King Arceus VGC Progress Thread

King Arceus

Aspiring Trainer
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As I do more battles, I'll post them here and explain why I did what I did. I'm only going to post good battles, not ones that involve one side sweeping the other 4-0.

VS Steven Burton:
Battle Video: P97W-WWWW-WW2X-W347
His Team: Smeargle, Mega Kangaskhan, Clefairy, Thundurus
My Team: Talonflame, Landorus-T, Metagross, Mega Salamence

I've faced Steven Burton multiple times in the past. He is a great player from Wisconsin. When I had this match against Steven, he had won the Premier Challenge yesterday so I didn't know if it was a team I had already faced or if he came up with something new.

Turn one I lead with Talonflame + Landorus because that combination is able to handle a vast majority of his team. Steven had led with Kangaskhan + Smeargle. I opt for using Quick Guard turn one with my Talonflame because I am expecting a Fake Out from Mega Kangaskhan. Unfortunately Steven knows that I play with a Quick Guard Talonflame so he Power-Up Punches Landorus-T to get back his attack. He used Spiky Shield with his Smeargle in order to scout what I would do. I could've had Talonflame do Brave Bird, but that would've left me wide open. I didn't want to get Tailwind up turn 1 because if Fake Out was done to my Talonflame my turn would've been wasted.

My Landorus I had attempted to do Knock Off against Smeargle to get rid of whatever item it had. I wasn't certain if it was going to have Focus Sash or Mental Herb since he runs an entirely non-damaging set. I certainly could have opted for using Earthquake because Talonflame would be immune, but I didn't want to risk the Smeargle being sashed and being able to use Dark Void later on. Due to him using Spiky Shield I do lose a bit of HP on Landorus, but nothing too concerning.

Turn 2 Steven starts by switching out Smeargle for Clefairy due to Friend Guard. I use Protect with my Landorus-T so I don't get Double Edge or Returned. I opt for Tailwind with Talonflame so I can get the jump on Steven's team.

Turn 3 I switch out Talonflame in favor of Metagross because Talonflame had done its job and couldn't really do much else helpful. I figured I may need the Talonflame later on to deal with Smeargle since I still have to worry about Dark Void. Metagross resists Kangaskhan and also is able to deal with Clefairy more efficiently.

It is at this point I make a bold move. I choose to use Explosion with Landorus. It is not a move commonly carried on Landorus. Clefairy had done Follow Me so I wouldn't be able to target Kangaskhan without using Earthquake. I also felt my Landorus wasn't going to be able to take the hit so it seemed to be worth the risk. The blast did significant damage to Kangaskhan and Clefairy even with Clefairy possibly having Eviolite. I lose a decent chunk of HP on my Metagross as well. This leads to Metagross taking the two hits of Return, the second of which scores a crit.

I bring in Salamence since I'll need Talonflame later and Salamence has Intimidate to make Kangaskhan less threatening. I use Bullet Punch with Metagross against the Clefairy because I know I needed to use a priority move or Kangaskhan would get me with Sucker Punch. I'm able to get the KO which was a huge relief since Bullet Punch isn't the strongest move in the world. He used Sucker Punch with Kangaskhan which ended up failing because my Pokemon had already moved. This is why Tailwind is so good. My Salamence I mega evolve and use Hyper Voice which turns into a flying type move due to Aerilate. Since I had KO'd the Clefairy this turn I don't incur the tvt penalty which came just shy of getting the KO.

Steven brings in Thundurus since that is his best choice at this point. I have my Metagross finish off his Kangaskhan with Bullet Punch before my Metagross falls to Thunderbolt. I had used Protect with Salamence because I thought maybe he would T-Wave or HP Ice my Salamence. I still wouldn't change this move because it was just way too risky to not Protect and risk getting Thunder Waved so I could easily get KO'd.

Now I bring in Talonflame since I have nothing else and Steven brings Smeargle back in. This is it, 2 Pokemon per side. My Tailwind had faded so I may have to worry about Tailwind coming from his Smeargle. I don't use Flare Blitz on my Talonflame set because I find I almost never use it. Brave Bird would've done little damage since my set is a support one, not a Life Orb variant.

Steven has Smearlge use Spiky Shield. This was kind of an expected move, but I have to try targetting it with Talonflame anyway because its too risky not to. I had tried to Taunt Smeargle with Talonflame. This was a secret move I had on Talonflame. Unfortunately it failed. He uses Thunderbolt on Talonflame which makes me use up Focus Sash. I have Salamence use Flamethrower to weaken Thundurus.

The next turn he gets Spiky Shield to work again. I wasn't sure he would do that or if he would go for Dark Void so I had wasted a turn trying to Taunt it again. It was the best play I could've done because I needed to stop Smeargle or I'd lose. I don't know how bulky his Thundurus is so I didn't want to use a resisted Brave Bird. That move would've also meant Thundurus would've been able to target my Salamence. Additionally, his Sitrus Berry would likely have activated so I would not have been able to get a KO anyway.

I decide to go for the big hit with Salamence and use Draco Meteor. It misses. That has to be the worst timing to miss an attack. Thundurus finishes off Talonflame with another Thunderbolt which I was expecting.

I do Protect just to see what would happen. It probably wasn't the best move because me could've potentially set up Tailwind in which case I'd be able to get defeated by Thundurus.

I have no choice at this point but to use Draco Meteor again and hope that I can get the KO on Thundurus. If it gets the KO, its over and I win since he can't damage me with Smeargle. It connects this time and I'm watching the HP bar of Thundurus going down. It hits red and in my mind I'm saying "Keep going." It stops just short of the KO. Thundurus hits the HP Ice which I survive by a little bit, but it doesn't matter because Dark Void connected. I lost in a very close battle. Steven even said I should've won the match.

GG Steven.
 
GG indeed. The 2 Spiky Shields in a row + Draco miss were painfully annoying.
I'm not experienced in VGC at all so that was great to watch :]
 
Time for me to post another battle. This battle takes place on Showdown. This battle will show you how I deal with a Kangaskhan lead since it is common on teams.
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/battlespotdoublesvgc2015-233690130
thereal24's team:Kangaskhan / Amoonguss / Talonflame / Jolteon / Suicune / Aegislash
King Arceus PB's team:Raikou / Talonflame / Landorus-Therian / Metagross / Salamence / Gengar

Once I see this line-up I already know Kangaskhan will be 1 of his two Pokemon he leads with. Its a mega and has access to Fake Out. I'm expecting his second Pokemon to be Amoongus because of Rage Powder to Protect his Kangaskhan. The rest of his team isn't particularly scary. I chose Gengar and Landorus-T to start the battle because Gengar is immune to everything Mega Kangaskhan can do other than Sucker Punch which is something I could bait out. Landorus-T was chosen because of having Intimidate which immediately would make Kangaskhan less of a threat and because it has Lum Berry in the event Amoongus is brought out and tries to use Spore. My other Pokemon I chose were Salamence and Metagross. Salamence I'd be able to hit anything hard while still having Intimidate. Metagross holds Assault Vest so it can tank anything that is thrown out at it, although a Aegislash Shadow Ball would be painful.

