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

[Hugin]

Of course not, Miss Jenny, I haven't seen my husband in over a week. Oh, I do hope nothing's happened to him. If you have any questions, I'd love to answer them. Spot of tea?

This trainer is a perfectly respectable woman with a team of mons she loves very much. No, of course there's no sort of theme to them, just what are you implying?

Anyway, we have a spider, Reuniclus(which has a highly toxic secretion on its skin), a cup for drinking...anything...out of, and 3 poison mons.

Moveset

Araquanid @ Custap Berry
Ability: Water Bubble
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 Def
Adamant Nature
- Sticky Web
- Liquidation
- Leech Life
- Toxic

Nidoqueen (F) @ Assault Vest
Ability: Sheer Force
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Dragon Tail
- Rock Slide
- Poison Jab

Polteageist @ White Herb
Ability: Cursed Body
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Shell Smash
- Shadow Ball
- Strength Sap
- Giga Drain

Reuniclus @ Leftovers
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 200 Def / 56 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Acid Armor
- Calm Mind
- Focus Blast
- Stored Power

Nidoking (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Sheer Force
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Sludge Wave
- Earth Power
- Fire Blast
- Thunderbolt

Crobat @ Weakness Policy
Ability: Infiltrator
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Hurricane
- Sludge Bomb
- Hyper Beam
- Roost

Lead webs, AV Nidoqueen phases to prevent setup, the Teacup and Reun both setup themselves in very different ways, Nidoking just hits hard out the gate, and Crobat comes out, DMaxes, boosts up with WP+STABs, and sweeps. Nothing too complicated this time(TBH I'm a bit frustrated with making this team work), but they're all solid, and I got a decent diversity of poison moves on them.

This one was a challenge. I didn't really want 2 bugs, but deciding which of the various spiders/ants/etc to include took a while. I had Weavile(for Sneasler) at one point, but decided that was a stretch. Polteageist gets no poison moves at all, which is just annoying because it was the first wildcard I included and felt very obvious(I almost made it the Ace, given my trainer theme, but decided to stick to a mon of the specialty type).

 

[QuentinQuonce]

Very best of evenings to you all. It's that time again.

https://strawpoll.com/1MnwOeLGxn7​

You have until April 15th, 9PM GMT to cast your vote! Go go go go go.

Let's do the numbers thing.

Number

Nidoqueen: 8

Crobat: 7

Nidoking: 6

Nidorino: 1
Nidorina: 1

Accelgor: 3

Golurk: 2
Ferrothorn: 2
Araquanid: 2
Mawile: 2
Reuniclus: 2

Bronzong: 1
Copperajah: 1
Audino: 1
Mr Mime: 1
Walrein: 1
Obstagoon: 1
Snorlax: 1
Polteageist: 1
Tyranitar: 1
Basculin: 1
Greedent: 1
Pincurchin: 1
Spiritomb: 1
Weavile: 1
Magmortar: 1
Umbreon: 1
Indeedee: 1
Chandelure: 1

Analysis

Mfw someone uses Nidoqueen but not Nidoking

​

Seriously though. Very unexpected indeed to see the Queen triumph over the King. A nice surprise, though, given that I've always greatly preferred her.

Like with a lot of the trickier areas, there's a lack of obvious unity to the available Poison-types in this area. But there's a bundle of interesting picks for wildcards, so there's ample ways you could go in terms of theme. Like Dragon, Poison is one of those types with a lot of broad association and many non-Poison species look venomous or spiky or lethal enough to count. As a prime example of this, it's no surprise to see Accelgor as the most common addition (much as I believe it was in the BW Unova round). The wildcards here were surprisingly balanced outside of that, though


Stuff I expected to see more (or at all)

I'm actually surprised that Accelgor didn't get more picks. But let's move on.

Dragapult. It's a creepy lizard.

Omastar. It's a squid, squids are creepy too. And also often venomous!

Galvantula. It's a spider, spiders are creepy too. And also often venomous!

Heatmor. Though maybe not because I could have sworn it learned a bunch more Poison moves than it did, like Smog and Poison Gas. Looking at its list of learnable moves, the only Poison moves aside from Toxic it gets are... Belch and Gastro Acid. Okay, apparently not.

Obstagoon. It's got that dirty, punky aesthetic and Dark has a great connection with Poison.

Polteageist. This one was a real surprise to only see once, I expected it on literally every team. Poisoned tea!

Golbat. Eviolite fun! I feel like it's one of the better NFEs in general so it was amusing to see Nidorino and Nidorina instead of this.

Pincurchin. Fits the lethal, prickly Poison vibe so well.

Ferrothorn. Fits the lethal, prickly Poison vibe so well.

Shuckle. Fits the passive, patient, bleed-you-dry Poison vibe so well.

Cradily. Fits the passive, patient, bleed-you-dry Poison vibe so well. I feel like I'm repeating myself a lot today...

Snorlax. Snorlax fits pretty well into a lot of teams but I feel like there's a lot of scope for food-themed teams or something fun here.

Hmmm, what else could you do with the Pokemon here? Actually, something DOES occur: what about a chess team? Worth a shot...

King - Nidoking (duh)
Queen - Nidoqueen (double duh)
Bishop - Crobat. Or Accelgor. I feel like the bishop should be something blisteringly fast.
Knight - Corviknight would seem the obvious choice. Or if you really want to stick to Poison-types, perhaps Nidorino. A knight should be a bruiser.
Rook - Hmm. Regirock came to mind instantly but as per my rules, no legendaries. Perhaps a fossil like Cradily or Armaldo...?
Pawn - Golbat. The pawn goes first, after all, and who better to do a bit of skirmishing, perhaps inflict a status?

Idk. I feel like maybe it's a bit forced but it's just right there in plain view.

 

[Cobalt Empoleon]

Hmmm, what else could you do with the Pokemon here? Actually, something DOES occur: what about a chess team? Worth a shot...

