RNGIsFatal
Banned deucer.
Greetings, this is RNG. I'm just back here with another RMT, but this time, I built an AAA team which is without theme and more of a mixture of 'mons that I like,
So what I gently ask you all to do is to see my teambuilding process and general team composition, and point out some systemic errors there. Let's begin.
Teambuilding Process
This is the team I initially had. Tapu Fini as a Defog user, Weavile as Pursuit Trapper, Chansey as Unaware wall, PH Buzzwole as stallbreaker (or 'stallbreaker') and Mamoswine check, AV Regen Alolan Muk as a second Pursuit trapper, and Intimidate Scizor as Lando-T 'check'. I saw a lot of problem here as I laddered; I had 3 checks for Weavile, and that meant I was wasting a lot of team space just by making things redundant. I also had two Pursuit trappers which is never a good idea especially when my team wasn't facing Psychic-type-reliant teams and it was completely dead weight against any team with Magearna. Also Scizor was never a good check for Landorus-T because Swords Dance brings a living hell against the rest of my team if Weavile is gone, and my team had 0 resistance to Flying and Elecric-types, meaning stuff like Zapdos can come in very often, force me to go Muk / Chansey, and take away my momentum. Also, even if I was lucky and had very good team matchup, due to the lack of offensive pressure of my team, shits like this happened more than just couple times in the lowest AAA ladder. The team also has more systemically serious issues and I decided it was a time to start the whole thing from scratch.
First of all, I was previously calling my party of 6 "a competitive AAA team" without having a proper Stealth Rock setter. Chansey used to have it, but it turned out the blob isn't the best 'mon to slap Stealth Rock into, because due to the offensive nature of AAA itself, it didn't find much opportunities to set it. One day I have seen Laxpras using Poison Heal Diancie, and because of its typing, it could effectively check Weavile and Buzzwole with Moonblast and be an emergency switchin to Noivern. Being able to do these while setting Stealth Rock was some notable utility Diancie had, and I decided to replace Tapu Fini.
I always liked how Zygarde has access to Thousand Arrows which hits almost everything neutrally, and how it could set up against passive stuff like Chansey and Ferrothorn using Substitute. It could also just do some late game cleaning by setting up with the help of its natural bulk. But as I was lurking around in AAA, I realized there are some number of walls that check Zygarde, including but not limited to, Buzzwole, Tapu Bulu, or majority of Unaware users. That was when I have decided to give this guy a Mold Breaker in order to bypass Unaware users and heavily damage them with Dragon Dance boost, while crippling the likes of defensive Buzzwole and Unaware Chansey using Toxic. Obviously forgoing Extreme Speed for Toxic is sometimes an awful option, but Zygarde can never surmount those defensive roadblocks without it.
One of the most underrated threats in AAA, if I were asked to pick, would be Bisharp. First of all, being one of the strongest Knock Off users was impressive to me, because just by having strong Knock Off, it pressures any teams because not everything can safely switch into STAB Knock Off from a 'mon with 125 base Attack, and those who are able to come in because of the bulk loses its item, with primary victim being Intimidate users like Gligar losing Eviolite and Hippowdon / Zapdos losing Leftovers. I was hesitating a lot about what this guy's Ability and Moveset. Tough Claws meant I could run stuff like Low Kick as a coverage move, while Adaptability gave slightly more power (which is significantly important while going for KO rolls against Magearna at +2) and empowered Z-move which does not get boost from Tough Claws. I just decided to go for standard Swords Dance set like the one in OU metagame because Knock Off was needed to at least do something in a matchup where Bisharp won't do much, Sucker Punch was indispensable due to forcing mind games and making revenge killing significantly harder, and Iron Head was needed so Bisharp will fulfill its purpose of being a Steel-type by OHKOing the likes of Magearna (roll), OHKOing 252 HP Tapu Fini after Stealth Rock, and wrecking havoc on most defensive walls. This meant I couldn't go anything else than STAB moves, but it didn't become so much of a problem due to Bisharp hitting most stuff neutrally with its dual STAB.
Normally I go either Tapu Fini or Mandibuzz as a Defog user, but I decided to choose Zapdos because choosing one of the aforementioned defoggers will be somewhat redundant with Diancie and Bisharp. Unfortunately I can't talk so much about Zapdos because this is the part where I expect to have the most criticisms on, so I will explain everything below.
Most people from dedicated playerbase of AAA will know what does Alolan Muk's existence will mean to the metagame, and I will just not bother explaining why does this guy stay in my team and just post a short conversation with one of the AAA council members:
It just also functions as emergency Manaphy check by using Clear Smog, if Chansey has been taken out for whatever the reason.
