Project Pokémon Matchmaking (SM Edition) - Current round: Hawlucha (SUBMITTING TAPUS IS BANNED)

[Akumeoy]

Charizard @ Charizardite Y
Ability: Blaze
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Fire Blast
- Solar Beam
- Focus Blast
- Roost

Mega Charizard Y greatly appreciates Dugtrio's ability to eliminate Chansey, Tyranitar, and Heatran. Mega Charizard Y checks Grass- and Water-types that Dugtrio struggles against.

 

[JTD783]

Volcarona

Volcarona threatens fat grass types with its STABs and can even KO bulky Lando-T at +1. Skarmory and Mega Scizor are both terrified of Volc. Every one of those walls Dugtrio easily, so Volc's ability to crush them is a major boon to Dugtrio.

Volcarona tears through many offense builds currently, which can be troublesome to Dugtrio. Most importantly, it is a wincon that Dugtrio enables to sweep.

Here's some pests that Dugtrio can erase:

Zard X
Toxapex
Tyranitar
Heatran
Chansey
Scarf Terrakion
Choice-locked Ash-Greninja
Unaware Clefable

Volcarona and Dugtrio synergize well because of their "Zard-Y/BandTar" complex, in which Volcarona pressures the opponent greatly and forces a switch into a counter, which can then be trapped and removed. Suddenly the opponent has no more switchins, and Volcarona QD's and wins from then on. Volcarona can switch into plenty of Pokemon that scare Dugtrio, and Dugtrio comes in against mons that Volcarona fears (see the list above).

Dugtrio's ability to trap mons like Heatran and wear down mons like Toxapex enables Volcarona to run something besides HP Ground, so a possible set could be:

Volcarona @ Firium Z
Ability: Flame Body
EVs: 252 SpA/4 SpD/252 Spe
Timid Nature
-Quiver Dance
-Fire Blast
-Giga Drain
-Roost/HP Ice/U-Turn for Duggy shenanigans/Will-O-Wisp for the tech... you get the picture.

This core needs a sturdy hazard remover and a better defensive backbone, so something like Zapdos or Tapu Fini would work well.

 

[Random Passerby]

Sableye @ Sablenite
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 248 HP / 116 Def / 144 SpD
Careful Nature
- Knock Off
- Protect
- Will-O-Wisp
- Recover

Mega Sableye can act as a Stealth Rock deterrent which allows Dugtrio to preserve its Sash. Meanwhile, Dugtrio can remove wallbreakers or sweepers that don't care about Sableye such as Volcarona, Heatran, Tapu Lele (weakened), Tyranitar, Magearna and Clefable. Dugtrio can also run Aerial Ace if SD Tapu Bulu and Buzzwole are major problems.

 

[Colonel M]

Celesteela @ Flyinium Z
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 84 HP / 252 SpA / 172 Spe
Modest Nature
- Autotomize
- Air Slash
- Fire Blast
- Giga Drain

It's no secret I love this set. The snowballing potential from this Pokemon is rather ridiculous, though it does have problems against some Pokemon such as Heatran and Tyranitar if they're a little too bulky or are Banded. The solution is to deploy Dugtrio - this Pokemon will clear out some of Celesteela's problematic Pokemon guaranteed. It also helps because it clears Magnezone - which otherwise is a gamble to kill with Fire Blast (and some Magnezone can carry Assault Vest), and can also clear other Steel-types that might rely too much on risking with Fire Blast misses.

Celesteela can also take advantage of Pokemon that may come in to revenge kill Dugtrio such as Thunder Punch-less Mega Metagross (basically assuming that Bullet Punch is the method of revenge), Defensive Landorus-T, and Mega Scizor as a few examples.

 

[HailFall]

no im not dead

Magearna @ Choice Specs
Ability: Soul-Heart
EVs: 212 HP / 252 SpA / 44 Spe
Modest Nature
- Fleur Cannon
- Flash Cannon
- Volt Switch
- Hidden Power [Fire]

dugtrio just traps and kills p much anything this set doesnt kill on its own. volt switch brings it in on tons of stuff too. could also run like shift gear or something instead i guess, but you have a harder time getting duggy in.

