Other Metagames [SV Partners in Crime] Forever Heavy

[HiZo]

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Introduction​

Partners in Crime recently got a strange renaissance with new players wanting to try the new tier and the Occasional going well, all things considered. I really wanted to post a team dump from teams I fed to users from the in-between of circuit and occasional but frankly with OMPL coming up it didn't feel right to post teams so soon. On the other hand, I made the herculean effort to make a roguelike on Pokemon Showdown and that has been incredibly rewarding on the development end. I originally made this team in a flash of inspiration during the OM Circuit, but given its results in individual tournaments I feel like if there would be a team to share right now it would be this one. I've shared this to a lot of people who wanted to get into the tier and it seems fairly standard outside of Ampharos (I'm not known for building standard anyways), so might as well make a document to share it with everyone right?

Teambuilding
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Did you know Ampharos learns After You? Did you know that in Mix and Mega Doubles Prankster After You is incredibly broken? I wanted to try it here because of Ampharos's unique traits.


Landorus always compliments Tornadus really well, the substitute variant especially.


Something I've noticed I've been building a lot of Ghold-less team compositions, this team is no different. Anyways, since Ampahros is the opposite of fast I really want to make sure this team doesn't get outsped by opposing tailwind so having a semiroom core of P2 + Sinistcha really helps Ampharos shine and stay healthy.


I needed a BS checker and an Ice switch-in that can synergize well with special attack spam. Volcanion's typing and stats are pretty good to work in Tailwind or in Trick Room as well as learns Haze, so it works.

Team
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Ampharos @ Safety Goggles
Ability: Plus
Tera Type: Flying
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Thunderbolt
- After You
- Magnetic Flux
- Protect

After You Ampharos is a very new concept on a Pokemon with proven but very niche viability. Typically seen on stall, its gameplan is to use Magnetic Flux and Cotton Guard to beef up its and its ally's defensive stats and then sweep with stored power. Here however, we use a fully offensive Ampharos take advantage of its ability Plus, which functions differently in Partners in Crime due to the OM mechanics. Plus requires an ally with either Plus or Minus in order to work, but since abilities are shared Plus effectively gives a free 1.5x Special Attack bonus to itself and whatever ally is on the field at a given time. So to give maximum Plus potential the team needs to be stacked with strong special attackers. Magnetic Flux only works while Ampharos is on the field, but it provides +1 Def/SpD to itself and its allies. Goggles is used to ignore Rage Powder and Spore which can be important if it tries to use After You on its ally. Tera Flying is used to provide a Ground immunity as well as provide it with Bleakwind Storm STAB.


Tornadus @ Focus Sash
Ability: Prankster
Tera Type: Ghost
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Bleakwind Storm
- Tailwind
- Taunt
- Nasty Plot

Offensive Support Tornadus works in tandem with Ampharos to come out swinging from turn one. Nasty Plot + Protect-less is used because its most common allies on the battlefield, Ampharos and Landorus, both have Protect. Tornadus is considered one of the best Pokemon in the tier because of its strong utility with Prankster + Tailwind as well as having a strong spread move in Bleakwind Storm. While similar to how it plays in Doubles or VGC, the difference here is that its most common ally is Landorus, which really looooves having a SFLO boosted Flying type move. Now here, Tornadus completes the gimmick coupled with Ampharos: either it or Ampharos setting up with Nasty Plot and then once powerful enough, you have a strong spread move boosted by Plus that bypasses speed tiers thanks to Prankster After You.


Landorus @ Life Orb
Ability: Sheer Force
Tera Type: Water
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Earth Power
- Sludge Bomb
- Substitute
- Protect

As mentioned earlier, Tornadus + Landorus is one of the strongest combinations in Partners in Crime. This team abuses it no differently than any other similar compisition. This team has a LOT of Sheer Force boosted moves (Ice Beam, Matcha Gotcha, etc.) that Landorus can click effectively while providing a way to handle threats such as Raging Bolt, Iron Hands, and Incineroar. Substitute is really nice to shore up the matchup against Spore as well as being really nice if used during a successful prediction. This team has multiple ways for being able to heal HP so it allows Landorus to really stay on the field if you can play well enough. Tera Water is used over the standard Tera Poison to salvage the matchup vs Porygon2 and Latias, both of which normally carry Ice Beam, as well as provide extra STAB from Steam Eruption.


