I couldn't sleep, so I decided to make a thread :p The purpose of this thread is to enlighten newer, less experienced players on strategizing in VGC (me being one of them. VGC 15. wooo!). So I'll start off by saying that u should always focus on threats. Most of the time if you remove offense, the opposing team has lost. If they are left with Pokemon such as Smeargle, Whimsicott, Amoonguss, or Cresselia (in most cases), they have lost. These Pokemon have no offensive potential, all they can do is stall using bulk and support moves like status-inflicting moves, recovery moves, or disrupting moves like Encore. They are sitting ducks, except for Cresselia, it's a space duck kappa . However, if you suspect that your opponent will lead with a support/bulky mon, u should try ur best to shut it down or be ready to adapt. Say you are going up against a likely Cresselia lead, u should bring something to stop it's speed control in Icy Wind or Trick Room, or eliminate it quickly using a powerful Pokemon like Bisharp. I hope this helps you out in the future. And if you have any concerns with my post, let us discuss them. good luck and have fun, trainers.^_^
(Feb 22, 2015, 11:39 AM)tygaa2 Wrote: I agree, its very important to prioritize the threats vs your team and eliminate them first. Sometimes its easier said than done though :P
This. This so much. I always think about what Pokemon I have in the back, and what in general my team can do to take out my opponent's Pokemon.
Also along with shutting down support Pokemon/threats, depending on the team I like to try to take out the Mega ASAP if they lead with it. Just because most Megas are scary, LOL.
Always recognize and stop any form of setup immediately. Of course it's easier said than done but you don't want have you team swept by a +2 Mega Kang, a dragon dance boosted Mega Salamence, or etc. Pokemon with taunt/encore can help stop this and ruin the opposing teams momentum.
(Feb 22, 2015, 11:39 AM)tygaa2 Wrote: I agree, its very important to prioritize the threats vs your team and eliminate them first. Sometimes its easier said than done though :P
Haha very true, Tygaa. Especially if they get setup to run you over, like Mega Kang after Parental Bond Power-up Punch. Redirection Pokemon like Amoonguss and Togekiss can be problematic, so spread moves are always encouraged on a Doubles team for VGC. Then there's Tailwind and Trick Room to worry about. Basically, you just have to make your team the most adaptable lol. That's what I've learned.
(Feb 22, 2015, 11:39 AM)tygaa2 Wrote: I agree, its very important to prioritize the threats vs your team and eliminate them first. Sometimes its easier said than done though :P
This. This so much. I always think about what Pokemon I have in the back, and what in general my team can do to take out my opponent's Pokemon.
Also along with shutting down support Pokemon/threats, depending on the team I like to try to take out the Mega ASAP if they lead with it. Just because most Megas are scary, LOL.
That is a good way of thinking in VGC Just remember that your opponent may predict you and opt to reserve that Pokemon because they know it threatens you so much. It helps to know your opponent's play style. Are they overly agressive? Are they looking to stall you out with their bulky mons? If you are considering which plays they will make, should you prepare for the most devastating one? VGC is not easy. You just have to keep playing and keep learning how to take on the ever-changing metagame.
(Feb 22, 2015, 12:18 PM)Black117 Wrote: Always recognize and stop any form of setup immediately. Of course it's easier said than done but you don't want have you team swept by a +2 Mega Kang, a dragon dance boosted Mega Salamence, or etc. Pokemon with taunt/encore can help stop this and ruin the opposing teams momentum.
Very true. Support moves are always recommended to cripple your opponent, and even abilities can do such like Intimidate. Will-o-Wisp, Taunt, Tailwind, Encore, Icy Wind (which is more attack/support like Scald and Fake Out) are all very good moves that can help you significantly in your battles.
Feb 22, 2015, 10:29 PM (This post was last modified: Feb 22, 2015, 10:37 PM by AbruptFury.)
(Feb 22, 2015, 12:21 PM)naitre Wrote: I think it's also important to consider what is a realistic situation versus what is a hypothetical situation. If you feel that Landorus-T threatens your team, you might say, "Well, I'll just run Milotic with ice beam to take care of it!" Is this really the most realistic choice though? If your opponent is competent, isn't down to the wire, and has the option, they aren't going to leave their Lando in to catch an Ice Beam from a Milotic. Perfect case hypothetical scenarios don't always work out in real play.
Another thing to stress is speed control. It's rocking the meta right now, and you need to make sure your team can work around it. I attribute all the successes of my current team on it being a Trick Room team. VGC players tend to favor speed. My team doesn't look like a classic Trick Room team, and once I get the Trick Room off...it's usually smooth sailing. You can't always stop speed control, but definitely consider it. Watch out for Pokemon like Suicune, Cresselia, Talonflame, and others who are often packing Trick Room, Icy Wind, or Tailwind. Familiarize yourself with the Pokemon commonly used for speed control. Additionally, know which Pokemon usually are a part of a Trick Room team--if you see M-Camerupt or M-Mawile, you might be dealing with a Trick Room user.
That has been my biggest problem with my M-Manectric is trying to take Landorus-T out. I shouldn't have been going for the obvious play with my Milotic. I should've tried to conserve it or focused more on it's partner. Now that I've learned from my mistakes, I don't think it will be giving me too much trouble anymore. :D
Heavy has brought that up to me too before. That speed control is very important this VGC season. Especially since we now have Icy Wind, Tailwind and Electroweb as move tutor moves XD. Not to mention the always problematic Trick Room. I strongly recommend priority and your own means of speed control. It could be in the form of a move or a Pokemon. Again, moves such as Icy Wind, Tailwind, Thunder Wave, and Trick Room are ways to get speed in your favour. Sometimes you can't stop your opponent from setting up. Example, a Hariyama + Cresselia lead for instance. It's very difficult to OHKO Cress and Hariyama is there to Fake Out one of your Pokemon that might double into Cress. Even if you use Gengar, it couldn't OHKO Cress with Shadow Ball and Taunt would be pointless if Cresselia had Mental Herb. Instead, your speed control could be Mega Mawile. It works great under Trick Room, it hits like a truck, and Hariyama and Cresselia are quite threatened by it.
The thing is Landorus-T aren't really gonna stay in on a Mega Manetric unless they can outspeed (Tailwind/Choice Scarf) or run Assault vest like mine from time to time. If you are every in a situation in which you cannot stop their setup, try your best to counteract what they brought or counter setup against them. I'm usually that guy who runs a screen support on a random Pokemon like Rotom-W (Light Screen) or Suicune (Reflect) just to slow down my opponent's momentum as much as possible.
Feb 23, 2015, 12:02 PM (This post was last modified: Feb 23, 2015, 12:04 PM by KirinEvans.)
What about how to identify potential leads in team preview? I'm sure a seasoned player would mix it up, but are there general patterns to look for when thinking about what your opponent is going to lead with?
That said, what are some good options to lead with yourself if you can't identify who is a clear lead on the opposing team?
VGC Situations
Just remember that your opponent may predict you and opt to reserve that Pokemon because they know it threatens you so much. It helps to know your opponent's play style. Are they overly agressive? Are they looking to stall you out with their bulky mons? If you are considering which plays they will make, should you prepare for the most devastating one? VGC is not easy. You just have to keep playing and keep learning how to take on the ever-changing metagame.
