Disaster Area
formerly Piexplode
If ever there was a tier where everyone used the standard team, it's this one. For those who are unfamiliar, RBY LC UU is a micrometa, it has 11 pokemon, 3 of which aren't viable due to terrible movepools (caterpie/weedle/magikarp - caterpie does have some nice typing - if it got like Double Edge it'd legitimately be viable) and another that's outclassed (nidoran-f, by the male version), leaving you with 7 pokemon. The one that's NOT in this team is nidoran-M, so you'll see an interesting team within this interseting micrometa. I'll explain the workings in detail.
The Team:
Ekans (M) @ (No Item)
Level: 5
- Earthquake
- Glare
- Rock Slide
- Mimic
I'm using this as a functioning lead. It is tied fastest pokemon with Zubat and Goldeen. Earthquake and Rock Slide are the best options on this set; rock slide is a nice way to hit lead Zubat and Venonat, whilst Glare puts the rare Goldeen in a bad way. The choice of the last move is pretty; generally there's not much else that you'd need to do with ekans. Mimic is an option to use against the very rarely incapacitated foe which might have an useful move, but with its coverage hitting everything bar goldeen (and magikarp), Cubone (which OHKOs you), and Jigglypuff super effectively, it needn't have anything more than those attacks and the need to spread paralysis. The advantage of using it in a lead spot is that you can hurt venonat early and punish it for trying to get sleep, and possibly KO it should it miss sleep powder. Whilst Cubone has a strong match-up against this set, since it can OHKO, Venonat has a strong match-up versus Cubone making it rarer. Furthermore Rock Slide hits Zubat super effectively, making it risker for zubat to lead. The means of chain switching are functional with zubat, which, in a tier with a strong ground-type attacker and several pokemon weak to it, it can force situations versus the rare Cubone leads that are potentially advantageous. Being able to lure a blizzard with zubat is helpful, for goldeen to come in, but generally zubat's best option is to blanket confuse ray.
Venonat (M) @ (No Item)
Level: 5
Hardy Nature
- Sleep Powder
- Psychic
- Poison Powder
- Toxic
Whilst it's not the tier's only sleeper, Jigglypuff's Sing is much more unreliable, and with venonat available there's no reason not to carry sleep powder. Psychic is pretty mandatory as it hits everything at least neutrally and half the tier super effectively, and is venonat's strongest move versus any opponent. Whilst this set might look bad on the surface, Venonat has very few options. Stun Spore for a double powder approach is viable, but hitting a switch in with psychic is less risky and often more valuable. Given Disable's poor 55 accuracy and substitute's inability to block most forms of status, instead providing filler moves making the rare mimic abuse as poor as possible is the best option. Also, the pokemon in this tier simply aren't bulky enough, and are too powerful, for a reflect+rest set to work, especially with the grand amount of weaknesses.
Cubone (M) @ (No Item)
Level: 5
- Earthquake
- Fire Blast
- Blizzard
- Body Slam
A fantastic pokemon in the tier, nessecary on every team, it is by far the most physically bulky pokemon in the tier, with a powerful STAB earthquake shattering almost everything. Fire Blast to hit Venonat for super effective damage is pertinent once the powder is taken, and the power of its earthquake stops any getting in, apart from when something goes. It's slower but tankier and always puts in work versus any team. Fire Blast also helps with Caterpie which actually has a better match up versus Cubone than a lot of pokemon in the tier would have otherwise. Nevertheless, EQ being paired with Rock Slide or Fire Blast in this tier means that with its poor attacking movepool, it's virtually never able to abuse its rather neat defensive typing, lacking in weakness to water, ice, psychic, and possesing a ground resistance. Body Slam on Cubone is a filler move mostly, but it's Cubone's best option versus a Goldeen switch, as the threat of paralysis is amazing, and oftentimes it might not be any other way for you to win. So unlike some of the filler moves, it's usable. It's probably more useful than Submission, since Jigglypuff is hit very hard by earthquake.
