Reports

Published on March 7th, 2015 | by rapha

14

No Substitute for Rain in the Northwest: 9th Place Oregon Regional Report

‘Ello reader. Two weeks ago I attended the Portland, Oregon regional finishing with a 6-2 record and bubbling out of top cut at 9th place. Given that it was my first regional I can’t realistically say that it was a subpar performance, though coming so close to making top cut was pretty disappointing.

Teambuilding

For much of January I had been testing a team centered around Imprison Mega Gardevoir and Rage Powder Volcarona. The basic idea was to discourage or draw away physical attacks (mainly Steel-type attacks) from Gardevoir, while Gardevoir swept with Hyper Voice. Imprison stopped opposing Sylveon and could corner opponents if they were locked out of Protect in an unfavorable situation. For the most part, I liked the combination. However, Gardevoir itself had plenty of flaws that were difficult to cover. I was alright with Gardevoir’s inability to OHKO most opponents, but it was useless against Steel-types, and had terrible physical bulk. Talonflame and Landorus-Therian were the biggest weaknesses, as the former could easily OHKO both while the latter nullified Rage Powder with its powerful spread attacks. It was an offensive core that couldn’t deal enough damage to make up for its shoddy defenses.

What I ended up using at Regionals wasn’t something that I built for the tournament. I was interested in testing the classic combo of Metagross + Hydreigon after seeing it on Battle Spot, and I pretty much worked out the team from there. I immediately added Togekiss for Tailwind and and Follow Me. I added Politoed and Ludicolo to scare away threats such as Landorus-Therian, Fire-types, and Terrakion. Afterwards, I included my own Terrakion to deal with Steel-types and improve my matchup against Kangaskhan and Charizard. I built the entire team in about thirty minutes; it was just supposed to be a test, but it worked a lot better than I thought it would. I had wanted to test Justin Burns’s (Spurrific’s) Trick Room team with Conkeldurr before Oregon, but I was too lazy to obtain the necessary Pokémon. I was running out of time, so I decided to just perfect what I had.

I thought the team was fairly solid, as the rain bluff allowed Metagross, Hydreigon, and Togekiss to smash through most opposition. However, it ended up being quite flawed. Hydreigon was essentially my only answer to Steel-types (Terrakion can’t hit many of the more common ones super effectively), paralysis shut down my attackers, and a well-built sun team meant a nearly guaranteed loss. Throw these threats together with a good player and I’m helpless, which is what ended up happening in round four of Swiss. I’m going to continue using this team on Battle Spot, but it won’t see any more live usage, as its gimmicks (Substitute Metagross and a rain bluff) are now fairly well known.

Last thing about the team: it’s a flinching machine. I have six moves that can flinch and five Pokémon overall that can do so, including the very evil Rock Slide from Terrakion and Serene Grace Air Slash from Togekiss. I don’t rely on flinches, but a well timed flinch could turn into a free Substitute, a Tailwind, or just free damage. I didn’t intentionally add many flinching moves, but it was an extra out that I had. Combined with the team’s general quickness, this also meant that the RNG usually played in my favor. I can’t count the number of times I said “sorry” after I flinched my opponent (how very Canadian). Good thing everyone I played at the tournament was very accepting of the nature of the team and the game, and no one got even a little bit angry at me!

Elmo (Politoed) @ Leftovers
Drizzle | Calm
212 HP / 132 Def / 4 SpA / 116 SpD / 44 Spe
– Scald
– Icy Wind
– Helping Hand
– Protect

This team might be classified as a “rain team”; however, Politoed is by far my least used Pokémon. Rain mode was far too easily prepared for. However, the threat of rain played significant mindgames with my opponents, and Politoed had a major effect even if I never brought it. I also intentionally placed Politoed and Ludicolo first and second in Team Preview to further increase the illusion of rain.

