At the end of this article is a tour of Shoddy Battle guidelines and a guide to how to battle without failing miserably. I will have sent you to this page if I deem you lacking in battle skills. Yes...that was a euphemism for saying you suck, but you should be able to realize that yourself. Consult with me if you have any further questions.
An important thing about people bragging to how superior they are, it's just smacktalk, they sound like they're eight-years old and just came back from playing the DS (perhaps they are), and chances are they will get smacked.
Hehe...the Internet is not for the faint of heart.
And one more thing, don't pay any attention to the team I made, if I sent you here for the guide.
-P-PIT
Philosophical-Psychological Informant Togekiss
__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________
So it's my resolution to do another RMT EXACTLY once every 14 days, and it looks like I overestimated; today's the day. And it seems like such a slow day, today...
I look back and it appears that matty just put up one [Rate My Team] for Little Cup. I did my first Little Cup team last time, so I guess I'll do my first UnderUsed one now. Plus, it also helps because at the end of this article, I will be detailing a guide to people new to Pocket Monsters/battling in general.
Not unlike my main LC team, this team would be considered as having an aggressive playing style. This team, however, places emphasis on Baton Pass and Choice Items.
It also just so happens by luck this team is compromised completely of Shinies and females (save for the lead).
Quick Ball set-Inflate, REAPERHAZE: Death Dirigible!
♀
Salac Berry
Unburden
252 Def/176 Speed/80 Special Def (30 HP IV)
Bold (+Def, -Attack)
Baton Pass
Calm Mind
Substitute
Shadow Ball
The only non-NU (when the team was made, at least) on the team, Drifblim can usually find her way around other leads through out-right attacking or Status-inducers by deploying her Substitute. It doesn't take long afterwards before I start spamming Calm Mind. In the end, however, what she really accomplishes is scouting to throw one of my sweepers in there (albeit the sweeper does get nice Special boosts, possibly a Sub, and Salac boost, but Drifblim is left in tatters). Unburden is much, much more effective than Aftermath in this scenario, however.
Ultra Ball set-Invoke, CHICUTTER: Heavenly Fist!
♀
Choice Scarf
Pure Power
252 Attack/4 Def/252 Speed
Jolly nature (+Speed, -Special Attack)
Zen Headbutt
Trick
Hi Jump Kick
Rock Slide
You know, I don't exactly know what official positioned Medicham in NU, its raw Attack power being only surpassed by Deoxys (rightfully Uber) and Marowak...I guess. Slap on Choice Scarf and now its faster than ever, too. That pretty much sums up an excellent Physical sweeper. I utilize Hi Jump Kick because I really don't care much about imperfect Accuracy. The same applies to Zen Headbutt, equipped with features such as Flinch and higher power than Psycho Cut. Rock Slide is a filler move because it seemed more right than Medicham's other moves; Rock Slide sees some nice use in random situations. Trick, of course, is always useful. And about Medicham's catchphrase up there...yeah.
Nest Ball set-Court, HONORGUARD: Angelic Knight!
♀
Choice Specs
Trace
252 Speed/252 Special Attack/4 Special Def (30 Def, Speed, Special Attack, and Special Def IV)
Modest (+Special Attack, -Attack)
Psychic
Thunderbolt
Focus Blast
Trick
Gardevoir's HGSS front sprite looks like it's preparing for a shadow illusion game of Magic & Wizards, don't it? Gardevoir can be easily seen as the special variant to Medicham on this team, a strong Choiced sweeper that is very flexible in movepool. Between Medicham and Gardevoir, I have a powerful Psychic force on my hands, though I am a little hesitant to send out Gardevoir early as she be more easily punished than the Shaymin she replaced, ergo, this team slot is no longer a common recipient of Drifblim (Gardevoir still may get a taste of Calm Mind if Drifblim doesn't get too scathed).
Oh, about my first sentence, it's a Japanese translation of "holograms of Duel Monsters," referring to Yu-Gi-Oh.
Poké Ball set-Stand, ARMORDILLO: Beetle Gladiator!
♀
Life Orb
Battle Armor
4 HP/252 Attack/252 Speed
Adamant (+Attack, -Special Attack)
Earthquake
X-Scissor
Rock Polish
Rock Slide
Aside from Medicham, Armaldo is the only one with Physical Attacks on the team. Now slotting Rock Polish instead of Trick, the attacking force remains just as beastly (accounting for Life Orb as well). Again, I'm running Rock Slide over Stone Edge here; I doubt Stone Edge would net any important KO's (correct me if I'm wrong, I'm only saying this as Rock Slide usually decks about 75%) and Flinch is preferred over the Accuracy, despite the Life Orb. Armaldo won't be outrunning any Scarfers, however, but I usually get two Polishes off easily in those situations.
Nest Ball set-Cheer, DECAPMENJU: Shrunken Heads, Magical Orbs!
♀
Choice Specs
Chlorophyll
4 HP/252 Speed/252 Special Attack (30 Attack, Speed, and Special Attack IV)
Timid (+Speed, -Attack)
Leaf Storm
Psychic
Sludge Bomb
Hidden Fire Power
With the loss of Roserade, Exeggutor seemed like a fine replacement, sporting the same Special Attack as well as dual-stab. In fact, it may just be an improvement from my old set (Leaf Storm/Extrasensory/Sludge Bomb/Hidden Fire Power). Now that I think about it, however, Sludge Bomb may be obsolete. I do have STAB on a stronger Psychic move, but I don't truly feel like running Trick on Exeggutor (Houndoom suffers worse from Houndoom than Gardevoir does). Explosion is out, not with potential passing with Drifblim and also disrupts the tempo of the team in general, but I could be wrong. I use Sludge Bomb for a stronger hit on Grass types (Poison/Grass should be met with Psychic, not Hidden Power), though my logic could be flawed. Perhaps Energy Ball, or changing the Hidden Power to Ground?