 

[Martin]

Sorry for this being late; I was busy yesterday and it just slipped my mind.

Winners:

by Random Passerby

by JTD783

by Colonel M

Very solid week overall; lots of very good submissions that made picking a top three v. hard. Even now I'm not 100% sure on my picks but I'm already late enough as is.

Week 6: Alolan Marowak

Marowak-Alola @ Thick Club
Ability: Lightningrod
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Shadow Bone
- Fire Punch
- Bonemerang / Stealth Rock
- Will-O-Wisp / Stealth Rock

 

[matthewc20090]

Tapu Fini @ Leftovers
Ability: Misty Surge
EVs: 248 HP / 192 Def / 16 SpD / 52 Spe
Calm Nature
- Taunt
- Nature's Madness
- Scald
- Defog

Tapu Fini is a great partner for Alolan Marowak as it clears hazards, checks Landorus-T, and takes advantage of Lightningrod from Marowak.

 

[nameless90]

Tapu Bulu

Tapu Bulu @ Choice Band
Ability: Grassy Surge
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Wood Hammer
- Horn Leech
- Superpower
- Stone Edge

Tapu Bulu, while not as bulky as other Grass types (such as Tangrowth and Mega Venusaur), forms a formidable wallbreaking core with Alolan Marowak with nice defensive synergy.
Defensively speaking, Tapu Bulu also helps to mitigate Alolan Marowak's Ground weakness and lack of recovery by setting Grassy Terrain.

 

[pancake]

Magearna @ Fairium Z / Steelium Z
Ability: Soul-Heart
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpA
Quiet Nature
- Trick Room
- Fleur Cannon
- Flash Cannon
- Focus Blast

I don't know why Swords Dance is not slashed on the Alolan Marowak set because it is the best set right now frankly. Anyway Marowak brings in bulky waters and weakens them with Shadow Bone for Magearna to sweep lategame. Additionally Marowak under Trick Room (especially Swords Dance variants) is scary as fuck for offense. Marowak also has a great matchup against bulkier teams which Magearna struggles against, and Marowak struggles against offense when not under Trick Room, while Magearna excels against offense.

 

[AbrarWasee]

Mantine @ Leftovers
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 248 HP / 240 Def / 20 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Roost
- Defog
- Toxic

Mantine can be a great potential partner for Alolan Marowak imho. Firstly, it provides hazard removal which is pretty necessary with Marowak's weakness to Stealth Rock, thus preventing it from not wearing down. It also deals Ground types which gives Marowak trouble, such as Landorus-T and Hippowdon. It also mitigates Marowak's weakness to bulky Water types, as it can take anything from them and put them in a timer with Toxic. Since this set lacks Air Slash, it benefit's from Marowak's ability to deal with bulky Grass types such as Mega Venusaur, Amoonguss, Tangrowth and Ferrothorn. Overall, they are good partners for each other.

 

[Random Passerby]

Sharpedo @ Sharpedonite
Ability: Speed Boost
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Protect
- Crunch
- Psychic Fangs
- Poison Jab / Waterfall

Alolan Marowak helps Sharpedo against Pokemon like Tapu Koko, Tangrowth, Celesteela and Buzzwole. Marowak also helps to weaken Tapu Fini and cripple Intimidate users such as Gyarados and Lando-T. Since Alolan Marowak loses to fast, frail attackers (think Latios, Gengar) - Mega Sharpedo can defeat them after a Protect and Speed boost. Waterfall can be used if the team is very weak to Lando-T and Tyranitar.

 

[zCheshrye]

Land doggo checks the many ground type pokemon that threaten aloan marowak such as Garchomp, Excadrill, and opposing Lando Doggos. Landours T also sets up stealth rock which frees up a move slot for Aloan marowak. In return, aloan marowak checks Steel and Electric types carrying HP ice and pokemon carrying random ice coverage such as Celesteela, Skarmory, HP (ice) Tapu koko and thundurus, ice beam phermosa and ice punch Mega Metagross. Lando doggo also provides a slow u-turn to get Aloan Marowak in safely to avoid letting Marowak take hits with its just average bulk. This core is weak to bulky waters, so make sure you cover those when teambuilding.
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View attachment 78749 Virizain

add a set to use for lando

 

[vso]

Keldeo @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Hydro Pump
- Secret Sword
- Hidden Power [Electric]
Keldeo gives marowak a lot of speed control while also having the typing and the bulk to check threats that threaten marowak out like greninja-ash. Additionally, keldeo appreciates the fact that marowak severely weakens Tapu fini and it gets up rocks for a potential keldeo clean. Keldeo also appreciates marowak forcing in landorus-t. The ability to massively pressure stall teams would be super handy for keldeo. Marowak gives keldeo a nice check to pokemon like Tapu koko. These two in combination beat pokemon like volcarona.

