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

[Imperial Magala]

What's the status on Wailmer and Wailord, since Wailmer are found in the overworld in the Crown Tundra, but not part of the Pokedex.

 

[QuentinQuonce]

View attachment 548922
What's the status on Wailmer and Wailord, since Wailmer are found in the overworld in the Crown Tundra, but not part of the Pokedex.

Not technically eligible. It's a grey area for sure, but there's precedent for Pokemon appearing in the overworld without being part of the region's Pokedex (Pikachu in Castelia City in BW, Torchic being part of Amity Square's design in Platinum, and more abstractly there's several instances of non-native Pokemon being referenced in dex entries, like Rattata being part of Bidoof's Platinum dex entry).

 

[Imperial Magala]

Thing is it's not in the overworld as a static encounter or as an NPC, it's part of the wild spawning encounters, directly implying it natively lives there.

 

[Eeveeto]

If someone can justify Wailord on a Fight team better than I would (it learns Body Press!), it deserves to be admitted.

 

[QuentinQuonce]

If someone can justify Wailord on a Fight team better than I would (it learns Body Press!), it deserves to be admitted.

I did have this thought, haha.

Y'know what, fuck it. Just this once.

 

[Imperial Magala]

I'm going with a Riley inspired team by going all in on offense. All of the Pokemon on the team were either used by Riley is some capacity, or are meant to substitute a Pokemon that he uses.



Guts
+Flame Orb
-Close Combat
-Facade
-Fling
-Mach Punch

Conkeldurr is not only one of two Fighting types available in the Crown Tundra, but is acting as a combination of Machamp and Ursaring, both Pokemon Riley uses.

Justified
+Focus Sash
-Knock Off
-Close Combat
-Play Rough
-Sucker Punch

Absol gets Justified, which is mostly on Fighting types, learns Knock Off, which is relatively common on Fighting type Pokemon, and gain access to Close Combat this generation. Absol is also part of Riley's main Battleground team.

Rough Skin
+Rocky Helmet
-Dual Chop
-Earthquake
-Poison Jab
-Brick Break

I was deciding whether to bring Garchomp, Dragonite, or Salamence here, but two factors won Garchomp out. Dual Chop and Poison Jab are two moves that Fighting types often get as coverage, and Garchomp is the only one of the three to be fully playable in Pokken Tournament.

Rock Head
+Lum Berry
-Head Smash
-Outrage
-Close Combat
-Dragon Dance

Tyrantrum is subbing in for Rampardos and is also taking advantage of learning Close Combat this generation.



Clear Body
+Leftovers
-Flash Cannon
-Psychic
-Body Press
-Iron Defense

I was deciding whether to put in Metagross with Hammer Arm, or Aggron subbing in for Metagross with Body Press, before remembering Metagross also gets Body Press. Metagross can also better pull off using Special Attacks alongside maxing Defense for Body Press.



Inner Focus
+Life Orb
-Aura Sphere
-Meteor Mash
-Shadow Ball
-Blaze Kick

It's Riley's ace, the flagship Sinnoh Pokemon, and the only other available Fighting type in the Crown Tundra. Despite having both Fighting and Steel specialists, the only notable trainer from Galar that uses Lucario is an obscure Gym Challenger that can show up in Champion Cup rematches.

Bede and Peony's loss then.

Considered were Golurk for having Iron Fist and also having Machamp's gimmick of No Guard+Dynamic Punch, Electrive and Magmortar for learning plenty of niche Fighting moves, Carbink and Ferrothorn for being good Body Press users, Obstagoon, Escavalier, and Beartic for learning Close Combat, Rock, Ground, and Steel types because Bruno also uses them, and especially Grimmsnarl for being the Bulk Up Pokemon with access to Bulk Up.

 

[Eeveeto]

Item: Quick Claw. Ability: Iron Fist. Moves: Stealth Rock, Shadow Punch, Earthquake, Hammer Arm. Man made Mon that was created to protect people, which fits for fight theme. It also has Iron Fist (fight asociated ability) and learns many Fight and punching moves. This one puts Rocks and has the very rare Shadow Punch move, most Fight related Ghost move that exists.

Item: Life Orb. Moves: Flash Cannon, Aura Sphere, Extreme Speed, High Jump Kick. Fight Mon that hits hard.

Item: Eviolite. Ability: Static. Moves: Meditate, Cross Chop, Thunder Punch, Ice Punch. So, Electabuzz has a long Fight related history. Firstly, it uses punches to attack. But its mainly the big Fight movepool Electabuzz has had since the beginning. In Gen 1, it was just Counter, Seismic Toss and Submission, nothing out of ordinary. Then Gen 2 comes and things start to get interesting. Weak as it is, Karate Chop has been a very rare move, even before being Dexited. Before Gen 4, only 4 lines learned it: Machop, Mankey, Elekid and Magby lines. Hawlucha, Pancham and Sawk are the only other Mons that got the move. But its not the only one: Rolling Kick is another very rare Move, Hitmons, Machop line, Marshadow and Electabuzz line (since Gen 2) again are the only ones that learned it before being dexited. Cross Chop is a little more common, but still pretty rare move, with Electabuzz also learning it since the beginning. Finally, Meditate. This is a Psychic Move, but many Fight Mons learn it, due to boosting Attack. Once again, Electabuzz is the only Mon that is not Psychic and not Fight, that learns it. Along with Zeraora, Electabuzz is the closest to Electric-Fight Mon that ever existed before actual ones appeared in SV.
In this team, its Electabuzz and not Electivire because 1: its way cooler than Electivire and 2: with Eviolite bulk, it can boost with Meditate easier and also trigger Static more often.

Ability: Snow Cloak. Item: Bright Powder. Moves: Icicle Crash, Dive, Substitute, Focus Punch. Like Electabuzz, this is the closest to Ice-Fight Mon that we ever had before Crabominable became a thing. Learns a lot of Fight moves. The set abuses the common snow/hail of Crown Tundra to avoid moves and use the Substitute+Focus Punch combo. Paralysis from Electabuzz helps here.

