BW RU ∞ Infinity ∞ Peaked #1

Windsong

stumbling down elysian fields
is a Tiering Contributor Alumnusis a Contributor Alumnusis a Smogon Media Contributor Alumnus



• • •

Introduction
Hey everyone, it seems like it's been a long, long time since I've posted an RMT. Anyhow, the original concept for this team began immediately following the creation of RU when Zeph and Fried Rhys basically forced me to play. This was a very unstable metagame, you have to understand, focused around the ridiculously broken Yanmega, Venomoth, Cresselia, (now all banned) along with the only slightly less broken threats of Lilligant, Omastar, and so on. The entire metagame was centered heavily around hyper offense teams and full stall, both of which proved to be dominant forces early on. Thus, the base idea behind this team got brought up (I think by Oglemi or Bulldogs) on #rarelyused one day, and it was a simple idea and yet one which was really actually pretty cool:

"Why not run a trapper?"

Trappers both break down the few checks for many setup sweepers all of which can flat out beat most Hyper Offense (or allow it to be set up on with ease) and are capable of eliminating key members of stall teams. Sure, Dugtrio had been used somewhat before this point (I know a couple people who used it before stage one started) and you ran into the occasional team with Wynaut on the ladder, but trapping was a concept in RU that wasn't really used as much as it might have been, probably because the metagame was so heavily centered around the offensive Bug- and Dark- types which could easily power past it. Finally, Magneton was all but nonexistent in the first segment of RU, simply because there weren't really any important steels to trap, and because most of the stuff in the metagame could power through common steels. Of course, the biggest change hit the metagame at this point - the banning of some of its best offensive powerhouses (Yanmega and Venomoth) and two of the crucial components to a fair amount of teams, Blastoise and Cresselia, both of which rose to UU.

This caused a massive, massive shift. The metagame, which had previously been dominated by those said offensive and defensive threats became more varied and it became more than just "spam sweepers your opponent can't check properly". The game, to put it simply, got a lot more interesting, and new strategies started developing, from new forms of stall and balanced teams to weather, with Sun, Hail, and Rain all proving to be solid team archtypes. Finally, one more change occurred; Magic Guard Alakazam and Prankster Sableye were released, leaving us with the RU metagame that we currently have now. And those trappers were all but forgotten.

Thus, I started hanging around #rarelyused and stuff talking with my friends over there and getting bits and pieces of help on this team, and eventually managed to build the team that I have here, which is my most successful RU team as of now and peaked me #1 on the standard RU ladder as -infinite.test (I also have -infinite around the top 15 or so) and is overall one of the best and most consistent RU teams i've ever made.

• • •

Quick Glance






Dugtrio (M) @ Life Orb
Trait: Arena Trap
EVs: 80 HP / 252 Atk / 176 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Stealth Rock
- Stone Edge
- Earthquake
- Substitute / Pursuit

Dugtrio's a damn good Pokemon in RU, trapping a ton of important stuff and in general being a really solid mon, checking tons of crap that I sometimes have trouble with along with being able to trap Pokemon that are capable of giving me tons of trouble. Dugtrio's also able to set Rocks for me, which for a more offensively oriented team such as this one is a godsend, since I'm able to keep the pressure on the opponent throughout the game and for the most part stop them from spinning with basically all of the common spinners (the one exception really being Claydol and I guess really really really specially defensive Cryogonal). Anyways, Dugtrio's main job is to switch in and weaken or trap stuff which can be troublesome for this team, as well as trapping and beating basically all steels not named Ferroseed (who gets worn down by repeated hits anyhow and doesn't really hurt my team much).

Duggy is probably amongst the most important team players on the team. Electric immunity is extremely helpful, to say the least, as it lets me switch in on a ton of stuff (most notably physical sweepers with electric moves, who I'm reluctant to bring in Lanturn on) and Duggy also takes out basically anything which is capable of walling Lilligant, such as Munchlax, Unaware Clefable, and Lickylicky. This is partially the reason that I use Dugtrio over Magneton (the other being the fact that Krookodile is a pain). Finally, it's worth noting that I don't play Dugtrio as recklessly as Dugtrio is usually played in OU, but rather use it sparingly throughout the game, often as a last ditch check to stuff like Honchkrow.


