It was a day like any other. Get home from school, go upstairs, and get on Shoddybattle, and logged onto Doug's under my common nickname, Addie. Little did I know that there would be a great battle ahead of me. eric and I had just discussed some Little Cup stuff, and I decided we should ladder it out, right now. We kind of knew each other's teams, but that didn't matter too much. I was intimidated, because eric had owned me a couple of times before this, and he is, after all, the head of the Little Cup Forum. I figured I would lose, but you never know...
I was just testing out a new damage calc for Steinhauser and had Shoddy open so I could check Pokemon's stats, it was a pretty empty time of day just me HAL9000 (the CAP server's Modbot), Addie and KamenRider were on. We talked about some analysis I think, and I was just about to go back to testing the great new calculator when she suggested a battle. I had played her a few times before, but not as often as some other players so, I at least, was not accustomed to her style of play or teams. She probably knew mine as I don't switch around much.
Addie's Team:
eric the espeon's Team:
eric's comments will be in italics.
Addie's comments will be in normal font.
The Shoddy log will be in quote tags.
My instinct is to stay in, if I switch I risk letting a Sash TR Gastly set up for free and none of my Pokemon can take any hit from that thing safely. Missey would ignore Explosion but if she chooses Shadow Ball... Not worth the risk. Also it could be a Focus Sashed anti lead which would make switching pointless.
It faints, but this isn't what I wanted. I was expecting a Munchlax or Chinchou switch in, so that Explosion could OHKO. Ah, well, I guess it doesn't really matter, because a Wailmer can destroy my team.
Its a fair swap, one for one. I would have liked to keep Wailmer as it has saved me a few times, but on the other hand nothing I have is very safe against Gastly so I a glad its gone. Diglett is a good Pokemon to bring in next as it can trap most things and has a sash for any scarfed Pokemon she may try.
This match up depends if her Diglett is Focus Sashed, if it is then the speed tie will decide it. If not then I will win.
Ugh! This was an incredibly stupid move on my part, because Diglett's incredibly crappy Special Attack stat makes Hidden Power Ice piss damage against anything but Gligar. My Diglett was Lonely + Choice Scarfed, so I'm pretty sure he's running Choice Band or Focus Sash because of no LO damage. I'm pretty scared here, but I have something that can easily take on Diglett.
An odd move by Addie, STAB EQ would have done more. Anyway I had a sash so it mattered little. Now Bronzor is a problem, the only things I have that can KO it are Cranidos's Mould Breaker EQ or Dratini's Fire Blast which can 2HKO. Either of those is at risk from a Gyro Ball or Flash Cannon so I bring in:
Well its a sacrifice so it may as well do some damage. And with a little hax from a SpD drop or crit I could win.
Perfect! Now to go for the KO.
Double hax! Whee! I don't suppose it really mattered, though, because Bronzor would have died anyway that turn. I'm getting really nervous here, as eric often packs Cranidos, and now my counter is gone. I decide to get a quick revenge-kill, so I switch in my Elekid.
Now, its a speed tie so I could just go for EQ and hope but several things stop me. First it could very well run Quick Attack which would certainly KO me and second I want to get some damage in, not hurting it would mean only Cranidos could revenge kill and that is risky. Sucker Punch seems like the safest option.
I forgot about my Reflect! Elekid would surely have been toast (or at least severely weakened) if it had hit with max power, so I'm really happy.
I also forgot about Reflect.. maybe EQ would have been better, anyway the best thing now is my Scarf Cranidos which will outspeed his Elekid and 2HKO pretty much anything she brings in.
Stone Edge is more reliable than Head Smash, better Accuracy. And it will still do a hell of a lot to anything switching in.
Fine, lets KO that thing.
Yes! I get lucky, for once, and I get a great Stone Edge miss, and OHKO!
Ahhhh! Crap.. Cranidos was my most important Pokemon at this point.. Now Elekid is a real threat.. Well Dratini's Outrage can do a lot to most Pokemon and everything outspeeds Munchlax.
Now I could Agility and survive with my sash, hitting 30 speed (outspeeding all but the very fastest scarfers) and follow up with Outrage, but the problem is that if she has anything with Priority its a waste of a Sash. So I got straight to the attack.
And I get finished off by Outrage. I suppose it's a Agility Dratini, who, without set up, is easily revenge-killed.
