(Note: I am accustomed to PO rulings, although I do try to abide by the Smogon rulings, as is this team in particular.)
Hi everybody!! I’m so, SO sorry! I haven’t been notably active around these parts for months. It’s been very hectic, with the advent of Gen 5 and Shoddy becoming…well, shoddy. So as you can imagine, things have been chaos. I’ve been chilling around at Pokémon Online nowadays. This team, in fact, was designed solely because I wanted to use Crocune as my main for 1v1 Gen 5, so I thought, “Why not just build an entire team around it while you’re at it?” And so I did, and I must say, it actually turned out to be my first relatively-successful Gen 5 team (I made about three Gen 5 teams prior to this one but they’re meh, mainly used to explore the environment of Gen 5)! If you know me well, you would know that I don't particular take laddering seriously, although through many tests, I can assure you this team works with finesse.
And so now you’re probably thinking, “Aw, P-PIT, did you really have to make a team full of the most OU of OU? I’m ashamed of you.” Fear not, for my sets shall be, and shall always be, truly innovative:
Poké Ball set-Inject, SLUDGECOIL: Gangster of the Sea!
Leftovers
Liquid Ooze
252 HP/120 Def/136 Special Def
Calm (+Special Def, -Attack)
Toxic Spikes
Rapid Spin
Surf
Magic Coat
In order to prep the team for its devastating endgame Suicune, I have determined to get Toxic Spikes up at the start of the match is the priority. Tentacruel actually makes a better lead than I expected it to be, although against some opponents such as Donphan and Hippowdon, I am somewhat forced to recall her instantly due to the dominant threat of Earthquake. Still, seeing as she shares the same typing with Suicune, she is also rather expendable, but bulky nonetheless. Magic Coat received a major upgrade since last Gen, and seeing as Tentacruel is the only Pokémon on the entire team with access to it, she flaunts it pretty well in the lead position.
Poké Ball set-Storm, BEASTGRACE: Breeze of Purity!
☼
Chesto Berry
Water Absorb
252 HP/252 Def/4 Special Attack
Bold (+Def, -Attack)
Calm Mind
Rest
Scald
Ice Beam
Ta-da! ChestoRestin’ Crocune is in business! You could not believe the shock I was in when the Gen 4 Suicune sets on both Smogon and Serebii both made no mention of this set whatsoever. With that, the only EV spread I could rely on was that of the standard Crocune.
I picked ChestoRestcune as my main 1v1 because…well…with Calm Mind, it can pretty much outstall any other competitor, and if forced to, hit very hard with a direct attack. I decided to slot Ice Beam in spite of Sleep Talk for the ability to strike Grass types, most notably Breloom (and also because Sleep Talk isn’t that big a deal compared to Chesto Berry when it’s only 1v1). Apparently I overlooked Scald at first, because apparently I was running Surf. After comparing the two, I finally settled for Scald after determining Surf’s extra power provided no particular benefits. Recently, however, this Suicune barely managed to inch ahead of a Lapras spamming Drizzle Hydration with outdamaging it with Surf.
I was wondering if I really needed Water Absorb. Running Pressure could help bluff I have Sleep Talk, but that’s minor. The main concern is that no one is weak to Water, instead packing a healthy resistance to it. On the other hand, there’s nothing in particular Suicune is intending to PP stall (except Draco Meteor, maybe), and Water Absorb was helpful in beating that aforementioned Curse Lapras (which seems to me to be rising in usage).
Poké Ball set-Mutate, SILENTSOUL: Tatters of Demise!
Leftovers
Levitate
252 Attack/4 Special Attack/252 Speed
Hasty (+Speed, -Def)
Screech
Crunch
U-turn
Fire Blast
And they all said Charge Beam was Hydreigon’s only boosting option. This set works exactly like the overlooked Screech Flygon set from Gen 4 (only Crunch instead of Dragon Claw this time). This set (solely created by me, explaining the immature 252/252 spread) was selected due to the dominance of hazard usage on this team. Unlike Roar or Dragon Tail, Screech also complements Hydreigon’s strong hit-and-run nature, especially with U-turn shenanigans. Otherwise, Hydreigon appreciates good type synergies with the rest of the team.
