Battle Spot - Simple Questions and Answers

I wanted to reply to your original post but you've gone and edited it so I can no longer see it. Anyway...

You're too caught up in using things you have on hand, you need to be more flexible and willing to breed more (perfect) stuff. Having 5 perfect IVs in the relevant stats (missing the non attacking stat) is what you want to aim for. I don't want to sound harsh but you need to realise that breeding is an important part of the game and you can't be lazy about it just because it takes ages. If you haven't already got one, go and get a 6iv Ditto from here which will speed things up for you. For information on what is being used in the metagame go here, you will find stuff like the top 12 most used Pokemon and what their most popular moves / items / etc. are so you know what to prepare for, you can also look at things that you like and use their most used moves and stuff yourself. Lastly, use Pokemon Showdown! to practice before spending the time to breed. I did say not to be lazy when breeding but I fully understand how disheartening it can be to spend that time and then find out it doesn't work.

For Pokemon sets, I strongly recommend looking at the Smogon Strategy Dex (located on the home page). Even though those aren't Battle Spot specific sets, they translate their effectiveness here.

Looking at what you have available; Scizor, Gengar, Charizard and Dragonite are all very good to use here, and they all have several good sets to consider so I won't suggest any here. The changes you've made to Gengar are god, except Black Sludge is silly. You won't be on the field long enough to recover much health, I would maybe give it a Life Orb since Greninja has the Sash, or give him the Sash (and Destiny Bond) and give Gren the Life Orb

To answer your question; yes smogon does have a Tutor Program, although I'm not exactly sure on how it works since I've never done it. I'm sure if you look around there or message one of the mentors you will find what you're looking for
I do have a 6iv Ditto and yeah you pretty much nailed it, I'd rather find an easy way right now. Even with that 6iv ditto there is no guarantee I will get a 5iv missing the stat I need within the first few rounds of breeding unless I had the non-ditto parent being 5iv. I'm a bit flustered with VGC so far bc when I was in the higher ranks everyone was using almost all ubers which was pretty annoying.

I just added showdown, and the team seems to be doing all right.

Also, I can't figure where the top 12 pokemon being used are as you mentioned. And if you noticed, alot of my builds came from the strategy dex, and of course they didn't translate over well.
 

cant say

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I do have a 6iv Ditto and yeah you pretty much nailed it, I'd rather find an easy way right now. Even with that 6iv ditto there is no guarantee I will get a 5iv missing the stat I need within the first few rounds of breeding unless I had the non-ditto parent being 5iv. I'm a bit flustered with VGC so far bc when I was in the higher ranks everyone was using almost all ubers which was pretty annoying.

I just added showdown, and the team seems to be doing all right.

Also, I can't figure where the top 12 pokemon being used are as you mentioned. And if you noticed, alot of my builds came from the strategy dex, and of course they didn't translate over well.
Did you not click the link I gave you? It takes you to the Pokemon Global Link website where it will have two big boxes, one is ORAS League (Groudon and Kyogre) and XY League (with Xerneas and Yveltal), click whichever one you are playing. Then it will take you to a screen with the top player rankings and Pokemon rankings and oh yep I see the problem now. The new season just started so there hasn't been enough time for the server to gather usage statistics. The simple solution is to look at the previous season's stats by clicking on the dropdown box and choosing Season 7.

Like I already said, breeding is not easy. Of course you will not get the 5iv pokemon you want straight away from a 4iv parent and 6iv Ditto, that is only a 9.89% of happening (according to this calculator). Just do it while watching TV or something so you aren't so bored.

You say you used the Strategy Dex but you use things like Black Sludge, Hex Gengar... Anyway, just because you use things straight from the Strategy Dex doesn't mean they will be good. It's more of a template / place for inspiration. This is one of the biggest mistakes that new battlers make. You need to go out there and practice. Of course your team is not going to work at first, you need to realise this. It just means that you need to practice more and make changes to your team as needed. Teambuilding is an ongoing process, just because you put together a team that you think will work does not guarantee its success, and if it doesn't work you shouldn't get upset and complain that there's something wrong, have a look at your team and what is giving you trouble and change it.
 
Did you not click the link I gave you? It takes you to the Pokemon Global Link website where it will have two big boxes, one is ORAS League (Groudon and Kyogre) and XY League (with Xerneas and Yveltal), click whichever one you are playing. Then it will take you to a screen with the top player rankings and Pokemon rankings and oh yep I see the problem now. The new season just started so there hasn't been enough time for the server to gather usage statistics. The simple solution is to look at the previous season's stats by clicking on the dropdown box and choosing Season 7.