Item: Flame Orb. Ability: Guts. Moves: Close Combat, Knock Off, Mach Punch, Facade. The other actual Fight Mon, the broken one.

Item: Sitrus Berry. Ability: Pickpocket. Moves: False Surrender, Spirit Break, Drain Punch, Sucker Punch. 5 out of 6 Pokedex entries:

"With the hair wrapped around its body helping to enhance its muscles, this Pokémon can overwhelm even Machamp. Its hairs work like muscle fibers. When its hairs unfurl, they latch on to opponents, ensnaring them as tentacles would. By transforming its leg hair, this Pokémon delivers power-packed drill kicks that can bore huge holes in Galar's terrain. Gigantamax energy has caused more hair to sprout all over its body. With the added strength, it can jump over the world's tallest building. This Pokémon has complete control over its hair. Grimmsnarl normally keeps its hair wrapped around its body to support its muscles. "

Muscles, strength, kicks and even Machamp mentioned everywhere. If this Pokemon had 3 types, Fight would definetely be third one. Bipedal Mon, high Attack, aggressive, everything screams Fight type here. Choosen as ace due to Gigamax potential. Drain Punch boosts attack when in Gigamax form and heals after that, while the ability Pickpocket can be triggered if Grimmsnarl consumes the berry. Sucker Punch has cleaning potential if enough boosts are achieved under Gigamax.

 

[Cobalt Empoleon]

The immediate vibe I got from the prompt was "constructor and guardian of the Crown Tundra's ruins". This specialist would be the latest descendant in a long line of people tasked with the maintenance and protection of the Regis' tombs, who also helps out in the modern-day settlements of the area.

All the Pokemon chosen fit with one or more of my three key concepts: ancient civilisation, guardianship, and construction.

• Claydol and Golurk are ancient human constructs, with Golurk specifically having a mandate to protect people and Pokemon
• Bronzong has ties to ancient human civilisation as a bringer of rain for early agrarian society
• Lucario and Stonjourner draw design inspiration from historical peoples famous for creating long-lasting structures (the pyramids and Stonehenge), while Lucario is also strongly characterised in various Pokemon media as a protective figure
• Conkeldurr has the vibe of a wise old patriarch passing down its knowledge of construction to future generations

I've included both Singles and Doubles sets, with different movesets to suit each format, although I imagine them more as a Doubles specialist.

In the Doubles sets, the moves Protect, Quick Guard, and Wide Guard connect to the theme of guardianship, while moves like Explosion, Earthquake, and Psychic play a role in demolition and construction. Trick Room is also fitting (even their setup strategy is all about creating rooms!!)

Singles

Claydol @ Mental Herb
Ability: Levitate
- Body Press
- Stealth Rock
- Explosion
- Trick Room

Stonjourner @ Choice Band
Ability: Power Spot
- Stone Edge
- Earthquake
- Body Press
- Heat Crash

Bronzong @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Levitate
- Body Press
- Extrasensory
- Gyro Ball
- Trick Room

Golurk @ Leftovers
Ability: Iron Fist
- High Horsepower
- Shadow Punch
- Focus Punch
- Substitute

Conkeldurr @ Assault Vest
Ability: Iron Fist
- Drain Punch
- Ice Punch
- Thunder Punch
- Fire Punch

Lucario @ Salac Berry
Ability: Steadfast
- Reversal
- Shadow Claw
- Endure
- Swords Dance

Doubles

Bronzong @ Mental Herb
Ability: Levitate
- Body Press
- Extrasensory
- Skill Swap
- Trick Room

Stonjourner @ Hard Stone
Ability: Power Spot
- Rock Slide
- Earthquake
- Body Press
- Protect

Claydol @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Levitate
- Ice Beam
- Body Press
- Explosion
- Trick Room

Golurk @ Expert Belt
Ability: No Guard
- Earthquake
- Phantom Force
- Dynamic Punch
- Protect

Conkeldurr @ Flame Orb
Ability: Guts
- Drain Punch
- Rock Slide
- Bulk Up
- Wide Guard

Lucario @ Focus Sash
Ability: Inner Focus
- Close Combat
- Flash Cannon
- Psychic
- Quick Guard

In terms of type rep alone, this trainer is equally a Ground-, Psychic-, Steel-, and Fighting-type specialist haha, but at least Fighting is the only type represented in every team member's moveset.

 

[Hugin]

Fairy was a tough fight, there were lots of good teams. I really liked mine, but can't be upset about losing to Axiemeister's team.

Each mon was chosen to represent a type/era of fighting. Snorlax is unarmed/wrestling, Conkeldurr hits people with sticks and rocks, Escavalier uses manufactured melee weapons, Magmortar shoots people with guns, Dragapult represents armed vehicles, and Lucario is a trained martial artist, which anyone who's seen a movie can tell you is by far the most dangerous of these.

Moveset

Snorlax @ Chesto Berry
Ability: Thick Fat
EVs: 12 HP / 244 Def / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Curse
- Body Slam
- Earthquake
- Rest

Conkeldurr @ Assault Vest
Ability: Iron Fist
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Drain Punch
- Stone Edge
- Ice Punch
- Mach Punch

Escavalier @ Leftovers
Ability: Swarm
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Adamant Nature
- X-Scissor
- Iron Head
- Poison Jab
- Swords Dance

Magmortar @ Expert Belt
Ability: Flame Body
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Fire Blast
- Thunderbolt
- Psychic
- Clear Smog

Dragapult @ Life Orb
Ability: Infiltrator
IVs: 0 Atk
- Dragon Pulse
- Shadow Ball
- Surf
- Thunder Wave

Lucario @ Weakness Policy
Ability: Inner Focus
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Endure
- Crunch
- Close Combat
- Extreme Speed

Nothing too surprising. RestoChesto Curselax, AV Drainpunch Conkeldurr, "screw fairies and psychics Escavalier", Magmortar with coverage+Clear Smog, Special Dragapult with TWave. And then there's Endure Weakness Policy ESpeed Lucario, because I want people to have fun figuring out what to do with that when Mortar and Drag both exist to screw your sweep.

