Resource OldGens Little Cup Resource Thread (BETA)

[Coconut]

ADV

Global LC Rules

Pokemon Eligibility
In order to be used in LC, a Pokemon must comply with the following criteria:

• The Pokemon must be able to evolve.
• The Pokemon must be at its earliest evolution stage.
• The Pokemon must be at level 5.

Clauses
Little Cup, like other metagames, uses clauses to ensure the most competitive environment. These are:

• Species Clause: Only one Pokemon from each species may be on a team.
• Sleep Clause: Only one Pokemon per team can be put to sleep by an opponent at a time.
• OHKO Clause: Moves that score a guaranteed OHKO on the opponent (Sheer Cold, Horn Drill, Guillotine, and Fissure) are banned.
• Evasion Clause: Moves that boost evasion (e.g. Double Team and Minimize) are not allowed. Note that moves with an alternative purpose that also incidentally affect evasion (such as Defog and Acupressure) are allowed.

Banned Moves and Abilities
Dragon Rage: This move always inflicts 40 damage on the foe, unless it is a Fairy-type. This move is an absurdity in LC, where no Pokemon can even reach an HP stat above 40.
Sonic Boom: This move always inflicts 20 damage on the foe, unless it is a Ghost-type. Although it is less brutal than Dragon Rage, it is still enough to instantly take out a large portion of the tier.
Swagger: In conjunction with moves such as Thunder Wave, this move could successfully immobilize an opposing Pokemon while dealing rather consistent damage. It was deemed uncompetitive and banned from the tier.
Moody: This ability increases a random stat by 2 and decreases a random stat by 1 at the end of each turn. It is considered too random to be competitively relevant.

Banned Pokemon
Chansey:
Due to its enormous HP and Special Defense stats, especially by LC standards, and compounded by the lack of Choice Specs or Psyshock, Chansey's existence rendered Special attackers entirely unviable. In addition, it was comparable to physically defensive Porygon in terms of bulk, because of the combination of huge HP and the ability to reach 11 Defense.. Chansey also had an enormous supportive movepool which meant that it was able to take good advantage of its near-invincibility.

Meditite:
Despite its low bulk and average speed, it boasted great Attack. STAB High Jump Kick, which, even at its low 85 base power, allowed Meditite to OHKO the vast majority of the Eviolite-less metagame. Not only that, but gen 3 Meditite had perfect neutral coverage in two moves (Shadow Ball and High Jump Kick), because Ghost-type moves are physical, giving it ample moveslots to abuse an excellent supportive movepool that was often shafted aside in gen 6. Although it wasn't entirely unbeatable, with decent checks in Koffing and Wailmer existing, the low number of checks it did have, coupled with the utility it provided on top of its offensive prowess, meant that Meditite proved too good for the metagame.

Omanyte:
In gen 3 there is no Eviolite, and the many prominent Special walls of XY LC, such as Munchlax and Lickitung, are ineligable or do not exist. As such, after a Rain Dance, Omanyte was able to outspeed and OHKO nearly every relevant Pokemon with Hydro Pump. In addition to its great offensive capabilities, Omanyte's good physical bulk gave it numerous opportunities to set up. Because Ice Beam was very powerful, even without STAB, teams were required to run multiple Specially Defensive Water-types (or outright gimmicks such as Specially Defensive Bulbasaur) just to prevent a clean Omanyte sweep.

Ponyta:
Ponyta quickly rose up to be one of the most threatening Pokemon in the metagame with it's powerful Sunny Day set. Ponyta's incredibly high 19 speed stat was only completely beaten out by 3 Pokemon, the only one of the three that actually threatened it being Diglett. While it already had enough speed to outpace a majority of the metagame, it was generally coupled with Agility to prevent being trapped by Diglett. It also had the ability to remove it's other checks, mainly Water and Rock types, with it's SunnyBeam combination. As a result, it was now not only able to tank hits from water types because of the sun, but return significant damage back, which proved to be too much for the metagame to handle.

