ORAS UU Hulk Up Conkeldurr

[TheOhaiGuy]

Ohai!

New Drops, New team, and a set that I haven't seen else where on the ladder or in tournaments at all. It may be sub-optimal(better than Sub Punch Conk though!), but the team is fun as is doing decently for me on the ladder, getting me comfortably into the top 150 with very few losses so far.

Teambuilding Process

The idea of the team was to use Conkeldurr to very literally punch things until I won. The set I chose is one that has been rare since BW, bulk up Conkeldurr.

From there, I wanted toxic spikes, and a special wall breaker that could take advantage of the removal of steel types and Blissey, and thus got Dragalge.

I felt that I needed a switch in to ground types as well as a dragon check, and got Whimsicott. As a back up on both fronts, as well as a Stealth Rocker, Empoleon joined the team.

I felt the team was rather slow and lacked real immediate power outside of Dragalge, and so chose Entei as an additional wall breaker. It is also a bit of a cleaner with ESpeed.

Lastly I chose a mega that could patch a weakness to Ground, Flying, Fighting and add a bunch of speed, Mega Aerodactyl.

After the team was built I jumped straight to the ladder and won 90% of my games from the very start of the ladder. It unquestionably has some weaknesses, but usually, my semi unorthodox spreads let me gain an upper hand.

Conkeldurr @ Leftovers
Ability: Guts
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Drain Punch
- Mach Punch
- Knock Off
- Bulk Up
​

Conkeldurr is what the team is built around, and sports Bulk Up with Guts as a sort of kinda Suicune check/win con. Max speed is surprisingly fast, but i wonder if an alternate spread would be better to let me take on special attackers a little better. Moves are self explanatory, Drain Punch for recovery, Mach for priority, and Knock Off to hit the psychic types in the tier, not to mention the ghosts. Guts means a burn isn't crippling.

Bulk Up is an interesting option. One of the weirdest being it allows a full health Conkeldurr to fully 1v1 a Reuniclus. A single BU allows for Conk to live a Psyshock from either TR or CM Reuni(CM becomes a 3HKO). Knock then OHKOs TR Reuniclus, while doing upwards of 75% to CM Reuni, and living that second Psyshock allows for the KO to be picked up, often with Drain Punch to recover some extra health. Cresselia experiences similar woes if it only has Psyshock, but Psychic and Moonblast both do a very sizable chunk, and more than Conk can handle before going down.

Dragalge @ Draco Plate
Ability: Adaptability
EVs: 108 HP / 252 SpA / 148 Spe
Modest Nature
- Toxic Spikes
- Draco Meteor
- Sludge Wave
- Dragon Tail
​

Dragalge, hits like truck with adaptability but I'm guessing you knew that. The spread looks odd, but it creeps 16 speed Sylveon, with the rest dumped into HP. I have debated running Gunk for a more certain KO on Sylveon given that Sludge Wave only does 90% max. An Expert Belt runs that towards a 50% OHKO chance, but I'm unsure given that Draco doesn't hit much super effectively. Maybe a Toxic Plate for a consistent boost to that range. If Sylveon has no Spa investment, it can even take 2 Hyper Voices.

Whimsicott @ Life Orb
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Moonblast
- Giga Drain
- Encore
- Stun Spore
​

Whimsicott is a bit of a glue pokemon for the team, being an electric resist, a fighting resist, a dragon immunity and a ground resist. Its also a water type check. Unsure of LO here but otherwise pretty happy with the set up.

Entei @ Choice Band
Ability: Pressure
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Extreme Speed
- Sacred Fire
- Flare Blitz
- Stone Edge
​

Banded Entei does what Banded Entei does. A ton of physical damage, and spreads burns if I can't or don't get up a TSpike, or on the pokemon that dodge them. Extreme Speed lets it be a bit of a cleaner, and soft revenge killer for the team.

Empoleon @ Shuca Berry
Ability: Torrent
EVs: 120 HP / 252 SpA / 136 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Grass Knot
- Ice Beam
- Stealth Rock
​

A really good pokemon that lets me pivot around some threatening Pokemon. Offensive Shuca Empoleon is a fantastic pokemon for offensive, becoming a 1 time check to Swampert, Mamoswine, Nidos, Krookodile and even non ground types like Salamence. It also sets the ever useful sneaky pebbles for the team. Speed out runs max Ada Conk but even as I type this I realise thats ridiculous.