King - Nidoking (duh)
Queen - Nidoqueen (double duh)
Bishop - Crobat. Or Accelgor. I feel like the bishop should be something blisteringly fast.
Knight - Corviknight would seem the obvious choice. Or if you really want to stick to Poison-types, perhaps Nidorino. A knight should be a bruiser.
Rook - Hmm. Regirock came to mind instantly but as per my rules, no legendaries. Perhaps a fossil like Cradily or Armaldo...?
Pawn - Golbat. The pawn goes first, after all, and who better to do a bit of skirmishing, perhaps inflict a status?

Idk. I feel like maybe it's a bit forced but it's just right there in plain view.

As the resident chess team aficionado I think I'd go with:
-Corviknight as the rook for the same reason I made Honchkrow my rook (corvid pun)
-Rapidash as the knight, because horsey :) (maybe Kantonian to cover Steel-types and the Ice weakness shared by our Poison mons)
-the pawn is tricky; from a cursory look at the CT dex I didn't see anything that screamed 'subservient to royalty' except maybe Mr Mime as a court jester, but the pawn also has the advancement mechanic, so I think I'd pick Accelgor to fulfill a similar role to Spinda on my chess team, with Baton Pass + [Acid Armor/Agility/Substitute/Double Team] + Encore + Toxic Spikes

Probably not very interesting of me to mostly retread the logic I've already used, but oh well.

 

[Hugin]

Nidoqueen: 8

Crobat: 7

Nidoking: 6

Nidorino: 1
Nidorina: 1

Accelgor: 3

Golurk: 2
Ferrothorn: 2
Araquanid: 2
Mawile: 2
Copperajah: 2
Reuniclus: 2

Audino: 1
Mr Mime: 1
Walrein: 1
Obstagoon: 1
Snorlax: 1
Polteageist: 1
Tyranitar: 1
Basculin: 1
Greedent: 1
Pincurchin: 1
Spiritomb: 1
Weavile: 1
Magmortar: 1
Umbreon: 1
Indeedee: 1
Chandelure: 1


Stuff I expected to see more (or at all)

I'm actually surprised that Accelgor didn't get more picks. But let's move on.

Dragapult. It's a creepy lizard.

Omastar. It's a squid, squids are creepy too. And also often venomous!

Galvantula. It's a spider, spiders are creepy too. And also often venomous!

Heatmor. Though maybe not because I could have sworn it learned a bunch more Poison moves than it did, like Smog and Poison Gas. Looking at its list of learnable moves, the only Poison moves aside from Toxic it gets are... Belch and Gastro Acid. Okay, apparently not.

Obstagoon. It's got that dirty, punky aesthetic and Dark has a great connection with Poison.

Polteageist. This one was a real surprise to only see once, I expected it on literally every team. Poisoned tea!

Golbat. Eviolite fun! I feel like it's one of the better NFEs in general so it was amusing to see Nidorino and Nidorina instead of this.

Pincurchin. Fits the lethal, prickly Poison vibe so well.

Ferrothorn. Fits the lethal, prickly Poison vibe so well.

Shuckle. Fits the passive, patient, bleed-you-dry Poison vibe so well.

Cradily. Fits the passive, patient, bleed-you-dry Poison vibe so well. I feel like I'm repeating myself a lot today...

Snorlax. Snorlax fits pretty well into a lot of teams but I feel like there's a lot of scope for food-themed teams or something fun here.

Galvantula was on my team for a while, but I swapped it for the other spider(technically for Durant, but eventually for Araquanid). Also props to the one Umbreon, that's an obvious pick that everyone else including me overlooked. I was also expecting to see a few teams with Nidorina+Nidoking or even all 3 preevos and 3 final stages. People may be trying to be more diverse, especially after Pikachu315111 's 5 Grass+Florges didn't make top 5 last time(which is still shocking to me. I was sure that team would make everyone's top 3 choices and win or come very close)

I think Bat+2 Kaijou limited us a lot this time around. There's 1 animal and 2 things that are poison from a monster standpoint rather than a toxic one, which makes themes like "poisoned food" or "poisonous plants" more difficult to sell. The lack of grass/poison or bug/poison would normally make me expect to see those types a lot, since you can have 2 random grasses and still have more poison than grass, but people seem to have diverted to completely different themes/types instead. (also EVEN MORE ICE WEAKNESS is not a great feeling).

On that topic, the team theme I was expecting to see and didn't is the Alnwick Garden, a famous UK-based nursery filled with some of the deadliest plants in the world. I want to go there so much.

 

[Tack]

wait my team had a bronzong not a copperajah

 

[QuentinQuonce]

wait my team had a bronzong not a copperajah

Yes it did, sorry about that - fixed.

 

[QuentinQuonce]

A very tight result which turned on a dime late in the game: congratulations to Cobalt Empoleon for emerging victorious!

 

[QuentinQuonce]

Good afternoon to you all (unless you're in a different timezone in which case no good afternoon to you).

Last round's winner has chosen the new theme... and once again, it's a joyful blend of old and new. We're going back to a type we haven't covered for a while, but in a completely new environment. So, without further ado, here's the prompt...

You are a Dark-type specialist in the Sevii Islands. How do you best represent your chosen type?​

A reminder to please read the guidelines in the OP (and the ones below) before commenting, especially if you're new to the thread. However, given the unusual nature of this round, please also read the guidelines below. You have until April 26th, 9PM GMT to make your case!

A list of eligible Pokemon lines is as follows.

Pokemon native to the Sevii Islands

Butterfree
Beedrill
Pidgeot
Fearow
Crobat
Vileplume
Bellossom
Venomoth
Persian
Golduck
Poliwrath
Politoed
Machamp
Victreebel
Tentacruel
Golem
Rapidash
Slowbro
Slowking
Dewgong
Cloyster
Gengar
Steelix
Hypno
Kingler
Marowak
Exeggutor
Tangela
Kingdra
Seaking
Starmie
Magmar
Gyarados
Lapras
Furret
Ledian
Ariados
Togetic
Xatu
Azumarill
Jumpluff
Yanma
Quagsire
Murkrow
Misdreavus
Unown
Wobbuffet
Dunsparce
Qwilfish
Heracross
Sneasel
Magcargo
Piloswine
Octillery
Delibird
Mantine
Skarmory
Donphan
Tyranitar

Some further notes on eligibility:

