-
Welcome to Smogon! Take a moment to read the Introduction to Smogon for a run-down on everything Smogon, and make sure you take some time to read the global rules.
-
Congrats to the winners of the 2023 Smog Awards!
Project Iron Chef: Overused | Episode 11 (Coming 2019!)
- Thread starter Indigo Plateau
- Start date
...Time's Up!
Forgot to close this yesterday; let's get back on track. Community voting is now over; thanks to everyone who contributed! The esteemed Panel of Judges are finishing their critique of each contestant's dish to determine the Most Original, Most Essential, and Best-Tasting Dishes, alongside the Overall winner for this Episode.
Stay tuned for the next couple of days, when all the scores will be added up and the results will be announced!
Forgot to close this yesterday; let's get back on track. Community voting is now over; thanks to everyone who contributed! The esteemed Panel of Judges are finishing their critique of each contestant's dish to determine the Most Original, Most Essential, and Best-Tasting Dishes, alongside the Overall winner for this Episode.
Stay tuned for the next couple of days, when all the scores will be added up and the results will be announced!
OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT FROM THE CHAIRMAN!
Sorry for the delay, school + work suck right now. Regardless, the final scores have been calculated and one Chef has stood out from the rest. This Chef's dish contained the most heat from all the dishes presented, using its spice to be crowned the most effective by the Panel of Judges and community alike. Without further ado, I'm proud to announce the third ever winner of Iron Chef | Overused as...
In a week featuring arguably the toughest ingredient to build around yet, Chef 1 True Lycan managed to effectively use Fire- types/coverage to their fullest potential in his team. He was able to win the Effectiveness category in the community votes (note: every team that has won this has won the respective episode so far), putting him at a comfortable 69% cumulative weighted score. Chef 1 True Lycan's dish will be added to the Hall of Fame shortly.
The votes for community voting were also counted, and the winner of each dish is presented below:
Most Original Dish: matthewc20090
Most Essential Dish: MFJr King
Best-Tasting Dish: 1 True Lycan
Thanks to everyone who participated and made the third Episode a great success! Hopefully it'll be smooth sailing from now on. The fourth secret ingredient will be revealed momentarily...
1 True Lycan (1-2)
Creativity (3/5)
--> grassium heatran is very underrated and dd mega tar making an appearance is neat
Essence (4/5)
--> plain and simple solid team given what is needed here imo, well done
Effectiveness (4/5)
--> probs the best or second best team made of the bunch
MFJr King (1-2)
Creativity (4/5)
--> couple cool sets and uses the steamy one, Volcanion, so bonus points for that haha
Essence (3/5)
--> pretty average in this regard, but it gets the job done, so consider it a middle-of-the-pack grade
Effectiveness (3/5)
--> meh, not huge on how it plays out given what I feel, but it does not have multiple big holes, so it can salvage 3 points here I suppose
wisdom dog (1-3)
Creativity (3/5)
--> Had this been a few months ago when Z Zapdos was sorta trendy and that Clefable set just made it big, I'd give this a 4 or even a 5, but now I feel like they are more novelty than anything else, so that is reflected within the score
Essence (2/5)
--> just doesn't utilize the ingredient particularly well, not sure what else to say ngl
Effectiveness (2/5)
--> some real big weaknesses, reliance upon Mawile (sorta), and Latias is just kinda eh in general ngl, not a fan of this one
matthewc20090 (1-0)
Creativity (3/5)
--> Reuniclus can be a pretty underrated threat in this meta, being able to muscle past a lot of fatter builds. Z Celebrate Victini is rarely ever seen anymore but can still be effective given the right matchup. These two Pokemon produced a rating of 3/5.
Essence (2/5)
--> The team is severely weak to Ash-Greninja outside of Tapu Bulu, and although Reuniclus does have Energy Ball, it still struggles vs Water- types in general. Furthermore, the team really struggles vs Heatran, as Mega TTar is not too hard to wear down, and this really makes the Essence of the team take a hit. Having half of your team containing Fire- type moves means you need to have a reliable way of dealing with Water- types and other fire resists like Heatran, but I don't really see it on this team.
Effectiveness (3/5)
--> In all honesty, after analyzing it for a while the team doesn't look too bad on paper. My problem with this team is that it doesn't seem to have a reliable wincon outside of Victini/Reuniclus. Victini only gets one shot at using its Z move, and common Steel- types like Scizor and Heatran easily beat Reuniclus 1v1. Also, Tapu Bulu is the team's primary answer to Water- types (primarily Ash-Gren) and Tapu Koko, both of which can wear it down over time or pivot out against it.
Chickenpie2 (1-0)
Creativity (4/5)
--> ZardX and Mana you don't see at all, so I'll bite
Essence (3/5)
--> pretty average I guess, no real comment
Effectiveness (1.5/5)
--> This team has a lot of holes!
Lord Ninjax (0-1)
Creativity (2/5)
--> seems ok but nothing special on this fron lol
Essence (2/5)
--> pretty generic team that lacks a few things overall which is likely due to fitting it into this ingredient, welp
Effectiveness (3/5)
--> yea i mean it's ok, but not great and could be optimized -- lots of reliance upon the defensive backbone if volc doesnt just win which isn't ok in most MUs
paoisd (1-1)
Creativity (3/5)
--> tank chomp wave, in af.
