Read the OP you need two Dark Horse pokemon to participate so add another one aside from Croak.
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Other The Dark Horse Project (ORAS Edition)
- Thread starter heritage
- Start date
I'm dropping. School, and I still haven't made the team yet.
Plague von Karma
Banned deucer.
I have literally been using Crawdaunt and Regirock since the start of me playing Showdown, and it's basically a Dark Horse Pokemon. Does this count as me being in on the Dark Horse Project or nah? ;-;
No. Read the OP please. Make a new account on Showdown, otherwise it's not fair to anybody else. Fill out an application too.
Ok, my team finally came in (big thank you to AM) and I'm ready to ladder. I've made a change or two to the original team, replacing Conkeldurr with Hippowdon and giving it rocks to help deal with Zard X, freeing up Rachi's last moveslot for U-Turn/T-Wave.
Here's a replay showcasing the squad: http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-207690286
And below is my current rank and the team:
Will update later :]
Here's a replay showcasing the squad: http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-207690286
And below is my current rank and the team:
Houndoom @ Houndoominite
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 40 HP / 8 Def / 208 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Nasty Plot
- Taunt
- Fire Blast
- Dark Pulse
Tornadus-Therian (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 20 Atk / 252 SpA / 236 Spe
Naive Nature
- Hurricane
- Knock Off
- Superpower
- U-turn
Hippowdon @ Leftovers
Ability: Sand Force
EVs: 252 HP / 144 Def / 112 SpD
Impish Nature
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Slack Off
- Stealth Rock
Rotom-Wash @ Chesto Berry
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 248 HP / 216 Def / 44 Spe
Bold Nature
- Volt Switch
- Hydro Pump
- Will-O-Wisp
- Rest
Latias (F) @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 152 HP / 104 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Healing Wish
- Psyshock
- Draco Meteor
- Defog
Jirachi @ Apicot Berry
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 104 HP / 208 Atk / 196 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Body Slam
- Iron Head
- Natural Gift
- U-turn
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 40 HP / 8 Def / 208 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Nasty Plot
- Taunt
- Fire Blast
- Dark Pulse
Tornadus-Therian (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 20 Atk / 252 SpA / 236 Spe
Naive Nature
- Hurricane
- Knock Off
- Superpower
- U-turn
Hippowdon @ Leftovers
Ability: Sand Force
EVs: 252 HP / 144 Def / 112 SpD
Impish Nature
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Slack Off
- Stealth Rock
Rotom-Wash @ Chesto Berry
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 248 HP / 216 Def / 44 Spe
Bold Nature
- Volt Switch
- Hydro Pump
- Will-O-Wisp
- Rest
Latias (F) @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 152 HP / 104 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Healing Wish
- Psyshock
- Draco Meteor
- Defog
Jirachi @ Apicot Berry
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 104 HP / 208 Atk / 196 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Body Slam
- Iron Head
- Natural Gift
- U-turn
Will update later :]
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Well I can't say I enjoy laddering in so much that I'm not exactly the most dedicated player, playing maybe 1 or 2 games at most every two days or so. That said I finally finished with my turtles pace.
Sadly, I can't say I had that much good replays saved up with this account, I do have with another account which may have better replays in so much that I felt those matches were more worthwhile if that is allowed? Otherwise, I can't say I have many replay worthy matches with this account. That said I use a fairly standard team:
I initially used MDiancie over MGarde but I felt too many people had become more prepared against MDiancie that I just decided for purely aesthetic reasons to chuck in MGarde and surprisingly it worked. The team is a u-turn spam team consisting of a fairly normal Rotom-W/Talonflame/Diggersby core that aims to wear down the opponents. Xatu is a fairly important member in so much that she bounces hazards while being able to maintain momentum with U-turn, the speed EVs are there to speed creep T-tar, and of course rocky helmet helps in so much that it only further helps in chip damage - which Diggersby and MGarde appreciate. If you are familiar with Lavos Spawn's Xatu from B/W era this is more or less the same thing, sans Toxic and Heatwave.
Coballion aside from being my rock setter, who is fairly fast so is able to set rocks with ease through out my match, is my go to answer to Bisharp, which is a huge threat in this meta. It also gives me leeway in being able to normally outright kill other hindrances to my team like Heatran/Ferrothorn that generally don't take much from U-turn/Volt switch and set hazards against me, like Xatu Coballion's other role is anti-hazards. Now as for why I am not using AM's volt-switch Coballion is simply that it didn't add anything to my team in so much that I needed Coballion's offensive capabilities, however little, to reliably threaten things like the aforementioned steels and Chansey, another huge pain to my team. He also doubles as a good switch in to knock off and combined with taunt can cause havoc to knock off spam users that think they can just recover off damage you deal, e.g. Mew.
