You are a type specialist in a hostile region. How do you best represent your chosen element?

[Pikachu315111]

Still mulling over my options for this one (did you know Delibird gets Future Sight?) but I did have a question for everyone that's been on my mind lately: do you plan out your teams' movesets and strategies around the limitations of the Pokemon NPC AI or do you assume your teams are being piloted by a competent human-level trainer who can execute the strategy as effectively as possible? Perhaps somewhere in-between?

I guess a competent human-level trainer, not that I think my strategies are that complicated a simple "if-then" script couldn't be made. Like, as long as it's using the bit more competent boss AI it uses for League Trainers I think the movesets I make can be effectively used by them.

Of course, what I'm beginning to do with my movesets is using it as a way to give more "character" to my individual picks. I would personally just give most of my Pokemon all offense moves, but when you're trying to make an appealing Type Specialist that just makes the Pokemon feel like filler (unless that's the point of why you designed the Pokemon to be that way, like my above Ursaring). By giving that Pokemon a certain moveset, even if it's not the most practical, it makes the Pokemon feel more like it's an intentional member of the team. THIS IS JUST HOW I THINK OF THINGS! Obviously everyone has their own interpretation, heck, I haven't even won a competition since HGSS Dragons which was heavily Pokemon species focused so I could very well just be inflating my ego.

And of course movesets are completely optional. Like, they're a nice bonus, but most winners have a strong theme which could very well have carried them all by themselves (theoretically). I'm not sure how many people even look at the movesets unless something in an explanation paragraph points it out. In theory movesets make it look like you've put a little extra work in your team... but it's still not necessary to do and you could just pull up a Moveset from Smogon or somewhere else online and no one would probably know you didn't make it.

TL;DR: If you're going to make a moveset, do so because you want to. If you're concern not having a moveset may not have your Pokemon standout, there's nothing wrong just giving it a simple Moveset or copying one from Smogon or somewhere else online. What previous winners have shown it's more about a strong theme which appeals the most.

 

[Cobalt Empoleon]

TL;DR: If you're going to make a moveset, do so because you want to. If you're concern not having a moveset may not have your Pokemon standout, there's nothing wrong just giving it a simple Moveset or copying one from Smogon or somewhere else online. What previous winners have shown it's more about a strong theme which appeals the most.

Oh yeah, I'd definitely always prioritise character/theming over competitive strength. Theming has definitely been the appeal in my winning teams. I guess I was just curious if anyone else had reduced the complexity of a battle strategy (even one that supports their overall theme!) because the sequence of actions required to execute it would be too intricate.

As a general example, dedicated support mons don't really work in singles unless you proactively switch them in and out to take advantage of their support moves, which a typical NPC trainer would never do. As such, I try and make sure each Pokemon on my teams is either capable of posing some kind of threat on its own or has a way to get itself off the field without a manual switch, but other people might have no problem designing a strategy that requires actual competitive tactics re: switching. On the other hand, they might see the challenge posed by their trainer as something that's completely irrelevant for this thread! Of course, all these approaches are equally valid.

----------------------------

Anyway, here's my team for this round!

I envision this trainer as a professional chess player with a slightly sneaky streak. Chess is perhaps the most iconic intellectual hobby in the world, perfect for a Psychic specialist!

The team

Spinda @ Focus Sash
Ability: Contrary
- Zen Headbutt
- Superpower
- Baton Pass
- Hypnosis

Scizor @ Scizorite
Ability: Technician
- U-turn
- Bullet Punch
- Light Screen
- Roost

Honchkrow @ Scope Lens
Ability: Super Luck
- Night Slash
- Psycho Shift
- Rest
- Sleep Talk

Bisharp @ Life Orb
Ability: Defiant
- Iron Head
- Knock Off
- Psycho Cut
- Thunder Wave

Jynx @ Eject Button
Ability: Dry Skin
- Ice Beam
- Psyshock
- Reflect
- Perish Song

Gothitelle @ Leftovers
Ability: Shadow Tag
- Psychic
- Signal Beam
- Calm Mind
- Rest

Spinda is the pawn. It's relatively weak and non-threatening, but be careful not to let it advance and get promoted (i.e. accumulate too many Superpower boosts and swap itself for a scarier teammate with Baton Pass).

Mega Scizor is the knight. There's another Bug/Steel mon in this dex that visually fits the knight role much better, but Scizor has access to a couple of Psychic moves besides Rest and it can pivot out of the fray with U-turn, mirroring the early mobility of the knight in chess. Light Screen synergises well with this tactic, although it also helps make it a terrifying offensive and defensive threat alongside Roost if Scizor gets the pawn's boosts.

Honchkrow is the rook. While the words are not related, this chess piece shares its name with a species of bird in the Corvidae family (which of course also includes crows, ravens, etc.). Interestingly, what distinguishes rooks from other corvids is the white colouring around their faces, which matches Honchkrow's design. The moveset is far from competitive, but I've always loved the jankiness of Rest+Sleep Talk+Psycho Shift and this Honchkrow could become super scary under the right circumstances (again, some Baton Passed boosts would help a lot).

Bisharp, naturally, is the bishop. Not much else to say here, really.

Surprise! This trainer has two queens and no king. Told ya they were sneaky! Gothitelle's chess-piece-esque body shape, together with Bisharp's clear chess connection, is actually what inspired this choice of theme. Jynx is a bit of a fake-out, ideally using a support move before taking a hit and pivoting into the trapper Gothitelle, but it has some firepower too. Gothitelle does Gothitelle things, hopefully setting up on a non-threat and becoming a terrifying defensive and offensive threat with Rest to provide staying power. Defense boosts from the pawn are greatly appreciated if Gothitelle is the chosen recipient.

