breh
強いだね
Prologue: Week before last, I get sick on Wednesday. This continues into the next week; I start to get better on Friday but during that time I get worried that I'll be too sick to attend. During this time, I start thinking about my team seriously for the first time. After some pretty awful runs with a bunch of gimmicks on Skarmbliss, I was in the mood of "Ok to hell with this" and just decided, "Trick Room worked last year and it'll work this year too". I finally begin to build this team after the 8th or so. After I noted that I needed Pokemon on irc while looking for Cassie, Biosci decided to be incredibly kind to me and breed me the Pokemon that I desired and trade me a third. The end result looked like this:
Chandelure (F) @ Fire Gem
Trait: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SAtk / 4 Spd
IVs: 31/31/31/31/31/31
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Heat Wave
- Flamethrower
- Shadow Ball
- Trick Room
This guy was a Pokemon I received from muffinhead last year. Chandelure went through literally no changes. Fire Gem Heat Wave mows things down.
Tyranitar (F) @ Dark Gem
Trait: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SDef
IVs: 31/31/31/31/31/0
Brave Nature (+Atk, -Spd)
- Rock Slide
- Crunch
- Low Kick
- Protect
It's slow, incredibly strong, and kills Cresselia. Rock Slide is a fantastic spread move as always. This was one of the mons that Biosci bred for me in 4th gen and I truly thank him for it; I used Tyranitar almost as much as the other mon he gave me. (PROTIP: When you're offered the opportunity to decaps your Pokemon's name, decaps it. I actually knew that one of my opponents had a Low Kick Tyranitar due to the name being all caps. If you really want to play mindgames, full caps a Tyranitar with no 4th gen moves...)
Dusclops (M) @ Eviolite
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SDef
IVs: 31/x/31/x/31/10
Relaxed Nature (+Def, -Spd)
- Night Shade
- Pain Split
- Trick Room
- Toxic
This is the thing upon which I stumbled that made my team run as well as it did. I swear to god this thing never dies. Dusclops is like an unflinchable Cresselia with no Mental Herb. Night Shade does surprisingly consistent damage as well, too. Pain Split proved ever useful and Toxic is pretty much for Cresselia and little else. This was the second mon Biosci bred for me and it was incredibly important. I don't think I went into a match without Dusclops once.
Kingler (F) @ Water Gem
Trait: Hyper Cutter
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def
IVs: 31/17/9/x/31/0
Brave Nature (+Atk, -Spd)
- Crabhammer
- Return
- Wide Guard
- Protect
I honestly half put this on my team because it makes people go "oh god what the hell is a Kingler?" In any case, Kingler is here to hit very hard (it OHKOes Tyranitar, notably) and also to do well against Hitmontop while providing Wide Guard support. Because of Hyper Cutter, it can't be Intimidated. Unfortunately, I don't think that ever mattered; neither did Wide Guard. I did miss the latter in one match where I didn't choose Kingler, though. The shitty IVs are a result of me breeding this mon (pssh RNG is for intelligent people!) by myself.
Amoonguss (F) @ Occa Berry
Trait: Effect Spore
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SDef
IVs: 31/31/31/31/31/0
Sassy Nature (+SDef, -Spd)
- Rage Powder
- Giga Drain
- Protect
- Spore
This was the third mon I received from Biosci. I don't think Amoonguss needs explaining to anybody who's played VGC11 before. A strong mon then is still a strong mon now.
Hariyama (M) @ Flame Orb
Trait: Guts
EVs: 252 Atk / 128 Def / 128 SDef
IVs: 28/31/16/x/28/31
Brave Nature (+Atk, -Spd)
- Close Combat
- Rock Slide
- Ice Punch
- Fake Out
My other attempt at breeding a mon; this one came out a lot nicer than Kingler did by sheer luck. Anyway, it uses Fake Out while Makuhita sets up Trick Room. Nobody seems to suspect Ice Punch at all, but it's a very useful move. Guts Close Combat hits very hard.
