Screenshot for proof:
Overview
I used a bulky offensive team. You can find all the details here.
1. Kyogre. Tera: Fairy with max Special Attack and HP (Modest). An offensive powerhouse that threatens nearly everything. Fuck you, Gastrodon.
2. Cancerceus. Tera: Steel with max HP, and near equal spread on Def and SpDef. Runs Calm Mind, Iron Defense, Judgment, and Recover. Dominates teams lacking phasing moves. Never Tera unless facing stall and want to avoid Toxic or Clear Smog. A Steel Tera usually means opposing Koraidon is going to kill you.
3. Giratina-Origin. Tera: Fairy with max Attack and Speed (Adamant). Functions as a Defogger and hits hard against targets lacking Defense investment. Has priority through Shadow Sneak.
4. Necrozma-Dusk-Mane. Tera: Fire with Weakness Policy, Trick Room, and Defense investment. Hello Zacian and Webs teams.
5. Koraidon. Tera: Fire with max Attack and Speed (Jolly), Banded wallbreaker and Kyogrekiller.
6. Deoxys-Attack. Tera: Ghost with Focus Sash. Speed on this team. Sets up Stealth Rocks and uses Knock Off as a suicide lead. Blasts some pretty hard Psycho Boosts. Most important 'mon to preserve to kill Ho-Ohs and stall.
Threats
Ubers has a vast number of powerful boosting sweepers. This is a bulky offense: do not expect to repeatedly switch mons to take hits -- they're gonna die. Arc-W is the only one with reliable recovery, and the next best thing is Kyogre with Leftovers. You will be sacking 'mons to keep the momentum alive.
1. Koraidon. (SS+SD, scarf, LO)
- Knowledge of the Koraidon's utility is critical. Is it a scarfer? Scale Shot? LO?
a. Thunder Wave or Ice Beam with Kyogre. Kyo can take one hit (maybe) so Tera Fairy if you must.
b. Poltergeist followed with Dtail with Gira-O. Tera Fairy you must!
c. Arc-W must Iron Def up if it wants to survive. You need to be at +2 on the switch otherwise you will be killed.
2. Zacian.
a. Keep NDM alive. NDM can take some hits and kill it back or set up Trick Room to allow the others to come hit.
b. Arc-W can set up on it if Zacian isn't boosted.
c. Deo-A can Taunt and Psycho Boost it before dying.
3. Ho-Oh.
The great big bird, Ho-Oh. Deeply troubling pick ever since the advent of SR but he is sooo back. I am so proud. Heavy-Duty Boots have made this thing go nuts.
a. Knock Off + Rocks and Ho-Oh is significantly easier to kill. Know how to maneuver Deoxys.
b. Kyogre landing paralysis on Ho-Oh can be very profitable.
c. Arc-W getting burnt by Ho-Oh is important especially against Toxic stallers.
4. Kingambit.
... yeah, the weird Samurai thing can be an issue.
- keep the offensive pressure or Taunt and do not let this thing boost! It hurts like a motherclucker.
a. Koraidon will kill it easily but watch out for Tera Flying.
b. NDM is a massive liability if Kingambit is holding Air Balloon. He can come in and NDM can't touch this thing.
c. Giratina-O can die but always DTail: do not allow boosts.
5. Lunala/NDW.
Bulky and hardhitting.
a. Gira-O and Deoxys-A both have 4x effective Ghost moves and a Dark move, respectively to get both of these down. Don't lose either!
b. Gira-O and Kyogre both can phase them out. Conserve!
c. NDM is a liability -- they can set up on it.
6. Calyrex-I.
MF hits hard.
a. Preserve Arc-W. Arc can come in and Iron Def up in its face.
b. Taunt out the TR-setter if possible.
c. Koraidon can kill it. Though, if TR is up, Rex will Glacial Lance through Koraidon.
You will notice that this team lacks speed -- though not the slowest team out there, speed can be an issue. Paralysis spreading with Kyogre is incredibly important.
Strategy
Some teams revolve around a fixed win-con. This team does not.
For any serious laddering, you need to understand which 'mon in your team will take you to victory and who will provide the necessary assists. This requires flexible gameplay and understanding how teams are built.
As a general theme, Kyogre or Deo-A open.
1. Consider a sample Ribombee Webs team.
The strategy of this opponent is quite straightforward: set up Webs, maybe Rocks, and start slamming into it whoever your opposition has on field. Enough boosts and you will sweep. My team can break this.
