Fire run complete!

The team going in:

Prometheus - Flamethrower, Psychic, Grass Knot, Shadow Ball (196 SA/Speed)
Phoenix - Fire Blast, Fly, Thief, Steel Wing (160 Atk, 156 Speed, 172 Speed)
Aslan - Flamethrower, Hyper Voice, Dark Pulse, Hidden Power [Ice] (186 SA, 182 Speed)
Salamando - Flare Blitz, Dragon Claw, Brick Break, Shadow Claw (183 Atk, 185 Speed before Mega - 248 after)
Baskerville - Flamethrower, Dark Pulse, Sludge Bomb, Thunder Fang (207 SA, 186 Speed)
Apollyon - Fire Blast, Shadow Ball, Psychic, Energy Ball (269 SA, 133 Speed)

Wikstrom
Two in a row with Steel to open.

Baskerville v Klefki
Spikes get dropped, then Flamethrower OHKOs.

Salamando v Probopass
Salamando goes Mega and hits with Shadow Claw for 30%, then takes a Power Gem (90/188) and finishes with Brick Break.

Apollyon v Aegislash
King's Shield misses a Fire Blast, but the second one hits true and OHKOs through the Shield form.

Aslan v Scizor
Take a wild guess. (Flamethrower)

Malva
I'll take the resistance here.

Salamando v Pyroar
Mega Brick Break OHKOs.

Apollyon v Torkoal
I have nothing to SE straight Fire, so Shadow Ball does 90%... and a critical Stone Edge leaves Apollyon on 14 HP out of 160. Full Restore 1 is countered with a critical Psychic, which leads to a double Shadow Ball finish.

Baskerville v Chandelure
Dark Pulse OHKOs.

Baskerville v Talonflame
Thunder Fang only does 30%, and Brave Bird drops Baskerville to 40/178 (but runs him below 50% on recoil). Dark Pulse finishes.

Drasna
One obvious winner, but we took a chance here so let's see if it pays off.

Salamando v Dragalgae
Mega Dragon Claw OHKOs, with a probably-gratuitous critical.

Aslan v Altaria
Hidden Power does 90%... plan failed. Altaria Cotton Guards, then eats a Hyper Voice on the Full Restore for 40% and Hidden Power finishes.

Salamando v Druddigon
What does it take to OHKO Druddigon? A 248 attack, 90 pwr STAB SE move.

Aslan v Pyroar
Another 90% Hidden Power as Aslan's faster, the Super Fang does half, then Hyper Voice->Hidden Power wraps.

Siebold
I've been avoiding using Apollyon for now specifically for this.

Apollyon v Clawitzer
269 SA Energy Ball = OHKO? YES!

Prometheus v Gyarados
A critical Grass Knot does 60% as Gyarados Dragon Dances, and Prometheus is still faster so a 2nd Knot finishes! Holy cow!

Prometheus v Barbaracle
Grass Knot OHKOs! We're rolling!

Baskerville v Starmie
Dark Pulse OHKOs! Water cleared with no HP lost!

Diantha
One last shot for glory...

Prometheus v Hawlucha
Psychic OHKOs.

Salamando v Tyrantrum
On Route 21, I OHKOed the Tyrantrum with Dragon Claw. We do it again when it counts.

Salamando v Goodra
Apparently not getting the memo, Goodra is Claw'd out as well. Salamando dings 65.

Phoenix v Aurorus
Steel Wing does 90%, and Aurorus squeezes in a Reflect. On Full Restore 1, Fire Blast does 30%, and Steel Wing does 60%... and PHOENIX SURVIVES THUNDER (29/185). Full Restore 2 meets a critical + Def+ Steel Wing for a OHKO anyway.

Baskerville v Gourgeist
Flamethrower OHKOs. Reflect is gone. Here. We. Go.

Salamando v MegaGardevoir
One last Mega showdown... and Shadow Claw connects for the win!

Pictured: I actually managed to pull off color co-ordination for once.

So with that, the time of the fall is  28:34, and with that, I can safely declare the end...

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..
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?

Normal run complete!

The team entering, with relevant stats (Attack and Special Attack, then Speed):

Pyroar - Hyper Voice, Flamethrower, Dark Pulse, Solarbeam (225/202)
Snorlax - Body Slam, Earthquake, Heavy Slam, Rock Slide (209/95)
Exploud - Boomburst, Surf, Ice Beam, Shadow Ball (201/145)
Zangoose - Return, X-Scissor, Poison Jab, Brick Break (209/185)
Heliolisk - Thunderbolt, Surf, Dark Pulse, Grass Knot (192/224)
Staraptor - Return, Fly, Steel Wing, Close Combat (229/189)

And let's start it off with...

Wikstrom
Well, I lead with a Fire type normally, so why not?

Pyroar v Klefki
klefki drops a Spike layer but get roasted out by Flamethrower.

Zangoose v Probopass
Brick Break takes Probo to 1, Power Gem after Spikes brings Zangoose to 82/186. X-Scissor on the Full Restore turn sets up a Brick Break KO.

Snorlax v Aegislash
Sacred Sword takes Snorlax to 42HP, but Earthquake OHKOs.

Pyroar v Scizor
Flamethrower, g'bye.

Siebold
Gentlemen first, and I may be able to run the table here.

Heliolisk v Clawitzer
Thunderbolt...

Heliolisk v Gyarados
Thunderbolt...

Heliolisk v Barbaracle
Grass Knot for variety...

Heliolisk v Starmie
...and Thunderbolt to go 4/4!

Drasna
I think Exploud can pull off the last few, but that poisonous roadblock tho :/

Snorlax v Dragalgae
Can a 209 Atk non-STAB EQ get rid of Dragalgae? Yep, one shot.

Exploud v Druddigon
Weird that they'd go to the non-W4 here. Ice Beam does 70%... and Exploud survives Revenge by 6 HP! (Out of 226... damn.) Boomburst finishes.

Exploud v Altaria
Ice Beam OHKOs. I don't trust it against Noivern, though.

Snorlax v Noivern
Flamethrower does 24 damage... and Rock Slide misses. ::facepalm:: Noivern Super Fangs to 130, and Rock Slide does 60%. Dragon Pulse leaves Snorlax at 58, and sets up the Rock Slide finish with a gratuitous CH.

Malva
Last one standing, turn out the lights.

Staraptor v Pyroar
My desire to get Staraptor in before Diantha beats my desire for a mirror match. Close Combat OHKOs.

Exploud v Torkoal
Surf leaves Torkoal on about 5%, and Stone Edge does 66 (160/226). Boomburst on the Full Restore... faints, no crit or anything. Love this move.

Heliolisk v Talonflame
Thunderbolt OHKOs.

Pyroar v Chandelure
Dark Pulse OHKOs, and here we go!

Diantha
Aerial combat to open, play it by ear from there.

Staraptor v Hawlucha
Fly OHKOs.

Snorlax v Tyrantrum
Earthquake does 70%, Head Smash does 216 and Tyrantrum goes down from recoil.

Staraptor v Goodra
Fly misses Dragon Pulse and does 75%, then takes 117 (86/203) on the landing Dragon Pulse. A second Fly finishes.

Zangoose v Aurorus
Brick Break OHKOs.

Pyroar v Gourgeist
Flamethrower OHKOs.

Snorlax v MGardevoir
Moonblast picks off the weakened Snorlax. OK, plan B.

Staraptor v MGardevoir
Steel Wing... does 98%. If she's not Mega, it's a OHKO. Psychic (gratuitous crit) finishes.

Zangoose v MGardevoir
On the Full Restore turn, Poison Jab criticals and we have a new champion!

Pictured: Exploud, you can chill out now.

So there we go. One run remains. Time to light this joint on Fire.

Time Of The Fall: 28:45

Water run complete!

Team going in:
Vyse - Surf, Dark Pulse, Ice Beam, Extrasensory - 201 primary Attack stat, 184 Speed
Hook - Water Pulse, Dark Pulse, Ice Beam, Flash Cannon - 192 / 164
Picard - Waterfall, Play Rough, Dig, Brick Break - 130 (260 w/Huge Power) / 129
Tenneal - Surf, Psychic, Sludge Bomb, Flamethrower - 190 / 129
Leela - Surf, Thunderbolt, Ice Beam, Dazzling Gleam - 146 / 142
Starbuck - Waterfall, Brick Break, Earthquake, Rock Slide - 187 / 153

And of course, there's only one place to start.

Malva
I believe the term is "Duh..."

Starbuck v Pyroar
Waterfall puts the kitty down.

Leela v Talonflame
Brave Bird does 195/257, Surf OHKOs after recoil.

Leela v Torkoal
Surf OHKOs again.

Vyse v Chandelure
And Surf completes the sweep.

Siebold
Resist STAB and have good counters? Check.

Leela v Clawitzer
Thunderbolt does 90%, Dragon Pulse brings Leela to 172/257. Dazzling Gleam on the Full Restore does a quarter to set up the T-Bolt finish.

Leela v Gyarados
Thunderbolt OHKOs.

Hook v Barbaracle
Oops, forgot the Grass Knot. But a Mega Water Pulse does 70% and confuses, NBD. Barb hits Stone Edge through the confusion (134/197) but a second Water Pulse finishes.

Vyse v Starmie
Dark Pulse one-shots to end it.

Drasna
Throwing a quality anti-Dragon at it.

Picard v Dragalgae
Picard Digs to avoid a Sludge Bomb, then OHKOs on the turn 2. Apparently Dig CAN one-shot if it's coming from 260 Attack.

Leela v Altaria
Ice Beam, next.

Hook v Noivern
Dragon Pulse brings Hook to 68 (forgot to heal), but at least it's not an Air Slash flinch. Ice Beam OHKOs back.

Hook v Druddigon
Ice Beam... leaves Druddigon at 2%. Dragon Tail brings Hook to 25, but enter Picard.

Picard v Druddigon
On Full Restore 1, Play Rough OHKOs (181/206 after Rough Skin).

Wikstrom
Only one left, and time for Tenneal to prove his worth.

