InfernapeTropius11
get on my level
I'll be writing down my thoughts on some of the new things brought in by sun and moon, as well as how the new gen affects some previous strategies.
Note: I will be referring to Dazzling/Queenly Majesty as QM cuz short
Sleep: Sleep got a noticeable nerf this generation in my opinion. The Dark Void nerf means Lovely Kiss is the new most accurate non-powder move, and 75% is a bit of a letdown. Prankster sleep is also rendered almost invalid due to Triage, QM, and Psychic Terrain (via Psychic Surge and Genesis Supernova usually). I've also run into the occasional Misty Terrain (via Misty Surge) which prevents all status (including sleep) for 5-8 turns. Also, Spore got another switchin due to Kartana actually being a decent mon (nice speed, great attack, QM fixes prio weakness). This is on top of all previous checks to sleep (Substitute, Poison Heal, Magic Bounce, Safety Goggles, etc.). Therefore I feel like sleep has definitely taken a hit in viability and won't be nearly as spammable in SM BH. (This comment is mostly to address the calls for a sleep clause last gen and why I don't think they are valid this gen.)
Stall: Once the meta balances out a little bit I think stall might be a little better. Obviously offense got better, but stall got some nice buffs too with the addition of QM to check -ates and Triage mons, Dark-types becoming immune to Prankster, Spectral Thief, and Zygarde-Complete. Quite frankly, big zyg is a fantastic bulky mon and is very splashable. I've run Unaware successfully, I've seen others run Poison Heal and Regenerator successfully, and I'm sure it can run a variety of other stallesque abilities, such as Magic Bounce, effectively as well. QM is also extremely handy for stall teams as the ability to wall the most powerful attacks from Pokemon such as Triage Mega Heracross/Mega Rayquaza/Mega Mewtwo X and the ates (including the new Galvanize Zekrom) is very handy. Slap it on a specially bulky mon and you've got yourself a nice check to some of the meta's most common threats. Dark-types being immune to Prankster is also nice as some offense teams used to rely on Prankster Topsy Turvy to check their set up sweepers and you can now completely stop that, although admittedly this isn't too major a deal. Finally, Spectral Thief. Spectral Thief, if you didn't know, steals your opponent's positive boosts and then attacks them. It is a 90 BP physical Ghost attack, hits through Substitute, and gives stall some serious offensive presence. When an Unaware mon tanks a hit from a boosted opponent, it can steal the boosts for itself (without worrying about negative boosts, such as the defense/special defense drop from Shell Smash!) and proceed to deal some damage back or Baton Pass to a more powerful teammate. Once again, big zyg fits in here as it is decently strong with some nice STAB attacks and as such can act as a pivot for stall that also has the ability to counter sweep the opponent. There is also Innards Out, which, on a high HP mon, can be a decent emergency check to random sweepers, however I feel there are more useful and constructive ways to utilize this ability slot that contribute better in the majority of cases.
Water Bubble: Water Bubble has seemed somewhat underwhelming, but that could just be because everyone is very prepared for it with stuff like Water Absorb/Storm Drain that can set up on POgre/Ash Greninja (the two main abusers of this new ability). It also isn't as powerful as PDon's Desolate Land V-Create. It's still a good wallbreaker/revenge killer that requires preparation for when teambuilding, and the requirement of stall to basically have a Water Absorb mon may turn out to be overcentralizing, however at the moment it doesn't seem to be too bad; just another good offensive ability.
