What do I do next? [UU warstory]

I'd been trying for months to catch Clyde. at the top of the PO UU ladder. He's been inactive, sitting at 1511 rating. I'd gotten to 1502 at best, but always every now and then I would suffer a very painful loss and fail to narrow the gap. When this battle happened, I'd only just gotten to 1502 again. Would I finally get to top? Let's see ...

My team:



This was a relatively new variant of an old team. I'd been tweaking around trying to fix weaknesses to Torterra and Drapion from my old team, and this was the first variant I tried. It is admittedly very dangerous to experiment when you are so high up the ladder, but that didn't stop this battle from being good.

My moves are in red
My opponent's moves are in blue
I've changed my name to the one I use on the forums (I was on an alternate account) for easier identification
Things that I should've or could've noticed, but didn't, I write in
tags.
I'm sorry that there are no sprites, but considering that Pokemon is a text-based game, it shouldn't affect the narrative too much.

Battle between Singularity and Banedon started!

Tier: UnderUsed Gen 4
Variation: +5, -26
Rule: Rated
Rule: Sleep Clause
Rule: Species Clause


Banedon sent out Uxie!
Singularity sent out Scyther!

Right at the start this battle promises to be good - for one, I stand to gain 5 rating instead of the usual 1 or even 0 rating if I win. On the other hand, I have the misfortune of facing a Scyther lead. The team I'd been using had a bulky Mismagius lead, which can handle Scyther pretty well (it can certainly stay in on Scyther U-turn, for example). But this is not the case with Uxie, especially since I'm not running a support Uxie - this is a fast Uxie without Stealth Rock.

As it is, my opponent's move is clear as day. He will U-turn. And since I can't stay in, I'm forced to concede the early momentum to him. Fortunately for me I have a Steelix, so I'll be able to absorb the hit easily, although I can't do anything about momentum.

Some time after this battle I would face Singularity again with my old team. Turns out I was wrong about staying in with Mismagius vs. Scyther; his Scyther has Pursuit, and even if Mismagius stays in it's almost crippled. In retrospect then, I'm lucky to have an Uxie lead this game :)


Start of turn 1
Banedon called Uxie back!
Banedon sent out Steelix!


The foe's Scyther used U-turn!
It's not very effective...
Steelix lost 34 HP! (9% of its health)
Singularity called Scyther back!
Singularity sent out Milotic!


Steelix restored a little HP using its Leftovers!
Steelix's Leftovers will be removed from now on.

Uxie: 100%
Steelix: 97% (Leftovers)
Scyther: 100%
Milotic: 100%

As expected, Singularity U-turns. Milotic is rather a strange switch-in to Steelix so soon, but also a risk-free one. Not many Steelix have Toxic, and even if they do have it it's risky to stay in. Milotic Surf is not only super-effective, it hits on Steelix's weaker defensive side. So once again, I'm forced to switch out. This time, however, I'll be the one grabbing the momentum. He's only seen two members of my team and so is not going to overpredict ... right?

Start of turn 2
Banedon called Steelix back!
Banedon sent out Venusaur!


The foe's Milotic used Ice Beam!
It's super effective!
Venusaur lost 148 HP! (40% of its health)


Venusaur restored a little HP using its Leftovers!
Venusaur's Leftovers will be removed from now on.

Venusaur: 66% (Leftovers)
Milotic: 100% (no Life Orb)

Or then again ... maybe not. Singularity plays bravely, catching Venusaur with Ice Beam. It wasn't such big a gamble since the worst most Steelix can do to Milotic is put up Stealth Rock, but it was a gamble nonetheless - he had no idea I would switch to a Grass-type. Fortunately for me, because this is a defensive Venusaur I'm not badly hurt. Time to reciprocate. I have 3 options, and Singularity knows them. I can use a grass attack and hope he stays in, I can use a poison attack and hope he switches out, and finally I can sleep. Like him last turn, I don't know what the best move is, but I chose Sludge Bomb. I'll be able to Synthesis and heal if he stays in anyway so why not. After all, he did do the same thing to me last turn.

Start of turn 3
Singularity called Milotic back!
Singularity sent out Heracross!


Venusaur used Sludge Bomb!
The foe's Heracross lost 38% of its health!


Venusaur: 72% (Leftovers)
Heracross: 62% (no Leftovers)

So he switches to Heracross, perhaps the single deadliest Pokemon in the metagame. Switching Heracross into defensive Venusaur would be slightly risky if I'd chosen sleep, but this time it paid off. I'm faced with a threatening sweeper that I don't know the set of ... all I know is that it has no Leftovers, which still doesn't say anything because it could still be Banded, Scarfed, or Life Orbed. Fortunately, my Venusaur is physically defensive and so should be able to take a hit. I can put him to sleep and work from there - unless he's RestTalk, he'll have lost a valuable sweeper.

Start of turn 4
The foe's Heracross used Megahorn!
Venusaur lost 223 HP! (61% of its health)

Heracross lost 10% health from Life Orb

Venusaur used Sleep Powder!
The foe's Heracross fell asleep!


Venusaur: 17% (Leftovers)
Heracross: 52% (Life Orbed and asleep for 0 turns)

Ouch! So I did indeed put him to sleep, but I just took a massive hit. Venusaur at 17% health isn't going to threaten anyone. He shows Life Orb, which means there's a good chance of him being RestTalk LO (which would also explain why he switched into Venusaur), but I have no choice: I have to Synthesis, or Venusaur will be of no use later. I can't attack and hope to finish him off because my first Sludge Bomb did 38%. Even with Life Orb recoil factored in he won't die. Let's hope for a bad Sleep Talk ...

