The Dark Horse Project: Little Cup Edition! (Month three!)

Pokemon Showdown Username: DarkHorseMonth2LC
Dark Horse Pokemon: Wynaut, Dratini
Screenshot of Ladder Ranking: In the second third hide tags.
Full Team Importable (in hide tags please):
Dratini @ Life Orb
Ability: Shed Skin
Level: 5
EVs: 196 Spd / 244 Atk / 68 SDef
Adamant Nature
IVs: 0 HP
- Dragon Dance
- Outrage
- Extreme Speed
- Iron Tail

Dwebble @ Berry Juice
Ability: Sturdy
Level: 5
EVs: 236 Atk / 236 Spd
Jolly Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Spikes
- Rock Blast
- Counter

Murkrow @ Life Orb
Ability: Insomnia
Level: 5
EVs: 188 Spd / 240 Atk / 80 SAtk
Naive Nature
- Brave Bird
- Sucker Punch
- Heat Wave
- Hidden Power [Grass]

Abra @ Focus Sash
Ability: Magic Guard
Level: 5
EVs: 200 Spd / 240 SAtk
Timid Nature
IVs: 30 Def / 30 SAtk / 30 SDef / 30 Spd / 3 Atk
- Psychic
- Shadow Ball
- Hidden Power [Fighting]
- Dazzling Gleam

Wynaut @ Berry Juice
Ability: Shadow Tag
Level: 5
EVs: 76 HP / 132 Def / 212 SDef / 12 Spd
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Counter
- Mirror Coat
- Encore
- Destiny Bond

Timburr @ Eviolite
Ability: Guts
Level: 5
EVs: 76 HP / 196 Atk / 76 Def / 156 SDef
Impish Nature
- Drain Punch
- Mach Punch
- Knock Off
- Poison Jab

Edit:
upload_2014-2-14_19-58-55.png

Just stopping to let you know that I made rank B, but I'm continuing until I get A.
Edit 2:
upload_2014-2-14_21-5-21.png

Yeah! I did it! Whatchu know about dat rank A, son?

I found Wynaut to be absurdly good, netting at least one if not two KOs each match. It also makes a great counter to Meditite. I found that once I KOed the first Pokemon, the opponent would attempt to set up on me, which was so incredibly predictable (seriously, what else do you send a Zigzagoon out there?), so I would Encore, allowing my Dratini a great setup opportunity. Wynaut is such a champ with Berry Juice; it allows it to get more than one KO through Counter or Mirror Coat. Probably the funniest thing was switching into a Mienfoo. The opponent would think he or she was being so clever by dealing a lot of damage with U-Turn and switching to a more appropriate Pokemon, but the switch-in would get cracked with a Countered U-Turn (it happened too many times to count; do people not know how Counter works, or something?). I believe Wynaut has been ignored in the past because Berry Juice was not allowed, but in this metagame where it hasn't been banned yet, Wynaut thrives.

As for Dratini, the +2 priority in Extremespeed was unbelievably helpful, beating Timburr, Murkrow, Fletchling, and Carvanha in more than a few clutch situations. Iron Tail was an unexpected surprise for many Fairies (namely Spritzee who expected to wall Dratini instead of getting 2HKOed) and Outrage was a ridiculously strong move from a strong Pokemon, so if I needed to sac Dratini to let something come in safely, it's not like I was setup fodder. After a DD, something is going to faint. The only question is "How few can I lose?"

Also, defensive Magnemite sucks. Magnemite in general sucks. Abra is where it's at. Counter on Dwebble is awesome, and so is Poison Jab on Timburr (although it still misses the 2HKO on Spritzee).
 
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Back again, trying this one more time...
Pokemon Showdown Username: HowlsMovingCastle
Dark Horse Pokemon: Clamperl, Inkay, Surskit, Anorith, Tyrunt
Screenshot of Ladder Ranking: N/A
Full Team Importable:

Clamperl (F) @ DeepSeaTooth
Ability: Rattled
Level: 5
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 80 HP / 248 SAtk / 180 Spd
Timid Nature
- Surf
- Ice Beam
- Hidden Power [Grass]
- Shell Smash

Inkay (M) @ Eviolite
Ability: Contrary
Level: 5
EVs: 16 HP / 244 Atk / 12 Def / 236 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Night Slash
- Psycho Cut
- Superpower
- Topsy-Turvy

Surskit (F) @ Focus Sash
Ability: Swift Swim
Level: 5
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 36 HP / 20 Def / 196 SAtk / 20 SDef / 236 Spd
Timid Nature
- Hydro Pump
- Signal Beam
- Sticky Web
- Rain Dance

