You are a type specialist in a hostile region. How do you best represent your chosen element?

Do you know what's in the ground beneath your feet? The only way to be sure is to drill down and check.
Sevii Rock.png

This is a scientist, if possible near a drill rig or a construction site. And each mon is one of the things you can hit when coring. Sand, organics(I once opened a sample in the lab and a large number of ants crawled out, but worms like Dunsparce are possible too), chalk/fossils, rock, ores, and fire(gas lines are a far more likely source of fire than magma, at least for the coring I've done, but you can see it as either).
Tyranitar @ Leftovers
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 248 HP / 252 SpA / 8 SpD
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Substitute
- Crunch
- Thunderbolt
- Ice Beam

Steelix @ Bright Powder
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpD
Impish Nature
- Earthquake
- Iron Tail
- Toxic
- Explosion

Magcargo @ White Herb
Ability: Flame Body
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Overheat
- Yawn
- Reflect
- Light Screen

Marowak @ Thick Club
Ability: Rock Head
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Double-Edge
- Bonemerang
- Perish Song
- Focus Punch

Dunsparce @ Leftovers
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Glare
- Ancient Power
- Headbutt
- Shadow Ball

Golem @ Chesto Berry
Ability: Rock Head
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
In keeping with the theme, I tried to do things that were at least a little unexpected for these mons, which wasn't easy for some of them that only have ~3 viable moves and they all want SlideQuake.
SubSpecial TTar to punish water/grass types and setup, Brightpowder Steelix, Dual Screens Magcargo+Yawn, Marowak with Perish Song and Focus Punch to capitalize on switches, Serene Grace Dunsparce with a few interesting choices, and RestoChesto Golem as the ace.

I'm pretty happy with this one. I tried a mountain theme, but it was too vague to be interesting. I kept narrowing it down to various bits, but until I remembered that I literally work in this field I was just not happy with any of them. Getting Wobbuffet to work was a goal of mine, but couldn't make it happen. Meanwhile, the Organics slot was both overcrowded and not working. The grasses just weren't very Rock even if they were Cave, most of the bugs fly rather than crawl, and thankfully hitting mammals is much rarer than hitting insects. I could have used trash(the number of samples with beer bottles/gas from the drill rig/etc in the first couple feet is shocking, but I was meh on the poison types). Spotting Dunsparce saved me. This week was really fun.
 
Got back from Scotland quite late last night and crashed out so missed this entirely. A day late, here we are!


You have until August 20th, 9PM GMT to make your case!

Let's look at the numbers.

Magcargo: 5

Tyranitar: 4

Golem: 3

Steelix: 4

Dunsparce: 3

Lapras: 2

Donphan: 1
Misdreavus: 1
Heracross: 1
Persian: 1
Skarmory: 1
Machamp: 1
Rapidash: 1
Gengar: 1
Bellossom: 1
Murkrow: 1
Marowak: 1
Starmie: 1
Tangela: 1
Octillery: 1
Magmar: 1


Analysis

Magcargo reigns supreme!

Good old Seviis... one of my favourite, and most evocative, locations. There's so much lore and mystique and geography to mine*, and a fun selection of Pokemon too. It's actually surprising there aren't way more Rock-types here - for an island region, it's practically brimming with caves, cliffs, valleys, and mountains. We very nearly ended up in a situation in which no team contained all of the round's actual Rock-types, curiously. But maybe that's understandable - Tyranitar, Golem, and Magcargo don't share a whole lot in traits or temperament.

When looking at the wildcards, they're all eminently sensible. Murkrow makes a frankly ridiculous amount of sense, given its noted propensity for seeking out precious gems and stones; Steelix, as a former Rock-type; Dunsparce, as a Pokemon with a sizeable amount of Rock affinity. Some more off-the-wall picks ended up slotting in well, too: Lapras, Starmie, Persian, Magmar, Machamp. Heracross is also an interesting pick given that, as Eeveeto noted, it learns many Rock moves (and Rock Smash!), but it's not a particularly mountainous Pokemon design-wise and has more overlap with Grass-types than anything else. Interestingly, Ironmage's looking-ahead-to-the-future team made me think of Mega Stones... there's certainly enough eligible Pokemon here to do a Mega Evolution-themed team (Beedrill, Pidgeot, Slowbro, Gengar, Steelix, Heracross, Gyarados, and Tyranitar)... could be amusing, though it'd be a challenge to justify why specifically here as opposed to any other location.

