You're right on the money since Sableye is partially based on the Hopkinsville goblin.
Sableye @ Leftovers
Ability: Keen Eye
- Toxic
- Recover
- Night Shade
- Taunt
Looks alien enough while focusing on crystals.
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You are a type specialist in a hostile region. How do you best represent your chosen element?
- Thread starter QuentinQuonce
- Start date
I was actually aware of this but couldn't remember how to spell it.
Hoenn has a much hotter climate than other surrounding regions namely Sinnoh or even Johto or Kanto. The only truly cold or icy area in Hoenn is Shoal Cave, just North of Mossdeep City. Shoal Cave happens to house exactly six families of mons, all of which are able to learn ice type moves, so I decided to make a team out of them.
Glalie @ BrightPowder
Ability: Inner Focus
- Spikes
- Light Screen
- Ice Beam
- Explosion
The only pure ice type in Hoenn can be found as a Snorunt. I wanted to lead with an ice type and end with an ice type, and Glalie makes an ideal lead. Spikes and Light Screen are useful moves in the lead slot and go well with the rest of the team. Ice Beam is a threatening ice type move and Explosion can blow holes in the opposing team as a lead.
Crobat @ Leftovers
Ability: Inner Focus
- Sludge Bomb
- Aerial Ace
- Haze
- Whirlwind
Zubats and Golbats can be found in Shoal Cave and have an interesting set of moves. Sludge Bomb and Aerial Ace can hurt grass types aiming to take out Wailord and Walrein in the back, while Haze is an ice type move that, when coupled with Crobat's speed, can stop set up sweepers in their tracks. Finally, Whirlwind pairs really nicely with Glalie's spikes.
Gyarados @ Lum Berry
Ability: Intimidate
- Dragon Dance
- Earthquake
- Double-Edge
- Ice Beam
Magikarps can be fished up in most places, and Shoal Cave is no exception. Gyarados gives the team a physical attacker with Dragon Dance to boost itself and Earthquake for coverage against electric types that can destroy most of the team. Intimidate and a Lum Berry help with longevity, while Ice Beam and Double-Edge give it better coverage.
Tentacruel @ Shell Bell
Ability: Liquid Ooze
- Surf
- Ice Beam
- Giga Drain
- Mirror Coat
Tentacools are found while surfing (or fishing) in Shoal Cave, so it is only natural that Tentacruel uses Surf as its main STAB. Ice Beam and Giga Drain give it coverage, while Mirror Coat can be used to handle electric and psychic attacks when combined with Tentacruel's special bulk. Shell Bell keeps Tentacruel healthy and pairs well with a four attack set.
Wailord @ Chesto Berry
Ability: Water Veil
- Blizzard
- Fissure
- Roar
- Rest
Wailmers can be found fishing in the cave and its surrounding area. Wailord's Fissure has a chance to OHKO anything grounded, while Blizzard can deal massive damage to anything that isn't. Roar pairs nicely with Spikes and can prevent set up sweepers. Finally, Rest allows for more chances to freeze or OHKO opposing mons with its Chesto Berry.
Walrein @ NeverMeltIce
Ability: Thick Fat
- Ice Beam
- Earthquake
- Toxic
- Roar
Finally, we have the other ice type in Hoenn, Walrein, which is initially found as a Spheal. Ice Beam can deal great damage, especially given its STAB and NeverMeltIce, while Earthquake helps with coverage. Toxic can be used to deal passive damage given its strong defenses, and Roar can deal also passive damage when paired with Spikes.
All of the team members have ice type attacks and can be found in Shoal Cave, the coldest place in Hoenn. I can think of no better team to represent the ice type in RSE Hoenn.
Edit: Fixed some small typos.
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A deep sea diving team, goes to where it's cold.
These two should be obvious and are obligatory.
These are definitely two Pokemon that dive way down low!
These guy live way down in the ocean.
Skipped a few other Pokemon that would have worked once I settled on diving: Relicanth, Corsola, Lanturn, and Luvdisc; Crobat and Tentacruel; Castform; Aggron, Absol, and Chimecho
CTNC
Doesn't know how to attack
Glacia may use multiple of the same Pokemon and NFEs, but she's still better than Flint. I know that's partly nostalgia for Emerald being my first game, but at least she uses more than 2 Pokemon of her type.
For an unserious team, you could do what Pikachu315111 did last round and slap on whatever for a sixth, or make a Water team because too much Water.
There's no theme for my Ice team other than Ice, but hopefuly my thought process in teambuilding will be interesting.
Sealeo
Thick Fat
-Blizzard
-Hail
-Waterfall
-Encore
I'm not using Sealeo just for more Ice types, but I'll get to that when talking about the next Pokemon.
Waterfall is used because Sealeo is weaker than its evolution and I wanted to reflect that in the moveset. Maybe I should use Ice Beam instead of Blizzard for that reason, but I wanted to have Hail and it's hard to say no to Blizzard when you have Hail. Status moves are a good way to make up for a lack of power and Encore is... honestly, probably not that good against players if they spam one attack over and over then switch when asked if they want to after KOing Sealeo, but it's still interesting.
It'd be nice if Ice Body existed in Gen 3 for the sake of Hail being better, but the next Pokemon is a good enough reason to use Hail.
Castform
Forecast
-Hail
-Weather Ball
-Facade
-Shadow Ball
This is why I'm using Sealeo. (and why I wanted Sealeo to have Hail.) I want to lead with an Ice type and use the worst first because of the saving the best for last strategy most trainers use. Castform has worse stats than Glalie, but isn't enough of an Ice type to be the lead. The not fully evolved Sealeo is "worse" than Castform, (in theory anyway... Turns out Sealeo's stats are better than Castform apart from having worse Attack and Speed. -_-) so that lets me use Castform without using a Pokemon that's worse than the lead. (Again, worse in theory. Sealeo is better.)
Blizzard is so much better than Weather Ball, but I'm just a sucker for signature moves. Facade or Secret Power is as good as Castform gets without Return/Frustration, which probably don't work well for in game trainers, or the FRLG and Emerald tutor Body Slam, which I don't want to use because of wanting to make movesets that were legal in RS when they came out. I went with Facade because Secret Power's paralysis would prevent freezing. Shadow Ball is the last move because it's not thematically tied to any weather. (The other options were Thief and the egg move Future Sight, which has 80 Power, 90 Accuracy, and deals typeless damage before Gen 5.) Thunder can happen during snow storms IRL, so Thunderbolt could work thematically, but it's pretty rare and most people think of rain when they hear thunder.
Whiscash
-Ice Beam
-Surf
-Earthquake
-Spark
I went with Whiscash because every other Ice type in Hoenn is found in a cave (including the Legendary one) and, even though Barboach can found in more than a few places, Whiscash can only be found by fishing in caves in RSE and ORAS.
The first three moves were ones I felt like I needed to have. The fourth has a kind of low 65 Power, but it's there for, "WTF? Can Whiscash even learn that?!" (It's an egg move, so yes. :P)
Glalie
Inner Focus
-Blizzard
-Hail
-Earthquake
-Explosion
It's another Blizzard+Hail combo user for the sake of using Hail. Earthquake is used for coverage to hit Fire, Rock, and Steel types, Super Effectively to hopefully KO them before that can hit Glalie Super Effectively. It feels hypocritical to use Explosion seriously after using it for a team that was meant to be questionable, but Explosion used to half the Defense of the other Pokemon for its damage calculation before Gen 5, so it was pretty much a 500 Power move. Good enough to be competitively viable on Gengar even with an Attack lowering Nature and for me to let the AI misuse without regrets.
Medicham
Pure Power
-Ice Punch
-Psychic
-Brick Break
-Recover
There's no thematic reason for Medicham. I just wanted something more interesting than a Normal type or a second Water type. I usually use anything that can learn moves of the type without TMs before looking at everything else, but I'd actually decided against Medicham at first because using attacks that aren't boosted by Pure Power feels wrong to me. (Probably because I'm a shameless min/maxer...) I was going to use someone that could learn Blizzard, but Rhydon's Special Attack is terrible and using Pokemon without good STAB really bothers me. (Aggron's best STAB are Rock Tomb without Tutor moves and either Iron Tail for power or Metal Claw for accuracy, and Absol's best STAB is Bite or Feint Attack.) I was also thinking about team synergy for once and Dusclpos's Fighting Immunity really helped with the one type this team was struggling with. After thinking about using the move Psychic to take care of Fight types, their low Base 60 Special Attack stat being the same as Medicham's and Medicham having Psychic STAB for Psychic made me go with Medicham instead. Recover also helped convince me to use Medicham because spamming Recover is fun! :D
TL;DR: I think way too hard about stuff.
I'm surprised only one other person used Medicham so far because of Medicham learning the Elemental Punchs through move reminder.
Walrein @ Chesto Berry
Thick Fat
-Sheer Cold
-Blizzard
-Surf
-Rest
As much as I hate OHKO moves, Sheer Cold Walrein is just too iconic to me. (Probably because Emerald nostalgia and that it made me catch and raise a Spheal.) Glacia's Walrein always knows Surf, Body Slam, and Sheer Cold. It usually has Blizzard, but it has Ice Beam in Emerald instead for some reason. I went with Rest over Body Slam to take advantage of Walrein's 110/90/90 bulk.
On the surface, making a RSE Ice team looks pretty hard because there's only 2 fully evolved Ice types. When I started thinking about it, it wasn't that bad because the less apparent third Ice type made me feel like I had to use an NFE for a fourth.
For an unserious team, you could do what Pikachu315111 did last round and slap on whatever for a sixth, or make a Water team because too much Water.
