I Will Not Die
An Uber Warstory
Hi all Smogonites!
Today, I'm posting my first war story - about a pretty interesting battle that took place recently. I made a sort of Hyper-Offense team, which worked out pretty well, and while I was laddering with this team (I have reached 1650+ on PS) I came across raserious, who is my opponent for this battle. It's a pretty short battle though (less than 30 turns, but I suppose that's how you play HO), with some good plays here and there and a big turnaround towards the end, by a Poke which IMO deserves a bit more love. Which one, you ask? Then keep reading! I hope you enjoy.
Trollol97 joined.
raserious joined.
Format: Ubers
Rated battle
Rule: Evasion Moves Clause
Rule: Sleep Clause
Rule: Species Clause
Rule: Moody Clause
Trollol97's team:
Skarmory / Dialga / Reshiram / Palkia / Deoxys-Attack / Darkrai
Okay, nothing much to explain here, it's pretty straight forward. Skarmory is my hazard layer, while also checking ExtremeKiller and Excadrill, 2 big threats to my team. Reshiram and Palkia are basically to play according to the weather - if the opponent is running sun, I try to sweep with Reshiram, and the same applies to Palkia under rain. Dialga is there to help weaken the main walls, and Deo-A and Darkrai are my go-to sweepers if all else fails.
raserious's team:
Arceus / Darkrai / Groudon / Kyogre / Genesect / Rayquaza
Okay, time to analyze. The first thing that stands out is Arceus - if it's the EKiller, I will have to play Skarmory carefully. But then, considering Arceus can be of any type, and almost all types have two sets (SD and CM/support), figuring out it's set will be quite important . The next important thing is the presence of Groudon - seeing as nothing on his team except Kyogre can take Reshi's sun-boosted Blue Flare after SR (DMeteor says hi to Rayquaza) means if I can get Ogre out of the way nice and early and manage to set up with Reshiram (I'm running LO Mixed Tailwind Reshi), I can roast his entire team. The problem is, I'm not sure what can I set up on - maybe his Genesect locked into the wrong move?
After my typical analysis, I decided to lead with Skarmory, as getting SR up early can be helpful, seeing he has no spinner. If he leads with Dakrai, Dialga can be my sleep fodder (did I mention I hate lead Darkrai? I still dont use one myself though, because I prefer it as a sweeper).So I believe I'm all set, here we go.
Battle between Trollol97 and raserious started!
Trollol97 sent out Skarmory!
raserious sent out Genesect!
The foe's Genesect's Download raised its Special Attack!
And he sends out Genesect. It looks like the Scarfer of his team (because no-one else on his team is really known as a scarf user), so what can he do to Skarmory? Taking into account my experiences with this thing in OU and Ubers, Genesects just spam U-turn early game. So, I decide to go for SR straight away, which can help seeing he has no spinner.
--------------------------------
Turn 1
The foe's Genesect used U-turn!
It's not very effective... Skarmory lost 5% of its health!
raserious called Genesect back!
raserious sent out Darkrai!
Skarmory used Stealth Rock!
Pointed stones float in the air around the foe's team!
Skarmory restored HP using its Leftovers!
Perfect. I get SR up, and Skarmory takes zero net damage. This suggests another thing - that Arceus might not be the EKiller. If it was, my opponent would've probably tried to eliminate Skarmory, but he didn't. If this is true, it means I can possibly use Skarmory as sleep fodder against the Darkrai that just came in.
--------------------------------
Turn 2
The foe's Darkrai used Focus Blast!
The attack of the foe's Darkrai missed!
Skarmory used Whirlwind!
Groudon was dragged out!
Pointed stones dug into the foe's Groudon!
The foe's Groudon's Drought intensified the sun's rays!
The foe's Groudon restored HP using its Leftovers!
Not sure why he didn't DV me, but it's good, as I manage to get it out of play. In comes Groudon. It seems like the SR user of his team, so there is a fair chance he'll do that. Meanwhile, I just phaze to rack up damage.
--------------------------------
Turn 3
The foe's Groudon used Stealth Rock!
Pointed stones float in the air around your team!
Skarmory used Whirlwind!
Darkrai was dragged out!
Pointed stones dug into the foe's Darkrai!
Darkrai again.. But the good part is if this is a Sash Darkrai, the sash is broken - one less thing to worry about. Of course, I don't want anything else to take a possible Dark Void here, so I continue to phaze.
--------------------------------
Turn 4
The foe's Darkrai used Focus Blast!
The attack of the foe's Darkrai missed!
Skarmory used Whirlwind!
Arceus was dragged out!
