-
Welcome to Smogon! Take a moment to read the Introduction to Smogon for a run-down on everything Smogon, and make sure you take some time to read the global rules.
-
Congrats to the winners of the 2023 Smog Awards!
Project What's His Last? V3 Finished. Mods Please lock this.
- Thread starter EraiMHFU
- Start date
- Status
NotFalse, Chesnaught
So Erai14 is out this week so I'll be putting up the team of the week.
Semi Stall by NotFalse
SD Talonflame is the win condition. Sableye supports by Toxicing, Wisping, and Knocking Off bulky walls until they are in KO range of +2 Talon. (Toxic is mainly to catch Zard-Y, BU Talonflame, Zard X or other Fire types. Although, it can also help to wear down Pokemon like Alomomola, Slowbro, or Keldeo)
Kyurem provides a check to waters like Manaphy, Gyarados etc, and also lures Clefable, and Modest Gardevoir with Iron Head, which eases Sableye's time.
Landorus checks Sand/Birds, and gets rocks. SD helps to pressure Balance teams. (or beat BU Talonflame if Lando gets Wisped)
Ferrothorn acts as the second Water resist. Chople Berry allows it to deal better with Gardevoir, Gengar, Azumarill, and Alakazam amongst others. It also allows it to check Keldeo 1 time if neccesary, as the team is a bit weak to it.
Dual hazards + Sableye means you'll usually win the hazard war, and also be able to wear down bulky Pokemon like Garchomp, and Hippo, putting them in range of Talonflame.
So what's his last?
Semi Stall by NotFalse
Sableye-Mega @ Sablenite
Ability: Magic Bounce
EVs: 248 HP / 160 Def / 96 SpD / 4 Spe Careful Nature
- Knock Off
- Will-O-Wisp
- Toxic
- Recover
Kyurem-Black @ Life Orb
Ability: Teravolt
EVs: 28 Atk / 252 SpA / 228 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Ice Beam
- Fusion Bolt
- Iron Head
- Roost
Talonflame
Ability: Flame Body
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Acrobatics
- Will-O-Wisp
- Swords Dance
- Roost
Landorus-Therian (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 248 HP / 244 Def / 8 SpD / 8 Spe
Impish Nature
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Swords Dance
- Stealth Rock
Ferrothorn @ Chople Berry
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 64 Def / 192 SpD
Sassy Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Power Whip
- Gyro Ball
- Leech Seed
- Spikes
Ability: Magic Bounce
EVs: 248 HP / 160 Def / 96 SpD / 4 Spe Careful Nature
- Knock Off
- Will-O-Wisp
- Toxic
- Recover
Kyurem-Black @ Life Orb
Ability: Teravolt
EVs: 28 Atk / 252 SpA / 228 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Ice Beam
- Fusion Bolt
- Iron Head
- Roost
Talonflame
Ability: Flame Body
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Acrobatics
- Will-O-Wisp
- Swords Dance
- Roost
Landorus-Therian (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 248 HP / 244 Def / 8 SpD / 8 Spe
Impish Nature
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Swords Dance
- Stealth Rock
Ferrothorn @ Chople Berry
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 64 Def / 192 SpD
Sassy Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Power Whip
- Gyro Ball
- Leech Seed
- Spikes
SD Talonflame is the win condition. Sableye supports by Toxicing, Wisping, and Knocking Off bulky walls until they are in KO range of +2 Talon. (Toxic is mainly to catch Zard-Y, BU Talonflame, Zard X or other Fire types. Although, it can also help to wear down Pokemon like Alomomola, Slowbro, or Keldeo)
Kyurem provides a check to waters like Manaphy, Gyarados etc, and also lures Clefable, and Modest Gardevoir with Iron Head, which eases Sableye's time.
Landorus checks Sand/Birds, and gets rocks. SD helps to pressure Balance teams. (or beat BU Talonflame if Lando gets Wisped)
Ferrothorn acts as the second Water resist. Chople Berry allows it to deal better with Gardevoir, Gengar, Azumarill, and Alakazam amongst others. It also allows it to check Keldeo 1 time if neccesary, as the team is a bit weak to it.
Dual hazards + Sableye means you'll usually win the hazard war, and also be able to wear down bulky Pokemon like Garchomp, and Hippo, putting them in range of Talonflame.
So what's his last?
Infernal
Banned deucer.
