*S47 ISFL POKEMON TOURNAMENT

[oknom]

Pokémon fans rejoice! A recent surge in Pokémon media continues with today’s thrilling S47 ISFL Draft Pokémon Tournament! Riding the enthusiasm from ACynicalGamer’s DSFL Draft as Pokémon Teams and omg’s DSFL Teams as Pokémon Trainers, now is the perfect time to unveil something I had been planning since the scouting began for the S47 ISFL Draft. Thank you to double media for getting me off my ass to organize and write this!

We all know scouting can get a little dry sometimes. You have to cover how you found the site, goals for your player, position swaps, etc etc. Some of these conversations hopefully make it past this 1st round of questions for you, but not all of them do. Whether you’re a GM or a DSFL prospect, how well do you really know who you’re talking to? What better way to find out than to ask them about their favorite Pokémon! Any scout or GM that scouted me during the S47 draft was asked about their favorite Pokémon. Once the draft was over, I then reached out to each team’s first round (or soonest) draftee to ask them the same question. To be 100% honest, I was not honest with these players or GMs. They did not know their precious Pokémon would be battling it out for your enjoyment or my bank account. But you will be presently surprised at the mostly level playing field we have to offer in today’s tournament!

Yes that’s right, I said tournament! March Madness is still underway, so what better way to see whose Pokémon come out on top than a tournament! Each GM’s Pokémon will be in the first slot, and their draftee’s Pokémon will be 2nd. Two teams had such excellent scouting that either both GMs or a GM and a scout both reached out to me and we have their Pokémon as well. I’m going to only use this 3rd Pokémon should HON and BER run into each other in the tournament.

As for the makeup of each Pokémon’s moves, IVs, items, etc, I just did my best. Each Pokémon was set to level 47 in honor of the draft and this upcoming season. Move set, item, ability, and IVs roughly just went with whatever was suggested.



– Mudkip[@IceBear32], Lugia[@Brad Woof] vs -Swadloon[@lemonoppy], Camerupt[@BRNXB0MBERS]
Well this matchup is looking pretty good on paper for the Hahalua. Their #1 overall pick Brad Woof brings the only legendary Pokémon into the tournament with Lugia! With all Pokémon limited to level 47, that certainly somewhat balanced out however. But still, that’s the type of player and Pokémon you want to lead your rebuild with! The Outlaws on the other hand brough a cute bug to a legendary fight. Swadloon is certainly a cutie, but they are going to need Camerupt to do most of the fighting here. Special note that Camerupt was a last second substitution as I didn't hear back in time from BRNXBOMBER. However, lemonoppy chose this pokemon to best represent ARI. A hot and rocky pokemon, like the Arizona desert, who likes to ground and pound their enemies. 
BATTLE: HON quickly swaps out IceBear’s Mudkip for Brad’s Lugia. Lemonoppy’s poor Swadloon can’t hang in there against Lugia, even getting forced back to the battle after a swap thanks to Lugia’s Dragon Tail attack. However, Camerupt was able to get a Toxic off on Lugia before Swadloon was dragged back into the fight and feinted. Camerupt began chunking Lugia with Tera Blast, forcing the legend to Roost back some HP. Shockingly, Lugia could not outrace Camerupt thanks to the Toxic doing its work on the legend! IceBear’s Mudkip came in, immediately took some damage from Camerupt’s stealth Rock. And the W goes to IceBear’s Mudkip! The little dude endures and Earth Power and takes ARI our of the tournament with a waterfall! HON will move on and get a bye next round due to the funkiness of 7 matchups.

-Zorua[@firstfray], Alakazam[@JJ5] vs -Wailord[@Fronk], Crobat[@mer]
A very interesting and technical CHI team faces off against a tough defensive SAR team anchored by Fronk’s Wailord. Wailord will look to stall things out and regain HP using leftovers. Meanwhile mer’s Crobat has all sorts of tricks to try to steal a victory. Mer had probably one of my favorite answers to the “who’s your favorite Pokémon?” question with Crobat. Keeping their buddy happy enough to evolve just in time to win a championship is a heartwarming story. Will it be enough to defeat the illusion Pokémon Zorua, and the 1st generation psychic all-star Alakazam?
BATTLE: Zorua, wait no Alakazam?, comes out first against Fronk’s Wailord. Not sure about whether this is Zorua or Alakazam, Wailord starting blasting anyway chunking Zorua’s HP and knocking them out in just 2 turns. Alakazam hit hard back, but failed a Counter in a last ditch effort to stay alive. An unfortunately quick battle sends the SAR team onto the next round. Who needs a 1st round pick when you’ve got this much talent in the organization already?

