WIN OR LOSE, matches over in 30 TURNS or less, guaranteed!'
OK, I've been wanting to do a RMT for awhile, but I found with each new team, that I kept on doing the same damn thing. The more I tried to do something far-out that would still work, the more I would try to stay true to 'ticking the boxes'. Spikes, DD mence, TSS...
This has led in the past couple of months to the construction of dozens of different teams, usually 1 or 2 a day when I played. I got frustrated by the lack of success. As we've all done, I tried some weirder shit, CB swampert, special gyarados, BP medicham, shuckle, sleep talk umbreon, subpunching azumarill, calm minding dusclops etc etc, all cool pokes, with coolish teams focusing on them, but still essentially novelty.
Pokemon became less fun because I don't have the patience for stall, and I wanted to do something a bit off centre that could still win (dont we all)
Well recently I began to understand that part of the lack of success was my lack of persistence. I didnt have the patience to improve each team as best as possible, playing with each team for 3 hours max before I'd lost interest. And as we have all come to realise, if you have played with your team for ages, you simple know it better. It helps prediction, and just getting the feel of what to do when in those 50/50 situations.
What does all this mean??
So with my friend Bluestone, I went back to basics, dug up some old school pokes, and started making a team which I've stuck to for the last 2 weeks
*gasp*
(i'm on holidays too)
So being as obsessed with prediction as we are, we threw together 6 offensive pokes which rely on prediction, and could simultaneously say up yours to stall and those dusclops' that have been foiling our rapid spinning attempts. No more 150 turn+ battles.
_______________________
Tauros (M) @ Choice Band
Trait: Intimidate
EVs: 68 HP / 252 Atk / 188 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Earthquake
- Hidden Power [Ghost]
- Iron Tail
- Return
I used to have aero leading by default, because hey.. aero always leads. I soon realised how stupid that was with what tauros brings to the party.
Tauros threatens off almost all of the same shit as aero, (as well as aero itself) but doesn't have to run from those bulky waters.
Tauros is perfect for the team in that it provides the pounding offense, but with intimidate, provides some defense you can rely on in a clinch. Opening, he causes severe troubles for BP teams. Originally added to help with mence difficulties when I realised I didn't need a bulky water, intimidate has certainly earned tauros' worth. It's what ousted Slaking from the job, though he also fit the role great. Intimidate makes the bull work perfectly for a 'sacrifice' if I have to.
Strategy: When versing competent battler using a proper team, if you're inducing a switch (which is likely) the 2 switchin's you can expect are skarm or gengar. Metagross and Tyranitar are uncommon whether it's that people want to set up spikes early or they just don't want Gross/Tar taking 30% early on from that CB return, or they are wary that an earthquake is coming to cripple their precious.
Because of this I'll almost always switch jolteon in first turn, because he destroys both skarm and gengar. I could HP ghost, but I like giving skarm that free switch, and I can HP ghost next time. Gotta keep on that front foot. If a jolteon or swampert are leads, I'll usually Return to hit their Sub or Protect when they scout, and then go to jolteon when they switch.
Dugtrio (M) @ Choice Band
Trait: Arena Trap
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Aerial Ace
- Earthquake
- Hidden Power [Bug]
- Rock Slide
Of course I run trio! It's a necessity for any team based on revenge killing. The famous 'Trio + Aero' has always provided that hyper-offensive WHAM that means something is going to die. In this case it's 'Trio + rest of team'. Max speed to always/[at worst coin-flip], fuck up the other dugtrio that revenge kill me. His CBed earthquakes are always finishing shit off especially after I sacrifice tauros or aero. The brute force helps with curselax.
Strategy: We all know how to work dugtrio. I'm just particularly ruthless in sacrificing things to metagross and tyranitar especially, to get this guy in. I will stay in an unfavorable match up, to hit NVE against something to be killed, to then allow dugtrio to KO the fool. This isn't like a stall team where each individual component is fundamental for the whole team's success. I want to kill shit more than they kill of my shit. Gotta stay on the front foot. And seeing as my opponents team is probably 'counter pokemon x with wall y', the holes I hope to create early game will be enough for shit later game to run through them. (ie turns 10-20)
Though this isn't his purpose, but if I can snag a blissey/regice/snorlax, it can even open up the game for the next 2 demons..
