Kansas City 2014 Regional Team Report

Credit: Stephen Morioka

(Disclaimer: I took issue with the editing on NB, posted what I wrote originally here. Love it or hate it, I have no further comment.)

Hello everyone, JRank here again! It's been a while since I wrote an article (that being my 2013 U.S. Nationals report), so I will catch you up on how I have been performing. I attended the Last Chance Qualifier for Worlds in Vancouver, and was eliminated by Jason Wynja (Arti) in the Round of 32 there. In the last XY VGC event of my career, I had a really odd day where I didn't feel like I was playing terribly but I still wound up 4-3 and somewhere in the Top 32 at Houston. I bounced back from that debacle with a 7-1 record in swiss and an 11th place finish at St. Louis. I wasn't particularly pleased, however, because my reward for going 7-1 was a good player and a terrible team matchup for me in Scott, so my streak of not winning in Top Cut continued.

Now that you guys are all caught up on my previous disappointments, I'm here to share yet another one! This time I attended the Overland Park (Kansas City) regional on April 6th, 2014. I finished 6-2 in swiss, good enough for 9th place and first place on the vaunted bubble (I have wonderfully salty thoughts about how it happened that I'll get to later). I definitely felt I was playing a few places higher than that on that day, but through a combination of Pokemon, me letting the Pokemon get to me, and TPCi using awesome tiebreakers, I wound up on the outside looking in. Despite that, I thought my team was really solid and fit my style this year really well (which has generally been an archetype that looked like Fire/Water/Grass/Dragon/Steel/filler), so I wanted to share. I'm not discussing my battles this time because I might turn into Lot's wife as a pillar of salt if I did. I hope you enjoy the team!

Building the Team

The story is weirdly similar to that of how I came up with my Nationals 2013 team. I had been using a Rain/Trick Room hybrid for a while and felt... ok about how it would perform. It had the ability to deal massive amounts of damage quickly and steamroll over unprepared players, but it tended to get shut down too often and utilized several Pokemon that weren't very good at taking repeated hits (Talonflame, Ludicolo, Mawile) as central members of the team. After giving up on it and going back to a modified version of my St. Louis team (at St. Louis it was Hydreigon/Amoonguss/Talonflame/Aegislash/Kangaskhan/Rotom-W; I had changed it to Salamence/Ferrothorn/Rotom-H/Aegislash/Kangaskhan/Azumarill), I read an article called Synthesizing Victory on Eggy Emporium, which I loved. The 6 Pokemon used there were so similar to the 6 I had been using (with Venusaur over Ferrothorn and Garchomp over Kangaskhan) that I decided to try it out.

I was initially skeptical of Garchomp's usefulness within the team upon first reading the article, and within a few battles my suspicions were confirmed: it was out of place. I lacked strong ways to deal with physical attackers, especially Kangaskhan. With that in mind I tried out Scrafty, who brought two ways to handle Kangaskhan via Intimidate and its Fighting-type STAB, as well as fitting in with the maxim of the team that was bulky offense. It fit pretty much perfectly and so I decided to take the team and run with it. I was (and am) satisfied with how it turned out, and there's only really one Pokemon that I would alter at all (that being Aegislash's moveset and possibly item).

When you read my explanations for each Pokemon, please don't look at it through the lens of "how JRank changed the team he copied," because that's not really what happened. Venusaur WAS inspired by the article (although I had been considering it for a while anyway), but the rest of the team was really what I had been playing with and just happened that it was almost exactly what bicho (I think that's the author's name) used first. With that in mind, here's the team!

The Team

 

Salamence (F) @ Life Orb
Ability: Intimidate
Level: 50
EVs: 36 HP / 52 Def / 164 SpA / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Modest Nature
- Draco Meteor
- Flamethrower
- Rock Slide
- Protect
Deployed in 2/8 battles

Salamence was one of the first things I changed from my St. Louis team. While Hydreigon was really good at what it did - sticking around, dishing out damage, and beating other Dragons (thanks to its Haban Berry) -, I found myself losing against Kangaskhan and sun teams more often than was acceptable, so I went to Salamence. Salamence provided several things that Hydreigon did not, including a higher base speed, Intimidate, and a way to hit Charizard for super effective damage (Rock Slide), while also bringing the Dragon STAB and Fire-type move that Hydreigon had.

While most Salamence these days opt for a Choice Scarf, I've never really been a fan of it. I feel like it invites speed ties (or outright losing to Timid variants) if you run Modest, and you lose out on a lot of power if you go Timid, to the point that it isn't worth it for me. I also don't like the prospect of locking yourself in to a stat-reduction move (Draco Meteor) or a non-STAB physical move when you run no Attack investment (Stone Edge or Rock Slide).

