Reports

Published on October 8th, 2014 | by GiraGoomy

16

All Through a Helping Hand: Top 4 Senior Australian Nationals Team Report

Hi everyone! My name is Adam or some of you may know me as GiraGoomy here on Nugget Bridge, Pokemon Showdown, or where ever else I may be online. Recently I competed in the Australian National Championships in the Senior Division where I placed in the top 4. The team I used throughout the day was one I really liked as it suited my hyper offensive playstyle. The team is based around BlitznBurst’s Regionals team where he used Helping Hand Azumarill and was also an idea given to me by PokeAlex. Going into Nationals, I prepared a lot as I was very aware that I’d be facing a lot of Mega Kangaskhan and some random Pokemon as well. This is the team I used throughout the day.

Lucario @Lucarionite
Ability: Inner Focus —> Adaptability
Jolly Nature
4 HP / 252 Attack / 252 Speed
– Close Combat
– Flash Cannon
– Protect
– Substitute

Although this mega evolution isn’t the bulkiest, its massive amount of Attack and Special Attack combined with its Speed and Ability makes it a complete beast on the battlefield. Inner Focus is a great ability to have before mega evolving because without any Attack drops, regular Lucario can OHKO Mega Kangaskhan with Close Combat while not being affected by Fake Out. Adaptability gives a 1.5x boost to all STAB moves which makes Mega Lucario even more powerful. Close Combat with a Helping Hand boost OHKOs most Mega Mawile. It also has a chance to OHKO specially defensive Rotoms (OHKOs all Rotoms with Helping Hand boost). Protect shields myself from attacks when I mega evolve to gain the speed boost (and other stats) of Mega Lucario. Substitute is to shield myself from moves like Overheat while the attacking Pokemon takes a -2 drop in Special Attack and shields Lucario from status effects such as Burn, Sleep and Paralysis which make Lucario useless. Lastly I ran Flash Cannon over Bullet Punch because I wasn’t afraid of Scarf Gardevoir and Flash Cannon does more damage overall even with 0 Special Attack.

Offensive Calculations:

• 252 Atk Adaptability Mega Lucario Helping Hand Close Combat vs. 252 HP / 40 Def Mega Mawile: 180-212 (114.6 – 135%) — guaranteed OHKO
• 252 Atk Adaptability Mega Lucario Helping Hand Close Combat vs. 252 HP / 100+ Def Rotom-H: 174-206 (110.8 – 131.2%) — guaranteed OHKO
• 0 SpA Adaptability Mega Lucario Helping Hand Flash Cannon vs. 252 HP / 20 SpD Gardevoir: 192-228 (109.7 – 130.2%) — guaranteed OHKO
• 252 Atk Lucario Close Combat vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Mega Kangaskhan: 186-218 (102.7 – 120.4%) — guaranteed OHKO
• 252 Atk Adaptability Mega Lucario Close Combat vs. 12 HP / 20 Def Garchomp: 152-180 (82.1 – 97.2%) — guaranteed 2HKO
• 252 Atk Adaptability Mega Lucario Helping Hand Close Combat vs. 12 HP / 20 Def Garchomp: 226-268 (122.1 – 144.8%) — guaranteed OHKO

Defensive Calculations:

• -1 252+ Atk Huge Power Mega Mawile Play Rough vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Mega Lucario: 108-127 (73.9 – 86.9%) — guaranteed 2HKO
• -1 252+ Atk Choice Band Talonflame Brave Bird vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Mega Lucario: 91-108 (62.3 – 73.9%) — guaranteed 2HKO

Azumarill @Sitrus Berry
Ability: Huge Power
Adamant Nature
236 HP/ 60 Attack / 36 Defence / 172 Special Defence / 4 Speed
– Helping Hand
– Play Rough
– Aqua Jet
– Protect

Easily the MVP of the team. This spread was directly taken from BlitznBurst’s Helping Hand Azumarill team because it worked so well in the ‘practice’ I did before Nationals. The aim is for it to act as a well-rounded tank firing off a lot of Helping Hands before fainting. Although this spot could’ve easily been occupied by Vaporeon (another great Helping Hand user I tested), I figured Hydreigon would be everywhere at Nationals due to its recent increase in usage and that Azumarill would fare better against it than Vaporeon. The EV spread KOs Garchomp with a Play Rough + Aqua Jet combo while also beating Rotom-H 1v1 and OHKOing Salamence when not at -1 Attack. It also allows it to survive a 252+ Special Attack Solar Beam from Charizard Y and a 252 Attack Double Edge from Mega Kangaskhan.

