-
The moderators of this forum can be found in the CAP forum staff directory.
-
Welcome to Smogon! Take a moment to read the Introduction to Smogon for a run-down on everything Smogon, and make sure you take some time to read the global rules.
-
Congrats to the winners of the 2023 Smog Awards!
The CAP Dark Horse Competition -- September Thread
- Thread starter HeaLnDeaL
- Start date
- Status
Option two seems great to me as well, though we should probably have a time set apart for actually getting this fourth replay.
Alright, it seems that everyone prefers option 2 (I typed this up before jas posted), so the rules in the OP have been changed accordingly. Somewhere between 80-90% of time, the room has a voice+ chilling out, so I'm hoping it won't be too hard for people to get matches with them. Furthermore, I guess I'll volunteer to be a go-to guy in case no one else is willing. I will be free on almost any day after 6:30 PM Eastern Time, just send me a PM on Smogon if I'm not in the CAP room (Smogon PMs will be sent to my phone so I can have a quick response). Hopefully this will ease some worries about room authority potentially being unavailable.
Also, just some closing comments on Weavile. I don't think by any means he's bad in CAP, but his low BP moves really hinder him. He has some nifty roles he can perform with priority or pursuit trapping, but hitting hard is not his forte. That said, no one earned any points for Weavile. As a result, I think it would be a good thing to allow replays of the past candidates to be posted (just with no points given out). This way, we can learn new things from Pokemon that may not have had enough chances to get their replay action in. To start this off, here's a match I had 2 seconds ago with jas featuring Weavile (a match that also helped me see that I had a critical mistake with my huntail). http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/cap-160347429
And of course today's mon is Heracross. Though the mega isn't necessary to use, it's probably what you'll want to have if you want success at all today. He hits hard, but has some unfortunate weaknesses against Landorus, Tomohawk, and Cyclohm. However, it is a nice counter/check against Colossoil. Curious about how Heracross performs? Then test him out today and try to get some good matches in!
Also, just some closing comments on Weavile. I don't think by any means he's bad in CAP, but his low BP moves really hinder him. He has some nifty roles he can perform with priority or pursuit trapping, but hitting hard is not his forte. That said, no one earned any points for Weavile. As a result, I think it would be a good thing to allow replays of the past candidates to be posted (just with no points given out). This way, we can learn new things from Pokemon that may not have had enough chances to get their replay action in. To start this off, here's a match I had 2 seconds ago with jas featuring Weavile (a match that also helped me see that I had a critical mistake with my huntail). http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/cap-160347429
And of course today's mon is Heracross. Though the mega isn't necessary to use, it's probably what you'll want to have if you want success at all today. He hits hard, but has some unfortunate weaknesses against Landorus, Tomohawk, and Cyclohm. However, it is a nice counter/check against Colossoil. Curious about how Heracross performs? Then test him out today and try to get some good matches in!
Heracross is really awesome. It has such great power, and easily checks the super common Colossoil. Nothing likes switching into it, period. While none of my replays show Hera doing any sort of massive sweep or anything, every single one has it come in and destroy something. It creates situations where the opponent has to make a decision, knowing that something will likely die if they don't predict perfectly.
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/cap-160355365
In this fist battle, Heracross gets in cleanly on a Mollux, thanks to Volt Switch. Using Rock Blast, it proceeds to absolutely wreck what the opponent may have thought was a favorable matchup. It then goes on to blast a Krilowatt, though is stopped short from sweeping due to the unexpected Counter.
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/cap-160360247
This is the kind of case here I was talking about at the top. Heracross got a SD up against Conkeldurr, and while it was brought to low health in the process, there was absolutely nothing that could be done to avoid a KO here. Anything but Sableye would have died to the CC, and Hera packs enough power, that even if he switched in Sableye, it would not have had a chance to do much, as Pin Missile would KO even through a burn at +2. In the end he did just stay in, and Hera only got one KO, but its power made a situation that was just completely winnable for the opponent.
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/cap-160370665
Here, Heracross got to clean up the match. Without any Pokemon left that could hit it super effectively, Heracross can just sweep thought just about anything. It can't do it for too long thanks to average speed, but if there is only one or two things left, and it can't break Hera easily, Hera will be the one doing the breaking.
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/cap-160362508
Finally, in this last battle (against a HeaLnDeaL alt, so it meets the status user req), Heracross stays on cleanup duty. Now, I can't claim to know HeaL's sets, but Heracross power can easily be show by that matchup. Mega Ampharos's bulk is nothing to laugh at, but even if it has Max HP (which I assume it would on a Trick Room team), it still takes a minimum of 70% from Mega Heracross. And as for Weavile, well... I'll just drop this here:
252+ Atk Mega Heracross Close Combat vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Weavile: 1588-1872 (565.1 - 666.1%)
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/cap-160355365
In this fist battle, Heracross gets in cleanly on a Mollux, thanks to Volt Switch. Using Rock Blast, it proceeds to absolutely wreck what the opponent may have thought was a favorable matchup. It then goes on to blast a Krilowatt, though is stopped short from sweeping due to the unexpected Counter.
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/cap-160360247
This is the kind of case here I was talking about at the top. Heracross got a SD up against Conkeldurr, and while it was brought to low health in the process, there was absolutely nothing that could be done to avoid a KO here. Anything but Sableye would have died to the CC, and Hera packs enough power, that even if he switched in Sableye, it would not have had a chance to do much, as Pin Missile would KO even through a burn at +2. In the end he did just stay in, and Hera only got one KO, but its power made a situation that was just completely winnable for the opponent.
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/cap-160370665
Here, Heracross got to clean up the match. Without any Pokemon left that could hit it super effectively, Heracross can just sweep thought just about anything. It can't do it for too long thanks to average speed, but if there is only one or two things left, and it can't break Hera easily, Hera will be the one doing the breaking.
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/cap-160362508
Finally, in this last battle (against a HeaLnDeaL alt, so it meets the status user req), Heracross stays on cleanup duty. Now, I can't claim to know HeaL's sets, but Heracross power can easily be show by that matchup. Mega Ampharos's bulk is nothing to laugh at, but even if it has Max HP (which I assume it would on a Trick Room team), it still takes a minimum of 70% from Mega Heracross. And as for Weavile, well... I'll just drop this here:
252+ Atk Mega Heracross Close Combat vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Weavile: 1588-1872 (565.1 - 666.1%)
I personally would prefer to wait until the end of the month to try to rank the mons, since the tournament will give us the best data I think. Of course, in the middle of the month after the daily battle and voting stages are over, we could start trying to rank the mons who didn't make it into the tourney.
Also, I might as well just edit this in here instead of double posting. I've finally gotten my hands dirty and have some replays for Heracross.
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/cap-160437326- Voiced match versus EpicUmbreon29. Shows that MegaCross can bust through Gliscor.
And here are the ladder matches. I won't give a super specific rundown, but essential you see that Heracross likes to switch into Colossoil, but multiple switch ins take a toll. Since I opted to run bullet seed, my Hera struggled against Tomohawk, but for the most part my team was able to deal with this. Bullet seed in turn helped me against Krilowatts and Rotom-Ws.
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/cap-160392347
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/cap-160386428
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/cap-160379952
And I'm tagging Riolu and Tadasuke here for one of them to review the replays to see if they count, since it's unfair for me to review my own.
Also, I might as well just edit this in here instead of double posting. I've finally gotten my hands dirty and have some replays for Heracross.
