Voting time is here!
Team 1
Importable
Haunter @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Shadow Ball
- Sludge Bomb
- Will-O-Wisp
- Reflect Type
Piloswine @ Eviolite
Ability: Thick Fat
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Stealth Rock
- Icicle Crash
- Ice Shard
Audino @ Audinite
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 172 HP / 252 SpA / 84 Spe
Modest Nature
- Calm Mind
- Dazzling Gleam
- Fire Blast
- Grass Knot
Floatzel @ Life Orb
Ability: Swift Swim
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Hydro Pump
- Ice Beam
- Focus Blast
- Taunt
Archeops
Ability: Defeatist
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Acrobatics
- Earthquake
- Heat Wave
- Roost
Shiftry @ Life Orb
Ability: Chlorophyll
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Sucker Punch
- Knock Off
- Seed Bomb
Description
ok fam tbh i just was like what can i make work in this meta. my first thought went to haunter because its like a cool and underrated pokemon in this metagame, and then the rest of the team kind of went "bada bing, bada boom" and fell into place. Piloswine is a cool rocker, Offensive Mega Audino is a great set that lures in steel types for the other memebers of this team. SD Shiftry is amazing in this meta as there is little to no answers to this mon on defensive teams. floatzel is amazing as well with a great speed tier and the ability to hit hard. archeops lures in stuff like ferroseed w/ heat wave and just hits hard, and there is the team.
Team 2
Importable
Archeops
Ability: Defeatist
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Acrobatics
- Earthquake
- Roost
- Aqua Tail
Shiftry @ Life Orb
Ability: Chlorophyll
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Leaf Storm
- Knock Off
- Sucker Punch
- Explosion
Mesprit @ Colbur Berry
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 196 Def / 60 Spe
Bold Nature
- Psychic
- Signal Beam
- Stealth Rock
- U-turn
Magmortar @ Assault Vest
Ability: Vital Spirit
EVs: 64 HP / 252 SpA / 192 Spe
Mild Nature
- Fire Blast
- Focus Blast
- Thunderbolt
- Earthquake
Klinklang @ Leftovers
Ability: Clear Body
Happiness: 0
EVs: 148 HP / 252 Atk / 108 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Gear Grind
- Shift Gear
- Frustration
- Substitute
Swanna @ Life Orb
Ability: Keen Eye
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Hurricane
- Scald
- Defog
- Tailwind
Description
So, this team. Just a little fun offensive team I threw together around this round's core, Archeops/Shiftry. A fairly standard Archeops, though I chose Aqua Tail to help wear down Rhydon so that Magmortar and Klinklang can have easier times, and I don't really want to give a DD/RP Rhydon any completely free turns on this team. A fairly standard Shiftry as well, though I eventually decided on Explosion after I put Swanna on this team. Explosion helps to wear down or KO Gurdurr and Garbodor for Klinklang, Hariyama for both Klinklang and Magmortar, and just pick off most of it's typical checks in general.
As for team member 3, Mesprit is a popular and splashable Pokemon, and on this team it's no exception. Malamar check, sets rocks, and of course most importantly of all, checks Fighting types such as Sawk and Gurdurr. Colbur Berry even allows it to beat things such as Shiftry and Liepard 1v1. Spread is enough speed for Garbodor and rest in bulk, allowing it to check said Pokemon more effectively.
My next choice was AV Magmortar, as it brings a strong special attacker that also checks Lilligant, Vileplume, opposing Fire types, pesky Rotoms for Archeops and the incredibly threatening Ice types in NU that this team was looking a bit weak to. Fairly standard moves, and the speed catches max speed modest Claydol, and also creeping the 240 benchmark of other AV Magmortars to win 1v1 with Earthquake, as well as being faster than opposing Skuntank, Klinklang, and anything else trying to outspeed standard AV Magmortar.
For the 5th member of this team I decided upon Klinklang, as it allows me to beat otherwise very threatening Mega Audino and Musharna. It's obviously able to be taken out by an Audino carrying Fire Blast, but more offensive Audino are much more easily managed with this team than a standard CroDino, which doesn't fear much from the rest of my team, or even a defensive variant which walls everything else. Once again I have crept the 240 benchmark by a few points which is always useful to do, allowing it to do things like potentially pick off opposing AV Magmortar or beat other Klinklang 1v1. Klinklang synergizes well with this team offensively as most of this team shares checks with it that either they or Klinklang can wear down for the other one to win the game. Most notably I'd say is Lanturn, which can loosely check Archeops, check Magmortar, and wall Swanna for days, but because of it's lack of reliable recovery it's never going to be capable of doing half that. Klinklang also just nicely checks a variety of Pokemon such as opposing Archeops and Tauros which have an advantageous match-up vs this team especially if they manage to win a speed tie... which brings me to the final member of my team.