Premier Ball set-Launch, BOOMZOOKA: Duck of Honour!
♀
Choice Specs
Flame Body
252 Speed/252 Special Attack/4 Special Def (30 Attack and Def IV)
Modest (+Special Attack, -Attack)
Overheat
Thunderbolt
Focus Blast
Hidden Ice Power
I find myself with another high-power Special sweeper, and you know, Fire power is highly underrated. Due to Psychic complications, Magmortar is actually the Pokémon I usually find taking Drifblim's boost, and Medicham the second most common, ironically. With those in mind, I have considered changing Overheat to Flamethrower (with six Calm Minds, which happens rather often, Overheat doesn't run out of juicequickly, but Flamethrower just keeps being consistent) and possibly the Item to Charcoal (definitely not Life Orb - Prejudice Glasses, such an appropiate name for an Item). Even with Stealth Rock stripping a quarter Hit Points on every switch-in, the team rarely ever loses, however. But nevertheless, it's usually a very close match that ends with my Medicham or Gardevoir. Now that I think about it, Magmar might not be a bad choice after all, as Magmar does have higher Speed...
Counters
Houndoom has been mentioned numerous times here, though conviently, hasn't actually caused me trouble in the most awkward moment it can (I don't know about that after making this article go live, lol). That is obviously not a problem in NU (whatever that means). Other Dark or Fire types can cause problems, but these skirmishes tend to end in my favour do to craftiness.
Rain teams can be tricky. At times, they won't get off to a good start from the aggro of this team, but if I can't stall the incoming sweep properly, I can very well drown. Sun teams MAY be problematic, but I can find ways to be thankful for Clear Sky myself (of course, I cannot abuse the weather as well as the team that activates it).
Either way, there are numerous dubiousnesses I have expressed throughout the article.
I am on Shoddy Battle: Smogon server every day, most of the time.
www.youtube.com/PhilosophicalPsycho
Philosophy: "I wish others would realize how lucky they are.
"Like I notice tons of people dont appreciate what they have in life. Be thankful you have a place to sleeep at night and tons of blankets to keep you warm. Be happy that you have foood to satisfy your hunger&clothes to wear. Dont take advantage of your friends. Theyre there to help you, not for you to speak badly about behind their back. And I really dislike when people judgeWhen a girl walks by that you dont even know, theres no need to judge based on loooks. No neeed for the negative comments. She didnt do anything to you. But it makes me feeeel absolutely horrible when people make fun of those with mental disablities. Be thankful that your healthy. Dont point out others differences. They cant help it. I bet theyd do anything just to be like you. I dont know, I just want people to realize&appreciate everything and everybody they have in life. And if you ever neeeed someone just to listen, Im all ears. Even if we dont know each other very well Im always here to help(="
-Tessa Grezdo
All grammar and spellings are retained from that of the original writer.
Special Quote: A Guide to Shoddy Battle
OK, so whenever a new person pops up, I usually sent a battle challenge to him or her and recited this message. I did a different message depending on the skill of my opponent. Either way, it was a huge hassle, of course. As you can see, I still incorporate the initial battle invite. Either way, make yourself at home. (I would say get aquainted on the Main Chat - battling is the only thing that some people do around here and that doesn't seem very appealing. However, I am just here to give you the basics now...) Just read through this as I continue through our match:
Main Chat, Users Tab, and Other Tidbits
Alright, the first thing I am going to tell you is to never ask for a battle on the Main Chat. I'll explain why in a moment. There are many exceptions, though. The point is just not to ask for any old OU battle with just about anyone; there has to be something to it. Furthermore, you probably wouldn't present much of a challenge, anyways.
If you'll look to the right of the screen, you'll see the list of names. The Users Tab is the list of everyone currently logged in right now. If you right-click those names, you come up with three options, but those options tend to be obsolete with the "Challenge" button at the bottom (which I don't recommend you use for the time being), or via Commands. Unless you already have the name highlighted though, that's when it's usually easier to right-click.
Commands
You type these in either the Main Chat or a Private Message:
/record name: allows you to search up the Ladder records (I'll explain later) of anyone, logged in or not. I honestly don't care much about all those numbers, but the only real number you should be caring about is that number at the top, the actual rank. Names do not have to be case-sensitive.
Also, you cannot view the records of anyone who has not logged in for the past six months, so you may be able to take advantage of that.
/msg name: opens up a PM window to another User. Unfortunately, you are not automatically directed to that new window once you open it >_>. Names are case-sensitive. You can also PM yourself as a memo of sorts, but I recommend PM'ing Noah instead.
/clear: deletes all text in the current chatroom, which proves very useful when it is filled up with spam. With PMs however, you will usually find it easier just to close the box itself. You cannot close the Main Chat.
/kick yournamehere: Logs you off in a stylish manner before you turn the computer off. When Moderators force someone to re-log in as a response to as offence, it is also depicted as a kick. Names have to be case-sensitive unless you are a Mod.
When you log in, your username does not have to be case-sensitive as
it was when you register it. That is why from time to time, you will see the same people with differences in their capitilization in their names. Take care that capital I and lowercase L appear as the same character in the Shoddy font.
Whenever you are battling, your name is italicized on the Users Tab.
Take care in Main Chat - just about anything can happen in there.
Battles Tab
Just select a battle to enter and watch it. Battles at the bottom of the list are more recent, which is actually mildly inconvienient.
You can toggle the Main Chat on and off to notify you when matches start or end, but it's only really useful to know if people you know are battling (and be default, are logged on) or for ambience. You can also have Main Chat tell you whenever people log on or off, but I don't recommend that.