Essence (4/5)
--> actually does a rlly good, interesting job here after seeing import ngl
Effectiveness (3/5)
--> seems alright, but a bit vulnerable to a number of A/A+ rank threats w the right sets or supports
Creativity (3/5)
--> grassium heatran is very underrated and dd mega tar making an appearance is neat
Essence (4/5)
--> plain and simple solid team given what is needed here imo, well done
Effectiveness (4/5)
--> probs the best or second best team made of the bunch
MFJr King (1-2)
Creativity (4/5)
--> couple cool sets and uses the steamy one, Volcanion, so bonus points for that haha
Essence (3/5)
--> pretty average in this regard, but it gets the job done, so consider it a middle-of-the-pack grade
Effectiveness (3/5)
--> meh, not huge on how it plays out given what I feel, but it does not have multiple big holes, so it can salvage 3 points here I suppose
wisdom dog (1-3)
Creativity (3/5)
--> Had this been a few months ago when Z Zapdos was sorta trendy and that Clefable set just made it big, I'd give this a 4 or even a 5, but now I feel like they are more novelty than anything else, so that is reflected within the score
Essence (2/5)
--> just doesn't utilize the ingredient particularly well, not sure what else to say ngl
Effectiveness (2/5)
--> some real big weaknesses, reliance upon Mawile (sorta), and Latias is just kinda eh in general ngl, not a fan of this one
matthewc20090 (1-0)
Creativity (3/5)
--> Reuniclus can be a pretty underrated threat in this meta, being able to muscle past a lot of fatter builds. Z Celebrate Victini is rarely ever seen anymore but can still be effective given the right matchup. These two Pokemon produced a rating of 3/5.
Essence (2/5)
--> The team is severely weak to Ash-Greninja outside of Tapu Bulu, and although Reuniclus does have Energy Ball, it still struggles vs Water- types in general. Furthermore, the team really struggles vs Heatran, as Mega TTar is not too hard to wear down, and this really makes the Essence of the team take a hit. Having half of your team containing Fire- type moves means you need to have a reliable way of dealing with Water- types and other fire resists like Heatran, but I don't really see it on this team.
Effectiveness (3/5)
--> In all honesty, after analyzing it for a while the team doesn't look too bad on paper. My problem with this team is that it doesn't seem to have a reliable wincon outside of Victini/Reuniclus. Victini only gets one shot at using its Z move, and common Steel- types like Scizor and Heatran easily beat Reuniclus 1v1. Also, Tapu Bulu is the team's primary answer to Water- types (primarily Ash-Gren) and Tapu Koko, both of which can wear it down over time or pivot out against it.
Chickenpie2 (1-0)
Creativity (4/5)
--> ZardX and Mana you don't see at all, so I'll bite
Essence (3/5)
--> pretty average I guess, no real comment
Effectiveness (1.5/5)
--> This team has a lot of holes!
Lord Ninjax (0-1)
Creativity (2/5)
--> seems ok but nothing special on this fron lol
Essence (2/5)
--> pretty generic team that lacks a few things overall which is likely due to fitting it into this ingredient, welp
Effectiveness (3/5)
--> yea i mean it's ok, but not great and could be optimized -- lots of reliance upon the defensive backbone if volc doesnt just win which isn't ok in most MUs
paoisd (1-1)
Creativity (3/5)
--> tank chomp wave, in af.
Essence (4/5)
--> actually does a rlly good, interesting job here after seeing import ngl
Effectiveness (3/5)
--> seems alright, but a bit vulnerable to a number of A/A+ rank threats w the right sets or supports
- 1 True Lycan:
- Creativity (3)
- Essence (4) - Like how he uses the fire coverage mons to break steels for Lele and Tyranitar
- Effectiveness (4)
- MFJr King:
- Creativity (4) - There's a Volcanion and Mega Tyranitar
- Essence (3) - Had the required stuff and the fire coverage helps Koko with Ferro I guess
- Effectiveness (3) - Seems pretty passive as Volcanion isn't that strong and the next strongest thing is Mega Tyranitar with only Stone Edge and no DD
- Wisdom Dog
- Creativity (3) - Zapdos set is cool, Clefable set is not bad but not that good either and Latias is cool
- Essence (2) - HP Fire on Latias is really forced and doesn't help much
- Effectiveness (3) - Seems alright with Zapdos being able to put in work against Heatran for Mawile
- MatthewNeedsANameChange
- Creativity (4) - Not entirely sold on the Energy Ball Reuniclus, but it makes a rare appearance in a round dedicated to using fire moves to break steels, which is appreciates and there's a Victini to help with that
- Essence (3) - He at the least tried to use fire moves to help Reuniclus, the mon he mon he built around, and Celesteela and Victini and Mega Tyranitar can sorta do that
- Effectiveness (2) - Ironically enough, this team is pretty weak to fire types and unless Volcarona can't 1HKO Victini or if it doesn't have Bug Buzz to KO Mega Tyranitar, it's game over.
- ChickenPie
- Creativity (4) - Zard X and Manaphy
- Essence (2) - You're probably gonna get confused here, but if he has a Magnezone, then does he really need HP Fire Koko and Zard X and HP Fire Lele? Aside from that, I like having fire coverage for Manaphy, even though the Rain Dance makes it harder to pick up KO's using Fire moves
- Effectiveness (2) - Yeah it's just weird
- Lord Ninjax
- Creativity (2) - Mega Diancie is kinda rare but everything else is literally standard
- Essence (2) - Diancie/Bulu + Zapdos/Volcarona/steel counter is nice, but if I wanted to kill an AV Magearna or a SpD Jirachi, you can't easily do it without using Volcarona since Lando's EQ might be weakened by Grassy Terrain, and that's if they stay in which they won't.
- Effectiveness (2) - Weak to a lot of things including Heatran and Ash Ninja and Toxapex
- paosid aka give this man a name change
- Creativity (3) - It's an ORAS team with a Greninja on it instead of Keldeo and Flynium Z on Torn-T. Dank Chomp is cool and Mega Lopunny is nice too
- Essence (4) - Like the way the team can actually work together to wear down steels like Scizor and then have Heatran take care of other fat stuff
- Effectiveness (3) - Fun offensively, but then Gen 6 meets Gen 7 mons and cries. Zygarde in particular looks super annoying and Koko can be fairly annoying.