Turn 1: So my prediction was half correct, the opponent lead with Kangaskhan and Suicune. In my mind I'm expecting Suicune to use Tailwind because it'd be the best play if that move is on Suicune. Kangaskhan I'm predicting would not Mega Evolve and would Fake Out against my Gengar. I start off by using Protect with Gengar in case he doesn't Mega Evolve his Kangaskhan. It also lets me scout any other options to be weary of. My opponent Mega Evolved Kangaskhan and goes for Sucker Punch against my Gengar in an attempt at getting a fast KO. Since I had used Protect, this plan back fires. I opt to use Knock Off with Landorus-T against the Suicune because if it was Tailwind Suicune he very well may opt to Protect on Kangaskhan. I end up removing Splash Plate from Suicune which really struck me as odd. That did immediately make me realize this player is new to this format. Normally Suicune would hold something such as Sitrus Berry or Leftovers since it has good HP and defenses. Suicune ends up using Scald to Landorus which was a bit concerning since it did quite a chunk. I managed to avoid a burn which was nice.

Turn 2: This turn I choose to have my Landorus Protect itself because I'm expecting Suicune to try and finish off my Landorus. The opponent used Sucker Punch again with Kangaskhan only for it to fail. Most likely it was targetting Gengar since that would be the better choice. I then have my Gengar use Disable. I decided this was a great opportunity to make Gengar immune to Mega Kangaskhan. As expected, Suicune attempted to KO Landorus with Scald.

Turn 3: I choose to Mega Evolve my Gengar now because I want to force Kangaskhan to be stuck in at -1 and disabled should he opt to go for Power-Up Punch which is his only out on Kangaskhan to get it back to strength. It would be risky for him to switch to Aegislash because if I would do Earthquake with Landorus that inflicts huge damage to it while Gengar could avoid damage with Protect. I have Mega Gengar use Sludge Bomb against Suicune because I'm hoping to dish out enough damage where I can KO it with Landorus. I then use Explosion with Landorus because I know either way Landorus is going down this turn. Suicune ends up getting KO'd from the blast while Kangaskhan is severely weakened. Due to my Landorus not being a target anymore, Kangaskhan's Power-Up Punch does nothing and it is trapped.

Turn 4: I choose to bring in Metagross because it is well rounded and should be able to get at least 1-2 KOs before it gets KO'd. My opponent brings in Talonflame which was their best choice since it can cause problems for my Gengar. I go with Protect on Gengar so I can figure out if it is a support Talonflame or not. While Talonflame is certainly capable of special fire attacks to touch Metagross, I'm not expecting it to target it since Metagross is the lesser threat. Talonflame goes for the Brave Bird against Gengar and so I avoided it. He is able to have his Kangaskhan use Power-Up Punch against my Metagross making it go back to +1. Metagross I want to go after the Kangaskhan as I know Talonflame will get rid of itself. I use Iron Head since Meteor Mash tends to become Meteor Miss in tournaments.

Turn 5: I decide to call back Gengar and bring in my Salamence to get Intimidate to activate since it takes Kangaskhan back to neutral attack and puts Talonflame at -1. Naturally my opponent used Brave Bird against Salamence and based off the damage it causes, I know it is a Choice Band. This means I don't have to worry about Metagross taking an Overheat. Metagross I go for the Bullet Punch against Kangaskhan because it was obvious it was going to be KO'd. The score is now 3-2 my lead.

Turn 6: The opponent reveals their last Pokemon, Amoongus. I'm ready for Talonflame to try and Brave Bird Salamence again so I use Protect. Metagross I use Ice Punch against Amoongus instead of Talonflame because I don't know for certain if it will use Rage Powder. Amoongus could also use Spore on Metagross making it out of action for a few turns so I needed to get damage in. I take around 2/3 of its life which was better than I was hoping. My Metagross ends up being put to sleep with Spore.

Turn 7: I keep Salamence in because I don't need Gengar to take a direct hit from Brave Bird. As it turns out, my opponent used Brave Bird against Metagross instead of Salamence. I'm thinking this was a misclick since he did not have Amoongus Spore my Salamence. Due to this, I'm able to Draco Meteor Talonflame for the KO.

Turns 8-11: Nothing really special, just me getting rid of his Amoongus.

Final Score: 3-0
 
I'm posting another battle already because of how quickly regionals are coming up for those who haven't had them yet. This demonstrates how to pick your team when the opponent has Bisharp who can be a big threat as well as Sylveon.

Replay: http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/battlespotdoublesvgc2015-233712882

3et0's team:Kangaskhan / Landorus-Therian / Bisharp / Sylveon / Talonflame / Thundurus
King Arceus PB's team:Raikou / Talonflame / Landorus-Therian / Metagross / Salamence / Gengar

When you see a Bisharp in your opponent's team, it is usually a good idea to not lead with a Pokemon that has Intimidate because then you make Bisharp more dangerous than it already is. Since my team has two users of Intimidate, I am expecting Bisharp to be sent out right away. I'm also expecting it paired with Kangaskhan because it is crippled when Intimidated. I choose to lead with Gengar and Metagross. Gengar will be immune to Kangaskhan should that be sent out and I'm also able to block it from hurting me. Gengar is also able to disable Bisharp since Bisharp typically runs Sucker Punch as a secondary dark move. Metagross I chose because of its bulk and ability to hit the opposing team quite hard. I decide to also bring Talonflame because I may need Tailwind support for the battle and it gives me access to Quick Guard since the opponent has at least three Pokemon that have priority moves. I choose to bring Salamence in the back because I may end up needing Intimidate later in the battle, but it would be too risky to lead with. It is able to hit things very hard and defeats a lot of the opposing team one on one.

