Author's Note
Hello all! Thanks for taking the time to read out this RMT! As a newly-converted lurker, I'm not exactly new to the meta, but what I am new to is posting, and it may show. Nonetheless, I hope this won't be too hard on you.
Now, what you are most definitely not about to see is what I like to call a "Scroll Team," which is a team that you can scroll through and immediately know that it is not worth your time. This category consists of one-line description teams, teams with known-to-be-bad lineups, i.e. Eevee, Panpour, etc, and teams that, while they may be solid, are presented poorly. What you will also not see is the 400th "FletchDig" team, nor one of the thousands of "SmashSpam" teams. While strategies such as these often work, peppering the forum with another such team adds nothing to either your experience or the meta.
Despite that paragraph, the team does share similarities with other teams. For example, this team's final member is a Mienfoo. However, the sets, playstyle, and overall experience are different enough, in my opinion, to warrant an RMT.
I present for your consideration Pleasure in the Pathless Woods.
The inspiration for Pleasure in the Pathless Woods is the Sixth Generation, as the two stars of the team were introduced with the advent of XY. Once upon a time, during my first foray into LC, I was laddering in the ~1400 range with a comfortable 5-2 lead on some unnamed trainer. Those two happened to be Scarfed-Amaura and -Bunnelby. I think it is needless to say that he proceeded to upset me in more ways than one, and I have been sitting on that combo for a little while now. Finally, I decided to make an attempt with those two, and quickly found that there are a number of reasons that there are not Scarf-Amauras running rampant. Frankly put, the two mons are the glassiest of glass in terms of cannons, and they are not going to switch in on anything, bar Ghosts for the Bun. Nonetheless, it can, of course, be done. By adding a number of bulky, long-lasting teammates and focusing on weakening of a few certain threats in particular (looking at you, Koffing), one can utilize these two glass cannons to their full extent.
Teambuilding
It seems to me that a lot of teams focus on combinations of two: Double Waters, FletchDig, and VulSprout/VulSaur all come to mind. This team takes two very similar mons and focuses on letting them do what they do best: clean up. In the combination of Bunnelby and Amaura, we have two frail but insanely powerful mons who would be nothing short of their Abilities. In the same way, they are not especially prepared for by most people; sure, everyone can stop a Scarf-Mienfoo, but who can stop a rampant Bunnelby?
Remeber those bulky teammates I was talking about? Hippo is the very embodiment of bulk in LC, as the combination of great natural physical bulk, Sand Stream, and Eviolite give it an astounding mixed bulk of 25/24/28 in Sand. There are very, very, very few things capable of OHKOing the Hippo. Hippo also provides this team with the omnipresent Stealth Rock, which many deem to be absolutely essential to the success of a team. His bulkiness and favorable typing also allow him to take on many of the defensive threats that wall my Scarves, such as Magnemite. Overall, Hippo provides essential bulk and hazard support to the team.
Since the Hippo leans more on the Special side in terms of tanking, I needed to add a physical side to my wall duo. Slowbro was the perfect fit, as its dual Water/Psychic typing is perfect for tanking Physical hits (bar Knock Off, of course). Slowbro is also unique in that it is the first half of the Pink Paralysers duo, whose Thunder Wave support greatly aids everyone else on the team. Thunder Wave plays such a large role due both the slowness of the tanky part of my team and due to its ability to cripple opposing fastmons that could take out my Scarves. Slowbro is also my only non-Amaura answer to Foongus, though that could largely be debated. However, Psychic will always dent the Shroom.
You may be wondering what Snubbull's purpose is, but you'd be wrong if you guessed that it was another physical wall. Well, you'd be about half right. Snubbull fulfills the second half of two duos: the Pink Paralysers and the Denters. Snubbull, thanks to Intimidate, has an astounding physical bulk. It is an infinitely better switch-in to the omnipresent Fighting-Types in the tier than Slowbro, and it can actually threaten them with STAB Play Rough. Granted, he won't often get the KO, but that's not really his job! Snubbull is also the lone Cleric on the team and provides valuable support there too. Snubbull is incredibly important to the team because it can fill all three of these roles.
