Following the challenge I did prior with the mono-ghost team, I decided to attempt something even more difficult: trying to get 1st place on the ladder without incurring a single loss. It began well. With the help of some good RNG, I was consistently winning game after game. Well, that is until I hit the ultimate brick wall of BH laddering consistency: low ladder. Generally, at least with Balanced Hackmons, the further one descends down the ladder the less predictable the opponents you are matched up against become. So it often doesn't become a matter of if but when you get put in a match where the opponent has a combination of pokemon, moves, or abilities that are impossible for your set-up to defeat. And for the team, I was using that came in the form of Leftovers Magic Bounce Regigigas and a Dazzling Kyurem, objective garbage for sure, but so bad that I hadn't prepared for it. That being said, despite my failure to reach 1st, I did manage to reach 6th place with a winning streak of 40-0.
The Team: PAST IMPRISONMENT:
For this challenge, I decided to try something wildly different than anything I'd tried laddering with before: A Baton Pass Chain. Here is the pokepaste for the team: https://pokepast.es/f74536a28b764898.
Tainted Halcyon (Blissey) (F) @ Safety Goggles
Ability: Prankster
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Spore
- Substitute
- Baton Pass
- Recover
The first pokemon on my team, Blissey serves as the team's primary Substitute donor. Since Substitute, even when It's passed, has 1/4 the HP of the pokemon that created it, Blissey's huge HP stat makes for durable Substitutes. Spore on the set serves to cripple key pokemon such as Eternatus and generate free turns that the rest of the team can capitalize on after being passed a bulky Substitute from Blissey. Baton Pass of course is to give the Substitute to the team's Substitute receivers so they can use their sets to the fullest effect.
GuillotineofTruth (Xerneas) @ Metronome
Ability: Pixilate
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Boomburst
- Transform
- Imprison
- Anchor Shot
Xerneas is the primary receiver of the Substitute support from Blissey and the team's secondary Substitute setter: Zygarde. Substitute ensures Xerneas can't get statused or have it's item removed, while also ensuring it has the opportunity to set up Imprison. Imprison serves twofold in this set as it can be used to merely lock Anchor Shot, which is the most common move used to deal with Xerneas, and also opens the option to trap checks such as Ho-Oh and force them to struggle themselves to death with the combination of Imprison and Transform. Metronome is the item of choice as it makes Boomburst more powerful with each use, which assists greatly in cleaving through soft checks of Xerneas once Anchor Shot has been locked and even entire teams once their Xerneas counters have been removed.
Nightmare Roots (Zygarde-Complete) @ Toxic Orb
Ability: Poison Heal
Level: 99
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpD
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Substitute
- Baton Pass
- Baneful Bunker
- Worry Seed
Zygarde serves as the team's secondary Substitute donor. Like with Blissey its massive HP stat makes for bulky Substitutes. Worry Seed is used on this set to soft check Poison Heal Pokemon such as Regigigas and Xerneas by suppressing their abilities for damage. Zygarde’s ability, Poison Heal ensures it doesn't have to waste turns recovering HP so it can alternate between Baneful Bunker and slow Substitutes to consistently pp stall offensive pokemon and that Imposter Chansey can't recover its health off of Zygarde-C.
Neurosis (Tapu Fini) @ Safety Goggles
Ability: Prankster
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpD
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Destiny Bond
- Topsy-Turvy
- Recover
- U-turn
Tapu Fini is utilized as a Prankster supporting Pokemon as well as a check to mixed attacking Dragon Types such as Reshiram, and Palkia. Topsy-Turvy flips boosts if the opponent's manages to set-up and threaten to sweep the team and U-Turn allows for slow pivoting to put the Substitute donors in a position to begin the chain again. Destiny Bond serves as a last-ditch attempt to remove pokemon the team simply has no adequate way to deal with such as Glacial Lance Regigigas, Steel Worker Kartana and so forth.
Ominous Eidolon (Marshadow) @ Big Root
Ability: Triage
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Imprison
- Belly Drum
- Spectral Thief
- Drain Punch
Marshadow serves as the team's secondary Substitute receiver. Much like Xerneas the Substitute support offered by Zygarde and Blissey protects Marshadow from harmful status moves and ensure's it can set-up it's Imprison and Belly Drum. The ability selected for Marshadow is Triage to give Drain Punch priority which aids in removing Prankster / Parting Shot steel types that can give Xerneas by repeatedly trouble such as Registeel. Imprison on the set allows Marshadow to shut down Spectral Thief and Imposter Chansey which are the most common proactive anti-set-up options. Belly Drum maximizes its attack quickly for sweeping opposing teams once they've either been weakened or scouted.