I can't explain how many 'mons in AAA cry every day just because Chansey exists. Chansey walls so many fat setups such as Zygarde, Volcarona, Manaphy, and other threats by carrying Unaware. It is one of my most reliable walls in the team that handles Noivern, Volcanion, or most special attackers which would otherwise be very dangerous to the rest of my team. Perhaps being too reliant on Chansey when it comes to building defensive cores may be a problem for myself, but feel free to point it out if it is an actual problem that I have to solve. I don't think I have much to talk about what Chansey does either, because most people who play Pokemon knows what it does...
So that is how I ended up with this core.
Diancie @ Toxic Orb
Ability: Poison Heal
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Moonblast
- Stealth Rock
- Toxic
- Protect
Diancie's moveset is mostly for utility. It mostly leads when I notice nothing in the opposing team can particularly threaten Diancie and set up rocks unless blatantly obvious Magic Bounce users are out there. The EV spread is quite a nuisance for me; normally with Poison Heal users, I make HP 8n +1 number to maximize efficiency of Poison Heal recovery, but because of Diancie's very shitty HP stat, I just kept it at 304 HP which is still quite nice due to the number being multiples of 8. Also making HP stat 297 will be 8n + 1 but that can actually change the outcome against Weavile so I kept HP as high as possible. The rest of EV were put into Defense so it can do best job dealing with physical attackers. Regarding movesets, Moonblast allows Diancie to deal heavy damage to threats such as Buzzwole, and it also lets Diancie avoid being passive against Taunt users. Stealth Rock lets Diancie support its team by garnering residual damage for teammates to take advantage of, and I believe it is good Stealth Rock setter because whilst forcing switches against the likes of Buzzwole and Noivern, it can find some opportunities to do so. Toxic pressures the likes of Chansey who would otherwise give no heck to whatever Diancie does, and even if it has Aromatheraphy / Heal Bell, it should stay and press one of those moves, meaning stuff like Zygarde or Bisharp can come in and start setting up. In Bisharp's case, it can force out Chansey by threatening Knock Off and start removing items. I chose it over HP Fire because most Ferrothorn carry Fire-immune abilities like Flash Fire and Primordial Sea, and it is not like Diancie can touch Magearna anyway. Protect lets Diancie scout moves from choice item users such as Victini and Noivern.
Zygarde @ Leftovers
Ability: Mold Breaker
EVs: 188 HP / 204 Atk / 4 SpD / 112 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Thousand Arrows
- Toxic
- Substitute
- Dragon Dance
Probably the selling point of Zygarde is access to Thousand Arrows which gives it a niche over the likes of Garchomp and Landorus, because Celesteela and Skarmory can't wall it and will be pressured if they were hit by such move on switch (which probably won't happen anyway). 188 HP lets Zygarde have a Substitute of 101 HP, meaning it can use Chansey as a setup fodder due to it having to use Seismic Toss twice to break it. 204 Attack lets Zygarde OHKO Noivern after Stealth Rock damage using +1 Thousand Arrows, and 112 Speed lets it outspeed Noivern after a single Dragon Dance. Leftovers make Zygarde hard to wear down because it basically negates the Stealth Rock chip if it switched in safely, and thanks to 16n + 1 HP, the recovery's efficiency is maximized so I might as well say 'yay!' here... The reason why I decided to not run something like Poison Heal or Magic Bounce is that the most relevant phazers, Skarmory and Hippowdon, are not safe against this set. Skarmory has to resort switching around Thousand Arrows, while Hippowdon is put on timer by taking Toxic prior to using Whirlwind. While stuff like Hippowdon mostly runs Intimidate, other walls that sometimes carry Magic Bounce, like some Chansey variants or Porygon 2, are impossible to take down without running Mold Breaker + Toxic. Now onto movesets, Thousand Arrows is the reason to pick Zygarde and is very spammable STAB move even without boosts, and Toxic helps Zygarde get past roadblocks such as Tapu Bulu, Buzzwole, Unaware Suicune, Chansey, and others. as mentioned, previously, should some of them carry Rest or are cleric, they will have to stay in and screw up their team's momentum. Substitute blocks status and lets Zygarde ease predictions on forced switch, and Dragon Dance is somewhat self-explanatory move that Zygarde needs in order to gain power and sometimes make a killer comeback story by doing some late game sweeping. So far, I find this set much more effective than Substitute + Focus Punch PH Buzzwole I had back in the past.