A recent change was from Jolly to Hasty in order for Fire Blast to secure stronger damage input upon the Steel types it was meant to scorch, and also because there weren’t many Physical attacks Hydreigon was really meant to take (most notable are probably ExtremeSpeeds, Crunches, and Sucker Punches). Earthquake was considered, but it was decided Heatran wasn’t that big of a deal.
Dusk Ball set-Materialize, ANTIMATTER: Underworld Messenger!
Choice Band
Pressure
252 HP/252 Attack/4 Speed
Adamant (+Attack, -Special Attack)
Trick
Sucker Punch
Will-O-Wisp
Focus Punch
Yep, spinblocker! If you need a Ghost Pokémon, why not roll with Dusknoir? Dusky is significant in being a Physical Ghost Pokémon that’s not as fragile as Banette but much stronger than Sableye (well…yeah…I guess there’s Golurk, but Dusknoir is that much more bulkier and I don’t see the gladiator robot carrying the same movepool Dusky does). Sucker Punch is pseudo-STAB, exchanging the 10 points Shadow Punch has higher for a priority hit. Although this team shouldn’t be forcing many switches with the presence of hazards, Focus Punch does just fine as a complement to Dark STAB, severely injuring the Pokémon that might want to try and switch in on Dusknoir. The key thing to making this set shine is TrickBand. Trick is what makes the team vital to destroying that one enemy that could be driving me nuts (Reuniclus, Ferrothorn, Conkledurr, although usually Dusknoir would have to sacrifice itself to Trick that last one). It was a hard decision, but I ultimately decided to trade up Ice Punch for Will-O-Wisp, considering the defensive aspects of this team and generic utility (yet another thing Dusknoir has over Golurk).
Cherish Ball set-Warp, GREENONION: Guardian of the Forest!
☼
Leftovers
Natural Cure
252 HP/240 Def/16 Speed
Bold (+Def, -Attack)
U-turn
Heal Bell
Recover
Psychic
Due to the vulnerability of the Pokémon on this team towards status, and the two that aren’t are non-Sleep Talking Resters, a cleric was in demand. Celebi’s type synergy with this team was utterly fantastic, and between U-turn and Recover, it easily secured the job. I also picked this pixie mainly in part due to Psychic, as Conkledurr was such a menace I couldn’t let that go unchecked. Celebi would take heavy damage from Payback, but at least it would win out, unlike a frailer Psychic like Starmie.
Looking this team over, I can see that Mew can run this exact same set. What is key about this? Firstly, Celebi is Flying-weak, and I don’t have any resistors to that. Celebi also shares its weaknesses to Fire and Ice with at least one other team member. In exchange, however, Celebi also resists Ground (only useful for Tentacruel), Grass (only useful for Suicune, but Celebi does hold a better match-up versus Ferrothorn), Electric (good, considering the important of my Water types), and Water (meh). Despite having no Grass STAB, Celebi still can jeer in the faces of Tyranitar, Hippowdon, and Water types, more so than Mew can. Mew’s Synchronize will usually prove better than Celebi’s Natural Cure. However, Mew is liable to be Uberized again at any moment, and I feel uncomfortable about working with former Ubers.
Poké Ball set-Plant, LAWNKILLER: Mossy Grinch!
Rocky Helmet
Iron Barbs
252 HP/4 Def/252 Special Def
Careful (+Special Def, -Special Attack)
Spikes
Stealth Rock
Rest
Power Whip
Oh, no, it’s Ferrothorn! Ferrothorn is now what you would consider the default Steel type, relegating even the mighty Forretress to primarily a bulky suicide lead role (I’m very familiar with the aspect of a bulky suicide lead – it was my preference in Gen 4). If Tentacruel is my Physically bulky Water, and Suicune is my Specially bulky Water, it would only be logical that Ferrothorn ought to be my Specially bulky Grass in order to complement Celebi being the Physically bulky Grass (look past the fact that Ferrothorn has higher Physical Def, and consider all four of them reliable mixed tanks, due to Ferrothorn running Rest over Leech Seed).
