Electric Terrain Offense in National Dex OU
| « Previous Article | Next Article » |
Art by Zatqer.
Introduction
Terrains have been an integral part of competitive Pokemon ever since the introduction of the Tapus in Generation 7. Every SM OU player is probably familiar with the classic case where they tried to deny the opponent the correct Terrain so that the opposing Hawlucha doesn't sweep, not unlike the weather wars of BW OU. In Generation 9, with the introduction of Quark Drive, Electric Terrain teams now have additional tools to gain the upper hand. Electric Terrain teams in National Dex OU contain a basic core of Tapu Koko + Iron Valiant + Unburden user. There is considerable room for innovation and flexibility beyond the core three slots.
Building an Electric Terrain Team
Step 1: Tapu Koko
Tapu Koko is mandatory on Electric Terrain teams, as it is by far the better of the two available Pokemon with Electric Surge. Tapu Koko not only provides the necessary Electric Terrain but also can support the sweepers on the team with dual screens and pivoting moves such as U-turn and Volt Switch. Besides supporting the team, Tapu Koko is a respectable offensive Pokemon in its own right, wielding a solid STAB combination that can even be supplemented with Electrium Z to catch opponents off guard. Light Clay should be used if Tapu Koko is setting screens, but otherwise Heavy-Duty Boots and Terrain Extender are all good options to either extend the duration of Electric Terrain or enhance Tapu Koko's longevity.
Step 2: Iron Valiant
Iron Valiant is the only other mandatory member on Electric Terrain teams, since it is by far the best available Pokemon with Quark Drive. Tapu Koko's Electric Surge grants Iron Valiant a Speed boost while letting it run an item other than Booster Energy—a terrifying combination. Life Orb is an excellent choice to accentuate Iron Valiant's firepower on mixed sets, giving it the needed power to OHKO specially defensive Heatran with Close Combat. Iron Valiant can serve as a speedy wallbreaker with Choice Specs, firing off insanely powerful Moonblasts that let it 2HKO most Garganacl variants. Electric Terrain-boosted Thunderbolts deal massive damage to targets such as Toxapex and Corviknight. It can also boost both its physical and its special offense with Swords Dance or Calm Mind. Iron Valiant is also a very capable Z-Move user, and its versatility lets it wield many different Z-Crystals effectively. On Calm Mind sets, Fairium Z grants Iron Valiant the extra firepower to smash through bulky foes such as specially defensive Landorus-T, Tera Fairy Garganacl, and bulky Zapdos variants. Fightinium Z on Swords Dance sets is absurdly powerful. After a Swords Dance, All-Out Pummeling boasts a good chance to OHKO Iron Defense Zamazenta even at +1 Defense and deals well over 80% damage to utility Zapdos. Electrium Z is an interesting option on all-out attacking sets to cleanly OHKO virtually all Toxapex variants after Stealth Rock if Electric Terrain is up.
Step 3: Unburden User
An Unburden user is extremely valuable on Electric Terrain teams as a late-game cleaner or an emergency check to a fast sweeper such as Volcarona. Electric Seed grants a 50% Defense boost, which greatly eases setup against foes such as Ferrothorn and Mega Lopunny while also making it much harder for them to be revenge killed by priority such as Dragonite's Extreme Speed. Sneasler is generally the best option, as it is faster than Hawlucha and is by far the strongest Unburden user available. Tera Flying Acrobatics is great for dealing high damage to Landorus-T, Gliscor, and Great Tusk, which otherwise take little from Sneasler's other moves. As a last resort, Dire Claw's whopping 50% status chance can serve as a Hail Mary option to let Sneasler or a teammate cheese its way through a would-be check such as Landorus-T. Gunk Shot can also be used for its greater power, allowing Sneasler to break through defensive Zapdos without risking paralysis from Static. On certain teams, Hawlucha may also have a niche, since it has a Ground immunity and STAB on Acrobatics without needing to Terastallize. Unlike Sneasler, Hawlucha can often fit Taunt into its moveset, improving its matchup against more defensive teams by denying recovery or status from foes such as Dondozo, Skarmory, and Gliscor. Hawlucha also has other interesting options in its last slot, such as Roost for extra insurance against priority and Stone Edge to hit Zapdos, Moltres, and Tornadus. Like Sneasler, Hawlucha also prefers Tera Flying, which lets it beat foes it normally cannot, such as Clefable.
