Gonna try and be short with the intro, so here goes. This SPL was a ride. If you told me, before the draft, that I'd get picked up as a starter and go 4-5 (not to mention make playoffs again), I really would not have believed it. 4-5 may not really seem like a good record, and looking at it now I somewhat agree, but coming into this SPL I really had this belief that I wasn't 'worthy' of being on this stage. The first 3 consecutive losses were mostly results of that. After seeing the utter catastrophe that was my week 3 game vs stax, I got into a better mindset and started to seriously go for the win each week. The results of that are pretty obvious. 0-3 first three weeks, 4-2 after (marcop called me in the first three weeks "pre-timeskip croven" which I actually found hilarious). Anyway, to sum it up, despite a negative record, I'm glad I managed to recover and prove to myself that I'm capable of playing and succeeding at doubles' largest stage.
Week 1 vs marilli - L
creepy like bush (Gengar-Mega) @ Gengarite
Ability: Shadow Tag
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Shadow Ball
- Sludge Bomb
- Taunt
- Protect
black like bush (Tyranitar) @ Choice Band
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 84 HP / 252 Atk / 172 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Superpower
- Rock Slide
- Crunch
- Stone Edge
fly like bush (Zapdos) @ Wiki Berry
Ability: Static
EVs: 248 HP / 36 Def / 40 SpA / 184 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Volt Switch
- Heat Wave
- Tailwind
- Protect
bitch like bush (Landorus-Therian) @ Groundium Z
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 12 HP / 252 Atk / 244 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Knock Off
- Stone Edge
- Protect
eat tush like bush (Genesect) @ Assault Vest
Ability: Download
EVs: 228 Atk / 56 SpA / 224 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Iron Head
- U-turn
- Flamethrower
- Ice Beam
bush like tush (Tapu Bulu) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Grassy Surge
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Wood Hammer
- Horn Leech
- Stone Edge
- Superpower
Ability: Shadow Tag
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Shadow Ball
- Sludge Bomb
- Taunt
- Protect
black like bush (Tyranitar) @ Choice Band
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 84 HP / 252 Atk / 172 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Superpower
- Rock Slide
- Crunch
- Stone Edge
fly like bush (Zapdos) @ Wiki Berry
Ability: Static
EVs: 248 HP / 36 Def / 40 SpA / 184 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Volt Switch
- Heat Wave
- Tailwind
- Protect
bitch like bush (Landorus-Therian) @ Groundium Z
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 12 HP / 252 Atk / 244 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Knock Off
- Stone Edge
- Protect
eat tush like bush (Genesect) @ Assault Vest
Ability: Download
EVs: 228 Atk / 56 SpA / 224 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Iron Head
- U-turn
- Flamethrower
- Ice Beam
bush like tush (Tapu Bulu) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Grassy Surge
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Wood Hammer
- Horn Leech
- Stone Edge
- Superpower
Ok so this week I really had no clue what I was doing. This was one of the few times I actually built my own team, and uh, it didn't really turn out well. All I knew was a vague sense that marilli liked Curse Lax and fatter teams, so I tried to make a heavy hitting Mega Gengar team, but it's not really any good. It also turned out to have few answers for a BD Lax. I should've followed conventional wisdom and just made a good team that I was comfortable with, but I had zero confidence in myself and convinced myself that I needed a great matchup in order to possibly pull out a win. Nicknames were a last minute thing that someone in Ruiners suggested; we were playing the ABRs, so why not nickname my mons after the ABR slayer himself? Unfortunately I couldn't channel my inner Bushtush to victory :(
Week 2 vs Kaori - L
bushtush (Scizor) @ Choice Band
Ability: Technician
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Bullet Punch
- Bug Bite
- Superpower
- U-turn
Empo (Tapu Fini) @ Wiki Berry
Ability: Misty Surge
EVs: 252 HP / 128 Def / 84 SpA / 44 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Taunt
- Moonblast
- Nature's Madness
- Protect
Kory in the house (Landorus-Therian) @ Groundium Z
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Stealth Rock
- Stone Edge
- Protect
HANTSUKI (Gengar-Mega) @ Gengarite
Ability: Shadow Tag
EVs: 104 HP / 4 Def / 148 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Shadow Ball
- Sludge Bomb
- Taunt
- Protect
ZoroDark (Zygarde) @ Choice Band
Ability: Aura Break
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Thousand Arrows
