Reports

Published on November 9th, 2014 | by Sir Chicken

14

Gardevoir’s Decisive Trick Room: A Pennsylvania Regional Senior Division 1st Place Report

Hello, everyone! My name’s Michael, and recently I achieved first place in the Senior Division at the 2014 Pennsylvania Regionals in October after going 6-1 in swiss. While the general idea for this team stayed the same all along—having both fast and slow modes for inside and outside Trick Room—it took about a month to perfect. I really liked my team as I enjoy having a lot of strategies to employ depending on the situation, instead of just playing each battle the same way every time. Anyway, I hope you enjoy!

The Team at a Glance

mawile-mega  gardevoir tyranitar rotom-heat zapdos garchomp

Team Analysis

mawile-mega

Mawile (Yuyuko) @ Mawilite
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 108 Atk / 4 Def / 124 SpD / 20 Spe
Adamant Nature
– Play Rough
– Iron Head
– Sucker Punch
– Protect

Mega Mawile was the first Pokémon that I decided to put on the team. Along with being one of my most powerful attackers, it also served a great support role by being able to switch into Ice-, Rock-, or Fighting-type attacks aimed at Garchomp, Zapdos, and Tyranitar, as well as providing protection for the frailer members of the team with Intimidate. Mawile can function in pretty much any situation—Trick Room or no Trick Room, weather or no weather—if the opponent doesn’t keep it in check, Mawile will have no problem tearing through their team with its obscene power.

I had been bouncing back and forth between a very offensive spread and a very defensive one; however, I decided to compromise with Dim’s spread from Nationals, which offered me the ability to take weaker special attacks while still offering plenty of offensive power. The Special Defense and HP EVs assure that the average Rotom-Wash Thunderbolt will only 3HKO, usually forcing the enemy into using Hydro Pump to KO it quickly—a rather risky, inaccurate move. The Attack EVs allow it to OHKO 252 HP Tyranitar 100% of the time with Play Rough, which actually ended up being quite handy during one of my swiss rounds. I was never disappointed with Mawile’s damage output.

I mentioned that Mawile could function in or out of Trick Room; this was one of the ideas that I think was extremely important to the team. I wanted to use Trick Room as a rare, unexpected win condition that worked primarily with Mawile and Tyranitar—however, since I wasn’t running a dedicated Trick Room team (I used Trick Room in only five out of my 14 battles) I wanted to make sure that all of my “slow mode” Pokémon could function in a “fast mode” setting. This explains some of the Speed creep EVs on my Mawile and the relatively bulky spread.

I had a shiny perfect Mawile for the event (thank you, MissingNoL!), and I decided to name it Yuyuko after Yuyuko Saigyouji from Touhou, since I thought that having no nicknames on my team was pathetic and that shiny Mawile’s color scheme looked close enough to Yuyuko.

Damage Calculations:

  • 108+ Atk Huge Power Mega Mawile Play Rough vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Tyranitar: 236-282 (114 – 136.2%) — guaranteed OHKO
  • 108+ Atk Huge Power Mega Mawile Play Rough vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Mega Kangaskhan: 129-153 (60.8 – 72.1%) — guaranteed 2HKO
  • 4 SpA Rotom-W Thunderbolt vs. 252 HP / 124 SpD Mega Mawile: 51-60 (32.4 – 38.2%) — 95% chance to 3HKO
  • 252 SpA Mega Charizard Y Heat Wave vs. 252 HP / 124 SpD Mega Mawile: 132-156 (84 – 99.3%) — guaranteed 2HKO (outside of sun, Tyranitar often allows for this condition)
  • 252+ Atk Garchomp Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Mega Mawile: 116-138 (73.8 – 87.8%) — guaranteed 2HKO
  • -1 252+ Atk Choice Band Talonflame Flare Blitz vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Mega Mawile: 134-162 (85.3 – 103.1%) — 12.5% chance to OHKO

gardevoir

Gardevoir @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Trace
EVs: 252 HP / 124 Def / 108 SpA / 20 SpD / 4 Spe
Modest Nature
– Moonblast
– Psychic
– Trick Room
– Will-O-Wisp

Gardevoir was probably, along with Zapdos, the MVP of the team during the event. It was often one of my go-to Pokémon for a lead, as it was able to synergize very well with many other Pokémon. Primarily, it was meant to partner with Mawile. Gardevoir could pick off fast Dragon-types (they love to use powerful Fire-type attacks against Mawile) without a sweat, and in some cases it could set up the ever-deadly Trick Room. Will-O-Wisp helped increase both its own survivability and that of its teammates, and ended up crippling many more physical attackers than my Rotom-Heat.

