Project Buried Treasure Project MK. 2

[Tressed]

Approved by Aragorn the King
Taken over from SketchUp

Sometimes you are looking in the viability rankings and think: Why is this Pokemon even ranked? Why would I use Pokemon X if Pokemon Y exists? In this project we will discuss such forgotten or underrated Pokemon in the OU tier. Every week I pick 3 pokemon from the Viability Rankings to discuss questions like:

• Which set(s) make this pokemon viable in OU?
• Which are underrated, but still effective sets from this pokemon in the metagame?
• Which sets should people not use?
• Would you recommend using this pokemon and in what kind of teams do you recommend them?

Experiment with the Pokemon by showing cool sets, replays or sample teams to showcase why the Pokemon should (or should not) be used. At the end of each week I will pick 1 or 2 sets (depends on the activity of the thread) for the archive. One of the sets which showcases the niche of the Pokemon in OU and one set which shows an underrated (or maybe gimmicky) capability of the Pokemon.

Interested in having a certain Pokemon as one of our subjects? Shoot me a PM!

Archive

Week 1

Mienshao, Mega Banette, and Virizion

Mienshao @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Regenerator / Reckless
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- High Jump Kick
- U-turn
- Knock Off
- Stone Edge

Mienshao @ Life Orb
Ability: Reckless
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- High Jump Kick
- Knock Off
- Stone Edge

Mienshao @ Life Orb
Ability: Reckless
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- High Jump Kick
- Grass Knot
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Knock Off

Banette @ Banettite
Ability: Insomnia
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Will-O-Wisp
- Gunk Shot
- Destiny Bond
- Shadow Sneak

Virizion @ Life Orb
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Leaf Blade
- Close Combat
- Stone Edge

Week 2

Non-mega Heracross, Honchkrow, and Shaymin

Heracross @ Toxic Orb
Ability: Guts
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Close Combat
- Megahorn
- Facade
- Swords Dance

Heracross @ Choice Band
Ability: Guts
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Close Combat
- Megahorn
- Knock Off
- Stone Edge

Honchkrow @ Life Orb
Ability: Moxie
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Brave Bird
- Sucker Punch
- Superpower
- Roost

Shaymin @ Life Orb
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Seed Flare
- Earth Power
- Hidden Power [Ice] / [Rock] / [Fire]
- Rest / Healing Wish

Week 3

Kyurem, Crobat, and Chandelure

Kyurem @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 56 HP / 220 SpA / 232 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Ice Beam
- Earth Power
- Substitute
- Roost

Week 4

Mega Latios, Whimsicott, and Meloetta

Whimsicott @ Leftovers
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 HP / 40 SpA / 216 Spe
Timid Nature
- Encore
- Stun Spore
- Giga Drain / Moonblast / U-Turn
- U-Turn / Tailwind / Memento

Whimsicott @ Life Orb
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Moonblast
- Giga Drain
- Encore
- Stun Spore / U-turn

http://www.smogon.com/forums/threads/buried-treasure-project-mk-2.3541484/#post-6326591

Week 5

Mega Abomasnow, Cofagrigus, and Seismitoad

 

[Tressed]

Week One of a new thread, let's get to it!

This week's subjects are...

Mienshao, Mega Banette, and Virizion

 

[Celticpride]

I love projects like this, gj on reviving it Tressed!

I'll kick this off be talking about this underrated beast for a little bit. Mienshao has just enough coverage and SD to effectively pressure some common defensive cores. Between other SD breakers like Heracross and Gallade, as well as the constant comparisons to Lopunny (because if two mons share the same STAB move they must be compared!), Mien can get lost in the shuffle of OU Fighting types. Of course there's the obvious advantage of not being a Mega and unlike most of the things listed above and it also gets the utility of an item slot. Scarf is another interesting option. It has a great combination of traits for an offensive Scarfer: 105 base speed, Regenerator, and U-Turn. This gives Mien a lot of staying power and sustainability while also gaining momentum quite easily. You always just go Reckless with Scarf considering Mien resists SR and has low defenses to start, but w/e I find the extra health nice. Mienshao also has a useable Special Attack stat that is just enough to effectively lure Slowbro or Hippowdon with Grass Knot. The only real issue with Mien is that there's so many different Fighting types in OU and its traits don't stick out that much in comparison to some others. But saying Mien is bad or unviable is overstating it a little bit imo.

 

[AD impish john]

You should have told me, that you were doing Mega Banette.

• Which set(s) make this pokemon viable in OU?
• Which are underrated, but still effective sets from this pokemon in the metagame?

