Project RU Teambuilding

[trc]

Alright guys, your entries have all been included in the OP. I'm really impressed with the turnout. At the moment, our main goal is to get a decent amount of entries in each "what to use" category, ideally covering most Pokemon. If you're stuck, check the soon-to-come viability ranking thread to see some Pokemon worth writing for.

 

[Galladium]

What to use:

Aromatisse @ Leftovers
Ability: Aroma Veil
EV's: 252 HP / 240 Def / 16 SpD
IV's: 0 Spe
Relaxed Nature

- Protect
- Wish
- Toxic/Moonblast
- Aromatherapy

Role: Mixed Wall / Cleric

What it does: Switch into physical attacks, heal allies with Wish/Aromatherapy, stall out teams with Toxic…

Aromatisse is possibly one of the best mixed walls in RU. Pure Fairy is a great typing for a defensive Pokemon, with only two weaknesses that are both relatively uncommon on offensive Pokemon (aside from Escavalier). What's more, it's ability protects it from Taunt, one of the most common ways of shutting down a wall, and it also has pretty good 101 / 72 / 89 defenses. This, combined with its resistances to Dark, Fighting, and Bug, allows it to stall out many Pokemon, and function effectively as a Cleric.

The set given is pretty self explanatory. With the EVs, Aromatisse is able to pass 203 HP Wishes to Pokemon like Carracosta (to pick a bad example) who lack any methods of healing. With Aroma Veil blocking Taunt, Aromatisse can run a moveset with only non-damaging moves. Toxic does greater passive damage, but you can use Moonblast if your team lacks Fairy coverage.

Good teammates: Pretty much any Pokemon that either has trouble switching in or can't heal itself. Also, Pokemon that are weak to status. Aromatisse also works really well with Shell Smashers like Barbaracle or Carracosta, they can switch in after a Wish, and be healed of Burns through Aromatherapy. Aromatisse struggles with bulky Poisons, and so appreciates the help of a Pokemon like Rhyperior.

What counters it: Escavalier. It is immune to Toxic and resists Moonblast, and can 2HKO back with Iron Head. Defensively, Aromatisse struggles against bulky Poisons like Amoonguss and Golbat.

Any additional info: As it doesn't require Leftovers to heal itself and resists dark, Aromatisse can freely switch into Knock Off, and stall off the attacking Pokemon with Wish / Protect. As it has decent 99 SpAtk and 89 SpDef stats, Aromatisse can run a Calm Mind set, but it's generally better used defensively.

Please let me know what you think, feedback would be very much appreciated.

 

[EonX]

Glad nobody got to this before I was able to get back on. Would have posted this along with Virizion, but had to go out. Anyway, here goes something:

Slowking @ Assault Vest
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 248 HP / 216 SAtk / 44 SDef
Nature: Modest
- Scald
- Psyshock
- Fire Blast
- Dragon Tail

Role: Pivot, Bulky Attacker, Tank, Special Wall

What it Does: Assault Vest Slowking can best be described as a glue Pokemon for teams in need of power, but needing the ability to reliably handle the likes of Delphox and Moltres. Thanks to Regenerator, Slowking can easily run Assault Vest to soak up virtually any special attack that isn't a STAB super effective one. Even if the target you're trying to switch into predicts with a super effective move, Slowking can just switch back out to the appropriate response and regain 33% of its max HP. Scald is a cool move on AV Slowking as the 30% burn chance can make it incredibly annoying to take down. Psyshock is used over Psychic as most Fighting-types, especially Gallade, have lower Defense than Special Defense. Plus, you're already smashing Rhyperior and Gligar with Scald anyway. Fire Blast is nice to beat up on shit like Cobalion, Registeel, Escavalier, and Bronzong. Dragon Tail finishes off the set and can be used to rack up entry hazard damage early on. This is particularly useful as Slowking's typing deters about every Spinner from coming in naturally while most Defog users are SR weak. EV spread rounds down passive damage and hits the final boost point provided by nature. The rest is put in Special Defense to amplify the effects of Assault Vest a little more. Modest is a no-brainer for the nature so Slowking can hit hard enough.

Good Teammates: Slowking fits well with many defensive and offensive Pokemon alike. Defensively, Rhyperior, Registeel, Amoonguss, and Tangrowth all gel well with Slowking. Good offensive partners include Virizion, Emboar, Cobalion, and Moltres. As AV Slowking runs Dragon Tail, Spikes support can really amplify the shuffling ability Slowking has. Froslass is a go-to Spikes setter for offensive-minded teams while teams looking for a bulkier Spikes user can utilize Roselia. Slowking absolutely hates Knock Off, so anything that can deal with it is appreciated. Cobalion and Virizion both have Justified to actually benefit from it while Tangrowth and Amoonguss have Regenerator to make up for the lack of Leftovers if need be.

What Counters It: Durant sucks.... a ton. Although it has difficulty coming in directly on Slowking, the steel ant can easily come in after a KO or through Dragon Tail phazing and immediately threaten Slowking with its powerful X-Scissor. Assault Vest Tangrowth running Power Whip will seriously dent, if not OHKO, Slowking as it lacks physical defense investment like most variants of its defensive set. If Druddigon carries one of Thunder Punch, Sucker Punch, or the lesser seen Crunch, it is going to beat Slowking handily, especially if these attacks are boosted by Sheer Force. Fighting-types such as Gallade and Hitmonlee can inflict serious amounts of damage with Knock Off, but will generally need Slowking worn down a little bit to ensure the KO so they don't get drilled with Psyshock after their attack. Any user of Toxic or Toxic Spikes can really hamper Slowking. Although most users of these moves can't beat Slowking one-on-one, this will keep Slowking from staying in for very long. Bronzong, Registeel, Alomomola, and opposing defensive Slowking are all capable of running Toxic while Drapion, Roselia, and Cofagrigus can all utilize Toxic Spikes.

Any Additional Info: If phazing isn't your cup of tea, there are a couple of coverage moves to consider on Assault Vest Slowking. Ice Beam seems redundant with Fire Blast, but it is able to deal serious damage to the likes of Druddigon and Sigilyph. Grass Knot trips up opposing Slowking for decent damage while also offering up something to hit Seismitoad, Jellicent, and Gastrodon with harder. Remember, just because Slowking is running all attack moves doesn't mean it's a wallbreaker. It is likely going to be a key to keeping your team together and being super resilient against most special attackers due to its typing, ability, and incredible special bulk with the AV boost.

 

[newfren]

Reuniclus is a pretty good pokemon.