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/cap-160437326- Voiced match versus EpicUmbreon29. Shows that MegaCross can bust through Gliscor.
And here are the ladder matches. I won't give a super specific rundown, but essential you see that Heracross likes to switch into Colossoil, but multiple switch ins take a toll. Since I opted to run bullet seed, my Hera struggled against Tomohawk, but for the most part my team was able to deal with this. Bullet seed in turn helped me against Krilowatts and Rotom-Ws.
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/cap-160392347
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/cap-160386428
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/cap-160379952
And I'm tagging Riolu and Tadasuke here for one of them to review the replays to see if they count, since it's unfair for me to review my own.
Last edited:
Zapdos
Strengths: Mainly the ability to check flyspam, as Talonflame, Cawmodore, and Mega Pinsir just cannot OHKO and they get KO'd back with Thunderbolt or Heat Wave, can check Landorus and non-Ice Beam Aurumoth using a specially defensive set, immune to paralysis, reliable recovery in Roost, access to Defog.
Weaknesses: SR weak, limited amount of times it can check, checked by Ice-, Rock-, and Dragon-types and bulky CM users, choiced attacks dent it
Zapdos can contribute to teams looking for an extra flyspam check besides Cyclohm by acting as a backup check, and it can also support with Defog on teams that need hazards removed.
Mew
Strengths: Can stallbreak with Taunt, decent bulk, Knock Off, Will-O-Wisp, reliable recovery, access to Heal Bell and Defog, wide movepool
Weaknesses: Loses to Colossoil, not as useful against offense than against defense
Mew is a potent stallbreaker that can shut down threats like Tomohawk and Mega Venusaur, so if one absolutely wants to shut down stall, it can be a considerable choice for a teamslot.
This is the first time I've ever done something like this so everything is right. Basically Mega Heracross is a great Pokemon whose bulk and power really surprised my opponents as well as myself. At full health it can take hits comfortably on both sides (even some weaker Super Effective attacks fail to KO) and easily KO the opposition in return. Heracross often comes in on Colossoil, forcing a switch; this is very advantageous to you as there are very few switch-ins to Mega Heracross, and even those take decent chunks of damage from its attacks.
The first two replays show Heracross' insane power while the next two show its considerable bulk:
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/cap-160481263
This replay shows that it is a bad idea to switch in on Mega Heracross. Pinsir was easily OHKOed, and I'm sure my opponent underestimated its power. Pinsir would have broken down my team, so I was very lucky that Heracross cleaned it out before it could cause any trouble.
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/cap-160483586
This replay also shows how hard it is to switch in on Heracross. My opponent obviously expected to set up with Revenankh, but even a resisted Rock Blast dealt ~30%, and I was able to finish it off without taking any damage. I also managed to outspeed Tomohawk and deal around 40% damage to it with Rock Blast, which is quite impressive considering Tomohawk's bulk.
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/cap-160488503
This replay shows Heracross' great natural bulk; it was able to comfortably take a Flamethrower from Stratagem and retaliate with Rock Blast, which broke through Stratagem's (presumed) sash.
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/cap-160382319 (vs. HeaLnDeaL)
Finally there's this match, which was insanely fun and close against HeaLnDeaL. The most action happened in the last turn, when his own Heracross failed to KO mine with Close Combat and I can was then able to OKHO with Rock Blast. Again, this shows Heracross' great bulk, as opposed to other powerhouses in CAP, like Mega Pinsir who can't take a hit to save its life.
Overall Mega Heracross is a great Pokemon whose bulk and power are both impressive and often underestimated by opponents. For laddering, I actually used my standard CAP team, replacing a Pinsir with Heracross. After using the new team for these matches I found that I liked Heracross much more than Pinsir, as it was stronger, had no weakness to Stealth Rock, and could actually take a hit. Heracross got at least one KO in all of these matches, and I think that's a testament to how reliable and useful it is in the CAP metagame.
The first two replays show Heracross' insane power while the next two show its considerable bulk:
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/cap-160481263
This replay shows that it is a bad idea to switch in on Mega Heracross. Pinsir was easily OHKOed, and I'm sure my opponent underestimated its power. Pinsir would have broken down my team, so I was very lucky that Heracross cleaned it out before it could cause any trouble.
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/cap-160483586
This replay also shows how hard it is to switch in on Heracross. My opponent obviously expected to set up with Revenankh, but even a resisted Rock Blast dealt ~30%, and I was able to finish it off without taking any damage. I also managed to outspeed Tomohawk and deal around 40% damage to it with Rock Blast, which is quite impressive considering Tomohawk's bulk.
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/cap-160488503
This replay shows Heracross' great natural bulk; it was able to comfortably take a Flamethrower from Stratagem and retaliate with Rock Blast, which broke through Stratagem's (presumed) sash.
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/cap-160382319 (vs. HeaLnDeaL)
Finally there's this match, which was insanely fun and close against HeaLnDeaL. The most action happened in the last turn, when his own Heracross failed to KO mine with Close Combat and I can was then able to OKHO with Rock Blast. Again, this shows Heracross' great bulk, as opposed to other powerhouses in CAP, like Mega Pinsir who can't take a hit to save its life.
Overall Mega Heracross is a great Pokemon whose bulk and power are both impressive and often underestimated by opponents. For laddering, I actually used my standard CAP team, replacing a Pinsir with Heracross. After using the new team for these matches I found that I liked Heracross much more than Pinsir, as it was stronger, had no weakness to Stealth Rock, and could actually take a hit. Heracross got at least one KO in all of these matches, and I think that's a testament to how reliable and useful it is in the CAP metagame.
So Mega-Heracross is an interesting beast. If there's one thing he does better than anything, it's hit hard. He has Pin Missle, which is in essence a STAB move that always has 125 base power for him coupled with no drawback. He has Rock Blast, which is in a similar boat, but a coverage move. He has Close Combat, which is decent, though less suited for the format (though Heracross can push this through even on Pokemon it isn't very effective on). Finally, he has Earthquake, which is one of the most traditionally strong moves in the game. He's basically what Pyroak would be like if Pyroak had 185 Base Attack. Unfortunately, this comes with the other commonly cited drawbacks to Pyroak, namely slow as butter speed and a weird typing that leaves him open to hard hits. Ultimately, if you back him up as effectively as possible, he'll probably win the game.
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/cap-160459890
So the important statistic here is that on a Roosting Tomohawk, Heracross can deal 52%-61% to a roosting Tomohawk with Close Combat. If it isn't roosting, it does 26-31%. That actually gives you room to chip out a Tomohawk.
Lessons Learnt:
Heracross can take down a Tomohawk provided hit doesn't hold a Rocky Helmet, although opportunities to do so are rare.
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/cap-160463456
This is Heracross besting a Rain Dance team he really had no business besting. Having Stealth Rocks to get in the extra bit of hazard damage also helps. Heracross has a ton of power behind him. Use it.
Lessons Learnt:
Get Heracross in safely, and he has enough bulk to take a hit when he needs to.
185 Attack Power is in fact as insane as it seems.
Earthquake is an important coverage move that really isn't optional in a format where Cyclohm will wreck you otherwise.
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/cap-160556043
A well fought match I won, but could have easily flubbed. Here, we see the Moxie effect come into play again. It's important to note that Auromoth is a scary mon if you don't actually check to see if he's actually in. In retrospect, it might have been wise to use Kitsunoh as a partner to Mega-Cross since his STAB hits a bunch of things Cross's STAB doesn't cover, and his ability lets him scout threats effectively.
