Battle Maison Discussion & Records

[Yonanoveau]

SimicCombine,
Yonanoveau, I see a complete absence of Protect as the first thing that strikes out. If TR goes up, against Mara's double TR leads or Aromatisse which you can't snipe or just an otherwise unpleasant lead pair, you have nothing against it aside from Scizor, which isn't that impressive, especially without Mega or Life Orb to give it some power. There's also little that can be done against faster threats - none of your Pokémon will enjoy a date with CB Aerodactyl or Paralysis-inducing Thunder(bolt) from Jolteon and Manectric. I'd recommend dropping the inaccurate Draco Meteor for Protect, finding room for Mat Block on Greninja (it really is that good), considering Timid on Hydreigon (just look at the speed tiers for all the bad things you outspeed with it, including many dangeorus Veteran Pokémon), and possibly dropping Scizor for something different if you can't afford to give it Life Orb or Mega Evolution. Without either of those it's going to be a bit underwhelming in every aspect.

I can see what you're trying to say. But do CB Aerodactyl and Scarfed Manetric show up later on? It strikes me as odd that I don't recall ever encountering something that stopped me on tracks (I did start this streak in february and interrupted to get the other trophies, so I don't remember well most battles), which doesn't make sense given, as you pointed out, I have important flaws in my team. I did manage well against Trick Room teams, but perhaps I just lucked out then... I mean, they have screwed me over in Singles and Triples.

How do you use protect and Mat Block properly, by the way? I did consider them a while back, but couldn't really pull them well so I opted for more offense because of that. I am aware it's because I didn't know how to use them though.

To be fair, Scizor has actually performed quite well. Sure, it doesn't hit incredebly hard or anything, but it's surprisingly durable for the most part and hits hard enough to work well in team. Unless there's a Fire user... things get nasty then. But if I don't go with Scizor what could fit his spot on the team, in your opinion?

 

[turskain]

How do you use protect and Mat Block properly, by the way? I did consider them a while back, but couldn't really pull them well so I opted for more offense because of that. I am aware it's because I didn't know how to use them though.

For Mat Block, the general rule is to use it whenever Greninja outspeeds the opponents, and the opponents are going to use relevant attacks. If the opponents are going to use dangerous status moves like Dragon Dance, Trick Room, Thunder Wave, Confuse Ray or the like, then Mat Block can be actively useless and harmful (consulting the Maison spreadsheet is mandatory to know which it's going to be) and it should usually be attacking instead. Dealing with the ones that outspeed Greninja, carry Fake Out or have Quick Claw is highly situational and dependent on the co-lead and may require Focus Sash or switching.

I can see Protect not working very well with Hydreigon/Greninja, since their shared Dark typing and associated weaknesses make the AI's moves much more difficult to predict than you'd like. Replacing lead Hydreigon is the only way to solve the problem - its Dark STAB is redundant anyway with Greninja already on the team, so Latios is the first option to replace it. It could also be another big, fast enough special attacker, like the Mega Gardevoir you've got on your team or the Mega Charizard Y my team uses. Mat Block Greninja's lead partner should definitely be special rather than physical - having used Garchomp with it, Intimidate crippling your physical sweeper and making it hit like a wet towel is really bad when you want the lead partner to be able to deal big damage during the free turn from Mat Block.

When your Pokémon's defenses and typing synergize in a way that makes the AI's moves easier to predict, Protect becomes much easier to use effectively. Using Greninja/Charizard as an example, against CB Aerodactyl you know for sure the AI will use Stone Edge on Charizard, so you can use Protect on Charizard while Greninja OHKOes Aerodactyl with Ice Beam. If you have a frail Pokémon like Infernape and a bulkier one like Garchomp, the AI will prefer attacking the frail one a lot of the time, allowing it to Protect to create space. Rotom-W/Garchomp had a bit of an anti-synergy with that in the previous version of the team, with both of them being bulky enough that the AI might attack either. Knowing which Pokémon the AI will target also makes switching much easier.

Edit: for a summary of what Mat Block Greninja does in Maison Doubles: in the match-ups where it's applicable (which is most of them, as only a handful of Pokémon outspeed Greninja or carry dangerous status moves), it essentially gives you three first moves, one on Greninja and two on your lead partner, and elevates the lead partner's Speed tier to that of Greninja for its first move.

 

[SimicCombine]

SimicCombine, that lead pair deals too much damage. I'm a bit concerned about how fast EdgeQuake users behave against them with the leads having weaknesses to both Rock and Ground. Aerodactyl4 goes for STAB Stone Edge on Charizard as you say, which is good. I presume Terrakion2 (Adamant Choice Scarf) also goes for Stone Edge on Charizard. Quick Claw Donphan4 with Sturdy worries me most, since it could plausibly go for either STAB EQ to kill Darmanitan or Stone Edge to kill Charizard.

I'm also worried slightly about Fire types, especially Entei1 with possible Flash Fire and Stone Edge to threaten both leads, and Entei3 with Timid Scarf Eruption in the Sun, which nothing wants to take.

Some Dragon-types also worry me, especially Salamence4 with Intimidate to stop Darmanitan, and Latis on Veterans.

Froslass4 is also very nasty - it has Focus Sash and outspeeds Charizard, so it can't be sniped before it moves, and it uses Icy Wind, which cripples both your leads and hits your back-ups hard. Mat Block Greninja handles it on my team, but without that it's going to be trouble for almost any team.

Another worrisome enemy is Carracosta4, with STAB Rock Slide powered by Sturdy and Weakness Policy. It can be sniped on its own, but it's ran by Scientists which have quite narrow Pokémon lists, so having it paired with Jolteon, Aerodactyl or Manectric is not uncommon.

Gale Wings Talonflame also worries me, since neither lead is going to enjoy Brave Bird.

Scarf Pinsir4 is also nasty, as it outspeeds Darmanitan and can EQ or Guillotine. I misgrouped it with Scarf Rock attackers in my 399 streak write-up for some reason, but it doesn't have Stone Edge and might go for either EQ or Guillotine, none of which will be pleasant. Against my team it X-Scissors Greninja most of the time (which is good since it has Focus Sash) and occasionally Guillotines Charizard, which uses Protect, but for your team there's no expendable Sash lead to take the hit.

Another fun threat I forgot in my write-up is Skarmory3 (Choice Scarf, Rock Slide) - its damage is unimpressive, but what it has over its fellow ScarfSliders is the potential to have Sturdy, which is not fun in the least when getting flinchhaxed all day long. Thankfully, your back-ups are both Rock resistant, so you should be fine against it.

Good luck on your streak.

In my experience, the AI always goes for a 4x effective move if able.

So far, every Froslass I've seen used Shadow Ball, usually on Charizard (the AI doesn't like resisted attacks?)

The play with Carracosta is probably to Protect with Charizard, and KO the partner, allowing Breloom to finish off Carracosta (now that I think about it, I really should change to Sash if that's what I am using it for.)

Entei and other flash fire mons are definite threats. A U-turn to Garchomp plus a protect could work, but that play loses to Lati@s+Entei leads... If I switch to Life Orb, then:
252 Atk Life Orb Garchomp Earthquake vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Entei: 190-226 (100 - 118.9%) -- guaranteed OHKO (whew), while
252 SpA Entei Eruption (150 BP) vs. 4 HP / 0 SpD Garchomp in Sun: 123-144 (34.3 - 40.2%) -- guaranteed 3HKO

Lati@s are tough. Garchomp outspeeds and KOs Calm Mind variants. Darmanitan's not completely useless against either
252+ Atk Sheer Force Darmanitan Flare Blitz vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Latios in Sun: 139-164 (89.6 - 105.8%) -- 37.5% chance to OHKO (dang, that's strong)
Breloom can revenge anyway.

