Hopes and Dreams
Convinced by firelit nights and this thread
Introduction (Part 1)
The story of Hackmons and its key variants primarily based on my interpretation.
Phase I (2012)
Once upon a time during the process of Pokémon Showdown's creation, there came the idea of a single, rather unusual format to be represented as a playable metagame for Smogon. Unlike with most tiers and other cartridge-legal formats, the people of Inside Scoop desired such a concept expressing the intention to use up all the potential of every living monster in main series Pokémon games. Originally known to Smogon as Sharkmons, this format gave people the opportunity to run any move and any ability on any species of Pokémon. This concept defined what could be done with the use of external devices and websites. The name Sharkmons was later replaced by a more suitable name most well known as Hackmons.
Hackmons was widely known to have two majorly centralizing aspects in its metagame. These two aspects came in the form of opposing forces, No Guard and Wonder Guard. Pokémon with No Guard had given themselves partnership with the OHKO moves Sheer Cold, Fissure, Guillotine, and Horn Drill. In return, the ability deprived these moves of their greatest weakness. Any Pokémon failing to hold the proper ability to block these moves suffered the dire consequence of fainting. Unfortunately, only two abilities were capable of blocking OHKO moves. These two abilities were Wonder Guard and Sturdy.
Wonder Guard was given more vital roles in the metagame and was better for most Pokémon to use. Unlike Sturdy, it became a dominant force for more than just its natural trait. Wonder Guard extinguished the possibility of Pokémon getting hit by any normal attack, unless they were super effective or were performed in the combination of other moves or abilities. Wonder Guard was the main counteraction for No Guard and was most of what prevented No Guard from becoming catastrophic. In return however, Wonder Guard forced the focus of many Pokémon to be prioritized towards ones with it.
For a while, the Smogon community wandered through the realm of Hackmons wondering what a world without Wonder Guard or OHKO moves would be like. This brought up the idea of Balanced Hackmons, a format like Hackmons, but with the aim of having less centralization with the inclusion of a banlist and clauses. Balanced Hackmons was created with Wonder Guard and OHKO moves banned. The ban of OHKO moves significantly reduced No Guard's impact and centralization. The community began to explore what Hackmons was like without the two dominants.
Phase II (2012-2014)
For the next two years, both Hackmons and Balanced Hackmons were more than just hacked iterations of Pokémon. They leaned towards being more custom-like formats with two unique mechanics not relative to the main series Pokémon games, regardless of the use of external devices or websites. One of these mechanics involved the loss of Team Preview, an ingame mechanic introduced during Pokémon Black and White. In these generation five games, each local match included Team Preview. Pokémon Showdown's variant of these two metagames began each match in a way similar to ingame local battles where both players were required to cover the top half of their Nintendo DS with one hand while choosing their lead with the other. This was an arbitrary move to pull when the games themselves allowed players to see their opponent's Pokémon beforehand. Regardless, both metagames were left without Team Preview. The other unique mechanic these two formats had was exclusively unique to Pokémon Showdown's generation six era. In each of the generation six main series games, it became impossible to bring in Pokémon with more EVs than the standard 508 regardless of if players used external devices or websites to hack Pokémon in. Players were still able to play local battles with illegal moves and abilities on any Pokémon. Despite this hefty restriction, Pokémon Showdown still gave each Pokémon access to unlimited EVs, which for its time was largely due to the restriction being left undiscovered.
Upon discovery, both Hackmons and Balanced Hackmons received changes which helped them transition into what they were meant to be. Both formats received an EV limit and Team Preview in order to match up with their present games, transforming into purely hacked iterations of Pokémon. For Balanced Hackmons, there was no turning back. During the week these changes were implemented, the newly-formed Hackmons community became outraged and pleaded for a reverse of these new changes onto their metagame. In response to this outrage, a forum poll was made, splitting Hackmons into two seperate formats. Classic Hackmons reversed the addition of EV Limit and Team Preview and was created to be a simulation of how Hackmons functioned prior to the EV limit discovery. The main Hackmons remained with the EV Limit and Team Preview, but had its name changed to Pure Hackmons. Pure Hackmons was already an alternative name to Hackmons but was made official at this point. The forum poll between Classic Hackmons and Pure Hackmons decided which one of the two formats would persist on Pokémon Showdown. By a mostly unanimous vote, it had been decided for Classic Hackmons to persist as a metagame. In return, Pure Hackmons was diminished into nothingness.
Phase III (2014-2016)
Not long after EV limit and Team Preview were implemented into Hackmons, a twist was made in its fate. Balanced Hackmons was never able to reverse back into its old form in part of a confirmation for it keeping its permanent ladder. Hackmons on the other hand was considered too uncompetitive and insignificant by the forum leaders of which its format was hosted in. This came especially with the poor quality of its thread. As a result of these beliefs, Hackmons was removed from the permanent ladder status and began losing any former recognition it had on Pokémon Showdown. In spite of losing a permanent ladder status, the winning Hackmons variant on the poll between Classic Hackmons and Pure Hackmons was eventually offered a chance to be voted on as a month-long ladder, but for the price of having to wait four months before then. After the loss of its permaladder, the Hackmons community went into a rapid decline, only continuing to drop as the next four months passed. Many notable players from the community had lost touch with Pokémon Showdown and Classic Hackmons. The month after Classic Hackmons was enabled to be a month-long ladder, the metagame was finally able to see itself in spotlight. This was the last month Classic Hackmons ever received a chance to restore its recognition. By the time Classic Hackmons gained its month-long ladder, much of the old Hackmons community had been lost. Most active players who laddered during the month were newer and unfamiliar with the metagame. The remaining Hackmons veterans pleaded for the return of a permanent ladder status throughout the month and afterwards. A month later, Hackmons had once again lost most of its recognition. After Classic Hackmons ended as a ladder, the most common way people found matches was by finding time to play in occasional room tournaments. As expected, the Hackmons community was not satisfied and further demanded reinstatement of its permanent ladder status. The community spent another two and a half months making active attempts to persuade the Other Metas leaders to reconsider as they initially had the format removed. Throughout the two and a half months, attempts were getting more out of hand with most discussions of the metagame being centered around having the permaladder. Eventually any real discussion Classic Hackmons had became overshadowed by the discussion of having its permaladder return, leading up to the metagame being removed from Pokémon Showdown entirely. Classic Hackmons shared its fate with Pure Hackmons, losing any representation it had on Pokémon Showdown. One year after the termination of Classic Hackmons, its thread was deleted entirely.
Phase IV (2015-2018)
For three years following the removal of Classic Hackmons, hardly any discussion regarding its metagame would be made and battles would be rare. However, Pokémon Showdown itself provided updates which made all of its communities more community-friendly. The introduction of groupchats allowed any player to make possible new homes for Hackmons discussion whenever they wanted. Regardless, the idea of creating a new home by groupchats was never practiced in this time frame and everyday opportunities to support Hackmons were missed. The Classic Hackmons moved into a state of no recognition and diminished into nothingness.
Phase V (2018-This Post)
After the removal of Classic Hackmons, there was little to no hope of a return for discussion or truly accessible methods to play the metagame. However, for the past year Pure Hackmons has been given another chance! It was able to be put up into a megathread containing other metagames of its type and has been made more accessible through a unique subroom. The Hackmons community is being recreated from scratch and will hopefully become more expansive in the long run. Classic Hackmons on the other hand will always remain a project lost in memory.
