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Gen 3 RoA Spotlight Tournament: ADV PU [Won by plznostep]
- Thread starter GraveBee
- Start date
- Status
Week 4 - Clown O'Clock!
I could make an excuse about a hurricane messing with my sense of time, but my bad for getting this round up a bit later than normal. If extensions need to be made, no worries, and thank y'all for bearing with me as I run this
Seviper - PU's Super Effective Snake
Seviper in PU is typically a mixed breaker, accomplishing what it needs to via balanced offensive stats, a relatively wide array of coverage, and an ability that lets it protect allies from status while getting the openings it needs to enter the field and wreak havoc.
Seviper isn't going to win a game all by itself, but is still a Pokemon that can be key to winning or losing. Despite being tied for second in both Attack and Special Attack, Seviper's greatest strength lies in its ridiculous movepool. Ground-type coverage in Earthquake is a necessity to threatening Minun, Swalot, and Mawile, but also makes for a surprisingly good pairing for STAB Sludge Bomb. Coming off a base 100 Attack, that will at least dent almost everything in the tier. Giga Drain, Crunch, and Flamethrower are good moves for the third and fourth slots, giving answers to Pokemon like Graveler, Marshtomp, Duskull, Ivysaur, Tangela, and Pineco. If absolutely needed for a specific threat, Seviper can still run Hidden Power over one of its other moves to tailor what coverage it provides, occasionally running Hidden Power Water to cover the handful of Fire-types and Graveler with a single slot. As a result, Seviper can be wildly unpredictable until its set is revealed, and also functions as a very useful aid in building as it can check specific pokemon that the remainder of a team may be weak to. Seviper is also especially potent on Spikes teams because of how easily it can force a switch and rack up entry hazard damage, also taking advantage of Spikes to get cleaner kills on kills which might be more difficult to obtain otherwise.
Shed Skin, though not touted as one of the best abilities to exist, complements Seviper quite well here, letting it absorb status for its teammates while switching in such that it may not need to take an attack when trying to enter the field. By nature of how many unique tools it makes use of, Seviper can be extremely hard to guess the set of, and Seviper itself can be difficult to switch into. Shed Skin also means Seviper is a particularly good switch-in to Tangela and Ivysaur, either absorbing Sleep Powder and removing the status relatively easily or threating a kill with Flamethrower should it miss.
While its HP and defensive stats may be a bit lackluster for higher tiers, Seviper thrives in the lower power level of PU, occasionally finding an opening on Choice Band Furret when locked into a Fighting-type move. While Seviper may not want to switch into certain Pokemon, especially Arbok and Minun, it does very well in getting an opponent to think twice before deciding what button to click.
Want me to highlight a specific PU mon? Just lmk what mon and why it's the most adorable little war crime this side of Hoenn. I can be found on discord, on smogon, and other places, so don't hesitate to reach out! There's also the PU Discord Server if you want to lurk in #oldgens and stay up-to-date on all things PU
Brackets? Brackets! Brackets.
plznostep vs Scizornite
tom holland vs Aurist
Beemo666 vs Heysup
bydy vs Elian
Martianonice vs Abnxrmal
Loneling vs Incognition
zoowi vs Gerrychu29
gulch vs Bye 1
emoxu9 vs wooper
kokeri vs Lambovino
Bella vs Blazing
Sunrose vs SOMALIA
THE_CHUNGLER vs Bye 2
Beleth vs Bye 3
competitiveZero vs Cigtar
Oathkeeper vs. Bye 4
Maybe I was a bit stubborn forcing a pairall the last couple weeks, I couldn't realistically justify pairing everyone in a swiss format this time.
However, if you want to play games (which is why I imagine you're here), we could pair gulch vs. THE_CHUNGLER and Beleth vs. Oathkeeper for games. It won't affect your score, but I'd rather give the option to play than ask you to wait a week.
Brackets created at:
https://www.smogon.com/tools/bracketmaker/view/14657/
https://www.smogon.com/tools/bracketmaker/view/14658/
https://www.smogon.com/tools/bracketmaker/view/14660/
https://www.smogon.com/tools/bracketmaker/view/14661/
All replays are required. Be chill, schedule early, have fun.
