Singles 3v3 Singles (BSS) Discussion

You've already recieved some advice but I'd like to give a bit of a different approach rather than outright changing the pokemon for different pokemon as I still think it is possible to make your team composition work by upping the pace of the team and giving it more offensive and breaking potential. I still think even then, your team has significant flaws, not having a ghost type makes you incredibly weak to Conkeldurr to the point where I'd personally be hesitant to use the team but asides from that you can kinda still make it work and get a high ranking with it without even changing anything.

https://pokepast.es/7a79770390b735c7

There's some cool techs here, such as the Yache Berry Gastrodon with the mirror coat that's gonna net you KOs on Lapras all the time. You could run both counter and mirror coat there, but that's really up to you. TLDR, get in Drill, get in Darm with your bulky pivots, make opportunities to set up with Corviknight depending on the matchup and sweep.
 
Last edited:
Thanks to everybody that posted a reply! I'm still unsure on what to use out of the many things that were said, but my general idea for now would be to replace maybe darmanitan with a jolly mimikyu with wood hammer, and make exca sandrush with brick break in place of rapid spin.
Tyranitar could be a great lead with focus sash, crippling things with thunderwave and cooking ferro with fireblast. Other two moves could be stealth rocks and rockslide (accuracy). I will test.
Sandrush drill could be life orb and adamant, or should I keep jolly? That's another thing to wonder. Probably Jolly is better for mirror matchupts and speed-ties, and if sand isn't up.
Rotom-w will definately be changed to the sitrus set. I like the idea of living +1 max overgrowth, that's what my rindo was for so it's good to keep that idea.
The max speed corviknight doesn't seem optimal to me, but it gave me the idea of putting taunt on mine, so that it can't be touched by leech seed and such.. Or I could run sub bulk up roost and brave bird, and call it a day. Maybe that can work. I will test.
The first question about the other 3 teammates is a pretty in-depth question. I'll mostly defer on that one for now; I'm actually preparing a RMT for my "Sand Rush" team so that's something that I can point you to when its posted. Also, my previous comments were not meant to dissuade you from keeping your other teammates. Rather, I was just giving you a baseline core to work with, and you can decide from there who else should stay and who needs to go.

If there is one blatant need I would point to, a Tyranitar+Excadrill+Rotom-Wash core could really struggle with is Ferrothorn. Rotom-Wash will get walled hard; Excadrill can sometimes muscle past it (Swords Dance, Dynamax moves, etc.) but in general Ferrothorn has a lot of options to wear it down (Body Press, Leech Seed+Protect stall, etc.) Fire Blast Tyranitar would be your main out, but I would say its 50/50 on whether or not you can lure the opponent into giving you that matchup. Some opponents may try to use Ferrothorn to stall out your sand, while others may try to save Ferrothorn for the suspected Excadrill in back. There are a lot of matchup/mind games that can go on in regards to countering something like Sand Rush, and learning to navigate that is more or less something that comes with experience.

(Edit: OK, technically Rotom-Wash can muscle past Ferrothorn too but just like Excadrill, you're generally expending more resources in that matchup than you really want to be, and the occasional Bullet Seed/Power Whip coverage is problematic.)

As for the movesets and EVs:

Excadrill : Switch over Focus Sash to something like Life Orb or Weakness Policy. The ideal situation is that he'll be under sand or tanking a hit under Dynamax to set sand up (ie Max Rockfall,) so Focus Sash doesn't really suit the all-out offensive nature of Sand Rush. Get rid of Rapid Spin for sure since offensive Excadrill really doesn't want to leave itself open using it, and the speed boost is less important if you have Sand Rush. Brick Break and Horn Drill are two other offensive options you could use instead; Brick Break breaks screens and gives you Max Knuckle, whereas Horn Drill can be your last resort against Corviknight if for some reason Rotom-Wash isn't available.

Tyranitar : Do you want him to be more support-oriented (i.e. set up Excadrill) or do you want him to maintain an offensive focus? If you want support, go for things like Stealth Rock and Thunder Wave and think about moving Focus Sash onto it instead. The support options make it harder for the enemy team to pivot around you and waste your sand turns. If you stay offensive, think about what coverage moves are needed to help Excadrill and Rotom-Wash with their blind spots (like Fire Blast for Ferrothorn.) Either way though, I would drop Weakness Policy; WP Tyranitar really wants to Dynamax, but that's better reserved for Excadrill or Wash-Rotom imo.

Rotom-Wash : The Max HP and Max speed EV spread is pretty confusing on this one. Unless you can provide sound reasoning for why it is that way, I would say the preferable EV spread is offensive (Max SpA + Spd). I would also say the Rindo Berry is too situational; I don't see it having a big influence on which matchups you win or lose except for maybe Power Whip Gyarados. Something like Sitrus Berry would probably be the better choice.
I definately would like to be linked to your paste when it comes out, and thank you for the suggestions! I'll definately change rotom to the sitrus berry set and make exca sandrush life orb. I was thinking jolly, but maybe you can tell me if adamant is better in general. Also, I was thinking of using a jolly power whip, shadow sneak, SD, play rough Mimikyu in place of gastrodon or darmanitan. As for T-tar, I think the support set works best as a lead, so I will implement that. I just need to find good evs

Rotom-Wash @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Levitate
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 84 Def / 108 SpA / 4 SpD / 60 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Nasty Plot
- Dark Pulse
- Volt Switch
- Hydro Pump

Here's a Nasty Plot Rotom-W set I like. It allows you to live the +1 Life Orb Max Overgrowth from Gyarados after Dynamax, without needing the Rindo Berry, and in all other cases Sitrus is better for the additional health. Speed outspeeds neutral max Speed 60s including Lapras, by 2 (and covers Adamant Max Tyranitar, though it is surely rare)

Volt Switch allows Rotom to be a smart pivot with Sitrus. I think this Rotom gets the best of both worlds - the non-dynamaxing Sitrus Volt Switch supportive pivot, and the Nasty Plot 3 attacks Dynamax sweeper. The additional damage on straight Thunderbolt is not worth losing the utility of Volt Switch if not Dynamaxed, nor the coverage of Dark Pulse if you were to Dynamax and actually go for a sweep.

Rapid Spin on Excadrill is really bad. It basically loses to every relevant setter aside from Clefable which you can't say with any confidence in team preview if it's actually going to have SR or be some other set. Your team isn't even overly weak to Stealth Rock, so this seems like a pretty nonsense pick. Something like SD or Brick Break or Stealth Rock are all going to be better here.

Now that I got some general advice out of the way, let's talk specifics. BTW I think fast + bulky Rotom is fine too, I see a pretty significant edge in being faster than Togekiss and Gyarados. Simillarly, I don't think there's anything wrong with NOT using Sand Rush on Excadrill, either. The Corvi / Gastrodon core is relatively passive but I think it's something you can still make work if you know how to play with such cores. I also don't see the big problem with "not having win conditions" - you have lots of ways to win the game as is, like chipping things with your bulk for a Darm / Rotom-W cleanup, removing an offensive threat and establishing a defensive win condition in Gastrodon / Corviknight, and so forth.

