<sorry if you couldn't tell my first post was trolling OP was just too funny for me not to make satire from it>
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Metagame SV Draft League General Discussion
- Thread starter Hacker
- Start date
relating to the point distribution of the different levels of tournaments for the circuit, I think that the point distribution should be a little more fair towards the lower tier tours. Right now, there's very little incentive to play in the type b and c tournaments because doing well in type a has a far greater impact than type b or type c, with the current system putting type a at about 3.33x greater than type b and about 5x greater than type c. In past circuits that i've seen these types of tiered tournaments, the lower point ones have been far more valuable than these. I would propose a 500/250/125 or 500/300/150 type spread for a, b, and c type tournaments respectively rather than the current 500/150/100 for the winners.
I decided to remove most of my comments from this forum since I have realized that I was mostly wrong.
The reason for that is there is one Type B event (Classic) which has three tournaments that give points + playoffs that give additional points. With a very rough estimate of how many points one would need to secure Top 16 at the end of Circuit, we decided that to qualify from the Type B events alone you should need to do well in all three + in playoffs. We only have two Type A tours while other Tier Circuits have more Type A tours so they're not outnumbered too heavily by Type B + Type C tours. Another issue was that we wanted to give points for each individual Classic Cup as well, which is usually not common in other Circuits. For example Ubers only gives Type B points for playoffs, and no points for any of the individual Cups. In most circuits the idea, I believe, is that non-current gen/non-Type A tours shouldn't make it too easy to qualify. Together the Type B and Type C tours still give you a significant amount of points without making it too easy to qualify from them alone. That said, we'll still take any feedback or suggestions on the points system with the main points I mentioned earlier in mind.
Time to revive the thread.
I'm eliminated from the kick-off tour in Round 3, and even though I went 4-0 in the groups stage, I don't feel I've made a great tour overall. Groups stage games didn't feel like a challenge, both teambuilding and playing.
My team
To begin with, I didn't like my draft at all. I lacked realiable hazard removal, picked mons with limited movepool due to the new gen, picked Ceruledge which needs Tera to really perform, and had a pretty obvious six mons to bring to battle. Moreover, I thought we were fighting the other people from the same draft pool, which made me choose counter picks. Overall not comfortable with my team and decissions.
Groups games
Before anything, I want to clarify that after my poor draft, I decided to play the games with absurd sets to have some fun. Some sets will look very questionable so expect anything.
Game 1. Zer0
Zer0 was my first game and I was honestly scared from Dondozo and Espeon, and I didn't know what to build if I'm honest lol.
Simple spread. Maximum investment in Attack, enough Speed to outspeed Meowscarada after a Dragon Dance and the rest in HP. Glaive Rush hit everything but Scizor and Sylveon which were hit by Tera Blast. Didn't need more coverage so chose Ice Shard in case the chomper became a problem. The item made absolutely no sense as I can't be burnt. Probably didn't know what to run and forgot to change it.
Yeah I know this looks horrible but made a bit of sense back then. Spread is to outspeed Scarf Meowscarada after Weak Armor. Their only Fire resists were Garchomp and Dondozo, both of which were easily lured by Ceruledge. Endure allowed Weak Armor to trigger and outspeed Garchomp to take it with Destiny Bond, while Taunt ensured Dondozo would attack me instead of using Curse or Rest. Weakness Policy was used as a way to scare the opponent and lure them into attacking me so I could use Destiny Bond easily. Unlike the other games, I run Ceruledge over Slowking simply because the King had nothing to do against their whole team (Scizor, Meowscarada, Rotom, Volcarona...).
I was on drugs or something but this actually makes no sense considering they have a fucking Espeon and I lead with Glimmora lol. Basically I hit everything with Power Gem and the rest is hazard stacking as their only hazard control was Espeon and Scizor who lacks recovery. Enough Speed to outspeed Adamant Scizor and the rest in HP and Defense.
The staple of the team. Spread hits 334 to outspeed Garchomp, I didn't give a fuck about Espeon for some reason. The moves are pretty self explanatory, Roost 3 Attacks to cover their whole team. Haban Berry here to be able to tank an Outrage from a potential Scarf Garchomp or just in case I needed Roaring Moon to switch into it.
My only special attacker which has served as good utility every game. Spread outspeeds Adamant Scizor so we could still roast it even if they clicked U-turn. Moonblast is general coverage, Thunder Wave was an emergency option for a potential Volcarona sweep and Healing Wish allowed any of my other teammates to be brought back healthy. Babiri Berry just to tank a Bullet Punch and ensure the kill.
Yes, I thought I was playing DPP. It was an excellent Volcarona answer in case they weren't Tera Electric, and if they were, Baxcalibur would have easily dealt with it. Basically maximum investment in special bulk and Intimidate along with ResTalk+Chesto to make it as bulky as possible and setup easily and serve as a longterm answer to Volcarona and Espeon.
The Game.
vs 
I played horribly but won because for some reason they didn't have Rest in Dondozo lol. Besides that, Ceruledge just switched in to die and Gyarados claimed two kills.
Game 2. KiwiCarnivore
Second game, another Scizor and another Garchomp. But this matchup looked easier to build for me; more threats but my team was alright to deal with them. From now on, the team will always have the same six mons. I had a lot of fun building for this matchup, even though they had both Quagsire and Skeledirge.
Speed to outspeed Gardevoir, Attack to get the KOs it needed and dump in HP. I think you'll understand the set better with some calcs.
+1 188 Atk Tera Fire Baxcalibur Tera Blast vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Gardevoir: 289-342 (104.3 - 123.4%) -- guaranteed OHKO
+1 188 Atk Tera Fire Baxcalibur Glaive Rush vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Sandy Shocks: 312-367 (100.3 - 118%) -- guaranteed OHKO
+1 188 Atk Tera Fire Baxcalibur Glaive Rush vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Unaware Quagsire: 163-193 (41.3 - 48.9%) -- 59% chance to 2HKO after 2 layers of Spikes and Leftovers recovery
188 Atk Tera Fire Baxcalibur Ice Shard vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Salamence: 328-388 (99 - 117.2%) -- 87.5% chance to OHKO
-1 188 Atk Tera Fire Baxcalibur Glaive Rush vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Salamence: 326-386 (98.4 - 116.6%) -- 87.5% chance to OHKO
The King makes its debut with the most basic set in existence. It could be used in UU and nobody would complain. It just hits everything but Skeledirge for neutral damage.
The demon. This set was the perfect lure for Quagsire, which would allow me to set up freely and sweep. Jaw Lock would prevent Quagsire from switching, while Taunt would prevent it from recovering its HP. Lum Berry along with Taunt made sure I wouldn't get statused by any meanings. Spread outspeeds Sandy Shocks. A beast set I wanted to run in my last game against Ting-Lu but the latter is much stronger and resisted Jaw Lock.
Another Gardevoir, another support set. This time a Scarf set with a spread that reaches +353 Speed and Healing Wish to retry a sweep.
Bad hazard removal means Glimmora party time. Spread to outspeed Gardevoir and Babiri Berry to avoid a nuke Bullet Punch. Coverage for everything and Spikes to rack up damage, which would help Baxcalibur a lot.
Lovely. A set some GSC nostalgics have probably used in a low tier. Hits Garchomp, Salamence, Scizor and Skeledirge for a great damage, potentially OHKOing the former three, as well as being a potential Quagsire lure to give Roaring Moon a free double switch. Speed investment to outspeed Adamant Scizor so it doesn't U-turn out.
The Game.
vs 
A successful OHKO to Scizor in turn 1 makes the game much easier. After Baxcalibur revenge kills Kingambit and dies from Counter Quagsire, Roaring Moon switches in and sets up as expected, easily cleaning the rest of their team.
Game 3. Zeoro
Third game, still needed to win to secure making it to playoffs. Two titans in Palafin and Annihilape, as well as very good supports like Noivern and Klefki made this game prep scaring.
Same idea as the previous one. Lum Berry for Thunder Wave Klefki. Speed to outspeed Jolly Tsareena, enough Attack to get important KOs and rest in HP.
+1 176+ Atk Baxcalibur Glaive Rush vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Palafin-Hero: 342-403 (100.2 - 118.1%) -- guaranteed OHKO
+1 176+ Atk Baxcalibur Glaive Rush vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Annihilape: 400-472 (94.3 - 111.3%) -- 68.8% chance to OHKO - OHKO with chip or tera
+1 176+ Atk Tera Dragon Baxcalibur Glaive Rush vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Gastrodon: 408-480 (95.7 - 112.6%) -- 75% chance to OHKO
+1 176+ Atk Baxcalibur Glaive Rush vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Tsareena: 339-400 (97.4 - 114.9%) -- 87.5% chance to OHKO
176+ Atk Baxcalibur Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Klefki: 190-224 (59.7 - 70.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
Waterfall + Ice Fang covers everything but Palafin. Spread allows to outspeed Noivern at +1.
Simple Scarf, same spread purpose as Gyarados.
Dragon Claw and Earthquake cover the whole matchup. Taunt stops Palafin and Annihilape from Bulking Up, Gastrodon and Umbreon from recovering, and Klefki from doing Klefki things. Spread to outspeed Iron Moth and Haban Berry to lure Noivern into using Draco Meteor.
Since the plan with Gardevoir was to Trick Scarf into Klefki, Glimmora was my backup Scarfer. Spread outspeeds Noivern too.
Slowking acts as my main answer to Iron Moth, which is exactly what it did. It switched into Specs Iron Moth and pivoted out to any teammate that could deal with the move it got locked in. Psychic hits everything and Thunder Wave worked as Speed control as well as fishing free turns.
The Game
vs 
Glimmora leads and hits Palafin while forces Iron Moth to switch in thanks to Toxic Debris. This allows me to early scout a Specs set thus not having to risk turns in the future. Sending Roaring Moon gives me a free double switch to Gardevoir to Trick Klekfi. The game was becoming a bit slow with the many switches to Glimmora, Iron Moth and Slowking. But a Thunder Wave in Annihilape allows me to try a sweep with Gyarados (get rolled) and Baxcalibur afterwards, which thanks to Lum Berry healed off from Thunder Wave and swept the whole team.
Game 4. Kizaco
(they were subbed in that's why it says PokeKingz)
Rain and mirror Baxcalibur lololololol. I technically could still be out of the tour if I lost this so a win was the only option. Tera Armarouge sounded dangerous specially since it could hit everything but Gyarados super effectively.
The TEAM
The beast. Spread outspeeds Palafin after a Dragon Dance, Glaive and Tera Blast hit everything and Freeze-Dry with a Naughty nature OHKOes Pelipper
0 SpA Baxcalibur Freeze-Dry vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Pelipper: 324-384 (100 - 118.5%) -- guaranteed OHKO
I love how different every Gyarados set I used is so different. Spread outspeeds Armarouge and Assault Vest grants it checks it more effectively. Special Attack investment was necessary to OHKO Pelipper and Scizor.
252 SpA Gyarados Thunderbolt vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Pelipper: 324-384 (100 - 118.5%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252 SpA Gyarados Flamethrower vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Scizor: 292-344 (103.9 - 122.4%) -- guaranteed OHKO
Spread outspeeds Palafin. Throat Chop helps to deal with Hyper Voice Sylveon and Taunt shuts down many of their Pokemon. Fire Fang simply hits Scizor as I didn't need more coverage.
Once again, their only hazard removal is Scizor. Spread outspeeds Armarouge and double STAB hits everything.
Psychic does good damage to Palafin and Pelipper most notably, while Flamethrower covers Scizor. Physically Defensive spread to endure hits better.
Spread outspeeds Palafin with Choice Scarf. Almost no utility here, just 3A + TWave. Should have brought Trace in case they used Swift Swim Beartic but forgot.
The Game
vs 
Glimm sets Tspikes and Rocks turn one and their Scizor stays in Gyarados so I can delete it. After that Baxcalibur switches in freely thanks to Slowking and uses Tera Fire to set up and tank a Sylveon attack. It effectively sweeps after a Dragon Dance.
Playoffs. Y Parahax
Pretty tough matchup, specially against Tera Volcarona. Ting Lu is also a pain to deal with, Azumarill shuts down both Roaring Moon and Baxcalibur, and Ditto doesn't let me set up with any of my three DDancers.
The team
Spread hits 336 Speed, which is more than 334 but I'll exaplain why later. Moves hit everything and allow me to pivot out of Ting-Lu.
Spread outspeeds Garchomp after a Dragon Dance, and with Roaring running a bit more Speed, it won't outspeed it at +1, so Ditto doesn't sweep freely. Glaive Rush and Icicle Spear+Loaded Dice 2HKOed everything and Tera Steel/Substitute were to deal with Ditto.
I was absolutely terrified of Azumarill, so PhysDef and Rocky Helmet to chip it, as Baxcalibur could easily defeat it after a Dragon Dance.
Mortal Spin deals with Rocks and Spikes as well as poisoning the opponent. Mirror Herb was intended to work along with Mortal Spin to stall out Volcarona's HP. Coverage for everything but Garchomp and spread outspeeds Jolly Azumarill.
Another Scarf... Moonblast and Tbolt cover everything. Trick was brought to hinder Ting-Lu or Volcarona. Healing Wish to bring back to 100% any of the Volc checks. Spread outspeeds Garchomp without outspeeding Roaring Moon, and survives a +1 Fire Blast from Modest Volcarona.
I was on drugs doing this set bruh. My focus was completely on Azu and I forgot about Volca. Same role as Slowking. Rest gives me longevity and Endure could be used to fish some Rocky damage.
About their Volcarona, I was convinced they were going to be either Electric or Fairy, both of which Glimmora could easily deal with.
The Game
vs 
A disaster. I forgot Gardevoir wasn't suppose to take damage, their Volc wasn't either Electric or Fairy and I should have brought Tanga Berry Roaring Moon with no excuses. Volcarona sweeps 5-0 and gg.
The hosts have been almost perfect so far and I can't wait for more Galar Dex Draft Tours. Good luck everyone
I'm eliminated from the kick-off tour in Round 3, and even though I went 4-0 in the groups stage, I don't feel I've made a great tour overall. Groups stage games didn't feel like a challenge, both teambuilding and playing.
My team
To begin with, I didn't like my draft at all. I lacked realiable hazard removal, picked mons with limited movepool due to the new gen, picked Ceruledge which needs Tera to really perform, and had a pretty obvious six mons to bring to battle. Moreover, I thought we were fighting the other people from the same draft pool, which made me choose counter picks. Overall not comfortable with my team and decissions.
Groups games
Before anything, I want to clarify that after my poor draft, I decided to play the games with absurd sets to have some fun. Some sets will look very questionable so expect anything.
Game 1. Zer0
Zer0 was my first game and I was honestly scared from Dondozo and Espeon, and I didn't know what to build if I'm honest lol.
Baxcalibur @ Lum Berry
Ability: Thermal Exchange
Tera Type: Fire
EVs: 80 HP / 252 Atk / 176 Spe
Naughty Nature
- Ice Shard
- Tera Blast
- Dragon Dance
- Glaive Rush
Ability: Thermal Exchange
Tera Type: Fire
EVs: 80 HP / 252 Atk / 176 Spe
Naughty Nature
- Ice Shard
- Tera Blast
- Dragon Dance
- Glaive Rush
Ceruledge @ Weakness Policy
Ability: Weak Armor
Tera Type: Fire
EVs: 252 Atk / 40 Def / 216 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Bitter Blade
- Taunt
- Destiny Bond
- Endure
Ability: Weak Armor
Tera Type: Fire
EVs: 252 Atk / 40 Def / 216 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Bitter Blade
- Taunt
- Destiny Bond
- Endure
Glimmora @ Focus Sash
Ability: Toxic Debris
Tera Type: Rock
EVs: 252 HP / 168 Def / 88 Spe
Bold Nature
- Power Gem
- Spikes
- Stealth Rock
- Mortal Spin
Ability: Toxic Debris
Tera Type: Rock
EVs: 252 HP / 168 Def / 88 Spe
Bold Nature
- Power Gem
- Spikes
- Stealth Rock
- Mortal Spin
Roaring Moon @ Haban Berry
Ability: Protosynthesis
Tera Type: Dragon
EVs: 16 HP / 252 Atk / 240 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Fire Fang
- Crunch
- Dragon Claw
- Roost
Ability: Protosynthesis
Tera Type: Dragon
EVs: 16 HP / 252 Atk / 240 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Fire Fang
- Crunch
- Dragon Claw
- Roost
Gardevoir @ Babiri Berry
Ability: Trace
Tera Type: Psychic
EVs: 120 HP / 252 SpA / 136 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Mystical Fire
- Moonblast
- Thunder Wave
- Healing Wish
Ability: Trace
Tera Type: Psychic
EVs: 120 HP / 252 SpA / 136 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Mystical Fire
- Moonblast
- Thunder Wave
- Healing Wish
Gyarados @ Chesto Berry
Ability: Intimidate
Tera Type: Water
EVs: 248 HP / 252 SpD / 8 Spe
Careful Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Rest
- Waterfall
- Sleep Talk
Ability: Intimidate
Tera Type: Water
EVs: 248 HP / 252 SpD / 8 Spe
Careful Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Rest
- Waterfall
- Sleep Talk
The Game.
vs I played horribly but won because for some reason they didn't have Rest in Dondozo lol. Besides that, Ceruledge just switched in to die and Gyarados claimed two kills.