This EV spread is also taken from Dim’s report—but if it isn’t broken, why fix it? This Gardevoir balanced offense and bulk perfectly with its Sitrus Berry, and that allowed it to do pretty much whatever it wanted. It always withstands an Adamant Mega Kangaskhan’s Return if Sitrus Berry activates, and after Intimidate it will take a Double-Edge very comfortably.

Gardevoir was a Pokémon I was extremely confident in bringing to almost all (if not all) of my games, as it could help every one of my team members accomplish something—whether it was picking up KOs, burning a threat, or setting up Trick Room. With its amazing synergy and ability to work together with its allies, Gardevoir definitely served as the glue of my team.

Damage Calculations:

  • 252+ Atk Parental Bond Mega Kangaskhan Return vs. 252 HP / 124 Def Gardevoir: 166-198 (94.8 – 113.1%) — 75% chance to OHKO (Sitrus Berry makes this a guaranteed 2HKO)
  • -1 252+ Atk Parental Bond Mega Kangaskhan Double-Edge vs. 252 HP / 124 Def Gardevoir: 130-154 (74.2 – 88%) — guaranteed 2HKO
  • -3 252+ Atk Huge Power Mega Mawile Iron Head vs. 252 HP / 124 Def Gardevoir: 122-146 (69.7 – 83.4%) — guaranteed 2HKO (assuming Will-O-Wisp + Intimidate- this actually occured three times
  • 108+ SpA Gardevoir Psychic vs. 252 HP / 72+ SpD Amoonguss: 150-176 (67.8 – 79.6%) — guaranteed 2HKO
  • 252+ Atk Choice Band Talonflame Brave Bird vs. 252 HP / 124 Def Gardevoir: 147-174 (84 – 99.4%) — guaranteed 2HKO

tyranitar

Tyranitar @ Assault Vest
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpA
Modest Nature
– Rock Slide
– Ice Beam
– Fire Blast
– Dark Pulse

In the later stages of the teambuilding process, I decided that I was weak to rain and looked for ways to counter it. Mega Charizard Y was my first choice, but despite changing the weather to sun with Drought, it ended up being extremely underwhelming in solving the problem. In addition, since it almost always has to Mega Evolve, it proved to be a burden. After some experimentation with Assault Vest Tyranitar, I realized that it fit my needs perfectly.

With Assault Vest and Sandstorm, Tyranitar’s Special Defense is boosted to sky-high levels and prevents most Pokémon on rain teams from scratching it. It also underspeeds Politoed, which meant that I had the advantage should both sides lead with their weather setters. The EV spread is very straightforward, maximizing offensive power while dumping the rest into HP. I didn’t really put much thought into the moveset, either—Rock Slide and Dark Pulse are great STAB options, while Ice Beam took care of Dragon-types, and Fire Blast dealt great damage to various Steel-types. While it has a very simple job, Tyranitar was instrumental to my success against various weather-based teams—4/7 of my swiss matches were against either rain or sun teams!

Damage Calculations:

  • -1 252+ Atk Huge Power Mega Mawile Play Rough vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Tyranitar: 176-210 (85 – 101.4%) — 6.3% chance to OHKO
  • 244 SpA Adaptability Mega Lucario Aura Sphere vs. 252 HP 0 SpD Assault Vest Tyranitar in Sand: 176-208 (85 – 100.4%) — 6.3% chance to OHKO
  • 252+ SpA Politoed Scald vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Assault Vest Tyranitar in Sand: 54-66 (26-31.8%) –guaranteed 4HKO
  • 252+ SpA Ludicolo Scald vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Assault Vest Tyranitar in Sand: 54-66 (26-31.8%) — guaranteed 4HKO
  • 252+ SpA Gardevoir Moonblast vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Assault Vest Tyranitar in Sand: 80-96 (38.6 – 46.3%) — guaranteed 3HKO

rotom-heat

Rotom-Heat @ Safety Goggles
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 68 Def / 20 SpA / 164 SpD / 4 Spe
Calm Nature
– Overheat
– Thunderbolt
– Will-O-Wisp
– Protect

I decided to use Rotom-Heat on my team because I wanted a dedicated counter to Amoonguss and Steel-types not named Aegislash. It also greatly improved my matchup against Mega Charizard Y and Talonflame.