- Extreme Speed
- Superpower
- Thousand Waves
undisputed (Zapdos) @ Misty Seed
Ability: Static
EVs: 248 HP / 136 Def / 80 SpD / 44 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Tailwind
- Roost
Ability: Technician
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Bullet Punch
- Bug Bite
- Superpower
- U-turn
Empo (Tapu Fini) @ Wiki Berry
Ability: Misty Surge
EVs: 252 HP / 128 Def / 84 SpA / 44 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Taunt
- Moonblast
- Nature's Madness
- Protect
Kory in the house (Landorus-Therian) @ Groundium Z
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Stealth Rock
- Stone Edge
- Protect
HANTSUKI (Gengar-Mega) @ Gengarite
Ability: Shadow Tag
EVs: 104 HP / 4 Def / 148 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Shadow Ball
- Sludge Bomb
- Taunt
- Protect
ZoroDark (Zygarde) @ Choice Band
Ability: Aura Break
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Thousand Arrows
- Extreme Speed
- Superpower
- Thousand Waves
undisputed (Zapdos) @ Misty Seed
Ability: Static
EVs: 248 HP / 136 Def / 80 SpD / 44 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Tailwind
- Roost
Again, not a lot of info to go off of for this week. I worked with qsns this week and we knew Sam liked his fat balances, but that he'd tried to branch out a lot in Snake. qsns passed me this team, saying it was the best thing he'd ever made and that double CB + Gar owned fat balance but that double CB priority also owned offense. I roasted him for using CB Scizor for half the week until I tried it out and it actually ended up being a good team. Edited the sets he gave me a little but kept the mons. This is legitimately a good team, and I had a pretty solid game with Sam. Some hax on both sides, he flinched my Lando-T which would have KO'd his Metagross that turn, but I also crit his Staraptor and Milotic. Endgame depended on some sleep rolls but I made it harder on myself by switching in Zapdos at a crucial turn instead of Gengar, and then Psych Up Metagross finished me off. Cool team by Sam and cool game, kinda sad I couldn't get a win with this team though.
Week 3 vs Stax - L
cheng xin (Pelipper) @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Drizzle
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Hydro Pump
- Hurricane
- Tailwind
- Protect
luo ji (Swampert-Mega) @ Swampertite
Ability: Torrent
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Waterfall
- Earthquake
- Ice Punch
- Protect
sophon (Tapu Lele) @ Life Orb
Ability: Psychic Surge
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Psychic
- Moonblast
- Taunt
- Protect
ye wenjie (Amoonguss) @ Wiki Berry
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 240 HP / 208 Def / 60 SpD
Sassy Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 0 Spe
- Spore
- Rage Powder
- Giga Drain
- Protect
da shi (Landorus-Therian) @ Assault Vest
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 248 HP / 4 Atk / 8 Def / 4 SpD / 244 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- U-turn
- Stone Edge
- Knock Off
thomas wade (Deoxys-Attack) @ Fightinium Z
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 8 Def / 248 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Psycho Boost
- Focus Blast
- Signal Beam
- Protect
Ability: Drizzle
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Hydro Pump
- Hurricane
- Tailwind
- Protect
luo ji (Swampert-Mega) @ Swampertite
Ability: Torrent
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Waterfall
- Earthquake
- Ice Punch
- Protect
sophon (Tapu Lele) @ Life Orb
Ability: Psychic Surge
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Psychic
- Moonblast
- Taunt
- Protect
ye wenjie (Amoonguss) @ Wiki Berry
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 240 HP / 208 Def / 60 SpD
Sassy Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 0 Spe
- Spore
- Rage Powder
- Giga Drain
- Protect
da shi (Landorus-Therian) @ Assault Vest
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 248 HP / 4 Atk / 8 Def / 4 SpD / 244 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- U-turn
- Stone Edge
- Knock Off
thomas wade (Deoxys-Attack) @ Fightinium Z
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 8 Def / 248 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Psycho Boost
- Focus Blast
- Signal Beam
- Protect
Ugh, this week. This was pretty obviously my worst week, by far. This week was basically the peak of my defeatism and "why am I even starting" mindset. qsns passed me this team again, and in all honesty its probably a good team but I played as poorly as one human being can play. I had given up before the game even started, and it showed. Not much more to say. Nicknames are characters from The Three Body trilogy by Cixin Liu, a series I was reading at the time.
