Part 15: Samsara Cave

Hello everyone and welcome back. This update isn't going to be very long, but I want to get it out before I record the next section.



The acid pool in the upper left was guarding a hyper potion. Those are always nice to find. Don't forget, we have them available to buy now! The level curve in this game is really, really weird.



The rude couple having a conversation have finally moved on, so let's go exploring the Crossroads.



This is really just a liminal screen, but it is the first place in the game that we can catch a Ditto!





But if we're gonna hunt for one, let's first get this jerk out of the way. They're oddly difficult to find and I don't want any more interruptions than necessary.



So this is going to be a bit of a theme in this update. Gateau is extremely weak. She falls over to a stiff breeze and requires using a few stat boosting moves to make her usable. As cute of a concept as "Crustle but cake" is, I just can't get behind her in terms of usability.



She is slow as molasses.... she has a base speed of 45. Defense is her best stat at 125 base, but she falls over if anything so much as breathes on her.



Chompy Boy shares her durability of a wet paper bag, but unlike Gateau, he at least can fall back on his extremely impressive attack and speed. Sharpedo has the stats to use his attacks while Delta Crustle does not.





5 minutes of searching (and 3 other Dittos that KOed themselves on Chompy Boy) later...



This Ditto should look like a Sharpedo but doesn't. Not sure if that's a bug or if Transform just doesn't work right in Insurgence.





So let's take a minute to discuss pokemon breeding and how it works with Deltas. More specifically how it doesn't work with Deltas. Since she's gonna be the topic of most of today's commentary, let's use Gateau as an example. Per the Pokemon Insurgence wiki...



Normal Dittos won't work. So I can't fish for a better Delta Scyther, for instance. So when do we get Delta Ditto, you may ask? You know the answer already. Deep in your heart of hearts you know.

The postgame.







With supereffective STAB damage on a Throh she couldn't even one shot it.



Even Dracolich is finally pulling his weight since he evolved and replaced Shadow Sneak with the infinitely more useful Shadow Ball.



So I finally had enough. I don't have high expectations for the pokemon I use. I want them to deal good damage and to not fall over with a stiff breeze. Gateau consistently failed to impress me whenever I used her. The bar I set is so low as to be nearly touching the ground and she still failed to clear it.

In any other game it wouldn't be a big problem, but Insurgence is really fucking hard. You can't use something just because you like it. Yes the cake crab is incredibly cute, and in the postgame she has the chance to be really fucking broken. But there is a really long way to go between now and then.

One of you in the thread mentioned that she doesn't get good until she learns Shell Smash... at 43. Given the choice between using something that can pull its own weight and something that's dead weight until what would be the endgame in literally any other game... I know what I'll pick every fuckin' time.

Even if I kept her until she got Shell Smash, she still wouldn't be good. She'd have to survive that first hit in order to use it, and that's something that she has trouble with. Let's face it, she's not going to outspeed anything... ever.



So Gateau is sent to the SHAME BOX, the final reward for Deltas that are so terrible as to be unusable. If I had access to Delta Geodude, it would be in here already. It's also a fate she won't be alone in for very long.



So let's train up a replacement for Gateau. This is something I wanted to use anyway, and this is a perfect opportunity. This is actually an old request from back near the start of the LP.





I hate that she lost Pickup, but Sturdy will also come in handy. Fancy is going to be one of the permanent members of the team for very good reason... an Insurgence-only reason at that.



Even better... Bulldoze is a move that she can learn only from the Move Relearner. It's like Earthquake, But Not As Good. Which makes it perfect for this point in the game! It's not grossly overpowered, and gives her access to an amazing STAB attack. Also, if you recall, Bulldoze is one of the strength replacements.

So now we can use our elephant tank to push boulders around.



And... whoops. Stopped recording for a moment and then forgot to start back up. We're now on Route 5. I'd say you missed a trainer battle, but take it from me... you really, really didn't miss anything.









Fancy is impressing me quite a bit. I also want you all to understand just how much restraint it's taking to not post a link to a Reba McEntire song whenever I talk about our little rolling elephant.



That guy above mentioned Samsara Cave, and speak of the devil here it is.



Samsara cave is odd. There's two parts... the early game part we can access now, and a part we can't even get close to until we're deep in the postgame. You need Rock Climb and Waterfall replacements to even access the upper half. That's also where the Relic Song sidequest finally terminates.







Nice statue.





There's a whole lotta nothing in here. No encounters, no fish to find... just a bunch of exquisitely crafted statues.



Things change here in the next room. There's a lot of fighting types in here for some reason, and some odd looking Pidgey statues.



Excuse me... Pidgeotto.





The button is pretty obvious in the screenshot, but if you don't know to expect it, it doesn't immediately jump out.



Pressing the button opens up a hole in the floor.





My first time playing I was so excited to find this little guy. So let's take a closer look...

















Delta Pidgey is a Dark/Dragon type. Yes, it's a cockatrice. It's really cool. It still has the usual Pidgey problems of being extremely okay, but... How could you not love a cockatrice pokemon? In my original run I used one for a long time, but he finally petered out toward the end when I replaced him.

In terms of abilities, Pidgey has Intimidate (cuts attack by one stage), Early Bird (wakes up from sleeping sooner), and Marvel Scale (Hidden; Defense +50% if suffering from a status affliction). Pidgeotto has the same abilities, and Pidgeot loses Early Bird for Keen Eye (prevents accuracy loss). There's also a Mega Delta Pidgeot which just has Intimidate.

It even learns the Glare move in the early 30s, which is amazing. And with the Move Relearner, Delta Pidgeot can learn its signature move Medusa Ray, which turns the foe into a pure rock type.

In terms of pure execution on an idea, this is one of the best and most fully-realized Deltas in the game. It's a pity we already have a Dragon type, because if not I'd be all over this again.







That's all that I have recorded, so that's the end of this mini update! Let's now look ahead to see what's coming.

Koril Town (Special)

Omanyte
Kabutops
Lileep
Archen

Koril Town (Surf)

Squirtle
Tentacruel

Koril Town (Fishing)

Cloyster
Kingler
Whiscash

Rezzai Desert

Vibrava
Hippopotas
Krokorok

Rezzai Cavern

Dugtrio (10%)
Graveler
Marowak
Boldore (10%)
Axew

Rezzai Cavern (Surf)

Quagsire
Gastrodon (West Sea)

Rezzai Cavern (Fishing)

Gyarados
Palpitoad

NEXT TIME: Into the desert...