Misplays, plays, and a bag of Tricks: 2012 May Friendly WiFi Tournament Warstory!

Hey guys! Here's my second warstory, my first one, well being quite mediocre, so I do hope this one will be a slight improvement over that!

Coming to the battle, it was probably one of the most intense battles of the 2012 Spring Friendly WiFi tournament for me. My opponent was quite a worthy match, having a rating of 1728 when I battled him (compared to my 1665). While I'm alright at double battles, EV train, and RNG, I'm definitely not World Champion material.

But my, how did that that change with this battle.

(DRUMROLL!!!)


My team:


Start of turn 0
Nic sent out Gengar (level 50 Gengar).
Nic sent out Suicune (level 50 Suicune).
Andy sent out Cresselia (level 50 Cresselia).
Andy sent out Amoonguss (level 50 Amoonguss).

While my leads might be highly unorthodox, let me tell you, they are highly effective. If Gengar needs a little bit of Speed to outspeed stuff like Jolteon, Suicune has the bulk to take a Thunderbolt, and set up Tailwind while Gengar Protects.

His leads look in a few words, very bulky. RagePowder Amoonguss is pretty much a standard set, and I don't see why this one won't have RagePowder. Cresselia has so many random sets in VGC, I honestly don't know what to expect.


Start of turn 1
Nic's Gengar used Protect.
Nic's Suicune used Tailwind.
It raised its allies' speed!
Andy's Amoonguss used Giga Drain on Suicune.
It's super effective against Suicune.
Suicune lost 60 HP (29%).
205 → 145
Suicune's health is drained! Amoonguss regained 30 HP.
Andy's Cresselia used Trick Room.
Cresselia twisted the dimensions!
145 → 157
Suicune restored some HP using its Leftovers.

O
M
G

What have I done? It's bad enough going against a high ranked opponent without knowing his plan of attack, but doing something totally useless is probably scaling the heights of stupidity.

I don't know what cue this team didn't tell me about being a Trick Room team. My opponent has got a huge advantage already, I can't afford to make any more misplays now.

My Suicune isn't going to last long, as I'm going last as it is, and Giga Drain's gonna KO Suicune eventually.


Start of turn 2
Andy replaced Cresselia with Rhyperior (level 50 Rhyperior).
Andy's Amoonguss used Spore on Suicune.
Suicune is asleep!
Suicune is fast asleep.
Nic's Gengar used Shadow Ball on Rhyperior.
Rhyperior lost 148 HP (66%).
222 → 74
157 → 169
Suicune restored some HP using its Leftovers.

Well, the switch wasn't exactly expected.
Given this is a doubles match, either my opponent just had dumb luck to get his rating with plays like that, or he's a mind-reading genius. I'm not sure whether he's the latter or former though!

Then again, it makes perfect sense to get Cressy away from Gengar's imminent Shadow Balls. Suicune getting put to bed really isn't nice, since it's always the defensive mainstay of my doubles team. And, it can really kick Rhyperior's stony ass. Nevertheless, Gengar takes quite a chunk out of Rhyperior, though I need to be wary of more sleep.


Start of turn 3
Nic's Gengar used Protect.
Andy's Amoonguss used Spore on Gengar.
Gengar protected itself!
Andy's Rhyperior used Rock Slide.
Gengar protected itself!
Suicune lost 74 HP (36%).
169 → 95
Rhyperior lost some HP because of its Life Orb.
74 → 52
95 → 107
Suicune restored some HP using its Leftovers.

Gengar had to be Protected form Rhyperior's rain of stones this turn. Having two Pokemon put to sleep would've definitely ended the battle for me, so this was pretty explanatory. Suicune continues to doze away. >_<


Although, wasting Trick Room is awesome.


