Credits to Tom Bus for making this epic banner n_n
Introduction
Hallo fwends :3. Ben goat back at it again with another team compendium, but this time chronicling my fully vetted experiences in the ever-changing metagame of sun and moon overused. It's been a long time desire of mine to want to create something like this again, and the new generation gave me the right motivation in doing so. I would've finished this much sooner, but having to go through multiple revisions of almost every team in order to stay current with the meta compelled me to want to put out a collection I can proudly stand behind. The teams I've chosen obviously are solid enough to stand on their own, but they also showcase the degree of creativity, versatility, and ingenuity that I myself am known for. With that being said, there's a lot I want to talk about so let's get straight into it! Apologies in advance if this thread may be too 'homophobic' for some people, yes I know I'm using gay unironically in 2017 lay off lol. (DISCLAIMER: These teams are for mosa meta and obviously should be tweaked once banned. I'll let you have the liberty in doing so, it's better if you come to your own conclusions on what's good and what isn't.)
Teams
Team #1:
Starting it off with a team I used in my last week of playing in spl vs Finchinator. It revolves around trapping support from dugtrio and tapu fini to support my two breakers in charizard and pheromosa. Zardy requires a bit of support in order to function properly, but is absolutely devastating with not much good counterplay to it. The spread lets me switch into timid fire blast from opposing zardy after mega and not get 2hkod, which ironically is my own counterplay vs it. It also isn't ohkod by jolly pinsir's return and metagross' thunder punch among other things. Defog might be a huge question mark for a lot of you since zardy is 4x rocks weak, but it actually beats the majority of the common sr users in the tier like fat land, fat chomp, ferro etc., thereby relieving pressure off skarmory as my other form of hazard control. Being able to clear off toxic spikes from toxapex is also very much appreciated for my other members. Tapu fini is my way of breaking stall, being able to eliminate chansey, heatran, and toxapex for zardy to sweep. Defog on this isn't ideal since fini doesn't have reliable recovery, which is contradictory for a bulky balanced team like this. Skarmory is self explanatory and offers the team hazard control and an initial answer to physical set up sweepers. Having double defog also means I can win the hazard war unless they have more than one sr user. I opted for whirlwind over counter since most of my other members can pressure physical threats like landorus and mawile. Rocky helmet is a must over shed shell in order to punish physical attackers like gross, scizor, gyara etc.. This does make the team more susceptible to pinsir+mag, but its a risk I'd be willing to accept especially since this isn't a passive stall by any means. Trapping mag with dugtrio or pressuring with zardy would be the best course of action vs those builds. Assault vest tangrowth is a crutch that most people use to patch up weaknesses, and it performs famously as a bulky offensive pivot. Giga drain over leaf storm for much needed longevity and hp ice to better combat ground types that are 4x weak to it. Dugtrio eliminates heatran, toxapex in case fini can't for some reason, and revenges tyranitar, volcarona, and charizardx reliably. Pursuit gives me a better out vs threats that can switch out like thundurus, gengar, and marowak and sucker punch is needed priority that comes in clutch on a somewhat slow team like this. Memento was initially nice filler to support mosa and prevent set up, but stone edge became mandatory because qd fat volc would otherwise 6-0, also it gives the team a way to outspeed and ohko a huge threat in pinsir. Reversal wasn't needed when the team has an extremely potent fighting threat in mosa. Speaking of pheromosa, I can confidently say that it's the most ridiculous mon in ou that pretty much autowins if given a free qd, which is extremely easy due to the amount of switches it forces. The moveset is standard but 32 def evs are there to live an hjk from opposing scarf +atk mosa in case you lose a tie, as well as band espeed from adamant zygarde. It also lives scarf land's earthquake and metagross' bullet punch after two sr switchins guaranteed. Specs ashgren can't ko you after a qd and the only other relevant priority user that can ko you is pinsir which skarm helps vs. There have been numerous variants of this sort of archetype running around, but this is my final version that I adapted from the team I used in my first game in spl (that one had a lot of flaws oops :x).
Charizard-Mega-Y @ Charizardite Y
Ability: Drought
EVs: 120 HP / 148 SpA / 240 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Defog
- Roost
- Flamethrower
- Solar Beam
Tapu Fini @ Leftovers
Ability: Misty Surge
EVs: 248 HP / 176 Def / 12 SpD / 72 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Whirlpool
- Taunt
- Nature's Madness
- Moonblast
Skarmory @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Defog
- Roost
- Stealth Rock
- Whirlwind
Dugtrio @ Focus Sash
Ability: Arena Trap
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Pursuit
- Sucker Punch
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
Tangrowth @ Assault Vest
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpD / 4 Spe
Sassy Nature
- Giga Drain
- Knock Off
- Earthquake
- Hidden Power [Ice]
Pheromosa @ Fightinium Z
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 32 Def / 224 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Quiver Dance
- Focus Blast
- Bug Buzz
- Ice Beam
Ability: Drought
EVs: 120 HP / 148 SpA / 240 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Defog
- Roost
- Flamethrower
- Solar Beam
Tapu Fini @ Leftovers
Ability: Misty Surge
EVs: 248 HP / 176 Def / 12 SpD / 72 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Whirlpool
- Taunt
- Nature's Madness
- Moonblast
Skarmory @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Defog
- Roost
- Stealth Rock
- Whirlwind
Dugtrio @ Focus Sash
Ability: Arena Trap
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Pursuit
- Sucker Punch
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
Tangrowth @ Assault Vest
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpD / 4 Spe
Sassy Nature
- Giga Drain
- Knock Off
- Earthquake
- Hidden Power [Ice]
Pheromosa @ Fightinium Z
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 32 Def / 224 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Quiver Dance
- Focus Blast
- Bug Buzz
- Ice Beam
Team #2: The power of my fire could melt the steelest of beams!
This team took a while to make to say the very least. Starting out from having torkoal, mandibuzz, and terrakion I'm quite pleased on how to it turned out. njnp used this week 2 of spl vs eo and started the zong, venu, fini fad that seemingly persisted throughout the weeks. Fire types are especially threatening in sun moon so I wanted to try out marowak paired with zardy. Venusaur is an obvious addition to give the team speed control as well as a water and electric resist. Fini completes the fwg core and provides much needed defog support. Zardy is the primary wallbreaker for this team, being able to decimate almost everything with just fire and grass coverage. It's modest fire blast over flamethrower because wak and venu also have fire coverage to spam and zard doesn't necessarily need the extra pp with damage output better suited in its case. It was originally hp ice to keep zygarde and garchomp at bay, but the team was threatened by the presence of mawile in the tier. Will-o-wisp is chosen as a midground to neuter both those targets, also crippling random threats like cbtar, bish, and gyara. Life orb venusaur in sun is surprisingly an effectual mon, especially since the metagame caters towards bulky weatherless offense. Synthesis extends its longevity while being buffed in sun and giga drain is used over solar beam for a more reliable grass stab. Ev spread hits a lo number while giving it enough speed to outspeed scarf nihilego in sun. Tapu fini is the most reliable defogger, being able to defog on almost every rocker by virtue of having taunt. This team had no other prospective z move user so I made it z haze fini to give it more staying power, while letting it act as a primary answer to set up sweepers in zardx and zygarde. Bronzong patches up the rest of the team's weaknesses, letting it handle gross, lele, land, and lati reliably. Its ev spread enables it to avoid the 3hko from gross' hammer arm as well as not getting 2hkod by shadow ball from scarf lele. Unfortunately it can't run sr because zong needs all its moves to check the aforementioned threats. However, it does allow me to have better speed control in abusing trick room, having a leg up on offense as well as supporting marowak. Marowak is the secondary wallbreaker on this team, demonstrating itself to be an absolute savage with sun boosted flare blitz and trick room support. Moveset is self explanatory and ev spread is so that it outspeeds chansey out of trick room. Rock head over lightning rod to make the best use of wak offensively, and lightning rod not being really necessary with venusaur and dugtrio. Scarf dugtrio is used because the team is too sr weak already, and it would be too overreliant on focus sash to function properly. Pursuit for gar, wak, and thund and sucker punch is filler to revenge bp gross or a weakened pinsir. It's evd to outspeed base 100s because outspeeding scarfgarchomp, nihilego, and shift gear magearna are unnecessary with bronzong, with minimal hp investment to tank a hit from mag or koko if need be.
