Never say NeverUsed:
A Warstory
A Warstory
So I was playing around on Pokemon Online because it's kind of cool and has Tournaments in which I can boost my ego by beating noobs. Anyway, one day me and Ice-eyes happened to be on at the same time as an NU Tourny. I've played Ice-eyes like 3-4 times before, and I know his team. To make this Warstory similar to what the conditions actually were, I'll list both teams in the beginning.
Heysup's Team:
Ice-eyes' Team:
As you can see, no one really has an advantage. He has no Sharpedo switch-in, and I'm very weak to Scarf Primeape.
My (Heysup's) commentary is in Green.
Ice-eyes has written his commentary in Black.
Heysup's Team:
Ice-eyes' Team:
As you can see, no one really has an advantage. He has no Sharpedo switch-in, and I'm very weak to Scarf Primeape.
My (Heysup's) commentary is in Green.
Ice-eyes has written his commentary in Black.
Battle between Ice-eyes and Heysup [NU] started!
Tier: NeverUsed
Variation: +25, -44
Rule: Rated
Rule: Sleep Clause
Rule: Freeze Clause
Rule: Evasion Clause
Rule: OHKO Clause
Rule: Species Clause
Heysup [NU] sent out Gligar!
Ice-eyes sent out Medicham!
From experience I know he runs Fake Out + 3 Attacks including Ice Punch. I would switch out to Haunter, but again, he knows that I have Haunter to switch to. I decide to play it safe and stay in. Worst case scenario: I get Fake Out flinched and set up Stealth Rock after.
Aware his Gligar is faster, I'm not going to take any chances - while I know he has pokemon I really don't want getting in on a Fake Out, I really need to seize the initiative early on and force the pace of the battle for my team to succeed.
Start of turn 1
The foe's Medicham used Fake Out!
Gligar lost 74 HP! (27% of its health)
Gligar flinched!
Gligar - 73%
Medicham - 90%
Whatever shit. I'm going to get Stealth Rock up on the field because I know Ice-eyes has a Primape in the wings and it likes to U-turn all over the place because my team is generally weak to that. There's also the possibility that he thinks I'll Earthquake as well.
I suspect Heysup is going to go for Rocks here - he has done so in our previous encounters and he knows how crucial they are. Sadly, I have no better option than to go for the kill with Ice Punch - I know EQ won't KO, and Ice Punch will still do decent damage to his Haunter if it comes in.
Start of turn 2
Gligar used Stealth Rock!
Pointed stones float in the air around Ice-eyes's team!
The foe's Medicham used Ice Punch!
It's super effective!
Gligar lost 198 HP! (72% of its health)
Gligar fainted!
5 - 6
Not a great start. However now I get to almost assuredly get a KO with Sharpedo.
That turn goes as planned - sadly, I get the feeling that things are going to go downhill from here.
Heysup [NU] sent out Sharpedo!
Sharpedo is probably my MVP. It comes in on anything slower (which is a lot with its base 95 Spe). He almost assuredly has to sacrifice something. I'll open with my strongest attack: Crunch.
In our previous battles, Heysup has been alternating between Crunch and Hydro Pump from this situation. I'm not sure which one he'll use, but I don't think it even matters - Primeape, my best shot at revenging it, dies to Crunch + Aqua Jet. Therefore, I'm going to send in Exeggutor - if he Crunches and it dies, it doesn't matter too much, because it isn't that great against his team.
Start of turn 3
Ice-eyes called Medicham back!
Ice-eyes sent out Exeggutor!
Pointed stones dug into the foe's Exeggutor!
Sharpedo used Crunch!
It's super effective!
The foe's Exeggutor lost 87% of its health!
The foe's Exeggutor fainted!
5 - 5
Sharpedo - 90%
Exeggutor - 0%
As I pointed out, he almost has no choice.
Yeah, he goes for Crunch. Primeape is going to come in here - I don't really have any other viable options.
Ice-eyes sent out Primeape!
Pointed stones dug into the foe's Primeape!
Sharpedo - 90%
Primeape - ~94%.
