Yo it's Phaenon and I got a cool team with some of my favorite pokes from the current metagame. Let's get into it.
Prior to making this team, I'd been working on a team for a few weeks with a friend of mine, Lets get shaded. The original premise of the team was stall with a bulky offense core: Suicune/Scrafty. Trust me when I say this, Suicune/Scrafty is one of the best offensive cores I've come across (when put on the right team). Both have very respectable bulk, Rest (Sleep Talk for Suicune, Shed Skin for Scrafty), a setup move (Calm Mind/Bulk Up) and attacking coverage. One has HP/Def investment while the other has HP/SpDef. A match made in heaven.
Anyways, after exploring this core, I figured wynaut branch off into some of the other great bulky setup sweepers of the current metagame. I really wanted to use a cool Goodra set with Rest, Sleep Talk, Curse, and Dragon Tail, but it ended up not working in the context of the team. So I brought in Clefable and Snorlax in the hope that they work well with each other.
I've tried out various pokes on the team, and it's still in testing so I'm very open to any suggestions you might have. However, one thing I'd like to make clear is that I wanna steer away from making this a stall team, after having just spent weeks making one. Other than that, I'd love to hear what you have to say! Without further ado, here's the team:
The Elder (Scrafty) @ Leftovers
Ability: Shed Skin
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SDef
Careful Nature
- Rest
- Bulk Up
- Drain Punch
- Knock Off
Scrafty is one of the most underutilized threats in both the UU and OU tiers. It's been overlooked, especially this gen, because of its glaring weakness to fairy type attacks. However, it can really strive when put in the correct situation. I don't put any sort of nature/EV investment into attack, as it's simply not needed. With these kind of sweepers, slow and steady wins the race. With the investment I have, it has 334 HP and 361 Special Defense. It's ballin'. In combination with Bulk Up, if you bring it in at the right time you can make it almost impenetrable.
Also, Shed Skin. Shed Skin, Shed Skin, Shed Skin. You know what Scrafty doesn't give a shit about? Literally any status. Which is why Rest is so good on this set. Nowadays people love to stop sweeps with status. Guess what, this team doesn't really give a rat's ass about status.
Scared of Dirt (Heatran) @ Leftovers
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 HP / 244 SDef / 12 Spd
Calm Nature
- Lava Plume
- Earth Power
- Substitute
- Roar
I'm trying to put these pokes in the order I actually chose them. My thought process here went something like this: Scrafty! Shit, fairies. Heatran! Heatran is probably the best wall for any fairy attack and Flash Fire is very nice (Also, poke #2 who doesn't care about Toxic). We all know what Heatran does, it sits there and does Heatran stuff. But actually, it's a great special wall for a ton of different types. It can take basically any t-bolt/ice beam, and grass/poison aren't gonna do anything. On a team with so many setup sweepers, you need a guy to be taking some of the super effective hits. Heatran does this the best.
Lava Plume/Earth Power as standard coverage on Heatran, and Roar to stop other setup sweepers. Substitute is for when either it's too risky to predict attacking or roaring, or when you know they can't do anything to you (like when Volcarona or Togekiss come out). I do run 12 Spd EVs (1) to outspeed Heatrans with 4 Spd EVs, and (2) to outspeed the Heatrans who think they're sneaky by running 8 Spd EVs to outspeed the Heatrans running 4 Spd EVs. An alternative option to substitute is Stealth Rock if you so choose.
Interesting Handy (Gliscor) @ Toxic Orb
Ability: Poison Heal
EVs: 244 HP / 248 Def / 16 Spd
Bold Nature
- Protect
- Toxic
- Knock Off
- Earthquake
I'm sure you can guess my thought process for this one: Heatran! Shit, earthquake. Gliscor! Gliscor makes a great Defensive partner with Heatran, as it's not effected by ground moves, and Heatran can take those ice type moves. Gliscor is an all-around nuisance that can help wall some of the best physical sweepers (at least for a little while). Obvious Toxic Orb/Protect is obvious, Toxic/Knock Off/Earthquake is pretty standard as well. But hey, it's standard for a reason.
