The IronMon challenge is a Pokémon Randomizer Challenge run created by Iateyourpie. Designed to make experiencing the randomizer fun and challenging, while taking away the wild Pokémon grind that come with some other challenges. It was originally made for Fire Red / Leaf Green but the rules can be applied/adjusted for other games as well. If you're interested to find out more about IronMon, join our Discord community!
IronMon has varying levels of difficulties, to keep it more approachable but also provide the toughest challenge possible for those who want it.
Jump to: Ultimate | Kaizo | Super Kaizo | Survival
| Rule | Details | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Randomize the game | All Pokémon, movesets, and items are randomized, with Trainer Pokémon & Wild Pokémon levels increased by 50%. | Visit the Ironmon Discord for a list of Setting Strings to apply all required Randomizer settings. |
| Catch or Kill 1 per Route | You can only catch OR kill one Pokémon per Route. It does not have to be the first one seen. All other Exp will come from Trainers. | |
| Permadeath | Once a Pokémon faints, you must release/store it. No exceptions. | If a Pokémon dies with an item attached to it, the item cannot be salvaged. |
| Game Over | Once all party Pokémon have fainted, the run is over, and you must restart with a newly randomized game. | |
| No Shops | You can only use items that you pick up or are given by an NPC, no use of stores except for any type of Pokeball or Repel. | You cannot ask an NPC to buy items for you (e.g. Mom), nor can you buy items to trade them for other items (e.g. Poké Balls -> Full Restores) |
| Random Starter | You must choose the starter at random before looking at the options. | |
| No Legendaries | You cannot use any legendary (which includes sub-legendary and mythical) Pokémon with the exception that you may select up to one legendary pokemon for the favorites clause. See the full list of legendary pokemon here. Pseudo-legendaries like Salamence are allowed. | If your randomly selected starter is a banned pokemon, you must instead select another starter. If your pokemon evolves into a legendary it is fine to continue using. |
| Favorites Clause | You can skip choosing the starter pick at Random ONLY if you find one of your 3 favorite Pokémon are an option. For games after Generation 3, you may add 1 additional favorite per gen. | You may include up to 1 legendary pokemon in your favorites list. |
| Banned Items | Banned items: Lucky Egg, Sacred Ash. | |
| Stolen Items | You may not intentionally steal items from wild pokemon with moves like Thief, Covet, etc. Stealing them from a trainer battle is fine. | If you steal from a wild pokemon that you do not end up catching in that battle, throw the item away. |
| Accidental Kills/Catches | You may throw pokéballs at a pokemon for reasons like being unable to run or if you are trying to scout its moves without risking killing it. | |
| No Redos | You may not re-fight trainers at any point using the VS Seeker or other means. You may not abuse respawning items by picking them up more than once | |
| Shiny Clause | If you encounter a shiny, you are allowed to kill it for EXP as a bonus kill in addition to your allotted 1 catch/kill for that route. | You may not increase the shiny pokemon rate using the randomizer |
| Don't Give Up Without a Fight | You may not reset before the first battle if you don't like the starter Pokémon. After that it's fine. | You might be surprised how far you can go with what looks like a terrible starter |
| Don't be Rude | You have to talk to MOM when you start your journey, otherwise that's just rude. |
Additional rules for the Ultimate Gamers
| Rule | Details | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Ultimate Ruleset | This ruleset includes all of the previous rules from standard ironmon above (unless overruled by a new rule), read those first. | |
| No HM Moves | No HM Moves in Battle. | |
| No Way Out Gyms | Once You Enter a Gym or Dojo, You cannot leave until you defeat ALL TRAINERS. Beat it or Die. | |
| One Shot Dungeons | You can only enter a dungeon once unless the story requires a revisit | A Dungeon refers to: |
| 6 Pokémon Total | You may only obtain 6 Pokémon for the Entire Run | |
| HM Friends | If and only if 5 out of your 6 pokemon are lost, you may catch additional pokemon to use as HM Friends solely for out of battle HM use. You may not gain other any advantages from an HM Friend. | If an HM friend is put into the battle by a move like Roar or Whirlwind, immediately swap off of it. You do not need to get rid of your HM friend if they faint. |
| Fluctuating Growth Rates | All Pokémon have Fluctuating Growth Rate except for Legendaries which are set to Slow. | This ensures no pokes evolve into a legendary and a lower level for your main in the endgame |
| Ultimate Banned Items | Additionally banned items: Leftovers, Soul Dew, Everstone. | In addition to previously banned items |
| "Set" Battles Only | You must use "Set" battle type in the in-game settings. | |
| Let your Friends Grow | If a Pokémon is about to evolve, you can’t stop it or use an Everstone. |
FIRE RED/LEAF GREEN SPECIFIC Ultimate Rules:
A) You must immediately fight Rival on Boat before other Trainers on Boat
B) You must fight the rival in order to leave Lavender Town on first visit (Come back later for Progression)
C) You Cannot Travel to the Sevii Islands with Bill before beating the Elite 4.
