Hispanic at the Disco

Hello everyone! I'm HispanicPanic and after being here on Smogon for a couple of months playing in NU, I thought it was about time that I make my first RMT. I created this team pretty recently, and it's surprised me with how well it does overall. It's probably the most fun team I've created since I've started playing NU, and it seems worth sharing! I centered this team around one of the most threatening wallbreaker from past stages: Zangoose. Unfortunately, Zangoose has fallen a bit out of favor since base 95 speed is the speed to be at in the current meta, but with a little tweaking of the standard Zangoose set, I think I've made a solid team supporting and utilizing it's power. Now for the team:


Zangoose @ Toxic Orb
Trait: Toxic Boost
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 Atk / 4 SDef
Adamant Nature
- Quick Attack
- Night Slash
- Close Combat
- Facade

Zangoose is definitely the star of the team, which is why I built a team to support it. I'm using a mostly standard Zangoose set that can be found on site, except I made a minor but important change: it has an Adamant Nature. I decided to forgo the extra speed that Jolly gives it because its base 90 Speed still falls short of that glorious 95 Speed tier. Instead, I wanted the extra power that Adamant gives to put towards hitting faster threats harder with Quick Attack. With an Adamant nature and Quick Attack, Zangoose OHKO's Jynx after rocks, takes out Charizard after rocks and a round of Life Orb recoil, and does between 82-97% on Primape after a Close Combat defense drop. Not to mention that it can cleanly 2HKO physical walls like Musharna, Weezing, and Alomomola after rocks with Facade. While sometimes I would rather have Jolly nature, Zangoose just really appreciates hitting faster threats harder with Quick Attack and hitting walls harder with Facade. It gets at least one or two kills per match if not more. This is what makes it my star player.


Musharna @ Leftovers
Trait: Synchronize
EVs: 240 HP / 252 Def / 16 SDef
Bold Nature
- Psychic
- Baton Pass
- Thunder Wave
- Moonlight

Next up is my support/pivot Musharna! Musharna is definitely the glue to my team as it supports Zangoose with Thunder Wave and Baton Pass while also serving as my sole Fighting resist. Musharna is used as mostly my physical wall and pivot for the rest of my team, mostly Zangoose, alongside my Eelektross. Instead of Heal Bell, I opted to use Baton Pass in order to get Zangoose in safely to activate its Toxic Orb. Once Zangoose is good and poisoned, I usually try to paralyze things to slow them down for Zangoose if I feel using Quick Attack would be too risky. Thunder Wave in combination with Baton Pass has also saved me plenty of times from many a Skuntank by paralyzing them and allowing me to bypass Pursuit. Overall, Mushy is probably the second most important member of my team.


Eelektross @ Expert Belt
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 244 SAtk / 124 Spd / 140 Atk
Rash Nature
- Volt Switch
- Superpower
- Giga Drain
- Flamethrower

Expert Belt Eelektross is my second mon that helps get Zangoose in safely. It's coverage overall is very nice and is very helpful on this team seeing as how I don't have too much super effective coverage, mostly neutral. I usually lead with Eelektross as it matches up quite well against Stealth Rock leads, such as Seismitoad and Golem, because of Giga Drain and its immunity to Ground moves. If my opponent doesn't lead nor has a Ground-type, I generally Volt Switch out and into Zangoose to activate Toxic Orb just like Musharna does with Baton Pass. The extra damage from Volt Switch even softens up things for Zangoose to come in and finish off. Finally, Flamethrower OHKO's Tangela which can be a nuisance to team. This mixed set does have less bulk than other Eel sets, but it's proven to be pretty effective for my team so far.


Metang @ Eviolite
Trait: Clear Body
EVs: 252 HP / 176 Atk / 80 SDef
- Stealth Rock
- Bullet Punch
- Meteor Mash
- Toxic

Metang is probably the least offensive member of my team, but still plays a very important role as a rock setter. Most of the kills that Zangoose can make with Quick Attack are only after Stealth Rocks damage, such as Jynx and Charizard. Stealth Rocks are incredibly important to this team in order to secure important kills which is definitely worth the temporary loss in momentum that bringing a wall like Metang in can cause. Metang also serves as my Flying as Ice resist which would otherwise really hurt this team. The final important trait of Metang is its access to priority in Bullet Punch. Bullet Punch makes Metang the second Jynx check on this team along with Zangoose. It also softens up faster threats for Zangoose to finish with Quick Attack. Toxic just gives Metang a way to cripple walls, especially Musharna who can't synchronize the poison onto Metang.


Carracosta @ Life Orb
Trait: Solid Rock
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spd / 4 Def
Adamant Nature
- Aqua Jet
- Waterfall
- Stone Edge
- Shell Smash

I use this Shell Smash not for its sweeping capabilities usually, but more for its Fire resistance and access to STAB priority in Aqua Jet. I love sweeping with Carracosta as much as anyone but this team isn't really designed to give it opportunities to sweep, rather Carracosta softens up things for Zangoose with Aqua Jet or its other STAB moves. I do use Shell Smash when I get the opportunity to, however, it just doesn't happen too often. It's Fire resistance comes in very handy against Charizard as Charizard can otherwise wreck my team, but dies to rocks and Aqua Jet if I can't bring in Zangoose to finish the job.


