VGC 2016

2016-02-11 00:00:00 -0500 🟦 Jessica Pixel / liftedpixel.net

I did a basic write up about my team building and performance this year on Nugget Bridge. Go read it here. I had a lot of fun and I'm looking forward to learning more about team building.

This rest of this "page" is "in progress"

Icons from pldh.net/dex/sprites

My current team is

Monstro (Kyogre) @ Blue Orb

Xanthos (Xerneas) @ Power Herb

Norman (Smeargle) @ Focus Sash

Fletcher (Talonflame) @ Life Orb

Karen (Kangaskhan) @ Kangaskhanite

Scott (Whimsicot) @ Sitrus Berry

Bench

Contradanza (Ludicolo) @ Assault Vest
Snapdragon (Mawile) @ Mawileite

Currently soft resetting for

Thundurus.

I copied a starter team from Nugget Bridge and started making changes from there. The core of my team is Xerneas, Smeargle, Kyogre, and Talonflame. Generally, I want to sucesfully Geomancy with Xerneas while Smeargle protects/distracts, bring in Talonflame to set up Tailwind, and finish with Kyogre but there is a lot of Taunt, Fake Out and Prankster Pokemon that its hard to stay safe. Making sure that Groudon is 'stuck' in with Kyogre with the rain up and any ability swapping opposing team mates are taunted is a general objective as I don't have Groudon and it is very popular.

Pokemon I've been seeing in PS!:

Kyogre @ Choice Scarf !! -Origin Pulse -Thunder -Protect -Water Spout !! -Scald

Groudon -Precipice Blades (after a Gravity !!) -Fire Punch -Eruption !! -Sword Dance

Whimsicot -Encore -Tailwind -Worry Seed -Trick Room

Amoongus -Spore -Rage Powder

Smeargle @ Focus Sash -Dark Void -Spore (VGC doesn't have sleep clause !!) -Follow Me -Spiky Shield

Gengar -Hypnosis (after a Gravity)

Crobat -Tailwind -Super Fang -Brave Bird

Ferrothorn @ Rocky Helmet / Leftovers -Power Whip -Iron Head? -Gyro Ball -Leech Seed

Cresselia -Trick Room -Wide Guard? Quick Guard? Protect? -Gravity -Ability Swap

Scizor -Bullet Punch

Mega Kangaskhan -Low Kick -Power-up Punch -Sucker Punch -Fake Out

Other moves to think about -Feint, Shadow Sneak, other moves like Feint?

I've always wanted to go to an official pokemon tournament and this year I finally get the chance, so I'm going to try my best. I've already planned my outfit, and the tournament is the week of my birthday. It's time 2.B.A. Master !!

I had to buy Pokemon X so I can soft reset for Xerneas and that cost me $30 for a used copy. I already had OR and spent about 4 days soft resetting for Kyogre. Then I spent a day on Xerneas and took a somewhat subpar one that I might reset for again later.

2/15/2016 - I've been battling more on PS! and I'm getting very discouraged. My team is not good and I'm worried that to be viable I need to take Kyogre and Groudon instead of Kyogre and Xerneas. I am almost never able to get Xerneas set up to sweep. I'm getting put to sleep a lot and I don't have anyone on my team to put others to sleep. I should probably reconsider using more sleep.

2/17/2016 - After a day I'm feeling better, but I'm probably just winning against bad teams. I've trained Kyogre and Xerneas and I'm breeding Lotads now. I'm actually out chaining Lotads with the DexNav in order to catch 3 star parents. They should have at least 31 in 3 stats. I'm at chain 60some and I'm getting a few 3 stars. I also need to try for the Destiny Knot, but I haven't even visited that part of the game.

2/18/2016 - Breeding Lotads. I have been chaining them using the DexNav on Route 102 and only catching ones with three stars. I'm around chain 160 now and I don't feel like I get them all that often. I'm getting some very good parents though, even if it takes a little while to check them. For a little while I forgot to bring my synchronize abra. I taught him a few TMs so I can knock out the lotads if I don't feel like running. Either way, your search power goes up and you have a better chance of better lotads showing up. Sometimes they show up around level 14 when they're normally very low. That does help with checking their stats. To check the stats, I save in front of the PC at the Battle Institute in Mauville City and start a single battle with two other pokemon and the lotad I want to check the stats of (sadly you can only take one of a kind). In the battle you can check the stats at level 50, but you can't check nature or characteristic so I try to remember to make a note of it before the battle in the IV checker. I use a few different ones, but I think the one at serebii.net is the fastest. I also really like the one at veekun.com because it looks nice. Once you check it, soft reset (L + R+ Start or Select). Make note of the stats, pick up the next lotad, and start again. If you want, you can run from all 5 battles. You'll get 3 BP and a random wing item. I sold them to buy Max Ethers. My lead synchronizer also has on a Cleanse Tag. It really helps when chaining with the DexNav to not get in other battles. I haven't tested to see what makes your search level go down, but I've gotten in a few trainer battles trying to get the destiny knot and on the battle frontier area and it hasn't gone down.