Lessons Learnt:
Heracross has lower Speed as a Mega, and loses the ability Moxie. Know when to hold off on Mega Evolving.
Moxie is pretty easy for Heracross to set off. You just need to put in the effort.
Don't fall into an easy trap, or at least have a scouter.
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/cap-160532745
So this is my match against the Room member, in this case HeaLnDeaL. So the match ends up going to me after a few less than savory misses I came out on top. A few things of note though.
Lessons Learnt:
If you noticed in the video, Heracross switched out every time Volkraken came in. That's because even with the Speed drop, Volkraken is still faster than Cross. so never go in against anybody that threatens it in the least bit.
If you can compensate for this shortcoming with something like Sticky Web, however, that's fine. Just realize that the Web doesn't protect you from everything.
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/cap-160459890
So the important statistic here is that on a Roosting Tomohawk, Heracross can deal 52%-61% to a roosting Tomohawk with Close Combat. If it isn't roosting, it does 26-31%. That actually gives you room to chip out a Tomohawk.
Lessons Learnt:
Heracross can take down a Tomohawk provided hit doesn't hold a Rocky Helmet, although opportunities to do so are rare.
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/cap-160463456
This is Heracross besting a Rain Dance team he really had no business besting. Having Stealth Rocks to get in the extra bit of hazard damage also helps. Heracross has a ton of power behind him. Use it.
Lessons Learnt:
Get Heracross in safely, and he has enough bulk to take a hit when he needs to.
185 Attack Power is in fact as insane as it seems.
Earthquake is an important coverage move that really isn't optional in a format where Cyclohm will wreck you otherwise.
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/cap-160556043
A well fought match I won, but could have easily flubbed. Here, we see the Moxie effect come into play again. It's important to note that Auromoth is a scary mon if you don't actually check to see if he's actually in. In retrospect, it might have been wise to use Kitsunoh as a partner to Mega-Cross since his STAB hits a bunch of things Cross's STAB doesn't cover, and his ability lets him scout threats effectively.
Lessons Learnt:
Heracross has lower Speed as a Mega, and loses the ability Moxie. Know when to hold off on Mega Evolving.
Moxie is pretty easy for Heracross to set off. You just need to put in the effort.
Don't fall into an easy trap, or at least have a scouter.
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/cap-160532745
So this is my match against the Room member, in this case HeaLnDeaL. So the match ends up going to me after a few less than savory misses I came out on top. A few things of note though.
Lessons Learnt:
If you noticed in the video, Heracross switched out every time Volkraken came in. That's because even with the Speed drop, Volkraken is still faster than Cross. so never go in against anybody that threatens it in the least bit.
If you can compensate for this shortcoming with something like Sticky Web, however, that's fine. Just realize that the Web doesn't protect you from everything.
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/cap-160542388
Just thought I'd share the rematch that I had with NumberCruncher with the same teams used in the match he posted above. So much effort seemed to be put into making sure Heracross teams can counter FlySpam or even prominent solo Flying types by a number of people that I've talked with today. However, I think this match goes to show that being able to counter fire types, particularly Charizard-X, is something that a Heracross team also needs. As you can see, in the early match, Charizard helped bust through a lot of Number's team to the point where he has little to work with towards the end. Scarfed Volkraken was also able to outspeed even after sticky web, so I agree with Number's earlier assertion that the web doesn't protect your from everything. Overall, I think a good Heracross team needs not only an answer to Talonflame, but to Volkraken and Zard X as well, as their different coverage helps them break different things.
Edit: Speaking of FlySpam counters, today our featured candidate is Zapdos! Zapdos has some well rounded stats, but is mostly used as a physical wall with some power behind him. Zapdos has great typing to take on Tomohawk and even Cawmodore. What other uses for Zapdos can you guys find today?
And tomorrow's mon will be Fidgit, which might seem like an interesting turn of events. Fidgit and Voodoom have widely been considered the worst of the CAPmons, but over the last month or so Fidgit has fired his old PR agent and is now trying to gain momentum as a trick room setter (or potentially a tailwinder, too). Though he recently lost his most important trick room business partner, Mega Mawile, he is still eager to venture forward and serve new clients. Think you have what it takes to make him work? Start thinking about your teambuilding now, and you can post your Fidgit replays tomorrow!
Just thought I'd share the rematch that I had with NumberCruncher with the same teams used in the match he posted above. So much effort seemed to be put into making sure Heracross teams can counter FlySpam or even prominent solo Flying types by a number of people that I've talked with today. However, I think this match goes to show that being able to counter fire types, particularly Charizard-X, is something that a Heracross team also needs. As you can see, in the early match, Charizard helped bust through a lot of Number's team to the point where he has little to work with towards the end. Scarfed Volkraken was also able to outspeed even after sticky web, so I agree with Number's earlier assertion that the web doesn't protect your from everything. Overall, I think a good Heracross team needs not only an answer to Talonflame, but to Volkraken and Zard X as well, as their different coverage helps them break different things.
Edit: Speaking of FlySpam counters, today our featured candidate is Zapdos! Zapdos has some well rounded stats, but is mostly used as a physical wall with some power behind him. Zapdos has great typing to take on Tomohawk and even Cawmodore. What other uses for Zapdos can you guys find today?
And tomorrow's mon will be Fidgit, which might seem like an interesting turn of events. Fidgit and Voodoom have widely been considered the worst of the CAPmons, but over the last month or so Fidgit has fired his old PR agent and is now trying to gain momentum as a trick room setter (or potentially a tailwinder, too). Though he recently lost his most important trick room business partner, Mega Mawile, he is still eager to venture forward and serve new clients. Think you have what it takes to make him work? Start thinking about your teambuilding now, and you can post your Fidgit replays tomorrow!
Last edited:
So here we go on Zapdos. It's basically Cyclohm with a Rock weakness instead of a Ground weakness, which is partially a step up and partially a step down.
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/cap-160823390
So in this one, Zapdos does what Zapdos does best, which is to say being a hater. Here, he hates on Mega-Pinsir's bad self in the way only Zapdos can (By which I mean the way Talonflame, Ballooned Electrics, and Rotom-W all can). I also want to draw attention to Mega-Medicham. He deals with so many of Zapdos's counters it's insane. Lando is pretty much one of the few things that can deal with both, but that can't deal with Keldeo.
Lessons Learnt:
Zapdos is good at killing FlySpam (Truly an amazing revelation)
Medicham is good at killing things to help Zapdos. (Again, mind-blowing)
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/cap-160826055
This one is a great example of Zapdos's bulk saving the day by allowing me to PP stall the opponent into submission, altough missing 3 Heat Waves and never getting a burn once was pretty awful for me.
Lessons Learnt:
Zapdos wall many the C and below CAPS.
PP stall is aggravating.
As far as walls go, Zapdos is pretty fast for one.
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/cap-160871928
Turns out that Arghonaut and Cawmodore don't like getting trumped by Zapdos. Who knew?
Lessons Learnt:
Nothing. Absolutely nothing.
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/cap-160867571
So to finish up this installment, we have Zapdos beating a Donphan, which shouldn't be surprising at this point. It also beats Wobuffet, but that's more on Stratagem and Chansey's efforts than Zapdos's.
Lessons Learnt:
Zapdos beats the things you would imagine it beating.
Chansey is a little ridiculous as a CAP mon.