Anorith (M) @ Eviolite
Ability: Battle Armor
Level: 5
EVs: 156 HP / 236 Atk / 36 Def / 40 SDef
Adamant Nature
- Rock Blast
- X-Scissor
- Rapid Spin
- Stealth Rock

Tyrunt (M) @ Berry Juice
Ability: Strong Jaw
Level: 5
EVs: 212 HP / 204 Atk / 76 SDef
Adamant Nature
- Rock Slide
- Dragon Tail
- Poison Fang
- Fire Fang

Pancham (M) @ Eviolite
Ability: Scrappy
Level: 5
EVs: 140 HP / 136 Atk / 100 Def / 132 SDef
Sassy Nature
IVs: 0 Spd
- Circle Throw
- Stone Edge
- Shadow Claw
- Parting Shot
 
Okay, so Imma do this now.
Pokemon Showdown Username: Tom Daley's Butt
Dark Horse Pokemon: Trubbish and Wynaut
Screenshot of ladder Ranking:

Full Team Importable:
Trubbish @ Berry Juice
Ability: Sticky Hold
Level: 5
EVs: 120 HP / 36 Atk / 236 Spd / 100 Def
Jolly Nature
- Recycle
- Spikes
- Gunk Shot
- Drain Punch

Pawniard @ Eviolite
Ability: Defiant
Level: 5
EVs: 76 HP / 76 Atk / 36 Def / 116 SDef / 196 Spd
Jolly Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Knock Off
- Sucker Punch
- Iron Head

Spritzee @ Eviolite
Ability: Aroma Veil
Level: 5
EVs: 212 HP / 196 Def / 12 SAtk / 12 Spd / 76 SDef
Calm Nature
- Wish
- Protect
- Aromatherapy
- Moonblast

Wynaut @ Berry Juice
Ability: Shadow Tag
Level: 5
EVs: 236 HP / 212 Def / 52 SDef
Bold Nature
- Encore
- Destiny Bond
- Counter
- Mirror Coat

Meditite @ Eviolite
Ability: Pure Power
Level: 5
EVs: 196 Atk / 156 Def / 156 SDef
Adamant Nature
- Bullet Punch
- Drain Punch
- Zen Headbutt
- Fake Out

Murkrow @ Berry Juice
Ability: Super Luck
Level: 5
EVs: 80 SAtk / 240 Atk / 188 Spd
Naive Nature
- Brave Bird
- Sucker Punch
- Dark Pulse
- Heat Wave

Were any of your Dark Horses very useful for your teams, did they do there job correctly and then some?
Trubbish: 8/10
Trubbish did literally everything I expected it to, repeatedly counter offensive threats like Timburr, Mienfoo, Pawniatd, etc.) repeatedly, and either beat them or set up Spikes all over them. Trubbish also formed an excellent core with Pawniard in that they both very successfully set up their respective hazards, as well as Wynaut and Spritzee, due to Pawniard, Trubbish, Spritzee and Wynaut covering eachother's weaknesses. It as all-in-all a very excellent pokemon, and I hope it can become an OU LC mon this upcoming month!!

Wynaut: 9/10
Same story as Trubbish, really; I used it only for countering Meditite. However, I very quickly found out Wynaut is excellent at so much more than just this. Wynaut was a great switch in to multiple physically-oriented threats, and threatened them with either Encore or Counter. It was really funto toy with Destiny Bond, also. It was just a great surprise that Wynaut was so useful.

Did you have any challenges in your way for creating a team out of not so common pokemon? Any key roles for a team that weren't covered by underrated threats?
Honestly, I really didn't have much trouble at all! Trubbish and Wynaut are just so useful, and so great at being pretty good defensive threats that they were easily the stars of this team. However, there were certain threats, Misdreavus, that could potentially steamroll my team with the right set. But playing around these threats were pretty easy at times.

Rate your dark horses from 1-10. How useful were they? Would you use this pokemon again? Why?
I definitely plan on using both of these pokemon again. I am very excited to make more teams featuring Trubbish.

 
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Pokemon Showdown Username: ChanceLeft
Dark Horse Pokemon: Litleo, Teddiursa
Screenshot of Ladder Ranking: N/A
Full Team Importable (in hide tags please):
Litleo @ Shed Shell
Ability: Unnerve
Level: 5
EVs: 84 Def / 176 SAtk / 248 SDef
Modest Nature
- Flamethrower
- Solar Beam
- Hidden Power [Flying]
- Will-O-Wisp

Teddiursa @ Life Orb
Ability: Quick Feet
Level: 5
EVs: 196 Atk / 116 Def / 196 SDef
Adamant Nature
- Seed Bomb
- Body Slam
- Earthquake
- Brick Break

