Pokemon Sun - 0 Exp Part 5: Totem Salazzle

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MoogleBoss

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Published on January 18, 2017 3:30:53 PM ● Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y36g7SYCd88

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Pokémon Sun and Moon (2016)

Duration: 8:22

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Kiawe's trial @ Wela Volcano Park.

It seems like no time at all has passed since the previous totem battle, and yet here we are tackling another one of these.

Salazzle is the first poison/fire-type Pokemon, and it's surprising this dual typing has never appeared before (guess they discarded the idea for some sort of Mega Weezing or Alolan Weezing). A lot of poison-types learn Fire Blast as a coverage move. It's faster than most newly introduced mons, it hits strong with special attacks, but its bulk is quite poor - the totem Salazzle gets a special defence boost from the boss bonus, which means taking it out with Scald may not be the brightest idea.

Unlike our previous trials, we are forced to face several evolved Pokemon in a row without any chance to heal up or switch the lead Pokemon.

We face Alolan-Marowak first, then Magmar. A-Marowak is an interesting Pokemon who isn't of that much use in-game even in a regular run - its best STAB move until the very end of the game is Flame Charge, so its damage won't be impressing anybody even if you get his Thick Club. In a 0 exp challenge, Marowak is sadly never available since you need to level-up the Cubone and the evolved form is never found in the wild.

Dewpider with Water Bubble using Scald seems to do a good enough job against both the preliminary battles, but I need it dead before the totem fight begins - the 1st turn of totem battles is comparatively safe before the minion is summoned, so I need somebody who can survive a hit with a high enough amount of HP and attack Salazzle on that same turn. Oricorio (changed into the 1st island electric/flying form with the nectar obtained there) finishes the job that Dewpider could've easily done on its own.

Now, for Salazzle, my lead of choice is my own Salandit. It resists Flame Burst well enough not to lose too much health from it, and it learns Thief via TM - the move allows me to obtain Salazzle's unique Petaya Berry, which increases special attack in a pinch. This is a rare berry inaccessible until much later in the game, so I thought I might appreciate having it in my inventory and the chance to grow more of it immediately after winning this battle and getting Poke Pelago access.

To be frank, I haven't found any situational usage for Petaya Berry just yet, so it may have been a gimmicky side objective to attend to - seeing how Salazzle can be directly OHKO'd by Mudbray using Bulldoze on it on the opening turn. Doing the same when the minion Salandit appears won't achieve the same, as the damage will be split between the two of them and Salazzle will survive.

Once Bulldoze lands on Salazzle, its speed will go down by 1/3, so it is now possible to outspeed it with our Salandit again and finish it off with Thief or Dragon Rage. I get very close to entering the HP range that activates Petaya Berry here, as it was important not to lose the item so that I can preserve and grow more of it after the fight.

Since Salandit is low on HP, Thick Club!Cubone takes on the 2nd minion Salandit with ease.

Overall, if you lack means to OHKO Salazzle right away (or choose not to, like I did here), the duo can get pretty hard on any run. Torment + Taunt limits the moves you can use, and Toxic/Poison Gas combs with Venom Drench/Venoshock. Failing to kill Salazzle outright and triggering Petaya Berry can lead to your whole team being outsped and swept with Flame Burst if nothing resists it.

So much easier for Mudbray users though...

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