CAP 4 - Playtest [Done! See Post #71]

***Birkal**** · Nov 18th, 2012, 9:15:09 PM

The CAP Aurumoth Playtest has officially begun!

bmb has some college work to do (and I believe it's 2am for him at the moment), so I'm gonna help him out and get this thread started.

bugmaniacbob has been our hardworking TL over the past 68 days and played a central role in shaping our newest CAP: Aurumoth. He chose seasoned battler and Pokemon Showdown! moderator jas61292 as his opponent for the inaugural battle. The replay can be watched here. jas61292 pulled out a narrow victory (1-0) in a close match filled with a lot of fun movesets and good predictions. bugmaniacbob seems to have built a team focusing on laying hazards, while jas went for a more offensive build with some classic Dragon spam. It was refreshing to see a BW2 OU battle without weather getting in the way of it all. It's a great showcase battle that I'd encourage all of you to watch (with Aurumoth leading jas to victory in the last few turns).

So with that, the CAP 4 Aurumoth Playtest is now available on Pokemon Showdown!.

You can hop onto the teambuilder at any time, make a BW2 OU team (with or without Aurumoth), and get laddering on the CAP Aurumoth Playtest ladder. Remember, since we started in early September, Genesect is unbanned, while Garchomp and Kyurem-B will both remain banned. The winner at the end of the two week period will be crowned as our playtest champion (and receive + status on the simulator), so fight until we reach the end! If you're interested in learning all about Aurumoth, check out the Final Product thread to get its stats, abilities, movepool, and more. If you're looking for some inspiration for Aurumoth sets, head over to the Pre-Playtesting thread. I can't wait to face off with you guys on the CAP4 playtest ladder until December 2nd. Best of luck!

bugmaniacbob · Nov 18th, 2012, 9:23:52 PM

I quite literally pulled defeat from the jaws of victory by using U-turn instead of Stone Edge in that last series of events... and I've no idea why I did it, it makes no sense, though it did lead to showcasing an Aurumoth at work. Price of being tired I guess. And we both made some pretty silly plays, leading to the loss of our Heatran and Ferrothorn, respectively. And then there was the SpD drop on Jirachi...

Regardless, great opening battle. Hopefully many more to come... and now you all know my team, heh.

Oh and Birkal, you should link to the Pre-Playtesting thread for the potential sets and what not... and lock it now that it doesn't serve any use

***Birkal**** · Nov 18th, 2012, 11:08:46 PM

Added it to the OP, bmb, thanks. Also, you guys should feel free to post any replays you want here alongside of your general thoughts and impressions; just type /savereplay in the battle and share your best battles here! Furthermore, you all should check out the CAP4 - Playtest Tournament being hosted in the Tournaments forum on Smogon. Click on Mos-Quitoxe's incredible artwork below for more information.

Flarephoenix332 · Nov 19th, 2012, 12:08:23 AM

My first battle both with Aurumoth and in months: Here. I'm CrazyRazy (I was bored when I made the name). Here are a few particulars:

My Team

To be completely honest, I threw OU pokemon together with Illusion Trick-Scraf Aurumoth. Heck, I tinkered with Tentacruel (who I threw on for Rapid Spin support) and Heatran to weird extremes. I tried for 300+/300 Sp. Att/Sp. Def for Heatran (This actually has saved me once--I was able to survive a Focus Blast and blow an Aurumoth away with Lava Plume) for some reason, and I threw a resist Psychic-resist berry because I wanted a non-Leftovers/Blacksludge item to try and keep an Illusion up (although having Leftovers on my other pokemon makes it really weird).

I loved playing with Aurumoth. Using Illusion was a lot of fun trying to figure out if I wanted to sneak in Aurumoth to try a Trick/Will-o-Wisp or if I wanted to roll out a normal pokemon with the hope that the opponent thinks it is Aurumoth. In the end, despite a few dumb moments (Draco Meteor spam much? Ugh.), Aurumoth played a big role in a win at the end--of course, a bit of luck did too.

Here is my second battle.

The only notable change is to Aurumoth (and giving Tenta Black sludge):

Choice Specs Aurumoth

I kept Timid for max Speed since Specs was going to give a nice little boost to power. Although I was locked into one move, Thunder/Focus Blast/Bug Buzz/Psyshock seems like it works well. Bug/Psychic/Fighting is only blocked by Shedinja if I recall correctly. I threw in Thunder for the nice blast to Water and Flying types. I may play around with other options, such as Blizzard for Dragons, but No Guard with Focus Blast is very satisfying, particularly Heatrans that try to wall.

This team has been weirdly successful for me, but I can't really claim it for my talent. Lava Plume and Will-o-Wisp hit some key burns and Stealth Rock has won it for me. In the end, however, Aurumoth has been working well. It hits a lot of things hard with Choice Specs.

Edit: Here are the rest of the battles I had (Warning: I'm terrible. I honestly just made guesses at a lot of points in some of these.)

Battle 3, Battle 4, Battle 5, and Battle 6.

nyttyn · Nov 19th, 2012, 12:45:45 AM

Here is a core that works really well in this metagame.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fat nyt's super awesome core

Bob (Aurumoth) @ Leftovers
Trait: Illusion
EVs: 152 Spd / 252 SAtk / 104 HP
Timid Nature
- Quiver Dance
- Bug Buzz
- Ice Beam
- Psyshock

NyttyN King of Kings (Genesect) @ Expert Belt
Trait: Download
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 SAtk / 4 SDef
Modest Nature
- Rock Polish
- Flamethrower
- Ice Beam
- Giga Drain

JustDougTrio (Dugtrio) @ Focus Sash
Trait: Arena Trap
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 Atk / 4 HP
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Reversal
- Stone Edge
- Sucker Punch

Why does this core work so well, you ask? Well, good question! See, Genesect and Aurumoth both benifit from being very threatening with just a small amount of setup, but unfortunately have a pesky little shared counter in the form of Heatran -while Aurumoth can beat it, it has to rely on the somewhat-unreliable Surf and completely unreliable Focus Blast-. And other fire types. Now, while this is very saddening, what if we could have both of their setup powers? It'd be delicious! As it turns out, they share similar counters.