Game 2. KiwiCarnivore
Second game, another Scizor and another Garchomp. But this matchup looked easier to build for me; more threats but my team was alright to deal with them. From now on, the team will always have the same six mons. I had a lot of fun building for this matchup, even though they had both Quagsire and Skeledirge.
Baxcalibur @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Thermal Exchange
Tera Type: Fire
EVs: 120 HP / 188 Atk / 200 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Ice Shard
- Glaive Rush
- Tera Blast
- Dragon Dance
Ability: Thermal Exchange
Tera Type: Fire
EVs: 120 HP / 188 Atk / 200 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Ice Shard
- Glaive Rush
- Tera Blast
- Dragon Dance
+1 188 Atk Tera Fire Baxcalibur Tera Blast vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Gardevoir: 289-342 (104.3 - 123.4%) -- guaranteed OHKO
+1 188 Atk Tera Fire Baxcalibur Glaive Rush vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Sandy Shocks: 312-367 (100.3 - 118%) -- guaranteed OHKO
+1 188 Atk Tera Fire Baxcalibur Glaive Rush vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Unaware Quagsire: 163-193 (41.3 - 48.9%) -- 59% chance to 2HKO after 2 layers of Spikes and Leftovers recovery
188 Atk Tera Fire Baxcalibur Ice Shard vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Salamence: 328-388 (99 - 117.2%) -- 87.5% chance to OHKO
-1 188 Atk Tera Fire Baxcalibur Glaive Rush vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Salamence: 326-386 (98.4 - 116.6%) -- 87.5% chance to OHKO
Slowking @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Regenerator
Tera Type: Water
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpA
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Chilly Reception
- Ice Beam
- Slack Off
- Flamethrower
Ability: Regenerator
Tera Type: Water
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpA
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Chilly Reception
- Ice Beam
- Slack Off
- Flamethrower
Roaring Moon @ Lum Berry
Ability: Protosynthesis
Tera Type: Dragon
EVs: 64 HP / 252 Atk / 192 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Taunt
- Roost
- Jaw Lock
- Dragon Dance
Ability: Protosynthesis
Tera Type: Dragon
EVs: 64 HP / 252 Atk / 192 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Taunt
- Roost
- Jaw Lock
- Dragon Dance
Gardevoir @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Trace
Tera Type: Psychic
EVs: 96 HP / 252 SpA / 160 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Moonblast
- Mystical Fire
- Healing Wish
- Will-O-Wisp
Ability: Trace
Tera Type: Psychic
EVs: 96 HP / 252 SpA / 160 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Moonblast
- Mystical Fire
- Healing Wish
- Will-O-Wisp
Glimmora @ Babiri Berry
Ability: Toxic Debris
Tera Type: Rock
EVs: 48 HP / 252 SpA / 208 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Spikes
- Sludge Wave
- Dazzling Gleam
- Energy Ball
Ability: Toxic Debris
Tera Type: Rock
EVs: 48 HP / 252 SpA / 208 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Spikes
- Sludge Wave
- Dazzling Gleam
- Energy Ball
Gyarados @ Life Orb
Ability: Intimidate
Tera Type: Water
EVs: 128 HP / 252 SpA / 128 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Ice Beam
- Surf
- Flamethrower
- Hurricane
Ability: Intimidate
Tera Type: Water
EVs: 128 HP / 252 SpA / 128 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Ice Beam
- Surf
- Flamethrower
- Hurricane
The Game.
vs A successful OHKO to Scizor in turn 1 makes the game much easier. After Baxcalibur revenge kills Kingambit and dies from Counter Quagsire, Roaring Moon switches in and sets up as expected, easily cleaning the rest of their team.
Game 3. Zeoro
Third game, still needed to win to secure making it to playoffs. Two titans in Palafin and Annihilape, as well as very good supports like Noivern and Klefki made this game prep scaring.
Baxcalibur @ Lum Berry
Ability: Thermal Exchange
Tera Type: Dragon
EVs: 100 HP / 176 Atk / 232 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Glaive Rush
- Dragon Dance
- Ice Shard
Ability: Thermal Exchange
Tera Type: Dragon
EVs: 100 HP / 176 Atk / 232 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Glaive Rush
- Dragon Dance
- Ice Shard
+1 176+ Atk Baxcalibur Glaive Rush vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Palafin-Hero: 342-403 (100.2 - 118.1%) -- guaranteed OHKO
+1 176+ Atk Baxcalibur Glaive Rush vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Annihilape: 400-472 (94.3 - 111.3%) -- 68.8% chance to OHKO - OHKO with chip or tera
+1 176+ Atk Tera Dragon Baxcalibur Glaive Rush vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Gastrodon: 408-480 (95.7 - 112.6%) -- 75% chance to OHKO
+1 176+ Atk Baxcalibur Glaive Rush vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Tsareena: 339-400 (97.4 - 114.9%) -- 87.5% chance to OHKO
176+ Atk Baxcalibur Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Klefki: 190-224 (59.7 - 70.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
Gyarados @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
Tera Type: Water
EVs: 252 Atk / 32 SpD / 224 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Ice Fang
- Waterfall
- Dragon Dance
- Substitute
Ability: Intimidate
Tera Type: Water
EVs: 252 Atk / 32 SpD / 224 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Ice Fang
- Waterfall
- Dragon Dance
- Substitute
Gardevoir @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Trace
Tera Type: Psychic
EVs: 24 HP / 252 SpA / 232 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Energy Ball
- Moonblast
- Psychic
- Trick
Ability: Trace
Tera Type: Psychic
EVs: 24 HP / 252 SpA / 232 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Energy Ball
- Moonblast
- Psychic
- Trick
Roaring Moon @ Haban Berry
Ability: Protosynthesis
Tera Type: Dragon
EVs: 252 HP / 72 Atk / 184 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Roost
- Dragon Claw
- Earthquake
- Taunt
Ability: Protosynthesis
Tera Type: Dragon
EVs: 252 HP / 72 Atk / 184 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Roost
- Dragon Claw
- Earthquake
- Taunt
Glimmora @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Toxic Debris
Tera Type: Rock
EVs: 72 HP / 252 SpA / 184 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Earth Power
- Energy Ball
- Spikes
- Dazzling Gleam
Ability: Toxic Debris
Tera Type: Rock
EVs: 72 HP / 252 SpA / 184 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Earth Power
- Energy Ball
- Spikes
- Dazzling Gleam
Slowking @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Regenerator
Tera Type: Water
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Chilly Reception
- Psychic
- Slack Off
- Thunder Wave
Ability: Regenerator
Tera Type: Water
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Chilly Reception
- Psychic
- Slack Off
- Thunder Wave
The Game
vs Glimmora leads and hits Palafin while forces Iron Moth to switch in thanks to Toxic Debris. This allows me to early scout a Specs set thus not having to risk turns in the future. Sending Roaring Moon gives me a free double switch to Gardevoir to Trick Klekfi. The game was becoming a bit slow with the many switches to Glimmora, Iron Moth and Slowking. But a Thunder Wave in Annihilape allows me to try a sweep with Gyarados (get rolled) and Baxcalibur afterwards, which thanks to Lum Berry healed off from Thunder Wave and swept the whole team.
Game 4. Kizaco
Rain and mirror Baxcalibur lololololol. I technically could still be out of the tour if I lost this so a win was the only option. Tera Armarouge sounded dangerous specially since it could hit everything but Gyarados super effectively.
The TEAM
Baxcalibur @ Passho Berry
Ability: Thermal Exchange
Tera Type: Fire
EVs: 216 HP / 252 Atk / 40 Spe
Naughty Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Glaive Rush
- Tera Blast
- Freeze-Dry
Ability: Thermal Exchange
Tera Type: Fire
EVs: 216 HP / 252 Atk / 40 Spe
Naughty Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Glaive Rush
- Tera Blast
- Freeze-Dry
0 SpA Baxcalibur Freeze-Dry vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Pelipper: 324-384 (100 - 118.5%) -- guaranteed OHKO
Gyarados @ Assault Vest
Ability: Intimidate
Tera Type: Water
EVs: 48 HP / 252 SpA / 208 Spe
Timid Nature
- Thunderbolt
- Flamethrower
- Surf
- Dragon Tail
Ability: Intimidate
Tera Type: Water
EVs: 48 HP / 252 SpA / 208 Spe
Timid Nature
- Thunderbolt
- Flamethrower
- Surf
- Dragon Tail
252 SpA Gyarados Thunderbolt vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Pelipper: 324-384 (100 - 118.5%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252 SpA Gyarados Flamethrower vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Scizor: 292-344 (103.9 - 122.4%) -- guaranteed OHKO
Roaring Moon @ Yache Berry
Ability: Protosynthesis
Tera Type: Dragon
EVs: 252 HP / 152 SpD / 104 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Throat Chop
- Roost
- Taunt
- Fire Fang
Ability: Protosynthesis
Tera Type: Dragon
EVs: 252 HP / 152 SpD / 104 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Throat Chop
- Roost
- Taunt
- Fire Fang
Glimmora @ Focus Sash
Ability: Toxic Debris
Tera Type: Rock
EVs: 88 HP / 252 SpA / 168 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Power Gem
- Spikes
- Stealth Rock
- Sludge Bomb
Ability: Toxic Debris
Tera Type: Rock
EVs: 88 HP / 252 SpA / 168 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Power Gem
- Spikes
- Stealth Rock
- Sludge Bomb
Slowking @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Regenerator
Tera Type: Water
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpA
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Chilly Reception
- Psychic
- Slack Off
- Flamethrower
Ability: Regenerator
Tera Type: Water
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpA
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Chilly Reception
- Psychic
- Slack Off
- Flamethrower
Gardevoir @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Synchronize
Tera Type: Psychic
EVs: 160 Def / 252 SpA / 96 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Thunderbolt
- Mystical Fire
- Moonblast
- Thunder Wave
Ability: Synchronize
Tera Type: Psychic
EVs: 160 Def / 252 SpA / 96 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Thunderbolt
- Mystical Fire
- Moonblast
- Thunder Wave
The Game
vs Glimm sets Tspikes and Rocks turn one and their Scizor stays in Gyarados so I can delete it. After that Baxcalibur switches in freely thanks to Slowking and uses Tera Fire to set up and tank a Sylveon attack. It effectively sweeps after a Dragon Dance.
Playoffs. Y Parahax
Pretty tough matchup, specially against Tera Volcarona. Ting Lu is also a pain to deal with, Azumarill shuts down both Roaring Moon and Baxcalibur, and Ditto doesn't let me set up with any of my three DDancers.
The team
Fakundo (Roaring Moon) @ Life Orb
Ability: Protosynthesis
Tera Type: Dragon
EVs: 8 HP / 252 Atk / 248 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Dragon Claw
- Thunder Fang
- Roost
- U-turn
Ability: Protosynthesis
Tera Type: Dragon
EVs: 8 HP / 252 Atk / 248 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Dragon Claw
- Thunder Fang
- Roost
- U-turn
Bolas (Baxcalibur) @ Loaded Dice
Ability: Thermal Exchange
Tera Type: Steel
EVs: 204 HP / 252 Atk / 52 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Substitute
- Glaive Rush
- Icicle Spear
Ability: Thermal Exchange
Tera Type: Steel
EVs: 204 HP / 252 Atk / 52 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Substitute
- Glaive Rush
- Icicle Spear
Diplodocus (Slowking) @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Regenerator
Tera Type: Water
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpA
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Surf
- Chilly Reception
- Future Sight
- Slack Off
Ability: Regenerator
Tera Type: Water
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpA
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Surf
- Chilly Reception
- Future Sight
- Slack Off
Retrete (Glimmora) @ Mirror Herb
Ability: Toxic Debris
Tera Type: Rock
EVs: 212 HP / 252 SpA / 44 Spe
Modest Nature
- Earth Power
- Sludge Wave
- Power Gem
- Mortal Spin
Ability: Toxic Debris
Tera Type: Rock
EVs: 212 HP / 252 SpA / 44 Spe
Modest Nature
- Earth Power
- Sludge Wave
- Power Gem
- Mortal Spin
Papu (Gardevoir) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Synchronize
Tera Type: Psychic
EVs: 16 HP / 240 SpA / 144 SpD / 108 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Moonblast
- Trick
- Thunderbolt
- Healing Wish
Ability: Synchronize
Tera Type: Psychic
EVs: 16 HP / 240 SpA / 144 SpD / 108 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Moonblast
- Trick
- Thunderbolt
- Healing Wish
Rancio (Gyarados) @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Intimidate
Tera Type: Water
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Impish Nature
- Dragon Tail
- Waterfall
- Rest
- Endure
Ability: Intimidate
Tera Type: Water
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Impish Nature
- Dragon Tail
- Waterfall
- Rest
- Endure
About their Volcarona, I was convinced they were going to be either Electric or Fairy, both of which Glimmora could easily deal with.
The Game
vs A disaster. I forgot Gardevoir wasn't suppose to take damage, their Volc wasn't either Electric or Fairy and I should have brought Tanga Berry Roaring Moon with no excuses. Volcarona sweeps 5-0 and gg.
The hosts have been almost perfect so far and I can't wait for more Galar Dex Draft Tours. Good luck everyone
Attachments
Attempt II at reviving this thread. Gonna drop my thoughts on tera-rules in 11 mon because I’m sick and bored. Just based off my experience/watching friends play, nothing too serious. I’m also assuming Post-Home Paldea here, Tera in NatDex is a joke.
As a mechanic, I think it’s incredibly fun to use, much like Dynamax was but, also like Dynamax, I think it’s hilariously uncompetitive. Alas, banning it hasn’t become the norm yet so out of the options that do exist, my favourites are:
One captain: This just makes the most sense in my head, it limits the mechanic to one member of the opponents team, making both prep and play much easier. You’re not forced into endless 50/50s every turn you attack, just vs the Tera-Captain.
Tera Points: It does a similar thing to this, it “rewards” people for picking more middling Tera Captains with a stronger second one (or third if you’re in leagues that don’t add rules mid-draft /j). While it does add more frustrating in game turn/out of game prep decisions, at least you’re prepping for roughly the same relative strength each week, it’s better than some of the alternatives I’ve seen.
Now for the ones I dislike, there’s a lot becauseI’m a hater I like balance :3.
Tera Tax: Typically implemented as 1.25x the Pokémon’s original price, rounded down, with a maximum of one captain/using 25 or so Tera Points. In theory this is great, it means mons such as Baxcalibur (my beloved) can be tiered somewhat reasonably to account for Tera and no Tera. The issue lies with Pokémon such as Regieleki, Skeledirge etc. Pokémon who already have an inflated price because of Tera. To take a somewhat common example, I’ve seen a lot of 18pt Regielekis with Tera Tax, effectively making it a 22pt mon, and if I draft it, I’m forced to Tera it, if not I’ve got a 10pt Pokémon at best. Tax would be a great system in theory but in practice too many Pokémon fall between the cracks.
Drafting Tera Types: This is exactly what it sounds like, draft 1-2 Types and that’s what your team can Tera into. I’ve never been a fan of drafting types for Z-Crystals and it’s the same case here, it feels like you’re accepting the mechanic is too broken to allow but trying to force it to work, imo just ban it at that point. + it comes with the added issue that Water, Steel, Ground and Fairy are aeons better than whatever 8th pick can get, let alone 16 if you’re playing that.
