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Tournament Smogon Snake Draft 2019: NU Discussion
- Thread starter Yoshi
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this thread is hella dead i find it pretty sad as it is the kind of threads i like reading the most on smogon ):
until now there are some surprising things when looking at NU snake's usages stats from a spectator side
| 5 | Silvally | 16 | 26.67% | 75.00% |
seeing silvally being the most successful pokemon is the most surprising to me, he seemed pretty much unused prior to this tournament, especially with people experimenting new types such as flying, dragon or normal type (which i actually have a hard time figuring what would be his purpose so if anyone can enlighten me that'd be dope) as well as different coverage moves, his ability to be an hazard removal that can actually hit or cripple any hazard setter with the coverage move of your choice as well as adapt his typing to what your team needs has seemed invaluable in this competition. it is also worth noting that out of these 25% of defeat, there were 1 or 2 silvally mirror.
here's which silvally has been used until now: 5 poison, 6 steel, 1 normal, 1 flying, 1 dragon, 1 unrevealed (i might have fucked this up as i missed some games and needed to go back to previous weeks several times while doing this list plus it miss one im pretty sure it was a ground one but not sure at all)
6 | Xatu | 15 | 25.00% | 60.00%
xatu is a pretty funny mon as it always makes a huge bump in usage during tournaments, like silvally he was a lot less used prior to this, but i feel like this tournaments has been xatu's best place as of late, with so little pursuit trapper usage outstide of aero, the decrease of the latter (which i would have expected to see a bit more prior to the beginning of this tournament) and the steelix/seismitoad usage being at there peak having a magic bounce is a pretty cool advantage to play with.
| 9 | Weezing | 13 | 21.67% | 30.77%
| 14 | Garbodor | 9 | 15.00% | 44.44%
last but not least, toxic spikes setter had a pretty poor winrate considering how controversial they have been. they have been a huge part of the metagame since a while now, but now people are preparing a lot for them, this is probably one of the reasons why silvally has been that high, actually i would have expected to see them inversed in term of usages as most of the time weezing teams will have a harder time against garbodor ones due to not having a proper absorber. seeing that much of golbat/rotom has been hurting this kind of teams a lot.
i don't want my post to be hella long with my bad english so i'll finish with my predictions(with no commentary as im so bad at this) for this week, a bit late but as they were no game played yet i guess its not too late
0NI vsict #1st 0NIfan out there
Finchinator vsyeezyknows
Kushalos vscol49
Jrdn vs Sjneider
Ren-chon vstlenit1
until now there are some surprising things when looking at NU snake's usages stats from a spectator side
| 5 | Silvally | 16 | 26.67% | 75.00% |
seeing silvally being the most successful pokemon is the most surprising to me, he seemed pretty much unused prior to this tournament, especially with people experimenting new types such as flying, dragon or normal type (which i actually have a hard time figuring what would be his purpose so if anyone can enlighten me that'd be dope) as well as different coverage moves, his ability to be an hazard removal that can actually hit or cripple any hazard setter with the coverage move of your choice as well as adapt his typing to what your team needs has seemed invaluable in this competition. it is also worth noting that out of these 25% of defeat, there were 1 or 2 silvally mirror.
here's which silvally has been used until now: 5 poison, 6 steel, 1 normal, 1 flying, 1 dragon, 1 unrevealed (i might have fucked this up as i missed some games and needed to go back to previous weeks several times while doing this list plus it miss one im pretty sure it was a ground one but not sure at all)
6 | Xatu | 15 | 25.00% | 60.00%
xatu is a pretty funny mon as it always makes a huge bump in usage during tournaments, like silvally he was a lot less used prior to this, but i feel like this tournaments has been xatu's best place as of late, with so little pursuit trapper usage outstide of aero, the decrease of the latter (which i would have expected to see a bit more prior to the beginning of this tournament) and the steelix/seismitoad usage being at there peak having a magic bounce is a pretty cool advantage to play with.
