Battle Tree Discussion and Records

[Burning Abyss]

Alright...



Hmmmm...





There are plenty of occasions during a 1000 streak where you'll face a lead that has double Trick Room setters since many trainers are Trick Room specialists, and you have no way of knowing which one will go for Trick Room. In most cases, it's also very unlikely you'll be able to OHKO both with your lead. A streak where one successfully prevents Trick Room for a thousand battles is unheard of. Also, how do you know which Pokémon are Trick Room users if you don't look at the sets, and make it very clear in this post and the previous ones that you don't already know them?



This, and several of your comments from previous posts, make the assumption that you can freely double up on a threat turn 1 if it's a big threat, and ignore its partner for that turn. In practice, this never works out for extended streaks, because you end up facing the wrong combination of Pokémon, where both are giant threats you want to double up on. This is why very simple hyper offence tends to not work out in the long run; as soon as you run into something problematic, you have no resources to reposition, your Pokémon are frail and there is no speed control to come back on top.



So why did you write this? Being tired is a good reason for leaving details out and such, but I don't see how it makes you say you do stuff that you don't.



5 times is not a lot. Sash Alakazam is very uncommon even pre-50, so in 6 runs, you can't have encountered so many. Also, in all the battles post-50 you've played, which together amount for more than your previous failed streaks, how did you never notice that non-Mega Alakazam was not surviving on a Focus Sash if you were playing as though it were sashed the entire time? Did it not seem weird that non-Mega Alakazam was getting OHKOd while you assumed sash?

It's absolutely normal for such a big claim to get discussed. No one would put your streak to doubt if you did not give us a ton of reasons to do so. Your streak is getting called out because the pieces don't fit together in what you are saying. I wouldn't want to shut you down if you did play 1000 battles and reported it, but I believe you haven't, so I think calling this out is the right thing to do.

Dude, you can find the mistakes all you want man. Yea I accidentally wrote something wrong, that means my whole post is completely invalid right? I meant to say 6. And I assume what pokemon will activate Trick Room based on my experience with Pokemon battling scene and Tree.. I did not prevent all trick rooms from setting. Sometimes they set up trick room and can't even kill me. And I usually double protect every other turn to stall the trick room out. I appreciate the proof, I guess I have to believe that then.

 

[ReptoAbysmal]

It's not like my team needs strategy like using Trick Room or anything.

lol what the fuck did i just read

If you are genuinely trying to claim legitimacy, remarks like this are absolutely not the way to do it. Hyper offense "without strategy" consistently fails to reach even 50 for the same reasons you've shown in your posts- they run into too many unplanned roadblocks by way of enemy pairings. Reconsider what you are claiming here- that you reached one thousand wins, without any cohesive strategy other than "go first and kill things."

* I feel like speed control is unnecessary because my team is naturally (pretty) fast.

Actually, you are outsped by far more than Swift Swim and Trick Room. "Speed" is a trainer archetype in the tree and, while Tapu Koko does outspeed many of those pokemon, it is also outsped by many more; this Mega Sceptile, a very common enemy whom you insist you have been able to assume it was special, outspeeds every single pokemon on your team and knows nothing but physical attacks. The odds of going 1000 battles without running into Sceptile4, the Sceptilite holder, when it appears on at least EIGHT enemy teams post battle 50, are practically nil. And need I remind you, it outspeeds your entire team, so, NO, you did not kill it without it using at least one move. A physical move.

Landorus2 holds a Choice Scarf and uses only special moves. It is capable of appearing on many teams alongside Articuno, as Veterans are a fairly common trainer archetype. You cannot make it out of this first turn without accruing fatal damage or losing Greninja's sash, as Landorus2 will outspeed you and target Koko with Earth Power- and you have no safe switch for it. Articuno will oblige your own Landorus with Blizzard (Set 1) or Ice Beam (Set 2) and, because Koko cannot outspeed Landorus2, no, you cannot OHKO Articuno to prevent this from happening.

And, for shits and giggles, we have this:

252 SpA Life Orb Landorus Hidden Power Ice vs. 0 HP / 252+ SpD Landorus: 140-166 (85.3 - 101.2%) -- 6.3% chance to OHKO

Your Landorus doesn't even have remotely reliable odds to OHKO the other Landorus set those trainers can run! Which means you're open to another really fun move: Fissure.

* I was just assuming that mega Scep can be special anyway.

Uh huh. See above.

* I have never seen a Mud Bomb Blissey at all. I might have seen one but probably forgot about it. But all I see is Blissey spamming Ice Beam, or Double Team or Softboil Toxic that sort of things.

That "Softboil Toxic that sort of thing" is the Blissey that uses Mud Bomb. Landorus and Koko will not be killing it before it Minimizes up, so you would have inevitably had to bring Metagross in, where it would be happy to oblige you with Mud Bomb.

* Nope, I did not save battles from 450 to 1000 because I don't find that necessary.

The entire fucking reason I told you to save replays was for this exact reason, to give you an ounce of credibility. Of course you didn't do so until now, because you apparently thought you were dealing with a bunch of gullible idiots that accept gigantic streaks at face value. Gullible idiots that wouldn't know Mamoswine does not carry Ice Shard, or that Rotom-Heat carries no White Herb, or that Mega Sceptile uses special attacks.

 

[Burning Abyss]

lol what the fuck did i just read

If you are genuinely trying to claim legitimacy, remarks like this are absolutely not the way to do it. Hyper offense "without strategy" consistently fails to reach even 50 for the same reasons you've shown in your posts- they run into too many unplanned roadblocks by way of enemy pairings. Reconsider what you are claiming here- that you reached one thousand wins, without any cohesive strategy other than "go first and kill things."

Wow, does not even detect sarcasm. "What a letdown when I tried to use my humorous response". Smh

 

[ReptoAbysmal]

NoCheese Edit: While not an especially ugly personal attack, I'm still removing this.

 

[Burning Abyss]

NoCheese Edit: No.

 

[Smuckem]

Wow, does not even detect sarcasm. "What a letdown when I tried to use my humorous response". Smh

He detects it, he's just not in the mood to humor it.

That aside, whether or not you get this streak officially placed, I actually owe you one: you have incited the most activity we have had on this thread in 2-3 months at least. So, props for bringing some eyeballs, both old ones coming back and new ones arriving, to the thread!

Also, don't worry too much about your case not being heard or whatever: the level of the back and forth here so far will bring NoCheese's attention to this soon enough. As busy as he is these days, he WILL see this eventually, and he WILL decide on the matter, definitively and accordingly.

 

[Worldie]

How many battles should be in a single session of doing the battle tree?

That's really up to personal preference and focus ability... I used to just stop once I noticed I was not concentrating enough.

 

[Deleted User 465389]

That's really up to personal preference and focus ability... I used to just stop once I noticed I was not concentrating enough.

thanks

 

[Anna says hi]

It heavily depends on the team you use. For my ongoing streak, I use a team that almost never has quick battles - my estimation is 4.5 mins on average. Since I started playing very cautiously after I hit 500, I would try to never start a session when I was hungry or tired, and once I started slipping up I usually aborted. I ended up having to push myself to do 30 battles a day. Of course, for a more offensive singles team (such as fini + scigar), 30 battles is around an hour worth of play. It boils down to how risky you're willing to play, sacrificing reliability for the ability to try more often in the same period of time. Back in the Maison days, I burned myself out trying to get to 1000 in the span of two weeks, averaging 71 battles a day and rarely doing less than 60. This ended up causing me to slip up on the last day of the deadline, making a simple mistake that lost me the streak at 922.

 

[Eisenherz]

Is someone allowed to get on the leaderboard if they use a QR team?

Absolutely, as long as you give credit to the QR team in your report (see that Smuckem already has a few QR teams on there on the Doubles leaderboard).

 

[-Snorlax-]

Hi everybody! Snorlax and Deynon are back again, this time to establish their supremacy over the Super Multi leaderboard. That's right, I'm here to submit an ended streak of 389 wins, our absolute best result in any battle facility so far. In addition to that, I'm also submitting a streak of 285 wins in Super Doubles. Thankfully, both streaks employed the same set of Pokemon, so they'll be covered with a single writeup.

Here are the brave warriors that led us to the top of the Super Multi leaderboard.

Golisopod @ Assault Vest
Ability: Emergency Exit
Nature: Adamant
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def
- First Impression
- Aqua Jet
- Leech Life
- Liquidation

Blastoise @ Blastoisinite
Ability: Torrent-->Mega Launcher
Nature: Modest
EVs: 236 HP / 4 Def / 188 SpA / 12 SpD / 68 Spe
- Water Pulse
- Aura Sphere
- Ice Beam
- Fake Out

Togedemaru @ Focus Sash
Ability: Lightningrod
Nature: Jolly
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
- Zing Zap
- Iron Head
- Spiky Shield
- Fake Out

Cresselia @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
Nature: Bold
EVs: 244 HP / 140 Def / 4 SpA / 108 SpD / 12 Spe
- Psychic
- Hidden Power Fire
- Calm Mind
- Rest
​

TEAM BUILDING

First of all, I'd like to point out that I started using this team for my doubles streak. This explains why I'll be writing mainly in first person during this paragraph. However, I'm not going to take all the merit for the creation of this team: even if I assembled it on my own, all the Pokemon used had already been tested during previous attempts, and their movesets/ ev spreads have been thoroughly discussed with Deynon during our gaming sessions. So, in the end, it’s as if we built it together.

At first, I wasn't sure that the team had the potential to reach any significant result, so I didn't propose it to Deynon, but I tested it a bit on my own instead. After risking a loss as early as battle 36, I almost dismantled the team, but I kept going, in order to at least get the doubles stamp, as I was still missing it. The subsequent battles, however, showed that the main issue was my inexperience with the team, as it actually fared pretty well against Blue and all those trainers full of legendaries. So, I decided to go as far as I could, and as I grew accustomed to the team, I realized that my first impression was completely wrong. Sure, there were some heart-pounding moments (see the battle videos section), but the team was more solid than expected, and with a bit of help from Lady Luck, somehow I managed to get to 285 wins, which is my second-best result in Doubles in any facility (after a never-posted streak in Battle Subway). The good results I obtained in the double format convinced me that it was worth giving the team a shot for multi; yet I can hardly believe we got to 389 wins. I would have never expected it.


Now, with regards to the building process itself, Golisopod was an automatic addition: both Deynon and I consider it one of the best Pokemon introduced in Gen VII, and after including it in all our teams for almost a year, we've become seriously Golisopod-dependent. Power, bulk, a solid defensive typing, self-recovery, access to strong priority moves: what else could you ask for? It isn't perfect by any means, as its low speed makes it over-reliant on priority moves, and its ability, while being not as terrible as one may think, isn't always easy to handle. Despite its flaws, Golisopod remains a very solid choice, and a viable starting point for the construction of a team that wants a good mix of bulk and offensive presence.

The choice of the Pokemon that had to be paired with Golisopod was maybe the hardest to make. Golisopod's classic partner has always been kantonian Raichu, for the reasons explained in the writeup of our previous multi streak (see post 2224), but as of late I've progressively grown tired of it, especially because of its limited offensive capabilities (only decent SpA and poor movepool). At first I looked for an alternate Lightning Rod user, but the ability has a terribile distribution, and I didn't feel like resorting to gimmicky options (although the idea of using Seaking crossed my mind more than once...), so I reluctantly accepted a compromise: giving up Lightning Rod while still keeping a Fake Out wielding special attacker. This way, I could still ensure some form of protection to Golisopod while not having the entire frontline susceptible to Intimidate. Of course, finding a Pokemon with these traits wasn't so immediate, simply because there aren't many special attackers with access to Fake Out. I still had a few option to choose from. Salazzle drew my attention because of its above average speed, good power and fire STAB, but I quickly discarded it because of its very limited offensive movepool. Ludicolo was another intriguing option, thanks to its wider choice of attacking moves and healing potential of Giga Drain. The dancing duck still had many important flaws, from its less than stellar stats to the compounded weakness to flying-type attacks, so I decided to move on. Infernape could have been an interesting idea, if only it had learned a reliable fighting-type special attack, while Jynx's great ice STAB wasn't enough to redeem its average speed and nonexistent bulk. After rejecting all these candidates, I remembered a Pokemon that had been taking dust in my boxes for months because of its bad performance during a previous streak, but nonetheless had all the characteristics needed to be a competent Golisopod's partner: very high offensive potential, above average defensive stats, decent speed and a colorful offensive movepool. This gem was Mega Blastoise. Honestly, I didn't consider it a gem at that time, but the lack of better options convinced me to grant it a second opportunity, and luckily I didn't regret that choice.

Not in the long run, at least. Because ten seconds after giving it the second slot of my team, I was about to remove it from the battle box. While starting to arrange the battle team, I was thinking about its synergy with Golisopod: no rock weakness, it can murder slower rock-types before they slaughter Golisopod, it has Ice Beam for flying-types, Golisopod protects it from grass-types, they share an electric weakn.....Oh, wait, this is no good! For some unknown reason, I had temporarily forgotten that I was going to pair two water-types, and I was ready to discard Blastoise for that reason alone. But every problem has its solution, and in this case, the solution was at hand: of course, I'm talking about our beloved Lightningrod! So, after falling into Lightningrod trap again, I went through the list of Pokemon with this ability once more, already knowing that I had very few viable choices. This time, however, I had an additional issue, as the Lightning Rod user had to be put in the second row, so I needed something that could switch in without dying instantly to any non-electric attack (bye bye Raichu). Now, the only Pokemon in the list that can be considered reasonably bulky is Eviolite Rhydon, which actually has a decent defensive synergy with Golisopod. I was really tempted to give it a try, but I changed my mind pretty quickly: Rhydon's many weaknesses are excessively hard to handle, and most of its STAB attacks are flawed in a way or another (Earthquake hits its teammate, while Drill Run, Rock Slide and Stone Edge have imperfect accuracy). After realizing that I couldn't have a defensive Lightningrod user, I decided to rely on resistances rather than on sheer bulk for my switch-in needs, so I turned my attention to Togedemaru, Deynon's favorite alternative to Raichu. Thanks to its excellent defensive typing, on paper it looked like a decent candidate to switch into Rock, Flying and Grass attacks aimed at Golisopod and Blastoise. In practice, it worked even better than expected, as I'll explain later.

At this point, I just needed a fourth Pokemon. This time the choice was pretty quick, as I didn't have great expectations for this team, so I didn't feel like investing too much time to choose the last team member. However, I still wanted something with good mixed bulk that could absorb status ailments. I also looked for something with a fire move, to help Blastoise getting rid of Steel-types (especially Ferrothorn, Mawile, Scizor and Escavalier). My recently RNGed Cresselia with HP Fire and Rest had all these traits, while also sporting a useful Ground immunity, so I gave her the last slot without a second thought.

TEAM DESCRIPTION

As usual, Golisopod is the main physical attacker of the team. It's a very straightforward Pokemon: simply choose the appropriate move and keep attacking until Golisopod dies...which actually doesn't happen very often, thanks to Emergency Exit. This ability may look like a burden at first, but after more than a year of intensive Golisopod usage, we learned to make the best of it. Basically, it acts like a life insurance: whenever Golisopod's HP drop under 50%, Emergency Exit kindly removes Golisopod from the field, ensuring that it won't be dealt the final blow too soon. One may think that Emergency Exit may put the switched in Pokemon at risk of taking an attack directed at Golisopod, but that's not usually the case. Between Blastoise’s Fake Out, which can stop SE attacks that have the potential to immediately send Golisopod out, and Golisopod's bulk, which usually allows it to tank even strong neutral attacks, it's very rare that the forced switch-in has to take a hit while entering the field. Emergency Exit also has other minor advantages, such as reactivating First Impression and preventing end of turn effects such as poison, weather damage and Leech Seed. Despite having a few redeeming qualities, Emergency Exit is still likely to let you down at times. Unexpected attacks aimed at Golisopod (or well-timed critical hits) can and will lead to unwanted activations of the ability, making Golisopod lose the turn. Also, it's undeniable that sometimes EE will put you in a disadvantageous position (e.g. you are forced to send out Cresselia against two dark-types). Nonetheless, with some practice you'll quickly learn to manage Golisopod's ability, and its minor flaws are a price we're willing to pay to use such a powerful and reliable Pokemon.