Enter Dugtrio, who can trap and OHKO Heatran easy peasy, as well as many other annoying fire types like Victini and Darmantian. This also frees up Aurumoth to take out threats it could otherwise never hope to touch with the very useful Psyshock. Giga Drain might confuse a few people, but it's used to take out things that would otherwise hard wall Genesect, like Terrakion, and Gastrodon.

Also please keep the names if you like the core~

ChrisTehAwesome · Nov 19th, 2012, 12:56:38 AM

As soon as I jumped in the teambuilder I automatically thought of a chesto-rest set, similar to bulky Volcarona.

Aurumoth @ Chesto Berry
Trait: No Guard
EVs: 252 SDef / 252 HP / 4 Spd
Careful Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Megahorn
- Close Combat
- Rest

Not sure if the special defence helps out all that much, I might use a +Def nature instead to take priority a little better. Megahorn-CC wrecks so many things, and it's not too hard to find set up opportunities. However sometimes I predict wrong and get smacked with a fire move. Here's a battle where it worked out spectacularly for me. Also loving the sprite and animation, super cool.
http://pokemonshowdown.com/replay/ca...laytest4642085

EDIT: on second glance, I changed to adamant max attack and max HP to always OHKO heatran at +1

srk1214 · Nov 19th, 2012, 1:08:07 AM

So I'm a terrible sun player, but I was just observing the meta, and even I can make sun work here. I'm currently using a fairly standard sun core, and Aurumoth fits in great. Also Venusaur kinda wrecks unprepared teams, which this meta is full of.

Mdevil · Nov 19th, 2012, 2:35:12 AM

Tip: Pack a Heatran counter or you will die. He's mvp of the playtest so far imo.

Organization Member XIV · Nov 19th, 2012, 7:56:53 AM

Definitely gonna get on this. Unfortunately, school internet blocks Showdown! :(

Personally, I have this set:

Aurumoth@Life Orb
Ability: Illusion
252 Atk, 252 Spe, 4 HP
Adamant Nature
Dragon Dance
Megahorn
Close Combat
Zen Headbutt

I LOVE copying my Latios, setting up the DD as they think physical Latios, and then smash them. I also got fooled by an Aurumoth disguised as a Salamence. Zen Headbutt smashes Fighting types, and no one expects IMO.

Rayquaza_ · Nov 19th, 2012, 9:36:41 AM

Right, because DD Latios is sooooo common.
Seriously though, Aurumoth is everything but what was intended to be: an extremely easy and safe pokemon to use.
It gets some of the best abilities in the game as well as a movepool that makes Arceus green with envy.
I'd say a few nerfs are in order - get rid of some of its strongest coverage options (such as Overheat, Close Combat, Hydro Pump, Thunder, Blizzard) and setup moves (Quiver Dance, Dragon Dance, Tail Glow) and we can settle for a solid and balanced pokemon.

GRs Cousin · Nov 19th, 2012, 10:34:47 AM

So far, Illusion is definitely the most used ability, followed by No Guard and then Weak Armor... Which is rather unfortunate, considering how we chose our abilities to form a triality in the first place.

Substitute on Illusion sets work really well. A mere misprediction can lead to some very hard scenarios to counter. Quiver Dance / Substitute / Attacking moves is a little too powerful, in my opinion. At the very least, it's too safe on a mon made to be risky.

In the mean time, I've used my own Illusion set, similar to the one I made in the Pre-Playtesting Workshop.

Aurumoth @ Leftovers
252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Def
Impish Nature
Trait: Illusion
-Wish
-Protect
-Will-o-Wisp
-Megahorn

This thing works wonderfully with Blissey. When a mon faints to a special attacker, send in Aurumoth disugised as Blissey. They'll most likely switch, to which Will-o-Wisp immediately counters their physical attacker they were going to use on "Blissey". If you're lucky, they will still attempt to do damage on Blissey expecting to at least do something with their switch-in. You can either Protect to stall with burn damage, or go straight for Wish to set up for a safer switch-in. When they finally do damage Aurumoth, surprise--they just realized that they wasted two turns trying to physically attack a physical wall. Brilliant. It's a feeling that never gets old. Megahorn is only there so as to not leave Aurumoth as Taunt bait, considering how their switch in might be trying to Taunt Blissey. The main issue with this set is that it can do absolutely nothing against Heatran. It otherwise has very little going on in terms of handling special attackers and Bug-resistive types that don't care about being burnt. I have a feeling Final Gambit may work better than Megahorn, but I haven't tried it yet.

bugmaniacbob · Nov 19th, 2012, 12:17:29 PM

So I was told on Showdown! that the server appears to think that Hydro Pump and Bug Buzz are an illegal combination, when this should not be the case. And yeah, it does seem that this illegality exists where it should not. Just making a note of this here in case I forget to bring it up later, so somebody else can tell Zarel or whoever in that eventuality

Initial thoughts:

- Bulky 4 Attacks Aurumoth is a liability, though I haven't tried it with Illusion
- I'm struggling to find opportunities to set up with QD Aurumoth, or indeed any set-up sweeper variant of Aurumoth, though I haven't tried Illusion
- Essentially Illusion appears to have all the advantages for most sets. On the plus side, we seem to be learning just how nasty Illusion can be...
- Notably, I've lost games that I've had in the bag because of Illusion, or rather, because of Showdown - I've simply assumed that discrepancies in HP were PS glitches, totally forgetting the possibility that it could be an Aurumoth in disguise (man, I am never going to get over that)

In short, lots of interesting psychological doodads to play around with. Also, I'd encourage people to try using sets other than QD, as that kind of experience is infinitely more valuable from the point of view of an analysis writer.

Pwnemon · Nov 19th, 2012, 12:33:03 PM

the best set ever is choice scarf 3 attacks+final gambit, hands down

ganj4lF · Nov 19th, 2012, 1:11:51 PM

Yeah, I'm trying Choice Scarf too and it's quite effective. Disguise yourself as Heatran and watch things die to Close Combat / Megahorn. To be honest I didn't try Final Gambit but I can see how that move fits perfectly in its playstyle.

For reference, I'm running something like this:

Aurumoth @ Choice Scarf | Illusion
Naughty / Naive | 252 Atk / 252 Spe / 4 something
- Megahorn
- CC
- Overheat / Ice Beam
- Zen Headbutt / Ice Beam

I guess that Final Gambit can be easily added in place of one of the last two moves, depending on what you'd want to take down.

