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Theorymon originally had a lot of words here about how Ubers is stale, which is all well and good but NU is the complete opposite of this, with the metagame shifting drastically at the latest every 3 months or so, sooner if we ban things or if new sets are discovered. So, to keep up with this, we're going to be replacing the Creative Movesets thread with PROJECT NEVERUSED: get pumped
From the T-Monster:
Much like the old Project Ubers thread from Stark Mountain, this thread aims to be a creative movesets thread... except this is Project Ubers 2.0, which means that it's going to be a creative movesets thread that actually has a goal! This project's goal is to get all of us here is to test out, discuss, and explore new Uber sets, strategies, and niches, and then slowly build up a massive database (located in the 2nd post) of the great movesets and Pokemon that deserve more attention!
1. You.must.actually.test.the.sets.you.post. I know you might think "I HAVE A REALLY COOL IDEA FOR A SET", but so does Molk. It doesn't mean they work at all. If your post shows obvious signs of not testing the set, I will delete it, and you will be unhappy. Nobody wins. Commenting on sets you haven't tested in response to other posts is fine though.
2. When you post your sets, post a short description of the set, since people need to know the selling points of the set. At the very least, bullet point what it does well, what conditions it needs to succeed, and what it needs to watch out for. Keep in mind that the set database will be organized into 3 distinct sections, so designate which section your set is for. Here are the sets:
A. Creative Movesets. These posts work a lot like they would in a normal creative movesets thread, so just include the selling points of the moveset and/or Pokemon.
B. Standard Movesets with a TWIST. These are the kind of movesets that, while being similar to a standard moveset, make a modification that dramatically affects the Pokemon's playstyle. Examples would be a standard moveset having a unique item that has major selling points over the standard item, an EV spread that accomplishes a different goal, or a new move or two that alters the Pokemon's playstyle. Focus on how that small modification benefits the Pokemon in ways the regular item, moves, or ev spread can't achieve, and how this Pokemon's playstyle changes when compared to their standard set.
C. Underrated Movesets / Pokemon. There are several sets and mons out there that are well known to already work, but for some reason or another, just aren't used much, or have dramatically fallen in usage. When posting these sets, first focus on why you think the Pokemon's usage is low or why it has dropped so much. After that, give reasons for why you think this Pokemon is under rated. Think about answering questions like "Are there serious advantages to this Pokemon that most people miss?", "Does this Pokemon just need a specialized strategy to show its true potential?", and "How do you overcome the weaknesses that make this Pokemon's usage low?"
3. Think before you post. If your post is totally useless to the thread, it'll get deleted (or worse I'll sic Zebraiken on you, and I think he's rabid).
4. Post movesets from Wednesday to Saturday. Then, discuss those movesets every Sunday to Tuesday. That way we get a balance of posting and discussing!
This is a database of all the sets that have been posted in this thread and proven to be viable. Check out this post every week or so, we NU mods will update this post a lot with new sets.
Low Kick might seem weird here but it has a few specific uses such as 2hkoing Regice(this means you Molk) and OHKOing Cryogonal if I have used its Flight gem before/ a Ludicolo is still alive, it also gets the hit on the rare Lapras and 2HKOes it . And Acrobatics is just to deal with Ludicolo that can be really annoying for him otherwise. Other two moves are standard coverage for Water-types. Because it has problems with other Water-types a Grass-type or Electric pokemon such are recommended to make everything easier for Simipour.
The idea behind this set is to handle the infamous core of Tangela, Quagsire, and Flareon. With 100 Base Special Attack, Seviper can certainly pack a punch with STAB Sludge Wave against Tangela, Giga Drain against Quagsire, and Earthquake against Flareon with the 52 Atk EVs. I think the idea behind this is very creative seeing as the core is able to stifle many offensive teams.
tennisnote: the original set listed Flamethrower, but Flamethrower doesn't hit much more than the other moves, and user bean1706 mentioned he used Sucker Punch for priority.
Offensive Vileplume is a force to be reckoned with. Akin to Venusaur last generation Vileplume uses her exceptional special attack a long with great dual-stabs to demlolish many offensive Pokemon. Braviary, Magmortar and the like are crippled if they come in on Sludge Bomb. Giga Drain lets you beat all the ground types in the meta. Sleep Powder cripples just about everything and Synthesis lets you heal on predicted switches if you need to keep Vileplume alive.
