Before I get into any Week 1 commentary, I feel a bit of introduction and justification is in order. My name is Sam, though my most common screen name is Istanbuldayim (a callback to what I consider to be my hometown). I'm playing in my first Pokemon draft league—the Royal Draft League (RDL, for the uninitiated). I'm inexperienced when it comes to the draft league format, but I'm fairly experienced in Pokemon battling. From 2010 to 2013, competitive Pokemon was my secret nerdy hobby. and in 2012 and 2013, I laddered in the top 100 for Smogon OU in Showdown (Some ancient Youtube evidence still exists). I took a break from competitive play for the entirety of the sixth generation, in part because life got busy, but also in part due to my dissatisfaction with the sixth generation metagame. I started playing again in October of 2017, after watching a few battles by some of my favorite players and getting hit by a wave of nostalgia. Not long after I began playing again, I responded to a post on Reddit looking for players to join a draft league. So, here I am.
I intend to post weekly thoughts and analysis here. I'm at a point in life where I'm trying to get back to the things that make me enjoy my existence. Writing is one of those things. Some posts will dig into my weekly match and preparation, whereas other posts will focus on other teams and coaches in the league. I'll try and keep content varied and interesting. For now, I'm setting a goal of writing once a week, though the amount may vary with my weekly workload.
Sorry about the standard Blogspot layout and design. Ideally, I'd change it someday. Realistically, I'm lazy, and it probably won't change too much.
If you're in RDL with me, please call me Sam. Istanbuldayim is cumbersome to say and type. Plus, if we're in RDL together, I wanna be friends.
Introduction fin.
Week 1
I have a notebook devoted to the draft league. I take notes on the week's matches, scribble down ideas for sets and counters, and write out my personal thoughts about everything league-related. Today's notes were supposed to be observations and remember-this notes to self. That was the intention, at least. Instead, the first half of the first page is taken up by a four letter, all caps expletive—a fairly excellent summary of my feelings after my first match.
My team, the New York Klinks, had the honor of being the week 1 matchup of the Ohio Ninetales, property of Michael (Thenatural91). As Pac put it, this match was "The champion versus the newbie." To me, that was a lot of pressure to perform. I felt the need to make an impression, and a good, competitive game versus the defending champ would earn me some credibility.
To that end, I wish, regardless of outcome, that the first match between Michael and I wouldn't have ended with a random disconnect right around turn 20, requiring that the match be replayed.
The first 15 turns of our first battle were some of the most fun I've had in any battle ever. It was an exchange of blows and switches during which neither Michael or I lost a single Pokemon. I managed to get Stealth Rocks set up while keeping offensive pressure on Michael's Rhyperior, in order to prevent him getting rocks on my side. Somewhere in the mid-teens, we both double-switched, leaving my Choiced Rotom-W face to face with his Blastoise. Feeling lucky, I clicked Hydro Pump—Michael knew I was Choiced at this point, and the Volt Switch was obvious. Sure enough, Blastoise returned to its Pokeball, and out came Rhyperior. I was giddy with excitement, leaning forward in my chair as the words "Please hit. Please hit!" chanted themselves in my mind. A good read had left me in a position with an 80% chance to OHKO the newly switched-in Rhyperior.
But this is Pokemon. You can guess what happened.
I tried to shake it off. A few turns later, Michael's Metagross, weakened after a switch-in on Tapu Bulu, fell to an on-target Hydro Pump. "Good." I thought. "It's 6-5, and one of his scariest team members is down. I can manage this position."
Two turns later, as I land Toxic on Michael's Rhyperior as it switches in, I get the message. The "You have been disconnected..." message.
Saying my heart sank is cliche, but that's exactly what happened. For about twenty turns worth of Pokemon, I had been having the time of my life, feeling like I was trading blows with an experienced Draft League player, feeling like I was about to prove myself. And then it all vanished. Back to square one.
