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Battle Maison Discussion & Records
- Thread starter NoCheese
- Start date
Hooooly shit. Way to go, GG Unit ! That's an incredible amount of dedication to take a team like that and make it to 1000. I hope it goes strong for a while!
On something like my eighth attempt, I finally managed to beat the Chatelaines in Multi Battles. I'm posting a streak of 82 wins in Omega Ruby Super Multi Battles with an AI partner.
The goal I've set for myself is to beat the Chatelaines in every mode with a different new mega in each mode. I considered Salamence for Multis, but I didn't like the stacked Ice weakness with Aerodactyl, and I wanted to save Mence for a different mode. Steven seemed like the only decent option, given that the other ORAS Megas aren't super broken (but kudos to everyone who beat the Chatelaine with someone besides Steven!). I considered Gallade, but 1) it would need Protect to not instantly die a lot of the time, which is bad, and 2) I saw someone else had already used it. I wanted to do a little bit of baiting, so I settled on this beast:
Sharpedo (F) @ Sharpedonite (Sharknado)
Ability: Speed Boost -> Strong Jaw
Nature: Adamant
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd (the 4 EVs are probably better in SpDef for Download shenanigans, but whatever)
~ Crunch
~ Protect
~ Destiny Bond
~ Waterfall
Sharpedo is pretty cool. With Speed Boost in her base form, she can Protect, boost her speed, and maybe bait some attacks, before going on a rampage on turn 2. Because Crunch is so powerful, I have a lot of control over which Pokemon I KO. When in a bad situation, the goal is to take out both of the Pokemon of one of the opponents with Sharpedo + my backup, so that Mega Metagross is left to fight one-on-one. MegaGross is really good one-on-one, so that usually results in a win for me. But most of the time, it doesn't even come to that; Sharpedo and Aerodactyl can often take out both leads over the course of two turns, then Sharpedo picks off a third Pokemon on turn 3. The Water typing is a real godsend, as it allows her to bash Fire- and Ground-types who would give MegaGross problems.
In theorymonning the team, I found myself worried about Water-types. Sharpedo can't KO bulky waters (Suicune in particular), MegaGross doesn't always like them (especially the Water/Ground ones), and they do a number on Aerodactyl. I originally thought of Grass Knot Thundurus, but I don't have a good one. Zapdos is out for similar reasons (no HP Grass). I looked through the Electric types and thought they all kind of sucked. I also didn't really want Volcarona to mess me up if my leads were taken out. Then I stumbled upon this unexpected gem:
Breloom (M) @ Choice Scarf (Floja)
Ability: Technician
Nature: Adamant
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
~ Force Palm
~ Spore
~ Bullet Seed
~ Rock Tomb
This set looks like shit, but is actually amazing. Adamant vs. Jolly is a toss-up, but I really wanted the power, particularly for things like Rock Tomb against Tornadus and Thundurus. Force Palm is Breloom's strongest STAB with Technician, and the paralysis can really come in handy. Bullet Seed can disappoint when it only hits twice, but the 5 BP lower than Seed Bomb isn't worth giving up the chance for a LOT more hits. Rock Tomb for the obvious coverage, and it came in handy SO much. The Speed drop is just icing on the cake (an icing that won me the Chatelaine battle). Spore wasn't even supposed to be on the set at first; I had planned Thunder Punch for Gyarados (which is entirely unnecessary), but didn't want to delete Spore because I couldn't get it back with a Heart Scale (I think). But Spore also came in handy a lot. When your partner is Mega Metagross, being able to put everything to sleep can make its job MUCH easier. I had this exact situation in battle 48 (I think), when Breloom Spored Ampharos while MegaGross KO'd something, Breloom Spored the Nidoqueen switch-in while MegaGross KO'd her, and Breloom put Ampharos back to sleep when it woke up so MegaGross could 2HKO. You don't want to be in a situation where you have to Spore, but it can pay big dividends. Don't use Thunder Punch; Gyarados isn't a threat at all.
Of course, my partner was Steven. His team is:
Aerodactyl @ Focus Sash
Ability: Rock Head
Nature: Jolly
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spd
~ Rock Slide
~ Fire Fang
~ Ice Fang
~ Thunder Fang
Metagross @ Metagrossite
Ability: Clear Body -> Tough Claws
Nature: Adamant
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Def (why Defense?)
~ Meteor Mash
~ Zen Headbutt
~ Hammer Arm
~ Bullet Punch
This team is designed to work with Aerodactyl in the lead; it sucks with Metagross in the lead spot. While it seems like lead Meta would be better for Intimidate, in practice, Sharpedo and Aerodactyl can usually still kill or bother things even through Intimidate, thanks to Aero's secondary effects/coverage and Sharpedo's insane power + Destiny Bond. In contrast, MegaGross gets killed by Fire moves while Sharpedo is forced to Protect due to being too slow to outspeed and KO the Fire-types anyway.
People rail on the Aerodactyl set, and while it's laughably weak, the haxy nature of its moves is surprisingly clutch. They can all miss, which sucks, but Rock Slide flinches can make life a lot easier. Between Focus Sash, Sharpedo baiting a lot of attacks, and flinches, Aerodactyl usually survives for a few turns. A resistance to Explosion doesn't hurt either.
MegaGross carries the team, but its reliance on 90% accurate moves let me down a number of times. The AI often puts you at risk by choosing Meteor Mash when it could KO with two (or one) Bullet Punches and has no chance of being KO'd. Mega Sharpedo and Breloom are actually extremely good supports, and one of Spore's virtues is giving MegaGross some extra opportunities in case it misses.
Like I said, I lost something like seven or eight times with this team before they actually beat the Chatelaines. To be fair, some of that was me learning to play the team, but a lot was poor team design and the terrible AI. When things went well, battles were really easy, but it wasn't hard for them to go bad.
Lead Regigigas was a nightmare (too haxy and bulky). Intimidate often caused problems. I'd sometimes have to KO something with Breloom without knowing what the AI had in the back, which was somewhat dangerous. Trick Room was hard to play around; while Sharpedo can OHKO most setters, it doesn't always want to if the other lead is more dangerous (e.g. stuff like Bronzong is really not much of a threat). They also didn't use Trick Room all that consistently, making it hard to determine the right move.
This streak was actually kinda fun once I passed 50 and the pressure was off.
The loss, battle 83 vs. Heracross 4, Mienshao 4, Gliscor 4, Seismitoad 4: 75UW-WWWW-WWXH-HF4Q
This team seemed built to fuck me over. Heracross and Mienshao obviously resist Crunch and aren't KO'd by Waterfall, but I plan to block HJK and take out Mienshao with Waterfall. Unfortunately, Mienshao targets Aerodactyl with HJK, knocking it to its Sash. (Fire Fang misses Heracross, which is relevant, as it 2HKOs). Protect blocks Megahorn. I pick Destiny Bond, hoping to Mienshao, but it takes down Heracross; Mienshao KO's Aerodactyl (critical hit!). I bring in Breloom to replace Sharpedo, Metagross comes in, the AI sends out Gliscor. Fuuuuck. I know Gliscor doesn't have EVs and EQ is a spread move, but it's also bulky and annoying, and it carries Counter. I decide to Spore it; Mienshao's HJK KO's Breloom, MegaGross KO's Mienshao. Seismitoad comes in. Fuck, seriously? Gliscor wakes up (one turn sleep), EQs, Seismitoad Digs, MegaGross crits Gliscor and knocks it to the red. Bullet Punch KOs Gliscor, MegaGross tanks Dig. Seismitoad uses Dig again to dodge MegaGross's attack, and KOs on the next turn.
I should have used Waterfall instead of Destiny Bond on turn 2, but 1) I didn't know if Aerodactyl would attack Heracross again, since the AI is kinda unpredictable, and 2) I wanted that Mienshao gone. But it's hard to invest all that much in Multi battles when so much of it is out of your control. That's not to say "huh huh, I totally could have won more if I was trying"; I lost to a combination of misplay and hax (like most people), plain and simple. I'm glad I beat my best Multi Battle streak from Pokemon Y, though, particularly given that I constrained myself arbitrarily (had to use a mega, it had to be a new one, plus only four partners to pick from). That's not to say I could have done much better without those constraints, though.
And, for fun, the Chatelaines, using Virizion 3, Landorus 2, Terrakion 3, and Tornadus 2: LG8G-WWWW-WWXH-HFDN
I try for Double Protect on Sharpedo because of Landorus (Virizion + Landorus 2 is NOT a good match-up, and I don't want to risk a switch to Breloom), but it fails. I could have Destiny Bonded and hoped for a Focus Blast miss, but the odds of double Protect were better. Breloom is forced into an early Rock Tomb to take out Tornadus, knowing that Rock Tomb is a crappy move against Cobalion, Terrakion, AND Latias (the three possible back-ups). I fear the worst against Terrakion when Meteor Mash misses and EQ crits MegaGross, I prepare for a devastating loss....and MegaGross goes first and KO's Terrakion. Oh right, Rock Tomb lowers Speed! An incredibly satisfying victory if ever there was one. I had NO desire to go back and fight these two again.
I hope this was an enjoyable read for someone!
On something like my eighth attempt, I finally managed to beat the Chatelaines in Multi Battles. I'm posting a streak of 82 wins in Omega Ruby Super Multi Battles with an AI partner.
The goal I've set for myself is to beat the Chatelaines in every mode with a different new mega in each mode. I considered Salamence for Multis, but I didn't like the stacked Ice weakness with Aerodactyl, and I wanted to save Mence for a different mode. Steven seemed like the only decent option, given that the other ORAS Megas aren't super broken (but kudos to everyone who beat the Chatelaine with someone besides Steven!). I considered Gallade, but 1) it would need Protect to not instantly die a lot of the time, which is bad, and 2) I saw someone else had already used it. I wanted to do a little bit of baiting, so I settled on this beast:
Sharpedo (F) @ Sharpedonite (Sharknado)
Ability: Speed Boost -> Strong Jaw
Nature: Adamant
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd (the 4 EVs are probably better in SpDef for Download shenanigans, but whatever)
~ Crunch
~ Protect
~ Destiny Bond
~ Waterfall
Sharpedo is pretty cool. With Speed Boost in her base form, she can Protect, boost her speed, and maybe bait some attacks, before going on a rampage on turn 2. Because Crunch is so powerful, I have a lot of control over which Pokemon I KO. When in a bad situation, the goal is to take out both of the Pokemon of one of the opponents with Sharpedo + my backup, so that Mega Metagross is left to fight one-on-one. MegaGross is really good one-on-one, so that usually results in a win for me. But most of the time, it doesn't even come to that; Sharpedo and Aerodactyl can often take out both leads over the course of two turns, then Sharpedo picks off a third Pokemon on turn 3. The Water typing is a real godsend, as it allows her to bash Fire- and Ground-types who would give MegaGross problems.
In theorymonning the team, I found myself worried about Water-types. Sharpedo can't KO bulky waters (Suicune in particular), MegaGross doesn't always like them (especially the Water/Ground ones), and they do a number on Aerodactyl. I originally thought of Grass Knot Thundurus, but I don't have a good one. Zapdos is out for similar reasons (no HP Grass). I looked through the Electric types and thought they all kind of sucked. I also didn't really want Volcarona to mess me up if my leads were taken out. Then I stumbled upon this unexpected gem:
Breloom (M) @ Choice Scarf (Floja)
Ability: Technician
Nature: Adamant
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
~ Force Palm
~ Spore
~ Bullet Seed
~ Rock Tomb
This set looks like shit, but is actually amazing. Adamant vs. Jolly is a toss-up, but I really wanted the power, particularly for things like Rock Tomb against Tornadus and Thundurus. Force Palm is Breloom's strongest STAB with Technician, and the paralysis can really come in handy. Bullet Seed can disappoint when it only hits twice, but the 5 BP lower than Seed Bomb isn't worth giving up the chance for a LOT more hits. Rock Tomb for the obvious coverage, and it came in handy SO much. The Speed drop is just icing on the cake (an icing that won me the Chatelaine battle). Spore wasn't even supposed to be on the set at first; I had planned Thunder Punch for Gyarados (which is entirely unnecessary), but didn't want to delete Spore because I couldn't get it back with a Heart Scale (I think). But Spore also came in handy a lot. When your partner is Mega Metagross, being able to put everything to sleep can make its job MUCH easier. I had this exact situation in battle 48 (I think), when Breloom Spored Ampharos while MegaGross KO'd something, Breloom Spored the Nidoqueen switch-in while MegaGross KO'd her, and Breloom put Ampharos back to sleep when it woke up so MegaGross could 2HKO. You don't want to be in a situation where you have to Spore, but it can pay big dividends. Don't use Thunder Punch; Gyarados isn't a threat at all.
Of course, my partner was Steven. His team is:
Aerodactyl @ Focus Sash
Ability: Rock Head
Nature: Jolly
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spd
~ Rock Slide
~ Fire Fang
~ Ice Fang
~ Thunder Fang
Metagross @ Metagrossite
Ability: Clear Body -> Tough Claws
Nature: Adamant
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Def (why Defense?)