Delirious Visions (Ho-Oh) @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Magic Bounce
Level: 99
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpD
Sassy Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Defog
- Shore Up
- Baton Pass
- Spectral Thief
Ho-Oh serves as the team's primary Xerneas check and secondary special with its massive special bulk and excellent Fire/Flying typing. The ability: Magic Bounce, enables it to control hazards on the field and block dangerous moves such as Taunt, Glare, and Spore to ensure the Baton Pass chain isn't worn down or stopped so easily. Its move-set is entirely composed of supporting moves such as Baton Pass, Spectral Thief, and Defog, to remove hazards from the field, control set-up, and conserve the Substitutes passed by Zygarde or Blissey.
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8balancedhackmons-1405975604-dbmjlrzrctoi3t71vof1hkothrleol2pw
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8balancedhackmons-1405285666-ypsiay3lyudew3hn2g9z81jc6ptt66apw
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8balancedhackmons-1404613140-jaspy9luhrrihfj9s64y0k5koks7s9ypw
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8balancedhackmons-1405955236-qlwxmxi6o7cuahb5h7lqz886zrk6f38pw
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8balancedhackmons-1406224597-hpun2x0jg35gc69x5tfx810klk8ypw0pw
Bonus Replay (The team I finally lost to):
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8balancedhackmons-1406504249-awe2x9jh10ys0216ohg4ud1xqs3cjkqpw
A special shout-out to the original MAY I ONE SHOT U, for showing the potential that Substitute passing had in BH.
Edit:
I fairly easily got to 2nd with a win rate of 51-1(I was in 1st but forgot to take a screenshot).
Unfortunately, I lost again soon after to some low ladder whose team had Curse, Encore, Taunt, Quiver Dance + Boomburst, and Belly Drum+ Extreme Speed, and to top it all off they struck Blissey with a lucky Critical Hit. I don't want to waste my time grinding more low ladders to get back up to 1st place so I'll leave it at that.
Xerneas once behind a Substitute is almost impossible to deal with defensively, while Marshadow covers the team's match-up vs offensive teams that don't have the same defensive backbone. If ones does encounter the rare team that can reliably break through Substitutes it can be a bit trickier, but usually, you can find an opening where you can get something set up and close the game eventually, the team can play the war of attrition quite well if it needs to fish for an opportunity. The issue problem for the team is ironically enough Low Ladder unsets since those are both unpredictable and the low ladder player might luck into either having a series of sets that counterteam your set-up, or just catching you off guard. Beyond the randomness of Ladder, the primary weakness with the team are statuses like Taunt, Encore, Perish Song, and Curse, and Sing since those can stop the chain cold, though Blissey can put a stop to that with its Spore and Ho-Oh can shut down some of the former. Glacial Lance Regigigas also poses somewhat of an issue since Zygarde is the team's only reliable Regigigas counterplay option. It however, it is relatively rare and Tapu Fini can deal with it in a pinch.
The Team: PAST IMPRISONMENT:
For this challenge, I decided to try something wildly different than anything I'd tried laddering with before: A Baton Pass Chain. Here is the pokepaste for the team: https://pokepast.es/f74536a28b764898.
Tainted Halcyon (Blissey) (F) @ Safety Goggles
Ability: Prankster
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Spore
- Substitute
- Baton Pass
- Recover
The first pokemon on my team, Blissey serves as the team's primary Substitute donor. Since Substitute, even when It's passed, has 1/4 the HP of the pokemon that created it, Blissey's huge HP stat makes for durable Substitutes. Spore on the set serves to cripple key pokemon such as Eternatus and generate free turns that the rest of the team can capitalize on after being passed a bulky Substitute from Blissey. Baton Pass of course is to give the Substitute to the team's Substitute receivers so they can use their sets to the fullest effect.
GuillotineofTruth (Xerneas) @ Metronome
Ability: Pixilate
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Boomburst
- Transform
- Imprison
- Anchor Shot
Xerneas is the primary receiver of the Substitute support from Blissey and the team's secondary Substitute setter: Zygarde. Substitute ensures Xerneas can't get statused or have it's item removed, while also ensuring it has the opportunity to set up Imprison. Imprison serves twofold in this set as it can be used to merely lock Anchor Shot, which is the most common move used to deal with Xerneas, and also opens the option to trap checks such as Ho-Oh and force them to struggle themselves to death with the combination of Imprison and Transform. Metronome is the item of choice as it makes Boomburst more powerful with each use, which assists greatly in cleaving through soft checks of Xerneas once Anchor Shot has been locked and even entire teams once their Xerneas counters have been removed.
Nightmare Roots (Zygarde-Complete) @ Toxic Orb
Ability: Poison Heal
Level: 99
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpD
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Substitute
- Baton Pass
- Baneful Bunker
- Worry Seed
Zygarde serves as the team's secondary Substitute donor. Like with Blissey its massive HP stat makes for bulky Substitutes. Worry Seed is used on this set to soft check Poison Heal Pokemon such as Regigigas and Xerneas by suppressing their abilities for damage. Zygarde’s ability, Poison Heal ensures it doesn't have to waste turns recovering HP so it can alternate between Baneful Bunker and slow Substitutes to consistently pp stall offensive pokemon and that Imposter Chansey can't recover its health off of Zygarde-C.