Kingdra (F) @ Lum Berry
Trait: Swift Swim
EVs: 252 HP / 40 Def / 64 Spd / 152 SAtk
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Hydro Pump
- Ice Beam
- Rain Dance
- Surf
I had a criteria for this spot:
-Has to change the weather for when tar's down
-Has to prove semi useful verse hitters ie- gross/tar/mence/gon
-Has to be able to hit thing's hard
I used to have exeggutor here but I found when Tauros died, there was nothing stopping DD mence winning in 6 turns. The reason I'm not running something like raindance milo here is because kingdra does just fine beating off mence for 1 or 2 switch ins, which is usually all that's needed.
Sure Milo and co would bring some lasting support, but I don't want that, I prefer the sweeping potential Kingdra brings with swiftswim. That's also the reason I replaced Starmie. And although this is rare, if I kill something while it's raining, trio can't come in and revenge, like he can milo under 40% (which isn't unlikely considering you've just killed something) and I need the rain.
Speed EVs allow me to switch in and outrun tyranitar, and then KO with Hydro Pump. Surf fails at this.
Strategy: Kingdra provides another offensive switch-in to the bait that is tauros/aero, having the advantage over skarm/gar/gross/tar. Brought in when Tar is dead, obviously to change weather. First switch I, I'll switch back to tauros immediately usually, to scout their special wall, and then have a shot at catching a tyranitar/gengar with EQ/HPghost.
When tar is dead (dugtrio or otherwise) and I've changed the weather, I'll usually just hammer on their special walls with kingdra until they kill me, and then revenge kill them with trio. If that happens, I can proceed to have fun with jolteon.
Lum berry so I'm not stopped from changing the weather which is important, and because someone needed to have it to cover status, and kingdra doesnt really need lefties.
Jolteon (F) @ Lum Berry
Trait: Volt Absorb
EVs: 32 HP / 224 Spd / 252 SAtk
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Baton Pass
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Substitute
- Thunderbolt
Jolteon is oldschool and I needed some special coverage. He passes subs, and supports, whilst maintaining that offense and speed. Max special to cause as much pain as possible. Out runs enough stuff, and I already have Aero running 394 speed. This is not a slow team, with everyone over 300 besides Blaziken and Kingdra, but of course they have their ways around that..
Strategy: Jolteon comes in on special attackers, like waters or gengars, and will usually take a bit of damage. But then he dishes it back, either by himself, or usually by Baton Passing to anyone else, allowing me to stay in control. Will occasionally cause some mass mayhem when opponent realises he's lost his electric counter to kingdra/dugtrio/aero/tauros.
Lum says FU to hypnosis gengars, and other random statusers. I've been running some stat berries, though I'm not sure which one's best. I've run leichi for aero, and petaya for itself and kingdra, but lum has been more useful overall thusfar.
Aerodactyl (M) @ Choice Band
Trait: Rock Head
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Double-Edge
- Earthquake
- Hidden Power [Flying]
- Rock Slide
Not really much to be said here. Help versus snorlax. Provides some offence that can take on skarm. Aero is a natural to the game of sacrifice and revenge killing. I've at times considered running adamant, but the jury is still out on that one. Appearance of Alakazams and Sceptiles is enough to make me stay.
Strategy: Bring him in on normal/ground attacks of course. Pretty crappy normal-resist, but gets the job done. If Mence/Gyarados/Charizard show up, aero ensures I'm not getting promptly swept. His typing is really handy for taking a hit if I'm on the backfoot if something like dodrio comes in after a dugtrio EQ KO.
Early on, if I find a matchup thats going to allow Aero in safely against a Flier, I'll take it, hopefully get in vs a zapdos or something, and then EQ hoping to catch that metagross expecting a rock slide.
Aero will most often meet his doom double-edging a bulky water, so I can dugtrio them, or eventually get em with this guy...
Blaziken (F) @ Salac Berry
Trait: Blaze
EVs: 252 Atk / 208 Spd / 50 SAtk
Hasty Nature (+Spd, -Def)
- Endure
- Fire Blast
- Reversal
- Swords Dance
Wah! The nuts! the trump card!
The reason changing the weather is so important! He's next to useless in the sand, 3/4 his moveset becoming redundant.
The speed gives him 272 speed, meaning he's my answer to salac heracross, and other endure salac beasties. Fireblast is annoying but necessary. He KO's a crap load with blaze + stab that he wouldnt with flamethrower. Having said this, half of my losses I can officially say have come from fireblast missing.
Strategy: The Blazing Chicken is usually the last poke I send him, whether I'm winning or losing. If all is well and good, I get a free swords dance on the switch. At this point, if the opponent is good, the funnest part of the match begins with the endure/swords dance mind games.
Now why am I running a raindancer for a reversaler using fireblast?