-Golbat[@wizard_literal], Lucario[@Daniel] vs -Torterra[@UptownCord], Machamp[@Fangorn]
Well we didn’t get a chance to see mer’s Crobat in action last battle, but wizardliteral’s Golbat will make their debut here. They are backed up by Daniel’s Lucario. It’s no wonder why the Silverbacks draft Daniel 5th overall in the draft! OCO will be sending out a strong staller in Torterra, who will look to recover lots of HP with Leftovers and Synthesize. Machamp will be there to land a few punches on whoever is left. User Fangorn said they really identified with a CHAMPION Pokémon like Machamp. Let’s see if they chose right!
BATTLE: As I said earlier, these GM’s didn’t know what they were getting themselves into when asked for their favorite Pokémon. And this OCO team is looking mighty weak to a Flying type like Golbat. Did wizard look into their crystal ball before the tournament, just to gain an advantage with no prize whatsoever? It seems like it, as Golbat would need only 5 turns to wipe the entire OCO team from the tournament. NYS moves on to face off against SAR in round 2.

-Blaziken[@Dewalt27], Totodile[@WalterYensid], Abomasnow[bench] [@Gadget] vs -Bulbasaur[@Urq660], Houndoom[@Asked Madden]
Dewalt’s Blaziken will be the first to battle for team BER, follow by Walter’s Totodile. An interesting type makeup should allow this team to get the matchups they want in the tournament. Gadget’s Abomasnow will be waiting in the wings for any team with a 3rd Pokémon ready to go. SJS also fields a starter Pokémon with Bulbasaur, followed up with AskedMadden’s Houndoom. Another interesting type mix team here.
BATTLE: Well, I talked about those INTERESTING types on both teams, only for one to come out with a pretty clear advantage. Blaziken coming out first against Bulbasaur meant that the fire type would either be getting a super effective hit off on the grass type, or a free hit on the fire type. Playing the long game, Blaziken did neither and anticipated the free round, using Swords Dance to double their attack. This helped them drop Houndoom in one hit of Close Combat. That left sweet baby Bulbasaur at the mercy of the fully evolved fire type starter. BER moves onto round 2 of the tournament.

-Dragonite[@electrictree], Dragonite [@shahdude] vs -gyarados[@Mooty99], Tepig[@TwoSocks]
We were so so SO close to having no repeats in this tournament, and then COL happened. Two Dragonite’s on the same team?? Like it or not, this is a powerful team that got my vote for favorite of the tournament as soon as I got the responses. Interestingly enough, the double dragon type team is up against another dragon type in Mooty’s Gyarados. It’s not quite a mirror however, as TwoSocks’ Tepig brings up the rear for AUS. 
BATTLE: Gyarados enters the battle with a slight upper hand thanks to an intimidate on the opposing Dragonite. Both Pokémon hit a Dragon Dance to boost attack and speed, however its Dragonite’s Extreme Speed that connects first. Gyarados’ Crunch cannot land first and doesn’t get the flinch off. Tree’s Dragonite continues to hit the Extreme Speeds, and clears Gyarados’ remaining HP and Tepig as well from the tournament. COL moves on, will anyone be able to stop them?

-Cyndaquil[@lordcoolcats], Magneton[@oknom] vs -Cubone[@swoosh], Talonflame[@Baron1898]
LCC continues the trend of starter Pokémon with a Cyndaquil paired with my own choice of Magneton. I didn’t game the system knowing there was a tournament, I promise. Magneton is always my go to answer whenever asked about favorite Pokémon. Its just three Magnemite’s that were best friends and get magnetized to each other. That rules! We will have our work cut out for us against two strong Pokémon from BAL. Baron admittedly did not know much about Pokémon, and agreed to be assigned one based on the BAL mascot. There are many many bird Pokémon, but Talonflame feels like it matches up with BAL’s mascot and color scheme. It helps that its cool too!
BATTLE: Cyndaquil is at a type disadvantage against Cubone, but LCC has a trick up his sleeve. Instead of swapping, Cyndaquil hits a Hidden Power: Grass against Cubone for about 50% of its HP. Unfortunately it wasn’t enough and Cyndaquil can’t stand up to Cubone’s Bonemarang attack. Magneton’s high speed lets it get off a Tri-Attack, knocking out Cubone before it can respond. Both the remaining Pokémon have a way to knock the other out of the fight. But Talonflame strikes first and rudely ends CTC’s tournament run.

-Furret[@"baz1757"], Carnivine[@Drip] vs -Tyranitar[@jeffie43], Mudkip[@dustywilson22]
Another perfect example that GM’s had no idea this would be used for a tournament. Baz’s Furret joins Drip’s Carnivine for team NOLA. They are out to prove that they didn’t need those first round picks anyway! On the complete opposite end of the spectrum from Furret is jeffie’s Tyranitar. A strong offensive and defensive Pokémon, who is easy to like for their combat skills, And ladies and gentlemen, we’ve got another Mudkip thanks to dustywilson22.
BATTLE: Baz’s Furret Frisks jeffie’s Tyranitar, stealing its smooth rock! Furret also beats Tyranitar to the punch and hits it with a devastating Brick Breaker punch for serious damage! Furret also loses over half their HP on the Heavy Slam back, but is able to knock out Tyranitar on the next Brick Breaker! The tactic doesn’t work as well against Dusty’s Mudkip however, who takes out Furret after the ineffective hit. Carnivine is able to out-speed the water type and brings home a surprising W for NOLA!