I suppose you could study these matches to improve your skill, though reading the "Warstory" archive on the Stark Mountain branch of this forum site would be much, much more efficient.
Find Tab
The Ladder automatically generates a match for you. There will always be someone on OU, which is precisely why you never ask for Main Chat OU battles. The only battles that are ranked are from Ladder, though I recommend against actually battling until you can actually battle.
Find Tab also has Unrated, which contains nearly twice as many tiers as Ladder (truthfully, no one really ever uses the BL tier). You click one of those tiers, and your name is added to that list. You know how I challenged you it read "OU?" Whenever you challenge someone, or whenever someone challenges you, you can see which tier the other person is on. This is mainly to notify what type of battle the challenger is prepared for. When you are in battle, your name is temporarily unseen on the Unrated.
As you can see, out of all the clauses that are available when I challenged you, I only checked Evasion, Freeze, OHKO, Sleep, Soul Dew, Species, and Time. Those are the clauses during a standard OU match (save for Strict Damage, or as I call it, the Epic Damage Clause). I'll explain those in the second half of this article. Oh, and nothing too much of an issue, but it's courtesy to say "good game" at some point in the match (especially when it is drawing to a close...or before you leave, anyways).
This Message has Been Brought to You by:
Well, I guess one thing you should know is that even when your Time runs out in a match, you technically lose, but you can just keep going in the match. Another random mechanic around here you should know is that with the moves Explosion or Selfdestruct, the target faints first. As such, some people have teams abusing that mechanic.
Other than the "not asking for battles thing," how things go in Main Chat are fairly straightforward. Before you log in, be sure to check if the giant billboard thingy has anything new, but chances are it won't. If you have not read www.smogon.com/shoddybattle/rules, you should do so soon.
You should consult with people on the Main Chat, and also probably watch some "professional matches" on our aforementioned "Warstory" archive. I strongly recommend www.smogon.com (and its tutoring program) and www.serebii.net for their teachings. Meanwhile, I am here daily and can provide you with direct advice.
You can catch me here every day. I am notorious for having the most amount of teams out of anyone here.
My goal: I intend to be more famous than Mario Mario and Harry Potter. Freaking dudes' aren't even real...anyways...next, I will give a brief guide on effective battling (a very ambiguous term), though Smogon and Serebii are highly famous sites. www.bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net is also an excellent source of information.
Yes, the actual games simulated here lack animations, music, and quality, but then again, it's called a shoddy for a reason. >_> You've got to give credit for Colin Fitzpatrick, however, the man who brought this thing to life.
A Guide to Effective Battling
I advise against further battlng...well...you should need to really know how to play first. Otherwise, you'll miss the true concept and...er...shoddiness of Shoddy Battle and probably get bored within minutes.
Pokémon is really like chess: you can have fun with it, but it's much more deeper than just a simple child's game (Pokémon does have more of a luck factor in it, however, like most childrens' games).
So you didn't come here for my speech, you are reading this to learn, but remember that Pokémon is not just a game. You can treat it as such and have fun with it, but it isn't just something you can lightly. Always think of me, however, if you need help, anything; I am a jack-of-all-trades. Now, let's get down to the basics, shall we?
Effort Values
A Pokémon is allowed to have 510 Effort Values in its lifetime. Whenever a Pokémon gains EXP in the games, it gains EVs depending on what Pokémon was just defeated.
By the time the Pokémon is lv100, it will gain 1 Stat Point for every 4 Effort Values it has in that Stat. In other words, you gain point for every multiple of 4 Effort Values. 510 is not divisible by 4, so you're only really going to use 508.
Now, the maximum amount of EVs you're allowed to have for a Stat is 255, but that's obsolete, as 255 is not divisible by 4. So ideally, you only need 252 EVs for one Stat, 252 for a second one, and put the remaining 4 in a third one. 252 + 252 + 4 = 508. After you do that 252/252/4 thing, you may want to adjust the EVs to suit different needs.
Individual Values
Each Pokémon has a hidden value that can range anywhere from 0 to 31 for each Stat. You can manipulate theses values (aside from hacking the game) through Breeding at the Day Care Center, but it's an extremely backbreaking process, and even more complicated to explain.
Ideally, you want the maximum value for each Stat, but there are some instances where you do not want the maximum amount. The most common reason is to manipulate the Hidden Power attack.
Other than that, certain Pokémon (especially Legendaries) cannot have perfect IVs across the board. I don't know why, exactly.
Nature
Each Pokémon comes with one of twenty-five different Natures. These will give a 25% increase and a 25% decrease to two Stats (excluding HP). For a sweeper, usually this will be increase to either one attack Stat and Speed and decreasing the other attack Stat. For defensive Pokémon, this is usually increase to one of the defensive Stats and decrease to either an attack Stat or Speed. For mixed sweepers, this is usually an increase to an attack of Speed and decreasing a defensive Stat.
There are neutral Natures, but they are rarely, if ever, used.
Tiers
There are seven tiers (you can view all of them on the Unrated tab), but I only really recognize three: Ubers, Overused, and Underused.
In Ubers, you are allowed to use any Pokémon (so here you see the strongest of all Pokémon, but Shoddy Uber Ladder disallows Arceus - it's just too good!). Now, keep in mind while most Pokémon in Ubers are Legendaries, there are three others: Wynaut, Wobbuffet, and Garchomp. A myriad of other Pokémon see use in Ubers, but are technically OU. Remember that just because a Pokémon is "Legendary" does NOT mean it is "cheap."
OU basically means everyone EXCEPT Kyogre, Groudon, Giratina, etc, etc, etc. Those Pokémon would be referred to as "Uber," and you are only allowed to use them in Uber games. This is the most common tier where most people play. People who play Uber are not necessarily "better" than any other player.