EDIT: wait, no, that would require HP investment I guess...? Well, that's the set I'm running anyway, may think about Final Gambit later.

**jas61292** · Nov 19th, 2012, 1:14:46 PM

Well, I have tried a lot of different things at this point, with QD being the only thing I really havn't done much with yet, and a few things have stood out to me as pretty useful.

First is the Illusion Dragon Dance set:

Aurumoth @ Life Orb
Trait: Illusion
EVs: 232 Spd / 252 Atk / 24 HP
Jolly Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Megahorn
- Zen Headbutt
- Close Combat

It pairs perfectly with guys like Dragonite and Salamence who take equal SR damage and can also threaten a DD. I have actually been running both with my Aurumoth to great success. While physical walls do have a shot at stopping all three, very few can handle more than one of them, especially after a boost. Scarf Moxie Mence specifically pairs very well with it as it is a viable Illusion partner, but functions very differently, and is excellent for cleaning up battles or taking out a +1 Speed Aurumoth.

Now, you might be wondering about the EV spread I have here. While many people have been only concerned about what you beat at +1, I hate the thought of losing a battle because you failed to outspeed something late battle at +0. 232 EVs in speed lets you beat Jolly Landorus-T, which is the fastest common thing below 94.

Of all the sets I have tried so far, this DD one is definitely the most threatening. It is easiest to set up, and most dangerous after a boost. Twice already I have gotten it set up early on and swept the all 6 of my opponents Pokemon. For all the hype QD is getting, I really feel this could be the number one set right here.

That being said, there is one other little gem I want to share:

Aurumoth @ Choice Scarf
Trait: No Guard
EVs: 252 SAtk / 252 Spd / 4 HP
Timid Nature
- Bug Buzz
- Blizzard
- Thunder
- Focus Blast

Choice Scarf is an odd fit for Aurumoth, but it can pull it off spectacularly. Due to its wonderful coverage and powerful options thanks to no guard, it can pull this set off very well. While it faces stiff competition from Genesect, it is notable for having significantly more powerful coverage options should Gene fail to download a SpA boost. In addition, it packs a much greater surprise value than Gene. People will often play themselves into a hole without realizing it because they are sure they can check a +0 Spe Aurumoth. The only real downside I have found on this set is that it has major 4MSS, due to really wanting Psychic/Psyshock as well as Overheat, but not wanting to give up coverage to get them.

Now on that note I have to say Scarfers in general are hugely important in this meta, especially those of 94 speed or higher. Aurumoth is dangerous after a boost, but many can be taken out without much or any damage dealt by simply switching to a scarfer immediately. I personally have already tried out Scarf versions of Terrakion, Keldeo, Haxorus, Salamence, Latios, Staraptor, Aurumoth and others, mostly with great success. Personally, my favorites are Mence and Latios. Mence unfortunately is not about to OHKO Aurumoth, but with the help of Rocks, residual damage, or any hits you can get it, it can easily revenge Aurumoth, and thanks to Moxie, can go right on to sweep. Latios on the other hand is about getting in, getting a KO and getting out. Draco Meteor KOs a ton of stuff and will destroy most Aurumoth. Even at +1 SpD is can easily break it if it has any residual damage. It is also incredibly useful for outspeeding and KOing a lot of other common scarfers that try and take out your own Aurumoth.

Oh, and then there is Sub Disable Aurumoth, which is really quite inferior, but is great for making a crowd go wild.

akela · Nov 19th, 2012, 1:57:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fat Mdevil

Tip: Pack a Heatran counter or you will die. He's mvp of the playtest so far imo.

Must emphasize this. So far out of 5 battles, I've taken out 5 of my opponents' 6 pokemon with just heatran. The last one getting destroyed by Thundurus-T.

Current team consists of Aurumoth, Heatran, Thundurus-T, Zoroark, Tentacruel, and Genesect.

I feel that Illusion is at its most powerful when your opponent must worry about which pokemon is which. Is that Heatran a Heatran, a Zoroark, or a Aurumoth? You don't even need Illusion Aurumoth to take advantage of it.

Verminator · Nov 19th, 2012, 1:59:59 PM

Illusion is by far the best ability on this thing, it's so great to be able to play mind games with a poke that's more threatening and durable than Zoroark.

Weak Armor is okay I guess, because it still has the element of mind games attached to it.

No Guard a shit.

srk1214 · Nov 19th, 2012, 3:14:24 PM

Anyone knocking No Guard just isn't using it right. Illusion is very strong when played correctly, as we all knew it would be. But No Guard is really, really good too. Carrying non-rain Thunder, Focus Miss and/or Blizzard are HUGE benefits that can't be downplayed.

Throroughly fed up with my sun team that I used to get to number 2 for a moment. I kept playing after reaching 2 and then proceeded to get lucked 4 or 5 games in a row with Sleep Powder misses and first turn wakes and the like. I now remember why I never used sun before.

Gonna be moving to something Hyper-Offense probably. Maybe even try a 3Drag2Mag1Moth team with Illusion Aurumoth.

ganj4lF · Nov 19th, 2012, 6:00:27 PM

Yeah I agree with srk that No Guard can be very useful at times, however Illusion seems to be the most defining trait for Aurumoth, far more than Quiver Dance, Dragon Dance, typing, or whatever else. Its ability to play a huge amount of different sets (here lies the difference with Zoroark, which is extremely predictable once you guessed if it's it disguised or another poke) and to conceal itself from the opponent is really a huge asset. The opponent must be continuosly guessing not only what of the multiple sets Aurumuth is running, but even what poke is effectively Aurumoth. In this perspective, No Guard and Weak Armour don't appear very attractive, since Aurumoth is relatively easy to stop once revealed. However, if you manage to acquire a boost, a No Guard set is indeed more threatening, with 120 BP, 100% accurate BoltBeam, Megahorn, and Focus Miss. I won't hide I don't like Weak Armour at all (never did), but everything else looks really promising.

***Zarel**** · Nov 19th, 2012, 6:37:52 PM

As usual, Heatran is quite antimetagame in CAP.