Now let's have a look at its moveset. Very basic, yet surprisingly effective. Leech Life is perhaps the most important weapon in Golisopod's arsenal: it’s strong, reliable, and capable of recovering large amounts of health, which is essential to keep Golisopod alive and to postpone the activation of EE (if needed). It's the move you'll be using most of the time, even on targets that are neutral to both Bug and Water, unless you specifically need to aim for a defense drop. It's also the most reliable move to quickly destroy the omnipresent Dark-types that may cause Cresselia huge troubles. Last but not least, Leech Life is needed to protect Blastoise from Grass-types, although it can defend itself with Ice Beam to a certain extent.
Aqua Jet takes the second slot, providing Golisopod a reliable and decently powerful priority attack. This is very useful in all those situations when you can't predict if Golisopod will be sent away by EE, as you can at least deal some damage in case you are forced out. Aqua Jet also packs enough power to cleanly 2HKO several fast Pokemon with a water weakness, including Salazzle, (Mega) Blaziken, Aerodactyl and Archeops.
First Impression doesn't see much use for obvious reasons, but thanks to its +2 priority, it still proves very useful to quickly eliminate annoying targets such as Mega Sceptile, Mega Latios, Mega Alakazam, Azelf and Mega Sharpedo. First Impression also deals good damage to most Electric-types, making it a nice tool to revenge kill weakened ones after Togedemaru has fallen.
The last slot goes to Liquidation, which gives Golisopod a stronger alternative to Aqua Jet when it needs to target bulky Ground- and Rock-types such as Hippowdon, Steelix, Gigalith and Aggron. Of course, some Fake Out support is usually needed in order to safely use Liquidation against said Pokemon, as Golisopod is easily outrun and sent away by a Rock-type move. The side effect of Liquidation can come in handy to weaken particularly bulky foes, or to put something in the KO range of Aqua Jet. Although it's not a bad move by any means, it's easily the most expendable one, especially since Golisopod is paired with Blastoise, which has a strong Water attack in Water Pulse. Interesting options include Knock Off, Poison Jab and Sucker Punch, should one desire more coverage against specific threats or an extra priority move. That said, discarding Liquidation can spell doom when facing troublesome opponents like Mega Charizard X, Mega Charizard Y and Mega Mawile.

The EV spread is very simple: max attack with an Adamant nature allows Golisopod to deal as much damage as possible, while max HP gives it well rounded bulk. The mandatory item (at least in our opinion) is an Assault Vest, which gives Golisopod a considerable boost to its already decent Special Defense, making it exceptionally durable on both sides. The following calculations showcase the impact of AV in increasing Golisopod's survivability:


Attacks that would OHKO Golisopod without an Assault Vest:

252 SpA Jolteon Thunder vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Assault Vest Golisopod: 122-146 (67 - 80.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

252 SpA Choice Specs Latios Thunder vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Assault Vest Golisopod: 138-164 (75.8 - 90.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

252 SpA Raikou Thunder vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Assault Vest Golisopod: 126-150 (69.2 - 82.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

252 SpA Tornadus Hurricane vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Assault Vest Golisopod: 134-158 (73.6 - 86.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

252 SpA Pidgeot-Mega Hurricane vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Assault Vest Golisopod: 140-168 (76.9 - 92.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

252+ SpA Oranguru Gigavolt Havoc (185 BP) vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Assault Vest Golisopod: 132-156 (72.5 - 85.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

252+ SpA Pixilate Gardevoir-Mega Hyper Beam vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Assault Vest Golisopod: 147-174 (80.7 - 95.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO


Attacks that would trigger Emergency Exit without an Assault Vest:

252+ SpA Carbink Power Gem vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Assault Vest Golisopod: 62-74 (34 - 40.6%) -- guaranteed 3HKO

252 SpA Delphox Fire Blast vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Assault Vest Golisopod: 63-75 (34.6 - 41.2%) -- guaranteed 3HKO

252 SpA Arcanine Overheat vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Assault Vest Golisopod: 67-81 (36.8 - 44.5%) -- guaranteed 3HKO

252 SpA Starmie Thunderbolt vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Assault Vest Golisopod: 64-76 (35.1 - 41.7%) -- guaranteed 3HKO

252 SpA Salamence Draco Meteor vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Assault Vest Golisopod: 73-87 (40.1 - 47.8%) -- guaranteed 3HKO

252 SpA Alakazam-Mega Psychic vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Assault Vest Golisopod: 70-84 (38.4 - 46.1%) -- guaranteed 3HKO

As mentioned earlier, Blastoise was chosen as Golisopod's new partner because I wanted a strong special attacker with access to Fake Out. This had the double benefit of shielding Golisopod from dangerous attacks even without Lightningrod, while also having only one Pokemon susceptible to Intimidates and burns. Additionally, Blastoise, with its access to Ice-type moves, can deal with those Dragon/Flying and Water/Flying Pokemon that Golisopod can't touch. Lastly, Blastoise’s decentish speed allows it to outpace and KO bulky, slow Rock-types that could easily eat an Aqua Jet and send away or outright KO Golisopod (Armaldo, Barbaracle and the like). These guys worked incredibly well together, as they have solid attacking power, above average bulk, and a good selection of moves with wide coverage (with a few notable exceptions that will be outlined later). Of course, Togedemaru had a vital role in determining Golisopod and Blastoise's success, as it made their shared electric weakness a non-issue.

Now, the moveset. Fake Out is Fake Out, it's useful as always to stop a dangerous foe while Blastoise's partner deals with it. Blastoise isn't exactly the most competent Fake Out user, as it’s slower than most Battle Tree Fake Outers. Also, sometimes Blastoise is better attacking right away in order to quickly eliminate a threat to Golisopod, making Fake Out a rarely used move. Although Blastoise can probably work even without it, replacing it would increase the necessity to switch out from troublesome foes, which is never a good thing. That said, if you want to replace it, Dark Pulse, Aqua Jet and Protect are all worthwhile options.
For the STAB move, I chose Water Pulse. I picked it over Scald for various reasons. First of all, the burn chance of Scald can put you in a bad spot if you happen to burn Pokemon with Guts or other abilities that take advantage of status. Water Pulse, on the other hand, can be used on anything without worries, and the confusion chance proved useful more than once to buy a few free turns. Another advantage over Scald is the increase in power, which comes in handy in ensuring a few KOs. Some examples:

188+ SpA Blastoise-Mega Scald vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Rotom-Heat: 140-168 (89.1 - 107%) -- 37.5% chance to OHKO

188+ SpA Mega Launcher Blastoise-Mega Water Pulse vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Rotom-Heat: 158-188 (100.6 - 119.7%) -- guaranteed OHKO

--------------

188+ SpA Blastoise-Mega Scald vs. 0 HP / 168 SpD Excadrill: 168-200 (90.8 - 108.1%) -- 50% chance to OHKO

188+ SpA Mega Launcher Blastoise-Mega Water Pulse vs. 0 HP / 168 SpD Excadrill: 188-224 (101.6 - 121%) -- guaranteed OHKO

--------------

188+ SpA Blastoise-Mega Scald vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Golurk: 176-210 (89.7 - 107.1%) -- 37.5% chance to OHKO

188+ SpA Mega Launcher Blastoise-Mega Water Pulse vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Golurk: 200-236 (102 - 120.4%) -- guaranteed OHKO

--------------

188+ SpA Blastoise-Mega Scald vs. 0 HP / 168 SpD Emboar: 168-200 (90.8 - 108.1%) -- 50% chance to OHKO

188+ SpA Mega Launcher Blastoise-Mega Water Pulse vs. 0 HP / 168 SpD Emboar: 188-224 (101.6 - 121%) -- guaranteed OHKO

--------------

188+ SpA Blastoise-Mega Scald vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Armaldo: 176-210 (96.7 - 115.3%) -- 81.3% chance to OHKO

188+ SpA Mega Launcher Blastoise-Mega Water Pulse vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Armaldo: 200-236 (109.8 - 129.6%) -- guaranteed OHKO

Although my preference goes to Water Pulse, Scald is still a viable alternative if one wants to take advantage of potential burns, not to mention that it can be used to defrost Blastoise and, in a pinch, its teammates (well, not Togedemaru ^^).
The second attacking move is Aura Sphere, one of the main perks of Mega Blastoise over other special attackers, and probably the most important move in its arsenal. Since it can't miss, it’s the perfect tool to hit through Bright Powders/Lax Incenses and Double Teams, taking away a great source of frustration. Now previously annoying Pokemon like Walrein-4, Registeel-4 and Bastiodon-3 are no longer an issue. Another thing worth noting is that Aura Sphere is almost as powerful as Water Pulse, making them interchangeable assuming they have the same grade of effectiveness. An example:

188+ SpA Mega Launcher Blastoise-Mega Water Pulse vs. 0 HP / 252 SpD Rampardos: 198-234 (115.1 - 136%) -- guaranteed OHKO

188+ SpA Mega Launcher Blastoise-Mega Aura Sphere vs. 0 HP / 252 SpD Rampardos: 174-206 (101.1 - 119.7%) -- guaranteed OHKO

This is very important to keep in mind if Water Pulse loses power because of Sunny Day, or becomes outright unusable for the presence of a Storm Drain Pokemon. Together with Golisopod's Bug-type moves, Aura Sphere also makes short work of most Dark-types, which are the bane of Cresselia's existence, while also taking a sizable chunk out of most Steel-types, some of which are too bulky for the rest of team.
The choice of the fourth move required some extra thinking. At first I tried Dark Pulse, mainly because I wanted another Mega Launcher-boosted move. Although it makes the starting duo more effective at handling foes like Jellicent and Toxapex, it still leaves the team vulnerable to dangerous Pokemon such as Mega Salamence, Dragonite and Mega Altaria, so I moved on. Unlike Raichu, Blastoise has no shortage of Ice-type moves, so I just had to choose the most suitable one. Icy Wind was my first thought, as Blastoise and Cresselia, with their decent speed, could easily take advantage of it. However, I quickly changed my mind when I realized how weak a spread Icy Wind is, not to mention that many of its targets are still faster than Blastoise even at -1 (e.g. Mega Salamence) and that it can fail. More power was definitely required, so the good old, reliable Ice Beam was the way to go. With Ice Beam, Blastoise can support Golisopod, dealing sizable damage to most Flying- and Dragon-types. Ice Beam also allows Blastoise to somewhat deal with Grass-types, lessening the need for Golisopod's help.

Unlike Golisopod, Blastoise has a more convoluted EV spread, which stems from my hatred for Rotom Appliances (seriously, those tiny levitating demons are everywhere, and are always a pain to deal with). The 68 speed EVs are needed to outrun uninvested Rotom forms, while 188 EVs in SpA with a modest nature ensure the OHKO on 252/0 Rotom-H. The 236/12 investment in special bulk gives you very good chances to survive a Thunder from a modest Rotom-A. Blastoise’s EV spread could actually be tailored to always survive such a hit, but that would require to move 56 EVs from HP to SpDef, compromising its physical bulk. The 4 leftovers EVs are put in Defense.

Ah, Togedemaru! There aren't enough words to describe the impact that the introduction of the gen 7 pikaclone had on the performance of the team. As you know if you read my old analyses, Togedemaru’s role was previously fulfilled by Raichu. Now, I can't say Raichu is a bad Pokemon, most of the time it got the job done by shielding Golisopod from electric attacks and assisting it in the elimination of troublesome enemies. As explained, however, I slowly but steadily grew tired of Raichu's limitations, namely a mediocre Special Attack, a poor offensive movepool, and the absolute inability to take even low-powered attacks without instantly dying. This last issue proved particularly annoying with the new design of the team, as the Lightningrod user now had to stay in the backline, so I needed something with at least some switch-in opportunities. Despite its horrid defenses (almost on par with Raichu's), Togedemaru can usually switch-in relatively safely thanks to its amazing defensive typing and ability, which grant it two immunities, two 4x resistances and eight 2x resistances. The fact that Togedemaru resists all of Blastoise and Golisopod's weaknesses helps it entering the field without taking excessive amounts of damage. A wonderful defensive typing isn't the only advantage that Togedemaru has over Raichu. Speaking of advantages, I'd like to make a quick list of the main benefits of each Pokemon:

Raichu

• Higher speed stat (110 vs 96), which allows it to outspeed the crowded base 100 speed tier. In addition, it gets the jump on a number of Fake Out users such as Mega Kangaskhan, Infernape and Mienshao.
• Ability to put to use Lightningrod SpA boosts.
• Being a special attacker, it's not hindered by Intimidate and burns.

Togedemaru

• Great defensive typing. As mentioned, this is very useful in order to avoid being wiped out instantly upon entering the battlefield. However, it has another distinct advantage: it allows you to predict the AI’s attacks with a higher degree of accuracy, especially if Togedemaru is paired with Golisopod, as they have a good defensive synergy.
• Sandstorm immunity. This is more crucial than one may think, as Tyranitar and Hippowdon are everywhere, and there are a few dangerous Sandstorm (ab)users, such as Excadrill-3, Mega Garchomp and Landorus-3, so not losing your Focus Sash prematurely can make a huge difference.
• Spiky Shield. An enhanced version of Protect that also deals damage if the enemy makes physical contact. This extra bit of damage proved very useful to prevent foes from surviving with a silver of life (a not so rare occurrence). The move works very well on Togedemaru, as it attracts the Fighting-type moves that many physical attackers run as coverage moves. However, its main selling point is its Grass typing, which makes it WAY cooler than Protect!
• Flinches. Both Zing Zap and Iron Head have a solid 30% chance of making the foe flinch. While it's not something you can rely on, it's something you can fall back on in desperate circumstances, when you absolutely need a free turn. Flinches actually saved us more than once, and even in more relaxed situations, they are always useful to make the battle smoother.

At the end of the day, both Pokemon are perfectly usable, but with this team Togedemaru has the edge over Raichu because of its higher survivability.
Speaking of survivability, it's worth noting that despite its thin defenses, Togedemaru still works well as a Lightningrod user, as several Electric types lack coverage moves against Steel types, thus failing to even 2HKO Togedemaru. This means that when facing said Electric types, Togedemaru and its teammate can usually gang up on the other foe without fearing much retaliation on Togedemaru. Here are some calculations.

252 SpA Raikou Shadow Ball vs. 4 HP / 0 SpD Togedemaru: 55-65 (39 - 46%) -- guaranteed 3HKO

252 SpA Jolteon Shadow Ball vs. 4 HP / 0 SpD Togedemaru: 53-63 (37.5 - 44.6%) -- guaranteed 3HKO

252 SpA Zapdos Ancient Power vs. 4 HP / 0 SpD Togedemaru: 22-26 (15.6 - 18.4%) -- possible 6HKO

252+ SpA Rotom-Frost Shadow Ball vs. 4 HP / 0 SpD Togedemaru: 56-67 (39.7 - 47.5%) -- guaranteed 3HKO

252 SpA Raichu-Alola Psychic vs. 4 HP / 0 SpD Togedemaru: 40-48 (28.3 - 34%) -- 0.9% chance to 3HKO

0 SpA Lanturn Ice Beam vs. 4 HP / 0 SpD Togedemaru: 17-21 (12 - 14.8%) -- possible 7HKO

252+ SpA Magnezone Tri Attack vs. 4 HP / 0 SpD Togedemaru: 32-38 (22.6 - 26.9%) -- 50% chance to 4HKO

Most of Togedemaru's moveset has already been discussed, but let's make a quick recap. Zing Zap and Iron Head are its damaging tools, and are essentially the same move (same power, accuracy and secondary effect), just with different typing. Zing Zap coverage was particularly important throughout the run, as it hits a few targets that can comfortably tank all of Golisopod and Blastoise's attacks, e.g. Primarina, Toxapex, Jellicent and Gyarados. Iron Head has somewhat limited coverage: since Rock and Ice types are usually dealt with by Golisopod and Blastoise, its main targets are Fairy types, with Mega-Altaria, Mega-Gardevoir and Togekiss being the most prominent ones. That said, Iron Head had a deep impact on Togedemaru's usability, as before USUM that slot was occupied by filler options like Toxic and Nuzzle, which saw only occasional use. Iron Head gave Togedemaru a solid secondary attacking move to use against Grass, Ground and Dragon types, reducing the number of Pokemon capable of walling Togedemaru. Additionally, having a second flinching attack is exceptionally useful, since a few free turns are never a bad thing.
The third slot goes to Spiky Shield, a.k.a. Protect 2.0. The residual damage it provides can sometimes turn 3HKOs into 2HKOs, or even deal the final blow to severely injured foes. And let's face it, is there anything funnier than watching a HJK user while it crashes into a wall of spikes?
Fake Out is the fourth and last move. At a glance, it may seem like an odd choice, as we already have another Fake Out user in Blastoise. However, the truth is that Togedemaru used Fake Out way more often than Blastoise. Between its good firepower and decent coverage, Blastoise can KO or severely damage a lot of Pokemon, meaning that most of the time it's better off attacking right away. Togedemaru, on the other hand, lacks the power to immediately threaten foes, nor has the bulk to take repeated attacks. Therefore, it relies on smart use of Fake Out and Spiky Shield to stay on the field as long as possible and carry out its Lightningrod duty. In addition, it's not uncommon for Togedemaru to use Fake Out to finish off an enemy that barely survived Blastoise or Golisopod's attacks. Lastly, the aforementioned defensive synergy between Togedemaru and Golisopod means that the latter can usually switch back into Ground or Fighting attacks aimed at the former. This gives Togedemaru another opportunity to use Fake Out later in the match.