I run 244 HP EVs for best Poison Heal recovery without wasting EVs, 16 Spd, and the rest in Defense. (Poke #3 who doesn't give a shit about Toxic. In fact, he welcomes it with open arms). Just as a tip, if you're going to be leading with Gliscor, if you even suspect the tiniest bit that the opposing lead will go for Knock Off, go for protect. It's not worth losing the Toxic Orb. You'd be surprised how hard it is to use Gliscor effectively without it being poisoned.
Here Comes Treble (Clefable) @ Leftovers
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SDef
Calm Nature
- Cosmic Power
- Soft-Boiled
- Stored Power
- Moonblast
Clefable is, in my opinion, the most frustrating pokemon to see as you're looking at your opponent's team preview for the first time. You always go, "God dammit, I know exactly what that's gonna do, but I can't do anything about it." Well, Clefable is now on our side. This is just a standard Cosmic Power set that absolutely destroys teams either as a lead or a late-game sweeper (or really anything in between). It's so easy to bring in because of its bulk, and you can almost always get a Cosmic Power up on the switch.
I run standard Special Defense EVs, however I'm playing around with different spreads, one of which being 252 HP / 66 Def / 186 SpDef. This gives it just enough Defense to live a Flare Blitz from an adamant Mega Charizard X at full health, not to mention the extra Defense bulk helps with any physically offensive threat in the meta. Let me know what you think about this, or if you have a different spread that's been successful. (Poke #4 who laughs at your Toxic)
Pro Roadblock (Snorlax) (M) @ Chesto Berry
Ability: Thick Fat
EVs: 252 HP / 172 Atk / 84 Def
Impish Nature
- Rest
- Curse
- Earthquake
- Return
I think Snorlax is another one of those underutilized threats in the meta. There are so many successful sets, so there's always shock value. The bulk/offensive potential is incredible, and I think it's really synergistic with the concept of the team. I struggled for a while to figure out whether I wanted to run Leftovers with more coverage or Resto-Chesto and be walled by Gliscor. You can see what I chose. The other tough decision was Immunity or Thick Fat. However, with the huge threat that is Mega Charizard X running around everywhere, and my Gliscor, I figured Thick Fat was the smarter choice (although with rest, he still gives 0 fucks about Toxic).
With this EV Spread, a Flare Blitz from Mega Charizard X at +1 only does 45.9 - 54.3%, while Snorlax fight back with an earthquake doing 56.3 - 66.4%. And this is assuming you haven't gotten up a curse. There's no reason why you shouldn't get one up in these types of situations. As I stated earlier, you do have to watch out for Gengar as it completely walls this set.
99 Problems (Suicune) @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SDef
Bold Nature
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
- Calm Mind
- Scald
Best for last. Suicune, my favorite pokemon, and one of the biggest threats in all of competitive battling. Crocune absolutely wrecks, and it taunts you with its beauty. (Bringing it home as the 6th pokemon who takes a shit on your Toxic with Rest). I love this thing so much. It's so hard to make a team now without saying to myself, "Wow, Suicune would work really well on this team." It's got so much bulk, and it takes those ice/steel type moves you don't want anyone else to be taking. Not to mention it also walls water/fire.
I apologize for going on and on about Mega Charizard X this whole time, but recently it's been a super huge threat to every team I make. However, with Suicune I'd like to focus on Mega Charizard Y. This is my favorite matchup, when they have their Charizard Y out in the sun, thinking Solarbeam will wreck Suicune. Guess what? Solarbeam does at most 40% once Suicune is at +2. The longevity of this thing is unreal, and it just takes on, to be honest, most pokemon. It also wins those stall wars with Clefable/Blissey because of its lovely ability, Pressure. God, I love Suicune.
THREAT LIST:
-Anything with Taunt (Although my team doesn't completely rely on support moves, it kinda does. Not being able to use those important stat-boosting/healing moves really slows down my momentum and leaves me vulnerable)
-Hazards (As you can see, I carry no Rapid Spinners/Defoggers. This is kind of an issue.)
-Mega Medicham (Wow, Mega Medicham is too good. If it carries Ice Punch, it basically gets through everything unless I've already had a chance to set up, which I can't always count on.)
REPLAYS:
Coming Soon
This is by no means a perfect team, but I love the concept of it. Bulky Setup is quickly becoming my favorite tactic, and I urge you guys to try it out when you get the chance. Of course, I'm looking for suggestions on how to improve the team, and I'd love all the input you're willing to give.
