Can You Use Rare Candies in a Nuzlocke?
The Rare Candy debate is one of the most discussed topics in the Nuzlocke community. Can you use Rare Candies to level up your Pokémon? Is it cheating? Here's the full breakdown.
The Short Answer
There is no official rule against Rare Candies. The original Nuzlocke rules say nothing about items. It's a self-imposed challenge, so ultimately it's your choice. However, the community has strong opinions on both sides.
Arguments FOR Using Rare Candies
It Saves Grinding Time
The biggest argument: grinding is tedious and adds nothing strategic to the run. Fighting wild Pokémon for hours to reach a level cap isn't challenging — it's just time-consuming. Rare Candies skip the boring part and let you focus on the actual boss fights, which are the real challenge.
It Doesn't Affect Battle Outcomes
Whether you reached Level 30 by grinding or by using Rare Candies, your Pokémon's stats are identical. The battles play out exactly the same way. The challenge comes from the fights, not from the grind.
Most YouTubers Use Them
Popular Nuzlocke content creators like Pokémon Challenges, FlygonHG, and Jan commonly use infinite Rare Candies (via cheats or mods) specifically to skip grinding. Their runs are still considered legitimate Hardcore Nuzlockes.
Arguments AGAINST Using Rare Candies
Grinding Has Strategic Value
During grinding, you encounter wild Pokémon that can potentially KO your team members. This adds risk. You also discover your Pokémon's move learnsets naturally and get to practice with them before boss fights.
It Feels Like Cheating
For some players, using items that aren't naturally found in the game (especially infinite Rare Candies via cheats) breaks the spirit of the challenge. If you're modifying the game, where do you draw the line?
EVs (Effort Values)
Pokémon that level up through battles gain EVs (hidden stat bonuses), while Rare Candy leveling skips EVs entirely. This technically makes Rare Candy-leveled Pokémon slightly weaker, though many players don't track EVs in Nuzlockes anyway.
The Community Consensus
Most of the Nuzlocke community accepts Rare Candy usage, especially in Hardcore Nuzlockes where level caps are enforced. The reasoning is simple: if you're playing with level caps, you're already limiting your Pokémon's levels. How you reach that level cap doesn't change the challenge of the actual fights.