There's no theme for my Ice team other than Ice, but hopefuly my thought process in teambuilding will be interesting.
Sealeo
Thick Fat
-Blizzard
-Hail
-Waterfall
-Encore
I'm not using Sealeo just for more Ice types, but I'll get to that when talking about the next Pokemon.
Waterfall is used because Sealeo is weaker than its evolution and I wanted to reflect that in the moveset. Maybe I should use Ice Beam instead of Blizzard for that reason, but I wanted to have Hail and it's hard to say no to Blizzard when you have Hail. Status moves are a good way to make up for a lack of power and Encore is... honestly, probably not that good against players if they spam one attack over and over then switch when asked if they want to after KOing Sealeo, but it's still interesting.
It'd be nice if Ice Body existed in Gen 3 for the sake of Hail being better, but the next Pokemon is a good enough reason to use Hail.
Castform
Forecast
-Hail
-Weather Ball
-Facade
-Shadow Ball
This is why I'm using Sealeo. (and why I wanted Sealeo to have Hail.) I want to lead with an Ice type and use the worst first because of the saving the best for last strategy most trainers use. Castform has worse stats than Glalie, but isn't enough of an Ice type to be the lead. The not fully evolved Sealeo is "worse" than Castform, (in theory anyway... Turns out Sealeo's stats are better than Castform apart from having worse Attack and Speed. -_-) so that lets me use Castform without using a Pokemon that's worse than the lead. (Again, worse in theory. Sealeo is better.)
Blizzard is so much better than Weather Ball, but I'm just a sucker for signature moves. Facade or Secret Power is as good as Castform gets without Return/Frustration, which probably don't work well for in game trainers, or the FRLG and Emerald tutor Body Slam, which I don't want to use because of wanting to make movesets that were legal in RS when they came out. I went with Facade because Secret Power's paralysis would prevent freezing. Shadow Ball is the last move because it's not thematically tied to any weather. (The other options were Thief and the egg move Future Sight, which has 80 Power, 90 Accuracy, and deals typeless damage before Gen 5.) Thunder can happen during snow storms IRL, so Thunderbolt could work thematically, but it's pretty rare and most people think of rain when they hear thunder.
Whiscash
-Ice Beam
-Surf
-Earthquake
-Spark
I went with Whiscash because every other Ice type in Hoenn is found in a cave (including the Legendary one) and, even though Barboach can found in more than a few places, Whiscash can only be found by fishing in caves in RSE and ORAS.
The first three moves were ones I felt like I needed to have. The fourth has a kind of low 65 Power, but it's there for, "WTF? Can Whiscash even learn that?!" (It's an egg move, so yes. :P)
Glalie
Inner Focus
-Blizzard
-Hail
-Earthquake
-Explosion
It's another Blizzard+Hail combo user for the sake of using Hail. Earthquake is used for coverage to hit Fire, Rock, and Steel types, Super Effectively to hopefully KO them before that can hit Glalie Super Effectively. It feels hypocritical to use Explosion seriously after using it for a team that was meant to be questionable, but Explosion used to half the Defense of the other Pokemon for its damage calculation before Gen 5, so it was pretty much a 500 Power move. Good enough to be competitively viable on Gengar even with an Attack lowering Nature and for me to let the AI misuse without regrets.
Medicham
Pure Power
-Ice Punch
-Psychic
-Brick Break
-Recover
There's no thematic reason for Medicham. I just wanted something more interesting than a Normal type or a second Water type. I usually use anything that can learn moves of the type without TMs before looking at everything else, but I'd actually decided against Medicham at first because using attacks that aren't boosted by Pure Power feels wrong to me. (Probably because I'm a shameless min/maxer...) I was going to use someone that could learn Blizzard, but Rhydon's Special Attack is terrible and using Pokemon without good STAB really bothers me. (Aggron's best STAB are Rock Tomb without Tutor moves and either Iron Tail for power or Metal Claw for accuracy, and Absol's best STAB is Bite or Feint Attack.) I was also thinking about team synergy for once and Dusclpos's Fighting Immunity really helped with the one type this team was struggling with. After thinking about using the move Psychic to take care of Fight types, their low Base 60 Special Attack stat being the same as Medicham's and Medicham having Psychic STAB for Psychic made me go with Medicham instead. Recover also helped convince me to use Medicham because spamming Recover is fun! :D
TL;DR: I think way too hard about stuff.
I'm surprised only one other person used Medicham so far because of Medicham learning the Elemental Punchs through move reminder.
Walrein @ Chesto Berry
Thick Fat
-Sheer Cold
-Blizzard
-Surf
-Rest
As much as I hate OHKO moves, Sheer Cold Walrein is just too iconic to me. (Probably because Emerald nostalgia and that it made me catch and raise a Spheal.) Glacia's Walrein always knows Surf, Body Slam, and Sheer Cold. It usually has Blizzard, but it has Ice Beam in Emerald instead for some reason. I went with Rest over Body Slam to take advantage of Walrein's 110/90/90 bulk.
On the surface, making a RSE Ice team looks pretty hard because there's only 2 fully evolved Ice types. When I started thinking about it, it wasn't that bad because the less apparent third Ice type made me feel like I had to use an NFE for a fourth.
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QuentinQuonce
formerly green_typhlosion
I'm - guess what - in a show at 9PM so gonna go ahead and put the poll up a little early! Soz. But let's be real if you were waiting until the last 68 minutes to post your team you deserve everything you get.
You have until August 13th, 9PM GMT to cast your vote!
Let's do numbers.
You have until August 13th, 9PM GMT to cast your vote!
Let's do numbers.
Walrein: 11
Glalie: 11
Absol: 4
Castform: 4
Sealeo: 3
Wailord: 3
Whiscash: 2
Gardevoir: 2
Medicham: 2
Metagross: 2
Altaria: 2
Tentacruel: 2
Ninetales: 2
Crobat: 2
Hariyama: 1
Sableye: 1
Donphan: 1
Masquerain: 1
Huntail: 1
Gorebyss: 1
Sharpedo: 1
Grumpig: 1
Milotic: 1
Claydol: 1
Relicanth: 1
Starmie: 1
Sandslash: 1
Gyarados: 1
Wow. A spectacular selection of wildcards on show. Ice really does lend itself to variety - though obviously Hoenn having only two fully-evolved Ice-types doesn't help in that regard.
Surprised to see Sealeo used as little as it was. It's one of the NFEs that is juuuuuust about strong enough to be a decent mid-game opponent and is fittingly used by quite a few mid/late-game bosses (Gorigan in XD, Wallace in RSORAS, and of course Glacia in RSE all come to mind). And how interesting to see Absol used so much, especially considering Dark's shared Fighting weakness. But it was justified well where it was used, and does have that spooky, cold sort of vibe that meshes well with Ice.
Castform's inclusion on several teams was not a particular surprise, though. Even though it obviously can be Fire, Water, or Ice, I think it leans into the Ice role a little more fittingly than it does for Water or Fire - I'm not really sure why, though I would say that the Ice form is my favourite aesthetically.
Being as Starmie, Kecleon, and Castform all have ways of shifting their type, I initially expected to see all of them used. But then, of course, I realised that it's not possible to become Ice-type through the use of Camouflage in Gen III. Even Glacia's room in the Pokemon League doesn't count as icy terrain. Only in Gen IV when we got actual snowy areas did that become a thing. Even so, Starmie's star-shape evokes a snowflake, and its Psychic typing gives a useful aid to the Fighting weakness all of Hoenn's Ice-types share. If I were making a team for this round it'd have for sure been a top pick. As for Kecleon, it obviously only becomes Ice-type if hit by an Ice move so the most reliable way to do that is to make a team specifically primed for Doubles and hit it yourself - hardly the most optimal strategy. Alternatively, you could lean in to having it specifically be there to counter Ice's weaknesses, but it's still a lot of setup to devote to a Pokemon that's ultimately quite weak. If it had Protean here like it does in the future, then I can imagine we'd have seen it used.
Stuff I expected to see more (or at all):
Golduck. It's immune to hail, after all. Which admittedly fucks with your strategy in Doubles as it cancels the weather outright. So maybe not the best choice.
Tentacruel. Honestly, expected Water-types to feature quite heavily in this round: you could go the Lorelei route and just use Walrein+Glalie+4 water types (as a few people did). I remember it being used by a trainer in Snowpoint Gym which, out of all the janky picks in that place, was probably the most fitting choice.
Corsola. Looks like it could fit, learns some interesting Ice moves like Icicle Spear and Mist, and is quite passive in the same way a lot of Ice-types tend to be.
Kingdra. No, really. If you were to do Walrein+Glalie+4 waters, this gives some incredibly good diversity.
Gyarados. I know, I know, elemental Gyarados sucks. But it looks cool as hell. I said the same thing after the last round.
Grumpig. Because of Thick Fat.
Azumarill. Also because of Thick Fat.
Hariyama. No really, because of Thick Fat. The last two were a slight stretch but I'm REALLY surprised not to see this more. It fits the aesthetic of a snow team incredibly well.
Medicham. Well okay, this is the other Fighting option. Defensively and offensively Psychic and Fighting together cover nearly all of Ice's major weaknesses. Plus yogis often meditate in the cold, don't they? Failing that it's just a fun shout-out to Candice's infamous Medicham, which seems to annoy critics of DP more than any other mon and I've never been sure why. As mentioned elsewhere in this thread, Meditite is used in all sorts of places and by all sorts of trainers in RSE.
Lunatone. Has a cold vibe, learns appropriate moves, is a Psychic-type. Next!