Part of the reason I used to run eggy over kingdra was for the sun, but I've found it doesn't really matter either way.
I rarely got to utilize the sun, and blaziken is rarely directly following kingdra into battle. And if he is, kingdra will usually stay alive a couple of turns before it's killed, and blaziken will hopefully be dancing and enduring for 2 more turns, meaning the rain is gone before im fireblasting anyway.
If all goes according to plan, I end up at 1 HP, 678 attack, and a blazed fireblast vs a team that is as badly as it can be messed up after 25 turns. The main flaw to the plan is mence and gyarados, who can certainly take the reversal and KO, though if they do have one, hopefully they've been killed or battered enough to be taken down...
-------------------------------------------
-3 choice banders means the match's outcome relies heavily on prediction and mind games, which is what I find appealing in pokemon
-Sometimes a layer or 2 of spikes may get down, but I really don't mind; if the match is lasting long enough for them to start hurting I'm not going to win anyway.
-The whole idea is about staying on the front foot; staying proactive, because the term simply isn't bulky enough or made to take the punishment of being reactive.
-(It has a combined Base Speed stat of 655 (not factoring Ken's salac or kingdra's raindance) so it's designed to remain on the front foot.)
_______________________
So that is team 'kill a shitload or be killed' as bluestone says. I call it team blitzkreig, but you know, both work...
When I lose, I never will claim 'its a novelty team anyway', because it's not, it works and it is genuinely really fun. It's simply a team which tries to kill my opponents team faster than they kill me, it avoids stall, and guarantees a short match. (my longest out of 100+matches is 38 turns- only because of protect/sub ninjask)
'There's just something about watching the mutual annihilation of both teams that brings a smile to my face' - Bluestone
_______________________
If you're going to comment, know that it is a team based around being competitive, but in the way I most enjoy. Comments are greatly appreciated, especially if they are constructive in helping the team become more effective through the same tactics.
Blissey over tauros just wouldn't work DragonRider9999 and I'm sorry to say, just isn't as fun.
**Note-- I've been told by a couple of people that the team greatly resembles "elite4bruno's" team from 'a long time ago'. I can guarantee that 1- i don't know who he is, and 2- the team is entirely my bluestone's and mine. Mainly mine. (There are only so many combinations you can make out of 30 usable pokemon!)
**War Stories to come hopefully
OK, I've been wanting to do a RMT for awhile, but I found with each new team, that I kept on doing the same damn thing. The more I tried to do something far-out that would still work, the more I would try to stay true to 'ticking the boxes'. Spikes, DD mence, TSS...
This has led in the past couple of months to the construction of dozens of different teams, usually 1 or 2 a day when I played. I got frustrated by the lack of success. As we've all done, I tried some weirder shit, CB swampert, special gyarados, BP medicham, shuckle, sleep talk umbreon, subpunching azumarill, calm minding dusclops etc etc, all cool pokes, with coolish teams focusing on them, but still essentially novelty.
Pokemon became less fun because I don't have the patience for stall, and I wanted to do something a bit off centre that could still win (dont we all)
Well recently I began to understand that part of the lack of success was my lack of persistence. I didnt have the patience to improve each team as best as possible, playing with each team for 3 hours max before I'd lost interest. And as we have all come to realise, if you have played with your team for ages, you simple know it better. It helps prediction, and just getting the feel of what to do when in those 50/50 situations.
What does all this mean??
So with my friend Bluestone, I went back to basics, dug up some old school pokes, and started making a team which I've stuck to for the last 2 weeks
*gasp*
(i'm on holidays too)
So being as obsessed with prediction as we are, we threw together 6 offensive pokes which rely on prediction, and could simultaneously say up yours to stall and those dusclops' that have been foiling our rapid spinning attempts. No more 150 turn+ battles.
_______________________
Tauros (M) @ Choice Band
Trait: Intimidate
EVs: 68 HP / 252 Atk / 188 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Earthquake
- Hidden Power [Ghost]
- Iron Tail
- Return
I used to have aero leading by default, because hey.. aero always leads. I soon realised how stupid that was with what tauros brings to the party.
Tauros threatens off almost all of the same shit as aero, (as well as aero itself) but doesn't have to run from those bulky waters.
Tauros is perfect for the team in that it provides the pounding offense, but with intimidate, provides some defense you can rely on in a clinch. Opening, he causes severe troubles for BP teams. Originally added to help with mence difficulties when I realised I didn't need a bulky water, intimidate has certainly earned tauros' worth. It's what ousted Slaking from the job, though he also fit the role great. Intimidate makes the bull work perfectly for a 'sacrifice' if I have to.
