-Introduction-
What is this like my 8th NU RMT by now? For those of you who need another introduction after so many RMTs, I'm a common sight in NU, especially in RMT. With that done, I'd like to introduce you to arguably my favorite team to use in the tier at the minute. I honestly haven't written an RMT in a while, and I just feel sad, because I feel it is one of the greatest joys. RMT'ing is an amazing way to showcase a team you are personally proud of as well as a method of receiving advice, and its just been such a long time since I've last written one. Moving onto the team, it has tons of underrated NU threats that pair together to support each other offensively, ultimately achieving a Carracosta sweep. To be clear why 7 pokemon are listed, Pawniard and Kangaskhan interchange their positions and share Slot #3 equally. I built the original copy of this team near the end of June, but slowly modified it to what it is now, with the end result of the team you see today finally taking its full shape in the early stages of NUPL. I've become very comfortable with this team and have developed a trust in it, as it performs consistently against top team archetypes with few top tier mons. Despite this, the team works beautifully, and I've had no complaints thus far. Ladder rankings mean literally nothing to me but I'm currently sitting at a 1628 [#14] on the ladder, so I guess thats somewhat concrete evidence of the team's viability. It is a hyper offensive team based around the core of MixRupt and SmashCosta, which can devastate a plethora of teams simply due to their unpreparedness for the combination. MixRupt was really something invented by my NUPL team, and was something that truly finished off the team. Unlike any other stealth rocker, it baits and destroys Seismitoads and Rhydons, smashes Dragalges, eats Ferroseed, and yet still reliably gets up Stealth Rock. As a result, it immediatly removes Carracosta's two biggest threats in both Ferroseed and Seismitoad, which is insanely cool for something as underrated as Camerupt. As a result, Carracosta performs massive work in a tier where it is supposed to be outshined by Barbarcle, because it no longer needs coverage like Cross Chop since Camerupt has already dealt with threats that demand such outlandish coverage. Accelgor further aids Carracosta's sweep with Spikes, while using its powerful Bug Buzz and coverage to either punch holes for or clean up after Carracosta, making it a key utility mon in the core. Jynx acts as my primary means of revenge killing opponents, using its scarf to outspeed the large majority of the tier and fire off relatively unresisted STAB Ice Beams, while spreading sleep with Lovely Kiss to potentially offer Carracosta or Mismagius free setup opportunities. Pawniard and Kangaskhan play different roles and I oftentimes will switch between them, but they are both key players to the team. Pawniard helps to deter defoggers such as Shiftry from removing the teams hazards lest the give it a free +2 attack, and also offers a key dark resistance to the team. This said, Kangaskhan aids the team greatly with its priority Fake Out, allowing it to stall out rain turns, revenge kill, and potentially clean. Overall, this team may not use the most conventional XY NU pokemon, but a combination of many of these underrated threats is often unprepared for by many players, making it really enjoyable to play with and extremely reliable to use! Below is the song the team was named after, and is simply a great song to blast! I feel that the title is also described perfectly, because this team really is just so classic and works so well.
-Teambuilding-
This original version lost a lot of offensive pressure through Scarf Uxie, and often failed to keep its hazards up for long periods of time. Barbarcle proved to be extremely underwhelming with a lack of priority, and the team lacked any check to water type sweepers or stall, making it lose to common archetypes.
After the first week of this team's creation, I was simply tired of losing to Defog teams, and simply hated getting my only sweeper shut down by shit like Sucker Punch Spiritomb. I also found Barbarcle extremely difficult to set up, and as a result I switched to Carracosta, a easier to setup and more reliable Sweeper with STAB priority. Pawniard helped to patch up the defog weakness while maintaining offensive pressure. With these changes, the team was much better equipped to allow a sweep to occur, and more consistently won matches.
At this point in time I felt helpless against FerroToad and VileToad, and simply couldn't beat them. When Magmortar was attempted, opponents knew exactly what was coming and would play around it. It was at this point that I had found MixRupt, which baits in and destroys said cores, allowing Carracosta to perform its job much better. The loss of Golurk meant a spinblocker was needed, so I looked towards Stallbreaker NP Mismagius, which patches two big issues on the team.
The final version of the team showed up when I took a step back and realized how truly water weak I was. I always knew that my team was weak to water types, but only when I saw the big picture did I realize the extent of this weakness. For this reason, I switched to scarf Jynx, who is just as fast as Uxie, has trick scarf, but has a water immunity and hits crap tons harder late game. It was at this time I started testing Kangaskhan too.
