KEY INFOMATION!
iFly's comments will look like this.
Corruptodile's comments will look like this.
Just a note: Although iFly's comments are first, we are using Corruptodile's log. Just so there's little to no confusion, if there would be any.
Hello guys, and welcome to my first Warstory! Both Corrupodile and I were laddering on PO's server (It doesn't have team reveal like Smogon's does) and I was testing out a new team. After several wins from ragequits, I came across Corruptodile in perhaps one of the best battles I've had all month.
Like I said, this is my first warstory. However, just because of that, I don't want to be shielded from truth. I tried making my commentary as best I could, as I lurk here a lot and know what I'm expected to write like. Any feedback would be great and much appreciated so I can impove future warstories. Thanks!
Now on to the battle. Enjoy!
Just so you know, it is my first war story and therefore, my first time commentating it. I tried to have commentary and good formatting that you would approve of (for example, commentary like in Vexatious’ war stories. Yeah. Read one of them). If it’s good, great tell me! If it’s sub-standard, feedback on how to improve would be nice? Actually, it really would. :) On to the battle that you’ve come to watch. Or read. Whatever. Enjoy!
Corruptodiles Team (in order of appearance):
Battle between Corruptodile and iFly started!
Tier: Dream World
Variation: +12, -19
Rule: Rated
Rule: Sleep Clause
Rule: Species Clause
Leftovers and Life Orb will be emitted.
Leftovers Pokemon
Sableye, Heatran, Garcomp, Starmie, Zapdos.
Borutorosu
Life Orb Pokemon
Roobushin
(#) represents a burn.
(~) represents paralysis. (I know it's brown. But the community seems to be against yellow, so I'm trying to keep you happy here.)
iFly sent out Borutorosu!
Corruptodile sent out Sableye!
(100%) vs
(100%)
My opponent leads with a Sableye, while I lead with a Borutorosu - two Pokemon akin to the same ability. However, I have the advantage over his Sableye: even though we both have +1 priority, I'll be outspeeding him. Now, if Sableye is running a standard set, it'll have Recover, Toxic/WoW, Taunt, and some form of a damaging move, to stop him from being total Taunt bait.
Knowing I'm also running a Pokemon with Mischievous Heart, he knows I'm going first. So naturally, I should be going for the Taunt, right? Hoping he'll expect the Taunt, I'll start off with a Thunder Wave so dealing with him will be easier. After all, a 25% chance of not being able to use a move is very appealing to me.
The start of the battle normally favours Sableye and his trollish ability, but unfortunately, that’s not happened this time. Damn you genie and your Mischievous Heart! Anyway, several scenarios crop up, to be more precise, nine. I can attack as he most likely taunts, I can attack as he attacks, or I can attack as he switches. I can WoW as he taunts (and end up failing), I can WoW as he attacks or I can WoW as he switches. Finally, I can switch as he attacks, switch as he taunts, or a double switch occurs.
I’m 100% sure he will not be switching, so that rules out three of the above scenarios. I won’t be switching as I’m running a specially defensive spread, so I don’t really fear much from this, so that rules out an further two scenarios. I really want to get this thing burned, but I’m afraid of the Taunt, so in the end I decide, screw it, time to attack and see what he decides to do.
Start of turn 1
The foe's Borutorosu used Thunder Wave!
Sableye is paralyzed! It may be unable to move!
Sableye used Night Shade!
The foe's Borutorosu lost 28% of its health!
(78%) vs
(100%) (~)
So I was correct, he uses Night Shade, his damaging move. Now that I know its moveset, Sableye will be much easier to deal with (even though Sableye doesn't have many options). I hope he'll switch, but even if he doesn't, I can switch out to something that can take care of it. I'll use Volt Change to do this, and save Borutorosu for later.
I learn two things here. One is that it has the power to paralyze everything apart from Garchomp on my team, and that he’s carrying leftovers, which means everything, apart from Starmie and maybe Garchomp, on my team can handle it with ease. I’m assuming that now it has Thunderwave, Thunderbolt, a move to hit Ground Pokémon with and an ‘escape move’. I’m feeling confident to go for the WoW now, so burn baby burn!
Start of turn 2
Sableye used Will-O-Wisp!
The attack of Sableye missed!
The foe's Borutorosu used Volt Change!
Sableye lost 37% of its health!
iFly called Borutorosu back!
iFly sent out Roobushin!
(100%) vs
(63%) (~)
Sableye stays in and misses with Will-o-Wisp, but 75% accuracy isn't the most reliable anyway. I switch to Roobushin and feign Guts, trying to force it out. Most Roobushin run Guts, and in my experience nobody wants to status a Roobushin in fear of that, so I run Iron Fist to give myself a boost. I'll use Bulk Up on Sableye's switch out and rip something apart later, confident that Sableye will switch...
Or not. WoW completely misses the target and now I’m looking at something that looks like it came from a bad horror film. Regardless of whether or not it’s a Guts or Encourage version, or even Iron Fist, I don’t want this thing setting up, so it’s time to rear it’s ugly head into attacking by Taunting the damn thing.
Start of turn 3
Sableye is paralyzed! It can't move!
The foe's Roobushin used Bulk Up!
The foe's Roobushin's Attack rose!
The foe's Roobushin's Defense rose!
(100%) (+1 Attk/Def) vs
(69%) (~)
...Which stays in and proceeds to burn me, but he gets fully paralyzed - I told you that 25% would be a bitch to him. Now I'll use Payback in case he doesn't switch out, or hit his switch-in with a nastily boosted move.
Hmm. Unfortunate, but oh well, it happens. Roobushin starts to buff itself up and looking at what has happened, I’m thinking this is an Iron Fist set with Payback, Mach Punch and Drain Punch. Why Iron Fist? Borutorosu used Volt Change, and he knows I also run Mischevious Heart - giving me the impression he wanted something else to get in unscathed. I feel safer and pray that WoW hits, just to make Roobushin a bit more bearable to deal with. Plus, the extra damage will be really, really useful, especially if it carries leftovers. I know I have a tolerable attitude to hax, but surely it can’t go iFly's way three times in a row right?
Start of turn 4
Sableye used Will-O-Wisp!
The foe's Roobushin was burned!
The foe's Roobushin used Payback!
Sableye lost 51% of its health!
The foe's Roobushin is hurt by its Life Orb!
The foe's Roobushin is hurt by its burn!
(78%) (+1 Attk/Def) (#) vs
(29%) (~)
Sableye is the one with guts here. All puns aside, he bravely stays in and finally he manages to hit Roobushin with Will-o-wisp, crippling him. I'm very surprised at this point he hasn't fully believed I'm using Guts. Unfortunately, I can't hit Sableye with Drain Punch to restore its health. I'll use another Payback to KO it, which it will unless he Recovers the damage off.
Ah, that’s a relief. Burn + Life Orb means this thing won’t be sweeping anytime soon. The fact that it didn't KO me does mean that it is Iron Fist - or very weak. Time for a little stalling with Sableye, since I really need to get some more health on this guy, and as an added bonus, I can whittle down Roobushin a bit more.
Start of turn 5
Sableye used Recover!
Sableye regained health!
The foe's Roobushin used Payback!
Sableye lost 46% of its health!
The foe's Roobushin is hurt by its Life Orb!
The foe's Roobushin is hurt by its burn!
(54%) (+1 Attk/Def) (#) vs
(25%) (~)
So Sableye did Recover the damage, putting him just above where he was before. Knowing he'll Recover again to try and stall me out, I click to Bulk Up once again to put me at my normal attack level. This Sableye is really screwing me over - on PO's ladder, there is no team reveal, so I have no idea on what his team is. I've also revealed two of my team members and he's only shown me his lead.
Perfect. Time to Recover a bit more, since I can live the payback.
Start of turn 6
Sableye is paralyzed! It can't move!
The foe's Roobushin used Bulk Up!
The foe's Roobushin's Attack rose!
The foe's Roobushin's Defense rose!
The foe's Roobushin is hurt by its burn!
(44%) (+2 Attk/Def) (#) vs
(31%) (~)
Sableye’s fully paralyzed once more, and at this point, I’m just waiting for Roobushin to faint. This battle he hasn’t done much to me, and Corruptodile is not taking my Guts bull, and it was probably that earlier, Payback didn’t KO. Now I’m back to normal attack, and it’s time to Payback to destroy Sableye once and for all!
Fully paralyzed is a shame, but it tells me iFly really wants this thing dead and bulks up for more damage. Either he does want Sableye dead, or he’s caught on to my stalling plan and is having none of it. I highly doubt he’s going to use a Fighting move on a Ghost, so I’m switching to Nattorei to hopefully get some Iron Barbs damage on this thing and bait a fighting move to pivot to Sableye next turn. Then I’ll need to do some smart switching to take this thing out.
Start of turn 7
Corruptodile called Sableye back!
Corruptodile sent out Nattorei!
The foe's Roobushin used Bulk Up!
The foe's Roobushin's Attack rose!
The foe's Roobushin's Defense rose!
The foe's Roobushin is hurt by its burn!
(24%) (+3 Attk/Def) (#) vs
(100%)
At this point, my attack is slightly above normal, and I have a great defense boost to use to no avail… which is, not to use. My opponent’s sent out Nattorei, a Poke weak to Fighting but resistant to Payback, which I’m assuming is what he had expected. I’ll use the Drain Punch now, and restore some health.
Phase one is complete and as an added bonus Nattorei takes no damage whatsoever, though I really wanted the Payback to self KO him. Now it’s a matter of stopping Roobushin regain health with Drain Punch, so back to Sableye it is! But Nattorei will be back. He always is.
Start of turn 8
Corruptodile called Nattorei back!
Corruptodile sent out Sableye!
The foe's Roobushin used Drain Punch!
It had no effect!
The foe's Roobushin is hurt by its burn!
(24%) (+1 Attk/Def) (#) vs
(37%) (~)
Corruptodile’s read me extremely well, and I’m confident this time he’s going to keep Sableye in to take the expected Drain Punch, so I’ll Payback. Not wanting to overpredict, that’s exactly what I’m going to do now. Either way, right now, Roobushin’s going to go down at the end of this turn. If he keeps Nattorei in, I’ll threaten it with my Sazandora. If Sableye’s in, I’ll Taunt its little head off into oblivion.
Sableye gets some free recovery from leftovers and takes nothing from Drain Punch. Back to Nattorei to take the expected Payback and kill this thing through the power of choking it to death from residual damage. That is, if he paybacks. He may have caught onto to my switching and Drain Punch for health. Here’s hoping I can take the first blood.
Start of turn 9
Corruptodile called Sableye back!
Corruptodile sent out Nattorei!
The foe's Roobushin used Payback!
It's not very effective...
Nattorei lost 10% of its health!
Nattorei's Iron Barbs hurts the foe's Roobushin
The foe's Roobushin is hurt by its Life Orb!
The foe's Roobushin fainted!
iFly sent out Sazandora!
(100%) vs
(90%)
Damnit! He reads me like a book a third time in a row, and Roobushin goes down as expected. I’ve sent out Sazandora to mash its head with Flamethrower, and if I don’t hit Nattorei, I’ll find its Dragon/Dark/Fire check, and still take a chunk of its health with Choice Specs.
Things couldn't have gone better this turn. Nattorei takes nothing from Payback due to the extremely defensive spread I’m running and through Iron Barbs, Life Orb and the burn, Roopushin is down and out for the count, giving me the early lead. In comes Sazandora, the offspring of Dodrio and Garchomp. I’m predicting some sort of Fire move, so it’s straight to Heatran to absorb the attack. After this, I’m hoping to set up Stealth Rock. I love residual damage. Really, I do.
iFly 5 - 6 Corruptodile
Start of turn 10
Corruptodile called Nattorei back!
Corruptodile sent out Heatran!
The foe's Sazandora used Flamethrower!
Heatran's Flash Fire raised the power of its Fire-type moves!
(100%) vs
(100%)
Or he can switch to the one of four things with Flash Fire (Heatran, Shandera, Ninetales, and Arcanine) and take no damage whatsoever. Sazandora IS Specs’d, so leaving him in will do no use. Whether my opponent sets up Stealth Rock with this Heatran or attacks with a Hidden Power, I’m going to send out Borutorosu and paralyze it just like I did Sableye.
Perfect. Everything went according to plan. I’m thinking it’s a choice set, but if it turns out Sazandora is running a Life Orb set, I’m confident I can take a hit and set up rocks. Everyone seems to forget that Heatran boasts a ton of resistances and has 91/106/106 defences. Perfect for a specially defensive spread, since Heatran also resists a lot of special moves, aside Surf and Earth Power. Enough babbling. Time to set up the sneaky rocks.
Start of turn 11
iFly called Sazandora back!
iFly sent out Borutorosu!
Heatran used Stealth Rock!
Pointed stones float in the air around iFly's team!
(84%) vs
(100%)
So, like I mentioned, I’ve sent out Borutorosu, and he’s ready to Thunder Wave and paralyze something, be it Heatran or Nattorei, or one of his other unrevealed, non-paralyzed pokes left. He’s got his stealth rock up, which is going to limit my options in switching. This won’t affect my team too much, though, since I’ve only got my Hihidaruma and Borutorosu weak to them, and I have a spinner waiting to get rid of the hazards that Nattorei’ll be setting later – I’m confident he’s running them, as all of these spreads seem to be very bulky. Anyway, time to Thunder Wave!
This confirms that Sazandora is indeed choiced, though Specs or Scarf I’m not sure about. The genie is back in for round two. I know that Taunt, if he even has it, is pointless, since Heatran has already done his setting up, so either Thunderwave or an attack is coming. Garchomp is immune to both these things. Coincidence? Pfft, not really. Guess what I’m doing.
Start of turn 12
Corruptodile called Heatran back!
Corruptodile sent out Garchomp!
The foe's Borutorosu used Thunder Wave!
But it failed!
(90%) vs
(100%)
But of course, he has something to make Thunder Wave fail as well. I’m afraid of this Garchomp, but… it seems as if all his spreads are bulky. Could this be the BulkyChomp set from the analyses? If it is, it means Garchomp has a Dragon Tail as opposed to an Outrage as his STAB move, and probably Earthquake. I don’t know its other moves. Here’s hoping it actually IS the bulky set! It’s time to switch to Sazandora and KO it with an amazingly powerful Draco Meteor.
There is no greater satisfaction for me than seeing those three words. But it failed. Zing! Anyway. My Garchomp is, as you might have guessed by now, is running a more defensive spread than usual, and opts for Rough Skin over Sand Veil. As I said, I love residual damage. I think I can live a hit and sub up from what ever this thing wants to do, though in hindsight, it was better to protect and see what he wants to do.
Start of turn 13
iFly called Borutorosu back!
iFly sent out Sazandora!
Pointed stones dug into the foe's Sazandora!
Garchomp used Substitute!
Garchomp made a substitute!
(87%) vs
(81%) (Substitute)
So Garchomp sets up a substitute, implying that it possibly is bulky, however, Garchomp’s present leftovers reveal that it indeed is. However, I’m expecting a switch to Heatran soon so I’ll use Surf, just in case. Plus, I don’t want a special defense drop, as then I’ll have to switch once more. Time to drown the fearsome dragon.
Luckily, my gutsy sub paid off and as well as knowing that his genie can't hurt Garchomp, I'm up against a dragon, with my dragon behind the sub. Sucks to be you Sazandora! Still Protect would have been better, as it would have failed, and then I could have protected again to see what he would lock himself into. I decide to protect first though to see what he’d lock himself into before attacking and also get free lefties. If it’s (though I doubt it) Draco Meteor he locks himself into, I might be able to stall him out of PP, I do not want that thing throwing Meteors about later in the match. Protect your sub Garchomp!