The EVs are specific, enough speed to outrun max speed marowaks, only 32 HP evs to drop LO recoil by one( you hit 299 hp) and the last four in defense to tank fighting types a bit better. Max Special attack for more oomph
Bulky Swords Dance Ursaring
Ursaring (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Guts
EVs: 252 HP / 28 Atk / 132 SDef / 96 Spd
Careful Nature (+SDef, -SAtk)
- Swords Dance
- Substitute
- Frustration
- Crunch/Earthquake
This set looks weird, but it's basically like a more offensive Sub Swords Dance Lickilicky. Ursaring has acceptable bulk; with the given EV's it can easily outspeed and set up a Sub against Tangela which it will be unable to break in one hit. Ursaring can then proceed to alternate between Swords Dance and Substitute until it is at +4 where it will always 2HKO Tangela. If they switch out then you're still at +2 behind your sub, and very few Pokemon can survive boosted STAB attacks from base 130 attack, even if the stat is nearly uninvested.
The last slot depends on what its teammates can remove: If Ghost types are easy to remove then Earthquake is the better option to kill Pokemon such as Golem, Regirock and Bastiodon, all of which can beat Ursaring without Earthquake. If Rock types aren't a problem, then Crunch can be used to kill Ghost types such as Misdreavus, Haunter and Drifblim, which otherwise wall the set.
The EV's, as previously stated, allow Ursaring to Swords Dance up against Tangela, since 4 Special Attack Giga Drain will never break its Sub. 96 Speed lets it outspeed most Tangela so you can use Substitute before they can Sleep Powder or Leech Seed you. The remaining EV's were played in attack to strengthen Ursarings blows a bit.
Lickilicky might seem like a better option thanks to its superior defenses, but Ursaring has a few qualities that make it stand out: First and foremost, its attack stat is almost 1.5x as high as Lickilicky's, which can make a big difference if it can't boost all the way up to +6. For example, Ursaring almost always OHKO's 252/0 Emboar with a +2 Frustration, while Lickilicky would have its Sub broken while being forced out the next turn thanks to the threat of a super-effective Superpower or a Blaze boosted Flare Blitz. Another draw of Ursaring over Lickilicky is Guts: even if Toxic Spikes are up, Ursaring doesn't become useless since its attacks get powered up which allows it to go on a suicide rampage. It also means burns by Lava Plume/Will-O-Wisp don't mean the end for it. The final important thing Ursaring has over Lickilicky is Crunch, which allows it to beat Drifblim, as well as Haunter/Misdreavus more consistently. It's also a decent neutral coverage move.
The things Lickilicky has going for it are the ability to hit Rocks and Ghosts (to a certain extent) at the same time with Power Whip, as well as much greater bulk. Ursaring, unfortunately, is also unable to beat Quagsire without Toxic Spikes (unless you get burned by Scald), while Lickilicky easily OHKO's. Basically, while Lickilicky does have some things going for it, Ursaring can run a SubSD set just as well.
It's the standard Acroblim but instead of Destiny Bond it uses Disable. Since Drifblim has similar immunities and resistances as Gengar/Haunter it forces switches in a very similar way. What sets it apart from the standard set is the ability to beat standard bird counters/checks 1v1 like Golem, Regirock, Armaldo and Bastiodon. Max Atk Rock Blast Golem is a problem but as long as Wisp doesn't miss Blim will survive, Disable it and force it out or stall it out. Probopass is a notable exception because it has access to Power Gem and Volt Switch. Electric Types with BoltBeam coverage is also great counter to this but it eats up any Choiced mons.
An advantage Drifblim has over Haunter is its speed after Unburden which allows it to Sub before everything including Scarfers and Disable them, so Drifblim can't be easily forced out offensively. It also has a very powerful attack that only has a few select counters in NU, allowing it to sweep once Rock/Steel and massively bulky stuff have been eliminated which Drifblim itself can do so it's quite self supporting. Like SubDisable Haunter/Gengar, it just loves hazards. I use max Speed because I prefer to have the good initial Speed to tie with Gardevoir and guarantee to outspeed Absol. I haven't found any calcs yet to suggest Adamant is particularly needed.
I was using the standard AcroBlim to support my pseudo bird team to good success and I've recently began testing this as a way to more reliably take out bird counters than Destiny Bond although it does lose the general utility of a super fast DBond.
The main idea that led me to this set is using Bullet Seed to take out Golem before it can set up Stealth Rock. The set itself has a good mix of power and bulk, can set up its own rocks, and has recovery. Bullet Seed is actually pretty useful for Substitute users. Looking at the top 10 leads list up there, Torterra is actually a pretty good matchup for almost all of them.
Choice Band Cinccino
Cinccino (M) @ Choice Band
Trait: Technician
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Bullet Seed
- Rock Blast
- Frustration
- U-turn
You don't really see the drop in speed [from not using scarf] since Zebra outspeeds you anyway :P But seriously this guy can wear down teams or act as a cleaner late game. Though I've lost more than 1 game to his scarfed breath en when he is the only one left.