UU is like OU, just with even less Pokémon. UU tiered Pokémon are not necessarily "worse" than all other Monsters, but if you must think of them as such, go ahead. You are always allowed to use UU Pokémon in OU and Ubers (though not the other way around).
Building a Team
The previous articles were all about the Stats of a Pokémon. Now we should talk about actually putting together a solid team of six Pocket Monsters.
The most important thing is that you cannot just throw six strong-looking Pokémon together and expect them to work. No, that almost always results in a failure. They all have to support each other. The six slots must be thought out, not just selected willy-nilly. Now, this is not to say that every team you make will come out a winner. Don't expect a team to be completely awesome the first time it comes out of the gate. Ideally, the Pokémon types should be able to cover each other.
There is a famous quote to be said: "You should not pick a Pokémon (or a certain moveset) just because it is popular, but you should not avoid a Pokémon just because it is UNpopular." That means that just because certain moves on a Pokémon are popular doesn't mean you HAVE to go with it, but it does mean it works efficiently.
Movepools
You get to have four moves at once, SO DON'T BLOW IT. A common mistake is to slap on the four most powerful moves you can find. Take this for example. Charizard is a very popular Pokémon (because it looks "cool") and I tend to find it as the lead for most beginners' (or "noobs'") teams:
Charizard with a meaningless Item or possibly no Item at all (ALWAYS use an Item, for Godsakes!)
Hyper Beam (150 Power)
Giga Impact (150 Power)
Blast Burn (150 Power)
Focus Punch (150 Power)
These four moves are the most powerful Charizard can learn. 150 Base Power across the board seems great, don't it?
Eeeh...not really. For the first three moves, they are almost NEVER worth using because you are unable to do ANYTHING the following turn. They MIGHT be worth using if they had say 285 power, but they are nowhere near as strong. 150 Power just isn't worth it giving up an entire turn. As for Focus Punch, it's a very situational move that you shouldn't use without proper preparation.
So if you aren't going to use the four most powerful moves in Charizard's arsenal, what SHOULD you use? The moves have to all make sense. The following moveset is the most common one:
Charizard with Salac Berry
Substitute
Belly Drum
Fire Punch
Earthquake
The idea is to somehow get Charizard to use both Substitute and Belly Drum. This in turn will activate the Item and Charizard's Ability. If done successfully, between Fire Punch and Earthquake, many opposing Pokémon will be taken out in a single attack.
Keep in mind that just because this is the most used set, it doesn't necessarily mean it is the "best" set. In fact, Charizard is rarely used at all among top players. This is due to Charizard's major Rock weakness, but I don't let that personally sway me.
I am not saying you should try and use this Charizard to lead (though you certainly can give it a shot) nor that is the only set Charizard should ever run. I am just using Charizard as an example solely because many "noobs" elect it for the lead position. Just use your logic, that's the name of this game.
Move Split
There are three different categories of moves: Physical, Special, and Status
Physicals and Specials are attacks that work off different Stats, I'm sure that you know which ones. Usually a Pokémon's set is biased towards type of attack, but in some instances, both types are used.
Another big mistake I see among noobs is that they dislike using Status moves, because they do not cause direct damage. While this is true, these types of moves should not be neglected. Let's take for example Howl and Swords Dance.
Howl says it gives +1 to Attack and Swords Dance gives +2 to Attack. In reality, every "+1" is a 50% bonus to the original Stat. So after one Howl, your Physicals are 50% more powerful and after two, they are twice as powerful. Swords Dance accomplishes this twice as quickly.
Clauses
Generally, it is a bad idea to issue a challenge with no or all clauses on. This is usually due to misunderstanding; I swear, it's like sometimes people pick random Clauses before they challenge me, usually in tandem with Battle Tower rules, I guess. The ones highlighted in red should generally NOT be checked.
Evasion: prohibits use of Double Team and Minimize. If enough of these moves stack up, any Pokémon can become quickly out of hand, almost unstoppable. Of course, Battle Tower does not recognize this.
Extended: allows use of Arceus and certain Berries. The Berries are worthless, but be wary of Arceus. Remember that when you get challenged, to not be afraid to deploy an Uber team (well, that's what I do, this is just teaching the Clauses).
Item: usually isn't something you need to worry about. It disables use of the same Item more than once, but games usually aren't played like that.
Level Balance: modifies the Level of all Pokémon through a complex formula, and should only be used in Random battles.
Little Cup: makes everyone lv5, and this Clause is only used as a precaution in Little Cup games.
OHKO: The four moves with 30% Accuracy and infinite Base Power detract from the game in general and are just too random (and tend to work if used correctly).
Random: is a tier all by itself.
Sleep: If more than one Pokémon is Sleeping at once, it just isn't fair.
Freeze: Same as above, even though it's not as abusable, Freeze IS more debilitating than Sleep, usually.
Soul Dew: Latias is just barely off the edge of OU into Ubers. Of course, Soul Dew Clause is removed in Uber matches.
Species: prevents use of the same Pokémon at once. This also prohibits use of different kinds of the same Monster, such as Deoxys, Rotom, and Wormadam.
Strict Damage: prevents you from seeing how much overkill you do when you knock out a Pokémon. Usually, this is turned off.
Time: is pretty worthless, but I like to turn it on for ambience.
Summary
With all that being said, there are things that you should definitely look into.
The way I see it, Smogon is more geared towards giving battle advice, Bulbapedia is more in data and information, and Serebii is balanced between the two.
As for now, I recommend going to mainly Bulbapedia and secondarily Serebii for information on:
the different Pokémon
the different types of moves and their effects
Statuses
Then check out Smogon for guides overall in battling and common movesets of different Pokémon you would encounter.
