Mastering The Maison: A comprehensive Guide to the Kalos Battle Maison

[PISTOLERO]

Introduction:
What - The Battle Maison in Pokemon X and Y is a continuation of the in-game competitive battling format that has been a part of most of the Gameboy, GBA and DS Pokemon games since Crystal (only FRLG didin't have a dedicated Battle Tower), and is a different, but still very engaging, challenge for many competitively minded players.
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Where - The Battle Maison is in Kiloude City, so is only accessible after defeating the Elite Four. You can get to Kiloude City easily after becoming Champion - you will be told to go to Lumiose Station, where Sycamore will give you the Pass you need to board the train from Lumiose to Kiloude.
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Rules - All Pokemon used in the Battle Maison will be set to Level 50. This means that anything that is Level 51 or higher will be lowered to Level 50. However, all Pokemon used in the Maison must be at least Level 50, because for some reason the flat level function doesn’t work for Pokemon under Lvl 50 (basically, don’t take a level 41 Gardevoir into the Maison and be surprised when it is outsped).
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Battle changes from seven battles with no break to one battle at a time.
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Differences from typical competitive Smogon play:
Typical Smogon Clauses: Sleep Clause, Evasion Clause, OHKO Clause, Moody Clause, Swagger Clause; When playing Battle Maison, Smogon rules don't apply. The AI has no qualms [thank you DNR :)] about putting everything to sleep, Double Teaming to +6, or using Sheer Cold/Fissure/etc. Therefore, your team needs to be prepared fot this, as all of these hax-based strategies can, have and will beat the most skilled of players.
Item Clause: In the Battle Maison, unlike in typical Smogon competitive matches, Item Clause is enabled. This means that each Pokemon has to hold different items. This can be slightly restrictive sometimes, but mosts teams in singles shouldn't have too much of an issue with this. However, in Multi Battles, this rule does not apply in the same way - you and your partner may give one of their Pokemon the same hold item as the other.
Species Clause: no difference from Smogon's rule here :).
Maison Super Singles are 3 vs 3. This means that teambuilding is much more restrictive than in typical competitive matches, and each Pokemon is worth a lot more. Setup sweepers are much easier to use (and much harder to stop). This also indirectly means that hazards such as Stealth Rock are pretty much worthless, especially as the AI is renowned for not switching (something that can be used to your advantage).
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Different Types of Battle Formats:
Singles: The first time you play in the Battle Maison, the Super modes will not be available. To unlock them, you must first win 20 consecutive matches in normal Singles. The 20th match will be against Battle Chatelaine <name goes here>. Once you defeat her, all the Super Battle formats will be unlocked. When you start the Singles Challenge, the Pokemon that the AI sends against you will be weak at first (1st stage Pokemon like Carvanha and Cubone etc), and will progressively get harder the farther you get.
Super Singles: Once you have won 20 matches in the Singles format, you can play Super Singles. This is arguably more of a challenge, as instead of starting off against first-stage evolutions, the AI will send out EV-trained fully evolved Pokemon against you.
Doubles/Super Doubles: Normal Doubles and Super Doubles follow the same format as Singles.
Triples/Super Triples: bla bla etc
Multis/Super Multis: bla bla etc
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You are not allowed to enter the following Pokemon:
Mewtwo, Mew, Lugia, Ho-Oh, Celebi, Kyogre, Groudon, Rayquaza, Jirachi, Deoxys (Normal, Attack, Defense and Speed Formes), Dialga, Palkia, Giratina (Origin and Altered Formes), Phione, Manaphy, Darkrai, Shaymin (Land and Sky Formes), Arceus (all Formes), Victini, Reshiram, Zekrom, Kyurem, Keldeo, Meloetta, Genesect, Xerneas, Yveltal, Zygarde, all eggs
by extension, the AI cannot use the above Pokemon either.
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-link to comprehensive list of pokemon located in battle tower goes here (if it exists)-
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Consistent Strategic Pointers:
1. Substitute
Substitute has to be the best move that you can use in the Battle Maison. In fact, having it on all 3 Pokemon in Super Singles is not a bad idea at all.
Substitute can protect your teammembers from the following: Toxic, Thunder Wave, Will-O-Wisp, Swagger, Confuse Ray, all very common in the Maison. For example, using substitute in front of a Dusclops works wonderfully, as it will try to Confuse Ray/Toxic you. There is an abundance of AI Pokemon in the Maison that have no direct attacking move, and are therefore completely useless once the Rhydon doll is up. Add this to the fact that the AI doesn't like switching and Substitute becomes one of the best ways to insure yourself.
Substitute can also act as a buffer for several other nasty surprises that you may encounter in the Maison: surprise Sashes, Scarves, Quick Claws or Brightpowders can easily end in a dead team member and the end of a streak.
Finally, Substitute guards against the cheapest play in the Maison - OHKO moves. Everyone who played the Tower in DPP remembers the Rhydon with Quick Claw Horn Drill, and this generation it is no different. Substitute can protect from bad luck like this easily. Please use Substitute! :)

2. 100% Accuracy Moves
In the Maison, it is generally better to run members of the 80/85/90/95 Base Power family - Surf, Thunderbolt, Ice Beam, Flamethrower, Dragon Pulse - than to run ones from the 110/120 Base Power Family - Fire Blast, Thunder, Blizzard, Focus Blast etc. Although the second family of moves have significantly higher Base Power, they all have imperfect accuracy. Misses due to low accuracy/Double Team/Brightpowder cost long battle streaks in the Maison. There are exceptions to this however - Some Pokemon have the space to run two STAB moves, such as Mega Charizard Y, who can run Flamethrower and Fire Blast at the same time - using the higher power is useful to get OHKOs, whilst using Flamethrower when the kill is sure, and a miss could be costly. A useful guide would be to not use STAB moves that have less than 85% accuracy, and only use non-100% accurate moves unless you absolutely have to. Missed Fire Blasts cost matches.

3. Slow/Defensive Boosting
Some examples of slow/defensive boosting would be Cosmic Power/Stored Power Clefable, Calm Mind/Rest/Sleep Talk Suicune and Knock Off/Drain Punch/Bulk Up/Rest Scrafty. Whilst these strategies are all legitimate, they are all prone to falling to typical Maison hax - critical hits. It is usually better to go for more offensive boosting in the Maison - Nasty Plot/Dragon Dance/Swords Dance takes less time to set up and helps you break through the opponent more quickly, therefore giving the AI less turns to turn the match around.

4. Mega Evolutions
Mega Evolutions are a major plus point for players challenging the Maison, especially as the opponent does not use them. Almost every team that is successful in the Maison will incorporate a Mega Evolution - the simplest one to use is probably Mega Kangaskhan, which will be explored in detail in [section name goes here].

5. Status
Status is very important in the Maison, both on your side and on theirs. Protecting yourself from status is relatively easy - as mentioned, Substitute can block opponents' attempts to ruin your Pokemon with status. Stray status moves from unexpected sources, eg Thunder Wave Tyranitar, can cripple a teammember completely.
However, status from your side can also swing the match in your favour. defensive Pokemon such as Chansey and Gliscor can take on other defensive Pokemon quite nicely, as well as generally doing well against many opponents - Chansey can Seismic Toss both specially offensive, and even some physically offensive, Pokemon to death, and Gliscor can SubProtect stall [see - insert name of section here -]. Toxic is the most consistent move, as it has huge distribution and cannot be dealt with through recovery, due to its steadily increasing damage - Toxic also works beautifully against the AI's slow boosters, who will allways be lucky enough to not get critted - with Toxic, they are instantly put on a 6 turn timer (7 turns with Leftovers) - and there seems to be a glitch in that, once the AI's Pokemon drop below half health, they will spam a recovery move if they have one, even though Toxic damage keeps doing more and more.

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Individual Analyses of successful Maison teammembers:

1. Mega Kangaskhan
Kangaskhan @ Kangaskhanite
Scrappy --> Parental Bond
Jolly/Adamant, 252 Speed, 252 Attack, 4 Defense
Return
Power-Up Punch
Sucker Punch
Crunch/Earthquake/Fake Out
LustrousPalkia - Mega Kangaskhan is probably the best individual Pokemon to take into the Maison - it's just as broken there as it was in OU. Parental Bond means that Khan hits twice, breaking through Sturdy, Substitute and Focus Sashes, whilst giving Kangaskhan the equivalent of [what is the number, I think it's 239] base Attack. Power-Up Punching lets you raise your Attack to even stupider levels, letting you break even the sturdiest of Steel-Types with boosted Return.
The only major issues it has are against faster Fighting-Types, as it can't take them out with Sucker Punch, slower Fighting-Types when unboosted (it can kill the majority of them with +2 Return), and extremely powerful special attackers that are either faster and can take boosted Sucker Punch, or slower ones when Khan is unboosted. All in all, Mega Kangaskhan can take out all 3 of the opponent's team a significant portion of the time, making it a very viable member of any team. Fake Out can be useful in Singles, but it's probably more suited to Doubles/Triples. Earthquake allows for heavier damage against some Steel-Types, but Crunch will help against Ghost-Types (Mismagius/Gengar etc) who try to Substitute and use other non-attacking moves.

2. Life Orb Landorus
Landorus @ Life Orb
Sheer Force
Naive/Timid, 252 Speed, 252 Special Attack, 4 Attack / 4 Defense
Earth Power
Sludge Wave
Psychic
Rock Slide / Hidden Power Ice / Knock Off
LustrousPalkia - This set is my own invention, and I've found it to work very well in the Maison. Landorus sits at a useful speed tier, just outspeeding base 100s. Sheer Force gives Landorus a 33% power boost to all of its moves that have secondary effects (e.g. Earth Power's 10% chance to drop Special Defense). However, Sheer Force stacks with Life Orb to give all moves a 70% power boost, and also has the bonus of cancelling out Life Orb recoil when using moves that have said secondary effects.
This Landorus set is also good in that it has very good coverage, and all of its moves except Hidden Power and Knock Off - if you choose them - are Sheer Force boosted and cause no recoil. This set is weak to faster Water/Ice-Types and strong or supereffective (Aqua Jet/Ice Shard) priority.

3. Choice Band Talonflame
Talonflame @ Choice Band
Gale Wings
Adamant, 252 Speed, 252 Attack, 4 Defense
Flare Blitz
Brave Bird
U-Turn
Steel Wing / Will-O-Wisp / Toxic / Tailwind
LustrousPalkia - Gale Wings Brave Bird works really well in the Maison, especially alongside Mega Khan - Talonflame can take out loads of fast frail threats with priority Brave Bird - killing Fighting-Types that scare Mega Kangaskhan is also really useful, as it allows Khan to go on a rampage. Killing things with U-Turn is also great if you can pull it off, as it saves you from being locked into, say, Brave Bird against a Tyranitar. The last slot is customisable - you can run Steel Wing to somewhat deal with Rock-Types, status to screw up an opponent (works well when it's their last Pokemon), or Tailwind to give you a speed advantage.

4. Lifesaver Gliscor
Gliscor @ Toxic Orb
Poison Heal
Impish Nature, 252 HP, 252 Speed, 4 Defense (interchangeable)
Earthquake
Toxic
Substitute
Protect
LustrousPalkia - SubToxic Gliscor works very well in the Maison for several reasons. Poison Heal along with Toxic Orb gives Gliscor several things; an immunity to status, huge amounts of practice recovery and a foolproof way to (albeit slowly) stall out opposing Pokemon.
Earthquake, alongside Toxic, gives Gliscor a way to do damage to the majority of the Pokemon that the AI can throw at you - the only Pokemon in Super Singles that are immune to both Toxic and Earthquake are Skarmory, Weezing and Crobat [are there any more?]. Substitute and Protect allows Gliscor to stall out poisoned opponents easily whilst not losing any HP. It also allows you to stall out certain moves that can harm Gliscor, such as Surf and Ice Beam - using a combination of Substitute and Protect, it's easy to force the opponent to burn all their PP uselessly breaking Substitutes - and then it's time to poison them and set up a Substitute, ready for the next thing that the opponent sends out. Gliscor's Earthquake hits for reasonable damage even without investment, and max HP and Speed is useful to outspeed all positively natured base 80s and below, as well as anything in the 80-95 base speed range that runs a neutral nature. With an Impish nature, Gliscor is still very bulky on the physical side, being able to take even STAB Waterfalls and Ice Punches and survive. You can even change the EV spread to physically defensive or specially defensive, although I personally found that it is better to run max Speed to be able to set up Substitute more often before being hit by Ice Beam/Surf/etc.

[Placeholder - Chansey]
[more sets to be copypasted here, if you have any personal sets/suggestions etc, please post them in the format shown above; set name, EV spread, nature, item, ability, and a description of how your set works; I'll copy them into here and give you credit :)]
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AI Tendencies:
1. Learning and adapting: The AI seems to analyse your team as you battle with it and your streak continues, and gradually learns what Pokemon your team has trouble with - and these Pokemon appear more and more often.
Examples:
⦁ Using SubToxic Gliscor [insert name of section here], the AI learned to send out Weezing/Skarmory more often.
⦁ Using Sashed Spore Breloom, the AI learned to send out multiple faster Pokemon with Lum/Chesto Berry, or Pokemon with multi-hit moves, or ones with Taunt.
⦁ Using Landorus, the AI learnt to send out faster Ice-Types, with Focus Sash a lot of the time.
⦁ Using Rain in triples, the AI learned to send out: Storm Drain Pokemon, Lightningrod Pokemon, Volt Absorb Pokemon, Water Absorb Pokemon. It also learned to send out multiple weather inducers such as Abomasnow and Tyranitar, and (even better) weather setters that would use their weather move on the same turn as Klefki's Rain Dance. It also learnt to use Taunt on Klefki+ their own weather setter on the same turn.
2. predictable patterns [sourced from the BW Subway Guide]; there are certain tendencies that the AI seems to have when picking its moves. these are:
⦁ the AI prefers attacks that will KO one of your Pokemon
⦁ An exception to the above, the AI doesn't use the following moves properly: Gyro Ball, Grass Knot, Low Kick, Return, Frustration. They may not use the move even if it would result in a KO.
⦁ the AI doesn't use Sucker Punch properly. They may use it to KO your Pokemon if none of their other attacks can or if it's their only attack. They tend to use it more often if a Pokemon has been Taunted. Otherwise, they tend to be reluctant to use Sucker Punch.
⦁ the AI does not recognize Storm Drain or Dry Skin on the first turn; they will continue to use Water attacks if it would normally be their strongest move against the Pokemon. Not sure about this one, does anybody know if it works after the first turn?
⦁ the AI does not recognize Flash Fire initially, but will stop using Fire attacks entirely once Flash Fire has been activated. In a double battle, however, the AI will still target your other, non-Flash Fire Pokemon with Fire moves.
⦁ the AI will not continue to use a boosting move if one of the stats being boosted is already maxed.
⦁ The AI avoids using Trick against a Pokemon that holds one of the following items: Choice Band, Choice Specs, Choice Scarf, Flame Orb, Toxic Orb, or Black Sludge.
⦁ the AI tends to avoid using moves that lower their stats unless it results in a KO or they are holding White Herb (eg Draco Meteor).
⦁ the AI tends to only use recovery moves when they are below half health. They sometimes, however, seem to "predict" when they will go below half health when their Pokemon is slower than yours.
⦁ the AI tends to only use Destiny Bond when they are below half health.
⦁ the AI may switch if their Pokemon is locked into a move that does not deal damage (either immune or status move) due to a Choice item.
⦁ If the opponent is hit with an attack and they have a Pokemon that is immune to that attack's type, they may switch to the Pokemon that has that immunity. Strangely, they still have a chance to switch even if the Pokemon that performed that attack has already fainted.
⦁ the AI considers multi-hit moves based on the power of a single hit (e.g. they see Icicle Spear as a 25 Base Power Ice-type attack).

are all of these still the same in X and Y?
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Example Teams
Entrainment/Protect (I personally have no experience with these kinds of teams so if someone could write this that'd be great!)
Mega Khan team (Khan, Landorus/Greninja, Talonflame/Gliscor)
Breloom lead team (Breloom, Khan/Mega Blaze/Mega Mawile, Gliscor/Chansey)
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Battle Points:
Items from the left counter:
Protein, Calcium, Iron, Zinc, Carbos, HP Up - 2 BP
Power Bracer, Power Belt, Power Lens, Power Band, Power Anklet, Power Weight, Toxic Orb, Flame Orb - 16 BP
White Herb, Power Herb, Absorb Bulb, Cell Battery, Red Card, Eject Button, Weakness Policy, Ring Target, Protector, Whipped Dream, Sachet, Electirizer, Magmarizer, Reaper Cloth, Up-Grade, Dubious Disc - 32 BP
Wise Glasses, Choice Specs, Scope Lens, Zoom Lens, Wide Lens, Muscle Band, Focus Band, Choice Band, Choice Scarf, Assault Vest, Focus Sash, Razor Claw, Razor Fang, Bright Powder, Life Orb, Iron Ball, Air Balloon, Binding Band, Safety Goggles, Rare Candy - 48 BP
Ability Capsule - 200 BP
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TMs from the right counter:
TM48 (Round) - 16 BP
TM59 (Incinerate) - 16 BP
TM87 (Swagger) - 24 BP
TM60 (Quash) - 24 BP
TM05 (Roar) - 24 BP
TM23 (Smack Down) - 32 BP
TM34 (Sludge Wave) - 32 BP
TM51 (Steel Wing) - 32 BP
TM64 (Explosion) - 48 BP
TM67 (Retaliate) - 48 BP
TM72 (Volt Switch) - 48 BP
TM85 (Dream Eater) - 48 BP
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There are certain sections that I've pretty much finished, If you have any input whatsoever, from sets to AI behavior to teams, anything at all, post it in the thread and I'll be sure to put it in here under your name :)

 

[bobbyvaporeon]

I guess the first strategy you should put in is Truant EntrainmentDurant + Setup Sweeper with Protect such as Volcarona or Gyarados. This strategy wrecks the bad AI in the Battle Maison, and is the easiest way to work your way up.

