Divine RightsIntroduction:
So after a long period of inactivity I got bored for a moment and attempted to play Pokemon in Gen V with another themed team. I'll post up a RMT for fun, and while there are many holes in this team, I had a relatively good amount of success with it, with one loss in the beginning due to me trying to adjust my playing methods.
Objective of this team:
Heh. Well, I guess this is a themed team that involves my few favourite monarchs of the past (most of them maligned). I suppose in competitive terms of view, it helps Dragonite sweep by getting rid of its few enemies, his main enemies being other Dragons and Steels. I probably should put more effort into putting hard counters to steels such as Magnezone, but I can find a way to get rid of them. Garchomp is also another enemy I found but since many tend to be scarfed, they're either locked into Earthquake or Outrage, allowing some of my Pokemon to get in safely if I make the right move. Once his foes are cleared, Dragonite can sweep with little intrusion.
Other Notes:
This team was designed for Pokemon Online, a battle simulator for Generation II/III/IV/V Pokemon metagame. Since I do not possess this game none of this will be playable on Wifi. Nor do I have perfect IVs on my anyone and I do not possess a Blissey capable of Wishing. Therefore, assume IVs are all 31 unless otherwise stated. Also assume they are all level 100.
I put a little section called history on each Pokemon to tell you what I have learned about each of the historical figures the Pokemon are named after. You do not have to read them, but they are there if you want to learn a little something I guess. Note that it can be quite long and painful to one's eyes, especially if they do not like reading, so I did you all a favour and placed them in spoilers as it has nothing to do with the actual RMT. In other words, don't read if you are not interested in history or whatever, as some of them are exceedingly long.
Since this is my first time playing Pokemon after months, I am not aware of prominent threats nor how the metagame has shifted, so if anyone can give me tips about what to look out for, I would be more than happy to listen.
Former Members:
The Roster:
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"Here lies very high and powerful excellent prince Charles X by name king, by the grace of God, of France and of Navarre"
~ The Tombstone of Charles X
Charles X (Forretress) (M) @ Shed Shell
Trait: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 112 Atk / 144 Def
IVs: 0 Speed
Impish Nature (+Def, -SAtk)
- Rapid Spin
- Stealth Rock
- Gyro Ball
- Spikes/Toxic Spikes
Seems like I can't get enough of this guy. Forretress lead usually gets its job done by setting up the spikes it needs to and spinning opposing entry hazards away. Gyro Ball usually takes care of many of the faster Pokemon out there due to its STAB and immense power against others since it is normally much slower than most other Pokemon. And if it is at a disadvantage, I would not leave it there and will go straight to another Pokemon. He can come back later to take physical hits as he is very physically sturdy. I may tweak his EVs to be more leaning towards the Special Defence side, but I think most of my team is already sufficient in that area, so I figure a physical defence specialization will do. I'm torn between Spikes and Toxic Spikes though. Toxic Spikes will work well vs stallish teams while Spikes do better against the offensive Pokemon (Excadrill and Lucario come into mind). But I suppose in an offensive team, Spikes will definitely do numbers against grounded threats as mentioned, so I will go along with Spikes for the time being.
History:
I suppose that is why I put up Forretress as Charles X, as he lived most of his life in exile which is somewhat equivalent to hiding? Heh I don't know, but I like Charles X for his restoration attempts of the French monarchy to its rightful place, though after Napoleon III, France would become a Republic forevermore... losing many of its old tradition.
"Poor little thing; you are not what they wanted, but we will love you nonetheless. A son would have belonged to the State; you shall be mine, and have all my care; you shall share in my happiness and soften my sorrows."
~ Marie Antoinette to Marie Thérèse
M. Thérèse (Chandelure) (F) @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Flash Fire
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Hidden Power [Rock]
- Energy Ball
- Fire Blast
- Shadow Ball
Yes I have caved in and decided to use a Gen V Pokemon at last. I am trying Chandelure out as a replacement of both Drifblim and Ninetales from the previous incarnation of the team but as a more solid revenge killer. No, I will not use Shadow Tag because it is insanely broken. Unfortunately, running Hidden Power Rock gives imperfect Speed IVs, but for now, I will have to live with it. Rock is there to mess with things like Volcarona who always think they can set up on Chandelure and mess with it. With max SpA, I hit 389 SpA, which is a LOT, so STAB Fire Blast and Shadow Ball will deal a truckload of damage. Energy Ball hits Grounds and Waters for super effective damage, particularly Swampert. I will not run Psychic because a STAB Fire Blast is just as effective as a Super Effective Psychic on its main targets. I may convert Chandelure to another set later, but for now, I will try the regular revenge killer set.