Start of turn 14
Garchomp used Protect!
Garchomp protected itself!
The foe's Sazandora used Surf!
Garchomp protected itself!
(87%) vs
(87%) (Substitute)
Garchomp protects its substitute and scouted the move I just locked into. I haven’t seen a water resist on his team yet barring Nattorei, but Nattorei’s easily taken care of, so I’ll use Surf once again.
That was disappointing knowing that it's attack won't reduce it's special attack, but it was wishful thinking and I know now it’s going to break the sub and threaten chomp, so it’s time to pimp slap his dragon around with my dragon’s tail for scouting/residual damage and then see what we can do with what comes out.
Start of turn 15
The foe's Sazandora used Surf!
Garchomp's substitute faded!
Garchomp used Dragon Tail!
It's super effective!
The foe's Sazandora lost 57% of its health!
The foe's Rankurusu was dragged out!
(100%) vs
(93%)
Surf fades his sub, and Garchomp finally confirms that it’s running a bulky set. Rankurusu is ‘dragged out’ from Dragon Tail, which took a sizeable chunk out of Sazandora.
I don’t want to use Calm Mind here, because I’m confident Corruptodile is going to phaze me out again and rack up residual damage. I don’t know how much Psychic will do, but Life Orb works with great synergy along with Rankurusu’s Magic Guard ability. I hope that he doesn’t expect the orb.
Well so much for residual damage, but scouting was done. The sub breaks at the cost of a ton of health for Sazandora. I was hoping for more damage, but with a bulky set like this, you sacrifice power. Regardless, Rankurusu comes out and I’m certain I can live a hit from this thing, so it’s time for more pimp tailing and residual damage.
Start of turn 16
The foe's Rankurusu used Psychic!
Garchomp lost 45% of its health!
Garchomp's Sp. Def. fell!
Garchomp used Dragon Tail!
The foe's Rankurusu lost 20% of its health!
Pointed stones dug into the foe's Borutorosu!
The foe's Borutorosu was dragged out!
(71%) vs
(54%)
Amazing! My thoughts paid off, and I hit Garchomp for 45% with Psychic, and I got a Special Defense drop too, which I don’t think will even do much at the moment. The beast sends out Borutorosu, which can’t threaten Garchomp at all (Realizing Volt Change + Thunderbolt was stupid, I changed to Hidden Power Ice after this battle).
But wait… last time I was in this situation, Garchomp put up a substitute. I’m predicting that he’ll do this again, since I haven’t even revealed it (although I’m assuming he knows I have it) and I can’t touch him, I’ll use Taunt and stop the Substitutions and Protections.
That did a lot more than I thought. He’s is probably running a more offensive set, possibly Life Orb – I can’t tell as he was at full health when he came in. Borutorosu (from now on called Voltlos) comes out and from our previous encounter, I know it can not directly threaten Garchomp, so it’s time to sub up again.
Start of turn 17
The foe's Borutorosu used Taunt!
Garchomp fell for the taunt!
Garchomp can't use Substitute after the taunt!
(77%) vs
(60%)
I was dead-on in my prediction, and now Garchomp’s going to have to hit me with Dragon Tail, since it has to attack. Additionally, he might end up switching and saving Garchomp for later. I know that Garchomp’s going to Dragon Tail or switch.
There are a few scenarios that could occur right now. One: Garchomp could stay in and use Dragon Tail. If I switch away, he’ll be getting double the Rocks damage on my team. In which case, I should stay in. But what’s most reliable to use right now, if it does this?
Two: Garchomp could switch out. In this case, I’ll want to Volt Change to scout it. Since Garchomp’s taunted, this could be a possibility.
So, reaching a conclusion, I realize in both situations Volt Change will get me through it. It allows me to stay in against Garchomp, which I, ironically, want right now, and on the off-chance he switches, I get some momentum back. It’s time to Volt Change!
There’s the Taunt I had been expecting! He read me like a book this turn and this changes my gameplan, from here on out, I’ll have to be aggressive towards Voltlos, maybe catch him with status and residual damage on switches, and play defensively against the rest of his team. Since Earthquake can’t hit Flying Pokémon, it’s time to do the only thing I can do (and do best). Pimp Tail!
Start of turn 18
The foe's Borutorosu used Volt Change!
It had no effect!
Garchomp used Dragon Tail!
The foe's Borutorosu lost 33% of its health!
Pointed stones dug into the foe's Sazandora!
The foe's Sazandora was dragged out!
(19%) vs
(66%)
Sazandora was brought out at the end of the turn, and now I can use Draco Meteor to net the KO.
Either he forgot Volt Change doesn’t affect Ground types, or it was a misclick. That's what I thought at least. However, after reading the above move (and unfortunate double Electric Attack), that was the right move. Regardless, I’m up against the hydra with my shark, except my shark doesn’t have a sub to hide behind this time. I’m expecting Draco Meteor, so it’s time to switch to my bulky Heatran to soak up the hit.
Start of turn 19
Corruptodile called Garchomp back!
Corruptodile sent out Heatran!
The foe's Sazandora used Draco Meteor!
It's not very effective...
Heatran lost 33% of its health!
The foe's Sazandora's Sp. Att. sharply fell!
(19%) vs
(73%)
He switches to Heatran, which resists Draco Meteor. I know Garchomp wants to come back in, so clearly in this situation Heatran’s going to pivot to Garchomp as I switch. But I don’t think I should do that now, and neither of Heatran’s STAB attacks can hit me well (Earth Power doesn’t even hit me!), so using Draco Meteor one more time can’t hurt, even if he doesn’t switch to Garchomp.
(And actually, since I’m Specs’d, I do believe a -2 does nothing to my Draco Meteor. STAB is 1.5x the power, and Specs give me the same boost to double Sazandora’s Draco Meteor, so halving that just goes back down to regular damage. Garchomp can’t survive.)
That went perfectly as planned. I don’t think he’ll stay in on the resist and last time brought the genie out. If I’m right, the same will happen again, so it’s time to switch to Garchomp to laugh at his genie.
Start of turn 20
Corruptodile called Heatran back!
Corruptodile sent out Garchomp!
The foe's Sazandora used Draco Meteor!
It's super effective!
Garchomp lost 66% of its health!
The foe's Sazandora's Sp. Att. sharply fell!
Garchomp fainted!
Corruptodile sent out Nattorei!
(19%) vs
(90%)
I’m right, and I destroyed his primary phazer, Garchomp. Corruptodile sends out Nattorei to resist the Draco Meteor to put it at -6, but he knows I’ll be switching anyway. He’ll probably spike on the switch, so I’ll send out Borutorosu to taunt it and stop it from doing its job.
Holy crap, what the deuce? Either my opponent has good prediction skills, or just read my mind. Dammit. Regardless, iFly gets the props this turn and brings the score level – however, this also gives me a perfect opportunity to set up with Nattorei on a locked -4 Draco Meteor. Either Spikes or Leech Seed would work here, but I’m setting up with Spikes as I assume the rest of his team will take damage. Damn you Magic Guard Rankurusu. Damn you so.
iFly 5 - 5 Corruptodile
Start of turn 21
iFly called Sazandora back!
iFly sent out Borutorosu!
Pointed stones dug into the foe's Borutorosu!
Nattorei used Spikes!
Spikes were scattered all around the feet of iFly's team!
(19%) vs
(90%)
I send out Borutorosu as planned, but I’ve had a change of mind. If Nattorei knows I have Taunt, why set up another layer of spikes right now? I’ll go Thunder Wave his Nattorei now, and even though it’ll boost the Gyro Ball it’s most likely running (its only other attacking option would be Power Whip which isn’t very effective against me). I can Taunt it next turn if I feel like it.
Inevitably, he had to switch there allowing Nattorei to set up the first layer of spikes. I know it packs Taunt, and I’m not risking a waste of a turn, so it’s time to Gyro Ball this thing back to earth.
Start of turn 22
The foe's Borutorosu used Thunder Wave!
Nattorei is paralyzed! It may be unable to move!
Nattorei is paralyzed! It can't move!
(25%) vs
(90%) (~)
Thunder wave helped me and decided to fully paralyze Nattorei, rendering it useless for the turn. I don’t know what other options it has for sure, so I’ll use Taunt this turn to limit it further.
Paralysis actually helps me a lot!No burns, no sleep, increase the power of Gyro Ball. Many thanks! But not this turn. This turn stunk like Skuntank. Time to Gyro Ball again and see whether lucks on my side this time.
Start of turn 23
The foe's Borutorosu used Taunt!
Nattorei fell for the taunt!
Nattorei is paralyzed! It can't move!
(31%) vs
(90%) (~)
And a second time in a row, Nattorei can’t move. On most other pokemon, it would matter very much, but I don’t think it matters so much on Natto. Corruptodile might switch now, so I’ll use Volt Change to scout the switch…
Nope. Third time lucky? GYRO BALL!
Start of turn 24
The foe's Borutorosu used Volt Change!
It's not very effective...
Nattorei lost 13% of its health!
iFly called Borutorosu back!
iFly sent out Donphan!
Pointed stones dug into the foe's Donphan!
The foe's Donphan is hurt by spikes!
Nattorei is paralyzed! It can't move!
(82%) vs
(77%) (~)
…or lack thereof. I sent out Donphan to spin all these hazards away and I’m pretty sure that my opponent doesn’t have a spin-blocker, but I still haven’t seen two of his pokemon while he’s seen… 5 of mine. So alas, it’s time for a Rapid Spin!
Note to self. Paralysis – not so good. For the third time, Nattorei is paralyzed and gives Donphan the perfect opportunity to Spin away the hazards. I could switch to Sableye to take the Rapid Spin, but I'm scared of Earthquake, leaving me down without a spinner/annoyer and an immunity against Rankurusu's powerful STAB, so this time I’m switching to Power Whip to get more damage on, as Donphan is slow as shit.
Start of turn 25
The foe's Donphan used Rapid Spin!
It's not very effective...
Nattorei lost 1% of its health!
Nattorei's Iron Barbs hurts the foe's Donphan
The foe's Donphan blew away Spikes!
The foe's Donphan blew away Stealth Rock!
Nattorei used Power Whip!
It's super effective!
The foe's Donphan lost 57% of its health!
Nattorei's taunt ended!
(12%) vs
(76%) (~)
I spun away the hazards, which is great for Hihidaruma and Borutorosu, as well as my other grounded Pokemon. But mostly the former two. I figure now’s a great time to set up my own rocks, as Nattorei can’t do anything about them. Taunt’s ended, so I’ll get to see a move other than an attacking move.
Kinky whipped Donphan. Iron barbs activates. Taunt ended. All is good. I could Gyro Ball for the KO, but I want a bit of health back, so I’m going to Leech Seed, taking advantage of the end of Taunt.
Start of turn 26
The foe's Donphan ate its Custap Berry!
The foe's Donphan is already preparing its next move!
The foe's Donphan used Stealth Rock!
Pointed stones float in the air around Corruptodile's team!
Nattorei used Leech Seed!
The foe's Donphan was seeded!
The foe's Donphan's health is sapped by leech seed.
The foe's Donphan fainted!
iFly sent out Sazandora!
(19%) vs
(84%)
Sazandora comes back out and it’s the same situation. Back to Heatran to take the Fire move.
iFly 4 - 5 Corruptodile
Start of turn 27
Corruptodile called Nattorei back!
Corruptodile sent out Heatran!
Pointed stones dug into Heatran!
The foe's Sazandora used Surf!
It's super effective!
Heatran lost 58% of its health!
(19%) vs
(7%)
Donphan’s done and dead, and I don’t mind so much. His Nattorei’s revealed another move, Leech Seed. While my team doesn’t mind it too much, passive damage is still passive damage and is, of course, annoying as ever. I send out Sazandora to threaten it with Flamethrower again.
We’ve been in this situation before, just like earlier when it was Borutorosu vs. Garchomp. Last time, he switched to Heatran to get a Fire boost. I’m not stupid, however, and I’m hoping he doesn’t see the opening he’s given me, so I’ll hit Heatran with a mouthful of water!
But iFly isn't as stupid as I am, as he throws Heatran to the waves. Luckily this is BulkyTran, who survives shit unlike ScarfTran. What’s more, bulky Tran has Protect for free healing. Yeah. Suck it Sazandora.
Start of turn 28
Heatran used Protect!
Heatran protected itself!
The foe's Sazandora used Surf!
Heatran protected itself!
(19%) vs
(13%)
Unfortunately, like I said earlier, all his sets are pretty much bulky, so Heatran survives, however it’ll be easier to KO him later. Other than Nattorei, his team hasn’t revealed a Water resist yet so I’ll hit Heatran with a Surf again.
Everything went to plan. Now it’s straight to Starmie to take the resisted hit and spin away the rocks that will help Zapdos later.
Start of turn 29
Corruptodile called Heatran back!
Corruptodile sent out Starmie!
Pointed stones dug into Starmie!
The foe's Sazandora used Surf!
It's not very effective...
Starmie lost 30% of its health!
(19%) vs
(57%)
He sends out Starmie… which is odd, because Starmie is extremely frail (but fast, so…) I don’t carry a spin-blocker myself, but I get a free switch while he spins the rocks away. Since he DID send out Starmie as his water resist, it probably is a spinner, because clearly it’s not offensive, what with its Leftovers healing its health.
So, while he spins, what do I switch to? I can get a free switch to my late-game sweeper, Hihidaruma, but Surf easily OHKO’s him. However, I have a valuable U-Turn which I can use to hit Starmie, which I think, with no speed investment, might not outspeed Banded Hihi, since it -is- a monster.
Let’s recap what’s happened so far. I have a dead Garchomp, a nearly dead Heatran. A relatively healthy Sableye and Starmie, a healthy Nattorei and an unrevealed Zapdos (unlike the smogon server, PO’s server doesn’t display your teams). He has a dead Roobushin and Donphan, a nearly dead Sazandora, a healthy Rankurusu and Voltlos and an unrevealed Pokémon.
So far things are looking up for me, but that Scarf Sazandora is getting scarier by the minute, with Heatran nearly out and Nattorei not designed for Sazandora. I will have to play around it and maybe sacrifice some stuff for free switch ins. Voltlos is easy to deal with thanks to Nattorei, though paralysis might put a stop to that. Rankurusu I know nothing about, apart from it’s strong, so I will have to deal with it when it comes out. The unrevealed Pokémon might be a Steel Pokémon to resist dragon attacks, so I have to somehow keep Heatran alive in case it is a Steel type. It might even be a Ghost pokemon to block Rapid Spin and threaten Starmie.
Back to the battle, Sazandora is locked on a fire move and my Starmie resists it. Surf and Physic are out of the question as the dragon resists and is immune to them respectively. Therefore, it comes down to Rapid Spin or Recover. Recover seems tempting, but I have a SR weak Pokémon (Zapdos), and since Donphan is dead, I know Rocks won’t come back up. Rapid Spin it is as Starmie starts to imitate a buzz saw.
Start of turn 30
iFly called Sazandora back!
iFly sent out Hihidaruma!
Starmie used Rapid Spin!
The foe's Hihidaruma lost 5% of its health!
Starmie blew away Stealth Rock!
(95%) vs
(63%)
Great, I was right and Starmie spins while I switch to Hihi. This will possibly outspeed Starmie, but maybe not... I decide to switch in and use U-turn in case Starmie's going to run after spinning so he can save it for later, and if Starmie stays, a Banded U-turn will severely injure the star...fish...thing...