Marowak-Alola @ Thick Club
Ability: Rock Head
EVs: 208 HP / 252 Atk / 48 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Flare Blitz
- Shadow Bone
- Earthquake
Venusaur @ Life Orb
Ability: Chlorophyll
EVs: 32 HP / 252 SpA / 224 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Synthesis
- Giga Drain
- Sludge Bomb
- Hidden Power [Fire]
Charizard-Mega-Y @ Charizardite Y
Ability: Drought
EVs: 120 HP / 148 SpA / 240 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Roost
- Fire Blast
- Solar Beam
- Will-O-Wisp
Bronzong @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 132 Def / 124 SpD
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Trick Room
- Gyro Ball
- Earthquake
- Hidden Power [Ice]
Tapu Fini @ Icium Z
Ability: Misty Surge
EVs: 248 HP / 176 Def / 12 SpD / 72 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Defog
- Haze
- Taunt
- Moonblast
Dugtrio @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Arena Trap
EVs: 48 HP / 240 Atk / 8 SpD / 212 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Pursuit
- Sucker Punch
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
Ability: Rock Head
EVs: 208 HP / 252 Atk / 48 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Flare Blitz
- Shadow Bone
- Earthquake
Venusaur @ Life Orb
Ability: Chlorophyll
EVs: 32 HP / 252 SpA / 224 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Synthesis
- Giga Drain
- Sludge Bomb
- Hidden Power [Fire]
Charizard-Mega-Y @ Charizardite Y
Ability: Drought
EVs: 120 HP / 148 SpA / 240 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Roost
- Fire Blast
- Solar Beam
- Will-O-Wisp
Bronzong @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 132 Def / 124 SpD
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Trick Room
- Gyro Ball
- Earthquake
- Hidden Power [Ice]
Tapu Fini @ Icium Z
Ability: Misty Surge
EVs: 248 HP / 176 Def / 12 SpD / 72 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Defog
- Haze
- Taunt
- Moonblast
Dugtrio @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Arena Trap
EVs: 48 HP / 240 Atk / 8 SpD / 212 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Pursuit
- Sucker Punch
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
Team #3: I bless the rains down in Africa.. jk Africa is a government hoax
A rain team I've had plenty of experience tinkering with. Went through quite a bit of revamps with rp douse gene being the initial abuser. It took a while to find a replacement, but I'm quite confident scolipede is the best one for the job. Pelipper is the best rain setter and moveset is standard. The spread lets it live a z fly from land, specs dark pulse from hoopa, while still avoiding the 2hko from scarf mosa after sr. Kingdra is pretty standard for any rain team, usually being able to sweep any offense by spamming surf. Ohkoing gross and lele after rocks while 2hkoing lati and keld with surf are just some of the things it's capable of. Minimum speed investment to outspeed scarf 110s in rain, and hp fire is chosen for filler to apply as much pressure on ferro as possible. The team doesn't necessarily need rain to function, so choosing not to set it up by leading peli is also an option. It also isn't really bulu or tang weak to warrant ice beam since scolipede can take advantage of those. Ferrothorn acts as the defensive glue for this team and is especially threatening with rain eliminating its 4x weakness to fire. Protect over power whip may seem odd, especially since whip can pressure fini more and protect would be stalling out my own rain turns. However, protect has been much more essential in increasing ferro's longevity since it's my primary defensive pivot between things like gross, lele, gren, and koko so having it healthy as possible usually allows ferro to sweep those builds surprisingly. It's also nice for burning z moves if used correctly, protecting on zardy when it megas, as well as deterring mosa from spamming hjk as freely. Sd garchomp is next and initially it was z outrage, but scoli being my z mover made me decide on it being mega. Mega does have its perks in additional bulk, being able to tank, for example, a z fly from land compared to nonmega. It also gives it the needed power to ohko things like fat land after an sd with rain boosted aqua tail, 2hko unaware clef, fini after sr, and also eviscerate tangrowth. It pairs well as an offensive breaker with scolipede as chomp can usually wear down the things scoli might have trouble with. Offensive scolipede works wonders for this team, being able to pressure the mons that generally annoy rain like fini, bulu, and tang. It also gives me a buffer vs scarfmosa, a mon that generally gives rain a lot of problems by virtue of its stats, movepool, and ability. Scolipede in itself can usually sweep offense if given an sd and ohkos almost every non resist after one, thereby relieving the pressure off kingdra in that regard. Rain boosting hydro vortex lets it ohko things like metagross, magearna, zygarde, and celesteela after an sd which is absurd. Tapu koko is the last slot and what I usually lead off with for this team. This set is the set I use on almost every tapu koko and I think is the only set people should run. It's basically stallbreaker koko but the main reason I think it's superior over offensive is because offensive koko is incredibly weak without life orb and taunt nature's madness covers every switchin without having to run weird coverage that compromises it's ability as a fast pivot. Being able to pressure ferrothorn primarily for this team is necessary, but shaving off half on anything and then u-turning to scout if they stay in or not is its main function. This set also has the benefit of being able to run bulk, which is really nice for a fast pivot such as koko. Some things that it's able to live are eq from gross, fleur cannon from gearna, poison jab from mosa and even a specs pump from gren. Item wise, iapapa proved to be the most superior because koko gets worn down relatively easily through hazards or tanking random hits as a pivot. Getting below 25% isn't particularly difficult due to how often koko switches in as an offensive pivot. It's a valid compromise because this set can't afford to run roost, otherwise giving it more staying power. The ev spread lets it activate its berry if switched into two nature's madness' as well as underspeeding opposing koko to get off the slower u-turn, while still outspeeding weavile. Rest of the evs are put into sp atk to increase damage output on thunder. Naturally, this set also 6-0s stall with amoonguss and shedinja being the only reliable switchin, but getting momentum or taunting it is just as good. Having sp atk investment over hp with a magnet is also acceptable to be able to 2hko sableye (if using thunderbolt), though is really only worthwhile if your team is immensely stall weak. The two biggest threats to this team are zardx and volc, so make sure you keep rain active so that kingdra can reliably revenge it, because if they get 2 dds/qds on ferro with rain not being a factor it's checkmate. Also less common but qd z hyper beam pheromosa, having the potential to outspeed and ohko everything at +1.