~ Meteor Mash
~ Zen Headbutt
~ Hammer Arm
~ Bullet Punch
This team is designed to work with Aerodactyl in the lead; it sucks with Metagross in the lead spot. While it seems like lead Meta would be better for Intimidate, in practice, Sharpedo and Aerodactyl can usually still kill or bother things even through Intimidate, thanks to Aero's secondary effects/coverage and Sharpedo's insane power + Destiny Bond. In contrast, MegaGross gets killed by Fire moves while Sharpedo is forced to Protect due to being too slow to outspeed and KO the Fire-types anyway.
People rail on the Aerodactyl set, and while it's laughably weak, the haxy nature of its moves is surprisingly clutch. They can all miss, which sucks, but Rock Slide flinches can make life a lot easier. Between Focus Sash, Sharpedo baiting a lot of attacks, and flinches, Aerodactyl usually survives for a few turns. A resistance to Explosion doesn't hurt either.
MegaGross carries the team, but its reliance on 90% accurate moves let me down a number of times. The AI often puts you at risk by choosing Meteor Mash when it could KO with two (or one) Bullet Punches and has no chance of being KO'd. Mega Sharpedo and Breloom are actually extremely good supports, and one of Spore's virtues is giving MegaGross some extra opportunities in case it misses.
Like I said, I lost something like seven or eight times with this team before they actually beat the Chatelaines. To be fair, some of that was me learning to play the team, but a lot was poor team design and the terrible AI. When things went well, battles were really easy, but it wasn't hard for them to go bad.
Lead Regigigas was a nightmare (too haxy and bulky). Intimidate often caused problems. I'd sometimes have to KO something with Breloom without knowing what the AI had in the back, which was somewhat dangerous. Trick Room was hard to play around; while Sharpedo can OHKO most setters, it doesn't always want to if the other lead is more dangerous (e.g. stuff like Bronzong is really not much of a threat). They also didn't use Trick Room all that consistently, making it hard to determine the right move.
This streak was actually kinda fun once I passed 50 and the pressure was off.
The loss, battle 83 vs. Heracross 4, Mienshao 4, Gliscor 4, Seismitoad 4: 75UW-WWWW-WWXH-HF4Q
This team seemed built to fuck me over. Heracross and Mienshao obviously resist Crunch and aren't KO'd by Waterfall, but I plan to block HJK and take out Mienshao with Waterfall. Unfortunately, Mienshao targets Aerodactyl with HJK, knocking it to its Sash. (Fire Fang misses Heracross, which is relevant, as it 2HKOs). Protect blocks Megahorn. I pick Destiny Bond, hoping to Mienshao, but it takes down Heracross; Mienshao KO's Aerodactyl (critical hit!). I bring in Breloom to replace Sharpedo, Metagross comes in, the AI sends out Gliscor. Fuuuuck. I know Gliscor doesn't have EVs and EQ is a spread move, but it's also bulky and annoying, and it carries Counter. I decide to Spore it; Mienshao's HJK KO's Breloom, MegaGross KO's Mienshao. Seismitoad comes in. Fuck, seriously? Gliscor wakes up (one turn sleep), EQs, Seismitoad Digs, MegaGross crits Gliscor and knocks it to the red. Bullet Punch KOs Gliscor, MegaGross tanks Dig. Seismitoad uses Dig again to dodge MegaGross's attack, and KOs on the next turn.
I should have used Waterfall instead of Destiny Bond on turn 2, but 1) I didn't know if Aerodactyl would attack Heracross again, since the AI is kinda unpredictable, and 2) I wanted that Mienshao gone. But it's hard to invest all that much in Multi battles when so much of it is out of your control. That's not to say "huh huh, I totally could have won more if I was trying"; I lost to a combination of misplay and hax (like most people), plain and simple. I'm glad I beat my best Multi Battle streak from Pokemon Y, though, particularly given that I constrained myself arbitrarily (had to use a mega, it had to be a new one, plus only four partners to pick from). That's not to say I could have done much better without those constraints, though.
And, for fun, the Chatelaines, using Virizion 3, Landorus 2, Terrakion 3, and Tornadus 2: LG8G-WWWW-WWXH-HFDN
I try for Double Protect on Sharpedo because of Landorus (Virizion + Landorus 2 is NOT a good match-up, and I don't want to risk a switch to Breloom), but it fails. I could have Destiny Bonded and hoped for a Focus Blast miss, but the odds of double Protect were better. Breloom is forced into an early Rock Tomb to take out Tornadus, knowing that Rock Tomb is a crappy move against Cobalion, Terrakion, AND Latias (the three possible back-ups). I fear the worst against Terrakion when Meteor Mash misses and EQ crits MegaGross, I prepare for a devastating loss....and MegaGross goes first and KO's Terrakion. Oh right, Rock Tomb lowers Speed! An incredibly satisfying victory if ever there was one. I had NO desire to go back and fight these two again.
I hope this was an enjoyable read for someone!
Last edited:
After I switched Will-o-Wisp for Flamethrower I actually found my burn rate being more consistent. It was only over 40ish battles and I understand how chance works and potentially I could burn with every flamethrower without any modifications to the chances if the chance gods favoured me that day but like you said it might be worth looking into. Just anecdotal though and I'm almost certain there are some modifications that went down in earlier Battle facilities. Gen IV's Quick Claw Rhydon activated 4 times in a row on me once. Once again anecdotal, I know, but I mean c'mon.
As for my FAIRY FIRE DRAGON STEEL thing I made some changes and lost. I got rid of Mega Gardevoir for Sylveon to start with as the ability to tank some more hits was outweighing the slightly stronger initial Hyper Voice, and MegaVoir never outsped anything useful anyway, this also allowed me to use MegaMetagross. But in the end the real bane of the team was just no proper response to fire types. Veterans with Heatran and Moltres always made my life hell avoiding my Earthquakes/Earth Powers and even my Sylveon's Hidden Power Ground. And Rock attacks and their accuracy is not something I want to rely on. Also Mega Metagross really misses having the Steel resistances to Ghost and Dark, getting hit SE by all those Hex maniacs. He's pretty much dead weight against two whole trainer classes and when I started running him in the lead, something always died when I tried to switch him.
I'm going to rework some Trick Room teams from earlier I think maybe try and combine elements of VaporeonIce's and Eppie's see if I can have some fun with that. Dusclops is a trick room setter I never would've thought of on my own, I've never really used Eviolite seriously in any format before but it just looks perfect for the Maison.
Yeah, I've thought this many times, but I don't recall if I've ever actually said it, so I'll say it now: GG Unit has the patience of a saint to be running that team. I get frustrated when my battles devolve into 30+ turn stallfests. This guy depends on it.
Congrats on cracking 1000, there, amigo. You've earned it.
Congrats on cracking 1000, there, amigo. You've earned it.
Posting a streak of 516 wins in ORAS Super Doubles.
Salamence/Greninja V2
Salamence/Greninja V2
Salamence @ Salamencite
Ability: Intimidate
Nature: Adamant
EVs: 4 HP, 252 Atk, 4 Def, 4 SDef, 244 Spe
-Return
-Earthquake
-Dragon Dance
-Protect
Greninja @ Focus Sash ** Zinglon
Ability: Protean
Nature: Timid
EVs: 4 HP, 4 Def, 252 SAtk, 4 SDef, 244 Spe
-Ice Beam
-Grass Knot
-Dark Pulse
-Mat Block
Rotom-W @ Assault Vest ** Mega Pulse
Ability: Levitate
Nature: Modest
IVs: 31/0/30/30/31/31
EVs: 172 HP, 120 SAtk, 4 SDef, 212 Spe
-Thunderbolt
-Hidden Power [Water]
-Dark Pulse
-Volt Switch
Scizor @ Life Orb ** Camanis
Ability: Technician
Nature: Adamant
EVs: 204 HP, 4 Def, 252 Atk, 4 SDef, 44 Spe
-Bullet Punch
-Bug Bite
-Superpower
-Protect
Ability: Intimidate
Nature: Adamant
EVs: 4 HP, 252 Atk, 4 Def, 4 SDef, 244 Spe
-Return
-Earthquake
-Dragon Dance
-Protect
Greninja @ Focus Sash ** Zinglon
Ability: Protean
Nature: Timid
EVs: 4 HP, 4 Def, 252 SAtk, 4 SDef, 244 Spe
-Ice Beam
-Grass Knot
-Dark Pulse
-Mat Block
Rotom-W @ Assault Vest ** Mega Pulse
Ability: Levitate
Nature: Modest
IVs: 31/0/30/30/31/31
EVs: 172 HP, 120 SAtk, 4 SDef, 212 Spe
-Thunderbolt
-Hidden Power [Water]
-Dark Pulse
-Volt Switch
Scizor @ Life Orb ** Camanis
Ability: Technician
Nature: Adamant
EVs: 204 HP, 4 Def, 252 Atk, 4 SDef, 44 Spe
-Bullet Punch
-Bug Bite
-Superpower
-Protect
I previously tried Mega Salamence with a thrown-together Salamence/Greninja/Gastrodon/Aegislash team; without an Earthquake immunity, I didn't see Mega Salamence making it far.
After losing in Triples, I realized that Assault Vest Rotom-W which I'd used before might be able to serve as a Gastrodon substitute with Levitate. Scizor was an easy addition, and so I started grinding shortly after the loss.
Greninja usually needs an Electric-immune backup such as Garchomp, Gastrodon, or Thundurus-T. For a soft Electric absorber, I was pleasantly surprised by Assault Vest Rotom-W's performance. Howewer, Rotom-W is still a very optimistic pick; it takes considerable damage from Electric attacks, does badly against Zapdos, and has trouble actually KOing Electric types, which Mega Salamence Earthquake is a bit lacking.
Rotom-W's spread is recycled from Triples since it fits decently. Scizor has the same speed target, with max Attack due to holding Life Orb. Mega Salamence survives Darmanitan4 CH Stone Edge:
252 Atk Darmanitan Stone Edge vs. 4 HP / 4 Def Mega Salamence on a critical hit: 144-170 (84.2 - 99.4%)
244 Spe hits 151 Spe before Mega Evolution, outspeeding Articuno3 and Suicune4 while losing out on tying the 152- and 172-Speed tiers and being unable to tie Manectric4 at +1.
I don't think this is the ideal solution to running Mega Salamence in Doubles. With Greninja's Electric-type weakness and Salamence's Ice-type weakness, you'd really want a backup that can match up well against both Electric- and Ice-types such as Gastrodon; howewer, Gastrodon's lack of immunity to EQ gets it killed by Mega Salamence, and Rotom-W's worse offense and mediocre Electric-type match-up leave the team very weak to Zapdos and other threats.
I was pretty lucky during this streak - on two occasions, I won thanks to a 90% accurate attack missing on Mega Salamence with Regirock Rock Slide and Latios Draco Meteor. Scizor seldom got frozen, and thawed out instantly at a crucial time at one point.
After losing in Triples, I realized that Assault Vest Rotom-W which I'd used before might be able to serve as a Gastrodon substitute with Levitate. Scizor was an easy addition, and so I started grinding shortly after the loss.
Greninja usually needs an Electric-immune backup such as Garchomp, Gastrodon, or Thundurus-T. For a soft Electric absorber, I was pleasantly surprised by Assault Vest Rotom-W's performance. Howewer, Rotom-W is still a very optimistic pick; it takes considerable damage from Electric attacks, does badly against Zapdos, and has trouble actually KOing Electric types, which Mega Salamence Earthquake is a bit lacking.
Rotom-W's spread is recycled from Triples since it fits decently. Scizor has the same speed target, with max Attack due to holding Life Orb. Mega Salamence survives Darmanitan4 CH Stone Edge:
252 Atk Darmanitan Stone Edge vs. 4 HP / 4 Def Mega Salamence on a critical hit: 144-170 (84.2 - 99.4%)
244 Spe hits 151 Spe before Mega Evolution, outspeeding Articuno3 and Suicune4 while losing out on tying the 152- and 172-Speed tiers and being unable to tie Manectric4 at +1.
I don't think this is the ideal solution to running Mega Salamence in Doubles. With Greninja's Electric-type weakness and Salamence's Ice-type weakness, you'd really want a backup that can match up well against both Electric- and Ice-types such as Gastrodon; howewer, Gastrodon's lack of immunity to EQ gets it killed by Mega Salamence, and Rotom-W's worse offense and mediocre Electric-type match-up leave the team very weak to Zapdos and other threats.
I was pretty lucky during this streak - on two occasions, I won thanks to a 90% accurate attack missing on Mega Salamence with Regirock Rock Slide and Latios Draco Meteor. Scizor seldom got frozen, and thawed out instantly at a crucial time at one point.
#231 - NQRG-WWWW-WWXH-PRB4 vs. Lanturn/Crobat/Electivire/Electrode
Very close battle with Crobat inflicting a 3-turn Hypnosis on Turn 1 while Lanturn4 boosts.
#517 - UGBG-WWWW-WWXH-PR83 vs. Articuno/Zapdos/Regirock/Cobalion
The loss. Zapdos2 uses Double Team and dodges many hits, taking down Greninja, Mega Salamence and Rotom-W. Scizor loses 1v1 to Curse Regirock afterwards.