Lots of dubious strategies here, but I had a lot of fun with it :)
Also bonus doubles sets for the same team:

Doubles with explanation

Spinda @ Focus Sash
Ability: Contrary
- Psychic
- Icy Wind
- Skill Swap
- Rain Dance

Scizor @ Scizorite
Ability: Technician
- X-Scissor
- Bullet Punch
- Superpower
- Light Screen

Honchkrow @ Life Orb
Ability: Moxie
- Sucker Punch
- Brave Bird
- Psychic
- Heat Wave

Bisharp @ Choice Band
Ability: Defiant
- Iron Head
- Knock Off
- Psycho Cut
- Sucker Punch

Jynx @ Leftovers
Ability: Dry Skin
- Blizzard
- Psychic
- Nasty Plot
- Lovely Kiss

Gothitelle @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Shadow Tag
- Psychic
- Charm
- Fake Tears
- Rain Dance

The concept of Skill Swapping Contrary onto Superpower Mega Scizor was irresistible to me, although you need to mess with natures/IVs/EVs to ensure Spinda outspeeds Mega Scizor. Spinda gaining Technician Icy Wind in the process is a fun bonus. It also sets Rain to activate Jynx's Dry Skin healing and reduce the team's noticeable Fire weakness. Gothitelle supports Jynx in this formulation of the team with stat-lowering moves and a Rain Dance of its own, while our rook and bishop go for all-out offensive power, hopefully taking advantage of Icy Wind Speed drops.

Proud of myself for resisting the temptation to use Trick Room again.

 

[Ironmage]

Still mulling over my options for this one (did you know Delibird gets Future Sight?) but I did have a question for everyone that's been on my mind lately: do you plan out your teams' movesets and strategies around the limitations of the Pokemon NPC AI or do you assume your teams are being piloted by a competent human-level trainer who can execute the strategy as effectively as possible? Perhaps somewhere in-between?

I'm often using a mechanical gimmick as a significant part of the theme, and those gimmicks aren't always things I feel the AI can competently handle (Baton Pass chains are a standout example). This round's team is in an interesting spot as while each member is designed to be capable of taking out their trapped target, the entire concept would fall flat pretty quickly if faced by someone playing Switch mode.

 

[QuentinQuonce]

I'm often using a mechanical gimmick as a significant part of the theme, and those gimmicks aren't always things I feel the AI can competently handle (Baton Pass chains are a standout example). This round's team is in an interesting spot as while each member is designed to be capable of taking out their trapped target, the entire concept would fall flat pretty quickly if faced by someone playing Switch mode.

Tbf even the highest-levelled AI doesn't manage to get their strategy right about half of the time. I've been playing a lot of Battle Frontier recently, where trainers tend to be archetypal instead of directly-type-focused. Some use slow Pokemon designed for a certain weather, some use slow Pokemon in conjunction with Trick Room, etc. In all cases it's often a toss-up whether they'll be able to get their strategy off correctly. Or there's stuff like Orre Colosseum where each trainer has a defined strategy and often acts in a such a predictable way that it can be incredibly easy to disrupt what they're trying to do. I'd say the intent is more what defines a team rather than the execution.

 

[Hugin]

Still mulling over my options for this one (did you know Delibird gets Future Sight?) but I did have a question for everyone that's been on my mind lately: do you plan out your teams' movesets and strategies around the limitations of the Pokemon NPC AI or do you assume your teams are being piloted by a competent human-level trainer who can execute the strategy as effectively as possible? Perhaps somewhere in-between?

I tend to assume that the team's controller isn't going to switch and can't be trusted to do something like reliably Trick turn 1, but I definitely(see my Psychic team) am willing to rely on things that would require better AI than the games usually show.

Basically, I started out trying to stick to NPC AI but gave that up because it was too limiting, but I don't want to upgrade to human-level strats or switching.

 

[Texas Cloverleaf]

Love reading the character and theme backstories y'all come up with! Makes the set choices much more engaging and compelling!

 

[Axiemeister]

Still mulling over my options for this one (did you know Delibird gets Future Sight?) but I did have a question for everyone that's been on my mind lately: do you plan out your teams' movesets and strategies around the limitations of the Pokemon NPC AI or do you assume your teams are being piloted by a competent human-level trainer who can execute the strategy as effectively as possible? Perhaps somewhere in-between?

mostly the latter, maybe like an in-game team but used by a player instead of the NPC AI. just savvy enough to get the theme across i feel!

i have been busy lately but i will try to participate now

EDIT: here it is! a lot of work to come up with a theme that really didn't step on any other team's toes

teammm

This team belongs to a village leader who predicts rain for his people. The two Psychic-types are proficient with the predicting part, specially Gothitelle, and all the others are related to music and song to assist in a rain dance, and to tie this in to the in-battle theme of a rain theme (with only one Water-type!).


@ Damp Rock
Ability: Drizzle
- Rest
- Scald
- Ice Beam
- Psychic

It is claimed in PokéDex entries that Politoed's croak is listened to and immediately answered by Poliwag and Poliwhirl far and wide, which does give it a Psychic vibe that inspired me to go the rain route. As our lead, it sets up rain and tanks some hits if needed, but mostly it wants to stay alive to keep the rain going for its teammates.

@ Focus Sash
Ability: Dry Skin
- Lovely Kiss
- Psychic
- Signal Beam
- Perish Song

Jynx ties perfectly to the theme by being intimately associately with dance and music in her lore, being acyually Psychic-type to help predict rain, and also with her Dry Skin ability making her a prime beneficiary of rain. Psychic and Bug actually has incredibly coverage outside of Steel-types, which can be put on a tiner with Perish Song.

