Tournament Smogon Exhibition II: LC Discussion

Fille

Afk
is a Pre-Contributor
LCPL Champion


With Smogon Exhibition II underway, this thread will be used to discuss LC related topics, whether it's about the players, general metagame trends, matches, predictions and so on. I will update this thread frequently with each new week, player standings, and replays.
Smogon Exhibition Schedule
Pricelist


Potential LC'ers:
Alolan Island Hoppers:
Kushalos, Tko, HT, London13
Cinnabar Firedogs: Heysup, Luthier, Alkione, Frisoeva
Relic Castle Fossils: Eternal Spirit, Sken, Tazz, Fatty
Lake Valor Guardians: Taranteeeno, Shrug, trash, Teal6
Victory Road Elites: Toadow, tcr, Wabane, Rozes, Kaori, Vooper
Striaton City Snackers: Osh, Fille, LilyAC
Mauville City Magnets: Xayah, Ninjadog13, BurntZebra
Dragon's Den Drakes: Kingler12345, Plas, Chill Shadow, Serene Grace

Replays

BurntZebra 5-1
Toadow 4-1
Heysup 4-2
LilyAC 4-2
Luthier 4-2
Plas 4-2
Mikaav 2-0
Serene's Grace 2-0
fatty 3-2
Fille 3-2
Ninjadog13 3-2
Osh 1-0
Taranteeeno 2-2
Teal6 1-1
Kingler12345 2-2
tazz 2-3
Shrug 1-2
Casparovv 0-1
Many 0-1
Santu 0-1
tcr 0-1
TonyFlygon 0-1
Xayah 0-1
Sken 0-2
tko 0-2
Wabane 0-2
HT 1-4
London13 0-3
Vooper 0-3
Approved by Quote, OP stolen from TJ cheers man made this easy
 
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sister

Banned deucer.
A lot of solid talent on each team, but here are my Official Team Power Rankings:
8. Mauville City Magnets
The team's got good players but as a collective I'm not sure they stand up to the other teams LC rosters. I'm sure we're bound to see some neat sets and teams from them, though.
7. Cinnabar Firedogs
I'll never be one to question Heysup's skills, but I haven't seen enough from the other players to really judge how they'll do. Maybe Heysup will be enough to carry them, or maybe they'll all show up and take some Ws. Either way I'm not sure.
6. Alolan Island Hoppers
I've seen enough battles from Kushalos and Tko to know they'll be a definite force in the tour. HT and London13 to top it off as well. I see them performing well, but it'll still be a tough battle to overcome the other teams.
5. Lake Valor Guardians
A good set of accomplished players here, plus you got FLCL and passion in the back, who can probably bring something good to the LC matches.
4. Striaton City Snackers
I've only seen good things from Osh and LilyAC, the latter especially brings some really heat teams. Being the only two LCers on their team (not so sure on Fgoat) may put them at a disadvantage compared to other teams, though.
3. Relic Castle Fossils
A solid set of players with raiza and hamhamhamham in the back, who I know can bust out some serious LC matches.
2. Dragon's Den Drakes
This team is pretty stacked, honestly. It's going to be tough for any team to really muster past this core of well-established LC tournament players.
1. Victory Road Elites
It's impossible for me to say this team isn't the top for LC in this tournament. 6 top LC players, and thats not even factoring in Levi and dcae as managers. Even if they can't play (not sure if managers can play though I'm assuming not) their input in teambuilding will put this team at an incredible advantage.

Good luck to all!
 

