The draft league has started and we are up to some shocking mischief!
The United Podcasters’ Pokemon League has started with their first ever draft! Twelve teams led by eleven podcasters and one writer enter the draft ring. Each team had one goal in mind. Picking the dream Pokemon for their dream team. Were they successful? Who knows but the draft picks were made and the Nimbasa City Emolgas have their team!
In case you are unfamiliar with how draft leagues work then I will explain it to you. The coach for each team taking part in a draft league take a turn picking a Pokemon they want. The coach for the team has been given a certain amount of points to pick their Pokemon. That is because each Pokemon has been allocated a certain amount of points. Pokemon that are really good are worth more points then weaker Pokemon. That means something like Landorus-T will cost more points then a Donphan. This keeps going until each team has a group of eleven Pokemon and one Z Crystal.
With that said, we will be introducing the team for the Nimbasa City Emolgas!
Nimbasa City Emolgas Draft


The original idea for the Nimbasa City Emolgas was to have a team that can take a hit and then hit back harder. Those who know me from the Pokemon TCG know that I either like go really fast or go slow and hard. For this team, I decided to focus on defenses and wear down my opponent.
Thanks to Manic, we were able to build a few tables that reflects this style. By the time the draft started, we had a few solid picks for a team. I was unable to attend the draft pick event in person but Manic made sure to attend to gather our team. That was fine because Manic has more experience in picking Pokemon that would be perfect for our team. I mostly picked Pokemon that I thought would act as a good core and from there Manic filled in the blanks.
I want to go over some Pokemon that didn’t make our draft based on our original table. One of the Pokemon that didn’t make it on the team was Celesteela. That was because somebody had picked Celesteela before I could. The Nimbasa City Emolgas were had the 10th pick which means there was a good chance we could have been sniped for a pick. Celesteela was that one Pokemon.
Celesteela would have been a solid pick for our team. This Pokemon has plenty of defense and could stay on the field for days. With a combination of Leech Life and Roost then it would have been impossible to take down this ship.
But now for our team!

As mention before, I wanted a team that was pretty bulky but had a few cannons that will punch holes in my opponent’s team. We have a few bulky Pokemon on this team such as Gliscor, Alolan Muk, and Florges.
Meanwhile, we have some powerful Pokemon that can easily throw a punch. These Pokemon include Kartana, Zeraora, and Noiverm. These Pokemon are known for their powerful attacks and speed. They will easily take care of any problems that our team will face.
Lastly, we have some of my favorite type of Pokemon. The ones that can take a hit and then hit hard. These are defensive Pokemon that can switch in on a dime to take a hit. Once they do that then they can be used to fire off powerful attacks. Some of these Pokemon include Volcanion, Mega Altaria and Scrafty.
Lets talk about each Pokmeon on their own and what they can do.
Gliscor

Gliscor is infamous in the Overused tier for Smogon. That is because this Pokemon is known for it’s ability to be a defensive wall that can set up Stealth Rock and use Defog to get rid of your opponent’s.
This Pokemon is no slouch in battling as well. It has powerful attacks like Earthquake and Stone Edge. There are also other options such as Toxic and Ice Fang.
If we wanted to be a defensive force to be reckon with then we needed Gliscor. This Pokemon does so much while being an impossible wall for most Pokemon to deal with. Especially with the Poison Heal ability when paired up with a Toxic Orb. When Gliscor is holding a Toxic Orb, it will poison Gliscor and activate Poison Heal. This will heal Gliscor each turn instead of taking HP. If you add Roost then Gliscor will be around for turns.
There was nobody who could do what Gliscor can do. The ability to set up rocks, heal and attack was crazy to ignore. Especially with Celesteela being taken off the table so early. That is why we made Gliscor our number one pick. We couldn’t risk having this Pokemon taken away from us.
Gliscor is the Pokemon that will take hits and come back again from the dead. All thanks to his ability to heal and attack.
Kartana

If Gliscor is our shield then Kartana is our three swords. Kartana has amazing attack power with attacks like Leaf Blade, Smart Strike, Scared Sword and Night Slash. These are all powerful attacks that can be used to take down any Pokemon my opponent throws out. If my opponent isn’t careful then they may end up with a Pokemon that is knocked out.
What is even worst that once Kartana knocks out a Pokemon then Beast Boost activates. That is when Kartana goes into beast mode with an additional boost to one of his status. Most of the time this boost will go to Kartana’s Attack.
Kartana is pretty weak on the defenses. Though, his typing can give him some decent switch in options. Steel allows Kartana to come into any Poison type move. Grass typing gives Kartana some resistances. Kartana doesn’t want to take a hit but if needed then there are some options for him to come in on. That way Kartana can aim a well place Smart Strike to strike down my opponent’s Pokemon.
Florges

