Project RU Research Week (Articuno, Garbodor, Cofagrigus)

[CrzyCookie]

hm... I'll do Mr.Mime cause Exploud needs to fall into a pit
Alt:CrzySour

 

[fran17]

vecchia scuola
mr mime

 

[Wandering Wobbuffet]

I kind have a big liking for all the mons this week but I'm going to have to do kabutops since he's my second favorite pokemon. I mean look at him in the lati@s movie

also alt: NotFinneon

 

[Hopeee]

btw make sure to have your posts in :3
Also i'll be ending this week early Sunday bc im busy Saturday :)

 

[DTC]

I played a few matches of Mr. Mime the other day. It's a decent Pokemon but for the most part, Meloetta is much better. Mr. Mime's biggest selling point is Healing Wish, which while a cool niche, isn't enough. Other than that, all it has over Meloetta is being able to switchinto Exploud pretty well, 4x resist Fighting, and hit Spiritomb with STAB Dazzling Gleam. All of those sound good but then you realize you're using a much weaker and much frailer Meloetta, so unless you need all of those attributes on 1 team + a Special attacking Psychic-type, Mr. Mime doesn't have a niche. Personally I think Healing Wish / Psychic / Focus Blast / Dazzling Gleam @ Life Orb is the best set. Some people were saying in chat that Scarf is better but I'd rather be able to freely use Healing Wish if I were to use Mr. Mime.

 

[eren]

Here is me, DTC, Fineonbae, and Kableye discussing zangoose

logs

[[17:19:33] SLURMZ§: Dtc
[17:19:40] Brooklyn Blazikens: #PPUbound
[17:19:42] SLURMZ§: Did u play zangoose
[17:20:00] &dtc: n
[17:20:08] &dtc: i think it might have too many issues in ru tho
[17:20:17] &dtc: bc of spiritomb
[17:20:22] &dtc: and m steelix
[17:20:28] Brooklyn Blazikens: dtc
[17:20:31] SLURMZ§: n
[17:20:32] &dtc: and diancie
[17:20:40] SLURMZ§: well diancie yeah
[17:20:40] Brooklyn Blazikens: you would enjoy the PPU
[17:20:40] Braviary Baby: I actually did play it
[17:20:42] &dtc: and its low speed of 90
[17:20:45] SLURMZ§: it got much worse
[17:20:46] Braviary Baby: and you're right
[17:20:50] SLURMZ§: after diancieit dropped
[17:21:03] SLURMZ§: But it's still decent
[17:21:10] Braviary Baby: it's already kind of iffy in NU were its kind of good if you get it in on a slow volt switch
[17:21:14] &dtc: i think it's too much trouble to use
[17:21:17] &dtc: because you have 1 turn
[17:21:19] SLURMZ§: scsrf trum + zangoose + hw mesprit
[17:21:22] &dtc: where it does 0 dmg
[17:21:27] Braviary Baby: and it can bop most supposed checks with a superpower
[17:21:31] &dtc: close combat
[17:21:33] SLURMZ§: cc
[17:21:34] Braviary Baby: eh ya
[17:21:36] SLURMZ§: not superpower
[17:21:38] Braviary Baby: my b
[17:21:41] &dtc: anyways its supposed to be a wallbreaker but
[17:21:45] &dtc: it does little dmg the 1st turn
[17:21:54] Acetrainer4293: anyone want to battle
[17:21:57] &dtc: and has issues with diancie / spiritomb
[17:21:59] Braviary Baby: point is, it doesnt do what it does in NU and even there it's not A material
[17:22:02] &dtc: and you can even protect stall it with momo
[17:22:22] SLURMZ§: Yeah
[17:22:24] &dtc: im p sure you can switch momo in the first time
[17:22:25] Braviary Baby: and RU has so many more checks
[17:22:25] &dtc: zangoose is out
[17:22:40] Fineon: still swords dance is scary
[17:22:42] Fineon: for any defensive mon
[17:22:52] Fineon: and tomb doesnt appreciate a knock off
[17:22:56] &dtc: ya SD can prob net a kill vs defensive teams
[17:23:01] &dtc: problem is it has 90 speed so
[17:23:16] &dtc: its not great vs the rest of the tier
[17:23:21] &dtc: bc you're missing out on quick attack
[17:23:22] Braviary Baby: what do you not use for SD?
[17:23:23] Braviary Baby: QA?
[17:23:26] Fineon: yh
[17:23:31] SLURMZ§: N u can't run
[17:23:32] SLURMZ§: sd
[17:23:32] Fineon: i do like bp pass to zangoose tho
[17:23:38] SLURMZ§: u can't run sd
[17:23:40] Fineon: it's rlly good
[17:23:42] SLURMZ§: or tomb walls 100%
[17:23:47] Fineon: knock off?
[17:23:48] SLURMZ§: because if u don't run cc
[17:23:50] Braviary Baby: KO?
[17:23:53] SLURMZ§: everything walls u?
[17:23:58] &dtc: SLURMZ i assume it's not using quick attack
[17:24:02] &dtc: but then you just lose vs everything faster
[17:24:06] SLURMZ§: quick attack-less
[17:24:08] SLURMZ§: is bad.
[17:24:15] SLURMZ§: U need 4 asks to be decent
[17:24:16] Fineon: anyways mawile bp swords dance boosts to zangoose works
[17:24:16] &dtc: ya so basically sd is just
[17:24:18] SLURMZ§: atks*
[17:24:18] &dtc: a stall counterteam
[17:24:22] SLURMZ§: Indeed
[17:24:26] &dtc: or you can bp to it i guess
[17:24:38] Fineon: mhm
[17:24:40] SLURMZ§: Yeah but mawile + goose
[17:24:48] SLURMZ§: urgh u need so much offensive countermeaures
[17:24:55] %Kableye: what would u bp on tho
[17:24:59] &dtc: zangoose is just
[17:25:02] SLURMZ§: Yeah
[17:25:03] &dtc: too much trouble for what its worth
[17:25:03] %Kableye: like you sd as they switch to steelix
[17:25:07] %Kableye: and goose dies to eq
[17:25:10] SLURMZ§: ^
[17:25:12] &dtc: if you want a wallbreaker use specs exploud / lo medicham
[17:25:17] &dtc: or band tyrantrum
[17:25:24] SLURMZ§: Conclusion: run specs exploud or LO medicham