Start of turn 5
The foe's Heracross is fast asleep!
The foe's Heracross used Sleep Talk!
The foe's Heracross used Megahorn!
The attack of the foe's Heracross missed!


Venusaur used Synthesis!
Venusaur regained health!


Venusaur: 73% (Leftovers)
Heracross: 52% (Life Orbed and asleep for 1 turn)

Singularity: ..
Not the best, but good enough. Singularity has every right to feel aggrieved at this point because even a resisted Close Combat would've killed Venusaur, but although he picked Megahorn, he had the misfortune to miss. That's good for me however: now Venusaur is back up and kicking.

I still can't stay in on Heracross; I can't kill it. I can't even poison it because it triggers Guts. Time to switch out. Which Pokemon to go to is by no means obvious. Heracross is a reasonably safe switch, but I took the chance that Sleep Talk would not select Megahorn again and chose Uxie. The whole point of having a fast Uxie is so that I can outspeed non-Scarf Heracross and KO with Psychic before they know what hit them. Since there are so many support Uxie around, this often catches my opponent by surprise as well. Why not? I have a better than 2/3 chance that my plan will work. Not only might Megahorn miss again, he might wake up.

I realized after the match that I could actually stay in and hope he Sleep Talks Close Combat, when the defense drops would allow Venusaur to KO Heracross. However, with LO Megahorn doing 61%, +1 LO Megahorn would do even more, and Venusaur would be at risk of dying without achieving anything.


Start of turn 6
Banedon called Venusaur back!
Banedon sent out Uxie!


The foe's Heracross is fast asleep!
The foe's Heracross used Sleep Talk!
The foe's Heracross used Megahorn!
It's super effective!
Uxie lost 299 HP! (100% of its health)
Uxie fainted!


Uxie: Dead
Heracross: 42% (Life Orb and asleep for 2 turns)
5-6 my opponent

Holy zygotes ... that really sucked.

Once again I assess my options. I obviously can't go back to Venusaur. Clefable is suicidal as well. Physically defensive Milotic might suffice, but mine is specially defensive. Steelix might work once, but Steelix can't outspeed Heracross and he will Rest. Suddenly I feel bad about switching in Uxie, my team feels a lot more naked now.

I'm left with one choice.

Banedon sent out Heracross!

'Dark|Cat' is watching the battle.
Singularity: hm
'Dark|Cat' stopped watching the battle.
Banedon: Don't complain
Banedon: You got two Megahorns
Banedon: Instead of Rest
Banedon: @_@
Singularity: thats normal...
Banedon: Unless
Singularity: and i didnt complain lol
Banedon: Lol
Singularity: it just sucks cause i'd have killed the more important mon ;.;
Singularity: but w/e
Singularity: hm
Well I would've preferred you killed Venusaur and left me with Uxie! At least Uxie can switch into Close Combat and force Heracross out; Venusaur can't do anything to RestTalk LO Heracross.

My Heracross is Scarfed with Close Combat, Megahorn, Stone Edge and Aerial Ace. I'm guaranteed to force him out. I can use any of the four moves, but I'm predicting a ghost switch-in because that's what everyone does. After all, Close Combat is 100% accurate while Megahorn is only 85%, and who doesn't like a free Sub against choiced Fighting moves?

Start of turn 7
Singularity called Heracross back!
Singularity sent out Rotom!


Heracross used Megahorn!
It's not very effective...
The foe's Rotom lost 50% of its health!


Heracross: 100% (Scarfed and locked into Megahorn)
Rotom: 50% (no Leftovers)

Singularity: ouch
Awesome. This just shows why Heracross is so overpowered. Rotom takes over 50% from a resisted move and stands to be KOed next turn. At this point he could be Scarfed with HP Flying, but since RT. is the guy who pioneered RestTalk LO Heracross, and since he had a SubSplit Rotom, I'm betting that this too is a SubSplit Rotom. Gogo Megahorn!!

Start of turn 8
Singularity called Rotom back!
Singularity sent out Arcanine!


The foe's Arcanine intimidates Heracross!
Heracross's Attack fell!
Heracross used Megahorn!
The attack of Heracross missed!


Heracross: 100% (Scarfed and -1 Atk)
Arcanine: 100% (Intimidate)

Singularity plays well, deducing that my Heracross is Scarfed and sending in Arcanine. Megahorn misses, but considering this is -1 Heracross using a resisted move, it's not likely to have done much. More worrying is that I don't know what set Arcanine has. There's not much I can do, although given that RT. too had an Arcanine and that one was SpDef, my first guess was that this too was a SpD Arcanine.

Fortunately for me, SpD Milotic is a perfect switch-in to SpD Arcanine. I just love it when they stay in, Toxic, spam Morning Sun and then flee with tails between legs after I use Rest.

Start of turn 9
Banedon called Heracross back!
Banedon sent out Milotic!


The foe's Arcanine used Flare Blitz!
It's not very effective...
Milotic lost 76 HP! (19% of its health)
The foe's Arcanine is hit with recoil!


The foe's Arcanine restored a little HP using its Leftovers!
Milotic restored a little HP using its Leftovers!

Both Arcanine's and Milotic's Leftovers will be removed from now on.

Arcanine: 100% (or close to it ... screw PO for not having percentages)
Milotic: 90% (Leftovers)

Since my Milotic is SpD and yet took so little damage from a STAB BP 120 move, it's fair to assume that this is indeed a SpD Arcanine. Now is the time when I Surf and taunt him into Toxic. I mean, this is what SpD Arcanine is supposed to do right? Toxic and beat Milotic?