Spoiler

-obvious statement is obvious, but only Pokemon on this list are eligible: any Pokemon catchable in mainland Kanto but not the Sevii Islands will not be valid for this round and will be disqualified.
-Pokemon obtainable via the Altering Cave event, such as Mareep, are not valid picks for this round
-you may use Pokemon without any adherence to item availability (eg. there's no Leaf Stone anywhere to be found in the Sevii Islands but Victreebel and/or Vileplume may be used, etc)

Teams so far

Cobalt Empoleon: Tyranitar, Murkrow, Sneasel, Crobat, Magcargo, Unown
Valteyek: Tyranitar, Murkrow, Sneasel, Gengar, Misdreavus, Ariados
Pikachu315111: Tyranitar, Murkrow, Sneasel, Gengar, Hypno, Magmar
Ironmage: Tyranitar, Murkrow, Sneasel, Qwilfish, Gyarados, Victreebel
SturdyShedinja: Tyranitar, Murkrow, Sneasel, Vileplume, Qwilfish, Crobat
WarriorGallade: Murkrow, Ariados, Wobbuffet, Persian, Hypno, Magmar
DrPumpkinz: Murkrow, Sneasel, Tangela, Togetic, Misdreavus, Piloswine
Eeveeto: Murkrow, Sneasel, Poliwrath, Gengar, Persian, Wobbuffet
jhm5: Tyranitar, Murkrow, Sneasel, Xatu, Politoed, Dunsparce
igiveuponaname: Murkrow, Crobat, Gengar, Misdreavus, Hypno, Ariados
Hugin: Tyranitar, Murkrow, Sneasel, Lapras, Misdreavus, Marowak

 

[Cobalt Empoleon]

I'm making use of the winner's advantage to get in quickly

Who's more comfortable descending into darkness than a spelunker? This trainer's first partner was a Larvitar, which hollowed out new caves for them to explore by eating into the rocky ground and mountainsides of the Sevii Islands. It was quite the gourmand, sampling the hot and spicy core of Mt. Ember, the icy-cool freshness of Icefall Cave, the unnerving flavours of the Lost Cave, the underwhelming blandness of the Altering Cave, and the alphabet soup of the Tanoby Ruins, before eventually evolving. One Pokemon was captured from each cavern to form a full team.

Cave Flavour
Magcargo (from Mt. Ember)
Ability: Flame Body
- Overheat
- Self-Destruct
- Light Screen
- Reflect

Sneasel (from Icefall Cave)
Ability: Inner Focus
- Focus Punch
- Shadow Ball
- Substitute
- Swords Dance

Murkrow (from the Lost Cave)
Ability: Insomnia
- Feint Attack
- Perish Song
- Mean Look
- Protect

Crobat (from the Altering Cave)
Ability: Inner Focus
- Fly
- Toxic
- Attract
- Confuse Ray

Unown-Question (from the Tanoby Ruins)
Ability: Levitate
- Hidden Power [Psychic]

Tyranitar @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Sand Stream
- Rock Slide
- Crunch
- Earthquake
- Thunderbolt

Dark-types don't have much to work with in Gen 3, but the team showcases a fairly standard combination of devious disruption and pure power plus Unown. Also, Gen 3 items are very lacklustre, so I went with the classic Sitrus on the ace and nothing else. I also only just noticed that this is a full Gen 2 team! Neat.

 

[Valteyek]

This team is based on night, fear and nightmares! With Black Glasses in addition!



Sneasel @ Black Glasses
Ability: Keen Eye
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 3 Atk
- Hidden Power [Dark]
- Toxic
- Nightmare
- Rest


Gengar @ Black Glasses
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 3 Atk
- Hidden Power [Dark]
- Hypnosis
- Nightmare
- Dream Eater


Tyranitar @ Black Glasses
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 3 Atk
- Hidden Power [Dark]
- Scary Face
- Roar
- Rest


Misdreavus @ Black Glasses
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 3 Atk
- Hidden Power [Dark]
- Perish Song
- Mean Look
- Protect


Murkrow @ Black Glasses
Ability: Insomnia
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 3 Atk
- Hidden Power [Dark]
- Pursuit
- Toxic
- Nightmare


Ariados @ Black Glasses
Ability: Insomnia
EVs: 248 HP / 8 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 3 Atk
- Hidden Power [Dark]
- Scary Face
- Rest
- Toxic

 

[Pikachu315111]

Island Hideaway:
Some high profile crimes have taken place in Kanto, but while the police are searching through the cities, no one thinks to check the Sevii Islands! This savvy Sevii swindler takes advantage of this blind spot, pulling off a theft and ferrying back to his hideaway until the heat dies down.

Since he formed his team on the Sevii Islands it further confuses the the police as they have a hard time identifying the Pokemon team he uses; why would they ever expect a team half full of Johto Dark-types?


Tyranitar, The Muscle. Sand Stream. Leftovers. Crunch, Rock Slide, Earthquake, Thunderbolt
Murkrow, The Scout. Insomnia. BrightPowder . Pursuit, Drill Peck, Mean Look, Thunder Wave
Sneasel, The Slicer. Keen Eye. Figy Berry . Thief, Icy Wind, Metal Claw, Brick Break
Gengar, The Infiltrator. Levitate. Wiki Berry . Thief, Night Shade, Psychic, Confuse Ray
Hypno, The Mesmerizing. Insomnia. Iapapa Berry . Thief, Hypnosis, Dream Eater, Ice Punch
Magmar, The Smoker. Flame Body. Aguav Berry . Thief, Flamethrower, ThunderPunch, Smokescreen

Okay Mons, here's the plan

The Muscle will hang back waiting to make his grand entrance; he only comes in if things need to get finished. With Sand Stream increasing his Special Defense and Leftovers healing at the end of each turn, he's just as hard to take down as he is at hitting.

The Scout checks things out, chasing down and neutralizing any potential hostiles and witnesses. A good scout never sleeps, especially if they have Insomnia, and coming in a flash with BrightPowder can potentially save them from a hit which they can take none of.

Next four are ones who go on the inside for the heist, being the ones who use Thief. Each get an energy boosting Berry of their choice to keep them up and free up their hands for things to take.