Bulbasaur @ Eviolite
Ability: Chlorophyll
Level: 5
EVs: 240 SAtk / 32 SDef / 236 Spd
Modest Nature
- Sunny Day
- Energy Ball
- Synthesis
- Hidden Power [Water]

Shellder @ Berry Juice
Ability: Skill Link
Level: 5
EVs: 236 Atk / 76 SDef / 196 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Shell Smash
- Icicle Spear
- Rock Blast
- Razor Shell

Cubone @ Thick Club
Ability: Rock Head
Level: 5
EVs: 196 Atk / 116 Def / 196 SDef
Adamant Nature
- Double-Edge
- Earthquake
- Power-Up Punch
- Knock Off

Bagon @ Berry Juice
Ability: Rock Head
Level: 5
EVs: 236 Atk / 76 Def / 196 SDef
Adamant Nature
- Double-Edge
- Zen Headbutt
- Fire Fang
- Crunch
 
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Pokemon Showdown Username: Trubbish's Shaymin
Dark Horse Pokemon: Trubbish, Nosepass
Screenshot of Ladder Ranking: http://imgur.com/GULQblk
Full Team Importable (in hide tags please):


im fking trash (Trubbish) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Aftermath
Level: 5
EVs: 116 HP / 196 Atk / 100 Def / 20 SDef / 76 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Gunk Shot
- Explosion
- Seed Bomb
- Drain Punch

.-. (Murkrow) @ Eviolite
Ability: Prankster
Level: 5
EVs: 196 HP / 160 Atk / 100 Def / 24 SDef / 28 Spd
Careful Nature
- Brave Bird
- Tailwind
- Roost
- Thunder Wave

.-. (Magnemite) @ Berry Juice
Ability: Sturdy
Level: 5
EVs: 236 SAtk / 236 Spd
Modest Nature
IVs: 3 HP / 2 Atk / 2 Def / 3 SDef
- Volt Switch
- Flash Cannon
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Recycle

.-. (Misdreavus) @ Choice Specs
Ability: Levitate
Level: 5
EVs: 236 SAtk / 36 SDef / 236 Spd
Timid Nature
- Trick
- Shadow Ball
- Nasty Plot
- Icy Wind

.-. (Timburr) @ Eviolite
Ability: Guts
Level: 5
EVs: 116 Atk / 156 Def / 236 SDef
Careful Nature
- Drain Punch
- Mach Punch
- Ice Punch
- Knock Off

.-. (Nosepass) @ Berry Juice
Ability: Sturdy
Level: 5
EVs: 236 Atk / 236 Def / 36 SDef
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Volt Switch
- Ice Punch
- Earthquake


Welp, too lazy to get to A rank again. Trubbish is really good, Nosepass is really REALLY good. If Trubbish doesn't become an OU pokemon, I swear.......

Aren't you proud of me, Blara ;~;
 

tcr

sage of six tabs
is a Tutor Alumnusis a Team Rater Alumnusis a Smogon Discord Contributor Alumnusis a Tiering Contributor Alumnusis a Contributor Alumnus
My alt shall be Kill.Fuck.Amaura

I shall use Amaura and Surskit.

Surskit is an underrated threat in the form of utility. Sticky Web is magnificent for pokemon like Honedge and bunnelby to sweep. It also can form a blanket check for things like meditite, mienfoo and other pokemon that can be affected by sticky web. Im using amaura simply because I like amaura, it is an excellent scarfer, and without BP Meditite everywhere it is a lot more useful. With great SpA, it can sweep teams, hopefully with Sticky web support. It also supports surskit in that it tries to get rid of Vullaby, a common defogger (or archen/ murkrow).
 
Pokemon Showdown Username: Artemis Trowl
Dark Horse Pokemon: Inkay, Cubone, Pancham, Trubbish
Screenshot of Ladder Ranking: http://hpics.li/6a7e184
Full Team Importable (in hide tags please):
Inkay @ Eviolite
Ability: Contrary
Level: 5
EVs: 92 HP / 4 Atk / 12 Def / 148 SDef / 236 Spd
Careful Nature
- Superpower
- Psycho Cut
- Night Slash
- Substitute

Trubbish @ Berry Juice
Ability: Sticky Hold
Level: 5
EVs: 36 HP / 196 Atk / 20 Def / 20 SDef / 236 Spd
Jolly Nature
- Drain Punch
- Gunk Shot
- Spikes
- Recycle

Torchic @ Berry Juice
Ability: Speed Boost
Level: 5
EVs: 76 HP / 196 Def / 36 SDef / 156 Spd
Impish Nature
- Curse
- Protect
- Will-O-Wisp
- Baton Pass

Cubone @ Thick Club
Ability: Rock Head
Level: 5
EVs: 36 HP / 196 Atk / 36 SDef / 236 Spd
Jolly Nature
- Bonemerang
- Brick Break
- Thunder Punch
- Substitute

Chinchou @ Eviolite
Ability: Volt Absorb
Level: 5
EVs: 212 Def / 228 SAtk / 60 Spd
Bold Nature
- Volt Switch
- Hydro Pump
- Dazzling Gleam
- Heal Bell

Pancham @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Scrappy
Level: 5
EVs: 180 Atk / 20 Def / 52 SDef / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature
- Storm Throw
- Parting Shot
- Crunch
- Me First


Applying for B rank but i guess i'll keep trying for A rank tomorrow.