One of the interesting aspects about playing someone who's team you know is that you know which Pokemon the opponent has a hard time dealing with. His Primeape, and my Sharpedo. I'm not going to risk sacrificing Sharpedo, he's likely going to U-turn for the off chance that I'll stay in and Hydro Pump, so I'll go to my Scarf Magneton.
This is the kind of brainless situation I love maneuvering myself into - I can click U-Turn knowing that if he stays to Aqua Jet he'll die, while a switch will just give me extra momentum. My Primeape, incidentally, is Scarfed, and it's a fantastic revenge-killer and cleaner.
Start of turn 4
Heysup [NU] called Sharpedo back!
Heysup [NU] sent out Magneton!
The foe's Primeape used U-turn!
It's not very effective...
Magneton lost 42 HP! (17% of its health)
Ice-eyes called Primeape back!
Ice-eyes sent out Gligar!
Pointed stones dug into the foe's Gligar!
The foe's Gligar restored a little HP using its Leftovers!
Magneton - 83%
Gligar - ~94%
Magneton actually 2HKOes Gligar with Flash Cannon, and I'm sure he'll attempt to set up Stealth Rock because he knows I can just switch to Haunter.
I send in Gligar for lack of alternatives against his Scarfed Magneton - Stealth Rock is up, and that means bringing in Ninetales and switching around is somewhat out of the question. He knows he 2HKOs with Flash Cannon, so he's probably going to go for that - I could set up Rocks, but instead I'm going to try to keep the tempo going my way and kill his Magneton. It sucks that I'm probably not going to get them up, but at the same time I have to try and limit the number of opportunities his Sharpedo gets - this is my best way to do so.
Start of turn 5
Magneton used Flash Cannon!
The foe's Gligar lost 65% of its health!
The foe's Gligar used Earthquake!
It's super effective!
Magneton lost 199 HP! (82% of its health)
Magneton fainted!
The foe's Gligar restored a little HP using its Leftovers!
4 - 5
Magneton - 0%
Gligar - 36%
Fuk Earthquake. However this gives me the opportunity to set up SubHaunter which will do major damage to his core.
I also prevented Stealth Rock here, which is hugely important for my team.
I kill his Magneton, fortunately - in retrospect, a Haunter switch-in could easily have ruined me. It's still coming, and Gligar can't prevent it Subbing, but at least I managed to remove his Magneton.
Heysup [NU] sent out Haunter!
I'm fairly certain all he can do is U-turn, so I'll set up my Substitute here and proceed to destroy.
There's not much I can do here. I choose to U-Turn just in case an escaped mental patient takes control of Heysup's computer and Haunter attacks.
Start of turn 6
Haunter used Substitute!
Haunter made a substitute!
The foe's Gligar used U-turn!
It's not very effective...
Haunter's substitute took the damage!
Ice-eyes called Gligar back!
Ice-eyes sent out Ninetales!
Pointed stones dug into the foe's Ninetales!
Haunter - 75% + Substitute
Ninetales - 75%
Ninetales has a fair chance of being OHKOed by Hidden Power Ground, so I'll try that.
Ninetales is my best option here - with Sharpedo waiting to Aqua Jet, and his Walrein stopping it cold, it's my best shot at a sacrifice. Its good Special Defense will probably let it take the Hidden Power Ground, too, giving me another chance to scout and keep tempo.
Start of turn 7
The foe's Ninetales used Fire Blast!
Haunter's substitute faded!
Haunter used Hidden Power!
It's super effective!
The foe's Ninetales lost 73% of its health!
Haunter - 65%
Ninetales - 2%
Barely missed the KO, but now I need to switch out. I'm unsure whether he'll risk me surviving and use Hidden Power. I think Walrein's my best bet either way, he can't even OHKO it with +2. I think he'll just Fire Blast anyway and die from Life Orb recoil. Walrein's a good Pokemon to have come out vs his Primeape too, since I can Protect to scout its...sorry... his attack.
The Walrein switch is pretty obvious - I just wish I had gotten Rocks up earlier. The extra damage on Walrein from Energy Ball - it's not a lot - doesn't really outweigh the potential for Haunter to stay in. I really need to get rid of it, so that Primeape can clean up later on.
Start of turn 8
Heysup [NU] called Haunter back!
Heysup [NU] sent out Walrein!
