SM OU FLEX LIKE OUU(webs ho)[peak top 20]

[double switches]

Hey, it's switches and this is my first RMT this gen. HO really struggles this gen and it isn't as dominant of a playstyle as it once was, but I've really enjoyed building it because it presents so many interesting approaches to team building. After a lot of messing around and having moderate success on ladder, Smogtours, OST and Qplaz nagging me to post an RMT, here's this team.

The Team:

Teambuilding Process

Aight so after looking at the threats in the current meta, I saw that Pinsir has very few answers, bar mons like Skarm. Pinsir is a bit on the slower side, and since I wanted it so shine, I decided to build webs.

After figuring out a hazard setter, with Pinsir being weak to Rocks I decided to look for hazard removal. On HO your options are really limited between Lati, Phero, and Exca. Defog is sorta annoying for a webs team so Lati was off the table, and after some consideration I stuck with Exca in the end. Its such a solid Koko answer and the team was pretty weak to it.

So next I was looking for two abusers, and my first thought was Manaphy just because it's so good at breaking stall. And Hydro Vortex is just so strong, you can even break things like Tox if you get a TG and rain up. Zygarde is just good at hitting everything, t-arrows is a crazy move, it gets priority and a good bit of set-up so it fit the role pretty well.

For the last mon I had quite a few roles left to fill, being able to beat Fini is one, as well as like Lati, and backup speed control in case webs don't get up. Prankster Thundy with knock does all of that, so it just fit so well.

Summary

Smeargle @ Focus Sash
Ability: Own Tempo
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Spore
- Taunt
- Sticky Web
- Stealth Rock
Smeargle is whatever you want it to be, so it's the premier webs setter. It's just a far more versatile setter over your other options like galvantula or leavanny. You have your two hazards in Rocks and Webs, taunt because this team lacks a mon like Bisharp to deter defog so taunt is almost required. Spore allows you to remove a threat and give you enough time to setup both of your hazards. It's a relatively simple set, max speed to allow you to setup on as much as possible and max hp because the most bulk.

Pinsir @ Pinsirite
Ability: Hyper Cutter
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Return
- Quick Attack
- Earthquake
I honestly think is an incredibly underutilized threat in the current meta. It's just so unbelievably strong, and flying stab is just too good. EQ is so you can beat things like meta with webs, and you are tanky enough to take a hit if you really need to. SD is just really nice because you can sweep with the combination of Rocks and priority quick attack. This set is pretty simple as well and it functions well even outside of webs. A lot of the time I find myself not mega-evolving to force a lando not to come out, and it assures me a kill, because you retain your attack with hyper cutter.

Zygarde @ Earth Plate
Ability: Aura Break
EVs: 240 HP / 176 Atk / 24 Def / 68 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Coil
- Dragon Dance
- Extreme Speed
- Thousand Arrows
This set may be a bit wack at first glance but it makes sense, I promise. So I think this is a set Zamrock used, and I ended up falling in love with it. So you're bulky enough to live hp ice's from things like Lando and you have enough hp to take 5 seismic tosses and the like. You have enough speed to out-speed base 115's at plus one and things like tar and Steela neutrally. The attack is for things like Pex to avoid haze. T-arrows is probably one of the best moves in the game and you can spam it versus everything, e-speed is just to pick of weakened frail things like Duggy and Phero.

Excadrill @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Mold Breaker
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Iron Head
- Rock Slide
- Rapid Spin
Excadrill is probably my favorite mon to use on HO, it fills so many vital roles in a single mon. It's a perfect example of the defensive niche's one can find in HO as a psychic switch in and a check to common elec's. It's also an incredibly strong scarfer with a very spammable stab eq with mold breaker letting you hit levitate mons. Spin lets you take on the role of hazard removal and lets you maintain your hazards as well. It's almost a must have on every HO team just because of it's sheer versatility and the amount of roles it covers.

Manaphy @ Waterium Z
Ability: Hydration
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Tail Glow
- Rain Dance
- Surf
- Energy Ball/Psychic
Manaphy seems pretty one dimensional which is pretty bad for HO, but with the addition of z-moves it's a completely different mon. Traditionally you use Manaphy because you can abuse tail glow and amazing coverage to sweep bulky teams, but with z-rain dance it becomes unpredictable. You can set-up a rain dance and out-speed, and proceed to sweep faster teams that you couldn't catch up to before. Or you can use hydro vortex to nuke mons you otherwise couldn't touch before. It's crazy to think that you can rain dance on the switch into a Toxepex/M-Venu, tail glow, take a hit, and one shot with hydro vortex. You can usually get at least one kill with this thing per game even if you can't get a tail glow off just nuking something with vortex.