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-Strategy & Playstyle Analysis-
Strategy:
On the whole, this team plays in a very offensive manner in order to aid the sweep of a single pokemon, Shell Smash Carracosta. In that sense, it is played to maintain constant pressure and lose very little momentum, using Camerupt and Pawniard to tank hits if needed, although most of the time it is unnecessary. Early match, hazards are of high priority, as Spikes and Stealth Rocks often turn 2HKO's into OHKO's, and are highly important for a team of this nature. Camerupt is used during this period to bait out any common counters to Carracosta [Seismitoad, Ferroseed, Vileplume], and KO them early into the match. Throughout the match, Pawniard and Mismagius will attempt to setup and punch holes into the opponent as their defogger / spinner comes in, while Jynx will be brought in to check water types and cripple opponents with a Trick or Lovely Kiss, or simply to clean up. Finally when all is done or when you see an opportune moment of setup, bring in Carracosta and wreck havoc. Should all go well, you should really not have much to clean up afterwards, and should you need to a combination of Accelgor and Jynx [or if you choose to run it Kangaskhan] will make quick work of what is left. Kangaskhan is also incredibly useful for interrupting turn based teams such as Rain or Sun, which while are not common can be ruined by a very efficient Fake Out + Sucker Punch combination, making it an incredibly useful alternative to Pawniard. Should stall be a problem, this team also packs Taunt + NP Mismagius, which is arguably one of the best stallbreakers in the tier, meaning that no single playstyle reliably beats this team when played correctly. Conclusively, the goal of this team is to place serious pressure on the opponent through offense and hazards alike while keeping hazards on the field, and removing checks and counters of Carracosta to give it leeway to sweep.
Playstyle Analysis:
Hyper Offense
Opposing HO can be difficult to deal with oftentimes, but the fact that Carracosta is a thing is a huge boon. With the Solid Rock and coveted Priority that Barbaracle lacks, it can rip apart many offensively based teams from turn one. Pawniard's surprisingly decent bulk allows it to also get off a few good hits, while Mismagius, Jynx, and Accelgor all are absurdly fast and hit extremely hard. Overall, Carracosta should have no issues tearing through most offensively biased teams.
Bulky Offense & Balance
This is where mixed Camerupt can truly put in work. With proper investment, it can outspeed a good portion of bulky offensive staples, and with Solid Rock can even tank hits uninvested. It punches massive holes unlike anything else. Hazards are a key to beating most bulky offensive teams, as they mean that we make quick work of their pokemon who are forced to be unable to switch. Once hazards have taken their toll, most of the pokemon on the team can clean with no issue.
Stall
Mismagius. No but seriously, Mismagius pretty much 6-0's most stall teams alone. Hazards are important to wearing them down, and Jynx can trick her scarf away as early as possible to cripple some random BS wall, but for the most part Mismagius will have free reign to wreck the opponent with no resistance whatsoever.
Sticky Web
Need I say more than Pawniard? Using Defiant, it immediatly reaches +2 upon switching in, not even having to worry about setting up. With a pseudo swords dance under its belt, it can break down Sticky Web teams to a serious extent due to their typically low defenses and unpreparedness for priority spam. Mismagius also avoids the web, and due to the opponents typically running slower high powered pokemon, Mismagius consistently sweeps by maintaining its high speed tier and still solid power. As a result, these two alone decimate Sticky Web archetypes, allowing Carracosta to simply spam Aqua Jet for a free win.
Sun
Sun is incredibly difficult for this team to deal with. Pawniard / Kangaskhan can somewhat mitigate it with powerful priority, but for the most part it will run through me. Accelgor can pressure its grass types somewhat well, outpacing slower chloro users such as Exeggutor and punishing them, while cleaning up fire types they pack late game with HP Rock. Camerupt is useful, tanking some hits while hitting back hard, but overall I must play carefully with each member to limit the capabilities of sun setters and sweepers, as it easily runs through me, as Carracosta and Jynx both have their hands tied for respective reasons.
Rain
Rain is just as annoying as sun to deal with. Like sun, I'm forced to rely on Pawniard / Kangaskhan to their full extent in order to put down big damage with priority and remove sweepers with ease. However, there are to major differences that make rain slightly easier to deal with. To start with, Jynx shines in rain, and is able to switch into some water type attacks to help stall out rain turns or potentially kill a pokemon. Carracosta's Aqua Jet is also extremely strong under rain, and can help to revenge kill threats like Omastar. While it is equally difficult to deal with as sun, it can be done through strong predictions and consistent offensive pressure + priority.
VoltTurn
One nice advantage over VoltTurn I have is Camerupt, who proves to be a tough challenge for many VoltTurn cores to beat. Especially with offensive MixRupt, there aren't many VoltTurners who will enjoy tanking STAB Fire Blast or Earthquake, and so common staples such as Probopass are easily destroyed. The sheer amount of hazards this team has also puts a major dent into this playstyle, allowing my faster pokemon such as Jynx to easily clean simply due to the ease at which such teams can be worn down.
Sand
Sand isn't as threatning as other weather, but it can still be a thorn in my side if I play badly. Hippopotas loses a lot of offensive pressure for their team, which must be taken advantage of for setup of stuff like Carracosta and Mismagius. Once Carracosta is set-up, especially if there are hazards, Aqua Jet devestates these teams pretty easily. Stoutlands commonly lock themselves into the wrong move, also offering me setup opportunities.