 

[Psywaves]

The AI has no [i can't remember the word] about putting everything to sleep, Double Teaming to +6, or using Sheer Cold/Fissure/etc. Therefore, your team needs to be prepared, as all of these hax-based strategies can, have and will beat the most skilled of players.

I believe the word you are looking for is "qualms"? As in "The AI has no qualms about putting everything to sleep etc"

 

[PISTOLERO]

I believe the word you are looking for is "qualms"? As in "The AI has no qualms about putting everything to sleep etc"

Yeees thats exactly it lol, thanks <3

 

[Psywaves]

Yeees thats exactly it lol, thanks <3

You're most welcome :]

 

[The Avalanches]

I was thinking "reservations" fits better?

 

[Anna says hi]

Examle teams are: Weaknite/Mega Blaziken(Brick Break over HJK-the AI tends to spam protect)/Belly Jet Azumarill.

Physically defensive Gliscor/Blissey/MegaMom works as well.

 

[DHR-107]

The word you are looking for near the start is Qualms.

Also: Tagging some people from the Orange Islands thread on the Battle Maison (Which can be found here: http://www.smogon.com/forums/threads/battle-maison-discussion-records.3492706/ ) : Eppie atsync VioletPumpkin Hozu R Inanimate cant say

These guys should be able to give some excellent advice for you to make this a really good guide :)

 

[cant say]

Looking back at the guide for the Subway in BW/2, a lot of it is still relevant so I think we can recycle bits from there / use it as reference. Additions would be the advantage of being able to use mega evolutions while the AI does not, and level scaling up to fifty is gone, so strategies like lv. 1 Endeavour are back. Note the change of Multi Battle AI partners (forcing us to make friends to get better teams, perhaps users with good AI teams can provide their Friend Codes) and the introduction of the Triple and Rotation lines.

I'd love to work on this more but it's 2:30am here, goodnight!

 

[Anna says hi]

Something of note is that the defensive RestTalk Walrein with a lax incense and Sheer Cold and Fissure is back, I faced one in my 49th battle.

 

[Anna says hi]

Not really. Its slow enough for an Azumarill to revenge it, and once it gets the first kill, you know how to play around it.
Not to mention sub defeats the purpose of it.

 

[atsync]

Hi. I was tagged here so I'll try to give some advice.

I think that basing this on the BW2 Subway Guide cant say linked would be a good way to approach this. Don't cut-and-paste obviously, but some of the sections that were included there are still relevent/important for the Maison, and the ordering of BW2 guide sections could apply for this guide too.

AI tendancies is something that should be included. As far as I know there haven't been any drastic changes from the Subway, although I believe there's some glitch in Doubles/Multi/Triples where AI-controlled Pokemon with Will-O-Wisp will try to burn their partner regardless of whether it's beneficial or not. I would also include something about rotation behaviour in the Rotation mode on AI tendancies. I haven't played Rotations much but others who have seem to say that it is quite random and hard to predict, so simply saying something about the unpredictability of it should be fine. Not sure if that would go in AI tendancies or the actual Rotations section though.

As far as changes that you should note from the Subway to the Maison, you MAY want to mention:

• Opponents can now use their Hidden Abilities.
• Maybe talk about minor changes to movesets. This doesn't have to be comprehensive, but just note that certain Pokemon have had minor changes (e.g. changed hold item, slight moveset tweaks). The most obvious changes were to Pokemon that were re-typed to Fairy, since they often have a STAB Fairy move added.
• Speaking of which, mention the inclusion of Fairy types. I don't actually think it has changed things TOO much but it does make Dragons a bit less overpowered (although they are still among the best Pokemon to use).
• Should be obvious, but the inclusion of 6th gen Pokemon is a change since it adds new threats. Maybe mention somewhere which Pokemon appear in the Super modes (Chesnaught, Delphox, Greninja, Talonflame, Pyroar, Florges, Gogoat, Aromatisse, Slurpuff, Barbaracle, Clawitzer, Tyrantrum, Aurorus, Sylveon, Hawlucha, Carbink, Goodra, Trevenant, Gourgeist, Avalugg, and Noivern).

There are some other "changes" that don't really apply to the actual battles, such as the increased Battle Points rewarded for winning, as well as the ability to save more than one battle video at a time, that might be worth mentioning somewhere. I don't know.

Probably need a section on EVs and IVs similar to the BW2 guide. EVs work much the same as they did in the Subway: they are pre-determined for each Pokemon set and will be split evenly across 2 or 3 stats. This gives EV spreads of 252/252 or 170/170/170. I believe there may be some sets that split them across 4 stats (EV spread of 127/127/127/127) but this is extremely rare and possibly not even worth mentioning.

Regarding IVs, it seems to be trainer-based. Each trainer is assigned to used a particular IV distribution and Pokemon set. I think it works as follows for the super modes:

• For the first 10 battles, all trainers will use set 1 Pokemon with 19 IVs.
• For battles 11-20, there is a mix of trainers. Some will use set 1 Pokemon with 19 IVs, and the others will use set 2 Pokemon with 23 IVs.
• For battles 21-30, there is a mix of trainers. Some will use set 2 Pokemon with 23 IVs, and the others will use set 3 Pokemon with 27 IVs.
  
• For battles 31-40, there is a mix of trainers. Some will use set 3 Pokemon with 27 IVs, and the others will use set 4 Pokemon with 31 IVs.
  
• For battle 40+, all trainers use Pokemon with 31 IVs. The list of trainers can be found here.

For reference, the Chatelaine's names are Nita (singles), Evelyn (doubles), Dana (triples), and Morgan (rotations).

For convenience, this is the stuff you can get from the woman behind the left counter:

• Protein, Calcium, Iron, Zinc, Carbos, HP Up - 2bp
• Power Bracer, Power Belt, Power Lens, Power Band, Power Anklet, Power Weight, Toxic Orb, Flame Orb - 16bp
• White Herb, Power Herb, Absorb Bulb, Cell Battery, Red Card, Eject Button, Weakness Policy, Ring Target, Protector, Whipped Dream, Sachet, Electirizer, Magmarizer, Reaper Cloth, Up-Grade, Dubious Disc - 32bp
• Wise Glasses, Choice Specs, Scope Lens, Zoom Lens, Wide Lens, Muscle Band, Focus Band, Choice Band, Choice Scarf, Assault Vest, Focus Sash, Razor Claw, Razor Fang, Bright Powder, Life Orb, Iron Ball, Air Balloon, Binding Band, Safety Goggles, Rare Candy - 48bp
• Ability Capsule - 200bp

And the stuff from the woman behind the right counter:

• TM48 (Round), TM59 (Incinerate) - 16bp
• TM87 (Swagger), TM60 (Quash), TM05 (Roar) - 24bp
• TM23 (Smack Down), TM34 (Sludge Wave), TM51 (Steel Wing) -32bp
• TM64 (Explosion), TM67 (Retaliate), TM72 (Volt Switch), TM85 (Dream Eater) - 48bp

Don't forget to mention the berries you get from the little girl near the entrance: Lansat Berry (100 wins) and Starf Berry (200 wins).

That's all I can think of for now. Once you flesh this out a bit more feel free to message me for more feedback if you wish.

 

[PISTOLERO]

cant say atsync , sorry I've taken so long to do this, I've slowly been working this up over the past couple of weeks - I've been testing several things in the Maison, and I've got the Super Singles and Super Doubles trophies - I lost at 47 in triples and 43 in Multis due to pretty much getting counterteamed by the AI - I mean seriously, Gastrodon, Tyranitar and Quagsire on the same team - and then when I put Grass Knot>HP Ice on Heliolisk all these Water/Ground Pokemon vanished -_-..... but anyway, I've written loads of new stuff too, as well as sourcing a couple things from the BW Guide - thank you for the Battle Points Items list atsync, that saved me a lot of time ;). I'd love your guys' input on the whole thing in general, and any suggestions/sets/anything at all that you have would be great! :)

 

[cant say]

I'm not sure I like how you've said Pokemon must be at least level 50. Instead it should just explain that anything above 50 will be lowered to it but anything lower will retain it's level, meaning level 1 strategies are now viable (FEAR).

Also instead of explaining one by one how you unlock super lines just say it all in one go. Something like 'the Maison has several battle modes to challenge, these are; single battles, double battles, triple battles, rotation battles and multi battles. If you manage to get a 20 win streak and beat the Chatelaine for a particular battle format you will unlock a 'super' mode for that format. These super modes are more difficult and feature stronger, fully evolved and EV trained Pokemon. If you reach a 50 win streak in a super mode you will face a chatelaine once more'

Add a list of chatelaine's teams for normal and super modes

You hype up substitute a lot. Obviously it is good if used properly but reading your description I feel like I could spam it and win (which we don't want people using this as a guide to do)

I think instead of going into set descriptions of specific pokemon I would probably just explore successful team strategies (can just look straight into the top 10s in the Maison thread in the orange islands subforum). If you are going to keep the Pokemon descriptions I would add how to support it with other team additions. Ok maybe mega kang can win 90% or games by itself, but adding a fighting resist helps, as well as something to reliable deal with ghosts and/or burns. How do you support your Landorus build etc etc...

Gengar also resists toxic + earthquake

I would do little description on how each format works. Like how you select 3 Pokemon for singles, 4 for double, 6 for triples, 4 for rotation and 2 for multi. Also talk about the AI partners (everyone has their own pre-generated AI team and you can get more by adding FCs. You also have your rival/NPC friends teams (which suck))

I'm also not 100% sure if the AI tendencies (that you've directly CP'ed from the battle subway guide) are still totally accurate. The AI has improved a bit iirc so there may be some changes there (need advice from atsync here)

Honestly, and I don't want to come across as just flaming you because you've obviously put a lot of effort in, but you seem a little inexperienced with the Maison at this point to be doing a full write up at this time (only completed 2 formats atm)..

 

[PISTOLERO]

I'm not sure I like how you've said Pokemon must be at least level 50. Instead it should just explain that anything above 50 will be lowered to it but anything lower will retain it's level, meaning level 1 strategies are now viable (FEAR).

Also instead of explaining one by one how you unlock super lines just say it all in one go. Something like 'the Maison has several battle modes to challenge, these are; single battles, double battles, triple battles, rotation battles and multi battles. If you manage to get a 20 win streak and beat the Chatelaine for a particular battle format you will unlock a 'super' mode for that format. These super modes are more difficult and feature stronger, fully evolved and EV trained Pokemon. If you reach a 50 win streak in a super mode you will face a chatelaine once more'

Add a list of chatelaine's teams for normal and super modes

You hype up substitute a lot. Obviously it is good if used properly but reading your description I feel like I could spam it and win (which we don't want people using this as a guide to do)

I think instead of going into set descriptions of specific pokemon I would probably just explore successful team strategies (can just look straight into the top 10s in the Maison thread in the orange islands subforum). If you are going to keep the Pokemon descriptions I would add how to support it with other team additions. Ok maybe mega kang can win 90% or games by itself, but adding a fighting resist helps, as well as something to reliable deal with ghosts and/or burns. How do you support your Landorus build etc etc...

Gengar also resists toxic + earthquake

I would do little description on how each format works. Like how you select 3 Pokemon for singles, 4 for double, 6 for triples, 4 for rotation and 2 for multi. Also talk about the AI partners (everyone has their own pre-generated AI team and you can get more by adding FCs. You also have your rival/NPC friends teams (which suck))

I'm also not 100% sure if the AI tendencies (that you've directly CP'ed from the battle subway guide) are still totally accurate. The AI has improved a bit iirc so there may be some changes there (need advice from atsync here)

Honestly, and I don't want to come across as just flaming you because you've obviously put a lot of effort in, but you seem a little inexperienced with the Maison at this point to be doing a full write up at this time (only completed 2 formats atm)..

I'll work in all these changes (making this thing in WordPad due to shaky net access) so I'll go offline, read what you've advised and change accordingly.

dw about flaming me, I know that I have some more work to do in the Maison itself (i have streaks of 39 wins in Triples and 37 wins in Multis waiting to be continued, almost lost to the famous Walrein again, and don't get me started on the AI hitting Focus Blast after Focus Blast whilst Brightpowder throws off Mach Punch :(... I've tried Rotation battles and found it really strange, the AI seems to predict some of the time and other times do strange things, e.g. not rotating Fairies into Outrage etc - but I'm slowly building up a team for it, so hopefully I'll get to 50 in the next week or so - right now rain in Triples is something I'm refining)

I think that Hone Claws deserves a mention as it breaks through DTeam/Powder hax etc, what do you think?

Personally I found that Khan can use Crunch to deal with annoying Ghosts, and Power-Up Punch can negate burn quite nicely - fighting resists are nice though, Gliscor again comes to mind

I'll tone down the worship of Substitute, it's just that it's - so - good - at blocking OHKO moves and infuriating Swagger tactics (I lost countless times in DPP to the Toxic / Confuse Ray / Double Team / Protect Dusclops, and Substitute is just fabulous at helping you set up on pokemon like these, as well as giving you a buffer against the next thing that comes in).

Should i take into account availability of Pokemon? e.g. I genned Landorus to be perfect and have a good nature, max PP etc, whereas some people can't do that - e.g. Khan is easier to get as it's breedable and all of its moves are XY obtainable

thank you cant say for the great advice, should I just tag you again when I put up a revised version (maybe tomorrow or sometime in the next couple days)

on the topic of AI tendencies, it does seem to have improoved but in a weird way - e.g. it seesm to be able to "predict" protect and set up on it etc, and the stranger things I've seen is it Will-O-Wisping Fire Types as they switch out into Gliscor (which was maddening). It DEFINITELY counterteams you though, I played a match where it sent out Terrakion (killed Khan and Talonflame) then had Skarmory in the back to give the finger to Gliscor....

