Introduction
In early September I came back from a 5-month hiatus, and in doing so arrived at an entirely new metagame. There had been plenty that had been banned, retested, banned again, and even some old classics that had moved into OU. I had one team that was still legal, as Victini had been recently been suspected to BL, but it was exceptionally frail and was admittedly just a few sweepers slapped around a Nidoqueen. I wanted something more. A really good team to get me back into Underused.
Come With Me Now is probably the best team I've built that's been focused around balance. Most of my best teams have typically been hyper offensive and relied on offensive synergy and pressure to have their way with the opponent. This team plays exceptionally differently. Come With Me Now is a blue-collar, working-class team designed to set up shop and either whittle the opposition down or give them a quick clean beating. This team is all about about setting a pace while never letting off the throttle. On a whim it can shift from offensive, thanks to SD Mega-Abomasnow and Choice Scarf Hydreigon threatening nearly everything in the tier, to defensive, as the combination of Gligar and Snorlax eating up nearly every threat in the book. The team is rounded out with support from Bulky Arcanine, something that carried this team during the Victini retest, and Tentacruel, the glue that keeps hazards off the field and Stall teams at my mercy.
Initially, Come With Me Now was built to be an offensive team around Mega-Abomasnow. This idea failed me, as Mienshao and other powerful threats had their way with that team. Gligar and Snorlax replaced SubToxic Jirachi and Donphan very early on in this team's testing phase and have stuck since. I don't use this team on the ladder much, as it has been built more in the style of a tournament team (and I'm terribad at laddering regardless), and am typically found sporting it in one of the tournaments hosted in the Underused PS! room.
Team At A Glance
Abomasnow-Mega | Abomasite
Snow Warning | Adamant
72 HP | 252 Atk | 184 Spe
Swords Dance | Ice Shard | Wood Hammer | Earthquake
What made me want to use Mega-Abomasnow is how under-appreciated it was when I made this team. It and Mega-Banette were the most uncommon Mega Evolutions, and I wanted to find a way for Mega-Abomasnow to work and become a staple in the metagame. While it isn't a staple in today's UU, it's definitely been recognized as a major threat capable of busting through just about every Pokemon under the right conditions.
The moveset at play here is typical of SD Mega-Abomasnow; Ice Shard and Wood Hammer function as STAB, smashing opposing Flying-, Dragon-, Water-, Ground-, and Rock-types, and Earthquake providing auxiliary coverage against Steel-type and Fire-type switch-ins. Swords Dance allows Mega-Abomasnow to hit its stride and boost its Attack to ridiculous levels, usually leading to Mega-Abomasnow cleaning up the remnants of the opposition. The EV distribution is a little hairy, as it doesn't make sense for something that has 30 base Speed to invest so heavily. It makes more sense however, when you factor in Mega Evolution mechanics: the significant investment of Speed EVs allows Abomasnow to outspeed Blastoise prior to and during Mega Evolution, typically catching them off-guard and dropping them with Wood Hammer.
Arcanine | Rocky Helmet
Intimidate | Impish
248 HP | 4 Atk | 252 Def | 4 Spe
Will-O-Wisp | Morning Sun | Flare Blitz | Extreme Speed
During the Victini suspect test, when this team was made, I needed a reliable Fire-type switch-in as Mega-Abomasnow attracts Fire-type attacks like shit does flies. Since Hydreigon had Chandelure checked fairly well, I decided to run Arcanine, as it was one of the few Pokemon that could handle most Victini spreads. The added advantage to running Arcanine over something like Swampert is Intimidate, which gives me another check to physical attackers.
The EV distribution favours a slight Speed creep against other Arcanine; this gives me some assurance that I'll at least win the Extreme Speed tie if a match comes down to my Arcanine versus someone else's Arcanine. The difference between 4 Attack and 8 Attack is negligible regardless. Besides that, the set itself is rather standard. It may seem counter-intuitive to run Morning Sun on a team featuring Mega-Abomasnow, I've actually been called out for it, but even 25% more HP in a pinch scenario can help. The new weather mechanics also means I have access to a 50% recovery after 5 turns of hail, so it's not like the move itself is useless.
