I'm sure most of you know by now what a Nuzlocke challenge is. Well, the basic idea is that you follow a few
self-imposed rules to make the game more challenging. And, of course, there are other rules you can add to further increase the difficulty. With this in mind, the game can become much harder than one would initially think it to be. Many find themselves simply unable to progress through the game with these additional rules. However, there are a few things you can do to help your chances of surviving the challenge.
1. For the first battle, there are a few points to keep in mind. One is that some of the games have a Potion in your PC, which can be accessed in your room. If there's one available, grab it! Next is that some games allow you to level up before fighting your rival/your first trainer battle. A level or two can go a long way for keeping you in the game. Next, it's normally best to pick and attacking move every time. If you have a Potion and need to heal, do so. Just keep attacking. You'll win most of the time.
2. Planning ahead. Always, always have healing items, Antidotes, and Pokeballs in your bag. In excess. Antidotes are especially important... It's easy to lose someone to poison. You don't want to miss a capture, either. It's also a good idea to watch your Pokemon's HP closely. Critical Hits can and do cause a lot of deaths in Nuzlockes. It's best to always anticipate that the next hit will be a critical or that it will have it's added effect (poison, burn, whatever) happen. Would your Pokemon be KO'd? If so, it's time to switch out or heal. Don't take a chance unless you're willing to lose your teammate.
3. Don't miss a capture opportunity. Every time you have the chance to make a capture, go for it! Don't skip it just because you don't like a Pokemon. It's a good idea to have plenty of Balls on hand, plus a Pokemon only slightly above the levels of the wild ones. You never know when you'll need a new addition to the team. If you faint your capture, it's okay. Just keep trying and learn from your mistakes. Sometimes someone in your box will save your butt later on.
4. Follow your rules. When you don't, you're pretty much spitting in the face of your challenge. When you break the rules, every death you've had up until that point becomes pointless. Don't break the rules you chose. xD It helps if you have someone to discuss your challenge with, or if you're posting about it somewhere.
5. Know what you're doing. Know your type advantages and disadvantages, know what that next Gym Leader's highest level Poke is, know when your Rival is going to run at you out of nowhere and challenge you to a battle. When you know what you're doing, you're able to prepare properly and hopefully keep yourself from getting your team wiped.
6. Ask for help. If you're lost in Victory Road or you're having issues deciding how to build your team, get help! Watch videos of playthroughs, read guides, ask people.
7. Bulk. Have several bulky teammates. Bulk can really save you, and every team should have at least two teammates who can take a hit (if not more). Having a team full of frail sweepers only gets you so far...
8. Grind like hell. Being overleveled helps you so much you don't even know. xD Once you've grinded in a Nuzlocke, you will probably
never complain about grinding again (in the same context xP ). I don't care if it's boring. It's worth it. And those times you get to appreciate in the game? They're all because you spent that extra time grinding.
9. Protect your valuables. I'm sure most teams have at least one member who can't be easily replaced by someone else. Well, you'd better protect them. You should ideally protect everyone on your team by preparing and thinking ahead, but if all else fails, you need to know who you absolutely cannot lose. In the case that someone is gonna go down, you need to think before you act and keep this in mind.
10. When you lose someone. Yes, it hurts. Yes, you might want to give up. Maybe it was your favorite team member. But you shouldn't give up. Take a break if you want. Vent about it, grind others, just do what you can to keep your morale high. Some deaths can't be avoided... So don't blame yourself. You're doing your other Pokemon a disservice if you give up.
I might add more as time passes... But these are the most basic things I could think of for helping Nuzlocke survival rates. Best of luck to all of you Nuzlockers out there!