Copyediting Skeledirge (Maranga Berry) [QC 2/2] [GP 0/1]

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Maranga Berry (Skeledirge) @ Maranga Berry
Ability: Unaware
EVs: 252 HP / 28 Def / 228 SpD
Calm Nature
- Torch Song
- Slack Off
- Encore
- Will-O-Wisp / Blast Burn

[SET COMMENTS]
* Torch Song is Skeledirge's best option to deal with Iron Crown, Volcarona, Registeel, and Serperior.
* Skeledirge should immediately use Slack Off against Galarian Moltres and Choice Specs Zapdos, as its Maranga Berry allows it to not be 2HKOed by those threats.
* Encore should be used against Sylveon and Alolan Ninetales.
* Will-O-Wisp should be used against Iron Hands and non-Choice Band Metagross, while Blast Burn should be used against Choice Band Metagross.
* The HP and Defense EVs allow Skeledirge to survive Psyshock twice from Special Attack Booster Energy Iron Crown. The remaining EVs are invested in Special Defense for maximum bulk.
* Against Encore + Disable Iron Valiant, Skeledirge's best play is to use Encore on the first turn followed by alternating between Torch Song and Encore. While Skeledirge notably does not beat Encore + Disable Iron Valiant sets that use Spirit Break as an attacking move, its Maranga Berry allows it to defeat Moonblast sets.
* Maranga Berry Skeledirge, while being able to reliably defeat Galarian Moltres, is not able to reliably defeat other Dark-types, such as Hoopa-U, Chien-Pao, and Darkrai. Additionally, it struggles against Water-types, like Manaphy and Ogerpon-W, and Ground-types, like Ursaluna and Landorus-T. Pokemon like Zarude, Iron Hands, and Assault Vest Great Tusk make good teammates because they defeat some of these threats to Skeledirge while appreciating its ability to defeat Pokemon like Iron Crown and Alolan Ninetales reliably.

[SET CREDITS]
Set(s) by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/glitched.579035/

Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/lumii.493772/

Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/lost-heros.316445/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/bern.563650/

Grammar checked by:
[insert user link]
 
Last edited:
[SET]
Maranga Berry (Skeledirge) @ Maranga Berry
Ability: Unaware
EVs: 252 HP / 28 Def / 228 SpD
Calm Nature
- Torch Song
- Slack Off
- Encore
- Will-O-Wisp / Blast Burn

[SET COMMENTS]
* Torch Song is for Iron Crown, Volcarona, Registeel, and Serperior.
* Maranga Berry + Slack Off allows Skeledirge to have the best chance to outlast Choice Specs Porygon-Z and Galarian Moltres. Specs PZ is definitely not a good example here. If you want to survive dark Pulse or shadow ball spam you have to slack off on 1, which means that they could just click trick because you didn't click encore so that's at best a 50/50 theoretically, but in reality they just need either 1 flinch or 1 spd drop in like 5 hits and you're toast. Galarian Moltres is a good example, but add another one.
* Encore should be used against Weakness Policy Iron Crown. No? Torch Song 2HKOs and it's not like proccing WP matters thanks to unaware. 140 BP stored power does nothing and like tachyon > sp might do even less.
* Will-O-Wisp should be used against Iron Hands and non-Choice Band Metagross, while Blast Burn should be used against Iron Valiant and Choice Band Metagross. Encore + Torch Song + Slack Off covers Iron Valiant pretty neatly with careful play and besides 3 moonblast + 2 struggles doesn't ko.
* The HP and Defense EVs allow Skeledirge to survive Psyshock twice from Special Attack Booster Energy Iron Crown. The remaining EVs are invested in Special Defense for maximum bulk.
* Skeledirge often wants to use its bulk to force 3HKOs from opposing Pokemon while trying to whittle them down using Torch Song. Add a line about which pokemon it wants to use slack off on t1 so that it can then tank moves with maranga boosts
* Against Iron Crown, if Booster Energy is revealed, Skeledirge should use Torch Song twice to 2HKO, as Iron Crown cannot 2HKO Skeledirge. In the case that Iron Crown's item is not revealed, it is often best to use Encore, as Specially Defensive Weakness Policy sets with Stored Power are able to survive Torch Song twice and 2HKO in return with Stored Power. No? If iron crown can live a +0 into +1 Torch Song 2hkos it can't have enough investment to 2hko with 140 BP stored power > 140 BP stored power vs +1 SPd.

0 SpA Skeledirge Torch Song vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Iron Crown: 128-152 (33.3 - 39.5%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
+1 0 SpA Skeledirge Torch Song vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Iron Crown: 192-228 (50 - 59.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
+2 12 SpA Iron Crown Stored Power (140 BP) vs. 248 HP / 228+ SpD Unaware Skeledirge: 160-189 (38.9 - 45.9%) -- guaranteed 3HKO

Unless you know of a set that I don't this seems impossible for crown to win.

