大家好，我是Hayden (@IronManVGC)，我是由2020年6月開始玩VGC 的。

我本來在美國居住，適逢這次回港渡假時Hugo (@hugo0379) 主辦這個BDSP VGC 的線下賽，所以我就和我的香港朋友們一起參加了。這次2021赤面龍杯是我第一次參加線下賽，我也對自己這次的表現十分滿意，故此寫下這份戰報留念一下。

翻譯的話

大家好我是Kassiddy，又是我代筆弄別人的戰報。
我也在這裡寫過兩篇的文章了，希望大家仍然有印象吧。

Hayden 的戰報原文是用英文撰寫的(鬼仔性格？)，這次由我負責翻譯成中文。翻譯有關Pokemon 的文章還是頭一次呢，有一點點的小激動呢 xD
雖然不完全算是個翻譯新手，但我的功力仍然非常欠佳，若本篇有什麼不足之處還請見諒及指教。
英文的原文會在這本篇下面附上。

未來如果有機會(又有心情)的話，我希望也能繼續為大家撰寫或翻譯文章，為香港vgc 圈略盡一點綿力吧。

組隊經過

作為一個由極巨化規則入坑的新玩家，其實我是不太喜歡像BDSP 一樣節奏比較慢的規則的。如果不是為了這次的比賽，我甚至可能根本不會玩這規則。不過這環境也是有它的優點的，我也從中學到一些重要的概念，例如把精靈削血進入KO Range。 (譯注：也就是set up KO 的game plan)

為了彌補這比較慢節奏，我開始由比較高輸出的精靈中尋找我喜歡的隊型。

我首先想到的精靈是瑪利露麗。

不過，我決定不繼續用這隊型，因為瑪利露麗的set up 需要太多資源了，而且即使+6攻擊的Aqua Jet，對上很多常見精靈也是不夠輸出KO 。

隨後，VR 舉辦了 Victory Road x GGtoor Sinnoh Open tournament，而我留意到有很多的雨天隊在這次賽事中Top Cut 了。由於雨天和環境中最受歡迎的精靈鋼鐵螳螂,有很好的配合，我開始注意這隊型。同時我也對勝出那次賽事的“good stuff-bulky offensive” 隊型也十分有興趣。
(譯注：“穩打穩紮”的萬金油型隊伍)

其實我不太喜歡雨天隊，因為對上海牛獸會引發很多讀心/猜拳。Bulky Offense 的隊伍因為節奏較慢，也不太合適我，我prefer 隊伍中最多只有兩隻強化型的精靈。

這時候，我開始對鐵掌力士產生興趣，因為我發現到它在戲法空間中能造成超大的傷害。這令我想起我在劍盾Series 7 中最喜歡的精靈，雪暴馬。所以我決定要為它組一支隊伍。

在圖中可以看見，我在挺早的時候就找到了我帶上比賽的隊伍(12月11日)。但我仍然不太喜歡雨天，對上海牛獸實在太多讀心位。我是挺喜歡半空間+順風的隊伍，這樣6隻精靈也比較靈活萬用。我試過用拉帝歐斯，但他不算是最好的選項，因為環境中有太多雷公能夠快速的Snarl 削減拉帝亞斯的傷害。

這時候，我基本準備好放棄空間隊了，我覺得隊伍的空間模式不太強，因為只有鐵掌力士一隻精靈打輸出。克雷色利亞當然是隻優秀的精靈，但她實在太被動，在空間的有限時間內不太能配合鐵掌力士打出足夠大的優勢。我決定保留順風的隊型，也因為環境有太多的Snarl 和Intimidate 精靈，我開始使用我最喜愛的一隻精靈，美納斯。

運用這隊型我甚至打到了Showdown top 100。

直到12月21日我都認為自己會帶這隊去比賽。但由我開始練習Bo3 時，我發現斗笠菇的眠粉策略不太穩定，我開始覺得不太舒服，因為順風孢子是這隊一個十分重要的套路。

這時候我開始緊張了，時間越來越少，我到底要帶哪一隊呢?

我開始回顧過去兩週運用得最舒適的一隊。我仍然比較喜歡空間+順風的隊型，能清楚的看到6隻精靈之間的配合和套路，決定好了，就這隊了。雖然我對這隊沒有100%信心，但仍然是個十分堅固的core，我應該對自己駕馭這隊的能力和比賽的表現有點自信。這是我準備這次比賽時學到最重要的一課，我們不需要一支完美的隊伍，我們更需要玩得好。

隊伍詳細配置

這裡是這隊的Pokepaste

Ludicolo (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Swift Swim
Level: 50
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
– Hydro Pump
– Giga Drain
– Ice Beam
– Fake Out

這是樂天河童的標準配置。

我選用了Fake out 而不是Protect 是因為Fake out 在非極巨的環境更有價值。
不過我也有兩點希望要改的：
1. 性格：我選了膽小是因為我十二月中時在天梯遇到了很多雨天隊，但我在這次比賽完全沒遇到。如果我用了內斂的話會拿到更多關鍵KO。也會對擊倒這隊伍極為頭痛的叉字蝠很有幫助。

