Pokémon Champions

[HandsomeDead]

I've been trying to get into the competitive part of Pokemon a bit lately so having this fresh version of it that is so much easier to build teams for is an amazing way to learn.  Despite it being limited to about 200 pokemon there is still a massive diversity of teams.  I get caught out all the time and don't feel like I'm close to having a solid knowledge of everything to make reads and exploit my opponent.

 

I have an okay selection of pokemon because I pulled some from Pokemon Go, Omega Ruby and Sun (but moving pokemon from the pre Switch games is an ordeal 😮‍💨).  I must have had some from White 2 but they're all legendarys that aren't in the current format, and from some competitive I've watched they are never used.  They've been power-crept I assume. 

 

Filling out my collection has been easy enough with more recent pokemon.  There is a gotcha system in the game where it rolls 8 pokemon and you pick one out of the set (you can do this once a day no cost but after that you need an ingame currency which I do have lots of but I'm being careful with it atm).  I didn't mind the system at first but when you start looking for specific 'mon it becomes a bit frustrating.  I wish there was a way to gain something specific.  Garchomp is something I think would be good for my team but it isn't turning up.

 

Speaking of my team:

 

 

Not a great pic but it'll have to do.  Its not great but its mine.  I know there are Youtubers who show strong teams but my experience with the TGC I'm always better with my own teams because I know my stupid mind and how it works so I tend to pilot teams by others badly.  This has got me to the high end of Great Ball rank but I know it needs a lot of tinkering.  

[Maf]

That’s cool. Looks like you have a nice rain and speed control team.

 

I downloaded the game this morning, but haven’t played it yet. Maybe later or tomorrow. I want to get all the mega stones from ZA first because I think I’m going to copy a Mega Delphox team I saw 

[HandsomeDead]

You can't move items, you have to get all the mega stones from Champions itself anyway.  I think there is something to do with the special Floette from that game.  I think it gives you the mega stone if you move it.

[Maf]

Oh, right. That’s helpful. Thanks 

[Maf]

This a fun team as well 

 

 

[HandsomeDead]

I got into Ultra Ball rank!  Now I'm looking at Master Ball and I know it's gonna be Sisyphean.  

I did it by dropping Meganium for Kommo-o and this weirdo helped a lot.  

 

I know Ultra is gonna be full of Mega Floette and this team needs more work.  Ive swapped Sneasler for Incineroar and made it slow as possible to help in Trick Room.  I solely used that strategy as rain and Dragonite wasn't cutting it and I need something Steel or Poison to deal with Florette, and slow.  There's a few options so I guess it'll be lab time before my Ultra climb.  I wish I had my Alolan Muk, I became a fan of him my last Sun run, and to make my team even more Alolan.

[HandsomeDead]

So getting to Master Ball wasn't hard after all 😅.  A couple of small losing streaks but i made up for it.  When youre in Master Ball you become part of a ladder to see where you stack in the world so i was feeling good about seeing what i could do but ive immediately lost 5 or 6 games on a row.  The last one was really bad, just against a basic team that the first guy to get to the top cut posted and I've gone against it loads of times, usually beating it as I knew to be mindful about countering it when building my team* but i was so tilted from the previous games I was making the worst plays.

 

*Incinaroar, Primarina, Mimikyu, Aggron, Gengar, Kommo-o.

 

I think I need a Ground type.  Still don't have Garchomp as that is probably the missing piece and sub out Gengar.  And @Maf stop watching and get on it!

[Maf]

I will play it soon. Definitely this week. I saw Hydreigon is in the game, who was in my first ever competitive team and one of my favourite Pokemon full stop. So I’m going to look up a team around Hydreigon 

[HandsomeDead]

Since my team wasn't working I tried to build another and I'm doing better but the pits of Master Ball are chaos.  Everyone is messing around with gimmicky or off meta decks so it's so hard to plan pre-game.  I'm messing around to but nobody else should be allowed.

 

It's this:

 

It's just mostly made up of Pokemon I like, rather than the "best" so I shouldn't feel so tilted at the losses but I am.  It's still overall better than my last team, though.

 

 

I also started to try and rank up in singles.  I have a different team for that as I have no idea how to build for singles so I copied one I saw (I just picked it because it has Mega Clafable which I found amusing).  I can play the games fine but singles is... I dunno, I just don't have a good grasp of it.  I'm in Ultra Ball atm but it has been a harder climb.  Probably because more time has passed and there are more serious people playing.

[Maf]

A really funny set of games. Props to Doto, I wouldn’t have been able to win any of these. I couldn’t see the path to victory at all 

 

 

[Maf]

A really fun electric team. Also the plays he made in game 3 were godlike. 

 

[Maf]

 

I noticed that the middle Falinks is constantly struggling trying to hold up the upper Falinks lol

 

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It does that no matter the animation. That one touch of personality makes me like it so much more. Also one of the few Megas which is just much cooler than it’s original form  

[Maf]

Watching some of World’s matches from yesterday. Pokemon Champions is so cool and did what I hoped it would do and bring more attention to competitive Pokemon. The event production is nice, too 

 

 

[Maf]

Really enjoying these World’s matches but they need to nerf some Pokemon. Basculegion, Kingambit and Sneaslser is half of every team. Since Champions is a multiplayer focused game, it would be interesting/good for Pokemon to start actually making competitive adjustments which is something I don’t think they’ve ever done before 

[HandsomeDead]

I think they have been playing it very safe, which considering the stakes is understandable but it does mean that there are a few really good pokemon that aren't getting featured because they haven't been figured out quite as much (like it was a shame that Metagross team didn't get to the finals.)

 

I don't think they'll rebalance anyone,  I just hope the next pokemon they add have more defensive options because it is a very explosive selection atm.

[Maf]

They’re not adding defensive Pokemon, but I think Heatran will help balance out the Kingambit problem 

 

 

[HandsomeDead]

Isn't Heatran a legendary?  I guess it means there'll be more of those too.  With Rillaboom then there will be more of an arena focus, so I hope it means the Tapus are coming too.

 

They added about 20+ Pokemon last update so i think there is room for some more defensive types.

 

 

I'm glad the Dragonite team won, with all the Charizard teams I thought one of them was gonna get it.

[Maf]

The finals were a little boring because they basically had the same team, but then yes, that game 3 was awesome. The Feint into attack on Floette was a big read given the stakes. Also it’s kind of nice the final came down to Charizard vs Dragonite. Legends never die!

[Maf]

They added the new Pokemon, at least some of them. lol, including Mega Salamence which, I dunno what that thing is like in VGC format, but in singles Salamence was a team killer. 1 or 2 DD’s and it’s just sweepazoid 

 

They did do some buffs and nerfs as well by changing what moves a Pokemon can learn, in some cases what type of attack a move is and even some items. I think that’s really interesting and shows they’re taking this seriously. Which, despite holding big VGC tournaments for years, imo I don’t Pokemon has ever really taken its competitive scene seriously before. Or at least not as seriously as it could have 

 

 

 

[Maf]

This was really fun. Watching Wigglytuff get to +5 and double ko’ing Pokemon is v funny. 
 

Champions is so good. It’s got me back into watching competitive Pokemon which I haven’t been into since SUMO. Maybe that was 2015. And the first time I’ve ever liked the VGC format.
 

I definitely want to play some of this before the end of the year so I can put it on my GotY list. Definitely become one of my most watched and engaged with games so far this year