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ClubbingSealCub · Oct 2nd, 2012, 4:42:59 AM

Pokemon Showdown! Username: SphealWithIt
Hall of Fame Standing: Bronze I guess
Dark Horse Pokemon Currently Working With: Sandslash, Amoonguss
Current Ladder Standing on Pokemon Showdown!: 1940 Glicko2 (1831), #92

edit: mfw my team was 1800+ & top 100 before the restart

yay peaked bronze

EDIT: THEY TRIED TO DETHRONE ME

EDIT2: I luv u pocket, no homo

NEW 1950 GLICKO2 Proof

Sandslash @ Life Orb
Trait: Sand Rush
EVs: 12 HP / 252 Atk / 248 Spd
Jolly Nature
- Shadow Claw
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Swords Dance

598 Atk and 500 speed after a swords dance is mindblowingly aweosme, especially when you have Stab EQ and EdgeQuake coverage. 'Slash requires support (namely, Hippo / Ttar and a team that can take care of Skarmory and weaken Ferro / Forry), but he's a very mean sweeper under sand, and acess to Swords Dance makes him way better than poor Stoutland. It's like Excadrill, except it's not broken.

Amoonguss @ Black Sludge
Trait: Regenerator
EVs: 248 HP / 232 Def / 28 SpA
Bold Nature
IVs: 30 Atk / 30 SAtk / 30 Spd
- Giga Drain (previously Seed Bomb)
- Spore
- Clear Smog
- Hidden Power Ice

Physically defensive Amoonguss, hell yeah. Checks a lot of fighting types, puts a full-stop to every Breelom variant, sleeps stuff, scoffs at Keldeos not packing HP Ice or Icy Wind, laughs at set-up sweepers and puts stuff to sleep. HP Ice takes care of Dragons that think he's set up bait. Regenerator seals the deal, letting the funghus take repeated assaults. Took a big hit? Switch out. No sweat on forehead.

For more info, RMT containing these two on mah siggy.

EDIT: May aswell answer the questions.

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?

I chose Sandslash mainly because I had already used him successfully in the past, but I've been a sandstorm-enthusiast since I began my competitive battling career so using him just felt natural for me. Amoonguss was chosen because, honestly, he's nothing short of amazing. It have no idea how this thing gets such a low usage. Spore, Regenerator, Clear Smog, absorbs T-spikes, resists fighting, takes hydropumps and thunders... seriously, what more could you ask for? All in all, I'm more than happy with my two choices.

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?

Well, first and foremost, Sandslash needed sand. I considered both Hippowdon and Tyranitar, but the big dinosaur got the nod in the end because I prefer to play offensive teams. Genesect was something I had been wanting to try when building, and the ridiculous amount of pressure it is capable of putting the opponent under is amazing. Paired with Rotom-W, who completes a Volt-Turn core and checks rain nicely; my team only needed an answer to Sun and something to take Terrakion's CC's. Heatran checks sun very well, provides rocks and phazes. Amoonguss didn't enter the team until much later, after testing stuff like Slowbro and Skarmory. Thanks to regenerator, his typing, and spore, he provided me with a great "oh shit" button to sponge incoming attacks while putting a poke to sleep (which honestly, is great on an offensive team). I guess the biggest two factors have been my love for both sand and offense, so combining the two just felt right.

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?

I guess it depended on the opponent. Most of the players on the ladder aren't used to mons that get low usage. For Sandslash in particular, I guess there must be a youtube battler that uses a support Sandslash on his team or something, because I found Espeon and Xatu trying to come in on Sandslash to try and bounce back rocks when I was SD'ing instead, no need to say that the results were sometimes desastrous for them. The element of surprise is always a great thing to have - but relying on it too much is never a good thing. The pokémon you choose also plays a big factor in this, obviously. Sandslash is a poke I had used before, and is not precisely a bad one. As long as your team can cover your Dark Horse's needs or your Dark Horse can fill a specific niche for you, you should be good to go.

(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?

It wasn't particularly hard nor time consuming, because I had achieved a similar rating with the team before the challenge. It was a huge benefit, because with 'Slash, winning the weather war means that he can only be stopped by a handful of pokémon, and my team was well-prepared to take those threats on.

The best advice I can give is to just get out there and experiment. Lower-tier mons are not necessarily bad, and you may find just that thing your team needs to start racking up victories. When teambuilding, support is obviously important for the Dark Horse, but if your team relies too much on it, you're most likely going to have a bad time.