Trick Room
Every time I'm about to tell myself how non-existant this playstyle, I find some random idiot who is either challenging me or is on the ladder using this playstyle, and as a result I have to address this minimally used and irrelavant playstyle. Mismagius is an amazing Trick Room check with Taunt, which is basically all that is necessary. It can taunt setup users and proceed to start its own speed, and thus speed isn't ever an issue. Should trick room come into play, priority still ruins it, making it pretty simple to deal with.
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-Threatlist-
• High Level Threat | • Low Level Threat
•Sawk•
Sawk is a major threat to this team, as it is simply unsafe to switch into and very difficult to kill, and it has the potential to OHKO every member on the team dependant on the move it chooses to lock itself into. Its mold breaker also means that it ignores the Solid Rock of two of my pokemon while packing an Earthquake that can hit a third, and is just a major threat. I can kill it with priority and high speed, but in general its just a huge annoyance that can punch mass holes into the team.
•Shiftry•
Like Sawk, Shiftry is a massive threat to the team. Pawniard is constantly needed in order to check it, and while it does lose to Pawniard, it takes Pawniard's Eviolite with it, while KO'ing just about every other member of the team. Furthermore, Sucker Punch is a massive threat to my team, and if Pawniard is lost then Defog also severely cripples me. My team absolutely hates this, and it is incredibly difficult to deal with if I do not play well.
•Gurdurr•
To be honest while Gurdurr upon first glance seems to be a larger threat than Sawk or Shiftry to my team, its been dealt with much more easily than they have in the past. It gets worn down quickly by my hazards, and it is killed off pretty easily by Mismagius or Camerupt with only a little bit of residual damage, but it can still pack a punch if I lose Mismagius or something, as I then need to play more carefully, but in the past I've found I always am able to deal with it.
•Lilligant•
Lilligant is a pretty easy threat to deal with, but nonetheless it can be a threat. I have nothing to take a sleep other than a LumCosta who really doesn't want to be directly switching into a Lilligant, and as a result I am forced to take a sleep. I have a pretty easy time dealing with Lilligant after that though, because at +1 I can take it out with Scarf Jynx, and after that my priority users can still handle it rather easily.
•Liepard•
The literal definition of a nuisance. It isn't absurdly difficult to deal with because of Pawniard, but it is outright annoying. I have to run Jolly on my Carracosta to beat it, but at that point the lack of power significantly hinders Carracosta. Furthermore, when it isn't using Knock Off to ruin my team or cripple my one switch in, it also pack a priority Thunder Wave. It isn't a potent threat to the team, but it cripples the team on the whole to a massive extent, limiting my options oftentimes.
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-Team Overview-
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-In Depth-
Minaj
Jynx @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Dry Skin
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Psychic
- Trick
- Ice Beam
- Lovely Kiss / Focus Blast
Jynx is a key player to my team, holding it up against sweepers, water types, and faster pokemon. It acts almost as a gluemon to my team, helping me to switch into stuff like Feraligatr or Ludicolo that would ravage just about anything else, while using its Choice Scarf to ensure the team is not swept by random setup pokemon like QD Vivillon or DD Fraxure. Its combination of offensive prowess with awesome base 115 SAtk and 95 Spd with sheer utility makes it one of the most versatile members of the team, helping to remove checks, revenge kill, wallbreak, disrupt, and clean all at once. Jynx has always been one of my favorite pokemon to use in NU [both BW and XY], but this Choice Scarf variant has always held a special place in my heart. Even unboosted, its STABs in Psychic and Ice Beam are relatively powerful, to the point that in most cases Jynx will not need much support to kill pokemon. Psychic offers me a great way to kill most Fighting types, and hits the tier pretty much neutrally bar some few exceptions in Dark Types and the occasional Steel, which can be annoying. Ice Beam on the other hand is arguably Jynx's most spammable move. NU Fire Types are relatively easy to wear down, while Steel types are mostly unseen, making Jynx's scarf Ice Beam a massive threat, showing a massive amount of super effective coverage with very little that can resist such a spammable move in NU, giving me an advantage against opposing offense, as with Spikes or Stealth Rock up they in many cases cannot switch into this Ice Beam, even unboosted. Furthermore, it covers common Grass, Ground, and Flying types super effectively, making it an incredibly useful STAB to carry in NU, especially against sweepers with said typings. Trick is the crux of this set, setting it apart from many other NU scarfers. It enables Jynx to take advantage of its Choice Scarf to full potential, so that unlike any other revenge killer, it is also capable of crippling or rendering useless its common switchins, such as Probopass or Metang, who become essentially deadweight to the opponent once the Scarf has been tricked onto them. It also helps Jynx catch setup sweepers like CroTomb or opposing SD Pawniard who feel that they completely force Jynx out, allowing Jynx to easily make them useless and open up a setup opportunity for her own teammates. Lovely Kiss is honestly one of NU's greatest moves, and in Gen5 led the way towards a completely necessary ban on Jynx. In Gen6, while sleep isn't as powerful, getting the opponent to sleep still helps to cripple even more switchins, and unlike any other sleep move in NU it actually affects grass types, meaning that nothing is completely safe to switch into Jynx and the opponent will always be forced to choose to have a mon crippled or sacced when finding a way to switching, which makes Jynx a true threat. As result of all these traits, Jynx proves to be a massive asset to the team again and again, and always finds a way to do something each match, whether it be revenge killing a sweeper or simply disrupting an opponent's momentum; Jynx truly offers amazing power and utility, making it one of the most important members the team has.
