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Regional Tournament 2.0 starts off this issue as one of the more interesting tournaments. It is once again hosted by Colonel_M with the aid of jumpluff as his co-host. The premise is simple: you are restricted to Pokémon based on certain regions, with some minor twists in the later stages of the tournament. The tournament is all about team building and taking advantage of what Pokémon each region provides.
The trick to this tournament is not to get suckered into using DPP standard sets, but rather to analyze the environment, and adapt accordingly. Take for example offensive Suicune in Johto. Although it works well in a fast-paced environment like DPP, it might have difficulty in a more defensive environment like Johto where Pokémon like Celebi and Blissey are there to stop Suicune from accomplishing anything.
Another important point to make which I've already touched on is adapting to the environment in which you are presented. For instance, in Kanto, there is only one fully evolved Steel-type available (Magneton), which in short means Dragonite can take advantage of its virtually unresisted STAB Outrage and tear through any type of team. Another example could be noticing how there is only a single Ghost-type Pokémon in Johto. So although it may be tempting to stall, seeing as you are given such defensive powerhouses like Skarmory, Forretress, and Blissey, it should be obvious to you that there is nothing to block Rapid Spin, bar the defensively challenged Misdreavus.
Another tip when making your teams is not to exclude BL, UU, or even NU Pokémon if they fill a niche on your team. A lot of top players already apply this logic to DPP OU; however, it's even more important in the Regional Tournament, seeing as your choice of Pokémon is heavily restricted. A good example could be using Slowbro in Kanto. It may seem like an awkward choice at first, seeing as you're given much better Water types in the form of Gyarados and Starmie, but it should become apparent to you that countering Machamp is quite difficult in Kanto—which is where Slowbro comes in. Slowbro is quite possibly one of the best Machamp counters in the game, which is no easy feat to claim, seeing as Machamp is difficult enough to counter in DPP. Gyarados can come in on Machamp a few times, however it lacks the longevity Slowbro provides as well as the Stealth Rock neutrality and Own Tempo.
These are just a few of the more obvious factors to consider. However, when you begin building your regional teams you will begin to notice there are countless more factors to consider, making it much more complex than it first might appear.
The BST Tournament is our next tournament to be covered, hosted by newcomers tawp64 and AlphaJolt. Much like the Regional Tournament, the rules are quite simplistic with an emphasis on team building. Each round the hosts will set a predetermined limit on how high the total Base Stat Total (BST) of all Pokémon on a single team can be. Throughout each round there will be a gradual decrease in the total BST, starting off with a total BST of 3400 (which is about the average BST of a current OU team) all the way down to 2400 in the finals (the average BST per Pokémon here is 433, which is pretty much in NU territory). This challenges OU players to think outside the box as they can no longer rely on the usual 600 BST powerhouses such as Tyranitar and Heatran that dominate OU currently.
The first two rounds are pretty much standard OU; the third one is more or less the same, with maybe one or two BL/UU Pokémon mixed in some teams. Round 4, however, is where a player's team building skills are challenged. The average BST in this round is 483, but this can be alleviated by using efficient BST Pokémon. The most obvious one is Smeargle, who, despite having a paltry 250 BST, still remains an OU Pokémon due to his unmatched movepool. With Smeargle on your team (most likely as a lead), your BST average now gets pumped up from 483 to 530 which gives you a lot more room to work with.
Although Smeargle is probably going to be the most common Pokémon, there are still many other efficient BST Pokémon to consider. Dugtrio is often overlooked due to his frail defenses, but in a tournament like this those low defenses now become a godsend in the form of conserving BST. These two Pokémon are special cases in which they each have some kind of beneficial aspect that cause them to not drift into the depths of NU (Smeargle's unparalleled movepool and Dugtrio's Arena Trap). Not all efficient BST Pokémon are like this; in fact most are Pokémon commonly used in OU. Pokémon such as Breloom, Skarmory, and Forretress all have relatively low BSTs and should all definitely be considered when making an efficient team.
As with any metagame, adapting to the environment is crucial. The first thing that should strike you when building your team is "how am I going to handle Smeargle?" There are most likely only going to be two types of Smeargle: the suicide lead set or a Baton Pass set. I personally would make sure any lead I use is faster than Smeargle and carries a Lum Berry. This minor edit to your team can put you at an advantage right off the bat as your opponent will lose Smeargle in exchange for your Lum Berry. You should also be well-prepared for Baton Pass teams, seeing as the two most prominent Baton Passers (Ninjask and Smeargle) both have very low BSTs. A Taunter or phazer is highly recommended.