After intimidate, Darmanitan still hits as if sun were gone, which is still pretty dang hard, just misses out on several 1HKOs. Mence is a tough one. Breloom can't revenge it after it takes a -1 Flare Blitz, but Breloom can revenge it after a Dragon Pulse from ZardY. Snipe plus hope for the speed tie may not be the best plan, but it may be necessary. After running the calcs, Flare Blitz plus Heat Wave KOs all non-Multiscale Dragonite dragons. If I'm gonna live life on the edge, I'm gonna live life on the edge I guess.

Hope I can get this to work. Spamming the most powerful attack in the Maison is too appealing.

 

[Yonanoveau]

For Mat Block, the general rule is to use it whenever Greninja outspeeds the opponents, and the opponents are going to use relevant attacks. If the opponents are going to use dangerous status moves like Dragon Dance, Trick Room, Thunder Wave, Confuse Ray or the like, then Mat Block can be actively useless and harmful (consulting the Maison spreadsheet is mandatory to know which it's going to be) and it should usually be attacking instead. Dealing with the ones that outspeed Greninja, carry Fake Out or have Quick Claw is highly situational and dependent on the co-lead and may require Focus Sash or switching.

I can see Protect not working very well with Hydreigon/Greninja, since their shared Dark typing and associated weaknesses make the AI's moves much more difficult to predict than you'd like. Replacing lead Hydreigon is the only way to solve the problem - its Dark STAB is redundant anyway with Greninja already on the team, so Latios is the first option to replace it. It could also be another big, fast enough special attacker, like the Mega Gardevoir you've got on your team or the Mega Charizard Y my team uses. Mat Block Greninja's lead partner should definitely be special rather than physical - having used Garchomp with it, Intimidate crippling your physical sweeper and making it hit like a wet towel is really bad when you want the lead partner to be able to deal big damage during the free turn from Mat Block.

When your Pokémon's defenses and typing synergize in a way that makes the AI's moves easier to predict, Protect becomes much easier to use effectively. Using Greninja/Charizard as an example, against CB Aerodactyl you know for sure the AI will use Stone Edge on Charizard, so you can use Protect on Charizard while Greninja OHKOes Aerodactyl with Ice Beam. If you have a frail Pokémon like Infernape and a bulkier one like Garchomp, the AI will prefer attacking the frail one a lot of the time, allowing it to Protect to create space. Rotom-W/Garchomp had a bit of an anti-synergy with that in the previous version of the team, with both of them being bulky enough that the AI might attack either. Knowing which Pokémon the AI will target also makes switching much easier.

Edit: for a summary of what Mat Block Greninja does in Maison Doubles: in the match-ups where it's applicable (which is most of them, as only a handful of Pokémon outspeed Greninja or carry dangerous status moves), it essentially gives you three first moves, one on Greninja and two on your lead partner, and elevates the lead partner's Speed tier to that of Greninja for its first move.

I see. Thanks for all the help, BTW.

Well, in the AI case it will always aim for Greninja's current typing so it's actually not that hard to predict, if Greninja used Ice Beam it will draw fire attacks, if it's Water it will draw electric ones, etc. I can see the weaker defense being attacked first. When I come across fighting types they always go for Greninja, good thing I carry Extrasensory.

I actually use Hydreigon because it carries Earth Power and Flamethrower, also given it also has a STABd Dark Pulse I run Extrasensory in Greninja. The idea is that between both they can cover almost everything... but it does happen that I come across repeated types so one of the two is left with neutral hits. I did consider Latios, but... his coverage is too similar to Gardevoir's and Greninja. He is an attractive choice, but I think he would go better if the team is slightly different.

I didn't know Mat Block made the partner as fast as Greninja for the turn. That's awesome! And yeah, I agree, Special Attackers are the best choice here.

Well, the streak ended at 107 battlers (678W-WWWW-WWW7-LZQJ). Nothing great, I know, but it was my first attempt at Super Doubles. I lost mostly because of a poor choice and frankly solely because Hypnosis. I tried the battle again right away in the recorder and didn't have much trouble winning it repeatedly (I was bitter about it too=P ). The lesson is, if there's something faster than Greninja it must go down first.

I guess it's a nice time to try a different team or tweak the one I have right now with what you told me. Guess I'll keep Greninja though, but a good chance for other partners or a new mega. Or perhaps I can try my own Sun Team this time... (sucks I can't get a Flash Fire Typhlosion though)

 

[VaporeonIce]

Spamming the most powerful attack in the Maison is too appealing.

Tell me about it.

252+ Atk Sheer Force Darmanitan Flare Blitz vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Kangaskhan in Sun: 279-328 (155 - 182.2%) -- guaranteed OHKO
+6 252+ SpA Smeargle Psychic (just a proxy for 820 base power Stored Power) vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Kangaskhan: 970-1142 (538.8 - 634.4%) -- guaranteed OHKO

(Sorry, I couldn't help myself.)

Flash Fire Entei is kind of a pain for your team, since that Garchomp calc only works for two of the sets. For the other two:

Entei 4: 252 Atk Life Orb Garchomp Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Entei: 190-226 (85.5 - 101.8%) -- 6.3% chance to OHKO

It will usually take itself out with Life Orb damage after that (or has a better chance to faint against EQ if you switch Garchomp in on Stone Edge), but it might use Sacred Fire on Garchomp if it survives, which would be pretty bad.

Entei 2: 252 Atk Life Orb Garchomp Earthquake vs. 170 HP / 170+ Def Entei: 148-174 (70.1 - 82.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

I see this as a bigger threat, because Flamethrower is its only attack, meaning it is VERY likely to target Garchomp with Will-O-Wisp. It's also hugely bulky, and it can set up Calm Minds so MegaZard can't do anything. That said, the fact that it has a hard time hurting Charizard and Darmanitan means you're probably pretty safe mega evolving and double-targeting the other lead with your attacks. Be careful, though, because Entei 2 with Flash Fire can dismantle your team if you wind up in a bad spot. An Entei 2 + Latios 2 pairing seems like a lead combo you're not too interested in facing.

Yonanoveau , it doesn't actually make your other Pokemon faster. Turskain meant that any of your opponent's Pokemon that are faster than your other lead but slower than Greninja will be unable to hit your other lead (with damaging moves), making your other lead "faster" (i.e. it gets in a free hit) than those Pokemon. It isn't actually faster, so if the opponent's lead is faster than your lead and they decide to use (let's say) Calm Mind that turn, your other lead will still have to hit +1 SpDef that turn.

 

[turskain]

I see. Thanks for all the help, BTW.

Well, in the AI case it will always aim for Greninja's current typing so it's actually not that hard to predict, if Greninja used Ice Beam it will draw fire attacks, if it's Water it will draw electric ones, etc. I can see the weaker defense being attacked first. When I come across fighting types they always go for Greninja, good thing I carry Extrasensory.