Togedemaru has a very simple EV spread: max speed with a jolly nature to outrun as many opponents as possible, and max attack to have some offensive presence. Given Togedemaru's awful defenses, investing in bulk would be pointless, not to mention that reducing speed would allow more Fake Out users to outrun it. Also, the attack investment actually allows it to grab a few KOs here and there:

252 Atk Togedemaru Iron Head vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Florges: 156-186 (101.9 - 121.5%) -- guaranteed OHKO

252 Atk Togedemaru Zing Zap vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Pelipper: 168-196 (100.5 - 117.3%) -- guaranteed OHKO

252 Atk Togedemaru Zing Zap vs. 0 HP / 0- Def Staraptor: 168-200 (105 - 125%) -- guaranteed OHKO

The held item is, of course, a Focus Sash.

There are times when Golisopod and Blastoise, despite their offensive prowess, can't deal with all the enemies on their own. An unexpected miss, an untimely critical hit, or simply a bad matchup, can prematurely end their sweep. Or sometimes, we lose Togedemaru too early, and the opponents conveniently reveal two electric Pokemon in the backline. In these and other unfavorable situations, when things look desperate, Cresselia comes to rescue. With Cresselia, the battle plan is very simple: tank hits all day long. That's what she's supposed to do, and that's what she's successfully done most of the time. While she has a mediocre defensive typing, her titanic bulk and ability to get rid of status (especially Poison) with Rest allowed her to outstall several annoying opponents, even in 1v2 situations. The following calculations show how Cresselia can withstand even incredibly powerful attacks:


252+ Atk Escavalier Megahorn vs. 244 HP / 140+ Def Cresselia: 162-192 (71.6 - 84.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

252+ Atk Choice Band Armaldo X-Scissor vs. 244 HP / 140+ Def Cresselia: 152-182 (67.2 - 80.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

252+ Atk Choice Band Slaking Giga Impact vs. 244 HP / 140+ Def Cresselia: 171-202 (75.6 - 89.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

+1 252 Atk Mold Breaker Gyarados-Mega Crunch vs. 244 HP / 140+ Def Cresselia: 164-194 (72.5 - 85.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

252 Atk Choice Band Archeops Head Smash vs. 244 HP / 140+ Def Cresselia: 141-166 (62.3 - 73.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

+2 252 Atk Tough Claws Charizard-Mega-X Flare Blitz vs. 244 HP / 140+ Def Cresselia: 186-219 (82.3 - 96.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

252+ Atk Life Orb Golisopod First Impression vs. 244 HP / 140+ Def Cresselia: 151-179 (66.8 - 79.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

252+ Atk Choice Band Trevenant Shadow Claw vs. 244 HP / 140+ Def Cresselia on a critical hit: 186-218 (82.3 - 96.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

+2 0 SpA Volcarona Bug Buzz vs. 244 HP / 108 SpD Cresselia: 192-228 (84.9 - 100.8%) -- 6.3% chance to OHKO

252+ SpA Choice Specs Mega Launcher Clawitzer Dark Pulse vs. 244 HP / 108 SpD Cresselia: 158-186 (69.9 - 82.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

252 SpA Mismagius Never-Ending Nightmare (160 BP) vs. 244 HP / 108 SpD Cresselia: 174-206 (76.9 - 91.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO


Cresselia's extreme sturdiness allows her to avoid being 3HKOed by anything lacking high offensive stats and/or incredibly strong attacks. This means that most of the time she can comfortably alternate between Calm Mind and Rest until she's ready to fire off decently powerful attacks. Cresselia's good speed (at least for a wall) greatly increases her survivability, as it provides her with more opportunities to use Rest before being taken out.

Now let's have a quick look at her movepool. It's a pretty standard Calm Mind set, with the only oddity being the coverage move used alongside her STAB move.
Psychic is Cresselia's primary attacking move. It's been chosen over Psyshock for its higher base power and possible Sp.Def. drops. That said, Psyshock is still a viable choice to win Calm Mind wars and to hit special walls/tanks like Blissey and Snorlax.
In the second slot we have Hidden Power Fire. We chose it over other coverage moves because we wanted a second SE move against Steel types, as Blastoise can't always handle them on its own. Although it proved very useful to take out annoying targets like Mega Scizor and Ferrothorn, its base power is pathetically low, so it needs several boosts before dealing any meaningful damage. With that in mind, and considering the threat posed by Dark types, maybe I should replace it with another coverage move, with Moonblast being the most appealing option.
Calm Mind boosts Cresselia’s Sp.Def. to godlike levels while giving her at least some sort of offensive presence. The Sp.Def. boosts in particular allow her to wall any special attacker lacking a strong SE move.
Rest is probably Cresselia's most important move. Not only it makes her a sturdy status absorber, but it also allows her to win stall wars against opponents that can comfortably handle even a fully setup Cresselia, such as Cresselia-2 and Blissey-4. Additionally, it can be used to make an opponent waste all the pp of a dangerous attack (e.g. a SE non-STAB move that barely fails to 3HKO Cresselia) before starting the setup.

With Cresselia, we have a pretty elaborate ev spread. The investment in Sp.Def. allows Cresselia to always survive Honchkrow’s Black Hole Eclipse from full health, while the defensive EVs maximize the chances of avoiding the 2HKO from Tyranitar’s Crunch. Those 12 speed EVs are there to outrun uninvested Rotoms, and the 4 remaining EVs are placed in Sp.Atk. The best item for Cresselia is undoubtedly Leftovers, which is actually enough to keep her alive most of time. However, a Chesto Berry is a viable alternative for a one-turn Rest.

THREATS & ANNOYANCES

THREATS

Thanks to Togedemaru, electric Pokemon usually don't pose much of a threat. Mega Ampharos is the exception to the rule, as its Mold Breaker ability allows it to ignore Lightningrod and hit Blastoise and Golisopod with devastatingly powerful Thunders. Blastoise can only deal up to 62% with Ice Beam, while Thunder is a surefire OHKO. Golisopod fares even worse, as it's outsped by M-Ampharos and only has a tiny chance of survive the hit (1/16), so unless First Impression is available, the best it can do is throw a resisted Aqua Jet. Togedemaru can only try to fish for a flinch, as its attacks deal pathetic damage, and M-Ampharos has Focus Blast to quickly get rid of the electric rodent. This leaves Cresselia as the only check to M-Ampharos, as she's faster and can boost her Sp.Def. However, Amphy conveniently has Confuse Ray to foil Cresselia's plans. This, together with Thunder’s 30% chance of paralysis, can spell doom even for Cresselia, especially if Amphy isn't alone on the field.
M-Ampharos is easier to handle if it shows up at the beginning of the battle, as it can be targeted either with First Impression + Ice Beam (not an assured KO though), or with Fake Out + First Impression and finished off with Ice Beam during the following turn (this can be done if we are 100% sure that Blastoise will be able to attack on turn 2).
Dealing with Amphy is definitely harder if it shows up in the middle of the battle. In this case, the best course of action is to stop it with Fake Out (if possible), while Blastoise/Golisopod start attacking it, or Cresselia gets at least one boost. After a Fake Out + Ice Beam or Leech Life, Amphy will be below 50% health, so it can be finished off later even with weak or NVE attacks (for example, an unboosted Psychic deals around 20%). In a Togedemaru + Cresselia situation, Cresselia will have the opportunity to use a second Calm Mind before Amphy gets a chance to attack, making it a bit easier to handle. Of course, all these hypotheses assume that Amphy’s teammate isn't too threatening. If, on the other hand, it's paired with something troublesome, things can get really tricky.

OH.MY.GOD. KIAWE. I hate this guy, I hate his stupid dancing Marowaks, and I hate the devs for creating him. He's not that hard to handle in multi, but in doubles he's a real nightmare. Where should I start from? Maybe from his Fake Out users, Salazzle and Mega Kangaskhan. They both outrun my own Fake Outers, so there's nothing I can do to prevent them from using the move. Both Salazzle have additional sources of annoyance: Salazzle-3 comes equipped with a Focus Sash, so I must use two attacks to kill it, while Salazzle-4 has Firium-Z, and a 195-BP Inferno Overdrive definitely hurts. Mega Kangaskhan is troublesome as usual: her good uninvested bulk allows her to avoid the OHKO from Blastoise's Aura Sphere, and her attacking power means that even Cresselia can't comfortably wall her (a Parental Bond-boosted Double Edge deals up to 46.4%).
Of course, a sun team needs a sun setter, in this case Arcanine. With Sunny Day active, Golisopod becomes almost useless, even more so if it gets intimidated by Arcanine or burned by a stray fire attack, and Blastoise loses the ability to KO water-weak targets. The fact that both variants of Arcanine have Extreme Speed means that they can finish a weakened Golisopod or Togedemaru before they can land one last attack.
If all this wasn't enough, fear not, as Kiawe has other tricks up his sleeve. Talonflame makes Golisopod's life miserable, as it takes no damage from Bug-type moves, and can use Gale Wings Brave Bird to send Golisopod away, preventing it from using Aqua Jet. Even if Talonflame hasn't Gale Wings, it can still take an Aqua Jet and threaten to burn Golisopod with Flame Body. The threat of a burn is concerning for poor Togedemaru too, as a burned Togedemaru deals next to no damage and can't rely on its Focus Sash, making it even more of a liability against Kiawe.
The last component of Kiawe’s roster, alolan Marowak, is just a bit less annoying than the others, as its low speed and mediocre defenses make it easier to handle. That said, its sheer Power mustn't be underestimated. Cresselia and Blastoise are 2HKOed by either Shadow Bone or a sun-boosted Flare Blitz, Golisopod is outsped and sent below half health by Flare Blitz (which actually has a 56.3% chance to OHKO if sun is up), and Togedemaru is destroyed by any of Marowak's attacks if its Focus Sash is broken. In addition to an incredible attacking power, Marowak also has 3 annoying abilities: Rock Head grants it recoil-free Flare Blitzes, Lightningrod prevents Togedemaru from using Zing Zap (not good with 4 of Kiawe’s Pokemon resisting Iron Head), and Cursed Body can disable a crucial move like Water Pulse or Aqua Jet.
So, all things considered, what's the best course of action when facing Kiawe? Hard to say. Generally speaking, eliminating Kangaskhan is the main priority, because it's the main threat to Blastoise. Unlike the physical attackers, Blastoise isn't hindered by Intimidate and burns (and isn't forced out by Emergency Exit), so most of the time I'm relying on it to deal the majority of damage. While the various fire types tend to direct their STAB attacks towards Golisopod and Togedemaru, Kangaskhan has no troubles targeting Blastoise with its powerful Double Edges. Luckily, the recoil from Double Edge ensures the KO with Aura Sphere, and even if Kangaskhan decides not to use Double Edge, Aura Sphere still leaves her in the KO range Golisopod or Togedemaru's priority moves.
With Kangaskhan out of the picture, Blastoise can more or less deal with Kiawe's fire Pokemon, as Water Pulse 2HKOs all of them even under sun. Of course, things aren't usually so simple, because a weakened Blastoise can be taken out by pretty easily by Arcanine’s Solar Beam or Talonflame’s Brave Bird.
Even without Blastoise, the rest of the team can usually come out on top: for example, if Kiawe lacks Arcanine, Golisopod can use Aqua Jet unhindered, 2HKOing anything but M-Kangaskhan. The absence of Marowak, on the other hand, allows Cresselia to comfortably tank a few hits, leaving her teammates enough time to deal with the opposition.
To conclude, it's worth noting that the outcome of the battle is influenced not only by the selection of Pokemon, but also by their order. For example, Kangaskhan is easier to handle at the beginning of the battle, when Golisopod and Blastoise are healthy enough to sustain her attacks. On the contrary, she can be devastating if she appears later, when everybody is already injured.
Another interesting example is Marowak: it is completely destroyed by Golisopod and Blastoise, but can be a real nightmare if I have to face it with Togedemaru and Cresselia.

In addition to Kiawe, the Battle Tree has no shortage of sun teams, which can be equally dangerous, depending on their composition. The most annoying ones feature an automatic sun setter (i.e. Ninetales or M-Charizard Y), powerful users of fire moves (e.g. Darmanitan, Incineroar, Delphox) and various sun abusers, especially grass types with Chlorophyll and/or Solar Beam (Exeggutor, Tangrowth, Lilligant). The key for successfully face these teams is Golisopod, as it can demolish grass types with Leech Life while restoring its health, and then it can use Aqua Jet to 2HKO a lot of fire types once Sunny Day is no longer in effect. Cresselia can be very helpful too, as most fire and grass types lack SE coverage moves, so she can reliably tank their attacks after a couple of boosts.

Despite being a defining component of the most dangerous sun teams, M-Charizard-Y is a legitimate threat on its own, so it deserves its own paragraph. Its Drought ability is the first source of annoyance, as it reduces the power of my water-type moves. Therefore, assuming Charizard shows up at turn 1, the only way to prevent him from attacking is to immediately target it with Fake Out + Liquidation, and then finish it off with Aqua Jet. Of course this leaves Charizard’s teammate the freedom to do what it wants for one or two turns. Moreover, this strategy won't work if Golisopod is forced out by Charizard's teammate, or if it gets weakened by Intimidate. If, for any reason, Charizard get a chance to attack, the fun begins. Air Slash 2HKOs Golisopod, forcing it to use a weak Aqua Jet before being removed from the field, Solar Beam deals up to 90% to Blastoise, putting it in the KO range of any other attack, and Togedemaru is vaporized by Heat Wave, which deals heavy damage to Golisopod too (up to 50%). Cresselia is the only member of the team that can repeatedly take Charizard's assaults, as a single Calm Mind allows her to avoid being 4HKOed by a spread Heat Wave, so she can keep boosting, using Rest when necessary. Needless to say, the presence of other fire Pokemon can make the task way harder (sun-boosted Flare Blitzes are especially dangerous). Togedemaru can also work as a countermeasure against Charizard, assuming it finds an opportunity to attack (easier said than done): Zing Zap has a 37.5% chance to OHKO Charizard.

Another tough opponent. Although its selection of Pokemon doesn't look that scary at first glance, it has several hidden threats that can make the fight harder than expected. Kukui has 3 main Pokemon to watch out for: Snorlax, Primarina and Incineroar.
Snorlax is horribly annoying regardless of the variant encountered. Snorlax-3 has max attack and holds a Life Orb, so it deals heavy damage with STAB Double Edge. Additionally, the investment in Defense makes it reasonably sturdy on both sides, meaning that I usually need 2 or 3 attacks to take it down. Of course, Snorlax-3 conveniently knows Protect, so focusing on it can backfire hard. Snorlax-4 can be extremely dangerous too: max HP and Sp.Def. with an Assault Vest make it impenetrable on the special side (for reference, Blastoise's Aura Sphere is a 4HKO), so taking it down can require a lot of time, especially if my physical attackers have fainted or are at -1 because of Incineroar's Intimidate. This gives Snorlax ample time to paralyze my Pokemon with Body Slam or, even worse, outright kill them with Fissure. Despite being a formidable opponent, luckily Snorlax isn't invincible: Snorlax-3 is 2HKOed by Aura Sphere and takes sizable damage from Leech Life, granting Golisopod a good source of recovery. Additionally, the recoil from Life Orb and Double Edge adds up very quickly. Snorlax-4 is scary because of Fissure, but otherwise its attacks deal bearable damage, and its low defense can be exploited by Golisopod and Togedemaru.
Primarina is another problematic opponent because of its offensive power and great defensive typing. She resists all of Golisopod and Blastoise's moves, so I’m usually forced to ignore it and deal with its hopefully more manageable teammate. Obviously, this leaves Primarina the possibility to fire off her powerful Moonblasts, which not only 3HKO both Golisopod and Blastoise, but can also lower Blastoise's Sp.Atk. The best way to quickly dispose of Primarina is sending out Togedemaru, which deals up to 93% with Zing Zap. Sending out Togedemaru isn't easy though, as any damage taken will broke its Focus Sash, thus reducing its usefulness for the rest of the battle. It's also worth noting that Primarina-3 has Baby-Doll Eyes: while a -1 Togedemaru still 2HKOes Primarina, a Togedemaru without its Focus Sash and with lowered attack becomes almost useless.
As for Incineroar, I see it as Kiawe's Marowak's counterpart: it's relatively easy to handle if Golisopod and Blastoise are in good shape, it's a death sentence if I'm forced to face it with Togedemaru and Cresselia. Of course, Golisopod and Blastoise must be careful too when facing Incineroar. Incineroar-3 outspeeds Blastoise and can use Inferno Overdrive to force Golisopod out, while Incineroar-4 holds Quick Claw, so it can go first regardless of its low speed. With that in mind, the safest way to beat Incineroar is to stop it with Fake Out and then target it with Liquidation: if Incineroar survives, it can be finished off with Aqua Jet during the following turn (unless it's Incineroar-4 with Intimidate). However, if I'm uncertain whether Golisopod will be able to attack or not (e.g. Incineroar is paired with Braviary or Magnezone), the best idea is to switch in Cresselia (against Braviary) or Togedemaru (against Magnezone) and let them absorb the attacks while Blastoise KOs Incineroar with Water Pulse. As mentioned, the situation can become very unpleasant if Incineroar appears after my water types have gone: Togedemaru dies to any of Incineroar’s attacks, and Cresselia can't touch Incineroar (even a +6 Hp Fire deals pathetic damage). In this case, I can only try to fish for flinches with Togedemaru's Zing Zap, and hope for the best.

