ehT
:dog:
Week 13 is over. Congratulations to Amane Misa for winning this week!
Drought Ninetales thoroughly impressed Amane Misa, the only person to research it this week. Sun boost, Z-Moves, and access to Nasty Plot make all make it deceptively powerful despite its subpar Special Attack stat, making it a nice method of helping, say, Celebi by breaking through Scizor or softening up Latias with a boosted Inferno Overdrive.
Heracross saw very good results. Its Speed and access to Swords Dance, which both A Cake Wearing A Hat and Amane Misa used this week, makes it far more immediately threatening as a balance / wallbreaker than its closest analogue in Conkeldurr. The lack of bulk and longevity, however, makes it burn much faster and much brighter than the much sturdier Conkeldurr, who has drastically more bulk, access to recovery, and a much easier matchup versus offense, meaning Heracross is a limited resource that must be played carefully to make the most of.
Choice Specs Swellow proved to be a simple, straightforward fast wallbreaker. U-turn and Sleep Talk are great utility options for something so fast, especially in conjunction with the obscenely powerful Boomburst. Coverage options and Scrappy also mean that Steel- and Ghost-types can't come in completely for free like they can with most fast and frail offensive Pokemon, making it quite a nuisance for teams lacking a dedicated special wall to switch in to.
Here is week 14's selection:
We decided again to focus on some relatively unexplored wallbreakers this week. Crawdaunt carves a niche for itself over the tier's plethora of other offensive Water-types with its ridiculous power, Dark STAB, and Knock Off, making its switch-ins both few in number and easy to account for. In many ways, it operates similarly to last week's Heracross, with an incredible matchup versus stall and balance, but a shaky matchup versus offense that can be somewhat mitigated by VolTurn support and aggressive play. A Choice Band or Life Orb can be used for consistent power, but Waterium Z provides it with a nuke of unrivaled power, doing upwards of 70% to Keldeo and Hydreigon with an unboosted Z-Crabhammer. Substitute + Swords Dance Terrakion is a powerful cleaner thanks to its Speed and incredible STAB's, but can have a lot of trouble setting up versus something that isn't very passive. The ubiquity of priority, most of which it is weak to, doesn't do it any favors either. However, these are very easy factors to account for, and not much can stop Terrakion if it's acquired both an Attack and a Speed boost. Lastly, Choice Band Crobat works very similarly to Choice Specs Swellow, in that it's a fast Flying-type wallbreaker and anti-offense Pokemon all in one. However, Crobat offers significantly more defensive utility that helps it take Fairy- and Fighting-types head on, as well as a better Speed tier, meaning that you don't have to be as careful with it as other Flying-types, though hazard control is recommended for obvious reasons.
As always, sign up with a fresh RW alt, and post your results, as well as your own thoughts on the Pokemon in question. You are free to edit your signup post if your post count is a concern. This week's deadline will be Saturday, May 20th, at 11:59 pm GMT+2. My co-host Ark or I will check everyone's ladder scores then and decide the winner. Good luck everyone!
Drought Ninetales thoroughly impressed Amane Misa, the only person to research it this week. Sun boost, Z-Moves, and access to Nasty Plot make all make it deceptively powerful despite its subpar Special Attack stat, making it a nice method of helping, say, Celebi by breaking through Scizor or softening up Latias with a boosted Inferno Overdrive.
Heracross saw very good results. Its Speed and access to Swords Dance, which both A Cake Wearing A Hat and Amane Misa used this week, makes it far more immediately threatening as a balance / wallbreaker than its closest analogue in Conkeldurr. The lack of bulk and longevity, however, makes it burn much faster and much brighter than the much sturdier Conkeldurr, who has drastically more bulk, access to recovery, and a much easier matchup versus offense, meaning Heracross is a limited resource that must be played carefully to make the most of.
Choice Specs Swellow proved to be a simple, straightforward fast wallbreaker. U-turn and Sleep Talk are great utility options for something so fast, especially in conjunction with the obscenely powerful Boomburst. Coverage options and Scrappy also mean that Steel- and Ghost-types can't come in completely for free like they can with most fast and frail offensive Pokemon, making it quite a nuisance for teams lacking a dedicated special wall to switch in to.
Here is week 14's selection:
Crawdaunt @ filler item
Ability: Adaptability
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
filler nature
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-
-
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Ability: Adaptability
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
filler nature
-
-
-
-
Terrakion @ Salac Berry
Ability: Justified
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Close Combat
- Substitute
- Stone Edge
- Swords Dance
Ability: Justified
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Close Combat
- Substitute
- Stone Edge
- Swords Dance
Crobat @ Choice Band
Ability: Inner Focus
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Brave Bird
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-
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Ability: Inner Focus
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Brave Bird
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-
-
We decided again to focus on some relatively unexplored wallbreakers this week. Crawdaunt carves a niche for itself over the tier's plethora of other offensive Water-types with its ridiculous power, Dark STAB, and Knock Off, making its switch-ins both few in number and easy to account for. In many ways, it operates similarly to last week's Heracross, with an incredible matchup versus stall and balance, but a shaky matchup versus offense that can be somewhat mitigated by VolTurn support and aggressive play. A Choice Band or Life Orb can be used for consistent power, but Waterium Z provides it with a nuke of unrivaled power, doing upwards of 70% to Keldeo and Hydreigon with an unboosted Z-Crabhammer. Substitute + Swords Dance Terrakion is a powerful cleaner thanks to its Speed and incredible STAB's, but can have a lot of trouble setting up versus something that isn't very passive. The ubiquity of priority, most of which it is weak to, doesn't do it any favors either. However, these are very easy factors to account for, and not much can stop Terrakion if it's acquired both an Attack and a Speed boost. Lastly, Choice Band Crobat works very similarly to Choice Specs Swellow, in that it's a fast Flying-type wallbreaker and anti-offense Pokemon all in one. However, Crobat offers significantly more defensive utility that helps it take Fairy- and Fighting-types head on, as well as a better Speed tier, meaning that you don't have to be as careful with it as other Flying-types, though hazard control is recommended for obvious reasons.
As always, sign up with a fresh RW alt, and post your results, as well as your own thoughts on the Pokemon in question. You are free to edit your signup post if your post count is a concern. This week's deadline will be Saturday, May 20th, at 11:59 pm GMT+2. My co-host Ark or I will check everyone's ladder scores then and decide the winner. Good luck everyone!
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