Neurosis (Tapu Fini) @ Safety Goggles
Ability: Prankster
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpD
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Destiny Bond
- Topsy-Turvy
- Recover
- U-turn
Tapu Fini is utilized as a Prankster supporting Pokemon as well as a check to mixed attacking Dragon Types such as Reshiram, and Palkia. Topsy-Turvy flips boosts if the opponent's manages to set-up and threaten to sweep the team and U-Turn allows for slow pivoting to put the Substitute donors in a position to begin the chain again. Destiny Bond serves as a last-ditch attempt to remove pokemon the team simply has no adequate way to deal with such as Glacial Lance Regigigas, Steel Worker Kartana and so forth.
Ominous Eidolon (Marshadow) @ Big Root
Ability: Triage
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Imprison
- Belly Drum
- Spectral Thief
- Drain Punch
Marshadow serves as the team's secondary Substitute receiver. Much like Xerneas the Substitute support offered by Zygarde and Blissey protects Marshadow from harmful status moves and ensure's it can set-up it's Imprison and Belly Drum. The ability selected for Marshadow is Triage to give Drain Punch priority which aids in removing Prankster / Parting Shot steel types that can give Xerneas by repeatedly trouble such as Registeel. Imprison on the set allows Marshadow to shut down Spectral Thief and Imposter Chansey which are the most common proactive anti-set-up options. Belly Drum maximizes its attack quickly for sweeping opposing teams once they've either been weakened or scouted.
Delirious Visions (Ho-Oh) @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Magic Bounce
Level: 99
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpD
Sassy Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Defog
- Shore Up
- Baton Pass
- Spectral Thief
Ho-Oh serves as the team's primary Xerneas check and secondary special with its massive special bulk and excellent Fire/Flying typing. The ability: Magic Bounce, enables it to control hazards on the field and block dangerous moves such as Taunt, Glare, and Spore to ensure the Baton Pass chain isn't worn down or stopped so easily. Its move-set is entirely composed of supporting moves such as Baton Pass, Spectral Thief, and Defog, to remove hazards from the field, control set-up, and conserve the Substitutes passed by Zygarde or Blissey.
Replays:
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8balancedhackmons-1405093473-hyi1txqzqilrcge919vuadagxs0fyevpw
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8balancedhackmons-1405975604-dbmjlrzrctoi3t71vof1hkothrleol2pw
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8balancedhackmons-1405285666-ypsiay3lyudew3hn2g9z81jc6ptt66apw
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8balancedhackmons-1404613140-jaspy9luhrrihfj9s64y0k5koks7s9ypw
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8balancedhackmons-1405955236-qlwxmxi6o7cuahb5h7lqz886zrk6f38pw
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8balancedhackmons-1406224597-hpun2x0jg35gc69x5tfx810klk8ypw0pw
Bonus Replay (The team I finally lost to):
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8balancedhackmons-1406504249-awe2x9jh10ys0216ohg4ud1xqs3cjkqpw
Shoutouts:
A special shout-out to the original MAY I ONE SHOT U, for showing the potential that Substitute passing had in BH.
Edit:
I fairly easily got to 2nd with a win rate of 51-1(I was in 1st but forgot to take a screenshot).
Unfortunately, I lost again soon after to some low ladder whose team had Curse, Encore, Taunt, Quiver Dance + Boomburst, and Belly Drum+ Extreme Speed, and to top it all off they struck Blissey with a lucky Critical Hit. I don't want to waste my time grinding more low ladders to get back up to 1st place so I'll leave it at that.
Analysis of Team / Threatlist :
Xerneas once behind a Substitute is almost impossible to deal with defensively, while Marshadow covers the team's match-up vs offensive teams that don't have the same defensive backbone. If ones does encounter the rare team that can reliably break through Substitutes it can be a bit trickier, but usually, you can find an opening where you can get something set up and close the game eventually, the team can play the war of attrition quite well if it needs to fish for an opportunity. The issue problem for the team is ironically enough Low Ladder unsets since those are both unpredictable and the low ladder player might luck into either having a series of sets that counterteam your set-up, or just catching you off guard. Beyond the randomness of Ladder, the primary weakness with the team are statuses like Taunt, Encore, Perish Song, and Curse, and Sing since those can stop the chain cold, though Blissey can put a stop to that with its Spore and Ho-Oh can shut down some of the former. Glacial Lance Regigigas also poses somewhat of an issue since Zygarde is the team's only reliable Regigigas counterplay option. It however, it is relatively rare and Tapu Fini can deal with it in a pinch.
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