Cold Storage and Team Plasma

Upon arriving in Driftveil City, you'll quickly discover that Team Plasma has set up a temporary base of operations within the city's Cold Storage facility. Your immediate objective, alongside the steadfast Gym Leader Clay, is to infiltrate this frosty stronghold and drive out the nefarious organization. This section will guide you through the Cold Storage, detailing the Pokémon you'll encounter, the items you can collect, and effective strategies for overcoming Team Plasma's Grunts.

Navigating the Cold Storage

The Cold Storage is a multi-level facility, characterized by its icy floors and numerous crates. While not a traditional dungeon with complex puzzles, its layout can be a bit disorienting, and the constant threat of Team Plasma Grunts means you should always be prepared for battle.

Key Areas & Progression:

Entrance: You'll enter the Cold Storage with Clay. He'll engage the first few Grunts, allowing you to proceed deeper.
Ground Floor: This area features several accessible crates and a few Grunts. Explore thoroughly to find hidden items.
Upper Levels (via stairs): Stairs located on the ground floor lead to elevated platforms and additional sections of the facility.
Team Plasma's Main Hideout: The deepest part of the Cold Storage is where you'll confront the bulk of Team Plasma and their leader for this operation.

Wild Pokémon Encounters

The Cold Storage is a prime location for trainers looking to bolster their team with Ice-type Pokémon. The wild encounters here are exclusively Ice-types, making it an excellent spot for type coverage against Dragon-types later in the game.

Common Wild Pokémon:

Cryogonal: A pure Ice-type with high Special Defense. Can be a strong special attacker.
Vanillite: The pre-evolution of Vanillish and Vanilluxe. A pure Ice-type with decent Special Attack.
Swinub: A dual Ice/Ground-type, evolving into Piloswine and then Mamoswine. Mamoswine is a powerful physical attacker with excellent type coverage.

Tips for Catching:

Bring Pokémon with moves that can inflict status conditions like Sleep or Paralysis to make catching easier.
False Swipe is invaluable for weakening Pokémon without knocking them out.
Consider bringing a Fire-type or Fighting-type Pokémon for quick KOs if you're not looking to catch.

Items to Collect

Scattered throughout the Cold Storage are various useful items. check behind crates and in corners.

Notable Items:

Ice Heal: Found near the entrance. Cures a Pokémon of the frozen status.
Max Repel: Useful for avoiding unwanted wild encounters.
TM55 (Scald): A powerful Water-type special attack that has a chance to burn the target. Extremely valuable!
Full Heal: Cures all status conditions.
Revive: Restores a fainted Pokémon to half its maximum HP.
Protein: Increases a Pokémon's Attack EV.

Team Plasma Grunts & Battle Strategies

Team Plasma Grunts in the Cold Storage primarily use Dark-type and Poison-type Pokémon, often in double battles. Be prepared for their signature Pokémon and common strategies.

Common Team Plasma Pokémon:

Sandile: A Ground/Dark-type. Weak to Water, Grass, Ice, Fighting, Bug, and Fairy (in later generations).
Scraggy: A Dark/Fighting-type. Weak to Fighting, Flying, and Fairy.
Liepard: A pure Dark-type. Weak to Fighting, Bug, and Fairy.
Trubbish/Garbodor: Pure Poison-types. Weak to Ground and Psychic.

Double Battle Strategies:

Double battles require a different approach than single battles. Here are some tips:

Focus Fire: Concentrate your attacks on one opponent at a time to quickly reduce their numbers.
Area-of-Effect Moves: Moves like Surf (if you have a Water-type) or Rock Slide (if you have a Rock-type) can hit both opposing Pokémon, dealing significant damage.
Type Synergy: Pair Pokémon that cover each other's weaknesses. For example, a Fighting-type to counter Dark-types, and a Psychic-type to counter Poison-types.
Status Conditions: Inflicting status conditions like Sleep or Paralysis on one opponent can effectively neutralize them while you deal with the other.
Intimidate Ability: Pokémon with the Intimidate ability (e.g., Krookodile, if you've evolved your Sandile) can lower the Attack of both opposing Pokémon upon entry, which is incredibly useful.
Recommended Pokémon Types:
- Fighting-type: Excellent against Sandile, Scraggy, and Liepard.
- Ground-type: Strong against Sandile and Trubbish/Garbodor.
- Water-type: Effective against Sandile.
- Psychic-type: Devastating against Trubbish/Garbodor.
- Bug-type: Good against Dark-types like Scraggy and Liepard.

Confronting the Team Plasma Boss

At the end of the Cold Storage, you'll face a higher-ranking Team Plasma member. This battle will likely be a single battle, but their Pokémon will be stronger and potentially higher-leveled than the Grunts'. Ensure your team is healed and ready.

Example Opponent (varies slightly between versions):

Team Plasma Admin (e.g., Zinzolin): May use Pokémon like Liepard, Scraggy, or even a Watchog.
Strategy: Apply the same type-advantage principles as with the Grunts. Focus on super-effective moves and managing your HP. Don't be afraid to use items like Potions or Super Potions if needed.

Aftermath and Rewards

Once Team Plasma has been driven out of the Cold Storage, Clay will thank you for your assistance. This act of heroism solidifies your bond with the Gym Leader, and he will then return to his Gym in Driftveil City, ready to accept your challenge for the Quake Badge.

Key Outcomes:

Team Plasma is temporarily repelled from Driftveil City.
Clay returns to his Gym, making him available for your Gym Battle.
You gain valuable experience and items from your encounters.

Clearing the Cold Storage is a crucial step in your journey through Unova, not only for progressing the main story but also for strengthening your team and preparing for the challenges that lie ahead.