The deadline for this week is Sunday, October 6th, at 11:59PM GMT-4.
MAY THE BEST PU-ERS WIN!
I could make an excuse about a hurricane messing with my sense of time, but my bad for getting this round up a bit later than normal. If extensions need to be made, no worries, and thank y'all for bearing with me as I run this
Seviper - PU's Super Effective Snake Seviper in PU is typically a mixed breaker, accomplishing what it needs to via balanced offensive stats, a relatively wide array of coverage, and an ability that lets it protect allies from status while getting the openings it needs to enter the field and wreak havoc.
Seviper isn't going to win a game all by itself, but is still a Pokemon that can be key to winning or losing. Despite being tied for second in both Attack and Special Attack, Seviper's greatest strength lies in its ridiculous movepool. Ground-type coverage in Earthquake is a necessity to threatening Minun, Swalot, and Mawile, but also makes for a surprisingly good pairing for STAB Sludge Bomb. Coming off a base 100 Attack, that will at least dent almost everything in the tier. Giga Drain, Crunch, and Flamethrower are good moves for the third and fourth slots, giving answers to Pokemon like Graveler, Marshtomp, Duskull, Ivysaur, Tangela, and Pineco. If absolutely needed for a specific threat, Seviper can still run Hidden Power over one of its other moves to tailor what coverage it provides, occasionally running Hidden Power Water to cover the handful of Fire-types and Graveler with a single slot. As a result, Seviper can be wildly unpredictable until its set is revealed, and also functions as a very useful aid in building as it can check specific pokemon that the remainder of a team may be weak to. Seviper is also especially potent on Spikes teams because of how easily it can force a switch and rack up entry hazard damage, also taking advantage of Spikes to get cleaner kills on kills which might be more difficult to obtain otherwise.
Shed Skin, though not touted as one of the best abilities to exist, complements Seviper quite well here, letting it absorb status for its teammates while switching in such that it may not need to take an attack when trying to enter the field. By nature of how many unique tools it makes use of, Seviper can be extremely hard to guess the set of, and Seviper itself can be difficult to switch into. Shed Skin also means Seviper is a particularly good switch-in to Tangela and Ivysaur, either absorbing Sleep Powder and removing the status relatively easily or threating a kill with Flamethrower should it miss.
While its HP and defensive stats may be a bit lackluster for higher tiers, Seviper thrives in the lower power level of PU, occasionally finding an opening on Choice Band Furret when locked into a Fighting-type move. While Seviper may not want to switch into certain Pokemon, especially Arbok and Minun, it does very well in getting an opponent to think twice before deciding what button to click.
Want me to highlight a specific PU mon? Just lmk what mon and why it's the most adorable little war crime this side of Hoenn. I can be found on discord, on smogon, and other places, so don't hesitate to reach out! There's also the PU Discord Server if you want to lurk in #oldgens and stay up-to-date on all things PU
Brackets? Brackets! Brackets.
plznostep vs Scizornite
tom holland vs Aurist
Beemo666 vs Heysup
bydy vs Elian
Martianonice vs Abnxrmal
Loneling vs Incognition
zoowi vs Gerrychu29
gulch vs Bye 1
emoxu9 vs wooper
kokeri vs Lambovino
Bella vs Blazing
Sunrose vs SOMALIA
THE_CHUNGLER vs Bye 2
Beleth vs Bye 3
competitiveZero vs Cigtar
Oathkeeper vs. Bye 4
Maybe I was a bit stubborn forcing a pairall the last couple weeks, I couldn't realistically justify pairing everyone in a swiss format this time.
However, if you want to play games (which is why I imagine you're here), we could pair gulch vs. THE_CHUNGLER and Beleth vs. Oathkeeper for games. It won't affect your score, but I'd rather give the option to play than ask you to wait a week.
