Sorry for breaking the validator; I was trying to simplify the code for Head Start. It should now be possible to play for real instead of just using the random battle mode.
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Got Talent (Playable on ROM!) [Dead - no conditions in Gen 7]
- Thread starter nv
- Start date
The Main Event
Ban This Monster (Shuckle) @
/
Ability: Contrary
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Shell Smash
- Stone Edge
- Earthquake
- Sludge Wave
/ Knock Off
Shuckle is a monster in Got Talent? with base 230 Defense and Contrary Shell Smash allowing it to boost both sides of the defensive spectrum. Stone Edge and Earthquake provide the best neutral coverage for Shuckle while Sludge Wave gives Shuckle a means of getting around Chesnaught and bulky physical walls that can tank a Stone Edge or Earthquake. Knock Off is a decent option to be able to get rid of items, but it isn't as necessary since it is easy to find Pokemon that pair well with Shuckle for special prowess such as AV Hoopa-U and Mega Sableye. (refer to the replay I posted with the MAlt set to witness the power of Shuckle)
Honestly, with us being able to playtest now thanks to urkerab (no worries about the team validator btw. It's all good n_n), I want to gather opinions on what you guys think about a Shuckle suspect / potential quickban. Honestly the fact that it can boost up and potentially avoid a Taunt to guarantee a +1 means it is nearly unstoppable with the amount of bulk and power it possesses. That being said, it also has a really slow Speed stat and a low HP stat meaning if something can boost faster and hit it hard (MAlt or Air Balloon Heatran for ex.) can mean that it may warrant sticking around. I wanna hear what everyone has to offer about Shuckle. n_n
Ban This Monster (Shuckle) @
Ability: Contrary
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Shell Smash
- Stone Edge
- Earthquake
- Sludge Wave
Shuckle is a monster in Got Talent? with base 230 Defense and Contrary Shell Smash allowing it to boost both sides of the defensive spectrum. Stone Edge and Earthquake provide the best neutral coverage for Shuckle while Sludge Wave gives Shuckle a means of getting around Chesnaught and bulky physical walls that can tank a Stone Edge or Earthquake. Knock Off is a decent option to be able to get rid of items, but it isn't as necessary since it is easy to find Pokemon that pair well with Shuckle for special prowess such as AV Hoopa-U and Mega Sableye. (refer to the replay I posted with the MAlt set to witness the power of Shuckle)
Honestly, with us being able to playtest now thanks to urkerab (no worries about the team validator btw. It's all good n_n), I want to gather opinions on what you guys think about a Shuckle suspect / potential quickban. Honestly the fact that it can boost up and potentially avoid a Taunt to guarantee a +1 means it is nearly unstoppable with the amount of bulk and power it possesses. That being said, it also has a really slow Speed stat and a low HP stat meaning if something can boost faster and hit it hard (MAlt or Air Balloon Heatran for ex.) can mean that it may warrant sticking around. I wanna hear what everyone has to offer about Shuckle. n_n
Also so this post isn't just about Shuckle, I thought I'd post out some sets for you guys n_n
Venusaur-Mega @
Ability: Thick Fat
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 30 SpA / 30 Spe
- Giga Drain
- Knock Off
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Amnesia
Mega Venusaur with Thick Fat has only 2 weaknesses in Flying and Psychic and being all around bulky means it can normally tank these moves and fire back with powerful moves. Amnesia is the crux of this set as it gives Venusaur immense special bulk as well as powering up its moves. Giga Drain is a nice STAB move that can provide decent recovery against most opponents. Knock Off is rly nice to get around special walls while also being able to get rid of items. Hidden Power Fire helps Mega Venusaur get around walls such as Chesnaught and Ferrothorn, who otherwise scoff at it and can force it out or cripple it. Here's a replay of the power of the flower dino: http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/rom-gottalent-2217
Altaria-Mega @
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Cotton Guard
- Body Slam
- Earthquake
- Roost
Mega Altaria is an absolute beast in Got Talent?. Despite not running STAB Pixilate Return and Dragon Dance, it trades becoming a somewhat fast and powerful sweeper to a nearly unstoppable wallbreaker. Body Slam not only gets the Pixilate boost, but it also provides a nifty 30% chance to paralyze opponents meaning even resists are hard pressed to check it. Earthquake provides great neutral coverage to stop things such as Heatran. While Skarmory walls this set, Mega Altaria is definitely a major threat to watch out for. Mega Altaria for S rank: http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/rom-gottalent-2218
Heatran @
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Iron Defense
- Magma Storm
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
Heatran can be pretty versatile in Got Talent? thanks to its nice even defenses as well as a powerful Special Attack. Sadly, it only gets a boosting move for its Tough movepool in Iron Defense. Iron Defense + Magma Storm is a very potent combo as it provides Heatran with setup opportunities against the walls it can check. Lava Plume provides more PP as well as a nice burn chance, although the burn isn't as effective in Got Talent since it technically only lowers the power of Cool moves. Earthquake and Stone Edge gives the infamous EdgeQuake combo while providing Heatran with some physical presence to hit special walls that may switch into its Fire STAB. Iron Head can be a nice alternative to allow Heatran to hit Fairy-types hard, but common ones such as Mega Altaria and Mega Diancie have ways to beat Heatran with Earthquake and Earth Power respectively.
Chesnaught @
Ability: Bulletproof
EVs: 240 HP / 252 Def / 16 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Spikes
- Spiky Shield
- Leech Seed
- Drain Punch
Chesnaught is a really nice wall in Got Talent? thanks to its decent defensive typing with resistances to Ground, Rock, Dark, Water, and Electric and the ability to lay down Spikes. Spikes is a really good entry hazard in Got Talent? thanks to the plethora of bulky Pokemon that have now popped up who are either neutral or resistant to Stealth Rock. Drain Punch being not only STAB, but a Tough move as well gives Chesnaught a means of providing itself with power as well as stalling capabilities with Spiky Shield + Leech Seed. The EVs look a bit weird, but the 16 Spe EVs is just to outpace uninvested base 65s per standard play (too early to be figuring out speed creeps and whatnot lol).
Definitely agree with Shuckle being quickbanned asap. The fact that it has the ability to boost its enormous defenses AND attack at the same time, whilst having the luxury of being able to use Tough moves such as Stone Edge and Earthquake, and Clever moves such as Knock Off is absolutely terrifying. While it is incredibly slow, and can be taunted in an effort to prevent it from boosting, it still hits incredibly hard regardless, and brings huge defensive and offensive capabilities to a team which makes it difficult to justify not using. Not to mention that the only things that can reliably "check" Shuckle include Skarmory, Seismitoad, Quagsire, Ferrothorn, and Poison Heal Breloom (which Shuckle can just run Sludge Wave for). Overall, Shuckle is just way too unhealthy and restrictive, and I believe that by banning it, this OM will become a lot more open and free to creativity, rather than revolving around one overpowered force.
252+ Def Shuckle Stone Edge vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Quagsire: 111-132 (28.1 - 33.5%) -- 94.5% chance to 4HKO after Leftovers recovery
252+ Def Shuckle Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Quagsire: 149-176 (37.8 - 44.6%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
0 SpD Shuckle Knock Off (97.5 BP) vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Quagsire: 117-138 (29.6 - 35%) -- guaranteed 4HKO after Leftovers recovery
As always, Quagsire is here to save the day. Earthquake and Scald both benefit from Defense investment and you also counter most of the other Tough-abusing Pokemon, so you're an all-around good pick! So really, there's no reason to ban Shuck--
0 SpD Shuckle Hidden Power Grass vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Quagsire: 512-604 (129.9 - 153.2%) -- guaranteed OHKO
Dammit.
So yeah, basically the most optimal way to deal with Shuckle that I can see is to run Chesnaught + Quagsire because it probably isn't carrying Sludge Wave and HP Grass. The only other notable Unaware wall, Clefable, falls to Sludge Wave OR Stone Edge.
252+ Def Shuckle Sludge Wave vs. 248 HP / 8 SpD Clefable: 384-452 (97.7 - 115%) -- 81.3% chance to OHKO
252+ Def Shuckle Stone Edge vs. 248 HP / 252+ Def Clefable: 246-289 (62.5 - 73.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
Shuckle aside, Quagsire seems pretty solid, though. :P
252+ Def Shuckle Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Quagsire: 149-176 (37.8 - 44.6%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
0 SpD Shuckle Knock Off (97.5 BP) vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Quagsire: 117-138 (29.6 - 35%) -- guaranteed 4HKO after Leftovers recovery
As always, Quagsire is here to save the day. Earthquake and Scald both benefit from Defense investment and you also counter most of the other Tough-abusing Pokemon, so you're an all-around good pick! So really, there's no reason to ban Shuck--
0 SpD Shuckle Hidden Power Grass vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Quagsire: 512-604 (129.9 - 153.2%) -- guaranteed OHKO
Dammit.
So yeah, basically the most optimal way to deal with Shuckle that I can see is to run Chesnaught + Quagsire because it probably isn't carrying Sludge Wave and HP Grass. The only other notable Unaware wall, Clefable, falls to Sludge Wave OR Stone Edge.
252+ Def Shuckle Sludge Wave vs. 248 HP / 8 SpD Clefable: 384-452 (97.7 - 115%) -- 81.3% chance to OHKO
252+ Def Shuckle Stone Edge vs. 248 HP / 252+ Def Clefable: 246-289 (62.5 - 73.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
Shuckle aside, Quagsire seems pretty solid, though. :P
canno
formerly The Reptile
Another possible set for Shucke is a simple hazard stack one - Shuckle is by far the best user of Sticky Webs, and it can use Stealth Rock alongside it. Sticky Web is made a lot more viable due to the fact that it weakens Cute-based mon alongside letting your Tough / Calm sweepers outspeed things. Not only that, but one of the reasons that hold back Sticky Web in standard isn't a factor - that is, we actually have a viable Sticky Web setter in the form of Shuckle. It also helps that, as a hazard setter, it is not passive at all. A set of Sticky Web / Stealth Rock / Stone Edge / Encore, Earthquake, or Knock Off seems very viable, and I'd argue is better even though the Shell Smash set is very scary due to overall utility.
So, the big news is that jumpluff has just added Contest Spectacular types to all moves. This simplifies the coding of mods/gottalent/scripts.js somewhat.
Code:
'use strict';
exports.BattleScripts = {
getDamage: function (pokemon, target, move, suppressMessages) {
// Copy the body of Battle.prototype.getDamage from battle-engine.js,
// except replacing this line (86):
// let attackStat = category === 'Physical' ? 'atk' : 'spa';
// with this line:
let attackStat = {Beautiful:'spa', Clever: 'spd', Cool:'atk', Cute:'spe', Tough:'def'}[move.contestType];
// Rest of Battle.prototype.getDamage is unchanged.
},
};I finished the full guide to 120+ stat Pokemon and the appropriate contest-type moves they benefit from, along with analysis of the contest type itself. I added and edited some stuff from before, and added the last two contest types. Here's the key:
Normal Text = STAB move
Italics = Coverage move
[Brackets] = Boosting move
[Asterisk*] = Requires special circumstances
Expect a few errors and clumsy omissions, but hopefully this should give you an idea of what will be good in Got Talent. Keep in mind I don't often discuss using multiple stats, which is going to be the norm on every set (few Pokemon have all the moves they need in one contest type) just to make things easier.
Enjoy!