Reuniclus @ Leftovers
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 Def / 252 HP / 4 Spd
Bold Nature
- Calm Mind
- Psyshock
- Shadow Ball/Focus Blast
- Recover

Role: Special Sweeper, Stallbreaker, Late Game Cleaner

What It Does: Reuniclus will calm mind several times once the strong pokemon with super effective moves against it are gone (e.g. escavalier, zoroark). Once it's gained a few calm mind boosts there are very few things in the tier that can actually 2hko it, and if you can't 2hko reuniclus then it will recover stall against you until it's healthy enough to kill you or continue boosting with calm mind. Psyshock's a great move because it ruins other calm mind boosters that try and set up alongside you, although to be honest most of them in this tier are psychic types who run psyshock too (e.g. delphox, meloetta, cresselia), shadow ball hits everything psyshock doesn't except for dark types, while focus blast misses and runs out of pp hits everything psyshock doesn't except for psychic types. Shadow ball is usually the better choice, just because with focus blast you are definitely losing to other calm mind boosters that aren't meloetta.

Magic guard and terrible speed means that the only status reuniclus minds is sleep/freeze, and even then a lot of sleep users in the tier can't usually manage to kill it before it wakes up and recovers/psyshocks them. This means it doesn't have to carry substitute or rest like cresselia often has to to avoid toxics.

Good Teammates: Pokemon that can deal with dark types such as zoroark or skuntank/drapion are greatly appreciated, such as cobalion. A fire type to deal with escavalier and durant is also appreciated, such as moltres or emboar. It chills out pretty happily on stall teams as well, being a good stop to most of the fighting types in the tier (because max def is usually not 2hko'd by knock off) as well as being a great win condition. On more offensive teams it can act as a win condition against stall once (p)haze mons are weakened enough and providing that they aren't carrying a reuniclus themselves.

What Counters It: As alluded to twice before, the steel bugs escavalier and durant give it a lot of trouble because they can pretty cleanly 2hko it. Zoroark can also take it out, and skuntank can taunt/haze it to stop any boosting in its tracks. Any pokemon that gets taunt and isn't weak to psyshock will stop its shenanigans decently, and pokemon that carry haze or phasing moves can also stop it from setting up.

When it gets down to last mon reuniclus situations it's a lot harder to deal with because you can't phase it, but if you still have your hard hitting physical attackers it shouldn't pose too much of a threat.

---

So this probably needs more counters but I can't think of other things that counter reuniclus.

Edited to be less of a shitty post.

 

[trc]

Hey Billtodamax, it's kinda bare at the moment if you understand what I mean. It would be nice if you could expand on some of the points a bit, add more content, because it simply isn't enough right now. Also, please take the set out of a spoiler and limit the amount of categories you've put it in. I don't mean to put you off contributing, I just want the people reading it to get as much out of it as you can.

 

[newfren]

Fixed up some of the issues you've mentioned, lemme know if you want any other changes made.

 

[Lasagne]

Sorry if this post looks a bit noob like.

What not to use:

Ambipom @ Life Orb
Ability: Technician
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 Atk / 4 SDef
Jolly Nature
- Fake Out
- Return
- Knock Off/Beat Up/Shadow Claw
- Seed Bomb/Low Kick/U-turn

Role: Lead (Mainly), Physical Attacker

What it Does: Ambipom is a very outclassed Pokemon that surprisingly clocks in a lot of usage. It is a very predictable lead and Fake Out can attract the Ghosts in the tier. It is also very frail and any priority move not named Shadow Sneak will generally OHKO it (Providing the right user). It's role as an offensive Normal-type is generally outdone by Cinccino (Which has better type coverage), Kangaskhan (Which can hit Ghosts with Fake Out thanks to Scrappy) and Zangoose (Which does the Normal-type Power house deal tons better, and hits a bit harder as well).

What counters it: Physically bulky ghosts (Cofagrigus, Doublade, Gourgeist), priority users, as well as Rock-types like Rhyperior providing you choose a coverage move over U-Turn. Also, any strong attack will at least dent it a bit, if not all the way.

(You can correct me on some things if I get them wrong. The reason for the regular text was that my computer mouse was being a dick.)

I actually don't agree with Ambipom being in the 'what not to use' section. While it may not be a great Pokemon, it's not actually directly outclassed by any of the Pokemon you mentioned. Cinccino and Ambipom have very similar coverage, with Cinccino having the option of a Rock-type move in Rock Blast, and Ambipom having Fighting-type coverage in Low Kick. Their speed is equal, and Ambipom actually has higher attack (though Cinccino makes up for this with Skill Link). Ambipom also has access to Fake Out, which serves as really nice free damage, though it is pitifully weak against resisted targets. Considering these factors, I don't think it can be said that Cinccino really outclasses Ambipom. It may be a better choice a lot of the time, but it certainly doesn't outclass, since Ambipom has its own niche.

Ambipom has one big thing over Kangaskhan, and that's speed. Kangaskhan sits at 90 base speed, while Ambipom has 115 base speed. This lets it outspeed a lot of significant threats, such as Delphox, Cobalion, Virizion, Zoroark and others. Kangaskhan's Sucker Punch can't make up for the lack of speed when dealing with the latter three, and using against Delphox risks your opponent getting a free Calm Mind and forcing 50/50 wars. Also, Ambipom has access to Knock Off, which is obviously a great move this gen, while Kangaskhan has to settle for Sucker Punch and Crunch. Oh your Fake Out hits ghosts? You just did 0.5% to Doublade, or lost Scrappy because you hit a Cofagrigus. The only other common Ghost is Mismagius, so that's the only thing that particular fact is relevant for. Punchshroom's post here does a good job of explaining the differences between the two.

Once again, Ambipom's greatest advantage over Zangoose is its speed. Ambipom is significantly faster, so it can outspeed a lot of threats that Zangoose can't, which I mentioned above. It also, again, has Fake Out, which Zangoose would absolutely kill for with Toxic Boost. Another big advantage is the fact that Zangoose's type coverage is pretty much limited to Facade, Close Combat and Knock Off, while Ambipom has all the moves you listed plus more, which gives it a significant advantage in terms of potential type coverage. Honestly, if Zangoose didn't have access to Knock Off, it would be a much worse Pokemon, possibly even unviable. As it is now, Zangoose definitely doesn't outclass Ambipom - if anything, I think Ambipom is a better Pokemon in the current metagame.

Hopefully this post shows my thoughts on how Ambipom isn't worthy of being in the 'what not to use' section, as it is not a bad Pokemon and isn't directly outclassed by anything in RU right now.

 

[Epikhairz]

Omastar @ White Herb / Life Orb
Ability: Swift Swim / Weak Armor
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SDef / 252 Spe
Nature: Modest
- Shell Smash
- Hydro Pump / Surf
- Ice Beam
- Hidden Power Grass

Role: Special Sweeper, Late Game Cleaner

What it Does: Shell Smash Omastar is extremely dangerous in any metagame it's in, and RU is no different; if not prepared for, this set will take lives. A +2 boost on both Special Attack and Speed will make Omastar a force to be reckoned with. This set is designed to do one thing: set up and proceed to hammer the opposition with powerful attacks. However, there are a lot of things that can stop Omastar, so those should be taken out before attempting to set up and sweep, because its main item, White Herb, is one-use only, and if you're not using it, the defense drops will most likely cause it to take a lot of damage setting up. Fire-types are usually the easiest Pokemon to set up on, as Omastar only takes 1/4 damage from Fire-type attacks. The moves that Omastar runs are pretty self explanatory, since they attain nearly perfect coverage. The only thing is for Omastar's Water-type STAB, Hydro Pump is preferred, though Surf is an option if you don't want to risk missing.