[SET CREDITS]
Set(s) by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/glitched.579035/

Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/lumii.493772/

Quality checked by:
[insert user link]

Grammar checked by:
[insert user link]

Reviews these notes and let me know when you've rewritten
 
Maranga Berry (Skeledirge) @ Maranga Berry
Ability: Unaware
EVs: 252 HP / 28 Def / 228 SpD
Calm Nature
- Torch Song
- Slack Off
- Encore
- Will-O-Wisp / Blast Burn

[SET COMMENTS]
* Torch Song is for Iron Crown, Volcarona, Registeel, and Serperior.
* Maranga Berry + Slack Off allows Skeledirge to have the best chance to outlast Life Orb Spectrier and Galarian Moltres. Life Orb Spectrier is not a good example here. If LO Spect runs Shadow Ball instead of Hex, it outdamages Slack Off recovery. 180 SpA Life Orb Spectrier Shadow Ball vs. +1 252 HP / 228+ SpD Skeledirge: 211-250 (51.2 - 60.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO.
* Encore should be used against Sylveon, Alolan Ninetales, and Encore + Disable Iron Valiant.
* Will-O-Wisp should be used against Iron Hands and non-Choice Band Metagross, while Blast Burn should be used against Choice Band Metagross.
* The HP and Defense EVs allow Skeledirge to survive Psyshock twice from Special Attack Booster Energy Iron Crown. The remaining EVs are invested in Special Defense for maximum bulk.
* Skeledirge often wants to use its bulk to force 3HKOs from opposing Pokemon while trying to whittle them down using Torch Song. Against Pokemon such as Galarian Moltres, Life Orb Spectrier, and slower Sylveon sets, Skeledirge should use Slack Off immediately to procure its Special Defense boost from Maranga Berry. Add a note on why Encore is useful as a T1 opener against EncDisable val and the like.

[SET CREDITS]
Set(s) by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/glitched.579035/

Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/lumii.493772/

Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/lost-heros.316445/

Grammar checked by:
[insert user link]

implement then 1/2
 
hello no i did not spend half an hour calcing the galarian moltres matchup only to confirm i had indeed wasted my time why would you ask that?
Add / Remove / Comment / Reorder
Maranga Berry (Skeledirge) @ Maranga Berry
Ability: Unaware
EVs: 252 HP / 28 Def / 228 SpD
Calm Nature
- Torch Song
- Slack Off
- Encore
- Will-O-Wisp / Blast Burn

[SET COMMENTS]
* Torch Song is for Iron Crown, Volcarona, Registeel, and Serperior.
* Maranga Berry + Slack Off allows Skeledirge to have the best chance to outlast Galarian Moltres and Choice Specs Zapdos. (put it above the torch song point, idea is that GP standards always prioritize items over moves, unless you'd like to make an entire bullet point about Maranga Berry then be my guest.)
* Encore should be used against Sylveon, Alolan Ninetales, and Encore + Disable Iron Valiant.
* Will-O-Wisp should be used against Iron Hands and non-Choice Band Metagross, while Blast Burn should be used against Choice Band Metagross and Galarian Moltres (I CALCED FOR HALF AN HOUR THIS SHALL NOT GO TO WASTE [ok so basically you don't ko nasty plot variants reliably with encore>torch songx3, you need blast burn]).
* The HP and Defense EVs allow Skeledirge to survive Psyshock twice from Special Attack Booster Energy Iron Crown. The remaining EVs are invested in Special Defense for maximum bulk.
* Skeledirge often wants to use its bulk to force 3HKOs from opposing Pokemon while trying to whittle them down using Torch Song. Against Pokemon such as Galarian Moltres and Choice Specs Zapdos, Skeledirge should use Slack Off immediately to procure its Special Defense boost from Maranga Berry. (i am not a big fan of this point, as it regurgitates what the "Maranga Berry + Slack Off" bullet point said, so imo you should remove either, if i had to pick it'd be probably this one but expand the other point as otherwise it'd be left kind of bland yk)
* Against Encore + Disable Iron Valiant, Skeledirge's best play is to use Encore on the first turn followed by alternating between Torch Song and Encore. While Skeledirge notably does not beat Encore + Disable Iron Valiant sets that use Spirit Break as an attacking move, its Maranga Berry allows it to win against Moonblast sets.
* (counters and teammates point potentially?)

[SET CREDITS]
Set(s) by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/glitched.579035/

Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/lumii.493772/

Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/lost-heros.316445/

Grammar checked by:
[insert user link]
2/2 gj
e121044335d03ddb53dd3e0d7194382f-jpg.730204
(so the gif couldn't load so you get this instead)
 
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