Dusclops. Idk why, but Dusclops has always had a weird association with Ice for me - it learns a bunch of Ice-type moves and opponent Dusclops used by NPCs always seem to be using them. Plus Ghost and Ice have good overlap.
Glalie: 11
Absol: 4
Castform: 4
Sealeo: 3
Wailord: 3
Whiscash: 2
Gardevoir: 2
Medicham: 2
Metagross: 2
Altaria: 2
Tentacruel: 2
Ninetales: 2
Crobat: 2
Hariyama: 1
Sableye: 1
Donphan: 1
Masquerain: 1
Huntail: 1
Gorebyss: 1
Sharpedo: 1
Grumpig: 1
Milotic: 1
Claydol: 1
Relicanth: 1
Starmie: 1
Sandslash: 1
Gyarados: 1
Wow. A spectacular selection of wildcards on show. Ice really does lend itself to variety - though obviously Hoenn having only two fully-evolved Ice-types doesn't help in that regard.
Surprised to see Sealeo used as little as it was. It's one of the NFEs that is juuuuuust about strong enough to be a decent mid-game opponent and is fittingly used by quite a few mid/late-game bosses (Gorigan in XD, Wallace in RSORAS, and of course Glacia in RSE all come to mind). And how interesting to see Absol used so much, especially considering Dark's shared Fighting weakness. But it was justified well where it was used, and does have that spooky, cold sort of vibe that meshes well with Ice.
Castform's inclusion on several teams was not a particular surprise, though. Even though it obviously can be Fire, Water, or Ice, I think it leans into the Ice role a little more fittingly than it does for Water or Fire - I'm not really sure why, though I would say that the Ice form is my favourite aesthetically.
Being as Starmie, Kecleon, and Castform all have ways of shifting their type, I initially expected to see all of them used. But then, of course, I realised that it's not possible to become Ice-type through the use of Camouflage in Gen III. Even Glacia's room in the Pokemon League doesn't count as icy terrain. Only in Gen IV when we got actual snowy areas did that become a thing. Even so, Starmie's star-shape evokes a snowflake, and its Psychic typing gives a useful aid to the Fighting weakness all of Hoenn's Ice-types share. If I were making a team for this round it'd have for sure been a top pick. As for Kecleon, it obviously only becomes Ice-type if hit by an Ice move so the most reliable way to do that is to make a team specifically primed for Doubles and hit it yourself - hardly the most optimal strategy. Alternatively, you could lean in to having it specifically be there to counter Ice's weaknesses, but it's still a lot of setup to devote to a Pokemon that's ultimately quite weak. If it had Protean here like it does in the future, then I can imagine we'd have seen it used.
Stuff I expected to see more (or at all):
Golduck. It's immune to hail, after all. Which admittedly fucks with your strategy in Doubles as it cancels the weather outright. So maybe not the best choice.
Tentacruel. Honestly, expected Water-types to feature quite heavily in this round: you could go the Lorelei route and just use Walrein+Glalie+4 water types (as a few people did). I remember it being used by a trainer in Snowpoint Gym which, out of all the janky picks in that place, was probably the most fitting choice.
Corsola. Looks like it could fit, learns some interesting Ice moves like Icicle Spear and Mist, and is quite passive in the same way a lot of Ice-types tend to be.
Kingdra. No, really. If you were to do Walrein+Glalie+4 waters, this gives some incredibly good diversity.
Gyarados. I know, I know, elemental Gyarados sucks. But it looks cool as hell. I said the same thing after the last round.
Grumpig. Because of Thick Fat.
Azumarill. Also because of Thick Fat.
Hariyama. No really, because of Thick Fat. The last two were a slight stretch but I'm REALLY surprised not to see this more. It fits the aesthetic of a snow team incredibly well.
Medicham. Well okay, this is the other Fighting option. Defensively and offensively Psychic and Fighting together cover nearly all of Ice's major weaknesses. Plus yogis often meditate in the cold, don't they? Failing that it's just a fun shout-out to Candice's infamous Medicham, which seems to annoy critics of DP more than any other mon and I've never been sure why. As mentioned elsewhere in this thread, Meditite is used in all sorts of places and by all sorts of trainers in RSE.
Lunatone. Has a cold vibe, learns appropriate moves, is a Psychic-type. Next!
Dusclops. Idk why, but Dusclops has always had a weird association with Ice for me - it learns a bunch of Ice-type moves and opponent Dusclops used by NPCs always seem to be using them. Plus Ghost and Ice have good overlap.
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[/QUOTE]
I would do the poll again. Wanted to give some points to CTNC, but he isn,t among the options.
QuentinQuonce
formerly green_typhlosion
My apologies (to you in particular, CTNC)! Must have been rushing, didn't mean to leave you off. Have added you onto the poll, no-one's voted yet.
This was a fun one. I mostly picked it because Hoenn, but there ended up being a lot of different ways people could approach and define Ice that I liked. I also saw new faces making teams, which is good for the future of this thread. Hope y'all keep it up.
Thoughts: The top two were obvious. I'm surprised Castform wasn't higher(though to be fair I love it far more than it's base-420 statline deserves). Absol being high is interesting. I picked it basically on a lark, but a lot of us seem to have looked at it and said "yes, that fits". And then there's a BUNCH of 1-offs. Which made the voting process pretty interesting for me. The extreme lack of Sandslash/Ninetails isn't that surprising, this forum just does not go for the Future Regional Variant justification very much.
Also, SO many water-types. It's a justified decision(see Lorelei), but much like Dragon and Flying, I just can't vote for themed teams with an abundance of something else.
i committed so much to my in-battle theme that i ended up not having any pick unique to my team 
still i am glad i participated because this is a fun exercise! i tend to prefer the teams that also commit to a chosen theme so my points went to teams like that (i think firstly imperial magala and hugin).
still i am glad i participated because this is a fun exercise! i tend to prefer the teams that also commit to a chosen theme so my points went to teams like that (i think firstly imperial magala and hugin).
QuentinQuonce
formerly green_typhlosion
Idk it depends on the context. Marowak got a lot of traction in the GSC Ghost round but Exeggutor wasn't used in HGSS Dragon at all. K-Sandslash just honestly doesn't have that much to do with the Ice-type so I think you really would have to justify why it's there. K-Ninetales is a bit more wibbly (technical term) because it leans into the Psychic flavour a little, which itself has some overlap with Ice imo.
Long may this continue
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Castersvarog
formerly Maronmario
To be fair to Marowak, it and Cubone have been linked to the dead since day 1, what with the skull theme, the skull the latter wears being it’s mothers skull and everything to do with the Pokémon tower and the dead Marowak mother.
QuentinQuonce
formerly green_typhlosion
This is what I meant by "context". There's far less distance between K-Marowak and A-Marowak than there is between K-Sandslash and A-Sandslash. The former are closely linked, the latter functionally could be two entirely different Pokemon.
Fire Sinnoh Winners:
Hugin & Imperial Magala: We've said it plenty of times already, 2 Fire-types and other Pokemon that don't really fit into the Fire-type role made this one challenging. Honestly between these two teams you run the gambit of other Pokemon that have at least some relation with Fire hence a close match between these two teams. Could Hugin's team being based on a more original theme of a Team Galactic Explosive Expert gave him the edge for enough people to give him 5 points instead of 4? Though, many of us went for "Better Flint" as Imperial Magala did yet he's just 1 point below; if team theme was a factor shouldn't they have less? Though I also notice Hugin also included Abilities that had to do with Fire even if the Pokemon didn't learn Fire-type Moves, which Imperial Magala strictly focused on. Though what's interesting here is that the Abilities are more defensive ones against Fire-types, something you'd wouldn't actually see on a Fire-type team (though Hugin's concept folded them in nicely). A lot of factors, and as always likely came down to just personal opinion on what Pokemon was picked (I also noticed Imperial Magala's team had a slight Gen I lean to it while Hugin has more of a Gen IV, so maybe that played a part too being this was a Sinnoh team?).
Celever: And another wrinkle: Celever's team shares 5 Pokemon with Hugin just swapping a Medicham with an Octillery. Yet they have over a 10 point different between each other! Theme's aside (Celever going for a straight Sun team, thus probably a good idea to not have a Water-type), did that one team member different make all the difference? I'll admit, being Octillery is based on a cannon (it's name also coming from artillery), I can see why it's on a few of the Fire teams. Meanwhile, while nothing is wrong with Medicham per se for a Fire Team, there may be a subconscious thing at play with it: Candice uses a Medicham, which could have made people more link it to Ice even though it can learn all the Elemental Punches which is why its on these elemental teams. Also, while Celeber's comments were humerous, I also wonder if when it came to voting was a detriment. Celever points out the oddity of Drifblim and Bronzong being "top picks" despite their Fire-based Abilities not really matching well with an actual Fire-type team, which is something Hugin did in passing.
CTNC: While the Pokemon choice is right along the lines, CTNC had a more fun & experimental team in terms of movesets... which sadly sometimes doesn't lead to votes. Also, I think us ragging on Flint might have gotten on some people's nerves. After doing this challenge honestly now I don't really see anything wrong with Flint's DP team. Let's all be honest, is the problem is that he uses a Lopunny (for non-immediate reasons, as I said took a few gens before they even mentioned Lopunny's fur is insulated so only had to guess that's why he had it in the first place)?
As for everyone else, while they have some interesting picks, I think it's sadly those interesting picks which didn't get them higher votes. If you were outside the core which the above 4 have used, you were kind of out of luck. I think many people really had "a better Fire team than Flint" on their mind when it came to voting so trying to stand out could mean you struck out.