I actually use Hydreigon because it carries Earth Power and Flamethrower, also given it also has a STABd Dark Pulse I run Extrasensory in Greninja. The idea is that between both they can cover almost everything... but it does happen that I come across repeated types so one of the two is left with neutral hits. I did consider Latios, but... his coverage is too similar to Gardevoir's and Greninja. He is an attractive choice, but I think he would go better if the team is slightly different.

I didn't know Mat Block made the partner as fast as Greninja for the turn. That's awesome! And yeah, I agree, Special Attackers are the best choice here.

Well, the streak ended at 107 battlers (678W-WWWW-WWW7-LZQJ). Nothing great, I know, but it was my first attempt at Super Doubles. I lost mostly because of a poor choice and frankly solely because Hypnosis. I tried the battle again right away in the recorder and didn't have much trouble winning it repeatedly (I was bitter about it too=P ). The lesson is, if there's something faster than Greninja it must go down first.

I guess it's a nice time to try a different team or tweak the one I have right now. Guess I'll keep Greninja though, but a good chance for other partners or a new mega. Or perhaps I can try my own Sun Team this time... (sucks I can't get a Flash Fire Typhlosion though)

Mat Block doesn't actually make it as fast, but in effect it does - as an example, let's say you're up against a Hex Maniac who pulls out Starmie and Gengar as the leads. Both of them outspeed the lead partner, but are outsped by Greninja - without Mat Block, one of them would be getting a hit in before dropping. But with Mat Block, the lead partner "moves first" in the sense that both of the enemy's attacks are blocked, allowing you to OHKO both of them without either of them getting an attack off. A more relevant case would be Lati@s - it can't be OHKOed by Greninja, but it really needs to be disposed of before it gets any hits off since Draco Meteor is not a fun attack to be taking. With Mat Block, the slower-than-Lati lead partner can Dragon Pulse them while the mat blocks any meteor showers, and Greninja can follow up with Dark Pulse for the KO. Another important one is Virizion, sporting Stone Edge to kill Charizard and not being OHKOed by Ice Beam. With Mat Block, the faster attack is blocked and the offender is disposed of with Flamethrower.

Edit: Ah, you beat me to it.

While I'm editing, I noticed I missed parts of your post, Yonanoveau. If there's a way to get Scizor the boosting item it needs, it's a great fit. Using a different Pokémon in Mega Gardevoir's place seems like the best option because Mega Gardevoir has 68/65 defenses and non-stellar defensive typing, making it fall over from a stiff breeze or a random Earthquake. 100 base Speed is decent, but with defenses like that, not decent enough. With a Steel in Scizor already to somewhat handle Dragons, it doesn't necessarily have to be a Fairy-type, so a variety of things could run in that slot. With the leads already both being special, having physical back-ups is best, so it could be something like Infernape or Mamoswine or Swampert.

 

[Yonanoveau]

Ah, I misunderstood it. Didn't catch you meant speed in a non literal sense.

Yeah, I always thought it was pretty damn stupid how 20 Base Stat points went to Gardevoir's Atk of all freaking things with the Mega Evolution when nobody uses that particular stat and it needed Def so much.

How about Azumarrill (Aqua Jet) and give Scizor the Scizorite for the mega?

EDIT: Nope, redundant since Greninja is already there.

 

[silver_angel]

Yay!

I just got the 50 victories in rotation battles! I didn't think it would be so easy, so I guess I had some luck ;-)

My team was :

Dragonite @ Lum Berry
Ability: Multiscale
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 Atk / 4 HP
Adamant Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Outrage
- Roost
- Waterfall

Volcarona @ Focus sash
Ability: Flame body
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 AtkSp / 4 HP
Modest Nature
- Quiver Dance
- Psychic
- Flamethrower
- Bug Buzz

Hydreigon @ Weakness Policy
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 AtkSp / 4 DefSp
Modest Nature
- Dark Pulse
- Flamethrower
- Dragon Pulse
- Earth Power

Backup:

Kangaskhan @ Kangaskhanite
Ability: Scrappy
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Return
- Sucker Punch
- Power up Punch

This team is very offensive. Volcarona, Dragonite and Mega-Khan are so powerful after 1 or 2 boost (I'm not gonna teach that to you), but in fact when volcarona or dragonite went down, in almost every case mega khan was able to finish the battle, thus only using 2 pokemon.
If the opponent had a rock attack it was dragon dance; if it had an ice attack it was quiver dance.
When the computer had rock/ice teams (which he sure loved given the weaknesses of my starters), I used Hydreigon until he was KO, then continued with mega khan until there were no more rock or ice.
In the last battle, I switched Hydreigon for Aegislash (weak -> immune to sacred sword).

Only multi battles are left!

 

[Yonanoveau]

Mat Block doesn't actually make it as fast, but in effect it does - as an example, let's say you're up against a Hex Maniac who pulls out Starmie and Gengar as the leads. Both of them outspeed the lead partner, but are outsped by Greninja - without Mat Block, one of them would be getting a hit in before dropping. But with Mat Block, the lead partner "moves first" in the sense that both of the enemy's attacks are blocked, allowing you to OHKO both of them without either of them getting an attack off. A more relevant case would be Lati@s - it can't be OHKOed by Greninja, but it really needs to be disposed of before it gets any hits off since Draco Meteor is not a fun attack to be taking. With Mat Block, the slower-than-Lati lead partner can Dragon Pulse them while the mat blocks any meteor showers, and Greninja can follow up with Dark Pulse for the KO. Another important one is Virizion, sporting Stone Edge to kill Charizard and not being OHKOed by Ice Beam. With Mat Block, the faster attack is blocked and the offender is disposed of with Flamethrower.

Edit: Ah, you beat me to it.

While I'm editing, I noticed I missed parts of your post, Yonanoveau. If there's a way to get Scizor the boosting item it needs, it's a great fit. Using a different Pokémon in Mega Gardevoir's place seems like the best option because Mega Gardevoir has 68/65 defenses and non-stellar defensive typing, making it fall over from a stiff breeze or a random Earthquake. 100 base Speed is decent, but with defenses like that, not decent enough. With a Steel in Scizor already to somewhat handle Dragons, it doesn't necessarily have to be a Fairy-type, so a variety of things could run in that slot. With the leads already both being special, having physical back-ups is best, so it could be something like Infernape or Mamoswine or Swampert.

So... how about this then? (Changes in italic)

Hydreigon @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 6 Hp / 252 Sp. Atk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Flash Cannon (Not for fairies, actually for Aerodactyl and Archeops or other combinations)
- Dark Pulse
- Earth Power
- Flamethrower

Greninja @ Expert Belt
Ability: Protean
EVs: 6 Hp / 252 Sp. Atk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Mat Block
- Scald
- Ice Beam
- Grass Knot

Scizor @ Scizorite
Ability: Technician
EVs: 252 Hp / 252 Atk / 6 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Bullet Punch
- X-Scissor
- Brick Break
- Aerial Ace

Arcanine @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Intimidate/Flash Fire
EVs: 6 Hp / 252 Atk / 4 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Flare Blitz
- Close Combat
- Wild Charge
- Extremespeed

Or it can be Jolly with a Choice Band. I am not sure, I am also wondering between Intimidate which helps the whole team and Flash Fire which gives good synergy with Scizor and a nuke of a Flare Blitz. Also, what would be a good setup for Infernape?

 

[bayleef5]

Okay hopefully I will have some more records soon, but this one actually makes the list!

Super rotation battle. lost at 121, video: KUPW-WWWW-WWW7-LRZ7
Seriously though that Regigigas just destroyed me, I can't believe it. Terrible luck.

