Monotype We All Go a Little Mad Sometimes (Dark Monotype, Peak #9)

[Blumenwitz]

I remember trying to ladder with a Dark monotype team back when I first got into the tier, to limited success. Probably had something to do with me using friggin' Liepard of all things. Yeah, I had no idea what I was doing.

But I recently gave it another shot, and I've been doing pretty well for myself!...Well, better than I did before, at least. There are still a few threats that I'm not quite sure how to deal with, which is why I'm posting the team here.

Ivan (Tyranitar) (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Stone Edge
- Thunder Wave
- Earthquake

"I must break you."

Originally, I had Krookodile in this slot as a Focus Sash lead. Someone in the chat suggested I replace him with Tyranitar, and I've found that he provides more utility to my team overall. Aside from setting rocks, Tyranitar serves as my special damage sponge, checking offensive threats who would shit all over my team otherwise, namely Volcarona and Mega Zard Y. Giving up Krookodile did make my matchup against Electric a little more difficult, though, so I gave him Earthquake to compensate. (And it helps that most Electric-type attackers are specially offensive.)

Anton (Greninja) (M) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Protean
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Gunk Shot
- Ice Beam
- Extrasensory
- Surf

"This is the best deal you're going to get. I won't tell you that you can save yourself, because you can't."

Greninja is my team's revenge killer and primary form of speed control. Scarf allows him to outpace just about anything - even a lot of Rock Polish and Shell Smash users. As such, his most important roles are to a) pick off offensive threats that out-speed the rest of my team, and b) stop would-be sweeps. Gunk Shot is used to nab KOs on Tapu Koko and Scarf Tapu Bulu, Ice Beam is used to wreak havoc on Ground and Dragon-type teams, Extrasensory gives my team much-needed protection against Fighting types (particularly Mega Lopunny), and Surf is used to revenge kill Quiver Dance Volcarona, Z-Celebrate Victini and Mega Diancie (just in case Tyranitar goes down).

Annie (Mandibuzz) @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Overcoat
EVs: 240 HP / 252 Def / 16 Spe
Impish Nature
- Defog
- Roost
- Brave Bird
- Foul Play

"There's nothing to worry about. You're going to be just fine. I'm your number one fan."

Mandibuzz is my physical tank, and my main line of defense against Fighting teams (and Bug, to a lesser extent). In particular, she's used to check Mega Scizor, Mega Lopunny and Breloom, three of the biggest threats to my team as a whole. Foul Play is used to punish Swords Dance users, while Brave Bird provides her with a means of doing significant damage to the Fighting types she checks - mostly Breloom, who is one of the most maddening mons for my team to face. The 16 EVs in speed allow her to outspeed Belly Drum Azumarill; she can tank a +6 Aqua Jet and KO it back with Foul Play (that is, it KOs after Belly Drum damage).

Oh, and Defog, for hazard stackers. Generally Mega Sableye serves as my means of hazard control, but, you know, shit happens.

Jabba (Muk-Alola) (M) @ Iapapa Berry
Ability: Gluttony
EVs: 252 HP / 12 Def / 244 SpD
Careful Nature
- Knock Off
- Poison Jab
- Curse
- Recycle

"Chool kanya wee shaja mee-choo."

Alolan Muk is my main answer to Fairy types. Not only is he the only one on my team who takes neutral damage from Fairy, but he's capable of tanking hits from just about any special attacker that Fairy has to offer - and more than a few physical ones, once he gets up a few Curses. What I have here is a typical Curse sweeper set, with total investment in special defense to give it more opportunities to set up. Can also avoid the 2HKO from Mega Zard Y (after Iapapa Berry recovery), which is neat.

Maleficent (Hydreigon) (F) @ Choice Specs
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Draco Meteor
- Dark Pulse
- Fire Blast
- Earth Power

"Now you deal with me, o prince, and all the powers of HELL!"

Hydreigon, my main wallbreaker, is what you could call the muscle of my team. All I need to do is get her in safely and spam Draco or Dark Pulse until she's forced out or something dies (hopefully the latter). Fire Blast is used to wreak havoc on Steel teams once Heatran is dealt with, and Earth Power keeps her from being walled by the likes of Toxapex and Alolan Muk.

Gekko (Sableye) (M) @ Sablenite
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Will-O-Wisp
- Shadow Ball
- Calm Mind
- Recover

"Greed, for lack of a better word, is good."

And finally, we have Mega Sableye. Now, I've been told that Sableye's Calm Mind set is outdated and nobody really uses it anymore, but the little guy has really put in work for me since I started using him. I'll post some replays below to demonstrate, but suffice to say, he's capable of setting up on several of Monotype's usual suspects and sweeping through. (He also serves as a blanket check to hazard setters and status spreaders, namely Ferrothorn, Skarmory and Shuckle.) I don't know whether Dark Pulse or Shadow Ball is the go-to STAB move for this set, but I decided to go with Shadow Ball since it has broader neutral coverage and a more useful secondary effect (for Sableye, at least).