Aerodactyl-Mega @ Aerodactylite
Ability: Tough Claws
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Hone Claws Roost
- Stone Edge
- Aerial Ace
- Earthquake​

Mega Aero has had a bit of a change from when I first started. It began as a secondary sweeper hoping to capitalise on the elimination of its checks(steel types, Krookodile, Mamo). However, with offensive Crobat being a menace in the tier, especially with the new drops, I needed a more reliable check to it. Additionally checks pokemon like weakened Conkeldurr, Celebi, Chesnaught, Mega Beedrill, Mega Sceptile, and the usual way i get a lot of damage on the Nidos. Roost became a necessity to checking all of these at the same time. I wonder about using moves like Taunt, or Pursuit here(Chandy and Alakazam can be annoyances.

Import

Conkeldurr @ Leftovers
Ability: Guts
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Drain Punch
- Mach Punch
- Knock Off
- Bulk Up

Dragalge @ Draco Plate
Ability: Adaptability
EVs: 112 HP / 252 SpA / 144 Spe
Modest Nature
- Toxic Spikes
- Draco Meteor
- Sludge Wave
- Dragon Tail

Whimsicott @ Life Orb
Ability: Prankster
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Moonblast
- Giga Drain
- Encore
- Stun Spore

Entei @ Choice Band
Ability: Pressure
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Extreme Speed
- Sacred Fire
- Flare Blitz
- Stone Edge

Empoleon @ Shuca Berry
Ability: Torrent
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 120 HP / 252 SpA / 136 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Grass Knot
- Ice Beam
- Stealth Rock

Aerodactyl-Mega @ Aerodactylite
Ability: Tough Claws
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Roost
- Stone Edge
- Aerial Ace
- Earthquake

The team does have some serious threats.

Metagross, and any steel type with ground coverage like Aggron can be devestating for me to face, usually requiring very aggressive switching to get around. Metagross in particular is an issue because Zen Headbutt does a ton to Conk and it can take a hit or two from Conk, and it has Bullet Punch for Aerodactyl. Draco from Dragalge can do a lot but is usually not enough.

The Nidos, in a similar vein do not make for a very easy time. I usually rely on Empoleon luring them in, and or revenge killing with Aero/Entei. I also don't have hazard removal so they set up for free a lot of the time.

Crawdaunt, which has been wonderfully sparse on the ladder can nab a KO almost every time it comes in, especially if its banded. A more defensive set on Whimsi might help, but there's only so much i can do, like hoping to take minimal damge while using Conkeldurr's Mach Punch.

Cresselia can be a nuisance with its outrageous bulk, but Whimsi stops it from getting out of hand with encore, and Sacred Fire Burning it is always appreciated.

 

[Adaam]

Hey there, cool team! I like the Drageldurr core (seriously Dragalge is low key sick), but I definitely see some changes you can make to help you vs your threats:

When running Bulk Up, you want to run enough bulk to take certain special hits so you don't get revenge killed by any fast special attacker that doesn't give a damn about Mach Punch (i.e Draco Mence, Chandelure, etc). Speed isn't really as important then since you're functioning as a bulky sweeper that relies on it's ability to tank hits to punch holes i the opponent. Thus, I highly recommend a spread of 252+ Atk / 196 SpD / 60 Spe over your current one. The speed creeps Relaxed Swampert, which although does nothing to Conk, it could come in handy in last mon situations if Conk is at low HP. The rest is poured to maximize it's special bulk, since Bulk Up boosts Defense. This spread hits some neat benchmarks that investing in HP wouldn't, such as:

252 SpA Life Orb Hydreigon Draco Meteor vs. 0 HP / 196 SpD Conkeldurr: 296-348 (84.3 - 99.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery

Which is really useful when Conk is unboosted and can't OHKO with Mach Punch. This spread also drastically improves your Cress matchup, since now it can beat it if they switch Cress into Conk as you Bulk Up. Moonblast previously guaranteed a 3HKO, and since it outspeeds Conk, it would always win. Now, it only has a 44% chance to 3HKO with Moonblast, but forcing it to use Moonlight gives you a free turn of Lefties and allows you to fire more Knock Offs or boost some more. The loss of speed isn't really devastating since your set either beats easily or is walled by the stuff it creeps. For example, Florges and Sylveon 100% of the time beat this set, so creeping them is pointless. Similarly, things like P2, Umbreon, Jellicent, Empoleon, and Alomomola all do nothing back and are set up fodder, so again, no need to creep them.

