Battle Maison Discussion & Records

NoCheese

"Jack, you have debauched my sloth!"
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I did this, but this Granbull was indeed faster and wiped everything off with Wild Charge.
Interesting. Granbull3 is the only one with Wild Charge, and with its Adamant nature, it only has 97 Speed, which your whole front row will outspeed even without Tailwind. Did the third Pokemon Trick Room the first turn? That's the only thing I can think of that would cause this. Of the set 2 and 3 Pokemon, Gourgeist2, Carbink3, Murshana2, Reniclus2, Dusknoir2, and Cofagrigus3 all carry Trick Room. Do you recall if the third foe was one of these?
 

turskain

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There should be no way for Granbull3 to outspeed Blastoise when Tailwind is up - nor Kangaskhan2, for that matter, even if its Salac Berry is activated. Kangaskhan would outspeed it if the enemy set up Tailwind, but Granbull would not. If they did, there must have been other factors such as Trick Room in play. If you were up against a Trick Room setter (which would be the unknown third Pokémon in this warstory), Tailwind (and Mat Block depending on the match-up) will not do you any good and you should generally be attacking right away.

I wouldn't worry too much about a loss prior to battle 40 - just try again and you'll be at 50 in no time at all. There's nothing quite as simple as "doing the same thing every battle with Durant/Cloyster to get to 50 wins in a couple of attempts at worst" in Triples - but Talonflame/Blastoise/Greninja set-ups are probably the next best thing.




For Rotations, using a team with multiple one-click sweepers such as NoCheese's speed team is probably the simplest way to acquire 50 wins. The teams at the top of the Rotations leaderboard generally play slowly and require some involvement, so their efficiency is lower for a trophy run even if they may reach higher streaks.

For Multis, pick Steven as the AI partner and use Whisper0101's team.
 
Now I remember. The third Pokemon was indeed Cofagrigus which used Trick Room. That was the big problem! I was so in rage that my leads disappeared faster than I could see it,
that I didn't think about the third Pokemon anymore. It was so unfair that Blastoise flinched three times in a row. Gosh, that battle sucked.

Thank you for your recommendations, turskain. One question about your Triple Fake Out team: What are the moves for the first turns? Maybe I'll use this one.

Yeah, Nita was a piece of cake with Cloyster. Even Tornadus Yache Berry doesn't help him at all.
 
Hi guys, long time lurker here. I just managed to get a 200 win streak today and figured I would share the team I used.

Proof:


Unfortunately, I didn't record the battle, so no battle replays, sorry.

EDIT: Battled once more, here's match 201 lel: V3LW-WWWW-WWWJ-N6PZ

Anyways, the team I used was:

Lazybutt (Durant) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Truant
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- X-Scissor
- Toxic
- Protect
- Entrainment

2spooky4me (Gengar) (M) @ Gengarite
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Substitute
- Shadow Ball
- Perish Song
- Protect

Cao Cao (Blaziken) (M) @ Focus Sash
Ability: Speed Boost
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Hone Claws
- High Jump Kick
- Protect
- Flare Blitz


Like all other Durant users, I used my Durant as the lead. If I manage to get an Entrainment off, the Pokemon I switch in will depend on the opposing Pokemon and sometimes, the opponent's trainer class.

The times I switch into my Gengar is when:

1. The opponent is a Ghost type or Fire type or know that the Trainer class likes using Ghost and Fire Pokemon (Hex Maniacs, Black Belts, etc.).
2. The opponent is a Double Team/Minimize spammer.

If it's case 1, I send in my Gengar and use Protect, and the second turn, I use Sub. After that, I use Protect then Shadow Ball until the opposing Ghost is dead. After the opponent sends out the 2nd Pokemon, I can either:

1. Keep up the offensive pressure by continuing to fire off Shadow Balls
2. Mega Evolve and use Perish Song. After that I stall, then switch out.

This method almost guarantees that I take out at least 2 of the opponent's Pokemon.

If it's case 2, I Mega Evolve and use Protect in order to ensure that the opposing scumbag doesn't try anything funny. Then I set up a Sub. The next turn, I use Perish Song. Now, you might be wondering why I chose to use Perish Song on a turn the opponent is attacking me. This is so that on the turn the Perish count reaches 0, the opponent is forced to loaf around due to Truant. This in turn allows me to get a safe switch back into Durant or Blaziken.

In all the other times, I switch into Blaziken and start setting up to +6 with Hone Claws. The reason I chose Hone Claws over SD is because of stupid hax. By increasing Accuracy, I am able to ensure that Bright Powders and Lax Incenses become useless, and make my HJKs unmissable.