Mienfoo was originally a Vullaby, who complemented the Hippo in a nice little RockFog core. However, I soon noticed that the team left way, way too much offensive responsibility on the Scarves. The workload was too high and too risky, so I needed to add some more firepower while still retaining an element of tankinshness. Enter Mienfoo, whose high-af Attack and Regenerator were exactly what I needed for a Denter. Foo can tank a hit and smack back with a crippling Knock Off or a recovery-oriented Drain Punch. The real calling card on my Mienfoo is Acrobatics, a great way to deal with all of Foo's common checks (especially Foongus) once his Juice is gone. Foo also handles Pawniard, something with which my team struggles.
Win Condition:
Wall:
Tank:
Cleric:
Crippler:
Hazards:
Fighting Check:
Steel Check:
Birdspam Check: there isn't really one but you can always bring in
Scarves
I think we've already covered the Scarves enough, don't you? Basically, they come in, they wreck stuff, they get out.
Pink Paralysers
Their job is to make sure everybody on my team gets chances to move; the paralysis often even allows key KO's to occur without any damage to my team. It's also especially nice to switch into something and see it fully paralyse. Due to the slower nature of my team, these guys are invaluable.
The Great Walls
Everybody needs a good switch-in, right? These two focus on halting dangerous threats and crippling them, be it via T-Wave or Whirlwind. They are generally the first to be sacked when it's time to clean up late game.
The Denters
The Denters focus on taking some of the offensive pressure off of the Scarves. What would at one point need to be a OHKO from the Bun can now be handled without fear and without worry, because the Denters have done their job: denting.
@
Amaura @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Refrigerate
Level: 5
EVs: 220 SpA / 60 SpD / 228 Spe
Timid Nature
- Nature Power
- Hyper Beam
- Thunderbolt
- Ancient Power
This is Amaura, the Special side of the Scarves duo. Nature Power turns into Tri-Attack this generation, which would be nothing special if not for Refrigerate. Not only does Refrigerate turn Normal moves to Ice type, granting Amaura STAB, it also further boosts the power of the move by 1.3x! These boosts combine to take 80 BP Tri Attack and turn it into 160 BP Tri Attack, effectively doubling the move's strength. Not only is the move extremely powerful, but it also is immune to Sucker Punch, which is freakinig awesome! This is what you'll be clicking a majority of the time, and the other moves are purely situational. Hyper Beam is present as a risky but rewarding alternate to Nature Power for when you need that KO. STABfrigerate turns 150 BP Hyper Beam into 300 BP Hyper Beam, a veritable nuke in terms of raw power. Thunderbolt covers the Water types that resist Nature Power (except perhaps the most common one, Chinchou), and Ancient Power is there for Rock STAB, I guess. Bunnelby usually takes care of Fire types with its Earthquake, so you won't be using Ancient Power very often.
@
Bunnelby @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Huge Power
Level: 5
Happiness: 0
EVs: 228 Atk / 60 SpD / 220 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Frustration
- Earthquake
- U-turn
- Quick Attack
You may be wondering: what's the point of 0 Happiness? Couldn't you just use Return? The answer is yes, you can! That's just a habit I have in upper tiers where Dittos are a thing. This set is designed to maximize Bun's Speed and Attack, with the rest put into Special bulk. Despite this investment, you should not bring the Bun in on anything even remotely strong, for it is frail-af. You'll find that the button you click most often will be Frustration, as it is really just way too strong. Earthquake will help you deal with Rock and Steel types that resist Frustration and will also take care of the Fire types with which Amaura has trouble. U-Turn and Quick Attack are used much, much less often, as the Bun's job is not to scout. The only real application for Quick Attack is picking off weakened Fletchlings. Just remember not to switch it into an attack and you should be good!
@
Hippopotas @ Eviolite
Ability: Sand Stream
Level: 5
EVs: 132 HP / 20 Atk / 132 Def / 180 SpD / 20 Spe
Careful Nature
- Earthquake
- Slack Off
- Stealth Rock
- Whirlwind