I suspect at this point Singularity realized that my Milotic was SpD. Indeed, from the damage calcs, it is possible to know:

0 Attack Arcanine Flare Blitz vs. 252/200 Milotic: 17% - 20.3%
0 Attack Arcanine Flare Blitz vs. 252/248+ Milotic: 15% - 17.5%

If so, this was simply superb play by him. I would never have deduced this.


Start of turn 10
Singularity called Arcanine back!
Singularity sent out Milotic!


Milotic used Surf!
It's not very effective...
The foe's Milotic lost 10% of its health!


The foe's Milotic restored a little HP using its Leftovers!
Both Milotic's Leftovers will be removed from now on.

My Milotic: 96% (Leftovers)
His Milotic: 96% (Leftovers)

Or not ...

At this point I got suspicious. If he had a SpD Arcanine, he would've used Toxic. Everyone does it. Instead, he goes to Milotic. Why would he? Milotic vs. Milotic is a draw. He may be able to PP stall me eventually if he has Haze, but with 5 Pokemon left on my side and a Venusaur, that just won't happen. Instead he is giving me the chance to break the cycle, switch to a Milotic counter and take the initiative.

Unless he has Toxic.

So I decide to go to Clefable. Even if he attacks, he's likely to use HP Grass. I can survive that and the follow-up Surf and Softboiled up if I have to. This is how I often handle Milotic anyway: go to my own Milotic, then try to get Clefable in on HP Grass. Switching to Clefable on a Surf is still doable, but more dangerous.

Start of turn 11
Banedon called Milotic back!
Banedon sent out Clefable!


The foe's Milotic used Toxic!
Clefable was poisoned!


Clefable: 100% (Toxic Poisoned, but happy it now has status protection)
Milotic: 100% (Leftovers)

Yes! Not only did Clefable get in unscathed, he used Toxic, giving me status protection. I've lost Clefable a few times to Registeel paraflinching Clefable, so status protection is definitely welcome.

My Clefable is the CM LO Stallbreaker variant, and Milotic is one of its primary victims. He has no idea what my Clefable is, but one thing for sure is that it's too early to set-up. With all 6 of his Pokemon still alive, chances are I'll be forced out soon. Now is the time to attack and catch Milotic for a stiff hit. If he stays in, he'll be caught in the "Recover-or-switch-out-at-50%" conundrum, a clear advantage to me.

Start of turn 12
Singularity called Milotic back!
Singularity sent out Donphan!


Clefable used Thunderbolt!
It had no effect!


Clefable: 100% (Toxic Poisoned)
Donphan: 100%

That wasn't to plan, but I'm still hardly affected. My Clefable outspeeds Donphan after all and I can kill it with Ice Beam. Nobody is immune to Ice, and whatever switches in now will take big damage. I hope it's Heracross.

Start of turn 13
Clefable used Ice Beam!
It's super effective!
The foe's Donphan lost 100% of its health!
The foe's Donphan fainted!


Clefable: 100% (Toxic Poisoned)
Donphan: dead
5-5 even

Lol :D

Once again Clefable's reputation as a defensive Pokemon gets it a kill. Donphan might not be Heracross, but a kill is a kill is a kill. This is great. Not only was Donphan probably Singularity's SR user, it means he cannot Rapid Spin. With both Scyther and Arcanine on his team vulnerable to Stealth Rock, I have an advantage here ... although his sweepers are still more than capable of running through my team.

Singularity: wow
Katy Perry is watching the battle.
Singularity: i didnt expact that to KO
Singularity: expect*
Banedon: 252 Modest LO
Singularity: still... damn.
Banedon: SE on Donphan's weaker defensive side
Singularity sent out Heracross!

Clearly the best switch for him, and now we begin a super-serious contest of mind-games. Sleep lasts 1-4 turns, and he's been asleep for two turns, so there's the very real possibility then that he will wake up. The dialogue should go to show just how serious this round is ...

Banedon: So now
Banedon: Will you wake up
Katy Perry: koko you mad?
Banedon: Or sleep talk something other than an attacking move
Singularity: lol
Singularity: oh i wake up and attack
Banedon: pls pls pls pls pls
Banedon: Or you wake up and Rest
Banedon: Wow this is hard decision
Singularity: lol this is the kid of stuff i like to avoid but w/e
Singularity: kind*
He might wake up and use Rest. He might wake up and use an offensive move. He might wake up and use Sleep Talk. He might stay asleep and try to use an offensive move. He might stay asleep and Sleep Talk Rest. And finally he might stay asleep and Sleep Talk an offensive move. Against the 1.95x boost from Guts and Life Orb, Clefable has no chance of surviving Megahorn, let alone Close Combat.

Wow this is a hard decision @_@

Once again if Uxie were still alive, now would be a reasonable time to switch it in. But Uxie is dead, Venusaur still can't hurt Heracross and neither can Milotic nor Steelix. It's either stay in and Ice Beam or switch to my own Heracross. What are the chances ... ?

Start of turn 14
Banedon called Clefable back!
Banedon sent out Heracross!


The foe's Heracross woke up!
The foe's Heracross used Sleep Talk!
But it failed!


My Heracross: 100%
His Heracross: 42% (Life Orbed)

Banedon: Lame
Banedon: Should've stayedc in
Singularity: lol
Katy Perry: U MAD?
Singularity: it was a safe play on your part.
Pardon me saying it was lame, his waking up and using Sleep Talk was certainly better than him waking up and using Rest / attacking move. However ... if I'd kept Clefable in this would kill the biggest threat to my team right now. Ugh.

Start of turn 15
Singularity called Heracross back!
Singularity sent out Arcanine!


The foe's Arcanine intimidates Heracross!
Heracross's Attack fell!
Heracross used Stone Edge!
It's super effective!
The foe's Arcanine lost 49% of its health!