Good Teammates: Because Grass-types happen to absolutely destroy Omastar, packing something to take care of them, such as a Fire-type, is highly recommended. A powerful physical attacker that can take down the special walls that trouble Omastar is also recommended. A good Pokemon that can do both those jobs, such as Choice Band Emboar, is also great. If using Swift Swim, be sure to pack a Rain setter such as Ludicolo to take advantage of that massive speed boost.

What Counters It: Because Omastar is x4 weak to Grass, Grass-types have a much easier time checking Omastar. Special walls are also good answers towards Omastar, because it relies so much on its special attacks. Pokemon that possess both these qualities, such as Assault Vest Tangrowth and Amoonguss, are the best answers to Omastar in RU. Additionally, because Omastar has no priority attacks, many Choice Scarf users can still outspeed it after a +2 boost and KO it. If Omastar is weak enough, a priority attack like a Mach Punch from Hitmonlee could be extremely threatening towards a potential sweep.

Any Additional Info: Modest is the preferred nature, though Timid can be used go a little faster, and outspeed base 100 Choice Scarf users after +2. Lum Berry can be used as an item to prevent a Thunder Wave user from stopping Omastar's sweep cold. Finally, Omastar has a reliable secondary STAB in Earth Power, but the above set has such great coverage that Omastar will usually end up giving some of it up.

 

[rob.]

Use:

Tangrowth @ Leftovers
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SAtk
Relaxed Nature
- Knock Off
- Giga Drain
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Earthquake/ Leech Seed

Role: Physical Wall

What it does: Tangrowth boasts huge hp and defensive base stats, that allows it to take on some of the tiers best physical attackers, pivots, and other defensive specialist. All without the need of a recovery move thanks to its wonderful Regenerator ability; now it can switch in and out of multiple attacks while gaining HP. Tangrowth has the power to check Sharpedo, Tyrantrum, Druddigon, and Golurk, it also hard walls Kabutops, Cincinno, Ambipom, Rhyperior, and a host of other offensive and defensive threats. Giga Drain is the obligatory stab that also offers some form of recovery. Earthquake to hit steel types that resist giga drain, and it's also able to catch Tangrowth's poison typed counters on switches (Drapion & Skuntank). Leech Seed can be used over Earthquake to force your opponent to switch. HP Fire is for opposing grass types. It can also be used to hit two of Tangrowths counters Escavalier and Durant. And Knock Off is such a useful move especially in lower tiers. Why pass up the opportunity to knock off leftovers and eviolites? Being able to soften up walls is huge for your teams offensive pokemon.

Good Teammates: The best defensive teammates to tangrowth are bulky water types, preferably specially defensive walls since it doesn't have the capability to deal with powerful special attacks. A pokemon like Lanturn compliments Tangrowth perfectly. Lanturn has the necessary bulk to eat those powerful ice, fire, and flying typed attacks Tangrowth hates. It's also capable of absorbing status moves that would otherwise annoy Tangrowth because it has access to heal bell. Another notable defensive pokemon that compliments Tangrowth is Slowking. There is a bit of a drop off because it doesn't have heal bell nor can it resist flying typed moves. It does have Regenerator though and forms a nice defensive core with Tangrowth that essentially heals itself. Offensive pokemon that Tangrowth compliments include Emboar, Moltres, and Braviary. Tangrowth can take all of the water and ground typed attacks aimed at Emboar, losing out only to Flying and Psychic super-effective moves that can be covered by other teammates. Pretty much the same thing with both Moltres and Braviary, Tangrowth can reliably eat up SE moves thrown at both those pokemon.

What Counters It: Moltres and Delphox are the biggest threats to Tangrowth in the current metagame. It's no match for the powerful stabs dished out by Moltres since both are SE on Tangrowth. The same thing with Delphox minus the weakness to psychic typing. There is also another problem, not only is Tangrowth is weak to the tiers common fire, flying and ice typed attacks but it's also susceptible to trick. Which basically renders it useless since it can't force switches with leech seed and without investment in spa or attack, it's easily set up on after being choice locked. Skuntank, Drapion, and Roselia counter Tangrowth along with the tiers other poison types. Other honorable mentions are Durant, Braviary, and Escavalier.

 

[Punchshroom]

Delphox @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Blaze
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Fire Blast
- Psyshock
- Grass Knot
- Switcheroo

Role: Revenge Killer

What It Does: Strong STABs, good speed, and high power make Delphox a formidable revenge killer. It can now outspeed opponents that it could not before, such as Virizion, Cobalion, Heliolisk, and Sceptile, before laying waste to them with powerful attacks. It even boasts enough speed to outrun Unburden Slurpuff, and also outpaces other Scarfers such as Emboar and Braviary. One of the most appealing aspects of Scarf Delphox is that it knows Switcheroo, and still has good Speed without Scarf. Switcheroo allows Delphox to ditch the Scarf should the ability to switch moves prove more crucial than the extra Speed, or if it simply wants to cripple the foe.

Good Teammates: Grass-type teammates are much appreciated to take care of bulky Water-types that prevent Delphox from locking herself into its Fire STAB easily, while Fighting-type partners cover Dark-types that stop Delphox's Psychic STAB. A hazard remover is greatly appreciated since Delphox often switches in and out. Kabutops can use Rapid Spin and lures out Grass-types for Delphox to roast, Hitmonlee can Rapid Spin and beats up Dark-types, while Shiftry has decent defensive synergy with Delphox and knows Defog; they can also help punch holes into the opponent with their high offensive stats.

What Counters It: Stealth Rock keeps Delphox from switching in and out too freely, while Pursuit can easily finish off a Delphox locked into an undesirable attack. Priority such as Aqua Jet, Sucker Punch, and Shadow Sneak also causes Delphox maor issues, especially considering its weak Defense, while paralysis pretty much cripples it. Since this Delphox variant is the only variant that doesn't boost its stats, it is much easier to switch into its attacks, though defensive responses should be wary of Switcheroo.

Any Additional Info: Flamethrower can be used for accuracy, while Shadow Ball allows Delphox to revenge other Delphoxes.

TRC. Edited the Exploud section. I accidentally referenced myself in the "What it does" section, and edited it accordingly.

Hide

Exploud @ Choice Specs
Ability: Scrappy
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 Spe
Modest Nature
- Boomburst
- Surf
- Fire Blast
- Focus Blast

What It Does: Exploud is basically the 'Nidoking of RU'. It hits damn near everything for a ridiculous amount of damage thanks to drawback-free 140 BP STAB, which is already notable on its own but it just so happens to have Scrappy and a wide selection of coverage moves to augment its power.

