Come at me, bro! [NU RMT]

Introdution:

Hey hey hey. This is my farewell to 4th Gen NU battling as less and less servers are available to competitively play NU, it's becoming harder to playtest teams. I've also moved onto LC for the end of 4th Gen until 5th Gen is released. This team was assembled together because it helps me deal with common NU threats, and it has brought me a lot of success, even peaking 4th on the TU NU ladder under my alt account. This team was inspired by my wanting to use SpecsZard, so I just had to try it out. So, without further ado, I present team "Come at me, bro!". Jersey Shore reference? Oh yes.

At a glance:
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In-Depth:

Ability: Swift Swim
EVs: 4 Def | 252 Atk | 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
Taunt
Waterfall
Ice Punch
Protect

Description:
Oh lord I've loved Floatzel ever since I saw Buizel at the start of Diamond and it has easily become my favourite 4th Gen Pokémon. Floatzel is my Anti-Lead, and in my opinion, the best Anti-Lead NU has to offer. Why? Raw power, fast Taunt and ability to deal with every lead I have encountered.
Moveset, EVs, and Nature:
Taunt is the crux of this set as it allows me to successfully prevent Entry Hazards, most importantly Stealth Rocks, so Charizard and Jumpluff have no trouble switching in and out and don't build residual damage as I need to them to constantly keep switching in and out. Waterfall is obligatory STAB and allows me to deal with most leads, while Ice Punch is mostly for Jumpluff who is completely shut down by Taunt and OHKO'd by Ice Punch. Protect may seem weird over another coverage move such as Brick Break or Crunch, but it allows to me deal with Fake Out Leads, mostly importantly the ever so common Persian. It also helps me scout for movesets so I'm not Taunting a Choiced user. I used to have Crunch over Protect to deal with Slowking, but I felt Protect suited a Lead more.
Additional Notes:
I've tested a few other Anti-Leads in Floatzels' place, such as Sharpedo and even Electrode. But I found Floatzel was the best choice to stop Entry Hazards and deal with Leads successfully. I felt Sharpedo wasn't fast enough as Jumpluff outspeeds and causes a commotion and Electrode gave me an inconsistent performance. So I finally tried Floatzel and loved it. It does fantastically.
How Floatzel handles common NU Leads:
Persian - This is why I run Protect. STAB'd Technician boosted Fake Out hurts. Alot. I Protect on the first turn to void the Fake Out, then Taunt to hopefully stop Hypnosis, then I pummel with Waterfall.
Purugly - See Persian. Without the speed ties.
Pinsir - Taunt to stop Stealth Rocks. Waterfall is a 2HKO while I'm left to my sash.
Jumpluff - Haha, this is why I run Jolly over Adamant. Outspeed and Taunt, shutting it down. Ice Punch is OHKO if it doesn't run Focus Sash.
Sandslash - Taunt + Waterfall. No Stealth Rocks will be in play.
Armaldo - See Sandslash.
Lopunny - I Taunt first turn to see if it's a Choice Scarf Switcher, if it is, I switch to Manetric to take the Choice Scarf or Flame Orb, I don't mind the Burn, because I can use that to my advantage later in the game and switch it out to a Physical Sweeper. If it Substitutes, I Taunt preventing it from Passing an Agility. Waterfall is a 2HKO.
Regirock - This one is tricky. But could be funny. I Taunt to prevent Thunder Wave and Stealth Rocks. Waterfall is a 3HKO. But if it decides to forgo Stealth Rocks and Explode off the bat, then I am sent to 1 HP. This has happened before. So much win :'D
Drifblim - Protect to see its set. Tricksters are outsped and Taunted. Ice Punch is OHKO.
Rapidash - These either Hypnosis or switch out. Either way, it's getting Taunted. Waterfall is a OHKO.
Stantler - See Rapidash.
Electrode - Haha these are fun. Here's a scenario. It Taunts, I Waterfall, it Thunderbolts, I finish it off with Waterfall. OR. I Waterfall, It sets up Rain, I outspeed next turn and finish off with a Waterfall and begin to stall Rain with Swift Swim, Protect and a Focus Sash. OR. It Thunderbolts, I Waterfall. Then I switch to Manetric which outspeeds and finishes off with Hidden Power Grass.
Solrock - Trick Roomer? Taunt shuts it down.
Banette - See Solrock.
Gligar - Taunt + Ice Punch takes care of that.
Venomoth - Taunt prevents Sleep Powder and Toxic Spikes. I pummel with Waterfall which is 2HKO while it knocks me down to my sash.
Medicham - Protect on the Fake Out. Waterfall is a OHKO.
Sharpedo + Floatzel - Uh, this is tricky. Sharpedo is quite a threat, but it's frail. I do as much damage as I can with Waterfall, switch to Manetric to finish off. Floatzel is straight to Protect + Jumpluff.


