Hello to you, Smogon reader. I am Riruia and this is a team I have spent time "cooking up" that I would like to show off to you today. I name this RMT after one of my favorite Halo montages:
The story of this RMT is a loooong one, so buckle up as you're in for a treat:
So it was the best of times, it was the worst of times on the OU ladder. I was listening to my favorite podcast, The Lex Fridman Podcast, when amongst the intellectual discussion between the host Lex and his guest Sam Altman, a conversation surrounding AI arose. While I'd describe myself as an "AI novice", I think I have a pretty wide range of AI knowledge that I've picked up on from reading various reddits, at least putting me above the knowledge of that of an average citizen (shoutout to Reddit btw, you're my homies). Regardless, among the important conversation, Lex makes a quip at Sam in regards to his philosophical knowledge. I found this awe-inspiring. The sheer wit that Lex produced was a sparkle in the mind - a beauty only seen of that by the eye. That beautiful conversation inspired me to make this team.
Alongside that conversation, I was recently trawling through the depths of old ThunderBlunder videos and old PokeaimMD content. I was thinking, in a more abstract and philosophical sense, could these videos be considered art? I think, as I'm sure many of you do, that artistic taste is entirely subjective - an incredibly personal thing that does not conform to any sense of normality. Watching some of the old Pokeaim videos in particular, just the sheer knowledge that Joey is able to give off about any tier, any generation, any pokemon is astounding. I thought that, alongside the humorous element of these videos, that these videos are art. Just pure art. But to classify these videos as an art piece, we must look at the definition of art in the dictionary:
I mean, looking at both of these definitions, they certainly fit the bill. Creative skill and imagination certainly come to mind, the abstract commentary, the humorous quips given by that of both CTC and CBB, the "banter" that flies around back and forth - I think you could make a case for these old videos being a work of art. Not to mention the "emotional power" in the first definition - is there any emotion more powerful than that of nostalgia? Anywho I've gone on enough - here is the team:
HearMeRoar (Heatran) @ Air Balloon
Ability: Flash Fire
Tera Type: Grass
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 212 SpD / 40 Spe
Calm Nature
- Magma Storm
- Earth Power
- Taunt
- Stealth Rock
I mean what is there to say about Heatran? It's bold - no I'm not referring to its nature for any wise guy to pipe up and comment that "oh actually it's calm" - it's brave and it's Heatran. Heatran provides a solid, and I mean SOLID, resist to a great deal of common attacking types in the game. Bug? Resisted. Fire? It's IMMUNE. Fairy? QUAD RESIST. Putting rocks on Heatran felt like a no brainer, I mean come on, Heatran without rocks feels absurd. Air Balloon provides it with that added security against opposing pokemon like Great Tusk who may feel crafty and attempt to hit earthquake or Landorus-Therian who can get hard walled and forced into clicking U-turn.
Dark Shadows.. (Corviknight) @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
Tera Type: Water
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Impish Nature
- Body Press
- U-turn
- Roost
- Defog
CORVIKNIGHT IS A BEAST. Way to eat up and boss around Corvi! Corvi Corvi is able to just tank. Providing that needed Defog support, as I am not reliant on heavy duty boots, Corviknight pays a crucial role as a perfect ground resist. Able to just sponge hits like when a noob uses a riot shield in MW2 (call back for any OG gamers), Corviknight falls in line with the defensive core of this team. U-Turn maintains momentum, Body Press is able to hit threats like Kingambit for 4x damage and other attacking Pokemon that are weak or vulnerable to fighting moves. I love Corviknight, if it was an employee of mine I'd give it a raise and overtime for sure. Not to mention - the majesticness of the bird itself? As black as the night, existing almost covertly, Corviknight emanates a mysterious aura that is just so damn captivating.
Dangerous Plant (Hydrapple) @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Regenerator
Tera Type: Fairy
EVs: 248 HP / 192 Def / 56 SpA / 12 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Nasty Plot
- Giga Drain
- Earth Power
- Fickle Beam
An underrated mon for sure, Hydrapple is able to sponge hits like a noob using a riot shield in Black Ops 2. Thanks to regenerator, Hydrapple is able to switch in, take a hit and gain it all back next turn. Boots felt like a no-brainer on this one, as when paired with regenerator, the negated hazard damage allows for the longevity of the Pokemon throughout the game. More specifically on this team, Hydrapple is a much needed water resist. Nasty Plot allows Hydrapple to function as a secondary win-con almost, which gives my team offensive pressure as well as being able to act as a defensive wall. Defensive was chosen over Specially Defensive in this instance, as I felt like my team was more capable of handling special threats in comparison to physical attackers.