Phantom Puppet (Banette) @ Banettite
Ability: Insomnia
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Will-O-Wisp
- Gunk Shot
- Destiny Bond
- Shadow Sneak

Now where do I start with this, since this is my FAVORITE Mega Evolution and I have some pro-experience from it. I already have made a Core and a post on how Gunk Shot can OHKO Clefable already so there is not much to say, but let me descirbe the set in details. Will-O-Wisp gets +1 priority with its ability Prankster making it a threat to any Physical Attacker. Destiny Bond (which also gets +1 priority from Prankster) is to sacrifice yourself when you get low on HP which can let the next Pokemon in the team take over the battle. Shadow Sneak goes first and is STAB making it hit hard on opponents making sure you get the kill. Gunk Shot lures in Fairy Clerics and OHKO's them.

• Which sets should people not use?

People do this all the time and this is why people say "Mega Banette sucks". Do not use Mega Banette as a Pure Status user as it can't do much in the battlefield. Also do not use Mega Banette as a Special Attacker unless with Calm Mind and other Special Attacking boosting moves.

• Would you recommend using this pokemon and in what kind of teams do you recommend them?

Hmm...good question, I recommend using this Pokemon as its a Fun/Anti-Meta mon that is unexpected to be seen in battle. Use Mega Banette in HO/Balanced teams as it will need some help/coverage form other mons.

If you still think Mega Banette is trash, I beat MoB Barley the champion of OU with it. http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-239704022 STILL think its trash? Let me get some calcs.

Calcs

252+ Atk Mega Banette Gunk Shot vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Clefable: 302-356 (76.6 - 90.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
252+ Atk Mega Banette Shadow Sneak vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Gengar: 260-308 (100.3 - 118.9%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ Atk Mega Banette Shadow Sneak vs. 32 HP / 0 Def Mega Alakazam: 246-290 (94.9 - 111.9%) -- 68.8% chance to OHKO
252+ Atk Mega Banette Gunk Shot vs. 64 HP / 0 Def Mega Altaria: 316-374 (102.9 - 121.8%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ Atk Mega Banette Shadow Sneak vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Latios: 206-246 (68.8 - 82.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ Atk Mega Banette Shadow Sneak vs. 0 HP / 0- Def Mega Metagross: 134-162 (44.5 - 53.8%) -- 33.6% chance to 2HKO
252+ Atk Mega Banette Gunk Shot vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Azumarill: 414-488 (102.4 - 120.7%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ Atk Mega Banette Shadow Sneak vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Starmie: 198-234 (75.5 - 89.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ Atk Mega Banette Gunk Shot vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Serperior: 360-424 (123.7 - 145.7%) -- guaranteed OHKO

I hope you liked my post and have a nice day ^_^

 

[Martin]

To add to AD impish john's post, other options that are available for Banette to use include Knock Off, Shadow Claw and Thunder Wave. The former two can be used over Gunk Shot and/or Shadow Sneak while the latter can be used over any move besides Destiny Bond.

 

[heritage]

Heya, Tressed told me via Skype that he would like me to update for this week since he's on vacation, so let's get things moving along!

Week two's subjects are (BW Sprites are cool :3):

Skaymin, Honchkrow and Heracross (Non-Mega)

Have fun discussing!

 

[Celticpride]

Assuming this is just non-Mega Heracross? Anyways, there's some serious punch there, as has always been the case. I've been using the Toxic Orb+SD set and Choice Band set lately, and both present a lot of power. Mega Heracross does seem superior to both but the gap is closer than one might expect. TO Hera hits like a truck at the cost of sustainability, but very few things even want to attempt to switch into it and it retains the freedom to switch moves. Even something like Lando-T takes upwards of 49% from Guts Facade (assuming non-defensive sets, which I believe most are). The CB set is also nice at the cost of being somewhat prediction reliant. You can break pretty much everything but at the same time you are also easily checked if you predict wrong. Still has huge potential to deal tons of damage on its STAB moves alone.

The one of the biggest advantages to using Heracross is in similar vein to Gliscor but more offensive. Heracross is a wallbreaker that actually enjoys absorbing non-paralysis status and as such can fit relatively easily on some offensive teams regardless of the set it is running. It's also one of the better Mega Sableye checks out there imo which is always a plus.

 

[micahclay]

LO Attacker Shaymin is cool.