Declared Type Captains: Similar to captains/points, I’ve mostly seen this with 2 Tera Captains, each having two types. This has similar flaws to drafting types imo, you’re trying to say that you think a mechanic is too broken but still want to allow it. Just seems too restrictive and frankly imo, it’s also just unfun, there’s no random ass Choice Band Head Smash Rock Head Hydreigon bs to be pulled off. Of course that’s subjective but you’re reading a rant on a forum in 2023 so you’ve no right to judge.
Limiting Tera to Pokémon below X points: This tends to be a combination of any of the previous systems, carrying their flaws and benefits, as well as saying that Pokémon below X points are the only ones who may Tera. This instantly makes the Pokémon in tier X much, much better than those in X+1 or X+2 etc etc, it creates an artificial power spike in the middle of the draft board which I don’t think is
Tera Types at Preview: All Tera Types are displayed at team preview. Honestly have no strong opinion on this yet, it’s not been seen enough yet for me to form an opinion on it beyond I don’t think it fixes the issue of Tera forcing too many 50/50s but again, it’s not existed for more than a week so,,,
Free Tera: Yeah just, no. I’d rather play with Minimize unbanne.
I think that’s every Tera system I’ve seen. I’ve probably forgotten something but hey, was fun to rant about Tera. TL;DR Tera sux, ban it.
As a mechanic, I think it’s incredibly fun to use, much like Dynamax was but, also like Dynamax, I think it’s hilariously uncompetitive. Alas, banning it hasn’t become the norm yet so out of the options that do exist, my favourites are:
One captain: This just makes the most sense in my head, it limits the mechanic to one member of the opponents team, making both prep and play much easier. You’re not forced into endless 50/50s every turn you attack, just vs the Tera-Captain.
Tera Points: It does a similar thing to this, it “rewards” people for picking more middling Tera Captains with a stronger second one (or third if you’re in leagues that don’t add rules mid-draft /j). While it does add more frustrating in game turn/out of game prep decisions, at least you’re prepping for roughly the same relative strength each week, it’s better than some of the alternatives I’ve seen.
Now for the ones I dislike, there’s a lot because
Tera Tax: Typically implemented as 1.25x the Pokémon’s original price, rounded down, with a maximum of one captain/using 25 or so Tera Points. In theory this is great, it means mons such as Baxcalibur (my beloved) can be tiered somewhat reasonably to account for Tera and no Tera. The issue lies with Pokémon such as Regieleki, Skeledirge etc. Pokémon who already have an inflated price because of Tera. To take a somewhat common example, I’ve seen a lot of 18pt Regielekis with Tera Tax, effectively making it a 22pt mon, and if I draft it, I’m forced to Tera it, if not I’ve got a 10pt Pokémon at best. Tax would be a great system in theory but in practice too many Pokémon fall between the cracks.
Drafting Tera Types: This is exactly what it sounds like, draft 1-2 Types and that’s what your team can Tera into. I’ve never been a fan of drafting types for Z-Crystals and it’s the same case here, it feels like you’re accepting the mechanic is too broken to allow but trying to force it to work, imo just ban it at that point. + it comes with the added issue that Water, Steel, Ground and Fairy are aeons better than whatever 8th pick can get, let alone 16 if you’re playing that.
Declared Type Captains: Similar to captains/points, I’ve mostly seen this with 2 Tera Captains, each having two types. This has similar flaws to drafting types imo, you’re trying to say that you think a mechanic is too broken but still want to allow it. Just seems too restrictive and frankly imo, it’s also just unfun, there’s no random ass Choice Band Head Smash Rock Head Hydreigon bs to be pulled off. Of course that’s subjective but you’re reading a rant on a forum in 2023 so you’ve no right to judge.
Limiting Tera to Pokémon below X points: This tends to be a combination of any of the previous systems, carrying their flaws and benefits, as well as saying that Pokémon below X points are the only ones who may Tera. This instantly makes the Pokémon in tier X much, much better than those in X+1 or X+2 etc etc, it creates an artificial power spike in the middle of the draft board which I don’t think is
Tera Types at Preview: All Tera Types are displayed at team preview. Honestly have no strong opinion on this yet, it’s not been seen enough yet for me to form an opinion on it beyond I don’t think it fixes the issue of Tera forcing too many 50/50s but again, it’s not existed for more than a week so,,,
Free Tera: Yeah just, no. I’d rather play with Minimize unbanne.
I think that’s every Tera system I’ve seen. I’ve probably forgotten something but hey, was fun to rant about Tera. TL;DR Tera sux, ban it.
This is my favorite way to do it so far. Especially keeping the points lower so coaches gotta choose between one single high cost captain or multiple lower cost caps.
Unban baton pass and this is something I can get behind
It's definitely a good system, I just prefer one captain period, am partially scarred by Tera Ho-Oh + Sneasler + Ursaluna, that was nasty,,,
I quite liked the Tera Captain system I played with in Kickoff.
The generation gimmick is rarely something I give a whole lot of consideration, since I never got into the generations that had those (counting permaweather gen5 as a generation gimmick), so Tera was something I went into my draft pool kinda having no idea about. I didn't anticipate it being as powerful as it was, so I had kind of put it in a secondary thought for when I was considering what to draft before pools started - I just decided to draft with disregard to it and then make my captain whatever my highest mon that could draft would be.
I ended up getting Dragonite in late Round 2 after grabbing IV in Round 1 from a position 2 draft. I had read in the server chat that Dragonite was a scary Tera Captain, so I decided to stick with my "ignore tera" plan and continue to draft, and give it to Dragonite down the line if I wanted. Obviously, if you get Dragonite, that's who you Tera, so I did.
I think from the workshopping of other systems when we discussed Seasonal, I think that Tera Tax was the system I liked the best in theory. Though I think I liked it best when it was tied to some max value limit, like "can only captain a mon worth less than 10 points" or something. Obviously this is complicated for Kickoff theory since a lot of Mons probably needed a better score, with that example obviously Espathra and Garganacl become S+ tier draft choices. But for a Seasonal where draft might be more solidified (assuming Home doesn't entirely upend the meta) such a thing might be worth exploring.
I think that entirely removing Tera in draft is something of a worst-case scenario in my mind, I don't think it's necessary or even beneficial. I'm a Tera apologist or whatever, but my interactions with Tera in preparation/scouting and actually playing was quite fun. The Tera Dragonite problem I think was genuinely a problem with how little we knew of what the meta would look like, not Tera itself.
Obviously as we go into classic, we handle "solved" gimmicks like Megas and/or Z-Moves, but Seasonal is closer every day, and I'm looking forward to playing in that.
The generation gimmick is rarely something I give a whole lot of consideration, since I never got into the generations that had those (counting permaweather gen5 as a generation gimmick), so Tera was something I went into my draft pool kinda having no idea about. I didn't anticipate it being as powerful as it was, so I had kind of put it in a secondary thought for when I was considering what to draft before pools started - I just decided to draft with disregard to it and then make my captain whatever my highest mon that could draft would be.
I ended up getting Dragonite in late Round 2 after grabbing IV in Round 1 from a position 2 draft. I had read in the server chat that Dragonite was a scary Tera Captain, so I decided to stick with my "ignore tera" plan and continue to draft, and give it to Dragonite down the line if I wanted. Obviously, if you get Dragonite, that's who you Tera, so I did.
I think from the workshopping of other systems when we discussed Seasonal, I think that Tera Tax was the system I liked the best in theory. Though I think I liked it best when it was tied to some max value limit, like "can only captain a mon worth less than 10 points" or something. Obviously this is complicated for Kickoff theory since a lot of Mons probably needed a better score, with that example obviously Espathra and Garganacl become S+ tier draft choices. But for a Seasonal where draft might be more solidified (assuming Home doesn't entirely upend the meta) such a thing might be worth exploring.
I think that entirely removing Tera in draft is something of a worst-case scenario in my mind, I don't think it's necessary or even beneficial. I'm a Tera apologist or whatever, but my interactions with Tera in preparation/scouting and actually playing was quite fun. The Tera Dragonite problem I think was genuinely a problem with how little we knew of what the meta would look like, not Tera itself.
Obviously as we go into classic, we handle "solved" gimmicks like Megas and/or Z-Moves, but Seasonal is closer every day, and I'm looking forward to playing in that.
Any option that isn't one captain or tera points is far from ideal. Captain is completely fine to me, I've found it fine in the kickoff tour and was able to deal with opp's tera user most of the time. It has both surprise factor and balance which is what we should seek in a mechanic like this one. If it isn't broken don't change it.
Tera Tax could definitely work but the issue with applying it to the seasonal will frankly be it being “too complicated” at a level of 512+ people
I’m not sold here because even with a Dragonite ban, other mons do rise to fill that spot, for example Tera Volcarona is hilariously obnoxious, being able to viably run a plethora of types in most matchups. While it’s not immediately as oppressive as Tera (Normal) Dragonite was, it’s still equally as uncompetitive (imo).
On the other hand, I also do think that how people use their Tera might change though, something I’ve noticed over the past month is the increase in popularity of lead/early game Tera sets, notably on Baxcalibur and again, Volcarona. While these are from offsite leagues, I’ve been seeing a lot of early game Tera + setup dictating the swing of matches, using your Tera captain to wallbreak out the gate; something that wasn’t as prevalent in the early stages of Kickoff.
This is 100% a personal line but I don’t think the surprise factor is balanced, it’s a complete mismatch of information and there’s nothing the opponent can feasibly do about it. A lot of Pokémon do only have 2-3 Tera types they can (viably) run in a matchup but, each exchange vs that Pokémon is both a guess as to whether they Tera or not but also what type they Tera into. You can definitely argue that it is a level of outprepping your opponent but, I think that Tera takes it to an unhealthy level.
Also, something that hasn’t been discussed thus far, what are peoples thoughts on Tera Blast? My experience with it so far is that in theory it’s a cool move but for 90% of Pokémon, it’s just too weak, even with the STAB bonus.
Pretty on board with Tera tax because of the inflation you mentioned here. Garg without Tera is like an 8-point mon (obviously exaggerating) and paying like 14 points for it not to be a tera captain is a crime.
Some mons just shouldn't Tera though, like Dnite, just too much of a headache even in a format where you know it's coming and can prepare counterplay. We've seen how well it did in Kickoff and I'm looking forward to how the draft community treats pokemon like Spectrier, Regieleki, and mons that are literally only held back by their lack of coverage which Tera gives them. Those will be up in the air I think until we see them in another high-level tour setting.
My favorite format with tera I have seen so far is one tera captain but I wanna explain why I dislike or dont mind other tera formats first.
Tera Points
This is like barely in my top 3 of favorite tera formats but I think this format is cool. The best strategy is to just tera your best pokemon that is an excellent tera abuser anyways along with some lower tier mon that wouldnt be mind using tera. Actually little to no complaints about this format.
Tera Tax
I agree with some of the points that Autumn said regarding that it makes it so you can actually tier some pokemon correctly with or without tera but my problem with this in 11 mon since thats what the post was targetted towards is that this doesn't actually impact the draft that much on if they lose a few points because I think that some of the best drafts are top heavy drafts that don't really mind losing a mid price pokemon in the first place. Overall, tera tax a great concept but in practice I don't think it changes much.
Drafting Tera Types
This format was not good in USUM with z-moves, with tera it just makes no sense whatsoever to do. I also don't really like this a lot because if your opponent drafted a tera type thats good into your tera type that would be a huge advantage for your opponent that just shouldn't exist.
Tera types on preview with 2 set tera captains
I actually have grown to not mind this format at all after playing with it for a week in Draft PL. Being able to adapt your gameplan on whatever you see your opponents tera types are on preview is an excellent display of skill. I think overall this format is way less fun than other tera formats because the best part of tera in my mind is the surprise factor but in exchange for that I think it puts the game on a much more even and competitive playing field.
Declared Type Captains
Pretty much my exact opinion on drafting tera types except its worse because any mon could tera lol
Limiting Tera to Pokémon below X points
My thoughts on this are exactly what autumn said. It could make 5 pointers better than 6 pointers which in my mind says enough about this format.
My favorite tera format, one tera per team
I like this because its very minimalistic in allowing tera, a mechanic that I am overall against including as a whole but its also way easier to only have to prep for one great tera mon than a few strong tera mons.
My actual favorite format, no tera at all
This mechanic sucks why does every turn have to be a constant 50 50
Tera Points
This is like barely in my top 3 of favorite tera formats but I think this format is cool. The best strategy is to just tera your best pokemon that is an excellent tera abuser anyways along with some lower tier mon that wouldnt be mind using tera. Actually little to no complaints about this format.
Tera Tax
I agree with some of the points that Autumn said regarding that it makes it so you can actually tier some pokemon correctly with or without tera but my problem with this in 11 mon since thats what the post was targetted towards is that this doesn't actually impact the draft that much on if they lose a few points because I think that some of the best drafts are top heavy drafts that don't really mind losing a mid price pokemon in the first place. Overall, tera tax a great concept but in practice I don't think it changes much.
Drafting Tera Types
This format was not good in USUM with z-moves, with tera it just makes no sense whatsoever to do. I also don't really like this a lot because if your opponent drafted a tera type thats good into your tera type that would be a huge advantage for your opponent that just shouldn't exist.
Tera types on preview with 2 set tera captains
I actually have grown to not mind this format at all after playing with it for a week in Draft PL. Being able to adapt your gameplan on whatever you see your opponents tera types are on preview is an excellent display of skill. I think overall this format is way less fun than other tera formats because the best part of tera in my mind is the surprise factor but in exchange for that I think it puts the game on a much more even and competitive playing field.
Declared Type Captains
Pretty much my exact opinion on drafting tera types except its worse because any mon could tera lol
Limiting Tera to Pokémon below X points
My thoughts on this are exactly what autumn said. It could make 5 pointers better than 6 pointers which in my mind says enough about this format.
My favorite tera format, one tera per team
I like this because its very minimalistic in allowing tera, a mechanic that I am overall against including as a whole but its also way easier to only have to prep for one great tera mon than a few strong tera mons.
My actual favorite format, no tera at all
This mechanic sucks why does every turn have to be a constant 50 50
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This, its funny to cheese but fuck getting cheesed.My actual favorite format, no tera at all
This mechanic sucks why does every turn have to be a constant 50 50
I refuse to have another gen 8 with no mechanic whatsoever; if it's a little hard to balance or slightly overpowered you know what? I'm fine with that.
Inclusion of the mechanic whether through low tier tera caps, tera tax, or whatever, is vital to making this gen not feel incredibly stale and without end. It's for sure got a great learning curve to it but I think it's absolutely within each player's wheelhouse to adjust their prep and playing style to compensate - and isn't that the measure of what sets players apart? Whose become better at adjusting than their opponent?
Inclusion of the mechanic whether through low tier tera caps, tera tax, or whatever, is vital to making this gen not feel incredibly stale and without end. It's for sure got a great learning curve to it but I think it's absolutely within each player's wheelhouse to adjust their prep and playing style to compensate - and isn't that the measure of what sets players apart? Whose become better at adjusting than their opponent?
Attempt II at reviving this with the same discussion as last time. It’s been more than a month since my last post regarding Tera and my view’s not changed a tonne since then. If anything, I’m feeling more pro-ban than I did at the time.
Looking at tier lists that have dropped over the last month and comparing them to those of 3-4 months ago has shown me one thing, at a community wide scale, people are complex banning more and more Pokémon from being able to use Tera. While this doesn’t seem like a bad thing, you’re just removing the best abusers of Tera, I feel like it’s definitely crossed the point where it’s no longer “these mons are broken with Tera” and become “Tera’s the broken thing”.
I don’t think it’s healthy for a meta to need 15+ complex bans to function, I think that alone is telling of the state of Tera. In Post-Home Paldea, I’ve been seeing at least 9 Tera bans (Chien-Pao, Pult, IV, Zama C, Bundle, Spec, Palafin, RM, Dnite), and this list is only growing further with bans like Urshifu-SS, Volcarona, Baxcalibur, Chi-Yu, Sneasler and many more all being in discussion. This is all of course assuming that transfer moves get axed, if they return, both Landos and Chomp could easily be “Tera-ban worthy” as well. Further on the speculation note, Tera-banning these mons opens up new mons to be broken with Tera, such as Kingambit which wasn’t worth Tera-ing in 1 captain/Tera points formats because of the better Tera abusers on the board.
