Sunday, February 2, 2014

Another Look at the Japanese Metagame - Usage Stats from Hiroshima Tournament [Kalos-Double] 広島ポケモンオフ「びぶおふ!」

Hey everybody, I am very glad, that I may present you the statistics of a large Japanese offline tournament again! First of all, a big shout-out and thanks to Kuhni who translated the data from the original link, which can be found here: http://d.hatena.ne.jp/hiroshima_off/20140201 
The organizers said the tournament was a great success, with a lot of people travelling far to participate in Hiroshima, so I think it is safe to say, that this data presents the Japanesse meta pretty well.

I will now list the Top16 teams and give my thoughts on them, as long as I am able to judge what the team does and how it works.

1st place - Takasaso (Katorea Block 2nd place)
Garchomp, Kangaskhan, Gardevoir, Amoonguss, Rotom-H, Bisharp


Thoughts: First of all, congratulations on winning, Takasaso! The team looks pretty solid, Rotom-H + Amoonguss is a very good defensive core, while Gardevoir complements them against Dragon-types. Garchomp + Mega Kangaskhan is sheer offensive power. Without Bisharp, those two would be weak to Intimidate, but the threat of a +1 Bisharp will scare most of them away. Amoonguss' Rage Powder is able to draw away fighting-type attacks from Bisharp and Kangaskhan. All in all, this team is very close to a build both, 2011 Worlds Runner-Up Matteo Gini and the reigning World Champion, Arash Ommati have used in an Italian tournament, so it can't be too bad!


2nd place - Hashidamu (Airisu Block 2nd place)
Garchomp, Salamence, Tyranitar, Rotom-W, Gardevoir, Mawile


 




Thoughts: 5/6 Pokémon of this team are what Ray Rizzo used to win the Virginia Regional, just recently. Only Gardevoir is in there for Ferrothorn. It does make a lot of sense, though, as with two fairies, you are so safe against Dragon-types! I could imagine that Gardevoir carries Trick Room to support Mega Mawile and Tyranitar, but it could also be an offensive version, as speed control does not seem to be as important this year as it was the past few years. Garchomp + Salamence are of course staples and all in all, this team is very standard, but that's for a reason!


3rd place - Kaede (Airisu Block 3rd place)
Aegislash, Kangaskhan, Gardevoir, Smeargle, Hydreigon, Rotom-H



Thoughts: Okay first of all, let's adress the elephant in the room: Smeargle. Out of 3 Smeargles that participated in this tournament, 2 reached the Top4 with a 3rd and 4th place finish, respectively. Despite the inconsistency  of Smeargle and sleep, both, sleep and Smeargle did very well in this tournament. I can only expect, that people were not prepared for Dark Void and this kind of teams in general. However both Smeargle teams seem to have a little bit more than just spamming Dark Void and hope for long turn sleeps. Instead, I think Smeargle is more used as a versatile tool that draws attention off Mega Kangaskhan and helps  to set up. While I would never advice to use Smeargle, as it is a pain to play, I think that people definitely need to prepare for Smeargle and have at least a Lum Berry and Pokémon that outspeed and KO it. This team is also using a combination of Pokémon, that is referred to as "sazangarudo" in the Japanese scene. This is a combination of the Japanese names Sazandora (Hydreigon) and Girguard (Aegislash). Those two have perfect synergy and with the right prediction, they can easily beat a lot of the standard teams. I can't wait to test this out ingame! 


4th place - Arue (Airisu Block 1st place)
Garchomp, Kangaskhan, Talonflame, Gardevoir, Smeargle, Krookodile



Thoughts: This is the second time that I see Krookodile being used with success in VGC14! The other time of course being Human who piloted his Mega-less Krooko team to a strong second place finish at Virginia. While I did not test it myself, I can only imagine that Krookodile is a good Pokémon for Intimidate support, as it has STAB Crunch and Earthquake, as well as access to Rock Slide. Especially when equipped with a Choice Scarf, I can assume that this Pokémon is pretty good and I would recommend giving it a shot. Once again, we can see Garchomp, Kangaskhan and Gardevoir, which are all very common and on top of the usage stats. 


Top 8 

5th place – Shien 

Garchomp, Aegislash, Salamence, Tyranitar, Rotom-W, Venusaur




Thoughts: I have built a very similar team around Mega Venusaur, so all I can say is that the 3rd place of this tournament used the exact same 6 Pokémon. While I don't think it is the same guy, it makes a lot of sense to throw these Pokémon on a team to support Mega Venusaur, which acts as bulky sweeper. Garchomp and Salamence are not necessary to explain, while Tyranitar + Mega Venusaur have perfect synergy. Aegislash works as a fairy counter here, while also beating Mega Kangaskhan that could give the team some trouble otherwise. When I played it, I always felt like something was missing to the team, but once again it has shown a respectable finish and it was probably my fault and I couldn't use it to it's best. I will definitely give it another look!