So his unrevealed Pokémon is a Hihidaruma. Excellent. Rocks are off the field, and it turns out Heatran, while it would be nice to get rocks up again and have immunity to fire, is close to being fodder/fall back now, and Starmie can easily take anything Hihidaruma does. You see my Starmie is a (drone bulky set drone lecture). Anyway, I can easily Surf or Recover away. If it is scarfed, Starmie takes pretty much nothing nothing and grabs a free hit against something else, and if it’s not, Starmie gets the KO. I’m tempted to Recover again, but Hihidaruma poses a threat, with Sableye unable to burn it, so if I can get rid of it now, this gives me Heatran as a fodder, heck even Starmie becomes a fodder (see why later). This gives me two fall backs should things go wrong for me. Now everybody's surfing. Surfing Unova!
Start of turn 31
Starmie used Surf!
It's super effective!
The foe's Hihidaruma lost 94% of its health!
The foe's Hihidaruma fainted!
iFly sent out Sazandora!
(19%) vs
(69%)
Nope, Starmie outsped and KO'd Hihi with Surf (I also switched to a scarf after the battle to make Hihidaruma more threatening as a late-game sweeper. Plus, I have power in Sazandora anyway, a little more speed can't hurt...). So one of my ultimate weapons is dead, all because I had expected to hit-and-run from Starmie.
So now I need to decide what to switch to. I think I should switch to Sazandora, and threaten Starmie with a Dark Pulse, and even more so if he knows I've got Specs. [Looking back at these comments and such, yeah, Corruptodile, Sazandora's Timid and Specs'd. :P You may have ran the calc a bit wrong :P You might not have accounted for a Timid nature without a scarf xD So yeah, you thought I was scarfed for nothing, yay] He'll probably switch to Heatran, but the thing's low on health anyway and I'll be able to finish it off. Sazandora it is! Time to Dark Pulse something and kill it!
It’s not scarfed. Heck it’s not anything. It’s dead, that’s what it is. Sazandora is back out though – and it’s definitely scarfed if it switches in on Starmie. This sucks. Either Draco Meteor or a Dark move is coming, so Nattorei seems the perfect choice. However, Nattorei might get roasted from a surprise Flamethrower, so I dare not go to him, as he is my only check to Voltlos, besides Zapdos, who I want to save for now.
Heatran, as said earlier, is close to fodder. While I'll miss the immunity and the rocks, Heatran is the only thing I can go to without losing valuable team members. Some of you may be thinking why not keep Heatran alive and sac Starmie instead. The reason is Starmie has reliable recovery and Heatran does not - meaning I can keep a reliable fodder if need be. If that made sense...Though I'll miss the rocks, he can't do much now, being outsped and set up bait for my opponents team. and it's time to sacrifice and play along with what my opponent does.
iFly 3 - 5 Corruptodile
Start of turn 32
Corruptodile called Starmie back!
Corruptodile sent out Heatran!
The foe's Sazandora used Dark Pulse!
It's not very effective...
Heatran lost 13% of its health!
Heatran fainted!
Corruptodile sent out Nattorei!
(19%) vs
(84%)
As I expected, he sacs Heatran to find what move I'd be locked in to, and it dies, and now he knows I'll be using Dark Pulse, probably, which is also why he sent out Nattorei. Sazandora clearly can't touch the wall, so it's time to switch to Borutorosu.
Turns out Sazandora is fully specially kitted, with Draco Meteor, Dark Pulse, Flamethrower and Surf. Everything on my team fears at least one move, but luckily, though playing around, I can eventually deal with it. Nattorei is back out and for the second time in the match, it is Nattorei who is in charge. Spikes is worthless now, since Voltlos and Sazandora are immune, and Rankurusu has Magic Guard. I considered Power Whip in the chance Rankurusu came in, but I want a bit more health on Nattorei and thinking back, Voltlos came in last time, so it’s time to Leech Seed away.
iFly 3 - 4 Corruptodile
Start of turn 33
iFly called Sazandora back!
iFly sent out Borutorosu!
Nattorei is paralyzed! It can't move!
(37%) vs
(84%) (~)
Borutorosu makes it in safely and Nattorei doesn't get to use its move, no matter what it is. Now, Nattorei can either attack Borutorosu, or it can switch. I feel like it'll switch and absorb an expected Taunt, so I'll use Volt Change to scout out his switch and gain some momentum.
If Nattorei switches, I'll go to an appropriate check. If it stays in, I'll go to Sazandora to threaten in with Flamethrower, and with Heatran gone, even if Starmie resists it, it'll be doing some decent damage now.
But of course, when a Nattorei meets a Voltlos, the Nattorei usually paralyzes up in fear. I know he’s got Taunt and don’t want to waste a turn attempting to leech his seed, so it’s time to Gyro Ball! Wait…hasn’t this happened before?
Start of turn 34
The foe's Borutorosu used Volt Change!
It's not very effective...
A critical hit!
Nattorei lost 23% of its health!
iFly called Borutorosu back!
iFly sent out Sazandora!
Nattorei is paralyzed! It can't move!
(19%) vs
(61%)
Boo-hoo, a crit. Whine whine, cry cry... yeah, see, not all crits matter. Nattorei stayed in and got fully paralyzed again (I don't really see these as hax. 25%, I think it is, unless it's 50%, is not that improbable. It's like Focus Blast missing - you don't really call it hax...), so I went to Sazandora. I think he'll switch to Starmie, but if I use Dark Pulse, I have to re-switch out and do this scenario again, so I'd rather not risk the Dark Pulse. In short... I'm going to use Flamethrower.
Yep. You’ve seen it all before. Crit occurs, but it’s nothing too serious. It’s not like a crit Fire Blast taking down a Gyarados at full health is it? Anyway, Sazandora is back in charge here. It’s easy to make this decision, Starmie. Starmie resists the Flamethrower, the only thing Sazandora can use to touch Nattorei. And if you object? Then you’re a fool. And I pity the fool.
Start of turn 35
Corruptodile called Nattorei back!
Corruptodile sent out Starmie!
The foe's Sazandora used Flamethrower!
It's not very effective...
Starmie lost 28% of its health!
(19%) vs
(41%)
I really should stop being as conservative as I am, and follow through with my predictions. Starmie comes in with incredible resistance.
Sazandora's low on health and is in no position to be hit by Starmie, no matter how weak the 'bulky' thing is. I need him for later, to take out my opponent's unknown poke who's been hiding from me for a reason. I'll switch him out now, and I'll put in Rankurusu, Since Starmie can't really touch Ranku, and for a reason that'll be explained next.
Awesome. Starmie took barely anything there. It is getting low on health though, so it’s time to stop procrastinating and Recover to get some health back for absorbing Flamethrowers and see whether Voltlos or Rankurusu comes out.
Start of turn 36
iFly called Sazandora back!
iFly sent out Rankurusu!
Starmie used Recover!
Starmie regained health!
(80%) vs
(97%)
So he decides to Recover while Rankurusu switches in, making it even easier to Recover the damage off. I'm expecting a switch to Sableye, as I can't touch it with my Psychic/Fighting coverage at all, but nevertheless, Rankurusu's ready to heal up! This'll make it much easier later when it needs to take a few hits.
So Rankurusu is back out on the field again and it's also confirmed that Rankurusu is holding Life Orb over Leftovers. I can’t touch it with Starmie, as bulky Starmie is incredibly weak. Sableye is immune to Physic and can stop it from healing up with Taunt. Sableye I choose you!
Start of turn 37
Corruptodile called Starmie back!
Corruptodile sent out Sableye!
The foe's Rankurusu used Recover!
The foe's Rankurusu regained health!
(100%) vs
(43%) (~)
Sableye switches in as I expected, I healed up, and now it's time to run so I can tank some hits later on in the battle. I should go to Borutorosu now to actually ATTACK Sableye now! He poses a great threat to Rankurusu, who can't touch him. If I can kill Sableye now it'll be easier later.
Sableye is back out for some fun, after being confined for god knows how long now. Unfortunately, my opponent managed to get delicious health back. I intend to attack this turn – and also confirm my ideas. My opponent knows my 3 moves, Recover, WoW and Nightshade. He could also probably assume Taunt. Now, if Rankurusu switches out, this gives me a strong idea that he can’t touch me. If he stays in and tries to Calm Mind or something, this means Sableye isn’t immune to him. I click Nightshade, hoping that he'll switch out and try and hit something else that lacks recovery. But that's not the main focus of this turn for me. Let’s find out now, can you attack me? 3...2...1...
Start of turn 38
iFly called Rankurusu back!
iFly sent out Borutorosu!
Sableye is paralyzed! It can't move!
(43%) vs
(49%) (~)
Man, Paralysis really hates Sableye. Sometimes I do wish I knew what his responses were, but I think I'd rather not find out and face some of its torture. Apart from Thunder Wave, Taunt, and Volt Change, I (like I mentioned earlier, switched it for HP Ice later) run Thunderbolt for some more power. Sableye hasn't seen it yet, and I need it dead, sooner rather than later.
Paralysis kicks in yet again for this match, but I’m not bothered too much this time. Since he switched out, I’m more concerned about keeping Sableye alive, since it’s an automatic KO (kinda) against his teddy bear. Voltlos is back out, so it’s back to Nattorei to sponge whatever it is he wants to do. From here, I could Leech Seed a probable Sazandora for extra health and finally KO his hydra.
Start of turn 39
Corruptodile called Sableye back!
Corruptodile sent out Nattorei!
The foe's Borutorosu used Thunderbolt!
It's not very effective...
Nattorei lost 17% of its health!
(49%) vs
(44%) (~)
I should have known he'd switch out to keep Sableye for later on in the match to stop Rankurusu dead in its tracks, but I didn't. I know, though, now, that every time I put in Rankurusu, Sableye'll come out. That's some useful information right there.
So, that means, in order to kill Sableye, I basically need to either feign switches to Rankurusu or pin it to be as the last member of his team I face. I'm not quite sure how to do this, however, but it's better knowing what I have to do than being ignorant to the whole thing.
Corruptodile's sent in Nattorei to absorb the hit. I think he's confident I'll switch, allowing him to use a support move, so I think I'll stay in this time, and use Taunt. Then later, I can Volt Change out for some more damage and switch to something to dispose of Nattorei.
Ahh, Voltlos. You may be magical and grant three wishes, but you shall not pass! Nattorei that is. Time to Leech Seed stuff for moar health and whittling.
Start of turn 40
The foe's Borutorosu used Taunt!
Nattorei fell for the taunt!
Nattorei can't use Leech Seed after the taunt!
(55%) vs
(44%) (~)
So Nattorei's fourth moveslot is indeed a support move, and Leech Seed at that. Now Nattorei's either going to attack or switch as usual, and so I go to my all-reliable move: Volt Change.
Well. That threw plans out the window and I’m now forced to Gyro Ball. This is bull.
Start of turn 41
The foe's Borutorosu used Volt Change!
It's not very effective...
Nattorei lost 13% of its health!
iFly called Borutorosu back!
iFly sent out Rankurusu!
Nattorei is paralyzed! It can't move!
(100%) vs
(31%) (~)
I'm giggling at this point at how invaluable paralysis really is. Nattorei doesn't even get to touch me, and I send out Rankurusu to use Calm Mind and finally KO it. So now I'll use Calm Mind. I'm confident I can take this hit, as I'm running mostly HP and Defense EVs to tank the physical hits that Calm Mind doesn't cover me against.
At this point my patience for paralysis was wearing thin, since it occurs when I really want to hit something, and doesn't occur when my opponent stops my attack, wasting precious PP! I swore to myself to take 10 mins away from the computer after this battle. Gyro Ball is worthless here, Rankurusu is even slower than Donphan, so it’s time to kinky whip da teddy and tell him who is boss.
Start of turn 42
The foe's Rankurusu used Calm Mind!
The foe's Rankurusu's Sp. Att. rose!
The foe's Rankurusu's Sp. Def. rose!
Nattorei used Power Whip!
The foe's Rankurusu lost 31% of its health!
Nattorei's taunt ended!
(69%) vs
(31%) (~)
I'm at +1 SpA, faster than Nattorei, and I have Hidden Power Fighting to hit it for SE. Oh, and, Nattorei's at 31%. I'm confident that Corruptodile will leave Nattorei in, as it's basically a deadweight at this point.
Ironically, Taunt ended. None of my set up moves actually touch Rankurusu. It’s time to whip him around, even if he is feeling calm.
Start of turn 43
The foe's Rankurusu used Hidden Power!
It's super effective!
Nattorei lost 31% of its health!
Nattorei fainted!
Corruptodile sent out Sableye!
(69%) vs
(49%) (~)
Rankurusu scores the KO against Nattorei, and of course, Sableye rears its tiny little head with gems for eyes. It's time to Recover off the damages again and since I'm confident Sableye thinks I'll switch, it won't be Taunting me (even though he hasn't revealed Taunt, every Sableye I've faced carries Taunt, so...). Once that's done, I can run again into Borutorosu and keep Rankurusu for later.
And this is probably why he was feeling calm. Nattorei wasn’t doing much anyway, at this health, Voltlos would have 2HKO with Thunderbolt. Sazandora would have 2HKO'd as well. The switch to Sableye was probably the better move in some peoples eyes, but I wanted to confirm a Focus Blast so I knew for sure that Sableye walled the teddy. Don't assume stuff and stick to it. Stick to facts, and play cautious around assumptions. That's how I role (yes, I know about the Garchomp incident, but I've changed. Really I have!) Anyway...
The score is now 3-3 with me possessing a Sableye, Starmie and the unrevealed Zapdos. He has the +1 Rankurusu, Sazandora and Voltlos. Actually, it’s 2-3 to iFly. Starmie is merely fodder now, being out sped by Sazandora and Voltlos (his Sazandora is scarfed after a quick calculation against Heatran confirmed my suspicion. (Apparantly it's Specced instead. Regardless, I'm assuming it runs 252 ev's and therefore outspeeds me anyway...whoops)) and Rankurusu can easily set up on it – and there are no rocks to spin away this time round. I have a strong feeling Sableye will beat Rankurusu. I know that I have one final weapon against iFly's team and that is the surprise of Zapdos. I know that Sazandora is free to unleash Draco Meteors willy nilly. I know I’ve not revealed Taunt yet on Sableye (thank you paralysis!) Knowledge is such power!
Sableye is sent out, knowing that he can’t touch me. Since Hidden Power was SE, it means it’s either Fire or Fighting. Physic/Fighting give more coverage, so I assumed it was that. Sableye could take a hit if need be from HP Fire though. I decide to WoW, thinking he’d switch out to Voltlos to Taunt and render me useless.
iFly 3 - 3 Corruptodile
Start of turn 44
Sableye used Will-O-Wisp!
The attack of Sableye missed!
The foe's Rankurusu used Recover!
The foe's Rankurusu regained health!
Rankurusu (100%) vs Sableye (55%) (~)
Sorry guys, image limit reached
I was right, and Sableye missed (although it's not significant. Magic Guard doesn't let me take pain from it, and I'm not running physical moves) with his Will-o-Wisp. He had been expecting a switch...
So what's that, you want a switch? Okay, I'll switch now. Borutorosu has served me well this battle, and he's been very reliable, so I'll go to him. Plus, WoW missing plus paralysis is a 50% chance that his move'll end up failing. 50% is somewhat reliable, although it isn't imperative that I don't get burnt.
However, I predicted wrong and as punishment, Rankurusu recovers status free. With the extra health now though I’m 100% sure he will switch out to something else. Hopefully that Sazandora. I want to burn it and then sac Starmie while taking his hydra down with it.
Start of turn 45
iFly called Rankurusu back!
iFly sent out Borutorosu!
