Writing from my phone, so excuse me for the poor formatting/any blatant error I fail to catch.
I'll preface this post by admitting that I'm a little disappointed with this thread's lack of activity so far. Don't interpret this as me trying to pinpoint the blame onto anybody, as it's rare of me to post my thoughts as well, which makes me a culprit too, but I wish there was just a little more activity over here
Props to Adaam for being the man and providing his insight on the games that have happened so far, I highly appreciate reading what you have to say, even if last week's games weren't particularly eventful for the most part.
If for some reason you have anything to say but don't "deem" yourself "worthy" of "commenting" the games of "SPL level players" (note: I don't actually know if this is a real issue, but it wouldn't be the first nor the last time something like this went on): fuck that. You don't need to be the very best to express your thoughts on something, and even if there's a couple bad apples who have a hard time taking other people's less positive opinions, most of us legitimately love the attention and the insight others offer us. So if you want to post, just go ahead and do so. If I recall correctly, SilvioGuacamole was doing Youtube coverage for some of the UU games this SPL on Dokkerich's channel, so I'd like to see you post whatever you have so far
As for my own thoughts, I promised I would at least comment on my own games, and since it isn't convenient for me to go through every single replay at the moment to refresh my memory, I'll just go over my own stuff and add onto my thoughts if I stumble upon anything else worth adding later. Before that though, I really have to say that I'm pretty disappointed in how Pak vs. bugzinator turned out. I've gotten to witness both of these guys' growth as Pokemon players throughout these last couple of years, so this was something I was really looking forward to on a personal level. I think HO had a pretty decent match up all things considered due to how easy it is to chip Infernape down for either Bisharp or Scizor to run away with the game (assuming Life Orb + Bug Bite on Scizor, which absolutely wrecks the mushroom). However, a pretty poor early game sequence where magnetism led our boy bugzinator to lead with Froslass into sacrificing his Kommo-o (which, for reference, was up against a team with no Fairy-type Pokemon) for Stealth Rock made this winning scenario a lot harder to achieve, while Pak himself wasn't lacking in tools to achieve the win after this (IMO) misstep. Remember kids, greed is bad. The rest of the game isn't really worth commenting upon due to how much luck ended up influencing the outcome, but it would've been pretty fun to watch Pak maneuver around all those threats with Intimidate and Amoonguss in a clean game. Besides that, we got to see Adrenaline Orb making its SPL UU debut in this game! This is a set up with a ton of untapped potential that allows threats to work their way around Choice Scarf Krookodile, being particularly potent on Calm Mind Latias and Nasty Plot Azelf (which was used against me later on. I'm assuming Mana had some influence in this, so I'd like to urge you to comment on it a little). It's definitely going to be harder to pull off with the surprise factor out of the way, but I wouldn't be surprised to see it at least one more time throughout the season.
As for my own games (check the replays above in Adaam's post), I'm really happy with how the match up against Christo went down, as it ended up being pretty tight with a bunch of close calls and small details that ended up playing a major role in the outcome. I brought a pretty standard team with a bunch of techs that I was expecting to catch my opponent off guard with. Block Mega Slowbro isn't an unknown set by any means, but it tends to be pretty mean to more passive teams (especially against non-Roar Empoleon), and even in quick paced games it still serves as a top notch pivot and check to physically offensive threats. Life Orb Swords Dance Scizor and Krookodile aid in the offense match up, while offensive Rotom-H and Heal Bell Diancie assist with overcoming bulkier teams.
I ended up leading with Rotom because it is able to secure a Volt Switch or another hit on any Pokemon that isn't Hydreigon (which I have a clear counter to) or a potential Psychium Z Azelf (in which case I still have Slowbro for Mamoswine). It also covers the potential Suicide Lead Azelf, though the odds of that were pretty low, as Christo's team isn't structured like a standard HO and some of his Pokemon are actually really prone to having hazards removed on. The first couple turns reveal two important pieces of info: Hydreigon is unlikely to be Choice Scarf and Mamoswine is the team's Stealth Rock setter. The latter was obvious and only required confirmation, while the former can also be a smart play on Christo's part by not U-turning on the obvious switch, but looking at his team structure, he can (sort of) afford to drop speed with Scizor + Manectric (also, Azelf itself could be Choice Scarf as well), while any (Toxic) Spikes setter causes a world of pain to that team without reliable hazard removal.