Start of turn 4
Nic replaced Gengar with Gliscor (level 50 Gliscor).
Andy's Amoonguss used Giga Drain on Suicune.
It's super effective against Suicune.
Suicune lost 62 HP (30%).
107 → 45
Suicune's health is drained! Amoonguss regained 31 HP.
Andy's Rhyperior used Rock Slide.
Gliscor lost 56 HP (30%).
182 → 126
Suicune lost 70 HP (34%).
45 → 0
Suicune fainted!
Rhyperior lost some HP because of its Life Orb.
52 → 30
Suicune was trying to use Scald.
Gliscor is badly poisoned!
Nic replaced Suicune with Gengar (level 50 Gengar).
The tailwind on Nic's team petered out!


Yeah, I totally went against multi-Pokemon philosophy there.

While switching is is risky in VGC, here I felt makes sense since I can NOT lose Gengar at this stage. Gliscor can take pretty much anything Rhyperior can throw at it, maybe barring an Ice Punch.

Too bad that switch didn't even last a turn >_<. Suicune's demise means that this battle will be a lot harder to win now. The good news is that Gliscor is immune to Spore thanks to Poison Heal and that, I just need to waste one more turn of Trick Room.


Start of turn 5
Andy replaced Rhyperior with Cresselia (level 50 Cresselia).
Nic's Gliscor used Protect.
Nic's Gengar used Protect.
Andy's Amoonguss used Spore on Gengar.
Gengar protected itself!
Gliscor is healed by poison.
126 → 148
The twisted dimensions returned to normal.

Trick Room's coming back soon. Otherwise, my opponent definitely doesn't have a good reason to switch. The double Protect was entirely needed to avoid any more KOs now. All that I know is that next turn I can get in some damage to get my act together.

Start of turn 6
Andy's Amoonguss used Rage Powder.
Amoonguss's becomes the target of Gengar's move.
Nic's Gengar used Shadow Ball on Amoonguss.
Amoonguss lost 61 HP (27%).
221 → 160
Amoonguss's becomes the target of Gliscor's move.
Nic's Gliscor used Earthquake.
Gengar is unaffected.
Gliscor's attack has no effect on Gengar
Cresselia is unaffected.
Gliscor's attack has no effect on Cresselia
Amoonguss lost 67 HP (30%).
160 → 93
Andy's Cresselia used Trick Room.
Cresselia twisted the dimensions!
93 → 106
Amoonguss restored some HP using its Black Sludge.
Gliscor is healed by poison.
148 → 170

Not for the first time, that I do feel that RagePowder is ULTIMATELY broken. Amoonguss can eat Shadow Balls for three meals a day, and Earthquake is barely doing more than a quarter to it.

Ugh. Now I have to stall him out of Trick Room again. I still have Virizion in my party, should the need arise.


Start of turn 7
Andy replaced Amoonguss with Eelektross (level 50 Eelektross).
Andy's Cresselia used Protect.
Nic's Gliscor used Ice Fang on Eelektross.
Eelektross lost 42 HP (26%).
161 → 119
Nic's Gengar used Shadow Ball on Cresselia.
Cresselia protected itself!
Gliscor is healed by poison.
170 → 182

With all these switches, it makes me wonder how differently this match would have played out with entry hazards; totally unseen in doubles.
I luckily predict him to switch and get some initial damage on his Eelektross.

Cresselia is becoming quite a pain to kill, between Trick Room, Protect, move A, and move B.


Come to think of it, my position isn't that bad, barring Suicune's loss. Gengar's pretty much intact, and Gliscor's back to full HP. I'm still in stormy weather, so I need to play it easily for the next few turns.


Start of turn 8
Nic's Gliscor used Protect.
Andy's Eelektross used Hidden Power on Gliscor.
Gliscor protected itself!
Andy's Cresselia used Psychic on Gliscor.
Gliscor protected itself!
Nic's Gengar used Shadow Ball on Cresselia.
It's super effective against Cresselia.
Cresselia lost 132 HP (60%).
218 → 86
86 → 99
Cresselia restored some HP using its Leftovers.
Gliscor is healed by poison.

HP Ice is a standard move on Eelektross. It's always a good idea to scout out a move (and to stall Trick Room) before making my next one.

