The RDL Glue-Stars

In the recent weeks, we saw the first ever class of Royal Draft League All Stars announced. As the coordinator of the All Star selection and voting process, I’d like to reiterate how much fun the selection process was. Watching the results come in had an almost addicting feel, and I found myself checking back again and again to watch trends in the voting emerge. Not every deserving Pokemon landed a slot, but such is the nature of any selective process. That said, I’d like to take a few hundred words to honor what I’ll be dubbing my “RDL Glue-Stars*”, a list of the Pokemon that may not have garnered much in the way of votes, but have served a valuable role in their respective teams. Glue-Stars are the role-players that take their team to the next level, occasionally in mundane and unrecognized ways.

*I don’t write as much these days, but when I do, my main schtick is ripping off the ideas of a basketball sports writer named Zach Lowe. Lowe has a fantastic balance of insight with opinion, and he writes it up in an always-interesting fashion. He’s in the upper echelon of sports writers, and I can’t recommend his columns enough. So, if you’re interested, the RDL Glue-Stars are a piece-for-piece rip off of Zach Lowe’s “Luke Walton All Stars”.

Without any further ado, then—my personal selection of RDL Glue-Stars:

Milotic (BKN)

Starting off our list is a Pokemon that deserves a spot on a great number of RDL best-of lists: the Brooklyn Bulbasaurs’ Milotic. Snorlax may have been the star of Brooklyn’s first divisional rampage, but Milotic has been the ever-present backbone of one of the Sun Conference’s most consistently threatening teams. Alongside Suicune and maybe a handful of others, Milotic is one of the first Pokemon to come to mind when the descriptors “bulky” and “water” are mentioned in the same breath, and for incredibly good reason.

Santoro runs a variety of sets with Milotic. Leftovers sets are particularly nasty if he can snag a burn or paralysis, and the Flame Orb set is of particular note for the sheer front-end defense it brings to the table (whilst also permanently protecting Milotic from being on the receiving end of a Toxic—the one status type it really doesn’t care for). Whole teams have fallen short of victory against Brooklyn because they fall way short of breaking Milotic in any effective fashion, watching in dismay as Milotic recovers away a nearly negligible chunk of damage, refusing again and again to fall.

Milotic fell just a few votes short of being Brooklyn’s second All Star next to Snorlax, and deservedly so. The pairing of the two represents the heart and soul of what has made Brooklyn successful this season.

Cobalion (GBG)

I almost gave this slot to Raikou for how well Galesburg has used it to corral opponents (maybe I’ll cover this in a follow-up post). As I thought about it more, however, Cobalion began to stick out as a common denominator in many of Galesburg’s games. A quick glance at the spreadsheet and, sure enough, Cobalion has seen the second most brings of any Galesburg team member, trailing only Mimikyu in total brings. As in, Cobalion has seen more brings than M-Latios, Raikou, or Suicune (by slim margins in some cases, but even so). Eight total brings may not seem like a particularly high number when compared with other team totals, but it should be noted that Galesburg has two games it’s won by forfeit. Translated, this means that Cobalion has only been left off of the Gliscors’ bring list three times for the whole season—a rate consistent with other league powerhouses such as Mew, Reuniclus, and Ferrothorn.

Plenty of Pokemon are good on paper, but weak in application. Cobalion is a rare example of the opposite. Middling attacking stats and a seemingly limited movepool mask a Pokemon capable of taking advantage of both its STABs on either the physical or the special side. A fantastic base 108 speed tier might seem wasted, what with the lack of out-of-the-box stopping power, but the speed in tandem with Volt Switch allows Cobalion to serve as a fantastic pivot (a role it’s played many a time in Galesburg’s bulky, switchy scheme). Its natural 91/129/72 bulk and myriad resistances make Cobalion an easy switch in and a fantastic defensive steel type. To top it off, access to Stealth Rock and Taunt make Cobalion a fantastic setter and stallbreaker. It’s been the pass-first point guard that unlocks the league’s most efficient offense, and it’s served its role nigh perfectly.

Quagsire (DET)

Fun fact: I considered dropping Beheeyem for Quagsire sometime around Week 4. I’m glad I didn’t, partially because I’ve found an... inappropriate fondness... for Beheeyem, but mostly because Quagsire has thrived as a glue Pokemon on the new look Detroit Lairons.

