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Infernape @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Blaze
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Flare Blitz
- Close Combat
- U-turn
- Stone Edge
Description: Shaymin+Infernape have very good offensive synergy. The core being able to hit on both physical and special with a plethora of super effective moves. Scarfnape fits best imo as it is able to outspeed and take out some of Shaymin's checks and counters namely Mega Pidgeot, Aero, Beedrill, Crobat, he is only a checkhowever. Likewise Shaymin is also able to deal with the bulky water types that give Infernape troubles. U-Turn on Infernape lets the user keep momentum on his side as well and Healing Wish with the extra life.
(copied Cnorth26 formatting because it looked nice )
Heracross + Shaymin
Alright this is a core I've actually use a lot with Shaymin these make amazing offensive partners Heracross gets rid of the Specail walls Shaymin can't yet while Shaymin can Provide Tailwind to speed up Heracross and sweep late game but thank to the Burn damage it can get low pretty quick so Healing Wish Shaymin can give it a second chance to kill everything Hidden Power Ice take care of Salamence that try to Set-Up on Shaymin. This core hdoes have it trouble though having no switch in to Fire Types, Fairy Types, FlyingTypes , and Hazards so Pokemon like Mega Aerodactl to check to Fire and Flying types or Empolean to keep hazards away and set them up try it out and see how good it is. I recommend Facade over Megahorn has it hits everything for Neutral damage except Steel and Rock-Types.
Shaymin @ Life Orb
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Seed Flare
- Tailwind
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Healing Wish
Heracross @ Flame Orb
Ability: Guts
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Megahorn
- Facade / Megahorn
- Close Combat
- Knock Off
someone beat me to posting it :0 you might wanna fix the heracross set since you have megahorn in slot 1 then facade/megahorn slot 2. Perhaps slot 1 should be swords dance?
Okay, well it's time I've had a crack at this. Taken to account that shaymin has decent bulk and a good ability, who's to say it can't be in a defensive core, namely one with AV slowing? You see, slowking covers 3 weaknesses that shaymin struggles against; poison, ice and fire. While shaymin can take on electric type and absorb a good chunk of the tier's non-super effective physical moves, as well as any annoying status due to natural cure.
Bopped (Shaymin) @ Leftovers
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 128 HP / 252 Def / 128 SpA
Bold Nature
- Giga Drain
- Leech Seed
- Substitute
- Dazzling Gleam
basically, it's a defensive Subseed shaymin (my own personal set). SpA investment ensures a KO on regular swampert with giga drain, and has a pretty good chance to KO mega swampert. Defensive evs allow it to take a few hits, such as mega swamps ice punch (does around 40%) and can take a mienshao's HJK when healthy (about a 33% chance to 2HKO after leftovers) leech seed and sub allows it to annoy cune and it's grass typing means that whimsy can't do shit, while dazzling gleam breaks it's subs. Speaking of dazzling gleam, air slash can be used to kill whimsy, but I prefer dazzling gleam to OHKO hydra, an otherwise huge threat to this core.
Slowking @ Assault Vest
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 248 HP / 252 SpA / 8 Spe
Modest Nature
- Scald
- Psychic
- Dragon Tail
- Ice Beam
The average, run-of-the-mill AV king. I personally never really got to using this set, so I just stuck to the set word for word. This has a job and does it well, take a special hit, and force a switch/hit harder back. It can thankfully avoid the 2HKO from scarf hydra's dark pulse, but LO hydra just wrecks the hell out of the guy. regenerator is always helpful to have, but trick totally kills this guy, so just be careful.
I've seen a lot of pairs with Water Types, so let me add another one
Shaymin @ Leftovers
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Leech Seed
- Seed Flare
- Psychic / Air Slash (Psychic for Nidos, Crobat or 90% of fighting types) / Air Slash for opposing Grass Types, Pangoro or attempts at flinching)
- Substitute
Blastoise @ Blastoisinite
Ability: Rain Dish
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
Modest Nature
- Rapid Spin
- Scald
- Dark Pulse
- Aura Sphere/Ice Beam (Aura Sphere for Aggron, Cobalion, Hydreigon [which kills when Ice Beam does not] or Porygon / Ice Beam for Mega Pidgeot, opposing Shaymin, and Mence)
So I took the Smog Analysis SubSeed Shaymin, and put it alongside Mega Blastoise as a decent Bulky Offensive Core, though it almost borders on defensive. Mega Turtle is an amazingly bulky mon, great at keeping hazards off of the field, and with great power, and utility in its movepool. Shaymin is really great at doing what Blastoise cannot-- sponging status with Natural Cure, gaining recovery with Leech Seed, eating T-bolts and Grass Knots, and this duo right here sits incredibly well with Defensive Arcanine, or even Entei for a more offensive approach. I attempted messing around with some of the EVs, to tailor it to see if there's something better I could do-- but to be honest, these are really the best ones, maxing out both mons power means that they have less need for team support, and give you more options to counter the mons they don't quite cover.
