Smogon Community - Rotation Battle Play

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Rotation Battle Play

I feel there are enough rulings discovered that most of the play for rotation battles is now able to be talked about so...here we go.

(This is not a thread to compair Rotation Battles to other Battle Styles or to dismiss Rotation Battles as a battle type that will not be played)

Rotation Battles Rulings from research thread (will edit in as updates come)

...

Summary: Rotation battles are a new battle type introduced in Generation 5. In these battles you send out three pokemon though only one pokemon is truely considered in play. At the beginning of your turn you select which of your three pokemon you wish to be sent in or switch out your current pokemon for a new middle pokemon (just like in singles). This requires a large amount of prediction and more to think about than simply just a one on one battle.

Strategies to consider when building a team

The 4th Member: You opponent only sees at most 3 pokemon on your team in a rotation battle at any given time. However, there is a fourth person, the one you can switch in. This means that an extremely large deal of thought should go into who is the first pokemon you've sent out and what members may support them. This goes the other way as well since your opponent can do the same. For example, your opponent has a gyarados to start in the center with a scizor and an infernape at the side but they have an eletrivire just in case of electric attacks. Remember that your opponent could switch to someone out on the field of play at any time of the battle when you least expect it and that there are still 3 other people on your opponents team that are not out!

Stat Storing: A pokemon rotated out keeps its stat increases. So storing a pokemon with stat increases for later in a battle probably isn't a bad idea. That way when you need the help you can just send in your +2 DD Ononokusu when you need it the most.

These are only two things to consider! Discuss the Rotation Battle strategies and play!

Seems good but let's say sunny day is in effect and cherrim is one of my pokemon out but not the active one. Does my active pokemon get the boost?

What of "species clause"? If I were to, say, enjoy a fan made battle style that involves a team full of the same Pokemon... I can bring it to rotations?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fat TwilightWings (Post 3066029)

Seems good but let's say sunny day is in effect and cherrim is one of my pokemon out but not the active one. Does my active pokemon get the boost?

nope, under rulings posted :P

@CanadiEntei

Well that would depend on the person you're facing. Some people will allow the species clause to be broken if you ask some won't.

[QUOTE=Emperor;3066040]nope, under rulings posted :P

QUOTE]

Aw that sucks DX. Does the counters for slow strt go down? (I'm guessing no but a man can hope xD)

Quote:

Aw that sucks DX. Does the counters for slow strt go down? (I'm guessing no but a man can hope xD)

They might actually, I'll add that to the research thread if it isn't there already.

But really, questions like these should be in the research thread not here >.> This is a topic for battle strategies and theorizing how Rotation battles would work with what we know

Trick room seems like it could be pretty useful in rotation battles. Have the lead position pokemon set up trick room, then next turn rotate into whatever will make the best use of TR. This saves wasting turns to switch into a sweeper when trick room goes up, and a turn switching the sweeper out when trick room goes down.

Gravity might actually see some use in this play-style. Does switching positions take up a turn? I would assume it does, but I did not see it in the rotation battle rulings.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fat Crystic (Post 3066146)

Does switching positions take up a turn? I would assume it does, but I did not see it in the rotation battle rulings.

Nope.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fat Crystic (Post 3066146)

Gravity might actually see some use in this play-style. Does switching positions take up a turn? I would assume it does, but I did not see it in the rotation battle rulings.

Nope, switching positions doesn't take a turn if you watch the videos

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-sOPdFNACzA

Thinking now, any form of field effect would give a person a very large advantage. The only downside is that if the opponent sees it coming and taunts you it's game over.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fat Emperor (Post 3066168)

Interesting. Very interesting. Pokemon may have increased strategy and tactics tenfold with the introduction of Rotation Battles.

Since Toxic turn counters still continue to go even if a person is rotated out I'd say stall would be pretty annoying at some points. If you lose track the second you rotate somebody poisoned in they would die afterwords O.o

Of course, you have steels, poison types, and potentially 3 sweepers at your disposal. Your opponent is going to have a hard time guessing everything you do :P

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fat Emperor (Post 3066269)

According to the research, the toxic counter doesn't keep going. It just stops where it is, but it doesn't reset either.

