Character: Annie Leonhart | lyingheart Badge/Gym Leader: Zephyr/Falkner Elite/Regular: Regular Team Team:Lute | Absol, Lv. 37 + Arlert | Hoothoot, Lv. 37. Battle Details: As of the timing of this gym challenge, both pokemon will be at Level 37. Their current moveset should reflect that level! Which... is on Monday, woo. Here goes something?
Annie and her team are walking in with no type advantages or disadvantages outside of Lute's immunity to psychic attacks, rendering Noctowl's psychic component null. Otherwise Annie has Lute holding a Persim berry, Arlert holding the Twistedspoon for the 10% psychic boost (this is the one good thing out of being dragged back to the start of Route 29 and meeting Not So Dead Marco), and she has additional berries (Persim, Oran), and a few lower-level potions on hand. This is all a pointed exercise seeing how these gym battles go, and for both Lute and Arlert's experience. It's also to see the end results of close matched neutral gym battles, where by and large there isn't a great number of immunities or weaknesses on either team. Win or lose, she's gathering information and testing her team out.
Lute will start out against the Noctowl, primarily because of the immunity to psychic attacks, and will be using Swords Dance and following up with Night Slash. Most of the focus here is heightening attack damage and coming in with the STAB for Night Slash, which ideally cuts through Noctowl fast.
It's the general idea for the Honchkrow as well (albeit with Slash following Swords Dance rather than the dark move Night Slash), though depending on if confusion ends up being inflicted and Lute needs to consume his held Persim berry or not, things may go faster or slower. If hit with Swagger without managing to injure himself to the point of passing out, then having his confusion cured, the additional attack stat raise will also augment his Slash. While Honchkrow takes reduced damage from dark type moves, Lute's normal moves with the augmented attack for Slash make regular damage, and Lute is likewise taking reduced damage from most of Honchkrow's attacks (being dark or ghost type).
When it comes to Pidgeot, Lute will use Taunt to try and buy time before Pidgeot can use a status attack, then switch out with Arlert, so she can take the lead for the sake of battle experience. This is largely in an effort to use Hypnosis (and Reflect second turn should Hypnosis fail, though at least she's got the boost from Twistedspoon) to put Pidgeot to sleep, while using her Persim berry or being berry-healed by Annie should she end up confused by a later status attack. If needed, Roost can come into play to help Arlert regain HP in the process of attempting to put Pidgeot to sleep via Hypnosis. If/when Pidgeot succumbs to sleep, Lute will be switched back in for Swords Dance to up his attack and then to use Night Slash, followed by Quick Attack should Pidgeot have any remaining HP. If Pidgeot wakes up, Lute will use Taunt to prevent Pidgeot from immediately using a status effect, and should scrape by surviving even if heavily hit by Pidgeot that turn to finish off with any physical or special move at the start of the next. Like Psycho Cut. Why not? Let's do something off type for the heck of it.
no subject
Badge/Gym Leader: Zephyr/Falkner
Elite/Regular: Regular Team
Team: Lute | Absol, Lv. 37 + Arlert | Hoothoot, Lv. 37.
Battle Details: As of the timing of this gym challenge, both pokemon will be at Level 37. Their current moveset should reflect that level! Which... is on Monday, woo. Here goes something?
Annie and her team are walking in with no type advantages or disadvantages outside of Lute's immunity to psychic attacks, rendering Noctowl's psychic component null. Otherwise Annie has Lute holding a Persim berry, Arlert holding the Twistedspoon for the 10% psychic boost (this is the one good thing out of being dragged back to the start of Route 29 and meeting Not So Dead Marco), and she has additional berries (Persim, Oran), and a few lower-level potions on hand. This is all a pointed exercise seeing how these gym battles go, and for both Lute and Arlert's experience. It's also to see the end results of close matched neutral gym battles, where by and large there isn't a great number of immunities or weaknesses on either team. Win or lose, she's gathering information and testing her team out.
Lute will start out against the Noctowl, primarily because of the immunity to psychic attacks, and will be using Swords Dance and following up with Night Slash. Most of the focus here is heightening attack damage and coming in with the STAB for Night Slash, which ideally cuts through Noctowl fast.
It's the general idea for the Honchkrow as well (albeit with Slash following Swords Dance rather than the dark move Night Slash), though depending on if confusion ends up being inflicted and Lute needs to consume his held Persim berry or not, things may go faster or slower. If hit with Swagger without managing to injure himself to the point of passing out, then having his confusion cured, the additional attack stat raise will also augment his Slash. While Honchkrow takes reduced damage from dark type moves, Lute's normal moves with the augmented attack for Slash make regular damage, and Lute is likewise taking reduced damage from most of Honchkrow's attacks (being dark or ghost type).
When it comes to Pidgeot, Lute will use Taunt to try and buy time before Pidgeot can use a status attack, then switch out with Arlert, so she can take the lead for the sake of battle experience. This is largely in an effort to use Hypnosis (and Reflect second turn should Hypnosis fail, though at least she's got the boost from Twistedspoon) to put Pidgeot to sleep, while using her Persim berry or being berry-healed by Annie should she end up confused by a later status attack. If needed, Roost can come into play to help Arlert regain HP in the process of attempting to put Pidgeot to sleep via Hypnosis. If/when Pidgeot succumbs to sleep, Lute will be switched back in for Swords Dance to up his attack and then to use Night Slash, followed by Quick Attack should Pidgeot have any remaining HP. If Pidgeot wakes up, Lute will use Taunt to prevent Pidgeot from immediately using a status effect, and should scrape by surviving even if heavily hit by Pidgeot that turn to finish off with any physical or special move at the start of the next. Like Psycho Cut. Why not? Let's do something off type for the heck of it.
But the real question is... does it work?