When I arrived at Pleasanton, I sat at the tables until registration started. I was aware that I hadn't preregistered (I didn't know pre-registration existed until it was posted about in the Pleasanton regional thread lol) so I, "one of those scrubs", got a form and got in line. Standing next to me was a guy in a white sweater that said that he also placed top 16 last year. This year, he said, he just used a lot of his old VGC mons. A senior kid and his dad were also standing by us; the four of us conversed as the line moved with the pace of a very slow object. The senior noted that he had also been to the other CA regional in the fall and that it was far more organized then.
After finally getting in, I sat at the end of the room and looked around for any familiar faces. I saw DeepSpeed (based on his description of himself in the regional thread) but was too shy to introduce myself. I decided to go on irc via phone and learned that most other people were sitting at the other side of the building. I look for computers and awkwardly sit down. I introduce myself as the guy that was on irc and then ask the person sitting across from me if he is Zari, who was on IRC. He says no, and then points to Zari, who sits down. I ask him who he is, and he replies that he is Nickscor. We talk a bit about the viabilities of XD mons.
Matches are posted and we go to see them. I get my match number and go to my seat. (note: I don't remember much about most of my games, but I'll try)
Match 1: Adriana Peterson (0-0)
I remember seeing what looked like a Trick Room team - a lot of Ghost-types - and Slaking. In my mind, I thought, "OH GOD WHAT IS A SLAKING" and it turns out that this was actually a Skill Swap team. She eventually managed to use Skill Swap with her Dusknoir (not sure why it wasn't Dusclops) on Slaking while switching it in, but that turn I used Dark Gem Crunch on it with Tyranitar while in Trick Room. It fell with a Low Kick the next turn and the rest of her team fell apart. I won 2-0.
I rejoin with the little group of competitive players to learn that nobody has lost a match yet. We're all pretty happy.
Match 2: Edward Gold (1-0; I thiiiiiink this was my opponent)
I forget what happened in this match, but I think I got to use Kingler, which made me very happy. I think I won with two minutes left. I won 2-0 IIRC.
Nobody seems to have lost a match yet.
Match 3: Duy Ha (2-0)
Before this battle, I totally thought that I'd lose the match. The match started out with his lead of something / Tornadus while I led Amoonguss / Dusclops (again, I think). I feared Taunt and switched in Tyranitar for Dusclops, which Duy taunted; I'm not too sure what the other mons did. At this point, I also feared Hammer Arm from Tornadus so I decided to use Rage Powder. The paranoia of this decision may or may not be striking. Amoonguss eats an Acrobat and dies; I (again, think) Tyranitar OHKOed Tornadus. Now free to set up TR, I sent in Dusclops either this turn or the following and set up TR; after some middle stuff I can't recall, I remember having Dusclops / Hariyama out in TR vs. very weakened Cress + full Cloyster; I Rock Slide, which misses the Cress but flinches the Cloyster, now at half health; Duy Psychics Hariyama and it dies. I bring in Tyranitar and Rock Slide once more and KO the remaining two mons. I really hope that Duy still has this battle saved; I can't remember a damn thing. I win 2-0.
In between, a guy tells us the story of how his Metagross lost to Scarfed Protect Heatran due to bad luck with Protect and battle timeout. A few people have begun to lose matches now.
Match 4: A guy whose name I can't remember (2-1)
I thought it was odd that I was paired with somebody with a different win record. In any case, I saw a variety of Flash Fire posessors and Escavalier (I think Ferrothorn also) and thought I was screwed; in reality, after I got Trick Room up, everything went very smoothly and Chandelure cleaned up very well. I won (I think) 3-0.
I'm still going strong and so are a few others. I'm very hungry so I decide to buy yogurt, the only thing I thought was likely not to be ridden with intestinal diseases. It kind of quenches my hunger but only partly.