@ Choice Band
Shiny: Yes
Ability: Insomnia
- Seed Bomb
- Shadow Sneak
- Trick
- Will-O-Wisp

I always feel like Grass-types benefitting from rain because their Fire weakness is cancelled out is understated. Also, Gourgeist likes to sing eerily as it snatches victims, why not do it in the rain? It's also supersized AND shiny because constant rain made it prosper. In the team, its role is bulky physical breaker, actually making use of its Choice Band before choosing to cripple a foe with it and taking advantage of its bulk with Will-O-Wisp.

@ Wise Glasses
Ability: Frisk
- Wish
- Magic Coat
- Thunder
- Ice Beam

Wigglytuff was a shoe-in for this team because of its obvious association to song and its wide movepool. It learned to Wish from birth for better times, and to ward off bad vibes woth Magic Coat. It eschews STABs to use BoltBeam coverage since Thunder has perfect Accuracy in rain and a good chance of spreading paralysis.

@ Life Orb
Ability: Natural Cure
- Moonblast
- Earthquake
- Roost
- Wonder Room

Our lead singer, Altaria doesn't exactly benefit from the rain in its moveset, but also, it's made of clouds, so it super fits with the rain summoners. In battle, it has the psychic power of swapping everyone's defenses so it can make either physical or special someone's weak side and use its incredible mixed Fairy/Ground coverage accordingly. Teammates can also benefit from Wonder Room, specially Politoed as it returns to set up rain.

@ Leftovers
Ability: Shadow Tag
- Calm Mind
- Psyshock
- Signal Beam
- Thunder Wave

Our ace is the problem solver of the rain squad. It predicts if anyone is getting in the way of our damp rainbow fantasy and comes to trap them, paralyse them, and break them with boosts and coverage. It needs Wigglytuff support if it's meant to do this job too often before endgame, but ideally, it only shows up to seal the great rainy future it already foresaw in its visions. It just can't sing much, but Signal Beam is noise, right?

 

[CTNC]

Axiemeister There's a slight problem with your teammm. Mega Altaria isn't in XY. They weren't added until ORAS.

Still mulling over my options for this one (did you know Delibird gets Future Sight?) but I did have a question for everyone that's been on my mind lately: do you plan out your teams' movesets and strategies around the limitations of the Pokemon NPC AI or do you assume your teams are being piloted by a competent human-level trainer who can execute the strategy as effectively as possible? Perhaps somewhere in-between?

I assume an AI is using my team. It's also why I usually don't give my Pokemon items except for a something that's usually a Berry for the last Pokemon, because AI trainers happen to usually not have held items. It's not a big deal other than that though because it's easy to avoid moves that the AI doesn't know how to use. (Or use them on purpose in a "love" letter to BDSP for the Better Flint team BDSP Fire team. :P) I even forget about the idea of an AI using my teams until I think about doing something interesting and hope the AI doesn't make me facepalm.



Coincidentally, everyone I wanted to use other than Jynx is found in Route 20, AKA: the maze between Snowbelle Village and the Pokemon Village. I could use Amoonguss or Sudowoodo instead of Jynx and call it a trickster theme so I can go with an all Route 20 team, but that felt lazy. When making the team I replaced one Pokemon from Route 20 with another one from the Kalos Mountain Dex, so I'm not just copy/pasting Route 20 and slapping on Jynx. I'm coming close though. :P

I'm not using a Mega because the only Mega Psychic types in the Kalos Mountain Dex are Mewtwo.



Zoroark
Illusion
-Extrasensory
-Dark Pulse
-Flamethrower
-U-Turn

If it weren't for Zoroark, Psychic would be the type that came to my mind when thinking about Illusions. Messing with the opponent's mind fits the theme of a type that uses their mind to attack.

I usually start and finish my team with Pokemon of the type the team is supposed to be so you start and finish facing Pokemon. That feels like a problem when there's only 2 Pokemon because there's a ton of different stuff between, but Zoroark lets me look like I'm leading with a Psychic type and still have both Psychic types come out later.

U-Turn gives a way to come back later, which helps remind that this is a Psychic team because of Illusion. I used Extrasensory over Psychic on every Pokemon that could learn it in case of them becoming Zoroark's Illusion. I'm disappointed to say only one other Pokemon I was using learns it. Dark Pulse and Flamethrower are also used by other Pokemon because of Illusion.


Banette
Insomnia
-Psychic
-Shadow Ball
-Dazzling Gleam
-Night Shade

Psychic Powers are considered supernatural, so Ghosts fit right in. It feels ugly to use a Pokemon's worse Attack stat, but 83 Special Attack isn't the worst on this team. I don't have much else to say. Dazzling Gleam hits annoying Dark types. Night Shade is pretty much filler, but I just didn't want any of the other moves Banette learns. I'll explain why later.

Banette is the second Pokemon because it shares no moves with Zoroark and being second makes it the least likely the be Zoroark's disguise.


Jynx
Oblivious
-Psychic
-Ice Beam
-Energy Ball
-Sing

The first Psychic type. I wanted a coverage move that wasn't Shadow Ball because there's enough Pokemon with Ghost or Dark attacks and it turns out Energy Ball is one of the few options that isn't Physical. (I'd ask why half of Jynx's attacks are physical, but I'm afraid of the answers.) Sing makes her moveset more interesting than just 4 Attacks, which half this team has.

Jynx being third is because she also shares no moves with Zoroark and I wanted to save the first real Psychic type for a little longer that immediately after the fake one.


Noctowl
Insomnia
-Extrasensory
-Shadow Ball
-Night Shade
-U-Turn

I picked most Pokemon on this team for their typing. Zoroark is a partial exception because I would've considered Dark types anyway, but Noctowl is because of the type it probably would be if it was introduced in a later generation. I wanted a Psychic move, U-Turn, and Shadow Ball. That left one move for STAB and... none of the options worked for what I was going for. Uproar would've been best, but it wakes up sleeping Pokemon, which kind of sucks when you're using Pokemon with Sing. I went with Night Shade instead.