Were my dark horses usefull ?

1) Trubbish : 9/10

Everybody knows Trubbish now. Walls fighting, dark type, absorbs knock off, spikes, good regeneration due to berrycycle. Nothing more to say.

2) Inkay : 8/10
I like this guy after all !
Let's sum up inkay :
shitty stats
shitty movepool (best dark and psy physical stab : 70 power ? Really ?)
shitty typing (*4 u-turn yes awesome)
awesome ability with the access to superpower.

Imo, scarf Inkay is TERRIBLE. Using anything else than superpower is worthless (barely 2hkoes misdreavus with his dark stab). Superpower can't be used until the ghost is dead. It's also easy handled by meditite, by sturdy users, by any special attackers, by almost everything ...
Inkay without a +1 speed also is hopeless. Hello, i'm mienfoo, i'm ohkoing you while outspeeding even when you're +2 def. ( 236 Atk Mienfoo U-turn vs. +2 0 HP / 12 Def Inkay: 20-24 (95.2 - 114.2%) -- 6.3% chance to OHKO. )
To sum it up, inkay needs +1 speed, but liberty of moves. Hello torchic ! Hello sticky web users ! When this condition is fullfilled, inkay suddenly becomes a monster (i'm running fight/psy/dark + sub) as two things are good on inkay : contrary superpower, and the coverage. Nothing more to say : inkay can't be stalled as it'll hit always harder and continue setting up while sweeping, it doesn't mind u-turns and spore/wow/etc attacks as it can sub, it has perfect coverage and murders everybody. The fact it gains def makes it nearly impossible to RK as well as it doesn't give a fuck about fake outs when at +2 def or more.
Inkay seems to have only one niche : a speed receiver. But imo, it fullfills its role very well. (and it gains sdef when getting hit by shadow ball : it's awesome right ?)

3) Cubone : 7.5/10 aka agrougrou i ohko
well, it hurts extremely hard, but it tanks very bad, and is very sad when getting knocked off. except that, it's a good receiver, i like it. I don't know what to say ... i have one main objection toward cubone : it fears water. Like, really fears it, it's an ohko whatever the attacking mon. And when you want to baton pass from torchic, even if it's only a +1, it doesn't help.


4) Pancham : N/A /10

I won't comment it, because he had no place in this team. No synergy at all. A mienfoo would've been around thrice as good. At least if i want to use it as a scarf, i must have hard set-ups, benefiting it, or pivots, with knock off, u-turn, volt switch, regenerator ...
However i don't find scarf pancham this good. First because it has no coverage. His movepool is terrible, he only has fight/dark (dark not being that usefull as he can use scrappy. So in fact, he only really has fighting attacks ... except these are bad, drain punch (75 power, 50% life steal) is usually better than 90 power. It doesn't learn huge attack burst as well, such as hjk, and so is outclassed by others fighting types as a wallbreaker. Abilities apart, the two only things pancham has to shine, are parting shot, and circle throw.
Parting shot can be very good. "can". Because as in this team for exemple, which is very bad, parting shot reward is inexistant. Cubone, inkay without speed buff ? Lemme laugh. Torchic ? Don't even think of it. Trubbish ? Might help, but not pressure induced. Chinchou can use Parting Shot advantage properly, but it doesn't have that much pressure. It's not a Tirtouga or a Scraggy about to set up and eat the whole team.
Ah, and Parting shot must be used carefuly, as if there is a pawniard in the ennemy team (... many people in the chat will know what i refer to) you will fear as hell, unless you're prepared, each time you use Parting Shot. Because Pawniard will get a free +3 atk if he comes. and if Pancham issued any damages, he won't help handling Pawniard.
+3 236+ Atk Pawniard Sucker Punch vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Pancham: 16-20 (69.5 - 86.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO. (16, 17, 17, 17, 18, 18, 18, 18, 18, 18, 18, 18, 19, 19, 19, 20)
In summary, Pancham doesn't complete a team. A team is built around Pancham, or it fails. As right now.

Next month i'll do a Dark Horse team around Rest bulk circle throw pancham.
 
