Papercraft Dragon (and my 500th post)

[ScraftyIsTheBest]

PAPERCRAFT DRAGON​

Introduction

I have noticed that this is my 500th post here on Smogon. I would firstly like to thank everyone who has been a part of my time here on Smogon. I've gone from a complete and utter noob into a fairly experienced competitive battler, particularly in RU and UU, and in less than a year. I never thought I'd go this far. I have made this RMT not only in celebration of my 500th post, but also because I love this team and enjoy using it, and it also reflects on my improvement and growth here on Smogon.

Anyways, onto the team. Throughout most of UU, I have heard quite a lot of positive things in particular about Druddigon, as it is B-Rank on the Viability Thread, and it was even listed in an "Underrated UU Movesets" Smog Article. After hearing all this, I was intrigued. I was curious just as to how good Druddigon is in UU, and I even heard that Magneton+Druddigon make a legit core. So I went ahead and built a team involving this duo, and I have had quite a bit of success with it. I lost quite a bit early on because of random BS, but eventually this team started giving me a solid winning streak, even though I have yet to top the ladder with it. Druddigon has been quite the awesome Pokemon every time I have used it. Overall, this team is one of my favorites, and now let's get on with what is my 500th post RMT.

Team in Detail

Froslass (F) @ Focus Sash
Trait: Cursed Body
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Spikes
- Taunt
- Ice Beam
- Destiny Bond

This is Froslass. She needs no introduction. Anyone who plays UU knows that Froslass is hands down the best spiker in the UU tier, as her admirable Speed tier, immunity to Normal allowing her to spinblock, Taunt, and Destiny Bond make her an excellent lead to start the match. She can set up Spikes relatively quickly early on in the match with no Blastoise to stop her, and this can be really helpful to allow Druddigon to nuke shit more easily. Taunt allows her to deter setup whilst she sets up those much needed Spikes, and also stops Hitmontop and Blastoise from using Foresight or Roar to stop her from doing her job. Ice Beam is there for STAB, as she needs a way to at least deal some form of damage. Destiny Bond is much needed, as Froslass can take down a very important opponent with her as she is to die in the match. I chose a Sash so that she gets at least one layer of Spikes+Dbond in the game. Overall, the best lead and has great uses, so I had to use her.

Magneton @ Eviolite
Trait: Magnet Pull
EVs: 212 HP / 120 SpA / 136 Spe
Modest Nature
- Substitute
- Magnet Rise
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Ice]

Magneton is the "Mag" of my DragMag core (aka MagneDrudd). Magneton+Druddigon is a pretty legit core in UU, simply because of Druddigon's power and Magneton's ability to eliminate Steel-types. SubRise Magneton traps and kills Bronzong, the most popular Steel-type in UU. Bronzong cannot do jack to a floating Magneton while repeated Thunderbolts will take their toll. Magneton also nails Empoleon, Escavalier, and Bisharp as they are extremely prone to being worn down. HP Ice and Magnet Rise allow Magneton to somewhat decently check Gligar, which is a plus for the team, regardless of how bad Gligar is. Magneton also can deal solid amounts of damage while behind a Sub and it could potentially check Krookodile when Magnet Rising. Magneton is a pretty useful piece of my team overall and is extremely helpful, especially since he's Druddigon's partner in crime.

Druddigon @ Choice Band
Trait: Mold Breaker
EVs: 152 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 100 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Outrage
- Earthquake
- Sucker Punch
- Dragon Claw

The star of the team, Druddigon raises the bar when it comes to raw power in UU. 120 Attack equipped with a Choice Band is nothing to laugh at, and a mighty Outrage that is resisted only by Steel-types, which Magneton eliminates, means Druddigon will very rarely fail to achieve at least one KO per game. Druddigon is also reasonably bulky, which means his mighty Outrage can take down a couple of opponents before going down himself. He has much more power than Flygon, so he will always score at least a 2HKO. EQ is there in case I really need it, while Sucker Punch is nice priority to pick off sufficiently weakened opponents. Dragon Claw is there for a reasonably strong move if Outrage is risky to spam. Druddigon also has some really nice resistances, allowing him to come in on Darmanitan, Roserade, Shaymin, Raikou, and a bunch of others, giving him chances to spam mega powered Outrages. Overall an excellent and underrated threat, and I'm surprised Druddigon isn't used more.

