XY RU Strings to a Web..

[aVocado]

Introduction and Teambuilding:

I usually write RMTs of teams I used to ladder for a suspect test, like my 3 previous teams that I posted here, but this isn't the case. I started laddering originally for the Dark Horse project, as I don't really like laddering that much and I needed something to get me started, and Dark Horse was that thing. I've previously heard from notable RU users on IRC that Kricketune is the best setter of Sticky Web, and it was suggested to me as the Dark Horse Pokemon that I should register with, so I did that, partially because I had no other ideas and mostly because I was curious to see if its true that its the best Sticky Web user. Considering that Shuckle--the best Sticky Web setter-- has left the tier a while ago, the hype on Sticky Web kinda died down and people thought it wasn't a thing anymore, and overlooked it. But when I heard about Kricketune, I wanted to change that idea and prove to myself that Sticky Web is still a thing to be prepared for. I've had great success with this team on the ladder, and even against a few friends (read: Fagtron/Robert Alfons gets rekt by this every time), and felt like I should RMT it because it's been a great fun to use and ladder with. I'm not quitting it or anything, just RMTing it so that I can try at getting Sticky Web a bit more popular and add some variety to the ladder. n_n

The teambuilding section here won't be fancy, because really, teambuilding for Sticky Web doesn't require all that much thought to be honest. I started with Kricketune as you probably know by now, and moved on from there. I chose the only viable set it has, which is Focus Sash. Then Doublade and Hitmonlee came naturally. Doublade because its one of the best Pokemon in the tier right now and for the fact that its probably the best spinblocker, only losing to Sandslash and Claydol (hue). It's also a great pivot for the team to rely on seeing how offensive it is in nature, and a good counter to the likes of Swords Dance Cobalion and Virizion. Hitmonlee was chosen not just because it benefits a lot from Sticky Web, seeing as Speed is one of Hitmonlee's issues, or its ridiculously strong Reckless High Jump Kick, but also because of its access to Rapid Spin, removing the opponent's hazards if there are any. It also has Mach Punch which can come in handy sometimes. Exploud is another great abuser of Sticky Web because it hits absurdly hard with Choice Specs and Boomburst. Druddigon comes next, with its access to Stealth Rock which can benefit the team a lot of the times. Additionally, Druddigon with Life Orb and Sheer Force is ridiculously strong, able to 2HKO a lot of common walls, and OHKOing Aromatisse with Gunk Shot. I also used a rather unusual spread for it, which you will see later in this RMT. Jolteon was picked last as a fail-safe fast sweeper in case webs are removed. Its access to STAB Electric-type attacks also makes it a good check to Pokemon such as Moltres and Braviary who are immune to sticky web and pose a threat to the team.

At a Glance

In-Depth

NOT BROKEN (Kricketune) @ Focus Sash
Ability: Technician
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Sticky Web
- Taunt
- Endeavor
- Knock Off
​

The star of the show and the Pokemon I started with. After the legend Shuckle left the tier-thankfully-, many people moved on, and other playstyles have been popularized and created, such as Omastar Spikes Stacking offense that has been popularized by user New Breed, and Accelgor has risen to popularity as another Spikes Stacker like Omastar, but unlike Omastar it lacks the ability to beat all defoggers and Stealth Rock. Hyper Offense in general rose in popularity, and Stall was always there, but Sticky Web kinda died. People assumed the next best thing was Leavanny, and easily overlooked Kricketune. Leavanny isn't bad per se, as it has good speed, respectable attack, and good STAB in Grass as well as Magic Coat, and options such as Swords Dance and Baton Pass. Kricketune, on the other hand, has Taunt, Endeavor, and Knock Off, things that Leavanny would die to have. I would like to thank whoever it was on IRC that advised me to use it, and Spirit who first opened my eyes on how Kricketune is really better than Leavanny purely because of its access to Taunt and Endeavor. Additionally, its access to those moves in addition to Knock Off means its impossible to defog on Kricketune unless its Shiftry, who is the only fast offensive Defogger. But even then, if Shiftry comes in when Sticky Web is in place, it can easily be Taunted by Kricketune thanks to the speed drop making it slower. Knock Off allows Kricketune to cripple the defensive Defoggers, namely Gligar, Golbat, and Togetic, and remove their Eviolite, making them a lot easier to kill. Knock Off is also a good move in general, crippling any Pokemon with a removable item. Endeavor can allow Kricketune to cripple an opposing Pokemon if its Focus Sash has been activated, leaving them at 1 HP. This means Kricketune can be saved until later to cripple a specific Pokemon in the opponent's team such as Cresselia or Registeel.