ANNOYANCES

Aren't these silly animated appliances the most irritating Pokemon in the Tree? Aside from the fact that they're everywhere, they have a variety of different sets, they refuse to die no matter what I throw at them, and they force me to switch in Togedemaru more often than I'd like. As usual, Rotom-W stands out among the multitude of Rotom Appliances because of its great defensive typing, which allows it take a couple of hits and retaliate back with its deceptively powerful Thunders and Hydro Pumps. Luckily, the other Rotom Formes have exploitable weaknesses, so they're much easier to handle.

While these Pokemon aren't particularly threatening on their own (Golisopod pulverizes them in the blink of an eye), they're annoying because of their abilities, Queenly Majesty and Dazzling, which block priority moves. This means I can't rely on First Impression to eliminate them before they attack, giving them time to use Trop Kick (which either deals heavy damage to Blastoise or lowers Golisopod's attack) or Strong Jaw-boosted Psychic Fangs (which can 2HKO Blastoise).

Another Pokemon that must be removed from the field as soon as possible, because its Storm Drain ability redirects and absorbs Water-type moves. Of course, both Gastrodon 3 and 4 are equipped with all the tools necessary to stay on the field as long as possible: both variants have some level of defensive investment, and they both pack Leftovers. Additionally, Gastrodon-3 has Recover, while Gastrodon-4 knows both Curse and Amnesia, so depending on what I have on the field I usually need 2 or 3 turns to take them out.
Note that there's another Storm Drain user in the Tree, Cradily. It isn't usually a problem though, as it has many weaknesses I can take advantage of (Bug, Ice, Fighting, Steel).

One of the most neglected legendaries in Pokemon history, and yet a horribly frustrating opponent to face. While its Slow Start ability ensures that it's both slow and offensively weak, its selection of disruptive moves can make the fight a living hell. Thunder Wave, Confuse Ray, Double Team and Toxic are the staples of Regigigas’s movesets. Combine them with Leftovers (3 variants), great bulk (all variants have max HP), and general lack of weaknesses, and taking it down can become a real challenge. I didn't put Regigigas among threats simply because it's offensively harmless, and its luck-based strategies often end up achieving nothing. That said, I've lost more than once because of parafusion (and Regigigas-3 can add Rock Slide flinches to the mix), so Regigigas is definitely a foe to watch out for.

An age-old trouble because I usually lack sturdy rock resistors, or faster special attackers that can prevent him from attacking. The power level of Tyrantrum-4 is really obscene: its Head Smash OHKOes both Golisopod and Togedemaru, has a 56.3% chance to OHKO Blastoise and cleanly 2HKOes even the mighty Cresselia. I've yet to find a reliable way to deal with this monster. Most of the time, I use Golisopod as a Head Smash bait while Blastoise OHKOes Tyrantrum with Aura Sphere or Togedemaru 2HKOes it with Iron Head. Alternatively, Blastoise or Togedemaru can use Fake Out to stop it for a turn, buying some time to damage/KO it.
There are two other Head Smash users which are potentially dangerous: Rampardos and Archeops. Luckily, these are much easier to handle, as they are both extremely frail, Rampardos-3 is outsped by Blastoise, and Archeops is brought into Defeatist range by Aqua Jet. Also, unlike Tyrantrum, they don't have access to Rock Head, so the recoil from Head Smash quickly takes its toll.

BATTLE VIDEOS

DOUBLES

Battle 113 vs Garchomp-4/Wash Rotom-3/Tyranitar-3/Metagross-4
V7TG-WWWW-WWWT-47V6

A tough battle. After a massacre on both sides, Cresselia faced Rotom in an epic 1vs1 battle. Despite almost losing to paraflinch hax (Thunder Wave + Dark Pulse), Cresselia sneaked in a Rest just in time to foil Rotom’s plans.

Battle 140 vs Braviary-?/Snorlax-3/Incineroar-3/Magnezone-3
BLPG-WWWW-WWWT-47RF

My good friend Kukui trying to stop me. He almost succeeded, as I found myself in the dreaded Togedemaru+Cresselia vs Incineroar situation. Luckily, Togedemaru saved the day with a well-timed flinch.

Battle 170 vs Braviary-4/Magnezone-3/Incineroar-?/Primarina-?
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Kukui again. This time I completely destroyed him!

Battle 187 vs Rhyperior-?/Conkeldurr-4/Slaking-3/Regigigas-4
VZNW-WWWW-WWWT-484F

Although it wasn't the first time I met it, I was caught completely off guard by Slaking’s tremendous power. After losing Golisopod and Blastoise, I played the rest of the match with the certainty I was going to lose. Somehow, I managed to win (thanks in part to Slaking's dumbness), but I felt really uneasy.

Battle 200 vs Kangaskhan-?/Arcanine-4/Alolan Marowak-2/Talonflame-?
E23G-WWWW-WWWT-485S

Kiawe was the perfect opponent to ruin my streak just on the 200-win line. He failed miserably, as I steamrolled his team in 4 turns.

Battle 218 vs Crobat-3/Nidoking-3/Glalie-4/Gyarados-4
857G-WWWW-WWWT-487R

Here I found myself in an uncomfortable 1vs2 situation, as Cresselia had to face mega Glalie and Gyarados on her own. I was ready to lose, but Glalie was so kind to explode while Gyarados was using another Dragon Dance, killing it and giving me an unexpected victory.

Battle 230 vs Salazzle-3/Arcanine-3/Alolan Marowak-2/Kangaskhan-4
S7BW-WWWW-WWWT-48AL

And here we have Kiawe in his full glory, with both his Fake Outers, the most dangerous M-Kangaskhan variant and Sunny Day Arcanine with Intimidate. Despite this, I had the situation more or less under control, although the final confrontation between Cresselia and Kangaskhan was a bit too close for my liking.

Battle 249 vs Sawk-4/Ludicolo-4/Drapion-?/Vespiquen-4
3JBG-WWWW-WWWT-ERHC

I'm ashamed to admit that I almost lost to such a pathetic team. In the end, Cresselia had to face Vespiquen. After taking an Attack Order, I was in the KO range of a second one, but I was faster and could comfortably finish her. Then Vespiquen’s Custap Berry activated, and I shuddered while thinking “this time it's over”. However, Cresselia miraculously survived the attack with 8 HP, saving me once more.

Battle 262 vs Raikou-3/Virizion-3/Latias-3/Azelf-3
UJEG-WWWW-WWWT-ERJ4

One last example of the team performing at its best. Togedemaru and Cresselia kept switching in and out to absorb attacks while Golisopod happily tore apart the whole enemy team.

THE LOSS
Battle 286 vs Aromatisse-?/Primarina-3/Togekiss-?/Mimikyu-4
E6YG-WWWW-WWWT-48BE

An unexpected loss against a not so threatening team, honestly I didn't see it coming. My opponent started sending out Primarina and Aromatisse. The former resists all of Golisopod and Blastoise's moves, so I decided to focus on the latter, whose set 4 is particularly annoying because of Trick Room, Heal Pulse and Aromatic Mist. On turn 1 I targeted Aromatisse with Fake Out and Liquidation, while Primarina used Moonblast on Blastoise, lowering its SpA. I needed another turn to finish Aromatisse, which got replaced by Togekiss. Again, I had no choice: I decided to concentrate on Togekiss in order to avoid flinching hax. Here I probably made a mistake, as I switched out Golisopod to avoid a possible Air Slash and sent in Togedemaru. Doing so, I prematurely broke Togedemaru's Focus Sash, preventing it from attacking twice. I decided to use the only turn Togedemaru had at disposal to kill Togekiss (another mistake?), while Primarina wiped out Togedemaru with Hydro Pump. At that point, Mimikyu made its appearance. It eliminated Blastoise with Shadow Sneak, so in the end I was left with Cresselia and a damaged Golisopod against full health Primarina and Mimikyu. And I suddenly realized my winning streak was about to end.

MULTI

Battle 160 vs Staraptor-?/Salamence-3 + Gallade-3/Magnezone-3
WFEG-WWWW-WWWN-7RPN

Another 1vs2 challenge for Cresselia, this time against Salamence and Magnezone. We didn't lose thanks to a providential Draco Meteor miss. Phew!

Battle 200 vs Garchomp-4/Gallade-3 + Braviary-4/Magnezone-4
V9GW-WWWW-WWWN-7RRJ

Nothing noticeable here, just battle 200.

Battle 256 vs Thundurus-2/Registeel-1 + Heatran-2/Tornadus-2
GKQW-WWWW-WWWN-7RSN

The team steamrolling the usual bunch of legendaries. Tornadus was mildly annoying because of its perfectly accurate, always confusing Hurricanes.

Battle 258 vs Aggron-3/Alolan Golem-2 + Mimikyu-4/Scizor-4
PQDG-WWWW-WWWN-7RUX

This would look like a pretty ordinary battle if it weren't for the last turn. A wounded Golisopod (slightly above 50% HP) and a +1/+1, 176 HP Cresselia are facing a +2 Speed Golem and a Mega Scizor. At that point, we make a very stupid mistake: we use Aqua Jet on Golem, activating its Weakness Policy. Of course Golem explodes right away, taking out Golisopod and leaving Cresselia at 16 HP. If Cresselia had fainted, it would have been a 1vs1 between Togedemaru and Mega Scizor (which had around 60% of its health left). In such a situation, the outcome of the battle would have been very uncertain: Scizor and Togedemaru 3HKO each other, and Togedemaru has Spiky Shield and flinches on its side, but Scizor can turn the tables with Roost and Bullet Punch.
Morale of the story: don't mindlessly activate your enemy's Weakness Policy!

Battle 261 vs Excadrill-4/Lickilicky-4 + Nidoqueen-3/Pinsir-4
9AWG-WWWW-WWWN-7SWL

Uh...I can't remember why we saved this video. Watch it if you want ‘^^

Battle 328 vs Archeops-3/Wishiwashi-3 + Crobat-3/Greninja-3
ZZRW-WWWW-WWWN-7S24

Video saved just for fun. Watching a 3vs1(Togedemaru, Cresselia and Wishiwashi vs Greninja) is always entertaining XD

THE LOSS
Battle 390 vs Altaria-4/Magnezone-4 + Bisharp-3/Drapion-?
G3LW-WWWW-WWWN-7S3K

This loss was caused by two defined moments: turn 1 and turns 5-6. Wally and Grimsley start the battle sending out Altaria and Bisharp respectively. Although Bisharp can be easily OHKOed by Blastoise, we can't let a potential Mega Altaria unchecked, so we decide to target it with Ice Beam while Golisopod uses First Impression on Bisharp. Sadly, Altaria (which turns out not to be Mega) survives the hit (the odds were admittedly in its favour) and puts Blastoise to sleep with Sing, putting us in a disadvantageous position. With Blastoise out of commission, Golisopod must finish Altaria with Aqua Jet while Bisharp keeps attacking Blastoise, killing it on turn 3. Altaria gets replaced by Magnezone, Blastoise by Cresselia, and we manually switch out Golisopod to allow Togedemaru to absorb incoming Thunderbolts. Togedemaru finished off Bisharp, and so we get to turn 5, with a full health Togedemaru and a 197 HP Cresselia vs Magnezone and the newly arrived Drapion. At this point, we face a dilemma: what will Drapion do? Will it use Earthquake to hit Togedemaru, while also damaging Magnezone, or will it target Cresselia with Night Slash? There's no way to reliably predict Drapion’s behaviour, but considering that Cresselia can take 3 Night Slashes, we choose to play it safe and protect Togedemaru with Spiky Shield while Cresselia starts damaging Drapion with HP Fire. In hindsight, it was a fatal mistake. Magnezone and Drapion decide to focus on Cresselia, making us waste Togedemaru's turn, and Drapion scores a Critical Hit on Cresselia, almost killing her and thus revealing its ability, Sniper. Cresselia barely survives the two hits, but we realize that our chances of winning are slim. On turn 6, we try to fish for a flinch on Drapion to give Cresselia the chance to use Rest. It doesn't work, and Cresselia gets KOed by Drapion. There's still some hope, as Drapion is in the KO range of Zing Zap, assuming a decent damage roll; additionally, Magnezone’s Tri-Attack isn't even a guaranteed 4HKO on Togedemaru, so the rodent can damage Magnezone enough for Golisopod to finish it (and Golisopod can tank a Thunderbolt, should the need arise). This last glimmer of hope, however, faded a few seconds later when Magnezone’s Tri-Attack turned Togedemaru into a frozen mouse, thus sealing our fate.

Well, I think that's enough for now (actually more than enough, it took me forever to prepare this writeup ^^). Of course, we won't stop aiming for better results, but we definitely need to find something better than Cresselia for the last slot. Don't get me wrong, she made a nice job, and we wouldn't have got so far without her. Nonetheless, she is very passive, as she needs a lot of time to pose an actual threat, so she tends to fail badly when facing already boosted or highly offensive Pokemon. In these situations, something with a higher offensive presence would prove more useful, as said threats must be eliminated quickly. We are already trying a few alternatives, some of which are working relatively well (we are approaching the 200-win mark again).
I hope I can post about a new Super Multi record soon.
Thanks for reading ^_^

 

[turskain]

Hi everybody! Snorlax and Deynon are back again, this time to establish their supremacy over the Super Multi leaderboard. That's right, I'm here to submit an ended streak of 389 wins, our absolute best result in any battle facility so far. In addition to that, I'm also submitting a streak of 285 wins in Super Doubles. Thankfully, both streaks employed the same set of Pokemon, so they'll be covered with a single writeup.

Here are the brave warriors that led us to the top of the Super Multi leaderboard.

Golisopod @ Assault Vest
Ability: Emergency Exit
Nature: Adamant
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def
- First Impression
- Aqua Jet
- Leech Life
- Liquidation

Blastoise @ Blastoisinite
Ability: Torrent-->Mega Launcher
Nature: Modest
EVs: 236 HP / 4 Def / 188 SpA / 12 SpD / 68 Spe
- Water Pulse
- Aura Sphere
- Ice Beam
- Fake Out

Togedemaru @ Focus Sash
Ability: Lightningrod
Nature: Jolly
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
- Zing Zap
- Iron Head
- Spiky Shield
- Fake Out

Cresselia @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
Nature: Bold
EVs: 244 HP / 140 Def / 4 SpA / 108 SpD / 12 Spe
- Psychic
- Hidden Power Fire
- Calm Mind
- Rest
​

TEAM BUILDING

First of all, I'd like to point out that I started using this team for my doubles streak. This explains why I'll be writing mainly in first person during this paragraph. However, I'm not going to take all the merit for the creation of this team: even if I assembled it on my own, all the Pokemon used had already been tested during previous attempts, and their movesets/ ev spreads have been thoroughly discussed with Deynon during our gaming sessions. So, in the end, it’s as if we built it together.

At first, I wasn't sure that the team had the potential to reach any significant result, so I didn't propose it to Deynon, but I tested it a bit on my own instead. After risking a loss as early as battle 36, I almost dismantled the team, but I kept going, in order to at least get the doubles stamp, as I was still missing it. The subsequent battles, however, showed that the main issue was my inexperience with the team, as it actually fared pretty well against Blue and all those trainers full of legendaries. So, I decided to go as far as I could, and as I grew accustomed to the team, I realized that my first impression was completely wrong. Sure, there were some heart-pounding moments (see the battle videos section), but the team was more solid than expected, and with a bit of help from Lady Luck, somehow I managed to get to 285 wins, which is my second-best result in Doubles in any facility (after a never-posted streak in Battle Subway). The good results I obtained in the double format convinced me that it was worth giving the team a shot for multi; yet I can hardly believe we got to 389 wins. I would have never expected it.


Now, with regards to the building process itself, Golisopod was an automatic addition: both Deynon and I consider it one of the best Pokemon introduced in Gen VII, and after including it in all our teams for almost a year, we've become seriously Golisopod-dependent. Power, bulk, a solid defensive typing, self-recovery, access to strong priority moves: what else could you ask for? It isn't perfect by any means, as its low speed makes it over-reliant on priority moves, and its ability, while being not as terrible as one may think, isn't always easy to handle. Despite its flaws, Golisopod remains a very solid choice, and a viable starting point for the construction of a team that wants a good mix of bulk and offensive presence.

