Moody

[voodoo pimp]

Yeh I suppose that might work, but even then these moves can miss if evasion rises and Dragon Tail won't phase through a substitute. And although no Incosistent pokemon at the moment get it when smeargle is released with Inconsistent it can always just Baton Pass to a Magic Mirror pokemon- preferably Espeon who can Baton Pass back or to another counter if need be.

Also, Ingrain.

 

[XienZo]

Also note that you haven't taken into account the possibility of drops. Your first calculation, for example, is just the probability that you get at least one boost in four turns. It does not mean you have a 46% chance of having +2 evasion at the end of those four turns, as you could get some evasion drops, too. It's entirely possible that you get one boost and three drops, leaving you at -1 evasion after four turns. The actual probability of having evasion > 0 at the end of four turns will be lower than 46%.

It's also somewhat tricky because once you get +6 you can't get another boost, so that slightly affects the calculation somewhat, but probably not so much that 46% is too far off from at least one boost in four turns.

You can certainly have a drop somewhere along the way. However, they're not really major due to there being two cases:

1. You get Evasion drops before you get any Evasion boosts.

In this case, you just switch out like you didn't get any evasion boosts. It doesn't really help your opponent much since most moves have 100 accuracy anyway, and I don't know why anyone would try to stop an evasion booster with low-accuracy moves. That's just asking for more pain, really.

2. You get Evasion drops after you get Evasion boosts.

In this case, in order for your evasion boosts to negated, you have to have at least twice as many drops as you had boosts. Even in the worst case scenario, with + 2 evasion and 2 -1 evasions afterwards, you got yourself 2 turns with enhanced evasion and a cumulative total of +3 in your other stats anyway. This scenario is pretty rare and it's still fairly salvagable from the Inconsistant's user's point of view, as long as you didn't get all the boosts in accuracy or something, but the game just hates you at that point.

 

[Showsni]

I wouldn't say this requires no skill to use. In fact, it requires a fair bit, and a team built to support it. I tried quickly throwing together a team based on it, and lost horribly for the first few times (except once when I luckily got the right boosts). I don't think you can argue that it needs to be banned because any noob can pick it up and win with it, in any case.

That said, a free boost every turn on average is clearly a very good ability; that those boosts can be to evasion is just gravy. But it does have counters, and it is inconsistent as anything. You can say that if you get the wrong boosts you can just switch out - but that's giving your opponents a chance to set up. I guess just keep out eyes on it for the time being...

(Next big threat: Mischievous Heart Assist teams...)

 

[Kibago]

Because this activates on the switch in and doesn't take up a turn to use. Come in, Protect, Sub if you get a speed/evasion boost, switch out if you don't. Rinse and repeat.

And if you seriously suggest using Psych Up Sableye to deal with Octillery, well, *something* sounds wrong there.

I don't have an opinion on whether Inconsistent is broken (facing it isn't any fun, but facing Iron Head Jirachi isn't fun either, and I've never been Inconsistaswept in at least four tries) but I'm not sure I like the implicaton of the last sentence here. It seems to be implying that if a pokemon/move was always bad, and it then becomes popular because of a change, there's something 'wrong' with that.

This is a new gen. Why shouldn't Psych Up be a great strategy or Octillery be a great sweeper? we've already seen plenty of other things change - Ditto being a top-tier choice, for one - and we should be eliminating our pre-conceived notions from previous generations. If anything, variety in chosen pokemon and strategies is considered a metagame positive.

 

[breh]

The main that I use inconsistent on my Glalie is through sub+protect.

If I get even one speed boost or boost to the defence corresponding to the dominant stat of the attacker, this means gg for my opponent unless I get really shitty luck or they have priority. Basically from then on I just stall for a few turns till I get an attack boost (evasion is nice too) and then I attack with EQ or Blizzard.

Inconsistent is hilarious though; it doesn't get quite the same reaction as did minimize though (only one guy swore at me vs. like every person on beta server against whom I minimized xD)

@ Above: I think he's implying that sableye sucks... for god's sake it's a pokemon with spinda's defences more or less... do you really want to use that?

