A format single handedly ruined by a single move.

What even was the point of going for rock slide here, genuinely

ppl defending it but the fact that it's higher EV to click a weak rock slide than stab EQ here is not healthy, even if it's the best play

Exactly. There are better plays but people just spam Rock Slide and decide that their entire game plan will be based on a single coinflip. RNG is not the problem in general, but Rock Slide is pure toxic and it's actively discouraging new players

@ryanish_ryan Says the Follow Me x Mega Blastoise user 🫣

@ryanish_ryan I know this is bait but I'd like to hear your reasoning and correlation between Rock Slide, RNG, toxicity and Follow Me and an abuser.

@ryanish_ryan You’re saying Rock Slide is single handedly ruining a format when you don’t have Wide Guard and you’re playing Water Spout spam - a pretty brain dead strat just use meat shields and click WS. Don’t like RNG? Play around it with the right moves/abilities like other replies say

@ryanish_ryan The same team that won Victory road last week lost the previous one to Rock Slide flinches. Play around RNG like you can always play around RNG is dumb reasoning. I love how people keep the stupidest argument on Wide Guard as the solution to the problem

@ryanish_ryan Brother RNG and flinches have been in Pokemon for 30 years, that’s what happens. It’s not a problem, that’s how the game has been made. That’s the game lmao. If you’re this pressed then play a competitive game that isn’t RNG heavy- oh wait almost any competitive game has RNG

@ryanish_ryan You're right. I hope next season they rebalance Thundurus to give it Swagger and Thunder Wave pre nerf 😭 Maybe we should also go back to critical hit being 2x

People need to bring more Wide Guard Pokémon as their leads.

@malito_gaming People need to understand that "bring Wide Guard" isn't a valid argument. Wide Guard itself is like getting flinched on that specific pokemon because it's wasting a turn to prevent another Pokémon getting flinched. That's the definition of suboptimal.

Is it really wasting a turn, though? By the end of turn one, you’ve prevented both the flinch and the spread damage while your partner pressures the bigger threat, putting you in a better position and forcing your opponent to play more defensively.

@malito_gaming Except it doesn't most of the times and the damage done by rock slide is usually not that relevent unless you're called CharizardY or Rock Slide is coming from M-TTar (which is relatively slow and doesn't flinch most of the times).

@malito_gaming It IS suboptimal when you're only reason to click wide guard is preventing a 30% flinch. You're wasting a moveslot that could be more useful Wide Guard is a great move but people out there really are thinking it's a valid argument against Rock Slide flinch which is ridiculous

I mean, you made the choice setting up this start vs Charzard/Garchomp. You will have a 30% chance failure rate. If you don't want that, change your team or start.

People be using all sorts of shit mons with cancerous “strategies”, but rock slide is where y’all draw the line, lmao 😂

Said the guy who never experience VGC. Rock Slide is just the staple of doubles format. If you're fast, you cant get flinch, simple. Also, things like Dragonite had Inner Focus as well, so that would be benificial, aside from having Intimidate immunity.

1/10 ragebait

i got fucking triple flinched today fuck this stupid dogshit game

Lets not pretend blastoise is not the cancer

He took a gamble and it paid off. Nothing is wrong with that. You’re just upset your Pokemon flinched. High risk, high reward. It happens.

Ok? It’s your fault for not establishing speed control for a Pokemon like blastoise. Rock slide makes perfect sense here. Avoid any follow me and try to cause a flinch. EQ won’t 1hko blastoise so you might as well weaken it first to get into EQ range.

you didn't have trick room up and are complaining that your Blastoise got flinched by a non-priority move. Get a grip buddy, you may as well take all you "vgc" accomplishments out of your bio if you're going to complain like a literal child over your won mistakes.

Doubles players are so weak

welcome to gen 3 ou

Literally just fishing LMAO holy shit

Rain Dance Maushold is absolutely diabolical

wide guard

I mean, the more problematic thing here is that Charizard has no business being able to run one the strongest gras move in the game as coverage.

Yet, it's so funny to spam Wide Guard in front of Garchomp EQ Rock Slide forcing oppos to ragequit. That's what you deserve if you rely on luck only. Sometimes maybe good, sometimes maybe shit

This wiped the smile right off my face. I was excited for the water spout.

Same sentiment. Half of my losses come from the Rock Slide flinch. But when I use Rock Slide, it never flinches no one, bruh

I'm pretty new to actually playing vgc but I feel like you're still in advantage here? Can't you just follow me and secure the Charizard and maybe garchomp kill? And unless they have a dry skin heliolisk or something to swap into even swapping the Charizard wouldn't be free.

No, you're right. They in fact lost because next turn they went again for Rock Slide and I want for Water Spout almost full damage + Follow Me. If they actually played SMART and not trying to fish me with Rock Slide they would've secured a much better position

Can you explain what "smart" would be in this situation? I know water spout is HP based. Would the move be to kamikaze garchomp via earthquake and hope the sun reduces the damage enough? (Assuming rain dance wasn't expected)

Weather Ball + EQ provides enough damage to block Blastoise Water Spout and making Shell Smash practically useless. If they want they can redirect the move with Follow Me, but I would lose Maushold in the process.

You have 2 lines of play here A) Weather Ball on Blastoise to prevent kill and wasting their turn. B) Speeding Up the game by killing Maushold and then bring Whimsicott to tank Water Spout and set the Tailwind.

My most optimal play here was to go for Water Spout + Rain Dance as I had no room to setup Shell Smash. I would've lost Maushold if I went for follow me and I would've had Blasto under sun

I was basically forced to go for rain dance and Water Spout to deal with ZardY asap because I couldn't risk Whimsicott blocking me with Encore

Once Maushold is KO'd it's easier for them to deal with Blastoise generally speaking because they tend to bring answers in the back.

Rock Slide is really funny

Gang can't handle a true gambler's spirit

The best part is I've seen so many videos of people getting flinched. Someone who got flinched 10 times in a row. I've yet to make someone flinch with the move and I believe its from my disdain of it passing on. Should be 100% accurate no flinch maybe slightly stronger.

Look on the bright side: Rock slide now has 10% flinch. P.S: sono un tuo ammiratore Dave, continua cosi.

nerf that shit

Only this format?

WHERE IS COVERT CLOAK WHEN YOU NEED IT

He was fishing, and looks like he caught one.(I hate this shit as well)

Is rockslide ruining the format or your enjoyment of it? Because those are very different things. It feels bad to get flinched by it but it never ever seemed broken to me.

It happens bro u don’t have to cry about it 😂😂

Just don't get flinched. Simple.

see i have rock slide on my garchomp but the difference is that i actually click my other two attacks as well

*sigh* ̶O̶n̶e̶ Zero days since VGC or Smogon players have not complained about something easily counterplayed.