ninjadog

levi of the decade
is a Tiering Contributoris a defending SCL Champion
Power Rankings:
7. Alolan Island Hoppers
In last place are the Hoppers, who look to be relying on a likely to be unmotivated tko, the unproven London and a variety of non-LC mains headlined by HT. tko at his peak would clearly be one of the top LCers, however he hasn't shown anything resembling that kind of ability or effort as of late, making it hard to see him recapturing that form, and the fact he's been benched for w1 only adds to the concerns. London is the lone LC starter not to make a LCWC team and this is paired with a lack of success in any individual LC tournaments, however he is capable of good results and will likely be putting more effort into this than a lot of the more established players, especially given he has more to prove. HT is one of the better LC players as far as non-mains go, but isn't really the person you want headlining your LC division.
6. Cinnabar Firedogs
The Firedogs are led by LC veteran Heysup, with just one other LC main in Luthier on the roster. Frisoeva would likely be the first choice sub and is coming off a strong fall seasonal where he finished in 4th but doesn't have a lot of LC experience outside of this, whilst Alkione who is enjoying a strong LCWC (4-1) season in DPP could also potentially provide support. Heysup with his unique and creative team building is well-suited to Bo1 games, and is in strong form after a good snake and winning the fall seasonal. It's after him that the Firedogs LC brigade falls apart, with the inconsistent Luthier, who despite strong showings in other tiers and a Grand Slam playoff appearance, is yet to really establish himself as a top LC player and starter at this level, whilst the backup should one of these two falter leaves a lot to be desired.
5. Victory Road Elites
Like much of their draft, the Elite's LC selections were marred by poor managerial skills from Corporal Levi. Whilst Toadow is undoubtedly a good player, the decision to purchase him for 11k at around the time the Magnets picked up two similarly skilled players in Ninjadog13 and BurntZebra for a combined 8k further highlighted how badly outclassed Levi and dcae were in drafting ability. Their other options in tcr, Wabane, and Viper could do well but all have noticeable weaknesses, namely rust/lack of recent results, inexperience, and a refusal to use fighting-types respectively.
4. Relic Castle Fossils
The Fossils could be underrated here, depending on the motivation and activity levels of 15k purchase Sken, however him not being named in the w1 lineup is a concern. LC Open finalist Tazz is a solid starter and should put in a good performance, and fatty has looked good in LCWC though despite his proficiency in old gens there are still question marks over the lack of tournament SM he's played. Whilst I wouldn't expect him to play LC in this tournament, Eternal Spirit is more than capable of filling in where required.
3. Striaton City Snackers
The Snackers have gone with the MDL core of Osh, Fille, and Lily, and at first glance it looks to have paid off despite spending maybe slightly more than ideal on them. Fille had a strong year in individual tours, securing an LC circuit playoff spot early in the year and his creative sets will look to catch people off-guard here as he aims to rebound from a disappointing LCWC (not in terms of personal record) leading Team Europe. Lily is in red hot form in LCWC having pulled off 4 straight wins over tough opposition, though she has yet to fully prove herself due to an absence of success in individual tournaments. Osh whilst not expected to play LC at least at first provides very strong cover should one of Fille or Lily struggle, posting a decent record in LCWC and making Losers finals in circuit playoffs.
2. Lake Valor Guardians
The Lake Valor Guardians have compiled a very strong LC group, even if LC's #1 builder trash does not at all involve himself in their LC building/playing. Shrug headlines the group and is a top LCer in excellent form in circuit playoffs, whilst they have a range of options for the second slot, most notably Teeno and Teal. Teal if he wants to play LC is likely the best long-term option here after going positive in snake, as whilst Teeno is capable of getting big wins his consistency is highly questionable after some shaky recent performances in LCWC and a general struggle in individual tournaments in 2018.
1. Dragon's Den Drakes
With the #1 LCer in the pool Kingler12345 leading the way, it's hard not to rank the Drakes as #1. Kingler is partnered with another strong LCer in Plas who also shared a Snake team with him, adding to their synergy. On the bench is Asia captain and one of LCers most controversial figures in Serene's Grace, who went for just 3k after signing up as a PU main but one would think if he were to play on this team it'd most likely be in LC. Serene is likely the single best back-up in this tour to go with an already strong starting duo, making the Drakes the clear #1.
 

Camden

Hey, it's me!
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The only reason Sken isn't in the line-up is because he asked for the week off to focus on exam study. He'll be back next week. Regardless, I have faith in fatty and tazz and expect a couple of strong wins.
 

Fille

Afk
is a Pre-Contributor
LCPL Champion
PLAYER RANKINGS
in big letters with a weird font because I lack a banner

Before getting into this, this list was based on the starting LC slots of week 1 so sorry Sken, Tko and Tcr :( Other than that, thanks to the LCWC managers for providing their thoughts, especially Coconut for helping me with the good descriptions.