This Exeggutor plays a lot like the Choice Specs set except it has the ability to defeat common checks such as Probopass, Lickilicky, and Cryogonal through the use of Low Kick, which comes off a surprisingly high 245 attack stat. Probopass and Cryogonal are both OHKO'ed on the switch while Specially Defensive is guaranteed to be 2HKO'ed with Rocks up.
Additionally, Life Orb helps to bluff Choice Specs if you have not yet fired off an attack. Using Sleep Powder on the first turn is a good idea since the opponent will likely switch out after that, giving you a free shot on the incoming Pokemon. This can catch opponents off guard as they try to anticipate which Pokemon you will switch in after firing off a "Choice'd Sleep Powder".
The EV's are used to outspeed standard Golem, which enables you to put it to bed before it can use Stealth Rock, unless it's holding the uncommon Lum Berry. Max special attack makes sure Exeggutor can hurt just about everything with a Life Orb Leaf Storm. The rest is dumped into attack to make Low Kick hit as hard as possible. A Rash nature is used to preserve Exeggutor's attack, speed, and decent physical bulk.
Scrappy is also one of the greatest abilities in the entire game; with it Kangaskhan can easily threaten every non-Rock/Steel Pokemon not called Tangela with its STAB attacks alone, doing 52% minimum to the most defensive Misdreavus with an Adamant Choice Band boosted Double-Edge. Most of the aforementioned Rock and Steel types are easily eliminated by its powerful Earthquake, though, which only leaves Tangela as a truly insurmountable wall. Sucker Punch is also a great priority move, even though locking yourself into it with a Choice Item isn't the best idea. It actually hits surprisingly hard, even from Kangaskhans mediocre attack stat.
The only problem I had with Kangaskhan is that it seems outclassed at some points. It's not as much as a hard hitter as Sawk, doesn't have Emboar's offensive typing and movepool and isn't as fast as stuff like Swellow. In conclusion, it's basically one of the only offensive Pokemon that also combines good bulk and decent speed, making it a rare sight in NU. Its great offensive typing (when taking scrappy into account) is also a godsend.
yes, the best Defensive Bulk up user (except possibly duosion/musharna) is a LC with low stats, but there are quite a few reasons why scraggy should be used over something such as throh. \
1) shed skin, most bulk up users have to deal with toxic spikes, burn, and toxic in general, with the only way to remove it being a cripping, 2 turn rest, or in gurdurr's case, nothing at all! Scraggy's shed skin makes it semi immune to status such as toxic or burn, and lets it set up on walls that rely on toxic to deal damage quite easily. But thats not all, even if scraggy is forced to use rest, it has a pretty high chance of waking up early! (52% to the exact) giving less time for the opponent to crit it while its asleep
2) Dark typing, other bulk up users like gurdurr and throh get their ass kicked by the fairly common gardevoir, musharna, duosion and kadabra. in short, scraggy's dark typing allows it to say "fuck you!" to every psychic and ghost type in the tier! (bar specs gardevoir with focus blast.) It also gives Scraggy perfect coverage bar croagunk with just its STABS! and a significantly stronger and more reliable dark move than its bretheren.
Scraggy's main disadvantages are the inability to deal major damage without multiple bulk up boosts, and the fact that its bait for things like Cbraviary and sawk/gurdurr to come in, and therefore should be used with things that can take on these threats for best results.
This is one guy that needs ton of team support, like a Wish Passer and a Spinner at the very least.
Magmortar (M) @ Leftovers/Expert Belt
Trait: Vital Spirit
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Belly Drum
- Fire Punch / Flame Charge
- Earthquake
- Cross Chop
Mortar gets quite a few decent opportunities to set up. All Magmortar force Tangela out so it's a perfect chance to set a Belly Drum as they switch to their Mortar check. Which unless it's a faster mon is going to be hit pretty damm hard by the appropriative move.
I'm using max physical sets just to demonstrate the power.
Detailed Result: 252 +6 Atk Magmortar Cross Chop vs 252 HP/252 Def Miltank (+Def) : 123.86% - 146.19%
100% chance to OHKO
Detailed Result: 252 +6 Atk Magmortar Fire Punch vs 252 HP/252 Def Altaria (+Def) : 43.22% - 50.85%
Entry hazards damage: 88
After entry hazards: 241 - 268 (68.08% - 75.71%)
2 hits to KO (with Leftovers)
Of usual Mortar checks only Altaria gets away from the OHKO .
I wouldn't call this creative but it is underused.