Checkmate...? (Kingambit) @ Leftovers
Ability: Supreme Overlord
Tera Type: Fairy
EVs: 212 HP / 252 Atk / 44 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Kowtow Cleave
- Sucker Punch
- Low Kick
Well, I'm sure you all expected this one. Let's just be real for a second, who DOESN'T run Kingambit? If anyone doesn't use this Pokemon, I'd like to see a show of hands. Hm? No one? I thought as much. Kingambit is like the UMP-45 from MW2, or alternatively, like the MSMC from BO2. It's something you don't really leave home without. Providing crucial resists and having a priority attack in sucker punch, Kingambit truly holds this team together. Using Kingambit feels more tantamount to using my queen on a chess board rather than my king. I understand the name is supposed to be a reference to the famous chess opening "King's Gambit" but I feel like more milage would've been gotten from naming it Queengambit instead? The King is ultimately a useless piece, only existing to symbolize your existence in the game of chess. On the topic of chess, I had a thought as of recent, if Smogon made rules for chess - surely the Queen piece would be banned? I think whoever invented chess didn't recognize the sheer capability of the Queen. The Queen is like if you could use Choice Specs, Choice Scarf and Choice Band all at once while holding a life orb; it's OP AF. It also wrecks novices on the chess board with ease - it's like the Hyper Offense of Chess. Chess Viability Rankings I would 100% put the Queen in S rank, maybe I'd put the horse in A- too, who knows.
The Blob (Blissey) (F) @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Natural Cure
Tera Type: Dark
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Seismic Toss
- Calm Mind
- Soft-Boiled
- Shadow Ball
Blissey blob Blissey blob. Blissey is a good specially defensive backbone, and given the bulkier nature of the team, it fit well here. Able to sponge every and all special attacking Pokemon, Blissey also has utility in Calm Mind and Shadow Ball as a way to stop the team from losing to Gholdingo outright. If I'm being perfectly honest, I hate Blissey, having to use it on my team is painful. Making sacrifices is part of the game though. As much as I hate, detest, outright loathe this Pokemon it fits very well on this team and I've had good success with it. I'd recommend picking it up and trying to use it yourself too.
Noble Steed (Keldeo-Resolute) @ Leftovers
Ability: Justified
Tera Type: Water
EVs: 252 HP / 94 SpA / 100 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Calm Mind
- Substitute
- Secret Sword
- Surf
Keeping on the Chess theme, Keldeo felt like a very good and obvious wincon to include. Having a physical attacking wincon in Kingambit, I felt like adding Keldeo to the mix made sense. It acts as a good water resist, and with the disappearance of Toxapex in Gen 9, it's stabs are better than ever. Unfortunately, Scald was removed and Surf has to be used instead. While you do gain an extra 10 points of damage with Surf, not being able to burn your opponent sucks. Keldeo, unlike the horse in Chess, is not restricted to only moving in an L shape across the board. It's versatile, and with a bulkier set in Substitute Calm Mind it can act as a decent wall, being able to beat menaces such as Kingambit or Great Tusk.
And that, ladies and gentleman, is the team. The idea was to build around Keldeo and Hydrapple and go from there - the other mons more so exist as defensive support to allow these two to shine. I have gotten to around 1400-1500s with this team, so while it isn't anything to go crazy over, it's a pretty solid range to survive at. I want to thank you all for reading, to finish this RMT off, I have collected some final thoughts compiled in a spolier tag to save this RMT from being longer than it should be, please read if you would like:
I am open to all and any suggestions. While the team is centered around Keldeo, advice will be taken on board if there is anything to improve.
You can find an importable of this team here: https://pokepast.es/b7800432ab2c8a10
~~ Sand Man ~~
The story of this RMT is a loooong one, so buckle up as you're in for a treat:
So it was the best of times, it was the worst of times on the OU ladder. I was listening to my favorite podcast, The Lex Fridman Podcast, when amongst the intellectual discussion between the host Lex and his guest Sam Altman, a conversation surrounding AI arose. While I'd describe myself as an "AI novice", I think I have a pretty wide range of AI knowledge that I've picked up on from reading various reddits, at least putting me above the knowledge of that of an average citizen (shoutout to Reddit btw, you're my homies). Regardless, among the important conversation, Lex makes a quip at Sam in regards to his philosophical knowledge. I found this awe-inspiring. The sheer wit that Lex produced was a sparkle in the mind - a beauty only seen of that by the eye. That beautiful conversation inspired me to make this team.