Obviously, this trainer is a small wrinkly smiling old man. He's learned a different way to fight every decade of his life, and now you face off against all of them.

This was originally going to be based on martial arts movies, but limited options prevented that(I really wanted an agile normal-type for Jackie Chan). I wanted to do mons representing the 4 Swords, but I used that basic idea for my backup FRLG Dark just last week. I considered Femme Fatale over Dragapult since it overlaps with guns, but decided against that(either Jynx or an illegal Gen II Nidoqueen with Sweet Kiss/Lovely Kiss).

 

[Pikachu315111]

So, after some thought and a lot of research, I decided my theme is (Poke)Knights of the Round Table!

My thinking, being this is the United Kingdom, and Calyrex is its Legendary King, that sort of makes Calyrex an analogue of King Arthur. So, every king needs his noble knights, so I gathered together the greatest (Poke)Knights in the Crown Tundra to be a part of Calyrex's Round Table:

Sir Lancelot/(Shiny) Lucario: Inner Focus. Assault Vest. Close Combat/Meteor Mash/Extreme Speed/Power-Up Punch
Sir Tristan/Conkeldurr: Guts. Flame Orb. Close Combat/Stone Edge/Earthquake/Drain Punch
Sir Lamorak/Gurdurr: Iron Fist. Eviolite. Hammer Arm/Fire Punch/Ice Punch/Thunder Punch
Sir Galahad/(Shiny) Absol: Super Luck. Shell Bell. Close Combat/Night Slash/Psycho Cut/Knock Off
Sir Gawain/Galarian Rapidash: Pastel Veil. Focus Sash. Low Kick/Psycho Cut/Play Rough/Throat Chop
Sir Percival/Escavalier. Shell Armor. Leftovers. Close Combat/X-Scissor/Iron Head/Razor Shell

Knightly Explanation

Sir Lancelot/(Shiny) Lucario
Reason: Sir Lancelot is famously known as the best knight of King Arthur's Round Table. Strong, gifted with special powers and objects, and handsome, I can't think of a better Pokemon to represent Lancelot than a Shiny Lucario. I chose Inner Focus as it's Japanese name fit better than Lucario's other Abilities (Inner Focus's Japanese name is "Force of Will". Its other Abilities are Steadfast & Justified, Japanese names "Indomitable Heart" & "Heart of Justice" respectively, I skipped over due to the dark turn in the Round Table's story caused by Lancelot's lust for Arthur's wife).

Sir Tristan/Conkeldurr:
Reason: I chose Conkeldurr for Sir Tristan for two reasons. One, Tristan is considered the second strongest knight of King Arthur's Round Table, behind Lancelot. Second, there is an old granite pillar in a concrete base in South West England called "The Tristan Stone" which has a plaque suggesting that's where Tristan is buried. He is a rival friend of Lancelot, so I also find it fitting to make him the other Fighting-type in the Crown Tundra (and also focused on a super Physical offense build as it was said their duel was the greatest duel between knights ever).

Sir Lamorak/Gurdurr:
Reason: Sir Lamorak is the third strongest knight of King Arthur's Round Table, behind Tristan and Lancelot; hence I made him an Eviolite Gurdurr. Lamorak was known for his strength, fiery temper, and "feats of martial prowess" such as fighting off at least thirty knights by himself, so I decided to give Gurdurr a Iron Fist focused set with wide coverage. Lamorak started out as enemy of Tristan though they later became best friends, so I feel him being a Gurdurr and Tristan a Conkeldurr was also fitting.

Sir Galahad/(Shiny) Absol:
Reason: Sir Galahad is famously known as the son of Lancelot and one of the knights who found the Holy Grail. Galahad is believed to be a "chosen one", his story filled of him having visions, performing miracles, and ultimately leading to his death though by his one choice and ascends to heaven. With this I chose Shiny Absol to represent him, notably for his visions (he saw other knights dying if they went looking for the grail), and gave him a Super Luck set emphasize his special status (and a Shell Bell as a loose representation of the Holy Grail's healing power). Also, as a bit of a joke, I gave him Knock Off as originally the Holy Grail story was more of Sir Percival's story though later tellings made it more about Percival, so metawise Galahad took the Holy Grail from Percival (you could also say he's a "knock off" of Lancelot; Galahad and his stories has a lot of "Gary Stu" traits).

Sir Gawain/Galarian Rapidash:
Reason: There's quite a few reasons why I made Sir Gawain a Galarian Rapidash. One, he's known as "The Maiden's Knight", which fits with Rapidash being based on a unicorn which only appear before maidens. Gawain was also the defender of the poor and a healer, knowing how to use herbs, which fits with Pastel Veil. While not Galarian Rapidash, in some tales Gawain's power related to the sun (he was strongest during the noon but waned when the sun set), which you could stretch to normal Rapidash which also is empowered by harsh sunlight being a Fire-type. Finally, a possible origin for his name is "Gwallt Avwyn" which translates to "hair like reins" or "bright hair", which matches pretty good with Galarian Rapidash. As a final note, Gawain is best known for his role in the story of the Green Knight. I referenced this story by giving it Throat Chop (in the story Gawain beheads the Green Knight... only for the Green Knight to put his head back on and saying he'll do the same to him in a year's time, starting Gawain's quest) and Focus Sash (during the story Gawain is given a sash that'll protect him from harm, hoping it'll save him from the Green Knight; pretty fitting for what Focus Sash is and does!).

