Riku has been watching Emoporio enough to know better than to underestimate him or his team. He's also seen enough to know the kid really likes to prioritize status moves like Hypnosis. The starting matchup is not ideal. He's tried to make note of patterns in the phrases Emporio uses to signal attacks so he can adapt accordingly, as well as watching the opposing mons. He'll stick to his silent command strategy unless he has to utilize other methods. He has a few quips he throws out to deal with Sleep Talk, e.g. ("Time for a surprise", "Plot twist", "You know what to do").
But that's fine. Riku's first move is to immediately switch to Crush the Hydreigon. If Hypnosis hits? That's fine. Crush knows Sleep Talk, allowing him to continue fighting even when fast asleep, with a lot of hard-hitting moves that might throw the Haunter off guard. If Hypnosis doesn't hit, it's Taunt time. If Confuse Ray hits, still Taunt time if possible. Riku wants to get a Taunt in as soon as possible to hinder Emporio's usual strategies and put on the pressure. Assuming the Taunt works, Riku's next move will be to get as insufferable as possible. Thunder Wave to hopefully inflict Paralysis and Dark Pulse to inflict heavy damage and hopefully flinch- assuming Taunt worked.
But if Sleep Talk shenanigans happen and Taunt doesn't get to land, Riku will change his strategy. The moment he sees that Destiny Bond, if Crush is asleep, he'll switch to having Crush try and use passive moves like Protect, Roost, and Double Team until he wakes up, that way if Crush wakes up while Destiny Bond is going, the move won't put him in jeopardy. If Destiny Bond is still active after waking up, Crush will use Roar to force a switch.
Crush knows both Roost and Rest to heal, and with the combination of Sleep Talk, is a rather formidable foe. Since Crush hasn't used the move much, he's hoping to take Emporio by surprise.
But if Emporio switches in response to Hydreigon, Riku has some alternative tactics.
First of all, Taunt to prevent any sand or status-based shenanigans. If that prompts a switch, do another Taunt on whatever Pokemon comes out next. If Krokorok stays in, Crush will use Toxic and then go to town with Surf to hit at those frail special defenses. Crush will use Protect on occasion to scout for strategy, and if necessary, heal with either Roost or Rest- the former puts Crush at risk of ground damage, but at least prevents Crush from having to rely on the unpredictability of Sleep Talk.
If Sandstorm gets used before Taunt can activate, boom. Rain Dance. Nice boost to the water moves! If Torment gets used to prevent him from repeatedly using Surf, that's okay- Crush also knows Aqua Tail. Riku's hoping his taunt strategies will be enough to throw Emporio off.
That being said, if Crush gets hit with Taunt, he will fall back on type effective moves or, if it gets too dicey, use U-Turn to escape. For Haunter, that would be Dark Pulse, Bite, and Crunch, for Krokorok, that would be Surf, Aqua Tail, Superpower, and U-Turn, and for Kadabra, that would be Crunch, Dark Pulse, and U-Turn (again, if it gets dicey).
If Kadabra comes in, Riku will still try to Taunt and then ToxicRoost and Recover where applicable. He's really hoping that none of the enemies know Fairy Type moves just so that Crush can have a smooth time in battle.
Enigma the Greninja:
If Crush goes down, Enigma is Riku's next priority due to his Protean shenanigans and speed.
Against Haunter:
Riku's first priority with Enigma is making him a pain to attack. That means Smokescreen and Double Team to have a lovely ghost immunity. Once suitably set up, it's time to break out the Dark Pulse, Night Slash, and Faint Attack. If Destiny Bond occurs, though, he'll err on the side of caution and use this as an opportunity to set up Rain Dance and Protect. Maybe put up some Spikes to be an extra nuisance. He will priorize using Protect between moves, though, to ensure he maintains that normal typing to shoot down ghost moves in their tracks. Enigma also knows Shadow Sneak and if he sees a good opportunity to go in for the KO, he'll have Enigma finish with that, and he may use Fly to get a little extra evasiveness and lay into the Haunter's frail defenses.
Against Krokorok:
Riku's honestly hoping Crush will have taken the Krokorok out, but if it comes down to it, Enigma can use Rain Dance to shut down any sandstorms. Normally he'd go for a Toxic here, but due to the risk of ground weakness, Riku will opt to play it safe. Building up Double Teams and Smokescreens and attacking with water moves like Surf, Scald, and Waterfall are ideal, especially when the latter can cause flinching. Even better if Rain Dance is active. As always, Protect will see sporadic use just to stall and scout.
The goal will be to hit hard and fast and avoid taking hits as much as possible to preserve Enigma's longevity.
Against Kadabra:
Toxic presents another option due to Protean. As such, Riku has other plans in mind. He'll still want to utilize moves like Double Team and Smokescreen on occasion, but he also knows Kadabras are frail. Very, very frail.