The Slicer makes sure things stay quiet and unseen, cutting wires to security systems. She has good Keen Eye for details, never losing focus on what to cut... or whom. Those claws cut through more than just wires, and though her Special Attack ain't great her Special Moves gives her more of an edge in confrontations. She's a spicy one, which explains her liking of Figy Berries.

The Infiltrator phases through pesky closed doors and kindly opening them; doesn't even have to worry about tripping wires or pressure plates as it Levitates. Its moveset is a bit confusing, but it gets the job done with what it has to work with. While liking to cause a little chaos, doesn't like making a mess, so it likes Wiki Berries dryness keeping things clean.

The Mesmerizing purposely seeks out security guards, janitors, and anyone else around and takes them on a trip to dreamland, though his Insomnia means he can't stay. Though he has another trick too: from eating dreams he's able to acquire information like passwords, what key goes to what lock, where things are stored, etc.. And if all else fails, has a punch that knocks you out cold. If dreams are sweet than he's the sour, like the Iapapa Berries he likes.

The Smoker assures our getaway by creating a smokescreen. But since touching him could result in a burn and with the moves to generate flames and electricity, you wouldn't want to follow it even if you could. While he prefers coals to snack on, he'll take Aquav Berries as the bitterness also gives it a heated feeling.

 

[Ironmage]

Ah yes, early Dark. Screwed over by Lick being the only ghost move with normal calculations in gen 1, being Special was forced on a physically-biased type. But, if that's the identity, I suppose I should do something with it. I noticed while making this team that mons with Dark alternate forms does form a full 6, but for this one Persian doesn't have a special STAB to not use.


Qwilfish @ Leftovers
Ability: Poison Point
- Spikes
- Destiny Bond
- Sludge Bomb
- Shadow Ball
Chosen over Cloyster as spikes lead because of its dark-type regional form. Defensive sets are a good way to bypass needing all of your STABs.


Sneasel @ Spell Tag
Ability: Inner Focus
- Shadow Ball
- Brick Break
- Quick Attack
- Swords Dance
Definitely a sneasel set.


Murkrow @ Sharp Beak
Ability: Insomnia
- Drill Peck
- Shadow Ball
- Thunder Wave
- Haze
I end up thinking of Murkrow as more of a utility mon on account of its performance in generations where it has Prankster and Eviolite and I felt pretty desparate for set variety.


Gyarados @ Chesto Berry
Ability: Intimidate
- Earthquake
- Double-Edge
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
Another set assmbled for diversity reasons, though the mon itself fits several themes of the Dark type even without its Mega.


Victreebel @ Salac Berry
Ability: Chlorophyll
- Swords Dance
- Sludge Bomb
- Body Slam
- Sunny Day
Needed Swords Dance to really explain why it's fully physical, though I also tried to get some use out of the ability with a sort-of-double-dance set.


Tyranitar @ Lum Berry
Ability: Sand Stream
- Dragon Dance
- Rock Slide
- Earthquake
- Ice Beam
So after bad mons and bad sets, would sending out a pseudo-legendary with a straight up competitive set be considered sandbagging? (please laugh). Hilarious that it runs special non-STAB while only using special STAB for Pursuit. Excited to see if anyone makes a dedicated sand team out of this.

 

[QuentinQuonce]

WIP

Got The Loot, Better Scoot

"Me and my team will hang low in the Sevii Islands for a while until the heat cools off."

The Muscle
The Scout
The Infiltrator
The Hypnotist
The Snipper
The Smoker

Oops. Scizor isn't a native Pokemon to the Seviis, therefore is disallowed. My bad, though, forgot to remove it from the list.

 

[Pikachu315111]

Oops. Scizor isn't a native Pokemon to the Seviis, therefore is disallowed. My bad, though, forgot to remove it from the list.

Well poo . Alright Sneasel, you're back in.

 

[SturdyShedinja]

Movesets here!

In the early gens, the dark type has a reputation for being an annoying and stally type due to the mediocre stats and lack of good STAB options available to most darks. To honor this tradition, this team is designed to be as obnoxious to fight as possible, guaranteeing half an hour of your life that you'd never get back. Qwilfish opens with spikes and everyone's favorite move, minimize. Murkrow spreads status with confuse ray and thunder wave and can punish switches with pursuit or a decently strong drill peck. Misdreavus offers the classic perishtrap combo, as well as some interesting tools in pain split and torment. Crobat can deny turns with a fast confuse ray and potential bite flinches. Vileplume spreads tons of passive damage with the combination of leech seed, toxic, and protect. Lastly, tyranitar can finish off weakened teams with its strong attacks and sandstorm chip, while also having the potential to rob games with body slam paralysis or rock slide flinches.

 

[WarriorGallade]

This one's a slightly puzzling topic. Darkness and bright, sunlit islands don't exactly go hand in hand. However, we do see something resembling darkness in the biker gang that attempts to take over the islands (the Kanto Pokemon Federation) - who coincidentally also appear within GSC and HGSS. Unfortunately, almost all the Pokemon they use are from the Weezing/Muk lines, and neither is available in the Sevii islands. So there's more than a few creative liberties taken here to fit this prompt, focusing on the metaphorical darkness in our hearts as the main draw in lieu of the Dark type.

It's time for the Sevii heist, featuring a robbery of the Joyful Game Corner (are there any other notable buildings here..?), headed by this team of six! And yes, it's interesting that both Pikachu315111 and I went along a similar route for this, but I think we've enough differences so as to not overlap too much.


This team will focus on Double battles!

@ BlackGlasses
Ability: Insomnia
- Faint Attack
- Fly
- Perish Song
- Protect

First up, the mastermind, Murkrow.
Wait, why is the mastermind making an early appearance? Well, sometimes the element of surprise is all that's needed for a successful heist. Any good gang of criminals needs to know what to steal, right? That's where Murkrow's passion for anything shiny lets it chart the gang's next target, all the while not being as vicious as Sneasel. Unnecessary brute force would only attract attention, after all. As such, it's meant to capitalize on an early lead with Perish Song! Even if the target knows of the robbery, they can't necessarily stay there with Murkrow's voice of death, making it a powerful opener. Fly and Protect help it stall for turns. However, Murkrow isn't exactly bulky enough to last all three turns, and it, along with the foe, is likely to switch out after a single turn, which is where its teammates come into play! It wears the BlackGlasses because they're in style (and shiny).

