Online Competition Armor Beginnings

cant say

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RULES:
  • 3v3 Singles (bring 6, pick 3 at team preview)
  • Pokemon are forced to level 50 for battle
  • Isle of Armor Pokedex only!
  • Item clause
  • Species clause (obviously)


PRELIMINARY NOTEWORTHY POKEMON: (dex order)
  • :chansey: Chansey
  • :blissey: Blissey
  • :talonflame: Talonflame
  • :luxray: Luxray
  • :klefki: Klefki
  • :bisharp: Bisharp
  • :alakazam: Alakazam
  • :gyarados: Gyarados
  • :drednaw: Drednaw
  • :goodra: Goodra
  • :venusaur: Venusaur
  • :blastoise: Blastoise
  • :scolipede: Scolipede
  • :amoonguss: Amoonguss
  • :tangrowth: Tangrowth
  • :crawdaunt: Crawdaunt
  • :barraskewda: Barraskewda
  • :starmie: Starmie
  • Urshifu
  • :magnezone: Magnezone
  • :malamar: Malamar
  • :scyther: Scyther
  • :scizor: Scizor
  • :crustle: Crustle
  • :pincurchin: Pincurchin
  • :toxapex: Toxapex
  • :cloyster: Cloyster
  • :azumarill: Azumarill
  • :politoed: Politoed
  • :skarmory: Skarmory
  • :lycanroc: Lycanroc
  • :kommo-o: Kommo-o
  • :marowak-alola: Marowak Alola
  • :torkoal: Torkoal
  • :braviary: Braviary
  • :rhyperior: Rhyperior
  • :volcarona: Volcarona
  • :kingdra: Kingdra
  • :porygon2: Porygon2
  • :porygon-z: Porygon-Z


what looks good to you gamers?
 

Ehmcee

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I can see talonflame see some kind of usage, due to all the urshifus that are inevitably going to be running around.
 
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Theorymon

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Porygon2 seems insane here. Like, not even CB Urshifu OHKOs that thing, and theres no Cinderace to worry about lol.

Also, Volcarona is probably gonna be a much bigger deal here than in BSS atm now that Cinderace is gone too! Speaking of that, Volcarona, Kingdra, and Gyarados seem like the only major Max Airstreamers even allowed...
 
Porygon2 seems insane here. Like, not even CB Urshifu OHKOs that thing, and theres no Cinderace to worry about lol.

Also, Volcarona is probably gonna be a much bigger deal here than in BSS atm now that Cinderace is gone too! Speaking of that, Volcarona, Kingdra, and Gyarados seem like the only major Max Airstreamers even allowed...
I guess the Urshifus can use Aerial Ace as they usually do in BSS as filler "airstream" option, especially since there are no fairies here that warrant Iron Head and everything can be covered via stabs + Thunder Punch.

Speaking of Thunder Punch targets, Toxapex might be another valid choice for a teamslot since it seems to pair pretty well with omniwall P2, and may be a reason to swap Psychic over Hurricane on Volcarona since it not only swiftly deals with Toxapex, but also sets up Psychic Terrain in order to avoid getting revenge killed by the likes of Azumarill, Urshifu-RS and Lycanroc-Dusk.
 
I initially thought Klefki might have some use as an answer to Urshifu-S, given that it's neutral to Close Combat, resists all its other moves and can almost certainly OHKO Urshifu with Dazzling Gleam... but then I realised that Dazzling Gleam is *all* it can do. Urshifu is 4x resistant to Foul Play and flatly immune to all of Klefki's status moves unless it drops Prankster.
 
Feels slightly odd that new forms introduced in and only available from the Isle of Armor (namely the Gigantamax Galar starters) aren't playable in this mode, even though the reason is obvious.
 
I'm trying to put together a team for this and want to do some baton passing scolipede. I am new to team building and don't know what I want to go from there though with it. Any suggestions with where to go from there?
 
A Trick Room Core of P2 + Azumarill + Magnezone looks fun. What moves are best for Porygon2, though? My thoughts are Tri Attack + Thunderbolt + Recover + Trick Room with a Bold nature; walled to hell and back by A-Marowak and Rhyperior but that's what Azumarill (and Urshifu) is for.

Magnezone in general looks pretty good; the Iron Defense + Body Press set destroys anyone running Pex + Skarm + Chansey, and it theoretically does well against Porygon2? Tri Attack might still sting a bit; haven't run calcs but I know Magnezone's Special Defense isn't too special. With Sturdy you should be able revenge Urshifu-RS, too, assuming you haven't taken chip.

I'm thinking Stealth Rock from Lycanroc-Dusk might be useful with Gyarados, Volcarona, and maybe Talonflame out and about; just watch out for Surging Strikes.
 
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I am so running Luxray here. Also, knowing how much of a problem Gyarados, P2, and Scolipede are gonna be, I've come prepared
 

cant say

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played this on stream today, the “metagame” is super wack. I couldn’t figure out what the teambuilding call was because there’s only like 4 consistently good pokémon and winning speed ties is not fun, stall is obscenely good here but I’m not gonna bore people on stream with it, so the only thing left was to go full jank mode. Funnily/frustratingly enough I lost to a bunch of jank myself and started slow going 2-6 or something and nearly quit, but then finished well with 9-6 overall for day 1.