185: Pin Missile, Vacuum Wave, Focus Blast, Brick Break, Bullet Seed, [Swords Dance], [Bulk Up]
170: Dragon Claw, Outrage, Fusion Bolt, Focus Blast, [Hone Claws]
170: Dragon Claw, Outrage, Fire Fang, [Swords Dance]
165: Psycho Cut, Focus Blast, Brick Break, Vacuum Wave, Thunderbolt, [Swords Dance], [Bulk Up]
165: Thunderbolt, Focus Blast, [Swords Dance]
165: Shadow Claw, Thunderbolt
165: Dark Pulse, Thunderbolt, [Dragon Dance]
160: N/A
160: Thunderbolt, Focus Blast, [Bulk Up]
160: Thunderbolt, Focus Blast
155: X-Scissor, Quick Attack, Focus Blast, [Swords Dance], [Bulk Up]
155: Dark Pulse, Thunderbolt, Ice Fang, [Dragon Dance]
150: X-Scissor, [Swords Dance]
150: Focus Blast
150: Shadow Claw, Gyro Ball, Sacred Sword, [Swords Dance]
150: X-Scissor, Vacuum Wave, Quick Attack, [Swords Dance]
150: Dark Pulse, Thunderbolt, [Swords Dance]
147: Outrage, Dragon Claw, Focus Blast, [Swords Dance], [Dragon Dance]
145: Meteor Mash, Thunder Punch, [Hone Claws]
145: Focus Blast, [Swords Dance]
140: Aqua Jet, Dark Pulse, Ice Fang
140: Focus Blast, Thunderbolt, [Swords Dance]
140: Focus Blast, Mach Punch, Thunder Punch, [Bulk Up]
140: Flare Blitz, Focus Blast, [Bulk Up]
140: Acrobatics, Focus Blast
140: Iron Tail, Focus Blast, [Swords Dance]
136: Hyper Voice, Quick Attack, Focus Blast, Thunderbolt, [Bulk Up]
135: Outrage, Dragon Claw, Aerial Ace, Fire Fang, Thunder Fang, [Dragon Dance], [Moxie*]
135: Meteor Mash, Thunder Punch, [Hone Claws]
135: [Curse]
135: Focus Blast, [Swords Dance], [Hone Claws]
135: Megahorn, Focus Blast, [Swords Dance]
135: Aerial Ace, Ice Fang, Thunder Fang, Fire Fang, [Hone Claws]
134: Outrage, Dragon Claw, Aerial Ace, Extreme Speed, Focus Blast, Thunderbolt, [Dragon Dance]
134: Dark Pulse, Thunderbolt, [Dragon Dance]
132: Bullet Seed, Focus Blast, [Swords Dance]
130: Focus Blast, Vacuum Wave, Dynamic Punch, Thunder Punch, [Bulk Up]
130: [Swords Dance]
130: Focus Blast, Thunderbolt, [Swords Dance]
130: Flare Blitz, [Curse]
130: X-Scissor, Vacuum Wave, Quick Attack, [Swords Dance]
130: Focus Blast, Thunder Punch, [Swords Dance]
130: Vacuum Wave, Mach Punch, Focus Blast, Bullet Seed, [Swords Dance], [Bulk Up]
130: Dark Pulse, Thunderbolt, [Swords Dance]
130: Dragon Claw, Outrage, Fire Fang, [Swords Dance]
130: Ice Fang
130: Dragon Claw, Outrage, Focus Blast, [Hone Claws]
130: Flare Blitz, Dragon Claw, Outrage, Focus Blast, Thunder Punch, [Swords Dance], [Hone Claws], [Dragon Dance]
130: Outrage, Thunderbolt, [Dragon Dance]
129: Sacred Sword, Focus Blast, X-Scissor, [Swords Dance]
128: Hyper Voice, Focus Blast, Thunderbolt
125: Gyro Ball, Iron Tail, [Curse]
125: X-Scissor, Quick Attack, Focus Blast, [Swords Dance], [Bulk Up], [Moxie*]
125: Dark Pulse, Thunderbolt, [Dragon Dance], [Moxie*]
125: Megahorn, Vacuum Wave, Focus Blast, Brick Break, [Swords Dance], [Bulk Up], [Moxie*]
125: X-Scissor, [Swords Dance]
125: Dark Pulse, Aerial Ace, [Moxie*]
125: Psycho Cut, Focus Blast, Brick Break, Vacuum Wave, Thunderbolt, [Swords Dance], [Bulk Up]
125: Extrasensory, Thunderbolt
125: Focus Blast, Thunder Punch, [Bulk Up]
125: High Jump Kick, Focus Blast, [Swords Dance], [Bulk Up]
125: Dark Pulse, Focus Blast, [Swords Dance]
124: Focus Blast, Thunderbolt, Dynamic Punch
124: Dark Pulse, Brick Break
123: Volt Switch, Thunderbolt, Focus Blast
123: Flare Blitz, Focus Blast, Thunderbolt, [Bulk Up]
123: Brave Bird, [Bulk Up], [Hone Claws]
121: Outrage, Dark Pulse, [Dragon Dance]
120: Flare Blitz
120: [Ice Fang]
120: Focus Blast, [Curse]
120: Vacuum Wave, Mach Punch, Focus Blast, Brick Break, Blaze Kick, [Bulk Up]
120: Focus Blast, Thunderbolt, [Bulk Up]
120: Gyro Ball
120: Focus Blast, [Bulk Up]
120: Dark Pulse, Aqua Jet
120: Dark Pulse, Aqua Jet, [Swords Dance], [Dragon Dance]
120: Brave Bird, Quick Attack
120: Volt Switch, Thunderbolt
120: Dark Pulse, [Swords Dance]
120: Dragon Claw, Outrage, Dark Pulse
Overall Analysis: Cool moves suffer from that stat that use them: Attack. While there's nothing wrong the stat itself, in this meta, you don't gain extra bulk or speed from investing it: its all about power. There are still reasons to invest in Attack, however. Several staple attacks, including most priority attacks, fit into this category, so if you want to use them, Attack investment is required. You also gain a few new tricks: Focus Blast, Thunderbolt and Dark Pulse, which have high distribution, allow traditional physical attackers to hit high Defense behemoths on their weaker Special Defense. Here are some of the coolest cats around:
230: Earthquake, Heavy Slam, Iron Head, Stone Edge, Rock Slide, Dragon Tail, [Curse]
230: Stone Edge, Rock Slide, Earthquake, [Shell Smash*]
230: Heavy Slam, Iron Head, Stone Edge, Head Smash, Earthquake, Dragon Tail, [Iron Defense]
200: Earthquake, Heavy Slam, Iron Head, Stone Edge, Rock Slide, Dragon Tail, [Curse]
200: Stone Edge, Rock Slide, Earthquake, Superpower, [Curse], [Iron Defense]
184: [Curse], [Iron Defense]
180: Scald, Waterfall, [Iron Defense]
180: [Iron Defense]
180: Heavy Slam, Iron Head, Stone Edge, Head Smash, Earthquake, Dragon Tail, [Iron Defense]
168: Heavy Slam, Iron Head, Rock Slide, Stone Edge, Earthquake, [Curse], [Iron Defense]
160: Earthquake, Stone Edge, Rock Slide, Dragon Tail, [Curse]
150: Bullet Punch, Iron Head, Hammer Arm, Earthquake, [Iron Defense]
150: Iron Head, Earthquake, Superpower, [Curse], [Iron Defense]
160: Stone Edge, Rock Slide, Crunch, Earthquake, Superpower, [Curse], [Iron Defense]
150: Iron Head, [Iron Defense]
150: Stone Edge, Rock Slide, [Iron Defense]
150: Stone Edge, Rock Slide, [Iron Defense]
145: Iron Head, Stone Edge, Rock Slide, Earthquake, [Iron Defense]
145: [Iron Defense]
140: Heavy Slam, Earthquake, Rock Slide, [Curse], [Iron Defense]
140: Iron Head, Rock Slide, [Curse], [Iron Defense]
140: Heavy Slam, Iron Head, Stone Edge, Head Smash, Earthquake, Dragon Tail, [Iron Defense]
140: Lava Plume, Earthquake, Stone Edge, Rock Slide, [Curse], [Iron Defense]
140: Bullet Punch, Iron Head, Superpower, [Iron Defense]
135: Stone Edge, Rock Slide, Earthquake, [Iron Defense]
135: Focus Punch, Earthquake, Fire Punch, [Iron Defense]
133: Stone Edge, Rock Slide, Scald, Waterfall, Earthquake, [Curse], [Iron Defense]
131: Iron Head, Power Whip, Earthquake, [Curse], [Iron Defense]
130: Stone Edge, Rock Slide, Earthquake, [Curse], [Iron Defense]
130: Focus Punch, Earthquake, Fire Punch, [Iron Defense]
130: Scald, Waterfall, Stone Edge, Rock Slide
130: Bullet Punch, Iron Head, Hammer Arm, Earthquake, [Iron Defense]
130: Stone Edge, Rock Slide, Earthquake, Dragon Tail, [Curse]
130: Seed Bomb, [Curse]
130: Fire Punch
130: Stone Edge, Rock Slide, Earthquake, [Curse], [Iron Defense]
129: Iron Head, Close Combat, Stone Edge, [Iron Defense]
126: Double Edge, Fire Punch, Wild Charge
125: Fire Punch
125: Scald, Waterfall, Stone Edge, Rock Slide, [Iron Defense]
125: Power Whip, Sludge Bomb, Earthquake, Rock Slide
125: Earthquake, Stone Edge, Rock Slide
125: Rock Slide, Stone Edge, Earthquake, [Iron Defense]
123: Power Whip, Seed Bomb, Sludge Bomb, Earthquake, [Curse]
122: Seed Bomb, Rock Slide
122: Drain Punch, Hammer Arm, Wood Hammer, Seed Bomb, Earthquake, Stone Edge, Rock Slide, [Curse], [Iron Defense]
121: Earthquake, Dragon Tail, Stone Edge, Rock Slide, [Coil]
120: Sludge Bomb, [Curse]
120: Stone Edge, Rock Slide, Earthquake, Dragon Tail, [Curse]
120: Lava Plume, Stone Edge, Rock Slide, [Curse], [Iron Defense]
120: Earthquake, Stone Edge, Rock Slide, [Iron Defense]
120: N/A
120: Scald, Waterfall, Dragon Tail, [Iron Defense]
120: Double Edge, Close Combat, Earthquake, Stone Edge, [Iron Defense]
120: Earthquake
120: Scald, Waterfall, Lava Plume, Superpower, Rock Slide, Stone Edge, Earthquake, Sludge Bomb
Overall Analysis: The Tough moveset is one of the most complete of all the contest types. You have a ton of type coverage, the moves are often high-power, and they have high distribution (like Earthquake and Stone Edge). Additionally, there a bunch of Pokemon that have crazy high Defense and almost all of them have Iron Defense to boost it further and STAB to boot. Because most of the Tough moves do physical damage, your high Defense ironically makes other Tough-oriented Pokemon the best counters to themselves. The only real downside to this contest type is the lack of an item to boost it (like AV or Choice Scarf) outside of Eviolite. Regardless, Tough might just be the most threatening contest type in the meta, and here are its deadliest users:
175: Psyshock, Signal Beam, Energy Ball, Dazzling Gleam, [Calm Mind]
165: Discharge, Dragon Pulse
165: Moonblast, Psyshock, [Calm Mind]
160: Moonblast, Diamond Storm, Earth Power, Explosion, [Calm Mind]
160: Draco Meteor, Dragon Pulse, Psyshock, Surf, Ice Beam, [Calm Mind]
159: Fire Blast, Flamethrower, Overheat, Dragon Pulse
150: Flash Cannon
150: Psyshock, [Nasty Plot], [Calm Mind]
145: Leaf Storm, Energy Ball, Dragon Pulse
145: Fire Blast, Flamethrower, Earth Power, Explosion
145: Fire Blast, Overheat, Flamethrower, [Calm Mind]
145: Discharge, [Nasty Plot]
140: Fire Blast, Overheat, Flamethrower, [Nasty Plot]
140: Draco Meteor, Dragon Pulse, Psyshock, Surf, Ice Beam, [Calm Mind]
135: Heat Wave, [Work Up]
135: Psyshock, Signal Beam, Energy Ball, Dazzling Gleam, [Calm Mind]
135: Tri-Attack, Ice Beam, Discharge, [Nasty Plot]
135: Fire Blast, Fiery Dance, Bug Buzz, [Quiver Dance]
135: Hydro Pump, Surf, Dragon Pulse, Aura Sphere
135: Discharge, Flamethrower, Overheat
132: Blizzard, Energy Ball, Ice Shard
130: Surf, Psyshock, [Calm Mind]
130: Dazzling Gleam, Energy Ball, Explosion
130: Psyshock, Dazzling Gleam, [Calm Mind]
130: Draco Meteor, Dragon Pulse, Psyshock, Surf, Ice Beam, [Calm Mind]
130: Discharge, Charge Beam, Flash Cannon, Explosion
130: Ice Beam, Signal Beam, Aqua Tail
130: Fire Blast, Flamethrower, Overheat, Eruption, Flash Cannon, Earth Power, Explosion
130: Ice Beam, Dragon Pulse, Draco Meteor, Earth Power
130: Fire Blast, Flamethrower, Overheat, Dragon Pulse
130: Steam Eruption, Fire Blast, Flamethrower, Overheat, Earth Power, Explosion
129: Hydro Pump, Surf, Aqua Tail, Secret Sword, Icy Wind, [Calm Mind]
128: Psyshock, Dazzling Gleam, [Calm Mind]
125: Energy Ball, Leaf Storm, Psyshock, Explosion
125: Discharge, Heat Wave
125: Fire Blast, Flamethrower, Overheat
125: Moonblast, Psyshock, [Calm Mind]
125: Leaf Storm, Energy Ball
125: Fire Blast, Flamethrower, Overheat
125: Psyshock, Fire Blast, Dazzling Gleam, Explosion, [Calm Mind], [Nasty Plot]
125: Psyshock, Signal Beam, Energy Ball, Explosion, [Calm Mind]
125: Psyshock, Signal Beam, Energy Ball, [Calm Mind]
125: Draco Meteor, Dragon Pulse, Fire Blast, Flamethrower, Flash Cannon, Aqua Tail
125: Heat Wave
125: Discharge, [Nasty Plot]
122: Energy Ball, Leaf Storm, [Growth]
120: Freeze Dry, Ice Shard, Explosion
120: Dazzling Gleam, Fire Blast, Flamethrower, [Nasty Plot]
120: Discharge, Charge Beam, Flash Cannon, Explosion
120: Flamethrower, [Nasty Plot]
120: Ice Beam, Draco Meteor, Dragon Pulse, Earth Power
120: Draco Meteor, Dragon Pulse, Earth Power, Fire Blast
120: Water Pulse, Surf, Aqua Tail, Aura Sphere, Dragon Pulse, Ice Beam
Overall Analysis: Alas, it seems the Beautiful suffer the most. Beautiful has a pretty great movepool, and there are still special attackers that you can use without issues, but it not only benefits from the same issue is Cool (investing in Special Attack/Attack only boosts power and nothing else), but you don't even gain all that many tools that didn't already base off of Special Attack (Explosion and Aqua Tail are the only exceptions, and their use is niche at best). Regardless, the type diversity allows a lot of Special Attack-users to flourish without losing too much in the transition, so here are some of the best:
230: Rock Tomb, Knock Off, Hidden Power, [Shell Smash*], [Sandstorm*]
200: Hidden Power, [Amnesia]
154: Giga Drain, Hidden Power, [Calm Mind]
150: Rock Tomb, Hidden Power, [Amnesia]
150: Rock Tomb, Hidden Power, [Sandstorm*]
150: Zen Headbutt, Stored Power, Psychic, Shadow Ball, Hidden Power, [Calm Mind]
150: Rock Tomb, Hidden Power, [Calm Mind]
150: Hidden Power
150: Rock Tomb, Hidden Power, [Calm Mind]
140: Hidden Power, [Amnesia]
138: Rock Tomb, Hidden Power, [Sandstorm*]
135: Psychic, Shadow Ball, Hidden Power, [Calm Mind]
135: Hex, Shadow Ball, Shadow Sneak, Shadow Punch, Pursuit, Hidden Power [Calm Mind]
135: Knock Off, Hidden Power
135: Psychic, Stored Power, Zen Headbutt, Hidden Power, [Calm Mind]
130: Sucker Punch, Pursuit, Foul Play, Stored Power, Hidden Power
130: Hex, Shadow Ball, Shadow Sneak, Shadow Punch, Pursuit, Hidden Power [Calm Mind]
130: Zen Headbutt, Stored Power, Psychic, Shadow Ball, Hidden Power, [Calm Mind]
130: Psychic, Zen Headbutt, Knock Off, Foul Play, Giga Drain, Shadow Ball, Hidden Power, [Amnesia], [Calm Mind]
130: Zen Headbutt, Psychic, Shadow Ball, Hidden Power, [Calm Mind]
130: Hidden Power
130: Stored Power, Hidden Power, [Calm Mind]
130: Psychic, Stored Power, Zen Headbutt, Shadow Ball, Knock Off, Hidden Power, [Calm Mind]
129: Giga Drain, Hidden Power, [Calm Mind]
128: Psychic, Hidden Power, [Calm Mind]
126: Knock Off, Shadow Ball, Hidden Power, [Calm Mind]
125: Hidden Power
125: Hidden Power
123: Hidden Power
120: Knock Off, Giga Drain, Hex, Hidden Power
120: Psychic, Shadow Ball, Hidden Power, [Calm Mind]
120: Psychic, Shadow Ball, Hidden Power, [Calm Mind]
120: Sucker Punch, Shadow Sneak, Knock Off, Hidden Power
120: Hidden Power, [Amnesia]
120: Giga Drain, Knock Off, Hidden Power
120: Pursuit, Rock Tomb, Hidden Power, [Sandstorm*]
120: Zen Headbutt, Stored Power, Psychic, Shadow Ball, Hidden Power, [Calm Mind]
Overall Analysis: Remember Gen 1, where Special was an offensive AND defensive stat? Welcome back to the 90's, with Amnesia returning to its glory days and Psychic riding on the hype train! While Clever has an overall smaller movepool than its counterpart in Tough, several Pokemon with high Special Defense have all they need to succeed, especially thanks the ubiquity of Calm Mind and even Amnesia to wall special attackers while also becoming a more powerful attacker. If you can afford giving up utility moves (as many of these Pokemon are tanks, that can be difficult), Assault Vest provides a huge boost in power and survivability without even locking you into a move! Or if you can use it, Eviolite buffs your power as well. Moves to note: Hidden Power (everyone gets it), Knock Off (a lot of things get it and its always useful), Psychic moves (many Psychics have high Sp. Def), Pursuit (counters most of those Pokemon) and Sucker Punch (same).