Porygon-Z @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Adaptability
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Tri Attack
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Fighting]
- Trick

Porygon-Z is so damn strong it's ridiculous. Double STAB Tri Attack off of Adaptability hurts basically everything in RU right now, even resists, such as Ferroseed, and with Stealth Rock support, I pretty much 2HKO the entire metagame between Tri Attack and Hidden Power [Fight]. If this wasn't enough reason to use Porygon-Z, it also has decent bulk, being able to take a Crunch from Krookodile or a Sucker Punch from Honchkrow if in good health, which he usually manages to be. Being a scarfed base 90 also means that I outrun most of the tier, including even some boosted mons, which is always nice.

When I use this team, I always either lead with PZ or save it until lategame. The former if the opponent lacks any decent normal resists (say, if their only resist is Durant, who flat out crumples under Tri Attack) and the latter if I notice that the opponent has a fair number of steel types and other mons who can be irritating when attempting a sweep. Usually this is the case, and I'm just cleaning up with PZ after Zam and my trappers have blasted giant holes in the opponent's team. And honestly, basically nothing can counter this thing, and absolutely no walls in the tier can take it on when used in tandem with Alakazam. Not a one. One of RU's most broken mons, certainly, and in general, an extremely important member of this team.


Alakazam (M) @ Life Orb
Trait: Magic Guard
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Substitute
- Psychic
- Shadow Ball
- Focus Blast

If you were to ask me what I consider to be the best or the most broken Pokemon in RU right now the answer would almost definitely be Alakazam. Magic Guard was a godsend for this thing, as it's now capable of ripping pretty much all stall teams to pieces, can come in and blast away at Spikes stacking offense without worry of being worn down, and in general blasts huge holes in the opponent's team which can easily be taken advantage of by Lilligant or Porygon-Z. In conjunction with Wynaut, this thing is even scarier, as pretty much the number one method of checking Alakazam is using scarfers, and pretty much all common scarfers that check Zam well lose to Wynaut.

I run a pretty standard Sub + 3 Attacks set, which is really useful, since it lets me play mind games with stuff like Honchkrow and Hitmonlee, who can be a pain, and is also capable of luring in psychic resists, most of whom lose to either Focus Blast or Shadow Ball. Another useful feature about this set is that I 100% beat Cryogonal, who's capable of walling significant portions of this team if I'm unable to break through it. Alakazam also breaks down many other special walls who can be troublesome to this team, such as Clefable (specifically Unaware versions) and Lickylicky. I also lure in scarfed dark types, who often switch in to be hit in the face with a Sub and then are forced to eat a Focus Blast, which pretty much saves me in a lot of situations.


Lilligant (F) @ Leftovers
Trait: Chlorophyll
EVs: 40 HP / 252 SAtk / 216 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Quiver Dance
- Sleep Powder
- Giga Drain
- Hidden Power [Rock]

If Alakazam is the most broken thing in the metagame right now, Lilligant is a close second, in my opinion. Sleep Powder + Quiver Dance is really really good, and practically guarantees that I'll be able to get up to +2 really easily. In addition, with Dugtrio, I can safely remove all the steels which I would hit if I ran Hidden Power [Fire], so I can safely use Hidden Power [Rock], which is really cool for luring in Honchkrow and stuff, especially scarfed Insomnia sets, which think that they can take a Sleep Powder or attack when I'm at +1. Lilligant also helps me a ton against sun teams, being probably my best check for Scarfed Charizard and Moltres (in the sun), both of whom are capable of breaking through Lanturn under sun. Lilligant is also a really cool defensive pivot, as the resistances offered with Lilligant + Lanturn + Wynaut are actually really solid, and I easily gain momentum and eliminate Lilligant's counters between the three of them.

Sadly, Lilligant is my only Ground- resist, which sucks, but between her and Wynaut, I handle most common stuff without too much trouble. However, I'm hesitant to run a more offensively oriented set (Max Speed + Life Orb) for precisely this reason, and I'm getting outsped by other base 90s anyways because I'm using Hidden Power [Rock]. Anyhow, Lilligant is a key member of the offensive synergy of the team, pairing beautifully with basically everything else, and being one of my better answers to Sun and such.