As for the rest of the members... Rotom-W is primarily there to check Talonflame and Scizor as well, via burns. Aside that is just the general utility he offers with his set of resistances and immunities, but really his primary function is to check Talonflame. Diggersby and Talonflame play the same role in so much that they aim to clean the opposing team with brute force, hence why I chose Adamant for my Scarf Diggersby. Scarf Diggersby tends to catch the opponents off guard so I use that to my advantage in taking down would be Lati@s trying to defog my SR off the field. I use CB Talonflame over the more popular sets as when I did the SD/BU versions they killed momentum for my team in general, the team is ill equipped to support a set-up mon. More importantly, U-turn had more utility in so far that Talonflame tends to lure mons that I can take exploit, e.g. Heatran/T-tar/Slowbro etc. Now CB is used as well because of the immediate power it brings and is my clutch against mons that are able to set up on my team. Tailwind is my other clutch option in so much that it allows me to revenge kill and sweep the opposing team with my M-Garde.
M-Garde is my mega of choice, but can be swapped with M-Diancie, due to the massive power she brings in being able to dismantle defensive teams that usually give my team a nightmare. More importantly, with tailwind support she is able to clean up against offensive teams. I chose taunt to once again punish would be defensive teams as well as prevent hazards.
As for what threatens the team... Bulky Mega Scizor... Frickin things aren't worn down, and I only carry one member capable to actually outright killing him, and they hit hard while being able to roost and boost. He can tank Brave Bird and Earthquake from my two hardest hitters, and resists Hyper Voice, so he isn't easy to kill - and because of his weakness teams are usually able to mitigate that fire weakness with a bulky water or Heatran. You can easily telegraph when he is about to be hit by a fire type attack so... These things are a nightmare for my team. Another notable threat is of course Manaphy for similar reasons as Scizor but it is easier to take down so not as big of an issue.
As for replays: I could the few I saved but I can't say they highlight my Dark horses very well :(
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-208404992
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-208408067
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-204924522
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-205421361
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-207925531
Sadly, I can't say I had that much good replays saved up with this account, I do have with another account which may have better replays in so much that I felt those matches were more worthwhile if that is allowed? Otherwise, I can't say I have many replay worthy matches with this account. That said I use a fairly standard team:
Rotom-Wash @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 212 Def / 44 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Hydro Pump
- Volt Switch
- Will-O-Wisp
- Pain Split
Diggersby (F) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Huge Power
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- U-turn
- Knock Off
- Earthquake
- Return
Talonflame (F) @ Choice Band
Ability: Gale Wings
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Brave Bird
- Flare Blitz
- U-turn
- Tailwind
Xatu (F) @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Magic Bounce
EVs: 248 HP / 204 Def / 56 Spe
Impish Nature
- Thunder Wave
- Night Shade
- Roost
- U-turn
Gardevoir (F) @ Gardevoirite
Ability: Trace
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 24 Def / 232 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Hyper Voice
- Taunt
- Focus Blast
- Psyshock
Cobalion @ Expert Belt
Ability: Justified
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Taunt
- Close Combat
- Iron Head
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 212 Def / 44 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Hydro Pump
- Volt Switch
- Will-O-Wisp
- Pain Split
Diggersby (F) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Huge Power
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- U-turn
- Knock Off
- Earthquake
- Return
Talonflame (F) @ Choice Band
Ability: Gale Wings
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Brave Bird
- Flare Blitz
- U-turn
- Tailwind
Xatu (F) @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Magic Bounce
EVs: 248 HP / 204 Def / 56 Spe
Impish Nature
- Thunder Wave
- Night Shade
- Roost
- U-turn
Gardevoir (F) @ Gardevoirite
Ability: Trace
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 24 Def / 232 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Hyper Voice
- Taunt
- Focus Blast
- Psyshock
Cobalion @ Expert Belt
Ability: Justified
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Taunt
- Close Combat
- Iron Head
I initially used MDiancie over MGarde but I felt too many people had become more prepared against MDiancie that I just decided for purely aesthetic reasons to chuck in MGarde and surprisingly it worked. The team is a u-turn spam team consisting of a fairly normal Rotom-W/Talonflame/Diggersby core that aims to wear down the opponents. Xatu is a fairly important member in so much that she bounces hazards while being able to maintain momentum with U-turn, the speed EVs are there to speed creep T-tar, and of course rocky helmet helps in so much that it only further helps in chip damage - which Diggersby and MGarde appreciate. If you are familiar with Lavos Spawn's Xatu from B/W era this is more or less the same thing, sans Toxic and Heatwave.