Good Teammates: Since Exploud punches holes in teams so well, teammates that are well equipped to clean up the game with high speed and power are optimal, as well as backing Exploud up against faster teams. Delphox, Virizion, Sceptile, Cobalion, Heliolisk, and Zoroark are such examples. Its Fighting weakness should also be covered, making Fighting-resistant Pokemon, such as Amoonguss and Cresselia, valuable partners. Sticky Web also allows Exploud to outspeed a greater a variety of opponents, though it want significant investment in Speed to do so.

What Counters It: Having a Scrappy Normal resist on your team, such as Rhyperior, Escavalier, and Registeel, can make Exploud pause before spamming Boomburst, which is crucial because Exploud's sheer power, high HP, and lone weakness means it can overwhelm most defensive responses, such as Slowking and Cresselia, before it gets worn down. It is much easier to check Exploud offensively than trying to counter it since it is so slow and not too bulky, though obviously Fighting-type responses such as Cobalion, Hitmonlee, and Virizion work best.

Any Additional Info: An EV spread that allows Exploud to outspeed walls such as Cresselia or even Drapion, or just function better with Sticky Web, is worth a look, though this would detract from Exploud's bulk, which it likes to have against more offensive teams.

 

[The Leprechaun]

Delphox @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Blaze
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Fire Blast
- Psyshock
- Grass Knot
- Switcheroo

Role: Revenge Killer

What It Does: Strong STABs, good speed, and high power make Delphox a formidable revenge killer. It can now outspeed opponents that it could not before, such as Virizion, Cobalion, Heliolisk, and Sceptile, before laying waste to them with powerful attacks. It even boasts enough speed to outrun Unburden Slurpuff, and also outpaces other Scarfers such as Emboar and Braviary. One of the most appealing aspects of Scarf Delphox is that it knows Switcheroo, and still has good Speed without Scarf. Switcheroo allows Delphox to ditch the Scarf should the ability to switch moves prove more crucial than the extra Speed, or if it simply wants to cripple the foe.

Good Teammates: Grass-type teammates are much appreciated to take care of bulky Water-types that prevent Delphox from locking herself into its Fire STAB easily, while Fighting-type partners cover Dark-types that stop Delphox's Psychic STAB. A hazard remover is greatly appreciated since Delphox often switches in and out. Kabutops can use Rapid Spin and lures out Grass-types for Delphox to roast, Hitmonlee can Rapid Spin and beats up Dark-types, while Shiftry has decent defensive synergy with Delphox and knows Defog; they can also help punch holes into the opponent with their high offensive stats.

What Counters It: Stealth Rock keeps Delphox from switching in and out too freely, while Pursuit can easily finish off a Delphox locked into an undesirable attack. Priority such as Aqua Jet, Sucker Punch, and Shadow Sneak also causes Delphox maor issues, especially considering its weak Defense, while paralysis pretty much cripples it. Since this Delphox variant is the only variant that doesn't boost its stats, it is much easier to switch into its attacks, though defensive responses should be wary of Switcheroo.

Any Additional Info: Flamethrower can be used for accuracy, while Shadow Ball allows Delphox to revenge other Delphoxes.

TRC. Edited the Exploud section. I accidentally referenced myself in the "What it does" section, and edited it accordingly.

Hide

Exploud @ Choice Specs
Ability: Scrappy
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 Spe
Modest Nature
- Boomburst
- Surf
- Fire Blast
- Focus Blast

What It Does: Exploud is basically the 'Nidoking of RU'. It hits damn near everything for a ridiculous amount of damage thanks to drawback-free 140 BP STAB, which is already notable on its own but it just so happens to have Scrappy and a wide selection of coverage moves to augment its power.

Good Teammates: Since Exploud punches holes in teams so well, teammates that are well equipped to clean up the game with high speed and power are optimal, as well as backing Exploud up against faster teams. Delphox, Virizion, Sceptile, Cobalion, Heliolisk, and Zoroark are such examples. Its Fighting weakness should also be covered, making Fighting-resistant Pokemon, such as Amoonguss and Cresselia, valuable partners.

What Counters It: Having a Scrappy Normal resist on your team, such as Rhyperior, Escavalier, and Registeel, can make Exploud pause before spamming Boomburst, which is crucial because Exploud's sheer power, high HP, and lone weakness means it can overwhelm most defensive responses, such as Slowking and Cresselia, before it gets worn down. It is much easier to check Exploud offensively than trying to counter it since it is so slow and not too bulky, though obviously Fighting-type responses such as Cobalion, Hitmonlee, and Virizion work best.

Any Additional Info: An EV spread that allows Exploud to outspeed walls such as Cresselia or even Drapion is worth a look, though this would detract from Exploud's bulk, which it likes to have against more offensive teams.

Is there any reason to run timid over modest? Even with modest you still outspeed base 90 scarfers (so meloetta I guess?). delphox's spa isn't all that high to begin with, you might as well give it some more power.

 

[atomicllamas]

Is there any reason to run timid over modest? Even with modest you still outspeed base 90 scarfers (so meloetta I guess?). delphox's spa isn't all that high to begin with, you might as well give it some more power.

Because when you switcheroo, you don't want to just be faster than base 90s, you want to be faster than everything below base 104.

 

[Turtleye]

Just wondering; Can Sticky Web be mentioned in the Teammates section? If so, Punchshroom you should definitely mention it as Specsploud loves sticky web, since it's not that fast naturally :I

Might add a 'mon or two later if I feel like :3

What to use

Meloetta @ Assault Vest
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SAtk / 4 Spe
Modest Nature
- U-turn
- Hyper Voice
- Psyshock / Psychic
- Focus Blast / Shadow Ball

Role: Special Tank, Late-game cleaner when physical threats are removed, Pivot to a very limited extend

What it does: Meloetta-A has a really high Special defense Stat and nice Special Attack as well, both are 128. This set aims to make those two points even better, with Assault Vest boosting that Special defense even higher (With this spread is about as bulky as Amoonguss on the special side without AV factored in). It tanks hits like Specsploud's Boomburst and Specs Delphox Fire Blast with easy. Hyper Voice is obvious and probably best STAB Move (Unless GF decides to give her Boomburst o3o). The choice between psyshock and Psychic is personal preference, Psychic has more Base Power, however Psyshock maims Special Walls. I feel like Psychic is overall more usefull since Special walls usually don't give much shit about Psyshock but meh. The last slot depend son your teams needs really. Focus Blast can be used to decimate Steels, however Shadow Ball has more neutral coverage and hits Bronzong SE.