Week 4 vs EmbCPT - W
alabaster (Camerupt-Mega) @ Cameruptite
Ability: Solid Rock
EVs: 248 HP / 252 SpA / 8 SpD
Quiet Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 0 Spe
- Heat Wave
- Earth Power
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Protect
nassun (Meloetta) @ Mental Herb
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpA
Quiet Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 0 Spe
- Trick Room
- Psychic
- Shadow Ball
- Protect
tonkee (Tapu Bulu) @ Life Orb
Ability: Grassy Surge
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 SpD
Brave Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Wood Hammer
- Horn Leech
- Stone Edge
- Protect
schaffa (Scrafty) @ Figy Berry
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Brave Nature
IVs: 1 Spe
- Fake Out
- Low Kick
- Knock Off
- Ice Punch
hoa (Stakataka) @ Rockium Z
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Lonely Nature
IVs: 13 Def / 0 Spe
- Trick Room
- Gyro Ball
- Stone Edge
- Protect
essun (Hoopa-Unbound) @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Magician
EVs: 192 HP / 224 Atk / 92 Def
Brave Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Hyperspace Fury
- Hyperspace Hole
- Trick Room
- Protect
Ability: Solid Rock
EVs: 248 HP / 252 SpA / 8 SpD
Quiet Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 0 Spe
- Heat Wave
- Earth Power
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Protect
nassun (Meloetta) @ Mental Herb
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpA
Quiet Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 0 Spe
- Trick Room
- Psychic
- Shadow Ball
- Protect
tonkee (Tapu Bulu) @ Life Orb
Ability: Grassy Surge
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 SpD
Brave Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Wood Hammer
- Horn Leech
- Stone Edge
- Protect
schaffa (Scrafty) @ Figy Berry
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Brave Nature
IVs: 1 Spe
- Fake Out
- Low Kick
- Knock Off
- Ice Punch
hoa (Stakataka) @ Rockium Z
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Lonely Nature
IVs: 13 Def / 0 Spe
- Trick Room
- Gyro Ball
- Stone Edge
- Protect
essun (Hoopa-Unbound) @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Magician
EVs: 192 HP / 224 Atk / 92 Def
Brave Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Hyperspace Fury
- Hyperspace Hole
- Trick Room
- Protect
The week where things began to turn around, for me and my team. If I had to single out one thing that caused me to kick it in gear, I'd have to say it was the cr0-4ven meme. I always felt that I would win at least 1 out of these 4 weeks, but now that I had gone 0-3 and was at Week 4, I was really getting pissed and more than anything did not want the memes to become reality. I was 1 loss away from actually being 0-4, and that made me change. All of Edu's 3 teams had been very, very similar and formulaic, with Lando-T and Tapu Fini on all of them. I noticed that none of them had really strong Fullroom counters, and that it wouldn't really be too hard to set up TR and then have Camerupt or Stakataka go ham. While the team he ended up bringing was a bit different than expected, with a slightly better Fullroom matchup, it still was in my favor. With Edu making a couple misplays and sacking his Scrafty early in the game, nothing really stopped my heavy hitters. The game proceeded just about how I meant it to when I decided to bring Fullroom. This was the win that gave me confidence and really told me that I am not inferior to everyone else in the field, that I was no longer a free win. Nicknames are from The Broken Earth trilogy by NK Jemisin, one of my favorite book series.
Week 5 vs Jhon - W
chandelier (Gengar-Mega) @ Gengarite
Ability: Shadow Tag
EVs: 108 HP / 148 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Sludge Bomb
- Shadow Ball
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Protect
free the animal (Stakataka) @ Rockium Z
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Lonely Nature
IVs: 15 Def / 0 Spe
- Gyro Ball
- Stone Edge
- Trick Room
- Protect
eye of the needle (Zygarde) @ Mago Berry
Ability: Aura Break
EVs: 64 HP / 252 Atk / 28 SpD / 164 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Thousand Arrows
- Substitute
- Protect
hostage (Tapu Fini) @ Mago Berry
Ability: Misty Surge
Happiness: 0
EVs: 248 HP / 200 Def / 60 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Muddy Water
- Moonblast
- Heal Pulse
- Protect
elastic heart (Zapdos) @ Misty Seed
Ability: Static
EVs: 244 HP / 56 Def / 52 SpA / 80 SpD / 76 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Thunderbolt
- Heat Wave
- Tailwind
- Roost
dressed in black (Scrafty) @ Mago Berry
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 240 HP / 212 Atk / 52 Def / 4 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Fake Out
- Low Kick
- Knock Off
- Taunt
Ability: Shadow Tag
EVs: 108 HP / 148 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Sludge Bomb
- Shadow Ball
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Protect
free the animal (Stakataka) @ Rockium Z
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Lonely Nature
IVs: 15 Def / 0 Spe
- Gyro Ball
- Stone Edge
- Trick Room
- Protect
eye of the needle (Zygarde) @ Mago Berry
Ability: Aura Break
EVs: 64 HP / 252 Atk / 28 SpD / 164 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Thousand Arrows
- Substitute
- Protect
hostage (Tapu Fini) @ Mago Berry
Ability: Misty Surge
Happiness: 0
EVs: 248 HP / 200 Def / 60 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Muddy Water
- Moonblast
- Heal Pulse
- Protect
elastic heart (Zapdos) @ Misty Seed