The choice of the Pokemon that had to be paired with Golisopod was maybe the hardest to make. Golisopod's classic partner has always been kantonian Raichu, for the reasons explained in the writeup of our previous multi streak (see post 2224), but as of late I've progressively grown tired of it, especially because of its limited offensive capabilities (only decent SpA and poor movepool). At first I looked for an alternate Lightning Rod user, but the ability has a terribile distribution, and I didn't feel like resorting to gimmicky options (although the idea of using Seaking crossed my mind more than once...), so I reluctantly accepted a compromise: giving up Lightning Rod while still keeping a Fake Out wielding special attacker. This way, I could still ensure some form of protection to Golisopod while not having the entire frontline susceptible to Intimidate. Of course, finding a Pokemon with these traits wasn't so immediate, simply because there aren't many special attackers with access to Fake Out. I still had a few option to choose from. Salazzle drew my attention because of its above average speed, good power and fire STAB, but I quickly discarded it because of its very limited offensive movepool. Ludicolo was another intriguing option, thanks to its wider choice of attacking moves and healing potential of Giga Drain. The dancing duck still had many important flaws, from its less than stellar stats to the compounded weakness to flying-type attacks, so I decided to move on. Infernape could have been an interesting idea, if only it had learned a reliable fighting-type special attack, while Jynx's great ice STAB wasn't enough to redeem its average speed and nonexistent bulk. After rejecting all these candidates, I remembered a Pokemon that had been taking dust in my boxes for months because of its bad performance during a previous streak, but nonetheless had all the characteristics needed to be a competent Golisopod's partner: very high offensive potential, above average defensive stats, decent speed and a colorful offensive movepool. This gem was Mega Blastoise. Honestly, I didn't consider it a gem at that time, but the lack of better options convinced me to grant it a second opportunity, and luckily I didn't regret that choice.

Not in the long run, at least. Because ten seconds after giving it the second slot of my team, I was about to remove it from the battle box. While starting to arrange the battle team, I was thinking about its synergy with Golisopod: no rock weakness, it can murder slower rock-types before they slaughter Golisopod, it has Ice Beam for flying-types, Golisopod protects it from grass-types, they share an electric weakn.....Oh, wait, this is no good! For some unknown reason, I had temporarily forgotten that I was going to pair two water-types, and I was ready to discard Blastoise for that reason alone. But every problem has its solution, and in this case, the solution was at hand: of course, I'm talking about our beloved Lightningrod! So, after falling into Lightningrod trap again, I went through the list of Pokemon with this ability once more, already knowing that I had very few viable choices. This time, however, I had an additional issue, as the Lightning Rod user had to be put in the second row, so I needed something that could switch in without dying instantly to any non-electric attack (bye bye Raichu). Now, the only Pokemon in the list that can be considered reasonably bulky is Eviolite Rhydon, which actually has a decent defensive synergy with Golisopod. I was really tempted to give it a try, but I changed my mind pretty quickly: Rhydon's many weaknesses are excessively hard to handle, and most of its STAB attacks are flawed in a way or another (Earthquake hits its teammate, while Drill Run, Rock Slide and Stone Edge have imperfect accuracy). After realizing that I couldn't have a defensive Lightningrod user, I decided to rely on resistances rather than on sheer bulk for my switch-in needs, so I turned my attention to Togedemaru, Deynon's favorite alternative to Raichu. Thanks to its excellent defensive typing, on paper it looked like a decent candidate to switch into Rock, Flying and Grass attacks aimed at Golisopod and Blastoise. In practice, it worked even better than expected, as I'll explain later.

At this point, I just needed a fourth Pokemon. This time the choice was pretty quick, as I didn't have great expectations for this team, so I didn't feel like investing too much time to choose the last team member. However, I still wanted something with good mixed bulk that could absorb status ailments. I also looked for something with a fire move, to help Blastoise getting rid of Steel-types (especially Ferrothorn, Mawile, Scizor and Escavalier). My recently RNGed Cresselia with HP Fire and Rest had all these traits, while also sporting a useful Ground immunity, so I gave her the last slot without a second thought.

TEAM DESCRIPTION

As usual, Golisopod is the main physical attacker of the team. It's a very straightforward Pokemon: simply choose the appropriate move and keep attacking until Golisopod dies...which actually doesn't happen very often, thanks to Emergency Exit. This ability may look like a burden at first, but after more than a year of intensive Golisopod usage, we learned to make the best of it. Basically, it acts like a life insurance: whenever Golisopod's HP drop under 50%, Emergency Exit kindly removes Golisopod from the field, ensuring that it won't be dealt the final blow too soon. One may think that Emergency Exit may put the switched in Pokemon at risk of taking an attack directed at Golisopod, but that's not usually the case. Between Blastoise’s Fake Out, which can stop SE attacks that have the potential to immediately send Golisopod out, and Golisopod's bulk, which usually allows it to tank even strong neutral attacks, it's very rare that the forced switch-in has to take a hit while entering the field. Emergency Exit also has other minor advantages, such as reactivating First Impression and preventing end of turn effects such as poison, weather damage and Leech Seed. Despite having a few redeeming qualities, Emergency Exit is still likely to let you down at times. Unexpected attacks aimed at Golisopod (or well-timed critical hits) can and will lead to unwanted activations of the ability, making Golisopod lose the turn. Also, it's undeniable that sometimes EE will put you in a disadvantageous position (e.g. you are forced to send out Cresselia against two dark-types). Nonetheless, with some practice you'll quickly learn to manage Golisopod's ability, and its minor flaws are a price we're willing to pay to use such a powerful and reliable Pokemon.

Now let's have a look at its moveset. Very basic, yet surprisingly effective. Leech Life is perhaps the most important weapon in Golisopod's arsenal: it’s strong, reliable, and capable of recovering large amounts of health, which is essential to keep Golisopod alive and to postpone the activation of EE (if needed). It's the move you'll be using most of the time, even on targets that are neutral to both Bug and Water, unless you specifically need to aim for a defense drop. It's also the most reliable move to quickly destroy the omnipresent Dark-types that may cause Cresselia huge troubles. Last but not least, Leech Life is needed to protect Blastoise from Grass-types, although it can defend itself with Ice Beam to a certain extent.
Aqua Jet takes the second slot, providing Golisopod a reliable and decently powerful priority attack. This is very useful in all those situations when you can't predict if Golisopod will be sent away by EE, as you can at least deal some damage in case you are forced out. Aqua Jet also packs enough power to cleanly 2HKO several fast Pokemon with a water weakness, including Salazzle, (Mega) Blaziken, Aerodactyl and Archeops.
First Impression doesn't see much use for obvious reasons, but thanks to its +2 priority, it still proves very useful to quickly eliminate annoying targets such as Mega Sceptile, Mega Latios, Mega Alakazam, Azelf and Mega Sharpedo. First Impression also deals good damage to most Electric-types, making it a nice tool to revenge kill weakened ones after Togedemaru has fallen.
The last slot goes to Liquidation, which gives Golisopod a stronger alternative to Aqua Jet when it needs to target bulky Ground- and Rock-types such as Hippowdon, Steelix, Gigalith and Aggron. Of course, some Fake Out support is usually needed in order to safely use Liquidation against said Pokemon, as Golisopod is easily outrun and sent away by a Rock-type move. The side effect of Liquidation can come in handy to weaken particularly bulky foes, or to put something in the KO range of Aqua Jet. Although it's not a bad move by any means, it's easily the most expendable one, especially since Golisopod is paired with Blastoise, which has a strong Water attack in Water Pulse. Interesting options include Knock Off, Poison Jab and Sucker Punch, should one desire more coverage against specific threats or an extra priority move. That said, discarding Liquidation can spell doom when facing troublesome opponents like Mega Charizard X, Mega Charizard Y and Mega Mawile.

The EV spread is very simple: max attack with an Adamant nature allows Golisopod to deal as much damage as possible, while max HP gives it well rounded bulk. The mandatory item (at least in our opinion) is an Assault Vest, which gives Golisopod a considerable boost to its already decent Special Defense, making it exceptionally durable on both sides. The following calculations showcase the impact of AV in increasing Golisopod's survivability:


Attacks that would OHKO Golisopod without an Assault Vest:

252 SpA Jolteon Thunder vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Assault Vest Golisopod: 122-146 (67 - 80.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

252 SpA Choice Specs Latios Thunder vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Assault Vest Golisopod: 138-164 (75.8 - 90.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

252 SpA Raikou Thunder vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Assault Vest Golisopod: 126-150 (69.2 - 82.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

252 SpA Tornadus Hurricane vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Assault Vest Golisopod: 134-158 (73.6 - 86.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

252 SpA Pidgeot-Mega Hurricane vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Assault Vest Golisopod: 140-168 (76.9 - 92.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

252+ SpA Oranguru Gigavolt Havoc (185 BP) vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Assault Vest Golisopod: 132-156 (72.5 - 85.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

252+ SpA Pixilate Gardevoir-Mega Hyper Beam vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Assault Vest Golisopod: 147-174 (80.7 - 95.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO


Attacks that would trigger Emergency Exit without an Assault Vest:

252+ SpA Carbink Power Gem vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Assault Vest Golisopod: 62-74 (34 - 40.6%) -- guaranteed 3HKO

252 SpA Delphox Fire Blast vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Assault Vest Golisopod: 63-75 (34.6 - 41.2%) -- guaranteed 3HKO

252 SpA Arcanine Overheat vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Assault Vest Golisopod: 67-81 (36.8 - 44.5%) -- guaranteed 3HKO

252 SpA Starmie Thunderbolt vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Assault Vest Golisopod: 64-76 (35.1 - 41.7%) -- guaranteed 3HKO

252 SpA Salamence Draco Meteor vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Assault Vest Golisopod: 73-87 (40.1 - 47.8%) -- guaranteed 3HKO

252 SpA Alakazam-Mega Psychic vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Assault Vest Golisopod: 70-84 (38.4 - 46.1%) -- guaranteed 3HKO

As mentioned earlier, Blastoise was chosen as Golisopod's new partner because I wanted a strong special attacker with access to Fake Out. This had the double benefit of shielding Golisopod from dangerous attacks even without Lightningrod, while also having only one Pokemon susceptible to Intimidates and burns. Additionally, Blastoise, with its access to Ice-type moves, can deal with those Dragon/Flying and Water/Flying Pokemon that Golisopod can't touch. Lastly, Blastoise’s decentish speed allows it to outpace and KO bulky, slow Rock-types that could easily eat an Aqua Jet and send away or outright KO Golisopod (Armaldo, Barbaracle and the like). These guys worked incredibly well together, as they have solid attacking power, above average bulk, and a good selection of moves with wide coverage (with a few notable exceptions that will be outlined later). Of course, Togedemaru had a vital role in determining Golisopod and Blastoise's success, as it made their shared electric weakness a non-issue.

Now, the moveset. Fake Out is Fake Out, it's useful as always to stop a dangerous foe while Blastoise's partner deals with it. Blastoise isn't exactly the most competent Fake Out user, as it’s slower than most Battle Tree Fake Outers. Also, sometimes Blastoise is better attacking right away in order to quickly eliminate a threat to Golisopod, making Fake Out a rarely used move. Although Blastoise can probably work even without it, replacing it would increase the necessity to switch out from troublesome foes, which is never a good thing. That said, if you want to replace it, Dark Pulse, Aqua Jet and Protect are all worthwhile options.
For the STAB move, I chose Water Pulse. I picked it over Scald for various reasons. First of all, the burn chance of Scald can put you in a bad spot if you happen to burn Pokemon with Guts or other abilities that take advantage of status. Water Pulse, on the other hand, can be used on anything without worries, and the confusion chance proved useful more than once to buy a few free turns. Another advantage over Scald is the increase in power, which comes in handy in ensuring a few KOs. Some examples:

188+ SpA Blastoise-Mega Scald vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Rotom-Heat: 140-168 (89.1 - 107%) -- 37.5% chance to OHKO

188+ SpA Mega Launcher Blastoise-Mega Water Pulse vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Rotom-Heat: 158-188 (100.6 - 119.7%) -- guaranteed OHKO

--------------

188+ SpA Blastoise-Mega Scald vs. 0 HP / 168 SpD Excadrill: 168-200 (90.8 - 108.1%) -- 50% chance to OHKO

188+ SpA Mega Launcher Blastoise-Mega Water Pulse vs. 0 HP / 168 SpD Excadrill: 188-224 (101.6 - 121%) -- guaranteed OHKO

--------------

188+ SpA Blastoise-Mega Scald vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Golurk: 176-210 (89.7 - 107.1%) -- 37.5% chance to OHKO

188+ SpA Mega Launcher Blastoise-Mega Water Pulse vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Golurk: 200-236 (102 - 120.4%) -- guaranteed OHKO

--------------

188+ SpA Blastoise-Mega Scald vs. 0 HP / 168 SpD Emboar: 168-200 (90.8 - 108.1%) -- 50% chance to OHKO

188+ SpA Mega Launcher Blastoise-Mega Water Pulse vs. 0 HP / 168 SpD Emboar: 188-224 (101.6 - 121%) -- guaranteed OHKO

--------------

188+ SpA Blastoise-Mega Scald vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Armaldo: 176-210 (96.7 - 115.3%) -- 81.3% chance to OHKO

188+ SpA Mega Launcher Blastoise-Mega Water Pulse vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Armaldo: 200-236 (109.8 - 129.6%) -- guaranteed OHKO

Although my preference goes to Water Pulse, Scald is still a viable alternative if one wants to take advantage of potential burns, not to mention that it can be used to defrost Blastoise and, in a pinch, its teammates (well, not Togedemaru ^^).
The second attacking move is Aura Sphere, one of the main perks of Mega Blastoise over other special attackers, and probably the most important move in its arsenal. Since it can't miss, it’s the perfect tool to hit through Bright Powders/Lax Incenses and Double Teams, taking away a great source of frustration. Now previously annoying Pokemon like Walrein-4, Registeel-4 and Bastiodon-3 are no longer an issue. Another thing worth noting is that Aura Sphere is almost as powerful as Water Pulse, making them interchangeable assuming they have the same grade of effectiveness. An example:

188+ SpA Mega Launcher Blastoise-Mega Water Pulse vs. 0 HP / 252 SpD Rampardos: 198-234 (115.1 - 136%) -- guaranteed OHKO

188+ SpA Mega Launcher Blastoise-Mega Aura Sphere vs. 0 HP / 252 SpD Rampardos: 174-206 (101.1 - 119.7%) -- guaranteed OHKO

This is very important to keep in mind if Water Pulse loses power because of Sunny Day, or becomes outright unusable for the presence of a Storm Drain Pokemon. Together with Golisopod's Bug-type moves, Aura Sphere also makes short work of most Dark-types, which are the bane of Cresselia's existence, while also taking a sizable chunk out of most Steel-types, some of which are too bulky for the rest of team.
The choice of the fourth move required some extra thinking. At first I tried Dark Pulse, mainly because I wanted another Mega Launcher-boosted move. Although it makes the starting duo more effective at handling foes like Jellicent and Toxapex, it still leaves the team vulnerable to dangerous Pokemon such as Mega Salamence, Dragonite and Mega Altaria, so I moved on. Unlike Raichu, Blastoise has no shortage of Ice-type moves, so I just had to choose the most suitable one. Icy Wind was my first thought, as Blastoise and Cresselia, with their decent speed, could easily take advantage of it. However, I quickly changed my mind when I realized how weak a spread Icy Wind is, not to mention that many of its targets are still faster than Blastoise even at -1 (e.g. Mega Salamence) and that it can fail. More power was definitely required, so the good old, reliable Ice Beam was the way to go. With Ice Beam, Blastoise can support Golisopod, dealing sizable damage to most Flying- and Dragon-types. Ice Beam also allows Blastoise to somewhat deal with Grass-types, lessening the need for Golisopod's help.

Unlike Golisopod, Blastoise has a more convoluted EV spread, which stems from my hatred for Rotom Appliances (seriously, those tiny levitating demons are everywhere, and are always a pain to deal with). The 68 speed EVs are needed to outrun uninvested Rotom forms, while 188 EVs in SpA with a modest nature ensure the OHKO on 252/0 Rotom-H. The 236/12 investment in special bulk gives you very good chances to survive a Thunder from a modest Rotom-A. Blastoise’s EV spread could actually be tailored to always survive such a hit, but that would require to move 56 EVs from HP to SpDef, compromising its physical bulk. The 4 leftovers EVs are put in Defense.

Ah, Togedemaru! There aren't enough words to describe the impact that the introduction of the gen 7 pikaclone had on the performance of the team. As you know if you read my old analyses, Togedemaru’s role was previously fulfilled by Raichu. Now, I can't say Raichu is a bad Pokemon, most of the time it got the job done by shielding Golisopod from electric attacks and assisting it in the elimination of troublesome enemies. As explained, however, I slowly but steadily grew tired of Raichu's limitations, namely a mediocre Special Attack, a poor offensive movepool, and the absolute inability to take even low-powered attacks without instantly dying. This last issue proved particularly annoying with the new design of the team, as the Lightningrod user now had to stay in the backline, so I needed something with at least some switch-in opportunities. Despite its horrid defenses (almost on par with Raichu's), Togedemaru can usually switch-in relatively safely thanks to its amazing defensive typing and ability, which grant it two immunities, two 4x resistances and eight 2x resistances. The fact that Togedemaru resists all of Blastoise and Golisopod's weaknesses helps it entering the field without taking excessive amounts of damage. A wonderful defensive typing isn't the only advantage that Togedemaru has over Raichu. Speaking of advantages, I'd like to make a quick list of the main benefits of each Pokemon:

Raichu

• Higher speed stat (110 vs 96), which allows it to outspeed the crowded base 100 speed tier. In addition, it gets the jump on a number of Fake Out users such as Mega Kangaskhan, Infernape and Mienshao.
• Ability to put to use Lightningrod SpA boosts.
• Being a special attacker, it's not hindered by Intimidate and burns.