 

[Martin]

I'm going to be using a new system when deciding winners from this week onwards; the number of winners will vary each week depending on the number of participants, how good I think the participation is, and on how easy I am finding it to decide on which is better. This will hopefully make the choosing process easier and a little less arbitrary than before.

Winners:

by matthewc20090

by pancake

Week 7: Mega Sablye

Sableye @ Sablenite
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 HP / 112 Def / 144 SpD
Careful Nature
- Protect
- Will-O-Wisp
- Knock Off
- Recover

 

[zCheshrye]

Taking Dugtrio

Dugtrio @ Focus Sash
Ability: Arena Trap
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Reversal
- Screech/Stone Edge
- Memento/Stealth Rock/Toxic

This helps sablye with its threats by trapping stuff thats sabs weak for like magerna and other stuff like zard x that can beat stall etc...... Also duggy fits with sablye on stall being able to trap stuff. Sab helps duggy by having magic bounce and it can come in when rocks are being set up since duggy is frail and its sash will be broken by rocks damamge

 

[GnralLao]

This is actually my first time doing this, so I hope I'm doing it right. Here goes:

Skarmory @ Shed Shell
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
- Roost
- Whirlwind
- Defog
- Counter

Since M-Sableye is mostly found in stall builds, I chose to nominate a common partner found on said team archetype: Skarmory. Skarmory helps M-Sableye by dealing with strong and common SR setters like Landorus-T, Mold Breaker Excadrill and SD Garchomp that can get past it with their brute strength (or ability in Excadrill's case), and by Defogging entry hazards set by them. In exchange, M-Sableye can switch into predicted status moves aimed at Skarmory like Leech Seed from Ferrothorn and Celesteela, and Whirlwind (or the rare Taunt) from opposing Skarmory. M-Sableye can also prevent opposing entry hazards from being set up by switching into a predicted SR/(Toxic) Spikes, thusly alleviating the pressure on Skarmory to Defog the entry hazards away. Another teammate like Toxapex is needed to deal with threatening Fire-type mons which are immune to M-Sableye's Will-O-Wisp and easily KO Skarmory. Chansey is also a great teammate to the pair to sponge hits from troublesome special wallbreakers/sweepers like Ash Greninja, M-ZardY, Volcarona and Manaphy.

 

[Futatsuiwa of Sado]

Toxapex @ Black Sludge
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 232 Def / 24 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Recover
- Haze
- Toxic Spikes / Toxic

Toxapex is a wonderful defensive pivot that provides an answer to a lot of things Sab struggles with such as both Charizards, Volcarona, Tapu Fini, Heatran, Clefable and Keldeo lacking Z-Hyper Beam. Furthermore, it can provide Toxic Spikes, a utility valued by many Stall teams making status spreading easier. Sableye's Ghost typing also prevents these T-Spikes from being spun away and checks select Psychic and Ground-types like Alakazam, Metagross and Landorus.

 

[AbrarWasee]

Clefable @ Leftovers
Ability: Unaware
EVs: 216 HP / 64 Def / 228 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Moonblast
- Heal Bell
- Wish
- Protect

People seem to have forgotten the Gen 6 don. It is still useful in stall. Many special attackers can use Mega Sableye as setup fodder such as Tail Glow Manaphy. Clefable can easily deal with them. It can give Heal Bell support incase Sableye gets burned or poisoned through Scald, Lava Plume, Sludge Bomb etc, which is likely to happen sooner or later. It can also pass Wish to help it recover. It can handle troublesome Pokemon like Keldeo for Sableye. Overall, they are great partners.

