Sprocket
P(n) = 1 - (1 - P(1))^n
Introduction
First off, I had an absolute blast at VGC Regionals. Met all sorts of fantastic people of all ages. The tournament staff was friendly and helpful.
Officially, my record at VGC2012 was 4-2-1 with this team. Both of those losses were a result of misplays or hax on my part alone (and one win was due to a no-show :( ). As for the draw, I bet you didn't know you could draw at VGC did you? It's extremely complicated as to why I got the draw (human error played a large part of it) and I won't explain it here; VM or PM me if you're interested. Unofficially, this team netted me a 5-2 during tournament, and undefeated in practice rounds, though to be fair I had very little serious competition in practice rounds.
First off, I had an absolute blast at VGC Regionals. Met all sorts of fantastic people of all ages. The tournament staff was friendly and helpful.
Officially, my record at VGC2012 was 4-2-1 with this team. Both of those losses were a result of misplays or hax on my part alone (and one win was due to a no-show :( ). As for the draw, I bet you didn't know you could draw at VGC did you? It's extremely complicated as to why I got the draw (human error played a large part of it) and I won't explain it here; VM or PM me if you're interested. Unofficially, this team netted me a 5-2 during tournament, and undefeated in practice rounds, though to be fair I had very little serious competition in practice rounds.
The Team
Teambuilding
First let's start with my team that I used for the Spring Wi-Fi tournament, which netted me a 1702 rating.
Latias was a sweeper variety, Metagross was choice scarfed, and Cresselia was pure utility with no attacks.
Overall, I wasn't happy with the team for four reasons.
1. Metagross Choice Scarf didn't do enough for the team to justify having it, and it was Will-O-Wisp bait. I reverted to a 4 attack Metagross with Lum Berry for the occasional status.
2. Cresselia was non-attacking, which bit me in the ass. So I ditched one of her moves in place of Ice Beam and gave her a Mental Herb. She's still utility but she's not a floating useless duck when Taunted anymore.
3. Latias is too predictable as a sweeper, too frail, and too many common weaknesses in this metagame; she rarely got the chance to sweep without being KOd. Plus she always seemed to lose speed ties to Latios (despite not having a hidden power spread), or Latios was always scarfed. She had to go.
4. Tyranitar really wasn't doing a lot for my team other than screwing with weather, and gave my team a common Ground weakness (as well as a debilitating Fighting weakness). With Latias going, I really had no answer to Fighting and Grass types besides Zapdos, so he had to go.
But what to use in their place? Rotom was an obvious choice to replace Latias, as it has crazy powerful attacks and can take down a ton of opponents by itself.
The last Pokemon was the most difficult. I felt that I needed a strong physical attacker, but I also wanted an additional check versus Ludicolo and opposing Fighting types. Also with Zapdos as my only Tailwind user, I felt I was vulnerable. Plus I had no option for stopping a Trick Room team, which will give my team a hard time.
Then I stumbled upon Tornadus and its Acrobatics set. It met my desire for strong physical attacks, a check for Ludicolo and Fighting types in general, priority Taunt, and it had the bonus of Tailwind. And so I went with it.
Technical Stuff
RollinRock (Hitmontop) (M) @ Eject Button
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Attack / 4 Speed
Adamant Nature (+Attack / -Special Attack)
-Fake Out
-Sucker Punch
-Close Combat
-Wide Guard
Out of all of my VGC Pokemon, this one is my staple "go-to" lead. It's fairly standard. I tried Mach Punch over Close Combat and it wasn't doing it for me. Wide Guard is for the occasional spread move, as much of my team doesn't pack Protect for various reasons it's helped a good chunk. The real kicker though is the Eject Button, as literally no one expects it; being able to repeatedly Intimidate + Fake Out is often a game decider.
Music Note, Umbrella, Smileyface (Zapdos) @ Electric Gem
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 140 HP / 4 Def / 248 Special Attack / 116 Speed
Modest Nature (+Special Attack / -Attack)
-Thunderbolt
-Heat Wave
-Hidden Power Grass
-Tailwind
Standard Zapdos, with HP Grass instead of Ice due to my fear of Gastrodon and Swampert (which rarely show their faces it seems); I'll probably change it to HP Ice as it's a bit more useful overall. I went with Electric Gem for the sheer power, as I usually pair this bird with Hitmontop as my other "go-to" lead, and a Charti Berry + Intimidate + Wide Guard is a bit redundant. Modest Nature + Electric Gem makes Thunderbolt hit rediculously hard. As for the nickname, I wanted one that was literally unpronouncable, so I went with the symbols Music Note, Umbrella, Smiley Face.
Mythbuster (Metagross) @ Lum Berry
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Attack / 4 Speed
Adamant Nature (+Attack / -Special Attack)
-Meteor Mash
-Zen Headbutt
-Bullet Punch
-Earthquake
Due to the prevalence of Hitmontop in this metagame, Metagross is seen in almost every team, and usually carries Zen Headbutt specifically for Hitmontop (as it will always OHKO). Mine is no exception. Meteor Mash + Zen Headbutt are rediculously powerful STAB moves, Bullet Punch for priority, Earthquake mostly to take down opposing Metagross. Since all four moves have their usage, it's hard to justify giving one up for Protect, but there are times I wish I did use Protect.