Mienshao @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Regenerator
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Hi Jump Kick
- Stone Edge
- U-turn
- Aerial Ace

Mienshao is the absolute best Pokemon in UU right now, and it was almost mandatory I place it on this team. Mienshao is an excellent revenge killer, which means I can revenge kill needed speedsters in case I really need to remove a Scarfed Pokemon or something. It also smashes the Steel-types that Magneton cannot trap and kill (ahem Cobalion, Durant, and Registeel), which is helpful for Druddigon, the MVP of the team. Stone Edge provides a way to nail Crobat and to an extent Yanmaga while U-turn allows it to scout, and if something comes in on U-turn I effectively can switch Druddigon in for free. Aerial Ace is there solely for Heracross, who does see usage, and it also helps against Roserade too. Mienshao also packs obscene power, so it can put me in a secondary win condition if Druddigon is down. Overall Mienshao is amazing and is a great piece of any team, including this one.

Cofagrigus @ Leftovers
Trait: Mummy
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpA
IVs: 30 Atk / 30 Def / 30 SpA / 2 Spe
Quiet Nature
- Trick Room
- Nasty Plot
- Shadow Ball
- Hidden Power [Fighting]

Despite Froslass's ability to spinblock, I still needed a secondary spinblocker because she wouldn't last long enough. This is where Cofagrigus comes into play. Cofagrigus is extremely useful in UU; he is the best spinblocker in the tier hands down, making him important, while he checks Mienshao and Snorlax, the two best Pokemon in UU right now. He also provides a threatening special sweeper with Trick Room and Nasty Plot along with great two-move coverage. Cofagrigus is basically a versatile member of the team in one set; he's the special sweeper, the spinblocker, the Mienshao check, and the Druddigon supporter. Trick Room also helps Druddigon, because he's slow and CB Outrage is absurd, allowing Druddigon to destroy fast teams more easily. Cofagrigus himself also benefits, for he is super slow and can sweep teams with his coverage and NP once he gets going. Nasty Plot boosts his decent Special Attack to powerful levels, making Shadow Ball and HP Fighting powerful. Really, Meloetta and Escavalier are the only real things that threaten this thing, which I have teammates to keep them at bay. Cofagrigus is a vital asset to this team, and he does a nice job when needed.

Snorlax @ Choice Band
Trait: Thick Fat
EVs: 252 Atk / 52 Def / 200 SpD / 4 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Return
- Earthquake
- Pursuit
- Fire Punch

Much like Mienshao, Snorlax is a Pokemon that finds himself a spot on almost every UU team. Snorlax is my stop to many special attackers, including the ever threatening Chandelure, trapping and killing it. It also poses a solid offensive threat on its own, with CBLax packing some power. Snorlax also makes for an excellent core with Cofagrigus; they have excellent synergy, and attract the moves for the two to come into to start what they are on the team for. Snorlax is just so good, you kind of have to use it. Return is there for powerful and reliable STAB to be hitting stuff hard with, while Earthquake handles Rhyperior and Steels that may try and come in. Pursuit is useful to trap Chandelure and Mismagius as they are completely helpless against Snorlax's fat body. Fire Punch is to catch Bronzong on switch-ins and hopefully make Magneton and Druddigon's job easier for the team. Overall Snorlax is amazing and was something I had to use on this team.