@ Focus Band
Ability: Insomnia
- Protect
- Spider Web
- Double Team
- Dig

Second up, Ariados.
Ariados, as a night-only encounter in almost all games it appears in is another pick for this malevolent team (yes, it's somewhat ironic that FRLG have no clock and thereby no night time). Its dex entries support this, as it tags prey with its silk only to follow it back for a larger feast. It aims to reprise a similar role in this case acting as a scout, keeping foes the field for as long as possible, letting Perish Song's devastating melody take hold. Spider Web prevents them from switching, while Protect and Double Team help add to its evasiveness. Lastly, Dig fulfills the same purpose as Murkrow's Fly, giving it a free turn. The held Focus Band also allows for lucky survivals, given Ariados' meagre bulk.

@ BrightPowder
Ability: Flame Body
- Smog
- Smokescreen
- Confuse Ray
- Flamethrower

Third up, Magmar.
This might seem an odd pick, but I've a good reason for it. Remember the Kanto Pokemon Federation I brought up earlier? They use exactly one Pokemon not from the Weezing/Muk lines, and that's Flareon. Of course, there's no Flareon to be seen in the Sevii Islands, and there are only three fire types in this pool - Magcargo, Rapidash and Magmar. Magcargo and Rapidash don't exactly give off evil vibes, so Magmar it was. It aims to mimic how a Flareon would act on such a team, but with slightly more devious tactics. Smog helps it fish for Poison, while Smokescreen and Confuse Ray give it more opportunities to stay on the field and keep spreading Poison, all the while making it harder for opposing attacks to land. This trio of moves is what any evil team needs to make a quick and successful getaway, further supplemented by the held BrightPowder. Lastly, Flamethrower is a reliable move to have in case evasive tactics fail.

@ Shell Bell
Ability: Insomnia
- Hypnosis
- Nightmare
- Dream Eater
- Taunt

Fourth up, Hypno.
This one was an obvious pick, given how it kidnapped Lostelle during the story of the Sevii Islands. This is notable because we don't often see Pokemon themselves acting as villains, especially if they're not legendaries or something. So this Hypno was probably a real piece of work to be given such a spotlight, earning it a spot on this team. Sometimes a bit of Hypnosis is all a passerby needs to forget that they saw a heist in action. Hypno specializes in wearing down exceptionally durable foes through a combination of Hypnosis, Dream Eater and Nightmare, while Taunt prevents them from setting up to blast past it. The held Shell Bell gives it just that tiny bit of extra recovery in a pinch.


@ Leftovers
Ability: Shadow Tag
- Charm
- Mirror Coat
- Safeguard
- Encore

Fifth up, Wobbuffet.
Who wins between an unstoppable force and an immovable object? Well, we know that the immovable object certainly isn't moving anywhere, so we can simply run away from it, even if we don't have an unstoppable force! Meet Wobbuffet, the odd blob whose Shadow Tag turns any pursuers into immovable objects, stopping them in their tracks. While it's here, no switching is going to negate the disruptive tactics used by the other team members, making them all the harder to play around. Safeguard protects the team from status, Encore locks foes into inopportune moves, Charm weakens them even further, and Mirror Coat smacks them if they weren't weakened. The held Leftovers do a great job in keeping it alive longer. Of course, it can always be sent out early to further seal the fate of Perish Song targets, especially if Ariados falls early.


@ No Item
Ability: Limber
- Thief
- Assist
- Hypnosis
- Swift

Last up, Persian.
If one's committing crime in Kanto, who better to look to for inspiration than the illustrious Giovanni and his Team Rocket? Rather than using it for brute strength, Persian is used more for its intimidation. As the one who actively does the stealing, Persian's hidden in the back, but can disrupt the foe's remaining Pokemon quite a bit. Sometimes, being able to bluff your way to victory is as good as winning outright, especially if it wouldn't normally be possible. Similarly, it mimics this role here. Swift offers a good multi-target move, while Thief lets it stay true to the goal of the team, stealing items that a foe may rely on. Assist is the ultimate gamble, letting it call upon the powers of any other team member. Reliable? Absolutely not. Hilarious? Absolutely. Lastly, Hypnosis helps patch up the weak base power of Persian's moves by giving it more opportunities to land them. If Hypno, Ariados or Wobbuffet are still on the field to trap foes, this cat can be as annoying as it gets.

 

[DrPumpkinz]

"Hey there, I'm from the future! Don't believe me? Just wait two years, you'll see..."

Here we have a time traveler from Gen 4. Not only will all of their mons go on to receive evolutions in Gen 4, but three fourths of their movesets are moves they can't possibly learn in Gen 3, but will be able to learn in Gen 4 (tried to make it all four moves but the movesets that funneled them into were hot dogshit). In terms of type abundance, they're technically split between favoring Dark, Ice, and Flying, but the type overlap is centered around the Dark-types, and Tangela and Misdreavus aesthetically fit Dark more than Ice or Flying, so I still feel comfortable calling them a Dark-type specialist.

team

Togetic
Ability: Serene Grace
- Headbutt
- Silver Wind
- Extrasensory
- Thunder Wave



Piloswine
Ability: Oblivious
- Superpower
- Fissure
- Curse
- Rock Slide



Tangela
Ability: Chlorophyll
- Shock Wave
- Ancient Power
- Knock Off
- Giga Drain



Misdreavus
Ability: Levitate
- Icy Wind
- Heal Bell
- Magic Coat
- Shadow Ball



Murkrow
Ability: Insomnia
- Heat Wave
- Air Cutter
- Psychic
- Feint Attack



Sneasel
Ability: Inner Focus
- Pursuit
- Low Kick
- Assist
- Blizzard

 

[Eeveeto]

Dark type is the evil type. The type of Mons who cheat. The type that uses obscure, unknown strategies. The type that pretends to be weak before surprising with some dirty trick. Today we are going to do just that.