Here's the inaugural battle, which I don't see linked yet:
http://pokemonshowdown.com/replay/ca...laytest4630310

By the way, I've cleaned up the remaining CAP issues on PS!. In particular:

- Aurumoth sprites appear properly in replays now
- Aurumoth's icon is fixed
- The Inaugural battle has team preview added in post-production
- The Hydro Pump + Bug Buzz illegality issue was fixed
- Necturna's animated sprites are in (thanks Quanyails and ThePhalanx)

typon77 · Nov 19th, 2012, 7:43:24 PM

I've been using Scarf Final Gambit Aurumoth to fairly great effect. Here's the set I'm using:

Aurumoth @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Illusion
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Spd / 4 SAtk
Timid Nature
- Final Gambit
- Trick
- Bug Buzz
- Psyshock

This set when used with sweepers is amazing. For example, I can disguise my self as Terrakion to lure in their physical wall, take it down with Final Gambit, as Aurumoth's 424 HP is usually more than the foe's, and then proceed to break down the rest of their team as well. I also have RP Landorus (Special) and Scarf Genesect to disguise as. These sweepers were chosen because their counters are all very easy to lure out, and they also eliminate each other's counter's. Aurumoth also has a "safer move" in Trick. When facing bulkier teams with multiple checks to a certain pokemon, I can trick my scarf onto walls and cripple them, while also receiving something like Leftovers in return. This lets me cripple a wall and live to kill something else with Final Gambit. Overall, a very low risk pokemon, as it will almost always net you one kill, unless you play dumb (I.e. disguising as Landorus after revealing your Special set and using Final Gambit when the foe has a Blissey).

Dusk209 · Nov 19th, 2012, 8:36:40 PM

Here's a weak armor set I've been tinkering with for a while:

Aurumoth @ Focus Sash
Trait: Weak Armor
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid / Modest Nature
- Tail Glow
- Bug Buzz
- Psychic
- Thunderbolt / Thunder

This set, if you can lure the opponent into hitting you, is simply devastating, but it is hard to play and is countered by pretty much any scarfer. Here's a short replay of me sweeping with it. Because the opponent didn't have a scarfer, it was quite easy to win. http://pokemonshowdown.com/replay/ca...laytest4681328

Tobihime · Nov 20th, 2012, 7:44:46 AM

So, I've been observing the various Aurumoth sets and I've come to the conclusion that, due to the fact that it has such a variety movesets due to an insanely good movepool, I would say that it's OP. It's too good, in short. Any pokemon that gets Tail Glow, with good stats AND an amazing movepool is automatically recorded as a legend, but on top of that it gets QD and DD which make the unpredictability of Aurumoth an amazing asset that adds to the OPness of this pokemon. Also, the fact that it gets Illusion increases the amazingness of Aurumoth, due to being able to get a free buff, providing you have the right pokemon in last place, and if you're lucky, maybe even two free buffs, which on Aurumoth is basically gg. Teamed up with Heatran and Dugtrio, it makes this pokemon even greater because of the possibilities that you could run with it. If Blaziken was banned, so should Aurumoth.

nyttyn · Nov 20th, 2012, 9:00:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fat Tobihime

So, I've been observing the various Aurumoth sets and I've come to the conclusion that, due to the fact that it has such a variety movesets due to an insanely good movepool, I would say that it's OP. It's too good, in short. Any pokemon that gets Tail Glow, with good stats AND an amazing movepool is automatically recorded as a legend, but on top of that it gets QD and DD which make the unpredictability of Aurumoth an amazing asset that adds to the OPness of this pokemon. Also, the fact that it gets Illusion increases the amazingness of Aurumoth, due to being able to get a free buff, providing you have the right pokemon in last place, and if you're lucky, maybe even two free buffs, which on Aurumoth is basically gg. Teamed up with Heatran and Dugtrio, it makes this pokemon even greater because of the possibilities that you could run with it. If Blaziken was banned, so should Aurumoth.

Sir, I'll be honest, you're talking out of your rear end right now. Not only are you jumping to conclusions after less then even a week of playtesting, hell less then a buisness week, you've also mised the point of the CAP project. We're not here to ban things. We're not here to talk about how a pokemon could be considered a "legend." You've failed to consider in Aurumoth's shortfallings, such as its typng and the fact that it can only take a limited number of effective illusions, not to mention the fact that it has good stats, not amazing stats.

That aside, my own impressions is that Aurumoth is really quite underwhelming. The illusion sets can only be been brought in on a KO, it has to get to +2/+2 to represent any significant threat, and even then it has a serious issue getting around many forms of priority. Substitute sets help with this somwewhat but then focus sash setup sweepers like cloyster wreck your face. It's good, yeah, but I'm not seeing where all the "OH MY GOD SO OP" yelling is coming from. I've thus far have had zero issues playing around Aurumoth.

So far, the risk that's come in from my side is deciding when to bring in Aurumoth - bring it in too early, and its going to lose the illusion out of the gate. Bring it in too late, and any effective illusion partners will be dead and the ruse will be up. And on top of that it only gets one shot at any sweep it wants to do thanks to lacking reliable recovery. I haven't had a chance to try out other sets yet, but I'd imagine they'd all have the issue of deciding when is the optimal time to come in to maximize reward.

Interestingly enough, a large portion of risk that happens when Aurumoth actually comes out falls on the opponent - if they don't successfully realize that it's Aurumoth that's out there, they're going to have to pay out the ass for their mistake, which leads to sometimes using attacks you otherwise wouldn't just from the potential risk of Aurumoth being out. Thus I'd say Aurumoth is so far succeeding in its concept on both levels - both on bringing risk to the user (when do I bring it out? Would it have been better to bring a safer, easier to use pick with my team?) and to the opponent (Is his aurumoth illusion'd? Is that pokemon he just sent out Aurumoth? Will I lose the game if I don't call this right?).

Still not as good as Genesect though.

Verminator · Nov 20th, 2012, 11:12:29 AM

While Auru is really really good, it's not really any more OP than anything else currently at the top end of OU. I'd put it on par with some of the more powerful dragon types like Mence or D-Nite.