Starmie @ Leftovers
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Scald
- Rapid Spin
- Recover
- Psyshock
With Kyurem-B and Talonflame on the team, hazard removal becomes extra important. Although the team uses Mega Sableye, this alone isn't reliable enough. This is because several SR users, such as Heatran, SD Garchomp, and Clefable can make it difficult for Mega Sableye to keep SR off. Should it fail to successfully do its job, SR is going to place immense pressure on Talonflame and Kyurem-B, limiting what they can do. Because of this, the team would appreciate an additional method of removing hazards. In addition to this, the team lacks a water and has a big weakness to Keldeo.
Starmie looks like the ideal fit, helping with all of the above problems nicely. Although it's possible to use some other hazard removers, Starmie has a few important advantages over them. Defog is needed when using Latios or Latias, which is a little counterproductive with your own Spikes on the team. Starmie also doesn't fear Icy Wind from Specs Keldeo, and removes hazards more reliably against the SR setters troubling Mega Sableye, like Clefable and Heatran. Access to Recover and Natural Cure make it a more durable hazard remover than other spinners like Tentacruel, while its good speed and lack of a ground weakness allows a spin against the likes of Garchomp and Landorus-T if necessary. Overall, it does its job well and could be a cool choice for the last slot.
Last edited:
Tentacruel @ Black Sludge
Ability: Liquid Ooze
EVs: 248 HP / 216 Def / 28 SpD / 16 Spe
Timid Nature
- Scald
- Rapid Spin
- Acid Spray
- Knock Off
Tentacruel fits the missing spot on the team as obligatory entry hazard removal for Talonflame and Kyurem, which also doubles as a neat fit into the FWG core, and a check to both Clefable and Keldeo, two threats to the team. In addition, Tentacruel has access to Knock Off, which can be helpful against pokemon such as Chansey, which rely on their items to switch into attacks. Tentacruel doesn't really need to have a good matchup against Landorus-T and Garchomp either, as they are dealt with by half of the team already, and they can't switch into Tentacruel in fear of a Scald.
Last edited:
Empoleon @ Leftovers
Ability: Torrent
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
- Scald
- Roar
- Toxic
- Defog
Empoleon fits well on this team. Scald burns and toxic whittle down the opponent and fit the semistall theme. Roar phases opponents to gain momentum and rack up rocks and spikes damage courtesy of Ferrothorn. Defog supports Talonflame and Kyurem-B should M-Sab fail to keep rocks off the field, without making the team weak to dark types such as Bisharp and Weavile, like Starmie and Lati@s would. Also provides important flying, rock, and most importantly a quad ice resistance for Lando without stacking a fire weakness like other steels such as Skarmory would. Keldeo is annoying but that's why Ferrothorn has chople berry and power whip, chople berry is another option but then you lost leftovers recovery and would probably have to run Rest over toxic, not a massive problem as Sableye has toxic too but I think this set works best overall.
Last edited:
Infernal, Starmie
Twix, Tentacruel
Infernal, Starmie
Hello all. Starmie by Infernal won this round.
Erai14 is having problems so it is I, KidMagic, with the next team.
So the basis of this team is to wear down the opposing team with a VolTurn strategy. Hydreigon is a powerful wallbreaker that gives useful resistances and helps break down a ton of defensive cores that Mega Manectric + Tornadus-T would otherwise have trouble with. Tornadus was added because Mega Venusaur and other Grasses were a bit threatening and it completed a VolTurn core with Manectric. Manectric and Hydreigon hate faster Dragons as well as a few Fairies, so AV Metagross was added to trap and weaken these threats. Finally Garchomp was added because Bisharp and other Physical attackers were looking scary and I lacked Stealth Rock.
But what's my last?
Erai14 is having problems so it is I, KidMagic, with the next team.