Turn 1: The opponent leads with Bisharp and Sylveon. I believe their reasoning was in case I lead with Gengar they have the ability to try and get rid of it. It is a solid choice, although I do think Kangaskhan would have been wiser. I choose to go with Protect with Gengar because it lets me see if Bisharp is going to try Sucker Punch. Bisharp instead uses Knock Off against my Gengar. This was certainly a fair play because not all Gengar mega evolve, a fair amount bring Focus Sash because of its frailty. My Metagross winds up being faster than Sylveon so I'm able to get a OHKO with Iron Head. I had considered using Earthquake because it would soften up Bisharp, but decided against that because taking a Shadow Ball would not go over well if that was Choice Specs.

Turn 2: The opponent brings in Kangaskhan as I predicted would be on the team. My opponent chooses to Mega Evolve Kangaskhan and use Fake Out against Metagross. It was a solid play because it prevents me from either inflicting solid damage to Kangaskhan with Iron Head or doing Earthquake. Since Bisharp had used Knock Off last turn, I decided to use Disable with Gengar. It was used last turn and I felt he would use the same move this turn. The only thing different would have been if he was to try Sucker Punch. In that event, I'd double target Bisharp next turn for a KO. Since Bisharp had opted to use Knock Off again, it was unable to move.

Turn 3: I have my Gengar use Protect this turn because I need to find out if my opponent is going to try and Sucker Punch Gengar. Bisharp also chooses to Protect while Kangaskhan ends up using Sucker Punch against Gengar. I wanted to damage the Bisharp so I had chosen to use Earthquake with Metagross, unfortunately I end up only hitting Kangaskhan, although it was a solid hit.

Turn 4: My opponent switches Kangaskhan for Thundurus which was a great play because he seen I had disabled Bisharp after it tried to get rid of my Gengar. My Gengar's turn ended up being wasted, but I wouldn't change it because it was not worth the risk of getting KO'd. Bisharp did, in fact, run Sucker Punch and targetted my Metagross with it. He seemed to realize I'm not using Protect with Metagross so I'm likely not using it. It did a considerable amount of damage as I knew it would. I'm finally able to Earthquake the Bisharp with Metagross doing about 80% of its life.

Turn 5: This turn is a mind game. I could either Protect with Gengar to be safe from Sucker Punch or I could take the risk and aim for a Shadow Ball. In this situation I chose to use Shadow Ball to finish off Bisharp because he seemed to be targetting Metagross and I still haven't revealed that Gengar is a potential mega. by not always mega evolving right away, you can trick your opponent into thinking you have items you don't, in this case Focus Sash. I'm able to get the KO with Shadow Ball since Bisharp was already low on health. My Gengar does get Taunted by the Thundurus because he is aiming to try and Sucker Punch my Gengar. Metagross I had chosen to use Bullet Punch because I wasn't expecting it to get a turn otherwise. I, therefore, end up doing little damage to Thundurus since the Bisharp is KO'd. Ice Punch was something I considered doing, but it would've been a very risky play because either Bisharp or Thundurus would've had to do a damaging move to Metagross and it would've been KO'd.

Turn 6: My Gengar is already Taunted as the opponent brings Kangaskhan back in. I'm fully expecting it to Sucker Punch Gengar since I had been Taunted just last turn. For this reason, I choose to bring in Salamence and it would also lower Kangaskhan's attack, making it much easier to take on. Kangaskhan ends up doing Fake Out to my Metagross only to end up being just short of the KO. Metagross' bulk is more than people give it credit for. Unfortunately, Salamence ends up eating a Thunderbolt from Thundurus doing almost half its HP.

Turn 7: I know I have to Mega Evolve Salamence if I want a shot at KO'ing Thundurus. I'm not so much worried about Kangaskhan because my Gengar beats it one on one. Since when I mega evolve Salamence its Speed doesn't increase until the next turn, I have to be safe and use Protect. This turns out to work very well since my Salamence was double targetted. Metagross I once again choose Bullet Punch because the only way it won't get the attack off is if Kangaskhan would go for Sucker Punch against it. Sucker Punching Metagross wasn't really a viable option because Thundurus could take care of it with Thunderbolt if it needed to. I chose to target the Kangaskhan because at the time it felt like it would make more of a difference. If I were to go back, I would target Thundurus instead because I forgot how much bulk Thundurus runs.

Turn 8: I know this turn I'm going to have to tough out a Sucker Punch to Mega Salamence, which wasn't too bad since I had already lowered Kangaskhan's attack. I once again had Bullet Punched Kangaskhan instead of Thundurus like I should have. Yes, it could have ended up being overflow damage, but it would've been the better play because Gengar was left on my team. I miss with Draco Meteor which wasn't good for me at all. Metagross finally goes down to a Thunderbolt.

Turn 9: I choose to bring in Talonflame because of Quick Guard. I know that I should get two attacks off. Tailwind was something I knew I'd have to set up soon. I choose to use Quick Guard this turn with Talonflame because I planned on going on the offensive with Salamence. This ensures that I don't get critical hit by Sucker Punch causing it to be KO'd. Its far better to be safe in these situations than to take unnecessary chances. I didn't go for Brave Bird against Thundurus to give me a better shot at KO'ing it with Draco Meteor because I didn't want to lose my Focus Sash. Unfortunately for me, Salamence's Draco Meteor does not KO Thundurus which meant Thundurus Sitrus Berry activates, healing it. I also lose Salamence to Thunderbolt.

Turn 10: I have no choice but to bring Gengar back in now. I have to be able to deal with this situation without mega evolving. I'm unsure how much speed is invested in the Talonflame so I have to assume 252 which means I need to Protect with my Gengar and use Tailwind with Talonflame. An advantage to using a speed boosting nature for Talonflame is you will be able to go before Taunt from Thundurus. The opponent's turn ended up being wasted.

Turn 11-12: I have full control of the match at this point. By using Quick Guard with Talonflame I am able to guarantee Gengar will not go down to Sucker Punch. This means I just have to KO Thundurus and then I'm home free. Sludge Bomb gets me the KO I need on Thundurus. I then easily get rid of Kangaskhan.

Final Score: 2-0
 
Time to post another battle. This one deals with more threats I haven't talked about so I thought it would be a great opportunity.