I used to play Showdown matches for hours on end almost every night. In general, when you're laddering, it's incredibly unlikely that you run into the same opponent twice. Everyone you play is a fresh face—they may know your Pokemon and be able to figure out your sets, but you, as the player, add in an element of uncertainty. Add in a rematch, and each player knows a bit better what to expect. That might be the toughest thing for me in playing in a Draft League: learning to battle people who've come to know what to expect from me.
Michael was also surprised and disappointed by the disconnect (for clarity's sake, whatever may have caused the disconnect, I firmly believe it was not intentional. I don't know Michael very well, but he seems like a very honest guy). When we resumed, he came out and played his game, landing hard hits on many of my key Pokemon early on, putting me in difficult position after difficult position. That he was able to get his Rocks up early while I went the entire game without getting up mine is a quintessential pointer to the extent to which I was on my back foot the entirety of the match. I felt like almost every play I made was either impulsive or remedial. Losing Rotom-W early on one such impulsive move was the beginning of the end. Predicting that his Rhyperior wouldn't go for another Earthquake, and going for a Substitute instead of another attack, was another such blunder. The game ended 4-0.
I think Michael can attest to the fact that I was disappointed. I'd spent the week thinking about the matchup, preparing sets, and running calcs, only to get shaken after a disconnect and unceremoniously dispatched. This wasn't exactly the statement match I'd hoped to have.
Much credit to Michael. He prepped well and played well. I just wish our first match had been the one to get posted in the replays.
Okay, enough feelings and storytelling. A few post-match thoughts.
- A lot of analysis of my team has discussed the extent to which my team relies defensively on Tapu Bulu. I'm new to using Bulu in balanced cores. The defensive synergy with Heatran makes them a common pair in Smogon Standard. I'll probably spend more time playing with these two in OU to get a better sense for how they play together.
- I spent a whole lot of the match fearing Bullet Punches that never came. Bullet Punch on Metagross would have been a substantial threat to Diancie and Lycanroc. That said, it warmed my heart to see Metagross packing a mixed set—something I haven't seen since the Gen 4 DPPt meta. I'm guessing Psychic was a potential check to physically defensive Toxapex and Bewear.
- I'm fairly comfortable using Rotom-W. In my planning, I identified it as a key Pokemon in this match-up, capable of threatening multiple Pokemon on Michael's side of the field and, in the absence of Rhyperior, spamming Volt Switch to gain momentum. The plan was to look for an obvious Volt Switch opportunity (On M-Blastoise or Togekiss, both of which Rotom-W outspeeds), then hit Rhyperior on the switch with Hydro Pump. Good plan, right? Right?
- Early prediction for RDL S2: Hydro Pump misses will give me an aneurysm this season.
- My favorite OU teams have always utilized Heatran in some capacity. It's an incredibly versatile 'mon, and I'm hoping to play it in more creative fashions in the future. Without discussing my process too much (I'll probably keep most of my planning close to my chest until the offseason), I overplanned for Kommo-O and Goodra when building my Heatran for this match.
- When I realized that Togekiss wasn't max speed, I was afraid Michael would be running Para-Flinch. If I had realized earlier that his moveset didn't include Thunder Wave, I'd have been more aggressive switching in Lycanroc.
- Venusaur gave me fits this match. All I brought to beat it one on one was Heatran, but I was afraid to switch Heatran in, fearing Sleep Powder or a stray Earthquake. Chipping off half of its health with Nature's Madness and then hitting it with powerful moves from Diancie and Lycanroc was the best I could do in the absence of Heatran.
- Scarfed Flygon was an answer to some of Michael's speedier threats, such as Infernape or Xurkitree with a speed boost. It didn't end up shining in this match. Togekiss could switch in on either of its STABs, and after a few key misses, I was afraid to click Stone Edge on any switch for fear of a miss or a clumsy overprediction.
Flygon will have its day. Synergy-wise, it fills important gaps, and while base 100 attack is underwhelming, it's still workable.
Godspeed, everyone!
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