Character: Dirk Strider | uber_marionettist Badge/Gym Leader: Lt. Surge (Thunder Badge) Elite/Regular: Elite Team:Here Battle Details: Dirk isn't picking his gyms just so he can lead with Empedocles the Coalossal, but it doesn't HURT that he can do that here too. Stealth Rock to lead, then a couple layers of her new TM move, Spikes. On the plus side, none of these are contact moves, so even if Surge's Manectric lead has Static, she won't be paralysed except as a side effect of a move like Thunder Fang or Discharge. Hopefully it doesn't use Roar, either... but even if it uses Roar first turn, that's a decreased priority move and Stealth Rock will be up (while Spikes can be added later.)
Now, the thing about Lieutenant Surge's team is that it's very speedy. Dirk has two plans.
First, he sends out out Acorn the Rapidash and use Flame Charge or simply Agility to get his speed up, follow up with Sunny Day to reduce Thunder's accuracy to a dismal 50%, and then break out the supereffective Drill Runs along with some judicial use of Double Team and Hypnosis until Surge either uses Electric Terrain OR he needs to break out Chesto+Rest, whichever comes first. When that happens, he swaps Acorn out for Coalossal if necessary to lay out some Spikes and/or blow up in the opponent's face, otherwise it's time for Porygon2.
PGP (Perfectly Generic Porgyon) uses Trick Room to reverse the speed rules on the field. Now that Dirk can easily know what type the last move used on PGP is, he has it use Conversion 2 in order to become a type that resists electric moves. This means Ground, Electric, Grass, or Dragon. All of these are types with weaknesses that Surge's Pokemon often don't have supereffective moves against. PGP doesn't have any supereffective moves to use against Electric types, but until Magnezone is on the field, it doesn't need them. Tri Attack and Ice Beam are PGP's moves of choice, as they do perfectly neutral damage and have the chance to inflict strategically useful status (Burning or Freezing.) PGP also has Recover, which makes it extremely hard to KO, especially when it's moving first. It's very easy to know when you'll need that heal up, and it's easy to use a heal up right before refreshing Trick Room, and with an Eviolite, PGP's defence and special defence are actually pretty darn chunky...
If he thinks he's about to lose PGP or Surge sends out Magnezone, Dirk will have PGP use Trick Room one more time.... intentionally reversing the effect.
If: Magnezone
Then: Rapidash
Else: Turtonator
Wait, what?
Yes. Turtonator.
Gamehameha, like Acorn, has Sunny Day. Which, again, reduces the accuracy of Thunder to 50%. Against anything that isn't Magnezone (and since she's on the field, it's definitely not Magnezone he's fighting), she'll lead with Toxic, then begin to use a combination of Protect and Dragon Pulse, with Shell Trap reserved for any physically attacking opponents.... and because she's part Dragon, she's taking half damage from any Electric moves.
If Magnezone is sent out against her (Dirk will literally say "are you fucking stupid?" out loud with his mouth unless it's Surge's last Pokemon), then she'll use Flamethrower, which (under a Sunny Day) really hurts.
Once Magnezone is downed, if anyone is actually left, Dirk will use PGP to Trick Room the field again and follow up with COS the Machoke, whose abysmal speed and high Attack are the perfect setup for some Trick Room accelerated Earthquakes.
His Mega is still Sableye, but as before.... he kinda built his strategy without Sableye in mind. DeBeers is just chillin in his Pokeball unless Dirk needs a pinch-hitter or a little mopping up. Retaliate, Disable, Confuse Ray, Night Shade, Shadow Claw...
no subject
Badge/Gym Leader: Lt. Surge (Thunder Badge)
Elite/Regular: Elite
Team: Here
Battle Details: Dirk isn't picking his gyms just so he can lead with Empedocles the Coalossal, but it doesn't HURT that he can do that here too. Stealth Rock to lead, then a couple layers of her new TM move, Spikes. On the plus side, none of these are contact moves, so even if Surge's Manectric lead has Static, she won't be paralysed except as a side effect of a move like Thunder Fang or Discharge. Hopefully it doesn't use Roar, either... but even if it uses Roar first turn, that's a decreased priority move and Stealth Rock will be up (while Spikes can be added later.)
Now, the thing about Lieutenant Surge's team is that it's very speedy. Dirk has two plans.
First, he sends out out Acorn the Rapidash and use Flame Charge or simply Agility to get his speed up, follow up with Sunny Day to reduce Thunder's accuracy to a dismal 50%, and then break out the supereffective Drill Runs along with some judicial use of Double Team and Hypnosis until Surge either uses Electric Terrain OR he needs to break out Chesto+Rest, whichever comes first. When that happens, he swaps Acorn out for Coalossal if necessary to lay out some Spikes and/or blow up in the opponent's face, otherwise it's time for Porygon2.
PGP (Perfectly Generic Porgyon) uses Trick Room to reverse the speed rules on the field. Now that Dirk can easily know what type the last move used on PGP is, he has it use Conversion 2 in order to become a type that resists electric moves. This means Ground, Electric, Grass, or Dragon. All of these are types with weaknesses that Surge's Pokemon often don't have supereffective moves against. PGP doesn't have any supereffective moves to use against Electric types, but until Magnezone is on the field, it doesn't need them. Tri Attack and Ice Beam are PGP's moves of choice, as they do perfectly neutral damage and have the chance to inflict strategically useful status (Burning or Freezing.) PGP also has Recover, which makes it extremely hard to KO, especially when it's moving first. It's very easy to know when you'll need that heal up, and it's easy to use a heal up right before refreshing Trick Room, and with an Eviolite, PGP's defence and special defence are actually pretty darn chunky...
If he thinks he's about to lose PGP or Surge sends out Magnezone, Dirk will have PGP use Trick Room one more time.... intentionally reversing the effect.
If: Magnezone
Then: Rapidash
Else: Turtonator
Wait, what?
Yes. Turtonator.
Gamehameha, like Acorn, has Sunny Day. Which, again, reduces the accuracy of Thunder to 50%. Against anything that isn't Magnezone (and since she's on the field, it's definitely not Magnezone he's fighting), she'll lead with Toxic, then begin to use a combination of Protect and Dragon Pulse, with Shell Trap reserved for any physically attacking opponents.... and because she's part Dragon, she's taking half damage from any Electric moves.
If Magnezone is sent out against her (Dirk will literally say "are you fucking stupid?" out loud with his mouth unless it's Surge's last Pokemon), then she'll use Flamethrower, which (under a Sunny Day) really hurts.
Once Magnezone is downed, if anyone is actually left, Dirk will use PGP to Trick Room the field again and follow up with COS the Machoke, whose abysmal speed and high Attack are the perfect setup for some Trick Room accelerated Earthquakes.
His Mega is still Sableye, but as before.... he kinda built his strategy without Sableye in mind. DeBeers is just chillin in his Pokeball unless Dirk needs a pinch-hitter or a little mopping up. Retaliate, Disable, Confuse Ray, Night Shade, Shadow Claw...