2. 道具：為了增加樂天河童的傷害，我給了它生命玉。但每次用Fake out 都要扣自己10%血量實在太不舒服。可能這配招的話，用達人帶會更好，又或者要保留命玉的話，就放棄Fake Out 轉用Protect。

關鍵攻擊Calcs

252 SpA Life Orb Ludicolo Hydro Pump vs. 104 HP / 0 SpD Crobat in Rain: 173-204 (100 – 117.9%) — guaranteed OHKO

252+ SpA Life Orb Ludicolo Hydro Pump vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Crobat in Rain: 188-224 (97.9 – 116.6%) — 87.5% chance to OHKO

關鍵防禦Calcs

0 Atk Crobat Brave Bird vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Ludicolo: 168-198 (107.6 – 126.9%) — guaranteed OHKO

Raikou @ Choice Specs
Ability: Inner Focus
Level: 50
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
– Thunder
– Volt Switch
– Snarl
– Scald

這都是十分標準的雷公Set。在這環境中基本就當是隻雷吉艾勒奇來用。

Volt switch 是最常用的一招。有時我覺得自己太依賴快速Volt Switch 了。因為雷公沒有Electroweb這樣可以不停洗的招式，按Volt Switch 或者其他招式的時機就變得更重要了。

我選了Thunder 而不是Thunderbolt 是因為我對鋼鐵螳螂有點不順。專愛眼鏡的Thunder 對鋼螳可以造成很大的傷害，甚至有機會一擊KO。

雷公的Snarl 因為拉帝兄妹的存在而成為標配招式。

最後一招選擇Scald 是成了更好的打擊面，而且挺配合雨天模式。比賽中有些對手沒有預計到Scald，因此我在比賽中能夠拿到例如席多藍恩的一些關鍵KO。

Scizor (M) @ Choice Band
Ability: Technician
Level: 50
EVs: 212 HP / 236 Atk / 60 Spe
Adamant Nature
– Bullet Punch
– U-turn
– Brick Break
– Giga Impact

我到現在仍然不是太肯定這配置。我在比賽的兩日前一直在用鋼鐵石板和Swords Dance 的配置，直至我的朋友向我展示了專愛頭巾Set 的威力。雖然在理論上十分優秀，也符合我認為一隊中應該有少於或等於兩隻強化精靈的理念，但我對同隊中使用兩件專愛道具也有點疑惑，這代表我這隊中只有兩隻帶Protect 的精靈。

但是，我對專頭鋼螳也有幾點十分欣賞的。
專頭Bullet punch 可以確一/接近一擊KO 大部分弱鋼的精靈。這樣高輸出的先制招式是十分有價值的，就有如第八代的轟擂金剛猩。

有U-turn 也容許我調整鋼螳的站位，因為有太多情況鋼螳面對火系/威嚇精靈會想退場。

Giga Impact 對任何專頭精靈來說也是一招十分強力的補打點招式。

最後，我選擇了Brick Break 而不是X-Scissors, 因為我需要一招能瞬發又可以攻擊對方鋼螳的招式。但我在這次賽事中沒用過這招，可以商榷一下。

這裡解析一下努力值:
– 236atk 達致11n 的攻擊力
– 60spe 能超車大部份鋼螳(我在比賽中對上全部鋼螳都能超車，十分滿意)
– 剩下的全堆hp

Pelipper (F) @ Focus Sash
Ability: Drizzle
Level: 50
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
– Scald
– Hurricane
– Tailwind
– Protect

大咀鷗是最後加入這隊的一隻精靈，順風的配置而令我的隊伍順暢了不少，因為順風我甚至可以把雨天core 和慢速精靈一同帶上。

我之前有以牛蛙君為我的雨天手是因為它的Perish Song 終盤Win con，這跟鐵掌力士的強勁攻擊力十分配合。但我帶出牛蛙的對局中從來也沒一起帶上鐵掌力士。如果河童是唯一攻擊手的話，這win con 的穩定性就大大下降了。第二，雨天core 對上海牛獸十分吃力。牛蛙甚至不能用Perish Song 擊倒海牛，直接被完封。

大咀鷗提供了更穩定的途徑(Hurricane)去處理海牛，也在屬性上一定程度地壓制鋼螳。

膽小的性格十分重要，因為我要超車極速班吉拉。

關鍵攻擊Calcs

252 SpA Pelipper Hurricane vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Scizor: 91-108 (51.4 – 61%) — guaranteed 2HKO

252 SpA Pelipper Hurricane vs. 188 HP / 180 SpD Gastrodon: 73-87 (34.7 – 41.4%) — guaranteed 3HKO

關鍵防禦Calcs

252+ Atk Choice Band Technician Scizor Bullet Punch vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Pelipper: 42-51 (30.8 – 37.5%) — 79.3% chance to 3HKO