Heracross: 100% (-1 Att and locked into Stone Edge)
Arcanine: ~57% (Leftovers)

I make this move almost out of inertia. Stone Edge x2 would probably KO Rotom anyway, so I don't have that much to lose. Fortunately I once again get it right, and Arcanine takes a big hit. It's still going to survive another Stone Edge however, and I can't stay in and die since my Heracross is the only real thing I have left that can hit his Heracross. Once again SpD Milotic makes a good switch in. He'd probably Morning Sun and put us back to square one, but I'm perfectly content to keep probing left right centre until a weakness shows up that I can exploit.

Banedon: I stand to lose 26 rating
Banedon: Can't play safe >_<
Banedon: *can't play risky
Singularity: lol i'd actually play more safe.
Singularity: yeah
inorite ... just imagine this: Singularity switched in 26 rating! 26 rating is exerting its Pressure! God.

Start of turn 16
Banedon called Heracross back!
Banedon sent out Milotic!


Singularity called Arcanine back!
Singularity sent out Heracross!


Milotic: 100% (Leftovers)
Heracross: 42% (Life Orb)

Ouch, Singularity reads my mind and makes a superb play. Heracross is definitely going to Rest here, and the super-overpowered 1.95x modifier is going to come back and kick my a$$ ... and Milotic can't do anything about it.

What should I do? Going back to Heracross is the clearest thing to do, although I would be forced to Aerial Ace (neither STAB move will KO ...) and either take big damage anyway or let Arcanine in to heal up. That's not a good thing. On the other hand, Thund91 did say once on the forums that Milotic > Heracross. I even remember the exact phrase: it was something like "but yeah milo > hera". Since my Milotic is at 100% health, perhaps I should stay in? I have Rest to trigger Marvel Scale as well. If he realizes he cannot overpower me, I could force him out.

Start of turn 17
The foe's Heracross used Rest!
The foe's Heracross went to sleep and became healthy!


Milotic used Surf!
The foe's Heracross lost 35% of its health!


Milotic: 100% (Leftovers)
Heracross: 65% (asleep for 0 turns, Life Orb)

That was inevitable. I'm heartened to see that Surf is threatening to 3HKO. Maybe my plan will work after all!

Start of turn 18
The foe's Heracross is fast asleep!
The foe's Heracross used Sleep Talk!
The foe's Heracross used Close Combat!
Milotic lost 376 HP! (95% of its health)
The foe's Heracross's Defense fell!
The foe's Heracross's Sp. Def. fell!


Milotic used Surf!
The foe's Heracross lost 54% of its health!
The foe's Heracross fainted!


Milotic: 11% (Leftovers)
Heracross: dead
5-4 me

Singularity: well that sucks
Banedon: Ow
Banedon: 95% to Milo
Singularity: damn low damage rolls.
Banedon: And a certain someone wrote on Smogon
Banedon: That Milo > Heera
Banedon: Wtffffff
Singularity: lol yeah thats just not true
I had no idea this would deal so much damage. 95% is simply huge, and Milotic is in no shape to take on anyone now. Perhaps I should've used Rest ... here're the post-match calcs for reference, if I end up in the same situation again.

Adamant 252 Att +1 LO Heracross Close Combat or Megahorn vs. 252/200 Milotic: 100% - 118%
Jolly 252 Att +1 LO Heracross Close Combat or Megahorn vs. 252/200 Milotic: 91.4% - 107.6% (clearly he is Jolly)
Jolly 252 Att +1 LO Heracross Close Combat or Megahorn vs. 252/200 +1 Milotic: 60.9% - 71.8%

I didn't realize the significance of these calcs then, but if I had done them during the match I would've had serious doubts about keeping Milotic in. Damn Thund91 to hell and back lol. If you're reading this Thund, I blame YOU!!! Lol :D

Here's Thund91's post if anyone's interested: http://www.smogon.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3001942&postcount=361 I based my move on Thund91's comments, but to be fair I remembered the context of his post wrong. He actually said physically defensive Milotic > Scarf Heracross, not anything else.


This tough round also showed several things. If he'd gotten a good damage roll, Milotic would be dead and Heracross perfectly functioning. If he had picked Rest with Sleep Talk, he would've taken more damage and stand to lose Heracross. If he had gotten Megahorn, Heracross would still be alive. Although what happened was by no means ideal for him, it was also by no means terrible. Milotic is near death and has no chance of healing up. My opponent's remaining Pokemon, Milotic + Scyther + Arcanine + Rotom, all outspeed min speed Milotic and will finish it off (it is standard to run 8 speed EVs on non-RestTalk Milotic to outspeed Adamant Aggron). This wouldn't be so bad until you consider how 3 of my remaining Pokemon are Venusaur, Steelix and Heracross. Arcanine is so going to massacre them.

Singularity sent out Scyther!

Katy Perry: woah this guy is second
Singularity: lol well he's good what do you expect
Singularity: i'd ladder in my actual alt if it wasnt already on THE best rank =P
Banedon: Lol you are Eternal?
Singularity: nope but my rank is 1337
Banedon: Lol
Singularity: im kokoloko =P lol
Banedon: <-- thinking hard
Singularity: no probs
Again, a really tough round. Scyther is definitely going to U-turn. I could go to Steelix on the obvious U-turn, but I don't know what I will accomplish. If I do go to Steelix, Arcanine will switch in and Intimidate, Earthquake will fail to hurt Arcanine at -1 and Flare Blitz will seriously dent Steelix. But then again, Steelix has 200 base defense and this isn't an offensive Arcanine. Steelix will survive Flare Blitz and can hit back.