Nov 18th, 2012, 9:15:09 PM	#1
*Birkal We have the technology. Super Moderator** Join Date: Oct 2010 Posts: 3,017 The Mentor	CAP 4 - Playtest [Done! See Post #71] The CAP Aurumoth Playtest has officially begun! bmb has some college work to do (and I believe it's 2am for him at the moment), so I'm gonna help him out and get this thread started. bugmaniacbob has been our hardworking TL over the past 68 days and played a central role in shaping our newest CAP: Aurumoth. He chose seasoned battler and Pokemon Showdown! moderator jas61292 as his opponent for the inaugural battle. The replay can be watched here. jas61292 pulled out a narrow victory (1-0) in a close match filled with a lot of fun movesets and good predictions. bugmaniacbob seems to have built a team focusing on laying hazards, while jas went for a more offensive build with some classic Dragon spam. It was refreshing to see a BW2 OU battle without weather getting in the way of it all. It's a great showcase battle that I'd encourage all of you to watch (with Aurumoth leading jas to victory in the last few turns). So with that, the CAP 4 Aurumoth Playtest is now available on Pokemon Showdown!. You can hop onto the teambuilder at any time, make a BW2 OU team (with or without Aurumoth), and get laddering on the CAP Aurumoth Playtest ladder. Remember, since we started in early September, Genesect is unbanned, while Garchomp and Kyurem-B will both remain banned. The winner at the end of the two week period will be crowned as our playtest champion (and receive + status on the simulator), so fight until we reach the end! If you're interested in learning all about Aurumoth, check out the Final Product thread to get its stats, abilities, movepool, and more. If you're looking for some inspiration for Aurumoth sets, head over to the Pre-Playtesting thread. I can't wait to face off with you guys on the CAP4 playtest ladder until December 2nd. Best of luck! __________________ Last edited by Birkal; Nov 18th, 2012 at 9:29:55 PM.

Nov 18th, 2012, 9:23:52 PM	#2
bugmaniacbob Fare thee well. Join Date: Sep 2008 Posts: 2,038 Floccinaucinihilipilification	I quite literally pulled defeat from the jaws of victory by using U-turn instead of Stone Edge in that last series of events... and I've no idea why I did it, it makes no sense, though it did lead to showcasing an Aurumoth at work. Price of being tired I guess. And we both made some pretty silly plays, leading to the loss of our Heatran and Ferrothorn, respectively. And then there was the SpD drop on Jirachi... Regardless, great opening battle. Hopefully many more to come... and now you all know my team, heh. Oh and Birkal, you should link to the Pre-Playtesting thread for the potential sets and what not... and lock it now that it doesn't serve any use __________________ Art / C&C / The Smog / Longest Ever Analysis MkI / Longest Ever Analysis MkII / Warstories / Stupid Poem / CAP 4: Aurumoth

Nov 18th, 2012, 11:08:46 PM	#3
*Birkal We have the technology. Super Moderator** Join Date: Oct 2010 Posts: 3,017 The Mentor	Added it to the OP, bmb, thanks. Also, you guys should feel free to post any replays you want here alongside of your general thoughts and impressions; just type /savereplay in the battle and share your best battles here! Furthermore, you all should check out the CAP4 - Playtest Tournament being hosted in the Tournaments forum on Smogon. Click on Mos-Quitoxe's incredible artwork below for more information. __________________

Nov 19th, 2012, 12:08:23 AM	#4
Flarephoenix332 Join Date: May 2010 Posts: 130	My first battle both with Aurumoth and in months: Here. I'm CrazyRazy (I was bored when I made the name). Here are a few particulars: My Team Tentacruel @ Payapa Berry Trait: Liquid Ooze EVs: 252 HP / 252 SAtk / 4 SDef Modest Nature - Toxic Spikes - Rapid Spin - Scald - Ice Beam Mamoswine @ Focus Sash Trait: Thick Fat EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spd Adamant Nature - Earthquake - Stealth Rock - Ice Shard - Endeavor Hydreigon @ Expert Belt Trait: Levitate EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd Mild Nature - Draco Meteor - Fire Blast - Superpower - Roost Rotom-Wash @ Leftovers Trait: Levitate EVs: 184 HP / 4 Def / 144 SAtk / 176 Spd Modest Nature - Volt Switch - Hydro Pump - Will-O-Wisp - Hidden Power [Ice] Aurumoth @ Choice Scarf Trait: Illusion EVs: 252 SAtk / 252 Spd / 4 HP Timid Nature - Trick - Will-O-Wisp - Bug Buzz - Psyshock Heatran @ Leftovers Trait: Flash Fire EVs: 100 SDef / 252 HP / 158 SAtk Calm Nature - Lava Plume - Substitute - Stealth Rock - Earth Power To be completely honest, I threw OU pokemon together with Illusion Trick-Scraf Aurumoth. Heck, I tinkered with Tentacruel (who I threw on for Rapid Spin support) and Heatran to weird extremes. I tried for 300+/300 Sp. Att/Sp. Def for Heatran (This actually has saved me once--I was able to survive a Focus Blast and blow an Aurumoth away with Lava Plume) for some reason, and I threw a resist Psychic-resist berry because I wanted a non-Leftovers/Blacksludge item to try and keep an Illusion up (although having Leftovers on my other pokemon makes it really weird). I loved playing with Aurumoth. Using Illusion was a lot of fun trying to figure out if I wanted to sneak in Aurumoth to try a Trick/Will-o-Wisp or if I wanted to roll out a normal pokemon with the hope that the opponent thinks it is Aurumoth. In the end, despite a few dumb moments (Draco Meteor spam much? Ugh.), Aurumoth played a big role in a win at the end--of course, a bit of luck did too. Here is my second battle. The only notable change is to Aurumoth (and giving Tenta Black sludge): Choice Specs Aurumoth Aurumoth @ Choice Specs Trait: No Guard EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd Timid Nature - Thunder - Focus Blast - Bug Buzz - Psyshock I kept Timid for max Speed since Specs was going to give a nice little boost to power. Although I was locked into one move, Thunder/Focus Blast/Bug Buzz/Psyshock seems like it works well. Bug/Psychic/Fighting is only blocked by Shedinja if I recall correctly. I threw in Thunder for the nice blast to Water and Flying types. I may play around with other options, such as Blizzard for Dragons, but No Guard with Focus Blast is very satisfying, particularly Heatrans that try to wall. This team has been weirdly successful for me, but I can't really claim it for my talent. Lava Plume and Will-o-Wisp hit some key burns and Stealth Rock has won it for me. In the end, however, Aurumoth has been working well. It hits a lot of things hard with Choice Specs. Edit: Here are the rest of the battles I had (Warning: I'm terrible. I honestly just made guesses at a lot of points in some of these.) Battle 3, Battle 4, Battle 5, and Battle 6. Last edited by Flarephoenix332; Nov 19th, 2012 at 12:16:35 AM. Reason: Added in the rest of my plays from the night.