Very close battle with Crobat inflicting a 3-turn Hypnosis on Turn 1 while Lanturn4 boosts.
#517 - UGBG-WWWW-WWXH-PR83 vs. Articuno/Zapdos/Regirock/Cobalion
The loss. Zapdos2 uses Double Team and dodges many hits, taking down Greninja, Mega Salamence and Rotom-W. Scizor loses 1v1 to Curse Regirock afterwards.
Thank you! You might have given me the single most helpful piece of global advice for this team (I know VaporeonIce and turskain have helped with the theorymon against particular leads, and of course Jumpman is the original inspiration for anyone trying to break the battle facilities as creatively as possible): even 35 turns of Moody does not guarantee decent boosts as often as I thought it would. Going down to 7-8 Sub/Protect/Taunt PP is something I've been much more comfortable doing if I haven't seen a stat or two boost to my liking or if I want Glalie to get its current Sub broken so I can set up a new one.
It's funny how much frustration has to deal with the expectations going in. When using past teams or trying to get to the Chatelaine as quickly as possible, anything other than a Dragonite/Kangaskhan/Cloyster sweep feels like it takes FOREVER ("ugh, I have to switch to Aegislash and sit through 6 turns of King's Shield/Swords Dance") but with this team it doesn't feel like too much of a drag. The main reason being that this team is basically an elaborate form of revenge for all the hax the battle facilities have dished out over the years, so being able to laugh at something like Glalie missing its 3rd consecutive Taunt 20+ turns in as the opponent breaks its Sub with a critical hit using a move that had a 10% chance of hitting makes it all worth it.
It's easy to fall into a multitasking rhythm during the setup turns, so I'm basically spending the same 2-3 minutes per battle "actually thinking" that anyone else would when using a goodstuff team; both streaks I lost in the 500s were due to playing with the sound off and not being aware of which turn Glalie's Sub broke, but I've gotten pretty adept at picking the Sub breaking sound effect out from the background noise of a basketball game on TV or whatever.
Since I'm fine with going deeper into the well of Sub/Protect PP, I don't feel the need to get as cute with the pattern of moves I use when setting up, and that makes it easier to leave in the middle of a battle and come back without making a catastrophic mistake. I'm sure in my loss to Terrakion I was trying to micromanage stuff so I could potentially use Taunt to prevent it from getting to +2 or +4 with Swords Dance, which made it harder for me to remember whether I was on an attacking or loafing turn when I returned to finish the battle. Now that I don't feel as pressed to start attacking once I have 10 Sub PP remaining, I'll just repeat the Protect-Sub-Taunt-Taunt loop even if my Sub's getting broken every time the opponent attacks. There are still a few I set up differently against (it's pretty fun to burn a Frost Breath or two early on against stuff like Scizor, Swampert, or Gyarados to make them try using Roost/Rest whenever Taunt runs out instead of attacking and breaking the Sub, and Pokemon like Manectric and Darmanitan make me count PP so I can conserve Glalie's Protects for when they start Struggling) but when in doubt, keeping it simple has definitely helped cut down on screw-ups.
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I'm currently only at 40 battles in Singles, but since I just had a somewhat shaky win that only just worked out in my favour (although admittedly mostly because I made some misplays), I might as well ask for advice now.
Altaria (F) @ Altarianite (Agnes)
Ability: Natural Cure -> Pixilate
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Roost
- Earthquake
- Return
Aegislash (F) @ Leftovers (Excalibella)
Ability: Stance Change
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def
Brave Nature
- Shadow Sneak
- Sacred Sword
- King's Shield
- Swords Dance
Togekiss (M) @ Lum Berry (Dearheart)
Ability: Serence Grace
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Sp. Atk
Bold Nature
- Nasty Plot
- Roost
- Air Slash
- Dazzling Gleam
Originally this team had SD Mega Absol but she was just too frail, and my dumb battling skills were not helping her case so I decided to go for a Mega that was bulkier and still cute as buttons. Altaria's EVs could possibly be better, but I'm pretty bad at this whole customising EVs thing, so I'm open to suggestions there.If you just thought 'Wow, she's kind of a bad battler', then you would not be wrong lol. I'm pretty happy with it right now though, it's really easy for her to set-up and heal off any damage before wrecking stuff as is. Altaria + Aegislash make a really nice combination, switching into each other's weaknesses and you really only need to face down one opponent who can only hit one of them neutrally for you to be able to set up enough to just take things out.
As you can probably tell ... I was stuck on a third teamslot. I just went with Togekiss because a. he was what I went with when I was trying out Mega Absol, b. I'm using him for my Rotations team so I don't need to switch my Battle Box around when I want to switch formats, and c. I got him hatched shiny, he might as well put in some work for me. In 40 battles, I've only switched him in once, so ... If I could make him work by rearranging his EVs or moveset, that would be great! But I have the feeling I'll probably need to get him replaced.
I'm thinking one of those famous bulky waters would work best for me (idk though, like I said, I'm pretty bad at this)? I thought of using Vaporeon, who helped me out a lot during my XY streak, with the added bonus that I'm already using one for my Rotations team so my Battle Box can still stay intact, and I don't have to do any extra work :] I'm not sure though because Vaporeon has painful 4MSS and I'm even more stuck on an item. Anyway, looking forward to opinions. I'm happy with my stars Altaria and Aegislash, so would be cool to figure out how to improve this team n-n I'd especially like a teammate who gives (extra) room for error because seriously, the amount of misplays I make all the time make even my jaw fall in disbelief. ntm the reason I'm currently trying out Singles instead of playing through Rotations is because my team for that is so safe, it takes ages to set up and I find it super tedious sometimes haha
Altaria (F) @ Altarianite (Agnes)
Ability: Natural Cure -> Pixilate
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Roost
- Earthquake
- Return
Aegislash (F) @ Leftovers (Excalibella)
Ability: Stance Change
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def
Brave Nature
- Shadow Sneak
- Sacred Sword
- King's Shield
- Swords Dance
Togekiss (M) @ Lum Berry (Dearheart)
Ability: Serence Grace
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Sp. Atk
Bold Nature
- Nasty Plot
- Roost
- Air Slash
- Dazzling Gleam
Originally this team had SD Mega Absol but she was just too frail, and my dumb battling skills were not helping her case so I decided to go for a Mega that was bulkier and still cute as buttons. Altaria's EVs could possibly be better, but I'm pretty bad at this whole customising EVs thing, so I'm open to suggestions there.
As you can probably tell ... I was stuck on a third teamslot. I just went with Togekiss because a. he was what I went with when I was trying out Mega Absol, b. I'm using him for my Rotations team so I don't need to switch my Battle Box around when I want to switch formats
I'm thinking one of those famous bulky waters would work best for me (idk though, like I said, I'm pretty bad at this)? I thought of using Vaporeon, who helped me out a lot during my XY streak, with the added bonus that I'm already using one for my Rotations team so my Battle Box can still stay intact, and I don't have to do any extra work :] I'm not sure though because Vaporeon has painful 4MSS and I'm even more stuck on an item. Anyway, looking forward to opinions. I'm happy with my stars Altaria and Aegislash, so would be cool to figure out how to improve this team n-n I'd especially like a teammate who gives (extra) room for error because seriously, the amount of misplays I make all the time make even my jaw fall in disbelief. ntm the reason I'm currently trying out Singles instead of playing through Rotations is because my team for that is so safe, it takes ages to set up and I find it super tedious sometimes haha
My first thought looking at the team (and a lot of teams) is that there's no switch-in for status. If the opponent leads with Cofagrigus 4, something's getting burned, plain and simple. The lack of Sub can also give you some problems with Walrein 4, and relying on Aegislash to switch in to Ice-type moves is undesirable, since it can and will get frozen. It also hates Mamoswine 4, though it can switch-stall out Earthquake by pairing with regular Altaria. Talonflame causes serious problems for this team; if you try to switch out, it can Swords Dance on the switch and 2HKO Togekiss.
You're onto the right idea with Vaporeon; that leaves me concerned with the lack of Electric resistance, though. Lead Electric-types will gladly throw Thunderbolts at Altaria before she Mega Evolves, and while they'll do crap damage thanks to the Mega Evolution, you're still dealing with the paralysis chance. Suicune does a better job than Vaporeon at taking hits and absorbing status, but doesn't solve the Electric problem. Gastrodon is a pretty good option; it doesn't LOVE burns, but it's immune to Electric, can use Scald to thaw out freezes, and is generally a good tank all around.
You may want to try Sub over Earthquake on Altaria. Your coverage goes completely out the window (and you would rely on your Water-type to beat Heatran), but I've found that using Sub to block an incoming status move can be a really effective strategy. It's easy to set up a Sub on an incoming status move, DD while they break it, rinse and repeat.
Remember that misplays aren't a part of your personality or anything; they're an important step in the process of getting better. I still make a TON of misplays; the important thing is to learn from them (which is easy to do with mock battles). Good luck!
Eviolite Chansey has the cute factor, does well against status, and takes Ice/Fire/Electric attacks better than most things that resist those moves. Its presence would probably allow you to use Substitute instead of Earthquake on Altaria (I especially like Altaria's odds of being able to get to +6 with a Sub against a Walrein lead). Seismic Toss and Softboiled are the two most necessary moves, and for the other two you can mix and match among Minimize, Substitute, Toxic, and Aromatherapy.
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Status is the reason I put Lum Berry on Togekiss, since I'm thinking that if it's an incoming burn, Togekiss can stomach the first blow and still doesn't mind being burnt in general, whereas Aegislash doesn't care too much about paralysis and obviously doesn't care about being poisoned at all. I've definitely been in a couple of battles where I switched Aegislash into an Ice Beam and prayed it didn't freeze though ... so definitely seeing your point there. I'm not 100% on putting Sub on Altaria either, but I get how it can mostly help her case so I'll try it out after replacing Togekiss.
Gastrodon never even occurred to me, but I can see how he would put in work! (And he is pretty cute, though he could do with smiling more, like his pre-evolution.) I'm not sure what item I'd put on him though, Leftovers is the obvious option but Aegislash really needs them ...
GG Unit, I actually was thinking of Eviolite Chansey this morning so I'm glad to see her brought up :) She's one of my favourite Gen 1 mons, I already have a fully EV'd one in Bank, and no second thoughts on what item to put on her either so her case is looking pretty good. Much as I am interested in using Gastrodon (who I haven't played with before, as opposed to Chansey), I'll probably give Chansey a whirl first, get a good streak, then check out what I can do with Gastrodon.
And thanks very much for the advice, VaporeonIce! It's so easy to get disheartened when I lose because of a stupid mistake, or when one of the in-depth posts you guys make boggle my mind with how complex and complicated they are (to me), but at least I'm trying instead of moping haha.
Gastrodon never even occurred to me, but I can see how he would put in work! (And he is pretty cute, though he could do with smiling more, like his pre-evolution.) I'm not sure what item I'd put on him though, Leftovers is the obvious option but Aegislash really needs them ...
GG Unit, I actually was thinking of Eviolite Chansey this morning so I'm glad to see her brought up :) She's one of my favourite Gen 1 mons, I already have a fully EV'd one in Bank, and no second thoughts on what item to put on her either so her case is looking pretty good. Much as I am interested in using Gastrodon (who I haven't played with before, as opposed to Chansey), I'll probably give Chansey a whirl first, get a good streak, then check out what I can do with Gastrodon.
And thanks very much for the advice, VaporeonIce! It's so easy to get disheartened when I lose because of a stupid mistake, or when one of the in-depth posts you guys make boggle my mind with how complex and complicated they are (to me), but at least I'm trying instead of moping haha.
Wow this thread is even more radical than I thought it was from lurking :) Thanks, guys, really looking forward to posting again when I get a good streak!
Wise words indeed.
Hi guys! Trying out a few Battle Maison Teams here but I'd love some help for my triples team, rotation team, singles team and doubles team. My main objective is to beat the Super Chatelaines, so if it can get me to 50, it serves its purpose.
TRIPLES
Talonflame - Sharp Beak - 252 HP/252 Atk/6 Spe - Adamant
Brave Bird/Flare Blitz/Tailwind/Protect
Greninja - Life Orb - 252 SpA/252 Spe/6 HP - Timid
Mat Block/Dark Pulse/Ice Beam/Scald
Aron (center) - Berry Juice - 0 EVs - any nature
Endeavor/Protect/Toxic/Sleep Talk
Sylveon (center) - Choice Specs - 252 SpA/244 Spe/12 HP - Modest
Hyper Voice/Psyshock/Shadow Ball/Protect
Dragonite - Weakness Policy - 252 Atk/6 HP/252 Spe - Adamant
Dragon Dance/Rock Slide/Earthquake/Dragon Claw
????
ROTATION
???
No idea for a decent strategy here. Can someone help out?
SINGLES
Durant - Choice Scarf - 252 Atk/252 Spe/6 HP - Jolly (Truant)
Rock Slide/Iron Head/X-Scissor/Entrainment
Scrafty - Leftovers - 252 Atk/252 Spe/6 HP - Adamant (Shed Skin)
Substitute/Dragon Dance/Protect/Crunch
??? - a sweeper independent of the Durant strategy? A crippler? Advice would be greatly appreciated.
