XY NU Please RMT: Really Good NU Tier Team!!!

Is my Team Good?

  • Very Good

    Votes: 2 7.4%
  • Good

    Votes: 2 7.4%
  • It's an OK Team

    Votes: 13 48.1%
  • Bad

    Votes: 2 7.4%
  • Very Bad

    Votes: 8 29.6%

  • Total voters
    27

Fireflame

Silksong when
is a Top Contributoris a Smogon Media Contributoris a Social Media Contributor Alumnus
Hello, this is Fireflame479, and this is my 2nd RMT. I am still fairly new to Pokémon battling, and after a lot of time battling in Ubers, I decided to go to NU because there is a plethora of Pokémon you can use unlike Ubers. My original team consisted of Arbok, Archeops, Gourgeist-Super, Probopass, Typhlosion, and Sceptile. I still use it now, but I decided to make a better well-rounded team now that I am more experienced. Please rate my team :toast:. I can take any feedback and I will gladly take it into consideration. Thank you!

Team Preview:


I really love this team. It is a more offensive team that consists of 1 tank, 2 physical sweepers, 2 special sweepers, and a mixed sweeper. As you can see, I have a pretty decent offensive fire-water-grass core as well as some synergy. However, I didn't take the synergy 100% into consideration, so maybe you can help me. Also, please note: DON'T GET RID OF FERALIGATR!!! He makes me win and he is my favorite Pokémon as well as a great physical set-up sweeper.

Team Building Process:
First I wanted a really strong tank that can do both Defense and Special Defense. I chose to do Bastiodon because of its amazing bulk and the way my moveset is:

After I got Bastiodon, I obviously needed a physical sweeper and a special sweeper. Feraligatr was a really good choice thanks to Dragon Dance, and Magmortar has one of the highest Special Attack base stats in NU (as well as good type coverage):

Seeing that I had a water type and a fire type, I thought I should put a grass type to have a fire-water-grass core. This helps with synergy. I also needed a scarfer seeing the lack of revenge killing with these Pokémon. That's where Sceptile came in, with its blazing fast speed, good revenge killing skills, and the ability to be mixed without downsides:

I wanted a more offensive team, so I thought it was OK to have 1 wall. Another physical sweeper and special sweeper would be nice. Zangoose was a perfect option because I always see them sweeping with Toxic Orb + Toxic Boost + STAB Façade combination. After that, I thought Raichu would be a good option. It is fast and it can learn one of the best moves any special attacker would want: Nasty Plot:

However, I notice that I had a weakness to Ground and Fighting. I have Ground somewhat covered courtesy of Feraligatr and Sceptile, but the defense/counter for Fighting is lacking.


In Depth:


Bastiodon: Leftovers

Ability: Sturdy
Careful Nature (+SpD, -SpA)
EVs: 252 HP, 126 Def, 130 SpD
-
Stone Edge
-
Curse
-
Protect
-
Stealth Rock

I love this Bastiodon. It is guaranteed to get up Stealth Rocks first turn as well as having an interesting playstyle that I find very effective. Obviously I have him as my lead to get Stealth Rocks up first turn. My EVs seem very weird, but trust me they work. He allows him to be a dual Defense and Special Defense wall. I have Protect to scout what my opponent is going to do as well as blocking incoming damage. However, it gets a little interesting when I put Curse. Curse, as you all know, boosts your Attack and Defense as well as lowering your speed. The lowering of speed doesn't affect Bastiodon whatsoever because he is so slow. When I find the opportunity to use Curse, it allows me to go to sky high levels in Defense as well as having some sweeping capability with Stone Edge. After 2 Curses, my Attack goes to 280 (which is incredibly high giving Bastiodon's attack stat) and my Defense goes to 806!!!

Synergy:
Magmortar
Feraligatr,
Sceptile,
Zangoose
Sceptile,
Raichu

Calculations:
Offense:
+2 0 Atk Bastiodon Stone Edge vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Articuno: 508-604 (132.2 - 157.2%) -- guaranteed OHKO

+2 0 Atk Bastiodon Stone Edge vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Beartic: 308-366 (93 - 110.5%) -- guaranteed OHKO after Stealth Rock

+2 0 Atk Bastiodon Stone Edge vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Avalugg: 116-140 (29.4 - 35.5%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery

+2 0 Atk Bastiodon Stone Edge vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Xatu: 230-272 (68.8 - 81.4%) -- 50% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock

Defense:
+1 252+ Atk Life Orb Feraligatr Waterfall vs. +2 252 HP / 126 Def Bastiodon: 143-172 (44.1 - 53%) -- 0.4% chance to 2HKO after Leftovers recovery

