XY LC Diving into XY LC

[Superpowerdude]

(corphish is not amused by its usage stat)

DIVING INTO XY LC

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Hello everyone! I recently got back into Little Cup again for the last 2 months after being dead for like the whole XY metagame. A lot of new XYers still don't know me but I was quite well known regarding LC towards the end of BW2 at least on the ladder and in the LC subforum anyway. I am back into LC now and I am really enjoying XY LC.

Anyway I have been back to LC for a bit over 2 months and this is the first team I made in XY which I feel attached to so it kind of represents my return to the tier and me 'diving' into XY LC hence the title haha

But you guys prolly don't give a shit about my life story and just want to get on to what I have to say about my team so you can copy paste it yeah? Okay sure thing this is an offense team I made around the core of Corphish and Shell Smash Tirtouga. Corphish is a very underated mon which I just love so I wanted to give it some fame and I was pretty succesful on the ladder with this team (I did manage to peak #1). Corphish lures in so much Pokemon that also beat Tirtouga things like Porygon, Foongus, Croagunk, Ferroseed, and heaps of other stuff... Cottonee too, etc. Corphish can bring these pokemon in to wall it and use Knock Off to its advantage making them much weaker when it comes to dealing with Tirtouga later on. Also Adaptability powered Crabhammer of 18 attack is super powerful and people don't really expect it lol. As for the rest of the boring members, they support the core and give me a nice little offense team so lets take a look at it.

Looking at the Team

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Corphish @ Eviolite
Ability: Adaptability
Level: 5
EVs: 196 Atk / 76 Def / 236 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Crabhammer
- Aqua Jet
- Knock Off
- Superpower / Swords Dance

Okay so this along with Tirtouga have to be my favourite Pokemon in Little Cup, one reason why I like Corphish is because not everyone is using it and my Corphish fetish arguably surpasses TCR's Amaura fetish (lol just kidding that kid needs help) Its role on my team is as a wall breaker and lure for Tirtouga, having similar checks to the turtle, it can wear down repeated switch ins with Knock Off and the insanely powerful Crabhammer which works wonders with Adaptability and 18 Atk behind it. Priority is awesome in LC, and having a Strong Aqua Jet lets Corphish pick of weakened threats like Sturdy mons and Sash Abra. Also, this spread lets Corphish hit 13 speed, letting it outspeed practically all walls so it can dish out damage and use Knock Off, but it also lets its Aqua Jet outspeed 12 Speed Fletchling although it seems like every Fletch I vs with this thing is running more speed 9.9. Superpower 2HKO's Ferroseed and Porygon switching in so its cool to have since both these Pokemon wall Tirtouga. Swords Dance can also work to help Corphish wallbreak, it comes down to preference tbh.

Cottonee @ Eviolite
Ability: Prankster
Level: 5
EVs: 116 HP / 196 Def / 196 SpD
Calm Nature
- Giga Drain
- Dazzling Gleam
- Encore
- Memento

This Pokemon synergises great typing wise with Tirtouga with them resisting everyone of each others weaknesses bar Cottonee's Steel weakness. Cottonee plays an important role on my team being my only Missy switch in, and something to take on Fighting types in conjunction with Mienfoo and Corphish. Both Giga Drain and Dazzling gleam are run on this set because otherwise my team would have trouble with Fighting-types and Chinchou. Encore is essential on any Cottonee since it can help you grab momentum and prevent opponents from getting boosts which is important for a team like this with no real solid defensive core. I use Memento in the last slot because I am running Solid Rock Shell Smash Tirtouga rather than SturdyJuice (which I will explain later) so that helps Tirtouga set up and it gives Cottonee a good use when it is running low on health.

Tirtouga @ Eviolite
Ability: Solid Rock
Level: 5
EVs: 4 HP / 212 Atk / 12 Def / 76 SpD / 180 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Shell Smash
- Waterfall
- Aqua Jet
- Stone Edge

The pokemon the team is built around, I am running a Bulky Shell Smash set with Solid Rock and Eviolite because my team needs a switch in to Fletchling and Tirtouga provides that while still having the oppurtunity to set up a Shell Smash late game, especially with Memento support. The moves however are fairly standard, Aqua Jet for the same reason Corphish has got it, lets it get past faster mons, beat some weakened scarfers and play around Sucker Punch users. Waterfall is the safe STAB option while Stone Edge trades power for accuracy and is a shit move 9.9 EV spread lets me reach 22 speed after a shell smash so I can outrun Scarf 14 speed pokemon like Scraggy and Magnemite too I think.

Drilbur @ Eviolite
Ability: Mold Breaker
Level: 5
EVs: 36 HP / 236 Atk / 212 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Rapid Spin
- Poison Jab / Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide

Drilbur is a pokemon I find myself using on every team I make now days, its such a good rapid spinner and packs some offensive presence as well which is cool. Earthquake and Rock Slide give it that "EdgeQuake" coverage hitting a lot of types for neutral or super effective damage. Earthquake is a pretty strong Stab move and can be used to dish damage to Pokemon who don't resist. Stealth Rock obviously can be used but I seem to like Poison Jab a lot. It lures in and beats Cottonee and it deals a bit of damage to Spritzee too, two Pokemon that like to switch in to Drilbur and two Pokemon who can beat Tirtouga so it is a nice move to have although it comes at the expense of not running Stealth Rock. Spread is standard, reaches 17 speed and 18 attack.

