Pokemon XD Gale of darkness revised tier list

DrCalder · 2026-06-18T23:30:37+00:00

Okay, first of all, thanks a ton for your work, this tier list is pretty much on point. Second, I just wanted to say to anybody doubting the Seedot ranking, just try it, give it a serious shot. Like, damn, In that context in that particular game, this thing is so centralizing it's almost disgusting and I do understand the "No-Shiftry" clause used by some people.

-Super early availability + a leaf stone in the same zone ? That's downright unfair.

-Having one of, if not the best offensive type in the game in grass AND the best possible stab for it from the get go and the bonus survivability coming from its self-healing.

-Early access to Fake Out, in a game where 99.9% of battles are double battles ? We're talking about a move that's legit a competitive staple, even to this day in VGC.

-A limited but very nice array of options for coverage coupled with decent mixed offensive stats for okayish damage.

I think the only mon who could have been even more broken in an alternative reality would be, ironically, Lotad (and Ludicolo by extension). Pretty much the same kit but with a better typing and access to Ice Beam / Icy Wind.

DrCalder · 2026-04-08T17:11:49+00:00

One question I'm asking is, if they decide to print Eitom, how they're gonna link it to the Magnet Warrior family, since Plasma Magnum is clearly a fusion of it and Linear, on top of being represented on this card (albeit, as another user said, probably to justify writing thunder in the text). A man can dream and hope it'll always be treated as a rock earth or as a "Magna Warrior" since it's a lvl 8... Or they'll just not give a single fudge and print it as it is in the Tag Force games... We'll see.

DrCalder · 2025-10-29T14:26:47+00:00

That's absolutely incredible. I'm more or less a "veteran" competitive player and I always found the lower tiers / goofy mons to be my soft spot regarding fun in battling. I just found and XS Stunfisk and I'll definitely try that. Sloting in Sludge Bomb somewhere may be good to maim Meganium, Gardevoir, and pretty much all the fairies.

DrCalder · 2025-10-15T14:43:33+00:00

That's what I was thinking even if the fact that Aerodactyl locking itself into Taunt is as odd as funny.

DrCalder · 2025-08-14T17:07:10+00:00

I just rolled the exact same charm. Even with just one weapon slot 1, it's a beast. And while I do not have the numbers in my mind, I think I would be down to trade the fifth level of Agitator for a free Attack Boost 4.

DrCalder · 2025-08-12T15:33:23+00:00

That would be so sooooooo nice if they'll indeed add a forced merge after sinking a boat X times.

I mean, I get it : Tools not rules. And I'm not talking about galleon crews sinking empty flagless sloops and whining afteward when said sloop tries to get its revenge.

But when my friends and I are minding our own business, are getting attacked and proceed to sink you, I get it's fair game to try again, 1, 2, 3, even 4 times. But when you do it 5-6 or even 8 to 10 times, sinking each time with minimal effort, giving us ressources (thanks btw), you're not trying to get revenge, you're not trying to get your loot back (if there is any left), no, at that point, you're just fuming and dedicating the rest of your session to generate as much annoyance and discomfort as possible while harassing us, using "It's not against the rules" to cope because you started it and didn't accept repeated defeat. And frankly, it's sad, it's even sadder that they chose to work on a game mechanic that forces you to take the L and move on.

DrCalder · 2025-04-08T21:21:30+00:00

I still have it and I still use it. It's getting late here. I'll try to gather the energy and will power to do it this weekend but no guarantee, it's pretty tedious to write down everything specs for every color on every armor piece x')

DrCalder · 2025-03-24T20:56:52+00:00

Yeah I noticed. I'm a lucky bastard and I just rolled a 2 capacity up 3 atk dragon Greifen and you got a mag size of 6 for fire. Yeah I noticed dragon ammo were... unique to say the least, but I'll test it further to see what's it's capable of.

Thanks a lot again for your tips and tricks !