QM: QM is such a great ability for all playstyles. For offense it helps sweepers by preventing -ate/Triage revenge killers and allows more frail Pokemon to thrive in the meta, increasing diversity by increasing the viability of many Pokemon without being overly powerful. It also is a fantastic ability for Imposter-proofing. For stall, it is very handy to wall the most powerful moves of Triage users, being immune to Prankster Topsy Turvy (helpful for Spectral Thief mons), as well as open up the possibilities for more -ate checks, as they only have to be able to check Boomburst + coverage. It also offers nice role compression
Z-moves: Finally, Z-moves. Z-moves have insanely high base power and come in a variety of types on both sides of the physical/special spectrum. The drawback, of course, is that each can only be used once (barring Leppa Berry shenanigans which I feel are meh at best). However, this is mitigated when you get a fast, high powered Pokemon such as Deoxys-Attack spamming these moves and OHKOing opposing mons before they can attack. Deo-A spam has been surprisingly effective and it has reached the point where one can literally just click moves and win. I've personally reached the top 5 on the ladder using this strategy, and have beat notable players such as flint (twice) and mamp, as well as quite a few teams that have prepared for this strategy and have multiple counter-play options, but simply get overwhelmed. I do not believe it is healthy for the meta when anyone can slap a few powerful attacks on a strong, fast Pokemon, and proceed to do insanely well with them. This has reached the point where one of the few options is to outspeed Deoxys-Attack and use multi-hit moves (and remember, they might not all be sash, I personally run scarf on one of my Deo-A). Choice Scarf Pheromosa with Pin Missile is a great way to counter such a strategy but when one has to resort to otherwise-unviable gimmicks such as that in order to defeat such a strategy I believe that is overcentralizing. As well, one cannot even resort to FakeSpeed to check this strategy as Psychic Surge and QM are very viable abilities on such teams and will prevent from being revenge killed by FakeSpeed. I also firmly believe that Deoxys-Attack spam would not be nearly as much of a problem were it not for Z-moves existing, as it is the sheer power of these moves that cause them to be so hard to play around. Regular Deo-A can be checked by normal means, such as Zygarde-Complete. This is why I am calling for a ban/suspect on Z-moves, due to them being overly powerful, easily spammed, and being the root of a highly overcentralizing problem.
Here are some replays featuring this strategy
vs. PinkDragonTamer http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7balancedhackmons-480850088
vs. DurzaOffTopic http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7balancedhackmons-480803405
vs. MAMP http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7balancedhackmons-480776380
vs. E4 Flint http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7balancedhackmons-480751309
(forgot to save the other one vs flint but these should help prove my point, as none of these teams are bad, and they do well against the rest of the meta, and most, if not all, did in fact have a counter-play to deo-a but still got stomped on)
And now for some sample teams
This is a very fun balance team, built to be anti-meta. The Mega Rayquaza set is a fun one, as after a smash, it outspeeds other Triage/Fake Out users, as well as Psychic Surge MMY who it bops with Sunsteel Strike. I chose Sunsteel Strike over Moongeist Beam in order to hit Mega Tyranitar. Solgaleo can probably be replaced with Mega Metagross on this squad to be honest, but I wanted to see if the new legendary had any merit. QM allows it to Imposter-proof my Mega Rayquaza and steal its boosts via Spectral Thief. Psychic Fangs is just a cool new physical Psychic STAB I wanted to test and it did reasonably well although it should probably be replaced with Ice Hammer or something. This team really appreciates SR support for random sashes that can halt sweeps, and Shore Up is because I wasn't sure what else to add and it keeps it healthy suring a counter sweep :J The EVs on Solgaleo can definitely be tweaked and honestly so can the moves but I'd definitely keep Spectral Thief and SR. Mega Diancie's viability took a hit with the coming of the new generation, however I wanted to see if it still had some merit revenge killing mons that neglected to use QM or Psychic Surge. Unfortunately, it was rather underwhelming, although Earth Plate Judgment did have its uses getting some nice damage on Primal Groudon and bulky Steel-types. This of course is Imposter-proofed by either Solgaleo or Registeel. Big zyg was placed on the team as a pivot that happens to check half the meta, and also walls my PDon. DTail is very useful for random set up sweepers and insane bulk means it can usually live anti-Unaware strategies such as Power Trip, Stored Power, Sunsteel Strike, and Moongeist Beam. Registeel was next, again to test something that was theoretically nerfed. Can confirm it was lol. Prank Haze was helpful on multiple occasions but getting stopped by Dark-types and Psychic surge/QM mons does get old very quick. Prank Defog is as useful as always but it is also blocked by the aformentioned things, which can be very costly if you need to remove rocks for MRay. Finally, the team's anti-meta sweeper and star Pokemon. This odd Primal Groudon set achieves many things for my team. First of all it puts a halt to Water Bubble Primal Kyogre/Ash Greninja shenanigans. Secondly, it lures everything and sweeps! Ice Judg beats MRay (who usually runs Triage now and after a QD Oblivion Wing isn't doing much) and espeically Zygarde-Complete. 10,000,000 Volt Thunderbolt only has 1 PP, but it is very handy for removing annoying POgre or other Water-types/MTtar if your opponent lacks POgre. Blue Flare is simply a strong reliable STAB that hits a lot of the meta. Overall this team was a decent first new-gen team and carried me to top 15, but had some obvious flaws so I changed it a little.