Noctowl was fourth because of U-Turn. Fourth is pretty late for showing off what U-Turn does, but Noctowl is the first Pokemon that shares a move with Zoroark.


Wigglytuff
Competitive
-Psychic
-Dazzling Gleam
-Ice Beam
-Sing

Paradox Jigglypuff is a Psychic type and Mystery Dungeon showed that Wigglytuff can beat Poison types as easily as any Psychic type could. (RIP the Team Skull I don't like.) That said, I don't want to use stuff from "future" games as justifications and that Mystery Dungeon game was before he became a Fairy type. (He'd probably still win though. :P) I just decided to go with Wigglytuff the instant I saw him in the Kalos Mountain Dex because of Fairy being a mystic typing.

I don't have much to say about the moveset other than Sing practically being a signature move after the anime and Smash Bros. Wigglytuff is fifth because he happened to end up being fifth.


Gothitelle @ Sitrus Berry
Competitive
-Psychic
-Dark Pulse
-Energy Ball
-Calm Mind

Calm Mind lets her set up and what Psychic specialist doesn't use Calm Mind? (Don't say anyone from Gens 1 or 2. They get Calm Mind in remakes.) For the sake of letting the final Pokemon have something special, Gothitelle is the only Pokemon on this team that knows Calm Mind. Every other move is shared with other Pokemon. BTW, That's why I went with Night Shade for Banette and Noctowl.




I was just going to make a really simple team, but Zoroark inspired me to do something at least a little interesting with the movesets by making everyone share moves. (Except the ace, she gets a special move.)

 

[Axiemeister]

Axiemeister There's a slight problem with your teammm. Mega Altaria isn't in XY. They weren't added until ORAS.

oh . i never remember that ORAS got some megas of its own

i think i am going sans mega then i didn't really like any of the other mega people for this theme

 

[Hugin]

EDIT: here it is! a lot of work to come up with a theme that really didn't step on any other team's toes

I very specifically avoid this thread from the type announcement until I'm ready to post for basically that reason. I don't want to copy anyone, but I also don't want to feel like a certain concept is cut off for me due to someone else "getting there first". Which is good for getting my pure ideas onto paper, but very bad for me missing obvious picks everyone else figured out(still kicking myself over no Ground Gumshoes).

 

[MetalmindStats]

Also, wanted to shout out MetalmindStats for an awesome entry last round. I had my baby team idea all thought out and ready to go, but when I went to go type it up in the thread, I saw yours and had to make some changes. Truthfully, I almost gave up after seeing your team because it was so good and also happened to be all babies. I'm not sure you realized the baby link in your team when you built it (Budew is a baby too), but I was surprised you didn't emphasize it in your write up. Also, I thought using the fairy egg group was a genius idea. I ended up having to change things up and go with the Charm theme to differentiate myself a little, but that was truly great work. Such a cohesive team between location, egg group, and evolution lines.

Awww, thank you! That's really nice of you. I don't think I consciously realized the baby link, at least.