I chose Safety Goggles since it prevents Spore and Sleep Powder from affecting Rotom, as well as allowing me to properly target Will-O-Wisp through Rage Powder. This was extremely important against enemy Amoonguss, especially if I already had Trick Room up. I had originally been running a much more offensive Rotom-Heat (designed to always OHKO specially defensive Mega Mawile), but decided that I was being KOed too quickly (especially by Choice Specs Draco Meteor from Hydreigon), and instead opted for Cybertron’s much more bulky build that spreads status and racks up damage a bit more slowly. The moveset is simple: Overheat and Thunderbolt for STAB attacks, Will-O-Wisp to cripple physical attackers and rack up residual damage, and Protect to, uh, protect myself. Rotom-Heat proved to be very important, helping me to weaken and knock out my opponent’s Mega Mawile in one of the games in the finals—essentially winning me the match.

Damage Calculations:

  • 252+ SpA Choice Specs Hydreigon Draco Meteor vs. 252 HP / 164+ SpD Rotom-H: 132-156 (84 – 99.3%) — guaranteed 2HKO
  • 252 Atk Garchomp Rock Slide vs. 252 HP / 68 Def Rotom-H: (39.4 – 47.1%) — guaranteed 3HKO
  • 4 SpA Rotom-W Hydro Pump vs. 252 HP / 164+ SpD Rotom-H: 98-116 (62.4 – 73.8%) — guaranteed 2HKO
  • 252 Atk Parental Bond Mega Kangaskhan Double-Edge vs. 252 HP / 68 Def Rotom-H: 132-157 (84 – 100%) — 6.3% chance to OHKO
  • -1 252+ Atk Parental Bond Mega Kangaskhan Double-Edge vs. 252 HP / 68 Def Rotom-H: 99-117 (63-74.5%) — guaranteed 2HKO
  • 12 SpA Rotom-H Overheat vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Mega Mawile: 164-194 (104.4 – 123.5%) — guaranteed OHKO

zapdos

Zapdos @ Life Orb
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 220 HP / 120 Def / 44 SpA / 96 SpD / 28 Spe
Modest Nature
– Thunderbolt
– Hidden Power [Ice]
– Roost
– Protect

Recently, Zapdos has been one of my favorite Pokémon to use competitively. It’s got just about everything—bulk, power, and speed. Zapdos functioned as a strong attacker that could double up on opposing Pokémon with its allies to achieve easy KOs, as well as being able to stick around on the battlefield for long periods of time using Roost.

Using Life Orb on this set made up for the loss of power due to the defensive spread; although using Life Orb on a defensively built Zapdos seems counterproductive, Roost more than made up for it. I decided not to use Thunder Wave: I already had so many answers to Mega Kangaskhan, and in many situations Protect was better than a rather situational move. Thunderbolt and Hidden Power Ice actually make for extremely solid coverage—only a handful of common Pokémon can comfortably wall them, especially coming from Zapdos’s high Special Attack. Roost enhanced Zapdos’s staying power immensely, and in some cases could even win games. In situations where I was forced into a 1v1 with an enemy that couldn’t be knocked out quickly but was doing less than 50% damage per turn, I would be able to alternate Roost and an attack until I had won the game. The EV spread is built to always withstand an Adamant max investment Mega Mawile’s Play Rough and one tick of Life Orb damage, while outspeeding max Speed Bisharp and Tyranitar.

Damage Calculations:

  • 252+ Atk Mega Mawile Play Rough vs. 220 HP / 120 Def Zapdos: 145-172 (75.1 – 89.1%) — guaranteed 2HKO
  • 252+ SpA Choice Specs Salamence Draco Meteor vs. 220 HP / 96 SpD Zapdos: 160-190 (82.9 – 98.4%) — guaranteed 2HKO
  • 252 Atk Garchomp Rock Slide vs. 220 HP / 120 Def Zapdos: 66-78 (34.1 – 40.4%) — guaranteed 3HKO
  • 44+ SpA Life Orb Zapdos Hidden Power Ice vs. 4 HP / 0 SpD Salamence: 198-234 (115.7 – 136.8%) — guaranteed OHKO
  • 44+ SpA Life Orb Zapdos Hidden Power Ice vs. 4 HP / 0 SpD Garchomp: 187-224 (101.6 – 121.7%) — guaranteed OHKO
  • 44+ SpA Life Orb Zapdos Thunderbolt vs. 188 HP / 4 SpD Mega Charizard Y: 164-195 (92.6 – 110.1%) — 56.3% chance to OHKO

garchomp

Garchomp @ Lum Berry
Ability: Rough Skin
EVs: 12 HP / 204 Atk / 4 Def / 36 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
– Dragon Claw
– Earthquake
– Rock Slide
– Protect