Sir Percival/Escavalier:
Reason: As I said above, Sir Percival was the one who originally found the Holy Grail; much of his story is connect to it infact. So, why a Escavalier? Well, it mostly has to do with his name origin, either coming from the Welsh "Peredur" ("par" meaning "spear" and "dur" meaning "hard/steel") or the French "perce val" (meaning "pierce the valley"). Another reason has to do with how Percival became a knight, long story short, he was raised in the forest and one day saw a group of knights and is amazed by them and their armor (sort of like Karrablast liking Shelmet's armor that it takes it, even gaining the Ability Shell Armir). While the Search for the Holy Grail was hijacked by Galahad, Percival was still very part of the story. An early part of the story involves Percival meeting the Fisher King, an unknown king who guards the grail. The Fisher King is crippled and spends his time fishing (at the time Percival failed to heal the king, but after finding the grail comes back to successfully heal him and in some tales is awarded a kingdom for doing so). Thus, I gave Escavalier Leftovers to reference the healing power of the Holy Grail, and the move Razor Shell to reference the Fisher King.

 

[CTNC]

My ideal team involves no attacking and Fighting types tend to be known for attacking. I'm the kind of guy that says, "Say no to violence." so I'm going to put on a fake mustache and use a fake name so I can pretend I had nothing to do with the Fighting round. :P

(Before I get into it, having a theme and strategy of building up Pokemon forced me to make a "probably good but probably not what I would've picked" pick and a really odd choice that I love for the team's strategy but hate because I don't think it fits a Fighting team instead of Electivire and probably Beartic. Going with a strict theme was tougher, but I loved building around around an unusual twist on setting up a sweeper. P.S. I'm not using all caps, but I hope you like exclamation marks. Please read this like I'm yelling!)


Welcome to CNTC's Body Improvement Club! Here we have the manliest Double Battles and the manliest work outs! We don't just care about our mussels, we care about yours too! We support each other as much as we can!



Gurdurr
Iron Fist
-Coaching
-Wide Guard
-Brick Break
-Fire Punch

You can't say no to someone who uses construction beams for their weights! Gurdurr may not be able to throw punches as hard as Conkeldurr, but he's almost as good at taking hits as his older bro! We all need help at the beginning and Gurdurr's Coaching will help you start out! Wide Guard saves us every times someone knocks over a dumbell rack! It's also very good in Double Battles, but the dumbell thing happens way more! Brick Break helps break through anything blocking your way and you can feel the burn almost as soon as you start working out if Gurdur flexes his Fire Punch! I'm just joking with that pun, but it means he ain't afraid of no Ghosts!

Gurdurr would be better at taking hits than his older bro if he used Eviolite, but we say no to performance enhancing materials! We believe in our bringing out our natural strength!


Grimmsnarl
Frisk
-Power-Up Punch
-Light Screen
-Reflect
-Darkest Lariat

Grimmsnarl practically has mussels for hair! I'm not making that up! It's in the Pokedex! The Pokedex also classifies Grimmsnarl as a Bulk Up Pokemon! We love Bulking Up! Grimmsnarl can warm up with Power-Up Punch and help prevent injuries from accidents with Light Screen and Reflect! Safety first! We don't encourage goofing off with Play Rough or the underhanded tactics of most Dark moves, but we heavily encourage wrestling! Grimmsnarl will gladly show off his favorite wrestling move, Darkest Lariat, whenever anyone wants!

Prankster and Pickpocket are more useful Abilities, but they involve behavior that doesn't belong in the gym! Don't goof off and don't steal from others! Frisk isn't smiled upon, but the quick searches helps discover if anyone's using steroids or performance enhancing materials! Say no to drugs!


Hatterene
Healer
-Heal Pulse
-Aromatic Mist
-Helping Hand
-Zen Headbutt

If you get injured during your workout, our medical staff will be glad to help you! Aromatic Mist helps remove the stench of sweat because some people don't love it! Coaching helps physical power and taking physical hits, but Aromatic Mist helps with taking non-physical hits. It can help someone grow tough enough to tank two Pokemon at the same time and still be able to win!

Most Hatterene can't learn Zen Headbutt, but most Hatterene aren't as manly as this one! See what working out can let you do?

(OOC Note: As much as I'd like to stick to legal moves, Zen Headbutt fits the team's theme too well and isn't much of an upgrade over Psycho Cut. It might even be a downgrade because of having 90 Accuracy.)


Lucario
Inner Focus
-Coaching
-Heal Pulse
-Drain Punch
-Meteor Mash

You have to stay healthy! Heal Pulse restores a training partner's tired mussels better than a barrel of powerade and Drain Punch helps Lucario stay at tip top energy throughout the workout! Meteor Mash is more accurate than Iron Tail, but more importantly, more people can follow the motions of the work out! Not everyone can join in tail exercises!


Stonjourner
Power Spot
-Body Press
-Rock Slide
-Protect
-Safeguard

Stonjourner doesn't need any moves to bring out the power of others! Protect only helps himself, but being selfish is okay when you're enough of a bro to help others by existing! His other protection move, Safeguard, protects himself and training partners! I know he looks like parts of him can be used for weights, but you should ask him first if you do try and you shouldn't try even if he says yes! He's heavier than he looks and it's really easy to tell in battles when he attacks by falling on opponents! Our medical staff have seen too many people hurt trying to lift Stonjourner, so please don't try!


Conkeldurr
Iron Fist
-Coaching
-Bulk Up
-Drain Punch
-Stone Edge

Conkeldurr can help you if you still need Coaching! He'll be here a while! He's usually the last one standing after our work outs and doesn't want to stop after everyone else is done! He'll Bulk Up on his own when that happens! His endurance is unbelievable with Bulk Up and Drain Punch! He's someone to look up to, but you shouldn't try anything he does! You do not want to be on the receiving end of his weights! They're too much even for me to lift!




As you can see, here at CNTC's Body Improvement Club we have the best workouts! I hope you can join us for- *fake mustache falls off* ...bye!

 

[Axiemeister]

hi here is my team! i was busy but i picked the region so i knew i had to find the time for this

TEAMY TEAM

The theme of this team will be... celebration! It feels fitting because I just won, but it also has meaning - the Crown Tundra is based in Scotland, specifically Edinburgh, which is home to the largest arts festival in the world. And Fighting-types fit the limber, physically fit type needed to participate in performance art, so I just had to find mons that also fit the theme and we have a party!