Sableye used Will-O-Wisp!
The foe's Borutorosu was burned!
Voltlos (49%) vs Sableye (61%) (~)
Borutorosu got burned, cancelling out my leftovers and doing 6% a turn (12 - 6 is 6, yes, very good maths iFly!). I need to hit Sableye now and destroy it so Rankurusu can flip over the rest of his pokemon like chess pieces, one by one, all the while boosting its SpA. In hindsight, I probably should have Taunted here since an attack was very, very obvious, but I didn't, and what's done is done...
It’s not the hydra, but the genie, but I don’t care as I finally get to hear his genie scream in fiery pain and stopped the lefties. Whittling can commence now, which is good. I’m confident that the attack is coming, as Sableye is in the way of a teddy bear sweep. This turn I recover to survive the hit, praying paralysis doesn't rear it's head yet again, heal up a bit and whittle, but next turn I’m sending out Zapdos, the only thing left that is capable of dealing with Voltlos.
Start of turn 46
Sableye used Recover!
Sableye regained health!
The foe's Borutorosu used Thunderbolt!
Sableye lost 50% of its health!
Voltlos (43%) vs Sableye (67%) (~)
So yes, he did Recover, but Thunderbolt managed to hit him for the same amount of damage as he healed, meaning that I'll be able to PP stall his Recover if need be. Awesome.
Just in case Sableye wants to try that bout, I'll Taunt it and stop its mischievous heart (that pun was terrible... and intended, heh).
Part one is complete. Confirming I can’t stay in forever, Recover and Thunderbolt break even. Furthermore, he’ll taunt me to stop the stalling nonsense. Sableye may win against the teddy, but is no match for the genie. Time to bring out my final Pokémon, Zapdos.
Start of turn 47
Corruptodile called Sableye back!
Corruptodile sent out Zapdos!
Zapdos is exerting its Pressure!
The foe's Borutorosu used Taunt!
Zapdos fell for the taunt!
Voltlos (37%) vs Zapdos (100%)
I taunted... his... ZAPDOS? THAT was the hidden pokemon? Ugh, and it's probably a Toxic stall variant. At least it's Taunted, so it's gotta attack now with its Thunderbolt. I'll go to Rankurusu, absorb the hit, and then Calm Mind to take another hit if need be, then Recover off the damage.
(By the way, guys, I am, in fact, a complete IDIOT. I failed to see that Zapdos had Pressure here and thought it had Lightningrod, thus making it immune to Thunder Wave. This seriously affected the outcome of the battle... which would have increased my "win chance" at the end to roughly 72% as opposed to ~30%.)
That could not have gone any better. I get Zapdos in scot free, and had no intention of subbing up and toxic stalling – it’s got past that point, where I’ll eventually lose too much health to sustain attacks. Doing the only thing I can do, show the genie who is the better Electric/Flying type round here. Thunderbolt away!
(as a side note, I really should change this thing to Lightningrod...)
Start of turn 48
iFly called Borutorosu back!
iFly sent out Rankurusu!
Zapdos used Thunderbolt!
The foe's Rankurusu lost 35% of its health!
Rankurusu (65%) vs Zapdos (100%)
Rankurusu takes the hit well, especially for no SpD EVs. Like I mentioned earlier, time to use Calm Mind and take another hit if it decides to strike again.
It does a lot more than I anticipated, but Zapdos does have a meaty special attack to work with, even without any EV’s. I’m tempted to attack again, but I need to conserve health for Voltlos and even Sazandora, who is biding it’s time. Back to Sableye it is. I’ve not yet revealed Taunt – and I intend to use it to stop him getting a free Recover the turn after this.
Start of turn 49
Corruptodile called Zapdos back!
Corruptodile sent out Sableye!
The foe's Rankurusu used Calm Mind!
The foe's Rankurusu's Sp. Att. rose!
The foe's Rankurusu's Sp. Def. rose!
Rankurusu (65%) vs Sableye (73%) (~)
Sableye comes out, and probably expecting another switch, it won't Taunt me. Time to Recover once more!
He can’t touch me, so the only thing left for him to do is Recover. Whether or not he heals up is dependant on what Lady Luck thinks of things. Sableye, use Taunt.
Start of turn 50
Sableye used Taunt!
The foe's Rankurusu fell for the taunt!
The foe's Rankurusu can't use Recover after the taunt!
Rankurusu (65%) vs Sableye (79%) (~)
But of course, Corruptodile's sharp as a tack and has caught on to what I've been doing with Rankurusu. Taunting it makes Recover fail, and now I've got to switch. I should switch to Borutorosu, just in case he decides to attempt to burn something again. Of course, though, this is probably one of my only moves here and I'm practically forced to switch to him.
Ahhhh. So nice. When Sableye calls yo momma fat, there is noting left to do other than to beat the crap out of him. But Monsieur teddy can not do that. I could burn Sazandora, but last time this happened, Voltlos came in who is already burned, so it makes more logical sense to Night Shade him closer to his demise. Night Shade also deals with Sazandora, so it makes even more sense. Alongside that, Nightshade only has to deal with 75% chance of missing thanks to paralysis, unlike WoW which has 50% chance thanks to shaky accuracy (thank you iFly for doing maths for me!)
Start of turn 51
iFly called Rankurusu back!
iFly sent out Borutorosu!
Sableye used Night Shade!
The foe's Borutorosu lost 28% of its health!
Voltlos (3%) vs Sableye (85%) (~)
So yes, Borutorosu is running much too low on health now and with no more to recover with, he's served me well. (Like I said, I thought Zapdos had Lightningrod. How stupid am I e_e) I'll go and Taunt Sableye now so it doesn't have any recovering ideas... and last time, he went to Zapdos. Still, taunting a bulky Zapdos removes its support options, limiting it to only thunderbolt... Taunt it is.
As expected Voltlos comes back in, and we’re now in a never ending cycle of Sableye, Voltlos, Zapdos and Rankurusu, with me keeping my Starmie fodder for when I need him most, and him keeping Sazandora ready for revenge. Voltlos is dying this turn, but I need Sableye alive, so Zapdos goes in. Some of you may be thinking, why not sac Starmie and keep Zapdos at full health for Sazandora ? (yes, this is PressureDos...doh). The answer to that is I wanted Starmie to take a Draco Meteor and soften it up for Zapdos should one come – and I like having fall backs in case things go wrong.
Start of turn 52
Corruptodile called Sableye back!
Corruptodile sent out Zapdos!
Zapdos is exerting its Pressure!
The foe's Borutorosu used Taunt!
Zapdos fell for the taunt!
The foe's Borutorosu restored a little HP using its Leftovers!
The foe's Borutorosu is hurt by its burn!
The foe's Borutorosu fainted!
iFly sent out Rankurusu!
Rankurusu (65%) vs Zapdos (100%)
I taunted the evil Electric bird, and Borutorosu valiantly goes down in a fire, having done its job excellently. Time to send in Rankurusu and hit Zapdos for some actual damage now.
Ahh the sweet satisfaction of another great turn. Zapdos comes in again scot free as Voltlos dies to its burn. It’s 2-2 all again (see above on why it’s not 3-2 as it should be). His teddy bear has come back in. Either to set up or flat out attack. But alas, Sableye is still around to wall his pathetic little…adorable, sweet, cute face. In you go, you heartless fiend.
iFly 2 - 3 Corruptodile
Start of turn 53
Corruptodile called Zapdos back!
Corruptodile sent out Sableye!
The foe's Rankurusu used Psychic!
It had no effect!
Rankurusu (65%) vs Sableye (91%) (~)
Oh, of course! With Borutorosu gone, the only pokemon I have left that can touch Sableye is Sazandora, who's too valuable right now. He's sent in Sableye again, and takes no damage. It knows I want to Recover, though, so it'll probably Taunt me again. And what do I have that doesn't care about a Taunt...?
That's right, Sazandora! It's time for you to go shine, and destroy Sableye once and for all! After all, this moment was inevitable. Wonderful.
Free lefties and a free turn means I can do whatever the hell I want. I’m going for the Taunt in case he wants to try and Recover up, and if all goes well, I can WoW either the teddy or preferably, the hydra.
Start of turn 54
iFly called Rankurusu back!
iFly sent out Sazandora!
Sableye used Taunt!
The foe's Sazandora fell for the taunt!
Sazandora (19%) vs Sableye (97%) (~)
Yes, we are nearing the end of the battle. It's only around 60 turns long...
Sableye Taunts as I predicted, meaning Sazandora's free to kill something. His remaining Pokemon are Zapdos, Sableye, and Starmie (who's practically dead now, it can't do much and I can kill it...). All three of these are either weak to or neutral to a Dark Pulse now (as I don't want to use Draco Meteor at a time like this, -2 and -4 is not great late-game), so time to Dark Pulse it is!
Dammit. Problem. Sazandora is unaffected by Taunt, and is not burned in the process. Luckily though, I didn’t sac Starmie earlier and now have it at my disposal to take the hit. Had I sacrificed Starmie earlier, I would have had to either let Sableye die now and let him set up with Rankurusu against Zapdos, or let Zapdos be 2HKO and let Rankurusu stall me out, before he revenged me with a deadly Draco Meteor. But none of that shits happening when I’ve got Starmie waiting in the wings. Starmie, your time has come. Thank you for clearing the rocks for Zapdos. And taking out Hihidaruma. That was rad man. Take a rest. You’ve earned it.
Start of turn 55
Corruptodile called Sableye back!
Corruptodile sent out Starmie!
The foe's Sazandora used Dark Pulse!
It's super effective!
Starmie lost 100% of its health!
Starmie fainted!
Corruptodile sent out Zapdos!
Zapdos is exerting its Pressure!
Sazandora (19%) vs Zapdos (100%)
Starmie's killed by the Dark Pulse, and in comes Zapdos to try and kill Sazandora. Here, I can either attack and allow Sazandora to die, or I can switch out and keep him for later. Problem is, Draco Meteor would probably hit Zapdos hard, but he's got Sableye to fall back on no matter what, to sacrifice and then Zapdos can destroy. The outcome of this battle was pretty much decided as Borutorosu fainted, anyway.
There's no use in Zapdos using its support options (Roost, other moves such as Substitute or something), so I'll go to Rankurusu and try and heal up a bit...
So, Starmie flops about like a fish and dies. Not to a Draco Meteor though – to a dark pulse. This doesn’t change things though, I’m still sure that Zapdos can survive the hit and I need Sableye around still, so Zapdos has to go in to revenge.
iFly 2 - 2Corruptodile
Start of turn 56
iFly called Sazandora back!
iFly sent out Rankurusu!
Zapdos used Thunderbolt!
The foe's Rankurusu lost 36% of its health!
Rankurusu (29%) vs Zapdos (100%)
But Zapdos 2HKO's Rankurusu now, and it's only taking one more hit for Rankurusu to go down, and there's no more options anymore... Such a shame you didn't get to do much. Bye-bye, Rankurusu. Battle's over.
Zapdos is shockingly powerful ('cuse the pun), in that this is a 2HKO. Lets see now. Substitute gets rid of my health and lets him heal. Roost gives me 0% health and lets him heal. Toxic doesn’t affect him and lets him heal. Thunderbolt will KO him and give me the lead. Guess what I’m going to do (and if you say Roost, get off Smogon now).
Start of turn 57
Zapdos used Thunderbolt!
The foe's Rankurusu lost 29% of its health!
The foe's Rankurusu fainted!
iFly sent out Sazandora!
Sazandora (19%) vs Zapdos (100%)
Like I said earlier, Sableye's there to scout my final move choice. I'll go to Dark Pulse for the chance of a Flinch, and possibly in hindsight Draco Meteor would have been the better move, but still not enough to KO Zapdos anyway and net me the win. Had I seen that Zapdos had Pressure, paralysis may have kicked in at some point and I could have won. But for now... Dark Pulse it is, as at the moment it's most reliable.
Ah, the lead during the end stages of battle. Mmm. So juicy, oui? Sazandora is back out ready to fight one last time. In the off chance he goes for a Draco Meteor, I switch to Sableye to allow Zapdos to take the weaker hit and the match, having no further use for Sableye’s immunities. In the off chance I survive, I can inflicting yet more fire on his team - which guarantee me not losing and him not winning. A perfectly acceptable scenario, non?
iFly 1 - 2 Corruptodile
Start of turn 58
Corruptodile called Zapdos back!
Corruptodile sent out Sableye!
The foe's Sazandora used Dark Pulse!
Sableye lost 75% of its health!
Sazandora (19%) vs Sableye (28%) (~)
Sableye comes in like I knew it would to find my last move, and survives the hit to boot. He's going to get another attack in on me, and it's going to be Will-o-Wisp, so that I die in two turns. But, of course, I have 50% to fall back on and give myself a better chance of surviving one more turn in the event it happens. NOW it's time to faint Sableye.
Notice that happened later rather than sooner, the opposite of what I wanted. -.-
What’s this? Dark Pulse? I live? Excellent! Though it may not have been the meteor from the sky I was hoping for, this gives me another chance of ‘not losing’. By WoW, I can at least get the draw, with Sazandora dying from the burn in two turns.
Start of turn 59
Sableye used Will-O-Wisp!
The attack of Sableye missed!
The foe's Sazandora used Dark Pulse!
Sableye lost 17% of its health!
Sableye fainted!
Corruptodile sent out Zapdos!
Zapdos is exerting its Pressure!
Sazandora (19%) vs Zapdos (100%)
Will-o-Wisp misses, meaning I'm either going to lose or win (some of you say 'obviously!' but the match could have ended in a draw if I managed to KO Zapdos with a crit on the last turn and died due to burn damage) this turn or next.
What happens now? Do I get a crit? Will chance help me out here and 30% flinch kicks in and allow me to destroy Zapdos to win the battle?
F-F-F-U-U-U-U-U-U!!! Maybe not this time and suddenly it’s back to win or lose situations. This turn is the decider. Unless he’s packing Wonderguard, Thunderbolt will KO and give me the win. However, If he gets a critical hit, a flinch, heck even both, I will have lost. Dark pulse is a 2HKO, no matter what, the question is, does the match finish this turn, or next?
Oh here's the score by the way.
iFly - 1 - 1 Corruptodile
Start of turn 60
The foe's Sazandora used Dark Pulse!
Zapdos lost 59% of its health!
Zapdos used Thunderbolt!
It's not very effective...
The foe's Sazandora lost 18% of its health!
The foe's Sazandora fainted!
Zapdos (41%)
iFly 0 - 1 Corruptodile
Corruptodile won the battle!
iFly: GG
Corruptodile: gg
iFly: nice one
Of course not! THAT would have been a moment where hax seriously mattered. Sazandora goes down and Zapdos is left, and the score's 1-0. Corruptodile's the victor here. WONDERFUL game, Corruptodile!
Phew! Despite the rest of the game, no hax occurs during this vital turn of the battle and despites Sazandora’s best efforts, he too goes down with his team, leaving Zapdos as the last Pokémon standing and therefore, giving me the win. Great game iFly!
Props and Slops
Again, iFly Props and Slops/ Corruptodile's Props and Slops
Props
+ Borutorosu for effectively crippling nearly half Corruptodile's team
+ Sableye for walling Rankurusu to no end and making Roobushin more bearable
+ Zapdos for being a surprise and match-decider to iFly
+ Not so much hax, bar misses and paralysis (really, 75% coupled with paralysis is just asking to fail)
+ Sazandora killed 4 out of the 5 Pokemon Corruptodile had (Zapdos didn't die)
+ Corruptodile's amazing nicknames for iFly's Pokemon (The Genie (Voltlos), This Thing (Roobushin), The Hydra (Sazandora), The Teddy Bear (Rankurusu), Slow as Fuck (Donphan)... Hihidaruma did too little to be given a nickname).
