Subject: Thank you. I aim to terrify.
Author:
Posted on: 2016-03-05 01:33:00 UTC
I kid, I kid.
I'm also a terrible battler: I subscribe to the school of Rincewind tactics. I figure that if I hit my opponent with a furious flurry of poorly-coordinated yet powerful-ish strikes they won't get up after the first round. Maybe I should consider using those fancy "stall strats" or something :P
HELLOOOOOO, and welcome back to the second annual PPC Pokémon Tournament!
Well, not quite.
Like last year, the tournamet will be officially starting in April; however, seeing as it is now March, I want to give all trainers the opportunity to begin planning their teams!
(For those of you who were not with us last year, have a Wiki link.)
Since, as far as I know (though feel free to correct me if I'm wrong), the Smogon Banned List has not changed since last year, we'll be using the same banned list as before, which can be found here. Rules and such will similarly remain the same, and can also be found at that last link.
HOWEVER!
This year, there is a catch.
Teams this year will be Monotype, to truly test how well trainers fare in the face of an unfavorable type matchup. How well-prepared are you to counter your weaknesses?
I myself will be using the Psychic type, but don't think that because one Trainer has claimed a type you can't use it as well. After all, there are only so many types to go around.
Pokémon on your Monotype teams are allowed to be dual typed as long as one of their types belongs to the typing you choose. (For example, if you chose Fire, then Infernape would be acceptable.)
You have until the last week in March to finalize your teams! The official cutoff point is Thursday, March 31. Once that is over, I'll draw up a randomized bracket and we'll go from there.
Good luck!
Definitely normal type for me. Can't wait to see how everyone's teams are going to turn out!
After many minutes of not so thoughtful consideration, here is my team:
Porygon-Z
Diggersby
Ambipom
Slaking
Lopunny
Ditto
Snorlax - sub
Get ready for (the beta) team Death From Below, the motley Ground-type crew:
-Cyr the Diggersby
-Banzai the Torterra
-Trident the Excadrill
-Bastion the Gastrodon
-Landorus-T
-Sigbert the Hippowdon
-Archer the Nidoking
I don't expect to get very far, but we'll see how it goes.
You have the only team I'm legit worried about. Even though I'm a terrible battler and will probably be knocked out fairly quickly, my team was built to deal with basically everything except a pure-ground team.
I kid, I kid.
I'm also a terrible battler: I subscribe to the school of Rincewind tactics. I figure that if I hit my opponent with a furious flurry of poorly-coordinated yet powerful-ish strikes they won't get up after the first round. Maybe I should consider using those fancy "stall strats" or something :P
Will struggle with a pure ground team. I have a few counters, but not many.
You get to face my Silver Version mono-Normal team!
Girafarig, Smeargle, Stantler, Fearow, Wigglytuff, Aipom and Eevee!
That's right: All pre-Gen III moves and no items! I'm sure that won't put me at any kind of disadvantage against the current metagame. 'Bout to teach you childrens how we did it back in 2000. SONNNNNNNNNN.
—doctorlit, actually ill right now
I used an Ambipom last year and got to the final.
Largely by being the only person in the Cup who played competitive on a regular basis, but w/e. =]
I just barely scratch by as a competitive player. I will grant, though, that you're much more serious and competent than I, as our battle demonstrated well.
And speaking of! If we meet in the tournament again this year, you'd best believe it won't go that way again. >:D
I'm not super experienced with Monotype, so it could and should lead to closer matchups. =]
Get some revenge from last year. Unlike last year I think I have this team fairly well tested. Should be good.
The random bracket generator gods laugh at your assumptions.
Also, because I think a meme is mandatory at this point:
Now I'm beginning to regret that I have virtually no knowledge of Pokémon. Oh well, there's always next year, eh?
If you really want to participate, I'm sure any one of us would be happy to show you the ropes. It's really not that hard!
As great as that sounds I think I would prefer to have some more knowledge of the continuum first, but I'll watch and learn. I'm kind of a person who prefers observing, then doing.
I am more than happy to give crash courses in battling to anyone willing to put up with me. =]
So, could I know what do you think of my Ghost team? (And your ID on Pokeshowdon, help and training would be easier with that.)
My last team did not go so well. But it was also first time I did competitive in well basically ever. That being said, I can build a few sample teams for your Ghosts to go against if you want to work out the kinks. My name over there is EAIUBEROverlord. If I'm logged on I usually hang out in the writing room.