However, if you like, you're welcome to try a more offensive Shaymin with Earth Power, Dazzling Gleam or even Rest for a quick recovery option
Mega Pidgeot is a problem, even with Ice Beam. But as all teams should have a Pidgeot- check regardless of what's on the team, this shouldn't be a surprise.
Toxicroak can also pose problems, switching in and setting up on a predicted Scald from Blastoise can mean serious problems, even for Shaymin. With proper prediction though, try and sneak in on a Sucker Punch instead of Gunk Shot or Drain punch, and Psychic OHKOs at any point. However, consider adding Crobat to the team as a direct counter to Toxicroak.
All of these posts are ones to consider, but if you're looking more defensively, the Mega Blastoise is a great option, and pair really well with all of the other mons posted already. This is essentially a teambuilder right now.
A core I've been very fond of using lately on a HO team. While this may stray away from the mainstream I've still found it to be rather effective. these two focus on supporting the wall breakers of the team along with smacking shit as well. The premise of the core was to focus on boosting the speed of somewhat slow but yet powerful pokemon making them even more scary such as Heracross and Honchkrow. Aside from the ability to support other mons they do have good synergy with each other as well, and they wear down each others switch ins rather nicely. Suicune beats fires and checks shit like aero, while shaymin beats waters
Ok guys, loved this week's submissions. There were some really innovative ones utilizing Shaymins' decent support movepool with things like Tailwind and even Healing Wish. This week's winner goes to Slate. and his excellent description of Shaymin + Feraligatr's synergy. As suggested by Lilligant for OU, I decided to start awarding second and third places so second place this week goes to Cnorth26 with Entei and third place goes to GULLY and his Mega Aerodactyl. The rest of guys, good job and I hope you keep bringing your enthusiasm and support back each and every week. Anyways this week's matchmaking victim is going to be a particular Pokemon that has been a favorite of mine and also being a slept on threat...I am talking about...
This fox has a wide movepool, two great boosting moves, and a decent amount of priority. Sadly, this thing isn't used as much as it should be and as such I wanna see what you guys can come up with for partners for this lonely fox. Good luck this week you guys :)
Description: Lucario and Mega Apharos work together by taking out each other's counters/checks which makes this a pretty reliable core. Things that threaten Lucario like Suicune,Crobat and Mandibuzz can be easily dealt with by Ampharos and Lucario does the same by taking out fairies with BP[Iron Tail can be used but it is shaky] and some other mons like Mamoswine andSnorlax with its STABs which Ampharos struggles with.
Lucario is an incredibly difficult pokemon to use. Partially because of its vast movepool-- it's difficult to really know what you really want from it. But mostly because it is just shy in terms of stats for OU. Its base 90 speed is just enough that you want to invest in it, but the sacrifice in power is noticeable, and moves designed to make up for it, like Vacuum Wave, Bullet Punch and Extremespeed make Lucario's power seem negligible. Lucario also suffers from Mega Sceptile syndrome, being too weak to switch into an attack without some great predictions, weak to status, and not quite powerful enough to do anything efficiently enough if you guess wrong.
Mega Aerodactyl, and Mega Pidgeot tend to be really good counters for it as well, always being faster, and being able to take a hit most of the time without worry. So the point of this set is to PROVE THEM WRONG!
Lucario @ Life Orb
Ability: Justified
EVs: 100 HP / 252 Atk / 156 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Agility
- Close Combat
- Iron Tail / Bullet Punch / Extremespeed
- Ice Punch
Lucario here is a clean up mon. That means that I don't want to see a stray Mega Aggron on the field, or a Doublade or Quagsire or any of those stupidly tanky bulky monsters that laugh at Close Combat. No. Can't do it.
Agility here with 156 Speed boosts my main man to 510 speed. Meaning we can play with the big kids now, and outspeed Mega Sharpedo at +1 with max speed. That cleans the waters with Mega Sceptile, Mega Pidgeot and Mega Aerodactyl, who all naively rely on their fancy "natural speed" to zip around the field like sports cars. Max Attack with Life Orb hits as hard as you can. Clean up on all 6 aisles. The problem is WHEN to use it. So try using Lucario's Agility when you get a switch out, or when it looks like the opponent might set up, or try setting rocks. The sooner Lucario sets up Agility, the sooner you don't have to worry about it.