I think the main problems with this team is twofold:

1. You lack Mimikyu with a reactive core - Mimikyu is the ticket for reactive cores to turn the tables, neutering their Dynamax and posing a Dynamax sweeping threat of their own despite any set up permitted by your passive Pokemon, in my opinion. Not every team requires a Mimikyu but a team with a passive core definitely wants it. This also solves the "no clear wincon" thing Photon was talking about. You can bring your bulky things, and win with trading positively with Mimikyu. A win condition does not have to be a sweeper; it can be a big positive trade, removal of certain offensive threat, etc. which works quite differently for defensive teams. Mimikyu deflects opposing Dynamax and forces trades. The forced trade part in particular is why I think Mimikyu is mandatory for strong teams trying to establish a defensive win condition.

2. Your lack of options for Dynamax Lapras.
Well that's straight forward. You massively lose all your trades vs this, Rotom helps but it's not quite enough. Gastrodon being mauled by Freeze Dry hurts here big time.

There's two ways to handle this problem. You can go a more offensive route like what Photon is describing, adding offensive synergy and momentum. Or you should add a Mimikyu to your team and solidify your team defensively. Adding Mimikyu and Snorlax for instance should give you the Lapras check you needed, gives you a Mimikyu to turn the tables and force trades, at cost of dropping 2 Pokemon - hopefully something that isn't working for your team right now. If you can't find room for a Lapras check you should definitely make your Corviknight Maranga Berry. It's not ideal but it's better than nothing.

Hope this helps!
Imma use this rotom for sure :) Other changes I have in mind will probably depend on what I feel that I might need. Thank you!
 
Yeah, its a lot of information! But you seem to have an idea of what you want, so getting in there and testing it should start making things clearer. Teams can go through multiple phases of iteration until you get them just right, but I think that experimentation is part of the fun.

As an aside, I think that Yache Berry Gastrodon tech that Ika posted is super neat. :blobthumbsup:

As for my RMT, here's the link: https://www.smogon.com/forums/threads/sand-bluff-mode.3664621/

If you have any questions about it, I think the best place to ask would still be here. I believe the RMT thread is a little stricter on its format, so I think it would be more appropriate to keep casual discussion here. A seasoned member can correct me if I'm wrong though.
 
Hello Looking to get some advice on my team. It feels like I am missing something.. but it may come down to my inexperience.

Mimikyu @ Life Orb
Ability: Disguise
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Play Rough
- Shadow Claw
- Shadow Sneak

Not much needs to be said here. There are multiple reasons this is seen on so many teams. There is no better way to check opposing sweepers.

Snorlax-Gmax @ Figy Berry
Ability: Gluttony
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 228 HP / 252 Def / 28 SpD
Impish Nature
- Belly Drum
- Body Slam
- Iron Head
- Fire Punch

Snorlax has normally been the focal point of my team. I will lead with him and set up belly drum to pop Figy. Dynamax turn two and either go for the berry replenish or hit hard with steel/fire.


Lapras-Gmax @ Assault Vest
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 140 HP / 20 Def / 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 92 Spe
Modest Nature
- Freeze-Dry
- Sparkling Aria
- Sheer Cold
- Ice Shard

Lapras has been a good lead for teams which I feel that Snorlax may be weak against. Veil and Sheer cold can be game changers and having another priority in Ice Shard can make all of the difference.

Darmanitan-Galar @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Gorilla Tactics
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- U-turn
- Flare Blitz
- Earthquake
- Icicle Crash

Scout or revenge killer. Should out speed most 'mons in the meta and it hits very hard. Obviously quit frail as the downside. There are a few pokemon I debated in this slot - listed below.

Excadrill @ Focus Sash
Ability: Mold Breaker
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Rock Slide
- Iron Head
- Earthquake

This is my Mimikyu check as well as a few other 'mons where mold breaker is key. Setting up rocks against some teams is also crucial. This is the other slot I have been changing around and trying different pokemon. Would something like Swords Dance be better over Stealth Rock or is that too redundant with what the rest of my team can already do?

Edit: I ended up switching Stealth Rock for Swords Dance. Hoping Swords Dance is a bit more useful with my teams style in breaking down weakened pokemon. I found myself rarely using stealth rock as it normally traded poorly versus most teams (losing 1/3 pokemon for stealth rock in a 3v3 environment is not as useful when I have a fast/bulky offensive team). I debated switching Iron Head for Brick Break as I had no fighting moves on the team but it did not seem worth it with Mimikyu, Togekiss and Hydreigon being so prominent.

Corviknight @ Weakness Policy
Ability: Mirror Armor
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 HP / 100 Atk / 156 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Bulk Up
- Taunt
- Brave Bird
- Roost

Another set that I have been playing with and has caught some people off guard if they do not have familiarity with it. It can take quite a few hits while using bulk up and roost to set up against bulky/non-offensive pokemon. This is also the reason I run Taunt.


The other pokemon I have bred and battle ready are:
Choice Specs Dragapault
Scarf Rotom-W (would need to replace Darm-G)
Scope Lens Togekiss
Toxapex with Haze and Toxic
Gyarados @ Leftovers
Choice Band Dracovish (was a hot pokemon back in November)

Would some of these cover my weaknesses better? I am trying to get to master ball tier but struggling. Not sure if I am to blame or the team/strategy.
 
Last edited:
Yeah, its a lot of information! But you seem to have an idea of what you want, so getting in there and testing it should start making things clearer. Teams can go through multiple phases of iteration until you get them just right, but I think that experimentation is part of the fun.

As an aside, I think that Yache Berry Gastrodon tech that Ika posted is super neat. :blobthumbsup:

As for my RMT, here's the link: https://www.smogon.com/forums/threads/sand-bluff-mode.3664621/

If you have any questions about it, I think the best place to ask would still be here. I believe the RMT thread is a little stricter on its format, so I think it would be more appropriate to keep casual discussion here. A seasoned member can correct me if I'm wrong though.
My compliments on your post where you describe everything about the team :) I found many of your reasonings to be the answers to some questions I too have been wondering about. Keep it up!
 
My compliments on your post where you describe everything about the team :) I found many of your reasonings to be the answers to some questions I too have been wondering about. Keep it up!
:psyglad:
Hello Looking to get some advice on my team. It feels like I am missing something.. but it may come down to my inexperience.

Mimikyu @ Life Orb
Ability: Disguise
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Play Rough
- Shadow Claw
- Shadow Sneak

Not much needs to be said here. There are multiple reasons this is seen on so many teams. There is no better way to check opposing sweepers.

Snorlax-Gmax @ Figy Berry
Ability: Gluttony
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 228 HP / 252 Def / 28 SpD
Impish Nature
- Belly Drum
- Body Slam
- Iron Head
- Fire Punch

Snorlax has normally been the focal point of my team. I will lead with him and set up belly drum to pop Figy. Dynamax turn two and either go for the berry replenish or hit hard with steel/fire.


Lapras-Gmax @ Assault Vest
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 140 HP / 20 Def / 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 92 Spe
Modest Nature
- Freeze-Dry
- Sparkling Aria
- Sheer Cold
- Ice Shard

Lapras has been a good lead for teams which I feel that Snorlax may be weak against. Veil and Sheer cold can be game changers and having another priority in Ice Shard can make all of the difference.

Darmanitan-Galar @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Gorilla Tactics
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- U-turn
- Flare Blitz
- Earthquake
- Icicle Crash

Scout or revenge killer. Should out speed most 'mons in the meta and it hits very hard. Obviously quit frail as the downside. There are a few pokemon I debated in this slot - listed below.

