@caughtatpoint and I just played our VGC set. This was an incredibly stressful matchup for me but I managed to crack the perish trap and win 2-0. ggs and amazing run once again, caught!
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@Tryson21 me and you are up!
Resounding win coming from DDK, you knew that match up well and found an easy path to win that one. Caught had one of the better teams in the tournament, but it’s hard to get past Azu and Gard in this tournament setting.
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As I’m successfully out of the tournament, I would like to post my VGC team and my thoughts behind it.
Overview: My team is… uninspired lol. A lot of ripped sets that I threw together to run CHALK. Since I’ve got a wonderful 5th place finish I can’t say I recommend this specific team too much, but it certainly has it place.
I give to you: Team Uninspired!
Kangaskhan (F) @ Kangaskhanite
Ability: Inner Focus
Level: 50
EVs: 180 HP / 252 Atk / 12 Def / 4 SpD / 60 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Return
- Low Kick
- Fake Out
- Sucker Punch
This is the worlds Kang which I figured would be a pretty safe bet. Overall it certainly has its place. It’s a bulky set and it does that well, however I think it comes up short in other areas.
Speed: I wish I had more speed on this specific slot, it would have been helpful in a number of situations especially on speed ties, but I wanted to keep this as “true” to the original as I could.
Low kick: While great coverage I found in lots of scenarios I was actually much better off using return. If I were to change this slot I would likely go power up punch with more speed EV’s to really make this thing threatening.
Lack of protect: Again, speed is key here and as a slower fake out user against other Kang it would have been great to have the option to dodge on a lead match up or at the very least play some mind games.
Thoughts on inner focus: Actually really liked this in a 1v1 scenario and as a lead as I ignore faster fake outs and can fake out something else myself. It’s a bit of an anti meta pick, and can work but it’s usually a 1 trick pony after the first ignored fake out happens.
Heatran @ Safety Goggles
Ability: Flash Fire
Level: 50
EVs: 24 HP / 4 Def / 224 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Heat Wave
- Earth Power
- Substitute
- Protect
I still love my heatran. This is a faster version that what I ran in Gen 4 and for the most part worked really well. My only regret is that I did not calc some specific match ups to see how survivability might have worked in my favor. That said, EV’s are optimized for 24.9% subs so I can’t complain too much as Heatran proved itself to be very helpful in most games.
Thundurus @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Prankster
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 148 Def / 36 SpA / 68 SpD / 4 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 30 Def
- Thunderbolt
- Thunder Wave
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Swagger
I love to hate thundy. This uses the same EV spread as my Gen 4 team, but does not quite operate the same way in gen five. specifically utilizing bulk to stall out and support other key team members. I opted for HP Ice at the last moment to help me in my Lando match ups, but honestly I should have run either protect or sub here (probably protect) as Thundy usually leads and needs to stop the fake out momentum before it begins. Swagger and T wave are huge on this set and actually make for really annoying support options and forcing switches. Thundy has a ton of potential, it just didn’t operate well in this last tournament as well as I had hoped.
Landorus-Therian @ Focus Sash
Ability: Intimidate
Level: 50
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- U-turn
- Protect
- Stone Edge
Actually a pretty good set and item use overall. I like how this lando functions as most lando in this tournament use AV or scarf. Most of the calcs I ran for AV lando had it 2HKO by Ice moves, so i just opted for focus sash instead it worked quite well letting me take boosted water moves and fire back on 1 HP. This would be one I suggest for anyone looking for a decent set to try.
Cresselia (F) @ Lum Berry
Ability: Levitate
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 52 Def / 112 SpA / 40 SpD / 52 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Icy Wind
- Psychic
- Ice Beam
- Helping Hand
A new style of cress! Last gen I ran trick room and this gen I ran icy wind which I would do all over again. TR has very specific match ups, and a lot of pokemon in the tier that are pretty slow and would counter a TR I set. Icy wind however allows me to ignore taunt AND still get a speed drop on pokemon that would otherwise out run my semi-fast team. Cress did great this tournament and I would run this set again.
