon infinite stats or giving them illegal moves/abilities. Team-building is a big part of the fun and depth of these games, especially in Hardcore where prep is everything. Anyway, I’m not expecting changes, just wanted to share some feedback from my playthrough in case it's useful. I appreciate all the work that’s gone into this mod.

Hardcore Playthrough – Thoughts After Sky Peak & Marowak Quest Hey there, First off thanks for creating and sharing this mod. I've been playing on Hardcore and just finished the Sky Peak and Marowak Dojo quests. It’s been a real challenge so far, and I wanted to share some thoughts and observations from the experience: PP Management One major issue is the lack of Max Elixirs and the fact that Reviver Seeds no longer restore PP. Ability Locking by Difficulty I noticed that certain Pokémon — e.g., Buizel — have abilities locked depending on the difficulty. For example, Swift Swim is only available on Difficult and not on Expert or Hardcore. That really limits the potential for building strong end-game rain teams to help counter the intensity of Hardcore. I get that Buizel with Swift Swim early might be too strong, but maybe just make Buizel available later instead of locking the ability out completely. Team & Strategy I'm currently using Wingull and Pikachu to get through Hardcore. It's been rough but manageable when having access to unlimited items (not using stat boosts — only for getting TM's, items and max IQ). Since enemies scale with your level/stats, Helping Hand almost feels mandatory to do damage. Ability & Mechanics Inconsistencies There are a few notable differences from the mainline games. For example: Delibird gets Prankster Glaceon, Sandslash, Mamoswine all have Slush Rush Froslass gets Snow Warning None of these are part of their standard abilities in the base games. It's not a problem but having a reference or changelog for ability changes would be very helpful. Boss Design Some bosses are insanely strong, and many are completely immune to status moves. This really narrows the range of viable counterplay options. Most fights come down to stacking Violent Seeds, Helping Hand, and relying on Endure to survive as long as possible. Without Endure, it feels nearly impossible to get through fights like Dialga, Celebi, or the Graduation battle without burning through 10+ Reviver Seeds. Even using Light Screen or similar support moves doesn’t help much bosses often use room-wide attacks with absurd damage. I've also noticed bosses don’t seem to run Reflect or Light Screen themselves (and just to be clear I’m not asking for that to be added, please no). Trap Avoider Suggestion Please consider making Trap Avoider available to all Pokémon. It’s totally fine if Trap Seer stays locked behind specific IQ groups, but Avoider would be a big QoL improvement especially since visible trap avoiding is standard in Super Mystery Dungeon. IQ Group Balance The IQ groups that grant Concentrator feel inherently superior. Unless a Pokémon can attack twice via item or ability, Concentrator is practically a requirement for end-game viability. The only exception might be Pokémon with weather controling Abilities. I'm not sure what the solution is, but the balance feels tilted from the core. That’s it for now looking forward to seeing how the rest of the mod unfolds. Thanks again for all the time and effort you’ve put into this project!

Did you change anything in how abilities and movesets are determined for Pokemon in Alpha? Normally I can customize rom hacks to my liking but it doesn't seem to be the case for this one. If I try to edit the Alpha ROM in skytemple it won't actually load my changes in dungeon but uses the "original". Is this on purpose? E.g. I have noticed that female Ponyta gets the ability Flash Fire and Speed Boost (should be Flash Fire and Run Away according to Starter Selector) which is great for solo speedrunning but in a party inconvenient since it now moves faster than its teammembers. When I change the ability for Ponyta in skytemple to Run Away (ID #077 version 1 has Speed Boost and is shiny interestingly) it's still Speed Boost when I enter a dungeon. However in the overworld it's Run Away! How come the game loads two different Abillity sets for in dungeon and overworld?