Because of those thoughts above I used a Life Orb and a Modest nature. I wasn't especially interested in the extra Speed Timid would bring, and really just wanted the power, because I tended to play as if my Salamence was slower than whichever Dragon it was facing and played accordingly, anyway. The moves aren't anything special: Draco Meteor for a generic nuke/STAB, Flamethrower for coverage on Steel-types (I changed to it from Fire Blast the day before because I was not a fan of having no 100% accurate moves), and Rock Slide to take out Charizard and Talonflame - the Life Orb allowed me to do it even with the damage reduction because it is a spread move, another reason I like LO more than a Choice item - even around Rage Powder or Follow Me, while potentially getting some delicious flinches. Protect is fairly obvious because I didn't have a way to guarantee beating other Dragons one-on-one and I didn't need any extra coverage anyway.

The EV spread is one that I am a big fan of. I maxed Speed because I didn't feel like losing to ALL other base 100 Speed Pokemon. 36 HP and 52 Defense EVs guarantee its survival against most Garchomp Dragon Claws (provided I get it Intimidated, which wasn't usually a problem), up to Adamant Life Orb users. The remaining EVs went into Special Attack to deal damage, with 4 going into Special Defense so as not to waste any. I never really lacked power, and being able stay in against Garchomp was a great asset to have, so I don't regret going for the small amount of bulk.

Despite me writing four paragraphs about it already, I only used Salamence twice at the tournament - and once it didn't even appear on the field. It either had a bad matchup against the teams I played or wasn't needed as much as something else, so I just didn't bring it very much. That doesn't mean it wasn't worth its spot, however, because its presence in Team Preview would make opponents think twice about leading with a physical attacker and make them want to bring a Fairy-type, to which I would respond with my 3 Fairy resists.


Venusaur (M) @ Venusaurite
Ability: Chlorophyll
Level: 50
EVs: 52 HP / 188 Def / 124 SAtk / 92 SDef / 52 Spd
Modest Nature
- Sleep Powder
- Giga Drain
- Sludge Bomb
- Synthesis
Deployed in 6/8 battles

Probably the coolest Pokemon I used. It's quite ironic that I used it, actually, because in the lead-up to the event I told my friend Aaron Traylor (Unreality) multiple times that I thought that at that point in the season you should only build around the Big 3 Mega Pokemon of Kangaskhan, Charizard(-Y), and Mawile. I hilariously contradicted myself by going with a very uncommon (yet very good: I think it's probably the fourth-best Mega because Manectric is frail weak and bad) Mega Evolution in Venusaur.

The moveset was ripped straight from the article previously mentioned, with Sleep Powder to sleep stuff, Giga Drain and Sludge Bomb for STAB, and Synthesis to crush opponents' dreams when they thought they had it finished. I was nervous originally about forgoing Protect, but after playing with it for a bit I discovered that I wasn't really using Protect anyway, so I never really regretted it. The EV spread was one that my friend Edward Fan (iss) used, so I'm not especially sure what it does, other than take hits, recover more HP with Giga Drain, and out speed uninvested Rotom formes.

I think it's a testament to the team's overall strength that my Mega Evolution was probably only the third-best performer of the day. I brought Scrafty and Rotom more often than Venusaur and they were probably more vital to my success, but Venusaur was no slouch. Often in both practice and the tournament I could keep it in the back, eliminate Flying- and Psychic-types, then send it in, Mega Evolve, and win the game; which is something that you generally want your Mega to be able to do.


Rotom-Heat @ Safety Goggles
Ability: Levitate
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 180 SAtk / 12 SDef / 60 Spd
Modest Nature
- Thunderbolt
- Overheat
- Will-O-Wisp
- Protect
Deployed in 8/8 battles

If you're not building around Charizard (and maybe even if you are), I think Rotom-Heat is the best Fire-type Pokemon in this format. Its offensive coverage with just Thunderbolt and Overheat is fantastic, and whatever third move you run (I used HP Ice before going to Will-O-Wisp to help against physical attackers) is just gravy. It also has great stat distribution; I was able to accomplish just about everything I wanted to with the 510 EVs I had available to me.