@ Flame Orb
Ability: Guts
- Switcheroo
- Facade
- Knock Off
- Parting Shot

Obstagoon leads and celebrates the punk movement by disrespecting the authority of batlle mechanics that say status are bad for you. It burns itself on turn 1 and then gives the Flame Orb to someone else because the others are goody two-shoes who obey and lose their Attack to a burn, or it can just mauls you with STAB moves right away. It can also sing the final minute of "Killing in the Name" as a way of pivoting if the opposing lead is too sturdy.

@ Leftovers
Ability: Heavy Metal
- Iron Defense
- Body Press
- Heavy Slam
- Stealth Rock

The big elephant, of course, can be easily associated with celebrations and festivals, but Copperajah can also fit in the team by being aggressive and defensive at the same time with Iron Defense and Body Press. Heavy Slam is its trusty STAB and it also supports the team with flying rocks. No party without flying objects!

@ Expert Belt
Ability: Motor Drive
- Thunderbolt
- Ice Punch
- Flamethrower
- Cross Chop

There isn't a festival without energy and Electivire can power up an entire city for a year according to Pokédex! It can also celebrate the art of humour by laughing at itself and using its joke set from Gen 4 back when it was OU solely on the back of low ladder people thinking super-effective hits on Shoddy Battle went brrr.

@ Assault Vest
Ability: Iron Fist
- Drain Punch
- Mach Punch
- Ice Punch
- Thunder Punch

Do you think Conkeldurr would. make a good juggler? It's so used to carrying multiple things, my money is on yes. Despite being one of the two actual Fighting-types here, its function is actually to help its more aggressive teammates survive, forming a defensive core of sorts with Copperajah, keeping itself alive with Drain Punch and doing some speed control with Mach Punch.

@ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Swift Swim
- Rain Dance
- Icicle Crash
- Superpower
- Aqua Jet

It wouldn't be a Crown Tundra team without an Ice mon, and who fits in both a muscly team and a festival team better than a huge bear? It and Copperajah are best friends already. It participates in the festival by showing its Rain Dance, and then how quickly it moves under rain despite not even being Water-type, not to mention the rain alleviates its Fire weakness. It hits very hard too, and rain-boosted Aqua Jet gets faster foes.

@ Life Orb
Shiny: Yes
Ability: Justified
- Work Up
- Vacuum Wave
- Extreme Speed
- Bullet Punch

Our ace is very artistic, not only because of its aura-enhanced sensitivities, not. only because we are celebrating diversity with its... differently different... Shiny pallette, but also because its set is nuts. It's our revenge killer, and it pulls the job off by using its three! priority moves as its offense. When it manages a free turn, it sets up a Work Up to boost all three of these moves. It cannot be outsped. Its damage output is also low for an ace. How do you defeat a mon that looks camp right in the eye? Performance art might just surprise enough to seal a victory for the partying trainer.

 

[Cobalt Empoleon]

Already seeing lots of fun stuff I'd never have thought of! I wanted to write my post quickly because I was worried everyone else would have the same idea as me, but as usual I needn't have worried.

 

[QuentinQuonce]

Evening, all. Here's the next poll for you all.

https://strawpoll.com/DwyoD58monA

You have until September 15th, 9PM GMT to cast your vote!

Let's do the traditional numbers breakdown.

Numbers

Conkeldurr: 9
Lucario: 8

Gurdurr: 2

Golurk: 3
Stonjourner: 3

Beartic: 2
Absol: 2
Escavalier: 2
Electivire: 2
Grimmsnarl: 2

Dragapult: 1
Snorlax: 1
Dragonite: 1
Corviknight: 1
Claydol: 1
Copperajah: 1
Garchomp: 1
Hatterene: 1
Tyrantrum: 1
Rapidash: 1
Coalossal: 1
Metagross: 1
Mamoswine: 1
Bronzong: 1
Druddigon: 1
Electabuzz: 1
Magmortar: 1
Darmanitan: 1
Obstagoon: 1


Our first foray into Galar, and it's a curious one indeed. The Crown Tundra's scarcity of Fighting-types belies the interesting diversity the dex has to offer, and this is reflected in the abundance of unexpected wildcard options: Ice, Ground, Fairy, Psychic, Dragon. Dragapult, Darmanitan, and Corviknight are all cool, while Rapidash, Claydol, Mamoswine and Grimmsnarl are all less expected but really fun nonetheless. Despite the lack of type unity there's a lot of species that qualify as skillful, brutal, or combative such that it gave lots of opportunity for interestingly-themed teams, and the nine we got are all pretty neat. It's going to be hard making a choice between them but I think I do have a favourite.

It's relatively expected to see Golurk emerge as the most popular wildcard thanks to the Fighting vibe it leans into with Iron Fist, No Guard, and the array of punching moves it learns, but less expected was Stonjourner as joint most popular - it's not a species I'm hugely familiar with, so fair enough.

Stuff I expected to see more/at all

Electivire and Magmortar make a lot of sense as wildcard picks thanks to their historic Fighting-heavy movepools, but they only got a couple of showings each (well, technically three for Electivire's line though since Electabuzz also got picked).

With Justified, Absol matches Fighting's heroic vibe quite closely so I was expecting that to be a much, much more popular option even though it's ostensibly the direct opposite. Similarly, Bug also has a lot of overlap with Fighting - in tone, if not mechanically - and Escavalier has a strong combat vibe so I was expecting that on lots of teams.

Actually, you could quite easily do a "hero"-themed team, couldn't you... Lucario (duh), Conkeldurr (just about), Absol (Justified), Golurk (ancient defender), Escavalier (it's a knight), Boltund (it's a good dog).

Snorlax is sumo-y. Well, sort of. But it gets a few spicy Fighting picks like the relatively rare Hammer Arm. Always been fond of that move.

Weirdly Abomasnow was something I expected to see. I think I'm just associating "blobby mammalian slugger" with Fighting.

