I was digging through old files and found this warstory I wrote for Nationals, but never published for the sake of the privacy of others' teams. I think it's okay to do so now.
I'm too busy now edit it, so there are probably some unfinished sections (which will never be finished) and various errors. Enjoy.
Anyway, the trip to St. Louis was a lot less eventful than the roadtrip IPL and I took to Nashville. You don't run into many Texas rangers and flat tires on an airplane.
THURSDAY
IPL texted me that morning, saying he got on the same connecting flight as zerowing, Fish, batpig, and batpig's brother. Pretty cool, except I couldn't get off work that day, so I had to take a later flight and miss out on hanging out at the airport. Turns out I wouldn't be able to fly with them anyway; the Pokemon travel company booked them on US Airways (which makes you pay to pick up their baggage, nyah nyah), while my girlfriend and I got to fly Southwest.
We landed in St. Louis around midnight, and as it turned out, so did zerowing and Fish - their flight was delayed or something. It was too late to take the Metrolink (subway) to the hotel, so we shelled out $40 for a taxi, all the time talking about Fish's amazingly funny "Pokemon Dreams" video, which got taken down from youtube for using the American Pokemon theme (I suggested that he use the Japanese theme, they're not as likely to crack down on those).
Checking in didn't go as smoothly as I hoped, though. I presented the check-in code given by the Pokemon travel agent, but the agent said it was filed under Zach (which is not my name). Eventually the guy at the counter showed us a bill and said he'd sort everything out with the travel agent later.
FRIDAY
First thing we noticed about the weather was that it felt like we were walking through soup. Lukewarm soup. I live in a state where the temperatures soar to 115° on average during the summer - but at least we don't get high humidity. So I stayed inside my air-conditioned room most of the day. Us regional winners had a window of 4-8:00 to go register ourselves so we didn't have to wait in line tomorrow, and I didn't even leave for the convention center until 30 minutes before the deadline.
That's where I met mingot, his daughter, IPL, Wave (his "chaperone"), Alakapimp, and Sixonesix - let me know if I missed you. After registering, we searched high and low for a restaurant that was actually open around 9:00. Turns out not too many restaurants in downtown St. Louis do, but the Hunan Manor (a Chinese Restaurant) was able to accomodate us.
SATURDAY
Round One
Round Two
Round Three
Round Four:
Round Five:
SUNDAY
Round One: vs. NeoSyrex!
Round Two: vs. Alakapimp!
Semifinals: vs. slimceagirl!
Finals: vs. imperfectluck!
I'm too busy now edit it, so there are probably some unfinished sections (which will never be finished) and various errors. Enjoy.
Anyway, the trip to St. Louis was a lot less eventful than the roadtrip IPL and I took to Nashville. You don't run into many Texas rangers and flat tires on an airplane.
THURSDAY
IPL texted me that morning, saying he got on the same connecting flight as zerowing, Fish, batpig, and batpig's brother. Pretty cool, except I couldn't get off work that day, so I had to take a later flight and miss out on hanging out at the airport. Turns out I wouldn't be able to fly with them anyway; the Pokemon travel company booked them on US Airways (which makes you pay to pick up their baggage, nyah nyah), while my girlfriend and I got to fly Southwest.
We landed in St. Louis around midnight, and as it turned out, so did zerowing and Fish - their flight was delayed or something. It was too late to take the Metrolink (subway) to the hotel, so we shelled out $40 for a taxi, all the time talking about Fish's amazingly funny "Pokemon Dreams" video, which got taken down from youtube for using the American Pokemon theme (I suggested that he use the Japanese theme, they're not as likely to crack down on those).
Checking in didn't go as smoothly as I hoped, though. I presented the check-in code given by the Pokemon travel agent, but the agent said it was filed under Zach (which is not my name). Eventually the guy at the counter showed us a bill and said he'd sort everything out with the travel agent later.