Cinccino (M) @ Choice Band
Trait: Technician
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Bullet Seed
- Rock Blast
- Frustration
- U-turn
You don't really see the drop in speed since Zebra outspeeds you anyway :P But seriously this guy can wear down teams or act as a cleaner late game. Though I've lost more than 1 game to his scarfed breath en when he is the only one left.
November_Blue, i would give your Torterra more Speed so that it can outspeed fast Golem, which is becoming more popular. I'm on my mobile so i can't check this, but i think you only need 168 Speed EVs to do this. Otherwise, Golem outspeeds and can set up Stealth Rock.
It's the standard Acroblim but instead of Destiny Bond it uses Disable. Since Drifblim has similar immunities and resistances as Gengar/Haunter it forces switches in a very similar way. What sets it apart from the standard set is the ability to beat standard bird counters/checks 1v1 like Golem, Regirock, Armaldo and Bastiodon. Max Atk Rock Blast Golem is a problem but as long as Wisp doesn't miss Blim will survive, Disable it and force it out or stall it out. Probopass is a notable exception because it has access to Power Gem and Volt Switch. Electric Types with BoltBeam coverage is also great counter to this but it eats up any Choiced mons.
An advantage Drifblim has over Haunter is its speed after Unburden which allows it to Sub before everything including Scarfers and Disable them, so Drifblim can't be easily forced out offensively. It also has a very powerful attack that only has a few select counters in NU, allowing it to sweep once Rock/Steel and massively bulky stuff have been eliminated which Drifblim itself can do so it's quite self supporting. Like SubDisable Haunter/Gengar, it just loves hazards. I use max Speed because I prefer to have the good initial Speed to tie with Gardevoir and guarantee to outspeed Absol. I haven't found any calcs yet to suggest Adamant is particularly needed.
I was using the standard AcroBlim to support my pseudo bird team to good success and I've recently began testing this as a way to more reliably take out bird counters than Destiny Bond although it does lose the general utility of a super fast DBond.
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Misdreavus @ Eviolite
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Nature: Bold (+Def,- Atk)
- Shadow Ball
- Pain Split
- Heal Bell
- Perish Song
I've really appreciated Missy's ability to stall out physical attackers (and block spin) especially with my stall team. Missy also can Heal Bell to cure my other mons of status which can be pretty annoying at times. Misdreavus also has a trump card against set up sweepers in Perish Song, which forces out the opponent's pokemon in 3 turns; two if they try to set up as they get Psonged. The other great note is that it's a great move end game and also helps rack up hazards damage in the middle of the game by actually forcing the opponent out, or else they die. Shadow Ball is to avoid being Taunt bait, but usually Misdreavus outspeeds the common taunt users that I see (except Serperior 9.9).
Edit: As I look at this explanation I guess I might be misleading with the 2 turns claim, I edited that but will exlain why I said 2 turns. Most, if not all the time, people switch in their set-up mon against my missy when they realize that I don't pack taunt. Missy outspeeds most of the set-up mons so I perish song before they use their set-up move effectively ending their attempt to sweep before it can start. This also works on faster mons who try to set up substitute (Absol, Serperior and co.). And really it's also down to two turns because when you hit one turn left, it's either switch out to live or just die a useless death.
The main two problems I find with standard Emboar, is that you have to rely on prediction to KO what you want to KO, and the fact that Emboar is really slow and easily revenge killed. Substitute mostly fixes both of these problems, though you have to keep in mind that the loss of Choice Band means you lose out on several KOes. Substitute works excellent when you force something out, and allows you to scout the switch to use the appropriate attack, or avoid being revenge killed by something like Swellow and instead it gets KOed itself. The main problem with this set is that all its moves don't really work well together with Substitute, Substitute + recoil damage can pile up quickly (though his high HP stat does a god job at tanking recoil). However, this set can be pretty dangerous when played well.
Torkoal @ Heat Rock
Trait: Shell Armor
EVs: 248 HP / 176 SpA / 84 SpD
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Sunny Day
- Fire Blast
- SolarBeam
- Rapid Spin
My favorite spinnner on sun teams. The idea of this set is simple: beating the common spinblockers. Misdreavus usually has an easy time against Torkoal, but if you Sunny Day on the switchin you 2HKO Misdreavus with Fire Blast. Haunter and Drifblim, the frailer Ghosts, are unable to KO Torkoal even after Stealth Rock and are KOed back by Fire Blast. SolarBeam provides coverage, hitting Water- and Rock-types hard. With this EV spread, you still 2HKO Misdreavus even without Stealth Rock, and OHKO Haunter without Stealth Rock as well. Drifblim is still OHKOed after Stealth Rock. The EVs also guaranteed a KO on Gorebyss with SolarBeam without Stealth Rock while even Modest Life Orb Surf won't KO in the sun (assuming no SR, with it Modest White Herb doesn't KO and Timid LO has like a 1% chance of KOing) , as well as the 2HKO on support Musharna without Stealth Rock. The Special Defense EVs allow you to avoid the KO from Life Orb Hidden Power Ground from Haunter after Stealth Rock damage.