So here's my super overused team pieced together from other peoples descriptions and everything, but hey it works.

(everything has 31 IVS in all stats except whichever attack it doesnt need)

Dragonite. (multiscale), @ Lum berry
Earthquake / fire punch / outrage / dragon dance
adamant, 252 atk / 252 spe / 6 hp
-obvious moveset, outrage is definitely worth using in single type battles although i might have to use dragon claw in doubles etc. fire punch is definitely a solid choice over BB or anything else, although Roosting to keep multiscale while dancing would make it unnecessary.

Aegislash. (stance change) @ leftovers
Iron head / king's shield / sacred sword / shadow sneak
adamant, 196/252/28/0/28/6 <-- found this spread on here, gives 160 HP which makes leftovers restore a max of 10 hp per turn.
- i used to use a brave aegi with non-perfect IVs, until I lost at 118 in triple battles when Aegi was 1 on 1 vs a 1/3 HP Azumarill and lost because it was slower..

Kangaskhan. (scrappy) @ Kangaskhanite
power-up punch / crunch / giga impact / fake out
Jolly, 252 atk / 252 spe / 6 hp
- PuP is rediculous, almost gets same power as BB but with a swords dance.. and i picked crunch over sucker punch. fake out is awesome, and scrappy can finish off a ghost if you dont mega evolve. most people run Return as the normal STAB, but I really enjoyed stab PuP boosted 150+75 attack, just to make sure things are really dead.

greninja. (Protean) @ focus Sash
grass knot / extrasensory / ice beam / scald
Timid, 252 spatk / 252 spe / 6 hp
-grass knot is necessary to take care of all those water+ground types, extrasensory covered kangas fighting weakness, and I should probably replace scald with surf.. never got a clutch burn with it. I sashed it just to make sure it would get a move off, too many close calls running a life orb to start with.

so a quick bit on my strategy. basically, i led with Dnite with aegi and kanga flanking. didnt do a lot of switching around, and the AI used a lot of not-very-effective fire and fighting moves expecting a rotation off of Dnite. aegi and kanga could finish up with a sneak or fake out, aegi takes care of fairies. but generally I would go with Dnite until it fainted, then switch to Kanga and used mostly PuP unless i needed a Giga Impact.

so there you have it. definitely the most OU pokes in the Maison, but there's a reason for that!
p.s. currently at 4/5 trophies, need to beat 50 multi battle still. could use FCs for more AI team options :) and safaris

 

[turskain]

Cresselia, don't ya just love her? Let me tell you a 300-win streak's losing warstory:

Set1-2 Veteran sends out Entei and Heatran
Already looking bad, as Entei and Heatran are the two Pokémon with Flash Fire that Veterans can run, and the only Flash Fire Pokémon that Charizard fears, with Heatran walling it completely and Entei1 running Stone Edge to blow it out of the sky. This is actually the first time ever with Greninja/Charizard where I have to switch out Megazardy on Turn 1 against a Veteran, no other lead combination Veterans can run could force that.

I opt to Mat Block while Garchomp switches in to spare Greninja and Garchomp from damage, and since there won't be any Fire attacks or Will-O-Wisps aimed at Charizard there's no risk of a burn (and Greninja won't care about one). I see I'm facing Entei2 and Heatran1, the worst possible sets, with Heatran1 having Sash and Entei2 being bulky as all hell and spreading the burn. I go for Dark Pulse on Entei and EQ (which won't kill Entei, but gives the best probability with the Flinch chance and sets it up for easy pickings on the next turn), which goes well enough with Greninja even getting a flinch on the Dark Pulse. And then...

Heatran used Lava Plume! Garchomp got burned! (Greninja died in the meantime - the WoW through Mat Block actually somewhat mattered, as it would've had Sash if that wasn't the case.)

And then the battle was over. I bring in Megazardy to replace Greninja so it can set up sun and hopefully do something. On the next turn, the AI switches Heatran to Cresselia to dodge EQ, while Entei faints to Chomp and Charizard uses Dragon Pulse on the fresh Cresselia (automatically picked the most effective move against Heatran; incidentally, it's also the best option against the most common Levitating switch-ins from Veterans in Lati@s).

Virizion comes out to replace Entei.

I Protect on Megazardy to find out it's indeed Virizion1 Stone Edging me, while Chomp hits it with a Burn Dragon Claw. This was arguably a misplay, as switching to Infernape might have allowed me to Fake Out Flamethrower Virizion on the next turn. Howewer, as I didn't know the set of either Cress or Virizion, having Infernape eat Focus Blast or Psychic directed at a half-HP Chomp on the switch-in was also a possibility, which would've lost me my last healthy Pokémon and sealed the loss. Cress Double Teams, sealing the loss as if it the situation wasn't bad enough already.

Virizion's going to keep Stone Edging Megazard who no longer has Protect available, and here comes another arguable misplay. I've realized the loss at this point anyway, but I switch in Infernape to take Stone Edge while the burnt Chomp chops them down with Dragon Claw. Infernape also gets Toxic'd on the switch-in, sealing it for a swift demise. It loses the speed tie with Virizion, getting KO'd by Sacred Sword before being able to move. An alternative play would've been to go for a 50% Protect on Megazardy while switching in Ape, but the odds would've been no better than those of the 50% speed tie, and even if I got Virizion down by winning the coin toss, Cress would've been at +3 Evasion against rapidly dying Pokémon while Flamethrower + Flare Blitz in the Sun lacks the damage to KO Cress (and there's a 1HP Heatran that needs to be killed, too). So after the 50% chance to not lose to Virizion, I needed 3 consecutive hits on +2/+3 Evasion Cresselia before dying to Poison, which from the previous loss to Cress and a very close battle with Cresselia a few battles earlier was probably not happening.

If Chomp didn't get burnt, it would've 2HKO'd Virizion while Megazardy Protects and Infernape switches in on Stone Edge and been able to Swords Dance afterwards to have a shot at killing Cresselia, in addition to having two healthy Pokémon left to try and hit it with.

To sum up the unfortunate events that unfolded:
1. Entei2 and Heatran1 as a lead pair: the only Veteran lead pair that walls Megazardy and forces it out, and the most threatening sets of both Pokémon
2. Lava Plume burn on Garchomp
3. Virizion1 and Cresselia2 as the perfect back-ups with most threatening sets, respectively, with Virizion winning the speed tie on top.

In summary, the AI had an all but perfect team with the absolute worst lead pair any Veteran can run against Greninja/Charizard, Cresselia2 that can sweep whole teams on its own as a back-up, and Virizion1 to round it up with another fun threat, followed by a perfect Burn and speed tie win to capitalize on its extremely strong team.

Edit: I realized another misplay - leaving in Greninja on Turn 2. Keeping it on for the flinch chance and finishing off Entei2 to prevent Chomp from getting burnt is appealing, but accepting the burn on Chomp and switching Greninja out for Charizard would also be an option, and surely preferable to getting burnt and losing Greninja altogether. If Greninja was alive, it could've provided a late-game Mat Block when Virizion came out, letting Charizard take it down. Then the match might have been winnable, with Virizion down and three Pokémon left to fight the hax fight with Cresselia.