Hydreigon | Choice Scarf
Levitate | Hasty
4 Atk | 252 SpA | 252 Spe
Draco Meteor | Dark Pulse | Fire Blast | U-turn
Hydreigon has been considered to be one of the most threatening Pokemon since early XYUU, and after having survived its suspect test, continues to perform as a top threat in the metagame. It's offensive nature and my need for some speed on this team pushed me towards using Choice Scarf Hydreigon. It isn't the perfect fix in my opinion; it sits at a highly unfortunate Speed Tier, and I've always preferred running LO Hydreigon as Superpower is a great move to use on this thing.
What you see here is a typical Scarf Hydreigon set that takes advantage of Hydreigon's wide movepool. Draco Meteor is nine times out of ten the only move this thing uses, with the other one time being U-turn. The ability to steal momentum and force switches makes this team harder to break. If I have an opponent that runs a few Steel- of Fairy-types, Fire Blast and Dark Pulse have been known to see action, as they're great for nabbing Jirachi and Forretress switch-ins.
If there was a way to either run a different Choice Scarf Pokemon over Hydreigon, I would do so and run LO Hydreigon alongside it - this team has some slight issues with Umbreon if Toxic Spikes aren't up during the late game and being able to move the Choice Scarf elsewheres and run Superpower on this thing would fix that problem.
Snorlax | Leftovers
Thick Fat | Careful
144 HP | 188 Def | 176 SpD
Curse | Rest | Body Slam | Earthquake
There's a lot of players that highly underestimate how effective Curse Snorlax is. The first glance at my team suggest that it's either the casual SpDef set or Choice Band to help eliminate specific threats, which gives me a huge advantage. Snorlax loves setting up on opposing Gligar, Alomamola, or other stall-orientated Pokemon. Weaker attackers in general, such as things like Dugtrio or Sharpedo, prove to be absolute setup bait for Snorlax. Once it's got about four Curses under its belt, the game is all but won. Snorlax and Mega-Abomasnow make up my two immediate win-conditions and one is usually breaking walls for the other.
The set relies on standard EVs, and for the most part a standard moveset. I've opted to drop Sleep Talk in order to provide coverage against Chandelure, Steel-types, and other various things capable of resisting Body Slam. The only reasoning I have behind this is Snorlax's bulk after two or three Curses is essentially unbreakable, and taking two turns to wait isn't too much of a problem. I have highly considered running Return over Body Slam; the apparent chance for paralysis just isn't frequent enough and after so many boosts, Snorlax is usually slower than a paralyzed opponent.
Tentacruel | Black Sludge
Liquid Ooze | Bold
252 HP | 240 Def | 16 Spe
0 Atk
Scald | Rapid Spin | Toxic Spikes | Knock Off
I run both Mega-Abomasnow and Arcanine. Strictly because of that I run Tentacruel. If memory serves correct, my original Spinner was Donphan, but it soon proved to be unreliable. Admittedly, I don't like running Tentacruel. Any momentum I have is usually lost once it hits the field, and it's the first thing I tend to sacrifice. However, it does provide a few roles for the team, and it performs them well. Without Tentacruel, offensive teams become a little harder to deal with, Umbreon would entirely have its way with this team, and hazards would destroy my team.
There is nothing special here about this set. It's a typical Tentacruel set. Toxic Spikes and Rapid Spin provide the team with offensive and defensive hazard support, and Knock Off is great for crippling Nidoqueen and Leftover-reliant Pokemon. Scald is the worst move in Competitive Pokemon. It's Burn rate is absurdly high for how strong this move is, and I'm not afraid to say I've won matches because of it. Tentacruel is my tertiary physical attacker check, as that Burn rate is more than enough to permanently break opposing physical attackers.