Tenneal v Klefki
Opening Flamethrower does 95%, Dazzling Gleam hits (117/180). Full Restore 1 meets 70% from Surf, and a second Surf finishes. No Spikes here, luckily.

Leela v Probopass
Surf does 70%, and Earth Power brings Leela to 163/257. Surf 2 gets the duke. Leela dings 66.

Hook v Aegislash
Mega Launcher aided Dark Pulse is my best shot here... first shot hits a King's Shield, but the 2nd drops Aegislash to 10%. Shadow Claw hits for 125/197 left, but Wikstrom Full Restores in Blade form, so Pulse 3 is an easy OHKO. Hook levels.

Tenneal v Scizor
And Flamethrower happens.

Diantha
I don't usually lead with Pokemon that have levelled, but it's my best shot here.

Leela v Hawlucha
A not-very-effective Flying Press does 42, a SE Thunderbolt one-shots.

Picard v Tyrantrum
Play Rough OHKOs. Picard dings. Don't mess with the fairy.

Starbuck v Aurorus
Brick Break, goodbye.

Vyse v Gourgeist
Dark Pulse OHKOs.

Picard v Goodra
Play Rough... MISSES! Focus Blast... hits (178/209, NVE) and lowers the Special Defense. What is that, a set up for Sludge Bomb? PR 2... MISSES AGAIN! This time, Goodra Fire Blasts Picard to 132. A 3rd PR finally puts the Undergooder down, and HERE WE GO...

Hook v Gardevoir
A critical Flash Cannon... leaves Gardevoir on 5%. The retailiatory Thunderbolt brings Hook to 52HP. On the Full Restore I Water Pulse for half... AND WATER PULSE 2 DOES IT! NEW HERO!

Pictured: First he makes it into Kerfuffle, then he becomes a two time champion.

So we'll send them off and then go back to Normal for a bit...

Time of the fall: 30:42

Fighting run complete!

You'd think after the last post I'd go after the thing I can SE first.

You'd be wrong.

Malva
Fewest problem Pokemon off the hop...

Dangerously v Pyroar
Hyper Voices does 58 (137/195) and Surf OHKOs back.

Eaton v Talonflame
Eaton's faster and has Rock Slide, which connects for a OHKO.

Dangerously v Torkoal
Surf OHKOs, as usual.

Zbyszko v Chandelure
Crunch OHKOs after a gratuitous Flame Body burn.

Siebold
Relax, we'll get to Steel soon.

Rude v Clawitzer
Seed Bomb OHKOs.

Eaton v Starmie
X-Scissor... does 90%. I didn't want to chance Zbyszko coming in and getting Dazzling Gleamed to death, but he'll have to come in as Psychic OHKOs back.

Zbyszko v Starmie
On the Full Restore, Crunch OHKOs.

Rude v Barbaracle
Seed Bomb does what you would expect.

Austin v Gyarados
Even with Intimidate, Austin manages to hit the Stun Gu... er, Thunder Punch and OHKO.

Drasna
I've got a theory about this one but I doubt I'll be able to attempt it...

Zbyszko v Dragalgae
Dragon Claw crits and OHKOs. I'm hoping for a certain type of skin to show next...

Dangerously v Altaria
...and I don't get it, so I bring in Dangerously to OHKO with Ice Beam.

Dangerously v Noivern
He's got good SpDef, so as long as Air Slash doesn't start flinching I'll be OK... first hit brings it to 81/192 and of course, flinches. Second AS finishes.

Eaton v Noivern
On the ground of "two can play at that game", I try Rock Slide for 60%, but no flinch. Air Slash 3 is also a OHKO.

Anderson v Noivern
The Enforcer goes Mega, takes about 120 (62/186) from Flamethrower, and Psychic gets the faint.

Austin v Druddigon
I wanted to see if a +1 Dragon Claw could OHKO... but I didn't need to, as a standard High Jump Kick did the job. (146/169 due to Rough Skin.)

Wikstrom
There's one Pokemon I'm frightened of, and it's his main.

Zbyszko v Klefki
High Jump Kick does 85%, clearly missing the Moxie boost, and Dazzling Gleam OHKOs

Rude v Klefki
I Brick Break (saving the Earthquake PP) for half, and Klefki drops Spikes. A second Brick Break finishes.

Rude v Aegislash
Here we go... The one thing I would have normally brought is gone. I use Earthquake 4 times - 1 and 3 hit King's Shields, but the 2nd and 4th are enough to bring it down. On the one offensive turn for Aegislash, Iron Head did 131/204.

Austin v Scizor
After Austin takes 21 from Spikes (148/169), Fire Punch OHKOs.

Austin v Probopass
Can't get around Sturdy with anyone, but a Fire Punch does a quarter... and burns. Doesn't affect Flash Cannon's damage any (84 HP left), but High Jump Kick ends it.


Diantha
Starting with the Mirror Match again, clearly.

Eaton v Hawlucha
Eaton Flies away from a Poison Jab... but the Vainville Jam MISSES and Poison Jab hits for 142/188.. and poisons. A second Fly connects for the duke.

Dangerously v Aurorus
Focus Miss... hits like a Flair top rope move and OHKOs.


Austin v Gourgeist
Fire Punch... DOESN'T OHKO. (What.) On Phanton Force, I swap to the Cruncher.

Zbyszko v Gourgeist
The incoming Phantom Force does 28 damage. Crunch does 90% and lowers Defense on the Full Restore allowing a 2nd Crunch on Full Restore to OHKO.

Zbyszko v Goodra
I take the Moxie boost and OHKO with High Jump Kick. Zbyszko levels.

Austin v Tyrantrum
High Jump Kick OHKOs again to set up the Mega match.

Anderson v Gardevoir
Moonblast goes first and takes Anderson to 45... but Mega Metal Claw OHKOs! New heroine!

Pictured: I'm not sure Rude should be going after this one.

After a run to the Bank, it's... well, time to jump into the pool as we're getting a little Water-logged.

Time of the fall  26:48

Electric run complete!

Siebold
Yeah, this was the obvious opener.

Ixion v Clawitzer
Thunderbolt OHKOs.

Tritoch v Gyarados
Make it two.

Ixion v Barbaracle
For a change of pace, Grass Knot OHKOs.

Ixion v Starmie
And back to Thunderbolt for the win.

Malva
I've got more Waters and Surfs than normal...

Ixion v Pyroar
Surf OHKOs.

Tritoch v Torkoal
And again.

Tritoch v Chandelure
Surf goes 3/3.

Tiamat v Talonflame
I misclicked Dragon Pulse... and after Flare Blitz takes to 167/206, it finishes anyway. Huh. Thanks to Exp Share, Ixion leveled here.

Drasna
If I can get past the first one, this should be easy...

Tiamat v Dragalgae
When in doubt, go Mega. Dragon Pulse means we're 9/9.

Tritoch v Altaria
Ice Beam OHKOs for 10.

Tritoch v Noivern
Dragon Pulse takes 100 off (151/251) but Ice Beam means we're 11/11. Tritoch levels.

Tiamat v Druddigon
And Dragon Pulse makes us perfect through 3 Elite and levels Tiamat.

Wikstrom
Only one left, what can I do?

Remora v Klefki
Dazzling Gleam goes first and takes Remora to 177 (/226), and Mud Bomb... doesn't finish, ending the streak like a metallic Lesnar. Thunderbolt hits the Full Restore, and Klefki drops Spikes before falling to a second Thunderbolt.

Remora v Probopass
Surf takes Probopass down about 40%, and Earth Power brings Remora to 101. Mud Bomb finishes and Remora levels.

Remora v Aegislash
I Hyper Potion to waste King's Shield, and Mud Bomb does just under half. Shadow Claw takes Remora to 126... and Static kicks in. Mud Bomb 2 hits a switch to Shield Form, but Aegislash is paralyzed. Full Restore 2 is met with Thunderbolt for about a quarter, Mud Bomb hits the Shield, a seond one hits but Aegislash Claws Remora to 27. Yet another Mud Bomb finishes.

Raiden v Scizor
Overheat does it job, OHKOing. That's better.

Diantha
There's two trouble spots down the stretch...

Alexander v Hawlucha
Flying Press hits for 23 (146/169), and Thunderbolt OHKOs back.

Alexander v Tyrantrum
Flash Cannon OHKOs. Alexander levels.

Tritoch v Goodra
Here's the first trouble. Ice Beam does 40%, and Dragon Pulse brings Tritoch to 161/254. Thunderbolt criticals to put Goodra into Ice Beam KO range, while a second Dragon Pulse leaves Tritoch on 79. Ice Beam finishes.

Raiden v Gourgeist
Not taking any chances, Overheat OHKOs. Raiden levels, and we're all hands on deck!

Alexander v Aurorus
Flash Cannon OHKOs.

Alexander v Gardevoir
Shadow Ball takes Alexander to 76, and Flash Cannon... leaves 5%. Full Restore is met by Thunderbolt for 40%. Alex survives Shadow Ball with 11 HP, and there's no kicking out of a second Flash Cannon!

Pictured: Getting out in front of our deep-sea friend.

Off they go to the Bank, and then we start Fighting through the final four runs...

Time of the fall: 29:04

Ground run complete!

By the way, the stats for the record going into the Elite:
Kamina - 221 Atk, 164 Speed
Simon - 222/116
Nia - 342 (171x2)/105
Gurren - 206/123
Leyte - 247/168
Gimmy - 155 SA, 106 Speed

...so yeah.

Wikstrom
Wait, seriously? Yes, we're LEADING with Steel. This happens two more times.

Kamina v Klefki
Klefki drops a layer of Spikes, but Earthquake crits for a gratuitous OHKO.

Kamina v Aegislash
Earthquake OHKOs... in Shield Form. DAMN.

Simon v Scizor
Fire Fang, next.

Nia v Probopass
Bonemerang hit 1 triggers Sturdy. Of course, there's a second. (4/4)

Malva
Obvious matchup #2 on the way...

Leyte v Pyroar
Earthquake does it in 1.

Kamina v Talonflame
Talonflame's faster, and Flare Blitz drops Kamina to 78/202 HP. Rock Slide... MISSES. Back to Leyte...