However, you could go EVs: 84 HP / 252 Atk / 172 Spe Jolly Nature So that you outspeed Adamant Krook the first time, and don't have to worry about setting up an Agility first. The loss of power can be crippling though, as Virizion and Whimsicott become rolls, from guaranteed OHKOs to 50% OHKO. Haxorus, Granbull, Aromatiss, Roserade, and Meloetta also go from 50% OHKO to 2HKO, so consider your team before deciding.
So what I'd look for here is mon that dents. A mon that can get up some hazards, and a mon that punishes what Lucario can't quite hit. Mega Aggron almost made the spot, as hazards, bulk and EQ made for a decent synergy. Suicune almost made the list as well. If you're curious to how they match up, I can talk about it
But the real winner was this guy-- the boss of UU. Krookodile
Krookodile @ Earth Plate
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 96 Atk / 160 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Knock Off
- Earthquake
- Stealth Rock / Taunt
- Pursuit / Stealth Rock
Barring Fighting Types (looking at you Mienshao) Krook and Luke balance weaknesses pretty well-- Got a Bug Buzz coming at the Dile from Yanmega or Icicle Crash from Mamo? Switch in Lucario for 4x or 2x resist. Earthquake on the Way to Lucario? Intimidate and Krook's bulk make it A-OK. I can even give you some versatility: Stealth Rock tends to benefit Lucario a lot, but isn't always necessary. Taunt shuts down set-up sweepers, as well as Florges and Aromatisse, which are problems for both mons, while Krookodile still remains the premier Pursuit user in the teir, punishing all who come unprepared. Dread Plate is a great option if you do opt for Pursuit, but Earth Plate gets OHKOs on Nidoqueen (100%), Entei (93% of the time) Mega Ampharos (75% of the time) Aggron (62%) Absol (37.5%) and Mienshao (37.5%) while Dread Plate causes OHKOS on Chatot (93.8%) Meloetta (93.8%) Slowking (75%) Vivillon (43%) and Reuniclus (37%), though it does power up Pursuit to obnoxious power, so choose with caution. This can be supplemented with more power, less bulk, but I tend to like a little more bulk to survive a few more attacks. With 160 speed I'm still outspeeding Adamant Lucario, which could otherwise OHKO me with Close Combat, and Timid Chandy, which threatens Lucario, but can add some bulk to turn Nidoking and Queen's Ice Beam from Guaranteed OHKOs down to 6% at the most, Infernape's Close Combat down to 12% at the most, and Slowking's Scald from 81.3% OHKO to guaranteed 2HKO, along with Choice Band Swampert's Waterfall, Tornadus' Hurricane, Florges' Moonblast, Azelf's unboosted Dazzling Gleam and Porygon-Z's Scarf Ice Beam-- all 2HKO. I like the bulk better, and it supplements Lucario's frailty.
^^^I HATE SPRITES ^^^ WHY DO THEY GET HUGE FOR NO REASON!!???
Lucario @ Life Orb
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Close Combat
- Extreme Speed
- Crunch
As a somewhat frail Pokemon with a somewhat bad defensive typing, Lucario has trouble switching in, especially against bulky waters. Something that can help Lucario switch in as well as eliminate bulky waters is paramount. Mega Ampharos was already taken (I cri evrytiem) so I'll have to go with...
Rotom-Mow has no trouble taking down bulky waters, unless they carry ice beam, but that's rare as hell. Trick can deuce on the likes of Crocune if the love to spam calm minds, allowing Lucario to come in, get a free dance, and eliminate the competition.
Lucario @ Life Orb
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- ExtremeSpeed
- Iron Tail
- Close Combat
- Swords Dance
Yeah, buddy. Dual fighting spam for a mean, sometimes unstoppable combo since nothing wants to switch into a +2 anything from either of these. But there's a big weakness to ground and flying-type moves, right? For the most part, either can hammer through mega bird which is the premier bird-spam and fighting check. To handle that, comes the flying rock.
Simply put, these three are a trio of setup sweepers that just provide a constant offensive pressure while covering each other's checks and weaknesses if they can't outright OHKO them. Lucario can't do jack shit to Doublade, but Maero and Infernape can with heat wake. Infernape can't touch Blissey, while Lucario rips it a new one. Even Suicune will learn to fear Infernape, since it can't switch in and OHKO back. (It can do close, ~90%, but it'll get outsped anyways and gets 2hko'd unless it's above 72 SpD.)