Ability: Static
EVs: 244 HP / 56 Def / 52 SpA / 80 SpD / 76 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Thunderbolt
- Heat Wave
- Tailwind
- Roost
dressed in black (Scrafty) @ Mago Berry
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 240 HP / 212 Atk / 52 Def / 4 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Fake Out
- Low Kick
- Knock Off
- Taunt
Looking at Jhon's teams, it was hard to get a foothold as to where to start. His teams from SPL and Snake varied wildly (I did team with him in Snake, but my support was pretty minimal; I didn't do much to help Jhon at all, something that I regret a little today). qsns and I looked at his last week game, where he played Demantoid and lost to Demantoid's Gar Stak team. Stakataka is a really cool mon that's a little underexplored right now, and qsns and I quickly realized that it could seriously dent all of Jhon's teams, if not just sweep in the lategame. Gar Stak was where we started, added Zyg because it's just good and pairs well with Gar. I threw on Fini Zap because I didn't really know where to go and just felt like it. Scrafty was to cover Goth Lax. Team was made in like 5 seconds but it did really well in testing so we stuck with it. In the game itself, I didn't actually have to bring out Stak, but it still had the matchup I wanted it to have; given Fake Out support from Scrafty to set TR, Stak would seriously wreck Jhon's team once Lando-T was weakened / dead. Overall this is one of my favorite teams from SPL, probably obvious by how often I use it in seasonals. Nicknames are from a Sia album, 1000 Forms of Fear.
Week 6 vs Biosci - L
hal9000 (Metagross-Mega) @ Metagrossite
Ability: Tough Claws
EVs: 200 HP / 56 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Iron Head
- Ice Punch
- Thunder Punch
- Protect
cocko (Tapu Koko) @ Choice Specs
Ability: Electric Surge
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Thunderbolt
- Discharge
- Dazzling Gleam
- Volt Switch
PUPPER (Landorus-Therian) @ Groundium Z
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 240 HP / 88 Atk / 180 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Stealth Rock
- U-turn
- Protect
glop glop (Gastrodon-East) @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Storm Drain
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 0 Spe
- Muddy Water
- Earth Power
- Recover
- Clear Smog
??? what (Hoopa-Unbound) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Magician
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Hyperspace Fury
- Hyperspace Hole
- Drain Punch
- Gunk Shot
fire chicken (Moltres) @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Flame Body
EVs: 248 HP / 244 Def / 16 SpA
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Flamethrower
- Whirlwind
- Will-O-Wisp
- Tailwind
Ability: Tough Claws
EVs: 200 HP / 56 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Iron Head
- Ice Punch
- Thunder Punch
- Protect
cocko (Tapu Koko) @ Choice Specs
Ability: Electric Surge
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Thunderbolt
- Discharge
- Dazzling Gleam
- Volt Switch
PUPPER (Landorus-Therian) @ Groundium Z
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 240 HP / 88 Atk / 180 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Stealth Rock
- U-turn
- Protect
glop glop (Gastrodon-East) @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Storm Drain
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 0 Spe
- Muddy Water
- Earth Power
- Recover
- Clear Smog
??? what (Hoopa-Unbound) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Magician
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Hyperspace Fury
- Hyperspace Hole
- Drain Punch
- Gunk Shot
fire chicken (Moltres) @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Flame Body
EVs: 248 HP / 244 Def / 16 SpA
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Flamethrower
- Whirlwind
- Will-O-Wisp
- Tailwind
This is probably the week where I have the most regrets. Didn't have much to go off of for Biosci, and qsns was absolutely appalled by my combined 0% usage of Metagross or Koko when I told him of this fact, and he immediately went to work on a Gross Koko team. For some ungodly reason he really wanted Specs Discharge Koko, so he added Gastrodon for an Electric immunity. Moltres was added because apparently qsns doesn't think good flying types exist in this tier, but whatever it worked so I don't mind. Turn 1 I make a nice read to go up 6-5 immediately, and later when I burn Biosci's M-TTar I think I've got the game just about wrapped up. He crit my gastro when it would have otherwise lived, which was annoying but honestly shouldn't have mattered at all. The chokes begin from there. I go into Hoopa for an unknown reason, when I'm fairly certain going Koko, then switching Gross -> Lando-T and Discharging was a sure win. The chokes don't really stop, and I throw away what should have been an unsurmountable lead I built up in the early / mid game. Had I won this week, I would've ended positive, a great personal milestone for me. I seriously beat myself up over this game for days. By now I've put it in the past, massive chokes aren't exactly uncommon in SPL and at least I know what I could've done alternatively. Nicknames are booty, someone (marcop?) told me to name my mons the first thing I thought of when I saw them. Didn't really end up as anything good. OH YEAH before I forget, I added TPunch to Metagross after the game; not even sure why I didn't have it and I was super mad that even after all my chokes I could've won if I had this stupid move on my Gross, so I added it immediately after.