Zubat (M) @ (No Item)
Level: 5
- Double-Edge
- Substitute
- Confuse Ray
- Mimic
The fourth pokemon of this team, it's one dropped by most teams in favour of having Nidoran-M. Zubat does however offer a switch-in to ground type attacks and an evens style chance versus any match up, especially with its tied highest speed of the tier with Ekans and Goldeen. Double Edge hits the whole tier hardest out of anything in its movepool. Substitute and Mimic are powerful options particularly versus Venonat. I prefer running these over Wing Attack since they do similar damage but Double Edge has recoil, whereas Substitute, Confuse Ray, and Mimic all offer alternative methods of achieving a better result with Zubat. It is clearly a more inferior pokemon, but the switches it does have the potential to force (albeit it dislikes Body Slam Cubone as it ruins some of its synergy with goldeen) and the reasonable enough chance it has of causing some disruption, it can be a pokemon of value.
Goldeen (M) @ (No Item)
Level: 5
- Surf
- Substitute
- Agility
- Double-Edge
RBY LC UU's Tauros, Agility allows it to break through any disadvantage through paralysis and offers a better match-up versus Zubat and Ekans (although Glare gets through substitutes so usually attacking is a better option), with STAB Surf allowing it to force out Cubone. Realistically Surf's better accuracy combined with STAB allow it to be better than Blizzard for Goldeen, as Blizzard only hits Zubat harder. A fairly unstoppable little cleaner, this pokemon's a threat you have to keep an eye out for particularly during the later game.
Jigglypuff (M) @ (No Item)
Level: 5
- Blizzard
- Thunder Wave
- Psychic
- Thunderbolt
Finally, a Pokemon eschewed less than Zubat but more than Nidoran-M, we have jigglypuff. It's the only pokemon in the tier to have such an expansive movepool, but with the lowest speed it faces difficult making use of this. The set that it possesses allows it to be a check to Goldeen, Cubone, and all the poison types, and although it has to play a more supportive role in bringing down the opposing team, its coverage is fantastically supported by Thunder Wave. Furthermore it can take a few hits allowing it a better opportunity to spread more paralysis. I feel Sing is too unreliable to run.
So there you have a team viable in the RBY LC UU metagame, with some set variations of my own; other players eschew different pokemon more often, or choose different leads, or choose different sets for Venonat, Jigglypuff, or possibly even Cubone or Zubat. Rates, Hates, luvdiscs and suchlike, enjoy my team and enjoy the tier.
The Team:
Importable said:
Ekans (M) @ (No Item)
Level: 5
- Earthquake
- Glare
- Rock Slide
- Mimic
I'm using this as a functioning lead. It is tied fastest pokemon with Zubat and Goldeen. Earthquake and Rock Slide are the best options on this set; rock slide is a nice way to hit lead Zubat and Venonat, whilst Glare puts the rare Goldeen in a bad way. The choice of the last move is pretty; generally there's not much else that you'd need to do with ekans. Mimic is an option to use against the very rarely incapacitated foe which might have an useful move, but with its coverage hitting everything bar goldeen (and magikarp), Cubone (which OHKOs you), and Jigglypuff super effectively, it needn't have anything more than those attacks and the need to spread paralysis. The advantage of using it in a lead spot is that you can hurt venonat early and punish it for trying to get sleep, and possibly KO it should it miss sleep powder. Whilst Cubone has a strong match-up against this set, since it can OHKO, Venonat has a strong match-up versus Cubone making it rarer. Furthermore Rock Slide hits Zubat super effectively, making it risker for zubat to lead. The means of chain switching are functional with zubat, which, in a tier with a strong ground-type attacker and several pokemon weak to it, it can force situations versus the rare Cubone leads that are potentially advantageous. Being able to lure a blizzard with zubat is helpful, for goldeen to come in, but generally zubat's best option is to blanket confuse ray.