Replay: http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/battlespotdoublesvgc2015-234921488

Amini-chan's team:Hydreigon / Sylveon / Zapdos / Metagross / Terrakion / Talonflame
King Arceus PB's team:Raikou / Talonflame / Landorus-Therian / Metagross / Salamence / Gengar

When you see a team with mostly mediocre speed Pokemon and Talonflame, you can expect Tailwind to be one of the moves Talonflame will have. This also means it will not have Choice Band and likely one of Protect / Quick Guard. Its also obvious that Metagross is the mega since no other Pokemon on their team is capable of mega evolution. With multiple Pokemon on my team being able to threaten Sylveon, I know my opponent will not lead with it and possibly not even bring it. Hydreigon I am expecting to be used as a lead because under Tailwind it can beat my Salamence and Gengar while also being able to make a good dent in Metagross. My team also is overall weak against physical attacks. His best way to take advantage of it is through using Mega Metagross so that makes it his other likely lead as his other physical attackers risk taking an Intimidate from the start. Zapdos isn't really that much of a threat to my team so I don't expect it to hit the field.

For my lead I pick Raikou right away because Raikou has the ability to put pressure on the opponent right away with its great speed and power. It is able to hit Talonflame should the opponent lead with it in an attempt to set up. It can also do quite well against Metagross since I'd be moving before it and a decent hit to Terrakion. My second Pokemon was a little harder to choose. I could go with an Intimidate Pokemon because he has two Pokemon that would be affected by it on his team. I thought better of it though since Metagross would've been a better play against my team. I opt for Talonflame instead of Landorus-T because I'm able to counter their Tailwind with my own as well as have Quick Guard access if it is needed. I choose Salamence because it can handle a number of Pokemon on the opposing team. I also choose Metagross because I want to make sure I have something to stop Sylveon if it shows up. Metagross also provides my team an out against Terrakion.

Turn 1: My instincts are correct about the opponent's lead. I immediately go with Tailwind on my Talonflame so I can make sure I'll have the jump on the opponent. There is no way to know first turn if the Hydreigon was scarfed. My Raikou I chose to Shadow Ball the Metagross since I know that would be a bigger hit than doing Hidden Power against Hydreigon. It ends up doing about 3/4 of Metagross' HP which means it is a standard all offensive set. Had it done a little over half instead, I'd know right away that it is a slower, more defensive set. Since Raikou moved after Talonflame, this tells me that the Hydreigon I am facing is not equipped with Choice Scarf. Paying attention to these things can give you advantages in battle. Hydreigon ends up using Draco Meteor against my Talonflame activating Focus Sash. My opponent had Mega Evolved Metagross and did Zen Headbutt, which unfortunately because a critical hit. If Metagross was of the Adamant nature it had a natural 3/16 chance of getting the KO regardless. If the Metagross was Jolly nature instead, the critical hit was necessary to get the KO. In either case, I can't let it stop me and I bring in my own Metagross. I felt this was the best choice because with Tailwind, I have the upper hand and I'm able to get at least one KO this turn.

Turn 2: I choose to use Quick Guard this turn with Talonflame because this lets me see if he is indeed running Bullet Punch. Adamant nature tends to run Bullet Punch, where as Jolly is less likely, although still possible. It turned out that my prediction was correct so I get a free turn with Metagross. I use Ice Punch against the Hydreigon because I had forgotten that it already had a lowered Special Attack. I think using Earthquake would have been a better choice because it would have finished off my opponent's Metagross. My own Metagross takes a Dark Pulse from the Hydreigon making me lose about 1/3 of my HP.

Turn 3: While I could indeed do Quick Guard again to see if the opponent would Bullet Punch, I believe it to be too risky of a play since I wasn't aiming for a Metagross KO this turn. The Hydreigon did more damage than I would have liked so at this point I just wanted to get rid of it. I go for Brave Bird against Metagross since even if Metagross uses Bullet Punch, I still get off an attack with Talonflame. Unfortunately without having Life Orb Brave Bird is unable to get the KO against Metagross. Using it against Hydreigon would have been the better choice because while I would have had Metagross still eat a Bullet Punch, I would've been able to KO his Metagross with Earthquake. I did finish off Hydreigon with another Ice Punch. Right now I have no other options but to bring in Salamence.

Turn 4: I happen to lower Talonflame's attack since that was brought in. I choose to Mega Evolve Salamence, but use Protect because I didn't want it to take a Brave Bird without a good reason while taking a shot at finishing off Mega Metagross. My plan backfires because the opponent decides to use Protect with both Pokemon. This confirms to me that Talonflame is not choiced. My Tailwind is also gone so I have to finish the battle without having the support still.

Turn 5: My opponent tries to Protect again with Metagross, but it failed. This lets me finish off the Metagross with Bullet Punch. What struck me as odd is the opponent did not Tailwind here with Talonflame. I think this is what caused my opponent their downfall. I am not able to OHKO the Talonflame had he went for it unless I wanted to use Draco Meteor. Since the opposing Metagross is gone from the field, Hyper Voice loses the tvt multiplier so it hits full force. Talonflame decides to Flare Blitz my Metagross instead which I barely survive, but I get burned. The recoil also finishes off Talonflame. At this point I am very nervous. If Sylveon is left, I lose. If Zapdos is left and has Hidden Power Ice, I likely lose. My opponent ended up having Terrakion as the last Pokemon for the battle. I know this is going to be tight. If it has Stone Edge its over for me assuming Life Orb.

Turn 6: I do Protect to see how my opponent will react. He does Rock Slide so I am able to breathe easier. He will not be able to finish me in one turn. I now am hoping it isn't choice scarfed as Terrakion sometimes is. With his team appearing to be a Tailwind variant, it isn't scarfed.

Turn 7-8: I win the match.

Final Score: 1-0
 
Great battle KA :]
I actually saw Hydreigon and Metagross coming together too since I know they are a great core with Hydreigon protecting Metagross versus Ghosts with Dark Pulse and Metagross threats Fairies with BP.
 
Time for an update. I apologize that these will be really short because in events where your battle box is locked, you aren't able to save battle videos.

Madison Regionals:
My Team: Metagross, Mega Salamence, Rotom-W, Landorus-T, Raikou, Talonflame

I'm not putting spreads at this point because I'm not sure if I am going to use this at Nationals or not yet.

Round 1: VS Marcus ( Serperior, Malamar, Murkrow, Mega Gallade )

Marcus had led with Serperior and Malamar while I lead with Rotom-W and Landorus-T which immediately put me at a disadvantage. It was a hard battle for me, but I was able to overcome it with prediction and had used Explosion to great affect. I ended up winning 2-0.

Round 2: VS Kevin ( Charizard-Y, Whimsicott, Aegislash, Thundurus-T )

My Metagross worked really well for me in this battle since it has Assault Vest. I did end up activating Weakness Policy that was on Aegislash, but my Pokemon were just too strong to go down to it. Win 2-0.