Lanturn (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Volt Absorb
EVs: 40 HP / 196 Def / 20 SAtk / 252 SDef
Calm Nature (+SDef, -Atk)
- Volt Switch
- Heal Bell
- Surf
- Thunder Wave

Finding what to use for a bulky water was probably one of the hardest parts about building this team. I wanted something that was capable of handling rain (when I originally made this team with Magneton in this slot, I basically had no way of dealing with Rain other than pivoting around and losing 1 - 2 mons while stalling out rain turns) but also something that offered me enough momentum in order to keep the pace of the battle in my favor. I tried some extremely offensive oriented approaches, such as Shell Smash Gorebyss and Omastar, as well as defensive Omastar and Alomomola, but the offensive waters didn't really offer the bulk that I needed in order to handle rain well enough and the defensive ones detracted from the momentum of the team more than I liked. However, I eventually ran into Lanturn (it was being used by Pearl who I ran into on the ladder a couple of times) and I've never looked back since.

Lanturn offers this team so many useful things. In using it, I get Volt Switch support for my trappers, which helps Duggy especially switch in without much threat to himself, I get Heal Bell support, which is awesome if I misplayed badly against a Sableye or an Uxie or something, and I get Paralysis support, which lets me more freely Trick away Porygon-Z's choice scarf. Lanturn also is my number one answer to a ton of stuff, including the two Smashpassers, some Alakazam, and of course, the ever popular Rain Offense and Hail Offense teams which are both relatively common in RU.


Wynaut (M) @ Eviolite
Trait: Shadow Tag
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SDef
Bold Nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Counter
- Encore
- Mirror Coat
- Tickle

Wynaut is so strong that it's ridiculous. I can literally get one free KO against a mon of my choice every single match, and if it's the one thing that's stopping Zam, PZ, or Lilligant from sweeping, then it's basically GG right there. I find it amusing that a team that I made almost entirely to test the viability of Wynaut developed into this, and that despite the offensive power behind a lot of the mons in this tier, Wynaut still managed to fit itself onto the team as one of the most important members altogether. Hell, I would possibly even consider Wynaut the most consistently important mon on this team since I don't think I've played more than one game where it hasn't gotten at least one KO.

In addition, with the introduction of Eviolite, Wynaut also has pretty solid bulk. These damage calculations illustrate how well it matches up with tons of the strongest attackers in RU right now:

252/252 Wynaut vs...
252 Atk Adamant CB Entei Flare Blitz = 55.08%- 64.97%
252 Atk Adamant LO Entei Flare Blitz = 47.97% - 56.60%
252 Atk Adamant CB Entei Extremespeed = 24.62% - 29.19%

252 Atk Adamant LO Honchkrow Brave Bird = 51.02% - 60.15%
252 Atk Adamant Honchkrow Brave Bird = 39.09% - 46.45%

252 Atk Jolly Krookodile Crunch = 45.69% - 53.81%
252 Atk Jolly +1 Krookodile Crunch = 68.53% - 80.71%
252 Atk Jolly Krookodile Earthquake = 28.43% - 33.76%
252 Atk Jolly +1 Krookodile Earthquake = 42.64% - 50.25%

252 Atk Adamant CB Aggron Head Smash = 67.01% - 79.19%
252 Atk Jolly CB Aggron Head Smash = 60.91% - 71.83%
252 Atk Adamant LO Aggron Head Smash = 58.12% - 68.53%
252 Atk Jolly LO Aggron Head Smash = 53.30% - 62.69%


As you can see from those calcs, Wynaut is capable of taking hits from some of the strongest Physical attackers in RU right now, and is basically my catch all check for nearly any physical threats, helps Lilligant and Alakazam set up, and is in general probably the single most threatening and useful Pokemon on this team. Use Wynaut more, guys!