Match 5: Rolland Wu (4-0)
I'd heard about a person named Reggie ingame running Sandstorm and this was him. I got Trick Room up early and it expired mid-match. At this point, it was Excadrill at 1/3 health and Scizor vs. Duslops at low health, full health Amoonguss, and Chandelure in the back. I have been playing this game to kill Excadrill, which is the only thing to threaten Chandelure. In this mentality, I (VERY STUPIDLY) decide to choose Night Shade on my Dusclops hoping to KO Excadrill if it lives what I believe to be an impending Earthquake. Instead, he double targets Amoonguss with Bug Bite, which OHKOes (due to a crit iirc.. there were a few crits this match too, but they didn't matter) and X-Scissor (which fails to KO Dusclops). Dusclops is still alive and it uses Night Shade... aaaaand Excadrill is still alive. Next turn, he BPes Chandelure with Scizor and Ground Gem Earthquakes for the win. Had I gotten Trick Room up, I would have won without a doubt had Heat Wave hit (hell, had I wanted to, I could have Flamethrowered out of paranoia). I played badly and I was got mad at myself for it. I lose 0-2.
My parents arrive and I awkwardly and ravenously eat a half of a sandwich in the entrance of the building. I tell my parents that the competition isn't likely to end for an hour and they leave to go to the park. After I finish, the round soon starts.
Match 6: Another guy whose name I don't remember (4-1)
I remember that he got mad when he didn't flinch me out of TR with some nonSTAB Rock Slide after it missed Dusclops. I eventually won; don't remember how, though. This guy seemed really mad at the end of our game due to what I felt was really insignificant hax. He was the only opponent that didn't offer a gg, a handshake, anything.
I think it was after this match that I learned that somebody in our group hacked a Metagross that was hatched but in an Ultra Ball. He pulls out a computer science book that reminds me of the fact that I have to read the whole of The Awakening soon. (PROTIP: do not read The Awakening in one night or at night; the book taunts you with sleep)
Match 7: ShreyasPokemon (5-1)
God, this game was embarrasing. I can repeat its details because it was just that short. I lead Dusclops / Hariyama vs. Tyranitar / Metagross (unrelated note: this was the Tyranitar I could tell had Low Kick because it had an all caps name). I use Trick Room / Fake Out Metagross; he gets a Crunch crit and Dusclops dies. Well, shit. I send out Chandelure. I'm horribly paranoid that he'll protect with Metagross (PROTIP: I saw protect used about once; for some reason nobody used it at all...) and Crunch with Tyranitar and then I CC his Tar. Nope. I switch to Tyranitar and he KOes Hariyama with Zen Headbutt while Crunching Tar. At this point I pretty much know I've lost and suffer a 0-4 loss due to hax and particularily awful play.
I think around this point I start to wonder what Nickscor's seemingly infallible team is. He shows me the mons and tells me it's R Inanimate's team; I tell him that Heracross has surprise value.
Match 8: Yet another guy whose name I don't remember (5-2)
I recall getting lucky with sleep turns this match. It ended with Chandelure Heat Waving to kill a Haxorus and a Weavile. I won 2-0, I think.
So at this point I'm 6-2. I'm hoping for top 16 at least. During the whole experience, I've met a variety of people, at least informally. I got to chat with Deagle, Metabou, KKYoshi33, and a variety of other people that I'm too tired to recall. After every single match, as our group meets up, I note that Nickscor is winning every match. After each, I wonder, "How did he do?" When he gets to 6-0, I begin to realize that he is a very real contender for #1. As it happens, we all learn after the last game that he is, indeed, the champion.
We wait for announcements of the winners. I learn that my r7 opponent is in third place, which makes me happy - at least I lost to somebody important! When the announcer formally declares Nickscor to be the winner, we all cheer like crazy and a few people lift him up.
Later, Duy pats me on the back and tells me, "Mark, you got into the top 12!" I later realize that rankings are up and look - I finished 12th by a stroke of randomness, meaning that I was in the last place to get an enigmatic prize.