Coballion aside from being my rock setter, who is fairly fast so is able to set rocks with ease through out my match, is my go to answer to Bisharp, which is a huge threat in this meta. It also gives me leeway in being able to normally outright kill other hindrances to my team like Heatran/Ferrothorn that generally don't take much from U-turn/Volt switch and set hazards against me, like Xatu Coballion's other role is anti-hazards. Now as for why I am not using AM's volt-switch Coballion is simply that it didn't add anything to my team in so much that I needed Coballion's offensive capabilities, however little, to reliably threaten things like the aforementioned steels and Chansey, another huge pain to my team. He also doubles as a good switch in to knock off and combined with taunt can cause havoc to knock off spam users that think they can just recover off damage you deal, e.g. Mew.
As for the rest of the members... Rotom-W is primarily there to check Talonflame and Scizor as well, via burns. Aside that is just the general utility he offers with his set of resistances and immunities, but really his primary function is to check Talonflame. Diggersby and Talonflame play the same role in so much that they aim to clean the opposing team with brute force, hence why I chose Adamant for my Scarf Diggersby. Scarf Diggersby tends to catch the opponents off guard so I use that to my advantage in taking down would be Lati@s trying to defog my SR off the field. I use CB Talonflame over the more popular sets as when I did the SD/BU versions they killed momentum for my team in general, the team is ill equipped to support a set-up mon. More importantly, U-turn had more utility in so far that Talonflame tends to lure mons that I can take exploit, e.g. Heatran/T-tar/Slowbro etc. Now CB is used as well because of the immediate power it brings and is my clutch against mons that are able to set up on my team. Tailwind is my other clutch option in so much that it allows me to revenge kill and sweep the opposing team with my M-Garde.
M-Garde is my mega of choice, but can be swapped with M-Diancie, due to the massive power she brings in being able to dismantle defensive teams that usually give my team a nightmare. More importantly, with tailwind support she is able to clean up against offensive teams. I chose taunt to once again punish would be defensive teams as well as prevent hazards.
As for what threatens the team... Bulky Mega Scizor... Frickin things aren't worn down, and I only carry one member capable to actually outright killing him, and they hit hard while being able to roost and boost. He can tank Brave Bird and Earthquake from my two hardest hitters, and resists Hyper Voice, so he isn't easy to kill - and because of his weakness teams are usually able to mitigate that fire weakness with a bulky water or Heatran. You can easily telegraph when he is about to be hit by a fire type attack so... These things are a nightmare for my team. Another notable threat is of course Manaphy for similar reasons as Scizor but it is easier to take down so not as big of an issue.
As for replays: I could the few I saved but I can't say they highlight my Dark horses very well :(
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-208404992
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-208408067
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-204924522
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-205421361
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-207925531
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Long-ass post incoming.
Ok, so I've been on my grind laddering and to my surprise, I've been enjoying it. (ladder usually whitens the hairs of me head :| ) Mega Houndoom + Tornadus T is just so, so fun. I think a lot of the enjoyment was due to the oh-so-skillful Jirachi, hehebwoi. Anyways, before I get into it, here's my current ranking and the team I'm using:
First, I'll talk about the team. Basically, it's a balance team centered around wearing down the opposition with SR + VoltTurn, and when an opportunity arises, denting the opposition with Mega Houndoom. All of this allows Tornadus-T, thanks to its high speed, power and coverage, to clean up teams. That is what this team wants to do. (Like it might not go down that way but the team has its intention).
Ok, I'll briefly talk about the members. Hippowdon is my rock setter and check to a multitude of things including Birds, Zard X, Landorus-T, Raikou, Thundurus, and Sand teams. Rotom-W and Jirachi are the team's response to fairies and Talonflame as well as decent pivots, able to bring in my core on favourable targets. Latias clears the field of Hazards for my rock weak core and can bring back the dead with her Healing Wish. She also checks Keldeo, Landorus and Zard Y. Finally, Mega Houndoom and Tornadus-T give the team a way of dishing out massive damage, stallbreaking, and breaking down any defensive cores a team may have.
With that outta the way, we can finally talk about the Dark Horses of the team: Mega Houndoom and Tornadus-T. After playing around 35 matches, I've learned a few things about my dark horses. I've noticed that Tornadus-T is such a problem for many teams. Why? Well, It outspeeds the majority of them, threatens their walls with Knock Off, threatens their offensive mons with its coverage, and if they opt to switch out, it can easily U-turn, gaining momentum for its user. Regenerator makes Torn-T even more of a problem, as the SR or LO damage it may take is pretty much healed off. It has great match-up vs. all playstyles, imo, and is quite the potent, anti-meta threat.
