User:TheOx5005/sandbox

"Grasshole" refers to a team composition in the player vs. player (PvP) mode of Pokemon Go in which the lead pokemon (typically Bastiodon) is supported by two grass-type pokemon using the fast attack "Razor Leaf." The team relies on the extraordinary "fast attack" pressure generated by Razor Leaf and by Bastiodon's "fast attack" of "Smack Down." It is a controversial team composition in Pokemon Go's "Go Battle League," because it is simple to run and highly effective, but depends for its success on obtaining a favorable "lead matchup"--an aspect of the game that is based entirely on luck.

Team Composition

Pokemon Go PvP teams are comprised of three pokemon. A "grasshole" team consists in a lead pokemon of a steel or rock type (typically Bastiodon, which is both Steel and Rock type) and two supporting grass-type pokemon. In Pokemon Go, pokemon utilize two kinds of attacks: "fast moves" and "charge moves." Fast moves deal damage and generate energy; charge moves use that energy to deal additional damage. The grass-type pokemon in a Grasshole team each run the fast attack "Razor Leaf," which not every grass-type pokemon in Pokemon Go can learn. It is a move characterized by high damage output (compared to other fast moves) and low energy generation. Paired with Bastiodon, which similarly relies on a fast move that generates little energy but deals significant damage, it comprises a team that relies very little on the "charge moves" it throws and instead wears teams down through the steady pressure of its fast attacks.

The success of "Grasshole" as a team composition has led to spinoff teams that, while not technically "Grasshole," retain the "Grasshole" core of Bastiodon and one Razor Leaf user (typically Shadow Victrebell). These spinoff teams typically use as their third member a pokemon whose fast attack also deals high damage while generating low energy, thereby advancing the same "fast move" pressure strategy as proper Grasshole teams.

Controversy

Because "Grasshole" relies so heavily on "fast move" damage, it is controversial in Pokemon Go PvP, and in particular in Pokemon Go's Go Battle League. That is because the heavy reliance on fast move pressure negates one of the game's skill aspects: the decision when to use "charge moves" and (conversely) when to shield them. Because the team can be highly successful without a single "charge move" being thrown, it is viewed by its detractors as a team requiring comparatively little skill. Because the supporting grass-type pokemon so thoroughly cover the weakness of the lead Steel/Rock-type pokemon, "Grasshole" often results in an easy win for a user when the user is given a favorable lead matchup by the Go Battle League's random matchmaking algorithm.