Art by FLCL
Introduction
Hey everyone it's ebeast! It's been a while since I last posted a LC RMT, which was a bit after my LC Tutor, Ray Jay, had finished tutoring me in the tier. While I don't really want to be known as the guy posts RMTs with weird names, it seems to always turn out that way. My RMT's title doesn't have any particular meaning and was actually gotten through use of this website as I couldn't really think of a name to title this. Balance Bucket Variable seemed somewhat catchy and Balance fit my general playing style along with the style of this team. I build the team a while ago with my friend Snowflakes after seeing iss's LC Rising RMT and getting the urge to try out Snover + Murkrow combo. At the same time I got to make a new team that I've been wanting to make for a while as I was still using my previously RMT'd team which wasn't really working out for me by that point. In every tier I play I always try to incorporate Bulky Offense or Balance teams as it's the playing style that I'm most comfortable with and LC is no different. What I really like about LC is that the tier is mainly Balance and I usually have a relatively easy time adapting to any changes while keeping the basis of my teams the same.
I knew from the start that I wanted to have Snover and Murkrow as my first two Pokemon for the team. After reading iss's RMT I wanted to try out the SubRoost Krow with hail support thing after remembering reading quite a while back on Prem posting the core on LC forums and more recently iss's RMT. I didn't want my team to just be a replica of iss's so I tried to change it up with the rest of my members.
I've always wanted to try out Mold Breaker Drilbur and this was a great opportunity to do so. I've had a very positive experience with Mold Breaker Excadrill in Ubers so I figured I would give it a shot. It definitely did not disappoint; Drilbur has good Attack and Speed and the utility in Stealth Rock and Rapid Spin are essential for this team. Thanks to its ability it could hurt the common Misdreavus very hard with Earthquake to prevent it to freely stopping Drilbur's Rapid Spin.
Chinchou is one of my most favorite Pokemon and works well on this team to stand in the way of dangerous Pokemon such as Murkrow, Houndour, Ponyta, Staryu... the list goes on. Heal Bell support was truly the icing on the cake as it let me get away with playing more carelessly with my other members. Chinchou also had the pleasure of having great synergy with Snover and Murkrow.
At this point I realized that how big of a threat Tirtouga was to my current team; if it catches Murkrow or Snover locked into the wrong move it could easily Shell Smash and shred past my Pokemon. Croagunk came in to provide Knock Off support, priority in Vacuum Wave, and most importantly a way to deal with Tirtouga. Croagunk was great in its role however was a little prone to being worn down every time it switched into something alongside damage from my hail.
As much as I didn't want to make my team as a LC Rising 2.0 I replaced Mienfoo with Croagunk due to the former's access to Regenerator which allows it to check what it needs to and tough it out in the hail without losing too much health. Mienfoo still provided me with Knock Off support while still giving me a check to Scraggy and Tirtouga.
No team gets worse with Missy and this team appreciates the Fighting-type immunity and a counter to Mienfoo. Misdreavus is one of the most important members for this very reason and one of the Pokemon that helps this team succeed in drawn out battles. There really isn't much else that can be said about Misdreavus that hasn't been said before; it's an amazing Pokemon in LC and no team is ever disappointed by its presence.
Team Strategy
For this team I would like to say that I play the team as a kind of reckless Balance. The team is mostly offensive and I take high advantage of Chinchou's Heal Bell throughout the match to justify risky or reckless plays. On a one-on-one situation between my Mienfoo and a Misdreavus I often like to U-Turn or Knock Off in case my opponent decides to double switch. It's risky, however if it pays off I gain a huge amount of momentum. If I mispredict and pay the price by ending up with burned Mienfoo, I can just as easily cure the status with Chinchou's Heal Bell. This doesn't just apply to Mienfoo, I play all of my Pokemon pretty recklessly except for Chinchou. Chinchou's Heal Bell is usually important enough for me to play Chinchou very safe and not risk it very often.