I also tried sun teams in Triples, they aren't as great to be honest as the only things that can really benefit are fire types and chlorophyll Pokemon - and you get counterteamed by Rock Types, Sandstorm Gastrodon, Tyranitar etc - whereas rain lets you use Toxicroak, Heliolisk, electric types/other pokemon with Thunder/Surf etc. I actually run manual Rain Dance with Damp Rock Klefki, which can also paralyze everything on the opponent's side - I want to try this with Mega Heracoss too, as that thing is murderous when outspeeding stuff.

Something I HAVE to write up is Assault Vest Azumarill, it's worked wonders for me in Doubles and Triples (until the Wood Hammer Chesnaughts that can survive HP Ice come out....). My team for Singles was: Khan, Talonflame, Gliscor - hit ~75 before losing due to Brightpowder - and my Doubles was AVumarill, Thundurus-Therian, Khan and Sylveon - i beat the chatelaine and haven't continued past that yet.

Soon as I type this I'm going back into Multis and Triples to get the trophies for those, soon as I do I'll take a pic and post it. Sadly I'm saddled with shit teams even though I have quite a few FCs - it seems to be either two shit Pokemon, 2 good pokemon that share loads of weaknesses, or legendary with bad moveset + item + random piece of crap (eg Latias and Sawk). And the only good partnership I have is one that has Will-O-Wisp, and my AI partner seems to love burning Gliscor/Mawile/etc on the first turn - although the AI on the other side of the field does this too - I think this might have been mentioned as a glitch somewhere on this page.

 

[Anna says hi]

I think the "Example Teams" section should be expanded to include EVs, items, and moves(Abilities should be fairly obvious)
I also think that the example teams should not be listed without at least 50 wins. (The MegaMom/Blissey/Gliscor team has 100+, but is not mine)

My team (50 wins in singles and counting) would be

Dragonite(Lead) @ Weakness Policy
252 Atk/24 Def/232 Spe
Adamant
Multiscale
Dragon Claw
Dragon Dance
Earthquake
ExtremeSpeed


Azumarill @ Sitrus Berry
240 HP/252 Atk/12 Spe
Adamant
Huge Power
Belly Drum
Play Rough
Aqua Jet
Brick Break

Blaziken @ Blazikenite
252 Atk/252 Spe/4 HP
Adamant
Speed Boost->Speed Boost
Protect
Stone Edge
Brick Break
Blaze Kick
(This is mainly a placeholder, but it's done well enough)

 

[atsync]

I apologise if some of what I say here is just repeating what has been said already.

Firstly, I would encourage you to try write this up as it is going to be presented on-site. It's easier to give advice when we can actually see what it will look like!

Introduction:
What - The Battle Maison in Pokemon X and Y is a continuation of the in-game competitive battling format that has been a part of most of the Gameboy, GBA and DS Pokemon games since Crystal (only FRLG didin't have a dedicated Battle Tower), and is a different, but still very engaging, challenge for many competitively minded players.
=======================
Where - The Battle Maison is in Kiloude City, so is only accessible after defeating the Elite Four. You can get to Kiloude City easily after becoming Champion - you will be told to go to Lumiose Station, where Sycamore will give you the Pass you need to board the train from Lumiose to Kiloude.

I'm mostly fine with this content being in the Introduction. However, since this section is introducing the article, don't forget to also state the purpose of the article here. Just add a one-liner somewhere that says the aim of this article is to give players an overview of the mechanics and strategies involved in the Maison, etc. Refer to the Subway guide to see what I'm talking.

Rules - All Pokemon used in the Battle Maison will be set to Level 50. This means that anything that is Level 51 or higher will be lowered to Level 50. However, all Pokemon used in the Maison must be at least Level 50, because for some reason the flat level function doesn’t work for Pokemon under Lvl 50 (basically, don’t take a level 41 Gardevoir into the Maison and be surprised when it is outsped).

Cant say already said this but the part where you say "must be at least level 50" is worded poorly. Just change it to what cant say said and it should be fine.

You are not allowed to enter the following Pokemon:
Mewtwo, Mew, Lugia, Ho-Oh, Celebi, Kyogre, Groudon, Rayquaza, Jirachi, Deoxys (Normal, Attack, Defense and Speed Formes), Dialga, Palkia, Giratina (Origin and Altered Formes), Phione, Manaphy, Darkrai, Shaymin (Land and Sky Formes), Arceus (all Formes), Victini, Reshiram, Zekrom, Kyurem, Keldeo, Meloetta, Genesect, Xerneas, Yveltal, Zygarde, all eggs
by extension, the AI cannot use the above Pokemon either.

This is fine. However, I think that you should also list the other Pokemon that aren't banned in the Super modes but that aren't used by the AI either, maybe in another section. Things like Butterfree, Beedrill, etc. It's useful to have because there are some Pokemon that are actually potentially dangerous but won't ever show up, like Prankster Whimsicott and Aegislash. The Subway guide has a list of 1st-4th gen ones, which hasn't changed.

The 6th gen Pokemon are:

Diggersby, Vivillon, Pangoro, Furfrou, Meowstic, Aegislash, Malamar, Dragalge, Heliolisk, Dedenne, Klefki

And 5th gen:

Watchog, Stoutland, Liepard, Simisage, Simisear, Simipour, Swoobat, Audino, Leavanny, Scolipede, Whimsicott, Basculin, Maractus, Crustle, Sigilyph, Garbodor, Cinccino, Swanna, Sawsbuck, Emolga, Amoongus, Jellicent, Alomomola, Galvantula, Beheeyem, Heatmor

Note that that only applies to the Super modes. They can appear in the regular modes.

-link to comprehensive list of Pokemon located in battle tower goes here (if it exists)-

It does exist, although it isn't quite finished yet. At the bottom of the article, I would maybe have a "Resources" section that includes a link to the main thread in Orange Islands; that has all the currently documented information on Pokemon and trainers that you need. Ideally we would prefer to get the data on the actual site like last time but I'm not sure how it would look to have incomplete info on site...

AI Tendencies:
1. Learning and adapting: The AI seems to analyse your team as you battle with it and your streak continues, and gradually learns what Pokemon your team has trouble with - and these Pokemon appear more and more often.

Examples:
⦁ Using SubToxic Gliscor [insert name of section here], the AI learned to send out Weezing/Skarmory more often.
⦁ Using Sashed Spore Breloom, the AI learned to send out multiple faster Pokemon with Lum/Chesto Berry, or Pokemon with multi-hit moves, or ones with Taunt.
⦁ Using Landorus, the AI learnt to send out faster Ice-Types, with Focus Sash a lot of the time.
⦁ Using Rain in triples, the AI learned to send out: Storm Drain Pokemon, Lightningrod Pokemon, Volt Absorb Pokemon, Water Absorb Pokemon. It also learned to send out multiple weather inducers such as Abomasnow and Tyranitar, and (even better) weather setters that would use their weather move on the same turn as Klefki's Rain Dance. It also learnt to use Taunt on Klefki+ their own weather setter on the same turn.

Please don't add this. There has always been speculation about the AI "countering" your team and out-predicting your moves, and maybe it does, but there is no definitive proof of this one way or the other, and any evidence supporting it has pretty much been anecdotal (such as the examples you listed above).

I do think it's fine to introduce the idea as long as you present it as what it is: speculation. Just don't present it as absolute fact.

Furthermore, I don't like how you list specific examples. This is AI TENDANCIES, so this should just be general rules that all players can apply regardless of what they're using. Not everyone is going to be using Gliscor or Breloom (in fact, most people won't be given how many viable Pokemon they can choose from and how few teamslots they have), so this information is useless to them. I'd say just get rid of that whole list to be honest.

2. predictable patterns [sourced from the BW Subway Guide]; there are certain tendencies that the AI seems to have when picking its moves. these are:
⦁ the AI prefers attacks that will KO one of your Pokemon
⦁ An exception to the above, the AI doesn't use the following moves properly: Gyro Ball, Grass Knot, Low Kick, Return, Frustration. They may not use the move even if it would result in a KO.
⦁ the AI doesn't use Sucker Punch properly. They may use it to KO your Pokemon if none of their other attacks can or if it's their only attack. They tend to use it more often if a Pokemon has been Taunted. Otherwise, they tend to be reluctant to use Sucker Punch.
⦁ the AI does not recognize Storm Drain or Dry Skin on the first turn; they will continue to use Water attacks if it would normally be their strongest move against the Pokemon. Not sure about this one, does anybody know if it works after the first turn?
⦁ the AI does not recognize Flash Fire initially, but will stop using Fire attacks entirely once Flash Fire has been activated. In a double battle, however, the AI will still target your other, non-Flash Fire Pokemon with Fire moves.
⦁ the AI will not continue to use a boosting move if one of the stats being boosted is already maxed.
⦁ The AI avoids using Trick against a Pokemon that holds one of the following items: Choice Band, Choice Specs, Choice Scarf, Flame Orb, Toxic Orb, or Black Sludge.
⦁ the AI tends to avoid using moves that lower their stats unless it results in a KO or they are holding White Herb (eg Draco Meteor).
⦁ the AI tends to only use recovery moves when they are below half health. They sometimes, however, seem to "predict" when they will go below half health when their Pokemon is slower than yours.
⦁ the AI tends to only use Destiny Bond when they are below half health.
⦁ the AI may switch if their Pokemon is locked into a move that does not deal damage (either immune or status move) due to a Choice item.
⦁ If the opponent is hit with an attack and they have a Pokemon that is immune to that attack's type, they may switch to the Pokemon that has that immunity. Strangely, they still have a chance to switch even if the Pokemon that performed that attack has already fainted.
⦁ the AI considers multi-hit moves based on the power of a single hit (e.g. they see Icicle Spear as a 25 Base Power Ice-type attack).

are all of these still the same in X and Y?

...probably? I'm not 100% sure because I haven't gone and tested ever single one myself, although I know some of them are still true.

The first point about preferring to use moves if they know they KO is still true. Unsure about those exceptions but I haven't seen anything to the contrary...

They still aren't too good at using Sucker Punch properly in the sense that they won't necessarily use it even if they know that it's their strongest attack. They definitely prefer to Sucker Punch if you're Taunted than if you aren't. It's probably the same.

I might test out Dry Skin/Storm Drain(/Water Absorb?) when I get the chance. I know that they would act stupidly against it in the Subway by continuing to spam Water attacks against these abilities even after they activated them the first time, but I don't know if this still holds true now.

Flash Fire behaviour seems to be exactly the same as it was in the Subway.

Unsure about whether the Trick and stat-dropping move rules still hold. Will try to test.

Recovery moves seem to act the same way as before.

The Destiny Bond rule is generally true, but I have seen exceptions. I think the rule as listed is fine as is though (they tend it use it).

I would be very surprised if the switching rule regarding Choice-locked status moves was changed since it seems to be there to hinder those Trick-Scarf teams that were so dominant in 4th gen. I haven't actually seen it for myself though.

The 2nd last rule is still true. Technically it isn't even limited to just Pokemon that are immune; they can also go to a Pokemon that is just resistant to the move instead. I have no idea about the second part.

I don't know about the last rule but I would assume that it's still true.

You haven't included the Doubles list, so make sure you add that, including the part about Pokemon Will-O-Wisping their partners for no reason.

Example Teams
Entrainment/Protect (I personally have no experience with these kinds of teams so if someone could write this that'd be great!)
Mega Khan team (Khan, Landorus/Greninja, Talonflame/Gliscor)
Breloom lead team (Breloom, Khan/Mega Blaze/Mega Mawile, Gliscor/Chansey)

I'm...not quite sure this is the right way to go about this. I mean, having a section on team-building and strategies is good but I think the stuff listed here could be grouped under more general team archetypes.

Here's what I would do: rename this section something like "Teambuilding for the Maison". Then, have subheadings with different strategies and incoporate the stuff you have listed through-out the guide under those. Talk about the various advantages and disadvantages of each strategy, as well as which strategies work best in which modes. You may like to include Pokemon that represent each strategy well, or even a sample team such as you have listed.

Some subheadings you could include:

• Non-crippling/gimmick teams - basically represents teams that don't rely on crippling or particular strategies to win (i.e. doesn't fall under another category), but just on the power, synergy, and coverage of their Pokemon to win. These teams are faster at winning battles than some of the other team archetypes, but they are often more prone to hax. That Mega-Kangaskhan team you have could be listed here, although you may prefer to list one of the teams listed in the forum thread that has a ranking on the list.
• Crippling + set-up teams - these are teams that lead with Pokemon that use disruption moves to cripple the lead to the point where it is no longer threatening, upon which you can then send in a boosting sweeper to set up and sweep the team. It works because opponents will rarely switch out except in very specific situations, so you can turn them into sitting ducks. Mention examples of Pokemon that can cripple. I would give Entrainment Durant a strong mention since it's the most efficient crippler (or just include a sample Entrainment team), but also mention other cripplers like Whimsicott and Power Split Shuckle, maybe some others. Also mention good sweepers, like Dragonite and Suicune. Advantages of this strategy are that it's more hax-proof than non-crippler teams. Disadvantages include the fact that battles tend to last a while which slows you down significantly. Crippler teams are vulnerable to things like U-turn/Volt Switch and suicide leads that allow them to escape you crippling attempts, and many of these teams tend to fall apart if something goes wrong because their sweepers aren't as good when unboosted. Finally, crippling teams are only worth using in Singles since it's harder to cripple properly in the other modes.
• Lv.1 Endeavor - often called "FEAR", it's a strategy used in Doubles/Triples that involves using a Lv. 1 Pokemon with Endeavor to severely weaken the opponent so that the rest of your team can take it out. Mainly abuses the fact that opponents will target the Lv.1 Pokemon because its defences are so low that they will focus on trying to kill it instead of the more powerful partner Pokemon. When done correctly, you can get a massive lead at the start of the battle to the put that it is difficult to lose. The Endeavor Pokemon will typically have Protect to allow it to stick around even longer while also guarding against Fake Out. Aron is the best Pokemon for this role because it has Sturdy; when paired with Berry Juice, it effectively gets a free life. It's also immune to sandstorm damage. However, pretty much any Pokemon with Endeavor and Focus Sash can work. Greninja with Mat Block is a good partner because it usually give the Lv.1 Pokemon a free turn. This strategy is very effective, but it also requires practice to use properly since it can be difficult to come back if something goes wrong. The strategy is vulnerable to Fake Out, passive damage, and the occasional lead that simply decides not to attack the Endeavor Pokemon directly (status, etc).
• Weather - usually best used in Doubles or Triples, but no longer as good as it used to be due to the nerf to weather's lasting time. Still worth mentioning just for that reason though. These days, the most commonly used weather seems to be Sun, mostly because Mega Charizard Y is so powerful on its own and can deal with types that usually have an advantage against Sun teams. This can be supported by other Fire-types and Chlorophyll sweepers. Weather teams need to be able to deal with opposing weathers Other weather types are rare and usually if a Pokemon with a weather-inducing ability is included (e.g. Tyranitar) it's for other reasons.
• Tailwind - mostly for Doubles/ Triples and used to help strong Pokemon that suffer from mediocre Speed. Generally these teams don't necessarily rely on Tailwind, and usually just have it to deal with certain dangerous Pokemon more easily. Pokemon with Prankster are great Tailwind setters; Whimsicott, Murkrow, and Tornadus are good examples. Lots of Pokemon can learn Tailwind though so Prankster isn't essential. Tailwind only lasts 4 turns so you'll mainly want to avoid using boosting moves like Swords Dance and focus on attacking as much as possible.
• Trick Room - obviously best used in Doubles/Triples, the main advantage of Trick Room over Tailwind is that it allows you to neglect Speed investment so you can invest in bulk instead. However, Trick Rooms tend to struggle outside of Trick Room due to having low Speed, and this makes them vulnerable to things like Fake Out, Taunt, etc, that stop Trick Room going up. There is usually more pressure on you to get Trick Room up when compared to Tailwind teams, which can limit your options during the first turn. Having priority moves on your back-ups helps this issue a bit. The fact that Trick Room is a negative priority move also makes life harder when trying to set it up, and Trick Room can also be a bit more limited to team building than Tailwind. Mention good Trick Room setters (Bronzong, Reuniclus, Aromatisse, Cresselia, etc.) and sweepers (Mega Abomasnow, Metagross, Clawizter, etc.). Like Tailwind, there is a short timer to Trick Room so you'll want to focus on offence more that setting up.