After I reach +6 I spam HJK, even if the opponent resists it. This is because I want to make Blaziken's Focus Sash last as long as possible, and if I use Flare Blitz, the resulting recoil makes Focus Sash automatically useless. The reason I run Focus Sash is so I can beat other Focus Sash/Sturdy Pokes (unless they have priority). Besides, a +6 HJK will OHKO almost all targets, even if they resist it. Once again, this Blaziken set allows me to take at least 2 Pokemon out.

The particular Pokemon this team struggles with, excluding Evasion hax and Protect leads, are:

Chandelure: Barring Chandelure2 (which I have not met once when using this team), these Pokemon pose a huge threat to my team because its typing and potential ability. Fire moves obviously wreck Durant, and ANY Shadow Ball, even unboosted ones coming from DEFENSIVE Chandelures, have at least a chance of OHKOing Gengar. Lastly, Blaziken cannot harm Chandelure if it carries Flash Fire. If Chandelure is not sent out first, I would sac Blaziken if its got Flash Fire. If Durant's still alive, then switch it in and Entrain it, no exceptions. If Durant's not alive though... pray to RNGesus that the Chandelure uses something stupid like CM or WoW while trying to take it out with Gengar. The best possible way of avoiding this outcome is to know what types of Pokemon your opponent likes to use and try to make sure that Gengar is out in the field before Chandelure is.

Carracosta4: This one also gave me headaches, but not so much anymore. This is because it holds a Weakness Policy, knows Aqua Jet, and has the potential of carrying Sturdy. Thus, this Pokemon has the ability of beating Blaziken 1 on 1. If I see this Pokemon and my Durant is dead, I use Flare Blitz. At +6, a Flare Blitz does about half of this Carracosta's HP, which is more than enough for Gengar to come in and finish the job, all the while ensuring that the WP doesn't activate.
 
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NoCheese

"Jack, you have debauched my sloth!"
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I have just May, Steven, Archie and Wally in my list of the Super Multi. How can I have more?
Unlike in X/Y, you can't add additional trainers to your multi battle partner pool by friending them. So sadly, you are stuck with the default options. Thankfully, they are notably stronger than the typical AI team in XY. Steven is probably your best bet.

ExacusElementum, that team manages to do two things that are extremely rare in the Maison: 1) it makes effective use of HJK Blaziken by avoiding the usual accuracy flaw, 2) it makes effective use of Mega Gengar and actually takes advantage of its ability. That your team is able to do both is really clever. Good luck as you continue to build the streak!!

NoCheese Edit: HJK still has issues with Protect on a second or third pokemon, where you either have to break your sash with Flare Blitz or risk losing half your health HJKing into Protect, but the move is still vastly better on your team than it typically is in the Maison!
 
Hi guys, long time lurker here. I just managed to get a 200 win streak today and figured I would share the team I used.

Proof:


Unfortunately, I didn't record the battle, so no battle replays, sorry.

EDIT: Battled once more, here's match 201 lel: V3LW-WWWW-WWWJ-N6PZ

Anyways, the team I used was:

Lazybutt (Durant) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Truant
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- X-Scissor
- Toxic
- Protect
- Entrainment

2spooky4me (Gengar) (M) @ Gengarite
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Substitute
- Shadow Ball
- Perish Song
- Protect

Cao Cao (Blaziken) (M) @ Focus Sash
Ability: Speed Boost
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Hone Claws
- High Jump Kick
- Protect
- Flare Blitz


Like all other Durant users, I used my Durant as the lead. If I manage to get an Entrainment off, the Pokemon I switch in will depend on the opposing Pokemon and sometimes, the opponent's trainer class.

The times I switch into my Gengar is when:

1. The opponent is a Ghost type or Fire type or know that the Trainer class likes using Ghost and Fire Pokemon (Hex Maniacs, Black Belts, etc.).
2. The opponent is a Double Team/Minimize spammer.

If it's case 1, I send in my Gengar and use Protect, and the second turn, I use Sub. After that, I use Protect then Shadow Ball until the opposing Ghost is dead. After the opponent sends out the 2nd Pokemon, I can either:

1. Keep up the offensive pressure by continuing to fire off Shadow Balls
2. Mega Evolve and use Perish Song. After that, I stall, then switch out.

This method almost guarantees that I take out at least 2 of the opponent's Pokemon.

If it's case 2, I Mega Evolve and use Protect in order to ensure that the opposing scumbag doesn't try anything funny. Then I set up a Sub. The next turn, I use Perish Song. Now, you might be wondering why I chose to use Perish Song on a turn the opponent is attacking me. This is so that on the turn the Perish count reaches 0, the opponent is forced to loaf around due to Truant. This in turn allows me to get a safe switch back into Durant or Blaziken.

In all the other times, I switch into Blaziken and start setting up to +6 with Hone Claws. The reason I chose Hone Claws over SD is because of stupid hax. By increasing Accuracy, I am able to ensure that Bright Powders and Lax Incenses become useless, and make my HJK's unmissable.