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Nascar
Accelgor @ Expert Belt / Life Orb
Ability: Sticky Hold
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Bug Buzz
- Focus Blast
- Encore / Hidden Power [Rock]
- Spikes
Accelgor is honestly my favorite NU pokemon to use, and was one of the pokemon that I was most excited about getting dropped from RU as result of usage. Accelgor is honestly a great pokemon, only because as NU lost Scolipede, it also lost two things. One of its best offensive bug types with great coverage, high speed, and good power; but also a viable offensive spikes setter for HO to use while hitting hard. Unlike other common spikers such as Qwilfish, Crustle, Garbodor, and Ferroseed; Accelgor has actual power and can easily beat most defoggers and spinners with a click of a button, and can also ravage opposing teams with great speed, power, and coverage. Its simply a great option for my team to use as a spiker due to its ability to punch holes with amazing offensive prowess while it can still offer amazing utility in moves such as Encore and Spikes, which can help me beat stuff like Gurdurr which then finds its setup useless and gives me a free layer of spikes. The moveset is extremely simple, and while is unique from Accelgor's more common All-Out Attacker and Spikes sets, it takes advantage of the best properties of each world. Unlike Spikes, it still invests fully into its powerful attacks and coverage boosted further by either Expert Belt to take advantage of its great coverage or Life Orb in order to simply hit hard off the bat and punch dents into the opponent with little issue. I prefer Expert Belt only because the opponent may think either Specs or Sash, allowing me to bluff either set, which dependant on how the opponent plays gives me a hint on what moves I should hide to "surprise" and opponent. Life Orb on the other hand still helps me bluff my spikes, as most people simply expect me at that point to be All-Out Attacker or Encore Three Attacks, giving me the ability to sneak in spikes on forced switches or as a last minute move before I am killed. The individual moves are exactly what is needed and no less. Bug Buzz is the STAB of choice, packing a great 90 base power while hitting the tier as a whole pretty hard with very little resistance. While it seems that a 90 base power STAB off 100 SAtk may not be that strong, I often find that only with a little bit of entry hazards up Accelgor can easily clean up a team, even midgame. Focus Blast is a great coverage move only because it hits just about everything that is needed for it to hit, although it misses tons. That said, when it does come in contact it helps to prevent stuff like Klinklang from setting up or stealth rockers from getting their Stealth Rock up. Encore is my preferred move in my third slot, as bulky setup sweepers will often try to take advantage of Accelgor to set up, but Encore rids them of utility and forces them out, allowing me free hazards or attacks. This is especially because of Accelgor's stupid high 145 base speed, meaning it can often even outspeed boosted pokemon for a efficient Encore. Hidden Power [Rock] is another option in that slot as it hits everything that a duo of Bug Buzz and Focus Blast will not, most notably Bug and Flying types such as Scyther, Vivillon, or Rotom-S, but I feel oftentimes it isn't as needed as Encore. Spikes is of course the crux of the set and arguably one of the most important moves to the team as it pressures opponents, turns 2HKOs into OHKOs, and is simply a great move even in a Defog and Rapid Spin filled metagame, helping to punish or wear down many of the larger threats to my team.