The strat is simple:
1. Kill Ribombee using Deoxys-A (Psycho Boost + Knock Off, always).
2. Defog the Webs the moment you get a shot.
3. NDM Trick Room sweep.
As stated in Threats, NDM has to be alive otherwise Zacian at +1 will overwhelm the team. Eternatus is threatened by Kora, Deo-A, and Arc-W if you get some CMs in.
2. What about dreaded Tyranitar Stall? My team reliably takes on stall; surprising given that there is barely any recovery and chip damage can rack up... Here's the breakdown:
a. Start with Kyogre. Hit some Origin Pulses into a Blissey, allow it to paralyze you and as Rocks are set up, get Deo-A in. Alternatively, switch-in on a Softboiled.
Deo-A is going to be the main star!
b. Always Knock Off. Get those Boots off everything. If you get Ho-Oh, you are close to victory.
c. Set up Rocks once Ho-Oh has been knocked off.
d. Arc-W should switch in on Ho-Oh. Hope for burn!! This means Gliscor can't Toxic it.
e. Deoxys-A can KO Gliscor and severely damage Dondo.
f. Koraidon will clean up everything with Outrage, or Close Combat (if Ho-Oh is weak enough).
g. Giratina-O should keep defogging if Ho-Oh hasn't been Knocked Off. Always click Dragon Tail otherwise.
3. What about a Bulky Offense? Tbh, this is a true test of skill; glhf to both.
a. Open with Kyogre as he opens with Koraidon.
b. Spread as much paralysis as possible!
Origin Pulse if opposition is paralyzed and they don't show signs of switching out.
c. Chip Lando-T and eventually kill it. Lando-T will come in on Gira-O and all you have to do is Poltergeist. Keep clicking Polter.
d. Preserve NDM for Zacian. As always.
e. Launch Psycho Boosts or set up Rocks if you get a chance. Deoxys-A is not important in this one!
d. Koraidon will kill everything that is not Zacian or Koraidon. Time U-turns well.
Strategy is quite the minefield but I hope I have provided some ideas on how to use this team.
Laddering
I wanted to touch on ladder psychology. Hitting #1 has been a month-and-a-half long journey I undertook on a whim. Here are some interesting things I learnt along the way.
1. You need to get lucky.
... and that's okay. Listen, you are playing Pokemon. Hax and RNG are part of the game. Accept it.
Yes, you did lose because you got 4-turn-full-para as your opponent set up and swept you. Origin Pulse missed on the Blissey at 10% and now you are toast. It does suck. But hey, remember when you got that totally unexpected freeze on the Ice Beam? And when none of your six Poltergeists missed? Yeah, you are lucky and have no skill, too.
2. Ladderbrain.
As you go higher up on the ladder, you start fearing losing more than loving winning. Risky plays you made with no compunction at low ladder now are too hard for you. I sensed getting all up in my head trying to find the safest way to get to the win. Plot twist: the only way is to take that acceptably risky play. As I said above, luck is a component of the game and there is no point being scared of it. Embrace it. Take it on the chin.
More concretely, write down you strats and assess. It helped me identify I was ladderbraining and I needed to work on it. I only played 3-5 games a day and made sure I wasn't distracted. Meditation can help with that.
3. Your team works.
You hit #5 and suddenly you are getting your ass beat by 1500s. I guarantee that it is because of Ladderbrain. Remember: you have made a good team and that is why you hit #5 -- no small feat. You understand the meta, you understand what your team can do. If Pokemon has the non-determinism and randomness to it, hitting #5 (or any solid rating, really) shows that you have a good handle on the deterministic part of the game.
Regroup. Rest. Recover.
Do not change your team because the careful metagame planning and empirical knowledge that you have built will all go to shit. Some 'mon may be S Tier, but you don't know how to use it! There is no point to making drastic last minute changes to the team.
4. Make a team that you like to play with.
Sample teams are fun and well-tested but I personally could never enjoy them. It is not a question of the actual Pokemon being used, it is a question of style.
For example, I personally could never play Stall. It just isn't how I like to play Pokemon.
I don't like Webs or TR teams: too one-dimensional.
Ask yourself the types of games you like to play. Slow defensive maneuvering, or balance of chip and solid damage, or do you just like a good, quick shootout? Know yourself, and carefully construct a strategy that works for you. If you want to make it to the top, you need some surprise sets and EV distributions... and they will come about once you construct a team that is true to you! By definition, your team will be unique.
---
I know it's just a game but I got a lot out of it (and laddering). I was wondering if I should do another tier but I don't think I will. I hope whoever reads this gets something out of it.