Thundurus @ Life Orb
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Thunder Wave
- Knock Off
So Fini is probably the most common defogger right now, and really there aren't too many other options besides Skarm and maybe the occasional Lati. Knock off Thundy handles all of these pretty well, and it does a good job of scaring them out and preventing you from losing your hazards. The reason you want prankster over defiant is as an emergency switch in case you do lose your webs. The team is pretty slow and having backup speed control for the rest of the team is just so nice.

​

Conclusion:
The team is pretty unusual for webs, you lack a defiant mon as well as a spin-blocker so the team has to be played pretty aggressively if you see a Phero or Exca assume it's spin. Try to scare out mon's like Fini at any chance possible,but it can only really defog safely on Exca so it's not as big of a threat as one would imagine. It's pretty reliant on your own ability to outplay which is pretty unusual for HO,but it does have a ton of offensive pressure, it's just a matter of whether you can get into the right match-ups.

Threats

- Magic bounce is scary for webs teams. Stall is a rough match-up because it's hard to get Rocks up for things like Duggy and such. You have to try to scare it out turn one with Manaphy or something to be able to get your Rocks up later

- Ash Greninja is a pretty big threat, and you don't really have a switch in. Once you get webs up it's pretty easy to beat it with all the priority you have and it's sorta hard for them to go for shuriken since you have Mana. Non-choice locked variants are really scary though.

,

- Too many taunt Tapu's, for those two you really have to double into Exca and then get your hazards up later. I just assume they are all taunt at this point cuz i'm too paranoid. Getting shut down is just really frustrating and it basically leaves you with set-up fodder.

Replays:
Versus abr
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7ou-542154265
Versus Bludz
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7ou-547035820
Versus Kingler12345
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7ou-551399603
Versus Teal6
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen7ou-262158

​

importable

Smeargle @ Focus Sash
Ability: Own Tempo
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Spore
- Taunt
- Sticky Web
- Stealth Rock

Zygarde @ Earth Plate
Ability: Aura Break
EVs: 240 HP / 176 Atk / 24 Def / 68 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Coil
- Dragon Dance
- Extreme Speed
- Thousand Arrows

Pinsir @ Pinsirite
Ability: Hyper Cutter
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Return
- Quick Attack
- Earthquake

Manaphy @ Waterium Z
Ability: Hydration
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Tail Glow
- Rain Dance
- Surf
- Energy Ball

Excadrill @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Mold Breaker
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Iron Head
- Rock Slide
- Rapid Spin

Thundurus @ Life Orb
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Thunder Wave
- Knock Off

Oh yeah...s/o to Mr. Perry, Webcamparrot, AnishSomani, Futatsuiwa of Sado, Master Failure, not qplaz, and those WoA dudes(yeah you're all grouped together).

peak

I could try and ladder higher but w/e, I'm sorta lazy.
http://imgur.com/a/nupmW

 

[The.Lost.Hylian]

Prankster over Defiant*

You mixed your abilities on accident. Excellent team, though. I had tried Sub+Leftovers on my own CoilDance Zygarde. Have you toyed with that?

 

[double switches]

Prankster over Defiant*

You mixed your abilities on accident. Excellent team, though. I had tried Sub+Leftovers on my own CoilDance Zygarde. Have you toyed with that?

Thanks for being the only dude to comment, and ye sorta messed up the wording. I've tried other zygarde sets, but from what I've personally tested, I really enjoy the pure power e-plate gives me so things like fini can't switch in at +1, and I also don't take the chip from lo so I don't get weakened for priority. I really like e-speed on this team, because like I said, without a lot of ways to keep my webs up besides raw pressure, this team has to function well without webs, and e-speed really helps that. I've tried sub but it's always to poor result because it really only helps versus stall and it still isn't that great without toxic. It seems like a pretty good idea though especially in the suspect w/o phero, maybe it's a matter of changing mindset. I honestly don't know
ugh Futatsuiwa of Sado wanted a s/o for making me understand what you meant by prankster over defiant cuz I was confused...so there

 

[Gross Sweep]

Cool team switches, only posting this because you want another response, and what can I say - you ask, I deliver.