Round 3: VS Landon ( Thundurus, Mega Gengar, Suicune, Heatran)

Landon is someone I know because he goes to Premier Challenges in my area. On the second turn of this match Landon's Suicune is able to get a critical hit + burn on my Metagross making it useless for most of the match. The RNG evened out though because later on he missed with a Will-O-Wisp. Of note, I correctly predicted when Gengar would mega evolve hitting it with Earthquake that turn with my Landorus. Win 2-0.

Round 4: VS Kevin S. ( Politoed, Thundurus, Hydreigon, Mega Metagross )

This match did not go well for me. I know I made at least one suboptimal play and ended up losing 0-3.

Round 5: VS Brandon ( Greninja, Landorus-T, Aegislash, Rotom-W )

This battle part of my problem was that I didn't pick the best Pokemon for the job. I managed to get it 1-1, but at that point it was my Metagross against his Rotom-W which is an autoloss. Lose 0-1.

Round 6: VS ??? (Charizard-Y, Bisharp, Terrakion, Espeon )

This was the first match I encountered Bisharp for the day and I was ready for it. On one of the turns I correctly predict my opponent to switch to Bisharp and hit it with Earthquake. This battle I ended up losing due to his Espeon being Choice Scarf and having HP Ice. Lose 0-2.

Round 7: VS Anthony ( Slowking, Ursaring, Togekiss, Porygon2)

This battle starts with Anthony leading Slowking and Ursaring while I lead with Rotom-W and Metagross. I know to expect Trick Room and that Ursaring will likely Protect. I do Thunderbolt to Slowking dealing just under 50%. I still opted to attempt an Iron Head on the Ursaring in the off chance it didn't Protect, but it didn't pay off. I do Bullet Punch next turn with my Metagross onto the Slowking to try and set my Rotom up for the KO. Next turn my Rotom takes significant damage from Facade, but is able to KO the Slowking. Anthony then brings in Porygon2 which luckily had its attack raised from Download. I know that isn't able to do as much damage to my Pokemon so I Protect with Rotom and Iron Head the Ursaring. I'm not able to have Protect work the following turn which would have ended Trick Room, but I was able to finish off Ursaring after the burn damage it takes. When Togekiss comes in I focus my efforts on it before it can cause any serious problems and the match ends up with me winning 3-0.

Round 8: VS ??? (Milotic, Shuckle, Togekiss, Hydreigon)

My opponent leads with Milotic and Shuckle while I lead Rotom and Metagross. I have Rotom burn the Shuckle because I'm expecting Power Trick. I also have Metagross target it with Iron Head. Milotic was an offensive set having Life Orb so it was able to inflict solid damage. Shuckle did Guard Swap with his Milotic making it more of a wall. Next turn I burn the Milotic and try and predict the switch so I Ice Punch only for his Shuckle to stay in and survive it. Shuckle then ends up using Power Swap with my Metagross which I didn't see coming. This ends up being the ultimate error that costs me the match 0-1. I should note the final turn I missed the final KO by 2HP with Hyper Voice.

Regionals Result: 4-4. For some reason after the meal break I always seem to lose most of the games I play.

Sunday Premier Challenge:

Round 1 VS Jacob (Raichu, Azumarill, Mega Gengar, Ferrothorn)

I don't remember a lot about this match other than winning 2-0.

Round 2: VS Kyle ( Mega Kangaskhan, Thundurus, Landorus-T, Aron)

This game I lose for two reasons. The first is not finishing my selection in 45 seconds causing an undesirable move to be picked by the game. The second was using Protect on a turn I knew I didn't need to. I lost it 0-2.

Round 3: VS Cristian ( Politoed, Ludicolo, Thundurus, Mega Salamence)

Rain teams do give me a bit of trouble when they have Ludicolo because I need to rely on my Salamence to get rid of Ludicolo. I'm somehow able to pull off a win, but it wasn't easy.

Round 4: VS Peyton ( Smeargle, Aerodactyl, Gardevoir, Mega Salamence)

As soon as I see the team I know Smeargle is going to be a lead. It ends up being paired with Aerodactyl to try and stop any Lum Berries. I lead with Taonflame and Landorus-T because I can hard stop Dark Void with that combo. Turn 1 I attempt to Taunt the Smeargle and also do Knock Off against it because I wanted to get rid of its Focus Sash. Unfortunately it did Spiky Shield so I had no luck while his Aerodactyl set up Tailwind. Turn 2 I use Tailwind with Talonflame because I need to neutralize the speed advantage and I Protect with my Landorus. Talonflame goes down to 1 HP from Rock Slide and avoids Dark Void. Turn 3 I do a Brave Bird to weaken Smeargle because if I can stop that, I win. Unfortunately my Landorus flinches from the Rock Slide, but the Smeargle missed with Dark Void. I choose to bring in my Rotom to replace Talonflame because I can immediately threaten the Aerodactyl. I have my Rotom do Thunderbolt because of the accuracy and if Salamence was to come in it would do neutral damage which it did. Landorus I get rid of the Smeargle. I believe my opponent sends Aerodactyl back out. I'm expecting the Salamence to be special based since that is what I mostly see so I target the Aerodactyl with Thunderbolt and have Landorus strike Salamence with Knock Off since I don't run Stone Edge. Salamence ends up being a physical set and had used Dragon Dance which is an immediate cause for concern. My opponent starts to make a come back, but I'm able to get the win 2-0.

Round 5: VS Thomas ( Mega Kangaskhan, Rotom-W, Aegislash, Latios )

I don't remember much about this match other than I lost 0-2. I could have made it 0-1, but the Latios wasn't threatening to my Metagross at all.

Round 6: VS Thomi ( Weavile, Terrakion, Ninetails, Cherrim )

This match is heavily in my favor because of typing, although I only had one Pokemon remaining when I won.

Final score:4-2. While some 4-2 records made top cut, I did not due to my resistance being terrible. Getting an early loss is never good for that. I was the 3rd lowest 4-2 finishing 16 / 60.
 
Love these analyses, if I got back into playing I would definitely recommend people check them out as they are well thought out, and actually pretty entertaining both the games themselves and your thought process (which I haven't found any good content of). Good luck with future games
 
Love these analyses, if I got back into playing I would definitely recommend people check them out as they are well thought out, and actually pretty entertaining both the games themselves and your thought process (which I haven't found any good content of). Good luck with future games

Glad you liked the content. I would have posted some stuff from Nationals, but I really didn't have any games that really stood out not to also mention you can't save battle videos for events where your battle box is locked.
 