160: U-turn, Bug Bite, [Agility]
150: N/A
150: N/A, [Agility], [Rock Polish]
150: U-turn, Bug Bite, [Agility]
145: Grass Knot, [Agility]
145: U-turn, Bug Bite, [Agility]
140: N/A
135: Facade, Fake Out, Frustration, Return, [Agility]
135: N/A
130: N/A, [Agility]
130: N/A, [Agility], [Rock Polish]
130: U-turn
128: Facade, Frustration, Return
126: N/A, [Agility]
125: Facade, Frustration, Return, U-turn, [Agility]
125: Fake Out, [Agility]
123: U-turn, [Agility]
121: Facade, Frustration, Return, U-turn, [Agility]
121: Grass Knot, U-turn, [Agility]
120: N/A
120: N/A
120: Grass Knot, [Agility]
Overall Analysis: Cute attacks will be useful in that they their users are encouraged to fully invest in Speed, which not only gives power but allows you to outpace other Pokemon. In this way, they're theoretically more useful than the attacks that use Attack and Special Attack, which only benefit power. Many of the fastest Pokemon also have access to Agility, which is typically useless as they're already so fast, but now it becomes a mirror of Swords Dance/Nasty Plot. You can also slap on a Choice Scarf for a free x1.5 boost in power. However, Cute moves are the most limited of all the contest types -- while there are a few staples like Return and U-turn, a pure Speed Pokemon will see a lack of movepool diversity unless they want to dip into their weaker stats. Return might be worth running on pretty much all of these for decent neutral coverage, but it depends on the set. Above the mediocrity, however, there are still a few shining stars:
Normal Text = STAB move
Italics = Coverage move
[Brackets] = Boosting move
[Asterisk*] = Requires special circumstances
Expect a few errors and clumsy omissions, but hopefully this should give you an idea of what will be good in Got Talent. Keep in mind I don't often discuss using multiple stats, which is going to be the norm on every set (few Pokemon have all the moves they need in one contest type) just to make things easier.
Enjoy!
Overall Analysis: Cool moves suffer from that stat that use them: Attack. While there's nothing wrong the stat itself, in this meta, you don't gain extra bulk or speed from investing it: its all about power. There are still reasons to invest in Attack, however. Several staple attacks, including most priority attacks, fit into this category, so if you want to use them, Attack investment is required. You also gain a few new tricks: Focus Blast, Thunderbolt and Dark Pulse, which have high distribution, allow traditional physical attackers to hit high Defense behemoths on their weaker Special Defense. Here are some of the coolest cats around:
- Mega Heracross benefits from two multi-hit moves, Swords Dance and two brand new tools: Focus Blast blasts physical walls, and Vacuum Wave gives you the (special!) priority you've always wanted. Typically held back by its middling Speed, Vacuum Wave is an excellent asset that may make Heracross a more mainstream pick.
- Kyurem-Black doesn't lose much, as most of its moves benefit off the same stat they already did (the rest of its typical move-set is Beautiful). Focus Blast might make more Attack-investment builds worth it, however, as it nails the Steel types your Dragon moves resist.
- Mega Gallade misses the accuracy of Close Combat, but likes the damage type of Focus Blast and the utility of Vacuum Wave. Thunderbolt also allows you to break Mega Slowbro, which you'd normally struggle with.
- Aegislash is back, and it has a decent moveset to benefit from Attack investment.
- Mega Gyarados misses half its STAB and much of its coverage, but Dragon Dance + Dark Pulse sounds amusing.
- Haxorus likes Focus Blast. Still hates Fairies, but Steels (Skarmory in particular) are a bit easier to deal with.
- Darmanitan gets a Sheer Force boost from Flare Blitz and Focus Blast, which has some serious power behind it (though it misses some of its coverage moves): 252+ Atk Choice Band Sheer Force Darmanitan Focus Blast vs. 4 HP / 252 SpD Eviolite Chansey: 302-356 (47 - 55.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock
- Mega Lopunny can run "mixed" with Hyper Voice and Focus Blast, along with Quick Attack and the attacks that benefit from your Speed. You also have Thunderbolt to deal with Slowbro, which could previously check you with its high Defense.
- Machamp finally benefits from No Guard Focus Blast, the dream. While in generally you'll have trouble filling your moveset, Vacuum Wave also gives you STAB priority. Isn't it weird to have a moveset that almost exclusively hits Special Defense? Of course, you always have No Guard Dynamic Punch.
- Breloom can utilize Technician Bullet Seed and Vacuum Wave if you don't want to use your native Mach Punch. Like all these other Fighting types, you can also use Focus Blast.
- Mega Charizard X has lost nothing but Earthquake in the transition. Focus Blast serves the same role, if not more effectively, though missing sucks.
- Electivire no longer suffers from low quality STAB on its better stat! Powerful Volt Switches are the reason to use Electivire, as most of the old users like Raikou no longer do very much damage with the move. Thunderbolt and Focus Blast are also nice, and you can fill out additional coverage with your still-decent Special Attack.
Overall Analysis: The Tough moveset is one of the most complete of all the contest types. You have a ton of type coverage, the moves are often high-power, and they have high distribution (like Earthquake and Stone Edge). Additionally, there a bunch of Pokemon that have crazy high Defense and almost all of them have Iron Defense to boost it further and STAB to boot. Because most of the Tough moves do physical damage, your high Defense ironically makes other Tough-oriented Pokemon the best counters to themselves. The only real downside to this contest type is the lack of an item to boost it (like AV or Choice Scarf) outside of Eviolite. Regardless, Tough might just be the most threatening contest type in the meta, and here are its deadliest users:
- Mega Steelix shares its obscene Defense stat with 2 other Pokemon, but it has the highest upfront damage potential with nuclear Earthquakes and Heavy Slams. In Sand, these moves do even more damage thanks to your ability. Sadly, you lack Iron Defense.
- Mega Aggron is even bulkier than Steelix on most hits thanks to Filter, and it even gets Iron Defense! Altogether, I see Mega Aggron becoming one of the most threatening Mega Pokemon in the game.
- Shuckle is the third Pokemon in the 230 club, and while it doesn't have as reliable STAB or boosting, it does get STAB on Rock moves, as well as possessing high Special Defense allowing it to dip into two contest types.
- Regirock may face competition, but its the only pure Rock type with this much defense, and it has all the tools it needs to succeed (except recovery :c).
- Mega Slowbro is the most terrifying Scald user in the game, and you can even boost it further with Iron Defense. Slowbro becomes one of the best counters to other Tough Pokemon, as none of them can take Scald very well due to being weak to it or just having a bad Sp. Def set. Maybe an "offensive" Trick Room set might gain popularity.
- Onix is an unlikely threat, but with the ability to hold Eviolite, bolstering its already top-tier Defense, a near-perfect STAB combo and much more Speed than its evolution, Brock's ace in the hole might return to the limelight in Got Talent?
- Mega Metagross, one might be surprised to learn, has higher Defense than Attack. Clearly it was meant to use Tough moves -- it even has Tough Claws! Its also by far the fastest Pokemon with this level of Defense, and with Iron Defense, it could become a terrifying sweeper.
- Mega Tyranitar has all the STABs it wants (except Pursuit, which still uses its high Special Defense) and a great Defense stat to power them up. It even gets pseudo-Swords Dance, something standard Mega Tyranitar would love to have.
- Probopass faces competition with other Rock/Steel types but has two main perks: Magnet Pull (mostly to trap other high-Defense Pokemon and a high Special Defense to use Clever moves (notably Hidden Power).
- Doublade basically does what it usually does, except instead of 110 Attack to boost Iron Head, it uses 150 Defense boost by Eviolite. Not bad.
- Diancie faces competition from the high volume of Rock types at this Defense level, but as a rare Fairy type, it definitely has a niche.
- Skarmory can just run its default set and get a massive boost on Iron Head. Pretty sweet.
- Lairon is a curious case, as I think it entirely outclasses its evolved (non-mega) form thanks to the Eviolite boost. Rock Head Head Smash would do insane damage with Eviolite boosts, and you can boost it even further.
- Torkoal is a rare high-Defense Pokemon with a STAB Tough move that hits Special Defense, in Lava Plume. What's more you have solid Edge/Quake coverage and Rapid Spin for support.
- Mega Scizor has a set that runs near-Max Defense, Roost, Swords Dance, Bullet Punch and Superpower. Now, you can run the exact same set with Iron Defense, and gain an insane damage boost without giving up your bulk.
- Carracosta is another solid Scald user that doesn't take up a Mega slot and even gets secondary STAB. Unlike Megabro, however, you lack recovery.
- Ferrothorn gets dual STAB off its best stat. RIP Gyro Ball, though.
- Cobalion lacks Extreme Speed, but thanks to the switch of Steel and Fighting STAB to Defense, it now outclasses Lucario in pretty much every way.
- Mega Audino has STAB Double Edge! Might not be great, but at least there's a small reason to use it now.
- Tangrowth has wide coverage (Sludge Bomb even hits Special Defense), and Regenerator is a solid ability even if there are Pokemon with higher Defense.
- Mega Venusaur gets dual-STAB, recovery and Curse to boost Defense.
- Chesnaught also has dual-STAB plus all the utility moves Chesnaught usually brings.
- Zygarde still wishes it had Rough Skin, but the damage boost on Dragon Tail and Earthquake from your higher Defense might give you a better reason to use it.
- Mega Pinsir with a bulky set? Its more likely than you think. Quick Attack is out (though it still benefits from your solid base 155 Attack), but Double Edge benefits from your surprisingly decent Defense stat, as do your standard coverage moves. You even have Iron Defense...for some reason.
Overall Analysis: Alas, it seems the Beautiful suffer the most. Beautiful has a pretty great movepool, and there are still special attackers that you can use without issues, but it not only benefits from the same issue is Cool (investing in Special Attack/Attack only boosts power and nothing else), but you don't even gain all that many tools that didn't already base off of Special Attack (Explosion and Aqua Tail are the only exceptions, and their use is niche at best). Regardless, the type diversity allows a lot of Special Attack-users to flourish without losing too much in the transition, so here are some of the best:
- Mega Alakazam and its base form miss Shadow Ball and Focus Blast, but can otherwise operate just fine: Signal Beam and Dazzling Gleam are fine alternatives.
- Mega Diancie has the biggest (and some of the only) buffs when it comes to Beautiful moves. Diamond Storm using Special Attack is something that should've happened from the start, and now you have no reason to invest in Attack or give yourself a weird Nature. What's more, you're the most powerful user of Explosion, should you choose to run it. Earth Power works as normal.
- Mega Sceptile has everything it wants except Giga Drain and Hidden Power.
- Mega Camerupt retains its dual-STAB and also gains Explosion, which can be amusing.
- Porygon-Z only misses the potential Thunderbolt, but Discharge is nearly as good (arguably better, due to the Paralysis chance). Nasty Plot + Tri-Attack can still put in work.