Basically, as far as I'm aware, time essentially stops for Pokemon as soon as they're rotated out, which would mean that Slow Start would likely not progress.

Ah okay, well that's better. Not too good though not too bad

Fire/Water/Grass cores will likely dominate, since they get such great offensive and defensive synergy with each other. Erufuun looks great as well since Encore, Taunt, and Leech Seed don't reset when the Pokemon is rotated out.

I think a good team would be max def calm mind suicune with 3 moves, and two wish passers with clerical abilities and taunt(to prevent being set up on). Since in rotation battles, you can now cm up and not have to worry about using moves like rest/sleep talk to keep yourself alive, you can have 3 attacks for solid coverage and your team mates can prevent keep you healthy and disrupt your opponent.

Btw, how does Roar/whirlwind work?

My theorymon senses tell me bulky offense is going to be big. The ability to rotate in to a resisted attack and fire off one of your own is very powerful. Stall will likely be hurt by the fact that rotation is much like a free switch, and Stall relies on entry hazards to punish offensive switches.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fat MarsVolta (Post 3066753)

That seems like it could work pretty well, atleast in theory. Definitely go with max Def since you already have CM to boost you SpDef. I suppose Protect could be useful on Suicune as well since you can go:

1st turn: Wish with Blissey or whatever
2nd turn: Swap Suicune in and use Protect. Wish heals you at the end of the turn.

Roar and Whirlwind (and Dragon Tail and Overhead Throw) force you to switch to your reserve Pokemon. If you only have 3 Pokemon remaining, Roar and Whirlwind will fail just like if you had only one Pokemon remaining in a Singles Battle.

On another note, I think Vaporeon + Erufuun + Heatran or Infernape could work well together. Erufuun Taunts/Encores/Leech Seeds, Vaporeon heals everyone with Wish, and Heatran and Infernape are there to complete the Fire/Water/Grass core.

Edit: petrie911: If you swap in a Pokemon that's faster than your opponent's, you can attack before they do and most likely KO them. Stall also won't work at all because you only have 4 Pokemon to work with.

Any field effect that lasts for a limited number of turns will be better in rotation battles. This is because you no longer have to waste a turn of the effect switching out your setup Pokemon. Rain, Sun, Trick Room, Gravity, Screens, and even Tailwind will all be more useful in Rotation Battles. Rain teams in particular will dominate. Not only do Rain teams not need to waste a turn of Rain switching, but a Rain core can be built with just four Pokemon. A team consisting of a bulky setup Pokemon, a Rain Dance Kingdra, and two pure Rain sweepers will be able sweep easily. Metagames with fewer than six Pokemon allowed on teams are inherently more offensive as well, since it is impossible to counter every threat with fewer than six Pokemon.

It'd probably be very useful to have ditto here. If any of your people die to a boosted person you can steal their boosts and rotate out for later which is very helpful :)

Things will die fast.
e.g.
Opponent's Starmie switches in, threatens Thunderbolt on Gyarados.
Rotate to Specs Jolteon, threaten your own Thunderbolt.
Opponent rotates to Birijion, threatens to set up and kill.
Rotate to Skymin, threaten Air Slash.
etc.
Ad nauseum, until something really clever is predicted. And prediction is just guessing, but with style.

By the way, as abilities on the sides do not activate, Slow Start doesn't either. Therefore, Gigas can get his act together immediately. Guess he learned about alarm clocks.

Wait 4 pokemon? Why can't we use six?

Though it looks like entry hazards will be pretty much nonexistent in rotation battles.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fat Scuba Stevee (Post 3067586)

Wait 4 pokemon? Why can't we use six?

Though it looks like entry hazards will be pretty much nonexistent in rotation battles.

Random Battle limits you to 4. WiFi and Wireless you can use a full 6.

When I did a Rotation Battle against an NPC in my game, she used Lock On with some success. I´m not sure if Lock On stays in effect even if either Pokemon rotates out, but if it does, it could work nicely for spreading status and damage with Purgatory/Dynamic Punch/Zap Cannon.