Like I already said, breeding is not easy. Of course you will not get the 5iv pokemon you want straight away from a 4iv parent and 6iv Ditto, that is only a 9.89% of happening (according to this calculator). Just do it while watching TV or something so you aren't so bored.

You say you used the Strategy Dex but you use things like Black Sludge, Hex Gengar... Anyway, just because you use things straight from the Strategy Dex doesn't mean they will be good. It's more of a template / place for inspiration. This is one of the biggest mistakes that new battlers make. You need to go out there and practice. Of course your team is not going to work at first, you need to realise this. It just means that you need to practice more and make changes to your team as needed. Teambuilding is an ongoing process, just because you put together a team that you think will work does not guarantee its success, and if it doesn't work you shouldn't get upset and complain that there's something wrong, have a look at your team and what is giving you trouble and change it.
i also looked at the tutor program and they r full up and apparently they even have waitlists for the new season. which is crazy. thanks for the tip on the GL website.

Yes, breeding is not easy. i totally agree there. as i recall it took me like half hr or something for 5ivs once.
 
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cant say

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i also looked at the tutor program and they r full up and apparently they even have waitlists for the new season. which is crazy. thanks for the tip on the GL website.

Yes, breeding is not easy. i totally agree there. as i recall it took me like half hr or something for 5ivs once.
Well if you're interested then why not join the waiting list?

And half an hour? That's pretty good? o_0

Just wait until you try breeding custom pokeballs from females with a 12.5% gender ratio and go for a specific hidden power with hidden ability. THEN you're allowed to complain
 

DragonWhale

It's not a misplay, it's RNG manipulation
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and i gave wrong ivs on Milotic. Milotic is HP/Def/SpDef/Att/Speed. Missing max in sp. att. I think I will ditch Milotic because it gets a UU rating.
IVs aside, I don't think you should abandon a pokemon just because it's UU in 6v6. Cresselia is RU, but it's pretty much a top-tier pokemon in battle spot.
 

cant say

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IVs aside, I don't think you should abandon a pokemon just because it's UU in 6v6. Cresselia is RU, but it's pretty much a top-tier pokemon in battle spot.
While I agree that you shouldn't choose to not use something because it isn't OU (big fan of gimmicks myself) but I'd love to hear your thoughts on Milotic since I don't think it's a "top tier pokemon in battle spot."
 

DragonWhale

It's not a misplay, it's RNG manipulation
is a Top Social Media Contributor Alumnusis a Community Leader Alumnusis a Community Contributor Alumnusis a Dedicated Tournament Host Alumnusis a Battle Simulator Moderator Alumnus
While I agree that you shouldn't choose to not use something because it isn't OU (big fan of gimmicks myself) but I'd love to hear your thoughts on Milotic since I don't think it's a "top tier pokemon in battle spot."
That was just an example to show that the only viable options aren't limited to OU and Uber mons. Milotic is in no way top-tier, but it's still a viable option. Here are my thoughts on Milotic (from a singles standpoint, although a lot of what's here may apply to doubles).

First and foremost, I think the strongest attribute of Milotic is that it does a great job limiting certain options for the opponent just from team preview. Notable pokemon that it scares away are intimidators like Salamence and Gyarados and special attackers like Sylveon because of Mirror Coat. If your team has trouble with Mence, having a Milotic on team preview greatly lowers the chance that you'll face one!

The bad side is, it's slow and cannot take 2 hits from a lot of things, which means you need to sack for a fresh switch a lot of times. It's also weak to stall, since the only thing it can do is stall back with recover and toxic (but then you need to sacrifice a move, usually Mirror Coat). Ferrothorn and Sableye is a mortal enemy, and the rising number of toxic-shield Aegislash and Heatran doesn't help it too much either. Oh yeah, and it sucks against spore too, I forgot about that one. Battle Spot tends to match you with Brelooms when you're weak to spore (at least for me anyway), so watch out for that.

Against offense, Milotic does wonders. It beats a lot of common Pokemon 1v1 thanks to its bulk, typing, and movepool. However, it's usually a 1-for-1 tradeoff, hence the popularity (okay, that and it doesn't beat Kangaskhan, but the opponent is risking a scald burn). I say it's a really good lead, especially when backed by two powerful pokemon to go for the win after bringing it to a 2v2.

Overall, it's good, but it's just lacking in a lot of crucial areas. It's also overshadowed by Suicune, though I think the ability and the recovery doesn't make it completely inferior. Top-tier? No. Underrated? Probably.
 
Well if you're interested then why not join the waiting list?