Good Teammates: While Meloetta has juice Special Defense, her Defense is a bit disappointing, so carrying a strong Physical Wall is adviced, especially something that can take Dark moves. Also repeated assaults can take Meloetta out so Wish support is usefull, but not necessary. Lastly something that can take on strong Special walls like Cresselia is appreciated. Pokemon that learns Volt Switch/Uturn also work well with Meloetta, forming a VolTurn core which is cool.

What counters it: Like stated above, bulky Psychics like Uxie, Cresselia and, if you opt for Shadow Ball, Steel types become a problem. It is also weak to Sucker Punch and Pursuit due to being a Psychic type. Scarfed Physical attackers like Hitmonlee and Braviary dont give a fuck about her Special bulk so be sure to watch out for them as well. Also being grounded limits her switchins somewhat since this Meloetta set doesnt have a usebale draining move.

Any Additional info: I guess you can opt to replace U-turn for some other move like Grass Knot or Shadow Ball if you really think you do not need it but U-turn is definitely adviced.

 

[DGpegasus]

Braviary @ Life Orb
Ability: Defiant
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spe / 4 SpD
Jolly Nature
- Brave Bird
- Superpower
- Return
- Roost

Role: Late-Game Cleaner, Physical Sweeper

What it does: Braviary is surprisingly bulky for a bird pokemon. Because of this he lacks speed though, but that doesn't mean he's bad. Braviary has a very solid 120 attack stat. He also gets strong STABs and various coverage moves on top of that. Boost his power a bit with Life Orb and you will deal heavy damage to most pokemon. 3 attacks are enough to hit most things so last moveslot goes to Roost. This is basically to heal all the recoil damage. Another great niche he has is that he can punish defog users. Although he is not as effective as other defiant users, he can still pull it off. He lacks the speed and priority to make full use of it but hit bulk compensates for that.

Good Teammates: Fast threats and priority are a problem for Braviary. A fast pokemon like Sharpedo or a good priority user like Zoroark are very good. Defensive steel types can also tank the super effective hits Braviary himself can't. A good rapid spinner is also very desirable. Being able to switch in without much harm is essential for him to survive. Defog support is not really needed since that breaks the purpose of Defiant. If you don't have your own hazards that the opponent wants gone, there is no point in using this thing as a fast bulky attacker.

What Counters it: I've already mentioned it before. Fast pokemon that can also deal a lot of damage. A good example is Heliolisk. He is faster, deals super effective damage and has lots of coverage options. Switching in a ground type to stop the Volt Switch/TBolt isn't always the best idea because he can carry Grass Knot or Surf. Priority moves can also wreck Braviary if his health is low from recoil. He can't heal up, he has to switch but switching in later will also be difficult because of rocks. This is why I also mentioned that rapid spin support is essential.

Any Additional Info: After Tornadus' ban, Braviary is most likely the best Defiant user/Defog punisher in RU. A hazard focused team should always consider using a pokemon like this since it will support the team immensely.

 

[g]

Rhyperior @ Leftovers
Ability: Solid Rock
EVs: 248 HP / 16 Atk / 244 SDef
Adamant Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Rock Blast / Stone Edge
- Roar

Role: Tank, Entry Hazards Setter

What It Does:
Rhyperior is an amazing tank. It takes on almost all Flying and Fire types in the tier and sets up rock to punish them every time they switch in. It has amazing Attack and Defense even uninvested and thanks to Solid Rock and that meaty HP stats it takes non Water or Grass Special Hits surprisingly well. That awesome attack and coverage with STAB moves alone makes switching into it really difficult without a dedicated Physical Wall. Roar>Dragon Tail mostly because SubCM Cresselia is a major pain for a lot of teams and not many Taunt users can freely do that against Rhyperior (think Drapion, Cobalion and Skuntank) making Dragon Tail inferior. Not to mention the 100% accuracy.
Rhyperior can take ridicolously strong physical hits (like Jolly LO Reckless HJK from Hitmonlee). Without Raikou in the tier and with Heliolisk and Rotom Mow gaining popularity it is not that effective in checking Electric types but this is still a super reliable Stealth Rock setter for Balanced and even offensive teams.

Good Teammates: Grass types such as Amoonguss and Tangrowth are good partners as they are able to take the Grass and Water hits that scare Rhyperior and appreciating its ability to deal with problematic Fire and Flying types. Slowking is another good choice as it deals with most Water and Fighting types really well and Alomomola is great for its big wishes that help keeping Rhyperior healty. Also any sweeper appreciates Stealth Rock support so they are decent partners.

What Counters It: Grass types like Tangrowth and Virizion can switch into any move and force Rhyperior out. Bulky water types are also good switch ins but they don't like repeated Earthquakes (the exception being Alomomola). Most strong Fighting types (like Hitmonlee and Gallade) and pokemon carrying a strong super effective coverage move (like Energy Ball or Focus Blast Meloetta or Surf Heliolisk) can OHKO Rhyperior with a bit of prior damage so they are good checks.

Any Additional Info: More attack investment can be used to take out specific threats but it is more often than not a bad idea if you rely a lot on Rhyperior to check special Fire Types. Megahorn and Fire punch are usable over Roar to hit Tangrowth, Cresselia and Escavalier harder but using teammates is generally the best idea.

 

[EonX]

Ok, next one up:

Galalde @ Life Orb
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SDef / 252 Spe
Nature: Jolly
- Substitute
- Drain Punch
- Psycho Cut
- Knock Off

Role: Physical Sweeper, Late-Game Cleaner

What it Does: Sub + 3 Attacks Gallade is quite the pain for many teams to face. Usually, Gallade's biggest problem is its inability to net more than 2 KOs against most offensive teams. However, this set fixes that by using Substitute to shield Gallade from revenge killers and status users alike. Drain Punch gives this set great flexibility and solid power. Psycho Cut hammers Fighting- and Poison-types while also dealing solid damage to Aromatisse. Knock Off finishes off the set by smashing bulky Ghost- and Psychic-type Pokemon that could otherwise handle Gallade's STAB moves with ease. While most Gallade sets use Adamant and some don't even run max Speed, this one uses Jolly and max Speed to outpace as many threats as possible. Life Orb seems odd on a Substitute user, but Drain Punch's healing side effect makes this possible, and helps to make up for the power lost from using Jolly.

Good Teammates: As Gallade lacks the ability to boost its Attack stat with Swords Dance, entry hazard users are great teammates. Froslass, Rhyperior, Registeel, and Bronzong can reliably setup entry hazards to chip away at Gallade's checks and counters. Paralysis support from stuff like Registeel and Uxie is nice so Gallade can have an easier time sweeping late-game. Emboar and Moltres nice to check Spiritomb, Durant, and Escavalier. Use Grass-types like Rotom-C and Virizion to deal with Alomomola and physically defensive Gastrodon as Gallade can't overwhelm them like Swords Dance sets can.