1 True Lycan (1-2)
Creativity (2/5)
--> Doesn't really contain anything too creative outside of Grassium Tran (which is more common compared to other mons on here) and DD Mega TTar (which has fallen off), but I felt like these two sets compared to the more popular ones on those mons were enough to justify a 2/5 instead of minimum score.
Essence (4/5)
--> One of the only two teams which I felt really tried to use the ingredient of the round to its best. Building around Fire- types and/or coverage means that Water- types such as Pex and Ash-Greninja will pose a threat, and he handles this with a Grass spam core. The Grass spam core also appreciates the team's ability to pressure Steel- types.
Effectiveness (4/5)
--> Overall, this team felt the best for the round, abusing successful metagame trends with the likes of Lele breaking down fatter builds, and effectively using the Fire ingredient to leave room for Kartana to clean late game.
MFJr King (1-2)
Creativity (3/5)
--> Substitute Volcanion is something I haven't seen before, and it's cool that it was chosen for this round instead of all the other potential Fire- types. AV Amoonguss is also a pretty neat option, but outside of these two, there isn't anything too creative about the team. Compared to the creativity of the rest of the teams, I felt like a 3/5 was justified here.
Essence (4/5)
--> Volcanion is a great pick for this round's ingredient thanks to its Fire/Water STAB, meaning that it can also take advantage of Pex's passivity. Roost + 3 atks Koko is also pretty cool to take advantage of the Water- types that would ideally combat the teams this round, although I would've personally picked U-Turn > Volt to be able to effortlessly pivot out against Ground- types instead of forcing early mind games with hazards and whatnot.
Effectiveness (3.5/5)
--> This team looks really solid defensively overall, but packs little wallbreaking potential imo. Fire- types are more threatening than they seem on paper, as Volcanion is not too hard to wear down with hazards/its own Substitute, and Mega Tar has no reliable recovery. After these two are weakened, Heatran and Volcarona seem like they have a field day against the team.
wisdom dog (1-3)
Creativity (3/5)
--> I'm a fan of Gigavolt Havoc Zapdos, as I've never really seen it used outside of (insert the tour player that used it effectively here, the name is slipping my mind lol). Cosmic Power + Calm Mind Clef is also something you don't see often, so going by the guidelines that I did for MFJr Kings creativity rating, I gave this the "medium" score of 3/5.
Essence (2.5/5)
--> Team doesn't accomplish much with the use of the Fire ingredient, as outside of Zapdos, Water- types still threaten the team. However, the targets of the Fire- ingredient really do help Clefable (eliminates relevant Steel- types for it), but there's a really bad scarf Latias set on my screen that really just looks like it won't accomplish much outside of clicking Healing Wish. If I predict their switch into Ferro/Celesteela, I'd much rather click Trick to cripple them and help out the team more.
Effectiveness (3/5)
--> Outside of Latias, the team really isn't too bad. I can't speak about double boosting Clefable, but the team does a pretty decent job at applying pressure due to Gren+Maw+Zapdos. Having Mawile as the team's only Steel- type really hinders the team, though, and is definitely something I would improve with the team.
matthewc20090 (1-0)
Creativity (3/5)
--> Reuniclus can be a pretty underrated threat in this meta, being able to muscle past a lot of fatter builds. Z Celebrate Victini is rarely ever seen anymore but can still be effective given the right matchup. These two Pokemon produced a rating of 3/5.
Essence (2/5)
--> The team is severely weak to Ash-Greninja outside of Tapu Bulu, and although Reuniclus does have Energy Ball, it still struggles vs Water- types in general. Furthermore, the team really struggles vs Heatran, as Mega TTar is not too hard to wear down, and this really makes the Essence of the team take a hit. Having half of your team containing Fire- type moves means you need to have a reliable way of dealing with Water- types and other fire resists like Heatran, but I don't really see it on this team.
Effectiveness (3/5)
--> In all honesty, after analyzing it for a while the team doesn't look too bad on paper. My problem with this team is that it doesn't seem to have a reliable wincon outside of Victini/Reuniclus. Victini only gets one shot at using its Z move, and common Steel- types like Scizor and Heatran easily beat Reuniclus 1v1. Also, Tapu Bulu is the team's primary answer to Water- types (primarily Ash-Gren) and Tapu Koko, both of which can wear it down over time or pivot out against it.
Chickenpie2 (1-0)
Creativity (3/5)
--> I love Zard-X and think it's pretty under-appreciated atm, and Manaphy is also something you don't see often. Everything else outside of those is standard. Following the previous guideline for the rest of the teams, 2 uncommon Pokemon or sets = 3/5.
Essence (3/5)
--> Not much counterplay at all to opposing offensive Water- types. The rain matchup is horrible, as Swampert pretty much picks up a kill for free whenever it comes in. However, the team does have some pretty unexpected tecs like HP Fire Koko and is the only team boasting 4 Fire- ingredients. Team also does a pretty good job at pressuring Pex, which is a nuisance for the ingredient of the round, so I bumped the score up instead of the original 2/5.
Effectiveness (3/5)
--> On paper, this HO build struggles a bit with speed control. I'm not a fan of scarf Lele, as I find it to be rather easy to play around compared to its other sets, and the only other fast Pokemon on the team is Tapu Koko and a one time Z move Manaphy. This means that other offense builds, especially with Pokemon such as Koko, Kartana, and Ash-Greninja, are going to be a headache to face. Personally, however, I find it rather hard to decide how effective HO builds are on paper, as they're really hit/miss for me depending on the matchup. Instead, I tried this team on my alt and split 2-2, so I'm giving it the "medium" score of 3/5.
Lord Ninjax (0-1)
Creativity (2/5)
--> Really nothing creative here outside of Jirachi, which has seen a rise in viability recently regardless, and Nature Power on Diancie, so the score reflects that.