On to Mega Houndoom. MegaDoom is an interesting case. I've found that it is extremely match-up reliant and, to mega evolve, I feel it needs to be brought in by a smart double or VoltTurn because of its frailty and typing. With that said though, Mega Houndoom is a really great 'mon. After it megas, much like Torn-T, it outspeeds a lot of OU and can get off a heavy hit on something. It shuts down defensive cores rather nicely, too. MegaDoom is cool so far. A bit difficult but cool nonetheless. I will expand upon this Dark Horse in a later update.
As far as the team goes, it is weak to Dragon Dancers, namely Mega Gyarados. It is also troubled by Rain offense as Rotom W is literally the only answer. All in all, the team has been doing good and the Dark Horses have been galloping. Below are replays of some of the battles I've had up until this point. They are in order from oldest to most recent..so yeah. Enjoy.
Will ArchPhantom be able to reach that 1650 rating or will he be overcome by the absurdly powerful hax?Or just plainly swept by Mega Gyarados Find out next time on Dark Horse Z!!
Ok, so I've been on my grind laddering and to my surprise, I've been enjoying it. (ladder usually whitens the hairs of me head :| ) Mega Houndoom + Tornadus T is just so, so fun. I think a lot of the enjoyment was due to the oh-so-skillful Jirachi, hehebwoi. Anyways, before I get into it, here's my current ranking and the team I'm using:
Houndoom @ Houndoominite
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 40 HP / 8 Def / 208 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Nasty Plot
- Taunt
- Fire Blast
- Dark Pulse
Tornadus-Therian (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 20 Atk / 252 SpA / 236 Spe
Naive Nature
- Hurricane
- Knock Off
- Superpower
- U-turn
Hippowdon @ Leftovers
Ability: Sand Force
EVs: 252 HP / 144 Def / 112 SpD
Impish Nature
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Slack Off
- Stealth Rock
Rotom-Wash @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 248 HP / 216 Def / 44 Spe
Bold Nature
- Volt Switch
- Hydro Pump
- Will-O-Wisp
- Pain Split
Latias (F) @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 152 HP / 104 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Healing Wish
- Psyshock
- Draco Meteor
- Defog
Jirachi @ Apicot Berry
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 104 HP / 208 Atk / 196 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Body Slam
- Iron Head
- Natural Gift
- U-turn
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 40 HP / 8 Def / 208 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Nasty Plot
- Taunt
- Fire Blast
- Dark Pulse
Tornadus-Therian (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 20 Atk / 252 SpA / 236 Spe
Naive Nature
- Hurricane
- Knock Off
- Superpower
- U-turn
Hippowdon @ Leftovers
Ability: Sand Force
EVs: 252 HP / 144 Def / 112 SpD
Impish Nature
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Slack Off
- Stealth Rock
Rotom-Wash @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 248 HP / 216 Def / 44 Spe
Bold Nature
- Volt Switch
- Hydro Pump
- Will-O-Wisp
- Pain Split
Latias (F) @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 152 HP / 104 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Healing Wish
- Psyshock
- Draco Meteor
- Defog
Jirachi @ Apicot Berry
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 104 HP / 208 Atk / 196 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Body Slam
- Iron Head
- Natural Gift
- U-turn
First, I'll talk about the team. Basically, it's a balance team centered around wearing down the opposition with SR + VoltTurn, and when an opportunity arises, denting the opposition with Mega Houndoom. All of this allows Tornadus-T, thanks to its high speed, power and coverage, to clean up teams. That is what this team wants to do. (Like it might not go down that way but the team has its intention).
Ok, I'll briefly talk about the members. Hippowdon is my rock setter and check to a multitude of things including Birds, Zard X, Landorus-T, Raikou, Thundurus, and Sand teams. Rotom-W and Jirachi are the team's response to fairies and Talonflame as well as decent pivots, able to bring in my core on favourable targets. Latias clears the field of Hazards for my rock weak core and can bring back the dead with her Healing Wish. She also checks Keldeo, Landorus and Zard Y. Finally, Mega Houndoom and Tornadus-T give the team a way of dishing out massive damage, stallbreaking, and breaking down any defensive cores a team may have.
With that outta the way, we can finally talk about the Dark Horses of the team: Mega Houndoom and Tornadus-T. After playing around 35 matches, I've learned a few things about my dark horses. I've noticed that Tornadus-T is such a problem for many teams. Why? Well, It outspeeds the majority of them, threatens their walls with Knock Off, threatens their offensive mons with its coverage, and if they opt to switch out, it can easily U-turn, gaining momentum for its user. Regenerator makes Torn-T even more of a problem, as the SR or LO damage it may take is pretty much healed off. It has great match-up vs. all playstyles, imo, and is quite the potent, anti-meta threat.