On the other hand, Milotic is useless now. Like I wrote before, it won't be able to heal. Besides, even if Steelix survives Flare Blitz, a defensive Arcanine is bound to have Morning Sun. What is -1 Earthquake vs. defensive Arcanine? It's not going to be much. He will heal up. With Milotic in no shape to handle Arcanine and Arcanine a deadly threat to the rest of my team, that is something I just can't afford.

After some deep thought, I decide that my best move is to sacrifice Milotic now. Whatever switches in after that, I'll be the one with the momentum.

Start of turn 19
The foe's Scyther used U-turn!
Milotic lost 42 HP! (10% of its health)
Milotic fainted!


4-4 tie

Banedon: Had to happen
Banedon: Ugh
Singularity: that was my only move
Banedon: Yeah
Banedon: And sacrificing Milotic is my only choice too
Banedon: 42 health left
Banedon: No chance of outspeeding and recovering
Singularity: yeah no point in keeping it.
Katy Perry: IT'S A TRAP
Singularity: hm
Singularity called Scyther back!
Singularity sent out Rotom!


Banedon sent out Steelix!

The game goes on. If my guess was right and that Rotom is a SubSplit version, Steelix is by far the best switch-in. It's immune to Thunderbolt and resists Shadow Ball. Sure Rotom will Pain Split up, but it won't be killing Steelix, and I get to put up Stealth Rock. With his spinner dead and both Scyther and Arcanine vulnerable (Arcanine quite low on health to boot) this will give me a strong advantage. Worst case scenario is that this is actually a Specs Rotom, and uses Trick. Let's hope not.

Start of turn 20
The foe's Rotom used Substitute!
The foe's Rotom made a substitute!


Steelix used Stealth Rock!
Pointed stones float in the air around Singularity's team!


Steelix: 100% (Leftovers)
Rotom: 24% (no Leftovers)

I was right! This is a SubSplit rotom. Stealth Rock is up now and I have Roar; this isn't a matchup I'm going to lose. He's going to Pain Split for sure; I'm just going to Roar and hope I drag out Scyther.

Start of turn 21
The foe's Rotom used Pain Split!
The battlers shared their pain!


Steelix used Roar!
Pointed stones dug into the foe's Arcanine!
The foe's Arcanine was dragged out!
The foe's Arcanine intimidates Steelix!
Steelix's Attack fell!


Steelix: relatively healthy, something like 75% left (-1 Att, Leftovers)
Arcanine: 27% (Leftovers)

Singularity: this is why im sad i lost donphan
Singularity: ;.;
Banedon: I lost Milo
Banedon: You hit SE on 3 of my remaining Pokemon
Singularity: i know
Singularity: but its not worth it.
Singularity: hmm
Singularity: actually...
Heh ... whoops. He obviously outspeeds and will heal, so I can't even attempt to kill him with Earthquake. I have to make another tough decision. Switching to Venusaur is out of the question. Switching to Heracross on the predicted Morning Sun would be good if Stone Edge OHKOes Arcanine at 83%, which I doubt it would. I could go to Clefable, but Clefable will take some setting-up to hurt Arcanine back, all the while taking powerful Flare Blitz'es on its weaker defensive side.

So I decide to keep Steelix in and Roar. I might not be able to kill Arcanine, but I can shuffle for more damage. After all, Steelix should survive an unboosted Flare Blitz right?

Start of turn 22
The foe's Arcanine used Flare Blitz!
It's super effective!
Steelix lost 164 HP! (46% of its health)
The foe's Arcanine is hit with recoil!


Steelix used Roar!
Pointed stones dug into the foe's Scyther!
The foe's Scyther was dragged out!


Steelix: near death, something like 30% left
Arcanine: also near death, enough so that it cannot switch in again
Scyther: 50%

Singularity predicts a Heracross switch and tries for a KO, but I stay in. Scyther gets dragged out, which is excellent for me. Now Scyther is obviously choiced. All lead Scythers are. If I'd done the calcs beforehand I would've known this Scyther is actually Scarfed, but in the game I assumed it was Banded. Either way, I treated it the same way. Steelix is near death, but I still need to keep it to handle Rotom. I must save it. In the meantime, I highly doubt he will U-turn simply because I have been using Roar. So he will Brick Break. He has no choice. Now is the time to bring Venusaur back. After all, with Heracross dead and Arcanine unable to switch in again, it can't be exploited dilly-dally anymore.

Astute readers would probably realize that at this point I took a serious advantage. Arcanine was the Singularity's only Pokemon that could seriously threaten my team, and losing it meant it becomes that much easier for me to stall him out.


Start of turn 23
Banedon called Steelix back!
Banedon sent out Venusaur!


The foe's Scyther used Brick Break!
It's not very effective...
Venusaur lost 39 HP! (10% of its health)


Venusaur: 69% (Leftovers)
Scyther: 50% (and probably locked into Brick Break)

Bingo! Unless he is for some reason not choiced and can Aerial Are, I have a free move. The Pokemon he has left are Scyther, Milotic, Arcanine and Rotom. Grass Knot is out of the question; it won't hit Rotom, and there's no chance that he switches in Milotic. Sludge Bomb looks like a decent move and will hit all his Pokemon decently. Same applies to Sleep Powder. Finally I could use Synthesis, although at 69% health and one more tick of Leftovers to come, that would be rather a waste ...

In the end, I chose Sleep Powder. The game is winding down, and any sleeping Pokemon now isn't likely to ever wake up.

Start of turn 24
Singularity called Scyther back!
Singularity sent out Arcanine!
Pointed stones dug into the foe's Arcanine!
The foe's Arcanine fainted!