I ended up going home with a binder, a TCG mat (I honest to god thought this was a giant mousepad), and a baseball hat with the Play! Pokemon logo on it. This VGC was a memorable one because I met a huge amount of people I had never really been able to meet or get to know before. Even though the venue was pretty lackluster, the event itself ended up being pretty fun. Unfortunately, I didn't get to meet any of the seniors at all, but I'll try to avoid doing the same next year. In any case, good luck to anybody going to nats! For those of you not going, I hope that 2013 will be an exciting year. Perhaps we'll see a revival of 2010?
Chandelure (F) @ Fire Gem
Trait: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SAtk / 4 Spd
IVs: 31/31/31/31/31/31
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Heat Wave
- Flamethrower
- Shadow Ball
- Trick Room
This guy was a Pokemon I received from muffinhead last year. Chandelure went through literally no changes. Fire Gem Heat Wave mows things down.
Tyranitar (F) @ Dark Gem
Trait: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SDef
IVs: 31/31/31/31/31/0
Brave Nature (+Atk, -Spd)
- Rock Slide
- Crunch
- Low Kick
- Protect
It's slow, incredibly strong, and kills Cresselia. Rock Slide is a fantastic spread move as always. This was one of the mons that Biosci bred for me in 4th gen and I truly thank him for it; I used Tyranitar almost as much as the other mon he gave me. (PROTIP: When you're offered the opportunity to decaps your Pokemon's name, decaps it. I actually knew that one of my opponents had a Low Kick Tyranitar due to the name being all caps. If you really want to play mindgames, full caps a Tyranitar with no 4th gen moves...)
Dusclops (M) @ Eviolite
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SDef
IVs: 31/x/31/x/31/10
Relaxed Nature (+Def, -Spd)
- Night Shade
- Pain Split
- Trick Room
- Toxic
This is the thing upon which I stumbled that made my team run as well as it did. I swear to god this thing never dies. Dusclops is like an unflinchable Cresselia with no Mental Herb. Night Shade does surprisingly consistent damage as well, too. Pain Split proved ever useful and Toxic is pretty much for Cresselia and little else. This was the second mon Biosci bred for me and it was incredibly important. I don't think I went into a match without Dusclops once.
Kingler (F) @ Water Gem
Trait: Hyper Cutter
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def
IVs: 31/17/9/x/31/0
Brave Nature (+Atk, -Spd)
- Crabhammer
- Return
- Wide Guard
- Protect
I honestly half put this on my team because it makes people go "oh god what the hell is a Kingler?" In any case, Kingler is here to hit very hard (it OHKOes Tyranitar, notably) and also to do well against Hitmontop while providing Wide Guard support. Because of Hyper Cutter, it can't be Intimidated. Unfortunately, I don't think that ever mattered; neither did Wide Guard. I did miss the latter in one match where I didn't choose Kingler, though. The shitty IVs are a result of me breeding this mon (pssh RNG is for intelligent people!) by myself.
Amoonguss (F) @ Occa Berry
Trait: Effect Spore
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SDef
IVs: 31/31/31/31/31/0
Sassy Nature (+SDef, -Spd)
- Rage Powder
- Giga Drain
- Protect
- Spore
This was the third mon I received from Biosci. I don't think Amoonguss needs explaining to anybody who's played VGC11 before. A strong mon then is still a strong mon now.
Hariyama (M) @ Flame Orb
Trait: Guts
EVs: 252 Atk / 128 Def / 128 SDef
IVs: 28/31/16/x/28/31
Brave Nature (+Atk, -Spd)
- Close Combat
- Rock Slide
- Ice Punch
- Fake Out
My other attempt at breeding a mon; this one came out a lot nicer than Kingler did by sheer luck. Anyway, it uses Fake Out while Makuhita sets up Trick Room. Nobody seems to suspect Ice Punch at all, but it's a very useful move. Guts Close Combat hits very hard.
When I arrived at Pleasanton, I sat at the tables until registration started. I was aware that I hadn't preregistered (I didn't know pre-registration existed until it was posted about in the Pleasanton regional thread lol) so I, "one of those scrubs", got a form and got in line. Standing next to me was a guy in a white sweater that said that he also placed top 16 last year. This year, he said, he just used a lot of his old VGC mons. A senior kid and his dad were also standing by us; the four of us conversed as the line moved with the pace of a very slow object. The senior noted that he had also been to the other CA regional in the fall and that it was far more organized then.