 

[Zebstrika]

My Smeargle:
Focus Sash, Inconsistent(duh)
252 Spe/252 SpD/4 HP Jolly

Spore
Protect
Shell Smash
Baton Pass

Stall, use Shell Smash when the opponent is asleep, and when I'm done, pass to a Lucario. A mixed Lucario holding a White Herb, in fact. Whenever a 100% accurate move misses for the opponent, that opponent almost always does something to complain. Not a broken ability, though.

 

[Joshiro]

On Bibarel and Octy, this is pretty epic, but not worth banning I feel like (though the battle logs I've read made it seem like a very potent threat). Smeargle on the other hand, was already going to be an amazing Baton Passer without the ability, but this will make it worse.

As a counter to this, I was thinking Ditto with Red Card could be pretty ridiculous. Come in, copy the stat changes and attempt to sweep. If the inconsistaller tries to take ditto down, it gets switched out and loses its boosts (going to assume ingrain negates this however) and then you can attempt to sweep their team with your boosted transformation. Ditto can be PP stalled pretty easily however. This set-up works pretty well against just about any other defensive set-upper. Scarf Ditto has some use against inconsistent abusers, as it will be fast enough to hit through the subs, but will probably get PP stalled into oblivion (particularly if the inconsistaller's only sweep move is NVE against itself).

BTW, anybody tried using snatch against this? Since the stat boosts happen after the turn has ended, will snatch activate if it didn't snatch anything earlier in the turn?

 

[Enlong]

Just. Use. God. Damn. Foresight.

 

[Jayceja]

Just. Use. God. Damn. Foresight.

except the evasion clause means foresight only really has use on rapid spinners, being just hitmontop

being forced to run a move that is otherwise rather useless just to deal with a set of 4 pokemon, 2 of which are not released yet is not a good thing for the game

 

[Enlong]

I would rather find hard counters and outplay "haxy" strategies than just ban them out of hand. Plus, there are uses for Foresight and Odor Sleuth outside of Inconsistent. Such as forcing the opponent's Ghost to switch if they try to wall a fighting type like Hitmonlee or something.

A move being "rather useles" doesn't enter much into my mind. I'd prefer to look for ways that it is useful.

Or if you want a non-"useless" move, how about Haze? Hm... but you have to keep using it, don't you?

 

[Thee]

I wanted to test this out, and I have to say, it's entertaining to see noobs whine and bitch while you sweep them. (although a good player is a fun challenge)

There are (a few) ways I've seen people beat this, though I have only faced it once. (but tested it a couple)

Ingrain Smeargle (I.E. without Magic Coat) can be reasonably taunted by Sableye.
(which isn't such a bad pokemon as you may think, with Spindefenses, albeit essentially countered by Magic Mirror)

I'm on the fence on whether or not this ability should be banned. In standard OU, it seems a little more manageable, but beyond that...

IMO, it is luck based, and if we decided to ban moves such as minimize, we should at least seriously consider Inconsistent. (I KNOW evasion is not a constant)

As mentioned, this move does heavily centralize the metagame around it. (which I believe was used to support Garchomp's banning)

Even without evasion, I think this ability is fairly dangerous. When I first saw it, I thought it was only on the switch in (rough translations), and it was gimmicky. Now, of course, my opinion has changed.

 

[Enlong]

Throw down Haze, send 'em away with Whirlwind/Roar (unless it's Smeargle with Ingrain). Beat them up with Punishment.

Hell, have one guy Foresight the staller, and then send in someone with Clear Smog. A Shadow Tag Shanderaa, for instance. No escape, you're continually destroying their stat boosts, and they've no hope for Evasion boosts to help them.

All for the cost of 2 moves out of the entire team. One of which is good on its own.

There are ways around this, not all of them overly specialized.

 

[XienZo]

You could always use Worry Seed Eruufun, which also has decent utility overall with the rest of the metagame. Worry Seed if they're trying to Sub, Encore if they just did.