#1, Kingler12345, 1,67
Being one of the bigger household names of LC, Kingler’s got an impressive past and is generally considered one of the best LCers hands down. While being slightly inconsistent, even at his worst he’s a solid player and generally a good pick for Drakes. With solid help from former Snake teammate Plas, Kingler is likely to pull a solid run through this tour.

#2, Ninjadog, 2,83
Being hyped up and recognised in the LC tour scene early 2018, Ninja has had an impressive year reaching circuit playoffs and gotten far in numerous single man tournaments, while otherwise staying mostly even in team tournaments with a 3-3 in LCWC so far and a more impressive 5-2 in LCPL. Ninja has proven to be a reliable player, and is likely to at least go even or better this tournament.

#3, Shrug, 3,86
Shrug did really well in his first Snake tournament, going positive against many of LC’s finest, and is a hot name still to this very day. While not having an impressive show this year in team tournaments, he has been able to reach Semifinals in the LC Circuit Playoffs through the winner brackets, taking down many a big LCer. Shrug is definitely a player capable of playing LC to a very high level and is one of the most frightening names in this tour capable of winning games with Alolan-Geodude. Having one of the best teambuilding supports in Trash means he is likely to have a hot run this Exhibition.

#4, Heysup, 4
Heysup is one of the oldest LCers still playing, and while he’s one of the most fmous LCers in this tournament and one of the all-time scariest players, he’s been a bit lacking lately compared to his earlier years. Still, a lacking Heysup is still able to be drafted for one of the best Snake teams and get to the LC Circuit Playoffs, and being known for his weird team selections, Heysup will be a scary player to face for anyone.

#5 Toadow, 4,67
One of the freshest names on this list, Toadow made an impressive appearance through Seasonals and KOTH. This up-and-coming LCer is already a name to be afraid of, but his team choices are often very similar and basic compared to the players ranked above him which leaves him one of the easier players to counterteam amongst the upper echelon of this tour. Still, Toadow should be able to pull out a solid record, allredy having copped his first win of this tournament.

#6 Tazz 5,57
While being more known for playing good ORAS, Tazz is without a doubt a solid USM player. Being able to reach LC Circuit Playoffs as well as getting a 4-2 record in LCPL (notably in older gens), Tazz has proved he’s a solid player overall, although this being gen 7 might not be to his benefit vs other players who are more versed in this gen. His win week 1 vs big gun Shrug makes it apparent though that he is fully capable to get a positive run, and might end up being more known for gen 7 after this tour.

#7 BurntZebra, 6,83
Being yet one of the fresher names in this tournament, Levi made a big deal out of him back in the spring of 2018 and for a good reason. While his LCPL run was above average, his LCWC run hasn’t been quite up there yet, so this could be the tournament where Zebra proves he truly is one of the best LC players at the moment. However, he’s got heavy competition from many more experienced players, so it will be tough.

#8, Plas, 7,14
While not playing any games in Snake, he was still drafted and proved himself a valuable building asset, and having a generally solid tour record to show off from individual tournaments and reaching LC Circuit Playofs, he still has a bit to prove when it comes to team tournaments. This may be the year Plas takes one of the top slots, especially if Kingler can provide him with some solid backup, and his week 1 win might’ve been what kicks this off.

#9, Fille, 9,6
Fille has been quickly rising as one of the more upstanding members of the community. While his recent placings do not quite show his skill, his ranking is absolutely nothing to scoff at. He has an eye for creativity and he is absolutely not afraid to experiment with his teams whatsoever. However, his greatest strength also happens to be his greatest weakness, as he will often go overboard with the creativity. Hopefully, his teammates in Osh and LilyAC will be able to ensure he does not get too zealous.

#10, Fatty, 9,71
Despite being relatively inactive this year, Fatty has been a great player for a long time, playing in SPL 8 amongst other big tournaments. However, his inactivity has possibly left him rusty, and while he came back for LCWC with a solid 4-1 record, proving he’s still capable of playing to a high level, he’s got a life and might not have the time to give as much for this tournament compared to the other players in the pool.

#11, Wabane, 10,33
Being the freshest face in this tournament, Wabane is fresh off a 2-4 record from LCWC. Despite this though, he has solid backing in Dcae and Levi as managers, as well as his fellow frenchman Toadow, both of which makes an excellent pair, and while his results from the past world cup aren’t great, he has shown a capacity to play pokemon at a high level and has the potential to cause an upset in his first major team tournament.