The only issue the core has is with Mienshao, and there's enough priority to just hammer it down into killing range for another mon.
When I saw lucario I insantly thought of this core. Aerodactyl pairs very well with lucario in general and it really helps strengthen lucarios sweeping capabilities. Aero works well with lucario in general but specifically pursuit is what makes aero benefit lucario's sweeping capabilities the most. Pursuit traps and kills some of lucarios offensive checks depending on if you are running nasty plot or swords dance. Chandelure being one of lucarios biggest offensive checks is easily dealt with by pursuit aero giving you an opening to potentially sweep. Offenisve checks that I can think of that would stop the nasty plot set in its tracks would be the likes of azelf and drill run mega beedrill who are both put out of commission after a pursuit and lucario does not have to worry about them anymore. The pursuit damage can go a long way on mons like crobat and the likes of shaymin who are bulky enough to take and espeed from the SD set and a V wave from the np set. The chip damage can put them in range of lucarios priority thus hindering their ability to stop lucario's sweep. On the flip side, lucarios denting ability can go a long way in giving aerodactyl, one of the best cleaners in the tier to do what it does best and well...clean up late game.
It is specifically pursuit aero though, without pursuit these mons can freely switch out and still keep lucario in check.
Lucario @ Life Orb
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- ExtremeSpeed
- Iron Tail
- Close Combat
- Swords Dance
Yeah, buddy. Dual fighting spam for a mean, sometimes unstoppable combo since nothing wants to switch into a +2 anything from either of these. But there's a big weakness to ground and flying-type moves, right? For the most part, either can hammer through mega bird which is the premier bird-spam and fighting check. To handle that, comes the flying rock.
Simply put, these three are a trio of setup sweepers that just provide a constant offensive pressure while covering each other's checks and weaknesses if they can't outright OHKO them. Lucario can't do jack shit to Doublade, but Maero and Infernape can with heat wake. Infernape can't touch Blissey, while Lucario rips it a new one. Even Suicune will learn to fear Infernape, since it can't switch in and OHKO back. (It can do close, ~90%, but it'll get outsped anyways and gets 2hko'd unless it's above 72 SpD.)
The only issue the core has is with Mienshao, and there's enough priority to just hammer it down into killing range for another mon.
When I saw lucario I insantly thought of this core. Aerodactyl pairs very well with lucario in general and it really helps strengthen lucarios sweeping capabilities. Aero works well with lucario in general but specifically pursuit is what makes aero benefit lucario's sweeping capabilities the most. Pursuit traps and kills some of lucarios offensive checks depending on if you are running nasty plot or swords dance. Chandelure being one of lucarios biggest offensive checks is easily dealt with by pursuit aero giving you an opening to potentially sweep. Offenisve checks that I can think of that would stop the nasty plot set in its tracks would be the likes of azelf and drill run mega beedrill who are both put out of commission after a pursuit and lucario does not have to worry about them anymore. The pursuit damage can go a long way on mons like crobat and the likes of shaymin who are bulky enough to take and espeed from the SD set and a V wave from the np set. The chip damage can put them in range of lucarios priority thus hindering their ability to stop lucario's sweep. On the flip side, lucarios denting ability can go a long way in giving aerodactyl, one of the best cleaners in the tier to do what it does best and well...clean up late game.
It is specifically pursuit aero though, without pursuit these mons can freely switch out and still keep lucario in check.
Just going to comment real quick that I will allow OG_Wanka's submission as Nightingales's submission was initially Infernape with a side of Mega Aerodactyl (which I already told Nightingales that in the future to post one mon only).
Lucario and Slowking Surprised no one has done this yet
Here are the sets! Standard but effective!
Lucario @ Life Orb
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Extreme Speed
- Earthquake
- Close Combat
- Swords Dance
Slowking @ Leftovers
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 Spe
Bold Nature
- Calm Mind
- Scald
- Psyshock
- Slack Off
Each poke covers each others weakness pretty well while putting each other in a situation where they can sweep. Slowking is anti-balance and stall and Lucario is anti-HO and balance. Slowking takes the fire and fighting moves for Lucario. Lucario takes the knock offs and grass moves for Slowking. I chose adamant over jolly because it kills stuff easier with e speed. Unfortunately this sacrifices some checking potential to stuff like Specs Chandy or Mamoswine. Mamoswine can be beaten by Slowking though. Earthquake on lucario is for chandy switch in and nidoqueen as well as doublade. The two share a helioisk weakness but Lucario's unboosted e speed can kill after some prior damage. Maero can be a problem for no bullet punch lucario but Slowking can take it on. The two are pretty amazing as they add a lot of sweep potential to your team. I can't imagine a better partner for Lucario!