Cyrus (Hariyama) @ Flame Orb
Ability: Guts
Level: 50
EVs: 28 HP / 244 Atk / 60 Def / 148 SpD / 28 Spe
Adamant Nature
– Close Combat
– Facade
– Fake Out
– Protect

這大塊頭是我在這規則中的靈魂。他的強勁力量令我想起我其中一位好朋友，雪暴馬。

燒傷的肥仔的一下Close combat 應該是這環境中最高輸出的一擊。

Fake out 在這規則中是必須的。Protect 亦然。 因為肥仔提供的壓力實在十分大，有時對手會集火他，帶上Protect 十分有用。

最後補打點，我要在Knock off 與Facade 中抉擇。我最後決定了Facade，因為對上波克基斯的Follow me 實在太吃力，Facade 至少能打出正數傷害。不過Knock off 對上克雷也是MVP。所以大家可以自己斟酌選擇。

努力值有幾點特別:
– 28hp 為了達到16n-1，最小化燒傷傷害
– 244atk 為了到達偶數數值，故此根性(x1.5攻擊)不會“浪費”了一點數值
– 28spe 是為了在順風下超車148速度以下的精靈，例如班吉拉或席多藍恩。同時也超車固執的袋獸(142速度)，我在天梯上也是這樣赢過幾次的Fake out trade。

關鍵防禦Calcs

252+ SpA Togekiss Dazzling Gleam vs. 28 HP / 148 SpD Hariyama on a critical hit: 198-234 (88.7 – 104.9%) — 25% chance to OHKO

252 Atk Life Orb Garchomp Earthquake vs. 28 HP / 60 Def Hariyama: 114-136 (51.1 – 60.9%) — guaranteed 2HKO

Percy (Cresselia) @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
Level: 50
EVs: 228 HP / 36 Def / 228 SpA / 4 SpD / 12 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
– Psychic
– Energy Ball
– Calm Mind
– Trick Room

我把她暱稱改成我的一位好朋友，Percy。因為他用克雷赢得了香港Players cup 冠軍，而且克雷是肥仔的最佳好友😎

這隻克雷比平常的偏攻擊型，主要是因為我希望能配合順風使用。而更重要的是，攻擊型克雷在空間當中，使用1-2次Calm Mind 就能開始為對手施加壓力。這隊伍的空間模式最大問題仍然是太被動，瞬發的攻擊壓力也只有鐵掌力士一隻。所以對手能經常無視克雷。不過，其實攻擊型的克雷也沒有解決這問題，需要再測試一下強化空間mode 的方式。

其中有可能是把克雷換成夜靈神，以Pain Split/Haze 來配合鐵掌力士的攻勢。

關鍵攻擊Calcs

+1 228 SpA Cresselia Psychic vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Hitmontop: 108-128 (68.7 – 81.5%) — guaranteed 2HKO

+1 228 SpA Cresselia Energy Ball vs. 188 HP / 180 SpD Gastrodon: 204-240 (97.1 – 114.2%) — 75% chance to OHKO

關鍵防禦Calcs

​​252+ Atk Choice Band Scizor X-Scissor vs. 228 HP / 36 Def Cresselia: 186-222 (83 – 99.1%) — guaranteed 2HKO

Gameplans

標準選出

+

這選出是最靈活的一種。我頗有自信這選出能以堅固的打擊面和控速打赢大部份對手。

不過這四隻對上空間隊會吃力，所以我們需要鐵掌力士作後備。

標準空間選出

(or)+

如果我認為我的對手不太能應付空間Mode (例如Tailwind 強攻隊) 我會選擇這種line up。

鐵掌力士在空間下以Close combat 盡情破壞，一整個爽! 雷公或河童的選出則視乎我想不想要Fake out 來輔助開空間。

VS 叉字蝠

+or+(如果對方沒有搶天氣手段)

叉字蝠是這隊最硬的Match up 之一，因為它比雷公快，可以確一河童，又可以Taunt 大咀鷗或克雷，更不怕Fake out。

其中一種處理方式是首發大咀鷗+克雷，對方只能Taunt 一隻就被強制讀心Play 了。另一方式是用雨天Hydro Pump OHKO 叉字蝠(前提是對方沒太多耐久又沒手段搶天氣)，如果能擊中的話。

