In a standard Nuzlocke, you get one mon per route. Sacred Gold throws dozens of gift Pokémon at you: Togepi, Eevee, Dratini, Hoenn starters, Sinnoh starters, Beldum, Riolu, and more. If you stick to the "one per route" rule strictly, you lose these. Gifts do not count as your encounter for that area. Why? Because Drayano balances the bosses assuming you have access to these powerful tools. Refusing a Beldum before Morty is masochism, not skill.

The early game is crucial in a Sacred Gold Nuzlocke challenge. Here are some tips to help you get started:

Before we dive into the tips, let's quickly recap the basic rules of a Nuzlocke challenge:

Routes in Sacred Gold have been edited to include Pokémon that are usually version-exclusives or unobtainable until the post-game.