The Hippo is designed to absorb hits like nothing, and is especially tailored to utterly destroy Auto-Sun, or Vulpix. This EV spread is known to absolutely trash Vulpix, as it can comfortably switch in and take either a Fire Blast or an Energy Ball, and the sand would cancel a Solar Beam. In terms of roles other than countering Auto-Sun, I often lead with the Hippo to get my Rocks up and to generally cause grief. Many lower-ladder players with attempt to set up on the Hippo, which makes it all the more fun when you Whirlwind them out. I think that the Hippo's moves and roles are pretty self-explanatory, and you've already done so much reading, so I won't go too into detail.
@
Slowpoke @ Eviolite
Ability: Regenerator
Level: 5
EVs: 116 HP / 236 Def / 36 SpA / 116 SpD
Bold Nature
- Scald
- Slack Off
- Thunder Wave
- Psychic
Slowbro is designed to maximize physical bulk while still preserving a Special side. When creating the set, I first maxed out Defense and applied a positive nature. I then split the remaining EVs between HP and Special Defense, and found that I had 40 EVs leftover. I happily discovered that it only takes 36 EVs to take Slowbro's Special Attack up a notch, and so that's what I did! Scald and Psychic are STABs that, while they don't hit particularly hard, have special roles in and of themselves. Scald is generally used when fishing for burns, which is not that often. It's sort of obligatory, though. Psychic is there to put a dent in Foongus, Koffing, and Fighting types, and doesn't do much outside of that. The crux of the set is Thunder Wave, as that is Slowbro's main role in terms of the Pink Paralysers. Slack Off, while useful, doesn't see a whole lot of use due to Regenerator and the tendency of this team to switch.
@
Snubbull @ Berry Juice
Ability: Intimidate
Level: 5
EVs: 116 HP / 196 Def / 196 SpD
Careful Nature
- Play Rough
- Earthquake
- Heal Bell
- Thunder Wave
*ring ring* "Hello? Is the ultimate Fighting type counter here?" Snubbull answered the door! With a combo of Intimidate, Fairy typing, and a decent attack stat to hit back with, Snubs is the perfect answer to any Fighting type, even Croagunk! Play Rough and Earthquake are strong attacks that capitalize on the Fighting, Steel, and Dark types that Snubbull switches into. Adding Heal Bell and Thunder Wave to Snub capitalizes on his abilities and allows him to fulfill many important roles on this team. Snubs is the lone cleric on the team, and mostly saves this physically-biased teams from burns. He also provides a second source of crippling in the form of paralysis. Snubbull's bulk is solid, so Eviolite is unnecessary, and Berry Juice really discourages other players. Other than that, there isn't much to Snubs, as its multiple roles are all fairly simple.
@
Mienfoo @ Berry Juice
Ability: Regenerator
Level: 5
EVs: 156 Atk / 76 Def / 196 SpD / 76 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Drain Punch
- Knock Off
- U-turn
- Acrobatics
I look forward to your rates! :D
Replays
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/lc-181203895
Thanks!
Hello all! Thanks for taking the time to read out this RMT! As a newly-converted lurker, I'm not exactly new to the meta, but what I am new to is posting, and it may show. Nonetheless, I hope this won't be too hard on you.
Now, what you are most definitely not about to see is what I like to call a "Scroll Team," which is a team that you can scroll through and immediately know that it is not worth your time. This category consists of one-line description teams, teams with known-to-be-bad lineups, i.e. Eevee, Panpour, etc, and teams that, while they may be solid, are presented poorly. What you will also not see is the 400th "FletchDig" team, nor one of the thousands of "SmashSpam" teams. While strategies such as these often work, peppering the forum with another such team adds nothing to either your experience or the meta.
Despite that paragraph, the team does share similarities with other teams. For example, this team's final member is a Mienfoo. However, the sets, playstyle, and overall experience are different enough, in my opinion, to warrant an RMT.
I present for your consideration Pleasure in the Pathless Woods.
"There is pleasure in the pathless woods,
there is rapture in the lonely shore,
there is society where none intrudes,
by the deep sea, and music in its roar;
I love not Man the less, but Nature more"
-Lord Byron
Introductionthere is rapture in the lonely shore,
there is society where none intrudes,
by the deep sea, and music in its roar;
I love not Man the less, but Nature more"
-Lord Byron