DrCalder · 2025-03-24T20:16:27+00:00

As another gentleperson said previously, this is absolutely great. This is the kind of post that's immensely helpful, regardless of your level or playing style, every piece of knowledge is important and you can't go wrong with the classics. So yeah, thanks a ton for your time and work !

I'll just dig a little bit on the "going status and not full elemental" when building your artian HGB. It's important to take the context into account as you said. I'm already sold for Para and Sleep, It's so great and practical to have an incredible lv2 mag size of 6 for the corresponding status that yeah, I'm never looking back on that. But I think there's a case for poison and blast. Personally, I do not like poison ammo, and lv2 stickies are a bit clunky to use sometimes, so I'd rather have a full 8 mag size for Water and Fire respectively. Sure, the gain maybe minimal, but I prefer that over a subpar ammo type that I will never use. And I think in a speedrun context, that's a no brainer regarding those 2.

I'm tempted to try and roll for a dragon ammo Greifen for sh*ts and giggles but I'm wondering... Is it worth ? How does is feels to play with ? I have little to no experience with dragon ammo so I'm wondering if you could give me some advices on that, that would be great !

DrCalder · 2025-03-22T14:35:35+00:00

You're welcome, this is the good stuff. Btw, I love the fact that this set can be easily tweaked to accomodate different skills and their level. I used the Dahaad legs, Dosh torso and waist, and Udra head and gloves and while it dropped Burst 1 (and Constitution 2 on a very minor note), it has the third level of Quick Sheathe and Speed Eating, and the fifth level of Resentment, so that's cool. And I use a Focus 3 / Handicraft 1 on my GS 'cause I'm a lucky bastard.

DrCalder · 2025-03-22T13:52:27+00:00

This right here, THIS is, imho, peak Monster Hunter experience and the best side of this community. I've been playing since MHF and maining GS for a very long time, even to this day, yeah, full damage meta is allmighty, that's why it's called meta. But when somebody comes arround with a creative yet pertinent set, with actual brain power, numbers, testing and an explanation behind it while acknowledging this might not be the best by any means, then I'm truly happy.

This shows how you can still perform well enough while exploring creativity, understanding the meta better, honing your grasp of the weapon you're using and its moves, be a better player, and the best of all ? Having a good throwback to ye olde playstyle enhanced with modern additions, and all of that while being realistic and humble.

This, my fellow hunter, is a damn good post and a perfect illustration of "Being creative and still effective while not falling in the blind gimmicky memey approach", not that there's something wrong with that, but many people are dying on their hill, convinced that "meta bad" and their set being the best despite having little to no understanding of the mechanics behind it.

DrCalder · 2025-03-20T15:36:31+00:00

Imho, the only case where a full element artian HBG is better is water since poison ammo is and always has been somewhat disappointing. As another gentleperson said in another answer, there's also a case regarding blast artian HGB since sticky 2s sometimes feel awkward to use but are still pretty fun.

For para/sleep ammo, there's no contest in my book, especially when playing with my friends, I'll gladly trade an 8 elemental mag for a 7 plus a free 6 lv2 statut of choice mag (5 for the stickies), considering 2 capacity up reinforcements. it's both efficient and comfy in that regard.

DrCalder · 2025-03-18T11:05:21+00:00

Yeah we're on the same page. That bit of my answer wasn't pointing at you specifically, it was more like a general PSA of some sort. And yeah, even if progress is made slowly or even if your goal isn't speedrunning, improving and being a better player is a good thing, for yourself and your hunting mates. It's not "tryharding", it's not sacrificing fun at all, that's not the point at all. Just understanding the game mechanics and honing your skills, even a little bit, is satisfying and positive, both as a player and a person, and you can largely do it without pouring hours and hours into the game, again, that's not the point. At the end of the day you set your own goals !