VS Calm Mind 雷公

+

Calm mind 雷公是另一隻比較硬的match up，因為我隊伍有4/6是特攻手，而兩隻物攻手又比較慢。

所以最佳的解法是Volt Switch + 雨天Hydro Pump 集火雷公，希望能擊中然後KO。鐵掌力士也是可行的解法，但肥仔很需要克雷開空間。

比賽對局

Swiss R1: v.s. Tom Cheung LL

Tom 用上了Calm Mind 雷公配置，對我隊伍來說十分難打。

正常對CM 雷公的gameplan 也不可行，因為對方有瑪狃拉，能阻止河童一回合行動。
我最後也沒能阻止雷公Set up 清場。

Swiss R2: v.s. Roy Lee WLW

除了我的對手說話挺大聲和有很多大動作之外，我對這輪沒有什麼印象。

我Game 2 因為一次岩崩膽怯落敗，但Game 1/3用雨天core 沒什麼大問題。

Swiss R3: v.s. Percy Ng WLW

這麼早就要對上我們親友團其中一位，Percy，實在是難以置信。基本上，我們任何一個輸了這輪也是無緣top cut了。

Percy 這隊伍本來就是我提供的，所以我是挺熟悉他隊伍的。他也只是把美納斯換成洛托姆。

Game 1 我以正常的Hydro Pump 解法來處理叉字蝠。Turn 1 擊倒叉字蝠以後他的隊伍就不能處理雨中的河童了。

Game 2 我仍然走雙雨首發，Percy 以叉字蝠和洛托姆之間的聯防處理我河童的攻勢。在河童被KO 後我這回合就敗下來了，因為我沒有手段去處理洛托姆。

Game 3 我繼續雙雨首發，嘗試迫讀心Play。Turn 1 收掉叉字蝠完場。

就如我之前所說，叉字蝠是極硬的match up，而Percy 更是一個十分優秀的玩家，能把這Set 迫成讀心遊戲我也是十分滿意。

Swiss R4: v.s. Ivan Chan WLW

Ivan 的拉帝亞斯是Calm Mind + 剩飯的配置，我從來沒看過這套。 不過，因為除了拉帝之外這隊沒有電抗和水抗，雨天mode 對這隊表現不錯。Ivan 把火鋼留在後面處理鋼螳，但雷公的雨天Scald 可以OHKO。因為Scald 能剋屬火鋼和老班，這一set 是少數我認為雷公Scald很有用的情況。

Game 1和Game 3 都是用雨天mode 取勝的，我Game 2 反而因為嘗試TR mode 而落敗了。

Swiss R5: v.s. Kisch Cheng WW

這輪的對手也就是這份戰報的翻譯。

最後一輪Swiss 我又對上了親友團的朋友。Kisch 和Percy 是最常和我討論和準備這次賽事兩位同伴。。我們這神運氣。

Kisch 的隊伍是典型空間隊，所以我知道克雷和肥仔會是這輪的關鍵Player。他的隊伍除了海牛之外也沒什麼處理雨天的方法，所以我也帶了河童和大咀鷗。

Game 1 我首發克雷河童，克雷直接Calm Mind 。Turn 2 以+1 的Energy Ball 收掉海牛，其後Kisch 就沒有資源去處理強化後的克雷、還有肥仔和河童了。

Game 2 我採用同樣選出，Kisch 帶了老班嘗試壓著克雷。我以鐵掌力士反制了，以空間下的肥仔收掉了這局遊戲。

Top 8: v.s. Alvin Mak LL

這輪的直播片段在這裡。

Alvin 也是親友團其中一位同伴，在這裡要淘汰我們其中一位太傷心了。

Alvin 帶了一隻Calm Mind 雷公配置，有點不幸了，非常硬的Match up，所以我就知道要贏這Set ，Game 1 必須得拿下。

我很討厭怪運氣，不過這Game 1 我頗肯定如果我的Hydro Pump 打中的話，是能赢的。Turn 1 沒打中Hydro Pump 實在是太傷了，河童直接在雨天中虧了一回合。輸掉鯉魚龍vs 雷公的50/50讀心play 也是很傷，不過也不後悔。

我知道Alvin Game 2 一定會調整策略，我的game plan 不會再成功第二次。不過我也沒什麼能調整的，TR mode 對上他的Yawn + Curse 卡比獸實在是弱，所以我決定走雨天mode。 然後這一局差一點點就能用河童收掉對手，令我感到內斂的性格實在是更好，我在這賽事就沒遇過抽速的情況。

總結

總括來說我不認為這隊是我的最佳隊伍，其一，BDSP環境實在有很多雨天的Counters。其二是這隊的空間mode 只有鐵掌力士在施壓，有點弱。

除了我提過可以改動的地方之外，如果我要再參加BDSP 比賽的話，我想我會重新開始過一個新core。我也想試試有什麼其他隊型會更適合我。

我在這次賽事學到最重要的一課是玩家是比賽中有好表現的關鍵因素，而不是隊伍。我在這次比賽拿到第5名是因為我作為玩家的能力，而不是因為隊伍很完美。

此外我也是挺驚訝，我在比賽過程中十分冷靜。即使河童打失了不少的Hydro Pump 我也沒有受影響，而能每回合作出理性Play。總括來說我挺滿意自己的表現。

鳴謝

我要感謝@ralfdude90 協助我準備這次比賽，和教曉了我幾乎所有我知道這遊戲的事。我也想感謝@PercyVgc 和@Kassiddy_VGC 和我一起討論這雨天鐵掌力士的隊伍。更要感謝@hugo3079 在超過整整一年後，重新舉辦這次的線下賽。最後我要感謝HKFAP 的各位推動我成為一個更好的VGC Player。

如有興趣投犒戰報，歡迎到Contact Us或是本組織Facebook專頁聯絡有關工作人員。

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英文原文

Big Boy in the Rain – 5th Place Team Report for the 2021 Druddigon Cup Special

Introduction

Hey everyone, my name is Hayden (@IronManVGC), and I started playing VGC in June 2020 on Swords and Shield. I live in the U.S.A. It just happened that Hugo (@hugo0379) was hosting a BDSP VGC in-person tournament while I was in Hong Kong for vacation; thus, I decided to participate in this tournament with my VGC friends in Hong Kong. The 2021 Druddigon Cup Special was my first in-person tournament, and I am pretty content with my results. I am writing this report as a memento for this experience.