The idea behind this set is to handle the infamous core of Tangela, Quagsire, and Flareon. With 100 Base Special Attack, Seviper can certainly pack a punch with STAB Sludge Wave against Tangela, Giga Drain against Quagsire, and Earthquake against Flareon with the 52 Atk EVs. I think the idea behind this is very creative seeing as the core is able to stifle many offensive teams.
Simipour (M) @ Flight Gem
Trait: Gluttony
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Naive Nature (+Spd, -SDef)
- Acrobatics
- Ice Beam
- Hydro Pump
- Low Kick
Low Kick might seem weird here but it has a few specific uses such as 2hkoing Regice(this means you Molk) and OHKOing Cryogonal if I have used its Flight gem before/ a Ludicolo is still alive, it also gets the hit on the rare Lapras and 2HKOes it . And Acrobatics is just to deal with Ludicolo that can be really annoying for him otherwise. Other two moves are standard coverage for Water-types. Because it has problems with other Water-types a Grass-type or Electric pokemon such are recommended to make everything easier for Simipour.
This thing is legitimately the sex. It hits hard as fuck with a Life Orb attached, and with its already good speed can act as a great wall breaker. With Trace, Gardevoir can just Trace Swift Swim or Chlorophyll or something and sweep an opposing team under the corresponding weather. And with Healing Wish, when Life Orb recoil / passive damage takes its toll, just heal something else the fuck up.
It's honestly amazing.
Another one:
Lickilicky (M) @ Life Orb Trait: Cloud Nine
EVs: 152 HP / 148 Atk / 40 SAtk / 40 SDef / 128 Spd
Lonely Nature (+Atk, -Def)
- Work Up
- Power Whip
- Fire Blast
- Frustration
I have this baby on my hax team, and it's kind of a monster. Pretty much Raseri and I went...hmm...we need a good weather check and a cool Pokemon that beats Tangela / Alomomola and other various threats to the team. Bam Work Up Lickilicky was born! We abuse Paralysis on this team a fuck ton, and that's kind of greatly influential to Lickilicky's success, but that's okay. The evs are pretty specific. The attack investment will OHKO Charizard with a +1 Frustration and 2HKO Alomomola with Power Whip. The Special Attack guarantees the OHKO on either Amoonguss or Vileplume with a +1 Fire Blast (I don't remember, sorry). The HP evs give it 399 HP, which rounds down with Life Orb. Rest goes in special defense, so it can still act as a bit of a tank if necessary. What's cool about it is Cloud Nine--fuck Solar Power Charizard and such. It lets it tank a hit if necessary and kick some ass when it has to. Plus it still hits hard as fuck even if you can't set up. A+++++++, but loves paralysis so so so much.
I know I posted this in the Creative Movesets thread, but I really adore both of these Pokemon.
For Gardevoir, I believe it belongs in the standard movesets with a twist category. With Life Orb and its three main attacks, it works as a really strong and relatively fast attacker that it frequently already does. With Healing Wish, when it's about to die, or can't survive the entry hazards if it switches out, or has its opponent stalling out Life Orb recoil or something, it can incredibly support the team by healing up a Pokemon! You can play with it recklessly as when it's about to die it still fills a great purpose. Doesn't really need much team support, though obvious hazards help sweepers is obvious. Plus, Trace helps it sweep weather teams sometimes!
As for Lickilicky, it should go in the creative movesets category. I already explained the set and spread in the original description. It requires a lot of paralysis support due to its low sweep. However, the KOs it gets are actually really amazing. It hits hard as hell, breaks through Tangela / Alomomola and Tangela / Quagsire / Flareon, helps check weather, beats rain Gorebyss, etc. It's a monstrosity.
Here's a relic I used back, WAY back at the start of NU, and I think could see a resurgance with the banning of Jynx.
Note I have not tested it in this meta yet, mainly because my finals are soon, however, I tested it before.
Altaria @ Leftovers
Natural Cure
Careful Nature
252 HP / 252 Sp.Def / 4 Spd
- Cotton Guard
- Roost
- Roar
- Dragon Claw
The idea of this set is to be used with hazards, obviously. Altaria's Special Bulk is already very high, and it's typing makes it resistant to many elemental attacks, although it remains weak to Ice.
After a Single Cotton Guard, Altaria was capable of stalling out Rhyhorn's Stone Edges if it Roosted every turn afterwards. Cotton Guard raises Altaria's defenses to obscene levels, making it virtually unassailable on the physical side.