252+ Atk Hariyama Close Combat vs. +2 252 HP / 126 Def Bastiodon: 240-288 (74 - 88.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery

252+ Atk Golurk Earthquake vs. +2 252 HP / 126 Def Bastiodon: 204-244 (62.9 - 75.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery




Zangoose: Toxic Orb

Ability: Toxic Boost
Jolly Nature (+Spe, -SpA)
EVs: 252 Atk, 252 Spe, 4 HP
-
Swords Dance
-
Facade
-
Close Combat
-
Ice Punch

Zangoose is amazing. I honestly think he should be promoted into RU. Anyway, when I have Toxic Orb + Toxic Boost combination and Façade, Façade does 315 damage, which can do absurd amounts of damage to any Pokémon. I have max speed instead of max Attack because you can already to high amounts of damage once your poisoned, so max speed is more beneficial. I have Swords Dance so I can get +2 at an opportune moment, which insanely enhances my already incredible Attack after being poisoned. I have Façade for obvious reasons. Close Combat is to do super effective damage to anything that resists façade. Ice Punch is there for type coverage. Sometimes, I find the need to use it against a Grass type or a flying type before I get poisoned by toxic orb. I am considering getting Quick Attack on Zangoose.

Synergy:
Magmortar

Calculations:
Offense:
+2 252 Atk Toxic Boost Zangoose Facade (140 BP) vs. 0 HP / 252+ Def Leafeon: 376-444 (138.7 - 163.8%) -- guaranteed OHKO

+2 252 Atk Toxic Boost Zangoose Close Combat vs. 0 HP / 252+ Def Avalugg: 330-390 (99.6 - 117.8%) -- 93.8% chance to OHKO

+2 252 Atk Toxic Boost Zangoose Close Combat vs. 0 HP / 252+ Def Bastiodon: 712-840 (272.7 - 321.8%) -- guaranteed OHKO



Feraligatr: Life Orb

Ability: Torrent
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SpA)
EVs: 252 Atk, 252 Spe, 4 HP
-
Dragon Dance
-
Waterfall
-
Earthquake
-
Ice Punch

OMG. Feraligatr is a MONSTER. I have no idea why he was demoted from RU. Feraligatr is easily one of the best physical sweepers in the tier. This is because of Dragon Dance. One Dragon Dance already allows me to up to 508.5 Atk and 382.5 Speed. This can destroy almost anything in the tier and can outspeed almost everything in the tier. This is why I have max attack instead of max speed. Also, Zangoose, Raichu, and especially Sceptile are all much faster and I need a big attacker. Waterfall is the obvious STAB of choice, and Earthquake and Ice Punch are great coverage moves incase I run into a grass or flying type or a steel type. I originally got rid of Ice Punch for Aqua Jet, but I decided that getting one Dragon Dance can allow me to outspeed most Pokémon, so I put Ice Punch, which helped me tremendously.

Synergy:
Sceptile,
Raichu,
Feraligatr (if he outspeeds it after 1 Dragon Dance)
Zangoose,
Sceptile,
Magmortar
Feraligatr (if he outspeeds it after 1 Dragon Dance)

Calculations:
Offense:
+1 252+ Atk Life Orb Feraligatr Earthquake vs. 0 HP / 252+ Def Bastiodon: 400-473 (153.2 - 181.2%) -- guaranteed OHKO

+1 252+ Atk Life Orb Feraligatr Waterfall vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Carbink: 260-307 (85.5 - 100.9%) -- 12.5% chance to OHKO

+1 252+ Atk Life Orb Feraligatr Waterfall vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Regirock: 265-312 (72.8 - 85.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery

+1 252+ Atk Life Orb Feraligatr Waterfall vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Steelix: 211-250 (59.6 - 70.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery



Magmortar: Life Orb

Ability: Vital Spirit
Modest Nature (+SpA, -Atk)
EVs: 252 SpA, 252 Spe, 4 HP
-
Fire Blast
-
Focus Blast
-
Thunderbolt
-
Psychic

I love using this Magmortar set. He is my hard-hitting special sweeper with a lot of type coverage. Vital Spirit allows me to switch into a Pokémon that is about to put me to sleep (e.g. Xatu with Hypnosis). Max special attack combined with Life Orb can tear teams apart. I have full investment in Speed because a 252 Speed Magmortar can out-speed a lot of things that it normally can't. The reason I love using Magmortar is because of his excellent type coverage. Fire Blast is the STAB of choice here. Focus Blast has amazing type coverage but at important moments it can miss. Thunderbolt is to hit bulky water types that I'm faster than (Feraligatr, Gorebyss, Lapras, etc.), and Psychic is my only answer to fighting types, which I desperately need. Also, I don't like the idea of using the MixMortar set or whatever it's called.