After I reach +6 I spam HJK, even if the opponent resists it. This is because I want to make Blaziken's Focus Sash last as long as possible, and if I use Flare Blitz, the resulting recoil makes Focus Sash automatically becomes useless. The reason I run Focus Sash is so I can beat other Focus Sash/Sturdy Pokes (unless they have priority). Besides, a +6 HJK will OHKO almost all targets, even if they resist it. Once again, this Blaziken set allows me to take at least 2 Pokemon out.

The particular Pokemon this team struggles with, excluding Evasion hax and Protect leads, are:

Chandelure: Barring Chandelure2 (which I have not met once when using this team), these Pokemon pose a huge threat to my team because its typing and potential ability. Fire moves obviously wreck Durant, and ANY Shadow Ball, even unboosted ones coming from DEFENSIVE Chandelures, have at least a chance of OHKOing Gengar. Lastly, Blaziken cannot harm Chandelure if it carries Flash Fire. If Chandelure is not sent out first, I would sac Blaziken if its got Flash Fire. If Durant's still alive, then switch it in and Entrain it, no exceptions. If Durant's not alive though... pray to RNGesus that the Chandelure uses something stupid like CM or WoW while trying to take it out with Gengar. The best possible way of avoiding this outcome is to know what types of Pokemon your opponent likes to use and try to make sure that Gengar is out in the field before Chandelure is.

Carracosta4: This one also gave me headaches, but not so much anymore. This is because it holds a Weakness Policy, knows Aqua Jet, and has the potential of carrying Sturdy. Thus, this Pokemon has the ability of beating Blaziken 1 on 1. If I see this Pokemon and my Durant is dead, I use Flare Blitz. At +6, a Flare Blitz does about half of this Carracosta's HP, which is more than enough for Gengar to come in and finish the job, all the while ensuring that the WP doesn't activate.
I'm trying to think of how this team could handle Focus Sash Tyranitar or Sturdy Donphan coming out 2nd, but if you're not using Flare Blitz that often maybe give Dual Chop a look for all the Focus Sash and Sturdy out there.

+6 252+ Atk Blaziken Dual Chop (2 hits) vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Carracosta: 148-176 (99.3 - 118.1%) -- approx. 93.8% chance to OHKO

Oops you're Jolly even though Blaziken will be at +6 Speed most of the time, but same concept.
 
Unlike in X/Y, you can't add additional trainers to your multi battle partner pool by friending them. So sadly, you are stuck with the default options. Thankfully, they are notably stronger than the typical AI team in XY. Steven is probably your best bet.

ExacusElementum, that team manages to do two things that are extremely rare in the Maison: 1) it makes effective use of HJK Blaziken by avoiding the usual accuracy flaw, 2) it makes effective use of Mega Gengar and actually takes advantage of its ability. That your team is able to do both is really clever. Good luck as you continue to build the streak!!

NoCheese Edit: HJK still has issues with Protect on a second or third pokemon, where you either have to break your sash with Flare Blitz or risk losing half your health HJKing into Protect, but the move is still vastly better on your team than it typically is in the Maison!
Thanks for the reply. And tbh, I have 0 intentions of furthering my Battle Maison streak unless I'm strapped for BP (which I highly doubt will be the case, since I have over 2K BP now), or am bored. All I wanted was to get to 200 streaks to get the Starf Berry. All I need to do now is to beat the rest of the Super modes, then kiss this hax-infested hellhole goodbye. And maybe come back to splurge BP on stuff.
 
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NoCheese

"Jack, you have debauched my sloth!"
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Just a note that thanks to turskain and sb879's work identifying trainer name changes, I've updated the trainer quick reference guide to also include ORAS trainer names. While I was at it, I also alphabetized the set A and B Pokemon and the Pokemon lists for non-standard trainers to speed the reference process. The guide remains available here.

It's quite possible that there are still some other changed names. If you identify any other trainer name changes, please post so that the guide can be further updated.

Edit1: Found a bunch of name changes identified and posted by sb879 so was able to add a few more new trainer names.
 