Porygon2 @ Eviolite
Ability: Download
Tera Type: Fairy
EVs: 252 HP / 128 Def / 112 SpA / 16 SpD
Quiet Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Tera Blast
- Ice Beam
- Recover
- Trick Room

Porygon2, while not as common in standard doubles, is great in Partners in Crime thanks to Download. Being able to give Landorus or Sinistcha a potential Special Attack boost just by switching in, as well has having positive matchups against opposing Landorus makes it a major threat. Tera Blast allows everyone in your team to have access to Tera STAB if they need it without having to switch into a certain Pokemon, which is immensely useful if said Pokemon is frail. The spread was made by Chromate which makes Chien-Pao Sacred Sword and Landorus Earth Power a guaranteed 3HKO. Aside from its synergy of providing a Special Attack boost, it is one of my two Trick Room setters which can be used against matchups like Rain who rely on insane speed tiers to outspeed the opponent and win that way. Unintentionally, Porygon2 can be used as a wincon when paired alongside Ampharos or Sinistcha to accumulate boosts and become an unkillable juggernaut.


Sinistcha @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Hospitality
Tera Type: Dark
EVs: 252 HP / 76 Def / 16 SpA / 164 SpD
Quiet Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 0 Spe
- Matcha Gotcha
- Shadow Ball
- Calm Mind
- Trick Room

Sinistcha is another great support option where Partners in Crime buffs its ability further. Hospitality, when Sinistcha switches in, gives itself and its ally 25% of its HP back. Frixel then showed me that Sinistcha can be an immortal Calm Mind sweeper by strategically pivoting your ally so Sinistcha keeps being fed Hospitality heals (and potentially Download boosts). Tera Dark + Shadow Ball allows me to dodge Prankster-boosted moves like Taunt and allows me to become a wincon against Psyspam teams. Sinistcha can be used with Landorus-I to create a makeshift Substitute + Calm Mind sweeper that can break through supposed checks like Incineroar or used with Porygon2 or Ampharos to make a decent Trick Room sweeper core that can threaten Tornadus and other Flying-types.


Volcanion @ Leftovers
Ability: Water Absorb
Tera Type: Ground
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Steam Eruption
- Heat Wave
- Protect
- Haze

Volcanion's main role is to help the matchup against BS and switch in to Ice Beam, as well as act as a soft check to Rain and Sun. Haze is pretty good in a tier where various things can happen like Bulldoze + Weakness Policy strategies. Volcanion's offensive coverage allows me to lessen my reliance on Tornadus to handle Grass-types like Rillaboom and also gives me ways to deal with Ice-types like Chien-Pao and Ninetales-Alola. Regarding synergies, Volcanion can also be used to invalidate Landorus's water weakness, which coupled with Substitute makes it even more annoying to take down. Tornadus can give Volcanion Prankster which can useful as a panic button if you need to remove your opponent's boosts. Tera Ground is used here to get STAB from Earth Power as well as power through pokemon like Electro Shot Archaludon and Raging Bolt.

Threats​

The team requires you to have a +1 priority difference, and most PrioSpam teams carry Extreme Speed (notably a +2 priority move).
/If its Kyurem it will be an uphill battle but hard to win against. If its Frosmoth (while more uncommon but has more tools against these types of teams) then you are definitely not winning.
You just need to play against their current speed control, as in play towards trick room if they are fast or try and negate their Trick Room if playing against FullRoom. Follow Me is also a +2 priority move which means you can't really go for gimmick while Indeedee-F is on the field.
You are not winning against a well-played Wind Rider.
You have Goggles on Ampharos and a Sinistcha, but if you want to better your matchup against Spore run Safety Goggles on Volcanion.
It doesn't die and it has Ice Beam so you should Tera with Landorus and take advantage of its passivity with Calm Mind/Magnetic Flux boosts

Replays
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen9partnersincrime-828825 QT vs SammyCe (PiC Occasional)
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9partnersincrime-2326317676?p2 QT vs Yuki (PiC Occasional)
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen9partnersincrime-809898?p2 TTTech vs SammyCe (OM Circuit)

Last Thoughts
Super thanks to everyone who played my roguelike when it first debuted. Thanks as well to the Partners in Crime council/players and greater OM community. I would ping a lot of users but it would be a LOT of users I am certain I would forget someone. I'm not good at conclusions but play PiC its fun I swear, we have a ladder for May.​