Synergy:
Sceptile,
Raichu
Feraligatr,
Sceptile,
Zangoose
Feraligatr,
Sceptile,
Bastiodon

Calculations:
Offense:
252+ SpA Life Orb Magmortar Fire Blast vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Regice: 268-320 (73.6 - 87.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery

252+ SpA Life Orb Magmortar Fire Blast vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Articuno: 307-367 (79.9 - 95.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery

252+ SpA Life Orb Magmortar Focus Blast vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Bastiodon: 416-494 (128.3 - 152.4%) -- guaranteed OHKO

252+ SpA Life Orb Magmortar Thunderbolt vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Mantine: 312-369 (93.4 - 110.4%) -- 56.3% chance to OHKO

252+ SpA Life Orb Magmortar Psychic vs. 252 HP / 252 SpD Hariyama: 294-348 (59.7 - 70.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery


Raichu: Life Orb

Ability: Static (Pokémon Showdown won't let me have Lightning Rod)
Hasty Nature (+Spe, -Def)
EVs: 252 SpA, 252 Spe, 4 Atk
-
Nasty Plot
-
Thunderbolt
-
Hidden Power [Ice]
-
Extreme Speed

I really like Raichu. It's fun to bring in a Pokémon that your opponent thinks is terrible and then end up killing 4 enemy Pokémon with it. He is not the best of special attackers, but 3 things let him keep up. One of them is his base 110 speed. That is incredibly fast, and my max speed investment lets him reach 350 unboosted. Pair it up with 252 EVs in Special Attack and that's already a potent offensive sweeper. Secondly, he has access to Extreme Speed. This opens up the door for Raichu as it allows him to finish off a weak Pokémon without worry and he can turn into a respectful revenge killer. Thirdly, Raichu has the move Nasty Plot. After 1 Nasty Plot, you have 558 Special Attack, and combined with the 350 Speed, you are almost guaranteed a good sweep. Life Orb also adds onto that. Thunderbolt is the preferred STAB and Hidden Power Ice is to hit ground types (Smogon also had it for the Raichu set, so I played it safe).

Synergy:
Feraligatr,
Sceptile,
Zangoose

Calculations:
Offense:
+2 252 SpA Life Orb Raichu Thunderbolt vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Articuno: 369-437 (96 - 113.8%) -- 75% chance to OHKO

+2 252 SpA Life Orb Raichu Thunderbolt vs. 252 HP / 252 SpD Lapras: 484-572 (104.3 - 123.2%) -- guaranteed OHKO

+2 252 SpA Life Orb Raichu Hidden Power Ice vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Altaria: 369-437 (104.2 - 123.4%) -- guaranteed OHKO

+2 252 SpA Life Orb Raichu Hidden Power Ice vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Stunfisk: 192-229 (45.4 - 54.2%) -- 4.3% chance to 2HKO after Leftovers recovery

+2 252 SpA Life Orb Raichu Hidden Power Ice vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Torterra: 426-504 (108.1 - 127.9%) -- guaranteed OHKO



Sceptile: Choice Scarf / Life Orb

Ability: Overgrow
Hasty Nature (+Spe, -Def)
EVs: 252 Spe, 220 SpA, 36 Atk
-
Giga Drain
-
Focus Blast
-
Hidden Power [Rock]
-
Earthquake

Last but not least is Sceptile. He rounds out the Fire-Grass-Water core and he is a great scarfer. I don't know if I should have Choice Scarf or Life Orb. I use both; I like the revenge killing potential with the Choice Scarf but I enjoy the freedom to switch moves when I use the Life Orb. I have max speed to make it as fast as possible. I have Giga Drain as my STAB instead of Leaf Storm because I love the healing it gives and I don't want to lock myself into Leaf Storm. I have Focus Blast and Earthquake for type coverage. I couldn't find a last decent special move, so I looked at the Sceptile sets on Smogon and I found Hidden Power Rock on a couple. I really liked Hidden Power Rock because I was able to do decent damage to finish off a flying type or a weakened fire type.

Synergy:
Bastiodon,
Feraligatr,
Magmortar
Bastiodon,
Feraligatr,
Magmortar,
Zangoose,
Raichu
Bastiodon,
Magmortar
Feraligatr,
Magmortar,
Bastiodon
Bastiodon,
Magmortar

Calculations:
There is no need to do calculations because Sceptile is my revenge killer and he usually kills a weakened Pokémon.