Thanks for reading! <3
Prior to making this team, I'd been working on a team for a few weeks with a friend of mine, Lets get shaded. The original premise of the team was stall with a bulky offense core: Suicune/Scrafty. Trust me when I say this, Suicune/Scrafty is one of the best offensive cores I've come across (when put on the right team). Both have very respectable bulk, Rest (Sleep Talk for Suicune, Shed Skin for Scrafty), a setup move (Calm Mind/Bulk Up) and attacking coverage. One has HP/Def investment while the other has HP/SpDef. A match made in heaven.
Anyways, after exploring this core, I figured wynaut branch off into some of the other great bulky setup sweepers of the current metagame. I really wanted to use a cool Goodra set with Rest, Sleep Talk, Curse, and Dragon Tail, but it ended up not working in the context of the team. So I brought in Clefable and Snorlax in the hope that they work well with each other.
I've tried out various pokes on the team, and it's still in testing so I'm very open to any suggestions you might have. However, one thing I'd like to make clear is that I wanna steer away from making this a stall team, after having just spent weeks making one. Other than that, I'd love to hear what you have to say! Without further ado, here's the team:
The Elder (Scrafty) @ Leftovers
Ability: Shed Skin
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SDef
Careful Nature
- Rest
- Bulk Up
- Drain Punch
- Knock Off
Scrafty is one of the most underutilized threats in both the UU and OU tiers. It's been overlooked, especially this gen, because of its glaring weakness to fairy type attacks. However, it can really strive when put in the correct situation. I don't put any sort of nature/EV investment into attack, as it's simply not needed. With these kind of sweepers, slow and steady wins the race. With the investment I have, it has 334 HP and 361 Special Defense. It's ballin'. In combination with Bulk Up, if you bring it in at the right time you can make it almost impenetrable.
Also, Shed Skin. Shed Skin, Shed Skin, Shed Skin. You know what Scrafty doesn't give a shit about? Literally any status. Which is why Rest is so good on this set. Nowadays people love to stop sweeps with status. Guess what, this team doesn't really give a rat's ass about status.
Scared of Dirt (Heatran) @ Leftovers
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 HP / 244 SDef / 12 Spd
Calm Nature
- Lava Plume
- Earth Power
- Substitute
- Roar
I'm trying to put these pokes in the order I actually chose them. My thought process here went something like this: Scrafty! Shit, fairies. Heatran! Heatran is probably the best wall for any fairy attack and Flash Fire is very nice (Also, poke #2 who doesn't care about Toxic). We all know what Heatran does, it sits there and does Heatran stuff. But actually, it's a great special wall for a ton of different types. It can take basically any t-bolt/ice beam, and grass/poison aren't gonna do anything. On a team with so many setup sweepers, you need a guy to be taking some of the super effective hits. Heatran does this the best.
Lava Plume/Earth Power as standard coverage on Heatran, and Roar to stop other setup sweepers. Substitute is for when either it's too risky to predict attacking or roaring, or when you know they can't do anything to you (like when Volcarona or Togekiss come out). I do run 12 Spd EVs (1) to outspeed Heatrans with 4 Spd EVs, and (2) to outspeed the Heatrans who think they're sneaky by running 8 Spd EVs to outspeed the Heatrans running 4 Spd EVs. An alternative option to substitute is Stealth Rock if you so choose.
Interesting Handy (Gliscor) @ Toxic Orb
Ability: Poison Heal
EVs: 244 HP / 248 Def / 16 Spd
Bold Nature
- Protect
- Toxic
- Knock Off
- Earthquake
I'm sure you can guess my thought process for this one: Heatran! Shit, earthquake. Gliscor! Gliscor makes a great Defensive partner with Heatran, as it's not effected by ground moves, and Heatran can take those ice type moves. Gliscor is an all-around nuisance that can help wall some of the best physical sweepers (at least for a little while). Obvious Toxic Orb/Protect is obvious, Toxic/Knock Off/Earthquake is pretty standard as well. But hey, it's standard for a reason.
I run 244 HP EVs for best Poison Heal recovery without wasting EVs, 16 Spd, and the rest in Defense. (Poke #3 who doesn't give a shit about Toxic. In fact, he welcomes it with open arms). Just as a tip, if you're going to be leading with Gliscor, if you even suspect the tiniest bit that the opposing lead will go for Knock Off, go for protect. It's not worth losing the Toxic Orb. You'd be surprised how hard it is to use Gliscor effectively without it being poisoned.