Though I am glad everyone low voted or ignored my meme team, good job. I figured since I won to have a little fun, and I do think the team I made was kind of bad (though I do think Monferno had potential as an Eviolite user).
Celever: And another wrinkle: Celever's team shares 5 Pokemon with Hugin just swapping a Medicham with an Octillery. Yet they have over a 10 point different between each other! Theme's aside (Celever going for a straight Sun team, thus probably a good idea to not have a Water-type), did that one team member different make all the difference? I'll admit, being Octillery is based on a cannon (it's name also coming from artillery), I can see why it's on a few of the Fire teams. Meanwhile, while nothing is wrong with Medicham per se for a Fire Team, there may be a subconscious thing at play with it: Candice uses a Medicham, which could have made people more link it to Ice even though it can learn all the Elemental Punches which is why its on these elemental teams. Also, while Celeber's comments were humerous, I also wonder if when it came to voting was a detriment. Celever points out the oddity of Drifblim and Bronzong being "top picks" despite their Fire-based Abilities not really matching well with an actual Fire-type team, which is something Hugin did in passing.
CTNC: While the Pokemon choice is right along the lines, CTNC had a more fun & experimental team in terms of movesets... which sadly sometimes doesn't lead to votes. Also, I think us ragging on Flint might have gotten on some people's nerves. After doing this challenge honestly now I don't really see anything wrong with Flint's DP team. Let's all be honest, is the problem is that he uses a Lopunny (for non-immediate reasons, as I said took a few gens before they even mentioned Lopunny's fur is insulated so only had to guess that's why he had it in the first place)?
As for everyone else, while they have some interesting picks, I think it's sadly those interesting picks which didn't get them higher votes. If you were outside the core which the above 4 have used, you were kind of out of luck. I think many people really had "a better Fire team than Flint" on their mind when it came to voting so trying to stand out could mean you struck out.
Though I am glad everyone low voted or ignored my meme team, good job. I figured since I won to have a little fun, and I do think the team I made was kind of bad (though I do think Monferno had potential as an Eviolite user).
QuentinQuonce
formerly green_typhlosion
QuentinQuonce
formerly green_typhlosion
I am officially back from Edinburgh and ready to go with our next round! Let's gooooooooooooo
Our winner has selected a new topic and for the first time in this thread, we're going to Alola!
New region, new Pokemon, new type. Excellent stuff. For those who don't know, Alola splits its larger Pokedex into four smaller subdivisions, with each island having its own unique listing of Pokemon. While certain species such as Pikipek appear in all four listings, each island's listing reflects the Pokemon found on that island alone. It should go without saying, but for the avoidance of doubt for this round you may only select Pokemon from Sun/Moon's Melemele Pokedex listing: teams containing Pokemon from the Akala, Ula'ula, or Poni Pokedexes will not be counted.
A reminder to please read the guidelines in the OP before commenting, especially if you're new to the thread. You have until August 18th, 9PM GMT to make your case!
The Melemele Pokedex in Sun/Moon is here for those who need it: https://www.serebii.net/sunmoon/melemelepokedex.shtml
Our winner has selected a new topic and for the first time in this thread, we're going to Alola!
You are a Ground-type specialist in SM Melemele Island. How do you best represent your chosen type?
New region, new Pokemon, new type. Excellent stuff. For those who don't know, Alola splits its larger Pokedex into four smaller subdivisions, with each island having its own unique listing of Pokemon. While certain species such as Pikipek appear in all four listings, each island's listing reflects the Pokemon found on that island alone. It should go without saying, but for the avoidance of doubt for this round you may only select Pokemon from Sun/Moon's Melemele Pokedex listing: teams containing Pokemon from the Akala, Ula'ula, or Poni Pokedexes will not be counted.
A reminder to please read the guidelines in the OP before commenting, especially if you're new to the thread. You have until August 18th, 9PM GMT to make your case!
The Melemele Pokedex in Sun/Moon is here for those who need it: https://www.serebii.net/sunmoon/melemelepokedex.shtml
Crocognawledge: A-Dugtrio, Whiscash, Gigalith, Gumshoos, Primeape, Fearow
Eeveeto: A-Dugtrio, Whiscash, Hariyama, Gengar, Gigalith, Mandibuzz
Ironmage: A-Dugtrio, Whiscash, Gigalith, Vikavolt, Shelgon, A-Muk
Scorpio: A-Dugtrio, Whiscash, Carbink, Sudowoodo, Lycanroc, Gigalith
Imperial Magala: A-Dugtrio, Whiscash, Lycanroc, Gigalith, Decidueye, Mandibuzz
Pikachu315111: A-Dugtrio, Whiscash, Gigalith, Snorlax, Hariyama, Salamence
Hugin: A-Dugtrio, Whiscash, Gigalith, Shelgon, Whimsicott, Snorlax
Cobalt Empoleon: A-Dugtrio, Whiscash, Carbink, Gigalith, Hariyama, Mandibuzz
Axiemeister: A-Dugtrio, Whiscash, Smeargle, Sudowoodo, Blissey, Slowbro
CTNC: A-Dugtrio, Dugtrio, Whiscash, Vikavolt, Gigalith, Machamp
SturdyShedinja: A-Dugtrio, Whiscash, Lycanroc, Mandibuzz, Magnezone, Gigalith
Eeveeto: A-Dugtrio, Whiscash, Hariyama, Gengar, Gigalith, Mandibuzz
Ironmage: A-Dugtrio, Whiscash, Gigalith, Vikavolt, Shelgon, A-Muk
Scorpio: A-Dugtrio, Whiscash, Carbink, Sudowoodo, Lycanroc, Gigalith
Imperial Magala: A-Dugtrio, Whiscash, Lycanroc, Gigalith, Decidueye, Mandibuzz
Pikachu315111: A-Dugtrio, Whiscash, Gigalith, Snorlax, Hariyama, Salamence
Hugin: A-Dugtrio, Whiscash, Gigalith, Shelgon, Whimsicott, Snorlax
Cobalt Empoleon: A-Dugtrio, Whiscash, Carbink, Gigalith, Hariyama, Mandibuzz
Axiemeister: A-Dugtrio, Whiscash, Smeargle, Sudowoodo, Blissey, Slowbro
CTNC: A-Dugtrio, Dugtrio, Whiscash, Vikavolt, Gigalith, Machamp
SturdyShedinja: A-Dugtrio, Whiscash, Lycanroc, Mandibuzz, Magnezone, Gigalith
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I've been waiting for the next round, this thread is really cool.
~Focus Sash
Tangling Hair
Earthquake
Iron Head
Stealth Rock
Screech
As the only ground type in the dex introduces in the region, it's an obvious inclusion. A-Dug is based around weakening the opponent as a lead. It's fast, can set rocks, Focus Sash lets it proc Tangling Hair twice against some opponents. I think it's important to set the tempo for the match with a Pokemon most emblematic of the region, and A-Dug is one of the most unique out there.
~Smooth Rock
Sand Force
Smack Down
Earthquake
Sandstorm
Explosion
Supports itself with Sandstorm, which also boosts its Ground type moves. Thematically I think Sand Force makes the most sense as it actually ties into Ground types, even though Sand Stream is a "better" ability. I really wanted to avoid the blurring of Rock and Ground that some Gym Leaders do in their ingame teams, however Gigalith actually can boost its Ground type attacks with its ability.
~No Item
Stakeout
Facade
Stomping Tantrum
Thief
Yawn
Gumshoos is included on the team because the whole line is based on mammals that burrow in the ground, and Gumshoos learns lots of Ground-type attacks. Gumshoos is very disruptive to opposing strategies, using Thief to steal items, punishing status with Facade, and forcing switches with Yawn. If you don't switch and Yawn fails, it gets the power boost on Stomping Tantrum.
~Life Orb
Defiant
Cross Chop
Stone Edge
Overheat
Stomping Tantrum
Primeape learns Stomping Tantrum naturally, and a lot of powerful low accuracy moves. Its whole set is designed around either doing big damage or if it misses, setting up Stomping Tantrum. While Primeape feels like the most loosely connected to Ground as a type, as a specialist I think it best combines being able to use the type with its unique natural traits while also covering the type's weaknesses.
~Scope Lens
Sniper
Drill Run
Drill Peck
Throat Chop
Roost
A flying type for a Ground themed gym sounds strange, however Fearow learns Drill Run naturally, and it certainly plays more like a Ground type in this team. It even fits thematically for it to heal by returning to the ground.
~Groundium-Z
Oblivious
Earthquake
Spark
Dragon Dance
Waterfall
The other Ground type native to the Melemele dex. Whiscash has some strange and unique moves to round out the team. Groundinium-Z is the natural choice for an Alola-Dex mon, and a Ground type should be the one to hold it. It works as a follow-up to A-Dug and as a last Pokemon (as the Gym Leaders tend to do.)
Conclusion: For a Ground specialist in this region I thought it necessary that every Pokemon have a Ground type move, preferably one it learns naturally or can abuse effectively with its combination of traits. Ground typing is more than just Earthquake spamming. The team overall has high diversity in attacking move types that would assist a specialist in addressing Ground's weaknesses. It highlights both Ground types natural to the region, some Pokemon natural to the region, and Pokemon that synergize well with Ground type Pokemon and attacks. It doesn't hurt aesthetically that all the Pokemon on the team have sandy brown features or highlights.
Tangling Hair
Earthquake
Iron Head
Stealth Rock
Screech
As the only ground type in the dex introduces in the region, it's an obvious inclusion. A-Dug is based around weakening the opponent as a lead. It's fast, can set rocks, Focus Sash lets it proc Tangling Hair twice against some opponents. I think it's important to set the tempo for the match with a Pokemon most emblematic of the region, and A-Dug is one of the most unique out there.