-Wailord, Crobat vs -Golbat, Lucario
We didn’t get to see either draftee’s Pokémon in the round 1 matchups for both of these teams. This matchup also features the mirror of mer’s Crobat vs wizardliteral’s Golbat!
BATTLE: A defensive battle ensues, with Wailord’s leftovers and Golbat’s Roost move both capable of replenishing HP. Wailord hits harder with an Ice Beam than Golbat does with Brave Bird, however Wailord cannot keep up with the excellent healing of Roost. Golbat continues the war of attrition with Toxic, however it leaves Wailord just enough HP to Self-Destruct. Golbat needs to try to recover some HP with Roost, but the enemy Crobat strikes before then can with their own Brave Bird and knocks out wizard’s Golbat. Daniel’s Lucario comes out swinging with a Meteor Mash, knocking Crobat to under 20% HP! However Crobat’s Brave Bird also hits Lucario hard to about 25% of their own HP. Lucario’s speed wins out again as an Extreme Speed takes care of the rest of Crobat’s HP. NYS win the bat battle and move onto round 3!

-Blaziken, Totodile, Abomasnow[bench] vs -Dragonite, Dragonite
Will Dewalt and Walter be able to stop the Dragon menace?
BATTLE: Blaziken is only able to withstand 2 turns against the first Dragonite, however they inflicted considerable damage and Paralyzed it. Walter’s Totodile comes in and lands the icepunch to KO the first Dragonite without taking any damage. Totodile takes out a whopping 52% of the second Dragonite’s HP, however loses over 60% of their own to the Dual Wing Beat attack. Totodile is not quick enough to land the final hit, and team Dragonite moves on.

-Cubone, Talonflame vs -Furret, Carnivine
BATTLE: Unfortunately for Furret, the Brick Break strategy does not work on Cubone, who withstands a few hits and takes down Furret with a couple Rock Slides. Carnivine cleans up Cubone with a single Power Whip attack. However once again, Baron’s Talonflame is able to get some fast and effective hits in to secure the W for BAL and Swoosh.

-Mudkip, Lugia, Manectric[bench] vs -Golbat, Lucario
The Hahalua are back off the rebuild, I mean bye, and ready to end it with a championship. NYS won the Golbat/Crobat showdown, but can they beat another strong Flyer in Lugia?
BATTLE: IceBear’s Mudkip tries throwing Ice Beams and Waterfalls at Golbat hoping for a flinch, but none ever comes. Golbat cycles through quick Brave Bird attacks and Roost to recover HP before Mudkip faints in battle. Lugia and Golbat are very evenly matched, both with Roost and comparable damaging attacks. Golbat is immune to any Toxic attacks from Lugia however, and starts to gain an upper hand. Then Golbat stuns Lugia with the Taunt, preventing them from healing for three turns! Lugia has no choice but to try to race Golbat down, but ultimately fails. NYS has made it to the finals!

-Dragonite, Dragonite vs -Cubone, Talonflame
BATTLE: In a surprising opening, Cubone practically one-shots the first Dragonite with a crit Rock Slide for 70% of their HP! The Dragonite goes down but not before knocking Cubone down to about 50% HP. Knowing the KO potential now of Cubone, shahdude’s Dragonite uses its Dual Wing Beat to ensure the rock type is out of the fight. Talonflame comes out, hoping to get that garbage time TD, I mean KO for team BAL once again. However this time there is no type advantage for Talonflame, who has to try a Steel Wing attack just to avoid suffering recoil. The Dragonite boosts their stats first with a Dragon Dance, and then is able to one shot the bird with a Dual Wing Beat to make the finals!!

-Dragonite, Dragonite vs -Golbat, Lucario
BATTLE: Colorado employs their tried and true method of double chonky dragons to secure the Ultimus victory. Golbat and Lucario are able to combine their efforts to take down one of the two Dragonites, but could not come close to taking out both. Congratulations to the Colorado Yeti, electrictree and shahdude especially for their unbeatable team combination.

[lemonoppy]

HON lame af for bringing a legendary, all you other teams with pseudo-legendaries or dragons wow you're so cool.

[wizard_literal]

haha what a novel idea. nice article!

[Daniel]

2nd place with non dragons and legendaries? Thats a W in my book.

[shahdude]

@electrictree my man. Chem out of control picking the same pokemon without even discussing it. Double dragonite is absolutely problematic.

[UptownCord]

CoLANCErado

[UptownCord]

Also wtf, OCO robbed

[swoosh]

Baltimore losing in the semis. I think I've seen this film before.

[Baron1898]

I tried swoosh

[Mooty99]

Double dragonite team, booooooo