Week 7 vs MajorBowman - W
pride. (Tyranitar-Mega) @ Tyranitarite
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Rock Slide
- Crunch
- Protect
king kunta (Landorus-Therian) @ Life Orb
Ability: Intimidate
Happiness: 0
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Stealth Rock
- Earth Power
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Sludge Bomb
lost (Tapu Lele) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Psychic Surge
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Psychic
- Moonblast
- Dazzling Gleam
- Thunderbolt
all the stars (Zapdos) @ Psychic Seed
Ability: Static
Happiness: 0
EVs: 232 HP / 132 Def / 56 SpA / 72 SpD / 16 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Thunderbolt
- Heat Wave
- Tailwind
- Roost
alright (Amoonguss) @ Wiki Berry
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 240 HP / 208 Def / 60 SpD
Sassy Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 0 Spe
- Spore
- Rage Powder
- Giga Drain
- Clear Smog
pyramids (Excadrill) @ Steelium Z
Ability: Sand Rush
EVs: 44 HP / 252 Atk / 212 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Earthquake
- Iron Head
- Protect
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Rock Slide
- Crunch
- Protect
king kunta (Landorus-Therian) @ Life Orb
Ability: Intimidate
Happiness: 0
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Stealth Rock
- Earth Power
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Sludge Bomb
lost (Tapu Lele) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Psychic Surge
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Psychic
- Moonblast
- Dazzling Gleam
- Thunderbolt
all the stars (Zapdos) @ Psychic Seed
Ability: Static
Happiness: 0
EVs: 232 HP / 132 Def / 56 SpA / 72 SpD / 16 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Thunderbolt
- Heat Wave
- Tailwind
- Roost
alright (Amoonguss) @ Wiki Berry
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 240 HP / 208 Def / 60 SpD
Sassy Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 0 Spe
- Spore
- Rage Powder
- Giga Drain
- Clear Smog
pyramids (Excadrill) @ Steelium Z
Ability: Sand Rush
EVs: 44 HP / 252 Atk / 212 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Earthquake
- Iron Head
- Protect
Going into this game, I noticed that Bowman always had an abundance of Rock-weak mons (Kyu-B, Volcarona, Volcanion, M-Salamence), generally at least 2 per team. Initially my mind went to using Stealth Rocks, but when we added a TTar last mon on a different team, I realized that we could just use M-TTar to exploit his Rock weakness more efficiently. His best counters to TTar were usually Tapu Bulu and LandoT, so to potentially lure those in qsns suggested Special LO LandoT with Sludge Bomb and HP Ice, a great set that I really enjoyed using in tests (it also did end up carrying SR). Amoonguss was added for obvious redirection, Lele and Zapdos for speed control, more offense, and filling up holes in general. The last mon we messed around with a lot; we wanted a Steel type but none really looked great here since Metagross was still a large issue. Excadrill was one of the last mons we thought about for some reason; we were being pretty stupid and didn't think to use Exca with Tar. Lucky for us we thought of it, because Exca did most of the work this game, despite Bowman's team being somewhat weak to TTar as we expected. I made an extremely boneheaded play and sacked my LandoT (which would've been great) in Turn 2, a play qsns roasted me for incessantly afterwards. A couple lucky flinches, redirection, and then a setup'd TTar to pair with Exca end up winning this game. Not exactly the cleanest, but the team worked just about how it was supposed to. Nicknames were an abomination, I just picked songs that I liked without any real theme, which is the one of the WORST ways to nickname your pokemon. Overall the team is a little too weak to Metagross for me to use in another tour game, and needs some more polishing.