Edit 2: Inspired by this loss and previous posts about goddamn Entei, I'm going to try Life Orb on Garchomp. With it, Entei2 would be super dead against Dark Pulse + EQ and with the extra power and Sun Infernape supporting, a lot of the Ice attacks it used to take when Rotom-W was still on won't happen. Well, Suicune will still Ice Beam, but Greninja/Charizard takes it down or weakens it enough in a typical match. On a more cheerful tangent, in one memorable battle during this streak, Infernape was 1v1 against Suicune2 at ~65% in the Sun. Doing the calcs, I saw that in the Sun, Infernape actually always survived Hydro Pump even after Sun Flare Blitz recoil, so I went for Flare Blitz + CC and won the fight with 4HP left. It was rather close.









Yonanoveau, I actually tried Arcanine myself at one point, and wasn't sold on it. STAB Flare Blitz is good, but other than that it brings very little to the table, and it's slow to boot. It also has no useful resistances for switching in, aside from maybe Fairy which you already have Scizor for.

Moveset-wise, Scizor needs Protect over Swords Dance, as it doesn't have the time to SD in Doubles and Protect lets it stay in to draw Fire attacks while its partner gets to move freely in the meantime. Scizor's back-up partner should be something that can take out Fire types, which is another quality Arcanine lacks. Running a second Water-type (like Rotom-W on my 399 team) is an option, since Greninja stops being Water-type on Turn 1. Surf can be used on Greninja as Hydreigon resists Water and a non-LO Surf is somewhat weak in the first place. If you've got Grass Knot, Flamethrower and Surf already, the coverage of Earth Power on Hydreigon is rather redundant, so that moveslot could go to Protect instead.

I recommend taking your theorymons out to the field - Doubles is funky and hard to theorymon, and it's difficult to know what works or doesn't work until you actually try things out. I tried various things before settling on Balloon Infernape for my team, and I doubted it could outdo Rotom-W before it turned out to do exactly that in practice.

 

[Yonanoveau]

Yonanoveau, I actually tried Arcanine myself at one point, and wasn't sold on it. STAB Flare Blitz is good, but other than that it brings very little to the table, and it's slow to boot. It also has no useful resistances for switching in, aside from maybe Fairy which you already have Scizor for.

Moveset-wise, Scizor needs Protect over Swords Dance, as it doesn't have the time to SD in Doubles and Protect lets it stay in to draw Fire attacks while its partner gets to move freely in the meantime. Scizor's back-up partner should be something that can take out Fire types, which is another quality Arcanine lacks. Running a second Water-type (like Rotom-W on my 399 team) is an option, since Greninja stops being Water-type on Turn 1. Surf can be used on Greninja as Hydreigon resists Water and a non-LO Surf is somewhat weak in the first place. If you've got Grass Knot, Flamethrower and Surf already, the coverage of Earth Power on Hydreigon is rather redundant, so that moveslot could go to Protect instead.

I recommend taking your theorymons out to the field - Doubles is funky and hard to theorymon, and it's difficult to know what works or doesn't work until you actually try things out. I tried various things before settling on Balloon Infernape for my team, and I doubted it could outdo Rotom-W before it turned out to do exactly that in practice.

Right, didn't realize Protect was a good choice for Scizor, especially since it will draw fire moves.

My problem with Surf (please correct me if I am mistaken on this) is not hurting Hydreigon, it's the damage spreading, meaning I won't hit hard enough a target I want to take down.

Theorymon? You mean coming up with ideas and speculation? Didn't know it was called that. But it's good advice actually, in practice you see the results, good and bad and you also learn to play properly your cards.

What setup do you use for Infernape, btw? I have one bred and all, so I could try him. Also should I give Greninja the focus Sash instead the Expert Belt?

Rotom W sounds nice...

EDIT: Sucks on the loss, man. But still it is a pretty good streak. It was also more bad luck than anything (I mean, seriously bad bad matchup.)

 

[turskain]

Right, didn't realize Protect was a good choice for Scizor, especially since it will draw fire moves.

My problem with Surf (please correct me if I am mistaken on this) is not hurting Hydreigon, it's the damage spreading, meaning I won't hit hard enough a target I want to take down.

Theorymon? You mean coming up with ideas and speculation? Didn't know it was called that.

What setup do you use for Infernape, btw? I have one bred and all, so I could try him. Also should I give Greninja the focus Sash instead the Expert Belt?

The spread damage is more of an asset than a liability from my experience with running Surf on Greninja when the lead pair was Greninja/Garchomp. Focus Sash over Expert Belt is definitely worth it in my opinion, Greninja doesn't really need the power boost on STAB SE attacks and the utility of being able to survive any hit is invaluable.

My Infernape is Air Balloon/Jolly/252Atk/252Spe/Blaze/Flare Blitz/Close Combat/Fake Out/Protect, but it would not be a good fit for your team for the same reasons Arcanine isn't - it can't take out Fire types for Scizor comfortably, it has no bulk or typing to switch in, and the Fighting coverage is redundant with Scizor already providing it. The Infernape on my team is a bit of an exception from what you usually want to see in back-ups, and it's only made possible by the obscene strength of Greninja/Charizard (it literally never needs to double switch out from any match-up, so only having Chomp available for switch-in is enough).

 

[Pikiwyn]

Still gonna post my streak soon I've just been lurking mostly, I've been looking at trying a Blastoise Water Spout team... But Ive seen Blastoise teams with Water Spout with Aura Sphere is that legal? Don't take me wrong I'm just wondering

 

[CJorex]

Still gonna post my streak soon I've just been lurking mostly, I've been looking at trying a Blastoise Water Spout team... But Ive seen Blastoise teams with Water Spout with Aura Sphere is that legal? Don't take more I'm just wondering

It's completely legal

 

[Pikiwyn]

Your right, damn i look like an ass now haha

 

[Yonanoveau]

Your right, damn i look like an ass now haha

Everyone makes mistakes.

 

[Sixonesix]

I beat all the Chatelaines

Singles:

Kangaskhan @ Kangaskhanite
Jolly nature
Fake Out
Double-Edge
Power-Up Punch
Sucker Punch

Garchomp @ Focus Sash
Jolly nature
Earthquake
Rock Slide
Dragon Claw
Swords Dance

Gyarados @ Wacan Berry
Adamant nature
Waterfall
Ice Fang
Earthquake
Dragon Dance

I mostly just plowed through everything with Fake Out + Double Edge. Mega Kangaskhan is so broken it even breaks the Battle Maison lol. Not sure I ever used Gyarados, actually I can't remember if Gyarados was even on my team. Doesn't matter I guess. If I had an Aegislash at the time I would have just used that instead.



Doubles:

Charizard @ Charizardite Y
Modest nature
Protect
Solar Beam
Heat Wave
Overheat

Gardevoir @ Choice Scarf (Pixie Plate until I could afford a Choice Scarf)
Modest nature, Telepathy
Dazzling Gleam
Psyshock
Moonblast
Thunderbolt

Garchomp @ White Herb
Jolly nature
Earthquake
Rock Slide
Substitute
Protect

Rotom-W @ Sitrus Berry
Calm nature
Thunderbolt
Hydro Pump
Hidden Power Ice
Thunder Wave

Since I play VGC, this was the first mode I tackled, and I used the core of the VGC 14 team I was using at the time. Spam Heat Wave and Dazzling Gleam, and Earthquake if need be. I actually went to 100 wins with this team before I quit.