Brackets created at:
https://www.smogon.com/tools/bracketmaker/view/14657/
https://www.smogon.com/tools/bracketmaker/view/14658/
https://www.smogon.com/tools/bracketmaker/view/14660/
https://www.smogon.com/tools/bracketmaker/view/14661/
All replays are required. Be chill, schedule early, have fun.
The deadline for this week is Sunday, October 6th, at 11:59PM GMT-4.
MAY THE BEST PU-ERS WIN!
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen3pu-2214603498-25nfo30kc2tyrrl8hu4jd5hup2789uppw
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen3pu-2214611436-erw31mzemg4awhnuno5nfbbe4hix27xpw
won for this round ggs, sorry for the inactivity on the last one, and props to my oppo for being super nice
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen3pu-2214611436-erw31mzemg4awhnuno5nfbbe4hix27xpw
won for this round ggs, sorry for the inactivity on the last one, and props to my oppo for being super nice
Week 5 - FINALS!
Only one way to settle this. No items, Furret only, Final Destination.
Finals Double Special - Furret and Minun! 
FURRET - WALKING ALL OVER THE DEFENSE
In many spheres, Furret is the subject of memes and well-deserved comments about its adorable face and charismatic walking animation. Such spaces view Furret as a harmless, lovable friend that wouldn't hurt a fly... Welcome to ADV PU, where Furret is one of the heaviest-hitting physical wallbreakers at your disposal. Especially because Furret often runs a Choice Band, this Pokemon is so potent as a wallbreaker that a Normal resist is almost mandatory on teams. Furret's base 90 Speed and base 76 Attack are a very large reason as to why this is the case, and its presence on the field can be very scary if played well.
Especially when running a Choice Band, Furret's Double Edge can bust down many of the defensive structures of PU, since the options for Normal resists are limited by other tiers usually taking them. This is for good reason, as alongside Dragon, Normal-Type attacks are among the best neutral coverage a Pokemon can hope for, so STAB on a base 120 power, 100 accuracy Normal-Type attack is quite potent. However, Furret is helpless against Normal resists, either. Brick Break covers Graveler and Mawile, while Gastly and Duskull immediately dies to Shadow Ball.
Quick Attack is yet another very potent move in Furret's arsenal, allowing it to both get the jump on Minun and still act as a late game cleaner even if paralyzed. Because Minun, and by proxy Thunder Wave, is a part of every serious team, this is an important consideration to take into account. Minun is also the most efficient way to revenge kill Furret, so Quick Attack can either threaten Minun with considerable chip damage or kill it outright should it already be weathered down. Other ways Quick Attack bolsters Furret's cleaning capabilities is in handling pinch Berry users and in acting as a coverage option that doesn't involve recoil should both it and Double Edge work in knocking a foe out.
Furret's downsides are most seen in how reliant it can be on Double Edge for its sheer power, as over time the recoil can add up. Because Furret wants to abuse the power of STAB Double Edge as much as possible, it's difficult to justify bringing it in on strong attacks, especially more than once, because each point of damage not only brings Furret closer to fainting but actively detracts from its firepower. Substitute+Focus Punch Furret partially acts to mitigate this by running Return over Double Edge, as the aim of that set is to act over a longer period of time.
In terms of team synergies, this is another area where Furret particularly shines, benefiting and actively abusing the greatest strengths of the best Pokemon in the tier - Minun. In particular, Furret takes advantage of Minun's aptitude in getting it in safely, preserving that critical health to expend later on Double Edge for making progress, and in return Furret can help deal with the specially defensive walls Minun may thud into, like Dragonair and Lickitung. Furret also pairs very well with Spikes, as entry hazards get more foes into range of Quick Attack so that Furret can use less of its HP on Double Edge in the mid game and late game, turning Furret into a late game cleaner that can act as a backup plan should Minun faint.
MINUN - THE BEST OF ADV PU
Minun is THE ADV PU Pokemon. Either you have Minun and some solid answers to it, or you have an unfunny joke in your teambuilder. What at first glance may be brushed off as the worse of two Gen 3 pikaclones is actually an absolute unit of a support Pokemon that holds every PU team together like glue. At the same time, Minun's stats leave little to be desired for the tier, making it offensively threatening on its own accord, and this is only bolstered by Minun's impressive bag of tricks. It would be good enough for a Pokemon to have just one of these traits - having all three of them is what makes Minun truly great.