Pointed stones dug into the foe's Arceus!
Poor Darkrai.. This is the reason I prefer Sub on my Darkrai, to avoid such frustrations. Nevertheless, out comes Arceus. I actually realized that I was, till now, taking a big gamble with Skarmory. This seems to be the EKiller, which means I must play Skarmory carefully from now on.
--------------------------------
Turn 5
The foe's Arceus used Brick Break!
Skarmory lost 20% of its health!
Skarmory used Whirlwind!
Rayquaza was dragged out!
Pointed stones dug into the foe's Rayquaza!
The effects of weather disappeared. (placeholder)
Skarmory restored HP using its Leftovers!
And this confirms the fact that it is the EKiller. I want to keep Skarmory as healthy as possible now, as I know I have to deal with something that threatens my whole team. Also, the item seems to be either Lum Berry or Silk Scarf. None really matter, as Skarmory is meant to phaze out Arceus to stop it, but knowing that it isn't carrying LO is good to know. Talking about the present situation, there is more than a fair chance this Rayquaza, just like any other, is carrying Overheat/Fire Blast/V-Create, and is ready to kill my metal bird with it. Until now my opponent hasn't really shown any signs of predicting my moves, and I want to keep Skarmory safe, so I decide to do what makes the most sense. Palkia takes any Fire attack like nothing, and can KO Rayquaza due to its superior speed. Keep in mind I'm running Haban Berry Palkia, so I can afford to switch into a Dragon attack if I get out-predicted.
--------------------------------
Turn 6
Trollol97 called Skarmory back!
Trollol97 sent out Palkia!
Pointed stones dug into Palkia!
Palkia is exerting its pressure!
The foe's Rayquaza used Overheat!
It's not very effective... Palkia lost 13% of its health!
The foe's Rayquaza's Special Attack harshly fell!
The foe's Rayquaza lost some of its HP!
I don't always predict, but when I do, I'm pretty much spot-on. Now, this thing is all yours, Palkia.
--------------------------------
Turn 7
raserious called Rayquaza back!
raserious sent out Genesect!
Pointed stones dug into the foe's Genesect!
The foe's Genesect's Download raised its Attack!
Palkia used Spacial Rend!
It's not very effective... The foe's Genesect lost 36% of its health!
As I said, I don't always predict. This should have been fairly obvious, as Ray isn't supposed to stay in on Palkia. Still, it did more than I expected (most probably because it is Naive) and every bit of damage on this thing helps.
The question is, what do I do next? I can send in Dialga or Reshi to take the U-turn, but switching on a U-turn is like serving the momentum to your opponent in a dish, and Palkia won't like a boosted U-turn to the face (does ~50% iirc). But wait a sec. I just realized that I can use the fact that I'm slower to my advantage. Genesect's going to U-turn. If I stay in, the opponent will see I'm slower, and will probably think I'm a non-Scarfed/Choiced Palkia. This means that if I'm staying in, I'm trying to nail that metal bug with Fire Blast, so my opponent will hopefully send out Kyogre on a predicted Fire Blast, and I can hit it hard on the switch instead.
When I think this hard is when things go wrong, so I decide to keep it simple and just go for Spacial Rend, though I do see Kyogre coming (and going from what I've seen, most Kyogre just manage to survive a Thunder even after SR, so it's a 2HKO either way).
--------------------------------
Turn 8
RINGO MOGIRE BEAM joined.
RINGO MOGIRE BEAM: r a s e r i o u s
The foe's Genesect used U-turn!
Palkia lost 44% of its health!
raserious: y
raserious called Genesect back!
raserious sent out Kyogre!
Pointed stones dug into the foe's Kyogre!
The foe's Kyogre's Drizzle made it rain!
Palkia used Spacial Rend!
The foe's Kyogre lost 44% of its health!
Good.. Kyogre comes in, and takes a decent chunk from Spacial Rend. Now, I just have to finish this thing off with Thunder, and I get one step closer to implement my strategy with Reshi.
--------------------------------
Turn 9
RINGO MOGIRE BEAM: y so
RINGO MOGIRE BEAM: r a s e r i o u s
The foe's Kyogre used Thunder!
Palkia lost 31% of its health!
Palkia fainted!
raserious: :OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
RINGO MOGIRE BEAM: :O:
Score - Trollol97 5-6 raserious
I admit this is one of my weaknesses, which is why I've never reached, say top 10 on the ladder. I fail to take note of little things, and pay for it afterwards. No Lefties and Spacial Rend doing 40%+ suggests this is probably a choiced Ogre. The better move would've been to switch to Dialga, to see how much damage it does, so I can find out whether it's Scarf or Specs. But no, down goes my Palkia and most likely Reshi's sweep. I decide to go to Dialga to finish off this thing, but trust me guys, I accidentally clicked Deo-A.*
Trollol97 sent out Deoxys-Attack!