No item. Moves: Thief, Counter, Snatch, Focus Punch. Dark type with a very bad set, but will steal something or maybe even Counter.
Item: Salac Berry. Ability: Water Absorb. Moves: Belly Drum, Metronome, Thief, Focus Punch. Despite not fully fitting into Dark type theme, this Pokemon will surprise the opponent with the bad moveset. After all, we are pretending to be bad and useless.
No item. Moves: Thief, Snatch, Mimic, Mirror Move. The other Dark type. We still have a bad set, pretending to be bad. However, its fast enough to steal something.
Item: Quick Claw. Moves: Counter, Mirror Coat, Destiny Bond. Shadow Tag is a really dirty strategy. Wobbuffet tends to be in Dark places. Despite having 3 moves only, this is not a bad set, Wobbuffet can surprise the opponent with a quick Destiny Bond right before dying.
Item: Petaya Berry. Moves: Metronome, Counter, Destiny Bond, Thief. Lives in dark places and is a very evil Pokemon, with an evil set.
Item: Focus Band. Moves: Assist, Return, Shadow Ball, Dig. This Pokemon has a Dark type regional form. This is the MVP of the team, the dark leader of the group that will use Assist to always call for Belly Drum, hopefully Gengar previously has either statused or put a Reflect/Light Screen with Metronome to make it easier. Focus Band can allow Persian to sometimes survive a hit. If Persian gets to live, it pretty much sweeps everything at +6. The dark plan has been executed, we have pretended to be bad and dumb and tricked the opponent into a false sense of security which will allow our cat to demolish him.

 

[jhm5]

The most obvious thing about the three dark types in the Sevii Islands is that they are all originally from Johto. However, another cool thing about them is they can all be found in and around caves on different islands, with Larvitar in Sevault Canyon on Seven Island, Sneasel in Icefall Cave on Four Island, and Murkrow in Lost Cave on Five Island. With that in mind, I have a team of Johto Pokemon can be found in and around caves on different islands and can put unique dark type moves to good use.

Movesets and Explanations

Sneasel @ Liechi Berry
Ability: Inner Focus
- Brick Break
- Shadow Ball
- Swords Dance
- Beat Up

Found in Four Island's Icefall Cave, Sneasel acts as an attacking lead using Swords Dance to boost its stats and threaten the opponent with its powerful Brick Break and Shadow Ball combination. Beat Up serves as its signature dark type move, doing damage for each healthy member of the team using their attack stat.



Dunsparce @ King's Rock
Ability: Serene Grace
- Headbutt
- Thunder Wave
- Rock Slide
- Bite

The only Pokemon found on the other side of the cave in Three Island Port, Dunsparce uses Thunder Wave to paralyze the opponent, while Serene Grace and a held King's Rock boost the flinch chances of Headbutt and Rock Slide. Bite rounds out the set as a dark type move to hit and flinch any ghosts that would be immune to its normal STAB.



Politoed
Ability: Water Absorb
- Surf
- Ice Beam
- Hypnosis
- Thief

Politoed, which can be found as a Poliwhirl and Poliwag fishing on the cliffs of Two Island's Cape Brink, acts in a support role, using Surf and Ice Beam for damage and Hypnosis to put opponents to sleep. Politoed does not hold an item because it uses the dark type thief to steal its opponent's item, crippling many foes.



Murkrow @ Choice Band
Ability: Insomnia
- Drill Peck
- Shadow Ball
- Double-Edge
- Pursuit

Murkrow is located in Lost Cave on Five Island, and it uses a Choice Band to increase the output of Drill Peck, Faint Attack, and Shadow Ball. Pursuit goes in the last slot to threaten opponents that want to switch out of its strong physical attacks using a surprisingly strong special attack stat and its dark STAB.



Xatu @ Leftovers
Ability: Synchronize
- Calm Mind
- Psychic
- Wish
- Faint Attack

In the Ruin Valley outside the Dotted Hole on Six Island, Natu can be caught and evolved into Xatu, a strong special attacker with access to Calm Mind for boosting its longevity and power, Wish for recovery, and a deadly STAB Psychic. Meanwhile, Faint Attack goes in the final slot to give it great dark type special coverage.



Tyranitar @ Lum Berry
Ability: Sand Stream
- Dragon Dance
- Rock Slide
- Earthquake
- Taunt

Finally, Tyranitar can be found as a Larvitar in Seven Island's Sevault Canyon, and here it uses its standard Dragon Dance sweeping set with Rock Slide and Earthquake forming a formidable combination. Taunt goes in the last slot as a dark type move that forces opponents attack, allowing it to set up freely against anything that might try to wall it.

 

[igiveuponaname]

Be wary of what lurks in the dark of the night, you may encounter many characters with ill intentions, whether they be after a bit of simple mischief, in search of their next meal, or perhaps something even more sinister...

Sets + Team choice explanation

Murkrow
Ability: Insomnia
- Thief
- Drill Peck
- Thunder Wave
- Confuse Ray

Murkrow's dex entries describe how it is believed to be a bearer of misfortune to anyone who sees it at night, and how it likes to steal objects from people, especially shiny ones like rings. In battle, Murkrow will be using Thief to steal its foe's items and paralysis and confusion to bring them bad luck and misfortune in an attempt to bring them down.


Misdreavus @ Bright Powder
Ability: Levitate
- Mean Look
- Perish Song
- Pain Split
- Shadow Ball

Misdreavus likes to scare people during the night with its haunting wails and screams and absorbs their fear for nutrients, Perish Song represents the wails and screams while Pain Split represents the absorption of its opponents fear to heal itself. Mean Look is added on to compliment Perish Song and Shadow Ball is for STAB.


Ariados @ Lum Berry
Ability: Insomnia
- Pursuit
- String Shot
- Sludge Bomb
- Signal Beam

In many games the Ariados line can usually be found at night which lends itself a bit to the whole 'dangers in the dark' theme going on here. Dex entries in later gens describe how it catches prey with its silk strings and lets them go only to follow them later and find them at their homes, which is represented by String Shot and Pursuit, while Sludge Bomb and Signal Beam are what it uses to go for the kill.


Crobat @ Poison Barb
Ability: Inner Focus
- Poison Fang
- Pursuit
- Hidden Power [Flying]
- Quick Attack

Crobat's evolutionary line is well known for being found aplenty in dark caves which is where they like to make their home and at night which is when they are usually more active. While active during the night Crobat searches for its prey which it catches by surprise with its speed and silent wing flaps, making it a very dangerous encounter in the middle of the night.