Gengar's Shadow Ball smashes the Lunar Pokemon for a hefty amount damage. (Expert Belt :D) Knowing that 2HKOing Cresselia is a possibility, I just need to keep Gengar alive for the remainder of the battle (much easier said than done with its defenses).


Start of turn 9
Nic replaced Gliscor with Virizion (level 50 Virizion).
Andy's Cresselia used Protect.
Andy's Eelektross used Hidden Power on Virizion.
It's super effective against Virizion.
Virizion lost 64 HP (38%).
167 → 103
Nic's Gengar used Shadow Ball on Cresselia.
Cresselia protected itself!
99 → 112
Cresselia restored some HP using its Leftovers.

Haha! Total surprise there for my opponent. It was EXTREMELY risky to switch-in Virizion into a super-effective move, but, it only lost 38% of its HP in the process. The next turn only needs me to stall out Trick Room, so I can get back to fast-paced hitting.

Start of turn 10
Nic's Virizion used Protect.
Nic's Gengar used Protect.
Andy's Eelektross used Wild Charge on Gengar.
Gengar protected itself!
Andy's Cresselia used Psychic on Gengar.
Gengar protected itself!
112 → 125
Cresselia restored some HP using its Leftovers.
The twisted dimensions returned to normal.

Actually, stalling this round of Trick Room was done easier than said.
While there were risks involved, only, well, the deceased Paul the Octopus could've out-predicted me there.

Yup, that's right Trick Room's done and dusted. Cresselia having Psychic really worries me, I just hope it doesn't have SpA investment.

And still, it could be worse, if it knows Ice Beam too.

Start of turn 11
Andy's Cresselia used Protect.
Nic's Gengar used Shadow Ball on Cresselia.
Cresselia protected itself!
Nic's Virizion used Close Combat on Eelektross.
The power of Close Combat is increased by Virizion's Fighting Gem
Eelektross lost 184 HP (114%).
119 → 0
Eelektross fainted!
Virizion's Defense fell!
Virizion's Sp. Defense fell!
Eelektross was trying to use Acrobatics.
125 → 138
Cresselia restored some HP using its Leftovers.
Andy replaced Eelektross with Amoonguss (level 50 Amoonguss).

Brilliant. Everything goes out as planned, and although not being able to KO Cresselia is a drawback, taking out Eelektross means that I can get Gliscor back in the game to win me the game.

Start of turn 12
Andy's Amoonguss used Rage Powder.
Amoonguss's becomes the target of Gengar's move.
Nic's Gengar used Shadow Ball on Amoonguss.
Amoonguss lost 60 HP (27%).
106 → 46
Amoonguss's becomes the target of Virizion's move.
Nic's Virizion used Close Combat on Amoonguss.
It's not very effective against Amoonguss.
Amoonguss lost 62 HP (28%).
46 → 0
Amoonguss fainted!
Virizion's Defense fell!
Virizion's Sp. Defense fell!
Amoonguss's Effect Spore Paralyzed Virizion!
Andy's Cresselia used Trick Room.
Cresselia twisted the dimensions!
138 → 151
Cresselia restored some HP using its Leftovers.
Andy replaced Amoonguss with Rhyperior (level 50 Rhyperior).

RagePowder makes me want to RageQuit. Leaving aside the terrible pun, this guy knows that losing Trick Room is as good as losing the battle. I feel pretty bummed, but slaughtering mushrooms feels so good.

And, to leave its finishing touch to it's pugnacious exterior, Amoonguss leaves it's final blow: paralyzing Virizion.


Start of turn 13
Nic's Gengar used Protect.
Virizion used Leaf Blade.
It's super effective against Rhyperior.
Rhyperior lost 30 HP (14%).
30 → 0
Rhyperior fainted!
Andy's Cresselia used Psychic on Virizion.
It's super effective against Virizion.
Virizion lost 103 HP (62%).
103 → 0
Virizion fainted!
Rhyperior was trying to use Rock Slide.
151 → 164
Cresselia restored some HP using its Leftovers.
Nic replaced Virizion with Gliscor (level 50 Gliscor).