Pointed stones dug into Deoxys-Attack!
Deoxys-Attack is exerting its pressure!
--------------------------------
Turn 10
Trollol97 called Deoxys-Attack back!
Trollol97 sent out Dialga!
Pointed stones dug into Dialga!
Dialga is exerting its pressure!
The foe's Kyogre used Thunder!
It's not very effective... Dialga lost 25% of its health!
Dialga was paralyzed! It may be unable to move!
And I'm made to pay for that misclick by having my Dialga paralyzed. Not that it matters, as this is a Quiet Expert Belt mixed one. I chose it over Naughty/Lonely LO to preserve its bulk, and with a Quiet nature, he can't even tie with uninvested base 90s, so the paralysis doesn't matter. Now, the good part is that something is going to take a Draco Meteor in the face.
--------------------------------
Turn 11
raserious called Kyogre back!
raserious sent out Darkrai!
Pointed stones dug into the foe's Darkrai!
Dialga is paralyzed! It can't move!
Not quite, thanks to this stupid paralysis. Also, Im not sure why would someone want to directly switch Darkrai into Dialga, but he gets away with it. Never mind, I still have Brick Break, Dialga can still probably get the first KO for my team here.
--------------------------------
Turn 12
The foe's Darkrai used Focus Blast!
The attack of the foe's Darkrai missed!
Dialga used Brick Break!
It's super effective! The foe's Darkrai lost 75% of its health!
The foe's Darkrai fainted!
Score - Trollol97 5-5 raserious
raserious sent out Groudon!
Pointed stones dug into the foe's Groudon!
The foe's Groudon's Drought intensified the sun's rays!
And before going down, Darkrai manages to miss his third Focus Blast in a row. I got my first KO, but right now I'm in an odd situation. I really don't want anything to take an Earthquake right now. I can go to Skarmory on the EQ, then to Reshiram to take a possible Fire Punch, but what if I end up switching Reshi into Dragon Tail/Stone Edge? I know Reshi isnt going to sweep his team now, but STAB LO Draco Meteor will hurt anything and everything, so I might get another KO with it. Doesn't seem like a really good trade off. Dialga isn't doing anything to raserious's team either so I might as well let him go. Sorry Dialga, but at least you took out Darkrai, so well done.
--------------------------------
Turn 13
The foe's Groudon used Earthquake!
It's super effective! Dialga lost 69% of its health!
Dialga fainted!
The foe's Groudon restored HP using its Leftovers!
Score - Trollol97 4-5 raserious
Down goes Dialga, but now seems like a good time for Reshi to come in. Though I do see Kyogre coming in again, but I feel this is my only opportunity to use Reshi, he isn't that good towards the absolute end. In other words, it's now or never.
Trollol97 sent out Reshiram!
Pointed stones dug into Reshiram!
Reshiram is radiating a blazing aura!
--------------------------------
Turn 14
raserious called Groudon back!
raserious sent out Kyogre!
Pointed stones dug into the foe's Kyogre!
The foe's Kyogre's Drizzle made it rain!
Reshiram used Blue Flare!
It's not very effective... The foe's Kyogre lost 19% of its health!
Reshiram lost some of its HP!
As expected, the stupid blue whale comes in and takes away Reshi's precious sunshine. I just realized Tailwind would've been a pretty good move, but I couldn't risk setting up on Groudon, as some of them have a habit of staying in on Reshi. The good thing is that now Ogre is at least in the KO range of Deo-A.
Wait, Deo-A? I believe it was at this point I realized Deo-A is my real chance of winning this game. Though it should be fairly obvious, as Deo-A and Darkrai are supposed to be my late game sweepers, and all my other attackers are out, but still, with Genesect alive, Darkrai doesn't stand a chance.
--------------------------------
Turn 15
The foe's Kyogre used Surf!
Reshiram lost 65% of its health!
Reshiram fainted!
Score - Trollol97 3-5 raserious
As with Groudon, I didn't want anything to switch into Ogre's Surf right now, so sacking Reshi was the only option. Now, it's time to rethink my strategy, and how am I supposed to sweep with Deo-A. Kyogre is as good as dead. Groudon will get slaughtered by Psycho Boost. Upon the next switch in, Ray will come down to below 50%, and since he's frail as fuck (by Uber standards) he's the last thing to worry about right now. Genesect is pretty weakened, so SR + ESpeed might do the job. The real threat is Arceus, but I still have Skarmory at like 85%, maybe I can hold it back. Ok, things aren't as bad as they seem, and right now it's time to finish this Kyogre once and for all.
