Josie and the Pussycats

[bskceuk]

Josie and the Pussycats
Meet the Team:

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Before you write off my team as crazy, hear me out. I know it looks weird to use 3 cats, a Ditto, a Dustox, and a Haunter (their sets look even weirder) but this is a very cohesive team that revolves around a very deadly, and inescapable lock. I got the basic idea from Pokémon trading card game decks that aim to set up slowly, but then be nearly unbeatable once the set-up is complete. I was looking for a way to implement this in the video game when I stumbled across prankster assist. I knew that Riolu (in)famously shuffles teams with prankster copycat, and I wondered if the same could be done with Liepard and its little buddy Purrloin using Assist. After going through a few ideas, I eventually ended up with this devious team. If I get set-up (which usually happens in the first 10 or so turns), my opponent is in for a long, unwinnable battle as I shuffle him to death.

Strategy:
My team is designed so that I can use Assist and always pull Whirlwind. This is accomplished by filling my move sets with moves from this list and then having Dustox know Whirlwind. If I can set up rocks, then I can continually use Assist to shuffle my opponent's team around. Unfortunately, Stealth Rocks can be picked by Assist so I am forced to run Ditto to try to steal my opponent's rocks.

And now, without further ado, meet my team.

Cat (Liepard) @ Leppa Berry
Trait: Prankster
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 HP / 4 Def
Jolly Nature
- Assist
- Thief
- Protect
- Trick

Liepard always leads for me. Because he is so fast even without prankster, I can afford to not run a choice scarf and still always go first. As a result, I can use protect against Pokémon like Kangaskhan, Sneasel etc. that want to ruin my fun with fake out. The goal at the start is to use assist to shuffle their team around until their stealth rocker gets switched in. At that point, Ditto comes in to set up rocks on my side and ensure victory. If I think that the opposing team has spikes and stealth rocks, I pick which one to send Ditto in on based on my opponent’s team. Obviously, if they have 2 or more flyers/levitators, spikes won't do anything and stealth rocks are preferred. In most cases, I would prefer spikes, but it all comes down to what I think is safer to set up.

Leppa Berry restores 10 pp for my Liepard so that he can continue to shuffle. I can also use thief to steal a Pokémon's leftovers after using the berry. I have tried using no item so that I can steal an item easier, or a choice scarf to outspeed everything, but I think Leppa is the best.

EV's are straight forward--I want maximum speed to have the best chance against opposing Liepards and then the rest is in HP for bulk. I may want to put the EV's in Defense instead because there is almost no special priority in NU and it could help against Extremespeed, but I'm not sure how well it will work.

KeyPlayer (Ditto) @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Imposter
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature
IVs: 30 Atk / 30 Def
- Transform

Ditto is usually the second poke to come in. After Liepard has pHazed a bit, Ditto can come in on the opposing hazards setter and do what Ditto does best, copy other Pokémon. Ditto's only job is to set up rocks or spikes and keep them there, and it does a damn good job. Choice scarf is to ensure that Ditto takes as little damage as possible when setting up as I will almost definitely out speed the opponent and will only be hit on the switch-in. After setting up rocks, I usually leave Ditto in to faint so that I can get a safe switch into one of my cats. However, if the opponent sends in a rapid spinner like Armaldo or Wartortle, I will usually pivot switch to Haunter to block the spin then switch to Liepard if I think it is safe (Wartortle) or Ditto if I think he is going to use a move that will knock it out (Armaldo).

EV's are obvious. HP is all that matters. I put the rest in speed in case Imposter doesn't work for some reason but I don't even know what situation would cause that. The IV's are for hidden power ice, but I could change them to anything. I've only used Hidden Power once before so it doesn't really matter.

Kitty (Purrloin) @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Prankster
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 HP / 4 Def
Jolly Nature
- Assist
- Thief
- Protect
- Trick

Purrloin is my second choice for assisting. Though he is slower than Persian, Prankster is a godsend and lets Purrloin beat pokes like Floatzel and Carracosta that would normally ruin my fun with aqua jet or other priority. The one downside to Purrloin and Persian is that because they are choice scarfed, I can no longer Protect to avoid fake out. I've tried running Leppa Berry here as well, but Purrloin is just too slow and gets out sped by Floatzel with aqua jet or any Liepard if I don't have a scarf. Trick gets more use here than on Liepard. When my opponent is down to their last Pokémon, assist shuffling will obviously not work anymore. At that point, I use trick to lock my opponent in on a move and seal their fate. Their scarfed poke will be forced to continue attacking at which point Haunter can come in and use Destiny Bond to win the game. I rarely use thief or protect on Purrloin and they are really there for filler, but I guess if I have already used trick and Purrloin manages to survive, protect can be used to pp stall or thief can get some miniscule damage.