Focus Sash, a rather common item, is used against me. Well, now Dratini is in easy KO range for my last Pokemon, Elekid, but can Elekid win this for me?
Dratini is little use at this point, it's slow, confused, and at 1HP. The perfect sacrifice.
Dratini goes down, and, unless my opponent is packing Chinchou or something faster (I doubt this, as he was already using Choice Scarf Wailmer and Cranidos), I have a clean Elekid sweep, thanks to its great 20 Speed stat.
I don't think my Croagunk's Vacuum Wave has quite enough power to KO Elekid, but I have a feeling that an extra turn of LO recoil will be enough. Missey for the sacrifice.
Misdreavus gets a Thunderbolt to the face, and goes down! I just need to OHKO the last Pokemon, and I'm home free!
I reveal my last Pokemon, Croagunk:
Whoa! Vacuum Wave doesn't OHKO, and Elekid's super effective Fire Punch, to a Dry Skin Pokemon, doesn't OHKO! I'm really surprised, actually. Anyway, great game, thanks eric!
aaaaaahh that was not at all what I expected, not only did I not KO it but it did not KO me! Dry Skin saved me, I think. Fire attacks only do 1.25 normal damage and Fire Punch's base power is lower than Thunderbolts, even without accounting for STAB. Dry Skin lured her into a false sense of security!
gg Addie, overall well played by both.
Team Analysis:
Addie: I was using a balanced team, based around the defensive combination of Munchlax and Bronzor, which can handle most of the metagame's threats. This team doesn't have a good Cranidos counter, though, so I end up losing a lot to it. Fortunately, its usage has died down recently, so it works well.
Gastly: Shadow Ball / Sludge Bomb / Thunderbolt / Explosion - Choice Scarf
Gastly is a popular lead, for good reason. It gets to 25 Speed with a Choice Scarf, which outspeeds every popular lead, and it has great type coverage. You can also bluff a few sets with it. For my team, Gastly provides a few good immunities and another revenge-killer.
Bronzor: Stealth Rock / Reflect / Gyro Ball / Earthquake - Oran Berry
Bronzor is an incredibly helpful Pokemon that partners with Munchlax to form the defensive combo in this team. It is also my "counter" to Diglett, and back-up for Croagunk, #1 and #2 in usage. Reflect and Stealth Rock give my offensive team some good support.
Munchlax: Return / Earthquake / Fire Blast / Pursuit - Oran Berry
Munchlax is the best special wall in LC, similar to Blissey in OU. It handles the popular special threats, like Houndour, Kabuto, Abra, and others, with Return or Earthquake. It also takes out Bronzor with Fire Blast for my team, and Pursuit destroys Ghost-types like Gastly.
Mankey: Close Combat / Ice Punch / U-turn / Overheat - Choice Scarf
Mankey is a great revenge-killer that Kannon suggested for me. It is also my Croagunk check, and back up for taking on Bronzor. Close Combat destroys most of LC, and Ice Punch hits Dragons.
Elekid: Thunderbolt / Ice Punch / Cross Chop / Fire Punch (Ugh...) - Life Orb
Elekid is my team's only real sweeper, and it does a great job, taking out most of the metagame with its unparalleled type coverage. Psychic is certainly better than Fire Punch, though, because I can already take out Bronzor.
Diglett: Earthquake / Hidden Power Ice / Sucker Punch / Pursuit - Choice Scarf
Balancing two Choice Scarfers in the Little Cup metagame is a challenge, but Choice Scarf Diglett revenge-kills everything so easily it doesn't really matter. Hidden Power Ice is for revenge-killing Gligar, and Pursuit hits Ghosts. Diglett also takes Electric-type attacks aimed at my other sweepers.
---
eric: This is a team that me and Vader made together a few weeks ago, its been reliable but not stunning all along but with some Gligar problems as well as having trouble with Hail teams. The team is slightly offensive with the wall breaking duo of ScarfWailmer and ScarfCranidos at its heart. It does not have as much priority as many of the teams around these days but it does have more sashed Pokermon than usual which helps. And Wailmer deals with the most common SR lead, Gligar so its harder for my opponent to set up.
