Ask a simple question, get a simple answer - VGC edition

[CakesOfSpan]

(.85)^4 = 52.2% of Meteor Mash hitting 4 consecutive times.

Considering your 85% accuracy, you have a 17% chance of getting an attack boost each time Meteor Mash is used.

(1-.17)^4 = 47.5% chance of getting an attack boost over the course of 4 Meteor Mashes.

Just did that to put things into perspective and show how Metagross can handle Cresselia rather well when you look at it from a 1v1 standpoint. But yes, what Dozz says still stands. Of course, since you are running TR most Cresselias aren't too threatening with their speed alterations (Thunder Wave, Icy Wind) and STAB Psychics (can vary depending on what you are running). TR-Reversing Cresselias could pose a problem, though this most likely means that your opponent is running slow mons as well.

EDIT: Also remember that Iron Head is a viable option if you are concerned about Meteor Mash's accuracy.

 

[supersaiyan]

shutting down rain

Quick question on rain teams leading with drizzle politoed and kingdra:

If I teach my prankster whimsicott sunny day and use it on the first turn, will that instantly negate kingdra's swift swim, or will still have the extra speed on turn 1? (I read somewhere that speed is calculated at the start of each turn)

 

[lolfailsnail]

Quick question on rain teams leading with drizzle politoed and kingdra:

If I teach my prankster whimsicott sunny day and use it on the first turn, will that instantly negate kingdra's swift swim, or will still have the extra speed on turn 1? (I read somewhere that speed is calculated at the start of each turn)

Turn order is decided at the beginning of the turn, so Kingdra will still have the Swift Swim boost until the next turn.

 

[TheAshAttacks]

So, I read that there is a japanese event called the powerful tag pokemon. Looks like the sets are pretty good. If one were to get one traded to the US, whould they be allowed in VGC? And how would one go about getting them traded over. I'm assuming cloning mons isn't just for the US.

 

[supersaiyan]

thanks for you help.
i apologize if this is annoying, but I'm finding it really hard to counter that combination
i was wondering if a choice scarf salamence would outspeed and OHKO the swift swim kingdra with dragon claw? 252 EVs in attack and speed, either adamant or jolly nature.
I've tried some damage calculators and it seems that an adamant mence can OHKO, but maybe not outspeed it? whereas the jolly one may outspeed it but not OHKO...

 

[The Knights of Wario Land]

So, I read that there is a japanese event called the powerful tag pokemon. Looks like the sets are pretty good. If one were to get one traded to the US, whould they be allowed in VGC? And how would one go about getting them traded over. I'm assuming cloning mons isn't just for the US.

As long as they are on a US cartridge, they are allowed. Also cloning mons is universal, so you don't have to worry about that.

 

[Saboros]

thanks for you help.
i apologize if this is annoying, but I'm finding it really hard to counter that combination
i was wondering if a choice scarf salamence would outspeed and OHKO the swift swim kingdra with dragon claw? 252 EVs in attack and speed, either adamant or jolly nature.
I've tried some damage calculators and it seems that an adamant mence can OHKO, but maybe not outspeed it? whereas the jolly one may outspeed it but not OHKO...

Salamence doesn't come close to outspeeding Kingdra. Even though Salamence is faster, Swift Swim boosts the speed of the target by x2 while the Choice Scarf only boosts the speed stat by x1.5. If my calculations are correct, you'd need a minimum of 162 base speed with a jolly nature and a choice scarf to outspeed Swift Swim Kingdra under rain. This doesn't include other Pokemon with speed boosting moves in affect, however.

 

[Lucien Lachance]

Cresselia takes a Dragon Gem D Meteor and can use ThunderWave to shut down Kingdra.

Just another way Cresselia is amazing.

 

[TheAshAttacks]

As long as they are on a US cartridge, they are allowed. Also cloning mons is universal, so you don't have to worry about that.

So I guess the question would be, are there any japanese players here who have access to these mons with the right nature who can clone or would be willing to trade for cloning purposes.

 

[Feathers]

what exactly are you looking for? i have a japanese black and i can get all wifi event pokemon if that's what you're talking about. if not i know people who can download/obtain things at live events in japan.

 

[mightyjabba]

With the next tournament about to begin, I've got a quick question: I'm running a rain team led by a Quiet Politoed. I don't have a Wacan
berry, though I do have an Iron Ball. The Iron Ball proved useless in the last tournament I attended -- would substituting it for Leftovers be a decent trade? My Politoed has a speed IV of 10 if that helps.

Thanks, and I'll see you all in battle soon!

 

[keelhauled]

The only benefit iron ball has is that it makes sure your weather goes up against any other weather team, it's a pretty decent benefit.
It really depends on your politoed moves, but I don't really think leftovers would be a good option - personally I rarely use it in vgc at all, purely because its effects are minimal in a metagame where damage is fairly high and constant.
better options could be a sitrus berry, or a water gem, or if your mon is more offensive, choice specs is a very viable option, out of the two you have mentioned, i'd prefer iron ball over leftovers, but thats just personal preference

 

[Heretic]

So, I'm making a return to Pokémon after a 6 year hiatus. Needless to say a lot has changed. I'm actually really happy to see how much the community has grown since WiFi was introduced and am really REALLY happy to see Nintendo/Pokémon Co. putting on events every year.

I took part in the '06 national event. I won Memphis and got put out in the 2nd round in NYC. I am really looking forward to coming back to the community, but first I have a few really (simple, I'm sure) questions that I need answered.

I, quiet literally, just now decided to come back. I haven't played since the Adv Gen. Since my last match in NYC, actually. I was just wondering if someone would be so kind as to point me in the right direction or answer a few questions I have.