Compared to VGC 2014, Politoed is far better due to its access to support moves like Icy Wind and Helping Hand, allowing non-Choice Scarf Politoed can do more than just set up Drizzle. However, Politoed was still pretty disappointing when I did bring it, as effectively using Icy Wind was difficult. Its decent bulk was still insufficient against repeated hits. At Regionals, I only brought it in a single game, and it was taken down in two turns without attacking.

The spread was created by DaWoblefet, so credits go to him for helping me with it (and countless other spreads that I had asked him for in the past). The bulk allows it to withstand Kangaskhan’s Double-Edge and avoid a 2HKO from Sylveon’s Hyper Voice. I didn’t actually care about either of these attacks, I just wanted Politoed to be as bulky as possible to keep rain up and provide speed control. However, my favorite part of the spread is the speed. After an Icy Wind, Politoed outspeeds non-Scarf Landorus-Therian. I didn’t actually care about outspeeding it either, but Icy Wind allows me to gain critical information about its item—based on damage and Speed, I can figure out whether it’s Choice Scarf, Assault Vest, or Focus Sash.

I have since changed Politoed to a straightforward offensive Choice Scarf variant. I had been timid (pun intended) of it originally, as it would have left me with three Pokémon without Protect and less Speed control (from the loss of Icy Wind). However, having a fast option gives me more freedom against Terrakion and Landorus-Therian, and the change dramatically improved my Mega Salamence matchup. I also added Rain Dance, which I forgot about on this set, and it’s been a key move in winning weather wars.

Grapes? (Ludicolo) @ Assault Vest
Swift Swim | Modest
108 HP / 252 SpA / 148 Spe
– Fake Out
– Scald
– Giga Drain
– Ice Beam

Very boring Pokémon and EV spread. It’s a standard Assault Vest Ludicolo with a standard moveset; there’s not much to say here! The Speed EVs allows it to outrun Choice Scarf Landorus-Therian under rain or Tailwind. I chose a more offensive spread because I anticipated that I would use the rain portion of the team more often, but I sometimes wish I had more bulk. It’s not an optimized spread, certainly, but Ludicolo did very well when I needed it. Fake Out and its special bulk paired with its unique and excellent typing helped greatly against Trick Room teams, as Ludicolo is perhaps the best counter in the game to the Gastrodon and Camerupt duo.

Terrakion @ Lum Berry
Justified | Jolly
4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
– Close Combat
– Rock Slide
– Double Kick
– Protect

Another boring build. I kind of regret not testing Stone Edge more extensively, as when I did test it a few days before the tournament, I forgot to save my game and ended up with Double Kick for several games. By the time I caught it, it was very close to tournament time, so I kept Double Kick. Having Stone Edge would have allowed Terrakion to OHKO most Thundurus-I (assuming it actually hit!) and knock out Charizard through Wide Guard, two very important knockouts for this team. Obviously, Stone Edge would be used sparingly, but the main targets of Double Kick (Smeargle and Focus Sash Bisharp) aren’t that big of a deal to me. I’ve been using Stone Edge ever since Oregon, and even though it’s a minor change, it covers several weaknesses. Stone Edge would have definitely helped in round 4 of Swiss.

Oppenheimer (Hydreigon) @ Choice Specs
Levitate | Modest
4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
– Draco Meteor
– Dark Pulse
– Flamethrower
– Earth Power

Hydreigon is one of my favorite Pokémon to use competitively because it fits my playstyle so well: it’s fast, bulky, has a good typing, and is very powerful (I suppose this can be loosely interpreted as “my play style is to use good Pokémon”, but whatever). I tend to shy away from very defensive teams and instead prefer offensive Pokémon with good defensive synergy, which is exactly what Hydreigon provides in many situations. It’s my only answer to Aegislash and other Steel-types, and it has nearly perfect defensive synergy with Metagross. I originally used Life Orb over Choice Specs, but the damage output was somewhat lacking. Without an Electric-type on the team to hit Suicune (and other bulky Pokémon) for good damage, Hydreigon’s raw power was certainly appreciated. While it isn’t nearly as good as it was last year due to new Fairy-types, Terrakion, and Landorus-Therian, Hydreigon still has enough going for it for it to be a Pokémon worth using.