FRIDAY
First thing we noticed about the weather was that it felt like we were walking through soup. Lukewarm soup. I live in a state where the temperatures soar to 115° on average during the summer - but at least we don't get high humidity. So I stayed inside my air-conditioned room most of the day. Us regional winners had a window of 4-8:00 to go register ourselves so we didn't have to wait in line tomorrow, and I didn't even leave for the convention center until 30 minutes before the deadline.
That's where I met mingot, his daughter, IPL, Wave (his "chaperone"), Alakapimp, and Sixonesix - let me know if I missed you. After registering, we searched high and low for a restaurant that was actually open around 9:00. Turns out not too many restaurants in downtown St. Louis do, but the Hunan Manor (a Chinese Restaurant) was able to accomodate us.
SATURDAY
Round One
My first opponent was mattj's cousin Jesse. When he sent out a Blaziken and Gyarados first turn, I relaxed a little. I mean, Blaziken doesn't have any really useful options for Doubles play, so he probably didn't really know what he was doing.
It never crossed my mind that mattj's cousin would nearly cost me a spot in the top 16.
Infernape feinted Gyarados (just in case it used Protect) and Metagross blew up, taking out Gyarados and Blaziken first turn and leaving Infernape at 1 HP. That was the easy part. (3-2 me)
I brought in Togekiss, and he brought in Aerodactyl and Aggron. I swapped out Infernape for Snorlax as Togekiss Protected against the incoming Rock Slide. Snorlax took about 20% damage. ...And his Aggron used Surf. For 2% damage to Snorlax and 35% to his own Aerodactyl. Well, I had this match in the bag if he was going to take out his own Pokemon, didn't I?
Aerodactyl used Rock Slide!
Snorlax flinched! (Curse attempt)
Aerodactyl used Rock Slide!
Snorlax flinched! (Crunch attempt)
Aerodactyl used Rock Slide!
Critical hit! Snorlax flinched! (Rest attempt - Snorlax at 4%)
Togekiss managed to Air Slash Aerodactyl down to ~25% in between Protecting against Rock Slides, and then it went down to a Blizzard from Aggron. (I think.)
Shit. All I had left was a 1 HP Infernape against a faster Aerodactyl. I was prepared for the bitter end when suddenly -
Aerodactyl used Rock Slide!
Infernape avoided the attack!
Infernape used Heat Wave!
Aerodactyl fainted!
Holy crap. Could Infernape's desperate, Blaze-boosted Heat Wave OHKO Aggron?
50%... 30%...10%... 5%...
Aggron fainted!
Wow. Hax almost killed me, and hax saved my ass in the end. I guess Lady Luck just wanted to make me sweat a little. If I had lost this match, it would probably have cost me a spot in the top 16. Losing to opponents with more losses hurts your score badly, and somehow I don't think Jesse's record was all that hot - no offense to mattj.
What this match made me realize is that I needed a surefire way to drop the speed of any Pokemon that was faster than Infernape, because it was still so damn useful in the late-game. So even though this made me vulnerable to the Calm Mind Spiritomb that nearly destroyed me in Nashville, I swapped out Snorlax for Cresselia.
It never crossed my mind that mattj's cousin would nearly cost me a spot in the top 16.
Infernape feinted Gyarados (just in case it used Protect) and Metagross blew up, taking out Gyarados and Blaziken first turn and leaving Infernape at 1 HP. That was the easy part. (3-2 me)
I brought in Togekiss, and he brought in Aerodactyl and Aggron. I swapped out Infernape for Snorlax as Togekiss Protected against the incoming Rock Slide. Snorlax took about 20% damage. ...And his Aggron used Surf. For 2% damage to Snorlax and 35% to his own Aerodactyl. Well, I had this match in the bag if he was going to take out his own Pokemon, didn't I?
Aerodactyl used Rock Slide!
Snorlax flinched! (Curse attempt)
Aerodactyl used Rock Slide!
Snorlax flinched! (Crunch attempt)
Aerodactyl used Rock Slide!
Critical hit! Snorlax flinched! (Rest attempt - Snorlax at 4%)
Togekiss managed to Air Slash Aerodactyl down to ~25% in between Protecting against Rock Slides, and then it went down to a Blizzard from Aggron. (I think.)