Mr Rime. Don't know why exactly this one jumps out at me. But it's humanshaped, fights with a cane - that's probably it. Given how frequently Fighting-types are humanshaped it doesn't feel like a massive leap.

Weavile. CounterSash is synonymous with that mon in my eyes, but then I've been playing the Frontier a lot recently.

Clefable. Of all the Fairies, this one jumps out at me - even though it's not a Fighting move, Belly Drum strikes me as the sort of strategy that fits onto a Fighting team, and Belly Drum Clefable plays in a way that's atypical to how you'd expect it to.

Basculin. It's a fighting fish!

 

[Pikachu315111]

Actually, you could quite easily do a "hero"-themed team, couldn't you...

*Nods*

Voting has begun so time for my thoughts on last competition, BDSP Fairy:

Fairy Tale Ending

Axiemaster: A very fancy theme for a fairy fantasy team! It's a nice combination of simple but plenty of thought put into it. Heck, this team doesn't necessarily even need to be Final Fantasy, you can take any fantasy rpg with classes and you'll find similar roles (mostly since many pull from Dungeons & Dragons). What also helps is Fairy is connected with "magic", you of course got the 3 spellcaster classes, and the remaining "melee" classes have been assigned to Pokemon a Fairy-type, a unicorn (popular fairy tale creature), and a shiny pink rabbit (because in Pokemon if it's pink it's either an esper or fairy).

Jhm5: I really like the idea of this theme! It's out-of-the-box as it's not something many would immediately think but makes a lot of sense. And many must agree as, with only one vote seperating it from Axiemaster, this could have have very well been the winner (or co-winner, but alas there can only be one). Luckily the other Baby Pokemon in the dex align up just enough to make one think "yeah that's a Fairy team" even without them all knowing Charm.

Bakugames: If you asked me who I thought was gonna win, I would have picked Bakugames as they made a drawing for their entry! The theme of "collections" was also certainly unique and fairy-parallel. Though, I'm wondering if maybe associating a team that much with a trainer may hold it back as much as it helps, a mistake I myself have made. Axiemaster's and Jhm5's team need no trainers though a "trainer" can be made to match it.

Metalmindstats & Cobalt Empoleon: A tie between two very different teams, though ones I see parallels between the top winners! Cobalt Empoleon went with fantasy tropes as Axiemaster did (though more of the typical fairy tale variety) while Metalmindstats did an in-game mechanic focused on like Jhm5 (though this based on Backlot's Mansion); the teams even share choices between them. Sadly this might be another case of "someone did it better", good idea for a theme but someone did a similar idea that potentially swiped the votes away.

Hugin & Me: Note Hugin is one point above me though, as I mentioned with Bakugames, I think we made the same mistake: trainer focused. Yes, we both have a theme the Pokemon had as a team, but there's trainers also stapled onto it. Sure, Hugins sibling duo would make for interesting YA novel protags, and my "Cresselia's Faeries" are a Ghostbuster/Charlie's Angels knockoff, but we're not here for that. Though presented equally, that just means the trainer(s) took away the focus that should be on just the Pokemon.

 

[jhm5]

Congratulations to Axiemeister for winning the last round. Fully deserved. The team embodies the essence of fairy types incredibly well, and the Pokemon work cohesively as a theme and in battle.

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.

 

[Axiemeister]

despite slightly less entries i liked every single team this round! i am glad to have selected a prompt that resonated with people

 

[Hugin]

Conkeldurr: 9
Lucario: 8

Gurdurr: 2

Golurk: 3
Stonjourner: 3

Beartic: 2
Absol: 2
Escavalier: 2
Electivire: 2
Grimmsnarl: 2

Dragapult: 1
Snorlax: 1
Dragonite: 1
Corviknight: 1
Claydol: 1
Copperajah: 1
Garchomp: 1
Hatterene: 1
Tyrantrum: 1
Rapidash: 1
Coalossal: 1
Metagross: 1
Mamoswine: 1
Bronzong: 1
Druddigon: 1
Electabuzz: 1
Magmortar: 1
Darmanitan: 1
Obstagoon: 1[/spoiler]

The lack of any consistent wild cards surprised me, I was sure we'd see about 5 Evires, Beartics, and Golurks. I think fighting is...not so much a broad category as it is one that applies to basically every mon. I'm usually fairly theme-friendly and I saw more that I thought were pushing the boundaries of the type than basically ever before, which I think was everyone reacting to the whole "A third of the dex has high Atk and a quarter has both Atk and Def, and they all learn Bulk Up and a fighting attack because TRs exist. How do I narrow that down?"

 

[QuentinQuonce]

Results are in - congrats to Cobalt Empoleon for a second win! Will DM shortly.

A most neat poll indeed - nearly everyone received different amounts.

 

[QuentinQuonce]

Our winner has picked the next question... from brawns to brain we go.

You are a Psychic-type specialist in Mountain Kalos. 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 September 23rd, 9PM GMT to make your case!

A reminder that you may only select Pokemon from the Mountain Kalos Pokedex, i.e. Diglett-Dragonite. Any teams which include Pokemon from either the Central or Coastal Kalos dexes will not be valid for this round and will be disqualified.

Mountain Kalos Dex is here for those who need it: https://www.serebii.net/xy/mountainpokedex.shtml.

Teams so far

Eeveeto: Jynx, Gothitelle, Wigglytuff, Politoed, Altaria, Gengar
Ironmage: Jynx, Gothitelle, Dugtrio, Magneton, Ludicolo, Scizor
Hugin: Jynx, Gothitelle, Rotom, Klefki, Noctowl, Zoroark
Pikachu315111: Jynx, Gothitelle, Gothorita, Aggron, Trevenant, Ursaring
Cobalt Empoleon: Jynx, Gothitelle, Honchkrow, Bisharp, Scizor, Spinda
Axiemeister: Jynx, Gothitelle, Politoed, Gourgeist, Altaria, Wigglytuff
CTNC: Jynx, Gothitelle, Noctowl, Wigglytuff, Zoroark, Banette

 

[Eeveeto]

Doubles based team:

Item: Focus Sash. Ability: Dry Skin. Moves: Fake Out, Lovely Kiss, Psybeam, Icy Wind. Psychic Mon. Uses Fake Out and puts foes to sleep. Supports with Icy Wind too. Could use Perish Song, but no room for it.