- Magnezone is a bit worse at it trapping job thanks to the Hidden Power change, but Specs Analytic with Discharge, Flash Cannon and Explosion sounds potentially deadly for nailing Special Defense walls: 252+ SpA Choice Specs Magnezone Explosion vs. 4 HP / 252+ Def Eviolite Chansey: 594-699 (92.5 - 108.8%) -- guaranteed OHKO after Stealth Rock (this is without the Analytic boost)
- Heatran is basically the same, as of the moves it uses, only Magma Storm changed its stat. Explosion could be alright.
- Volcanion hype! At the time of writing, this thing hasn't been formally introduced, so I can only speculate as to its standard set. However, its signature move, its Fire STAB and Earth Power are all Beautiful, along with, again, Explosion. Seems pretty solid.
- Keldeo really only misses Scald, but Surf can fill the void. If you want to be especially contrarian, run Aqua Tail + Secret Sword: both scale off of Special Attack, but hit Defense!
- Azelf is one of the only things people already run Explosion on, so unlike shit like Explosion Heatran, it has a confirmed use! Now, you can invest in Special Attack which also benefits Psyshock, Fire Blast and Dazzling Gleam, moves it already runs. You can also utilize Explosion on Nasty Plot sets, now.
Overall Analysis: Remember Gen 1, where Special was an offensive AND defensive stat? Welcome back to the 90's, with Amnesia returning to its glory days and Psychic riding on the hype train! While Clever has an overall smaller movepool than its counterpart in Tough, several Pokemon with high Special Defense have all they need to succeed, especially thanks the ubiquity of Calm Mind and even Amnesia to wall special attackers while also becoming a more powerful attacker. If you can afford giving up utility moves (as many of these Pokemon are tanks, that can be difficult), Assault Vest provides a huge boost in power and survivability without even locking you into a move! Or if you can use it, Eviolite buffs your power as well. Moves to note: Hidden Power (everyone gets it), Knock Off (a lot of things get it and its always useful), Psychic moves (many Psychics have high Sp. Def), Pursuit (counters most of those Pokemon) and Sucker Punch (same).
- Shuckle has good Tough AND Clever options, with 230 stats for each! Namely, Knock Off and Hidden Power help round off your set, with the option of Contrary Shell Smash for boosts. In general, you probably want to be Tough oriented (Bold, etc.) and just have these Clever moves to deal with counters. Also, with Sand support, your Special Defense increases even further!
- Mega Latias has it all -- boosting, recovery, STAB and coverage all benefit from its massive 150 Special Defense. If you miss Psyshock over Psychic, then Zen Headbutt can fill the void!
- Umbreon...if I told you it was the next Bisharp, would you believe me? Sucker Punch + Pursuit allows it to check Psychics by tanking their attacks and retaliating back, plus you have Foul Play to deal with Cool attackers. Plus, recovery in Wish and status restoration in Heal Bell!
- Dusclops' time is here. Newer players hype this thing up in any meta they can manage, but its always the same old story: "It has no offensive pressure! It sucks!" Those days are over. With Eviolite and investment, Dusclops takes hits and retaliates back. In a stroke of magnificent luck, many moves it would want to user are Clever: Shadow Sneak and Shadow Ball are reliable STAB, Hex pairs really well with Will o Wisp, and Mind allows you to boost up and you can even Pursuit trap! I see a Rest/Sleep Talk/Shadow Ball/Hidden Power Fighting set being useful, as you sadly lack recovery outside of Pain Split.
- Uxie has definite perks over fellow fat Psychics: Amnesia gives it superior boosting, it has the coveted Knock Off, Foul Play and even an offensive recovery move in Giga Drain. Lack of recovery is a certain downside, but you can utilize more of the Clever movepool than most Pokemon.
- Cresselia lacks certain moves that Uxie can use, but its HP is much higher, allowing it to take a lot more damage. Notably, it also has recovery in Moonlight.
- Hoopa-C has pretty much all the STAB and coverage it needs to run a full Specially Defense set, utilizing either Assault Vest or Calm Mind.
- Virizion has one of the most powerful Giga Drains in the game, bolstered further by Calm Mind. You also have Synthesis for more direct recovery.
- Mr. Mime, while still not great, has Technician for boosted Hidden Power, which is pretty decent coming off of 120 Special Defense.
- Kecleon is very solid, as it can now utilize its highest stat to do damage rather than its lackluster Attack. Protean means your lack of Normal STAB is a non-issue. Stealth Rock and Recover are also solid assets, if you don't opt for an AV set.
- Mega Venusaur already had pretty good offensive stats, but now it doesn't need to sacrifice its bulk in order to do a lot of damage! Even though it mostly has to rely on Giga Drain, Knock Off is nice to have too.
- Mega Tyranitar has a default Special Defense of 120, which is pretty damn good, but it also boosts that stat even further just by setting up its native Sand Stream. This makes it one of the better Pursuit users out there, with backup in Rock Tomb and Hidden Power.
Overall Analysis: Cute attacks will be useful in that they their users are encouraged to fully invest in Speed, which not only gives power but allows you to outpace other Pokemon. In this way, they're theoretically more useful than the attacks that use Attack and Special Attack, which only benefit power. Many of the fastest Pokemon also have access to Agility, which is typically useless as they're already so fast, but now it becomes a mirror of Swords Dance/Nasty Plot. You can also slap on a Choice Scarf for a free x1.5 boost in power. However, Cute moves are the most limited of all the contest types -- while there are a few staples like Return and U-turn, a pure Speed Pokemon will see a lack of movepool diversity unless they want to dip into their weaker stats. Return might be worth running on pretty much all of these for decent neutral coverage, but it depends on the set. Above the mediocrity, however, there are still a few shining stars:
- Ninjask is ridiculous, possessing Rampardos-like offensive power for Cute attacks with its base Speed of 160. What's more, Speed Boost bolsters your power each turn you stay in. Unfortunately, your best attack happens to be U-turn, which switches you out. However, you can choose to stay in and use Bug Bite instead, trading less initially power for increased power on the second turn. Jolly Choice Scarf with Speed Boost and U-turn/Bug Bite/Return/Facade is your best bet, though you obviously struggle with Steel types. An alternate, more risky set is Life with Agility and Speed Boost -- if you can pull it off, you'll have 1150 Speed by the end of the turn!
- Mega Sceptile really only has one good move to utilize its Speed, which is Grass Knot, but Agility allows it to gain setup potential. Thankfully, your Special Attack is just as high, and has many of the moves you'll need to fill up the rest of your moveset. The problem is that, outside of higher Special Attack to use with Beautiful moves (most notability Dragon Pulse), the base form outclasses you in Cute-ness due to Unburden.
- Mega Lopunny, as mentioned, benefits from having both high Attack and Speed, and all the Normal attacks it could want thankfully use its Speed. You also gain a setup move in agility, which will ensure your Returns do much more damage.
- Swellow is pretty damn good, as Guts combos well with Cute Facade and high Speed. U-turn is also a solid move that allows you preserve your limited health and do chip damage. To be honest though, the best set is probably Scrappy Choice Scarf/Life Orb Agility for much more reliable damage and the perk of hitting Ghost types.
- Sceptile can combined Unburden + Salac Berry with Agility to gain crazy amounts of Speed, allowing you to do big damage with Grass Knot while also outspeeding the slow, bulky meta and using their high weight against them. Return also allows you to break through light Pokemon and those with high Special Defense.
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The only things that I've found so far that you've missed out on are Extreme Speed (Cool, on Dragonite) and Dynamic Punch (Cool, a bunch of things get it but it's only viable on Machamp and Golurk). There's probably more but I haven't read the entire post yet so I might come back to you when I'm done; otherwise, great work!
This is an amazing meta concept. I'm particularly intrigued by how, even though on the face of things stall suffers a lot from Keldeo-esque shenanigans on many more Pokemon, it picks up offensive pressure in exchange.
The Main Event
Ban This Monster (Shuckle) @/
Ability: Contrary
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Shell Smash
- Stone Edge
- Earthquake
- Sludge Wave/ Knock Off
Shuckle is a monster in Got Talent? with base 230 Defense and Contrary Shell Smash allowing it to boost both sides of the defensive spectrum. Stone Edge and Earthquake provide the best neutral coverage for Shuckle while Sludge Wave gives Shuckle a means of getting around Chesnaught and bulky physical walls that can tank a Stone Edge or Earthquake. Knock Off is a decent option to be able to get rid of items, but it isn't as necessary since it is easy to find Pokemon that pair well with Shuckle for special prowess such as AV Hoopa-U and Mega Sableye. (refer to the replay I posted with the MAlt set to witness the power of Shuckle)
Honestly, with us being able to playtest now thanks to urkerab (no worries about the team validator btw. It's all good n_n), I want to gather opinions on what you guys think about a Shuckle suspect / potential quickban. Honestly the fact that it can boost up and potentially avoid a Taunt to guarantee a +1 means it is nearly unstoppable with the amount of bulk and power it possesses. That being said, it also has a really slow Speed stat and a low HP stat meaning if something can boost faster and hit it hard (MAlt or Air Balloon Heatran for ex.) can mean that it may warrant sticking around. I wanna hear what everyone has to offer about Shuckle. n_n
Food for thought: moves that lower enemy Defense, Special Defense, or Speed are a lot more valuable. As in, people might actually carry and use Screech or String Shot, since they can be pulling double duty against enemy Pokemon -Screech against a Pokemon about to use Earthquake, and you've not only made it so your next move hitting on their Defense will do double damage, but you've halved their damage this turn. Rock Smash can be doubling as a way to drop their damage output, instead of just lowering their defenses with a weak attack. That kind of thing.
Metagross-Mega @ Metagrossite
Ability: Tough Claws
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake / Thunder Punch / Grass Knot (Defense/Attack/Speed)
- Bullet Punch (Defense)
- Iron Head (Defense)
- Hammer Arm (Defense)
Here is a very bulky and yet powerful Metagross. Really not much to say
Thunder Punch and Grass Knot are for hitting walls like Hippowdon and Slowbro. Grass Knot is better because it uses it's speed stat which is a little bit higher than its uninvested attack stat.
Venusaur-Mega @ Venusaurite
Ability: Thick Fat
EVs: 248 HP / 96 Def / 144 SpD / 20 Spe
Bold Nature
- Hidden Power [Fire] (SpDefense)
- Sludge Bomb (Defense)
- Giga Drain (SpDefense)
- Synthesis (N/A)
Venusaur can use its defenses to hit as hard as offensive mons. Knock off can also be used on full SpDef sets.
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So I decided to hopefully spark some discussion in this thread about Mega Altaria and in general by going over how massive of a threat this Pokemon is.
Altaria-Mega @ Altarianite
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Cotton Guard
- Body Slam
- Earthquake
- Roost
This is the "standard" set for Mega Altaria in Got Talent?. While it isn't as initially powerful as the standard due to a weaker STAB in Body Slam, it can boost a lot easier with a more powerful boosting move in Cotton Guard. +3 Pixilate-boosted Body Slam plows through most mons and those that can tank it cannot stomach a boosted Earthquake. With Mega Altaria's amazing neutral coverage, ability to run recovery and a boosting move, and a decent typing makes for a big threat. Despite this, there are some checks that can potentially get around this behemoth and be able to win 1v1.
Some Checks / Counters
Golbat
Golbat @ Eviolite
Ability: Infiltrator
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Roost
- Defog
- Sludge Bomb
- Haze / Super Fang
This specific set aims to break not only Mega Altaria but most of the setup sweepers that are bound to be common. While Mono-Poison coverage is a bit bad with the common Steel-types running around, they can't dare to set up against Golbat thanks to its decent base 90 Speed stat coupled with Haze. Super Fang is a nice option over Haze to break Steel-types and the bulky Pokemon that will be all throughout this OM.
Amoonguss
Amoonguss @ Black Sludge
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Sludge Bomb
- Spore
- Synthesis
- Seed Bomb
While Amoonguss isn't as effective at checking Mega Altaria due to its neutrality to Earthquake, it does make for a great teammate thanks to its decent bulk, access to Spore, and an amazing ability in Regenerator. Sludge Bomb specifically threatens Mega Altaria, but is otherwise a decent STAB. Spore can shut down most setup sweepers despite Amoonguss being slower and allows its teammates to come in and set up themselves. Synthesis gives Amoonguss reliable recovery outside of Regenerator, allowing it to stay in if needed. Seed Bomb gives Amoonguss a way to hit Clever invested Pokemon who can tank its Sludge Bombs.
Skarmory
Skarmory @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Iron Head
- Iron Defense / Whirlwind
- Roost
- Defog
Skarmory is probably the most viable of these checks, being able to not only beat Mega Altaria, but threaten the opposing team in general. Iron Defense + Iron Head allows Skarmory to boost and threaten the foe much easier than in standard. Roost and Defog are pretty standard, but they allow Skarmory to perform a utility role while being a great Mega Altaria check despite the latter being able to boost more quickly. Skarmory also has a surprisingly small Tough movepool, meaning it is somewhat forced to be an utility attacker of sorts. Whirlwind can be a nice option over Iron Defense to phaze out other setup sweepers that can take advantage of Skarmory's below average Special Defense stat, but it isn't as great of a check for Mega Altaria especially if it happens to be the last Pokemon the opposing team has.
Weezing
Weezing @ Black Sludge
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Toxic Spikes
- Sludge Bomb
- Incinerate
- Pain Split
Weezing is another solid Mega Altaria check thanks to its Poison typing and its Levitate ability. Toxic Spikes pressures all the non-Steel- and Poison-types since it cuts into their bulk much easier than most unboosted moves, allowing Weezing to provide utility for the team. Sludge Wave and Incinerate gives Weezing the amazing coverage it normally has with the former giving it a good STAB move and the latter hitting Steel-types hard. Pain Split is Weezing's only form of somewhat reliable recovery so it nabs the last moveslot, although Taunt gets an honorable mention since Weezing has a decent enough Speed stat to force slower setup sweepers into attacking.
