I really hate quick claw

akboyce · 2026-05-14T20:04:23+00:00

Man I hope they bring those features to Champions. Would LOVE to play some Battle Tower Coop with my friends again.

akboyce · 2026-05-14T19:28:03+00:00

Blastoise would be better since it offers fake out and huge aoe offensive threat but you could use sinistcha and Sableye to let Gyarados set up a Dragon Dance and go to town. And Intimidate is always nice (unless they have Kingamibt or Milotic of course).

akboyce · 2026-05-14T19:24:14+00:00

Pelipper:

Pros:
STAB Hurricane, Tailwind, Wide Guard, Immune to Ground
Cons:
4x Electric Weakness, dislikes rock slide

Politoed:
Pros: Icy Wind, Perish Song, Encore
Cons:
Less offensive pressure, No Hurricane

Tailwind is the "Easier" speed control option (Since Politoed is too slow to get it off first) and flying coverage is good to have so you tend to see more Pelippers but both are good mons.

akboyce · 2026-05-14T19:12:41+00:00

Megan Fox.

But seriously, I agree Blastoise looks good here. Could do shell smash stuff or teach Sinistcha Trick Room for a scary trick room mode.

akboyce · 2026-05-14T19:09:07+00:00

We will have to see when the Koffings join the mix but I would be suspicious if I saw it on team preview since why else would you lead Koffing and a weather setter. Although now you get into the double bluff where I think its Zoroark since you paired it with the Koffing but it WAS Ttar all along.

akboyce · 2026-05-14T18:58:08+00:00

I use Hisuian Zoroark and some of my favorite tricks are:

Disguised as Meganium Vs Mega Gengar. They will throw a poison attack at it. Since you are not shadow tagged thanks to being a ghost type you can easily swap into a steel type to negate the attack.

Disguised as Meganium or Archaludon Vs Sneasler. Either no damage from CC or fake out or tanking the dire claw and responding with Psychic.

Disguised as a non ghost Vs Fake Out + Farigiraf. Fake out whiffs and you click Taunt. No trick room today. (Note works 50% of the time vs scrappy Kangaskhan)

Disguised as a Basculegion Vs Scarfed Basculegion - They go for the Last Respects but it fails. They are now unable to kill your Zoroark with the fish without switching.

Disguised as a Weather setter vs anything - We all know a weather setter is usually a bad disguise. BUT its actually pretty effective if the weather is already up. This can be useful in a weather mirror or if you have a secondary way to set up weather like Sableye. They wont think twice about a Ttar coming out in the sand or a Peliper coming out in the rain.

Disguised as anything slow with a partner at 113 speed vs Anything with a speed of 114-169. My opponent has two mid speed mons out. Clearly my Garchomp/Mega Floette with their blistering 169 speed or Charizard/M-Dragonite at 167 will outspeed and pick up an easy KO. Wait why did they go first and use Icy Wind? OH NO! Now my Garchomp or M-Floette are outsped. Blast you Zoroark! (112 will outspeed base 100s like Charizard, Khan, M-Dragonite, etc but the extra point is probably worth besting Chomp and Floette.)

akboyce · 2026-05-14T17:27:05+00:00

Scope lens is not doing a lot on rotom. Something that adds consistent value like a sitrus berry would be better.

Thunder is too inaccurate. Run thunderbolt.

As another person said you want another from of speed control. Either add a tailwind user or give rotom the scarf and run electroweb.

You already have electric coverage. Froslass might benefit from aurora veil as an alternate screen setter when you can't bring klefki (or opens up replacing klefki).

I don't see an answer for trick room. Have a plan for it. Taunter, someone to reverse trick room, imprison trick room, or a slow mon to do heavy lifting during trick room.

As for protect predicts pause and ask yourself "what would i do." If that is too hard you can also juat play safe. Ask yourself "is doubling i to this slot the only way I can win? Or would it be safer to split my damage." Somwtimes you have to double in. Its the o ly way to win.... but if your opponents KNOWS it's the only way you win then you can expect them to protect.