Again, refer to the Subway guide (the 2nd part) to get an idea of what I mean.

 

[NoCheese]

can't say directed me to this article, and though it looks like it has lain fallow for over a month, I hope there are still plans for progressing.

Here are some overall thoughts.

First, recognize that covering the entirety of the Battle Maison is a big undertaking. Viable strategies (and the best Pokemon to use) can vary sharply between formats (TruAnt works well in singles, but Weather, Trick Room, and FEAR Aron are much better suited to doubles and triples, etc.), so while there are some universal play principles, you're going to need to separately discuss strategies and recommended pokemon for each format.

Accordingly, I think you should adjust the article structure a bit.

Maybe a structure like:
1. Why play in the Maison at all and how does it work? This is where you'd discuss the basic rules, the BP payout structure, what BP can buy, the trophies, the starf and lansat berries, and the fact that though you are playing against a pretty weak AI, there is real competitive challenge in trying to put together a big streak.

2. AI tendencies and general strategy advice. You already mention these, though some of your suggestions are either outdated or unverified. This is where you'd discuss the AI's usual unwillingness to switch (and the exceptions), its desire to go for a KO whenever it can, and the importance of prioritizing consistency in your teambuilding and play, even at the cost of expected value. You already discuss the importance of high accuracy moves, and protecting against crits and status, but more generally, conservative play falls under this same umbrella.

3. Super singles specific strategies (difficulties of covering everything with just three pokemon, the extreme danger of shared weaknesses, good-stuff versus crippling teams, etc.) and recommended pokemon/movesets. Note that this discussion, particularly concerning recommended pokemon, may be very long.

4 - 7. Similar discussion of doubles, triples, multi, and rotation formats.

8. Conclusion.

--

I'll try to come back with more detailed discussion later, but for now, I'll just add some comments on a few of your specific statements so far.

Substitute is a great move, but not quite as good as it was in previous generations. First, crits do less damage now, so there's less need to protect against them. Secondly, more attacks penetrate subs. Anything sound-based (including some hard hitting moves like Bug Buzz) bypasses a sub, as do moves from Pokemon with the Infiltrator ability. Finally, the AI is now a lot smarter with respect to Substitute users, and won't spam status moves into an existing Sub unless there's no other reasonable move choice. It used to be you could set a Sub, and freely set up while the AI just spammed Toxic or Thunder Wave over and over again. That doesn't happen any more.

Don't be quite so hard on "slow defensive boosting." Yes, you are completely right that one of the best ways to protect against Hax is to KO a threat before it has opportunities to Hax you. But if you go all in on heavy offense, one wall, or potent priority user or the like can end things fast. You badly, badly want something that can beat (and ideally set up on) these bulky foes that may check your sweepers. Calm Mind Suicune is in fact ideal for this, even in the face of crits and status. No one uses Sleep Talk, which is way too high variance, but Scald / Calm Mind / Rest Suicune is one of the true monsters of Super Singles. You can play with Substitute for added crit / status protection or with Icy Wind to slow faster threats and ease setting up (while also covering Dragons), but either way, you will probably want a strong defensive player on any sort of good-stuff team.

Your recommended pokemon list needs a lot of work. As noted earlier, you'll want to split it by battle style, but I also strongly advise starting with some of the tried-and-true Pokemon from the Battle Maison records thread, available HERE. All of the listed teams have had big success, not just 50 wins, and the streak writeups often give detailed explanations of why a specific moveset/EV spread/playstyle works so well for a given Poke. Though some things have changed from last generation, most enemy sets remain the same, so the Battle Subway record list, available HERE, should also help. I'd focus less on claiming credit for individual movesets, since lots of people can and have figured out how to build a strong Mega Kangaskan. It's great, however, to credit innovations with respect to team synergies, etc. For example, in your Super Singles recommendations, you might note that last generation, Jumpman16 found success with a Latios/Terrakion core thanks to how well their resistances complement each other and Chinese Dood demonstrated that Stoutland, long underappreciated, could be the basis for a very strong crippling team.

As I discussed earlier, your AI tendencies and BP rewards sections should probably come earlier in the article, but I echo all of atsync's suggestions with respect to adjusting your claims about the AI. Things of particular note to me, some shared with atsync's suggestions, some new: There's NO proof of the AI metagaming against you, the AI is much better at Sucker Puncing effectively now, the AI won't try to Trick Mega Stones, The AI won't spam status into an existing Substitute, the AI will use stat dropping moves like Draco Meteor, even without a White Herb, even if it can't OHKO, if that's its most damaging attack, and the AI will Fake Out into Inner Focus, at least on Kangaskhan with a Mega Stone but not yet Mega Evolved.

Additionally, in your section on general strategies and teambuilding, you'll almost certainly want to refer people to the following, all of which are extremely valuable during both the teambuilding and battling processes:

The Maison (and Subway) leaderboards (linked above).
Team Rocket Elite's complete list of Maison Pokemon and their sets (available HERE)
Team Rocket Elite's list of Maison trainers and which Pokemon/sets they have access to (available HERE)
Snail489's Maison Speed Tiers list (available HERE)

Finally, there are some reasonable guides for Maison Super Singles already in existence, which may help you as you work on this article.

I put together a general beginners guide HERE.
VaporeonIce put together a detailed threat list HERE.

Best of luck with this project. I'll try to provide more detailed thoughts and suggestions later on, but if you have specific questions, don't hesitate to ask!

 

[NoCheese]

After discussion with LusterousPalkia, I'm now coming aboard to help write this article. Since I can't adjust the OP at present, here's where I'll post my outline for the article and flesh it out as sections get written.

-----

Why Bother With the Battle Maison?

While Pokemon X and Y are certainly fun to play, for many serious battlers, the games' biggest shortcoming is their lack of truly competitive battling. These games are designed to be beatable by younger children, after all, and accordingly, an experienced player with intelligently chosen and trained Pokemon will find little difficulty in smashing through underleveled storyline foes controlled by a simplistic AI. To make things more interesting, some players play through the game using complicated self-enforced "challenge" rules (Nuzlocke, etc.) which limit the Pokemon they can use, how these Pokemon can be obtained, and how and when they can be healed, taught TMs, and so forth. But another way to find in-game challenge, and to keep the games strategically interesting long after completing the storyline, is to compete to build lengthy winning streaks in the Battle Maison.

In the Maison, you can compete in Singles, Doubles, Triples, Rotation, or Multi- battles against leveled-up and fully EVed computer controlled teams. While winning an individual battle in the Maison is often trivial, designing and playing a team to a lengthy winning streak can be a challenging and rewarding endeavor. Because you can compete against fellow Smogonites for the longest streaks (recorded in the Orange Islands section of the forums), Battle Maison runs, though not "competitive Pokemon" in the sense of a direct battle against a human, are very much a competitive activity, and there's real joy in building a successful streak. Furthermore, many important items and TMs can most easily be obtained by winning battles in the Maison, so even for competitive players not interested in building a massive streak, success in the Maison can be helpful. This article is intended to introduce players to the Battle Maison and aid in team design and play. It will first discuss the overall format of the Maison and items that can be won or purchased inside. It then address general strategies for building successful teams in all Maison battle formats, and the basic tendencies of the AI. Finally, it will provide format-specific advice on strategy, recommended Pokemon, and threats for each of the five Maison battle formats.

Maison Basics

Basic Rules:

While most Pokemon are allowed to participate in Maison battles, there are a few important limitations. First, event Pokemon and cover legendaries are banned. Second, the species clause is in effect, so you cannot use two Pokemon of the same species, even with different formes. Third, the item clause is in effect, so no two of your Pokemon can hold the same item. Any of your Pokemon above level 50 will be auto lowered to level 50 during your Maison battles, while Pokemon at lower levels retain their levels. All of the AI's Pokemon will be at level 50, and by battle 40 of a super battle streak, all will have perfect IVs and 510 EVs divided between either two or three stats.

The size of your team varies depending on the battle format you choose. In Singles, you use a team of three Pokemon, one active and two in reserve. In Doubles, you use a team of four, with two active and two in reserve. Triples battles involve teams of six, with three Pokemon active and four in reserve. Rotations teams use four Pokemon total, three active and one in reserve. Finally, Multis teams consist of two separate groups of two Pokemon, with one member of each group active, and one in reserve. You control one of these groups, while your partner (either another human or the AI) controls the other. In XY, your list of available AI partners for Multis expands with every friend code you add, though the specific Pokemon that AI controlled friend can use are randomly determined. In ORAS, friend codes no longer increase your available partner options, though the default partners, particularly Steven, are stronger than the XY defaults.

There are two levels of play in the Maison, regular and super. While the focus of this article is on building teams for success in super battles, you'll need to first complete the regular level of each battle format before you can play the associated super level. 20 consecutive victories, including a final victory over a Battle Chatelaine, are required to complete a regular level. In the super level, there is no limit to streak length. You'll fight a tougher version of the Chatelaine at battle 50, but unlike in regular formats, your super battle streak will not end after a victory against the Chatelaine. So long as you keep winning, you'll be able to extend your streak indefinitely. After a single loss, however, your streak will end, and you'll have to start back at battle one if you want to build a new one.

What Can You Win?

Upon beating a Chatelaine in any regular battle format, all Pokemon on your team for the battle will be awarded the Skillful Battler Ribbon. Upon beating a Chatelaine in any super battle format, all Pokemon on your team for the battle will be awarded the Expert Battler Ribbon. Note that the only requirement for the ribbon is participating in the Chatelaine battle; a Pokemon need not have been on your team for any of the previous battles.

When you beat the Chatelaine for a super battle format for the first time, a trophy will appear in the Maison lobby commemorating the achievement. There's one trophy for each format, five in all, and upon earning all five trophies, you are eligible for Smogon's Battle Maison Trophy Hall of Fame.

After your first 100 win streak, you receive a Lansat Berry. After your first 200 win streak, you receive a Starf Berry. In XY, the berries are given to you by the girl in the left side of the Maison lobby, while in ORAS, you receive the berries from the girl in the house immediately east of the Maison.

Most importantly, victories at the Maison allow you to collect Battle Points (BP), which can be used to pay for Move Tutors (in ORAS), exchanged for TMs (in XY), and traded for useful items (in both). In regular level battles, you receive 1 BP for victory in each of your first 10 battles, 2 BP for battles 11-19, and 20 BP for a victory against the Chatelaine in battle 20. For super battles, you receive 2 BP for victory in each of battles 1-10, 3 BP for 11-20, 4 BP for 20-30, 5 BP for 30-40, 6 BP for 40-49, and 50 for victory against the Chatelaine in battle 50. Each victory thereafter is worth 7 BP. Note that this is a much higher rate of BP accumulation than in previous generations, so if you're just looking to get all relevant items and TMs, you don't need to do a lot of grinding. If you are trying to build a record worthy streak, you'll quickly find yourself with thousands of BP. The full list of available items and TMs is available in the index.

General Advice and AI Tendencies:

Although recommended strategies vary by battle format, there are some basic facts you should keep in mind regardless of format. First, when building a team, start by consulting Smogon's Battle Maison leaderboard, available HERE. You can save time, and learn a lot about what works (and what doesn't) from reading about other people's experiences, and leaderboard team writeups are often very detailed. The leaderboard teams have all achieved lengthy streaks, usually well beyond the 50 needed to beat the super battle chatelaine, and most regular posters in the Battle Maison thread are friendly and helpful to those seeking advice on a new team.

After reviewing the leaderboard, you should familiarize yourself with the enemy Pokemon you will face in the Maison, to make sure your team avoids any glaring weaknesses. Since many fully evolved Pokemon do not appear at all, and many sets stop appearing in the later battles of a streak, this is a less onerous task than you may think. In regular battles, you mostly face weak, not fully evolved Pokemon, so consulting a list is not necessary for those fights, but for the super battle levels, you'll want to review Team Rocket Elite's complete list of Maison Pokemon and their four possible sets, which is available HERE. Pay special heed to the fourth set (e.g. Scizor4) for normal Pokemon and the first and second sets for legendary Pokemon, since these are by far the most common sets after battle forty, but recognize that legendary sets three and four still appear fairly frequently, and certain trainers, particularly those focusing in just a few types of Pokemon, have access to regular Pokemon with sets one, two, and three even deep into a streak.

Just as in competitive play, natures, IVs and EVs matter a lot. Though your opponents in the regular battles and the early rounds of super battles will have imperfect IVs, after battle 40, your foes will have perfectly IVed Pokemon. Accordingly, using Pokemon with bad IVs will put you at a big disadvantage. Depending on your matchup, losing just a few points of Speed can turn outspeeding your opponent into being outsped, while the loss of just a little Attack might turn a guaranteed OHKO into a 2HKO. Take the time to breed for near perfect IVs. It is well worth it. While this was a huge hassle in previous generations if you didn't RNG, the new breeding mechanics, particularly the use of Destiny Knot, make it relatively easy to breed Pokemon with 5 perfect IVs, with the imperfect one in the unused Attack or Special Attack stat. Better still, the more quality Pokemon you breed, the faster future breeding projects will go, as you'll have more well IVed parents available. Choose your EVs and nature with care as well. While maxing Speed and an attacking stat for offensive Pokemon and HP and a defensive stat for defensive ones can be correct, the best spreads are often based around specific threats that need to be outsped. Snail489's Maison Speed Tiers list (available HERE) can be very useful in figuring out what speeds you should EV your Pokemon to achieve.

Variance is your enemy in the Maison, so when designing and playing your team, focus on reducing variance, even at the cost of expected value. Using 100% accurate moves is one important way of doing this. In competitive battles, for example, the extra OHKOs that Fire Blast nets typically make it better than Flamethrower, even with its 15% miss chance. But in the Maison, your team should already have the edge over the AI in the "average" state of the world thanks to your human intelligence in building and playing your team, so you need to minimize the harm in the "unlucky" state of the world. With Fire Blast, it's only a matter of time before you'll miss twice in a row (which will happen in 2.25% of Fire Blast pairs), and if you plan to win hundreds of battles consecutively, it's a near certainty that this will happen at some point in your streak. Accordingly, be wary of trying a set that regularly needs to use inaccurate attacks. Even 90% accuracy can be remarkably risky. You're going to be stuck missing sometimes thanks to the occasional Lax Incense or Double Team using foe; there's no reason to increase this with unreliable moves, especially when an untimely miss can cost you a streak.

Critical hits, flinches, stat drops, and other secondary effects of an enemy's attacks are similarly a big source of variance, so you also need to be prepared to minimize their risk. Using powerful and speedy offensive Pokemon is one good way of doing this, as a foe can't hax you if you outspeed and OHKO it. Substitute can provide protection from unexpected otherwise-fatal critical hits, and it also blocks status moves and secondary effect stat drops and status from attacking moves, but it can be too slow for the more offensive battle formats like doubles. On bulkier setup Pokemon, Rest can heal an unexpected statusing, and better still, while your Pokemon is resting, it cannot be re-statused. Lum Berry can likewise heal unexpected status, while Focus Sash can save you from being OHKOed by an untimely crit.

Perhaps the most important means of reducing variance is to play conservatively. Don't try to set up too much when a critical hit can KO you. Conversely, when you can safely set up, take advantage, since once you have a sweeper set up, there are fewer ways for bad luck to wreck you. Where you know you can handle your foe's other Pokemon, recognize that a surefire 2HKO is often a better choice than a OHKO on a move that could miss twice, even if the chance is tiny. More generally, when deciding your play for a turn, always consider what could go wrong, and how to minimize your pain in such a situation. A well-designed team should usually have a huge advantage in the good state of the world, so always pay more attention to the bad state when considering plays. Yes, you may be able to get in one more boost before attacking, but what if your opponent's attack crits? What if it gets a freeze or a flinch? Obviously, in a tight spot you'll sometimes have to take a chance and hope for the best, but as a general matter, you'll keep streaks going longer by playing like a pessimist.

