In SoulSilver my first run was ended by School Kid Alan's Tangela. He managed to Sleep Powder half my team while setting up Growth and swept me with Absorb. ABSORB of all things! All I had for super-effective damage was a HootHoot Peck; in the SAME route I was trying to get a Vulpix. It would've made the fight a lot easier but alas (or alan). It was not meant to be.
Let's cut to my Platinum Nuzlocke where I'm on Route 210 and have Defogged. Veteran Brain challenges me on the way out. I just want to get Surf so I can get Magnemite/Magmar. Lo and behold guess who makes their sinister return. F-ing TANGELA! And guess what he does? On th first turn he gets the omniboost from AncientPower. (Why does he have AncientPower btw?! It's level 32?!?) Then it's pretty much GG. My team of Staravia, Pikachu, Gyarados, Noctowl, Leafeon, and Golem fall to this things Mega-Drain after just one boost. Spreading paralysis on the squad on switch outs was terrible too. I felt like I should have been more comfortable saccing something for the clean switch. That was a misplay on my part.
Tangela is deceptively strong if you can't hit its low special defense. I always keep something that can hit grass types and usually it isn't an issue, but twice in a row I never expected to be physically walled by a Tangela and swept. 115 base defence and 100 base Sp Atk after some boost is no joke.
Now in any nuzlocke I know has a Tangela in its Pokedex, my team gets a dedicated Tangela killer. No more will I lose to this stupid ball of vines with a trash design. Ball of vines with some Paddington shoes and some eyes? Really? I lost to THAT?!
Rant over