Pelipper @ Damp Rock
Ability: Drizzle
EVs: 248 HP / 116 Def / 144 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 30 Spe
- Defog
- Roost
- Scald
- U-turn
Kingdra @ Choice Specs
Ability: Swift Swim
EVs: 32 HP / 248 SpA / 228 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Draco Meteor
- Hydro Pump
- Surf
- Hidden Power [Fire]
Scolipede @ Waterium Z
Ability: Speed Boost
EVs: 16 HP / 252 Atk / 240 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Megahorn
- Poison Jab
- Aqua Tail
Ferrothorn @ Leftovers
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 88 Def / 168 SpD
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Stealth Rock
- Leech Seed
- Protect
- Gyro Ball
Garchomp-Mega @ Garchompite
Ability: Rough Skin
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Outrage
- Earthquake
- Aqua Tail
Tapu Koko @ Iapapa Berry
Ability: Electric Surge
EVs: 252 HP / 40 SpA / 216 Spe
Timid Nature
- Taunt
- Nature's Madness
- Thunder
- U-turn
Ability: Drizzle
EVs: 248 HP / 116 Def / 144 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 30 Spe
- Defog
- Roost
- Scald
- U-turn
Kingdra @ Choice Specs
Ability: Swift Swim
EVs: 32 HP / 248 SpA / 228 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Draco Meteor
- Hydro Pump
- Surf
- Hidden Power [Fire]
Scolipede @ Waterium Z
Ability: Speed Boost
EVs: 16 HP / 252 Atk / 240 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Megahorn
- Poison Jab
- Aqua Tail
Ferrothorn @ Leftovers
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 88 Def / 168 SpD
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Stealth Rock
- Leech Seed
- Protect
- Gyro Ball
Garchomp-Mega @ Garchompite
Ability: Rough Skin
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Outrage
- Earthquake
- Aqua Tail
Tapu Koko @ Iapapa Berry
Ability: Electric Surge
EVs: 252 HP / 40 SpA / 216 Spe
Timid Nature
- Taunt
- Nature's Madness
- Thunder
- U-turn
Team #4: bounce gyara 3: revenge of the doggy style
One that I made with my good friend z0mOG and features a double :dog: core in cb zydog and scarf landog, further supported by dd z gyara to eliminate most of their counters. Cb zygarde gives the team a primary wallbreaker, spamming its no drawback ground stab more often than not. It's chosen over its 50% form because the extra speed to revenge threats like metagross, gengar, zardy, etc. is preferred, with the extra bulk not being necessary for this build. Espeed gives the team much needed priority with toxic to wear down walls that can repeatedly switch in such as tang, land, and bulu, in essence also aiding in wearing down land's counters as well. Gyarados is the primary win con for this team, which can usually sweep after a dd or two. I was contemplating intimidate over moxie so I can bluff this being mega and not z move, but moxie is generally the superior ability and intimidate isn't as necessary with landorus as a partner. Substitute is chosen as filler so that it can sub on a ferro's leech seed, fat land with hp ice over stone edge, rotom's volt switch, skystrikers, and status in general. Chipping at gyara's hp with sub isn't much of a concern because rachi can bring it back with healing wish if need be. Jirachi acts as the primary defensive pivot for this team, setting up sr and getting off momentum with a slow u-turn into another member. It's also really the only viable healing wish user in the tier, giving any one mon a second chance to wreak havoc. Ev spread maximizes its sp def while having enough speed to outrun adamant bulu. Scarf land is chosen over its z counterpart because this team is annoyed by offensive mons in koko, gross, gren, and mosa so having a way to pivot and reliably outspeed them other than a frail mon such as mosa is ideal. Pheromosa is also scarf because having landorus as a sole scarfer with espeed zygarde is not adequate speed control, unless you want to get swept by things like zardx, volc, and weather. Moveset is standard and also gives spin support for gyara. Naughty is an option over naiive, but the utility of outspeeding other scarfmosa, qd variants, jolly drill in sand, jolly +2 land, and +2 base 100s transcend my inclination to go +atk over +spe. Lastly lele takes the stage with its primary function as the team's stallbreaker. It's modest because timid shed shell lele hits for negative damage and the team has adequate speed control already to not mandate timid. This was also the team that popularized shed shell lele so it will always have special place in my heart
Zygarde-10% @ Choice Band
Ability: Aura Break
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Outrage
- Thousand Arrows
- Extreme Speed
- Toxic
Gyarados @ Flyinium Z
Ability: Moxie
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Substitute
- Waterfall
- Bounce
Jirachi @ Leftovers
Ability: Serene Grace
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 236 HP / 216 SpD / 56 Spe
Careful Nature
- Healing Wish
- Stealth Rock
- Iron Head
- U-turn
Landorus-Therian @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 8 HP / 252 Atk / 248 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Explosion
- U-turn
Pheromosa @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- U-turn
- High Jump Kick
- Ice Beam
- Rapid Spin
Tapu Lele @ Shed Shell
Ability: Psychic Surge
EVs: 8 Def / 248 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Taunt
- Psyshock
- Moonblast
- Hidden Power [Fire]
Ability: Aura Break
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Outrage
- Thousand Arrows
- Extreme Speed
- Toxic
Gyarados @ Flyinium Z
Ability: Moxie
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Substitute
- Waterfall
- Bounce
Jirachi @ Leftovers
Ability: Serene Grace
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 236 HP / 216 SpD / 56 Spe
Careful Nature
- Healing Wish
- Stealth Rock
- Iron Head
- U-turn
Landorus-Therian @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 8 HP / 252 Atk / 248 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Explosion
- U-turn
Pheromosa @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- U-turn
- High Jump Kick
- Ice Beam
- Rapid Spin
Tapu Lele @ Shed Shell
Ability: Psychic Surge
EVs: 8 Def / 248 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Taunt
- Psyshock
- Moonblast
- Hidden Power [Fire]
Team #5: Santy claws and the reindeer delivering a merrE litmas *-*
Probably my favorite team to use and an effective ho at that, despite having no stealth rocks. Aurora veil offense is criminally underrated and I really hope someone brings it to light in the tour scene. Ninetales is the only viable setter, and hail in itself is nice in chipping the opposing team and gives me an out vs opposing weather. The primary objective is to set up veil asap, but that doesn't mean that ninetales is 100% the best lead all the time, but I'll get into that later. Freeze dry is a must to threaten defoggers and bulky waters like fini, pex, peli, and mantine. It also offers perfect coverage paired with hp fire, only being walled by fire types. Nasty plot is moreso its means of hitting semi decently hard, and also forcing your opponent to kill it off faster, allowing for more veil time for the other threats. The ev spread is somewhat obscure, but I opted to go physically defensive to live a gunk shot from life orb protean gren if it's uninvested, not die to lomosa's hjk, scarfland's stone edge, specslele's psyshock, and flash cannon from avmag and gearna after veil. Ninetales can't afford to drop any less bulk for speed, otherwise it'd be at risk to perishing to said threats. It's primary purpose is to get veil up and I found a