Once upon a time during the process of Pokémon Showdown's creation, there came the idea of a single, rather unusual format to be represented as a playable metagame for Smogon. Unlike with most tiers and other cartridge-legal formats, the people of Inside Scoop desired such a concept expressing the intention to use up all the potential of every living monster in main series Pokémon games. Originally known to Smogon as Sharkmons, this format gave people the opportunity to run any move and any ability on any species of Pokémon. This concept defined what could be done with the use of external devices and websites. The name Sharkmons was later replaced by a more suitable name most well known as Hackmons.
Hackmons was widely known to have two majorly centralizing aspects in its metagame. These two aspects came in the form of opposing forces, No Guard and Wonder Guard. Pokémon with No Guard had given themselves partnership with the OHKO moves Sheer Cold, Fissure, Guillotine, and Horn Drill. In return, the ability deprived these moves of their greatest weakness. Any Pokémon failing to hold the proper ability to block these moves suffered the dire consequence of fainting. Unfortunately, only two abilities were capable of blocking OHKO moves. These two abilities were Wonder Guard and Sturdy.
Wonder Guard was given more vital roles in the metagame and was better for most Pokémon to use. Unlike Sturdy, it became a dominant force for more than just its natural trait. Wonder Guard extinguished the possibility of Pokémon getting hit by any normal attack, unless they were super effective or were performed in the combination of other moves or abilities. Wonder Guard was the main counteraction for No Guard and was most of what prevented No Guard from becoming catastrophic. In return however, Wonder Guard forced the focus of many Pokémon to be prioritized towards ones with it.
For a while, the Smogon community wandered through the realm of Hackmons wondering what a world without Wonder Guard or OHKO moves would be like. This brought up the idea of Balanced Hackmons, a format like Hackmons, but with the aim of having less centralization with the inclusion of a banlist and clauses. Balanced Hackmons was created with Wonder Guard and OHKO moves banned. The ban of OHKO moves significantly reduced No Guard's impact and centralization. The community began to explore what Hackmons was like without the two dominants.
Phase II (2012-2014)
For the next two years, both Hackmons and Balanced Hackmons were more than just hacked iterations of Pokémon. They leaned towards being more custom-like formats with two unique mechanics not relative to the main series Pokémon games, regardless of the use of external devices or websites. One of these mechanics involved the loss of Team Preview, an ingame mechanic introduced during Pokémon Black and White. In these generation five games, each local match included Team Preview. Pokémon Showdown's variant of these two metagames began each match in a way similar to ingame local battles where both players were required to cover the top half of their Nintendo DS with one hand while choosing their lead with the other. This was an arbitrary move to pull when the games themselves allowed players to see their opponent's Pokémon beforehand. Regardless, both metagames were left without Team Preview. The other unique mechanic these two formats had was exclusively unique to Pokémon Showdown's generation six era. In each of the generation six main series games, it became impossible to bring in Pokémon with more EVs than the standard 508 regardless of if players used external devices or websites to hack Pokémon in. Players were still able to play local battles with illegal moves and abilities on any Pokémon. Despite this hefty restriction, Pokémon Showdown still gave each Pokémon access to unlimited EVs, which for its time was largely due to the restriction being left undiscovered.
Upon discovery, both Hackmons and Balanced Hackmons received changes which helped them transition into what they were meant to be. Both formats received an EV limit and Team Preview in order to match up with their present games, transforming into purely hacked iterations of Pokémon. For Balanced Hackmons, there was no turning back. During the week these changes were implemented, the newly-formed Hackmons community became outraged and pleaded for a reverse of these new changes onto their metagame. In response to this outrage, a forum poll was made, splitting Hackmons into two seperate formats. Classic Hackmons reversed the addition of EV Limit and Team Preview and was created to be a simulation of how Hackmons functioned prior to the EV limit discovery. The main Hackmons remained with the EV Limit and Team Preview, but had its name changed to Pure Hackmons. Pure Hackmons was already an alternative name to Hackmons but was made official at this point. The forum poll between Classic Hackmons and Pure Hackmons decided which one of the two formats would persist on Pokémon Showdown. By a mostly unanimous vote, it had been decided for Classic Hackmons to persist as a metagame. In return, Pure Hackmons was diminished into nothingness.
Phase III (2014-2016)
Not long after EV limit and Team Preview were implemented into Hackmons, a twist was made in its fate. Balanced Hackmons was never able to reverse back into its old form in part of a confirmation for it keeping its permanent ladder. Hackmons on the other hand was considered too uncompetitive and insignificant by the forum leaders of which its format was hosted in. This came especially with the poor quality of its thread. As a result of these beliefs, Hackmons was removed from the permanent ladder status and began losing any former recognition it had on Pokémon Showdown. In spite of losing a permanent ladder status, the winning Hackmons variant on the poll between Classic Hackmons and Pure Hackmons was eventually offered a chance to be voted on as a month-long ladder, but for the price of having to wait four months before then. After the loss of its permaladder, the Hackmons community went into a rapid decline, only continuing to drop as the next four months passed. Many notable players from the community had lost touch with Pokémon Showdown and Classic Hackmons. The month after Classic Hackmons was enabled to be a month-long ladder, the metagame was finally able to see itself in spotlight. This was the last month Classic Hackmons ever received a chance to restore its recognition. By the time Classic Hackmons gained its month-long ladder, much of the old Hackmons community had been lost. Most active players who laddered during the month were newer and unfamiliar with the metagame. The remaining Hackmons veterans pleaded for the return of a permanent ladder status throughout the month and afterwards. A month later, Hackmons had once again lost most of its recognition. After Classic Hackmons ended as a ladder, the most common way people found matches was by finding time to play in occasional room tournaments. As expected, the Hackmons community was not satisfied and further demanded reinstatement of its permanent ladder status. The community spent another two and a half months making active attempts to persuade the Other Metas leaders to reconsider as they initially had the format removed. Throughout the two and a half months, attempts were getting more out of hand with most discussions of the metagame being centered around having the permaladder. Eventually any real discussion Classic Hackmons had became overshadowed by the discussion of having its permaladder return, leading up to the metagame being removed from Pokémon Showdown entirely. Classic Hackmons shared its fate with Pure Hackmons, losing any representation it had on Pokémon Showdown. One year after the termination of Classic Hackmons, its thread was deleted entirely.
Phase IV (2015-2018)
For three years following the removal of Classic Hackmons, hardly any discussion regarding its metagame would be made and battles would be rare. However, Pokémon Showdown itself provided updates which made all of its communities more community-friendly. The introduction of groupchats allowed any player to make possible new homes for Hackmons discussion whenever they wanted. Regardless, the idea of creating a new home by groupchats was never practiced in this time frame and everyday opportunities to support Hackmons were missed. The Classic Hackmons moved into a state of no recognition and diminished into nothingness.
Phase V (2018-This Post)
After the removal of Classic Hackmons, there was little to no hope of a return for discussion or truly accessible methods to play the metagame. However, for the past year Pure Hackmons has been given another chance! It was able to be put up into a megathread containing other metagames of its type and has been made more accessible through a unique subroom. The Hackmons community is being recreated from scratch and will hopefully become more expansive in the long run. Classic Hackmons on the other hand will always remain a project lost in memory.