You can fight the conceptual form of team Electric Boogaloo as well as a few other teams I've built for fun. You can tell when I'm online because I'll be in the IRC.
I'll try to look for you when I'm on this site. Good luck in the tournamnet too.
In fact, last year's tourney is what got me into the current Pokemon metagame. Like everything else, you learn from experience.
Fire boils water, water drowns grass, grass uses fire to photosynthesise.
If I can get the time after work, maybe this year I'll be able to actually participate. Anyway... ahem. RELEASE THE BIRBS! (And one not-birb. But can still love birb. Because reasons.)
- Falchion, Skarmory (Steel/Flying)
- Pit, Togekiss (Fairy/Flying)
- Douglas, Talonflame (Fire/Flying)
- Moctezuma, Hawlucha (Fighting/Flying)
- Garuda, Zapdos (Electric/Flying)
- Rodan, Aerodactyl (Rock/Flying)
Substitute - Stratogale, Staraptor (Normal/Flying)
Switching out Talonflame for Tomoe, Mandibuzz (Dark/Flying).
Team You Get Poison and You Get Poison Everybody Gets Poison
1. Venusaur Poison/Grass
2. Nidoking Poison/Ground
3. Crobat Poison/Flying
4. Drapion Poison/Dark
5. Scolipede Poison/Bug
6. Dragalge Poison/Dragon
I'll go Arbok
http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Dragalge_(Pok%C3%A9mon)
Basically, a giant leafy sea dragon that can spit acid. And is a dragon. Because dragons.
It's also the first Poison/Dragon type, and a pretty powerful special tank to boot. In other words, the bane of fairies everywhere.
I can only confirm I am using Flying types, but this is my idea currently.
Tropius
Honchkrow
Pidgeot
Gliscor
Crobat
Fan Rotom
Salamence
Is there anything wrong with this?
Politoed, Gyrados, Lanturn, Cloyster, Dewgong, Sharpedo and Swampert are my new picks.
Freakin' gimmick with Sigilyph, stored power, roost and cosmic power... Not that I have my own gimmick up my sleeve.
I also have Politoed in my team, but it doesn't seem to be in the google docs. Also, Will weather-boosting items be banned? Monotype banns them, but we're playing on different rules, right?
Thanks for poking me. :P
And again, the full banlist is in the doc.
As long as you don't use Salamencite, you're golden.
Do you need permission? OHKO moves allowed? Species clause? Sure someof these things sound like common sense, but I would try to get away with anything I can. >:)
Smogons rules do not allow for OHKO moves, and I'm fairly certain you do not need permission as this is a community thing and has nothing to do with the stories we write.
Here.
1/ What level should Pokemon be at? 100?
b/ Are multiple Pokemon allowed to hold the same item?
Blue/ ... I don't actually have a third question, but I wanted to do that joke. Er... when're you going to change rule 1 to say '2016'? [Ducks]
hS
1) 100 is the level, though feel free to play at a lower level... ;)
b) Yes.
Purple) *wallops* Now.
... I think I want to change my team. :D
hS
Will to battle... dissipating...
Woo! I have been waiting for this all semester. I'm so in. My team currently is in the works.
Introducing the Zealous Zappers, the Paragons of Polarity, the Static Stalwarts!
Varillex the Luxray
Loolus the Ampharos
Xemra the Emolga
Joroph the Heliolisk
Gelvora the Lanturn
Chakix the Galvantula
& Ugop the substitution Stunfisk!
My team is a mono Ghost. Jury is still out about my substitute, or eventual modification, but here they are for the moment:
Golurk
Chandelure
Gengar
Sableye
Trevenant
Douublade
I'd like for some help for ameliorating my team, and finding my substitute.
Incidentally, I also changed it:
Golurk
Chandelure
Gengar
Spiritomb
Trevenant
Jellicent
Sableye makes its come-back, and Spiritomb passes substitute. (hopefully that will be the last change)
I would like for Spiritomb to be replaced with Aegislash.
But Aegislash is banned for Steel teams, why would it be any different for a Ghost team?
It might have something to do with the fact that, as part Ghost, it's immune to Steel's otherwise weakness to Fighting.
Just a guess, though; I haven't been able to scrounge anything up.
So to me it seems like it ought to be banned outright again. Just my thinking.
It ought to stay there.
But if it's really tat much of a problem, You can switch Aegislash with Cofagrigus.