Sand Force
Smack Down
Earthquake
Sandstorm
Explosion
Supports itself with Sandstorm, which also boosts its Ground type moves. Thematically I think Sand Force makes the most sense as it actually ties into Ground types, even though Sand Stream is a "better" ability. I really wanted to avoid the blurring of Rock and Ground that some Gym Leaders do in their ingame teams, however Gigalith actually can boost its Ground type attacks with its ability.
Stakeout
Facade
Stomping Tantrum
Thief
Yawn
Gumshoos is included on the team because the whole line is based on mammals that burrow in the ground, and Gumshoos learns lots of Ground-type attacks. Gumshoos is very disruptive to opposing strategies, using Thief to steal items, punishing status with Facade, and forcing switches with Yawn. If you don't switch and Yawn fails, it gets the power boost on Stomping Tantrum.
Defiant
Cross Chop
Stone Edge
Overheat
Stomping Tantrum
Primeape learns Stomping Tantrum naturally, and a lot of powerful low accuracy moves. Its whole set is designed around either doing big damage or if it misses, setting up Stomping Tantrum. While Primeape feels like the most loosely connected to Ground as a type, as a specialist I think it best combines being able to use the type with its unique natural traits while also covering the type's weaknesses.
Sniper
Drill Run
Drill Peck
Throat Chop
Roost
A flying type for a Ground themed gym sounds strange, however Fearow learns Drill Run naturally, and it certainly plays more like a Ground type in this team. It even fits thematically for it to heal by returning to the ground.
Oblivious
Earthquake
Spark
Dragon Dance
Waterfall
The other Ground type native to the Melemele dex. Whiscash has some strange and unique moves to round out the team. Groundinium-Z is the natural choice for an Alola-Dex mon, and a Ground type should be the one to hold it. It works as a follow-up to A-Dug and as a last Pokemon (as the Gym Leaders tend to do.)
Conclusion: For a Ground specialist in this region I thought it necessary that every Pokemon have a Ground type move, preferably one it learns naturally or can abuse effectively with its combination of traits. Ground typing is more than just Earthquake spamming. The team overall has high diversity in attacking move types that would assist a specialist in addressing Ground's weaknesses. It highlights both Ground types natural to the region, some Pokemon natural to the region, and Pokemon that synergize well with Ground type Pokemon and attacks. It doesn't hurt aesthetically that all the Pokemon on the team have sandy brown features or highlights.
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Doubles based team this time:
Item: Flame Orb. Ability: Guts. Moves: Fake Out, Close Combat, Stomping Tantrum, Thunder Punch. Hariyama is brown, it lives in caves (at least in Hoenn, I haven,t played Alola games), learns Ground moves and some Pokedex entries are like this: "It stomps on the ground to build power. It can send a 10-ton truck flying with a straight-arm punch." Regarding the set, its the classic Guts abusser set. Fake Out flinches something, which allows to activate Flame Orb and maybe protects lead partner. Stomping Tantrum is a ground move, while Thunder Punch hits Mons that prepare for Ground teams, specifically Water and Flying types.
Item: Gengarite. Moves: Shadow Ball, Sludge Bomb, Icy Wind, Energy Ball. Gengar has a very distant relation to ground, but just enough to include. There is this anime gif:
Literally appearing from the Ground. Apart from that, Alola games are the first in which Gengar lost Levitate, he literally fell to the ground this generation. Of course, he already was on the Ground in the Mega form but I still think the relation is enough. This Gengar purely attacks, taking advantage of Hariyama's Fake Out. Energy Ball covers Water types, Icy Wind not only allows Hariyama to outspeed some opponents, but also hits Flying and Grass Mons.
Item: Smooth Rock. Ability: Sand Stream. Moves: Stealth Rock, Earthquake, Stone Edge, Explosion. This is an easy one. Its ability is Sand Stream. Thats as ground as it can get. Gigalith has a lot Ground moves, this one uses Earthquake to differenciate itself from Dugtrio and to hit the Ground immune partner that is likely at its side. Gigalith puts Rocks, Sand and explodes if it has time.
Item: Sitrus Berry. Ability: Overcoat. Moves: Protect, Tailwind, Bone Rush, Foul Play. A vulture. It lives in dessert, sandy place. Its also immune to Sand with Overcoat. It famously eats Cubones, a Ground Mon (though its not present on this specific island). Mandibuzz eats so many Cubones, that they learnt to use Bone Rush, a rare ground move. In this team, Mandibuzz uses Tailwind to support Gigalith and Whiscash (or even Hariyama, if its still somehow alive). Protect is used to avoid Explosion damage from Gigalith, Bone Rush is Ground move, Foul Play is a STAB for funny opponents who try to set-up.
Item: Life Orb. Moves: Muddy Water, Earth Power, Bounce, Blizzard. Actual Ground type. Uses the most powerful attacks possible, since otherwise the power is a little lacking. Bounce is to avoid Explosion (or Earthquake) from Gigalith. Meanwhile, Muddy Water not only is instead of Surf to avoid hitting partner, but also is the most Ground related Water move that exists.
Item: Groundium Z. Ability: Sand Force. Moves: Dig, Fissure, Rock Slide, Iron Head. The other powerful Ground type. This one abusses Sand to the fullest with all his moves, cleaning what is left at the end of the battle. Dig fits better in-game than Earthquake (which Gigalith already has) due to Dugtrio evolving from Diglett., while Fissure is not only a OHKO Move, but also gives Tectonic Rage 180 power, compared to Dig's 160.
Item: Flame Orb. Ability: Guts. Moves: Fake Out, Close Combat, Stomping Tantrum, Thunder Punch. Hariyama is brown, it lives in caves (at least in Hoenn, I haven,t played Alola games), learns Ground moves and some Pokedex entries are like this: "It stomps on the ground to build power. It can send a 10-ton truck flying with a straight-arm punch." Regarding the set, its the classic Guts abusser set. Fake Out flinches something, which allows to activate Flame Orb and maybe protects lead partner. Stomping Tantrum is a ground move, while Thunder Punch hits Mons that prepare for Ground teams, specifically Water and Flying types. Item: Gengarite. Moves: Shadow Ball, Sludge Bomb, Icy Wind, Energy Ball. Gengar has a very distant relation to ground, but just enough to include. There is this anime gif:
Literally appearing from the Ground. Apart from that, Alola games are the first in which Gengar lost Levitate, he literally fell to the ground this generation. Of course, he already was on the Ground in the Mega form but I still think the relation is enough. This Gengar purely attacks, taking advantage of Hariyama's Fake Out. Energy Ball covers Water types, Icy Wind not only allows Hariyama to outspeed some opponents, but also hits Flying and Grass Mons.
Item: Smooth Rock. Ability: Sand Stream. Moves: Stealth Rock, Earthquake, Stone Edge, Explosion. This is an easy one. Its ability is Sand Stream. Thats as ground as it can get. Gigalith has a lot Ground moves, this one uses Earthquake to differenciate itself from Dugtrio and to hit the Ground immune partner that is likely at its side. Gigalith puts Rocks, Sand and explodes if it has time. Item: Sitrus Berry. Ability: Overcoat. Moves: Protect, Tailwind, Bone Rush, Foul Play. A vulture. It lives in dessert, sandy place. Its also immune to Sand with Overcoat. It famously eats Cubones, a Ground Mon (though its not present on this specific island). Mandibuzz eats so many Cubones, that they learnt to use Bone Rush, a rare ground move. In this team, Mandibuzz uses Tailwind to support Gigalith and Whiscash (or even Hariyama, if its still somehow alive). Protect is used to avoid Explosion damage from Gigalith, Bone Rush is Ground move, Foul Play is a STAB for funny opponents who try to set-up. Item: Life Orb. Moves: Muddy Water, Earth Power, Bounce, Blizzard. Actual Ground type. Uses the most powerful attacks possible, since otherwise the power is a little lacking. Bounce is to avoid Explosion (or Earthquake) from Gigalith. Meanwhile, Muddy Water not only is instead of Surf to avoid hitting partner, but also is the most Ground related Water move that exists. Item: Groundium Z. Ability: Sand Force. Moves: Dig, Fissure, Rock Slide, Iron Head. The other powerful Ground type. This one abusses Sand to the fullest with all his moves, cleaning what is left at the end of the battle. Dig fits better in-game than Earthquake (which Gigalith already has) due to Dugtrio evolving from Diglett., while Fissure is not only a OHKO Move, but also gives Tectonic Rage 180 power, compared to Dig's 160.Been polling badly recently, but I feel that seriously changing up my methods would make the process less enjoyable. Maybe I should start voting for myself some more...
Anyway, here's a scuffed doubles team.
Gigalith @ Smooth Rock
Ability: Sand Stream
- Rock Slide
- Heavy Slam
- Protect
- Bulldoze
Sand ends up walking the line between Rock and Ground for me. The move itself and two of its setters are Rock, but sand abusers tend towards Ground. One of said abusers is the main mon of the pool who desperately needs validation for losing base dugtrio's Arena Trap.
Dugtrio-Alola @ Focus Sash
Ability: Sand Force
- Protect
- Earthquake
- Iron Head
- Rock Slide
Here are the special boys themselves. I went with one of each Sand Force boosted move alongside the required Protect (a top doubles move even when you aren't spamming earthquake)
Whiscash @ Groundium Z
Ability: Oblivious
- Earth Power
- Ice Beam
- Scald
- Protect
With these being the two Ground types, I almost went for "Melemele's best hair and mustaches" as the theme of the team. Alakazam will have to wait for another time to be in the spotlight. In any case, I knew I was going to be shorter on special attackers, so I took a break from full spread moves with Whiscash's mixed stats.
