ORAS PU Linoone Offense by Megazard

[RMT Staff]

Linoone Offense

Introduction
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Hello and welcome to the first ORAS PU Staff RMT! This team, created by Megazard, was selected as a showcase of the metagame over the periods that Barbaracle, Carracosta, and Linoone were legal. The team takes advantage of the combination of Barbaracle and Linoone, backed by Memento support, to create a deadly core of setup sweepers. The team also uses a defensive backbone of Piloswine and Roselia, which would become extremely prevalent in the metagame due to their excellent defensive and offensive synergy. Grumpig is used in the final slot to check the powerful Ice- and Psychic-type attackers in the tier such as Regice and Kadabra. The team is a snapshot of the heavily offensive metagame which characterized PU until Barbaracle, Carracosta, and Linoone were banned, and is therefore deserving of a place in the RMT Archive.

In-Depth

Linoone @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Pickup
EVs: 116 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def / 136 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Belly Drum
- Extreme Speed
- Shadow Claw
- Seed Bomb
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The team is centred around Linoone's ability to sweep through opposing teams with ease thanks to the coveted combination of Belly Drum and priority Extreme Speed. While it also provides some revenge killing support prior to setting up, Linoone's main goal is to take advantage of Memento and clean up later in the game once its few checks have been removed. Belly Drum and Extreme Speed turn Linoone from a weak attacker to a lethal setup sweeper capable of running through offensive teams with boosted priority. Shadow Claw and Seed Bomb eliminate nearly all Normal resists, save for Probopass, and the Speed EVs allow Linoone to outrun all of the common Rock- and Ghost-types in the tier, up to Misdreavus. The rest of the EVs enhance Linoone's Attack and give it the bulk to survive most neutral hits after a Memento.

Barbaracle @ White Herb
Ability: Tough Claws
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Shell Smash
- Poison Jab
- Stone Edge
- Razor Shell
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On this team, Barbaracle forgoes its regular sweeping role for that of a supporting wallbreaker. Its job is to take out the few things that can handle a boosted Linoone, force Choice-locked Normal-types to play much more carefully, and force Kadabra to lose its Focus Sash early so that Linoone has an easier time of cleaning up late game. The set is fairly standard fair for a Shell Smash sweeper with two STAB attacks and coverage, although it utilises an Adamant nature to put more pressure on Tangela with Poison Jab, rather than a Jolly nature to outspeed Choice Scarf Simipour with Jolly. White Herb allows Barbaracle to more reliably set up on certain slower targets, namely Probopass and Metang lacking Earthquake.

Jumpluff
Ability: Infiltrator
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Memento
- Seed Bomb
- Acrobatics
- U-turn
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Jumpluff's primary function is to provide Memento support for Linoone to set up far more easily. Beyond this, it functions as a check to Adamant Carracosta, acts as an offensive pivot, and provides another way to weaken Tangela for an eventual Linoone sweep. The Speed investment allows Jumpluff to outspeed a large majority of the tier, giving it a lot of freedom in what it can cripple with Memento. It also helps the team to take on certain threatening attackers, such as Simipour, which outspeed the rest of the team. Two STAB moves and U-turn turn it into a capable physical attacker, while it forgoes the common Sleep Powder or Encore to focus more on chipping down opposing teams before finally sacrificing itself for the Linoone sweep. U-turn is also useful to grab momentum for Jumpluff's teammates and safely bring in Barbaracle.

Piloswine @ Eviolite
Ability: Thick Fat
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Ice Shard
- Toxic
- Earthquake
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Piloswine is the team's Stealth Rock user and main check to the common Electric-types in the tier. It also provides a second strong priority user and general utility in checking a good portion of the tier thanks to its ideal mix of both bulk and attacking power. The spread prioritizes attacking over augmenting Piloswine's bulk, although Toxic was included over the more traditional Icicle Spear to cripple Tangela and Rotom-F. A strong Ice Shard is also key to revenge kill a host of faster attackers, as the team has no Choice Scarf revenge killer to handle threats like Jumpluff.