Venonat (M) @ (No Item)
Level: 5
Hardy Nature
- Sleep Powder
- Psychic
- Poison Powder
- Toxic
Whilst it's not the tier's only sleeper, Jigglypuff's Sing is much more unreliable, and with venonat available there's no reason not to carry sleep powder. Psychic is pretty mandatory as it hits everything at least neutrally and half the tier super effectively, and is venonat's strongest move versus any opponent. Whilst this set might look bad on the surface, Venonat has very few options. Stun Spore for a double powder approach is viable, but hitting a switch in with psychic is less risky and often more valuable. Given Disable's poor 55 accuracy and substitute's inability to block most forms of status, instead providing filler moves making the rare mimic abuse as poor as possible is the best option. Also, the pokemon in this tier simply aren't bulky enough, and are too powerful, for a reflect+rest set to work, especially with the grand amount of weaknesses.
Cubone (M) @ (No Item)
Level: 5
- Earthquake
- Fire Blast
- Blizzard
- Body Slam
A fantastic pokemon in the tier, nessecary on every team, it is by far the most physically bulky pokemon in the tier, with a powerful STAB earthquake shattering almost everything. Fire Blast to hit Venonat for super effective damage is pertinent once the powder is taken, and the power of its earthquake stops any getting in, apart from when something goes. It's slower but tankier and always puts in work versus any team. Fire Blast also helps with Caterpie which actually has a better match up versus Cubone than a lot of pokemon in the tier would have otherwise. Nevertheless, EQ being paired with Rock Slide or Fire Blast in this tier means that with its poor attacking movepool, it's virtually never able to abuse its rather neat defensive typing, lacking in weakness to water, ice, psychic, and possesing a ground resistance. Body Slam on Cubone is a filler move mostly, but it's Cubone's best option versus a Goldeen switch, as the threat of paralysis is amazing, and oftentimes it might not be any other way for you to win. So unlike some of the filler moves, it's usable. It's probably more useful than Submission, since Jigglypuff is hit very hard by earthquake.
Zubat (M) @ (No Item)
Level: 5
- Double-Edge
- Substitute
- Confuse Ray
- Mimic
The fourth pokemon of this team, it's one dropped by most teams in favour of having Nidoran-M. Zubat does however offer a switch-in to ground type attacks and an evens style chance versus any match up, especially with its tied highest speed of the tier with Ekans and Goldeen. Double Edge hits the whole tier hardest out of anything in its movepool. Substitute and Mimic are powerful options particularly versus Venonat. I prefer running these over Wing Attack since they do similar damage but Double Edge has recoil, whereas Substitute, Confuse Ray, and Mimic all offer alternative methods of achieving a better result with Zubat. It is clearly a more inferior pokemon, but the switches it does have the potential to force (albeit it dislikes Body Slam Cubone as it ruins some of its synergy with goldeen) and the reasonable enough chance it has of causing some disruption, it can be a pokemon of value.
Goldeen (M) @ (No Item)
Level: 5
- Surf
- Substitute
- Agility
- Double-Edge
RBY LC UU's Tauros, Agility allows it to break through any disadvantage through paralysis and offers a better match-up versus Zubat and Ekans (although Glare gets through substitutes so usually attacking is a better option), with STAB Surf allowing it to force out Cubone. Realistically Surf's better accuracy combined with STAB allow it to be better than Blizzard for Goldeen, as Blizzard only hits Zubat harder. A fairly unstoppable little cleaner, this pokemon's a threat you have to keep an eye out for particularly during the later game.
Jigglypuff (M) @ (No Item)
Level: 5
- Blizzard
- Thunder Wave
- Psychic
- Thunderbolt
Finally, a Pokemon eschewed less than Zubat but more than Nidoran-M, we have jigglypuff. It's the only pokemon in the tier to have such an expansive movepool, but with the lowest speed it faces difficult making use of this. The set that it possesses allows it to be a check to Goldeen, Cubone, and all the poison types, and although it has to play a more supportive role in bringing down the opposing team, its coverage is fantastically supported by Thunder Wave. Furthermore it can take a few hits allowing it a better opportunity to spread more paralysis. I feel Sing is too unreliable to run.
So there you have a team viable in the RBY LC UU metagame, with some set variations of my own; other players eschew different pokemon more often, or choose different leads, or choose different sets for Venonat, Jigglypuff, or possibly even Cubone or Zubat. Rates, Hates, luvdiscs and suchlike, enjoy my team and enjoy the tier.
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