Mienfoo @ Eviolite
Ability: Regenerator
Level: 5
EVs: 156 HP / 76 Atk / 116 Def / 36 SpD / 76 Spe
Impish Nature
- U-turn
- Knock Off
- Acrobatics
- Drain Punch

Mienfoo is a pokemon that can be slapped on to any team really unless you like to run shitty mono teams that ain't fighting. I use defensive Mienfoo like everyone else, use it as a pivot, bring it in to check stuff like Pawnaird and Scraggy and threaten Pokemon with Knock Off. The two main things of interest here are its spread and Acrobatics. Acrobatics lets me not worry to much about switching Mienfoo into a Knock Off, without Eviolite, Knock Off gives it an easier time against opposing Mienfoo, Timburr, Foongus etc so its a really cool move that should be taken into consideration over Fake Out. Now the spread I ran this thinking it was the standard lol but apparently not, even then it trades speed for bulk which I prefer. I run 14 speed instead of 17 because a lot more Pawnairds are Choice Scarf now so no need to speed creep it because you can't and the more bulk gives me an easier time switching into Pawnaird which this team really enjoys.

Pawniard @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Defiant
Level: 5
EVs: 76 HP / 236 Atk / 196 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Iron Head
- Knock Off
- Brick Break
- Pursuit

Choice Scarf Pawnaird plays an important role on this team, firstly for revenge killing Missy which is important since Cottonee is my only switch in to it, it also helps spread Knock Off with Corphish and Mienfoo to help give Tirtouga an easier late game sweep. Apart from those two roles it operates like any other revenge killer, have the potential to pick of weakened threats or be used late game to clear up some weakened pokemon. The good thing about revenge killers with Knock Off is it encourages the opponent to sac whatever they have got in since they don't want to switch in a Pokemon and lose its item. Iron Head is a strong Stab move and has good coverage with Knock Off. Brick Break is for opposing Steel-types and Pawnaird. Pursuit can be used to trap missy but is also very important vs Abra as well since I don't like it switching out for free because of the damage it can do.

Conclusion

So thats my team hope you like it, I hope you enjoy the use of Corphish too because that thing is awesome and advice to beginners when starting out in LC pick an idea you like for a team and stick with it. I think many people use a team and when they find out it isn't good they scrap it and look for another team. No one initially makes a perfect team, they make average teams and tweak it to fix weaknesses until they are satisfied. Unless you have something stupid in mind to build around like Cleffa, with enough laddering and tweaking you should have a good team. Also if you have a good or fun team, please post it here because more LC RMTs would be cool as. Thats it now thanks for reading!

Oh and shoutouts to #dogbirds I will be back on IRC regularly soon
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[Corporal Levi]

Hi Superpowerdude
As I'm sure more than a few LC players are aware of by now, this is an incredibly well-built team. With that being said, I still have a few minor suggestions.

I think a Bold nature would be stronger on Cottonee. This allows Cottonee to hit Eviolite numbers, reaching 22/24/21 HP/Def/SpD instead of 22/22/22, granting it slightly more overall bulk. Notably, a Bold nature with your current spread allows Cottonee to usually survive the OHKOs from Adamant Scraggy/Timburr's Poison Jab and Life Orb Pawniard's Iron Head from full health, which is feasible given your Rapid Spin support.

In addition, it looks like you lack a switch-in to Magnemite. Replacing something with a Chinchou or Hippopotas would probably be a bit detrimental to your team's synergy, so instead, I would like to suggest a more specially defensive Mienfoo spread of 156 HP/116 Def/196 SpD with an Impish nature. This allows Mienfoo to hit eviolite numbers, and usually avoid the 2HKO from Magnemite's Flash Cannon or Thunderbolt. Although you might not be able to switch in more than twice, this will hopefully be enough, because Magnemite can really only get in on Cottonee, Pawniard locked into Iron Head, or a revenge-kill; you also have a back-up check in Drilbur. It won't be enough to withstand Choice Scarf Magnemite, but such a variant is much more easily worn out.

It also looks as if you lack switch-ins to fairies; both Spritzee and Snubbull are able to 2HKO Pawniard. They are both able to come in on Mienfoo, and Spritzee can also switch in on Cottonee. I'm tempted to suggest Foongus here, but I'm not sure how it would fare on such an offensive team. One thing that could be done to alleviate this issue is to run Choice Scarf Magnemite over Pawniard, at least once Misdreavus leaves. I suppose this change could also work in the current metagame, but lacking a switch-in to Misdreavus is problematic, although you could probably just wear it down, since Misdreavus can't really come in on much itself. In the meantime, hopefully Snubbull can be worn down, and Spritzee, once its Eviolite gets knocked off, will be unable to withstand your powerful attackers.
Magnemite @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Analytic
Level: 5
EVs: 240 SpA / 236 Spe
Modest / Timid Nature
- Volt Switch
- Flash Cannon
- Hidden Power [Ground]
- Thunderbolt
Analytic allows Magnemite to hit switch-ins hard. Volt Switch allows you to gain momentum while dealing decent damage, while Flash Cannon is an alternate STAB move. Hidden Power Ground provides good coverage with those two moves, hitting Chinchou and opposing Magnemite. Thunderbolt does a lot of damage, and is also used for when you don't want to switch out from using your Electric-type attack.
Alternatively, you could just run the sturdyjuice set to use as a safety net.