Quagsire is Tier 5 for a reason: middling stats, vulnerability to Toxic, being somewhat outclassed by both Swampert and Gastrodon, AND because it sports the dumbest grin in Pokemon*. That said, I consider Quagsire to be a “surprise” Pokemon, in that it often puts in more work than anyone expects, even in ladder matches. Opponents are caught pants-down when their neutral hit against Quagsire does under half, leaving them open to a retaliatory Earthquake, Scald, or Ice Beam. And, granted, the retaliation won’t do too much, but it’ll always do just a tiny bit more than expected. That’s just how Quagsire rolls. In Draft League, Quagsire’s mere presence on a team is often enough to make opposing electric types consider running HP Grass, sacrificing their Hidden Power and a moveslot just to extend coverage for an awkward tadpole.

Detroit has made Quagsire a regular of their lineup, with two thirds of Detroit’s games featuring the T5 mudskipper. The Lairons are 2-2 in games featuring Quagsire, with substantial contributions from it in both of their wins. Part of this shift may be due to the team’s simultaneous acquisition of Volcarona, but Volcarona has yet to find its breakout game with Detroit. Meanwhile, Quagsire has thrived as a fantastic fit to the Lairons’ playstyle, finding a fantastic niche as a budget pick and performing well above its paygrade.

*The dumb grin is because it knows how hard it is to 2HKO without Grass coverage.

Porygon2 (ESG)

I’ve raved about this thing in the podcast, because I absolutely love what it affords the Gastrodons. Porygon2 is very nearly a core by itself—a jack of all trades switch-in, capable of swallowing all but the most powerful of neutral hits. It may not possess the special bulk, rock-setting, or Natural Cure ability that comes with Chansey, but Porygon2 comes with one notable advantage over the Gen1 cleric: respectable offense. BoltBeam coverage hits fairly hard off of Porygon2’s base 105 Sp. Attack, especially if it snags an appropriate Download boost on the way in. And while the support movepool may be lacking in any hazard-setting or hazard removal options, the ability to spread paralysis with Thunder Wave is a valuable asset (even if 90% accuracy doesn’t feel like 90% sometimes), and with Ice Beam, it’s able to make Ground types think twice about switching in.

Honorable mentions to Mega-Venusaur for how well it complements Porygon2 in forming a two-mon backbone. Venusaur swallows up Fighting type attacks and Toxics aimed at Porygon2 and is able to retaliate with Leech Seed (or Sludge Bomb, if any grass types get cheeky about switching in).

Rotom-W (NYK)

I’ll do my best to avoid singing my own praises too much here, but given that last time I jokingly talked myself down, I went on a four-game losing streak, maybe a teensy bit of self-love and honest self-analysis will be appropriate.

A bull-like island avatar and a steel-magma quadruped partner up, and who should complete the merry trio? A possessed washing machine. Naturally.

The Klinks sport a particularly top-heavy bring list. Heatran, Tapu Bulu, and Rotom-Wash combine for a whopping 34 brings—of the league’s 16 teams, only East Sea has more total brings out of their top three than New York (35 between Marv, Victini, and Porygon2). The BuluTran core needs little introduction in both ladder and draft formats. Both Pokemon sport fantastic natural bulk and perfect coverage of each other’s weaknesses. Rotom-W fits in well with Bulu and Heatran due to its fantastic typing and role synergy with the two. Rotom’s typing affords it an interesting set of resistances, and Levitate affords it a handy ground immunity (sans Thousand Arrows or Mold Breaker). It’s comfortable taking the odd flying attack aimed at Bulu, and it switches into Scalds aimed at Heatran without fearing a burn—something Bulu cannot do. Volt Switch affords scouting opportunities for other members of the Klinks to come in, and between its STAB coverage and Will-o-Wisp, Rotom-W does tend to force switches. Moreover, ground types that might otherwise be switched in on predicted Volt Switches need to think twice about the move, as an incorrect guess could leave them on the ugly end of a Will-o-Wisp or a Hydro Pump.

An interesting note about Rotom-Wash is that it boasts a Scizor-like versatility. While most sets will run four out of eight or ten common moves, the versatility of Rotom-W comes from the great variety of ways it can be EV’d, and the sheer number of items it can make effective use of. Rotom can go from playing a bulky defogger, capable of swallowing unboosted neutral hits, to a hard-hitting Life Orb attacker, to bluffing choice items with an Expert Belt. It’s a Pokemon that can work its way into just about any weekly list—something the Klinks have certainly taken to heart, leaving it off the list in only two games through 13 matches.