Leyte v Talonflame
Flare Blitz brings Leyte to 179/221 on the switchin. Brave Bird brings it to 91, and Dragon Claw finishes but causes a burn (64/221)

Gimmy v Torkoal
Surf does 75%, and Torkoal uses Curse. On the Full Restore, Mud Bomb does 95% for Full Restore 2, and a Thunderbolt/Surf combo finishes.

Simon v Chandelure
Flamethrower takes Simon to 77/219, but Earthquake hits true. (6/8)

Drasna
Creates a nice Z pattern... and just ignore the hose coming from the bottom-right corner.

Gurren v Dragalgae
Finally, an Earthquake that finishes in one.

Leyte v Altaria
Foregoing the Moxie strategy because... reasons. Well, that and STAB Dragon Claw still OHKOs, so why bother?

Leyte v Noivern
Dragon Pulse takes Leyte to 51/221 and Dragon Claw OHKOs back.

Leyte v Druddigon
And Dragon Claw finishes here as well, leaving 24HP after Rough Skin. (10/12)

Siebold
This is it... don't get scared now.

Nia v Clawitzer
Bonemerang connects for a full OHKO.

Kamina v Starmie
Crunch OHKOs.

Kamina v Barbaracle
Now, I have an idea for the end here... Earthquake OHKOs, and Moxie's at a +2...

Kamina v Gyarados
Intimidate brings it to +1, and Rock Slide... LEAVES GYARADOS ON 5%. Waterfall OHKOs back.

Gimmy v Gyarados
Gyarados gets Full Restored, then Thunderbolted to death. (13/16)

Diantha
And to the strains of "Libera Me From Hell", we have endgame...

Gimmy v Hawlucha
Hawlucha Swords Dances, but eats a Thunderbolt to the face for the OHKO.

Leyte v Aurorus
sup Brick Break

Kamina v Goodra
I didn't get to use Outrage on Drasna, so I turn it on the other D-lady for the OHKO and a Kamina levelup.

Simon v Gourgeist
Gourgeist Trick-or-Treats, and takes 2/3 + sandstorm from Ice Fang. Phantom Force does about half even SE, and Ice Fang finishes.

Nia v Tyrantrum
The first hit of Bonemerang gets a critical OHKO, and you know what this means...

Gurren v Gardevoir
Shadow Ball brings Gurren to 39... and Heavy Slam does it! (18/22)

Pictured: If I tried to use her canon outfit this blog would be pushing TV-14.

While the credits roll and I prep for an upload, plug in... 'cause the next run's going to be positively Electric.

Time of the fall: 29:45

Grass run complete!

Well, the Grass run is done... and it was the longest Elite 4 run yet. But before we got there, we had to run Victory Road, in which I nearly got wiped by Mienshao Bouncing all over everybody - had two left before we brought it down. Also, I nearly blew it pretty badly at the end when it was "Remove HMs and Make Them Not Suck" time, when I accidentally overwrote Harrelson's Iron Head with Shadow Claw (meant to ditch Poison Jab). Thankfully, I had a few extra Heart Scales for just such a screwup.

The team at L64:
Cheech - Seed Bomb, Brick Break, Earthquake, Rock Slide
Chong - Petal Blizzard, Earthquake, Nature Power, Sludge Bomb @Venusaurite
Harrelson - Power Whip, Iron Head, Bulldoze, Shadow Claw
Marley - Energy Ball, Psychic, Nature Power, Sludge Bomb
Phelps - Energy Ball, Surf, Ice Beam, Nature Power
Nelson - Seed Bomb, Phantom Force, Rock Slide, Flame Charge

Siebold
Like I'm going anywhere else, right?

Marley v Clawitzer
Energy Ball OHKOs.

Marley v Barbaracle
...what? Really? The CPU making a move from the "Let's Get This Over With" department? Energy Ball goes 2/2.

Phelps v Gyarados
That's more like it. Energy Ball does 40%, which lets Gyara get DDance1 up. A second Energy Ball got it to 20%, which triggers Full Restore 1, and Ice Beam does 20%. A third Dragon Dance gets countered with a SpDef reducing Energy Ball, and the Ice Fang is survived at 31/192, so Energy Ball finishes.

Marley v Starmie
Starmie Light Screens, but a CH Energy Ball gets around *that* little obstacle. Also, I'm sick of typing Energy Ball now.

Drasna
There's no good matchups left here, but at least this has a good counter.

Chong v Dragalgae
Again, Dragalgae hangs by 5% on my best shot (Mega EQ). Sludge Bomb does 51 back (143/194), so a NP-> Tri Attack and EQ combo finishes (and throws in a gratuitous paralysis for good measure).

Phelps v Noivern
Clearly not messing around here, Drasna is. Super Fang does the usual half, and Ice Beam OHKOs.

Phelps v Altaria
Ice Beam OHKOs again.

Phelps v Druddigon
Ice Beam does 70%, Dragon Tail does light damage (17/192) and forces in Cheech.

Cheech v Druddigon
Brick Break finishes (161/184 due to Rough Skin).

Wikstrom
Steel doesn't do much to this team, so I'm hoping to get around its, uh, issues.

Cheech v Klefki
Klefki uses Torment, which I'm not so much worried about, and Earthquake drops it to 15%. Brick Break does just over half, and Klefki manages to get a set of Spikes off before getting Earthquaked out. Crap.

Cheech v Aegislash
I use a Hyper Potion (no effect) to dodge King's Shield, but can't use Earthquake because of Torment so I futilely Seed Bomb (15%) and take an Iron Head counter (110/189). I Hyper Potion again and take a little less from Iron Head (117/189), then Earthquake the King's Shield. Stuck in a loop, I switch in Harrelson (154/176 due to Spikes.)

Harrelson v Aegislash
I take an Iron Head on the switch (117) but do some Barbs damage. Shadow Claw hits the Shield again (Blast!) and -2s. Back to Cheech...

Cheech v Aegislash 2
A Sacred Sword and Spikes take him to 36, so I Hyper Potion (3) and Iron Head brings him back to 117. King's Shield dodges another Earthquake, but the Torment's gone so I can fire again... against a missed Shield for 60%. A Full Restore means another Earthquake for just over half, Seed Bomb lops 20% off, Iron Head brings Cheech to 35, and Earthquake FINALLY brings it down.

Nelson v Scizor
You've got one job, Willie... and you take Spikes damage on the switchin (147/168). Flame Charge does 70% and Night Slash takes him to 69/168. I ward off Bullet Punch by Hyper Potioning, but a second Night Slash takes him to 86 and Flame Charge 2 finishes.

Chong v Probopass
(170/194 due to Spikes) Mega Petal Blizzard does 30%, Flash Cannon does 40, and Earthquake finishes.

Malva
The matchup I dreaded the most, right at the end.

Cheech v Pyroar
Flametrhower drops Cheech to 39/189, but Brick Break OHKOs back. Phew.

Phelps v Talonflame
Brave Bird OHKOs, but Talonflame takes 50HP recoil. Oh, joy.

Chong v Talonflame
Flare Blitz (w/Thick Fat help) does 120/194, and Sludge Bomb finishes.

Chong v Chandelure
Chong gets Confused and hits itself to 93/194. I Hyper Potion and Flamethrower takes him to 36, but Earthquake... leaves him at 5%. On the Full Restore turn, I bring Phelps back and burn (lol) another Hyper Potion, take another 2 Flamethrowers to 34... and go to 9 with a confusion hit. I sacrifice Chong to Shadow Ball.

Phelps v Chandelure
Phelps, sick of this, OHKOs with Surf.

Phelps v Torkoal
And Surf OHKos as well. Phelps levels.

Diantha
I have to get past a Flying lead who may or may not be packing X-Scissor on a bunch of Grass types. This... may not be good.

Marley v Hawlucha
Marley survives X-Scissor by 58/214, and OHKOs with Psychic. *phew*

Harrelson v Aurorus
Aurorus gets a Reflect off... AND SURVIVES IRON HEAD WITH 10%. This run's cursed, I swear. Bulldoze on the Full Restore turn takes 15% off and drops its speed and a second Iron Head wraps it.

Cheech v Goodra
Brick Break kills the Reflect and does about half, and Cheech survives the Fire Blast with 47HP. Brick Break 2 finishes.

Harrelson v Gourgeist
Gourgeist uses Phanton Force to cause Shadow Claw to whiff, but only does 54 damage with the move and hits Iron Barbs. Shadow Claw does 60% or so, then Gourgeist Trick-or-Treats... making it a STAB Shadow Claw for the KO.

Harrelson v Tyrantrum
I Hyper Potion Cheech on Tyrantrum's Crunch, which Harrelson survives on 4HP. Damn. Dragon Claw wraps, but gives him another round of Iron Barbs damage...

Cheech v Tyrantrum
...but Brick Break leaves him at 10%. Dragon Claw has Cheech at 102, so two Brick Breaks around the Full Restore sets up endgame. (Cheech levels.)

Nelson v MegaGardevoir
Phantom Force dodges Shadow Ball... AND ONE HIT KILLS! NEW HERO!



Pictured: A man high as a kite and his disco dancing duck.

So as it turned out, I didn't use Power Whip at all. But it's nice to have for archival purposes. Anyway, up they go to the Bank, and off we go to the realm of the rabbit.

Time of the fall: 28:24

Flying run complete!

Malva
Went Fire first since I can do a fair bit more damage to these guys...

Arrow v Pyroar
HELLOJUMPKICK, goodbye kitty. (1)

Kinner v Talonflame
As tempting as a Talonflame fight is... not this time. Rock Slide clears it, obviously. (2)

Spitfire v Torkoal
Forgot about White Smoke beating Intimidate. Forgot that Torkoal has decent HP and massive defense, so Waterfall did 95%... and flinches. A Earthquake -> Waterfall combo wrapped around the Full Restores finishes.

Kinner v Chandelure
Mega Rock Slide makes sure she will not go to space today. (3)

Drasna
I've got a few, serpentine weapons to play with here.