Continuing on the subject of making the best play decisions, knowing the specific sets that your opponents' Pokemon are using really helps in determining the optimal line of play. Be sure to pay attention to the opposing trainer's name when the battle starts (don't zone out in the moments between battles!), because each named enemy trainer has access to a specific list of Pokemon sets. Search for the trainer's name in Team Rocket Elite's Maison trainer list (available HERE), and see what sets are available for the Pokemon you are facing in the named trainer's list. Much of the time, there will only be one set available for each Pokemon, letting you easily pull up the set from the Maison Pokemon List to see that Pokemon's specific moves, nature, item, and EVs. Note, however, that enemy Pokemon abilities are randomly selected from among their regular and hidden abilities (even unreleased ones!), so keep the different ability possibilities in mind when considering your strategy. Opposing Pokemon split their EVs evenly between the two (255 each) or three (170 each) listed stats, so if you need to calculate the foe's exact stats, it is easy to do so. (Where you are just concerned with whether or not you outspeed a given set, it's faster to just use the Speed Tiers list linked above). The more you play, the more you'll start to remember which trainers have access to which sets (again, most late stage trainers just have access to Set four), what you can OHKO, and what you can outspeed, and you'll find yourself consulting the lists a lot less, but it's a good idea to get into the habit of checking frequently early on. Better to spend a little extra time reminding yourself of the set you are facing than to blow a streak to an avoidable mistake. The full list is a bit unwieldy for consulting when you are away from a computer, so HERE's a quick reference (built from the same data) for post-battle forty trainers suitable for printing out or reading on a smartphone.

Remember that some trainers have access to multiple Pokemon of the same type, complicating the job of divining their set. For some Pokemon, this isn't a big deal, but for others, particularly the legendary Pokemon used by "Veteran" trainers, the correct strategy against one set may be badly suboptimal against another. In such a situation, it's particularly important to choose a line of play that punishes you the least when you guess the set wrong. Conservative play! If you can't figure out which line is best, it's often best to just attack, since getting some damage in will make things easier for your other Pokemon.

You can also improve your play decisions by keeping some facts about the AI in mind. The AI loves to go for OHKOs, so if it has a move that can OHKO one of your Pokemon, it will probably use it. Though the AI does account for weaknesses and resistances, it will choose to go for the KO over hitting a weakness where the attack on the weakness is not a guaranteed KO. When multiple moves may KO, or none of them will, the AI typically chooses its strongest move, adjusted for weaknesses and resistances, although there is some variation when several moves are close in effective power. This sometimes results in the AI using an inaccurate move like Focus Blast to finish off a low hp Pokemon instead of the correct choice of an accurate attack. Be careful not to overpredict in such a situation.

The AI hardly ever switches, which is great for setting up against crippled or poorly-matched foes, but recognize that there are some situations when the AI will switch. If a foe is Choice-locked into a non-damaging move or one to which your Pokemon is immune, it will switch out, though it will often wait a few turns beforehand. Note that this only applies to Choice-locking, and not merely running out of PP on all but one move. Even if a foe's remaining moves are completely useless, it will spam them until it runs out of PP, and then Struggle until it faints. Occasionally, a foe will switch out if it has a teammate that is immune to or absorbs the last move one of your Pokemon used, but this is not a guaranteed switch. The AI does understand Perish Song, so it will switch out on the final turn if it is able. Finally, the AI will switch out if it uses a move like U-turn or Volt Switch, but it only chooses these moves for their damage, not for the switching ability, so you can often prevent their use by using Pokemon against which these moves are not very effective.

A few moves deserve special attention for how the AI handles them. In the Battle Subway and Tower, the AI did not understand Substitute, and would often spam status moves into a Sub, giving you turn after turn of free setup. The AI no longer does this, and will not attempt to status a Pokemon behind a Sub unless it has the Infiltrator ability or no other usable moves. Where possible, the AI will often, but not always lead with Fake Out, unless your Pokemon is immune to the move or there is another move which can achieve a KO. The AI uses Protect erratically, sometimes even when it could attack for a KO, making it difficult to predict when a foe will spend a turn Protecting itself. There does appear to be a tendency to use the move on the first turn, but it is not a 100% chance. Similarly, while the AI very rarely Protects twice in a row, it does occasionally happen. The AI recognizes when your Pokemon are immune to Trick, and so will never waste a turn trying to Trick a Pokemon with Sticky Hold or a mega evolutionary stone.

This is common sense, but it's important to pay attention as you battle. Over lengthy streaks, it's easy to go into autopilot mode, and when that happens, mistakes become more likely. Remember that there are all sorts of oddities you may forget or lose track of, especially since opponents now have access to their hidden abilities and there are more unusual abilities and items available this generation than previously. Sound moves may KO through your Substitute, Gale Wings Talonflame may wreck your fully set up Dragonite with priority Brave Bird, and so forth. Stay focused during the battle, since failing to notice something Tailwind or Trick Room going into effect can easily end a streak. Keep track of your opponents' possible abilities, so you don't accidentally do something foolish like triggering a Miltank's Sap Sipper with your Ferrothorn's Leech Seed. Remember that when one of a foe's possible abilities gives an immediate message (as is the case with Intimidate and Pressure), you can often deduce which ability a foe has the moment it enters play by the presence or absence of that message. Don't get careless against Pokemon with a Weakness Policy or Custap Berry, because though these items are often easy to play around when you remember them, blindly attacking into them can spell big trouble. In short, pay attention, as even a brief moment of forgetfulness or carelessness can ruin a monster streak. While access to Mega Evolution gives you an edge in the Maison compared to the Subway and Tower, the trade off you face is that there are a lot more things to watch out for, and more ways to be punished for sloppiness.

Coping With Losing

Remember that no matter how well you build and play your team, you are going to lose. As a rule of thumb, a good team's losses almost always involve some bad luck, but there's also usually a way you could have played or teambuilt around losing to that ill fortune. Accordingly, if you want to improve in the Maison, don't blindly blame hax for your losses, and instead consider what decisions you could have made differently that might have allowed you to win the battle. Sure, it's frustrating to lose to low probability events, but over a long streak, you are going to face a lot of them. Accept this, and work on minimizing the impact of these unlucky stretches, and you'll be well-positioned for Maison success. Whine about hax without thinking closely about your decisions and you are dooming yourself to more failures. Also, note that there is NO evidence of the AI choosing teams designed specifically against you, so please don't waste energy complaining about bad matchups. Over a long streak, probability dictates that they will happen, but you aren't being cheated.

Format Specific Guidelines

What follows is advice specific to each battle format, followed by discussion of recommended Pokemon and notable threats in that format. Remember that the all of the general guidelines above apply regardless of format. Also note that the recommended Pokemon and notable threat lists are not intended to be comprehensive, and you can surely have success using or face difficulties against unlisted Pokemon.

Singles Advice

In Maison singles battles, your team consists of just three Pokemon. Teams typically are built in one of two ways: 1) Cripple the opponent's lead, taking advantage of the AI's unwillingness to switch out in most circumstances, and then set up a sweeper or 2) Build a good-stuff/synergy team of three powerful Pokemon that are super reliable and cover each other's weaknesses. While you can certainly try other strategies, like weather or Trick Room, it can be difficult to make them reliable enough to be effective over a long streak. Weather teams, for example, often push you towards using Pokemon with shared weaknesses, which is really dangerous when you only have three Pokemon available. One weather changing foe may likewise wreck your entire plan, while a flinch or crit on your Trick Roomer may leave your team a sitting duck. Singles play rewards straightforward strategies, so don't try to get too exotic.

In previous generations, cripple-and-set-up was the more successful strategy, but so far, the Maison has rewarded good-stuff teams. With more abilities to worry about (since opposing Pokemon now have access to their hidden abilities), and more ways around classic cripple moves (sound moves and Inflitrator bypassing Substitute, and Roar and Whirlwind bypassing Protect, for example), an all-your-eggs-in-one-basket strategy is a lot more risky over a long streak than it used to be. Still, crippling remains viable, particularly with a Durant, but it's nice that the best beginning strategy (good-stuff attacking) is also the strategy that's had the most overall success in Super Singles.

For a basic good-stuff team, you'll want one hard hitter that can KO a lot of opposing Pokemon on its own, one bulky pivot that can help handle the Pokemon that your primary sweeper can't handle, and a third Pokemon, bulky or hard hitting, to help fill in the gaps. Because you only have three Pokemon on your team, it's vital that you minimize any glaring weaknesses, and have at least a reasonable play line against all the Pokemon you may face. For example, no matter how strong your team is against everything else, if you have little chance to beat a Timid Starmie, your run is doomed, as you will run into one long before you can put together a massive streak. While some enemy sets will of course only be threatening to certain teams, others are dangerous enough that nearly any team you build should plan a strategy for handling them in advance. Starmie4, Donphan4, Walrein4, Volcarona4, and Tyrantrum4 top my personal threat checklist, but other major threats regularly discussed by experienced Battle Maison players include Terrakion3, Jynx4, Garchomp4, Tornadus1, Aerodactyl4, Zapdos2, Latios2 and 3, Thundurus2, Cresselia2, Darmanitan4, and Barbaracle4. VaporeonIce wrote an excellent guide to these most dangerous streak-stoppers (available HERE), and reviewing it while teambuilding can save you from some painful premature losses later on. [Note: It is probably best to rework this into a dedicated singles threat section, and repeat for each battle type, but this is a decent placeholder for now.]

All of the general Maison strategy advice of course applies to Singles battles, and minimizing variance and playing conservatively remain the name of the game. Since you can set up much more in singles than in other battle formats, it is particularly important to correctly identify when you can safely set up, and when you can't. Seizing safe set-up opportunities is critical to reducing singles variance, but getting cute and trying to set up in a dangerous situation can be a streak-ender. Similarly, even though you can often predict the AI's moves with considerable accuracy, in singles it can be very dangerous to rely too heavily on your predictive skills.

One exception to the guideline of avoiding overly predictive plays is when you can switch-stall to drain the PP from a Pokemon who threatens multiple members of your team (but with different moves). Since the AI strongly favors attacking for the KO whenever possible, if there is only one move in your foe's set that will KO your current Pokemon, the AI will almost always choose that move. Thus, if you have a teammate who is immune or heavily resistant to that move, you can switch it in safely. Just switching to a teammate who is immune to the incoming attack is bread-and-butter Pokemon, the sort of play that any experienced trainer can make in his or her sleep, but a safe switch-in alone is not always enough to help you. Your opponent may have a second move that threatens your switched-in teammate, meaning you can't take profitable advantage of the single switch. Thankfully, (particularly with good team design) your Pokemon's resistances and immunities may synergize to the extent that your original Pokemon is immune or resistant to the move that now threatens your switch-in. In this situation, you can switch back to your original Pokemon and safely blank the second attack. If you continue to switch back and forth between the two Pokemon in this manner, you can then stall out at least one of the threatening moves, and position yourself for a safe set up. Dragonite and Aegislash stalling out an Earthquake + Stone Edge user is a classic example of this, but there are others, so keep this tactic in mind when developing strategies against foes with broad coverage that appear to threaten multiple members of your team. Just be sure (conservative play once again!) that the repeated switching really is safe, as a bunch of not very effective hits can wear down your Pokemon, and you greatly increase the chance of eating an "additional effect" freeze or burn when you switch into moves multiple times.

After nineteen battles in regular singles, you'll face Battle Chatelaine Nita, with the following Pokemon. [insert]

After forty-nine battles in super singles, you'll again face Nita, this time with the following Pokemon. [insert]

Singles Recommended Pokemon

Kangaskhan: By far the most potent new singles option of this generation, the Mashing Marsupial is an absolute beast thanks to its Mega Evolution. Curtesy of Parental Bond, Mega Kangaskhan hits incredibly hard, turns Power-Up Punch into a damage dealing Swords Dance, and merrily breaks Substitutes, Sashes, and Sturdy Pokemon as she spreads her devastation. With good Speed, excellent bulk, and only one weakness, Kangaskhan is very hard to take down, and has been the backbone of many top-level Maison teams. Pretty much all Kangaskhan sets run Return, for its massive STAB damage and strong neutral coverage, and Sucker Punch, for its priority and ability to hit the Ghost-types that laugh at Return. The remaining two moves usually vary based upon what role Kangaskhan is trying to play. Played as a setup sweeper, Kangaskhan runs Power-Up Punch and either Crunch or Earthquake, while as a cleaner, designed to come in and finish off what her teammates can't, Fake Out and Earthquake are typically preferred. Both are wonderful options. Fake Out Kangaskhan is extremely hard to beat one-on-one, as STAB Parental Bond Fake Out opens up most foes to being KOed on the following attack, while Power-Up Punch Kangaskhan can sweep many teams with ease after a single boost, and is able to set up even through the normally frustrating Trick, Taunt, and Encore. While like most sweepers, Kangaskhan does not enjoy being statused, the priority on Sucker Punch at least provides some resilience against paralysis. Adamant guarantees you some more KOs, and Speed is irrelevant when using Sucker Punch, but Jolly does help you outspeed some hard-hitting Fighting-type threats like Heracross and Gallade on the first turn of battle, since your improved speed from mega evolving is only figured in on the following turn. As Fighting-type moves are Kangaskhan's only weakness, she attracts a lot of them, so be sure to pair her with a Fighting immune or resistant partner.

Aegislash: Another new addition this generation, Aegislash is the Ghost / Steel type many have long desired. While slow, Aegislash is wonderfully bulky in Shield forme and a hard hitter in Blade forme. Typical sets run Shadow Sneak, for STAB priority, Sacred Sword for its excellent coverage, King's Shield for stalling and lowering the opponent's Attack, and Swords Dance for sweeping power. Iron Head is an option as well. Even with Steel losing its resistances to Dark and Ghost-type attacks, Aegislash still has an impressive resistance spread, and can wall and set up on many things. Ideally, Aegislash comes in on a physical attacker, cripples its Attack stat with King's Shield on a contact move, sets up with Swords Dance, and then begins attacking. Even when Aegislash cannot fully set up, it's both bulky and hard-hitting enough to take out many foes. To ease setting up and enable recovery, Leftovers is the preferred item on Aegislash, and it combos well with the extra turns gained by using King's Shield. Aegislash wants an Attack boosting nature, but both Adamant and Brave are viable options. Adamant outspeeds a few more things, but the majority of enemies will still be faster than you. Given that Aegislash stays in Shield Form until it attacks, it's often advantageous for Aegislash to be slower than its foe when it is using Sacred Sword, so that it can take that turn's attack while still in Shield Form. This cuts in favor of a Brave nature with zero Speed IVs, which also has corner-case utility against opposing Trick Room teams. Aegislash must be careful against opponents with status moves, since King's Shield does not block them, but while it hates being burned, Aegislash is immune to Toxic and only really minds being paralyzed when it loses a turn to full paralysis. Aegislash's biggest flaw as a Physical wall is its vulnerability to the extremely common Earthquake. Since the move does not make contact, King's Shield does not cripple Earthquake users, and even in Shield Form, Earthquake badly dents Aegislash. Accordingly, Aegislash really wants to be paired with a Flying or Levitating teammate. Dragonite, in particular, combos very well.