Metagross @ Metagrossite
Clear Body / Tough Claws | Adamant
252 HP / 36 Atk / 4 Def / 36 SpD / 180 Spe
– Iron Head
– Zen Headbutt
– Substitute
– Protect

The EV spread is Randy Kwa’s (R Inanimate’s). I know that the Speed EVs allow Mega Metagross to outpace neutral natured base 100 Speed Pokémon. I’m not really sure what the rest of the EVs do, outside of being defensively focused. I shamelessly stole his spread because I was too lazy to run damage calculations when practicing. However, I never felt that I needed a different spread, and I definitely think that Adamant is better than Jolly after discussing it with Randy. Bulky Mega Metagross is really nice, as it allows it to win its advantageous matchups (Sylveon and Terrakion, for instance) more consistently. Weak attacks such as Suicune’s Scald also fail to break its Substitute most of the time, which definitely did a good job of throwing off my opponents.

I originally had Ice Punch over Substitute, but I never used the move. Substitute allowed Metagross to work around Sucker Punch and status, two of its biggest counters. It also had some unintended positive effects, such as helping stall out Trick Room and Tailwind. With Follow Me and Fake Out support combined with Metagross’s natural bulk, it could dominate games once behind a Substitute. Opponents would often tunnel on Metagross after a Substitute, which left them wide open to Terrakion, Hydreigon, and Togekiss. Substitute also let Metagross shut down the increasingly popular Mega Venusaur, and provided a secondary Protect-like option. I could go on and on about Substitute’s advantages; it was my favorite move on this team, and I was elated to see it in Missouri’s top cut. Even though Metagross’s coverage was suboptimal with only two attacking moves, between Iron Head and Zen Headbutt, it was still able to 2HKO most of the metagame.

Honestly, there are very few Steel-types that can comfortably handle Sylveon. Mawile (before Mega Evolving) is terrible at taking Hyper Voice, Cobalion is too weak, and Ferrothorn and Escavalier are held back by their Speed. Metagross, with Clear Body and a fast Substitute, has many advantages over the other Steel-types, and is one of the only physical attackers that can deal with Intimidate and burn. Don’t let Metagross’s lack of raw power compared to Charizard or Kangaskhan discourage you; it’s a fantastic Pokémon that simply functions differently. Substitute was the key that made Mega Metagross even more rounded than it already was.

such toge (Togekiss) @ Sitrus Berry
Serene Grace | Bold
252 HP / 116 Def / 4 SpA / 60 SpD / 76 Spe
– Air Slash
– Follow Me
– Tailwind
– Protect

For whatever reason, I’ve become obsessed with redirection in this format, and Togekiss is one of the best users of it. I know Randy doesn’t like that Togekiss picked up extra weaknesses via Fairy-type, but for this team, its resistances to Dark-, Dragon-, and Fighting-type moves were very important: it allowed me to win Hydreigon mirrors, and forced opposing Terrakion to use Rock Slide most of the time. Opponents almost never want to risk a Close Combat into Togekiss, so they often take the safe Rock Slide—only to give Metagross, Hydreigon, and even Togekiss a free turn. Follow Me isn’t even necessary all of the time, as the mere threat of it can prevent Terrakion from doing meaningful damage. Togekiss is my most commonly used Pokémon since there’s almost never a situation where redirection or Tailwind wouldn’t be helpful.

The EV spread allows Togekiss to withstand Life Orb Bisharp’s Iron Head and allows Sitrus Berry to activate after Super Fang. The Speed EVs allows it to get the jump on defensive Rotom, letting Togekiss set up Tailwind or go for a flinch. I put the rest of the EVs into Special Defense, as Togekiss isn’t really there for damage.

The Tournament

I don’t take notes on each battle and only write down Team Preview, so I’m going off of memory. Bear with me if there are any mistakes!