Team Building Process

As a newer player who started playing VGC with the Dynamax format, I am not a fan of slower formats like the BDSP Battle Festival. Therefore, I probably would not even play this format if not for this tournament. However, this format has its own merits, and there were some important concepts I have learned from it, such as putting things in range for a later KO.

To compensate for the slower pace, I started searching for an archetype I like from Pokemons with high damage output.

The first Pokemon I tried was Azuramill.

However, I decided not to go with this route since Azumarill required many resources to set up, and it would not OHKO a lot of the common Pokemons with Aqua Jet at +6.

Then, the Victory Road x GGtoor Sinnoh Open tournament took place, and I noticed that many Rain teams made the top cut. This archetype had caught my eyes because of the powerful synergy between Rain and the most popular Pokemon in the format, Scizor. I was also interested in the “good stuff-bulky offense” teams, which also won the tournament.

I was not a fan of Rain because of how Gastrodon would introduce many mind games. The bulky offense teams did not fit me too well either, as they were too slow, and I prefer my teams to have at most two setup Pokemon.

At that time, Hariyama interested me since I realized how much damage it could do under Trick Room. It reminded me of my favorite Pokemon back in Series 7, Glastrier. So I decided to spend some time building around it.

As we could see in the screenshot, I found the team decided to take to the tournament quite early (on December 11th). However, I was still not happy with Rain, as Gastrodon gave me many mind games. I liked the idea of semi-TR + Tailwind as I felt like all six Pokemons could be mixed and matched, so I decided to find another Tailwind archetype. I tried Latios, but he was not the best option at that time, given that there were a lot of Raikou with quick Snarl in the meta to reduce its damage.

At that point, I was ready to move on from Hariyama, as I felt like the TR mode was not strong enough since it was the only one doing damage under TR. Cresselia, of course, is a good Pokemon, but it was too passive and could not take advantage of the TR turns around with Hariyama. I decided to keep the idea of Tailwind and tried to build around my favorite Pokemon, Milotic, since there were many Snarl and Intimidate users in the meta.

I even reached the top 100 on the ladder with this archetype.

Until December 21st, I thought I would bring this archetype to the tournament. However, as I have started practicing Best-of-3’s with this team, I found out that the Sleep strategy with Breloom was not very consistent, and I did not feel comfortable with this team since Tailwind + Spore was a considerable part of it.

At that time, I started panicking – Time was running out, and which team could I bring to the tournament? 

I started thinking about what team I felt the best with in the past two weeks. I liked the semi-TR idea with Tailwind and how I could see the synergy among all 6 Pokemon, so I chose it as my final team to use for the tournament. Even though I did not feel 100% with this team, it was a solid team and core, and I should believe in my ability to pilot a team to do well in a tournament. The biggest lesson I have learned while preparing for this tournament is that to have a good performance, you do not need a perfect team, but you need a good player.

Team Members Breakdown

Here is a Pokepaste for the team.

Ludicolo

Ludicolo (M) @ Life Orb  

Ability: Swift Swim  

Level: 50  

EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe  

Timid Nature  

– Hydro Pump  

– Giga Drain  

– Ice Beam  

– Fake Out

This is a standard set for Ludicolo.

I chose Fake Out over Protect since Fake Out is more valuable in a non-Dynamax format.

There were a couple of things I wish I had changed for this set, though:

1. Nature: I chose Timid because I ran into many Rain teams on the ladder in mid-December. However, I did not face a single rain team in this tournament. Modest would have helped me to pick up a couple of key KOs. It would also help kill Crobat, one of the most challenging matchups for this team.
2. Item: To boost the power of Ludicolo, I gave him Life Orb. However, I did not feel comfortable losing 10% of Ludicolo’s health every time I used Fake Out. Maybe Expert Belt would be a better item for this move set, or I would need to give up Fake Out for Protect if I wanted to keep Life Orb.