List of terms and definitions to know:
Sharkmons - The original name of Hackmons. Is based on the use of a GameShark device on Pokémon games.
Hackmons - A metagame which allows anything that can be hacked in-game and is usable in local battles.
Balanced Hackmons - A metagame designed to be like Hackmons but with restrictions set in order for the metagame to be less centralized.
Pure Hackmons - Alternative name for Hackmons.
Classic Hackmons - A custom-like variant of Hackmons still allowing anything that can be hacked in-game, but bypassing what can't be usable in local battles with the removal of certain mechanics.
Introduction (Part 2)
Heyo this is Ransei! Welcome to my final RMT of Gen 7. As you can tell I had recently finished playing Undertale and I've been a fan of its battle mechanics and soundtrack for a while. Take this as a 1600th post and a 5th year anniversary post showcasing my favorite team. I've given it lots of personal meaning and in return it has given me lots of great memories. This is the only team I've built to have ever gotten a decent ladder peak in the only type of metagame I've actually strove to become great in. It was mainly used during February 2015 when Classic Hackmons was chosen as OM of the Month. The primary objective was to obtain 88 GXE, as I was once told by a top player that making 88 GXE on Hackmons ladder marked the sign of a great player. This team was built as a second attempt. My first attempt resulted in losing a 20-0 streak using a team weak to Contrary Primal Groudon so I figured building a newer team had to be done.
Since it's been four and a half years since I've played Classic Hackmons ladder and the laptop I've used during the time no longer works, I don't have many images show my records.
Here's a screenshot that was taken after Feburary 2015:
The account we're focusing on is Testing Team 001. I was also Dezertez but that account had a different team used.
Achievements:
28-0 win streak (no evidence)
GXE > 88 (evidence shown in screenshot above)
Ladder Peak (slight evidence shown in replay below)
I no longer have a screenshot for this peak, but it was with 1594 elo in the battle after making 88 GXE.
Before you scroll down, be clear that there are two separate versions of this team here. It was initially a Classic Hackmons team, but now it has updates making it a Pure Hackmons team. Here was the original team: https://pokepast.es/909d7a31de6dba24
I made a couple recent changes to this team before and during the making of this post.
1) The amount EVs on each Pokémon were downgraded to the standard 508, with investments being placed in their most important stats.
2) Mega Audino's Nature changed from Calm to Relaxed, Giratina's Nature changed from Calm to Relaxed, Chansey's Nature changed from Bold to Relaxed, and Gyarados's Nature changed from Adamant to Jolly.
3) Mega Audino, Chansey, and Giratina's Speed IVs were minimized.
4) Mega Mewtwo X had Thousand Arrows replaced with Diamond Storm while Mega Banette received several more series of move changes and even an item change. These include a Diamond Storm being replaced with Thousand Arrows, Pursuit being replaced for Shadow Sneak, and Focus Sash being replaced with Choice Band.
5) Chansey had Stealth Rock replaced with Haze, Skill Swap replaced with U-Turn, and Metal Burst replaced with Whirlwind.
6) Both Mega Mewtwo X's and Mega Audino's Shed Shell items got replaced with Safety Goggles.
7) Giratina's set received an overhaul with Magic Bounce being replaced by Prankster, Mail being replaced by Safety Goggles, Metal Burst being replaced with Haze, and Substitute being replaced by Taunt.
8) Nicknames were cleared from each Pokémon.
9) Shininess on Gyarados was removed.
2) Mega Audino's Nature changed from Calm to Relaxed, Giratina's Nature changed from Calm to Relaxed, Chansey's Nature changed from Bold to Relaxed, and Gyarados's Nature changed from Adamant to Jolly.
3) Mega Audino, Chansey, and Giratina's Speed IVs were minimized.
4) Mega Mewtwo X had Thousand Arrows replaced with Diamond Storm while Mega Banette received several more series of move changes and even an item change. These include a Diamond Storm being replaced with Thousand Arrows, Pursuit being replaced for Shadow Sneak, and Focus Sash being replaced with Choice Band.
5) Chansey had Stealth Rock replaced with Haze, Skill Swap replaced with U-Turn, and Metal Burst replaced with Whirlwind.
6) Both Mega Mewtwo X's and Mega Audino's Shed Shell items got replaced with Safety Goggles.
7) Giratina's set received an overhaul with Magic Bounce being replaced by Prankster, Mail being replaced by Safety Goggles, Metal Burst being replaced with Haze, and Substitute being replaced by Taunt.
8) Nicknames were cleared from each Pokémon.
9) Shininess on Gyarados was removed.
Teambuilding Process
Having been playing Hackmons ladder for a bit over two months prior to its permaladder getting removed, I figured there was still a lot to know about the metagame. Chansey fits the significant role of being a scouter for the team in case I needed to prep more or found the opportunity to sweep and has been notoriously ran as a lead by one of the greatest players during XY. This was originally put as my lead until people started running anti-imposter leads.
Around the time of Classic Hackmons ladder, Mega Audino had been seen as a new figure. It had been nearly two and a half months since ORAS came out and this was Mega Audino's first real opportunity of being present. I've never really tried it before Classic Hackmons ladder but seeing its rising popularity during the time convinced me to try it out. With Arceus-level bulk and amazing type combination this Pokémon had proven to be a great use for this team. Also unlike Arceus, Mega Audino couldn't be stopped by standard Contrary Primal Groudon sets as they mostly relied on Superpower and V-Create. Mega Audino ended up being given a special version of Trambo's Wonder Guard Swampert set and carried on as this team's main lead.
If I wanted to achieve the goal of making 88 GXE, using the best Pokémon in the Gen 6 metagame was a given. Not that it was required in every team but back then I thought I really couldn't be serious without it. Mega Mewtwo X is a massive beast on its own with its Huge Power ability and the variety of coverage moves it could pull off. Many Wonder Guards often have to fear for their lives hoping Mega Mewtwo X didn't have coverage moves they were weak to.
Back then, I didn't know any better than to spam Huge Power Pokémon on serious teams. Mega Banette is an old fellow I've started to use in July 2014 and was on my first ever decent Hackmons team. Here, it's made to partner up with Mega Mewtwo X, taking down opposing Wonder Guards with coverage. This Pokémon often prefers having coverage for slower Wonder Guards since it itself isn't very fast. On this team it was also given Pursuit to trap and KO Mega Mewtwo Y and Deoxys Speed. Alternatively, it carried a unique trait of being able to successfully run STAB Shadow Sneak. Shadow Sneak did enough damage to OHKO the Mega Mewtwo formes and Deoxys Speed. During the making of this RMT Pursuit was replaced with Shadow Sneak.
Still needing a second Wonder Guard for the team, I've decided to add the newly famed Gyarados.
Ever since Feebas4ubers revealed the team he's made 53-0 with during the last stages of XY Hackmons ladder, Gyarados had been considered a highly ideal choice for many Classic Hackmons teams. Never had this Pokémon been as popular it was during the Classic Hackmons OMotM ladder. For this team specifically its role is kept as a sweeper but the set given is safer to use than the one on Feebas's team.