oh i checked that zangoose learns iron tail, probably should use that over knock.

 

[Hopeee]

Congrats Based Honker for winning this week!

This week's mons will be Mega Banette, Clawitzer, and Aggron. While these pokemon may be RU by usage, when going through 1760 usage stats they all are below 5%. Maybe some of you guys can see why that may be.

Also for this week please actually make a post describing how the mon worked for you. It doesn't have to be long :3

Happy posting

 

[CrzyCookie]

LOL i didnt get to post ;; But I'll do Mega Banette
Alt:CrzyLadder

 

[Take Azelfie]

I meant to post
Clawitzer
Clawitzer Rolls

 

[Cheryl.]

I'll do MegaNette and actually post this week

Alt: I'm a Puppet!

 

[Wandering Wobbuffet]

Can't decide between the two so picking up aggron and clawitzer
Alt: Fried Clawitzer
Edit: rip clawitzer it's so hard to use
alt: Specs Head Smash

 

[CrzyCookie]

Overall Banette was actually pretty well handled as far as coming through for its role.It's use of Destiny Bond helps take down other pokemon with it.Even so, Personally I though Banette was very well used on my team as a sorta of cleaner given the right circumstances in the match because of it's good ATK stats.With the ability Prankster,I was able to pick up some KO's without taking damage from weakened pokemon. One of the problems with banette is its incapability of handling things like Knock Off and other dark moves. Really any strong super effective moves can make it hard.It's lack of a recovery move makes it so once its down enough Banette is basically over and must either die alone or take the opp. with it.. Otherwise everything else works if you play it right.(If i did something wrong using it plz)

252+ Atk Life Orb Absol Sucker Punch vs. 0 HP / 56 Def Mega Banette: 439-523 (163.1 - 194.4%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ SpA Life Orb Hoopa Shadow Ball vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Mega Banette: 484-572 (179.9 - 212.6%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252 Atk Drapion Knock Off vs. 0 HP / 56 Def Mega Banette: 198-234 (73.6 - 86.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

