RU Combinations and Playstyles

Texas Cloverleaf

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Effective Combinations in RU
Credit to SilentVerse for assistance

Effective Offensive and Defensive combos are important for every team. Effective Offensive combos are necessary to be able to break through the opponent's defenses and sweep. You can't just bunch 6 sweepers together and call it a day. Whereas defensive combos are necessary to cover up type- weaknesses and / or being able to tank hits from threats with good defensive bulk from both ends of the spectrum (Physical and Special).

Definitions:

Defensive Combos:
2 Pokemon that use type resistances or general defensive stats (or both) to help switch into each other's threatening pokemon's attacks. Examples for type would be Moltres and Rotom-C, as both resist several of the other's weaknesses. Note I specifically used two offensively inclined pokemon to demonstrate this has to do with switching into attacks; offensive pokemon can be partners in defensive combinations. Examples for general defensive stats would be Slowking and Tangrowth; while they don't cover each other's type weaknesses (they actually share the Bug-type weakness), 1 covers the physical spectrum very well while the other covers the special spectrum excellently. Both also have the Regenerator ability, allowing them to live for a long time.
Offensive Combos:
2 Pokemon whose attacks cover what the other cannot defeat. An example would be Choice Specs Moltres and Calm Mind Sigilyph; Moltres lures in and weakens Specially Defensive threats with boosted Fire Blast / Air Slash so Sigilyph can plow through said threats with ease, otherwise these threats would be able to take on Sigilyph and prevent it from sweeping their team.
Both Offensive & Defensive Combos:
2 Pokemon that both cover each other's defenses well and beat what the other has difficulty with. An example would be Life Orb Sceptile and Swords Dance Feraligatr; Life Orb Sceptile is a target for Entei, who can revenge kill it with Extremespeed, whereas Feraligatr can use this as an opportunity to set-up. Likewise, Tangrowth likes to switch in on Feraligatr and deliver a swift KO with Power Whip, Sceptile can use its Grass-resistance to switch in and begin to wreck havoc. The two cover type-weaknesses well (defensive synergy) as well as hit hard from both sides of the spectrum (offensive synergy).
Strategic Combos:
2 Pokemon (or concepts) who work together, not necessarily through typing or offensive benefits, to accomplish some goal. Examples would be Spikes + Powerful Attacker, like Scolipede and Cofagrigus. These 2 don't necessarily have optimal defensive typings for each other or possess attacks that cover each other well, but the Spikes that Scolipede provides helps Cofagrigus against Pokemon like Drapion and Munchlax.
Examples:

Defensive Combination

Steelix @ Leftovers
Relaxed - Sturdy
252 HP, 96 Def, 160 SDef

- Stealth Rock
- Roar
- Gyro Ball
- Earthquake

+


Mandibuzz @ Leftovers
Careful - Big Pecks
248 HP / 244 Def / 16 Spe

- Taunt
- Roost
- Toxic / Whirlwind
- Brave Bird / Toxic

Mandibuzz and Steelix form a wonderful defensive combo together. Steelix sets up Stealth Rock which both Mandibuzz and Steelix can use to rack up damage from phazing, and Steelix takes troublesome Electric- and Rock-type attacks with ease, and brings in Ground- and Grass-type Pokemon who Mandibuzz can dismantle with joy. Since Steelix is also an incredible physical wall, he can take on those powerful physical attacks which Mandibuzz would faint against with ease, while Mandibuzz can easily take special attacks with her marvelous overall bulk. This core tends to work well on stall teams, since the damage racked up from phazing and other entry hazards which Mandibuzz's and Steelix's teammates may have set up will add up extremely quickly due to just how good they are at phazing.

Offensive Combination

Spiritomb @ Choice Band
Adamant - Choice Band
172 HP, 252 Atk, 84 Spe

- Shadow Sneak
- Sucker Punch
- Pursuit
- Trick

+


Gallade @ Leftovers
Careful - Steadfast
240 HP, 224 SpD, 44 Spe

- Bulk Up
- Drain Punch
- Shadow Sneak / Night Slash
- Substitute / Taunt

Spiritomb and Gallade work well together in tandem, providing opportunities to set up on and beat each others counters. Spiritomb provides excellent revenge killing abilities for a team with its powerful priority, but is set up on and defeated by Steel-type Pokemon and Substitute users. Conveniently, both of these are perfect opportunities for Gallade to come in and start setting up Substitutes or Bulk Ups of its own; Gallade can also quickly KO the Steel-types with Drain Punch. Conversely, Gallade often has trouble setting up on bulky Psychic- and Ghost-type Pokemon, Pokemon that Spiritomb can quickly remove with a Choice Banded Pursuit, Shadow Sneak, or Sucker Punch.