Triples:

Talonflame @ Choice Band
Brave Bird
Flare Blitz
U-turn
Quick Guard

Gardevoir @ Choice Specs
Modest nature
Dazzling Gleam
Psychic
Moonblast
Shadow Ball

Garchomp @ Lum Berry
Jolly nature
Protect
Rock Slide
Earthquake
Dragon Claw

Kangaskhan @ Kangaskhanite
Jolly nature
Fake Out
Double-Edge
Power-Up Punch
Sucker Punch

Azumarill @ Sitrus Berry
Adamant nature
Protect
Aqua Jet
Play Rough
Belly Drum

Tyranitar @ Tyranitarite
Modest nature
Rock Slide
Dark Pulse
Fire Blast
Protect

Another VGC 2014 team I ran with for a while. Spam Dazzling Gleam and Earthquake while Talonflame reaches across the board with Brave Bird. Then Kangaskhan comes in and picks off anything remaining. Not much takes Fake Out + Double-Edge very well.



Rotation:

Salamence @ Choice Scarf
Timid nature
Dragon Pulse
Fire Blast
Draco Meteor
Stone Edge

Kangaskhan @ Kangaskhanite
Jolly nature
Fake Out
Return
Sucker Punch
Power-Up Punch

Aegislash @ Leftovers
Modest nature
King's Shield
Shadow Ball
Flash Cannon
Substitute

Rotom-H @ Sitrus Berry
Modest nature
Thunderbolt
Overheat
Will-o-Wisp
Protect

Similar Mega Kangaskhan shenanigans as in singles, this time with Intimidate support and Aegislash to harass Ghosts. For battle #50 I ditched Kangaskhan and used Charm/Thunder Wave Meowstic because Kanga wasn't at all helpful against the musketeers.



Multi:

Charizard @ Charizarite Y
Modest nature
Protect
Solar Beam
Heat Wave
Overheat

Rotom-W @ Sitrus Berry
Calm nature
Thunderbolt
Hydro Pump
Hidden Power Ice
Thunder Wave

+

Garchomp @ Lum Berry
Jolly nature
Protect
Rock Slide
Earthquake
Dragon Claw

Venusaur @ Wide Lens
Modest nature
Protect
Sludge Bomb
Sleep Powder
Leaf Storm

Retooled version of the doubles team. I used two systems and two carts and played it exactly like doubles. For battle #50 I used Follow Me Lucario + Belly Drum Azumarill + Choice Band Talonflame and just priority spammed everything.

 

[Yoshi1777]

Hello. This is my first ever post. I know my record isn't the highest, but I put a lot of effort into it so I hope others enjoy. (I'm having a hard time getting the image posted properly, so forgive me. I know in my heart of hearts I did it).

This is also a semi-reveal of my super secret tech in free battle doubles, but this is triple battles so whateva.

SUPER TRIPLES TRIPLES - 331 straight wins

LEAD-OFF POKEMON:

Talonflame @ Choice Band w/Gale Wings
Adamant - 252 ATK, 248 HP, 8 SPD
Brave Bird
U-Turn
Flare Blitz
Steel Wing

There is no Quick Guard in the Super Triples, so leading off with three priority moves isn't such a bad idea like it is in competitive triples. The goal is to Fake Out two Pokemon and Choice Band Brave Bird whatever I can reliably one-shot.

Hitmonlee @ Focus Sash w/Unburden
Adamant - 252 ATK, 252 SPD, 4 HP
Fake Out
Helping Hand
Close Combat
Protect

The team is built around abusing Hitmonlee w/Helping Hand. I run Hitmonlee because Hitmontop is OU, but Lee does have some advantages over Top.

1. He's stronger (one of the three or four strongest fakout users), one shot's Waileren and Regice
2. He's faster. He can't Fake Out Infernape, but he doesn't take as much damage to Surf.
3. The AI treat's his pitiful defense like Aron (Lee frequently is targeted by three attacks < Protect).
4. Unburden can be an offensive blowout.

Close Combat over High Jump Kick no matter what, Maison or Wifi. Helping Hand on Brave Bird allows Talonflame to one-shot just about any Pokemon that doesn't resist it. Helping Hand on Return is just mean. Protect allows Lee to survive most of the match and absorb a bunch of attacks.

Kangaskhan @ Kangaskhanite w/Scrappy
Jolly - 252 ATK, 252 SPD, 4 HP
Fake Out
Crunch
Return
Brick Break

Jolly is a must. I consider Sucker Punch unreliable in anything but singles, so I use Crunch. It's basically a Return that covers all the nasty Trick Room teams and beats up on Cresselia. Brick Break is basically a Return that hits Rock and Steel. Yes, sometimes a neutral/resisted Return is stronger than a super effective/neutral Brick Break, but the same is not true for Crunch.

Ideally, if I must Helping Hand/Brave Bird something, I can absorb a weak hit with Khan or Lee, but Khan MUST NOT DIE. Protecting Talonflame is second priority.


BENCH POKEMON:

Garchomp @ Choice Scarf w/Rough Skin
Adamant - 252 ATK, 252 SPD, 4 HP
Dragon Claw
Earthquake
Iron Head
Crunch

Scarf Chomp. I refuse to use Outrage in anything but singles. I used Earthquake no more than four times during the streak; the Maison resists EQ hard and I don't like locking myself into it with Choice item (lost a streak at 189 because of that. 189!). Helping Hand on anything he uses is usually good for a KO.

Switches into obvious Electric attacks on Talonflame.

Zapdos @ Life Orb w/Pressure
Timid - 252 SPA, 252 SPD, 4 HP
Thunderbolt
Discharge
Sky Drop
Protect

Just my legit X/Y soft-resetted Zapdos. He's very linear, doing nothing against some things and doing everything against others. Sky Drop would work better if Zapdos were faster than JollyKhan - they're tied...

Switches into obvious fighting attacks on Kangaskhan.

Greninja @ Expert Belt w/Protean
Timid - 252 SPA, 252 SPD, 4 HP
Scald
Ice Beam
Dark Pulse
Mat Block

Mat Block off the bench seems more reliable to me than lead-off, so I'll bring him in when I know I have a speed advantage. I love Dark Pulse across the field...Greninja comes in last as a closer. If Lee wasn't holding Focus Sash, Greninja would.

I don't aggressively/defensively switch in Greninja.


Weaknesses:

Aerodactyl/Archeops: I hate these things so much. I can either Fake Out/Close Combat them turn one and take an attack or switch to Garchomp and 1HKO with Iron Head. Either way, I hate facing those things and they usually mess up my team left unimpeded.

Trick Room: I don't like facing Trick Room since I'm a speed team, but I do have 3 Dark attacks. Switching in and out Fake Out users against Trick Room is a good idea to wait it out.

Intimidate: I HATE PUNK GUY PUCK! Against them, I use Fake Outs to safely switch in anything, even Garchomp, but Punk Guy Puck WILL bring out more off the bench so it's good to have special attackers.

Choice Scarf Terrakion: The toughest of all Legendaries since he easily OKHO's Khan. I MUST Helping Hand Brave Bird to OKHO Terrakion with Speed advantage. Khan Fakeout/Lee CloseCombat doesn't work well when two other Legendaries are on the field.

Inexplicable Hax: Nothing I could do about it.


SUMMARY:

Helping Hand/Brave Bird is nasty. Hitmonlee mops up rocks. Kangaskhan mops up everything else. Inexplicable Hax led to my defeat.

I lost to Lax Inscence Glacion. Missed at least five moves, didn't save the video because my Recorder is full of Wifi battles.