As I covered already, the moveset is run-of-the-mill, and the item probably is, too. Safety Goggles is incredible on Rotom-H, making it a fairly hard counter to Venusaur/Charizard leads, and allowing it to hit Water-types with Thunderbolt or Will-O-Wisp physical attackers around Rage Powder make it better than anything else I could've used. The EV spread is pretty neat, too. 60 Speed EVs puts it one above neutral max Speed Tyranitar (which has been growing in popularity), 180 Special Attack allows it to always OHKO Ray's Mawile spread with Overheat, and the remaining EVs are placed in HP and defenses, with more going into Special Defense because I originally used it to survive Draco Meteors and so I wanted to be able to do it occasionally.

Along with Scrafty, Rotom was hands-down the MVP of the tournament (Overheat miss and Rock Tomb problems aside). Its combination of typing, coverage, stats, and strong matchup with almost every team I faced meant that I brought it to every battle I played.


Aegislash (M) @ Weakness Policy
Ability: Stance Change
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 180 SAtk / 76 SDef
Quiet Nature
- Shadow Ball
- Sacred Sword
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- King's Shield
Deployed in 6/8 battles

While Aegislash was the key to my success at St. Louis (I used a Substitute/Leftovers version there that pretty much put me and the rest of the team on its back and carried us to 7-1 and Top Cut), its 6/8 usage statistic lies as to how useful it was in Kansas. Its typing and ability remained stellar, but without Substitute or Leftovers it seemed more frail and exposed. While Weakness Policy was a nifty item for picking up surprise OHKOes on Dragon-types, Kangaskhan, and Tyranitar, it didn't need it all day, and I ironically forgot that it activating would boost my Attack and put me in Foul Play KO range, losing me my final match.

The EV spread is a common one, surviving Timid Mega Charizard Y Heat Wave. I didn't want to have to do that if I could avoid it, but the spread felt good and so I didn't see a need to change it. Shadow Ball was solid as usual because of its buff this generation, as was Sacred Sword. I switched from Flash Cannon to it to help out against Kangaskhan (I think it's safe to say Kangaskhan is the best Mega in the format with all the changes I made just for it) and Tyranitar, because I wasn't using it very often anyway. Ray Rizzo's thoughts on it are actually similar to mine when he says:

"I opted for Flash Cannon instead of Sacred Sword because they do the same exact thing except one is better vs some TTars and Bisharp while the other is better vs Mamoswine, Aromatisse and when Intimidated or Burned. I prefer the advantages of Flash Cannon. Another aspect of Flash Cannon that I prefer is that it makes it harder to switch in on Aegislash. Many times you'll be in a situation where both Shadow Ball and Flash Cannon will do the same damage. When Aegislash is in a threatening position in one of those situations (For example, when facing a Gardevoir that may opt to switch out) you choose which move based on potential switchins. If the opponent for example has no Pokemon that resist steel and one that resists Ghost, Flash Cannon becomes the easy move to make. That way you punish the opponent no matter whether they stay in or switch out. This situation is a lot more frequent than it may seem."

Despite my agreement with the three-time World Champion, I chose Sacred Sword because of how big of a problem Kangaskhan could be, especially when you consider my lack of Substitute. Speaking of the third move on Aegislash, if I could play the tournament again I would not run Hidden Power Ice: its coverage was irrelevant with the Weakness Policy. I actually came very close to switching it to Wide Guard before I registered, but I forgot and so I used HP Ice anyway.

I'll start off its final paragraph the same way I started Venusaur's: I think it's a testament to Aegislash's strength that I wasn't satisfied with the way I ran it, yet I still brought it to 6 of my 8 matches. Its typing is solid and its stats and ability so good that I couldn't justify not picking it most of the time.


Scrafty (F) @ Lum Berry
Ability: Intimidate
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 244 Atk / 12 Def
Adamant Nature
- Fake Out
- Drain Punch
- Stone Edge
- Taunt
Deployed in 8/8 battles

My opinion on Scrafty had soured prior to picking it up, mostly because of the prevalence of Talonflame and Fairy-types. That wasn't a problem on this team because Talonflame was on the downswing at the time and as previously mentioned I have three Fairy resists. With that in mind, I was able to bring Scrafty to all of my games to take advantage of its Fake Out, Taunt, and Intimidate support.

The moveset and spread is common bar Taunt (the EV spread survives CB Talonflame Brave Bird at -1). When I was considering adding it to the team, I went to my friend and reigning U.S. National Champion Gavin Michaels (kingofmars) for Scrafty advice. He advised Taunt over Crunch, so I tried it out and it was amazing. Along with the Lum Berry it stopped Amoonguss and Venusaur cold, while shutting down Meowstic as well. I really only wanted Crunch in my final match, but by the time I needed it I was going to lose anyway, so I wasn't bothered by not having it.