vs. pdt http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7balancedhackmons-480219250
vs. halliday (tbk99) http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7balancedhackmons-480073706
vs. someone on ladder http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7balancedhackmons-479900442
vs. Kit Kasai http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7balancedhackmons-479892255
vs. my irl fren using assist http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7balancedhackmons-479531116
i also beat lcass but forgot to save replay
would have beat uc but PDon missed Blue Flare :(
Thanks to Lcass4919 for helping me evaluate my team and make a few changes! This team is much better suited to the current meta. I'll just explain what I changed. First of all, I made MDiancie Choice Scarf, which is EXTREMELY useful as a revenge killer, especially when compared to FakeSpeed variants, as QM/Psychic Surge doesn't stop a Scarf Boomburst :) Modest allows it to potentially OHKO MMY, which was an annoyance for my previous team. Obviously I could no longer run Judgment, so I added Earth Power instead. Spike Cannon further shows how overcentralizing this Deoxys-Attack spam cancer is, as I would normally never run that but now it is necessary. Finally, unblockable Rapid Spin removes hazards, pretty straightforward mon overall but a very potent revenge killer. Prankster Registeel was underwhelming, so I changed it to Levitate to check the new MDiancie. It's a fairly simple utility mon and pivot that can potentially steal boosts with Spectral Thief and pass them to an offensive member. Finally, I was struggling with Deo-A and MMY teams so I added a fairly standard PH Yveltal job that does a nice job of checking said mons. This team got me back to top 20 after I tilted with the previous squad and is better in the current meta imo.
no replays rip
Finally, the team y'all actually want :^) Not much to explain here tbh just click moves and win. QM + Psychic Terrain checks priority, Scarf beats other Scarf multi-hit users and other Deo-A teams. Contrary got a decent buff with Fleur Cannon and is a very powerful cleaner, taking advantage of stuff being weakened by the Z-move spamming Deoxys-Attacks. Magic Guard Defog Deo-A is important af to keep them Sashes intact. Other things to try with this team: 5 Deo-A + Imposter Chansey, No Guard Deo-A (this team can struggle with Zygarde-Complete occasionally, particularly lcass4919's regenvest big zyg).
replays above where I was talking about z-moves
wew lad long post, enjoy the teams and hopefully this sparks some discussion! ban z-moves
Note: I will be referring to Dazzling/Queenly Majesty as QM cuz short
Sleep: Sleep got a noticeable nerf this generation in my opinion. The Dark Void nerf means Lovely Kiss is the new most accurate non-powder move, and 75% is a bit of a letdown. Prankster sleep is also rendered almost invalid due to Triage, QM, and Psychic Terrain (via Psychic Surge and Genesis Supernova usually). I've also run into the occasional Misty Terrain (via Misty Surge) which prevents all status (including sleep) for 5-8 turns. Also, Spore got another switchin due to Kartana actually being a decent mon (nice speed, great attack, QM fixes prio weakness). This is on top of all previous checks to sleep (Substitute, Poison Heal, Magic Bounce, Safety Goggles, etc.). Therefore I feel like sleep has definitely taken a hit in viability and won't be nearly as spammable in SM BH. (This comment is mostly to address the calls for a sleep clause last gen and why I don't think they are valid this gen.)