From there, I manage to put Mamoswine on a timer by catching it with Toxic and successfully predict around the Primarina. I clicked Block on turn 8 because, the way I saw it, Slowbro only became necessary in this match up if Christo managed to get a Nasty Plot off with Azelf safely with the rest of my team chipped. Otherwise, I have Rotom for Mamoswine and Diancie itself can chip a potential Adrenaline Orb Azelf into Bullet Punch range, while the rest of his team all possesses the ability to damage Slowbro significantly, with Hydreigon being as close as it gets to a perfect switch in. With that in mind, Block covers two scenarios: Psychic predicting an aggressive double switch and a switch out to one of his Slowbro answers. Manectric has no business coming in on a potential attack with Scizor on the loose (and the reason why him going to his Scizor would almost never work goes without saying), so using that move lets me guarantee a switch into my eventual answer without risking a loss of momentum that an aggressive switch on Christo's part would cause if I click Scald and then switch out.
After that, his Mamoswine can't switch directly onto Diancie, while Primarina takes a decent amount from Moonblast and risks having its special attack dropped. I was actually expecting Scizor to come out, and Tentacruel gives me a free Rapid Spin as opposed to switching to Rotom-H there. I end up catching Primarina and clicking Rapid Spin anyway, which still puts me in a fairly favorable position. The sequence that follows could be classified as a misplay on my part, as both Krookodile and Slowbro are safer switches into Psychic there. I was actually expecting a double switch to Hydreigon, since it covers both of my other Psychic switches and guarantees a Roost for him, which could be detrimental to my end game planning, but forcing myself onto mind games against his own Scizor was probably not optimal, even if I came out on top of it in the end. Christo manages to get Hydreigon in agressively as I Roost and secures the Defog into the Mamoswine switch in on Diancie, netting us both hazards once again. Rotom-H on Mamoswine with Hydreigon at a low HP % means that I pretty much guarantee a kill into a Volt Switch, putting me extremely ahead in the grand scheme of things. Primarina coming in right after forces me to sacrifice a Pokemon to a Torrent boosted Water-type attack. Even though Tentacruel would be the natural course of action, I've already explained briefly why I considered Slowbro to be disposable in this particular match up, while the combination of Manectric + Scizor + Azelf was shaping up to be extremely menacing with Stealth Rock up on both sides, considering that my Rotom is offensive and Tentacruel is at a low HP percentage. Therefore, I ended up doing sacrificing both Pokemon, which puts me in a better position against his VoltTurn core.
The next couple of turns play out more or less as I had been planning up until that point: Offensive Rotom-H pressures every single Pokemon effectively from there, and I can actually afford going to Krookodile on Rotom's Volt Switches, as that won't trigger Azelf's potential item. Even if he gets Azelf in safely, Diancie can always tank a hit and weaken it for Scizor, while Mamoswine into Stealth Rock on his part lets Rotom-H get yet another kill into a Volt Switch to one of my threats bar some 500 IQ outplays with regular Manectric. I was expecting this to be a linear end game, but a timely critical hit on my Rotom-H forces me to think a little harder about closing the game off. Since my Krookodile had Crunch, it was slightly easier to set it up for an eventual win, as the combination of Stealth Rock + Life Orb-boosted Bullet Punches can put it in range for a sweep. I don't remember the calculations anymore, but IIRC Christo could've pulled it back by getting every single prediction with his remaining Pokemon right, though Krookodile being at full HP and my Scizor being faster and outside of Choice Band Superpower range means that his only way out was getting Azelf in on my Krookodile switch in (if Manectric and Scizor switch out on the same turn, he gets the Adrenaline Orb boost), hitting it with Dazzling Gleam and threatening to U-turn with his Choice Band Scizor, which would mean that Flamethrower/Overheat into Scizor Bullet Punch won bar a Overheat miss. This never ended up coming into play, as Christo ends up going to Scizor on Bullet Punch, but it was much tighter than it looked, as I didn't have a guaranteed win until that turn. gg!
Disclaimer: Fairly high chance that I'm misremembering all potential options for the last couple of turns and my analysis isn't entirely on point, but this should cover most of my thought process regardless.
---
As for the Lycans game, I ended up going over some of the most glaring turns in the UU Discord right after it happened. I already wrote a lot, but I promised I would go over the Silvally-Fairy pick, so I'll do that at least to end this post.