Shit. All I had left was a 1 HP Infernape against a faster Aerodactyl. I was prepared for the bitter end when suddenly -
Aerodactyl used Rock Slide!
Infernape avoided the attack!
Infernape used Heat Wave!
Aerodactyl fainted!
Holy crap. Could Infernape's desperate, Blaze-boosted Heat Wave OHKO Aggron?
50%... 30%...10%... 5%...
Aggron fainted!
Wow. Hax almost killed me, and hax saved my ass in the end. I guess Lady Luck just wanted to make me sweat a little. If I had lost this match, it would probably have cost me a spot in the top 16. Losing to opponents with more losses hurts your score badly, and somehow I don't think Jesse's record was all that hot - no offense to mattj.
What this match made me realize is that I needed a surefire way to drop the speed of any Pokemon that was faster than Infernape, because it was still so damn useful in the late-game. So even though this made me vulnerable to the Calm Mind Spiritomb that nearly destroyed me in Nashville, I swapped out Snorlax for Cresselia.
Round Two
My opponent started off with Gengar and Smeargle. Thinking that he might've copied the Phoenix 2nd place winner (i.e. Helping Hand Smeargle + Gengar), Metagross OHKO'd Gengar with Iron Head while Infernape brought Smeargle down to the red with Heat Wave. In retrospect, I should've just use Fake Out on Smeargle either way. Gengar wasn't likely to OHKO Metagross even if Iron Head didn't OHKO, and Infernape had a Focus Sash. Plus, I could've used it to determine if Smeargle had a Choice Scarf.
For my lack of foresight, I got a sleeping Metagross. At least Dark Void missed Infernape. That's all of this match I remember, really, except for the whole winning part.
For my lack of foresight, I got a sleeping Metagross. At least Dark Void missed Infernape. That's all of this match I remember, really, except for the whole winning part.
Round Three
Steve lead with Mismagius and Salamence. Explosion obviously wasn't the way to go here, so Metagross Rock Slided Mismagius and Salamence down to ~50% health each, as Infernape used Heat Wave and Salamence used... Rain Dance? This put Mismagius in the red, activating its Salac Berry.
You'd think I'd make the obvious connection and deduce that Mismagius was going to use Destiny Bond next. Well, I did figure it out. Two seconds after I made my move.
Salamence Protected against the next Rock Slide, and Mismagius took down Metagross with it.
Now that I think about it, there wasn't any way I was going to finish Mismagius without losing one of my Pokemon. The only priority move I had Extremespeed, and that can't touch ghosts. Maybe Icy Wind could've done just enough not to kill it, but it would've just been easier to sacrifice Metagross.
Next, he sent out his own Metagross, and I went with... Togekiss? Despite the rain, Heat Wave ended up doing ~50% to Metagross. Some move activated Infernape's Focus Sash (I think), and Metagross flinched.
Actually, I have no idea what really happened, I just remember there was a Metagross, and a Garchomp. Metagross went down to HP Ground from Cresselia, and Icy Wind took care of the dragons. Togekiss went down to Outrage and Draco Meteor at some point, and Infernape did some damage with Heat Wave.
You'd think I'd make the obvious connection and deduce that Mismagius was going to use Destiny Bond next. Well, I did figure it out. Two seconds after I made my move.
Salamence Protected against the next Rock Slide, and Mismagius took down Metagross with it.
Now that I think about it, there wasn't any way I was going to finish Mismagius without losing one of my Pokemon. The only priority move I had Extremespeed, and that can't touch ghosts. Maybe Icy Wind could've done just enough not to kill it, but it would've just been easier to sacrifice Metagross.
Next, he sent out his own Metagross, and I went with... Togekiss? Despite the rain, Heat Wave ended up doing ~50% to Metagross. Some move activated Infernape's Focus Sash (I think), and Metagross flinched.
Actually, I have no idea what really happened, I just remember there was a Metagross, and a Garchomp. Metagross went down to HP Ground from Cresselia, and Icy Wind took care of the dragons. Togekiss went down to Outrage and Draco Meteor at some point, and Infernape did some damage with Heat Wave.