Oct 2nd, 2012, 4:42:59 AM	#12
ClubbingSealCub Join Date: Jun 2012 Posts: 385 Spheal @ Thick Club	Pokemon Showdown! Username: SphealWithIt Hall of Fame Standing: Bronze I guess Dark Horse Pokemon Currently Working With: Sandslash, Amoonguss Current Ladder Standing on Pokemon Showdown!: 1940 Glicko2 (1831), #92 edit: mfw my team was 1800+ & top 100 before the restart yay peaked bronze EDIT: THEY TRIED TO DETHRONE ME EDIT2: I luv u pocket, no homo NEW 1950 GLICKO2 Proof Sandslash @ Life Orb Trait: Sand Rush EVs: 12 HP / 252 Atk / 248 Spd Jolly Nature - Shadow Claw - Earthquake - Stone Edge - Swords Dance 598 Atk and 500 speed after a swords dance is mindblowingly aweosme, especially when you have Stab EQ and EdgeQuake coverage. 'Slash requires support (namely, Hippo / Ttar and a team that can take care of Skarmory and weaken Ferro / Forry), but he's a very mean sweeper under sand, and acess to Swords Dance makes him way better than poor Stoutland. It's like Excadrill, except it's not broken. Amoonguss @ Black Sludge Trait: Regenerator EVs: 248 HP / 232 Def / 28 SpA Bold Nature IVs: 30 Atk / 30 SAtk / 30 Spd - Giga Drain (previously Seed Bomb) - Spore - Clear Smog - Hidden Power Ice Physically defensive Amoonguss, hell yeah. Checks a lot of fighting types, puts a full-stop to every Breelom variant, sleeps stuff, scoffs at Keldeos not packing HP Ice or Icy Wind, laughs at set-up sweepers and puts stuff to sleep. HP Ice takes care of Dragons that think he's set up bait. Regenerator seals the deal, letting the funghus take repeated assaults. Took a big hit? Switch out. No sweat on forehead. For more info, RMT containing these two on mah siggy. EDIT: May aswell answer the questions. 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? I chose Sandslash mainly because I had already used him successfully in the past, but I've been a sandstorm-enthusiast since I began my competitive battling career so using him just felt natural for me. Amoonguss was chosen because, honestly, he's nothing short of amazing. It have no idea how this thing gets such a low usage. Spore, Regenerator, Clear Smog, absorbs T-spikes, resists fighting, takes hydropumps and thunders... seriously, what more could you ask for? All in all, I'm more than happy with my two choices. 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? Well, first and foremost, Sandslash needed sand. I considered both Hippowdon and Tyranitar, but the big dinosaur got the nod in the end because I prefer to play offensive teams. Genesect was something I had been wanting to try when building, and the ridiculous amount of pressure it is capable of putting the opponent under is amazing. Paired with Rotom-W, who completes a Volt-Turn core and checks rain nicely; my team only needed an answer to Sun and something to take Terrakion's CC's. Heatran checks sun very well, provides rocks and phazes. Amoonguss didn't enter the team until much later, after testing stuff like Slowbro and Skarmory. Thanks to regenerator, his typing, and spore, he provided me with a great "oh shit" button to sponge incoming attacks while putting a poke to sleep (which honestly, is great on an offensive team). I guess the biggest two factors have been my love for both sand and offense, so combining the two just felt right. 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? I guess it depended on the opponent. Most of the players on the ladder aren't used to mons that get low usage. For Sandslash in particular, I guess there must be a youtube battler that uses a support Sandslash on his team or something, because I found Espeon and Xatu trying to come in on Sandslash to try and bounce back rocks when I was SD'ing instead, no need to say that the results were sometimes desastrous for them. The element of surprise is always a great thing to have - but relying on it too much is never a good thing. The pokémon you choose also plays a big factor in this, obviously. Sandslash is a poke I had used before, and is not precisely a bad one. As long as your team can cover your Dark Horse's needs or your Dark Horse can fill a specific niche for you, you should be good to go. (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? It wasn't particularly hard nor time consuming, because I had achieved a similar rating with the team before the challenge. It was a huge benefit, because with 'Slash, winning the weather war means that he can only be stopped by a handful of pokémon, and my team was well-prepared to take those threats on. The best advice I can give is to just get out there and experiment. Lower-tier mons are not necessarily bad, and you may find just that thing your team needs to start racking up victories. When teambuilding, support is obviously important for the Dark Horse, but if your team relies too much on it, you're most likely going to have a bad time. __________________ RMT: Dune Walkers - Featuring Sandslash Tobes: Infernape is still #22 in standard OU. You all sicken me. Last edited by ClubbingSealCub; Oct 6th, 2012 at 5:38:26 PM.