Trollol97 sent out Deoxys-Attack!
Pointed stones dug into Deoxys-Attack!
Deoxys-Attack is exerting its pressure!
--------------------------------
Turn 16
Deoxys-Attack used ExtremeSpeed!
The foe's Kyogre lost 12% of its health!
Deoxys-Attack lost some of its HP!
The foe's Kyogre fainted!
Score - Trollol97 3-4 raserious
raserious sent out Genesect!
Pointed stones dug into the foe's Genesect!
The foe's Genesect's Download raised its Attack!
In comes Genesect. Suddenly, I start feeling I don't want to risk going for ESpeed, as if it doesn't KO, Deo-A dies and I lose. I'm really relying on him, because he has ESpeed, which gives it a chance against Genesect (and maybe Rayquaza, it might also have ESpeed) unlike Darkrai who is outright OHKOed by U-Turn. Screw EKiller, Skarmory is my only Poke to go to at this point.
--------------------------------
Turn 17
Trollol97 called Deoxys-Attack back!
Trollol97 sent out Skarmory!
Pointed stones dug into Skarmory!
The foe's Genesect used Thunder!
It's super effective! Skarmory lost 74% of its health!
Skarmory fainted!
RINGO MOGIRE BEAM: smrt
Score - Trollol97 2-4 raserious
Well played by my opponent, I should say. He saw Skarmory coming, and fried that poor bird with Thunder. Now, Darkrai is my last hope before Deo-A comes in for the final sweep (Deo-A cant take a Thunder anyways).
Trollol97 sent out Darkrai!
Pointed stones dug into Darkrai!
Now, it's time to analyze one final time, what Darkrai has to do, as I quite literally have only one shot at the sweep with Deoxys, and I want to bring him in at the best possible time. Right now, my opponent has two Pokes that really threaten me - Arceus and Genesect. Darkrai and Deo-A aren't the best Pokes if you want to go head to head against the EKiller, enough said. Genesect out speeds and OHKOs both with U-turn, so the only thing I can use to my advantage right now is that Genesect's locked into Thunder, and unless my opponent is trying for paralysis or wants his Genesect to be put to sleep, he will most probably switch.
--------------------------------
Turn 18
raserious called Genesect back!
raserious sent out Groudon!
Pointed stones dug into the foe's Groudon!
The foe's Groudon's Drought intensified the sun's rays!
Darkrai used Dark Void!
The foe's Groudon fell asleep!
Darkrai restored HP using its Leftovers!
The foe's Groudon restored HP using its Leftovers!
The foe's Groudon is tormented!
After the battle, I calc'ed and found out Genesect's unboosted Thunder does 48%-56% to Darkrai. I believe my opponent was aware of that, and wanted to save it for later, so he switched to his sleep fodder, Groudon. Now, I just have to Sub to see what he does next.
--------------------------------
Turn 19
raserious called Groudon back!
raserious sent out Arceus!
Pointed stones dug into the foe's Arceus!
Darkrai used Substitute!
Darkrai put in a substitute!
Darkrai lost 25% of its health!
Darkrai restored HP using its Leftovers!
Alright, the time has arrived. This is where Darkrai really needs to pull off his weight, but can he do it against the mighty EKiller? Believe me or not, Darkrai is very much capable of beating EKiller one-on-one, but since I cant put him to sleep right now, I might lose this matchup. However, if hax doesn't rear it's ugly face anymore, I feel I have a pretty good chance of winning this battle.
--------------------------------
Turn 20
The foe's Arceus used ExtremeSpeed!
Darkrai's substitute faded!
Darkrai used Nasty Plot!
Darkrai's Special Attack sharply rose!
Darkrai restored HP using its Leftovers!
It comes at Darkrai to smash his Sub with ESpeed, exactly what you expect from EKiller. Now here's the real thing - all I have to do now is hit that thing with a +2 Dark Pulse. Frankly speaking I'm not sure why I just didn't Dark Pulse this thing, because if I'm not wrong, two Dark Pulses= one +2 Dark Pulse, and if I hit two times, the odds of getting a crit are slightly higher. Anyways,my previous experiences tell me Darkrai takes approx. 75% from Adamant Silk Scarf EKiller's ESpeed, so I should be able to take the hit and get a Dark Pulse off which puts Arceus in the KO range of Deo-A, and the rest of his team in sweeping range. The only thing that could screw me over here is a crit, but hax is hax.