Togedemaru

• Great defensive typing. As mentioned, this is very useful in order to avoid being wiped out instantly upon entering the battlefield. However, it has another distinct advantage: it allows you to predict the AI’s attacks with a higher degree of accuracy, especially if Togedemaru is paired with Golisopod, as they have a good defensive synergy.
• Sandstorm immunity. This is more crucial than one may think, as Tyranitar and Hippowdon are everywhere, and there are a few dangerous Sandstorm (ab)users, such as Excadrill-3, Mega Garchomp and Landorus-3, so not losing your Focus Sash prematurely can make a huge difference.
• Spiky Shield. An enhanced version of Protect that also deals damage if the enemy makes physical contact. This extra bit of damage proved very useful to prevent foes from surviving with a silver of life (a not so rare occurrence). The move works very well on Togedemaru, as it attracts the Fighting-type moves that many physical attackers run as coverage moves. However, its main selling point is its Grass typing, which makes it WAY cooler than Protect!
• Flinches. Both Zing Zap and Iron Head have a solid 30% chance of making the foe flinch. While it's not something you can rely on, it's something you can fall back on in desperate circumstances, when you absolutely need a free turn. Flinches actually saved us more than once, and even in more relaxed situations, they are always useful to make the battle smoother.

At the end of the day, both Pokemon are perfectly usable, but with this team Togedemaru has the edge over Raichu because of its higher survivability.
Speaking of survivability, it's worth noting that despite its thin defenses, Togedemaru still works well as a Lightningrod user, as several Electric types lack coverage moves against Steel types, thus failing to even 2HKO Togedemaru. This means that when facing said Electric types, Togedemaru and its teammate can usually gang up on the other foe without fearing much retaliation on Togedemaru. Here are some calculations.

252 SpA Raikou Shadow Ball vs. 4 HP / 0 SpD Togedemaru: 55-65 (39 - 46%) -- guaranteed 3HKO

252 SpA Jolteon Shadow Ball vs. 4 HP / 0 SpD Togedemaru: 53-63 (37.5 - 44.6%) -- guaranteed 3HKO

252 SpA Zapdos Ancient Power vs. 4 HP / 0 SpD Togedemaru: 22-26 (15.6 - 18.4%) -- possible 6HKO

252+ SpA Rotom-Frost Shadow Ball vs. 4 HP / 0 SpD Togedemaru: 56-67 (39.7 - 47.5%) -- guaranteed 3HKO

252 SpA Raichu-Alola Psychic vs. 4 HP / 0 SpD Togedemaru: 40-48 (28.3 - 34%) -- 0.9% chance to 3HKO

0 SpA Lanturn Ice Beam vs. 4 HP / 0 SpD Togedemaru: 17-21 (12 - 14.8%) -- possible 7HKO

252+ SpA Magnezone Tri Attack vs. 4 HP / 0 SpD Togedemaru: 32-38 (22.6 - 26.9%) -- 50% chance to 4HKO

Most of Togedemaru's moveset has already been discussed, but let's make a quick recap. Zing Zap and Iron Head are its damaging tools, and are essentially the same move (same power, accuracy and secondary effect), just with different typing. Zing Zap coverage was particularly important throughout the run, as it hits a few targets that can comfortably tank all of Golisopod and Blastoise's attacks, e.g. Primarina, Toxapex, Jellicent and Gyarados. Iron Head has somewhat limited coverage: since Rock and Ice types are usually dealt with by Golisopod and Blastoise, its main targets are Fairy types, with Mega-Altaria, Mega-Gardevoir and Togekiss being the most prominent ones. That said, Iron Head had a deep impact on Togedemaru's usability, as before USUM that slot was occupied by filler options like Toxic and Nuzzle, which saw only occasional use. Iron Head gave Togedemaru a solid secondary attacking move to use against Grass, Ground and Dragon types, reducing the number of Pokemon capable of walling Togedemaru. Additionally, having a second flinching attack is exceptionally useful, since a few free turns are never a bad thing.
The third slot goes to Spiky Shield, a.k.a. Protect 2.0. The residual damage it provides can sometimes turn 3HKOs into 2HKOs, or even deal the final blow to severely injured foes. And let's face it, is there anything funnier than watching a HJK user while it crashes into a wall of spikes?
Fake Out is the fourth and last move. At a glance, it may seem like an odd choice, as we already have another Fake Out user in Blastoise. However, the truth is that Togedemaru used Fake Out way more often than Blastoise. Between its good firepower and decent coverage, Blastoise can KO or severely damage a lot of Pokemon, meaning that most of the time it's better off attacking right away. Togedemaru, on the other hand, lacks the power to immediately threaten foes, nor has the bulk to take repeated attacks. Therefore, it relies on smart use of Fake Out and Spiky Shield to stay on the field as long as possible and carry out its Lightningrod duty. In addition, it's not uncommon for Togedemaru to use Fake Out to finish off an enemy that barely survived Blastoise or Golisopod's attacks. Lastly, the aforementioned defensive synergy between Togedemaru and Golisopod means that the latter can usually switch back into Ground or Fighting attacks aimed at the former. This gives Togedemaru another opportunity to use Fake Out later in the match.

Togedemaru has a very simple EV spread: max speed with a jolly nature to outrun as many opponents as possible, and max attack to have some offensive presence. Given Togedemaru's awful defenses, investing in bulk would be pointless, not to mention that reducing speed would allow more Fake Out users to outrun it. Also, the attack investment actually allows it to grab a few KOs here and there:

252 Atk Togedemaru Iron Head vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Florges: 156-186 (101.9 - 121.5%) -- guaranteed OHKO

252 Atk Togedemaru Zing Zap vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Pelipper: 168-196 (100.5 - 117.3%) -- guaranteed OHKO

252 Atk Togedemaru Zing Zap vs. 0 HP / 0- Def Staraptor: 168-200 (105 - 125%) -- guaranteed OHKO

The held item is, of course, a Focus Sash.

There are times when Golisopod and Blastoise, despite their offensive prowess, can't deal with all the enemies on their own. An unexpected miss, an untimely critical hit, or simply a bad matchup, can prematurely end their sweep. Or sometimes, we lose Togedemaru too early, and the opponents conveniently reveal two electric Pokemon in the backline. In these and other unfavorable situations, when things look desperate, Cresselia comes to rescue. With Cresselia, the battle plan is very simple: tank hits all day long. That's what she's supposed to do, and that's what she's successfully done most of the time. While she has a mediocre defensive typing, her titanic bulk and ability to get rid of status (especially Poison) with Rest allowed her to outstall several annoying opponents, even in 1v2 situations. The following calculations show how Cresselia can withstand even incredibly powerful attacks:


252+ Atk Escavalier Megahorn vs. 244 HP / 140+ Def Cresselia: 162-192 (71.6 - 84.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

252+ Atk Choice Band Armaldo X-Scissor vs. 244 HP / 140+ Def Cresselia: 152-182 (67.2 - 80.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

252+ Atk Choice Band Slaking Giga Impact vs. 244 HP / 140+ Def Cresselia: 171-202 (75.6 - 89.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

+1 252 Atk Mold Breaker Gyarados-Mega Crunch vs. 244 HP / 140+ Def Cresselia: 164-194 (72.5 - 85.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

252 Atk Choice Band Archeops Head Smash vs. 244 HP / 140+ Def Cresselia: 141-166 (62.3 - 73.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

+2 252 Atk Tough Claws Charizard-Mega-X Flare Blitz vs. 244 HP / 140+ Def Cresselia: 186-219 (82.3 - 96.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

252+ Atk Life Orb Golisopod First Impression vs. 244 HP / 140+ Def Cresselia: 151-179 (66.8 - 79.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

252+ Atk Choice Band Trevenant Shadow Claw vs. 244 HP / 140+ Def Cresselia on a critical hit: 186-218 (82.3 - 96.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

+2 0 SpA Volcarona Bug Buzz vs. 244 HP / 108 SpD Cresselia: 192-228 (84.9 - 100.8%) -- 6.3% chance to OHKO

252+ SpA Choice Specs Mega Launcher Clawitzer Dark Pulse vs. 244 HP / 108 SpD Cresselia: 158-186 (69.9 - 82.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

252 SpA Mismagius Never-Ending Nightmare (160 BP) vs. 244 HP / 108 SpD Cresselia: 174-206 (76.9 - 91.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO


Cresselia's extreme sturdiness allows her to avoid being 3HKOed by anything lacking high offensive stats and/or incredibly strong attacks. This means that most of the time she can comfortably alternate between Calm Mind and Rest until she's ready to fire off decently powerful attacks. Cresselia's good speed (at least for a wall) greatly increases her survivability, as it provides her with more opportunities to use Rest before being taken out.

Now let's have a quick look at her movepool. It's a pretty standard Calm Mind set, with the only oddity being the coverage move used alongside her STAB move.
Psychic is Cresselia's primary attacking move. It's been chosen over Psyshock for its higher base power and possible Sp.Def. drops. That said, Psyshock is still a viable choice to win Calm Mind wars and to hit special walls/tanks like Blissey and Snorlax.
In the second slot we have Hidden Power Fire. We chose it over other coverage moves because we wanted a second SE move against Steel types, as Blastoise can't always handle them on its own. Although it proved very useful to take out annoying targets like Mega Scizor and Ferrothorn, its base power is pathetically low, so it needs several boosts before dealing any meaningful damage. With that in mind, and considering the threat posed by Dark types, maybe I should replace it with another coverage move, with Moonblast being the most appealing option.
Calm Mind boosts Cresselia’s Sp.Def. to godlike levels while giving her at least some sort of offensive presence. The Sp.Def. boosts in particular allow her to wall any special attacker lacking a strong SE move.
Rest is probably Cresselia's most important move. Not only it makes her a sturdy status absorber, but it also allows her to win stall wars against opponents that can comfortably handle even a fully setup Cresselia, such as Cresselia-2 and Blissey-4. Additionally, it can be used to make an opponent waste all the pp of a dangerous attack (e.g. a SE non-STAB move that barely fails to 3HKO Cresselia) before starting the setup.

With Cresselia, we have a pretty elaborate ev spread. The investment in Sp.Def. allows Cresselia to always survive Honchkrow’s Black Hole Eclipse from full health, while the defensive EVs maximize the chances of avoiding the 2HKO from Tyranitar’s Crunch. Those 12 speed EVs are there to outrun uninvested Rotoms, and the 4 remaining EVs are placed in Sp.Atk. The best item for Cresselia is undoubtedly Leftovers, which is actually enough to keep her alive most of time. However, a Chesto Berry is a viable alternative for a one-turn Rest.

THREATS & ANNOYANCES

THREATS

Thanks to Togedemaru, electric Pokemon usually don't pose much of a threat. Mega Ampharos is the exception to the rule, as its Mold Breaker ability allows it to ignore Lightningrod and hit Blastoise and Golisopod with devastatingly powerful Thunders. Blastoise can only deal up to 62% with Ice Beam, while Thunder is a surefire OHKO. Golisopod fares even worse, as it's outsped by M-Ampharos and only has a tiny chance of survive the hit (1/16), so unless First Impression is available, the best it can do is throw a resisted Aqua Jet. Togedemaru can only try to fish for a flinch, as its attacks deal pathetic damage, and M-Ampharos has Focus Blast to quickly get rid of the electric rodent. This leaves Cresselia as the only check to M-Ampharos, as she's faster and can boost her Sp.Def. However, Amphy conveniently has Confuse Ray to foil Cresselia's plans. This, together with Thunder’s 30% chance of paralysis, can spell doom even for Cresselia, especially if Amphy isn't alone on the field.
M-Ampharos is easier to handle if it shows up at the beginning of the battle, as it can be targeted either with First Impression + Ice Beam (not an assured KO though), or with Fake Out + First Impression and finished off with Ice Beam during the following turn (this can be done if we are 100% sure that Blastoise will be able to attack on turn 2).
Dealing with Amphy is definitely harder if it shows up in the middle of the battle. In this case, the best course of action is to stop it with Fake Out (if possible), while Blastoise/Golisopod start attacking it, or Cresselia gets at least one boost. After a Fake Out + Ice Beam or Leech Life, Amphy will be below 50% health, so it can be finished off later even with weak or NVE attacks (for example, an unboosted Psychic deals around 20%). In a Togedemaru + Cresselia situation, Cresselia will have the opportunity to use a second Calm Mind before Amphy gets a chance to attack, making it a bit easier to handle. Of course, all these hypotheses assume that Amphy’s teammate isn't too threatening. If, on the other hand, it's paired with something troublesome, things can get really tricky.

OH.MY.GOD. KIAWE. I hate this guy, I hate his stupid dancing Marowaks, and I hate the devs for creating him. He's not that hard to handle in multi, but in doubles he's a real nightmare. Where should I start from? Maybe from his Fake Out users, Salazzle and Mega Kangaskhan. They both outrun my own Fake Outers, so there's nothing I can do to prevent them from using the move. Both Salazzle have additional sources of annoyance: Salazzle-3 comes equipped with a Focus Sash, so I must use two attacks to kill it, while Salazzle-4 has Firium-Z, and a 195-BP Inferno Overdrive definitely hurts. Mega Kangaskhan is troublesome as usual: her good uninvested bulk allows her to avoid the OHKO from Blastoise's Aura Sphere, and her attacking power means that even Cresselia can't comfortably wall her (a Parental Bond-boosted Double Edge deals up to 46.4%).
Of course, a sun team needs a sun setter, in this case Arcanine. With Sunny Day active, Golisopod becomes almost useless, even more so if it gets intimidated by Arcanine or burned by a stray fire attack, and Blastoise loses the ability to KO water-weak targets. The fact that both variants of Arcanine have Extreme Speed means that they can finish a weakened Golisopod or Togedemaru before they can land one last attack.
If all this wasn't enough, fear not, as Kiawe has other tricks up his sleeve. Talonflame makes Golisopod's life miserable, as it takes no damage from Bug-type moves, and can use Gale Wings Brave Bird to send Golisopod away, preventing it from using Aqua Jet. Even if Talonflame hasn't Gale Wings, it can still take an Aqua Jet and threaten to burn Golisopod with Flame Body. The threat of a burn is concerning for poor Togedemaru too, as a burned Togedemaru deals next to no damage and can't rely on its Focus Sash, making it even more of a liability against Kiawe.
The last component of Kiawe’s roster, alolan Marowak, is just a bit less annoying than the others, as its low speed and mediocre defenses make it easier to handle. That said, its sheer Power mustn't be underestimated. Cresselia and Blastoise are 2HKOed by either Shadow Bone or a sun-boosted Flare Blitz, Golisopod is outsped and sent below half health by Flare Blitz (which actually has a 56.3% chance to OHKO if sun is up), and Togedemaru is destroyed by any of Marowak's attacks if its Focus Sash is broken. In addition to an incredible attacking power, Marowak also has 3 annoying abilities: Rock Head grants it recoil-free Flare Blitzes, Lightningrod prevents Togedemaru from using Zing Zap (not good with 4 of Kiawe’s Pokemon resisting Iron Head), and Cursed Body can disable a crucial move like Water Pulse or Aqua Jet.
So, all things considered, what's the best course of action when facing Kiawe? Hard to say. Generally speaking, eliminating Kangaskhan is the main priority, because it's the main threat to Blastoise. Unlike the physical attackers, Blastoise isn't hindered by Intimidate and burns (and isn't forced out by Emergency Exit), so most of the time I'm relying on it to deal the majority of damage. While the various fire types tend to direct their STAB attacks towards Golisopod and Togedemaru, Kangaskhan has no troubles targeting Blastoise with its powerful Double Edges. Luckily, the recoil from Double Edge ensures the KO with Aura Sphere, and even if Kangaskhan decides not to use Double Edge, Aura Sphere still leaves her in the KO range Golisopod or Togedemaru's priority moves.
With Kangaskhan out of the picture, Blastoise can more or less deal with Kiawe's fire Pokemon, as Water Pulse 2HKOs all of them even under sun. Of course, things aren't usually so simple, because a weakened Blastoise can be taken out by pretty easily by Arcanine’s Solar Beam or Talonflame’s Brave Bird.
Even without Blastoise, the rest of the team can usually come out on top: for example, if Kiawe lacks Arcanine, Golisopod can use Aqua Jet unhindered, 2HKOing anything but M-Kangaskhan. The absence of Marowak, on the other hand, allows Cresselia to comfortably tank a few hits, leaving her teammates enough time to deal with the opposition.
To conclude, it's worth noting that the outcome of the battle is influenced not only by the selection of Pokemon, but also by their order. For example, Kangaskhan is easier to handle at the beginning of the battle, when Golisopod and Blastoise are healthy enough to sustain her attacks. On the contrary, she can be devastating if she appears later, when everybody is already injured.
Another interesting example is Marowak: it is completely destroyed by Golisopod and Blastoise, but can be a real nightmare if I have to face it with Togedemaru and Cresselia.