+ Corruptodile for not taking any of Roob's Guts Bullcrap
+ iFly's excellent predictions
+ Starmie, for clearing the rocks that might have sealed Zapdos' fate in the end turns.
Slops:
- Rankurusu for doing nothing, along with Hihidaruma being OHKO'd
- Nattorei for being paralyzed about half the time it spent on the field
- iFly, for he's an idiot and needs to learn to read that Zapdos had Pressure :P
- Corruptodile, for not having Lightningrod Zapdos and thinking Sazandora was scarfed.
- Roobushin, for not having Guts (see above)
- Paralysis. Nothing more, nothing less.
- Voltlos, for having two Electric moves (which has been fixed now :P)
iFly's comments will look like this.
Corruptodile's comments will look like this.
Just a note: Although iFly's comments are first, we are using Corruptodile's log. Just so there's little to no confusion, if there would be any.
Hello guys, and welcome to my first Warstory! Both Corrupodile and I were laddering on PO's server (It doesn't have team reveal like Smogon's does) and I was testing out a new team. After several wins from ragequits, I came across Corruptodile in perhaps one of the best battles I've had all month.
Like I said, this is my first warstory. However, just because of that, I don't want to be shielded from truth. I tried making my commentary as best I could, as I lurk here a lot and know what I'm expected to write like. Any feedback would be great and much appreciated so I can impove future warstories. Thanks!
Now on to the battle. Enjoy!
Just so you know, it is my first war story and therefore, my first time commentating it. I tried to have commentary and good formatting that you would approve of (for example, commentary like in Vexatious’ war stories. Yeah. Read one of them). If it’s good, great tell me! If it’s sub-standard, feedback on how to improve would be nice? Actually, it really would. :) On to the battle that you’ve come to watch. Or read. Whatever. Enjoy!
iFly's team (in order of appearance)
Corruptodiles Team (in order of appearance):
Tier: Dream World
Variation: +12, -19
Rule: Rated
Rule: Sleep Clause
Rule: Species Clause
Leftovers and Life Orb will be emitted.
Leftovers Pokemon
Sableye, Heatran, Garcomp, Starmie, Zapdos.
Borutorosu
Life Orb Pokemon
Roobushin
(#) represents a burn.
(~) represents paralysis. (I know it's brown. But the community seems to be against yellow, so I'm trying to keep you happy here.)
iFly sent out Borutorosu!
Corruptodile sent out Sableye!
My opponent leads with a Sableye, while I lead with a Borutorosu - two Pokemon akin to the same ability. However, I have the advantage over his Sableye: even though we both have +1 priority, I'll be outspeeding him. Now, if Sableye is running a standard set, it'll have Recover, Toxic/WoW, Taunt, and some form of a damaging move, to stop him from being total Taunt bait.
Knowing I'm also running a Pokemon with Mischievous Heart, he knows I'm going first. So naturally, I should be going for the Taunt, right? Hoping he'll expect the Taunt, I'll start off with a Thunder Wave so dealing with him will be easier. After all, a 25% chance of not being able to use a move is very appealing to me.
The start of the battle normally favours Sableye and his trollish ability, but unfortunately, that’s not happened this time. Damn you genie and your Mischievous Heart! Anyway, several scenarios crop up, to be more precise, nine. I can attack as he most likely taunts, I can attack as he attacks, or I can attack as he switches. I can WoW as he taunts (and end up failing), I can WoW as he attacks or I can WoW as he switches. Finally, I can switch as he attacks, switch as he taunts, or a double switch occurs.
I’m 100% sure he will not be switching, so that rules out three of the above scenarios. I won’t be switching as I’m running a specially defensive spread, so I don’t really fear much from this, so that rules out an further two scenarios. I really want to get this thing burned, but I’m afraid of the Taunt, so in the end I decide, screw it, time to attack and see what he decides to do.
Start of turn 1
The foe's Borutorosu used Thunder Wave!
Sableye is paralyzed! It may be unable to move!
Sableye used Night Shade!
The foe's Borutorosu lost 28% of its health!
So I was correct, he uses Night Shade, his damaging move. Now that I know its moveset, Sableye will be much easier to deal with (even though Sableye doesn't have many options). I hope he'll switch, but even if he doesn't, I can switch out to something that can take care of it. I'll use Volt Change to do this, and save Borutorosu for later.
I learn two things here. One is that it has the power to paralyze everything apart from Garchomp on my team, and that he’s carrying leftovers, which means everything, apart from Starmie and maybe Garchomp, on my team can handle it with ease. I’m assuming that now it has Thunderwave, Thunderbolt, a move to hit Ground Pokémon with and an ‘escape move’. I’m feeling confident to go for the WoW now, so burn baby burn!
Start of turn 2
Sableye used Will-O-Wisp!
The attack of Sableye missed!
The foe's Borutorosu used Volt Change!
Sableye lost 37% of its health!
iFly called Borutorosu back!
iFly sent out Roobushin!
Sableye stays in and misses with Will-o-Wisp, but 75% accuracy isn't the most reliable anyway. I switch to Roobushin and feign Guts, trying to force it out. Most Roobushin run Guts, and in my experience nobody wants to status a Roobushin in fear of that, so I run Iron Fist to give myself a boost. I'll use Bulk Up on Sableye's switch out and rip something apart later, confident that Sableye will switch...
Or not. WoW completely misses the target and now I’m looking at something that looks like it came from a bad horror film. Regardless of whether or not it’s a Guts or Encourage version, or even Iron Fist, I don’t want this thing setting up, so it’s time to rear it’s ugly head into attacking by Taunting the damn thing.
Start of turn 3
Sableye is paralyzed! It can't move!
The foe's Roobushin used Bulk Up!
The foe's Roobushin's Attack rose!
The foe's Roobushin's Defense rose!
...Which stays in and proceeds to burn me, but he gets fully paralyzed - I told you that 25% would be a bitch to him. Now I'll use Payback in case he doesn't switch out, or hit his switch-in with a nastily boosted move.
Hmm. Unfortunate, but oh well, it happens. Roobushin starts to buff itself up and looking at what has happened, I’m thinking this is an Iron Fist set with Payback, Mach Punch and Drain Punch. Why Iron Fist? Borutorosu used Volt Change, and he knows I also run Mischevious Heart - giving me the impression he wanted something else to get in unscathed. I feel safer and pray that WoW hits, just to make Roobushin a bit more bearable to deal with. Plus, the extra damage will be really, really useful, especially if it carries leftovers. I know I have a tolerable attitude to hax, but surely it can’t go iFly's way three times in a row right?
Start of turn 4
Sableye used Will-O-Wisp!
The foe's Roobushin was burned!
The foe's Roobushin used Payback!
Sableye lost 51% of its health!
The foe's Roobushin is hurt by its Life Orb!
The foe's Roobushin is hurt by its burn!
Sableye is the one with guts here. All puns aside, he bravely stays in and finally he manages to hit Roobushin with Will-o-wisp, crippling him. I'm very surprised at this point he hasn't fully believed I'm using Guts. Unfortunately, I can't hit Sableye with Drain Punch to restore its health. I'll use another Payback to KO it, which it will unless he Recovers the damage off.
Ah, that’s a relief. Burn + Life Orb means this thing won’t be sweeping anytime soon. The fact that it didn't KO me does mean that it is Iron Fist - or very weak. Time for a little stalling with Sableye, since I really need to get some more health on this guy, and as an added bonus, I can whittle down Roobushin a bit more.
Start of turn 5
Sableye used Recover!
Sableye regained health!
The foe's Roobushin used Payback!
Sableye lost 46% of its health!
The foe's Roobushin is hurt by its Life Orb!
The foe's Roobushin is hurt by its burn!
So Sableye did Recover the damage, putting him just above where he was before. Knowing he'll Recover again to try and stall me out, I click to Bulk Up once again to put me at my normal attack level. This Sableye is really screwing me over - on PO's ladder, there is no team reveal, so I have no idea on what his team is. I've also revealed two of my team members and he's only shown me his lead.
Perfect. Time to Recover a bit more, since I can live the payback.
Start of turn 6
Sableye is paralyzed! It can't move!
The foe's Roobushin used Bulk Up!
The foe's Roobushin's Attack rose!
The foe's Roobushin's Defense rose!
The foe's Roobushin is hurt by its burn!
Sableye’s fully paralyzed once more, and at this point, I’m just waiting for Roobushin to faint. This battle he hasn’t done much to me, and Corruptodile is not taking my Guts bull, and it was probably that earlier, Payback didn’t KO. Now I’m back to normal attack, and it’s time to Payback to destroy Sableye once and for all!
Fully paralyzed is a shame, but it tells me iFly really wants this thing dead and bulks up for more damage. Either he does want Sableye dead, or he’s caught on to my stalling plan and is having none of it. I highly doubt he’s going to use a Fighting move on a Ghost, so I’m switching to Nattorei to hopefully get some Iron Barbs damage on this thing and bait a fighting move to pivot to Sableye next turn. Then I’ll need to do some smart switching to take this thing out.
Start of turn 7
Corruptodile called Sableye back!
Corruptodile sent out Nattorei!
The foe's Roobushin used Bulk Up!
The foe's Roobushin's Attack rose!
The foe's Roobushin's Defense rose!
The foe's Roobushin is hurt by its burn!
At this point, my attack is slightly above normal, and I have a great defense boost to use to no avail… which is, not to use. My opponent’s sent out Nattorei, a Poke weak to Fighting but resistant to Payback, which I’m assuming is what he had expected. I’ll use the Drain Punch now, and restore some health.
Phase one is complete and as an added bonus Nattorei takes no damage whatsoever, though I really wanted the Payback to self KO him. Now it’s a matter of stopping Roobushin regain health with Drain Punch, so back to Sableye it is! But Nattorei will be back. He always is.
Start of turn 8
Corruptodile called Nattorei back!
Corruptodile sent out Sableye!
The foe's Roobushin used Drain Punch!
It had no effect!
The foe's Roobushin is hurt by its burn!
Corruptodile’s read me extremely well, and I’m confident this time he’s going to keep Sableye in to take the expected Drain Punch, so I’ll Payback. Not wanting to overpredict, that’s exactly what I’m going to do now. Either way, right now, Roobushin’s going to go down at the end of this turn. If he keeps Nattorei in, I’ll threaten it with my Sazandora. If Sableye’s in, I’ll Taunt its little head off into oblivion.
Sableye gets some free recovery from leftovers and takes nothing from Drain Punch. Back to Nattorei to take the expected Payback and kill this thing through the power of choking it to death from residual damage. That is, if he paybacks. He may have caught onto to my switching and Drain Punch for health. Here’s hoping I can take the first blood.
Start of turn 9
Corruptodile called Sableye back!
Corruptodile sent out Nattorei!
The foe's Roobushin used Payback!
It's not very effective...
Nattorei lost 10% of its health!
Nattorei's Iron Barbs hurts the foe's Roobushin
The foe's Roobushin is hurt by its Life Orb!
The foe's Roobushin fainted!
iFly sent out Sazandora!
Damnit! He reads me like a book a third time in a row, and Roobushin goes down as expected. I’ve sent out Sazandora to mash its head with Flamethrower, and if I don’t hit Nattorei, I’ll find its Dragon/Dark/Fire check, and still take a chunk of its health with Choice Specs.
Things couldn't have gone better this turn. Nattorei takes nothing from Payback due to the extremely defensive spread I’m running and through Iron Barbs, Life Orb and the burn, Roopushin is down and out for the count, giving me the early lead. In comes Sazandora, the offspring of Dodrio and Garchomp. I’m predicting some sort of Fire move, so it’s straight to Heatran to absorb the attack. After this, I’m hoping to set up Stealth Rock. I love residual damage. Really, I do.
iFly 5 - 6 Corruptodile
Start of turn 10
Corruptodile called Nattorei back!
Corruptodile sent out Heatran!
The foe's Sazandora used Flamethrower!
Heatran's Flash Fire raised the power of its Fire-type moves!
Or he can switch to the one of four things with Flash Fire (Heatran, Shandera, Ninetales, and Arcanine) and take no damage whatsoever. Sazandora IS Specs’d, so leaving him in will do no use. Whether my opponent sets up Stealth Rock with this Heatran or attacks with a Hidden Power, I’m going to send out Borutorosu and paralyze it just like I did Sableye.
Perfect. Everything went according to plan. I’m thinking it’s a choice set, but if it turns out Sazandora is running a Life Orb set, I’m confident I can take a hit and set up rocks. Everyone seems to forget that Heatran boasts a ton of resistances and has 91/106/106 defences. Perfect for a specially defensive spread, since Heatran also resists a lot of special moves, aside Surf and Earth Power. Enough babbling. Time to set up the sneaky rocks.
Start of turn 11
iFly called Sazandora back!
iFly sent out Borutorosu!
Heatran used Stealth Rock!
Pointed stones float in the air around iFly's team!
So, like I mentioned, I’ve sent out Borutorosu, and he’s ready to Thunder Wave and paralyze something, be it Heatran or Nattorei, or one of his other unrevealed, non-paralyzed pokes left. He’s got his stealth rock up, which is going to limit my options in switching. This won’t affect my team too much, though, since I’ve only got my Hihidaruma and Borutorosu weak to them, and I have a spinner waiting to get rid of the hazards that Nattorei’ll be setting later – I’m confident he’s running them, as all of these spreads seem to be very bulky. Anyway, time to Thunder Wave!
This confirms that Sazandora is indeed choiced, though Specs or Scarf I’m not sure about. The genie is back in for round two. I know that Taunt, if he even has it, is pointless, since Heatran has already done his setting up, so either Thunderwave or an attack is coming. Garchomp is immune to both these things. Coincidence? Pfft, not really. Guess what I’m doing.
Start of turn 12
Corruptodile called Heatran back!
Corruptodile sent out Garchomp!
The foe's Borutorosu used Thunder Wave!
But it failed!
But of course, he has something to make Thunder Wave fail as well. I’m afraid of this Garchomp, but… it seems as if all his spreads are bulky. Could this be the BulkyChomp set from the analyses? If it is, it means Garchomp has a Dragon Tail as opposed to an Outrage as his STAB move, and probably Earthquake. I don’t know its other moves. Here’s hoping it actually IS the bulky set! It’s time to switch to Sazandora and KO it with an amazingly powerful Draco Meteor.
There is no greater satisfaction for me than seeing those three words. But it failed. Zing! Anyway. My Garchomp is, as you might have guessed by now, is running a more defensive spread than usual, and opts for Rough Skin over Sand Veil. As I said, I love residual damage. I think I can live a hit and sub up from what ever this thing wants to do, though in hindsight, it was better to protect and see what he wants to do.
Start of turn 13
iFly called Borutorosu back!
iFly sent out Sazandora!
Pointed stones dug into the foe's Sazandora!
Garchomp used Substitute!
Garchomp made a substitute!
So Garchomp sets up a substitute, implying that it possibly is bulky, however, Garchomp’s present leftovers reveal that it indeed is. However, I’m expecting a switch to Heatran soon so I’ll use Surf, just in case. Plus, I don’t want a special defense drop, as then I’ll have to switch once more. Time to drown the fearsome dragon.
Luckily, my gutsy sub paid off and as well as knowing that his genie can't hurt Garchomp, I'm up against a dragon, with my dragon behind the sub. Sucks to be you Sazandora! Still Protect would have been better, as it would have failed, and then I could have protected again to see what he would lock himself into. I decide to protect first though to see what he’d lock himself into before attacking and also get free lefties. If it’s (though I doubt it) Draco Meteor he locks himself into, I might be able to stall him out of PP, I do not want that thing throwing Meteors about later in the match. Protect your sub Garchomp!
