(4th Gen) Sun, Rain and Dew: an Ubers Warstory

[reachzero]

Comments by reachzero are in green, comments by Gen. Empoleon are in purple.

I was browsing the Smogon server on Shoddy Battle one night, laddering on the Ubers ladder. Reading the chat, I noticed that Gen. Empoleon was online. Now, the General and I have played many an Ubers battle, and we usually have good matches, so I invited him to come on the ladder. The following battle ensued.

reachzero is a cool guy who I often battle on the Ubers ladder. I was viewing one of his matches due to being bored, and because I consider him a friend. I told him he better got on ladder since I wanted a challenge. He usually carries a different team every time I see him, so it's hard to say what to expect.

Rules: Ladder Match, Sleep Clause, Freeze Clause, OHKO Clause, Evasion Clause, Species Clause, Strict Damage Clause

reachzero sent out Darkrai.
Gen. Empoleon sent out Groudon.
Groudon's Drought intensified the sun's rays!
The sun began to shine!
Darkrai used Dark Void.
Darkrai's attack missed!
Groudon used Thunder Wave.
Darkrai is paralysed! It may be unable to move!
Darkrai's Lum Berry cured its Paralysis!
The sun continues to shine.
: 100%
: 100%


Lead Groudon is usually a support set and is almost certainly holding a Lum berry, so I expected the General to confidently put up Stealth Rock here, expecting me to use Dark Void. I'm using a Nasty Plot Darkrai, so I don't mind giving him the extra turn if it allows me to set up. Unfortunately, my plan is ruined when Dark Void misses; I'm certain he has a Lum berry, and I can't allow my Darkrai to be paralyzed this early in the match. I decide to bring in my own Groudon to take the incoming Thunder Wave.

Non-Scarf Darkrai with a Lum Berry. That isn't something I see often. I used Thunder Wave, because most Darkrai try to put me to sleep, so I cripple them with Thunder Wave. The few that don't Dark Void and Trick Instead leavs me at a disadvantage, usually, but I don't play like everyone else. I feel bad since his Dark Void missed. I decide that he probably won't leave his Darkrai in to take a status, so I use Earthquake to hit the incoming absorber (most likely a Dialga, Garchomp or Groudon)

---
reachzero switched in Groudon (lvl 100 Groudon).
Groudon's Drought intensified the sun's rays!
Groudon used Earthquake.
Groudon lost 33% of its health.
The sun continues to shine.
: 73%
(this is the cooler Groudon): 100%


Much to my surprise, Gen. Empoleon forgoes the opportunity to paralyze my switch-in, and simply attacks. My Groudon is a Double Dancer, designed to be a pure sweeper, it relies heavily on Wobbuffet to remove enemy walls like Lugia. I suspect that he won't leave his Groudon in, he's likely to go to a dedicated Groudon counter. I decide to take a risk and try to stat up and sweep.

Groudon carrying leftovers? This must mean it is the support Groudon set. I don't want to reveal any of my team just yet, and I don't want to swtich in Kyogre in fear of taking an Earthquake. So I continue to use Earthquake to widdle down reachzero's down. I don't use Stealth Rocks since my team doesn't really rely on them to get any 2HKOs, and considering that my team doesn't really tend to force switches a lot, it's almost a waste.

---
Groudon used Rock Polish.
Groudon's speed was sharply raised.
Groudon used Earthquake.
Groudon lost 35% of its health.
The sun continues to shine.
: 44% + 2 Spe
: 100%

My strategy backfires somewhat as Gen. Empoleon leaves his Groudon in. Since mine was almost certainly faster anyway (I have 124 speed EVs, which is more than Thunder Wave Groudon is likely to run), the extra speed is worthless compared to the advantage in health that his Groudon now has. If I switch out, however, I will just be taking extra Earthquake damage needlessly, and be risking giving him Stealth Rock for free as well. Finally, I decide to simply stay in and attack until the end.

Fuck me, Rock Polish Groudon. Luckily I decided to keep attacking instead of switching. This is good considering I should come out on top in this match, he's only carrying more speed than me, so his Earthquake has got to be a 3-4HKO. I keep using Earthquake.