Gligar | Eviolite
Immunity | Impish
252 HP | 252 Def | 4 Spe
Stealth Rock | Roost | Earthquake | U-turn
This is another Pokemon I hate having to use, but appreciate what it does for my team. Gligar is here to perform 3 roles; set up Stealth Rocks, stomach as many physical hits as possible, and provide the team with momentum. It's decent at the first and third roles, but heavily relies on Arcanine and even Tentacruel to provide checks to physical threats. If there was a way to replace this thing that could accomplish those three roles better, I think I'd take that option.
I've been cited as to why I run PhysDef Gligar over the new mixed defensive set, and honestly it's because I don't need Gligar to eat special attacks. The combination of Snorlax and Tentacruel, as well as the resitances and immunites provided by Hydreigon and Mega-Abomasnow, I've got most special attackers covered. I really wish there was a way to fit six moves on Gligar, maybe even eight, as I've found multiple times a need for Taunt, Defog, Toxic, and Knock Off on this thing. Regardless, it works for the most part, but if there was another option, I'd really consider taking it.
Conclusion
I don't suggest stealing this team unless you're capable of emulating my playstyle or are really good at making predictions. This wasn't a team built to perform on the ladder and there's a bunch of threats that must be played around in specific manners. It's not a run of the mill balance team, and will probably be hard to use for inexperienced players.
In terms of what really beats the hell out of this team, you'd be looking at Choice Band Mienshao and Umbreon as the biggest threats. I do have ways around them though, so it's not like I lose every time I face them. Full stall does rather well against this team, but I'm not entirely certain if it was the build of a couple specific teams or the way I played that caused me to lose those respective matches.
Anyways, thanks for the read, and if you rate it, thank you for that. I'll probably be reluctant to make any major changes to this team, but if there's a way to work LO Hydreigon onto this team while maintaining a Choice Scarf user and possibly a more practical Pokemon to set up Stealth Rocks, provide momentum, and take physical hits, I'd be open to those suggestions.
In early September I came back from a 5-month hiatus, and in doing so arrived at an entirely new metagame. There had been plenty that had been banned, retested, banned again, and even some old classics that had moved into OU. I had one team that was still legal, as Victini had been recently been suspected to BL, but it was exceptionally frail and was admittedly just a few sweepers slapped around a Nidoqueen. I wanted something more. A really good team to get me back into Underused.
Come With Me Now is probably the best team I've built that's been focused around balance. Most of my best teams have typically been hyper offensive and relied on offensive synergy and pressure to have their way with the opponent. This team plays exceptionally differently. Come With Me Now is a blue-collar, working-class team designed to set up shop and either whittle the opposition down or give them a quick clean beating. This team is all about about setting a pace while never letting off the throttle. On a whim it can shift from offensive, thanks to SD Mega-Abomasnow and Choice Scarf Hydreigon threatening nearly everything in the tier, to defensive, as the combination of Gligar and Snorlax eating up nearly every threat in the book. The team is rounded out with support from Bulky Arcanine, something that carried this team during the Victini retest, and Tentacruel, the glue that keeps hazards off the field and Stall teams at my mercy.
Initially, Come With Me Now was built to be an offensive team around Mega-Abomasnow. This idea failed me, as Mienshao and other powerful threats had their way with that team. Gligar and Snorlax replaced SubToxic Jirachi and Donphan very early on in this team's testing phase and have stuck since. I don't use this team on the ladder much, as it has been built more in the style of a tournament team (and I'm terribad at laddering regardless), and am typically found sporting it in one of the tournaments hosted in the Underused PS! room.
Team At A Glance
Abomasnow-Mega | Abomasite
Snow Warning | Adamant
72 HP | 252 Atk | 184 Spe
Swords Dance | Ice Shard | Wood Hammer | Earthquake
What made me want to use Mega-Abomasnow is how under-appreciated it was when I made this team. It and Mega-Banette were the most uncommon Mega Evolutions, and I wanted to find a way for Mega-Abomasnow to work and become a staple in the metagame. While it isn't a staple in today's UU, it's definitely been recognized as a major threat capable of busting through just about every Pokemon under the right conditions.