Teambuilding


It seems to me that a lot of teams focus on combinations of two: Double Waters, FletchDig, and VulSprout/VulSaur all come to mind. This team takes two very similar mons and focuses on letting them do what they do best: clean up. In the combination of Bunnelby and Amaura, we have two frail but insanely powerful mons who would be nothing short of their Abilities. In the same way, they are not especially prepared for by most people; sure, everyone can stop a Scarf-Mienfoo, but who can stop a rampant Bunnelby?



Remeber those bulky teammates I was talking about? Hippo is the very embodiment of bulk in LC, as the combination of great natural physical bulk, Sand Stream, and Eviolite give it an astounding mixed bulk of 25/24/28 in Sand. There are very, very, very few things capable of OHKOing the Hippo. Hippo also provides this team with the omnipresent Stealth Rock, which many deem to be absolutely essential to the success of a team. His bulkiness and favorable typing also allow him to take on many of the defensive threats that wall my Scarves, such as Magnemite. Overall, Hippo provides essential bulk and hazard support to the team.




Since the Hippo leans more on the Special side in terms of tanking, I needed to add a physical side to my wall duo. Slowbro was the perfect fit, as its dual Water/Psychic typing is perfect for tanking Physical hits (bar Knock Off, of course). Slowbro is also unique in that it is the first half of the Pink Paralysers duo, whose Thunder Wave support greatly aids everyone else on the team. Thunder Wave plays such a large role due both the slowness of the tanky part of my team and due to its ability to cripple opposing fastmons that could take out my Scarves. Slowbro is also my only non-Amaura answer to Foongus, though that could largely be debated. However, Psychic will always dent the Shroom.





You may be wondering what Snubbull's purpose is, but you'd be wrong if you guessed that it was another physical wall. Well, you'd be about half right. Snubbull fulfills the second half of two duos: the Pink Paralysers and the Denters. Snubbull, thanks to Intimidate, has an astounding physical bulk. It is an infinitely better switch-in to the omnipresent Fighting-Types in the tier than Slowbro, and it can actually threaten them with STAB Play Rough. Granted, he won't often get the KO, but that's not really his job! Snubbull is also the lone Cleric on the team and provides valuable support there too. Snubbull is incredibly important to the team because it can fill all three of these roles.






Mienfoo was originally a Vullaby, who complemented the Hippo in a nice little RockFog core. However, I soon noticed that the team left way, way too much offensive responsibility on the Scarves. The workload was too high and too risky, so I needed to add some more firepower while still retaining an element of tankinshness. Enter Mienfoo, whose high-af Attack and Regenerator were exactly what I needed for a Denter. Foo can tank a hit and smack back with a crippling Knock Off or a recovery-oriented Drain Punch. The real calling card on my Mienfoo is Acrobatics, a great way to deal with all of Foo's common checks (especially Foongus) once his Juice is gone. Foo also handles Pawniard, something with which my team struggles.
"Individual commitment to a group effort-
that is what makes a team work,
a company work, a society work,
a civilization work."
-Vince Lombardi
Fulfilling Rolesthat is what makes a team work,
a company work, a society work,
a civilization work."
-Vince Lombardi
Win Condition:


Wall:


Tank:


Cleric:

Crippler:


Hazards:

Fighting Check:

Steel Check:

Birdspam Check: there isn't really one but you can always bring in

"I like the character roles. Somewhere back
there I really came to the conclusion in my mind
that the difference between acting and stardom
was major. And that if you become a star,
people are going to go to see you.
If you remain an actor, they're going to go
and see the story you're in."
-Morgan Freeman
The Duosthere I really came to the conclusion in my mind
that the difference between acting and stardom
was major. And that if you become a star,
people are going to go to see you.
If you remain an actor, they're going to go
and see the story you're in."
-Morgan Freeman


Scarves
I think we've already covered the Scarves enough, don't you? Basically, they come in, they wreck stuff, they get out.


Pink Paralysers
Their job is to make sure everybody on my team gets chances to move; the paralysis often even allows key KO's to occur without any damage to my team. It's also especially nice to switch into something and see it fully paralyse. Due to the slower nature of my team, these guys are invaluable.


The Great Walls
Everybody needs a good switch-in, right? These two focus on halting dangerous threats and crippling them, be it via T-Wave or Whirlwind. They are generally the first to be sacked when it's time to clean up late game.


The Denters
The Denters focus on taking some of the offensive pressure off of the Scarves. What would at one point need to be a OHKO from the Bun can now be handled without fear and without worry, because the Denters have done their job: denting.
"Coming together is a beginning;
keeping together is progress;
working together is success."
-Henry Ford
The Setskeeping together is progress;
working together is success."
-Henry Ford


Amaura @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Refrigerate
Level: 5
EVs: 220 SpA / 60 SpD / 228 Spe
Timid Nature
- Nature Power
- Hyper Beam
- Thunderbolt
- Ancient Power


Bunnelby @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Huge Power
Level: 5
Happiness: 0
EVs: 228 Atk / 60 SpD / 220 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Frustration
- Earthquake
- U-turn
- Quick Attack