Serperior @ Leftovers
Trait: Overgrow
EVs: 252 Spd / 4 HP / 252 SAtk
Timid Nature
- Giga Drain
- Calm Mind
- Substitute
- Hidden Power [Rock]

Finally, the last piece to my team: Serperior! Serperior sets up on quite a few walls like Alomomola and Musharna that lacks Signal Beam and gets rid of most of the physical walls that bother Zangoose and Carracosta. While behind a Sub and with a CM boost or two, Serperior is pretty threatening with its decent coverage with Giga Drain and HP Rock. It gets rid of Alomomola which can Toxic stall Zangoose pretty effectively, and it also gets rid of Seismitoad which walls Carracosta for days. While behind a Sub, Serperior can do some damage to things that would other counter it, like Charizard and Braviary, with HP Rock. Serperior is superior at what it does.

Conclusion:
This team has been really fun to use, and it's pretty consistent at accomplishing its goals and win conditions. There's not a lot of things that threaten my team. The only big threat I can think of is Scolipede because I lack a ground poison type and the fact that most of my team is slower than it. This team also has problems with status and hazard in general, as Musharna lacks Heal Bell and I have no spinner. Other than that, this team has given me no trouble and plays very easily and consistently. I created this team with my first RMT in mind, and I wanted to make it a good one! Feel free to try it out and please help me improve it if you see anything that can be tweaked!

Zangoose @ Toxic Orb
Trait: Toxic Boost
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 Atk / 4 SDef
Adamant Nature
- Quick Attack
- Night Slash
- Close Combat
- Facade

Musharna @ Leftovers
Trait: Synchronize
EVs: 240 HP / 252 Def / 16 SDef
Bold Nature
- Psychic
- Baton Pass
- Thunder Wave
- Moonlight

Eelektross @ Expert Belt
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 244 SAtk / 124 Spd / 140 Atk
Rash Nature
- Volt Switch
- Superpower
- Giga Drain
- Flamethrower

Metang @ Eviolite
Trait: Clear Body
EVs: 252 HP / 176 Atk / 80 SDef
- Stealth Rock
- Bullet Punch
- Meteor Mash
- Toxic

Carracosta @ Life Orb
Trait: Solid Rock
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spd / 4 Def
Adamant Nature
- Aqua Jet
- Waterfall
- Stone Edge
- Shell Smash

Serperior @ Leftovers
Trait: Overgrow
EVs: 252 Spd / 4 HP / 252 SAtk
Timid Nature
- Giga Drain
- Calm Mind
- Substitute
- Hidden Power [Rock]
 

watashi

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World Defender
this team is really weak to shell smashers such as gorebyss and carracosta due to lack of a scarfer. the former can set up easily on metang and proceed to ohko most of your team while you can only respond with zangoose's quick attack. a quick fix for this would be to replace eelektross with choice scarf rotom-s which can outspeed and ko those pokemon.

Rotom-Fan @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Air Slash
- Volt Switch
- Trick
- Thunderbolt
 
Yeah, I actually though about adding Scarf Rotom-S, and I am weak to Shell Smasher, so I wi'll be doing what you have suggested. I still have Mushy for Baton Pass anyway. Thanks, FLCL!
 
Hi there. Cool team. :)

Alright, looking over the sets, pretty much all of them are standard/good. The only thing I had an issue with re: sets was that Thunder Wave support on Musharna wasn't really necessary for the team. I personally adore Yawn in that moveslot, but Toxic is really good there too. Yawn helps a lot in gathering initiative against the opponent; they bring in their Musharna check, then they're forced either to switch out or let it fall asleep. This gives you the chance to Baton Pass out into an appropriate check to whatever they bring in afterwards and really gives you the upper hand in forcing switches.

Now! I tested this team out on the ladder a bit and found some annoying weaknesses. Keep in mind that I was testing this team with FLCL's suggestion of Scarf Rotom-S over Eelektross. First off, bulky Water-types, especially Alomomola, tended to be pretty problematic with the best switch into them on this team often being Serperior, which absolutely hates Toxic. You also have Metang, but it hates Scald burns with no way of recovering them. Toxic Spikes were also an absolute pain, as they do a number on your two stallbreakers (Carracosta and Serperior). Serperior really felt like the weak link of this team to me. In order to absorb Toxic Spikes and to switch into bulky Waters with ease, I recommend offensive Roselia. Not only does Roselia give you a switch into Toxic Spikes and bulky Water-types, but it also gives you a sleep move, which is really cool to open up setup opportunities and free switches for both Zangoose and Carracosta. It also synergizes incredibly well with Metang and Carracosta and doesn't really create a Ground-type weakness because Musharna and Roselia can take on almost every Ground-type in the tier anyways. Keep in mind though that if you do make this change, you're probably better off with Toxic on Musharna instead of Yawn.

Suggested changes:
Thunder Wave -> Toxic or Yawn
-> Offensive Roselia
@ Eviolite | Ability: Natural Cure
160 HP / 252 SpA / 96 Spe | Modest Nature
Sleep Powder | Sludge Bomb | Giga Drain | Synthesis
 
So I tried offensive Roselia, and honestly, it's working wonders. It's so much easier to pivot with it than with Serperior, not to mention that it's making setting up with Costa and Zangoose so much easier with Sleep Powder. Yawn on Mushy is proving to be really effective too. Thanks Treecko!
 

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