Hi all, continuing my trophy quest in ORAS - my recent
Super Triples Streak came to an end after shocking even myself in getting through more than 50 battles in my first attempt at a new battle type. This team was designed a little more robustly than my Doubles team, which combined favourites and objectively decent Pokemon and this team was no different. Very proud of how they went and further thrilled to earn a second spot on a records list xD. Triples was interesting for me, discovering them in Gen 5 like most others, I never really took to Triple Battles as I found the layout in Gen 5 confusing and visually cramped. Gen 6 resolved that problem with 3D sprites, but I still had no idea
how to fight in a Triple battle - I read and researched and like most things in Pokemon, ultimately decided the best way to learn was through a 'Baptism of Fire' sort of approach and it was best to just force experience onto myself. Picking it up and being comfortable with the format by around Battle 30 was a fantastic feeling and I feel like this Battle Maison experience has opened up a whole new format for me in Pokemon both casually and competitively. My streak ended at
148 consecutive wins (frustratingly short of 150, but what'ya gonna do), here's the Team:
Super Triples Team
Bastiodon (m) Leftovers
Nature: Impish
Ability: Sturdy
IVs: 31/31/31/x/31/31
EVs: 252 HP/ 252 Def/ 4 Atk
Moveset: Rock Tomb, Protect, Wide Guard, Toxic.
Details: Good lord, talk about reliability. I've always liked Bastiodon - mainly from its design, but also for the sheer arrogance of its details. A Rock/Steel type, overwhelmingly a horrid combination defensively with insane defenses, Sturdy and a startling ability to take hits and continue to annoy the other side. Bastiodon was literally the bulk of the support on this team without which the entire battle strategy would surely have failed. Being a fossil Pokemon, Bastiodon was and is notoriously difficult to breed and getting an Egg Move like Wide Guard onto it involved a sick, grueling trial of an Alomomola sleeping with a mudkip before passing it on to my Shieldon. Regardless, any half decent Breeder knows the time spent will be worth it and it surely paid off here. Bastiodon was a tank. The front line of my Super Triples Team would go: Bastiodon (Left), Mega-Gardevoir (Centre) and Gyarados (Right). The AI seem to have a propensity for hitting bulky Pokemon, they must be programmed to start wearing them down as soon as possible to avoid later problems, Bastiodon used that to his advantage beautifully. Wide Guard provided not only invaluable protection in Triples, it protected Gardevoir from crippling physical attacks and at times stumped the other side completely. Earthquakes became useless, Gyarados or Garchomp could spam Earthquake freely with my team protected and Bastiodon himself essentially became immune from an Earthquake death. Rock Tom may seem an odd choice, but it was also incredibly fun to use. The idea was to use Rock Tomb's speed lowering guarantee to (a) Cripple White Herb users, and (b) Make sure any ultra fast opponents would be slower than Mega-Gardevoir by the time she used Hyper Voice. It worked for ages and this strategy never failed even in the final battle. Toxic and Protect are self explanatory, but I would take this time to note that yes, it is better to be offensive than defensive in the Battle Maison - but Bastiodon was too fun and is one of my favourites, I wasn't leaving him out and he has my thanks for easily keeping up with the likes of Garchomp and Scizor. An excellent Triples Pokemon.
Mega-Gardevoir (f) Gardevoirite
Nature: Timid
Ability: Trace (Before Mega Evolution), Pixilate (After Mega-Evolution)
IVs: 31/x/31/31/31/31
EVs: 4 HP/ 252 SpA/ 252 Speed
Moveset: Psyshock, Protect, Encore/Thunder Wave, Hyper Voice.
Details: Gardevoir has been and remains my favourite Pokemon period. When she was given a Mega Evolution and it wasn't completely silly and instead was a beautiful enhancement of what she already was, I was overjoyed. Her new Fairy typing, Hyper Voice and her Special Attack are an insane combination that can rarely be lightly taken by any opponent. Hyper Voice in Triples is self explanatory. Usually I would Protect first turn with Gardevoir while Bastiodon would get to work alongside Gyarados. The only reason I wouldn't instantly mega evolve was if Trace picked up a useful ability, such as Lightning Rod or Water Absorb - but this was rarely the case. Encore flipped with Thunder Wave various times throughout the streak, mainly because Encore was very limited in usage and there was rarely a need for it, Thunder Wave was more useful as a final move before Mega Gardevoir fainted, but I know see in Hindsight another attack like Thunder Bolt may have been equally useful. Psyshock was there for hitting specially defensive walls and poison types. Beautifully designed and beautifully executed, my Gardevoir proved herself again and again, every now and then netting a triple kill and instantly crippling the other side and doing so with a fantastical flick of her dress and a splash in the blood of her enemies. Truly, wonderful.