Round Four:
The other Stephen led with Dusknoir and Metagross. His Metagross Protected, but his Dusknoir didn't do so well, getting locked into Trick Room from a Tricked Choice Scarf and burned by Heat Wave. Next turn, his Metagross Exploded, with my Metagross surviving with half health and Infernape only by a Focus Sash. His Dusknoir stayed in, but didn't get another chance to Trick Room because Iron Head and Heat Wave finished it off.
His next two Pokemon were Zapdos and Swampert - the Discharge + electric immunity combo. Since Trick Room was still up, I had to stall it out for Infernape and Metagross to anything besides die to Earthquake. So I switched out to Togekiss and Cresselia. Togekiss doesn't like Discharge much, but it managed to survive long enough to stall out Trick Room and give Infernape a free switch-in. Meanwhile, Cresselia started buffing up with Calm Mind and had to Rest off Discharge-related paralysis. And then it was paralyzed again one turn after Resting.
Infernape got Swampert down to 1 HP, but it had a Sitrus Berry and didn't drop from Icy Wind. So I had to send in Metagross to finish it off with Iron Head. I was considering Rock Slide, but since Cresselia was paralyzed and there was no guarantee that Rock Slide would finish off Swampert, I had to go the safe route. Zapdos had Heat Wave, though, and soon only Cresselia was left to face Zapdos.
I knew I had this match won, but things were tense for a while because one badly-timed full paralysis or CH could cost me. At least this guy didn't have mattj's cousin's luck.
His next two Pokemon were Zapdos and Swampert - the Discharge + electric immunity combo. Since Trick Room was still up, I had to stall it out for Infernape and Metagross to anything besides die to Earthquake. So I switched out to Togekiss and Cresselia. Togekiss doesn't like Discharge much, but it managed to survive long enough to stall out Trick Room and give Infernape a free switch-in. Meanwhile, Cresselia started buffing up with Calm Mind and had to Rest off Discharge-related paralysis. And then it was paralyzed again one turn after Resting.
Infernape got Swampert down to 1 HP, but it had a Sitrus Berry and didn't drop from Icy Wind. So I had to send in Metagross to finish it off with Iron Head. I was considering Rock Slide, but since Cresselia was paralyzed and there was no guarantee that Rock Slide would finish off Swampert, I had to go the safe route. Zapdos had Heat Wave, though, and soon only Cresselia was left to face Zapdos.
I knew I had this match won, but things were tense for a while because one badly-timed full paralysis or CH could cost me. At least this guy didn't have mattj's cousin's luck.
Round Five:
JDSaulbot recorded this match, so full details are going to come from him.
JDSaulbot was the only other undefeated person in the bracket, so we were paired up at the station hooked up to the plasma screen. He lead with Hariyama and Dusknoir - just like his team in Phoenix. It was refreshing to see someone who also stuck with the same team. And what's more, he had even posted it on Skarmbliss for all to see. I think that's the hallmark of a great team - being able to win even when your opponents know what you've got.
I figured his Hariyama was going to use Fake Out on Metagross to give it a free turn for its Flame Orb to activate, so Infernape flinched it first with its own Fake Out. Metagross Tricked its Choice Scarf onto Dusknoir, hoping to lock it into Trick Room, except it used Shadow Sneak on Metagross for negligible damage. Oh well.
I had to take down that Guts-boosted Hariyama next turn, so Infernape started with Endeavor. Even at full health, Infernape's Endeavor does a hefty bit to a Hariyama. Dusknoir hitting it with Shadow Sneak was pretty helpful, too. Hariyama went down to ~35%... but it still wasn't enough for Metagross to KO it with Iron Head before Hariyama thrashed Infernape with Close Combat. But enough for the burn to finish it off.
He brought out Metagross next, and I brought out Cresselia. I think his Metagross went down to Calm Mind-boosted HP Ground, and his last Pokemon - Abomasnow - went down to Air Slash and Icy Wind.