These additional rules are meant to be insanely stupid and hard. These are not meant to be fair, and possibly not even fun. But if you are truly someone who wants an impossible challenge, this is for you. These rules are also non-negotiable. If you wish to adjust rules just play Standard Ironmon and Ultimate as your ruleset.
| Rule | Details | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Kaizo Ruleset | This ruleset includes all of the previous rules from standard & ultimate ironmon above (unless overruled by a new rule), read those first. | |
| One Pokémon at a time | You may only use one Pokémon at all times. The only additional Pokémon you can carry are HM Friends. If you wish to swap your Pokémon and pivot to something that you see in the wild, you must commit to that new mon when you catch it and before you check its stats | HM friends cannot be used in battle or for any other advantage (like the ability Pickup). |
| No Random TMs | No use of TMs or Move Tutor except for TM's you get from defeating Gym Leaders. | You must use the moves that your Pokémon learns naturally or the TM's handed to you from defeating Gym Leaders. |
| No Uber Strong Mons | No using 599+ BST Pokémon. If your Pokémon evolves into something with 600 BST or higher that is ok. | A legendary may be one of your 3 Pokémon for the Favorites Clause, but they must be under 600 BST. |
| Stay in your weight class | You may only catch a Pokémon that is up to 4 levels higher than your current Pokémon's level. | |
| Banned Moves | The following moves are banned: |
If your starter pokemon has a banned move, you may use it in the lab fight only. Healing moves are not acceptable to be used even if full health. |
| Banned Abilities | Huge Power/Pure Power are banned except for: |
If your starter pokemon has a banned ability, you may use it in the lab fight only. If at any point after the lab your main Pokémon possesses one of these abilities you must find a new one before the next trainer battle |
| No Killing Wild Pokémon | The Catch or Kill rule is now Catch Only. No fighting any wild Pokémon. | If something explodes etc, that is fine, but avoid defeating wild Pokémon at all costs |
| Accidental Kills in Kaizo | If you accidentally kill a Pokémon while trying to scout a pivot, you DO NOT have to reset the run, but you must pivot to one of the mons in that route before leaving. | That means you cannot go and heal UNTIL another new mon is caught as a pivot |
| No Healing Items outside of Battle | No HP Healing Items while outside of battle | This includes status heals and PP Restore items. PP UP/PP Max can be used outside of battle |
| Held Items Restriction | The only Held Items allowed are Evolution items and Items that are consumed on use like berries or a white herb, with the exception of Focus Sash which is banned. | Evolution items can only be held to evolve a Pokémon |
| No Healing Stations in Dungeons | No Pokecenter-like healing in Dungeons (Example - Rocket Hideout NPC, SS Anne Bed, etc) | Forced heals from the story are fine but you cannot go back for more |
| Kaizo Banned Items | No use of any flute items for status healing | |
| Kaizo Randomizer Settings | A few specific settings for Kaizo: |
Certain settings may not be available for all Generations |
| No Relearner Abuse | You cannot use the Move Relearner NPC to teach Sketch to a Pokemon that has already sketched a move. |
After beating Kaizo IronMon once, Iateyourpie set out to build a bigger and more restrictive ruleset that enhanced the mid-game. See here for the unofficial & experimental 5th IronMon ruleset.