Alongside that conversation, I was recently trawling through the depths of old ThunderBlunder videos and old PokeaimMD content. I was thinking, in a more abstract and philosophical sense, could these videos be considered art? I think, as I'm sure many of you do, that artistic taste is entirely subjective - an incredibly personal thing that does not conform to any sense of normality. Watching some of the old Pokeaim videos in particular, just the sheer knowledge that Joey is able to give off about any tier, any generation, any pokemon is astounding. I thought that, alongside the humorous element of these videos, that these videos are art. Just pure art. But to classify these videos as an art piece, we must look at the definition of art in the dictionary:
I mean, looking at both of these definitions, they certainly fit the bill. Creative skill and imagination certainly come to mind, the abstract commentary, the humorous quips given by that of both CTC and CBB, the "banter" that flies around back and forth - I think you could make a case for these old videos being a work of art. Not to mention the "emotional power" in the first definition - is there any emotion more powerful than that of nostalgia? Anywho I've gone on enough - here is the team:
HearMeRoar (Heatran) @ Air Balloon
Ability: Flash Fire
Tera Type: Grass
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 212 SpD / 40 Spe
Calm Nature
- Magma Storm
- Earth Power
- Taunt
- Stealth Rock
I mean what is there to say about Heatran? It's bold - no I'm not referring to its nature for any wise guy to pipe up and comment that "oh actually it's calm" - it's brave and it's Heatran. Heatran provides a solid, and I mean SOLID, resist to a great deal of common attacking types in the game. Bug? Resisted. Fire? It's IMMUNE. Fairy? QUAD RESIST. Putting rocks on Heatran felt like a no brainer, I mean come on, Heatran without rocks feels absurd. Air Balloon provides it with that added security against opposing pokemon like Great Tusk who may feel crafty and attempt to hit earthquake or Landorus-Therian who can get hard walled and forced into clicking U-turn.
Dark Shadows.. (Corviknight) @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
Tera Type: Water
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Impish Nature
- Body Press
- U-turn
- Roost
- Defog
CORVIKNIGHT IS A BEAST. Way to eat up and boss around Corvi! Corvi Corvi is able to just tank. Providing that needed Defog support, as I am not reliant on heavy duty boots, Corviknight pays a crucial role as a perfect ground resist. Able to just sponge hits like when a noob uses a riot shield in MW2 (call back for any OG gamers), Corviknight falls in line with the defensive core of this team. U-Turn maintains momentum, Body Press is able to hit threats like Kingambit for 4x damage and other attacking Pokemon that are weak or vulnerable to fighting moves. I love Corviknight, if it was an employee of mine I'd give it a raise and overtime for sure. Not to mention - the majesticness of the bird itself? As black as the night, existing almost covertly, Corviknight emanates a mysterious aura that is just so damn captivating.
Dangerous Plant (Hydrapple) @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Regenerator
Tera Type: Fairy
EVs: 248 HP / 192 Def / 56 SpA / 12 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Nasty Plot
- Giga Drain
- Earth Power
- Fickle Beam
An underrated mon for sure, Hydrapple is able to sponge hits like a noob using a riot shield in Black Ops 2. Thanks to regenerator, Hydrapple is able to switch in, take a hit and gain it all back next turn. Boots felt like a no-brainer on this one, as when paired with regenerator, the negated hazard damage allows for the longevity of the Pokemon throughout the game. More specifically on this team, Hydrapple is a much needed water resist. Nasty Plot allows Hydrapple to function as a secondary win-con almost, which gives my team offensive pressure as well as being able to act as a defensive wall. Defensive was chosen over Specially Defensive in this instance, as I felt like my team was more capable of handling special threats in comparison to physical attackers.
Checkmate...? (Kingambit) @ Leftovers
Ability: Supreme Overlord
Tera Type: Fairy
EVs: 212 HP / 252 Atk / 44 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Kowtow Cleave
- Sucker Punch
- Low Kick
Well, I'm sure you all expected this one. Let's just be real for a second, who DOESN'T run Kingambit? If anyone doesn't use this Pokemon, I'd like to see a show of hands. Hm? No one? I thought as much. Kingambit is like the UMP-45 from MW2, or alternatively, like the MSMC from BO2. It's something you don't really leave home without. Providing crucial resists and having a priority attack in sucker punch, Kingambit truly holds this team together. Using Kingambit feels more tantamount to using my queen on a chess board rather than my king. I understand the name is supposed to be a reference to the famous chess opening "King's Gambit" but I feel like more milage would've been gotten from naming it Queengambit instead? The King is ultimately a useless piece, only existing to symbolize your existence in the game of chess. On the topic of chess, I had a thought as of recent, if Smogon made rules for chess - surely the Queen piece would be banned? I think whoever invented chess didn't recognize the sheer capability of the Queen. The Queen is like if you could use Choice Specs, Choice Scarf and Choice Band all at once while holding a life orb; it's OP AF. It also wrecks novices on the chess board with ease - it's like the Hyper Offense of Chess. Chess Viability Rankings I would 100% put the Queen in S rank, maybe I'd put the horse in A- too, who knows.