6th place – Nikoru 

Azumarill, Gyarados, Scizor, Gengar, Manectric, Goodra




Wolfe's addition: Gengar has Black Sludge, not Gengarite.
Thoughts: Okay so here we see what is easily the most unconventional team in this tournament. I am also not certain if Gyarados or Scizor could hold a Mega stone, too, but that wouldn't make any sense. Gengar + Azumarill could indicate a Perish Trap mode, but the rest of the team doesn't add to that archetype at all. Double Intimidate can support Goodra very well, so I could see that being a strategy. What we can all learn from this is, that there is definitely more than only 6 Pokémon viable and a strong Top8 finish indicates, that this was more than just a fluke!


7th place – Denjiha
Garchomp, Aegislash, Salamence, Kangaskhan, Talonflame, Gardevoir


Thoughts: Once again a very standard-ish team, so there's not a lot I can comment on. It contains 5 of the 6 most used Pokémon in this tournament and all I can say is that you need to have an answer for all of them. You will probably not meet as much Gardevoir and Aegislash as the Japanese use, but still.


8th place – Maroo
Chandelure, Amoongus, Rhyperior, Abomasnow, Aromatisse, Scrafty


Thoughts: I am pretty happy to see that a pure Trick Room team was able to make Top8, as it shows that hard core speed control can still win over "ignorant" goodstuff. Amoonguss is just such a pain to deal with under TR, while it, along with Scrafty, can help Chandelure or Aromatisse to set up Trick Room for Rhyperior and Mega Abomasnow to sweep. I think that explains the basic strategy of this team in a single sentence. There is of course the possibility of a Choice Scarf Chandelure in here, but considering that this team made Top8, I wouldn't think so. Mega Abomasnow could definitely see more usage, as it's stats are unbelievably good!

Top 16

9th place - Torun
Mawile, Meowstic, Chandelure, Hydreigon, Kingdra, Politoed


Thoughts: This team has the first rain mode! While it has definitely been nerved, you should still expect to meet Politoed and Kingdra! Make sure to have either Rotom-W, Ferrothorn, Tyranitar, Charizard-Y, Gardevoir, Mega Venusaur, Amoonguss or another way to deal with rain! Chandelure + Meowstic + Mega Mawile could indicate a TR Safeguard Swagger mode, which is also a pretty good strategy. I would expect Hydreigon to be scarfed. Mega Mawile + Hydreigon also do have superior synergy by the way!


10th place – masa 

Aegislash, Salamence, Kangaskhan, Charizard, Meowstic, Kingdra




Thoughts: At first, this team doesn't make a lot of sense, as there is Kingdra in there, but no Politoed. Instead, it has Mega Charizard-Y as weather inducer. Meowstic probably carries Rain Dance, or Kingdra is just Scarfed and acts as a surprise rain counter and to KO Garchomp and unscarfed Salamence. 

11th place – Hashimura
Garchomp, Aegislash, Tyranitar, Meowstic, Amoonguss, Rotom-H


Thoughts: Rotom-H + Amoonguss was already seen in the winner's team. Here, it acts as a defensive core that backs up the team, too, but wasn't as successful. Meowstic is most likely just a general supporter with its uncountable options.

12th place – Tonii

Aegislash, Salamence, Kangaskhan, Gardevoir, Mawile, Azumarill




Thoughts: Yet another Azumarill! Three fairies in this team is what comes to mind, first. Aegislash complements this team of Dragon killers. As a Garchomp-Mence user, I would not be happy to play this!

13th place – Rai

Mawile, Chandelure, Rhyperior, Conkeldurr, Reuniclus, Hariyama




Thoughts: And here is the second hardcore Trick Room team! This time, it relies more on the fighting-types Conkeldurr and Hariyama as well as Mega Mawile, instead or Mega Abomasnow. In addition, Reuniclus was chosen over Aromatisse or other inducers as a more offensive approach, I would assume.



14th place – Miyanoakemi

Garchomp, Talonflame, Rotom-W, Ferrothorn, Gengar, Klefki





Thoughts: This team does also seem very unconventional at first, but I think that Mega Gengar is here to support Klefki and prevent its victims from switching. It looks like a very annoying team to play against!