| 9 | Weezing | 13 | 21.67% | 30.77%
| 14 | Garbodor | 9 | 15.00% | 44.44%
last but not least, toxic spikes setter had a pretty poor winrate considering how controversial they have been. they have been a huge part of the metagame since a while now, but now people are preparing a lot for them, this is probably one of the reasons why silvally has been that high, actually i would have expected to see them inversed in term of usages as most of the time weezing teams will have a harder time against garbodor ones due to not having a proper absorber. seeing that much of golbat/rotom has been hurting this kind of teams a lot.
i don't want my post to be hella long with my bad english so i'll finish with my predictions(with no commentary as im so bad at this) for this week, a bit late but as they were no game played yet i guess its not too late
0NI vs
Finchinator vs
Kushalos vs
Jrdn
Ren-chon vs
Visual replays from this Snake that may be useful to both team builders and spectators. Feel free to bookmark if you'd like to refer back more easily. Moon did this first, very cool idea...
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yeezyknows
Banned deucer.
Some of the best matchups of snake are happening this week so I felt it to be apropos to make one last prediction post
NU: Sjneider vs Finchinator (55-45)
Phenomonal matchup between arguably two of the strongest figures in NU. Here, we have two players with largely contrasting building styles, as neider will tend to choose flair and creativity whereas finch will rely largely on studier, more proven concepts and cores (excluding his clefairy fetish). I rate both players incredibly highly, and it'll be interesting to see which building style will win out here. I wouldn't say either player has a definitive building edge as both have extraordinary grasps of the metagame. I do ultimately award a slight playing advantage to finch as allotted by his tournament pedigree, but neider isn't far behind.
NU: Jrdn vs ict (50-50)
I didn't follow any of jordan's majors games going into snake, so I was admittedly behind the curve when it came to this guy, but he's managed to prove my ignorance apparent in spades. I honestly rate him as one of the most creative builders in NU, in the same echelon as 0ni and neider. He's an incredibly solid player as well, blending a strong mix of aggression with a natural ability to play from ahead. Still, it would be foolish to wholly discount ict, as his play in conjunction with Jarii's building support makes for one of the most lethal duos in NU as a whole. Minute building edge to jordan, similarly small playing edge to ict.
NU: Kushalos vs 0NI (55-45)
I'm slurping really hard here, but again, another amazing matchup. The powerful old guard in kushalos versus one of NU's most up-and-coming figures in 0ni. I tend to typically conflate creativity with building prowess, but 0ni's ability to innovate successfully has been one of the most intriguing aspects of recent NU tour play. Regardless of this, kush is a phenomenal builder in his own right, and his tournament pedigree does provide him with a playing edge, but not one I consider to be insurmountable for 0ni. Should be a great game.
NU: Ren-chon vs trash (55-45)
Prior to snake, if I'd told you that trash would have a better NU record than rodri, garay, col, and mili, you would've called me crazy. It goes to show the merit of lax' building support and how far that can take a player. Still, I do favor the mainer here, as he's proven to be a strong builder and a respectable player in his own right.
playing garay at 4:30 pm -4 sunday
NU: Sjneider vs Finchinator (55-45)
Phenomonal matchup between arguably two of the strongest figures in NU. Here, we have two players with largely contrasting building styles, as neider will tend to choose flair and creativity whereas finch will rely largely on studier, more proven concepts and cores (excluding his clefairy fetish). I rate both players incredibly highly, and it'll be interesting to see which building style will win out here. I wouldn't say either player has a definitive building edge as both have extraordinary grasps of the metagame. I do ultimately award a slight playing advantage to finch as allotted by his tournament pedigree, but neider isn't far behind.
NU: Jrdn vs ict (50-50)
I didn't follow any of jordan's majors games going into snake, so I was admittedly behind the curve when it came to this guy, but he's managed to prove my ignorance apparent in spades. I honestly rate him as one of the most creative builders in NU, in the same echelon as 0ni and neider. He's an incredibly solid player as well, blending a strong mix of aggression with a natural ability to play from ahead. Still, it would be foolish to wholly discount ict, as his play in conjunction with Jarii's building support makes for one of the most lethal duos in NU as a whole. Minute building edge to jordan, similarly small playing edge to ict.