bulky variant over speedy was much better at accomplishing it. Zardx is the intial breaker for this team, usually amounting to at least one or two kills. Sometimes I even lead it just to get off as much damage, therefore allowing my other sweepers an easier time. Pulling a tactical double switch is also plausible to set up veil for a more manageable match up. It's also a nice antilead for people who lead with their steel type expecting a ninetales lead. Moveset is standard with outrage over dragon claw, as this set prioritizes damage output over sweeping outright. Thunder punch applies pressure on fini which otherwise annoys mana with its terrain and being able to defog veil away. Manaphy is the primary win condition for this team, which has a much easier time to set up due to veil. Moveset is standard, but rest is preferred over psychic because zard is usually able to eliminate toxapex before it goes down and rest invalidates all the damage your opponent may have inflicted with veil up. Ev spread lets it take 3 stoss from chansey after sr or 2 turns of hail, thereby allowing it to rest back to full. Mana is also favorable for helping combat opposing weather, something tales has a hard time dealing with. Cb scizor is the offensive pivot for this team. Originally it was a cb gene, however cb sciz is probably the better slot solely because of pursuit. This is my usual lead if my opponent has a good answer to outspeed and ohko ninetales like metagross. Being able to pursuit and eliminate metagross reliably is something only scizor is capable of. For reference, it does 75-90% if it decides to switch unmegad. If it stays in, then it can't 2hko you while technician pursuit does 50-60%. Having strong priority is also extremely useful for general revenge killing, such as being able to one shot pheromosa. Utility wise, sciz is probably the second best for this team with priority, momentum, and the ability to trap. Zygarde is the secondary win condition, which is extra stupid considering it's pretty much zygarde-complete at full hp if veil is up. The ev spread is custom made for this team, enough attack to 2hko toxapex with a boost after it hazes you, being able to ohko mosa with +2 espeed and gren with +4 espeed. It has enough sp def so that fini's moonblast and hp ice from land and tang don't break its sub with veil active and enough speed to outspeed defensive zapdos. Last is scarf latios, an overall solid revenge killer with good synergy that provides hazard removal. Defog is also feasible considering that it doesn't remove my own veil, rest being standard.
Vixen :3 (Ninetales-Alola) @ Light Clay
Ability: Snow Warning
EVs: 240 HP / 212 Def / 16 SpD / 40 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Aurora Veil
- Nasty Plot
- Freeze-Dry
- Hidden Power [Fire]
Blitzen >:U (Charizard-Mega-X) @ Charizardite X
Ability: Tough Claws
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Flare Blitz
- Outrage
- Thunder Punch
Dancer :'v (Manaphy) @ Waterium Z
Ability: Hydration
EVs: 16 HP / 240 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Rain Dance
- Rest
- Tail Glow
- Surf
Santy Claws ^_^ (Scizor) @ Choice Band
Ability: Technician
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Bullet Punch
- U-turn
- Superpower
- Pursuit
Big Bad Grinch 3:< (Zygarde) @ Leftovers
Ability: Aura Break
EVs: 200 HP / 96 Atk / 32 Def / 116 SpD / 64 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Coil
- Substitute
- Thousand Arrows
- Extreme Speed
Comet :O (Latios) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Defog
- Draco Meteor
- Psychic
- Trick
Ability: Snow Warning
EVs: 240 HP / 212 Def / 16 SpD / 40 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Aurora Veil
- Nasty Plot
- Freeze-Dry
- Hidden Power [Fire]
Blitzen >:U (Charizard-Mega-X) @ Charizardite X
Ability: Tough Claws
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Flare Blitz
- Outrage
- Thunder Punch
Dancer :'v (Manaphy) @ Waterium Z
Ability: Hydration
EVs: 16 HP / 240 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Rain Dance
- Rest
- Tail Glow
- Surf
Santy Claws ^_^ (Scizor) @ Choice Band
Ability: Technician
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Bullet Punch
- U-turn
- Superpower
- Pursuit
Big Bad Grinch 3:< (Zygarde) @ Leftovers
Ability: Aura Break
EVs: 200 HP / 96 Atk / 32 Def / 116 SpD / 64 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Coil
- Substitute
- Thousand Arrows
- Extreme Speed
Comet :O (Latios) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Defog
- Draco Meteor
- Psychic
- Trick
Team #6: MY SAND IS NICE, MY TEAM IS SLOW, THATS RIGHT U GUESSED IT, I'M USHERVEVO
I'm quite surprised how far this one has come along considering it initially had a z memento pyukumuku over slowking, but the team has shaped out to be somewhat promising. It features a combination of trick room and sand, with the premier abusers in cb tar and sd bulu. Cb tyranitar is the initial wallbreaker for this team, being able to overcome the walls that would otherwise trouble my other physical attackers. Fire punch is chosen as filler in order to revenge mawile and scizor, both of which can pressure immensely if sr is up. Exca is the primary revenge killer and also functions as the team's hazard control. Ttar being cb means exca has to run sr, which isn't terrible considering it pressures fini much more better and fat ttar doesn't really have a place in this meta. Jolly over adamant is a must to outspeed scarf +atk mosa or mosa with a qd in sand by one point. While zardy+cbtar has been the bread and butter combination since oras, zardx is the better partner for this team's purposes. I decided on fire punch+outrage over flare blitz+dragon claw mostly because recoil with sand is not exactly desirable and outrage allows it to pressure bulky waters better. I made this zard adamant over jolly because scarflele and land aren't that problematic for this build with damage output being more of a priority. Slowking is the defensive glue, being able to take on things like lele, gross, fini, and gearna more or less. It also gives the team much needed speed control in trick room. While slowking is my initial gross switchin, it should definitely be used as a pivot to exca, bulu, or zardx to scout for thunder punch. Tapu bulu is an essential cog, with its grassy terrain imparting a neutrality to earthquake for ttar and zardx(fuck dug), with the latter being notable to check eq gross and giving it an easier time to set up with the passive recovery. This was originally cb bulu, but it proved to be quite lackluster. Being forced to lock itself and having to predict vs things like land and ferro was undesirable. Sd z fight bulu being its best set was too good to pass up, with leech seed as the best filler to pressure steel types that switch in and for added longevity. Ev spread is maximizes damage output while outspeeding rotom, with the rest allocated towards bulk. Assault vest torn finishes off the team, forming a dual regen core with slowking and is a needed fast, bulky, offensive pivot. Moveset is standard with max hp letting it tank certain hits like ice punch from gross, two psychics from scarf lele, two hjks from mosa, and lo ice beam from gren after sr. Max speed didn't seem necessary since the only other relevant mon max speed helps vs is opposing torn, so investing in a little defense offered much more headway. Threats to be aware of would be dd z gyara, being able to ohko slowking with z bounce at +1 and exca not reliably able to revenge it, as well as sd scolipede which can get out of hand if given free set up.