And honestly, though I was partial to my own team, I sort of thought yours simply outmatched it. And it was certainly my favorite among everyone else's (very inspired, IMO) teams that round.

~~~

EDIT: here it is! a lot of work to come up with a theme that really didn't step on any other team's toes

Agreed...

I've thought about participating this week, but I'm not sure my ideas have really been coming together - and more importantly, what I have feels too close to CTNC and especially Eeveeto's teams/concepts for my taste.

 

[QuentinQuonce]

Evening! New poll is here. You have until September 25th, 9PM GMT to cast your vote!

https://strawpoll.com/e7ZJGBwpGy3

Relatively small draft of contenders this time. Seems like this wasn't the most popular round... which tbh I'm not that surprised by, since I've suggested this as a potential next round to a couple of people and it took a while for it to be chosen. Oh well.

Let's do numbers!

Numbers

Jynx: 7
Gothitelle: 7

Gothorita: 1

Wigglytuff: 3

Noctowl: 2
Altaria: 2
Zoroark: 2
Scizor: 2
Politoed: 2

Gengar: 1
Banette: 1
Dugtrio: 1
Rotom: 1
Aggron: 1
Klefki: 1
Trevenant: 1
Ursaring: 1
Spinda: 1
Honchkrow: 1
Bisharp: 1
Gourgeist: 1
Magneton: 1
Ludicolo: 1


Good spread here. It's one that sounds like it's got the potential to be a tricky round, but then Psychic - much like Dragon or Fairy or Fighting - is one of those types that lends itself to a lot of associations. Dark, Ghost, Fairy, and Normal all have some quite easy lean-ins to be included here. Even when you don't think in terms of types, Psychic Pokemon tend to be humanshaped with a greater frequency than a lot of other types, which sets up the potential for some infringements - anyone remember Sabrina having a Hitmonlee in the anime? Makes a bit more sense when you recall that the Hitmons get Meditate.

So we've got Jynx and Gothitelle as our only two Psychics in this dex... hmmm. They don't have a lot in common at first sight but going deeper, I think there's actually a surprising amount that links them. Both female-coded humanshaped witch-y Pokemon, and there's overlap in some of the rarer moves they learn (Mean Look, Miracle Eye, Captivate, Fake Tears) as well as fairly expansive coverage options like Grass Knot, Shadow Ball, and Focus Blast. There's a range of different strategies you could go for with either of them; Ironmage, of course, went for linkage of both lines having moves and abilities that prevent escape.

What else could you do...? There's a witch/magic theme, of course, which several people went for, as well as a sleep theme. Sleep prompts me to mention Wigglytuff, who feels like a very good fit for most popular wildcard: it learns plenty of Psychic moves, but more broadly its association with singing and sleep moves works well with Psychic's flavour. The only other thing that occurred to me after a while was that there's potential for a team based around ability swappage: even though neither of the resident Psychics are particularly inclined to ability manipulation, several techniques that shift abilities tend to be Psychic (Skill Swap, Role Play, Trace) and both Jynx and Gothitelle as well as Durant, Ditto, Spinda, Banette, Gourgeist, Victreebel, and Gengar all have access to some way of changing the target's ability. Idk though, it's a bit of a flimsy basis.

Hmmm.

Stuff I expected to see more (or at all):

Surprised to only see Gothorita once. I guess Smoochum is only viable for a joke set (Fake Out+Focus Sash+Counter?).

Spinda has a long association with confusion and trickery and is used by a couple of opponents in conjunction with Skill Swap to my recollection, so fits the Psychic-type well. But there's a lot of Normal-types that outdo it tbh.

Noctowl feels like an obvious choice too.

Zoroark is a shoo-in, though other Psychics have more affinity with illusion than the two in this dex.

In general, I expected more Ghost usage overall as they've always overlapped with Psychic. Trainers in Saffron gym use Ghost-types in nearly all games it's appeared in, and Ghosts and Psychics typically appear in the same areas. Gengar is the most obvious choice IMO, but Gourgeist has appeal for the singing aspect of its flavour that meshes well with Jynx and Gothitelle.

Delibird. Yeah no probably not but ever since Cobalt Empoleon mentioned it I was really hoping someone would work it in. Could have had a more Ice-leaning team, I guess...

This may not have been the most popular round but I found it incredibly interesting, hope you all did too.

 

[Hugin]

Evening! New poll is here. You have until September 25th, 9PM GMT to cast your vote!

https://strawpoll.com/e7ZJGBwpGy3

Relatively small draft of contenders this time. Seems like this wasn't the most popular round... which tbh I'm not that surprised by, since I've suggested this as a potential next round to a couple of people and it took a while for it to be chosen. Oh well.

Let's do numbers!

Numbers

Jynx: 7
Gothitelle: 7

Gothorita: 1

Wigglytuff: 3

Noctowl: 2
Altaria: 2
Zoroark: 2
Scizor: 2
Politoed: 2

Gengar: 1
Banette: 1
Dugtrio: 1
Rotom: 1
Aggron: 1
Klefki: 1
Trevenant: 1
Ursaring: 1
Spinda: 1
Honchkrow: 1
Bisharp: 1
Gourgeist: 1
Magneton: 1
Ludicolo: 1

I think if we'd seen a few more entries, there'd be a bit more sense to things. Part of this is that there were a lot of ghost options, so something like Banette only gets 1 vote because there's 4 other ghosts also with 1 entry. All the 2+ options make a lot of sense(except Scizor showing up twice, which I'm blaming on this being a primarily competitive site). But yeah, it was clearly a lot of Fairy/ghost/normal/Psychic/Psychic teams there, which isn't bad IMO. Sometimes we(including me) can get a bit too creative, so going with the obvious can help. I noticed again there seemed to a lot of focus on the theme for the team. My gut there is that, again, people were desperate for some way to choose between options and that was all that worked.

Speaking personally, I had an easy time of it(Zoroark was obvious, Noctowl was obvious, and then it was just choosing 1 ghost of the options and whether I wanted a fairy or something weirder). And then when I got to movesets I started looking for anything other than Calm Mind sweeper, ran into "Oh, they all get some weird move that's Psychic", and that basically solved everything for me. But that sort of thing is mostly luck, and I wouldn't be surprised if the low participation was people looking at the list of options and just giving up because a lot of them were too similar to each other.

 

[Cobalt Empoleon]