Porygon:
Porygon was one of the most dominant defensive threats in an extremely fast-paced metagame in ADV LC. It's ability to abuse Sitrus Berry with Recycle made it a very difficult threat to kill. In addition to it's ability to stall, very few Pokemon were able to actually kill Porygon. In addition to it's ability to tank a hit, it was also able to return a hit with a powerful coverage move with a respectable amount of Special Attack.

Scyther:
Scyther had the single highest base Attack stat in the entire metagame. More importantly, because of the lack of Choice Scarf (or Sneasel) in gen 3 LC, Scyther was the absolute fastest Pokemon on the field on turn 1. When coupled with bulk higher than Porygon's, which allowed Scyther to set up a Swords Dance with ease, games were decided by Scyther speed ties more often than not; the lack of Technician was a non-factor in the face of Scyther's ridiculous base stats.

Wailmer:
Wailmer was one of the most threatening Pokemon in the metagame, with the ability to fire off powerful Water Spouts, return to full health with it's Sitrus Berry, and it's raw HP stat, making it almost impossible to kill from full health; bar explosion. In addition to that, Wailmer can also Self-Destruct by itself, ensuring that it is at least able to score 1 kill per game. In addition to that, there were very few Pokemon that actually were able to defeat Wailmer, resorting to Pokemon such as Surskit or Lotad to have a chance to defeat it.

Wynaut:
Between Sitrus Berry instantly healing Wynaut back to full health and Knock Off's distribution being limited to gimmicky unviable Pokemon outside of Abra, Wynaut was all but guaranteed at least one KO, and the vast majority of the time, two. Almost no Pokemon at all was able to OHKO Wynaut, meaning to prevent Wynaut from doing its job nearly every single time, ridiculous measures had to be taken, such as running multiple Dark-types and Choice Band Gastly on a single team.

Zigzagoon:
At +6, Zigzagoon was nearly impossible to stop. In addition to Sitrus Berry healing Zigzagoon to full health after Belly Drum, both Shadow Ball and Hidden Power Fighting were physical, meaning not even bulky Ghost, Steel and Rock-types were enough. Although Zigzagoon initially appeared to be difficult to set up, plenty of moves were unable to OHKO it, and dual screens and memento support were and still are commonplace, meaning pulling off a Belly Drum wasn't too difficult. Even extremely powerful priority users such as Choice Band Doduo were often only able to deal slightly over half of Zigzagoon's health (keeping in mind Extremespeed and Fake Out were only +1 priority in gen 3), so Explosion Gastly was absolutely mandated on every single competitively viable team.

Tier Specific Bans
Agility + Baton Pass:
As the only way to consistently pass speed to a teammate, this specific combination turns otherwise manageable hard hitters into ridiculously effective sweepers. In a metagame without Eviolite, the number of checks to, for example, a boosted Clamperl with a set of Surf/Ice Beam/HP Grass, is limited to a few otherwise unviable or at least not very good sets, such as specially defensive variants of Lotad and Surskit. Ledyba has a great deal of special bulk, and Spinarak lacks double weaknesses to take advantage of, so it isn't difficult for them to find the opportunity to set up. Key recipients include Clamperl, Cubone, and Drowzee, but there are other effective choices, although they are generally somewhat less broken. This decent variety makes it difficult to predict what will be coming in, especially with the lack of team preview, so trying to OHKO a recipient as soon as it enters the field is often not feasible.

If you are an current LC player, you should feel at home in ADV LC; however, there are new (or old!) things to learn. The first is the smaller variety of items. There are three types of items that are commonly used in ADV LC: Sitrus Berry (in ADV, it restores 30 HP), Type-boosting items such as Soft Sand or Silk Scarf, pinch berries such as Salac Berry, and of course, Choice Band. Items such as Eviolite, Choice Specs, Choice Scarf, Status Orbs and Life Orb do not exist in ADV LC. Thief is the Dark-type item stealing move of choice in ADV LC, and is similar to Knock Off in LC; very common. Another big difference is the special/physical split; all moves of a given type are either physical or special. For example, Tri Attack is physical because all Normal-type moves are physical. An easy way to remember them is that there is an Eeveelution for every special type except Dragon. Here is a list of which types are physical and special:

Special: Fire, Water, Electric, Grass, Ice, Psychic, Dragon, Dark.
Physical: Normal, Fighting, Poison, Ground, Flying, Bug, Rock, Ghost, Steel.