Essence (2.5/5)
--> Again, the team gets obliterated by Ash-Greninja with prior damage on Bulu, which really hurts the essence score when the whole point of the round is to build with Fire- types and/or coverage. On top of that, Pex can also setup Toxic Spikes to hinder Bulu/Volc pretty easily, forcing Zapdos to come in every time after Pex gets a layer up due to the pressure it applies on the team (see: ES's game with Sub CM MLati and how much pressure just one layer can apply if not cleared). Lastly, team struggles vs Heatran.
Effectiveness (3/5)
--> Mega Diancie is sadly in a bad spot in the current meta, and the team mainly relies on Volc as the only wincon. After Volc is weakened or pressured too much by hazards, it's not hard to beat the team with a simple common core of Scizor+Heatran+ground. The team does have its benefits though, as Bulu forms a nice core with both Diancie and Volc, which the team was built around and can threaten a lot of builds if used properly.
paoisd (1-1)
Creativity (3/5)
--> TankChomp and Weavile are both not seen much, but I still think TankChomp is pretty bad tbh. 2 uncommon mons = 3/5.
Essence (3/5)
--> Looking at the team, you wouldn't expect it to meet the requirements for the round, and this surprise factor increases the essence score. The team does have the speed for offensive Water- types; however, the team struggles reliably breaking past Pex if Heatran can't trap it, which really holds the essence score back. Originally this was a 3/5, but comparing it to the other ratings, I felt like a 3.5 here was more justifiable.
Effectiveness (3.5/5)
--> I also tried out this team because Lopunny+Weavile seemed really fun and it turned out to be quite good. Torn-T is a great reliable Defogger, and Heatran can trap Steel- types that can be problematic for other team members such as Weavile and Greninja.
Creativity (2/5)
--> Doesn't really contain anything too creative outside of Grassium Tran (which is more common compared to other mons on here) and DD Mega TTar (which has fallen off), but I felt like these two sets compared to the more popular ones on those mons were enough to justify a 2/5 instead of minimum score.
Essence (4/5)
--> One of the only two teams which I felt really tried to use the ingredient of the round to its best. Building around Fire- types and/or coverage means that Water- types such as Pex and Ash-Greninja will pose a threat, and he handles this with a Grass spam core. The Grass spam core also appreciates the team's ability to pressure Steel- types.
Effectiveness (4/5)
--> Overall, this team felt the best for the round, abusing successful metagame trends with the likes of Lele breaking down fatter builds, and effectively using the Fire ingredient to leave room for Kartana to clean late game.
MFJr King (1-2)
Creativity (3/5)
--> Substitute Volcanion is something I haven't seen before, and it's cool that it was chosen for this round instead of all the other potential Fire- types. AV Amoonguss is also a pretty neat option, but outside of these two, there isn't anything too creative about the team. Compared to the creativity of the rest of the teams, I felt like a 3/5 was justified here.
Essence (4/5)
--> Volcanion is a great pick for this round's ingredient thanks to its Fire/Water STAB, meaning that it can also take advantage of Pex's passivity. Roost + 3 atks Koko is also pretty cool to take advantage of the Water- types that would ideally combat the teams this round, although I would've personally picked U-Turn > Volt to be able to effortlessly pivot out against Ground- types instead of forcing early mind games with hazards and whatnot.
Effectiveness (3.5/5)
--> This team looks really solid defensively overall, but packs little wallbreaking potential imo. Fire- types are more threatening than they seem on paper, as Volcanion is not too hard to wear down with hazards/its own Substitute, and Mega Tar has no reliable recovery. After these two are weakened, Heatran and Volcarona seem like they have a field day against the team.
wisdom dog (1-3)
Creativity (3/5)
--> I'm a fan of Gigavolt Havoc Zapdos, as I've never really seen it used outside of (insert the tour player that used it effectively here, the name is slipping my mind lol). Cosmic Power + Calm Mind Clef is also something you don't see often, so going by the guidelines that I did for MFJr Kings creativity rating, I gave this the "medium" score of 3/5.
Essence (2.5/5)
--> Team doesn't accomplish much with the use of the Fire ingredient, as outside of Zapdos, Water- types still threaten the team. However, the targets of the Fire- ingredient really do help Clefable (eliminates relevant Steel- types for it), but there's a really bad scarf Latias set on my screen that really just looks like it won't accomplish much outside of clicking Healing Wish. If I predict their switch into Ferro/Celesteela, I'd much rather click Trick to cripple them and help out the team more.
Effectiveness (3/5)
--> Outside of Latias, the team really isn't too bad. I can't speak about double boosting Clefable, but the team does a pretty decent job at applying pressure due to Gren+Maw+Zapdos. Having Mawile as the team's only Steel- type really hinders the team, though, and is definitely something I would improve with the team.
matthewc20090 (1-0)
Creativity (3/5)
--> Reuniclus can be a pretty underrated threat in this meta, being able to muscle past a lot of fatter builds. Z Celebrate Victini is rarely ever seen anymore but can still be effective given the right matchup. These two Pokemon produced a rating of 3/5.
Essence (2/5)
--> The team is severely weak to Ash-Greninja outside of Tapu Bulu, and although Reuniclus does have Energy Ball, it still struggles vs Water- types in general. Furthermore, the team really struggles vs Heatran, as Mega TTar is not too hard to wear down, and this really makes the Essence of the team take a hit. Having half of your team containing Fire- type moves means you need to have a reliable way of dealing with Water- types and other fire resists like Heatran, but I don't really see it on this team.
Effectiveness (3/5)
--> In all honesty, after analyzing it for a while the team doesn't look too bad on paper. My problem with this team is that it doesn't seem to have a reliable wincon outside of Victini/Reuniclus. Victini only gets one shot at using its Z move, and common Steel- types like Scizor and Heatran easily beat Reuniclus 1v1. Also, Tapu Bulu is the team's primary answer to Water- types (primarily Ash-Gren) and Tapu Koko, both of which can wear it down over time or pivot out against it.