Roar means nothing can set up on you in turn, and shuffle for SR/Spikes damage.
Dragon Claw is neutral coverage and will do acceptable damage to anything, even without investment.
If you get statused, you can just switch out and heal with Natural Cure, Altaria's typing and natural bulk give it plenty of chances to set up again.
I retired this set after the advent of Jynx, but Jynx is banned, and there's the likes of Charizard that are set-up bait for this set now.
The only things that can crack this set are Ice Beams and CritEdges while not Roosting. [Well, from something crazy like CB Regirock it might not care if you Roost]
November_Blue, i would give your Torterra more Speed so that it can outspeed fast Golem, which is becoming more popular. I'm on my mobile so i can't check this, but i think you only need 168 Speed EVs to do this. Otherwise, Golem outspeeds and can set up Stealth Rock.
Actually, I didn't notice that. A few days ago I changed the spread to 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe Adamant, as I find the extra Speed to be much more useful. Tennis, could you please change it?
A set:
Choice Band Gabite
Adamant
252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
-Outrage
-Earthquake
-Stone Edge
-Dual Chop / Dragon Claw
Can switch into Volt Switches and Thunder Waves, and has enough power to OHKO a lot of things. Switching it in and spamming Outrage actually works, surprisingly. It's outsped by Magmortar, so running Adamant is okay.
I think that Gabite usage is so low because everyone tries to use it like Garchomp, and give it that godawful SubHone set. There are parallels to Haxorus here; at first, everyone used Dragon Dance, or something similar, but we eventually learned that Choice Band is its best set. Same thing here with Gabite. With this set, its Attack stat reaches 459, which is... well, pretty high.
Is the 252 Spe neccasary? I was trying to find out if theres any pokes besides Golem I can speed creep on so theres at least a little HP investment. I know theres the typical CB Emboar that has a bit of speed but thats all I could think of.
Gardevoir (F) @ Expert Belt
Trait: Trace
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Psychic
- Thunderbolt
- Healing Wish
- Signal Beam
Oh my holy gods this set does it all. Murders Rain, murders Sun, murders Dark types, murders grass types, murders poison types, feigns choice, and even gives one of your sweepers a second shot at sweeping. It is set up to hit with omnicoverage and punch as many holes as possible in the enemy team, a feat it will accomplish with ease as the enemy team will see the lack of LO recoil and think "Oh, it's choice locked, let me send in something that resist Gardevoir's attack!" 125SpAtk and 80Spe make it fast and hard enough to nail what it needs to nail, when it needs to nail it. And then nail some more.
Actually, I didn't notice that. A few days ago I changed the spread to 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe Adamant, as I find the extra Speed to be much more useful. Tennis, could you please change it?
A set:
Choice Band Gabite
Adamant
252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
-Outrage
-Earthquake
-Stone Edge
-Dual Chop / Dragon Claw
Can switch into Volt Switches and Thunder Waves, and has enough power to OHKO a lot of things. Switching it in and spamming Outrage actually works, surprisingly. It's outsped by Magmortar, so running Adamant is okay.
etc etc
What's the point of using Gabite over other any Choice Bander? Ok, Outrage, but you're still being walled by the most common physical walls in NU. If it was faster it would be decent but with no eviolite and being outsped by most offensive threats in NU I simply don't get how it can be working tbh. It doesn't have the power to break through walls either so... yeah I just don't see the point
P.S: for the torterra set on the database please give it speed evs, it makes no sense otherwise lol.
I feel that missing Will-O-Wisp is rather huge... now you basically get worn down by almost all Normal-types that you were supposed to check, if they realize you don't actually have wow. And the only way to get around opposing skuntank is double switching out really really often (instead of throwing out a wow to test the waters), which is kind of hard. Also, i'm not exactly partial to perish song as your own perish song can put you in a little bit of a disadvantage: if the opponent switches out right away and you don't, they have a count advantage, and they might be able to pull of something undesirable like getting marowak on missy and spam eq as it's forced out.
I feel p-song might be more useful in a stall team, though, but those aren't really that common to begin with. Each to their own, I guess.