Empoleon (KCK)

Seems like Clutch knew what he wanted when he picked up Empoleon. The Emperor penguin has been a mainstay of Kansas City’s teams in the second half of the season, coming to every game since its initial availability in week 8. Kansas City’s record in that stretch? 6-0, and a whopping +22 differential over that stretch as well. Empoleon has logged a measly two KOs in that time, ultimately earning it a -2 differential through six weeks. That said, differential is a long way off from the full story.

The full story is this, plain and simple: Empoleon plugs a lot of holes for Kansas City. Its bulk and resistances help compensate for its lack of consistent recovery, while also making it the Kingdras’ most dependable Stealth Rock setter (ahead of both Terrakion and Nidoqueen). Shuca and Chople Berry sets can work as effective bait for ground and fighting types that are convinced they have Empoleon exactly where they want it. Empoleon is also capable of putting a range of support moves to work, with Taunt, Protect, Defog, Clear Smog, and Roar all coming to mind. Empoleon’s sheer defensive versatility and configurability has fit soundly into Kansas City’s game planning. And while the number of deaths might seem unappealing, it’s worth noting that Clutch typically only lets go of Empoleon once it’s served its designated purpose—in which case, four deaths in six games doesn’t sound all too bad.

Jirachi (ORE)

The Oregon Golducks are an absolute terror of a team—a durable Volt-Turn driven offense flanked with heavy hitters and hole punchers. The team is difficult to pin down, and in watching their games, you almost always have the sense that their offense is a step ahead of the opponent. Jirachi lies at the core of what makes this team’s offense so difficult to contain.

Jirachi boasts a fantastic typing to complement its bulk, and an extensive moveset that allows it to fill a great variety of roles. Serene Grace sets are as annoying as ever, but with the average team speed in Draft League generally being lower, running Choice Scarf isn’t always necessary in order to take advantage of flinch chances on STAB Iron Heads. Bulky Jirachi sets, capable of supporting the team via wish passing and scouting with Protect or U-turn, have been fairly commonplace in Oregon's battles. Bulky Jirachi is a safe fallback option against many teams—a fast, bulky pivot that is immune to Toxic and lacking any quad weaknesses to exploit—and once it’s done its job, it can safely switch or U-turn to another teammate. Given the difficulty of fielding six Pokemon that can all consistently threaten Jirachi, it can often find ample space in the mid-game to come in and heal itself, or pass a wish to an ailing teammate. It’s a dangerous jack-of-all-trades that has found a glove-like fit in Oregon.

M-Scizor (LAC)

In some ways, Mega-Scizor has had an unremarkable season. In nine brings across 12 games played, M-Scizor is a measley 4-5 for a differential of -1. The lack of KOs is, arguably, less than half the story. The Charjabugs boast the league’s most threatening out-of-the-box offense between their oft-mentioned Big 3 of Tapu Koko, Kyurem-B, and Entei. Kyurem-B boasts a horrifying seventeen kills all to itself. The offense is more than taken care of—it’s the backend that needs some support. This is where M-Scizor comes in.

The nuance that M-Scizor adds to this team is driven by just how much of a nightmare it can be to prepare for. The threat of STAB, Technician-boosted Bullet Punches is enough to keep frailer threats from coming. The Bug/Steel typing means packing Fire coverage is necessary (and the vast majority of the Charjabugs’ remaining roster shrug off stray HP Fires). The sheer number of Pokemon M-Scizor can come in on affords it a plethora of occasions to Roost, and if you give it enough space, it’ll sneak in a couple of Swords Dances and start firing off Bullet Punches. After all, just because it hasn’t racked up KOs yet doesn’t mean it isn’t quite capable of doing so. It can Pursuit trap, it can Defog, it can U-turn (to substantial effect, one might add), it can do a dozen valuable things to keep the team rolling.

M-Scizor’s role as glue for the Charjabugs goes beyond it being difficult to prep for. In practice, it’s a life preserver that takes unboosted Stone Edges and Earthquakes reasonably well—something none of the Big 3 can boast. After a hit, LA often chooses to simply Roost off the damage, leaving M-Scizor at near-full health afterward, ready to come in and absorb another hit. LA’s week 13 game against Chicago even saw M-Scizor functioning as a Baton Passer, shipping two Swords Dance boosts off to a scarfed Kyurem-B to close the game. Despite unremarkable stats, M-Scizor has been an integral part of a solid Moon Conference team.