After reading the analysis thus far, I think I can list the key arguments:
First: Paroni's view of Charge was wrong.
- This is easy to solve, because it's completely true
. If you otherwise liked my plan, go for KidFromPallet's "Prioritize Lily: Corrdct Charge Edition", or just modify my plan and get the Charge part out completely.
Second: Houndoom is not a good target for Maelstrom and Fang
- The lack of ranged, and Haru's minimal experience, make this a compelling argument.
- At the very least, I'd include a note in the strategy, that says that any combat against the Houndoom should just be distracting it from afar, not actually going close and making it more difficult for Lily. The Houndoom doesn't know we don't have range attacks after all, and Lily could benefit from even just a tiny extra moment of opportunity when the Houndoom takes a look at Fang and Mael.
Third: Point 3 ("What is the general plan for the combat?") in the Strategy Model is unnecessary in the first place
- I'd say that Mount. Elements has got a point in that combat may evolve in chaotic ways, and that if Lux just follows our point 3 strategies in a new situation it wasn't planned for, it could cause unintended bad results.
- Howewer, I still think that it is best to include a part 3, that just covers the case where everything goes as planned. I have faith that Lux will stop simulating our plan and ask for a new one, if it looks like any Point 3 strategies would obviously lead to catastrophic results. Adding such a general top-level strategy will streamline the combats in all the cases where nothing too unexpected happens.
- Maybe it could be a good idea to flesh out Point 3 a bit more, like I already did with adding the "intercept Grunt Houndours" part. More info about the Houndoom sounds good to me here, for example.
To remind (and I think this is very important), I propose using a general voting outline of:
[][Strategy] Plan name
- Who to target, with which pokemon
- What moves to use, in general and in some specific situations
- What is the general plan for the whole combat, and what to do after the initial target is down
- Additional notes to take into account
Making plans with the same general outline helps us all in comparing them against each other, and in modifying them. During these first votes with the new system, I propose that we settle down with something resembling this model. Of course, improvement suggestions by others are received with gratitude, I'm not claiming to peddle a finished product here.
Okay, my new upgraded strategy. To be honest, the
Jump up jump up and get down, and the
Prioritize Lily: Corrdct Charge Edition plans are already pretty decent, but hey, why not try to iterate through more versions a bit to eventually get to the gold. As with my last plan, using this new one as a base for other plans is more than welcome by me.
[X][Strategy] No Charge, No melee with Houndoom, No jumping all over, Help each other first
-[X] Maelstrom takes Houndour D, Fang takes Houndour E. Maelstrom should focus on just keeping the Houndour away from Lily, while Fang should go for the KO.
-[X] Maelstrom: use Bounce + Aqua Jet to get maybe one surprise attack attempt in, before settling to harrass with just Aqua Jet. Fang: Use Thunder Fang. Both use the same combo when attacking other Houndours as well.
-[X] After eliminating their opponents: prioritize helping allies in the following order: 1. Haru's other pokemon 2. Lily, 3. Grunts.
-[X] Fang should be aware of any Houndours slipping from the Grunts, and intercept with Charge, even if it means that he has to fight 2v1 for a bit.
-[X] Fang and Maelstrom should not close to melee with Houndoom. Engaging with Houndoom should be only done from a distance, providing distraction.
The modifications I did to my earlier plan:
1. I removed Charge. The Houndours seem to take wounds pretty well even with just Thunder Fang, so buffing the next attack doesn't seem as necessary. Charge (now that I understand it), should be used in the beginning of a fight with a clear type advantage (to make a 2x to a 4x), or against a pokemon with really strong defenses (to make 0x to a 1x).
2. I added the part about not entering melee with Houndoom.
3. I changed the priority list. Helping each other out first sounds indeed the most sensible thing, when our effectiveness might suffer alongside other trainers' pokemon due to Haru's lack of experience.
I also want to note that I don't like
Jump up jump up and get down's usage of so much bounce. I feel like that gives Houndour E more opportunities to change targets surprisingly, while Mael is always in floating in the air out of reach. Edit: This is a pretty minor nitpick though.