Chandalure can keep fighting-types in check being immune to their stab and physical walls like gligar while lucario can get rid of Dark-Types and Blissey for chandalure. Memento is useful when you don't need chandalure any more then you can bring in Lucario and SD. This core is really good not having that many flaws that can't be fixed my other teammates.
Chandelure @ Choice Specs
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Memento
- Fire Blast
- Shadow Ball
- Energy Ball
Ya'll got it all wrong, watch this ish... We got the momentum lord and the sweeper lord.
Whimsicott @ Iron Ball
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Atk / 252 Def
Impish Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- U-turn
- Memento
- Switcheroo
- Encore
Lucario @ Life Orb
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Close Combat
- Bullet Punch
- Earthquake
- Swords Dance
Pretty simple. I stole the Whim set from somewhere I think someone used it in a tour. Anyway, you Encore a passive move and get a slow U-turn with Iron Ball and a negative speed nature. Switcheroo is good to cripple random stuff (thanks to Leo)
Ya'll got it all wrong, watch this ish... We got the momentum lord and the sweeper lord.
Whimsicott @ Iron Ball
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Atk / 252 Def
Impish Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- U-turn
- Memento
- Light Screen
- Encore
Lucario @ Life Orb
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Close Combat
- Bullet Punch
- Earthquake
- Swords Dance
Pretty simple. I stole the Whim set from somewhere I think someone used it in a tour. Anyway, you Encore a passive move and get a slow U-turn with Iron Ball and a negative speed nature. If you get a chance set up Light Screen for more bulk coupled with Lucario's hella resistances.
Try Switcheroo > Light Screen, let's you cripple something fast (with 100% acc too!), and Memento is more consistent in granting Lucario setup opportunities anyway.
Seriously, Fross and Luke go so well together that they inspired their own special spikestacking team archetype. Double-ghost spikes + Luke dropped in popularity after Sableye left us for the hallowed halls of OU, but it's still super viable, and takes a lot of teams by surprise. This works well with either of Luke's boosting sets, as it's incredibly reliable at getting Spikes down and popping common Defoggers, and not much can take a +2 Luke (of either variety) once hazards are dropped.
Ice Beam over Icy Wind is an option if you have Salamence trouble, in which case drop the HP for SpA. Spikes, Taunt, Dbond and something that's not cockblocked by opposing Taunts are all must-haves though. Sorry, T-wave, you're a cool option, but you and I aren't friends.
(Crap, thought I'd saved more replays than that... I'll have to get some more and add them. But seriously, use your imagination - Froslass and Luke are incredibly good together.)
Ok this week was very eventful, but Hogg has done it again in being the latest submission and winning the week, lol. His replays and Froslass set were enough to convince me that Froslass was the best partner for Lucario. 2nd place goes to Eeyore with the delightful rendition of Krookodile and 3rd place goes to OG_Wanka with the marvelous addition of Pursuit Mega Aerodactyl. Now for this week's matchmaking victim, I was suggested by Kreme to nominate this mon and that mon would be...
Tyrantrum has risen the ranks with its "newfound" power in recoilless STAB Head Smash while also having 2 setup moves, a decent plethora of coverage moves, and the unique Rock / Dragon typing. Good luck to all that participate this week and I will be excited to see what you guys can bring to the table...
ANNOUNCEMENT!!!
In the coming weeks, I have some plans for this thread to make it even better (waiting on approval from the UUTLs right now before I go through with it), but be excited and be warned, lol.
This duo excels at weakening each others counters to the point where Lucario or a third pokemon can sweep (think Slurpuff). Basically, the only real answers to Tyrantrum when it's in on something slower than it are Mega Aggron, Doublade, and Swampert. Repeatedly forcing in Doublade to take Banded Head Smashes very easily weakens it to the point where it's dying to +2 Earthquake from Lucario. These two fit well on offense but appreciate things to handle pokemon such as EQ Mega Aerodactyl and Krookodile.
