blazheirio889 vs. RespectTheBlade

blazheirio889 (Oo)

Polychaeta (F) Magma Armor
Health: 89%
Energy: 72%
Status: Mourning the loss of her Substitute.
Commands: Whirlpool ~ Water Pulse/Natural Gift/Whirlpool ~ Brine/Natural Gift/Whirlpool

RespectTheBlade (Oo)

Seismos (F) Arena Trap
Health: 59%
Energy: 82%
Status: Dog-paddling as best as she can. Burned (1%/action).
Commands: Rock Slide/Earthquake/Chill ~ Earthquake/Chill ~ Rock Slide/Earthquake/Chill

With a pout that only a vent worm can pull off, Polychaeta swishes her tail through the water, soon whipping up a swirling mini-maelstrom that she flicks towards her opponent. Seismos is already spluttering when the water surrounds her; the whirlpool isn’t any wetter than the rest of the pool, but she still dislikes the way it traps her in. She tries to kick out at the pool wall, hoping to send chunks of it flying at Polychaeta, but the whirlpool thwarts her efforts.

Feeling somewhat more pleased, the Wyrmal opens her mouth and begins to channel the water there. A rhythm runs through it, thrumming noisily along to her own heartbeat, and the resulting throbbing water slams into Seismos, who would be barreled over if the whirlpool wasn’t in the way. Pausing to recollect herself from the Water Pulse’s bizarre sounds, Seismos reaches downward for the bottom of the pool — but again, the whirlpool seems to insist on keeping her in place. She resists the urge to let out a frustrated cry, instead glaring at her foe.

Polychaeta, now feeling almost completely over her Substitute’s death, calls upon aquatic power again. This time, though, she saturates it with her own body salt, and when she spews it out it tastes pretty funny. Not ha-ha funny, but ew-where-did-that-come-from-anyway funny. And Seismos isn’t laughing: the salt feels like it’s worming right through the more battered areas on her carapace, stinging with all the venom of a particularly nasty desert snake. She barely notices the ref stick her flag into the path of the Brine, diverting some of it before it can hit her. She kicks out at the pool wall, but again it’s to no avail. Water sucks, she decides sourly. It really, really sucks.

Above them, the sand and grit dies down and settles rather gently on the field.

blazheirio889 (Oo)

Polychaeta (F) Magma Armor
Health: 89%
Energy: 60%
Status: Bobbing contentedly.
Actions: Whirlpool ~ Water Pulse ~ Brine

RespectTheBlade (Oo)

Seismos (F) Arena Trap
Health: 19% (capped)
Energy: 79%
Status: Dog-paddling and discouraged. Burned (1%/action). Trapped in a whirlpool (1%/action, 2 more actions.) Keeping afloat (1% energy/action).
Actions: Rock Slide (failed) ~ Earthquake (failed) ~ Rock Slide (failed)


Arena Notes:
- A few boulder-sized holes are dotting the field some distance away, surrounding the entrance to a tunnel.
- There is a thick layer of rubble at the bottom of the pool, somewhat broken by the tunnel’s other entrance.
- The water in the pool has been diminished to about 2/3rds its previous amount due to the Earthquake, and has drained into the tunnel.
- Some long cracks are running across the field.

Calculations:
- Polychaeta’s health: 89%
- Polychaeta’s energy: 72% - 2% (Whirlpool) - 3% (Water Pulse) - 7% (Brine) = 60%
- Seismos’ health: 59% - 6% (Whirlpool, initial) - 10% (Water Pulse) - 24% (Brine) - 3% (burn) - 2% (Whirlpool) = 19% (capped)
- Seismos’ energy: 82% - 3% (afloat) = 79%

Other Notes:
- I’m assuming that Trapinch don’t have enough agility to smack a pool wall or something when constricted by a whirlpool. Thus Seismos’ Rock Slides and Earthquake failed. She didn’t lose any energy for it though.
- Burn damage doesn’t count toward the cap, but Whirlpool does iirc. (edit: nope)
- Seismos is expending a small amount of energy to keep her head above water.