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/cap-160823390
So in this one, Zapdos does what Zapdos does best, which is to say being a hater. Here, he hates on Mega-Pinsir's bad self in the way only Zapdos can (By which I mean the way Talonflame, Ballooned Electrics, and Rotom-W all can). I also want to draw attention to Mega-Medicham. He deals with so many of Zapdos's counters it's insane. Lando is pretty much one of the few things that can deal with both, but that can't deal with Keldeo.
Lessons Learnt:
Zapdos is good at killing FlySpam (Truly an amazing revelation)
Medicham is good at killing things to help Zapdos. (Again, mind-blowing)
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/cap-160826055
This one is a great example of Zapdos's bulk saving the day by allowing me to PP stall the opponent into submission, altough missing 3 Heat Waves and never getting a burn once was pretty awful for me.
Lessons Learnt:
Zapdos wall many the C and below CAPS.
PP stall is aggravating.
As far as walls go, Zapdos is pretty fast for one.
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/cap-160871928
Turns out that Arghonaut and Cawmodore don't like getting trumped by Zapdos. Who knew?
Lessons Learnt:
Nothing. Absolutely nothing.
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/cap-160867571
So to finish up this installment, we have Zapdos beating a Donphan, which shouldn't be surprising at this point. It also beats Wobuffet, but that's more on Stratagem and Chansey's efforts than Zapdos's.
Lessons Learnt:
Zapdos beats the things you would imagine it beating.
Chansey is a little ridiculous as a CAP mon.
Fidgit is great. I mean, really I think he's underrated. His utility options are amazing and he can set up so many different things, and actually has the bulk to do it. He has a bad rep because of persistent not working on some moves that you would think it should work with, but really the moves that it does work with receive a massive buff. So, without further ado, here are some replays. It should be fairly obvious to everyone that I am a big fan of TR Fidgit.
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/cap-161242893
This match shows exactly everything you want out of a suicide lead TR Fidgit. You set up your TR, and thanks to focus sash it doesn't matter what you have to take a hit from in order to do so (of course Fidgit's natural bulk usually leaves him with room to spare). Once TR is up, you send in your best counter to the opponents current mon or the opposing team. You can either switch out, U-turn out or just sack Fidgit depending on the situation (mostly comes down to if you want damage on what you plan to send in next). Here, Azumaril does exactly what is is suppose to do. It gets in an extremely low risk Belly Drum and is able to wreck from this point on. Azu is a particularly effective partner simply because Aqua Jet is able to clean teams even after Trick Room wears off. Also this match highlights a mistake by the opponent that should be avoided; don't try to Brave Bird an Azu with trick room up as the speed reversal's will mean aqua jet will go first. Your best bet is saving Talonflame for later after TR is gone from the field.
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/cap-161251142
Here we have repeat performance of Fidgit allowing Azu to get a sweep. There's not a ton new to be learned here, other than that this match showcases another aspect of Azu's movepool. To be effective in CAP, I really stress the importance of Bulldoze, as it's Azu's best ground move, and the coverage is needed against Mollux.
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/cap-161301177
This match is one of the few times Fidgit was able to set up TR twice, both for Azu and Mega Ampy. It also showcased how important it is to have your other team members (the ones outside of your TR core) to be able to pick off things at the end game. After some team rearranging I found Strategem does this well, as he has priority to not be a total waste inside TR and amazing speed to be used when TR is done and gone with. Overall, this match shows that you shouldn't sack your Fidgit right away if avoidable, as he can get a second TR up later on.
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/cap-161284412 (Versus Jiggly)
This match features two different roles that Fidgit can fulfill- my standard TR Fidgit and Jiggy's dual screens set. On turn one I got taunted, which messed up my Fidgit from functioning. Really, turn 1 taunts are something Fidgit needs to watch out for, especially if using TR since it has negative priority. However, the match goes to show that just because a Fidgit's plans are ruined on turn one doesn't mean he can't retreat and come out later. And perhaps more than anything else, the match shows just how important timing is when using Fidgit. TR was able to be set up just as Jiggly's screens wore off, which let Azumaril have a splendid showing. Overall, first turn taunts are something to look out for, so actively be thinking about which mons your opponent has will use taunt and try to be prepared for it.
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/cap-161288039 (Versus Animus)
And, for a bonus, I have a fifth match, probably the most intense of all of the ones posted here. This was actually the first one I had that used Aromatisse as a secondary trick room setter. The problems I had with have Fidgit do all the TR setting was that often I could only get either Azu or Ampy to have a chance to wreck some stuff, but not both. Aromotisse somewhat remedied this, and thanks to Aroma Veil she is a good counter to taunt and whatnot. This match also shows the importance of encore on Fidgit himself, as without it Breloom would have defeated my team (encore forced him to use Bullet Seed, which prevented me from getting spored and thus allowed me to set up TR). Very close match, but it explores some different angles of CAP TR teams and further strengthens how Fidgit actually makes the move/strategy viable in the tier.
Tagging Kingriolu22 and Tadasuke to review the replays to see if they qualify for points, since it's unfair for me to review my own matches.
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/cap-161242893
This match shows exactly everything you want out of a suicide lead TR Fidgit. You set up your TR, and thanks to focus sash it doesn't matter what you have to take a hit from in order to do so (of course Fidgit's natural bulk usually leaves him with room to spare). Once TR is up, you send in your best counter to the opponents current mon or the opposing team. You can either switch out, U-turn out or just sack Fidgit depending on the situation (mostly comes down to if you want damage on what you plan to send in next). Here, Azumaril does exactly what is is suppose to do. It gets in an extremely low risk Belly Drum and is able to wreck from this point on. Azu is a particularly effective partner simply because Aqua Jet is able to clean teams even after Trick Room wears off. Also this match highlights a mistake by the opponent that should be avoided; don't try to Brave Bird an Azu with trick room up as the speed reversal's will mean aqua jet will go first. Your best bet is saving Talonflame for later after TR is gone from the field.
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/cap-161251142
Here we have repeat performance of Fidgit allowing Azu to get a sweep. There's not a ton new to be learned here, other than that this match showcases another aspect of Azu's movepool. To be effective in CAP, I really stress the importance of Bulldoze, as it's Azu's best ground move, and the coverage is needed against Mollux.
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/cap-161301177
This match is one of the few times Fidgit was able to set up TR twice, both for Azu and Mega Ampy. It also showcased how important it is to have your other team members (the ones outside of your TR core) to be able to pick off things at the end game. After some team rearranging I found Strategem does this well, as he has priority to not be a total waste inside TR and amazing speed to be used when TR is done and gone with. Overall, this match shows that you shouldn't sack your Fidgit right away if avoidable, as he can get a second TR up later on.
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/cap-161284412 (Versus Jiggly)
This match features two different roles that Fidgit can fulfill- my standard TR Fidgit and Jiggy's dual screens set. On turn one I got taunted, which messed up my Fidgit from functioning. Really, turn 1 taunts are something Fidgit needs to watch out for, especially if using TR since it has negative priority. However, the match goes to show that just because a Fidgit's plans are ruined on turn one doesn't mean he can't retreat and come out later. And perhaps more than anything else, the match shows just how important timing is when using Fidgit. TR was able to be set up just as Jiggly's screens wore off, which let Azumaril have a splendid showing. Overall, first turn taunts are something to look out for, so actively be thinking about which mons your opponent has will use taunt and try to be prepared for it.