The foe's Ninetales used Fire Blast!
Walrein lost 82 HP! (19% of its health)
The foe's Ninetales fainted!
Walrein restored a little HP using its Leftovers!
4 - 4
Walrein - 87%
Ninetales - 0%
Ice-eyes sent out Primeape!
Pointed stones dug into the foe's Primeape!
Primeape - 88%
My obvious move is Protect here to see what attack he's going to be locked into.
That goes about as well as I was expecting - really quite badly. The score says 4-4, but I haven't got Rocks up while he has, and I'm completely unable to deal with his Sharpedo. He's likely to Protect here - I have to Close Combat, because if I U-Turn he'll just stay in. I think about Stone Edge, but the thought of an untimely miss puts me off.
Start of turn 9
Walrein used Protect!
Walrein protected itself!
The foe's Primeape used Close Combat!
Walrein protected itself!
Walrein restored a little HP using its Leftovers!
Walrein - 93%
Primeape - 88%
That sly dog tried to catch me off guard and use Close Combat! Well this is bad news for him since I get a free switch to Haunter now. He could send in Skuntank and predict, but he's risk getting put into KO range by Walrein's Surf.
I really should switch here - I can't really risk Haunter using Substitute again. I could go to Skuntank and threaten his Walrein - or most likely end up playing mind games with his Haunter. However, I end up clicking Close Combat - he knows how badly I don't want his Haunter to get a free switch-in, so I have a sneaking suspicion he might stay in.
Start of turn 10
Heysup [NU] called Walrein back!
Heysup [NU] sent out Haunter!
The foe's Primeape used Close Combat!
It had no effect!
Haunter - 65%
Primeape - 88%
Substitute and destroy!
Face, palm, have you met before? Now's a great time for the two of you to be introduced. I only have one real option here, which is to go to Skuntank. This will at the very least let me break his Sub - I might even win the one-on-one contest (getting revenged by Sharpedo, but still).
Start of turn 11
Ice-eyes called Primeape back!
Ice-eyes sent out Skuntank!
Pointed stones dug into the foe's Skuntank!
Haunter used Substitute!
Haunter made a substitute!
Haunter - 40%
Skuntank - 88%
I can possibly KO it with Hidden Power but he has a decent chance of surviving. Still, what choice do I have? If I remove Skuntank I can possibly sweep with Espeon.
That, again, went according to expectations (badly). I go for the Sucker Punch to break the Sub, knowing he runs three attacks.
Start of turn 12
The foe's Skuntank used Sucker Punch!
It's super effective!
Haunter's substitute faded!
Haunter used Hidden Power!
It's super effective!
The foe's Skuntank lost 81% of its health!
Haunter - 30%
Skuntank - 7%
Here is where Sucker Punch mind games come in. Either way, he's going to faint, but I kind of want to keep my only defense vs U-turn alive by switching out. This is probably his plan, so I'll try to Hidden Power even though I'll be come close to not being able to take U-turn by lowering my HP.
Ah, Skuntank. I love you - you check everything and grab multiple kills unless you're called on for sacrificial duties - but you do force a lot of mindgames. Sucker Punching will take him down if he goes for the KO, but at the same time if he gets another Sub it could be ruinous. In retrospect, Sub + LO recoil would have killed him, so the best move would have been to use Sucker Punch, but at that point I simply want to Pursuit. Even if he KOs, Haunter will be at 20% and unable to switch into U-Turn again.
Start of turn 13
Haunter used Hidden Power!
It's super effective!
The foe's Skuntank lost 5% of its health!
The foe's Skuntank fainted!
4 - 3
Haunter - 20%
Skuntank - 0%
Whew. My first lead too.
And he has the balls to go for a Hidden Power Ground. Fantastic.
Ice-eyes sent out Primeape!
Pointed stones dug into the foe's Primeape!
Haunter - 20%
Primeape - 81%
I'd think he'd use U-turn because he doesn't want to keep Primape in. He can't OHKO Espeon with Stone Edge either, so we'll see what he does.
Let's review my choices here. Close Combat is suicidal and out of the question, while I don't need to do the calc to tell that Haunter almost certainly won't die to U-Turn. I run Ice Punch and Stone Edge in my last two slots, and the latter is by far my best option against his remaining pokes, so I go for it.