The Blob (Blissey) (F) @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Natural Cure
Tera Type: Dark
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Seismic Toss
- Calm Mind
- Soft-Boiled
- Shadow Ball
Blissey blob Blissey blob. Blissey is a good specially defensive backbone, and given the bulkier nature of the team, it fit well here. Able to sponge every and all special attacking Pokemon, Blissey also has utility in Calm Mind and Shadow Ball as a way to stop the team from losing to Gholdingo outright. If I'm being perfectly honest, I hate Blissey, having to use it on my team is painful. Making sacrifices is part of the game though. As much as I hate, detest, outright loathe this Pokemon it fits very well on this team and I've had good success with it. I'd recommend picking it up and trying to use it yourself too.
Noble Steed (Keldeo-Resolute) @ Leftovers
Ability: Justified
Tera Type: Water
EVs: 252 HP / 94 SpA / 100 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Calm Mind
- Substitute
- Secret Sword
- Surf
Keeping on the Chess theme, Keldeo felt like a very good and obvious wincon to include. Having a physical attacking wincon in Kingambit, I felt like adding Keldeo to the mix made sense. It acts as a good water resist, and with the disappearance of Toxapex in Gen 9, it's stabs are better than ever. Unfortunately, Scald was removed and Surf has to be used instead. While you do gain an extra 10 points of damage with Surf, not being able to burn your opponent sucks. Keldeo, unlike the horse in Chess, is not restricted to only moving in an L shape across the board. It's versatile, and with a bulkier set in Substitute Calm Mind it can act as a decent wall, being able to beat menaces such as Kingambit or Great Tusk.
And that, ladies and gentleman, is the team. The idea was to build around Keldeo and Hydrapple and go from there - the other mons more so exist as defensive support to allow these two to shine. I have gotten to around 1400-1500s with this team, so while it isn't anything to go crazy over, it's a pretty solid range to survive at. I want to thank you all for reading, to finish this RMT off, I have collected some final thoughts compiled in a spolier tag to save this RMT from being longer than it should be, please read if you would like:
I think Pokemon is a beautiful game, a wonderful, masterpiece of the video game genre. Sitting at home and playing through the story, immersing yourself in the surroundings and music that is oh so beautiful - it's great. My favorite past time is to play Pokemon Platinum and listen to the Lex Fridman podcast, or on occasion, the Joe Rogan Experience. I had a debate with a buddy of mine on which podcast is better - I don't dislike Joe Rogan, but I feel like he can veer towards supporting that of more populist beliefs. I think Lex has a sort of pragmatism that you don't really find with Joe, and I certainly think he gives more pushback towards his guests in comparison to Joe. My buddy disagreed, stating that while Joe can dip his toes into that of right-wing populism, it shouldn't be enough to discard the wide range of guests he has on. I agreed and nodded my head, but I still disagree that his podcast is better as a whole. The debate between me and my buddy turned pretty nasty (We made up later on) and we never really reached a conclusion. Regardless, playing Platinum and listening to Lex discuss a wide range of topics with his guest is fascinating. I love when he talks about AI. I have a huge interest in AI and how it's going to shape the future and Lex just seems to have guests lining up to talk about it. I personally think the impact of AI is understated, and will have a giant impact on our day to day lives. Could you imagine most jobs becoming automated? I think it would be difficult for the economy to adjust. The economic fall out of loss of employment en masse, while inevitable, could be disastrous for our society. I just hope that everything goes ok, AI is exciting, but it's important to understand that economic and social implications can arise as a consequence of the advancement of artificial intelligence. Imagine if my favorite game studio, Bungie, went bankrupt? Halo has had such a profound impact on my life, and while it is merely a video game, it is a video game that holds a special place in my heart. Owning noobs on the routine at blood gulch? It was an insane time - something that couldn't really be replicated now. I also loved how you played as Master Chief, the most badass protagonist of ALL TIME in a video game. Master Chief reminds me of the Queen piece in Chess, Bungie should've considered how OP and bad ass he was prior to including him.
I am open to all and any suggestions. While the team is centered around Keldeo, advice will be taken on board if there is anything to improve.
You can find an importable of this team here: https://pokepast.es/b7800432ab2c8a10