Vikavolt @ Assault Vest
Ability: Levitate
- Discharge
- Energy Ball
- Bug Buzz
- Electroweb
This was actually one of the first families I thought of as ground-adjacent, since Grubbin is noted to live underground and they learn Dig by level. As a result, this was the main influence on making a doubles team (I considered using Battery from Charjabug first, but was unsure of how special-leaning the team would be).
Shelgon @ Eviolite
Ability: Overcoat
- Protect
- Brick Break
- Incinerate
- Dragon Claw
The earlier stages of the Salamence line fit into Ground in the sense of "not (yet) Flying," which I suppose is shared with Vikavolt above and the actually ground-type Nincada. Shelgon is noted to have a shell bade of bone, a material Marowak has caused to be associated with the Ground type. I also was interested in Overcoat for this team, since it removes sand chip as well as messing with Rage Powder. I tried to go with a disruption support set here since I wan't confident in an NFE's offensive output.
Muk-Alola @ Hard Stone
Ability: Power of Alchemy
- Rock Slide
- Taunt
- Gunk Shot
- Protect
I considered Gengar for this slot as something of an inverse to Shelgon: a mon that becomes more tied to the ground as it grows in strength. But I felt I needed the mega to fully show that concept and Gengar-Mega had a real chance at overshadowing everything else on the team. Muk still works as a grounded counterpart to Weezing, and I felt there was some interesting potential with Power of Alchemy here. That ability is why it invests more into Rock Slide: it might inherit Sand Force from Dugtrio.
Anyway, here's a scuffed doubles team.
Gigalith @ Smooth Rock
Ability: Sand Stream
- Rock Slide
- Heavy Slam
- Protect
- Bulldoze
Sand ends up walking the line between Rock and Ground for me. The move itself and two of its setters are Rock, but sand abusers tend towards Ground. One of said abusers is the main mon of the pool who desperately needs validation for losing base dugtrio's Arena Trap.
Dugtrio-Alola @ Focus Sash
Ability: Sand Force
- Protect
- Earthquake
- Iron Head
- Rock Slide
Here are the special boys themselves. I went with one of each Sand Force boosted move alongside the required Protect (a top doubles move even when you aren't spamming earthquake)
Whiscash @ Groundium Z
Ability: Oblivious
- Earth Power
- Ice Beam
- Scald
- Protect
With these being the two Ground types, I almost went for "Melemele's best hair and mustaches" as the theme of the team. Alakazam will have to wait for another time to be in the spotlight. In any case, I knew I was going to be shorter on special attackers, so I took a break from full spread moves with Whiscash's mixed stats.
Vikavolt @ Assault Vest
Ability: Levitate
- Discharge
- Energy Ball
- Bug Buzz
- Electroweb
This was actually one of the first families I thought of as ground-adjacent, since Grubbin is noted to live underground and they learn Dig by level. As a result, this was the main influence on making a doubles team (I considered using Battery from Charjabug first, but was unsure of how special-leaning the team would be).
Shelgon @ Eviolite
Ability: Overcoat
- Protect
- Brick Break
- Incinerate
- Dragon Claw
The earlier stages of the Salamence line fit into Ground in the sense of "not (yet) Flying," which I suppose is shared with Vikavolt above and the actually ground-type Nincada. Shelgon is noted to have a shell bade of bone, a material Marowak has caused to be associated with the Ground type. I also was interested in Overcoat for this team, since it removes sand chip as well as messing with Rage Powder. I tried to go with a disruption support set here since I wan't confident in an NFE's offensive output.
Muk-Alola @ Hard Stone
Ability: Power of Alchemy
- Rock Slide
- Taunt
- Gunk Shot
- Protect
I considered Gengar for this slot as something of an inverse to Shelgon: a mon that becomes more tied to the ground as it grows in strength. But I felt I needed the mega to fully show that concept and Gengar-Mega had a real chance at overshadowing everything else on the team. Muk still works as a grounded counterpart to Weezing, and I felt there was some interesting potential with Power of Alchemy here. That ability is why it invests more into Rock Slide: it might inherit Sand Force from Dugtrio.
I didn’t lol. Tho I also made a sand team out of it and gave them all Ground moves.
Gigalith @ Smooth Rock
Ability: Sand Stream
-Stone Edge
-Earthquake
-Sandstorm
-Explosion
Sand setter with EdgeQuake. Sandstorm resets the weather if someone tries un-Sandstorming the field, and Explosion is when it’s at low health.
Carbink @ Light Clay
Ability: Sturdy
-Stealth Rock
-Light Screen
-Reflect
-Explosion
More or less pure utility. Rocks, screens (Light Screen first usually), then either switch or boom if it’s low. Sturdy ensures it’ll get at least one of those done.
Lycanroc @ Muscle Band
Ability: Sand Rush
-Stone Edge
-Drill Run
-Crunch
-Accelerock
112 Speed with Sand Rush go brrr. Accelerock is for opposing priority users.
Whiscash @ Mystic Water
Ability: Oblivious
-Earthquake
-Aqua Tail
-Scald
-Ice Beam
The actual Ground-type. Also I wanted some Special attacking, so I gave it Scald to spread burns and Ice Beam to give Grass types a nasty surprise.
Sudowoodo @ Assault Vest
Ability: Rock Head
-Wood Hammer
-Head Smash
-Stone Edge
-Earthquake
Rock Head abuser. Wood Hammer gives Water-types a nasty surprise, and Stone Edge is in case Head Smash runs out of PP.
Dugrtrio-A @ Groundium-Z
Ability: Sand Force
-Earthquake
-Stone Edge
-Iron Head
-Rock Slide
The other actual Ground-type, and the ace. Rock Slide is backup Rock coverage/hax enabler.
Not another artificially bottle-necked challenge. At least we get Pokemon that look fully evolved enough.
Sand Stream
+Smooth Rock
-Stone Edge
-Earthquake
-Gravity
-Steath Rock
Everyone and their mother is bringing Gigalith with Sand Stream, with what non-Rock and Ground moves being the main difference between them. I'm surprised no one hasn't ran Gravity yet to synergize with Stone Edge and Ground type moves.
Sand Rush
+Life Orb
-Stone Edge
-Fire Fang
-Thunder Fang
-Sand Attack
In writing this, I made the horrible discovery that the Rockruff line can not learn ANY Ground type offensive moves at all pre-USUM, with Sand Attack being the only Ground type move it learns AT ALL. You would think Dig is an option just from the sheer fact that it's a dog and a generic move learned by so many Pokemon, but I guess not.
Sand Force
+Focus Sash
-Earthquake
-Iron Head
-Stone Edge
-Memento
If this was a Fire trainer challenge, Alolan Dugtrio would have been one of my off type picks to reference Pele's Hair, a type of volcanic glass.
More thought was put into this than Alolan Dugtrio's changes from Kantonian Dugtrio.
Overcoat
+Leftovers
-Knock Off
-Bone Rush
-Rock Tomb
-Roost
I can't add what hasn't been already said about Mandibuzz besides something that will come up in the next entry. I guess that being forced down by Gravity isn't too big of a loss for Mandibuzz since Roost isn't affected by Gravity and discovering Rock Tomb was learnable was a surprise for me.
Overgrowth
+Safety Goggles
-Energy Ball
-Shadow Ball
-Hidden Power Ground
-Smack Down
Decidueye ties a sorta theme with Lycanroc and Mandibuzz of extinct animals and bones, with Lycanroc being based on the Japanese Wolf and Decidueye being based on the extinct Stilt-Owls, which lived primarily on the ground. My Decidueye in my first Sun playthrough ended up with HP Ground, so I wanted to pay tribute to it while also taking advantage of its high Special Attack Stat. Smack Down is there because I also first discovered it was learnable when doing this moveset.
Oblivious
+Groundium Z
-Earthquake
-Spark
-Bounce
-Dragon Dance
I don't care if it's not from Alola, a Dragon Dance endgame sweep is more likely than whatever Dugtrio-A is suppose to do.
Yeah I'm sure that 35 base HP will greatly appreciate losing 10 points of Speed into Defense, totally justifies copying Gooey. Tangling Hair is so lame, not even Grimmsnarl wants to deal with it, a Pokemon based around tangled hair.
Considered were Carbink and Corsola for being Rock types, Sableye for having crystals on its body, Crabominable for climbing mountains, Snorlax for being as immovable as a mountain, and Magnezone for being made of metal.
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Congrats, jhm5 . A nice clean theme that clearly resonated with voters.
The two ground types(Whiscash is one of my top-10 mons, so glad I could use it here). Gigalith is a rock that's shocking that it's not Rock/Ground. Snorlax and Shelgon are slow, bulkier mons that fit the ground type thematically, Snorlax being immobile and Shelgon's whole deal being that it doesn't fly. Whimsicott because plants have an obvious connection to the earth.
She's a farmer. Dugtrio and Gigalith to till the fields, Whiscash to water them, Whimsicott to grow things, Snorlax and Shelgon as generic farm animals.
The two ground types(Whiscash is one of my top-10 mons, so glad I could use it here). Gigalith is a rock that's shocking that it's not Rock/Ground. Snorlax and Shelgon are slow, bulkier mons that fit the ground type thematically, Snorlax being immobile and Shelgon's whole deal being that it doesn't fly. Whimsicott because plants have an obvious connection to the earth.