Gengar @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
- Curse
- Giga Drain
- Fire Punch
- Night Shade

Gengar often likes to pretend to be people's shadows during the night and startle people, a bit of harmless mischief which hurts nobody, which is represented by Night Shade. But it also said to emerge from the shadows and take the lives of anyone who gets lost in mountains (seriously that's the dex entry for Fire Red), which is much more dangerous, Curse, Giga Drain, and Fire Punch are used to represent this aspect of Gengar.


Hypno @ Quick Claw
Ability: Insomnia
IVs: 0 Atk
- Hypnosis
- Taunt
- Nightmare
- Dream Eater

Hypno kidnapped a child.

Need I say more?

 

[Hugin]

Have you ever been in a truly dark cave? Some people can't handle it, the silence, the utter lack of light. Their mind invents monsters to be afraid of, just so there's something to see. Me? I know what lives in the deepest reaches of the earth. My mind doesn't need to invent monsters.

This leader is a caver rather than a hiker, with a team of mons drawn from caves across the region. We've got the 3 Dark-types, obviously, a ghost, a monster associated with death, and a cryptid.

Spoiler

Misdreavus @ Salac Berry
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Perish Song
- Mean Look
- Taunt
- Destiny Bond

Sneasel @ Liechi Berry
Ability: Inner Focus
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Fake Out
- Brick Break
- Shadow Ball
- Substitute

Lapras @ Leftovers
Ability: Shell Armor
EVs: 248 HP / 252 SpA / 8 SpD
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Blizzard
- Hydro Pump
- Thunder
- Perish Song

Marowak @ Thick Club
Ability: Rock Head
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Bonemerang
- Rock Slide
- Double-Edge

Murkrow @ King's Rock
Ability: Insomnia
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Perish Song
- Drill Peck
- Shadow Ball
- Pursuit

Tyranitar @ Lum Berry
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Pursuit
- Crunch
- Fire Blast
- Ice Beam

The team is pretty simple(and limited by the MANY issues with pre-IV movesets). Anti-lead Misdreavus, beatsticks Sneasel and Marowak, Lapras and Murkrow with potent attacks and Perish Song to phaze, and then Special TTar to clean up with Crunch. Perish Song is the interesting move here, since it forces switches in a way AI usually doesn't get to and lets my 2 Pursuit users deal some extra damage(which is the closest thing to Dark synergy I could come up with). Murkrow and Lapras being a little luck-heavy is also pretty fitting for a Dark-type leader IMO.

This team was fun, there's a lot of potential Dark-aligned monsters to choose from. Gyarados came very close to inclusion over Lapras, but the Dark mega couldn't win out over Lapras living in the deepest depths. Movesets were a lot less fun. I use the Dex on here to narrow down options, and EVERYTHING is recommended Rock Slide/EQ. Most dark mons being Physical is a known problem, but it was really dire trying to justify STAB instead of Shadow Ball on most of them.

 

[QuentinQuonce]

I'm at the opera tonight (no, really) so closing this one a bit early. My apologies to the dozens of people who were probably waiting to post their teams two hours before the deadline.

https://strawpoll.com/e6Z28MojEnN​

You have until April 29th, 9PM GMT to cast your vote!

What am I forgetting? Ah yes, numbers.

Numbers

Murkrow: 11

Sneasel: 9

Tyranitar: 7

Gengar: 4
Misdreavus: 4

Crobat: 3
Hypno: 3
Ariados: 3

Magmar: 2
Qwilfish: 2
Persian: 2
Wobbuffet: 2

Dunsparce: 1
Xatu: 1
Lapras: 1
Piloswine: 1
Politoed: 1
Gyarados: 1
Vileplume: 1
Victreebel: 1
Magcargo: 1
Poliwrath: 1
Marowak: 1
Tangela: 1
Togetic: 1
Unown: 1


Analysis

Goodness. Mighty Tyranitar, brought low.

I've been hoping someone would suggest the Sevii Islands for a while now. It's a location that used to fascinate and frustrate me in equal measure as a youngster, in part because it felt so much like a comforting throwback to the Johto region while never fully committing to being so. I guess we always want what we can't have, but the list of iconic Johto species missing from those remote isles was so tantalising - Hoothoot! Houndour! Sudowoodo! Sunkern! Miltank! Smeargle! Teddiursa! Pineco! Snubbull! Espeon and Umbreon! Not to mention ALL THREE OF THE JOHTO STARTERS. Sorry, I'm a Johto boy at heart and I just wanted all my comforting old favourites back. It really did feel like playing half a game at times, not helped by the fact that enemies could seemingly bring anything to the table. Naturally, this meant that for a few of the teams we saw this round a full set of Johto species was inevitable. And with Johto, almost inextricably, comes the theme of "stuff that got an evolution later" which I'm not surprised one person promptly seized on.

It's possibly one reason that the Seviis always felt, to me, like a place teeming with interesting secrets and delights that were often just out of reach - literally in one case, as I remember persuading a friend to trade me a Pokemon with Thief (I'd long since used and overwritten my copy of the TM) so I could attempt to steal a Salac Berry from an NPC's Alakazam in Trainer Tower, and then discovering that items held by opponents in Trainer Tower couldn't be stolen. But it's equally embodied in the archipelago's most iconic locations: the bewildering nature of Pattern Bush, the perplexing mechanics of the Lost Cave, the total enigma that was Outcast Island. It really did always feel to me that the further south you travelled into the archipelago the deeper into the wild and the unknown you were headed - the southernmost islands feel so uncultivated, so much less tame.

That's before you even consider the truly inaccessible places - Navel Rock, Birth Island. When they held an Auroraticket giveaway at a location near my tiny British hometown it was the coolest thing ever. Still have that save file today, though the Deoxys is long gone.