#12, LilyAC, 10,6
As one of the more consistent LC players as of late, LilyAC makes her debut in her first major team tour. While she lacks the experience of some of the players higher on this list, it is remedied by solid teambuilding and generally safe plays. With a successful managing campaign in LCWC, LilyAC is certainly no joke of a player. Having results in the LC circuit tours, LilyAC's biggest weakness might be tournament nerves, as she lacks real experience in major team tours.

#13, Luthier, 10,67
3-1 in LCWC is not bad, but LCPL records and just above average singles tournaments showings leaves Luthier at one of the lower spots. Still, Luthier has shown he is a capable player, and coming off of an impressive Open run where he reached playoffs, it’s not difficult to say that Luthier has the potential to end up being one of the bigger names in this tournament. With solid teambuilding support from Heysup, Luthier is definitely still a scary player.

#14, HT, 11
Being the only starting player who doesn’t main LC, that’s really all HT has going for him. In a pool with arguably many of the most creative LC players, it’s going to be tough going up in a meta one’s not as familiar with as the rest. However, HT got a decent showing in past LC Teamtours, and has time after time proven he’s a top-tier tourplayer, with showing in many major tours including SPL.

#15, Taranteeeno, 12,8
Another fresh face, Taranteeeno isn’t coming off from a very impressive LCWC run. While his LCPL run started out well with a 2-0, it quickly dropped to an even 2-2, and leaves little to desire. Still, being drafted for exhibition from an actual competitive LC pool does mean something, and with some support form Shrug this could be Taranteeenos chance to impress, which is fully possible he’s definitely a solid player.

#16, London13, 13,14
The lowest ranked player on this list, but still quite the competent player. While he didn’t play in LCWC, he did have an impressive showing in BLT, going 3-0 vs an actual ok LC pool, and while 2-2 in LCPL isn’t impressive, it also shows that he isn’t someone to just trample over. London certainly has a lot to prove, and while he’s ranked at the bottom of this list, he definitely will put up a fight, and his BLT run shows that he’s good at preparing, even with the lack of solid prep-help from managers and teammates other than Tko.

 
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Merritt

no comment
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Head TD
LC matchups for week 4

SM LC: tazz vs Toadow
SM LC: fatty vs vooper
SM LC: Heysup vs Fille
SM LC: Luthier vs LilyAC
SM LC: tko vs Plas
SM LC: HT vs Kingler12345
SM LC: Ninjadog13 vs teal6
SM LC: BurntZebra vs taranteeeno
 
LC matchups for week 3

SM LC: tazz vs Plas
SM LC: fatty vs TonyFlygon
SM LC: Fille vs Ninjadog13
SM LC: LilyAC vs BurntZebra
SM LC: Toadow vs teal6
SM LC: vooper vs taranteeeno
SM LC: Heysup vs tko
SM LC: Luthier vs HT
LC matchups for week 4

SM LC: tazz vs Toadow
SM LC: fatty vs vooper
SM LC: Heysup vs Fille
SM LC: Luthier vs LilyAC
SM LC: tko vs Plas
SM LC: HT vs Kingler12345
SM LC: Ninjadog13 vs teal6
SM LC: BurntZebra vs taranteeeno
Great discussion
 

tcr

sage of six tabs
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tcr predicts

SM LC: Heysup vs Fille
-
Of the exhibition matches, this is the match that I am most hyped to see. Both of these are some of the more top tier players in Exhibition right now. I think I'll give the edge to Fille, simply because he's hungrier and has more to prove in this matchup. While Heysup is certainly an excellent player, his home has always been in the older generations, and it seems that SM has not favored him too kindly. He has a tendency to use some off the wall Pokemon (Croagunk and Chinchou come to mind) and while hes at the forefront of the meta with incorporating things like Frillish, I feel that a lot of times his ideas tend to fall flat and are less consistent than something that Fille will bring. Fille tends to bring more solid stuff that incorporates far stronger Pokemon, but still leaves room for nuance and gimmicks that might be enough to catch Heysup offguard. This matchup could go either way, but due to Fille chasing the clout I think I'll give the edge to him.

