A lot has changed since I was a trainer...

[Deku]

So I recently bought Heart Gold for the 3DS (it's one of the games I really regretted missing out on) and I have to say things have changed. Specifically? Oh, I don't know, SANDSLASH?!

WHAT. THE. HECK.

Sandslash was a BEAST when I was a kid. When I found a Sandshrew in Union Cave, I was all pumped. I raised it and raised it, waiting for it to get better. Waiting. And waiting. And waiting. And waiting. Nothing. Seriously, I'm at the elite 4, and he's my weakest pokemon next to Psyduck, and he's well leveled like everyone else. What gives? I gave him Earthquake, and he's useless half the time!

My team consists of (from most powerful to least)

Ho-oh Lv45
Ampharos Lv 47
Scyther Lv 38
Feraligatr Lv 34
Sandslash Lv 37
Psyduck Lv 31

Ampharos is up there because he's a higher level than the rest of them (at Level 47). Sandslash is at level 37, and is still weaker than both Feraligatr AND Scyther (who is still a beast thankfully).

I've also been steadily raising a Growlithe and a Girafirig. Growlithe needs a fire-stone to evolve, and she wasn't ready for the elite 4, so I replaced her with Ho-oh, until I can get to Kanto and buy a Fire Stone from Celadon. Girafirig just straight up sucked no matter how much I raised it, just like Sandslash.

So what gives? What did they do to my poor Sandslash?

[MagmarFire]

I don't see any changes since Generation II. I'd assume it's because your new Sandslash has bad IVs and/or EVs compared to your old one.

[Deku]

My old Sandslash used to be able to 1HKO almost ANYTHING with one slash. It was beautiful. Scyther seems to have actually gotten better, on the other hand.

I'm at the elite 4 right now, and I'm stuck on Lance. The only thing I have to shoot down his Dragonites with is Feraligatr's Ice Fang... And Dragonite one-shots all of my pokemon (including Ho-oh) with a single Outrage. I'm so stuck... I might just have to die to him so I can play the game some more, and re-challenge him later... I've never had to do that before either. :-\

[MagmarFire]

They have been making the Elite Four harder, yes. Are any of your Pokemon faster than Lance's. If so, do you have your Feraligatr holding Nevermeltice?

[Gamefreak]

I played the Voltorb Flip game in Goldenrod enough to buy a Dratini.  Dragonite absolutely stomps Lance's team.  Or even an adequately leveled Dragonair will do as well.

[Deku]

No, Dragonite is faster than my Feraligatr. The only Pokemon on my team who are faster than his Lv50 Dragonite are Ho-oh and Scyther.

I played the Voltorb Flip game in Goldenrod enough to buy a Dratini.

You sir, are a poke-maniac.

That game is freaking ridiculous. I hate it so much that you can't buy coins anymore. That's so freaking stupid I can't stand it, and it is definitely my biggest complaint about the game. My dreams of getting Ice Beam were dashed when I found out that the only way to get them is with coins. Oh and you can't buy them. Oh and there's only one game. Oh, and by the way, it's all about luck, and you'll win like 60 coins at most. Good luck player, we hate you. Sincerely GameFreak.

I wound up deciding to lose against Lance so that I could go train in Victory Road. I've also had a couple of people call and want to battle. I wish I could find a Metal-Coat. Scizor is a straight-up BEAST. I also caught a Larvitar in the Safari Zone. Maybe I should raise me a Tyranitar. He learns Rock-Slide naturally, and that could take Dragonite down a peg. All Dragonite knows that I've seen is Outrage, Fire Blast, and Safeguard. I haven't seen him use his fourth move, but I doubt it is a counter to Tyranitar.

I just read that the Elder inside the Dragon's den will give you a Dratini. I'll journey over right now to validate this.