Excadrill @ Focus Sash
Ability: Mold Breaker
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Rock Slide
- Iron Head
- Earthquake

This is my Mimikyu check as well as a few other 'mons where mold breaker is key. Setting up rocks against some teams is also crucial. This is the other slot I have been changing around and trying different pokemon. Would something like Swords Dance be better over Stealth Rock or is that too redundant with what the rest of my team can already do?

Edit: I ended up switching Stealth Rock for Swords Dance. Hoping Swords Dance is a bit more useful with my teams style in breaking down weakened pokemon. I found myself rarely using stealth rock as it normally traded poorly versus most teams (losing 1/3 pokemon for stealth rock in a 3v3 environment is not as useful when I have a fast/bulky offensive team). I debated switching Iron Head for Brick Break as I had no fighting moves on the team but it did not seem worth it with Mimikyu, Togekiss and Hydreigon being so prominent.

Corviknight @ Weakness Policy
Ability: Mirror Armor
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 HP / 100 Atk / 156 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Bulk Up
- Taunt
- Brave Bird
- Roost

Another set that I have been playing with and has caught some people off guard if they do not have familiarity with it. It can take quite a few hits while using bulk up and roost to set up against bulky/non-offensive pokemon. This is also the reason I run Taunt.


The other pokemon I have bred and battle ready are:
Choice Specs Dragapault
Scarf Rotom-W (would need to replace Darm-G)
Scope Lens Togekiss
Toxapex with Haze and Toxic
Gyarados @ Leftovers
Choice Band Dracovish (was a hot pokemon back in November)

Would some of these cover my weaknesses better? I am trying to get to master ball tier but struggling. Not sure if I am to blame or the team/strategy.
This looks like a pretty standard "goodstuffs" team to me, which is to say you look to be in at least decent shape. What are some common cores of three you find yourself running? Who normally gets the Dynamax?
 

cant say

twitch.tv/jakecantsay
is a Site Content Manager Alumnusis a Team Rater Alumnusis a Top Social Media Contributor Alumnusis a Senior Staff Member Alumnusis a Community Contributor Alumnusis a Contributor Alumnusis a Battle Simulator Moderator Alumnus
Who normally gets the Dynamax?
Whoever needs it..? Having a lot of things that like dynamaxing but don’t need to is what seems to make the best teams at the moment. This is different to the very early gen teams where teams were built around a “dynamaxer” like it was a mega evolution or something. Snorlax and AV Lapras don’t need to dynamax, despite being gigantamax formes. they work perfectly fine in base forme.

Corviknight looks to be the only one that wants to dynamax, but it can still do regular old Corviknight things by just clicking Bulk Up + Roost all day and miss out on the speed, but I imagine that’s probably his most common dynamaxer just from looking at the team.
 
Whoever needs it..? Having a lot of things that like dynamaxing but don’t need to is what seems to make the best teams at the moment. This is different to the very early gen teams where teams were built around a “dynamaxer” like it was a mega evolution or something. Snorlax and AV Lapras don’t need to dynamax, despite being gigantamax formes. they work perfectly fine in base forme.
This is true. I asked the question to help figure out why, despite being a good-looking "goodstuffs" team, he was having trouble piloting it. For instance, he says he likes to go for lead Dynamax Snorlax and Lapras; maybe he's leaning too much on that when some matches he should save it for a Mimikyu reverse sweep. Of course, that's just a guess and it could be something entirely different.
 
This is true. I asked the question to help figure out why, despite being a good-looking "goodstuffs" team, he was having trouble piloting it. For instance, he says he likes to go for lead Dynamax Snorlax and Lapras; maybe he's leaning too much on that when some matches he should save it for a Mimikyu reverse sweep. Of course, that's just a guess and it could be something entirely different.
I second that; it’s not always the best course of action to Dynamax right away. It could allow one to gain something like an early 3-2 advantage...but then Dynamax runs out, and if your opponent still has Dynamax capability that could be bad. That’s not to say one should never Dynamax turn one, but always Dynamaxing turn one limits what one can do in the later stages in the battle.

For you onPHYRE, I would suggest to not always lead with your G-max Pokémon and Dynamax turn one. Thankfully, you have another Pokémon that can lead well in Darmanitan here. Darmanitan can pivot out of bad matchups with U-Turn, and it will be able to outspeed most Pokemon with its Scarf too. If that strategy isn’t working for you, I would encourage you to try out other things out too and find what works best for you. Hope this helps!
 
:psyglad:

This looks like a pretty standard "goodstuffs" team to me, which is to say you look to be in at least decent shape. What are some common cores of three you find yourself running? Who normally gets the Dynamax?
I have been leading with Snorlax quite a bit and doing belly drum into Gmax. If not I find that Lapras has been getting the Gmax for Veil. Common cores have been:

Snorlax
Mimikyu
Corviknight/Darm-G/Excadrill

or

Lapras
Mimikyu
Corviknight/Darm-G/Excadrill

I find that teams that can stall out my opening Dynamax/Gmax with screens or paralysis/burn have caused me the most issues. I like the aggressive style and catching people off guard from turn 1. I was debating leading with something that could do the same (scout/disrupt) but my Mimikyu and Excadrill are not really built for that (and neither are the other 4 'mons). My Dragapault (on the bench) can be turned into more of a disruptive versus sweeping pokemon but not sure what I would remove. It all circles back to I prefer to be the aggressor and dictate the pace when possible - the only exception being when I built a more stall oriented team with Toxapex, Clefable, Ferro in the past - which last gen won pretty consistently (at least a few years back anyway).


Whoever needs it..? Having a lot of things that like dynamaxing but don’t need to is what seems to make the best teams at the moment. This is different to the very early gen teams where teams were built around a “dynamaxer” like it was a mega evolution or something. Snorlax and AV Lapras don’t need to dynamax, despite being gigantamax formes. they work perfectly fine in base forme.

Corviknight looks to be the only one that wants to dynamax, but it can still do regular old Corviknight things by just clicking Bulk Up + Roost all day and miss out on the speed, but I imagine that’s probably his most common dynamaxer just from looking at the team.
I find myself rarely dynamaxing Corvi - mostly due to the fact that it is used up by then and I don't often lead with it. Maybe that is what I am doing wrong and cornering myself into one strategy when my team allows for more diversity.

Would it be better to replace Darm with something that can disrupt better or is having a good lead scout more important in your opinion? I sometimes get walled even after belly drum Snorlax but some of that was just inexperience. For example Corviknight if piloted right should take out opposing Toxapex. Polteageist has given me some trouble as well.

I second that; it’s not always the best course of action to Dynamax right away. It could allow one to gain something like an early 3-2 advantage...but then Dynamax runs out, and if your opponent still has Dynamax capability that could be bad. That’s not to say one should never Dynamax turn one, but always Dynamaxing turn one limits what one can do in the later stages in the battle.