Any further issues should be discussed with me personally. I have also mentioned that Smogon has a tutoring organization, but I find it to be slightly unreliable.
An important thing about people bragging to how superior they are, it's just smacktalk, they sound like they're eight-years old and just came back from playing the DS (perhaps they are), and chances are they will get smacked.
Hehe...the Internet is not for the faint of heart.
And one more thing, don't pay any attention to the team I made, if I sent you here for the guide.
-P-PIT
Philosophical-Psychological Informant Togekiss
__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________
So it's my resolution to do another RMT EXACTLY once every 14 days, and it looks like I overestimated; today's the day. And it seems like such a slow day, today...
I look back and it appears that matty just put up one [Rate My Team] for Little Cup. I did my first Little Cup team last time, so I guess I'll do my first UnderUsed one now. Plus, it also helps because at the end of this article, I will be detailing a guide to people new to Pocket Monsters/battling in general.
Not unlike my main LC team, this team would be considered as having an aggressive playing style. This team, however, places emphasis on Baton Pass and Choice Items.
It also just so happens by luck this team is compromised completely of Shinies and females (save for the lead).
Quick Ball set-Inflate, REAPERHAZE: Death Dirigible!
♀Salac Berry
Unburden
252 Def/176 Speed/80 Special Def (30 HP IV)
Bold (+Def, -Attack)
Baton Pass
Calm Mind
Substitute
Shadow Ball
The only non-NU (when the team was made, at least) on the team, Drifblim can usually find her way around other leads through out-right attacking or Status-inducers by deploying her Substitute. It doesn't take long afterwards before I start spamming Calm Mind. In the end, however, what she really accomplishes is scouting to throw one of my sweepers in there (albeit the sweeper does get nice Special boosts, possibly a Sub, and Salac boost, but Drifblim is left in tatters). Unburden is much, much more effective than Aftermath in this scenario, however.
Ultra Ball set-Invoke, CHICUTTER: Heavenly Fist!
♀Choice Scarf
Pure Power
252 Attack/4 Def/252 Speed
Jolly nature (+Speed, -Special Attack)
Zen Headbutt
Trick
Hi Jump Kick
Rock Slide
You know, I don't exactly know what official positioned Medicham in NU, its raw Attack power being only surpassed by Deoxys (rightfully Uber) and Marowak...I guess. Slap on Choice Scarf and now its faster than ever, too. That pretty much sums up an excellent Physical sweeper. I utilize Hi Jump Kick because I really don't care much about imperfect Accuracy. The same applies to Zen Headbutt, equipped with features such as Flinch and higher power than Psycho Cut. Rock Slide is a filler move because it seemed more right than Medicham's other moves; Rock Slide sees some nice use in random situations. Trick, of course, is always useful. And about Medicham's catchphrase up there...yeah.
Nest Ball set-Court, HONORGUARD: Angelic Knight!
♀Choice Specs
Trace
252 Speed/252 Special Attack/4 Special Def (30 Def, Speed, Special Attack, and Special Def IV)
Modest (+Special Attack, -Attack)
Psychic
Thunderbolt
Focus Blast
Trick
Gardevoir's HGSS front sprite looks like it's preparing for a shadow illusion game of Magic & Wizards, don't it? Gardevoir can be easily seen as the special variant to Medicham on this team, a strong Choiced sweeper that is very flexible in movepool. Between Medicham and Gardevoir, I have a powerful Psychic force on my hands, though I am a little hesitant to send out Gardevoir early as she be more easily punished than the Shaymin she replaced, ergo, this team slot is no longer a common recipient of Drifblim (Gardevoir still may get a taste of Calm Mind if Drifblim doesn't get too scathed).
Oh, about my first sentence, it's a Japanese translation of "holograms of Duel Monsters," referring to Yu-Gi-Oh.
Poké Ball set-Stand, ARMORDILLO: Beetle Gladiator!
♀Life Orb
Battle Armor
4 HP/252 Attack/252 Speed
Adamant (+Attack, -Special Attack)
Earthquake
X-Scissor
Rock Polish
Rock Slide
Aside from Medicham, Armaldo is the only one with Physical Attacks on the team. Now slotting Rock Polish instead of Trick, the attacking force remains just as beastly (accounting for Life Orb as well). Again, I'm running Rock Slide over Stone Edge here; I doubt Stone Edge would net any important KO's (correct me if I'm wrong, I'm only saying this as Rock Slide usually decks about 75%) and Flinch is preferred over the Accuracy, despite the Life Orb. Armaldo won't be outrunning any Scarfers, however, but I usually get two Polishes off easily in those situations.
Nest Ball set-Cheer, DECAPMENJU: Shrunken Heads, Magical Orbs!
♀Choice Specs
Chlorophyll
4 HP/252 Speed/252 Special Attack (30 Attack, Speed, and Special Attack IV)
Timid (+Speed, -Attack)
Leaf Storm
Psychic
Sludge Bomb
Hidden Fire Power
With the loss of Roserade, Exeggutor seemed like a fine replacement, sporting the same Special Attack as well as dual-stab. In fact, it may just be an improvement from my old set (Leaf Storm/Extrasensory/Sludge Bomb/Hidden Fire Power). Now that I think about it, however, Sludge Bomb may be obsolete. I do have STAB on a stronger Psychic move, but I don't truly feel like running Trick on Exeggutor (Houndoom suffers worse from Houndoom than Gardevoir does). Explosion is out, not with potential passing with Drifblim and also disrupts the tempo of the team in general, but I could be wrong. I use Sludge Bomb for a stronger hit on Grass types (Poison/Grass should be met with Psychic, not Hidden Power), though my logic could be flawed. Perhaps Energy Ball, or changing the Hidden Power to Ground?