What I especially love about Kricketune though, is how much it shits on Omastar offense which has REALLY been popular this past while. Omastar can simply never win against Kricketune even if it gets a burn with Scald, as it never leaves Kricketune in range where it can KO. Kricketune, in return, can Taunt Omastar preventing it from setting up its hazards, and then lay down Sticky Web, seriously crippling the opponent's team. It easily has a naturally favourable matchup against one of the best playstyles in the tier right now. What can potentially give problems though is opposing lead support Cobalion, which has access to Taunt and Volt Switch to break Kricketune's Focus Sash. Luckily, that thing isn't as popular nowadays (and I blame EonX for even making it popular at all!). Accelgor can also be somewhat of a problem, as it can potentially get 2 layers of Spikes down, or at least it is guaranteed one layer. Usually my best play is to Taunt Accelgor turn 1, preventing it from setting up any more Spikes while also stopping Encore, but sometimes I feel the need to lay down Sticky Web first turn which is a priority and a risk that I have to take. If that's the case though, then Accelgor will usually Encore the Sticky Web. Qwilfish, I admit I haven't seen it at all despite how good it is, can really shut down Kricketune though. It has a faster Taunt itself and can set up all over Kricketune, and then blow up with Explosion if I want to spin on it. Good thing that isn't used as much.

BROKEN (Doublade) @ Eviolite
Ability: No Guard
EVs: 204 HP / 252 Atk / 52 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Iron Head
- Shadow Sneak
- Shadow Claw
​

Doublade, the witch that's being hunted by banhappy people, and I can't really blame them honestly, but I don't necessarily agree with them. Doublade is easily one of the best Pokemon in the tier right now, being able to fit on literally any kind of team you want. Hyper Offense, Bulky Offense, Balance, Semi-Stall, Stall.. you name it, Doublade fits in it. It's an amazing spinblocker able to block the most common spinner in the tier which is Hitmonlee. It loses to Sandslash and Claydol however, which kinda sucks but eh, what can you do? Doublade is also not just there to spinblock, it's there to keep some Pokemon in check, most notably Cobalion, Virizion, Braviary, Swellow.. any physical attacker that the rest of the team can't handle, Doublade usually can. It keeps those physical bird types in check as they are immune to Sticky Web and can easily threaten the team, while setting up on Cobalion and Virizion, 2 great Pokemon in the metagame right now. Doublade also serves as a Cresselia counter, seeing as Cresselia is so fucking bulky that nothing in my team other than perhaps Exploud can 2HKO it, and its naturally fast and is immune to Sticky Web as well. I don't want Exploud to switch in on Cresselia because I don't want it taking a Toxic or any unnecessary damage as I usually need it to be at full health to not be easily revenge killed by Sharpedo or Hitmonlee's Mach Punch. The set I use for Doublade is standard and really the only set it has. The Speed investment allows Doublade to outspeed Rhyperior, with max attack and the rest dumped into HP for maximum bulk. A faster spread can be used to outspeed 252 Spe Clawitzer after Sticky Web, but it leaves Doublade easily 2HKO'd by Hitmonlee's Knock Off, and thats something you don't want as Doublade is there to spinblock Hitmonlee in the first place.

BROKEN (Hitmonlee) (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Reckless
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- High Jump Kick
- Knock Off
- Rapid Spin
- Mach Punch / Sucker Punch
​