SM LC: Luthier vs LilyAC
- I honestly don't know how well LilyAC plays although they both seem to be about the same level. Luthier is a strong player but in my opinion he tends to bring a select few of teams. In my match with Luthier, for example, it was definitely a team that I had scouted for that had numerous replays onsite, and so in my experience Luthier will not be inclined to build. Like, at all. He'll either use an old team or ask Shrug for a team. LilyAC seems to build their own stuff, and seeing as I'd place both Luthier and Lily on the same skill level I think that LilyAC will not have any issues scouting Luthier and building around that, and so the edge goes to Lily in this matchup.

SM LC: tko vs Plas
- Both super strong players, I think that Plas just simply cares more. tko has started to slip into that mindset that many players get into once they get burnt out where they portray an aura of 'coolness' and apathy with regards to Pokemon. To me this signals signs of demotivation and inadequacy with regards to one's skills, and while tko certainly has the potential to win this matchup, I think that Plas will actually prep, he'll be more motivated to win. I think that tko will simply just bring a trash team, or another old team similar to what I predicted Luthier will do, and I believe that Plas will actually be motivated to build his own squad and look to squander tko's already diminishing hope at returning to Pokemon. Stay strong tko don't burn out!

SM LC: HT vs Kingler12345
- This match already happened

SM LC: Ninjadog13 vs teal6
- Two very good players, normally I would be inclined to predict Levi's alt to win but it's against teal team 6, and honestly the amount of times this man has been predicted against in LC and continues to exceed expectations is ridiculous. While neither I think will be that motivated to win over the other, I simply think that teal is the better overall player. It's likely he'll bring a starmaster team which are always solid, and I believe that ninjadog will either build his own team with honedge, or will use a Levi esque team. Of the two I think that both their builds will be interesting and solid but teal gets the upper edge simply because he's long since deserved to be titled as one of the better players of LC, even if he's not a 'main' persay, and I think that he is simply the better Pokemon player. This one will come down to pure player skill, and I think that it will be a solid matchup.

SM LC: BurntZebra vs taranteeeno
- From what I have seen, I think this should be a stomp for burntzebra. MDL player extraordinaire and Levi's 3rd alt behind ninjadog, the overall skill level and building level I think is just head and shoulders above what I have seen from taranteeeno. While taranteeeno I'm sure has more spirit within the community and enthusiasm, I think that the spirit can only go so far. While I have predicted for players that want it more to win, I think that the skill differential will just be too much to overcome. Prove me wrong!
 

Merritt

no comment
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Head TD
LC matchups for week 5

SM LC: tazz vs Heysup
SM LC: fatty vs Luthier
SM LC: Casparov vs Toadow
SM LC: HT vs Serene Grace
SM LC: Mikaav vs Fille
SM LC: taranteeeno vs LilyAC
SM LC: Ninjadog13 vs Kingler12345
SM LC: BurntZebra vs Plas

And so that this isn't just matchups, a few notes on records vs the earlier power rankings:
  • kingler's got to really step it up for the second half of exhibition to live up to his #1 PR spot, currently sitting at 0-2 in LC
  • ninjadog, zebra, plas, luthier and fille have all done really well so far, posting a 3-1 record
  • leaving out tko, sken, and tcr from the PR clearly unnerved them, since they've got a total of 0 wins among the three
 
Really looking forward to tazz vs heysup among plenty of other great matches. Tazz and Lily have impressed me the most so far with their builds brought this tour and heysup is just fun as hell to watch when he's not getting haxed to shit. Personally I knew the magnets' LC core would be very good but I did not expect it to be 6-2 and the best LC duo in the tour so good on them. Excited to see Casparov play as well as I don't know much about him and the hoppers LC could use a jumpstart. Fille and Luthier have impressed me personally so far. They're both close homies and great players/dudes but I wouldn't have expected either of them to be 3-1 so good for them :). Teeeno has also looked better than I have ever seen him look in weeks 3 and 4 and I could see him ending positive which is not something I would have thought before the tour started. Regarding myself I think my team choices have been pretty bad but aside from week 1 I think I've seriously improved my play from previous LC team tours where I kinda shit the bed so happy for that.
 