While I get the fear that removing a mechanic will lead to a repeat of SS, I truly think that it’s a shortsighted take at best, there simply aren’t the mons in the Paldea Dex (even post-home) to lead to a disgustingly balanced metagame like we had in SS. Tera is ridiculously obnoxious and it forces 50/50s on every turn, that’s not outplaying our adapting, that’s a coin flip.
Looking at tier lists that have dropped over the last month and comparing them to those of 3-4 months ago has shown me one thing, at a community wide scale, people are complex banning more and more Pokémon from being able to use Tera. While this doesn’t seem like a bad thing, you’re just removing the best abusers of Tera, I feel like it’s definitely crossed the point where it’s no longer “these mons are broken with Tera” and become “Tera’s the broken thing”.
I don’t think it’s healthy for a meta to need 15+ complex bans to function, I think that alone is telling of the state of Tera. In Post-Home Paldea, I’ve been seeing at least 9 Tera bans (Chien-Pao, Pult, IV, Zama C, Bundle, Spec, Palafin, RM, Dnite), and this list is only growing further with bans like Urshifu-SS, Volcarona, Baxcalibur, Chi-Yu, Sneasler and many more all being in discussion. This is all of course assuming that transfer moves get axed, if they return, both Landos and Chomp could easily be “Tera-ban worthy” as well. Further on the speculation note, Tera-banning these mons opens up new mons to be broken with Tera, such as Kingambit which wasn’t worth Tera-ing in 1 captain/Tera points formats because of the better Tera abusers on the board.
While I get the fear that removing a mechanic will lead to a repeat of SS, I truly think that it’s a shortsighted take at best, there simply aren’t the mons in the Paldea Dex (even post-home) to lead to a disgustingly balanced metagame like we had in SS. Tera is ridiculously obnoxious and it forces 50/50s on every turn, that’s not outplaying our adapting, that’s a coin flip.
Looking for a mentor to help me through the playoffs of the league I am in. Round 2 I am playing someone who is VERY good and would love some to help guide my team building towards success. I would be willing to trade discords with anyone willing to mentor me.
If you want to just give your input on the matchup i'm so worried about, I am the Metagross team. I got 6-0'd by the volcarona in the regular season. I made a few trades and pray it wont happen again.
Finally this league has a strange rule, only pokemon 9 points and under are allowed to Terastilize
If you want to just give your input on the matchup i'm so worried about, I am the Metagross team. I got 6-0'd by the volcarona in the regular season. I made a few trades and pray it wont happen again.
Finally this league has a strange rule, only pokemon 9 points and under are allowed to Terastilize
Thread revival time, now that HOME is out, what are the thoughts around the post-home draft metagame? We've obviously been toying around with post-home for a bit but now that it's out in the general public, what are the bigger threats to look out for/what's been fun to try?
my initial take is that tera is uh... not in its healthiest spot to say the least. Specifically with standard post home and 16 mans formats it makes an already limited pool of mons even more hard pressed to answer to insane threats with sub par answers. Tera only makes this problem worse with mons like Volcarona, Bax, and Espathra getting almost effortless setup often forcing defensive tera in response to it or just the insane wallbreakers like tera chi yu and urshi s.
A lot of leagues have taken to banning a lot of the worst offenders like dragonite, chien pao, Spectrier and all that still doesnt negate the fact that tera is still an insane mechanic with a lot of less highly tiered pokemon anyways. Mons like skeledirge can handpick what the want to wall, Frosmoth is a random win button, etc.
Ive recently been in a lot of discussions as to how to approach the post-home meta and I really think there is 2 answers.
A lot of leagues have taken to banning a lot of the worst offenders like dragonite, chien pao, Spectrier and all that still doesnt negate the fact that tera is still an insane mechanic with a lot of less highly tiered pokemon anyways. Mons like skeledirge can handpick what the want to wall, Frosmoth is a random win button, etc.
Ive recently been in a lot of discussions as to how to approach the post-home meta and I really think there is 2 answers.
- Ban Tera
- Balance Tera (Spoiler alert, Smaller draft pools)
- Tera Captains
- Actually do do these because free tera is a hellscape, and drafting one tera type for your whole team just doesnt work well because some tera types are just inherently better then others, and you know some poor fuck is gonna end up with tera normal or sm stupid like that
- Tera Captains (Assign Tera Types)
- While this is a step in a direction, it defeats the point of tera for me. I see no reason to say "hey lets play with this mechanic but since we think its too broken lets make it boring and get rid of the whole thing it promotes: Unpredictability." Along with this it still doesnt limit the best tera caps in the format because if you see an espathra with anything other then fighting and fairy as its types, its a bad player moment. All it does is neuter everything but the best abusers because most top tier mons only need 1/2 tera types anyways.
- Tera Preview
- Okay, getting somewhere. This is something I would personally suggest most leagues at least seriously consider, because while it doesnt make the problem of teras insane power go away it does help avert 6-0s from your neighbourhood tera grass medicham pullin up in the club to eat up a lando-i earthpower and sweep with no counterplay. TLDR: This is one step of a solution, not a whole one.
- You can only tera _ and below!
- This just causes pain for whoever is doing your tiering. Hard limits on what tiers can tera causes you to have to fuck around a lot with where low tier abusers end up, for example if you lock tera at 10 and below do you *really* want a 11 point regieleki? Because the whole point of limits like that is to avoid complex bans and shit. I would pretty much always say never do this unless you have a realllly good reason to.
will add on to this, run your league the way you want. There is no reason for every league to have the same tera rules. But by god dont come i with the "WE ARE BALANCING TERA" and complex every single mon you lost to on the randbats ladder (i have seen too many people ban cresselia like its not even funny)
Finishing Your FWG Core: Budget Options to Save Your Draft
spoiler: neither of these mons made the cut
Ignoring the tera discussion for a moment, I want to talk about some of the budget options going into the Summer Seasonal, so I figured I'd go about it with the most basic of basics; a fire water grass core.
spoiler: neither of these mons made the cut
I want to start by mentioning how easy it is to just fall into this core if you're paying attention, especially in gen 9. Waters should be slotted into any decent draft, so fitting one in early never seems to be a struggle, and fire types have a lot of great options, especially after home, with things like volcarona, iron moth, skeledirge, and heatran being very versatile and desirable picks. Grass is definitely type I struggle to fill the most out of the three, but there are still options that are flexible enough to slot in, and cheap enough to not break the bank.
if any point values change before the start of the tour don't blame me
Grass definitely can feel a bit forced at the end of a draft. Some of the lower tiers never feel like they provide enough, and even when they do they can be awkward to slot into a matchup. Here are a couple picks I think are the best at the low end of things.
Dhelmise took all the coverage, the recovery, the setup potential, and the bulk, but it did leave spikes! I'm not a huge fan of this thing, but access to rapid spin and spikes can definitely be worth considering if you're in a pinch. This may honestly be the worst option on the list, but at least you gain an immunity to heat wave and hurricane. With Tornadus-t back in the format post-home, and torn having lost knock off, this is a niche counter for an opponent who forgets what the ability does. For 4 points you could do worse.
Subpar in a lot of ways, but honestly not too bad. Eject pack draco meteor is a very funny pivot option, and thick fat makes this only 2x to ice which makes its role as a spdef wall much more reliable. Leech seed support, dual screens, access to recover, the only thing this is truly lacking is special coverage options (and bst), but the physical side gives this a few more choices (albeit with 15 less base attack than special). If you want the real heat with this thing it even has iron defense body press. Really solid option for 3.
I won't lie to you, this is my favorite option here, but I am also reasonable. This has the same base attack as Appletun, and lost access to grassy glide this gen, so what's the big deal? Firstly, I don't think I need to sell the benefits of grassy terrain,
0 Atk Great Tusk Earthquake vs. 96 HP / 252 Def Zamazenta-Crowned in Grassy Terrain: 86-104 (24.6 - 29.7%) -- 0.1% chance to 4HKO after Grassy Terrain recovery
Not to mention the passive recovery for defensive mons like dondozo and heatran, as well as pivots like cinderace and iron bundle. This thing saves you 8 points over Rillaboom, which lets you go from an Inteleon (9) to Iron Bundle (17) without changing any other slots. Access to eviolite can make this thing live more hits, or choice band to hit things harder. Losing access to grassy glide definitely hurt this thing's potential overall, but it's still a decent option especially for 2.
I feel like trailblaze should have been this guy's signature move in gen 6, but better late than never. Bulk up sub sets are quite annoying with horn leech, and it even has access to wild charge for hitting flyers. It gets decent coverage on the whole, but it does have a bad speed tier (which can be fixed with trailblaze, but you lose access to horn leech so not sure if it is even worth it). I have seen it clean out games, and honestly, it's probably the best option at 2 (though there are a couple mons I like more personally). Try it out in testing and see how it does, but this might be one of the most underrated choices going into the draft.
Dhelmise took all the coverage, the recovery, the setup potential, and the bulk, but it did leave spikes! I'm not a huge fan of this thing, but access to rapid spin and spikes can definitely be worth considering if you're in a pinch. This may honestly be the worst option on the list, but at least you gain an immunity to heat wave and hurricane. With Tornadus-t back in the format post-home, and torn having lost knock off, this is a niche counter for an opponent who forgets what the ability does. For 4 points you could do worse.
Subpar in a lot of ways, but honestly not too bad. Eject pack draco meteor is a very funny pivot option, and thick fat makes this only 2x to ice which makes its role as a spdef wall much more reliable. Leech seed support, dual screens, access to recover, the only thing this is truly lacking is special coverage options (and bst), but the physical side gives this a few more choices (albeit with 15 less base attack than special). If you want the real heat with this thing it even has iron defense body press. Really solid option for 3.
I won't lie to you, this is my favorite option here, but I am also reasonable. This has the same base attack as Appletun, and lost access to grassy glide this gen, so what's the big deal? Firstly, I don't think I need to sell the benefits of grassy terrain,
0 Atk Great Tusk Earthquake vs. 96 HP / 252 Def Zamazenta-Crowned in Grassy Terrain: 86-104 (24.6 - 29.7%) -- 0.1% chance to 4HKO after Grassy Terrain recovery
Not to mention the passive recovery for defensive mons like dondozo and heatran, as well as pivots like cinderace and iron bundle. This thing saves you 8 points over Rillaboom, which lets you go from an Inteleon (9) to Iron Bundle (17) without changing any other slots. Access to eviolite can make this thing live more hits, or choice band to hit things harder. Losing access to grassy glide definitely hurt this thing's potential overall, but it's still a decent option especially for 2.
I feel like trailblaze should have been this guy's signature move in gen 6, but better late than never. Bulk up sub sets are quite annoying with horn leech, and it even has access to wild charge for hitting flyers. It gets decent coverage on the whole, but it does have a bad speed tier (which can be fixed with trailblaze, but you lose access to horn leech so not sure if it is even worth it). I have seen it clean out games, and honestly, it's probably the best option at 2 (though there are a couple mons I like more personally). Try it out in testing and see how it does, but this might be one of the most underrated choices going into the draft.
Fire definitely does not struggle at any point total. There are great mons available at almost every threshold, but these are the ones I think are value picks.
Ok, he's a bit expensive for this post, but he's also cheap for how much he does! Nasty plot sets are threatening, it has access to dual status in twave and will-o, dual screens, it even has rest for recovery! This mon is like top 3 for defensive fire types, and sitting at only 7 points is an absolute steal. Really consider this one for your draft if you have the point allowance.
Rapid spin and spikes much like Brambleghast, but this guy also gets access to stealth rock, which is a huge plus. Flame body punishes annoying u-turners but it gets will-o-wisp just in case. Honestly a decent option, if you're lacking hazards and a fire type it's a must grab, otherwise I'm not super excited about this guy. The role compression is appreciated but I don't think it's worth the downsides. Maybe someone will go for something silly with this, but it's a pass for me in most drafts.
Not a bad mon at all. This guy has solid rock, which helps a lot. An extra ground type never hurts to have around, and an extra rocker. Gets double status in will-o and yawn, and honestly under trick room can do a decent chunk. Overall a solid and cheap mon to glue together a team. Don't rely on it to do anything spectacular and it won't disappoint.
I don't like how he is looking at me. Budget Skeledirge, but unlike Thwackey you lose a lot with this guy. Doesn't have access to torch song which is big, but does still have unaware and, like Camerupt, has access to yawn and will-o for status support. Worth a consideration if nothing else is available, but you probably want to look for a knock absorber to preserve his eviolite.
Ok, he's a bit expensive for this post, but he's also cheap for how much he does! Nasty plot sets are threatening, it has access to dual status in twave and will-o, dual screens, it even has rest for recovery! This mon is like top 3 for defensive fire types, and sitting at only 7 points is an absolute steal. Really consider this one for your draft if you have the point allowance.
Rapid spin and spikes much like Brambleghast, but this guy also gets access to stealth rock, which is a huge plus. Flame body punishes annoying u-turners but it gets will-o-wisp just in case. Honestly a decent option, if you're lacking hazards and a fire type it's a must grab, otherwise I'm not super excited about this guy. The role compression is appreciated but I don't think it's worth the downsides. Maybe someone will go for something silly with this, but it's a pass for me in most drafts.
Not a bad mon at all. This guy has solid rock, which helps a lot. An extra ground type never hurts to have around, and an extra rocker. Gets double status in will-o and yawn, and honestly under trick room can do a decent chunk. Overall a solid and cheap mon to glue together a team. Don't rely on it to do anything spectacular and it won't disappoint.
I don't like how he is looking at me. Budget Skeledirge, but unlike Thwackey you lose a lot with this guy. Doesn't have access to torch song which is big, but does still have unaware and, like Camerupt, has access to yawn and will-o for status support. Worth a consideration if nothing else is available, but you probably want to look for a knock absorber to preserve his eviolite.
Like mentioned earlier, you rarely need a water by the end of the draft since the options at higher values are so prevalent. Most even remotely playable waters are also a bit too expensive for this list, so I just have 2 to cover here.
This thing is great. Dragon water is a great typing, access to storm drain for a water immune, nasty plot to boost its already good special attack. Quite a good deal for 5. Biggest thing is coverage not existing, but if you can dodge the Azumarill matchup you should be able to hit everything neutral at least. Even has memento for those really weird endgames.
It's not Gastrodon, it's not even Quagsire, but it does serve its own little niche at 2 points. Water ground is great to give us an electric immunity, and access to dual hazards is always appreciated. While I don't think dragon dance sets are going to be winning games every time, it at least has the option to put fear into the heart of your opponent.
This thing is great. Dragon water is a great typing, access to storm drain for a water immune, nasty plot to boost its already good special attack. Quite a good deal for 5. Biggest thing is coverage not existing, but if you can dodge the Azumarill matchup you should be able to hit everything neutral at least. Even has memento for those really weird endgames.
It's not Gastrodon, it's not even Quagsire, but it does serve its own little niche at 2 points. Water ground is great to give us an electric immunity, and access to dual hazards is always appreciated. While I don't think dragon dance sets are going to be winning games every time, it at least has the option to put fear into the heart of your opponent.
These are just my thoughts for some good budget picks around FWG. I thought about doing SFD as well, but I think this is enough to get started. What are some cores you like to look for? Any budget mons you gravitate toward?
Getting a Grounded Poison Type
As a more casual draft player, I found the above post on finishing your FWG core interesting and helpful for the upcoming Summer Seasonal draft so I wanted to share my input into why you should get a grounded poison type. Poison types are a decent defensive typing on its own, being only weak to ground and psychic and can be worth picking up alone for that reason (and to hit the important Fairy type super effectively) but why the grounded specification? Two words: toxic spikes. While not necessarily common in singles, toxic spikes can be a monster in draft as they can 6-0 an unprepared team, especially with the limited hazard removal. For this reason, getting a grounded poison type is good as it can remove them by just pivoting in and can then pivot right back out the next turn without having to waste a turn on removing them through defog or rapid spin. A "grounded" poison type is any that touches the ground, (in other words doesn't have the levitate ability or a secondary flying type) and they're actually easy to fit on a team as there are many both high, mid, and low point options. I've included some examples below that I think are particularly good at their job, along with their point value (subject to change still until signups are concluded).
If you took the time to read all of that thank you very much, and of course these are my humble opinions but I hope they can come in handy when making some of those hard draft decisions. If I got anything wrong, missed something, or if you have your own favorite poison type feel free to post down below about it.
