Assist Phazors

[Humpy Thrashabout]

** DISCLAIMER: This team does not work right on Shoddy due to a bug with Choice items and Assist. This only works in the DS game and on Pokemon Online**

Background Info
Assist: Uses a random move from a random Pokémon in user's party, other than the user and eggs. Can pick moves from a fainted Pokémon.

Assist has a list of moves which cannot be picked during assist:

Assist
Chatter
Copycat
Counter
Covet
Destiny Bond
Detect
Endure
Feint
Focus Punch
Follow Me
Helping Hand
Me First
Metronome
Mimic
Mirror Coat
Mirror Move
Protect
Sketch
Sleep Talk
Snatch
Struggle
Switcheroo
Thief
Trick

Assist works much like Sleep Talk. When it picks a move to use it ignores it's priority and gives it normal attack priority (0).

Premise
I wanted to create a team which can setup Stealth Rocks, Spikes, or Toxic Spikes and then shuffle the other team around with a really fast roar. So this means I need 1 main assist user, a support team made to not only counter SR resists and priority users, but do it using only unassistable moves.

Team Construction
Looking at the list of pokes who can use assist:
Delcatty
Furret
Hypno
Infernape
Persian
Purugly
Spinda
Weavile

I see a bunch of garbage and Infernape and Weavile. Looking through their move pools I see that Infernape is the only one with a field effect. So immediately Infernape becomes the core of my team.

Next I looked at the unassistable moves to see what was viable or useful and came up with these:
Assist
Copycat
Counter
Destiny Bond
Feint
Focus Punch
Me First
Mimic
Mirror Coat
Mirror Move
Protect
Sleep Talk
Snatch
Thief

All others didn't meet my goal of dealing damage to weakened pokes or taking out problematic pokes. Thief seemed like the only legitimate attack move. It has base power 40. It certainly could have a better typing (it's dark), but I can deal.
So I have one really weak attack? Well technician could help that. Who is the best technician user?

Cool. So now I have a shuffler, and someone to clean up the remains. Now I need to get someone to setup SR. Well if I only want Ape to have SR, then I better have some Assist support.

That is the fastest Assister in the game (Weavile) and the bulkiest Assister (Hypno) and the only Technician user (Persian). Each one is of a different type to try and get some type coverage.
For my last poke I knew that I had a big weakness to Swampert. Infernape is weak to both Ground and Water and can't hit for more than 1X with any move in his moveset. He's bulky enough that Scizor can't really dent him and he's SR resistant.
I started looking into stuff that can switch in on Surf and Earthquake and I didn't like my options. None of them who can switch in on that and survive had enough power to kill Swampert. So I got a little creative.

Toxicroak has the ability Dry Skin, which heals him whenever hit by a Water attack. And he is weak to earthquake, which at first sounds like a bad thing, but when combined with Focus Sash and Counter it becomes an amazing tool. I switch in untouched if I predict a surf taking no damage, then when they EQ I hang on with Focus Sash and kill them with counter.
Because you see Swampert leads in OU a lot I decided a good idea might be to lead with Ape hoping to see a Swampert. I'll switch and they'll know I'm switching so they SR (assuming a competent opponent and standard lead). Then they'll want to kill Toxicroak, so they'll earthquake setting up for their death.
It also comes with the added bonus of being able to clear Toxic Spikes.
Finished Team

Infernape @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Blaze
EVs: 252 Spe/252 Att/4 HP
Jolly nature (+Spe, -SAtk)
- Assist
- Stealth Rock
- Close Combat
- Flare Blitz

I gave him Flare Blitz and Close Combat for super effective STAB hits on Steel and Rock types which resist SR. He has SR so that when Assisting he wont sometimes pick SR instead of Roar.

Scizor @ Choice Band
Ability: Technician
EVs: 252 Spe/252 Att/4 HP
Jolly nature (+Spe, -SAtk)
- Thief
- Protect
- Counter
- Sleep Talk

Main garbage man of my team. He can 1 or 2HKO Ghosts and Psychics with Thief. He can also switch in on CB BP Scizor and counter him to death.