Nov 19th, 2012, 12:56:38 AM	#6
ChrisTehAwesome Join Date: Jun 2012 Posts: 80 Canada	As soon as I jumped in the teambuilder I automatically thought of a chesto-rest set, similar to bulky Volcarona. Aurumoth @ Chesto Berry Trait: No Guard EVs: 252 SDef / 252 HP / 4 Spd Careful Nature - Dragon Dance - Megahorn - Close Combat - Rest Not sure if the special defence helps out all that much, I might use a +Def nature instead to take priority a little better. Megahorn-CC wrecks so many things, and it's not too hard to find set up opportunities. However sometimes I predict wrong and get smacked with a fire move. Here's a battle where it worked out spectacularly for me. Also loving the sprite and animation, super cool. http://pokemonshowdown.com/replay/ca...laytest4642085 EDIT: on second glance, I changed to adamant max attack and max HP to always OHKO heatran at +1 __________________ Also known as Monkeybillio and RadicalMonkey Check out my RMT: Shiny Rocks Last edited by ChrisTehAwesome; Nov 19th, 2012 at 1:49:56 AM.

Nov 19th, 2012, 1:08:07 AM	#7
srk1214 Supreme Master of Trivia Join Date: May 2010 Posts: 808	So I'm a terrible sun player, but I was just observing the meta, and even I can make sun work here. I'm currently using a fairly standard sun core, and Aurumoth fits in great. Also Venusaur kinda wrecks unprepared teams, which this meta is full of. __________________ Best. Match. Ever. http://www.pokemonshowdown.com/replay/ou11554542 To see the other best match ever, go to DetroitLolcat's signature.

Nov 19th, 2012, 2:35:12 AM	#8
Mdevil Join Date: Aug 2012 Posts: 109 Avatar by Eagle4	Tip: Pack a Heatran counter or you will die. He's mvp of the playtest so far imo. __________________ I want to say I get more stupid everyday, but it would make me stupid to admit that... Irony...

Nov 19th, 2012, 7:56:53 AM	#9
Organization Member XIV Join Date: Oct 2012 Posts: 612 With Xerneas, in the Garden of Eden	Definitely gonna get on this. Unfortunately, school internet blocks Showdown! :( Personally, I have this set: Aurumoth@Life Orb Ability: Illusion 252 Atk, 252 Spe, 4 HP Adamant Nature Dragon Dance Megahorn Close Combat Zen Headbutt I LOVE copying my Latios, setting up the DD as they think physical Latios, and then smash them. I also got fooled by an Aurumoth disguised as a Salamence. Zen Headbutt smashes Fighting types, and no one expects IMO. __________________ Bearkiller on PS and IRC. May also go by the name of Grima on IRC. I play League of Legends, so there's that. Also free Genesect plz. My LP.

Nov 19th, 2012, 9:36:41 AM	#10
Rayquaza_ Join Date: Sep 2010 Posts: 694	Right, because DD Latios is sooooo common. Seriously though, Aurumoth is everything but what was intended to be: an extremely easy and safe pokemon to use. It gets some of the best abilities in the game as well as a movepool that makes Arceus green with envy. I'd say a few nerfs are in order - get rid of some of its strongest coverage options (such as Overheat, Close Combat, Hydro Pump, Thunder, Blizzard) and setup moves (Quiver Dance, Dragon Dance, Tail Glow) and we can settle for a solid and balanced pokemon.

Nov 19th, 2012, 10:34:47 AM	#11
GRs Cousin Join Date: Nov 2011 Posts: 255	So far, Illusion is definitely the most used ability, followed by No Guard and then Weak Armor... Which is rather unfortunate, considering how we chose our abilities to form a triality in the first place. Substitute on Illusion sets work really well. A mere misprediction can lead to some very hard scenarios to counter. Quiver Dance / Substitute / Attacking moves is a little too powerful, in my opinion. At the very least, it's too safe on a mon made to be risky. In the mean time, I've used my own Illusion set, similar to the one I made in the Pre-Playtesting Workshop. Aurumoth @ Leftovers 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Def Impish Nature Trait: Illusion -Wish -Protect -Will-o-Wisp -Megahorn This thing works wonderfully with Blissey. When a mon faints to a special attacker, send in Aurumoth disugised as Blissey. They'll most likely switch, to which Will-o-Wisp immediately counters their physical attacker they were going to use on "Blissey". If you're lucky, they will still attempt to do damage on Blissey expecting to at least do something with their switch-in. You can either Protect to stall with burn damage, or go straight for Wish to set up for a safer switch-in. When they finally do damage Aurumoth, surprise--they just realized that they wasted two turns trying to physically attack a physical wall. Brilliant. It's a feeling that never gets old. Megahorn is only there so as to not leave Aurumoth as Taunt bait, considering how their switch in might be trying to Taunt Blissey. The main issue with this set is that it can do absolutely nothing against Heatran. It otherwise has very little going on in terms of handling special attackers and Bug-resistive types that don't care about being burnt. I have a feeling Final Gambit may work better than Megahorn, but I haven't tried it yet.

Nov 19th, 2012, 12:17:29 PM	#12
bugmaniacbob Fare thee well. Join Date: Sep 2008 Posts: 2,038 Floccinaucinihilipilification	So I was told on Showdown! that the server appears to think that Hydro Pump and Bug Buzz are an illegal combination, when this should not be the case. And yeah, it does seem that this illegality exists where it should not. Just making a note of this here in case I forget to bring it up later, so somebody else can tell Zarel or whoever in that eventuality Initial thoughts: - Bulky 4 Attacks Aurumoth is a liability, though I haven't tried it with Illusion - I'm struggling to find opportunities to set up with QD Aurumoth, or indeed any set-up sweeper variant of Aurumoth, though I haven't tried Illusion - Essentially Illusion appears to have all the advantages for most sets. On the plus side, we seem to be learning just how nasty Illusion can be... - Notably, I've lost games that I've had in the bag because of Illusion, or rather, because of Showdown - I've simply assumed that discrepancies in HP were PS glitches, totally forgetting the possibility that it could be an Aurumoth in disguise (man, I am never going to get over that) In short, lots of interesting psychological doodads to play around with. Also, I'd encourage people to try using sets other than QD, as that kind of experience is infinitely more valuable from the point of view of an analysis writer. __________________ Art / C&C / The Smog / Longest Ever Analysis MkI / Longest Ever Analysis MkII / Warstories / Stupid Poem / CAP 4: Aurumoth