To say that Minun has an answer for a very good portion of the tier is an understatement. Offensively, it can blast through just about anything in the tier as a late game cleaner, thanks to a Speed stat second to none. For the same reason, it is the most effective user of Baton Pass in ADV PU, which gives it a crucial supportive role in letting its teammates in safely on predicted switches - most of all with Trapinch, which can trap and kill just about anything Minun wouldn't want to deal with. Even then, by itself Minun can immediately threaten a kill on Seadra, Kingler, and Gastly, taking Sealeo with just the lightest amount of chip damage. This list of kills increases wildly the more work its teammates do, and because Minun hits so hard with STAB Thunderbolt, this also makes it into a premium revenge killer. This use as a revenge killer is only amplified even further by Baton Pass: Minun can Baton Pass to a teammate once it has successfully revenge-killed, or can Baton Pass immediately to safely get a different teammate out and further your gameplan that way by calling out switches. As if this weren't enough to give its teammates more openings throughout a game, Minun can cripple opposing Pokemon with Thunder Wave, lowering their speed to such a degree that Baton Passing to a teammate can not only let them have a favorable matchup but also act first and threaten a kill.
Considering how well it is able to get teammates onto the field and doing their thing, it's hard to imagine that Minun's options for supporting its teammates and crippling its opponents only get crazier from here. If Baton Pass by itself isn't enough support for letting teammates get on the field and run wild, Substitute and Wish can aid in that endeavor, giving allies much-needed wiggle room and either a free attack and immunity to status or a somewhat-reliable source of healing. Not only do both of these not interfere with Baton Pass, they directly synergize with it. Meanwhile, Encore is a complete menace of a pick - Shutting down anything relying on setup moves to make progress, Wish or Protect for their longevity, mixed attackers that may rely on coverage, and also generally being a nuisance to anything not holding a Choice Band.
Oh, did you think we could counter Minun by switching in a Ground-Type? No, Minun is S-Tier for a reason, that isn't how this works. Hidden Power Grass completely styles on Marshtomp and Graveler. While Vibrava is another tempting answer, Hidden Power Grass is still a 3HKO, so Get Minun'd. Instead, Dragonair can give Minun a rough time thanks to Shed Skin and the typing/bulk necessary to survive Minun's attacks, threatening paralysis of its own, but can whiff completely into subpass Minun and lose momentum, and so despite forcing Minun off the field, Dragonair may not want to switch into Minun brainlessly. This principle also applies to Lickitung, which gets owned by Encore and possibly locked into Wish or Protect. Lickitung is usually a 4HKO from Minun's Thunderbolt, but Encore shuts it down so badly that, sometimes, Minun may be perfectly fine with switching into Lickitung just to cripple it and Baton Pass to a teammate that will much more readily handle the now-defenseless wall. However, one thing Minun absolutely despises is paralysis. Due to how crucial Minun's speed can be in achieving its own purpose on a team, paralysis is one thing that can severely get in its way, limiting its ability to escape bad matchups with impunity and also getting it trapped, outsped, and OHKOed by opposing Trapinch.
The end result of this is a Pokemon that has no hard counters, but which can be overcome in the long run. Even the things which would beat it on paper completely crumble under the pressure of at least one of the many moves it sometimes or always runs. Generally, if Minun dies to begin with, it is from the concentrated efforts of multiple Pokemon, and that dynamic is a part of what makes ADV PU great.
We have now transcended the need for a bracketmaker. Your finals contestants are plznostep and Aurist
Players, please hit the stage and load your best. It's showtime.
All replays are required. Be chill, schedule early, have fun.
Because it is finals, I won't hound you about a deadline. I trust you'll get the games played out.
And now, say it with me everyone... MAY THE BEST PU-ER WIN!
Only one way to settle this. No items, Furret only, Final Destination.