Ferrothorn, as my final option, single-handedly picks up where Tentacruel left off back in the hazarding department, as well as being able to reliably eat Electric attacks for the Water types. Leech Seed is not a breedable option to combine with both Spikes and Stealth Rock to force switches, but Rest works quite as well, eliminating Ferrothorn’s susceptibility to Burn as well as easily being refreshened by Celebi’s Heal Bell. It also helps Ferrothorn to beat other Ferrothorn 1v1. Not only that, it is a more reliable form of recovery over Leech Seed, especially considering Rugged Helmet will not be restoring 6% of my HP per turn (sitting back and watching my opponents 2HKO themselves is very satisfying). This Ferrothorn was good enough that he single-handedly was almost able to stall out Manaphy’s Uber team on PO…until he got crit.
Threats
Well, let’s see. Wallbreakers, of course, are a bane to stall. An opposing Hydreigon would have little trouble smashing through most of this team. If it is Scarfed (which it will most likely will be), my own Hydreigon won’t even be able to manage hit it with even U-turn.
Heatran and the rise of Fire types can be somewhat of a menace, but they shouldn’t be as big of an issue as Hydreigon is.
As for the Fighting type department, I would say I’m a little more durable against them than compared to most teams. If the likes of Conkledurr and Scrafty (who, mind you, usually run Guts and Shed Skin, respectively) are setting up too much, I have a fallback option with Dusknoir to contain them within one move.
I am on Pokémon Online: main server every day, almost all of the time.
youtube.com/PhilosophicalPsycho
Philosophy: When we are at the end of life, to die means to go away; when we are at the beginning, to go away means to die. –Victor Hugo
Life is a game. You play to win. And you play because there's nothing better to do.
Hi everybody!! I’m so, SO sorry! I haven’t been notably active around these parts for months. It’s been very hectic, with the advent of Gen 5 and Shoddy becoming…well, shoddy. So as you can imagine, things have been chaos. I’ve been chilling around at Pokémon Online nowadays. This team, in fact, was designed solely because I wanted to use Crocune as my main for 1v1 Gen 5, so I thought, “Why not just build an entire team around it while you’re at it?” And so I did, and I must say, it actually turned out to be my first relatively-successful Gen 5 team (I made about three Gen 5 teams prior to this one but they’re meh, mainly used to explore the environment of Gen 5)! If you know me well, you would know that I don't particular take laddering seriously, although through many tests, I can assure you this team works with finesse.
And so now you’re probably thinking, “Aw, P-PIT, did you really have to make a team full of the most OU of OU? I’m ashamed of you.” Fear not, for my sets shall be, and shall always be, truly innovative:
Poké Ball set-Inject, SLUDGECOIL: Gangster of the Sea!
Leftovers
Liquid Ooze
252 HP/120 Def/136 Special Def
Calm (+Special Def, -Attack)
Toxic Spikes
Rapid Spin
Surf
Magic Coat
In order to prep the team for its devastating endgame Suicune, I have determined to get Toxic Spikes up at the start of the match is the priority. Tentacruel actually makes a better lead than I expected it to be, although against some opponents such as Donphan and Hippowdon, I am somewhat forced to recall her instantly due to the dominant threat of Earthquake. Still, seeing as she shares the same typing with Suicune, she is also rather expendable, but bulky nonetheless. Magic Coat received a major upgrade since last Gen, and seeing as Tentacruel is the only Pokémon on the entire team with access to it, she flaunts it pretty well in the lead position.
Poké Ball set-Storm, BEASTGRACE: Breeze of Purity!