The goal of this ruleset is to be even more difficult than Kaizo, while also putting a twist on how one approaches their strategy with IronMON. Now you are restricted in how many Centers you can use, so you’ll need to be wiser with your resources both in moves + health. The early game is buffed with potion purchases, which should increase the odds of you getting past the first gym or two, while tapering off late game. This run should be full of small meaningful decisions.
| Rule | Details | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Survival Ruleset | This ruleset includes all of the previous rules from standard, ultimate, and kaizo ironmon above (unless overruled by a new rule), read those first. | |
| 10 Heal Limit | You may only recover at a PokeCenter (or equivalent NPC) 10 times throughout the main run. Once you earn your 8th badge you earn a bonus 11th heal. If you complete the Elite 4 in a Johto game you earn an additional 7 heals for Kanto. This rule goes into effect after the first trainer battle (not counting the initial rival fight), before then you may heal freely. | NPC Heals in Dungeons outside of Forced Heals are still Banned as stated in the Kaizo ruleset. |
| Start off shopping | You can buy 20 Potions before entering the first gym, after that the normal IronMON shopping rules apply. | You will have to find and sell any items possible to afford these. |
| Important Trainer's Pokemon get Held Items | The Randomizer option to add held items to Boss Trainers and Important Trainers must be enabled and set to Sensible Items. | If you steal an item from a trainer that you are not allowed to hold, you must remove it once the battle ends. |
| PP Up Limit | You may only use 1 PP Up on each move. PP Max's may not be used at all, but you may "trade-in" each PP max by selling it and buying either a Hyper Potion or up to three status-curing items (Antidote, Full Heal, etc. NOT full restores). | When trading a PP Max, you may mix and match the 3 status items, but you must choose all 3 right then. You cannot bank a choice for a different shop later. In place of a hyper potion you may also opt for an equivalent amount of healing using other items like 4 super potions. |
| Flute Favors | Once per run you may go to a store to trade colored flutes. You may sell 1 of each color of flute, for each of which you may buy either 1 super potion, or any status healing item. If you collect a full set of all 5 Flutes (Red/Blue/Yellow/Black/White) you will be allowed to instead purchase a total of two Hyper Potion and five Full Heals. You may only trade flutes once per run. | You may not redeem flutes for Full Restores. Once you turn any flute in, you may not return to a store to turn any other flutes in, even if you find a different color. |
| Favorite Limits | No Legendaries or 580+ BST Pokemon as favorites. You must still only use as many favorites as allowed for your Gen as stated in the Favorites Clause. | Favorites Limit Reminder: Gen 1-3: 3 Favorites. Gen 4: 4 favorites. Gen 5: 5 favorites. And so on. |
| No Excessive Stalling | You may only stall 5 turns per battle using balls or any item that is not sacrificed to waste a turn. | This does not apply to wasting turns for your partner in a double battle. |
| Banned Abilities | If your pokemon has BST of 400 or more, the following abilities are banned: Huge Power/Pure Power, Battle Armor/Shell Armor, Parental Bond, Protean, Fur Coat, Magic Guard | If you evolve into something with a banned ability you may not use it anymore. |
| These changes interact with mechanics banned or restricted in previous rulesets and modify them for Survival only. | ||
| Gym Leader TMs | TMs from Gym Leaders are now 100% learnable. A TM that you get on your starter as a held item can be taught as well (though it does not have to be taught to your starter, holding it for pivots is allowed). | All other TMs/Move Tutors are still banned, including those held by pivot pokemon. |
| Healing outside of Gyms | As long as you are not inside a gym or the Elite 4: HP Heals, Status Heals, and PP items can be used outside of battle. While in a Gym or Elite 4, healing must be done only in battle. | Dojos are treated the same as gyms, so these restrictions apply there as well. |
| Cut a move, Hold any Item | You are allowed to hold any previously banned held item (except for Lucky Egg and Everstone) if you teach Cut to your pokemon. You may use Cut in Combat. You may still use the consumable items allowed in the Kaizo ruleset without making this trade. | You can swap or remove the item but may never get rid of Cut. You may not abuse wild pokemon for Leftovers/Shell Bell healing. |
| Certain Healing Moves Allowed | Moves that damage the enemy to heal yourself and moves that only cure status effects are now allowed to be used in trainer battles only. Leech Seed/Giga Drain/Aromatherapy etc. Moves that heal HP without hurting the opponent like Softboiled/Morning Sun/Wish are still banned. | Pain Split is an exception and not legal. You may not use HP healing moves or Status-only healing moves in wild pokemon battles. |
| Weak Pokemon may Challenge the Islands | If your pokemon has BST of 499 or less: The Sevii Islands are now LEGAL, but you can only choose to go there or not immediately after exiting Blaine's gym when Bill invites you. |
The move relearner is allowed. |
| Rival Fights | You no longer have to fight the rival in the SS Anne or Pokemon Tower immediately. | This means that you must do all of Pokémon Tower in one go after getting the Silph Scope. |
| The next 2 rules apply specifically to the Elite 4 and any other Final Bosses after them. (Ghetsis, Red, etc.) | ||
| No Boosting Items | You are no longer allowed to use boosting items like X Items/Dire Hits/Guard Specs etc. other than those that are consumable held items | |
| No Excessive Setup | You are allowed to use ONE (1) non-combat stat boosting move ONCE per fight. Calm Mind/Swords Dance/Iron Defense etc. |
Q: Is this a ROM Hack?