History:
Since I got rid of her parents Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette from my team, I figured I'd add their tragic legacy as one in my team in the form of Chandelure. Yeah... though she did not take revenge on the revolutionaries, and this set is a revenger. Whatever.
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"I've come to suck ze blood!"
~ Lame Filler Quote
Vlad III (Gliscor) (M) @ Yache Berry
Trait: Sand Veil
EVs: 192 HP / 96 Atk / 220 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Swords Dance
- Earthquake
- Ice Fang
- Roost
This here has become my answer to the increasingly prevalent threats in the form of Excadrill, Konkledurr, Lucario, Landlos, etc. 220 Speed trolls on anything that goes 216 Speed with positive 95 speed and the rest of the EVs, I did not really thought of much actually. I am running Earthquake for STAB, but Ice Fang is there for coverage and to take other grounds such as opposing Gliscors out. I am torn betwen Ice Fang and Fire Fang though. While Ice Fang does provide better coverage, Fire Fang can handle with flying steels like Skarmory or Bronzong who otherwise utterly wall me. But for now, I will go with Ice Fang. Swords Dance is there just so I can get a chance to deal massive damage (especially to Konkledurr who would otherwise just Bulk Up without a problem). Yache Berry is there because everyone anticipates Gliscor so much right now that they all pack Ice moves or something to deal with Gliscor switch ins. Hopefully, this will alleviate one otherwise fatal switch in, but I was also considering Leftovers or Lum Berry. The reason I am going 2 attacks as opposed to just 1 is because going pure Ground is a BAD idea and the very thing this guy aims to deal with, Excadrill, often holds a Balloon. It would be pointless otherwise, so a secondary attack to negate that balloon is a must. I should probably invest more into the defences, but again, I need to think this out a bit more. Right now, it serves to provide a reliable check against things that would otherwise annihilate my team. I also hear Fling + Poison Heal + Acrobatics Gliscor is in the rage right now, but aside from dealing with Konkledurr and Machamp easier, I don't really feel it is a must to run Flying STAB. But I will see what works.
History:
Vlad the Impaler and Gliscor DO have SOME form of similarity, no?
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"We are not interested in the possibilities of defeat. They do not exist."
~ Queen Victoria
Victoria (Blissey) (F) @ Leftovers
Trait: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 Def / 80 SAtk / 32 SDef / 144 Spd
Bold Nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Wish
- Protect
- Seismic Toss
- Flamethrower
Now what's a team without Blissey? This pink blob is what keeps my team together in many ways, taking special attacking threats with very little problem and can even deal with some physical assaults (provided it isn't a Fighting move). Wish keeps team members healthy and the other two moves are for self-defence. Flamethrower deals with Scizor, but is Scizor as dominant in Gen V metagame as in Gen IV? I may switch to Ice Beam if that is not the case. Now I kick myself quite often now because of all the stupid status inflicted upon my teammates. I feel like Aromatherapy would be a good choice, but I am not sure what to replace for it. Seismic Toss is good and I don't believe I am getting rid of that any time soon. I wonder if Blissey could also be a status inflicter? Would Toxic or Thunder Wave be a good idea?
History:
I originally had a female Jellicent named Victoria, but I already have a ghost and a water in this team. Heh, Blissey is popular like Queen Victoria, loved and hated at the same time. Why not? Also, her body constitution is similar to Victoria's in the later years. Not meant to be an insult to her though... but unlike Victoria, Blissey always smiles. Something strange I found in quotes from Victoria is her disdain for marriage, and yet she was happy with her family. Eh whatever.
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"A traitor is everyone who does not agree with me."
