
This is a continuing project of the UU Iron Chef series, supported by Hogg and Ark
Art made by Euphonos, banner typography courtesy of HotFuzzBall
Almost all content extracted from all previous UU Iron Chef projects.
(Season 1 | Season 2 | Season 3 | Live Season 1)
PROLOGUE
To realize his dream, he secretly started choosing the top chefs of various styles of battling, and he named his men the Iron Chefs. These Iron Chefs possess invincible culinary skills, and they are:

Iron Chef xMarth
Timezone: GMT -5
Record: 6-1

Iron Chef warzoid
Timezone: GMT -5
Record: 9-1
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Iron Chef itsjustdrew
Timezone: GMT -5
Record: 0-0

Iron Chef vivalospride
Timezone: GMT -7
Record: 2-0
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Iron Chef esche
Timezone: GMT +2
Record: 1-1
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Iron Chef Smallsmallrose
Timezone: GMT -5
Record: 2-1
Every battle, reputations are on the line in Kitchen Coliseum, where master chefs pit their artistic creations against each other. What inspiration does this round's challenger bring? And how will the Iron Chef fight back?
The heat will be on!
. . . . . . .
INTRODUCTION
Hello, everyone! Chairman Euphonos here, and welcome to the fourth installment of Iron Chef Smogon in the Underused Subforum! This project allows the contestants to showcase their creative team building skills and to put their masterful creations to the test against some of the UU's top battlers and team builders. Each round I will pick a theme to build around, and contestants will do their best to come up with an original, effective team around that theme.INTRODUCTION
There is a huge change of mechanics this season, and the ones marked in blue reflects such change from the previous season. Please take time to read everything.
. . . . . . .
MECHANICS
There are four phases every episode: the first phase being Team Building which will last for three days, the second phase being Challenging Iron Chefs which will last for two days; the third phase being Judging and Voting, which will last for (less than) two days; the final phase being the Awarding of Winners that will devote a tiny portion of the current round in preparation for the next round.
PHASE 1: TEAM BUILDING
- At the beginning of each round, a secret ingredient will be revealed. Contestants have until a certain time (posted in the secret ingredients post) to build around this secret ingredient, which may be a core, a team concept, or a theme. The team must be submitted to the Chairman through the Smogon Forums PM.
- The Chairman will notify through the reply whether the team has been approved or there are missing elements that need adding.
- Any article submitted elsewhere other than the Smogon Forums PM will not be accepted.
- Teams should be submitted in a standardized format. It should include the importable of your team followed by a brief description of how the team works.
- Within this period, no Iron Chef battle should be taking place.
- Once the team has been submitted, participants are not allowed to withdraw.
Here is a sample team format that you must submit in order to be eligible for challenging the Iron Chefs:
Note that this is not an RMT article, so don't feel like you need to devote several lines of description for each Pokemon, but it is your responsibility to ensure that judges understand how your team functions. However, the Chairman is strictly enforcing the rule of having a brief description of the team in order to make the judging procedure a lot easier. As such, here are the guide questions for a meaningful description of your team (contestants may not opt to follow them):
IMPORTANT: Slashing items, moves, and other elements is not allowed. Whatever you sent to the Chairman must be the team you will be using in challenging the Iron Chefs.