The actually team strategy is for Mienfoo to remove Eviolites so that Murkrow and Snover can cause havoc against the opponent in anyway they can. This can mean Murkrow using SubRoost in hail to wear down Pokemon into killing range for one of its STABs or cleaning up late-game with Scarf Snover's Blizzard. Both SubRoost Krow and Snover share similar counter such as Bronzor and Porygon and having these counters overlap make it easier for them to be worn down and eventually have one of the two break through. Chinchou functions a special sponge as well as my key to playing risky in Heal Bell. Misdreavus and Drilbur are all glue to help my team against things that it wouldn't enjoy otherwise such as Stealth Rock and Mienfoo.
At a Glance
Hey everyone it's ebeast! It's been a while since I last posted a LC RMT, which was a bit after my LC Tutor, Ray Jay, had finished tutoring me in the tier. While I don't really want to be known as the guy posts RMTs with weird names, it seems to always turn out that way. My RMT's title doesn't have any particular meaning and was actually gotten through use of this website as I couldn't really think of a name to title this. Balance Bucket Variable seemed somewhat catchy and Balance fit my general playing style along with the style of this team. I build the team a while ago with my friend Snowflakes after seeing iss's LC Rising RMT and getting the urge to try out Snover + Murkrow combo. At the same time I got to make a new team that I've been wanting to make for a while as I was still using my previously RMT'd team which wasn't really working out for me by that point. In every tier I play I always try to incorporate Bulky Offense or Balance teams as it's the playing style that I'm most comfortable with and LC is no different. What I really like about LC is that the tier is mainly Balance and I usually have a relatively easy time adapting to any changes while keeping the basis of my teams the same.
I knew from the start that I wanted to have Snover and Murkrow as my first two Pokemon for the team. After reading iss's RMT I wanted to try out the SubRoost Krow with hail support thing after remembering reading quite a while back on Prem posting the core on LC forums and more recently iss's RMT. I didn't want my team to just be a replica of iss's so I tried to change it up with the rest of my members.
I've always wanted to try out Mold Breaker Drilbur and this was a great opportunity to do so. I've had a very positive experience with Mold Breaker Excadrill in Ubers so I figured I would give it a shot. It definitely did not disappoint; Drilbur has good Attack and Speed and the utility in Stealth Rock and Rapid Spin are essential for this team. Thanks to its ability it could hurt the common Misdreavus very hard with Earthquake to prevent it to freely stopping Drilbur's Rapid Spin.
Chinchou is one of my most favorite Pokemon and works well on this team to stand in the way of dangerous Pokemon such as Murkrow, Houndour, Ponyta, Staryu... the list goes on. Heal Bell support was truly the icing on the cake as it let me get away with playing more carelessly with my other members. Chinchou also had the pleasure of having great synergy with Snover and Murkrow.
At this point I realized that how big of a threat Tirtouga was to my current team; if it catches Murkrow or Snover locked into the wrong move it could easily Shell Smash and shred past my Pokemon. Croagunk came in to provide Knock Off support, priority in Vacuum Wave, and most importantly a way to deal with Tirtouga. Croagunk was great in its role however was a little prone to being worn down every time it switched into something alongside damage from my hail.
As much as I didn't want to make my team as a LC Rising 2.0 I replaced Mienfoo with Croagunk due to the former's access to Regenerator which allows it to check what it needs to and tough it out in the hail without losing too much health. Mienfoo still provided me with Knock Off support while still giving me a check to Scraggy and Tirtouga.
No team gets worse with Missy and this team appreciates the Fighting-type immunity and a counter to Mienfoo. Misdreavus is one of the most important members for this very reason and one of the Pokemon that helps this team succeed in drawn out battles. There really isn't much else that can be said about Misdreavus that hasn't been said before; it's an amazing Pokemon in LC and no team is ever disappointed by its presence.
Team Strategy
For this team I would like to say that I play the team as a kind of reckless Balance. The team is mostly offensive and I take high advantage of Chinchou's Heal Bell throughout the match to justify risky or reckless plays. On a one-on-one situation between my Mienfoo and a Misdreavus I often like to U-Turn or Knock Off in case my opponent decides to double switch. It's risky, however if it pays off I gain a huge amount of momentum. If I mispredict and pay the price by ending up with burned Mienfoo, I can just as easily cure the status with Chinchou's Heal Bell. This doesn't just apply to Mienfoo, I play all of my Pokemon pretty recklessly except for Chinchou. Chinchou's Heal Bell is usually important enough for me to play Chinchou very safe and not risk it very often.
