Strategy for catching the Halloween Alphas?

[Bryce]

I asked a similar question not long ago, the answer I got was "Timer Balls" which is valid.

 

However, I built up a Light Screen/Thunder Wave/Minimize/Softboiled Blissey with HP/SpDef EVs specifically for this and it simply does not matter.

 

Eventually these things "build up wild might" and just have to connect 1 move to start one-shotting everything on my team if my Timer Ball RNG isn't immaculate.

 

So I understand the preferred way to catch these things is Timer Balls, but how do you stay alive long enough for them to work?

 

With Gengar I used an Imprison Smeargle with Giga Drain and eventually caught it because it couldn't do any damage. But if Blissey is getting smacked this easily then Driblim will be similar and I don't even have an answer for Dusknoir to deal with the physical damage. Hoping for some ideas here.

[ClosedBox]

The worst thing is they get +1 on all stats when you miss a catch lol

[Raichuforyou]

I've heard people trying to use Skill Swap Contrary Spinda turn one so all the stat changes make it progressively weaker.

[TohnR]

So far my strategy has been : No strategy.
(Optional : Use Skill Swap with Scarf Contrary Spinda to remove their ability and omniboost, only doing that for the tough ones)
Use Glare to set a permanent status on them, paired with substitutes to abuse para chances and gain enough turns for Timer balls to clock in
Weaken them with lvl 100 attackers, I believe False Swipe is kinda trash for these. Once it's red spam with Timer balls
You can find their movesets from the GTL listing and adapt the strategies
If they have recovery move you should consider using Taunt on your attacker (I use for instance Hydreigon & Crobat)
If you fail (your team dies) just get to PC and start over. If you kill the alpha, log off and log in and it'll be respawned

Edited November 2, 2022 by TohnR

[SephirothNinety]

I use an Alpha Magnezone with flash and iron defense. Works almost every time (except when the alpha has effective moves against Magnezone). When the alpha accuracy is at its lowest, I lower its HP and then, sent out Smeargle to make it sleep and leave it with 1 HP. Still, I've lost a few alphas that run out of PP after 30+ timer balls. Sell healing alphas are hard, but you could eliminate this issue with taunt

[SephirothNinety]

6 minutes ago, TohnR said:

f you fail (your team dies) just get to PC and start over. If you kill the alpha, log off and log in and it'll be respawned

You don't need to log off. Just go to the pokemon center and return. The alpha will respawn

[TohnR]

5 minutes ago, SephirothNinety said:

You don't need to log off. Just go to the pokemon center and return. The alpha will respawn

This is much longer than logging off and on, which is why I'm sharing that. Takes literally 5s

Edited November 2, 2022 by TohnR

[MufinsIncLLCEsq]

I've had little issue using my standard catching brelooms. Come into the battle already poisoned, spore turn 1, sub turn 2, chip away while spore+subbing when necessary. My brelooms are level 80 though so for scenarios like ghost types where I can't false swipe, their seed bomb/rock slide is a viable chip option. Not sure if that'd still be the case if they were level 100. Tbf I've also had good luck on alphas lately, been at least 8 alphas since I've needed more than 3 balls for the catch.

[Bryce]

32 minutes ago, TohnR said:

So far my strategy has been : No strategy.
(Optional : Use Skill Swap with Scarf Contrary Spinda to remove their ability and omniboost, only doing that for the tough ones)
Use Glare to set a permanent status on them, paired with substitutes to abuse para chances and gain enough turns for Timer balls to clock in
Weaken them with lvl 100 attackers, I believe False Swipe is kinda trash for these. Once it's red spam with Timer balls
You can find their movesets from the GTL listing and adapt the strategies
If they have recovery move you should consider using Taunt on your attacker (I use for instance Hydreigon & Crobat)
If you fail (your team dies) just get to PC and start over. If you kill the alpha, log off and log in and it'll be respawned

Does Skill Swap prevent the omniboost or do I have to use it AFTER it's started scaling?

[OGQT]

7 minutes ago, Bryce said:

Does Skill Swap prevent the omniboost or do I have to use it AFTER it's started scaling?

Before, so that the Stat Ups turn into Stat Downs. Pointless to use it after it's already at +6 on everything.

[RAMASTERIO]

ANYONE FOUND SPIRITOMB? 

[repposh]

Trick with my sycnhro lead>use disable to let it chip itself fast and not waste pp then memento charm or teleport if u want to keep ur synchro alive for the mons that spawn with the alpha. Then go to ur catcher breloom with sub works fine usually (especially if u have x speed its ez) but there are some alternatives like unaware quag with yawn stockpile and recover or oblivious slowbro with yawn if they have taunt. Smeargle works too but its very frail

 

Notes: skill swap can be used on synchro leads for abilities like magic bounce, soak can be used on smeargle but a faster option is basculin(also has access to final gambit and some HMs)

Sometimes i just stoss or nightshade with my lead when im lazy that works decently well.