My ranking on the ladder suffered a bit cause I ran into some problems

Set:
Banette @ Banettite
Ability: Frisk
EVs: 252 Atk / 56 Def / 200 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Destiny Bond
- Will-O-Wisp
- Knock Off
- Gunk Shot

The set I used was very basic Utility set.Will-O-Wisp worked extremely well for me as it let me put a timer on walls and teams unprepared with a cleric to take away the burn.With a powerful Gunk Shot STAB,Banette provided good coverage over types like Grass,Fairy,and others.I didn't really try anything fancy because I've never heard of Banette being more than it already is.


http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ru-363754139 : A replay using Banette as a Sacrifice

http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ru-363768452 :A replay of Willow Banette saving me


LEAVE A LIKE IF YOU ENJOY MY WORDS

 

[Hopeee]

Grats to CrzyCookie for winning!!! New mons this week are Omastar, Shiftry, and Hariyama. Omastar is pretty cool as it can either run a hazard setter set or run a Shell Smash sweeper set. Shiftry also can run varying sets as a Swords Dance sweeper or offensive defogger. Hariyama became popular as it checked Mega Abomasnow with Assault Vest + Thick Fat. Even with Abomasnow gone, it's still very good at checking Special Attackers with it's large HP stat.

Happy posting :3

 

[CrzyCookie]

I'll do Omastar
alt:CrzySnail

 

[Drangonn.]

I'll do Shiftry

Alt: Kideo Hojima

 

[twinkay]

I'm kind of late to the party, but I'll try Hariyama

Alt: Trainstopper

 

[twinkay]

Hariyama

Overview
As far as bulk goes, Hariyama is very good at its job. It manages to be very tanky due to having a massive HP stat and while its defenses are not great, they are pretty decent (60 / 60) but mostly saved by your HP stat. With some defensive investment and a defense boosting item like an Assault Vest, Hariyama becomes very bulky and fills its niche as a bulky Fighting-type pretty well, in my opinion. As for competition, there is Emboar, who hits harder and is reasonably bulky but gets worn down easily, and Poliwrath, who has consistent defensive stats (90 / 95 / 90) but doesn't hit as hard. Finally, there is Gurdurr, who becomes tanky with Eviolite and cans set up Bulk Ups to raise Defense. It is reliant on Eviolite to remain bulky, though. Despite all of this, Hariyama is still a very strong Pokemon who can differentiate itself from the plethora of other Fighting-types in RU. Keep in mind that it's main weaknesses are that it is weak to three common specially attacking types - Psychic, Fairy, and Ghost - and is very slow.

Sets
When building a Hariyama set, you probably will start by running the item of choice, Assault Vest. Hariyama does not have much item variety besides this. Assault Vest complements Hariyama's huge HP stat by giving it a boost in Special Defense, allowing you to take most resisted and neutral Special hits. As for abilities, Thick Fat is preferred by far since it gives you useful resistances to Fire and Ice. But actually, I used Guts to some success, as many people will predict Thick Fat and burn/poison/paralyze you. But 75% of the time, Thick Fat is probably better. As for moves, I'll just go over the top 10 used for Hariyama in RU.

Knock Off / Close Combat - These moves went over 90% and should be on most sets. Close Combat is powerful STAB and Knock Off is general utility that hurts Ghosts, Psychics, and OHKOes Hoopa.
Bullet Punch - Priority is useful and helps against things like Sawk and Sash Accelgor. Also hits most Fairies.
Fake Out - See above. Used in conjunction with Heavy Slam and getting free damage on most Pokemon is nice. It doesn't hit really hit much in particular and only works the first turn out, which is the reason it is probably below Bullet Punch in usage.
Heavy Slam - A powerful alternative to hit Fairies, which is useful for some teams. Inconsistency makes this move less appealing.
Ice Punch - Hits most Flying-types and Flygon and has good coverage generally. However, you are slower than all RU-viable Flying types except Togetic, so you'll have to take a hit.
Earthquake - Hits some Poison-types like Qwilfish hard but is generally worse since Amoongus left.
Stone Edge - OHKOes Fletchinder and hits Flying types harder but has shaky accuracy and is generally inferior to Ice Punch. Useful for Fletchinder weak teams, I guess.
Belly Drum - Not a very good wincon because you are super-slow (base 50) and will rely on Bullet Punch to hit faster Pokemon. Hariyama could clean up weakened teams, but most of the time other moves are simply better.
Cross Chop - Doesn't lower defenses, but has shaky accuracy and less power. Just use Close Combat in most cases.