Chickenpie2 (1-0)
Creativity (3/5)
--> I love Zard-X and think it's pretty under-appreciated atm, and Manaphy is also something you don't see often. Everything else outside of those is standard. Following the previous guideline for the rest of the teams, 2 uncommon Pokemon or sets = 3/5.
Essence (3/5)
--> Not much counterplay at all to opposing offensive Water- types. The rain matchup is horrible, as Swampert pretty much picks up a kill for free whenever it comes in. However, the team does have some pretty unexpected tecs like HP Fire Koko and is the only team boasting 4 Fire- ingredients. Team also does a pretty good job at pressuring Pex, which is a nuisance for the ingredient of the round, so I bumped the score up instead of the original 2/5.
Effectiveness (3/5)
--> On paper, this HO build struggles a bit with speed control. I'm not a fan of scarf Lele, as I find it to be rather easy to play around compared to its other sets, and the only other fast Pokemon on the team is Tapu Koko and a one time Z move Manaphy. This means that other offense builds, especially with Pokemon such as Koko, Kartana, and Ash-Greninja, are going to be a headache to face. Personally, however, I find it rather hard to decide how effective HO builds are on paper, as they're really hit/miss for me depending on the matchup. Instead, I tried this team on my alt and split 2-2, so I'm giving it the "medium" score of 3/5.
Lord Ninjax (0-1)
Creativity (2/5)
--> Really nothing creative here outside of Jirachi, which has seen a rise in viability recently regardless, and Nature Power on Diancie, so the score reflects that.
Essence (2.5/5)
--> Again, the team gets obliterated by Ash-Greninja with prior damage on Bulu, which really hurts the essence score when the whole point of the round is to build with Fire- types and/or coverage. On top of that, Pex can also setup Toxic Spikes to hinder Bulu/Volc pretty easily, forcing Zapdos to come in every time after Pex gets a layer up due to the pressure it applies on the team (see: ES's game with Sub CM MLati and how much pressure just one layer can apply if not cleared). Lastly, team struggles vs Heatran.
Effectiveness (3/5)
--> Mega Diancie is sadly in a bad spot in the current meta, and the team mainly relies on Volc as the only wincon. After Volc is weakened or pressured too much by hazards, it's not hard to beat the team with a simple common core of Scizor+Heatran+ground. The team does have its benefits though, as Bulu forms a nice core with both Diancie and Volc, which the team was built around and can threaten a lot of builds if used properly.
paoisd (1-1)
Creativity (3/5)
--> TankChomp and Weavile are both not seen much, but I still think TankChomp is pretty bad tbh. 2 uncommon mons = 3/5.
Essence (3/5)
--> Looking at the team, you wouldn't expect it to meet the requirements for the round, and this surprise factor increases the essence score. The team does have the speed for offensive Water- types; however, the team struggles reliably breaking past Pex if Heatran can't trap it, which really holds the essence score back. Originally this was a 3/5, but comparing it to the other ratings, I felt like a 3.5 here was more justifiable.
Effectiveness (3.5/5)
--> I also tried out this team because Lopunny+Weavile seemed really fun and it turned out to be quite good. Torn-T is a great reliable Defogger, and Heatran can trap Steel- types that can be problematic for other team members such as Weavile and Greninja.
Last edited:
Please make sure you read the rules above in their entirety. Failure to comply with and/or follow the rules can disqualify you from participating for that episode. I will enforce this very strictly!
You do not have to post "in" to participate!
And now, for the fourth Secret Ingredient of the show...
The teambuilding part of this Episode will go on until Thursday, March 15 @ 6 PM EST GMT -5. Participants must PM the team to me, the Chairman, otherwise they will not be accepted. The team must also include a description up to standard with the rules or else it will not be accepted. Do not post your team in the thread!
After the teambuilding phase, participants with approved teams will be mentioned in the thread and will be able to challenge the Iron Chefs.
You do not have to post "in" to participate!
And now, for the fourth Secret Ingredient of the show...
Salmagundi
Every well-built team contains diversity. In a metagame full of both offensive and defensive threats, it's important that a team contains several types with good synergy in order to handle these vast amount of threats. Well-built teams usually double stack Steel- types, for example. To make this round a bit challenging, participants must build a team that contains only one similar type among all six Pokemon. Below are examples of one legal and illegal team for the round:
Every well-built team contains diversity. In a metagame full of both offensive and defensive threats, it's important that a team contains several types with good synergy in order to handle these vast amount of threats. Well-built teams usually double stack Steel- types, for example. To make this round a bit challenging, participants must build a team that contains only one similar type among all six Pokemon. Below are examples of one legal and illegal team for the round:
Landorus-T / Magearna / Toxapex / Tapu Koko / Heatran / Greninja
Reason: The team shares three similar types: Steel, Water, and Fairy
Reason: The team shares three similar types: Steel, Water, and Fairy
Landorus-T / Bronzong / Toxapex / Tapu Koko / Heatran / Weavile
Reason: The team shares one similar type: Steel
Reason: The team shares one similar type: Steel
The teambuilding part of this Episode will go on until Thursday, March 15 @ 6 PM EST GMT -5. Participants must PM the team to me, the Chairman, otherwise they will not be accepted. The team must also include a description up to standard with the rules or else it will not be accepted. Do not post your team in the thread!
After the teambuilding phase, participants with approved teams will be mentioned in the thread and will be able to challenge the Iron Chefs.
Allez, cuisine!
How do megas work? Does zardx count as dragon or flying or both?
Just saw this; because the only two megas that change typing off the top of my head are Zard-X and Gyara, I'll just enforce that it counts as both to make it harder
...Time's up!