Weavile @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 Spe/252 Att/4 HP
Jolly nature (+Spe, -SAtk)
- Thief
- Protect
- Assist
- Sleep Talk

Stealth Rocks Assister #1. Since Ape is lead he is supposed to setup SR and switchout to something so he can switch back in and start shuffling. If for some reason Ape can't scare the opponents lead away then I rely on my Assisters to get SR down. Weavile is kind of frail, so usually he isn't the first choice, but depending on the opponents poke, he might be able to come in safely.

Hypno @ Leftovers
Ability: Insomnia
EVs: 168 Def/88 SpD/252 HP
Jolly nature (+Spe, -SAtk)
- Thief
- Protect
- Assist
- Snatch

Stealth Rock Assister #2. He's bulky and can take a few hits before going down, but also is useful for taking out stalling walls. Snatch will eat up any recovery move. I've had the case a few times where I PP stalled a very low health Blissey by just snatching all 16 of his recoveries. It's very situational, but anything else I might put in there would be similar.

Persian @ Choice Band
Ability: Technician
EVs: 252 Atk/252 Spe/4 HP
Jolly nature (+Spe, -SAtk)
- Thief
- Protect
- Assist
- Roar

Stealth Rock Assister #3. Due to it's much lower Atk stat it's first job is assisting. Only has a secondary job will it be cleaning up.

Toxicroak @ Focus Sash
Ability: Dry Skin
EVs: 100 SpD/152 Def/252 HP
Jolly nature (+Spe, -SAtk)
- Thief
- Protect
- Counter
- Sleep Talk

Toxicroak is my sacrificial killer. He can take out a bunch of problem pokes: Swamperts, Lucario, Scizor, and Dragonite.
Threats
The biggest threats to my team are priority users, Ambomasnow, Hippowdon, and TTar because they wear down Ape during his shuffle, and SR resists that can't be
OHKO'd by Infernape. These include:

Bullet Punch Scizor
Bullet Punch Metagross
Extremespeed Lucario
Extremespeed Dragonite (to a much less extent due to it losing 25% health on every shuffle)
Extremespeed Dragonite (ditto)

Swampert
Gliscor

All of the priority user can be dealt with in a number of ways as long as I'm smart about my choices. Swampert and Gliscor aren't a problem if they the lead, but is pretty impossible to beat other wise. Simply due to the fact that they'll SR first turn giving me a chance to switch in Toxicroak.

The only real killers of this team are the weather users. I don't beat them.

Match Transcript
Infernape used Assist!
Infernape used Roar!
The foe's Latias was dragged out!
Pointed stones dug into the foe's Latias!

Start of turn 28
Infernape used Assist!
Infernape used Roar!
The foe's Rotom-w was dragged out!
Pointed stones dug into the foe's Rotom-w!

Start of turn 29
Infernape used Assist!
Infernape used Roar!
The foe's Latias was dragged out!
Pointed stones dug into the foe's Latias!

Start of turn 30
Infernape used Assist!
Infernape used Roar!
The foe's Swampert was dragged out!
Pointed stones dug into the foe's Swampert!

...Ad infinitum

 

[acinod]

Assist can select Close Combat and Flare Blitz. Pokemon with Leftovers will also give you trouble.

 

[Humpy Thrashabout]

Assist will only pick Flare Blitz and Close Combat on my support assisters. When Ape uses assist the only move it can be is Roar.
The only pokemon with leftovers that can be a problem are the ones listed with SR resist and terrible typing (against me). I can usually still OHKO all the other stuff and Ape has gone through his shuffle mode.

 

[acinod]

So if Ape falls, you lose. The other Assisters will not be able to use Assist to its full effect due to being able to select Flare Blitz and Close Combat. You depending too much on a frail Pokemon like Ape to carry your team to victory.

 

[Humpy Thrashabout]

But NOTHING can hit Ape with anything except priority moves (barring the 8 pokemon in OU faster IF they are also scarfed, which I have yet to see). And in the OU environment you really only see Extremespeed, Bullet Punch, and to a lesser extent Aqua Jet. Each of which is very easy to see coming.

Bullet Punch is not very effective and Ape could take 4 or 5 of them from a CB Scizor.
Extremespeed Ape could probably take 3 hits of, but I'll usually switch out to something and wear it down.
Aqua Jet is easy to see coming. I'll just switch to Toxicroak and counter their next move.