Closure/Thanks

I'd really like to thank everyone from #rarelyused for their help with this team - if any of you guys reading this are avid RU players and haven't checked out the IRC channel, I really recommend that you do so, as it's probably one of if not the best place for intelligent RU discussion! I'd also like to specifically thank Fried Rhys, Oglemi, Nails, and Zephyr a ton, as they all helped in the making of this team, even if it was because of something as simple as inspiring me to play a tier which I would have otherwise written off as nothing but turned out to be one of the most fun tiers I've played in a while. Special thanks also goes to Bro Fist, who helped me with this team a ton and was always there to yell at me for laddering while I was half asleep and making dumb mistakes. Thanks guys, you're all awesome <3

Anyways, here's an importable version for all of you guys, so rate/hate/steal!
Dugtrio (M) @ Life Orb
Trait: Arena Trap
EVs: 80 HP / 252 Atk / 176 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Stealth Rock
- Stone Edge
- Earthquake
- Substitute

Porygon-Z @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Adaptability
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Tri Attack
- Dark Pulse
- Hidden Power [Fighting]
- Trick

Alakazam (M) @ Life Orb
Trait: Magic Guard
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Substitute
- Psychic
- Shadow Ball
- Focus Blast

Lanturn (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Volt Absorb
EVs: 40 HP / 196 Def / 20 SAtk / 252 SDef
Calm Nature (+SDef, -Atk)
- Volt Switch
- Heal Bell
- Surf
- Thunder Wave

Lilligant (F) @ Leftovers
Trait: Chlorophyll
EVs: 40 HP / 252 SAtk / 216 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Quiver Dance
- Sleep Powder
- Giga Drain
- Hidden Power [Rock]

Wynaut (M) @ Eviolite
Trait: Shadow Tag
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SDef
Bold Nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Counter
- Encore
- Mirror Coat
- Tickle
 
this team is really, really good. Just one nitbit: how do you handle swellow+ghost? Porygon can revenge, but swellow outspeeds everything else, can u-turn out of wynaut and switch to (i use haunter) on the counter, and smack you around with shadow ball.

Just wanted to say, i love the use of wynaut, and the way you combine porygon and alakazam to batter at the opponent. They even share good defensive synergy...
 
great team you got there Windsong. with those two trappers, it's definately tough to keep checks for Alakazam, Liligant and Porygon-Z alive. My only suggestion would be to change your EVs spread on your Porygon-Z. A spread of 96 HP EVS, 252 SpcAttack EVs and 160 SPD EVS along with a modest nature would let you outspeed max speed Swellow and everything slower while having a bit more bulk.

I am also surprised to see Wynaut doing so good. At the beginning of RU, I tried Wobbuffet in the tier and it was not that great.
 

Windsong

stumbling down elysian fields
is a Tiering Contributor Alumnusis a Contributor Alumnusis a Smogon Media Contributor Alumnus
Thanks for the comments guys!

Swellow + Ghost is usually handled by careful play with PZ, to be honest. I was usually able to get the surprise KO on most Swellow with PZ (before I posted this RMT, haha) and otherwise, I do have to rely a bit on Rocks + Toxic/Flame Orb to wear Swellow down a bit. Team Preview also helps tons here though, since it's not hard at all to predict the ghost, and none particularly like switching into Thunderbolt (even Rotom takes a fair amount).

And to SuperPascal, I would run a bulkier spread, but I already live the most important priority in the tier with uninvested defenses, and I like the ability to outspeed Modest Lilligant and speed tie with Moltres (the latter after I've tricked away my Scarf).
 
I think you should run Sucker Punch over Sub or Pursuit on Dugtrio. I mean, its a Dugtrio, not many things can switch out. Sub + Life Orb means that you're taking yourself out pretty fast, and with only 80 base Attack and defensives that die to a light breeze, you're going to want to survive as long as possible for more trapping. Running Sucker Punch allows you to beat opposing priority users and other base 120 Speed pokes (mainly Alakazam and Swellow), as well as Scarfed pokes.
 
If you plan on keeping substitute on your Dugtrio, you can replace life orb with leftovers to give it more survivability. Besides that your team looks pretty solid and congratz on being #1 on the server :)
 

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