Mega Venusaur
Venusaur-Mega @ Venusaurite
Ability: Thick Fat
EVs: 240 HP / 252 Def / 16 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Power Whip
- Sludge Bomb
- Synthesis
- Sleep Powder
While Mega Venusaur is a really good sweeper in and of itself thanks to its access to Amnesia, a physically defensive set is viable as well since it gives Mega Venusaur an easier time checking Mega Altaria while also having more powerful STAB moves than it does on its boosting set. Mega Venusaur also has the same Speed stat as Mega Altaria, allowing it to speed creep and play around it a bit more easily than most of its checks. Synthesis and Sleep Powder allow Mega Venusaur to cripple other setup sweepers and provide it with reliable recovery, making it on par with Skarmory as one of the more durable Mega Altaria checks.
Mega Scizor
Scizor-Mega @ Scizorite
Ability: Technician
EVs: 208 HP / 252 Def / 48 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Iron Defense
- Bullet Punch
- Roost
- Thief
Mega Scizor works in a similar vein to Skarmory as it has better overall bulk and slightly better speed as well as STAB priority. While it does take up a coveted Mega slot, it is a very powerful threat thanks to it having one weakness and decent resistances to take advantage of. Thief is sort of filler, but it is the best option to provide Mega Scizor with coverage that takes advantage of its ability, Technician. 48 Spe is specifically to speed creep Mega Altaria so you can set up an Iron Defense before taking a boosted Earthquake.
While I listed some viable Mega Altaria checks, I am pretty sure there are more out there (and possibly a counter? idk) so I was hoping this post can inspired people to find not only big threats, but also find MAlt checks.
General Discussion Point
Speaking of a threat, something that has been an "error" in the Generation I games for a long time has finally been redeemed with a recent event and I wanted to bring it up since I feel it makes for a potential setup sweeper and that is...
+ Barrier
Lance's Dragonite knows Barrier in all Gen One games except Pokémon Yellow, despite this being an illegal combination until this most recent event (the Kanto Classic Battle Competition) which made it legal. With Dragonite's massive pool of Tough moves (Dragon Rush, Dragon Tail, Earthquake, Fire Punch, Hurricane, and Iron Head to name the notable ones), having Barrier means it can now run an effective setup sweeper set. Sadly, its Defense stat is its third lowest stat, so it may not be as appealing as its Attack, which is its highest stat. But I feel like this is a good discussion point since it directly affects the viability of Dragonite in Got Talent.
EDIT: Turns out Barrier is still illegal with Multiscale, so it isn't going to be as good, but being probably the only solid abuser of Hurricane may be a possible niche idk.
Altaria-Mega @ Altarianite
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Cotton Guard
- Body Slam
- Earthquake
- Roost
This is the "standard" set for Mega Altaria in Got Talent?. While it isn't as initially powerful as the standard due to a weaker STAB in Body Slam, it can boost a lot easier with a more powerful boosting move in Cotton Guard. +3 Pixilate-boosted Body Slam plows through most mons and those that can tank it cannot stomach a boosted Earthquake. With Mega Altaria's amazing neutral coverage, ability to run recovery and a boosting move, and a decent typing makes for a big threat. Despite this, there are some checks that can potentially get around this behemoth and be able to win 1v1.
Some Checks / Counters
Golbat
Golbat @ Eviolite
Ability: Infiltrator
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Roost
- Defog
- Sludge Bomb
- Haze / Super Fang
This specific set aims to break not only Mega Altaria but most of the setup sweepers that are bound to be common. While Mono-Poison coverage is a bit bad with the common Steel-types running around, they can't dare to set up against Golbat thanks to its decent base 90 Speed stat coupled with Haze. Super Fang is a nice option over Haze to break Steel-types and the bulky Pokemon that will be all throughout this OM.
Amoonguss
Amoonguss @ Black Sludge
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Sludge Bomb
- Spore
- Synthesis
- Seed Bomb
While Amoonguss isn't as effective at checking Mega Altaria due to its neutrality to Earthquake, it does make for a great teammate thanks to its decent bulk, access to Spore, and an amazing ability in Regenerator. Sludge Bomb specifically threatens Mega Altaria, but is otherwise a decent STAB. Spore can shut down most setup sweepers despite Amoonguss being slower and allows its teammates to come in and set up themselves. Synthesis gives Amoonguss reliable recovery outside of Regenerator, allowing it to stay in if needed. Seed Bomb gives Amoonguss a way to hit Clever invested Pokemon who can tank its Sludge Bombs.
Skarmory
Skarmory @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Iron Head
- Iron Defense / Whirlwind
- Roost
- Defog
Skarmory is probably the most viable of these checks, being able to not only beat Mega Altaria, but threaten the opposing team in general. Iron Defense + Iron Head allows Skarmory to boost and threaten the foe much easier than in standard. Roost and Defog are pretty standard, but they allow Skarmory to perform a utility role while being a great Mega Altaria check despite the latter being able to boost more quickly. Skarmory also has a surprisingly small Tough movepool, meaning it is somewhat forced to be an utility attacker of sorts. Whirlwind can be a nice option over Iron Defense to phaze out other setup sweepers that can take advantage of Skarmory's below average Special Defense stat, but it isn't as great of a check for Mega Altaria especially if it happens to be the last Pokemon the opposing team has.
Weezing
Weezing @ Black Sludge
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Toxic Spikes
- Sludge Bomb
- Incinerate
- Pain Split
Weezing is another solid Mega Altaria check thanks to its Poison typing and its Levitate ability. Toxic Spikes pressures all the non-Steel- and Poison-types since it cuts into their bulk much easier than most unboosted moves, allowing Weezing to provide utility for the team. Sludge Wave and Incinerate gives Weezing the amazing coverage it normally has with the former giving it a good STAB move and the latter hitting Steel-types hard. Pain Split is Weezing's only form of somewhat reliable recovery so it nabs the last moveslot, although Taunt gets an honorable mention since Weezing has a decent enough Speed stat to force slower setup sweepers into attacking.
Mega Venusaur
Venusaur-Mega @ Venusaurite
Ability: Thick Fat
EVs: 240 HP / 252 Def / 16 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Power Whip
- Sludge Bomb
- Synthesis
- Sleep Powder
While Mega Venusaur is a really good sweeper in and of itself thanks to its access to Amnesia, a physically defensive set is viable as well since it gives Mega Venusaur an easier time checking Mega Altaria while also having more powerful STAB moves than it does on its boosting set. Mega Venusaur also has the same Speed stat as Mega Altaria, allowing it to speed creep and play around it a bit more easily than most of its checks. Synthesis and Sleep Powder allow Mega Venusaur to cripple other setup sweepers and provide it with reliable recovery, making it on par with Skarmory as one of the more durable Mega Altaria checks.
Mega Scizor
Scizor-Mega @ Scizorite
Ability: Technician
EVs: 208 HP / 252 Def / 48 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Iron Defense
- Bullet Punch
- Roost
- Thief
Mega Scizor works in a similar vein to Skarmory as it has better overall bulk and slightly better speed as well as STAB priority. While it does take up a coveted Mega slot, it is a very powerful threat thanks to it having one weakness and decent resistances to take advantage of. Thief is sort of filler, but it is the best option to provide Mega Scizor with coverage that takes advantage of its ability, Technician. 48 Spe is specifically to speed creep Mega Altaria so you can set up an Iron Defense before taking a boosted Earthquake.
While I listed some viable Mega Altaria checks, I am pretty sure there are more out there (and possibly a counter? idk) so I was hoping this post can inspired people to find not only big threats, but also find MAlt checks.
General Discussion Point
Speaking of a threat, something that has been an "error" in the Generation I games for a long time has finally been redeemed with a recent event and I wanted to bring it up since I feel it makes for a potential setup sweeper and that is...
Lance's Dragonite knows Barrier in all Gen One games except Pokémon Yellow, despite this being an illegal combination until this most recent event (the Kanto Classic Battle Competition) which made it legal. With Dragonite's massive pool of Tough moves (Dragon Rush, Dragon Tail, Earthquake, Fire Punch, Hurricane, and Iron Head to name the notable ones), having Barrier means it can now run an effective setup sweeper set. Sadly, its Defense stat is its third lowest stat, so it may not be as appealing as its Attack, which is its highest stat. But I feel like this is a good discussion point since it directly affects the viability of Dragonite in Got Talent.
EDIT: Turns out Barrier is still illegal with Multiscale, so it isn't going to be as good, but being probably the only solid abuser of Hurricane may be a possible niche idk.
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Felt like building for this, so here's some random-ass teams I threw together. in 20 mins
Basically looks like your standard stallfest with five Leftovers and a Mega...but now they do damage! Slowbro checks all the beefy Tough Steel and Rock types by boosting alongside them and hitting their weaker defense with Scald. The rest provide team support and type balance, with another Water type in Curse Quagsire to check setup. Another special mention is Virizion, who's beefy and fast, so you can add more Speed if you'd like. I suspect teams like this will be the norm in the meta, but we'll see.
Basically this was just stuff I wanted to try and vaguely fits together. Ninjask goes fast, and hits Final Gambit in a pinch. Malamar might prefer Resttalk, but Superpower + Dark Pulse are Cool and Tough, so the Attack + Defense from Contrary helps here. Topsy Turvy is for all the slow Iron Defense/Amnesia boosters, and you can threaten Rocks, Steels, Darks, Psychics and Ghosts (who would most likely fit this category) with its attacks. Taunt is filler. Darmanitan hits hard, Diancie keeps rocks away (sort of), and Gallade handles most Clever-abusers. Lairon has a lot of promise IMO -- you hit 624 Defense after Eviolite, which is higher than fully invested Shuckle or Mega Aggron. Rock Head Head Smash breaks people in half, especially after Iron Defense. If you use it on your own team, consider finding another Stealth Rock user so you can utilize Rock Polish or Steel STAB. Most of this shit is probably bad, but it looked amusing so whatever. They might be more talented than you think!
Slowbro @ Slowbronite
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Iron Defense
- Scald
- Slack Off
- Thunder Wave
Umbreon @ Leftovers
Ability: Synchronize
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Wish
- Protect
- Sucker Punch
- Pursuit
Skarmory @ Leftovers
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 232 Def / 24 Spe
Impish Nature
- Roost
- Stealth Rock
- Iron Head
- Defog
Hippowdon @ Leftovers
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Impish Nature
- Whirlwind
- Slack Off
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
Quagsire @ Leftovers
Ability: Unaware
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Impish Nature
- Curse
- Recover
- Scald
- Earthquake
Virizion @ Leftovers
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 30 SpA / 30 Spe
- Calm Mind
- Giga Drain
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Synthesis
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Iron Defense
- Scald
- Slack Off
- Thunder Wave
Umbreon @ Leftovers
Ability: Synchronize
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Wish
- Protect
- Sucker Punch
- Pursuit
Skarmory @ Leftovers
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 232 Def / 24 Spe
Impish Nature
- Roost
- Stealth Rock
- Iron Head
- Defog
Hippowdon @ Leftovers
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Impish Nature
- Whirlwind
- Slack Off
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
Quagsire @ Leftovers
Ability: Unaware
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Impish Nature
- Curse
- Recover
- Scald
- Earthquake
Virizion @ Leftovers
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 30 SpA / 30 Spe
- Calm Mind
- Giga Drain
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Synthesis
Basically looks like your standard stallfest with five Leftovers and a Mega...but now they do damage! Slowbro checks all the beefy Tough Steel and Rock types by boosting alongside them and hitting their weaker defense with Scald. The rest provide team support and type balance, with another Water type in Curse Quagsire to check setup. Another special mention is Virizion, who's beefy and fast, so you can add more Speed if you'd like. I suspect teams like this will be the norm in the meta, but we'll see.
Ninjask @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Speed Boost
Happiness: 0
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Bug Bite
- U-turn
- Frustration
- Final Gambit
Malamar @ Leftovers
Ability: Contrary
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Def
Impish Nature
- Superpower
- Dark Pulse
- Topsy-Turvy
- Taunt
Darmanitan @ Choice Band
Ability: Sheer Force
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Flare Blitz
- Focus Blast
- U-turn
- Sleep Talk
Diancie-Mega @ Diancite
Ability: Magic Bounce
EVs: 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Moonblast
- Diamond Storm
- Protect
- Earth Power
Gallade @ Assault Vest
Ability: Steadfast
EVs: 248 HP / 252 SpD / 8 Spe
Careful Nature
- Psychic
- Knock Off
- Shadow Sneak
- Hidden Power [Fighting]
Lairon @ Eviolite
Ability: Rock Head
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Head Smash
- Iron Defense
- Earthquake
Ability: Speed Boost
Happiness: 0
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Bug Bite
- U-turn
- Frustration
- Final Gambit
Malamar @ Leftovers
Ability: Contrary
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Def
Impish Nature
- Superpower
- Dark Pulse
- Topsy-Turvy
- Taunt
Darmanitan @ Choice Band
Ability: Sheer Force
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Flare Blitz
- Focus Blast
- U-turn
- Sleep Talk
Diancie-Mega @ Diancite
Ability: Magic Bounce
EVs: 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Moonblast
- Diamond Storm
- Protect
- Earth Power
Gallade @ Assault Vest
Ability: Steadfast
EVs: 248 HP / 252 SpD / 8 Spe
Careful Nature
- Psychic
- Knock Off
- Shadow Sneak
- Hidden Power [Fighting]
Lairon @ Eviolite
Ability: Rock Head
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Head Smash
- Iron Defense
- Earthquake
Basically this was just stuff I wanted to try and vaguely fits together. Ninjask goes fast, and hits Final Gambit in a pinch. Malamar might prefer Resttalk, but Superpower + Dark Pulse are Cool and Tough, so the Attack + Defense from Contrary helps here. Topsy Turvy is for all the slow Iron Defense/Amnesia boosters, and you can threaten Rocks, Steels, Darks, Psychics and Ghosts (who would most likely fit this category) with its attacks. Taunt is filler. Darmanitan hits hard, Diancie keeps rocks away (sort of), and Gallade handles most Clever-abusers. Lairon has a lot of promise IMO -- you hit 624 Defense after Eviolite, which is higher than fully invested Shuckle or Mega Aggron. Rock Head Head Smash breaks people in half, especially after Iron Defense. If you use it on your own team, consider finding another Stealth Rock user so you can utilize Rock Polish or Steel STAB. Most of this shit is probably bad, but it looked amusing so whatever. They might be more talented than you think!
yeah but by using hammer arm u lower ur speed, which weakens grass knot
Metagross-Mega @ Metagrossite
Ability: Tough Claws
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake / Thunder Punch / Grass Knot (Defense/Attack/Speed)
- Bullet Punch (Defense)
- Iron Head (Defense)
- Hammer Arm (Defense)
Here is a very bulky and yet powerful Metagross. Really not much to say
Thunder Punch and Grass Knot are for hitting walls like Hippowdon and Slowbro. Grass Knot is better because it uses it's speed stat which is a little bit higher than its uninvested attack stat.