Kinner v Dragalgae
The most potent move I have for this one is a Mega Earthquake. Needless to say, it did the job. (4)

Spitfire v Altaria
Ice Fang finishes before Cotton Guard shenanigans. (5)

Spitfire v Noivern
The first contact against me is a Dragon Pulse to bring Spitfire to 151/215. Ice Fang is way more damaging. (6)

Enola v Druddigon
I take the Intimidate, Return hits Rough Skin for 2/3 (176/201), then Dragon Tail brings Enola to 122... and brings in Spitfire for a 2nd Intimidate.

Spitfire v Druddigon
...which proves fruitless as Ice Fang does the rest. (125/215 from Rough Skin.)

Siebold
Obviously saving the resistor for last...

Arrow v Clawitzer
Even resisting two of the moves makes this a KO or get KOed situation... and HELLOJUMPKICK does 80%, Water Pulse leaving me at 44/191. I X-Scissor on the Full Restore for about a quarter, and HELLOJUMPKICK finishes.

Zeppelin v Starmie
Zeppelin got some extra fire under him, as he gets the jump on Starmie and finishes it with Shadow Ball. (7)

Kinner v Barbaracle
Mega Earthquake does 90%... and a critical Stone Edge OHKOs. Blast.

Zeppelin v Barbaracle
Thunderbolt 1 does 60% after a Full Restore, meaning T-Bolt 2 finishes.

Zeppelin v Gyarados
And Thunderbolt 3 finishes THIS one. (8)

Wikstrom
Could this be Concorde's time to shine?

Concorde v Klefki
My one concern is Torment, then an immediate Scizor. Torment comes, then Flamethrower OHKOs. (9)

Kinner v Probopass
Thankfully, the threat of throwing anyone besides a Flamethrower against Scizor is mitigated. I elect to Mega Iron Head, since EQ would just hit Sturdy, and it does 30%. Power Gem coming back takes Kinner to 94/192. Earthquake finishes.

Concorde v Scizor
Flamethrower. 'nuff said. (10)

Concorde v Aegislash
Flamethrower does 60% to the shield... and burns it! Shadow Claw does light damage (136/184), and burn damage doesn't put it in Full Restore range so a second Flamethrower is a mercy killing.

Diantha
Surely I'm not crazy enough to start a Hawlucha fight...?

Arrow v Hawlucha
YES I AM! Turns out, mine's the only one with a Flying move, as she futilely Swords Dances before being dropped by Fly. (11)

Enola v Aurorus
A Normal/Flying against Ice/Rock? The hell, you say. Well, it's called Close Combat. (12)

Spitfire v Tyrantrum
Intimidate dulls the Attack, then Ice Fang does just under half. This leads to a Head Smash OHKO... where Tyrantrum goes down to the recoil. (107 HP is a pain, ain't it?)

Concorde v Gourgeist
Not sure where she was going, so I pick Concorde and it works perfectly. Flamethrower OHKOs. (13)

Kinner v Goodra
Lacking the Ice power to deal with Goodra, a Mega Iron Head does 65%... AND FLINCHES AGAIN! That's the second time I've pulled that against Goodra! A second Iron Head brings it down...

Kinner v Gardevoir
It's Mega v Mega... and once again, my Mega emerges victorious as Iron Head wins the title on OHKO 14 (and a gratuitous Kinner level-up)!

Pictured: And not a single Red Bull required.
Coming up next... it's probably the most controversial run yet, at least as far as lore goes. Hey Kalos, your *censored* is Grass and I'm gonna mow it.

Time of the fall: 32:49

Psychic run complete!

And we have live PBP, so live it was in the Blogger window!

Malva
Figure I've got the easiest path to a sweep this way.

Heisenberg v Pyroar
Surf OHKOs.

Hypatia v Pyroar
Night Slash does 95%, and Chandelure fires a Confuse Ray. I go for Psycho Cut on the Full Restore but hit myself to 171/200. Next round, the confusion is shaken off and I Psycho Cut for 40%... and Flamethrower drops Hypatia to 11. Night Slash finishes... but Hypatia gets burned by Flame Body and faints.

Heisenberg v Torkoal
Surf OHKOs...

Heisenberg v Talonflame
...and Power Gem OHKOs.

Siebold
This is one I've been looking forward to for a while.

Turing v Clawitzer
Thunderbolt does 95%, and Water Pulse drops Turing to 102/177. On the Full Restore, I Psychic for 70% and Energy Ball finishes.

Turing v Gyarados
Thunderbolt OHKO, obviously.

Halley v Barbaracle
Grass Knot OHKOs, and I chuckle at the notion of a Fire type one-shotting a Water/Rock.

Oppenheimer v Starmie
X-Scissor gets the jump and does 75%, while a SE Dazzling Gleam... takes Oppenheimer to 88/164. This triggers Full Restore 2, so two X-Scissors finish.

Drasna
Wikstrom resists the STAB, so leaving him for last.

Hypatia v Dragalgae
Psycho Cut does 95%... that's happening a lot  Sludge Bomb does 70 and poisons, so I Superpower the Full Restore for a +1/+1 and Psycho Cut finishes.

Fujita v Altaria
Ice Beam OHKOs.

Fujita v Noivern
Fujita outruns Noivern again and OHKOs with Ice Beam.

Fujita v Druddigon
Ice Beam doesn't go 3/3, as it does 60%. Dragon Tail does a third (117/184)... and forces in the worst possible matchup for him.

Turing v Druddigon
Moonblast ends it.

Wikstrom
I want Klefki to attack, so I have to pick the lead carefully.

Oppenheimer v Klefki
Earthquake does 90%, and Dazzling Gleam takes Oppenheimer to 68/164. Full Restore 1 meets Brick Break for half, and Earthquake finishes. Just as planned.

Hypatia v Aegislash
King's Shield causes a +2 Att, and Night Slash... does 95%. Iron Head takes Hypatia to half and out of Full Restores/in Blade Form, Night Slash effectively OHKOs.

Halley v Scisor
Flamethrower OHKOs.

Oppenheimer v Probopass
Brick Break triggers Sturdy, and the countering Flash Cannon leaves Oppenheimer at 22HP. A second Brick Break gets the duke.

Diantha
For once, I'm only slightly concerned about the end of this one...

Fujita v Hawlucha
In the Flying duel, Psychic OHKOs. Cheap, but I'll take it.

Turing v Tyrantrum
Moonblast OHKOs.

Halley v Gourgeist
Flamethrower OHKOs.

Hypatia v Goodra
Superpower does just under half (+1/+1) and Dragon Pulse drops Hypatia to 119. A second Superpower ends it, and Hypatia levels.

Oppenheimer v Aurorus
Wanna guess how this one ended? (Spoilers: Brick Break.)

Oppenheimer v Gardveoir
Poison Jab... OHKO!! New champ!

Pictured: I am the one who knocks.

Flying's next. We might have to take a break soon, though... if only because I need to reach a certain point on a Tuesday and I'm not that fast.

Time of the fall: 31:26

Bug run complete!

Today was the day - and the first time I ever had trouble with Wulfric's Avalugg. When your only special attackers a) don't have moves that can super-effect Ice aside from Ancientpower, and b) are weak to Ice, you have some trouble. Thankfully, Storm Throw ignores Curse's defense boost, so Chihiro ended up winning the match for us.

After a round of TMs and a trip through Victory Road, it was E4 time. To make sure I could survive, I went up one more level to 65 - though that was also caused by not having a full team due to HM requirements.

Here's how the team went in:
Ponyo - Bug Buzz, Energy Ball, Ice Beam, Scald (167 SA, 140 Speed)
Sasuke - Megahorn, Poison Jab, Rock Slide, Earthquake (207 Atk, 195 Speed)
Kiki - Shell Smash, X-Scissor, Earthquake, Rock Slide (171 Atk/123 Speed)
Howl - Bug Buzz, Air Slash, Psychic, Shadow Ball (203 SA/174 Speed)
Chihiro - X-Scissor, Storm Throw, Earthquake, Rock Slide ((226 Atk/166 Speed)
Lupin - Iron Head, X-Scissor, Crunch, Dig (220 Atk/196 Speed)

And so it began...

Siebold
The fewest things that could cause the team problems, and I wanted some revenge from Dragon.

Ponyo v Clawitzer
Energy Ball opens by taking 70% off Clawitzer, and Ponyo tanks Water Pulse to 76/170. A second Energy Ball finishes.

Ponyo v Barbaracle
Rock-type? No problem. Energy Ball OHKOs.

Kiki v Gyarados
Kiki hits Shell Smash to open, while Gyarados Dragon Dances... but +1/+2 beats +1/+1 as Rock Slide OHKOs.

Chihiro v Starmie
X-Scissor OHKOs. We're not repeating Dragon.

Drasna
...however, we are beating Dragon next.

Chihiro v Dragalgae
Highest-powered Earthquake in the run means Dragalgae's done in one.

Chihiro v Noivern
I think Chihiro can at least survive 1 hit... and the opening Air Slash MISSES. Rock Slide does 70%, and a second Air Slash... ALSO MISSES! (400:1 against) Rock Slide ends it.

Ponyo v Altaria
Ice Beam OHKOs, justifying its existence.

Lupin v Druddigon
Iron Head takes about 60% off, and Rough Skin drops 20HP to counter (145/165). Revenge takes off 70 and a second Iron Head finishes (55/165 at the end).

Wikstrom
Again, given a choice between a type that resists my type and one that can SE me with everything, I'll take the resistance.

Sasuke v Klefki
Klefki Torments, but Earthquake hits true for the OHKO.

Chihiro v Probopass
Suddenly, the advantage of having a Mold Breaker Pokemon becomes clear. Storm Throw ignores Sturdy and OHKOs.

Chihiro v Scizor
Lack of Fire moves means I have to throw my best at it... and after Earthquake does 40%, Iron Head drops Chihiro to 72/163. This only works if I can get a crit on the second EQ... and it doesn't happen. Iron Head finishes.

Kiki v Scisor
OK, let's try this again. On the Full Restore Kiki Shell Smashes, then Earthquake does 70%. (Rock Slide would probably have been more powerful, but it would've just been a Full Restore and I didn't want to chance the miss.) Iron Head leaves Kiki on 4HP, and a second EQ ends it.