---
Groudon used Earthquake.
Groudon lost 37% of its health.
Groudon used Earthquake.
Groudon lost 34% of its health.
The sun continues to shine.
: 17% + 2 Spe
: 63%

With my Groudon almost finished now, there is little to do but press on and do as much damage as possible before it dies.

I was right, his Groudon is going to get limited sweeping time. Switching right now wouldn't be helpful to reach in this slightest, so Earthquake is still my safest option.

---
Groudon used Earthquake.
A critical hit!
Groudon lost 63% of its health.
Gen. Empoleon's Groudon fainted.
The sun continues to shine.
---
: 23%
: KO'd
6-5 reachzero
Quote:
reachzero: :(
Much to my surprise, hax strikes at a surprising moment, and my Groudon comes out on top. This is important for two reasons: first, it allows my Groudon another turn to attack and damage another member of Gen. Empoleon's team; secondly, it means that Gen. Empoleon will very likely not have Stealth Rock up for the rest of the match.

Don't frown reach! It's simply "payback" from the beginning of the match where Dark Void missed. I now have a few pokemon left to switch in. Scarf Heracross, Scarf Dialga, Specs Kyogre, Heatran and Sub-Punch Palkia. Dialga and Heatran are out of the question right away, Palkia can probably survive an Earthquake and possibly a Dragon Claw. Kyogre can come in, but that would ruin her sweeping potential later. Heracross coudl KO with Close Combat, but I'm afraid that the bug cannot take the hit.

Gen. Empoleon switched in Heracross .

Heracross switching in is a mixed blessing. On the one hand, I know that with a Rock Polish, I outspeed even Choice Scarf Heracross, so I will do serious damage to it. On the other hand, I know that Heracross is much too bulky for a single Dragon Claw to kill it. I know Gen. Empoleon well enough to suspect that this is a Resttalk Heracross, probably the best Darkrai counter, but at this point it isn't too relevant. At this point, I'm still looking to do maximum damage before my Groudon goes down

I send in Heracross. Though he isn't the bulkiest pokemon on my team, I don't want to give away some of the other pokemon such as Sub-Punch Palkia. Heracross is the member of the team I care least about. I use Close Combat and pray the little bug is study enough to take the hit.

Groudon used Dragon Claw.
Heracross lost 53% of its health.
Heracross used Close Combat.
Groudon lost 23% of its health.
reachzero's Groudon fainted.
Heracross's defence was lowered.
Heracross's special defence was lowered.
The sun continues to shine.
: KO'd
: 47% - 1 Def/SpDef
5-5 tie

As expected, I deal major damage to Heracross, but die in the process. Scizor is the obvious Pokemon to bring in, threatening to revenge kill Heracross with Bullet Punch. I really doubt that Gen. Empoleon will leave Heracross in to die, especially with my Darkrai still alive. I choose U-Turn, scouting his switch-in.

Heracross takes down the Ground-type monster and I'm left wondering what reachzero is going to switch in...

---
reachzero switched in Scizor.

Scizor, he can probably OHKO me with Bullet Punch. If he U-Turns though, and I switch, then he can get the upper hand on my team. If he's not running the Choice Band set, then anyone of my team members can take him down. I decide that leaving Heracross in is the best option and weaken him wtih Close Combat.

Heracross used Close Combat.
Scizor lost 67% of its health.
Heracross's defence was lowered.
Heracross's special defence was lowered.
Scizor used U-turn.
It's not very effective...
Heracross lost 47% of its health.
Gen. Empoleon's Heracross fainted.
reachzero switched in Darkrai.
The sun continues to shine.
: 33% : 100%
: KO'd
5-4 reachzero

Painfully, Heracross does not switch out as I expected, and does massive damage to my Scizor. Suddenly I'm very thankful that Gen. Empoleon doesn't have Stealth Rock up, Scizor will need all the healh it can get to switch back in later. On the bright side, Choice Band U-Turn does finish off his Heracross, so I won't need to deal with it again. Fortunately for me, the fact that he is using Heracross means that he probably does not have much else to handle Darkrai on his team, which makes my switch-in rather clear.

