Singing in the Rain

If you don't like Smogon, don't go there. If you want to battle good players and improve your skills, however, you may want to reconsider your decision. Smogon is an excellent competitive battling community.

What is it, Lassie?

Someone making broad, sweeping generalizations about a meta he doesn't understand? Lead me to him, girl!

First things first, it seems as though Smogon shapes Pokemon to combat other Pokemon that they created.

Yes, people creating sets to counter common metagame threats. How bizarre, how bizarre.

People check Smogon for battle advice and movesets, but there is a vast variety of trainers out there, using creative and original sets. Thus, I pity the former group. I feel as though Smogon is just cramping their style, by hampering them with movesets that just don't work against creative trainers.

You keep using the term "creative" as a synonym for "good". You should know that the overlap between these two terms is often quite small.

Second, well...meh. The "omnipresence" of certain things, like entry hazards(namely fucking STEALTH ROCK), Rapid Spin needs, Pursuit, even switching out WAY too often, Hidden Power, etc.

Um...being aware of common metagame threats is a bad thing? I'll give you a little leeway on Hidden Power (particularly on legendaries), but it's not like Stealth Rock is a difficult to acquire move.

And if you play a 6v6 single match (instead of RM 3v3), you will probably be doing a fair amount of switching unless your opponent is a pud.

And don't even get me started on fucking Choice items. Just about EVERY Pokemon has one set dedicated to choice items. And for what? Increased power/speed, yes. But having to use the same move against multiple Pokemon, only to have to SWITCH OUT on the next turn? Just...no.

So...don't use choice items?

Choice sets generally aren't meant to be team sweepers. The primary advantage of choice sets is that you're getting a significant damage boost with zero turns of setup (bands/specs). Obviously use will depend on team role, but the general idea is that your choice user softens up/KOs your main sweeper's counter, giving them time to come in, stat up, and sweep.

And discounting the advantage of a significant speed boost, especially with Pokemon like Heatran...puff puff pass, that's the rule.

What's funny is that most of these sets can be beaten out with good tactics and such.

It's amazing that you can accomplish what dozens of people on battle simulators do every day.

I battle via RM every day.

Are you a wizard?

With a Haxorus, a Chandelure, and a Ferrothorn. With movesets that I created on my own.

yeah dude I bet you run Rock Slide instead of Brick Break on your Haxorus because you're a rebel who follows no law but his own

And every day I come across someone that uses a Smogon team. Someone uses Choice items? I take it like a man and strike back. Pursuit? I almost never switch out, anyway. It does close to no damage. Fucking Stealth Rock? I don't switch out every other turn like everyone else.
When it comes into effect, I just take the damage like a man and keep battling. It really doesn't affect me too much.

Making assumptions about 6v6 single battles based on 3v3 matches? Of course you think Smogon switches too much, you play in a meta where switching is generally the lesser option. Come to think of it, why are you even making broad assumptions and generalizations about a meta you don't even play?

Eh, I'm on the fence with Smogon. They have some good strategies to help people out, though, I don't like to use most of their strategies myself. But quite a few people act like it's the Pokemon Bible.

I disagree with a lot of what you say, though, I think that Stealth Rock needs to die in a whole hole.

I don't think you quite understand the metagame

Originally Posted by DCM

I don't think you quite understand the metagame

No. No they don't. The complainers never do ever understand the metagame.