Garchomp is one of the most common, tried-and-true Dragon-types, and it’s easy to see why. With great coverage options in Earthquake and Rock Slide, it can deal super effective damage to some of the most common Pokémon in the metagame. Rough Skin helps whittle away at physical attackers (Kangaskhan, cough cough) and can be even more useful if they’re already at low HP. Being faster than both Kangaskhan and Smeargle (as well as holding a Lum Berry), Garchomp was my main answer to the “Khan-Artist” combination that some players have taken an uncomfortable liking to. The EV spread, despite seeming complex, is actually very simple. It endures Timid Mega Manectric’s Hidden Power Ice 100% of the time, and the slight Attack drop from the lost EVs is barely noticeable. I did not take any EVs out of Speed in order to at least Speed tie opposing Garchomp. Although it was important in a few games, I would say that Garchomp had the least spectacular performance of any of my Pokémon during the tournament.

Damage Calculations:

  • 204 Atk Garchomp Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Aegislash-Shield: 86-104 (51.4 – 62.2%) — 97.3% chance to 2HKO after Leftovers Recovery
  • 252 SpA Mega Manectric Hidden Power Ice vs. 12 HP / 36 SpD Garchomp: 156-184 (84.3 – 99.4%) — guaranteed 2HKO
  • 108 SpA Politoed Ice Beam vs. 12 HP / 36 SpD Garchomp: 156-184 (84.3 – 99.4%) — guaranteed 2HKO

 Conclusion

Happy about my win!

I had an absolute blast at this tournament and got to meet so many great people. I’m glad I was good enough to place as well as I did, and I hope I’ll be able to continue doing this well in the future. I would like to thank MissingNoL for supplying me with 4/6 of my Pokémon, since I’m way too lazy to actually breed. I would also like to thank Cometkins for creating the amazing art. That’s all I have to say- I hope you liked reading my report!


About the Author

is a senior-division VGC player who has played in the official format since the fall of 2013, however only began to see real success this past season, becoming a two-time regional champion securing his worlds invite. He hopes to continue performing well this season. He also loves food and traveling.



14 Responses to Gardevoir’s Decisive Trick Room: A Pennsylvania Regional Senior Division 1st Place Report

  1. sableyemagma says:

    I was so sure that Rotom had bright powder. Aerodactyl missing it 3 times with rock slide wasn’t part of the spread, was it? Nice team and congrats on the win.

  2. pokebeys says:

    Congrats Sir Chicken! The team was really nice!

  3. megachar10 says:

    Congrats Sir Chicken! we had a great set for top 8 again para haxer :p lol jk

  4. LightCore says:

    Hey. I remember back when we battled in that premier challenge in the finals back in PA. Now your a regional champion. Congrats man. I wish we could have gotten to battle, but you left before masters top 8 was over. Good luck in the future man.

  5. schultzy says:

    Congrats on the win with a very nice team!

  6. Carbonific says:

    Assault Vest Tyranitar as a check to opposing weather is certainly interesting, seeing those damage calcs. Don’t know why it’s something I hadn’t really thought about before.
     
    Kinda disappointed there isn’t more information on the matches that you played, but I like the kind of detail you went into on the individual team members so I can’t complain; it was a good read :) Congrats on your win!

  7. Cypher says:

    Congrats Firestorm! Nice job winning seniors regs!                                                                                                 and uhhhh I guess you too sir chicken

  8. Firestorm says:

    Congrats Firestorm! Nice job winning seniors regs! and uhhhh I guess you too sir chicken

    Look who’s making fun of who for a CMS-related screw up!

  9. solarman64 says:

    Great job on your finish, I really liked the use of AV tyranitar just another reason why zard y is just sitting in my box.

  10. MissingNoL says:

    It was really no problem supplying you with your Pokemon, man.  You’re a good person and friend (and mature, thankfully), and I admire that you “one day decided to stop sucking” and practiced your heart out from then on: I feel like you deserved the win.  I wonder if your first article was what motivated you…

  11. cupcakemayhem15 says:

    Nice report bro

  12. LB1993 says:

    love this team! congratulations. 🙂

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