Fiend

someguy
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This is more generally a metagame post, but since it's specifically on exhibition matches it is going here. I've been looking at usage stats as a general lot, most as a frame of reference for getting more consistent with builds and spotting random trends. For the first 3 weeks of exhibition we have these usage stats:

Code:
+ ---- + ------------------ + ---- + ------- + ------- +
| Rank | Pokemon            | Use  | Usage % |  Win %  |
+ ---- + ------------------ + ---- + ------- + ------- +
| 1    | Vullaby            |   35 |  72.92% |  51.43% |
| 2    | Pawniard           |   25 |  52.08% |  68.00% |
| 3    | Timburr            |   19 |  39.58% |  57.89% |
| 3    | Trapinch           |   19 |  39.58% |  52.63% |
| 5    | Abra               |   18 |  37.50% |  50.00% |
| 5    | Mienfoo            |   18 |  37.50% |  38.89% |
| 7    | Foongus            |   17 |  35.42% |  35.29% |
| 8    | Diglett            |   13 |  27.08% |  46.15% |
| 9    | Gastly             |   12 |  25.00% |  66.67% |
| 9    | Ponyta             |   12 |  25.00% |  41.67% |
| 11   | Tirtouga           |   10 |  20.83% |  30.00% |
| 12   | Spritzee           |    9 |  18.75% |  33.33% |
| 13   | Staryu             |    7 |  14.58% |  57.14% |
| 14   | Mareanie           |    6 |  12.50% | 100.00% |
| 14   | Onix               |    6 |  12.50% |  50.00% |
| 16   | Ferroseed          |    5 |  10.42% |  40.00% |
| 17   | Snivy              |    4 |   8.33% |  50.00% |
| 17   | Surskit            |    4 |   8.33% |  50.00% |
| 17   | Magnemite          |    4 |   8.33% |  25.00% |
| 17   | Mudbray            |    4 |   8.33% |  25.00% |
| 21   | Dwebble            |    3 |   6.25% |  66.67% |
| 21   | Doduo              |    3 |   6.25% |  66.67% |
| 21   | Bunnelby           |    3 |   6.25% |  66.67% |
| 21   | Corphish           |    3 |   6.25% |  33.33% |
| 25   | Rufflet            |    2 |   4.17% |  50.00% |
| 25   | Elekid             |    2 |   4.17% |  50.00% |
| 25   | Carvanha           |    2 |   4.17% |  50.00% |
| 25   | Grimer-Alola       |    2 |   4.17% |  50.00% |
| 25   | Shellder           |    2 |   4.17% |  50.00% |
| 25   | Omanyte            |    2 |   4.17% |   0.00% |
| 25   | Chespin            |    2 |   4.17% |   0.00% |
| 32   | Croagunk           |    1 |   2.08% | 100.00% |
| 32   | Honedge            |    1 |   2.08% | 100.00% |
| 32   | Clamperl           |    1 |   2.08% | 100.00% |
| 32   | Cottonee           |    1 |   2.08% | 100.00% |
| 32   | Pikipek            |    1 |   2.08% | 100.00% |
| 32   | Dewpider           |    1 |   2.08% | 100.00% |
| 32   | Vulpix-Alola       |    1 |   2.08% | 100.00% |
| 32   | Chinchou           |    1 |   2.08% | 100.00% |
| 32   | Crabrawler         |    1 |   2.08% |   0.00% |
| 32   | Taillow            |    1 |   2.08% |   0.00% |
| 32   | Stunky             |    1 |   2.08% |   0.00% |
| 32   | Meowth             |    1 |   2.08% |   0.00% |
| 32   | Snover             |    1 |   2.08% |   0.00% |
| 32   | Sandshrew-Alola    |    1 |   2.08% |   0.00% |
| 32   | Pancham            |    1 |   2.08% |   0.00% |
After w3 finding replays gets a little awkward (the replay thread isn't super well maintained :/ ) and I'm a little short on time as it is. I figured 3 weeks was a good starting point for this.