Volcanion @ Leftovers
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 168 HP / 252 Def / 88 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Sludge Wave
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
Claydol @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 1 Atk / 30 Def / 30 SpA / 30 SpD / 30 Spe
- Stealth Rock
- Psychic
- Hidden Power [Fighting]
- Cosmic Power
Diancie-Mega @ Diancite
Ability: Magic Bounce
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Diamond Storm
- Moonblast
- Earth Power
- Calm Mind
Chesnaught @ Leftovers
Ability: Overgrow
EVs: 240 HP / 252 Def / 16 Spe
Impish Nature
- Spikes
- Leech Seed
- Drain Punch
- Wood Hammer
Suicune @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
- Scald
- Roar
Mandibuzz @ Leftovers
Ability: Overcoat
EVs: 248 HP / 252 SpD / 8 Spe
Careful Nature
- Knock Off
- Defog
- Roost
- Hidden Power [Flying]
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 168 HP / 252 Def / 88 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Sludge Wave
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
Claydol @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 1 Atk / 30 Def / 30 SpA / 30 SpD / 30 Spe
- Stealth Rock
- Psychic
- Hidden Power [Fighting]
- Cosmic Power
Diancie-Mega @ Diancite
Ability: Magic Bounce
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Diamond Storm
- Moonblast
- Earth Power
- Calm Mind
Chesnaught @ Leftovers
Ability: Overgrow
EVs: 240 HP / 252 Def / 16 Spe
Impish Nature
- Spikes
- Leech Seed
- Drain Punch
- Wood Hammer
Suicune @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
- Scald
- Roar
Mandibuzz @ Leftovers
Ability: Overcoat
EVs: 248 HP / 252 SpD / 8 Spe
Careful Nature
- Knock Off
- Defog
- Roost
- Hidden Power [Flying]
Been working on this team for a week or so, and this is the final version that I've come up with after testing with nv. This is a semi-stall team built around an extremely potent defensive mon in Volcanion. Claydol is a great partner, taking advantage of its base 120 SpDef, and immunities/resistances to counter everything which threatens Volcanion. It also acts as a nice wincon, and rock setter. Next, Mega-Diancie is the fast wincon of the team, taking advantage of Volcanion's ability to pivot into water-type attacks, and physical hits in general. Mega-Diancie also forms a very sturdy hazard control core with the next member of the team, Mandibuzz. Mandibuzz is a fantastic fit for the team, abusing an very strong STAB Knock Off, coming off of its fully invested SpDef stat and crippling mons such as Chansey. Chesnaught is the next member of the team, acting as a very solid spike setting pivot which can take on threats such as CroCune, Tyranitar, and Mega-Slowbro. Finally, I went with Rest/Talk Suicune which can pivot into physically offensive ground types which annoy Volcanion, as well as phazing out dangerous set up sweepers. Overall, a pretty neat semi-stall team which I've had a lot of fun with.
Amnesia has higher distribution than I thought. Here are of a few sets that might work (aside from Uxie and Venusaur):
Cradily @ Leftovers
Ability: Suction Cups
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Amnesia
- Giga Drain
- Recover
- Rock Tomb
You can opt for Hidden Power over Rock Tomb, or even put Stealth Rock on there somewhere. Unlike Venusaur, you don't take up a Mega slot and can hold Leftovers. You also can't get phased if you go for Suction Cups, or you can handle Slowbro by switching to Storm Drain.
Scrafty @ Leftovers
Ability: Shed Skin
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
- Amnesia
- Knock Off
- Hidden Power [Fighting]
- Rest
Scrafty is a weird Fighting type in that its Attack is a mediocre 90, but its defenses are stellar at 115. Take advantage of that with a powerful Knock Off!
Mew @ Leftovers
Ability: Synchronize
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Amnesia
- Psychic/Knock Off
- Roost/Knock Off
- Baton Pass
Outclassed offensively but Uxie, but it can Baton Pass its boosts to something like Umbreon, which is nice. You can also use a Def spread to be able to set up on all types of damage.
Cradily @ Leftovers
Ability: Suction Cups
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Amnesia
- Giga Drain
- Recover
- Rock Tomb
You can opt for Hidden Power over Rock Tomb, or even put Stealth Rock on there somewhere. Unlike Venusaur, you don't take up a Mega slot and can hold Leftovers. You also can't get phased if you go for Suction Cups, or you can handle Slowbro by switching to Storm Drain.
Scrafty @ Leftovers
Ability: Shed Skin
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
- Amnesia
- Knock Off
- Hidden Power [Fighting]
- Rest
Scrafty is a weird Fighting type in that its Attack is a mediocre 90, but its defenses are stellar at 115. Take advantage of that with a powerful Knock Off!
Mew @ Leftovers
Ability: Synchronize
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Amnesia
- Psychic/Knock Off
- Roost/Knock Off
- Baton Pass
Outclassed offensively but Uxie, but it can Baton Pass its boosts to something like Umbreon, which is nice. You can also use a Def spread to be able to set up on all types of damage.
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Ok thanks to Jajoken making it so I don't have to double post, I can finally make this annoucement, so let's get to it!
Anyways, onto some sample sets of my own as well as a couple of my teams that have been doing fairly well.
Sample Sets
Sigilyph @ Life Orb / Leftovers
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 1 Atk / 30 Def / 30 SpA / 30 SpD / 30 Spe
- Cosmic Power
- Stored Power
- Hidden Power [Fighting]
- Roost
Sigilyph is surprisingly a massive threat to watch out for. Despite not making use of its 103 Special Attack stat, it has a decent Speed stat while also being the only Pokemon that has access to Cosmic Power + STAB Stored Power, making it a very powerful threat after only one or two boosts. Life Orb means you need less boosts and gives you more initial power while Leftovers gives you passive recovery, but requires more boosts to sweep.
Ferrothorn @ Leftovers
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Power Whip
- Iron Head
- Spikes / Stealth Rock
- Leech Seed
Physically Defensive Ferrothorn is a really good physical wall thanks to the power buff it now gets. While it does lose on Gyro Ball thanks to it being a Cool move, it appreciates the ability to invest in its defenses and boost the power of Power Whip and Iron Head which allows it to hurt bulky Water-types moreso than it can in standard play. Spikes is probably the better choice for an entry hazard in Got Talent? since the common threats are either neutral or resistant to Stealth Rock, but Stealth Rock can still nail pre-Mega Altaria, Mandibuzz, the Lati twins, and Uxie. Leech Seed is a really good move to force switches and provide Ferrothorn with a way of recovery.
Ferrothorn @ Leftovers
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Giga Drain
- Knock Off
- Spikes / Stealth Rock
- Hidden Power [Flying] / Hidden Power [Ice] / Hidden Power [Steel]
While it has a lower Special Defense stat, Specially Defensive Ferrothorn becomes a better Mega Diancie check while also being able to provide Ferrothorn with a recovery move in Giga Drain. SpD Ferrothorn does lose out on Steel STAB (unless you opt for HP Steel), but Knock Off is a really nice move to help remove the opponent's item. Again, Spikes and Stealth Rock allow Ferrothorn to support the team by passively damaging the opponent. The last slot is more team-dependent than anything, but HP Flying allows Ferrothorn to OHKO Chesnaught after just one layer of Spikes damage. Hidden Power Ice allows Ferrothorn to nail Flying-types such as Mandibuzz for more damage while also retaining coverage on Chesnaught and other Grass-types. Hidden Power Steel is a way to give Ferrothorn a STAB move while also providing it a way to 2HKO Mega Altaria, which it can't break through with the physically defensive set.
Sample Teams
This team was built around the amazing offensive core of Physically Defensive Mega Venusaur and Amnesia Uxie. Physically Defensive Venusaur is a solid Mega Altaria check being able to outspeed and OHKO MAlt after just a bit of prior damage. Amnesia Uxie is a really solid win condition with its ability to hit hard with Psychic and HP Fighting while bopping special walls with Knock Off. Zen Headbutt is also a nice option to beat up opposing Amnesia Mega Venusaur. Heatran is a nice Stealth Rock setter that synergizes well with Uxie providing a Ground immunity and Venusaur serving as a deterrent to Water-types. Zygarde provides a secondary win condition that can use its bulk and Speed to beat up a lot of the common threats in the metagame. Suicune provides a reliable physical wall that uses its amazing bulk to phaze the opponent out with Roar while nailing them with an initially more powerful Scald. Mandibuzz takes the final slot on the team as the teams main SpD wall, being able to take on opposing Amnesia boosters thanks to its decent typing since most boosters don't run coverage for it.
This team was built around Barrier Mega Swampert, a very underrated threat. Mega Swampert takes advantage by having a way around opposing Grass-types such as Chesnaught and Mega Altaria with Sludge Wave while also having solid STABs in Scald and Earthquake. I added Chesnaught because despite being physically defensive, Spikes support is really nice for wearing down opposing Pokemon that may switch into Swampert and the rest of the team. Heatran is added to complete the FWG core while being a solid Stealth Rock setter and powerful attacker and MAlt check despite not actually investing in its defenses thanks to STAB Flash Cannon and an amazing 130 Special Attack stat. Mew serves as the special wall on the team that has the ability to bop Amnesia Mega Venusaur as well as become a stallbreaker, forcing mons that sort of rely on setting up, such as Mega Altaria, to attack. Sylveon is a weird set, but nonetheless effective. Assault Vest essentially gives it the power of Specs on Clever moves and Pixilate-boosted Secret Power is essentially a Fairy-type Psyshock, allowing Sylveon to hit the opponent on their Defense stat hard. Shadow Ball and Hidden Power Ground provide Sylveon with the coverage it needs, nailing Aegislash and other Fairy resists hard. The last slot is Synchronoise, which is basically filler, but can be somewhat effective against Mega Altaria as it 2HKOs despite not hitting supereffectively as Cotton Guard lowers the damage of Secret Power since it is a physical move. Mandibuzz is probably the best Defogger in Got Talent? thanks to its amazing natural bulk and good resistances. Defog w/ hazard stack seems counter intuitive, but most Rapid Spinners are not that good in Got Talent? unfortunately.
Also...
The Main Event
I would like to announce that there is now a Sample Sets post as well as a Team Archive for any teams with a fair amount of thought put into them. Basically what this means is now whenever you guys post sets or teams that serve a purpose or do really well against the top threats in Got Talent?, they will be added to those respective posts. This also is meant to urge you guys, as posters, to post out sets you have had success with or teams that have been doing well in practice.Anyways, onto some sample sets of my own as well as a couple of my teams that have been doing fairly well.
Sample Sets
Sigilyph @ Life Orb / Leftovers
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 1 Atk / 30 Def / 30 SpA / 30 SpD / 30 Spe
- Cosmic Power
- Stored Power
- Hidden Power [Fighting]
- Roost
Sigilyph is surprisingly a massive threat to watch out for. Despite not making use of its 103 Special Attack stat, it has a decent Speed stat while also being the only Pokemon that has access to Cosmic Power + STAB Stored Power, making it a very powerful threat after only one or two boosts. Life Orb means you need less boosts and gives you more initial power while Leftovers gives you passive recovery, but requires more boosts to sweep.
Ferrothorn @ Leftovers
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Power Whip
- Iron Head
- Spikes / Stealth Rock
- Leech Seed
Physically Defensive Ferrothorn is a really good physical wall thanks to the power buff it now gets. While it does lose on Gyro Ball thanks to it being a Cool move, it appreciates the ability to invest in its defenses and boost the power of Power Whip and Iron Head which allows it to hurt bulky Water-types moreso than it can in standard play. Spikes is probably the better choice for an entry hazard in Got Talent? since the common threats are either neutral or resistant to Stealth Rock, but Stealth Rock can still nail pre-Mega Altaria, Mandibuzz, the Lati twins, and Uxie. Leech Seed is a really good move to force switches and provide Ferrothorn with a way of recovery.