After Purrloin has used all 32 Assists, I usually leave it to faint and use Struggle. Occasionally I can switch out if I know the opponent will use Thunder Wave because Persian doesn't care at all about Paralysis (Limber). Alternatively, I can sacrifice a different Pokémon like Dustox or Ditto if I think that I will need to trick Purrloin's scarf away at the end.

EV's are the same as Liepards. Max speed to have the best chance against random pokes at random speeds and the rest is in HP for bulk. I could put them into Defense, but I'm not sure if that would be better.

Catsby (Persian) @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Limber
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 HP / 4 Def
Jolly Nature
- Assist
- Covet
- Protect
- Switcheroo

Persian plays exactly like Purrloin but without Prankster. As a result, I usually use Persian last, but if the opponent doesn't have priority, it really doesn't matter. With Limber, I can switch Persian in on paralyzing moves like Body Slam and Thunder Wave with impunity, and I really don't need to boost Covet with Technician (I almost never use it anyway). People never expect limber and sometimes I can get a free shuffle off on a Liepard that tries to paralyze me.

After I have used all 32 Assists, Persian still plays exactly like Purrloin. I save Persian more often because he is much bulkier than Purrloin but I rarely take a hit anyway. I use Switcheroo on their last Pokémon to make them an easy target for Haunter.

EV's are the same as the other cats. Max Speed because Speed and max HP because HP. I still think Defense might be more beneficial, but I'm not sure it even matters.

Thief (Dustox)
Trait: Shield Dust
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SDef
Calm Nature
- Thief
- Whirlwind
- Protect
- Sleep Talk

Dustox is on the team for 3 purposes, though it really only needs to perform 1 usually.

First, it provides Whirlwind. This is obviously important because the entire team revolves around shuffling.

Second, it absorbs Toxic Spikes. This is why I really can't replace Dustox with anything (lol Skorupi) I need a Poison type without levitate so that if the opponent sets up T-Spikes, I can absorb them and still win. This usually happens against Scollipede or Roselia. Ditto will switch in and we will trade hazards. I can obviously deal with normal Spikes because I don't plan on switching very often, but T-Spikes will ruin everything.

Third, Dustox can use Thief to steal a Pokémon’s Leftovers. Leftovers is really annoying, taking away half of my damage per turn on most Pokémon (or making some invincible!) This is why Dustox doesn't have an item. I need that slot open so that Thief will take their item to save time and precious PP.

EV's are straightforward. Max bulk because nothing else matters. I may want to be physically bulky, but again it rarely matters. I'm also not sure if the extra physical bulk could help it survive anything important anyway.

Totally legit card guys!
GGnoRE (Haunter) @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 Atk
Jolly Nature
- Destiny Bond
- Thief
- Trick
- Protect

And finally Haunter. Haunter is the only reason why this team doesn't lose 1-0 every match. I try not to bring it in until my opponent is down to their last Pokémon and at that point I try to make sure they are scarfed as well to ease prediction. I need to be careful not to scarf Pokémon like Floatzel who are faster than Haunter's 95 base speed. From there, it's pretty straightforward. Either Destiny Bond until both Pokes faint, or, if they are locked in on a Fighting, Normal, or Ground move, I can use Thief or Protect to stall until they Struggle to death. Very rarely, I will use haunter to block Rapid Spin. This is why I use Haunter instead of a different Destiny Bonder (I don't even know what else I would use though).

EV's are straightforward again. Max speed to get the jump on pokes and use Destiny Bond. I don’t want bulk because I want Haunter to die, and so the only place left is Attack to power up thief. I may try bulk though because I might have a chance against faster scarf Pokémon if I can live 1 hit and Destiny Bond afterwards. That gives up some scenarios like if the opponent is using scald and then i survive but die to the burn. It's all very situational. I've tried lowering my HP, Defense, and Special Defense IV's to 0, but it's nice to be able to take a very weak hit sometimes, and the benefits seem nonexistent.​