Heracross goes down, I was lucky he decided to U-turn, I now have the advantge over his team (as far as I can tell). Scarf-Dialga is going to take down everything that doesn't resist a Dragon-type attack. Scizor normally would, but with Close Combat taking him down to 1/3 of his health, he'll only survive the switch in (if that). Kyogre can come in and take his team down, but Darkrai has the chance to put my wall breaker to sleep. Palkia can come in and "bluff" the item she has, while Heatran can't do much.

---
Gen. Empoleon switched in Dialga.
Dialga is exerting its pressure!

He brings in Dialga, however, which makes me very nervous. Two kinds of Dialga are dangerous here: Scarf Dialga, and Resttalk Dialga. I decide to Focus Blast, not wanting to switch out into a high-powered Draco Meteor or Aura Sphere, and not daring to use Dark Void because of the possibility of Sleep Talk. I know that if he is Scarfed, I can simply revenge using Wobbuffet.

Dialga is my best bet. He can OHKO a Darkrai with a Draco Meteor, and then come back for more. I click "Draco Meteor" and hope he doesn't have a super secret surprise wating for me.

Dialga used Draco Meteor.
Sandman lost 100% of its health.
reachzero's Sandman fainted.
Dialga's special attack was harshly lowered.
The sun continues to shine.
: KO'd
: 100% - 2 SpAtk
4-4 tie
Dialga is Scarfed, and my poor Darkrai pays the price. However, his Dialga is also a sitting duck, waiting for a Wobbuffet Mirror Coat.
No surprises here. Dialga took out that monster. I'm sitting rather uncomfortable at - 2 Special Attack. I hope he isn't carrying something like a 3 attack Calm Mind Mewtwo, as it can OHKO most (if not all) of my team as of now.

---
reachzero switched in Wobbuffet.

fuck...

Dialga used Draco Meteor.
Dialga's attack missed!
Wobbuffet used Mirror Coat.
But it failed!
The sun continues to shine.
: 100%
: 100% - 2 SpAtk

This part really didn't play any significant role... I'm just wating for my Dialga's demise.

---
BP Testing has entered the room.
Dialga used Draco Meteor.
Wobbuffet lost 37% of its health.
Dialga's special attack was harshly lowered.
Wobbuffet used Mirror Coat.
Dialga lost 100% of its health.
Gen. Empoleon's Dialga fainted.
The sun continues to shine.
: 69%
: KO'd
4-3 reachzero

Wobbuffet does its vengeful job, and Dialga is out of the way. Fortunately, Wobb didn't even take too much damage in the process, so I'd like to keep it alive to do this again later if I have to, or remove a wall like Blissey or Lugia with it.

and Dialga gets OHKOd off of 37% damage. None of my pokemon can handle Wobbuffet besides the best wall breaker in the game.

---
Gen. Empoleon switched in Kyogre.
Kyogre's Drizzle caused a storm!
The sun faded.
Rain began to fall!

Kyogre comes in, which obviously threatens to OHKO my Wobbuffet with a high-powered Water Spout or Surf. Fortunately, it is for exactly this sort of situation that my team has Latias. With her already high Special Defense and Soul Dew, she can take even a Specs Water Spout without too much trouble, threatening Kyogre with a faster Thunder.

Kyogre can 2HKO the entire metagame, given Choice Specs. Wobbuffet is either going to be forced out, or is going to have to die for the team. I'm fine with either course of action.

Gen. Empoleon: Want to die punk?

reachzero switched in Latias.
Kyogre used Water Spout.
It's not very effective...
Latias lost 56% of its health.
The rain continues to fall.
: 44%
: 100% + Locked into Water Spout

Latias is hardly unscathed, but she can always Recover off the damage, and Water Spout will not be nearly as threatening next turn. With his Groudon already gone, I doubt he can switch anything safely into a Latias Thunder at this point. If he has Blissey, this game is probably over since I can destroy it easily with the dreaded Wobbuffet/Weavile combination.

and the 100% Kyogre counter comes in to block my way. I'm afraid that Latias is going to Grass Knot and weaken my Water Spout. So I go to Heatran to absorb the Grass-type attack, and then to posion her with Toxic.

---
Gen. Empoleon switched in Heatran.
Latias used Thunder.
Heatran lost 35% of its health.
The rain continues to fall.
: 44%
: 71%

Heatran comes in, and apparently a very specially defensive variety at that. It's very rare for a player to have more than one Scarfer, but if I had any doubts the damage done to Heatran would have told me that this was clearly a more tankish version. I think it likely that it will probably Toxic my Latias, but if I Recover off the damage she has already taken I should have just enough time to sweep.