For you onPHYRE, I would suggest to not always lead with your G-max Pokémon and Dynamax turn one. Thankfully, you have another Pokémon that can lead well in Darmanitan here. Darmanitan can pivot out of bad matchups with U-Turn, and it will be able to out speed most Pokemon with its Scarf too. If that strategy isn’t working for you, I would encourage you to try out other things out too and find what works best for you. Hope this helps!
Appreciate the advice (from all 3 of you). I have noticed experienced players will lead with a pokemon that can Dynamax protect against my Snorlax and stall 2 of his 3 attacks. With no additional berry recovery and hitting not as hard in regular form - they can chip Snorlax down and then take me out from there.

Don't get me wrong - I still win above 50% (even if slightly), but I feel that I could be doing much better. I have not played competitive in a few years and there are definitely small mistakes I make due to not knowing speed tiers or certain hidden abilities.

Edit: When I do win with Snorlax, it is usually by a lot. The other team is unprepared or sent the wrong lead and once he is set up he is OHKO'ing them. But when I lose it goes from bad to worse pretty quickly.
 
Last edited:
I have been leading with Snorlax quite a bit and doing belly drum into Gmax. If not I find that Lapras has been getting the Gmax for Veil. Common cores have been:

Snorlax
Mimikyu
Corviknight/Darm-G/Excadrill

or

Lapras
Mimikyu
Corviknight/Darm-G/Excadrill

I find that teams that can stall out my opening Dynamax/Gmax with screens or paralysis/burn have caused me the most issues. I like the aggressive style and catching people off guard from turn 1. I was debating leading with something that could do the same (scout/disrupt) but my Mimikyu and Excadrill are not really built for that (and neither are the other 4 'mons). My Dragapault (on the bench) can be turned into more of a disruptive versus sweeping pokemon but not sure what I would remove. It all circles back to I prefer to be the aggressor and dictate the pace when possible - the only exception being when I built a more stall oriented team with Toxapex, Clefable, Ferro in the past - which last gen won pretty consistently (at least a few years back anyway).

When I do win with Snorlax, it is usually by a lot. The other team is unprepared or sent the wrong lead and once he is set up he is OHKO'ing them. But when I lose it goes from bad to worse pretty quickly.
There's actually a gen 8 archetype that would fit your style very well. Its takes advantage of both strong Dynamax targets (Snorlax) and your non-Dynamax targets (Darm-G). Here's a theoretical core to explain:

Snorlax
Whimsicott
Darm-G

The idea here is that you still get to play aggressor but you have a Dynamax and non-Dynamax setup that both are menacing in their own right. Snorlax Dynamaxes like usual and you trade out as much as you can. Then you take something like Prankster Whimsicott, set up Tailwind, and let Darm-G (preferably with Choice Band in this setup) come in and clean up the rest because its just that scary powerful. In a way, you get the best of both worlds and still get to play to your style. There is more than one way to run this too (Trick Room Mimikyu + 0 Spd IV Dracovish is another non-Dynamax pair, for instance.)

Also, if you are having trouble with status right out of the gate, maybe run Facade instead of Body Slam. Obviously you would have to delay Dynamaxing to use Facade, but it may be worth it if you're burned. Some kind of Lum Berry lead might not be a bad idea either.
 
I think you are hamstringing yourself by always going for a turn 1 Dynamax. Part of the strength of a 'good stuffs' team is in the flexibility in regards to when and with which Pokemon to Dynamax. As you scout your opponents team, you can develop up a better idea of what you want to Dynamax. Scouting with U-turn and switching around maybe isn't the aggressive style you prefer, but it's still a proactive way to play and should lead you to a good Dynamax scenario.

I wouldn't equate being aggressive with an early Dynamax, rather it is more of an all-in style. Even if you secure a knockout, if your opponent still has access to their own Dynamax, they can easily turn the tides and win the match. This is not the best way to think of it, but I like to think of access to Dynamax as an extra .5 Pokemon on your team.

One way to change up this team based on your play style is to run Curse on Mimikyu. It works well with an early Dynamax strategy since you can leverage the early knockouts you got and push the advantage to seal the game.
 
There's actually a gen 8 archetype that would fit your style very well. Its takes advantage of both strong Dynamax targets (Snorlax) and your non-Dynamax targets (Darm-G). Here's a theoretical core to explain:

Snorlax
Whimsicott
Darm-G

The idea here is that you still get to play aggressor but you have a Dynamax and non-Dynamax setup that both are menacing in their own right. Snorlax Dynamaxes like usual and you trade out as much as you can. Then you take something like Prankster Whimsicott, set up Tailwind, and let Darm-G (preferably with Choice Band in this setup) come in and clean up the rest because its just that scary powerful. In a way, you get the best of both worlds and still get to play to your style. There is more than one way to run this too (Trick Room Mimikyu + 0 Spd IV Dracovish is another non-Dynamax pair, for instance.)

Also, if you are having trouble with status right out of the gate, maybe run Facade instead of Body Slam. Obviously you would have to delay Dynamaxing to use Facade, but it may be worth it if you're burned. Some kind of Lum Berry lead might not be a bad idea either.
I Love the idea of banded galarian Darm plus tailwind support. What's a possible spread for whimsicott, plus moves? And also, could you give me a general idea of the other four mons to use in such a team? That would be helpful :)
 
I Love the idea of banded galarian Darm plus tailwind support. What's a possible spread for whimsicott, plus moves? And also, could you give me a general idea of the other four mons to use in such a team? That would be helpful :)
For Whimsicott, you basically want something like the "Memento Support" set seen here: https://www.smogon.com/dex/ss/pokemon/whimsicott/battle-stadium-singles/

Tailwind is for what was mentioned above, and Memento is to cleanly get Darm-G in. The other two moves are whatever else you feel is necessary for your build.

If we are following the archetype above, the other four mons are all ideally pokemon that are near-immediate threats under Dynamax. Lead whichever one is likely to get the most value against the enemy team, then put Whimsicott and Darm-G behind it. That's the basic gist.
 
There's actually a gen 8 archetype that would fit your style very well. Its takes advantage of both strong Dynamax targets (Snorlax) and your non-Dynamax targets (Darm-G). Here's a theoretical core to explain:

Snorlax
Whimsicott
Darm-G

The idea here is that you still get to play aggressor but you have a Dynamax and non-Dynamax setup that both are menacing in their own right. Snorlax Dynamaxes like usual and you trade out as much as you can. Then you take something like Prankster Whimsicott, set up Tailwind, and let Darm-G (preferably with Choice Band in this setup) come in and clean up the rest because its just that scary powerful. In a way, you get the best of both worlds and still get to play to your style. There is more than one way to run this too (Trick Room Mimikyu + 0 Spd IV Dracovish is another non-Dynamax pair, for instance.)

Also, if you are having trouble with status right out of the gate, maybe run Facade instead of Body Slam. Obviously you would have to delay Dynamaxing to use Facade, but it may be worth it if you're burned. Some kind of Lum Berry lead might not be a bad idea either.
Thank you! I will give this a try. I have never used a pokemon in the style of Whimsicott so I am interest in how it goes. I also already have a fully trained Dracovish (on cartridge) so I may try Mimi and Dracovish as well.

My worry with Facade is that without Gmax turn 2 there are many instances in which I would have died after the belly drum/Figy. Lum would be interesting - though the health gain and replenish has saved me many times. With Whim needed a focus sash - my guess is that it directly replaces Excadrill? Also Excadrill is probably one of my weaker Dynamax users anyway.