Venusaur used Sleep Powder!
But there was no target...


Venusaur: 75% (Leftovers)
Arcanine: dead
4-3 me

With hindsight, this was indeed the most logical move for Singularity. Rotom was his only other switch-in and it can't switch into Sludge Bomb, so there's no other time to death fodder Arcanine. I should've used Synthesis ...

Katy Perry: This just got real
It has been for a while mate.

Singularity sent out Rotom!
Pointed stones dug into the foe's Rotom!


OK. Rotom again. Venusaur cannot hurt Rotom with Sludge Bomb resisted. So he has a free Sub. But I still have Steelix, and Steelix still walls SubSplit Rotom. Back to Steelix I go.

Start of turn 25
Banedon called Venusaur back!
Banedon sent out Steelix!


The foe's Rotom used Substitute!
The foe's Rotom made a substitute!


Steelix: 30% (Leftovers)
Rotom: 48% (Life Orb, Sub)

Dum dum dum ... he's not going to Pain Split. Will Steelix survive LO Shadow Ball twice? Probably. I could Roar now, but then again I could also Gyro Ball and hope he uses Sub next turn. He would then be at 3% and unable to switch in completely. I would also gain some Leftovers recovery. Furthermore, with Steelix low, he won't be able to heal up. I haven't much to lose, do I?

Katy Perry: koko stop sucking
Dude if he were sucking then I'd already have won wtf ...

Start of turn 26
The foe's Rotom used Shadow Ball!
It's not very effective...
Steelix lost 67 HP! (18% of its health)


Steelix used Gyro Ball!
It's not very effective...
The foe's Rotom's substitute faded!


Steelix: 18% (Leftovers)
Rotom: 38% (Life Orb)

Suddenly I realize with horror that Steelix is not going to survive two Shadow Balls @_@ Uh oh. Mission failed. The game goes on, and I can't switch out with my health. I hope he gets greedy and Subs, or that he got a high damage roll last turn ...

For future reference: Timid LO Rotom Shadow Ball vs. 252/252+ Steelix: 18.1% - 21.5%. That's sooooooo not smart ...

Depsite this being such a terrible move on my part, I believe it's good strategy. The problem was I chose the wrong time to implement it. The time to use it would've been the first time Steelix faced Rotom (turn 21). Singluarity would not know that I have Roar, so after my Gyro Ball on turn 21 there's a good chance that he will either switch to a Steelix counter or Substitute again on turn 22. If I used Roar at that point, I could either cost Rotom 25% health and perhaps death by Stealth Rock, or force a switch to something other than Singularity's preferred Steelix killer (since switches occur before Roar, and since an active Pokemon cannot be dragged back out by Roar). I missed my chance.


Start of turn 27
The foe's Rotom used Shadow Ball!
It's not very effective...
Steelix lost 64 HP! (18% of its health)
Steelix fainted!


Steelix: dead
Rotom: 28% (Life Orb)
3-3 even

Damnit.

Banedon sent out Heracross!

Once again I don't have a choice. Rotom outspeeds Clefable and Venusaur. It's either I go to Heracross now or Rotom outspeeds and heals.

In hindsight, perhaps I could've gone to Clefable and used CM. Pain Split cannot kill Clefable, and with Thunderbolt's power rapidly decreasing as I CM, he would have to switch to Scyther. I would have that one chance to catch Scyther on the switch with an attack. If it works, I would win; if it doesn't, I still have Venusaur and Steelix to kill Scyther. I could've done this last turn as well, since Clefable is conveniently immune to Shadow Ball, and preserve Steelix to switch into Scyther's Aerial Ace.


Start of turn 28
Heracross used Megahorn!
It's not very effective...
The foe's Rotom lost 28% of its health!
The foe's Rotom fainted!


Heracross: 100% (Scarf + locked into Megahorn)
Rotom: dead
3-2 me

Singularity: crap.
Singularity sent out Scyther!
Pointed stones dug into the foe's Scyther!


If Megahorn had missed, I would be in trouble, but thankfully it hit. Now I can afford to relax. He has Scyther and Milotic left. I outspeed Scyther, while Milotic cannot get past Venusaur. As long as Megahorn does not miss again, I've won.

Start of turn 29
The foe's Scyther used Aerial Ace!
It's super effective!
Heracross lost 302 HP! (100% of its health)
Heracross fainted!


Scyther: 1% (Scarfed and locked into Aerial Ace damnit)
Heracross: dead
2-2 tie

Banedon: Wow
Banedon: You are Scarfed
Banedon: EVERYONE uses Band Scyther
What makes this particularly painful is that I could've known it was Scarf Scyther if I'd just performed some calcs from before. Ouch!! Even more painful is wondering what I could've done had I known Scyther was Scarfed. Could I have switched out? Venusaur would probably die to two Aerial Aces, Clefable as well. I would have had to sacrifice Heracross anyway, so maybe my mistake wasn't that bad ...

Banedon sent out Clefable!

Eventually I sort out my thoughts and realize I still have the advantage. Knowing that he is Scarfed, Clefable ought to survive an Aerial Ace. I will kill him, then Venusaur will dispose of Milotic. I've still won.

Singularity: i switched cause of missy
Singularity: this team is kinda missy weak
Singularity: so i needed some sort of revenger
Katy Perry: Oh I thought because of my
Banedon: I so should've Roared
Katy Perry: *me
Banedon: Instead of Gyro
Banedon: Rotom and saved my steelix
Katy Perry: I don't feel special anymore
Katy Perry: FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU
Singularity: yeah i thought you would
Singularity: hm
Banedon: I thought since you couldn't hit me anyway
Start of turn 30
The foe's Scyther used Aerial Ace!
A critical hit!
Clefable lost 371 HP! (100% of its health)
Clefable fainted!