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/cap-161288039 (Versus Animus)
And, for a bonus, I have a fifth match, probably the most intense of all of the ones posted here. This was actually the first one I had that used Aromatisse as a secondary trick room setter. The problems I had with have Fidgit do all the TR setting was that often I could only get either Azu or Ampy to have a chance to wreck some stuff, but not both. Aromotisse somewhat remedied this, and thanks to Aroma Veil she is a good counter to taunt and whatnot. This match also shows the importance of encore on Fidgit himself, as without it Breloom would have defeated my team (encore forced him to use Bullet Seed, which prevented me from getting spored and thus allowed me to set up TR). Very close match, but it explores some different angles of CAP TR teams and further strengthens how Fidgit actually makes the move/strategy viable in the tier.
Tagging Kingriolu22 and Tadasuke to review the replays to see if they qualify for points, since it's unfair for me to review my own matches.
Alright, today's DHC candidate is Malamar... which might seem like a really odd choice. However...
Arghonaut. Aurumoth. Cawmodore. Mollux. Revenankh. Syclant. All of these CAPmons are commonly known to be stat boosters. It's generally expected that your opponent will have at least one stat booster on their team in CAP due to these additional Pokemon creating a great selection to choose from. It seems as if one of the more common strategies is to remove these stat boosts with prankster Haze from Tomohawk. But what if we could do more? Here's where Malamar and Topsy-Turvy come in. Seems like a great way to get rid of this threats right? Unfortunately, a crippling 4x weakness to Bug makes Malamar really nervous to do anything against Aurumoth and Syclant, and those two are definitely threats. However, can Malamar's unique move (and well, unique typing, stats, etc) allow it do be a source of confusion towards your opponents? Might be a fun one, might be a complete flop... But I think it will be nice to gather information on this perplexing Pokemon within the CAP meta.
And tomorrow's candidate is Empoleon. Suggested by a CAP room player, Empoleon has some unique traits of his own to play with. He's one of the few Pokemon with access to Defiant, but has a considerably less Attack stat than Special Attack (but perhaps Defiant might see some practical usage due to all of the Necturna Sticky Webs). However, in terms of movepool, Empoleon could pretty much go either way. Empoleon is certainly something not common in CAP, and with a horde of threats such as Tomohawk, Cylcohm, and Colossoil, one could see why. However, he does have some versatility to help him out, and his Steel typing is now a blessing against fairies that try to shut down the three CAPmons just listed above.
I hope to see some great replays, as there's a lot of new things to be learned this time around!
Arghonaut. Aurumoth. Cawmodore. Mollux. Revenankh. Syclant. All of these CAPmons are commonly known to be stat boosters. It's generally expected that your opponent will have at least one stat booster on their team in CAP due to these additional Pokemon creating a great selection to choose from. It seems as if one of the more common strategies is to remove these stat boosts with prankster Haze from Tomohawk. But what if we could do more? Here's where Malamar and Topsy-Turvy come in. Seems like a great way to get rid of this threats right? Unfortunately, a crippling 4x weakness to Bug makes Malamar really nervous to do anything against Aurumoth and Syclant, and those two are definitely threats. However, can Malamar's unique move (and well, unique typing, stats, etc) allow it do be a source of confusion towards your opponents? Might be a fun one, might be a complete flop... But I think it will be nice to gather information on this perplexing Pokemon within the CAP meta.
And tomorrow's candidate is Empoleon. Suggested by a CAP room player, Empoleon has some unique traits of his own to play with. He's one of the few Pokemon with access to Defiant, but has a considerably less Attack stat than Special Attack (but perhaps Defiant might see some practical usage due to all of the Necturna Sticky Webs). However, in terms of movepool, Empoleon could pretty much go either way. Empoleon is certainly something not common in CAP, and with a horde of threats such as Tomohawk, Cylcohm, and Colossoil, one could see why. However, he does have some versatility to help him out, and his Steel typing is now a blessing against fairies that try to shut down the three CAPmons just listed above.
I hope to see some great replays, as there's a lot of new things to be learned this time around!
Okay, somehow I've managed to find a few hours to sit down and play with Malamar myself. And overall, I'm left just as confused as when I started this. So many other players I encountered were using Malamar on the ladder too, but I'm not certain of the success of the Pokemon. It either flops or it drops (as in drops the opponent/sweeps), and I personally find very little in between. Topsy-Turvy as a move is something I've had difficulty using, since it requires a finesse with prediction. On top of that, I've found that many opponents were just flat out unwilling to set up simply because I had a Malamar on my team (except for Syclants and Aurumoths of course, who didn't care because of their Bug typing). To keep it short, I won some matches either because of rage quits that made replays void, I lost a fair bit, and I only got "good" matches for a fraction of the time. Posted below are some of those "good" matches.
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/cap-161621294
This was my very first ladder match with Malamar, and ultimately it features the squid being a late game cleaner against some very prominent physical threats, which itself was a glimmer or hope that Malamar could do work. And indeed, it did do work, as I was down 1-4 and managed to win thanks to my surviving Malamar. Surprisely, it shows a Malamar without psychic STAB actually able to defeat an already weakened Tomohawk. I think Haze would have had a good chance of saving the Tomo, but this one appeared to be lacking it and was forced to roost repeatedly... which didn't go too well since the roost made Super Power hit neutrally. Perhaps the most all-around impressive feat was being able to tank a brave bird at only +1 defense and not a whole lot of HP. Really, this match showed the potency of contrary, and by some stroke of luck it managed me to win the match. Notice, however, that the rest of the team pulled an enormous amount of weakening and gradual damage before Malamar was able to pull this off.
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/cap-161651286Now, I'm forced to use this replay simply because of the lack of quality battles available. Essentially, here you have a Malamar getting Baton Passed to and put into a situation where it will sweep... so the opponent just rage quits. It's not a turn one rage quit, so it isn't explicitly against the rules. I would have liked it to be longer, I really would have... but I think you guys can see the almost inevitable outcome that would have happened. In the previous match, it was the rest of the team that received baton pass boosts, but in this match it was Malamar himself. And that extra speed and power really did help. Of notable value to take away from this match, you see that Cawmodore is afraid to set up in the wake of Malamar, and that Malamar really put so much pressure on him that he really had no chance of winning. Without Belly Drum, he did pitiful damage. But if he had drummed, he would have faced either being switcharooed into the move or being Topsy-Turvied to x .25 Atk.
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/cap-161655925
This match was actually a lot of fun, despite having a lot of frustrating matches in between. In this match, however, I think it actually goes to show a failure for Malamar. For one, my opponent used a Malamar too. Throughout the early match, baton passed helped me sprinkle around boosts to my team, and thanks to Speed Boost, not even the choice scarfed Malamar could do anything to stop them. Really, my team was able to handle the threats without my own Malamar, and I ended up using my own mostly just to get the replay to count. However, at the end mine was able to still do some work and actually pulled off a successful Topsy Turvy for once. Overall, fun match, but it didn't highlight the strengths of the mon and showed some problems with how much he could support the team.
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/cap-161660326 (versus a Jas alt)
This match played similarly in to the one above in that I really didn't need my own Malamar in order to win. Really... umm... what does this match teach us? I guess that Malamar hates U-turn... I suppose at a more practical level we could analyze Jas's Malamar's performace. The poor squid was burned before it could do anything useful. This in turn means that despite having a typing advantage over Necturna, Malamar really has no business trying to counter it.