Start of turn 14
The foe's Primeape used Stone Edge!
Haunter lost 48 HP! (20% of its health)
Haunter fainted!
3 - 3
Haunter - 0%
Primeape - 81%
Fuk Stone Edge. Now U-turn is going to be difficult to deal with. Walrein and Espeon can both take a take a Stone Edge, but Espeon will actually be able to OHKO something along the way. Walrein's surf can just be taken by Medicham and it can deal major damage to me.
Haunter goes down, which is a step closer to a Primeape sweep. I suspect he'll send in his Espeon, since neither Walrein nor Sharpedo take Stone Edge very well.
Heysup [NU] sent out Espeon!
Espeon - 100%
Primeape - 81%
It's just my luck that the one time I decide to try Specs Espeon, I would have won with Substitute. However this could work to my advantage, as he doesn't know that I've changed it (even though he suggested that I change from SubCM).
If he Subs, it's basically game over here - even if I stay in to attack, I won't do over 75%, allowing him to kill me. He can then sack something to Medicham, nullifying its Fake Out, and then proceed to clean me up. However, there's always the hope that he'll Psychic - I go to Gligar, which I still have for death fodder, hoping he will.
Start of turn 15
Ice-eyes called Primeape back!
Ice-eyes sent out Gligar!
Pointed stones dug into the foe's Gligar!
Espeon used Psychic!
The foe's Gligar lost 21% of its health!
The foe's Gligar fainted!
3 - 2
Espeon - 100%
Gligar - 0%
He chose to sacrifice Gligar - that was a good Choice. I bet he's going to send Medicham in to Fake Out so that I'm in Stone Edge Range.
I'm bringing in Primeape at this point, because once again I can just spam U-Turn.
Ice-eyes sent out Primeape!
Pointed stones dug into the foe's Primeape!
Espeon - 100%
Primeape - 75%
Oh right he has U-turn -_____-. Well I should get Espeon out of there, I don't want to risk losing right here to Primape Close Combats because I sacrificed Espeon. Walrein can easily take the U-turn but also possibly make Medicham kill itself with Protect on Hi Jump Kick.
As I said, U-Turn is by far the best option here. If he stays in, he'll take huge damage - I'm Adamant, so he might even die. If he switches to Walrein, Medicham will get the opportunity to smash some face.
Start of turn 16
Heysup [NU] called Espeon back!
Heysup [NU] sent out Walrein!
The foe's Primeape used U-turn!
Walrein lost 87 HP! (20% of its health)
Ice-eyes called Primeape back!
Ice-eyes sent out Medicham!
Pointed stones dug into the foe's Medicham!
Walrein restored a little HP using its Leftovers!
Walrein - 80%
Medicham - 74%
This prediction is crucial. He could either Fake Out, ZHB, or Hi Jump Kick. I want to Protect Hi Jump Kick, nothing else. I think he'll try to catch me off guard by opening with it.
I know he carries Protect, and my availability heuristic is telling me that I have strong and bad memories of Medicham being nailed by Protect in the past. He's extremely unlikely to bring his Sharpedo in, while Zen Headbutt will lower Espeon into Primeape's KO range. Therefore, I go for that - worse case scenario, I do serious damage to his Walrein.
Start of turn 17
Walrein used Protect!
Walrein protected itself!
The foe's Medicham used Zen Headbutt!
Walrein protected itself!
Walrein restored a little HP using its Leftovers!
Walrein - 84%
Medicham - 74%
No such luck. I have a feeling he's going to switch out to Primeape since he's afraid I'll Protect. This means I can't reliably Protect on Primeape. If my Protect fails, then he can just switch back and we're in the same scenario but I'll have to out predict him again. This is why I'm going to Surf and try to end this right now.
If he Protects again, he will only have a 50% success rate. Given that I'm walking on a knife edge, knowing that I'll have to be lucky and predict perfectly to pull this out, those are good enough odds for me. If he goes to Espeon, it will take massive damage, while Sharpedo or Walrein will be OHKOd. I could go to Primeape here on his Protect, kill something with a Close Combat and then sack Cham to spam U-Turn, but I am afraid he will Surf, ending the game here. Hi Jump Kick it is.