All the 2+ options make a lot of sense(except Scizor showing up twice, which I'm blaming on this being a primarily competitive site).

I kinda resent the implication that the people who chose Scizor (including me haha) must have sacrificed theming for competitive viability; I honestly just thought Scizor was the best pick for my chosen concept in this round. No Pokemon is inherently a more sensible choice than any other.

So we've got Jynx and Gothitelle as our only two Psychics in this dex... hmmm. They don't have a lot in common at first sight but going deeper, I think there's actually a surprising amount that links them. Both female-coded humanshaped witch-y Pokemon, and there's overlap in some of the rarer moves they learn (Mean Look, Miracle Eye, Captivate, Fake Tears) as well as fairly expansive coverage options like Grass Knot, Shadow Ball, and Focus Blast. There's a range of different strategies you could go for with either of them; Ironmage, of course, went for linkage of both lines having moves and abilities that prevent escape.

The thing I struggled with initially in this round was actually that the two available Psychic mons had too much in common. When the on-type options have a tenuous link, you can extrapolate using that link in interesting and creative ways to find your remaining team members, strengthening that link in the process, but Jynx and Gothitelle have such similar vibes that it kinda felt like anything else I added didn't measure up to the strength of that starting connection.

I basically had to start from scratch and try linking one of our Psychic ladies to other team members, looping the other one back in later. I was super impressed with the people who managed to lean into their similarities rather than dance around them like I did haha.

 

[QuentinQuonce]

Poll's closed, and a hearty congratulations to Cobalt Empoleon - not just on claiming a third win, but also for becoming the first person in the thread to win two consecutive weeks.

Will DM you shortly.

 

[Pikachu315111]

Bit late posting my thoughts of Crown Tundra Fighting, got busy playing Teal Mask DLC.

Fight For The Crown

Cobalt Empoleon (30 points): A very strong theme which puts the Pokemon in the forefront with a little tidbit about the Trainer which anchors them to not just being a team concept. I wonder if you having seperate setups for Singles & Doubles contributed anything, at the very least it shows you put a lot of thought into the team.

Eeveeto (27 points): From a complex theme to a simple one, sometimes a good theme is just going "this Pokemon looks like it would hand out with these Types".

Pikachu315111 (22 points): Comparing what I did with the two above, my team leans more on the complex. However, while I had fun making my team, I think I went TOO conceptual where this team existed without a "trainer" thus felt less plausible. Seems I keep making the same mistake, either I focus too much on the trainer or focus too much on the team, I need to find that balance like Cobalt Empoleon had (or maybe just go simpler as Eeveeto).

Imperial Magala (19 points): Interesting idea, Riley is someone I could certainly see exploring these ruins for Aura Guardian business (you know, with the sudden Ultra Wormhole appearing above them). However Riley isn't quite a dedicated Fighting-type user, so his team's "aura" isn't going to have a strong Fighting sense (it has some, though there's another theme or two which is more evident).

Gryoine & Hugin (16 points): And a tie between a simple & complex theme team. Gryoine chose tough-looking mon's like Eeveeto did (though with a bit of Cobalt Empoleon's construction theme), meanwhile Hugin pushed for a neat concept of Historic Fighting Styles. This is just a simple case where their teams were just overshadowed by stronger themes, nothing much can be done about that except wait till the next round and hope your next team resonates with everyone better.

Don't really have much to say about the Kalos Mountain Psychic numbers. Though I'm surprised Gothorita and last round Gurdurr didn't really see much use despite being pretty decent Eviolite users (and would add another Pokemon of the specialty Type). Obviously the winner's didn't need them, which may speak volume about the gimmick's effectiveness: If a team's theme is stronger without the prevo (or a different one which better fits the team's theme), it's better to do that than forcing another member of the Specialty Type even if it wouldn't be that much out-of-place.

 

[Cobalt Empoleon]

Don't really have much to say about the Kalos Mountain Psychic numbers. Though I'm surprised Gothorita and last round Gurdurr didn't really see much use despite being pretty decent Eviolite users (and would add another Pokemon of the specialty Type). Obviously the winner's didn't need them, which may speak volume about the gimmick's effectiveness: If a team's theme is stronger without the prevo (or a different one which better fits the team's theme), it's better to do that than forcing another member of the Specialty Type even if it wouldn't be that much out-of-place.

I actually considered using a prevo as my 'pawn' in this round! It would've gelled with the idea of promotion pretty nicely and Smoochum in particular could avoid being a sitting duck for setup with Perish Song. However, once I noticed Spinda it felt like such a good fit (with such strong Psychic vibes) that I had to pick it instead.

 

[QuentinQuonce]

And we have our newest concept, courtesy of our winner...

You are an Ice-type specialist in USUM Akala Island. How do you best represent your chosen type?​

A reminder to please read the guidelines in the OP before commenting, especially if you're new to the thread. You have until October 2nd, 9PM GMT to make your case!

A reminder that you may only select Pokemon from the USUM Akala Island Pokedex, i.e. Pikipek-Lanturn. Any teams which include Pokemon from any of the other three Alola island dex listings will not be valid for this round and will be disqualified.

USUM Akala Dex is here for those who need it: https://www.serebii.net/ultrasunultramoon/akalapokedex.shtml

Teams so far

Ironmage: Crabominable, Glaceon, Aurorus, Cradily, Octillery, Goodra
Eeveeto: Crabominable, Glaceon, Aurorus, Lanturn, Gengar, Castform
Cobalt Empoleon: Crabominable, Glaceon, Aurorus, Oricorio, Probopass, Vikavolt
Pikachu315111: Crabominable, Glaceon, Aurorus, Goodra, Politoed, Tyranitar
Hugin: Crabominable, Glaceon, Aurorus, Lanturn, Stoutland, Mantine
SturdyShedinja: Crabominable, Glaceon, Aurorus, Stoutland, Castform, Octillery

 

[Cobalt Empoleon]