Latias with Thunder isn't something that I see a lot. This makes my Heatrans job a lot tougher. He is going to have to sub, then put toxic on, then I'm going to have to try to stall him out. That part will be hard considering my other two pokemon don't resist Electric-type attacks.

---
Latias used Recover.
Latias restored 50% of its health.
Heatran used Substitute.
Heatran lost 25% of its health.
Heatran made a substitute!
The rain continues to fall.
: 94%
: 51% + Substitute

In retrospect, the decision to use Recover here was a terrible mistake. If I had used Thunder instead, I could have brought Heatran low enough to kill it in two turns instead of three, subjecting Latias to only one round of Toxic damage. Instead, I realize that I am now in serious trouble. I brace for the Toxic, and Thunder to break Heatran's Substitute, all I can do.

I catch a lucky break as reachzero uses Recover, letting me get a free substitute in. My plan is simple, use Toxic to wear this bird ... thing down, and then try to sweep with Palkia or Kyogre.

---
Latias used Thunder.
The substitute took damage for Heatran!
Heatran's substitute faded!
Heatran used Toxic.
Latias was badly poisoned!
The rain continues to fall.
Latias is hurt by poison!
Latias lost 6% of its health.
: 88% + poisoned
: 57%
The Substitute is destroyed, but I know that I probably can't KO Heatran next turn, so I'm going to take a lot more damage than was really necessary. I'm starting to despair of the idea that Latias will be able to sweep on her own.

Toxic goes off without a hitch, I won't be able to use Substitute after I get hit with Thunder, so I use Fire Blast (my only other option is Hidden Power [GRASS] to deal some more damage to Palkia while I can.

---
Latias used Thunder.
Heatran lost 34% of its health.
Heatran used Fire Blast.
It's not very effective...
Latias lost 8% of its health.
The rain continues to fall.
Latias is hurt by poison!
Latias lost 12% of its health.
: 68% + poisoned
: 29%

Fire Blast does laughably little to Latias, so at least she will be able to finish off Heatran. Now I can only hope that Gen. Empoleon doesn't have Scizor, which would likely finish me at this point.

I'm hoping reachzero is going to use Recover (unlikely I know) so I can get off another Substitute and stall him for another two turns. Reachzero is a good plalyer though, and won't let that happen.
god damn it

---
Latias used Thunder.
Heatran lost 31% of its health.
Gen. Empoleon's Heatran fainted.
The rain continues to fall.
Latias is hurt by poison!
Latias lost 18% of its health.
: 50% + poisoned
: KO'd
4-2 reachzero

With that pesky Heatran out of the way, the end of the match is almost in sight.

Heatran goes down and now it's a choice between Palkia or Kyogre. Kyogre is going to take too much damage off of Latias's Thunder. If I switch in Palkia, I can maybe "bluff" my item as Choice Scarf, and make reach switch to Wobbuffet as I set up a Sub.

---
Gen. Empoleon switched in Palkia.
Palkia is exerting its pressure!

Palkia comes in, which isn't so bad at all. Latias outspeeds Palkia, and the odds of Gen. Empoleon carrying two Scarfers really arent very good. At this point, however, I make the worst mistake of the match. My brain completely freezes, and I utterly forget that I have Dragon Pulse, which OHKOs Palkia without much trouble.

Palkia is my only option, being not weak to Electric-type attacks is all I can hope for. Maybe reachzero will be too frightened by the idea of Scarf-Palkia and switch out a I get a sub up.

Latias used Thunder.
Palkia lost 46% of its health.
Palkia is paralysed! It may be unable to move!
Palkia used Substitute.
Palkia lost 25% of its health.
Palkia made a substitute!
The rain continues to fall.
Latias is hurt by poison!
Latias lost 24% of its health.
: 26% + poisoned
: 29% + paralysis + Substitute

Now I'm in big trouble. With Palkia behind a Sub, all I can do it break it before Palkia kills me with Spacial Rend. My lapse in concentration has cost me Latias, and in the process possibly the match.

