Overview
Teambuilding
I began by starting with Krookodile because it intrigued me and it seemed to have untapped potential. Thanks to some tips from Audiosurfer, I decided to work around a goal. My goal for the team was to wear down the opponent with Spikes and eventually sweep with Krookodile late game after it gains a few boosts. Krookodile meshed well with Aegislash, having nearly flawless synergy. Aegislash is crucial as my check to Extreme Speed spam and Mega Scizor, an otherwise troublesome Pokemon. I thought that Shedinja was neat, w0rd brought it up in the viability thread so I thought: "hmm, that sounds interesting! checks a ton of popular threats!" Shedinja provides a similar check to things Aeigslash does and was a natural fit because late-game it's a lot harder to KO than one would imagine. The largest issue I saw with Shedinja was its inability to deal with hazards of any kind (barring Sticky Web), so hazard removal became a priority. I at first considered Landorus, but I decided that would prove to be inefficient because Defog on a Spikes team is not exactly good. Rapid Spin became the new main focus. I got to thinking and remember an old favorite of mine: Stoutland. Stoutland has Scrappy, allowing for unblockable Rapid Spin and providing a great check to all Shell Smash users in the forum of Fake Out + Extreme Speed. So, I finally got to Spikes. My obvious first thought was Landorus-T. Landorus-T was a cute pivot and powerful Pokemon in general. Finally, I added Thundurus because my glaring physical attacker lean was obvious at this point. Thundurus synergizes well and is a fantastic Pokemon in general. However, after a bit of testing, I decided to removeLandorus-T and instead replace it with Diggersby. Diggersby's sash lead is so underrated and is such a great set, I'm quite fond of it! That's the reason I replaced it as well, a method of blocking Defog in the forum of Explosion; Landorus-T can also perform Explosion, but it simply was not as good as a suicide lead. Thus, I had completed the team.
The Team
'dile (Krookodile) @ Life Orb
Ability: Moxie
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Knock Off
- Earthquake
- Sucker Punch
- Stone Edge / Taunt
Krookodile intrigued me because it's so underrated and never really seen anywhere in STABmons, despite its nice base stats and Moxie to boot. Sucker Punch is a wonderful addition because Krookodile's Speed is a bit on the slower side and the priority and power after Moxie is fantastic; Choice Scarf could be run to fix this, but switching moves is more appreciated for me. The last slot is debatable; while Stone Edge is great coverage, Taunt is fantastic for shutting down bulkier teams in conjunction with Knock Off. Dark Void is a move I don't really enjoy honestly, I prefer all-out attacking or Taunt because of their various uses, but it has a nice in Sleep for wearing down. A form of support for Krookodile is the Spikes that Diggersby sets, a few other ways I included some ways to support it are lure Aegislash and Knock Off Thundurus. Knock Off from Thundurus is fantastic to lure in Chansey and allow Krookodile to have an easier time breaking through it, while Aegislash lures in Landorus-T and gets smacked with Hidden Power Ice. Krookodile should be saved until Spikes eventually wears down the opponent or when the golden opportunity comes that Krookodile can sweep; and trust me, this will be very evident. An example of this is the obvious choice-locked Magnezone that it can prey on, a Skarmory when using Taunt, or if you can land Taunt on a Chansey. These moments are great to allow Krookodile to begin havoc. I'd like to bring up how fantastic Knock Off is as well, weakening various threats by removing Leftovers and Eviolites. Krookodile is quite the underrated Pokemon and is the main attraction of my team!
'slash (Aegislash) @ Air Balloon / Life Orb
Ability: Stance Change
EVs: 176 HP / 252 SpA / 80 Spe
Modest Nature
- Shadow Ball
- Doom Desire
- King's Shield
- Hidden Power [Ice] / Destiny Bond
Special Aegislash is a thing I've been seeing less and less recently. Shift Gear Aegislash is practically the only set I see on the ladder, and don't get me wrong it's a good set, but I like special Aegislash as well. Shadow Ball is strong as usual, but Doom Desire is just a fantastic move. It dents everything and anything really. King's Shield, in conjunction with Doom Desire, is quite the cute combo as well. King's Shield is fantastic, and it's obviously even better on Aegislash. Aegislash with Hidden Power Ice is a fantastic lure to lure the opponent into switching in Landorus-T only to be hit extremely hard by it. I honestly prefer Life Orb and although it's a one time thing, I still find it extremely helpful because Ground-types struggle against it. Landorus-T will most likely will have to use Knock Off in this case, or U-turn, in which case King's Shield will smack it about. Aegislash is cute because it checks Knock Off-less Scizor which can be a dilemma if set up. Fairly simple, really.