Replay: http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/battlespotdoublesvgc2015-248941497

My team:
Sylveon / Heracross / Heatran / Suicune / Salamence / Pachirisu
juless18's team:Venusaur / Conkeldurr / Thundurus / Gyarados / Aegislash / Infernape

Noticing that my opponent had 3 Pokemon that are normally physical or mixed I knew I needed to get an Intimidate in right away. Salamence became my first choice for that reason. I had partnered Salamence with Heatran because Heatran is able to defeat Venusaur and Aegislash reliably which wouldn't necessarily be affected by Salamence's Intimidate. Pachirisu was a given in this battle because it shields Salamence from Thunder Wave and HP Ice. It also can reliably paralyze Mega Gyarados. Sylveon I had chosen because it does well overall against this team.

Turn 1: My opponent leads with Infernape and Thundurus. I right away decide I need to switch out Salamence in favor of Pachirisu because of the threat from Thunder Wave or HP Ice. I could have opted for Protect, but if I would have wanted to get rid of Infernape with Salamence the following turn, it'd require Mega Evolving and either taking HP Ice or Thunder Wave early on in the fight. This was not an option I could do because I wanted to be able to intimidate either Conkeldur or Mega Gyarados later in the fight, particularly the Gyarados. By using Pachirisu, I'm able to threaten a paralysis on the Infernape causing it to be bait to my other Pokemon.

Heatran I had opted not to use Protect because I was expecting Salamence to be taking Fake Out. It was a risk that I might be eating a Close Combat, but since the Infernape was Intimidated, I knew I'd be able to take the hit. It was worth the risk to be getting off an Earth Power to deal large damage to the Infernape. Taking the Fake Out ended up being a minor annoyance more than anything.

Turn 2: This turn I use Protect with my Heatran because now if he is going to stay in with Infernape, he will likely use Close Combat. It also helps me if the Thundurus was going to try and Thunder Wave my Heatran. Pachirisu I go for the Nuzzle to get the paralysis on Infernape so I get a big advantage right away. This gets me the first decisive move. Unfortunately for me, Thundurus had used Taunt against my Pachirisu so that stops me from using Follow Me to take attacks. At this point I have the upper hand since I have one of his sweepers paralyzed even though we both have 4 Pokemon remaining.

Turn 3: Since my Pachirisu is forced to attack and I had used Protect with Heatran last turn, this turn I go all out offensively. Pachirisu I use Super Fang against Thundurus to make Sitrus Berry activate. My opponent had switched Infernape for Gyarados so unfortunately when I did Earth Power with Heatran, I did nothing. The risk was too great for me to use Flamethrower instead because of how much a Close Combat could do. Since I had to go offensive with Pachirisu, it meant my Heatran took Thunder Wave from Thundurus. It wasn't the end of the world since my Heatran set isn't built for speed. I still feel like I have control. I know Pachirisu is going to be able to live an Earthquake if it is used and be able to paralyze the Gyarados.

Turn 4: My opponent decides to Mega Evolve Gyarados right away which works out fine for me since that means I won't have to worry about my Salamence getting Intimidated later. The Thundurus used Hidden Power Ice on Pachirisu since it was counting on my Heatran being KO'd by Earthquake. Shuca Berry made it so I survived the attack and was able to capitalize with Nuzzle to paralyze the Gyarados. This made it so if it could get off Dragon Dance, its speed would still be slow so I could outpace it. Heatran I decided to get damage on the Thundurus, but it would have been better had I gone for Protect. I wanted to get rid of the Thundurus since it was the last major threat to my Salamence. My Taunt also wears off this turn.

Turn 5: Pachirisu I do Super Fang to get Gyarados down to half its HP since I didn't want to bring in Sylveon at this point. Heatran I had attempted Protect but was fully paralyzed, however, my opponent's Gyarados was also fully paralyzed so my Pachirisu took damage from HP Ice and that was it. My Pokemon are getting weak at this point, but I still maintain the advantage of having two Pokemon paralyzed while having another low on HP.

Turn 6: This turn took me a little bit to think. I could opt to use Follow Me with Pachirisu to shield Heatran from a possible Thunderbolt attack, but the thing is that Thundurus was set on attacking Pachirisu so I felt it would have been a wasted effort and was counting on the Mega Gyarados doing an Earthquake to KO both of my active Pokemon. I do Super Fang with Pachirisu against the Mega Gyarados causing the Gyarados to have less than 1/4 of its max HP. Heatran I was able to Flamethrower the Thundurus for a KO because of Gyarados being fully paralyzed. This is why having a consistent way to paralyze a Pokemon is important to have on every team you create. It gives me a lead of 4-3 now instead of being down 2-4.

Turn 7: Aegislash is sent out which struck me as a bit odd since Infernape would have been a better choice in the situation. I go for Protect with both Pachirisu and Heatran to scout what is going to happen. My Heatran ended up being fully paralyzed, but so did the foe's Gyarados. Aegislash had targetted Pachirisu so nothing really happened that turn.

Turn 8: I wasn't sure if Aegislash was going to stay on the offensive or not, but there was very little risk in me using Nuzzle with Pachirisu. It wasn't worth it for me to send in one of my Pokemon that actually could damage Aegislash by taking a hit, possibly two, coming in. The Aegislash had done King's Shield so the little damage I could actually do with Nuzzle is lowered even more. The Gyarados is finally able to move so it gets rid of my Pachirisu with Earthquake letting me bring in a better Pokemon for this situation. Salamence is my best choice here because I need to not let Sylveon take a Flash Cannon from Aegislash as long as I can.

Turn 9: Now is finally the time to mega evolve Salamence and start cleaning up. I use Return to get rid of the Mega Gyarados to bring me to a 3-2 lead. My Salamence takes a nasty critical hit from shadow Ball, but manages to hang on. My Heatran was paralyzed otherwise the score could have become 3-1. Infernape is finally sent back out.

Turn 10: Both of my Pokemon are extremely weak so I opt to double Protect since I know Fake Out is coming. It was just as well since Aegislash used King's Shield.

Turn 11: I KO the Infernape with Return because I didn't want to risk Wide Guard losing my Heatran. That play may have costed me the game if I had done it. While the opponent opts to KO the Salamence instead of Heatran, it would not have mattered.