Dragonite: Dragonite remains a great choice even after the introduction of the Fairy-type. The smiling Dragon hits like a truck, particularly after a Dragon Dance or two, and it is extremely difficult to OHKO thanks to Multiscale. After just one Dance, Dragonite outspeeds and OHKOes a lot of the Maison, and after a second, very few things can survive it, absent a Focus Sash or Sturdy. Movewise, Outrage is your preferred STAB due to its incredible power, and Dragon Dance is a must for letting you outspeed and sweep through foes. Typical offensive sets round out their coverage with Earthquake and Fire Punch, but Extreme Speed can be used to dent priority using or speedy foes, Dragon Claw gives you a solid STAB without locking you into a move, and Roost gives you the chance to abuse Multiscale several times while playing a bulkier role. Adamant with max Attack and Speed is the default for pure offensive Dragonite, but particularly for Roost sets, more HP works well too. Lum Berry is probably the best choice of item, as it both protects against the confusion from Outrage and allows you to Dragon Dance safely even in the face of a status move from the opponent. The addition of the Fairy-type means that last generation's cripple-team staple of Dragon Claw + Dragon Dance + Substitute + Roost is no longer viable, but there are few enough Fairies in the Maison that Outrage is still fine when used in a normal attacking set. Dragonite's biggest weakness is its low base Speed. Because most other Maison Dragons can initially outspeed it, an unboosted Dragonite can take a lot of damage from an opposing Dragon, and crits can sometimes OHKO it even through Multiscale. Lots of Ice-type move users can outspeed you too. A Steel-type teammate can cover all of Dragonite's weaknesses, making one a recommended ally.

Suicune: My vote for best self-supporting Pokemon in the Maison. Even without any team support, Suicune can switch into and defeat a huge number of Maison Pokemon. Besides being able to counter many opponents, Suicune is often able to set up to the point that subsequent foes become pushovers as well, a big advantage compared to other bulky Water-types like Milotic. Water is an amazing defensive type, and coupled with Suicune's big defenses, Suicune can be very tough to take down. Scald, Calm Mind, and Rest are Suicune's staple moves, as they let you set up and then sweep in the face of many attacks. While I like Substitute as the fourth move, thanks to the protection it provides against crits and status and the "extra life" it gives against subsequent opponents, Icy Wind is a great alternative. The current top two singles streaks both use Icy Wind, which can help out by slowing speedy foes and giving good coverage against Dragon-types. Since Calm Mind boosts your Special stats, almost all Suicune run a Bold nature with near max HP and Defense to maximize their ability to tank Physical attacks, and a few EVs in Speed to avoid awkward speed ties. Leftovers and Chesto Berry are both good item choices. Leftovers helps over the course of long setups, and counteracts weather damage, while Chesto Berry is useful when trying to stall out Pokemon with one particularly threatening attack where two close succession Rests may be needed early in the setting up process. Note that Pressure, a normally unexciting ability, is pure gold on Suicune. Many Pokemon have only one move that can break Suicune's Substitute, particularly after a Calm Mind or two, and Pressure lets you stall out that move, and then easily set up to +6 / +6. Additionally, while there are more Pokemon immune to Water-type moves this generation, because your foes may now have their hidden abilities, this is not a big problem because Suicune, aided by Pressure, is able to beat most of these Pokemon by stalling them out.

Garchomp: With its typing, bulk, and power, Garchomp remains a strong candidate for Maison teams. With a Jolly nature and max Speed and Attack, it can outspeed many foes, and KO them with its powerful attacks. Garchomp's Ground and Dragon-type STABs cover a huge fraction of the Maison Pokemon, and corner case moves like Fire Fang and Rock Slide can handle the few that they don't. With Swords Dance and Life Orb or Lum Berry, Garchomp makes a great setup sweeper, as very few things can survive Garchomp's attacks at +2. Alternatively, with just a Choice Band, Garchomp's Outrange and Earthquake can OHKO a bunch of things. Only weak to Ice, Dragon, and Fairy-type moves, and blessed with substantial bulk, even when Garchomp isn't able to OHKO the opponent, most opponents won't be able to OHKO it either. Garchomp also plays very well with bulky Water-types. It is immune to the Electric-type attacks that they draw, while they resist the Ice-type attacks that destroy it. Like any Dragon, Garchomp fears faster Dragon-type attacks, so you may also want a Steel-type to help protect against opposing Latios and Latias or Choice Scarf Garchomp. Note that with the addition of the Fairy-type this generation, Garchomp is a little less powerful, and choice items are more of a liability, but Garchomp, even choiced, is still a potent option. Although Garchomp has the option to run a Mega Evolution, it's probably not the best idea. Garchomp really takes advantage of its unusual base 102 Speed, and Mega Chomp, being slower, is sadly outsped by many things that normal Chomp isn't. Save your Mega slot for something else. As for your choice of ability, be sure to run Rough Skin, as the damage-upon-contact proves relevant far more often than does the unreliable Sand Veil.

Greninja: With its incredible Speed, Greninja is faster than most of the Maison, and has sufficient type-coverage and attack power to get a lot of OHKOs, particularly with a boosting item. Greninja's biggest advantage over similar Pokemon like Starmie is the added punch from Protean, which essentially gives all of its attacks STAB, sometimes also turning the opponent's super effective counterattack into something not very effective. Although Grenjinja is capable of running a mixed or physical set, a special set is probably best, as it avoids awkward EV splitting and takes advantage of Greninja's higher Special Attack. Surf, Grass Knot, Ice Beam, Dark Pulse, and Extrasensory are your best move options, so choose according to the type of coverage your team needs. You'll want Timid as your ability since you'll be slower than a number of threats if Modest, but you can shave a few speed EVs for added HP if you want and still be able to outspeed the important stuff. Choice Specs lets you hit the hardest, while Life Orb lets you switch attacks and take optimal advantage of Protean. Focus Sash is also a reasonable choice. Greninja's weakness is that it can't boost and is really frail, so it is vulnerable to bulky Pokemon that can take a hit or Scarfed ones that can outspeed it. Since it depends heavily on its speed, paralysis wrecks it too.

Scizor: Excellent typing gives Scizor only one weakness and a lot of key resistances, and with Technician, its STAB moves Bug Bite and Bullet Punch pack a whollop. Better yet, Scizor gained a very potent Mega Evolution. Scizor can play a boosting tank type role with Roost and Swords Dance, or can replace Roost with Superpower for better coverage. It can switch into a lot of scary moves thanks to its typing, and especially after a Swords Dance, can take big advantage of priority Bullet Punch to KO a number of Pokemon before they can act. If you are using a Dragon, you'll likely want a Steel-type to cover its weaknesses, and Scizor is one of the best options available. Just make sure your team is not otherwise weak to Fire-type moves, since that 4x weakness hurts, and remember that Scizor no longer resists Ghost and Dark-type attacks. A typical set will run an Adamant nature with Max HP and Attack and 4 EV in Speed. Itemwise, the best choice is Scizorite, since Mega Scizor is faster, bulkier, and harder hitting than its regular cousin, but if you are already committed to another Mega Evolution on your team, Leftovers works well on the Roost variant while Life Orb is probably best on the Superpower one. Lum Berry is also reasonable, as Scizor hates being burned.

Durant: Durant takes advantage of the AI's unwillingness to switch out and thereby lets an allied Pokemon fully set up and attempt to sweep. With its hidden ability of Truant, Durant first uses Entrainment to pass Truant to the opponent. Durant then switches out while the opponent loafs around, and your new Pokemon is able to set up by alternating Protect on the turns your opponent acts and a boosting move on the turns your opponent loafs around. While Durant is already quite fast unaided, because of the importance of successfully firing off an Entrainment, you should run a Jolly Nature with a Choice Scarf and max (or near max) Speed. Protect should fill one moveslot to be your first turn move when the opponent naturally has the Truant ability (or Traces it), and the final two moves should be attacks like Iron Head and X-Scissor for the occasional circumstances where Durant may have to switch back in and finish something off. Durant is vulnerable to Pokemon that can interfere with a first turn Entrainment through moves like Protect and Fake Out or Prankster status moves, and also by moves or items that cause the victim to switch out or faint before there is time to set up, such as Volt Switch, Toxic Orb, High Jump Kick, and Explosion. U-turn is not normally an issue because Durant resists it and so the AI rarely will use it on the first turn, after which it won't matter since Protect will stop it from working on your setup Pokemon. Also note that Pokemon with Roar and Whirlwind can force out your sweeper even when it uses Protect. While the correct strategy against these sorts of complications depends heavily on the specific Pokemon you are facing, you will definitely want to review the Maison Pokemon list carefully to be sure your team has a plan for handling Pokemon which resist this Entrainment then set up strategy. One option is to use a second support Pokemon to help cripple, while another is to use sweepers that can cover each others' weakness and set up reasonably well unaided. Popular sweepers to partner with Durant include Mega Gyarados, Cloyster, Garchomp, and Dragonite, all of whom carry Protect, a setup move, and at least one attack. Remember that if you carry just a single attack on your sweeper, you need to be sure that nothing in the Maison is immune to it. Protect + Dragon Dance + Substitute + Dragon Claw Dragonite, perhaps the best choice for a Durant partner last generation, is no longer advisable because Fairy-types are immune to Dragon Claw.

Cloyster: After a single Shell Smash, Cloyster becomes a blazing fast and hard hitting beast. With Skill Link as its ability, Icicle Spear and Rock Blast both always hit five times, doing a ton of damage and breaking through both Focus Sashes and the Sturdy ability. Surf or Razor Shell provides additional coverage. Since Shell Smash lowers Cloyster's defenses, a typical tactic is to equip it with a Focus Sash and either lead with it or switch it in after a KO to ensure it can survive the Shell Smash turn. Cloyster dislikes opposing priority moves and status ailments, particularly paralysis, so it pairs well with Garchomp or other Ground-type Pokemon, which can switch in on a predicted Thunder Wave. Because Icicle Spear at +6 OHKOs most of the Maison, Cloyster is an excellent partner for Durant, though in that case you'll obviously want to run Protect instead of a Water-type move. For best sweeping potential, run an Attack boosting nature and max Attack and Speed EVs, with the choice between Adamant and Naughty determined by whether or not you run Surf. Remember that both Rock Blast and Razor Shell have imperfect accuracy, so avoid using them when Icicle Spear will also get the KO, a particularly common situation when you pair Cloyster with Durant and are able to fully set up.

Ferrothorn: Very bulky on both the physical and special sides, and its Grass typing removes the Ground weakness that most Steel-types hate. Because of its slow Speed, Ferrothorn's Gyro Ball can be extremely powerful, and Curse plays beautifully with it, not only boosting Ferrothorn's Attack and Defense, but also increasing Gyro Ball's power by dropping Speed. Ferrothorn can play a defensive stall role with Leech Seed and Substitute, or can broaden its attacking options with Power Whip, though the move has iffy accuracy. Ferrothorn's biggest disadvantages are that it lacks a reliable recovery move and its slow speed sometimes limits what it can set up on. The 4x weakness to Fire-type moves hurts too. Still, Ferrothorn stops a number of big threats cold, and makes a good choice of Steel-type. Since Ferrothorn can boost its Attack and Defense but not its Special Defense, you typically want a Special Defense boosting nature, while Gyro Ball means you want as low a Speed as possible. Accordingly, Sassy with 0 Speed IVs is your preferred nature, with maxed HP and Special Defense to maximize your special bulk. Itemwise, Leftovers is probably best, as it combines well with Leech Seed recovery, and Ferrothorn needs all the recovery it can get when trying to set up.

Gengar: Gengar has a wonderful Special Attack stat and great Speed, enabling it to outspeed threats like Infernape and the Musketeers. Its three immunities are really helpful too, and a small number of Pokemon in the Maison are unable to hurt Gengar at all. Unfortunately, it lacks a good boosting move and with the limited power and coverage of its STAB moves, a Life Orb or Choice Specs set won't grab as many OHKOs as you might want. Accordingly, Gengar works best as a lead with a Focus Sash, three damaging attacks, and Destiny Bond. Shadow Ball, Destiny Bond, and Thunderbolt are used in pretty much all sets of this sort. Last generation, the fourth slot was often filled with the horribly inaccurate Focus Blast for the coverage it provided against Steel-types, but in X and Y, since Shadow Ball now deals neutral damage to Steel-types, Gengar is free to use his Poison-type STAB and run Sludge Bomb, which hits the new Fairy-type super effectively. Dazzling Gleam and Energy Ball are also options if you want to dominate against Dragon-types or Water / Ground types. Against many foes, you can outspeed and 2HKO the lead, survive the first-turn counterattack thanks to your Sash, and then outspeed and KO the second opponent with Destiny Bond. This leaves you with a 2-1 advantage, typically a happy place to be in a battle. Even where you can't beat the opponent's lead, you can almost always at least trade with it thanks to Destiny Bond, meaning Gengar always helps a little. Since Gengar usually dies, however, you need to be really sure your remaining two Pokemon can cover as broad a range of threats as possible, since if the opponent's last Pokemon can beat both of Gengar's partners, you will be in trouble. Naturally, with Speed being so important to this strategy, Gengar should be Timid, with maxed Speed and Special Attack. Gengar also received an extremely powerful Mega Evolution, which can gain you more KOs with its substantially increased Speed and Special Attack, but be wary. You won't be able to run Focus Sash anymore, so a high powered attack or unexpected crit may ruin your strategy, while the loss of Levitate makes you vulnerable to Earthquake. Shadow Tag is amazing against a live opponent, but is near useless against the AI. You could also try to take better advantage of Mega Gengar's stats by just running four attacks, but the lack of a boosting move and the inability to use a boosting item like Life Orb means that you still may not get as many KOs as you'd hope.

Togekiss: A very versatile Pokemon, Togekiss makes an excellent lead. Thanks to Sarene Grace, it has a 60% chance to flinch with STAB Air Slash, giving it a chance of turning even unfavorable matchups favorable, or converting a 2HKO into a virtual OHKO, with the opponent not getting a chance to act. It can also be a powerful supporter for its teammates, putting foes to sleep with Yawn, Tricking over a Choice Scarf (an item which also happens to play very well with the flinch chance on Air Slash), or setting up a Safeguard. Togekiss also has very nice Special Attack, which it can boost with Nasty Plot, and access to reliable recovery, in the form of Roost. Base 80 Speed is a bit slow for the setup sweeper role, but the option is available. In the attacking moves department, after Air Slash, STAB Dazzling Gleam and Aura Sphere are probably your best bets, but you have a ton of potential coverage options depending on your team's needs, including Psychic, Shadow Ball, Flamethrower, and Grass Knot. The current top Togekiss streak uses a Bold hybrid support/tank set with maxed HP and Special Attack, but you should be able to find success with many other spreads too. For your item, Trick sets naturally want Choce Scarf, while Lum Berry, Leftovers, and Life Orb all are possibilities for other builds depending on the role you want Togekiss to play.

Azumarill: Another Pokemon that's benefited from gaining the Fairy-type this generation, Azumarill takes advantage of its ability, Huge Power, to hit opponents ridiculously hard. Water / Fairy is a strong defensive typing, and Azumarill is pretty bulky to boot, so it is typically able to take a hit or two without difficulty. Azumarill is especially bulky when it uses an Assault Vest, which boosts Special Defense by 50% at the cost of not being able to use non-attacking moves. Thankfully, Azumarill is still able to boost despite this limitation thanks to the beauty of Power-Up Punch, which conveniently also breaks Sashes and Sturdy. Waterfall and Play Rough provide powerful STAB coverage, and the downsides of Azumarill's low Speed are at least partially mitigated by using Aqua Jet, which provides an unusually strong priority hit. While Azumarill can run the the feared Belly Drum + Aqua Jet combination this generation, it's probably too high variance of a strategy for a typical Maison team. Lots of things can beat you when you drop 50% of your HP, even when you are at +6 Attack with a STAB priority move. Because of its low base Speed and access to a priority attack, Azumarill shouldn't bother boosting its Speed, and should instead focus on power and bulk by running an Adamant Nature (every point of attack is extra valuable thanks to the doubling by Huge Power) with maxed Attack and HP. While hardly a traditional "Bulky Water", Azumarill can fill a similar role on most teams, covering important weaknesses while trading some durability and recovery for much better sweeping ability. A weakness of Azumarill is the imperfect accuracy on Play Rough. Over a long streak, you can and will suffer misses at inopportune times, so it can be worrisome to rely on such a move. One option for controlling this is to run Wide Lens, which boosts Play Rough's accuracy to a much safer 99%, but losing Assault Vest really hurts your Special bulk.