Key Offensive Calcs:

252 SpA Life Orb Ludicolo Hydro Pump vs. 104 HP / 0 SpD Crobat in Rain: 173-204 (100 – 117.9%) — guaranteed OHKO

252+ SpA Life Orb Ludicolo Hydro Pump vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Crobat in Rain: 188-224 (97.9 – 116.6%) — 87.5% chance to OHKO

Key Defensive Calcs (to be watched out for):

0 Atk Crobat Brave Bird vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Ludicolo: 168-198 (107.6 – 126.9%) — guaranteed OHKO

Raikou

Raikou @ Choice Specs  

Ability: Inner Focus  

Level: 50  

Shiny: Yes  

EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe  

Timid Nature  

IVs: 0 Atk  

– Thunder  

– Volt Switch  

– Snarl  

– Scald

This is also a pretty standard set for Raikou. It functions as a Regieleki in this format.

Volt switch was the most used move for Raikou. Sometimes, I even felt like I was abusing the fast Volt Switch too much. Since there are no spammable moves like Electroweb for Raikou, learning when to click Volt Switch or other moves would be important. 

I chose Thunder over Thunderbolt because I was having issues against opposing Scizors. Choice Specs Thunder does quite a bit to Scizors, having a slight chance to OHKO them or putting them in the range of KO from any other attack.

252 SpA Choice Specs Raikou Thunder vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Scizor: 153-181 (86.4 – 102.2%) — 18.8% chance to OHKO

Snarl on Raikou had become a standard move due to the prevalence of Latios/Latias.

Scald was chosen as the last move to have better coverage, and it worked well with the Rain mode. Some of my opponents were not expecting Scald, and it helped me pick up some key KOs on threats like Heatran in this run.

252 SpA Choice Specs Raikou Scald vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Heatran in Rain: 180-212 (90.9 – 107%) — 43.8% chance to OHKO

Scizor

Scizor (M) @ Choice Band  

Ability: Technician  

Level: 50  

EVs: 212 HP / 236 Atk / 60 Spe  

Adamant Nature  

– Bullet Punch  

– U-turn  

– Brick Break  

– Giga Impact

I am still not entirely sure about this Scizor set. I used an Iron Plate set with Swords Dance until two days before the tournament, where my friends showed me how powerful Choice Band Scizor was. Although it sounded fantastic on paper and it fitted well with my philosophy that a team should have fewer than two set up Pokemons, I was not sure about having two Choice items on the same team. It would also mean that I would only have two Protect users for the team.

However, I enjoyed quite a few things with a Scizor with a Choice Band.

A banded Bullet Punch could OHKO/almost OHKO most things that were weak to Steel-type attacks. Having such a powerful priority move is incredibly valuable, as shown by the dominance of Rillaboom in Generation 8.

Having U-Turn also allowed me to reposition Scizor, as Scizor wanted to switch out whenever facing a Fire-type/Intimidate Pokemon.

Giga Impact was a great coverage move for any Pokemon with a Choice Band.

Finally, Brick Break was chosen as its last move instead of X-Scissor because I would like to have a way to hit opposing Scizors without recharging for a turn. However, I never used that move in this tournament, so this could be a slot to be modified.

Here are the explanations for the EVs: 

• 236 Atk EVs to hit the bump on Attack
• 60 Spe EVs to speed creep most other Scizors (my Scizor had been consistently faster than other Scizors I have faced in this tournament/ladder, so I was satisfied with the speed)
• The leftovers go into HP

Pelipper

Pelipper (F) @ Focus Sash  

Ability: Drizzle  

Level: 50  

EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe  

Timid Nature  

IVs: 0 Atk  

– Scald  

– Hurricane  

– Tailwind  

– Protect

Pelipper was the last member added to the team, and it made the team much smoother due to its ability to set Tailwind. I could finally justify bringing the slower Pokemons like Hariyama and Cresselia with the Rain core since I could also use them under Tailwind.

I used to have Politoed as the Rain setter since Politoed offered another win-con in Perish Song, which fits well with Hariyama’s powerful attacks. However, I did not bring Hariyama for all the games I brought Politoed, so this win-con would be less effective if the only damage-dealer was Ludicolo. Second, I was having issues against Gastrodon with the Rain core. Gastrodon completely walled Politoed because I could not even defeat it with Perish Song.

Pelipper offered a more reliable way to hit Gastrodon with Hurricane. She also acted as a good check against Scizors since Pelipper had the type advantage.

It is vital to have the Timid nature as I would like to outspeed max speed Tyrantitar.

Key Offensive Calcs:

252 SpA Pelipper Hurricane vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Scizor: 91-108 (51.4 – 61%) — guaranteed 2HKO

252 SpA Pelipper Hurricane vs. 188 HP / 180 SpD Gastrodon: 73-87 (34.7 – 41.4%) — guaranteed 3HKO

Key Defensive Calcs:

252+ Atk Choice Band Technician Scizor Bullet Punch vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Pelipper: 42-51 (30.8 – 37.5%) — 79.3% chance to 3HKO

Hariyama

Cyrus (Hariyama) @ Flame Orb  

Ability: Guts  

Level: 50  

EVs: 28 HP / 244 Atk / 60 Def / 148 SpD / 28 Spe  

Adamant Nature  

– Close Combat  

– Facade  

– Fake Out  

– Protect

This Big Boy is the heart and soul for me in this format. Its raw power reminded me of a good friend of mine, Glastrier.