Anyway. Back on topic. All of this is to say that I know exactly what kind of theme I'd have gone for... but I'll get onto that later. What did everyone else do? Well, fitting into the frequent overlaps with Ghost, we got some fear and sleep theming - Hypno was a natural fit for this as well as phobias and creepy animals - why hello, Misdreavus and Ariados. Some other Pokemon, unsurprisingly, proved popular picks - Gengar and Crobat also saw a good showing here. We ended up with a couple of cave-themed teams; it's also amusing that Tyranitar was the least-used Dark-type and yet still ended up with a team structured around it.

Some interesting other Pokemon made appearances, as they often do. Magmar feels like a cool and very fitting choice - it's pure-Fire yes, but has always had that slightly murky, creepy vibe and leans into that with its ability to learn a few less conventional moves like Smog, Confuse Ray, Screech, and Smokescreen. Magcargo, too, is always a fun choice - it's got that same slightly unusual vibe going. Honestly, considering Dark is often associated with cheating and craftiness, it's very much one of those types where almost anything goes if you can lean into that - lots of things learn Thief, and both Gen II and III introduced an abundance of wackier disruptive moves that can be really fun to base a team around.

Okay, so if I HAD made a team for this round what would it have looked like...?

Well, in keeping with my desire to plunder the Sevii Islands' many treats and treasures, the obvious choice for a Dark-type specialist would have to be a pirate - not just any pirate, but the most savage and barbaric blackhearted bastard on the high seas, feared from Hoenn to Sinnoh for his many crimes. His ship has recently been spotted in the seas south of Kanto, and it's rumoured that he's got one destination in mind: the Sevii Islands, a remote archipelago famed for its wealth.

What comes up when you Google "Pokemon pirate"... work with me, here.​

From the technological goldmine that is One Island's Pokemon Network Centre (Celio is a prime candidate for kidnap and ransom), the stockroom full of rare prizes in Two Island's Joyful Game Corner, the rich natural bounty of Three Island's Berry Forest as well as the gold reserves of its caves, the chance of swiping rare Pokemon eggs from the Daycare on Four Island, the swathe of opulent summer houses on Five Island's Resort Gorgeous, the vast unexplored caverns full of legendary artefacts beneath Six Island's Ruin Valley, to the greatest prize of all - Seven Island's Trainer Tower, a hotbed of swaggering primos who travelled from all over the world to show off their rare Pokemon and items - those islands are ripe for pillaging and raiding.

Fittingly, his team is as brutal and cruel as he is.

​

The choice of Pokemon felt very easy. Murkrow serves as the companion Pokemon often seen out of its Pokeball; every captain needs a parrot (or a monkey, sometimes) on their shoulder, and while Murkrow may not be a riot of colour we know it can mimic human speech. Sneasel is a devious and thoroughly underhanded fighter while Persian is the feline of choice for any accomplished thief (every ship needs a cat on board to deal with the rats, too). Tentacruel and Gyarados are essential components of his naval strategy; no opposing ship can hope to challenge you when you've got two fearsome sea creatures on your side ready to sink. I considered leaving Tyranitar out, but ultimately no can do: it's his last-resort no-holds-barred fighter (and even learns Surf should our villainous captain need to make a last-minute getaway).


Stuff I expected to see more (or at all)

Gyarados. Very surprising to only see this picked once.

Fearow. Used a lot in the last Dark round iirc. Hey, with Murkrow, Misdreavus, Xatu, Crobat, Gengar, and this you're on to a stellar Ground-immune theme...

Victreebel. Also used a lot in the last Dark round iirc.

Butterfree. An unconventional choice to be sure and probably not that fitting given how heroic the line tends to be portrayed as, but if you're going for a team themed around sleep and abusing Dream Eater/Nightmare, Butterfree adds some additional utility with Compoundeyes and Sleep Powder.

Politoed. Just by the law of averages, but certainly didn't expect to see Poliwrath used instead. Politoed also has some sleep utility and in general learns some slightly trickier moves like Perish Song, Swagger, and Mind Reader, all of which could definitely suit Dark's sneaky vibe.

 

[Hugin]

I'm at the opera tonight (no, really) so closing this one a bit early. My apologies to the dozens of people who were probably waiting to post their teams two hours before the deadline.

https://strawpoll.com/e6Z28MojEnN​

You have until April 29th, 9PM GMT to cast your vote!

I'm not listed in the poll. Error on your part or did I screw up Pokemon eligibility?

(If it is an error, it happens. There's a lot of moving parts in this thing and errors get made. I get if you don't have time to remake the poll with having plans tonight etc.)

 

[QuentinQuonce]

I'm not listed in the poll. Error on your part or did I screw up Pokemon eligibility?

(If it is an error, it happens. There's a lot of moving parts in this thing and errors get made. I get if you don't have time to remake the poll with having plans tonight etc.)

Shit. Was an error, apologies. Did it in a slight rush as I was heading out earlier, luckily just saw this in the interval. EDIT: God, I really fucked up this round as I just realised I missed your team picks from the overall numbers count - they're also now added.

Have just added you - only one person has voted so far (if you're reading this and want to recast your vote, please lmk and I'll simply delete and make a fresh poll later; if not will keep it up)

 

[Hugin]

No problem, as I said, I know there's a LOT of things to handle with this sort of thread.

Numbers

Murkrow: 11

Sneasel: 9

Tyranitar: 7

Gengar: 4
Misdreavus: 4

Crobat: 3
Hypno: 3
Ariados: 3

Magmar: 2
Qwilfish: 2
Persian: 2
Wobbuffet: 2

Dunsparce: 1
Xatu: 1
Lapras: 1
Piloswine: 1
Politoed: 1
Gyarados: 1
Vileplume: 1
Victreebel: 1
Magcargo: 1
Poliwrath: 1
Marowak: 1
Tangela: 1
Togetic: 1
Unown: 1

It feels like Dark is the type with the clearest "off-type" associations. The numbers don't necessarily reflect that, but the designated "evil types" being Dark/Poison/Ghost, the number of mons that got a Dark-type form later on, and the cave associations make it really hard to be creative without going entirely off-meta. Which isn't a bad thing, but just like last time, I definitely had trouble voting because a lot of teams felt pretty similar even if they're objectively using different mons. Also, as said, movesets are just PAINFUL for Dark in gen III. That said, there's a lot of wildcards in that list, and they all fit, which can only be a good thing.