Gyarados: With good defensive typing (save for the 4x weakness to Electric-type attacks), the ability to set up with Dragon Dance, and Intimidate to ease the setting up process, Gyarados can be a potent sweeper. Unfortunately Waterfall is a low base power physical STAB and Gyarados lacks a fully reliable Flying STAB (Bounce does not count!), so it is normally a bit outclassed by other Dragon Dancing options like Dragonite. Still, even with these disadvantages, Gyarados can be a valuable teammate, particularly when paired with a strong Ground-type that can cover its 4x weakness. More importantly, Gyarados received a very helpful Mega Evolution, which makes it one of the best available sweepers to set up against a crippled opponent, so it plays well on a Durant team. Mega Gyarados gains a lot of power and bulk, but perhaps its biggest blessing is its new ability of Mold Breaker. With Mold Breaker, abilities like Sturdy, Multiscale, and Levitate no longer hinder your sweeping moves, and better yet, you still get to take advantage of Intimidate as you switch in before you Mega Evolve. Fully set up, there is not a lot that can survive Gyarados' Mold Breaker-backed attacks. Losing your Flying typing costs you the immunity to Ground-type attacks, and Dark typing is not the best replacement, but it at least rids you of the 4x weakness to Electric-type moves and gives you a handy Psychic-type immunity. Waterfall and Dragon Dance appear on almost all Gyarados sets. When coupled with Durant, Protect (obviously) and Earthquake are your best options, while on a more generic sweeper, Earthquake, Return, Bounce and Ice Fang all have their advantages. Naturally, using Mega Gyarados requires a held Gyaradosite, but normal Gyarados can use Leftovers (which plays particularly well with Bounce), Lum Berry, or Life Orb. Gyarados typically runs an Adamant nature with maximum Attack EVs and substantial investment in Speed, but putting some EVs into HP to increase its bulk can be very helpful when setting up.

Starmie: One of the most dangerous Maison foes, Starmie can do well as a teammate too. 115 base Speed means that Starmie outspeeds most Maison opponents and its wonderful mix of coverage moves hit weaknesses hard, often for OHKOs, particularly when Starmie is equipped with a Life Orb or Choice Specs. Starmie can be a nice cleaner as well, finishing off Pokemon that its teammates have weakened. Unfortunately, Starmie is a lot less exciting this generation because Greninja just does these jobs better. Greninja has better natural Speed (and slightly better Special Attack), but more importantly, Protean gives Greninja STAB on all of its moves, which is huge for turning 2HKOs into OHKOs. Starmie still has some edges, notably its ability to recover from status moves with Natural Cure, and its somewhat better bulk, which means that it is able to survive many attacks at full health, short of STAB super effective moves or crits. Starmie can also run Recover, but honestly, it's not quite bulky enough to take full advantage, particularly since it lacks a boosting move like Calm Mind to pair with it. Even though Greninja now has the edge, Starmie remains usable, and can help you put together a solid streak. Most Starmie run Surf, Ice Beam, and Thunderbolt. Pyschic, Psyshock and Hidden Power Fire are probably your best options for the fourth move, but Grass Knot, Dazzling Gleam, and even Flash Cannon are potential choices if you need their specific coverage. Starmie can also semi-cripple with Thunder Wave, but I believe it's best to focus on attack coverage more than support here. Starmie depends on its Speed and needs to optimize its middling power, so Timid with max Speed and Special Attack is your ideal spread. Choice Specs, Life Orb, Expert Belt, and Focus Sash all have merit as possible held items.

Latios: Not quite as fast as Starmie, but blessed with a much better Special Attack, Latios hits fast and hard. Latios also can set up a bit with Calm Mind, helping it muscle through opposing teams, and can even run a bulky setup style with both Calm Mind and Recover. You'll almost certainly want to run Dragon Pulse, but after that, you've got a lot of move flexibility, with a STAB Psychic or Psyshock, Thunderbolt, Surf, Ice Beam, and even Hidden Power Fire all being reasonable attack possibilities. You also have the option to use Latios as a hybrid attack/cripple lead, giving it three attacks, Life Orb, and Memento. Attack away until you get low, then Memento to make it easier for your next Pokemon to set up. Psychic typing gives Latios a lot more weaknesses than the typical Dragon, but it has a nice resistance spread too, and is one of the few Dragons to lack the ugly 4x weakness to Ice-type attacks, which means it can survive medium strength Ice-type attacks where many of its brethren would crumble. Latios' biggest shortcoming compared to other Dragon-types is the lack of a special attacking version of Outrage. Dragon Pulse is a fine move, but the thirty-five points of power it lacks compared to Outrage often makes the difference between an OHKO and a 2HKO. Latios can get a lot of opponents low with one move, but can't blast through teams as well as an Outraging Garchomp or Dragonite. Draco Meteor looks nice, but the 90% accuracy can bite you at the worst possible time, and the substantial Special Attack drop means you can't use it to sweep entire teams. Attacking sets are probably best served by running a Life Orb, a Timid Nature, and max Speed and Special Attack, but Modest Choice Scarf Latios makes a mean revenge killer. When running both Calm Mind and Recover, it's probably best to keep the high Speed, Latios' chief advantage over other Calm Mind users, but the EVs normally directed to Special Attack may prove more valuable if moved to HP. Last generation, Jumpman16 built a team that took advantage of the way Latios' and Terrakion's weaknesses and resistances perfectly complemented each other, and though the Fairy-type has complicated things this generation, it's still a pairing to consider.

Haxorus: While it has lower overall stats than Garchomp or Dragonite, Haxorus earns his keep in the Maison on the basis of sheer power. With its massive 147 Attack Stat its attacks leave a mark, and thanks to Mold Breaker, it can bypass annoying abilities like Sturdy, Multiscale, and Levitate. Dragon Dance is highly recommended since it improves Haxorus's middling Speed and boosts its already-awesome power, while Outrage deserves a slot based upon raw STAB power alone. Earthquake covers the Steel-types that resist Outrage, and thanks to Mold Breaker can even hit Levitators like Bronzong. Because of of the combination of Outrage's high base power and STAB, most additional coverage moves are not worth it, since a not very effective Outrage deals damage similar to neutral coverage attacks like X-Scissor and Rock Slide (the ratio is the same for neutral Outrage versus super effective coverage moves too), though such moves may have value when hitting 4x weaknesses. Substitute can be useful for giving Haxorus protection from status and a virtual "extra life", while Swords Dance boosts Attack very quickly. Haxorus's unusual 97 base Speed means it can be outsped unboosted by many other Dragons, making them dangerous thanks to their ability to hit you with a super effective Dragon-type attack, but after a single Dragon Dance, Haxorus is very hard to stop. The most successful Haxorus set in Super Singles to date used a bulky, Adamant, 108 HP / 252 Atk / 148 Spe spread calculated to just outspeed Choice Band Tyrantrum unboosted and base 130 Speed Pokemon with a Speed+ nature after one Dragon Dance, so is the best spread to start with. Lum Berry helps ensure you can get that one key Dragon Dance in without getting statused, but Life Orb is always an option if you are just after attack power. While Haxorus is frailer than many of its Dragon-type cousins, this is often unimportant, as Haxorus emphasizes the idea that the best defense is a good offense. Being mono-type, it doesn't have a second STAB, but this means it avoids the 4x weakness to Ice-type attacks that plagues many other Dragons.

Milotic: If you lack a Suicune (or don't have one with good stats and nature), Milotic is a reasonable replacement. Good bulk (particularly with Marvel Scale), reasonable Speed, and the flexibility to attack decently well make Milotic a fine choice for a bulky Water-type Pokemon in the Maison. Recover provides reliable recovery, Scald and Ice Beam give solid damage (and the chance of a super helpful burn or freeze), and Toxic lets you beat other bulky Water-types (or bulky Pokemon generally). You can even add Protect to the Toxic + Recover combo to crank up the Toxic stalling. Although Rest plays well with Marvel Scale, it is less appealing without a boosting move to go with it, and relying on Rest instead of Recover makes Milotic function even more like a weaker Suicune. Sadly, Toxic stalling Milotic looses badly to bulky boosting enemies with Rest. Moreover, Milotic is vulnerable to untimely crits (since it doesn't normally have room to run Substitute) and unlike Suicune, can't set up on things it dominates to make sweeping subsequent Pokemon easier. Despite these weaknesses, Milotic had some success last generation, and there's no reason it can't enjoy similar success now. A Bold nature with lots of Defense EVs is probably your best plan, since Milotic is a bit lacking in Defense, but you can move a few EVs to Speed and/or Special Attack if you want to give it a little more pop. Toxic stalling is also much easier when you can outspeed your opponent. Leftovers is the classic item for bulky Pokemon like Milotic, but since Milotic hates being hit by Toxic, Lum Berry makes sense too.

Darmanitan: Sheer Force + Flare Blitz gives Darmanitan ridiculous power. Throw on a Choice Scarf and you'll outspend most of the Maison, letting you dish out the KOs without taking a hit in return. Moves like Earthquake, Rock Slide, and Superpower provide solid coverage, and U-Turn lets you do a little damage while switching out of unfavorable matchups. Still, spamming Flare Blitz is your biggest strength, and that alone will get you a number of wins. Your biggest weakness is that Fire doesn't have the greatest coverage and is a bad defensive type, but for pure attacking power, very little matches Darmanitan. Since you want to maximize your OHKOs and really don't want anything to outspeed you, given your uninspiring defenses and the recoil from Flare Blitz, an Adamant nature with max Attack and Speed EVs is heavily recommended. Though Choice Scarf is definitely your preferred item, Choice Band gives you obscene attacking power, at the severe cost of allowing many threats to outspeed you. And if you really want to live the dream, imagine how hard Darmanitan will hit if you can set up sunny weather for it.... Sadly, the shared weaknesses with Drought Pokemon like Mega Charizard Y means that focusing on sun-backup for Darmanitan is likely to give your team too many fatal vulnerabilities, but even without favorable weather, Darmanitan packs a punch.

 

[NoCheese]

(Continued from above):

Doubles Advice

In Maison doubles battles, your team consists of four Pokemon, with two starting in battle and two in reserve. This significantly changes ideal strategies compared to singles play. Because you are facing multiple foes at once, set up and stallish Pokemon have a harder time. In singles, it's often easy to spend a turn Dragon Dancing or switching in your Suicune and slowly Calm Minding up, but where you risk being attacked twice in the same turn, this is a lot less reliable. Accordingly, you typically want your doubles Pokemon to be able to start contributing on the very first turn of the battle. Similarly, because of this incentive to attack early and often, you'll usually do a lot less switching with your doubles Pokemon than your singles ones. Despite these limitations, doubles opens up a number of additional strategies. With two Pokemon in at once, it's much easier to build around and benefit from weather, Trick Room, and Tailwind, and defeat your foes before these field conditions time out. You can also take advantage of moves that affect multiple Pokemon at once, either just your opponents (e.g. Rock Slide) or all other Pokemon (i.e. Earthquake) to more efficiently deal out damage, though a move that hits both opposing Pokemon will be at only 75% of its usual power.

Moves that hit all other Pokemon are of particular note, since though they can be extremely powerful, you need to plan your team carefully to support them. Having one of your Pokemon Earthquake when its partner is Ground-weak is not often advisable, for example. Partnering immunities is one of the easiest ways to do this. Garchomp and Thundurus are a classic example. Thundurus is immune to Garchomp's Earthquakes, while Garchomp is immune to Thundurus's Discharges. You can do even better when one of your Pokemon has a boosting or recovery ability like Storm Drain or Water Absorb. Hitting both opponents with Surf while boosting your Storm Drain partner feels pretty good. A Pokemon can even hold the Absorb Bulb item to steal a boost from its partner's Surf, a popular strategy with Ludicolo, who has Swift Swim and a 4x Water-type resistance. Pokemon with the Telepathy ability are also safe from their ally's attacks. Finally, moves like Protect and Wide Guard can shield the vulnerable partner for a turn.

Because of the AI's penchant for going after KOs and targeting weaknesses, you can often predict which Pokemon your opponents are going to attack. When you expect your foes to double team the same target, you can take advantage of this by using Protect to buy yourself a turn. Your first Pokemon Protects, both foes attack it, and your second Pokemon gets to attack completely unmolested. For this reason, it's common for the majority of Pokemon on a doubles team to carry Protect. Making sure your Pokemon don't share weaknesses makes Protect prediction easier, but you can go even further by using a "bait Pokemon" specifically designed to draw as many attacks as possible. Level 1 Sturdy Aron is the classic (and best) example of this, but any reasonably frail sort of Pokemon can often be effective bait.

Besides Protect, a few other moves deserve special note for their utility in doubles. Often times, one of your foes will be very threatening, but you'll be unable to cleanly KO it before it acts. A bulky Trick Room using foe is one good example, and a super fast Pokemon that can hit your leads' weaknesses hard is another. Fake Out can be incredibly helpful in such a situation, neutralizing the foe's first turn, while buying your partner the time it needs to KO the threat. Mat Block, while being limited to Greninja, is kind of like a super Protect against many foes, since it can buy your partner a free first turn even if the foes split their attacks between your two Pokemon. Just make sure you know the sets you are facing, since Mat Block does not block status, so careless use can waste a turn instead of saving you one. Wide Guard is difficult to use effectively against the AI, since many AI pokes do not carry spread moves, but it's important to keep in mind when it's part of a foe's set. Because Wide Guard shuts down all your spread attacks for a turn, it can wreck you if both of your Pokemon choose such attacks. Conversely, if you play around Wide Guard, you can often get a free turn merely by using single-target moves against it. Helping Hand, completely unusable in singles play, has +5 priority and boosts your partner's next attack by 50%, which can be very helpful in turning certain 2HKOs into OHKOs, particularly spread moves with their 75% power. Lastly, as noted earlier, since Tailwind, Trick Room, and weather moves benefit your entire team, these moves (and weather-creating abilities) are much more viable in Doubles than in Singles play.

After nineteen battles in regular doubles, you'll face Battle Chatelaine Evelyn, with the following Pokemon. [insert]

After forty-nine battles in super doubles, you'll again face Evelyn, this time with the following Pokemon. [insert]

Doubles Recommended Pokemon

Aron: Because the Maison only levels Pokemon down to level 50, not up to it, level 1 Aron is the best bait Pokemon in the game. Aron has just twelve HP, so pretty much any attack can do enough damage to KO, making Aron exceptional at drawing foes' attacks. Better yet, Aron has the Sturdy ability, so when equipped with Berry Juice, one round of basic attacks won't even KO it. The first attack will trigger Sturdy, the Berry Juice will heal Aron to full, and the second attack will trigger Sturdy again. Coupled with Protect, this often allows Aron to serve as bait for three turns, more if you are lucky and get Protect to work twice in a row. While most attacking moves will be near-worthless when used by such a low-level Pokemon, Endeavor becomes amazingly powerful since it will reduce its target's HP all the way down to Aron's minuscule total. You can potentially give Aron weather or status moves for extreme corner-case situations, but really, Protect and Endeavor are all Aron needs. You don't even have to bother with nature, IVs, or EVs, which is very convenient. While Aron plays well on many sorts of teams, it is especially potent under Trick Room, since with such a low Speed, it will almost always act first, allowing it to more easily resolve Endeavor multiple times before being KOed.