Is how intrinsically versatile it is. It has, via King's Shield and Stance Change, the potential to be an unassailable wall or a remorseless sweeper - physical or special. Whatever you decide to do with it, it can do exceptionally well.
And that's why it was banned from OU, and is being suspected in both OU and Monotype after it came back to the tier.
Guess the less controverse the better.
By the way, would it be possible to have your opinion about the time I created?
Lawks a-mercy, there's been a few of these chaps knocking about of late. =]
harry heath 99 at the place where the mail is hot dot com, if you haven't got my email address.
Been a while since I've battled competitively, But I'm into trying this out. Tentatively going with Ghost, but I may change my mind. I'll post my team when I've done a little more research.
Decided to go with Electric instead. Here we go:
-Goldschlager the Galvantula
-Tequila the Electross
-Vodka the Rotom
-Whiskey the Electivire
-Moonshine the Thundurus
-Gin the Jolteon
Substitute is Jagerbomb the Electrode.
Eelektross is my all-time favourite Pokémon. I'm keeping Daddy E's mini. =]
I meant Wash Rotom and Therian Thundurus. I wanted them to be a surprise but considering how different some formes can be I figured it was best to specify.
There's a Chrome extension which makes the substitutions suggested in a couple of XKCD comics. So we currently have a Boarder named Cat-on-the-Leopard, for instance - and you've just described your Atomic-type Pokemon team.
hS, keeping it (sur)real
Still not sure if I'll be playing, so you can either leave it off the doc or be prepared to withdraw me. :P
In no particular order, with no particular certainty, and based almost entirely on appearance:
Charizard - Fire/Flying
Ninetales - Fire
Chandelure - Fire/Ghost
Torkoal - Fire
Pyroar - Fire/Normal
Camerupt - Fire/Ground
Delphox - Fire/Psychic
hS wanted Talonflame because it looks gorgeous, buuuut apparently it's banned. Guess that means I have good taste? ;)
And crying because designing Pokeymans is hard work. It's taken me half an hour to pin down one. One!
hS
Didn't think of that, did you?
hS will now do that as retroactive justification
Wait, sorry, wrong thread.
hS
Professor von BOOM! from last year's Sunflower Cup making a reappearance, hm? =]
Professor von BOOM! from last year's Sunflower Cup making a reappearance, hm? =]
'cause on the one hand, giant camel (which would make July delirously happy, I'm sure). But on the other hand, giant firedragon.
But on the other other hand, giant firedragon is banned for being too cool. So choices, choices.
Or I may change it all up later anyway.
hS
I haven't forgotten about those camels.
From a competitive standpoint, Mega Charizard Y has some distinct advantages on a mono Fire team. Drought works really well as a way of boosting your damage output and means you have have good options against Water teams in the form of Solar Beam. By contrast, Mega Camerupt is much slower but hits like a speeding bus despite lacking the boost from sun - which you can get anyway because Ninetales is a thing. M-Cam's ability, Sheer Force, means that moves with a secondary effect do 33% more damage but don't trigger the effect - which means that its dual STAB of Fire and Ground can do hilarious amounts of damage. It also has the advantage of not immediately losing half its health to Stealth Rock upon switching in.
Aesthetically, on the other hand, it's like this. Mega Charizard Y is just Charizard but bigger. Mega Camerupt is LITERALLY A FLUFFY CAMEL WITH A VOLCANO GROWING OUT OF IT. IT IS THE MOST CUTE. DO IT NAO.
... I counter with even gianter fire dragon.
I can definitely see advantages in Mega Camerupt's 'now I am a literal volcano, as soon as I get moving I will smash you to paste' approach. But I can also see advantages to 'INSTANT SOLAR BEAM AND HYPERPOWERED FIRE'.
... though, as you say, drought!Ninetales could set that up just as easily (easier? I'unno). Trouble is, Ninetales looks pretty fragile overall...
Decisions, snoisiced...
hS
Ninetales is fragile as a Drought setter. However, it does have one advantage over Megazard Y in that regard - it can hold a Heat Rock, extending Drought's effect to 8 turns. =]
Is there anything else Ninetales can do? Cutting my team down to five in order to boost fire for eight turns seems like a bit of a gamble.
Though given that my list includes almost no-one with decent defences, maybe I oughtn't worry about that...
hS
Its gimmick is that it can set up weather without wasting a moveslot on Sunny Day - thus freeing up a slot for, say, more coverage or Protect or something. It also means you can use Solar Beam from Turn 1, so that's a plus. =]
It's also worth mentioning that sunlight doesn't just boost Fire - it also nerfs Water moves and activates a few abilities like Solar Power and Dry Skin. Really, though, Sunlight works best on Grass teams, because there's so, so many ones that use Chlorophyll. =]
Though first I'll need to come up with movesets for more than just one Pokemon... :(
hS
I used their recommended movesets and tweaked mine from there.