Nov 19th, 2012, 12:33:03 PM	#13
Pwnemon Join Date: Aug 2010 Posts: 4,011 Maryland	the best set ever is choice scarf 3 attacks+final gambit, hands down __________________ [11:56pm] Pwnemon: statutory rape and all [11:56pm] bmelts: i have such a huge boner right now [9:28pm] Kadew: pwnemon that signature is like an x marking the spot of treasure, except instead of treasure its a pile of humorous garbage that turtles crapped out

Nov 19th, 2012, 1:11:51 PM	#14
ganj4lF Nobody is safe from the power of science! Join Date: Jun 2011 Posts: 691 Italy	Yeah, I'm trying Choice Scarf too and it's quite effective. Disguise yourself as Heatran and watch things die to Close Combat / Megahorn. To be honest I didn't try Final Gambit but I can see how that move fits perfectly in its playstyle. For reference, I'm running something like this: Aurumoth @ Choice Scarf \| Illusion Naughty / Naive \| 252 Atk / 252 Spe / 4 something - Megahorn - CC - Overheat / Ice Beam - Zen Headbutt / Ice Beam I guess that Final Gambit can be easily added in place of one of the last two moves, depending on what you'd want to take down. EDIT: wait, no, that would require HP investment I guess...? Well, that's the set I'm running anyway, may think about Final Gambit later. __________________ Counter that Pokemon project: Mk III (over) & Warstory \| Mk IV (running) RMTs: The HOutsiders (also the other ones if anyone likes lurking my old posts) Take a look at this before starting an argument Not accepting rating requests anymore. Sorry!

Nov 19th, 2012, 1:14:46 PM	#15
jas61292 likes his numbers Moderator Join Date: Sep 2010 Posts: 2,244 Strong as a Corsola	Well, I have tried a lot of different things at this point, with QD being the only thing I really havn't done much with yet, and a few things have stood out to me as pretty useful. First is the Illusion Dragon Dance set: Aurumoth @ Life Orb Trait: Illusion EVs: 232 Spd / 252 Atk / 24 HP Jolly Nature - Dragon Dance - Megahorn - Zen Headbutt - Close Combat It pairs perfectly with guys like Dragonite and Salamence who take equal SR damage and can also threaten a DD. I have actually been running both with my Aurumoth to great success. While physical walls do have a shot at stopping all three, very few can handle more than one of them, especially after a boost. Scarf Moxie Mence specifically pairs very well with it as it is a viable Illusion partner, but functions very differently, and is excellent for cleaning up battles or taking out a +1 Speed Aurumoth. Now, you might be wondering about the EV spread I have here. While many people have been only concerned about what you beat at +1, I hate the thought of losing a battle because you failed to outspeed something late battle at +0. 232 EVs in speed lets you beat Jolly Landorus-T, which is the fastest common thing below 94. Of all the sets I have tried so far, this DD one is definitely the most threatening. It is easiest to set up, and most dangerous after a boost. Twice already I have gotten it set up early on and swept the all 6 of my opponents Pokemon. For all the hype QD is getting, I really feel this could be the number one set right here. That being said, there is one other little gem I want to share: Aurumoth @ Choice Scarf Trait: No Guard EVs: 252 SAtk / 252 Spd / 4 HP Timid Nature - Bug Buzz - Blizzard - Thunder - Focus Blast Choice Scarf is an odd fit for Aurumoth, but it can pull it off spectacularly. Due to its wonderful coverage and powerful options thanks to no guard, it can pull this set off very well. While it faces stiff competition from Genesect, it is notable for having significantly more powerful coverage options should Gene fail to download a SpA boost. In addition, it packs a much greater surprise value than Gene. People will often play themselves into a hole without realizing it because they are sure they can check a +0 Spe Aurumoth. The only real downside I have found on this set is that it has major 4MSS, due to really wanting Psychic/Psyshock as well as Overheat, but not wanting to give up coverage to get them. Now on that note I have to say Scarfers in general are hugely important in this meta, especially those of 94 speed or higher. Aurumoth is dangerous after a boost, but many can be taken out without much or any damage dealt by simply switching to a scarfer immediately. I personally have already tried out Scarf versions of Terrakion, Keldeo, Haxorus, Salamence, Latios, Staraptor, Aurumoth and others, mostly with great success. Personally, my favorites are Mence and Latios. Mence unfortunately is not about to OHKO Aurumoth, but with the help of Rocks, residual damage, or any hits you can get it, it can easily revenge Aurumoth, and thanks to Moxie, can go right on to sweep. Latios on the other hand is about getting in, getting a KO and getting out. Draco Meteor KOs a ton of stuff and will destroy most Aurumoth. Even at +1 SpD is can easily break it if it has any residual damage. It is also incredibly useful for outspeeding and KOing a lot of other common scarfers that try and take out your own Aurumoth. Oh, and then there is Sub Disable Aurumoth, which is really quite inferior, but is great for making a crowd go wild. __________________ <jas61292> I record everything <nyttyn> prove it. <nyttyn> WHAT WAS THE VERY FIRST THING I EVER SAID IN THIS CHANNEL. <jas61292> [06/02/12 \| 12:43] <NyttyN> Huh what deo you know shelll smash did get banned <nyttyn> what. <nyttyn> well congratulations jas your stalker nexus has reached an all time high.

Nov 19th, 2012, 1:59:59 PM	#17
Verminator Join Date: Oct 2012 Posts: 46	Illusion is by far the best ability on this thing, it's so great to be able to play mind games with a poke that's more threatening and durable than Zoroark. Weak Armor is okay I guess, because it still has the element of mind games attached to it. No Guard a shit.