DOUBLES
Terrakion - Wide Lens - 252 Atk/252 Spe/6 HP - Jolly (Justified)
Rock Slide/Earthquake/Protect/Close Combat
Whimsicott - Focus Sash - 252 Speed/252 HP/6 SpD - Timid (Prankster)
Beat Up/Follow Me/Helping Hand/Memento
Zapdos - Life Orb - 252 SpA/252 Spe/6 HP - Timid (Pressure)
Discharge/Heat Wave/Hidden Power Ice/Tailwind
Gengar - Gengarite - 252 SpA/252 Spe/6 HP - Timid (Levitate > Shadow Tag)
Shadow Ball/Sludge Wave/Dazzling Gleam/Destiny Bond
alternative: Whimsicott > Charizard Y
This Doubles team focuses on Beat Up Terrakion (+4 Atk) and its excellent coverage paired with its decent defenses, great Attack and high Speed stats. The plan is to Beat Up on the first turn while Terra uses the most suitable spread move/CC. Afterwards, Whimsicott can use Helping Hand to bolster Terrakion's power, and if nearing death, can use Memento to mess with the opponent. Then I bring in Zapdos to set up Tailwind and help Terrakion with Heat Wave. The only problem I have is whether Terra can survive the first turn. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
TRIPLES
Talonflame - Sharp Beak - 252 HP/252 Atk/6 Spe - Adamant
Brave Bird/Flare Blitz/Tailwind/Protect
Greninja - Life Orb - 252 SpA/252 Spe/6 HP - Timid
Mat Block/Dark Pulse/Ice Beam/Scald
Aron (center) - Berry Juice - 0 EVs - any nature
Endeavor/Protect/Toxic/Sleep Talk
Sylveon (center) - Choice Specs - 252 SpA/244 Spe/12 HP - Modest
Hyper Voice/Psyshock/Shadow Ball/Protect
Dragonite - Weakness Policy - 252 Atk/6 HP/252 Spe - Adamant
Dragon Dance/Rock Slide/Earthquake/Dragon Claw
????
ROTATION
???
No idea for a decent strategy here. Can someone help out?
SINGLES
Durant - Choice Scarf - 252 Atk/252 Spe/6 HP - Jolly (Truant)
Rock Slide/Iron Head/X-Scissor/Entrainment
Scrafty - Leftovers - 252 Atk/252 Spe/6 HP - Adamant (Shed Skin)
Substitute/Dragon Dance/Protect/Crunch
??? - a sweeper independent of the Durant strategy? A crippler? Advice would be greatly appreciated.
DOUBLES
Terrakion - Wide Lens - 252 Atk/252 Spe/6 HP - Jolly (Justified)
Rock Slide/Earthquake/Protect/Close Combat
Whimsicott - Focus Sash - 252 Speed/252 HP/6 SpD - Timid (Prankster)
Beat Up/Follow Me/Helping Hand/Memento
Zapdos - Life Orb - 252 SpA/252 Spe/6 HP - Timid (Pressure)
Discharge/Heat Wave/Hidden Power Ice/Tailwind
Gengar - Gengarite - 252 SpA/252 Spe/6 HP - Timid (Levitate > Shadow Tag)
Shadow Ball/Sludge Wave/Dazzling Gleam/Destiny Bond
alternative: Whimsicott > Charizard Y
This Doubles team focuses on Beat Up Terrakion (+4 Atk) and its excellent coverage paired with its decent defenses, great Attack and high Speed stats. The plan is to Beat Up on the first turn while Terra uses the most suitable spread move/CC. Afterwards, Whimsicott can use Helping Hand to bolster Terrakion's power, and if nearing death, can use Memento to mess with the opponent. Then I bring in Zapdos to set up Tailwind and help Terrakion with Heat Wave. The only problem I have is whether Terra can survive the first turn. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Triples: Good for 50. If you have another spread attacker, I'd even suggest leading with Sylveon in the center and replacing Aron with the 2nd attacker so you can kill stuff more quickly. Aegislash, Garchomp, and Gastrodon come to mind for the sixth slot otherwise, but you could probably throw something from one of the other teams on and still get 50.
Singles: Definitely can work. Tutor Knock Off to Scrafty instead of Crunch, otherwise Tyranitar/Mega Tyranitar could use the exact same set and hit harder. It could stand to drop some Speed for HP since if Durant can do its job you'll be at +6 and faster than everything no matter where your Speed started. Moxie might be better than Shed Skin; when I tried out Mega Gyarados as an Entrainment sweeper I liked Moxie over Intimidate because of leads that KOed themselves before I could set up all the way. The 3rd member could be another Protect sweeper or something decently fast that can clean up after Scrafty (Drapion has the same Attack so some stuff will definitely survive Scrafty's +6 Knock Off).
Rotations: Combining what you have already, Gengar (Focus Sash instead of Gengarite) and Dragonite (Outrage over Dragon Claw and either Fire Punch or Roost over Rock Slide) would be a good start.
Doubles: I'd give the Charizard-Y version a try first (definitely have Protect on it). For 50 you can get by with 4 strong, fast attackers with good coverage.
Great, thanks for your input! I'm planning to use something like:
DOUBLES
Garchomp - Wide Lens - 252 Atk/252 Spe/6 HP - Jolly (Rough Skin) (lead)
Rock Slide/Earthquake/Protect/Dragon Claw
Charizard - Charizardite Y - 252 Speed/252 SpA/6 SpD - Timid (Solar Power) (lead)
Air Slash/Heat Wave/Solar Beam/Protect
Raikou - Life Orb - 252 SpA/252 Spe/6 HP - Timid (Pressure)
Discharge/Extrasensory/Hidden Power Ice/Volt Switch
> or should I use Rash w/Aura Sphere?
Gengar - Focus Sash - 252 SpA/252 Spe/6 HP - Timid (Shadow Tag)
Shadow Ball/Sludge Wave/Dazzling Gleam/Destiny Bond
TRIPLES
Talonflame - Sharp Beak - 252 HP/252 Atk/6 Spe - Adamant (Gale Wings)
Brave Bird/Flare Blitz/Tailwind/Protect
Greninja - Life Orb - 252 SpA/252 Spe/6 HP - Timid (Protean)
Mat Block/Dark Pulse/Ice Beam/Scald
Sylveon - Choice Specs - 252 SpA/252 Spe/6 HP - Modest (Pixilate) (lead, center)
Hyper Voice/Psyshock/Shadow Ball/Protect
Dragonite - Weakness Policy - 252 Atk/6 HP/252 Spe - Adamant (Multiscale)
Dragon Dance/Fire Punch/Earthquake/Dragon Claw
Kangaskhan - Kangaskhanite - 252 Atk/6 HP/252 Spe - Jolly (Parental Bond)
Sucker Punch/Return/Power-up-Punch/Fake Out
Aegislash - Weakness Policy - 252 SpA/252 HP/6 Atk - Quiet (Stance Change)
Shadow Ball/Shadow Sneak/Flash Cannon/King's Shield
> does the EV spread need modification? Should I use Autotomize Aegi with max speed (helps with Tailwind)?
The objective with this team is to hit hard and fast (minus Aegi.) Sylveon starts off in the spotlight and wrecks everything not Soundproofed on the opponent's team with Specs Pixilate Hyper Voice and STAB. Talon sets up Tailwind to speed everything up while Greninja covers for the team using Mat Block. Unless the opponent is super tanky, the first Hyper Voice should allow Talon and Greninja to outspeed everything and KO those in KO range and for Sylveon to switch out/clean more of the foe's Pokemon using a second HV.
SINGLES
Durant - Choice Scarf - 252 Atk/252 Spe/6 HP - Jolly (Truant)
Rock Slide/Iron Head/X-Scissor/Entrainment
Scrafty - Leftovers - 252 Atk/252 Spe/6 HP - Adamant (Moxie)
Substitute/Dragon Dance/Protect/Knock Off
Suicune - Chesto Berry - 252 HP/252 Def/6 SpA - Bold (Pressure)
Calm Mind/Rest/Icy Wind/Scald
Generic Truant Durant strategy with the bulky as heck CM + Rest Suicune for backup. Durant is the lead.
ROTATION
Latias - Lum Berry - 6 HP/252 SpA/252 Spe - Timid (Levitate)
Dragon Pulse/Psyshock/Recover/Calm Mind
> I don't see an advantage to using Roost
Heatran - Shuca Berry - 58 HP/252 SpA/200 Spe - Modest (Flash Fire)
Flamethrower/Flash Cannon/Earth Power/Hidden Power Grass
>(HP) Ice and Dragon (Latias) have generally redundant coverage
Clefable - Life Orb - 252 HP/252 SpA/6 SpD - Modest (Magic Guard)
Calm Mind/Thunderbolt/Softboiled/Moonblast
Gyarados - Gyaradosite - 252 Atk/252 Spe/6 Def Adamant (Mold Breaker)
Waterfall/Rock Slide/Crunch/Ice Fang
> should I use Dragon Dance or Return in place of Crunch?
This is a bulky offensive team that has a load of resistances. I'm not sure if this playstyle is suited for Rotation Battles though.
Can any improvements be made? I'm especially unsure of the Rotation Battle team.
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Ok, Ive been trying to make my own team for super singles and what I could think of is something like
Aegislash @ Weakness Policy
Brave, Stance Change, 252 HP/252 Atk/4 SpD
Sacred Sword
Iron Head / Flash Cannon / Shadow Ball / Shadow Sneak
Kings Shield
Swords Dance / Toxic
The main attacker, probably will work on the physical side (due to the partners I plan to use being special walls) but could go with Toxic and Shadow Ball to be more versatile. Sacred Sword is obvious covarage and ignores some importante stuff like the annoying Curse mons (once I almost lost to Curse Regirock that went all the way to +6 while I was also building up my mon). Against a crippled foe it can take the SE to trigger Weakness Policy, maybe after a burn AND drop from Kings Shield I could even use SD together (maybe being burned in the process is the drawback, and EQ foes dont care about KS). Using Shadow Ball or Flash cannon means no need for SD, but if there are opportunities to setup SD then Shadow Sneak looks way better.
It will not lead, the lead planned is Rotom Wash, to cripple physical attackers and put some covarage. As Aegislash will be the main attacker I needed something to cover its Fire/Ground/Dark/Ghost weaknesses, and this guy covers two. Because most fire attacks you see are special I wanted its EVs and nature on that, but then there are the problem with STAB fire attacks that come from mons that cant be burned, so it was the first choice with STAB Surf to deal with it too.
Then for the third slot I needed something else to deal with the other Aegis weaknesses. Because Rotom cripples or takes down the physical attackers I wanted a special wall, and I dont know who to choose from either Sylveon and Umbreon.
Sylveon covers Dark/Fight/Dragon (a bit redundant due to the later two not being a big problem to Aegis) while Umbreon covers Dark/Ghost and could work as a Baton Passer for Double Team and carry Toxic so leaves the slot totally open for SD on Aegis. They have good special bulk, either will carry Wish and they have a nice covarage on STAB if needed to be the only attacking move.
But then Togekiss comes to mind as it can switch into EQ and also resists Dark, kinda taking the spot from Rotom and the 3rd mon. Downside is not being able to burn reliably w/o a Fire move like Flamethrower, so I would probably need someone else to do so OR something that can take physical hits and wash the fire mons immune to burn. MSlowbro maybe? But then double Dark and Electric weakness...
If using Togekiss instead of Rotom, then Umbreon looks better than Sylveon on 3rd slot due to fire being a problem again and it at least is neutral. If using Rotom, I guess Umbreon is the best choice too so I can run SD on Aegis and maybe have a BPasser on it, or a cleric.
But a resist and an imuunity while being a bigger threat on offense makes Sylveon decent...
And in end, because I suck at this game I have no idea if all this is still enough as Im probly overlooking something. Oh and I also scraped the other idea I had after some tests. I wanted a semi-gimmick crippling team and it ended up sucking, only the AI can use hax and get away with it.
HALP
Aegislash @ Weakness Policy
Brave, Stance Change, 252 HP/252 Atk/4 SpD
Sacred Sword
Iron Head / Flash Cannon / Shadow Ball / Shadow Sneak
Kings Shield
Swords Dance / Toxic
The main attacker, probably will work on the physical side (due to the partners I plan to use being special walls) but could go with Toxic and Shadow Ball to be more versatile. Sacred Sword is obvious covarage and ignores some importante stuff like the annoying Curse mons (once I almost lost to Curse Regirock that went all the way to +6 while I was also building up my mon). Against a crippled foe it can take the SE to trigger Weakness Policy, maybe after a burn AND drop from Kings Shield I could even use SD together (maybe being burned in the process is the drawback, and EQ foes dont care about KS). Using Shadow Ball or Flash cannon means no need for SD, but if there are opportunities to setup SD then Shadow Sneak looks way better.
It will not lead, the lead planned is Rotom Wash, to cripple physical attackers and put some covarage. As Aegislash will be the main attacker I needed something to cover its Fire/Ground/Dark/Ghost weaknesses, and this guy covers two. Because most fire attacks you see are special I wanted its EVs and nature on that, but then there are the problem with STAB fire attacks that come from mons that cant be burned, so it was the first choice with STAB Surf to deal with it too.