You can search by the list or just Google "[Pokémon's name] smogon".
Trawling through lists to find what kind of moves I want to stick on there is... something approximating fun, I guess? Just... long-winded fun.
I'unno. Maybe.
hS
I'm gonna be using a Fairy type team
Composition:
Mega-Gardevoir
Azumarril
Togekiss
Sylveon
Diancie
Clefable
You've got one spot still open.
I'm gonna experiment with a mono-Water team this year.
Quagsire
Starmie
Poliwrath
Alomomola
Empoleon
Mantine
Substitute: Floatzel
That is, Des' MonoFlying team:
-Ignis the Charizard
-Sanctigris the Hawlucha
-Tysis the Togekiss
-Quanta Vandal the Yanmega
-Torrid the Crobat
-Ripkas the Gliscor
-Torid the Mandibuzz, the substitute
(PS: Fun fact: Top Gun is called "אהבה בשחקים" — ahava ba'shkhakim — in Hebrew; it means "love in the sky".)
Mandibuzz instead of Crobat. No substitute right now.
I didn't choose the Bug-type... the Bug-type chose me.
---
Scapegrace's Bug Type Team
Galvantula
Volcarona
Yanmega
Heracross
Armaldo
Scizor
Pinsir [Substitute]
I'm definitely need to look out for you again this year. That's one terrifying looking team you've put together
Ambipom I know intimately (doubtless to your surprise) and Diggersby is Azumarill with better STAB, but I'm really curious to see what your Slaking will do. I know of Durant sets with Truant that run Entrainment, but Slaking doesn't know that... still. Should be interesting. Encore user, maybe? idk.
Actually, while you're here... After the competition, if we don't end up fighting each other, would you be up for an exhibition match? =]
I'm using Dark-types. Pangoro, Bisharp, Mandibuzz, Honchkrow, Hoopa Unbound, Absol.
One: This is Team Blood Moon... yeah, I named them after the Dark-type Spectacular Talent.
Two: Is is legal to ask for help building the team, or is that helping other players to cheat should they fight me?
Though if you end up fighting that person, they'll then know all your dirty tricks. ;P
... I don't think that'll be a problem.
Dark-types tend to have a lot of Fighting-type coverage, of which my team is not the world's biggest fan. You've also got Flying-types, which are going to be tricky for me to deal with.
I'd forgotten you'd picked a team that's (on-paper) supereffective against mine.
"D'you think we should've taught her everything we know?"
"Nah, take too long."
-- Granny Weatherwax and Nanny Ogg. =]
It'll be pretty easy, since I've still got the files from last year... ^_^.
Have not decided whether I want to participate. Does the website (whatever the website was) have a play-against-computer option that could be used to test it out?
hS
PokemonShowdown doesn't have an AI to fight against. However, testing your team against real people is better (assuming you don't encounter n00bs or ragequitters or whathaveyous), since you'd be fighting against real people in the tourney.
... as whether I can understand/enjoy using the website itself.
My team I expect to crash and (heh) burn in round one, so there's no problem there. ^_^
I know you can choose who to fight... is it possible to just open it up in two browsers? Or even on two devices, my phone might work for that...
hS, dubious
That since Pokemon Showdown runs on cookies (basically), you can have two different users open in two different browsers just fine. You can definitely fight yourself, if so you wish.
(Chrome hS versus Internet Explorer hS... it's robot versus tech-savvy Victorian!)
hS
Chrome hS had three (randomly-selected) Pokemon left after clobbering IE hS.
Seems easy enough to use, and not too long. I may actually do this.
hS
If you wish to change your team roster before the cutoff, that is perfectly fine as well. Just post and I'll switch it right away.
I'm not sure whether we should do that or not, but Smogon's Monotype banlist is slightly different, compared to its OU banlist.
I'd be in favor of changing to that, as well as keeping the banned moves list we already have in place. Ties aren't something we want, after all.
Also, is anyone setting up a document for the teams again? Need to enter #ThugCatcha.
As a matter of fact... here,
Psychic Type
Gardevoir
Gallade
Malamar
Delphox
Slowking
Reuniclus
[no substitute]