I would recommend either Close Combat / Knock Off / Bullet Punch / Ice Punch or Close Combat / Knock Off / Fake Out / Heavy Slam

Teammates
Hariyama appreciates Steel types since they resist Flying, Fairy, and Psychic. This means that Pokemon such as Mega Steelix and Bronzong make for good partners. Pokemon that can offensively handle its weakness such as Magneton, Sneasel, and Drapion are good teammates. Pokemon who like Steel-types removed like Fletchinder and Sneasel also make for good partners. Wish support from the likes of Alomomola give Hariyama a form of recovering health. Pokemon that remove Poison types such as Sigilyph and Rhyperior are also helpful.

Hope this helps some people!

 

[Cheryl.]

So Fineonbae has given me permission to update the thread, so here it is!

Drangonn wins the week by having the highest ladder score! Congrats!

The new mons this week are Articuno, Garbodor, and Cofagrigus! Articuno has the ability to break the ever-so-common core of Mega Steelix, Venusaur, and bulky water-type (Usually Alomomola) thanks to it's excellent STAB coverage and access to Freeze-Dry, making him a great Pokemon to use against balanced teams. Garbodor checks Venusaur, which is already pretty big, and can also set up Spikes and annoy physical attackers with Aftermath or a possible Rocky Helmet! Cofagrigus has a nice as a nice defensive Pokemon that can check physical attackers such as Medicham and set up Toxic Spikes and spread status. It can also run a really cool offensive Trick Room set with Nasty Plot to attempt a sweep!

Happy posting everyone :)

I'll be using Cuno under the alt : SnowCheryl

 

[eren]

wynaut

Alt: the life of chakra

 

[Drangonn.]

le fagrigus

alt: kideo hojima

 

[twinkay]

I want the coffin

Alt : Gold Eater

 

[Shephen912]

I'll take Garbodor

Alt: Chrom's Rapier

 

[Hopeee]

Extending this week due to the ladder change. Make sure to post your analysis by next week!

 

[Hopeee]

Just a reminder to post your analysis of the mon you chose (even if it's a short paragraph) by Sunday morning :3

 

[twinkay]

Cofagrigus


Overview
At first glance, Cofagrigus seems to be a promising Pokemon. It has an excellent base 145 Defense stat, meaning it can take virtually any resisted or neutral physical hit. 105 Special Defense is very good for a physical wall, but a sad 58 HP stat keeps Cofagrigus from being an overall great wall. Cofagrigus has offensive potential as well, since 95 Special Attack isn't half bad. Cofagrigus has a Mono-Ghost typing, enabling it to wall Medicham, Physical Virizion, and Escavalier easier than other walls. As far as competition, defensive Cofagrigus does not face too much. Spiritomb has a better movepool, priority, and isn't as slow. Jellicent has recovery, water immunity, higher HP, and is faster. However, Cofagrigus has an edge over both of them with its insanely high defense and Mummy. Nasty Plot Cofagrigus has competition from Hoopa and Mismagius, who are faster and stronger but less bulky. It's safe to say that the metagame is pretty even with Cofagrigus right now. On one hand, there are a plethora of Fighting-types and physically offensive Pokemon just waiting to get burned. On the other hand, there is a metagame ridden with special Dark and Ghost types such as Houndoom, who will use burns to get fuel its evil fires, and Hoopa, whose 150 Special attack will decimate you in your Egyptian grave (yes, I do realize this is overly dramatic...). Cofagrigus is also somewhat of set up fodder, so be careful. Overall, Cofagrigus has a solid niche in being a physical wall or a sweeper.