Shaymin @ Life Orb
Ability: Natural Curr
Timid Nature
252 Spe, 252 SpA
- Seed Flare
- Earth Power
- Hidden Power Ice/Hidden Power Fire/Hidden Power Rock
- Rest/Healing Wish

This thing has pretty good coverage (barring things like Fire/Flying, which it wouldn't stay in on anyway. The HP you choose depends on if you want to hit Chomp/Lando/Gliscor or Ferro/Scizor. Alternatively, you could run air slash or psychic to hit stuff like Mega Venu. Rest allows it to have longevity, or healing wish can support a sweep by healing something. With all that said, it's a pretty cool pokemon with good coverage. Seed flare hits anything that doesn't resist like a truck.

 

[Angel Tha Don]

LO Honchkrow is one of the hardest hitting monsters in the metagame.

Honchkrow Life Orb
Ability: Moxie
Adamant Nature/ Naughty Nature
252 Attack/ 252 Speed
-Brave Bird
-Sucker Punch
-Super Power
-Roost/Defog/Heatwave

Honchkrow was once one of the most feared wall breakers in the game, and arguably still is. Depending on what set is used it can easily handle the likes of some of the most popular physical and special walls in OU such as Ferrothorn and Blissey, respectively. Brave bird damn near OHKOs anything that doesn't resist it and has the coverage to retaliate against anything that does. Sucker punch smacks psychic and ghost types without having to fear priority like Shadow Sneak due to being a handy-dandy ghost type. Superpower deals with Heatran, who otherwise effectively checks Honchkrow without it. The last slot is up to the discretion of the user. Roost is for a bit more longevity, although Honchkrow is better served as a nuker since it will find few opportunities to roost IMO. Defog is also viable if you have no other way of getting rid of hazards. Heatwave is perhaps the best choice for the fourth slot. It hits Ferrothorn HARD without having to worry about taking Iron Barb and potentially Rocky Helmet damage. Nothing wants switch into this savage because nothing can really take more than 2 hits from it. If it gets a moxie boost late game forget it. Keldeo can come in to revenge kill, but it still doesn't appreciate a STAB Moxie Boosted Sucker Punch even though it resists it. Weavile is probably the best way to revenge kill this thing since it resists SP and also has Ice Shard Priority but you CANNOT switch it into Honchkrow unless it's a safe switch after something has died, usually. The "Safest" switch into this thing (I say safest very loosely), is probably Rocky Helmet Fat Chomp who can take any hit on the switch and deliver that rough skin-RH damage. That hurts Honchkrows feelings since it will also take Brave Bird recoil and more rough skin-RH damage from sucker punch. Basically, the best way of dealing with Honchkrow requires you losing a Poke or two. One of my favorite Pokemon to use. I would post calcs but I am on my phone at work using data so if someone wants to add calcs that'd be dope. Try out this monster. You will not be disappointed.

 

[Martin]

LO Attacker Shaymin is cool.

Shaymin @ Life Orb
Ability: Natural Curr
Timid Nature
252 Spe, 252 SpA
- Seed Flare
- Earth Power
- Hidden Power Ice/Hidden Power Fire
- Rest/Healing Wish

This thing has pretty good coverage (barring things like Fire/Flying, which it wouldn't stay in on anyway. The HP you choose depends on if you want to hit Chomp/Lando/Gliscor or Ferro/Scizor. Alternatively, you could run air slash or psychic to hit stuff like Mega Venu. Rest allows it to have longevity, or healing wish can support a sweep by healing something. With all that said, it's a pretty cool pokemon with good coverage. Seed flare hits anything that doesn't resist like a truck.

I'd slash HP Rock with HP Ice and HP Fire as it is a pretty good Talonflame, Volcarona and Zard Y/pre-mega Zard X lure:

• 252 SpA Life Orb Shaymin Hidden Power Rock vs. 248 HP / 252+ SpD Talonflame (Bulk Up): 260-307 (72.4 - 85.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
  
• 252 SpA Life Orb Shaymin Hidden Power Rock vs. 248 HP / 0 SpD Talonflame (bulky SD): 385-458 (107.2 - 127.5%) -- guaranteed OHKO
• 252 SpA Life Orb Shaymin Hidden Power Rock vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Mega Charizard Y: 255-302 (85.8 - 101.6%) -- 6.3% chance to OHKO
• 252 SpA Life Orb Shaymin Hidden Power Rock vs. 96 HP / 0 SpD Volcarona: 276-328 (82.3 - 97.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

 

[micahclay]

I'd slash HP Rock with HP Ice and HP Fire as it is a pretty good Talonflame, Volcarona and Zard Y/pre-mega Zard X lure:

• 252 SpA Life Orb Shaymin Hidden Power Rock vs. 248 HP / 252+ SpD Talonflame (Bulk Up): 260-307 (72.4 - 85.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
  
• 252 SpA Life Orb Shaymin Hidden Power Rock vs. 248 HP / 0 SpD Talonflame (bulky SD): 385-458 (107.2 - 127.5%) -- guaranteed OHKO
• 252 SpA Life Orb Shaymin Hidden Power Rock vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Mega Charizard Y: 255-302 (85.8 - 101.6%) -- 6.3% chance to OHKO
• 252 SpA Life Orb Shaymin Hidden Power Rock vs. 96 HP / 0 SpD Volcarona: 276-328 (82.3 - 97.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

Very true, I'll slash that in.

 

[Tressed]

A big thank you to Recreant for hosting Week 2! With any luck, next week will actually be on time for once.

Week 3 is going to feature...

Kyurem, Crobat, and Chandelure

 

[Tressed]

Okay, decidedly unpopular mons. If anyone wants to talk about them in the future, feel free, but we're going to move on to other things for now.

Week 4's Pokemon are...

Mega Latios, Whimsicott, and Meloetta

 

[p2]

Mega Latios sucks, I've tried CM and DD sets but whenever using it I just think "why the hell am I not using normal Latios instead?". I've never seen it do anything and overall, it's a really unimpressive Pokemon.

Whimsicott's pretty cool. It's a pain in the ass because of its Prankster Encore, Stun Spore, Leech Seed and more niche moves like Tailwind or Memento. Everybody seems to see it as a mon that just SubSeeds and all that, but I think an offensive pivot set is really underlooked in the meta.

Whimsicott @ Life Orb
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Moonblast
- Giga Drain
- Encore
- Stun Spore / U-turn

Even though it has a measly 77 SpA, it packs a decent punch when fully invested with a Life Orb, it can come in on Scalds from the likes of Starmie and Keldeo and OHKO them, or coming in on Dragon moves from Dragons such as Garchomp and Dragonite, Encoring them or dealing massive damage with Moonblast.

Meloetta's an interesting mon too. I've never understood the hype behind its mixed Relic Song set, if anything, I think its best set is SubCM. It's a solid Stallbreaker, being able to make 101 HP Subs and its access to Psyshock lets it completely break Chansey. It struggles a bit against Mega Sableye, but Meloetta can beat it if it's boosted before Sableye comes in. It also struggles a bit with Unaware mons, but I think Hyper Voice breaks them, Quagsire anyway. I think it was most effective during the Aegislash meta where it was a solid stop to nearly every set and used it as setup bait.

 

[Martin]

The great thing about Meloetta is that you could argue for it being within the top 4/5 most versatile 'mons in the metagame atm simply due to the fact that there are a bajillion viable sets for it. It makes it incredibly unpredictable. The great thing about the mixed set is that it is capable of being a dual lure, forcing 50:50s onto the opponent as to whether you will use Relic Song or your current STAB. Its hard countered by Talon and any physical attacker which exceeds 128 base speed tho, so be careful. The CM and SubCM sets just kinda rip a hole in stall teams and takes advantage of Meloetta-A's good natural special bulk and power. AV is a great pivot. The physical attacker set (Relic Song, CC, Return and Knock Off/U-Turn) makes a fearsome physical wallbreaker with almost unresisted STABs and either gets super effective coverage on ghosts with its final move or a way to retain momentum with U-turn in the last moveslot. Specs kinda takes a dump on balance. Hell, I've even had success with a utility set due to its access to Heal Bell, Thunder Wave, Perish Song, Knock Off and U-Turn to take advantage of its better special bulk over Celebi and Jirachi. And all of this is before considering lure moves like T-Bolt on the mixed set, Dazzling Gleam on any of the offensive sets barring physical attacker, Hidden Power for the special sets and a buttload of other moves to choose from (Sing anyone? >:) ). Meloetta is INSANE fun to use due to this versatility :)

 

[SketchUp]

Kyurem is pretty fun to use especially because it is able to easily steal pp from the opponent with Sub+Roost+Pressure. For example being able to take all PP from Ferrothorns Gyro Ball is really nice as for example DD Altaria or Clefable can now just set up on Ferrothorn without needing a fire move. Same thing with rock move Heatran + Talonflame and Draco Meteor Lati + Dark or Psychic type. It is a really specific niche over Kyurem-B but it is really useful.

