Approved by DTC
*err I see the ladder reset :/ . Folks, you have until 15 November. Meanwhile, I will clear out the Hall Of Fame.*
The Dark Horse Project - BH Edition
As many of us can tell, Balanced Hackmons is a pretty centralised metagame. On every team you face, there's either a Giratina, a Blissey, a Deoxys... or all three. But have you ever tried to get away from the norm? Have you ever made a team without even considering any of these triply troublesome three threats? Of course not. But now you will! (Actually, you probably will use a Giratina, Blissey or Deoxys anyway. Oh well.)
Essentially, this challenge aims to discover the advantages that some less-used Pokemon bring to the table in Balanced Hackmons, especially if they are to be used in conjunction with some of the true giants of BH. By finding these Pokemon's niches in BH, perhaps we can make for a metagame with more variety.
Rules
totally not stolen from the OU thread.
Registration
Registration is open from the time this thread is posted. An ideal Registration form has been reproduced below; simply fill it in and you're good to go!
Once you register, the challenge begins! You can start teambuilding and laddering as soon as you sign up. This challenge lasts until the 15th of November, barring any further PS! ladder resets. It is recommended that you post consistent ladder updates within your registration form. This will allow other users to see your progress and offer meaningful advice!
Discussion
Okay, this was copied wholesale, I admit it ._.
Besides the laddering challenge, this topic also serves a second purpose to initiate discussion on battlers' teambuilding and laddering progress; in this thread, you share your struggles and success, and reflect upon the Dark Horse Pokemon's niche in the current BH metagame. This thread is not only a place to show off successful challenges, but also a place to help each other achieve their goals via posting your problems and receiving quality input from others. Challengers should not hesitate to post their teams and/or team ideas to receive help from the community. You are allowed to post your thoughts and opinions. However, here is a "Do and Do Not" list that posters in this topic must adhere to:
The Hall Of Fame / Rewards
Now comes the competitive aspect of this project! If you manage to do exceedingly well and hit a rating of 1500 or more (trust me, it's not hard; at the time of writing, 66 people on the ladder qualified for this requirement), you may enter the Hall Of Fame as an individual who managed to overcome the challenge of using Pokemon the average player may think of as "inferior". Note that if you commonly flout rules and criticise other players' sets without intent of helping them, you may be denied a place in the hall of fame.
Once you reach the standards mentioned, please update your registration post with the following:
Now, there is one final catch to this project. You see, only one of each Dark Horse Pokemon pair is allowed into the Hall of Fame per month. For example, only the first challenger who laddered to 1500 rating with a Jolteon/Regice combo will be accepted this month; any subsequent Jolteon/Regice-using challengers cannot enter the Hall of Fame until a new round begins next month (if, uh, it does begin). If you use Jolteon/Regirock and hit 1500, though, you are qualified to enter - as long as at least one of the Pokemon has not been used before, and all the Dark Horse Pokemon on your team that have been used before, have significantly different sets.
That's where the competitive edge comes into play - You are racing against other users for a place in the Hall of Fame! Furthermore, the Hall of Fame ranking is based off of peak ladder ranking points, meaning the more points you score, the higher you'll be placed. So now that you know the rules, get registered and start team building! Best of luck. If you have any questions, send me a PM or VM. I hope to see you in the Hall of Fame.
*err I see the ladder reset :/ . Folks, you have until 15 November. Meanwhile, I will clear out the Hall Of Fame.*
The Dark Horse Project - BH Edition
As many of us can tell, Balanced Hackmons is a pretty centralised metagame. On every team you face, there's either a Giratina, a Blissey, a Deoxys... or all three. But have you ever tried to get away from the norm? Have you ever made a team without even considering any of these triply troublesome three threats? Of course not. But now you will! (Actually, you probably will use a Giratina, Blissey or Deoxys anyway. Oh well.)
Essentially, this challenge aims to discover the advantages that some less-used Pokemon bring to the table in Balanced Hackmons, especially if they are to be used in conjunction with some of the true giants of BH. By finding these Pokemon's niches in BH, perhaps we can make for a metagame with more variety.
Rules
totally not stolen from the OU thread.
- Each team must use at least TWO Dark Horse Pokemon, not one. This is because BH tends to be similarly easy whether one or no Pokemon on a player's team are not top-usage Pokemon.