On to Mega Houndoom. MegaDoom is an interesting case. I've found that it is extremely match-up reliant and, to mega evolve, I feel it needs to be brought in by a smart double or VoltTurn because of its frailty and typing. With that said though, Mega Houndoom is a really great 'mon. After it megas, much like Torn-T, it outspeeds a lot of OU and can get off a heavy hit on something. It shuts down defensive cores rather nicely, too. MegaDoom is cool so far. A bit difficult but cool nonetheless. I will expand upon this Dark Horse in a later update.
As far as the team goes, it is weak to Dragon Dancers, namely Mega Gyarados. It is also troubled by Rain offense as Rotom W is literally the only answer. All in all, the team has been doing good and the Dark Horses have been galloping. Below are replays of some of the battles I've had up until this point. They are in order from oldest to most recent..so yeah. Enjoy.
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-207693808
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-208502586
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-208504370
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-208507001
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-208508586
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-208510333
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-208512811
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-208514982
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-208502586
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-208504370
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-208507001
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-208508586
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-208510333
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-208512811
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-208514982
Will ArchPhantom be able to reach that 1650 rating or will he be overcome by the absurdly powerful hax?
Pokemon Showdown! Username: Squaaaawk
Prior Hall of Fame Standing: none :(
Current Dark Horse Pokemon: Honchkrow, Dugtrio, Pidgeot, Staraptor
Explanation of Dark Horse(s) So this team is birdspam hyperoffense, and by birdspam I mean five birds + Duggy. Honchkrow provides nice priority in sucker punch and the potential to sweep unprepared teams after a moxie boost. Dugtrio is there because of the two most common counters to birdspam, Heatran and Rotom-W, Dugtrio beats one and with u-turn support it can generally come in, kill the heatran/tyranitar and get up rocks. Dugtrio also provides a much needed electric immunity which allows it to switch in on things such as raikou's volt switch. the other four members of the team are talonflame, staraptor, mPidgeot, and zapdos, which all spam flying attacks like honchkrow, except for zapdos who is another electric immunity and defog support x)
Prior Hall of Fame Standing: none :(
Current Dark Horse Pokemon: Honchkrow, Dugtrio, Pidgeot, Staraptor
Explanation of Dark Horse(s) So this team is birdspam hyperoffense, and by birdspam I mean five birds + Duggy. Honchkrow provides nice priority in sucker punch and the potential to sweep unprepared teams after a moxie boost. Dugtrio is there because of the two most common counters to birdspam, Heatran and Rotom-W, Dugtrio beats one and with u-turn support it can generally come in, kill the heatran/tyranitar and get up rocks. Dugtrio also provides a much needed electric immunity which allows it to switch in on things such as raikou's volt switch. the other four members of the team are talonflame, staraptor, mPidgeot, and zapdos, which all spam flying attacks like honchkrow, except for zapdos who is another electric immunity and defog support x)
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I guess this is suspended until the suspect test is over... Yuck I'll have to ladder again after decay, and I was close to 1700, again I'm not the most activate ladder player so I dunno if I'll have the patience to push further after the suspect process (I honestly didn't have issues with Mega Metagross, unlike MScizor). It isn't fun that the decay of ratings happen so quickly at 1600+, oh well :(
Edit: Changed darkhorses.
Pokemon Showdown! Username: EnigamiDHP
Prior Hall of Fame Standing: None
Current Dark Horse Pokemon: Ninetales, Victreebel, Noivern, Empoleon, Dugtrio
Explanation of Dark Horses:
Ninetales provides long lasting sun for Victreebel to sweep, Noivern utilizes sun boosted Moonlight to boost its longevity, Empoleon provides defog support, and Dugtrio traps and eliminates mons that cause trouble for the rest of the team.
Pokemon Showdown! Username: EnigamiDHP
Prior Hall of Fame Standing: None
Current Dark Horse Pokemon: Ninetales, Victreebel, Noivern, Empoleon, Dugtrio
Explanation of Dark Horses:
Ninetales provides long lasting sun for Victreebel to sweep, Noivern utilizes sun boosted Moonlight to boost its longevity, Empoleon provides defog support, and Dugtrio traps and eliminates mons that cause trouble for the rest of the team.
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Anyone have the new usage stats? I wanna join in the fun too :)
Right here:
http://www.smogon.com/stats/2015-02/
http://www.smogon.com/stats/2015-02/
Thanks a lot! Will start a making a new team straight away.
And why the fuck does Reuniclus have less usage than Pikachu.
And why the fuck does Reuniclus have less usage than Pikachu.