 

[matthewc20090]

Chansey @ Eviolite
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpD
Bold Nature
- Soft-Boiled
- Seismic Toss
- Stealth Rock
- Aromatherapy

Chansey is not only a great partner for Mega Sableye, but also one for the 4 pokemon above. Thanks to its phenomenal special bulk, its able to switch into Tapu Lele, Tapu Koko, Mega Charizard Y, and Clefable without too much trouble. In return, Mega Sableye keeps hazards off the field to keep Chansey healthy, and can cripple physical attackers with Will-O-Wisp.

lol this round

 

[vso]

Shedinja @ Focus Sash
Ability: Wonder Guard
Evs: 252 Atk / 156 Spe
Lonely Nature
- Baton Pass
- Protect
- Shadow Sneak
- Will-O-Wisp
Shedinja is a really nice partner to mega Sableye. It appreciates magic bounce for hazards and statuses, which kill shedinja. Mega Sableye beats rocky helmet landorus-t and iron barbs(or any) ferrothorn, which threaten shedinja.It also appreciates sableyes utility to knock off pokemon allowing shedinja to actually kill them. Mega sableye appreciates shedinja checking fairies like Tapu fini. Shedinja also beats other stallbreakers like thundurus-t.

 

[Gross Sweep]

Alolan-Muk

Francisco (Muk-Alola) @ Assault Vest
Ability: Poison Touch
EVs: 252 HP / 112 Atk / 144 SpD
Careful Nature
- Knock Off
- Pursuit
- Poison Jab
- Brick Break/Shadow Sneak
​

When someone looks at M-Sableye they see a stall linchpin who provides exceptional team support. However, I feel this pigeon holes M-Sableye when it is fully capable of operating outside of stall. Now before anyone thinks I'm getting carried away I'd like to clarify I'm not suggesting M-Sableye try to find a home on hyper offensive teams, but rather lead the charge for Gen 7 balance.

M-Sableye's ability to provide a team with excellent team support provides balance a chance to shine since it can suppress so many roles into one slot, and almost all the roles M-Sableye covers help a certain pile of sludge excel.

How Sableye Helps Muk​

When running an Assault Vest Muk has absolutely no recovery. This means that a layer or two of spikes could be detrimental to Muk in an intense game, So M-sableye being able to stop hazards with the ability magic bounce helps Muk enjoy much more longevity. Another issue Muk faces is burns. If Muk gets burnt any pressure you planned on applying with it vanishes, meaning that a Mon like M-sableye who can bounce back a Will-O-Wisp is a great partner. Another reason that M-sableye is a great partner for Muk is that it also has the ability to spread burns with Will-O-Wisp that cripple physical attackers that bother Muk - Especially Ground Types.

How Muk Helps Sableye
M-Sableye is a great defensive mon, but it struggles a lot with fairies - especially the Tapus that are running rampant in Gen 7 OU. Muk is able to help Sableye by sponging fairy type attacks from Tapu Koko, Lele, and Fini with the given spread.

252+ SpA Choice Specs Tapu Lele Moonblast vs. 252 HP / 144+ SpD Assault Vest Muk-Alola: 135-160 (32.6 - 38.6%) -- 99.4% chance to 3HKO

0 SpA Tapu Fini Moonblast vs. 252 HP / 144+ SpD Assault Vest Muk-Alola: 52-63 (12.5 - 15.2%) -- possible 7HKO
Obviously natures madness has the potential to be a pain - just showing muk forces 3 Natures madnesses before it's in KO range.

252 SpA Life Orb Tapu Koko Dazzling Gleam vs. 252 HP / 144+ SpD Assault Vest Muk-Alola: 74-87 (17.8 - 21%) -- possible 5HKO

Another mon that often Troubles M-sableye is Heatran, but never fear Alolan Muk can be used to help ease this match up as well (Although I don't suggest Muk as a teams main Tran check).

252 SpA Heatran Earth Power vs. 252 HP / 144+ SpD Assault Vest Muk-Alola: 104-124 (25.1 - 29.9%) -- guaranteed 4HKO

This isn't all muk helps with, another being Latios, I just don't have the time to list them all.