Premier Ball set-Launch, BOOMZOOKA: Duck of Honour!
♀Choice Specs
Flame Body
252 Speed/252 Special Attack/4 Special Def (30 Attack and Def IV)
Modest (+Special Attack, -Attack)
Overheat
Thunderbolt
Focus Blast
Hidden Ice Power
I find myself with another high-power Special sweeper, and you know, Fire power is highly underrated. Due to Psychic complications, Magmortar is actually the Pokémon I usually find taking Drifblim's boost, and Medicham the second most common, ironically. With those in mind, I have considered changing Overheat to Flamethrower (with six Calm Minds, which happens rather often, Overheat doesn't run out of juicequickly, but Flamethrower just keeps being consistent) and possibly the Item to Charcoal (definitely not Life Orb - Prejudice Glasses, such an appropiate name for an Item). Even with Stealth Rock stripping a quarter Hit Points on every switch-in, the team rarely ever loses, however. But nevertheless, it's usually a very close match that ends with my Medicham or Gardevoir. Now that I think about it, Magmar might not be a bad choice after all, as Magmar does have higher Speed...
Counters
Houndoom has been mentioned numerous times here, though conviently, hasn't actually caused me trouble in the most awkward moment it can (I don't know about that after making this article go live, lol). That is obviously not a problem in NU (whatever that means). Other Dark or Fire types can cause problems, but these skirmishes tend to end in my favour do to craftiness.
Rain teams can be tricky. At times, they won't get off to a good start from the aggro of this team, but if I can't stall the incoming sweep properly, I can very well drown. Sun teams MAY be problematic, but I can find ways to be thankful for Clear Sky myself (of course, I cannot abuse the weather as well as the team that activates it).
Either way, there are numerous dubiousnesses I have expressed throughout the article.
I am on Shoddy Battle: Smogon server every day, most of the time.
www.youtube.com/PhilosophicalPsycho
Philosophy: "I wish others would realize how lucky they are.
"Like I notice tons of people dont appreciate what they have in life. Be thankful you have a place to sleeep at night and tons of blankets to keep you warm. Be happy that you have foood to satisfy your hunger&clothes to wear. Dont take advantage of your friends. Theyre there to help you, not for you to speak badly about behind their back. And I really dislike when people judgeWhen a girl walks by that you dont even know, theres no need to judge based on loooks. No neeed for the negative comments. She didnt do anything to you. But it makes me feeeel absolutely horrible when people make fun of those with mental disablities. Be thankful that your healthy. Dont point out others differences. They cant help it. I bet theyd do anything just to be like you. I dont know, I just want people to realize&appreciate everything and everybody they have in life. And if you ever neeeed someone just to listen, Im all ears. Even if we dont know each other very well Im always here to help(="
-Tessa Grezdo
All grammar and spellings are retained from that of the original writer.
Special Quote: A Guide to Shoddy Battle
OK, so whenever a new person pops up, I usually sent a battle challenge to him or her and recited this message. I did a different message depending on the skill of my opponent. Either way, it was a huge hassle, of course. As you can see, I still incorporate the initial battle invite. Either way, make yourself at home. (I would say get aquainted on the Main Chat - battling is the only thing that some people do around here and that doesn't seem very appealing. However, I am just here to give you the basics now...) Just read through this as I continue through our match:
Main Chat, Users Tab, and Other Tidbits
Alright, the first thing I am going to tell you is to never ask for a battle on the Main Chat. I'll explain why in a moment. There are many exceptions, though. The point is just not to ask for any old OU battle with just about anyone; there has to be something to it. Furthermore, you probably wouldn't present much of a challenge, anyways.
If you'll look to the right of the screen, you'll see the list of names. The Users Tab is the list of everyone currently logged in right now. If you right-click those names, you come up with three options, but those options tend to be obsolete with the "Challenge" button at the bottom (which I don't recommend you use for the time being), or via Commands. Unless you already have the name highlighted though, that's when it's usually easier to right-click.
Commands
You type these in either the Main Chat or a Private Message:
/record name: allows you to search up the Ladder records (I'll explain later) of anyone, logged in or not. I honestly don't care much about all those numbers, but the only real number you should be caring about is that number at the top, the actual rank. Names do not have to be case-sensitive.
Also, you cannot view the records of anyone who has not logged in for the past six months, so you may be able to take advantage of that.
/msg name: opens up a PM window to another User. Unfortunately, you are not automatically directed to that new window once you open it >_>. Names are case-sensitive. You can also PM yourself as a memo of sorts, but I recommend PM'ing Noah instead.
/clear: deletes all text in the current chatroom, which proves very useful when it is filled up with spam. With PMs however, you will usually find it easier just to close the box itself. You cannot close the Main Chat.
/kick yournamehere: Logs you off in a stylish manner before you turn the computer off. When Moderators force someone to re-log in as a response to as offence, it is also depicted as a kick. Names have to be case-sensitive unless you are a Mod.
When you log in, your username does not have to be case-sensitive as
it was when you register it. That is why from time to time, you will see the same people with differences in their capitilization in their names. Take care that capital I and lowercase L appear as the same character in the Shoddy font.
Whenever you are battling, your name is italicized on the Users Tab.
Take care in Main Chat - just about anything can happen in there.
Battles Tab
Just select a battle to enter and watch it. Battles at the bottom of the list are more recent, which is actually mildly inconvienient.
You can toggle the Main Chat on and off to notify you when matches start or end, but it's only really useful to know if people you know are battling (and be default, are logged on) or for ambience. You can also have Main Chat tell you whenever people log on or off, but I don't recommend that.
I suppose you could study these matches to improve your skill, though reading the "Warstory" archive on the Stark Mountain branch of this forum site would be much, much more efficient.