Other things the SpD helps with:

• 50% chance to live Specs Chandy Fire Blast (previously had 0%)
• Survives one Draco from LO Mence
• Guaranteed to live a Leaf Storm from Modest Sceptile
• Guaranteed to live Pixie Plate Whimsicott's Moonblast

Just note that even with investment, it is not bulky on the SpD side (it's no Crawdaunt of course, but don't be throwing Conk at Hydreigon without AV).

Whimsicott is, like you said, a glue to this team. You rely on it to check a lot, mainly the tier's Dragons and Physical waters. However, with Life Orb, you greatly mitigate its longevity which makes it easier for these threats to break through. The extra power is nice, but even with LO Whims isn't threatening so they can usually switch out into something like Metagross/Nido to sponge a hit, and now you're down 10%. Pixie Plate over Life Orb prevent this while still giving decently strong Moonblasts.

Furthermore, a lot of threats to this team come for free on Whims, mainly the Steels you mentions, Nidos, and Fire types eat any attack it has to offer. To prevent giving things free switches, try U-Turn over Giga Drain. Stun Spore is way too important on a pretty slow offensive team like this one, so Giga is thus the most replaceable move. Offensive teams generally love pivots to get in their wallbreakers or sweepers in for free, so it makes sense to run U-Turn here.

>

SR Taunt Krookodile over Empoleon alleviates speed issues for the team as well as providing an offensive check to Nidos, Cress, and Metagross. Furthermore, Krook synergizes amazingly with Dragalge, beating most of it's switchins + Dragalge uses bulky Water switch ins as T-Spike fodder, good type synergy, and threatening Poison types that absorb T-Spikes. Taunt helps keep hazards both on and off the field (since it has no way to remove them), cripples Cress for Conk, and gives a powerful Ground STAB to beat those Steels that bother you. Here is the set:

Krook

Krookodile @ Passho Berry
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Taunt
- Knock Off

I suggest Passho berry since Mega Swampert may get out of hand if Whims goes down early, and under rain there isn't really much else to stop it. It can thus act as an emergency check to it, as well as Gyarados and Feraligatr.

Pursuit over Aerial Ace because like you said, Zam and Chandy are annoying, and Aerial Ace is the most replaceable move since EdgeQuake hits a lot of the tier already. Plus, if you make the Krook swap, Drill Run Beedrill becomes scarier so having a way to remove it is very useful.

Hope these help!

 

[nv]

Hey there TheOhaiGuy congrats on making (and posting) a team with Conkeldurr so quickly after the tier shift. I personally feel like Conk isn't as promising as we first thought, but it is definitely something to look out for. Anyways, let's get to the rate!

• First off, I agree with Adaam's changes as the Conk EV spread allows it to be more effective as a setup sweeper and Krookodile also provides you with a Volt Switch immunity to potentially stop VoltTurn shenanigans. I am not completely sold on U-turn > Giga Drain as Water-types can overrun the team with Krook, Aero, and Entei all being weak to their STAB moves, but I do agree that offensive teams appreciate the momentum it provides. Passho Berry Krook can somewhat mitigate this issue except Krookodile can't break through bulky Water-types and only breaks through offensive Water-types after some prior damage.

• While I am in agreement with Adaam's changes, his changes make the team overall very Ice weak, allowing Pokemon like Mamoswine and Water-types with Ice-type coverage to plow through this team with a bit of ease (even with Mach Punch Conkeldurr). To dampen the team's Ice weakness, add a bit of speed, and add hazard control, which the team currently lacked, I suggest running Offensive Tentacruel > Dragalge. While you lose out on Toxic Spikes, I feel this isn't as necessary for the team as it has enough power with Adaam's changes to break through most walls plus poisoning the opponent means you can't paralyze faster threats with Whimsicott like this team wants. Offensive Tentacruel not only provides a solid Mamoswine and Krookodile check, but it can also check Sylveon, which is a massive threat as you only have on resist in Entei which is 2HKOed after SR. Tentacruel is not only 3HKOed by Sylveon's Hyper Voice, but can potentially force it out with Acid Spray > Sludge Bomb if you go that route. Acid Spray also helps effectively break Calm Mind Florges as it gets rid of its Special Defense boosts and does more damage over time thanks to Acid Spray's secondary effect. Clear Body also means Tentacruel doesn't have to fear Moonblast's Special Attack drop, but Liquid Ooze can still provide utility against Leech Seed and other draining moves.

Tentacruel @ Black Sludge / Life Orb
Ability: Clear Body / Liquid Ooze
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Hydro Pump
- Sludge Bomb / Acid Spray
- Ice Beam
- Rapid Spin

Other than that, this looks like a very solid team and I am glad Conkeldurr is being put to good use despite only being here for less than a week o_o