Since we only have four contestants at the moment, I will begin the challenging phase but still allow for submissions throughout the weekend. If you want to participate, you have approximately 26 hours to build and PM a team. If we don't get anymore participants, I might be inclined to participate myself.
Moreover, Iron Chef Empo is busy with irl stuff and will be retiring for the foreseeable future. Huge thanks to him for his time throughout the first three rounds; his 8-0 record Round 1 will always be remembered
Tagging the chefs with approved teams below:
wisdom dog
1 True Lycan
1_TrickPhony
Altervisi
Please keep in mind that most Iron Chefs have busy schedules (SPL, etc) and have willingly volunteered to help out by participating, so try your hardest to schedule around their availability. For reference, I have listed each of their time zones in the OP. You can only challenge each Iron Chef once per episode, and you don't have to challenge all of them if you don't feel the need to.
The easiest way to schedule is usually by checking this thread, where the Iron Chefs will post that they are online, or contacting them on Discord!
The deadline for the challenging phase will be approximately Friday, March 23 @ 12 AM EST GMT -5. Remember that every game, whether it's a win or loss, increases your overall score. Good luck to all!
Since we only have four contestants at the moment, I will begin the challenging phase but still allow for submissions throughout the weekend. If you want to participate, you have approximately 26 hours to build and PM a team. If we don't get anymore participants, I might be inclined to participate myself.
Moreover, Iron Chef Empo is busy with irl stuff and will be retiring for the foreseeable future. Huge thanks to him for his time throughout the first three rounds; his 8-0 record Round 1 will always be remembered
Tagging the chefs with approved teams below:
wisdom dog
1 True Lycan
1_TrickPhony
Altervisi
Please keep in mind that most Iron Chefs have busy schedules (SPL, etc) and have willingly volunteered to help out by participating, so try your hardest to schedule around their availability. For reference, I have listed each of their time zones in the OP. You can only challenge each Iron Chef once per episode, and you don't have to challenge all of them if you don't feel the need to.
The easiest way to schedule is usually by checking this thread, where the Iron Chefs will post that they are online, or contacting them on Discord!
The deadline for the challenging phase will be approximately Friday, March 23 @ 12 AM EST GMT -5. Remember that every game, whether it's a win or loss, increases your overall score. Good luck to all!
not a single match completed yet & deadline's tomorrow... :thinking:
extending the challenging deadline until Sunday @ midnight EDT to give more time for matches to be completed
tagging all participants & Iron Chefs below; Iron Chefs, feel free to leave your discord if you'd rather participants contact you on there (I can also put it on the OP for future reference)
HQuaze Snou azogue London Beats Altervisi wisdom dog 1_TrickPhony 1 True Lycan
extending the challenging deadline until Sunday @ midnight EDT to give more time for matches to be completed
tagging all participants & Iron Chefs below; Iron Chefs, feel free to leave your discord if you'd rather participants contact you on there (I can also put it on the OP for future reference)
HQuaze Snou azogue London Beats Altervisi wisdom dog 1_TrickPhony 1 True Lycan
1_TrickPhony
BSS Circuit Co-host
Hey sorry I kinda forgot about this but Ill definitely hit up the chefs for games this weekend, thanks for the extension!
1_TrickPhony
BSS Circuit Co-host
Won vs hquaze, some hax helped me out early game to give me the advantage
Snou thought he was good, but Stunfisk was better.
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen7randombattle-361608 <-- who gets darkrai in a randbat
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen6randombattle-361611 <-- stunfisk the goat
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen7randombattle-361608 <-- who gets darkrai in a randbat
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen6randombattle-361611 <-- stunfisk the goat
HQuaze Snou London Beats ? Anyone free for a last minute challenge, sorry my time is difficult, GMT +8
...Time's Up!
Forgot to update this yesterday, apologies! Huge thanks to all the Iron Chefs for taking time out of their schedules to fit some battles in, and also to the participants for putting their battle skills to the test against them!
Up next is the Voting phase! Below, you'll find each contestant's team alongside the importable + description. Your task is to vote for the two teams that you think best fits these three categories, as found in the OP:
Remember that now, an explanation isn't necessary, but still highly encouraged. Please vote for the best team in each category. Anyone (Iron Chefs, community, and contestants) can vote; this phase will be up for 3-4 days!
Forgot to update this yesterday, apologies! Huge thanks to all the Iron Chefs for taking time out of their schedules to fit some battles in, and also to the participants for putting their battle skills to the test against them!
Up next is the Voting phase! Below, you'll find each contestant's team alongside the importable + description. Your task is to vote for the two teams that you think best fits these three categories, as found in the OP:
CREATIVITY: Is your finished dish a delight never before tasted by our judges, or is it the same standard fare? Your goal is not to merely reheat an existing team, but to break boundaries and challenge standards. A team that was copied from an RMT or tournament with a few minor changes should score poorly here, while a team full of new ideas could bring home as many as five points.
ESSENCE / ELEVATION: How well does your team use this round's theme? Is it merely tacked on to satisfy the tournament's requirements, or is it a fundamental part of how the team works? A team that barely uses the round's theme could end up with nothing here, while a team that not only uses the theme but redefines might win it all.
EFFECTIVENESS: And now we're down to the real meat of the dish. How good is the team? This category is worth twice as much as the other two, because in the end, it doesn't matter how original your dish is - if it doesn't taste good, then people won't eat it. A team that will struggle to succeed in the current metagame, even against mediocre teams, might receive a zero here. On the other hand, show the judges how great your team is, and you could take home a full ten points.
ESSENCE / ELEVATION: How well does your team use this round's theme? Is it merely tacked on to satisfy the tournament's requirements, or is it a fundamental part of how the team works? A team that barely uses the round's theme could end up with nothing here, while a team that not only uses the theme but redefines might win it all.