Although I've written the least on it Scrafty was co-MVP for the day. I would list its characteristics that made it so useful but I would list everything: it was that good. I led with it 7 out of the 8 games I played, and 4 times its partner Rotom-H led by its side.

Azumarill @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Huge Power
Level: 50
EVs: 212 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def / 36 SDef / 4 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Aqua Jet
- Play Rough
- Belly Drum
- Protect
Deployed in 2/8 battles

After writing oodles of words on the previous five Pokemon, I find myself at Azumarill without a strong opinion. It was stronger on the previous version of the team with Kangaskhan to support it, but when Venusaur hopped on board the emphasis shifted from getting Azumarill into advantageous positions to getting Venusaur and Rotom into them. Although it wound up going from shining star to pushed aside in favor of the newest toy (perhaps how I felt when my sister was born), it was solid in the two games I brought it to.

Everything about it is ripped from Daniel Nolan (Zog)'s When the Void Stares Back! report, although it's really just the standard Azumarill these days. Even without specific support for it I still felt more comfortable with Belly Drum because of how much pressure it could create if I got a chance to get one off (spoiler: I didn't). Aqua Jet and Play Rough provided STAB and priority, while Protect is Protect. Not much else to say.

I hate to end on a somewhat down note, but Azumarill just really wasn't needed during the tournament. However, it still earned its spot through practice and the games I did bring it to, so I am proud of its performance regardless.

Theory / How it worked

One of the main reasons I liked this team so much was because it fit into the way I like to play. I feel like it was about as defensive as you can get this gen while still being viable. I rarely OHKOed anything, because outside of Rotom (Overheat), Salamence (Draco Meteor), and Azumarill (after a Belly Drum), I didn't really have ways to deal big damage. I preferred to use my synergy to switch around and whittle down the opponent. I think a lot of my success also relied on my prediction skills, as I needed to be able to predict where the Protect was coming and double target the one that wasn't, something that I've been able to do pretty consistently. It was basically the embodiment of myself and the way I like to play, which is exactly what you want from a team.

Closing Thoughts / Salt

I'll begin by giving you a plate of salt and a glass of w(h)ine so that I can end on a higher note. I wound up in 9th place when the tournament had an 8-man Top Cut. I lost to the 5th and 6th place finishers (on an Overheat miss and Rock Tomb crit, respectively. I had a chance to win both games anyway but I let the luck affect me negatively and I misplayed immediately after both times. Despite that I still put myself in a position to win and didn't, so it's very frustrating), while defeating the 8th, 10th, 11th, and 13th place finishers. While matches (and a 4-2 record) against 6 of the top 13 players would seem like enough to put me in the cut, my first opponent, obligatory nice guy that isn't very good(TM), went 1-5 drop, while my second opponent went 3-5. This was apparently enough to slot me one spot below the cutoff. The thing that angers me most of the whole situation (besides my inability to control my first two opponents' records leading to a crapshoot for resistance), is the fact that I beat the 8 seed in swiss. It baffles me that head-to-head is not the first thing taken into account when two players have the same record and are listed 1-2 based on resistance. I understand that it is a limitation of TOM that probably can't be fixed, but it just baffles me that the way Pokemon's tiebreakers are set up that you can directly prove you are better than someone in swiss, yet end up a spot behind them when you both have the same record; I feel like it defeats the purpose of playing someone with the same record as you.

The solution to all this is the "just win" motto, and I get that (I could have and should have won at least one of my last two games), but the two x-2 players ahead of me didn't have that applied to them, so I'm not a fan of good players using that as an excuse to put down those that wind up on the bubble. Perhaps I wouldn't be so bitter if CP wasn't in the equation. Had I finished just one spot higher I would have gained 20 more CP and been tied for 30th in the CP standings. Depending on how that is resolved (or if I had won in Top Cut), the tiebreakers probably made me lose out on an additional $350 travel stipend for Nationals.

With that off my chest, I'll conclude this monstrosity of a team analysis. I absolutely loved my team and I think I played well all day; it just so happened that a miss, a crit, and two misplays wiped away the 6 previous games of overall solid play. It's one thing to accept that it's the game we play, but it is quite another to not be bitter about it, and I obviously need to work on the bitter part. Hopefully you enjoyed the team aspect of my report and maybe won't hate me for my vitriol I had to include at the end. Perhaps next time I'll bring a report that ends somewhat happily; although I think that's what I said last time, too. Thanks for reading!