Kiki v Aegislash
I use a Hyper Potion to reset Sturdy, and Iron Head abuses it as Kiki goes to 1HP. Earthquake on the Blade Form ends it.

Malva
And here we go...

Sasuke v Pyroar
Combination of speed and power means Earthquake OHKOs.

Kiki v Talonflame
Flare Blitz takes Kiki down to 107/174 and after the recoil, Rock Slide ends it. Kiki levels here.

Ponyo v Torkoal
Ponyo uses Scald... and Torkoal survives with 5%. Stone Edge OHKOs.

Kiki v Torkoal
Shell Smash on the Full Restore, Earthquake OHKOs. Seen that before.

Kiki v Chandelure
And another Earthquake OHKO. Not as painful as I expected, no sir.

Diantha
Time for the under-appreciated teammates to shine here.

Howl v Hawlucha
For instance, Howl's making his debut against the champion. Poison Jab does light damage (170/204), and Air Slash OHKOs.

Lupin v Tyrantrum
Iron Head hits an insane Defense and takes about 80% off. For the second time, Tyrantrum stupidly Head Smashes a Steel type (51/165) and faints because of the 50% recoil.

Chihiro v Goodra
A critical X-Scissor... does 95%. Maybe I used up all my luck on the double Air Slash miss? As it turns out, I was right, as Fire Blast drops Chihiro to 3HP... and burns. Down goes Chihiro.

Sasuke v Goodra
On the first Full Restore we hit the most powerful move, Megahorn... and it does 80%. The second Full Restore is met with 55% from Poison Jab, and we don't get another FR as a second Poison Jab finishes.

Lupin v Aurorus
Iron Head, OHKO. Next.

Howl v Gourgeist
Before any stray Flamethrowers can be fired, Air Slash OHKOs.

Lupin v Gardevoir
And Iron Head OHKOs for a new hero(ine)!

Pictured: An elegant champion and her two Finals MVPs

Next up, we go Psychic. But not in the way you expect.

Time of the fall: 35:40

Dragon run complete!

So off we went to the Elite 4... and you know what this means. PBP time!

Malva
Probably the type I'm best equipped to handle.

Naga v Pyroar
Opening Earthquake OHKOs.

Komodo v Torkoal
Surf does about 85%, and Torkoal counters with Earthquake for 100 dmg (61/161). Dragon Pulse up against Full Restore 1 does 2/3, allowing Sludge Bomb to finish.

Kaiser v Talonflame
Plays out just like in Rock -  Brave Bird does about 40 and Rock Slide ends it.

Alcar v Chandelure
Earthquake OHKOs.

Siebold
Figured I could take the Water next, but I made this one way harder than it needed to be.

Seath v Clawitzer
Mega Thunderbolt OHKOs.

Seath v Gyarados
Remember, when an Ampharos goes Mega, its speed actually DROPS. So Gyarados can get in an Earthquake to bring Seath near 1/3 health (69/203) before getting the inevitable Thunderbolt. I probably should have gone to Komodo here, since it had similar Defense and I wouldn't be stuck against Starmie.

Komodo v Starmie
Starmie gets the jump and throws up a Light Screen, meaning Komodo can only do about 45% with Thunderbolt. Starmie throws a Psychic that takes Komodo to 45/161 and drops Special Defense, while a second Thunderbolt puts it in Full Restore range.I switch to Kaiser.

Kaiser v Starmie
After the Full Restore, Starmie KOs the weakened Kaiser with Dazzling Gleam.

Hurtslime v Starmie
Dragon Pulse goes first and takes 30% off, while Dazzling Gleam takes 70 off Hurtslime (129/199). The Light Screen drops, so I probably should have gone to Sludge Bomb which would've put it in Dragon Pulse KO range even with the Light Screen, but a second Pulse means it gets to Full Restore after putting Light Screen back up. Dragon Pulse is now a 4HKO, and Hurtslime can only squeeze in two before falling to Dazzling Gleam.

Alcar v Starmie
At which point I declare a motion of "F it" and Earthquake Starmie to death.

Seath v Barbaracle
And Mega Thunderbolt OHKOs again.

Drasna
Yay, mirror match!

Alcar v Dragalgae
Earthquake OHKOs, as it should.

Kaiser v Altaria
Dragon Claw OHKOs.

Hurtslime v Noivern
Dragon Pulse takes Hurtslime to 91 before Ice Beam OHKOs.

Hurtslime v Druddigon
We go for the sweep, but Dragon Pulse leaves Druddigon at about 5% and Dragon Tail picks it off. I forgot for a minute that 48 was the base SPEED, not Special Defense.

Seath v Druddigon
Full Restore gets met with a Mega Dragon Pulse for the circuitous OHKO.

Wikstrom
Saving the worst for last here.

Alcar v Klefki
Klefki falls for the bait and gets Earthquaked to death.

Alcar v Probopass
No multi-hit moves here, so we do it the old fashioned way - Earthquake to 1HP, take Flash Cannon (123/219), Brick Break on the Full Restore and EQ for the finish.

Hurtslime v Aegislash
Flamethrower does half to Shield Form, then Hurtslime gets Iron Head to 64HP. Second Flamethrower finishes.

Hurtslime v Scizor
Remember how Scizor's had four or five opportunities to prove Bullet Punch WASN"T theoretical? Yeah, about that. He finally pulls it out to finish the weakened Hurtslime.

Naga v Scizor
Fire Fang OHKOs coming back, as I thank Goddish I kept that one.

Diantha
Time to hope this is more Ice than, well, anything else.

Seath v Hawlucha
Hawlucha Swords Dances futilely and falls to Mega Thunderbolt.

Alcar v Aurorus
You'd think I'd be crazy to throw out a Ground/Dragon against Ice. As it turned out... crazy like a Delphox. Brick Break OHKOs.

Naga v Goodra
Dragon Claw OHKOs.

Hurtslime v Tyrantrum
Dragon Pulse OHKOs...

Hurtslime v Gourgeist
Flamethrower OHKOs...

Alcar v Gardevoir
...and Poison Jab justifies its existence by OHKOing! New hero!

 Pictured: The last time Ricky won a title like that, it was in 23 minutes in Chicago.

And this time, I remembered to upload the team (sorry Rock dudes), so we'll sleep on this and start Bugging out in the AM.

Time of the fall: 35h00m.

Rock run complete!

Subtitle: We Will Rock You 'Cause We Are The Champions

We got Lairon, we got Shuckle, we got the tree, we're done. Wulfric met the business end of Skynyrd's Iron Head, Victory Road was a cinch after the Rival, but we hit the Elite 4 at the usual L64. Team was as outlined previously, so let's dance.

First up...
Malva
Probably the most obvious lead yet.

Steven Tyler (hence S.Tyler) v Pyroar
Pyroar gets the jump and lets loose a Noble Roar, so the Razor Shell counter only does about 70%. Pyroar then uses Wild Charge which does some light damage (129/169), but Brick Break is enough to do it in.

Denver v Torkoal
The opening Rock Slide does 75% to Torkoal... and flinches, which brings out Full Restore 1. A Dragon Claw on the FR turn does 35%, meaning Rock Slide 2 gets the duke.

Denver v Chandelure
Rock Slide OHKOs here.

S.Tyler v Talonflame
4x resist to Fire, 2x to Flying. Brave Bird takes Steven down to 96/169, and Rock Slide finishes after the recoil is assessed.

Drasna
The most appetizing of the remaining matchups.

Tori v Dragalgae
The opening salvo comes Earthquake, which does... 95% or so. Surf brings Tori to 50/166, so on the Full Restore turn Shell Smash intensifies. Earthquake gets the duke.

Madonna v Altaria
Ice Beam. 'nuff said.

Madonna v Druddigon
A second Ice Beam goes off... and Druddigon has 1%, more like 1HP, left. How he survived I'm not sure, but that lets him fire Revenge off... and Madonna's not taking too many 120 power Fighting moves and surviving.

Denver v Druddigon
Druddigon gets Full Restore 1, but Denver avenges the fellow fossil by Dragon Clawing Drudd to death (and taking 1/4 health on the Rough Skin)

Zappa v Noivern
Dragon Pulse brings Zappa to 74/170, but Ice Beam takes Noivern to 0.

Wikstrom
I thought this was the better matchup between S.Tyler resisting and the high Defense. Little did I know...

Tori v Klefki
Klefki lays down Spikes, officially screwing Sturdy Smash, and the EQ counter leaves Klefki at 5%. Another Smash on Full Restore, another OHKO with Earthquake.

Skynyrd v Scizor
I kept Fire Fang for a reason. OHKO

S.Tyler v Probopass
Razor Shell does about 70% damage on turn 1, and the countering Earth Power brings Steven to 68/169 and drops the SpDef. Brick Break ends it.

Denver v Aegislash
Denver takes a round of Spikes damage, then fires with Crunch (just slightly more powerful than Earthquake because of Strong Jaw) to lop 70% off. At this point, I'm thinking "Oh crap" but Denver SURVIVES IRON HEAD WITH 11 HP. In my notes, there's three !s for this. Crunch 2 finishes.

Siebold
There's really only one way I can win this fight. Let's see how it goes.

Tori v Clawitzer
Turn 1: Shell Smash. Clawitzer gets Water Pulse off... and Tori has Sturdy, so it survives with 1 HP. X-Scissor finishes.

Tori v Barbaracle
I'd have put Steven out if I didn't want to lose +2/+2. Earthquake OHKOs...

Tori v Starmie
...and X-Scissor OHKOs...

Tori v Gyarados
...and the +1/+2 Rock Slide OHKOs. Hrm. Tori levelled up here.

Diantha
Remember, she leads with a Fighting type. So why would I put Madonna out first?

Madonna v Hawlucha
Well, it helps when the Fighting move is actually 2x instead of 4x... or so I thought. Flying Press CHd... and Madonna hung on by SIX HIT POINTS. (!!!!!) Ice Beam OHKOed back.

Denver v Goodra
Dragon Claw OHKOs, which doesn't bode well for the next run...

S.Tyler v Aurorus
Not messing around with fancy dual-typed moves, Brick Break does its usual.