Finals Double Special - Furret and Minun! FURRET - WALKING ALL OVER THE DEFENSE In many spheres, Furret is the subject of memes and well-deserved comments about its adorable face and charismatic walking animation. Such spaces view Furret as a harmless, lovable friend that wouldn't hurt a fly... Welcome to ADV PU, where Furret is one of the heaviest-hitting physical wallbreakers at your disposal. Especially because Furret often runs a Choice Band, this Pokemon is so potent as a wallbreaker that a Normal resist is almost mandatory on teams. Furret's base 90 Speed and base 76 Attack are a very large reason as to why this is the case, and its presence on the field can be very scary if played well.
Especially when running a Choice Band, Furret's Double Edge can bust down many of the defensive structures of PU, since the options for Normal resists are limited by other tiers usually taking them. This is for good reason, as alongside Dragon, Normal-Type attacks are among the best neutral coverage a Pokemon can hope for, so STAB on a base 120 power, 100 accuracy Normal-Type attack is quite potent. However, Furret is helpless against Normal resists, either. Brick Break covers Graveler and Mawile, while Gastly and Duskull immediately dies to Shadow Ball.
Quick Attack is yet another very potent move in Furret's arsenal, allowing it to both get the jump on Minun and still act as a late game cleaner even if paralyzed. Because Minun, and by proxy Thunder Wave, is a part of every serious team, this is an important consideration to take into account. Minun is also the most efficient way to revenge kill Furret, so Quick Attack can either threaten Minun with considerable chip damage or kill it outright should it already be weathered down. Other ways Quick Attack bolsters Furret's cleaning capabilities is in handling pinch Berry users and in acting as a coverage option that doesn't involve recoil should both it and Double Edge work in knocking a foe out.
Furret's downsides are most seen in how reliant it can be on Double Edge for its sheer power, as over time the recoil can add up. Because Furret wants to abuse the power of STAB Double Edge as much as possible, it's difficult to justify bringing it in on strong attacks, especially more than once, because each point of damage not only brings Furret closer to fainting but actively detracts from its firepower. Substitute+Focus Punch Furret partially acts to mitigate this by running Return over Double Edge, as the aim of that set is to act over a longer period of time.
In terms of team synergies, this is another area where Furret particularly shines, benefiting and actively abusing the greatest strengths of the best Pokemon in the tier - Minun. In particular, Furret takes advantage of Minun's aptitude in getting it in safely, preserving that critical health to expend later on Double Edge for making progress, and in return Furret can help deal with the specially defensive walls Minun may thud into, like Dragonair and Lickitung. Furret also pairs very well with Spikes, as entry hazards get more foes into range of Quick Attack so that Furret can use less of its HP on Double Edge in the mid game and late game, turning Furret into a late game cleaner that can act as a backup plan should Minun faint.
MINUN - THE BEST OF ADV PU Minun is THE ADV PU Pokemon. Either you have Minun and some solid answers to it, or you have an unfunny joke in your teambuilder. What at first glance may be brushed off as the worse of two Gen 3 pikaclones is actually an absolute unit of a support Pokemon that holds every PU team together like glue. At the same time, Minun's stats leave little to be desired for the tier, making it offensively threatening on its own accord, and this is only bolstered by Minun's impressive bag of tricks. It would be good enough for a Pokemon to have just one of these traits - having all three of them is what makes Minun truly great.
To say that Minun has an answer for a very good portion of the tier is an understatement. Offensively, it can blast through just about anything in the tier as a late game cleaner, thanks to a Speed stat second to none. For the same reason, it is the most effective user of Baton Pass in ADV PU, which gives it a crucial supportive role in letting its teammates in safely on predicted switches - most of all with Trapinch, which can trap and kill just about anything Minun wouldn't want to deal with. Even then, by itself Minun can immediately threaten a kill on Seadra, Kingler, and Gastly, taking Sealeo with just the lightest amount of chip damage. This list of kills increases wildly the more work its teammates do, and because Minun hits so hard with STAB Thunderbolt, this also makes it into a premium revenge killer. This use as a revenge killer is only amplified even further by Baton Pass: Minun can Baton Pass to a teammate once it has successfully revenge-killed, or can Baton Pass immediately to safely get a different teammate out and further your gameplan that way by calling out switches. As if this weren't enough to give its teammates more openings throughout a game, Minun can cripple opposing Pokemon with Thunder Wave, lowering their speed to such a degree that Baton Passing to a teammate can not only let them have a favorable matchup but also act first and threaten a kill.