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Ability: Blaze
EVs: 4 Def | 252 SAtk | 252 Spe
Timid Nature
Fire Blast
Air Slash
Hidden Power [Grass]
Focus Blast

Description:
I feel this is the biggest threat in the current NU Metagame. It's an absolute monster. I find myself bring this out early game as it is amazing it forcing switches meaning I can scout my opponents Pokémons early, and if they're stupid enough to bring out their only counter I now know what to watch out for.
Moveset, EVs, and Nature:
Standard Choice Specs set. Fire Blast + Air Slash are chosen STABs. Air Slash is used to ease prediction and catch Slowking off guard as it tries to switch into my Fire Blast. Hidden Power Grass deals with those pesky Ground-Water types and weakened Bulky Water-types. Focus Blast hits Rock-types the hardest, making it riskier for Regirock to switch in and Wall Charizard. I chose Timid > Modest because it just seemed to make more sense. And I could use the extra speed.
Additional Notes:
This is probably my favourite Charizard set of all time. I am thoroughly happy with this set and Pokémon.

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Ability: Own Tempo
EVs: 252 HP | 4 SAtk | 252 SDef
Calm Nature
Surf
Grass Knot
Slack Off
Toxic / Substitute

Description:
Every NU team needs a Pokémon to sponge Attacks other Pokémon wouldn't dream of facing. Slowking is my man. Slowking helps me a lot as Bulky Waters are constantly switching in to Wall Charizard, and Slowking is incredible to sponging Water-type Attacks and dealing with certain Bulky Water. Slowking also works well with Jumpluff as it resists its common threats - Fire and Ice.
Moveset, EVs, and Nature:
Surf is obligatory STAB and it helps me deal with Fire-types who come in to scare off Jumpluff. Grass Knot lets me handle Bulky Water-types, such as Quagsire, Gastrodon, and Politoed. It also helps me deal with Sharpedo. EVs are to maximize my Special Defence potential. I wasn't up for giving more than 4 EVs to Special Attack. 252 HP / 252 SpD is fine. Slack Off is obvious, it heals me from all the damage I take sponging Attacks. Toxic is to further wear down Bulky Water-types such as Politoed who I find hard to beat, even 1 vs. 1.
Additional Notes:
Slowking is fantastic. Plain and simple. The only thing I am considering is switching Toxic with Substitute. Substitute helps me beat Politoed easier as it can't Poison me and its primary Attacks wouldn't do jack shit to Slowking. It also helps me ease prediction, especially because I find Skuntank and Sharpedo common switch ins, I can Attack and beat them safely behind a Substitute. Substitute + Slack Off is also a great combo.

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Ability: Chlorophyll
EVs: 118 Def| 68 SDef| 252 Speed
Timid Nature
Sleep Powder
Leech Seed
Substitute
Encore

Description:
Ah, Jumpluff, how I love thou. Jumpluff is simply the best, it's my teams pivot point and momentum starter. Encore is a broken move, and the rest of the moveset is there to generate free turns and cripple the other team. The best momentum Pokémon in NU, it beats all SubPunchers, Calm Minders, Cursers, Swords Dancers, Baton Passers...etc. You see why Jumpluff is such a necessity? I think every NU team would do better with a Jumpluff.
Moveset, EVs, and Nature:
Standard Smogon set, as I don't see anything wrong with it. 252 Speed is needed to make the most out of Encore. Sleep Powder is used to cripple common Jumpluff switch ins, granting me a free turn to use Substitute or Leech Seed.
Additional Notes:
Jumpluff is the best Pokémon in this position. It's a fantastic scout and a very useful Pokémon. There is no change I would make. Except maybe replacing Substitute with U-turn, or even Aromatherapy. But I'll test that out later.