I'll start by explaining something that would be a little complicated for a spectator to get, as it involves information only I had access to: it seems like some people believe that I switched my Silvally in on Togekiss despite being slower. The truth is that my spread comfortably passes 284 speed, and Lycans ended up having a Choice Scarf on that. The reason why this was my primary switch in was because, due to the lack of Heal Bell on that team, I had to scout for Thunder Wave before sending Aerodactyl in. Silvally is the only Pokemon on my team that can do this without conceding a free turn to Nasty Plot Togekiss. I was also banking on his Hydreigon being unable to OHKO Bisharp, which would set me up for a slightly better (albeit unfavorable still) end game. As you all know, this ended up backfiring royally, but with what little information I had, I believe it was still the optimal course of action (though I could have switched Silvally out after the first Air Slash instead of going for Parting Shot). This information is also what caused me to Roost with Mega Aerodactyl on Togekiss later on in the game, as banking on the chance of that not having Thunder Wave meant that I could switch out of Choice Band Scizor Pursuit later without risking the game on a 50/50. This did NOT work, unfortunately, but I don't think it was a baseless call, even in hindsight.
As for Silvally itself, I was attempting to build a team around Bisharp that wasn't hyper offense. After multiple attempts and different combinations, I was stuck on a team that had 5 Pokemon I was happy with that needed both a Fairy-type and hazard removal. Although I could've gone with Florges (and that probably would have won me the game LOL), I was expecting a more offensive team choice coming from Lycans, akin to what he ended up using against Sage in his Week 2 match. With that in mind, Silvally is a Fairy-type Pokemon that doesn't concede free turns to any of the Pokemon that poeple traditionally use to abuse this archetype of 'Mons, since it has the speed and movepool to either scare things away or Parting Shot out to the proper check safely. Plus, it is 1 of the few Pokemon that can remove Kommo-o's Stealth Rock with very little risk involved, which further adds onto its small niche. Although it was not successful in my game, I still have a little faith in this thing's viability and would love if more people experimented around with it, as it actually served me well in the multiple test games I played with it.
I'll try to post more regularly throughout the tournament. Cheers
I'll preface this post by admitting that I'm a little disappointed with this thread's lack of activity so far. Don't interpret this as me trying to pinpoint the blame onto anybody, as it's rare of me to post my thoughts as well, which makes me a culprit too, but I wish there was just a little more activity over here
Props to Adaam for being the man and providing his insight on the games that have happened so far, I highly appreciate reading what you have to say, even if last week's games weren't particularly eventful for the most part.If for some reason you have anything to say but don't "deem" yourself "worthy" of "commenting" the games of "SPL level players" (note: I don't actually know if this is a real issue, but it wouldn't be the first nor the last time something like this went on): fuck that. You don't need to be the very best to express your thoughts on something, and even if there's a couple bad apples who have a hard time taking other people's less positive opinions, most of us legitimately love the attention and the insight others offer us. So if you want to post, just go ahead and do so. If I recall correctly, SilvioGuacamole was doing Youtube coverage for some of the UU games this SPL on Dokkerich's channel, so I'd like to see you post whatever you have so far
As for my own thoughts, I promised I would at least comment on my own games, and since it isn't convenient for me to go through every single replay at the moment to refresh my memory, I'll just go over my own stuff and add onto my thoughts if I stumble upon anything else worth adding later. Before that though, I really have to say that I'm pretty disappointed in how Pak vs. bugzinator turned out. I've gotten to witness both of these guys' growth as Pokemon players throughout these last couple of years, so this was something I was really looking forward to on a personal level. I think HO had a pretty decent match up all things considered due to how easy it is to chip Infernape down for either Bisharp or Scizor to run away with the game (assuming Life Orb + Bug Bite on Scizor, which absolutely wrecks the mushroom). However, a pretty poor early game sequence where magnetism led our boy bugzinator to lead with Froslass into sacrificing his Kommo-o (which, for reference, was up against a team with no Fairy-type Pokemon) for Stealth Rock made this winning scenario a lot harder to achieve, while Pak himself wasn't lacking in tools to achieve the win after this (IMO) misstep. Remember kids, greed is bad. The rest of the game isn't really worth commenting upon due to how much luck ended up influencing the outcome, but it would've been pretty fun to watch Pak maneuver around all those threats with Intimidate and Amoonguss in a clean game. Besides that, we got to see Adrenaline Orb making its SPL UU debut in this game! This is a set up with a ton of untapped potential that allows threats to work their way around Choice Scarf Krookodile, being particularly potent on Calm Mind Latias and Nasty Plot Azelf (which was used against me later on. I'm assuming Mana had some influence in this, so I'd like to urge you to comment on it a little). It's definitely going to be harder to pull off with the surprise factor out of the way, but I wouldn't be surprised to see it at least one more time throughout the season.