In addition to Kiawe, the Battle Tree has no shortage of sun teams, which can be equally dangerous, depending on their composition. The most annoying ones feature an automatic sun setter (i.e. Ninetales or M-Charizard Y), powerful users of fire moves (e.g. Darmanitan, Incineroar, Delphox) and various sun abusers, especially grass types with Chlorophyll and/or Solar Beam (Exeggutor, Tangrowth, Lilligant). The key for successfully face these teams is Golisopod, as it can demolish grass types with Leech Life while restoring its health, and then it can use Aqua Jet to 2HKO a lot of fire types once Sunny Day is no longer in effect. Cresselia can be very helpful too, as most fire and grass types lack SE coverage moves, so she can reliably tank their attacks after a couple of boosts.

Despite being a defining component of the most dangerous sun teams, M-Charizard-Y is a legitimate threat on its own, so it deserves its own paragraph. Its Drought ability is the first source of annoyance, as it reduces the power of my water-type moves. Therefore, assuming Charizard shows up at turn 1, the only way to prevent him from attacking is to immediately target it with Fake Out + Liquidation, and then finish it off with Aqua Jet. Of course this leaves Charizard’s teammate the freedom to do what it wants for one or two turns. Moreover, this strategy won't work if Golisopod is forced out by Charizard's teammate, or if it gets weakened by Intimidate. If, for any reason, Charizard get a chance to attack, the fun begins. Air Slash 2HKOs Golisopod, forcing it to use a weak Aqua Jet before being removed from the field, Solar Beam deals up to 90% to Blastoise, putting it in the KO range of any other attack, and Togedemaru is vaporized by Heat Wave, which deals heavy damage to Golisopod too (up to 50%). Cresselia is the only member of the team that can repeatedly take Charizard's assaults, as a single Calm Mind allows her to avoid being 4HKOed by a spread Heat Wave, so she can keep boosting, using Rest when necessary. Needless to say, the presence of other fire Pokemon can make the task way harder (sun-boosted Flare Blitzes are especially dangerous). Togedemaru can also work as a countermeasure against Charizard, assuming it finds an opportunity to attack (easier said than done): Zing Zap has a 37.5% chance to OHKO Charizard.

Another tough opponent. Although its selection of Pokemon doesn't look that scary at first glance, it has several hidden threats that can make the fight harder than expected. Kukui has 3 main Pokemon to watch out for: Snorlax, Primarina and Incineroar.
Snorlax is horribly annoying regardless of the variant encountered. Snorlax-3 has max attack and holds a Life Orb, so it deals heavy damage with STAB Double Edge. Additionally, the investment in Defense makes it reasonably sturdy on both sides, meaning that I usually need 2 or 3 attacks to take it down. Of course, Snorlax-3 conveniently knows Protect, so focusing on it can backfire hard. Snorlax-4 can be extremely dangerous too: max HP and Sp.Def. with an Assault Vest make it impenetrable on the special side (for reference, Blastoise's Aura Sphere is a 4HKO), so taking it down can require a lot of time, especially if my physical attackers have fainted or are at -1 because of Incineroar's Intimidate. This gives Snorlax ample time to paralyze my Pokemon with Body Slam or, even worse, outright kill them with Fissure. Despite being a formidable opponent, luckily Snorlax isn't invincible: Snorlax-3 is 2HKOed by Aura Sphere and takes sizable damage from Leech Life, granting Golisopod a good source of recovery. Additionally, the recoil from Life Orb and Double Edge adds up very quickly. Snorlax-4 is scary because of Fissure, but otherwise its attacks deal bearable damage, and its low defense can be exploited by Golisopod and Togedemaru.
Primarina is another problematic opponent because of its offensive power and great defensive typing. She resists all of Golisopod and Blastoise's moves, so I’m usually forced to ignore it and deal with its hopefully more manageable teammate. Obviously, this leaves Primarina the possibility to fire off her powerful Moonblasts, which not only 3HKO both Golisopod and Blastoise, but can also lower Blastoise's Sp.Atk. The best way to quickly dispose of Primarina is sending out Togedemaru, which deals up to 93% with Zing Zap. Sending out Togedemaru isn't easy though, as any damage taken will broke its Focus Sash, thus reducing its usefulness for the rest of the battle. It's also worth noting that Primarina-3 has Baby-Doll Eyes: while a -1 Togedemaru still 2HKOes Primarina, a Togedemaru without its Focus Sash and with lowered attack becomes almost useless.
As for Incineroar, I see it as Kiawe's Marowak's counterpart: it's relatively easy to handle if Golisopod and Blastoise are in good shape, it's a death sentence if I'm forced to face it with Togedemaru and Cresselia. Of course, Golisopod and Blastoise must be careful too when facing Incineroar. Incineroar-3 outspeeds Blastoise and can use Inferno Overdrive to force Golisopod out, while Incineroar-4 holds Quick Claw, so it can go first regardless of its low speed. With that in mind, the safest way to beat Incineroar is to stop it with Fake Out and then target it with Liquidation: if Incineroar survives, it can be finished off with Aqua Jet during the following turn (unless it's Incineroar-4 with Intimidate). However, if I'm uncertain whether Golisopod will be able to attack or not (e.g. Incineroar is paired with Braviary or Magnezone), the best idea is to switch in Cresselia (against Braviary) or Togedemaru (against Magnezone) and let them absorb the attacks while Blastoise KOs Incineroar with Water Pulse. As mentioned, the situation can become very unpleasant if Incineroar appears after my water types have gone: Togedemaru dies to any of Incineroar’s attacks, and Cresselia can't touch Incineroar (even a +6 Hp Fire deals pathetic damage). In this case, I can only try to fish for flinches with Togedemaru's Zing Zap, and hope for the best.

ANNOYANCES

Aren't these silly animated appliances the most irritating Pokemon in the Tree? Aside from the fact that they're everywhere, they have a variety of different sets, they refuse to die no matter what I throw at them, and they force me to switch in Togedemaru more often than I'd like. As usual, Rotom-W stands out among the multitude of Rotom Appliances because of its great defensive typing, which allows it take a couple of hits and retaliate back with its deceptively powerful Thunders and Hydro Pumps. Luckily, the other Rotom Formes have exploitable weaknesses, so they're much easier to handle.

While these Pokemon aren't particularly threatening on their own (Golisopod pulverizes them in the blink of an eye), they're annoying because of their abilities, Queenly Majesty and Dazzling, which block priority moves. This means I can't rely on First Impression to eliminate them before they attack, giving them time to use Trop Kick (which either deals heavy damage to Blastoise or lowers Golisopod's attack) or Strong Jaw-boosted Psychic Fangs (which can 2HKO Blastoise).

Another Pokemon that must be removed from the field as soon as possible, because its Storm Drain ability redirects and absorbs Water-type moves. Of course, both Gastrodon 3 and 4 are equipped with all the tools necessary to stay on the field as long as possible: both variants have some level of defensive investment, and they both pack Leftovers. Additionally, Gastrodon-3 has Recover, while Gastrodon-4 knows both Curse and Amnesia, so depending on what I have on the field I usually need 2 or 3 turns to take them out.
Note that there's another Storm Drain user in the Tree, Cradily. It isn't usually a problem though, as it has many weaknesses I can take advantage of (Bug, Ice, Fighting, Steel).

One of the most neglected legendaries in Pokemon history, and yet a horribly frustrating opponent to face. While its Slow Start ability ensures that it's both slow and offensively weak, its selection of disruptive moves can make the fight a living hell. Thunder Wave, Confuse Ray, Double Team and Toxic are the staples of Regigigas’s movesets. Combine them with Leftovers (3 variants), great bulk (all variants have max HP), and general lack of weaknesses, and taking it down can become a real challenge. I didn't put Regigigas among threats simply because it's offensively harmless, and its luck-based strategies often end up achieving nothing. That said, I've lost more than once because of parafusion (and Regigigas-3 can add Rock Slide flinches to the mix), so Regigigas is definitely a foe to watch out for.

An age-old trouble because I usually lack sturdy rock resistors, or faster special attackers that can prevent him from attacking. The power level of Tyrantrum-4 is really obscene: its Head Smash OHKOes both Golisopod and Togedemaru, has a 56.3% chance to OHKO Blastoise and cleanly 2HKOes even the mighty Cresselia. I've yet to find a reliable way to deal with this monster. Most of the time, I use Golisopod as a Head Smash bait while Blastoise OHKOes Tyrantrum with Aura Sphere or Togedemaru 2HKOes it with Iron Head. Alternatively, Blastoise or Togedemaru can use Fake Out to stop it for a turn, buying some time to damage/KO it.
There are two other Head Smash users which are potentially dangerous: Rampardos and Archeops. Luckily, these are much easier to handle, as they are both extremely frail, Rampardos-3 is outsped by Blastoise, and Archeops is brought into Defeatist range by Aqua Jet. Also, unlike Tyrantrum, they don't have access to Rock Head, so the recoil from Head Smash quickly takes its toll.

BATTLE VIDEOS

DOUBLES

Battle 113 vs Garchomp-4/Wash Rotom-3/Tyranitar-3/Metagross-4
V7TG-WWWW-WWWT-47V6

A tough battle. After a massacre on both sides, Cresselia faced Rotom in an epic 1vs1 battle. Despite almost losing to paraflinch hax (Thunder Wave + Dark Pulse), Cresselia sneaked in a Rest just in time to foil Rotom’s plans.

Battle 140 vs Braviary-?/Snorlax-3/Incineroar-3/Magnezone-3
BLPG-WWWW-WWWT-47RF

My good friend Kukui trying to stop me. He almost succeeded, as I found myself in the dreaded Togedemaru+Cresselia vs Incineroar situation. Luckily, Togedemaru saved the day with a well-timed flinch.

Battle 170 vs Braviary-4/Magnezone-3/Incineroar-?/Primarina-?
V89W-WWWW-WWWT-482B

Kukui again. This time I completely destroyed him!

Battle 187 vs Rhyperior-?/Conkeldurr-4/Slaking-3/Regigigas-4
VZNW-WWWW-WWWT-484F

Although it wasn't the first time I met it, I was caught completely off guard by Slaking’s tremendous power. After losing Golisopod and Blastoise, I played the rest of the match with the certainty I was going to lose. Somehow, I managed to win (thanks in part to Slaking's dumbness), but I felt really uneasy.

Battle 200 vs Kangaskhan-?/Arcanine-4/Alolan Marowak-2/Talonflame-?
E23G-WWWW-WWWT-485S

Kiawe was the perfect opponent to ruin my streak just on the 200-win line. He failed miserably, as I steamrolled his team in 4 turns.

Battle 218 vs Crobat-3/Nidoking-3/Glalie-4/Gyarados-4
857G-WWWW-WWWT-487R

Here I found myself in an uncomfortable 1vs2 situation, as Cresselia had to face mega Glalie and Gyarados on her own. I was ready to lose, but Glalie was so kind to explode while Gyarados was using another Dragon Dance, killing it and giving me an unexpected victory.

Battle 230 vs Salazzle-3/Arcanine-3/Alolan Marowak-2/Kangaskhan-4
S7BW-WWWW-WWWT-48AL

And here we have Kiawe in his full glory, with both his Fake Outers, the most dangerous M-Kangaskhan variant and Sunny Day Arcanine with Intimidate. Despite this, I had the situation more or less under control, although the final confrontation between Cresselia and Kangaskhan was a bit too close for my liking.

Battle 249 vs Sawk-4/Ludicolo-4/Drapion-?/Vespiquen-4
3JBG-WWWW-WWWT-ERHC

I'm ashamed to admit that I almost lost to such a pathetic team. In the end, Cresselia had to face Vespiquen. After taking an Attack Order, I was in the KO range of a second one, but I was faster and could comfortably finish her. Then Vespiquen’s Custap Berry activated, and I shuddered while thinking “this time it's over”. However, Cresselia miraculously survived the attack with 8 HP, saving me once more.

Battle 262 vs Raikou-3/Virizion-3/Latias-3/Azelf-3
UJEG-WWWW-WWWT-ERJ4

One last example of the team performing at its best. Togedemaru and Cresselia kept switching in and out to absorb attacks while Golisopod happily tore apart the whole enemy team.

THE LOSS
Battle 286 vs Aromatisse-?/Primarina-3/Togekiss-?/Mimikyu-4
E6YG-WWWW-WWWT-48BE

An unexpected loss against a not so threatening team, honestly I didn't see it coming. My opponent started sending out Primarina and Aromatisse. The former resists all of Golisopod and Blastoise's moves, so I decided to focus on the latter, whose set 4 is particularly annoying because of Trick Room, Heal Pulse and Aromatic Mist. On turn 1 I targeted Aromatisse with Fake Out and Liquidation, while Primarina used Moonblast on Blastoise, lowering its SpA. I needed another turn to finish Aromatisse, which got replaced by Togekiss. Again, I had no choice: I decided to concentrate on Togekiss in order to avoid flinching hax. Here I probably made a mistake, as I switched out Golisopod to avoid a possible Air Slash and sent in Togedemaru. Doing so, I prematurely broke Togedemaru's Focus Sash, preventing it from attacking twice. I decided to use the only turn Togedemaru had at disposal to kill Togekiss (another mistake?), while Primarina wiped out Togedemaru with Hydro Pump. At that point, Mimikyu made its appearance. It eliminated Blastoise with Shadow Sneak, so in the end I was left with Cresselia and a damaged Golisopod against full health Primarina and Mimikyu. And I suddenly realized my winning streak was about to end.

MULTI

Battle 160 vs Staraptor-?/Salamence-3 + Gallade-3/Magnezone-3
WFEG-WWWW-WWWN-7RPN

Another 1vs2 challenge for Cresselia, this time against Salamence and Magnezone. We didn't lose thanks to a providential Draco Meteor miss. Phew!

Battle 200 vs Garchomp-4/Gallade-3 + Braviary-4/Magnezone-4
V9GW-WWWW-WWWN-7RRJ

Nothing noticeable here, just battle 200.

Battle 256 vs Thundurus-2/Registeel-1 + Heatran-2/Tornadus-2
GKQW-WWWW-WWWN-7RSN

The team steamrolling the usual bunch of legendaries. Tornadus was mildly annoying because of its perfectly accurate, always confusing Hurricanes.

Battle 258 vs Aggron-3/Alolan Golem-2 + Mimikyu-4/Scizor-4
PQDG-WWWW-WWWN-7RUX

This would look like a pretty ordinary battle if it weren't for the last turn. A wounded Golisopod (slightly above 50% HP) and a +1/+1, 176 HP Cresselia are facing a +2 Speed Golem and a Mega Scizor. At that point, we make a very stupid mistake: we use Aqua Jet on Golem, activating its Weakness Policy. Of course Golem explodes right away, taking out Golisopod and leaving Cresselia at 16 HP. If Cresselia had fainted, it would have been a 1vs1 between Togedemaru and Mega Scizor (which had around 60% of its health left). In such a situation, the outcome of the battle would have been very uncertain: Scizor and Togedemaru 3HKO each other, and Togedemaru has Spiky Shield and flinches on its side, but Scizor can turn the tables with Roost and Bullet Punch.
Morale of the story: don't mindlessly activate your enemy's Weakness Policy!

Battle 261 vs Excadrill-4/Lickilicky-4 + Nidoqueen-3/Pinsir-4
9AWG-WWWW-WWWN-7SWL

Uh...I can't remember why we saved this video. Watch it if you want ‘^^

Battle 328 vs Archeops-3/Wishiwashi-3 + Crobat-3/Greninja-3
ZZRW-WWWW-WWWN-7S24

Video saved just for fun. Watching a 3vs1(Togedemaru, Cresselia and Wishiwashi vs Greninja) is always entertaining XD

THE LOSS
Battle 390 vs Altaria-4/Magnezone-4 + Bisharp-3/Drapion-?
G3LW-WWWW-WWWN-7S3K

This loss was caused by two defined moments: turn 1 and turns 5-6. Wally and Grimsley start the battle sending out Altaria and Bisharp respectively. Although Bisharp can be easily OHKOed by Blastoise, we can't let a potential Mega Altaria unchecked, so we decide to target it with Ice Beam while Golisopod uses First Impression on Bisharp. Sadly, Altaria (which turns out not to be Mega) survives the hit (the odds were admittedly in its favour) and puts Blastoise to sleep with Sing, putting us in a disadvantageous position. With Blastoise out of commission, Golisopod must finish Altaria with Aqua Jet while Bisharp keeps attacking Blastoise, killing it on turn 3. Altaria gets replaced by Magnezone, Blastoise by Cresselia, and we manually switch out Golisopod to allow Togedemaru to absorb incoming Thunderbolts. Togedemaru finished off Bisharp, and so we get to turn 5, with a full health Togedemaru and a 197 HP Cresselia vs Magnezone and the newly arrived Drapion. At this point, we face a dilemma: what will Drapion do? Will it use Earthquake to hit Togedemaru, while also damaging Magnezone, or will it target Cresselia with Night Slash? There's no way to reliably predict Drapion’s behaviour, but considering that Cresselia can take 3 Night Slashes, we choose to play it safe and protect Togedemaru with Spiky Shield while Cresselia starts damaging Drapion with HP Fire. In hindsight, it was a fatal mistake. Magnezone and Drapion decide to focus on Cresselia, making us waste Togedemaru's turn, and Drapion scores a Critical Hit on Cresselia, almost killing her and thus revealing its ability, Sniper. Cresselia barely survives the two hits, but we realize that our chances of winning are slim. On turn 6, we try to fish for a flinch on Drapion to give Cresselia the chance to use Rest. It doesn't work, and Cresselia gets KOed by Drapion. There's still some hope, as Drapion is in the KO range of Zing Zap, assuming a decent damage roll; additionally, Magnezone’s Tri-Attack isn't even a guaranteed 4HKO on Togedemaru, so the rodent can damage Magnezone enough for Golisopod to finish it (and Golisopod can tank a Thunderbolt, should the need arise). This last glimmer of hope, however, faded a few seconds later when Magnezone’s Tri-Attack turned Togedemaru into a frozen mouse, thus sealing our fate.