Here are some replays, each one demonstrating the prowess of one or two particular team members:

https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7monotype-861847828 Greninja and Hydreigon clean out a Fighting team
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7monotype-862166087 Tyranitar takes down Mega Diancie, leaving Alolan Muk free to clean the rest of the team
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7monotype-861520901 Mandibuzz tanks a +2 Bug Bite from Mega Scizor and KOs it with Foul Play
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7monotype-861501001 Mega Sableye sets up on Heatran and takes it down, causing a ragequit soon afterward

Threat List:
- Keldeo: Calm Mind Waterium Z sets in particular fuck me over. Specs and Scarf sets are easier since Greninja can take care of them once I get a bit of prior damage, but if it starts to set up there's not a whole lot I can do to stop it.
- Mega Lopunny: Does this thing even have any answers on Dark? I have Mandibuzz, but even she gets 2HKO'd by High Jump Kick after Stealth Rock.
- Mega Charizard Y: Tyranitar is the closest thing I have to a check on this monster, and even then... Focus Blast, man.

And that's it! All feedback is greatly appreciated.

 

[Blumenwitz]

Geez, six likes and not one comment? Bump...

 

[Eien]

Hey the team is really good to be honest. There's not really any advice I can give you at this point set-wise, but I can address your threatlist and give you some tips on handling them.

Keldeo: Keldeo is and probably always will be one of Dark's worst nightmares to face. It takes advantage of Dark's lack of any real Water resist, since Choice Specs is strong enough to literally 2HKO Hydreigon with Hydro Pump and Calm Mind sets aren't locked in. Ultimately, your best bet is going to come down to finding chip damage here and there to hopefully take it out. Unless you run a Mega Sharpedo team, you're always going to have a a struggle against it. For you, I would suggest doing things like trying to get the Poison Jab poison, keeping Steatlh Rock and sandstorm active, etc. It's worth sacking Mandibuzz for the Brave Bird damage too.

Mega Lopunny: You should be able to handle Mega Lopunny with Rocky Helmet Mandibuzz. Chansey should never be able to get Stealth Rock against you because Mega Sableye walls it. Always turn one Mega Evolve Mega Sableye to make sure you're never in danger of letting Stealth Rock go up. As long as you keep Stealth Rock off, it should be easy to check. Keep in mind that if they try to lead Mega Lopunny to force you out, Prankster Will-O-Wisp lets you survive once and live another day.

Mega Charizard Y: Luckily, this is much rarer than it has ever been in Monotype history. Like Keldeo, it's just one of those wallbreakers Dark will always struggle to handle. Unlike Keldeo, it has recovery. One option you can try to use is Rock Slide Greninja, which handles Volcarona too, but I don't think Mega Charizard Y is worth teching against at this time. You'll see it on some HO teams but in the end, you're better off making sure your team is suited to beat what is common in Monotype.

If you do want a couple ideas on subjective set changes you could make, U-turn is a fantastic move and fits on like half your team. Greninja could use it over Surf (You may be surprised to learn that Gunk Shot is actually stronger than Surf against +1 Volcarona). That gives your team a lot of pivoting power and lets it be a fantastic lead and scout. U-turn also fits on Hydreigon over Earth Power. Hydreigon is actually quite capable of handling Toxapex with just spamming Dark Pulse until it inevitably dies. Alolan Muk is an issue but Assault Vest sets are easily worn down and Recycle sets are not at all a threat to Dark teams. Mandibuzz is a third U-turn user that can drop Brave Bird for it, but I'm aware you enjoy having Brave Bird for Fighting-types, so don't feel obligated to make that change. Two U-turn users, offensive ones at that, synergize well with your defensive pivots of Mandibuzz and Mega Sableye already, so it should help you feel more comfortable taking momentum and driving the direction of the match.

 

[Blumenwitz]

Thanks for the feedback! U-Turn does sound like an enticing option for Greninja that can offer a lot of utility, so I'll consider it. I should also note that since I posted this RMT I've decided to swap out Brave Bird for Toxic on Mandibuzz, which I've found really helps my matchup against stall.

 

[Saezu]

Small thing but greninja is probably better of being naive nature, most notably ensuring survival against e-speed dragonite after rocks

 

[Splash]

Few suggestions , since you are using CM Mega Sableye, Dazzling Gleam could be an option to ease the fighting matchup, and then Greninja could then freely opt for U-turn and Rock Slide ( Physical based set along with Gunk) Gunk hits harder which gives u a better advantage vs Fairy. Also Speed Creeping Jolly Azu with Mandibuzz is an option so you dont lose to that, and lastly i would keep Brave Bird as it deals with Breloom , Heracross and M-Pinsir among others.