So umm... yeah. Malamar did either brilliantly with super nice sweeps, or it flopped and was a hindrance on my team. Some might think such a performance is similar to Cawmodore, but I really do not think this merits a good comparison. Cawmodore has a build completely designed around abusing his move of choice, whereas Malamar does not. Stuck with a low speed and only passable offenses/defenses, Malamar is unique to his typing, his signature move, and his access to the rare ability contrary. But together this parts fit together in a somewhat disjointed manner, and nothing wants to meld together quite right.
And after thinking about, I think I might see at least part of the reason why. In NU, Malamar relies of his Dark STAB and a Fighting coverage move, often ignoring his Psychic STAB. This is because the traditional coverage of Dark/Fighting is usually more valuable in the official Smogon Tiers. However, I think that CAP functions differently because of two main factors: the main thing he wants to his his dark STAB on (Necturna) wants to burn his arms off, and the God of CAP Tomahawk laughs at Dark/Fighting moves when healthy In the CAP metagame, it might actually be fairly hardpressed to see what Dark STAB allows him to defeat. Tomohawk and Revenankh and Arghonaut and Mollux fear Psychic moves a lot more. Overall, I think Malamar in the CAP meta should using Fighting/Psychic moves instead of Fighting/Dark moves. While this makes Malamar helpless against things like Gardevoir, he really has no business trying to defeat her anyway. And while I can't say for certain how viable this would make Malamar in the tier, from the matches I watched and participated in today, it seems like a fair amount of the the trouble Malamar encountered could have been partially remedied with Psychic STAB. At the very least, it doesn't seem like Dark STAB did much. Malamar's a peculiar example really, and I think I might try to test some Psychic STAB sets outside of the DHC and see what happens.
Comments and the such regarding this subject would be greatly appreciated, and I'm excited to see some of the Malamar replays Jas and the others have managed to get.
Tagging Kingriolu22 and Tadasuke to review the replays to see if they qualify for points, since it's unfair for me to review my own matches.
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/cap-161621294
This was my very first ladder match with Malamar, and ultimately it features the squid being a late game cleaner against some very prominent physical threats, which itself was a glimmer or hope that Malamar could do work. And indeed, it did do work, as I was down 1-4 and managed to win thanks to my surviving Malamar. Surprisely, it shows a Malamar without psychic STAB actually able to defeat an already weakened Tomohawk. I think Haze would have had a good chance of saving the Tomo, but this one appeared to be lacking it and was forced to roost repeatedly... which didn't go too well since the roost made Super Power hit neutrally. Perhaps the most all-around impressive feat was being able to tank a brave bird at only +1 defense and not a whole lot of HP. Really, this match showed the potency of contrary, and by some stroke of luck it managed me to win the match. Notice, however, that the rest of the team pulled an enormous amount of weakening and gradual damage before Malamar was able to pull this off.
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/cap-161651286Now, I'm forced to use this replay simply because of the lack of quality battles available. Essentially, here you have a Malamar getting Baton Passed to and put into a situation where it will sweep... so the opponent just rage quits. It's not a turn one rage quit, so it isn't explicitly against the rules. I would have liked it to be longer, I really would have... but I think you guys can see the almost inevitable outcome that would have happened. In the previous match, it was the rest of the team that received baton pass boosts, but in this match it was Malamar himself. And that extra speed and power really did help. Of notable value to take away from this match, you see that Cawmodore is afraid to set up in the wake of Malamar, and that Malamar really put so much pressure on him that he really had no chance of winning. Without Belly Drum, he did pitiful damage. But if he had drummed, he would have faced either being switcharooed into the move or being Topsy-Turvied to x .25 Atk.
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/cap-161655925
This match was actually a lot of fun, despite having a lot of frustrating matches in between. In this match, however, I think it actually goes to show a failure for Malamar. For one, my opponent used a Malamar too. Throughout the early match, baton passed helped me sprinkle around boosts to my team, and thanks to Speed Boost, not even the choice scarfed Malamar could do anything to stop them. Really, my team was able to handle the threats without my own Malamar, and I ended up using my own mostly just to get the replay to count. However, at the end mine was able to still do some work and actually pulled off a successful Topsy Turvy for once. Overall, fun match, but it didn't highlight the strengths of the mon and showed some problems with how much he could support the team.
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/cap-161660326 (versus a Jas alt)
This match played similarly in to the one above in that I really didn't need my own Malamar in order to win. Really... umm... what does this match teach us? I guess that Malamar hates U-turn... I suppose at a more practical level we could analyze Jas's Malamar's performace. The poor squid was burned before it could do anything useful. This in turn means that despite having a typing advantage over Necturna, Malamar really has no business trying to counter it.
So umm... yeah. Malamar did either brilliantly with super nice sweeps, or it flopped and was a hindrance on my team. Some might think such a performance is similar to Cawmodore, but I really do not think this merits a good comparison. Cawmodore has a build completely designed around abusing his move of choice, whereas Malamar does not. Stuck with a low speed and only passable offenses/defenses, Malamar is unique to his typing, his signature move, and his access to the rare ability contrary. But together this parts fit together in a somewhat disjointed manner, and nothing wants to meld together quite right.
And after thinking about, I think I might see at least part of the reason why. In NU, Malamar relies of his Dark STAB and a Fighting coverage move, often ignoring his Psychic STAB. This is because the traditional coverage of Dark/Fighting is usually more valuable in the official Smogon Tiers. However, I think that CAP functions differently because of two main factors: the main thing he wants to his his dark STAB on (Necturna) wants to burn his arms off, and the God of CAP Tomahawk laughs at Dark/Fighting moves when healthy In the CAP metagame, it might actually be fairly hardpressed to see what Dark STAB allows him to defeat. Tomohawk and Revenankh and Arghonaut and Mollux fear Psychic moves a lot more. Overall, I think Malamar in the CAP meta should using Fighting/Psychic moves instead of Fighting/Dark moves. While this makes Malamar helpless against things like Gardevoir, he really has no business trying to defeat her anyway. And while I can't say for certain how viable this would make Malamar in the tier, from the matches I watched and participated in today, it seems like a fair amount of the the trouble Malamar encountered could have been partially remedied with Psychic STAB. At the very least, it doesn't seem like Dark STAB did much. Malamar's a peculiar example really, and I think I might try to test some Psychic STAB sets outside of the DHC and see what happens.
Comments and the such regarding this subject would be greatly appreciated, and I'm excited to see some of the Malamar replays Jas and the others have managed to get.
Tagging Kingriolu22 and Tadasuke to review the replays to see if they qualify for points, since it's unfair for me to review my own matches.
I can't imagine that would help. At that point, he's trying to compete with Mega Medicham for a slot, and that's not a competition he can ever win. Heck, his coverage at that point would be similar to Hawlucha, except while Malamar would be slightly better against Mollux and Thundurus, Hawlucha would be better against Mega-Pinsir, Auromoth, Mega-Medicham, Victini, along with others. And that's just off the coverage. Hawulcha's Speed makes it better against Colossoil (paired with better typing for that as well), Mega Venusaur, Kyurem B, the Charizard brothers, Arghonaut, and others I'm too lazy to mention. Special mention goes to Unburden, which can let Hawlucha outspeed and OHKO Stratagem.
In fact, the more I think about it, the more I think Hawlucha would be a good candidate for a Dark Horse. It at least is better than Malamar. Heck, given the typing situation of the format, I wouldn't be too surprised if its more viable than Terrakion.