Suspect time is over, let's bring this project back.
Pokemon Showdown! Username: Coming Undone
Dark Horse Pokemon: Alakazam and Lucario
Screenshot of 1650+ Elo on OU ladder:
Explanation of Dark Horses:
Pokemon Showdown! Username: Coming Undone
Dark Horse Pokemon: Alakazam and Lucario
Screenshot of 1650+ Elo on OU ladder:
Explanation of Dark Horses:
- Mega Alakazam is a great revenge killer and late game cleaner, Trace is cute, and it's absurd Speed tier lets it outrun... pretty much everything. Nice anti meta mon right now, what with ScarfTar being the most common Pursuit trapper right now. Happy to be using this thing again.
- Lucario is kinda tricky to use, given it's frailty, but it's still a scary mon for offensive teams to deal with. I'm thinking I'll end up running Bullet Punch over a coverage move, seeing as Mega Diancie is such a huge threat, but seeing as the team hasn't gotten beyond these two that remains to be determined.
Cause Low Ladder is filled with young new users who dream of becoming Pokemon masters with their Ash team, only to realize their dreams will inevitably fail.
Reference: Scientific Study
Pokemon Showdown! Username: TrinaryNostalgia
Prior Hall of Fame Standing: None
Current Dark Horse Pokemon: Lucario and Reuniclus
Explanation of Dark Horse(s):
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-216487306
Prior Hall of Fame Standing: None
Current Dark Horse Pokemon: Lucario and Reuniclus
Explanation of Dark Horse(s):
- Lucario imo is a really underrated threat. It is a great late-game sweeper and cleaner thanks to its access to the coveted Extreme Speed, which, at +2, OHKOes Talonflame, making Lucario nigh-impossible to revenge kill. Couple that with a decent base 110 attack and a STAB 120 BP move and you have a monster to face. It is also a great check to Bisharp and Mega Altaria. Will add more thoughts later.
- Reuniclus is the real man-of-the-match here. This thing is goddamn unkillable after a few Calm Minds, and with Magic Guard it is pretty much impossible to wear down. Reliable recovery in Recover (haha) also lets Reuniclus set up much easier, on things like Clefable and Chansey. Psyshock lets it muscle past Chansey whilst also winning CM wars against Manaphy clefable and Celebi.
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-216487306
Pokemon Showdown! Username: Nidoking+Absol
Prior Hall of Fame Standing: None
Current Dark Horse Pokemon: Nidoking and Absol
Explanation of Dark Horse(s)
Mega-Absol is my favorite mega and I've always felt it gets a bad rep in OU. It is certainly very frail but it does work against some of the best threats in OU (Mega-Sableye/Gross). It hits a great speed tier at 115 now that Greninja is gone and has an excellent ability in magic bounce.
Nidoking comes in as the final part of a 3 mon offensive core w/absol and band azu. I needed a safe switch in to fairies and also a reliable answer to things like skarm and ferrothorn. Enter SF/LO Nidoking, which provides both of these things as well as an electric immunity for azu and baits psychic attacks for safe absol switchins.
Prior Hall of Fame Standing: None
Current Dark Horse Pokemon: Nidoking and Absol
Explanation of Dark Horse(s)
Mega-Absol is my favorite mega and I've always felt it gets a bad rep in OU. It is certainly very frail but it does work against some of the best threats in OU (Mega-Sableye/Gross). It hits a great speed tier at 115 now that Greninja is gone and has an excellent ability in magic bounce.
Nidoking comes in as the final part of a 3 mon offensive core w/absol and band azu. I needed a safe switch in to fairies and also a reliable answer to things like skarm and ferrothorn. Enter SF/LO Nidoking, which provides both of these things as well as an electric immunity for azu and baits psychic attacks for safe absol switchins.
Pokemon Showdown! Username: ChessMagic
Prior Hall of Fame Standing: None
Current Dark Horse Pokemon: Chesnaught and Alakazam
Explanation of Dark Horse(s)
I wanted to make a team around bulky offense Chesnaught anyway to take advantage of Spiky Shield shenanigans, and help as a strong attacker and tank.
Alakazam's superb attack and speed potential allow it to hugely sweeten the deal as the Team's Mega, due to killing many things in a hit.
Prior Hall of Fame Standing: None
Current Dark Horse Pokemon: Chesnaught and Alakazam
Explanation of Dark Horse(s)
I wanted to make a team around bulky offense Chesnaught anyway to take advantage of Spiky Shield shenanigans, and help as a strong attacker and tank.
Alakazam's superb attack and speed potential allow it to hugely sweeten the deal as the Team's Mega, due to killing many things in a hit.