After finally getting in, I sat at the end of the room and looked around for any familiar faces. I saw DeepSpeed (based on his description of himself in the regional thread) but was too shy to introduce myself. I decided to go on irc via phone and learned that most other people were sitting at the other side of the building. I look for computers and awkwardly sit down. I introduce myself as the guy that was on irc and then ask the person sitting across from me if he is Zari, who was on IRC. He says no, and then points to Zari, who sits down. I ask him who he is, and he replies that he is Nickscor. We talk a bit about the viabilities of XD mons.
Matches are posted and we go to see them. I get my match number and go to my seat. (note: I don't remember much about most of my games, but I'll try)
Match 1: Adriana Peterson (0-0)
I remember seeing what looked like a Trick Room team - a lot of Ghost-types - and Slaking. In my mind, I thought, "OH GOD WHAT IS A SLAKING" and it turns out that this was actually a Skill Swap team. She eventually managed to use Skill Swap with her Dusknoir (not sure why it wasn't Dusclops) on Slaking while switching it in, but that turn I used Dark Gem Crunch on it with Tyranitar while in Trick Room. It fell with a Low Kick the next turn and the rest of her team fell apart. I won 2-0.
I rejoin with the little group of competitive players to learn that nobody has lost a match yet. We're all pretty happy.
Match 2: Edward Gold (1-0; I thiiiiiink this was my opponent)
I forget what happened in this match, but I think I got to use Kingler, which made me very happy. I think I won with two minutes left. I won 2-0 IIRC.
Nobody seems to have lost a match yet.
Match 3: Duy Ha (2-0)
Before this battle, I totally thought that I'd lose the match. The match started out with his lead of something / Tornadus while I led Amoonguss / Dusclops (again, I think). I feared Taunt and switched in Tyranitar for Dusclops, which Duy taunted; I'm not too sure what the other mons did. At this point, I also feared Hammer Arm from Tornadus so I decided to use Rage Powder. The paranoia of this decision may or may not be striking. Amoonguss eats an Acrobat and dies; I (again, think) Tyranitar OHKOed Tornadus. Now free to set up TR, I sent in Dusclops either this turn or the following and set up TR; after some middle stuff I can't recall, I remember having Dusclops / Hariyama out in TR vs. very weakened Cress + full Cloyster; I Rock Slide, which misses the Cress but flinches the Cloyster, now at half health; Duy Psychics Hariyama and it dies. I bring in Tyranitar and Rock Slide once more and KO the remaining two mons. I really hope that Duy still has this battle saved; I can't remember a damn thing. I win 2-0.
In between, a guy tells us the story of how his Metagross lost to Scarfed Protect Heatran due to bad luck with Protect and battle timeout. A few people have begun to lose matches now.
Match 4: A guy whose name I can't remember (2-1)
I thought it was odd that I was paired with somebody with a different win record. In any case, I saw a variety of Flash Fire posessors and Escavalier (I think Ferrothorn also) and thought I was screwed; in reality, after I got Trick Room up, everything went very smoothly and Chandelure cleaned up very well. I won (I think) 3-0.
I'm still going strong and so are a few others. I'm very hungry so I decide to buy yogurt, the only thing I thought was likely not to be ridden with intestinal diseases. It kind of quenches my hunger but only partly.