Round 1: Aaron Whitehurst

He brought: 

I brought: 

Looks like a Trick Room team. Oh, and a Golem. I go for my standard anti-Trick Room play: get Metagross behind a Substitute and have Ludicolo in the back to stall with Fake Out. His team didn’t have a lot of offense, so I was able to outdamage him even in Trick Room, and the game ended up being 4-1 in my favor with only Aegislash remaining. The battle took a while to finish because I was wary of switching Hydreigon into a critical hit Flash Cannon, so Togekiss and Metagross slowly chipped away at Aegislash until I won.

1-0

Round 2: Travis Knickerbocker

He brought: 

I brought: 

Another Trick Room team, with a couple of fast options in Mega Salamence and Raikou. As such, I brought the same setup as last game. It was a good thing that Team Preview alone scared him away from bringing his most powerful threat in Camerupt, so it was just a matter of trading damage effectively against his other Pokémon while maintaining good board position. For some reason, I was surprised to see non-Mega Abomasnow due to his Salamence and Camerupt, but it didn’t end up mattering as Salamence Mega Evolved very early in the match. After the first Trick Room ended, I misplayed by not double targeting his Cresselia, as Dark Pulse was negated by a Colbur Berry and Trick Room went back up. Eventually, I was able to set up Tailwind on the last turn of Trick Room, and Metagross cleaned up his Mega Salamence. Travis praised Metagross’s Substitute, calling it a cool tech; I agree!

2-0

Round 3: Zach Costello (shadowz900)

He brought: 

I brought: 

I missed Zen Headbutt twice in this game, which was definitely annoying. My Metagross was, to my surprise, faster than his, and his Rotom-Wash revealed its offensive nature with Volt Switch. I remember his Tornadus getting Tailwind up, which was difficult to play around, and during the last turn of the the game, I thought I was done for. He had a full health Metagross and a very low health Conkeldurr against my full health Hydreigon and dented Metagross. He double targeted Hydreigon with Bullet Punch and Mach Punch, and I thought I would lose the ensuing Metagross mirror. However, his Conkeldurr was the bulky variant, as my Hydreigon was able to survive both priority attacks and knock out the opposing Metagross. This was a close game that I thought was lost at multiple points.

3-0

Round 4: Demitrios Kaguras (kingdjk)

He brought: 

I brought: 

I didn’t know who he was at the time, but I learned after our battle that Demitri was having a good start to the season after his top 4 finish at the NorCal Regional. Also, man, this battle. Remember how I mentioned that Charizard / Thundurus / Aegislash / Terrakion was almost an autoloss for my team? Well, yeah, that’s exactly what happened. I had nothing for his Aegislash and Thundurus lead, and Demitri gave me no change to get back into the game. I didn’t even get to find out his last Pokémon! He was still a few turns away from clinching the win when I forfeited, but I didn’t want to drag the battle out any longer than I had to. Also I really had to go to the restroom. Props to him for the good team and dominating win. This battle was the biggest indication that I should have used Stone Edge on Terrakion instead of Double Kick.

3-1

Round 5: Max Douglas (starmetroid)

He brought:

I brought: 

Welp. It’s Max. He entered the weekend first in Canada in CP and I’ve played against him countless times at Premier Challenges. Coming off of a loss, I was definitely nervous that I could very well drop a second straight game. I immediately recognized his team: I had played against Max’s teambuilding partner, Mark Hanson (Crawdaunt), who was using the exact same Pokémon at a Premier Challenge; this gave me quite an advantage. This game ended up being almost an exact mirror, which was kind of weird. The endgame was my Terrakion and 50% health Hydreigon at -2 with a paralyzed Togekiss in the back against his full health Hydreigon and Metagross. I was going to Protect with Terrakion, but misclicked and used Close Combat instead. Terrakion was knocked out by Iron Head, and I lost the game from there. I was definitely bummed out about choking away a potential win, but my plan necessitated Togekiss not being fully paralyzed twice, so I’d like to think that I would have been fully paralyzed and lost anyway. After losing my second game, I wasn’t feeling so hot about my top cut chances, but at least I lost to a friend who really needed the win after he lost in Round 1.