Then for the third slot I needed something else to deal with the other Aegis weaknesses. Because Rotom cripples or takes down the physical attackers I wanted a special wall, and I dont know who to choose from either Sylveon and Umbreon.
Sylveon covers Dark/Fight/Dragon (a bit redundant due to the later two not being a big problem to Aegis) while Umbreon covers Dark/Ghost and could work as a Baton Passer for Double Team and carry Toxic so leaves the slot totally open for SD on Aegis. They have good special bulk, either will carry Wish and they have a nice covarage on STAB if needed to be the only attacking move.
But then Togekiss comes to mind as it can switch into EQ and also resists Dark, kinda taking the spot from Rotom and the 3rd mon. Downside is not being able to burn reliably w/o a Fire move like Flamethrower, so I would probably need someone else to do so OR something that can take physical hits and wash the fire mons immune to burn. MSlowbro maybe? But then double Dark and Electric weakness...
If using Togekiss instead of Rotom, then Umbreon looks better than Sylveon on 3rd slot due to fire being a problem again and it at least is neutral. If using Rotom, I guess Umbreon is the best choice too so I can run SD on Aegis and maybe have a BPasser on it, or a cleric.
But a resist and an imuunity while being a bigger threat on offense makes Sylveon decent...
And in end, because I suck at this game I have no idea if all this is still enough as Im probly overlooking something. Oh and I also scraped the other idea I had after some tests. I wanted a semi-gimmick crippling team and it ended up sucking, only the AI can use hax and get away with it.
HALP
I believe Rotom Wash can't learn surf, so it's stuck with hidden power water instead since hydro pump's accuracy isn't reliable. If you want something to cover Aegislash's weaknesses, Hydreigon resists them all. In fact, Aegislash also resists all of Hydreigon's weaknesses too. Keep in mind that Hydreigon's speed is a little lacking, but it has good coverage with dark pulse, flamethrower, earth power, surf, and flash cannon, depending on what you need.
I was thinking of a more bulky backup for Aegis, but with one "free" slot as both cover each one so well it might work pretty well. Maybe a M.Khan then, as it is riiculously good on S.Singles, or an Azumarill.
Or then go without a wish passer and use Leftovers on Aegis and Wide Lens for Hydro Pump Rotom Wash? Its because I have one ready but not a Hydreigon yet (not that it woul take too long anyway). I also have the other options ready to go.
Heh, I didn't have much to say on this subject until I went back and looked at some of the replays I'd saved recently.
I will say there's a certain, however tiny, element of.. embarrassment that comes with battles I almost lost due to my own inattentiveness, especially when it involves making a decision that was, for all intents and purposes, informed, in that I was watching the screen the previous turn and made mental notes.. ..and then immediately discard that info mentally and make a bad decision. Misplays are one thing, but then there are those misplays where you feel like you should have known better. I get these more than I'd like to admit when playing away from my comp, though I've tried to get in the habit of keeping a tab on my phone set to the speed tiers post from this thread, which for my TR teams is sometimes more valuable than the moveset info. The showdown damage calc is unfortunately a bitch and a half to use with my iphone's little touch screen.
Why do I chime in? Because when purging replays, I happened upon my 111-120 streak, in which eight of the ten battles were won in spite of my controlling them. The team was solid enough that some really, really ugly oversights didn't put the final nail in its coffin.
Cofagrigus/M-Gyarados/Medicham/Vileplume/Scizor/Hydreigon was my lineup. Hydreigon isn't a positive-natured backup; it holds a Power item and is actually one of the more valuable cleaners because its STABs hit anywhere on the field. It also has enough strength to OHKO Slowbro/Cofagrigus/Bronzong 4 without an offensive boosting item. Even without Intimidate, Medicham has juuuust enough to survive some unresisted powerful hits, but nothing too powerful. It mattered because I made full use of single-digit HP Fake Outs *a LOT* and would not have won three of my battles without it. Occasionally this meant that the switch for Medicham was killed in the process, but the guaranteed flinch made a bigger difference.
A rundown of these mostly self-made difficult battles and the various things that went wrong:
111: Gliscor/Starmie/"Slaking" aka Zoroark/Archeops/Magmortar/Slaking
- I flinch Starmie since Gliscor is mostly harmless at this stage, only to find that Slaking is in fact Zoroark, who Dark Pulses and flinches Cofagrigus. Fuck a duck. Gliscor barely survives a Waterfall without consuming its Sash.
- A second turn TR is impossible with only 74 HP, but I don't want to Ally Switch Medicham into a Dark Pulse. It's also not any safer where it is, so I switch Medicham for Hydreigon and then Ally Switch, thinking both Starmie and Zoroark would target it with an NFE (Thunderbolt from Starmie did not scare me, as bulky M-Gyar eats them for breakfast.)
- Well, Zoroark targeted Cofagrigus' position, but Starmie went after Medicham, who immediately became Cofagrigus and ate a Psychic. Even with Starmie fainting immediately afterward to Crunch, TR is even more hopelessly impossible. Gliscor KOs Cofagrigus and adopts Mummy. Magmortar replaces Starmie, dead center.
- Medicham comes back in and uses FO to get rid of Gliscor, overwriting Pure Power with Mummy. It was really the only priority I could use, since Magmortar would have outsped Hydreigon/Mega and Scizor is way too valuable to sack on a low HP kill. And yet...
- I would HAVE to resort to that, because I fucking forgot that Zoroark4 carries COUNTER, and instead of targeting Magmortar, I Waterfall Zoroark and am punished by losing the bulkiest and in some aspects the strongest unit I've got. Hydreigon Earth Powers Magmortar and leaves it with a little less than 25%. For his part, Magmortar Overheats and nearly kills Medicham. Archeops replaces Gliscor, and Scizor enters center (again, with Magmortar being faster than anything I've got, I can't send in anyone else and expect not to lose someone.
- It is now that I realise my 9HP Medicham is more valuable than my full HP Vileplume, because at least Medicham can both shut down an attacker and draw fire. Well, that's exactly what gets my poor Plumey sacked, as Archeops does about 75% with Aerial Ace and Zoroark happily sends another Dark Pulse its way.
- The bigger ass clencher, however, is the prospect of being burned when I Bullet Punch Magmortar. VERY fortunately, that does not happen. Hydreigon picks off the 1HP Zoroark. Slaking enters dead center.
Still, though, I haaaate the 'ol turn one Sudden Setter Screw n' Sack that inevitably occurs some battles, and while I've had battles where it didn't even matter, this was not one of them. I was worried the entire time. I was also very annoyed with myself for forgetting about Counter, since Zoroark4 is not something I normally consider threatening outside of a lead using Dark Pulse on my setter. Losing Gyarados so soon was unacceptable.
Mock plays of this battle (intentionally skipping TR to recreate the effect) showed me numerous ways to make this battle fairly easy and straightforward, BUT they also required me to know that Zoroark could Counter, so it's moot until I encounter Zoroark again. I could have risked burning Medicham and FO Magmortar, giving Hydreigon the buffer to kill it with Earth Power, and then taken Gliscor down with Gyarados (losing Mold Breaker to Mummy is not necessarily a death sentence, whereas Medicham needs her Pure Power to be of any real use.)
113: Gogoat/Steelix/Hippowdon/Victreebel/Feraligatr/Flygon
This battle didn't so much contain any serious misplays, but I was using Disable with Cofagrigus not considering that the enemy HP (Hippowdon's) was low enough that it'd use Rest and not another Curse, and so with the previous Curse making it slower, all I did was Disable Rest. Big effin' whoop.
The other thing of note was Steelix Swaggering its partner Hippowdon, and with nothing better for Cofagrigus to do I began using Destiny Bond; well, the +2 Earthquake leaves Cofagrigus with 4 HP, so it can be finished by fucking sand damage and not take Hungry Hungry with it. This is not the first time it'll happen during these ten battles.
114: Gastrodon/Golem/Manectric/Ludicolo/Granbull/Dugtrio
Checkmated this shitty team extremely quickly, yet spent the last couple turns using Ally Switch like an idiot, when it served absolutely no purpose, which allowed Dugtrio to use Dig twice, stalling a little bit. It turned a replay portraying utter domination with a randomly built team into a display of laughable incompetence ;)
It might seem like Ally Switch is a waste of a moveslot, but it really has saved my skin in situations, has cockblocked Alakzam4 Trick (swapped places with Mega) and it gets Cofagrigus injured to the point of being able to use Destiny Bond, as the AI doesn't often target Cofagrigus with neutral hits unless they're in the form of spread damage, when it wasn't even the main target. SOMEtimes, it'll be hit with a Hydro Pump or something while at full HP, but these situations aren't too common.
116: Electivire/Eelektross/Nidoking/Toxicroak/Bastiodon/Aerodactyl
- First big misplay was failing to consider that Toxicroak (replacing Nidoking who fainted turn 1) would opt to Cross Chop Gyarados instead of using Taunt on Cofagrigus. Most Toxicroaks I've fought with my generally bulky teams love spamming Taunt, but because I neglected to swap it for Vileplume, who I was using to tank all my fighting hits, a Grass Knot from Eelektross did enough that CC could finish it off. M-Gyarados was again unnecessarily sacked, but it took Nidoking and Electivire with it.
- Hydreigon hastily replaces Gyarados, and Aerodactyl appears, making me regret losing Gyarados so soon. I also hastily select Rock Slide with Medicham, not considering 1. a miss and 2. Banded Aerodactyl will easily OHKO Medicham. Luckily for me, Aero flinches, Hydreigon finishes off Eelektross, and Cofagrigus successfully shuts down Toxicroak, disabling Cross Chop.
117: Archeops/Throh/Lucario/Scrafty/Tyranitar/Houndoom
- I had my phone sitting right there with the speed tiers, and had JUST checked it during battle #115, to ensure that Gyarados outsped Armaldo4 outside of TR and was safe to Waterfall for the KO instead of wasting a Fake Out on it. And I didn't bother looking up Tyranitar4, and because of that I sacked M-Gyarados to an easily avoidable Superpower.
118: Armaldo/Houndoom/Tyranitar/Gallade/Rampardos/Rhyperior
The only other battle along with #111 to make me think I had a very good shot at losing.
- Things started off happily and smoothly; again, lead Armaldo4 is easily slaughtered by Mega Waterfall, and with both the attack drop and new Water/Dark typing, I'm not afraid of Tyranitar's selection. Likely because the attack drop removed Tar's shot at a OHKO on Gyarados, it instead opts to Earthquake, doing piss damage to Cofagrigus and killing Houndoom, who already took a big bite from Medicham's Fake Out. And then, just to give me a wakeup call, Rhyperior4 takes center slot and Rampardos4 takes Armaldo's place.
- Prepare bowels for imminent release. I really, really dislike fighting Rhyperior4 under TR. It outspeeds a ton of my own pokes after a single Hammer Arm, which I am almost positive it is going to use, and likes to make me play guessing games with Protect. Sometimes it uses it when it has no KO options, sometimes it doesn't. It also doesn't help that Rampardos ALSO knows Protect and pulls the same shenanigans. Even worse, if I avoid targeting Rampy because of anticipating Protect, and it opts to Head Smash instead, I'm in trouble.
- As predicted, Rhyperior and Tyranitar both go after Gyarados with their fighting moves. Vileplume swapped for Gyarados and takes negligible damage from Hammer Arm, but then Rampardos, who did not Protect, easily nets a KO with Head Smash. This turn marks the last time I use Ally Switch without thinking several turns ahead, because I've not only allowed Medicham to take a Superpower (for little damage) when Cofagrigus could have nulled it, I've now pulled Medicham away from Rampardos. It still hit Rhyperior with HJK, who survived due to Solid Rock.
- Scizor replaces Vileplume, and anticipating a Protect from Rhyperior, I opt to target Rampardos.
- LOLNO.
- Rampardos Protects; Scizor wastes turn.
- Rhyperior Earthquakes, sets off Tyranitar's Sash.
- Medicham finishes Tyranitar. Sand damage will leave Medicham with 6HP.
- Too nervous to attempt Disabling things because of the two Protect Pals before me, I begin using Destiny Bond.
- Next turn. Gallade has replaced Tyranitar, facing Medicham, and anticipating Psycho Cut, I switch with Hydreigon.
- Bullet Punch KOs Rampardos, Rhyperior uses Rock Slide. This leaves Cofagrigus at 7 HP.
- Sand damage, no Destiny Bond, vain death for Cofagrigus SERIOUSLY WYSTAN, FUCK YOU.
- Final turn of TR. I THOUGHT I had Wystan checkmated at this point, and I technically did, but I failed to consider that LO Bullet Punch would not KO Gallade. Because of TR, I had the option of using Bug Bite, a guaranteed OHKO. Recoil from said Life Orb would leave Scizor with only ONE hit point. ONE.
- Fake Out flinches Rhyperior, Hydreigon kills with Earth Power. Bullet Punch fails to KO Gallade, and Hydreigon pays.
- I now have two Pokemon: 1HP Scizor and 6HP Medicham.