Wailmer: Water Spout / Ice Beam / Hidden Power Ground / Surf - Choice Scarf
Pretty standard set for Wailmer, HP Ground is a twist on the normal HP Grass, because of this it has problems with most Water-types but generally Croagunk and Chinchou are more common than pure Waters, so they are useful to hit. Smashes through most walls with Spout or becomes a bulky revenge killer late game.
Cranidos: Stone Edge / Earthquake / Ice Beam / Head Smash - Choice Scarf
Again a slightly odd twist to a normal moveset. With Mold Breaker Rock/Ground hits everything that is needed hard enough, leaving room for Ice Beam to beat Gligar and Head Smash if I need a massive hit. Cranidos was the last Pokemon to fit into this team but its often my most important because of its raw power and nice speed, and often the target of repeated hax. I am seriously considering putting Rock Slide on to avoid missing.
Misdreavus: Shadow Ball / Hidden Power Fighting / Charge Beam / Substitute - Salac Berry
I needed a Ghost to switch into all the Fake Out leads that would love to hurt Wailmer and Vader suggested this. Sets up a Sub on a switch and tries for a sweep with Charge Beam. With all the Munchlax around right now I am thinking of replacing it with an Explosion Gastly, but then Bronzor can counter more easily.
Diglett: Earthquake / Rock Slide / Sucker Punch / HP Ice - Focus Sash
Standard every popular revenge killer and trapper. Also provides an Electric immunity and has a great speed. HP Ice is for Gligar and because there is nothing better to put there.
Dratini: Agility / Outrage / Fire Blast / Aqua Tail - Focus Sash
Dratini is one of my favourite LC Pokemon and a staple on many of my more recent teams, it can revenge kill effectively or go for a sweep. It can take most neutral attacks and set up on resisted ones (pure Dragon is an awesome defensive type). Normally I save this for late game and try for a sweep or if needed bring it in for a revenge kill mid/early game.
Croagunk: Vacuum Wave / Nasty Plot / Ice Punch / Sucker Punch - Life Orb
My main priority user and has some important resistances, notably Dark and the water immunity. Ice Punch lets me surprise Gligar switches but leaves me vulnerable to other Croagunk.
Addie's Props and Slops:
Props:
- eric, for a great battle and helping with joint-commentary.
- Elekid, for almost taking out eric's last 3 Pokemon to win it.
- Bronzor, for setting up a Reflect that would allow Elekid to later sweep.
- Munchlax, for taking out Cranidos.
Slops:
- My stupid moves, like HP Ice on Diglett.
- Diglett, for dying because I'm stupid.
- Fire Punch on Elekid. Enough said.
- Gastly, for not doing much.
eric's Props and Slops:
Props:
- Addie, for putting up a fight and putting up with my mild hax at points and writing half of this warstory.
- Dratini for bringing me back into the match with Outrage.
- Missey for taking out Bronzor.
- Diglett for beating one of its kind and hurting Elekid.
- Croagunk for luring Addie into Fire Punch and winning the game.
Slops:
- Wailmer for doing almost nothing.
- Cranidos for missing.
- Me for needing hax to beat Bronzor, and being Elekid weak.
---
If you want, check out more information, like analysis, on the Little Cup Forum.
Little Cup is played on the ladder in Doug's CAP Server, so it would be great for people to go there.
Also, people have been saying I stole the format from Vader. That's false, it's just a great format that I thought of before, and the team analysis is helpful for people who don't play Little Cup.
So, there we go, my first warstory! Comments, questions, critiques?
I was just testing out a new damage calc for Steinhauser and had Shoddy open so I could check Pokemon's stats, it was a pretty empty time of day just me HAL9000 (the CAP server's Modbot), Addie and KamenRider were on. We talked about some analysis I think, and I was just about to go back to testing the great new calculator when she suggested a battle. I had played her a few times before, but not as often as some other players so, I at least, was not accustomed to her style of play or teams. She probably knew mine as I don't switch around much.
Addie's Team:
eric the espeon's Team:
eric's comments will be in italics.
Addie's comments will be in normal font.
The Shoddy log will be in quote tags.
Okay, I've faced eric before, and I know his Wailmer is Choice Scarfed, a common strategy for firing off quick Water Spouts. My Gastly is Choice Scarfed as well, and it's faster. I'm contemplating just Thunderbolting it, OHKOing, but if eric has a Diglett, I lose Gastly. Therefore, I decide to use a move to hit whatever is coming in.