As for my own games (check the replays above in Adaam's post), I'm really happy with how the match up against Christo went down, as it ended up being pretty tight with a bunch of close calls and small details that ended up playing a major role in the outcome. I brought a pretty standard team with a bunch of techs that I was expecting to catch my opponent off guard with. Block Mega Slowbro isn't an unknown set by any means, but it tends to be pretty mean to more passive teams (especially against non-Roar Empoleon), and even in quick paced games it still serves as a top notch pivot and check to physically offensive threats. Life Orb Swords Dance Scizor and Krookodile aid in the offense match up, while offensive Rotom-H and Heal Bell Diancie assist with overcoming bulkier teams.
I ended up leading with Rotom because it is able to secure a Volt Switch or another hit on any Pokemon that isn't Hydreigon (which I have a clear counter to) or a potential Psychium Z Azelf (in which case I still have Slowbro for Mamoswine). It also covers the potential Suicide Lead Azelf, though the odds of that were pretty low, as Christo's team isn't structured like a standard HO and some of his Pokemon are actually really prone to having hazards removed on. The first couple turns reveal two important pieces of info: Hydreigon is unlikely to be Choice Scarf and Mamoswine is the team's Stealth Rock setter. The latter was obvious and only required confirmation, while the former can also be a smart play on Christo's part by not U-turning on the obvious switch, but looking at his team structure, he can (sort of) afford to drop speed with Scizor + Manectric (also, Azelf itself could be Choice Scarf as well), while any (Toxic) Spikes setter causes a world of pain to that team without reliable hazard removal.
From there, I manage to put Mamoswine on a timer by catching it with Toxic and successfully predict around the Primarina. I clicked Block on turn 8 because, the way I saw it, Slowbro only became necessary in this match up if Christo managed to get a Nasty Plot off with Azelf safely with the rest of my team chipped. Otherwise, I have Rotom for Mamoswine and Diancie itself can chip a potential Adrenaline Orb Azelf into Bullet Punch range, while the rest of his team all possesses the ability to damage Slowbro significantly, with Hydreigon being as close as it gets to a perfect switch in. With that in mind, Block covers two scenarios: Psychic predicting an aggressive double switch and a switch out to one of his Slowbro answers. Manectric has no business coming in on a potential attack with Scizor on the loose (and the reason why him going to his Scizor would almost never work goes without saying), so using that move lets me guarantee a switch into my eventual answer without risking a loss of momentum that an aggressive switch on Christo's part would cause if I click Scald and then switch out.
After that, his Mamoswine can't switch directly onto Diancie, while Primarina takes a decent amount from Moonblast and risks having its special attack dropped. I was actually expecting Scizor to come out, and Tentacruel gives me a free Rapid Spin as opposed to switching to Rotom-H there. I end up catching Primarina and clicking Rapid Spin anyway, which still puts me in a fairly favorable position. The sequence that follows could be classified as a misplay on my part, as both Krookodile and Slowbro are safer switches into Psychic there. I was actually expecting a double switch to Hydreigon, since it covers both of my other Psychic switches and guarantees a Roost for him, which could be detrimental to my end game planning, but forcing myself onto mind games against his own Scizor was probably not optimal, even if I came out on top of it in the end. Christo manages to get Hydreigon in agressively as I Roost and secures the Defog into the Mamoswine switch in on Diancie, netting us both hazards once again. Rotom-H on Mamoswine with Hydreigon at a low HP % means that I pretty much guarantee a kill into a Volt Switch, putting me extremely ahead in the grand scheme of things. Primarina coming in right after forces me to sacrifice a Pokemon to a Torrent boosted Water-type attack. Even though Tentacruel would be the natural course of action, I've already explained briefly why I considered Slowbro to be disposable in this particular match up, while the combination of Manectric + Scizor + Azelf was shaping up to be extremely menacing with Stealth Rock up on both sides, considering that my Rotom is offensive and Tentacruel is at a low HP percentage. Therefore, I ended up doing sacrificing both Pokemon, which puts me in a better position against his VoltTurn core.
