Project NU Matchmaking Reinvigorated (Again) [Week 11 - Swords Dance Shiftry] VOTING

[Abejas]

PrinceLucian

 

[Drangonn.]

shade

 

[Sun]

Shadestep's magmortar

 

[Louna]

shadestep

 

[Sobi]

shadestep

 

[ryan]

PrinceLucian

 

[Winter's Howl]

Shadestep

 

[Alice Kazumi]

Prince Lucian

 

[nv]

With all but 3 votes, Shadestep wins this week and also makes it into the Hall of Fame. Congratulations! n_n

This week, I decided to go with a Pokemon that is criminally underused, but is a very scary Pokemon in the right situations. I am talking about...

Pinsir @ Life Orb / Lum Berry
Ability: Mold Breaker / Hyper Cutter / Moxie
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Earthquake / Close Combat
- Stone Edge
- X-Scissor

Swords Dance Pinsir is a massive threat to quite a few slower teams thanks to its nice coverage and its ability to effectively use all three of its abilities in certain situations. Overall I wanna see what you guys can come up with as a partner for it and as such...submissions end on Monday.

 

[Drangonn.]

Hariyama @ Assault Vest
Ability: Thick Fat
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Close Combat
- Knock Off
- Bullet Punch
- Facade

Takes on thretening Fire and Ice-types for Pinsir. Pinsir beats Psychics. Standard moves, but Facade lets you beat WoW SD Zard.

 

[PrinceLucian]

Malamar @ Leftovers
Ability: Contrary
EVs: 248 HP / 252 SpD / 8 Spe
Careful Nature
- Superpower
- Knock Off
- Rest
- Sleep Talk

-Malamar is pretty cool partner, since SD pinsir breaks most of its checks like Weezing, Signal beam psychic types and can even kill scyther on a switch with stone edge. After its checks are eliminated, malamar can pretty easily run through opponents team since its really hard to stop after few boosts.

 

[Deeerpz]

This Claydol looks like it just looked death in the eye.

Claydol @ Colbur Berry
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest Nature / Timid Nature
- Rapid Spin
- Earth Power
- Shadow Ball / Ice Beam
- Psyshock

Claydol is a pretty sweet partner for pinsir. It takes care of rocks which pinsir does not like at all, is a good EdgeQuake resist and puts dents into the fighting types that usually wreck Pinsir with coverage. Doesnt exactly hurt that Shadow Ball does a ton to Ghosts that want to switch in on predicted Rapid Spins. It is also capable of hurting offensive Xatu, which can OHKO Pinsir with Heat Wave. I use a colbur berry to be a little more resilient to Hariyama, who is also the reason you might want to run Psyshock, especially if you run Mold Breaker Earthquake on Pinsir to hit Weezing.

 

[BIG G CHOPPA]

Mesprit @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 240 Def / 16 Spe
Bold Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Psychic
- U-turn
- Thunder Wave /Healing Wish

Mesprit can set up rocks for pinsir so that it aids pinsir's sweeping prowess, due to its frailty finding an opportunity to set up a swords dance is quite difficult but mesprit can bring it in safely via u-turn on slower grass types, psychic types. For example on shiftry, ludicolo, opposing mesprit, musharna, malamar, and claydol. As pinsir threatens with its STAB X-Scissor, it is quite easy to force them out as otherwise they will take a a large chunk of damage or even get outright OHKO'd, which then it can use that obvious switch-in to another mon to set up an SD. But more or less its going to be setting up SD's on teams it can actually use it on without much fear, persay against fatter builds. While it can pressure more offensive / faster builds with its attacks as they might not really appreciate getting worn down by it. Mesprit can beat a counter to pinsir, poliwrath! Or fighting types that may annoy it in general as they force it to eq / CC meaning they can take advantage of that, for example switch to a flying type on the eq or easily revenge kill it after the cc defense drop. Very exploitable but oh well at least mesprit provides decent support. Not to mention how it can provide thunder wave for some speed control, meaning it isn't as pressured or scared of faster threats like scyther, swellow, archeops, vivillon, jynx, kangaskhan, +1 combusken, pyroar, etc. Also it can give pinsir a second chance at cleaning up a team in the form of healing wish, meaning if it has been damaged already it doesn't really need to worry about residual damage when it can wrap the game up after coming in healthy due to that healing wish.

 

[Sobi]

hi

Garbodor @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Aftermath
EVs: 252 HP / 160 Def / 96 Spe
Impish Nature
- Spikes
- Gunk Shot
- Drain Punch
- Toxic Spikes

garbodor pairs well with pinsir because rocky helmet + aftermath punishes the physical / contact move users that trouble pinsir and wear them down so that pinsir can easily take them out. garbodor also provides invaluable support in spikes + toxic spikes, wearing down pinsir's checks / counters, allowing it to finish them off.

 

[nv]

It's voting time!

We got Drangonn.'s Hariyama, PrinceLucian's Malamar, Deeerpz's Claydol, Camilas's Mesprit, and Sobi's Garbodor.

Voting ends on Monday.

 

[etern]

princelucian

 

[Louna]

princelucian

 

[Mq]

idk what this malamar is...
So, Sobi's Garbodor ;3

 

[Drangonn.]

voodoo

 

[Winter's Howl]

PrinceLucian

 

[nv]

And with voting coming to a close, PrinceLucian is our winner!

This week, I decided to go with a Pokemon I have been using quite a bit that is criminally underrated imo and that is...

Poliwrath @ Leftovers
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 96 HP / 252 SpA / 160 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Focus Blast
- Vacuum Wave
- Ice Beam

Submissions end on Friday.

 

[PrinceLucian]

Archeops
Ability: Defeatist
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty/Naive Nature
- Acrobatics
- U-turn
- Roost
- Earth Power

U-turn Archeops is a great partner for Poliwrath since it can safely bring it in vs steel/rock/ground types that archeops cant pass through. Archeops also Offensively beats grass/flying types that poliwrath has struggle with. In return, poliwrath is a great check to water types like samurott/kabutops that threaten archeops with priority,and its a good check to shell smashers that could try setting up vs archeops.

 

[Drangonn.]

reserving lilligant

 

[BIG G CHOPPA]

Rotom @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Volt Switch
- Shadow Ball / Hex
- Thunderbolt
- Trick

I find rotom to be a pretty cool partner as it not only provides speed control, but it's probably the best scarfer in the NU meta honestly. Volt switch for momentum to bring poliwrath safely (can never go wrong with momentum :p), Shadow Ball as main stab to chunk off bulky psychics that pose a problem to poliwrath, such as musharna, mesprit and xatu. I find hex to be interesting here as poliwrath runs scald, a very well known move for its burn effect. Though it may be situational, I guess it can be an option or so, but overall i'd just go with shadow ball for more consistency oo. Thunderbolt is obligatory as it can do a lot of damage to mantine, pelipper, archeops, scyther and swellow. Which happen to be some general nuisances to poliwrath. Finally trick can be used to cripple defensive switchins. Have fun :]

 

[Louna]

Musharna @ Leftovers
Ability: Synchronize
EVs: 240 HP / 208 Def / 60 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Baton Pass
- Calm Mind
- Psyshock
- Moonlight

Musharna is a pretty cool partner for Poliwrath as it can attract a lot of dark or steel and just baton pass to Poliwrath. It also turn Poliwrath as an incredible sweeper after 1 or 2 calm mind. Poliwrath help Musharna to take Knock Off while Musharna defeat things like Manectric, Magmortar and Pyroar in 1v1 who can be annoying for Poliwrath with this spread. (thanks PrinceLucian :p)