OK I just want to give everyone an idea of Tyrantrum's power, for those who don't know
252+ Atk Choice Band Tyrantrum Head Smash vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Suicune: 252-297 (62.3 - 73.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
252+ Atk Choice Band Tyrantrum Head Smash vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Cresselia: 244-288 (54.9 - 64.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
THESE AREN'T COUNTERS, FRIENDS.
Nidoqueen (F) @ Life Orb
Ability: Sheer Force
EVs: 40 HP / 252 SpA / 216 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Stealth Rock
- Sludge Wave / Toxic Spikes
- Ice Beam
- Earth Power
Bops all of Tyrantrum's biggest checks, including, but not limited to, Mega Aggron, Lucario, Forretress, Doublade, Mega Aero, Whimsicott, Entei and Cobalion. Tyrantrum, in turn, bops Blissey, Suicune (lol I'm not kidding -- CB Head Smash 2HKO's), and Cresselia (which it also 2HKO's). Toxic Spikes are an option over Sludge Wave to net some important KO's, but this makes Florges much harder to break, making you have to rely on the not-so-reliable Head Smash.
TFW YOU CAN ONLY CHOOSE ONE MON. RIP NIDO + TYRANTRUM + HERA.
Ok guys, I didn't read the rules well because I didn't have enough "time" but I think I understood that for each nomination you have to add a pokemon who sinergyzes well with the proposed pokemon, so I want to propose you Whimsicott. I used alot this core and it's very effective because thanks to prankster, Whimsicott is able to help in any situation tyrantrum to sweep and as someone already said, with Choice Band is able to get kills and absurd damages to anything existing in the tier by helping the sweep of the other offensive members of the team ( example Lucario, rain abusers, ecc).
Oh Tyrantrum.
In a tier where Hydreigon and Salamence are both S rank, and nearly define the metagame, it's hard to find a place where you fit. Let's quick compare to Salamence: With added weaknesses to Ground, Steel, and especially Fighting, and 3 new nearly pointless resistances in Electric, Poison and Normal, Tyrantrum also sports lower Speed, Special Defense, Attack and HP (along with special attack, but who runs Special Tyrantrum?) The only thing higher is Defense, which becomes nearly pointless when the main physical attackers of the tier wall under its weaknesses.
So to create a pair, I must first find out what Tyrantrum does.
How I Found Tyrantrum's Niche
So Tyrantrum right now has 3 sets-- Choice Scarf, Choice Band, and Dragon Dance. There's merits to all three, but the last one can simply be outclassed by Salamence most of the time, who has naturally higher speed and attack, and a different movepool to pick from.
The first two however, hint at what Tyrantrum actually does-- Wallbreak.
Now of course, Hydreigon is another Wallbreaker in the same tier, that does similar things with what some would argue more offensive typing. Its higher speed and comparable Special Attack mean that it is similar as well. But Tyrantrum is just different enough to be able to fit with only minor complications, and fits well with different team members, which is why we're even having this discussion in the first place, and why I spent so long doing this.
(please skip this if you want to save time, and go right to the duo)
So why Tyrantrum?
Well here's the thing. Tyrantrum has two amazing abilities, along with deeper coverage moves than the other Dragons in the tier. With access to Thunder Fang, Ice Fang, Fire Fang, and Crunch, as well as the ability Strong Jaw, which gives a 50% boost in power to these moves, Tyrantrum has an incredibly wide range of coverage, being able to deal serious damage to every single Pokemon in the tier with the correct move. If Rock Head is used instead, Tyrantrum becomes a Talonflame-esque spammer of Head Smash, whose 150 base power inevitably wipes the floor with other dragons of the tier, using the same type move.
252+ Atk Tyrantrum Head Smash vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Mega Pidgeot: 618-728 (200.6 - 236.3%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ Atk Salamence Rock Slide vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Mega Pidgeot: 224-264 (72.7 - 85.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
While its standard attacking anyways is not much worse than Salamence. (I picked Aboma because it was the first one to pop up, and it still proves my point)
252+ Atk Tyrantrum Earthquake vs. 8 HP / 0- Def Abomasnow: 80-95 (24.7 - 29.4%) -- 100% chance to 4HKO
252+ Atk Salamence Earthquake vs. 8 HP / 0- Def Abomasnow: 87-102 (26.9 - 31.5%) -- guaranteed 4HKO
Here's a better comparison using Thunder Fang -- with and without Strong Jaw
252+ Atk Strong Jaw Tyrantrum Thunder Fang vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Mega Pidgeot: 266-314 (86.3 - 101.9%) -- 12.5% chance to OHKO
252+ Atk Tyrantrum Thunder Fang vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Mega Pidgeot: 180-212 (58.4 - 68.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ Atk Salamence Thunder Fang vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Mega Pidgeot: 192-228 (62.3 - 74%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
So what these number say, is that with the WRONG ability, Tyrantrum is slightly outclassed by Salamence, but with the RIGHT ability, wipes the floor.