First off, be a man and peak top 10 with this team, or get reqs with it - just a better peak. (low key disappointed in you right now for thinking that trash is acceptable, #19 what do you think this is?)

Secondly, The team is built really well, one thing I could see being a problem is taunt Tapu Koko. Since it hits a lot of your team pretty hard, and stops smeargle from getting hazards. Yes you have scarf drill to come in, but if that Koko is paired with the most common mon in the tier - Lando-T - it could be a tad difficult to play around. The fix for this would be trying magic coat>taunt on smeargle. However, this does lessen the pressure you put on fini since you can't spore it - the only big reason for taunt - so koko may just be something you have to deal with. Also there's a chance the Koko isn't even taunt and you'd completely waste the smeargle, so...yeah maybe try it once or twice - and then if it sucks go back to taunt, or ignore my suggestion all together. I don't really care - I'm really just trying to draw attention to the weak peak.

Anyway cool team, and I'm interested to see if you make any changes for the mosa less suspect ladder.

 

[Anish]

really cool team, i liked it when u passed it to me, and iv had some fun using it ( and its the only team which qplaz has ever won with), so props to you for making it.

just have a minor suggestion here, you could try running sitrus berry on zygarde here over earth plate. this change helps with some annoying stuff like dual dance lando which can be annoying since it doesnt get affected by webs, and can also set up on drill. with a sitrus berry you can play more freely with sending zygarde into lando if youve taken enough chip to be in range of 2 eqs, and it also helps setting up on a plethora of defensive pokemon a bit more easily, like tapu fini for example, as well as def lando after a bit of chip, and just being even harder to wear down. losing a bit of power hurts, but i believe the ability to set up on a larger range of stuff is more helpful here.

importable for zygarde set

Zygarde @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Aura Break
EVs: 240 HP / 176 Atk / 24 Def / 68 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Coil
- Thousand Arrows
- Dragon Dance
- Extreme Speed

 

[false]

yo double switches,

cool webs ho. webs is a really fun style to play right now. i like the fact that you're using thundurus here, i think it's a really underrated mon on webs. i'm going to try and suggest some changes that i think might help your team's consistency vs a wider range of matchups.

->

| change manaphy to mimikyu | mimikyu is an amazing pokemon for webs ho, especially alongside mega pinsir and zygarde since the trio can usually overload any number of physical walls in order to open up an opportunity to sweep. mimikyu also gives you an apt revenge killer to a number of threats to your team such as mega charizard x, shift gear magearna, and swords dance garchomp. mimikyu also takes advantage of some scarfers such as latios and garchomp which can give your current build trouble. lastly it's a spinblocker, which while not always useful, can be pivotal in some ho vs ho matchups.

other tweaks/comments​

• 
  | change thundurus to sludge wave | sludge wave is such an incredible move for thundurus on webs teams, not only does it allow thundurus to apply pressure to defensive teams, 2hkoing would-be counters such as assault vest tangrowth and unaware clefable, but combined with webs support sludge wave can be used to ohko offensive checks such as tapu koko, tapu bulu, and tapu lele. i'd also consider running incinerate in the 4th slot over thunder wave to nail mega scizor and ferrothorn, but in the end that change really comes down to matchup and personal preference.
• 
  | change zygarde to sitrus berry | i agree with AnishSomani that using sitrus berry on zygarde would be a good change. sitrus provides zygarde with a wider number of setup opportunities, while also providing some defensive value in the ability to better check a range of pokemon from tapu koko to ash-greninja. i also tweaked the spread slightly, with enough speed to outspeed tapu koko at +1 without webs, and outspeeding choice scarf keldeo, terrakion, and gengar at +1 with webs.
• 
  | change excadrill to adamant | while arguably not as reliable as jolly excadrill from a consistency perspective, adamant choice scarf excadrill trades missing out on a very small number speed tiers (choice scarf heatran, choice scarf hoopa, and mega alakazam outside of webs) for much greater power. adamant excadrill has a 50/50 chance to ohko mega metagross after stealth rock, a 96% chance to 2hko zapdos with rockslide after stealth rock (as opposed to a 20% chance if jolly), while also generally applying heavier pressure to defensive pokemon such as landorus-t, ferrothorn, and tapu fini. while this change will obviously not work out in every situation, in the majority of matchups i think an adamant nature will prove more valuable.

importable