 

[Thee]

Throw down Haze, send 'em away with Whirlwind/Roar (unless it's Smeargle with Ingrain). Beat them up with Punishment.

Hell, have one guy Foresight the staller, and then send in someone with Clear Smog. A Shadow Tag Shanderaa, for instance. No escape, you're continually destroying their stat boosts, and they've no hope for Evasion boosts to help them.

All for the cost of 2 moves out of the entire team. One of which is good on its own.

There are ways around this, not all of them overly specialized.

I'd admit that there are ways to get past Inconsistent, but Shandera makes no sense (surf).
and 2 moves + 2 pokemon with the moves mainly for Inconsistent is a bit much, I'd say.
Haze is a temporary solution, but it is viable for pp stall (albeit the best option is Dragonite against energy ball octillery)

Clear smog doesn't work through substitute, but I admit that Morobareru is a solid counter.
There are ways to beat this, but if you want to use Morobareru, every team would use Shandera/Wob to eliminate it before you proceed to sweep again (DW OU).

EDIT: Just got informed that Clear Smog beats substitute. So screw what I said.

 

[Kindrindra]

Not only the fact that it's too luck-based in my eyes is ban-worthy to me. The fact that it makes Bidoof and Bibarel viable in LC and OU respectively is reason enough to put the banhammer on it. If I see my team swept by a Bibarel, I will stop playing pokémon forever.

You seem to forget that Bibarel was already considered usable in OU during 4th gen due to Simple Curse.

 

[EpicTurtle]

cant you just Roar/Whirlwind/Dragon Tail it out? Sure it will be back later, but you can stop a possible team sweep for the moment.

What happens when the Inconsistent user is the last pokemon. It happens to me all the time. I'm up 5-1 and then my oppenont gets lucky and sweeps me.....

Though Inconsistent might not be broken, it takes a large portion of "skill" out of the metagame. I believe even though this game is already luck based, we should reduce the amount of luck in it as much as possible. Of course that great of a extent.

 

[Enlong]

I'd admit that there are ways to get past Inconsistent, but Shandera makes no sense (surf).
and 2 moves + 2 pokemon with the moves mainly for Inconsistent is a bit much, I'd say.
Haze is a temporary solution, but it is viable for pp stall (albeit the best option is Dragonite against energy ball octillery)

Clear smog doesn't work through substitute, but I admit that Morobareru is a solid counter.
There are ways to beat this, but if you want to use Morobareru, every team would use Shandera/Wob to eliminate it before you proceed to sweep again (DW OU).

Whoops. Forgot the guys who can get Inconsistent. Gengar then.

Or perhaps Gastrodon, but Gengar's better, because he can outspeed a Substitute with another Clear Smog. Plus, STAB.

Edit:

So, apparently, Clear Smog resets stat boosts through Substitute. And has never miss accuracy.

Which means that Gengar can break an Inconsistent user's stall on his own.

Edit 2: Volt Change boogaloo.

Or maybe I should have said Morobaeru instead.

 

[Thee]

Whoops. Forgot the guys who can get Inconsistent. Gengar then.

Or perhaps Gastrodon, but Gengar's better, because he can outspeed a Substitute with another Clear Smog. Plus, STAB.

Edit:

So, apparently, Clear Smog resets stat boosts through Substitute. And has never miss accuracy.

Which means that Gengar can break an Inconsistent user's stall on his own.

Edit 2: Volt Change boogaloo.

Or maybe I should have said Morobaeru instead.

Yeah, I just realized that too (I need to stop listening to rumors)
Gastrodon doesn't work against Energy Ball
Clear Smog Gengar seems to be a decent counter, so long as you switch in early (though I may be wrong). At the least, Scizor is there to take care of it. So by my count, you have 2 free slots to work with if you decide to use 1 inconsistent user.

 

[deluge]

Clear Smog
Perish Song

The latter is Baton Passed meaning it screws Smeargle completey.
Politoed can use Perish Song while changing the weather for advantage.