Start of turn 14
Garchomp used Protect!
Garchomp protected itself!
The foe's Sazandora used Surf!
Garchomp protected itself!
Garchomp protects its substitute and scouted the move I just locked into. I haven’t seen a water resist on his team yet barring Nattorei, but Nattorei’s easily taken care of, so I’ll use Surf once again.
That was disappointing knowing that it's attack won't reduce it's special attack, but it was wishful thinking and I know now it’s going to break the sub and threaten chomp, so it’s time to pimp slap his dragon around with my dragon’s tail for scouting/residual damage and then see what we can do with what comes out.
Start of turn 15
The foe's Sazandora used Surf!
Garchomp's substitute faded!
Garchomp used Dragon Tail!
It's super effective!
The foe's Sazandora lost 57% of its health!
The foe's Rankurusu was dragged out!
Surf fades his sub, and Garchomp finally confirms that it’s running a bulky set. Rankurusu is ‘dragged out’ from Dragon Tail, which took a sizeable chunk out of Sazandora.
I don’t want to use Calm Mind here, because I’m confident Corruptodile is going to phaze me out again and rack up residual damage. I don’t know how much Psychic will do, but Life Orb works with great synergy along with Rankurusu’s Magic Guard ability. I hope that he doesn’t expect the orb.
Well so much for residual damage, but scouting was done. The sub breaks at the cost of a ton of health for Sazandora. I was hoping for more damage, but with a bulky set like this, you sacrifice power. Regardless, Rankurusu comes out and I’m certain I can live a hit from this thing, so it’s time for more pimp tailing and residual damage.
Start of turn 16
The foe's Rankurusu used Psychic!
Garchomp lost 45% of its health!
Garchomp's Sp. Def. fell!
Garchomp used Dragon Tail!
The foe's Rankurusu lost 20% of its health!
Pointed stones dug into the foe's Borutorosu!
The foe's Borutorosu was dragged out!
Amazing! My thoughts paid off, and I hit Garchomp for 45% with Psychic, and I got a Special Defense drop too, which I don’t think will even do much at the moment. The beast sends out Borutorosu, which can’t threaten Garchomp at all (Realizing Volt Change + Thunderbolt was stupid, I changed to Hidden Power Ice after this battle).
But wait… last time I was in this situation, Garchomp put up a substitute. I’m predicting that he’ll do this again, since I haven’t even revealed it (although I’m assuming he knows I have it) and I can’t touch him, I’ll use Taunt and stop the Substitutions and Protections.
That did a lot more than I thought. He’s is probably running a more offensive set, possibly Life Orb – I can’t tell as he was at full health when he came in. Borutorosu (from now on called Voltlos) comes out and from our previous encounter, I know it can not directly threaten Garchomp, so it’s time to sub up again.
Start of turn 17
The foe's Borutorosu used Taunt!
Garchomp fell for the taunt!
Garchomp can't use Substitute after the taunt!
I was dead-on in my prediction, and now Garchomp’s going to have to hit me with Dragon Tail, since it has to attack. Additionally, he might end up switching and saving Garchomp for later. I know that Garchomp’s going to Dragon Tail or switch.
There are a few scenarios that could occur right now. One: Garchomp could stay in and use Dragon Tail. If I switch away, he’ll be getting double the Rocks damage on my team. In which case, I should stay in. But what’s most reliable to use right now, if it does this?
Two: Garchomp could switch out. In this case, I’ll want to Volt Change to scout it. Since Garchomp’s taunted, this could be a possibility.
So, reaching a conclusion, I realize in both situations Volt Change will get me through it. It allows me to stay in against Garchomp, which I, ironically, want right now, and on the off-chance he switches, I get some momentum back. It’s time to Volt Change!
There’s the Taunt I had been expecting! He read me like a book this turn and this changes my gameplan, from here on out, I’ll have to be aggressive towards Voltlos, maybe catch him with status and residual damage on switches, and play defensively against the rest of his team. Since Earthquake can’t hit Flying Pokémon, it’s time to do the only thing I can do (and do best). Pimp Tail!
Start of turn 18
The foe's Borutorosu used Volt Change!
It had no effect!
Garchomp used Dragon Tail!
The foe's Borutorosu lost 33% of its health!
Pointed stones dug into the foe's Sazandora!
The foe's Sazandora was dragged out!
Sazandora was brought out at the end of the turn, and now I can use Draco Meteor to net the KO.
Either he forgot Volt Change doesn’t affect Ground types, or it was a misclick. That's what I thought at least. However, after reading the above move (and unfortunate double Electric Attack), that was the right move. Regardless, I’m up against the hydra with my shark, except my shark doesn’t have a sub to hide behind this time. I’m expecting Draco Meteor, so it’s time to switch to my bulky Heatran to soak up the hit.
Start of turn 19
Corruptodile called Garchomp back!
Corruptodile sent out Heatran!
The foe's Sazandora used Draco Meteor!
It's not very effective...
Heatran lost 33% of its health!
The foe's Sazandora's Sp. Att. sharply fell!
He switches to Heatran, which resists Draco Meteor. I know Garchomp wants to come back in, so clearly in this situation Heatran’s going to pivot to Garchomp as I switch. But I don’t think I should do that now, and neither of Heatran’s STAB attacks can hit me well (Earth Power doesn’t even hit me!), so using Draco Meteor one more time can’t hurt, even if he doesn’t switch to Garchomp.
(And actually, since I’m Specs’d, I do believe a -2 does nothing to my Draco Meteor. STAB is 1.5x the power, and Specs give me the same boost to double Sazandora’s Draco Meteor, so halving that just goes back down to regular damage. Garchomp can’t survive.)
That went perfectly as planned. I don’t think he’ll stay in on the resist and last time brought the genie out. If I’m right, the same will happen again, so it’s time to switch to Garchomp to laugh at his genie.
Start of turn 20
Corruptodile called Heatran back!
Corruptodile sent out Garchomp!
The foe's Sazandora used Draco Meteor!
It's super effective!
Garchomp lost 66% of its health!
The foe's Sazandora's Sp. Att. sharply fell!
Garchomp fainted!
Corruptodile sent out Nattorei!
I’m right, and I destroyed his primary phazer, Garchomp. Corruptodile sends out Nattorei to resist the Draco Meteor to put it at -6, but he knows I’ll be switching anyway. He’ll probably spike on the switch, so I’ll send out Borutorosu to taunt it and stop it from doing its job.
Holy crap, what the deuce? Either my opponent has good prediction skills, or just read my mind. Dammit. Regardless, iFly gets the props this turn and brings the score level – however, this also gives me a perfect opportunity to set up with Nattorei on a locked -4 Draco Meteor. Either Spikes or Leech Seed would work here, but I’m setting up with Spikes as I assume the rest of his team will take damage. Damn you Magic Guard Rankurusu. Damn you so.
iFly 5 - 5 Corruptodile
Start of turn 21
iFly called Sazandora back!
iFly sent out Borutorosu!
Pointed stones dug into the foe's Borutorosu!
Nattorei used Spikes!
Spikes were scattered all around the feet of iFly's team!
I send out Borutorosu as planned, but I’ve had a change of mind. If Nattorei knows I have Taunt, why set up another layer of spikes right now? I’ll go Thunder Wave his Nattorei now, and even though it’ll boost the Gyro Ball it’s most likely running (its only other attacking option would be Power Whip which isn’t very effective against me). I can Taunt it next turn if I feel like it.
Inevitably, he had to switch there allowing Nattorei to set up the first layer of spikes. I know it packs Taunt, and I’m not risking a waste of a turn, so it’s time to Gyro Ball this thing back to earth.
Start of turn 22
The foe's Borutorosu used Thunder Wave!
Nattorei is paralyzed! It may be unable to move!
Nattorei is paralyzed! It can't move!
Thunder wave helped me and decided to fully paralyze Nattorei, rendering it useless for the turn. I don’t know what other options it has for sure, so I’ll use Taunt this turn to limit it further.
Paralysis actually helps me a lot!No burns, no sleep, increase the power of Gyro Ball. Many thanks! But not this turn. This turn stunk like Skuntank. Time to Gyro Ball again and see whether lucks on my side this time.
Start of turn 23
The foe's Borutorosu used Taunt!
Nattorei fell for the taunt!
Nattorei is paralyzed! It can't move!
And a second time in a row, Nattorei can’t move. On most other pokemon, it would matter very much, but I don’t think it matters so much on Natto. Corruptodile might switch now, so I’ll use Volt Change to scout the switch…
Nope. Third time lucky? GYRO BALL!
Start of turn 24
The foe's Borutorosu used Volt Change!
It's not very effective...
Nattorei lost 13% of its health!
iFly called Borutorosu back!
iFly sent out Donphan!
Pointed stones dug into the foe's Donphan!
The foe's Donphan is hurt by spikes!
Nattorei is paralyzed! It can't move!
…or lack thereof. I sent out Donphan to spin all these hazards away and I’m pretty sure that my opponent doesn’t have a spin-blocker, but I still haven’t seen two of his pokemon while he’s seen… 5 of mine. So alas, it’s time for a Rapid Spin!
Note to self. Paralysis – not so good. For the third time, Nattorei is paralyzed and gives Donphan the perfect opportunity to Spin away the hazards. I could switch to Sableye to take the Rapid Spin, but I'm scared of Earthquake, leaving me down without a spinner/annoyer and an immunity against Rankurusu's powerful STAB, so this time I’m switching to Power Whip to get more damage on, as Donphan is slow as shit.
Start of turn 25
The foe's Donphan used Rapid Spin!
It's not very effective...
Nattorei lost 1% of its health!
Nattorei's Iron Barbs hurts the foe's Donphan
The foe's Donphan blew away Spikes!
The foe's Donphan blew away Stealth Rock!
Nattorei used Power Whip!
It's super effective!
The foe's Donphan lost 57% of its health!
Nattorei's taunt ended!
I spun away the hazards, which is great for Hihidaruma and Borutorosu, as well as my other grounded Pokemon. But mostly the former two. I figure now’s a great time to set up my own rocks, as Nattorei can’t do anything about them. Taunt’s ended, so I’ll get to see a move other than an attacking move.
Kinky whipped Donphan. Iron barbs activates. Taunt ended. All is good. I could Gyro Ball for the KO, but I want a bit of health back, so I’m going to Leech Seed, taking advantage of the end of Taunt.
Start of turn 26
The foe's Donphan ate its Custap Berry!
The foe's Donphan is already preparing its next move!
The foe's Donphan used Stealth Rock!
Pointed stones float in the air around Corruptodile's team!
Nattorei used Leech Seed!
The foe's Donphan was seeded!
The foe's Donphan's health is sapped by leech seed.
The foe's Donphan fainted!
iFly sent out Sazandora!
Sazandora comes back out and it’s the same situation. Back to Heatran to take the Fire move.
iFly 4 - 5 Corruptodile
Start of turn 27
Corruptodile called Nattorei back!
Corruptodile sent out Heatran!
Pointed stones dug into Heatran!
The foe's Sazandora used Surf!
It's super effective!
Heatran lost 58% of its health!
Donphan’s done and dead, and I don’t mind so much. His Nattorei’s revealed another move, Leech Seed. While my team doesn’t mind it too much, passive damage is still passive damage and is, of course, annoying as ever. I send out Sazandora to threaten it with Flamethrower again.
We’ve been in this situation before, just like earlier when it was Borutorosu vs. Garchomp. Last time, he switched to Heatran to get a Fire boost. I’m not stupid, however, and I’m hoping he doesn’t see the opening he’s given me, so I’ll hit Heatran with a mouthful of water!
But iFly isn't as stupid as I am, as he throws Heatran to the waves. Luckily this is BulkyTran, who survives shit unlike ScarfTran. What’s more, bulky Tran has Protect for free healing. Yeah. Suck it Sazandora.
Start of turn 28
Heatran used Protect!
Heatran protected itself!
The foe's Sazandora used Surf!
Heatran protected itself!
Unfortunately, like I said earlier, all his sets are pretty much bulky, so Heatran survives, however it’ll be easier to KO him later. Other than Nattorei, his team hasn’t revealed a Water resist yet so I’ll hit Heatran with a Surf again.
Everything went to plan. Now it’s straight to Starmie to take the resisted hit and spin away the rocks that will help Zapdos later.
Start of turn 29
Corruptodile called Heatran back!
Corruptodile sent out Starmie!
Pointed stones dug into Starmie!
The foe's Sazandora used Surf!
It's not very effective...
Starmie lost 30% of its health!
He sends out Starmie… which is odd, because Starmie is extremely frail (but fast, so…) I don’t carry a spin-blocker myself, but I get a free switch while he spins the rocks away. Since he DID send out Starmie as his water resist, it probably is a spinner, because clearly it’s not offensive, what with its Leftovers healing its health.
So, while he spins, what do I switch to? I can get a free switch to my late-game sweeper, Hihidaruma, but Surf easily OHKO’s him. However, I have a valuable U-Turn which I can use to hit Starmie, which I think, with no speed investment, might not outspeed Banded Hihi, since it -is- a monster.
Let’s recap what’s happened so far. I have a dead Garchomp, a nearly dead Heatran. A relatively healthy Sableye and Starmie, a healthy Nattorei and an unrevealed Zapdos (unlike the smogon server, PO’s server doesn’t display your teams). He has a dead Roobushin and Donphan, a nearly dead Sazandora, a healthy Rankurusu and Voltlos and an unrevealed Pokémon.
So far things are looking up for me, but that Scarf Sazandora is getting scarier by the minute, with Heatran nearly out and Nattorei not designed for Sazandora. I will have to play around it and maybe sacrifice some stuff for free switch ins. Voltlos is easy to deal with thanks to Nattorei, though paralysis might put a stop to that. Rankurusu I know nothing about, apart from it’s strong, so I will have to deal with it when it comes out. The unrevealed Pokémon might be a Steel Pokémon to resist dragon attacks, so I have to somehow keep Heatran alive in case it is a Steel type. It might even be a Ghost pokemon to block Rapid Spin and threaten Starmie.
Back to the battle, Sazandora is locked on a fire move and my Starmie resists it. Surf and Physic are out of the question as the dragon resists and is immune to them respectively. Therefore, it comes down to Rapid Spin or Recover. Recover seems tempting, but I have a SR weak Pokémon (Zapdos), and since Donphan is dead, I know Rocks won’t come back up. Rapid Spin it is as Starmie starts to imitate a buzz saw.
Start of turn 30
iFly called Sazandora back!
iFly sent out Hihidaruma!
Starmie used Rapid Spin!
The foe's Hihidaruma lost 5% of its health!
Starmie blew away Stealth Rock!
Great, I was right and Starmie spins while I switch to Hihi. This will possibly outspeed Starmie, but maybe not... I decide to switch in and use U-turn in case Starmie's going to run after spinning so he can save it for later, and if Starmie stays, a Banded U-turn will severely injure the star...fish...thing...
So his unrevealed Pokémon is a Hihidaruma. Excellent. Rocks are off the field, and it turns out Heatran, while it would be nice to get rocks up again and have immunity to fire, is close to being fodder/fall back now, and Starmie can easily take anything Hihidaruma does. You see my Starmie is a (drone bulky set drone lecture). Anyway, I can easily Surf or Recover away. If it is scarfed, Starmie takes pretty much nothing nothing and grabs a free hit against something else, and if it’s not, Starmie gets the KO. I’m tempted to Recover again, but Hihidaruma poses a threat, with Sableye unable to burn it, so if I can get rid of it now, this gives me Heatran as a fodder, heck even Starmie becomes a fodder (see why later). This gives me two fall backs should things go wrong for me. Now everybody's surfing. Surfing Unova!