Both Offensive and Defensive Combination

Scyther @ Choice Band
Jolly - Technician
252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe

- U-turn
- Aerial Ace
- Bug Bite / Quick Attack
- Brick Break / Bug Bite

+


Lanturn @ Leftovers
Calm - Volt Absorb
40 HP / 252 Def / 216 SDef

- Scald
- Volt Switch
- Ice Beam
- Heal Bell

Like the fabled Scizor + Rotom-W combination in OU, Scyther + Lanturn works similarly in that they both resist each others weaknesses admirably well, while keeping a reasonable offensive presence with the VoltTurn combo. Scyther can take on the Grass-types who give Lanturn issues, while Lanturn can smack around troublesome Fire-, Flying-, Electric-, and Ice-types. Offensively, Scyther's powerful U-turns will force switches to physical walls such as Rhydon and Steelix, who are threatened by Lanturn's Water-type STAB move. However, if they switch out, Lanturn has the ability to use Volt Switch, and since Lanturn tends to lure in Grass-types, who Scyther can severely maim with U-turn, this vicious cycle can keep continuing as long as you continue to make the right predictions. Lanturn can even cure any attempts to status this combo with Heal Bell, which prevents any attempts to thwart this duo by inflicting either Pokemon with an irksome burn or Toxic.

Strategic Combination
Linoone+Uxie (in progress)

Your turn!

So now it's your turn to post some effective combinations you've been using in the metagame. Please don't just post "Septle and GATRS is vair gud". If you can, give the movesets, and briefly outline the pros and cons of your combination, and which category it fits under.


But that's not all!

In addition to posting combinations that work effectively together, I also want you to discuss the playstyles that each of these combinations work most effectively in. You should be able to answer the following questions:
  • What playstyle(s) does this combination work best in?
  • What factors make it successful? Why?
  • What key roles does this combination fulfill for the playstyle?
  • What makes this combination better than most others in a playstyle?
  • How does this combination benefit a team and its possible teammates?

By answering these questions about your combination you provide insight into how best to utilise your combination and into the benefits it holds over other options. With that said, get crackin'!
 
I find the basis of an effective team to be a fire/water/grass core as even an offensive Pokemon can afford a few switches into a resisted hit in most cases and often threaten something out.

An example from a team I run would be,

Sawsbuck
Feraligatr
Entei

With a SD/Baton Pass Sawsbuck you can sponge Grass moves for Feraligatr or Ground moves for Entei setting up a potential sweep for either or them as they switch in to deal with Sawsbuck.

I've tried a couple of physical/special wall combinations, Sigilyph/Confagrius is one of the better cores but the standard pairing I use is Clefable/Gligar. Clefable carries my heal bell to free physical sweepers from status and stealth rocks, as well as s-toss to break subs and a recovery move. Gligar is a second baton pass/boost Pokemon but also functions as an effective wall covering the fighting weakness of two normals and being able to switch in on a lot of common threats with his huge physical bulk.

Anyway, not sure if that was entirely the intention of the thread, but I tried to make my post a bit more to the point and thread specific.
 

SkullCandy

She Bangs The Drums
is a Contributor Alumnus
Defensive Combo:


Clefable @ Leftovers
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Adamant Nature
-Wish
-Protect
-Seismic Toss
-Heal Bell

+


Gligar @ Eviolite
Ability: Hyper Cutter
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Impish Nature
-Stealth Rock
-Earthquake
-Toxic
-Roost

This set works a lot like SkarmBliss did in past generations. Gligar resists Clefable’s Fighting-type weakness and, even though it doesn’t resist any of Gligar’s weaknesses, Clefable can easily sponge the Special attacks that Gligar hates. To take advantage of the switches this combo causes Gligar can set up Stealth Rock and spread more residual damage with Toxic, which gets worse the longer a Pokemon stays in thus encouraging more and more switching. Clefable can heal any Gligar of Burn as well as compensating for Gligar’s lack of Leftovers with Wish. Like most defensive combos this combo works well on stall teams or teams that rely heavily on entry hazards to whittle down the health of opposing teams to allow their Pokemon to sweep.

EDIT: Was doing one on Gallade but then realised that Texas Cloverfield was (and forgot to change the ability :p)
 

tehy

Banned deucer.
I feel like immunity works best there, making it a wall that's immune to toxic. If someone intimidates your attack, then toxic them, unless it's a mawile, which is the only real case where much of a difference is made, IMO.
 
and if for whatever reason you decide to run a set similar to what I do (mono-attacking with roost, sd and baton pass) it stops them lowering your boosts with intimidate as gimmick.

Clefable/Gligar is one of the best cores in the tier IMO, add in Lanturn who can check Waterfall and Ice Punch and you've got a pretty much perfect basic core.
 

SkullCandy

She Bangs The Drums
is a Contributor Alumnus
Offensive Combination


Typhlosion @ Choice Specs
Ability: Blaze
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
-Eruption
-Focus Blast
-Hidden Power [Rock]
-Fire Blast

+

Charizard @ Leftovers
Ability: Solar Power
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
-Sunny Day
-Fire Blast
-Air Slash
-Solar Beam

The two Fire-type starters from Gen 1 and 2 form an excellent offensive partnership. As a ‘lead’ of sorts, Typhlosion often immediately draws a team’s Fire resist, meaning that Typhlosion can wear it down with STAB Choice Specs boosted Eruptions (or appropriate coverage move). Charizard comes in later when Fire-type resists are dead or severely hurt, sets up Sunny Day and sweeps, with its excellent coverage, from there. If Typholsion is still alive (although it probably won’t be because of its frailty) it can take advantage of sun boosted Fire Blasts to do even more damage. There aren’t that many Pokemon in RU that resist Fire, and many of those who do are offensively oriented (Entei, Moltres, Sharpedo) so won’t be able to take repeated boosted attacks from high Special Attack stats.
 