Find Tab
The Ladder automatically generates a match for you. There will always be someone on OU, which is precisely why you never ask for Main Chat OU battles. The only battles that are ranked are from Ladder, though I recommend against actually battling until you can actually battle.
Find Tab also has Unrated, which contains nearly twice as many tiers as Ladder (truthfully, no one really ever uses the BL tier). You click one of those tiers, and your name is added to that list. You know how I challenged you it read "OU?" Whenever you challenge someone, or whenever someone challenges you, you can see which tier the other person is on. This is mainly to notify what type of battle the challenger is prepared for. When you are in battle, your name is temporarily unseen on the Unrated.
As you can see, out of all the clauses that are available when I challenged you, I only checked Evasion, Freeze, OHKO, Sleep, Soul Dew, Species, and Time. Those are the clauses during a standard OU match (save for Strict Damage, or as I call it, the Epic Damage Clause). I'll explain those in the second half of this article. Oh, and nothing too much of an issue, but it's courtesy to say "good game" at some point in the match (especially when it is drawing to a close...or before you leave, anyways).
This Message has Been Brought to You by:
Well, I guess one thing you should know is that even when your Time runs out in a match, you technically lose, but you can just keep going in the match. Another random mechanic around here you should know is that with the moves Explosion or Selfdestruct, the target faints first. As such, some people have teams abusing that mechanic.
Other than the "not asking for battles thing," how things go in Main Chat are fairly straightforward. Before you log in, be sure to check if the giant billboard thingy has anything new, but chances are it won't. If you have not read www.smogon.com/shoddybattle/rules, you should do so soon.
You should consult with people on the Main Chat, and also probably watch some "professional matches" on our aforementioned "Warstory" archive. I strongly recommend www.smogon.com (and its tutoring program) and www.serebii.net for their teachings. Meanwhile, I am here daily and can provide you with direct advice.
You can catch me here every day. I am notorious for having the most amount of teams out of anyone here.
My goal: I intend to be more famous than Mario Mario and Harry Potter. Freaking dudes' aren't even real...anyways...next, I will give a brief guide on effective battling (a very ambiguous term), though Smogon and Serebii are highly famous sites. www.bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net is also an excellent source of information.
Yes, the actual games simulated here lack animations, music, and quality, but then again, it's called a shoddy for a reason. >_> You've got to give credit for Colin Fitzpatrick, however, the man who brought this thing to life.
A Guide to Effective Battling
I advise against further battlng...well...you should need to really know how to play first. Otherwise, you'll miss the true concept and...er...shoddiness of Shoddy Battle and probably get bored within minutes.
Pokémon is really like chess: you can have fun with it, but it's much more deeper than just a simple child's game (Pokémon does have more of a luck factor in it, however, like most childrens' games).
So you didn't come here for my speech, you are reading this to learn, but remember that Pokémon is not just a game. You can treat it as such and have fun with it, but it isn't just something you can lightly. Always think of me, however, if you need help, anything; I am a jack-of-all-trades. Now, let's get down to the basics, shall we?
Effort Values
A Pokémon is allowed to have 510 Effort Values in its lifetime. Whenever a Pokémon gains EXP in the games, it gains EVs depending on what Pokémon was just defeated.
By the time the Pokémon is lv100, it will gain 1 Stat Point for every 4 Effort Values it has in that Stat. In other words, you gain point for every multiple of 4 Effort Values. 510 is not divisible by 4, so you're only really going to use 508.
Now, the maximum amount of EVs you're allowed to have for a Stat is 255, but that's obsolete, as 255 is not divisible by 4. So ideally, you only need 252 EVs for one Stat, 252 for a second one, and put the remaining 4 in a third one. 252 + 252 + 4 = 508. After you do that 252/252/4 thing, you may want to adjust the EVs to suit different needs.
Individual Values
Each Pokémon has a hidden value that can range anywhere from 0 to 31 for each Stat. You can manipulate theses values (aside from hacking the game) through Breeding at the Day Care Center, but it's an extremely backbreaking process, and even more complicated to explain.
Ideally, you want the maximum value for each Stat, but there are some instances where you do not want the maximum amount. The most common reason is to manipulate the Hidden Power attack.
Other than that, certain Pokémon (especially Legendaries) cannot have perfect IVs across the board. I don't know why, exactly.
Nature
Each Pokémon comes with one of twenty-five different Natures. These will give a 25% increase and a 25% decrease to two Stats (excluding HP). For a sweeper, usually this will be increase to either one attack Stat and Speed and decreasing the other attack Stat. For defensive Pokémon, this is usually increase to one of the defensive Stats and decrease to either an attack Stat or Speed. For mixed sweepers, this is usually an increase to an attack of Speed and decreasing a defensive Stat.
There are neutral Natures, but they are rarely, if ever, used.
Tiers
There are seven tiers (you can view all of them on the Unrated tab), but I only really recognize three: Ubers, Overused, and Underused.
In Ubers, you are allowed to use any Pokémon (so here you see the strongest of all Pokémon, but Shoddy Uber Ladder disallows Arceus - it's just too good!). Now, keep in mind while most Pokémon in Ubers are Legendaries, there are three others: Wynaut, Wobbuffet, and Garchomp. A myriad of other Pokémon see use in Ubers, but are technically OU. Remember that just because a Pokémon is "Legendary" does NOT mean it is "cheap."
OU basically means everyone EXCEPT Kyogre, Groudon, Giratina, etc, etc, etc. Those Pokémon would be referred to as "Uber," and you are only allowed to use them in Uber games. This is the most common tier where most people play. People who play Uber are not necessarily "better" than any other player.