--------------------------------
Turn 21
The foe's Arceus used ExtremeSpeed!
Darkrai lost 73% of its health!
Darkrai used Dark Pulse!
The foe's Arceus lost 56% of its health!
Darkrai restored HP using its Leftovers!
We love you Darkrai. You didn't net any KOs, but at least took that ESpeed and weakened Arceus. Though I might be overcalculating with Deo-A, but he's my only chance right now, so no point thinking about it. Even if Darkrai is KOed, I feel that the game is pretty much in my hands.
--------------------------------
Turn 22
The foe's Arceus used ExtremeSpeed!
Darkrai lost 14% of its health!
Darkrai fainted!
Score -Trollol97 1-4 raserious
Yep, you did well. Almost everyone did well. But it all comes down to this. Alright Deo-A, show them what is the meaning of having the highest attacking stats in the game.
Trollol97 sent out Deoxys-Attack!
Pointed stones dug into Deoxys-Attack!
Deoxys-Attack is exerting its pressure!
--------------------------------
Turn 23
RINGO MOGIRE BEAM: raserious could lose!!!!!
Deoxys-Attack used ExtremeSpeed!
The foe's Arceus lost 19% of its health!
Deoxys-Attack lost some of its HP!
The foe's Arceus fainted!
Score Trollol97 1-3 raserious
One down, three to go.
raserious sent out Rayquaza!
Pointed stones dug into the foe's Rayquaza!
The effects of weather disappeared. (placeholder)
--------------------------------
Turn 24
Deoxys-Attack used ExtremeSpeed!
The foe's Rayquaza lost 40% of its health!
Deoxys-Attack lost some of its HP!
The foe's Rayquaza fainted!
Score Trollol97 1-2 raserious
Another one down. Good going till now, Deo-A is halfway there.
raserious sent out Genesect!
Pointed stones dug into the foe's Genesect!
The foe's Genesect's Download raised its Attack!
--------------------------------
Turn 25
RINGO MOGIRE BEAM: :O
raserious: gg
Deoxys-Attack used ExtremeSpeed!
It's not very effective... The foe's Genesect lost 27% of its health!
Deoxys-Attack lost some of its HP!
The foe's Genesect fainted!
Score Trollol97 1-1 raserious
Genesect's the only Poke that could have saved him, as he outspeeds me and resistant to ESpeed, but the fact that he switched into Palkia's Spacial Rend earlier on proved to be really handy right now.
raserious sent out Groudon!
Pointed stones dug into the foe's Groudon!
In comes poor Groudon, who still hasn't recovered from Darkrai's Dark Void. It doesn't matter though, now is the time Deoxys puts the curtains on what has been one of my more interesting battles lately.
PSYCHO BOOOOOST !!!!!!!!
--------------------------------
Turn 26
RINGO MOGIRE BEAM: x_x
Deoxys-Attack used Psycho Boost!
The foe's Groudon lost 81% of its health!
Deoxys-Attack's Special Attack harshly fell!
Deoxys-Attack lost some of its HP!
The foe's Groudon fainted!
Score - Trollol97 1-0 raserious
Trollol97 won the battle!
Trollol97: gg
Props-
> Deoxys-A, for taking out 5/6th of raserious's team
> Kyogre, the real villain who KOed Palkia, Reshiram and screwed Dialga
Slops-
> My Reshiram, for staying alive for only two turns
> raserious's Rayquaza, for doing next to nothing
> raserious's Darkrai, for missing three Focus Blasts in a row
M.V.P. - Deoxys-A
Really. No doubt about this one. He was the real game saver here. I remember earlier, when I had Mewtwo on this team instead, and I'm pretty sure with Mewtwo I would have lost. Actually, Deoxys's EV spread was the thing that decided that match. How? I would really like to share my Deo-A EV spread, and ask you all to try it out, which is 56 Attk/216 SpAttk/236 Spe Lonely (with Life Orb, of course). This spread gives you 450 Special Attack with 451 Attack, with enough speed to outrun the fastest offensive threat - Mewtwo. Those EVs aren't to OHKO/2HKO anything specific, but it gives ESpeed and Superpower a real kick, and this battle was an example of how it can win you a game. Why it decided the game is because after the battle, I discovered that with the standard 252 SpAttk/4 Attk spread, ESpeed does 23-27% to Genesect, and if you look at Turn 25, there was a good chance Genesect would've survived the hit and KOed with U-turn, but it didn't happen.
So yes, that ends my first Warstory on Smogon. Please let me know if I made any mistakes I can improve upon in future warstories.
I hope you enjoyed it.
-Salamence97