Next Round:
- blazheirio889 commands
- RespectTheBlade commands

All damage counts towards the cap, unless it's self-inflicted (e.g. Substitute, ghost-Curse), so Seismos should be at 19% health, assuming calculations are correct. However, I'm pretty leery about Whirlpool dealing 6% per action, since that's quite a lot. The initial attack does 6%, you're right there, but the continuous damage shouldn't be that much. In Whirlpool's description, it does not state how much damage the trapped Pokemon should take, but in Fire Spin's description it says the Pokemon takes 1% fire-typed damage per action. I'd assume it's the same for Whirlpool (except water-typed damage, of course). You may still want to ask, though, to be safe.

Polychaeta's energy looks fine. Now this varies by ref, but some take a bit of energy off for failed attacks. Personally I wouldn't do it here, since Seismos didn't even attempt it. However, some refs also have a Pokemon expend a bit of energy to keep afloat if it's not aquatic; I'd do that here.

Just the usual nitpicks about grammar. In this sentence: "Again she kicks out at the pool wall, but again it’s to no avail." you used "again" twice. Other than that, the reffing itself is great.

Whoops, I was wondering why Whirlpool was so strong. Glancing through the A&A Guide says it should be 1%/action.

Right, final damage and energy for floating has been added in, so everything should be fixed now. Thanks!

Okay, another Brine ought to finish Seismos off. While she's trapped in a Whirlpool I have doubts that she can avoid your attack at all outside of Protect/Detect/Endure. If she successfully uses any of those, then use Stockpile (10%) and move Brine over to the next action.

Brine/Stockpile (10%) x3

Not much we can do in this position, Seismos...

FlailX3

(sorry for lateness.)

blazheirio889 (Oo)

Polychaeta (F) Magma Armor
Health: 89%
Energy: 60%
Status: Bobbing contentedly.
Commands: Brine/Stockpile (10%) x3

RespectTheBlade (Oo)

Seismos (F) Arena Trap
Health: 19% (capped)
Energy: 79%
Status: Dog-paddling and discouraged. Burned (1%/action). Trapped in a whirlpool (1%/action, 2 more actions.) Keeping afloat (1% energy/action).
Commands: Flail x3

Polychaeta prepares to launch another Brine, opening her mouth wide enough that it might be mistaken for a yawn. Salt and water churns within her, and she spits it out at the Trapinch a bit distastefully. It’s still as gross as it was before; maybe it’s an acquired taste. Seismos has no time for such thoughts, though: she’s ready to give it her all, maybe break out of this stupid Whirlpool and give her foe a bit of pain. But the second salty shower washes over her before she can even attempt it, and she shrieks in pain at the awful stinging sensation. Darkness quickly consumes her vision, and she blacks out before she can click any really good insults at her.

The vent worm just tilts her head in slight confusion at Seismos’ limp form, which floats in the middle of a quickly quieting Whirlpool.

blazheirio889 (Oo)

Polychaeta (F) Magma Armor
Health: 89%
Energy: 53%
Status: Pleased with herself.
Actions: Brine

RespectTheBlade (Xo)

Seismos (F) Arena Trap
Health: 0%
Energy: 79%
Status: Knocked out!
Actions: none


Arena Notes:
- A few boulder-sized holes are dotting the field some distance away, surrounding the entrance to a tunnel.
- There is a thick layer of rubble at the bottom of the pool, somewhat broken by the tunnel’s other entrance.
- The water in the pool has been diminished to about 2/3rds its previous amount due to the Earthquake, and has drained into the tunnel.
- Some long cracks are running across the field.

Calculations:
- Polychaeta’s health: 89%
- Polychaeta’s energy: 60% - 7% (Brine) = 53%
- Seismos’ health: 19% - 24% (Brine) = -5%
- Seismos’ energy: 79%

Other Notes:
- I’m preeeetty sure the effects of Whirlpool etc. end when the trapped Pokemon faints.

Next Round:
- RespectTheBlade sends out and commands
- blazheirio889 commands

Well this was a really short round, so nothing really to critique here. :P Pretty sure that the effects of Whirlpool fade, yeah.

So, how to counter a fire and water type...

Iroh, let's go.

since you have a better Movepool, this should be a snap. Start with a Taunt, and then use Thunderbolt followed by Dragon Rush. If Polychaeta protects, use Dragon Dance and shift taunt down an action. (Make sure you're not in the pool of water when you use Thunderbolt, too.)