Week 8 vs miltankmilk - L
sing about me (Charizard-Mega-Y) @ Charizardite Y
Ability: Drought
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Flamethrower
- Heat Wave
- Tailwind
- Protect
im dying of thirst (Landorus-Therian) @ Iapapa Berry
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- U-turn
- Protect
m.A.A.d city (Hoopa-Unbound) @ Life Orb
Ability: Magician
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Hyperspace Fury
- Hyperspace Hole
- Drain Punch
- Protect
money trees (Tapu Koko) @ Assault Vest
Ability: Electric Surge
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Electroweb
- Volt Switch
- Nature's Madness
- Sky Drop
poetic justice (Kyurem-Black) @ Icium Z
Ability: Teravolt
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Ice Beam
- Fusion Bolt
- Freeze Shock
- Protect
good kid (Mew) @ Iapapa Berry
Ability: Synchronize
EVs: 252 HP / 200 SpD / 56 Spe
Careful Nature
- Fake Out
- Tailwind
- Transform
- U-turn
Ability: Drought
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Flamethrower
- Heat Wave
- Tailwind
- Protect
im dying of thirst (Landorus-Therian) @ Iapapa Berry
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- U-turn
- Protect
m.A.A.d city (Hoopa-Unbound) @ Life Orb
Ability: Magician
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Hyperspace Fury
- Hyperspace Hole
- Drain Punch
- Protect
money trees (Tapu Koko) @ Assault Vest
Ability: Electric Surge
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Electroweb
- Volt Switch
- Nature's Madness
- Sky Drop
poetic justice (Kyurem-Black) @ Icium Z
Ability: Teravolt
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Ice Beam
- Fusion Bolt
- Freeze Shock
- Protect
good kid (Mew) @ Iapapa Berry
Ability: Synchronize
EVs: 252 HP / 200 SpD / 56 Spe
Careful Nature
- Fake Out
- Tailwind
- Transform
- U-turn
Didn't expect to be playing this week, and the original team we had wasn't really doing well, so I whipped out some Nido-Rus Zard Y HO. Though qsns absolutely hated this team, I figured it'd have a decent matchup against the stuff miltank likes to use. My matchup wasn't bad, but I didn't use Zard effectively enough and let it die too early. Without Zard to exert heavy offensive pressure, it was fairly easy for Mimikyu and Snorlax to do what they were meant to, and the game pretty much just kept going down from there. Not much I could do after an early few misplays that set me too far back, glad we finally banned Lax!!! Nicknames are from good kid, m.A.A.d city by Kendrick Lamar.
Week 9 vs Demantoid - W (qsns)
Metagross-Mega @ Metagrossite
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 200 HP / 56 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Iron Head
- Ice Punch
- Thunder Punch
- Protect
Tapu Koko @ Life Orb
Ability: Electric Surge
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Thunderbolt
- Dazzling Gleam
- Taunt
- Protect
Volcanion @ Wacan Berry
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 248 HP / 228 SpA / 28 SpD / 4 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Steam Eruption
- Heat Wave
- Sludge Bomb
- Protect
Landorus-Therian @ Groundium Z
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 248 HP / 16 Atk / 24 SpD / 220 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- U-turn
- Protect
Hoopa-Unbound @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Magician
EVs: 192 HP / 224 Atk / 92 Def
Brave Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Hyperspace Fury
- Hyperspace Hole
- Trick Room
- Protect
Aegislash @ Shuca Berry
Ability: Stance Change
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpA
Quiet Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 0 Spe
- Shadow Ball
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Wide Guard
- King's Shield
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 200 HP / 56 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Iron Head
- Ice Punch
- Thunder Punch
- Protect
Tapu Koko @ Life Orb
Ability: Electric Surge
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Thunderbolt
- Dazzling Gleam
- Taunt
- Protect
Volcanion @ Wacan Berry
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 248 HP / 228 SpA / 28 SpD / 4 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Steam Eruption
- Heat Wave
- Sludge Bomb
- Protect
Landorus-Therian @ Groundium Z
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 248 HP / 16 Atk / 24 SpD / 220 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- U-turn
- Protect
Hoopa-Unbound @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Magician
EVs: 192 HP / 224 Atk / 92 Def
Brave Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Hyperspace Fury
- Hyperspace Hole
- Trick Room
- Protect
Aegislash @ Shuca Berry
Ability: Stance Change
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpA
Quiet Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 0 Spe
- Shadow Ball
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Wide Guard
- King's Shield
qsns writes this btw
super glad i got to play a week after carrying the entirety of crovens teambuilding. i dont know how someone who built 3 of these can write a report lmao. this team was super standard and an update of something we were prepping the week earlier - i just wanted to play with something id be comfortable with. shuca HP ice aegislash was excellent in testing and helped patch up the z ground weakness that this team obviously has (especially to DD zyg). not much to explain here honestly!