JDSaulbot was the only other undefeated person in the bracket, so we were paired up at the station hooked up to the plasma screen. He lead with Hariyama and Dusknoir - just like his team in Phoenix. It was refreshing to see someone who also stuck with the same team. And what's more, he had even posted it on Skarmbliss for all to see. I think that's the hallmark of a great team - being able to win even when your opponents know what you've got.
I figured his Hariyama was going to use Fake Out on Metagross to give it a free turn for its Flame Orb to activate, so Infernape flinched it first with its own Fake Out. Metagross Tricked its Choice Scarf onto Dusknoir, hoping to lock it into Trick Room, except it used Shadow Sneak on Metagross for negligible damage. Oh well.
I had to take down that Guts-boosted Hariyama next turn, so Infernape started with Endeavor. Even at full health, Infernape's Endeavor does a hefty bit to a Hariyama. Dusknoir hitting it with Shadow Sneak was pretty helpful, too. Hariyama went down to ~35%... but it still wasn't enough for Metagross to KO it with Iron Head before Hariyama thrashed Infernape with Close Combat. But enough for the burn to finish it off.
He brought out Metagross next, and I brought out Cresselia. I think his Metagross went down to Calm Mind-boosted HP Ground, and his last Pokemon - Abomasnow - went down to Air Slash and Icy Wind.
SUNDAY
Round One: vs. NeoSyrex!
Well, except NeoSyrex was selected from the random draw, and he wasn't going to change his hotel and flight reservations just for a chance to win the championship. So while everyone else was battling all around me, I stuck Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney into the DS station.
Halfway through my investigation to defend Wocky Kitaki, Marriland came along to spoil my fun, telling me that the stations were for Pokemon games only.
"...what about Pokemon Mystery Dungeon?"
"..."
"Okay, sure."
:D
"Wait a sec, I don't even like Pokemon Mystery Dungeon."
D:
Halfway through my investigation to defend Wocky Kitaki, Marriland came along to spoil my fun, telling me that the stations were for Pokemon games only.
"...what about Pokemon Mystery Dungeon?"
"..."
"Okay, sure."
:D
"Wait a sec, I don't even like Pokemon Mystery Dungeon."
D:
Round Two: vs. Alakapimp!
I played poorly in my first match. Gengar wasn't OHKO'd by Iron Head (though it has a chance to), so I lost Infernape second turn to Shadow Ball + Earthquake. (First turn he double Protected against Fake Out.) Eventually it came down to Cresselia and Togekiss against Zapdos and Garchomp, and they couldn't keep up against all the Dragon Claws and Discharges.
Second match, though, I won 4-0 - without taking a single point of damage.
Garchomp and Gengar double Protected again, but this time Infernape (CH?) Feinted Garchomp and Metagross smashed it with Iron Head, taking it to ~33% health. Next turn Metagross OHKO'd Gengar with Iron Head, and Garchomp was switched out for Zapdos (who ate a full-power Heat Wave). And then he brought back in Mamoswine, but it was OHKO'd by Iron Head, too. And thus Zapdos took another full-power Heat Wave to the face, finishing it off. Maybe it was a crit? In any case, Garchomp dropped to one final Iron Head.
Third match, I decided to bring Snorlax back into the game. Togekiss was dead weight against Discharge Zapdos, but Snorlax can take those pretty well. I forgot to switch items, though, and my Snorlax went into battle without a Lum Berry to wake up from Rest. I asked Alakapimp if I could restart the match on turn 1, but he wouldn't let me. Well, I can't blame him for not wanting to.
Don't remember exactly what happened, but it came down to his Mamoswine and Zapdos against my Cresselia and Snorlax, with his Garchomp waiting in the wings. Cresselia got a Calm Mind or two under her belt, and Rested to recover from Discharge's paralysis. Snorlax was damaged enough to have to Rest, but without a Lum Berry it sat there for two turns until it woke up, dealing a decisive paralyzing Body Slam to Mamoswine. Probably wouldn't have mattered that much - I think Discharge paralyzed Snorlax, too, so that would've used up the Lum.