Gyarados (m) Focus Sash
Nature: Adamant
Ability: Intimidate
IVs: 31/31/31/x/31/31
EVs: 4 HP/ 252 Atk/ 252 Speed
Moveset: Waterfall, Protect, Dragon Dance, Earthquake
Details: Gyarados is a classic. Here, the intimidate drop provided additional bulk not only to himself, but also for Gardevoir who always appreciated it. A typical first turn would simply involve a Dragon Dance either while the opponent focused on a protected Gardevoir or wasted away an electrical attack on the Focus Sash. After a Dragon Dance, removing the electric threat became key, which Bastiodon and Gardevoir would do, while a Dragon Danced Gyarados would proceed to decimate the enemy. Funnily enough, the battles where Gyarados succeeded the most were against Veterans whose cheap legendaries rarely carried electric moves and who tended to flat out ignore Gyarados - allowing him to sweep slowly but surely through their ranks. A truly sturdy and reliable Pokemon, while often the first to faint - he's almost always drag at least 2 opponents down with him.
Scizor (m) Sitrus Berry
Nature: Adamant
Ability: Technician
IVs: 31/31/31/x/31/31
EVs: 252 Hp, 252 Atk, 4 Speed.
Moveset: Bug Bite, Protect, Sword Dance, Bullet Punch.
Details: Scizor is an objectively amazing Pokemon. It's typing, stats and ability make it a force to be reckoned with. It hits hard enough by itself with Technician and its legendary attack stat, but after a Sword Dance there's not much that can confidently take a hit from either Bug Bite or more prominently, Bullet Punch. Due to the flurry of resistances, it would often be the case that Scizor would get off a Swords Dance while the enemy wasted turns on Bastiodon. As a result, many bulky Pokemon and legendaries fell to this beast, and he has my thanks. Removing Fire types was generally the priority mid-match, but the sitrus berry was far more useful than I had originally expected, preventing many guaranteed 2HKO or 3HKO's and allowing Scizor to finish sweeping through them. Bullet Punch cannot be praised enough this gen. The abundance of bulky Pokemon and Fairy types meant it often proved essential. In the final battle against a pitiful Sub-Leech Venusaur, I should have gone with Bullet Punch over Bug Bite, hoping that the sub would fail and then being able to finish it off. Hindsight is 20/20....
Conkeldurr (m) Assault Vest
Nature: Adamant
Ability: Iron Fist
IVs: 31/31/31/x/31/31
EVs: 244 HP/ 252 Atk/ 12 SpD
Moveset: Mach Punch, Knock Off, Ice Punch, Drain Punch
Details: This was the first time I had ever used any member of the Conkeldurr family line in any Pokemon context, casual or competitive. I loved him. The raw bulk and arrogance of his punches cracks me up. Iron Fist combined with his lethal attack made him a great back up to send in as the 4th or 5th Pokemon, smashing his way through walls and speedy attackers on the enemy team who thought they could finish him quickly. Assault Vest saw Conkeldurr take special attacks even from legendaries and fight back with a powerful Drain Punch or Ice Punch. Knock Off was iffy, I rarely used it - but when I did it really helped, especially against bulky Musharna or Blissey. The moveset is pretty self explanatory, Conkeldurr was sent out, he proceeds to punching his opponent, hard.
Garchomp (m) Expert Belt
Nature: Jolly
Ability: Rough Skin
IVs: 31/31/31/x/31/31
EVs: 4 Hp/ 252 Atk/ 252 Speed.
Moveset: Dragon Claw, Protect, Rock Slide, Earthquake.
Details: No one needs an explanation as to why Garchomp works. He's one of those few blessings Gamefreak have granted us. The typing, the stats and the visuals are enough of a justification. Garchomp went on and off my drafts for a Triples Team here, but ultimately came back due to his excellent and consistent KOing record and his resistance to many of the moves that threatened the rest of the team. The Expert Belt gave the extra 'oomph' needed to clear through several opponents and many games were won with just Garchomp standing and a weakened opponent. The Ice weakness is notable, but the rest of the team (mainly Conkeldurr's Fighting punches and Scizor's Bullet Punch) could deal and eliminate Ice Types before Garchomp entered the fray. Garchomp was the physical equivalent of Mega-Gardevoir, who after her fainting, would take over and proceed to decimate other dragon types, any defensive type or even neutrals, with Earthquake. Garchomp is a beast that deserves its competitive hype and its usefulness in the Battle Maison should not be understated.
Concluding Thoughts: As I said earlier, I was personally shocked that this team pushed 149 wins xD I was more than happy to take it though, funnily enough there werent a lot of 'close matches' - the loss just came and it came suddenly. This team did me well and I'll be picking and taking from this and my Super Doubles team to create a Multi-Battle team. At the time of writing this I have 4/5 Trophies, having won 50 battles in Rotation, which I'll keep playing to see how far I get. Might mention that I do not enjoy Rotation Battles. The increased chance factor and AI irrationality irritate me. Triples however, have found a place in my heart!
Defeat: The last battle was quite frankly, embarrassing. It was a simply team that I underestimated and the enemy got several vital criticals that ensured victory for them. The last showdown with Venusaur and Scizor was also a mess, although I maintain skepticism that Scizor's Bullet Punch could one hit a Venusaur.... A disappointing battle overall. Especially given the prior success of the team. Oh well.
Super Triples Streak:
148 Battles in ORAS.
Battle Video: DGBW-WWWW-WW4G-LWN3
Thanks for Reading! :D