Start of turn 18
The foe's Medicham used Hi Jump Kick!
It's super effective!
A critical hit!
Walrein lost 356 HP! (84% of its health)
Walrein fainted!
2 - 2
Walrein - 0%
Medicham - 64%
That was an excellent prediction on his part. I still got this, I'll get rid of his Medicham with Sharpedo and possibly KO his Primeape with Rough Skin + Aqua Jet.
Excellent. Walrein is down, and I can finally see my path to victory, however unlikely. It doesn't matter what he sends in now.
Heysup [NU] sent out Sharpedo!
Sharpedo - 90%
Medicham - 64%
Sharpedo senses blood in the water. Medicham's blood. Chomp chomp chomp.
He sends in Sharpedo - my plan is to sack Medicham, then hope that Primeape can a) survive Aqua Jet and Rough Skin damage and b) OHKO Espeon with U-Turn.
Start of turn 19
Sharpedo used Crunch!
The foe's Medicham lost 64% of its health!
The foe's Medicham fainted!
2 - 1
Sharpedo - 80%
Medicham - 0%
Ice-eyes sent out Primeape!
Pointed stones dug into the foe's Primeape!
Sharpedo - 80%
Primeape - 69%
I cross my fingers and hope Aqua Jet + Rough Skin is enough to KO this monkey. Espeon has a pretty good chance of surviving U-turn, but I don't want to risk it.
Well, here goes... I'm reasonably sure Primeape will see out this turn, but it's the next and last turn of the battle - whichever way things turn out - that I'm worried about.
Start of turn 20
Sharpedo used Aqua Jet!
The foe's Primeape lost 53% of its health!
The foe's Primeape used U-turn!
It's super effective!
Sharpedo lost 197 HP! (70% of its health)
Sharpedo fainted!
Sharpedo's Rough Skin hurts the foe's Primeape
1 - 1
Sharpedo - 0%
Primape - 2%
Fffffffffffffffff. 2%.
Thankfully, I survive. This is it.
Heysup [NU] sent out Espeon!
Espeon - 100%
Primeape - 2%
I think I got this, barring crits Espeon has a good chance to survive.
It's all come down to this - can Primeape OHKO Espeon with U-Turn? Is it quite that awesome?
Ice-eyes: C'mon....
Start of turn 21
The foe's Primeape used U-turn!
It's super effective!
Heysup [NU]: gg
Espeon lost 254 HP! (93% of its health)
Espeon used Psychic!
It's super effective!
The foe's Primeape lost 2% of its health!
The foe's Primeape fainted!
1 - 0
Espeon - 6%
Primeape - 0%
Whew! Barely survived. Thank god I prevented Stealth Rock earlier in the match, otherwise I would have been fuked.
Well, that's game - by a whisker. This is the last of many outcomes which were decided by the lack of Stealth Rock on the field - this battle showed just how important it is to get it up, and prevent your opponent doing so.
Heysup [NU] won the battle!
Props
- All of my Pokemon did something important in the battle.
- Sharpedo is the shit.
- Great game :D
- I got outpredicted during Medicham vs Walrein when I could have ended it.
Sharpedo (M) @ Life Orb Trait: Rough Skin
EVs: 252 Atk / 176 Spd / 80 SAtk
Lonely Nature (+Atk, -Def)
- Aqua Jet
- Hidden Power [Grass]
- Crunch
- Hydro Pump
Sharpedo got essentially three KOes and gave me a shot at winning. Try this 'mon out!
Props
- A fantastic battle.
- Medicham and Primeape showing just how powerful Fighting-types are in NU.
- Great plays on both sides of the table, especially Heysup's.
- Sharpedo and Haunter, for completely wrecking me.
- My sloppy play allowing Haunter to come in and grab kills.
- Exeggutor, Ninetales and Skuntank for not killing anything and getting death foddered.
- My inability to get Stealth Rock up.
- Me losing. XD
Primeape (M) @ Choice Scarf Trait: Vital Spirit
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SpA)
- Close Combat
- U-Turn
- Ice Punch
- Stone Edge