I think you are hamstringing yourself by always going for a turn 1 Dynamax. Part of the strength of a 'good stuffs' team is in the flexibility in regards to when and with which Pokemon to Dynamax. As you scout your opponents team, you can develop up a better idea of what you want to Dynamax. Scouting with U-turn and switching around maybe isn't the aggressive style you prefer, but it's still a proactive way to play and should lead you to a good Dynamax scenario.

I wouldn't equate being aggressive with an early Dynamax, rather it is more of an all-in style. Even if you secure a knockout, if your opponent still has access to their own Dynamax, they can easily turn the tides and win the match. This is not the best way to think of it, but I like to think of access to Dynamax as an extra .5 Pokemon on your team.

One way to change up this team based on your play style is to run Curse on Mimikyu. It works well with an early Dynamax strategy since you can leverage the early knockouts you got and push the advantage to seal the game.
Good points, thank you. In regards to Curse Mimikyu can you tell me a bit more on how this functions as a clean up? It is not a set I have a lot of familiarity with. Are you basically crippling their last remaining threat after your D/G-max runs over a few targets and then stall out with something like Corvi/Toxapex or am I understanding that incorrectly? The other option would be to combine the idea above and pair it with a Dracovish (trick room and Curse seem to often be on the same set) or something similar and sweep from there.

Would something like a lead Mimikyu to set trick room and curse into 0 speed IV Dracovish and 0 speed IV GMax Snorlax with belly drum be a solid core?
 
Last edited:
I tutor for SWSH BSS and whilst I'm by no means an expert on the tier I see the same sorts of things come up over and over again and since the conversation is still going, I want to add a little more. I want to preface the below with that I'm not saying that people shouldn't come here to ask for teambuilding help since people here definitely can give suggestions but also perhaps that what I say below can help beyond teambuilding.

I've had a look back through the last few pages and have also been reading a lot on discord about people struggling to climb with what are essentially goodstuffs teams and asking for help whilst not being able to identify clear problems with their teams. Now I am certainly one to agree that the teams posted above have some flaws in that I'd probably tweak. To be honest though, as long as the teams have strong pokemon in with viable sets and a semblance of synergy that's generally fine. To put it one way, I think that the two teams mentioned could easily get to high rank on both Cartridge and Ladder with zero changes. You could get there with worse teams than these. These teams wouldn't be personally in my wheelhouse, with Latios's team I'd be uncomfortable vs. Conkeldurr and strong fighting type moves as well as Ferrothorn whilst I'd like an electric/fire special attacker for Corviknight and some sort of fighting move user on onPhyres team. This is just my personal style and thinking about the game though rather than fixing flaws so bad that they make the team unviable. I wouldn't even bat an eyelid if my opponents brought these teams on ladder and just assume they were standard and at worst slightly flawed.

I generally look at these posts and I'm making suggestions but internally I'm thinking, there's probably an issue with how the team is being played and that should be focused on first rather than tweaking the team. In fact, I'd suggest anyone who is looking for advice to consider the following things:

1. Is every pokemon on your team B+ or higher on the viability rankings
2. Do you have at least 2 ways of dealing with the S -> A+ pokemon
3. Do you have at least 1 way of dealing with the A Pokemon

If you check those three boxes and are struggling still to the point where you want to ask advice about your team on the forum, then practice your gameplay with a sample or top rated team. Does this significantly increase your rank? If it does, perhaps it is really the team. Then come here and you can go, well this team doesn't seem to be working as well as some of the other teams I play. This is a lot more useful than saying you are struggling with this team and people making suggestions when it might not even be the team's fault. Obviously if switching up teams isn't making any difference to your rank, just focus on your own gameplay.

Every single decision you make in BSS should have a purpose, a value assigned to it. Similarly all your pokemon have their own values that fluctuate throughout the game and depending on the opponent. Dynamax also has its own value. A common bad habit of inexperienced players is to Dynamax too early which in turn has led to the opposite but equally bad habit of not dynamaxing early. Both are viable in the right circumstances. The best way to improve in my opinion is to go back through your games, first looking at team preview, then looking turn by turn.

Pregame:

Why did you bring the three you brought? what is the biggest threat on my opponents team and how do I stop it? What is my win condition? How do they stop my win condition and what do I need to do in order to win? Is Dynamax more valuable for me or for them? Is my team stronger or weaker than their without any dynamax? Can I create a situation where I trade my dynamax for their dynamax or do I have to watch for the opposite?

Ingame:

Did I get the correct lead matchup? If no, do I have an acceptable turn 2 fall back? Then go through your decision making every single turn, both why did you click the move you did and why you think the opponent clicked their move? What does the opponents move choice show about what they are trying to do? Did you dynamax on the right turn? Did your dynamax get its intended purpose? Did your opponents Dynamax get their intended purpose/did they dynamax correctly?

Review:

What would you do differently if you played the game again? Did you have the tools to win? If not, how can you change your team in order to give yourself these tools and is it worth doing so? If you have identified a weakness, is the pokemon/core that you are weak to common enough to warrant changing your team?




Eventually, by just asking yourself these questions, the teambuilding knowledge will just come naturally to you from knowing how to play the game and you won't have to ask here since you will just know what the issues are with your team through playing. This, by the way, is a framework I still use to this day to improve and was a big part of my building and practice process for both getting high ladder ratings on showdown (I don't own SWSH) and in my tournament career. I am not above what I am talking about here and this process was/is still a fundamental part of my development as a pokemon player. So I hope this helps as well on top of the team change suggestions given above.
 
Last edited:
Thank you! I will give this a try. I have never used a pokemon in the style of Whimsicott so I am interest in how it goes. I also already have a fully trained Dracovish (on cartridge) so I may try Mimi and Dracovish as well.

My worry with Facade is that without Gmax turn 2 there are many instances in which I would have died after the belly drum/Figy. Lum would be interesting - though the health gain and replenish has saved me many times. With Whim needed a focus sash - my guess is that it directly replaces Excadrill? Also Excadrill is probably one of my weaker Dynamax users anyway.
Sorry, allow me to clarify: I meant it may be a good idea to have Lum Berry for a status absorption pokemon in general. It doesn't necessarily need to be Snorlax and, in fact, probably shouldn't be him.
 
For Whimsicott, you basically want something like the "Memento Support" set seen here: https://www.smogon.com/dex/ss/pokemon/whimsicott/battle-stadium-singles/

Tailwind is for what was mentioned above, and Memento is to cleanly get Darm-G in. The other two moves are whatever else you feel is necessary for your build.

If we are following the archetype above, the other four mons are all ideally pokemon that are near-immediate threats under Dynamax. Lead whichever one is likely to get the most value against the enemy team, then put Whimsicott and Darm-G behind it. That's the basic gist.
Okay so, what do you think of something like this?

Whimsicott (tailwind and memento)
Scarf Darm
Banded Dracovish
Specs Toxtricity
Life orb Mimikyu
Sub will'o Hex Dragapult

And thank you for your help!
 
Okay so, what do you think of something like this?

Whimsicott (tailwind and memento)
Scarf Darm
Banded Dracovish
Specs Toxtricity
Life orb Mimikyu
Sub will'o Hex Dragapult

And thank you for your help!
None of those picks are necessarily bad in their own right, and its something you could certainly try. But remember that the archetype I suggested above wants lead Dynamax potential, and only one of those four new members are good candidates for that (Life Orb Mimikyu.) Also, Choice Band should be on whichever member is planning to abuse Tailwind, though Dracovish could certainly work over Darm-G.