That was a silly mistake on my part. Reach isn't going to give up another pokemon over a poisoned Latias. At least I have a Substitute up and can then Spacial Rend the Dragon into hell.

---
Latias used Thunder.
The substitute took damage for Palkia!
Palkia's substitute faded!
Palkia used Spacial Rend.
It's super effective!
Latias lost 25% of its health.
reachzero's Latias fainted.
The rain continues to fall.
: KO'd
: 29% + paralysis
3-2 reachzero

Just as I expected, Latias meets her doom, and I bring it Weavile to revenge her. I know, however, that this will be close: I don't have anything left that can easily kill Kyogre, so my chances of beating it are slim. Before I can take on Kyogre, though, I have to deal with Palkia first. I choose to finish it off with Ice Shard.

In retrospect, I could have Sub'd again having poison kill Latias, but we all have 20/20 vision in retrospect right? Scizor can come in and pick off Palkia fairly easily, there really isn't anything more I can do.

---
reachzero switched in Weavile.
Weavile is exerting its pressure!

Weavile isn't a pokemon I see often. Chances are it's carrying Ice Shard to pick off weakened Dragon-type pokemon. Palkia is paralysed, there isn't a whole lot I can do.

Weavile used Ice Shard.
Palkia lost 29% of its health.
Gen. Empoleon's Palkia fainted.
Weavile lost 10% of its health.
The rain continues to fall.
: 90%
: KO'd
3-1 reachzero

Even as Palkia dies, I know I need to do major damage to Kyogre with Weavile to have any hope of winning. Night Slash has a high probability of critting, so I do have that to hold onto. If only I can get it low enough for Scizor to finish off....

Life Orb? Well it's practically game from here on out. I only have one more pokemon to switch in, and I don't think Kyogre can actually handle a team of three...

---
Gen. Empoleon switched in Kyogre.
Kyogre's Drizzle caused a storm!
Weavile used Night Slash.
Kyogre lost 51% of its health.
Weavile lost 10% of its health.
Kyogre used Surf.
Weavile lost 80% of its health.
reachzero's Weavile fainted.
The rain continues to fall.
: KO'd
: 49% + Locked into Surf
2-1 reachzero

51% is more than I expected to do, and suddenly I'm very thankful that I chose Life Orb for Weavile instead of Expert Belt. I have one hope left. My Choice Band Scizor has Quick Attack instead of Pursuit for situations exactly like this one. Can it do enough damage for me to steal back this game?

To my shock (and reachzero's dismay) Kyogre takes the hit from Weavile like a (Ma)champ and survives with a little less than half of its health. I may be able to pull of a win, but it all relies on if Wobbuffet can take a Surf and reflect it back with Mirror Coat.

---
Quote:
Gen. Empoleon: close match
reachzero switched in Scizor.
Scizor used Quick Attack.
Kyogre lost 38% of its health.
Oh, not quite....
Kyogre used Surf.
Scizor lost 33% of its health.
reachzero's Scizor fainted.
The rain continues to fall.
: KO'd
: 10%
1-1 tie

10% is the margin of victory, the difference between winning and losing. I know Wobb will not survive a Kyogre Specs Surf in Rain.

Quick Attack scizor comes 10% shy of taking care of Kyogre. This is why Kyogre is king. I still have the Wobbuffet to worry about. This game is down to the wire.

---
reachzero switched in .

Quote:
reachzero: gg
Gen. Empoleon: gg
used Surf.
lost 69% of its health.
reachzero's fainted.
Gen. Empoleon wins!

and Wobb goes down.

A fantastic match, down to the end. I have two major regrets: I should have attacked Heatran directly instead of Recovering, and I should have Dragon Pulsed Palkia instead of using Thunder. If Latias lived long enough to use Thunder on Kyogre, I had the game wrapped up. As it went, though, it was a great game, and congratulations to Gen. Empoleon!

[Matthew]

I loved this match reachzero. I really did. We both had a few silly mistakes but it didn't take from the match too much.

Any way great game.

also haha at reach actually posting.

[panamaxis]

Awesome warstory, I really like conjoint ones like this, (it's really nice to see both players thought process) especially since it contains great players.

Great job reach and Gen.

[Huntofthelion]

The conjoined commentary was great, but the match was even better. Grats to both of you, very well played.