Last edited:
here is my first DHC. but i dont have enough so yeah but i did wana post my replays XD
http://pokemonshowdown.com/replay/cap-161692074
this one i fought gday i used malamar as a decent revenge killer but nothing more malconda charizard pulled most of the team here.
http://pokemonshowdown.com/replay/cap-161643886
this one malamar really shined when the coast is clear of ghosts and fairies and bug then malamar comes out to play, its super power contrary IS SO AMAZING as long as they dont have a phazer you can almost entirely sweep a team. Malamar takes down to of his guys no problem after the boosts i didnt get to use topsy turvy but he was awesome.
http://pokemonshowdown.com/replay/cap-161685414
I lost in this one, but only because I got cocky, reva could of easily taken down the rest of the team but I let his choice scarf screw me up.
Malamar functions as a nice revenge killer, but when the opportunities arise it becomes much more I personally think im going to keep malamar on my team its situational but its a solid member of my team. My new team :P
http://pokemonshowdown.com/replay/cap-161692074
this one i fought gday i used malamar as a decent revenge killer but nothing more malconda charizard pulled most of the team here.
http://pokemonshowdown.com/replay/cap-161643886
this one malamar really shined when the coast is clear of ghosts and fairies and bug then malamar comes out to play, its super power contrary IS SO AMAZING as long as they dont have a phazer you can almost entirely sweep a team. Malamar takes down to of his guys no problem after the boosts i didnt get to use topsy turvy but he was awesome.
http://pokemonshowdown.com/replay/cap-161685414
I lost in this one, but only because I got cocky, reva could of easily taken down the rest of the team but I let his choice scarf screw me up.
Malamar functions as a nice revenge killer, but when the opportunities arise it becomes much more I personally think im going to keep malamar on my team its situational but its a solid member of my team. My new team :P
http://i.imgur.com/hzsDudz.png http://i.imgur.com/OshSkTw.png
Please read the rules before making suggestions.
Just briefly, but I disagree with the notion of a fighting/psychic Malamar being an inferior Hawlucha... And it terms of Medicham, the comparison is more apt, but Malamar has the potential to be bulkier and has Topsy Turvy.
That said, onto Empoleon!
Alright, I don't want to right up another two pages about my Empoleon replays, so I'll keep it much briefer this time.
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/cap-161930741Here we see a 0 Sp Def / HP Empoleon taking 2 Earth powers from Syclant and able to survive to deal a 1-2 jab with Knock Off + Agua Jet. Once Mala came in, there was no chance to KO, but I was expecting a sitrus berry and wanted to cripple Mala by knocking it off and preventing harvest. Overall, this match showcases the surprising bulk of Empleon, and shows some utility in Knock Off (though there are probably better Knock Off users).
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/cap-161965374
Here we see a +2 Attack Empoleon OHKOing a Cyclohm... with a crit. Still an impressive feat, though I'm not sure about the opponent's EVs. Afterwards, it brings Colossoil to within a hair of his life. In both of these match ups, Empoleon was faced with risky typing situations, which might relate to Empoleon's hardships in the tier.
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/cap-161970482
Here we have Hendrix's mixed Empoleon almost net a KO on my Necturna. Later in the match, my Empoleon tanks some Talonflame Brave Birds and knocks of the opposing Malaconda's Lum Berry.
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/cap-161975279 (versus viperfang4)
In this match, my Empoleon is about to get an EQ off against the opposing Volkraken, but is unfortunately critted before able to do so. So, not a good match for Empoleon, and Sylveon pretty much carried the match for me due to the weird speed EVs on the other side.
Overall, I feel like I actually haven't adequately tested Empoleon. On the ladder, I encountered a few specs sets that seemed both imposing at the right moments, but easily handled after a turn or two of switching around. Hendrix's mixed set aimed to utilize both defiant and petaya, which is really ambitious but unfortunately didn't pay off. A few others seemed to be running assault vest. For the low number of battles I had (maybe had 10 matches with Empoleon today and say half my opponents using one too), Empoleon seemed to either get a few helpful moves in and crash, or get nothing in at all. Overall, he was more reliable that something like Malamar, but never pulled off the crazy sweeps that Malamar could get going under the right circumstances. On my personal team, I was half hoping for a rebound Colo to switch into my Sticky Web just so I could activate my own defiant, but sadly that didn't happen.
Tagging Kingriolu22 and Tadasuke to review the replays to see if they qualify for points, since it's unfair for me to review my own matches.
That said, onto Empoleon!
Alright, I don't want to right up another two pages about my Empoleon replays, so I'll keep it much briefer this time.
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/cap-161930741Here we see a 0 Sp Def / HP Empoleon taking 2 Earth powers from Syclant and able to survive to deal a 1-2 jab with Knock Off + Agua Jet. Once Mala came in, there was no chance to KO, but I was expecting a sitrus berry and wanted to cripple Mala by knocking it off and preventing harvest. Overall, this match showcases the surprising bulk of Empleon, and shows some utility in Knock Off (though there are probably better Knock Off users).
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/cap-161965374
Here we see a +2 Attack Empoleon OHKOing a Cyclohm... with a crit. Still an impressive feat, though I'm not sure about the opponent's EVs. Afterwards, it brings Colossoil to within a hair of his life. In both of these match ups, Empoleon was faced with risky typing situations, which might relate to Empoleon's hardships in the tier.
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/cap-161970482
Here we have Hendrix's mixed Empoleon almost net a KO on my Necturna. Later in the match, my Empoleon tanks some Talonflame Brave Birds and knocks of the opposing Malaconda's Lum Berry.
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/cap-161975279 (versus viperfang4)
In this match, my Empoleon is about to get an EQ off against the opposing Volkraken, but is unfortunately critted before able to do so. So, not a good match for Empoleon, and Sylveon pretty much carried the match for me due to the weird speed EVs on the other side.
Overall, I feel like I actually haven't adequately tested Empoleon. On the ladder, I encountered a few specs sets that seemed both imposing at the right moments, but easily handled after a turn or two of switching around. Hendrix's mixed set aimed to utilize both defiant and petaya, which is really ambitious but unfortunately didn't pay off. A few others seemed to be running assault vest. For the low number of battles I had (maybe had 10 matches with Empoleon today and say half my opponents using one too), Empoleon seemed to either get a few helpful moves in and crash, or get nothing in at all. Overall, he was more reliable that something like Malamar, but never pulled off the crazy sweeps that Malamar could get going under the right circumstances. On my personal team, I was half hoping for a rebound Colo to switch into my Sticky Web just so I could activate my own defiant, but sadly that didn't happen.
Tagging Kingriolu22 and Tadasuke to review the replays to see if they qualify for points, since it's unfair for me to review my own matches.
Last edited:
Heal wanted me to post these, but because I suck and don't have time I cant even qualify, so I guess its just spacer for his posts XD.
http://pokemonshowdown.com/replay/cap-162309045
diggersby does nothing of use because it comes in on a auromoth which i thought was a mollux and the only reason i won is the opponent having a heal pulse mollusk XD. Anyways... not much from this battle.
http://pokemonshowdown.com/replay/cap-162316461
in this battle diggersby actually kills a tomohawk which is interesting, with speed investment I was able to out speed the tomo and kill with a +2 wild charge but with out the plus 2 I should been able to still kill it so diggersby can actually kill tomo if the situation is right. the rest of the battle is me making horrible desiciions and losing.
i did a battle with heal but i forgot to save the replay so i'l have to summerize diggersby usuage on my team... he just stopped Mega charizard X. Diggersby used focus sash to survive and then Koed the flareblitz damaged Mega Charizard X. yep thats pretty much it.