Giratina is the best defensive Pokémon in the Gen 6 metagame and could work itself into fitting in any team. I was not going to throw this opportunity away when considering the goal I had. This particular Giratina carried a famous Curse set a surprising combination of Mail and Metal Burst, which made it unique for its time. The set has recently been replaced to Prankster Haze as the team needed something for set-up sweepers and Mega Banette was given a move that deals with Metal Burst's main target.
The Team
Introducing the team that made 88 GXE and peaked Classic Hackmons ladder! As previously stated it has been modified into a Pure Hackmons team. Before looking down it's important to know that all of these Pokémon were given an odd number of HP. This was because of their known reputation in Pure Hackmons to choose an extra turn of survivability against hazards and other forms of passive damage, especially with Wonder Guards in the metagame. For many of these Pokémon, attacks against them have an all or nothing chance to hit and OHKO.
Audino-Mega @ Safety Goggles
Ability: Wonder Guard
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 0 Spe
- Volt Switch
- Aromatherapy
- Defog
- Whirlwind
"Ew out of all the Generation 5 Pokémon they could've given a Mega Evolution to, why did they choose this one?" - Mitsuki
Audino why, but I can at least tell you this, having a dual Normal/Fairy typing and defenses virtually on par with Arceus, helps Mega Audino serve key cleric roles in Hackmons. Mega Audino is the most defensive Fairy-type Pokémon in the entire metagame with base 103 HP, 126 Defense, and 126 Special Defense. Mega Audino still has weaknesses to Poison and Steel-type but is immune to Ghost-type. Combine these factors and Wonder Guard Xerneas is defensively outclassed. Mega Audino can serve as a great replacement or teammate to other viable Normal-type Wonder Guard Pokémon such as Arceus and Meloetta, as it can fill in for any weakness they have while carrying the same immunity. This particular set is Relaxed Nature with its investments placed with maximum odd HP and maximum Defense for the best chances to survive against physical attackers, most notably Mega Mewtwo X's Gear Grind attack. It was also given minimum Speed for the utilization of slow pivoting. With these investments, Mega Audino is able to take the role of support for this team. It specializes in using moves that affect the entire team while almost being completely immune to trapping. Mega Audino used to carry Shed Shell but due to having a weakness against Spore + setup, it was given Safety Goggles instead. Since this is Pure Hackmons anyway, Pokémon in slot 1 are no longer forced to lead all the time, making situations for Mega Audino much easier as it's now much less vulnerable to Shadow Tag leads. Aside from the change from Shed Shell to Safety Goggles, this set is pretty much a special version of Trambo's signature Swampert set, which carried U-Turn over Volt Switch and Roar over Whirlwind.
Move Descriptions:
Volt Switch: Used as the special alternative to U-Turn in order to help Mega Audino switch out while doing extra damage. It helps because this Pokémon carries higher Special Attack than its Attack and surprisingly does over 50% damage to the common Wonder Guard Gyarados. However, be aware of Ground-types being immune to this move.
Aromatherapy: Used to cure the team of status ailments. Especially helps out against burns, which most of this team absolutely hate getting.
Defog: Used to clear away hazards like Stealth Rock, Spikes, or Toxic Spikes. Particularly helpful here because the Gyarados shown below is weak to rock and lacks recovery moves. In the old iteration it also helped Mega Banette keep its Focus Sash and survive after Focus Sash was broken.
Whirlwind: Used to prevent other Pokémon from trapping or freely setting up on Mega Audino.
Chansey @ Eviolite
Ability: Imposter
Happiness: 127
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- U-Turn
- Whirlwind
- Haze
- Soft-Boiled
There's not much to say about Chansey. The Imposter ability this Pokémon has allows it to transform into any opposing Pokémon on the field, copying their moves, ability, and most of their stats. Despite this, Chansey's differences leave it making a stunning impact on the metagame. It still carries the same 250 base HP and holds access to defensive boosts from Eviolite, making this Pokémon bulkier than anything it transforms into. In this metagame, Imposter is primarily used to scout opposing moves and ability, helping its users prepare better for future turns. It can also sweep on special occasions, but most good teams have two active Wonder Guard Pokémon to prevent this. For its EV and IV spread, all Chansey cares about is having maximum odd HP, maximum Defense, and minimum Speed. This is because HP isn't copied, Chansey takes every Special Attack move regardless of investment when it isn't transformed, and like Mega Audino, Chansey enjoys slow pivoting. Another thing about this Chansey set is, if you look closely, you'll notice its Happiness is placed at 127. This is to evenly distribute the amount of damage Chansey does using the opponent's Return or Frustration, primarily used by Regigigas. Otherwise Regigigas could be tricky to handle depending on which happiness STAB move it's using. Overall, Chansey may do great while it's transformed, but there may be times when it's unable to. If the opposing Pokémon is behind a Substitute or is already transformed into another Pokémon, This Chansey is stuck in its regular form. Here are the moves Chansey could use if it's left in its normal form:
Move Descriptions:
U-Turn: Used to freely bail out against any Pokémon that isn't Wonder Guard. It's placed over Volt Switch because both of Chansey's offensive stats are poor. However, unlike Volt Switch, there isn't a Pokémon whose type is immune to U-Turn. Parting Shot would help freely escape from Wonder Guard Pokémon but it's better to switch out since the chances of them trapping you are more rare than the chances of Chansey being taunted. This Chansey struggles if it gets taunted.
Whirlwind: Used on Chansey if a Pokémon is behind Substitute or is already transformed. Might as well yeet them out so you have better chances of preparing a switch-in. This does not work on Magic Bounce Pokémon however.
Haze: Used if Magic Bounce Pokémon attempt setting up. It's great for clearing stat boosts.
Soft-Boiled: Used because Chansey would very much like a 50% recovery move to help it stay longer in battle. When Chansey cannot transform and its HP isn't full, it's best to recover so when it does transform it's back to being as great as it could be.
Mewtwo-Mega-X @ Safety Goggles
Ability: Huge Power
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Drain Punch
- Leaf Blade
- Play Rough
- Diamond Storm
Due to the combination of base 190 Attack, base 130 Speed, and the Huge Power ability, Mega Mewtwo X is widely known as the best Pokémon in ORAS Hackmons. Mega Mewtwo X is able to outspeed and KO a majority of viable Wonder Guards or even set-up sweepers with its insurmountable variety of reliable coverage options. Mega Mewtwo X carries maximum Attack and maximum Speed for maximum effectiveness. It's that simple. Players may wonder whether to choose Jolly or Adamant Nature but Jolly far exceeds in most cases because speedties can matter greatly. In Hackmons, it's not uncommon to see games decided by whose Mega Mewtwo X moved first. As for Mega Mewtwo X's item, there isn't a particular item this Pokémon cares to cling onto. There are just a couple useful ones. Shed Shell is one of the best options since it helps to avoid the chances of becoming perishtrapped. Despite having Huge Power, Mega Mewtwo X is still possible to perishtrap due to the use of King's Shield. The Mega Mewtwo X on this team used to be given Shed Shell, but the EV limit from Pure Hackmons gave perishtrappers a bigger nerf than any other archetype, making them less threatening to this Pokémon. Now it's given Safety Goggles to help against any Prankster Spore or Mold Breaker sweeper who dares to take a hit beforehand.
Move Descriptions:
Drain Punch: Used as a regular Fighting-type STAB attack to break pure Normal-type Pokémon or hit many non Wonder Guard Pokémon. Helps heal HP in return depending on the amount of damage this move does.