'ja (Shedinja) @ Focus Sash
Ability: Wonder Guard
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- U-turn
- Megahorn
- Destiny Bond
- Sticky Web
Shedinja is such a unique Pokemon and it has made a name for itself for not being considered very viable in many places; however, it finds a comfy little home in STABmons with its newfound access to U-turn, enabling it to pivot out of anything that might carry a status move / super effective attack and survive. Just have to be wary about random Rocky Helmet users and Garchomp / Ferrothorn. Megahorn is because it's strong as heck, and Shedinja has a fairly decent Attack stat, it does more than one would think and allows Shedinja to potentially take something down. Destiny Bond is fantastic because Shedinja honestly does die so easily. It works well to get in on counters, like bringing it in on Clefable to wall it when not running Fire Blast, take it down, give Krookodile an easier time to sweep. Sticky Web + Krookodile is terrific, but, it's not necessary by any means. Sure, it's very beneficial, but it's not 100% necessary. Anyways, Shedinja is almost unheard of in STABmons and it's getting more and more recognition, which I quite enjoy. This was inspired by my friend w0rd :). Rapid Spin support from Stoutland keeps Shedinja alive, it's quite a large priority when hazards get set. Shedinja also walls a ton of huge threats in the metagame such as Diggersby, Keldeo, Scizor, etc.
'land (Stoutland) @ Silk Scarf
Ability: Scrappy
EVs: 152 HP / 252 Atk / 36 Def / 68 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Rapid Spin
- ExtremeSpeed
- Fake Out
- Recover
Utility Stoutland is great, taking a more supportive role besides the usual offensive roles of Normal-types. Rapid Spin was the primary focus of this set, a crucial component when running Shedinja. The main reason Stoutland was chosen is because it has access to Scrappy, along with the highest bulk of all Scrappy users. Fake Out + Extreme Speed is a wonderful combination to check any and all Shell Smash users, provided they've used the move before Stoutland comes in. Other Pokemon it checks wonderfully include Diggersby and Gengar, a Pokemon that is on the rise from what I've seen. Running Recover enables Stoutland to check Pokemon multiple times throughout the match and has been a saving grace many many times. I'd considered running an offensive approach with Rapid Spin thrown on, and did test for a bit, but it was really meh and it had issues with even using Rapid Spin, the thing it was meant to do in the first place, thus the more supportive role shone through.
'sby (Diggersby) @ Focus Sash
Ability: Huge Power
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Spikes
- Lovely Kiss / Protect
- Explosion
- Swords Dance
Ah, my favorite set in STABmons entirely. Lead Diggersby that sets Spikes just sounds... weird, doesn't it? It is weird, but it's also quite effective. This set looks funky, so I'm going to try and walk through the process of which it is used. 1.) Lead with Diggersby. 2.) Set Spikes. 3.) If opponent has Skarmory, do one layer of Spikes as they switch in, Lovely Kiss, Swords Dance. 4.) Depending if Skarmory has woken up or not, set one more layer of Spikes, but don't get greedy. 5.) Use Explosion. That's basically how it is used, it takes a bit of prediction. The overall premise is to set Spikes, nab a boost, Explode. This blocks Defog and Rapid Spin attempts and leaves Skarmory at such a low level of health it can be revenge killed and can be prevented from setting any hazards. It works wonderfully, magnificently, stupendously, and all the other words you can think of. A bit tough to get a grasp around, but definitely is very beneficial and works like a charm :].
'rus (Thundurus) (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Defiant
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Oblivion Wing
- Thunderbolt
- Focus Blast
- Knock Off
Thundurus is such a great Pokemon right now. Thanks to its fantastic power and high Speed, it works well on offensive teams. It's usually seen with Landorus, but I don't have a Landorus, so I made it work. This is my particular favorite set, the one that beats down Chansey. Knock Off to remove Eviolite, Focus Blast, recover with Oblivion Wing. Wonderful. Honestly, not gonna lie, Thundurus was added for more testing purposes not so much for what it provides for my team. I'll give it that it's a deterrent to Defog with Defiant, but it's just pretty much there because offense likes it n_n!