Amoonguss @ Black Sludge
Ability: Regenerator
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 64 Def / 192 SpD
Sassy Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 0 Spe
- Grass Knot
- Spore
- Rage Powder
- Sunny Day
It looks odd on paper, but works surprisingly well. I will say I would 100% remove black sludge for rocky helmet. The helmet would have gotten me a lot more defensively than black sludge would have but otherwise I rather like this version of Amoonguss. Sunny day is in the last slot mostly to stop rain teams, but also works well to boost my heatran.
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Was wondering when the team report would drop. Great write-up as always! I agree that Protect would’ve benefitted your Thundy a lot as what makes that set so cancerous is being able to tip RNG in your favour and sit on the field. Not too sure about Safety Goggles on Heatran either as Amoonguss is never staying in on it and it and you have sub for Spore.
Great team and was a challenge to fight, but as we all know, Golbat and Avalugg would’ve won.
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I have sub for spore, sure. But I don’t have sub for switch in 
I’m running straight cursed jank next time.
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all my homies never use amoongus
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@amcgl58 and I are playing our little cup VGC matches now 
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Fantastic games! @amcgl58 has really stepped it up this tourney in both brackets.
Congrats on making it to the finals @SeasidePokemon. Now you and @cosrob will be battling it out to see who will become E4’s first VGC Little Cup champ!
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Had my semi-final battle with @mrbubbles and we had a great set.
Actual photo of us in game 3 below:
I was able to pull in the victory in game 3. Thanks for a fun battle!
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That GPT image is indeed how game 3 went down! @mrbubbles once again proving to be a formidable foe!
Congrats on advancing to the finals, @Swinub. I predict it will be another fast-paced set between you and @amcgl58 to see who gets the first E4 Singles Little Cup crown!
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Game 3 was some insane gameplay especially considering both people were not looking at their screens!
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Thank you for your time and the games @Swinub. They were really fun and you are an awesome competitor. Not only this set but this tournament overall it has been very impressive where you started as a beginner and now are a very scary opponent to face. I wish you the all the rng for the finals. It will be a great game.
Thank you @ddk for yet another edition of tournament, these moments are not possible without you driving them. I am also pleased that the losses which were disappointing for me in gen 5 don’t feel disappointing anymore. I think I like the @lyleberr approach much better where I don’t want to be too tryhard yet be competitive. Doing the Mega challenge in the singles was fun and I wish I had done from the start of the tourney. I enjoyed both editions of the game. Games were ton of fun, to play and to watch. Thanks also to everyone who participated. Wish everyone who is closing out the tournament good games and lot of luck!
Cheers!
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I think i forgot to do the competitive part of the plan this tournament 
But then again, pika-simmons will live on in our memories as something no one competitive would ever try using.
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Hopefully @Tryson21 and I can play either this weekdays or weekends, looking forward to a fun battle
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Little Cup finals have begun!
On the VGC side, we have @SeasidePokemon, a top competitor in our tournaments who, to no surprise, has made it to the finals here. CHALK it up to a strong team and good fundamentals.
His opponent is none other than @cosrob, another veteran E4 tourney competitor who has been playing since Gen 1. Tho VGC isn’t his forte, he’s managed to claw his way to the finals and is looking to make a name for himself!
For Singles, we have @Swinub, a brand new competitor who has rapidly risen through the ranks and become a serious tournament threat with a fast-paced offense team. Will she be able to take home the Little Cup crown in her first tournament?
On the other side, we have @amcgl58, who is no stranger to our tournaments. More recently, he’s been taking names and has made a name for himself with an electrifying hyper offense team.
Little Cup finalists, please let me know the date and time of your matches so we can make an announcement! Everyone else, sit tight and keep and eye out for the times for both of these matches!
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HYPE
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Update: schedule is Thursday night Eastern, pending @Tryson21 confirmation – if not we’ll play on weekend
edit: 11pm EDT thu
edit2: won ggs, great set, comes down all the way to 50-50 on g3. could’ve been gone either way.
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