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Thank you for everyone who participated, month 2 has now finished! If you'd like an extension on you uncompleted challenge, PM me, I will work something out. Koffing has now been moved up to LC OU now thanks to our efforts to find the viable pokemon! I wish everyone good luck for this month, and I'd like to point out some notable Dark horses that have been brought down, Vulpix, Hippopotas, and Taillow. I am going to try to make this thread a bit more involved, and starting now we can not only post our registration form and such, but we will now be discussing dark horses here too more in-depth! The people that i feel like have contributed much here will get leaderboard points for being a good contributor for discussion. Here are some discussion topics that I'd like be discussed here, as well as people still doing what we have been doing for the past 2 months, testing them out!



How viable do you feel that Vulpix, Hippopotas, and Taillow are, and do you think they should be where they are now?


Are there any Dark Horses you seem to find very underrated?

You can now post different sets, your opinions, and your experiences with any VIABLE dark horse pokemon you like, and u can also try to convince us all about some underrated dark horses! Lets make this month a great Dark Horse month!​
 

tcr

sage of six tabs
is a Tutor Alumnusis a Team Rater Alumnusis a Smogon Discord Contributor Alumnusis a Tiering Contributor Alumnusis a Contributor Alumnus
Alt: AmauraisCute
Using: Amaura and Surskit
Rank: N/A
Team: N/A

Since I failed to meet Ashley's deadline ;-; at least I'm not crunched like I was lol
 

Holiday

on my best behavior
is a Social Media Contributor Alumnusis a Tiering Contributor Alumnusis a Smogon Media Contributor Alumnus
Alt: Kiba do Dark Horse
Using: Mareep and Karrablast
Proof of Clean alt: http://i.imgur.com/J3cVzI8.png
Proof of ranking: http://i.imgur.com/dz2uMbD.jpg

(Edit:) Well, I hit C Rank. Thoughts on the pokemon I used

Mareep: Well hot damn. I thought this sheep was shit. When I first told everyone the set I used, I was ridiculed for not using dual screens. CG+Three Attacks worked very well for walling physical attackers. I changed HP Ice to HP Fire to better deal with Ferroseed. Overall, it's basically an underused Chinchou that makes up its lack of Water STAB with higher defensive prowess with CG set up. Overall I give it a 7.5./10

Karrablast: This thing is a Hall of Famer for a reason. Hits hard with Life Orb, but I found its speed to be lacking, so I slapped a Choice Scarf on to it and tweaked the EV's accordingly. I'm really not sure why this is still in LC UU, and I really hope it gets noticed. Overall a 9/10.
Team in hide tags:
Ferroseed @ Eviolite
Ability: Iron Barbs
Level: 5
EVs: 188 Def / 228 SDef / 92 HP
Impish Nature
- Seed Bomb
- Thunder Wave
- Leech Seed
- Protect

Karrablast @ Life Orb
Ability: No Guard
Level: 5
EVs: 236 Atk / 236 SDef / 36 Def
Adamant Nature
- Megahorn
- Drill Run
- Knock Off
- Poison Jab

Ponyta @ Eviolite
Ability: Flame Body
Level: 5
EVs: 236 SDef / 236 Atk / 36 Spd
Jolly Nature
- Will-O-Wisp
- Flare Blitz
- Wild Charge
- Morning Sun

Timburr @ Eviolite
Ability: Guts
Level: 5
EVs: 196 Atk / 236 SDef / 76 Def
Adamant Nature
- Drain Punch
- Mach Punch
- Knock Off
- Poison Jab

Mareep @ Eviolite
Ability: Static
Level: 5
EVs: 236 SAtk / 236 SDef / 36 Def
Modest Nature
- Cotton Guard
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Thunderbolt
- Power Gem

Porygon @ Eviolite
Ability: Trace
Level: 5
EVs: 236 SDef / 36 SAtk / 236 HP
Calm Nature
- Tri Attack
- Toxic
- Thunder Wave
- Recover
 
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The Avalanches

pokemon tcg
is a Contributor Alumnusis a Smogon Media Contributor Alumnus
Pokemon Showdown Username: The Horsalanches
Dark Horse Pokemon: Phantump, Snubbull and Surskit
Screenshot of Ladder Ranking: C-Rank (trying for B-Rank, was repeatedly shafted by people using sub-150 pokes to counter me)

Full Team Importable:
Phantump @ Oran Berry
Trait: Harvest
EVs: 172 HP / 132 Def / 196 SpD
Careful Nature
- Substitute
- Leech Seed
- Will-O-Wisp
- Shadow Claw

Snubbull @ Eviolite
Trait: Intimidate
EVs: 36 HP / 196 Atk / 36 Def / 36 SpD / 36 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Play Rough
- Crunch
- Earthquake
- Heal Bell