If you dig into these stats some, you'll see a few odd things (warped some by the small sample size). Most notably I find a trend of PonyPinch being about as common as Abra(sometimes Gast)Pinch. I'm going to focus more generally on Trapinch, which seems to have forced a few trends by itself (6/48 teams have an Onix now, 13 Digletts were used, and 2 Grimer-Alolas were brought out).

teeeeeno vs fatty
Trapinch / Mienfoo / Taillow / Foongus / Magnemite / Omanyte vs Pawniard / Croagunk / Dwebble / Staryu / Foongus / Rufflet
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7lc-847159292This game is pretty weird; Trapinch + Taillow is the main "core" here. Not very noteworthy for my purposes, most due to Taillow being an awful wincon.

HT vs Ninjadog
Mienfoo / Diglett / Foongus / Onix / Vullaby / Staryu vs Trapinch / Vullaby / Abra / Gastly / Pawniard / Timburr
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7lc-848075983Ninjadog has a very good matchup, although Staryu is notably good versus Trapinch teams generally. Ninjadog wins pretty handily with Trapinch removing Onix by turn 3 and HT continues on to struggle vs Vullaby and the usual suspects.

Toadow vs Fille
Gastly / Trapinch / Ferroseed / Vullaby / Mienfoo / Tirtouga vs Staryu / Ponyta / Trapinch / Timburr / Vullaby / Pawniard
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7lc-847989425Gastly + Trapinch vs PonyPinch plays out generally as you'd expect given their purposes and a lack of real opportunity to use either Trapinch. It is a fairly even matchup though Staryu (if it had HP Fire) was going to roll Toadow over. However, Fille loses due to several paras at the end of the game and Toadow picks up the win. Trapinch is generally unimportant for both sides here.

LilyAC vs Wabane
Timburr / Mareanie / Abra / Trapinch / Pawniard / Vullaby vs Mienfoo / Rufflet / Spritzee / Chespin / Mudbray / Trapinch
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7lc-848299079Trapinch is here for both sides again, and is primed with great wincons to support on either side, though BU Rufflet doesn't need the support necessarily (and Spritzee isn't great as a wincon). Wabane's team is questionable overall, and it bites them here as Lily just wins with a timely burn and Iron Defense mini-pex. Trapinch is generally a disappointment in this match, serving only break Abra's potential sash.
tazz vs Ninjadog
Timburr / Vullaby / Ferroseed / Abra / Trapinch / Tirtouga vs Staryu / Vullaby / Timburr / Diglett / Foongus / Pawniard
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7lc-850828079Ninjadog breaks out the rare Diglett and Pawniard which are generally irked by Trapinch, which works out well for Tazzie who has one! Staryu helps aid the Trapinch matchup however, and Tazzie's matchup is not particularly good anyway. Ninjadog wins just by virtue of a better matchup and a weird early game.

Shrug vs Serene's Grace
Dwebble / Meowth / Spritzee / Abra / Timburr / Grimer-Alola vs Pikipek / Doduo / Vullaby / Trapinch / Pawniard / Gastly
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7lc-850808175Shrug brought NP Meowth against better judgement, while Serene opted for triple birds. Trapinch was largely unimportant this match, though it did trap Grimer-Alola but only after Gastly was trapped. Fairly unremarkable.

tko vs Fille
Magnemite / Mudbray / Vullaby / Abra / Timburr / Pawniard vs Doduo / Vullaby / Trapinch / Pawniard / Timburr / Mareanie
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7lc-850916994tko brought some cool picks, among which was Corkscrew Crash Magnemite which I can only fathom serving mostly as an anti-Trapinch choice. It worked as intended but tko threw the game and lost anyway.

london13 vs LilyAC
Abra / Gastly / Trapinch / Mienfoo / Pawniard / Foongus vs Ponyta / Trapinch / Mienfoo / Vullaby / Foongus / Pawniard
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7lc-850239012Two Trapinches and two different cores! Really the only notably aspect of this game is that Trapinch rarely actually nabs a Pawniard, and that you probably out to run HP Fite on Gastly in this core (or at least HP Fire). Neither Trapinch is very important in this match.