Replays:
Please ignore the stupid things I do in the battle. This section is just to show that this team is good:


Conclusion:

Well, there is my NU tier team. I thought I did a pretty good job. Thank you if you read this. That must have been a challenge and I'm very glad you did. Again, please rate this team. I really need advice from more experienced players and I will take it into consideration. Thank you!:toast:

Animated Black and White Sprites: http://www.smogon.com/media/forums/avatars/
Animated X&Y Sprites: http://www.pkparaiso.com/xy/sprites_pokemon.php?cid=20#chunk20

Fireflame479
 
Last edited:
no fighting-type resistance is terrible because you will have an incredibly hard time against gurdurr, sawk, hariyama, etc. i suggest using choice scarf rotom instead of raichu so that you have an immunity to fighting-types so you aren't cleaned by the aforementioned pokemon (like anyone can just save a choice scarf sawk with no consequences) while having some added speed to help against boosting pokemon

other than that, i honestly think that bastiodon does your team no favors at all because it doesn't really do anything to bulkier pokemon, even with curse. also consider the fact that it's monoattacking with an 8 pp move. just to exemplify, something like swords dance feraligatr or gorebyss can set up faster while you only do around 33% with +1 stone edge. it gives so many opportunities for pokemon to set up or support its members, so in reality bastiodon is not useful outside of stealth rock and will lose momentum against a decent opponent. you should use steelix which boasts some offensive presence with high base power moves, checks similar pokemon as bastiodon to a decent extent, while it can use roar to deter some setup

zangoose doesn't need ice punch, and swords dance isn't completely necessary when it already wallbreaks effectively. facade / close combat / knock off / quick attack is basically perfect coverage with priority. the priority is useful considering your entire team lacks any
 

Fireflame

Silksong when
is a Top Contributoris a Smogon Media Contributoris a Social Media Contributor Alumnus
Thank you for the advice. But just asking, why are my mini sprites not working? They were working on the team preview.
 
no fighting-type resistance is terrible because you will have an incredibly hard time against gurdurr, sawk, hariyama, etc. i suggest using choice scarf rotom instead of raichu so that you have an immunity to fighting-types so you aren't cleaned by the aforementioned pokemon (like anyone can just save a choice scarf sawk with no consequences) while having some added speed to help against boosting pokemon

other than that, i honestly think that bastiodon does your team no favors at all because it doesn't really do anything to bulkier pokemon, even with curse. also consider the fact that it's monoattacking with an 8 pp move. just to exemplify, something like swords dance feraligatr or gorebyss can set up faster while you only do around 33% with +1 stone edge. it gives so many opportunities for pokemon to set up or support its members, so in reality bastiodon is not useful outside of stealth rock and will lose momentum against a decent opponent. you should use steelix which boasts some offensive presence with high base power moves, checks similar pokemon as bastiodon to a decent extent, while it can use roar to deter some setup

zangoose doesn't need ice punch, and swords dance isn't completely necessary when it already wallbreaks effectively. facade / close combat / knock off / quick attack is basically perfect coverage with priority. the priority is useful considering your entire team lacks any
But Rotom still gets pressured hard by Gurdurr's Guts + Knock Off. Gothorita could be a good option and adds a nice trapping element to your team.

I also agree with getting rid of Bastiodon in favour of Steelix BUT you may even want to try out something more offensive. Drilbur's a threat in the right team. Just try a few things and see what works imo.
 
If you're going offensive with Bastiodon, you know that Lairon practically does the same thing minus special walling and has Head Smash, Curse, Rocks, and Protect, right? o.o It also has a higher atk so....
 
But Rotom still gets pressured hard by Gurdurr's Guts + Knock Off. Gothorita could be a good option and adds a nice trapping element to your team.