As a more casual draft player, I found the above post on finishing your FWG core interesting and helpful for the upcoming Summer Seasonal draft so I wanted to share my input into why you should get a grounded poison type. Poison types are a decent defensive typing on its own, being only weak to ground and psychic and can be worth picking up alone for that reason (and to hit the important Fairy type super effectively) but why the grounded specification? Two words: toxic spikes. While not necessarily common in singles, toxic spikes can be a monster in draft as they can 6-0 an unprepared team, especially with the limited hazard removal. For this reason, getting a grounded poison type is good as it can remove them by just pivoting in and can then pivot right back out the next turn without having to waste a turn on removing them through defog or rapid spin. A "grounded" poison type is any that touches the ground, (in other words doesn't have the levitate ability or a secondary flying type) and they're actually easy to fit on a team as there are many both high, mid, and low point options. I've included some examples below that I think are particularly good at their job, along with their point value (subject to change still until signups are concluded).
First off, our three high tier poison types.
Coming in at 17 points, you either love Sneasler or hate Sneasler depending on what side of Dire Claw you're on, but with a good offensive-oriented BST and STABs its a good offensive threat on its own or boosted by SD or CB that has to be respected in the MU. With access to U-turn, its also a good toxic spikes absorb-er as it can come in and then pivot out on slower threats with U-turn clearing TS while also making progress in the game. Or instead of pivoting out it can force progress with T-Spikes as well before switching or U-turning away.
One point cheaper at 16, Iron Moth is just as big an offensive threat boosting itself with booster energy and fiery dance for sweeping potential, and more relevantly to this post can come in with a fast U-turn to clear those toxic spikes and go to your next offensive threat, or it can stay in to lay its own T-Spikes to punish your opponent for switching around.
Our first grounded poison type we're looking at that can go defensively, it sits at the bottom of high tier or top of middle tier at 14 points and can be a potent special wall while still exuding offensive pressure with AV or other sets. Losing teleport is unfortunate, but this mon got saved with the new chilly reception which is sometimes even better as it can also set up snow for your partner Pokemon or aura veil users. The advantage of this over the fast U-turners is you can safely bring in your next Pokemon for free without it taking any damage while removing toxic spikes. On top of that it heals a 1/3 of its health whenever doing this meaning you can do it consistently throughout the game. It also has its own T-Spikes to threaten the opponent.
Coming in at 17 points, you either love Sneasler or hate Sneasler depending on what side of Dire Claw you're on, but with a good offensive-oriented BST and STABs its a good offensive threat on its own or boosted by SD or CB that has to be respected in the MU. With access to U-turn, its also a good toxic spikes absorb-er as it can come in and then pivot out on slower threats with U-turn clearing TS while also making progress in the game. Or instead of pivoting out it can force progress with T-Spikes as well before switching or U-turning away.
One point cheaper at 16, Iron Moth is just as big an offensive threat boosting itself with booster energy and fiery dance for sweeping potential, and more relevantly to this post can come in with a fast U-turn to clear those toxic spikes and go to your next offensive threat, or it can stay in to lay its own T-Spikes to punish your opponent for switching around.
Our first grounded poison type we're looking at that can go defensively, it sits at the bottom of high tier or top of middle tier at 14 points and can be a potent special wall while still exuding offensive pressure with AV or other sets. Losing teleport is unfortunate, but this mon got saved with the new chilly reception which is sometimes even better as it can also set up snow for your partner Pokemon or aura veil users. The advantage of this over the fast U-turners is you can safely bring in your next Pokemon for free without it taking any damage while removing toxic spikes. On top of that it heals a 1/3 of its health whenever doing this meaning you can do it consistently throughout the game. It also has its own T-Spikes to threaten the opponent.
Now, we move into the middle tier where there are many viable options but due to how long this has taken me to write I'll be discussing only three (sorry Amoongus: it does basically the same thing as Toxapex but has spore to put opposing mons to sleep and is cheaper at 10 points)
To start with at a more affordable 12, we have Alolan Muk and while it doesn't have a pivot move like the high tiers or Regenerator like Pex and Amoongus, what it does have that makes it unique are access to Knock Off, a key move if you remember Gen 7-8's meta at all, Brick Break, a good move in draft to answer Screens teams, Toxic to force progress on the opponent, and finally Rest for some alright recovery.
Also at 12 points, while Game Freak tried to nerf this thing into oblivion after the pleas of many an OU player with the discovery of AV Pex it has made a resurgence and can be a formidable wall in Draft or even an offensive threat like in OU. This mon has its own T-Spikes to damage the opponent passively, Haze to neutralize opposing boosted threats, and Recover and Regenerator to keep itself healthy making it a top pick.
Our last mid tier mon, at 9 points Salazzle offers an excellent speed tier and can use this to wear down the opponents with its fast Toxic/Sub/Prot set, including steel types due to its Corrosion ability. You could also run a support set with Knock Off (how did Weavile lose it and this thing keep it?), Will-O, and T-Spikes. The only drawbacks are the lack of recovery or a way to pivot but it still makes a good T-Spikes absorber.
To start with at a more affordable 12, we have Alolan Muk and while it doesn't have a pivot move like the high tiers or Regenerator like Pex and Amoongus, what it does have that makes it unique are access to Knock Off, a key move if you remember Gen 7-8's meta at all, Brick Break, a good move in draft to answer Screens teams, Toxic to force progress on the opponent, and finally Rest for some alright recovery.
Also at 12 points, while Game Freak tried to nerf this thing into oblivion after the pleas of many an OU player with the discovery of AV Pex it has made a resurgence and can be a formidable wall in Draft or even an offensive threat like in OU. This mon has its own T-Spikes to damage the opponent passively, Haze to neutralize opposing boosted threats, and Recover and Regenerator to keep itself healthy making it a top pick.
Our last mid tier mon, at 9 points Salazzle offers an excellent speed tier and can use this to wear down the opponents with its fast Toxic/Sub/Prot set, including steel types due to its Corrosion ability. You could also run a support set with Knock Off (how did Weavile lose it and this thing keep it?), Will-O, and T-Spikes. The only drawbacks are the lack of recovery or a way to pivot but it still makes a good T-Spikes absorber.
Just because these picks are lower makes them no less effective, and many have unique traits that can help them shine on teams.
Dragalge as a Pokemon has a great defensive profile with its unique typing and good BST, and also hits quite hard with its 123 SpAtk boosted by Adaptability. The only reason its not worth more than 8 points is its lackluster base speed of 44, which I actually think makes it an even better pick sometimes because it forces some slower defensive mons to invest in speed or risk getting out-sped by it. With access to great coverage moves, Toxic, and T-Spikes, Dragalge is a powerful mon that can surprise the opponent with a sudden T-bolt or Shadow Ball and bring utility at the same time.
With access to three great abilities, Overqwil is also a great option at 8 points with the same good typing as Alolan-Muk that can be as radically different as a Swift Swim abuser or status spreader with Intimidate, Barb Barrage, Toxic, and T-Spikes, making it a Pokemon that you can never 100% safely predict and that has to be respected in the MU. (And it also has Spikes, Haze, Taunt, Destiny Bond, Chilling Water, and Swords Dance to really keep them guessing!)
Its smaller form (and consequently a point cheaper at 7) has access to the same great abilities and even same great moves, including the signature Barb Barrage, and since its not fully evolved it can hold the Eviolite making it actually bulkier than its evolved counterpart (or maybe the same I didn't do the math) meaning its still just as solid a pick and can be even better as its a point cheaper. It and its evolution also run in at base 85, a good number to force your opponents at base 90 to run speed investment, and even more critically forcing Great Tusk (87), the Rotoms (86), and even other 85s (to many to mention lol).
A cost-effective Pokemon of 4 points, Skuntank has a good ability in Aftermath for chip damage, and a good movepool with Toxic, T-Spikes, Taunt, Haze, even Trailblaze to raise speed and go for the Tank sweep (lol), but most importantly stab Sucker Punch to pick off weakened threats, which can give your team needed speed control and at 84 it helps vary the speed of your team to force your opponents to run speed investment over attack investment in some cases which can be invaluable.
Finally, if you have 3 points left to spend Muk is one of if not the best option. It's solid defensive typing and BST allow it to make for a pretty good defensive Pokemon, it has Brick Break, Memento, Haze, Taunt, Toxic, T-Spikes, for great support on draft and good offensive coverage with Poison Touch to pile on the hurt when you need it to. Unless you already have a poison type and need to fill another niche, I would highly recommend Muk as an easy pickup with valuable utility.
Dragalge as a Pokemon has a great defensive profile with its unique typing and good BST, and also hits quite hard with its 123 SpAtk boosted by Adaptability. The only reason its not worth more than 8 points is its lackluster base speed of 44, which I actually think makes it an even better pick sometimes because it forces some slower defensive mons to invest in speed or risk getting out-sped by it. With access to great coverage moves, Toxic, and T-Spikes, Dragalge is a powerful mon that can surprise the opponent with a sudden T-bolt or Shadow Ball and bring utility at the same time.
With access to three great abilities, Overqwil is also a great option at 8 points with the same good typing as Alolan-Muk that can be as radically different as a Swift Swim abuser or status spreader with Intimidate, Barb Barrage, Toxic, and T-Spikes, making it a Pokemon that you can never 100% safely predict and that has to be respected in the MU. (And it also has Spikes, Haze, Taunt, Destiny Bond, Chilling Water, and Swords Dance to really keep them guessing!)
Its smaller form (and consequently a point cheaper at 7) has access to the same great abilities and even same great moves, including the signature Barb Barrage, and since its not fully evolved it can hold the Eviolite making it actually bulkier than its evolved counterpart (or maybe the same I didn't do the math) meaning its still just as solid a pick and can be even better as its a point cheaper. It and its evolution also run in at base 85, a good number to force your opponents at base 90 to run speed investment, and even more critically forcing Great Tusk (87), the Rotoms (86), and even other 85s (to many to mention lol).
A cost-effective Pokemon of 4 points, Skuntank has a good ability in Aftermath for chip damage, and a good movepool with Toxic, T-Spikes, Taunt, Haze, even Trailblaze to raise speed and go for the Tank sweep (lol), but most importantly stab Sucker Punch to pick off weakened threats, which can give your team needed speed control and at 84 it helps vary the speed of your team to force your opponents to run speed investment over attack investment in some cases which can be invaluable.
Finally, if you have 3 points left to spend Muk is one of if not the best option. It's solid defensive typing and BST allow it to make for a pretty good defensive Pokemon, it has Brick Break, Memento, Haze, Taunt, Toxic, T-Spikes, for great support on draft and good offensive coverage with Poison Touch to pile on the hurt when you need it to. Unless you already have a poison type and need to fill another niche, I would highly recommend Muk as an easy pickup with valuable utility.
LC Draft League Usage Stats
Hello ! I wanted to share with the community the usage stats I had fun compiling from the ongoing LC tour after the pool phase. These are stats about usage in battles from the replays, not about draft picks.
Here is the top 10 (full list in spoilers below):