Ferrothorn @ Leftovers
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Giga Drain
- Knock Off
- Spikes / Stealth Rock
- Hidden Power [Flying] / Hidden Power [Ice] / Hidden Power [Steel]
While it has a lower Special Defense stat, Specially Defensive Ferrothorn becomes a better Mega Diancie check while also being able to provide Ferrothorn with a recovery move in Giga Drain. SpD Ferrothorn does lose out on Steel STAB (unless you opt for HP Steel), but Knock Off is a really nice move to help remove the opponent's item. Again, Spikes and Stealth Rock allow Ferrothorn to support the team by passively damaging the opponent. The last slot is more team-dependent than anything, but HP Flying allows Ferrothorn to OHKO Chesnaught after just one layer of Spikes damage. Hidden Power Ice allows Ferrothorn to nail Flying-types such as Mandibuzz for more damage while also retaining coverage on Chesnaught and other Grass-types. Hidden Power Steel is a way to give Ferrothorn a STAB move while also providing it a way to 2HKO Mega Altaria, which it can't break through with the physically defensive set.
Sample Teams
Venusaur-Mega @ Venusaurite
Ability: Overgrow
EVs: 240 HP / 252 Def / 16 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Power Whip
- Sludge Bomb
- Synthesis
- Sleep Powder
Uxie @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 248 HP / 252 SpD / 8 Spe
Calm Nature
- Amnesia
- Zen Headbutt
- Knock Off
- Hidden Power [Fighting]
Heatran @ Leftovers
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 216 HP / 252 SpA / 40 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Stealth Rock
- Fire Blast
- Flash Cannon
- Earth Power
Zygarde @ Leftovers
Ability: Aura Break
EVs: 240 HP / 252 Def / 16 Spe
Bold Nature
- Coil
- Dragon Tail
- Earthquake
- Sludge Wave
Suicune @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
- Scald
- Roar
Mandibuzz @ Leftovers
Ability: Overcoat
EVs: 244 HP / 252 SpD / 12 Spe
Calm Nature
- Knock Off
- Hidden Power [Flying]
- Defog
- Roost
Ability: Overgrow
EVs: 240 HP / 252 Def / 16 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Power Whip
- Sludge Bomb
- Synthesis
- Sleep Powder
Uxie @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 248 HP / 252 SpD / 8 Spe
Calm Nature
- Amnesia
- Zen Headbutt
- Knock Off
- Hidden Power [Fighting]
Heatran @ Leftovers
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 216 HP / 252 SpA / 40 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Stealth Rock
- Fire Blast
- Flash Cannon
- Earth Power
Zygarde @ Leftovers
Ability: Aura Break
EVs: 240 HP / 252 Def / 16 Spe
Bold Nature
- Coil
- Dragon Tail
- Earthquake
- Sludge Wave
Suicune @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
- Scald
- Roar
Mandibuzz @ Leftovers
Ability: Overcoat
EVs: 244 HP / 252 SpD / 12 Spe
Calm Nature
- Knock Off
- Hidden Power [Flying]
- Defog
- Roost
This team was built around the amazing offensive core of Physically Defensive Mega Venusaur and Amnesia Uxie. Physically Defensive Venusaur is a solid Mega Altaria check being able to outspeed and OHKO MAlt after just a bit of prior damage. Amnesia Uxie is a really solid win condition with its ability to hit hard with Psychic and HP Fighting while bopping special walls with Knock Off. Zen Headbutt is also a nice option to beat up opposing Amnesia Mega Venusaur. Heatran is a nice Stealth Rock setter that synergizes well with Uxie providing a Ground immunity and Venusaur serving as a deterrent to Water-types. Zygarde provides a secondary win condition that can use its bulk and Speed to beat up a lot of the common threats in the metagame. Suicune provides a reliable physical wall that uses its amazing bulk to phaze the opponent out with Roar while nailing them with an initially more powerful Scald. Mandibuzz takes the final slot on the team as the teams main SpD wall, being able to take on opposing Amnesia boosters thanks to its decent typing since most boosters don't run coverage for it.
Swampert-Mega @ Swampertite
Ability: Torrent
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 Spe
Bold Nature
- Barrier
- Scald
- Earthquake
- Sludge Wave
Chesnaught @ Leftovers
Ability: Bulletproof
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Bold Nature
- Wood Hammer
- Drain Punch
- Spikes
- Synthesis
Heatran @ Leftovers
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 216 HP / 252 SpA / 40 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Fire Blast
- Flash Cannon
- Earth Power
- Stealth Rock
Mew @ Leftovers
Ability: Synchronize
EVs: 240 HP / 252 SpD / 16 Spe
Calm Nature
- Taunt
- Will-O-Wisp
- Soft-Boiled
- Zen Headbutt
Sylveon @ Assault Vest
Ability: Pixilate
EVs: 92 Def / 252 SpD / 164 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 1 Atk / 30 SpA / 30 SpD
- Secret Power
- Shadow Ball
- Hidden Power [Ground]
- Synchronoise
Mandibuzz @ Leftovers
Ability: Overcoat
EVs: 244 HP / 252 SpD / 12 Spe
Calm Nature
- Knock Off
- Hidden Power [Flying]
- Defog
- Roost
Ability: Torrent
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 Spe
Bold Nature
- Barrier
- Scald
- Earthquake
- Sludge Wave
Chesnaught @ Leftovers
Ability: Bulletproof
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Bold Nature
- Wood Hammer
- Drain Punch
- Spikes
- Synthesis
Heatran @ Leftovers
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 216 HP / 252 SpA / 40 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Fire Blast
- Flash Cannon
- Earth Power
- Stealth Rock
Mew @ Leftovers
Ability: Synchronize
EVs: 240 HP / 252 SpD / 16 Spe
Calm Nature
- Taunt
- Will-O-Wisp
- Soft-Boiled
- Zen Headbutt
Sylveon @ Assault Vest
Ability: Pixilate
EVs: 92 Def / 252 SpD / 164 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 1 Atk / 30 SpA / 30 SpD
- Secret Power
- Shadow Ball
- Hidden Power [Ground]
- Synchronoise
Mandibuzz @ Leftovers
Ability: Overcoat
EVs: 244 HP / 252 SpD / 12 Spe
Calm Nature
- Knock Off
- Hidden Power [Flying]
- Defog
- Roost
This team was built around Barrier Mega Swampert, a very underrated threat. Mega Swampert takes advantage by having a way around opposing Grass-types such as Chesnaught and Mega Altaria with Sludge Wave while also having solid STABs in Scald and Earthquake. I added Chesnaught because despite being physically defensive, Spikes support is really nice for wearing down opposing Pokemon that may switch into Swampert and the rest of the team. Heatran is added to complete the FWG core while being a solid Stealth Rock setter and powerful attacker and MAlt check despite not actually investing in its defenses thanks to STAB Flash Cannon and an amazing 130 Special Attack stat. Mew serves as the special wall on the team that has the ability to bop Amnesia Mega Venusaur as well as become a stallbreaker, forcing mons that sort of rely on setting up, such as Mega Altaria, to attack. Sylveon is a weird set, but nonetheless effective. Assault Vest essentially gives it the power of Specs on Clever moves and Pixilate-boosted Secret Power is essentially a Fairy-type Psyshock, allowing Sylveon to hit the opponent on their Defense stat hard. Shadow Ball and Hidden Power Ground provide Sylveon with the coverage it needs, nailing Aegislash and other Fairy resists hard. The last slot is Synchronoise, which is basically filler, but can be somewhat effective against Mega Altaria as it 2HKOs despite not hitting supereffectively as Cotton Guard lowers the damage of Secret Power since it is a physical move. Mandibuzz is probably the best Defogger in Got Talent? thanks to its amazing natural bulk and good resistances. Defog w/ hazard stack seems counter intuitive, but most Rapid Spinners are not that good in Got Talent? unfortunately.
Also...
Low Sweep is actually a Clever move and Scrafty learns it making it a better option than HP Fighting since it has slightly more BP and can lower the opponent's Speed, allowing Scrafty to become a big threat by potentially outspeeding its checks. This also means you can run HP Poison or HP Steel to hit Fairies harder than your STAB moves should they be outspeed at -1 given how slow Scrafty actually is; however, this means you give up "recovery" in Rest.
Scrafty @ Leftovers
Ability: Shed Skin
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
- Amnesia
- Knock Off
-Hidden Power [Fighting]Low Sweep
- Rest / Hidden Power [Poison] / Hidden Power [Steel]
Scrafty is a weird Fighting type in that its Attack is a mediocre 90, but its defenses are stellar at 115. Take advantage of that with a powerful Knock Off!
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Powerstall, a Sample Team by Chimechoo
What happens when you give a very bulky Pokémon the ability to use their defenses to attack? And what happens when you make a team of 6 very bulky Pokémon who can use their defenses to attack? Powerstall happens.
This is a team I decided to build after noticing how amazing stall is in the Got Talent metagame. It is a team I feel is made of 6 mons that can support each other very well with good defensive - offensive sets that can both wall and sweep preety easily.
When I decided to create a stall team, the first Pokémon that came to my mind was Gliscor. Gliscor is great because of its ability: Poison Heal. It prevents it from getting statused by burns most of the time, and uses a usually crippling status, Poison, to heal its health every turn. This is essentially the common Gliscor set of Sub, Toxic, Roost and EQ, but in GT, its Earthquakes are much more powerful now that their power is based on Defense. Great mon that checks physical attackers with its imense Physical Bulk and also helps dealing with bulky threats, such as Mandibuzz, Uxie, Quagsire and others with Toxic. It can generally outstall things because of its constant healing, so its a a must on the Powerstall team.
Another threat which I wanted to include in my team is Uxie. An already very bulky mon outside of GT can now use Amnesia to not only boost its SpDef to even more insane levels, but can also efficiently sweep with a good coverage of Psychic, Knock Off and HP Fire. Psychic is a very powerful STAB that even unboosted can deal good damage, Knock Off gives Uxie the ability to handle Ghost types well and remove items, which is really beneficial against other defensive teams, and HP Ground makes it so that Uxie isn't completly walled by Steel types. Skarmory is the biggest threat to this mon, however, it can be decently dealt with using Quagsire and Venusaur. Overall a really good SpDef sweeper.
Third mon on the team is Mega Venusaur. Probably one of the biggest threats in defensive GT teams, Mega Venusaur can run so many different Defensive sets that can help it sweep and wall at the same time, and with great Mixed bulk, its not really easy to take down, even with boosts. The Amnesia SpDef set is effective because Venusaur can really set up freely, since even unboosted it walls a lot of threats, and with Giga Drain as a powerful Clever move that can keep Venusaur healthy, and HP Fire providing good coverage vs Steel, Ice, Bug and Grass types that could otherwise cause trouble to Venusaur. Fire and Dragon types can still wall this set, and Heatran is the biggest check to Vega Venusaur, however, Quagsire, Skarmory and Gliscor can deal with most of the common of these, such as Goodra, Dragonite, Heatran and Mega Altaria.
Chansey was chosen to be on powerstall for the exact same reason as it is on most OU Stall teams. It's an incredibly bulky mon which can support the team very effectively. It can absorb with Natural Cure, and heal them with Heal Bell, set up Stealth Rock, and use Seismic Toss, so that it isn't completly passive. However, Chansey doesn't benefict from using many Clever and Tough moves, so it really has to use the same set as you see in OverUsed. Even so, it's a great teammate for Powerstall, which really beneficts from the support it provides.
The fifth choice for the team was Skarmory. It's a really good Defensive wall, that can now use the tough move Iron Head, coming from its fantastic 140 Base defense to hit very hard. Its typing makes it resist a lot of types, and have immunity to Ground and Poison, and its got reliable recovery in Roost. Defog makes it so that Hazards can't cripple the team as much, and Skarmory also acts as the team's main Mega Altaria answer, which is something every GT team needs since MAlt is one of the biggest threats in the tier. It can also Phaze out boosting sweepers, ensuring that the team doesn't just lose to threats such as Amnesia Uxie, Slowbro, and other Defensive and Offensive mons.
The last mon on the team is Quagsire which I found to be good on the team due to its ability Unaware, and ability to use a Curse set, coupled with two fantastic STAB Tough moves, Scald and EQ, and reliable recovery to keep it healthy. It enjoys Heal Bell support from Chansey, and helps the team deal with Steel and Fire types, mainly Heatran. Its also another really good Mega Altaria answer, and it can also be great against things such as Mega Lopunny, which otherwise threaten the team. It's not hard to get Curses up with Quagsire, so preserving this mon until Late Game, and using it to clean and wall is a very effective strategy for Powerstall.
So there it is, sorry for the tl;dr explanation but I felt like I wanted to really explain the team in depth. Enjoy :]
Gliscor @ Toxic Orb
Ability: Poison Heal
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Roost
- Earthquake
- Toxic
- Substitute
Uxie @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 30 SpA / 30 Spe
- Amnesia
- Psychic
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Knock Off
Venusaur-Mega @ Venusaurite
Ability: Thick Fat
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 30 SpA / 30 Spe
- Giga Drain
- Amnesia
- Synthesis
- Hidden Power [Fire]
Chansey @ Eviolite
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Aromatherapy
- Soft-Boiled
- Seismic Toss
- Stealth Rock
Skarmory @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Iron Head
- Whirlwind
- Roost
- Defog
Quagsire @ Leftovers
Ability: Unaware
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Curse
- Scald
- Earthquake
- Recover
Ability: Poison Heal
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Roost
- Earthquake
- Toxic
- Substitute
Uxie @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 30 SpA / 30 Spe
- Amnesia
- Psychic
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Knock Off
Venusaur-Mega @ Venusaurite
Ability: Thick Fat
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 30 SpA / 30 Spe
- Giga Drain
- Amnesia
- Synthesis
- Hidden Power [Fire]
Chansey @ Eviolite
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Aromatherapy
- Soft-Boiled
- Seismic Toss
- Stealth Rock
Skarmory @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Iron Head
- Whirlwind
- Roost
- Defog
Quagsire @ Leftovers
Ability: Unaware
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Curse
- Scald
- Earthquake
- Recover
This is a team I decided to build after noticing how amazing stall is in the Got Talent metagame. It is a team I feel is made of 6 mons that can support each other very well with good defensive - offensive sets that can both wall and sweep preety easily.