Leaf Blade: Used primarily to go against Mega Swampert, a popular Wonder Guard Pokémon with a quadruple weakness to Grass-type moves. Leaf Blade could also help against Mega Slowbro to an extent if it doesn't carry Fur Coat.
Play Rough: Used to break opposing Wonder Guard Spiritomb/Mega Sableye, opposing Mega Mewtwo X, and Dragon-type Pokémon. This is perhaps the most important move for Mega Mewtwo X. Most targets are often OHKO'd by the move. Giratina however, is bulky enough to take one.
252 Atk Huge Power Mewtwo-Mega-X Play Rough vs. 248 HP / 252+ Def Giratina: 332-392 (66 - 77.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
Banette-Mega @ Choice Band
Ability: Huge Power
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Def / 4 Spe
Impish Nature
- Sacred Fire
- Thousand Arrows
- Gear Grind
- Shadow Sneak
14-Year-Old Ransei disapproved of building any decent Hackmons team without the use of two Huge Power Pokémon. For this team in particular, he wanted another Huge Power to help break what the Mega Mewtwo X couldn't. Mega Banette was a really odd choice at the time since I just recently edited out Pursuit for Shadow Sneak. Honestly without Shadow Sneak this Pokémon lacks a purpose over Mega Mewtwo X. I likely just didn't want to carry the same Pokémon for the sake of not being weak to a particular type. Like the Mega Mewtwo X above this Pokémon holds maximum Attack, but unlike Mega Mewtwo X its Speed doesn't matter as much. The rest of its investment mostly went into Defense. Mega Banette isn't really in the speed range of most of its targets. It outspeeds Mega Audino and gets outsped by Xerneas. Mega Banette also gets outsped by most of the Pokémon it targets with Thousand Arrows. The only notable target in its speed range is Mega Scizor, who isn't likely to run Speed EV investment. Because of this, Mega Banette does not prioritize on Speed, but still keeps a small 4 just in case it has to win speed ties against a Mega Scizor who doesn't care about its speed. Mega Banette could outspeed a Drapion lacking in Speed investment but if this ever were to become a problem for Drapion they could just raise their Speed investment to be above Mega Banette's without any real cost. It was difficult having to decide this Pokémon's Nature and EVs when making this into a Pure Hackmons team, but after digging into Mega Banette's flaws I figured Pursuit was the most important to try getting around, so it was decided for this Pokémon to have maximum Defense with Impish Nature. Mega Banette can get away with this because of the change from Focus Sash to Choice Band, making targets Mega Banette would normally OHKO with Adamant still get OHKO'd regardless of what Nature it is. Back when Classic Hackmons was an OM of the Month ladder, Mega Banette had Pursuit and Diamond Storm instead of Thousand Arrows and Shadow Sneak. This changed recently because the combination of Pursuit, Diamond Storm, and Gear Grind not only ruined Mega Banette's chances against opposing Imposter, but gave opposing Imposter a chance to sweep through the entire team just by transforming into it. Giving a Huge Power moves that hit both of my Wonder Guards was an enormous mistake which should've costed me more games than it had. It's always best to divide moves that hit both of your Wonder Guards among two Huge Power Pokémon, with each carrying just one of the moves.
Move Descriptions
Sacred Fire: Used to target Wonder Guard Pokémon who are weak to Fire-type moves. Most notably Mega Scizor.
Thousand Arrows: Used to target Electric-types, Poison-types and Steel-types. The Electric-types and Poison-types tend to be carrying Wonder Guard with Air Balloon.
Gear Grind: Used to target Wonder Guard Fairy-type Pokémon such as Mega Audino and Xerneas. Also loves to ruin a Mega Aerodactyl's day if it tries to switch in.
Shadow Sneak: Used to OHKO opposing Psychic-type Pokémon such as Mega Mewtwo X, Mega Mewtwo Y, Deoxys-Speed, and Mega Latios. This move is +1 priority so Mega Banette doesn't have to worry about getting outsped. The move can also OHKO any Mega Gengar or Hoopa and can easily 2HKO Giratina. Overall, it runs through a pretty significant portion of the metagame.
Gyarados @ Gyaradosite
Ability: Wonder Guard
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Substitute
- Shell Smash
- Knock Off
- Taunt
Anyone who didn't play Hackmons should be confused by this set. Pokémon don't have to carry Mega Stones to Mega Evolve. Their Mega Evolutions could just be sent out as base forms. Why is this one mega evolving with a stone? In Hackmons, Gyarados carries an almost entirely unique Wonder Guard strategy. Gyarados first preps for setting up using Substitute or Taunt, sets up using Shell Smash, and then Mega Evolves into a Pokémon with Mold Breaker. This beast can very easily bring an end to the opposing team if they're left unprepared. Because Gyarados is a physical sweeper, it prefers having the usual max Attack max Speed EVs. The four remaining EVs don't matter very much but they were put into Defense. Despite being a Wonder Guard, Gyarados thrives off maximum Speed investment to outspeed even Deoxys-Speed after one Shell Smash. It has also been given Jolly Nature to outspeed viable Pokémon as fast as Choice Scarf Mega Rayquaza or Choice Scarf Arceus after using one Shell Smash. Despite all of these sweeping advantages, the Gyarados here oddly carries Knock Off as its only damaging move. This is because sometimes Gyarados prefers having numerous status moves to help it set up successfully. For example, this Pokémon wants Substitute to protect itself from status ailments and block Imposter Chansey, Magic Coat to reflect Sing from Deoxys-Speed, and Taunt to neutralize Prankster Haze and earn a free opportunity to set up again. With Waterfall, it can only choose one of the three and the choice depends on what team it's in. Waterfall could be used over Knock Off for the flinch chances, but Knock Off does more damage, helping more against the likes of Giratina and any Pokémon with an item that doesn't resist Dark-type.
Move Descriptions:
Substitute: Used to block status ailments from moves that don't go through Substitute such as Spore, Toxic, Thunder Wave and even Nuzzle. Also, unless the team has some serious Imposterproof for a Shell Smashed Mega Gyarados, Substitute is perhaps a vital move to put on this thing. The most important thing a sweeper can do is to prevent Chansey from overthrowing them.
Shell Smash: Used to boost Gyarados's Attack, Special Attack, and Speed by +2 at the cost of its defenses lowering by +1. Necessary to help Gyarados sweep. Shift Gear and Belly Drum were alternatives during the time of Classic Hackmons ladder but both are outclassed for various reasons: Shift Gear boosted Attack by +1. Despite it not lowering Gyarados's defenses it's not really necessary considering how Gyarados has the Wonder Guard ability before Mega Evolving and would often get OHKO'd if hit by a coverage move. Belly Drum restricted Gyarados to running non STAB Extreme Speed with or without Shadow Sneak and was significantly easier to stop, as they often lacked moves to counteract status ailments and Prankster Haze. Their attack could also be bopped down by King's Shield, without chance of reliable recovery.
Knock Off: Used to inflict 97.5 BP damage if the opposing Pokémon holds an item and then knocks the item off. Most Pokémon hold an item so it's useful. For Gyarados it's used to sweep through teams with a combination of this BP, Shell Smash boosts, and STAB bonus.
Taunt: Used to block status ailments and neutralize Prankster Haze, giving Gyarados the chance to set up freely.