So Tyrantrum's niche is a Physical wall-breaker, that has to be catered to a team. It's Dragon Typing is a hinderance, but its coverage options with either ability give it the niche that other physical wallbreakers like Feraligatr, and Entei dream of.
But it's not all fine and dandy with Tyrantrum. You still have to play around a team, and be VERY careful with your choices. With Band or Scarf, you'll be going a lot of switching in and out. YOU'LL NEED A DEFOGGER, OR SPINNER. Entry hazards are just too prevalent. Mandibuzz tends to be a good one, as immunity to Ground, and Neutral on Fighting and Steel means most of the time you can get a clean switch in.
I can't deny this, I prefer Scarf most of the time. The ability to outspeed your opponent is invaluable, and the difference between a few speed points often means who gets KOed first. However, ignoring the sheer amount of power behind Choice Band is being ignorant.
Choice Band is the powerhouse option. Sacrifice speed, but if you survive, you thrive. I tend to think Band is better if your team already has some fast threats that can revenge kill, or clean up if needed. If you already have Crobat, Mega Aero or another Scarf on your team, putting in a slower scarf user is not only pointless, but downright dumb. Let the janitors clean up, and let the powerhouses get messy. I tend to think that this set does really well with Strong Jaw and Coverage Fangs (use the ones you need obviously) because of their lackluster base 65, but Head Smash, Rock Head, Choice Band is not unlike hitting your opponent with a monster truck with an engine made out of shotguns hauling Chuck Norris riding a T-rex [which of course, is Tyrantrum]
However, Choice Scarf means you get a slot or two open for your teambuilding needs. Scarf means you have to switch in and out less, because you're not worrying about more threats outspeeding you like with Band, and with Rock Head and Head Smash, the extra power isn't always needed. It's what gets the job done, and gets it done effectively. Hitting more opponents with a base 150 STAB attack with NO RECOIL shouldn't be something you consider too much, and going from 265 speed maximum to 397 maximum means you hit a LOT more threats.
The thing about Choice Scarf as well is the Nature Choice. The difference between Jolly with Scarf and Adamant with Scarf is shown on the table below. Read the threats in between, and decide if they pose a problem for your team. If they don't, add Adamant for a little extra punch
I underlined ones that are really likely to cause the most number of teams the most problems. These should be some of the most deciding factors to your team build process and Tyrantrum's Nature.
So after that Exhausting round of calculator tag and Spherical Chickens (that joke is funny because this is all done in a vacuum) The set and duo that I picked I chose to cover the most amount of options and fit on to the most number of teams in my opinion. Like I stated in the "hides" that most people probably didn't read, Tyrantrum has a surprising amount of options. If you are strongly considering Tyrantrum (like I am now... thanks a lot NV) give it a quick read to decide what really works well for you.
AND NOW [drumroll]
Tyrantrum @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Rock Head
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Head Smash
- Earthquake
- Ice Fang
- Fire Fang / Dragon Claw
I had to pick the Choice Scarf. The ability to outspeed and OHKO Mega Pidgeot was too tempting. Earthquake was added for Coverage, and Ice moves wreck a large part of the tier. The question came to Fire Fang or Dragon Claw. Fire Fang hits Ferroseed infinitely harder, which otherwise walls this set and most partners, but doesn't provide much else, as most steel types are hit pretty hard by EQ, but Dragon Claw has STAB as well, and works for those who resist Rock Types, though it does tempt in Florges and Slurpuff and all of those terrifying beings.
Slowking @ Leftovers
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 248 HP / 164 Def / 96 SpD
Calm Nature
- Scald
- Slack Off
- Psyshock
- Calm Mind / Thunder Wave
I picked Slowking because one of the main problems of Tyrantrum with either Choice Scarf or Band is its weak defenses. Tyrantrum just simply can't deal with everything. Its speed, even with a Choice Scarf, is just too low. You can't outspeed enough to take down everyone. So you'll have to come out eventually. Slowking acts as a phenomenal Offensive Pivot. With Regenerator, it's happy to sponge an attack or two before it takes a rest and recovers it like magic, and its resistance to Ice, Steel and Fighting mean it takes those common attacks even better, while its weakness to Electric is resisted by Tyrantrum, and its bug weakness shudders at the Awe that is Rock Type.
