(Need Advice) Mewtwo Raid
BACKGROUND:
A. I've received an EX-Raid pass, but have managed to track down only two other players who have received the same.It is possible that others may rock up on the day - but in any case, I want to be prepared for the likelihood of battling with a very small group.
B. I am Level 40 with 5-mil dust and sufficient candy to max out all the mon in question. However, I am very conservative with how I use my dust - would like to power up only for necessity and not for fancy.
PREPARATION: I am using Pokebattler to run simulations against different Mewtwo movesets. I am holding off until the last day to actually power up my chosen team (just in case I catch/hatch a better mon prior to that)
CONCERNS:
A. While Mewtwo is a pretty big deal for me, I would like to avoid powering up mon that may not be particularly useful beyond this one battle and post-Gen 3 launch.
B. I would like to avoid powering up more than 2 mon of the same type. Can make an exception for T-tar maybe but hoping 6 maxed out T-tars won't be needed.
Appreciate your inputs on the following:
1. Which of the following have a larger purpose/future use beyond Mewtwo? I want to power up accordingly. Tier-3 solos don't hold appeal to me.
Gengar (SC-SB 11A/14D/15S)
Gengar (SC-SB 15A/11D/6S)
Pinsir (BB-XS 15A/15D/15S)
Scizor (FC-XS 15A/14D/14S)
2. I keep reading about Lugia (E-SA) and Gyarados (B-C) as being good for Mewtwo - but Pokebattler doesn't pick these in my Top 6 for most moveset match-ups. Am I seeing something wrong here? In general, should I look at Time to Win, Power, or Overall?
3. I have 3 TTar with B-SE and 1 with B-C. I plan to TM one of the SE ones to C. I am fighting the urge to TM the other SE ones to C as well (out of fear I may not get SE back easily and also if SE becomes legacy during this time). Is this approach correct?
4. I understand a little bit about breakpoints, but also know that glass cannons like Gengar and Scizor should be fully maxed out to give them that extra bit of life (to fire off one last charge move perhaps?) Am I right in thinking that I should go beyond breakpoints for this specific circumstance of fighting Mewtwo with a small group?
5. During the encounter, should my strategy be to Max Revive my fainted Top 6 and rejoin battle, or quickly select a second string team (Top 7-12) and immediately rejoin battle? Not sure if the time lost in the first approach will prove crucial or if the better DPS is worth it.
Answers
Dragonite mostly, saw quite a few Lugia, and weaker players still used Tyranitar with Stone Edge but dodged the focus blast. Those TTs got the dodge bug but that is not a big deal for low and middling players. Gyarados can contribute and even vaporeon can help if you find players without multiple Dragonites. It is possible to dodge Confusion with certain species, especially if they have nimble moves. If you are 40 and encounter FB you personally can deal with it, part of your position as the best player is to coach--check the moveset first (esp know the difference between PC and C, it can matter to those without many TTs or Dragonites)
- I would avoid Gyarados. Crunch is an awful move already and Gyarados doesn't get STAB. Moreover, it only singly-resists Focus Blast and isn't super tanky anyways.
- Lugia makes a decent neutral anchor, but Dragon Tail will serve it better than Extrasensory. Its high defense, double FB resistance, and quick charge moves via Sky Attack will give it lots of life. Most other counters won't survive Focus Blast, especially if it's already packing Confusion.
- Tyranitars are the kings of Mewtwo, and Crunch makes them the best at it.
- Scizor will have much more survivability than Gengar if Mewtwo knows Confusion.
Therefore, if it's really close, you may want to consider discovering the moveset first, then power up accordingly.
If Confusion: Don't use Gengars or Gyarados
If Focus Blast: Don't use Stone Edge Tyranitars, Slot in Lugia.
If Shadow Ball: Don't use Alakazam or Gengar.
Best of luck for the Ex-Raid!
This is a lot of good info. To add to it I would say:
1. I won't say too much here. Unfortunately, aside from tier 3 there isn't a lot of other use for the others at this time unless something in the meta changes in Gen3.
2.Time to win is your most important piece of info for low man raids. It is essentially a measure of dps whereas power reflects TDO. Power can be high for Lugia because of its tankiness but it does that damage over a much longer time. Time is your biggest issue in low man raids.
3. Honestly, I would not suggest TMs here unless you absolutely had no other option. Ttar is a fast rock move away from being flat out better than Golem as a rock attacker and actually just about ties it at Lvl40 even without one. That being said it is far and away the best dark attacker. Neither of these roles is likely to diminish in gen3 protecting these invsstments. Ttar is oninvestments. Mon that a team of 6 is actually a good choice. (Machamp is another if you care about low man ttar) what I am saying here is I would actually recommend 6-12 ttar all it evenly.
4. Defensive breakpoints are a bit harder to find than offensive ones but some breakpoint calculators will show you them. The thing is that a few hp or a few more defense may not be enough to urvive another hit of anything so higher isnt alwaysbetter. You'll get more mileage out of another ttar than you will likely get out of leveling up the others more.
5. I know I 3manned ttar with a 33,32,27 and I already knew from breaking down my Sims that I needed to revive my best machamp and go back in. Unfortunately you won't know what the others are bringing. It is possible that if you don't have a good set of backups reviving may be better. I don't have any real data to back that up though, just anecdotal experience.
Thanks for your inputs all. I'll wait until the previous day to power up and keep ready an army of 4 TTar, a maxed Houndoom, Scizor, Gengar and maybe a Pinsir. Will max revive and rejoin battle if my A-Team faints.
Most importantly - I will pray really hard I get enough numbers on the day to successfully beat Mewtwo.