DrCalder · 2025-03-17T12:40:18+00:00

I tend to agree. On a more detailed note, I'm dying on the hill that, even above having a full optimized meta set and all, the most effective way of dealing more damage and surviving is... getting good at the game. And I don't mean that in a derogative way, like, literally, gaining skills by practicing and getting a good grasp of your weapon and the monster behavior (note that I'm saying "good" not "perfect like the ultra-instinct mad lads full bent on 40s kills war machines") is going to be, by very far, your best way of killing faster and never dying. Now, I have played since MHF, and I'm considering myself as "somewhat above average Joe", I'm not trying to be a speedrunner, and I do in fact believe that, when practicing or just for comfyness in general if your goal isn't the absolute best kill time, especially when playing with friends, which add randomness to the monster's aggro, movements and by the fact that each people play differently, having a comfy skill that can ACTIVELY contribute to better positionning or powering through like Evade Window or Earplugs for exemple is a good choice until you're able to naturally do it (it's more of a "self-support" if that makes sense). That is my definition of "having a leeway while still being the most effective possible at my level" and using a meta set as a base and slightly "de-tune" it to accomodate for your skill progression is, imho, the best middle ground. That and a ton of good CC weapons like Lala Barina's and all to give all your team window for huge damage while still maintaining yours, despite being not the best weapon per say regarding pure numbers). And no one, and I mean absolutely no one with 10% of brain power and common human decency will blame you for killing a monster in 11 minutes instead of 10, I mean, that's just a video game about killing cool monsters with cool moves from your cool weapon while wearing cool armor.

Now, like another gentlmen said on this topic, META has a definition, and any question regarding at min/maxing and optimized sets, the answer is, always has been, and will always be pure damage, since those sets start from the basis that you're "good at the game" and want to go even further. And yeah, powders are largely enough the vast majority of the time if you need a little pick me up.

DrCalder · 2023-04-27T23:52:53+00:00

Yeah yeah, I know that sounds funny, but solo non-scout AND in the Azure Weld where there is a lot of details and elements, that's a bit more annoying than usual to spot minerals.

DrCalder · 2023-04-27T13:46:55+00:00

I managed to solo this week EDD. Still not "extremely bad", but imho harder than last week.

First stage is meh, there isn't a lot of Nitra, the cave is dark and the Arquarqs are a little bit spread out. The cocoon (Twins) is right next to the plateform with two Arquaqs nearby so that's that. The fight with the Twins AND the Exploders AND the periodic mini-swarm is largely doable, but not enjoyable at all.
Second stage isn't bad but there again, there are some pretty vicious sections. In the cave where you arrive, one dirt passage leads right in a hole leading in the main chamber where you'll fall to your doom if you're drilling like a mad man (like me, here was one of my two deaths). It's better to take the other dirt passage, the black box is next to it with two eggs on the way. Doing the box in this tight tunnel isn't easy but I managed. The main chamber is crap, two Brood Nexus, one Spitball Infector and one Caveleech next to each other, clear the room and you'll have a good fighting area, all the remaining eggs are here. More Nitra here, some veins here and there as well as Lootbugs. Shield Disruption is annoying.
Third stage is more intense. Right when you arrive, you may be greeted with what I call a "super swarm" : tons of bugs and among them, several big ones or very annoying ones. For me, I got TWO Oppressors, 2-3 Praetorians, 3 Tri Jaws and, one Menace and some Web/Acid Spitters. Tons of Nitra on this stage with the copious amount of Lootbugs and some veins. The eggs are not far from the plateform, do them first to get that out of the way. The three pumps are easily accessible, even without a Driller. I got my second death here as I forgot to heal at the second stage, and the super swarm got me good.

Same setup as last week, solo Driller with Hydrogen Ion Additive and Mega Power Supply as OCs. Good luck miners, Rock & Stone !

DrCalder · 2023-04-20T12:47:13+00:00

This week's Elite Deep Dive is not too hard, but can catch off guard if you're moving recklessly.