Overview
I used a bulky offensive team. You can find all the details here.
1. Kyogre. Tera: Fairy with max Special Attack and HP (Modest). An offensive powerhouse that threatens nearly everything. Fuck you, Gastrodon.
2. Cancerceus. Tera: Steel with max HP, and near equal spread on Def and SpDef. Runs Calm Mind, Iron Defense, Judgment, and Recover. Dominates teams lacking phasing moves. Never Tera unless facing stall and want to avoid Toxic or Clear Smog. A Steel Tera usually means opposing Koraidon is going to kill you.
3. Giratina-Origin. Tera: Fairy with max Attack and Speed (Adamant). Functions as a Defogger and hits hard against targets lacking Defense investment. Has priority through Shadow Sneak.
4. Necrozma-Dusk-Mane. Tera: Fire with Weakness Policy, Trick Room, and Defense investment. Hello Zacian and Webs teams.
5. Koraidon. Tera: Fire with max Attack and Speed (Jolly), Banded wallbreaker and Kyogrekiller.
6. Deoxys-Attack. Tera: Ghost with Focus Sash. Speed on this team. Sets up Stealth Rocks and uses Knock Off as a suicide lead. Blasts some pretty hard Psycho Boosts. Most important 'mon to preserve to kill Ho-Ohs and stall.
Threats
Ubers has a vast number of powerful boosting sweepers. This is a bulky offense: do not expect to repeatedly switch mons to take hits -- they're gonna die. Arc-W is the only one with reliable recovery, and the next best thing is Kyogre with Leftovers. You will be sacking 'mons to keep the momentum alive.
1. Koraidon. (SS+SD, scarf, LO)
- Knowledge of the Koraidon's utility is critical. Is it a scarfer? Scale Shot? LO?
a. Thunder Wave or Ice Beam with Kyogre. Kyo can take one hit (maybe) so Tera Fairy if you must.
b. Poltergeist followed with Dtail with Gira-O. Tera Fairy you must!
c. Arc-W must Iron Def up if it wants to survive. You need to be at +2 on the switch otherwise you will be killed.
2. Zacian.
a. Keep NDM alive. NDM can take some hits and kill it back or set up Trick Room to allow the others to come hit.
b. Arc-W can set up on it if Zacian isn't boosted.
c. Deo-A can Taunt and Psycho Boost it before dying.
3. Ho-Oh.
The great big bird, Ho-Oh. Deeply troubling pick ever since the advent of SR but he is sooo back. I am so proud. Heavy-Duty Boots have made this thing go nuts.
a. Knock Off + Rocks and Ho-Oh is significantly easier to kill. Know how to maneuver Deoxys.
b. Kyogre landing paralysis on Ho-Oh can be very profitable.
c. Arc-W getting burnt by Ho-Oh is important especially against Toxic stallers.
4. Kingambit.
... yeah, the weird Samurai thing can be an issue.
- keep the offensive pressure or Taunt and do not let this thing boost! It hurts like a motherclucker.
a. Koraidon will kill it easily but watch out for Tera Flying.
b. NDM is a massive liability if Kingambit is holding Air Balloon. He can come in and NDM can't touch this thing.
c. Giratina-O can die but always DTail: do not allow boosts.
5. Lunala/NDW.
Bulky and hardhitting.
a. Gira-O and Deoxys-A both have 4x effective Ghost moves and a Dark move, respectively to get both of these down. Don't lose either!
b. Gira-O and Kyogre both can phase them out. Conserve!
c. NDM is a liability -- they can set up on it.
6. Calyrex-I.
MF hits hard.
a. Preserve Arc-W. Arc can come in and Iron Def up in its face.
b. Taunt out the TR-setter if possible.
c. Koraidon can kill it. Though, if TR is up, Rex will Glacial Lance through Koraidon.
You will notice that this team lacks speed -- though not the slowest team out there, speed can be an issue. Paralysis spreading with Kyogre is incredibly important.
Strategy
Some teams revolve around a fixed win-con. This team does not.
For any serious laddering, you need to understand which 'mon in your team will take you to victory and who will provide the necessary assists. This requires flexible gameplay and understanding how teams are built.
As a general theme, Kyogre or Deo-A open.
1. Consider a sample Ribombee Webs team.
The strategy of this opponent is quite straightforward: set up Webs, maybe Rocks, and start slamming into it whoever your opposition has on field. Enough boosts and you will sweep. My team can break this.