Giratina @ Safety Goggles
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Relaxed Nature
- Taunt
- Curse
- Recover
- Haze
If you thought the Gyarados set was weird, scroll up and find this Giratina's original set. It used to have Mail and Metal Burst. However, its set has been changed for lots of reasons. Back in Classic Hackmons, Mail was a viable option on Giratina who wanted their item knocked off, but not tricked. This helped OHKO unlimited EV'd Mega Mewtwo X with Metal Burst. Now with the EV limit, due to Mega Mewtwo X not wanting to put investment in HP, Giratina no longer needs Mail. Giratina also doesn't need Metal Burst but because the primary target was Mega Mewtwo X, and since part of my plan with Mega Banette's update was to have it OHKO Mega Mewtwo X, Metal Burst is unnecessary here. This Pokémon used to have Magic Bounce, but with the team being afraid of burns more than any hazard I decided it was more important to have something able to stop the Spore Mold Breaker sweepers this team was weak to. Safety Goggles forces those sweepers to use Knock Off, if they have it, and Giratina could use Taunt to prevent them from setting up overall. If they have already set up, Giratina can use Haze to clear off those boosts while the opposing Pokémon is most likely to use Spore, which is blocked by Safety Goggles. Giratina has maximum odd HP investment and maximum Defense investment because it desires to be as physically bulky as possible, like Mega Audino and Chansey. It might struggle a bit more against Mold Breaker Special Attackers such as Mega Latios, Mega Gengar, Mega Mewtwo Y, or even Mega Rayquaza, but the Mega Banette shreds those up with Shadow Sneak, especially after they set up with Shell Smash. Despite having so many changes from the Classic Hackmons set, I've decided to keep Giratina's signature Curse + Recovery move.
Move Descriptions:
Taunt: Used to prevent opposing Pokémon from setting up or inflicting status ailments from non-attacking moves.
Curse: Used to break Wonder Guard Pokémon or set up sweepers with low HP if Giratina cannot survive. This is Giratina's signature move in Hackmons.
Recover: Used especially if Giratina has Curse. This move makes up for Giratina's significant loss of HP after using Curse and makes up for whatever Giratina sponges from offensive attackers. Overall, it helps Giratina lasts longer in battle.
Haze: Used to clear the stat boosts off opposing Pokémon, stopping them from sweeping.
Checks and Counters
This will be separated into two categories. The Classic Hackmons category displays checks and counters for the initial team during the time it was used on ladder. The Pure Hackmons category displays what checks and counters could still remain after I revised and updated this team.
Importable:
Spore/Taunt Mold Breaker Sweepers: This was the main weakness of the initial team due to lacking sufficient methods to counteract against Mold Breaker Spore and lacking stat boost control. Gyarados and Mega Audino would often get Spore'd and set up on, then KO'd before being able to use Taunt or Whirlwind. Imposter Chansey was the only remaining Pokémon able to handle these types of sweepers, but was often pinned into vicious speed ties, costing the game if it lost them.
Pokémon with Poison/Steel + Rock/Electric-type coverage: It's pretty much inevitable for standard ORAS Hackmons teams to be at least somewhat weak to a combination of moves. If a Pokémon holds a combination of coverage moves both my Wonder Guards are weak to, especially if they are Huge Power, the team can be put into a fair disadvantage. If Pokémon like these are paired up with Deoxys-Speed, the chances of this team losing are higher unless the opponent's main coverage Pokémon is weak to Ghost-type moves. Mega Banette could just run those over with Shadow Sneak.
No Guards with hazards: Ironically this team could also be weak to certain No Guards, as they can throw hazards up without an issue while both of the Wonder Guards on this team lack recovery. It would only be a matter of time before Stealth Rock withers them down. If Giratina was thrown out to bounce these hazards it would risk getting OHKO'd by Sheer Cold. The rest of this team doesn't stand a chance. Like with Spore Mold Breaker sweepers, Imposter Chansey could be an option but easily fails against losing speed ties. Also, No Guards are often much easier for teams to imposterproof. Chansey would have a hard time doing much while transformed into this Pokémon regardless of if it needs to win a speed tie.
Trickscarf: Nothing from this team would like to get tricked into Choice Scarf, especially Mega Audino since its role as a cleric is highly compressed and the ability for this Pokémon to go from one move to the next is crucial. If Toxic Spikes are up for example, Mega Audino would like to use Defog and Aromatherapy or even Defog and Whirlwind. Being restricted to one move could devastate the entire team. Trickscarf could also make this Pokémon much easier for Shadow Tag users to KO as it could be trapped while clearing hazards or healing the entire team.
Imposter: Imposter users could easily gain profit by transforming into most members of this team. With Mega Audino they could clear their own hazards and statuses while being able to do significant amounts of damage to the Gyarados with Volt Switch. Mega Banette has moves both Wonder Guards are weak to in addition to Pursuit. If Chansey transforms into it, Mega Banette could easily be weakened or KO'd and the two Wonder Guards could have a significantly harder time lasting in battle. Giratina would have the opportunity to force it out with Metal Burst but I didn't bother to give this version min speed. Mega Mewtwo X could try pulling off some damage but it holds serious risk of getting a burn, which would leave it being useless. Aside from this, if Chansey transforms into Mega Gyarados after it sets up, it's virtually unstoppable and if Chansey transforms into Giratina it could easily hinder much of my team with Curse + Recover spam.
Spore/Taunt Mold Breaker Sweepers: This was the main weakness of the initial team due to lacking sufficient methods to counteract against Mold Breaker Spore and lacking stat boost control. Gyarados and Mega Audino would often get Spore'd and set up on, then KO'd before being able to use Taunt or Whirlwind. Imposter Chansey was the only remaining Pokémon able to handle these types of sweepers, but was often pinned into vicious speed ties, costing the game if it lost them.
Pokémon with Poison/Steel + Rock/Electric-type coverage: It's pretty much inevitable for standard ORAS Hackmons teams to be at least somewhat weak to a combination of moves. If a Pokémon holds a combination of coverage moves both my Wonder Guards are weak to, especially if they are Huge Power, the team can be put into a fair disadvantage. If Pokémon like these are paired up with Deoxys-Speed, the chances of this team losing are higher unless the opponent's main coverage Pokémon is weak to Ghost-type moves. Mega Banette could just run those over with Shadow Sneak.
No Guards with hazards: Ironically this team could also be weak to certain No Guards, as they can throw hazards up without an issue while both of the Wonder Guards on this team lack recovery. It would only be a matter of time before Stealth Rock withers them down. If Giratina was thrown out to bounce these hazards it would risk getting OHKO'd by Sheer Cold. The rest of this team doesn't stand a chance. Like with Spore Mold Breaker sweepers, Imposter Chansey could be an option but easily fails against losing speed ties. Also, No Guards are often much easier for teams to imposterproof. Chansey would have a hard time doing much while transformed into this Pokémon regardless of if it needs to win a speed tie.
Trickscarf: Nothing from this team would like to get tricked into Choice Scarf, especially Mega Audino since its role as a cleric is highly compressed and the ability for this Pokémon to go from one move to the next is crucial. If Toxic Spikes are up for example, Mega Audino would like to use Defog and Aromatherapy or even Defog and Whirlwind. Being restricted to one move could devastate the entire team. Trickscarf could also make this Pokémon much easier for Shadow Tag users to KO as it could be trapped while clearing hazards or healing the entire team.