Offensive Calculations

• 60+ Atk Huge Power Azumarill Play Rough vs. 12 HP / 0 Def Garchomp: 152-180 (82.1 – 97.2%) — guaranteed 2HKO
• 60+ Atk Huge Power Azumarill Aqua Jet vs. 12 HP / 0 Def Garchomp: 34-42 (18.3 – 22.7%) — possible 5HKO
• 60+ Atk Huge Power Azumarill Play Rough vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Salamence: 174-206 (101.7 – 120.4%) — guaranteed OHKO
• 60+ Atk Huge Power Azumarill Play Rough vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Mega Tyranitar: 102-122 (49.2 – 58.9%) — 98% chance to 2HKO

Defensive Calculations

• 252 Atk Parental Bond Mega Kangaskhan Double-Edge vs. 236 HP / 36 Def Azumarill: 172-204 (83.9 – 99.5%) — guaranteed 2HKO
• 252+ SpA Mega Charizard Y Solar Beam vs. 236 HP / 172 SpD Azumarill: 172-204 (83.9 – 99.5%) — guaranteed 2HKO

Tyranitar @Life Orb
Ability: Sand Stream
Modest Nature
220 HP / 4 Defence / 252 Special Attack / 12 Special Defence / 20 Speed
– Ice Beam
– Fire Blast
– Rock Slide
– Protect

Bulky Life Orb Tyranitar. Sounds really weird doesn’t it? The only reason I thought to use Tyranitar was because of the major increase in Rain and also the fact that I just needed at least two Talonflame switch-ins on my team. This Tyranitar is meant to outspeed Mega Mawile and OHKO with Helping Hand + Fire Blast (sometimes the Helping Hand boost isn’t needed). It also has a chance to OHKO 252HP Aegislash in Shield Forme with Helping Hand + Fire Blast. Ice Beam, Rock Slide and Protect are used mainly against Dragons, Talonflame/Charizard and to shield attacks respectively. I was trying to decide between Dark Pulse and Fire Blast on this Tyranitar because I noticed I had an Aegislash weakness due to Lucario not being able to hit it. In the end I went with Fire Blast for two reasons. One, it could hit Mawile, Aegislash and Bisharp (Steel types I was afraid of) and I believed it was worth losing 15% accuracy for the power. Two, there are barely any good Fire types this season in my opinion meaning Fire moves must be used on members of the team even though it doesn’t have STAB. The Defence EVs allow a 4 Attack Sacred Sword from Aegislash to only 3HKO it. A huge thanks to Toquill for helping me create this EV Spread! I’d also like to thank Toquill (once again) and Dragoon124 for providing me with this Tyranitar.

Offensive Calculations

• 252+ SpA Life Orb Tyranitar Helping Hand Fire Blast vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Aegislash-Shield: 153-182 (91.6 – 108.9%) — 50% chance to OHKO
• 252+ SpA Life Orb Tyranitar Fire Blast vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Mega Mawile: 151-179 (96.1 – 114%) — 75% chance to OHKO
• 252+ SpA Life Orb Tyranitar Helping Hand Fire Blast vs. 252 HP / 180+ SpD Mega Mawile: 174-205 (110.8 – 130.5%) — guaranteed OHKO

Defensive Calculations

• 4 Atk Aegislash-Shield Sacred Sword vs. 220 HP / 4 Def Tyranitar: 76-92 (37.4 – 45.3%) — guaranteed 3HKO

Staraptor @Choice Scarf
Ability: Intimidate
Adamant Nature
212 HP / 156 Attack / 140 Speed
– Brave Bird
– Close Combat
– U-Turn
– Final Gambit

Staraptor (or commonly referred to as ‘Scrubraptor’ when I used it) is one of my favourite Pokemon ever and using it in a Nationals team successfully made me extremely happy. The HP EVs allow it to take out 4 HP Garchomp with Final Gambit and everything with less HP as well (notably Rotom-W) which did a good amount of damage to my team when I didn’t bring Venusaur. The Attack EVs allow it to still pick up OHKOs on Pokemon such as Tyranitar with Close Combat and Amoonguss with Brave Bird. The Speed investment with the combination of EVs and Choice Scarf allows me to be faster than Timid Mega Manectric. I’ve always loved Scarf Final Gambit and although I was using Reckless in testing (believe me, that is power), I decided that Intimidate would not only help me against Kangaskhan, but also allow my Lucario to survive attacks such as a Mega Mawile’s Play Rough and a Talonflame’s Brave Bird. Helping Hand + Close Combat can OHKO most Mega Kangaskhan making Staraptor a vital part to my team. I decided to go with U-Turn over Double Edge so I could have a decent matchup against Perish Trap and Gothitelle in general since it was seeing a spike in usage. A huge thanks to Mancuso for helping me make this EV Spread!

Offensive Calculations:

• 156+ Atk Staraptor Helping Hand Close Combat vs. 160 HP / 0 Def Mega Kangaskhan: 200-236 (100 – 118%) — guaranteed OHKO
• 156+ Atk Staraptor Brave Bird vs. 252 HP / 144 Def Amoonguss: 222-264 (100.4 – 119.4%) — guaranteed OHKO

Defensive Calculations:

• -1 252+ Atk Parental Bond Mega Kangaskhan Double-Edge vs. 212 HP / 0 Def Staraptor: 145-172 (77.5 – 91.9%) — guaranteed 2HKO

Rotom-Heat @Safety Goggles
Ability: Levitate
Modest Nature
252 HP / 20 Defence / 164 Special Attack / 12 Special Defence / 60 Speed
– Overheat
– Thunderbolt
– Will-O-Wisp
– Protect