| Rank | Sprite | Pokemon | Usage | % |
| 1 |  | Abra | 71 | 14.14% |
| 2 |  | Ponyta | 68 | 13.55% |
| 3 |  | Pawniard | 65 | 12.95% |
| 4 |  | Scraggy | 59 | 11.75% |
| 4 |  | Staryu | 59 | 11.75% |
| 6 |  | Timburr | 57 | 11.35% |
| 7 |  | Zorua-Hisui | 56 | 11.16% |
| 8 |  | Grookey | 54 | 10.76% |
| 9 |  | Ponyta-Galar | 52 | 10.36% |
| 10 |  | Chinchou | 49 | 9.76% |
| Rank | Sprite | Pokemon | Usage | % |
| 1 | | Abra | 71 | 14.14% |
| 2 | | Ponyta | 68 | 13.55% |
| 3 | | Pawniard | 65 | 12.95% |
| 4 | | Scraggy | 59 | 11.75% |
| 4 | | Staryu | 59 | 11.75% |
| 6 | | Timburr | 57 | 11.35% |
| 7 | | Zorua-Hisui | 56 | 11.16% |
| 8 | | Grookey | 54 | 10.76% |
| 9 | | Ponyta-Galar | 52 | 10.36% |
| 10 | | Chinchou | 49 | 9.76% |
| 11 |  | Farfetch’d-Galar | 48 | 9.56% |
| 11 |  | Grimer-Alola | 48 | 9.56% |
| 13 |  | Drifloon | 47 | 9.36% |
| 13 |  | Mudbray | 47 | 9.36% |
| 15 |  | Diglett | 44 | 8.76% |
| 16 |  | Natu | 42 | 8.37% |
| 16 |  | Pancham | 42 | 8.37% |
| 18 |  | Glimmet | 40 | 7.97% |
| 19 |  | Magnemite | 38 | 7.57% |
| 20 |  | Toedscool | 37 | 7.37% |
| 21 |  | Ferroseed | 36 | 7.17% |
| 22 |  | Dewpider | 35 | 6.97% |
| 22 |  | Stunky | 35 | 6.97% |
| 24 |  | Growlithe-Hisui | 34 | 6.77% |
| 25 |  | Sandshrew | 31 | 6.18% |
| 25 |  | Wingull | 31 | 6.18% |
| 27 |  | Carvanha | 30 | 5.98% |
| 28 |  | Voltorb-Hisui | 29 | 5.78% |
| 29 |  | Elekid | 28 | 5.58% |
| 30 |  | Onix | 27 | 5.38% |
| 30 |  | Snivy | 27 | 5.38% |
| 32 |  | Koffing | 26 | 5.18% |
| 33 |  | Baltoy | 25 | 4.98% |
| 33 |  | Croagunk | 25 | 4.98% |
| 33 |  | Spritzee | 25 | 4.98% |
| 33 |  | Tinkatink | 25 | 4.98% |
| 33 |  | Tyrunt | 25 | 4.98% |
| 38 |  | Vulpix-Alola | 24 | 4.78% |
| 39 |  | Crabrawler | 23 | 4.58% |
| 40 |  | Foongus | 22 | 4.38% |
| 40 |  | Frillish | 22 | 4.38% |
| 40 |  | Sandshrew-Alola | 22 | 4.38% |
| 43 |  | Wattrel | 21 | 4.18% |
| 44 |  | Bramblin | 20 | 3.98% |
| 44 |  | Bronzor | 20 | 3.98% |
| 44 |  | Snubbull | 20 | 3.98% |
| 47 |  | Cottonee | 19 | 3.78% |
| 47 |  | Drilbur | 19 | 3.78% |
| 47 |  | Mareanie | 19 | 3.78% |
| 47 |  | Slowpoke | 19 | 3.78% |
| 47 |  | Trapinch | 19 | 3.78% |
| 52 |  | Archen | 18 | 3.59% |
| 52 |  | Corphish | 18 | 3.59% |
| 52 |  | Dwebble | 18 | 3.59% |
| 52 |  | Pineco | 18 | 3.59% |
| 52 |  | Quaxly | 18 | 3.59% |
| 52 |  | Sandile | 18 | 3.59% |
| 52 |  | Vulpix | 18 | 3.59% |
| 59 |  | Anorith | 17 | 3.39% |
| 59 |  | Mankey | 17 | 3.39% |
| 59 |  | Numel | 17 | 3.39% |
| 59 |  | Squirtle | 17 | 3.39% |
| 63 |  | Clamperl | 16 | 3.19% |
| 63 |  | Flittle | 16 | 3.19% |
| 63 |  | Gothita | 16 | 3.19% |
| 63 |  | Houndour | 16 | 3.19% |
| 67 |  | Makuhita | 15 | 2.99% |
| 67 |  | Nymble | 15 | 2.99% |
| 67 |  | Sandygast | 15 | 2.99% |
| 67 |  | Surskit | 15 | 2.99% |
| 67 |  | Woobat | 15 | 2.99% |
| 72 |  | Geodude | 14 | 2.79% |
| 72 |  | Trubbish | 14 | 2.79% |
| 74 |  | Gossifleur | 13 | 2.59% |
| 74 |  | Purrloin | 13 | 2.59% |
| 76 |  | Dratini | 12 | 2.39% |
| 76 |  | Golett | 12 | 2.39% |
| 76 |  | Taillow | 12 | 2.39% |
| 76 |  | Tarountula | 12 | 2.39% |
| 76 |  | Tentacool | 12 | 2.39% |
| 81 |  | Growlithe | 11 | 2.19% |
| 81 |  | Machop | 11 | 2.19% |
| 81 |  | Shroodle | 11 | 2.19% |
| 81 |  | Slowpoke-Galar | 11 | 2.19% |
| 81 |  | Wynaut | 11 | 2.19% |
| 86 |  | Amaura | 10 | 1.99% |
| 86 |  | Doduo | 10 | 1.99% |
| 86 |  | Hippopotas | 10 | 1.99% |
| 86 |  | Meowth-Galar | 10 | 1.99% |
| 86 |  | Rhyhorn | 10 | 1.99% |
| 86 |  | Scorbunny | 10 | 1.99% |
| 92 |  | Bulbasaur | 9 | 1.79% |
| 92 |  | Cranidos | 9 | 1.79% |
| 92 |  | Magby | 9 | 1.79% |
| 92 |  | Munchlax | 9 | 1.79% |
| 92 |  | Tirtouga | 9 | 1.79% |
| 92 |  | Wooper | 9 | 1.79% |
| 92 |  | Zorua | 9 | 1.79% |
| 99 |  | Blipbug | 8 | 1.59% |
| 99 |  | Clauncher | 8 | 1.59% |
| 99 |  | Finizen | 8 | 1.59% |
| 99 |  | Fuecoco | 8 | 1.59% |
| 99 |  | Gible | 8 | 1.59% |
| 99 |  | Rowlet | 8 | 1.59% |
| 99 |  | Salandit | 8 | 1.59% |
| 99 |  | Varoom | 8 | 1.59% |
| 107 |  | Bellsprout | 7 | 1.39% |
| 107 |  | Darumaka | 7 | 1.39% |
| 107 |  | Deerling | 7 | 1.39% |
| 107 |  | Duskull | 7 | 1.39% |
| 107 |  | Honedge | 7 | 1.39% |
| 107 |  | Klink | 7 | 1.39% |
| 107 |  | Larvesta | 7 | 1.39% |
| 107 |  | Mareep | 7 | 1.39% |
| 107 |  | Meowth | 7 | 1.39% |
| 107 |  | Morelull | 7 | 1.39% |
| 107 |  | Oshawott | 7 | 1.39% |
| 107 |  | Pumpkaboo-* | 7 | 1.39% |
| 107 |  | Shellder | 7 | 1.39% |
| 107 |  | Shellos | 7 | 1.39% |
| 107 |  | Shieldon | 7 | 1.39% |
| 107 |  | Starly | 7 | 1.39% |
| 107 |  | Stufful | 7 | 1.39% |
| 107 |  | Turtwig | 7 | 1.39% |
| 125 |  | Aron | 6 | 1.20% |
| 125 |  | Arrokuda | 6 | 1.20% |
| 125 |  | Axew | 6 | 1.20% |
| 125 |  | Barboach | 6 | 1.20% |
| 125 |  | Bunnelby | 6 | 1.20% |
| 125 |  | Diglett-Alola | 6 | 1.20% |
| 125 |  | Greavard | 6 | 1.20% |
| 125 |  | Hatenna | 6 | 1.20% |
| 125 |  | Impidimp | 6 | 1.20% |
| 125 |  | Kabuto | 6 | 1.20% |
| 125 |  | Lileep | 6 | 1.20% |
| 125 |  | Litleo | 6 | 1.20% |
| 125 |  | Meowth-Alola | 6 | 1.20% |
| 125 |  | Nidoran-M | 6 | 1.20% |
| 125 |  | Noibat | 6 | 1.20% |
| 125 |  | Pansage | 6 | 1.20% |
| 125 |  | Zubat | 6 | 1.20% |
| 142 |  | Bagon | 5 | 1.00% |
| 142 |  | Bergmite | 5 | 1.00% |
| 142 |  | Charmander | 5 | 1.00% |
| 142 |  | Chimchar | 5 | 1.00% |
| 142 |  | Cyndaquil | 5 | 1.00% |
| 142 |  | Dreepy | 5 | 1.00% |
| 142 |  | Grubbin | 5 | 1.00% |
| 142 |  | Gulpin | 5 | 1.00% |
| 142 |  | Maschiff | 5 | 1.00% |
| 142 |  | Mudkip | 5 | 1.00% |
| 142 |  | Spinarak | 5 | 1.00% |
| 142 |  | Totodile | 5 | 1.00% |
| 142 |  | Voltorb | 5 | 1.00% |
| 142 |  | Wooper-Paldea | 5 | 1.00% |
| 142 |  | Zigzagoon-Galar | 5 | 1.00% |
| 157 |  | Buneary | 4 | 0.80% |
| 157 |  | Feebas | 4 | 0.80% |
| 157 |  | Fennekin | 4 | 0.80% |
| 157 |  | Flabébé | 4 | 0.80% |
| 157 |  | Frigibax | 4 | 0.80% |
| 157 |  | Grimer | 4 | 0.80% |
| 157 |  | Hoothoot | 4 | 0.80% |
| 157 |  | Pikipek | 4 | 0.80% |
| 157 |  | Rolycoly | 4 | 0.80% |
| 157 |  | Shuppet | 4 | 0.80% |
| 157 |  | Venipede | 4 | 0.80% |
| 157 |  | Yamask | 4 | 0.80% |
| 169 |  | Bonsly | 3 | 0.60% |
| 169 |  | Buizel | 3 | 0.60% |
| 169 |  | Cacnea | 3 | 0.60% |
| 169 |  | Cleffa | 3 | 0.60% |
| 169 |  | Exeggcute | 3 | 0.60% |
| 169 |  | Finneon | 3 | 0.60% |
| 169 |  | Glameow | 3 | 0.60% |
| 169 |  | Karrablast | 3 | 0.60% |
| 169 |  | Ledyba | 3 | 0.60% |
| 169 |  | Lickitung | 3 | 0.60% |
| 169 |  | Litten | 3 | 0.60% |
| 169 |  | Minccino | 3 | 0.60% |
| 169 |  | Nacli | 3 | 0.60% |
| 169 |  | Sewaddle | 3 | 0.60% |
| 169 |  | Silicobra | 3 | 0.60% |
| 169 |  | Sinistea | 3 | 0.60% |
| 169 |  | Sizzlipede | 3 | 0.60% |
| 169 |  | Skorupi | 3 | 0.60% |
| 169 |  | Skrelp | 3 | 0.60% |
| 169 |  | Snover | 3 | 0.60% |
| 169 |  | Spearow | 3 | 0.60% |
| 169 |  | Sprigatito | 3 | 0.60% |
| 169 |  | Swablu | 3 | 0.60% |
| 169 |  | Tandemaus | 3 | 0.60% |
| 169 |  | Treecko | 3 | 0.60% |
| 169 |  | Tympole | 3 | 0.60% |
| 169 |  | Venonat | 3 | 0.60% |
| 169 |  | Wailmer | 3 | 0.60% |
| 197 |  | Cetoddle | 2 | 0.40% |
| 197 |  | Cubchoo | 2 | 0.40% |
| 197 |  | Cubone | 2 | 0.40% |
| 197 |  | Electrike | 2 | 0.40% |
| 197 |  | Fidough | 2 | 0.40% |
| 197 |  | Fletchling | 2 | 0.40% |
| 197 |  | Goldeen | 2 | 0.40% |
| 197 |  | Igglybuff | 2 | 0.40% |
| 197 |  | Inkay | 2 | 0.40% |
| 197 |  | Jangmo-o | 2 | 0.40% |
| 197 |  | Litwick | 2 | 0.40% |
| 197 |  | Mime Jr. | 2 | 0.40% |
| 197 |  | Nosepass | 2 | 0.40% |
| 197 |  | Phanpy | 2 | 0.40% |
| 197 |  | Phantump | 2 | 0.40% |
| 197 |  | Pidgey | 2 | 0.40% |
| 197 |  | Pidove | 2 | 0.40% |
| 197 |  | Psyduck | 2 | 0.40% |
| 197 |  | Shelmet | 2 | 0.40% |
| 197 |  | Slugma | 2 | 0.40% |
| 197 |  | Solosis | 2 | 0.40% |
| 197 |  | Torchic | 2 | 0.40% |
| 197 |  | Toxel | 2 | 0.40% |
| 197 |  | Tyrogue | 2 | 0.40% |
| 197 |  | Yamask-Galar | 2 | 0.40% |
| 222 |  | Applin | 1 | 0.20% |
| 222 |  | Chespin | 1 | 0.20% |
| 222 |  | Chikorita | 1 | 0.20% |
| 222 |  | Deino | 1 | 0.20% |
| 222 |  | Ducklett | 1 | 0.20% |
| 222 |  | Eevee | 1 | 0.20% |
| 222 |  | Elgyem | 1 | 0.20% |
| 222 |  | Geodude-Alola | 1 | 0.20% |
| 222 |  | Gimmighoul | 1 | 0.20% |
| 222 |  | Happiny | 1 | 0.20% |
| 222 |  | Joltik | 1 | 0.20% |
| 222 |  | Milcery | 1 | 0.20% |
| 222 |  | Nickit | 1 | 0.20% |
| 222 |  | Omanyte | 1 | 0.20% |
| 222 |  | Pansear | 1 | 0.20% |
| 222 |  | Pichu | 1 | 0.20% |
| 222 |  | Piplup | 1 | 0.20% |
| 222 |  | Poliwag | 1 | 0.20% |
| 222 |  | Remoraid | 1 | 0.20% |
| 222 |  | Rockruff | 1 | 0.20% |
| 222 |  | Roggenrola | 1 | 0.20% |
| 222 |  | Rookidee | 1 | 0.20% |
| 222 |  | Seel | 1 | 0.20% |
| 222 |  | Shinx | 1 | 0.20% |
| 222 |  | Shroomish | 1 | 0.20% |
| 222 |  | Spheal | 1 | 0.20% |
| 222 |  | Swinub | 1 | 0.20% |
| 222 |  | Teddiursa | 1 | 0.20% |
| 222 |  | Tepig | 1 | 0.20% |
| 222 |  | Vanillite | 1 | 0.20% |
| 222 |  | Whismur | 1 | 0.20% |
| 222 |  | Wimpod | 1 | 0.20% |
Only pokemons used 17 times or more are listed.
| Rank | Sprite | Pokemon | Win Rate |
| 1 | | Baltoy | 76.00% |
| 2 | | Squirtle | 70.59% |
| 3 | | Ponyta | 69.12% |
| 4 | | Chinchou | 67.35% |
| 5 | | Snubbull | 65.00% |
| 6 | | Croagunk | 64.00% |
| 7 | | Frillish | 63.64% |
| 8 | | Sandshrew-Alola | 63.64% |
| 9 | | Slowpoke | 63.16% |
| 10 | | Grookey | 61.11% |
| 11 | | Vulpix | 61.11% |
| 12 | | Zorua-Hisui | 60.71% |
| 13 | | Vulpix-Alola | 58.33% |
| 14 | | Natu | 57.14% |
| 15 | | Corphish | 55.56% |
| 16 | | Dwebble | 55.56% |
| 17 | | Sandile | 55.56% |
| 18 | | Voltorb-Hisui | 55.17% |
| 19 | | Sandshrew | 54.84% |
| 20 | | Grimer-Alola | 54.17% |
| 21 | | Carvanha | 53.33% |
| 22 | | Mareanie | 52.63% |
| 23 | | Trapinch | 52.63% |
| 24 | | Scraggy | 52.54% |
| 25 | | Pancham | 52.38% |
| 26 | | Farfetch’d-Galar | 52.08% |
| 27 | | Tyrunt | 52.00% |
| 28 | | Onix | 51.85% |
| 29 | | Stunky | 51.43% |
| 30 | | Mudbray | 51.06% |
| 31 | | Bramblin | 50.00% |
| 32 | | Quaxly | 50.00% |
| 33 | | Pawniard | 49.23% |
| 34 | | Snivy | 48.15% |
| 35 | | Ponyta-Galar | 48.08% |
| 36 | | Abra | 47.89% |
| 37 | | Crabrawler | 47.83% |
| 38 | | Timburr | 47.37% |
| 39 | | Cottonee | 47.37% |
| 40 | | Anorith | 47.06% |
| 41 | | Numel | 47.06% |
| 42 | | Koffing | 46.15% |
| 43 | | Diglett | 45.45% |
| 44 | | Glimmet | 45.00% |
| 45 | | Bronzor | 45.00% |
| 46 | | Drifloon | 44.68% |
| 47 | | Ferroseed | 44.44% |
| 48 | | Staryu | 44.07% |
| 49 | | Tinkatink | 44.00% |
| 50 | | Toedscool | 43.24% |
| 51 | | Magnemite | 42.11% |
| 52 | | Drilbur | 42.11% |
| 53 | | Foongus | 40.91% |
| 54 | | Elekid | 39.29% |
| 55 | | Archen | 38.89% |
| 56 | | Growlithe-Hisui | 38.24% |
| 57 | | Dewpider | 37.14% |
| 58 | | Wingull | 35.48% |
| 59 | | Spritzee | 32.00% |
| 60 | | Mankey | 29.41% |
| 61 | | Wattrel | 28.57% |
| 62 | | Pineco | 22.22% |
Only listing pairs used by at least at least 3 different people
| Rank | Usage | % | Wins | Win Rate | ||
| 1 | 
| 
| 20 | 3.98% | 17 | 85.00% |
| 2 | 
| 
| 17 | 3.39% | 6 | 35.29% |
| 3 |
| 
| 16 | 3.19% | 11 | 68.75% |
| 4 | 
| 
| 14 | 2.79% | 8 | 57.14% |
| 4 | 
| 
| 14 | 2.79% | 5 | 35.71% |
| 6 |
|
| 13 | 2.59% | 12 | 92.31% |
| 7 |
| 
| 11 | 2.19% | 7 | 63.64% |
| 7 |
| 
| 11 | 2.19% | 8 | 72.73% |
| 9 |
| 
| 10 | 1.99% | 7 | 70.00% |
| 9 |
| 
| 10 | 1.99% | 7 | 70.00% |
| 9 | 
| 
| 10 | 1.99% | 4 | 40.00% |
| 9 |
| 
| 10 | 1.99% | 6 | 60.00% |
| 9 |
| 
| 10 | 1.99% | 5 | 50.00% |
| 9 | 
| 
| 10 | 1.99% | 3 | 30.00% |
| 15 | 
| 
| 9 | 1.79% | 5 | 55.56% |
| 15 |
| 
| 9 | 1.79% | 5 | 55.56% |
| 15 | 
| 
| 9 | 1.79% | 5 | 55.56% |
| 15 | 
| 
| 9 | 1.79% | 6 | 66.67% |
| 15 |
|
| 9 | 1.79% | 3 | 33.33% |
| 15 |
|
| 9 | 1.79% | 8 | 88.89% |
| 15 | 
| 
| 9 | 1.79% | 4 | 44.44% |
| 15 |
|
| 9 | 1.79% | 4 | 44.44% |
| 15 |
|
| 9 | 1.79% | 3 | 33.33% |
| 24 | 
| 
| 8 | 1.59% | 3 | 37.50% |
| 24 |
| 
| 8 | 1.59% | 4 | 50.00% |
| 24 |
|
| 8 | 1.59% | 6 | 75.00% |
| 24 |
| 
| 8 | 1.59% | 5 | 62.50% |
| 24 |
| 
| 8 | 1.59% | 4 | 50.00% |
| 24 |
| 
| 8 | 1.59% | 5 | 62.50% |
| 24 |
|
| 8 | 1.59% | 5 | 62.50% |
| 24 |
|
| 8 | 1.59% | 4 | 50.00% |
| 24 |
|
| 8 | 1.59% | 5 | 62.50% |
| 24 |
|
| 8 | 1.59% | 6 | 75.00% |
| 24 |
|
| 8 | 1.59% | 4 | 50.00% |
| 24 |
|
| 8 | 1.59% | 5 | 62.50% |
| 24 |
| 
| 8 | 1.59% | 3 | 37.50% |
| 24 |
| 
| 8 | 1.59% | 4 | 50.00% |
| 38 |
| 
| 7 | 1.39% | 3 | 42.86% |
| 38 |
|
| 7 | 1.39% | 4 | 57.14% |
| 38 |
|
| 7 | 1.39% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 38 | 
|
| 7 | 1.39% | 4 | 57.14% |
| 38 |
| 
| 7 | 1.39% | 1 | 14.29% |
| 38 |
|
| 7 | 1.39% | 4 | 57.14% |
| 38 |
| 
| 7 | 1.39% | 2 | 28.57% |
| 38 |
|
| 7 | 1.39% | 5 | 71.43% |
| 38 |
| 
| 7 | 1.39% | 5 | 71.43% |
| 38 |
| 
| 7 | 1.39% | 3 | 42.86% |
| 38 |
| 
| 7 | 1.39% | 6 | 85.71% |
| 38 |
|
| 7 | 1.39% | 5 | 71.43% |
| 38 | 
|
| 7 | 1.39% | 2 | 28.57% |
| 38 |
|
| 7 | 1.39% | 5 | 71.43% |
| 38 |
| 
| 7 | 1.39% | 5 | 71.43% |
I find it very interesting to see, especially with the paring stats, what have been working so far, what were the underperforming bait picks (
) and what is clearly dominating ( ).Hopefully these stats can somehow be used to further refine the tier lists for future drafts. Let me know what else you would like me to check besides usage and winrate or if you want me to do the same for other smogon tours.