NU: Kushalos vs 0NI (55-45)
I'm slurping really hard here, but again, another amazing matchup. The powerful old guard in kushalos versus one of NU's most up-and-coming figures in 0ni. I tend to typically conflate creativity with building prowess, but 0ni's ability to innovate successfully has been one of the most intriguing aspects of recent NU tour play. Regardless of this, kush is a phenomenal builder in his own right, and his tournament pedigree does provide him with a playing edge, but not one I consider to be insurmountable for 0ni. Should be a great game.
NU: Ren-chon vs trash (55-45)
Prior to snake, if I'd told you that trash would have a better NU record than rodri, garay, col, and mili, you would've called me crazy. It goes to show the merit of lax' building support and how far that can take a player. Still, I do favor the mainer here, as he's proven to be a strong builder and a respectable player in his own right.
playing garay at 4:30 pm -4 sunday
Since Snake is over, there are a couple teams/sets I wanted to share since my favorite part about these tours is always the new stuff that people come up with. Also wanted to thank and s/o all of my helpers ILoveMilk Averardo yeezyknows Jytcampbell for literally playing a million test games with me whenever I asked. Appreciate y'all a lot but u guys already know that. Anyways, let's get into it
Probably my favorite set I came up with this entire tour, the infamous Sjneasel. Sash counter isn't really anything new but afaik sash counter sneasel is. Obviously, the whole point of the set is the surprise factor since most people would expect a CB/LO set upon preview and u can really catch your opponent off guard aimlessly u-turning with a scarf pass/toge. I brought this vs Garay week 2 bc I was expecting some kind of cb aero scarf pass offense and this way, i can stay in comfortably vs a faster threat and claim one. In the game, this set worked perfectly as I was able to get a Counter off on Garay's lix, allowing me to trap it and help me remove one of the biggest checks to my Muk.
Check out the replay here: https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen7nu-455482
My ride or die. Without a doubt, Comfey is my favorite mon to use in NU. and u can tell cuz my opps ct comfey af lmaoo like man the amount of golbats i face playing this tier is actually ridiculous. it literally feels like im playing in game lmao running in those caves and shit without repel. Its stallbreaking and sweeping ability with the CM LO set is actually insane with the different hidden powers u could run to cover its checks (e.g. hp fire, psychic, ground etc) as well as flexible move sets with taunt/synthesis variants. However, I realized that Comfey's ability, Triage (priority for healing moves), can be abused just as badly with a supporting set as its offensive one. Helmet+ Leech helps chip opposing stuff like pivot incin, silvallys so much and you'd be surprised at how much of the metagame this set walls. I brought this in my week 1 game vs Ict and comfey actually walled sooooo much lmao. i think it was 1v1ing weezing at one point which is actually absurd but yea def don't be afraid to use this set.
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen7nu-454833
WEEK 6 VS ETERNALLY: OBAMA HAIL TSPIKES
Finally, my favorite team from this tour was the Hail Tspikes BO i used vs Eternally week 6. I noticed that a lot of people were using Lixbat vs me and I wanted something that smashes that whilst still being good vs the bulky offenses that Eternally gravitated towards. Tspikes was and is still, in my opinion, a really really strong archetype with the limited number of grounded poisons in the tier. This whole team is centered around controlling the hazards game. You want to get your tspikes up and prevent your opponent from removing them with the offensive pressure that Obama and Z garb provides. Obama naturally synergizes with tspikes since with hail, your opponent is taking 18% in chip damage from poison and hail alone. A really key tech here is protect on aboma, which is to help scout choiced users/rack up hail+poison dmg. Suit rhydon is to help trap fast special attackers like specs lisk, and a double wish core in vappy and fox to keep everyone nice and healthy. Some people might take a look at this team and say "Wheres the speed control?!?" but i mean like what is breaking xatu fox vappy if u play well? Not much. I also sometimes get "Oh ItS WeAk To Sd InCin".(ok boomerfinchinator jokes jokes) not really. You have rhydon, offensive garb and vappy like what more can u ask for.
I highly recommend this team to any NU player at any level since it honestly gets you a MU advantage in like so many games. I was lowkey inting in the beginning, didnt go rhydon for like some reason vs his incin but yea I think this replay showcases how potent this team can be so ya, enjoy.