15th place – Surairii

Garchomp, Salamence, Rotom-W, Gardevoir, Mawile, Charizard




Thoughts: Very standard team, however, this team Mega Charizard is on it. A lot of offensive power is backed up by Gardevoir, Rotom-W and Mega Mawile who have a lot of resistances.

16th place - Abi
Aegislash, Gothitelle, Gengar, Abomasnow, Liepard, Aron


Thoughts: Last but not least we have a very interesting TR Perish Trap Aron Zheng team. Goth + Gengar + Liepard + X makes a strong Perish Trap mode, while the opponent also has to be prepared for Aron + Liepard, as well as Gothitelle lead for TR set Up with Mega Abomasnow in the back. A pretty cool hybrid team!


You can watch the finals and the game for 3rd place here:






Usage list:
Garchomp 22
Aegislash 17
Salamence 17
Kangaskhan 17
Talonflame 15
Tyranitar 13
Rotom-W 13
Gardevoir 13
Mawile 12
Charizard 11
Meowstic 10
Chandelure 7
Ferrothorn 6
Amoonguss 6
Azumarill 4
Rhyperior 4
Gyarados 4
Scizor 4
Gothitelle 4
Malamar 4
Gengar 4
Smeargle 3
Hydreigon 3
Kingdra 3
Greninja 3
Venusaur 3
Rotom-H 3
Mienshao 3
Abomasnow 3
Manectric 3
Aromatisse 3
Lapras 2
Espeon 2
Mamoswine 2
Aerodactyl 2
Weavile 2
Lucario 2
Politoed 2
Bisharp 2
Liepard 2
Wigglytuff 2
Sableye 2
Aron 2
[...] 1


About the usage stats, there is not much I can say except repeat myself. Once again, Garchomp and Salamence dominate, this time Aegislash has even more usage and Kangaskhan is the preferred Mega Pokémon. Gardevoir also has quite a lot of usage, and Mawile barely beats Charizard for the 2nd most popular Mega. There has been more Chandelure and I can assume that is because of the fact that more people were able to get Heatwave through the rare PokéBank. Ferrothorn and Amoonguss have also seen more usage, while the Japanese players still don't like Manectric :< Surprisingly, we also see stuff like Lapras, Espeon, Wigglytuff and some others listed, but none of them was able to sneak into the Top16, so I wouldn't say those are the new meta. There was only 2 Politoed in the whole tournament, of which one was able to finish in top16, so rain is still alive and I expect it to gain further usage. The other story is Smeargle which was able to get 2/3 in the Top4, but I'd assume that if the exact same tournament was played again, Smeargle could get unlucky and not get that far. It is also worth noticing, that the Smeargles went 6-1 and 5-2 in their groups, which would just barely be enough to top cut in the second case. In addition to that, not a single team went X-0 in the group stage, which makes me very happy as it shows that there is a great varietyin both, play-styles and teams, which means that everybody can beat everybody through skill. Of course it could also be random, but there is not a "best team" this format, but you can very well adapt to each team-style. 


Now this is how the teams performed in their respective group stages. We left out those who had a negative winning record, so don't be confused by that!

Katorea Block
1. Torun - Mawile, Meowstic, Chandelure, Hydreigon, Kingdra, Politoed (5-1)
2. Takasaso - Garchomp, Kangaskhan, Gardevoir, Amoonguss, Rotom-H, Bisharp (4-2)
3. Surairii - Garchomp, Salamence, Rotom-W, Gardevoir, Mawile, Charizard (4-2)
4. Ribaia - Rotom-W, Mawile, Meowstic, Ferrothorn, Kingdra, Politoed (3-3)

Zaru Block
1. Rai - Mawile, Chandelure, Rhyperior, Conkeldurr, Reuniclus, Hariyama (6-1)
2. Hashimura - Garchomp, Aegislash, Tyrannitar, Meowstick, Amoongus, Rotom-H (5-2)
3. Gacha - Aegislash, Salamence, Kangaskhan, Tyranitar, Rotom-W, Gardevoir (4-3)
4. Kurusu - Garchomp, Aegislash, Kangaskhan, Talonflame, Gardevoir, Manectric (4-3)

Shirona Block
1. Denjiha - Garchomp, Aegislash, Salamence, Kangaskhan, Talonflame, Gardevoir (6-1)
2. Shien - Garchomp, Aegislash, Salamence, Tyranitar, Rotom-W, Venusaur (6-1)
3. Tsubasa - Garchomp, Rotom-W, Mawile, Charizard, Gothitelle, Malamar (4-3)
4. Itokan - Garchomp, Aegislash, Salamence, Tyranitar, Rotom-W, Vensaur (4-3)
5. Shirokanebonto - Garchomp, Salamence, Tyranitar, Rotom-W, Mawile, Ferrothorn (4-3)