Dude, Nidoking is a shit Fairy switch-in... Mega Gardevoir 2HKOs with Hyper Voice, Azumarill beats it, specs Sylveon 2HKOs as well. Just saying... the only fairy it beats it like, Clefable. But anyway kudos to you for using Mega Absol :)
Anyways gonna post a replay here, again I'm using my normal alt in a battle against a friend since I haven't started laddering yet, but enjoy lol: http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-216982073 sue me i dont have a defogger
Alright haha I'm not saying he comes in on any fairy attack. What I mean to say is that he can come in on the defensive fairies that Absol can't muscle past. Things like clefable and defensive sylveon, also unboosted altaria believe it or not. Not many things actually want to take sludge wave on the switch too except steel types, and I have EP and Flamethrower. I also run a heatran for things like Gardy and Rotom-W for azu. If I had the whole team listed it'd be easier to explain, I wasn't trying to say that Nidoking can come in on anything that threatens Absol, just that he can come in on a lot of things that do and keep offensive momentum.
I am interested in the idea of using lesser-used 'mons to try and see if I can find some underrated threats in the OU meta. Hopefully time will allow me to post updates of my team's progress and any issues/successes I encounter.
http://www.smogon.com/stats/2015-02/ou-1825.txt
Pokemon Showdown! Username: ArceusDHP01
Prior Hall of Fame Standing: None
Current Dark Horse Pokemon: Tangrowth, Staraptor
Explanation of Dark Horse(s):
Tangrowth
Ever since I first saw a Tangrowth used in SPL very successfully, I've been enthralled by the sheer bulk of this grassy beast and his ability to eat up a great deal of physical and special attacks while recovering by simply switching. The presence of Talonflame, Charizard, and U-Turn threaten it significantly, but with proper team support I should be able to survive the onslaught.
Staraptor
My second ever Pokemon, I've always desired to see this bird get out of BL. It has a blistering attack and speed that, when coupled with a choice object and Reckless, hits incredibly hard and can take a huge chunk out of any Pokemon even when using a normally-effective move. Stealth Rock support will be important to keep Staraptor alive, as will eliminating other forms of priority that could threaten it due to its lackluster defenses.
http://www.smogon.com/stats/2015-02/ou-1825.txt
Pokemon Showdown! Username: ArceusDHP01
Prior Hall of Fame Standing: None
Current Dark Horse Pokemon: Tangrowth, Staraptor
Explanation of Dark Horse(s):
Ever since I first saw a Tangrowth used in SPL very successfully, I've been enthralled by the sheer bulk of this grassy beast and his ability to eat up a great deal of physical and special attacks while recovering by simply switching. The presence of Talonflame, Charizard, and U-Turn threaten it significantly, but with proper team support I should be able to survive the onslaught.
My second ever Pokemon, I've always desired to see this bird get out of BL. It has a blistering attack and speed that, when coupled with a choice object and Reckless, hits incredibly hard and can take a huge chunk out of any Pokemon even when using a normally-effective move. Stealth Rock support will be important to keep Staraptor alive, as will eliminating other forms of priority that could threaten it due to its lackluster defenses.
So, after a short time on the ladder and a couple matches in Minitours, I'm ready to retire this slate.
In a nutshell, this team is very, very scrappy, based around using brute force in order to weaken opposing teams. Garchomp functions as my Stealth Rock layer and wallbreaker. Bisharp works to eliminate bulky Psychic types that pose issues to Lucario, Keldeo, and Mega Alakazam. Raikou serves as an early game pivot, tanking hits and wearing down the opposing team with Volt Switch, while also making sure that I don't get 6-0ed by Talonflame once Garchomp gets worn out. Lastly, Keldeo helps to create a bit of a fighting spam core with Lucario while giving me something to manage with Scarf Lando-T and other bulky ground types.
Mega Alakazam performed exactly how I had hoped it would. It's speed is incredible right now, and it's got just enough power to push through weakened teams. I found that regardless of matchup, Zam managed to pull it's weight in just about every game. I did find myself a little disappointed with Encore; the idea was to lock stuff like Bisharp into Sucker Punch in order to provide Lucario set up opportunities, or alternatively, to force them out in fear of letting Lucario get free turns. In practice, however, I found it mostly allowed me to come in on defensive mons and lock them into support moves, which was still fairly useful. I do think playing around with Substitute would have been an interesting option instead, and I'll definitely be testing it a bit more next time I make a Zam team.