☼
Chesto Berry
Water Absorb
252 HP/252 Def/4 Special Attack
Bold (+Def, -Attack)
Calm Mind
Rest
Scald
Ice Beam
Ta-da! ChestoRestin’ Crocune is in business! You could not believe the shock I was in when the Gen 4 Suicune sets on both Smogon and Serebii both made no mention of this set whatsoever. With that, the only EV spread I could rely on was that of the standard Crocune.
I picked ChestoRestcune as my main 1v1 because…well…with Calm Mind, it can pretty much outstall any other competitor, and if forced to, hit very hard with a direct attack. I decided to slot Ice Beam in spite of Sleep Talk for the ability to strike Grass types, most notably Breloom (and also because Sleep Talk isn’t that big a deal compared to Chesto Berry when it’s only 1v1). Apparently I overlooked Scald at first, because apparently I was running Surf. After comparing the two, I finally settled for Scald after determining Surf’s extra power provided no particular benefits. Recently, however, this Suicune barely managed to inch ahead of a Lapras spamming Drizzle Hydration with outdamaging it with Surf.
I was wondering if I really needed Water Absorb. Running Pressure could help bluff I have Sleep Talk, but that’s minor. The main concern is that no one is weak to Water, instead packing a healthy resistance to it. On the other hand, there’s nothing in particular Suicune is intending to PP stall (except Draco Meteor, maybe), and Water Absorb was helpful in beating that aforementioned Curse Lapras (which seems to me to be rising in usage).
Poké Ball set-Mutate, SILENTSOUL: Tatters of Demise!
Leftovers
Levitate
252 Attack/4 Special Attack/252 Speed
Hasty (+Speed, -Def)
Screech
Crunch
U-turn
Fire Blast
And they all said Charge Beam was Hydreigon’s only boosting option. This set works exactly like the overlooked Screech Flygon set from Gen 4 (only Crunch instead of Dragon Claw this time). This set (solely created by me, explaining the immature 252/252 spread) was selected due to the dominance of hazard usage on this team. Unlike Roar or Dragon Tail, Screech also complements Hydreigon’s strong hit-and-run nature, especially with U-turn shenanigans. Otherwise, Hydreigon appreciates good type synergies with the rest of the team.
A recent change was from Jolly to Hasty in order for Fire Blast to secure stronger damage input upon the Steel types it was meant to scorch, and also because there weren’t many Physical attacks Hydreigon was really meant to take (most notable are probably ExtremeSpeeds, Crunches, and Sucker Punches). Earthquake was considered, but it was decided Heatran wasn’t that big of a deal.
Dusk Ball set-Materialize, ANTIMATTER: Underworld Messenger!
Choice Band
Pressure
252 HP/252 Attack/4 Speed
Adamant (+Attack, -Special Attack)
Trick
Sucker Punch
Will-O-Wisp
Focus Punch
Yep, spinblocker! If you need a Ghost Pokémon, why not roll with Dusknoir? Dusky is significant in being a Physical Ghost Pokémon that’s not as fragile as Banette but much stronger than Sableye (well…yeah…I guess there’s Golurk, but Dusknoir is that much more bulkier and I don’t see the gladiator robot carrying the same movepool Dusky does). Sucker Punch is pseudo-STAB, exchanging the 10 points Shadow Punch has higher for a priority hit. Although this team shouldn’t be forcing many switches with the presence of hazards, Focus Punch does just fine as a complement to Dark STAB, severely injuring the Pokémon that might want to try and switch in on Dusknoir. The key thing to making this set shine is TrickBand. Trick is what makes the team vital to destroying that one enemy that could be driving me nuts (Reuniclus, Ferrothorn, Conkledurr, although usually Dusknoir would have to sacrifice itself to Trick that last one). It was a hard decision, but I ultimately decided to trade up Ice Punch for Will-O-Wisp, considering the defensive aspects of this team and generic utility (yet another thing Dusknoir has over Golurk).
Cherish Ball set-Warp, GREENONION: Guardian of the Forest!