Here's a post in the Singles Team Bazaar that goes over some candidates for the archetype:

https://www.smogon.com/forums/threads/battle-stadium-singles-team-bazaar.3656988/post-8372559

All that being said, I agree with what Ika said about analyzing your own decision-making and that it is integral to getting better. This is just my opinion, but I think one of the dangers of "goodstuffs" is that its newcomer-friendly but seriously prone to auto-pilot. This is not exclusive to "goodstuffs" (A Sand Rush team like my own could easily be auto-piloted as well,) but what's unique to "goodstuffs" is that with so many great standalone threats, I think its especially easy to put each member into a vacuum and neglect the whole picture in match.

That is not to say "goodstuffs" is bad or that you shouldn't use it. Rather, I'm pointing out that like any other archetype it can take a lot practice and research to effectively pilot. Ika pretty much went over what needed to be said already on practice and analysis, so I won't belabor it. Whichever build you end up settling on, keep at it.
 
I tutor for SWSH BSS and whilst I'm by no means an expert on the tier I see the same sorts of things come up over and over again and since the conversation is still going, I want to add a little more. I want to preface the below with that I'm not saying that people shouldn't come here to ask for teambuilding help since people here definitely can give suggestions but also perhaps that what I say below can help beyond teambuilding.

I've had a look back through the last few pages and have also been reading a lot on discord about people struggling to climb with what are essentially goodstuffs teams and asking for help whilst not being able to identify clear problems with their teams. Now I am certainly one to agree that the teams posted above have some flaws in that I'd probably tweak. To be honest though, as long as the teams have strong pokemon in with viable sets and a semblance of synergy that's generally fine. To put it one way, I think that the two teams mentioned could easily get to high rank on both Cartridge and Ladder with zero changes. You could get there with worse teams than these. These teams wouldn't be personally in my wheelhouse, with Latios's team I'd be uncomfortable vs. Conkeldurr and strong fighting type moves as well as Ferrothorn whilst I'd like an electric/fire special attacker for Corviknight and some sort of fighting move user on onPhyres team. This is just my personal style and thinking about the game though rather than fixing flaws so bad that they make the team unviable. I wouldn't even bat an eyelid if my opponents brought these teams on ladder and just assume they were standard and at worst slightly flawed.

I generally look at these posts and I'm making suggestions but internally I'm thinking, there's probably an issue with how the team is being played and that should be focused on first rather than tweaking the team. In fact, I'd suggest anyone who is looking for advice to consider the following things:

1. Is every pokemon on your team B+ or higher on the viability rankings
2. Do you have at least 2 ways of dealing with the S -> A+ pokemon
3. Do you have at least 1 way of dealing with the A Pokemon

If you check those three boxes and are struggling still to the point where you want to ask advice about your team on the forum, then practice your gameplay with a sample or top rated team. Does this significantly increase your rank? If it does, perhaps it is really the team. Then come here and you can go, well this team doesn't seem to be working as well as some of the other teams I play. This is a lot more useful than saying you are struggling with this team and people making suggestions when it might not even be the team's fault. Obviously if switching up teams isn't making any difference to your rank, just focus on your own gameplay.

Every single decision you make in BSS should have a purpose, a value assigned to it. Similarly all your pokemon have their own values that fluctuate throughout the game and depending on the opponent. Dynamax also has its own value. A common bad habit of inexperienced players is to Dynamax too early which in turn has led to the opposite but equally bad habit of not dynamaxing early. Both are viable in the right circumstances. The best way to improve in my opinion is to go back through your games, first looking at team preview, then looking turn by turn.

Pregame:

Why did you bring the three you brought? what is the biggest threat on my opponents team and how do I stop it? What is my win condition? How do they stop my win condition and what do I need to do in order to win? Is Dynamax more valuable for me or for them? Is my team stronger or weaker than their without any dynamax? Can I create a situation where I trade my dynamax for their dynamax or do I have to watch for the opposite?

Ingame:

Did I get the correct lead matchup? If no, do I have an acceptable turn 2 fall back? Then go through your decision making every single turn, both why did you click the move you did and why you think the opponent clicked their move? What does the opponents move choice show about what they are trying to do? Did you dynamax on the right turn? Did your dynamax get its intended purpose? Did your opponents Dynamax get their intended purpose/did they dynamax correctly?

Review:

What would you do differently if you played the game again? Did you have the tools to win? If not, how can you change your team in order to give yourself these tools and is it worth doing so? If you have identified a weakness, is the pokemon/core that you are weak to common enough to warrant changing your team?




Eventually, by just asking yourself these questions, the teambuilding knowledge will just come naturally to you from knowing how to play the game and you won't have to ask here since you will just know what the issues are with your team through playing. This, by the way, is a framework I still use to this day to improve and was a big part of my building and practice process for both getting high ladder ratings on showdown (I don't own SWSH) and in my tournament career. I am not above what I am talking about here and this process was/is still a fundamental part of my development as a pokemon player. So I hope this helps as well on top of the team change suggestions given above.
Appreciate the feedback. I approach most things in a similar way so it was interesting to read your thoughts on it. For games where I am in the top 100-200 players (Hearthstone, Starcraft) I have the ability to analyze a match before, during and after - as well as the experience to trust my reactions and adjustments as being correct.

However in pokemon, while I have played on and off I never reached the upper levels so I am definitely lacking from a knowledge point of view which I call out in my original post. My assumption is that while each individual pokemon on my team was 'good' or 'standard' I was not sure if the team was cohesive and did a good job covering weaknesses. In past generations there was a bit more emphasis on having a strategy/plan and while this still holds true to an extent you can get away with having 6 'good' pokemon this generation more than in the past. This makes experience even more important IMO. For example if I had seen a Whimsicott on the opposing team in the past - I would assume it has some tricks (It is not a tier 1 pokemon straight up) but I would have no idea what they would be. Now I know and this is just one of many examples.

Some of the observations like having a fighting move was a natural thought process for me (I even call out debating putting one on Excadrill). While some of the points you made about the things you think of before and during a match are not something that I would even consider as I do not have the experience to think in that way. That being said that is exactly how I approach the games in which I am near the top at and there are things that I go over before and during that likely do not occur to people that would be at a lower level. For example someone could use the exact same deck in hearthstone as myself but not pilot it past a middling rank (formerly rank 10, now 'gold'). This supports what I always knew - the limitation is my knowledge and not the tools (pokemon) I am using. I still wanted to make sure I was using them in the correct combination as well so that I am learning from a platform that is generally accepted as correct or 'best.'

I like to use the forum to confirm or change my thought processes with the assistance of more experienced players. When I started on cartridge ladder I went 12-0 with this team and then I hit a wall where I was closer to a 50% win rate. I work on the knowledge and experience part on my own but instead of forming bad habits - it is nice to confirm with others if I am thinking along the correct lines.

I made some changes below (that will take some time to breed). If anyone would like to let me know their thoughts that would be great. My worry is that I make the changes to cover some weaknesses and improve the team but in turn I am creating new, potentially bigger holes in my team that I am not even aware of.