What Counters It: Toxic Spikes suck a ton since you can't use Substitute freely. Alomomola, physically defensive Gastrodon, and Tangrowth are too damn bulky to break. Eviolite Golbat that invest in enough Speed to outpace Gallade are annoying since Infiltrator will allow it to bludgeon Gallade with Brave Bird, even if a Substitute is up. Spiritomb can tank any hit and has Infiltrator to bypass Substitute, so needless to say, it sucks. Multi-hit moves, such as Cinccino's Tail Slap can break through Gallade's Substitutes and still cause serious, if not lethal, damage.

Any Additional Info: Ice Punch can be used to take a dump on Gligar and hit Tangrowth harder than anything else can. Stone Edge if you don't want to rely on Rocks to donk Moltres without dying. X-Scissor if you want to hit Tangrowth and retain coverage on most Psychics. Uh, that's about it!

 

[Durant]

What to use:

Kabutops @ Life Orb
Ability: Weak Armor
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spd / 4 HP
Adamant Nature
- Rapid Spin
- Stone Edge
- Aqua Jet
- Waterfall / Swords Dance

Role: Rapid spinner, late game cleaner

What it does: Kabutops remains largely unchanged from the fifth generation as he is still a great Pokemon. One of the things that makes Kabutops so great is that he can defeat almost any spinblocker in the tier. Kabutops isn't limited to just spinning though. Swords Dance can turn this fossil into a fantastic late game cleaner with Aqua Jet to overcome it's below average speed. Rapid Spin is an important part of this set as Kabutops is known for being one of the best spinners out there. Stone Edge and Aqua Jet are the 2 STAB moves you will be using most of the time. Stone Edge is Kabutops his most powerful attack and hits any neutral target for good damage. Aqua Jet is there for late game cleaning to out prioritize faster Pokemon like Yanmega, Moltres and Delphox, However to kill these Pokemon Stealth Rocks must be on the field. The last choice can be either Waterfall or Swords Dance. Swords Dance is the preferred option as it allows Kabutops to transform 2 hit KOs into OHKOs like Stone Edge against Spiritomb or Aqua Jet against Emboar. Waterfall however can be used to OHKO slower Pokemon like specially defensive Rhyperior and Claydol.

Good teammates: Good teammates for Kabutops are Pokemon that enjoy Rapid Spin support and can defeat Kabutops his counters like Poliwrath and Grass types, for this reason Fire and Flying types stand out as good teammates. Moltres in particular is a great teammate as it can defeat every counter of Kabutops. The two make a great core as Kabutops with Swords Dance can also defeat some of Moltres his counters. Other switch in to Grass types are also really useful for Kabutops. Assault Vest Escavelier makes a good example as it can easily switch in on any Grass type attack or Grass type status move and scare them out with a powerful Megahorn.

What counters it: While Kabutops is a great Pokemon, it is not without it's problems. Grass type are the bane of Kabutops existance since he has a 4x weakness to Grass attacks. Tangrowth can take any hit Kabutops throws at it whit it's great defense stat and can retaliate with a Power Whip. Rotom-Mow and Sceptile are more offensive checks to Kabutops. While they don't like taking a Stone Edge at all they can OHKO Kabutops back Volt Switch and Leaf Storm / Leaf Blade respectively. Lastly Poliwrath can take hits from Kabutops without too many problems and can phase out Kabutops with Circle Throw. Keep in mind though Circle Throw from defensive Poliwrath is only a 2 hit Ko though.

Any additionel info: There are a few things that haven't been mentioned that Kabutops can make use of. Kabutops can carry a Lum Berry to set up a Swords Dance on the likes of Jellicent without caring about Will O Wisp. Lum berry also helps against Paralysis and Burns which Kabutops hates. As for moves Kabutops can forgo Rapid Spin to have both Swords Dance and Waterfall to make it a terrifying sweeper, however Rapid Spin is a rare move in RU and Kabutops is the best user of it. Knock Off can be used to Knock Off items while providing super effective coverage against Ghost types minus Spiritomb, Cresselia and Reuniclus although than you have to lose out on STAB or Swords Dance. X Scissor similarly can be used to defeat Tangrowth and Slowking while still being able to do alot of damage against Reuniclus and Cresselia. However outside of those X Scissor has little use.

 

[DGpegasus]

What to use:

Kabutops @ Life Orb
Ability: Weak Armor
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spd / 4 HP
Adamant Nature
- Rapid Spin
- Stone Edge
- Aqua Jet
- Waterfall / Swords Dance

Role: Rapid spinner, late game cleaner

What it does: Kabutops remains largely unchanged from the fifth generation as he is still a great Pokemon. One of the things that makes Kabutops so great is that he can defeat almost any spinblocker in the tier. Kabutops isn't limited to just spinning though. Swords Dance can turn this fossil into a fantastic late game cleaner with Aqua Jet to overcome it's below average speed. Rapid Spin is an important part of this set as Kabutops is known for being one of the best spinners out there. Stone Edge and Aqua Jet are the 2 STAB moves you will be using most of the time. Stone Edge is Kabutops his most powerful attack and hits any neutral target for good damage. Aqua Jet is there for late game cleaning to out prioritize faster Pokemon like Yanmega, Moltres and Delphox, However to kill these Pokemon Stealth Rocks must be on the field. The last choice can be either Waterfall or Swords Dance. Swords Dance is the preferred option as it allows Kabutops to transform 2 hit KOs into OHKOs like Stone Edge against Spiritomb or Aqua Jet against Emboar. Waterfall however can be used to OHKO slower Pokemon like specially defensive Rhyperior and Claydol.

Good teammates: Good teammates for Kabutops are Pokemon that enjoy Rapid Spin support and can defeat Kabutops his counters like Poliwrath and Grass types, for this reason Fire and Flying types stand out as good teammates. Moltres in particular is a great teammate as it can defeat every counter of Kabutops. The two make a great core as Kabutops with Swords Dance can also defeat some of Moltres his counters. Other switch in to Grass types are also really useful for Kabutops. Assault Vest Escavelier makes a good example as it can easily switch in on any Grass type attack or Grass type status move and scare them out with a powerful Megahorn.

What counters it: While Kabutops is a great Pokemon, it is not without it's problems. Grass type are the bane of Kabutops existance since he has a 4x weakness to Grass attacks. Tangrowth can take any hit Kabutops throws at it whit it's great defense stat and can retaliate with a Power Whip. Rotom-Mow and Sceptile are more offensive checks to Kabutops. While they don't like taking a Stone Edge at all they can OHKO Kabutops back Volt Switch and Leaf Storm / Leaf Blade respectively. Lastly Poliwrath can take hits from Kabutops without too many problems and can phase out Kabutops with Circle Throw. Keep in mind though Circle Throw from defensive Poliwrath is only a 2 hit Ko though.