Skynyrd v Gourgeist
Skynyrd hits the air to dodge Trick-or-Treat (ooh, Shadow Claw STAB if I cared), and Fly OHKOs.

Zappa v Tyrantrum
Moonlight has to be the best shot here... nope, Tyrantrum survives with about 5% health and OHKOs back with Crunch. Operation Moon: *pop* FAILURE

Skynyrd v Tyrantrum
I figured Iron Head had to be a 2-shot based on the Wikstrom fight. On the Full Restore turn, we hit the first one... and it crits for the OHKO. Well now.

Skynyrd v Gardevoir
In a Mega showdown, Iron Head wins. Flawless victory.

Pictured: The Elite 4 MVPs (though Skynyrd was the overall run MVP)

Now to assemble a few Pokemon for, um, nefarious purposes on the Dragon run...

Dark run complete!

Victory Road? Easy as pie.

Grinding? 11 Rare Candies took care of that.

So we went into the Elite 4 with the following:

Suzaku - Surf, Dark Pulse, Ice Beam, Extrasensory (and Grass Knot for one battle)
CC - High Jump Kick, Crunch, Poison Jab, Dragon Claw
Rolo - Night Slash, Psycho Cut, Superpower, Rock Slide
Jeremiah - Earthquake, Crunch, Outrage, Rock Slide
Cecilia -  Flamethrower, Dark Pulse, Sludge Bomb, Thunder Fang
Lloyd - Iron Head, Night Slash, X-Scissor, Poison Jab

And with this crew, could the OHKO record be gone? Well, let's find out.


Malva
Opening with vengeance from last time.

CC v Pyroar
Pyroar gets the drop and takes CC down to 89/170... but HELLOJUMPKICK OHKOs back.

Jeremiah v Talonflame
HOLY CRAP JEREMIAH WENT FIRST. OHKO, of course, off Rock Slide.

Suzaku v Torkoal
Surf OHKOs.

Cecilia v Chanderlure
And Dark Pulse completes the sweep. (OHKO count: 4)

Wikstrom
Dark being neutral to Steel now, and I had a plan for one in particular...

Jeremiah v Klefki
Jeremiah OHKOs with Earthquake, as the Dark type lures Klefki into not using a status move.

Rolo v Aegislash
Aegislash uses King's Shield to dodge Night Slash... and Rolo gets a free Attack doubler from it. :-P Night Slash does 90% to Shield form, and Iron Head takes Rolo to 100/196. On the Full Restore, Aegislash is still in Blade Form so Night Slash cleans it up.

Cecilia v Scizor
Flamethrower OHKO, obviously.

CC v Probopass
Not wanting to activate Sturdy, CC Crunches and Flash Cannon takes CC down to 130. High Jump Kick for the win... MISSES!! And CC survives the Flash Cannon with TWO HP. A second kick doesn't miss. (OHKO count: 6)

Drasna
There was one specific reason for a certain move...

Jeremiah v Dragalgae
Earthquake OHKOs, and Moxie gets a +1, which is about to become relevant...

Jeremiah v Altaria
Outrage with a +1 OHKOs...

Jeremiah v Druddigon
Outrage with a +2 OHKOs (175/200 because of Rough Skin)...

Jeremiah v Noivern
...and Outrage with a +3 OHKOs. All too easy. Jeremiah levels here. (OHKO count: 10)

Siebold
Lack of Electric moves, and a temporary sub for Grass Knot being required, means I'm kinda worried about this one.

CC v Clauncher
And this is why. High Jump Kick does 75%, and a Mega Launcher-powered Aura Sphere does 116 (54/170) coming back. Second High Jump Kick finishes.

Lloyd v Starmie
Surf takes Lloyd to 85/175 in his debut, but Night Slash OHKOs back.

Suzaku v Barbaracle
Hence the Grass Knot, OHKO of course.

Rolo v Gyarados (free +1):
Rock Slide... MISSES turn 1. Waterfall does 81 back (115/196). The +1 means Rock Slide does 75%, but this lets Gyarados DD up and Waterfall for the duke.

(Note: I ran this fight twice. Both times, a Rock Slide miss on turn 1, and instead of KOing with the 2nd waterfall it FLINCHED the first time. Clearly it wasn't meant to be.)

Suzaku v Gyarados
Grass Knot finishes. (OHKO count: 12.)

Diantha
Time for a little payback, methinks.

Suzaku v Hawlucha
Ice Beam OHKOs, thankfully.

CC v Goodra
Dragon Claw keeps Goodra out of Full Restore range by doing about 65%, before Focus Miss lives up to its name. Dragon Claw 2 finishes.

Lloyd v Aurorus
In a shocking development, Iron Head OHKOs.

Suzaku v Tyrantrum
Ice Beam OHKOs.

Cecilia v Gourgeist
Flamethrower OHKOs...

Lloyd v MegaGardevoir
... and Iron Head scores a OHKO for the win!

 Pictured: Greninja completed his epic day by being confirmed for Smash Bros. I think we all know the winner here. 

Final score: 17 OHKOs. Not quite the Ice run, but close.

Steel run complete!

This was probably the hardest run yet in terms of available movepool (shallow, and I left a couple of types in the box) as well as a couple of unforced error and the bad end of Lady Luck.

Here's what happened:

Siebold
No real obvious entry points here, so I went for the thing I could probably OHKO.

Meg v Clawitzer
Thunderbolt OHKO.

Meg v Gyarados
Thunderbolt OHKO.

Celeste v Barbaracle
Cross Chop goes first, takes Celeste down to 65/171 with Iron Barbs taking off 12%. Power Whip... MISSES. Then Cross Chop goes for the win... and IT misses. Power Whip doesn't miss again.

Celeste v Starmie
Surf takes Celeste down to 33, but Power Whip ends it.

Wikstrom
I figured I'd go for the mirror match next on the grounds of having multiple moves that could SE, versus uh, one for Dragon.

Trina v Klefki
Klefki drops Spikes, and Shadow Claw... does 70%. This lets a second layer of Spikes go down before Shadow Claw finishes.

Lianne v Probopass
Knowing Sturdy's coming, I Iron Head... it does about 30%. Earth Power is survived at 17/162, which lets Brick Break finish.

Lucky v Aegislash
Hidden Power gets dodged by a turn 1 King's Shield. Hidden Power is SE and does 20% against Shield Form, and the Iron Head counter drops Lucky to 25/159. Psychic goes first this time and takes 40% off Blade Form before Iron Head drops it.

Lilly v Aegislash
Mega Earthquake finishes it.

Celeste v Scizor
Forgetting that I didn't have anything to really SE it... X-Scissor+Spikes leaves Celeste at 82/171, and the countering Shadow Claw does about 30% (so down 40% with IB). A second X-Scissor criticals, and that's it for Celeste.

Meg v Scizor
Thunderbolt finishes.

Drasna
There's one trouble spot but then it should be smooth sailing... right?

Lilly v Dragalgae
Mega Earthquake OHKOs.

Lucky v Noivern
And HERE IT IS. Flamethrower takes Lucky to 43/159, and it survives Dazzling Gleam with about 20% health. Two DGs, no criticals, 2 Full Restores, and I decide to switch in Laurie to absorb a Flamethrower...

Laurie v Noivern
...only Noivern's faster so the 2nd one KOs.

Trina v Noivern
Another Flamethrower hits the Shield down to 92/164, Iron Head finishes.

Lucky v Altaria
First Dazzling Gleam does 70%, Moonblast takes Lucky to 19 and lowers Lucky's SA, and the 2nd Dazzling Gleam finishes.

Lucky v Druddigon
Because of the SA drop, Dazzling Gleam only does 40%. Revenge finishes.

Celeste v Druddigon
Since Celeste is full, I Revive Lucky and Laurie while Celeste takes two Revenges and does some Iron Barbs damage (down to 25/171). A Hyper Potion hits the 3rd Iron Barbs, and Iron Head finishes.

Malva
This one will have a lot of quick fights...

Lilly v Pyroar
I go to hit the Mega and Aura Sphere it into next week... only it locks in Psychic for 40% and Flamethrower OHKOs.

Lianne v Pyroar
I try to Brick Break, but Pyroar's faster. OHKO.

Meg v Pyroar
I (Max) Revive Lilly while taking two Noble Roars, so Thunderbolt doesn't KO but does stick Pyroar into Full Restore range, so I swap back to Lilly..

Lilly v Pyroar 2
...and this time, there's no misclick. Lilly levels here.

Meg v Talonflame
Flare Blitz takes Meg down to 24/170 (doesn't trigger Sturdy, surpisingly) and Thunderbolt cleans up.

Meg v Torkoal
Thunderbolt... doesn't do enough to OHKO Torkoal (leaves it at 5%) and Earthquake finishes.

Trina v Torkoal
Torkoal gets Full Restore 2, but eats two Rock Slides and goes down after the first does 70%.

Lilly v Chandelure
Earthquake OHKOs.

Diantha
I've cleared this in six rounds before, will I get lucky again?

Lilly v Hawlucha
I stuck Psychic on specifically for this. Hawlucha goes first and Flying Presses Lilly to 41/167, but Psychic OHKOs as expected.

Celeste v Goodra
Probably a bad move... and Fire Blast OHKOing only confirms *that* opinion.

Laurie v Goodra
Iron Head goes first, does 55%... AND FLINCHES. Big move. 2nd Iron Head ends it.

Lianne v Tyrantrum
Can I go 2/2 on this? Nope... Iron Head does 70% but Earthquake is a OHKO.

Trina v Tyrantrum
Thankfully, Iron Head from Trina is enough to pick up the pieces.

Trina v Gourgeist
Gourgeist goes for Phantom Force, causing Shadow Claw to miss, so I switch to Meg...

Meg v Gourgeist
...and it does a little bit (106/172). I Flash Cannon against what I thought would be Flamethrower (a Victory Road trainer pulls it) for 90%, but instead they use Trick-or-Treat. I Hidden Power against the Full Restore and Flash Cannon ends the pumpkin.

Meg v Aurorus
As usual, Flash Cannon OHKOs.