THANK YOU FOR READING!


EDIT - http://yoshi1777.imgur.com/all/

Sorry, I keep getting broken links. I won't cause a fuss if I don't get on the list. :( but I wanted to.

 

[NoCheese]

I just put together a very nice Super Singles 611 win streak with Durant - Cloyster - Garchomp, and though, as is so often the case, poor (horrid!) play led to my downfall, I've still gotta be pretty satisfied.

Moves and EV spreads are identical to my Subway team with the same members:

Durant @_Choice Scarf
Trait: Truant
Nature: Jolly (+Spd, - Spa)

-Entrainment
-X-Scissor
-Iron Head
-Protect

Stats: 165/129/132/61/69/177 (265 speed with Scarf)
IVs: 31/31/31/31/31/31
EVs: 252/0/0/0/4/252

Cloyster @_Focus Sash
Trait: Skill Link
Nature: Adamant (+Att, -Spa)

-Protect
-Shell Smash
-Icicle Spear
-Rock Blast

Stats: 126/161/200/81/65/122
IVs: 31/31/31/1/31/31
EVs: 4/252/0/0/0/252

Garchomp @_Lum Berry
Trait: Rough Skin
Nature: Jolly (+Spd, -Spa)

-Protect
-Swords Dance
-Outrage
-Earthquake

Stats: 184/182/115/90/105/169
IVs: 31/31/31/31/31/31
EVs: 4/252/0/0/0/252

The basic strategy and responses to threats are the same as in my writeup of my Subway streak, available HERE. Pay careful attention to the discussion of playing around Protect, Fake Out, and Volt Switch, as my tactics remain the same. Note that I had Volt Switch used against me FAR less often in the Maison than in the Subway, and never by a lead Magnet Pull Magnezone, but it's still one of the most threatening moves on an opponents' lead.

However, there are some additional notes relevant to this generation. First is that because auto sandstorm now has a limited duration, it's easy to protect Cloyster's Focus Sash against lead Tyranitar and Hippowdon. Use Entrainment as normal, then switch in Garchomp and alternate Protect and Swords Dance as if you were setting up. When the Sandstorm fades, switch to Cloyster on the loaf turn, and set up fully. It's much better in most cases to have a fully set-up Cloyster than a fully-set up Chomp, and the Chomp detour keeps Cloyster's Sash fully intact.

Second is to be very, very careful against Espeon. If Espeon has magic bounce, it's a real threat, since it can 2HKO both Cloyster and Garchomp and is immune to Entrainment. The correct play is to attempt Entrainment on the first turn, and if it is Magic Bounced, keep Durant in until it dies. Then bring in Cloyster, Shell Smash once (surviving even a crit thanks to your Sash) and KO Espeon with Icicle Spear. Although not ideal, a +2 Cloyster and a fully healthy Chomp are favored against most opponents, particularly given that no trainer who leads with Espeon can follow with a legendary (except for Aces with the Lati twins, which +2 Cloyster destroys).

Third, note that the Fairy Type complicates things slightly. There aren't that many Fairies in the Maison, but there are enough to make me very careful about using Outrage when I don't have to. Of particular concern is Togekiss, because Garchomp is unable to hurt it at all. Try to avoid playing to any situation where you are down to a last Pokemon Garchomp if your opponent uses the "B" list of possible Pokemon.

Fourth, remember that you can sometimes take advantage of your immunities to give yourself unlimited "free" chances to slip an Entrainment past a Protect user. The classic example is Thundurus1, whose only offensive moves are Thunderbolt and Toxic. Against Durant, it will either Protect or Thunderbolt. Entrainment, and if it Protects, switch to Garchomp on the next turn and laugh at the incoming Thunderbolt. The only options against Garchomp are Protect and Toxic, so switch back, and Durant won't take damage either way, and is free to try to Entrainment again. After a rotation or two, the AI won't Protect at the right time and you'll be off to the races.

Fifth, don't get greedy on Protect + Perish Song Pokemon like Mismagius4 and Lapras4. Switch in Garchomp immediately, lest the foe use Block and trap your Durant. I had been doing this quite nicely for most of my streak, but didn't think about this risk late and lost to it.

Sixth, remember that you can in fact switch out a fully set-up Cloyster. Certain very bulky foes may be able to survive even a +6 attack and then break Cloyster's sash or worse, status it. (They'll usually go for the kill rather than a status move, especically with Cloyster's defenses at -3, but status moves are still used sometimes, and things like Thunderbolt can paralyze as an additional effect). These bulky foes often lack the means to OHKO a reasonably healthy Durant. So if Durant survived its initial Entrainment with high health, it can be correct to switch out your Cloyster for Durant and have Durant Entrainment again. Yes, Cloyster will then have to take the time to re-set up, but it will be able to keep its Sash intact and avoid being statused as it KOs the bulky second Pokemon. Alternatively, a switch to Garchomp against an expected Electric-type attack can also work well, and allow you to re-set up Cloyster on the third foe if needed. It's easy to get caught up in the basic set-up-then-spam-Icicle-Spear play and miss little things like this, but over long streaks, even small misplays will eventually bite you.

Against legendary trainers, this type of play can be particularly important. Consider a situation where Durant survives the Entrainment turn and Cloyster sets up and easily KOs the opponent's lead. What if the opponent then sends out Heatran1? Heatran1 survives Icicle Spear (indeed, it occasionally even fails to 2HKO), and Rock Blast can miss. Worse, against -3 Cloyster, Lava Plume can essentially OHKO, with damage + Burn getting past your Sash. Yes, if this happens, Durant can Entrain (dying in the process) and let you fully set up Garchomp, but Garchomp, even at +6, loses to a third Pokemon like Latias2 or Latios2. Far better to switch out Cloyster for Garchomp. Garchomp beats Heatran without setting up, and in some weird double crit situation (remember, Heatran1 is Sashed) you can still use Durant to allow Cloyster to set up and safely KO Heatran without taking any hits. To repeat: in a one-on-one situation, a fully set up Focus Sash Cloyster is far better than a fully set-up Garchomp, so when you can play to such a situation, do so!

On the subject of Garchomp, she is used far less than the other two Pokemon, and her inability to boost her speed is frustrating, but her combination of immunity to Electric-type attacks, immunity to Sand, Rough Skin, ability to set up even without Entrainment, and ability to get a lot of KOs even without setting up at all make her a hard pokemon to replace. I want a secondary sweeper that's strong in the bad state of the world, more than amazing in the good state, since when everything is going right, I'm already winning, and Garchomp is just better at this, in my mind, then other options like Mega Gyarados and Volcarona. Lolnub's Durant team used Choice Banded Garchomp, which is an interesting alternative. Choice Chomp certainly gets even more quick KOs, but I find the ability to set up Garchomp as a backup sweeper more valuable, even though it's infrequently required. Yes, Choice Chomp would have saved me from losing battle 612, but proper play would have too!