One of our best tanks on the team is Florges. It can take a hit but also heal the team. This Pokemon has various of cleric moves to help my team when they are feeling wary. That is thanks to moves like Heal Bell, Wish and Defog. These moves can be used to ensure that my team can get some rest while Florges is out active.
Though, Florges is no slouch. It has great attack power to go with her great defenses. Florges has attacks like Moonblast and Energy Ball to do some heavy damage to my opponent’s Pokemon. Especially if we can land a super effective hit.
If things look bad for Florges then we have Synthesis to help heal up HP. That should help with Florges’s ability to tank and heal.
Alolan Muk

The Muk from Alola is here to be our special sponge. This Pokemon is able to take most special attacks with little to worry. Moonblast? No problem! Fire Blast? That tickles! Thunderbolt? Nothing to worry about! Alolan Muk takes these hits with no problem! That is because Alolan Muk has great Special Defense and typing. Poison and Dark do not have many weaknesses that can be exploited. It even has an immunity to Psychic attacks which are often thrown around. Though, Alolan Muk doesn’t like Ground attacks. That is why you will see Alolan Muk move around of the way when one is on the horizon.
Alolan Muk also has plenty of great attacks to give him amazing coverage! You have attacks like Fire Punch, Rock Slide, Knock Off, Poison Jab and Gunk Shot to make Alolan Muk a force! Even better! Alolan Muk has the ability Poison Touch which gives all of his contact moves the chance to inflict Poison. Now that is a bargain! Especially if you are planning to stall with Poison. Any Physical attack will have a serious punch when thrown by Alolan Muk.
Dhelmise

Dhelmise was a pick that wasn’t part of our original table. We wanted a Ghost type Pokemon which was going to be Jellicent. We did need a Grass type attacker which was going to be Virizion. Though, we ended up picking Kartana which filled up our Grass spot. It also didn’t help that Jellicent was sniped from us. That is when we decided to pick up a different Ghost Pokemon.
Dhelmise was our Ghost pick but also doubled up on our Grass. Which was pretty amazing is that Dhelmise has a third STAB move thanks to the Steelworker ability. This gives a boost to all of Dhelmise’s Steel attacks. It pretty much gives STAB to any of Dhelmise’s Steel attacks.
Either way, the Ghost typing makes Dhelmise the best pick if we needed to switch into a Fighting attack. We then have powerful options to attack with such as Power Whip, Anchor Shot and Earthquake. The attacks gives Dhelmise plenty of coverage when facing powerful foes. Dhelmise also has access to Rapid Spin which makes him another option to get rid of Stealth Rock. We could also use Dhelmise if we ever wanted to block any of my opponent’s Rapid Spin. This will prevent them from clearing their entry hazards.
Mega Altaria

Mega Altaria is one of my favorite Mega Pokemon. That is why I had to have this fluffy bird on my team. Mega Altaria also happen to fit perfectly into our Fantasy Core of Dragon-Fairy-Metal. It covers two parts of that core while easy swap with other Pokemon.
This fluffy bird is the jack of all trades. It can be used as a defensive set with Cotton Guard to raise her defenses. There is Heal Bell to remove status. Defog is an option that can be used to help the team by removing Stealth Rock.
Mega Altaria is great as an attacker. It can use moves such as Blizzard and Earthquake. These are one of the many powerful attacks that Mega Altaria can preform. There are also the opportunity to use Dragon Dance to boost your speed and attack power.
No matter what set you run. You will want to have Hyper Voice on Mega Altaria. If you use it after Altaria undergoes Mega Evolution then you will get a powerful Fairy attack move with Hyper Voice. That will be boosted thanks to Mega Altaria typing. You will also get a few new benefits as you Mega Evolve. Especially the weaknesses and resistances.
Altaria makes a great switch in if you are predicting an Earthquake to happen for Alolan Muk. After all, Altaria will just be immune. That is if you haven’t Mega Evolve because Flying typing is dropped when Altaria undergoes Mega Evolution.
Volcanion