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Chess
♙
Pawniard @ Eviolite
Ability: Defiant
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Knock Off
- Sucker Punch
- Iron Head
- Swords Dance
So glad about the Pawniard hype that is finally taking the NU tier by storm. I honestly first used Pawniard in BW, and while it wasn't very good, it did show mild success. However, the moment Defog and Sticky Web were released and people started trying to find checks, it became crystal clear that Pawniard was the best choice as a Defiant user. Unlike Primeape, it doesn't fear the flying typing of the most common Defoggers, and isn't hurt terribly by Sticky Web's speed deduction as result of its solid bulk and amazing STAB priority attack. This single change to the metagame has changes Pawniard's viability massively, and has made it one of the best hazard guarders and Sticky Web checks in the current metagame. Furthermore, its solid bulk and amazing typing makes it a great Pivot for the team, patching weaknesses to Dark and Ghost types while helping to beat many of the tier's top threats, such as Shiftry or Mesprit, giving me a amazing defensive pivot and bulky setup sweeper. The difference between Pawniard and many other setup sweepers is its ability to decimate offensive and defensive teams alike. Against Stall, a +2 Knock Off easily removes needed Eviolites or outright kills many walls, while it can easily setup against futile Toxics and weak attacks. When playing HO, it is also a key player with its solid bulk to tank hits and amazing Sucker Punch, which is not only a very powerful attack but also a great priority move for me to fall back on throughout a match just in case, easily tearing through HO who now cannot rely purely on their speed and power to push through me. While most Pawniard variants run some sort of speed, it plays a very different role on my team. Rather than trying to actually sweep with it, I want to attempt to punch holes into the many threats it baits in to remove them for the rest of the game, but also to use its bulk to the fullest extent to switch into powerful attacks that other pokemon would be unable to tank but Pawniard would be able to take advantage of due to solid bulk and great resistances. Knock Off is honestly like the awesomest thing ever, and coming with STAB and more often than not +2 attack, it becomes a true threat to be in awe of. Even resistances can't switch safely into Knock Off as it is still pretty strong when resisted, but more importantly it also removes the counter's item, potentially ruining their chance to prevent your sweep. Sucker Punch is arguably one of the most important moves in my entire team. My team relies on the handicap of Priority to bring me an edge against stuff like Archeops in order to pressure it, and Sucker Punch truly helps with offensive teams. With STAB, Sucker Punch easily wears down teams for others to clean or outright cleans teams itself, and bypasses Pawniard's speed issue to enable it to better sweep. Iron Head is a great STAB to give it perfect neutral coverage, hitting Fighting types neutrally and Fairy types Super Effectively, boasting the ability to hit the entire tier with useful STABs neutrally. Finally, Swords Dance can help boost Pawniard's attack to insane heights to potentially sweep, and is just a great filler move, although it is often unneeded. Overall, Pawniard isn't a pokemon to just throw onto any random team, but as one of the best Sticky Web counters and hazards protectors, it is simply an amazing NU pokemon this gen.
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Khan
Kangaskhan @ Silk Scarf
Ability: Scrappy
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Fake Out
- Double-Edge
- Earthquake
- Sucker Punch
I know a lot of the people in the RMT are still confused as to why the hell I have seven pokemon in this RMT. The reason is that in Slot #3, Kangaskhan and Pawniard are both acceptable and each do a separate job, and are both amazing candidates for the spot. So, as an alternative to Pawniard, here is Kangaskhan. Kangaskhan and Pawniard fill very different roles in terms of how they play. Unlike Pawniard, Kangaskhan has many fewer resistances, meaning that it is less likely to pivot in and out of attacks for its teammates. It also doesn't pack a useful Defiant ability to take advantage of Sticky Webs and Defog, meaning I have to rely more on my Taunt Mismagius in both cases. However, that is where the buck stops. Kangaskhan is a beast. As a priority user, it outshines everything else in the tier, putting cold stops to stuff like BD Slurpuff and RD Ludicolo, and acts as a catch all revenge killer for stuff that Jynx often times can't handle. It also acts as a panic button, because it can shut down even the most insane of crap, should I let a random Lilligant get to +6 or a Shiftry SD up. Regardless of how large a threat, it is nice to have Kangaskhan to back you up and make sure that your team doesn't fall to it. This said, I do miss Pawniard's insane resistances and Defiant, which oftentimes makes it preferred. Kangaskhan's sweep-stopping capabilities are especially highlighted in two moves. Fake Out is basically the entire reason to use Kangaskhan, as it again disrupts sweepers and helps to scout opponents, while giving you a free turn of damage and acting as a emergency check. Sucker Punch then is a slightly stronger priority move to stack on top of the Fake Out for a quick KO on just about any frailer setup sweepers. The combination of Fake Out and Sucker Punch is so unique to Kangaskhan, and this dual priority Spam helps to make quick work of any relavant set-up powerhouses. One may wonder why not Kecleon, but a simply look at Scrappy is the key difference. Scrappy reduces Ghost types to scraps, as they cannot switch into Kangaskhan like other Normal types, unless they wish to die, giving Kangaskhan one less immunity to worry about when it comes to coverage. Double Edge is the primary STAB on the set, and boosted with Fake Out by Silk Scarf does a mass amount especially after STAB, being incredibly difficult for most teams to switch into it without being 2HKO'd, while the recoil is fairly minimal. Earthquake is a final coverage move to hit rock and steel types that would potentially wall Kangaskhan's normal stab such as Probopass or Golem, and while it isn't strong, it does enough damage to beat these pokemon. Kangaskhan isn't a preferred option over Pawniard simply due to Pawniard's utility, but it is equally good for other reasons, and if you wish to use it on the team it will put in tons of work regardless.