A Close Combat from a burned Big Boy is probably the most powerful move in this format.

Fake Out is mandatory for this format. Protect is also needed. Since Big Boy poses so much pressure, sometimes the opponent doubles into it, and having Protect is excellent for that situation.

I was choosing between Facade and Knock Off as his coverage move. I decided on Facade at the end because Big Boy struggled against Togekiss’s redirection, and Facade at least hits Togekiss for neutral damage. Knock Off was the MVP to hit opposing Cresselia in TR, though, so it was up to each’s preference.

The EVs explanations for this Pokemon are tricky.

28 HP EVs are for minimizing burn damage.

244 Atk EVs optimize the Guts boost (1.5x on Attack, so it would need to hit an even number on Attack to maximize the increase).

28 Spe EVs allow Hariyama to outspeed anything lower than 148 Speed such as Tyranitar and Heatran under Tailwind. It would also be faster than Adamant Kangaskhan, which hits 142 Speed. I have won a couple of Fake Out wars against opposing Kangaskhan on the ladder due to this.

Key Defensive Calcs:

252+ SpA Togekiss Dazzling Gleam vs. 28 HP / 148 SpD Hariyama on a critical hit: 198-234 (88.7 – 104.9%) — 25% chance to OHKO

252 Atk Life Orb Garchomp Earthquake vs. 28 HP / 60 Def Hariyama: 114-136 (51.1 – 60.9%) — guaranteed 2HKO

Cresselia

Percy (Cresselia) @ Leftovers  

Ability: Levitate  

Level: 50  

EVs: 228 HP / 36 Def / 228 SpA / 4 SpD / 12 Spe  

Calm Nature  

IVs: 0 Atk  

– Psychic  

– Energy Ball  

– Calm Mind  

– Trick Room

I named this Cresselia after my good friend, Percy, since he used her to win the Hong Kong Asia Players Cup and Cresselia was the BFF for Hariyama.

This Cresselia is more offensive than usual since I would like it to take advantage of Tailwind, and more importantly, put on the pressure after a Calm Mind or two in the TR. However, a massive issue with this team’s TR mode is that it is relatively passive as the only immediate threat is Hariyama. Therefore, the opponent often ignored Cresselia. However, even a more offensive Cresselia did not resolve this issue, and more testing would be needed to strengthen the TR mode.

Some possible ideas would be replacing Cresselia with Dusknoir, such that Dusknoir could Haze/Pain Split while Hariyama was doing damage under TR.

Key Offensive Calcs:

+1 228 SpA Cresselia Psychic vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Hitmontop: 108-128 (68.7 – 81.5%) — guaranteed 2HKO

+1 228 SpA Cresselia Energy Ball vs. 188 HP / 180 SpD Gastrodon: 204-240 (97.1 – 114.2%) — 75% chance to OHKO

Key Defensive Calcs:

​​252+ Atk Choice Band Scizor X-Scissor vs. 228 HP / 36 Def Cresselia: 186-222 (83 – 99.1%) — guaranteed 2HKO

Gameplans

Default Lineup:

+

This lineup is the most flexible lineup for this team. I am pretty confident I can beat most opponents with these four as they offer solid coverage and speed control. These four may struggle against TR teams, though, so Hariyama may be needed for that case.

Default TR Lineup:

(or)+

If I have decided my opponent is weak to my TR mode (such as a hyper-offensive team with Tailwind), I will go with this lineup instead. Letting Hariyama go rampant with his Close Combat under Trick Room is the most satisfying feeling ever! The choice between Ludicolo and Raikou depends on if I want another Fake Out user to help set up TR.

v.s. Crobat:

+or +(if the opponent does not have a way to change the weather)

Crobat is one of the most challenging matchups for this team as it is faster than Raikou, can OHKO Ludicolo, can Taunt Pelipper and Cresselia, and is immune to Fake Out. A way to deal with Crobat is to force a mind game with a Pelipper and Cresselia lead so Crobat can only Taunt one of them. Another possibility is to Hydro Pump and OHKO Crobat under Rain (which assumes the opposing Crobat does not have much bulk and there is no way for the opponent to overwrite the Rain) if I feel lucky enough to connect Hydro Pump.

v.s. Calm Mind Raikou:

+

Calm Mind Raikou is another hard matchup for this team since four out of my six Pokemons are Special Attackers, and the two physical attackers are slower than the average Pokemon in the meta. So, the best way to deal with it is to double onto it with Specs Volt Switch + Hydro Pump in Rain, and hopefully, that would connect and pick up the KO. Hariyama may also be the solution to the Calm Mind Raikou set, but the Big Boy will require Cresselia to help set up TR.

Tournament Run

Swiss R1: v.s. Tom Cheung LL

Tom ran a Calm Mind Raikou set which was pretty hard for my team to deal with. The usual game plan against Raikou did not work well since he also had Weavile, which could stop my Ludicolo from moving for a turn. I could not prevent his Raikou from setting up and let it sweep my team.