Item: Wide Lens. Ability: Drizzle. Moves: Hypnosis, Surf, Perish Song, Focus Blast. Evolves with King's Rock, just as Slowking. Opposed to Poliwrath is a Special attacker, learns some Psychic moves too. This Pokemon really had a decent chance to being a Psychic type, I think the only reason its not was Slowking appearing the same generation. Politoed uses Wide Lens to hit Hypnosis and to protect out actual Psychic types from Darks by hitting them with Focus Blast. Surf heals Jynx. Perish Song is for 2 fun Mons revealed later.

Item: Sitrus Berry. Moves: Sing, Gravity, Perish Song, Dazzling Gleam. It sings. Singing Pokemon have Psychic asociations and Wigglytuff does learn Psychic moves. Wiggly has 2 different songs and Gravity to hit the one that sleeps.

Item: Light Clay. Ability: Shadow Tag. Moves: Reflect, Light Screen, Psyshock, Heal Pulse. The other Psychic Mon. Has Shadow Tag for all those Perish Songs that sound on this team. Supports the team with screens and Heal Pulse too.

Item: Leftovers. Ability: Natural Cure. Moves: Draco Meteor, Perish Song, Power Swap, Dream Eater. Altaria sings and makes people drowzy. That has asociations with both Fairy and Psychic types. Altaria actually does learn some Psychic moves, so it fits. Draco Meteor + Power Swap combo showcases one of the psychic type Moves. Dream Eater is the other one. Perish Song is the theme of the team.

Item: Gengarite. Moves: Shadow Ball, Sludge Bomb, Psychic, Thunder. The Mega and ace of the team. That third false eye that appears when Gengar megaevolves is for sure a Psychic thing. In Kanto Psychic Gym many trainers used the Gastly line, so its not something new for Psychic specialists. Gengar has Shadow Tag to kill opponents with Perish Songs used by Politoed, Altaria and Wigglytuff. Gengar learns the move too, but being the ace and supposed to be sent last most of the time, has no reason to run it. So, he instead uses the most powerful moves possible to clean what doesn,t die to the Song.

 

[Ironmage]

An interesting starting pair. They both end up pretty similar to each other thematically so a direction isn't necessarily established. My first thought was to run with the Humanshape Egg Group with Bisharp, Conkeldurr, and Spinda, but ran out of steam. Instead, I focused on the creepier aspects of this particular pair (remember that Demon's Kiss is Jynx's signature move).

There is no escape from these witches.

Jynx @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Oblivious
- Mean Look
- Perish Song
- Wish
- Ice Beam
The first of the witches, with an older method of trapping reminiscent of the witch-themed (and absent) Misdreavus line.

Gothitelle @ Chesto Berry
Ability: Shadow Tag
- Calm Mind
- Psyshock
- Dark Pulse
- Rest
The second witch, with the most (in)famous way of trapping: via a passive ability. Somehow manages to have the only Psychic attack in an ostensibly Psychic-themed team. Maybe this shows it's the strongest in the coven?

Ludicolo @ Leftovers
Ability: Own Tempo
- Whirlpool
- Leech Seed
- Substitute
- Scald
As a later revision, I decided I liked the idea of having a third organic user of special moves since groups of three have traditionally been associated with witchiness. Ludicolo's dancing aspects mirror Jynx while still being able to run a trapper set. The mons are not intended to directly correspond to Maiden/Mother/Crone, but feel free to figure out an arrangement on your own.

Dugtrio @ Life Orb
Ability: Arena Trap
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Sucker Punch
- Shadow Claw
It came together such that I could keep the theme of threes within the rest of the team at an individual level (rather than trying to form a second coven). Dugtrio does Dugtrio things.

Magneton @ Eviolite
Ability: Magnet Pull
- Thunderbolt
- Volt Switch
- Flash Cannon
- Signal Beam
Another iconic trapper mon with a focus on the number three. In this case it targets those who thought this group was the domain of the more playful Fairies.

Scizor-Mega @ Scizorite
Ability: Technician
- Pursuit
- Bullet Punch
- U-turn
- Roost
Ironically, while supernatural means of imprisonment fail against Ghosts, spirits can be contained by the threat of physical force. While Gengar-Mega also fits the trapping theme, I was already using Shadow Tag elsewhere and the eyespots on Scizor's pincers provide at least the illusion of another three-headed beast.

 

[Hugin]

Klefki is a fairy in the Fae sense(it seems to be based on Brownies and similar), Noctowl is obvious, Illusion-heavy Zoroark, and possession-heavy Rotom. All seem to fit the weird mysterious vibes of the Psychic type pretty well. Also, this is the first time I've actually used a psychic-type move on every mon on the team. Dark, Fairy, and Ghost are all types that show up a lot near psychic-types(Mediums, Hex Maniacs, and Mysterious Sisters all stand out for me using 2 of those types) and I was pretty happy to include all 3.