The reason I'm ending this slate is because of Lucario, who failed to impress me in any way. Despite Luke's purpose of serving as a late game cleaner, I found what it did best was come in once or twice a match, hit something with Close Combat, maybe bop a check with Ice Punch on the switch in, and die. Usually I wouldn't have an issue with this, but the problem is that just bringing Lucario in is too expensive for what it does. It's not fast, it's has next to no bulk, it's typing is decent but not spectacular, and to be honest it isn't as powerful as I would like it to be. If I had known what Lucario would have ended up doing, I would have chosen something like Breloom, or possibly Terrakion.
Ultimately, I enjoyed playing with this slate, but I'd like to see exactly how good this team can get, and Lucario is the first thing on the chopping block.
Anyways, I do have two replays from some recent minitours (the only ones I feel are really replay worthy), but I'm only showing one because I'm not sure if Mael plans on bringing the same squad for his next match, and I'd hate to leak his team.
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-218321989
This match was against xKnightx in the first round of OU Minitour 4, and is a solid example of how this team plays.
I have no idea how to finish this post, so have a picture of a stoat.
Based on the aggressive nature of my chosen mons, I decided to create a hyper offensive team, which you can find below.
Alakazam @ Alakazite
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Psychic
- Focus Blast
- Shadow Ball
- Encore
Lucario @ Life Orb
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Close Combat
- Extreme Speed
- Ice Punch
- Swords Dance
Garchomp @ Lum Berry
Ability: Rough Skin
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Dragon Claw
- Stealth Rock
- Swords Dance
Bisharp @ Black Glasses
Ability: Defiant
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Knock Off
- Sucker Punch
- Iron Head
- Pursuit
Raikou @ Assault Vest
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Thunderbolt
- Volt Switch
- Extrasensory
- Hidden Power [Ice]
Keldeo @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Justified
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Hydro Pump
- Scald
- Secret Sword
- Icy Wind
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Psychic
- Focus Blast
- Shadow Ball
- Encore
Lucario @ Life Orb
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Close Combat
- Extreme Speed
- Ice Punch
- Swords Dance
Garchomp @ Lum Berry
Ability: Rough Skin
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Dragon Claw
- Stealth Rock
- Swords Dance
Bisharp @ Black Glasses
Ability: Defiant
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Knock Off
- Sucker Punch
- Iron Head
- Pursuit
Raikou @ Assault Vest
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Thunderbolt
- Volt Switch
- Extrasensory
- Hidden Power [Ice]
Keldeo @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Justified
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Hydro Pump
- Scald
- Secret Sword
- Icy Wind
In a nutshell, this team is very, very scrappy, based around using brute force in order to weaken opposing teams. Garchomp functions as my Stealth Rock layer and wallbreaker. Bisharp works to eliminate bulky Psychic types that pose issues to Lucario, Keldeo, and Mega Alakazam. Raikou serves as an early game pivot, tanking hits and wearing down the opposing team with Volt Switch, while also making sure that I don't get 6-0ed by Talonflame once Garchomp gets worn out. Lastly, Keldeo helps to create a bit of a fighting spam core with Lucario while giving me something to manage with Scarf Lando-T and other bulky ground types.
Mega Alakazam performed exactly how I had hoped it would. It's speed is incredible right now, and it's got just enough power to push through weakened teams. I found that regardless of matchup, Zam managed to pull it's weight in just about every game. I did find myself a little disappointed with Encore; the idea was to lock stuff like Bisharp into Sucker Punch in order to provide Lucario set up opportunities, or alternatively, to force them out in fear of letting Lucario get free turns. In practice, however, I found it mostly allowed me to come in on defensive mons and lock them into support moves, which was still fairly useful. I do think playing around with Substitute would have been an interesting option instead, and I'll definitely be testing it a bit more next time I make a Zam team.
The reason I'm ending this slate is because of Lucario, who failed to impress me in any way. Despite Luke's purpose of serving as a late game cleaner, I found what it did best was come in once or twice a match, hit something with Close Combat, maybe bop a check with Ice Punch on the switch in, and die. Usually I wouldn't have an issue with this, but the problem is that just bringing Lucario in is too expensive for what it does. It's not fast, it's has next to no bulk, it's typing is decent but not spectacular, and to be honest it isn't as powerful as I would like it to be. If I had known what Lucario would have ended up doing, I would have chosen something like Breloom, or possibly Terrakion.
Ultimately, I enjoyed playing with this slate, but I'd like to see exactly how good this team can get, and Lucario is the first thing on the chopping block.
Anyways, I do have two replays from some recent minitours (the only ones I feel are really replay worthy), but I'm only showing one because I'm not sure if Mael plans on bringing the same squad for his next match, and I'd hate to leak his team.
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-218321989
This match was against xKnightx in the first round of OU Minitour 4, and is a solid example of how this team plays.
I have no idea how to finish this post, so have a picture of a stoat.