EFFECTIVENESS: And now we're down to the real meat of the dish. How good is the team? This category is worth twice as much as the other two, because in the end, it doesn't matter how original your dish is - if it doesn't taste good, then people won't eat it. A team that will struggle to succeed in the current metagame, even against mediocre teams, might receive a zero here. On the other hand, show the judges how great your team is, and you could take home a full ten points.
Remember that now, an explanation isn't necessary, but still highly encouraged. Please vote for the best team in each category. Anyone (Iron Chefs, community, and contestants) can vote; this phase will be up for 3-4 days!
Hi Indigo,
Here's my submission for Iron Chef, I went for Flying as my common type, the idea started as a hark back to the BirdSpam days, though the team didn't quite pan out that way after trying and scrapping a few teams. This is a Hyper Offence team, just simply because it is what I am most comfortable building and playing.
Mamoswine @ Life Orb
Ability: Thick Fat
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Ice Shard
- Icicle Crash
- Earthquake
Tapu Koko @ Light Clay
Ability: Electric Surge
EVs: 248 HP / 44 SpD / 216 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Reflect
- Light Screen
- Volt Switch
- Taunt
Alakazam-Mega (M) @ Alakazite
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Psychic
- Shadow Ball
- Focus Blast
- Hidden Power [Fire]
Gyarados (M) @ Flyinium Z
Ability: Moxie
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Waterfall
- Bounce
- Earthquake
- Dragon Dance
Kartana @ Choice Band
Ability: Beast Boost
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Leaf Blade
- Smart Strike
- Knock Off
- Sacred Sword
Hawlucha (M) @ Electric Seed
Ability: Unburden
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 152 HP / 252 Atk / 8 SpD / 96 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Acrobatics
- Swords Dance
- High Jump Kick
- Roost
I went with Flyinium Z Dragon Dance Gyarados to start, highly slept on threat that seemed cool to use, residing outside of OU. I then added Screens Koko, because Gyarados is kind of let down by it's speed and really requires two boosts to reach peak effectiveness, luckily it is very hard to take down behind screens. I tried to resist the temptation, but I like to win, I added Hawlucha, it is so strong and with the defense boost, screens and taunt on Koko, it is very hard to justify not having it here, given just how easily it sets up. I needed rocks, chipping and breaking Sashes is appreciated and everyone feels the need to Defog nowadays and this team thrives on free momentum. I went with Mamoswine as my setter to anti-lead Landorus and generally hit hard, as well as provide some priority. I had my setters and sweepers, I just needed wallbreakers, against stall I had a good matchup, except Unaware walls really stopped me, so I went with Band Kartana with 4 attacks, hits like crazy and has great defense behind reflect and SpDef weakness is alleviated somewhat by Light Screen. Mega-Alakazam is essentially another side of the same coin, I needed natural speed so I wasn't requiring boosts and it has hella good SpDef behind Light Screen and Reflect helps with its piss-poor Defense.
There is a few weaknesses however. This team has no hazard removal, so it is prone to being worn by harzards, when defensive mons that can handle attacks force the switch. Alakazam, Kartana, Gyarados, suffer from one incredibly weak base stat defensively/4x weakness, so they are very much possible to revenge kill this way. Koko is also very frail and so has to be played very safe, due to the reliance on screens and Hawlucha.
Hippowdon @ Leftovers
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 248 HP / 144 Def / 116 SpD
Careful Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Toxic
- Slack Off
Zapdos @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 248 HP / 240 Def / 20 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Discharge
- Heat Wave
- Roost
- Defog
Toxapex @ Shed Shell
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Recover
- Haze
- Toxic Spikes
Scizor-Mega @ Scizorite
Ability: Technician
EVs: 248 HP / 64 Atk / 124 Def / 16 SpD / 56 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Bullet Punch
- Knock Off
- Roost
Reuniclus @ Psychium Z
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 204 Def / 52 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Calm Mind
- Psyshock
- Thunder
- Recover
Tapu Bulu @ Assault Vest
Ability: Grassy Surge
EVs: 248 HP / 60 Atk / 56 SpD / 144 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Nature's Madness
- Horn Leech
- Wood Hammer
- Superpower
When I play on the ladder I've always found Hippo + Zapdos to be a surprisingly difficult core to deal with, so thought I would try using it here. I went with a more spdef spread so I can switch into Heatran if need be. The Zapdos is defensive to better deal with pinsir and kartana. Since I'm using heat wave and not hp ice, i dont really need the speed. Next is Toxapex holding a shed shell in order to evade Heatran trapping it. Scizor is next as a nice wincon with defensive utility. After this, I originally had defog mew + SD Bulu to try and threaten stall. However, i realised tapu lele would be a big problem so I decided on av bulu. Then I considered keeping the mew, but I thought it would be pretty redundant defensively so I decided to try this cool reuniclus set. Originally wanted z flash cannon but realised quagsire would be a big problem so decided to try this - z psyshock still does 74-88 to quagsire which is the main target. Then I thought psyshock is the move i will click most of the time, so the other attack can just help me vs unaware mons like clef. So Thunder has a nice chance to para and then once its para'd I can slowly get into range of z psyshock 0 SpA Reuniclus Shattered Psyche (160 BP) vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Clefable: 228-268 (57.8 - 68%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery. There are probably better sets for it, but thought it would be interesting to try. Its psyshock instead of psychic because shock helps too much in cm wars and shock is the only move which beats chansey. After getting rid of mew, I put toxic>whirlwind on hippo bc stuff like rocks lando could be more annoying.