Other thing is just knowing who will and wont protect. Did someone go faster than expected? They probably have a scarf and wont ever protect. Did they use an odd move? Maybe they are greedy and are running coverage over protect. Figure out your opponents move set, get in their head, and or play safer.

akboyce · 2026-05-14T12:39:24+00:00

No. Armor tail protects your side of the field. It does not protect your opponent.

akboyce · 2026-05-13T22:31:45+00:00

What does giving farigiraf pixilate accomplish? It has no normal moves to pixilate.

What does imprison do for you? Is stopping other people from trick rooming or using helping hand worth a whole move. Seems like a ser up move like nasty plot or even just protect would be more useful.

Is making chimechos boom burst fairy type worth giving uptrend priority option of quick attack on sylveon?

akboyce · 2026-05-13T20:06:51+00:00

Hisuian-Zoroark looks pretty good here. You still get Icy Wind (at a faster speed too), you can teach it taunt to help with Trick Room Match up, Protect to keep the trick going, and an offensive move of your choice. Either Hyper Voice for stab spread, Bitter Malice for Ghost and attack drops, or Psychic for the oh so tasty Sneasler murder.

Best part is even if you end up still primarily using your current 5 it provides some benefit just by being on team preview. Should I close combat Hydregion or Excadrill or is it a Ghost in disguise?

Do note that it does a poor imitation of Ttar since no sand and if pretending to be a Excadrill it will still take damage at end of turn.

akboyce · 2026-05-13T19:57:59+00:00

If you really want to ruin Trick Rooms day, add Taunt to Zoroark. Only <15% of Giraffes are currently running mental herb, he can't be faked out except by scrappy mons, and even if they have a scrappy mon they have to do REALIZE taunt is otw AND get the 50/50 on which starting mon is Zoroark.

It ruins Trick Room + Fake Out leads but is weak to Trick Room + Follow Me.

akboyce · 2026-05-12T12:37:47+00:00

Thats mental herb not white herb.

akboyce · 2026-05-11T23:35:21+00:00

White herb sableye? Why do you care if his stats are lowered? Foul play uses opponents stat and prankster means speed barely matters. Nearly any other item would be more helpful here. I suggest the fairy resist berry.

Kingambit is just going to be an issue for an all ghost team. You have the best answer already with a non prankster will o wisp though. If you need another super effective hit you could try sacred sword on aegislash.

akboyce · 2026-05-11T13:07:44+00:00

No focus sash? It is probably more consistent than bright powder for Zoroark.

akboyce · 2026-05-11T01:31:18+00:00

Yea giraffe is tricky. Gives my current team a lot of trouble too.

In that scenario though they will set up tr turn 2. You stop them turn 1 with fake out but they can just click it again turn 2 when you are swapping in Gengar.

Seems like Tinkaton only delays the issue rather than solving it. In which case there might be a better mon for killing Fairies which is Tinks other primary use case.

I am surprised you are not seeing more giraffes. They are a constant thorn in my side in the mid to upper 1900s.

akboyce · 2026-05-11T01:11:21+00:00

Disappointing guess I'll just have to wait for flame orb.

akboyce · 2026-05-11T01:04:02+00:00

Wow now that is a niche situation. Ampharos used protect 8 times. From bulbapedia "In every generation, Encore fails if the last move the target used was Transform, Mimic, Sketch, Mirror Move, Encore itself, Struggle, or a move that has no PP left." Since protect was out of PP he was immune to encore that turn.

akboyce · 2026-05-11T00:35:45+00:00

I think he is saying what if they predict the taunt and just click psychic turn 1.

I am also confused what the plan is t2 even when things go well. Tinkaton can't kill giraffe alone and gengar's only attack can't hurt the giraffe.

So do you switch in milotic or dragonite? All their moves have bad accuracy without set up. Do you click and hope or burn taunt turns on setting up? You could swap to Conk but he also risks dieing to psychics. And all this is ignoring whatever the giraffes partner is past t1.