The actually team strategy is for Mienfoo to remove Eviolites so that Murkrow and Snover can cause havoc against the opponent in anyway they can. This can mean Murkrow using SubRoost in hail to wear down Pokemon into killing range for one of its STABs or cleaning up late-game with Scarf Snover's Blizzard. Both SubRoost Krow and Snover share similar counter such as Bronzor and Porygon and having these counters overlap make it easier for them to be worn down and eventually have one of the two break through. Chinchou functions a special sponge as well as my key to playing risky in Heal Bell. Misdreavus and Drilbur are all glue to help my team against things that it wouldn't enjoy otherwise such as Stealth Rock and Mienfoo.
At a Glance
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"Slickback" The Murkrow ---Sweeper & Priority user
/
@ Eviolite
~EVs: 36 HP / 236 Atk / 20 Def / 20 SpD / 188 Spe
~Nature: Jolly (+Spe -SpA) ~Ability: Prankster
23 HP / 18 Atk / 11 (16) Def / 11 (16) SpD / 19 Spe
- Substitute / Roost / Brave Bird / Sucker Punch
"Adventure Time!" The Snover ---Revenge Killer and Hail setter
/
@ Choice Scarf
~EVs: 36 HP / 24 Atk / 184 SpA / 36 SpD / 200 Spe
~Nature: Hasty (+Spe, -Def) ~Ability: Snow Warning
23 HP / 13 Atk / 9 Def / 15 SpA / 13 SpD / 14 (21) Spe
- Blizzard / Giga Drain / Hidden Power [Fire] / Ice Shard
"Sexcadrill" The Drilbur ---Offensive Utility
@ Eviolite
~EVs: 36 HP / 236 Atk / 212 Spe
~Nature: Jolly (+Spe -Atk) ~Ability: Mold Breaker
23 HP / 18 Atk / 10 (15) Def / 11 (16) SpD / 17 Spe
- Stealth Rock / Rapid Spin / Earthquake / Rock Slide
"AquaZapper" The Chinchou ---Special Wall, Cleric, and Premier Water-type
/
@ Eviolite
~EVs: 76 HP / 132 Def / 228 SpD / 60 Spe
~Nature: Calm (+SpD -Atk) ~Ability: Volt Absorb
25 HP / 12 (18) Def / 12 SpA / 16 (24) SpD / 14 Spe
- Rest / Sleep Talk / Scald / Heal Bell
"Chow Mein" The Mienfoo ---Bulky Pivot & Glue
@ Eviolite
~EVs: 236 HP / 196 Def / 36 SpD
~Nature: Impish (+Def -SpA) ~Ability: Regenerator
24 HP / 15 Atk / 15 (22) Def / 12 (18) SpD / 13 Spe
- Fake Out / Drain Punch / U-turn / Knock Off
"Missy" The Misdreavus ---Mienfoo Counter & Pivot
@ Eviolite
~EVs: 36 HP / 120 Def / 80 SpD / 240 Spe
~Nature: Timid (+Spe -Atk) ~Ability: Levitate
23 HP / 14 (21) Def / 15 SpA / 16 (24) SpD / 19 Spe
- Will-O-Wisp / Pain Split / Shadow Ball / Hidden Power [Fighting]
@ Eviolite
~EVs: 36 HP / 236 Atk / 20 Def / 20 SpD / 188 Spe
~Nature: Jolly (+Spe -SpA) ~Ability: Prankster
- Substitute / Roost / Brave Bird / Sucker Punch
Murkrow is a very powerful and threatening Pokemon that can punch holes on any team if played correctly. While SubRoost Krow is an easier Pokemon to switch into compared to the Life Orb set, it is certainly no slouch and takes advantage of its offensive presence to get free Substitutes. From there it can take advantage of the hail and Stealth Rock to wear opponents down as it keeps itself healthy using Roost. While Murkrow naturally isn't the bulkiest Pokemon, with Eviolite and its Dark/Flying typing it becomes decent at taking attacks and in excellent check to Mienfoo, Misdreavus, and Croagunk. Brave Bird and Sucker Punch are both powerful STABs each with either own advantages. While Brave Bird recoil, Substitute, and Hail does rack up the power provided with Brave Bird is fantastic and it racks up quickly alongside Stealth Rock and Hail buffeting. Even resistances such as Chinchou take a good chunk from a resisted Brave Bird. All of the residual damage brought upon by the previously mentioned things can always be healed by Roost anyways. Sucker Punch provides a powerful priority attack which comes in handy if I need to beat a stray Drilbur or a Scarf Pokemon when Snover isn't there.