Taunt/Dragon Dance ~ Thunderbolt/Taunt/Dragon Dance ~ Dragon Rush/Taunt/Dragon Dance

Here, have an unmotivated and uncreative command string...

May as well do as much damage before you bow out for someone else, Polychaeta (can't have you hogging all the EXP after all!). Dragon Pulse, then try to toss Iroh away with a Twister. End with another Dragon Pulse.

Dragon Pulse ~ Twister ~ Dragon Pulse

Round Five​

blazheirio889 (Oo)

Polychaeta (F) Magma Armor
Health: 89%
Energy: 53%
Status: Pleased with herself.
Commands: Dragon Pulse ~ Twister ~ Dragon Pulse

RespectTheBlade (xO)

Iroh (M) Shed Skin
Health: 100%
Energy: 100%
Status: Taking stock of the situation.
Commands: Taunt/Dragon Dance ~ Thunderbolt/Taunt/Dragon Dance ~ Dragon Rush/Taunt/Dragon Dance

Seismos is swiftly recalled in a thin beam of light, and Iroh materializes in her place. The Dratini peers at Polychaeta, wondering what she’s up to in that pool. He considers his options, wondering what his trainer means by “Taunt.” He’s not sure how he’s supposed to be making fun of his opponent; he’s a peaceful dragon, not one of those Gible he keeps hearing about. Somewhat puzzled, he spends a moment to mull it over, not quite sure what he's supposed to do.

Meanwhile Polychaeta feels curious about this newcomer, especially considering their similar shapes and sizes; but it’d probably just be easier to smack him around than to bother with pesky introductions. Lifting her head out of the pool she opens her mouth, takes aim, and spews a torrent of thrumming turquoise energy towards him.

Iroh cringes and shies away, not liking the sudden assault from his own element. There’s no point in waiting anymore, he decides, and he swiftly summons a series of sizzling sparks that soon dance around his tail, forming a bright sphere of crackling electricity at the tip. He quickly launches it towards Polychaeta, and resists the urge to smirk at the sight of her suddenly jolting at the touch of the Thunderbolt.

It takes a while for the painful shock to stop coursing through her body, and even afterwards Polychaeta has to take a breath. That was a really rude thing for him to do, she thinks. Maybe he should just keep his distance. She sticks her tail out of the water, spinning it around a little and whipping up a bit more dragon energy to form a small draconic tornado. She sends the Twister flying over towards Iroh, who is picked up and tossed around a bit before letting him smack against the ground several feet further away. That should do it, she assures herself.

The Dratini isn’t deterred, though. Instead he leers coolly at his foe, and his eyes glint as deep blue flames suddenly flare up around his body. Without missing a beat, he nimbly darts forward to the pool as a blue blur of fire and scales. When he smashes into the Wyrmal floating there, she’s knocked back a few feet, and he nods proudly to himself as the flames die down.

Making a face at this, Polychaeta spits another Dragon Pulse back at him. The throbbing spherical energy isn’t any more welcome to Iroh than it was the first time, but he shakes it off with only a little trouble. We’ll see who the real dragon is here, he thinks, and they face each other with determined looks from opposite ends of the pool.

blazheirio889 (Oo)

Polychaeta (F) Magma Armor
Health: 65%
Energy: 41%
Status: Somewhat annoyed.
Actions: Dragon Pulse ~ Twister ~ Dragon Pulse

RespectTheBlade (xO)

Iroh (M) Shed Skin
Health: 72%
Energy: 91%
Status: Ready for action.
Actions: nothing ~ Thunderbolt ~ Dragon Rush


Arena Notes:
- A few boulder-sized holes are dotting the field some distance away, surrounding the entrance to a tunnel.
- There is a thick layer of rubble at the bottom of the pool, somewhat broken by the tunnel’s other entrance.
- The water in the pool has been diminished to about 2/3rds its previous amount due to the Earthquake, and has drained into the tunnel.
- Some long cracks are running across the field.