[Hi no Seijin]

That Voltorb Flip game does have some component of luck to it, but it's a logic puzzle for the most part; it's something of a cross between Sudoku and Minesweeper.  I have no problem with the game, and I actually used it as a quick way to get several Abras so I could bring my Pokemon over from Diamond (still need to bring the rest over, actually, as well as get that Regigigas in Snowpoint Temple).

The trick is to look at the bottom row and the right-most column, the boxes with the hints in them.  The number at the top of the box, the one with no Voltorb next to it, tells you what the numbers in that row or column add up to.  The bottom number, the one with the Voltorb next to it, tells you how many Voltorbs are in that row or column.

What you need to do is find the row and columns with no Voltorbs in them and flip all the cards over.  From there, use the hints to figure out where the 2's and 3's must be.  Once you figure out which cards are absolutely safe to flip over and you still haven't cleared the board, then you hope you get lucky.

[MagmarFire]

As another trick, see which rows and columns have both numbers that add up to whatever number of tiles (when they are subtracted by the sum of the known tiles are numbered in that row or column) are in that row. If they add up to that, then you know that that all the remaining unflipped tiles in those rows and columns are either 1s or Voltorbs.

For instance, let's say a row has a blank 2 at the top with a bottom 3 next to a Voltorb, with five tiles in that row unflipped. Then you know that you should just mark that row with symbols and ignore the tiles completely as if they were already flipped.

As a more-complicated example, let's say you have a row with a 3-tile flipped over, and the hint for that row is that the numbers add up to five and there are two Voltorbs. Since you found the three, you subtract three from the five, which gives you two, and you add the Voltorb number to that difference, which gives you four. There are four tiles left, and since the number of tiles equals the sum you got after flipping that three, the rest of the tiles have to consist of 1s and/or Voltorbs.

I hated the game at first, too, but when I figured out those techniques (and when I found out that I was blind and that there are hints for columns, as well), the game instantly became very addicting.

[Deku]

I know how to play the game guys. :(

But hints? I'll have to check that out.

Also, turns out that the elder DOES give you a Dratini. I am now training it rigorously for my next encounter with Lance. Thanks for your help guys.

[Keaton]

As another trick, see which rows and columns have both numbers that add up to whatever number of tiles (when they are subtracted by the sum of the known tiles are numbered in that row or column) are in that row. If they add up to that, then you know that that all the remaining unflipped tiles in those rows and columns are either 1s or Voltorbs.

For instance, let's say a row has a blank 2 at the top with a bottom 3 next to a Voltorb, with five tiles in that row unflipped. Then you know that you should just mark that row with symbols and ignore the tiles completely as if they were already flipped.

As a more-complicated example, let's say you have a row with a 3-tile flipped over, and the hint for that row is that the numbers add up to five and there are two Voltorbs. Since you found the three, you subtract three from the five, which gives you two, and you add the Voltorb number to that difference, which gives you four. There are four tiles left, and since the number of tiles equals the sum you got after flipping that three, the rest of the tiles have to consist of 1s and/or Voltorbs.

I hated the game at first, too, but when I figured out those techniques (and when I found out that I was blind and that there are hints for columns, as well), the game instantly became very addicting.

MY BRAIN

[Hi no Seijin]

Also, turns out that the elder DOES give you a Dratini. I am now training it rigorously for my next encounter with Lance. Thanks for your help guys.

Did you answer the questions correctly to get the Dratini with Extreme Speed?

[Deku]

Also, turns out that the elder DOES give you a Dratini. I am now training it rigorously for my next encounter with Lance. Thanks for your help guys.

Did you answer the questions correctly to get the Dratini with Extreme Speed?

I did not.
It knew Leer, Thunderwave, Dragonrage, and Twister.
I deleted leer for Dragon Pulse though, which is cool. :)

I wish I could get Thunderbolt, but you know... Friggin Voltob...

[Pale Dim]

Seriously, this is the only Pokemon I've played within the last year. Wait until you go back to re-challenge them after you've beaten them. Holy cow.