2/23/2016 - I'm done with Lotads. I ended up with a 30-31 in all stats baby with Rain Dish, so I gave it an ability capsule to change it. I also ended up with a baby with 30-31 in all stats, but 0-1 speed, so I'm happy to have a trick room ludicolo someday too. Next pokemon I want to work on is Talonflame, but in Pokemon X and Y the only place to get good parents is the friend safari. In order to get Fletchinder from the friend safari, I have to add someone to my friends list who's friend code corresponds with that pokemon. They also have to add me back. AND they have to be online in order for the pokemon in the third slot of your friend safari to show up, which is where fletchender goes. I'm not sure how to spell the names of most pokemon anymore. I also picked up my code for mew, but i don't want to redeem it yet since I'd maybe like to soft reset for a good nature or something.

2/27/2016 - I got a Naughty perfect Ditto from a Smogon user and was able to breed a 30-31 fletchinder in one day. I was able to get a few good parents from the friend safari and I got a 30-31 baby in just 2 generations with the Ditto. I've been battling online and have only won one match but I only have 4 viable pokemon right now. I'm going to breed Whimsicott next. It needs a few egg moves and I was to the point of breeding a lv 49 Hoppip (that I had to get from a horde battle in Pokemon Y) with my Timid Cottonee (that I had to catch using the DexNav in OR). The egg hatched as a Hoppip because I mixed the genders up and brought a female Hoppip. So, when I feel up to it I'll go back to Pokemon Y and catch a male Hoppip, level him up to Lv 49, and DexNav up a Timid female Cottonee. I may try and put it in a special pokeball. Leveling isn't too bad because I have scanned in secret bases for the secret meadow and the secret shore where all the trainers have 3 Blissey with Toxic Orbs and they get a bonus for being transferred. I haven't been able to get a Lucky Egg yet but it only took 2 battles to get the Hoppip to 49.

3/4/2016 - I've got 6 pokemon done and I've been battling online with some success. For every battle I win, I generally lose 2, but at least I'm winning some. I was able to breed Mawile in a few generations because of the perfect ditto. Now I'm soft resetting again for a better Xerneas since my current one isn't great, and I'm a little disappointed that my Kyogre ended up with 29 defense and I'm considering re-rolling him but I probably won't. It took me 4 days to get Kyogre and I'm already tired of soft resetting for Xerneas and I've only been at it for a few hours.

3/12/2016 - I got Xerneas and I swapped out Smeargle for Ludicolo for now. I've finally got a rating over 1500 on Battle Spot. Tomorrow is my first Premier Challenge. I'm still debating if I want to keep Focus Sash on Smeargle and Sitrus Berry on Whimsicott, or put the Sash back on Scott and give Norman a Choice Scarf. I don't actually use Dark Void that much, I mostly use Spikey Shield and Follow Me.

3/15/2016 - This weekend I went to my first Premier Challenge. I got 4th place. I won 2 games, lost 2 games, and had 1 bye. In the end I lost because my team has a massive Ferrothorn weakness. There's another Premier Challenge in another week but it's over an hour away so I'm on the fence about going. I'm breeding a Kangaskhan now to see if she works out better than Ludicolo. I've gotten some 6 IV Dittos from this thread on Smogon and it's helping a lot.

3/28/2016 - This weekend was my second Premier Challenge. I got 2nd, but there wasn't many people there. I also finished up the March International Challenge. I think I ended with a high 1600 score, but I'm not sure. The scores aren't up on the website yet. Here's my team from both battles:

Kangaskhan is working out well.

4/8/2016 - My points are on the Pokemon website finally. I have 34. I was a little worried I had registered wrong. I managed to get my Battle Spot Special rating to 1798, but then I hit a losing streak back to 1500s. The rankings for the March IC came in and I got 1600s. There are a few Midseason Showdowns this month and I'm hoping to get Thundurus before the first one. After getting wrecked 3 times by voidcatteams on Battle Spot, I realized I need a better Taunter. Scott is in for now until I get Thundurus (name not decided yet).

At this point, I have stopped writing this kind of stuff down, so here's links to PS replays.

Pokemon Showdown Videos

VGC 2016
4 Turns of Smeargle
A Random Tournament Loss

Battle Spot Doubles
poor thing /pet

Gen 1 Random
Hypno Showdown!

If you want to contact me, it would be best through Twitter: @liftedpixel