Stall: Once the meta balances out a little bit I think stall might be a little better. Obviously offense got better, but stall got some nice buffs too with the addition of QM to check -ates and Triage mons, Dark-types becoming immune to Prankster, Spectral Thief, and Zygarde-Complete. Quite frankly, big zyg is a fantastic bulky mon and is very splashable. I've run Unaware successfully, I've seen others run Poison Heal and Regenerator successfully, and I'm sure it can run a variety of other stallesque abilities, such as Magic Bounce, effectively as well. QM is also extremely handy for stall teams as the ability to wall the most powerful attacks from Pokemon such as Triage Mega Heracross/Mega Rayquaza/Mega Mewtwo X and the ates (including the new Galvanize Zekrom) is very handy. Slap it on a specially bulky mon and you've got yourself a nice check to some of the meta's most common threats. Dark-types being immune to Prankster is also nice as some offense teams used to rely on Prankster Topsy Turvy to check their set up sweepers and you can now completely stop that, although admittedly this isn't too major a deal. Finally, Spectral Thief. Spectral Thief, if you didn't know, steals your opponent's positive boosts and then attacks them. It is a 90 BP physical Ghost attack, hits through Substitute, and gives stall some serious offensive presence. When an Unaware mon tanks a hit from a boosted opponent, it can steal the boosts for itself (without worrying about negative boosts, such as the defense/special defense drop from Shell Smash!) and proceed to deal some damage back or Baton Pass to a more powerful teammate. Once again, big zyg fits in here as it is decently strong with some nice STAB attacks and as such can act as a pivot for stall that also has the ability to counter sweep the opponent. There is also Innards Out, which, on a high HP mon, can be a decent emergency check to random sweepers, however I feel there are more useful and constructive ways to utilize this ability slot that contribute better in the majority of cases.
Water Bubble: Water Bubble has seemed somewhat underwhelming, but that could just be because everyone is very prepared for it with stuff like Water Absorb/Storm Drain that can set up on POgre/Ash Greninja (the two main abusers of this new ability). It also isn't as powerful as PDon's Desolate Land V-Create. It's still a good wallbreaker/revenge killer that requires preparation for when teambuilding, and the requirement of stall to basically have a Water Absorb mon may turn out to be overcentralizing, however at the moment it doesn't seem to be too bad; just another good offensive ability.
QM: QM is such a great ability for all playstyles. For offense it helps sweepers by preventing -ate/Triage revenge killers and allows more frail Pokemon to thrive in the meta, increasing diversity by increasing the viability of many Pokemon without being overly powerful. It also is a fantastic ability for Imposter-proofing. For stall, it is very handy to wall the most powerful moves of Triage users, being immune to Prankster Topsy Turvy (helpful for Spectral Thief mons), as well as open up the possibilities for more -ate checks, as they only have to be able to check Boomburst + coverage. It also offers nice role compression
Z-moves: Finally, Z-moves. Z-moves have insanely high base power and come in a variety of types on both sides of the physical/special spectrum. The drawback, of course, is that each can only be used once (barring Leppa Berry shenanigans which I feel are meh at best). However, this is mitigated when you get a fast, high powered Pokemon such as Deoxys-Attack spamming these moves and OHKOing opposing mons before they can attack. Deo-A spam has been surprisingly effective and it has reached the point where one can literally just click moves and win. I've personally reached the top 5 on the ladder using this strategy, and have beat notable players such as flint (twice) and mamp, as well as quite a few teams that have prepared for this strategy and have multiple counter-play options, but simply get overwhelmed. I do not believe it is healthy for the meta when anyone can slap a few powerful attacks on a strong, fast Pokemon, and proceed to do insanely well with them. This has reached the point where one of the few options is to outspeed Deoxys-Attack and use multi-hit moves (and remember, they might not all be sash, I personally run scarf on one of my Deo-A). Choice Scarf Pheromosa with Pin Missile is a great way to counter such a strategy but when one has to resort to otherwise-unviable gimmicks such as that in order to defeat such a strategy I believe that is overcentralizing. As well, one cannot even resort to FakeSpeed to check this strategy as Psychic Surge and QM are very viable abilities on such teams and will prevent from being revenge killed by FakeSpeed. I also firmly believe that Deoxys-Attack spam would not be nearly as much of a problem were it not for Z-moves existing, as it is the sheer power of these moves that cause them to be so hard to play around. Regular Deo-A can be checked by normal means, such as Zygarde-Complete. This is why I am calling for a ban/suspect on Z-moves, due to them being overly powerful, easily spammed, and being the root of a highly overcentralizing problem.