Strategy: When versing competent battler using a proper team, if you're inducing a switch (which is likely) the 2 switchin's you can expect are skarm or gengar. Metagross and Tyranitar are uncommon whether it's that people want to set up spikes early or they just don't want Gross/Tar taking 30% early on from that CB return, or they are wary that an earthquake is coming to cripple their precious.
Because of this I'll almost always switch jolteon in first turn, because he destroys both skarm and gengar. I could HP ghost, but I like giving skarm that free switch, and I can HP ghost next time. Gotta keep on that front foot. If a jolteon or swampert are leads, I'll usually Return to hit their Sub or Protect when they scout, and then go to jolteon when they switch.
Dugtrio (M) @ Choice Band
Trait: Arena Trap
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Aerial Ace
- Earthquake
- Hidden Power [Bug]
- Rock Slide
Of course I run trio! It's a necessity for any team based on revenge killing. The famous 'Trio + Aero' has always provided that hyper-offensive WHAM that means something is going to die. In this case it's 'Trio + rest of team'. Max speed to always/[at worst coin-flip], fuck up the other dugtrio that revenge kill me. His CBed earthquakes are always finishing shit off especially after I sacrifice tauros or aero. The brute force helps with curselax.
Strategy: We all know how to work dugtrio. I'm just particularly ruthless in sacrificing things to metagross and tyranitar especially, to get this guy in. I will stay in an unfavorable match up, to hit NVE against something to be killed, to then allow dugtrio to KO the fool. This isn't like a stall team where each individual component is fundamental for the whole team's success. I want to kill shit more than they kill of my shit. Gotta stay on the front foot. And seeing as my opponents team is probably 'counter pokemon x with wall y', the holes I hope to create early game will be enough for shit later game to run through them. (ie turns 10-20)
Though this isn't his purpose, but if I can snag a blissey/regice/snorlax, it can even open up the game for the next 2 demons..
Kingdra (F) @ Lum Berry
Trait: Swift Swim
EVs: 252 HP / 40 Def / 64 Spd / 152 SAtk
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Hydro Pump
- Ice Beam
- Rain Dance
- Surf
I had a criteria for this spot:
-Has to change the weather for when tar's down
-Has to prove semi useful verse hitters ie- gross/tar/mence/gon
-Has to be able to hit thing's hard
I used to have exeggutor here but I found when Tauros died, there was nothing stopping DD mence winning in 6 turns. The reason I'm not running something like raindance milo here is because kingdra does just fine beating off mence for 1 or 2 switch ins, which is usually all that's needed.
Sure Milo and co would bring some lasting support, but I don't want that, I prefer the sweeping potential Kingdra brings with swiftswim. That's also the reason I replaced Starmie. And although this is rare, if I kill something while it's raining, trio can't come in and revenge, like he can milo under 40% (which isn't unlikely considering you've just killed something) and I need the rain.
Speed EVs allow me to switch in and outrun tyranitar, and then KO with Hydro Pump. Surf fails at this.
Strategy: Kingdra provides another offensive switch-in to the bait that is tauros/aero, having the advantage over skarm/gar/gross/tar. Brought in when Tar is dead, obviously to change weather. First switch I, I'll switch back to tauros immediately usually, to scout their special wall, and then have a shot at catching a tyranitar/gengar with EQ/HPghost.
When tar is dead (dugtrio or otherwise) and I've changed the weather, I'll usually just hammer on their special walls with kingdra until they kill me, and then revenge kill them with trio. If that happens, I can proceed to have fun with jolteon.
Lum berry so I'm not stopped from changing the weather which is important, and because someone needed to have it to cover status, and kingdra doesnt really need lefties.
Jolteon (F) @ Lum Berry
Trait: Volt Absorb
EVs: 32 HP / 224 Spd / 252 SAtk
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Baton Pass
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Substitute
- Thunderbolt
Jolteon is oldschool and I needed some special coverage. He passes subs, and supports, whilst maintaining that offense and speed. Max special to cause as much pain as possible. Out runs enough stuff, and I already have Aero running 394 speed. This is not a slow team, with everyone over 300 besides Blaziken and Kingdra, but of course they have their ways around that..
Strategy: Jolteon comes in on special attackers, like waters or gengars, and will usually take a bit of damage. But then he dishes it back, either by himself, or usually by Baton Passing to anyone else, allowing me to stay in control. Will occasionally cause some mass mayhem when opponent realises he's lost his electric counter to kingdra/dugtrio/aero/tauros.