Clefable: dead
Scyther: 1% (Scarfed and locked into Aerial Ace)
1-2 my opponent

Singularity: wow
Banedon: I could stay in and get some Lefties
Banedon: Omg
Oh my God was right! Suddenly I'm facing a Scyther sweep, and my confidence disappears. I only have one Venusaur left. It's physically defensive, but will I survive a STAB, Technician-boosted super-effective move?

Banedon sent out Venusaur!

Banedon: gg
Singularity: that so not fair =/
Banedon: Yeah
Singularity: im sorry dude
Banedon: That wouldn't have killed
Singularity: i do run addy though but i doubt that woulda KO'd
Katy Perry: koko forfeit
Katy Perry: and let him get first
Banedon: It doesn't
Banedon: I faced Scarf Scyther before it did like 60%
Katy Perry: Katy Perry: koko forfeit
Katy Perry: and let him get first
Singularity: i would forfeit but hax is kinda part of laddering it happens to me and i dont get forfeited against =P lol
Katy Perry: ...
Banedon: Lol
Singularity: anyway, gg dude, im sorry about that
Katy Perry: But he is sooooooooo close
Banedon: I better run calcs
Katy Perry: koko be the cool kid and forfeit
Katy Perry: D:
Singularity: i got haxed out of 27 LC points earlier so no =P lol
Singularity: haxed + illegal teamed (chlorophyll bulba)
Banedon: It's not over
Katy Perry: you wanted 1337 points anyway
Katy Perry: how is illegal?
Finally, belatedly, I decide to run some calcs. I will survive alright - thank Venusaur for being so bulky. Now it's just a question of what I'm going to do. I could sleep Scyther, except I wouldn't be able to sleep Milotic. But I outspeed Milotic - this time, thank whistle for making physically defensive Venusaur with ~90 speed EVs. I can therefore Synthesis on Milotic. He has Ice Beam alright, but it did 40% to Venusaur earlier in the match. I can Synthesis, then sleep Milotic and kill with Grass Knot ... I hope.

Start of turn 31
The foe's Scyther used Aerial Ace!
It's super effective!
Venusaur lost 266 HP! (73% of its health)


Venusaur used Sludge Bomb!
The foe's Scyther lost 0% of its health!
The foe's Scyther fainted!


Venusaur: 8% (Leftovers)
Scyther: dead
1-1 tie

Singularity: oh
Banedon: I am so Warstory'ing this game
Singularity sent out Milotic!
Pointed stones dug into the foe's Milotic!


This is it. I could sleep him, but if I miss (25% chance) I'm done for. Since Ice Beam deals 40% and I'm recovering 56% per turn, my move is obvious. Synthesis until healthy, and then only sleep.

Start of turn 32
Venusaur used Synthesis!
Venusaur regained health!


The foe's Milotic used Ice Beam!
It's super effective!
Venusaur lost 152 HP! (41% of its health)
Venusaur was frozen solid!


Venusaur: 20% (Leftovers, frozen)
Milotic: 94% (Leftovers)

There's nothing more to say about this turn then what happens next ...

Banedon: FUCK
Katy Perry: oh yeah i forgot to tell you
Singularity: damn
Banedon: What is this
Banedon: I don't get
Katy Perry: that milotic buttrapes freeze people
Banedon: gg
Singularity: this is kinda retarded. =/
Banedon: Yeah
Banedon: You should forfeit lol
Katy Perry: FORFEIT
Katy Perry: DOOOOOOOOO EEEEEEEET
Singularity: lol like i said, i would but no
Start of turn 33
Venusaur is frozen solid!

The foe's Milotic used Ice Beam!
It's super effective!
Venusaur lost 76 HP! (20% of its health)
Venusaur fainted!


And that's why I can never get to #1 on ladder :(

Singularity won the battle!

Singularity: I BRAKED DE TREE DID U KNO DAT!?
Singularity: sorry dude =/
Singularity: gg
Banedon: Such is life
Banedon: gg
The ending might've been inglorious, but this was still one of the best games I've ever played. One tough decision after tough decision, one lost chance after another, one vital part of my defensive core gone before 10 turns were up, and yet a close game results that could've gone either way. One might say hax was not on my side at the end, but then again one could also say that hax was not on my opponent's side, losing Heracross to Milotic for instance. Full credit to my opponent for putting me under pressure, and I hope I put him under pressure as well. I don't blame him for not wanting to forfeit (although that's what I would've done if I were in his shoes), but oh well, I have that much more work to do if I ever want to get to #1.

Props and slops:

Just a short list.

+ whistle for making CM LO Clefable. This is the second game in my active memory where Clefable killed Donphan with Ice Beam; both times it had a game-changing impact
+ whistle for making physically defensive Venusaur with ~90 speed EVs, enough to outspeed 8 speed Milotic
+ RT. for popularizing Subsplit Rotom that can't get past Steelix
+ the hax gods for making this a tough game where both sides had game-changing instances of hax
+ Thund91 for once saying that Steelix deserves to be more popular, inspiring me to use it
- Thund91 for writing that "milo > hera" :naughty:
- me for believing Thund91 without doing calcs of my own
- whistle for not making physically defensive Venusaur with Lum Berry for unlucky freeze hax
- RT. for pioneering RestTalk LO Heracross that so nearly ran through my team
- the hax gods for not making a less haxy ending

Singularity's team:

 

Athenodoros

Official Smogon Know-It-All
Don't worry, Banedon, I read your warstory. It was a great battle, and fun to watch some of the top players on the ladder duking it out. Real shame about the hax at the end, but overall a great warstory and a good read. 10/10.
 