Tyranitar @ Choice Band
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 80 HP / 252 Atk / 176 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Pursuit
- Crunch
- Stone Edge
- Fire Punch
Excadrill @ Air Balloon
Ability: Sand Rush
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Iron Head
- Rapid Spin
Charizard-Mega-X @ Charizardite X
Ability: Tough Claws
EVs: 48 HP / 216 Atk / 4 Def / 240 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Fire Punch
- Outrage
- Roost
Slowking @ Leftovers
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 160 Def / 96 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 30 Spe
- Trick Room
- Slack Off
- Scald
- Psychic
Tapu Bulu @ Fightinium Z
Ability: Grassy Surge
EVs: 160 HP / 248 Atk / 100 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Leech Seed
- Horn Leech
- Superpower
Tornadus-Therian @ Assault Vest
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 248 HP / 52 Def / 208 Spe
Timid Nature
- Hurricane
- Heat Wave
- Knock Off
- U-turn
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 80 HP / 252 Atk / 176 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Pursuit
- Crunch
- Stone Edge
- Fire Punch
Excadrill @ Air Balloon
Ability: Sand Rush
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Iron Head
- Rapid Spin
Charizard-Mega-X @ Charizardite X
Ability: Tough Claws
EVs: 48 HP / 216 Atk / 4 Def / 240 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Fire Punch
- Outrage
- Roost
Slowking @ Leftovers
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 160 Def / 96 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 30 Spe
- Trick Room
- Slack Off
- Scald
- Psychic
Tapu Bulu @ Fightinium Z
Ability: Grassy Surge
EVs: 160 HP / 248 Atk / 100 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Leech Seed
- Horn Leech
- Superpower
Tornadus-Therian @ Assault Vest
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 248 HP / 52 Def / 208 Spe
Timid Nature
- Hurricane
- Heat Wave
- Knock Off
- U-turn
Team #7: pockets heavy bitch magearna be ballin, struttin her junk with nothin but spunk and lati-hoopas into a zam dunk!
Ok admittedly this team took me a very long time to try to construct, since there were so much possible sets that can be used. However, this variant fares the best vs any archetype, whether stall, offense, or bo imo. I experimented with band and specs hoopa, and while they both lacked any switchins whatsoever, scarf had the most utility. It's still incredibly hard to switch into, but scarfhoopa lures so many mons on offense it's almost comical. Outspeeding and ohkoing metagross, greninja, landorus, garchomp, zygarde, koko, lele, and non+spe mosa before they can ohko you back gives hoopa so much viability in this metagame. I opted for special scarf over physical since it deals with those aforementioned threats more effectively. Megazam gives the team much needed speed, and pairs well offensively with hoopa and magearna. Calm mind was the best filler since the team was in need of breaking power and the rest of its moves being what it usually runs. I'd even go out on a limb and say its probably the #5 best mega? Mega buff to its speed and immediately getting its trace ability is a godsend. Trace is especially useful in this meta, tracing beast boost, protean, intimidate, and regenerator amongst other things. The spread looks sort of random, but it has enough speed for non+spe mosa while being heavily invested in defense. Timid zam doesn't really necessitate max speed because it outspeeds almost everything unboosted and the defense investment often comes in more clutch than useless speed evs. landorus is obvious for sr and a ground immunity, but instead of it being fat I made it an offensive breaker to deal with stall and other fat things better than hoopa would. Its evs allow it to outspeed adamant bulu while avoiding the 2hko from cbzyg and play rough+sucker punch mawile at full if need be. Rotom is an obvious choice as a defensive water with needed momentum. It's physically defensive to make up for landorus not being the case. A general rule of thumb of mine is sp def rotom if it's your only water resist, otherwise phys def is typically better. Iapapa berry is superior over leftovers because the net recovery of 50% health often exceeds a couple turns of rotom staying in for leftovers recovery. It also is less pressured to go for pain split to get back recovery, and can be played much more liberally by going for any of its other moves. The power creep in this new gen is unlike any other, so having it as a safety net is indispensable. Magearna was originally trick room with z move, but assault vest was necessary to combat mosa, lele, and gren better. Moves are standard fare, with 6 ivs in speed to undercreep defensive celesteela in order to get a slow volt switch off. Scarf latios provides the team a more practical revenge killer and needed hazard removal since spike stack can be an issue if it gets out of hand. Psyshock is chosen over psychic in order to revenge volcarona and pressure zardy better.
Hoopa-Unbound @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Magician
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Dark Pulse
- Gunk Shot
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Ice]
Alakazam-Mega @ Alakazite
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 136 Def / 252 SpA / 120 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Calm Mind
- Psychic
- Focus Blast
- Shadow Ball
Landorus-Therian @ Flyinium Z
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 136 HP / 232 Atk / 140 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Smack Down
- Earthquake
- Fly
Rotom-Wash @ Iapapa Berry
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 30 Spe
- Hydro Pump
- Volt Switch
- Will-O-Wisp
- Pain Split
Magearna @ Assault Vest
Ability: Soul-Heart
EVs: 248 HP / 252 SpA / 8 SpD
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 6 Spe
- Fleur Cannon
- Flash Cannon
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Volt Switch
Latios @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Defog
- Draco Meteor
- Psyshock
- Trick
Ability: Magician
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Dark Pulse
- Gunk Shot
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Ice]
Alakazam-Mega @ Alakazite
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 136 Def / 252 SpA / 120 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Calm Mind
- Psychic
- Focus Blast
- Shadow Ball
Landorus-Therian @ Flyinium Z
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 136 HP / 232 Atk / 140 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Smack Down
- Earthquake
- Fly
Rotom-Wash @ Iapapa Berry
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 30 Spe
- Hydro Pump
- Volt Switch
- Will-O-Wisp
- Pain Split
Magearna @ Assault Vest
Ability: Soul-Heart
EVs: 248 HP / 252 SpA / 8 SpD
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 6 Spe
- Fleur Cannon
- Flash Cannon
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Volt Switch
Latios @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Defog
- Draco Meteor
- Psyshock
- Trick
Team #8: Earth, Wind & Fire - DO YOU REMEMBER??!?
Pretty much the standard ttar zardy archtype, though I have seen a variant with land over torn and fini over alo, but I prefer torn for its speed and alo for its durability. Most of the team is pretty obvious at team preview, but there are a few sets that would throw the opponent off. Tyranitar is banded because there is no better set and defensive with sr doesn't really wall or check anything relevant. Also being bait and set up fodder for a lot of things doesn't help. Earthquake is chosen as filler mostly to check mawile, with hitting tran, zone, and gearna as an added benefit. Excadrill performs two roles in hazard control and revenge killing. I don't see exca as a prime offensive presence in this meta, so it's better delegated a role in utlity. Zardy is the usual set I use, and defog is chosen as filler in order to relieve pressure off exca to get off a spin. Any other coverage seemed unecesssary paired with cbtar, since all it really needs is fire and grass coverage. Serperior is the team's primary answer to stall and zygarde, especially being able to benefit from sun boosted hp fires. Moveset is standard and probably its only viable set in the tier, but is still a top tier threat that is definitely unprepared for. Tornadus was originally av, but I thought it was a tad too passive with the team not really needing the bulk it provided that badly. I felt like this build needed as much unrelenting offensive pressure as possible, so z hurricane gives it a one time 100% accurate nuke to make that happen. Relieving pressure off cbtar and serp to stallbreak is another reason why I'm partial to this alternative. Alomomola might seem offhand and out of place, but it does blanket check many prominent mons in the metagame like gren, gross, and land. Rocky helmet is used in order to punish said monsters, and knock off as filler since alo invites many other fat walls to take advantage of it like fini, ferro, and pex. Having wish support also ensures that the other members don't go down that so easily.