As I said; stall is crazy here. CB dark Urshifu handles it okay but one scald burn from Pex or Quag stops that altogether. I tried a bunch of stuff like Iron Defense + Body Press Magnezone (beats everything except Quagsire), and Lum Lurantis (beats everything except Mandibuzz) to name my favourites, but locked in Nasty Plot Swoobat for the competition. I lost the first stall matchup on a misplay but dismantled the second. If people here are still deciding on what to bring and planning to Saturday/Sunday rush their games and haven’t locked in yet, definitely make sure your stall matchup is solid otherwise literally just click forfeit turn 1, you can get 2-3 non stall wins in the time it’s going to take to lose the first one...

There are a lot of “FEAR” style sets with Focus Sash/Sturdy + Counter / Mirror Coat + priority and/or Endeavor, namely from Lycanroc, Urshifu (both), Scizor, Passimian (beats others 1v1 thanks to Feint) etc. Sash Urshifu is particularly annoying, if you can fit rocks/spikes somewhere on your team without giving up too much I’d highly advise it.

I’d also recommend just slapping a Porygon2 on your team somewhere because it’s awesome.

Gonna try streaming the rest over the weekend so come hang out if you’re interested!
 

marilli

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I did pretty OK In this. Due to irl constraints I was having issues getting games done, let alone posting about it in advance for everyone else. Apologies.



Baseline Metagame Observations:
  • Stall was very strong! Porygon2, Blissey, Toxapex, Quagsire, Skarmory, Amoonguss, etc. are some of the pillars of defensive play in standard BSS, and all of it was allowed in this competition, while primary offensive powerhouses such as Cinderace, Rillaboom, Dragapult, Togekiss, etc. were not allowed.
  • Primary offensive pieces in the game included things like Gyarados, Urshifu (both formes), Magnezone, Azumarill, Volcarona, Porygon-Z.
  • Some more "rogue" threats that I thought fared very well in the metagame included things such as Luxray, Goodra, Venusaur (without sun) for a more bulky "cycle-oriented" approach. On the other hand, for more offensive teams, Lycanroc-Dusk, Scizor, Klefki, and Venusaur (with sun) were pretty standout Pokemon.
  • There were lots of Lycanroc-Dusk - it is not exactly a standout attacker, but its ability to set SR, use Sash Counter to check Urshifu offensively. A lot of teams than regular BSS opted for a more dedicated lead to deal with the metagame uncertainty, and Lycanroc seemed to be the biggest benefactor of that usage-wise. Personally, this stopper & lead dual utility role was given to Sash Amoonguss.
  • Of all the defensive Pokemon listed above on the first list, only Porygon2 cleanly fit onto a more balanced approach. This leaves a pretty large void between super defensive stally teams and hyper offensive teams. Balanced approach was very uncommon, and generally involved just having 2 separate modes of offense and defense.
https://pokepast.es/af42b81fc81eef09

:goodra: :porygon2: :urshifu: :amoonguss: :toxapex: :quagsire:

This was my team. I wanted to go for a more balanced approach with a defensive core and some good offensive progress makers. CB Urshifu was great at breaking stall, and dealt most damage of all the Pokemon on my team by far. Both Porygon2 and Goodra made good Dynamax Aces. But I think the best part about the team was the Sash Amoonguss. Against non-Venusaur or Mandibuzz teams, Amoonguss would take a hit and give me a sleeping Pokemon with 0 sleep turns burned. This meant that I could use it as a bridge between my offensive and defensive modes. I cannot understate the importance of Amoonguss on the build, which let the offensive & defensive modes come together and form a cohesive team as vs 2 disjointed modes of 3.

Team Preview - Common modes:
  • :amoonguss: (Lead) + :urshifu: + :porygon2: / :goodra:
The offensive Urshifu-based mode. This is the default mode of the team. Amoonguss makes a great "lead" and enables my 2 offensive Pokemon. The Dynamax Pokemon would be chosen based on matchup. It's notable both are able to provide speed control for itself and Urshifu, which can be impactful. The Un-Spread P2 is used in order to outspeed a -1 Urshifu slowed down by Max Strike.
  • :toxapex: + :Porygon2: + :amoonguss: / :Quagsire:
The defensive Toxapex-based mode. This was picked when the opponent had very little room to play around defensive matchups. This mode was what enabled me to consistently win on the low ladder without being cheesed or haxed. Porygon2 felt like a pretty big "necessary" feature because it has recovery and has Dynamax capabilities. Toxapex + Amoonguss + Quagsire, while valid, gives me no way to apply pressure and play proactively.
  • :amoonguss: (Lead) + :urshifu: + :toxapex:
Toxapex mode or Urshifu mode? "Why not both?" This is picked when both Urshifu and Toxapex are necessary to check opposing threats. Don't use this with Psychic coverage on the opposing team. The team is weak to it as is (and often they are forced to be brought to not insta-lose to Toxapex.) Urshifu is going to be the main Dynamax user here for the sudden burst of bulk, or ability to change moves, mostly. CB Urshifu hits harder than Dynamax Urshifu, after all, so the Dynamax efficiency isn't all that great. But aside from that, this was the most common deviation from the defensive / offensive mode dichotomy.

Usage order was (Picked Most Often):amoonguss: :urshifu: :porygon2: :toxapex: :goodra: :quagsire:(Picked Least Often)

Until next time, see ya.
 
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