A: No! At it's core it is just the base Pokémon run through a randomizer.
Q: Where can I Find the randomizer
A: https://github.com/Ajarmar/universal-Pokemon-randomizer-zx/releases
Q: Is there a way to configure the Randomizer settings easily?
A: Join the IronMon Discord community for an up-to-date settings string to load the settings easily and help with any questions.
Q: I've seen a bunch of streamers with their stats tracked on screen and the ability to quickly reset to a new seed, how do I get that?
A: Several community members have made some tools to make the ironMon experience better. Check out the #resources channel in the discord for the trackers, and other great tools!
Q: What if I accidentally break a rule? Do I have to end my run?
A: Ultimately these challenges are made to have fun! Mistakes happen, a little mistake doesn't need to instantly disqualify the run. Just keep to the spirit of the challenge and if you got an advantage in breaking a rule, try to give yourself an equal punishment.
Q: Who can I
complain tothank for creating this challenge?
A: Find Iateyourpie on Twitch, Twitter, and Youtube.
Patch Notes
4/14/24:
9/7/23: Clarified that only the favorites list should only include up to 1 legendary pokemon at max.
1/17/23: Added a note to clarify that asking MOM to buy you items, as well as using buyable items like Pokeballs in trades is not allowed.
9/25/22: Clarified that in kaizo onwards evolution items like Kings Rock can only be held with the purpose to evolve a pokemon.
9/17/22: Updated the "No Relearner" abuse rule to specify that using it to re-learn sketch is banned if that pokemon has already sketched a move.
9/13/22:
7/14/22: Updated the survival rule for buying potions to be more lenient and allow buying them to be bought up to first gym. This should speed up the beginning by giving the option to skip trudging through the grass with a slow pokemon to find items.
6/24/22: Clarified that if your randomly selected starter is banned you instead get to choose one of the other pokemon.
6/22/22:
6/17/22: Added FAQ about making a mistake. They happen.
6/16/22:
6/15/22: Clarified that reseting after the initial fight is allowed.
6/13/22:
6/12/22:
Changes made to existing rules:
Patch Notes 5/20/22
Kaizo Effected Changes
You are now allowed to catch pokemon HIGHER than your level BEFORE you earn your first badge
- Once you’ve completed your first badge, you can only catch Pokemon of the same level or lower
Banned Abilities + moves can now be used ONLY in the lab, once you leave the lab you must pivot or not use those moves
- Healing moves + Banned Abilities are not acceptable to be used under ANY circumstance outside the lab, even if full health or if the moves do not benefit
Consumable Held Items Are Now Allowed (W/ the exception of Focus Sash)
- This includes Berry Juice + Herbs + Etc
New rule: Accidental Kills. If you accidentally kill a mon trying to scout a pivot, you DO NOT have to reset the run, but you must pivot to one of the mons in that route before leaving, no exceptions.
- That means you cannot go and heal UNTIL another new mon is caught as a pivot
All IronMON Changes