Greninja: Just like in singles, Greninja makes an excellent cleaner, as its exceptional Speed and good Special Attack, coupled with all of its attacks receiving STAB thanks to Protean, mean that it can outspeed and KO a wide variety of wounded Pokemon. But in doubles, Greninja becomes even better thanks to its signature move of Mat Block, described above. Against many foes, Mat Block buys Greninja's partner a free first turn, typically leaving your team with a big advantage. It's important to remember that against enemies likely to use priority, status, or field effect moves, Mat Block won't help you, so against them, forgo the first turn Mat Block and attack normally. But the option to protect the entire team the first turn is extremely valuable, particularly when coupled with Greninja's attacking prowess on later turns. Greninja depends on its Speed and Special Attack, so unless you are trying to run a mixed set, Max Speed and Special Attack EVs are recommended. Mat Block, Dark Pulse, and Ice Beam are probably the most common moves on doubles Greninja, while Extrasensory and Grass Knot can be added based on specific team needs. Surf is useful if your teammate doesn't mind taking a Water-type hit, while Scald provides a single target Water-type option. Greninja is very frail, so a Focus Sash is probably its preferred held item, but an Expert Belt or Life Orb can help turn certain 2HKOs into OHKOs.

[more forthcoming]

Triples Advice

In Maison triples battles, your team consists of six Pokemon, with three starting in battle and three in reserve. Strategies are fairly similar to doubles, but there are some key format-specific differences. The biggest mechanical change is attack range. When you send out your Pokemon, your first and third are on the left and right sides, while your second is in the middle of the field, with your opponent's Pokemon in the same alignment. Normal single-target attacking moves cannot hit a Pokemon on the opposite side of the field, and even spread moves can only hit Pokemon one space over. This means that if you want a spread move to be able to hit your opponent's entire team, the user must be in that middle spot. Similarly, if you place a bait Pokemon on one of the flanks, it often won't be able to draw attacks from the foe on the far side. Flying-type and pulse moves (Aura Sphere, Dark Pulse, etc.) get around this limitation and can attack at any range, making such moves valuable for side Pokemon. You should be very careful when aligning your Pokemon, to be sure you get best value from your attacks. Typically, you'll want your biggest attacker in the middle, while a support Pokemon, with moves like Tailwind that can help its entire team regardless of range, is better suited to the sides.

Another triples difference is that with six Pokemon on your team, it's easier to limit variance than in other formats. This facilitates generally longer streaks, and makes playing a balanced "good-stuff" team particularly viable, as demonstrated by ~Mercury~'s beautiful 2000(!) victory streak. With three Pokemon active at once, however, you can also set up some particularly nice combos, perhaps sending out a Pokemon that brings favorable weather, using Tailwind, attacking, and protecting your team, all in the same turn. More generally, many doubles strategies work well in Triples, and can even be super-charged thanks to the presence of an additional active Pokemon. Just as moves that boost or protect your whole team are better in doubles than in singles, they are typically even better in triples than in doubles. A successful Mat Block, for example, lets two of your Pokemon get a free attack in, not just one. Just like doubles, triples battles move quickly, and Pokemon should typically spend their turns attacking or supporting their team, not merely boosting themselves or trying to set up defensively.

After nineteen battles in regular triples, you'll face Battle Chatelaine Dana, with the following Pokemon. [insert]

After forty-nine battles in super doubles, you'll again face Dana, this time with the following Pokemon. [insert]

Triples Recommended Pokemon

Note that most Pokemon that are strong in doubles can effectively use similar sets in triples, so I avoid discussing them again here.

Talonflame: Wonderful at both support and cleaning, Talonflame is a great flank Pokemon for a triples team. With Tailwind, Talonflame can give its team a Speed advantage for the next three turns, while STAB Brave Bird and Flare Blitz combine for good coverage and hit hard, even with Talonflame's mediocre Attack. Brave Bird can hit foes on the far side of the field, and with Gale Wings, it gets priority, allowing it to outspeed even Choice Scarf users and most +1 priority attacks. Protect rounds out Talonflame's set well, since with low defenses and a 4x weakness, Talonflame will draw its share of attacks. Sharp Beak is probably the best item on Tailwind Talonflame since it will use Brave Bird far more than Flare Blitz, and you avoid a fight over items like Life Orb that other teammates will want more. An Adamant nature with max Attack maximizes the power of your offensive moves. While maxing Speed is an option, Talonflame is very fast even without EV investment, and three of its four moves have priority, so maxing HP is often better.

Blastoise: Thanks to its mega evolution and access to Water Spout, Blastoise can finally live the Pokemon Blue dream of smashing into battle, water cannons blazing, blasting away at all before it. With base 150 power at full health and firing off a base 135 Special Attack, Mega Blastoise's Water Spout can dish out some pretty ridiculous damage to all three foes if positioned in the middle of your line. With rain support, the damage can be upped even further. Because of a relatively low base 78 Speed, and the fact that Water Spout weakens as Mega Blastoise takes damage, Tailwind and Mat Block support are highly recommended. Mega Blastoise's strong defenses mean it can often take several hits before dying, but since these hits can weaken Hydro Pump to the point of uselessness, it's important to have good supplemental moves. Aura Sphere receives a 50% damage boost due to Mega Launcher, making it a particularly strong option, and Ice Beam provides excellent coverage. Protect is probably the best bet for the final move, but Water Pulse and Dark Pulse (both of which receive a Mega Launcher boost) are also reasonable choices. For such an attacking set, you naturally want max Special Attack EVs. With Tailwind support, a Modest nature with max Speed EVs will get you to 260 effective Speed with the wind at your back, an important number, since you can outrun everything you'll face after battle 40, just squeaking by the 258 Speed of otherwise threatening Manectric4.

Sylveon: While Sylveon is most commonly viewed as a defensive Pokemon, its hidden ability Pixilate can turn it into an attacking beast in Triples play. Pixilate turns Hyper Voice into a ridiculously strong Fairy-type move capable of hitting all three foes when Sylveon is your middle Pokemon. Coming off of base 110 Special Attack, that hurts! With a Modest nature, max Special Attack EVs, and equipped Choice Specs, Sylveon's Hyper Voice does nearly as much damage as a full health Mega Blastoise's Water Spout. Better still, this damage is not reduced as Sylveon takes damage, letting it absorb hits with its substantial bulk and continue to blast away. Another advantage relative to Mega Blastoise is preserving your mega evolution slot for another teammate. Just like Mega Blastoise, Sylveon suffers from a slow base Speed stat, so it benefits hugely from Tailwind and Mat Block support. Besides the obvious max Special Attack EVs, 244 Speed EVs let you outspeed almost all of the Maison under Tailwind. The remaining 12 EVs are probably best in HP, since extra Speed won't let you outspeed anything else. One big downside of Pixilate Hyper Voice Sylveon is that you require access to a hidden ability Eevee in Pokemon Black or White 2, since there is no Hyper Voice tutor in Pokemon X and Y.

[more forthcoming]

Rotation Advice

In rotation battles your team consists of four Pokemon, with three active and one in reserve. Rotation battles are a little like singles battles in that you'll only have one Pokemon attacking each turn, but the ability to rotate between Pokemon without losing a turn makes for a very fast paced fight. Of your three Pokemon in the field, one will be "leading," while the other two will be visible but unable to attack or be attacked. At the start of each turn, both you and the AI have the option to rotate to either of the other two active Pokemon (and unlike switching, your new leading Pokemon will attack immediately, without losing a turn), though you won't know if or how the AI is rotating until you've already chosen your attack.

When you rotate, the departing Pokemon's stat boosts or penalties, attack lock (e.g. Outrage or Petal Dance), and volatile status (e.g. confusion) remain unchanged, and will still affect the Pokemon if it later rotates it back in.

The ability to freely rotate complicates things relative to singles battles, as you'll have thirteen possible actions (any of the four attacks from all three of your active Pokemon or a not-recommended switch to your inactive one), far more than the six possibilities in singles. You'll also have to deal with AI rotations, since the Earthquake which is super effective against your opponent's active Excadrill will be useless if the AI rotates to its Gengar. In return, you'll have much better knowledge of your foe than in singles, as you begin knowing three of four enemy Pokemon rather than just one of three, often letting you better plan an overall strategy for the battle.

In general, set up sweepers are your best bet in rotation battles, as the AI rotates erratically, making predicting your best attack difficult, but also giving the AI lots of ways to choose a poor move, allowing you many chances to boost. Furthermore, as rotating does not reset a Pokemon's stats, you can boost and rotate out, and still keep the boosted stats for future attacks when you rotate that Pokemon back in. Additionally, because rotating is free, dual screeners and clerics can be very helpful in rotation battles, since you don't lose a turn rotating between a sweeper and a cleric. The seeming randomness of rotation battles can sometimes be frustrating, but with solid play and a team built to take advantage of the AI's erratic choices, you can build a lengthy streak.

One additional note: be particularly careful around foes with Destiny Bond, as unlike in singles play, it's very hard to stall the move out of PP in rotations, meaning that if a foe has Destiny Bond, there's often a risk of it rotating in and taking out your sweeper.

After nineteen battles in regular rotations, you'll face Battle Chatelaine Morgan, with the following Pokemon. [insert]

After forty-nine battles in super rotations, you'll again face Morgan, this time with the following Pokemon. [insert]

Rotations Recommended Pokemon

Note that most Pokemon that are strong in singles can effectively use similar sets in rotations, so I avoid discussing them again here.

Klefki: With its strong defensive typing and ability of Prankster, Klefki makes an amazing support Pokemon who can consistently set up dual screens for its sweeper teammates. Furthermore, though Klefki's stats might appear low for the role of Calm Mind booster, thanks to the AI's penchant for strange rotation and attack choices, Klefki can be used as a remarkably effective rotations sweeper as well. As Klefki receives Prankster priority on all its support moves, Speed is irrelevant to support Klefki, and it will want a Defense or Special Defense boosting nature, typically Bold or Calm, with EVs distributed amongst HP, Defense, and Special Defense. Many specific EV spreads are viable, but maxing HP is probably best for maximum mixed durability. Reflect and Light Screen with a held Light Clay are obvious choices for a dual screener, but Thunder Wave is a good supplemental support move. Foul Play makes a reasonable choice of attacking move since it uses the target's Attack stat rather than Klefki's own anemic one. Depending on team needs, weather setting moves or Safeguard are also possibilities. Sweeper Klefki should run Dazzling Gleam as its attack, as a STAB move to which nothing is immune is wonderful in the unpredictable world of rotations. Prankster-quickened Calm Mind and Substitute help Klefki set up in the face of all sorts of hostile attacks, while the combination of Protect and Leftovers will help it stall out threatening attacks and sneak in extra recovery. Sweeper Klefki takes advantage of the fact that even if the foe has a move that can reliably break Klefki's Substitute, the AI will often rotate around and choose poor attacks. Since Klefki's priority Substitute will almost always go first, Klefki knows each turn whether it can safely Calm Mind or whether it needs to Substitute again, and so can often safely set up on foes that initially appear to be serious threats. Since sweeper Klefki can boost its Special Defense and Special Attack with Calm Mind, a Bold nature with EVs in HP and Defense is recommended.

Multi Advice

In Maison multi battles, you pair with another trainer, either another human or the AI. Each of you selects two Pokemon, with one of each starting in play and the others in reserve, and face a pair of AI trainers. If a Pokemon is KOed or switched out, it may only be replaced by its trainer's other Pokemon, so if you KO both of a trainer's Pokemon, you'll only be facing one Pokemon at a time for the rest of your battle, even if both of that trainer's partner's Pokemon are still in good health. Other than this clause, multis with a human partner play extremely like double battles, and similar strategies should lead you to success. Do note, however, that each of you can use a mega evolution, which really skews things in your favor.

Multis with with an AI partner are much more challenging. First, you need to acquire an AI partner with a decent pair of Pokemon. All players have the option to partner with Shauna, Tierno, and Trevor, but if you review their Pokemon's sets, you'll see they are very lacking in power. To acquire more partner trainers, you need to start friending people. When you friend someone, you'll be able to use that trainer's randomly assigned pair of two Pokemon. While many of these pairings will of course be pretty poor, friend enough people, and you should be able to find a reasonable set of partner Pokemon. Note that a trainer will give the same partner Pokemon to all of his or her friends, so if you know that a person gave a great pairing to someone else, see if you can friend him or her to access the same pairing yourself.

A full list of possible partner Pokemon is available [HERE] [Right now, the only comprehensive list I've seen is on serebii, and I doubt we want to link directly to them. Has anyone on Smogon extracted this data? Any advice on proper linking to or (if allowable) use and crediting of other people's data in a Smogon reformatted chart would be very welcome!!]. Because the AI uses non-attacking moves in an erratic manner, such as Protecting when an attack would be a far better choice, it's best if you try to find a partner with all attacking moves. Similarly, Pokemon with one clear best attack are very valuable AI allies, since they are the easiest to predict and build a team around. Choice Scarf Typhlosion is of particular note, since it almost always locks itself into a very powerful Eruption, but there are a number of other attacking Pokemon that can serve you fairly well.

When building and playing your team, it's important to keep the AI's tendencies in mind. Notably, the AI doesn't pay attention to its partner when using moves that affect all other Pokemon, so if your ally is leading with a Pokemon with Earthquake, you really want a lead (and perhaps a backup too) that is either Flying-type or has the Levitate ability. Likewise, the AI will use powerful attacks like Focus Blast to finish off weakened enemies even when a more accurate but less powerful move would do the trick, so if your ally has such moves, you can't assume it will safely finish off a weakened target. One way to try to gain an advantage is to try to take out both of one enemy trainer's Pokemon, so you can fight with a two-on-one advantage against the other trainer, which should be favorable to you even if your partner is making poor move choices.

Sadly, AI multi battles are particularly high variance, and you are very likely to lose in frustrating ways from your AI partner's bad decisions. Most players tend to focus on just getting through battle 50 of super multis so that they can get the multi battle trophy, and then move on, but even with a reasonable AI partner, it can take a lot of persistence to get there.

After nineteen battles in regular multis, you'll face Battle Chatelaine Evelyn, with two of the following four Pokemon [insert], partnered with Battle Chatelaine Dana, with two of the following four Pokemon. [insert]

After forty-nine battles in super multis, you'll face Battle Chatelaine Morgan, with two of the following four Pokemon [insert], partnered with Battle Chatelaine Nita, with two of the following four Pokemon. [insert]

Because of the considerable similarity to doubles, the list of recommended doubles Pokemon is a good place to start when building multi battle teams, so there's no need for a separate list here, but remember that if you are using an AI partner rather than a human, you may have to make some unusual choices to best complement your partner's team.

 

[cant say]

NoCheese I sort of thought this guide was more for newcomers to beat the Maison (50 in each mode), not necessarily to build lengthy streaks. The amount of depth you've gone into could come across as daunting to most players. Maybe the guide could be split into two parts; 'beating the Maison' and then something like a 'what's next' or 'building a long streak' section. A lot of what you've written (which is really good) could go in that latter section, but I think there needs to be more of an introductory section before it, as some players lone goal is to just get all the trophies...

 

[NoCheese]

Added some doubles specific advice, as well as a first double recommended pokemon. More to come...

 

[NoCheese]

Added triples specific advice, and a first triples recommended Pokemon. I noted that because of strategy similarities, I'm not going to write full blurbs for triples stars that I already discuss in the doubles section. I think I can do something similar for singles and rotation battles.

 

[GG Unit]

NoCheese I sort of thought this guide was more for newcomers to beat the Maison (50 in each mode), not necessarily to build lengthy streaks. The amount of depth you've gone into could come across as daunting to most players. Maybe the guide could be split into two parts; 'beating the Maison' and then something like a 'what's next' or 'building a long streak' section. A lot of what you've written (which is really good) could go in that latter section, but I think there needs to be more of an introductory section before it, as some players lone goal is to just get all the trophies...

I'd second that. You probably only need to mention the Chatelaines in the context of "here's a really easy team you can throw together to get to Battle 50, and since you know what you'll be up against there, you can make some minor adjustments to all but assure victory," (eg: if you let something faint against the Super Singles Chatelaine's Thundurus/Landorus, Focus Sash Shell Smash Cloyster is an automatic win).

 

[Ununhexium]

Umm you said you wanted a better title so how does "Mastering the Maison" sound?