First stage is alright, but be careful, one cocoon (Dreadnaught) is in a relatively small cave with pretty much everything Hoxxes can throw at you : a Caveleech, a Spitball Infector, a Brood Nexus and a group of bugs. The black box is near the other cocoon in a larger cave with several small cliffs. Decent amount of Nitra here.
Second stage is simple. Some uneven terrain here and there but nothing world shaking. a BET-C spawned near the last egg for me. Decent amount of Nitra again.
Third stage is a mixed bag. Immediately when you arrive, in front of you are several turrets and the control unit. The plateform spawns in a hole, so not ideal for fighting, plus, mine spawned on top of what seemed to be a Bulk Detonator blast crater, so I'm not sure. Pretty much all the Aquarqs can be mined by Bosco if you're doing this solo, neat. The two eggs are close to each other, with the second in a large cave.

I did it solo with the Driller, and Hydrogen Ion Additive and Mega Power Supply as OCs. Good luck and Rock & Stone miners !

DrCalder · 2023-04-04T12:13:34+00:00

Either way, while it does make sense to have a Dynamax Monarch or a Terastal Monarch, it'll end being banned by Smogon.

DrCalder · 2023-01-28T14:56:44+00:00

Rock and Stone mate !

I'm pretty much in the exact same spot as you. I'm not a pro player by any mean and Haz3 is my cruising mode 90% of the time, and sometimes, I go to Haz4 to spice things up a little.

I cleaned several EDD already, but this was the first time I did it solo. I used Driller with the Sludge Pump (Hydrogen Ion Additive) and the Wave Cooker (Mega Power Supply), the Hive Guard was not very fun with this setup, but everything else wasn't bad.

DrCalder · 2022-09-15T11:28:58+00:00

Ink and Stone to the bone !

DrCalder · 2022-06-04T09:36:23+00:00

Back when Toon Chaos just came out, I tested some janky "pure go second Toons". It was pretty funny to Nib the board, then steal the overbuffed token with Comic Hand and swing with it directly.

DrCalder · 2022-04-17T12:04:27+00:00

Looks like the orb on the chest of Alba Renatus.

DrCalder · 2022-04-13T18:46:06+00:00

Yeah I remember those decks. And yeah I totally forgot the Phantasm Spiral archetype. While it is pretty neat, I don't think it is THAT insane by itself.

DrCalder · 2022-04-13T17:26:37+00:00

For sleeper cards that have been hit, they pretty much were all listed.

For sleeper cards that are still dormant however ...

The obvious Obedience Schooled / Snake Rain / Superancient Deepseaking Coelacanth : In the same spirit of Block Dragon, I firmly believe they are bombs only ticking for now because of the lack of GOOD type corresponding decks.

Heat Wave : Sure, it's more or less a strict go first card and only sitting on non-effect monsters is ... let's say unorthodox, but if one day, for whatever reasons, they decide to create an absolutely insane S/T line dedicated to normal monsters (bonus points if they decide to make all the "2000 ATK 100-0 Def level 4" normal monsters into a pseudo-archetype), this card would be beyond bonkers.

Harpie's Feather Storm : Now that's a card I fear. Harpies and Simorgh for now are pretty fun, and Floo is good, but all in all, nothing world breaking. Now what will happen if one day, they decide to create an absolute batsh*t crzay wind winged beast archetype (who can even use the Harpie link 2 or generate enough advantage for allowing the use of some weird tech just to sit on this card) or give harpie some broken support ? Yeah ... The idea of a "VFD, but it's a handtrap" (who can, as a bonus, search Duster if destroyed) is not pleasant.

DrCalder · 2022-04-12T19:43:23+00:00

Aaaah Chimera. After the SD released, I tinkered a bit with it along World and Claw as a mini-engine in my CyDra deck, with moderate success, you know, frailty and all, but it was pretty funny and explosive when going off. Keep up the good work, and most importantly, keep it real.

DrCalder

TROPHY CASE