Threatlist
--wip--
and that's the team :].
Teambuilding
I began by starting with Krookodile because it intrigued me and it seemed to have untapped potential. Thanks to some tips from Audiosurfer, I decided to work around a goal. My goal for the team was to wear down the opponent with Spikes and eventually sweep with Krookodile late game after it gains a few boosts. Krookodile meshed well with Aegislash, having nearly flawless synergy. Aegislash is crucial as my check to Extreme Speed spam and Mega Scizor, an otherwise troublesome Pokemon. I thought that Shedinja was neat, w0rd brought it up in the viability thread so I thought: "hmm, that sounds interesting! checks a ton of popular threats!" Shedinja provides a similar check to things Aeigslash does and was a natural fit because late-game it's a lot harder to KO than one would imagine. The largest issue I saw with Shedinja was its inability to deal with hazards of any kind (barring Sticky Web), so hazard removal became a priority. I at first considered Landorus, but I decided that would prove to be inefficient because Defog on a Spikes team is not exactly good. Rapid Spin became the new main focus. I got to thinking and remember an old favorite of mine: Stoutland. Stoutland has Scrappy, allowing for unblockable Rapid Spin and providing a great check to all Shell Smash users in the forum of Fake Out + Extreme Speed. So, I finally got to Spikes. My obvious first thought was Landorus-T. Landorus-T was a cute pivot and powerful Pokemon in general. Finally, I added Thundurus because my glaring physical attacker lean was obvious at this point. Thundurus synergizes well and is a fantastic Pokemon in general. However, after a bit of testing, I decided to remove
The Team
'dile (Krookodile) @ Life Orb
Ability: Moxie
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Knock Off
- Earthquake
- Sucker Punch
- Stone Edge / Taunt
Krookodile intrigued me because it's so underrated and never really seen anywhere in STABmons, despite its nice base stats and Moxie to boot. Sucker Punch is a wonderful addition because Krookodile's Speed is a bit on the slower side and the priority and power after Moxie is fantastic; Choice Scarf could be run to fix this, but switching moves is more appreciated for me. The last slot is debatable; while Stone Edge is great coverage, Taunt is fantastic for shutting down bulkier teams in conjunction with Knock Off. Dark Void is a move I don't really enjoy honestly, I prefer all-out attacking or Taunt because of their various uses, but it has a nice in Sleep for wearing down. A form of support for Krookodile is the Spikes that Diggersby sets, a few other ways I included some ways to support it are lure Aegislash and Knock Off Thundurus. Knock Off from Thundurus is fantastic to lure in Chansey and allow Krookodile to have an easier time breaking through it, while Aegislash lures in Landorus-T and gets smacked with Hidden Power Ice. Krookodile should be saved until Spikes eventually wears down the opponent or when the golden opportunity comes that Krookodile can sweep; and trust me, this will be very evident. An example of this is the obvious choice-locked Magnezone that it can prey on, a Skarmory when using Taunt, or if you can land Taunt on a Chansey. These moments are great to allow Krookodile to begin havoc. I'd like to bring up how fantastic Knock Off is as well, weakening various threats by removing Leftovers and Eviolites. Krookodile is quite the underrated Pokemon and is the main attraction of my team!
'slash (Aegislash) @ Air Balloon / Life Orb
Ability: Stance Change
EVs: 176 HP / 252 SpA / 80 Spe
Modest Nature
- Shadow Ball
- Doom Desire
- King's Shield
- Hidden Power [Ice] / Destiny Bond
Special Aegislash is a thing I've been seeing less and less recently. Shift Gear Aegislash is practically the only set I see on the ladder, and don't get me wrong it's a good set, but I like special Aegislash as well. Shadow Ball is strong as usual, but Doom Desire is just a fantastic move. It dents everything and anything really. King's Shield, in conjunction with Doom Desire, is quite the cute combo as well. King's Shield is fantastic, and it's obviously even better on Aegislash. Aegislash with Hidden Power Ice is a fantastic lure to lure the opponent into switching in Landorus-T only to be hit extremely hard by it. I honestly prefer Life Orb and although it's a one time thing, I still find it extremely helpful because Ground-types struggle against it. Landorus-T will most likely will have to use Knock Off in this case, or U-turn, in which case King's Shield will smack it about. Aegislash is cute because it checks Knock Off-less Scizor which can be a dilemma if set up. Fairly simple, really.