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Ability: Aftermath
EVs: 252 Atk | 4 Def | 252 Speed
Adamant Nature
Crunch
Sucker Punch
Pursuit
Explosion

Description:
Skuntank is so bloody useful in NU it's unbelievable. Skunky deals with all those pesky Ghost and Psychic-types with its amazing ability to Trap helpless Ghosts. I find myself switching this in after Jumpluff because I usually catch SubHaunters in their Sub, Encore, Seed and Switch to Skuntank to begin to Pursuit and deal with the switch in effectively as they believe Skuntank is Banded or Scarfed. Skuntank helps me with Calm Minders like Grumpig because they pose an dominant threat to my team.
Moveset, EVs, and Nature:
Moveset is basic Dark-type Ghost hunting set. Crunch is a powerful STAB move I use with Sucker Punch if I don't care to predict with Sucker Punch. Sucker Punch catches weaker Pokémon, as does Pursuit, which also is useful for fleeing Ghost and Psychic-types. Explosion is Explosion, when I'm done with Skuntank or there's a Pokémon who managed to get +6 Attack somehow I'd take it down with me. I tend to explode late game. 252 Atk / 252 Speed is standard make the most out of Skunktanks' Speed and Power.
Additional Notes:
You may have noticed I'm running Expert Belt over a Choice item. Why? Must Skuntanks these days run a Scarf, and I can use this to my advantage to bluff a Choice item which is surprisingly useful. Many of times Pokémon will set up on me after I have used Sucker Punch, thinking I am Scarfed, but I just simply Crunch them and kill them. Amazing right? Oh yes. I'm thinking of replacing it with Black Glasses as it gives a more consistent boost to my moves since 3/4 of them are Dark, and Explosion isn't boosted by either Item, so it's irrelevant. I quite like this set, but I am tempted to just switch it to a Choice Scarf variant. Not sure. I've replaced Expert Belt with Black Glasses as suggested.

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Ability: Static
EVs: 252 SAtk | 4 Def | 252 Speed
Modest Nature
Thunderbolt
Flamethrower
Hidden Power [Grass]
Switcheroo

Description:
I needed a revenge killer, I just needed one. No team is complete without one. Manectric stood out in my mind as the most useful; Great speed, great power and an even greater movepool, it just seemed right to use it. Manectric helps me deal with weakened foes with its superb move coverage meaning I can hit anything and everything for at least neutral damage, making Manectric very reliable.
Moveset, EVs, and Nature:
I chose to run a ScarfSwitcheroo set because as a revenge killer I want it to be as fast as possible. Modest was used for added Power. Thunderbolt is oligatory STAB which deals with so many threats to this team, mostly Dodrio and Pidgeot. Flamethrower deals with Grass-types such as Jumpluff, Vileplume and Victreebel. Hidden Power Grass is to pick off weakened Ground, Bulky Waters who would have taken a blow by Charizard making Manectrics job even easier. Switcheroo is to switch my Scarf so I can pick up something as useful, such as a Life Orb or Leftovers, it also aids in shutting down set-up Sweepers like Calm Mind Drifblim which is less of a threat with a Scarf.
Additional Notes:
I love this guy. It's very useful as people don't expect it to be Scarf'd and outspeed common threats. Its power is beneficial, and Switcheroo comes in handy very much. I am very pleased with this set and it has helped me a lot.