Whimsicott lost its main niche as a GeoPass support fgt mon but Prankster Encore is still an awesome niche. A fast Encore like Mega Zam is great but it fails against Dragon Dance users. Whimsicott can still Encore these pokemon and get momentum with U-Turn. Unlike Thundy and Klefki, Whimsicott doesn't have a 100% paralysis move but Stun Spore is still very useful when facing an already set up Zard X / MAlt that just got a kill. I don't think there is a reason to use Whimsicott in OU without using Encore + Stun Spore. Having an offensive move is also nice to not be completely passive though 77 SpA isn't that great. Memento and Tailwind are great support moves that can be used as a filler move.

Whimsicott @ Leftovers
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 HP / 40 SpA / 216 Spe
Timid Nature
- Encore
- Stun Spore
- Giga Drain / Moonblast / U-Turn
- U-Turn / Tailwind / Memento

This is the set I have used on a Tailwind team once (I used Tailwind+U-Turn as fillers) U-Turn is a great way to get momentum after you have encored someone into a status move. 216 Speed to outprioritize Thundurus so it can't Taunt you before you Encore / Tailwind / Memento.

 

[Tressed]

Sorry I'm late with this week's, lots of stuff going on and I lost track of time.

Week 5 will be about these big uglies...

Abomasnow, Cofagrigus, and Seismitoad

 

[Chatter]

I don't know didly squat but might as well try. I don't want this thread to die since it's such a cool idea.

Obamasnow ... I mean it's decently strong ice type. Priority Ice shard, wood hammer, can set up hail.

Really don't see how it's worth a mega slot ... but if you want a hail team. don'tuseitsoidk

Coffeegrigus! Bulky as heck on the physical side. I can't find a calculator with Hoopa-unbound on it, so I have no idea if Cofagrigus is a "counter" with will-o-wisp, but I guess it's a possibility?

The last 2 were totally not me theory-moning out of my butt. But now we have the Toad MKII. the only one I've bothered trying to use.

Seismitoad @ Leftovers
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 248 HP / 12 Def / 248 SpD
Bold Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Scald
- Earth Power / Earthquake
- Toxic

Got lazy on EVs. But yeah, this thing provided a very nice hard wall to Rotom-W (Lacking trick + Scarf) as well as other mons dependent on their Electric STABs + Coverage that doesn't his Toad's typing. First thing that comes to mind would be stuff like Manectric, Heatran. It can also check Talonflame since Talon really doesn't like staying in on Toad. It can also heal off of water moves. This set gives you a sneaky pebble setter, as well as some decent offensive presence with its dual stabs which have a surprising amount of coverage. Toxic lets you put a timer on certain mons (namely, Rotom-W). IMO this is one of the best partners to Talonflame available. You can wear down its common counters, get the rocks up, and even toxic said counters. And burn. Cuz scald.

Also since no one talked about the Chandelure. Here:

From Chandelier (Chandelure) (F) @ Leftovers
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 72 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 180 Spe
Modest Nature
- Hex
- Will-O-Wisp
- Substitute
- Taunt

This is a set I saw on Snow's arsenal so props to her (gender?)

Obv, this is a stall breaker. No one really expects Chande to be a stall breaker and if you bring it in like it is scarfed, you can usually get up a free sub and start spamming the will-o's

Plz don't let this thread die :(

 

[BlazeLatias]

Welp ive never used 2/3 of these mons but i have used Siesmitoad so lets go.

Seismitoad @ Leftovers
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 200 HP / 252 Def / 56 SpD
Relaxed Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Scald
- Earthquake
- Knock Off

Toads a pretty fun mon in ou. Most ground types hazard setters suffer from a 4x Ice weakness in the tier which can make electric types like manectric and raikou a annoying pain as they can somtimes force you out or you take a ton of damage from hp ice. Toad stands out a a water/ground that can not only deal with those pesky electrics taking neutral damage from hp ice but he also can check water types like azumarill while also switching into a predicted water move. Also can check rotom-W pretty well as toad can only be burned so he makes a solid volt switch blocker. Access to knock off allows him to cripple stuff like the latis who try coming in (resists/immune to stabs) while also taking leftovers on stuff like said rotom. Really solid rocks setter for bulky offense teams as well as balence and its nice to have a ground/water type that can take advantage of the powerful offensive waters in the tier which is why this mon has a good niche in ou.

while i never used cofag the TR NP set can be a deadly force to reckon with and Snow is a pretty cool mon overall that hits pretty hard Again can be pretty effective in TR.