Air balloon can be used on smeargles for when they are locked into a ground move. I've only had a mon die to struggle but if that becomes an issue u can overcome it just by having an extra tricker in the back, heal pulse can be useful too.

 

Other than that the spinda strat probably works really well i just havent used it yet.

 

Edited November 2, 2022 by repposh

[Raichuforyou]

2 minutes ago, repposh said:

Trick with my sycnhro lead>use disable to let it chip itself fast and not waste pp then memento charm or teleport if u want to keep ur synchro alive for the mons that spawn with the alpha. Then go to ur catcher breloom with sub works fine usually (especially if u have x speed its ez) but there are some alternatives like unaware quag with yawn or oblivious slowbro with yawn if they have taunt. Smeargle works too but its very frail

 

Notes: skill swap can be used on synchro leads for abilities like magic bounce, soak can be used on smeargle but a faster option is basculin(also has access to final gambit and some HMs)

Sometimes i just stoss or nightshade with my lead when im lazy that works decently well. I've only had a mon die to struggle but if that becomes an issue u can overcome it just by having an extra tricker in the back, heal pulse can be useful too.

 

Other than that the spinda strat probably works really well i just havent used it yet.

 

Synchronize has been confirmed to not work on Alphas, if you're trying to get specific natures.

[repposh]

Just now, Raichuforyou said:

Synchronize has been confirmed to not work on Alphas, if you're trying to get specific natures.

I had a suspicion it doesnt work since i never could get a single one, thanks for confirming that for me. Its weird that they did that but either way there is nothing wrong with the strat so ill keep using it

[SephirothNinety]

13 hours ago, TohnR said:

This is much longer than logging off and on, which is why I'm sharing that. Takes literally 5s

 

Good point 😅

But don't you risk yourself to get stuck in the queue (if any)?

[Plbbrt]

I was able to catch gengar easily by choosing a fast starmie who tricked choice specs onto gengar and then gengar used shadow ball (since that is the best move to use against a psychic pokemon like starmie) and OHKO'd starmie. Then i switched into my catcher smeargle who could false swipe and spore gengar without taking any damage since its locked into using shadow ball due to specs and normal types are immune to ghost type attacks.

Edited November 3, 2022 by Plbbrt

[OGQT]

5 hours ago, SephirothNinety said:

 

Good point 😅

But don't you risk yourself to get stuck in the queue (if any)?

Afaik you don't get stuck in a queue if you were logged in recently (don't know the exact time frame). This is to prevent people from getting penalized for something like the game crashing, network issues (like a temporary disconnection), etc.

[Bryce]

5 hours ago, Plbbrt said:

I was able to catch gengar easily by choosing a fast starmie who tricked choice specs onto gengar and then gengar used shadow ball (since that is the best move to use against a psychic pokemon like starmie) and OHKO'd starmie. Then i switched into my catcher smeargle who could false swipe and spore gengar without taking any damage since its locked into using shadow ball due to specs and normal types are immune to ghost type attacks.

Yeah Gengar was easy. I just Imprison + Giga Drain on my Smeargle and eventually got it with a Timer Ball. This is more aimed at the other stuff since I don't have the luxury of only having to disable one move.

[Bryce]

I was about to try the Contrary Spinda method, but my god...these things cost more than the alphas I'm trying to catch.

 

Is there a way to breed one of these maybe?

[Arielle]

I use Unaware clefable to let the turns rack up, guess unaware quagsire could work too but he doesn't get thunder wave

[TohnR]

On 11/3/2022 at 8:14 AM, SephirothNinety said:

But don't you risk yourself to get stuck in the queue (if any)?

I realized that if your session was active very recently you will automatically skip the queue 🙂 
Indeed there might be a risk when it's a queue time but haven't had an issue so far

Edited November 4, 2022 by TohnR

[Bryce]

Wanted to bump this in case anybody came up with some last-minute strategies since I realize I only have 2 days to catch 4 more alphas (Chandelure, Drifblim, Dusknoir, Spiritomb).

 

I WAS going to do with the Contrary Spinda strat, but those things are selling for more than these alphas are worth combined...so I'm checking in to see if anybody discovered a better/cheaper strategy to get this done with minimal headache.

[MMOcritic]

I give my haze user a focus sash, so I can survive a turn and reset it's stars with haze.

[Bryce]

2 hours ago, MMOcritic said:

I give my haze user a focus sash, so I can survive a turn and reset it's stars with haze.

And how do you get it to survive doing this multiple times when the turns rack up?

[MMOcritic]

On 11/8/2022 at 4:33 PM, Bryce said:

And how do you get it to survive doing this multiple times when the turns rack up?

I don't, it's I use it to reset stats, it dies I switch back to my breloom, then I can sleep it again since the alpha no longer outspeeds