Trina v Gardevoir
Shadow Ball takes Trina in Shield down to 78/186... but Iron Head hits true for the win!

Pictured: You can almost make out Lilly there

The Dark preview will probably go up tomorrow morning once I settle on a team, and the run will probably start tomorrow at work.

Ice Run complete!

And what a finish.

If there's one thing the run crystallized in my mind (lolol) it's that all of my assumptions about the Ice type were pretty much borne out - in this case, that if they don't get hit they can bring down everything in sight.

Let's take a look, shall we? And I'll keep track of one-turn wins here.

Drasna
Oh come on, like I was going anywhere else to start.

Monokuma v Dragalgae
Icicle Crash OHKO. (1)

Asahina v Noivern
Ice Beam OHKO. (2)

Hakagure v Altaria
Ice Punch OHKO. (3)

Byakuya v Druddigon
Ice Beam OHKO. (4)

Siebold
Best of a bad lot for the type, in theory.

Kyoko v Clawitzer
Thunderbolt crits, OHKO. (5)

Hakagure v Barbaracle
Wood Hammer OHKO. (6)

Asahina v Starmie
She opens with Shadow Ball which takes about 3/4 off, Surf's retaliation brings Asahina to 99/174. On the Full Restore, I Draining Kiss 30% off and Shadow Ball finishes.

Byakuya v Gyarados
Thunderbolt OHKO. (7)

Wikstrom
I never actually ended with Malva before, so I figured let's try it... only I forgot to heal beforehand.

Chihiro v Klefki
Because of Prankster, Klefki gets Spikes off before falling to Earthquake. (8)

Asahina v Aegislash
Shadow Ball does 35% and drops Shield Form's SpDef, but Iron Head KOs coming back.

Chihiro v Aegislash
Earthquake finishes the sword off, who would've probably gone for Iron Head again if it wasn't suffering from a severe case of KTFO.

Kyoko v Scizor
Surf does 60%, and a combo of Spikes and Iron Head has Kyoko at 137/260. Second Surf does Scizor in.

Hakagure v Probopass
Brick Break triggered Sturdy, and... remember when I forgot to heal? And how Haka's last move was Wood Hammer? Yeah, Flash Cannon knocked it down to 9 HP. The Snow Warning-induced Hail finishes. (9)

Malva
Of course, we have to finish with Fire.

Chihiro v Pyroar
Earthquake goes first, and it's a OHKO. (10)

Byakuya v Talonflame
Talonflame goes first and Flare Blitzes, which criticals Byakuya to 80/245. Ancient Power does the rest. (11)

Kyoko v Torkoal
Hint: It involved Surf. (12)

Asahina v Chandelure
The opening Shadow Ball... lands critical and OHKOs. (13)

Diantha
There's no way I can keep running this train on the CHAMPION, can I?

Asahina v Hawlucha
Ice Beam OHKOs. (14)

Chihiro v Tyrantrum
Earthquake does about 90%, and Tyrantrum counters with Head Smash which criticals... but Chihiro survives with 42 HP and Tyrantrum goes down to the recoil. (15)

Monokuma v Goodra
Icicle Crash OHKOs. (16)

Hakagure v Aurorus
Hail kicks in, and then a Mega Brick Break does what it usually does. (17)

Monokuma v Gourgeist
Icicle Crash OHKOs again. Five in a row in one turn! (18)

Monokuma v MegaGardevoir
I freaked out a bit when it traced Snow Cloak... forgetting that going Mega switches it to Pixilate anyway. Moonblast takes the Bear of Despair to 71/200... but Shadow Claw does 95%, enough that the hail damage makes Makoto the champ! (19)

Pictured: I got the hoodie, but you can't see the idiot hair.

That's 19 out of 22 Pokemon gone in one turn, the fastest run yet. I don't know HOW I'm going to beat that.

Poison Run complete!

So a brief run through the end of Victory Road later, and a quick side trip to Dendemille to get useless moves off, the group arrived at the Elite 4.

The final team was as follows, all L64:

Viscous - Energy Ball, Sludge Bomb, Earthquake, Nature Power
Tree - Poison Jab, Brick Break, Earthquake, Rock Slide
Corrosion - Fly, Cross Poison, X-Scissor, Steel Wing
Neuro - no change
Thallium - Surf, Sludge Wave, Dazzling Gleam, Ice Beam
D.D.T - no change 

Figured I'd change things up a bit for the E4 this time 'round...

Malva
For instance, opening with Fire instead of Dragon. Turned out to be a good idea.

Thallium v Pyroar:
Surf one-shots.

Neuro v Torkoal
Earth Power OHKOs.

Thallium v Talonflame
Brave Bird goes first - because although Thallium's quick, it's not that quick - and Brave Birds Thallium to 60/178. Recoil means Surf officially isn't a one-shot.

D.D.T v Chandelure
Crunch one-hit KOs. NEXT!

Siebold
This one should be just as simple, right? Not so much, as it turns out.

Viscous v Clawitzer
Viscous goes Mega like a boss, Energy Ball is a one-shot.

Corrosion v Starmie
I might have either over-estimated Corrosion's Attack or underestimated Starmie's defense, as X-Scissor only does 70% which allows Starmie to put up a Light Screen. This becomes relevant shortly. Second X-Scissor finishes.

Viscous v Barbaracle
Energy Ball OHKOs the Water/Rock pretender. (Maybe I'll call him Brian in the Rock run, I dunno.)

Neuro v Gyarados
Neuro fires Thunderbolt, which was 5 out of 6 in taking out Gyarados to this point - but because of the Light Screen, Gyarados has 30% left. This allows him to fire off a Dragon Dance, then OHKO Neuro with Waterfall the next round. (Crap)

Corrosion v Gyarados
Corrosion takes to the sky, which gives Gyarados a 2nd Dragon Dance... but now he's faster than Corrosion so Ice Fang whiffs. Fly finishes the job.

Drasna
Obviously I have to save the type that's immune to the run until last, right?

Neuro v Dragalgae
Neuro looks to redeem himself by firing Earth Power... which leaves Dragalgae at 5% or so. The countering Surf drops Neuro to 92/190. On the Full Restore turn I elect to Poison Jab, which does about 30% and lets Earth Power finish again.

Thallium v Noivern
In speed terms, Talonflame > Thallium > Noivern as Ice Beam OHKOs.

D.D.T v Altaria
Normally Cotton Guard would come into play here, but D ain't got time for that. Ice Fang, OHKO.

Thallium v Druddigon
Ice Beam takes about 2/3 off Druddigon (I thought his SpDef was worse than that), and Druddigon uses Dragon Tail to take Thallium down to 109/178... and force Viscous in.

Viscous v Druddigon
Mega Sludge Bomb will ruin anyone's day, and so it does for Druddigon.

Siebold
So now I've lost my predominant STAB, this should be, um, interesting...

Neuro v Klefki
Klefki's Prankster gets it out front with Torment... but Neuro's Earth Power is a OHKO.

Tree v Probopass
Tree tries to break the 4x-weak rock with Brick Break and it almost works... oops, Sturdy. Earth Power is super-effective and leaves Tree at 89/195. On the Full Restore, Tree Rock Slides to break the Sturdy and Brick Breaks ends it.

D.D.T v Scizor
Fire Fang OHKOs again.

Neuro v Aegislash
Earth Power gets dodged by King's Shield, and on the next turn Neuro Flamethrowers about 60% off. (Not sure why I didn't go to Earth Power again, Torment would've gone with switching and worst comes to worse, it gets one Full Restore in Blade Form so anything short of Poison Jab could end it.) Iron Head takes Neuro down to 66/190, but Earth Power ends it and levels Neuro up.

Diantha
There's a decent-sized, Mega Stone-packing elephant in the room here... let's see if we can overcome it.

Corrosion v Hawlucha
Corrosion employs the classic "GTFO" method with Fly, and Poison Jab misses. Fly hits true for a OHKO, and Corrosion levels up.

D.D.T v Tyrantrum
Probably should have gone to Thallium, oh well. DDT's Ice Fang does about 40%, and the countering Head Smash... MISSES. (Diantha, Earthquake was RIGHT FRIGGIN' THERE.) As punishment for that blunder, the second Ice Fang criticals and Tyrantrum goes down.

D.D.T v Goodra
An understandable matchup given the Special stats involved here... Another Ice Fang brings Goodra down to 40%, and Dragon Pulse takes DDT to 74/176. Second Ice Fang finishes.

Tree v Aurorus
In what I hope isn't an Ice run preview, Tree OHKOs Aurorus with Brick Break.

Thallium v Gourgeist
Strongest move to open is Ice Beam, and it does 90%... and freezes. Full Restore 1 is countered with Sludge Wave as I try to end this quickly... but it does just slightly less, meaning Full Restore 2 comes out. This time, I use Dazzling Gleam for about 35% and a second Ice Beam finishes.

Thallium v MegaGardevoir
ohcrap.jpg

Sludge Wave manages to knock about 75% off before Thallium falls to Psychic.

Viscous v MegaGarde
I figure "Mega v Mega" would be a poetic way to end it, so I bring mine out. Full Restore 3 meets Sludge Bomb for... 90%. Crap. On Full Restore 4, I use Nature Power which becomes Tri Attack for 20%... but I don't get to find out if Viscous could tank a Psychic, as it crits for a OHKO.

Tree v MegaGarde
OK, Tree's got to be faster, right...? Nope, Psychic OHKOs.

Corrosion v MegaGarde
OK, NOW we know Corrosion's faster... and Cross Poison criticals in retaliation for the KO!

 Pictured: Bat wings will be a clothing option in Z.

So I will relax for a little bit... and then lay out why Ice is going to be the hardest one of the bunch.

Fairy Run complete!

First of all, in case you haven't voted yet: http://strawpoll.me/1260835

So I finished up at L64, and the team was pretty much as before except for two changes, one key and one not so much:

- As mentioned, Mawile got Brick Break
- Since I only needed one Thunderbolt for the run, I swapped Energy Ball into Tinkerbell's slot. This turned out to be a good idea.

And as usual, have some PBP... now with actual HP loss totals for the whole round.