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Finished the Battle Maison in Pokemon Y sometime back in October, but since i'm only posting now I lose credibility for when I did it; so we will go with December 15th 2014. I have no idea why I procrastinated about posting, and I would like to apologize in advance for the fact I have no means of simply taking a picture of all my trophies and posting that. Sorry for the inconvenience. (The videos for the most part aren't very impressive since these are my first attempts, and wins, against the Maison in pokemon Y)
The codes for Y are as follows:

Super singles: WBUW-WWWW-WWW4-GVQQ

Super doubles: 893G-WWWW-WWWJ-PA4D

Super triples: 7HGW-WWWW-WWWJ-P9TF

Super rotation: P7EG-WWWW-WWWJ-PA2B

Super multi (with a friend): JBRW-WWWW-WWWJ-P9Q4

In Omega Ruby I did complete it December 15th 2014.
Codes are as follows:

Single battle: CFDW-WWWW-WWWJ-LJPB

Super Single: 5A3W-WWWW-WWWJ-LKW9

Super Double: A7NW-WWWW-WWWJ-LKX9

Super Triple: 7WGW-WWWW-WWWJ-LK2M

Super Rotation: GH8W-WWWW-WWWJ-LK3H

Super Multi (with AI): XR2G-WWWW-WWWJ-LK46
 
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I know this doesn't mean a whole lot compared to the massive streaks here but I finally got my Super Singles trophy! Now to see how high I can go before I get haxed out.
 
Good job! You seem to be putting advice into practice. Personally, I find Singles to be more difficult than Doubles or Triples, since 3v3 leaves almost no room for error, and losing one poke and the coverage that comes with it is usually much more devastating than in other formats. So, you'll probably have an easier time from here out, if you go for all trophies.

I ran a ton of damage calcs for M-Sableye (on the receiving end) with the purpose of trying to find a spread that takes less than 50% reliably from a large number of the more powerful (as in base 130 offense and up) enemies within the Maison. While that ended up being too much to ask, I think I've found a happy medium that will at least take a shitload of abuse if damage rolls aren't TOO stacked against me.

Reason being, it occurred to me that vanilla Sableye's BST is so atrocious that on turn one, I was afraid the AI pokes on its side would both recognize it as easy pickings and go after it. I underestimated its ability to tank shit with that HP, but two really solid hits with forsaken RNG can still bring it down, and on most of my Triples teams, the megas have traditionally been valuable workhorses with mileage, so trashing my mega just as TR is being set was... yeah.

That sounds like a good reason to use Protect, and while that'd make this particular Sableye deadweight on subsequent turns, I might consider making a second set with no S/Def investment to try and capitalize on that kind of AI manipulation... Protect/Fake Out/Foul Play and Gravity or some other form of support most of my pokes appreciate... hmm.

I'm glad I thought of doing that, though, because it made me do the same for Mega Audino and, especially with the gain of Fairy typing, I now have some faith that it can be a decent mega on my kind of teams also.
 
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Interesting thread.

For those who have high streaks/lead with durant, how did you handle pokemon that lead with protect/detect?
 

cant say

twitch.tv/jakecantsay
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Unlike in X/Y, you can't add additional trainers to your multi battle partner pool by friending them. So sadly, you are stuck with the default options. Thankfully, they are notably stronger than the typical AI team in XY. Steven is probably your best bet.
Oh what is this seriously true?? I was going to pair my new Typhlosion partner with Mega Gallade and an unknown backup. Good thing I didn't spend too long thinking of the backup 'mon / breeding :(
 

atsync

Where the "intelligence" of TRAINERS is put to the test!
is a Pokemon Researcheris a Contributor to Smogon
I was also surprised that they removed the ability to add extra partners to multi. I have a feeling that they did it to try make things fairer for players. One of the most frustrating things about multi in XY was trying to get a partner that was actually worth battling with (the default options weren't even remotely good either) and unfortunately not everyone had access to good team mates which made it harder for them to get the trophy.

It's a bit of a shame that you can't add more trainers now, but now everyone has an equal shot at getting a decent streak in the mode, and at the very least the partners (mainly Steven) are decent enough for anyone to make it to 50 assuming they understand the basics of the Maison.
 

NoCheese

"Jack, you have debauched my sloth!"
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For those who have high streaks/lead with durant, how did you handle pokemon that lead with protect/detect?
Basic strategy against moves that stop or escape a turn 1 Entrainment is as follows. (This is from my writeup of my Durant / Cloyster / Garchomp team last generation. The strategy remains almost identical this generation.)

Because of how easy it typically is to set up and sweep after an Entrainment, a natural question is how this team deals with lead pokes that can either prevent or neutralize Durant's Entrainment. As noted earlier, non-priority attacks or defensive moves like Substitute don't worry me, because Durant is fast enough to outrun them all. Priority moves, and moves that allow the opponent to switch pokemon after the Entrainment, on the other hand, are a concern, with the biggest suspects being Fake Out, Protect/Detect, U-turn, and Volt Switch.

With a Fake Out lead, I consider how hard the other moves hit. Given Durant's good physical defense and very strong typing combination, certain Fake Outers can't really hurt Durant. In such a situation, I just stay in, taking the Fake Out on turn 1, absorbing whatever weak attack follows, and Entraining successfully on turn 3. Where the opposing Fake Outer can beat Durant, such as an Infernape or Mienshao, I immediately switch to Garchomp, which takes the Fake Out and does a little damage back with Rough Skin. At that point, Garchomp can sometimes set up or at least KO the lead on its own, but it will often just get knocked out. This is fine, however, since I can then bring Durant back in, safely use Entrainment, and set up Cloyster.