Conclusion:
Well that's the team. I have currently stopped using Heavy Stall / Semi-Stall teams as they have proven to be inconsistent. So I had a lot of fun using this team. It has brought me a lot of success in various NU ladders and I have been having a lot of fun with SpecsZard. All suggestions are appreciated, and I hope you enjoyed it!​
 
Threat list
-Will Update as people suggest them-
Sharpedo - He can be tricky. I tend to play around with him using Jumpluff and Floatzel. If I can catch it during a Water-type Attack I can Encore and set up on it. Sharpedo is very frail and wouldn't last long, even with Floatzel hitting it with Waterfall it takes 40.4% - 47.9%
Medicham - Ah, what team doesn't have a Medicham problem. Again, It can be played aorund but this time using Slowking. Slowking is my main switch into HJK or Brick Break. If it is a Choiced variant I usually do switch Skuntank after a Pokémon dies to it. Skuntank can Sucker Punch and Pursuit it to death. Jumpluff also works as it can switch into Brick Break and ThunderPunch and set up on the switch in. LO variants are tricky to handle, but Jumpluff also does well. Sub + 3 Attacks are also stopped by Jumpluff.
 
A quick word before I run off to my morning classes.

Awesome team Wynought! Especially because you used a Scarf Manectric!
Here's some threats off the top of my head.

Sandstorm Teams:
You lose the Lead, just because they get sandstorm up and you can't do anything about it for the rest of the match.
All of their rock types now have a SpDef Boost. Seeing as how your team is Special based, this really sucks for you. The 2 star grasses of sandstorm also have a ton of fun with your team. Cradilly gets a SpDef boost and Cacturne gets to screw you over with Sucker Punch.

Magneton:
Seriously, Your entire team is 1 or 2 hit by Modest Magneton. Even Manectric is taking 43.1% - 50.9% from a T-bolt. If he's scarfed, he can out-speed most of your team, And you have to rely on a revenge kill or skuntank explosion to take him out. If he gets behind a Sub, it's as good as GG. you can scare him out with Jumpluff's Encore, but that'll only last so long before your opponent predicts your switch.

I'll try to think up some changes for you during my Writing class! gotta fly!
 
Thanks for the quick rate TRE C:

Onto your queries;
Sandstorm can be quite a bitch but even Hippo isn't able to set up Rocks thanks to Taunt + Waterfall; which is how I'd handle Cradiliy and Regirock. I also have the option of Encoring Cursers and wearing them down with Leech Seed + Charizard. Sleep Powder can also be used to check if they are ChestoResters or RestTalkers. Cradily is going to take a Choice Scarf from Manectric, as is Regirock. Cacturne is set up bait for Jumpluff as it has many opportunities to Encore, during Swords Dance, Sucker Punch and Substitute and becomes set up bait for Charizard and Manectric. Jumpluff resists both Seed Bomb and Focus Punch, so switching in is hardly hard. Focus Punch is a 2HKO on Cradily on the Sandstorm - if it hits. As is Regirock. I think Sandstorm is quite manageable.

Electric types on a whole do cause this team some problems, haha. As for Magneton; Sub variants meet Jumpluff. Scarfed variants are outsped and OHKO'd by Manectric. Obviously it's not that easy and requires a lot of prediction and care, but it's manageable. Luckily Magneton is so uncommon c:

Can't wait to hear your suggestions as you raise very valid points. So, thank you for the rate. Appreciated :'D

You know to be honest. I could use a Scarf'd Medicham to deal with those two problems. Even a SubLO variant could successfully handle Sandstorm teams, amongst other threats. But I'm not sure who to replace him with. Agility Hitmonchan or SubPunch Hitmonchan could also be used to make the most out of free turns Jumpluff brings, as well as being able to handle Magneton.
 
Yeah, I agree that sandstorm is manageable, but a well built sandstorm team will have the edge against your team in any encounter. A attacking Regirock can easily 2 hit your entire Team, while the rest of your team struggles to manage a 3hko with SS. Tricking a scarf to him doesn't help either, as you don't really have anyone that can come in against rock type moves.

Floatzel won't always be around to taunt out Cradilly, especially because he's a lead. On the topic of Hippopotas, He can always switch out and come back in later against pretty much anyone to set up rocks. The worst that could happen is that he'd get slept. But if your opponent has gotten you to send out jumpluff, He probably has some scouting on your team and a good idea of what threats you might have, especially due to you packing an Anti-lead. If i was in that situation, I would prioritize setting up Rocks, and and switch someone else in to take the sleep.