Up to this point I've only mentioned Muk's defensive capabilities, but it also can pitch in offensively. This set allows for Muk to 2hko Tapu Lele with pursuit if rocks are up - as well as ohko with jab after rocks. Muk also has a very solid chance to 2hko Tapu fini with poison jab after rocks (84.4%). The set I'm suggesting also has Brick Break slashed with Shadow Sneak since it has a very solid chance to 2hko Heatran after two rounds of Stealth Rock. Plus no team ever hated having a strong knock off user.

Conclusion
The combination of Muk and Sableye might not seem like an obvious pairing since it looks to draw M-Sableye away from stall, but it can prove very fruitful. Also thanks to MrAldo for the Muk nickname.

Also sorry if the post got a little long - didn't know if there was a cap. Didn't post offensive calcs to try and shorten it a bit.

​

 

[Random Passerby]

Volcarona @ Firium Z
Ability: Flame Body
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Quiver Dance
- Fire Blast
- Hidden Power Ground
- Giga Drain

This core from ORAS makes use of Sableye's ability to deter Stealth Rock to make Volcarona's life easier (although it is still dangerous to rely solely on Sab for hazard control). Meanwhile, you can set-up and beat stuff like Magearna, Clefable (beware of Thunder Wave) and Tapu Fini. The nice part is Volcarona itself also loves the Terrains that those Tapus bring when they switch in against Sableye. Hidden Power Ground allows you to defeat Heatran while Giga Drain lets you bypass Tapu Fini and Keldeo.

 

[Martin]

Winners

by zCheshrye

by Futatsuiwa of Sado

by vsomani

I'm not big on Sableye teams which aren't stall, which was the key reason I didn't pick Volcarona (whether it is good or not as a playstyle is extremely subjective, which is why I think it's important to mention my stance on it). Beyond this, I just picked the two standard stall Pokemon which I feel are the most noticeably scary in conjunction with the utility which Sableye provides (also extremely subjective) before chucking in Shedinja for good measure 'cause Sableye is one of the three cornerstones of Shedinja stall.

Week 8 - Alomomola

Alomomola @ Leftovers
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 36 HP / 220 Def / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Wish
- Protect
- Scald
- Toxic / Knock Off

 

[JTD783]

Magearna @ Assault Vest
Ability: Soul Heart
EVs: 248 HP/252 SpA/8 Spe
Modest Nature
-Fleur Cannon
-Flash Cannon
-Volt Switch
-Hidden Power Fire/Shadow Ball

AV Magearna is capable of checking many of the meta's most powerful special attackers, such as Tapu Koko, Tapu Lele, Latios, Ash Greninja, Nihilego, and opposing Specs/Shift Gear Magearna. It uses Volt Switch to pressure switch-ins and threatens those that resist it with powerful Fleur Cannons and Flash Cannons.

Magearna and Alomomola have great synergy because they can pivot into each others' checks and counters, along with Alo providing Wish support for Magearna, which is otherwsie worn down over the course of the battle. For example, Alo can handle Landorus-Therian, non-Bloom Doom Heatran, Zard X, and Mega Metagross. Should a powerful breaker switch into Alo, potentially taking a Scald burn or Toxic in the process, Magearna can come in and allow Alo to stay healthy through Regenerator.

The core struggles with Bloom Doom Tran, Zard Y, and Magnezone but otherwise blanket checks much of the meta.

 

[readytolose]

Muk-Alola @ Assault Vest
Ability: Poison Touch
EVs: 252 HP / 240 Atk / 16 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Knock Off
- Pursuit
- Gunk Shot
- Shadow Sneak

Alolan Muk checks threats that try to prey on Alomomola's low Special Defense, and can use Pursuit to simply remove some of them. It can check Greninja, Tapu Koko, Tapu Lele, Nihilego, Hoopa-U, Serperior, and Gengar, all of which can deal large damage with their special attacks. Together they form a core of a blanket check to physical attackers coupled with a blanket check to special attackers. Alomomola's Wish can go a long way towards keeping it healthy, letting it switch in and use Pursuit multiple times. Alomomola is a solid check to physical attackers, particularly Ground types like Landorus-T, Excadrill, and Mamoswine that Alolan Muk hates, although this core is collectively setup fodder for Zygarde.