What's weird about this one is that you actually do fight an Ice specialist on Akala (at least in Moon/Ultra Moon), although only one of her two Pokemon is in the Akala Pokedex.

Also, if you find yourself struggling with this one, just be glad I didn't go with SM Akala ;)

 

[Ironmage]

Crabominable is the star of the show here as the only gen 7 mon, and has some interesting connections. For me, that was the fact that it has a location-based evolution alongside drawing inspiration from the yeti crab. Only being able to evolve in specific environmental conditions brings to mind more extreme biomes, and the yeti crab just happens to be found near hydrothermal vents. I'm also not going to contest the idea that picking one of the weirdest biomes around is related to my constant struggle with baseline Alola appearing to focus too much on 'traditional' nature.


Glaceon @ Light Clay
Ability: Snow Cloak
- Hail
- Aurora Veil
- Blizzard
- Wish
Mildly questionable Veil lead, owing to the fact that Aurorus did not receive Veil until gen 8. Glaceon gets included despite being terrestrial since it also has an even more restrictive environment-based evolution.


Aurorus @ Assault Vest
Ability: Refrigerate
- Hyper Voice
- Discharge
- Earth Power
- Freeze-Dry
This isn't the only fossil mon on the team and its dex entries note that its old environment was hostile to predators, so it does sneak in. I did have a hard time picking which two of Aurorus, Glaceon, and Golisopod though.


Cradily @ Leftovers
Ability: Storm Drain
- Stealth Rock
- Giga Drain
- Recover
- Toxic
Sea Lilies are (still extant) seafloor animals, and Cradily could also reasonably stand in for the tube worms that are common features around hydrothermal vents. An interesting side note: the Unova location for old-gen fossils is Twist Mountain, where the Ice Rock is also found. This was the first off-type mon I was thinking about.


Goodra @ Expert Belt
Ability: Gooey
- Fire Blast
- Ice Beam
- Dragon Pulse
- Sludge Wave
Other iconic vent animals include the Pompeii Worm and Volcano Snail/Scaly Foot Gastropod, so I wanted to include an aquatic worm/slug/snail with access to Fire attacks. If it was available, I might have gone with the Hisuian form, with its Steel typing referencing how the Volcano Snail uses a different material for its shell than most other snails (which use limestone).


Octillery @ Scope Lens
Ability: Sniper
- Focus Energy
- Ice Beam
- Scald
- Flash Cannon
In the course of double-checking my info, I came across a reference to a species called Vulcanoctopus hydrothermalis, a small octopus that lives near the Pacific Rise. In addition to its habitat, its notable for not using jet propulsion and instead crawling on the back arms while feeling around with its front arms. That sounded enough like the how Octillery carried itself to me.


Crabominable @ Icium Z
Ability: Iron Fist
- Ice Hammer
- Drain Punch
- Bulk Up
- Rock Slide
And, of course, the main reason why this theme was picked, the yeti crab.

This team was almost a sand team at one point, with Stoutland bringing to mind avalanche rescue despite having Sand Rush and Probopass being the way to point out that auroras are a magnetic phenomenon that just happens to occur where it's cold. Other considerations for the deep-sea theme were Golisopod, Starmie, and Lanturn.

 

[Eeveeto]

Doubles based team... again!

Item: Gengarite. Moves: Shadow Ball, Icy Wind, Sludge Bomb, Will-o-Wisp. Some Pokedex entries about Gengar:

"A Gengar is close by if you feel a sudden chill. It may be trying to lay a curse on you."
"Appears to attack people who get lost in the mountains. Said to be the culprit behind shadows that laugh in the moonlight. "
"It steals heat from its surroundings. If you feel a sudden chill, it is certain that a Gengar appeared. "
"Hiding in people's shadows at night, it absorbs their heat. The chill it causes makes the victims shake. "
"It is said to emerge from darkness to steal the lives of those who become lost in mountains. "
"It hides in shadows. It is said that if Gengar is hiding, it cools the area by nearly 10 degrees F. "
"Should you feel yourself attacked by a sudden chill, it is evidence of an approaching Gengar. There is no escaping it. Give up."

Apart from having a description of a literal serial murderer, if Gengar wasn,t a Poison type, it would have been the antecessor of Froslass. Cold and ice asociations are everywhere. So, this Gengar supports the other lead with Icy Wind and Will-o-Wisp. If a Mega is an option, I take it and this one is way better suited for an Ice theme than Tyranitar or Ampharos (besides the wool).

Item: Light Clay. Ability: Snow Warning. Moves: Reflect, Light Clay, Stealth Rock, Frost Breath, Ice Mon and second lead. Puts Screens and Rocks. Also has Frost Breath for the next Mon.

Item: Sitrus Berry. Ability: Anger Point. Moves: Ice Hammer, Crabhammer, Drain Punch, Bulk Up. Ice crab. Benefits from screens in order to use Bulk Up, but sometimes can also reach +6 Attack with Aurorus's Frost Breath, which allows it to OHKO many foes and recover health with Drain Punch at the same time.

Item: Leftovers. Ability: Volt Absorb. Moves: Thunder, Ice Beam, Hydro Pump, Confuse Ray. This Pokemon lives in very deep waters. Those deep waters are obviously cold, so it has the Ice power. Attacks with everything it has and also supports with Confuse Ray.

Item: Icy Rock. Moves: Hail, Weather Ball, Flamethrower, Thunderbolt. Honorary Ice Mon. In case Aurorus Hail ends, this is the second setter.

Item: Normalium-Z. Ability: Snow Cloak. Moves: Celebrate, Stored Power, Blizzard, Shadow Ball. Of course, with me being Eeveeto, this Mon has to be the ace. Supported by Screens and Hail (and maybe Lanturn status too), it uses Z-Celebrate to boost all Stats and then delete everything with powerful Blizzards.

 

[Cobalt Empoleon]

I highly doubt this is a winning concept but it's fun so here goes! My submission for the Akala Ice-type specialist is an Ula'ula Loyalist!

One thing I noticed about our available Ice-types is that none of them are really Akala natives: Aurorus, of course, is a fossil evolution, while Glaceon and Crabominable can only be obtained by levelling up their pre-evolutions on Mount Lanakila on Ula'ula Island.

Looking around at the rest of the Akala Pokedex, three other Pokemon share this distinction of only being available on another island: Vikavolt and Probopass, which can only be evolved at one of the special magnetic fields on Blush Mountain or at Vast Poni Canyon, and the alternative forms of Oricorio, which require island-specific nectar to transform.