Luna (Cresselia) (F) @ Mental Herb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Defense / 4 Special Defense
Bold Nature (+Defense/ -Attack)
-Light Screen
-Safeguard
-Ice Beam
-Swagger
I transferred Cresselia over to BW long before I thought about giving her Helping Hand, so this set has to do. Being physically bulky means she can take a beating from common physical moves that she attracts, while Light Screen sets her (and the team) up as a wall. Safeguard was mostly for Amoonguss and Rotom (Will-O-Wisp or Thunderwave), but it also works well in conjunction with Swagger. Ice Beam was to prevent her from being completely useless after being taunted and Mental Herb was used.
Jack of <star>s (Rotom-W) @ Water Gem
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Defense / 248 Special Attack / 4 Special Defense
Modest Nature (+Special Attack/ -Attack)
-Hydro Pump
-Thunderbolt
-Hidden Power Fire
-Protect
Great Scott, this thing hits like a truck with Hydro Pump + Water Gem. Since my team doesn't work well with Discharge, Thunderbolt had to do, but it still hits hard. Hidden Power Fire is to attempt to take out Ferrothorn, Scizor, Escavalier, andSarah Palin Abomasnow, Pokemon that always give me fits. That said, there are times I wish I ran Thunder Wave or Will-O-Wisp instead of Hidden Power.
Yoda (Tornadus) @ Flying Gem
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Attack / 4 Defense
Adamant Nature (+Attack/ -Special Attack)
-Acrobatics
-Taunt
-Tailwind
-Protect
My last minute addition to the team, Tornadus performs it's job extremely well. STAB Flying Gem Acrobatics off of an Adamant nature will OHKO most things that don't resist it, while priority Taunt and Tailwind provide some additional utility. I went with a bulky spread as the speed won't be an issue when Tailwind is up, and Adamant for the additional power.
Threats to the Team
Latios/Latias - God I hate these. The best I can do against them is Fake Out then Sucker Punch with Hitmontop, or Meteor Mash with Metagross, all the while I'm probably going to lose a Pokemon to Draco Meteor.
Ferrothorn - Aside from Heat Wave from Zapdos or Hidden Power Fire from Rotom-W, I really have nothing that can hurt Ferrothorn significantly. Plus it will OHKO Rotom-W with Power Whip.
Metagross - Opposing Metagross always give me fits, especially when it's my Metagross versus an opponent's Metagross, since I don't carry Protect on mine. Plus Heat Wave is prone to missing, and HP Fire often does less than Thunderbolt due to Occa Berry.
Dragons in general - My team has a serious lack of Dragon and Ice attacks, which means I don't have much to deal with them super effectively. Granted, Thunderbolt is going to hurt Salamence, Kingdra, and Dragonite, while Hydro Pump will smother Garchomp.
Zapdos - Ironically, opposing Zapdos have the edge versus my team, again due to a lack of Ice attacks.
Swift Swim - Though Tailwind will give me a speed boost, it's not enough to outspeed common Swift Swimmers, namely Kingdra and Ludicolo.
First let's start with my team that I used for the Spring Wi-Fi tournament, which netted me a 1702 rating.
Latias was a sweeper variety, Metagross was choice scarfed, and Cresselia was pure utility with no attacks.
Overall, I wasn't happy with the team for four reasons.
1. Metagross Choice Scarf didn't do enough for the team to justify having it, and it was Will-O-Wisp bait. I reverted to a 4 attack Metagross with Lum Berry for the occasional status.
2. Cresselia was non-attacking, which bit me in the ass. So I ditched one of her moves in place of Ice Beam and gave her a Mental Herb. She's still utility but she's not a floating useless duck when Taunted anymore.
3. Latias is too predictable as a sweeper, too frail, and too many common weaknesses in this metagame; she rarely got the chance to sweep without being KOd. Plus she always seemed to lose speed ties to Latios (despite not having a hidden power spread), or Latios was always scarfed. She had to go.
4. Tyranitar really wasn't doing a lot for my team other than screwing with weather, and gave my team a common Ground weakness (as well as a debilitating Fighting weakness). With Latias going, I really had no answer to Fighting and Grass types besides Zapdos, so he had to go.
But what to use in their place? Rotom was an obvious choice to replace Latias, as it has crazy powerful attacks and can take down a ton of opponents by itself.
The last Pokemon was the most difficult. I felt that I needed a strong physical attacker, but I also wanted an additional check versus Ludicolo and opposing Fighting types. Also with Zapdos as my only Tailwind user, I felt I was vulnerable. Plus I had no option for stopping a Trick Room team, which will give my team a hard time.
Then I stumbled upon Tornadus and its Acrobatics set. It met my desire for strong physical attacks, a check for Ludicolo and Fighting types in general, priority Taunt, and it had the bonus of Tailwind. And so I went with it.