Cloyster @ Focus Sash
Ability: Skill Link
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Shell Smash
- Icicle Spear
- Rock Blast
- Explosion
Ampharos @ Ampharosite
Ability: Static
EVs: 128 HP / 252 SpA / 128 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Volt Switch
- Discharge
- Dragon Pulse
- Heal Bell
Whimsicott @ Leftovers
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 240 HP / 216 Def / 52 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Encore
- Stun Spore
- Moonblast
- U-turn
Bronzong @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 SpD
Sassy Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Stealth Rock
- Gyro Ball
- Earthquake
- Hypnosis
Chandelure @ Choice Specs
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Overheat
- Shadow Ball
- Energy Ball
- Memento
Linoone @ Salac Berry
Ability: Gluttony
EVs: 92 HP / 252 Atk / 164 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Belly Drum
- Extreme Speed
- Shadow Claw
- Seed Bomb
Although I can't go on full kamikaze, this team brings overwhelming force in the beginning through the help of leading Cloyster early in the game (most of the time; some Steel-types are such a big bitch to handle with; might as well use Hydro Pump over Rock Blast on Cloyster). There are two Pokemon that will serve as momentum grabbers in the form of Mega Ampharos (with Volt Switch) and Whimsicott (with U-turn), and they coincidentally serve as the paralyzers of the team given Discharge and Stun Spore, respectively. Bronzong serves as the sole Hazard setter of the team, as Stealth Rock is more than enough to get damage upon entry (and Hypnosis is confirmed good). Chandelure is the greatest Special Attacker in the team; equipping it with Choice Specs makes it all the more deadly. To put it into perspective, Chandelure's Choice Specs-boosted Overheat overwhelms those even who resist it. It is also one of my reasons for building a team with because of Memento, granting a set-up sweeper a golden opportunity to set up, and that set-up sweeper I choose is no other than Linoone. Linoone is the only non-Uber Pokemon that has STAB on Extreme Speed, and Belly Drum is the only move to boost its not-so-impressive Attack to stellar levels. When Steel-types are eliminated through Chandelure's massive attacks, Linoone is ready to sweep with it.
There are some issues with this team, especially the lack of a Spinner. Of course, it is a "bulky" offense team of sorts, but it has issues with Entry Hazards alone, most especially Toxic Spikes, and that alone would shorten Linoone's glorious sweep.
Note that this is not an RMT article, so don't feel like you need to devote several lines of description for each Pokemon, but it is your responsibility to ensure that judges understand how your team functions. However, the Chairman is strictly enforcing the rule of having a brief description of the team in order to make the judging procedure a lot easier. As such, here are the guide questions for a meaningful description of your team (contestants may not opt to follow them):
- What comes to your mind when the secret ingredient is revealed?
- What is your thought process upon building your team?
- Were there any prevalent issues upon building your team? How do you deal with those issues?
IMPORTANT: Slashing items, moves, and other elements is not allowed. Whatever you sent to the Chairman must be the team you will be using in challenging the Iron Chefs.
PHASE 2: CHALLENGING THE IRON CHEFS
- Only the participants who have their teams approved are eligible to face any of the Iron Chefs available.
- The Iron Chefs are NOT required to use the theme ingredient. Instead, they will push your team to its breaking point.
- The Iron Chefs know the secret ingredient as well; better give them the surprise of their lives!
- Battles must be played using the team that was sent to the Chairman. Any discrepancies between teams may result in disqualification.
- No win/loss post should be posted in this thread. Only the Iron Chefs will privately disseminate the battle replays for anonymity purposes.
- Contestants may issue a challenge to more than one Iron Chefs, but they may do so only once.
PHASE 3: JUDGING AND VOTING
- Once all battles are completed, the Chairman will reveal all of the teams without revealing the contestant's name and their corresponding battle replays.
- Regardless of the outcome of the Iron Chef match(es), all teams sent to the Chairman are subject to evaluations and criticisms from the most esteemed Panel of Judges, and to voting from Iron Chefs, co-participants and third parties.
- If contestants have sent the dish to the Chairman but didn't manage to issue a challenge on any of the Iron Chefs, contestants should go through the Chairman for a mandatory contingent Iron Chef battle, and regardless of the result of that match, they must face the consequence of getting a zero weighted average in the Iron Chef Battles aspect.
- If, in any case, the contestant did not show up within the first twenty-four hours of the judging phase, the contestant's team will not be presented, and the contestant is barred from participating in one succeeding episode.
- Conversely, if contestants completed battles with the Iron Chefs but didn't manage to send the dish (note: with brief descriptions required; guide questions found above) to the Chairman, contestants should send the dish within the first twenty-four hours of the judging phase.
- If, in any case, the contestant did not submit the dish within the allotted time, the contestant's team will not be presented, and the contestant is barred from participating in one succeeding episode.
- If contestants have sent the dish to the Chairman but didn't manage to issue a challenge on any of the Iron Chefs, contestants should go through the Chairman for a mandatory contingent Iron Chef battle, and regardless of the result of that match, they must face the consequence of getting a zero weighted average in the Iron Chef Battles aspect.