Swanna isn't a very commonly used Pokemon in NU, but for this team it fit what I wanted/needed, giving me a second Water resistance, a check to fighting types, and a decent speed tier to beat out things such as Primeape and Jynx, which could become a lot more annoying otherwise since the only faster Pokemon is Archeops on this team else-wise. It adds a cool little Flying spam aspect to the team as well, potentially helping to wear down certain Flying resistances. Scald and Hurricane provide solid offensive STABs, Scald being chosen over Surf to wear down things with burns. Defog allows me to make Shiftry carry Explosion and covers my weakness to Stealth Rock, also being capable of forcing out/beating most rock setters. Finally I decided on Tailwind over Roost, as in my past experiences Swanna has been too frail to roost on most Pokemon, and it adds a really fun and useful speed control to beat fast opposing Pokemon and allow my some of my slower, powerful Pokemon such as Magmortar to beat a lot of offensive checks/things that would otherwise revenge-kill.
Team 3
Importable
Shiftry @ Life Orb
Ability: Early Bird
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Nasty Plot
- Giga Drain
- Dark Pulse
- Hurricane
Archeops
Ability: Defeatist
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Stone Edge
- Acrobatics
- Earthquake
- Roost
Rhydon @ Eviolite
Ability: Lightning Rod
EVs: 252 HP / 16 Atk / 240 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Rock Blast
- Megahorn
Magmortar @ Life Orb
Ability: Vital Spirit
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Mild Nature
- Fire Blast
- Thunderbolt
- Focus Blast
- Earthquake / Flame Charge
Mesprit @ Colbur Berry
Ability: Levitate
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 164 HP / 252 SpA / 92 Spe
Timid Nature
- Calm Mind
- Energy Ball
- Psyshock
- Signal Beam
Hitmonchan @ Assault Vest
Ability: Iron Fist
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Rapid Spin
- Drain Punch
- Mach Punch
- Ice Punch
Description
I wanted to build around Nasty Plot Shiftry because I've been hyping that up since Shiftry's return to NU. Nasty Plot boosts Shiftry's decent Special Attack to great levels, making it a good sweeper once all it's checks and counters are gone. Giga Drain is powerful after a +2 and helps recover Life Orb recoil. Dark Pulse is standard special Dark type move, and Hurricane is here to smack Fighting types and Grass types, although the accuracy can be an issue. Archeops was added to complete the core of Tree + Chops. Chops decimates stuff, like it always does. It's also really nice with NP Tree as Shiftry enjoys Archeop's wallbreaking. Overall, TreeChops is a really nice core that I probably would've missed if it wasn't the topic this competition. :) I love Rhydon so much lol. With it's bulk it checks so much, and it sets up Rocks like a boss. I added him even though he stacked types because the way he checks Fires, Flyings, and lives almost anything is too good to miss. Also the core is a bit weak to Electrics (Although Tree wrecks Lanturn) so Rhydon fit the bill neatly. Megahorn is to check Malamar. Magmortar was added as another wallbreaker that also helps the team by slurping up Sleep Powders and hurting Grass types and Bug types. Thanks to it's wallbreaking power, it benefits NP Tree as well, and I sort of needed a realiable Steel counter, so here is Magmortar. The fourth slot is up to your opinion, I like EQ because of more coverage, while Flame Charge makes Mag very hard to revenge kill. Obligitory Fighting check is here! While I could've chosen Musharna, I personally prefer Mesprit because of her power right off the bat. Offensive CM Mesprit is my favorite Mesprit set, as it's a very good sweeper that often goes unnoticed. Even without CM Mesprit hits decently hard with it's coverage. I like EBall Mesprit as I needed another Ground check (Mostly a Rhydon check) and killing unsuspecting Quagsire is always fun. I needed hazard support, and I also needed something to take special hits, so AV Hitmonchan was a perfect fit. Hitmonchan combines hazard removal, offensive presence, and special bulk in one set, and I love it! It also checks Dark types, which my team was pretty weak to up to that point, so that's always nice. Rapid Spin is very helpful as my team is pretty weak to Stealth Rock (Well, only really Chops and Magmortar, but it's always nice to have hazards off the field). That's the team! I really like it as it's pretty effective on the ladder, especially as it uses some rather underrated sets, like offensive Calm Mind Mesprit and Nasty Plot Shiftry. I don't really see too much weaknesses except for a Water weakness if Shiftry's dead, and a bit of a Psychic weakness. (Musharna with Signal Beam mainly) I hope you enjoy the team and I also hope it wins! XD