The next couple of turns play out more or less as I had been planning up until that point: Offensive Rotom-H pressures every single Pokemon effectively from there, and I can actually afford going to Krookodile on Rotom's Volt Switches, as that won't trigger Azelf's potential item. Even if he gets Azelf in safely, Diancie can always tank a hit and weaken it for Scizor, while Mamoswine into Stealth Rock on his part lets Rotom-H get yet another kill into a Volt Switch to one of my threats bar some 500 IQ outplays with regular Manectric. I was expecting this to be a linear end game, but a timely critical hit on my Rotom-H forces me to think a little harder about closing the game off. Since my Krookodile had Crunch, it was slightly easier to set it up for an eventual win, as the combination of Stealth Rock + Life Orb-boosted Bullet Punches can put it in range for a sweep. I don't remember the calculations anymore, but IIRC Christo could've pulled it back by getting every single prediction with his remaining Pokemon right, though Krookodile being at full HP and my Scizor being faster and outside of Choice Band Superpower range means that his only way out was getting Azelf in on my Krookodile switch in (if Manectric and Scizor switch out on the same turn, he gets the Adrenaline Orb boost), hitting it with Dazzling Gleam and threatening to U-turn with his Choice Band Scizor, which would mean that Flamethrower/Overheat into Scizor Bullet Punch won bar a Overheat miss. This never ended up coming into play, as Christo ends up going to Scizor on Bullet Punch, but it was much tighter than it looked, as I didn't have a guaranteed win until that turn. gg!
Disclaimer: Fairly high chance that I'm misremembering all potential options for the last couple of turns and my analysis isn't entirely on point, but this should cover most of my thought process regardless.
---
As for the Lycans game, I ended up going over some of the most glaring turns in the UU Discord right after it happened. I already wrote a lot, but I promised I would go over the Silvally-Fairy pick, so I'll do that at least to end this post.
I'll start by explaining something that would be a little complicated for a spectator to get, as it involves information only I had access to: it seems like some people believe that I switched my Silvally in on Togekiss despite being slower. The truth is that my spread comfortably passes 284 speed, and Lycans ended up having a Choice Scarf on that. The reason why this was my primary switch in was because, due to the lack of Heal Bell on that team, I had to scout for Thunder Wave before sending Aerodactyl in. Silvally is the only Pokemon on my team that can do this without conceding a free turn to Nasty Plot Togekiss. I was also banking on his Hydreigon being unable to OHKO Bisharp, which would set me up for a slightly better (albeit unfavorable still) end game. As you all know, this ended up backfiring royally, but with what little information I had, I believe it was still the optimal course of action (though I could have switched Silvally out after the first Air Slash instead of going for Parting Shot). This information is also what caused me to Roost with Mega Aerodactyl on Togekiss later on in the game, as banking on the chance of that not having Thunder Wave meant that I could switch out of Choice Band Scizor Pursuit later without risking the game on a 50/50. This did NOT work, unfortunately, but I don't think it was a baseless call, even in hindsight.
As for Silvally itself, I was attempting to build a team around Bisharp that wasn't hyper offense. After multiple attempts and different combinations, I was stuck on a team that had 5 Pokemon I was happy with that needed both a Fairy-type and hazard removal. Although I could've gone with Florges (and that probably would have won me the game LOL), I was expecting a more offensive team choice coming from Lycans, akin to what he ended up using against Sage in his Week 2 match. With that in mind, Silvally is a Fairy-type Pokemon that doesn't concede free turns to any of the Pokemon that poeple traditionally use to abuse this archetype of 'Mons, since it has the speed and movepool to either scare things away or Parting Shot out to the proper check safely. Plus, it is 1 of the few Pokemon that can remove Kommo-o's Stealth Rock with very little risk involved, which further adds onto its small niche. Although it was not successful in my game, I still have a little faith in this thing's viability and would love if more people experimented around with it, as it actually served me well in the multiple test games I played with it.
I'll try to post more regularly throughout the tournament. Cheers