Hitmonlee does a number of things for the team, with the most important being Spinning. Hitmonlee's access to Rapid Spin and the fact that it's a great abuser of Sticky Web thanks to its amazing wallbreaking capabilities as well as somewhat below average Speed mean its a natural pick for Sticky Web teams. In addition to Spinning and being a great abuser of Sticky Web in general, it is also a great Sharpedo check with Mach Punch. Without Mach Punch, Sharpedo would easily walk through this team provided Druddigon and Exploud have been weakened even slightly. I chose Reckless and HJK as opposed to the Endure set because really, you can't fit Rapid Spin on that set. Knock Off is a given on Hitmonlee as it provides amazing coverage against Pokemon that resist HJK outside of Fairies (mainly Aromatisse), most notably Psychic- and Ghost-types. I often end up using Hitmonlee as a spinner early-game if the opponent managed to set up SR, or as a sweeper with Sticky Web towards the late-game, cleaning up anything that doesn't fly, levitate, or is called Amoonguss or Aromatisse. In the last slot, I like Mach Punch just for Sharpedo mainly, but Sucker Punch can be used to bypass Scarf Delphox (even under webs, scarf Delphox is faster), Scarf Meloetta (same as Delphox), or a weakened enough Rotom-C or Moltres which are huge threats. It can also nail Fletchinder and prevent it from revenge killing Hitmonlee with Acrobatics.

BROKEN (Exploud) @ Choice Specs
Ability: Scrappy
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Boomburst
- Fire Blast
- Surf
- Ice Beam
​

Fagtron's tears AKA click Boomburst AKA Exploud. Usually associated with Sticky Web. Exploud is the definition of a wallbreaker. If it's not Registeel, AV Escavalier, SpDef Rhyperior/Regirock, or Bronzong, it's 2HKOed -at worst- by Boomburst. With Sticky Web, Exploud's mediocre Speed can be fixed, and it can outspeed every grounded Pokemon except base 115 Speed and up, including things like Ambipom, Cinccino, Dugtrio, and Jolteon. This Pokemon is really straight-forward. It's an amazing wallbreaker that greatly benefits from Sticky Web, has amazing coverage, and is an amazing user of Choice Specs in tandem with Boomburst. Fire Blast allows Exploud to get past Escavalier, Bronzong, Registeel and the likes. Surf is used primarily for Rhyperior as it can OHKO. Ice Beam might look weird to some people seeing as it only really hits Gligar, and a lot of people know its unneeded coverage seeing as Exploud already does like 86% minimum, but OHKOing Gligar is extremely important as Boomburst can never OHKO a 100% HP Gligar without Stealth Rock or some prior damage, and that means it can get off a Defog against Exploud. I'll be explaining in detail how I deal with Gligar later on in this RMT.

BROKEN (Druddigon) @ Life Orb
Ability: Sheer Force
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Outrage
- Gunk Shot
- Fire Punch
​

Druddigon is another wallbreaker in the team with Sheer Force and Life Orb, and it's also a Stealth Rock setter. With Adamant, Sheer Force, Life Orb, and Gunk Shot along with Fire Punch, it can threaten a lot of walls such as Registeel, Bronzong, and Doublade with Fire Punch, 2HKOing the former 2 and dealing like 44% minimum to Doublade. With Gunk Shot, it can OHKO Aromatisse 100% of the time and deal like 75% minimum to physically defensive Tangrowth, despite how rare that thing is. It also 2HKOes other things like Slowking with Gunk Shot, and it's a powerful move to use instead of Outrage if I wish not to be locked to it. The downside though, is that it has 80% accuracy. I use 252 Speed for two reasons: 1 is to avoid all kinds of Druddigon speed creep, seeing as literally every Druddigon I see runs different amounts of speed. I've seen 4, 8, 16, 20, 36, 60, 64, and even 176 Spe Druddigon in RMTs on this forum or on the ladder, etc. With 252 Speed, my Druddigon will outspeed all of those other Druddigons running speed. And the 2nd reason is that It also allows me to outspeed Adamant Hitmonlee after Sticky Web and anything slower than that, which is important to KO it with Fire Punch and prevent a spin if Doublade is somehow down or I don't want it to take any unneeded damage. Druddigon is also useful for its Fire- and Water-type resistances, making it a solid check to Choice-locked Moltres and Delphox, as well as a solid switch in to Slowking outside of Scald burns.