Bisharp @ Darkinium Z
Ability: Adaptability
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Knock Off
- Sucker Punch
- Iron Head
- Swords Dance
Bisharp is the one who helps Zygarde sweep late game by blowing holes on the other team. Because of Adaptability, it is capable of pressuring Unaware users and throwing strong Sucker Punch even after BP nurf in S/M generation. EV spreads are obviously dedicated to make Bisharp hit as hard as possible, and Jolly nature is something never worth forgoing Adamant because Sucker Punch compensates its mediocre Speed as most people do know. Movesets are mostly explained in Teambuilding Process and I don't find to make it redundant by repeating what I say here. The greatest struggle I had with the moveset was the choice of an item, with possible options being Life Orb, Dread Plate, Darkinium Z, and Steelium Z. This is basically what was going on my brain:
I chose Darkinium Z because Suicune annoys my team more than other stuff like Buzzwole and other defensive walls do. If you are curious about how much damage does this guy actually does, go check out replay on the bottom.
Zapdos @ Leftovers
Ability: Unaware
EVs: 192 HP / 216 Def / 100 SpA
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Volt Switch
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Defog
- Roost
This is probably the weirdest set, for some AAA players, because Zapdos has serious 4 moveslot-syndrome and I can't even tell if I slapped in right moves. Starting with EV spread, 16n + 1 HP which minimizes Stealth Rock damage and maximizes Leftovers recovery through 192 HP, 100 Special Attack letting Zapdos OHKO uninvested Landorus-T by 87.5% chance after Stealth Rock damage with HP Ice, and the rest put in to Defense. The reason why I have Unaware on this guy is because Triage users like Tapu Bulu / Golisopod / Chesnaught / Buzzwole kinda screws over my team if I choose different ability, and it can give a nice surprise SD Landorus-T variants should they think they will OHKO Zapdos with +2 Stone Edge. The moveset is very obvious, and is standard for a Defog user. Heat Wave is not chosen due to many Steel-types like Ferrothorn carrying Fire-immune abilities and the likes of Magearna being very resilient to it. Perhaps I can get a better Unaware user or even better Pokemon to use in the first place so please give me a feedback of whether I made the best decision picking right Defogger and Triage-checks.
Muk-Alola @ Assault Vest
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 248 HP / 12 Def / 248 SpD
Sassy Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Poison Jab
- Clear Smog
- Knock Off
- Pursuit
Simply by existing, Alolan Muk p much makes most Psychic-types before even coming in and doing something. Thanks to its excellent natural Special bulk paired with Assault Vest, Muk does excellent job keeping momentum while completely negating chips from the likes of Zapdos and Magearna which would otherwise wear my team down. Also spamming Poison Jab helps Zygarde and Bisharp sweep easier later on. Also nothing in the world is wrong with my team having a second Knock Off user, because Steel-types that switch into Muk are usually Magearna, Ferrothorn, and sometimes Heatran, and the former will lose its AV while the latter two will lose their leftovers and will start getting worn down. 12 Defense EV's were given for Muk so it can survive Victini's V-Create after Stealth Rock (I mean, most carry Choice Band so I guess it's only relevant after using Trick or something) and the rest of EV's were put into HP and Special Defense to maximize its Special bulk. I also decided to minimize Muk's Speed, which I didn't do around the time I was on the replay that I am going to show at the end of RMT, because slow Knock Off is very bothersome for other teams to deal with, especially if they have things like minimized-Speed Magearna which tries to absorb Knock Off and safely bring in its teammate. Movesets are very obvious on this set as well with Poison Jab and Knock Off being primary STAB options, while Clear Smog lets Alolan Muk stop Volcarona and Manaphy when Chansey is down and Pursuit traps Psychic-types, preventing them from having second chance to ever come in.
Chansey @ Eviolite
Ability: Unaware
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Spe
Bold Nature
- Refresh
- Soft-Boiled
- Seismic Toss
- Counter
Normally I would run 252 Def / 252 SpD with Chansey so I can take on stuff like Xurkitree, but Chansey already boasts a bulk of monstrosity with 252 HP and Eviolite boost, so I decided to give it more physical bulk. I chose Refresh over Heal Bell because the healing of status might conflict with Diancie and no one else in my team likes taking Knock Off, and don't say switch Bisharp into predicted Knock Off because I have to conserve its health as much as possible for sweeping. Also Refresh has significantly more PP and is better on long run, and for those who play BH, it is like giving Imposter Chansey Refresh instead of Aromatheraphy when one has PH Regigigas / PH Giratina in their team. Soft-Boiled is mandatory to keep Chansey healthy and check special attackers, and Seismic Toss keeps Chansey from being completely passive. Prior to the time I played a match in replay, I had Toxic as the last move to put stuff on timer, but I decided to forgo Toxic for Counter for these reasons:
- Prevalence of Magic Bounce makes it harder to predict if opponent has such ability or not, and Toxic being bounced back will screw momentum as I stay in and press Refresh.