Imposter: Imposter users could easily gain profit by transforming into most members of this team. With Mega Audino they could clear their own hazards and statuses while being able to do significant amounts of damage to the Gyarados with Volt Switch. Mega Banette has moves both Wonder Guards are weak to in addition to Pursuit. If Chansey transforms into it, Mega Banette could easily be weakened or KO'd and the two Wonder Guards could have a significantly harder time lasting in battle. Giratina would have the opportunity to force it out with Metal Burst but I didn't bother to give this version min speed. Mega Mewtwo X could try pulling off some damage but it holds serious risk of getting a burn, which would leave it being useless. Aside from this, if Chansey transforms into Mega Gyarados after it sets up, it's virtually unstoppable and if Chansey transforms into Giratina it could easily hinder much of my team with Curse + Recover spam.
Pure Hackmons Team Checks and Counters
This team's updates helped against some of its original checks, most of them are still kept.
Pokémon with Poison/Steel + Rock/Electric-type coverage: This weakness is inevitable unless a sponge is placed into the team for the purpose of resisting these moves. If this is done however the team could be hindered in plenty of other ways, such as a having lack of offense power.
No Guard Mega Lopunny: This team has similar problems with No Guard overall but the difference is, Mega Banette can much more easily deal with the best one. With Shadow Sneak in the way there aren't many other great No Guard Pokémon who could fulfill the role of setting up free hazards. Mega Lopunny however is the best alternative because of its base 135 Speed, and because it carries a feat that helps better against this team than Deoxys-Speed. Since it's Normal-type, Mega Lopunny carries an immunity to Shadow Sneak, allowing it to threaten this team much more than any other No Guard Pokémon.
Trickscarf: Mega Audino does not like getting trickscarfed at all since its role as a cleric is highly compressed and it's crucial for this Pokémon to have the ability to go from Defog to Aromatherapy whenever Toxic Spikes are up, or Defog to Whirlwind whenever it needs to clear hazards but the opposing Pokémon wants to set up.
Imposter: While it's a bit harder for Imposter to succeed against the updated team, the transformation into specific offense Pokémon on this team could still easily lead to an end. If the team is not kept in tact, Imposter still has a chance of reigning over. The removal of Diamond Storm on Mega Banette helped Gyarados find a way to block Imposter on Mega Banette but with the addition of Shadow Sneak and the exclusion of Giratina's Metal Burst, Mega Mewtwo X and Giratina have a much harder time against it.
Phase 1 Replays - Early month ladder
Tornatail987
It's just Alex
Meltanonin
Phase 2 Replays - Mid month ladder and ladder crisis
360noscope is rude
shotglassanhero
PvPNinja1234
Phase 3 Replays - Late month ladder + postladder
tys
TylahTrash
tys
Kim Jung-
Illumise
fromm
LadyLeumas
If you look deeply into some of these Classic Hackmons ladder replays, you'll have every reason to believe I was trying to be fishy for my own selfishness. In the games of some of my mid month ladder replays I was frustrated over my losses and asked players I was losing to for draws which were only done illegally at the time. Here's a backstory behind all of this:
Backstory
During early 2015, players on PS have discovered a method to tie with other users without needing a forcetie from Global Leaders or Administrators. It simply worked by having both players close the PS! tab without forfeiting but while leaving the battle timer off. As the first month of 2015 went on more players became aware of this trick, including ones who were part of a small community of competitive Classic Hackmons players. Players of this small community, including myself, took Hackmons more seriously than anyone had taken most other OMs. Regardless, we only had a ladder to determine our success. Since the permaladder was removed, most players waited until OMotM ladder to get back into Hackmons. I however was eager to continue learning about the metagame. I was fortunate enough to have some of the top players of the community either continue or start training me in preparation for the OMotM ladder. We all hung out on a side server for Classic Hackmons. Throughout the couple months since permaladder, we've continued to anticipate the return of Hackmons through OMotM ladder. Time moved and we were heading towards the end of January 2015 and the Feburary 2015 OMotM ladder was virtually confirmed. The most well known player of this community brought the rest of us over to the Classic Hackmons side server to discuss a plan in hopes of getting all of us high on ladder. The plan to form a pact. On ladder, if one person in the pact encounters another person in the pact, they would agree to draw, preserving both their ladder scores entirely. I was in since I thought this was a friendly thing and believed it was acceptable given how easy and accessible the process was at the time. A few other players were in on this pact and the plan was set. Out of the people on this pact, a few of them actually laddered actively, including myself. Throughout the month I actively tried avoiding anyone I was in pact with for the fear of betrayal. I also knew that if I wasn't betrayed, the game would've been pointless. To my luck, I didn't encounter these players very often despite their activity. I did however encounter one of these players a few times over the month and agreed to draw with them. As for anyone who wasn't in the pact, I'd just beat them. Ladder wasn't very difficult since most great players who played on the Hackmons permaladder had left PS!, were rusty, or became inactive. Many of who I encountered were new players or known Other Metas players who weren't as experienced with the Hackmons metagame. I began gaining streaks I've never gotten before, starting with a 20-0, then built the team in this RMT and went 28-0. I wanted to keep the streak flowing and achieve 88 GXE as fast as I could, no matter what. On Friday the 13th, after hitting 28-0, I've encountered another player I was in pact with. Unlike the other player, this one had a more demeaning and aggressive character. The team they brought had Spore Mold Breaker Regigigas and they decided they weren't going to accept a draw. After getting swept I was completely devastated. I went for another ladder game in hopes of making up for the loss, only to next encounter manu 11 and get destroyed by his dual No Guards. He wasn't a part of the pact, but I was desperate for the draw. After losing I explained the entire scenario to him, which only caused him to temporarily quit PS a few days later for a bit in regret of playing Classic Hackmons. On the match after manu 11 I encountered another player on the pact and was only getting more frustrated. I was completely tilted but didn't care for a draw, especially as I was winning. After the third game I stopped laddering on my Testing Team 001 account for the night and decided to spend the rest of the night building a team with 6 Pikachu and laddering on a new account. The Pikachu team somehow made a 16-0 streak before losing to Mold Breaker Mega Gengar. On the following day I went back into the Testing Team 001 account but was still desperate to achieve my goal, so I tried to make a new pact with another player I was losing against. It wasn't effective and any other attempts to draw with other players failed. I was however still able to draw with the user I originally drew with under the rare chance I'd find them on ladder. After few days of mid month ladder I no longer really cared about drawing and just kept laddering for the 88 GXE. On the night of Feburary 17th I powered my way to making 88 GXE and celebrated. I brought up my achievement in the Other Metas room only for someone to tell me I was one game away from topping the ladder. I was genuinely surprised as I hadn't even checked my ranking on ladder but instead typed /rank to check my GXE. I played one game and my opponent knew about the whole drawing scenario I had a few days back. They were nice and asked if I wanted to draw if I lost. I didn't care since I got the 88 GXE I wanted. Regardless, I won the game and managed to top ladder. I finally became free from my ambition and decided to take the rest of my time enjoying the ladder how I was meant to. I chilled on several accounts and bumped my way up the ladder with them. I would still accept draws from the user I've mostly drew with on these accounts despite not caring as I still perceived it as a friendly thing that was allowed. Overall, I had my fair share of experience during the month of February 2015 and it's something I hope to never forget.