"Adventure Time!" The Snover ---Revenge Killer and Hail setter
@ Choice Scarf
~EVs: 36 HP / 24 Atk / 184 SpA / 36 SpD / 200 Spe
~Nature: Hasty (+Spe, -Def) ~Ability: Snow Warning
- Blizzard / Giga Drain / Hidden Power [Fire] / Ice Shard
Snover is the star of the show and the Pokemon that this team was based on. Thanks to its great speed and power it makes an excellent Choice Scarf user and a potent revenge killer. Snover's Snow Warning does more than just make Snover's Blizzard 100% accurate, as it hampers the recovery of Pokemon reliant on Synthesis and Morning Sun such as Shroomish, Foongus, Chikorita, Ponyta and Larvesta. Along with SR and Hail's passive damage, Blizzard can soundly 2HKO Larvesta and put Ponyta in a situation that if it is forced out by a teammate, it won't be able to come into Snover again. While Snover already beats the Synthesis users, if for some reason Snover ends up going down limiting their healing would helps my teammates out tremendously. Snover also provides a reliable way of dealing with Chinchou and Staryu as even the bulkiest of Chinchou and Staryu cannot avoid the 2HKO from Giga Drain thanks to Hail's violent buffeting, while dealing negligible damage back to Snover. Not to mention that Snover does have Hidden Power Fire, which 3HKOes Bronzor and deals a massive 72% minimum to Ferroseed. Snover absolutely loves Drilbur spinning way Stealth Rock and its ability to take Bronzor with Mold Breaker EQ as well. EV spread is different from the onsite spread for two reasons 13 Atk Ice Shard deals the same damage as with 14 Atk. These extra EVs also allow for Snover to boost its bulk slightly in the important HP stat for it to have an odd HP number to come in an extra time on Stealth Rock, and an extra point in Special Defensive to help buffer its ability to switch into common special attackers. As an example of Ice Shard's worth is it allows for Snover to 2HKO LO Murkrow who is inclined to Sucker Punch to prevent getting nuked by a Blizzard. Thanks to Scarf it will outprioritize Sucker Punch and make it fail and allow it to score a very reliable 2HKO against one of LC's biggest annoyances.
"Sexcadrill" The Drilbur ---Offensive Utility
@ Eviolite
~EVs: 36 HP / 236 Atk / 212 Spe
~Nature: Jolly (+Spe -Atk) ~Ability: Mold Breaker
- Stealth Rock / Rapid Spin / Earthquake / Rock Slide
In a nutshell, Mold Breaker Drilbur is a true champion. Being able to hit the most prevalent Ghost-type in the tier Misdreavus and 2HKO with its STAB is something a lot of spinners wish they could do. Mold Breaker allows Drilbur's Earthquake to break through Misdreavus and Bronzor and allow Stealth Rock to ignore Magic Bounce from Natu. Drilbur's utility in this set is pretty important as Stealth Rock helps rack up residual damage while Rapid Spin removes hazards that impedes my Snover and Murkrow every time they switch in. Jolly Drilbur hits 17 Speed which is nice to outspeed Pokemon such as Houndour and Offensive Chinchou who generally run a SpA boosting nature. I used to have X-Scissor over Rock Slide for my final slot, but Rock Slide hits Murkrow and annoying (albeit uncommon) Pokemon that my team doesn't like to face such as Mantyke and Drifloon. Lileep is capable of living 2 X-Scissors after SR and Hail damage anyways, which made it less than desirable. Drilbur is a great Pokemon even on a Hail team and more people seriously need to try this set out, it will not disappoint. My EV spread just gives Drilbur max Attack and Speed while the remaining EVs are placed into HP to give Drilbur an odd HP number. Having an odd HP number decreases damage from Spikes, which is always nice for Drilbur as its main job is to Rapid Spin away hazards.