When it came down to Garchomp's last stand, Alaka said "there's no way I could win this". I thought about it and said "wait, yeah you can". I thought Cresselia would be KO'd by Dragon Claw, and if Snorlax was fully paralyzed that turn he had the win. But Dragon Claw only brought Cresselia down to 15%, and Garchomp was blown away in the Icy Wind.
Just before we moved on to the next round, I realized that a) Alakapimp's station was hooked up to the plasma screen and b) Marriland wasn't looking. Guess what game I stuck in his slot?
(Thanks, Alaka, it made my girlfriend laugh.)
Second match, though, I won 4-0 - without taking a single point of damage.
Garchomp and Gengar double Protected again, but this time Infernape (CH?) Feinted Garchomp and Metagross smashed it with Iron Head, taking it to ~33% health. Next turn Metagross OHKO'd Gengar with Iron Head, and Garchomp was switched out for Zapdos (who ate a full-power Heat Wave). And then he brought back in Mamoswine, but it was OHKO'd by Iron Head, too. And thus Zapdos took another full-power Heat Wave to the face, finishing it off. Maybe it was a crit? In any case, Garchomp dropped to one final Iron Head.
Third match, I decided to bring Snorlax back into the game. Togekiss was dead weight against Discharge Zapdos, but Snorlax can take those pretty well. I forgot to switch items, though, and my Snorlax went into battle without a Lum Berry to wake up from Rest. I asked Alakapimp if I could restart the match on turn 1, but he wouldn't let me. Well, I can't blame him for not wanting to.
Don't remember exactly what happened, but it came down to his Mamoswine and Zapdos against my Cresselia and Snorlax, with his Garchomp waiting in the wings. Cresselia got a Calm Mind or two under her belt, and Rested to recover from Discharge's paralysis. Snorlax was damaged enough to have to Rest, but without a Lum Berry it sat there for two turns until it woke up, dealing a decisive paralyzing Body Slam to Mamoswine. Probably wouldn't have mattered that much - I think Discharge paralyzed Snorlax, too, so that would've used up the Lum.
When it came down to Garchomp's last stand, Alaka said "there's no way I could win this". I thought about it and said "wait, yeah you can". I thought Cresselia would be KO'd by Dragon Claw, and if Snorlax was fully paralyzed that turn he had the win. But Dragon Claw only brought Cresselia down to 15%, and Garchomp was blown away in the Icy Wind.
Just before we moved on to the next round, I realized that a) Alakapimp's station was hooked up to the plasma screen and b) Marriland wasn't looking. Guess what game I stuck in his slot?
(Thanks, Alaka, it made my girlfriend laugh.)
Semifinals: vs. slimceagirl!
In every single match before, I chose to "become leader" for the Wi-Fi Colosseum club (i.e. I host the game). I was going to do the same, but this time she protested. And made a pouty face.
The match hasn't even started yet, and she's already trying to get me to let my guard down.
Ultimately, I wasn't too quick with getting into the right room (I selected Single Battle by accident) and Marriland declared her the leader. She taunted me with a resounding "HA!", but little did she know I was going to get the last laugh.
She led with Slowking and Abomasnow - pretty clear Trick Room+Hail action going on here. As usual, Metagross Tricked its Choice Scarf onto Slowking, locking it into I barely managed to win the first match, as Togekiss went down pretty easily, but in the second match I brought in ALL my Ice resists - Infernape, Metagross, Snorlax, and Empoleon - and her team went down pretty quickly.
The match hasn't even started yet, and she's already trying to get me to let my guard down.
Ultimately, I wasn't too quick with getting into the right room (I selected Single Battle by accident) and Marriland declared her the leader. She taunted me with a resounding "HA!", but little did she know I was going to get the last laugh.
She led with Slowking and Abomasnow - pretty clear Trick Room+Hail action going on here. As usual, Metagross Tricked its Choice Scarf onto Slowking, locking it into I barely managed to win the first match, as Togekiss went down pretty easily, but in the second match I brought in ALL my Ice resists - Infernape, Metagross, Snorlax, and Empoleon - and her team went down pretty quickly.
Finals: vs. imperfectluck!