Nov 19th, 2012, 3:14:24 PM	#18
srk1214 Supreme Master of Trivia Join Date: May 2010 Posts: 808	Anyone knocking No Guard just isn't using it right. Illusion is very strong when played correctly, as we all knew it would be. But No Guard is really, really good too. Carrying non-rain Thunder, Focus Miss and/or Blizzard are HUGE benefits that can't be downplayed. Throroughly fed up with my sun team that I used to get to number 2 for a moment. I kept playing after reaching 2 and then proceeded to get lucked 4 or 5 games in a row with Sleep Powder misses and first turn wakes and the like. I now remember why I never used sun before. Gonna be moving to something Hyper-Offense probably. Maybe even try a 3Drag2Mag1Moth team with Illusion Aurumoth. __________________ Best. Match. Ever. http://www.pokemonshowdown.com/replay/ou11554542 To see the other best match ever, go to DetroitLolcat's signature.

Nov 19th, 2012, 6:00:27 PM	#19
ganj4lF Nobody is safe from the power of science! Join Date: Jun 2011 Posts: 691 Italy	Yeah I agree with srk that No Guard can be very useful at times, however Illusion seems to be the most defining trait for Aurumoth, far more than Quiver Dance, Dragon Dance, typing, or whatever else. Its ability to play a huge amount of different sets (here lies the difference with Zoroark, which is extremely predictable once you guessed if it's it disguised or another poke) and to conceal itself from the opponent is really a huge asset. The opponent must be continuosly guessing not only what of the multiple sets Aurumuth is running, but even what poke is effectively Aurumoth. In this perspective, No Guard and Weak Armour don't appear very attractive, since Aurumoth is relatively easy to stop once revealed. However, if you manage to acquire a boost, a No Guard set is indeed more threatening, with 120 BP, 100% accurate BoltBeam, Megahorn, and Focus Miss. I won't hide I don't like Weak Armour at all (never did), but everything else looks really promising. __________________ Counter that Pokemon project: Mk III (over) & Warstory \| Mk IV (running) RMTs: The HOutsiders (also the other ones if anyone likes lurking my old posts) Take a look at this before starting an argument Not accepting rating requests anymore. Sorry!

Nov 19th, 2012, 6:37:52 PM	#20
*Zarel >> BEGIN POSTBIT Super Moderator** Join Date: Aug 2011 Posts: 1,134 >> END POSTBIT	As usual, Heatran is quite antimetagame in CAP. Here's the inaugural battle, which I don't see linked yet: http://pokemonshowdown.com/replay/ca...laytest4630310 By the way, I've cleaned up the remaining CAP issues on PS!. In particular: - Aurumoth sprites appear properly in replays now - Aurumoth's icon is fixed - The Inaugural battle has team preview added in post-production - The Hydro Pump + Bug Buzz illegality issue was fixed - Necturna's animated sprites are in (thanks Quanyails and ThePhalanx) __________________ Pokemon Showdown \| Replay player \| No, I am not impressed that you know that my name is Guangcong Luo. The PS website says "Copyright Guangcong Luo" at the bottom, ffs.

Nov 19th, 2012, 7:43:24 PM	#21
typon77 Join Date: May 2011 Posts: 1,378	I've been using Scarf Final Gambit Aurumoth to fairly great effect. Here's the set I'm using: Aurumoth @ Choice Scarf Trait: Illusion EVs: 252 HP / 252 Spd / 4 SAtk Timid Nature - Final Gambit - Trick - Bug Buzz - Psyshock This set when used with sweepers is amazing. For example, I can disguise my self as Terrakion to lure in their physical wall, take it down with Final Gambit, as Aurumoth's 424 HP is usually more than the foe's, and then proceed to break down the rest of their team as well. I also have RP Landorus (Special) and Scarf Genesect to disguise as. These sweepers were chosen because their counters are all very easy to lure out, and they also eliminate each other's counter's. Aurumoth also has a "safer move" in Trick. When facing bulkier teams with multiple checks to a certain pokemon, I can trick my scarf onto walls and cripple them, while also receiving something like Leftovers in return. This lets me cripple a wall and live to kill something else with Final Gambit. Overall, a very low risk pokemon, as it will almost always net you one kill, unless you play dumb (I.e. disguising as Landorus after revealing your Special set and using Final Gambit when the foe has a Blissey). __________________ CAP ASB Team \| Reffing Profile i asked for an adamant orb but they traded me an adamant voltorb how can i report htem

Nov 19th, 2012, 8:36:40 PM	#22
Dusk209 No relation. Join Date: Feb 2012 Posts: 149	Here's a weak armor set I've been tinkering with for a while: Aurumoth @ Focus Sash Trait: Weak Armor EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd Timid / Modest Nature - Tail Glow - Bug Buzz - Psychic - Thunderbolt / Thunder This set, if you can lure the opponent into hitting you, is simply devastating, but it is hard to play and is countered by pretty much any scarfer. Here's a short replay of me sweeping with it. Because the opponent didn't have a scarfer, it was quite easy to win. http://pokemonshowdown.com/replay/ca...laytest4681328 __________________ [15:13:52] <&Zarel> Dusk209, you lied to me so much :( [15:14:47] <%Dusk209> Is there anything I can do to make up for my sins [15:15:42] <&Zarel> Dusk209, I accept blowjobs

Nov 20th, 2012, 7:44:46 AM	#23
Tobihime Join Date: Nov 2012 Posts: 6 East Sussex, England	So, I've been observing the various Aurumoth sets and I've come to the conclusion that, due to the fact that it has such a variety movesets due to an insanely good movepool, I would say that it's OP. It's too good, in short. Any pokemon that gets Tail Glow, with good stats AND an amazing movepool is automatically recorded as a legend, but on top of that it gets QD and DD which make the unpredictability of Aurumoth an amazing asset that adds to the OPness of this pokemon. Also, the fact that it gets Illusion increases the amazingness of Aurumoth, due to being able to get a free buff, providing you have the right pokemon in last place, and if you're lucky, maybe even two free buffs, which on Aurumoth is basically gg. Teamed up with Heatran and Dugtrio, it makes this pokemon even greater because of the possibilities that you could run with it. If Blaziken was banned, so should Aurumoth.

Nov 20th, 2012, 11:12:29 AM	#25
Verminator Join Date: Oct 2012 Posts: 46	While Auru is really really good, it's not really any more OP than anything else currently at the top end of OU. I'd put it on par with some of the more powerful dragon types like Mence or D-Nite.