Protect and Detect are more interesting, since the AI can use these moves multiple times, potentially shutting down multiple Entrainment attempts, but tends to use them rather randomly. If the opponent can't really hurt Durant too much, I'll often stay in, and usually get the chance to Entrain eventually, given the AI's loose wiring. Sometimes, for example the AI will protect on both the first and second turns, making a third turn protect extremely unlikely and likely to fail even if used. Note also that if the opponent thinks it can get a KO by attacking, it will almost always use the KO attack rather than Protect. Accordingly, if the opponent Protects on turn 1 and does between 50% and 100% to Durant on turn 2, I can almost always resolve Entrainment on turn 3. If I'm in doubt about how to handle a Protecter, I'll usually just switch to Garchomp, who is my most "disposable" poke, and can often set up a Swords Dance unaided and then KO the Protect user, leaving Durant around to Entrain later, and keeping Cloyster's Focus Sash intact.

U-turn looks like a big threat, but in fact is not typically an issue. The reason is that it's a physical move that Durant resists. The AI will almost never attack Durant with it on the first turn because there's usually almost always another move that hits harder, and once the foe is Entrained, later uses of U-turn won't matter, since Protect used by a sweeper while it sets up not only prevents the damage, it also stops the U-turn switch.

Volt Switch is much more threatening. It's a special move, and so hits Durant's much weaker Special Defense, and Durant does not resist Electric attacks, so the AI will often lead with it. A lead Volt Switch from a hard hitting special attacker can do a double whammy on me, both negating my Entrainment and OHKOing Durant, denying me the chance to Entrain another poke and set up later on. When facing a Volt Switcher, I immediately switch to Garchomp. Garchomp typically is very strong against Volt Switchers, switching in for free due to its immunity and then setting up or unleashing a devastating STAB Earthquake. Volt Switch is such a threat that if I ever replace Garchomp as my secondary sweeper, I can't see myself using a poke that doesn't likewise handle Volt Switchers. Volt Switch Magnet Pull Magnezone deserves special mention. Naturally, I can't switch out of it, and so am likely lose my Durant either to the Volt Switch or the alternative choice of Thunderbolt. However, I'm usually still fine, since Garchomp can still come in and dominate, and won't even have to worry about Sturdy messing with its OHKO. Still, a lead Volt Switching Magnezone is one of the larger threats to this team, and if the opponent has the wrong partners for it, I could be in trouble.


For more details on general playstile, just go through the Durant lead teams which give lengthy writeups. The list below is not exhaustive, but all of these writeups at least discuss the Protect issue.
GG Unit's Durant / Cloyster / Drapion
My Durant / Cloyster / Garchomp (including link back to 5th gen team writeup)
lolnub's Durant / Garchomp / Gyarados
 
Interesting thread.

For those who have high streaks/lead with durant, how did you handle pokemon that lead with protect/detect?
Just hope you don't run into any additional hax with them. Barring that, hope the other two can pull out a 2 on 3 victory every once in a while. VaporeonIce's and my teams use a lead that has Taunt and can be KOed before Taunt runs out to ensure Durant can come in second and use Entrainment.
 
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Been following this thread for a while now since I've been trying my luck at the Maison with no luck. So, I've decided that I'm going to steal use one of those teams you guys listed. My main goal here is to beat the Super Singles so that I can battle Wally again, so I'm not shooting for ridiculous streaks like the ones you guys post here. I decided to use the Durant / Cloyster / Garchomp team from NoCheese to see how far it gets me (I'm good at breeding, but not at battling lol).

On another note, I'm surprised as to how you guys can read that huge list of possible opponents! Or do you use the CTRL-F thing to look for specific threats?
 

NoCheese

"Jack, you have debauched my sloth!"
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On another note, I'm surprised as to how you guys can read that huge list of possible opponents! Or do you use the CTRL-F thing to look for specific threats?
When you've been playing for a while, you end up memorizing a lot of the info without really trying to, which helps. So most battles, you don't need to look things up. And the quick reference guide (see the OP) greatly streamlines the looking up process. I also keep an alphabetized list of all the set4 Pokemon + all sets of the legendaries, since these are the Pokemon that you face by far the most often after battle 40, and it's a lot shorter than the master list.
 
First some rambling about the Battle Maison thread philosophy:

Though the extensive leaderboard suggests otherwise, the reason this thread is fun isn't just the big streaks that people put up; it's the stories we tell. The reason I keep coming back here is to see someone tell an interesting story. These are stories told in damage calculations, movesets, and EV threads, but they're stories nonetheless. The protagonists: our Pokemon. The way we set up the narrative (by describing the teambuilding process) tells the readers whether they should care about the protagonists or not. Threat lists and close battles set up dramatic tension. The antagonist is always the same: the Battle Maison, with all of the laws of probability that come along with it.