Surskit @ Focus Sash
Trait: Swift Swim
EVs: 36 HP / 20 Def / 196 SpA / 20 SpD / 236 Spe
Timid Nature
- Sticky Web
- Hydro Pump
- Ice Beam
- Rain Dance

Timburr @ Eviolite
Trait: Guts
EVs: 76 HP / 196 Atk / 76 Def / 156 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Mach Punch
- Drain Punch
- Knock Off
- Poison Jab

Archen @ Berry Juice
Trait: Defeatist
EVs: 76 HP / 180 Atk / 196 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Rock Slide
- Knock Off
- Acrobatics
- Stealth Rock

Vullaby @ Eviolite
Trait: Overcoat
EVs: 36 Def / 236 SpA / 76 SpD / 116 Spe
Modest Nature
- Nasty Plot
- Air Slash
- Dark Pulse
- Roost


Were your Dark Horses useful?


Phantump 4/10

I chose Phantump to wear down walls and cripple physically offensive Pokemon. Even with Sticky Web support, Phantump failed to outspeed a lot of threats and could just never quite get it going, usually losing its Oran Berry to Knoock Off or sustaining a brutal hit before it could get a sub up. However, once it got a sub up successfully, it could stall out things that would normally kill it or cripple them with Will-O-Wisp. Despite this, Phantump was rarely useful, normally fainting before it could contribute in a battle, as it was only able to set up on a handful of opponents.


Surskit 6/10
I wanted a Sticky Webber on my team, because my team is kinda slow and Sticky Web would slow down things like Mienfoo and Meditite and give Archen and Vullaby the advantage over them. Surskit was able to lay a Sticky Web nearly every time and fire off a Hydro Pump before fainting. It performed optimally as a suicide lead, but Sticky Web isn't so useful in a tier filled with Flying-types, Levitate-users, priority and Pawniard.


Snubbull 7/10
I chose Snubbull to support my team while maintaining an offensive prescence. He could come in on any offensive Pokemon aside from Pawniard and force switches or hit hard with his excellent coverage. My team had a bit of trouble with stronger Pokemon, so Snubbull could come in and at least stand up to them.
 
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Alt: BlorbedLilligant
Using: Vulpix, Petilil, Magby, Taillow (Non horses are Carvanha and Porygon)
Rank: N/A
Team: N/A

The reason I'm using Petilil is because I just want to try it (And I love Lilligant but a lot of you from UU forums probably know that). It may sound ridiculous to run Carvanha in basically a Sun Team, but whatever.

(And letting you know I'll use Psyduck and Trubbish next month)
 
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Pokemon Showdown Username: Shaymin's Burds
Dark Horse Pokemon: Taillow, Wingull, Aron, Lileep so close :(
Screenshot of Ladder Ranking:
Empty: http://imgur.com/yRlpx3K
Full Team Importable (in hide tags please):

Taillow @ Choice Specs
Ability: Scrappy
Level: 5
EVs: 240 Spd / 200 SAtk / 68 Atk
Hasty Nature
- Boomburst
- Hidden Power [Fighting]
- U-turn
- Sleep Talk

Wingull @ Choice Specs
Ability: Keen Eye
Level: 5
EVs: 240 Spd / 240 SAtk / 28 Atk
Mild Nature
- Hurricane
- U-turn
- Scald
- Hidden Power [Fire]

Aron @ Berry Juice
Ability: Rock Head
Level: 5
EVs: 196 Spd / 196 Atk / 116 SDef
Adamant Nature
- Rock Polish
- Head Smash
- Heavy Slam
- Earthquake

Lileep @ Eviolite
Ability: Storm Drain
Level: 5
EVs: 220 SDef / 140 SAtk / 148 HP
Calm Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Giga Drain
- Recover
- Toxic

Mienfoo @ Eviolite
Ability: Regenerator
Level: 5
EVs: 120 Atk / 36 SDef / 116 Def / 236 Spd
Impish Nature
- Fake Out
- Knock Off
- U-turn
- Drain Punch

Corphish @ Choice Band
Ability: Adaptability
Level: 5
EVs: 120 Atk / 76 SDef / 76 Def
Adamant Nature
- Aqua Jet
- Knock Off
- Swords Dance
- Switcheroo


Dang it Aron and Lileep, so close to being Dark Horses ;~;
 
Oh, damn, I forgot to update my February post with my rank. :(
Pokemon Showdown Username: Tom Daley's Booty
Dark Horse Pokemon: Meowth and Wynaut
Screenshot of ladder Ranking:
Full Team Importable:
 