Drasna
Of course, I'm starting with the Dragon specialist here. I'd be a fool not to.

Morgan v Dragalgae
The opening Psychic takes Dragalgae down to 5%, and it counters with a Sludge Bomb (52/172). The Full Restore gets used, Morgan Moonblasts a little under half life off, and Psychic ends it.

Maleficent v Altaria
Switch in the physical user, Play Rough OHKOs. Next.

Iphys v Noivern
Noivern is able to squeeze in a move, and it's Super Fang (103/205). Play Rough OHKOs again.

Tinkerbell v Druddigon
Dazzling Gleam takes about 3/4 off Druddigon, who survives long enough to Chip Away and Tinkerbell takes it like a boss (142/193). I'm actually surprised it wasn't Retaliate. The 2nd Full Restore meets two Dazzling Gleams to end it.

Siebold
Trying to cram in as much experience before I go after the defensive type and offensive one...

Morgan v Clauncher
Thunderbolt gets Clauncher down to 5% in a nice bit of symmetry, and Clauncher fires a Water Pulse (97/172). On the Full Restore, Morgan Moonblasts to take about 2/3 off and drop the Special Attack... and then Thunderbolt wraps. Welp.

Morgan v Gyarados
Even Kerry Fraser sees this result coming - Thunderbolt OHKO.

Tinkerbell v Barbaracle
And now you see why I brought Energy Ball back - OHKO.

Unseelie v Starmie
Starmie futilely Light Screens, and eats a full power Megahorn for a OHKO.

Malva
Given a choice between Steel and Fire, Fire wins.

Maleficent v Pyroar
Pyroar leads with Noble Roar - and unlike the Ghost run, there's no critical Earthquake. It does about 70% after the debuff. Pyroar then tries Hyper Voice (53/203) and a second Earthquake ends it.

Iphys v Talonflame
Rather than use Brave Bird which wouldn't be resisted, Talonflame Flare Blitzes (157/205), and Waterfall does the rest.

Tinkerbell v Torkoal
Surf rolls off about 90%, and Torkoal fires off a Stone Edge (138/193). On the Full Restore Dazzling Gleam lops off 20%, and Surf finishes.

Iphys v Chandelure
Shadow Ball drops Iphys down to 51, but Waterfall off near-300 Atk finishes.

Wikstrom
Much like leaving the Jeopardy opera category to the end, it's the "Let's get this crap over with" fight.

Maleficent v Klefki
The evil keys drop some Spikes, and the resulting Earthquake... leaves Klefki with about 10%. Two Fire Fangs fire on the Full Restore turns, unfortunately the first one is the one that gets the burn. Klefki Torments but falls to a 2nd Earthquake.

Maleficent v Scizor
OK, question...this Scizor has Bullet Punch, right? WHY DIDN'T IT USE IT?? Fire Fang OHKOs. That was the 2nd theme of the run besides near misses - AI making some stupid moves.

Maleficent v Probopass
Earthquake activates Probopass's Sturdy, and the counter is the obvious Flash Cannon (25/203). Since I can't use a 2nd Earthquake because of Torment, Fire Fang ends it. At this point, Maleficent levels so he's out for the fight (I left Exp Share off).

Tinkerbell v Aegislash
Tink goes down to 169/193 because of Spikes. The first Flamethrower gets blocked by King's Shield, and the 2nd hits Aegislash in Shield Forme for about half. Because of the Spikes, Iron Head is enough to finish.

Gardevoir v Aegislash
Shadow Ball ends the match. Only one KO... phew.

Diantha
This is it. Don't get scared now. And maybe I might use Puck here?

Unseelie v Hawlucha
Hawlucha goes first and leads with the obvious Poison Jab (169/255). Moonblast OHKOs coming back.

Puck v Tyrantrum
Play Rough, the more powerful move here, does 70% and Puck survives the countering Earthquake because of Intimidate (46/148). 2nd Play Rough closes out the dino.

Puck v Goodra
Play Rough OHKOs. After the Ghost run, this is a godsend.

Puck v Aurorus
Iron Head OHKOs this time. He's on fire!

Tinkerbell v Gourgeist
...but now he's gotta come out as I need something to beat Ghost/Grass. Tink fires a Flamethrower... and it crits for a OHKO. Ooooh yeah.

Unseelie v MegaGardevoir
Battle of the Fairies down the stretch. Megavoir is faster (out of the gate, Mega speed doesn't take effect on the transformation turn) and Moonblast leaves Unseelie at 22HP. Flash Cannon... leaves Megavoir at 10%. Sigh. On the first Full Restore, a Moonblast does about 70% and lowers Megavoir's SA... but I have to heal here, giving Megavoir two shots at -1. Both hit, both lower SA, and Unseelie has 52 HP left, but Flash Cannon connects and we have a new champ!

Pictured: Two fabulous Pokemon and a fabulous trainer

I'll make the announcement about the next type Friday night or Saturday with a type preview, poll closes then.

Ghost Run Complete!

So after that little bit of lamentation, I received a nice little hint from a friend of mine on how to deal with the grinding situation: KO Simipour, turn on Exp Share.

And it worked perfectly, as I got through Victory Road and had everyone up to level 63 by the end of Victory Road. Thanks to suicidal Graveler and plenty of Gurdurr, I was able to plow Sableye up to 61, and three Rare Candies got him to the rest of the group.

As a reminder, this was the team - no moves were changed:
Aegislash - Iron Head, Shadow Sneak, Sacred Sword, Aerial Ace
Golurk - Earthquake, Shadow Punch, Strength, Fly
Sableye - Shadow Claw, Knock Off, Brick Break, Zen Headbutt
Gengar @Gengarite - Sludge Bomb, Shadow Ball, Thunderbolt, Dazzling Gleam
Trevenant - Shadow Force, Earthquake, Rock Slide, Horn Leech
Chandelure - Flamethrower, Shadow Ball, Psychic, Energy Ball
All L64 to open

And since I'm generous, here's the PBP for the five matches. Note that I had the Exp Share on the whole time.

Drasna: I open on Dragon and send Golurk out against Dragalgae, who promptly falls to Earthquake. I take the opportunity to go Mega w/Gengar and he takes 3/4 off the Altaria who randomly Cotton Guards. Since it's not in Full Restore range, a second Dazzling Gleam brings it down. Noivern goes down to Dazzling Gleam, and so does Druddigon. Easy peasy.

Siebold: This time Trevenant leads off against Clawitzer, who manages to run our leafy friend down to 10HP by surviving Horn Leech at about 10% and firing back with Mega Launcher-powered Dark Pulse (ow). This puts Clawitzer in a Full Restore loop that puts Trevenant back at 167 HP before I say "screw it" and Phantom Force it to death. Gyarados is met by a one-shot from Mega Gengar's Thunderbolt. I go back to Trevenant for Starmie, who gets a Psychic to put Trevenant at 81HP... but Phantom Force is a OHKO. Barbaracle comes in, gets a 4x-effective Horn Leech between the eyes, and gets beaten like a sack of razzleberries (tm and (c) UltraMantis Black). Golurk, Trevenant and Gengar all leveled at the end.

Malva: Taking a chance, I put Sableye out against Pyroar figuring Brick Break has to do something... but Pyroar opens with Noble Roar, so I'm down 33% on attack and hoping for a crit since Brick Break does only 30%. There's no critical coming, and two Pyroar Flamethrowers have Sableye down in single-digit HP so I switch in Golurk on a Full Restore round. Pyroar Noble Roars it... and the countering Earthquake crits. Whoops. A Chandelure mirror match ensues, but ends quickly at the hands of my Chandelure's Shadow Ball. I let Chandy keep going against Torkoal, and it does 70% with a Shadow Ball, loses about 70 HP to Stone Edge, and finishes with a second Shadow Ball. I bring in Gengar to deal with Talonflame, who manages to squeeze off a Flare Blitz for half of Gengar's 150HP before getting dropped by Thunderbolt. Aegislash (who hasn't been in yet), Sableye and Chandelure all level up here.

Wikstrom: Golurk opens against Klefki. Klefki's Flash Cannon took about 40 HP off (out of nearly 180) and Earthquake finishes. Scizor's next, and the inevitable bug roasting occurs. Aegislash makes its debut against Probopass, and Sacred Sword causes Probopass's Sturdy to fire, then it does roughly 60% back (to Blade Forme) with Earth Power. Two more Sacred Swords run out the Full Restores, and Shadow Sneak finishes. This leaves Chandelure against Aegislash, and Chandelure is able to put Aegislash in the red before surviving Blade Forme's Shadow Claw with NINE HP!!! Second Flamethrower finishes. Golurk goes to L66.

Diantha: I lead Chandelure against Hawlucha, who uses Poison Jab for 18 damage... and poisons Chandelure. Psychic is a OHKO, though. Next is Tyrantrum, and unlike Route 21's, Mega Gengar is able to also OHKO this version with Dazzling Gleam. Trevenant levels here.

I go to Sableye against Gourgeist, who is faster than Sableye and able to force a miss with Phantom Force. On turn 2, Sableye goes to 74/167, but Shadow Claw hits for about 70%. I Hyper Potion Sableye on the first Phantom Force turn, he hangs onto a few more HP (82/167) and Shadow Claw finishes. Although I could have gone to Aegislash here, I leave Sableye in for Brick Break against Aurorus... who survives with 5% and finishes Sableye off with Blizzard. On the inevitable Full Restore turn I Max Revive Sableye, and this time Iron Head hits true for a OHKO. Both Sableye and Aeigslash level.

It's now MegaGengar v Goodra, and Goodra's Dragon Pulse becomes a 3HKO while nothing Gengar can do is any better because of Goodra's high SpeDef. Gengar shrugs off multiple Dragon Pulses and runs Diantha out of Full Restores before Dazzling Gleam finishes.

Finally, Aegislash comes for the coup de grace against Gardev... sorry, MEGAGardevoir, and Shadow Ball takes off 80HP... but Iron Head OHKOs, new champ.

Hoorah.

I'm going to retire the team, do one post as part of the Smogon Ingame Tier List project... and then I'll go to the next type, which will be Fairy. Now taking suggestions.