People who (implicitly) recognize and respect this storytelling process are well-respected (which is most everyone who posts here). People who think it's all about the numbers, and who neglect this, are not. We've all had the experience of reading/hearing/watching a story where the protagonist was so bland and uninteresting that you just wanted the antagonist to win to spite them. That's exactly what happens here. If your posts are very sparse and your characters have no depth (i.e. they're not even novel Pokemon or strategies), I want to see you lose. It's not because I dislike you; it's because you've wasted my (and other people's) time, and are expecting some sort of recognition or respect for telling a bad story. People on this forum (or at least, Jumpman16 ) will read and enjoy extremely long posts about a completely unsuccessful team (Lv.1 Sableye, Durant, Smeargle) if the story is told in such a way that makes people care about the protagonists.


So in that tradition, I'll unfold a little bit of my Battle Maison story with my most successful team's second loss. I'll try to upload the video a little later. This was battle #427: Whimsicott, Durant, and Drapion, against Chef Nicoise. I'm putting it behind Hide tags so it doesn't take up a ton of space on the board.

He leads with Exeggutor 4. No problem: I'm well-acquainted with that, and know that I can beat it while keeping my entire team at full health.

Whimsicott used Encore (it failed); Exeggutor used Trick Room
Whimsicott used Encore; Exeggutor used Trick Room
Switch to Durant; Exeggutor used Trick Room
Durant used Entrainment; Exeggutor used Trick Room

As I always did, I go to Drapion to set up a bit until Exeggutor Explodes. If my boosts are good, I can start killing stuff; if not, I can just stall out Trick Room and switch back to Whimsicott, then set up Entrainment again.

Drapion used Substitute; Exeggutor used Trick Room (as expected)
Drapion used Acupressure (Drapion's Speed rose sharply!); Exeggutor is loafing around
Drapion used Protect; Exeggutor used Explosion.

I have a Sub and a Speed boost (bad in Trick Room, good when Trick Room runs out) and can easily Sub/Protect stall out TR, so I figure I'm in a good spot.

Chef Nicoise sent out Emboar!

...oh shit. Emboar 4 can set up a Sub that Drapion can't break, and Sub renders Entrainment useless. Trick Room's continued presence means I have to wait it out until I can get in Durant. I decide to scout and stall out Trick Room a bit. I'm panicking.

Emboar used Focus Blast (Sub broke); Drapion used Acupressure (Drapion's accuracy rose sharply!)
Drapion used Protect; Emboar used Focus Blast

It has now used Focus Blast two turns in a row, so I'm hoping it really likes the move. I can stall it out a bit and hope for Focus Blast misses, but once it runs out, it's throwing out 100% accuracy Flamethrowers, and I might take a big hit from Focus Blast this turn. I switch out to Whimsicott, hoping to Encore it into Focus Blast (or Flamethrower. Or Scald. Anything but Substitute).

Emboar used Substitute!

Fuuuuuck. This looks pretty bad, so I decide to do the only thing that kind of does something: Encore the Substitute (note: this is really stupid, but it didn't make a difference).

Whimsicott used Encore! Emboar used Substitute!

Switch to Durant, Emboar used Substitute!

I can try to break its Sub with Aerial Ace, but then the Encore will end. I go back to Whimsicott. Emboar used Substitute; its Encore ended. Encore again!

Whimsicott used Encore; Emboar used Substitute.

Now to use Taunt for massive damage!

Whimsicott used Taunt; Emboar can't use Substitute after the Taunt!
Whimsicott used Encore (it failed); Emboar has no moves left! Emboar used Struggle!

...aaand the flimsiness of my strategy comes into full view. Emboar can't be locked into Struggle and is now forced to attack.
Whimsicott used Encore (it still failed), Emboar used Flamethrower. Whimsicott fainted!

Okay, I know I'm pretty screwed if I don't find a way to break that Sub and set up Drapion (note: that is CLEARLY not going to happen, but I'm not thinking straight). I go to Drapion and pick Sub. It uses Focus Blast and hits; Drapion is down to 69 HP, I set up a Sub.

Emboar used Focus Blast; Drapion used Protect
Emboar used Focus Blast (Sub breaks); Drapion used Acupressure (come on, evasion! Nope, it's Speed...at least I'm faster now)
Drapion used Protect; Emboar used Flamethrower
Drapion used Acupressure (Attack rose sharply!); Emboar used...Scald? Drapion lives with 16 HP
Drapion used Protect; Emboar used Scald
Drapion used Knock Off; Emboar's Substitute faded! Emboar used Scald (magically don't KO me, please). Drapion fainted! (Whoops)
Durant used Aerial Ace! Emboar's Salac Berry boosted its Speed (and it probably got a Blaze boost as well...yay). Emboar used Flamethrower; Durant fainted!