Roselia @ Eviolite
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 228 HP / 252 SpA / 28 Spe
Modest Nature
- Leaf Storm
- Sludge Bomb
- Synthesis
- Sleep Powder
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Roselia is second member of the defensive core, taking on Water- and Grass-types which the rest of the team struggles with. Sleep Powder is also useful to provide a secondary way of gaining momentum for the team, aside from Jumpluff's U-turn. Leaf Storm and Sludge Bomb make use of Roselia's great offensive power, while Sleep Powder is needed to take on certain bulky sweepers like Duosion. Synthesis provides longevity, which Roselia appreciates as its main role is to quickly put foes to sleep and attack, rather than to lay down Spikes and slowly weaken teams over long games. 28 Speed EVs allow Roserade to outrun the rare Gogoat, and is also useful for outspeeding opposing defensive Roselia and fast Machoke.

Grumpig @ Leftovers
Ability: Thick Fat
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
Modest Nature
- Psychic
- Taunt
- Shadow Ball
- Focus Blast
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Grumpig acts as the team's catch-all check to Ice-, Fire-, and Psychic-types, adding some much-needed resistances and special bulk. At the same time, it keeps up strong offensive pressure with its excellent coverage and access to Taunt to prevent recovery. Psychic, Shadow Ball, and Focus Blast are its main attacks, allowing it to threaten opposing Psychic- and Steel-types, while Taunt annoys slower Pokemon like Clefairy and helps prevent hazards from being set up. The EV spread maximizes Grumpig's natural bulk in order to better handle Ice-types.

Threatlist
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The team lacks a concrete way to KO Dusknoir outside of putting it to sleep with Roselia. Will-O-Wisp variants, which can cripple Piloswine, are especially threatening. However, it can be slowly chipped away at or beaten once Barbaracle or Linoone have set up.

The team handles traditional Normal-type attackers with Barbaracle, so Quick Feet Ursaring's much higher Speed allows it to simply KO Barbaracle with Close Combat. Memento can turn Ursaring into setup fodder, but is dangerous if it predicts that and uses Swords Dance. The best way to handle it is by chipping away with Acrobatics and Ice Shard.

Although the team cannot defeat Barbaracle, Jolly Carracosta, or Linoone once they have set up, they cannot reliably use Shell Smash or Belly Drum on any member. However, Memento support makes the matchup much more difficult. This can be handled by going to Roselia on the Memento and using Sleep Powder, or simply using Memento and setting up first. Other physical Water-types can also be an issue as the team lacks concrete switch-ins to them, but they have a hard time coming in with the offensive pressure the team puts on them.

Although most of the team can handle Purugly one-on-one, it outspeeds every member and can become a serious threat if it correctly switches into Memento for a free Attack boost. Fake Out can also function as a last ditch effort to prevent a Linoone sweep.

Importable

Hide

Linoone @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Pickup
EVs: 116 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def / 136 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Belly Drum
- Extreme Speed
- Shadow Claw
- Seed Bomb

Barbaracle @ White Herb
Ability: Tough Claws
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Shell Smash
- Poison Jab
- Stone Edge
- Razor Shell

Jumpluff
Ability: Infiltrator
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Memento
- Seed Bomb
- Acrobatics
- U-turn

Piloswine @ Eviolite
Ability: Thick Fat
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Ice Shard
- Toxic
- Earthquake

Grumpig @ Leftovers
Ability: Thick Fat
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
Modest Nature
- Psychic
- Taunt
- Shadow Ball
- Focus Blast

Roselia @ Eviolite
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 228 HP / 252 SpA / 28 Spe
Modest Nature
- Leaf Storm
- Sludge Bomb
- Synthesis
- Sleep Powder

Credits

Created by: Megazard
Written by: Megazard
Grammar checked by: IronBullet
Art done by: Lax​