The moveset at play here is typical of SD Mega-Abomasnow; Ice Shard and Wood Hammer function as STAB, smashing opposing Flying-, Dragon-, Water-, Ground-, and Rock-types, and Earthquake providing auxiliary coverage against Steel-type and Fire-type switch-ins. Swords Dance allows Mega-Abomasnow to hit its stride and boost its Attack to ridiculous levels, usually leading to Mega-Abomasnow cleaning up the remnants of the opposition. The EV distribution is a little hairy, as it doesn't make sense for something that has 30 base Speed to invest so heavily. It makes more sense however, when you factor in Mega Evolution mechanics: the significant investment of Speed EVs allows Abomasnow to outspeed Blastoise prior to and during Mega Evolution, typically catching them off-guard and dropping them with Wood Hammer.
Arcanine | Rocky Helmet
Intimidate | Impish
248 HP | 4 Atk | 252 Def | 4 Spe
Will-O-Wisp | Morning Sun | Flare Blitz | Extreme Speed
During the Victini suspect test, when this team was made, I needed a reliable Fire-type switch-in as Mega-Abomasnow attracts Fire-type attacks like shit does flies. Since Hydreigon had Chandelure checked fairly well, I decided to run Arcanine, as it was one of the few Pokemon that could handle most Victini spreads. The added advantage to running Arcanine over something like Swampert is Intimidate, which gives me another check to physical attackers.
The EV distribution favours a slight Speed creep against other Arcanine; this gives me some assurance that I'll at least win the Extreme Speed tie if a match comes down to my Arcanine versus someone else's Arcanine. The difference between 4 Attack and 8 Attack is negligible regardless. Besides that, the set itself is rather standard. It may seem counter-intuitive to run Morning Sun on a team featuring Mega-Abomasnow, I've actually been called out for it, but even 25% more HP in a pinch scenario can help. The new weather mechanics also means I have access to a 50% recovery after 5 turns of hail, so it's not like the move itself is useless.
Hydreigon | Choice Scarf
Levitate | Hasty
4 Atk | 252 SpA | 252 Spe
Draco Meteor | Dark Pulse | Fire Blast | U-turn
Hydreigon has been considered to be one of the most threatening Pokemon since early XYUU, and after having survived its suspect test, continues to perform as a top threat in the metagame. It's offensive nature and my need for some speed on this team pushed me towards using Choice Scarf Hydreigon. It isn't the perfect fix in my opinion; it sits at a highly unfortunate Speed Tier, and I've always preferred running LO Hydreigon as Superpower is a great move to use on this thing.
What you see here is a typical Scarf Hydreigon set that takes advantage of Hydreigon's wide movepool. Draco Meteor is nine times out of ten the only move this thing uses, with the other one time being U-turn. The ability to steal momentum and force switches makes this team harder to break. If I have an opponent that runs a few Steel- of Fairy-types, Fire Blast and Dark Pulse have been known to see action, as they're great for nabbing Jirachi and Forretress switch-ins.
If there was a way to either run a different Choice Scarf Pokemon over Hydreigon, I would do so and run LO Hydreigon alongside it - this team has some slight issues with Umbreon if Toxic Spikes aren't up during the late game and being able to move the Choice Scarf elsewheres and run Superpower on this thing would fix that problem.
Snorlax | Leftovers
Thick Fat | Careful
144 HP | 188 Def | 176 SpD
Curse | Rest | Body Slam | Earthquake
There's a lot of players that highly underestimate how effective Curse Snorlax is. The first glance at my team suggest that it's either the casual SpDef set or Choice Band to help eliminate specific threats, which gives me a huge advantage. Snorlax loves setting up on opposing Gligar, Alomamola, or other stall-orientated Pokemon. Weaker attackers in general, such as things like Dugtrio or Sharpedo, prove to be absolute setup bait for Snorlax. Once it's got about four Curses under its belt, the game is all but won. Snorlax and Mega-Abomasnow make up my two immediate win-conditions and one is usually breaking walls for the other.