Here are some replays featuring this strategy
vs. PinkDragonTamer http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7balancedhackmons-480850088
vs. DurzaOffTopic http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7balancedhackmons-480803405
vs. MAMP http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7balancedhackmons-480776380
vs. E4 Flint http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7balancedhackmons-480751309
(forgot to save the other one vs flint but these should help prove my point, as none of these teams are bad, and they do well against the rest of the meta, and most, if not all, did in fact have a counter-play to deo-a but still got stomped on)
And now for some sample teams
Rayquaza-Mega @ Focus Sash
Ability: Triage
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 SpA / 4 Spe
Mild Nature
- Substitute
- Shell Smash
- Oblivion Wing
- Sunsteel Strike
Solgaleo @ Leftovers
Ability: Queenly Majesty
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Spectral Thief
- Psychic Fangs
- Stealth Rock
- Shore Up
Diancie-Mega @ Earth Plate
Ability: Pixilate
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Fake Out
- Extreme Speed
- Boomburst
- Judgment
Zygarde-Complete @ Safety Goggles
Ability: Unaware
EVs: 252 HP / 128 Def / 128 SpD
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Thousand Arrows
- Shore Up
- U-turn
- Dragon Tail
Registeel @ Safety Goggles
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 SpD
Sassy Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 0 Spe
- Haze
- Shore Up
- Parting Shot
- Defog
Groudon-Primal @ Icicle Plate
Ability: Storm Drain
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Quiver Dance
- Judgment
- Blue Flare
- 10,000,000 Volt Thunderbolt
Ability: Triage
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 SpA / 4 Spe
Mild Nature
- Substitute
- Shell Smash
- Oblivion Wing
- Sunsteel Strike
Solgaleo @ Leftovers
Ability: Queenly Majesty
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Spectral Thief
- Psychic Fangs
- Stealth Rock
- Shore Up
Diancie-Mega @ Earth Plate
Ability: Pixilate
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Fake Out
- Extreme Speed
- Boomburst
- Judgment
Zygarde-Complete @ Safety Goggles
Ability: Unaware
EVs: 252 HP / 128 Def / 128 SpD
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Thousand Arrows
- Shore Up
- U-turn
- Dragon Tail
Registeel @ Safety Goggles
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 SpD
Sassy Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 0 Spe
- Haze
- Shore Up
- Parting Shot
- Defog
Groudon-Primal @ Icicle Plate
Ability: Storm Drain
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Quiver Dance
- Judgment
- Blue Flare
- 10,000,000 Volt Thunderbolt
This is a very fun balance team, built to be anti-meta. The Mega Rayquaza set is a fun one, as after a smash, it outspeeds other Triage/Fake Out users, as well as Psychic Surge MMY who it bops with Sunsteel Strike. I chose Sunsteel Strike over Moongeist Beam in order to hit Mega Tyranitar. Solgaleo can probably be replaced with Mega Metagross on this squad to be honest, but I wanted to see if the new legendary had any merit. QM allows it to Imposter-proof my Mega Rayquaza and steal its boosts via Spectral Thief. Psychic Fangs is just a cool new physical Psychic STAB I wanted to test and it did reasonably well although it should probably be replaced with Ice Hammer or something. This team really appreciates SR support for random sashes that can halt sweeps, and Shore Up is because I wasn't sure what else to add and it keeps it healthy suring a counter sweep :J The EVs on Solgaleo can definitely be tweaked and honestly so can the moves but I'd definitely keep Spectral Thief and SR. Mega Diancie's viability took a hit with the coming of the new generation, however I wanted to see if it still had some merit revenge killing mons that neglected to use QM or Psychic Surge. Unfortunately, it was rather underwhelming, although Earth Plate Judgment did have its uses getting some nice damage on Primal Groudon and bulky Steel-types. This of course