Any additionel info: There are a few things that haven't been mentioned that Kabutops can make use of. Kabutops can carry a Lum Berry to set up a Swords Dance on the likes of Jellicent without caring about Will O Wisp. Lum berry also helps against Paralysis and Burns which Kabutops hates. As for moves Kabutops can forgo Rapid Spin to have both Swords Dance and Waterfall to make it a terrifying sweeper, however Rapid Spin is a rare move in RU and Kabutops is the best user of it. Knock Off can be used to Knock Off items while providing super effective coverage against Ghost types minus Spiritomb, Cresselia and Reuniclus although than you have to lose out on STAB or Swords Dance. X Scissor similarly can be used to defeat Tangrowth and Slowking while still being able to do alot of damage against Reuniclus and Cresselia. However outside of those X Scissor has little use.

Are you sure that Kabutops can reliably defeat most spinblockers? Most of them carry WoW. Not to mention that there are some very defensive ones like Cofagrigus and Gourgeist that can tank his STABs easily.

 

[Hot N Cold]

Are you sure that Kabutops can reliably defeat most spinblockers? Most of them carry WoW. Not to mention that there are some very defensive ones like Cofagrigus and Gourgeist that can tank his STABs easily.

The spinblokers are supposed to switch against Kabutops to keep the hazards on the field, not vice versa.

Also Kabutops can run Sword Dance and Lum Berry to beat these spinblokers easier so still is one of the most reliables spinners in the tier.

 

[Durant]

Are you sure that Kabutops can reliably defeat most spinblockers? Most of them carry WoW. Not to mention that there are some very defensive ones like Cofagrigus and Gourgeist that can tank his STABs easily.

For Will O Wisp I mentioned Lum Berry as a good idea. Spinblockers also have to switch in on Kabutops and none of them like taking a Stone Edge.

Physically defensive Cofagrigus can take on Kabutops I will give you that. If you have Life Orb the Will O Wisp burn is terrible for Kabutops and if Kabutops has Lum Berry he can't 3 hit KO. However if you Swords Dance on the switch when you have Lum Berry you can 2 hit KO Cofagrigus with Stone Edge provided you don't miss. Waterfall will 2 hit KO Cofagrigus 93.8% of the time after Stealth Rock damage and Leftovers recovery. It is a stretch but Kabutops can defeat Cofagrigus.

As for Gourgeist it can counter Kabutops fairly easily. Stone Edge is only a 4 hit KO if it hits every time which it probably won't and Gourgeist can use Leech Seed on Kabutops or burn it with Will O Wisp. Good point about Gourgeist though I will add it in the counters list tomorrow when I can.

However all the other viable spinblockers can't stand up to Kabutops:

Specially defensive Jellicent is flat out 2 hit KOd by Stone Edge by both Life Orb and Lum Berry variants. Physically defensive Jellicent is only 2 hit KOd by Life Orb variants of Kabutops.

Froslass can be dealt with by a combination of Waterfall / Stone Edge and Aqua Jet. Froslass will get one layer up of Spikes but Kabutops can spin them away later in the battle.

Mega Banette is 2 hit KOd by a combination of Stone Edge / Waterfall and Aqua Jet. Kabutops won't get burned if Banette already mega evolved as Kabutops outspeeds Will O Wisp with Aqua Jet unless it is max speed Mega Banette for some weird reason.

Doublade always wins against Kabutops as Life Orb Kabutops only 4 hit KOs Doublade. Knock Off will severely hinder Doublade though if Kabutops runs it. You can run Earth Power to score a 2 hit KO on Doublade with 44 special attack investment but it has no use outside of that.

Waterfall and Aqua Jet OHKO and 2 hit KO Golurk respectively. It is safe to assume Golurk loses no matter what.

Standard Rotom is 2 hit KOd by Aqua Jet and Waterfall / Stone Edge OHKOs after Stealth Rock. Stone Edge OHKOs without Stealth Rock.

2 Aqua Jets or 1 Waterfall / Stone Edge OHKOs Offensive Mismagius. More defensive variants are killed by Waterfall / Stone Edge + Aqua Jet.

Physically defensive Spiritomb can be a bit troublesome for Lum berry variants but Life Orb Kabutops 2 hit KOs Spiritomb with Stone Edge provided they both hit.

So aside from Gourgeist Kabutops can defeat every viable spinblocker in one way or another ( Dusclops sucks lol ). Will mention Gourgeist in Kabutops his counters list though.

 

[rob.]

Use:

Cofagrigus @ Leftovers
Ability: Mummy
EVs: 252 SAtk / 252 HP / 4 SDef
Quiet Nature
IVs: 0 Spd
- Trick Room
- Hidden Power [Fighting]
- Nasty Plot
- Shadow Ball

Role(s): Tank, Late Game Sweeper

What it does: Cofagrigus has great defensive stats and can absorb hits thanks to its huge 145/105 base defenses. Allowing him enough time to boost it's respectable base 95 special attack stat with Nasty Plot and set up Trick Room. Shadow Ball has near perfect coverage and hits almost everything for neutral damage, as it is only resisted by dark types. Of course normal types are immune to ghost but that's what Hidden Power Fighting is there for. Essentially giving Cofagrigus perfect coverage. Thanks to its woeful speed nothing late game should out-speed him and if it does it can likely absorb the hit and KO with a +2 Shadow Ball. So if you've effectively removed Cofagrigus's checks and counters it should sweep unhindered. Leftovers over life orb to increase its longevity and the passive recovery is pretty useful as well.

Good Teammates: Pokemon that can effectively clear out Cofagrigus's checks and counters to ensure it's sweep goes unhampered. Escavalier for one is a great partner, it effectively checks Cofagrigus's biggest counter Assault Vest Meloetta. And because of its pitiful speed Escavalier is also greatly benefited by Cofagrigu's Trick Room support. Other notable offensive partners include Hitmonlee, Emboar, and Yanmega, who can all clear out most of Cofagrigus's checks. Teammates that can cure Cofagrigus of status ailments, tank dark attacks and heal it are definitely helpful. Wish pass Aromatisse fits that role perfectly. A hazard cleaner wouldn't be a bad partner either since residual damage hurts Confagrigus because of its lack of recovery options.

Counters: Meloetta is probably Cofagrigus's best counter, it is immune to Shadow Ball and takes minimal damage from HP Fighting. Keeping Cofagrigus in on Meloetta just gives it free turns to set-up because Cofagrigus can basically do nothing to stop it. Other counters are of course dark types like Skuntank and Drapion (which are probably the biggest). Zoroark is a decent check as well biggest it can take a Shadow Ball and hit hard.

Any Additional Info: Cofagrigus is susceptible to hit and run tactics and can be worn down quickly with a combination of hard hits and status ailments because it doesn't have reliable recovery.