Overall I felt like Diggersby was just a much weaker azumarill as it isn't as bulky as azu, it doesn't have belly drum, and lacks the coverage and stab combo that azu has. I am thinking of using a choice scarf set maybe that would be better for diggersby.
also a suggestion for after regice
Malaconda
Strengths: stops a great amount of the special meta, totally scares the crap out of chansey, as it can use knockoff to cripple chanesy and 2hko it with power whip or crit leaf blade. and tagged along with charizard-y it can take down landorus- I and other great special sweepers. It can also stop knock of users really well with harvest and lum berry, as it doesnt lose much with out its lum berry in the sun. Has great synergy with fire flying and fire types in general, works great for making specially bulky cores.
Weaknesses: checked by Ice-, Fighting-, and Bug-types and bulky physical power houses, choice band attacks destroy it hates tomo the god of cap
Malacaonda is a really good cap when used properly and im not one to say, but i personally love malaconda and it does wonders for my team when its paired with mega charizard y. However it does need a fair bit of support and doesn't make people freak cause its so good, its more of solid member of sun based or influenced teams. But it does function has a solid chansey counter for my team, and I would like to know how it would effect the meta if chansey wasn't as big as a threat and i think malaconda can help with that.
http://pokemonshowdown.com/replay/cap-162309045
diggersby does nothing of use because it comes in on a auromoth which i thought was a mollux and the only reason i won is the opponent having a heal pulse mollusk XD. Anyways... not much from this battle.
http://pokemonshowdown.com/replay/cap-162316461
in this battle diggersby actually kills a tomohawk which is interesting, with speed investment I was able to out speed the tomo and kill with a +2 wild charge but with out the plus 2 I should been able to still kill it so diggersby can actually kill tomo if the situation is right. the rest of the battle is me making horrible desiciions and losing.
i did a battle with heal but i forgot to save the replay so i'l have to summerize diggersby usuage on my team... he just stopped Mega charizard X. Diggersby used focus sash to survive and then Koed the flareblitz damaged Mega Charizard X. yep thats pretty much it.
Overall I felt like Diggersby was just a much weaker azumarill as it isn't as bulky as azu, it doesn't have belly drum, and lacks the coverage and stab combo that azu has. I am thinking of using a choice scarf set maybe that would be better for diggersby.
also a suggestion for after regice
Malaconda
Strengths: stops a great amount of the special meta, totally scares the crap out of chansey, as it can use knockoff to cripple chanesy and 2hko it with power whip or crit leaf blade. and tagged along with charizard-y it can take down landorus- I and other great special sweepers. It can also stop knock of users really well with harvest and lum berry, as it doesnt lose much with out its lum berry in the sun. Has great synergy with fire flying and fire types in general, works great for making specially bulky cores.
Weaknesses: checked by Ice-, Fighting-, and Bug-types and bulky physical power houses, choice band attacks destroy it hates tomo the god of cap
Malacaonda is a really good cap when used properly and im not one to say, but i personally love malaconda and it does wonders for my team when its paired with mega charizard y. However it does need a fair bit of support and doesn't make people freak cause its so good, its more of solid member of sun based or influenced teams. But it does function has a solid chansey counter for my team, and I would like to know how it would effect the meta if chansey wasn't as big as a threat and i think malaconda can help with that.
Last edited:
So I'm only waiting on the Room fight, but I've been having a ton of trouble getting somebody to fight. I asked gday, Animus, Tadasuke, Pepsi Plunge, and a ton of people on for battles, but I couldn't get a single one. If there's any way I could get one battle in so I can just finish this submission, that would be splendid.
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/cap-162216453
So for this first fight, the opponent just happened not to be packing an answer to Diggersby, so he got a bunch of free kills.
Lessons Learnt:
Diggersby gets a ton of advantage rathar quickly if uncontested.
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/cap-162221120
Okay, this one ended in a quit, but I added it to make a point on why this might not be the best Pokemon to build a team around. By the end, I successfully put myself into a position where Diggersby could have started sweeping with Choiced EQ, but his Choiced EQ was barely not enough to kill Krillowat. Given that Krill should be the first thing you assume a fast Ground type should be able to kill, that's a huge problem.
Lessons Learnt:
Diggersby tend to a bunch of monsters it really out to hard counter simply by virtue of being too slow or not heavy hitting enough.
Diggersby can actually get work done, but you need a ton of support to make it work.
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/cap-162224549
So Diggersby actually was pretty hard to get out in this one, because it's one of the few Pokemon Voodoom's good against. It did chunk most of the life off Colossoil, so that Tomahawk could clean up after it.
Lessons Learnt:
U-Turn Choiced Diggersby is actually a surprisingly legitimate lead. He does a ton of damage to a surprising amount, and he conducts early game pivots flawlessly. If I were to pick one aspect that really blew me away about Diggersby, it's how well he starts off a fight.
If you can get Diggersby down safely, he wins fights, but it's rare that that happens.
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/cap-162216453
So for this first fight, the opponent just happened not to be packing an answer to Diggersby, so he got a bunch of free kills.
Lessons Learnt:
Diggersby gets a ton of advantage rathar quickly if uncontested.
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/cap-162221120
Okay, this one ended in a quit, but I added it to make a point on why this might not be the best Pokemon to build a team around. By the end, I successfully put myself into a position where Diggersby could have started sweeping with Choiced EQ, but his Choiced EQ was barely not enough to kill Krillowat. Given that Krill should be the first thing you assume a fast Ground type should be able to kill, that's a huge problem.
Lessons Learnt:
Diggersby tend to a bunch of monsters it really out to hard counter simply by virtue of being too slow or not heavy hitting enough.
Diggersby can actually get work done, but you need a ton of support to make it work.
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/cap-162224549
So Diggersby actually was pretty hard to get out in this one, because it's one of the few Pokemon Voodoom's good against. It did chunk most of the life off Colossoil, so that Tomahawk could clean up after it.
Lessons Learnt:
U-Turn Choiced Diggersby is actually a surprisingly legitimate lead. He does a ton of damage to a surprising amount, and he conducts early game pivots flawlessly. If I were to pick one aspect that really blew me away about Diggersby, it's how well he starts off a fight.
If you can get Diggersby down safely, he wins fights, but it's rare that that happens.
NumberCruncher, you got a battle against me, you just lost =/
I'm willing to have a Diggersby match or two, NumberCruncher over the next hour and a half, but I'll be busy after that and wouldn't be able to battle until after midnight (Eastern time). I understand it isn't always available to find a voice+, but generally we're around, or at least one of us at a given time :)
On a different note, today's mon is Regice, and tomorrow's will be Mew.
I chose Regice mostly because it's ability to seriously wall/threaten some super important CAP threats, including Cylclohm, Landorus, and maybe even certain Tomohawku. Typing wise, Ice is a great offensive type in the meta, and that massive 200 Sp Def definitely gives it special bulk. I hope it's an interesting day for Regice :D
On a different note, today's mon is Regice, and tomorrow's will be Mew.
I chose Regice mostly because it's ability to seriously wall/threaten some super important CAP threats, including Cylclohm, Landorus, and maybe even certain Tomohawku. Typing wise, Ice is a great offensive type in the meta, and that massive 200 Sp Def definitely gives it special bulk. I hope it's an interesting day for Regice :D
- Status