[10:49 PM] qsns: also emphasize bulky z ground lando
[10:49 PM] qsns: is about 10x better than jolly
croven note: i didn't even build 3 teams lmao it was more like 2, 2.5 at BEST wow i really shouldn't be doing a team dump (week 1, week 4 if that counts, then i built about half of week 5 w/ qsns. other than that it was p much qsns all the way yeet)
[10:49 PM] qsns: also emphasize bulky z ground lando
[10:49 PM] qsns: is about 10x better than jolly
croven note: i didn't even build 3 teams lmao it was more like 2, 2.5 at BEST wow i really shouldn't be doing a team dump (week 1, week 4 if that counts, then i built about half of week 5 w/ qsns. other than that it was p much qsns all the way yeet)
Semifinals vs marilli - W
nights (Gengar-Mega) @ Gengarite
Ability: Shadow Tag
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Shadow Ball
- Sludge Bomb
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Protect
nikes (Incineroar) @ Figy Berry
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Fake Out
- Flare Blitz
- Knock Off
- U-turn
seigfried (Genesect) @ Assault Vest
Ability: Download
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- U-turn
- Iron Head
- Ice Beam
- Flamethrower
ivy (Tapu Bulu) @ Grassium Z
Ability: Grassy Surge
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Wood Hammer
- Horn Leech
- Superpower
- Protect
solo (Kyurem-Black) @ Life Orb
Ability: Teravolt
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Ice Beam
- Fusion Bolt
- Earth Power
- Protect
white ferrari (Suicune) @ Iapapa Berry
Ability: Inner Focus
EVs: 252 HP / 20 Def / 176 SpA / 4 SpD / 56 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Ice Beam
- Snarl
- Tailwind
Ability: Shadow Tag
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Shadow Ball
- Sludge Bomb
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Protect
nikes (Incineroar) @ Figy Berry
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Fake Out
- Flare Blitz
- Knock Off
- U-turn
seigfried (Genesect) @ Assault Vest
Ability: Download
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- U-turn
- Iron Head
- Ice Beam
- Flamethrower
ivy (Tapu Bulu) @ Grassium Z
Ability: Grassy Surge
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Wood Hammer
- Horn Leech
- Superpower
- Protect
solo (Kyurem-Black) @ Life Orb
Ability: Teravolt
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Ice Beam
- Fusion Bolt
- Earth Power
- Protect
white ferrari (Suicune) @ Iapapa Berry
Ability: Inner Focus
EVs: 252 HP / 20 Def / 176 SpA / 4 SpD / 56 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Ice Beam
- Snarl
- Tailwind
Going into this week, we noticed some trends in marilli's teams. Week 2-6, he used a lot of different builds, ranging from Hail to Rain to Sand to Fullroom to goddamn Blacephalon. However, he did poorly these weeks, only getting 1 win and losing 4 times. The 3 weeks after that, all his teams were extremely similar, and were back to his standard fat balance builds. They all featured a Steel mega (2 Gross, 1 Scizor) and Zygarde and Kyu-B. Mew and Lando-T were also used twice in these 3 weeks. From my viewpoint, it looked like he experimented for the middle of the season and fell back to his standard goodstuffs teams when the experimenting went subpar. As a result, we expected him to use a team similar to his teams from weeks 7-9. Modest HP Ice M-Gar ripped apart these teams, being able to KO over half of the mons on each team. With Incineroar released, Gar + Gene + Incin was looking like a FIRE core to build around. Bulu and Kyub were heavy hitters that also had some other purpose that I can't remember right now, but they're good and work. You can make Kyu-B Icium and Bulu LO if you want, doesn't matter. Last mon we wanted a bulky TW setter, originally had Mew but that wasn't working. We figured marilli would bring Incin, since it fits his style and it's a new toy, so Suicune was a nice pick that fit all necessary roles: TW setter, bulky, and Incineroar check. In the game itself, I had a worse matchup than I expected. Manectric over his usual Steel mega hurt me a lot, as well as him bringing TTar, a mon he had only used once before. The game goes back and forth, each of us slowly KO'ing the opposing mons until I manage to get ahead and close up the endgame. Overall was a good game, one of the best I had this SPL. The team itself is very fun to use; however, I wouldn't say it's quite perfect. There are some noticeable holes and matchup issues, but it's still a good team as a whole that I don't mind bringing to seasonal (in fact, I actually did bring it to seasonal vs Edu just a couple days ago). Love the team and the game from this week. Nicknames are from Blonde by Frank Ocean.