Wow, I thought this would be a really popular thread. Anyway... one combo of probably more to come

Offensive Combination

Honchkrow (wall breaker) + sharpedo (mixed cleaner)



Honchkrow
Adamant nature
EVs: 4 hp / 252 atk / 252 spe
Ability: Moxie

Substitute
Brave Bird
Sucker punch
Pursuit


Sharpedo
Rash nature
EVs:132 Atk / 252 SpA / 124 Spe
Ability: speed boost

Hydro pump
Ice beam
Crunch
Protect

Use honchkrow to smash things midgame (pursuit is not as commonly seen so it can catch people off guard) by comming in on claydol, support uxie, slowking you expect to switch, or anything you can maim / kill with pursuit. Hopefully you get a moxie boost and can wreak something. Steels and some rock types will wall but a naive nature and hp (ground) instead of sub or pursuit can work too.

Biggest thing about this combo!
Know what your little shark can get the ohko on and aim to push what can normally take one hit into KO range with honchkrow. (these EVs will not OHKO standard Slowking after SR so you need more than 33% damage)

Sharpedo can ohko most honchkrow checks and a honchkrow under a sub can destroy Entei and Hitmonchan - 'mons that can normally hold sharpedo back with priority.

Strategic Combination

Manectric (Scarf Scout) + Kabutops (Bulky Support)


Manectric
Modest nature
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Ability: Lightning Rod

Volt Switch
Overheat
HP Grass
Switcheroo



Kabutops
Impish nature
EVs: 252 HP / 52 Atk / 204 Def
Ability: Battle Armor

Stealth Rock
Rapid Spin
Aqua Jet
Stone Edge

-ok ok ok, kabutops' EVs are out dated and there is probably a better set, but back when I made this thing it was to stop Honchkrow and can just survive SR + max damage BB + max damage Sucker Punch in the hail without even a critical chance... and frankly I'm too lazy to come up with a more relevant spread. Probably put some more into Atk or something...

There are better combos (not many resistances to share among them, but an important immunity), but this has nice utility. Manectric can scout for excellent opportunities to either lay Stealth Rocks or Rapid spin and (also slightly dated, but when Galvantula was seen over Rotom-c... which seems to be everywhere these days) Manectric can take volt-switches, etc aimed at Kabutops.

In general, a lot is offered between these two. Decent physical defense, spinning, hazards, special and physical damage, scouting ability, priority, and the ability to cripple something with switcheroo.
 


Slowking (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Regenerator
EVs: 248 HP / 144 Def / 116 SDef
Calm Nature (+SDef, -Atk)
- Scald
- Dragon Tail
- Toxic
- Slack Off

+



Tangrowth (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SDef
Relaxed Nature (+Def, -Spd)
- Giga Drain
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Leech Seed
- Sleep Powder

The well-known "Regenerator Core." Slowking and Tangrowth are both specially defensive and physically defensive beasts respectively. In addition, the both cover each others' weaknesses. Toxic + Leech Seed is going to whittle down the opposing Pokemons' health while your Pokemon have full HP due to Regenerator. Combine that with hazard support and this combo can get extremely annoying. While this combination is defensive, you can also make it offensive by equipping either Pokemon with a Life Orb or a pair of Choice Specs. Specs Slowking hits amazingly hard, and the only Pokemon that is not 2HKO'd by any of its moves is Mandibuzz. Slowking could also run Trick Room, which would help these two slow Pokemon to sweep. Offensive Tangrowth is pretty good and may surprise the opponent. These two for good offensive and defensive cores.

"Dual Ghost"



Drifblim (M) @ Flying Gem
Trait: Unburden
EVs: 252 Atk / 88 Def / 168 Spd
Naughty Nature (+Atk, -SDef)
- Acrobatics
- Shadow Ball
- Destiny Bond
- Will-O-Wisp

+



Cofagrigus (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Mummy
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SAtk / 4 SDef
Quiet Nature (+SAtk, -Spd)
- Trick Room
- Nasty Plot
- Shadow Ball
- Hidden Power [Fighting]

+

Stealth Rock & Spikes (Toxic Spikes)

If you're using a Semi-Stall team, or an offensive team with Spikes, this combo keeps your hazards on the field at all times. Rapid Spin? Nope. Ok so Foresight?? Still blocked. Cofagrigus and Drifblim also work great with hazard support, gaining many more OHKOs and 2HKOs due to Spikes. Aside from spinblocking, Drifblim also helps Cofagrigus sweep easier. With Will-O-Wisp, it will cripple common Cofagrigus counters such as Drapion and Mandibuzz. Acrobatics will KO other troublesome Pokemon such as Munchlax and specially defensive Roselia. This strategy can also be used with different Ghost types, this is just an effective combo that I've used.
 

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