Trapping is an extremely viable strategy - helped further by the fact that there is no team preview - and pinch berries are very common despite the fact that Sitrus Berry basically restores all of a mon's health.

Sample Teams:

Elekid/Anorith Offense by slurmz

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Houndour (M) @ Salac Berry
Ability: Flash Fire
Level: 5
EVs: 36 Def / 200 SpA / 36 SpD / 236 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 30 SpA
- Fire Blast
- Endure
- Overheat
- Crunch

Shellder (M) @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Shell Armor
Level: 5
EVs: 196 HP / 196 Def / 116 Spe
Bold Nature
- Surf
- Explosion
- Rapid Spin
- Icy Wind

Trapinch (M) @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Arena Trap
Level: 5
EVs: 76 HP / 36 Atk / 156 Def / 240 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Hidden Power [Bug]
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
- Quick Attack

Elekid (M) @ Petaya Berry
Ability: Static
Level: 5
EVs: 240 SpA / 236 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 2 Atk / 30 SpA
- Substitute
- Thunderbolt
- Ice Punch
- Hidden Power [Grass]

Anorith (M) @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Battle Armor
Level: 5
EVs: 240 Atk / 236 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Rock Blast
- Double-Edge
- Hidden Power [Bug]

Doduo (M) @ Choice Band
Ability: Early Bird
Level: 5
EVs: 240 Atk / 236 Spe
Naive Nature
- Drill Peck
- Double-Edge
- Hidden Power [Grass]
- Quick Attack

Shellder Sun by ggggd

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Voltorb @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Static
Level: 5
EVs: 40 Atk / 240 SpA / 196 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Thunderbolt
- Taunt
- Thunder Wave
- Explosion

Diglett @ Salac Berry
Ability: Arena Trap
Level: 5
EVs: 36 HP / 236 Atk / 236 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Endure
- Earthquake
- Sludge Bomb
- Rock Slide

Doduo @ Choice Band
Ability: Early Bird
Level: 5
EVs: 240 Atk / 236 Spe
Naive Nature
- Drill Peck
- Double-Edge
- Quick Attack
- Hidden Power [Grass]

Shellder @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Shell Armor
Level: 5
EVs: 196 HP / 196 Def / 116 Spe
Bold Nature
- Surf
- Icy Wind
- Rapid Spin
- Explosion

Exeggcute @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Chlorophyll
Level: 5
EVs: 36 HP / 196 SpA / 196 Spe
Modest Nature
- Sleep Powder
- Explosion
- Solar Beam
- Sunny Day

Oddish @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Chlorophyll
Level: 5
EVs: 236 SpA / 196 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 2 Atk / 30 Def
- Sunny Day
- Sleep Powder
- Solar Beam
- Hidden Power [Fire]

Larvitar/Meowth Offense by Coconut

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Abra @ Salac Berry
Ability: Inner Focus
Level: 5
EVs: 76 Def / 236 SpA / 196 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 2 Atk / 30 Def / 30 SpA
- Psychic
- Hidden Power [Water]
- Endure
- Thunder Punch

Diglett @ Choice Band
Ability: Arena Trap
Level: 5
EVs: 36 HP / 236 Atk / 236 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
- Hidden Power [Ghost]
- Sludge Bomb

Doduo @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Early Bird
Level: 5
EVs: 236 Atk / 240 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Drill Peck
- Hidden Power [Fighting]
- Double-Edge
- Quick Attack

Larvitar @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Guts
Level: 5
EVs: 244 Atk / 40 Def / 192 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
- Hidden Power [Fighting]

Meowth @ Silk Scarf
Ability: Pickup
Level: 5
EVs: 36 HP / 236 Atk / 36 SpD / 200 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Fake Out
- Double-Edge
- Shadow Ball
- Hypnosis