Conclusion
This was a fun as FUCK season. I'm extremely glad to have been drafted by the Ruiners and to be given the chance to start for them (even if I was only drafted because my managers are dorks who don't know jack about doubles lul). While we couldn't end the way we wanted to, we had an incredible season, coming back from positions where we thought it was all lost. In the end, I'm grateful to have been a part of this experience, and to be able to call myself an Alpha Ruiner.
Gonna keep this brief because if I started to go on a little, I'd end up writing 1k words on each member, since literally everyone was amazing, and this team dump would end up being way too long.
HANTSUKI , Rewer , dekzeh - Whatever your reasons were for drafting me, you were the people who ultimately gave me the chance to be a part of this team. Without you, I wouldn't have had any of this. Thank you for that, and for everything you guys did throughout the season. It was a real pleasure.
undisputed - The man, the myth, the legend. You really were a one-man army dude. You were always the one to bring us up when we were down and close to giving up, and the hands-down MVP of our team. Don't think I forgot your speeches before Weeks 4 and 8, because I most definitely have not, and I don't think many other Ruiners have either. You were a real inspiration, and it was simply amazing being your teammate.
Bushtush , dudeman130498 First - what the fuck is this new name, lax? -1/10. Ok but for real, I just wanted to say how I still remember dicking around on Frost years ago, then slowly moving onto the main server and learning tiers that weren't named Monotype. I cannot believe that you two are the same people I knew of four years ago, and that all three of us are standing on the same stage, teamed up in the playoffs of SPL. It's been a long road, and absolutely worth every step of the way. Hope to see you guys stick around for a while.
qsns - ur gay (thx for making almost all of my teams even when u werent part of the team, ur the best)
HANTSUKI , Rewer , dekzeh - Whatever your reasons were for drafting me, you were the people who ultimately gave me the chance to be a part of this team. Without you, I wouldn't have had any of this. Thank you for that, and for everything you guys did throughout the season. It was a real pleasure.
undisputed - The man, the myth, the legend. You really were a one-man army dude. You were always the one to bring us up when we were down and close to giving up, and the hands-down MVP of our team. Don't think I forgot your speeches before Weeks 4 and 8, because I most definitely have not, and I don't think many other Ruiners have either. You were a real inspiration, and it was simply amazing being your teammate.
Bushtush , dudeman130498 First - what the fuck is this new name, lax? -1/10. Ok but for real, I just wanted to say how I still remember dicking around on Frost years ago, then slowly moving onto the main server and learning tiers that weren't named Monotype. I cannot believe that you two are the same people I knew of four years ago, and that all three of us are standing on the same stage, teamed up in the playoffs of SPL. It's been a long road, and absolutely worth every step of the way. Hope to see you guys stick around for a while.
qsns - ur gay (thx for making almost all of my teams even when u werent part of the team, ur the best)
Kaori AuraRayquaza miltankmilk Memoric - thanks for letting me bombard you guys with battles, I really would not have been able to do this well without all of your help
relevant i guess
after week 4 game:
[14:12] +Croven: dude u have no idea how happy i am rn
[14:13] +SamVGC ✿: me too
[14:13] +SamVGC ✿: now i dont have to test against fullroom 50 fucking times
Nido-Rus - I used a team of yours once and I lost that week sooo ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ jk dude, you were always there to discuss ideas, opposing team analysis, and my own teams every week, despite your stupid Indian exams. Thanks a ton for being there every week, even if all we got accomplished was me calling you bad :I
Elise - im gay lol
Checkmater - worst DPL manger in HISTORY also i may be coming to berkeley if ur stupid school lets me in >:I
relevant i guess
after week 4 game:
[14:12] +Croven: dude u have no idea how happy i am rn
[14:13] +SamVGC ✿: me too
[14:13] +SamVGC ✿: now i dont have to test against fullroom 50 fucking times
Nido-Rus - I used a team of yours once and I lost that week sooo ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ jk dude, you were always there to discuss ideas, opposing team analysis, and my own teams every week, despite your stupid Indian exams. Thanks a ton for being there every week, even if all we got accomplished was me calling you bad :I
Elise - im gay lol
Checkmater - worst DPL manger in HISTORY also i may be coming to berkeley if ur stupid school lets me in >:I
Thank you for reading this, if you made it this far through all my long ass descriptions. If you didn't and just came for the teams, drop a fat like and I won't know the difference. I will most definitely not be stopping here, and am looking forward to playing in Snake, the Doubles Circuit, and SPL 10!
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