So the puzzle I was faced with (this was quite a while ago) was how to keep this sort of thing from happening again. Was this a one-in-a-million fluke, or did I get lucky as hell to get a streak of 1174 in the first place? Quickly scanning through the lists of Explosion/HJK leads that can be on the same team as Substitute users suggests that there are plenty of dangerous combinations, even excluding those Substitute Pokemon that can't hurt Drapion (e.g. Venusaur). I did end up losing again on Battle #63 to Garcon Darcy. It went like this:

Whimsicott used Encore (it failed); Cryogonal used Blizzard! Whimsicott was frozen solid!
Whimsicott is frozen solid! Cryogonal used Icy Wind; it missed!
Whimsicott is frozen solid! Cryogonal used Blizzard; it missed!
Whimsicott is frozen solid! Cryogonal used Blizzard; it missed!
Whimsicott is frozen solid! Cryogonal used Blizzard; Whimsicott fainted!
Durant used Entrainment! Cryogonal used Hail!
(switch to Drapion, Cryogonal is loafing around)
Drapion used Protect; Cryogonal used Blizzard
Drapion used Sub (loafing)
Drapion used Protect; Cryogonal used Explosion!

Garcon Darcy sent out Feraligatr! (fuuuuuck)
Feraligatr used Waterfall; Drapion's Substitute faded! Drapion used Knock Off (it did about 55%)
Switched to Durant; Feraligatr used Substitute (oh shit)
Drapion used X-Scissor; Feraligatr's Substitute faded! Feraligatr used Dragon Dance!
Feraligatr used Dragon Dance; Durant is loafing around!
Feraligatr used Waterfall; Durant fainted!
Feraligatr used Waterfall; Drapion fainted!

Note that this was pretty haxy (against the AI), which actually worked against me. Cryogonal tends to use all of its Blizzard PP before Exploding, but because it wasted so many of them missing Whimsicott, it didn't have any left. The freeze prevented my usual strategy, which is Encore turn 1, Encore its Hail if it uses it, otherwise use Memento on turn 2. So the odds of things working out this way are 0.07 (Blizzard freeze) * .05 (Icy Wind miss) * .8 (no thaw) * .3 * .8 (no thaw) * .3 (Blizzard misses) = 1/4960. It's obviously not a guaranteed win if this didn't happen (my Acupressure boosts could have been bad), but it certainly didn't help, as a Speed boost (to bait the AI into using Icy Wind), an Evasion boost, an Attack boost (to OHKO Feraligatr) or a Defense boost all would have made a huge difference.


More theorymon on the third loss, as well as the general problem of Explosion leads + Substitute-using back-ups, coming soon...
 
I've just been getting into the Maison a bit more seriously these days—I'm home for the break, and have no schoolwork. I got myself to battle 50 and was subsequently demolished by the Chatelaine. I had become far too confident after not even having broken a sweat through the first forty-nine battles, and didn't spend much time looking at what sets she used. Initially just glancing at the Serebii page for the Chatelaines, I first assumed that the Wigglytuff/Purugly team she used in regular singles would be used again here. This was, obviously, not the case, and there was quite a bit of surprise when she led with Landorus.

Again, I should have looked at a listing of her sets, to see that Lando was scarfed, but I didn't, and I immediately went for an Ice Beam off Greninja. Focus Blast came first and cleanly OHKO'd the frog (why is it that, whenever *I* use Focus Blast it never hits?). Greninja always does a great deal of work against just about any matchup, and had he not been eliminated, I would have had no trouble cleaning up the rest of the Chatelaine's team with Ice Beam.

So Greninja dies on the first turn, and I do the only thing I can—switch in Aegislash. Aegislash doesn't care about the first Focus Blast (why didn't she switch?) and launches a Shadow Ball, which takes Lando down to 25% or so. Having realized that her Landorus can't touch Aegi at the moment, she switches it out and into Thundurus. Thundurus dies to two Shadow Balls, leaving me facing a scarfed EP Lando with two mons weak to Ground.

I King's Shield, hoping that lefties recovery would be enough to let me take an EP. It wasn't. Aegi dies. I switch in Blaziken. I protect to get a Speed Boost off, hoping that Landorus doesn't have speed EVs. It did. Blaziken goes down, and I lose my run.