That's really all I have to say, though. Speaking from experience, this team is really solid n.n

 

[Superpowerdude]

Hey corporal Levi! Thanks for the rate and btw I was thinking of adding a threat list to this Rmt and Magnemite was the first thing that came into mind and on the ladder I noticed it was a problem so the fact that you identified that threat without a threatlist is pretty good and is the skills of a good team rater. While I do have ways of dealing damage to fairies, corphish, poison jab drilbur (which is why I mainly use it over stealth rocks) and pawnaird can revenge kill you're right that switching in to these Pokemon can be really hard. The original version of this team actually had Foongus over Cottonee but it made me to weak to Missy so I had to change it. If Misdreavus gets banned which it prolly will I will re-try foongus and experiment with different scarfers in the final slot, like Magnemite.

As for the spreads, they obviously look more efficient than mine so thanks for that I will test them out and keep rating lc teams!

 

[Superpowerdude]

Bump lol

 

[tcr]

Drilbur @ Eviolite
Ability: Mold Breaker
Level: 5
EVs: 116 HP / 76 Atk / 80 SpD / 236 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Stealth Rock
- Rapid Spin
- Rock Tomb

Tirtouga @ Berry Juice
Ability: Solid Rock
Level: 5
EVs: 80 HP / 212 Atk / 40 Def / 76 SpD / 100 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Aqua Jet
- Waterfall
- Shell Smash

Hey man this is a cool team, and it reminds me of one I made during LCPL, using Solid Rock Tirtouga. I personally prefer the above sets and spreads, for Solid Rock Tirtouga, and Drilbur. These should give you some needed bulk with a tradeoff of power. Drilbur's EV spread allows it to live a ton of special attacks, most notably +2 Shadow Ball from Misdreavus, and 3hkoed by Shadow Ball instead of 2hkoed. This allows you some leeway in switching into Misdreavus, as you don't want to predict wrong and switch Pawniard into an HP Fighting. Even burned, Drilbur will provide excellent utility in Rock Tomb, allowing you to lower speed of any Pokemon. Tirtouga's EV spread gives it a little bit of survivability. Tirtouga will really love the Berry Juice, and this allows you to set up on things like Chinchou's Volt Switch, making for great plays in luring things in. Earthquake allows you to not be so Croagunk weak, and gives the ability to beat Chinchou. There is no reason to run Stone Edge anyway, as it only promotes hax on someone else's part. I hope that these two spreads help your team SPD, I greatly enjoyed playing this team on the LC suspect ladder :)

 

[Superpowerdude]

Drilbur @ Eviolite
Ability: Mold Breaker
Level: 5
EVs: 116 HP / 76 Atk / 80 SpD / 236 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Stealth Rock
- Rapid Spin
- Rock Tomb

Tirtouga @ Berry Juice
Ability: Solid Rock
Level: 5
EVs: 80 HP / 212 Atk / 40 Def / 76 SpD / 100 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Aqua Jet
- Waterfall
- Shell Smash

Hey man this is a cool team, and it reminds me of one I made during LCPL, using Solid Rock Tirtouga. I personally prefer the above sets and spreads, for Solid Rock Tirtouga, and Drilbur. These should give you some needed bulk with a tradeoff of power. Drilbur's EV spread allows it to live a ton of special attacks, most notably +2 Shadow Ball from Misdreavus, and 3hkoed by Shadow Ball instead of 2hkoed. This allows you some leeway in switching into Misdreavus, as you don't want to predict wrong and switch Pawniard into an HP Fighting. Even burned, Drilbur will provide excellent utility in Rock Tomb, allowing you to lower speed of any Pokemon. Tirtouga's EV spread gives it a little bit of survivability. Tirtouga will really love the Berry Juice, and this allows you to set up on things like Chinchou's Volt Switch, making for great plays in luring things in. Earthquake allows you to not be so Croagunk weak, and gives the ability to beat Chinchou. There is no reason to run Stone Edge anyway, as it only promotes hax on someone else's part. I hope that these two spreads help your team SPD, I greatly enjoyed playing this team on the LC suspect ladder :)

Hey TCR thanks for the rate! You give good reasons behind those sets and so I guess I will try them out a bulkier drilbur set would be cool although missy is dead haha so I will try it and that tirt set looks interesting I have to say I have liked my set, Eviolite bulk has been helpful and being able to out speed scarf 14 spe pokes after a shell smash is cool but I have never tested your set and it is worth trying so thanks again for the rate!