Considering how well it is able to get teammates onto the field and doing their thing, it's hard to imagine that Minun's options for supporting its teammates and crippling its opponents only get crazier from here. If Baton Pass by itself isn't enough support for letting teammates get on the field and run wild, Substitute and Wish can aid in that endeavor, giving allies much-needed wiggle room and either a free attack and immunity to status or a somewhat-reliable source of healing. Not only do both of these not interfere with Baton Pass, they directly synergize with it. Meanwhile, Encore is a complete menace of a pick - Shutting down anything relying on setup moves to make progress, Wish or Protect for their longevity, mixed attackers that may rely on coverage, and also generally being a nuisance to anything not holding a Choice Band.
Oh, did you think we could counter Minun by switching in a Ground-Type? No, Minun is S-Tier for a reason, that isn't how this works. Hidden Power Grass completely styles on Marshtomp and Graveler. While Vibrava is another tempting answer, Hidden Power Grass is still a 3HKO, so Get Minun'd. Instead, Dragonair can give Minun a rough time thanks to Shed Skin and the typing/bulk necessary to survive Minun's attacks, threatening paralysis of its own, but can whiff completely into subpass Minun and lose momentum, and so despite forcing Minun off the field, Dragonair may not want to switch into Minun brainlessly. This principle also applies to Lickitung, which gets owned by Encore and possibly locked into Wish or Protect. Lickitung is usually a 4HKO from Minun's Thunderbolt, but Encore shuts it down so badly that, sometimes, Minun may be perfectly fine with switching into Lickitung just to cripple it and Baton Pass to a teammate that will much more readily handle the now-defenseless wall. However, one thing Minun absolutely despises is paralysis. Due to how crucial Minun's speed can be in achieving its own purpose on a team, paralysis is one thing that can severely get in its way, limiting its ability to escape bad matchups with impunity and also getting it trapped, outsped, and OHKOed by opposing Trapinch.
The end result of this is a Pokemon that has no hard counters, but which can be overcome in the long run. Even the things which would beat it on paper completely crumble under the pressure of at least one of the many moves it sometimes or always runs. Generally, if Minun dies to begin with, it is from the concentrated efforts of multiple Pokemon, and that dynamic is a part of what makes ADV PU great.
Players, please hit the stage and load your best. It's showtime.
All replays are required. Be chill, schedule early, have fun.
Because it is finals, I won't hound you about a deadline. I trust you'll get the games played out.
And now, say it with me everyone... MAY THE BEST PU-ER WIN!
Last edited:
What a goated finals. Gl to both! Super fun tour, sorry you're sick Aurist!
lmao don't worry, I just got power back from the hurricane anyways so I'm not in a huge rush as-isjust an update, me and plz planned to play today, but I have come down with a feverwe should hopefully be playing over the next couple days
We've got time, and we can take it easy. PU as a tier deserves to see this matchup happen, and I cannot wait to see every single turn of it. Best of luck on the recovery. For those of you who may be disappointed that there won't be a finals happening today, ADV PU Pokemon of the week is going up and boy is it a beefy one
won in 2, ggs and srry for hax in g2
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen3pu-799031
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen3pu-799034
fun tour, thanks to GraveBee for being a great host and putting the effort in with the Pokemon of the Week format, was cool to see what would be next each week and I appreciate the effort put in :)
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen3pu-799031
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen3pu-799034
fun tour, thanks to GraveBee for being a great host and putting the effort in with the Pokemon of the Week format, was cool to see what would be next each week and I appreciate the effort put in :)
- Status