My instinct is to stay in, if I switch I risk letting a Sash TR Gastly set up for free and none of my Pokemon can take any hit from that thing safely. Missey would ignore Explosion but if she chooses Shadow Ball... Not worth the risk. Also it could be a Focus Sashed anti lead which would make switching pointless.
5-5 Tie
It faints, but this isn't what I wanted. I was expecting a Munchlax or Chinchou switch in, so that Explosion could OHKO. Ah, well, I guess it doesn't really matter, because a Wailmer can destroy my team.
Its a fair swap, one for one. I would have liked to keep Wailmer as it has saved me a few times, but on the other hand nothing I have is very safe against Gastly so I a glad its gone. Diglett is a good Pokemon to bring in next as it can trap most things and has a sash for any scarfed Pokemon she may try.
The Diglett switch in was relatively obvious, as Diglett can trap and kill most things, and relishes a free switch. I was really unsure of my move here, because a double Diglett match up is dangerous.
This match up depends if her Diglett is Focus Sashed, if it is then the speed tie will decide it. If not then I will win.
5-4 eric
Ugh! This was an incredibly stupid move on my part, because Diglett's incredibly crappy Special Attack stat makes Hidden Power Ice piss damage against anything but Gligar. My Diglett was Lonely + Choice Scarfed, so I'm pretty sure he's running Choice Band or Focus Sash because of no LO damage. I'm pretty scared here, but I have something that can easily take on Diglett.
An odd move by Addie, STAB EQ would have done more. Anyway I had a sash so it mattered little. Now Bronzor is a problem, the only things I have that can KO it are Cranidos's Mould Breaker EQ or Dratini's Fire Blast which can 2HKO. Either of those is at risk from a Gyro Ball or Flash Cannon so I bring in:
I take advantage of the fact that Bronzor completely walls Diglett to set up a free Reflect for my team. From past experience, I know that all of eric's Misdreavus are Sub Calm Mind variants, so Bronzor can sit there and fire off Gyro Balls.
Well its a sacrifice so it may as well do some damage. And with a little hax from a SpD drop or crit I could win.
Ugh. A Special Defense drop was the only thing keeping me from lowering Misdreavus' health into easy KO range for my revenge-killers, so I was really unhappy here.
Perfect! Now to go for the KO.
5-3 eric
Double hax! Whee! I don't suppose it really mattered, though, because Bronzor would have died anyway that turn. I'm getting really nervous here, as eric often packs Cranidos, and now my counter is gone. I decide to get a quick revenge-kill, so I switch in my Elekid.
hmm.. I spend a lot of time thinking over my options here, she will probably predict my switch to Diggy and use Ice Punch so going to Dratini is not an option. Staying in could work, but right now Diggy is less important and she could easily come in on an Electric move.
An obvious Diglett switch thwarts my clever revenge-killing. This was relatively obvious, but since it was late I wasn't expecting it. Now, I wonder what to do. His Diglett isn't Choice Scarfed, so Elekid will tie it, but an timely Sucker Punch could end it for me. I decide to stay in and take it...
Now, its a speed tie so I could just go for EQ and hope but several things stop me. First it could very well run Quick Attack which would certainly KO me and second I want to get some damage in, not hurting it would mean only Cranidos could revenge kill and that is risky. Sucker Punch seems like the safest option.
4-3 eric
I forgot about my Reflect! Elekid would surely have been toast (or at least severely weakened) if it had hit with max power, so I'm really happy.
I also forgot about Reflect.. maybe EQ would have been better, anyway the best thing now is my Scarf Cranidos which will outspeed his Elekid and 2HKO pretty much anything she brings in.
Cranidos! Ugh! I knew he would have it, one because we've battled before, and two because he knew I would sacrifice Bronzor to Misdreavus so that it couldn't set up. So, now, I turn to the only thing that can take a Cranidos hit, Munchlax.
Stone Edge is more reliable than Head Smash, better Accuracy. And it will still do a hell of a lot to anything switching in.
Once again, "Ugh!". I have two revenge-killers waiting in the wings, but Cranidos can win the Speed tie with my Choice Scarf Mankey, because it's Adamant.
Fine, lets KO that thing.
3-3 Tie
Yes! I get lucky, for once, and I get a great Stone Edge miss, and OHKO!