1.) If I plan on competing in the 2013 event, what is the best game to pick up as of right now to begin preparations?

2.) I realized, after watching the past few years on YT recently, that the format has taken the Japanese route and is now 2v2 @ lvl50. How does the affect EVs and IVs? Do you still need to min/max your EVs? How much of a difference do IVs make in comparison to a lvl100 battle? I was even ignorant to the lvl50 metagame when I actually played...

3.) Does the current metagame include ALL of the Pokémon (as in from R/G to B/W)?

Thanks for your time, guys. I'm looking forward to getting to know the new members of the community, and maybe running into some of the originals.

 

[voodoo pimp]

So, I'm making a return to Pokémon after a 6 year hiatus. Needless to say a lot has changed. I'm actually really happy to see how much the community has grown since WiFi was introduced and am really REALLY happy to see Nintendo/Pokémon Co. putting on events every year.

I took part in the '06 national event. I won Memphis and got put out in the 2nd round in NYC. I am really looking forward to coming back to the community, but first I have a few really (simple, I'm sure) questions that I need answered.

I, quiet literally, just now decided to come back. I haven't played since the Adv Gen. Since my last match in NYC, actually. I was just wondering if someone would be so kind as to point me in the right direction or answer a few questions I have.

1.) If I plan on competing in the 2013 event, what is the best game to pick up as of right now to begin preparations?

2.) I realized, after watching the past few years on YT recently, that the format has taken the Japanese route and is now 2v2 @ lvl50. How does the affect EVs and IVs? Do you still need to min/max your EVs? How much of a difference do IVs make in comparison to a lvl100 battle? I was even ignorant to the lvl50 metagame when I actually played...

3.) Does the current metagame include ALL of the Pokémon (as in from R/G to B/W)?

Thanks for your time, guys. I'm looking forward to getting to know the new members of the community, and maybe running into some of the originals.

1. I'm not sure what games will be used for the event next year, since BW2 may or may not be released before the fall regionals. Since you can build a team and practice using Pokémon Online, it's not particularly urgent to get a cart at all until the event is close.

2. EVs and IVs scale with level, so the only difference between level 50 and 100 is rounding - if EV/4+IV is an odd number, then it will round down so you should take off 4 EVs (you can also check this using PO if you're uncertain). Otherwise, the min/maxing is pretty much exactly the same.

3. Yes, the current metagame includes the entire Pokédex except for banned mons (essentially event legends + version mascots).

Welcome back, and good luck when you compete!

 

[Heretic]

Welcome back, and good luck when you compete!

Thanks, man. For the answers, the welcome, and the luck :P

Another thing I have been wondering, but I'm sure Pokémon Online will answer this when I get some free time and start practicing again. Still, might as well ask. Am I correct in assuming that lvl50 battles involve much more percentages of damage being dealt than lvl100 battles? Or does it, like the IVs and EVs, scale and essentially be the same?

 

[voodoo pimp]

Minor differences because of rounding and such, but it should be about the same percent at both levels.

 

[Saboros]

Before I start typing, I'd like to apologize in advance if this needs to be posted in a different section of the forums or if it's downright against the rules to do, if so could someone please tell me?
Because of my inability to compete at the national and world level because of finances, I was wondering if anyone would like to use my team for nationals and/or worlds. I've prepared my team for about six months now and I hate to see it go to waste because of financial issues. So, if you have a brother, sister, mother, father, aunt, uncle, girlfriend, boyfriend, etc. or even if you are looking to compete but don't have a team, I would love to provide anyone with my team. If you're interested in extra details on the team, just hit me up with a VM, thanks.

 

[pokemaster649]

Before I start typing, I'd like to apologize in advance if this needs to be posted in a different section of the forums or if it's downright against the rules to do, if so could someone please tell me?
Because of my inability to compete at the national and world level because of finances, I was wondering if anyone would like to use my team for nationals and/or worlds. I've prepared my team for about six months now and I hate to see it go to waste because of financial issues. So, if you have a brother, sister, mother, father, aunt, uncle, girlfriend, boyfriend, etc. or even if you are looking to compete but don't have a team, I would love to provide anyone with my team. If you're interested in extra details on the team, just hit me up with a VM, thanks.

I have a brother, I can give him the team.

 

[PokeKid5]

What time would you recommend getting to pre-registration for Nats?

 

[Drifblim]

As soon as it starts, if possible, at 4. I have a feeling it will fill up relatively quickly

 

[PokeKid5]

As soon as it starts, if possible, at 4. I have a feeling it will fill up relatively quickly

Thanks!

 

[Drifblim]

What is a pretty common/popular bulky Thundurus spread? Kind of want to know for damage calcs

 

[Lucien Lachance]

Bulky Zapdos is used a lot more than bulky Thundurus. There's no standard Bulky spread, but just assume it lives Abomasnow Blizzard and some other common attacks.

 

[The Knights of Wario Land]

What is a better attack for a Modest Heatran, Dragon Pulse or HP Ice? Although HP Ice seems tempting and hits more better, I know that most Salamence and Garchomp hold Yache Berry, which is making the more-powerful Dragon Pulse seem more tempting to me.

 

[Saboros]

What is a better attack for a Modest Heatran, Dragon Pulse or HP Ice? Although HP Ice seems tempting and hits more better, I know that most Salamence and Garchomp hold Yache Berry, which is making the more-powerful Dragon Pulse seem more tempting to me.

Even though that seems like a good reason seeing that you hit Salamence, Garchomp, not to mention Kingdra, it isn't as good as it seems. Just because HP Ice hits way more than Dragon Pulse. Besides Dragon Pulse from Heatran still only 2HKOs a standard Garchomp. So yeah, I'd suggest not running Dragon Pulse.