Its_A_Random

A distant memory
is a Forum Moderator Alumnusis a Community Contributor Alumnus
Ouch, hax sucks. Despite it being prevalent, it was an enjoyable read, the comments were good, it was nice & easy on the eyes, & the the battle was very good. Nice to see a battle between two very good players. Looking forward to seeing more warstories from you. 8/10.
 
Definitely one of the best warstories i ever read.
Too bad for the massive hax at the end, but it was a thrilling and enjoyable read.

10/10
 
I don't see why everyone's complaining about the hax, really. It's just a part of the game, and really, it could've gone either way, regardless of the hax. Great job, Banedon.
 

Legacy Raider

sharpening his claws, slowly
is a Top Team Rater Alumnusis a Community Leader Alumnusis a Smogon Discord Contributor Alumnusis a Top Contributor Alumnusis a Smogon Media Contributor Alumnusis a Battle Simulator Moderator Alumnus
Absolutely loved this warstory banedon, it had like 4 cliffhanger turning points when all you really need to do is capitalise on 1 to make a good warstory. Glad to see such a high quality battle in my favourite tier. Thanks for this!
 

PK Gaming

Persona 5
is a Site Content Manager Alumnusis a Forum Moderator Alumnusis a Community Contributor Alumnusis a Smogon Discord Contributor Alumnusis a Tiering Contributor Alumnusis a Top Contributor Alumnusis a Past SPL Champion
Awesome warstory dude. Great comments (I liked how you added comments from your opponent and the spectator) and a great battle too!

It was twist after twist... shame you lost due to hax.

9/10
 

FlareBlitz

Relaxed nature. Loves to eat.
is a Tiering Contributor Alumnusis a Top Contributor Alumnusis a Past SPL Champion
I don't understand why you Gyro Ball'd the Rotom near the end instead of Roaring it? You mention that you expected him to Sub, but...why would he? In addition, Roar would have won you the game instantly, even if he had Subbed again for some random reason.

Besides that misplay, this was still a great warstory. Nice work.
 
Thanks for the nice comments :)

It wasn't Clyde actually, it was kokoloko under a different account (his main was at 1337 rating and he wanted to keep it there). Eternal isn't at the top of the ladder either, he's at #2.

I didn't like the hax in this battle, but to be honest, I shouldn't complain. I had my own moments of hax (especially my Milotic killing his Heracross and his Heracross failing to KO Venusaur), and I still had chances to win the game in spite of the hax. For example, while thinking about this battle over the past few days I realized that I hadn't been thinking of Clefable as a SubSplit Rotom counter:

Timid LO 252 SpA Rotom Thunderbolt vs. 96/0 Clefable: 50.1% - 59.2%
Timid LO 252 SpA Rotom Thunderbolt vs. 96/0 +1 Clefable: 33.2% - 39.7%

So near the end I could've saved Steelix by switching to Clefable (conveniently immune to Shadow Ball), Calm Mind, and then Softboiled. That would probably have won me the game. I could also have Roared Rotom, although it's possible Milotic would be dragged out instead.

@FlareBlitz - well he had 38% health at that time. What I was hoping was that after I used Gyro Ball and him Shadow Ball (dealing 0% damage to Steelix haha), he would Sub. Life Orb takes him to 28%, and then Sub to 3%. At 3% health he can Pain Split very effectively. Another thing was, I've found that in general it pays to be unpredictable. I figured that since I wasn't being threatened, I could afford to make unexpected plays. Of course all that was screwed thinking simply because Steelix didn't survive two Shadow Balls.

Is there a quick way to estimate damage, EV spreads etc without resorting to a calculator? I learned a while ago that base power scales directly with damage, e.g. if a BP 70 move does 50% damage then you can expect a BP 140 move to OHKO. Without calculating however I didn't have any idea how much Shadow Ball would do to Steelix, or how much -1 Earthquake does to 252/0 Arcanine.

Also I'll be touching up this warstory for style. Thanks again for the comments!
 

Oglemi

Borf
is a Top Contributoris a Tournament Director Alumnusis a Site Content Manager Alumnusis a Community Contributor Alumnusis a Researcher Alumnusis a Tiering Contributor Alumnusis a Top Smogon Media Contributor Alumnusis an Administrator Alumnusis a Top Dedicated Tournament Host Alumnus
Like everybody else said, this was a great warstory (it's been a while), so thank you for that. The only problem I had was that the teams were as bland as bland can be, but whatcha gonna do when they're the best Pokes in the tier, right? At least you used Steelix like a man, lol.

10/10
 
very enjoyable read. 9.5/10 (hax)

oh yeah it would be good if you could display his team at the end
 

kokoloko

what matters is our plan!
is a Site Content Manager Alumnusis a Senior Staff Member Alumnusis a Top Tiering Contributor Alumnusis a Top Contributor Alumnusis a Top Smogon Media Contributor Alumnusis a Two-Time Past SPL Champion
This was indeed a good battle. I'm surprised you actually warstoried it, as I hear that same story once a week, but it never actually gets done, lol. Anyway, I'm glad you actually did, as I enjoyed reading it almost as much as I enjoyed the actual game.

GG, and well... sorry about the hax in the end =/

Also, that was one of the first battles I played with that variant of the team. Before that game, I ran CB Scyther and a weird semi-offensive Arcanine, but as I told you during the game, the Mismagius weakness was terrible so I had to switch =P
 
wow i just read your wastory and i believe it is definitely one of the best on the site...everything was great...10/10
 

Users Who Are Viewing This Thread (Users: 1, Guests: 0)

Top