Calculations:
- Polychaeta’s health: 89% - 12% (Thunderbolt) - 12% (Dragon Rush) = 65%
- Polychaeta’s energy: 53% - 5% (Dragon Pulse) - 2% (Twister) - 5% (Dragon Pulse) = 41%
- Iroh’s health: 100% - 12% (Dragon Pulse) - 4% (Twister) - 12% (Dragon Pulse) = 72%
- Iroh’s energy: 100% - 5% (Thunderbolt) - 4% (Dragon Rush) = 91%

Other Notes:
- I’m assuming the Draco Plate only reduces the energy cost for damaging dragon-type moves.
- Both Pokemon have the same speed, so I randomized which would win the speed tie. Iroh won for all three turns.
- But Dratini can’t learn Taunt, so Iroh did nothing on the first action.
- Would it be a good idea to make note of where the Pokemon are? Both are currently floating in the pool.

Next Round:
- blazheirio889 commands
- RespectTheBlade commands

Randomizing who goes first in case of a speed tie is fine, but some refs have the Pokemon that was commanded first go first, to reduce unpredictability. Just an option to consider.

Normally, if a Pokemon can't execute a move but the conditions for its other options are not triggered, it will simply do nothing.

Since Iroh should not have Dragon Danced, Dragon Rush would deal 12%. You are right in that the Draco Plate only reduces energy cost for damaging Dragon-type moves, but you seem to have forgotten to apply that for Dragon Rush. It normally costs 5%, so it should've cost 4% energy here. Also, Thunderbolt should only take 5% energy. All other calculations appear to be fine.

It's not 100% necessary to keep track of where the Pokemon are, but it's convenient for the battlers. Personally I put it in the arena notes.

The description is good.

The battle's been going on for a while and I did say I'd approve you in a round or two... two rounds ago, I think? You've been making little stumbles so I'm not 100% comfortable approving you yet, but as long as you get the next round down fine without any major screw-ups then I think you'll be good to go. Just remember, ask if you are unsure (and preferably before you ref, to save the battlers and yourself a headache)!

I'll post commands later when it's not too late in the night for me to think properly, haha.

Start with a Stockpile (25%). Then wait until Iroh has moved before using Captivate End with Spit Up.

Should there be a Substitute on actions two or three, blast away at the Substitute with Dragon Pulse until it's gone.

If Iroh is Protecting when you are to use Captivate or Spit Up, Chill instead.

If there are clones at any time, target the one with a shadow.

Stockpile (25%) ~ Captivate/Chill/Dragon Pulse ~ Spit Up/Chill/Dragon Pulse

Let's see if we can't pull this off. Taunt first. If you're lucky, you should move before he stockpiles; if not, you'll stop captivate. Follow with a Thunderbolt, and end with a nice Thunder Wave.

Taunt ~ Thunderbolt ~ Thunder Wave

blazheirio889 (Oo)

Polychaeta (F) Magma Armor
Health: 65%
Energy: 41%
Status: Somewhat annoyed.
Commands: Stockpile (25%) ~ Captivate/Chill/Dragon Pulse ~ Spit Up/Chill/Dragon Pulse

RespectTheBlade (xO)

Iroh (M) Shed Skin
Health: 72%
Energy: 91%
Status: Ready for action.
Commands: Taunt ~ Thunderbolt ~ Thunder Wave

With a little huff, Polychaeta decides to give this that now’s as good a time as any to set up some serious damage. She concentrates with surprising sincerity, and she summons her own energy from within herself, storing it close to the surface of her body for future access. She gasps from the sudden energy drain, and her swishing movements in the water briefly cease, but she forces herself to keep her head in the game. It’ll be worth it, she knows, smiling at the gentle glow surrounding her.

Meanwhile, Iroh still can’t quite understand how he’s supposed to Taunt his opponent. What’s he supposed to do, insult her family? That’s not going to get him anywhere. He scowls a bit, slicing his tail through the water in frustration.

Polychaeta playfully flicks a bit of water at him. He looks up to glare at her, but his anger melts away when he takes notice of her suddenly sparkling scales. Even the sediment sticking to her sides seems oddly attractive. She’s smoothing her bright plumes down, but she lets her preening go when she sees that she has his attention. With a coy grin she winks at him, resisting the urge to stick out her tongue instead.