As noted earlier, Magic Bounce Espeon is a particularly big threat to the team since it blocks Entrainment and (since sacing Durant is the only real option) it even prevents you from trying to Entrain the foe's second Pokemon. BrightPowder and Lax Incense Pokemon are similar problems, since untimely misses, particularly on an Entrainment, can be fatal. I never missed twice in a row (except against an already Entrained Pokemon, where it's moot) on this streak, but honestly, I was probably quite lucky that things shook out that way. Volt Switch is the move I fear most on a foe's lead, since with Durant's low Special Defense, STAB Volt Switch can both escape Entrainment and KO Durant, preventing future Entrainment set up attempts. I thought that Whirlwind was going to be a big issue, since Protect no longer blocks it, but it really wasn't. Against Skarmory4, for example, after a first turn Entrainment, I just switch Cloyster into the Spikes or Stealth Rock. Skarmory does not typically Whirlwind right away, so I can usually still set up to +4 without being Whirlwinded out. I attack immediately upon getting to +4 though, and neither try for +6 nor Protect during the foe's attack at +4 like I normally would.

As a general note, I believe that with all of the hidden abilities and the like floating about in the Maison, it's increasingly difficult to build a team around guaranteeing an Entrainment set up of a single sweeper. Unlike in the Subway, I feel that it's much better to use two Durant partners that have a better chance in the situations where full set up fails, and believe this team demonstrates the effectiveness of such a strategy. An additional advantage of this play-style is that this team goes through battles far more quickly than something where there's additional cripple steps taken, or where a full twelve turns of alternating Protect and a +1 / +1 boosting move are required.

I lost to Mismagius - Flareon - Scizor by being an idiot. I tried to Entrainment Mismagius first turn and met Protect, and then switched in Garchomp. Had I switched in Chomp on the first turn, I'd have been able to kill Mismagius, but as it was, Perish Song on the switch, then Mean Look, Protect, Switch to Flareon on last turn of Song killed Chomp with Mismagius staying alive. Worse, Chomp's Outrage killed Flareon, meaning the opponent was free to bring in Mismagius again. I successfully Entrained with Durant, but got Mean Looked on the Entrainment turn, and so ended up losing Durant to Perish Song, with Mismagius switching out again, and being stuck with unboosted Cloyster against Scizor, which used Bug Bite + Bullet Punch for the KO. Bad play strikes again!

Proof video: TE5W - WWWW - WWW7 - ZC7M

 

[turskain]

Very nice streak, NoCheese.



I lost another Doubles streak in the 200s, this time to repeated flinches and ingenious plays from the AI's Charizard3 (and good back-ups to capitalize, as always). The Charizard3 actually used Air Slash on Turn 1 instead of Rock Slide and flinched Greninja for the 2HKO, which I have never seen it do before. It happens; with flinching ScarfSliders and Aerodactyl3, Greninja going down without getting attacks off isn't too unreasonable. What made this Scarf flincher cause a loss was the fact it was locked into Air Slash rather than Rock Slide - Rock Slide deals no damage to Garchomp and even Infernape takes non-STAB ones like a champ if it comes down to it, but Air Slash actually deals considerable damage to Garchomp and OHKOes Infernape, and after it got a first-hit flinch on Garchomp (making its record two important flinches out of two) I was in a terrible position and lost the battle easily. Better plays could've been made if I knew it was going to use Air Slash and flinch all the time, but that's nigh-impossible to predict as every time I've seen Zard3 before it's used the much more sensible, predictable and less dangerous Rock Slide.



In the post-loss rage, I theorymon'd up and started breeding a new Doubles team to try for a change before getting back to the grind. It's built around Water Spout Mega Blastoise with its massive bulk and Special Attack, and newly legal move combinations.

Blastoise @ Blastoisite
Nature: Timid
EVs: 252 SAtk, 252 Spe
- Water Spout
- Fake Out
- Aura Sphere
- Yawn

Weavile @ Focus Sash
Nature: Jolly
EVs: 252 Atk, 252 Spe
- Fake Out
- Ice Punch
- Night Slash
- Protect

Water Spout is the name of the game, with Weavile drawing fire with its non-existent bulk while Mega Blastoise sweeps the field. The gimmick separating it from typical Eruption/Water Spout teams is double Fake Out making Fake Out into switch on either lead a possibility. The other gimmick is Yawn on Blastoise, intended for use with a Fake Out + Yawn combo to put threats that can't be Spouted into sleep instead. Blastoise also lacks useful coverage moves to put in the final slot, so Yawn seems as good an option as any.

Weavile was chosen for the Fake Out partner because of its high Speed and good coverage with Blastoise, and lack of an EQ weakness to discourage Earthquakes that would weaken Water Spout and encourage Stone Edges or Fighting moves directed at Weavile instead, and its Ice resistance to discourage Ice Beam/Blizzard from freezing everything.

The back-ups are still not finalized, and breeding a 6IV Blastoise for Fake Out is a pain, but Fake Out/Water Spout Blastoise is a very interesting Pokémon I can't wait to try out. Hydreigon/Scizor are the back-ups I'm thinking of, but I'm not too sure yet. Any suggestions for them would be appreciated - the big threats I'm thinking of are Water Absorb Suicune (and other Water Absorb users to a lesser extent), and Electric types like Jolteon, Manectric, Raikou, Zapdos and Thundurus.

 

[lucariomaster2]

Well, my Multis streak has come to an end at 58 wins (which should still get me a spot on the list). I can chalk the loss up to one part hax, one part a misplay by me, and one part AI stupidity.

The hax came mainly from Virizion's uncanny ability to always hit with Focus "Miss". It used it 5 times I believe; although it was the hits against my two mons that mattered, the chances of it hitting all 5 times is about 16%.

The AI stupidity came from the Specs Latias finishing off a Tyrantrum in the red with Draco Meteor and thus locking itself into the move when it should have used Psychic on Virizion.

But what really caused the loss was my crucial misplay. The scene was this: Mega Kangaskhan and Latias were out on my side, both at full HP. The opponents had a <12% health Tyrantrum and a ~60% Virizion out. Latias made the aforementioned error in finishing off the Tyrantrum with Draco Meteor, and Virizion used... Calm Mind! Yes, Virizion had decided to set up instead of attacking. One Return and I would have killed it!

Except that I had ordered MegaKanga to use Crunch on the Tyrantrum, thinking that the AI wouldn't screw up. If I had been thinking more clearly, I would have just opted for Return on Tyrantrum, since it would have KO'd either way, and then I would have still had a chance had the AI screwed up. (And I would have won, since the Veteran's second mon was Cresselia, who is quite literally eaten alive by Kangaskhan.)

So there are two lessons to learn from this. One, don't go for overkill if the stakes are high. Two, never, ever, ever trust the AI.

Also, f**k Rock Head Tyrantrum. If we can't use it, the AI shouldn't be able to either.


But enough rambling; the video (and the proof) is VA8G-WWWW-WWW7-ZFD5

 

[erasmus]

I have my own singles team i'm breeding at the moment so i'm not ready to post my results yet as i haven't tried the tower, but for now sorry quick noob question: do you get a different ribbon for each category like one for singles doubles, multi etc... or is there just one ribbon for beating normal and one for beating 50+ streak on any category? ty

 

[Hozu]

So I got all the Maison trophies a while ago, but I never got around to taking a picture of it until now. However, you can see that I got the last one on March 20th here (have to be logged into PGL to see it, 4th one from the top). Well, it says the date of the first time I used Game Sync since I got them, but I did Game Sync the day before, so it's the 20th.

 

[NoCheese]

sorry quick noob question: do you get a different ribbon for each category like one for singles doubles, multi etc... or is there just one ribbon for beating normal and one for beating 50+ streak on any category? ty

There's two Battle Maison Ribbons total, not ten. One for beating a regular battle chatelaine, and one for beating a super battle chatelaine, regardless of the type of battle.