- For the LOVE of fucking GOD Gallade4's only attacking moves are Psycho Cut and Close Combat. If it had Shadow Sneak, I would have aggravatingly lost my streak, as with Medicham on the opposite side, it would have no choice but to whiff, get auto-centered, and lose to whatever Gallade chose to use.
What lessons did Repto learn? Ally Switch is not a toy you reckless fucking fool, and RUN YOUR CALCS. This is not the first time it has bitten you in the ass! Even if you don't run your calcs, recognize a safe kill when you see one! There was no reason to use Bullet Punch at that time.
I'm being a little hard with the reckless fool, because I then reminded myself that a large portion of my pool fits that bill, because I like a lot of high-risk toys and have means of softening that risk, such as Gravity.
120: Kingdra/Vaporeon/Wailord/Excadrill/Yanmega/Milotic
- No real misplays, though I was slightly bothered at times by the necessary coin flips. With only Cofagrigus and presently Water/Flying Gyarados before it, there was really only one move for Wailord, and that was targeting Cofagrigus with Fissure. Thankfully, it missed.
I saved a replay of the team used after this one, too, and while I played much more intelligently and had no brainfarts, I was using a team with FOUR ice weaknesses; two were 4x, and two of my types were Ground, giving a shared water weakness as well.
That said, the streak went more smoothly than I could have hoped, while I fought only one Water/Ice trainer; Chef Caeser, formerly Carlos, my next-door neighbor with a vendetta against my teams. This particular team had a surprising MVP throughout most battles, including Caeser. Who was it, you, and by you I mean turskain and maybe NoCheese, ask?
Gothitelle/M-Gyarados/Donphan/Dragonite/Cherrim/Landorus-T
Cherrim. Yes, you read that correctly. Cherrim.
Flower Gift severely overpowered my physical hitters, usually Landorus at the time, and allowed some SpA tanking to take place here and there, amidst some survivors. The only poke slower than Cherrim was Dragonite, so generally I was able to bloom and jack up Landorus or whomever before they took their turn.
No rundown of the streak, but I did notice a bunch of things, much to my approval:
Fun team, though I really did expect to lose. Even the lone Veteran I fought had just an Articuno, positioned in such a way that it could only touch Gothitelle and Gyarados.
While you'd be right that Sunny Day nerfs Waterfall, perhaps needlessly, the things I'd be attacking with it would be slaughtered by Solarbeam or FG Earthquake, and even then, I got a great deal of mileage out of Crunch, with the same base power and attractive odds for defense drops (got plenty.)
And yes, I purposely soft reset until I got a OR Landorus with 0 speed for exactly this. He's actually pretty great with a power item, though Cherrim deserves a lot of credit for its sweeping ability.
Cherrim. Yes, you read that correctly. Cherrim.
Flower Gift severely overpowered my physical hitters, usually Landorus at the time, and allowed some SpA tanking to take place here and there, amidst some survivors. The only poke slower than Cherrim was Dragonite, so generally I was able to bloom and jack up Landorus or whomever before they took their turn.
No rundown of the streak, but I did notice a bunch of things, much to my approval:
- Much like Tyranitar's use of Earthquake during the other streak, when it could have done something much worse, I was absolutely THRILLED when Drapion abstained from attempting to Night Slash Gothitelle. It used only Earthquake the entire battle, and I think Intimidate played a part in that. OHKOs off the table (even though it would have survived NS under normal circumstances and Sniper is what makes Drapion so feared) it just opted to use pitiful spread attacks.
- I had never eaten a Tyrantrum4 Head Smash as Gyarados before, but with Intimidate he actually survived with a fairly solid chunk of HP remaining. Even better, the bastard had Strong Jaw, giving it enough recoil to be easily finished. Without Intimidate it might have opted to Crunch Gothy, so I'm lucky on a few counts.
- Competitive Milotic4 is not that scary after a boost, with Impish and no SpA investment. It did nothing to Donphan that helpings of Heal Pulse couldn't overwrite. You can understand why I was worried initially.
- lol first turn -2 muk explosion crits its partner and does jack shit to me hee hee hee hee
- For the first time ever, I was GLAD to see Walrein4 open, without TR to help me. Why? Because this was Caeser's team, and one of the pokes it could target had Sturdy, and while losing Gyarados to Sheer Cold would have been devastating, it meant that Donphan could survive an ice attack from its partner, and still take its turn. Barring a freeze, of course.
- Unfortunately, that partner was Snow Warning Abomasnow, so Donphan was going to die regardless. While Abomasnow is faster than Gyarados under TR and can kill it, my other teammates would outspeed it should Gothitelle successfully TR.
- Commence the coin flipping. Sheer Cold misses, Stone Edge connects, activates Abomasnow's Sash. Head Smash connects Lax Incense Walrein and leaves with low red HP.
- Super smooth sailing from here; Cherrim kills the hail, Goth kills Abomasnow, Gyarados thankfully connects with Crunch and offs Walrein.
Fun team, though I really did expect to lose. Even the lone Veteran I fought had just an Articuno, positioned in such a way that it could only touch Gothitelle and Gyarados.
While you'd be right that Sunny Day nerfs Waterfall, perhaps needlessly, the things I'd be attacking with it would be slaughtered by Solarbeam or FG Earthquake, and even then, I got a great deal of mileage out of Crunch, with the same base power and attractive odds for defense drops (got plenty.)
And yes, I purposely soft reset until I got a OR Landorus with 0 speed for exactly this. He's actually pretty great with a power item, though Cherrim deserves a lot of credit for its sweeping ability.
Anyway, the subject was misplays not being indicative of personality, not letting them bring you down, learning from them, and so on. While I still make stupid mistakes, it's the things like the speed tier fuckup that permanently burn into my subconscious and will now remind me when needed as long as I continue to use that poke. This similarly happened with Weakness Policy Carracosta4. Losses and near-losses are at least really good for that!
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Got all the OR/AS trophies earlier today (who knew I'd have time on my hands with the weather). I apologize for the subpar pic quality due to hand.
Since I based my teams mostly from this thread with some personal touches (ev tweaks or changing mons, mostly the mega), I am uncertain if I should mention all of them since it would feel like I am parroting. I will at least mention the Super Multi one:
Shiina, Greninja (f) @ Focus Sash
Timid Nature, Protean
31/31/31/31/28/31
6 hp/252 spa/252 spe
-Dark Pulse
-Ice Beam
-Grass Knot
-Mat Block
Typical Mat Block lead to help Steven mega evolve his Metagross lead. Also helps in that Metagross has only one move that has 100% accuracy. Rest is straightforward offense.
Queen Kazma,Lopunny (f) @ Loppunite
Jolly, Limber -> Scrappy
31/31/31/XX/31/31
-Fake Out
-Return
-HJK
-Power Up Punch
Back when I was trying for the Multis trophy, I was experimenting with various mons I felt could perform and was intrigued Mega Lopunny wasn't showing up and decided to see how she would do even though I was expecting Cofagrigus to ruin her day, which was nice that I only ran into it only once and Steven helped. Anyways, Scrappy Fake Out is for support and Return and HJK is for coverage moves. PuP was a bit disappointing though since I almost never got much chances to get a boost and the fact Megagross and Aerodactyl were there to help. If I ever feel like returning to do a streak, I will scrap PuP for Ice or Fire Punch.
I have yet to get my final trophy in X (the Multis one) so may get around to that later.
Attachments
If there's a lesson I still haven't learned, it's paying attention to Shift. That's it; I'm drilling it into my head now. I did a mock battle of 118 for the hell of it, the Gallade crisis, and it was.. so safe and simple.
Cofagrigus could have shifted to center, pulling Gyarados away and nulling both Superpower and Hammer Arm, and with it Rhyperior's stat drop.
It gave Gyarados a guaranteed Waterfall KO on Rhyperior and gave Vileplume clean entry should anyone fall, and she would have gone a long way in cleaning up the mess.
Also, as I recounted 118 from memory, despite the details being vividly clear, I still made one bad error- Gyarados was not actually slain. It replaced Hydreigon when Gallade offed it. Had Scizor not survived the LO recoil, the outcome wouldn't have changed, regardless.
Cofagrigus could have shifted to center, pulling Gyarados away and nulling both Superpower and Hammer Arm, and with it Rhyperior's stat drop.
It gave Gyarados a guaranteed Waterfall KO on Rhyperior and gave Vileplume clean entry should anyone fall, and she would have gone a long way in cleaning up the mess.
Also, as I recounted 118 from memory, despite the details being vividly clear, I still made one bad error- Gyarados was not actually slain. It replaced Hydreigon when Gallade offed it. Had Scizor not survived the LO recoil, the outcome wouldn't have changed, regardless.
I finally got all 5 trophies which means I can now ditch the super multis for good. I partnered up with Steven and used my Talonflame and Hydreigon from my super triples tailwind team, except I replaced protect for roost and dragon pulse respectively. Sadly, I lost in the next battle due to Carracosta as Aerodactyl's thunder fang activated its weakness policy. XD
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Lost battle #1175 to veteran Isabella (all 4 sets of legendaries). 6LRW-WWWW-WWXY-YMHJ
Highlights include:
1. Isabella having both Regirock 4 and Landorus 4, the only 2 Pokemon with Explosion a Veteran can have. That's a 3 in 6,080 chance given her roster. Seriously think about that: 99.95 percent of the time I'd win just because of the matchup, regardless of critical hits, secondary effects, Bright Powder misses and all that stuff. The remaining 5 of 10,000 times, the opponent's 3rd Pokemon needs to be able to beat a Glalie that's behind a Sub with 4 turns of boosts and survive with enough HP left to survive Durant's final attack.
2. Regirock using Explosion the first turn it attacked against Glalie despite having super-effective STAB Rock Slide or super-effective Superpower to use against Glalie.
3. If Regirock had just waited one turn to use Explosion, which still would have been extremely early, Glalie would've had a Substitute up when Landorus came out. That would have allowed Glalie to go for the KO with Frost Breath. Instead, I have to sacrifice Sableye to get a 2nd Entrainment off.
4. Landorus using Explosion the 2nd turn it attacked against Glalie (without using super-effective Hammer Arm even once), which allowed me to use Sub twice and have less HP left for stalling out attacks, and that proved pivotal. If I'd Protected the first turn, I'd have more health left but that would have left me unable to use Protect when the 3rd opponent came out if I got struck by another random 1st turn Explosion. If it had used Explosion on any turn but the 2nd one, Glalie would've had enough health remaining to stall out the 3rd Pokemon.
5. Suicune comes in on turn 19. Glalie's behind a Sub with 122/177 HP remaining; +1 Attack -1 Accuracy +3 Def +1 Sp. Attack are the boosts. You'll notice I Taunt the first turn out since I've just used Protect and Glalie's faster than 3 of the 4 Suicune sets - Suicune 1 and 3 aren't hard hitters and will try to set up Calm Mind. Suicune 2 only has 5 Hydro Pumps to stall out before it turns itself into set-up bait by randomly using Mirror Coat. Luckily, it's Suicune 4! Here are all of the 72 remaining legendary sets Glalie/Durant would've had a worse matchup against than this particular Suicune: Registeel 2, Cobalion 2 and 3, Heatran 1, Entei 1 and 2. So that bumps it from a 1 in 2,000 matchup to a 1 in 20,000.
At least the next turn brings a Speed boost, so I should be able to throw up some free Subs while Suicune tries Icy Wind.
6. Suicune doesn't miss an attack for the rest of the battle thanks to 2 Evasion drops and no boosts. Suicune evades Glalie's Frost Breath on turn 25 which would have allowed it to be KOed by Durant on the battle's final turn. This is probably the closest I came to making an error this battle, but I'd probably make that decision again: if I went for the double Protect I'd have had a 50% chance of buying myself an extra turn, but I knew it was going to be a really close finish if I couldn't get any Evasion/Special Defense boosts and Suicune kept using Surf, so I wanted to get as much damage on Suicune as possible.
7. Hey, if Evasion's not going well, Glalie just needs to get to +2 Special Defense over the next 16 turns for its Sub to take a Surf. Well, after spending much of the battle between -2 and +0 Sp. Def, Glalie gets 2 consecutive boosts to end up at +3 Sp. Def with 34 HP remaining on turn 35. Suicune gets the 5/16ths damage roll to KO.
8. And my favorite thing of all, Suicune's UNCANNY use of Protect on turn 32 after it had not given me a free Sub with a random Protect any of the previous turns (I'm sure it would have been less likely to use Surf in the early going had Special Defense stayed at +0). Normal Battle Maison logic would say "hey, why don't you just use Surf to get that guaranteed KO on the -2 Evasion, -1 Special Defense Glalie that only has 45 HP left," but the AI wisely knew that using Surf on turn 32 would have left it with only 2 Surf PP left on turn 35, in which case I could have switched out Glalie to sacrifice Durant and then wasted Suicune's last Surf with Protect.
I get the feeling there's no amount of professional advice that would have helped other than "just hope you don't run into a team with 2 Explosion/Perish Song users and get unlucky on top of that" but let's see if there's anything I can learn from a mock battle.