Ula'ula Strong

Aurorus
Ability: Snow Warning
- Blizzard
- Rock Slide
- Earthquake
- Thunder Wave

Oricorio
Ability: Dancer
- Revelation Dance
- Hurricane
- Icy Wind
- Tailwind

Glaceon
Ability: Snow Cloak
- Blizzard
- Shadow Ball
- Helping Hand
- Aurora Veil

Probopass
Ability: Sturdy
- Rock Slide
- Earth Power
- Ice Punch
- Thunder Wave

Vikavolt
Ability: Levitate
- Bug Buzz
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Electroweb

Crabominable @ Icium Z
Ability: Iron Fist
- Ice Hammer
- Drain Punch
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide

Strategy

This is a pretty standard Doubles team that spams spread moves and speed control. This time I opted for a true NPC experience, with no items on any of my Pokemon besides a Z-Crystal on the ace.

Mixed Aurorus is a strange choice, but it lets me use as many spread attacks as possible. It's supported by Baile style Oricorio, which dodges EQ and provides additional speed control. Glaceon likes to come in with Aurorus' Hail still active so it can use Aurora Veil and spam its own 100%-accurate Blizzards. Mixed Probopass is... uhh... listen, its only Ice attack is Ice Punch, okay? Thunder Wave + Rock Slide is at least a classic combo that it shares with Aurorus.

Vikavolt and Crabominable can hopefully come in on a pair of slowed opponents and start dropping bombs. EQ + Levitate is always good and Electroweb provides yet another form of speed control. Ice Hammer's speed drop is a little anti-synergistic, but at least it only starts happening after its second use, assuming the first gets powered up into Subzero Slammer. I let myself have one Hidden Power [Ice] mon, simply because Vikavolt learns zero other Ice moves.

This trainer's backstory is that they came to Akala specifically to obtain Aurorus, and in the process they wanted to show some home island pride by bringing Pokemon that epitomise the charms and sights of Ula'ula (Probopass and Vikavolt can also be obtained on Poni Island, but Blush Mountain seems to be way more accessible to regular trainers than Vast Poni Canyon). Ula'ula Meadow, Mount Lanakila, and Blush Mountain form a nice cross-section of Ula'ula Island's varied terrain and climate.

Maybe they have connections to their island's tourism industry, figuring that the best way to drive people to Ula'ula is to stay on Akala and become well-known as a powerful trainer, wielding Pokemon familiar to the locals, but only obtainable on the next island over...

...or maybe they just have a weird and borderline unhealthy level of hometown pride.

EDIT: I really hope someone puts a Tyranitar on their team. It's probably like the sixth most effective user of Ice attacks in the Akala dex haha.

 

[Pikachu315111]

My thought process when I first peeked at the new competition this morning and kept up with it until this post:

Early Morning: Ice Akala USUM? Let's see what they have... You know, with all the Fossil and Water-type Pokemon, I'm thinking maybe a paleontologist who's studying prehistoric marine life.
Mid Morning: Oh, Ironmage did a similar idea, and they did it better. Okay, no problem, maybe I'll take a swing at just doing as close as an Ice-type team as I can, maybe someone who runs the HVAC services for the Tide Song Hotel and Hano Grand Resort.
Afternoon When Done With Work: ... And beaten to the punch by Eeveeto. Gotta stay cool. Maybe do a general Akala Island theme team.
Just Now: Granted, it's Ula'ula and not Akala, but Cobalt Empoleon did the same general island-based team idea.

So you know what, I'm going to do something I thought of doing when we got an Ice, Fire, or Rock-based challenge. My guy is a meteorologist and this is WEATHER MAYHEM!


Politoed: Drizzle. Damp Rock. Scald/Ice Beam/Psychic/Rain Dance.
Goodra: Hydration. Assault Vest. Dragon Pulse/Thunder/Ice Beam/Sludge Wave.
Aurorus: Snow Warning. Icy Rock. Blizzard/Earth Power/Thunder Wave/Hail.
Crabominable: Iron Fist. Muscle Band. Ice Hammer/Drain Punch/Thunder Punch/Hail.
Glaceon: Snow Cloak. Icium Z. Blizzard/Ice Shard/Shadow Ball/Water Pulse.
(Mega) Tyranitar: Sand Stream. Tyranitarite. Rock Slide/Crunch/Ice Punch/Earthquake.

Storm Plan

We start with some Rain courtesy of Politoed. It'll stay out as long as it can, staying focused on keeping it raining.
When Politoed falls, next comes the thunder: Goodra. I like to think it as the "boss" of the Rain section, even though it has no Water-type Moves it still takes advantage of the rain via Hydration and 100% accurate Thunder.
Then a cold front comes in brought to you by Aurorus. Like with Politoed it'll do what it can while keeping it hailing, but I also opted to give it Thunder Wave to provide some team support.
The blizzards may have temporarily subsided but the cold hits back hard with Crabominable. Crabominable being here comes with an asterisk, it should only be sent out here if Aurorus fails to keep it Hailing. Crabominable doesn't really need Hail to hit hard, so it either can go after Glaceon or provide Hail setting support if there is none before Glaceon is sent out.
The Winter Queen. Hits with the most fiercest of Blizzards (including one that gets turned to Subzero Slammer), may get a sneaky KO with Ice Shard, and has some coverage. Nothing complex, but Glaceon is when the blizzard is at its strongest.
The Mountain King. The cold front is over, but that doesn't mean Alola's sunny weather is back. A freak sandstorm comes barreling in with a Mega Tyranitar at its center. If the Rain squad didn't handle the Pokemon which would give Ice-types trouble, Mega Tyranitar would grind down the rest. (Credit to Cobalt Empoleon for informing me Tyranitar gets access to Ice Punch in USUM)

As a little bonus, was able to get an Ice-type Move on each team member!

 

[Cobalt Empoleon]

EDIT: I really hope someone puts a Tyranitar on their team. It's probably like the sixth most effective user of Ice attacks in the Akala dex haha.

(Mega) Tyranitar: Sand Stream. Tyranitarite. Rock Slide/Crunch/Ice Fang/Earthquake.

The Mountain King. The cold front is over, but that doesn't mean Alola's sunny weather is back. A freak sandstorm comes barreling in with a Mega Tyranitar at its center. If the Rain squad didn't handle the Pokemon which would give Ice-types trouble, Mega Tyranitar would grind down the rest

Yay!

One inconsequential note: Tyrantitar gets Ice Punch via Move Tutor, which is probably a straight-up upgrade over Ice Fang :)

 

[Pikachu315111]

Yay!

One inconsequential note: Tyrantitar gets Ice Punch via Move Tutor, which is probably a straight-up upgrade over Ice Fang :)

Changed and gave you credit!