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Pokemon Showdown Username: sparkhorse
Dark Horse Pokemon: Binacle and Magby
Screenshot of Ladder Ranking: Empty: http://imgur.com/ejeSJte

Yup, that's B-Rank for me. Maybe I'll try for A-Rank.
Full Team Importable (in hide tags please):
Deoxys-D (Dwebble) @ Berry Juice
Ability: Sturdy
Level: 5
EVs: 236 Atk / 236 Spd
Jolly Nature
- Spikes
- Stealth Rock
- Rock Blast
- X-Scissor

better than defog (Drilbur) @ Eviolite
Ability: Mold Breaker
Level: 5
EVs: 40 HP / 236 Atk / 212 Spd
Jolly Nature
- Rapid Spin
- Rock Slide
- Earthquake
- Swords Dance

krow 4 noobs (Murkrow) @ Life Orb
Ability: Insomnia
Level: 5
EVs: 240 Atk / 80 SAtk / 188 Spd
Hasty Nature
- Brave Bird
- Sucker Punch
- Heat Wave
- Hidden Power [Grass]

titties (Meditite) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Pure Power
Level: 5
EVs: 40 HP / 196 Atk / 76 Def / 196 Spd
Jolly Nature
- High Jump Kick
- Psycho Cut
- Drain Punch
- Trick

ban pls (Binacle) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Tough Claws
Level: 5
EVs: 100 HP / 180 Atk / 196 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Switcheroo
- Razor Shell
- Stone Edge
- Shell Smash

the janitor (Magby) @ Berry Juice
Ability: Vital Spirit
Level: 5
EVs: 236 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature
IVs: 29 HP
- Belly Drum
- Fire Punch
- Mach Punch
- Thief


Were your Dark Horses useful?


Binacle 6/10
Binacle's main use was crippling walls with Switcheroo, but it also saved me a few times as a Scarfer with its reasonable 21 speed. I used Shell Smash on the set as well, since Switcheroo tends to force switches, and Shell Smash capitalizes on that. Binacle's main drawback is that it absolutely HATES every form of priority. Nonetheless, Binacle found chances to sweep if Pawniard/Timburr etc. were taken out of the picture.


Pros
  • Heavily disrupts defensive mons and setup sweepers alike with Switcheroo (locking Tirtouga into Shell Smash ololololo, who's outclassed now?)
  • Can comfortably revenge kill things with 21 speed
Cons
  • Priority = Dead Binacle
  • Reliance on low accuracy moves (missing Razor Shell twice and costing me a game)
  • 2nd ugliest mon in LC, after Carvanha


Magby 6/10
Belly Drum Magby. Y'all know what it does by now. Anyway, Magby is extremely threatening if you can manage to set it up. The problem is, its complete lack of bulk makes this a difficult task. I attempted to remedy this in my team by having two ScarfTrickers, which could often cripple an opponent enough to where I could come in and attempt to set up. There were games where Magby would take out 4-6 members of an opposing team, and games where it had no set up opportunities and basically did nothing at all.

Pros
  • Can sweep a team if it sets up, thanks to its great speed tier and access to Mach Punch
  • Magby is uncommon, meaning that teams are often not overly-prepared for it
Cons
  • Reliance on setting up to do any meaningful sort of damage
  • So frail...
  • Loses to hyper offense. If every member of an opposing team can OHKO Magby, it's pretty much dead weight for the match
 
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Holiday

on my best behavior
is a Social Media Contributor Alumnusis a Tiering Contributor Alumnusis a Smogon Media Contributor Alumnus
Alt: NickWolfDarkHorse
Using: Buizel, Magby, and Chespin
Proof of Clean alt: http://i.imgur.com/AMIsqU0.png
Proof of Ranking:

Not really sure if I can do this twice in one month, but some people in the LC chat said I could, so I am. Leggo :D
 
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Holiday

on my best behavior
is a Social Media Contributor Alumnusis a Tiering Contributor Alumnusis a Smogon Media Contributor Alumnus
Alt: NickWolfDarkHorse
Using: Chespin, Buizel and Magby
Proof of Clean alt: http://i.imgur.com/AMIsqU0.png
Proof of Ranking: C-Rank http://i.imgur.com/0YI5EGy.jpg
B-Rank
A-Rank
Team in hide tags:

Edit number 1: I got C Rank bitches. I'm gonna shoot for B rank now. Analyses for each pokemon (dark horse, at least)

Chespin: Well, it's the cutest pokemon and my favorite starter, so auto 12/10. But really, this thing was actually quite useful. In a tier with Shadow Ball, Sludge Bomb, and the occasional Bullet Seed and Gyro Ball, Chespin could come in on a LOT of things and set up Spikes. It hit pretty damn hard, as well. Nothing wallbreaking, but it did more then just set up Spikes. Honestly, it ranks a 9/10 imho.