Lum says FU to hypnosis gengars, and other random statusers. I've been running some stat berries, though I'm not sure which one's best. I've run leichi for aero, and petaya for itself and kingdra, but lum has been more useful overall thusfar.
Aerodactyl (M) @ Choice Band
Trait: Rock Head
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Double-Edge
- Earthquake
- Hidden Power [Flying]
- Rock Slide
Not really much to be said here. Help versus snorlax. Provides some offence that can take on skarm. Aero is a natural to the game of sacrifice and revenge killing. I've at times considered running adamant, but the jury is still out on that one. Appearance of Alakazams and Sceptiles is enough to make me stay.
Strategy: Bring him in on normal/ground attacks of course. Pretty crappy normal-resist, but gets the job done. If Mence/Gyarados/Charizard show up, aero ensures I'm not getting promptly swept. His typing is really handy for taking a hit if I'm on the backfoot if something like dodrio comes in after a dugtrio EQ KO.
Early on, if I find a matchup thats going to allow Aero in safely against a Flier, I'll take it, hopefully get in vs a zapdos or something, and then EQ hoping to catch that metagross expecting a rock slide.
Aero will most often meet his doom double-edging a bulky water, so I can dugtrio them, or eventually get em with this guy...
Blaziken (F) @ Salac Berry
Trait: Blaze
EVs: 252 Atk / 208 Spd / 50 SAtk
Hasty Nature (+Spd, -Def)
- Endure
- Fire Blast
- Reversal
- Swords Dance
Wah! The nuts! the trump card!
The reason changing the weather is so important! He's next to useless in the sand, 3/4 his moveset becoming redundant.
The speed gives him 272 speed, meaning he's my answer to salac heracross, and other endure salac beasties. Fireblast is annoying but necessary. He KO's a crap load with blaze + stab that he wouldnt with flamethrower. Having said this, half of my losses I can officially say have come from fireblast missing.
Strategy: The Blazing Chicken is usually the last poke I send him, whether I'm winning or losing. If all is well and good, I get a free swords dance on the switch. At this point, if the opponent is good, the funnest part of the match begins with the endure/swords dance mind games.
Now why am I running a raindancer for a reversaler using fireblast?
Part of the reason I used to run eggy over kingdra was for the sun, but I've found it doesn't really matter either way.
I rarely got to utilize the sun, and blaziken is rarely directly following kingdra into battle. And if he is, kingdra will usually stay alive a couple of turns before it's killed, and blaziken will hopefully be dancing and enduring for 2 more turns, meaning the rain is gone before im fireblasting anyway.
If all goes according to plan, I end up at 1 HP, 678 attack, and a blazed fireblast vs a team that is as badly as it can be messed up after 25 turns. The main flaw to the plan is mence and gyarados, who can certainly take the reversal and KO, though if they do have one, hopefully they've been killed or battered enough to be taken down...
-------------------------------------------
-3 choice banders means the match's outcome relies heavily on prediction and mind games, which is what I find appealing in pokemon
-Sometimes a layer or 2 of spikes may get down, but I really don't mind; if the match is lasting long enough for them to start hurting I'm not going to win anyway.
-The whole idea is about staying on the front foot; staying proactive, because the term simply isn't bulky enough or made to take the punishment of being reactive.
-(It has a combined Base Speed stat of 655 (not factoring Ken's salac or kingdra's raindance) so it's designed to remain on the front foot.)
_______________________
So that is team 'kill a shitload or be killed' as bluestone says. I call it team blitzkreig, but you know, both work...
When I lose, I never will claim 'its a novelty team anyway', because it's not, it works and it is genuinely really fun. It's simply a team which tries to kill my opponents team faster than they kill me, it avoids stall, and guarantees a short match. (my longest out of 100+matches is 38 turns- only because of protect/sub ninjask)
'There's just something about watching the mutual annihilation of both teams that brings a smile to my face' - Bluestone
_______________________
If you're going to comment, know that it is a team based around being competitive, but in the way I most enjoy. Comments are greatly appreciated, especially if they are constructive in helping the team become more effective through the same tactics.
Blissey over tauros just wouldn't work DragonRider9999 and I'm sorry to say, just isn't as fun.
**Note-- I've been told by a couple of people that the team greatly resembles "elite4bruno's" team from 'a long time ago'. I can guarantee that 1- i don't know who he is, and 2- the team is entirely my bluestone's and mine. Mainly mine. (There are only so many combinations you can make out of 30 usable pokemon!)
**War Stories to come hopefully