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Witchcraft
Mismagius @ Leftovers / Colbur Berry
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Shadow Ball
- Dazzling Gleam
- Nasty Plot
- Taunt
Honestly, everybody is a hater when it comes to Mismagius. Every NU player and their mother has been complaining about its lack of power and abysmal physical bulk, and yet nobody has bothered to look at simply how good of a pokemon Mismagius is. Sure, it can't KO anything unboosted for shit because of its rather weak STAB and weak self. After that though it is honestly all positives. Boasting two resistances and three immunities, Mismagius can set up on tons of shit easily, and once boosted becomes a savage. Its great Ghost typing in tangent with Taunt also makes it the ultimate hazards protector, forcing both Defog and Rapid Spin users to back up in the face of it. By protecting my hazards, it can also take advantage of them, as once a +2 is under Mismagius's belt it becomes a savage, especially with the entry hazards or Spikes and Stealth Rock that it is protecting. The full extent of Mismagius's sweeping ability then is fully taken advantage of with such support, showing that with only a little bit of wear and tear it can blitzkrieg through an opponent with little trouble. As result of its absolutely amazing 105 base speed, 105 base special attack, and 105 base special defense, it has no problem taking advantage or many pokemon for setup and can easily sweep once it is set-up, making it one of the most reliable sweepers in the metagame. The reason I chose this specific set is because I needed a decently bulky setup sweeper who could challenge stall as a stallbreaker, while having an offensive monster who could still outspeed and rip through opposing HO. As a result, I felt SubCM didn't have enough presence, and standard NP simply died far too quickly. Upon further research, I found this set which I feel is arguably the best Mismagius period. It can take advantage of Taunt to give itself free boosts unlike normal NP, and has leftovers to give it more opportunities to tank priority unlike LO variants of NP who get worn down far too quickly. However, Nasty Plot is also far better than any Calm Mind set, simply because they lack offensive presence and are taken out with little effort. In terms of the moveset, Shadow Ball is chosen as Mismagius's strongest available STAB, and while it is oftentimes dissipointingly weak, it is still respectably strong after a boost, and is a very reliable STAB on the whole with no significant downsides. Dazzling Gleam offers me perfect neutral coverage on the entire tier, breaking past Dark and Normal types that shrug off Shadow Ball so that my sweep is not stopped. Nasty Plot is the crux of the moveset, giving me the boosts necessary to go from unthreatning to extraordinary, providing me sweeping opportunities to clean opponents or open holes for teammates. Colbur Berry is an amazing item to pack, as it makes Shiftry and Liepard a lot less threatning and forces them to take a Dazzling Gleam to the face. Finally, Taunt is simply awesome; it prevents crippling status, stall, setup, and hazards, making Mismagius the epitome of utility. While Mismagius has been constantly dirted on ever since it dropped to NU, its amazing offensive and support movepools makes it still one of the most versatile threats in the NeverUsed tier.
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Miami
Carracosta @ Lum Berry / Life Orb
Ability: Solid Rock
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Waterfall
- Aqua Jet
- Stone Edge
- Shell Smash
Time to meet the star of the show, Carracosta. The switch over to Gen6 did not fair well for our tortoise friend, as it recieved new competition from the crowd in Barbarcle and Feraligatr, who each boasted advantages over Carracosta, leaving it upon first glance in the shadows. Barbarcle demonstrated the a truly powerful monster with Tough Claws, and with 56 base speed reared its head as a hard to revenge kill Shell Smasher. On the other hand, Feraligatr offers a bulkier approach to sweeping, and is far less likely than Shell Smashers to be revenge killed. However, we have all failed to notice Carracosta's true potential. Carracosta unlike Barbarcle, doesn't miss every move it uses, has amazing priority, and most importantly has Solid Rock to enable it to easily set up and sweep a team, which Barbarcle often has difficulty doing in the face of super effective attacks. On the flip side, Carracosta has a bit more offensive presence than Feraligatr, but for the other part has a STAB base 100 coverage move in Stone Edge, making it far less vulnerable to pokemon who resist its Waterfall, as its coverage is far more effective at hitting hard than Return is. In terms of the set Lum Berry and Life Orb are both great items for this set, and I honestly have no preference. I enjoy Lum Berry due to the setup opportunities it gives me against stuff like defensive Spiritomb or Thunder Wave Granbull, allowing me to get my Shell Smash up in far more situations than I normally would be able to. This said, Life Orb is extremely important, as with it Carracosta will always be able to OHKO [252 HP / 216 Def] Vileplume, which is a massive benchmark because it is simply such a threat to water type sweepers. This is an example of the subtle differences between SD Gatr and SS Costa, where a weak Return would be unable to kill a check or counter whereas a simple Stone Edge would be capable of such. I know a lot of people prefer Adamant for some extra power, but I feel Jolly hits more important benchmarks in Liepard, Serperior, Mismagius, etc. On top of that, my team is filled with hazards, which mitigate the power issue somewhat. Waterfall is the chosen STAB or choice for the same reason as every other physical water sweeper ever. It has respectable power, great accuracy, and a nice flinch chance that simply make it a reliable STAB to fall back on, something Barbaracle lacks. Aqua Jet is arguably the most key move on the set, helping revenge kill threats unboosted, and cleaning many faster offensive teams by maiming frailer threats with +2 STAB priority. Outside of that, Aqua Jet is also pretty unresisted as NU priority goes compared to stuff like Shadow Sneak or Mach Punch, which is a plus. I've already explained Stone Edge, but it offers Carracosta a scary strong STAB to fall back on when hitting stuff like Vileplume. Finally, Shell Smash is simply the icing on the cake, and when paired with Solid Rock can easily offer Carracosta a sweep without much difficulty, making it one of the biggest threats packing traits which far outshines its newfound competition.