Scizor @ Scizorite
Ability: Light Metal
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Impish Nature
- Defog
- U-turn
- Bullet Punch
- Roost
Kyurem-Black @ Icium Z
Ability: Teravolt
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Freeze Shock
- Fusion Bolt
- Ice Beam
- Earth Power
Tapu Koko @ Shuca Berry
Ability: Electric Surge
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Thunderbolt
- Volt Switch
- Hidden Power Ice
- Defog
Greninja-Ash @ Choice Specs
Ability: Battle Bond
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Hydro Pump
- Dark Pulse
- Spikes
- Water Shuriken
Hawlucha @ Electric Seed
Ability: Unburden
EVs: 152 HP / 252 Atk / 8 SpD / 96 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Acrobatics
- Swords Dance
- High Jump Kick
- Roost
Landorus-Therian (M) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- U-turn
- Knock Off
- Earthquake
- Explosion
Shared type: flying
So since I was a little concerned about making a quality team this time, I decided to take a pre-made team and replace mons who filled certain roles but broke the restrictions. I started off with the non sharing core of Koko-Lucha, adding kyu-b cuz it shared no types and has good offensive synergy, added ash gren to give more type coverage/spikes for pressure. Shuca Koko allows me to pivot to kyu-b or lucha with volt switch, without locking me into an electric move to nab zygarde/lando w/ HP Ice. It also serves as a secondary defogger should Scizor go down. Last two spots goes to utility scizor, which is my main defogger and has the all too useful ability to pivot, and Scarf Lando-T, which is a fast pivoter (but also has explosion to not be set-up bait.
This team doesn't have the wallbreaking power that others do, which is why I had to change Kyu-B to Icium, because I was losing too many games to chansey/clef which laughed at my offensive kit. I also feel that this team relies on koko a lot, and is at risk should it go down. Picking off one of my mons leaves the others really exposed, as this team needs to keep on offense and is bad when it has to switch out often/play defense.
https://pokepast.es/aa706aaa78b0bb70
Mono attacking Mega Latias is a slept on threat at the moment, and can easily sweep unprepared teams. However, it obviously requires team support, since its walled by dark types. Refresh + Recover Mega Latias can turn nearly any pokemon in to set up fodder, so long as it doesn't have a move that prevents set up, or a move that can 2HKO Lati. Because of Lati's ridiculous amount of bulk, there aren't a lot of pokemon that can 2HKO it in the current meta.
Clefable was chosen for its ability to be a consistent rocker, soft check to physical threats, and to threaten dark types via moonblast.
The KokoLucha core was chosen for it's ability to break and sweep, but also because both pokemon largely threaten dark types for Latias. They both have sweeping potential of their own, so they aren't simply to break for mega latias, but also to act as a second potential wincon. They're just a known consistentbrokencore, and both perform excellently on this team.
Toxapex is also extremely standard, but performs well on this team. Toxic spikes are very helpful to slowly chip the opposing team, and help Hawlucha and Latias to sweep.
Finally, Ferrothorn was added as a strong check to all of the Tapus, while also being a soft check to Ash Greninja.
This team has an incredible stall matchup, with clefable, latias, and specs koko all being able to apply a ton of pressure. However, the lack of scarfer and priority moves can tend to make HO a little bit of a tougher matchup, but hawlucha and koko both have a good matchup against the HO, as can the hazard stacking.
Creativity:
Essense:
Effectiveness:
1. 1 True Lycan
2. Altervisi
1TL gets first in creativity imo because of the reuniclus set. i'm a huge fan of the mon and while i'm not sold on psychium, I think thunder is a cool tech. also his is the only team without kokolucha lol
altervisi's screens offense looks cool, should be jolly mamo tho. band kart is underrated.
2. Altervisi
1TL gets first in creativity imo because of the reuniclus set. i'm a huge fan of the mon and while i'm not sold on psychium, I think thunder is a cool tech. also his is the only team without kokolucha lol
altervisi's screens offense looks cool, should be jolly mamo tho. band kart is underrated.
Essense:
1. 1_TrickPhony
2. 1 True Lycan
Kyurem black takes perfect advantage of this round's theme IMO since both dragons and ice types are uncommon in OU. cool team too
balance also is good for this round since balance wants different typed mons anyway to cover everything. between wisdom dog's and 1tl's teams, zapdos+hippo is just harder to break so #2 goes to 1tl.
2. 1 True Lycan
Kyurem black takes perfect advantage of this round's theme IMO since both dragons and ice types are uncommon in OU. cool team too
balance also is good for this round since balance wants different typed mons anyway to cover everything. between wisdom dog's and 1tl's teams, zapdos+hippo is just harder to break so #2 goes to 1tl.
Effectiveness:
1 True Lycan
its a good team.
its a good team.
Last edited:
I guess I can't vote for myself lol.
Creativity:
Wisdom Dog - Latias is super cool and Thunder Wave Clefable is annoying as hell, especially due to it being uncommon.
1 True Lycan - Reuniclus is one of my favourite Pokémon and I have never see Z-Psychic + Thunder.
Essence:
Wisdom Dog - Using Fairy type offensively and defensively is pretty cool.
Effectiveness:
1 True_Lycan - This team looks so hard to break while Reuniclus and Scizor still threaten to set up and sweep.
1 TrickPhony - Big HO fan and this looks dope as hell.
This was fun, its a shame I couldn't get more battles in but my timezone sucks balls and I know people are busy, shoutouts to Indigo for this cool as hell project though!
Creativity:
Wisdom Dog - Latias is super cool and Thunder Wave Clefable is annoying as hell, especially due to it being uncommon.
1 True Lycan - Reuniclus is one of my favourite Pokémon and I have never see Z-Psychic + Thunder.
Essence:
Wisdom Dog - Using Fairy type offensively and defensively is pretty cool.
Effectiveness:
1 True_Lycan - This team looks so hard to break while Reuniclus and Scizor still threaten to set up and sweep.
1 TrickPhony - Big HO fan and this looks dope as hell.
This was fun, its a shame I couldn't get more battles in but my timezone sucks balls and I know people are busy, shoutouts to Indigo for this cool as hell project though!