When I decided to create a stall team, the first Pokémon that came to my mind was Gliscor. Gliscor is great because of its ability: Poison Heal. It prevents it from getting statused by burns most of the time, and uses a usually crippling status, Poison, to heal its health every turn. This is essentially the common Gliscor set of Sub, Toxic, Roost and EQ, but in GT, its Earthquakes are much more powerful now that their power is based on Defense. Great mon that checks physical attackers with its imense Physical Bulk and also helps dealing with bulky threats, such as Mandibuzz, Uxie, Quagsire and others with Toxic. It can generally outstall things because of its constant healing, so its a a must on the Powerstall team.
Another threat which I wanted to include in my team is Uxie. An already very bulky mon outside of GT can now use Amnesia to not only boost its SpDef to even more insane levels, but can also efficiently sweep with a good coverage of Psychic, Knock Off and HP Fire. Psychic is a very powerful STAB that even unboosted can deal good damage, Knock Off gives Uxie the ability to handle Ghost types well and remove items, which is really beneficial against other defensive teams, and HP Ground makes it so that Uxie isn't completly walled by Steel types. Skarmory is the biggest threat to this mon, however, it can be decently dealt with using Quagsire and Venusaur. Overall a really good SpDef sweeper.
Third mon on the team is Mega Venusaur. Probably one of the biggest threats in defensive GT teams, Mega Venusaur can run so many different Defensive sets that can help it sweep and wall at the same time, and with great Mixed bulk, its not really easy to take down, even with boosts. The Amnesia SpDef set is effective because Venusaur can really set up freely, since even unboosted it walls a lot of threats, and with Giga Drain as a powerful Clever move that can keep Venusaur healthy, and HP Fire providing good coverage vs Steel, Ice, Bug and Grass types that could otherwise cause trouble to Venusaur. Fire and Dragon types can still wall this set, and Heatran is the biggest check to Vega Venusaur, however, Quagsire, Skarmory and Gliscor can deal with most of the common of these, such as Goodra, Dragonite, Heatran and Mega Altaria.
Chansey was chosen to be on powerstall for the exact same reason as it is on most OU Stall teams. It's an incredibly bulky mon which can support the team very effectively. It can absorb with Natural Cure, and heal them with Heal Bell, set up Stealth Rock, and use Seismic Toss, so that it isn't completly passive. However, Chansey doesn't benefict from using many Clever and Tough moves, so it really has to use the same set as you see in OverUsed. Even so, it's a great teammate for Powerstall, which really beneficts from the support it provides.
The fifth choice for the team was Skarmory. It's a really good Defensive wall, that can now use the tough move Iron Head, coming from its fantastic 140 Base defense to hit very hard. Its typing makes it resist a lot of types, and have immunity to Ground and Poison, and its got reliable recovery in Roost. Defog makes it so that Hazards can't cripple the team as much, and Skarmory also acts as the team's main Mega Altaria answer, which is something every GT team needs since MAlt is one of the biggest threats in the tier. It can also Phaze out boosting sweepers, ensuring that the team doesn't just lose to threats such as Amnesia Uxie, Slowbro, and other Defensive and Offensive mons.
The last mon on the team is Quagsire which I found to be good on the team due to its ability Unaware, and ability to use a Curse set, coupled with two fantastic STAB Tough moves, Scald and EQ, and reliable recovery to keep it healthy. It enjoys Heal Bell support from Chansey, and helps the team deal with Steel and Fire types, mainly Heatran. Its also another really good Mega Altaria answer, and it can also be great against things such as Mega Lopunny, which otherwise threaten the team. It's not hard to get Curses up with Quagsire, so preserving this mon until Late Game, and using it to clean and wall is a very effective strategy for Powerstall.
So there it is, sorry for the tl;dr explanation but I felt like I wanted to really explain the team in depth. Enjoy :]
With this being in contention for June's OMotM (s/o to Peef for nomming it) I figured that I should spark some discussion by discussing what Pokemon we, and by we I mean myself since no council at the moment lol, can potentially unban while also discussing some potential suspects for the future should Got Talent? win.
Potential Unbans
The most recent of bans in standard play, I was initially leery to ban Hoopa-Unbound from Got Talent?, but since we play with standard OU clauses, I decided for the time being it would be banned. One of the main reasons for unbanning this is that Hoopa-U is still held back by the fact that it is frail on the defensive side and has middling bulk overall thanks to its 4x Bug weakness (most of which outspeed it since common Bug moves are Cute based). Hoopa also suffers from the lack of its good coverage in standard, such as Drain Punch, Gunk Shot, and Hyperspace Fury, being based on its Defense stat. Hoopa does have a lot going for it in GT, however, since it has STAB Psychic and Knock Off with a pseudo-Band boost thanks to AV, but with the ability to switch up its moves, making it a very potent wallbreaker still. While it is arguably one of the better abusers of Assault Vest, it does lack a bit of coverage in its Clever movepool as it has to only rely on Hidden Power to break the things its STABs don't. It also suffers a power decrease from standard as its Special Defense stat is 130 compared to its base 170 Attack stat and 160 Special Attack stat, which hurts its viability in GT when the metagame itself advocates a bulk creep, which again Hoopa-U lacks since its physical bulk of 80/60 means even resisted hits are going to take a chunk out of Hoopa-U.
Greninja doesn't have too much that makes it any less threatening in GT from standard play thanks to Protean and great offensive stats, but the bulk creep that has happened means it may not be able to hit as hard as it did in standard play. The issue I see from Greninja being unbanned is that its speed is unmatched by nearly any viable Pokemon barring like Ninjask, making sure that it will always attack first and can pressure the opposing foe's team a lot easier since the meta itself is somewhat slow. It also has lost a few key coverage moves such as Low Kick and Gunk Shot, but that doesn't mean with a combination of Surf/Hydro Pump | Ice Beam | Grass Knot | Spikes/Toxic Spikes/U-turn could potentially break the meta despite Greninja bringing no bulk to the team (thinka better Mega Diancie).
Potential Bans
Mega Altaria is one of the biggest threats in Got Talent? currently thanks to its ability to have a Tail Glow-esque move in Cotton Guard, making it hard to break after even just one boost. And as if that weren't bad enough, it also has all it needs in Pixilate-boosted STAB Body Slam, Earthquake, and Roost, meaning it can only be worn down by a select pool of Pokemon that are viable for other reasons, but their main niche is to stop Mega Altaria from sweeping. While Mega Altaria looks like it should be quickbanned like Shuckle was, the issue with Mega Altaria is it loses to other common Pokemon such as Mega Aggron, Mega Venusaur, Skarmory, and Mega Diancie as they can either boost alongside or outspeed it (in the case of Mega Venusaur or Mega Diancie). Mega Altaria has definitely beenbroken for awhile one of the pioneers of this OM as it has everything going for it with a great typing, reliable recovery, a fantastic boosting move, and great neutral coverage.
Another one that I have noticed people discussing in the OM Room itself is Mega Aggron. Mega Aggron is a massive threat thanks to its ability, Filter, coupled with the fact that it learns Iron Defense, allowing it to buff its already powerful STAB, Heavy Slam, while also increasing the power of its coverage moves (Earthquake, Fire Punch, etc.) Unlike Mega Altaria though, it lacks reliable recovery leaving it easier to wear down despite its great defensive ability and access to a powerful boosting move. It also lacks the ability to have a Special move as the only Tough move it learns that fits is Incinerate, which is pretty weak, meaning other Tough boosters will boost up alongside it and either end in a "who can get a crit first" sort of scenario or being able to bypass its Iron Defense boosts such as Mega Slowbro, Torkoal, and Blastoise.
Either way, I am really hoping Got Talent? can win and become OMotM for June as I would love to get more playtime going for this metagame as well as be able to generate discussion by posting successful sample sets, teams, and maybe even do a bit of suspecting. That's not to say you guys can't post out any sample sets or teams you guys have now because they will be automatically added to the archive ;)
Potential Unbans
The most recent of bans in standard play, I was initially leery to ban Hoopa-Unbound from Got Talent?, but since we play with standard OU clauses, I decided for the time being it would be banned. One of the main reasons for unbanning this is that Hoopa-U is still held back by the fact that it is frail on the defensive side and has middling bulk overall thanks to its 4x Bug weakness (most of which outspeed it since common Bug moves are Cute based). Hoopa also suffers from the lack of its good coverage in standard, such as Drain Punch, Gunk Shot, and Hyperspace Fury, being based on its Defense stat. Hoopa does have a lot going for it in GT, however, since it has STAB Psychic and Knock Off with a pseudo-Band boost thanks to AV, but with the ability to switch up its moves, making it a very potent wallbreaker still. While it is arguably one of the better abusers of Assault Vest, it does lack a bit of coverage in its Clever movepool as it has to only rely on Hidden Power to break the things its STABs don't. It also suffers a power decrease from standard as its Special Defense stat is 130 compared to its base 170 Attack stat and 160 Special Attack stat, which hurts its viability in GT when the metagame itself advocates a bulk creep, which again Hoopa-U lacks since its physical bulk of 80/60 means even resisted hits are going to take a chunk out of Hoopa-U.
Greninja doesn't have too much that makes it any less threatening in GT from standard play thanks to Protean and great offensive stats, but the bulk creep that has happened means it may not be able to hit as hard as it did in standard play. The issue I see from Greninja being unbanned is that its speed is unmatched by nearly any viable Pokemon barring like Ninjask, making sure that it will always attack first and can pressure the opposing foe's team a lot easier since the meta itself is somewhat slow. It also has lost a few key coverage moves such as Low Kick and Gunk Shot, but that doesn't mean with a combination of Surf/Hydro Pump | Ice Beam | Grass Knot | Spikes/Toxic Spikes/U-turn could potentially break the meta despite Greninja bringing no bulk to the team (think
Potential Bans
Mega Altaria is one of the biggest threats in Got Talent? currently thanks to its ability to have a Tail Glow-esque move in Cotton Guard, making it hard to break after even just one boost. And as if that weren't bad enough, it also has all it needs in Pixilate-boosted STAB Body Slam, Earthquake, and Roost, meaning it can only be worn down by a select pool of Pokemon that are viable for other reasons, but their main niche is to stop Mega Altaria from sweeping. While Mega Altaria looks like it should be quickbanned like Shuckle was, the issue with Mega Altaria is it loses to other common Pokemon such as Mega Aggron, Mega Venusaur, Skarmory, and Mega Diancie as they can either boost alongside or outspeed it (in the case of Mega Venusaur or Mega Diancie). Mega Altaria has definitely been
Another one that I have noticed people discussing in the OM Room itself is Mega Aggron. Mega Aggron is a massive threat thanks to its ability, Filter, coupled with the fact that it learns Iron Defense, allowing it to buff its already powerful STAB, Heavy Slam, while also increasing the power of its coverage moves (Earthquake, Fire Punch, etc.) Unlike Mega Altaria though, it lacks reliable recovery leaving it easier to wear down despite its great defensive ability and access to a powerful boosting move. It also lacks the ability to have a Special move as the only Tough move it learns that fits is Incinerate, which is pretty weak, meaning other Tough boosters will boost up alongside it and either end in a "who can get a crit first" sort of scenario or being able to bypass its Iron Defense boosts such as Mega Slowbro, Torkoal, and Blastoise.
Either way, I am really hoping Got Talent? can win and become OMotM for June as I would love to get more playtime going for this metagame as well as be able to generate discussion by posting successful sample sets, teams, and maybe even do a bit of suspecting. That's not to say you guys can't post out any sample sets or teams you guys have now because they will be automatically added to the archive ;)
U-Turn Ninjask New Meta, seriously, 160 Base Speed, STAB U-Turn. That'll hurt
Why is nobody looking at some of the faster mons? Take ninjask for example,
Ninjask@Life/toxic Orb
Ability: Speed Boost
EVs: 252 HP/4 Atk/252 Spe
Jolly/Hasty/Naive nature
- Protect
- substitute
- facade
- U-turn
This is where ninjask stops being an annoyance, and becomes a threat. Facade & U-Turn off of a +3 base 160 speed stat is nothing to laugh at, and being able to U-turn out whenever you want is pretty fantastic. What do you guys think of the set?
Ninjask@Life/toxic Orb
Ability: Speed Boost
EVs: 252 HP/4 Atk/252 Spe
Jolly/Hasty/Naive nature
- Protect
- substitute
- facade
- U-turn
This is where ninjask stops being an annoyance, and becomes a threat. Facade & U-Turn off of a +3 base 160 speed stat is nothing to laugh at, and being able to U-turn out whenever you want is pretty fantastic. What do you guys think of the set?
Interesting set, tbh. I'd thought of using it before but never got to it, however there's a lot of factors that make ninjask kind of unreliable, like its 4x weakness to SR taking it down to half, and combine that with Sub and Toxic and Ninjask lasts for only a couple turns, and it can only switch in twice on rocks. Second, a steel type like Skarm or MAggron can just use this mon to setup since you can't really do anything to it.Why is nobody looking at some of the faster mons? Take ninjask for example,
Ninjask@Life/toxic Orb
Ability: Speed Boost
EVs: 252 HP/4 Atk/252 Spe
Jolly/Hasty/Naive nature
- Protect
- substitute
- facade
- U-turn
This is where ninjask stops being an annoyance, and becomes a threat. Facade & U-Turn off of a +3 base 160 speed stat is nothing to laugh at, and being able to U-turn out whenever you want is pretty fantastic. What do you guys think of the set?