Sets
Cofagrigus has two distinct sets - Defensive and Trick Room + Nasty Plot. Both use a different set of moves and require a different playstyle. In my testing, I came to the conclusion that Defensive Cofagrigus is better right now due to its ability to stop the majority of RU's physical attackers. Trick Room Nasty Plot, which I will abbreviate to TRNP because the whole thing is a pain to type, also takes frustratingly long to set up, meaning the opponent has two turns instead of one to act against Cofagrigus. Defensive Cofagrigus will usually run Leftovers to better serve as a wall. TRNP Cofagrigus will also run Leftovers to become bulkier and have passive recovery. As far as Abilities, Cofagrigus has Mummy, which goes along with its theme of annoying physical attackers. Mummy is a helpful ability, to say the least. I'll go over the top moves for Cofagrigus, and percentages will even be thrown in this time!

|74.178%| Will-O-Wisp - Will-O-Wisp burns most physical attackers, weakening them for sometimes the whole game. This helps mitigate threats that otherwise could prove to be a problem for the rest of your team. An amazing asset for Defensive Cofagrigus
|53.716%| Shadow Ball - Used on both sets, Shadow Ball is used to attack opponents for damaging STAB. Pokemon like Hoopa and Medicham particularly hate this move. This also has a small chance to lower Special Defense.
|51.814%| Pain Split - This recovery, although not reliable, is the best Cofagrigus has. It can deal damage while recovering health at the same time, which can often be crucial. Another great asset for defensive Cofagrigus.
|42.062%| Hex - This is an alternative to Shadow Ball commonly seen on defensive sets due to it having good synergy with Will-O-Wisp and Toxic Spikes. Hex also works well with another status spreader, like Alomomola.
|31.883%| Trick Room - The essential part of the TRNP combo. This basically allows Cofagrigus to use its low speed to its advantage and poke a hole or clean up the opposing team. Cofagrigus could also serve as a setter for dedicated Trick Room teams.
|20.667%| Toxic Spikes - Cofagrigus is a good Toxic Spikes setter and one of the only relevant ones, making Cofagrigus a help on Hazard Stack since it doubles as a spinblocker. Be careful with this, since it clashes with Will-O-Wisp, arguably Cofagrigus's most important tool.
|18.425%| Nasty Plot - The second part of the TRNP set which allow Cofagrigus to set up and deal big damage to the opposing team. Not really much else to say about this.
|16.512%| Hidden Power Fighting - This move rounds out TRNP. It allows Cofagrigus to hit Normal-types and also hit most Dark types for super-effective damage.
|14.729%| Haze - A neat option for defensive Cofagrigus that allows it to stop certain setup sweepers in a pinch. If Cofagrigus can take a hit from the said sweeper, than Haze will eliminate the stat changes. This certainly isn't amazing, but helpful under the righ circumstance.
|12.399%| Calm Mind - Unfortunately, Cofagrigus is not a very good Calm Mind user as it is susceptible to being worn down and does not have a good move to Mono-Attack with, since Normal-types are immune to Shadow Ball. This may have some potential, but not much.
|12.238%| Rest - A reliable recovery move that can be used in combination with Chesto Berry and/or Sleep Talk, but Cofagrigus prefers Leftovers more and being put to sleep is very unfavorable, since Cofagrigus is already set-up fodder. An interesting, but not very good option.
|11.295%| Knock Off - Knocking off an item is always great utility, but Cofagrigus's Attack stat is so mediocre it isn't even worth it, at least in my opinion. This could be an option for teams without a Knock Off user already.


Team Options
Cofagrigus could be paired with a special wall such as Registeel or Togetic to complement its defensiveness. Entry hazards such as Spikes or Stealth Rocks pair nicely with the switches Cofagrigus forces on physical attackers. A Dark-type provides the most type synergy with Cofagrigus, since one can take Dark-type and Ghost-type attacks and Cofagrigus can take Fighting-type and Bug-type attacks in return. In this regard, Sneasel, Drapion, Absol, and Houndoom all make for good partners. Virizion, Mawile, and Mega-Audno can all take Knock Offs. TRNP Cofagrigus appreciates slow wallbreakers such as Rhyperior or Mega-Camerupt to pave the way for a sweep and also have good synergy with Trick Room.

Hope I helped some people! God, this took a long time to write.