Threats to this Team

Froslass can set up hazards to wear down my team quickly, and if its Taunt goes before my Froslass's, I'm screwed. I must play very carefully against opposing Froslass if I don't plan on having hazards fuck me over and also lose an important team member (D-Bond)

Cofagrigus is quite bulky and can endure most of what this team has to throw, though repeated hits may eventually take on their toll, not to mention Sucker Punch from Druddigon can nail OTR variants. Still, it is a threat to contend with.

Although he isn't that common, Escavalier can pose a serious threat if Magneton is down, as he can spam mighty Megahorns and take on most of what Cofagrigus and Druddigon have to offer. It can be dealt with with proper playing though.

In hail, Walrein is a bitch to face, as it can SubProtect stall in hail to annoy the living hell out of me, and Mienshao hates Protect to no end. Can be really annoying, especially on a hail team.


Conclusion

So that's my 500th post RMT. UU is a really fun metagame to play in right now, as nothing is broken and there are a ton of viable options to use in the tier, even from RU and NU. This, along with my RU Rain Team from late March, is one of my favorite teams I have built so far, and it has been an enjoyment to use. Druddigon is really an underrated Pokemon in UU despite being RU, and I hope it sees more usage because it's so good in this metagame! Overall I really like this team, but any advice could be helpful.

And of course I gotta throw in an importable version:

Importable

Mienshao @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Regenerator
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spd / 4 SDef
Jolly Nature
- Hi Jump Kick
- Stone Edge
- U-turn
- Aerial Ace

Magneton @ Eviolite
Trait: Magnet Pull
EVs: 212 HP / 120 SAtk / 176 Spd
Modest Nature
- Substitute
- Magnet Rise
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Ice]

Druddigon @ Choice Band
Trait: Mold Breaker
EVs: 152 HP / 252 Atk / 100 Spd / 4 SDef
Adamant Nature
- Outrage
- Earthquake
- Sucker Punch
- Dragon Claw

Froslass (F) @ Focus Sash
Trait: Cursed Body
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Spikes
- Taunt
- Ice Beam
- Destiny Bond

Cofagrigus @ Leftovers
Trait: Mummy
EVs: 252 SAtk / 252 HP / 4 Def
Quiet Nature
- Trick Room
- Nasty Plot
- Shadow Ball
- Hidden Power [Fighting]

Snorlax @ Choice Band
Trait: Thick Fat
EVs: 252 Atk / 200 SDef / 4 Spd / 52 Def
Adamant Nature
- Return
- Earthquake
- Pursuit
- Fire Punch

 

[Aecor]

Solid team. How does your team deal with bulky sweepers, such as CroCune?

 

[Exbo]

Pretty awesome team! Looks near impossible to pierce through.
Can you explain the EVs on Magneton, Druddigon and Snorlax? (the 3 pokemon who haven't got 252/252 on something)
Like, is there something you want to outspeed? Is there something you need to survive a hit from?

 

[silenced]

I think you have crafted quite a solid team here that reflects your statements.

However, I wouldn't mind offering a fix or two, though these are going to be rather controversial I feel. Firstly, to add to your weaknesses, I'd be extremely concerned about any opponent carrying Sableye, which I'm suprised you don't address as a threat, considering half your team will hate will-o-wisp, taunt stuffs up cofagrigus attempting to sweep, and most of your team takes heavy damage from foul play, with magneton the only exception, who will not enjoy sableye anyway due to lack of recovery. You don't seem to have a good answer to bulky waters throwing scalds at you either.

To fix these problems, and also offer you perhaps a bit of help against escavalier/stallrein, I would suggest dropping sashlass for an offensive spiking roserade.

Roserade @ life orb
Natural Cure
252 SpA, 252 Spe, 4 HP (Note you may wish to tweak the EV's to tank stray ice beams, or other things)
Timid Nature
-Spikes
-HP Fire
-Giga Drain
-Sludge Bomb

I think you get perfect neutral coverage with those three moves, while having a secondary way to get rid of escavalier if needed, and another pokemon fast enough to outspeed stallrein and stop the sub+protect cycle, albeit at the cost of roserade's life since walrein will stop long enough to use blizzard. You also have a way to hit sableye hard while not overly caring about what it can throw at you. The downside to my possible suggestion is Venomoth becomes very dangerous, while removing the HO element somewhat, which would change your playstyle significantly, and throw out team balance.