Mikan Block
1. masa - Aegislash, Salamence, Kangaskhan, Charizard, Meowstic, Kingdra (5-2)
2. Miyanoakemi - Garchomp, Talonflame, Rotom-W, Ferrothorn, Gengar, Klefki (5-2)
3. Abi - Aegislash, Gothitelle, Gengar, Abomasnow, Liepard, Aron (4-3)
4. Shijimi - Garchomp, Talonflame, Tyranitar, Gardevoir, Ferrothorn, Sableye (4-3)

Airisu Block
1. Arue - Garchomp, Kangaskhan, Talonflame, Gardevoir, Smeargle, Krookodile (6-1)
2. Hashidamu - Garchomp, Salamence, Tyranitar, Rotom-W, Gardevoir, Mawile (6-1)
3. Kaede - Aegislash, Kangaskhan, Gardevoir, Smeargle, Hydreigon, Rotom-H (5-2)
4. IXI - Kangaskhan, Chandelure, Scizor, Malamar, Drifloon, Espurr (4-3)

Beru Block
1. Tonii - Aegislash, Salamence, Kangaskhan, Gardevoir, Mawile, Azumarill (6-1)
2. Maroo - Chandelure, Amoongus, Rhyperior, Abomasnow, Aromatisse, Scrafty (5-2)
3. Nikoru - Azumarill, Gyarados, Scizor, Gengar, Manectric, Goodra (5-2)

I hope that these stats help you to get some insight in the Japanese metagame. I think it is very interesting and inspiring and I wish you a lot of fun when testing this teams or against them!

-Markus (13Yoshi37)


12 comments:

  1. Is Charizard/Venasaur just a big thing in America, or are you surprised by the fact that no team has both of them? To me, this has become a prominent strategy in America and I would have expected at least one in Japan.

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    Replies
    1. Yes, as I pointed out in the last stats I was to analyze, Charizard and Venusaur sees so much more use in the US than in Japan. Instead, Japanese players like to use Gardevoir and Aegislash, to pokemon that are not very common in the US metagame at the moment. I would expect that by the time we approach nationals, both combinations will be used everywhere and that the differences will get less.
      So I am not really surprised, because it is pretty typical.

      Delete
  2. I find it interesting that Gardevoir is so prominently used. Moreover, I'm intrigued by how they play it. Surely they're not used as simple scarf Gardes. I've been trying to fit a Gardevoir in my team (perfect defensive synergy) for a while, but just can't come up with an effective spread and moves. I'd love to see a specific breakdown of how the top Japanese players use their Gardevoir.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Speaking from some Battle Spot experience and what I have seen on Japanese streams, most people play Scarf Gardevoir. I've also seen a few Mega Gardevoirs and Specs Gardevoirs if the team has some form of speed control.
      Her primary use is to switch in on predicted Dragon moves (especially Scarf Draco Meteors from Hydreigon/Salamence) and threaten the enemy team with STAB Dazzling Gleam/Moonblast or simply put some heavy damage on the switch-in/partner.
      Ability wise I've seen mostly Trace, for the chance of tracing cool stuff like Parental Bond, Intimidate or Levitate. Some I've seen with Telepathy, especially if they like to pair their Gardevoir with Garchomp.

      Delete
  3. Yes, it is also in our interest to find out about this. I can only imagine, that there is Bold Sitrus Gardevoir, possibly with Will-O-Wisp or TR, as well as Offensive bulky Gardevoir. It probably fits better in their metagame than it does in ours, at the moment at least!
    We will of course try and gain information on this issue :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. I would like to know how to use Aegislash, look much.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Right now the Japanese love this moveset:
      - Flash Cannon
      - Shadow Ball
      - Substitute
      - King's Shield

      And they run it with either Sitrus, Weakness Policy or Leftovers.

      Delete
    2. Life Orb is another cool item, as it basically allows to 2HKO the meta

      Delete
  5. 4. IXI - Kangaskhan, Chandelure, Scizor, Malamar, Drifloon, Espurr (4-3)


    what

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, we did quite some research of that guy as well and asked what they did and what it was for. As far as I know, we didn't get any response just yet. All we could figure out is that he really loves drifloon lol (it's not a translation error)

      Delete
  6. The 6th place team is my most intriguing set. Would LOVE to see a team report. Looks fun and challenging to play.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. http://eggyemporium.blogspot.de/2014/02/top-8-battle-road-gloria-black-sludge.html

      here you are!

      Delete