- Seismic Toss is already sufficient enough to wear down foes.
- Chansey is already a dead weight against Ghost-types, with the worst threat being Gengar. Alolan Muk exists to check them anyway.
- Counter is surprisingly effective against physical attackers who think they can 2HKO Chansey with strong moves, and watching them get blown up is just... too good.
Chansey staying at low healthy after using Counter probably means I am in trouble, but that also means Chansey has taken out a physical attacker that threatens my team, and it can sometimes find an opportunity to switch in against stuff like Toxapex or other passive / weak attackers and use Soft-Boiled.
Threat List
While Zygarde can revenge kill it, Heatran is a pain and nothing in my team is actually able to switch in, especially if it is Magma Storm variant. It can trap and remove Chansey and possibly Muk, so I always have to watch out and pressure it as much as possible. Unfortunately even defensive variants carry Stealth Rock which is a bother.
"What is an issue with Manaphy when you have Chansey?"
Yes, Tail Glow is no brainer to deal with, but when it comes to Knock Off variants, things are different. It was a match against Quantum Tesseract when he screwed my team over using Regenerator Manaphy. Sitting down and spamming Scald is just cancerous to deal with because that will eventually cause force my Chansey to give up on Eviolite or Muk getting burnt. Because my PH user is Diancie, it is simply 2HKOed by Scald and can't even stay in. I am currently thinking about using Tapu Fini again and using different Pokemon to set Stealth Rock just because of this Manaphy.
After I removed Buzzwole after I rebuilt the team, it became a threat again. This Mamoswine is also another reason why I am considering about re-hiring Tapu Fini
I frankly don't know what the heck should I do with Terrakion because if it sets Swords Dance that basically means I am ****ed. If not, Zygarde can lose significant portion of its health and revenge kill it.
V-create turns out to be an absoutely dumb move here; I don't have Primordial Sea user so if Tinted Lens variants come out, someone will die. Probably the best case scenario is I kill it with Chansey's Counter, Zygarde forces it out while setting up and sweeping
Replay
- Alolan Muk did not have minimized Speed.
- Chansey had Toxic instead of Counter.
Conclusion
AAA is fun meta where offense and defense have some sort of equilibrium. I have been building teams only to face some stumbles, but I feel like I am slowly getting there. If you find anything that isn't good in my teambuilding process / movesets, please feel free to point out. Even if the modification of the set will cause some collateral damage on my other sets, I won't mind. Thank you for reading and have a good night!
Diancie @ Toxic Orb
Ability: Poison Heal
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Moonblast
- Stealth Rock
- Toxic
- Protect
Zygarde @ Leftovers
Ability: Mold Breaker
EVs: 188 HP / 204 Atk / 4 SpD / 112 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Thousand Arrows
- Toxic
- Substitute
- Dragon Dance
Bisharp @ Darkinium Z
Ability: Adaptability
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Knock Off
- Sucker Punch
- Iron Head
- Swords Dance
Zapdos @ Leftovers
Ability: Magic Bounce
EVs: 192 HP / 216 Def / 100 SpA
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Volt Switch
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Defog
- Roost
Muk-Alola @ Assault Vest
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 248 HP / 12 Def / 248 SpD
Sassy Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Poison Jab
- Clear Smog
- Knock Off
- Pursuit
Chansey @ Eviolite
Ability: Unaware
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Spe
Bold Nature
- Refresh
- Soft-Boiled
- Seismic Toss
- Counter
Ability: Poison Heal
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Moonblast
- Stealth Rock
- Toxic
- Protect
Zygarde @ Leftovers
Ability: Mold Breaker
EVs: 188 HP / 204 Atk / 4 SpD / 112 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Thousand Arrows
- Toxic
- Substitute
- Dragon Dance
Bisharp @ Darkinium Z
Ability: Adaptability
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Knock Off
- Sucker Punch
- Iron Head
- Swords Dance
Zapdos @ Leftovers
Ability: Magic Bounce
EVs: 192 HP / 216 Def / 100 SpA
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Volt Switch
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Defog
- Roost
Muk-Alola @ Assault Vest
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 248 HP / 12 Def / 248 SpD
Sassy Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Poison Jab
- Clear Smog
- Knock Off
- Pursuit
Chansey @ Eviolite
Ability: Unaware
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Spe
Bold Nature
- Refresh
- Soft-Boiled
- Seismic Toss
- Counter
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