And half an hour? That's pretty good? o_0

Just wait until you try breeding custom pokeballs from females with a 12.5% gender ratio and go for a specific hidden power with hidden ability. THEN you're allowed to complain
even the waiting list is closed right now.
 
I've looked into it briefly and they go really quickly. You have to time it.
I don't know what bugs me more that the Pokemon gaming community has to have institutionalized system of helping new trainers or the strong resemblance Smogon has that relates to the lack of common man wanting to help each other, so there is a set up system to help people out.

In a perfect world, others would be willing to help out new people into the game instead of the mentality "How are you Jack? I'm just fine and now leave me alone unless I need something" But it's not just Pokemon, it's nearly the whole gaming and competitive gaming community now.

**Anyways thanks for listening and giving me tips for competitive battling.**
 
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DragonWhale

It's not a misplay, it's RNG manipulation
is a Top Social Media Contributor Alumnusis a Community Leader Alumnusis a Community Contributor Alumnusis a Dedicated Tournament Host Alumnusis a Battle Simulator Moderator Alumnus
So the first usage stats of season 8 is released. What are your thoughts (mainly ORAS singles)?

I think it's pretty funny how nothing's really changed from the XY meta. We thought that the ORAS megas like Salamence will bring a huge wave of change, but it only made a small ripple in the grand scheme of things. Mence is so low because its presence and simplicity changed the meta into an environment where it can't survive, removing its place in a lot of teams. Kangaskhan comes back (remember when it was out of the top 12? lol) because there's never a 'real' answer to that thing, and it's flexible enough to comfortably change to any metagame environment. In the end I feel like the ORAS megas are just pale in comparison to the XY ones.
 
I haven't been able to see my battle spot Ranking on the Global Link website for over 4 days now, it's just greyed out. I can battle just fine, and I can see my points in game, but when I got to the global link I see squat. I've game-synced like 20 times, but nothing, as if I'd never battled online.

Anyone know a possible cause?
 
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cant say

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So the first usage stats of season 8 is released. What are your thoughts (mainly ORAS singles)?

I think it's pretty funny how nothing's really changed from the XY meta. We thought that the ORAS megas like Salamence will bring a huge wave of change, but it only made a small ripple in the grand scheme of things. Mence is so low because its presence and simplicity changed the meta into an environment where it can't survive, removing its place in a lot of teams. Kangaskhan comes back (remember when it was out of the top 12? lol) because there's never a 'real' answer to that thing, and it's flexible enough to comfortably change to any metagame environment. In the end I feel like the ORAS megas are just pale in comparison to the XY ones.
Finally! I find these really interesting, I agree that the singles stats are funny, the 'new toy' effect seems to be wearing off and everyone is going back to the tried-and-tested goodstuffs from XY. There's not really much else to say about singles as it looks pretty normal now, but I'm enjoying the Special ladder stats. You can tell everyone there is serious about what they're doing (ie: no scrubs), 100% of Scizor run Bullet Punch and 100% have Technician (as opposed to 99% and 95% respectively in singles). Something interesting to note is that there are no Unnerve users in the Top 12, so Theorymon's Ttar strat could be really effective as it will be unexpected! (I personally would have though that Aerodactyl would be in there somewhere)

I haven't been able to see my Ranking on the battle spot for over 4 days now, it's ust greyed out. I can battle just fine, and I can see my points in game, but when I got to the global link I see squat. I've game-synced like 20 times, but nothing, as if I'd never battled online.

Anyone know a possible cause?
This happens quite often after the new season starts and the ladder resets, it normally takes sometime for any results to show on the PGL. Now that the usage statistics have been released I would expect you to be able to see your results soon
 
Would this Landorus be viable in any battle spot singles or double team?

Landorus-Therian
Trait: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SDef / 4 Atk
Careful Nature
- Bulk Up
- Substitute
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
 

cant say

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Would this Landorus be viable in any battle spot singles or double team?

Landorus-Therian
Trait: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SDef / 4 Atk
Careful Nature
- Bulk Up
- Substitute
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
Probably not. You'd need to make sure you've gotten rid of stuff like Greninja and other powerful special attackers first otherwise it gets destroyed. It also doesn't have reliable recovery so it won't be able to wall that well. I can understand the temptation since Lando-T is pretty hard to take down as is, if you want to go defensive I would recommend the Assault Vest set instead with Earthquake, U-turn, Knock Off and a coverage option
 
Probably not. You'd need to make sure you've gotten rid of stuff like Greninja and other powerful special attackers first otherwise it gets destroyed. It also doesn't have reliable recovery so it won't be able to wall that well. I can understand the temptation since Lando-T is pretty hard to take down as is, if you want to go defensive I would recommend the Assault Vest set instead with Earthquake, U-turn, Knock Off and a coverage option
can you use careful nature with the build you suggested for a defensive route?
 