Shoutouts to Ticken the goat, because I copied his own sheet from WcoP to make this
Last edited:
Smogon Discord Draft League Champion - Victory Post
In June, my friend Waci sent me details about the Draft League Summer Seasonal tournament. I had wanted to play in a draft league for years but did not know of a community to play in. I did not join the Smogon tournament scene until late November of 2022, and I have been watching draft content since Gen 7, but the YouTube draft scene had died down with Gen 8 due to timer constraints. Recently, with pokeaim, Emvee, and others posting draft content, I felt reinvigorated to play in a draft league. Unfortunately, I could not join the summer seasonal due to conflicts with a summer vacation as well as being committed to US West for the World Cup of Pokemon.
Then, I saw a notification about a similar tournament run outside of Smogon called the Smogon Discord Draft League. The timing was still a little rough as the draft process overlapped with my vacation, but I decided to join regardless. This was my first ever draft experience, and I am super happy I joined.
Rules
This is the dry part of my post, but since this draft league is not up on Smogon, I might as well share the rules here. The important thing to note is this is a Swiss-style tournament of 7 rounds with 128 players. You must be 5-2 to make it to playoffs (or 4-3 with high resistance). The top 32 players make it to playoffs, and seeding is determined by players' records of the first 7 rounds, then by resistance. From there, the tournament is single elimination.
- You have up to 90 points with which to draft 8 Pokémon. Costs are listed on your pool’s tab on the drafting spreadsheet.
- If a Pokémon is picked by someone else, you may not pick it.
- For the first round, there is a 12 hour timer. After the first round ends, there will be a continuous 6 hour timer within which you must pick, or you will be skipped, and will be required to make-up your pick when you are next online. All timers are off between 10pm-7am local time (check your pools pinned message for local time).
- Your timer will halve every time you are skipped. It is recommended to leave picks (with backups) with your pool moderator to avoid this.
- Once the draft is over, you must declare one Tera Captain. This is the only Pokémon on your draft that may Terastallize.
- The following complex bans are in place:
- No Pokémon may use the move Last Respects
- No Pokémon may use the move Shed Tail.
- No Pokémon may hold the item Leppa Berry - The following Pokémon may not be Tera-Captains:
- Baxcalibur
- Dragonite
- Iron Bundle
- Iron Valiant
- Palafin 
- Regieleki
- Roaring Moon
- Tornadus-Therian
- Urshifu-Single-Strike
- Zamazenta-Crowned - The following Pokémon have access to all of their forms (although you may only bring up to 1 to each battle):
- Pikachu
- Basculin 
- Oricorio 
- Toxtricity 
- Indeedee 
- Basculegion 
- Oinkologne 
- Maushold 
- Squawkabilly 
- Tatsugiri 
- Dudunsparce 
- If a Pokémon that is available in SV is untiered, please ask a host.
- Smogon’s Species Clause applies to your draft.
- All games must be played in the [Gen 9] Tera Preview Paldea Dex Draft tier.
- General tournament rules and regulations can be found here.
- SV cartridge win conditions are in place; there are no ties.
- Each set is a best-of-one set.
- The following clauses apply:
- Species Clause: A player cannot have two Pokémon with the same National Pokédex number on a team.
- Sleep Clause: If a player has already put a Pokémon on their opponent's side to sleep and it is still sleeping, another one can't be put to sleep.
- Evasion Clause: A Pokémon may not hold an item, use a move or possess an ability that can increase their evasion stat
- OHKO Clause: A Pokémon may not have the moves Fissure, Guillotine, Horn Drill, or Sheer Cold in its moveset.
- Moody Clause: A team cannot have a Pokémon with the ability Moody.
- Endless Battle Clause: Players cannot intentionally prevent an opponent from being able to end the game without forfeiting.
- Baton Pass Clause: A Pokémon may not have Baton Pass in its moveset. - Any items unreleased in SV are banned.
- Replays must be posted to the pool/round thread, please mention the result, your opponent's name and your pool number.
- Rankings within pools may not be 100% accurate as the spreadsheet does not track head-to-head results. Players are ranked based upon: most wins, head-to-head, battle differential.
About Activity Decisions
Activity Decisions / Coin Flips: In the event that there is an uncompleted match at the deadline, and an extension has not been requested, it will be coin flipped unless one or both of the players involved in the match specifically request an activity win and explain sufficiently why they deserve to win over their opponent. Attempting to schedule a battle is required in order to receive the win by activity. To make it clear that you are requesting an activity win when you post, you must open your post with "Activity Win Request" in bold.
For example, if you believe your opponent is making an unfair request and that they don't deserve the activity win over you, you can either make your own request or quote their post and explain why they don't deserve it. You should try to make your activity win request posts at least 24 hours before the deadline to give your opponent a reasonable opportunity to contest it with their own activity win request.
Please note that all extension requests and activity claims must be posted to the thread, and that all of these will be judged on a case-by-case basis.
[Credit to the Official Smogon Tournament hosting team for the base form of this rule.]
Activity Decisions / Coin Flips: In the event that there is an uncompleted match at the deadline, and an extension has not been requested, it will be coin flipped unless one or both of the players involved in the match specifically request an activity win and explain sufficiently why they deserve to win over their opponent. Attempting to schedule a battle is required in order to receive the win by activity. To make it clear that you are requesting an activity win when you post, you must open your post with "Activity Win Request" in bold.
For example, if you believe your opponent is making an unfair request and that they don't deserve the activity win over you, you can either make your own request or quote their post and explain why they don't deserve it. You should try to make your activity win request posts at least 24 hours before the deadline to give your opponent a reasonable opportunity to contest it with their own activity win request.
Please note that all extension requests and activity claims must be posted to the thread, and that all of these will be judged on a case-by-case basis.
[Credit to the Official Smogon Tournament hosting team for the base form of this rule.]
My Draft
Points | Sprite | Pokemon | Usage (of 12 games) |
18 | | Palafin | 11 |
15 |  | Cinderace | 9 |
12 |  | Garganacl (T) | 12 |
10 |  | Amoonguss | 11 |
12 |  | Hisuian Zoroark | 10 |
7 |  | Kilowattrel | 9 |
7 |  | Bisharp | 3 |
8 |  | Florges | 7 |
I will go over why I chose each of these Pokemon in order (I was 7th pick of a pool of 8 players):
I had planned out my entire draft before picking, just in case there was a time conflict with the draft process and I couldn't make my picks right away. The big pick I wanted first but got taken was Single Strike Urshifu. I wanted a mid-speed Pokemon with strong priority that could break a team outright or set up and sweep. Essentially, I wanted something that could put in great work in every matchup. While I liked Urshifu more for this role, Palafin still fulfilled it very well. Between Choice Band and Bulk Up variants, nothing was a safe switch-in to the dolphin. Combine that with Jet Punch, and it is a force to be reckoned with. While activating Palafin can be a pain, it was manageable, and it has the bonus of being a nice defensive typing in Water. Cinderace would never have been a first pick, and hazard control is so important in draft, so what better way to control hazards than with Cinderace? It provided my team with plenty of value: great speed control, discouraging opponents from bringing hazards, reducing the need for hazard setters on my team, burn passing, pivot move, and a potential offensive threat with Libero and/or setup. Garganacl was my dedicated Tera Captain. It has always been a top pick for me in OU, and its only weakness is its awful Rock typing. It has insane bulk on both sides, an extremely powerful ability in Purifying Salt, a ridiculous signature move in Salt Cure, reliable recovery, and setup with Curse or Iron Defense. Since I already had Cinderace to deal with hazards, I did not need to run Stealth Rock on Garganacl and could instead lean into its defensive or sweeping capabilities combined with open tera. At worst, it could scout an opponent's moves or items before being sacked. Garg was the only Pokemon in my entire season to not be benched, and this is for good reason. I needed a grounded Poison, and one of the best value picks for this role for my team was Amoonguss. Grass/Poison is such a nice defensive typing, and Regenerator makes Amoonguss especially difficult to handle. It completed the FWG core with Palafin and Cinderace, served as a strong lead with Spore, and felt reliable in every game it was brought. Hisuian Zoroark was definitely the fun pick of the team. It is a pain to prep for in draft since you don't know when it is in (this is how I won one of my games). The triple immunity, nice speed, super versatile movepool, and offensive stats make Hisuian Zoroark really potent to deal with. Kilowattrel for 7 points was an absolute steal. Insane speed control, amazing defensive typing, the ability to function as my Flying-type and Ground-type thanks to Volt Absorb, and pivoting moves made the bird quite great in some matchups. Bisharp is AWFUL. I feel like I could have picked any other Steel-type and gotten more mileage. The quad weakness definitely does not help it, but it just felt so underwhelming even in the matchups I brought it in. Bisharp in Gen 9 is just so sad without Knock Off. Do not use it. My original draft had Quagsire as the last pick to complete the FWG core and be annoying with Unaware, but I already filled that niche. Since I did not have too many points left, I thought of what could run through my team and what would best counteract the threats. My mind immediately went to Dragon-type breakers, namely Baxcalibur. Also, my team had a dedicated physical wall in Amoonguss and an all-around wall in Garganacl, but no special wall. Florges felt like a great last pick, and it exceeded expectations. Access to STAB Moonblast, amazing special bulk, and reliable recovery served well for the team. Being a Fairy-type in general was necessary for Dragons.Weekly Matchups & My Sets
Since it may be confusing, the listed names are our Discord handles, which the bracket maker used. I am andreww7838 in these photos, as that was my Discord handle at the time.
Qualifiers
Pokepaste || Replay
My biggest worry going into this matchup was Specs Toxtricity. They have to predict correctly with Boomburst and Overdrive since I have Zoroark and Kilowattrel to absorb the attacks, but it's one of the special attackers that Florges cannot check. Enamorus was also scary, so I decided to bring SpD Ghost Garganacl, which would be a 3HKO from Specs Overdrive after Protect and Leftovers recovery. Ghost made me immune to Boomburst, neutral to all of Enamorus' attacks, and able to escape Arena Trap from Dugtrio, who I expected to be Tera Grass.
The gameplay itself was nothing too crazy. I did not expect Leafeon, but it absolutely shut down Palafin. All members played their part and Court Change secured the game.
Pokepaste || Replay
My opponent's team this week was much stronger than the prior week. Obviously, Tera Annihilape is the biggest threat on their team, but I have a lot of answers for it. Red Card Amoonguss can get rid of it if it sets up, it can Spore if Defiant, Kilowattrel can Feather Dance if Vital Spirit, and Zoroark is immune to its stabs, forcing awkward prep.
This was my worst played game of the whole league. I started so strong with Kilowattrel, being able to scout for a bunch of sets and chipping down the walls, but after Iron Treads tanked my Pyro Ball thanks to Occa Berry, I played awfully. If it weren't for my lucky burn, Rapid Spin from Iron Treads into Final Gambit from Annihilape would have knocked out Amoonguss. Luckily, I lived Final Gambit on 2% and managed to gain enough health back thanks to Regenerator. I didn't deserve to win that game.
Pokepaste || Replay
Thanks to Baxcalibur being such a huge threat, I got to take Bisharp and Florges off the bench. Bisharp with Eviolite has a good chance to live a +1 Earthquake from Baxcalibur and deal great damage back with Iron Head as well as pressure the team with Stealth Rock. I thought a lot about how to get Florges to kill Baxcalibur, and I decided a surprise Choice Scarf would do the job best. Palafin outsped Baxcalibur and could Taunt to prevent setup.
Turn 2 was such a good feeling with Baxcalibur dropping in one hit to Scarf Moonblast. It made the game a lot easier, and I was able to slowly work my way to a win.
Pokepaste || Replay
With the opponent's team being so slow, I thought an offensive Cinderace could put in great work. I expected Walking Wake or Rotom Heat to be Scarf, so my gameplan was to Trick with Florges onto Rotom and get rid of its Scarf (or to OHKO Wake with Moonblast). Also, while this did not come into fruition, I want to mention the Kilowattrel set. It was able to sit on Ursaluna while Flame Orb wore it down, sit on Clodsire, and scout sets while outspeeding the whole team.
Cinderace managed to cleanly sweep the team after a bit of positioning. Everything worked according to plan, and the win was very satisfying.
Pokepaste || Replay
Tera Volcarona is easily the most overpowered Pokemon in this draft league. I brought multiple checks in Jet Punch for revenge killing, Trick Scarf Zoroark to outspeed a +1 Volcarona and prevent its sweep, SpD Cinderace with Taunt to pester Volcarona, and SpD Florges to eat hits. The secret tech was Copycat, as it allowed me to Quiver Dance alongside Volcarona and outspeed Sneasler at +2 to avoid getting revenge killed.
Copycat Florges saved me after my opponent played extremely well. It copied Volcarona's Substitute, Fiery Dance for the +1 boost, and Quiver Dance to outspeed Quaquaval. A nice reverse sweep.
Pokepaste || Replay
Tera Ghost Garganacl covered for both Zamazenta and Toxtricity, while Specs Palafin allowed me to hit Garchomp and Zamazenta hard without worrying about Rough Skin / Rocky Helmet chip as well as Iron Defense Zamazenta.
My opponent said he did not prepare much for this matchup, which is likely why I was able to almost immediately set up and sweep with Garg (to be fair, we were both 5-0 and guaranteed to be in playoffs). As you'll see, I got to face him again in the Semifinals, and that game was much more competitive. This one was fairly straightforward.
Pokepaste || Replay
Naclstack for 2 points is a value pick for sure. Tera Volcarona is back, but I knew how to handle it pretty well. Instead of going straight SpD with Florges, I brought a 5 EV'd set with Mirror Herb to get the boost immediately and secure a +2 speed to handle their whole team. Since we were both 6-0 and fighting for #1 seed, I decided to flex and leave Palafin on the bench.
Florges put in beautiful sweep. The crit with Moonblast on Scream Tail secured it, but I think I still won for sure even if Scream Tail had Perish Song and Protect. Another fun win, but it was time to lock in for playoffs.
Playoffs
Pokepaste || Replay
Playoffs time! The combination of Walking Wake in Sun and Tera Espathra could easily get out of control if they were able to wear down and take out Florges, so I had to be very careful. For that reason, I made Palafin max SpD with Haze to check Espathra and Garg max SpD as a backup measure. The only threatening physical attacker on their team is Great Tusk, so Amoonguss could singlehandedly handle that. Florges has both Wish and Synthesis to ensure it stays alive throughout the game and can also stall out Sun a bit (hence why Amoonguss and Garganacl also have Protect).
My opponent made some questionable plays in the beginning, but it was overall a close game. Kilowattrel almost threw the game by missing a 95% accurate Air Slash, but it redeemed itself with a flinch the next turn.
Pokepaste || Replay
From Sun to Rain. I was extremely worried about Overqwil and Hisuian Braviary, as they can both break my team. Especially with Overqwil, an Adamant +2 Life Orb Gunk Shot can OHKO Amoonguss. Tera Steel Garganacl felt necessary to check Overqwil, Braviary, and Tera Hatterene, which could also be scary. Substitute SpD Palafin allowed me to set up in front of Clodsire while being able to eat a special hit in a pinch and heal off with Drain Punch. Utility Umbrella Florges ignores all weather effects, meaning Walking Wake did not get the Rain boost against Florges and Hurricane from Braviary can miss. Light Screen helped a lot to pivot safely against these threats, and it could enable Palafin to set up more easily.