CRITERIA FOR SCORING
A contestant's dish will be tabulated according to the following criteria:
A contestant's dish will be tabulated according to the following criteria:
- JUDGE EVALUATIONS (60%) - This is based on the scores given by the panel of judges.
The Panel of Judges will use the system from the previous installments in evaluating contestants' dishes. The system is based on three separate categories in Creativity, Essence/Elevation, and Effectiveness.
CREATIVITY (0-5 POINTS): Is your finished dish a delight never before tasted by our judges, or is it the same standard fare? Your goal is not to merely reheat an existing team, but to break boundaries and challenge standards. A team that was copied from an RMT or tournament with a few minor changes should score poorly here, while a team full of new ideas could bring home as many as five points.
ESSENCE / ELEVATION (0-5 POINTS): How well does your team use this round's theme? Is it merely tacked on to satisfy the tournament's requirements, or is it a fundamental part of how the team works? A team that barely uses the round's theme could end up with nothing here, while a team that not only uses the theme but redefines might win it all.
EFFECTIVENESS (0-10 POINTS): And now we're down to the real meat of the dish. How good is the team? This category is worth twice as much as the other two, because in the end, it doesn't matter how original your dish is - if it doesn't taste good, then people won't eat it. A team that will struggle to succeed in the current metagame, even against mediocre teams, might receive a zero here. On the other hand, show the judges how great your team is, and you could take home a full ten points.
The Panel of Judges will determine the final scores through the conformity method where they either agree or disagree with the initial rates until a certain point is given.- COMMUNITY VOTING (30%) - The Underused Community, including the Iron Chefs, are asked to pick two of the best teams in terms of the three aforementioned categories.
The top pick for each category will receive 5 points; the second top pick will receive 3 points; the rest of the dishes will receive 1 point each. The final score for the community voting will be tabulated according to the following categories:
- CREATIVITY - 25%
- ESSENCE / ELEVATION - 25%
- EFFECTIVENESS - 50%
- BATTLE RECORDS (10%) - Wins and losses recorded by the contestants during a certain round will be tabulated in this criterion.
PHASE 4: AWARDING OF WINNERS
- At the end of the round, all winners, along with their dishes, will be entered into our fabled Hall of Fame. These hallowed halls will show the best of the best, and be preserved for future rounds.
- Aside from awarding the OVERALL WINNER of each round, there will three special awards that will be placed in the Hall of Fame as well. They are as follows:
- THE MOST ORIGINAL DISH: This award is given to the participant with the most number of votes in the Creativity category. People who have voted for that participant have witnessed how he/she made use of unorthodox selections that made significant work to the team.
- THE MOST ESSENTIAL DISH: This award is given to the participant with the most number of votes in the Essence / Elevation category. People who have voted for that participant have seen how he/she strongly incorporated secret ingredients to the strength of the rest of the team.
- THE BEST-TASTING DISH: This award is given to the participant with the most number of votes in the Effectiveness category. People who have voted for that participant have seen how he/she plays it to his/her strengths, and how he/she overcomes any disadvantages in match-ups.
- Aside from awarding the OVERALL WINNER of each round, there will three special awards that will be placed in the Hall of Fame as well. They are as follows:
- A participant who has garnered the highest average score and who has played at least three of the six cycles (1-6 and 7-12) will be given an offer from the Chairman himself. This offer will depend on the situation of the current Staff (Iron Chef / Panel of Judges).
ON IRON CHEFS (mechanics conceptualized special thanks to former Iron Chef Cynde)
- For this season, one of the Iron Chefs will step up as one of the challengers for every episode.
- The selected Iron Chef for that episode is required to submit a team that will satisfy the requirement of the secret ingredient, thus the team will also be subjected to evaluations and criticisms.
. . . . . . .
LINKS
TODAY'S SECRET INGREDIENT
PANEL OF JUDGES
WINNING DISHES
HONORABLE MENTIONS
SPREADSHEET
DISCORD CHANNEL
LINKS
TODAY'S SECRET INGREDIENT
PANEL OF JUDGES
WINNING DISHES
HONORABLE MENTIONS
SPREADSHEET
DISCORD CHANNEL
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