Hippopotas @ Eviolite
Ability: Sand Stream
Level: 5
EVs: 132 HP / 20 Atk / 132 Def / 180 SpD / 20 Spe
Careful Nature
- Earthquake
- Slack Off
- Stealth Rock
- Whirlwind


Slowpoke @ Eviolite
Ability: Regenerator
Level: 5
EVs: 116 HP / 236 Def / 36 SpA / 116 SpD
Bold Nature
- Scald
- Slack Off
- Thunder Wave
- Psychic


Snubbull @ Berry Juice
Ability: Intimidate
Level: 5
EVs: 116 HP / 196 Def / 196 SpD
Careful Nature
- Play Rough
- Earthquake
- Heal Bell
- Thunder Wave


Mienfoo @ Berry Juice
Ability: Regenerator
Level: 5
EVs: 156 Atk / 76 Def / 196 SpD / 76 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Drain Punch
- Knock Off
- U-turn
- Acrobatics
Mienfoo may seem a little odd here, for a number of reasons. First of all, I have almost full Attack investment on a tank. Second, Berry Juice? On a Mienfoo? Well, there's a reason for that. Since it's Mienfoo's job to dent, he needs to be sticking around, so recovery is definitely a plus. However, there is one thing that Mienfoo can't dent: Foongus. That's why we give Mienfoo Berry Juice. Once it's activated (or Knocked Off) Mienfoo gains a powerful new attack in Acrobatics, one that hits little mushrooms especially hard. For example:
156+ Atk Mienfoo Acrobatics (110 BP) vs. 124 HP / 160+ Def Eviolite Foongus: 14-18 (56 - 72%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
And that's all you need to know!
Amaura @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Refrigerate
Level: 5
EVs: 220 SpA / 60 SpD / 228 Spe
Timid Nature
- Nature Power
- Hyper Beam
- Thunderbolt
- Ancient Power
Bunnelby @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Huge Power
Level: 5
Happiness: 0
EVs: 228 Atk / 60 Def / 220 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Frustration
- Earthquake
- U-turn
- Stone Edge
Hippopotas @ Eviolite
Ability: Sand Stream
Level: 5
EVs: 132 HP / 20 Atk / 132 Def / 180 SpD / 20 Spe
Careful Nature
- Earthquake
- Slack Off
- Stealth Rock
- Whirlwind
Slowpoke @ Eviolite
Ability: Regenerator
Level: 5
EVs: 116 HP / 236 Def / 36 SpA / 116 SpD
Bold Nature
- Scald
- Psychic
- Thunder Wave
- Slack Off
Snubbull @ Berry Juice
Ability: Intimidate
Level: 5
EVs: 116 HP / 196 Def / 196 SpD
Careful Nature
- Play Rough
- Earthquake
- Heal Bell
- Thunder Wave
Mienfoo @ Berry Juice
Ability: Regenerator
Level: 5
EVs: 156 Atk / 120 Def / 120 SpD / 80 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Drain Punch
- Knock Off
- U-turn
- Acrobatics
Ability: Refrigerate
Level: 5
EVs: 220 SpA / 60 SpD / 228 Spe
Timid Nature
- Nature Power
- Hyper Beam
- Thunderbolt
- Ancient Power
Bunnelby @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Huge Power
Level: 5
Happiness: 0
EVs: 228 Atk / 60 Def / 220 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Frustration
- Earthquake
- U-turn
- Stone Edge
Hippopotas @ Eviolite
Ability: Sand Stream
Level: 5
EVs: 132 HP / 20 Atk / 132 Def / 180 SpD / 20 Spe
Careful Nature
- Earthquake
- Slack Off
- Stealth Rock
- Whirlwind
Slowpoke @ Eviolite
Ability: Regenerator
Level: 5
EVs: 116 HP / 236 Def / 36 SpA / 116 SpD
Bold Nature
- Scald
- Psychic
- Thunder Wave
- Slack Off
Snubbull @ Berry Juice
Ability: Intimidate
Level: 5
EVs: 116 HP / 196 Def / 196 SpD
Careful Nature
- Play Rough
- Earthquake
- Heal Bell
- Thunder Wave
Mienfoo @ Berry Juice
Ability: Regenerator
Level: 5
EVs: 156 Atk / 120 Def / 120 SpD / 80 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Drain Punch
- Knock Off
- U-turn
- Acrobatics
Replays
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/lc-181203895
Thanks!
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