So, ideally, he'd wanna hit hard and fast with Dark Pulse, Faint Attack, and Night Slash. Night Slash especially for its increased crit chance, as well as utilizing Shadow Sneak as a potential finisher if the heavy hits aren't enough. Again, Protect for scouting, but he'll make it a goal to stay Dark Type as much as possible to limit what the Kadabra can do to him.
Ultima the Aegislash
Riku wants to save Ultima until the Haunter goes down. As such, I'll be focusing on the other matchups first:
Against Krokorok:
First thing's first, Magnet Rise. Second thing: Substitute. Third thing? Toxic, assuming Krokorok is the last mon standing or the Haunter is down. Riku will be utilizing a very defensive battle style here- try to toxic stall, leftovers heal, and Protect a bunch, while maintaining Magnet Rise and using King's Shield carefully. That being said, Ultima does have a type effective move in Sacred Sword and if given the opportunity, may try some Swords Dance and Iron Defense boosts. Sacred Sword definitely benefits from ignoring stat changes, but whenever Ultima attacks, he will always immediately use King's Shield after in order to maintain shield form. THe slower speed works to an advantage in that respect.
Ultimately, the core strategy here will be to maintain substitute and good protect/king's shield stalling, boost if there's time, and attack with Sacred Sword and Flash Cannon.
Against Kadabra:
Why hello there! How do you like Substitute? Riku's goal is to get one up as fast as possible to avoid any sleep-based shenanigans. Then it's the tried and true Toxic Stall shenanigans, with the occasional Shadow Ball thrown in to be extra annoying. Expect a lot of Protect/King's Shield to stall for leftovers recovery and perhaps even some Double Team if Ultima gets the chance. Ultima also has Night Slash and Shadow Sneak to utilize, along with Pursuit and Flash Cannon still, but Shadow Sneak would be a last resort for attempted finishers since Ultima is best when moving second to maintain its beefy defenses.
Against Haunter:
This is the LEAST favorable matchup by far, and one Riku wants to avoid at all costs. I only see Riku handling this matchup if there are no other Pokemon standing.
With that said, Riku does have some ideas still. First and foremost- toxic stalling is out, but Riku hopes to deal with the status spam with Substitute, Protect, and Double Team. High evasion makes low accuracy moves like Hypnosis a lot rougher to put up with. If he can get a good setup going, then he'll have Ultima carefully Shadow Ball where applicable, but if Destiny Bond rears its head, he'll have Ultima instead focus on setup and protect stalling until the Haunter makes another move. The preferred offensive attacks would be Shadow Ball, followed by Night Slash, and then Shadow Sneak to try and preemptively KO before Destiny Bond can be used.
Ultiumately, Riku hopes his Hydreigon can do most of the work, or at the very least eliminate the biggest threats to his Aegislash: the Haunter and the Krokorok.
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But that's fine. Riku's first move is to immediately switch to Crush the Hydreigon. If Hypnosis hits? That's fine. Crush knows Sleep Talk, allowing him to continue fighting even when fast asleep, with a lot of hard-hitting moves that might throw the Haunter off guard. If Hypnosis doesn't hit, it's Taunt time. If Confuse Ray hits, still Taunt time if possible. Riku wants to get a Taunt in as soon as possible to hinder Emporio's usual strategies and put on the pressure. Assuming the Taunt works, Riku's next move will be to get as insufferable as possible. Thunder Wave to hopefully inflict Paralysis and Dark Pulse to inflict heavy damage and hopefully flinch- assuming Taunt worked.
But if Sleep Talk shenanigans happen and Taunt doesn't get to land, Riku will change his strategy. The moment he sees that Destiny Bond, if Crush is asleep, he'll switch to having Crush try and use passive moves like Protect, Roost, and Double Team until he wakes up, that way if Crush wakes up while Destiny Bond is going, the move won't put him in jeopardy. If Destiny Bond is still active after waking up, Crush will use Roar to force a switch.
Crush knows both Roost and Rest to heal, and with the combination of Sleep Talk, is a rather formidable foe. Since Crush hasn't used the move much, he's hoping to take Emporio by surprise.
But if Emporio switches in response to Hydreigon, Riku has some alternative tactics.
First of all, Taunt to prevent any sand or status-based shenanigans. If that prompts a switch, do another Taunt on whatever Pokemon comes out next. If Krokorok stays in, Crush will use Toxic and then go to town with Surf to hit at those frail special defenses. Crush will use Protect on occasion to scout for strategy, and if necessary, heal with either Roost or Rest- the former puts Crush at risk of ground damage, but at least prevents Crush from having to rely on the unpredictability of Sleep Talk.
If Sandstorm gets used before Taunt can activate, boom. Rain Dance. Nice boost to the water moves! If Torment gets used to prevent him from repeatedly using Surf, that's okay- Crush also knows Aqua Tail. Riku's hoping his taunt strategies will be enough to throw Emporio off.