Another important team to consider is Rain Dance. Tournaments such as this one tend to be more offensively oriented due to the simplicity of team building. Rain Dance is seen by most offensive players as the most dangerous team to face and it doesn't help that Rain Dance teams tend to be efficient in the BST category. Take for example an average rain team, such as Electrode/Scizor/Kabutops/Qwilfish/Ludicolo/Omastar. It seems rather average, however it clocks in at just under 2900 BST making it very efficient. I won't bore you with how to counter rain but some more efficient BST Pokémon to consider can be: your own max speed Kabutops, as rain players tend not to max speed; Toxicroak, to take advantage of the water immunity; and finally Quagsire, who falls prey to Ludicolo but can handle most rain teams reasonably well.
Up next is the You Can (Not) Advance tournament, hosted by the feathered veteran CaptKirby. This is a unique tournament these days, as it's turning the clock back to a time when the Advance metagame was the standard game played, and even UU and Ubers had their solid playerbases. Participants are competing in a best-of-three series involving ADV OU, UU, and Uber battling. Some of the greatest stars of last generation have come out for this one, alongside the usual suspects of DP tournaments. We're going to see how some of today's biggest names manage outside of their usual field, and if they can really hang with the stars of the past. ADV OU has had a bit of a revival in the Tournaments forum lately, so most of the field should be ready for or at least familiar with that facet of the game, but UU and Ubers are a whole new ball game to the majority of players in this. Will the newcomers be able to adapt or will old hands reign supreme?
These matches all use standard rules, so there are no surprises for anyone who knows this game. That's not to say, though, that this is played the same as any DPP tournament you already know. ADV battling is a totally different beast to DPP, and players who don't grasp the differences are going to see early exits. Besides the obvious changes in mechanics, like all moves of the same type being either special or physical, there are more subtle differences that change how battles play out. The lack of Life Orb and the high-powered moves introduced in DP means there aren't many (I'd argue any) Pokémon that can just smash through a well-made team when one monster is weakened, and while DP's addition of Stealth Rock punishes switching out in today's battles, the technique is vital to success for any team that isn't just Baton Passing in ADV. Reducing options isn't going to be as simple as Dragon Dancing; long-term thinking and predictions will win this tournament.
We start off our spotlight matches with a very solid fight from the BST Tournament. The battle features UU specialist Eo vs. the Mexican maestro Scimjara. Eo has has been performing well in tournaments recently, as proven by his Gauntlet and Smogon Tour Week 5 wins. Scimjara, on the other hand, had a mediocre World Cup but bounced back big for the Frontier, achieving an impressive 6-3 record. He has also done well in Smogon Superstars, topping his group with a 6-1 record. Eo is the favourite, although not by much; personally I think it's more of a coin flip, so take that as you will when making your own predictions.
Our next match which is also from the BST tournament pits solid OU player TheFourthChaser up against the legend himself, kael AKA "I own all". TheFourthChaser is the favourite seeing as he has more experience in OU; however, kael should definitely not be written off. He's shown his Pokéknowledge isn't exclusive to Advance through his deep run in the Far Better OU Tournament and aims to crush TheFourthChaser into the ground.
Our next match is probably the most significant of all spotlight matches. The prize of winning this match, after all, is being crowned champion of the Regional Tournament 2.0. Our first contestant is Flamewheeler, a solid, all-round player who has been performing consistently well in OU/Uber tournaments such as Smogon Superstars, and various Smogon Tour X Uber Tours. His opponent however is no slouch; in fact it's the Messiah himself, reachzero. (Sorry, I couldn't resist the obligatory religion joke.) reachzero is the undeniable favorite, seeing as he's already won his fair share of tournaments, as opposed to Flamewheeler, who is still looking for his first. Perhaps Flamewheeler's consistency in previous tournaments will finally send him over the top.
This is the most intriguing match of its round in the You Can (Not) Advance tournament. Jabba's well-known as one of the fourth generation's top players, but not many realize that his reputation goes back to the days of late ADV. On the other hand, The_Chaser seemed to be the perennial underdog in Smogon Premier League, but pulled his weight every single week on his way to the finals. No matter what generation his team needed him to play—and there were many—Chaser came out on top or went down to the wire against some of the most renowned battlers on Smogon. Unpredictability is a big factor in this matchup, as nobody can tell what styles The_Chaser will bring to these matches, and Jabba will have to be wary of underestimating his opponent if a crucial decision ends up deciding this.
Superbly consistent and a specialist in all three DP tiers. One of the most wily veterans of the older gens. Lady Bug and Umby. The experience advantage in all three ADV tiers definitely goes to Umby, but is that alone enough to put away Lady Bug? This one has the potential to go either way, and it's always interesting to see how big names fare outside of their comfort zones. Try to catch it live.
With the introduction of myself, Gouki, and Philip7086 to the predictions section I've decided to wipe the slate clean of any previous points. May the best predictor win!
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