Well, I think that's enough for now (actually more than enough, it took me forever to prepare this writeup ^^). Of course, we won't stop aiming for better results, but we definitely need to find something better than Cresselia for the last slot. Don't get me wrong, she made a nice job, and we wouldn't have got so far without her. Nonetheless, she is very passive, as she needs a lot of time to pose an actual threat, so she tends to fail badly when facing already boosted or highly offensive Pokemon. In these situations, something with a higher offensive presence would prove more useful, as said threats must be eliminated quickly. We are already trying a few alternatives, some of which are working relatively well (we are approaching the 200-win mark again).
I hope I can post about a new Super Multi record soon.
Thanks for reading ^_^

Nice team! Having all of Liquidation, Aqua Jet, and Water Pulse in the front sounds redundant - I liked Icy Wind as the last move on my Assault Vest Golisopod for speed control support.

 

[ReptoAbysmal]

Nice team! Having all of Liquidation, Aqua Jet, and Water Pulse in the front sounds redundant - I liked Icy Wind as the last move on my Assault Vest Golisopod for speed control support.

While my only experience with Golisopod is on TR teams, I especially liked Drill Run as a filler move. It’s my go-to for Magnezone and pretty much all electric types in or out of Gravity. I’ve never liked Aqua Jet on it, but admittedly it’s handy at times.

 

[-Snorlax-]

Nice team! Having all of Liquidation, Aqua Jet, and Water Pulse in the front sounds redundant - I liked Icy Wind as the last move on my Assault Vest Golisopod for speed control support.

Thanks for the suggestion :)
If I recall correctly, Deynon had the same idea at some point. We should give Icy Wind a try, Blastoise would definitely appreciate some speed control.

 

[a loser]

Best Fighting STAB for Mega Lopunny in Tree? HJK is pretty suicidal I know, so I'm deciding between Low Kick and Drain Punch. I've mostly seen Low Kick on the leaderboards but that does make me nervous about light-weight mons and such.

Also, I like how the Tree c-teams you fairly quickly. I had never tried a sound based move in any run and the minute I try Primarina I see Exploud in the first game.

 

[ReptoAbysmal]

The tree does not counterteam at all, ever. That was pure chance. Besides which, Exploud is hardly a counter to Primarina.

 

[a loser]

The tree does not counterteam at all, ever. That was pure chance. Besides which, Exploud is hardly a counter to Primarina.

Ah yes, I see I forgot about the c-teaming post on the front page. Sorry about that.

However, while running Primarina, I ran into more Explouds and Vaporeons in 25 games than I have in a while.

Edit: But the main thing I came here for is advice on Fighting STAB for Mega Lopunny.

 

[Worldie]

Best Fighting STAB for Mega Lopunny in Tree? HJK is pretty suicidal I know, so I'm deciding between Low Kick and Drain Punch. I've mostly seen Low Kick on the leaderboards but that does make me nervous about light-weight mons and such.

I've used Drain Punch over Low Kick, Drain Punch really only works if your concerns are called Carbink, Blissey or Mawile, otherwise Low Kick basically hits anything you want to hit with Fighting stab harder.
Also, Lopunny is almost paper bulk, so the added Drain Punch endurance isn't really going to matter most of the time, as if you get hit supereffectively (and honestly even strong hits) you're getting 1hkod anyway.

 

[DK Quagmire]

Well I just lost another run at battle 54 because a Carracosta has sturdy. I was being extra careful planning my every step. Checking the spread sheets. seeing what movesets it might have. Its held item (i was checking for focus sash of all things). Even the ev spread. I then checked the battle tree damage calculator and see i'm doing like 200% damage to it. But the spreadsheet I was using for USUM didn't have the abilities written down and i lost as a result of not knowing if a Pokemon had sturdy.

I should treat every rock type Pokemon as having sturdy.
this goes for volt switch and u-turn. treating every electric type as having the move volt switch and treating every bug type as having the move u-turn (this has nearly cost me another game on this same run)

not really worth the replay video since i got to 130 on the last run. which is now on page 154.
i know i can do this (because i reached 130). but my knowledge of Pokemon is really showing. (that i still have much to learn).

 

[Worldie]

i know i can do this (because i reached 130). but my knowledge of Pokemon is really showing. (that i still have much to learn).

Don't worry pal, the next step is losing to some much more forgettable ability like Soundproof. It happened to everyone :)

 

[NoCheese]

Speaking of the leaderboard: I'm new to this thread but the leaderboard is some ugly wall of text. Wouldn't it look better with some nicer formatting and maybe some icons? Example:

#01. GG Unit, (2005*) -

Etc with all the other links and such

A late replay, since I've been away a bit, so pardon me. Yes, it would look nicer. But it has two disadvantages. First is that such a visual system makes searching for Pokemon tough. One way I use the leaderboard during teambuilding is to search for a specific Pokemon name, to see who has had previous success with a Pokemon, and how they've used it, IVed it, etc.. Manually scrolling through images is slower. Secondly is that for me, linking in images for everything would be pretty time consuming. So I fear for now, the text wall stays.

 

[NoCheese]

I've updated the leaderboard through here. Sorry for my prolonged absence. After due reflection, I've decided *not* to add Burning Abyss's streak to the leaderboard. Too many legitimate doubts have been raised. I reiterate that this is not a court of law, and absolute 100% certainty is not required to omit a likely fraudulent streak. While I very much appreciate the careful review many of you provide for notable streaks that look suspicious, review that was certainly helpful here, let me remind everyone that we want to keep this thread as positive and sociable as possible, so please, even when critiquing a suspect streak, remember to minimize the personal attacks.

Best of luck with the streaks, all!

 

[ReptoAbysmal]

Note: I do not wish this to be added to the leaderboard, nor any randoms exploits henceforth, as they'll only create (in my opinion) dissatisfying clutter.

My most recent failed streak ended at 554 wins; while this was born from an attempt to break my previous record and maybe even hold onto second place for longer, Eisenherz was simultaneously having so much fun with his new forray into Randoms. I'll let him elaborate on that; regardless, I was being driven insane with withdrawl and couldn't wait to get back into it. In doing so I basically ensured that, sooner or later, I was going to sabotage all that prior success with Spidey & Friends; unfortunately, fate decided it'd be sooner.

However, the reason I'm even mentioning this publicly outside the Discord is because I managed, for the second time, to do 250 straight battles with my TR randoms format. Many, many failed runs fell between my last published streak and this one, so hanging on for so long felt like an accomplishment as great as the first time I'd done it. I believe a big part of that was drastically changing up my flunkies; not the movesets themselves but the way they're organized, which I'd like to illustrate a bit.

During my 1845 run, I drew from a pool of 60 TR abusers and had a couple dozen alts with more limited means of selection. All of the alts are flawed in some significant manner, and many standard abusers have their own issues that can lend to a lot of wasted rolls if they're concentrated. So, I tried to shrink that pool of 60 to a mere 30, and do away with all of the alts. In choosing all of my preferred flunkies from the original sixty, I was left with somewhere beteen 44-49; to make it easier to narrow down, I then excluded everything with an excess of 49 speed (base 50.) I then removed some things with comparable coverage to another flunky while also being faster (off the top of my head, Armaldo and Beartic were axed this way.) This still left me with over thirty, so I made the difficult decision to axe a few things which hit their speed tiers with Iron Balls; the reasoning being, items which lended to healing, bulk or more firepower were generally going to be more useful than speed-halving items, especially when the users were still a little slower than their teammates under TR. Some pokes I could barely stand to part with included Primarina, Clawitzer, Chandelure, and Heatran.

My trimming resulted in this box, not including the setters and megas, which remained combined and intact:

With fewer available pokes, I also rolled half the amount: Two possible setters, two possible megas, and only four abusers. While the hold items repeated often, it generally didn't create issues. While this greatly increased the number of repeats, as expected, the intended trade-off was consistency. I believe I've achieved that, not coincidentally.

Not wanting to abandon my other pokes entirely, I gave myself the arbitrary milestone of 150 (100 wins if I were using S&F to reach 50) before "unlocking" the other boxes. From that point on I would use my original RNG layout.

My first attempt with this reduced cast relatively easily reached 154 wins before Ezra slaughtered me in a similarly one-sided fashion. My next attempt crashed and burned in the 60s, due to running a team with no easy means of quickly dealing with Ferrothorn4- at least not while its teammates still posed a threat (entirely my fault as I've been consciously making sure I run coverage specifically to deal with that thing... ...rolls permitting.)

I vowed to be less careless (for the time being) and the third time managed to do the entire 250, bringing the streak to 300 total. I would use Spidey & Friends until 520, at which point Eisen had hopelessly overdosed on his own Randoms, and the contact high was enough to fuck my streak. Thanks, friend. I would manage only three more teams before Erix (sunlight) ran a squad perfectly oriented to murder mine.

Reliving the Past With Sprites

Battles 1-50 were done with Spidey & Friends. At 150, my self-proclaimed "Super Factory" was unlocked and I began accommodating the other pokes.

This Araquanid is not the frontrunner for Spidey & Friends; it uses Soak and Entrainment, and Waterium Z (while Z-Liquidation is wholly inferior with instruct, Helping Hand makes the crystal a very useful hold item.) Soak was used a couple of times to murder bulky foes with Double-Edge. Entrainment's best use was on Slowking, who (as those familiar with my flunkies know) holds Choice Specs; locked into Scald, it was used to destroy a Registeel who had set up and would have taken much longer to whittle down without.

Strength Sap and Moonblast are enough to make Vileplume welcome amongst my other flunkies. Special-attacking Grass-typed TR abusers aren't that common, anyway.

Vikavolt is on a short list of Pokemon I was interested in encountering a lot more often with a reduced pool. I really enjoy using it.

Alright, I remember this run getting off to a pretty rough start. My pool was loaded with Ghost weaknesses and not enough heavy firepower outside that type. I ended up giving the rarely seen Weakness Policy Bronzong a go, which actually did me some good. Running Harry in the back was also something I never did before, but having that Fake Out as a late-game clutch saved my ass a few times.

The biggest change was realizing that, depending on the team, no-attacks Cofagrigus was just not pulling enough weight. The AI wasn't playing into Destiny Bond when I needed it, so after three or four battles I'd quit and replaced Ally Switch with Shadow Ball, which, believe me, made a world of difference. Even with no investment, it was a sizeable chunk of damage and good for more than the 50 Night Shade could inflict on a lot of targets.

Fully offensive Mega Slowbro did so much of the work that I was taken aback (even with all the grief Slowbro4 is able to give other players) and would strongly contemplate using it in that role whenever it was drawn. Until now, something about it just... made it stand out a lot less than other megas of mine (especially Camerupt and Mawile) but that movepool with 252+ was just eating everything that mattered. It was also faster than everything that mattered. Call me a repeat customer.

After the success of Musharna x Heracross, I would be much more willing to use faster, unwieldy megas if After You were a thing. It's usually pretty effective.

Super Factory Unlocked! Get Those Shitmons Ready!

During the batches of failed runs, I had become very enthused to run FWG cores, which frequently enjoyed smooth victories. While those cores had not contained Parasect, Eisen was active in the Discord when this team was rolled and I succumbed to peer pressure. Actually, given the rest of the team, Parasect was fairly useful! I remember Kikujiro managing to give this team a lot of shit, largely in part due to Togedemaru2 setting Electric Terrain. Snorlax was also unable to sweep the entire team due to succumbing to paralysis.

Muk copied Huge Power a few times during this run, though Mawile usually didn't leave much behind to slay. The novelty still felt great.

Completely unexpected MVP (to borrow Eisenherz terminology) in Nidoqueen foregoing the normally much safer Iron Ball for Life Orb. Not often outsped to harmful effect during the run, Queenie was ripping things apart and carrying the team on several occasions, in no small part due to her bulk and useful resistances. Considering she remains in the alts box for nostalgia more than anything else, I was so impressed. (All right, to be fair, Queenie was a pretty dominant force during Maison Triples and will likely regain a lot of status if that returns.)

Helping Hand and Gravity especially murderous for this team. Soak came in use again (Entrainment temporarily dropped for Protect) for Tangrowth's benefit.

I recall making a big deal of Dragonite soloing a female office worker by itself with little other than Gravity (and of course TR) in effect. Say what you will about Iron Tail; it OHKOs Mega Gardevoir.

I recall Roserade making really short work of a Sun team, and took particular delight in nailing RotoHeat with HP Ground under Gravity.

Now at 300 wins, Spidey & Friends took over until Battle 531.

I normally run Wide Lens on Chesnaught, but having Soak Araquanid still kept the Life Orb available and I thought I could use the much-needed increase in firepower. It ended up paying off, as both it and HH were cleanly demolishing most frontlines and giving Golem free reign to abuse anything which couldn't resist Electric. Audino pairs pretty well with Chesnaught also.

As with Cofagrigus, I stopped a few battles in to replace Ally Switch (at least temporarily) with Pain Split. I was too reluctant to use Memento, as it was making such good use of Helping Hand in the meantime and I didn't want my backline to find themselves in situations where the added boost could be missed. Like Cress, Uxie doesn't die quickly.

I was perhaps a bit too eager to run Shiinotic, as Eisen had a really fun-looking run with it early on during his randoms. While Shiinotic was still useful, it added a Fire weakness and gave Erix (battle 555) an easier time in demolishing me. Leading Zard-Y made it so Slowbro couldn't do anywhere near enough damage to dismantle the team quickly enough. This battle stood out for how quickly I was put into checkmate while still setting TR unhindered.

While I don't really expect anyone to read through that, I would've been annoyed with myself for bothering to chronicle all those teams only to delete the entire set without mentioning it. Well, that, and I was still pretty happy to pull the 250 off a second time. I'm in the middle of another fairly decent randoms expedition and, while I'm not far past 100 wins, I plan to keep it entirely to Factory rules without letting Spidey & Friends coast for hundreds of battles. Here's hoping my success continues with that.

I still haven't recorded the videos from my Monotype TR challenge... or the challenges before that <_<

 

[DK Quagmire]

Thanks for adding me to the leaderboard NoCheese
My current streak is coming along nicely. I saved my game at battle 60 for the night, and I've already had a scary match which was decided in a literal coin toss. battle code below.

Battle 54: CA7G-WWWW-WWWT-T85E
I had a game shortly after defeating Red where I got lead Mismagius. So I think to myself. "I bet it's the one with Perish Song."
I switch to my Mimikyu with Red Card. It uses Protect. Fails. I go for Taunt and it Power Gem's me. (Yep that's the perish song moveset alright).
Red Card activates and the second pokemon is Espeon. And i'm like... OMG! I don't have Red Card any more to get rid of this thing.
I use Thief on Espeon (expecting it to have magic bounce) and steal Expert Belt, but i'm 2 shotted by Shadow Ball. Still have no clue what ability it has. Maybe should of scouted with Thunder Wave. At least if it was synchronise it would be paralysed. oh well.

My Durant comes out and i'm sweating like mad here... do I Entrainment with a 50% magic bounce chance. or do i x scissor and somehow find a way through the perish song Mismagius when it comes out again.

... I close my eyes. Hit Entrainment. And I hear the "BOING BOING BOING BOING CHING" sound.
I'm screaming YESSSSS!!!! In my my best M Bison meme impression. I got the Synchronise Espeon!!!
I'm then free to switch out and set up with my Venomoth and sweep the game. Not sure how the match would of gone if it was a magic bounce Espeon.

 

[SadisticMystic]

It's better than a coin flip in your favor there. Espeon only has a 33% chance of Magic Bounce: there are three ability slots that all have equal chance to appear, even if two slots are assigned the same ability (Synchronize).