Nas
Banned deucer.
Introduction:
So yeah, I figured I’d post this team because it’s been my best this metagame, and it features a cool Hera set that I’d like to share with everybody before testing ends. (or starts?) So, without further ado, I present team Boss Balance:
So yeah, I figured I’d post this team because it’s been my best this metagame, and it features a cool Hera set that I’d like to share with everybody before testing ends. (or starts?) So, without further ado, I present team Boss Balance:
At a glance:
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In-Depth:
Venusaur (F) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Overgrow
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpAtk / 252 Spe
Timid Nature (+Spe, -Atk)
- Sleep Powder
- Leaf Storm
- Sludge Bomb
- Hidden Power [Flying]
Venusaur (F) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Overgrow
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpAtk / 252 Spe
Timid Nature (+Spe, -Atk)
- Sleep Powder
- Leaf Storm
- Sludge Bomb
- Hidden Power [Flying]
Description: A desirable quality in a lead is the ability to start you off with the advantage, and scarf Venusaur does just that by incapacitating something on turn 1, effectively netting me the 6-5 advantage and preventing first turn entry hazards from being laid. This comes in handy against spikestacking offense teams, as it eases switching into big threats such as Moltres and Houndoom, who generally need entry hazard support to overcome their counters. Venusaur is also my safety net against a plethora of pokemon, and has saved me many times from something like a DD Gatr, Sceptile, or Rhyperior in the late game.
Moveset, EVs, and Nature: With a choice scarf and max EVs in speed, Venusaur can outrun +2 Jolly Rhyperior, Modest Gorebyss and Omastar in the rain, +1 DD Feraligatr, and revenge kill all of them with Leaf Storm. Sludge Bomb provides coverage against grass types such as Leafeon and Sceptile, and Sleep Powder stops everything else. Hidden Power Flying is more filler, but it OHKOes Heracross after rocks and 2HKOes SpDef versions.
Additional Notes: I’ve gone through a few different pokemon in this spot, but Venusaur is probably the one I had most success with. I originally started off with Ambipom, and although its Fake Out was useful in stopping sweeps late game, I found Venusaur could do the same thing and also stop entry hazards more reliably. If there’s one thing I miss, it’s Ambipom’s ability to trap and KO ghosts, (with the exception of Spiritomb) but I generally don’t have trouble with them anyways.
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Rotom @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpAtk / 252 Spe
Timid Nature (+Spe, -Atk)
- Thunderbolt
- Shadow Ball
- Substitute
- Pain Split
Rotom @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpAtk / 252 Spe
Timid Nature (+Spe, -Atk)
- Thunderbolt
- Shadow Ball
- Substitute
- Pain Split
Description: Rotom is a really cool mon is this metagame; it gives the team an invaluable resistance to both of Hera’s stabs, checks Scyther and Moltres, and most importantly fucks with my opponents mind if they have a Scarf Heracross. The last thing anyone will want to do is give Rotom a free sub, so they’ll usually Night Slash or Megahorn, trying to catch Rotom, and all they’ll end up doing is giving Arcanine or my own Heracross a free switch.
Moveset, EVs, and Nature: This is probably my favorite Rotom set of all time. Life Orb allows Rotom to surpass many pokemon that it would normally have trouble with; most notably, Venusaur. Shadow ball 2HKOes offensive Venu after SR, and defensive Venusaur is practically non-existent in this metagame. Registeel lacking Shadow Claw can’t break Rotom’s subs in one hit, and are beaten by a combination of Thunderbolt, Substitute, and Pain Split. Chansey… is straight up useless. As with any sweeper, my general rule of thumb is max Atk / Spe with a +speed nature, and Rotom is no exception.
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Registeel @ Leftovers
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 252 Hp / 40 Atk / 216 SpDef
Careful Nature (+SpDef, -SpAtk)
- Stealth Rock
- Thunder Wave
- Seismic Toss
- Shadow Claw
Registeel @ Leftovers
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 252 Hp / 40 Atk / 216 SpDef
Careful Nature (+SpDef, -SpAtk)
- Stealth Rock
- Thunder Wave
- Seismic Toss
- Shadow Claw
Description: I don’t know why, but Registeel seems to be on every good team I’ve posted. This thing can just take so much abuse, it seems wrong not to use it. I won’t spend too much time explaining Registeel’s role, as it’s pretty well known by now. Set up rocks, paralyse stuff, and keep many threats in check. Registeel does it and does it well. Enough said.