Final score: 2-0 Win
 
Replay: http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/battlespotdoublesvgc2015-249268195

My team:Sylveon / Heracross / Heatran / Suicune / Salamence / Pachirisu
KingKimbell's team:Politoed / Ludicolo / Thundurus / Gengar / Mamoswine / Ferrothorn

The opponent seems to have a rain based team so I knew this one I wanted to lead anti-rain. I chose Suicune because of Tailwind and access to Snarl. I paired it with Pachirisu because if Thundurus hit the field I'd be able to use Follow Me to draw electrical attacks away from Suicune. I chose to bring Heracross to this battle because it was much more favorable than Salamence could be. My last choice was Heatran which may strike some of you as odd, but it has a very strong match-up against Ferrothorn and can normally handle a Mamoswine when needed. Gengar would have to resort to Focus Blast if it was even running that to dish out solid damage.

Turn 1: Since my opponent had led with Mamoswine and Ludicolo they decided to switch out the Ludicolo since Mamoswine was going to use Earthquake. Maybe my opponent didn't think Pachirisu could survive it. I think the better play would have been to stay in because after my Pachirisu takes the Earthquake, I'm able to Nuzzle the Gengar that gets brought in. A Gengar that is paralyzed is dead weight. Meanwhile, I have my Suicune set up Tailwind to keep up my speed advantage.

Turn 2: Gengar first decides to Mega Evolve because of an attempt to trap me in a bad situation. Mamoswine switches out to Ferrothorn making any attacks I do a lot less useful. I had accidentally misclicked with my Suicune hitting Tailwind instead of Snarl. I had protected with my Pachirisu in case my opponent would go for Earthquake again. It turned out that Pachirisu was the target of Gengar's Shadow Ball.

Turn 3: This turn I get off Snarl to take Gengar's SAtk down to more survivable levels. Unfortunately when I attempted to Super Fang the Ferrothorn, I missed. It was worth the try though to get it down to half life while sustaining damage because Pachirisu wasn't going to do much the rest of the match. My Pachirisu survives the Shadow Ball while Suicune survives the Power Whip attack. I have one last turn of Tailwind so I need to make it count.

Turn 4: I need my Suicune to set up Tailwind for me later so I opt to use Follow Me with Pachirisu. My opponent had Protected with Ferrothorn thinking I was going to do a trade off, but that would have resulted in me being down 2-4. I'm able to use Snarl again with Suicune to further reduce Gengar's SAtk. Gengar finally ends up scoring a KO against my Pachirisu with Shadow Ball. This puts me down 3-4, but with the Gengar paralyzed, there is no way I can be stopped from putting up Tailwind the next turn. Heracross is who I chose to bring in because it has a great match-up right now.

Turn 5: My opponent decides to switch out Ferrothorn in favor of Ludicolo in hopes of taking a Close Combat. With me choosing to Mega Evolve Heracross its a slightly better than 50% chance of getting a OHKO against a 252 / 84 Ludicolo. It was enough in this case. Even had I missed the KO, it would not have made that big of a difference. I get my Tailwind back up with Suicune so I know Heracross will be faster than anything on the opponent's field. This puts me at a huge advantage even though the score is 3-3. Ferrothorn replaces the Ludicolo again.

Turn 6: My opponent decides to switch Mega Gengar out because of it taking multiple Snarls making its special attack useless. My Suicune I had opted to use Scald on that spot so Mamoswine took huge damage. There was no reason for me to use Snarl when the Gengar was weakened that much already. With my Mega Heracross I take out the Ferrothorn. Even a physically defensive Ferrothorn gets KO'd over 80% of the time. After this turn my opponent concedes because there is no way they can make a comeback.

Mega Heracross can be a vicious attacker when the conditions are correct for it. By ensuring you have first strike, it can take out a large portion of the metagame in a move.
 
This battle showcases how sand can influence decisions and how Salamence is able to perform as a nonmega even when its held item is the correct mega stone.

Replay: http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/battlespotdoublesvgc2015-249282468

sinnoh67's team:Hippowdon / Excadrill / Pachirisu / Sylveon / Lopunny / Chandelure
My team:Sylveon / Heracross / Heatran / Suicune / Salamence / Pachirisu

Its obvious that sand is going to be a big part of this battle. I'm not for sure if the Excadrill is going to have Sand Rush or Mold Breaker. I choose Suicune because it is good against a majority of the opponent's team and is bulky. I pair it with Salamence because half of the opposing team is physical attackers. Heracross I brought for its sheer power because I know that after Excadrill is gone, my team is able to get first strike unless I'm facing mega Lopunny which wouldn't really make sense for the opponent to bring. Heatran takes my last slot because it isn't bothered by sand. It also is a hard counter for Sylveon because of my Shuca Berry if the Sylveon had HP Ground.

Turn 1: My opponent leads with Hippowdon and Excadrill so at least I have the attack lowered on both of them. I use Protect with my Salamence to scout out what is going to happen while I go for Tailwind with Suicune. Unfortunately my Suicune flinches to Rock Slide and also gets hit with Toxic. This was not the kind of start I needed.

Turn 2: My opponent switches out the Excadrill for Pachirisu after realizing what my plan was. The Pachirisu eats a powerful Earthquake forcing its Sitrus Berry to activate. The damage Hippowdon takes isn't that large because of its high defense. I am able to successfully get off Tailwind this turn with Suicune at the cost of Salamence taking Toxic.

Turn 3: Not much happens here other than my Pokemon losing some HP because of the opponent using Protect with both of their Pokemon.

Turn 4: My opponent opts to switch out the Hippowdon now for Sylveon since it can immediately threaten Salamence. I have my Salamence use Earthquake which knocks out my Suicune since it was at such low health and the Pachirisu. Overall it was worth it though because I couldn't do much damage otherwise and it makes the score 3-3. Excadrill gets brought in to replace the Pachirisu since sand is still in effect. I elect to bring in Heatran so Salamence can't be caught in a bad situation.

Turn 5: I choose to Protect with my Salamence because of Sylveon being in play. His Sylveon also Protects so my Flash Cannon attack was wasted and my Heatran takes a powerful Earthquake. I should have gone for the double Protect instead because this was the last turn of sand and then I'd have the speed advantage again with Salamence.

Turn 6: My opponent switches out Sylveon for Hippowdon to get sand back while Protecting with Excadrill. I did Protect this turn with Heatran so my Earthquake is able to do some damage to the Hippowdon, but not a lot. My Salamence finally goes down to the poison and sand damage. I'm now forced to bring in Heracross.
Score: 2-3

Turn 7: At this point in the match its Protect a second time with Heatran or die trying because otherwise I have no chance. Fate chose to favor me for once and it worked. My Mega Heracross takes around 20% damage from Earthquake and then retaliates with Close Combat. Unfortunately for me, the Excadrill has Focus Sash so I miss the KO.