 

[Molk]

What to use:

Shuckle (M) @ Mental Herb
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 132 SDef / 124 Spd
Careful Nature
- Sticky Web
- Stealth Rock
- Infestation / Toxic / Knock Off
- Encore


Role:godLead, Hazard Setter, Support

What It Does: Shuckle doesn't really do much on its own, but it has a knack for supporting its teammates that makes it incredibly dangerous. Shuckle is the best Sticky Web users in the game. Sticky Web is an incredibly deadly move that slows down pretty much every grounded pokemon, letting slow, powerful wallbreakers get a speed advantage they usually wouldn't have over these opponent, and because of Shuckle's good 20/230/230 defenses, free Focus Sash in Sturdy (although lol almost nothing is OHKOing this anyway, Contrary and Gluttony are really bad on this set either way), and ability to run Mental Herb to stop Taunt, it's almost guarenteed to set it (and Stealth Rock!) up at least once over the course of the match. Encore makes sure the usually very passive Shuckle doesn't become set up bait, while all the moves in the last slot have their seperate uses. Infestation deals some chip damage to whatever it hits before Shuckle goes down and its partial trapping ability sometimes gives one of your teammates a free opportunity to switch in. Toxic lets Shuckle Cripple a defensive pokemon with some permanent passive damage, while Knock Off lets Shuckle remove things such as Leftovers and Life Orb from the opposing team. Speed might seem weird on a Pokemon as slow as Shuckle, but it actually serves an important purpose, letting you outspeed 0 Speed Escavalier and get both Stealth Rock and Sticky Web up before being 2HKO'd by Iron Head.

Good Teammates:Because of what Sticky Web does, slow (but not like Escavalier slow lol), but powerful offensive Pokemon naturally make good teammates. Using Sticky Web's speed lowering effect to get the jump on things that would revenge kill them otherwise. Exploud, Tinted Lens Yanmega, and Hitmonlee are three great examples of Pokemon like this, all 3 Pokemon hit extremely hard and have few safe switch-ins, and with Sticky Web's support, grounded fast Pokemon that would usually be able to revenge kill them after a KO now end up getting outsped and easily killed by Boomburst/Bug Buzz/High Jump Kick. Hitmonlee also happens to wreck Sharpedo with Mach Punch, an annoyance for Sticky Web teams. Other Pokemon that can benefit from this support include Moltres, Emboar, and the rare Zangoose. Try to make sure your team isn't too depended on Sticky Web though, just in case it gets removed via Rapid Spin or Defog. Speaking of Rapid Spin and Defog, things that can stop/punish these moves are good things to pair with Shuckle too. Mega Banette can block Rapid Spin for its team, and can also serve as an emergency stop to problem Pokemon for your Sticky Web team by using Prankster Destiny Bond (think about Thundurus's priority Thunder Wave in OU, except this is a free 1 for 1 instead of paralysis), all while benefitting from Sticky Web's support itself. Meanwhile, Defiant Braviary gets a free +2 Attack boost from anything trying to Defog it, turning it into a massive threat if the situation arises, and like Mega Banette, definitely benefits from Sticky Web's speed lowering effect.

What Counters It: Unless your name is Xatu or Durant channeling its inner Soulgazer, It's almost impossible to "stop" Shuckle from doing its job at least once per se, but there are still ways to slow it down/remove its hazard support later on. As a suicide hazard lead, Rapid Spin and Defog are public enemies #1, as they can remove your Stealth Rock and Sticky Web from the game, possibly when Shuckle isn't alive to set it up again, however, any good Sticky Web team should have teammates to either block Rapid Spin, punish you for using Defog, or both, so you'll have to get past those first. Not to mention people will be reluctant to lead with Shuckle if you have any of these.

Any Additional Info: DO NOT USE LEFTOVERS

 

[Eatthepear]

Moltres @ Choice Specs
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 SAtk / 248 HP / 8 Spd
Modest Nature
- Hurricane
- U-turn
- Fire Blast
- Hidden Power [Grass]

Role: Wallbreaker

What It Does: Moltres is an extremely powerful wallbreaker, slamming any pokemon that doesn't resist it incredibly hard. AV Slowking, Max Special Defense Aromatisse, and Physically Defensive Cresselia are all 2HKOed by Specs Hurricane after Stealth Rock. Hurricane and Fire Blast are mandatory STABs, and both have the same base power. U-Turn generates momentum, helping a frail or weakened teammate come in safely. Hidden Power Grass destroys Rhyperior, 2HKOs Lanturn, who would wall Moltres otherwise, and hits Gastrodon more accurately than Hurricane. Moltres is also a nightmare against Escavalier, coming in safely against any move bar Knock Off (or Return, I guess) and threatening to KO with Fire Blast.

Good Teammates: Rapid Spin and/or Defog support is absolutely necessary, as otherwise Moltres can only switch in twice at best. Pokemon such as Hitmonlee, Hitmontop, Skunktank, Kabutops, etc. are amazing partners for Moltres. Late game cleaners that benefit from walls being gone, such as Sharpedo, greatly benefit from Moltres' presence. Heliolisk is a great partner to Moltres, forming a Volt-Turn core and sharing decent defensive synergy.

What Counters It: Stealth Rock. Aside from that, barely anything hard-counters Moltres. However, Moltres is prone to being revenge killed by faster, offensive pokemon with super effective moves, such as Heliolisk, Kabutops, or Electivire. Moltres also is prone to being worn down, as it has no form of recovery on a choice set. Also, some of the pokemon that resist Fire Blast but are 2HKOed by Hurricane can avoid the 2HKO nearly half the time, as Hurricane has a terrible 70 accuracy.

Any Additional Info: Flamethrower can be used in place of Hidden Power Grass or U-Turn to provide a reliable fire type STAB. Moltres also could run max speed/max special attack, but I think it functions better as a bulky Specs user. There aren't too many other options, maybe Hidden Power Flying as a replacement for Hurricane?

 

[trc]

Just so you all know, I will only be able to update this once a day (for now), so if you haven't been included yet, check back aoon.

 

[Dustflier]

What not to use:

Magmortar @ Expert Belt
Ability: Vital Spirit
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 SAtk / 4 Def
Modest Nature
- Fire Blast
- Thunderbolt
- Focus Blast
- Hidden Power [Grass]


Role: Wallbreaker

What It Does: Unfortunately, Magmortar took plenty of hits this gen. Assault Vest makes it hard for him to KO opponents, while Delphox and Moltres outclass it in almost every way. His only saving grace is his excellent coverage, but Delphox has almost the same. His lackluster speed and mediocre bulk are also reasons why Magmortar simply isn't as effective as before, due to the power creep

Good Teammates:

What Counters It: Entry hazards make Mamortar's life a pain, as they greatly lessen his effectiveness. Bulky pokemon that aren't hit super effectively by his coverage moves, such as Aromarisse and Delphox are also annoying. Pokemon wearing the Assault Vest, such as Slowking, are able to tank a hit and hit Magmortar hard back. Phasing also forces Magmortar to take more entry hazard damage, shortening his effective lifespan severely. Both Fire Blast and Focus Blast have shaky accuracy, and a miss could be costly.

Any Additional Info: Use it NU where it can shine ;-;