 

[ginganinja]

I don't quite see this working great...
The main reason is that you must SR and then switch due to being locked into SR. Therefore in order for this to work Infernape must
1. Survive the first attack by a Lead
2 Survive the second time it must switch in.

Not to meation that Scarf Gengar, Starmie and Latias all screw this over as they outspeed Infernape and can all OHKO infernape.

EDIT @ Humpy ,sid was refering to the fact that roaring pokemon out does f**k all if SR is not up, therefore Aerodactyl can prevent you from laying entry hazards.

 

[Flinch Grace]

It would need to be a Choice Scarf Taunter to outspeed Ape. Who would have a Choice Scarf Taunter?

Someone may, you gotta be ready for anything. They may have Taunt so they can get out a super-fast Taunt, then switch.

I'll post some advice for you so I don't look like a douche.

Switch Close Combat for Focus Punch, and Flare Blitz for Protect. Focus Punch gives you that attacking option for Steels and Rocks which you seemed to be worried about, and Protect is to psych your opponent out abit, so if they try and predict a Focus Punch, you Protect, and when they try and set up, BAM in their face. Both these moves are unassistable, leaving you with a 50/50 shot at Roar (Stealth Rock and Roar), far greater than 1 in 4.

EDIT: Thank you Lugia Man above me :)

 

[Humpy Thrashabout]

I don't try and survive an attack. I switch to a support if there is any chance that the opponents lead might attack. If I see:
Forrettress
Jirachi
Roserade
Ninjask
Skarmory

Leading then I can predict that they will either switch or do something other than attacking. Other wise I just go and assist with one of my supports until I get SR down. Then I sac it and bring in Ape and start shuffling.

 

[ginganinja]

You did not answer my point about the scarfers that wreck your stratigy
Also once this team loses Infernape it all fails since only Infernape holding Choice Scarf makess this team work

 

[Flinch Grace]

Maybe try a different lead, like Weavile. And Pray for Stealth Rock first when you use Assist. And then when you die with Weavile, you can bring in Infernape to execute your Assist-Roars.

 

[Humpy Thrashabout]

Someone may, you gotta be ready for anything. They may have Taunt so they can get out a super-fast Taunt, then switch.

I'll post some advice for you so I don't look like a douche.

Switch Close Combat for Focus Punch, and Flare Blitz for Protect. Focus Punch gives you that attacking option for Steels and Rocks which you seemed to be worried about, and Protect is to psych your opponent out abit, so if they try and predict a Focus Punch, you Protect, and when they try and set up, BAM in their face. Both these moves are unassistable, leaving you with a 50/50 shot at Roar (Stealth Rock and Roar), far greater than 1 in 4.

EDIT: Thank you Lugia Man above me :)

Even if I got outsped taunted then I'd just switch. None of my other pokes really matter that much, I just need to get SR down and get Ape in. And all of the things that outspeed Ape can OHKO him anyway. I would honestly not have reason to keep Ape in even outside the scope of my team.

As far as changing out the 2 moves I can see the benefit, but I also see a draw back in late game. It would definitely make my other assist pokes more useful, but it would also make cleaning up the last 1 or 2 more difficult.

I'll make a variation of the team and see how it works.

You did not answer my point about the scarfers that wreck your stratigy
Also once this team loses Infernape it all fails since only Infernape holding Choice Scarf makess this team work

I have been using the team for about a week now (about 70 battles) and I haven't seen any of the 8 pokemon that outspeed Ape with scarfs. I know that Starmie, Gengar, and Latias all have sets with them, but I haven't seen it.

I'm going to do a bit of math, so watch out. From the Shoddy server statistics(http://cap.smogon.com/ShoddyStats/2010-01/Smogon-201001-Details-Standard.html):
Starmie Usage 12.2%
Starmie Item:Choice Scarf 13.5%
So 1.647 teams in 100 will have a scarfed Starmie

Gengar Usage 14.7%
Gengar Item: Choice Scarf 20.6%
3.02 teams in 100 will have a scarfed Gengar

Latias Usage 21.4%
Latias Item: Choice Scarf 23.3%
4.968 teams in 100 will have a scarfed Latias

The usage of scarfed things faster than Ape is very low. And every team is weak to something. If I made a team that wasn't then I'd be the best.