Technical Stuff
RollinRock (Hitmontop) (M) @ Eject Button
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Attack / 4 Speed
Adamant Nature (+Attack / -Special Attack)
-Fake Out
-Sucker Punch
-Close Combat
-Wide Guard
Out of all of my VGC Pokemon, this one is my staple "go-to" lead. It's fairly standard. I tried Mach Punch over Close Combat and it wasn't doing it for me. Wide Guard is for the occasional spread move, as much of my team doesn't pack Protect for various reasons it's helped a good chunk. The real kicker though is the Eject Button, as literally no one expects it; being able to repeatedly Intimidate + Fake Out is often a game decider.
Music Note, Umbrella, Smileyface (Zapdos) @ Electric Gem
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 140 HP / 4 Def / 248 Special Attack / 116 Speed
Modest Nature (+Special Attack / -Attack)
-Thunderbolt
-Heat Wave
-Hidden Power Grass
-Tailwind
Standard Zapdos, with HP Grass instead of Ice due to my fear of Gastrodon and Swampert (which rarely show their faces it seems); I'll probably change it to HP Ice as it's a bit more useful overall. I went with Electric Gem for the sheer power, as I usually pair this bird with Hitmontop as my other "go-to" lead, and a Charti Berry + Intimidate + Wide Guard is a bit redundant. Modest Nature + Electric Gem makes Thunderbolt hit rediculously hard. As for the nickname, I wanted one that was literally unpronouncable, so I went with the symbols Music Note, Umbrella, Smiley Face.
Mythbuster (Metagross) @ Lum Berry
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Attack / 4 Speed
Adamant Nature (+Attack / -Special Attack)
-Meteor Mash
-Zen Headbutt
-Bullet Punch
-Earthquake
Due to the prevalence of Hitmontop in this metagame, Metagross is seen in almost every team, and usually carries Zen Headbutt specifically for Hitmontop (as it will always OHKO). Mine is no exception. Meteor Mash + Zen Headbutt are rediculously powerful STAB moves, Bullet Punch for priority, Earthquake mostly to take down opposing Metagross. Since all four moves have their usage, it's hard to justify giving one up for Protect, but there are times I wish I did use Protect.
Luna (Cresselia) (F) @ Mental Herb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Defense / 4 Special Defense
Bold Nature (+Defense/ -Attack)
-Light Screen
-Safeguard
-Ice Beam
-Swagger
I transferred Cresselia over to BW long before I thought about giving her Helping Hand, so this set has to do. Being physically bulky means she can take a beating from common physical moves that she attracts, while Light Screen sets her (and the team) up as a wall. Safeguard was mostly for Amoonguss and Rotom (Will-O-Wisp or Thunderwave), but it also works well in conjunction with Swagger. Ice Beam was to prevent her from being completely useless after being taunted and Mental Herb was used.
Jack of <star>s (Rotom-W) @ Water Gem
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Defense / 248 Special Attack / 4 Special Defense
Modest Nature (+Special Attack/ -Attack)
-Hydro Pump
-Thunderbolt
-Hidden Power Fire
-Protect
Great Scott, this thing hits like a truck with Hydro Pump + Water Gem. Since my team doesn't work well with Discharge, Thunderbolt had to do, but it still hits hard. Hidden Power Fire is to attempt to take out Ferrothorn, Scizor, Escavalier, and
Yoda (Tornadus) @ Flying Gem
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Attack / 4 Defense
Adamant Nature (+Attack/ -Special Attack)
-Acrobatics
-Taunt
-Tailwind
-Protect
My last minute addition to the team, Tornadus performs it's job extremely well. STAB Flying Gem Acrobatics off of an Adamant nature will OHKO most things that don't resist it, while priority Taunt and Tailwind provide some additional utility. I went with a bulky spread as the speed won't be an issue when Tailwind is up, and Adamant for the additional power.
Threats to the Team
Latios/Latias - God I hate these. The best I can do against them is Fake Out then Sucker Punch with Hitmontop, or Meteor Mash with Metagross, all the while I'm probably going to lose a Pokemon to Draco Meteor.
Ferrothorn - Aside from Heat Wave from Zapdos or Hidden Power Fire from Rotom-W, I really have nothing that can hurt Ferrothorn significantly. Plus it will OHKO Rotom-W with Power Whip.
Metagross - Opposing Metagross always give me fits, especially when it's my Metagross versus an opponent's Metagross, since I don't carry Protect on mine. Plus Heat Wave is prone to missing, and HP Fire often does less than Thunderbolt due to Occa Berry.
Dragons in general - My team has a serious lack of Dragon and Ice attacks, which means I don't have much to deal with them super effectively. Granted, Thunderbolt is going to hurt Salamence, Kingdra, and Dragonite, while Hydro Pump will smother Garchomp.
Zapdos - Ironically, opposing Zapdos have the edge versus my team, again due to a lack of Ice attacks.
Swift Swim - Though Tailwind will give me a speed boost, it's not enough to outspeed common Swift Swimmers, namely Kingdra and Ludicolo.