Match 5: Rolland Wu (4-0)
I'd heard about a person named Reggie ingame running Sandstorm and this was him. I got Trick Room up early and it expired mid-match. At this point, it was Excadrill at 1/3 health and Scizor vs. Duslops at low health, full health Amoonguss, and Chandelure in the back. I have been playing this game to kill Excadrill, which is the only thing to threaten Chandelure. In this mentality, I (VERY STUPIDLY) decide to choose Night Shade on my Dusclops hoping to KO Excadrill if it lives what I believe to be an impending Earthquake. Instead, he double targets Amoonguss with Bug Bite, which OHKOes (due to a crit iirc.. there were a few crits this match too, but they didn't matter) and X-Scissor (which fails to KO Dusclops). Dusclops is still alive and it uses Night Shade... aaaaand Excadrill is still alive. Next turn, he BPes Chandelure with Scizor and Ground Gem Earthquakes for the win. Had I gotten Trick Room up, I would have won without a doubt had Heat Wave hit (hell, had I wanted to, I could have Flamethrowered out of paranoia). I played badly and I was got mad at myself for it. I lose 0-2.
My parents arrive and I awkwardly and ravenously eat a half of a sandwich in the entrance of the building. I tell my parents that the competition isn't likely to end for an hour and they leave to go to the park. After I finish, the round soon starts.
Match 6: Another guy whose name I don't remember (4-1)
I remember that he got mad when he didn't flinch me out of TR with some nonSTAB Rock Slide after it missed Dusclops. I eventually won; don't remember how, though. This guy seemed really mad at the end of our game due to what I felt was really insignificant hax. He was the only opponent that didn't offer a gg, a handshake, anything.
I think it was after this match that I learned that somebody in our group hacked a Metagross that was hatched but in an Ultra Ball. He pulls out a computer science book that reminds me of the fact that I have to read the whole of The Awakening soon. (PROTIP: do not read The Awakening in one night or at night; the book taunts you with sleep)
Match 7: ShreyasPokemon (5-1)
God, this game was embarrasing. I can repeat its details because it was just that short. I lead Dusclops / Hariyama vs. Tyranitar / Metagross (unrelated note: this was the Tyranitar I could tell had Low Kick because it had an all caps name). I use Trick Room / Fake Out Metagross; he gets a Crunch crit and Dusclops dies. Well, shit. I send out Chandelure. I'm horribly paranoid that he'll protect with Metagross (PROTIP: I saw protect used about once; for some reason nobody used it at all...) and Crunch with Tyranitar and then I CC his Tar. Nope. I switch to Tyranitar and he KOes Hariyama with Zen Headbutt while Crunching Tar. At this point I pretty much know I've lost and suffer a 0-4 loss due to hax and particularily awful play.
I think around this point I start to wonder what Nickscor's seemingly infallible team is. He shows me the mons and tells me it's R Inanimate's team; I tell him that Heracross has surprise value.
Match 8: Yet another guy whose name I don't remember (5-2)
I recall getting lucky with sleep turns this match. It ended with Chandelure Heat Waving to kill a Haxorus and a Weavile. I won 2-0, I think.
So at this point I'm 6-2. I'm hoping for top 16 at least. During the whole experience, I've met a variety of people, at least informally. I got to chat with Deagle, Metabou, KKYoshi33, and a variety of other people that I'm too tired to recall. After every single match, as our group meets up, I note that Nickscor is winning every match. After each, I wonder, "How did he do?" When he gets to 6-0, I begin to realize that he is a very real contender for #1. As it happens, we all learn after the last game that he is, indeed, the champion.
We wait for announcements of the winners. I learn that my r7 opponent is in third place, which makes me happy - at least I lost to somebody important! When the announcer formally declares Nickscor to be the winner, we all cheer like crazy and a few people lift him up.
Later, Duy pats me on the back and tells me, "Mark, you got into the top 12!" I later realize that rankings are up and look - I finished 12th by a stroke of randomness, meaning that I was in the last place to get an enigmatic prize.
I ended up going home with a binder, a TCG mat (I honest to god thought this was a giant mousepad), and a baseball hat with the Play! Pokemon logo on it. This VGC was a memorable one because I met a huge amount of people I had never really been able to meet or get to know before. Even though the venue was pretty lackluster, the event itself ended up being pretty fun. Unfortunately, I didn't get to meet any of the seniors at all, but I'll try to avoid doing the same next year. In any case, good luck to anybody going to nats! For those of you not going, I hope that 2013 will be an exciting year. Perhaps we'll see a revival of 2010?