So there you have it, my team of misfits that somehow manage to make people rage harder than a college student at a party. I know this team has some drawbacks, but I can't think of any solutions. The main problems are...
1. No hazards on the other team. This is fairly rare, but obviously defeats my team immediately. If I can’t get hazards up, then I can't do any damage and it's basically auto lose. I did manage to use ditto to copy a Linoone that had a Belly Drum up and win that way once though so I guess hope isn't always lost.
2. Double Regenerator. This should be obvious too. If the opponent has 2 pokes like Alomomola and Amoonguss, I can't damage either unless I get 3 layers of spikes, rocks, and 1 layer of T-Spikes up (which Amoonguss absorbs anyway). It's basically a lost game at that point. 1 Regenerator is manageable though. They can be taken out with Haunter as their last poke.
3. Magic Guard + Regenerator. This is basically the same as above, but includes Kadabra. Another problem with Kadabra though is that he out speeds Haunter so I can't trick him a scarf.
4. A lot of Protect. The opponent basically needs 3 pokes with Protect for this to work, but theoretically they could stall just long enough so that I run out of Assists. This is very rare though and if their team is SR weak, it might not even matter. Remember, they only get 16 protects, and if you can predict them and use a different move like protect of your own or thief, then that is 1 more assist for you. Also, it is better for them to keep using protect until it fails than to only use it once each time they come in. Each failed protect is another assist too.

Threat list:
Linoone

The only reason to use Linoone is for Extremespeed which is precisely why it is so dangerous. Extremespeed has +2 priority so it will always go before even Liepard and hit for huge damage. My only chance is if my opponent doesn't click Extremespeed or maybe I can counter sweep with Ditto if I let them set up. Very tough to handle.

Kadabra

Kadabra is a problem with Magic Guard and blistering base 105 speed. If I see a Kadabra, I instantly know that the end is going to come down to a coin flip unless I can get it locked into a move other than Psychic because Haunter cannot out speed it if it is Scarfed. I usually try to save Purrloin if I see a Kadabra so that if he does get locked into Psychic, I can be immune and stall out until he dies from Struggle (Magic Guard does not protect against Struggle recoil). If it's paired with a Regenerator, then it's gg.

Duosion

Duosion falls in the same boat as Kadabra. Magic Guard means I can't hurt it. At least it is pitifully slow so I can still trick it a scarf at the end to kill it off with Destiny Bond.

Alomomola

Alomomola is the most common, and the most irritating regenerator Pokémon. Not only can I not damage it because it heals itself every time I pHaze it, but it runs wish and protect too. As a result, I lose a lot of Assists to it and it can easily pp stall me. I can't even trick it a scarf in order to scout it's protect before it is the last Pokémon because if it wish passes, then it undoes all of my work. Also, if it is paired with another Regenerator or Kadabra it's gg right there.

Audino

Audino plays exactly like Alomomola. It uses Protect to stall and can pass wishes. I can't damage it and it's a big problem. Obviously, it is unbeatable with Kadabra or another Regenerator poke.

Tangela

Tangela is in the same boat as Alomomola as an annoying Regenerator poke, but it is slightly more manageable. For example, it rarely runs protect so it can't run me out of Assist and it can't pass wishes to its damaged comrades. However, just like Alomomola, it is unbeatable with Kadabra or another Regenerator.

Dragonair

Dragonair is exactly like Linoone in that it can destroy my team with Extremespeed. The only reason it is less threatening is that most Dragonair don't run it. If they do, it's basically over.

Pikachu/Raichu

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Pikachu and Raichu are grouped because they are threatening for the same reason--Extremespeed. I don't know when Pikachu got this move, but I hate whoever gave it to the little rat with a fiery passion. Luckily, Extremespeed is illegal with Lightningrod so it is very rare. However, it is again an auto win if my opponent has it.

Kangaskhan/Sneasel/Persian

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These 3 pokes all have 1 thing in common--Fake Out. Fake Out has +3 priority so my only chance is to use protect on the first turn. While this isn't a problem for Liepard, Purrloin and Persian cannot switch moves and are helpless. Kangaskhan is even scarier because they run scrappy so I can’t even switch in Haunter to take the hit. Sneasel is probably the least threatening because it is weak to SR, but at the same time, it can run ice shard and potentially out speed my Liepard. Kangaskhan and Persian are problems because they take 8 or 9 switch-ins to die. If I ever run into Kangaskhan with leftovers, I am in deep trouble.