3-2

Round 6:Matt Alcina

He brought: 

I brought: 

The first thing I noticed in Team Preview was that he probably wouldn’t bring Heatran or Landorus-Therian due to the threat of rain. Against his remaining four Pokémon, I realized I could probably win the game with Terrakion and a Metagross behind a Substitute, so I went for that setup immediately. After a turn one double Protect, I proceeded to flinch his Cresselia three times and knock out its partner twice. In the end, I won without him ever getting an attack off. I know that the team matchup would have likely won me the game anyway, but the repeated flinches were just overkill, and I definitely felt bad about it. Matt was kind enough to understand that these things happen in this game and didn’t act the least bit salty.

4-2

At this point we headed into lunch break. I still wasn’t feeling good about my chances of making top cut, but sideline reporter Justin Burns let me know that my opponents had done very well thus far, putting my resistance at an astounding 76.7% before round 6. After talking with Mark (a TO who was very familiar with the tournament structure) he told me that there were 5-1s who probably didn’t have as high of a resistance and even though it definitely wasn’t going to stay at 76%, it likely would remain sufficiently high for top cut. So, while I knew that I still had to win my last two games, I was getting excited over an opportunity to play in top cut. As I looked at the pairings for round 7, though, I was crushed to see that Max and Demitri had been paired. I really needed that to not happen to maximize my resistance, and two of my opponents getting paired meant that one of them would be guaranteed to lose.

Round 7: Richard Schmidt

He brought:

I brought: 

My eyes lit up during Team Preview as his team was overwhelmingly weak to Metagross. This was the first and last game I brought Politoed, because I didn’t need much else and I figured he might bring Volcarona as he had nothing else against Metagross. I led with Metagross and Hydreigon to his… Volcarona and Terrakion. Not what I was expecting, and despite the good team matchup I was behind due to an awful lead. I got rain up, but Politoed was knocked out without attacking. Eventually, I was able to get Tailwind up and go on the offensive, allowing me to take out his Florges and Scizor with my Metagross and Hydreigon. I don’t fault myself for leading the way I did, but I was definitely very nervous that I almost threw a game that I had a big team advantage in.

5-2

Round 8: Kayhon Tahmaseb

He brought: 

I brought: 

I almost timed out during Team Preview and ended up not leading what I wanted to because of it. Metagross and Togekiss covered just about his entire team, except for Ferrothorn, which I really figured he would lead with because I had rain. He ended up leading with Mega Gardevoir and Sableye, which gave Metagross a free Substitute. At that point, Metagross quickly won the game without any substantial opposition since his Sableye didn’t have an attacking move to break the Substitute.

6-2

I was stoked at this point. After a convincing round 8 win and with my resistance looking strong, my heart was racing because I had a very real chance to make cut at my first regional. It wasn’t to be though: I finished in 9th place with an opponents’ win percentage of 65.62% while Demitri, in 8th place, had an opponents’ win % of 70.31%.

After getting over bubbling (okay, I still haven’t really gotten over it), I was elated to see that Max and Rushan Shekar (Firestorm) had won seven straight games after losing round 1, and both had made the cut. They were also on opposite sides of the bracket, so we had a chance at an all BC finals. Max and Rushan ended up finishing second and third respectively, both losing to Conan, who had won the Premier Challenge the previous day and had gone undefeated in Swiss.

In the end, I took home 40 CP from a top 16 finish, putting me in the top 100 in North America with 158 CP. Only the top 40 will receive Worlds invites, so I’ve still got a lot of work to do, but I’m in a better position now than before the weekend had started.

Lastly, special shoutouts go to our unnamed Google+ group who helped me greatly with practicing and getting the Pokémon I needed and the people that I hung out with at Oregon for making it a fun weekend, especially Randy Kwa for driving me to and from the event. Y’all are the best!

About the Author

rapha

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