Highlights include:
1. Isabella having both Regirock 4 and Landorus 4, the only 2 Pokemon with Explosion a Veteran can have. That's a 3 in 6,080 chance given her roster. Seriously think about that: 99.95 percent of the time I'd win just because of the matchup, regardless of critical hits, secondary effects, Bright Powder misses and all that stuff. The remaining 5 of 10,000 times, the opponent's 3rd Pokemon needs to be able to beat a Glalie that's behind a Sub with 4 turns of boosts and survive with enough HP left to survive Durant's final attack.
2. Regirock using Explosion the first turn it attacked against Glalie despite having super-effective STAB Rock Slide or super-effective Superpower to use against Glalie.
3. If Regirock had just waited one turn to use Explosion, which still would have been extremely early, Glalie would've had a Substitute up when Landorus came out. That would have allowed Glalie to go for the KO with Frost Breath. Instead, I have to sacrifice Sableye to get a 2nd Entrainment off.
4. Landorus using Explosion the 2nd turn it attacked against Glalie (without using super-effective Hammer Arm even once), which allowed me to use Sub twice and have less HP left for stalling out attacks, and that proved pivotal. If I'd Protected the first turn, I'd have more health left but that would have left me unable to use Protect when the 3rd opponent came out if I got struck by another random 1st turn Explosion. If it had used Explosion on any turn but the 2nd one, Glalie would've had enough health remaining to stall out the 3rd Pokemon.
5. Suicune comes in on turn 19. Glalie's behind a Sub with 122/177 HP remaining; +1 Attack -1 Accuracy +3 Def +1 Sp. Attack are the boosts. You'll notice I Taunt the first turn out since I've just used Protect and Glalie's faster than 3 of the 4 Suicune sets - Suicune 1 and 3 aren't hard hitters and will try to set up Calm Mind. Suicune 2 only has 5 Hydro Pumps to stall out before it turns itself into set-up bait by randomly using Mirror Coat. Luckily, it's Suicune 4! Here are all of the 72 remaining legendary sets Glalie/Durant would've had a worse matchup against than this particular Suicune: Registeel 2, Cobalion 2 and 3, Heatran 1, Entei 1 and 2. So that bumps it from a 1 in 2,000 matchup to a 1 in 20,000.
At least the next turn brings a Speed boost, so I should be able to throw up some free Subs while Suicune tries Icy Wind.
6. Suicune doesn't miss an attack for the rest of the battle thanks to 2 Evasion drops and no boosts. Suicune evades Glalie's Frost Breath on turn 25 which would have allowed it to be KOed by Durant on the battle's final turn. This is probably the closest I came to making an error this battle, but I'd probably make that decision again: if I went for the double Protect I'd have had a 50% chance of buying myself an extra turn, but I knew it was going to be a really close finish if I couldn't get any Evasion/Special Defense boosts and Suicune kept using Surf, so I wanted to get as much damage on Suicune as possible.
7. Hey, if Evasion's not going well, Glalie just needs to get to +2 Special Defense over the next 16 turns for its Sub to take a Surf. Well, after spending much of the battle between -2 and +0 Sp. Def, Glalie gets 2 consecutive boosts to end up at +3 Sp. Def with 34 HP remaining on turn 35. Suicune gets the 5/16ths damage roll to KO.
8. And my favorite thing of all, Suicune's UNCANNY use of Protect on turn 32 after it had not given me a free Sub with a random Protect any of the previous turns (I'm sure it would have been less likely to use Surf in the early going had Special Defense stayed at +0). Normal Battle Maison logic would say "hey, why don't you just use Surf to get that guaranteed KO on the -2 Evasion, -1 Special Defense Glalie that only has 45 HP left," but the AI wisely knew that using Surf on turn 32 would have left it with only 2 Surf PP left on turn 35, in which case I could have switched out Glalie to sacrifice Durant and then wasted Suicune's last Surf with Protect.
I get the feeling there's no amount of professional advice that would have helped other than "just hope you don't run into a team with 2 Explosion/Perish Song users and get unlucky on top of that" but let's see if there's anything I can learn from a mock battle.
Mock Battle 1 (all mock battles done as if I have no prior knowledge of the particular sets, so no switching into Durant turn 1, no staying in against Landorus if Glalie doesn't isn't behind a Sub or isn't at +2 Speed, and no using Substitute the first turn against Suicune unless Glalie's Speed is in the negative): Regirock Explodes first turn against Glalie. Landorus Explodes on the switch to 1HP Sableye, so it can Taunt Suicune to allow a guaranteed Entrainment.
Battle 2: Regirock explodes turn 1 against Glalie, Landorus KOs Sableye with U-turn on the switch. Suicune uses Icy Wind against Durant as it uses Entrainment.
Battle 3: Same as mock battle 1.
Battle 4: Another turn 1 Explosion from Regirock. Sableye switches in on Landorus's Hammer Arm. Landorus uses Explosion the 2nd turn against Glalie, so everything's identical to the actual battle. However, Suicune actually uses Protect a couple times against Glalie and I'm able to set up easily.
Battle 5: Regirock explodes turn 1 against Glalie (well that's something - maybe I could have just switched to Sableye). Sableye switches in on Hammer Arm. After the 2nd Entrainment, Glalie stayed in for 14 turns before Landorus exploded, so Suicune was no problem.
Battle 6: After Regirock explodes, Sableye switches in on Earthquake. Landorus doesn't explode on Glalie for over 30 turns, so I just KO it and Suicune.
Battle 7: Same as battle 6 until Glalie comes in on Landorus. Landorus explodes after only 2 turns. Suicune Protects its first turn in and then starts using Icy Wind on Glalie's Sub, which predictably doesn't end well for it.
Battle 8: The first time Regirock doesn't use Explosion turn 1 on Glalie. Glalie's got a Speed boost the first turn, so maybe that's why it used Superpower instead. In fact, Glalie stays in for over 30 turns without Regirock exploding.
Battle 9: No Speed boost Glalie's first turn, but again Regirock uses Superpower. Regirock explodes its 2nd attacking turn, and Glalie's at +2 Speed behind a Sub with 155/177 HP as Landorus comes in. It KOs Landorus and Suicune Protects its first turn out before Icy Winding the Sub many times in a row.
Battle 10: After turn 1 explosion from Regirock, Landorus explodes its first turn out as well, just like in the first and third mock battles.
Battle 11: Same as battle 2
Battle 12: Regirock crits Durant with Rock Slide as it switches in. After Regirock explodes immediately on Glalie, Landorus Hammer Arms Sableye on the switch. Durant comes in and is at low enough health to be KOed after it Entrains Lando. This allows Glalie to set up a Sub its first turn out, and Lando holds off on Explosion for over 30 turns. Not many teams allow you to say you'd be better off if the opponent had gotten a critical hit, but Lando KOing Durant in the actual battle would've allowed Glalie to be at full health behind a Sub by the time it exploded.
Battle 13: Regirock Superpowers Glalie the first turn and Explodes turn 2. Glalie KOs Landorus then Taunts Suicune as Surf breaks the sub. Sacrifice Sableye and Durant Entrains.
Battle 14: Same as battles 2 and 11.
Battle 15: Same as battles 1, 3 and 10.
Battle 16: Like 6 and 7, Landorus KOs Sableye with EQ. After it's Entrained, it tries U-turning against Glalie the first turn and then explodes the 2nd. Glalie Taunts Suicune the first turn despite being at +0 Speed, and Surf doesn't break the Sub due to an earlier Sp. Def boost. The next time Surf breaks Glalie's Sub is the only time.
Battle 17: Starts like battle 4 and the actual battle. Glalie gets an Evasion boost when it switches in so I Sub the first turn against Landorus. U-turn hits and breaks the sub. Suicune Protects the first turn out as Glalie's Protect fails due to being slower. Next turn Glalie Protects itself from Surf and then it sets up a Sub as Suicune Protects. Suicune continues to use Protect a bunch and makes setting up easy.
Battle 18: Glalie gets a Speed boost the first turn so I use Sub rather than Protect. Regirock Rock Polishes to +4 its first attack against Glalie and explodes the next time it can move. Glalie KOs Lando from behind a Sub. I could Taunt and switch to Sableye, but Suicune's busy spamming Icy wind on the Sub so I just boost up with Glalie.
Battle 19: Just like battles 2, 11, and 14. However, this time I decide to mess around and use X-Scissor rather than Entrainment on Suicune to let Durant faint and see how Glalie handles it in a straight-up 1-on-1. Suicune Protects on turn 1, leaving Glalie free to Protect again turn 2. Suicune gives Glalie a free Sub on turn 3, and setting up is easy despite the fact that it takes 24 turns of boosting for Glalie to finally outspeed Suicune.
Battle 20: Glalie protects against Regirock's Explosion, and it gets to +2 speed at the end of the turn. Since it's now fast enough to outspeed even the Scarf Lando, I Sub to scout its moves. 3 turns later, Glalie gets a free Sub as it evades Hammer Arm. I finish off Lando and easily set up on an Icy Wind-using Suicune.
Battle 21: Sableye switches in on Lando's Hammer Arm. After the 2nd Entrainment, Landorus doesn't explode until Glalie's boosted for 14 turns. Glalie's fast but its Special Defense is so far in the negative that Suicune's first turn Icy Wind breaks its Sub. After a few more Subs and Protects, there's a Special Defense boosts so Icy Wind doesn't break a Sub.
Battle 22: Starts like 6, 7 and 16. Landorus explodes its 2nd turn. Glalie's faster than Suicune so it comes out using Icy Wind. Can win by switching to Sableye or setting up.
Battle 23: After Regirock explodes, Glalie gets +2 Speed. Glalie Subs against Lando's first turn Explosion, then puts up another free Sub on Suicune's Icy Wind. Taunt, then Sableye, then Entrainment.
Battle 24: Identical to 1, 3, 10, and 15.
Battle 25: Sableye is KOed by Lando's EQ on the switch. Glalie Subs the first turn against Entrained Lando and it gets U-turned. Suicune Protects turn 1, Glalie Protects turn 2 and evades Surf turn 3 for a free Sub. Suicune and Glalie alternate Protect for 8 more turns and despite some lackluster boosts (Accuracy boosted to +6, fell to +5, and boosted back to +6 in this amount of time) Glalie finally picks up enough Speed for Suicune to start using Icy Wind.
Battle 26: Sableye switches on Lando's Hammer Arm (to be more clear, the pattern leading up this has always been: Sableye uses Flash until it's at 1 HP and Durant switches in on Rock Slide, then Durant uses Entrainment as Regirock uses Rock Polish, then Glalie comes in and Protects against Explosion). After Entrainment #2, Lando stays in for more than 10 turns before exploding. Glalie's at 100% behind a Sub, and Suicune's using Icy Wind once again.
Battle 27: Identical to 1, 3, 10, 15, and 24, but let's try Glalie 1 on 1 against non-Entrained Suicune. Glalie Protects, then takes a Surf and Subs down to 56 HP. Suicune Protects turn 3, Glalie Protects turn 4, Suicune Protects turn 5, and Glalie Protects turn 6. By now, Glalie has enough Special Defense for the sub to not be KOed by Surf.
Battle 28: Same as 2, 11, 14, and 19. Instead of using Entrainment with Durant, I switch Glalie directly into Suicune to up the difficulty. Glalie takes an Icy Wind on the switch, Protects, then Subs down to ~60 HP. By this time it's gotten a Speed boost and no Special Defense drop. That lack of a Sp. Def drop is apparently the difference between Suicune only using Icy Wind 3 times in the actual battle and using it 10 times in a row here.
Battle 29: Glalie's Speed increases when switched in against Regirock, which Rock Polishes again as I set up a Sub. I actually screw up the following turn and use Protect, but I use Sub the next turn after the faster Regirock explodes. Glalie protects to "scout" Lando, and it Explodes. Can win with a Taunt and switch, but Glalie, despite Sp. Def drops, is able to stall Suicune out of Surf on its own.
Battle 30: Another Speed increase the first turn Glalie's switched in, so Regirock Polishes while I Sub. Turn 2 brings me to +4 Speed, so I get greedy and Protect on the loafing turn so I can hopefully Taunt Regirock as it tries to RP to +6. Of course, Glalie's Speed drops and +3 Glalie is slower than +4 Regirock by 1 point. Regirock Rock Slides and breaks the Sub, then explodes 2 turns later. Glalie's at 144 HP behind a Sub when Landorus comes out, and it misses with Frost Breath as Lando breaks the Sub with EQ. 4 turns later, Hammer Arm misses and Glalie gets an accuracy boost. Landorus is KOed and Suicune Icy Winds the Sub for few turns until Glalie puts it down.
Battle 31: Sableye switches in on Lando's Hammer Arm, then Lando KOs it with U-Turn. Suicune doesn't Protect against Durant's Entrainment.
Battle 32: Glalie Protects against Regirock's Explosion then gets to +2 speed. After 5 turns of Sub/Protect against Landorus, +3 Defense allows it to set up a Sub not broken by EQ. 2 turns later, Lando is KOed from behind the Sub, sealing the battle.
Battle 33: Sableye switches in on Hammer Arm from Lando and is KOed by EQ. After Entrainment #2, Glalie boosts for 8 turns before Lando explodes. Suicune Protects turn 1 and Icy Winds after that.
Battle 34: Identical to 1, 3, 10, 15 and 24.