'ja (Shedinja) @ Focus Sash
Ability: Wonder Guard
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- U-turn
- Megahorn
- Destiny Bond
- Sticky Web
Shedinja is such a unique Pokemon and it has made a name for itself for not being considered very viable in many places; however, it finds a comfy little home in STABmons with its newfound access to U-turn, enabling it to pivot out of anything that might carry a status move / super effective attack and survive. Just have to be wary about random Rocky Helmet users and Garchomp / Ferrothorn. Megahorn is because it's strong as heck, and Shedinja has a fairly decent Attack stat, it does more than one would think and allows Shedinja to potentially take something down. Destiny Bond is fantastic because Shedinja honestly does die so easily. It works well to get in on counters, like bringing it in on Clefable to wall it when not running Fire Blast, take it down, give Krookodile an easier time to sweep. Sticky Web + Krookodile is terrific, but, it's not necessary by any means. Sure, it's very beneficial, but it's not 100% necessary. Anyways, Shedinja is almost unheard of in STABmons and it's getting more and more recognition, which I quite enjoy. This was inspired by my friend w0rd :). Rapid Spin support from Stoutland keeps Shedinja alive, it's quite a large priority when hazards get set. Shedinja also walls a ton of huge threats in the metagame such as Diggersby, Keldeo, Scizor, etc.
'land (Stoutland) @ Silk Scarf
Ability: Scrappy
EVs: 152 HP / 252 Atk / 36 Def / 68 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Rapid Spin
- ExtremeSpeed
- Fake Out
- Recover
Utility Stoutland is great, taking a more supportive role besides the usual offensive roles of Normal-types. Rapid Spin was the primary focus of this set, a crucial component when running Shedinja. The main reason Stoutland was chosen is because it has access to Scrappy, along with the highest bulk of all Scrappy users. Fake Out + Extreme Speed is a wonderful combination to check any and all Shell Smash users, provided they've used the move before Stoutland comes in. Other Pokemon it checks wonderfully include Diggersby and Gengar, a Pokemon that is on the rise from what I've seen. Running Recover enables Stoutland to check Pokemon multiple times throughout the match and has been a saving grace many many times. I'd considered running an offensive approach with Rapid Spin thrown on, and did test for a bit, but it was really meh and it had issues with even using Rapid Spin, the thing it was meant to do in the first place, thus the more supportive role shone through.
'sby (Diggersby) @ Focus Sash
Ability: Huge Power
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Spikes
- Lovely Kiss / Protect
- Explosion
- Swords Dance
Ah, my favorite set in STABmons entirely. Lead Diggersby that sets Spikes just sounds... weird, doesn't it? It is weird, but it's also quite effective. This set looks funky, so I'm going to try and walk through the process of which it is used. 1.) Lead with Diggersby. 2.) Set Spikes. 3.) If opponent has Skarmory, do one layer of Spikes as they switch in, Lovely Kiss, Swords Dance. 4.) Depending if Skarmory has woken up or not, set one more layer of Spikes, but don't get greedy. 5.) Use Explosion. That's basically how it is used, it takes a bit of prediction. The overall premise is to set Spikes, nab a boost, Explode. This blocks Defog and Rapid Spin attempts and leaves Skarmory at such a low level of health it can be revenge killed and can be prevented from setting any hazards. It works wonderfully, magnificently, stupendously, and all the other words you can think of. A bit tough to get a grasp around, but definitely is very beneficial and works like a charm :].
'rus (Thundurus) (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Defiant
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Oblivion Wing
- Thunderbolt
- Focus Blast
- Knock Off
Thundurus is such a great Pokemon right now. Thanks to its fantastic power and high Speed, it works well on offensive teams. It's usually seen with Landorus, but I don't have a Landorus, so I made it work. This is my particular favorite set, the one that beats down Chansey. Knock Off to remove Eviolite, Focus Blast, recover with Oblivion Wing. Wonderful. Honestly, not gonna lie, Thundurus was added for more testing purposes not so much for what it provides for my team. I'll give it that it's a deterrent to Defog with Defiant, but it's just pretty much there because offense likes it n_n!
Threatlist
--wip--