That's what I use this missy on Amarillo. If it was any other team of course I would use Will-O-Wisp. Skuntank is a total pain in the ass against balanced or offensive teams due to the power and sucker punch, which really puts pressure on you. My team thankfully can handle all Skuntanks with two really good checks relieving pressure off of Missy (although I still have to be careful either way because Skuntank can always switch in on Missy).
yes, the best Defensive Bulky booster(except possibly duosion/musharna) is a LC with low stats, but there are quite a few reasons why scraggy should be used over something such as throh. \
1) shed skin, most bulk up users have to deal with toxic spikes, burn, and toxic in general, with the only way to remove it being a cripping, 2 turn rest, or in gurdurr's case, nothing at all! Scraggy's shed skin makes it semi immune to status such as toxic or burn, and lets it set up on walls that rely on toxic to deal damage quite easily. But thats not all, even if scraggy is forced to use rest, it has a pretty high chance of waking up early! (52% to the exact) giving less time for the opponent to crit it while its asleep
2) Dark typing, other bulk up users like gurdurr and throh get their ass kicked by the fairly common gardevoir, musharna, duosion and kadabra. in short, scraggy's dark typing allows it to say "fuck you!" to every psychic and ghost type in the tier! (bar specs gardevoir with focus blast.) It also gives Scraggy perfect coverage bar croagunk with just its STABS! and a significantly stronger and more reliable dark move than its bretheren.
Scraggy's main disadvantages are the inability to deal major damage without multiple bulk up boosts, and the fact that its bait for things like Cbraviary and sawk/gurdurr to come in, and therefore should be used with things that can take on these threats for best results.
in short, use scraggy! your opponent will laugh at you! until you kick their ass with it :3
Having used Scraggy before I can say it is really fucking good and can do cool shit like outstall Quagsire and if Scraggy manages to get a drop in Quagsire he can actually win with crunches alone.Problem is that he doesnt fit really that well in more offensive oriented teams but for balance it is great.
EVs: 168 HP / 252 SAtk / 88 Spd
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Flash Cannon
- Power Gem
- Earth Power
- Volt Switch
This set takes the impression of Probopass that you've built up over the last 2 generations and throws it out the window. As opposed to an incredibly bulky, but weak, pivot, this set turns Probopass into a slightly less bulky offensive threat capable of 2HKOing just about every Rock- and Steel-type wall in the tier. It also boasts an immunity to Toxic spikes and resists Stealth Rock, which is a boon for any offensive Pokemon. This set gets great synergy with Swellow, being able to tank most hits for Swellow while it can switch in to Earthquakes. I run 88 Speed to outspeed standard Golem, max Special Attack, and put the rest into HP to maximize bulk. The moveset itself is pretty straightforward: Flash Cannon is STAB that hits Rock-types super-effectively, Power Gem is secondary STAB, earth Power gets Special QuakeEdge and is the best option against Steel-types, and Volt Switch is an excellent move for any slow or Choiced pokemon, and Probopass happens to be both. I run Choice Specs since Life Orb would be kinda shooting yourself in the foot thanks to Probopass's great bulk. Magnet Pull is the ability of choice since it gets a practically guaranteed KO against Steel-types.
Ok I'm going to take a step back for a second and say that not everything is going to be added to the OP. I know there have been some great sets posted, and some not so great, but instead of just posting every single set you can think of, for the next day or so discuss the sets that have already been posted! On Saturday I'll update the OP with whatever sets I think should be added after the discussion.
EVs: 168 HP / 252 SAtk / 88 Spd
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Flash Cannon
- Power Gem
- Earth Power
- Volt Switch
This set takes the impression of Probopass that you've built up over the last 2 generations and throws it out the window. As opposed to an incredibly bulky, but weak, pivot, this set turns Probopass into a slightly less bulky offensive threat capable of 2HKOing just about every Rock- and Steel-type wall in the tier. It also boasts an immunity to Toxic spikes and resists Stealth Rock, which is a boon for any offensive Pokemon. This set gets great synergy with Swellow, being able to tank most hits for Swellow while it can switch in to Earthquakes. I run 88 Speed to outspeed standard Golem, max Special Attack, and put the rest into HP to maximize bulk. The moveset itself is pretty straightforward: Flash Cannon is STAB that hits Rock-types super-effectively, Power Gem is secondary STAB, earth Power gets Special QuakeEdge and is the best option against Steel-types, and Volt Switch is an excellent move for any slow or Choiced pokemon, and Probopass happens to be both. I run Choice Specs since Life Orb would be kinda shooting yourself in the foot thanks to Probopass's great bulk. Magnet Pull is the ability of choice since it gets a practically guaranteed KO against Steel-types.
While clever, I don't really dig this set. There isn't much that Flash Cannon is going to hit for SE, and its resists, fire and water, are extremely common in the tier. Probopass's spatk and speed are horrible, 75 and 40, hallmarks of a undesirable specs user. It has a poor set of special moves, the only viable ones it receives being Flash Cannon, Earth Power, Power Gem, and t-bolt/Volt Switch. Choice locking yourself into moves as commonly resisted as Flash Cannon, Earth Power, and Power Gem is a big nono, and Volt Switch isn't going to do much coming off of a 75 spatk stat.