is Imposter-proofed by either Solgaleo or Registeel. Big zyg was placed on the team as a pivot that happens to check half the meta, and also walls my PDon. DTail is very useful for random set up sweepers and insane bulk means it can usually live anti-Unaware strategies such as Power Trip, Stored Power, Sunsteel Strike, and Moongeist Beam. Registeel was next, again to test something that was theoretically nerfed. Can confirm it was lol. Prank Haze was helpful on multiple occasions but getting stopped by Dark-types and Psychic surge/QM mons does get old very quick. Prank Defog is as useful as always but it is also blocked by the aformentioned things, which can be very costly if you need to remove rocks for MRay. Finally, the team's anti-meta sweeper and star Pokemon. This odd Primal Groudon set achieves many things for my team. First of all it puts a halt to Water Bubble Primal Kyogre/Ash Greninja shenanigans. Secondly, it lures everything and sweeps! Ice Judg beats MRay (who usually runs Triage now and after a QD Oblivion Wing isn't doing much) and espeically Zygarde-Complete. 10,000,000 Volt Thunderbolt only has 1 PP, but it is very handy for removing annoying POgre or other Water-types/MTtar if your opponent lacks POgre. Blue Flare is simply a strong reliable STAB that hits a lot of the meta. Overall this team was a decent first new-gen team and carried me to top 15, but had some obvious flaws so I changed it a little.
vs. pdt http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7balancedhackmons-480219250
vs. halliday (tbk99) http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7balancedhackmons-480073706
vs. someone on ladder http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7balancedhackmons-479900442
vs. Kit Kasai http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7balancedhackmons-479892255
vs. my irl fren using assist http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7balancedhackmons-479531116
i also beat lcass but forgot to save replay
would have beat uc but PDon missed Blue Flare :(
Rayquaza-Mega @ Focus Sash
Ability: Triage
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 SpA / 4 Spe
Mild Nature
- Substitute
- Shell Smash
- Oblivion Wing
- Sunsteel Strike
Diancie-Mega @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Pixilate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Boomburst
- Earth Power
- Spike Cannon
- Rapid Spin
Zygarde-Complete @ Safety Goggles
Ability: Unaware
EVs: 252 HP / 128 Def / 128 SpD
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Thousand Arrows
- Shore Up
- U-turn
- Dragon Tail
Registeel @ Safety Goggles
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 SpD
Sassy Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Spectral Thief
- Baton Pass
- Stealth Rock
- Shore Up
Groudon-Primal @ Icicle Plate
Ability: Storm Drain
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Quiver Dance
- Judgment
- Blue Flare
- 10,000,000 Volt Thunderbolt
Yveltal @ Toxic Orb
Ability: Poison Heal
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 SpD
Sassy Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Will-O-Wisp
- U-turn
- Shore Up
- Knock Off
Ability: Triage
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 SpA / 4 Spe
Mild Nature
- Substitute
- Shell Smash
- Oblivion Wing
- Sunsteel Strike
Diancie-Mega @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Pixilate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Boomburst
- Earth Power
- Spike Cannon
- Rapid Spin
Zygarde-Complete @ Safety Goggles
Ability: Unaware
EVs: 252 HP / 128 Def / 128 SpD
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Thousand Arrows
- Shore Up
- U-turn
- Dragon Tail
Registeel @ Safety Goggles
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 SpD
Sassy Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Spectral Thief
- Baton Pass
- Stealth Rock
- Shore Up
Groudon-Primal @ Icicle Plate
Ability: Storm Drain
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Quiver Dance
- Judgment
- Blue Flare
- 10,000,000 Volt Thunderbolt
Yveltal @ Toxic Orb
Ability: Poison Heal