Cradily/Octillery

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These 2 pokes can both run Suction Cups as their ability which prevents me from Whirlwinding them away. Obviously, if my opponent has them, then I can't do anything and I auto lose. Luckily, they both have better abilities (Cradily has Storm Drain and Octillery has Sniper) so they rarely have Suction Cups.​

 

[Harbinger of Peace]

There isn't really much to say for this t, since this team is gimmicky. But, what i can say is that your team loses to priority, like you mentioned before, and relies heavily on you're opponent's stealth rocks. And, your team also loses to magic guard duosion and kadabra, and any pokemon with suction cups. There isn't much I else I can say for this team, as it can't really be used competitively, because of it's gimmicky nature. Also, if someone knows your strategy, gg. This is a fun strategy, and I can't really say anything to improve your team, since you've sone everything possible to make this strategy work. You have made this team as competitive as you can make a gimmick like this. Good Job

Also, your pictures are really big, it would be cool if you resized them to a smaller size. The big pics make the post unnecessarily wide and harder to read.

 

[WhiteDMist]

In your threatlist, Amoonguss is currently RU. I would replace it with Duosion since it also has Magic Guard, and is far bulkier than Kadabra. I think that the rare Suction Cup Cradily and Octillery can be threatening to your team as well. I also understand that having your own Focus Sashed Stealth Rock lead would make the more common Taunt leads more problematic, so replacing Ditto would cost you far more games (being reliant on your opponent sucks though). In all technicality, your team has been perfected in terms of its main win condition (Assist Whirlwind), and anything that is changed would merely be superfluous (like a suggestion of moving Dustox's bulk towards Atk to improve Thief) or hindering. So while this team has its huge flaws, I can't really see what to suggest that wouldn't completely. Kudos to you (someone technically new to the Smogon forums) for building a team based on such a gimmicky strategy to the point where it is actually usable; you have my respect for that (not that it is worth that much). I will say, the minute you made this public, the team became far less competitively effective. Still, you have a very high chance to win against many common teams in the metagame (even with foreknowledge), so be proud of that fact. Welcome to Smogon!

 

[ium]

i've used this team several months ago, and there are definitely no other possible significant changes to be made to this. it should be noted that swellow outspeeds choice scarf purrloin by two points and can pick it off with quick attack, effectively cutting into a lot of assist pp if it gets KO'd. faster choice scarf users are also a problem, but that depends on how the rolls go with whirlwind, and they're usually not stealth rock resistant anyway so they'll most likely faint before other pokemon.

I also understand that having your own Focus Sashed Stealth Rock lead would make the more common Taunt leads more problematic, so replacing Ditto would cost you far more games (being reliant on your opponent sucks though).

there's actually no other way around it because assist is affected by hazard moves, so you're forced to use ditto. it's a really flawed structure in general, but it's the best it gets.

 

[Cherub Agent]

i wish i could rate this team a little more, but couldn't you try roar skuntank over dustox, or am i missing something? it cant take on kadabra unlike dustox, especially with a fully bulky spread, and can hammer away at it with thief. i guess soundproof mons are irritating, but kadabra is used more than mr. mime :s
EDIT: meh soundproof mr.mime dies to thief anyway if you use a specially bulky set

is also more feline to a certain extent lol

 

[bskceuk]

couldn't you try roar skuntank over dustox

This is a good idea. I think I used to run Skuntank before I knew that I could use thief so it is definitely a possibility. I do like Whirlwind, but this is worth a try. Thank you!

 

[Iamlegendshot66]

How the hell do you set up hazards with this team? If I saw a team like this I would not bring my hazard settler out at all and if it is wirlwinded in ill just switch out so ditto can't switch in, and get rocks up. If a player knows the gimmick of this team it basically becomes useless. I'm pretty sure 99% of teams will be completely unaffected by this strategy. Almost every team has some form of priority.

 

[bskceuk]

How the hell do you set up hazards with this team? If I saw a team like this I would not bring my hazard settler out at all and if it is wirlwinded in ill just switch out so ditto can't switch in, and get rocks up. If a player knows the gimmick of this team it basically becomes useless. I'm pretty sure 99% of teams will be completely unaffected by this strategy. Almost every team has some form of priority.

Remember that switching is based on speed. If both pokes switch, then the faster one switches out first. As a result, the opponent's stealth rocker has to be faster than my max speed Liepard. Otherwise, Liepard will switch first so when Ditto enters the battlefield, the stealth rocker is still on the field and Ditto will transform into it.

Also I can deal with priority. My assist has +1 with Liepard and Purrloin so if the opponent is slower (Carracosta, Zangoose, etc.) then their priority doesn't matter because Assist will still go first. Floatzel and Linoone are problems with Aqua Jet and Extremespeed respectively.