Turn 8: This is it. I either have to make a big play or I lose the game. My opponent goes for Protect on Excadrill in hopes I will target it. I predicted this so I had my Mega Heracross use Bullet Seed to hit Hippowdon for a ton of damage. I also chose to target the Hippowdon with Flamethrower because the only way my Heatran could get a turn was if Excadrill didn't attack. This scores a KO bringing the score to 2-2. My opponent brings Sylveon back in.

Turn 9: Realizing Excadrill is likely to Earthquake, I go for Protect on my Heatran. HE uses Protect with Sylveon. My Heracross I had to have take the damage, but even at -1 defense, resisting the Earthquake makes me live it comfortably and I'm able to KO the Excadrill with Pin Missile.
Score: 2-1

Turn 10: It all comes down to a weakened Heatran and Mega Heracross against a Sylveon with a little more than half its HP. Close Combat is my most damaging move I can do with Mega Heracross so I go for that. The Sylveon survives at 1%. I'm very nervous because I don't invest a lot in Speed for my Heatran and its very close on if Sylveon can get the KO with Hyper Voice. My Heatran was able to attack to finish off the Sylveon so I'm able to pull off the victory.

Final Score: Win 2-0

Once again my Heracross is the reason I was able to win. It is just so powerful.

Tomorrow I have another very good battle ready to write up.
 
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This battle is against a stall-team. They aren't as common, but it is important to know how to face them.

Replay: http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/battlespotdoublesvgc2015-249528848

Magical Bengt's team:Gardevoir / Amoonguss / Milotic / Rotom-Heat / Primeape / Zapdos
My team:Sylveon / Heracross / Heatran / Suicune / Salamence / Pachirisu

I choose my Heatran right away because of its positive match-up against Gardevoir, Amoonguss, and Zapdos. It helps me prepare for a Gardevoir + Amoonguss lead if it was Trick Room. I pair Heatran with Sylveon because it lets me threaten Primeape and can dish out quite a bit of spread damage with Hyper Voice. I select Pachirisu because of the opponent having two electric Pokemon on their team and because I can instantly get rid of half of Milotic's HP. My final Pokemon I had brought with was Heracross because it'd be too dangerous to bring Salamence with burns and super effective attacks being common.

Turn 1: The opponent leads with Zapdos and Milotic against my Heatran + Sylveon. Right away I'm not too concerned with what Zapdos is going to use. Neither of my Pokemon are that fast if it was going to go for Thunder Wave. The only move it could potentially use that would be problematic was Toxic. I elect to Protect with my Heatran because it lets me see if Milotic is going to use Scald right away. It also shields it if Zapdos chooses to target it with Thunderbolt. The Zapdos ends up using Tailwind which isn't really the end of the world. I'm not too reliant on speed with the Pokemon I brought with. Milotic does Icy Wind which really doesn't do much at all. I'm not too concerned about Sylveon taking a speed drop. My Sylveon is able to do about 1/3 damage to both Zapdos and Milotic.

Turn 2: Since Zapdos is guaranteed to actually attack this turn, I switch Heatran to Pachirisu. This works out in my favor since it was targetted by Thunderbolt. Milotic uses Scald and burns my Pachirisu forcing my Sitrus Berry to activate at the end of the turn. I use Hyper Voice against with Sylveon which activates Milotic's Sitrus Berry and weakens Zapdos further.

Turn 3: Both of my opponent's Pokemon opt to heal themselves. I had countered by using Super Fang against Milotic and then Hyper Voicing again.

Turn 4: My opponent switches Milotic out for Amoonguss in an attempt to cause trouble for my Sylveon. Zapdos hits my Sylveon with Thunderbolt, but it didn't really do a lot of damage to it. Since I hadn't expected a switch the Amoonguss is who I targetted with Nuzzle. I lost significantly more HP from Rocky Helmet recoil than I dished out, but at least I paralyzed it. I have Sylveon continue its Hyper Voice spamming. It was the best move I could use at the time.

Turn 5: I do Follow Me with Pachirisu in hopes of taking Thunderbolt to heal myself. It also shields my Sylveon from taking a possible Sludge Bomb or Spore. Taking advantage of having a status condition already can make your battles easier. Zapdos decides to heal itself so my Hyper Voice really didn't do a lot for me this turn. My opponent had gone for Spore though so that failed.

Turn 6: I do Follow Me again only for Zapdos to use Tailwind instead. This turn I decided to use Psyshock
to cause greater damage to Amoonguss. The damage is much better this time. Amoongus had wasted its turn since it had gone for Spore again.

Turn 7: Amoonguss decides to use Protect in case I was to go for another Psyshock. This turn I had chosen to use Hyper Voice again to get in more damage against the Zapdos. I finally get a critical hit causing the Zapdos to lose about half its HP. My Pachirisu finally gets KO'd by the burn damage. It had done a lot of work though. I choose to bring in Heatran because I can immediately force out Amoonguss.

Turn 8: Amoonguss ends up switching to Milotic like I expected. I had still used Flamethrower just in case. I just narrowly miss the KO. The Zapdos manages to get a critical hit against Heatran causing it to lose almost half its HP. Sylveon I had gone with Shadow Ball against the Zapdos because of how weakened the Milotic already was. I thought I was going to get the KO anyway.

Turn 9: Both of my opponent's Pokemon chose to heal themselves as I expected. I went with Flamethrower against the Zapdos and getting a much needed burn. Sylveon I had done Psyshock to Milotic because I needed to conserve some PP on Hyper Voice.

Turn 10: I choose to use Protect with my Heatran because of the threat of Scald and Thunderbolt. This had worked to my advantage because my opponent had been greedy and double targetted Heatran. This let me get a double KO with Hyper Voice. This leads to my opponent bringing in Amooonguss and Gardevoir.

Turn 11: Gardevoir mega evolves as I expect, but the big surprise is Amoonguss choosing to use Protect. This may have been because of trying to set up Trick Room. I had double targetted the Gardevoir because I knew Amoonguss wasn't really a threat since I still had Heatran with over half its HP. I get the KO before Trick Room is able to be used. My opponent then concedes.

Final Score: Win 3-1

The biggest lesson to be learned is not to be greedy. This can cause a battle to turn badly in a hurry. Patience must also be used. Don't be afraid to heal when necessary.
 
Very nice game, and solid predicts on your part.

I doubt the guy was happy after you hit Super Fang on his Milotic after it used Recover, hehe.
 
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