"AquaZapper" The Chinchou ---Special Wall, Cleric, and Premier Water-type
@ Eviolite
~EVs: 76 HP / 132 Def / 228 SpD / 60 Spe
~Nature: Calm (+SpD -Atk) ~Ability: Volt Absorb
- Rest / Sleep Talk / Scald / Heal Bell
Chinchou and Lanturn have to be my favorite Pokemon and I enjoy using the former in a tier where it does so well. Specially Defensive is a fantastic set and Chinchou's great typing and Heal Bell make for a great support Pokemon with the ability to check many key threats. Chinchou is my main answer to Murkrow, Houndour, Staryu, and Magnemite and makes a great check to a bunch of Pokemon such as Porygon, Misdreavus, and Larvesta. Heal Bell would definitely have to be the crux of the set, allowing my team to rid itself of harmful status and making sure Chinchou wakes up more reliably. Even though Heal Bell only has 8 PP, whenever Sleep Talk picks the move it will use its own PP. This makes Heal Belling and RestTalk much more reliable and last much longer throughout a game. Scald is Chinchou's only attacking move, but has a 30% chance to burn and Water in general is a good mono-attacking type due to it the vast amount of Pokemon it hits neutrally. Chinchou allows me to play recklessly with my other members and keeping it alive is extremely important for my team to function; nobody likes burned Mienfoo or paralyzed Scarf Snover. My spread is just the standard optimized to get the most out of Eviolite and Chinchou's high HP number. The 60 Speed EVs allow Chinchou to reach 14 Speed which can be nice if I really need it to check a Mienfoo since they usually linger around that speed tier.
"Chow Mein" The Mienfoo ---Bulky Pivot & Glue
@ Eviolite
~EVs: 236 HP / 196 Def / 36 SpD
~Nature: Impish (+Def -SpA) ~Ability: Regenerator
- Fake Out / Drain Punch / U-turn / Knock Off
Mienfoo is basically the glue of the team and my main counter to various threats such as Scraggy and Tirtouga, while checking a large portion of the metagame including Porygon, Lileep, Snover, and Ferroseed. My spread on Mienfoo is not the standard 156 Atk / 196 Def / 36 SpD / 76 Spe because my really needed a Pokemon capable of taking +2 Splash Plate Tirtouga's Aqua Tails after replacing Croagunk. I preferred Mienfoo's longevity with Regenerator on this team better than Croagunk's typing + Dry Skin, so I needed to make Mienfoo fit to replace it. The EV spread specifically allows Mienfoo to survive a +2 Splash Plate Tirtouga Aqua Tail after Hail or Stealth Rock damage as well as take even Life Orb Scraggy's Hi Jump Kick and retaliate back with a Drain Punch. The remaining EVs were placed in Special Defense rather than Attack or Speed for a few reasons: I wanted Mienfoo to be a good check to Snover, having 16 Attack didn't make a difference outside of Super Effective hits, and I wanted lower Speed than the standard Mienfoo on purpose. Having 13 Speed was sufficient for me because it would underspeed opposing Mienfoo and Pokemon going for 14 Speed. This would allow me to get the switch advantage against other Mienfoo while allowing it to pivot against 14 Speed set up sweepers such as Dratini; guaranteeing I can get my Snover safely regardless if Dratini attempts to Dragon Dance or not. I like to play Mienfoo kind of recklessly in the sense that I don't really fear status as much with it and tend to U-turn against potential Will-O-Wisps from the likes of Misdreavus or Larvesta. If they attempt to double switch (or in Larvesta's case U-turn) I would get the advantage and if they burn me I always have Chinchou's Heal Bell to help me out. Knock Off is one of the best kind of support a Pokemon can offer in LC as getting of an opponent's Eviolite makes it easier to go through it with Murkrow and Snover. Fake Out is probably my least used move on the set, but it comes in handy against low HP Pokemon and Riolu with Fake Out stopping its Copycat chaining.
