So, a summary of Terra. As a ground type specialist, her team revolves around a soft sandstorm core. Her lack of earthquake is a massive vulnerability, but it does not make her a pushover for unprepared challengers. Her stage, the gen 1 makeover, gives her pokemon rather large advantages that they wouldn't have before, such as the removal of Fairy types to check Garchomp.
To start, here's a recap on her stage and team (as I am writing this a full day after completing episode 14, I either can't remember her team's full move set, or was never shown a certain move because I defeated that Pokemon too quickly for it to reveal its full set. As such, please help remind me ^__^)
The physical/special move split is undone
Special Attacks, for both the attacker and defender, calculate off of the higher stat between SpAtk and SpDef
Dark, Steel, and Fairy type attacks become Normal type
The type chart is altered as follows (I can't find the exact text for this, but I'd assume it reverts to the gen 1 type chart since shadow ball didn't effect Mewtwo.) For those who can't remember how the chart works, here's a link:
http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Type/Type_chart#Generation_I
Critical hit rate increases by one stage if an attacker is faster than its target
Rage locks the user into the move indefinitely
Psychic moves increase in base power x1.2
Blizzard is set to 90 accuracy
Metronome will never choose a move with less than 70 base power
Explosion and Selfdestruct reduce targets' defense by half
Nature Power becomes Metronome
Camouflage changes the user's type to BIRD
Secret Power may lower speed
Nidoking
- Blizzard
- Flamethrower
- Amnesia (Thanks hahohehu!)
- Thunderbolt (Thanks Reiko!)
Quagsire
- Scald
- Blizzard (Thanks Jean mi!)
- Amnesia
- Recover (Thanks Rielly987!)
Garchomp
- Flamethrower
- Draco Meteor
- Bulldoze
- Stone Edge
Hippowdon
- Stealth Rock
- Bulldoze?
- Yawn (Thanks Rielly987!)
- Stone Edge (Thanks Yakumo!)
Claydol
- Psychic
- Bulldoze
- Reflect
- Explosion
Excadrill
- Stone Edge (in 14.0. Changed to Rock Slide as of 14.1. Thanks Ame!)
- Bulldoze
- X-Scissor (Thanks robin1!)
- Earthquake (Thanks TheBackwardsLegsMan!)
Team I used (blind playthrough team, no substitutions to counter her team): Swampert, Infernape, Venusaur, Manectric, Gardevoir, Staraptor.
Runs taken to defeat her: 3
Items used: 2 Ultra Potions, 3 MooMoo Milks [No revives/cotton candies used]
Onwards to the actual battle. Terra leads off with Nidoking. After it is defeated, she tends to switch into Claydol, set up Reflect, and then Explode. If not, she switches into Hippowdon to set up sand and Stealth Rocks if she can. She may also switch into Hippowdon on a prediction. On the free switch after either one does down, she goes into Garchomp. The Draco caught me off guard the first time I fought her, leading me to believe it was a special variant. That went down the drain when she OHKOd my 50% Swampert with a Stone Edge crit. She will also prioritize her hyper potions onto Garchomp. After Garchomp she can switch into any of her remaining pokemon. If you don't have a strong grass type for her Quagsire it can sweep you, due to its bulkiness and possibility of burning with Scald. Her Excadrill is a potent late game sweeper, especially if Terra's sandstorm is still up. I made the mistake of losing my Infernape early on my second run, leaving me no answer for Excadrill as it SE'd the rest of my team. Hippowdon is a pushover, although if I had given it the possibility of using more than one move it might have been a bigger threat.
All in all, Terra was a very strong adversary, on my first run I was caught offguard and didn't make it past Garchomp. Once I understood her patterns however, I was able to predict most of her moves and recovery times, giving me an opportunity to heal up as well.
Hope this helps for anyone having trouble
Also thanks to Blind Guardian for formatting help!