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 SpD
Sassy Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Will-O-Wisp
- U-turn
- Shore Up
- Knock Off
Thanks to Lcass4919 for helping me evaluate my team and make a few changes! This team is much better suited to the current meta. I'll just explain what I changed. First of all, I made MDiancie Choice Scarf, which is EXTREMELY useful as a revenge killer, especially when compared to FakeSpeed variants, as QM/Psychic Surge doesn't stop a Scarf Boomburst :) Modest allows it to potentially OHKO MMY, which was an annoyance for my previous team. Obviously I could no longer run Judgment, so I added Earth Power instead. Spike Cannon further shows how overcentralizing this Deoxys-Attack spam cancer is, as I would normally never run that but now it is necessary. Finally, unblockable Rapid Spin removes hazards, pretty straightforward mon overall but a very potent revenge killer. Prankster Registeel was underwhelming, so I changed it to Levitate to check the new MDiancie. It's a fairly simple utility mon and pivot that can potentially steal boosts with Spectral Thief and pass them to an offensive member. Finally, I was struggling with Deo-A and MMY teams so I added a fairly standard PH Yveltal job that does a nice job of checking said mons. This team got me back to top 20 after I tilted with the previous squad and is better in the current meta imo.
no replays rip
Deoxys-Attack @ Focus Sash
Ability: Psychic Surge
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Shell Smash
- Psystrike
- 10,000,000 Volt Thunderbolt
- Moongeist Beam
Deoxys-Attack @ Focus Sash
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Defog
- V-create
- Soul-Stealing 7-Star Strike
- Catastropika
Deoxys-Attack @ Focus Sash
Ability: Contrary
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Fleur Cannon
- Overheat
- Bullet Punch
- Leaf Storm
Deoxys-Attack @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Skill Link
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Moongeist Beam
- Ice Beam
- Psystrike
- Pin Missile
Deoxys-Attack @ Focus Sash
Ability: Queenly Majesty
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Shell Smash
- Genesis Supernova
- Psychic
- Moonblast
Deoxys-Attack @ Focus Sash
Ability: Mold Breaker
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Oceanic Operetta
- 10,000,000 Volt Thunderbolt
- Genesis Supernova
- Blue Flare
Ability: Psychic Surge
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Shell Smash
- Psystrike
- 10,000,000 Volt Thunderbolt
- Moongeist Beam
Deoxys-Attack @ Focus Sash
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Defog
- V-create
- Soul-Stealing 7-Star Strike
- Catastropika
Deoxys-Attack @ Focus Sash
Ability: Contrary
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Fleur Cannon
- Overheat
- Bullet Punch
- Leaf Storm
Deoxys-Attack @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Skill Link
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Moongeist Beam
- Ice Beam
- Psystrike
- Pin Missile
Deoxys-Attack @ Focus Sash
Ability: Queenly Majesty
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Shell Smash
- Genesis Supernova
- Psychic
- Moonblast
Deoxys-Attack @ Focus Sash
Ability: Mold Breaker
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Oceanic Operetta
- 10,000,000 Volt Thunderbolt
- Genesis Supernova
- Blue Flare
Finally, the team y'all actually want :^) Not much to explain here tbh just click moves and win. QM + Psychic Terrain checks priority, Scarf beats other Scarf multi-hit users and other Deo-A teams. Contrary got a decent buff with Fleur Cannon and is a very powerful cleaner, taking advantage of stuff being weakened by the Z-move spamming Deoxys-Attacks. Magic Guard Defog Deo-A is important af to keep them Sashes intact. Other things to try with this team: 5 Deo-A + Imposter Chansey, No Guard Deo-A (this team can struggle with Zygarde-Complete occasionally, particularly lcass4919's regenvest big zyg).
replays above where I was talking about z-moves
wew lad long post, enjoy the teams and hopefully this sparks some discussion! ban z-moves