Mimikyu @ Life Orb
Ability: Disguise
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Play Rough
- Shadow Claw
- Shadow Sneak

Snorlax-Gmax @ Figy Berry
Ability: Gluttony
EVs: 228 HP / 252 Def / 28 SpD
Impish Nature
- Belly Drum
- Body Slam
- Iron Head
- Brick Break

Added Brick Break for fighting type coverage

Darmanitan-Galar @ Choice Band
Ability: Gorilla Tactics
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- U-turn
- Flare Blitz
- Earthquake
- Icicle Crash

Changed to Choice Band and Adamant.

Whimsicott @ Focus Sash
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Tailwind
- Memento
- Moonblast
- Taunt

Replaced Excadrill (Focus Sash) to set up Tailwind for Darm-G or another sweeper.

Dragapult (F) @ Choice Specs
Ability: Infiltrator
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Draco Meteor
- Shadow Ball
- Fire Blast
- Thunderbolt

SpA focused Dragapult I already had bred - Fire/Lightning for opposing Corviknight.

Lapras-Gmax (F) @ Assault Vest
Ability: Water Absorb
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 140 HP / 20 Def / 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 92 Spe
Modest Nature
- Freeze-Dry
- Sparkling Aria
- Sheer Cold
- Ice Shard

I was debating between Lapras and Corvinight for the last spot. Both can serve as a wall breaker for things like Toxapex by either setting up or spamming Sheer Cold. I went with Lapras as it can set up veil and has a bit more offensive capability - but I could be wrong. This is the spot I was most heavily debating so any help would be nice.

Edit: The other team option I was tinkering with is below. I basically add Curse/Trick Room Mimikyu and set Snorlax and Dracovish to 0 Speed IVs. I added Brick Break on Excadrill as I keep him in this scenario and replace Lapras with Dracovish (otherwise too many water types). Corviknight remains to help break walls and Darm-G is replaced by Choice Specs Dragapult (fire/electric coverage) as it no longer fits the win condition.


https://pokepast.es/6c29889f1aaf5cc9
 
Last edited:
Appreciate the feedback. I approach most things in a similar way so it was interesting to read your thoughts on it. For games where I am in the top 100-200 players (Hearthstone, Starcraft) I have the ability to analyze a match before, during and after - as well as the experience to trust my reactions and adjustments as being correct.

However in pokemon, while I have played on and off I never reached the upper levels so I am definitely lacking from a knowledge point of view which I call out in my original post. My assumption is that while each individual pokemon on my team was 'good' or 'standard' I was not sure if the team was cohesive and did a good job covering weaknesses. In past generations there was a bit more emphasis on having a strategy/plan and while this still holds true to an extent you can get away with having 6 'good' pokemon this generation more than in the past. This makes experience even more important IMO. For example if I had seen a Whimsicott on the opposing team in the past - I would assume it has some tricks (It is not a tier 1 pokemon straight up) but I would have no idea what they would be. Now I know and this is just one of many examples.

Some of the observations like having a fighting move was a natural thought process for me (I even call out debating putting one on Excadrill). While some of the points you made about the things you think of before and during a match are not something that I would even consider as I do not have the experience to think in that way. That being said that is exactly how I approach the games in which I am near the top at and there are things that I go over before and during that likely do not occur to people that would be at a lower level. For example someone could use the exact same deck in hearthstone as myself but not pilot it past a middling rank (formerly rank 10, now 'gold'). This supports what I always knew - the limitation is my knowledge and not the tools (pokemon) I am using. I still wanted to make sure I was using them in the correct combination as well so that I am learning from a platform that is generally accepted as correct or 'best.'

I like to use the forum to confirm or change my thought processes with the assistance of more experienced players. When I started on cartridge ladder I went 12-0 with this team and then I hit a wall where I was closer to a 50% win rate. I work on the knowledge and experience part on my own but instead of forming bad habits - it is nice to confirm with others if I am thinking along the correct lines.

I made some changes below (that will take some time to breed). If anyone would like to let me know their thoughts that would be great. My worry is that I make the changes to cover some weaknesses and improve the team but in turn I am creating new, potentially bigger holes in my team that I am not even aware of.


Mimikyu @ Life Orb
Ability: Disguise
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Play Rough
- Shadow Claw
- Shadow Sneak

Snorlax-Gmax @ Figy Berry
Ability: Gluttony
EVs: 228 HP / 252 Def / 28 SpD
Impish Nature
- Belly Drum
- Body Slam
- Iron Head
- Brick Break

Added Brick Break for fighting type coverage

Darmanitan-Galar @ Choice Band
Ability: Gorilla Tactics
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- U-turn
- Flare Blitz
- Earthquake
- Icicle Crash

Changed to Choice Band and Adamant.

Whimsicott @ Focus Sash
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Tailwind
- Memento
- Moonblast
- Taunt

Replaced Excadrill (Focus Sash) to set up Tailwind for Darm-G or another sweeper.

Dragapult (F) @ Choice Specs
Ability: Infiltrator
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Draco Meteor
- Shadow Ball
- Fire Blast
- Thunderbolt

SpA focused Dragapult I already had bred - Fire/Lightning for opposing Corviknight.

Lapras-Gmax (F) @ Assault Vest
Ability: Water Absorb
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 140 HP / 20 Def / 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 92 Spe
Modest Nature
- Freeze-Dry
- Sparkling Aria
- Sheer Cold
- Ice Shard

I was debating between Lapras and Corvinight for the last spot. Both can serve as a wall breaker for things like Toxapex by either setting up or spamming Sheer Cold. I went with Lapras as it can set up veil and has a bit more offensive capability - but I could be wrong. This is the spot I was most heavily debating so any help would be nice.

Edit: The other team option I was tinkering with is below. I basically add Curse/Trick Room Mimikyu and set Snorlax and Dracovish to 0 Speed IVs. I added Brick Break on Excadrill as I keep him in this scenario and replace Lapras with Dracovish (otherwise too many water types). Corviknight remains to help break walls and Darm-G is replaced by Choice Specs Dragapult (fire/electric coverage) as it no longer fits the win condition.


https://pokepast.es/6c29889f1aaf5cc9
I would only suggest flamethrower over fireblast on Dragapult. If you miss on ferro, you're not gaining anything anyway, and I belive that Max flare from flamethorwer does close to the same amount of max flare from fireblast, especially if ferro isn't dynamaxed (also, I don't think you'll dynamax dragapult unless you have to get out of your choiced item). I understand the reasoning behind timid, to speed tie against other dragas, but maybe going for modest would suit the idea of tailwind better. If you can afford adamant on Darm, then I think modest on draga is a given.
I'm still learning myself, so take these as friendly advices and by no means "strong criticts", as I'm way more comfortable playing the regular, dynamaxless meta of 6v6 singles OU.
 
None of those picks are necessarily bad in their own right, and its something you could certainly try. But remember that the archetype I suggested above wants lead Dynamax potential, and only one of those four new members are good candidates for that (Life Orb Mimikyu.) Also, Choice Band should be on whichever member is planning to abuse Tailwind, though Dracovish could certainly work over Darm-G.