Tyranitar @ Choice Band
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 80 HP / 252 Atk / 176 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Pursuit
- Crunch
- Stone Edge
- Earthquake
Excadrill @ Air Balloon
Ability: Sand Rush
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Iron Head
- Rapid Spin
Charizard-Mega-Y @ Charizardite Y
Ability: Drought
EVs: 120 HP / 148 SpA / 240 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Defog
- Roost
- Flamethrower
- Solar Beam
Serperior @ Leftovers
Ability: Contrary
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Substitute
- Leech Seed
- Leaf Storm
- Hidden Power [Fire]
Tornadus-Therian @ Flyinium Z
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 8 HP / 248 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Hurricane
- Focus Blast
- Taunt
- U-turn
Alomomola @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 36 HP / 216 Def / 252 SpD / 4 Spe
Bold Nature
- Wish
- Protect
- Scald
- Knock Off
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 80 HP / 252 Atk / 176 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Pursuit
- Crunch
- Stone Edge
- Earthquake
Excadrill @ Air Balloon
Ability: Sand Rush
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Iron Head
- Rapid Spin
Charizard-Mega-Y @ Charizardite Y
Ability: Drought
EVs: 120 HP / 148 SpA / 240 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Defog
- Roost
- Flamethrower
- Solar Beam
Serperior @ Leftovers
Ability: Contrary
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Substitute
- Leech Seed
- Leaf Storm
- Hidden Power [Fire]
Tornadus-Therian @ Flyinium Z
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 8 HP / 248 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Hurricane
- Focus Blast
- Taunt
- U-turn
Alomomola @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 36 HP / 216 Def / 252 SpD / 4 Spe
Bold Nature
- Wish
- Protect
- Scald
- Knock Off
Team #9: roses are red, violets are blue, HOT GAY DAD USES SUPERSONIC SKYSTRIKE AND UNLEASHES COCK OF THUNDER PART 2
Unfortunately, salamence is an extremely linear pokemon to try to build around so apologies if this build might seem as standard as it may appear to be. As it stands in the meta, mence actually struggles to pull off a clean sweep, due to the abundance of scarf pheromosa, garchomp, and even the occasional nihilego, latios, or gengar. Salamence still makes for a great breaker because of the sheer power of its z move, and fire blast is able to lure and chunk celesteela, shed shell skarmory, and ferrothorn for the late game metagross and or landorus sweep. Flying, ground, and fire coverage is extremely difficult to switch into, let alone being boosted by dragon dance and moxie. Agiligross pairs extremely well with mence because if one's sweep is cut short, the other one can sweep in its place. Adamant is the nature of choice because the power is often needed to sweep once an agility is set up. It's also favorable because it makes breaking easier if mence is going to be the sweeper. Magnezone's role of being able to pick off skarmory, ferrothorn, and celesteela is self explanatory. Assault vest helps combat certain special attackers like gearna, lele and koko. Landorus seemed to fit as the only prospective sr user, with it being scarf for better measure vs offense. Being able to outspeed and threaten faster threats this team is not capable of handling such as zam, koko, gren, and mosa is preferred over its defensive counterpart. Tapu fini is a must for being an answer to pheromosa and greninja, also being the most reliable hazard clearer for the sr weakness mence and weavile possess. Weavile is chosen as last to give the team much needed speed and priority while still keeping up the offensive pressure. Also it's in the team's best interest to have a ghost resist, unless you want to be like blunder and cop a nice L kekekek. Poison jab is used over pursuit in order to not give tapu fini a free switch, with pursuit not really trapping anything the rest of the members might have trouble with. Problems this team may encounter are strategies like rain and trick room, but that comes with the style and can't really be helped. Stall match ups are somewhat annoying, but mence can usually perform well vs it as well as gross if played smartly enough, same goes for fini. My tuttee z0mOG also won vs some nobody with it in spl and he was quite adamant on me mentioning that lol.
Metagross-Mega @ Metagrossite
Ability: Tough Claws
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Agility
- Meteor Mash
- Zen Headbutt
- Earthquake
Salamence @ Flyinium Z
Ability: Moxie
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Fly
- Earthquake
- Fire Blast
Magnezone @ Assault Vest
Ability: Magnet Pull
EVs: 104 HP / 216 SpA / 188 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Volt Switch
- Thunderbolt
- Flash Cannon
- Hidden Power [Fire]
Landorus-Therian @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 8 HP / 252 Atk / 248 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- U-turn
Tapu Fini @ Leftovers
Ability: Misty Surge
EVs: 248 HP / 176 Def / 12 SpD / 72 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Defog
- Taunt
- Nature's Madness
- Moonblast
Weavile @ Life Orb
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Ice Shard
- Icicle Crash
- Knock Off
- Poison Jab
Ability: Tough Claws
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Agility
- Meteor Mash
- Zen Headbutt
- Earthquake
Salamence @ Flyinium Z
Ability: Moxie
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Fly
- Earthquake
- Fire Blast
Magnezone @ Assault Vest
Ability: Magnet Pull
EVs: 104 HP / 216 SpA / 188 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Volt Switch
- Thunderbolt
- Flash Cannon
- Hidden Power [Fire]
Landorus-Therian @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 8 HP / 252 Atk / 248 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- U-turn
Tapu Fini @ Leftovers
Ability: Misty Surge
EVs: 248 HP / 176 Def / 12 SpD / 72 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Defog
- Taunt
- Nature's Madness
- Moonblast
Weavile @ Life Orb
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Ice Shard
- Icicle Crash
- Knock Off
- Poison Jab
Team #10: There is a web in your sticky, and a kartana in your face!