BROKEN (Jolteon) @ Life Orb
Ability: Volt Absorb
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Thunderbolt
- Volt Switch
- Signal Beam
- Hidden Power [Water]
​

The final member of the team, and the main sweeper other than Doublade, who can be denied a sweep if it's been weakened too much, and it usually is, as it is supposed to spinblock Hitmonlee and whatnot. As I previously stated, having STAB Electric-type attacks and a Pokemon like Jolteon is useful for keeping birds such as Swellow, Braviary, and Moltres in check, who are otherwise immune to Sticky Web. It's also pretty much the fastest sweeper in the tier, which makes it a good fail-safe option that doesn't entirely rely on Sticky Web as much as the rest of the team. Hidden Power Water is great for dealing good damage to Rhyperior as well as Gligar, but I've often wondered if I should use HP Ice just for Gligar, but I don't know about that as I already have Ice Beam on Exploud. HP Grass perhaps, but I don't think it would be as useful..

Threats:​

: Gligar is probably the biggest threat, being able to get a Defog so easily with its incredible bulk. Stealth Rock isn't as easy to set as it was back in the Shuckle days. In fact, I mostly don't end up setting SR at all. The only Pokemon I have on my team that can directly kill Gligar is Exploud, and Boomburst never kills without SR (83.1 - 98.1%) so I have to rely on Ice Beam. My usual way of dealing with it--after setting up SW-- is to lure it out by bringing in Doublade, Hitmonlee, or Druddigon, and then doubling back into Exploud to kill with Ice Beam. If this doesn't work, then my Sticky Web can be removed and then I'll lose the upper hand of the game. The opponent can of course switch out Gligar and the Ice Beam would be revealed, but that's another case. If Lee/Doublade/Drudd don't lure out Gligar and I switch out to Exploud, then I'm in trouble, and Exploud would get some unnecessary damage.

: Lead Support Cobalion with Taunt is another big threat. Being able to naturally outspeed the entirety of my team outside of Jolteon, it can Taunt Kricketune preventing it from setting up Sticky Web, and Volt Switch to break my sash. It can also Volt Switch out of my Doublade on the switch, which costs me a lot of momentum in the game.

: Lead Qwilfish with Taunt. Same as Cobalion, but worse. It can Taunt Kricketune AND set up hazards AND explode on Hitmonlee, preventing them from being spun away. It sounds like a bitch to face but thankfully it's not seen much, and I haven't seen it on the ladder yet, as people are hyping up Accelgor and Omastar and forgetting about this thing.

-----------------------------

Nicknames: I've named every Pokemon "BROKEN" because a lot of users have been wanting suspect tests right after Zoroark and Yanmega have been banned. One of the Pokemon a lot of people want banned is Doublade, which I first named "BROKEN". Druddigon has also been named "BROKEN" because of an inside RU joke that's kinda not an inside joke anymore as literally every user and their mother know about it by now, and I just thought I'd also name all the members "BROKEN", especially Exploud because it makes Fagtron cry, to match Doublade and Druddigon's nicknames. Kricketune was named NOT BROKEN because it's probably the only member in this team to not be called broken yet by RU players.

Team's Name: As usual, I leave you with the song I named the team after; Strings to a Web. It's an album by Rage, a productive German metal band (their songs are in english tho), and a great one at that. Do give it a listen whenever you can.

and btw, if an RMT is soon posted with another Kricketune/sticky web team by user: A Terrakion, then know that he stole the kricketune set from me and imitated me by using kricketune as a dark horse!! n_n (i still love you though <3)

importable

NOT BROKEN (Kricketune) @ Focus Sash
Ability: Technician
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Sticky Web
- Taunt
- Endeavor
- Knock Off

BROKEN (Doublade) @ Eviolite
Ability: No Guard
EVs: 204 HP / 252 Atk / 52 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Iron Head
- Shadow Sneak
- Shadow Claw

BROKEN (Hitmonlee) (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Reckless
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- High Jump Kick
- Knock Off
- Rapid Spin
- Mach Punch

BROKEN (Exploud) @ Choice Specs
Ability: Scrappy
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Boomburst
- Fire Blast
- Surf
- Ice Beam

BROKEN (Druddigon) @ Life Orb
Ability: Sheer Force
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Outrage
- Gunk Shot
- Fire Punch

BROKEN (Jolteon) @ Life Orb
Ability: Volt Absorb
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Thunderbolt
- Volt Switch
- Signal Beam
- Hidden Power [Water]

 

[Terrakion.]