Team 4
Importable
Archeops
Ability: Defeatist
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Acrobatics
- Hidden Power [Grass]
- Earthquake
- Roost
Shiftry @ Life Orb
Ability: Chlorophyll
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Lonely Nature
- Defog
- Leaf Storm
- Sucker Punch
- Knock Off
Lanturn @ leftovers
Ability: Volt Absorb
EVs: 40 HP / 220 Def / 208 SpD / 40 Spe
Calm Nature
- Scald
- Volt Switch
- Heal Bell
- Thunder Wave
Mesprit @ Colbur Berry
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 240 Def / 16 Spe
Bold Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Psychic
- U-turn
- Healing Wish
Magmortar @ Assault Vest
Ability: Vital Spirit
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 104 HP / 252 SpA / 152 Spe
Modest Nature
- Fire Blast
- Thunderbolt
- Focus Blast
- Flame Charge
Garbodor @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Aftermath
EVs: 252 HP / 160 Def / 96 Spe
Impish Nature
- Spikes
- Gunk Shot
- Drain Punch
- Toxic Spikes
Description
So Archeops's set isn't anything special, the only noticeable thing that could be "weird" is HP grass but i have it so the team isn't too weak to quagsire which could have been a problem. Shiftry is nothing special either i have defog over explosion so i had a reliable defogger and i have LO to help boost the power of leaf storm. My next poke is lanturn, lanturn fits on this team very well, it provides heal bell and Twave support while covering both archeops and shiftry's weaknesses, the speed ev's are to outspeed adamant rhydon and put the rest in bulk, the defense ev's are to help it take on EQ's form magmorotr better. my next poke is mesprit, mesprit provided pivot, healing wish, a fighting checkground immunity, and a soft check to tauros was great for the team andworked well with both shiftry and lanturn. Next is garbodor, me and my friend (Tennis :D) noticed i had a fighting weakness so we added garbodor for the toic immunity, hazards, and a reliable fighting check/counter. now my next ==and final poke is magmortor, i wanted a bulky fire type that could take on jynx and other ice types and was a hard hitter as well, mag filled this entirely, i have flame charge to give it more sweeping potential and could hel it outspeed some fast threats like mesprit and sawk.
Team 5
Importable
Archeops
Ability: Defeatist
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Acrobatics
- Earthquake
- Roost
- Heat Wave
Shiftry @ Lum Berry
Ability: Chlorophyll
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Knock Off
- Sucker Punch
- Seed Bomb
- Swords Dance
Piloswine @ Eviolite
Ability: Thick Fat
EVs: 240 HP / 252 Atk / 16 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Icicle Crash
- Ice Shard
- Earthquake
Garbodor @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Aftermath
EVs: 252 HP / 164 Def / 92 Spe
Impish Nature
- Toxic Spikes
- Spikes
- Gunk Shot
- Drain Punch
Hariyama @ Assault Vest
Ability: Thick Fat
EVs: 252 Atk / 128 Def / 128 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Fake Out
- Bullet Punch
- Close Combat
- Knock Off
Claydol @ Colbur Berry
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Rapid Spin
- Signal Beam
- Psychic
- Earth Power
Description
OK so I really wanted to build offense because it is by far the most effective team archetype right now. I figured SD Shiftry is a really solid wincon so I decided I'd build with that over the, imo, shaky Defog set. I went with Lum > Life Orb to give me setup opportunities vs bulky Waters with Scald and the ability to revenge Rotom safely. Oh and Lum beats broken mush. I threw Heat Wave onto Standard Offensive Chops cause it does a good job at luring Ferroseed for Shiftry. Pilo was a great choice for a rocker so I don't get COMPLETELY destroyed by Lead Nasty Plot Jynx and extra priority on offense is super appreciated. Garb was a good choice as my Sawk answer and it beats Klinklang. TSpikes support from it also goes great with Fake Out Hariyama who I chose because I was weak to Flame Charge Mag and Floatzel. Claydol rounds out the team by giving me a Malamar check, another mon that could live a CC from Sawk, and my main way of beating opposing teams with TSpikes.
Ok, lots of submissions provided by
Disjunction metaphysical BrandonBeast Mar1onette and
blaziken1337.
Voting ends on Thursday
Also, one thing I'd like to see more of is the reasoning behind your vote. Some commentary on what you like and don't like (In a positive manner of course) about a team is good to see. Of course, this is totally voluntary, just something I'd thought I would bring up. In any case, happy voting!