[Veedrock]

A quality Uber match. Has a few uncommon faces too. Really nice and elaborate comments, really spectacular match.

Superb warstory from beginning to end (even with the mistakes :P)

[Misa]

A quality battle from you like Always Reach and Gen, although I was a bit surprised by how much damage Weavile did with his Night Slash. (was Weavile Adamant?)

[nyczxjay]

Wow, great battle. Having comments from both sides is great. Though, I would like it more if you posted each players' teams with sprites at the beginning or at the end. Pictures make warstories more pleasing to the eyes IMO. Other than that, great warstory and very well written. :)

[twash]

It was a great warstory. I was pretty sure Gen. Empoleon would win when it was 3-1 so it was a bit of an anti-climatic ending, but the comments and quality of the rest of the match was very good. The only other thing was the Thunder on Palkia instead of Dragon Pulse, but I guess we all make mistakes! :)

Five stars.

[Jimbo]

Ctrl + F Parasect
Ctrl + F Parasect
"Content not found"
That was suprising.

Anyway, very nice warstory, I always love stories w/ dual comments (when done neatly that is).

[Nachos]

• Good battle
• Good comments
• Good overall font etc
• It's an Ubers battle!

I thought this was a great warstory and look forward to seeing another by the authors.

5 stars.

[reachzero]

Originally Posted by Fat Misa

A quality battle from you like Always Reach and Gen, although I was a bit surprised by how much damage Weavile did with his Night Slash. (was Weavile Adamant?)

No, it was your standard Jolly Weavile. This does reinforce my point somewhat about how useful Weavile is in Ubers; I'm using Night Slash/Pursuit/Ice Shard/Brick Break.

[Matthew]

Originally Posted by Fat Jimbo

Ctrl + F Parasect
Ctrl + F Parasect
"Content not found"
That was suprising.

Anyway, very nice warstory, I always love stories w/ dual comments (when done neatly that is).

Did I mention I love you?

[HECTORtu]

Few mistakes on both sides, but great match nontheless... Really thought you were going to Sub there vs Latias Gen. And choosing Thunder over Dragon Pulse was a huge mistake... Ahh well, good job guys

[Lightsabre]

I loved it :) this was a great warstory of a great battle. I loled at Jimbo's post

[Game Freak201]

I liked the battle and the comments made in this. Though, I'm surprised that Wobbuffet was able to OHKO Dialga with Mirror Coat with him only taking 37% damage.

[newbioform]

That was a very nice game and the dual comment just made it that much better. This is the sort of game that attracted me to Ubers really. Well done to both of you!

[Zoro]

Originally Posted by Fat Game Freak201

I liked the battle and the comments made in this. Though, I'm surprised that Wobbuffet was able to OHKO Dialga with Mirror Coat with him only taking 37% damage.

Given the fact that 37 % of Wob is 195 damage and multiplying this with 2 --> 390, which is by far more than ScarfDialga should have ( 342 ).. its kinda normal.

[Shelcario]

This is a very nice warstory but, I wouldn't expect anything less from two great battlers like reachzero and gen. empoleon, good job!

[Misa]

Originally Posted by Fat UsainBolt

Given the fact that 37 % of Wob is 195 damage and multiplying this with 2 --> 390, which is by far more than ScarfDialga should have ( 342 ).. its kinda normal.

Just adding in that Dialga had his special attacks sharply decreased that time, or it might have been a 2HKO on Wobbuffet. If Dialga's special attack lowered that much, I'm surprised it even did that much damage in the first place.

[Jun.]

Wow, Gen. AND Reachzero in a very good Ubers match, it is warstories like these that make me want to get into Ubers. Actually I think I should actually get decent at OU first before venturing there :P

[Solidus]

This was pretty interesting but I think the match would've turned out a bit differently if not for that crit happening at the start. Still, two competent ubers players like reachzero and Gen. battling against each other is a good match nonetheless.

[Lightsabre]

it might've gone differently if Dark Void hadn't missed also. but they happened. and it's still a great warstory

[Bad Ass]

=]

[Garganator]

Interesting, close match with some less popular mons ;). Good read, I enjoyed this one. And it proves that Kyogre is also bulky on physical site ;).

[Coronis]

Great warstory, and excellent commentary.