~ George III
George III (Empoleon) (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Torrent
EVs: 252 HP / 160 Def / 92 SDef / 4 Spd
Calm Nature (+SDef, -Atk)
- Scald
- Grass Knot
- Ice Beam
- Roar
Now, Empoleon is indeed a remarkable Pokemon known for his high Special Attack and a unique Water/Steel typing. However, instead of playing him like everyone else plays him (as a SubAgilityPetaya Sweeper or variants of that sort), I will capitalise his defences and utilise his resistances to many key typings. Unlike most other bulky waters, Empoleon has immunity to Toxic, which is lethal for most bulky waters, and can usually fight back against them with Grass Knot. All right, he can't do much against Tentacruel, but that guy can't do anything to Empoleon either aside from setting up and whatnot. Anyways, I digress. This defensive spread of Empoleon has been rather nicely and I have been using this guy to revenge Outraging Dragons and counter others like Kingdra very nicely. I am not using Surf or Hydro Pump because it is not this Empoleon's primary concern: it is meant to be a defensive pivot for this team with resistances to attacks that the other Pokemon in this team would love, such as Ice and a multitude of other attacks. Scald is the STAB attack of choice here because of its 30% chance of burning and its decent 80 BP (hey, some other Pokemon settle for 80 BP STAB moves as well such as Tyranitar with Crunch and Gengar with Shadow Ball). It becomes even scarier when Torrent activates. The other moves are for attacking other targets such as Dragons with Ice Beam and other bulky waters with Grass Knot. I even use Roar because this Empoelon is intended to be defensive. However, I do find it bothersome that I rely on Wish Support on Blissey A LOT because Empoleon will not live for long if it keeps taking hits, and both are weak to Fighting, which means the team can fall prey to, I don't know, Machamp or something ridiculous. I have been considering a Gliscor teammate for that very reason, but I'm not sure where to fit it, or if I should get rid of Empoleon altogether and replace it with another water. I'll experiment, but so far, Empoleon works rather well and is generally unexpected.
History:
Yes, facepalm at me now as I have named a Pokemon strictly designed after Napoleon Bonaparte to George III. I guess I was thinking mostly because George III has used his traditional powers as a monarch during his earlier years and the fact that England had a very powerful naval power at that time, hence why Empoleon is used. Ah well.
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“I can make a lord, but only God can make a gentleman”
~ King James VI & I
James VI & I (Dragonite) (M) @ Lum Berry
Trait: Multi-Scale
EVs: 224 HP / 80 Atk / 204 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Dragon Dance
- Outrage
- Earthquake
- Roost
This is Dragonite, who has become one of my favourite Pokemon and has gained my attention even more starting from Generation IV. They keep making better dragons than this poor guy, and they won't give him a break, but my policy is to make my favourites shine, no matter how many better choices there are. As you can see, this is just an old "bulky dragon dancing" set, and requires tons of support to pull off. Thanks to the new ability Multi-Scale, it will take 50% damage from an attack when Dragonite is in full health. Not bad at all, as it has saved its life MANY times (except for those bloody critical hits from Ice Beams... Tbird you know what I am talking about). Lum Berry is always going to be my choice here as it protects Dragonite from statuses for one time or get rid of Outrage confusion. I'm not so sure what to do with him, as this is the best "sweeper" type Dragonite I have come across, and the goal is to revolve the team around him. I have considered Light Screen over Earthquake but Earthquake gives me the edge over most Steels, so I don't believe I can drop that.
History:
Hmm, I guess James VI & I is one of my favourite monarchs and Dragonite is one of my favourite Pokemon. I guess that is all I can say. Not sure where the correlation comes from
Yes, notice I haven't used any Gen V Pokemon yet. However, I'm open to any suggestions and any updates to the new Gen V metagame, as I have not played in a long time. Oh, and if you can, please try to list some Pokemon that you would consider royal? You know, maybe stuff like Kingdra or Nidoqueen or even Serperior, etc...? Anything that fits in a royal or monarchy theme, be it western/eastern/anything (even legendaries such as King Arthur or Lohengrin).
I am liking the first version of this team a bit better than the second form, but second seems to look better on paper as I really do need stuff like Gliscor to check on stuff that runs rampant in this metagame.
Suggestions Made:
* Removing Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette (Drifblim and Ninetales) to replace them with Shandera and Gliscor. Done
* Replace George III (Empoleon) with another bulky water as I already have Forretress as a Steel, such as Swampert
Notepad Form:
Why Monarchy?
Links
1. A Warstory Involving This Team
2. Thread in Another Forums