Complete
Rank 47 with 1977+-54
Pokemon Showdown! Username:Obscura
Dark Horse Pokemon: Staraptor
Screenshot of Top 100 Ladder Ranking:
Dark Horse Pokemon Complete Set:
Staraptor (M) @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Final Gambit
- Close Combat
- Brave Bird
- U-turn
Fast and powerful, and a powerful martyr with a 374 HP nuke.
Team:
Questions
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How did you choose your Dark Horse Pokemon for this project? What lead you to choose the Pokemon you did? Did you have regrets or were you happy with your selection? Yeah I just thought I would give it a try because it is my username. I actually used it on the first team I ever made back when I played Beta a lot more, alongside Infernape and they were pretty good together. No regrets haha.
How did you go about building a team for your Dark Horse Pokemon? Which kinds of teammates did you consider? What factors contributed to the team you created? I wanted to make an offensive team to complement Staraptor's speed and power, but I also realized that I needed bulk to pull off switches because Raptor can't take a single hit. Latias and Jirachi are all purpose sponges, while the rest of the guys are just powerful killers. However, one could probably have built a better team for Staraptor than I did, I'm not very good at teambuilding. I added Ditto in as an "all purpose check", and he was instrumental in every battle after his addition. Though I was not able to provide either a spinner or magic bouncer, I was able to keep rocks off the field with constant pressure, and if they went up then I would be more inclined to use Brave Bird than final gambit.
Do you think it is more difficult or less difficult to ladder with a Dark Horse Pokemon? Why? Does the element of surprise play a factor in your battles? Is it easier to fight with a "highly used"" team or with Pokemon that are less common? It has both advantages and disadvantages. While I thought that people would assume that it was scarfed, most did not, and I was able to kill wayyy too many Genesects first turn with Final Gambit. I can see why Staraptor is BL: too weak for OU, while his offense and speed is too good for UU.
(For Hall of Fame members only) How did you reach the Hall of Fame? Was it easy or difficult? Did having a Dark Horse Pokemon on your team benefit you? What advice would you give to those laddering with Dark Horse Pokemon? I didn't exactly do that well, so I can't pretend I'm hot shit or anything. I wasn't playing badly, but once again, my team didn't have a lot of gel together. EDITI've been doing well lately and am kinda on a streak, the team seems to be better now that I am more comfortable with it.