The term "Dark Horse Pokemon" is defined by the past month's statistics; anything below 5% usage (Percent, not RealPercent) is fair game. The NON-Dark Horses are:
Code:
+ ---- + ------------------ + ------ + ------- + ------ + ------- +
| Rank | Pokemon | Usage | Percent | RealUse| RealPct |
+ ---- + ------------------ + ------ + ------- + ------ + ------- +
| 1 | Giratina | 2362 | 46.533% | 1543 | 44.649% |
| 2 | Blissey | 2326 | 45.823% | 1557 | 45.054% |
| 3 | Deoxys-Speed | 1774 | 34.949% | 1482 | 42.884% |
| 4 | Arceus | 1342 | 26.438% | 735 | 21.268% |
| 5 | Lugia | 1228 | 24.192% | 799 | 23.120% |
| 6 | Shedinja | 1202 | 23.680% | 813 | 23.525% |
| 7 | Slaking | 1101 | 21.690% | 708 | 20.487% |
| 8 | Latios | 918 | 18.085% | 570 | 16.494% |
| 9 | Groudon | 811 | 15.977% | 593 | 17.159% |
| 10 | Mewtwo | 807 | 15.898% | 533 | 15.423% |
| 11 | Kyurem-White | 744 | 14.657% | 460 | 13.311% |
| 12 | Kyurem-Black | 725 | 14.283% | 408 | 11.806% |
| 13 | Regigigas | 688 | 13.554% | 419 | 12.124% |
| 14 | Deoxys-Attack | 598 | 11.781% | 421 | 12.182% |
| 15 | Dialga | 583 | 11.485% | 458 | 13.253% |
| 16 | Shuckle | 569 | 11.210% | 429 | 12.414% |
| 17 | Reshiram | 381 | 7.506% | 246 | 7.118% |
| 18 | Deoxys-Defense | 353 | 6.954% | 269 | 7.784% |
| 19 | Ho-Oh | 352 | 6.935% | 232 | 6.713% |
| 20 | Ferrothorn | 313 | 6.166% | 243 | 7.032% |
| 21 | Chansey | 307 | 6.048% | 201 | 5.816% |
| 22 | Registeel | 292 | 5.753% | 175 | 5.064% |
| 23 | Gengar | 291 | 5.733% | 194 | 5.614% |
| 24 | Palkia | 257 | 5.063% | 145 | 4.196% |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------+- Only two Pokemon on your team have to be Dark Horse Pokemon.
- The recommended number of Dark Horse Pokemon to register with is two, so that the user can focus specifically on that Pokemon and how to best build a team around it. If you must have more than two, then please indicate that you are working with more than two. However, it is recommended that you use a separate team on a separate alt for each Dark Horse.
- You MUST use a new Pokemon Showdown! Username in order to restart your ladder ranking. Furthermore, the Dark Horse Pokemon that you are working with must remain on your team throughout your ladder run. The members of your team may shift around whenever you see fit, but the Dark Horse Pokemon must remain the same.
- Switching your focused Dark Horse Pokemon within this topic is acceptable. However, you must restart on the ladder with a new Pokemon Showdown! Username. You may also start separate alts for separate Dark Horse Pokemon, if you so desire.
- Please put all changes within your Registration Form. I update based on those forms, not individual posts randomly scattered throughout the topic.
- Do not start laddering for this project until you have registered within this topic.
- Please follow the rules. The Dark Horse Project isn't about being dishonest, it's about developing great teams for great Pokemon! As a result, cheaters will most likely end up being banned from the Hall of Fame.
Registration
Registration is open from the time this thread is posted. An ideal Registration form has been reproduced below; simply fill it in and you're good to go!
For example, a registration form for me may look like this:Registration Form said:
Pokemon Showdown! Alt: Level 52
Dark Horse Pokemon Currently Working With: Regirock, Regice
Current Ladder Standing: 1000 (NB: this is the base ladder rating, kinda obviously.)
Hall Of Fame Rank: None as of yet!
<<If you have other alts with other teams, you should post them here too, for example:>>
Pokemon Showdown! Alt: Level 53
Dark Horse Pokemon Currently Working With: Thundurus, Tornadus
Current Ladder Standing: 1000
Hall Of Fame Rank: None as of yet!