Battle 35: Regirock Superpowered against Glalie first and exploded second. Landorus exploded turn 1 before Glalie could move and missed. Glalie's Speed stayed in the negative for 10 more turns but Suicune was either using Protect or not breaking the Sub with Surf.
Battle 36: Same as 2, 11, 14, 19, and 28.
Battle 37: Same as 1, 3, 10, 15, 24, and 34. I trick away Suicune's Lum berry with Sableye to give Glalie another 1 on 1 chance. Suicune and Glalie protect turn 1, Glalie protects turn 2, and Suicune misses with Surf on turn 3. Suicune and Glalie Protect turn 4, Glalie Protects turn 5, and Suicune Protects turn 6. Glalie's Sub isn't broken for another 15 turns.
Battle 38: Same as 1, 3, 10, 15, 24, 34, and 37. When Suicune comes in against Sableye, I bring in Glalie on Surf. Surf brings it to 92/177 HP. Suicune Protects the next turn, and Glalie Protects the turn after that. Suicune Protects to give Glalie a free Sub with 92/177 HP. After 2 more turns of alternating Protects, Glalie's faster than Suicune and has boosted Sp. Def, so it's Icy Wind time.
Battle 39: Regirock Superpowers Glalie first and then explodes. Glalie KOs Landorus from behind the sub. Suicune Icy Winds the first 5 turns.
Battle 40: Another Landorus first turn Explosion on Sableye. I'll switch Glalie into Surf again. Glalie Protects the first turn, still no good boosts after 2 turns. Suicune Protects turn 3 as I try for a double Protect. Glalie and Suicune alternate Protects the next two turns, leaving Glalie with a Sub and 115 HP. 14 turns later, Glalie's slow enough that Suicune still outspeeds after a +2 boost but Sp. Def is high enough for the Sub to take a Surf. In other words, Suicune normally uses Protect often enough for a 92 HP Glalie with no Sub and no boosts to come out on top but used Surf enough times in the battle that counted to take down a healthier Glalie that already had a Sub.
Battle 2: Regirock explodes turn 1 against Glalie, Landorus KOs Sableye with U-turn on the switch. Suicune uses Icy Wind against Durant as it uses Entrainment.
Battle 3: Same as mock battle 1.
Battle 4: Another turn 1 Explosion from Regirock. Sableye switches in on Landorus's Hammer Arm. Landorus uses Explosion the 2nd turn against Glalie, so everything's identical to the actual battle. However, Suicune actually uses Protect a couple times against Glalie and I'm able to set up easily.
Battle 5: Regirock explodes turn 1 against Glalie (well that's something - maybe I could have just switched to Sableye). Sableye switches in on Hammer Arm. After the 2nd Entrainment, Glalie stayed in for 14 turns before Landorus exploded, so Suicune was no problem.
Battle 6: After Regirock explodes, Sableye switches in on Earthquake. Landorus doesn't explode on Glalie for over 30 turns, so I just KO it and Suicune.
Battle 7: Same as battle 6 until Glalie comes in on Landorus. Landorus explodes after only 2 turns. Suicune Protects its first turn in and then starts using Icy Wind on Glalie's Sub, which predictably doesn't end well for it.
Battle 8: The first time Regirock doesn't use Explosion turn 1 on Glalie. Glalie's got a Speed boost the first turn, so maybe that's why it used Superpower instead. In fact, Glalie stays in for over 30 turns without Regirock exploding.
Battle 9: No Speed boost Glalie's first turn, but again Regirock uses Superpower. Regirock explodes its 2nd attacking turn, and Glalie's at +2 Speed behind a Sub with 155/177 HP as Landorus comes in. It KOs Landorus and Suicune Protects its first turn out before Icy Winding the Sub many times in a row.
Battle 10: After turn 1 explosion from Regirock, Landorus explodes its first turn out as well, just like in the first and third mock battles.
Battle 11: Same as battle 2
Battle 12: Regirock crits Durant with Rock Slide as it switches in. After Regirock explodes immediately on Glalie, Landorus Hammer Arms Sableye on the switch. Durant comes in and is at low enough health to be KOed after it Entrains Lando. This allows Glalie to set up a Sub its first turn out, and Lando holds off on Explosion for over 30 turns. Not many teams allow you to say you'd be better off if the opponent had gotten a critical hit, but Lando KOing Durant in the actual battle would've allowed Glalie to be at full health behind a Sub by the time it exploded.
Battle 13: Regirock Superpowers Glalie the first turn and Explodes turn 2. Glalie KOs Landorus then Taunts Suicune as Surf breaks the sub. Sacrifice Sableye and Durant Entrains.
Battle 14: Same as battles 2 and 11.
Battle 15: Same as battles 1, 3 and 10.
Battle 16: Like 6 and 7, Landorus KOs Sableye with EQ. After it's Entrained, it tries U-turning against Glalie the first turn and then explodes the 2nd. Glalie Taunts Suicune the first turn despite being at +0 Speed, and Surf doesn't break the Sub due to an earlier Sp. Def boost. The next time Surf breaks Glalie's Sub is the only time.
Battle 17: Starts like battle 4 and the actual battle. Glalie gets an Evasion boost when it switches in so I Sub the first turn against Landorus. U-turn hits and breaks the sub. Suicune Protects the first turn out as Glalie's Protect fails due to being slower. Next turn Glalie Protects itself from Surf and then it sets up a Sub as Suicune Protects. Suicune continues to use Protect a bunch and makes setting up easy.
Battle 18: Glalie gets a Speed boost the first turn so I use Sub rather than Protect. Regirock Rock Polishes to +4 its first attack against Glalie and explodes the next time it can move. Glalie KOs Lando from behind a Sub. I could Taunt and switch to Sableye, but Suicune's busy spamming Icy wind on the Sub so I just boost up with Glalie.
Battle 19: Just like battles 2, 11, and 14. However, this time I decide to mess around and use X-Scissor rather than Entrainment on Suicune to let Durant faint and see how Glalie handles it in a straight-up 1-on-1. Suicune Protects on turn 1, leaving Glalie free to Protect again turn 2. Suicune gives Glalie a free Sub on turn 3, and setting up is easy despite the fact that it takes 24 turns of boosting for Glalie to finally outspeed Suicune.
Battle 20: Glalie protects against Regirock's Explosion, and it gets to +2 speed at the end of the turn. Since it's now fast enough to outspeed even the Scarf Lando, I Sub to scout its moves. 3 turns later, Glalie gets a free Sub as it evades Hammer Arm. I finish off Lando and easily set up on an Icy Wind-using Suicune.
Battle 21: Sableye switches in on Lando's Hammer Arm. After the 2nd Entrainment, Landorus doesn't explode until Glalie's boosted for 14 turns. Glalie's fast but its Special Defense is so far in the negative that Suicune's first turn Icy Wind breaks its Sub. After a few more Subs and Protects, there's a Special Defense boosts so Icy Wind doesn't break a Sub.
Battle 22: Starts like 6, 7 and 16. Landorus explodes its 2nd turn. Glalie's faster than Suicune so it comes out using Icy Wind. Can win by switching to Sableye or setting up.
Battle 23: After Regirock explodes, Glalie gets +2 Speed. Glalie Subs against Lando's first turn Explosion, then puts up another free Sub on Suicune's Icy Wind. Taunt, then Sableye, then Entrainment.
Battle 24: Identical to 1, 3, 10, and 15.
Battle 25: Sableye is KOed by Lando's EQ on the switch. Glalie Subs the first turn against Entrained Lando and it gets U-turned. Suicune Protects turn 1, Glalie Protects turn 2 and evades Surf turn 3 for a free Sub. Suicune and Glalie alternate Protect for 8 more turns and despite some lackluster boosts (Accuracy boosted to +6, fell to +5, and boosted back to +6 in this amount of time) Glalie finally picks up enough Speed for Suicune to start using Icy Wind.
Battle 26: Sableye switches on Lando's Hammer Arm (to be more clear, the pattern leading up this has always been: Sableye uses Flash until it's at 1 HP and Durant switches in on Rock Slide, then Durant uses Entrainment as Regirock uses Rock Polish, then Glalie comes in and Protects against Explosion). After Entrainment #2, Lando stays in for more than 10 turns before exploding. Glalie's at 100% behind a Sub, and Suicune's using Icy Wind once again.
Battle 27: Identical to 1, 3, 10, 15, and 24, but let's try Glalie 1 on 1 against non-Entrained Suicune. Glalie Protects, then takes a Surf and Subs down to 56 HP. Suicune Protects turn 3, Glalie Protects turn 4, Suicune Protects turn 5, and Glalie Protects turn 6. By now, Glalie has enough Special Defense for the sub to not be KOed by Surf.
Battle 28: Same as 2, 11, 14, and 19. Instead of using Entrainment with Durant, I switch Glalie directly into Suicune to up the difficulty. Glalie takes an Icy Wind on the switch, Protects, then Subs down to ~60 HP. By this time it's gotten a Speed boost and no Special Defense drop. That lack of a Sp. Def drop is apparently the difference between Suicune only using Icy Wind 3 times in the actual battle and using it 10 times in a row here.
Battle 29: Glalie's Speed increases when switched in against Regirock, which Rock Polishes again as I set up a Sub. I actually screw up the following turn and use Protect, but I use Sub the next turn after the faster Regirock explodes. Glalie protects to "scout" Lando, and it Explodes. Can win with a Taunt and switch, but Glalie, despite Sp. Def drops, is able to stall Suicune out of Surf on its own.
Battle 30: Another Speed increase the first turn Glalie's switched in, so Regirock Polishes while I Sub. Turn 2 brings me to +4 Speed, so I get greedy and Protect on the loafing turn so I can hopefully Taunt Regirock as it tries to RP to +6. Of course, Glalie's Speed drops and +3 Glalie is slower than +4 Regirock by 1 point. Regirock Rock Slides and breaks the Sub, then explodes 2 turns later. Glalie's at 144 HP behind a Sub when Landorus comes out, and it misses with Frost Breath as Lando breaks the Sub with EQ. 4 turns later, Hammer Arm misses and Glalie gets an accuracy boost. Landorus is KOed and Suicune Icy Winds the Sub for few turns until Glalie puts it down.
Battle 31: Sableye switches in on Lando's Hammer Arm, then Lando KOs it with U-Turn. Suicune doesn't Protect against Durant's Entrainment.
Battle 32: Glalie Protects against Regirock's Explosion then gets to +2 speed. After 5 turns of Sub/Protect against Landorus, +3 Defense allows it to set up a Sub not broken by EQ. 2 turns later, Lando is KOed from behind the Sub, sealing the battle.
Battle 33: Sableye switches in on Hammer Arm from Lando and is KOed by EQ. After Entrainment #2, Glalie boosts for 8 turns before Lando explodes. Suicune Protects turn 1 and Icy Winds after that.
Battle 34: Identical to 1, 3, 10, 15 and 24.
Battle 35: Regirock Superpowered against Glalie first and exploded second. Landorus exploded turn 1 before Glalie could move and missed. Glalie's Speed stayed in the negative for 10 more turns but Suicune was either using Protect or not breaking the Sub with Surf.
Battle 36: Same as 2, 11, 14, 19, and 28.
Battle 37: Same as 1, 3, 10, 15, 24, and 34. I trick away Suicune's Lum berry with Sableye to give Glalie another 1 on 1 chance. Suicune and Glalie protect turn 1, Glalie protects turn 2, and Suicune misses with Surf on turn 3. Suicune and Glalie Protect turn 4, Glalie Protects turn 5, and Suicune Protects turn 6. Glalie's Sub isn't broken for another 15 turns.
Battle 38: Same as 1, 3, 10, 15, 24, 34, and 37. When Suicune comes in against Sableye, I bring in Glalie on Surf. Surf brings it to 92/177 HP. Suicune Protects the next turn, and Glalie Protects the turn after that. Suicune Protects to give Glalie a free Sub with 92/177 HP. After 2 more turns of alternating Protects, Glalie's faster than Suicune and has boosted Sp. Def, so it's Icy Wind time.
Battle 39: Regirock Superpowers Glalie first and then explodes. Glalie KOs Landorus from behind the sub. Suicune Icy Winds the first 5 turns.
Battle 40: Another Landorus first turn Explosion on Sableye. I'll switch Glalie into Surf again. Glalie Protects the first turn, still no good boosts after 2 turns. Suicune Protects turn 3 as I try for a double Protect. Glalie and Suicune alternate Protects the next two turns, leaving Glalie with a Sub and 115 HP. 14 turns later, Glalie's slow enough that Suicune still outspeeds after a +2 boost but Sp. Def is high enough for the Sub to take a Surf. In other words, Suicune normally uses Protect often enough for a 92 HP Glalie with no Sub and no boosts to come out on top but used Surf enough times in the battle that counted to take down a healthier Glalie that already had a Sub.
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The AI sure does like to play "out of character" on battle #1175...
Here's another battle you'd appreciate: XALG-WWWW-WWXY-KHWH
If Lapras traps Whimsicott and Speed Boost Yanmega comes out next, that's not good. This made me change my strategy against Lapras where I switch to Durant with 2 Perish turns left rather than 1 to use Entrainment for free on the switch.