IMO no pokemon with a double weakness to anything can be a defensive pokemon, but people use Heatran defensively so what do I know
 

Theorymon

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Probably not. You'd need to make sure you've gotten rid of stuff like Greninja and other powerful special attackers first otherwise it gets destroyed. It also doesn't have reliable recovery so it won't be able to wall that well. I can understand the temptation since Lando-T is pretty hard to take down as is, if you want to go defensive I would recommend the Assault Vest set instead with Earthquake, U-turn, Knock Off and a coverage option
To add to what cant say has said, I think in battle spot metagames, its better to view Landorus-T as a very bulky attacker rather than a straight up defensive Pokemon. Intimidate is great and Landorus-T is not easy to take down on the physical side, but don't forget it gets that awesome base 145 Attack too!

If you are in need of more defensive Pokemon in 3vs3, think of stuff like Porygon2 and Cresselia, who have recovery moves and the ability to directly check some serious threats. Landorus-T can check stuff, but its more about getting in on something so it can cause some serious damage than just stopping something.
 

cant say

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can you use careful nature with the build you suggested for a defensive route?
If the reason you want to use Careful is because that's the nature of the Landorus you caught in ORAS then go ahead. If you're still in the planning stages then I would recommend going for a different nature like Adamant.

what is a workable nature and build for a tornadus in vgc doubles? thanks

could this work from strategedy dex:

Move 1
Move 2
Move 3
Move 4
Item
Tags
Nature
  • Timid
EVs
  • 132 HP
  • 160 SpA
  • 216 Spe
As for this, I'm assuming you mean Tornadus-T? It's really important to specify which forme you are using so people know what you're talking about. Anyway, since it's a direct copy/paste of the Tornadus-T thread I would say it is and there's no reason to even ask...

One small thing, try to stick to the default format when writing Pokemon sets as it makes it much easier to read, the one you just used there with bullet points was crazy hard to read. It should look like this:

Tornadus @ Assault Vest
Ability: Regenerator
Timid Nature
132 HP / 160 SpA / 216 Spd
- Hurricane
- Focus Blast
- Knock Off
- U-turn

And finally, in a recent announcement by Hulavuta, all doubles discussion will be held in the VGC forum for the time being since VGC15 shares the exact same ruleset of Battle Spot doubles, so have a look through that forum for some tips and ideas on the format
 

DragonWhale

It's not a misplay, it's RNG manipulation
is a Top Social Media Contributor Alumnusis a Community Leader Alumnusis a Community Contributor Alumnusis a Dedicated Tournament Host Alumnusis a Battle Simulator Moderator Alumnus
Apparently these things are happening on the ladder recently:
ADD: BV: KWYW-WWWW-WWX3-BEXU

For those of you that don't feel like watching or don't understand, here's what happened:
- Latios takes 25% from a crit U-turn from Landorus-T
- The Latis take 20% from a pixelated hyper voice
- Regirock outspeeds the Landorus
- Latias takes 15% from Scrafty's knock off

Anyone else encounter hacked pokemon? Thoughts?
 
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Hi, I'm new to these forums, and what happened there was pretty weird. I thought Hacked pokes weren't allowed on the ladder...

Also, that music is great in the vid. Is it a sound in the game? I'm very pumped to finish my game and hear that sound if it is!
 

Pyritie

TAMAGO
is an Artist
Apparently these things are happening on the ladder recently:

For those of you that don't feel like watching or don't understand, here's what happened:
- Latios takes 25% from a crit U-turn from Landorus-T
- The Latis take 20% from a pixelated hyper voice
- Regirock outspeeds the Landorus
- Latias takes 15% from Scrafty's knock off

Anyone else encounter hacked pokemon? Thoughts?
That doesn't look like battle spot to me. Hacked stuff can be used on local battles just fine without any checks, so they probably just recorded it in the vs recorder and are playing it back
 

DragonWhale

It's not a misplay, it's RNG manipulation
is a Top Social Media Contributor Alumnusis a Community Leader Alumnusis a Community Contributor Alumnusis a Dedicated Tournament Host Alumnusis a Battle Simulator Moderator Alumnus
That doesn't look like battle spot to me. Hacked stuff can be used on local battles just fine without any checks, so they probably just recorded it in the vs recorder and are playing it back
You can check the battle format on the vs recorder. It was on the special ladder.
KWYW-WWWW-WWX3-BEXU
 

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