Here's a post in the Singles Team Bazaar that goes over some candidates for the archetype:

https://www.smogon.com/forums/threads/battle-stadium-singles-team-bazaar.3656988/post-8372559

All that being said, I agree with what Ika said about analyzing your own decision-making and that it is integral to getting better. This is just my opinion, but I think one of the dangers of "goodstuffs" is that its newcomer-friendly but seriously prone to auto-pilot. This is not exclusive to "goodstuffs" (A Sand Rush team like my own could easily be auto-piloted as well,) but what's unique to "goodstuffs" is that with so many great standalone threats, I think its especially easy to put each member into a vacuum and neglect the whole picture in match.

That is not to say "goodstuffs" is bad or that you shouldn't use it. Rather, I'm pointing out that like any other archetype it can take a lot practice and research to effectively pilot. Ika pretty much went over what needed to be said already on practice and analysis, so I won't belabor it. Whichever build you end up settling on, keep at it.
I would agree that my flaws are in playstyle more than in team choices :) I will try to reason out loud and look back and matches more, to see what my mistakes were and adjust for future games. As of right now, I am loving the tailwind idea. I fused the sand core with the tailwind duo of whimsi and banded dracovish, and added anti-stall Corviknight (although I'm yet to use him in a match. I'm planning on using him vs pex ferro teams that just want to annoy the heck out of the opponent). Your suggestions so far have been very helpful!
 
Has anyone noticed an uptick in Snorlax Fissure usage lately? I'm still floating around the 2k-3k ranked range and I see this with decent frequency. The beast is hard enough to deal with as is, let alone having it RNG-dumpster your main counter on what is supposed to be a rather unfavorable dice roll. Its easily been one of the biggest sources of frustration for me lately; I'm to the point where I'm about to start researching Hawlucha just to deal with that move.

Cart player, btw.
 
Appreciate the feedback. I approach most things in a similar way so it was interesting to read your thoughts on it. For games where I am in the top 100-200 players (Hearthstone, Starcraft) I have the ability to analyze a match before, during and after - as well as the experience to trust my reactions and adjustments as being correct.

However in pokemon, while I have played on and off I never reached the upper levels so I am definitely lacking from a knowledge point of view which I call out in my original post. My assumption is that while each individual pokemon on my team was 'good' or 'standard' I was not sure if the team was cohesive and did a good job covering weaknesses. In past generations there was a bit more emphasis on having a strategy/plan and while this still holds true to an extent you can get away with having 6 'good' pokemon this generation more than in the past. This makes experience even more important IMO. For example if I had seen a Whimsicott on the opposing team in the past - I would assume it has some tricks (It is not a tier 1 pokemon straight up) but I would have no idea what they would be. Now I know and this is just one of many examples.

Some of the observations like having a fighting move was a natural thought process for me (I even call out debating putting one on Excadrill). While some of the points you made about the things you think of before and during a match are not something that I would even consider as I do not have the experience to think in that way. That being said that is exactly how I approach the games in which I am near the top at and there are things that I go over before and during that likely do not occur to people that would be at a lower level. For example someone could use the exact same deck in hearthstone as myself but not pilot it past a middling rank (formerly rank 10, now 'gold'). This supports what I always knew - the limitation is my knowledge and not the tools (pokemon) I am using. I still wanted to make sure I was using them in the correct combination as well so that I am learning from a platform that is generally accepted as correct or 'best.'

I like to use the forum to confirm or change my thought processes with the assistance of more experienced players. When I started on cartridge ladder I went 12-0 with this team and then I hit a wall where I was closer to a 50% win rate. I work on the knowledge and experience part on my own but instead of forming bad habits - it is nice to confirm with others if I am thinking along the correct lines.

I made some changes below (that will take some time to breed). If anyone would like to let me know their thoughts that would be great. My worry is that I make the changes to cover some weaknesses and improve the team but in turn I am creating new, potentially bigger holes in my team that I am not even aware of.


Mimikyu @ Life Orb
Ability: Disguise
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Play Rough
- Shadow Claw
- Shadow Sneak

Snorlax-Gmax @ Figy Berry
Ability: Gluttony
EVs: 228 HP / 252 Def / 28 SpD
Impish Nature
- Belly Drum
- Body Slam
- Iron Head
- Brick Break

Added Brick Break for fighting type coverage

Darmanitan-Galar @ Choice Band
Ability: Gorilla Tactics
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- U-turn
- Flare Blitz
- Earthquake
- Icicle Crash

Changed to Choice Band and Adamant.

Whimsicott @ Focus Sash
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Tailwind
- Memento
- Moonblast
- Taunt

Replaced Excadrill (Focus Sash) to set up Tailwind for Darm-G or another sweeper.

Dragapult (F) @ Choice Specs
Ability: Infiltrator
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Draco Meteor
- Shadow Ball
- Fire Blast
- Thunderbolt

SpA focused Dragapult I already had bred - Fire/Lightning for opposing Corviknight.

Lapras-Gmax (F) @ Assault Vest
Ability: Water Absorb
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 140 HP / 20 Def / 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 92 Spe
Modest Nature
- Freeze-Dry
- Sparkling Aria
- Sheer Cold
- Ice Shard

I was debating between Lapras and Corvinight for the last spot. Both can serve as a wall breaker for things like Toxapex by either setting up or spamming Sheer Cold. I went with Lapras as it can set up veil and has a bit more offensive capability - but I could be wrong. This is the spot I was most heavily debating so any help would be nice.

Edit: The other team option I was tinkering with is below. I basically add Curse/Trick Room Mimikyu and set Snorlax and Dracovish to 0 Speed IVs. I added Brick Break on Excadrill as I keep him in this scenario and replace Lapras with Dracovish (otherwise too many water types). Corviknight remains to help break walls and Darm-G is replaced by Choice Specs Dragapult (fire/electric coverage) as it no longer fits the win condition.


https://pokepast.es/6c29889f1aaf5cc9
Not too bad here; a few minor things I would suggest for that team iteration.

Mimikyu: I would suggest trying out Phantom Force over Shadow Claw in order to help waste opposing Dynamax further if you find yourself in the situation often of sending out Mimikyu against the opposing Dynamaxed Pokémon. If the opposing Dynamaxer outspends Mimikyu you could do a combo of Phantom Force turn one after your disguise is broken, dodge the opponents move while hitting with Phantom Force turn two, then you can Dynamax turn three (if you can) and use Max Guard to stall out the last Dynamax turn.

Snorlax: I would suggest giving it Fire Punch over Brick Break here. Snorlax really wants the ability to hit Ferrothorn, Corviknight, and Aegislash (three common enough threats) hard, and Fire Punch hits all Steel Pokémon at least for neutral damage (which it wants as Body Slam/Iron Head together don’t do much to Steel Pokémon. To my knowledge I don’t think Brick Break really does anything notable here. You could use Heat Crash here for more power against certain threats (as Snorlax is heavy enough to use it well), but I think Fire Punch is a more consistent option, especially since Heat Crash is useless against Dynamaxed Pokémon.

Whimsicott: I might suggest giving it Encore over Taunt here, though both moves are good here for different reasons. Encore has the potential to be very disruptive; if you lock opposing Pokémon into a non attacking move it could force your opponent to either switch out (giving you a free turn) or Dynamax early (which could be good so you can Dynamax later)

I hope that helps!
 
Last edited:
I also think my flaws are in playstyle > team structure. It would help that I could save replays of my losses so I could watch them once in a while and learn from it.
 

Users Who Are Viewing This Thread (Users: 1, Guests: 0)

Top