Ahhhh! Crap.. Cranidos was my most important Pokemon at this point.. Now Elekid is a real threat.. Well Dratini's Outrage can do a lot to most Pokemon and everything outspeeds Munchlax.
I haven't faced many Dratini, and from what I hear, they are over-hyped. I don't know if it will be a pure special version, but it might, so I figure Munchlax can stay in.
Now I could Agility and survive with my sash, hitting 30 speed (outspeeding all but the very fastest scarfers) and follow up with Outrage, but the problem is that if she has anything with Priority its a waste of a Sash. So I got straight to the attack.
3-2 eric
And I get finished off by Outrage. I suppose it's a Agility Dratini, who, without set up, is easily revenge-killed.
Well, I'm trapped into Outrage so I don't have much choice about my next move, so..
3-1 eric
Focus Sash, a rather common item, is used against me. Well, now Dratini is in easy KO range for my last Pokemon, Elekid, but can Elekid win this for me?
Dratini is little use at this point, it's slow, confused, and at 1HP. The perfect sacrifice.
2-1 eric
Dratini goes down, and, unless my opponent is packing Chinchou or something faster (I doubt this, as he was already using Choice Scarf Wailmer and Cranidos), I have a clean Elekid sweep, thanks to its great 20 Speed stat.
I don't think my Croagunk's Vacuum Wave has quite enough power to KO Elekid, but I have a feeling that an extra turn of LO recoil will be enough. Missey for the sacrifice.
1-1 Tie
Misdreavus gets a Thunderbolt to the face, and goes down! I just need to OHKO the last Pokemon, and I'm home free!
I reveal my last Pokemon, Croagunk:
As I invest heavily in Special Attack, my STAB Vacuum Wave should out damage Sucker Punch, so here we go.
1-0 eric
Whoa! Vacuum Wave doesn't OHKO, and Elekid's super effective Fire Punch, to a Dry Skin Pokemon, doesn't OHKO! I'm really surprised, actually. Anyway, great game, thanks eric!
aaaaaahh that was not at all what I expected, not only did I not KO it but it did not KO me! Dry Skin saved me, I think. Fire attacks only do 1.25 normal damage and Fire Punch's base power is lower than Thunderbolts, even without accounting for STAB. Dry Skin lured her into a false sense of security!
gg Addie, overall well played by both.
Team Analysis:
Addie: I was using a balanced team, based around the defensive combination of Munchlax and Bronzor, which can handle most of the metagame's threats. This team doesn't have a good Cranidos counter, though, so I end up losing a lot to it. Fortunately, its usage has died down recently, so it works well.
Gastly: Shadow Ball / Sludge Bomb / Thunderbolt / Explosion - Choice Scarf
Gastly is a popular lead, for good reason. It gets to 25 Speed with a Choice Scarf, which outspeeds every popular lead, and it has great type coverage. You can also bluff a few sets with it. For my team, Gastly provides a few good immunities and another revenge-killer.
Bronzor: Stealth Rock / Reflect / Gyro Ball / Earthquake - Oran Berry
Bronzor is an incredibly helpful Pokemon that partners with Munchlax to form the defensive combo in this team. It is also my "counter" to Diglett, and back-up for Croagunk, #1 and #2 in usage. Reflect and Stealth Rock give my offensive team some good support.
Munchlax: Return / Earthquake / Fire Blast / Pursuit - Oran Berry
Munchlax is the best special wall in LC, similar to Blissey in OU. It handles the popular special threats, like Houndour, Kabuto, Abra, and others, with Return or Earthquake. It also takes out Bronzor with Fire Blast for my team, and Pursuit destroys Ghost-types like Gastly.
Mankey: Close Combat / Ice Punch / U-turn / Overheat - Choice Scarf
Mankey is a great revenge-killer that Kannon suggested for me. It is also my Croagunk check, and back up for taking on Bronzor. Close Combat destroys most of LC, and Ice Punch hits Dragons.
Elekid: Thunderbolt / Ice Punch / Cross Chop / Fire Punch (Ugh...) - Life Orb
Elekid is my team's only real sweeper, and it does a great job, taking out most of the metagame with its unparalleled type coverage. Psychic is certainly better than Fire Punch, though, because I can already take out Bronzor.