Start of turn 31
Starmie used Surf!
It's super effective!
The foe's Hihidaruma lost 94% of its health!
The foe's Hihidaruma fainted!
iFly sent out Sazandora!
Nope, Starmie outsped and KO'd Hihi with Surf (I also switched to a scarf after the battle to make Hihidaruma more threatening as a late-game sweeper. Plus, I have power in Sazandora anyway, a little more speed can't hurt...). So one of my ultimate weapons is dead, all because I had expected to hit-and-run from Starmie.
So now I need to decide what to switch to. I think I should switch to Sazandora, and threaten Starmie with a Dark Pulse, and even more so if he knows I've got Specs. [Looking back at these comments and such, yeah, Corruptodile, Sazandora's Timid and Specs'd. :P You may have ran the calc a bit wrong :P You might not have accounted for a Timid nature without a scarf xD So yeah, you thought I was scarfed for nothing, yay] He'll probably switch to Heatran, but the thing's low on health anyway and I'll be able to finish it off. Sazandora it is! Time to Dark Pulse something and kill it!
It’s not scarfed. Heck it’s not anything. It’s dead, that’s what it is. Sazandora is back out though – and it’s definitely scarfed if it switches in on Starmie. This sucks. Either Draco Meteor or a Dark move is coming, so Nattorei seems the perfect choice. However, Nattorei might get roasted from a surprise Flamethrower, so I dare not go to him, as he is my only check to Voltlos, besides Zapdos, who I want to save for now.
Heatran, as said earlier, is close to fodder. While I'll miss the immunity and the rocks, Heatran is the only thing I can go to without losing valuable team members. Some of you may be thinking why not keep Heatran alive and sac Starmie instead. The reason is Starmie has reliable recovery and Heatran does not - meaning I can keep a reliable fodder if need be. If that made sense...Though I'll miss the rocks, he can't do much now, being outsped and set up bait for my opponents team. and it's time to sacrifice and play along with what my opponent does.
iFly 3 - 5 Corruptodile
Start of turn 32
Corruptodile called Starmie back!
Corruptodile sent out Heatran!
The foe's Sazandora used Dark Pulse!
It's not very effective...
Heatran lost 13% of its health!
Heatran fainted!
Corruptodile sent out Nattorei!
As I expected, he sacs Heatran to find what move I'd be locked in to, and it dies, and now he knows I'll be using Dark Pulse, probably, which is also why he sent out Nattorei. Sazandora clearly can't touch the wall, so it's time to switch to Borutorosu.
Turns out Sazandora is fully specially kitted, with Draco Meteor, Dark Pulse, Flamethrower and Surf. Everything on my team fears at least one move, but luckily, though playing around, I can eventually deal with it. Nattorei is back out and for the second time in the match, it is Nattorei who is in charge. Spikes is worthless now, since Voltlos and Sazandora are immune, and Rankurusu has Magic Guard. I considered Power Whip in the chance Rankurusu came in, but I want a bit more health on Nattorei and thinking back, Voltlos came in last time, so it’s time to Leech Seed away.
iFly 3 - 4 Corruptodile
Start of turn 33
iFly called Sazandora back!
iFly sent out Borutorosu!
Nattorei is paralyzed! It can't move!
Borutorosu makes it in safely and Nattorei doesn't get to use its move, no matter what it is. Now, Nattorei can either attack Borutorosu, or it can switch. I feel like it'll switch and absorb an expected Taunt, so I'll use Volt Change to scout out his switch and gain some momentum.
If Nattorei switches, I'll go to an appropriate check. If it stays in, I'll go to Sazandora to threaten in with Flamethrower, and with Heatran gone, even if Starmie resists it, it'll be doing some decent damage now.
But of course, when a Nattorei meets a Voltlos, the Nattorei usually paralyzes up in fear. I know he’s got Taunt and don’t want to waste a turn attempting to leech his seed, so it’s time to Gyro Ball! Wait…hasn’t this happened before?
Start of turn 34
The foe's Borutorosu used Volt Change!
It's not very effective...
A critical hit!
Nattorei lost 23% of its health!
iFly called Borutorosu back!
iFly sent out Sazandora!
Nattorei is paralyzed! It can't move!
Boo-hoo, a crit. Whine whine, cry cry... yeah, see, not all crits matter. Nattorei stayed in and got fully paralyzed again (I don't really see these as hax. 25%, I think it is, unless it's 50%, is not that improbable. It's like Focus Blast missing - you don't really call it hax...), so I went to Sazandora. I think he'll switch to Starmie, but if I use Dark Pulse, I have to re-switch out and do this scenario again, so I'd rather not risk the Dark Pulse. In short... I'm going to use Flamethrower.
Yep. You’ve seen it all before. Crit occurs, but it’s nothing too serious. It’s not like a crit Fire Blast taking down a Gyarados at full health is it? Anyway, Sazandora is back in charge here. It’s easy to make this decision, Starmie. Starmie resists the Flamethrower, the only thing Sazandora can use to touch Nattorei. And if you object? Then you’re a fool. And I pity the fool.
Start of turn 35
Corruptodile called Nattorei back!
Corruptodile sent out Starmie!
The foe's Sazandora used Flamethrower!
It's not very effective...
Starmie lost 28% of its health!
I really should stop being as conservative as I am, and follow through with my predictions. Starmie comes in with incredible resistance.
Sazandora's low on health and is in no position to be hit by Starmie, no matter how weak the 'bulky' thing is. I need him for later, to take out my opponent's unknown poke who's been hiding from me for a reason. I'll switch him out now, and I'll put in Rankurusu, Since Starmie can't really touch Ranku, and for a reason that'll be explained next.
Awesome. Starmie took barely anything there. It is getting low on health though, so it’s time to stop procrastinating and Recover to get some health back for absorbing Flamethrowers and see whether Voltlos or Rankurusu comes out.
Start of turn 36
iFly called Sazandora back!
iFly sent out Rankurusu!
Starmie used Recover!
Starmie regained health!
So he decides to Recover while Rankurusu switches in, making it even easier to Recover the damage off. I'm expecting a switch to Sableye, as I can't touch it with my Psychic/Fighting coverage at all, but nevertheless, Rankurusu's ready to heal up! This'll make it much easier later when it needs to take a few hits.
So Rankurusu is back out on the field again and it's also confirmed that Rankurusu is holding Life Orb over Leftovers. I can’t touch it with Starmie, as bulky Starmie is incredibly weak. Sableye is immune to Physic and can stop it from healing up with Taunt. Sableye I choose you!
Start of turn 37
Corruptodile called Starmie back!
Corruptodile sent out Sableye!
The foe's Rankurusu used Recover!
The foe's Rankurusu regained health!
Sableye switches in as I expected, I healed up, and now it's time to run so I can tank some hits later on in the battle. I should go to Borutorosu now to actually ATTACK Sableye now! He poses a great threat to Rankurusu, who can't touch him. If I can kill Sableye now it'll be easier later.
Sableye is back out for some fun, after being confined for god knows how long now. Unfortunately, my opponent managed to get delicious health back. I intend to attack this turn – and also confirm my ideas. My opponent knows my 3 moves, Recover, WoW and Nightshade. He could also probably assume Taunt. Now, if Rankurusu switches out, this gives me a strong idea that he can’t touch me. If he stays in and tries to Calm Mind or something, this means Sableye isn’t immune to him. I click Nightshade, hoping that he'll switch out and try and hit something else that lacks recovery. But that's not the main focus of this turn for me. Let’s find out now, can you attack me? 3...2...1...
Start of turn 38
iFly called Rankurusu back!
iFly sent out Borutorosu!
Sableye is paralyzed! It can't move!
Man, Paralysis really hates Sableye. Sometimes I do wish I knew what his responses were, but I think I'd rather not find out and face some of its torture. Apart from Thunder Wave, Taunt, and Volt Change, I (like I mentioned earlier, switched it for HP Ice later) run Thunderbolt for some more power. Sableye hasn't seen it yet, and I need it dead, sooner rather than later.
Paralysis kicks in yet again for this match, but I’m not bothered too much this time. Since he switched out, I’m more concerned about keeping Sableye alive, since it’s an automatic KO (kinda) against his teddy bear. Voltlos is back out, so it’s back to Nattorei to sponge whatever it is he wants to do. From here, I could Leech Seed a probable Sazandora for extra health and finally KO his hydra.
Start of turn 39
Corruptodile called Sableye back!
Corruptodile sent out Nattorei!
The foe's Borutorosu used Thunderbolt!
It's not very effective...
Nattorei lost 17% of its health!
I should have known he'd switch out to keep Sableye for later on in the match to stop Rankurusu dead in its tracks, but I didn't. I know, though, now, that every time I put in Rankurusu, Sableye'll come out. That's some useful information right there.
So, that means, in order to kill Sableye, I basically need to either feign switches to Rankurusu or pin it to be as the last member of his team I face. I'm not quite sure how to do this, however, but it's better knowing what I have to do than being ignorant to the whole thing.
Corruptodile's sent in Nattorei to absorb the hit. I think he's confident I'll switch, allowing him to use a support move, so I think I'll stay in this time, and use Taunt. Then later, I can Volt Change out for some more damage and switch to something to dispose of Nattorei.
Ahh, Voltlos. You may be magical and grant three wishes, but you shall not pass! Nattorei that is. Time to Leech Seed stuff for moar health and whittling.
Start of turn 40
The foe's Borutorosu used Taunt!
Nattorei fell for the taunt!
Nattorei can't use Leech Seed after the taunt!
So Nattorei's fourth moveslot is indeed a support move, and Leech Seed at that. Now Nattorei's either going to attack or switch as usual, and so I go to my all-reliable move: Volt Change.
Well. That threw plans out the window and I’m now forced to Gyro Ball. This is bull.
Start of turn 41
The foe's Borutorosu used Volt Change!
It's not very effective...
Nattorei lost 13% of its health!
iFly called Borutorosu back!
iFly sent out Rankurusu!
Nattorei is paralyzed! It can't move!
I'm giggling at this point at how invaluable paralysis really is. Nattorei doesn't even get to touch me, and I send out Rankurusu to use Calm Mind and finally KO it. So now I'll use Calm Mind. I'm confident I can take this hit, as I'm running mostly HP and Defense EVs to tank the physical hits that Calm Mind doesn't cover me against.
At this point my patience for paralysis was wearing thin, since it occurs when I really want to hit something, and doesn't occur when my opponent stops my attack, wasting precious PP! I swore to myself to take 10 mins away from the computer after this battle. Gyro Ball is worthless here, Rankurusu is even slower than Donphan, so it’s time to kinky whip da teddy and tell him who is boss.
Start of turn 42
The foe's Rankurusu used Calm Mind!
The foe's Rankurusu's Sp. Att. rose!
The foe's Rankurusu's Sp. Def. rose!
Nattorei used Power Whip!
The foe's Rankurusu lost 31% of its health!
Nattorei's taunt ended!
I'm at +1 SpA, faster than Nattorei, and I have Hidden Power Fighting to hit it for SE. Oh, and, Nattorei's at 31%. I'm confident that Corruptodile will leave Nattorei in, as it's basically a deadweight at this point.
Ironically, Taunt ended. None of my set up moves actually touch Rankurusu. It’s time to whip him around, even if he is feeling calm.
Start of turn 43
The foe's Rankurusu used Hidden Power!
It's super effective!
Nattorei lost 31% of its health!
Nattorei fainted!
Corruptodile sent out Sableye!
Rankurusu scores the KO against Nattorei, and of course, Sableye rears its tiny little head with gems for eyes. It's time to Recover off the damages again and since I'm confident Sableye thinks I'll switch, it won't be Taunting me (even though he hasn't revealed Taunt, every Sableye I've faced carries Taunt, so...). Once that's done, I can run again into Borutorosu and keep Rankurusu for later.
And this is probably why he was feeling calm. Nattorei wasn’t doing much anyway, at this health, Voltlos would have 2HKO with Thunderbolt. Sazandora would have 2HKO'd as well. The switch to Sableye was probably the better move in some peoples eyes, but I wanted to confirm a Focus Blast so I knew for sure that Sableye walled the teddy. Don't assume stuff and stick to it. Stick to facts, and play cautious around assumptions. That's how I role (yes, I know about the Garchomp incident, but I've changed. Really I have!) Anyway...
The score is now 3-3 with me possessing a Sableye, Starmie and the unrevealed Zapdos. He has the +1 Rankurusu, Sazandora and Voltlos. Actually, it’s 2-3 to iFly. Starmie is merely fodder now, being out sped by Sazandora and Voltlos (his Sazandora is scarfed after a quick calculation against Heatran confirmed my suspicion. (Apparantly it's Specced instead. Regardless, I'm assuming it runs 252 ev's and therefore outspeeds me anyway...whoops)) and Rankurusu can easily set up on it – and there are no rocks to spin away this time round. I have a strong feeling Sableye will beat Rankurusu. I know that I have one final weapon against iFly's team and that is the surprise of Zapdos. I know that Sazandora is free to unleash Draco Meteors willy nilly. I know I’ve not revealed Taunt yet on Sableye (thank you paralysis!) Knowledge is such power!
Sableye is sent out, knowing that he can’t touch me. Since Hidden Power was SE, it means it’s either Fire or Fighting. Physic/Fighting give more coverage, so I assumed it was that. Sableye could take a hit if need be from HP Fire though. I decide to WoW, thinking he’d switch out to Voltlos to Taunt and render me useless.
iFly 3 - 3 Corruptodile
Start of turn 44
Sableye used Will-O-Wisp!
The attack of Sableye missed!
The foe's Rankurusu used Recover!
The foe's Rankurusu regained health!
Rankurusu (100%) vs Sableye (55%) (~)
Sorry guys, image limit reached
I was right, and Sableye missed (although it's not significant. Magic Guard doesn't let me take pain from it, and I'm not running physical moves) with his Will-o-Wisp. He had been expecting a switch...
So what's that, you want a switch? Okay, I'll switch now. Borutorosu has served me well this battle, and he's been very reliable, so I'll go to him. Plus, WoW missing plus paralysis is a 50% chance that his move'll end up failing. 50% is somewhat reliable, although it isn't imperative that I don't get burnt.
However, I predicted wrong and as punishment, Rankurusu recovers status free. With the extra health now though I’m 100% sure he will switch out to something else. Hopefully that Sazandora. I want to burn it and then sac Starmie while taking his hydra down with it.
Start of turn 45
iFly called Rankurusu back!
iFly sent out Borutorosu!
Sableye used Will-O-Wisp!
The foe's Borutorosu was burned!
Voltlos (49%) vs Sableye (61%) (~)
Borutorosu got burned, cancelling out my leftovers and doing 6% a turn (12 - 6 is 6, yes, very good maths iFly!). I need to hit Sableye now and destroy it so Rankurusu can flip over the rest of his pokemon like chess pieces, one by one, all the while boosting its SpA. In hindsight, I probably should have Taunted here since an attack was very, very obvious, but I didn't, and what's done is done...
It’s not the hydra, but the genie, but I don’t care as I finally get to hear his genie scream in fiery pain and stopped the lefties. Whittling can commence now, which is good. I’m confident that the attack is coming, as Sableye is in the way of a teddy bear sweep. This turn I recover to survive the hit, praying paralysis doesn't rear it's head yet again, heal up a bit and whittle, but next turn I’m sending out Zapdos, the only thing left that is capable of dealing with Voltlos.