Hydreigon @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Fire Blast
- Draco Meteor
- Dark Pulse
- Flash Cannon
Tornadus-Therian @ Life Orb
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 76 Atk / 180 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Taunt
- U-Turn
- Superpower
- Hurricane
Manectric @ Manectite
Ability: Lightning Rod
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Flamethrower
- Volt Switch
- Thunderbolt
Metagross @ Assault Vest
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 252 HP / 160 Atk / 96 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Bullet Punch
- Earthquake
- Pursuit
- Meteor Mash
Garchomp @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Rough Skin
EVs: 240 HP / 176 Def / 92 Spe
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Dragon Tail
- Stone Edge
- Earthquake
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Fire Blast
- Draco Meteor
- Dark Pulse
- Flash Cannon
Tornadus-Therian @ Life Orb
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 76 Atk / 180 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Taunt
- U-Turn
- Superpower
- Hurricane
Manectric @ Manectite
Ability: Lightning Rod
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Flamethrower
- Volt Switch
- Thunderbolt
Metagross @ Assault Vest
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 252 HP / 160 Atk / 96 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Bullet Punch
- Earthquake
- Pursuit
- Meteor Mash
Garchomp @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Rough Skin
EVs: 240 HP / 176 Def / 92 Spe
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Dragon Tail
- Stone Edge
- Earthquake
So the basis of this team is to wear down the opposing team with a VolTurn strategy. Hydreigon is a powerful wallbreaker that gives useful resistances and helps break down a ton of defensive cores that Mega Manectric + Tornadus-T would otherwise have trouble with. Tornadus was added because Mega Venusaur and other Grasses were a bit threatening and it completed a VolTurn core with Manectric. Manectric and Hydreigon hate faster Dragons as well as a few Fairies, so AV Metagross was added to trap and weaken these threats. Finally Garchomp was added because Bisharp and other Physical attackers were looking scary and I lacked Stealth Rock.
But what's my last?
Infernal
Banned deucer.
Azumarill @ Lum Berry
Ability: Huge Power
EVs: 240 HP / 252 Atk / 16 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Play Rough
- Waterfall
- Aqua Jet
- Knock Off
There are two huge weaknesses I see, Excadrill and Charizard-X. Excadrill is faster than the whole team under sand and gets a big hit on everything with its STABs. If it sets up a SD, the problem is worse. Similarly, DD Charizard-X can potentially sweep this team after boosting. With Manectric and Metagross on the team, setting up isn't too difficult either.
There are several other issues I notice. A major one is rain, as Specs Kingdra smacks everything around with weather boosted attacks. DD Mega Gyarados with Ice Fang can be scary at +1, which is set up without much trouble on Metagross or -2 Hydreigon. CM Mega Sableye can be really annoying, although the team has some ways of pressuring it. Other Pokemon like Keldeo also look hard to switch into. However, the pony doesn't have an easy time switching in itself and the team has ways of pressuring it. Lastly, Weavile looks pretty threatening. SR + Manec + BP Meta can keep it from getting out of control, but Icicle Crash and Knock Off still do a number to the whole team.
Because of these issues, I chose Azumarill as the last. It is a great offensive check to Excadrill and Charizard-X, and gives the team a way of managing all of the other threats mentioned (especially rain). Azumarill fits the offensive nature of the team, and appreciates being brought in for free by Volt Switch + U-turn to fire away some hits. Lum Berry is to avoid burns from Sab and Keld. AV is possible to switch in on Kingdra better though.
As mentioned by littlelucario below, Azumarill does make electrics more problematic. The team has bigger issues though and I would argue the team has ways to manage electrics between Hydreigon, Mega Manectric, etc.
Last edited:
Please do not downgrade other nominations. We're here to understand the thought process of others applied to other teams.
And just sayin, AV Metagross + Hydreigon + Manectric can handle them nicely enough if aggression is maintained.
Last edited:
So I noticed this team is pretty weak to exca under sand, so I immediately thought of breloom when thinking of checks for sand offense.
Breloom @ Life Orb
Ability: Technician
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Mach Punch
- Swords Dance
- Bullet Seed
- Spore
So, this is standard SD Breloom. Obviously, you could run superpower or rock tomb over SD, but this team doesn't appear to be in need of them too much. Jolly nature is necessary for getting the fastest spore possible, which is also good for this team that appreciates free switches. Fist Plate or focus sash could be run if you want to. In general, this should stick the team together nicely and be an overall helpful addition. Thanks!
Breloom @ Life Orb
Ability: Technician
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Mach Punch
- Swords Dance
- Bullet Seed
- Spore
So, this is standard SD Breloom. Obviously, you could run superpower or rock tomb over SD, but this team doesn't appear to be in need of them too much. Jolly nature is necessary for getting the fastest spore possible, which is also good for this team that appreciates free switches. Fist Plate or focus sash could be run if you want to. In general, this should stick the team together nicely and be an overall helpful addition. Thanks!
Last edited:
- Status