last updated: lol who even knows
My Squads
The Intro Ramble
Pokémon teams. You've made one, I've made more than one, we both know how this goes. I've played a lot of Pokémon over the years, and I've made an effort to made sure that I never use the same squad of six more than once for any given playthrough. As I've done so, I've amassed a number of digital friends that have shaped my experiences. I am exicted to share with you, dear reader, some details about my intimiate relationship with lines of code that happen to make up digital pets, with whom I've usually spent about 25+ hours, if not MANY MANY MORE.
This is the page where I will share my "bros" from my casual playthrouhgs that I've completed over the years. These are teams that I've usually beaten the game with, whether that be reaching the Hall of Fame or otherwise. I'll be grouping them primarily based on the "main six" (or more in the case of some games) and when I used them in chronological order, and providing a bit of context about each playthrough in the process. My goal, as always, is to be as honest and accurate as possible so you'll have to forgive me if I forget or omit any details1.
THIS IS STILL UNDER CONSTRUCTION, I HAVE NOT PUT EVERYTHING HERE. I'M WOKRING ON IT :U
Y (Leonard) - Decade Later Kalos Replay (2024-2025)
Hmmm yes I chose to use all the busted stuff but not have a good way to handle Ghost Dark Types on the switch... Sure. Why not.
FireRed (Sven) - Summer 2024
Sapphire (Harold) - Summer 2023 Discussion Club
Read more about this playthrough in my Zine: SAPPHIRE SUMMATION, found on my Zine page!
Scarlet - Launch Playthrough 2022
Yes, I really used 18 here.
Heart Gold (Walt) - Summer 2022 Shiny Hunt
My singular attempt at a shiny hunting playthrough that doubled as a replay of gen4 Johto. I have a much greater appreciation for Meganium and the Chikorita line in general having finished this playthrough, even if it still prefer the Cyndaquil and Totodile lines more. Let the record show I think all the Johto starters are winners in their own special way.
White 2 (Darryl) - Spring 2022 Livestream
For me, it's Huge Power Azumarill.
Brilliant Diamond - Launch Playthrough 2021
It's not that I regret this playthrough, but it makes me wish I had chosen to play a different iteration of Sinnoh instead. It's whatever. I like my team, it was a good enough itme. I was not impressed by Brilliant Diamond, in fact, I found it to be quite a slog. I wish they had included some of Platinum's improvements. But whatever, this isn't a review of Brilliant Diamond. I suppose saying "this game was really easy" doesn't carry much water when I used shit like Manaphy and Alakazam. Still, I got to use a Drifblim! I've never used a Drifblim before! I also got to use a Luxray, which may seem like a basic choice, but I don't really adhere to the "standard Sinnoh team" through principle. I think Luxray was a fine mon to use, but it sort of holds a position of "early game mon you grow attached to and are unwilling to box even as it starts to fall off".
White (Volta) - Summer 2021 Livestream
My first run where I boxed my starter in favor of using Drilbur and later Excadrill. I am not enthused by the Unova states in their main- mode states save for Oshawott's line, so I let myself go hog wild with using all the new dudes I wanted to use. Lots of really cool dudes in this team, lemme tell ya.
Crystal Clear - Colorado Ski Trip 2021
Stoned at Steamboat Springs between undergrad and graduate school. This was really a cool RomHack, would definitely recommend. I got to use Slowking AND Scizor AND Snorlax am in the "main game". Started with Slowpoke and just evolved it with the NPC in game that facilitates trade evolutions. so great.
Sword - Launch Playthrough 2019
LeafGreen (Volta) - Fastforwarded "Let's Play" 2018
This was a good squad stuck on a disrespectful playthrough. I have fond memories of the team, but I played on a Fast Forwarded emulator, and didn't bother taking the time to appreciate the game itself, and that's really no way to play. Some fun nicknames in this bunch too. Shoutouts to "Spoogh" the Victreebel. Gotta be one of my favorites in recent memory.
Emerald - Summer 2018 China Train Ride SUPERSPEED RUN
A long story short, I found myself on a train traveling from Beijing to Hangzhou with nothing but a laptop, a Pokemon Emerald rom and about 12 hours. In that time, I managed to race through the entirety of pokemon Emerald with this squad, beating Wallace 7 hours into the train ride at around 3:13 AM. Among other things, I now understand why that one kid I knew claimed that Blaziken was the coolest Pokemon ever- this dude's very cool and VERY fun to use.
I think of all of my Pokemon playthroughs, this one might be the most special. Maybe it still remains second fiddle to my original Emerald playthrough (my first ever mainline Pokemon game I owned), but it's a strong contender. I passed the ROM to everyone else in my study aborad group on the trip, and everyone else was playing it on the train as well, though not quite at my pace. Still, it was so cool to be able to share the game with them.
Ultra Sun - Launch Playthrough 2017
Sun - Launch Playthrough 2016
Omega Ruby - Launch Playthrough 2014
X - Launch Playthrough 2013
I think of all the Pokemon games I have played, it's my 2013 playthrough of Pokemon X that stands out in my mind more than almost any other. This isn't because of my enjoyment of the game, but rather because it is an inflection point. I started this game when I was 15 years old, a sophomore in High School. The world was slowly but surely changing, and Pokemon, for the first time, had let me down. I very much love this squad for matters both childishly stupid, and sincerely personal. Maybe some day I'll write about how I learned a lot about the world from Pokemon X. But I liked this squad a bunch. I really like Aurorus and Goodra. I wish it had been easier to find more of the new mons, but I enjoyed Nidoking quite a bit too.
Black 2 - Launch Playthrough 2012
This is it. This is the one. This is my favorite Pokemon game.
Soul Silver (Roy) - Replay 2012
Black - Launch Playthrough 2011
I remember being quite disappointed with the Unova starters at first, though I was pretty smitten with "Daikenki". I suppose this extends to my understanding of all the Pokemon on this team. I'ts Daikenki, Gigaisu, Kokoromori (my favorite name of the bunch), Shibirudon, Shandera, and Sazandora. I fear I was so into the pre-release hype of Pokemon Black and White that I had made my team before the game had even made it to the United States. I would have my Sazandora, even if it meant finding someone in my serebii.net competitive Pokemon clan, Operation Obliviate, to trade with me. To this day, Pokemon Black remains my most-played Pokemon game in terms of cumulative play time.
Platinum (Emile) - The Action Replay Replay 2011
I used an action replay to hack in 999 rare candies and catch other trainer's Pokemon in this one. Not proud of that necessarily, but what are you going to do when you're like 13 years old? Alas, none of us are truly without sin, gaming or otherwise.
Soul Silver - Launch Playthrough 2010
LeafGreen (Jordan) - Sometime circa 2008
I don't know what happened to the others. Maybe I gotta add the "diaspora" / uncertain origins "bros" since I've got a bunch of them.
Emerald - Sometime circa 2008
This is not my first playthrough of Emerald. I think this was a replay when I had transferred all my primary playthrough "bros" to Diamond, and wanted to replay Emerald. It's a good fun squad, Jerry.
Then again, how would you even know if anything's missing? Maybe I care too much about this trivial matter. Oh well.↩︎