Start of turn 46
Sableye used Recover!
Sableye regained health!
The foe's Borutorosu used Thunderbolt!
Sableye lost 50% of its health!
Voltlos (43%) vs Sableye (67%) (~)
So yes, he did Recover, but Thunderbolt managed to hit him for the same amount of damage as he healed, meaning that I'll be able to PP stall his Recover if need be. Awesome.
Just in case Sableye wants to try that bout, I'll Taunt it and stop its mischievous heart (that pun was terrible... and intended, heh).
Part one is complete. Confirming I can’t stay in forever, Recover and Thunderbolt break even. Furthermore, he’ll taunt me to stop the stalling nonsense. Sableye may win against the teddy, but is no match for the genie. Time to bring out my final Pokémon, Zapdos.
Start of turn 47
Corruptodile called Sableye back!
Corruptodile sent out Zapdos!
Zapdos is exerting its Pressure!
The foe's Borutorosu used Taunt!
Zapdos fell for the taunt!
Voltlos (37%) vs Zapdos (100%)
I taunted... his... ZAPDOS? THAT was the hidden pokemon? Ugh, and it's probably a Toxic stall variant. At least it's Taunted, so it's gotta attack now with its Thunderbolt. I'll go to Rankurusu, absorb the hit, and then Calm Mind to take another hit if need be, then Recover off the damage.
(By the way, guys, I am, in fact, a complete IDIOT. I failed to see that Zapdos had Pressure here and thought it had Lightningrod, thus making it immune to Thunder Wave. This seriously affected the outcome of the battle... which would have increased my "win chance" at the end to roughly 72% as opposed to ~30%.)
That could not have gone any better. I get Zapdos in scot free, and had no intention of subbing up and toxic stalling – it’s got past that point, where I’ll eventually lose too much health to sustain attacks. Doing the only thing I can do, show the genie who is the better Electric/Flying type round here. Thunderbolt away!
(as a side note, I really should change this thing to Lightningrod...)
Start of turn 48
iFly called Borutorosu back!
iFly sent out Rankurusu!
Zapdos used Thunderbolt!
The foe's Rankurusu lost 35% of its health!
Rankurusu (65%) vs Zapdos (100%)
Rankurusu takes the hit well, especially for no SpD EVs. Like I mentioned earlier, time to use Calm Mind and take another hit if it decides to strike again.
It does a lot more than I anticipated, but Zapdos does have a meaty special attack to work with, even without any EV’s. I’m tempted to attack again, but I need to conserve health for Voltlos and even Sazandora, who is biding it’s time. Back to Sableye it is. I’ve not yet revealed Taunt – and I intend to use it to stop him getting a free Recover the turn after this.
Start of turn 49
Corruptodile called Zapdos back!
Corruptodile sent out Sableye!
The foe's Rankurusu used Calm Mind!
The foe's Rankurusu's Sp. Att. rose!
The foe's Rankurusu's Sp. Def. rose!
Rankurusu (65%) vs Sableye (73%) (~)
Sableye comes out, and probably expecting another switch, it won't Taunt me. Time to Recover once more!
He can’t touch me, so the only thing left for him to do is Recover. Whether or not he heals up is dependant on what Lady Luck thinks of things. Sableye, use Taunt.
Start of turn 50
Sableye used Taunt!
The foe's Rankurusu fell for the taunt!
The foe's Rankurusu can't use Recover after the taunt!
Rankurusu (65%) vs Sableye (79%) (~)
But of course, Corruptodile's sharp as a tack and has caught on to what I've been doing with Rankurusu. Taunting it makes Recover fail, and now I've got to switch. I should switch to Borutorosu, just in case he decides to attempt to burn something again. Of course, though, this is probably one of my only moves here and I'm practically forced to switch to him.
Ahhhh. So nice. When Sableye calls yo momma fat, there is noting left to do other than to beat the crap out of him. But Monsieur teddy can not do that. I could burn Sazandora, but last time this happened, Voltlos came in who is already burned, so it makes more logical sense to Night Shade him closer to his demise. Night Shade also deals with Sazandora, so it makes even more sense. Alongside that, Nightshade only has to deal with 75% chance of missing thanks to paralysis, unlike WoW which has 50% chance thanks to shaky accuracy (thank you iFly for doing maths for me!)
Start of turn 51
iFly called Rankurusu back!
iFly sent out Borutorosu!
Sableye used Night Shade!
The foe's Borutorosu lost 28% of its health!
Voltlos (3%) vs Sableye (85%) (~)
So yes, Borutorosu is running much too low on health now and with no more to recover with, he's served me well. (Like I said, I thought Zapdos had Lightningrod. How stupid am I e_e) I'll go and Taunt Sableye now so it doesn't have any recovering ideas... and last time, he went to Zapdos. Still, taunting a bulky Zapdos removes its support options, limiting it to only thunderbolt... Taunt it is.
As expected Voltlos comes back in, and we’re now in a never ending cycle of Sableye, Voltlos, Zapdos and Rankurusu, with me keeping my Starmie fodder for when I need him most, and him keeping Sazandora ready for revenge. Voltlos is dying this turn, but I need Sableye alive, so Zapdos goes in. Some of you may be thinking, why not sac Starmie and keep Zapdos at full health for Sazandora ? (yes, this is PressureDos...doh). The answer to that is I wanted Starmie to take a Draco Meteor and soften it up for Zapdos should one come – and I like having fall backs in case things go wrong.
Start of turn 52
Corruptodile called Sableye back!
Corruptodile sent out Zapdos!
Zapdos is exerting its Pressure!
The foe's Borutorosu used Taunt!
Zapdos fell for the taunt!
The foe's Borutorosu restored a little HP using its Leftovers!
The foe's Borutorosu is hurt by its burn!
The foe's Borutorosu fainted!
iFly sent out Rankurusu!
Rankurusu (65%) vs Zapdos (100%)
I taunted the evil Electric bird, and Borutorosu valiantly goes down in a fire, having done its job excellently. Time to send in Rankurusu and hit Zapdos for some actual damage now.
Ahh the sweet satisfaction of another great turn. Zapdos comes in again scot free as Voltlos dies to its burn. It’s 2-2 all again (see above on why it’s not 3-2 as it should be). His teddy bear has come back in. Either to set up or flat out attack. But alas, Sableye is still around to wall his pathetic little…adorable, sweet, cute face. In you go, you heartless fiend.
iFly 2 - 3 Corruptodile
Start of turn 53
Corruptodile called Zapdos back!
Corruptodile sent out Sableye!
The foe's Rankurusu used Psychic!
It had no effect!
Rankurusu (65%) vs Sableye (91%) (~)
Oh, of course! With Borutorosu gone, the only pokemon I have left that can touch Sableye is Sazandora, who's too valuable right now. He's sent in Sableye again, and takes no damage. It knows I want to Recover, though, so it'll probably Taunt me again. And what do I have that doesn't care about a Taunt...?
That's right, Sazandora! It's time for you to go shine, and destroy Sableye once and for all! After all, this moment was inevitable. Wonderful.
Free lefties and a free turn means I can do whatever the hell I want. I’m going for the Taunt in case he wants to try and Recover up, and if all goes well, I can WoW either the teddy or preferably, the hydra.
Start of turn 54
iFly called Rankurusu back!
iFly sent out Sazandora!
Sableye used Taunt!
The foe's Sazandora fell for the taunt!
Sazandora (19%) vs Sableye (97%) (~)
Yes, we are nearing the end of the battle. It's only around 60 turns long...
Sableye Taunts as I predicted, meaning Sazandora's free to kill something. His remaining Pokemon are Zapdos, Sableye, and Starmie (who's practically dead now, it can't do much and I can kill it...). All three of these are either weak to or neutral to a Dark Pulse now (as I don't want to use Draco Meteor at a time like this, -2 and -4 is not great late-game), so time to Dark Pulse it is!
Dammit. Problem. Sazandora is unaffected by Taunt, and is not burned in the process. Luckily though, I didn’t sac Starmie earlier and now have it at my disposal to take the hit. Had I sacrificed Starmie earlier, I would have had to either let Sableye die now and let him set up with Rankurusu against Zapdos, or let Zapdos be 2HKO and let Rankurusu stall me out, before he revenged me with a deadly Draco Meteor. But none of that shits happening when I’ve got Starmie waiting in the wings. Starmie, your time has come. Thank you for clearing the rocks for Zapdos. And taking out Hihidaruma. That was rad man. Take a rest. You’ve earned it.
Start of turn 55
Corruptodile called Sableye back!
Corruptodile sent out Starmie!
The foe's Sazandora used Dark Pulse!
It's super effective!
Starmie lost 100% of its health!
Starmie fainted!
Corruptodile sent out Zapdos!
Zapdos is exerting its Pressure!
Sazandora (19%) vs Zapdos (100%)
Starmie's killed by the Dark Pulse, and in comes Zapdos to try and kill Sazandora. Here, I can either attack and allow Sazandora to die, or I can switch out and keep him for later. Problem is, Draco Meteor would probably hit Zapdos hard, but he's got Sableye to fall back on no matter what, to sacrifice and then Zapdos can destroy. The outcome of this battle was pretty much decided as Borutorosu fainted, anyway.
There's no use in Zapdos using its support options (Roost, other moves such as Substitute or something), so I'll go to Rankurusu and try and heal up a bit...
So, Starmie flops about like a fish and dies. Not to a Draco Meteor though – to a dark pulse. This doesn’t change things though, I’m still sure that Zapdos can survive the hit and I need Sableye around still, so Zapdos has to go in to revenge.
iFly 2 - 2Corruptodile
Start of turn 56
iFly called Sazandora back!
iFly sent out Rankurusu!
Zapdos used Thunderbolt!
The foe's Rankurusu lost 36% of its health!
Rankurusu (29%) vs Zapdos (100%)
But Zapdos 2HKO's Rankurusu now, and it's only taking one more hit for Rankurusu to go down, and there's no more options anymore... Such a shame you didn't get to do much. Bye-bye, Rankurusu. Battle's over.
Zapdos is shockingly powerful ('cuse the pun), in that this is a 2HKO. Lets see now. Substitute gets rid of my health and lets him heal. Roost gives me 0% health and lets him heal. Toxic doesn’t affect him and lets him heal. Thunderbolt will KO him and give me the lead. Guess what I’m going to do (and if you say Roost, get off Smogon now).
Start of turn 57
Zapdos used Thunderbolt!
The foe's Rankurusu lost 29% of its health!
The foe's Rankurusu fainted!
iFly sent out Sazandora!
Sazandora (19%) vs Zapdos (100%)
Like I said earlier, Sableye's there to scout my final move choice. I'll go to Dark Pulse for the chance of a Flinch, and possibly in hindsight Draco Meteor would have been the better move, but still not enough to KO Zapdos anyway and net me the win. Had I seen that Zapdos had Pressure, paralysis may have kicked in at some point and I could have won. But for now... Dark Pulse it is, as at the moment it's most reliable.
Ah, the lead during the end stages of battle. Mmm. So juicy, oui? Sazandora is back out ready to fight one last time. In the off chance he goes for a Draco Meteor, I switch to Sableye to allow Zapdos to take the weaker hit and the match, having no further use for Sableye’s immunities. In the off chance I survive, I can inflicting yet more fire on his team - which guarantee me not losing and him not winning. A perfectly acceptable scenario, non?
iFly 1 - 2 Corruptodile
Start of turn 58
Corruptodile called Zapdos back!
Corruptodile sent out Sableye!
The foe's Sazandora used Dark Pulse!
Sableye lost 75% of its health!
Sazandora (19%) vs Sableye (28%) (~)
Sableye comes in like I knew it would to find my last move, and survives the hit to boot. He's going to get another attack in on me, and it's going to be Will-o-Wisp, so that I die in two turns. But, of course, I have 50% to fall back on and give myself a better chance of surviving one more turn in the event it happens. NOW it's time to faint Sableye.
Notice that happened later rather than sooner, the opposite of what I wanted. -.-
What’s this? Dark Pulse? I live? Excellent! Though it may not have been the meteor from the sky I was hoping for, this gives me another chance of ‘not losing’. By WoW, I can at least get the draw, with Sazandora dying from the burn in two turns.
Start of turn 59
Sableye used Will-O-Wisp!
The attack of Sableye missed!
The foe's Sazandora used Dark Pulse!
Sableye lost 17% of its health!
Sableye fainted!
Corruptodile sent out Zapdos!
Zapdos is exerting its Pressure!
Sazandora (19%) vs Zapdos (100%)
Will-o-Wisp misses, meaning I'm either going to lose or win (some of you say 'obviously!' but the match could have ended in a draw if I managed to KO Zapdos with a crit on the last turn and died due to burn damage) this turn or next.
What happens now? Do I get a crit? Will chance help me out here and 30% flinch kicks in and allow me to destroy Zapdos to win the battle?
F-F-F-U-U-U-U-U-U!!! Maybe not this time and suddenly it’s back to win or lose situations. This turn is the decider. Unless he’s packing Wonderguard, Thunderbolt will KO and give me the win. However, If he gets a critical hit, a flinch, heck even both, I will have lost. Dark pulse is a 2HKO, no matter what, the question is, does the match finish this turn, or next?
Oh here's the score by the way.
iFly - 1 - 1 Corruptodile
Start of turn 60
The foe's Sazandora used Dark Pulse!
Zapdos lost 59% of its health!
Zapdos used Thunderbolt!
It's not very effective...
The foe's Sazandora lost 18% of its health!
The foe's Sazandora fainted!
Zapdos (41%)
iFly 0 - 1 Corruptodile
Corruptodile won the battle!
iFly: GG
Corruptodile: gg
iFly: nice one
Of course not! THAT would have been a moment where hax seriously mattered. Sazandora goes down and Zapdos is left, and the score's 1-0. Corruptodile's the victor here. WONDERFUL game, Corruptodile!
Phew! Despite the rest of the game, no hax occurs during this vital turn of the battle and despites Sazandora’s best efforts, he too goes down with his team, leaving Zapdos as the last Pokémon standing and therefore, giving me the win. Great game iFly!
Props and Slops
Again, iFly Props and Slops/ Corruptodile's Props and Slops
Props
+ Borutorosu for effectively crippling nearly half Corruptodile's team
+ Sableye for walling Rankurusu to no end and making Roobushin more bearable
+ Zapdos for being a surprise and match-decider to iFly
+ Not so much hax, bar misses and paralysis (really, 75% coupled with paralysis is just asking to fail)
+ Sazandora killed 4 out of the 5 Pokemon Corruptodile had (Zapdos didn't die)
+ Corruptodile's amazing nicknames for iFly's Pokemon (The Genie (Voltlos), This Thing (Roobushin), The Hydra (Sazandora), The Teddy Bear (Rankurusu), Slow as Fuck (Donphan)... Hihidaruma did too little to be given a nickname).
+ Corruptodile for not taking any of Roob's Guts Bullcrap
+ iFly's excellent predictions
+ Starmie, for clearing the rocks that might have sealed Zapdos' fate in the end turns.
Slops:
- Rankurusu for doing nothing, along with Hihidaruma being OHKO'd
- Nattorei for being paralyzed about half the time it spent on the field
- iFly, for he's an idiot and needs to learn to read that Zapdos had Pressure :P
- Corruptodile, for not having Lightningrod Zapdos and thinking Sazandora was scarfed.
- Roobushin, for not having Guts (see above)
- Paralysis. Nothing more, nothing less.
- Voltlos, for having two Electric moves (which has been fixed now :P)