☼
Leftovers
Natural Cure
252 HP/240 Def/16 Speed
Bold (+Def, -Attack)
U-turn
Heal Bell
Recover
Psychic
Due to the vulnerability of the Pokémon on this team towards status, and the two that aren’t are non-Sleep Talking Resters, a cleric was in demand. Celebi’s type synergy with this team was utterly fantastic, and between U-turn and Recover, it easily secured the job. I also picked this pixie mainly in part due to Psychic, as Conkledurr was such a menace I couldn’t let that go unchecked. Celebi would take heavy damage from Payback, but at least it would win out, unlike a frailer Psychic like Starmie.
Looking this team over, I can see that Mew can run this exact same set. What is key about this? Firstly, Celebi is Flying-weak, and I don’t have any resistors to that. Celebi also shares its weaknesses to Fire and Ice with at least one other team member. In exchange, however, Celebi also resists Ground (only useful for Tentacruel), Grass (only useful for Suicune, but Celebi does hold a better match-up versus Ferrothorn), Electric (good, considering the important of my Water types), and Water (meh). Despite having no Grass STAB, Celebi still can jeer in the faces of Tyranitar, Hippowdon, and Water types, more so than Mew can. Mew’s Synchronize will usually prove better than Celebi’s Natural Cure. However, Mew is liable to be Uberized again at any moment, and I feel uncomfortable about working with former Ubers.
Poké Ball set-Plant, LAWNKILLER: Mossy Grinch!
Rocky Helmet
Iron Barbs
252 HP/4 Def/252 Special Def
Careful (+Special Def, -Special Attack)
Spikes
Stealth Rock
Rest
Power Whip
Oh, no, it’s Ferrothorn! Ferrothorn is now what you would consider the default Steel type, relegating even the mighty Forretress to primarily a bulky suicide lead role (I’m very familiar with the aspect of a bulky suicide lead – it was my preference in Gen 4). If Tentacruel is my Physically bulky Water, and Suicune is my Specially bulky Water, it would only be logical that Ferrothorn ought to be my Specially bulky Grass in order to complement Celebi being the Physically bulky Grass (look past the fact that Ferrothorn has higher Physical Def, and consider all four of them reliable mixed tanks, due to Ferrothorn running Rest over Leech Seed).
Ferrothorn, as my final option, single-handedly picks up where Tentacruel left off back in the hazarding department, as well as being able to reliably eat Electric attacks for the Water types. Leech Seed is not a breedable option to combine with both Spikes and Stealth Rock to force switches, but Rest works quite as well, eliminating Ferrothorn’s susceptibility to Burn as well as easily being refreshened by Celebi’s Heal Bell. It also helps Ferrothorn to beat other Ferrothorn 1v1. Not only that, it is a more reliable form of recovery over Leech Seed, especially considering Rugged Helmet will not be restoring 6% of my HP per turn (sitting back and watching my opponents 2HKO themselves is very satisfying). This Ferrothorn was good enough that he single-handedly was almost able to stall out Manaphy’s Uber team on PO…until he got crit.
Threats
Well, let’s see. Wallbreakers, of course, are a bane to stall. An opposing Hydreigon would have little trouble smashing through most of this team. If it is Scarfed (which it will most likely will be), my own Hydreigon won’t even be able to manage hit it with even U-turn.
Heatran and the rise of Fire types can be somewhat of a menace, but they shouldn’t be as big of an issue as Hydreigon is.
As for the Fighting type department, I would say I’m a little more durable against them than compared to most teams. If the likes of Conkledurr and Scrafty (who, mind you, usually run Guts and Shed Skin, respectively) are setting up too much, I have a fallback option with Dusknoir to contain them within one move.
I am on Pokémon Online: main server every day, almost all of the time.
youtube.com/PhilosophicalPsycho
Philosophy: When we are at the end of life, to die means to go away; when we are at the beginning, to go away means to die. –Victor Hugo
Life is a game. You play to win. And you play because there's nothing better to do.