Youtube videos
Battle 1 (showing IPL's move choices)
Battle 2
Battle 1 (showing my move choices, part 1)
Battle 1 (showing my move choices, part 2)
Battle 2 (showing my move choices)
These matches were played on PBR. Before the match, IPL realized that the setup they were using for the finals didn't allow us to switch items in between rounds - which not only was allowed in the DS battles, but was essential to our strategies (since I had to move a Chesto Berry around and IPL had all the wrong items on his Pokemon). So after talking with Mike Liesek, he told us that he'd loan us some DSes so we could change our items between matches. He'd have to re-upload our teams to the Wiis each time, since the PBR Championship discs they had didn't retain teams.
It's true that since I was basically using the same team as I did in Nashville, IPL had the advantage here. But I also had gotten a feel for his playing style, and I had some idea what his opening moves would be regardless of the new team he cooked up. So when he sent out Metagross and Azelf, I took almost the whole minute trying to predict his moves, but I realized his Azelf was going to play it safe and Detect first turn - and almost got KO'd by Feint + Iron Head. His Metagross used Earthquake, and Infernape survived with 6 HP (wow) and Metagross with ~45% health.
In my experience, my Infernape is more useful at low HP than it is with full HP. I figured he'd try to EQ again, so I brought in Togekiss and Cresselia, expecting his Azelf to use Flamethrower (instead of Detect).
I realize his Azelf might try to Explode (though Togekiss should've been able to finish it off)
I half expected his Azelf to Explode, so I Protected with Togekiss and switched Cresselia back out for Metagross, since he wasn't going to be using Earthquake this turn. Instead, Azelf tried Detecting again, and his Metagross's Ice Punch was blocked by Protect. When my Metagross switched back in, I decided to turn his Metagross into dead weight - Tricking a Choice Scarf onto it, locking it into Earthquake. My Metagross went down to EQ, but when I brought Cresselia back out he was forced to switch out Metagross for Smeargle. Meanwhile, he switched out his low-health Azelf for... Heatran.
(not going to bother finishing this, go watch the videos)
Battle 1 (showing IPL's move choices)
Battle 2
Battle 1 (showing my move choices, part 1)
Battle 1 (showing my move choices, part 2)
Battle 2 (showing my move choices)
These matches were played on PBR. Before the match, IPL realized that the setup they were using for the finals didn't allow us to switch items in between rounds - which not only was allowed in the DS battles, but was essential to our strategies (since I had to move a Chesto Berry around and IPL had all the wrong items on his Pokemon). So after talking with Mike Liesek, he told us that he'd loan us some DSes so we could change our items between matches. He'd have to re-upload our teams to the Wiis each time, since the PBR Championship discs they had didn't retain teams.
It's true that since I was basically using the same team as I did in Nashville, IPL had the advantage here. But I also had gotten a feel for his playing style, and I had some idea what his opening moves would be regardless of the new team he cooked up. So when he sent out Metagross and Azelf, I took almost the whole minute trying to predict his moves, but I realized his Azelf was going to play it safe and Detect first turn - and almost got KO'd by Feint + Iron Head. His Metagross used Earthquake, and Infernape survived with 6 HP (wow) and Metagross with ~45% health.
In my experience, my Infernape is more useful at low HP than it is with full HP. I figured he'd try to EQ again, so I brought in Togekiss and Cresselia, expecting his Azelf to use Flamethrower (instead of Detect).
I realize his Azelf might try to Explode (though Togekiss should've been able to finish it off)
I half expected his Azelf to Explode, so I Protected with Togekiss and switched Cresselia back out for Metagross, since he wasn't going to be using Earthquake this turn. Instead, Azelf tried Detecting again, and his Metagross's Ice Punch was blocked by Protect. When my Metagross switched back in, I decided to turn his Metagross into dead weight - Tricking a Choice Scarf onto it, locking it into Earthquake. My Metagross went down to EQ, but when I brought Cresselia back out he was forced to switch out Metagross for Smeargle. Meanwhile, he switched out his low-health Azelf for... Heatran.
(not going to bother finishing this, go watch the videos)