Finally, the ability is a huge waste, as there are literally all of six steel types in the NU tier: Opposing Probopass and Bastidoon, which you can't do shit to anyways unless you predict the switch with earth power, Mawile, which is awful even by NU's standards, Lairon, which is NEVER used and does literally jack shit, and Metang, which not only walls this set cold but is also completely worthless so nobody ever uses it.
In short this is basically just a really, really poorman's magnezone that is easy to force out and even after specs has all the threatening presence of a wet blanket. I mean yeah sure its bulky but so is Metang and you don't see anyone using Metang.
As a final note, using this means you need another rock type on your team to enable the usage of Stealth Rock, thus barring Cradily gives you 2 fighting weak pokemon in a tier that has a lot of dangerous fighting types (don't bring up Piloswine as that shit's also fighting weak).
Imo, change the ability to Sturdy, change the item to LO, and change out Volt Switch or Flash Cannon for Stealth Rock.
Finally, the ability is a huge waste, as there are literally all of six steel types in the NU tier: Opposing Probopass and Bastidoon, which you can't do shit to anyways unless you predict the switch with earth power, Mawile, which is awful even by NU's standards, Lairon, which is NEVER used and does literally jack shit, and Metang, which not only walls this set cold but is also completely worthless so nobody ever uses it.
I don't think it's that much of a waste, so long as you use it to support your team effectively. Magnet Pull Probopass can get rid of other Probopass and Bastiodon pretty damn reliably, letting something like Swellow or CB Kangaskhan to wreck house from there with their STAB attacks. I think the set needs to be re-jigged a little, but I really think Magnet Pull Probopass could be useful, if albeit niche, at supporting these Pokemon.
Probopass (M) @ Air Balloon
Trait: Magnet Pull
EVs: 172 HP / 252 SAtk / 84 Spd
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Stealth Rock
- Flash Cannon
- Earth Power
- Volt Switch
The EVs outspeed standard Golem, Armaldo, Regirock and Metang. Meanwhile, even with Leftovers Probopass has enough power to 2HKO opposing Probopass and Bastiodon reliably, and OHKO Lairon if its Sturdy is broken. More power isn't necessary as Probopass is unlikely to OHKO Bastiodon even with Choice Specs, and Sturdy is likely to interfere with OHKOs anyways. Air Balloon is the crux of the set, as it allows Probopass to take on Pokemon such as Golem, Armaldo and Regirock much more easily in the lead situation, giving it more utility as an attacker. However, if you don't like using it, then Leftovers is a fine alternative.
Earth Power vs. Probopass (Utility): 50.61 - 60.49%
Earth Power vs. Bastiodon (Support): 59.25 - 70.37%
Earth Power vs. Lairon (Physically Defensive): 106.17 - 125.92%
Earth Power vs. Lairon (Specially Defensive): 67.9 - 80.24%
Earth Power vs. Metang (Tank): 37.03 - 43.82%
Flash Cannon vs. Golem (Utility): 80.22 - 94.91%
Flash Cannon vs. Armaldo (Rapid Spin): 67.79 - 80.22%
Flash Cannon vs. Regirock (Offensive Tank): 54.94 - 64.83%
Flash Cannon vs. Regirock (Support): 39.56 - 46.7%
As you can see, with Air Balloon intact and in a lead situation, all of the Steel-types are 2HKO'd effortlessly. Although Probopass can Volt Switch out on the first turn, it will still take a heavy amount of damage due to the Speed investment. Every other Steel type is a sitting duck, Metang can't even OHKO with Earthquake if you don't run an Air Balloon, which is hilarious. Meanwhile, Rock-type leads are in a pickle, as only Specially Defensive Regirock can avoid the 2HKO from Flash Cannon, none of them outspeed, and they can't hit Probopass with Earthquake, letting you 2HKO them if they try to attack or use Stealth Rock or Volt Switch as you force a switch.
One thing you should note is that this is NOT an attacker like the Choice Specs set was; it's still a supporter. It can still tank many attacks excellently, it can still set up Stealth Rock, but this set has the additional ability to beat Steel- and Rock-types in 1v1 match ups and clear the way for Swellow sweeps. Sure, there aren't a lot of Steel-types in the tier, but Probopass and Bastiodon see some notable use, and getting rid of them reliably is fantastic.
I'd test this out, but my internet connection doesn't let me battle atm. I can imagine the team would look something like Probopass / Swellow / Kangaskhan (Choice Band) / Haunter (SubDisable) / Musharna (Calm Mind + Baton Pass) / Sawk (Choice Scarf), if I were to run it.