I gave it a bit of Physical bulk just to take common physical hits comfortably, but it needs special bulk. Tyrantrum can't really take special attacks from ANYONE, so giving it more special bulk means less worrying when you come in.
Scald and Psyshock are mandatory, as their STAB and coverage is great, and Slack Off allows you to stall a bit and phase out your opponent. This works especially well with Choice Band Entei, which is a problem for most teams.
However, Calm Mind or Thunder Wave is up to you. Calm Mind allows Slowking to become a Sweeper in its own right, and more comfortably take and deal special attacks, but Thunder Wave is a great utility move that cripples threats like Hydreigon, and other threats faster than Tyrantrum, which can mean more hits for T-trum.
However, this duo is VERY weak to Krookodile and Scarf Hydreigon. Consider Tangrowth to deal with Krook, and Mienshao to deal with Both. The Regenerator in both keeps the switching up, and offensive momentum in your part of the battlefield, and Tangrowth's coverage in Knock Off and Hidden Power Ice hits even more threats. No words need to be said about the monster that is Mienshao.
Mega Sceptile can also be a problem, though Tangrowth takes care of it pretty well.
Hitmonlee also gets special mention for its ability to beat most steel types, and offering Rapid Spin.
Give U Head (Tyrantrum) @ Choice Scarf/Band
Ability: Rock Head
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant/Jolly Nature
- Head Smash
- Earthquake
- Ice Fang
- Dragon Claw/Outrage
u Liek me Naow? (Swampert) (M) @ Swampertite
Ability: Damp --> Swift Swim
EVs: 112 HP / 252 Atk / 144 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Waterfall
- Ice Punch
This combination of Pokemon works quite well. The most common switch-ins to a Choiced Tyrantrum is Doublade, Mega Aggron, and Swampert/Mega Swamp, or in the past, Hippowdon (RIP). So why not pair it with a pokemon that switchins into those? I chose 3 Attack + SR Mega Swamp to pair with Tyrantrum because it can switch into any of those mons and fire off a powerful Adamant EQ/Waterfall or get rocks up with ease. A defensive mega swamp could also work in this duo to handle offensive checks to Tyrantrum.
Tyrantrum + Salamence This combo might share a few weakness to gather but doesn't that doesn't still make it terrible. I went with RP Tyrantrum as its able to sweep late games when some on its checks/counter are the weakened(EX:Nidoqueen Brongzong Gligar Chestnaught etc) Jolly lets me outspeed Choice scarf Mienshoa after one RP so adament reall not worth it. Next I don't this this God this monster this amazing set that help Turantrum a lot, special mince comes into play. Hydro+Fire Blast+Draco can OHKOor to latest 95 percent to everthing mentioned letting RP Rantrum come and take out the trash after Mence is KOed or a Predict. Rantrum can also beat Special Mence counter/check (Florges BlissyCM Reuni Slowking and can even 2 hit KO Suicune) amazing duel dragon core if you are looking for one try it out and see how much fun it is. :]
Koro (Tyrantrum) (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Rock Head
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Rock Polish
- Head Smash
- Earthquake
- Outrage
The biggest problems Tyrantrum has in the UU tier are faster Dragons (Mence, Hydreigon, Haxorus etc.) and Bulky Waters, so why not pair it with one of the best Dragon killers in the tier? Abomasnow takes care of these faster dragons with ease because of it's very powerful priority Ice Shard, it also discourages the use of Outrage or Draco on Tyrantrum because these moves allow Abomasnow to either revenge the opposing dragon or use it as set-up fodder. Abomasnow also easily sets up on Water-types and kills them (It only has to fear Scald...). Tyrantrum helps Abomasnow by killing Entei, Darmanitan, Crobat, Pidgeot, and weakening Doublade with powerful Head Smashes until it can't live +2 Earthquake. Tyrantrum also lures out Ground-Types (They can take a Head Smash lol) likes Krookodile and Swampert which Abomasnow loves because it easily eats up hits from those Pokemon and beats them. These two Pokemon are so threatening the Pokemon that should be able to beat that like Cobalion and Heracross are just so afraid of switching in on these two. You could also run Rock Polish on Tyrantrum to abuse choice locked Fire-types and Pidgeot better.
Sets:
Tyrantrum @ Choice Band/Lum Berry/Life Orb
Ability: Rock Head
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Head Smash
- Dragon Claw/Rock Polish
- Earthquake
- Crunch