Buizel: HOT DAMN BOIIII. Buizel is actually not that bad. It had decent strength between a Bulk Up and a life orb, but it was really slated for moves. It was a really good burn absorber thanks to Water Veil, and I might make actual teams revolving around a burn absorber core of a fire type, Timburr and Buizel. It gets a 8.5/10 from me.

Magby: This thing has two polar ends. If it doesn't get up Belly Drum, it kinda blows. If it does get BD, goodnight. It hit hella strong, and fighting type priority is very good in the metagame; however, it was insanely frail, and it would die from hits I'd expect it to live. Because of its situational play-style, It only garners a 6/10 from me.

Difficulties: Chinchou was probably the only thing I had problems with. If Chespin or Meditite weren't around, it would be really hard to kill without risking Murkrow dying. Another problem on the lower ladder was Frillish, since Buizel and Magby couldn't really touch it. Frillish faded out when I advanced higher on the ladder. Some SturdyJuice users would be a problem if they set up, but that was rare due to the versatility of ScarfTrick Meditite.

Ronin (Chespin) (M) @ Eviolite
Ability: Bulletproof
Level: 5
EVs: 188 Atk / 236 SDef / 84 Def
Adamant Nature
- Spikes
- Seed Bomb
- Brick Break
- Poison Jab

Skipper (Buizel) (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Water Veil
Level: 5
EVs: 236 Spd / 236 Atk / 36 SDef
Jolly Nature
- Bulk Up
- Waterfall
- Brick Break
- Ice Punch

Glimmer (Magby) (F) @ Berry Juice
Ability: Flame Body
Level: 5
EVs: 252 Spd / 240 Atk / 16 SDef
Jolly Nature
IVs: 18 HP
- Belly Drum
- Fire Punch
- Mach Punch
- Return

StealYoGirl (Murkrow) (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Insomnia
Level: 5
EVs: 188 Spd / 240 Atk / 80 SAtk
Hasty Nature
- Brave Bird
- Sucker Punch
- Hidden Power [Grass]
- Heat Wave

Luna (Spritzee) (F) @ Eviolite
Ability: Aroma Veil
Level: 5
EVs: 236 SDef / 36 SAtk / 236 Def
Calm Nature
- Wish
- Protect
- Aromatherapy
- Moonblast

Holly (Meditite) (F) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Pure Power
Level: 5
EVs: 200 Spd / 196 Atk / 112 SDef
Jolly Nature
IVs: 30 Def / 30 SAtk / 30 SDef / 30 Spd
- Trick
- High Jump Kick
- Psycho Cut
- ThunderPunch

Not sure if I can do this twice in a month but the people in the LC chat said I could, so I am. Ashley gave me the OK.
 
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Pokemon Showdown Username: Dr.RocketPotato
Dark Horse Pokemon: Joltik, Meowth, Nosepass, Hippopotas
Screenshot of Ladder Ranking: NA
Full Team Importable (in hide tags please): NA

Edit: dropping Nosepass, I'll use Hippo instead :3
 
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The rules of the project are as follows:
  • You must choose two Pokemon on the list of usage stats (found , at least for now) that have had less than 3.41% usage in the previous month.Yes, that means pretty much LC UU.
  • You must build a team with them (don't just steal an RMT that happened to have both).
  • You must post here stating the two Dark Horse Pokemon you were using and the fresh alt you are going to ladder under.
  • After that, you have the entire month to bring said fresh alt up to a point where you can be a Dark Horse champion!
  • Once you've achieved this, edit your registration post with a screencap of your ranking to be added to the Hall of Fame.
  • Every month, the Hall of Fame will be preserved, but a new Dark Horse challenge will start, so you can pick another couple Pokemon that you want to use and score leaderboard points again!
  • Note you can't get in the Hall of Fame with the same Dark Horse Pokemon multiple times (though the rest of your team can be recycled if you so wish).
  • Discussions of your Dark Horses are greatly encouraged. Post here with commentary, findings, teams, strategies, etc.—anything to do with the Dark Horse you've been using and what you've learned from it! Pls do what's in red, that will make me happy :O
And yeah as shown in rules, you won't get points for it :<


EDIT: Are these different pokemon from first time?
 

absdaddy

Banned deucer.
Gotta go hardcore for month 3; also jac pls do this challenge
Pokemon Showdown Username: YourGFisMINEnow
Dark Horse Pokemon: Natu,Magby,Shroomish,Drifloon,Rufflet,Wynaut
Screenshot of Ladder Ranking(proof of empty alt atm):


Full Team Importable (in hide tags please): after i'm done k
 

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