UU is like OU, just with even less Pokémon. UU tiered Pokémon are not necessarily "worse" than all other Monsters, but if you must think of them as such, go ahead. You are always allowed to use UU Pokémon in OU and Ubers (though not the other way around).
Building a Team
The previous articles were all about the Stats of a Pokémon. Now we should talk about actually putting together a solid team of six Pocket Monsters.
The most important thing is that you cannot just throw six strong-looking Pokémon together and expect them to work. No, that almost always results in a failure. They all have to support each other. The six slots must be thought out, not just selected willy-nilly. Now, this is not to say that every team you make will come out a winner. Don't expect a team to be completely awesome the first time it comes out of the gate. Ideally, the Pokémon types should be able to cover each other.
There is a famous quote to be said: "You should not pick a Pokémon (or a certain moveset) just because it is popular, but you should not avoid a Pokémon just because it is UNpopular." That means that just because certain moves on a Pokémon are popular doesn't mean you HAVE to go with it, but it does mean it works efficiently.
Movepools
You get to have four moves at once, SO DON'T BLOW IT. A common mistake is to slap on the four most powerful moves you can find. Take this for example. Charizard is a very popular Pokémon (because it looks "cool") and I tend to find it as the lead for most beginners' (or "noobs'") teams:
Charizard with a meaningless Item or possibly no Item at all (ALWAYS use an Item, for Godsakes!)
Hyper Beam (150 Power)
Giga Impact (150 Power)
Blast Burn (150 Power)
Focus Punch (150 Power)
These four moves are the most powerful Charizard can learn. 150 Base Power across the board seems great, don't it?
Eeeh...not really. For the first three moves, they are almost NEVER worth using because you are unable to do ANYTHING the following turn. They MIGHT be worth using if they had say 285 power, but they are nowhere near as strong. 150 Power just isn't worth it giving up an entire turn. As for Focus Punch, it's a very situational move that you shouldn't use without proper preparation.
So if you aren't going to use the four most powerful moves in Charizard's arsenal, what SHOULD you use? The moves have to all make sense. The following moveset is the most common one:
Charizard with Salac Berry
Substitute
Belly Drum
Fire Punch
Earthquake
The idea is to somehow get Charizard to use both Substitute and Belly Drum. This in turn will activate the Item and Charizard's Ability. If done successfully, between Fire Punch and Earthquake, many opposing Pokémon will be taken out in a single attack.
Keep in mind that just because this is the most used set, it doesn't necessarily mean it is the "best" set. In fact, Charizard is rarely used at all among top players. This is due to Charizard's major Rock weakness, but I don't let that personally sway me.
I am not saying you should try and use this Charizard to lead (though you certainly can give it a shot) nor that is the only set Charizard should ever run. I am just using Charizard as an example solely because many "noobs" elect it for the lead position. Just use your logic, that's the name of this game.
Move Split
There are three different categories of moves: Physical, Special, and Status
Physicals and Specials are attacks that work off different Stats, I'm sure that you know which ones. Usually a Pokémon's set is biased towards type of attack, but in some instances, both types are used.
Another big mistake I see among noobs is that they dislike using Status moves, because they do not cause direct damage. While this is true, these types of moves should not be neglected. Let's take for example Howl and Swords Dance.
Howl says it gives +1 to Attack and Swords Dance gives +2 to Attack. In reality, every "+1" is a 50% bonus to the original Stat. So after one Howl, your Physicals are 50% more powerful and after two, they are twice as powerful. Swords Dance accomplishes this twice as quickly.
Clauses
Generally, it is a bad idea to issue a challenge with no or all clauses on. This is usually due to misunderstanding; I swear, it's like sometimes people pick random Clauses before they challenge me, usually in tandem with Battle Tower rules, I guess. The ones highlighted in red should generally NOT be checked.
Evasion: prohibits use of Double Team and Minimize. If enough of these moves stack up, any Pokémon can become quickly out of hand, almost unstoppable. Of course, Battle Tower does not recognize this.
Extended: allows use of Arceus and certain Berries. The Berries are worthless, but be wary of Arceus. Remember that when you get challenged, to not be afraid to deploy an Uber team (well, that's what I do, this is just teaching the Clauses).
Item: usually isn't something you need to worry about. It disables use of the same Item more than once, but games usually aren't played like that.
Level Balance: modifies the Level of all Pokémon through a complex formula, and should only be used in Random battles.
Little Cup: makes everyone lv5, and this Clause is only used as a precaution in Little Cup games.
OHKO: The four moves with 30% Accuracy and infinite Base Power detract from the game in general and are just too random (and tend to work if used correctly).
Random: is a tier all by itself.
Sleep: If more than one Pokémon is Sleeping at once, it just isn't fair.
Freeze: Same as above, even though it's not as abusable, Freeze IS more debilitating than Sleep, usually.
Soul Dew: Latias is just barely off the edge of OU into Ubers. Of course, Soul Dew Clause is removed in Uber matches.
Species: prevents use of the same Pokémon at once. This also prohibits use of different kinds of the same Monster, such as Deoxys, Rotom, and Wormadam.
Strict Damage: prevents you from seeing how much overkill you do when you knock out a Pokémon. Usually, this is turned off.
Time: is pretty worthless, but I like to turn it on for ambience.
Summary
With all that being said, there are things that you should definitely look into.
The way I see it, Smogon is more geared towards giving battle advice, Bulbapedia is more in data and information, and Serebii is balanced between the two.
As for now, I recommend going to mainly Bulbapedia and secondarily Serebii for information on:
the different Pokémon
the different types of moves and their effects
Statuses
Then check out Smogon for guides overall in battling and common movesets of different Pokémon you would encounter.
Any further issues should be discussed with me personally. I have also mentioned that Smogon has a tutoring organization, but I find it to be slightly unreliable.