I also agree with getting rid of Bastiodon in favour of Steelix BUT you may even want to try out something more offensive. Drilbur's a threat in the right team. Just try a few things and see what works imo.
drilbur is completely irrelevant because it's not strong and is completely outperformed by sandslash. also there are no other stealth rock setters that reliably take normal- and flying-type attacks (aside from other things that are similarly weak to sandslash) since relying only on rotom to do so isn't really the best idea when it has other utilities it specializes more in, so having steelix is great for that while still having the capabilities of beating things like belly drum slurpuff

and yes, rotom can't switch into gurdurr and i was more focused on choiced fighting-types (primarily sawk) that would be able to get away easily with a choice scarf or, if banded, just being able to come in on feraligatr, magmortar, or steelix after a KO and click close combat with no repercussions. however, given the offensive nature of this team, it really minimizes gurdurr's ability to do too much and a well-timed trick from rotom will make it easier to handle. if gurdurr is still difficult to handle however, then there's always options like vileplume over sceptile, or uxie over magmortar. i just don't think it's entirely necessary since the popularity of bulk up gurdurr should decrease with slurpuff around now which means that it's less likely for one to set up on you
 
drilbur is completely irrelevant because it's not strong and is completely outperformed by sandslash. also there are no other stealth rock setters that reliably take normal- and flying-type attacks (aside from other things that are similarly weak to sandslash) since relying only on rotom to do so isn't really the best idea when it has other utilities it specializes more in, so having steelix is great for that while still having the capabilities of beating things like belly drum slurpuff

and yes, rotom can't switch into gurdurr and i was more focused on choiced fighting-types (primarily sawk) that would be able to get away easily with a choice scarf or, if banded, just being able to come in on feraligatr, magmortar, or steelix after a KO and click close combat with no repercussions. however, given the offensive nature of this team, it really minimizes gurdurr's ability to do too much and a well-timed trick from rotom will make it easier to handle. if gurdurr is still difficult to handle however, then there's always options like vileplume over sceptile, or uxie over magmortar. i just don't think it's entirely necessary since the popularity of bulk up gurdurr should decrease with slurpuff around now which means that it's less likely for one to set up on you
All good points - I have to admit I'm not too well versed in NU. Wasn't trying to encroach on anything you said btw, but I still think Gurdurr needs to be more appropriately prepared for.
 
The team looks good and the synergy that you have is great, BUT; it seems like pokemon such as Spiritomb and Fast Taunt users such as Electrode can completely stall your team. Especially pokemon like Gogoat can wall your Sceptile on the scarf sets, giving it a free turn to Bulk Up; That's not good on your part.

Another suggestion is Sceptile's moveset. It's good and all, but It doesn't work all together. I'd suggest using:

Sceptile: Life Orb
Ability: Overgrow
Hasty Nature (+Spe, -Def)
EVs: 252 Spe, 220 SpA, 36 Atk
- Leaf Storm
- Focus Blast
- Rock Slide
- Earthquake

I would suggest replacing Hidden Power [Rock] to Rock Slide so you:
  1. Don't get completely walled by Cryogonal (shaky accuracy of FB can cost you)
  2. Catches Jynx off-guard
  3. Can beat Quiver Dancers (if using scarf)
Possibly try playing around with the EVs, depending on threats.

On another note:
You have a horrible weakness to ground attacks. Sceptile can't really take a 1+ EQ from a Gatr anyway. Plus, Gatr outspeeds Sceptile after a boost. (Unless scarf)

Other than that, most of your team looks rather solid. I'd remove Curse from Bastiodon and put Metal Burst to counter most sweepers. Personally, i'd try using a set containing:

Bastiodon: Leftovers
Ability: Sturdy
Careful Nature (+SpD, -SpA)
EVs: 252 HP, 126 Def, 130 SpD
- Block
- Metal Burst
- Taunt
- Stealth Rock

Using this set, it becomes an efficient trapper and anti-lead. Pretty cool, huh? I just made it on the spot, but it seems to work for your team to create an offensive presence.

Okay, now I'm finished. Your team is solid. Keep up the good work.
 
Agreeing ium's Choice Scarf Rotom>Raichu suggestion, though I'd also consider trying Stealth Rock Archeops instead of Steelix. Your team is quite offensive, and I'd personally recommend a more offensive Stealth Rock user in lieu of a tankier one. Archeops can prevent hazards from going down early game with a fast Taunt, and it can either set up its own as well or simply start smacking things with its incredibly powerful attacks. I know ium mentioned Steelix handling Slurpuff, but you don't have anything on your team that Slurpuff can feasibly set up on anyways. You can go with a Focus Sash Endeavor set or a no item Acrobatics set. The former is great at breaking down your opponent's Stealth Rock setter after being brought to its Sash, while the latter just generally hits things really hard and can deal massive damage to most hazard setters with Earth Power!

Archeops @ No Item / Focus Sash | Ability: Defeatist
252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe | Naive Nature
Stealth Rock / Taunt / (Acrobatics / Earth Power) -or- (Endeavor / Stone Edge | Quick Attack)
 

Users Who Are Viewing This Thread (Users: 1, Guests: 0)

Top