The set relies on standard EVs, and for the most part a standard moveset. I've opted to drop Sleep Talk in order to provide coverage against Chandelure, Steel-types, and other various things capable of resisting Body Slam. The only reasoning I have behind this is Snorlax's bulk after two or three Curses is essentially unbreakable, and taking two turns to wait isn't too much of a problem. I have highly considered running Return over Body Slam; the apparent chance for paralysis just isn't frequent enough and after so many boosts, Snorlax is usually slower than a paralyzed opponent.
Tentacruel | Black Sludge
Liquid Ooze | Bold
252 HP | 240 Def | 16 Spe
0 Atk
Scald | Rapid Spin | Toxic Spikes | Knock Off
I run both Mega-Abomasnow and Arcanine. Strictly because of that I run Tentacruel. If memory serves correct, my original Spinner was Donphan, but it soon proved to be unreliable. Admittedly, I don't like running Tentacruel. Any momentum I have is usually lost once it hits the field, and it's the first thing I tend to sacrifice. However, it does provide a few roles for the team, and it performs them well. Without Tentacruel, offensive teams become a little harder to deal with, Umbreon would entirely have its way with this team, and hazards would destroy my team.
There is nothing special here about this set. It's a typical Tentacruel set. Toxic Spikes and Rapid Spin provide the team with offensive and defensive hazard support, and Knock Off is great for crippling Nidoqueen and Leftover-reliant Pokemon. Scald is the worst move in Competitive Pokemon. It's Burn rate is absurdly high for how strong this move is, and I'm not afraid to say I've won matches because of it. Tentacruel is my tertiary physical attacker check, as that Burn rate is more than enough to permanently break opposing physical attackers.
Gligar | Eviolite
Immunity | Impish
252 HP | 252 Def | 4 Spe
Stealth Rock | Roost | Earthquake | U-turn
This is another Pokemon I hate having to use, but appreciate what it does for my team. Gligar is here to perform 3 roles; set up Stealth Rocks, stomach as many physical hits as possible, and provide the team with momentum. It's decent at the first and third roles, but heavily relies on Arcanine and even Tentacruel to provide checks to physical threats. If there was a way to replace this thing that could accomplish those three roles better, I think I'd take that option.
I've been cited as to why I run PhysDef Gligar over the new mixed defensive set, and honestly it's because I don't need Gligar to eat special attacks. The combination of Snorlax and Tentacruel, as well as the resitances and immunites provided by Hydreigon and Mega-Abomasnow, I've got most special attackers covered. I really wish there was a way to fit six moves on Gligar, maybe even eight, as I've found multiple times a need for Taunt, Defog, Toxic, and Knock Off on this thing. Regardless, it works for the most part, but if there was another option, I'd really consider taking it.
Conclusion
I don't suggest stealing this team unless you're capable of emulating my playstyle or are really good at making predictions. This wasn't a team built to perform on the ladder and there's a bunch of threats that must be played around in specific manners. It's not a run of the mill balance team, and will probably be hard to use for inexperienced players.
In terms of what really beats the hell out of this team, you'd be looking at Choice Band Mienshao and Umbreon as the biggest threats. I do have ways around them though, so it's not like I lose every time I face them. Full stall does rather well against this team, but I'm not entirely certain if it was the build of a couple specific teams or the way I played that caused me to lose those respective matches.
Anyways, thanks for the read, and if you rate it, thank you for that. I'll probably be reluctant to make any major changes to this team, but if there's a way to work LO Hydreigon onto this team while maintaining a Choice Scarf user and possibly a more practical Pokemon to set up Stealth Rocks, provide momentum, and take physical hits, I'd be open to those suggestions.