Fun sticky web team featuring some meme mons in mimikyu, kartana, and special land-t. For this team I chose shuckle over smeargle because shuckle is more likely to get up both hazards over the course of the match. Standard set, but the ev spread allows it to not get 2hkod by two surfs from manaphy, hydro pump from rotom, waterfall from gyara, living an iron head from mawile, meteor mash from gross, and still living a z edge from land. I chose contrary over sturdy because there are very few things that can really ohko shuckle and the things that can aren't that common like cbtar or specs keldeo. Contrary gives shuckle the edge in defog wars, being able to encore them into defog and increase its evasion, thereby allowing me come out on top with hazards by spamming encore and infestation. Mimkyu is pretty standard for ho, but red card is the item of choice just in case shuckle can't encore a set up sweeper or lele is too slow to revenge. Red card also lets mimi bypass its usual checks like sciz, forcing the opponent to switch into something they might not want. Kartana is up next and is an absolute wrecking ball with a swords dance, especially with sticky web support. Once it gets a kill, it just snowballs into an almost unstoppable force with the only real way of revenging it being scarf 110s, scarfmosa, and unmega'd gross with hammer arm. Kartana takes most priority with ease and is my initial physical wallbreaker to support mimikyu or gyarados, unless it can sweep for itself. It's especially useful for this team to threaten defog tapu fini, which if well played can keep hazards off the field. Landorus therian was originally landorus incarnate before its premature quickban, but landorus therian does have its perks for this team. It gives me intimidate but also running mixed with earthquake over earth power nails some things like sp def sableye, celesteela, and chansey. Max sp atk lets it lure and ohko opposing fat land with hp ice and sludge wave pressures bulu and fini for gyarados to do work. Gravity is particularly beneficial for this build, being able to ground faster flying threats with webs while also being immune to priority in psychic terrain. Mega gyarados fit on this team quite well by giving it better speed control and a more reliable answer for stall. It also prevents fini from defogging by virtue of having taunt. Waterfall isn't really needed since land, kart, and mimi deal with the targets it does hit. It's jolly primarily to outspeed scarfmosa at +1 under webs, with enough speed to creep adamant land. Tapu lele is the team's revenge killer, being able to outspeed every other scarfer under webs and threaten to ohko or 2hko them. It should also be led to antilead sab leads, but that much should be apparent already. Threats to this team are metagross, with clear body giving it a one turn immunity to sticky web, fini by virtue of having taunt and defog, and mold breaker excadrill with spin because mimikyu can't reliably spin block vs it.
Shuckle @ Mental Herb
Ability: Contrary
EVs: 248 HP / 56 Def / 204 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Sticky Web
- Stealth Rock
- Encore
- Infestation
Mimikyu @ Red Card
Ability: Disguise
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Shadow Sneak
- Shadow Claw
- Play Rough
Kartana @ Steelium Z
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 248 Atk / 8 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Leaf Blade
- Smart Strike
- Sacred Sword
Landorus-Therian @ Life Orb
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Rash Nature
- Gravity
- Earthquake
- Sludge Wave
- Hidden Power [Ice]
Gyarados-Mega @ Gyaradosite
Ability: Mold Breaker
EVs: 24 HP / 248 Atk / 236 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Taunt
- Earthquake
- Crunch
Tapu Lele @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Psychic Surge
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Psychic
- Moonblast
- Shadow Ball
- Hidden Power [Fire]
Ability: Contrary
EVs: 248 HP / 56 Def / 204 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Sticky Web
- Stealth Rock
- Encore
- Infestation
Mimikyu @ Red Card
Ability: Disguise
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Shadow Sneak
- Shadow Claw
- Play Rough
Kartana @ Steelium Z
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 248 Atk / 8 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Leaf Blade
- Smart Strike
- Sacred Sword
Landorus-Therian @ Life Orb
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Rash Nature
- Gravity
- Earthquake
- Sludge Wave
- Hidden Power [Ice]
Gyarados-Mega @ Gyaradosite
Ability: Mold Breaker
EVs: 24 HP / 248 Atk / 236 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Taunt
- Earthquake
- Crunch
Tapu Lele @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Psychic Surge
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Psychic
- Moonblast
- Shadow Ball
- Hidden Power [Fire]
Team #11: Volt turning you on with my poisonous touch :3c
The conception for this build was fighting spam with a muk to pursuit trap ghost and psychic types while also threatening fairies. I also wanted to try out sd terrakion, as it appeared to have no switchins with the introduction of its z crystal. Pheromosa looked like its best partner since terrak lures and kills most of its counters while giving the team better speed control. Scarf pheromosa is obvious for that matter, eliminating many of the problematic threats this team would otherwise struggle with. Moveset is standard and poison jab is used to revenge tapus mostly. Terrakion is the team's primary form of wallbreaking, being able to 2hko or ohko almost everything after a swords dance. Originally it was adamant with rock polish, but substitute is the superior option to ease prediction in terms of setting up and avoiding status from the likes of sableye. The team has volturn from four other members, so it shouldn't be difficult getting this beast in for free. Scizor is the next member, acting as a solid defensive pivot while also providing defog support. Its primary function is to switch into physical threats like gross and bulu reliably, with its ev spread being catered towards such. Specifically, max defense allows it to switch into cb zyg unmegad with sr up and not get 2hkod. Any sp def investment seemed moot when muk handles most of the mons sciz would need sp def for. Landorus would appear to be defensive with sr at first glance, however the team is extremely weak to stall because dugtrio can eliminate both of the team's answers for it. Offensive land also ensures it can get rocks up vs almost every hazard deterrent while also hitting hard or getting momentum to the rest of the team's benefit. Rotom is a much needed water resist and nonpassive pivot that can keep up the offensive momentum. This one is sp def despite there being a muk on the team mostly because it's my sole water resist. Speaking of muk, it's a pretty interesting mon with a solid niche. Being the most viable pursuit trapper in the tier and getting rid of most ghost types as well as lele and zam is a huge boon for the other members. Due to its poison typing, it's also able to threaten fat grass and fairy types while at the same time absorbing toxic spikes. Moveset is standard, but fire blast is preferred over shadow sneak so ferrothorn doesn't go overboard with spikes, mawile doesn't get a free switchin, as well as applying pressure on skarmory and scizor. The ev spread lets it not get 2hkod by band hoopa and specs lele after rocks, and gunk shot over poison jab because the difference in power is usually worth it over a 50% chance to poison. Biggest threats to this team are subcoil zygarde if given a chance to set up, so make sure mosa and land are healthy to take it on, specs keldeo since rotom is my only reliable pivot, and zardy which can do major work if it's in vs the right mons.