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Mt. Fuji
Camerupt @ Shuca Berry / Power Herb
Ability: Solid Rock
EVs: 32 Atk / 252 SpA / 224 Spe
Naive Nature
- Fire Blast
- Hidden Power Grass / Solar Beam
- Earthquake
- Stealth Rock
I'm about to get hated on so hard for using this, but it really is an awesome set. Mixed wallbreaker Camerupt is one of the coolest things ever created, and it pairs so well with Carracosta that there is little reason not to use it. This thing is honestly awesome, as no opponent viably can forsee such powerful moves coming off Camerupt until it is too late. Most people overlook Camerupt's 105 base Attack and Special Attack and sign it off as a rather poor offensive threat with only a small niche as a wall, but they couldn't be more wrong. This set can bait in even the tier's strongest of defensive cores for easy kills on every member, while supplying the team with Stealth Rocks on the flipside. As a result, Camerupt fits so well on HO, since it completely crushes the defensive backbone of opponents first turn, giving me an advantage from turn one oftentimes. This thing honestly is just amazing bait, and worries about jack shit from opponents. Power Herb is honestly awesome with Solar Beam, as paired together Camerupt can nab an easy OHKO from its "counter" of Seismitoad to put immediate pressure onto the opponent, reducing their switchins of Carracosta to dust. Ferroseed? Gone. Seismitoad? Dead. Quilladin? Good bye. It is literally that simple. The EV spread is tailored to outspeed creeped Toads with the rest thrown into Special Attack and Attack to maximize power. There is no better choice of a stealth rocker when trying to pair with Carracosta. This said, I do use Shuca Berry a lot more. Shuca is awesome because stuff like Golurk or Golem fail to OHKO you while you easily outspeed and 2HKO their sorry asses with HP Grass, giving you free reign on the battlefield to wreck shop. Shuca Berry also helps to mitigate random Sawk EQs or Granbull EQs to give Camerupt a free opportunity to Fire Blast as well. This also makes it the perfect counter to MixMortar and MixVire, as the fail to touch it with their STABs while EQ will have its power reduced to a neutral attack by shuca. The set itself is very simple. Fire Blast is the most powerful offensive option that Camerupt has in its arsenal, and is honestly a pretty great nuke in itself. It easily takes out most grass type spikers or grass walls, and makes quick work of most pokemon that do not resist it. HP Grass and Solarbeam are the crux of this Offensive Stealth Rock Camerupt, as they help to bait in and kill most opposing Stealth Rockers such as Golem and Seismitoad, giving Camerupt and the rest of the team an advantage from turn one against something which under normal circumstances would counter Camerupt. Earthquake is a great secondary STAB as it helps to get past some special walls such as Dragalge or Lanturn, but unlike other mixed EQ baits Camerupt actually gets STAB off of it, which is a massive boon to its wallbreaking capabilities. Finally, Stealth Rock is just the best move ever, and is absolutely necessary to break sashes, pressure threats like Swellow or Typhlosion, and overall give me a mild edge in damage that can turn out to be significant later in the game. Pure awesomeness.
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-Other Options-
SubSplit Rotom - SubSplit Rotom is a really cool choice over Mismagius because of its ability to beat stall equally as well, but also its secondary STAB that has pretty much neutral coverage as well as sheer power. Lack of taunt and speed hurts though making Mismagius more favorable.
Shell Smash Barbaracle - Barbaracle over Carracosta was something I used for a very long time in the past, and it simply has far too many flaws in constant misses, lack of an ability to setup, and no priority. This said, it is significantly more powerful and much quicker, so it is definitely interesting to run.
Rocky Helmet Garbodor - Garbodor is probably my favorite option to use over Accelgor when I'm not in the mood for Accelgor, but it doesn't fit quite as well. It allows scary setup opportunities my team cannot handle, and is rather defenseless. On top of that, it really lacks power even with STAB Gunk Shot, something my team requires from each pokemon. Also absorbs T-Spikes which is cool.