The Dratini’s resolve wavers, but his trainer’s orders have to come first. Shaking his head apologetically, he summons a charge of electricity that soon crackles around his tail. It’s rather more difficult to focus than before, but he still manages to fire a Thunderbolt at his beau … whoops, his foe.

The Wyrmal flinches momentarily at the sting of electricity; with the protective glow around her and Iroh’s distraction, it’s not as powerful as the first, but it still hurts. We’ll see who really hurts soon enough, she thinks gleefully, pulling her surrounding energy into a compact ball of bright light that floats ominously in her open mouth. She lets it hover there for a second, letting Iroh bask in the sheer power at her command, before unceremoniously spewing it in his direction.

The Spit Up hits Iroh like a freight train, and he’s blasted against the concrete side of the pool from the sheer energy of the attack. He just floats there out of shock for a few seconds, after which he shakily checks briefly to make sure nothing’s broken. Once he’s satisfied, he turns back to Polychaeta. By now she’s visibly tired, and he feels a bit of guilt at how much their battle has taken out of her. He frowns and fires a brief pulse of electricity at her; and when it strikes he notices sparks dancing along her body, her movements abruptly becoming small and jerky. Best to just put her out of her misery, he thinks, trying to convince himself that he's not doing this out of just self-preservation. He isn't sure he'd even survive if she somehow managed the same trick twice.

blazheirio889 (Oo)

Polychaeta (F) Magma Armor
Health: 58%
Energy: 10%
Status: Tiring. Paralyzed (severe, 25% chance of full paralysis).
Actions: Stockpile (25%) ~ Captivate ~ Spit Up

RespectTheBlade (xO)

Iroh (M) Shed Skin
Health: 35%
Energy: 81%
Status: Terrified.
Actions: nothing ~ Thunderbolt ~ Thunder Wave


Arena Notes:
- A few boulder-sized holes are dotting the field some distance away, surrounding the entrance to a tunnel.
- There is a thick layer of rubble at the bottom of the pool, somewhat broken by the tunnel’s other entrance.
- The water in the pool has been diminished to about 2/3rds its previous amount due to the Earthquake, and has drained into the tunnel.
- Some long cracks are running across the field.
- There is a Dratini-sized crater in the side of the pool.
- Both Pokemon are floating in the pool.

Calculations:
- Polychaeta’s health: 65% - 7% (Thunderbolt) = 58%
- Polychaeta’s energy: 41% - 25% (Stockpile) - 2% (Captivate) - 4% (Spit Up) = 10%
- Iroh’s health: 72% - 37% (Spit Up) = 35%
- Iroh’s energy: 90% - 5% (Thunderbolt) - 4% (Thunder Wave) = 81%

Other Notes:
- For simplicity’s sake I’m going with the order of commands posted to break the speed tie.
- Dratini can’t learn Taunt.
- Polychaeta gained +1 Defense and Special Defense from the Stockpile, but those boosts vanished when she used Spit Up.
- The sheer amount of damage from the Spit Up snapped Iroh out of his captivation.

Next Round:
- RespectTheBlade commands
- blazheirio889 commands

Stat-raising or lowering moves cost 1% per level raised/lowered, so Captivate should only have cost 2%. I'm also not entirely sure if Spit Up and Swallow take a bit of extra energy on top of what's been Stockpiled; that's something that should be asked. Energy is fine otherwise.

I'm also not sure if Spit Up is subject to anti-STAB, as it just says that it's 1.5x the amount of energy Stockpiled.

Moves like Attract, Captivate, etc. that play on emotions will lose effectiveness under certain circumstances. For example, I don't think Iroh would be very pleased with Polychaeta after she blasted him with such a powerful move. This would probably reduce the sp. atk drop or even make it disappear entirely, depending on your interpretation.

Your description is fine.

A few small hiccups here and there, but as promised I'll still pass you. So, you're approved as a novice now! Just remember, ask when you need to, blah blah blah.

Right, so Negrek said that Spit Up does not require any more energy, nor is it subject to anti-STAB.

Well I was going off of this post in regards to Spit Up, but I guess that's not really a current ruling anymore, so. Captivate and Spit Up details are fixed.