Moveset, EVs, and Nature: Standard Regi setup. Shadow Claw is necessary because of all the Ghosts Hera attracts, and Seismic Toss hits everything else for consistent damage. I prefer Thunder Wave to Toxic for a few reasons. The primary reason is I already have Arcanine to poison Milotic and other bulky waters, so having it on Registeel would be redundant. Also, Thunder Wave puts threats such as Sceptile and Feraligatr down instantly, whereas if I poisoned them they’d still be able to do a lot of damage before poison took its toll.
Additional Notes: I’m considering putting Explosion somewhere because Clefable can be a bitch if Heracross is gone, but all of Regi’s moves are essential to its success, so I don’t really know what to replace it with. Suggestions are appreciated.
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Heracross (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Guts
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpDef / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature (+Spe, -SpAtk)
- Close Combat
- Megahorn
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
Heracross (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Guts
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpDef / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature (+Spe, -SpAtk)
- Close Combat
- Megahorn
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
Description: This. Is. The. Best. Fucking. Heracross. Set. Period. There is only one pokemon in the tier that won’t shit its pants in fear of this beast, and usually it’s lured in early and KOed/slept before BOSScross makes its entrance. For those who are slow, I’m talking about Weezing. With a bit of luck, even a full health Weezing can be 2HKOed as it comes in, as long as its taken a bit of previous damage and Sleep Talk picks an attack both turns. (CC/Megahorn deals 35% - 41.3%, so a 2hko with SR and some previous damage) Moving on, I’ve found this Heracross is way more useful than the standard orb +4 attack set, as it can actually heal itself while increasing its strength in the process, dealing huge amounts of damage with Guts + Life Orb + its base 125 Atk. It can also switch into any Venusaur set with impunity and respond with the appropriate move. If it Sludge Bombs, I can Rest it off and kick its ass, if it Sleep Powders, I still kick its ass.
Moveset, EVs, and Nature: Everything is quite self-explanatory. This Heracross is not meant to be a tank at all, so don’t suggest Hp EVs or Leftovers. Max attack and speed is essential to hit as hard and fast as possible, and Life Orb is necessary for Heracross to pose a threat while awake as well as asleep. While Megahorn and Close Combat don’t offer the best coverage, Hera’s sheer strength allows it to power through resistances like butter, eliminating the need for Stone Edge, Night Slash, and Facade.
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Arcanine (F) @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 248 Hp / 232 SpDef / 28 Spe
Careful nature
- Flare Blitz
- Extremespeed
- Toxic
- Morning Sun
Arcanine (F) @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 248 Hp / 232 SpDef / 28 Spe
Careful nature
- Flare Blitz
- Extremespeed
- Toxic
- Morning Sun
Description: Arcanine is an integral part of this teams’ defensive core, providing the team with a very useful Fire resistance (you might have noticed my immense fire weakness at this point) and another check to Heracross. Because I’m not running SpDef Milotic, it was important that I had another reliable check to Moltres and Houndoom, and Arcanine fit the bill perfectly.
Moveset, EVs, and Nature: This is the standard SpDef Arcanine with some speed to outrun Jolly Torterra. The basic idea of this set is to be able to switch into common special attackers and eliminate them. Among these are Mismagius, Moltres, Houndoom, Alakazam, and Rotom, pokemon that Registeel would normally have trouble with.
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Milotic (F) @ Leftovers
Ability: Marvel Scale
EVs: 248 Hp / 252 Def / 8 Spe
Bold Nature
- Surf
- Hidden Power [Grass]
- Haze
- Recover
Ability: Marvel Scale
EVs: 248 Hp / 252 Def / 8 Spe
Bold Nature
- Surf
- Hidden Power [Grass]
- Haze
- Recover
Description: Milotic rounds out the teams’ defensive core nicely, providing an additional fire resistance and functioning as an amazing physical wall. Almost every physical threat is handled easily by Milo, with a few exceptions such as Toxicroak, Torterra, and Leafeon, who are dealt with by other means.
Moveset, EVs, and Nature: Physically defensive Milotic is necessary for this team since I otherwise lack a solid physical wall, and Milo’s naturally high special defense allows it to tank special attackers reasonably well anyways. The moveset is standard; Haze prevents stat boosters such as Registeel and Spiritomb setting up on me, and is generally more useful than Ice Beam because this team is heavy on grass checks.
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Conclusion:
Well that’s the team, it has been my main throughout the Heracross test (which hasn’t started yet?) and it’s been quite successful, peaking at #1 on the ladder for a short period before SU went down, and has generally been a fun team to use. All suggestions are appreciated, and I hope you enjoyed it.
Well that’s the team, it has been my main throughout the Heracross test (which hasn’t started yet?) and it’s been quite successful, peaking at #1 on the ladder for a short period before SU went down, and has generally been a fun team to use. All suggestions are appreciated, and I hope you enjoyed it.