*pun very much not intended




Stuff I expected to see more (or at all)

Onix. Given the frequency of Steelix, very surprised not to see one instance of this.

Graveler. Hey, with Onix, Graveler, and Pupitar you'd have a full team of six Rock-types! Not actually a bad one at all. Suicide lead Onix with Sandstorm, Glare, and Flail... slap Dragon Dance or Curse on Pupitar and Explosion on Graveler... I'm really liking this idea. Damn.

Murkrow. Given, y'know, the gem thing.

Piloswine. Inevitably, Ground and Rock overlap, and Piloswine has the rugged, sturdy sort of vibe that goes with that.

Skarmory. Used once, but when we're talking rock-solid defensive walls... who else?

Xatu. We didn't get a Ruin Valley-themed team so it's probably fair enough, but this Pokemon comes to mind when thinking about crumbling ruins, ancient mysteries, and forgotten secrets. Would be an interesting pick for a research-oriented vibe, though probably not for a straightforward scientist - too magical and hippy-dippy, I suppose.
 
QuentinQuonce said:
Xatu. We didn't get a Ruin Valley-themed team so it's probably fair enough, but this Pokemon comes to mind when thinking about crumbling ruins, ancient mysteries, and forgotten secrets. Would be an interesting pick for a research-oriented vibe, though probably not for a straightforward scientist - too magical and hippy-dippy, I suppose.
Click to expand...
I did actually plan on making an actual team that was basically "the Tectonix trainer growing up before Tectonix died" and it had a Natu on it.

"This Natu isn't really mine, it just kinda showed up one day and started hanging around Tectonix. I don't know why, but it really seems to like the big guy!"

1755562974540.png

.
The gimmick besides the ominous Natu was that each of the trainer's Pokemon had cool nicknames. Except Slugma. He hadn't come up with a nickname for Slugma yet.
 
QuentinQuonce said:
Xatu. We didn't get a Ruin Valley-themed team so it's probably fair enough, but this Pokemon comes to mind when thinking about crumbling ruins, ancient mysteries, and forgotten secrets. Would be an interesting pick for a research-oriented vibe, though probably not for a straightforward scientist - too magical and hippy-dippy, I suppose.
Click to expand...
That's the angle I was planning on taking, Xatu included, but I didn't get very far in fleshing out the idea. 3 rock types + Machamp, Lapras, and Xatu for navigating the islands was about as far as I got.
 
Back into it!

You are a Psychic-type specialist in SM Poni Island. How do you best represent your chosen type?
​
Been a while since we've done Psychic, it's a weirdly common type for how magical and elusive it comes across as...

A reminder to please read the guidelines in the OP before commenting, especially if you're new to the thread. You have until August 31st, 9PM GMT to make your case!

Once again, you may only select Pokemon from the SM Poni Island Pokedex, i.e. Pikipek-Aerodactyl. Any teams which include Pokemon from any of the other three Alola island dex listings will not be valid for this round and will be disqualified.

SM Poni Dex is here for those who need it: https://www.serebii.net/sunmoon/ponipokedex.shtml

Ironmage: Hypno, Exeggutor, Sableye, Wailord, Ribombee, Golduck
igiveuponaname: Oricorio, Exeggcute, Whiscash, Castform, Magikarp, Aerodactyl
Pikachu315111: Hypno, Ribombee, Lilligant, Blissey, Lucario, Lapras
 
Last edited:
It was aliens!

Psychic is frequently used for space theming, and Poni Island is pretty explicit about this given it's where the Psychic-type celestial box legend is met. Though since it lacks the concrete examples in its regular dex, this team ends up a bit more on the conspiracy theory side.