tcr vs Luthier
Surskit / Mudbray / Vullaby / Corphish / Abra / Pawniard vs Pawniard / Vullaby / Abra / Trapinch / Mareanie / Timburr
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7lc-850262789Trapinch is actually fairly important in this match, though almost entirely just for its priority. It didn't do much trapping since tcr's team is so anti-Trapinch.
Plas vs Tazz
Diglett / Corphish / Spritzee / Ferroseed / Vullaby / Timburr vs Snivy / Vullaby / Mareanie / Pawniard / Trapinch / Ponyta
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7lc-854640057Tazz picks up a win by trapping Diglett with his own Trapinch, which removed the last hurdle for Ponyta. The early game was a little unfortunate and forced this situation, though there was only so much outplaying Plas could do to keep this from happening.

ninjadog vs Fille
Foongus / Timburr / Vullaby / Tirtouga / Snivy / Diglett vs Abra / Elekid / Vullaby / Trapinch / Mareanie / Timburr
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7lc-853215240Fille made an interesting team but one that really likes to not deal with Diglett. Unfortunately there was indeed a Diglett, but it was swiftly removed by Trapinch after a quick sack of mini pex. There was some luck which forced ninjadog's hand here, but Trapinch would always limit Diglett's usefulness though that became extremely important after the Vullaby crit.

HT vs Luthier
Ponyta / Trapinch / Foongus / Mienfoo / Pawniard / Vullaby vs Trapinch / Snivy / Tirtouga / Vullaby / Ponyta / Spritzee
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7lc-852002079Luthier brought a rather odd team, which necessitated Pawniard being removed via Trapinch. Groundium Z on Trapinch is kinda cool, but is very specific. This was pretty useful overall as Luthier went all with Snivy as the wincon, and the stronger ground move KOed Foongus. The match was still very close as Luthier fucked around a bit too much, and Spritzee just invited in Ponyta who cracks open Luthier's build.

Santuz vs Heysup
Ponyta / Trapinch / Foongus / Mienfoo / Pawniard / Vullaby vs Dewpider / Pawniard / Vulpix-Alola / Chinchou / Gastly / Mienfoo
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7lc-853846658This was a pretty subpar match, and Trapinch did fuck all in it. Rock Tomb was a choice, certainly. Heysup had a little luck but also just won at matchup honestly.

voooper vs teeeeeno
Gastly / Trapinch / Vullaby / Ponyta / Foongus / Tirtouga vs Dwebble / Mudbray / Staryu / Gastly / Mienfoo / Pawniard
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7lc-854563570Staryu up against PonyPinch! Wow! Besides a crit on Dwebble and vooooooper not knowing what Analytic is, this match is pretty good. T Wave Pawn neutralizes Pony early game, and Trapinch quickly becomes literally useless once Pawniard dies as vooooooooper plays recklessly with Vullaby.

teal6 vs Toadow
Surskit / Bunnelby / Pawniard / Gastly / Magnemite / Abra vs Abra / Mienfoo / Vullaby / Trapinch / Ferroseed / Ponyta
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen7lc-422463Trapinch was used to limit Bunnelby to 1 kill of a burnt Vullaby and 91% in Trapinch itself. I personally think Trapinch should have been saved for limiting Magnemite, but it was still useful here. Toadow still lost however, mostly due to his inadequate Abra answers.

Essentially, in almost all of these games, Trapinch only serves to deter the usage of Pokemon it completely stonewalls, and generally functions to limit Diglett to 1 KO. It can act as a Pawniard check, but generally never gets the chance to. Its bigger impact is directly in the building stage, as it forces teams to forgo Diglett, Onix, and the like in favor of Pawniard and other role compressors. The fact that Ponyta is deemed very viable and sees high usage is almost entirely due to Trapinch's effect on the metagame. This effect is disproportionately large compared to Trapinch's observable effectiveness in a match (mostly due to the Pokemon it reliable beats being increasingly rare), and generally leads me to conclude that Trapinch is an overall negative aspect within the metagame. As much as I hate the arguments of broken trappers limiting team choice and making certain Pokemon unviable, as per arguments about Diglett circa ORAS LC, I do think this instance is sufficiently limiting merely due of the nature offensive Pokemon Trapinch (and really Diglett too) enable. Trapinch is clearly one of the dominant metagame forces as observed from a simple contrast of usage stats compared to 6 months ago, and general intuition should declare this same fact too.

Trapinch is sitting at #3 in usage for these first few weeks, and given the current trends it's not likely to drop from the top 6. I think people ought to question why just a little bit more, and apparently use more Evio Staryu.
 

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