Classic Hackmons Conclusion
I might've made a lot of mistakes with this team and during my run through Classic Hackmons ladder but this team is still well worth posting. Overall, it has made an approximate 56-6 win/loss record and the main user I drew with was a rare encounter who often had higher GXE than me at the time. This team has won most of the games I played during my run through Classic Hackmons ladder and ultimately gave me an experience that was irreplaceable. Funnily enough the experience I had directly relates to the theme of determination. This is the same theme Undertale completely embodies. Never had I been as determined to achieve anything as I was during the month of Feburary 2015. The main lesson I've learned from playing Undertale and looking back into my time playing Classic Hackmons is that determination is the key to success. Thank you for reading this RMT.
Tornatail987
It's just Alex
Meltanonin
Phase 2 Replays - Mid month ladder and ladder crisis
360noscope is rude
shotglassanhero
PvPNinja1234
Phase 3 Replays - Late month ladder + postladder
tys
TylahTrash
tys
Kim Jung-
Illumise
fromm
LadyLeumas
If you look deeply into some of these Classic Hackmons ladder replays, you'll have every reason to believe I was trying to be fishy for my own selfishness. In the games of some of my mid month ladder replays I was frustrated over my losses and asked players I was losing to for draws which were only done illegally at the time. Here's a backstory behind all of this:
Backstory
During early 2015, players on PS have discovered a method to tie with other users without needing a forcetie from Global Leaders or Administrators. It simply worked by having both players close the PS! tab without forfeiting but while leaving the battle timer off. As the first month of 2015 went on more players became aware of this trick, including ones who were part of a small community of competitive Classic Hackmons players. Players of this small community, including myself, took Hackmons more seriously than anyone had taken most other OMs. Regardless, we only had a ladder to determine our success. Since the permaladder was removed, most players waited until OMotM ladder to get back into Hackmons. I however was eager to continue learning about the metagame. I was fortunate enough to have some of the top players of the community either continue or start training me in preparation for the OMotM ladder. We all hung out on a side server for Classic Hackmons. Throughout the couple months since permaladder, we've continued to anticipate the return of Hackmons through OMotM ladder. Time moved and we were heading towards the end of January 2015 and the Feburary 2015 OMotM ladder was virtually confirmed. The most well known player of this community brought the rest of us over to the Classic Hackmons side server to discuss a plan in hopes of getting all of us high on ladder. The plan to form a pact. On ladder, if one person in the pact encounters another person in the pact, they would agree to draw, preserving both their ladder scores entirely. I was in since I thought this was a friendly thing and believed it was acceptable given how easy and accessible the process was at the time. A few other players were in on this pact and the plan was set. Out of the people on this pact, a few of them actually laddered actively, including myself. Throughout the month I actively tried avoiding anyone I was in pact with for the fear of betrayal. I also knew that if I wasn't betrayed, the game would've been pointless. To my luck, I didn't encounter these players very often despite their activity. I did however encounter one of these players a few times over the month and agreed to draw with them. As for anyone who wasn't in the pact, I'd just beat them. Ladder wasn't very difficult since most great players who played on the Hackmons permaladder had left PS!, were rusty, or became inactive. Many of who I encountered were new players or known Other Metas players who weren't as experienced with the Hackmons metagame. I began gaining streaks I've never gotten before, starting with a 20-0, then built the team in this RMT and went 28-0. I wanted to keep the streak flowing and achieve 88 GXE as fast as I could, no matter what. On Friday the 13th, after hitting 28-0, I've encountered another player I was in pact with. Unlike the other player, this one had a more demeaning and aggressive character. The team they brought had Spore Mold Breaker Regigigas and they decided they weren't going to accept a draw. After getting swept I was completely devastated. I went for another ladder game in hopes of making up for the loss, only to next encounter manu 11 and get destroyed by his dual No Guards. He wasn't a part of the pact, but I was desperate for the draw. After losing I explained the entire scenario to him, which only caused him to temporarily quit PS a few days later for a bit in regret of playing Classic Hackmons. On the match after manu 11 I encountered another player on the pact and was only getting more frustrated. I was completely tilted but didn't care for a draw, especially as I was winning. After the third game I stopped laddering on my Testing Team 001 account for the night and decided to spend the rest of the night building a team with 6 Pikachu and laddering on a new account. The Pikachu team somehow made a 16-0 streak before losing to Mold Breaker Mega Gengar. On the following day I went back into the Testing Team 001 account but was still desperate to achieve my goal, so I tried to make a new pact with another player I was losing against. It wasn't effective and any other attempts to draw with other players failed. I was however still able to draw with the user I originally drew with under the rare chance I'd find them on ladder. After few days of mid month ladder I no longer really cared about drawing and just kept laddering for the 88 GXE. On the night of Feburary 17th I powered my way to making 88 GXE and celebrated. I brought up my achievement in the Other Metas room only for someone to tell me I was one game away from topping the ladder. I was genuinely surprised as I hadn't even checked my ranking on ladder but instead typed /rank to check my GXE. I played one game and my opponent knew about the whole drawing scenario I had a few days back. They were nice and asked if I wanted to draw if I lost. I didn't care since I got the 88 GXE I wanted. Regardless, I won the game and managed to top ladder. I finally became free from my ambition and decided to take the rest of my time enjoying the ladder how I was meant to. I chilled on several accounts and bumped my way up the ladder with them. I would still accept draws from the user I've mostly drew with on these accounts despite not caring as I still perceived it as a friendly thing that was allowed. Overall, I had my fair share of experience during the month of February 2015 and it's something I hope to never forget.
Classic Hackmons Conclusion
I might've made a lot of mistakes with this team and during my run through Classic Hackmons ladder but this team is still well worth posting. Overall, it has made an approximate 56-6 win/loss record and the main user I drew with was a rare encounter who often had higher GXE than me at the time. This team has won most of the games I played during my run through Classic Hackmons ladder and ultimately gave me an experience that was irreplaceable. Funnily enough the experience I had directly relates to the theme of determination. This is the same theme Undertale completely embodies. Never had I been as determined to achieve anything as I was during the month of Feburary 2015. The main lesson I've learned from playing Undertale and looking back into my time playing Classic Hackmons is that determination is the key to success. Thank you for reading this RMT.
Pure Hackmons Conclusion and Replays
I hope you enjoyed reading this RMT. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns regarding this post, you can post them down below or message me anywhere at anytime. You can also rate this team. I want this team to be as great as it could be, but with these same six Pokémon since I've shared some of my own hopes and dreams with them. If you do decide to rate, be sure to rate the updated Pure Hackmons version. The old Classic Hackmons version is pointless now.
Importable:
If the opponent used one of my teams in the replay, an asterisk symbol (*) will be shown below.
ha/YlI\gh/T\eR
regirock
manu 11
SamuelBest
(*)
Felines
(*)
regirock
Tmi489
volcanionisgood
superSkylake
(*)
TectonicDestroyer
(*)
ha/YlI\gh/T\eR
regirock
manu 11
SamuelBest
(*)
Felines
(*)
regirock
Tmi489
volcanionisgood
superSkylake
(*)
TectonicDestroyer
(*)
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