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-Importable-
Minaj (Jynx) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Dry Skin
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Psychic
- Trick
- Ice Beam
- Lovely Kiss
Nascar (Accelgor) @ Expert Belt
Ability: Sticky Hold
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Bug Buzz
- Focus Blast
- Encore
- Spikes
Chess♙ (Pawniard) @ Eviolite
Ability: Defiant
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Knock Off
- Sucker Punch
- Iron Head
- Swords Dance
Witchcraft (Mismagius) @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Shadow Ball
- Dazzling Gleam
- Nasty Plot
- Taunt
Miami (Carracosta) @ Lum Berry
Ability: Solid Rock
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Waterfall
- Aqua Jet
- Stone Edge
- Shell Smash
Mt. Fuji (Camerupt) @ Shuca Berry
Ability: Solid Rock
EVs: 32 Atk / 252 SpA / 224 Spe
Naive Nature
- Fire Blast
- Hidden Power [Grass]
- Earthquake
- Stealth Rock
Ability: Dry Skin
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Psychic
- Trick
- Ice Beam
- Lovely Kiss
Nascar (Accelgor) @ Expert Belt
Ability: Sticky Hold
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Bug Buzz
- Focus Blast
- Encore
- Spikes
Chess♙
(Pawniard) @ EvioliteAbility: Defiant
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Knock Off
- Sucker Punch
- Iron Head
- Swords Dance
Witchcraft (Mismagius) @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Shadow Ball
- Dazzling Gleam
- Nasty Plot
- Taunt
Miami (Carracosta) @ Lum Berry
Ability: Solid Rock
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Waterfall
- Aqua Jet
- Stone Edge
- Shell Smash
Mt. Fuji (Camerupt) @ Shuca Berry
Ability: Solid Rock
EVs: 32 Atk / 252 SpA / 224 Spe
Naive Nature
- Fire Blast
- Hidden Power [Grass]
- Earthquake
- Stealth Rock
Minaj (Jynx) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Dry Skin
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Psychic
- Trick
- Ice Beam
- Lovely Kiss
Nascar (Accelgor) @ Life Orb
Ability: Sticky Hold
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Bug Buzz
- Focus Blast
- Hidden Power [Rock]
- Spikes
Khan (Kangaskhan) (F) @ Silk Scarf
Ability: Scrappy
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Fake Out
- Double-Edge
- Sucker Punch
- Earthquake
Witchcraft (Mismagius) @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Shadow Ball
- Dazzling Gleam
- Nasty Plot
- Taunt
Miami (Carracosta) @ Life Orb
Ability: Solid Rock
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Waterfall
- Aqua Jet
- Stone Edge
- Shell Smash
Mt. Fuji (Camerupt) @ Power Herb
Ability: Solid Rock
EVs: 32 Atk / 252 SpA / 224 Spe
Naive Nature
- Fire Blast
- Solar Beam
- Earthquake
- Stealth Rock
Ability: Dry Skin
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Psychic
- Trick
- Ice Beam
- Lovely Kiss
Nascar (Accelgor) @ Life Orb
Ability: Sticky Hold
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Bug Buzz
- Focus Blast
- Hidden Power [Rock]
- Spikes
Khan (Kangaskhan) (F) @ Silk Scarf
Ability: Scrappy
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Fake Out
- Double-Edge
- Sucker Punch
- Earthquake
Witchcraft (Mismagius) @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Shadow Ball
- Dazzling Gleam
- Nasty Plot
- Taunt
Miami (Carracosta) @ Life Orb
Ability: Solid Rock
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Waterfall
- Aqua Jet
- Stone Edge
- Shell Smash
Mt. Fuji (Camerupt) @ Power Herb
Ability: Solid Rock
EVs: 32 Atk / 252 SpA / 224 Spe
Naive Nature
- Fire Blast
- Solar Beam
- Earthquake
- Stealth Rock
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-Shoutouts-
Jonater - Been my main nigga for so long for real tho #1 user ily bb, you cheer me up bro.<3
Dat Blast - Also my main bro such good much wow very user. Basically my favorite user.<3
scorpdestroyer - SUCKS. Jk scorp gotta shout you out bro you always seem to have good shit to say.
WhiteDMist - HART <3. N but seriously best user fun player needs to learn what activity is tho :[ i miss u bb
atomicllamas - CALLED ME NEW TO NU IN FABULOUS UNBIASED NUPL RATINGS alpaca hurt me
Zebraiken - Honestly one of the best players I've ever met, as well as being such a friendly user ^.^
Raseri - Stop being a gay leader and get Ho-Oh for NU y/n [p.s. best leader <3]
Aladyyn - ily bro you've stuck with me thick and thin, and are just a great player to have chill games or talk to <3
Punchshroom - Needs to stop getting high on shrüms when playing cc otherwise fav person to CC with ^.^
Nozzle - Awesome guy to talk to when bored, easy guy to beat tho obviously <3
The Goomy - For the Camerupt set ty
@RESTOFNU - ILYILYILYILYILY Seriously though you guys make it fun
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-Outroduction-
Honestly this is probably one of the most non-standard and unique teams I've ever RMT'd. On the flipside though, it works so well that I simply have to show off the great combination of hidden gems like Taunt NP Mismagius and MixRupt to form a great team that works for both serious matches and casual laddering. I've had tons of fun making the team and using it, and I hope you all enjoy rating and using it as much, drop a Luvdisc!!
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