Volcanion acts like a wall when it goes out. It can be swap into an incoming Water attack and simply use Water Absorb. That will convert the Water attack into HP for Vocanion. That can be pretty useful if you want to make your opponent’s Water attack on Gliscor useless while healing up Volcanion.
Volcanion is a fine example of taking a hit and hitting back harder. He has a powerful attack with Steam Eruption. There is also Heat Wave and Earth Power. Some of those attacks give Volcanion an edge if you can land a blow.
What else is there to say? Volcanion is here to take hits and throw hits. They just don’t stop coming with Volcanion is around.
Zeraora

Zeraora is another Pokemon that we pick for his power and speed. We did wanted Tapu Koko but we felt that one may be picked early or simply be countered. That is why we went with the budget option. Zeraora!
Zeraora can be used to be a quick revenge knockout. Just bring in Zeraora after an attack and it will do heavy damage. Just make sure you are not attacking into anything that has an Ground typing. This Pokemon has an arsenal of attacks such as Close Combat, Grass Knot, Volt Switch and Snarl. Throw in Plasma Fist and now you have a powerful Electric type!
I also love Zeraora’s Volt Absorb ablility. If I can plan it right then we can swap in Zeraora on an incoming Thunderbolt attack. This attack will do no damage to Zeraora. Instead, the attack will become health to replenish Zeraora’s HP. I simply love abilities to negate attacks.
This Pokemon is quick! Zeraore can outspeed any Pokemon that gets in his way. That is juts the way it is. Your opponent will be surprise when they see Zeraora strike down their Pokemon!
Scrafty

We wanted a strong Dark and Fighting type Pokmeon. We didn’t have that many points left towards the end of the draft and points.. Though we needed something strong to match what our team does. That is where Scrafty comes in.
Scrafty is another Pokemon that can dish out Fighting and Dark type attacks. He can be used to take a hit or two but also knockout a few trouble pokemon. That means our core is pretty difficult to knockout and Scrafty loves to fight.
One of the best things in Scrafty’s option is Fake Out. That will buy you some time as you figure out what you want to do on the other side of the screen.
Noivern

Noivern was one of our last minute changes to the rooster. We wanted a special attacker because most of our team was Special attackers. That is why we went with Noivern. This was a fast Dragon type Pokemon. Noivern has incredible speed and can easily fired Draco Meteors one after another. Once you do that, you an use U-Turn to swap out your Noivern with something strong. That way we can go in to hit hard and fast. Then swap out to a better counter for the next Pokemon.
If we add a Choice Scarf then nothing will outspeed Noivern. Choice Specs? Then that will give Noivern some heavy power that nobody wants to face.
Emogla

We had to pick our mascot. This Pokemon may seem like a waste but don’t be fooled! Emolga has plenty of tricks up her sleeve!
You can annoy your opponent with Encore. There is Nuzzle to do some damage and throw some status effects.. Discharge if you want to do more damage. Air Slash with incredible Speed to back you up. Emolga can even use Defog!
I am planning to use Emogla in a future battle. So watch out with that!
Fightinium Z

Everybody can use Fightinium Z!
That is the main reason why I choose Fightinium Z. All our Pokemon can use Fighting type attacks in some for or way. It would be nice to have that surprise factor as our opponent is wondering who is holding the Fightinium Z.
Once you have that Z Crystal in place, then you can see the attack being shot off. All-Out Pummeling is a strong Z Move. It will do heavy damage to anything that doesn’t want to take it.
This is our team! It isn’t perfect but it is great! I have started to do some testing and practicing with this team. So far things look positive. I can only choose six Pokemon when I am battling the other people in the UPPL. So I will need to pick the best Pokemon when I go into battle and practice hard.
This Week’s Opponent


This upcoming week the Nimbasa City Emolgas are facing the Scienceville Incineroar. This team is lead by the boys at The Science of Pokemon Podcast, Luke and Collin.
These guys know their science. I am sure that they have gotten their team down and have carried all their numbers and rounded to the nearest hundredths. They have powerful Pokemon such as Garchomp, Mega Charizard Y, Venusaur, and Kyurem. They also have other Pokemon who can be tricky such as Ribombee, Gigalith and Swampart. Though, I think we have plenty of great Pokemon who can handle their team.These Pokemon are powerful but I am sure we can come up with the right formula to overcome this equation.
The Nimbasa City Emolgas will be fighting the Scienceville Incineroars this coming Monday night on January 14th. Wish us the best of luck. We plan to do a write up of the battle by next weekend.
Signing off!
The post UPPL Update: Draft Week Picks appeared first on Pokémon Crossroads.


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