I only have one thing to say about the first play:


LOL.


Getting paralyzed actually worked in my favor! For some weird reason, that Rhyperior is running higher than min speed to outspeed paralyzed max speed Jolly Virizion.


While I would've never imagined it from the first turn, this battle has totally shifted the balance. The smell of victory flirts with my nostrils, but it's still not guaranteed.


Anyway, Comrade Virizion goes, after superbly dishing out a few KOs. Who says Virizion isn't capable of a sweep?


Start of turn 14
Andy's Cresselia used Psychic on Gengar.
It's super effective against Gengar.
Gengar lost 120 HP (96%).
125 → 5
Nic's Gliscor used Rock Slide on Cresselia.
Cresselia lost 20 HP (10%)
164 → 144
Nic's Gengar used Shadow Ball on Cresselia.
It's super effective against Cresselia.
Cresselia lost 137 HP (63%)
144 → 7
7 → 20
Cresselia restored some HP using its Leftovers.
Gliscor is healed by poison.

Woah woah.


Minmax damage could've made a HUGE difference here. It's really lucky to have Gengar survive Psychic like that, and a little unlucky to not have killed it immediately. Had Gengar died, Gliscor would've had a really tough time surviving all those Psychics.


Anyway, let's see if my superior opponent can defend his rating.


Start of turn 15
Nic's Gengar used Protect.
Andy's Cresselia used Psychic on Gliscor.
Gliscor lost 54 HP (29%).
182 → 128
Nic's Gliscor used Ice Fang on Cresselia.
Cresselia lost 25 HP (11%).
20 → 0

WIN

2-0


My competitor finally reads my mind. However, the telepathy came too late for him to get through this battle.

On the whole, I feel it was one of the best battle throughout the tournament, needing lots of predictions even switches to oust a win. The misplays at the beginning were unfortunate, but getting that win definitely reinstated my confidence in my double battling abilities.

(Seriously, at the end of it, my hands were shaking from the excitement and heat of the match)

To finish off:

Props:
Virizion; screwing everything one-by-one
Gengar; the first time she's (yeah it's female -_-) ever survived from the first to last turn
Stalling Trick Room :D
My opponent's Cresselia; my word, what a team supporter. Nearly stole the game from me.
Getting victory from certain defeat


Slops:

Awful misplay with Suicune, the Sleep hax nearly stole the game from me


Hope you guys enjoyed it!

Comment, criticize, and praise!

 
Awesome!
As a new member to this fourm, these are AMAZING, not only for the entertainment value, but from learning and seeing how other trainers act/think/battle. I liked your writing style, found it making me really get into it.

Thanks for sharing!
 
He was definitely running some SpA on Cresselia. Standard Cress does ~75% to Gengar. I assume Rhyperior either had some speed IVs or was Adamant natured which helps explain why you outspeed it, or that para really slowed you down.
 
Actually, the battle video data indicates that he was using a Cresselia with Quiet nature (+SpA). You might also want to note that my Gengar has imperfect IVs (though it has perfect Speed). Thanks for commenting, though!
 

Biosci

Danger!?
is a Tiering Contributoris a Community Contributor Alumnusis a Contributor Alumnuswon the 3rd Smogon VGC Tournamentis a Past SCL Champion
You make it sound like switching is a horrible thing to do in vgc/doubles, when in actuality it's not. A lot of the matches in the finals/semi-finals had tons of switching to try and get the type advantage for the next turn or keep the mon safe from it could've been hit by.

Good read overall, had a few battles today that I did the same mistake you did with Tailwind and Suicune. Didn't necessarily cost me the match, but I did feel very dumb after those turns...

Also nice job taking advantage of the new vsplayer for warstories!
 
Thanks Biosci! I'm sorry if it sounded like I totally despised switching, I didn't mean that. >.> I don't play much VGC style battling, so I dunno much about what actually happens in tournaments.

Yeah, thanks, I did us the vsplayer! Although, it screwed up the last few turns, so I had to create my own version of that.
 

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