So, with the mountain region being more wilderness-heavy, and the two Psychics being both female, the classic isolated witch was an obvious move. Noctowl is a classic familiar species IRL, Zoroark's illusions fit the theme of a lone hermit surviving on the outskirts of society and defending herself through other people's assumptions, Rotom is just useful to have around, and Klefki's protection of your keys is a good fit for a cautious loner. Her gym is on the outskirts of town, a tiny cottage where you have to fight through a maze and a gauntlet of trainers between her gate and her front door. She's nice, but guarded, until after you win and she trusts you. When you leave, the path is straight and there's no one there.

moveset

Klefki @ Leftovers
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpA
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Spikes
- Thunder Wave
- Flash Cannon
- Heal Block

Gothitelle @ Chesto Berry
Ability: Shadow Tag
EVs: 248 HP / 252 SpA / 8 SpD
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Calm Mind
- Rest
- Psyshock
- Tickle

Noctowl @ Zoom Lens
Ability: Insomnia
EVs: 248 HP / 8 SpA / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Roost
- Air Slash
- Hypnosis
- Whirlwind

Rotom @ Light Clay
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Reflect
- Light Screen
- Thunderbolt
- Signal Beam

Zoroark @ Iron Ball
Ability: Illusion
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Sucker Punch
- Trick
- Low Sweep
- Memento

Jynx (F) @ Focus Sash
Ability: Dry Skin
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Ice Beam
- Psychic
- Lovely Kiss
- Draining Kiss

As I said, I managed to fit a psychic type move onto each of them. Spikes Klefki has Heal Block to discourage setup, Gothitelle is a RestoChesto Calm Mind sweeper, Noctowl uses Hypnosis+Zoom Lens to force switches(WHY no Hurricane Noctowl?!), Rotom has screens in addition to the usual attacks, Zoroark has Trick Iron Ball(as well as Memento and Sucker Punch) to punish sweepers, and Jynx is a STAB set. Overall, the coverage isn't great and there's not enough bulk, but it's effective and each mon having a Screw You psychic utility move is a good way to make the fight memorable, as well as demonstrate some of the depth of the type that usually gets ignored in favor of Kadabra and friends.

Alternates: This one was interesting in that yes, we only officially had 2 fully-evolved options, but there were so many Darks/Ghosts, and the Psychic type is broad enough, that I could fill it out very easily. Gourgeist was on here until I decided that Dual Screens Rotom was better, any of the darks would have been fine over Zoroark(Liepard as a cat specifically stands out), and there's plenty of Arbok and Spinda options as 1-use wild cards. Despite that, this team came together fast and before the char concept for me, which is not how things usually go with the broader pool to draw from.

 

[Pikachu315111]

As we've seen above, a witch-themed team is very tempting and has plenty of ways of going. I too am drawn to a witch-theme, though not in the conventional sense. Eviolite Gothorita gives us three magical ladies, a theme which can be see throughout many cultures. The most famous are the Three Witches (also known as the Weird Sisters) from the Shakespeare tragedy "Macbeth". They themselves are based on the mythical "Fates", three woman (usually elderly in appearance and spinsters) who can be found in a few mythologies usually in the role of prophets and weaving the "threads of fate"; notable examples being the Moirai or Greek Mythology and Norns of Norse Mythology. But we can go even further than that! All of these are examples of the concept of a Triple Deity, either a group of three gods (or goddesses or other powerful being) or a singular being but has three sides to them. It's from here we finally get to my theme. Because I'm including Gothita, I don't feel any of the mentioned group is appropriate as Gothorita is a younger Pokemon. But I just so happen to know a Triple Deity concept which all three Psychic ladies fit nicely into: the Triple Goddess.

The Triple Goddess is usually a group of goddesses but, unlike the Three Witches/Fates, each Goddess is a different age: Maiden, Mother, & Crone. So, with that explained, here's my team:

Gothorita (Competitive. Eviolite. Psychic/Thunder Wave/Embargo/Shadow Ball)
(Shiny) Ursaring (Guts. Flame Orb. Thrash/Rest/Power-Up Punch/Earthquake)
Jynx (Oblivious. Focus Sash. Psychic/Blizzard/Lovely Kiss/Perish Song)
Trevenant (Harvest. Sitrus Berry. Shadow Claw/Horn Leech/Curse/Trick Room)
(Mega) Aggron (Sturdy/Filter. Aggronite. Iron Head/Rest/Stealth Rock/Dragon Tail)
Gothitelle (Shadow Tag. Life Orb. Psychic/Calm Mind/Shadow Ball/Thunderbolt)

Three Goddesses, Three Ages, Three Guardians

Gothorita& (Shiny) Ursaring: The Maiden and her "teddy bear" (I chose it's Shiny as its vibrant green color gives it a more toy-ish appearance). Gothorita is a pretty good Eviolite user as it makes its already good defensive stats even bulkier. Still, as a NFE, she's not hitting hard so I had her focused on paralyzing and disabling items (hence why I gave her Competitive instead of Shadow Tag, she'd want the opponent to switch to at least spread paralysis; and if she's in luck may get a Special Attack increase so she can hit as good as a fully evolved Pokemon). Of course Gothorita doesn't need to hit hard, she has her "teddy bear" to be her muscle. Ursaring is mostly all-out offense, meant to tear through with raw power and maybe get in a quick hibernation (via Rest, a Psychic-type move) to try and heal itself before another rampage.

Jynx& Trevenant: The Crone and a possessed tree from her bewitched forest. The crone represents the "waning" years, the end of her life and incoming death, therefore partnered Jynx with a Ghost-type and focused on "alternative" ways of manipulating HP for both of them. Jynx tries putting the opponent to Sleep with Lovely Kiss and either goes on the attack or pressures them to switch out with a Perish Song. Trevenant is focused on depleting the opponent while restoring itself, has Harvest & a Sitrus Berry to work with it, Horn Leach for further healing, Ghost-type Curse to put on pressure, and finally Trick Room (Psychic-type Move) as most of these Pokemon are slow (the fastest is oddly Jynx though her strategy doesn't require her to be that fast).

(Mega) Aggron& Gothitelle: Finally the ace is the Mother and her guardian & laborer servant. While at first Aggron seems like an odd (forced) pick, the Mother represents the time of her like where she's most fertile and nurturing, and if you read Aggron's dex descriptions you'll learn that Aggron nutures its territory by digging up fertile soil to the surface. And, being more defense focused than offense, I feel this gives them a nice "co-ace" synergy. I gave Mega Aggron the interesting strategy of laying out Stealth Rock and then forcing switched with Dragon Tail, I feel Mega Aggron is strong enough it can tank hits (and maybe Rest itself) long enough to have Stealth Rock to cause havoc on the opponent's team. At least enough so that Gothitelle can come in and start cleaning up.

 

[Cobalt Empoleon]

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?