That being said, if Crush gets hit with Taunt, he will fall back on type effective moves or, if it gets too dicey, use U-Turn to escape. For Haunter, that would be Dark Pulse, Bite, and Crunch, for Krokorok, that would be Surf, Aqua Tail, Superpower, and U-Turn, and for Kadabra, that would be Crunch, Dark Pulse, and U-Turn (again, if it gets dicey).
If Kadabra comes in, Riku will still try to Taunt and then ToxicRoost and Recover where applicable. He's really hoping that none of the enemies know Fairy Type moves just so that Crush can have a smooth time in battle.
Enigma the Greninja:
If Crush goes down, Enigma is Riku's next priority due to his Protean shenanigans and speed.
Against Haunter:
Riku's first priority with Enigma is making him a pain to attack. That means Smokescreen and Double Team to have a lovely ghost immunity. Once suitably set up, it's time to break out the Dark Pulse, Night Slash, and Faint Attack. If Destiny Bond occurs, though, he'll err on the side of caution and use this as an opportunity to set up Rain Dance and Protect. Maybe put up some Spikes to be an extra nuisance. He will priorize using Protect between moves, though, to ensure he maintains that normal typing to shoot down ghost moves in their tracks. Enigma also knows Shadow Sneak and if he sees a good opportunity to go in for the KO, he'll have Enigma finish with that, and he may use Fly to get a little extra evasiveness and lay into the Haunter's frail defenses.
Against Krokorok:
Riku's honestly hoping Crush will have taken the Krokorok out, but if it comes down to it, Enigma can use Rain Dance to shut down any sandstorms. Normally he'd go for a Toxic here, but due to the risk of ground weakness, Riku will opt to play it safe. Building up Double Teams and Smokescreens and attacking with water moves like Surf, Scald, and Waterfall are ideal, especially when the latter can cause flinching. Even better if Rain Dance is active. As always, Protect will see sporadic use just to stall and scout.
The goal will be to hit hard and fast and avoid taking hits as much as possible to preserve Enigma's longevity.
Against Kadabra:
Toxic presents another option due to Protean. As such, Riku has other plans in mind. He'll still want to utilize moves like Double Team and Smokescreen on occasion, but he also knows Kadabras are frail. Very, very frail.
So, ideally, he'd wanna hit hard and fast with Dark Pulse, Faint Attack, and Night Slash. Night Slash especially for its increased crit chance, as well as utilizing Shadow Sneak as a potential finisher if the heavy hits aren't enough. Again, Protect for scouting, but he'll make it a goal to stay Dark Type as much as possible to limit what the Kadabra can do to him.
Ultima the Aegislash
Riku wants to save Ultima until the Haunter goes down. As such, I'll be focusing on the other matchups first:
Against Krokorok:
First thing's first, Magnet Rise. Second thing: Substitute. Third thing? Toxic, assuming Krokorok is the last mon standing or the Haunter is down. Riku will be utilizing a very defensive battle style here- try to toxic stall, leftovers heal, and Protect a bunch, while maintaining Magnet Rise and using King's Shield carefully. That being said, Ultima does have a type effective move in Sacred Sword and if given the opportunity, may try some Swords Dance and Iron Defense boosts. Sacred Sword definitely benefits from ignoring stat changes, but whenever Ultima attacks, he will always immediately use King's Shield after in order to maintain shield form. THe slower speed works to an advantage in that respect.
Ultimately, the core strategy here will be to maintain substitute and good protect/king's shield stalling, boost if there's time, and attack with Sacred Sword and Flash Cannon.
Against Kadabra:
Why hello there! How do you like Substitute? Riku's goal is to get one up as fast as possible to avoid any sleep-based shenanigans. Then it's the tried and true Toxic Stall shenanigans, with the occasional Shadow Ball thrown in to be extra annoying. Expect a lot of Protect/King's Shield to stall for leftovers recovery and perhaps even some Double Team if Ultima gets the chance. Ultima also has Night Slash and Shadow Sneak to utilize, along with Pursuit and Flash Cannon still, but Shadow Sneak would be a last resort for attempted finishers since Ultima is best when moving second to maintain its beefy defenses.
Against Haunter:
This is the LEAST favorable matchup by far, and one Riku wants to avoid at all costs. I only see Riku handling this matchup if there are no other Pokemon standing.
With that said, Riku does have some ideas still. First and foremost- toxic stalling is out, but Riku hopes to deal with the status spam with Substitute, Protect, and Double Team. High evasion makes low accuracy moves like Hypnosis a lot rougher to put up with. If he can get a good setup going, then he'll have Ultima carefully Shadow Ball where applicable, but if Destiny Bond rears its head, he'll have Ultima instead focus on setup and protect stalling until the Haunter makes another move. The preferred offensive attacks would be Shadow Ball, followed by Night Slash, and then Shadow Sneak to try and preemptively KO before Destiny Bond can be used.
Ultiumately, Riku hopes his Hydreigon can do most of the work, or at the very least eliminate the biggest threats to his Aegislash: the Haunter and the Krokorok.