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen7nu-460356
Well that's it from me, I had a lot of fun playing NU this snake and competing with and alongside some of the best players on this site. Although we obviously didn't achieve what we set out to do, it was a hell of a ride my Taipans.
Signing out,
Neider
JOSHY CYCLE 4 (Sneasel) @ Focus Sash
Ability: Inner Focus
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
IVs: 0 Def
- Counter
- Knock Off
- Pursuit
- Icicle Crash
Ability: Inner Focus
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
IVs: 0 Def
- Counter
- Knock Off
- Pursuit
- Icicle Crash
Probably my favorite set I came up with this entire tour, the infamous Sjneasel. Sash counter isn't really anything new but afaik sash counter sneasel is. Obviously, the whole point of the set is the surprise factor since most people would expect a CB/LO set upon preview and u can really catch your opponent off guard aimlessly u-turning with a scarf pass/toge. I brought this vs Garay week 2 bc I was expecting some kind of cb aero scarf pass offense and this way, i can stay in comfortably vs a faster threat and claim one. In the game, this set worked perfectly as I was able to get a Counter off on Garay's lix, allowing me to trap it and help me remove one of the biggest checks to my Muk.
Check out the replay here: https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen7nu-455482
Blarghy :3 (Comfey) @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Triage
EVs: 252 HP / 140 Def / 116 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Taunt/Toxic/Filler
- Leech Seed
- Defog
- Synthesis
Ability: Triage
EVs: 252 HP / 140 Def / 116 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Taunt/Toxic/Filler
- Leech Seed
- Defog
- Synthesis
My ride or die. Without a doubt, Comfey is my favorite mon to use in NU. and u can tell cuz my opps ct comfey af lmaoo like man the amount of golbats i face playing this tier is actually ridiculous. it literally feels like im playing in game lmao running in those caves and shit without repel. Its stallbreaking and sweeping ability with the CM LO set is actually insane with the different hidden powers u could run to cover its checks (e.g. hp fire, psychic, ground etc) as well as flexible move sets with taunt/synthesis variants. However, I realized that Comfey's ability, Triage (priority for healing moves), can be abused just as badly with a supporting set as its offensive one. Helmet+ Leech helps chip opposing stuff like pivot incin, silvallys so much and you'd be surprised at how much of the metagame this set walls. I brought this in my week 1 game vs Ict and comfey actually walled sooooo much lmao. i think it was 1v1ing weezing at one point which is actually absurd but yea def don't be afraid to use this set.
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen7nu-454833
WEEK 6 VS ETERNALLY: OBAMA HAIL TSPIKES
Finally, my favorite team from this tour was the Hail Tspikes BO i used vs Eternally week 6. I noticed that a lot of people were using Lixbat vs me and I wanted something that smashes that whilst still being good vs the bulky offenses that Eternally gravitated towards. Tspikes was and is still, in my opinion, a really really strong archetype with the limited number of grounded poisons in the tier. This whole team is centered around controlling the hazards game. You want to get your tspikes up and prevent your opponent from removing them with the offensive pressure that Obama and Z garb provides. Obama naturally synergizes with tspikes since with hail, your opponent is taking 18% in chip damage from poison and hail alone. A really key tech here is protect on aboma, which is to help scout choiced users/rack up hail+poison dmg. Suit rhydon is to help trap fast special attackers like specs lisk, and a double wish core in vappy and fox to keep everyone nice and healthy. Some people might take a look at this team and say "Wheres the speed control?!?" but i mean like what is breaking xatu fox vappy if u play well? Not much. I also sometimes get "Oh ItS WeAk To Sd InCin".(ok boomer
I highly recommend this team to any NU player at any level since it honestly gets you a MU advantage in like so many games. I was lowkey inting in the beginning, didnt go rhydon for like some reason vs his incin but yea I think this replay showcases how potent this team can be so ya, enjoy.
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen7nu-460356
Well that's it from me, I had a lot of fun playing NU this snake and competing with and alongside some of the best players on this site. Although we obviously didn't achieve what we set out to do, it was a hell of a ride my Taipans.
Signing out,
Neider
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