The next two suggestions...I note a concern about opposing froslass which is why I'd offer a slight move change on your magneton. Either one of Magic Coat or Volt Switch over substitute. Magic Coat is quite niche, but bouncing back opposing hazards would allow a sneaky way of getting rocks up since you have none, while stuffing up opposing froslass, since they have no way to deal with magneton otherwise, and would have to switch out with spikes on their field (breaking their own sash), or switching due to backfired taunt (why they would taunt is beyond me, but strange things happen in UU).

Volt switch on the other hand can limit them to one layer of spikes only, by using it to break the sash and get to mienshao, though relying on SE to hit could be problematic. On the other hand, a slow, safe switch to your banded 'mons would be nice too.

The final suggestion I have is maybe trying to get sleep talk on something, as although sleep moves aren't too common, your team really doesn't want amoongus dropping spore without consequence. I'm not sure what could accomodate this though.

Don't change your team if its working for you, since these suggestions are theory based, but it might be worth considering them if you think they'd help.

 

[PTJon7]

This team is really cool, I'm always a fan of using lower tier things well in UU. I decided to test it out myself, as to give you better advice on ways to improve it. Here are some things I think may help make it better:

1. Return --> Body Slam on Snorlax

I think this may, in the long run, be beneficial to your team. Since the team is built around Druddigon and Druddigon is quite slow, some paralysis getting spread around would greatly benefit it in it's sweeping. I really think the 17 BP difference of the two attacks in less important than paralyzing opposing teams.


2. 212 HP / 120 SpA / 136 Spe --> 192 HP / 248 SAtk / 68 Spd on Magneton

I think power over speed is more important for Magneton. I know the recommended Speed EVs are to outspeed Modest Empoleon, but Mageton could really use the extra boost in power to score kills. 44 Speed EVs also enable it to outspeed uninvested base 75s. Another possible amount could be 68 Speed EVs to outspeed uninvested base 78s. 192 HP gives you a Substitute number.


3. Hidden Power Ice --> Flash Cannon on Magneton

This is more personal preference really, but during my usage of Magneton I found Flash Cannon a lot more helpful. It enabled Magneton to deal with Rock and Ice types much easier. HP Ice really doesn't hit that many things much harder than a Flash Cannon would, besides Flygon or Gligar (neither of which can touch you after a Magnet Rise however).


4. Froslass --> Roserade

As much as I like Froslass, I gotta agree with Silenced and go with adding a Roserade to your team. Without Roserade your team lacks a safe switch in to Water types, only Magneton and Cofagrigus (assuming you've sacked Froslass) can switch into a Scald and not be afraid of a burn. Roserade also gives you an extremely solid Grass resist, as well as a good counter to Virizion. Here's a set I've been using for a bulky offensive Roserade:

Roserade @ Life Orb
Trait: Natural Cure
EVs: 168 HP / 252 SAtk / 88 Spd
Modest Nature
- Giga Drain
- Sludge Bomb
- Spikes
- Synthesis

The speed EVs let Roserade outspeed uninvested base 100s, and 168 HP gives Roserade decent enough bulk. Sludge Bomb or Synthesis could both be replaced with HP Fire if you wanted too. Black Sludge can replace Life Orb if you want a more durable variant.


5. 31/31/30/30/30/30 IVs --> 31/2/30/30/30/2 on Cofagrigus

This isn't that important, just something the cite recommends. It keeps Hidden Power as Fighting while at the same time making Cofagrigus' speed and attack as low as possible.


All in all a good team, I had a lot of fun using it. Hope what I've said is helpful!