In retrospect, I'm not sure that I could have guaranteed a win here. Here's the best-case scenario:

1) Lead Greninja, Lead Landorus
2) Switch out to Aegi. First Focus Blast doesn't do anything
3) Kill Thundurus (or Tornadus, depending, with Shadow Ball)
4) Lando is sent out. Aegi eats an EP, and dies, assuming it's taken something from Thundurus
5) Greninja is sent out. Has a 52% chance to survive. OHKO's and then some with Ice Beam
6) Tornadus is sent out. Greninja OHKOs.

Or, alternatively (now that I think about it, I'm fairly certain this guarantees a win):

1) Lead Greninja, Lead Landorus
2) Switch out to Aegi. First Focus Blast doesn't do anything
3) Switch back to Greninja as Thundurus goes for the Crunch. This way, Aegi is unharmed.
4) Lando is sent out. Switch back to Aegi to take the incoming Focus Blast
5) Tornadus will then be switched in. Switch out Aegi to Blaziken to sack it. If Hurricane misses, great, I win. It probably won't, though.
6) Greninja Ice Beams Tornadus to eliminate it.
7) Lando Focus Blasts Greninja
8) Aegi is sent out. Gg.

Now that I'm thinking about this, I realized that I also could have switched in Blaziken to Thundurus' Crunch, Protected first turn, Flare Blitzed to finish it off, and then rampaged through the rest of the team at +2/+3.

Basically, there were so many better ways to do this than I did. I messed up, big time.

At this point, I should probably list my team:

Lead/Sweeper - Greninja @ Life Orb - Bred in OR/AS by me
40 atk/218SpA/252Spe - Naive nature - Protean
31/31/31/31/31/31
Gunk Shot
Ice Beam
Hydro Pump
Extrasensory
From what I'm reading here, many of you would shudder to see that I use Gunk Shot and Hydro Pump—horrendously inaccurate moves—over other, more accurate counterparts. I realize that they're unreliable, and was initially hesitant to use them, however, thanks to Protean, I can still use the move to change type and become resistant to an attack. Gunk Shot is especially synergistic when combined with a Dark base typing, and it's really fun to switch types (even if GS misses!) to tank a Focus Blast, Moonblast, or Energy Ball.

I often find that Greninja is able to 3-0 many teams through virtue of its coverage. Ice seems to be really good, offensively, in the Maison. Not sure if this is just me, though.

Pivot - Aegislash @ Leftovers - Bred in OR/AS, also by me. Took forever to get this IV spread. I have a ton of 31/31/31/31/31/31 by-products, though :p
252HP/30Atk/228SpA - Quiet nature - Stance Change (duh)
31/31/31/31/31/0
King's Shield
Shadow Ball
Sacred Sword
Iron Head
Slow as is possible to take many hits in Shield form. It still gets out-slowed by certain things like Slowbro and Rhyperior, but there's else wise very little that can go slower than it.

I found that 252atk isn't really necessary, so I instead invested a bit in Atk to guarantee a 2HKO on 252Def Sylveon (outside of the Maison, of course). If I want to adapt this Aegi for doubles, I also have bred Wide Guard and Destiny Bond onto it, if I see those moves have merit.

Aegi isn't as good as I think it could be without priority, but this isn't a sweeper, it's a pivot that lets me actually switch something in without it dying, like my other teammates are wont to do, at the slightest breeze that blows the wrong way. Shadow Ball ends up not *quite* OHKO'ing a lot of things, but this is very, very, good for me, as my final teammate relies on things being *almost* dead.

Sweeper - Blaziken @ Blazikenite - bred in X/Y
4HP/252Atk/252Spe - Adamant nature - Blaze (unfortunately)
31/31/31/31/31/31
Power-up Punch
High Jump Kick :(
Flare Blitz
Protect
Swords Dance straight up doesn't work in the Maison. Power-up Punch is chosen over this as Blaziken doesn't need to be at +2 to sweep—+1 is fine, an PuP can clear out a weakened opponent, like something with Sturdy, who would otherwise OHKO a SD'ing Blaziken with EQ, whilst simultaneously getting a boost. +1/+3 can be reached through this method by Protecting, Punching, and then Protecting again. This Blaziken is as frail as frail can be (well, it's not that bad, but it's pretty bad defensively), but a stupidly high base Attack stat combined with speed and attack boosts is pretty hard to stop. A Blaziken at +1/+2—which is very easy to achieve—is essentially a win condition, only stopped by sashes, who are then easily dealt with by the remaining team members.

High Jump Kick is a godawful move. I absolutely hate it. It's kind of necessary though—Sky Uppercut doesn't hit nearly hard enough. If only Blaziken got CC. There have been many games lost as a result of HJK missing. Most of the time, just spam Flare Blitz, and it'll probably die anyway, unless it's a Rock/Water type—in that case, click HJK (or, if you're boosted enough, PuP), and pray.

So. Do you guys have any suggestions here? Changes? Alterations? Sweeping modifications? I'd like to get some input on this Maison team.
 

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