She's a farmer. Dugtrio and Gigalith to till the fields, Whiscash to water them, Whimsicott to grow things, Snorlax and Shelgon as generic farm animals.
Dugtrio-Alola @ Groundium Z
Ability: Tangling Hair
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Iron Head
- Sucker Punch
Snorlax @ Figy Berry
Ability: Gluttony
EVs: 188 HP / 176 Def / 144 SpD
Careful Nature
- Curse
- Recycle
- Facade
- Crunch
Whimsicott @ Salac Berry
Ability: Infiltrator
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Moonblast
- Energy Ball
- Psychic
- Leech Seed
Shelgon @ Eviolite
Ability: Rock Head
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Double-Edge
- Outrage
- Zen Headbutt
- Fire Fang
Gigalith @ Leftovers
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Stone Edge
- Bulldoze
- Sandstorm
- Explosion
Whiscash @ Rindo Berry
Ability: Oblivious
EVs: 248 HP / 252 SpA / 8 SpD
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Surf
- Earth Power
- Ice Beam
- Belch
Ability: Tangling Hair
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Iron Head
- Sucker Punch
Snorlax @ Figy Berry
Ability: Gluttony
EVs: 188 HP / 176 Def / 144 SpD
Careful Nature
- Curse
- Recycle
- Facade
- Crunch
Whimsicott @ Salac Berry
Ability: Infiltrator
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Moonblast
- Energy Ball
- Psychic
- Leech Seed
Shelgon @ Eviolite
Ability: Rock Head
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Double-Edge
- Outrage
- Zen Headbutt
- Fire Fang
Gigalith @ Leftovers
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Stone Edge
- Bulldoze
- Sandstorm
- Explosion
Whiscash @ Rindo Berry
Ability: Oblivious
EVs: 248 HP / 252 SpA / 8 SpD
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Surf
- Earth Power
- Ice Beam
- Belch
Dugtrio lead. Rocks and Groundium EQ. (yes, they usually end with the Z-move, but I couldn't make that work out). Snorlax is a stally set-up set with Recycle and a Berry. Whimsicott is a standard offensive set with Leech Seed to discourage setup. Shelgon, same, standard all-out offense. Gigalith sets sand, slows with Bulldoze, and Explodes. And Whiscash is a special attacker with it's own tools to discourage Grass-types(seriously, water and grass types beware this team). And 4 of them have berries/lefties which fits the farmer theme.
This one was painful. There was just nothing that seemed particularly ground-related I could pull in. Even the pre-evos are unusually weak. I normally would list alternatives, but except for the various Rocks, I basically put anything I could on here.
This one was painful. There was just nothing that seemed particularly ground-related I could pull in. Even the pre-evos are unusually weak. I normally would list alternatives, but except for the various Rocks, I basically put anything I could on here.
Since this morning was thinking what to do. I was originally thinking along the lines of a farmer of groundskeeper, but felt that was maybe too on the nose. Then again, last few winning teams have pretty much been as straight forward with a Type specialist team as you could. I shouldn't try to think outside-the-box unless I have a really good idea (which I don't for this one), but too simple may make mine forgettable compare to someone who does a similar theme/team but put a little extra in it. So, I got to think, if I was a Ground Specialist on Melemele, what would I do. And, honestly, the answer I got is pretty much what most Ground Specialists think about doing most of the time: Earthquake.
Alolan Dugtrio (Tangling Hair. Groundium-Z
. Earthquake/Iron Head/Rock Slide/Aerial Ace)
Whiscash (Anticipation. Muscle Band
. Earthquake/Waterfall/Rock Slide/Dragon Dance)
Snorlax (Thick Fat. Leftovers
. Earthquake/Body Slam/Wild Charge/Rest)
Hariyama (Guts. Flame Orb
. Earthquake/Close Combat/Rock Slide/Fling)
Gigalith (Sturdy. Zoom Lens
. Earthquake/Stone Edge/Sand Attack/Explosion)
(Mega) Salamence (Intimidate/Aerilate. Salamencite
. Earthquake/Outrage/Return/Thunder Fang)
My Ground Specialist is a Seismologist in Alola. "Why are they on Melemele instead of any of the other islands which would likely be better to analyze seismic activity"? Good question. While certainly Akala with its volcanic activity, Ula'ula with its mountains and desert, or Poni with its canyons would provide useful data, well no Alola island is truly separate from one another. Of the islands, Melemele could likely experience the less seismic activity, which makes it a good base of operations to study the other islands from; all I need is seismic sensing equipment to be on the other islands.
Alolan Dugtrio (Tangling Hair. Groundium-Z
. Earthquake/Iron Head/Rock Slide/Aerial Ace)Whiscash (Anticipation. Muscle Band
. Earthquake/Waterfall/Rock Slide/Dragon Dance)Snorlax (Thick Fat. Leftovers
. Earthquake/Body Slam/Wild Charge/Rest)Hariyama (Guts. Flame Orb
. Earthquake/Close Combat/Rock Slide/Fling)Gigalith (Sturdy. Zoom Lens
. Earthquake/Stone Edge/Sand Attack/Explosion)(Mega) Salamence (Intimidate/Aerilate. Salamencite
. Earthquake/Outrage/Return/Thunder Fang)My Ground Specialist is a Seismologist in Alola. "Why are they on Melemele instead of any of the other islands which would likely be better to analyze seismic activity"? Good question. While certainly Akala with its volcanic activity, Ula'ula with its mountains and desert, or Poni with its canyons would provide useful data, well no Alola island is truly separate from one another. Of the islands, Melemele could likely experience the less seismic activity, which makes it a good base of operations to study the other islands from; all I need is seismic sensing equipment to be on the other islands.
Alolan Dugtrio: Ground-type. It's the non-Mega Ace thus is the one holding the Z-Crystal. As the member on my team that digs through the ground, it's the most useful in placing & retrieving seismic sensors. It itself is also intune with the ground, helped by its hair-like whiskers. Nothing to really talk about strategy wise; hit fast, hit hard, maybe also slow down the opponent.
Whiscash: Ground-type. A seismologist in Alola has a unique element to consider in their research: the water, or rather the ocean. It's not just enough to have sensors in the ground, there needs to be some in the water (whether on the surface, at a certain depth, or even the ocean floor). And being a fish, Whiscash is to the water that Alolan Dugtrio is to the land. Whiscash also has a mythical connection to earthquakes, it's just as good as sensing them in the water. I'm not using a weather team so decided to go a bit unorthodox by choosing Anticipation for its Ability. I don't feel Oblivious would have been that helpful, so instead I plan on having Whiscash sense if the opponent has a SE move; if they do, either just attack or try switching out; if they don't, maybe try to setup a Dragon Dance or two.
Snorlax
& Hariyama: The muscles of the group, big strong & heavy Pokemon who easily can cause the ground where they walk to quake. As big & bulky Pokemon, they both likely can sense vibrations in the ground while also able to better stand their ground. Snorlax is a combination hard hitter & wall, meanwhile Hariyama goes for the Gut+Flame Orb tactic (plus has Fling to inflict Burn on an unsuspecting opponent).
Gigalith: Rock has a close relation with Ground so only natural to have one here. Gigalith would be more helpful with some of the geology work a seismologist has to do, able to find good stone specimens. While I know a lot are putting their Gigalith on Sandstorm duty, I just don't feel right doing it with a team that would be susceptible to chip damage. So instead Gigalith is yet another hard hitter, though I did give it Sand Attack for some off support (even against Flying-types), and finally it has a fun "surprise" if it's about to be knocked out and can get one more move off.
(Mega) Salamence
: And where would a field scientist in the Pokemon world be without a flying Pokemon to survey things from the sky; and if it's an option why not it be a Mega Salamence (bet it can cause a pretty good earthquake if it slams the ground flying at it as mach speeds). While normally I don't like not having the "Ace" being the Specialist Type, I think this is an okay exception. For one thing, Alolan Dugtrio does have that gen's super gimmick, so as I said for it it's my "non-Mega" ace. And if Mega Pokemon are available, I'm going to use a Mega Pokemon, and Salamence just so happens to be one on Melemele that can learn Earthquake.
: Ground-type. It's the non-Mega Ace thus is the one holding the Z-Crystal. As the member on my team that digs through the ground, it's the most useful in placing & retrieving seismic sensors. It itself is also intune with the ground, helped by its hair-like whiskers. Nothing to really talk about strategy wise; hit fast, hit hard, maybe also slow down the opponent.Whiscash
: Ground-type. A seismologist in Alola has a unique element to consider in their research: the water, or rather the ocean. It's not just enough to have sensors in the ground, there needs to be some in the water (whether on the surface, at a certain depth, or even the ocean floor). And being a fish, Whiscash is to the water that Alolan Dugtrio is to the land. Whiscash also has a mythical connection to earthquakes, it's just as good as sensing them in the water. I'm not using a weather team so decided to go a bit unorthodox by choosing Anticipation for its Ability. I don't feel Oblivious would have been that helpful, so instead I plan on having Whiscash sense if the opponent has a SE move; if they do, either just attack or try switching out; if they don't, maybe try to setup a Dragon Dance or two.Snorlax
& Hariyama: The muscles of the group, big strong & heavy Pokemon who easily can cause the ground where they walk to quake. As big & bulky Pokemon, they both likely can sense vibrations in the ground while also able to better stand their ground. Snorlax is a combination hard hitter & wall, meanwhile Hariyama goes for the Gut+Flame Orb tactic (plus has Fling to inflict Burn on an unsuspecting opponent).Gigalith
: Rock has a close relation with Ground so only natural to have one here. Gigalith would be more helpful with some of the geology work a seismologist has to do, able to find good stone specimens. While I know a lot are putting their Gigalith on Sandstorm duty, I just don't feel right doing it with a team that would be susceptible to chip damage. So instead Gigalith is yet another hard hitter, though I did give it Sand Attack for some off support (even against Flying-types), and finally it has a fun "surprise" if it's about to be knocked out and can get one more move off.(Mega) Salamence
: And where would a field scientist in the Pokemon world be without a flying Pokemon to survey things from the sky; and if it's an option why not it be a Mega Salamence (bet it can cause a pretty good earthquake if it slams the ground flying at it as mach speeds). While normally I don't like not having the "Ace" being the Specialist Type, I think this is an okay exception. For one thing, Alolan Dugtrio does have that gen's super gimmick, so as I said for it it's my "non-Mega" ace. And if Mega Pokemon are available, I'm going to use a Mega Pokemon, and Salamence just so happens to be one on Melemele that can learn Earthquake.