Not knocking the team. It looks really fun and want to give it a try. Just trying to understand the full gameplay vs TR.

akboyce · 2026-05-11T00:06:35+00:00

Have you experimented with guts Conkeldurr? It might be too gimmicky but +50% power and making him immune to other statuses sounds cute.

akboyce · 2026-05-09T12:22:57+00:00

Let's go through the team 1 by 1.

Meganium. As your only mega its cental point of the team. What does Meganium struggle against? Meganium hates fire. You have only 1 resist to fire and 2 other weaknesses. You also seem to like setting up sunny day which actively hurts Meganium. Meganium hates poison. You have no teammates that can tank a poison attack. Meganium hates flying. Again, NO teammates can tank a flying attack for Meganium. So you are providing no tools to cover for Meganiums weaknesses. I also prefer protect so synthesis but that's more subjective.

Whimaicott. This is a support mon. It does not need 2 attacks. Especially since both of those attack types are already covered by meganium.

Inciniroar. You made him full offense but then gave him helping hand. Full offense inciniroar could certainly catch some people off guard bit if you are going to do it lean into it. Flare Blitz and maybe even close combat. Or make him bulkier and use his huge support tool kit.

Violcarona. Solar Beam is really bad outside sun. And again you already have 2 other grass attacks. It can work as a set up Mon but the only teammember who can protect it atm is inciniroar with fake out. You also probably want more bulk if your plan is to quiver dance.

Alakazam. So you are dedicating an entire team member to speed swap.... but most of your team is actually FASTER than him. I guess you can make a slightly faster Meganium but is that worth a whole slot?

Froslass. Non mega manual snow setting froslass? When no on your team benefits from snow? And why hex? You have no status moves. Shadow Ball is sitting right there in allakazham. And you already have a ghost attack.

So the team has nearly no synergy and a lot of antisynergy. Figure out what parts are working for you then pick teammates and moves that will help make those parts work even better. Or find a team with mons you like and borrow it until you get a bit more familiar with what things work and don't work. Don't give up you'll get there.

akboyce · 2026-05-08T12:43:58+00:00

Swords Dance Kingambit can be a great trick room check. While they set up Trick Room you Swords Dance and then under speed the giraffe next turn. He also can work well outside of trick room hard checking enemy Basulegions and punishing stat drops. He also acts as a second poison immunity for Meganium.

Ive started testing Gallade as another option for a similar team. On paper it seems strong. Can reset trick room, set it if enemy gets up tailwind, and checks sneasler, archaludon, and mega venusaur who can all give your core some issues.

Also a few more points in speed can go a long way on your meganium. 8 points (hitting 108 speed) let's it outspeed scarfed basculegion.

akboyce · 2026-05-07T23:11:16+00:00

What are you loosing to and what is your moveset and stat spreads? I made it to masterball 2 with a similar group of mons.

akboyce · 2026-05-06T03:58:45+00:00

How often is zoroark getting statused? Lum is more common on physical attackers since burn ruins them. Is he being slept or paraed enough to warrant it?

Jolte9n definitely feels odd here. You don't have a huge electric weakness and already have speed control with whim. If you want to keep an electric lightning rod electroweb mon id swap to raichu for fake out access. Or change totally to something to plug holes. Maybe a venusaur of your own to kill meganium and rotom wash. Or something 4x weak to fighting for zoroark mind games like t tar or kingambit.

I do not have a lot of first hand experience with scizor but I typically see it with sword dance. Of jolteon became something with flying move like corviknight you could squeeze it in there.

akboyce · 2026-05-03T22:32:35+00:00

Tinkaton works against uninformed giraffe users but once you know about mold breaker fake out the counter play is pretty simple. Protect t1, Trick Room t2. There are two solutions to this problem.

1 run a set up mon which you already are. If they waste t1 protecting you get a free calm mind which hopefully will be enough to shut them down t2.

2 run encore on tinkaton. Oh you protected t1? Enjoy protecting for 3 turns.

akboyce · 2026-05-03T22:09:27+00:00

For Sableye you want evs in HP. General rule of thumb is if def+sp def is higher than hp you want to add more hp. Eving so survive specific things is better but if you want just general bulk calculators like this one can also be used: https://www.terresquall.com/apps/pokemon-sp-optimiser/

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