About Encore, your opponent can always switch. The rise in Encore users in NU has actually made me start using more flat out attacking Pokemon and less stat boosters. I've noticed that trend while watching other NU'ers too. A lot of this metagame is about Switching and having good checks waiting on your bench. Be mindful of that.

As far as changes to your team, It has really good Symmetry aside from a Elec weakness. I have 2 pokemon I'd like to suggest to you. You can decide whether or not to use them, But I know first-hand that they're excellent pokemon that can fit on almost every team in this Metagame.


There's an Easy Fix for Electric types and Sandstorm. Meet British Gligar.

Gligar @ Leftovers/Yache
Jolly/ Sand Veil
252 HP/ 252 Speed/ 4 Def
-EQ
-Toxic
-Taunt
-Roost

Works the same as Gliscor. Gligar actually outspeeds Sub Magneton, and is not 1 Hit by Flash cannon. He can taunt out any attempts to set up by Cradilly, and Toxic stall out pretty much anyone. I've had a few times where I've nailed an Articuno with Toxic, Amazing feeling. Gligar gives you a Physical tank too. As I said earlier, nothing can really Switch in against Regirock without taking a ton of damage.

You can use an alternate EV spread of 252 HP/ 120 Def/ 136 Speed which lets you still outspeed Timid Sub-Ton, and gives you more Physical Bulk.


If I wanted to make the most out of Jumpluff's free turns, and Leech seed, I would try using the less used and forgotten Bulk Up Priority Hitmonchan.

Hitmonchan @ Leftovers
Iron Fist
252 Hp/ 252 Att/ 4 SpDef
-Bulk Up
-Mach Punch/Drain Punch/CC
-Bullet Punch
-Sub/Tpunch/Ice Punch/CC

I know I know, Bulk Up Hitmonchan? after 1 bulk up most Regirock won't break your Sub, allowing you to set up on them.
Max Attack Regirock Stone Edge vs +1 Hitmonchan 19.7% - 23.7%
Tank Regirock Stone Edge vs +1 Hitmonchan 14.8% - 17.8%
Max Attack Regirock EQ vs +1 Hitmonchan 26.6% - 31.6%
Tank Regirock EQ vs +1 Hitmonchan 20.1% - 23.7%

Bullet Punch allows you to deal with those Sub Haunters, who often carry HP-Ground to screw over Skuntank.

If you opt out of using Substitute, then T-Punch is your next best option, letting you hit Bulky Waters like Slowking for SE damage.
+1 Hitmonchan T-Punch vs Special Wall Slowking 72.9% - 85.9%

Ice Punch is for Gligar, and CC is if you just wanna start killing stuff. A 180 BP move after STAB is gonna hurt anything, especially after a Bulk Up.


Who to replace is completely up to you. I would suggest replacing either Skuntank or Manectric though. Manectric + Hitmonchan forms an excellent Revenger/sweeper core. While Skuntank + Hitmonchan is a solid Physical attacking core. Skuntank can trap and kill all of NU's Psychic types allowing Hitmonchan to run Sub over T-punch. Especially useful against Slowking, Who walls your Specs-Zard to no end.




All in all, Awesome team. I greatly appreciated the distraction from Freudian theory this morning. My teacher keeps going on about how he was so sex crazed, lol.
I've been seeing you a lot in the past month, but I don't think i've ever had the chance to talk or battle you. But, you were probably on an Alt, just like me! :p
If you see me over on PO gimme a holler! I'm either "The Real Elmo", "MareepMan" or "Gi Guy". I'd love to playtest ideas with you! You seem to just be churning out team after team, lol
 
Problem: no normal resist.

Normal resists are good. Fake Out and Explosion and Return are good moves to have a resistance to.

A solution would be Scarf Haunter over Scarf Manectric. Perfect coverage, Trick, Boom, not terrible secondary STAB in the lower tiers, etc.
 

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