Step 4: Additional Terrain Attackers
Although not mandatory, additional Electric Terrain attackers should be strongly considered. Iron Moth is an excellent choice for many teams, and Electric Terrain lets it run Heavy-Duty Boots or Life Orb instead of Booster Energy. Its EV spread can be tweaked to boost either Speed or Special Attack, depending on a team's needs. Iron Moth is great at taking advantage of a Tapu Lele locked into Moonblast, as well as other nuisances such as Ferrothorn and Rillaboom. Iron Moth also crucially checks both Mega Scizor as well as opposing Iron Valiant, which can be crucial against other Electric Terrain teams. Iron Hands is another interesting choice, gaining a boost to its Electric-type STAB and using Quark Drive to boost either its Attack or Defense to monstrous levels. However, it is generally difficult to fit due to lack of defensive synergy with the rest of the team, and Terastallization may be required to extract full value from it. Other Quark Drive users such as Iron Leaves have not been explored much but could find places on creative teams.
Step 5: Supporting Pokemon
Supporting Pokemon that can deal with threats to Electric Terrain teams or help support the team's offense are greatly appreciated. Great Tusk, Landorus-T, Glimmora or Hisuian Samurott can set entry hazards to weaken defensive Pokemon such as Ting-Lu, Garganacl, and opposing Landorus-T. Mega Scizor is also a strong option against Tapu Lele lacking Hidden Power Fire, and it appreciates Tapu Koko removing the priority-blocking Psychic Terrain. Landorus-T is a good overall pivot that can check Mega Lopunny and Mega Medicham, chipping them down with Rocky Helmet.
Threats to Electric Terrain Teams
Electric Terrain teams rely on the terrain granting Speed boosts to their sweepers, either in the form of Quark Drive or Unburden. As a result, opposing strategies that interfere with Electric Terrain or bypass Speed through priority are a serious problem for such teams. Tapu Lele is a huge threat to Electric Terrain teams, as not only does it replace the Electric Terrain with Psychic Terrain, but with a Choice Scarf it can also outspeed and deal massive damage to many members of Electric Terrain teams such as Iron Valiant and Tapu Koko. It is critical for Electric Terrain to have a way to deal with Tapu Lele. Mega Scizor, Ferrothorn, and Heatran are all good answers to it, although they must be wary of coverage moves. Priority users such as Dragonite can also be an issue, as priority attacks such as Extreme Speed bypass the Speed boost afforded by Electric Terrain to hit frail sweepers such as Iron Moth, Sneasler, and Iron Valiant for huge damage. Landorus-T, Iron Hands, and Great Tusk are good blanket checks to priority-wielding sweepers such as Dragonite and Mega Scizor. Volcarona is also a serious threat, as depending on it set, it can set up against Iron Valiant, Iron Moth, or Tapu Koko and proceed to threaten the entire team. Sneasler is a good emergency check to Volcarona, especially with Tera Flying Acrobatics, but prematurely consuming the one-time use Electric Seed is not ideal.
Playing Electric Terrain
In this replay from NDPL, zioziotrip uses an Electric Terrain team with the standard Tapu Koko/Iron Valiant/Sneasler core, supported by lead Glimmora, Swords Dance + Scale Shot Mega Garchomp, and Cosmic Power Mew. zioziotrip uses Mega Garchomp to wallbreak early game, then sets up Reflect and Electric Terrain with Tapu Koko. Crucially, Tapu Koko also limits the opposing Mega Scizor to a single Swords Dance with Taunt. zioziotrip then sacrifices Glimmora for two layers of Toxic Spikes. The stage is now set for Sneasler, which comes in behind Reflect with an Electric Seed boost, effectively a +4 Defense boost. Still, Sneasler very nearly faints from two consecutive Bullet Punches before it finally can take out Mega Scizor with a boosted Close Combat. Interestingly, zioziotrip's opponent elects not to immediately revenge kill Sneasler with Dragonite and instead loses both Alolan Ninetales and Baxcalibur to Close Combat. However, at this point, with Mega Scizor gone and two turns of Reflect still left, it was likely that zioziotrip's remaining sweepers in Iron Valiant and Cosmic Power Mew would be able to win the game.
Get Out There!
Electric Terrain offense is an aggressive and exciting playstyle that still has a ton of room for innovation and exploration. Ultimately the framework laid out in this article should be taken more as guidelines than actual rules. If you're tired of playing slow balance teams, rolling with Electric Terrain could be a nice change of pace, whether it's on the ladder or in tournaments!
| « Previous Article | Next Article » |