"Missy" The Misdreavus ---Mienfoo Counter & Pivot
@ Eviolite
~EVs: 36 HP / 120 Def / 80 SpD / 240 Spe
~Nature: Timid (+Spe -Atk) ~Ability: Levitate
- Will-O-Wisp / Pain Split / Shadow Ball / Hidden Power [Fighting]
Misdreavus can also be considered a glue of sorts for this team as it provides a great immunity to Fighting- and Ground-type attacks, and in general no team gets worse with a Misdreavus. I have a pretty standard Misdreavus set here although my EVs again take a more defensive route. I took out the Special Attack EVs and placed them into Defense to give Misdreavus an even Defense number to further augment it by Eviolite. Having 15 Special Attack over 16 is not a big deal because like in Mienfoo's case doesn't really make a difference in terms of damage output. The extra Defense that I add really helps against Mienfoo and other physical attackers and has generally been more useful in my experience. Missy is my main Mienfoo switch in and a very precious Pokemon due to its combination of offense and defensive presence. Will-O-Wisp is a great status move that allows me to disarm annoying Pokemon such Croagunk, Mienfoo, and Hippopotas while preventing Murkrow from just switching in whenever it wants. Pain Split provides decent recovery so that Misdreavus can survive longer and burn or attack throughout the match. Shadow Ball and Hidden Power Fighting provide perfect coverage and with Misdreavus's high Special Attack is something to be feared.
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Slickback (Murkrow) (M) @ Eviolite
Trait: Prankster
EVs: 36 HP / 236 Atk / 20 Def / 20 SDef / 188 Spd
Jolly Nature
- Substitute
- Roost
- Brave Bird
- Sucker Punch
Adventure Time! (Snover) (M) @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Snow Warning
EVs: 36 HP / 24 Atk / 184 SAtk / 36 SDef / 200 Spd
Hasty Nature
- Blizzard
- Giga Drain
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Ice Shard
Sexcadrill (Drilbur) (F) @ Eviolite
Trait: Mold Breaker
EVs: 36 HP / 236 Atk / 212 Spd
Jolly Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Rapid Spin
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
AquaZapper (Chinchou) (F) @ Eviolite
Trait: Volt Absorb
EVs: 76 HP / 132 Def / 228 SDef / 60 Spd
Calm Nature
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
- Scald
- Heal Bell
Chow Mein (Mienfoo) (M) @ Eviolite
Trait: Regenerator
EVs: 236 HP / 196 Def / 36 SDef
Impish Nature
- Fake Out
- Drain Punch
- U-turn
- Knock Off
Missy (Misdreavus) (F) @ Eviolite
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 36 HP / 120 Def / 80 SDef / 240 Spd
Timid Nature
- Will-O-Wisp
- Pain Split
- Shadow Ball
- Hidden Power [Fighting]
Trait: Prankster
EVs: 36 HP / 236 Atk / 20 Def / 20 SDef / 188 Spd
Jolly Nature
- Substitute
- Roost
- Brave Bird
- Sucker Punch
Adventure Time! (Snover) (M) @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Snow Warning
EVs: 36 HP / 24 Atk / 184 SAtk / 36 SDef / 200 Spd
Hasty Nature
- Blizzard
- Giga Drain
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Ice Shard
Sexcadrill (Drilbur) (F) @ Eviolite
Trait: Mold Breaker
EVs: 36 HP / 236 Atk / 212 Spd
Jolly Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Rapid Spin
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
AquaZapper (Chinchou) (F) @ Eviolite
Trait: Volt Absorb
EVs: 76 HP / 132 Def / 228 SDef / 60 Spd
Calm Nature
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
- Scald
- Heal Bell
Chow Mein (Mienfoo) (M) @ Eviolite
Trait: Regenerator
EVs: 236 HP / 196 Def / 36 SDef
Impish Nature
- Fake Out
- Drain Punch
- U-turn
- Knock Off
Missy (Misdreavus) (F) @ Eviolite
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 36 HP / 120 Def / 80 SDef / 240 Spd
Timid Nature
- Will-O-Wisp
- Pain Split
- Shadow Ball
- Hidden Power [Fighting]