Here Comes Treble (Clefable) @ Leftovers
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SDef
Calm Nature
- Cosmic Power
- Soft-Boiled
- Stored Power
- Moonblast
Clefable is, in my opinion, the most frustrating pokemon to see as you're looking at your opponent's team preview for the first time. You always go, "God dammit, I know exactly what that's gonna do, but I can't do anything about it." Well, Clefable is now on our side. This is just a standard Cosmic Power set that absolutely destroys teams either as a lead or a late-game sweeper (or really anything in between). It's so easy to bring in because of its bulk, and you can almost always get a Cosmic Power up on the switch.
I run standard Special Defense EVs, however I'm playing around with different spreads, one of which being 252 HP / 66 Def / 186 SpDef. This gives it just enough Defense to live a Flare Blitz from an adamant Mega Charizard X at full health, not to mention the extra Defense bulk helps with any physically offensive threat in the meta. Let me know what you think about this, or if you have a different spread that's been successful. (Poke #4 who laughs at your Toxic)
Pro Roadblock (Snorlax) (M) @ Chesto Berry
Ability: Thick Fat
EVs: 252 HP / 172 Atk / 84 Def
Impish Nature
- Rest
- Curse
- Earthquake
- Return
I think Snorlax is another one of those underutilized threats in the meta. There are so many successful sets, so there's always shock value. The bulk/offensive potential is incredible, and I think it's really synergistic with the concept of the team. I struggled for a while to figure out whether I wanted to run Leftovers with more coverage or Resto-Chesto and be walled by Gliscor. You can see what I chose. The other tough decision was Immunity or Thick Fat. However, with the huge threat that is Mega Charizard X running around everywhere, and my Gliscor, I figured Thick Fat was the smarter choice (although with rest, he still gives 0 fucks about Toxic).
With this EV Spread, a Flare Blitz from Mega Charizard X at +1 only does 45.9 - 54.3%, while Snorlax fight back with an earthquake doing 56.3 - 66.4%. And this is assuming you haven't gotten up a curse. There's no reason why you shouldn't get one up in these types of situations. As I stated earlier, you do have to watch out for Gengar as it completely walls this set.
99 Problems (Suicune) @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SDef
Bold Nature
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
- Calm Mind
- Scald
Best for last. Suicune, my favorite pokemon, and one of the biggest threats in all of competitive battling. Crocune absolutely wrecks, and it taunts you with its beauty. (Bringing it home as the 6th pokemon who takes a shit on your Toxic with Rest). I love this thing so much. It's so hard to make a team now without saying to myself, "Wow, Suicune would work really well on this team." It's got so much bulk, and it takes those ice/steel type moves you don't want anyone else to be taking. Not to mention it also walls water/fire.
I apologize for going on and on about Mega Charizard X this whole time, but recently it's been a super huge threat to every team I make. However, with Suicune I'd like to focus on Mega Charizard Y. This is my favorite matchup, when they have their Charizard Y out in the sun, thinking Solarbeam will wreck Suicune. Guess what? Solarbeam does at most 40% once Suicune is at +2. The longevity of this thing is unreal, and it just takes on, to be honest, most pokemon. It also wins those stall wars with Clefable/Blissey because of its lovely ability, Pressure. God, I love Suicune.
THREAT LIST:
-Anything with Taunt (Although my team doesn't completely rely on support moves, it kinda does. Not being able to use those important stat-boosting/healing moves really slows down my momentum and leaves me vulnerable)
-Hazards (As you can see, I carry no Rapid Spinners/Defoggers. This is kind of an issue.)
-Mega Medicham (Wow, Mega Medicham is too good. If it carries Ice Punch, it basically gets through everything unless I've already had a chance to set up, which I can't always count on.)
REPLAYS:
Coming Soon
This is by no means a perfect team, but I love the concept of it. Bulky Setup is quickly becoming my favorite tactic, and I urge you guys to try it out when you get the chance. Of course, I'm looking for suggestions on how to improve the team, and I'd love all the input you're willing to give.
Thanks for reading! <3