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What's fun about this concept is what I'm calling 'The Pokemon Stadium Principle', namely that no matter how weird and out-there people's off-type choices are, after looking over them for a bit I'm almost always like 'actually yeah that feels right'
Okay so my submission is a semi-Trick Room Sand team for Doubles:
Highlights include:
They've also developed a somewhat tempestuous relationship with their island's own guardian after trying to raid the Ruins of Conflict, although Tapu Koko can't help but respect their no-holds-barred battling style.
EDIT: I just realised that this type specialist is basically the leader of the Ruin Maniac trainer class, which is generally treated as a class of Ground-type specialists (e.g. all the RS Ruin Maniacs use Sandshrew/Sandslash and 'Ruin Maniac' is the title of the Pokemon GO achievement for catching Ground-type Pokemon). This follows a long-standing tradition with Gym Leaders being the boss or idol of a trainer archetype
Okay so my submission is a semi-Trick Room Sand team for Doubles:
Carbink, Gigalith, Mandibuzz, Hariyama, Whiscash, Dugtrio-Alola
Highlights include:
- double Explosion lead
- fully offensive Mandibuzz (Bone Rush all day baybeeeeeeee)
- no protection against partner's EQ spam except aforementioned Mandibuzz (whose immunity might get taken away by Gravity anyway) and Whiscash's Bounce (which is also disabled by Gravity lol)
- heavy reliance on Trick Room ending just in time for the actual Ground-types to come into play and attempt to sweep
They've also developed a somewhat tempestuous relationship with their island's own guardian after trying to raid the Ruins of Conflict, although Tapu Koko can't help but respect their no-holds-barred battling style.
EDIT: I just realised that this type specialist is basically the leader of the Ruin Maniac trainer class, which is generally treated as a class of Ground-type specialists (e.g. all the RS Ruin Maniacs use Sandshrew/Sandslash and 'Ruin Maniac' is the title of the Pokemon GO achievement for catching Ground-type Pokemon). This follows a long-standing tradition with Gym Leaders being the boss or idol of a trainer archetype
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hi everyone! decided to be a bit on the silly side this time but i did love writing this team!
From the moment I saw what our two Ground-type representatives were, I knew what my theme had to be. They truly will represent a land enough to warrant being named a Ground team.
(F) @ Focus Sash
Ability: Own Tempo
- Spore
- Stealth Rock
- Thousand Arrows
- U-turn
This Barbie is a painter! She loves painting and Tree Ken loves to be the subject of her paintings. From so much painting him being all tree-y and rock-y, she learned to spread spores and rocks all around. She also learned to shoot arrows from the sky from a friendly stray dog and bringing flying. opponents down to earth. Finally, if she hasn't been knocked out by then, she will bounce right off battle to a fellow Ken or Barbie.
(M) @ Choice Band
Ability: Rock Head
- Head Smash
- Earthquake
- Wood Hammer
- Explosion
He is just Ken. His job is Tree. He is very good at his job, and he is in love with Painter Barbie, and is able to stand still for hours for her paintings. Despite being so patient, he is also a bit of a rock head, going for strong attacks that do not hurt him with recoil, and wearing a Choice Band that fixates him on one move. And if necessary he can and will blow himself up.
(M) @ Slowbronite
Ability: Oblivious
- Slack Off
- Earthquake
- Ice Beam
- Future Sight
He is just Ken. His job is Bro. He doesn't do or know much, but he loves Doctor Barbie. He loves her enough to not care he is a Water/Psychic mon and instead opt for mixed Ground/Ice coverage, to get as many enemies as possible and impress her. He can also Mega Evolve and become even more difficult to knock out because he is always slacking off and then also gets a huge Shellder around him (Shellder's name is Alan and that's why he sometimes bites Ken). He also likes to tell Doctor Barbie about his plans for the future and that somehow hurts enemies. Maybe of cringe?
(F) @ Leftovers
Ability: Natural Cure
- Soft-Boiled
- Heal Bell
- Seismic Toss
- Mud-Slap
This Barbie is a doctor! She takes her job very seriously and comes in determined to help her friends and remove all status conditions from then and then sit on the face of big special attackers while tossing them around and flinging mud at them. She and Bro Ken make a great defensive duo because they can take whatever the other can't and she heals status for both. They pave the way for the main couple.
(M) @ Assault Vest
Ability: Oblivious
- Scald
- Earth Power
- Ice Beam
- Future Sight
He is just Ken. His job is SWAMP. He wears a stylish Vest to impress Stereotypical Barbie, which also allows him to survive longer (and distract everyone from him not having a recovery move), and he defied expectations from being just an shaking fellow by running a special set with good coverage and Scald to competent the Assault Vest. He also has the same cringe powers of Bro Ken, apparently.
(F) @ Groundium Z
Ability: Tangling Hair
- Earthquake
- Iron Head
- Pursuit
- Rock Slide
She is everything! (Except a trapper. GameFreak, explain.) She is so gorgeous, the Alolans have believed she is a deity of the land. As our main character, she does the main job of getting enemies out of the way with her high Attack and Speed, good typing, and Pursuit to attempt to trap since Mattel took Arena Trap Barbie out of Barbieland (no, seriously, why does Alolan Dugtrio not have Arena Trap?!). Groundium Z gives her a one-time push to get rid of a really tough enemy late-game, if her fellow Barbies and Kens haven't done to job already. Also, don't tangle her hair.
From the moment I saw what our two Ground-type representatives were, I knew what my theme had to be. They truly will represent a land enough to warrant being named a Ground team.
(F) @ Focus SashAbility: Own Tempo
- Spore
- Stealth Rock
- Thousand Arrows
- U-turn
This Barbie is a painter! She loves painting and Tree Ken loves to be the subject of her paintings. From so much painting him being all tree-y and rock-y, she learned to spread spores and rocks all around. She also learned to shoot arrows from the sky from a friendly stray dog and bringing flying. opponents down to earth. Finally, if she hasn't been knocked out by then, she will bounce right off battle to a fellow Ken or Barbie.
(M) @ Choice BandAbility: Rock Head
- Head Smash
- Earthquake
- Wood Hammer
- Explosion
He is just Ken. His job is Tree. He is very good at his job, and he is in love with Painter Barbie, and is able to stand still for hours for her paintings. Despite being so patient, he is also a bit of a rock head, going for strong attacks that do not hurt him with recoil, and wearing a Choice Band that fixates him on one move. And if necessary he can and will blow himself up.
(M) @ SlowbroniteAbility: Oblivious
- Slack Off
- Earthquake
- Ice Beam
- Future Sight
He is just Ken. His job is Bro. He doesn't do or know much, but he loves Doctor Barbie. He loves her enough to not care he is a Water/Psychic mon and instead opt for mixed Ground/Ice coverage, to get as many enemies as possible and impress her. He can also Mega Evolve and become even more difficult to knock out because he is always slacking off and then also gets a huge Shellder around him (Shellder's name is Alan and that's why he sometimes bites Ken). He also likes to tell Doctor Barbie about his plans for the future and that somehow hurts enemies. Maybe of cringe?
(F) @ LeftoversAbility: Natural Cure
- Soft-Boiled
- Heal Bell
- Seismic Toss
- Mud-Slap
This Barbie is a doctor! She takes her job very seriously and comes in determined to help her friends and remove all status conditions from then and then sit on the face of big special attackers while tossing them around and flinging mud at them. She and Bro Ken make a great defensive duo because they can take whatever the other can't and she heals status for both. They pave the way for the main couple.
(M) @ Assault VestAbility: Oblivious
- Scald
- Earth Power
- Ice Beam
- Future Sight
He is just Ken. His job is SWAMP. He wears a stylish Vest to impress Stereotypical Barbie, which also allows him to survive longer (and distract everyone from him not having a recovery move), and he defied expectations from being just an shaking fellow by running a special set with good coverage and Scald to competent the Assault Vest. He also has the same cringe powers of Bro Ken, apparently.
(F) @ Groundium ZAbility: Tangling Hair
- Earthquake
- Iron Head
- Pursuit
- Rock Slide
She is everything! (Except a trapper. GameFreak, explain.) She is so gorgeous, the Alolans have believed she is a deity of the land. As our main character, she does the main job of getting enemies out of the way with her high Attack and Speed, good typing, and Pursuit to attempt to trap since Mattel took Arena Trap Barbie out of Barbieland (no, seriously, why does Alolan Dugtrio not have Arena Trap?!). Groundium Z gives her a one-time push to get rid of a really tough enemy late-game, if her fellow Barbies and Kens haven't done to job already. Also, don't tangle her hair.