Swiss R2: v.s. Roy Lee WLW

I do not remember much about this set besides my opponent was loud and made many movements when we were playing. I lost G2 due to a Rock Slide flinch, but G1 and G3 were not challenging with my Rain core.

Swiss R3: v.s. Percy Ng WLW

I could not believe I needed to play against Percy, one of the members in my friend group, so early in the tournament. Practically, whoever lost this set would not top-cut this tournament.

I was the one who gave Percy the Crobat Tailwind archetype team, so I knew his team well. Percy only substituted out Milotic with Rotom-W.

For G1, I went with my Hydro Pump game plan against Crobat. After eliminating Crobat in Turn 1, I dealt with the rest of Percy’s team as he could not stop Ludicolo in Rain.

For G2, I went with the same Ludicolo and Pelipper lead again. Percy was able to play around my Ludicolo in G2 by making a lot of defensive switches with Crobat and Rotom-W. After KO’ing my Ludicolo, he was able to win the game since I did not have a way to touch Rotom-W.

For G3, I went with the same lead again to force a mind game. I KO’d Crobat in Turn 1 with Hydro Pump and won the game after.

As discussed before, Crobat was a hard matchup for this team, on top of the fact that Percy was also an outstanding player, so I was content to bring this set to a mind game scenario. 

Swiss R4: v.s. Ivan Chan WLW

Ivan ran a Calm Mind + Leftovers Latias set, which I have not seen before. However, the Rain mode dealt with this team quite well as it did not have an Electric and a Water resist outside of Latias. Ivan saved Heatran in the back for Scizor, but Raikou’s Scald in Rain could OHKO it. This set was one of the few moments I felt Scald on Raikou was helpful since it hit Tyranitar and Heatran super effectively.

I was able to win G1 and 3 with the Rain mode, and I lost G2 since I was trying to go with my TR mode.

Swiss R5: v.s. Kisch Cheng WW

My opponent for this round was also the translator for this report. 

The last round of Swiss was also another round against a member of my friend group. Kisch and Percy were the two people I had discussed the most about our teams for this tournament. Just our luck.

Kisch’s team was a typical TR team, so I knew Cresselia and Hariyama would be the key members here. His team also did not have a great answer to Rain outside of Gastrodon, so I brought Ludicolo and Pelipper.

For G1, I led Ludicolo and Cresselia and set up a Calm Mind with Cresselia Turn 1. Cresselia KO’d his Gastrodon with a +1 Energy Ball in Turn 2, and Kisch did not have enough resources to deal with a boosted Cresselia, Hariyama, and Ludicolo.

For G2, I brought the same four Pokemon. Kisch led with Tyranitar to check my Cresselia better. Then, I played around with it with my Hariyama. My Hariyama took advantage of the Trick Room turns and won this game.

Top 8: v.s. Alvin Mak LL

You can find the stream of the set here.

Alvin is also a member of our friend group. I was sad that one of us needed to eliminate the other person here 😦

Unfortunately, Alvin ran a Calm Mind Raikou set, which my team had difficulty dealing with, so I knew this was a set where I needed to win G1 to win the set.

I hate to blame RNG for my loss, but I am sure I would have won G1 if Ludicolo connected Hydro Pump in Turn 1. Missing Hydro Pump in Rain Turn 1 was crucial since Ludicolo did not do anything for a turn in Rain. Losing the mind game with Gyarados v.s. Raikou was also huge, but it was just a 50/50, and I had no regrets.

I knew Alvin would adapt in G2 because my game plan could only work once. However, there was not much I could adjust with my team since my TR mode would be weak against his Yawn + Curse Snorlax set, so I decided to go with my Rain mode. Furthermore, just missing out on KOs with Ludicolo in this game made me realize that Modest would be the better nature, as I was never in a speed-tie situation during the whole tournament.

Summary

Overall, I do not think this is the perfect team for me as 1. There are many counters to Rain in the BDSP meta, and 2. The TR mode for this team is weak since there is not much pressure outside of Hariyama. 

Besides the potential changes I have mentioned in this report, I would start over again with a new core if I were to play in another BDSP tournament. Furthermore, I would love to experiment with other archetypes to see if anything suited me better than the Rain core.

The biggest lesson I learned from this tournament is that the player will be the decisive factor to have a good performance, but not the team. I was able to get 5th place due to my abilities as a player, but not because the team was perfect.

Also, I am genuinely surprised at how calm I was during the tournament. Despite Ludicolo missing a lot of Hydro Pump during this run, I never lost my temper and was able to think logically every turn. Overall, I am pleased with my performance.

Acknowledgments

I want to thank @ralfdude90 for helping me to prepare for this tournament and teaching me almost everything I know about this game. I would also like to thank @PercyVgc and @Kassiddy_VGC for discussing the Rain + Hariyama archetype. I would also like to thank @hugo0379 for hosting the first in-person event in Hong Kong in over a year. Finally, I would like to thank everyone in HKFAP for pushing me to become better as a VGC player.