The days of being blindsided by Inconsistent should be over.
Adapt or Lose.

 

[Jayceja]

Clear Smog
Perish Song

The latter is Baton Passed meaning it screws Smeargle completey.
Politoed can use Perish Song while changing the weather for advantage.

The days of being blindsided by Inconsistent should be over.
Adapt or Lose.

because being forced to use one of them is good for the game?

and even if it is counterable, its still bad for competitiveness

 

[Wafflez]

Rayquaza it's not that.Inconsistence is perfectly counterable and can be played around.The reason it is being considerred as a suspect is the fact that it brings unnecessary amounts of luck into the game.The dumbest player can eaasily beat a good player because it is that easy to use.I dont think that's what people would want in a desirable metagame.

 

[Jayceja]

So what about Rapid Spin, Shed Shell, Roar/Whirlwind, Magnet Pull and all those items/attacks/abilities you use to counter SPECIFIC threats?

I really have a feeling that people think that Inconsistent is broken only because, other than Smeargle, the pokemon that get it were NU in Gen 4.
What's wrong about a previously NU pokemon having a chance to shine now?

rapid spin counters 3 distinct threats and isnt needed to beat hazard teams, roar/whirlwind has a myriad of uses, magnet pull isnt needed for steels, as all of them have other options and are not NECESSARY

also, all those other threats are far more widespread, as opposed to running a useless move for 2 pokemon

as for shed shell, im not a big fan of shadow tag either, as it is by nature uncounterable besides running one specific item, but at least it isnt adding so much RNG to the game
that and the new thing that lets you see the enemies team before battle means you can try predict shandera switch ins and switch to a counter

however if you dont have a counter to inconsistent, it will win bar you being rather lucky
if it wasnt luck based, and didnt work best by adding even more luck to the game from evasion it wouldnt be quite as bad, but the fact that most of the counters still only work if they dont get lucky really is not competitive in addition to forcing counters that are otherwise useless

 

[Mario With Lasers]

I really have a feeling that people think that Inconsistent is broken only because, other than Smeargle, the pokemon that get it were NU in Gen 4.
What's wrong about a previously NU pokemon having a chance to shine now?

We wouldn't even be having this discussion if it didn't had the chance to increase Evasion and Speed (more the former than the latter).

 

[Destiny Warrior]

I apologize if this insults anybody. Also, I'm playing devil's advocate here, because my personal opinion is horribly biased.

I noticed somebody mentioning that Bibarel shouldn't be sweeping teams.

Why the fucking hell shouldn't it? It's discrimination based on a previous generation, where Bibarel and Octillery sucked. Why shouldn't they shine now?

Lee mentioned Perish Song and it not supposed to be squeezed in.

In that case, ban all weather inducers, because they regularly force you to carry your own weather in order to beat them in this fast generation.

Some people mention it being a quick ticket for less skilled people beating more skilled people.

However, I argue that these so called less skilled people are taking advantage of an ucommon strategy, and ACTUALLY making it work. Stop calling them nobs, and man up and accept Inconsistent demands certain specific things.

 

[Calm Pokemaster]

I agree that it is stupid to carry over the argument from weather inducers to Inconsistent. This is an entirely different ball game; if you dont have weather, it is not a 100% chance that you will lose against other weather teams. Stall works really well even in this "fast generation".

However, the no. 1 reason why you have higher chances of losing against an Inconsistent Pokemon if you dont have one yourself; is EVASION modifiers. You are helpless if they get +4 Evasion, and the shitty hax can down you in a matter of a few turns.

Personally, I feel Inconsistent should be banned, as you have no control over what stat changes you get. It is just a dungheap of bad hax; and I will call people who use it noobs. Call me a scrub for that, call me anything, I just don't care. Most of the time sweeps that occur from Inconsistent are just from sheer luck; Pokemon is supposed to have an element of strategy; Inconsistent as far as I am concerned makes this game more of a roulette where you control hardly anything. Ban this stupid ability, and be done with it.