Pheromosa @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- U-turn
- High Jump Kick
- Ice Beam
- Poison Jab
Terrakion @ Rockium Z
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Substitute
- Swords Dance
- Stone Edge
- Close Combat
Scizor-Mega @ Scizorite
Ability: Light Metal
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Impish Nature
IVs: 30 Spe
- Defog
- Bullet Punch
- U-turn
- Roost
Rotom-Wash @ Iapapa Berry
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 30 Spe
- Hydro Pump
- Volt Switch
- Will-O-Wisp
- Pain Split
Landorus-Therian @ Soft Sand
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 136 HP / 232 Atk / 140 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Smack Down
- Earthquake
- U-turn
Muk-Alola @ Assault Vest
Ability: Poison Touch
EVs: 248 HP / 176 Atk / 32 Def / 48 SpD / 4 Spe
Brave Nature
- Gunk Shot
- Knock Off
- Pursuit
- Fire Blast
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- U-turn
- High Jump Kick
- Ice Beam
- Poison Jab
Terrakion @ Rockium Z
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Substitute
- Swords Dance
- Stone Edge
- Close Combat
Scizor-Mega @ Scizorite
Ability: Light Metal
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Impish Nature
IVs: 30 Spe
- Defog
- Bullet Punch
- U-turn
- Roost
Rotom-Wash @ Iapapa Berry
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 30 Spe
- Hydro Pump
- Volt Switch
- Will-O-Wisp
- Pain Split
Landorus-Therian @ Soft Sand
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 136 HP / 232 Atk / 140 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Smack Down
- Earthquake
- U-turn
Muk-Alola @ Assault Vest
Ability: Poison Touch
EVs: 248 HP / 176 Atk / 32 Def / 48 SpD / 4 Spe
Brave Nature
- Gunk Shot
- Knock Off
- Pursuit
- Fire Blast
Team #12: ladder idiot starter kit
Not sure what exactly went through my mind when I created this masterpiece, but holE I've certainly outdone myself with this one. Among the bp craze that has been running amok, scolipass was the premiere mon that it was centered around. Having dabbled in it myself, I found that it was too risky a strategy to really pull off consistently (taunt, phazing, smart set up alongside are just a few of the ways to deal with it). I wanted to try to pull off nonspeed bp effectively, and mew seemed to be the most versatile mon to pull it off. Dual screens were obviously necessary to ease set up so I decided to go with tapu koko, it being the fastest user that also had taunt. The goal of the team is to maximize as much screen time as early and as fast as possible for mew to set up and pass. I generally lead koko as there isn't much that can prevent it from getting screens, except for scarf grounds in which case a pivot to whims would be apt. You can tell if it's scarf land depending on which ability goes off first, but chomp you might have to scout and decipher from team preview. Mew is next and is the most important member. Setting up with mew is extremely crucial, but how much you set up is just as important. Counting screen time and which boosts you decide to use is essential in sweeping effectively. Word of caution is that this kind of set up is extremely crit prone, so try to minimize the amount of turns of setting up and only pass what is necessary. Moveset is self explanatory and mental herb is the item of choice to not get taunted or encored for one crucial turn. Ev spread is to outspeed jolly mimikyu, as running max speed is reliant on winning a 50/50 vs things like zard and volc and is generally not worth forgoing the slight sp def investment. Things that may cut set up with mew short are strong dark types like hoopa and greninja as well choiced trick mons like gengar and latios, so just some things to be aware of. Whimsicott gives this team additional support in tailwind for mew, which is necessary speed control. The other moves are standard for a utility mon, but prankster z memento is the main reason why it's on this team. Giving mew a second chance to set up in case its first set up or initial pass went wrong somehow is another reason why I prefer mewpass to scolipass. Z memento also does not heal status, so careful of letting mew take a potential para or toxic. As for recipients, magearna was the most ideal, being able to boost its speed as well and sporting key resistances and immunities. It's my primary pass to all things that can dragon tail and clear smog mew, also my dark switchin. I chose electric, fighting, and steel coverage mostly to cover stall while hitting almost everything for neutral or super effective damage. Also be careful of which z move you use because magearna's should only be used if it's already set on a sweep. It's modest over timid because damage output is preferred over outspeeding things like scarfchomp and land because mew can pass defense boosts or to another recipient. It still has enough speed to outspeed mosa after a shift gear and everything else with two, and is most likely able to sweep because of soul heart. Necrozma is the the mon I usually pass to. While it does overlap with mew and is just as more crit prone, once it starts boosting, nothing can really stop it other than fat dark types. Charge beam is the coverage move of choice, being able to ohko gren after +2 and it really having no better coverage options. Evs lets it outspeed pheromosa after +2, with its ev spread being more offensively orientated over defensive to sweep faster with less risk of crit. Seeing as how these two recipients struggled with stall, kyurem-b was the best and only option that was able to break it with little to no effort. Teravolt bypasses skarmory's sturdy as well as unaware mons, while having enough hp to tank an stoss from chansey without its sub being broken. Having at least three calm mind boosts under its belt is needed to break chansey, which shouldn't be that difficult because stall will take a while to break down mew. Timid with salac berry is an option in order to better sweep offense better, but the benefit of passive recovery and a modest nature is preferable since kyurem is the team's main answer to stall. Kyurem is a somewhat safe recipient to pass to because hiding behind a sub means it's also less susceptible to getting crit. As far as weaknesses go, amoonguss is extremely annoying with clear smog, being able to spore magearna and switch to something else to threaten it. I generally pass to magearna to avoid clear smog then hard switch and sleep fodder something else and hopefully try to set up and sweep with magearna again. Dragon tail is also troublesome, but the only real user is garchomp and tankchomp, while somewhat uncommon, can invalidate my boosts. Threatening with kyurem in that regard is the best course of action. Other than that, untimely crits will probably screw this team over, but as long as you play mew well it should win. Also shoutout to Tom Bus for carefully excogitating these immaculate nicknames, couldn't have done better myself.
chicken plopgiana (Magearna-Original) @ Fightinium Z
Ability: Soul-Heart
EVs: 40 HP / 244 SpA / 4 SpD / 220 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Shift Gear
- Flash Cannon
- Thunderbolt
- Focus Blast
kyurem-plop (Kyurem-Black) @ Leftovers
Ability: Teravolt
EVs: 56 HP / 216 SpA / 236 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Substitute
- Ice Beam
- Earth Power
- Roost
plopu koko (Tapu Koko) @ Light Clay
Ability: Electric Surge
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Reflect
- Light Screen
- Taunt
- U-turn
whimsiplop (Whimsicott) @ Darkinium Z
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 248 HP / 216 Def / 44 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Tailwind
- Taunt
- Encore
- Memento
plopale 4 tlouble (Mew) @ Mental Herb
Ability: Synchronize
EVs: 248 HP / 36 SpD / 224 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Barrier
- Calm Mind
- Taunt
- Baton Pass
cold dead plop (Necrozma) @ Leftovers
Ability: Prism Armor
EVs: 248 HP / 120 SpA / 32 SpD / 108 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Moonlight
- Rock Polish
- Charge Beam
- Stored Power
Ability: Soul-Heart
EVs: 40 HP / 244 SpA / 4 SpD / 220 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Shift Gear
- Flash Cannon
- Thunderbolt
- Focus Blast
kyurem-plop (Kyurem-Black) @ Leftovers
Ability: Teravolt
EVs: 56 HP / 216 SpA / 236 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Substitute
- Ice Beam
- Earth Power
- Roost
plopu koko (Tapu Koko) @ Light Clay
Ability: Electric Surge
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Reflect
- Light Screen
- Taunt
- U-turn
whimsiplop (Whimsicott) @ Darkinium Z
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 248 HP / 216 Def / 44 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Tailwind
- Taunt
- Encore
- Memento
plopale 4 tlouble (Mew) @ Mental Herb
Ability: Synchronize
EVs: 248 HP / 36 SpD / 224 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Barrier
- Calm Mind
- Taunt
- Baton Pass
cold dead plop (Necrozma) @ Leftovers
Ability: Prism Armor
EVs: 248 HP / 120 SpA / 32 SpD / 108 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Moonlight
- Rock Polish
- Charge Beam
- Stored Power
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