Koffing @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Levitate
Level: 5
EVs: 36 HP / 76 Atk / 236 Def / 160 SpD
Impish Nature
- Explosion
- Sludge Bomb
- Will-O-Wisp
- Hidden Power [Fighting]

Trapinch/Bagon HO by eren

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FEAR. (Pineco) (M) @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Sturdy
Level: 5
EVs: 196 HP / 36 Def / 236 SpD
Careful Nature
- Spikes
- Explosion
- Rapid Spin
- Body Slam

LUST. (Snubbull) (M) @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Intimidate
Level: 5
Happiness: 0
EVs: 36 HP / 196 Atk / 36 Def / 36 SpD / 196 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Thunder Wave
- Frustration
- Shadow Ball
- Earthquake

DUCKWORTH. (Lotad) @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Swift Swim
Level: 5
EVs: 36 HP / 36 Def / 116 SpA / 196 SpD / 116 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Giga Drain
- Surf
- Rain Dance
- Ice Beam

LOYALTY. (Trapinch) (M) @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Arena Trap
Level: 5
EVs: 76 HP / 36 Atk / 156 Def / 240 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Hidden Power [Bug]
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
- Quick Attack

PRIDE. (Abra) (M) @ Salac Berry
Ability: Synchronize
Level: 5
EVs: 240 SpA / 196 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 2 Atk / 30 Def / 30 SpA
- Endure
- Calm Mind
- Hidden Power [Water]
- Psychic

GOD. (Bagon) (M) @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Rock Head
Level: 5
EVs: 76 HP / 236 Atk / 196 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Double-Edge
- Hidden Power [Ghost]
- Substitute

 

[Coconut]

ADV Little Cup Viability Rankings (Pokemon are listed alphabetically)

S-Rank

S-Rank is reserved for the very best Pokemon in the LC metagame. These Pokemon are usually able to perform a variety of roles effectively, or can just do one extremely well. Their use has low risk involved and high reward exerted. Pokemon in this tier have very few flaws that are patched up by numerous positive traits.

Doduo
Diglett

A-Rank

A-rank is reserved for Pokemon that are outstanding in the LC metagame and can sweep, wall, or support the majority of the tier. These Pokemon require less support than other Pokemon to be used effectively and have few flaws that can be overlooked when compared to their outstanding traits.
High A

Abra
Elekid
Snubbull
Trapinch

Low A

Bagon
Chinchou
Larvitar
Pineco
Shellder
Voltorb

B-Rank

B-rank is reserved for Pokemon who are great in the LC metagame. These Pokemon have more notable flaws than of those above it that affects how they function in the tier. Their positive traits still outshine their negatives, but they require a bit more team support to bring out their full potential. Their niches are often slightly smaller than those that are in A and S rank, which leads them to face some competition for a teamslot.

High B

Gastly
Kabuto
Horsea
Shellder
Staryu

Low B

Anorith
Exeggcute
Houndour
Lotad
Meowth
Oddish
Taillow

C-Rank

C-rank is reserved for Pokemon that have notable niches in the LC metagame, but have just as notable flaws that prevent them from being effective. Pokemon in the C tier often require significant support to be effective in LC. C rank Pokemon tend to find themselves outclassed by Pokemon in the above tiers, and face a lot of competition for a team slot.

High C

Baltoy
Cubone
Mankey
Onix
Poliwag
Smoochum
Snorunt
Surskit
Venonat

Low C
Bellsprout
Carvanha
Clamperl
Dratini
Grimer
Growlithe
Koffing

D-Rank

D-Rank is reserved for Pokemon that are generally bad in the LC metagame, but are decent enough to justify their occasional use on some teams. These Pokemon are either usable but have no real niche, or are only capable of doing their specific task and fail at doing anything more than that. Their niche is often so tiny, that they are not worth using the majority of the time.

Drowzee
Ekans
Ledyba
Lileep
Magby
Rhyhorn
Sandshrew