:ribombee:
Ribombee @ Focus Sash
Ability: Shield Dust
- Signal Beam
- Sticky Web
- Moonblast
- Energy Ball
While not Psychic-type itself, Signal Beam is an extremely thematic move to include. I also wanted to include a Fairy-type for several reasons. It's pretty close to Psychic normally, at least gets as far out as the moon, and the fae are the more traditional antagonists of mysterious abduction stories.

:hypno:
Hypno @ Leftovers
Ability: Forewarn
- Hypnosis
- Focus Punch
- Psycho Cut
- Substitute
The real Psychic in the crowd works quite well as an abductor. A Focus Punch set emphasizes both the ability to render its targets temporarily unconscious and false material traces.

:golduck:
Golduck @ Expert Belt
Ability: Cloud Nine
- Confuse Ray
- Psychic
- Scald
- Ice Beam
Theories about aliens usually involve the idea that a mundane explanation just can't be true and so, to paraphrase Sherlock Holmes, the truth must be something much more improbable. Considering the platypus was originally thought to be a hoax when specimens were brought to European scientists, Gen 1's infamous not-quite-Psychic fits in nicely.

:wailord:
Wailord @ Chesto Berry
Ability: Pressure
- Body Slam
- Liquidation
- Zen Headbutt
- Rest
Every good alien story needs a UFO. Is it a giant floating mothership, weather balloon, or piece of secret Cold War surveillance equipment? The truth is out there.

:exeggutor-alola:
Exeggutor-Alola @ Psychium Z
Ability: Frisk
- Psyshock
- Draco Meteor
- Wish
- Giga Drain
On one hand, it loses the Psychic typing. On the other, it can now summon meteors.

:sableye-mega:
Sableye-Mega @ Sablenite
Ability: Prankster
- Confuse Ray
- Recover
- Dark Pulse
- Will-O-Wisp
Sableye is based on the Hobkinsville goblin, an alien encounter in 1955 that may or may not have actually been an owl. For the moveset, I decided to include both the Psychic-aligned confusion status and an extra source of strange lights.
 
:sm/magikarp: :sm/whiscash: :sm/aerodactyl-mega: :sm/castform: :sm/exeggcute: :sm/oricorio-pa'u:

A pair of fortune tellers: one sees a deep darkness hidden away in a seemingly harmless creature, natural disasters abound, and an ancient monster returning from the dead to terrorize the people of today; the other sees amazing weather to bask in, bountiful harvests to feed cities, and celebrations to be had by all. This is a double battle, though both trainers do not wish to work together, as they see the other's predictions as false. The first uses aggressive strategies that hurt all those around themselves, while the second seeks to aid others at the expense of their more aggressive counterpart.


:sm/magikarp:
Magikarp @ Normalium Z
Ability: Rattled
- Celebrate
- Flail
- Hydro Pump
- Bounce

:sm/whiscash:
Whiscash @ Life Orb
Ability: Anticipation
- Future Sight
- Earthquake
- Waterfall
- Dragon Dance

:sm/aerodactyl-mega:
Aerodactyl @ Aerodactylite
Ability: Pressure
- Hone Claws
- Stone Edge
- Earthquake
- Crunch

:sm/castform:
Castform @ Heat Rock
Ability: Forecast
IVs: 0 Atk
- Sunny Day
- Weather Ball
- Energy Ball
- Future Sight

:sm/exeggcute:
Exeggcute @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Harvest
IVs: 0 Atk
- Substitute
- Leech Seed
- Psychic
- Protect

:sm/oricorio-pa'u:
Oricorio-Pa'u
Ability: Dancer
- Revelation Dance
- Captivate
- Acrobatics
- Roost
 
Last edited:
Peace Of Mind:
Feeling stressed? Agitated? Or maybe just tired, physically and mentally? Don't fret, our Pokemon R&R Team are experts in helping you find your peace of mind, each an expert in their own field of relaxology. Relieving you today are:
:sm/hypno::sm/blissey::sm/ribombee::sm/lilligant::sm/lapras::sm/lucario:
Hypno | Blissey | Ribombee | Lilligant | Lapras | Lucario
(WIP)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top