Easily the best Fire type this season in my opinion and definitely helped me out with my Steel weakness. Rotom-H also helped me out with Pokémon such as Azumarill and Gyarados which threatened my team. Not only that, but it gave me the option of Will-O-Wisp to cut the Attack stats of Pokemon such as Mawile and Kangaskhan who typically rely on their Attack. It’s a good Sun counter too. The EV spread is one created by my good friend PM649 and its aim is to pick up OHKOs on Pokemon such as Mega Mawile and Gyarados while taking hits and spreading Burn. The use of Safety Goggles was to prevent Rotom-H from taking damage from my own Sandstorm and to counter Amoonguss + Azumarill setup teams. There isn’t really much else to say about Rotom-H other than it did its job on the day and I’m really happy with how it performed. I’d like to thank Dragoon124 for giving me a Shiny Rotom he didn’t need anymore!

Offensive Calculations

• 164+ SpA Rotom-H Overheat vs. 252 HP / 180+ SpD Mega Mawile: 156-186 (99.3 – 118.4%) — 93.8% chance to OHKO
• 164+ SpA Rotom-H Thunderbolt vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Talonflame: 186-218 (100.5 – 117.8%) — guaranteed OHKO

Defensive Calculations

• 252+ Atk Parental Bond Mega Kangaskhan Return vs. 252 HP / 20 Def Rotom-H: 127-153 (80.8 – 97.4%) — guaranteed 2HKO

Venusaur (Mega) @Venusaurite
Ability: Chlorophyll —> Thick Fat
Modest Nature
220 HP / 196 Def / 28 SpA / 4 SpD / 60 Spe
– Sleep Powder
– Synthesis
– Giga Drain
– Sludge Bomb

This thing is literally the definition of a tank. It can easily gobble up most attacks and then react with either Sleep Powder or a Sludge Bomb / Giga Drain which can gain a boost with Helping Hand. It’s also a nice option to use whenever the opponent has a setup like Belly Drum Azumarill, Dragon Dance Gyarados, or Rain. Suggested by Emforbes and backed up by Toquill, Venusaur is a good enough counter to all three of the attacking weathers this season in my opinion (Hail, Sun, Rain) and is clutch with Synthesis. The EV spread allows it to 3HKO all Rotom-W with Giga Drain and take a Life Orb Brave Bird from Talonflame. Although I didn’t use it once until the first round in Top Cut, I was extremely impressed at what it did and it’s no wonder this Pokemon was in the top 3 most used megas at one stage in the metagame. The EV spread is a magnificent Toquill spread once again and that’s probably why it did so well for me on the day and in ‘practice’.

Offensive Calculations

• 28+ SpA Mega Venusaur Helping Hand Sludge Bomb vs. 220 HP / 172 SpD Azumarill: 200-236 (98.5 – 116.2%) — 87.5% chance to OHKO
• 28+ SpA Mega Venusaur Giga Drain vs. 252 HP / 180+ SpD Rotom-W: 84-102 (53.5 – 64.9%) — guaranteed 2HKO (3HKO all the time)
• 28+ SpA Mega Venusaur Helping Hand Sludge Bomb vs. 252 HP / 20 SpD Gardevoir: 176-210 (100.5 – 120%) — guaranteed OHKO

Defensive Calculations

• 252+ Atk Parental Bond Mega Kangaskhan Double-Edge vs. 220 HP / 196 Def Mega Venusaur: 117-139 (63.9 – 75.9%) — guaranteed 2HKO
• 252+ Atk Life Orb Talonflame Brave Bird vs. 220 HP / 196 Def Mega Venusaur: 151-182 (82.5 – 99.4%) — guaranteed 2HKO
• 252+ SpA Gardevoir Psychic vs. 220 HP / 4 SpD Mega Venusaur: 140-168 (76.5 – 91.8%) — guaranteed 2HKO

At the end of the day, Nationals was a very fun experience and I met a lot of people there ranging from Matt (ZzamanN) to Sam (Cypress / Zelda / Whatever you call yourself). I ended up going 6-1 (1-1 at a point) in Swiss allowing me to finish 5th going into Top Cut (8 people). Top 8 was a best of 1 in which I was able to win 1-0  securing my Worlds Invite. In my semi-finals match I found out that it would be a best of three set. I ended up winning my first game in the semi final, but lost my next two games in a thrilling set that went down to the wire. In the end I finished 3rd or 4th out of the 126 Competitors which I was extremely happy with!

I’d like to summarise my thanks to a lot of people because this wouldn’t have been possible without you guys giving me support before the tournament. I’d to thank Toquill and Dragoon124 for providing me with some Pokemon (ily guys <3). I’d also like to thank PM649, Toquill, PokeAlex and Mancuso for their help with the EV spreads and just teambuilding in general. Also a huge thanks to Emforbes for giving me the idea of Mega Venusaur. To TwiddleDee, #TeamScrub for life and without you my man this Top 4 wouldn’t have happened. Thanks to everyone else who helped me if I forgot you and make sure to follow me on Twitter and subscribe to me on YouTube!

About the Author

GiraGoomy Australian. Currently in High School. Working on making Australia a top country in VGC through good Worlds performances. I also watch some anime. #ToquillCult

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