Diglett: Earthquake / Hidden Power Ice / Sucker Punch / Pursuit - Choice Scarf
Balancing two Choice Scarfers in the Little Cup metagame is a challenge, but Choice Scarf Diglett revenge-kills everything so easily it doesn't really matter. Hidden Power Ice is for revenge-killing Gligar, and Pursuit hits Ghosts. Diglett also takes Electric-type attacks aimed at my other sweepers.
---
eric: This is a team that me and Vader made together a few weeks ago, its been reliable but not stunning all along but with some Gligar problems as well as having trouble with Hail teams. The team is slightly offensive with the wall breaking duo of ScarfWailmer and ScarfCranidos at its heart. It does not have as much priority as many of the teams around these days but it does have more sashed Pokermon than usual which helps. And Wailmer deals with the most common SR lead, Gligar so its harder for my opponent to set up.
Wailmer: Water Spout / Ice Beam / Hidden Power Ground / Surf - Choice Scarf
Pretty standard set for Wailmer, HP Ground is a twist on the normal HP Grass, because of this it has problems with most Water-types but generally Croagunk and Chinchou are more common than pure Waters, so they are useful to hit. Smashes through most walls with Spout or becomes a bulky revenge killer late game.
Cranidos: Stone Edge / Earthquake / Ice Beam / Head Smash - Choice Scarf
Again a slightly odd twist to a normal moveset. With Mold Breaker Rock/Ground hits everything that is needed hard enough, leaving room for Ice Beam to beat Gligar and Head Smash if I need a massive hit. Cranidos was the last Pokemon to fit into this team but its often my most important because of its raw power and nice speed, and often the target of repeated hax. I am seriously considering putting Rock Slide on to avoid missing.
Misdreavus: Shadow Ball / Hidden Power Fighting / Charge Beam / Substitute - Salac Berry
I needed a Ghost to switch into all the Fake Out leads that would love to hurt Wailmer and Vader suggested this. Sets up a Sub on a switch and tries for a sweep with Charge Beam. With all the Munchlax around right now I am thinking of replacing it with an Explosion Gastly, but then Bronzor can counter more easily.
Diglett: Earthquake / Rock Slide / Sucker Punch / HP Ice - Focus Sash
Standard every popular revenge killer and trapper. Also provides an Electric immunity and has a great speed. HP Ice is for Gligar and because there is nothing better to put there.
Dratini: Agility / Outrage / Fire Blast / Aqua Tail - Focus Sash
Dratini is one of my favourite LC Pokemon and a staple on many of my more recent teams, it can revenge kill effectively or go for a sweep. It can take most neutral attacks and set up on resisted ones (pure Dragon is an awesome defensive type). Normally I save this for late game and try for a sweep or if needed bring it in for a revenge kill mid/early game.
Croagunk: Vacuum Wave / Nasty Plot / Ice Punch / Sucker Punch - Life Orb
My main priority user and has some important resistances, notably Dark and the water immunity. Ice Punch lets me surprise Gligar switches but leaves me vulnerable to other Croagunk.
Addie's Props and Slops:
Props:
- eric, for a great battle and helping with joint-commentary.
- Elekid, for almost taking out eric's last 3 Pokemon to win it.
- Bronzor, for setting up a Reflect that would allow Elekid to later sweep.
- Munchlax, for taking out Cranidos.
Slops:
- My stupid moves, like HP Ice on Diglett.
- Diglett, for dying because I'm stupid.
- Fire Punch on Elekid. Enough said.
- Gastly, for not doing much.
eric's Props and Slops:
Props:
- Addie, for putting up a fight and putting up with my mild hax at points and writing half of this warstory.
- Dratini for bringing me back into the match with Outrage.
- Missey for taking out Bronzor.
- Diglett for beating one of its kind and hurting Elekid.
- Croagunk for luring Addie into Fire Punch and winning the game.
Slops:
- Wailmer for doing almost nothing.
- Cranidos for missing.
- Me for needing hax to beat Bronzor, and being Elekid weak.
---
If you want, check out more information, like analysis, on the Little Cup Forum.
Little Cup is played on the ladder in Doug's CAP Server, so it would be great for people to go there.
Also, people have been saying I stole the format from Vader. That's false, it's just a great format that I thought of before, and the team analysis is helpful for people who don't play Little Cup.
So, there we go, my first warstory! Comments, questions, critiques?