The strat is simple:
1. Kill Ribombee using Deoxys-A (Psycho Boost + Knock Off, always).
2. Defog the Webs the moment you get a shot.
3. NDM Trick Room sweep.
As stated in Threats, NDM has to be alive otherwise Zacian at +1 will overwhelm the team. Eternatus is threatened by Kora, Deo-A, and Arc-W if you get some CMs in.
2. What about dreaded Tyranitar Stall? My team reliably takes on stall; surprising given that there is barely any recovery and chip damage can rack up... Here's the breakdown:
a. Start with Kyogre. Hit some Origin Pulses into a Blissey, allow it to paralyze you and as Rocks are set up, get Deo-A in. Alternatively, switch-in on a Softboiled.
Deo-A is going to be the main star!
b. Always Knock Off. Get those Boots off everything. If you get Ho-Oh, you are close to victory.
c. Set up Rocks once Ho-Oh has been knocked off.
d. Arc-W should switch in on Ho-Oh. Hope for burn!! This means Gliscor can't Toxic it.
e. Deoxys-A can KO Gliscor and severely damage Dondo.
f. Koraidon will clean up everything with Outrage, or Close Combat (if Ho-Oh is weak enough).
g. Giratina-O should keep defogging if Ho-Oh hasn't been Knocked Off. Always click Dragon Tail otherwise.
3. What about a Bulky Offense? Tbh, this is a true test of skill; glhf to both.
a. Open with Kyogre as he opens with Koraidon.
b. Spread as much paralysis as possible!
Origin Pulse if opposition is paralyzed and they don't show signs of switching out.
c. Chip Lando-T and eventually kill it. Lando-T will come in on Gira-O and all you have to do is Poltergeist. Keep clicking Polter.
d. Preserve NDM for Zacian. As always.
e. Launch Psycho Boosts or set up Rocks if you get a chance. Deoxys-A is not important in this one!
d. Koraidon will kill everything that is not Zacian or Koraidon. Time U-turns well.
Strategy is quite the minefield but I hope I have provided some ideas on how to use this team.
Laddering
I wanted to touch on ladder psychology. Hitting #1 has been a month-and-a-half long journey I undertook on a whim. Here are some interesting things I learnt along the way.
1. You need to get lucky.
... and that's okay. Listen, you are playing Pokemon. Hax and RNG are part of the game. Accept it.
Yes, you did lose because you got 4-turn-full-para as your opponent set up and swept you. Origin Pulse missed on the Blissey at 10% and now you are toast. It does suck. But hey, remember when you got that totally unexpected freeze on the Ice Beam? And when none of your six Poltergeists missed? Yeah, you are lucky and have no skill, too.
2. Ladderbrain.
As you go higher up on the ladder, you start fearing losing more than loving winning. Risky plays you made with no compunction at low ladder now are too hard for you. I sensed getting all up in my head trying to find the safest way to get to the win. Plot twist: the only way is to take that acceptably risky play. As I said above, luck is a component of the game and there is no point being scared of it. Embrace it. Take it on the chin.
More concretely, write down you strats and assess. It helped me identify I was ladderbraining and I needed to work on it. I only played 3-5 games a day and made sure I wasn't distracted. Meditation can help with that.
3. Your team works.
You hit #5 and suddenly you are getting your ass beat by 1500s. I guarantee that it is because of Ladderbrain. Remember: you have made a good team and that is why you hit #5 -- no small feat. You understand the meta, you understand what your team can do. If Pokemon has the non-determinism and randomness to it, hitting #5 (or any solid rating, really) shows that you have a good handle on the deterministic part of the game.
Regroup. Rest. Recover.
Do not change your team because the careful metagame planning and empirical knowledge that you have built will all go to shit. Some 'mon may be S Tier, but you don't know how to use it! There is no point to making drastic last minute changes to the team.
4. Make a team that you like to play with.
Sample teams are fun and well-tested but I personally could never enjoy them. It is not a question of the actual Pokemon being used, it is a question of style.
For example, I personally could never play Stall. It just isn't how I like to play Pokemon.
I don't like Webs or TR teams: too one-dimensional.
Ask yourself the types of games you like to play. Slow defensive maneuvering, or balance of chip and solid damage, or do you just like a good, quick shootout? Know yourself, and carefully construct a strategy that works for you. If you want to make it to the top, you need some surprise sets and EV distributions... and they will come about once you construct a team that is true to you! By definition, your team will be unique.
---
I know it's just a game but I got a lot out of it (and laddering). I was wondering if I should do another tier but I don't think I will. I hope whoever reads this gets something out of it.
Last edited: