With the introduction of the UU ladder on the new Smogon Shoddy server, there has been a whole host of new players who are giving UU a competitive shot. This ladder also persuaded me to find my old UU team from the depths of my hard-drive and give it a go.
What follows is an account of one of the closest and most fun encounters I have had in a very long time. It was against GroupHug, someone who I had never faced before, and so we had no knowledge of each other's teams. After the battle I found that this was no other than Smogon's own rkatzam!
DISCLAIMER: This is a warstory with a twist. Because this was such a great battle, rkatzam and I decided to co-narrate this warstory. As such, we will both comment on the battle. I will tell the first half of the battle where my pseudo-offensive team kept up a ferocious attack, and then rkatzam will conclude the story by narrating his fantastic comeback. This is something new and not tested, and so we hope it works and that you enjoy it!
Legacy_Raider's team:
GroupHug's team:
----
Nicknames will be omitted.
Leftovers will be omitted.
The following pokemon have Leftovers:
Legacy_Raider's - Steelix, Hypno
GroupHug's - Steelix, Grumpig
Score will be presented after each KO (Legacy_Raider - GroupHug)
Health (in percentages) will be presented after each turn.
Battle Text will be in Bold.
My commentary will be in blue.
GroupHug's commentary will be in purple.
----
legacy_raider sent out Persian.
GroupHug sent out Steelix.
vs
Persian used Fake Out.
It's not very effective...
Steelix lost 6% of its health.
Steelix flinched.
Persian - 100%.
Steelix - 100%
----
Steelix is a not very often seen lead but still little thought went into my first move. Fake Out guarantees that I'll be no worse off at the end of the turn because of its flinch, and it allows me to scout to see what my opponent plans on doing. He doesn't switch from the Fake Out, so I plan on putting it to sleep the next turn. This is extremely obvious since it is about the only thing that Persian can do to Steelix, but I go for it anyway, trying to keep the momentum going.
----
GroupHug switched in Grumpig.
Persian used Hypnosis.
Grumpig fell asleep!
vs
Persian - 100%
Grumpig - 100% (asleep)
----
As obvious as it was, Grumpig comes in and takes the sleep. This immediately arouses my suspicions as to whether it is some sort of Sleep Talker, since otherwise a sleeping tank such as Grumpig is big liability seeing as it loses its ability to counter pokemon.
----
GroupHug switched in Steelix.
Persian used U-Turn.
It's not very effective...
Steelix lost 4% of its health.
legacy_raider switched in Nidoking.
vs
Nidoking - 100%
Steelix - 100%
----
And with that my Persian leaves the stage, setting me up with an immediate advantage in the battle already. That's the great thing about Persian - without taking any damage whatsoever it incapacitates one opposing pokemon and then allows me a switch of choice. As the battle goes on it will become obvious that Persian is the one thing that brings my entire team together; it supports all the other members and makes them a team, instead of just 6 pokemon.
And now as my Nidoking stares down his Steelix, his dilemna begins. Steelix can survive an Earthquake from Nidoking and do over twice as much back with its own Earthquake. However, Nidoking's Earth Power is a OHKO. It's now up to him to judge whether it's worth risking his Steelix...
----
Nidoking used Earth Power.
It's super effective!
Steelix lost 100% of its health.
GroupHug's Steelix fainted.
Nidoking lost 10% of its health.
Nidoking - 90%
Steelix - 0%
6-5
----
And I surprise him with an Earth Power! I'm smiling despite myself at this early victory - Steelix is a respectable wall and can be a major pain to take down. Nidoking is on a roll and is ready to rip things apart!
----
GroupHug sent out Shiftry.
vs
Shiftry used Leaf Storm.
Nidoking lost 90% of its health.
legacy_raider's Nidoking fainted.
Shiftry's special attack was harshly lowered.
Nidoking - 0%
Shiftry - 100%
5-5
----
...and the smile fades quickly from my face as my Nidoking is blown away by a leafy gust...
Nidoking is fairly bulky as far as sweepers go, so I was really surprised to see how easily he got defeated there. I assume that his Shiftry is Choice Specs to be able to deal out such massive damage. Switching back to Persian, I get ready to get some revenge with a 4x effective U-Turn.
----
legacy_raider switched in Persian.
GroupHug switched in Vileplume.
Persian used U-Turn.
Vileplume lost 19% of its health.
legacy_raider switched in Swellow.
Swellow was badly poisoned.
vs
Swellow - 100%
Vileplume - 81%
----
Obviously Shiftry wasn't going to stay in on that attack, and so he switched with Vileplume. Once again my Persian gives me the upper hand, scouting out his switch and allowing me to switch to Swellow and activate Toxic Orb (I don't run Protect). With his Steelix gone, I prepare myself for a Swellow sweep...
----
GroupHug switched in Clefable.
Swellow used Brave Bird.
Clefable lost 73% of its health.
Swellow was hit by recoil!
Swellow lost 36% of its health.
Swellow is hurt by poison!
Swellow lost 6% of its health.
vs
Swellow - 58%
Clefable - 27%
----
Swellow used Facade.
Clefable lost 27% of its health.
GroupHug's Clefable fainted.
Swellow is hurt by poison!
Swellow lost 12% of its health.
Swellow - 46%
Clefable - 0%
5-4
----
And Swellow takes its first victim! Swellow is extremely dangerous, with the ability to rip through entire teams with little set up. The only thing sthat can stop its rampage are Steel types such as Aggron and Steelix. I think that if Swellow learned Close Combat like Staraptor, then it would be Swellow, not Garchomp, that would be argued for Ubers!
Anyway, Clefable is like the Blissey of UU, and so being able to take it out quite so easily is a major plus. I take out another of his walls by simply overpowering it with sheer force. With his Steelix gone, I'm pretty confident at this point that I can just continue sweeping unhindered.
----
GroupHug switched in Shiftry.
vs
Shiftry used Dark Pulse.
A critical hit!
Swellow lost 46% of its health.
legacy_raider's Swellow fainted.
Swellow - 0%
Shiftry - 100%
4-4
----
Oh snap! That was unexpected! I guess it's okay to be surprised when a stubby tree outspeeds and slams your 125 base speed sweeper... Evidently NOT Choice Specs. That last move there rattled me a lot. Suddenly I had gone from comfortable sweep to panicked. I had lost my two strongest sweepers and had 2 dark-weak pokemon left. I steel myself and send out my bulkiest pokemon...
----
legacy_raider switched in Steelix.
GroupHug switched in Vileplume.
Steelix used Stealth Rock.
vs
Steelix - 100%
Vileplume - 81%
----
Shiftry didn't want to stay in against the metal snake, so I use the switch to set up some rocks. Never harms to set up them rocks
. But now I've got to deal with Vileplume. Fearing sleep, I switch out Steelix for Hypno.
----
legacy_raider switched in Hypno.
Vileplume used Sunny Day.
The sun began to shine!
The sun continues to shine.
vs
Hypno - 100%
Vileplume - 81%
----
The sleep is nowhere to be seen... And only now does it dawn to my retarded brain that he is using a Sunny Day team. Now with Choice Scarf AND Chlorophyll, I had no way of outspeeding his Shiftry...
Unless I could paralyse it.
I do a quick calculation in my head... 2 x 1.5 / 4 = slower than Persian.
Maths is great =).
So now time to start spamming those Thunder Waves.
----
Vileplume used Solarbeam.
Hypno lost 29% of its health.
Hypno used Thunder Wave.
Vileplume is paralysed! It may be unable to move!
The sun continues to shine.
Hypno - 77%
Vileplume - 81% (paralysed)
----
Well I was expecting the Shiftry switch, but over-prediction is my downfall. Shiftry could have come in and absorbed the incoming Psychic and so that's what I expected GroupHug to do. He outsmarted me once again and stayed in. I used Thunder Wave again, hoping that he'd predict a Psychic once more....
----
Hypno used Thunder Wave.
But it failed!
Vileplume used Solarbeam.
Hypno lost 29% of its health.
The sun continues to shine.
Hypno: 54%
Vileplume: 81% (paralysed)
----
...And once again it is to no prevail! GroupHug is reading me like a book! I decide to be done with Hypno and bring in my secret weapon, who also packs a handy Grass resist.
----
legacy_raider switched in Drifblim.
GroupHug switched in Shiftry.
Pointed stones dug into Shiftry.
Shiftry lost 12% of its health.
The sun continues to shine.
vs
Drifblim: 100%
Shiftry: 88%
----
I expected to soak up a Solarbeam. Instead my ghostly balloon ended up facing down a scowling hairy tree. Drifblim is predominantly used as a Tank and so it boasts impressive defences (...I lie, its defences are crap, but its HP is godly), so I hope that I can survive a Dark Pulse. Knowing that I can't hope to outspeed Shiftry even after Unburden has kicked off from my Petaya Berry, I choose a powerful Hidden Power Fighting to uproot that thorn in my side!
----
Shiftry used Dark Pulse.
It's super effective!
Drifblim lost 90% of its health.
Drifblim's Petaya Berry raised its special attack!
Drifblim lost its burden!
Drifblim flinched!
The sun continues to shine.
Drifblim: 10% (+1 SpA, +2 Spe)
Shiftry: 88%
----
Aaaarrrgh!!.... nuff said...
----
Shiftry used Dark Pulse.
It's super effective!
Drifblim lost 10% of its health.
legacy_raider's Drifblim fainted.
The sun continues to shine.
Drifblim: 0%
Shiftry: 88%
3-4
----
And the flinchax sends my ghost into an untimely grave. GroupHug had taken out all the firepower in my team; my three sweepers - Nidoking, Swellow and Drifblim - had been Leaf Stormed and Dark Pulsed into oblivion.
It all started going downhill from there, and GroupHug took charge of the battle...
...Took charge? not that I knew what I was doing, but Persian was going to be a real pest, with its Fake Out getting a free hit on my fragile pokemon. I regret keeping Steelix on Nidoking, although I'm sure noting on my weird team would enjoy getting Earthquake'd.
---
legacy_raider switched in Persian.
GroupHug switched in Vileplume.
Pointed stones dug into Vileplume.
Vileplume lost 12% of its health.
Persian used Fake Out.
Vileplume lost 29% of its health.
The sun continues to shine.
vs
Persian: 100%
Vileplume: 40% (paralysed)
---
I decide to keep Vileplume in, hoping to be able to sleep something. He could've used Return here to just finish me off, not clear to me why he didn't.
---
Persian used U-turn.
Vileplume lost 19% of its health. <-- darned weak U-Turn!
legacy_raider switched in Steelix.
Vileplume used Sleep Powder.
Steelix fell asleep!
The sun faded.
vs
Steelix: 100% (asleep)
Vileplume: 21% (paralysed)
---
Yes! I sleep his Steelix, and now I can set up another Sunny Day to abuse Solarbeam.
---
legacy_raider switched in Persian.
Vileplume is paralysed! It can't move!
vs
---
Persian used U-turn.
Vileplume lost 17% of its health. <--min damage noes!
legacy_raider switched in Hypno.
Vileplume used Sunny Day.
The sun began to shine!
The sun continues to shine.
vs
Hypno: 61%
Vileplume: 4% (paralysed)
---
Apparently he hoped U-turn would finish Vileplume, but he's still alive to set up Sunny Day successfully.
---
legacy_raider switched in Steelix.
Vileplume is paralysed! It can't move!
The sun continues to shine.
vs
---
Now why would he do that? He probably figured I'd switch to Shiftry, so he sent out Steelix to try and wall me. But honestly, I was ready to sacrifice Vileplume long ago, because I didn't feel it could do much being paralysed. Apparently I was wrong...
---
Steelix is fast asleep!
Vileplume used Solarbeam.
Steelix lost 53% of its health.
The sun continues to shine.
Tectonix's leftovers restored its health a little!
Tectonix restored 6% of its health.
Steelix: 53% (asleep)
Vileplume: 4% (paralysed)
---
Steelix stays in to take a STAB'd Solarbeam.. ouch (though I hoped it would do more). Perhaps he was counting on him waking up? or maybe he doesn't really care about Steelix and don't mind losing him to Earth Power.. *cough*
---
legacy_raider switched in Hypno.
Vileplume is paralysed! It can't move!
The sun continues to shine.
vs
Hypno: 67%
Vileplume: 4% (paralysed)
---
Hypno used Psychic.
It's super effective!
Vileplume lost 3% of its health.
GroupHug's Vileplume fainted.
The sun continues to shine.
Hypno: 73%
Vileplume: 0%
3-3
---
Hypno comes to take the 2nd Solarbeam, but I get parahax'd again, so it's time to say goodbye to Vileplume - one of the most difficult UU pokes to face IMO, because you never know what set it carries, and one wrong move can leave you statused for the rest of the battle.
---
GroupHug switched in Shiftry.
Pointed stones dug into Shiftry.
Shiftry lost 12% of its health.
legacy_raider switched in Steelix.
Shiftry used Dark Pulse.
It's not very effective...
Steelix lost 20% of its health.
The sun continues to shine.
vs
Shiftry: 75%
Steelix: 39% (asleep)
---
Knowing Shiftry will use Dark Pulse, legacy_raider switches to Steelix, but I decide to keep hitting it, as he's still sleeping.
---
Shiftry used Dark Pulse.
It's not very effective...
A critical hit!
Steelix lost 39% of its health.
legacy_raider's Steelix fainted.
The sun continues to shine.
Shiftry: 75%
Steelix: 0%
2-3
---
Shiftry does it again! Without a crit here, Steelix could have survived for 2 more turns (leftovers), increasing his chance of waking up and possibly killing my Shiftry..
---
legacy_raider switched in Persian.
GroupHug switched in Grumpig.
Pointed stones dug into Grumpig.
Grumpig lost 12% of its health.
Persian used Fake Out.
Grumpig lost 32% of its health.
The sun faded.
vs
Grumpig: 62% (asleep)
Persian: 100%
---
Shiftry, Grumpig and Ninetales remain. Since Grumpig was meant to absorb the sleep, I plan on using Sleep Talk to possibly hit him with a STAB'd Psychic. Fake Out is becoming more and more dangerous and the end is near.. he also has SR on the field, so I need to decide who will get hit by those Fake Outs if I wanna have a shot to win this.
---
Persian used Return.
Grumpig lost 57% of its health.
Grumpig is fast asleep!
Grumpig: 11% (asleep)
Persian: 100%
---
NOO! I misclicked <__< Now Grumpig is gone while Persian is left untouched..
---
Persian used U-turn.
It's super effective!
Grumpig lost 11% of its health.
GroupHug's Grumpig fainted.
legacy_raider switched in Hypno.
vs
Grumpig: 0%
Hypno: 79%
2-2
---
Not sure it was a wise move on his side, since U-turn gives the fainted pokemon's trainer the ability to switch last. Ah well, goodbye Grumpig, you never seem to work in any of my teams.. Time to send out Shiftry, because Hypno doesn't enjoy his creepy face very much.
---
GroupHug switched in Shiftry.
Pointed stones dug into Shiftry.
Shiftry lost 12% of its health.
legacy_raider switched in Persian.
Shiftry used Dark Pulse.
Persian lost 62% of its health.
vs
Shiftry: 63%
Persian: 38%
---
I decide to play it safe with Dark Pulse. Scared for his Hypno, Persian comes to take the hit. However, Hypno can definitely survive a Dark Pulse, so he could send back a Thunder Wave, rending my Shiftry useless. Maybe he got a bit paranoid and was scared of Explosion! Or is it the flinch hax on Dark Pulse? =D
---
GroupHug switched in Ninetales.
Pointed stones dug into Ninetales.
Ninetales lost 25% of its health.
Persian used Fake Out.
Ninetales lost 38% of its health.
vs
Ninetales: 37%
Persian: 38%
---
Another Fake Out is coming my way, so I decide to switch in Ninetales to take the hit, in order to keep Shiftry at the highest possible health for the final turns. He has Persian and Hypno remaining, and knowing Ninetales doesn't fair well against Hypno, I decide to keep her in and sacrifice her.
I don't know much about his Hypno, except that he has Psychic and Thunder Wave, and that he doesn't like Shiftry at all - which might suggest his only attacking move is Psychic. Shiftry is without a doubt more valuable in this situation.
---
Persian used Return.
Ninetales lost 37% of its health.
GroupHug's Ninetales fainted.
Ninetales: 0%
Persian: 38%
2-1
---
Ninetales, another pokemon which I never seem to play right, dies, thus leaving Shiftry my only hope against his pesky Persian and Hypno.
---
GroupHug switched in Shiftry.
Pointed stones dug into Shiftry.
Shiftry lost 12% of its health.
legacy_raider switched in Hypno.
Shiftry used Dark Pulse.
It's super effective!
Hypno lost 41% of its health.
vs
Shiftry: 50%
Hypno: 43%
---
Hypno comes in to take the hit. Now it's an interesting situation.. If Hypno manages to survive the next Dark Pulse, my Shiftry will be paralysed, and it's game over.. He will sacrifice his Hypno and send out Persian to fire a STAB'd Return which will KO Shiftry without any trouble.
---
Shiftry used Dark Pulse.
It's super effective!
Hypno lost 43% of its health.
legacy_raider's Hypno fainted.
Shiftry: 50%
Hypno: 0%
1-1
---
Gladly, his Hypno falls to the 2nd Dark Pulse.
Shiftry, at half his health is about to face the last Fake Out... but what nature is this Shiftry? Modest? Mild (-Def)? Naive? Explosion is a nice physical move to have for a scarfer, but did I keep it at the expence of Shiftry's defence? Is this gonna cost me the game?
---
legacy_raider switched in Persian.
vs
Persian used Fake Out.
Shiftry lost 42% of its health.
Shiftry flinched!
---
Shiftry used Dark Pulse.
Persian lost 37% of its health.
legacy_raider's Persian fainted.
Shiftry: 8%
Persian: 0%
0-1
GroupHug wins!
=O!! Shiftry barely survives and KO's back with a single Dark Pulse in his devilish little grass-heart, winning the battle!
I'm glad it's a Modest Shiftry, otherwise I would probably lose to Fake Out!
GG legacy_raider, a lot of things very unexpected (scarf Shiftry in a Sunny Day team lol), but overall a very fun battle I had in the UU ladder of the smogon server. And NO, I'm not playing this shit team anymore. :\
GG GroupHug, it was really great fun and you took me completely by surprise with that killer Shiftry. If you noticed, it was the one who KOed every single one of my guys! Persian held out right till the last, but in the end it just wasn't enough! Really GG.
What follows is an account of one of the closest and most fun encounters I have had in a very long time. It was against GroupHug, someone who I had never faced before, and so we had no knowledge of each other's teams. After the battle I found that this was no other than Smogon's own rkatzam!
DISCLAIMER: This is a warstory with a twist. Because this was such a great battle, rkatzam and I decided to co-narrate this warstory. As such, we will both comment on the battle. I will tell the first half of the battle where my pseudo-offensive team kept up a ferocious attack, and then rkatzam will conclude the story by narrating his fantastic comeback. This is something new and not tested, and so we hope it works and that you enjoy it!
Legacy_Raider's team:
GroupHug's team:
----
Nicknames will be omitted.
Leftovers will be omitted.
The following pokemon have Leftovers:
Legacy_Raider's - Steelix, Hypno
GroupHug's - Steelix, Grumpig
Score will be presented after each KO (Legacy_Raider - GroupHug)
Health (in percentages) will be presented after each turn.
Battle Text will be in Bold.
My commentary will be in blue.
GroupHug's commentary will be in purple.
----
legacy_raider sent out Persian.
GroupHug sent out Steelix.
Persian used Fake Out.
It's not very effective...
Steelix lost 6% of its health.
Steelix flinched.
Persian - 100%.
Steelix - 100%
----
Steelix is a not very often seen lead but still little thought went into my first move. Fake Out guarantees that I'll be no worse off at the end of the turn because of its flinch, and it allows me to scout to see what my opponent plans on doing. He doesn't switch from the Fake Out, so I plan on putting it to sleep the next turn. This is extremely obvious since it is about the only thing that Persian can do to Steelix, but I go for it anyway, trying to keep the momentum going.
----
GroupHug switched in Grumpig.
Persian used Hypnosis.
Grumpig fell asleep!
Persian - 100%
Grumpig - 100% (asleep)
----
As obvious as it was, Grumpig comes in and takes the sleep. This immediately arouses my suspicions as to whether it is some sort of Sleep Talker, since otherwise a sleeping tank such as Grumpig is big liability seeing as it loses its ability to counter pokemon.
----
GroupHug switched in Steelix.
Persian used U-Turn.
It's not very effective...
Steelix lost 4% of its health.
legacy_raider switched in Nidoking.
Nidoking - 100%
Steelix - 100%
----
And with that my Persian leaves the stage, setting me up with an immediate advantage in the battle already. That's the great thing about Persian - without taking any damage whatsoever it incapacitates one opposing pokemon and then allows me a switch of choice. As the battle goes on it will become obvious that Persian is the one thing that brings my entire team together; it supports all the other members and makes them a team, instead of just 6 pokemon.
And now as my Nidoking stares down his Steelix, his dilemna begins. Steelix can survive an Earthquake from Nidoking and do over twice as much back with its own Earthquake. However, Nidoking's Earth Power is a OHKO. It's now up to him to judge whether it's worth risking his Steelix...
----
Nidoking used Earth Power.
It's super effective!
Steelix lost 100% of its health.
GroupHug's Steelix fainted.
Nidoking lost 10% of its health.
Nidoking - 90%
Steelix - 0%
6-5
----
And I surprise him with an Earth Power! I'm smiling despite myself at this early victory - Steelix is a respectable wall and can be a major pain to take down. Nidoking is on a roll and is ready to rip things apart!
----
GroupHug sent out Shiftry.
Shiftry used Leaf Storm.
Nidoking lost 90% of its health.
legacy_raider's Nidoking fainted.
Shiftry's special attack was harshly lowered.
Nidoking - 0%
Shiftry - 100%
5-5
----
...and the smile fades quickly from my face as my Nidoking is blown away by a leafy gust...
Nidoking is fairly bulky as far as sweepers go, so I was really surprised to see how easily he got defeated there. I assume that his Shiftry is Choice Specs to be able to deal out such massive damage. Switching back to Persian, I get ready to get some revenge with a 4x effective U-Turn.
----
legacy_raider switched in Persian.
GroupHug switched in Vileplume.
Persian used U-Turn.
Vileplume lost 19% of its health.
legacy_raider switched in Swellow.
Swellow was badly poisoned.
Swellow - 100%
Vileplume - 81%
----
Obviously Shiftry wasn't going to stay in on that attack, and so he switched with Vileplume. Once again my Persian gives me the upper hand, scouting out his switch and allowing me to switch to Swellow and activate Toxic Orb (I don't run Protect). With his Steelix gone, I prepare myself for a Swellow sweep...
----
GroupHug switched in Clefable.
Swellow used Brave Bird.
Clefable lost 73% of its health.
Swellow was hit by recoil!
Swellow lost 36% of its health.
Swellow is hurt by poison!
Swellow lost 6% of its health.
Swellow - 58%
Clefable - 27%
----
Swellow used Facade.
Clefable lost 27% of its health.
GroupHug's Clefable fainted.
Swellow is hurt by poison!
Swellow lost 12% of its health.
Swellow - 46%
Clefable - 0%
5-4
----
And Swellow takes its first victim! Swellow is extremely dangerous, with the ability to rip through entire teams with little set up. The only thing sthat can stop its rampage are Steel types such as Aggron and Steelix. I think that if Swellow learned Close Combat like Staraptor, then it would be Swellow, not Garchomp, that would be argued for Ubers!
Anyway, Clefable is like the Blissey of UU, and so being able to take it out quite so easily is a major plus. I take out another of his walls by simply overpowering it with sheer force. With his Steelix gone, I'm pretty confident at this point that I can just continue sweeping unhindered.
----
GroupHug switched in Shiftry.
Shiftry used Dark Pulse.
A critical hit!
Swellow lost 46% of its health.
legacy_raider's Swellow fainted.
Swellow - 0%
Shiftry - 100%
4-4
----
Oh snap! That was unexpected! I guess it's okay to be surprised when a stubby tree outspeeds and slams your 125 base speed sweeper... Evidently NOT Choice Specs. That last move there rattled me a lot. Suddenly I had gone from comfortable sweep to panicked. I had lost my two strongest sweepers and had 2 dark-weak pokemon left. I steel myself and send out my bulkiest pokemon...
----
legacy_raider switched in Steelix.
GroupHug switched in Vileplume.
Steelix used Stealth Rock.
Steelix - 100%
Vileplume - 81%
----
Shiftry didn't want to stay in against the metal snake, so I use the switch to set up some rocks. Never harms to set up them rocks
. But now I've got to deal with Vileplume. Fearing sleep, I switch out Steelix for Hypno.----
legacy_raider switched in Hypno.
Vileplume used Sunny Day.
The sun began to shine!
The sun continues to shine.
Hypno - 100%
Vileplume - 81%
----
The sleep is nowhere to be seen... And only now does it dawn to my retarded brain that he is using a Sunny Day team. Now with Choice Scarf AND Chlorophyll, I had no way of outspeeding his Shiftry...
Unless I could paralyse it.
I do a quick calculation in my head... 2 x 1.5 / 4 = slower than Persian.
Maths is great =).
So now time to start spamming those Thunder Waves.
----
Vileplume used Solarbeam.
Hypno lost 29% of its health.
Hypno used Thunder Wave.
Vileplume is paralysed! It may be unable to move!
The sun continues to shine.
Hypno - 77%
Vileplume - 81% (paralysed)
----
Well I was expecting the Shiftry switch, but over-prediction is my downfall. Shiftry could have come in and absorbed the incoming Psychic and so that's what I expected GroupHug to do. He outsmarted me once again and stayed in. I used Thunder Wave again, hoping that he'd predict a Psychic once more....
----
Hypno used Thunder Wave.
But it failed!
Vileplume used Solarbeam.
Hypno lost 29% of its health.
The sun continues to shine.
Hypno: 54%
Vileplume: 81% (paralysed)
----
...And once again it is to no prevail! GroupHug is reading me like a book! I decide to be done with Hypno and bring in my secret weapon, who also packs a handy Grass resist.
----
legacy_raider switched in Drifblim.
GroupHug switched in Shiftry.
Pointed stones dug into Shiftry.
Shiftry lost 12% of its health.
The sun continues to shine.
Drifblim: 100%
Shiftry: 88%
----
I expected to soak up a Solarbeam. Instead my ghostly balloon ended up facing down a scowling hairy tree. Drifblim is predominantly used as a Tank and so it boasts impressive defences (...I lie, its defences are crap, but its HP is godly), so I hope that I can survive a Dark Pulse. Knowing that I can't hope to outspeed Shiftry even after Unburden has kicked off from my Petaya Berry, I choose a powerful Hidden Power Fighting to uproot that thorn in my side!
----
Shiftry used Dark Pulse.
It's super effective!
Drifblim lost 90% of its health.
Drifblim's Petaya Berry raised its special attack!
Drifblim lost its burden!
Drifblim flinched!
The sun continues to shine.
Drifblim: 10% (+1 SpA, +2 Spe)
Shiftry: 88%
----
Aaaarrrgh!!.... nuff said...
----
Shiftry used Dark Pulse.
It's super effective!
Drifblim lost 10% of its health.
legacy_raider's Drifblim fainted.
The sun continues to shine.
Drifblim: 0%
Shiftry: 88%
3-4
----
And the flinchax sends my ghost into an untimely grave. GroupHug had taken out all the firepower in my team; my three sweepers - Nidoking, Swellow and Drifblim - had been Leaf Stormed and Dark Pulsed into oblivion.
It all started going downhill from there, and GroupHug took charge of the battle...
...Took charge? not that I knew what I was doing, but Persian was going to be a real pest, with its Fake Out getting a free hit on my fragile pokemon. I regret keeping Steelix on Nidoking, although I'm sure noting on my weird team would enjoy getting Earthquake'd.
---
legacy_raider switched in Persian.
GroupHug switched in Vileplume.
Pointed stones dug into Vileplume.
Vileplume lost 12% of its health.
Persian used Fake Out.
Vileplume lost 29% of its health.
The sun continues to shine.
Persian: 100%
Vileplume: 40% (paralysed)
---
I decide to keep Vileplume in, hoping to be able to sleep something. He could've used Return here to just finish me off, not clear to me why he didn't.
---
Persian used U-turn.
Vileplume lost 19% of its health. <-- darned weak U-Turn!
legacy_raider switched in Steelix.
Vileplume used Sleep Powder.
Steelix fell asleep!
The sun faded.
Steelix: 100% (asleep)
Vileplume: 21% (paralysed)
---
Yes! I sleep his Steelix, and now I can set up another Sunny Day to abuse Solarbeam.
---
legacy_raider switched in Persian.
Vileplume is paralysed! It can't move!
---
Persian used U-turn.
Vileplume lost 17% of its health. <--min damage noes!
legacy_raider switched in Hypno.
Vileplume used Sunny Day.
The sun began to shine!
The sun continues to shine.
Hypno: 61%
Vileplume: 4% (paralysed)
---
Apparently he hoped U-turn would finish Vileplume, but he's still alive to set up Sunny Day successfully.
---
legacy_raider switched in Steelix.
Vileplume is paralysed! It can't move!
The sun continues to shine.
---
Now why would he do that? He probably figured I'd switch to Shiftry, so he sent out Steelix to try and wall me. But honestly, I was ready to sacrifice Vileplume long ago, because I didn't feel it could do much being paralysed. Apparently I was wrong...
---
Steelix is fast asleep!
Vileplume used Solarbeam.
Steelix lost 53% of its health.
The sun continues to shine.
Tectonix's leftovers restored its health a little!
Tectonix restored 6% of its health.
Steelix: 53% (asleep)
Vileplume: 4% (paralysed)
---
Steelix stays in to take a STAB'd Solarbeam.. ouch (though I hoped it would do more). Perhaps he was counting on him waking up? or maybe he doesn't really care about Steelix and don't mind losing him to Earth Power.. *cough*
---
legacy_raider switched in Hypno.
Vileplume is paralysed! It can't move!
The sun continues to shine.
Hypno: 67%
Vileplume: 4% (paralysed)
---
Hypno used Psychic.
It's super effective!
Vileplume lost 3% of its health.
GroupHug's Vileplume fainted.
The sun continues to shine.
Hypno: 73%
Vileplume: 0%
3-3
---
Hypno comes to take the 2nd Solarbeam, but I get parahax'd again, so it's time to say goodbye to Vileplume - one of the most difficult UU pokes to face IMO, because you never know what set it carries, and one wrong move can leave you statused for the rest of the battle.
---
GroupHug switched in Shiftry.
Pointed stones dug into Shiftry.
Shiftry lost 12% of its health.
legacy_raider switched in Steelix.
Shiftry used Dark Pulse.
It's not very effective...
Steelix lost 20% of its health.
The sun continues to shine.
Shiftry: 75%
Steelix: 39% (asleep)
---
Knowing Shiftry will use Dark Pulse, legacy_raider switches to Steelix, but I decide to keep hitting it, as he's still sleeping.
---
Shiftry used Dark Pulse.
It's not very effective...
A critical hit!
Steelix lost 39% of its health.
legacy_raider's Steelix fainted.
The sun continues to shine.
Shiftry: 75%
Steelix: 0%
2-3
---
Shiftry does it again! Without a crit here, Steelix could have survived for 2 more turns (leftovers), increasing his chance of waking up and possibly killing my Shiftry..
---
legacy_raider switched in Persian.
GroupHug switched in Grumpig.
Pointed stones dug into Grumpig.
Grumpig lost 12% of its health.
Persian used Fake Out.
Grumpig lost 32% of its health.
The sun faded.
Grumpig: 62% (asleep)
Persian: 100%
---
Shiftry, Grumpig and Ninetales remain. Since Grumpig was meant to absorb the sleep, I plan on using Sleep Talk to possibly hit him with a STAB'd Psychic. Fake Out is becoming more and more dangerous and the end is near.. he also has SR on the field, so I need to decide who will get hit by those Fake Outs if I wanna have a shot to win this.
---
Persian used Return.
Grumpig lost 57% of its health.
Grumpig is fast asleep!
Grumpig: 11% (asleep)
Persian: 100%
---
NOO! I misclicked <__< Now Grumpig is gone while Persian is left untouched..
---
Persian used U-turn.
It's super effective!
Grumpig lost 11% of its health.
GroupHug's Grumpig fainted.
legacy_raider switched in Hypno.
Grumpig: 0%
Hypno: 79%
2-2
---
Not sure it was a wise move on his side, since U-turn gives the fainted pokemon's trainer the ability to switch last. Ah well, goodbye Grumpig, you never seem to work in any of my teams.. Time to send out Shiftry, because Hypno doesn't enjoy his creepy face very much.
---
GroupHug switched in Shiftry.
Pointed stones dug into Shiftry.
Shiftry lost 12% of its health.
legacy_raider switched in Persian.
Shiftry used Dark Pulse.
Persian lost 62% of its health.
Shiftry: 63%
Persian: 38%
---
I decide to play it safe with Dark Pulse. Scared for his Hypno, Persian comes to take the hit. However, Hypno can definitely survive a Dark Pulse, so he could send back a Thunder Wave, rending my Shiftry useless. Maybe he got a bit paranoid and was scared of Explosion! Or is it the flinch hax on Dark Pulse? =D
---
GroupHug switched in Ninetales.
Pointed stones dug into Ninetales.
Ninetales lost 25% of its health.
Persian used Fake Out.
Ninetales lost 38% of its health.
Ninetales: 37%
Persian: 38%
---
Another Fake Out is coming my way, so I decide to switch in Ninetales to take the hit, in order to keep Shiftry at the highest possible health for the final turns. He has Persian and Hypno remaining, and knowing Ninetales doesn't fair well against Hypno, I decide to keep her in and sacrifice her.
I don't know much about his Hypno, except that he has Psychic and Thunder Wave, and that he doesn't like Shiftry at all - which might suggest his only attacking move is Psychic. Shiftry is without a doubt more valuable in this situation.
---
Persian used Return.
Ninetales lost 37% of its health.
GroupHug's Ninetales fainted.
Ninetales: 0%
Persian: 38%
2-1
---
Ninetales, another pokemon which I never seem to play right, dies, thus leaving Shiftry my only hope against his pesky Persian and Hypno.
---
GroupHug switched in Shiftry.
Pointed stones dug into Shiftry.
Shiftry lost 12% of its health.
legacy_raider switched in Hypno.
Shiftry used Dark Pulse.
It's super effective!
Hypno lost 41% of its health.
Shiftry: 50%
Hypno: 43%
---
Hypno comes in to take the hit. Now it's an interesting situation.. If Hypno manages to survive the next Dark Pulse, my Shiftry will be paralysed, and it's game over.. He will sacrifice his Hypno and send out Persian to fire a STAB'd Return which will KO Shiftry without any trouble.
---
Shiftry used Dark Pulse.
It's super effective!
Hypno lost 43% of its health.
legacy_raider's Hypno fainted.
Shiftry: 50%
Hypno: 0%
1-1
---
Gladly, his Hypno falls to the 2nd Dark Pulse.
Shiftry, at half his health is about to face the last Fake Out... but what nature is this Shiftry? Modest? Mild (-Def)? Naive? Explosion is a nice physical move to have for a scarfer, but did I keep it at the expence of Shiftry's defence? Is this gonna cost me the game?
---
legacy_raider switched in Persian.
Persian used Fake Out.
Shiftry lost 42% of its health.
Shiftry flinched!
---
Shiftry used Dark Pulse.
Persian lost 37% of its health.
legacy_raider's Persian fainted.
Shiftry: 8%
Persian: 0%
0-1
GroupHug wins!
=O!! Shiftry barely survives and KO's back with a single Dark Pulse in his devilish little grass-heart, winning the battle!
I'm glad it's a Modest Shiftry, otherwise I would probably lose to Fake Out!
GG legacy_raider, a lot of things very unexpected (scarf Shiftry in a Sunny Day team lol), but overall a very fun battle I had in the UU ladder of the smogon server. And NO, I'm not playing this shit team anymore. :\
GG GroupHug, it was really great fun and you took me completely by surprise with that killer Shiftry. If you noticed, it was the one who KOed every single one of my guys! Persian held out right till the last, but in the end it just wasn't enough! Really GG.