I was shocked they left behind both those threats. I felt a sigh of relief, but Great Tusk and Tinkaton (who I thought would be benched) still proved difficult to face. Luckily, I had Substitute Bulk Up Palafin to set up in front of Clodsire and clean up the endgame. If they decided to bring Curse Clodsire, I could have been in major trouble, but I was spared.
Pokepaste || Replay
ausma is a renowned player, and I knew I needed to prepare well for anything they could bring. Iron Bundle is so potent if it can hit all its Hydro Pumps, Cinderace could prove annoying, Tera Garchomp could be an offensive or defensive menace, and Hisuian Decidueye can OHKO Amoonguss with +2 Brave Bird. Glowking could also be a nuisance to deal with thanks to status, good coverage, and slow pivoting to the faster threats. Tera Ghost Garganacl was neutral to all incoming attacks besides Bombirdier (which I expected to be benched), and Scarf Zoroark provided good speed control while being able to hit everything on the team with Ghost and Normal coverage.
Zoroark was the star of the show. It bluffed well and killed Iron Bundle, and it cleaned up in the end game, being able to tank Garchomp's attacks thanks to the Attack drop from Bitter Malice. ausma played very well, and it was a solid game throughout, but the mind games from Zoroark were too much to recover from.
Pokepaste || Replay
This is a rematch. Since I won really easily the first time and did not reveal my sets besides Garganacl, I decided to bring the same sets. I looked over all sets for around an hour to make sure everything felt right, and I almost made some changes, but I was happy with the original team.
My opponent brought a much stronger version of his team, better suited for this matchup. The game was extremely down to the wire, as was last week, but I barely managed to win. Props to Kilowattrel for dropping Garchomp's attack and allowing me to safely heal Garganacl, Palafin for hitting Focus Blast, Amoonguss for killing Samurott with Rocky Helmet, and Garganacl for cleaning up and sweeping in both games. Very good game from both sides.
Pokepaste || Replay
Finals time. I was already super proud of myself for making it this far, but I knew I needed to be the one to win. I had barely any drive left after building for hours every week for the past 11 weeks, but I forced myself to craft up some heat. I expected hazard stack, but was unsure if I should put Substitute or Court Change on Cinderace. I decided on Substitute to enable a potential sweep with Bulk Up into Weakness Policy once I got to chip Garchomp and get into Blaze range. This was not my first week of bringing Punching Glove Palafin, but it felt very necessary to keep me safe against Garchomp with Rocky Helmet and Rough Skin as well as Talonflame with Flame Body.
The finals was close the entire way through. My opponent prepped very well and brought SD Tinkaton, which I did not prepare for, and it put in great work. They managed to set up full Spikes and chunk away at my team. I was down 3-6 by the time I brought in Palafin. It looked pretty over for me, and I knew my only way to win was by setting up with Palafin, so I went for it. They tech'd Giga Drain on Forretress to handle Palafin, but luckily, I invested a lot of EVs into SpD, so it wasn't enough to knock me out between that and my Drain Punch healing. Because of Punching Glove, I guaranteed OHKOd the Talonflame through Passho and did not have to worry about Flame Body. At +2, I barely managed to 1v1 Forretress. Once Clodsire came in, I was not sure whether they brought SpD Unaware or Def Water Absorb Clodsire, since the rolls looked pretty similar after calc'ing with +1 Garganacl Earthquake into +1 Clodsire. I went with my gut and assumed it was Unaware, and I was right. Jet Punch was a roll for an OHKO, and while I did not get it, Earthquake never does enough damage. From there, +2 Punching Glove Jet Punch guaranteed OHKOd the rest of their team. Awesome prep, awesome game for finals, and props to my opponent for making it this far.
Shoutouts
Lady Salamence - You were an amazing host throughout the entire tournament and easily the best I have had since I joined the tournament scene a little less than a year ago. You updated draft pools frequently, kept the channels clean from random people/replays, updated the brackets as soon as each round was over, interacted with the community, and overall made my first draft experience very pleasant. I see you doing a fantastic job hosting Smogon Masters, and I would argue you are the best TD currently (from my limited knowledge of the TD community). Thank you for running this tournament and investing your time in the Smogon community, I'm sure you don't get enough praise for what you do.Pokepaste || Replay
My biggest worry going into this matchup was Specs Toxtricity. They have to predict correctly with Boomburst and Overdrive since I have Zoroark and Kilowattrel to absorb the attacks, but it's one of the special attackers that Florges cannot check. Enamorus was also scary, so I decided to bring SpD Ghost Garganacl, which would be a 3HKO from Specs Overdrive after Protect and Leftovers recovery. Ghost made me immune to Boomburst, neutral to all of Enamorus' attacks, and able to escape Arena Trap from Dugtrio, who I expected to be Tera Grass.
The gameplay itself was nothing too crazy. I did not expect Leafeon, but it absolutely shut down Palafin. All members played their part and Court Change secured the game.
Pokepaste || Replay
My opponent's team this week was much stronger than the prior week. Obviously, Tera Annihilape is the biggest threat on their team, but I have a lot of answers for it. Red Card Amoonguss can get rid of it if it sets up, it can Spore if Defiant, Kilowattrel can Feather Dance if Vital Spirit, and Zoroark is immune to its stabs, forcing awkward prep.
This was my worst played game of the whole league. I started so strong with Kilowattrel, being able to scout for a bunch of sets and chipping down the walls, but after Iron Treads tanked my Pyro Ball thanks to Occa Berry, I played awfully. If it weren't for my lucky burn, Rapid Spin from Iron Treads into Final Gambit from Annihilape would have knocked out Amoonguss. Luckily, I lived Final Gambit on 2% and managed to gain enough health back thanks to Regenerator. I didn't deserve to win that game.
Pokepaste || Replay
Thanks to Baxcalibur being such a huge threat, I got to take Bisharp and Florges off the bench. Bisharp with Eviolite has a good chance to live a +1 Earthquake from Baxcalibur and deal great damage back with Iron Head as well as pressure the team with Stealth Rock. I thought a lot about how to get Florges to kill Baxcalibur, and I decided a surprise Choice Scarf would do the job best. Palafin outsped Baxcalibur and could Taunt to prevent setup.
Turn 2 was such a good feeling with Baxcalibur dropping in one hit to Scarf Moonblast. It made the game a lot easier, and I was able to slowly work my way to a win.
Pokepaste || Replay
With the opponent's team being so slow, I thought an offensive Cinderace could put in great work. I expected Walking Wake or Rotom Heat to be Scarf, so my gameplan was to Trick with Florges onto Rotom and get rid of its Scarf (or to OHKO Wake with Moonblast). Also, while this did not come into fruition, I want to mention the Kilowattrel set. It was able to sit on Ursaluna while Flame Orb wore it down, sit on Clodsire, and scout sets while outspeeding the whole team.
Cinderace managed to cleanly sweep the team after a bit of positioning. Everything worked according to plan, and the win was very satisfying.
Pokepaste || Replay
Tera Volcarona is easily the most overpowered Pokemon in this draft league. I brought multiple checks in Jet Punch for revenge killing, Trick Scarf Zoroark to outspeed a +1 Volcarona and prevent its sweep, SpD Cinderace with Taunt to pester Volcarona, and SpD Florges to eat hits. The secret tech was Copycat, as it allowed me to Quiver Dance alongside Volcarona and outspeed Sneasler at +2 to avoid getting revenge killed.
Copycat Florges saved me after my opponent played extremely well. It copied Volcarona's Substitute, Fiery Dance for the +1 boost, and Quiver Dance to outspeed Quaquaval. A nice reverse sweep.
Pokepaste || Replay
Tera Ghost Garganacl covered for both Zamazenta and Toxtricity, while Specs Palafin allowed me to hit Garchomp and Zamazenta hard without worrying about Rough Skin / Rocky Helmet chip as well as Iron Defense Zamazenta.
My opponent said he did not prepare much for this matchup, which is likely why I was able to almost immediately set up and sweep with Garg (to be fair, we were both 5-0 and guaranteed to be in playoffs). As you'll see, I got to face him again in the Semifinals, and that game was much more competitive. This one was fairly straightforward.
Pokepaste || Replay
Naclstack for 2 points is a value pick for sure. Tera Volcarona is back, but I knew how to handle it pretty well. Instead of going straight SpD with Florges, I brought a 5 EV'd set with Mirror Herb to get the boost immediately and secure a +2 speed to handle their whole team. Since we were both 6-0 and fighting for #1 seed, I decided to flex and leave Palafin on the bench.
Florges put in beautiful sweep. The crit with Moonblast on Scream Tail secured it, but I think I still won for sure even if Scream Tail had Perish Song and Protect. Another fun win, but it was time to lock in for playoffs.
Playoffs
Pokepaste || Replay
Playoffs time! The combination of Walking Wake in Sun and Tera Espathra could easily get out of control if they were able to wear down and take out Florges, so I had to be very careful. For that reason, I made Palafin max SpD with Haze to check Espathra and Garg max SpD as a backup measure. The only threatening physical attacker on their team is Great Tusk, so Amoonguss could singlehandedly handle that. Florges has both Wish and Synthesis to ensure it stays alive throughout the game and can also stall out Sun a bit (hence why Amoonguss and Garganacl also have Protect).
My opponent made some questionable plays in the beginning, but it was overall a close game. Kilowattrel almost threw the game by missing a 95% accurate Air Slash, but it redeemed itself with a flinch the next turn.
Pokepaste || Replay
From Sun to Rain. I was extremely worried about Overqwil and Hisuian Braviary, as they can both break my team. Especially with Overqwil, an Adamant +2 Life Orb Gunk Shot can OHKO Amoonguss. Tera Steel Garganacl felt necessary to check Overqwil, Braviary, and Tera Hatterene, which could also be scary. Substitute SpD Palafin allowed me to set up in front of Clodsire while being able to eat a special hit in a pinch and heal off with Drain Punch. Utility Umbrella Florges ignores all weather effects, meaning Walking Wake did not get the Rain boost against Florges and Hurricane from Braviary can miss. Light Screen helped a lot to pivot safely against these threats, and it could enable Palafin to set up more easily.
I was shocked they left behind both those threats. I felt a sigh of relief, but Great Tusk and Tinkaton (who I thought would be benched) still proved difficult to face. Luckily, I had Substitute Bulk Up Palafin to set up in front of Clodsire and clean up the endgame. If they decided to bring Curse Clodsire, I could have been in major trouble, but I was spared.
Pokepaste || Replay
ausma is a renowned player, and I knew I needed to prepare well for anything they could bring. Iron Bundle is so potent if it can hit all its Hydro Pumps, Cinderace could prove annoying, Tera Garchomp could be an offensive or defensive menace, and Hisuian Decidueye can OHKO Amoonguss with +2 Brave Bird. Glowking could also be a nuisance to deal with thanks to status, good coverage, and slow pivoting to the faster threats. Tera Ghost Garganacl was neutral to all incoming attacks besides Bombirdier (which I expected to be benched), and Scarf Zoroark provided good speed control while being able to hit everything on the team with Ghost and Normal coverage.
Zoroark was the star of the show. It bluffed well and killed Iron Bundle, and it cleaned up in the end game, being able to tank Garchomp's attacks thanks to the Attack drop from Bitter Malice. ausma played very well, and it was a solid game throughout, but the mind games from Zoroark were too much to recover from.
Pokepaste || Replay
This is a rematch. Since I won really easily the first time and did not reveal my sets besides Garganacl, I decided to bring the same sets. I looked over all sets for around an hour to make sure everything felt right, and I almost made some changes, but I was happy with the original team.
My opponent brought a much stronger version of his team, better suited for this matchup. The game was extremely down to the wire, as was last week, but I barely managed to win. Props to Kilowattrel for dropping Garchomp's attack and allowing me to safely heal Garganacl, Palafin for hitting Focus Blast, Amoonguss for killing Samurott with Rocky Helmet, and Garganacl for cleaning up and sweeping in both games. Very good game from both sides.
Pokepaste || Replay
Finals time. I was already super proud of myself for making it this far, but I knew I needed to be the one to win. I had barely any drive left after building for hours every week for the past 11 weeks, but I forced myself to craft up some heat. I expected hazard stack, but was unsure if I should put Substitute or Court Change on Cinderace. I decided on Substitute to enable a potential sweep with Bulk Up into Weakness Policy once I got to chip Garchomp and get into Blaze range. This was not my first week of bringing Punching Glove Palafin, but it felt very necessary to keep me safe against Garchomp with Rocky Helmet and Rough Skin as well as Talonflame with Flame Body.
The finals was close the entire way through. My opponent prepped very well and brought SD Tinkaton, which I did not prepare for, and it put in great work. They managed to set up full Spikes and chunk away at my team. I was down 3-6 by the time I brought in Palafin. It looked pretty over for me, and I knew my only way to win was by setting up with Palafin, so I went for it. They tech'd Giga Drain on Forretress to handle Palafin, but luckily, I invested a lot of EVs into SpD, so it wasn't enough to knock me out between that and my Drain Punch healing. Because of Punching Glove, I guaranteed OHKOd the Talonflame through Passho and did not have to worry about Flame Body. At +2, I barely managed to 1v1 Forretress. Once Clodsire came in, I was not sure whether they brought SpD Unaware or Def Water Absorb Clodsire, since the rolls looked pretty similar after calc'ing with +1 Garganacl Earthquake into +1 Clodsire. I went with my gut and assumed it was Unaware, and I was right. Jet Punch was a roll for an OHKO, and while I did not get it, Earthquake never does enough damage. From there, +2 Punching Glove Jet Punch guaranteed OHKOd the rest of their team. Awesome prep, awesome game for finals, and props to my opponent for making it this far.
Shoutouts
Waci - Helping you with picking your draft team as well as helping build for a few weeks primed my mind for draft as a whole and made the transition to my team more manageable. Even though I built all my teams, in case I was unsure of a set or wanted a second opinion, you were there to check over it and made sure I had optimal sets, especially in finals when I adjusted the Kilowattrel set after talking it through with you. In general, you are my closest friend in the Smogon community, and it's been amazing watching each other strive to be better players this past year. We are both far away from being top players, but with your earning the Tiering Contributor badge and me winning this tournament, I know we are both on the right track.
lax - This is more related to WCOP, but you scouted me out for US West and took a risk by bringing me on the team despite my lack of experience. You put me on the map and got me invested in the tournament scene. I really thought my performance in my first ever tournament was a fluke and I just beat Empo and mind gaming with beginner's
Opponents (SpoiledBerries, Jadinobambino, UselessUmbreon, pokevin03dragonite, Eve, silver grace, MachJacob, ausma, Kinetic1000) - You all were about as much as I could ask for from an opponent. Scheduling felt really easy, everyone showed up on time, everyone prepped well, and the competitive games allowed me to gain a lot of experience in draft. I hope I could do the same for you all! Special shoutout to ausma for killing it on OU council and Kinetic for putting on an intense finals game for everyone to watch.
Other Players - I know I'm not the only person whose first draft experience was this tournament. Many of us are new to playing draft, and I hope others enjoyed the tournament enough to continue playing draft, no matter how well you did. The draft community is continually expanding, and it takes newcomers like us to really build up the community and increase the size of the player base so that draft can thrive. Thank you for participating and making this tournament a great experience!
Final Thoughts
I can't end this post without flexing a little. I have been playing in Smogon tournaments for less than a year and can count the amount of tournaments I've participated in on my hands. I have never played in a draft tournament before, built all my teams by myself, and never played any mock games. Even then, I managed to not only win the entire tournament but go undefeated for 12 weeks straight. And I had the best nicknames on my Pokemon. Who do you think you are? I AM!
It feels good to have a tournament victory under my belt, but the job's not finished. US West could have won WCOP after an insane comeback in Round 1. I'm playing in Smogon Masters right now. I don't have a trophy yet, but I'm determined to earn one during my Pokemon career. I'm in the infancy of my competitive career, but I'm determined to get the job done. This is the first big step of many.
Again, thank you to everyone who was involved in this tournament as well as those I've played against and alongside throughout the past year. I look forward to everything the future has to offer!