<<As the project progresses, text about your Dark Horse, as well as the rest of the team, should go here.>>
<<Pokemon Showdown! can now save replays, as demonstrated here. You can insert replays here; if you must use logs, they should be in hide tags.>>
Dark Horse Pokemon Currently Working With: Regirock, Regice
Current Ladder Standing: 1000 (NB: this is the base ladder rating, kinda obviously.)
Hall Of Fame Rank: None as of yet!
<<If you have other alts with other teams, you should post them here too, for example:>>
Pokemon Showdown! Alt: Level 53
Dark Horse Pokemon Currently Working With: Thundurus, Tornadus
Current Ladder Standing: 1000
Hall Of Fame Rank: None as of yet!
<<As the project progresses, text about your Dark Horse, as well as the rest of the team, should go here.>>
<<Pokemon Showdown! can now save replays, as demonstrated here. You can insert replays here; if you must use logs, they should be in hide tags.>>
Once you register, the challenge begins! You can start teambuilding and laddering as soon as you sign up. This challenge lasts until the 15th of November, barring any further PS! ladder resets. It is recommended that you post consistent ladder updates within your registration form. This will allow other users to see your progress and offer meaningful advice!
Discussion
Okay, this was copied wholesale, I admit it ._.
Besides the laddering challenge, this topic also serves a second purpose to initiate discussion on battlers' teambuilding and laddering progress; in this thread, you share your struggles and success, and reflect upon the Dark Horse Pokemon's niche in the current BH metagame. This thread is not only a place to show off successful challenges, but also a place to help each other achieve their goals via posting your problems and receiving quality input from others. Challengers should not hesitate to post their teams and/or team ideas to receive help from the community. You are allowed to post your thoughts and opinions. However, here is a "Do and Do Not" list that posters in this topic must adhere to:
- Do post and share sets for your Dark Horse Pokemon.
- Do provide teammates that you're using, with optional sets.
- Do pinpoint which threats in the metagame need to be covered.
- Do ask questions about the current BH metagame and teambuilding.
- Do give meaningful answers to asked questions. This can include suggested sets, teammates, and strategies.
- Do not post insignificant updates. Each post should be well thought and unique.
- Do not ask someone to make the team for you. Team building is YOUR job (and a fun one at that).
- Do give feedback on other's sets if asked to do so. However, do not belittle their attempts; try to provide constructive criticism.
The Hall Of Fame / Rewards
Now comes the competitive aspect of this project! If you manage to do exceedingly well and hit a rating of 1500 or more (trust me, it's not hard; at the time of writing, 66 people on the ladder qualified for this requirement), you may enter the Hall Of Fame as an individual who managed to overcome the challenge of using Pokemon the average player may think of as "inferior". Note that if you commonly flout rules and criticise other players' sets without intent of helping them, you may be denied a place in the hall of fame.
Once you reach the standards mentioned, please update your registration post with the following:
Furthermore, I believe DTC would be willing to offer some rewards for the champion(s) of this project. Besides entering the Hall Of Fame, there are some other targets for you to work towards, as outlined in the Other Rewards post.Hall Of Fame Application Form said:
Now, there is one final catch to this project. You see, only one of each Dark Horse Pokemon pair is allowed into the Hall of Fame per month. For example, only the first challenger who laddered to 1500 rating with a Jolteon/Regice combo will be accepted this month; any subsequent Jolteon/Regice-using challengers cannot enter the Hall of Fame until a new round begins next month (if, uh, it does begin). If you use Jolteon/Regirock and hit 1500, though, you are qualified to enter - as long as at least one of the Pokemon has not been used before, and all the Dark Horse Pokemon on your team that have been used before, have significantly different sets.
- Changing the HP EV from 252 to 248 doesn't count, nor changing, say, Psycho Cut to Zen Headbutt.
- A change in ability constitutes a significant change.
- A change in one or move key move(s) to a move with a completely different function usually constitutes a significant change; however, these will most likely be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.
That's where the competitive edge comes into play - You are racing against other users for a place in the Hall of Fame! Furthermore, the Hall of Fame ranking is based off of peak ladder ranking points, meaning the more points you score, the higher you'll be placed. So now that you know the rules, get registered and start team building! Best of luck. If you have any questions, send me a PM or VM. I hope to see you in the Hall of Fame.