I like how you didn't mention that my team is better though, but it's OK, just wait til' I post my RMT.
Anyways for your problems with things like Qwilfish, I would recommend Choice Specs Meloetta but then that means you would be copying off of me w. 4 Pokemon. That isn't cool.
But really, Specs Meloetta helps you with those 3 threats, but trying to fit in Meloetta somewhere could bring more problems with Spiritomb. I lol'd at HP Water Jolteon until I actually saw what it hits so I guess that can be a pretty good lure. Anyways, this team is pretty good, and well made (except that you copied me fgt :]).

ps- If you are gonna tag me, at least admit my team was better and I use Kricketune better <3

EDIT: Apparently HP Water Jolteon is standard. I never seen that shit. Thought I'd throw that out there. So don't mind me if I sound retarded, and if ya got a problem with it, idc smd :]

 

[Molk]

Hi Arikado, pretty cool team here (i've used VERY similar teams myself actually, however there are a few things i'd probably change).

First off, outside of the Pokemon you mentioned this team has quite a bit of trouble with Fletchinder. You only have two Pokemon that resist flying-type moves (Jolteon and Doublade), one of them can't do enough to Fletchinder to reliably beat it once it gets burned, and and the other is quite frail and easy to wear down. A well played Fletchinder can really screw with your team, especially if you can't get Stealth Rock up easily with Druddigon. For this reason, i suggest using Standard Rhyperior over Druddigon. Rhyperior is pretty much a full stop to Fletchinder even when burned, can get up Stealth Rock super reliably, and shares the resistances to Electric- and Fire-type moves that Druddigon has. On top of this, Rhyperior gives you a way to completely block Volt Switch, giving you an easy way to stop lead cobalion from getting free momentum against you. Rhyperior might be weak to Close Combat, but it doesn't take *that* much from support Cobalion's Close Combat regardless. In the last moveslot, i'd suggest trying out Toxic to cripple Gligar and Alomomola on the switch, although Roar or Ice Punch could work out as well.

Now, you lose the handy resistance to Water-type moves that Druddigon had, and whether you use Rhyperior or not you seem a *little* bit Earthquake to me. To fix this i suggest trying out Rotom-C over Jolteon. Rotom-C can take all the Scalds, Earthquakes, etc aimed at other members of your team with ease, all while still serving the same role as a Volt Switch pivot that Jolteon would before (4x resistance to Electric-type moves while resisting Hidden Power Grass/Water is really nice too, ensuring you should be safe against Electric-types that run coverage for Rhyperior). As for items, Choice Scarf should work fine if you want a revenge killer/backup in case Sticky Web gets removed, but something else to consider is trying Expert Belt Hidden Power Ice on Rotom-C to bait in Gligar and kill it before it can pull off a Defog (it might come in predicting the choiced Volt Switch). Whether this is worth losing the backup speed if Sticky Web *does* get removed through Gligar or any other means or not is up to you. Regardless of what item you use on Rotom-C, matching it up against lead Qwilfish and Volt Switching to Hitmonlee or Doublade should put you in a decent position.

hope i helped!

 

[g]

You lose to Swanna

I wont suggest any mayor changes because i feel like the team is solid as it is and does very well against a ton of common play styles like Spikes HO and the less Exploud prepared stall teams running around.

To better deal with Fletchinder without changing Pokemon like Molk suggested using SubPass HP Ice Jolteon might be an option because it always avoids the 2HKO from Acro after SR with the added HP evs and gives u a slot for some utility Heal Bell which might be useful idk. Not to mention it does better against Qwilfish which is nice.

If you want to stick with LO Jolteon however just run HP Ice because I feel like Gligar is just too big of a threat and HP Water doesn't even come close to OHKOing Rhyperior anyway lol. Over Signal Beam I'd use Shadow Ball to OHKO Doublade and for the better coverage in general as Shiftry and Meloetta take a lot from the other moves or beat you anyway or are handled by the rest of your team.

Actually I'll suggest to try LO Clawitzer over Exploud as while it doesn't have the raw power of Exploud and leaves you a tad more Doublade weak it DESTROYS all the mayor threats you have listed and more thanks to the wider coverage and ability to use Life Orb you have Druddigon and Doublade to check the Grass types it can't quite OHKO