hey all this thread hasn't had much activity so I'm here to share an interesting component of a team i've been tinkering around with lately;
this is the six that Garay oak brought to
week 1 of this year's SPL vs MichaelderBeste2. it's a classic looking Mega Metagross bulky offense featuring big hitters in Choice Specs Keldeo as well as an offshoot pick in Assault Vest Bisharp. overall it's a great team and one that offers you the ability to pilot any matchup while retaining enough flexibility to change up the sets at the drop of a hat. vs. MDB2, Garay opted for Choice Scarf Latios as well as Bullet Punch + Earthquake Metagross however I decided to pivot and try other options. this led me to "rediscover" the potency of Life Orb and how it enables offense like no other. this epiphany of mine is part of a series that started with
this team and Life Orb Thundurus. this time, my Life Orb user of choice is Latios so I'd like to discuss the interesting role of the male Eon twin in this Brave New World.
Latios (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 29 HP
-
Defog
- Draco Meteor
- Psyshock
- Surf
View attachment 752898
three months ago I said something rather foolish and I'd like to take back those words. Defog Latios is a Pokemon that has been growing on me for quite some time now as I've come to appreciate its talents as an offensive Defog user. this realisation came as quite a suprise to me as I used to be adamantly against using Defog in any capacity, not just on Latios. I'm still an Excadrill truther but having branched out and explored other options I've come to realise that the grass is green everywhere. anyway, back to Latios. the reason I find Latios appealing as a Defog user is that it has positive matchups vs most Stealth Rock users in the tier. setters such as Garchomp and Landorus-Therian have to run from the threat of Life Orb boosted Draco Meteor and Surf respectively while otherwise sturdy setters such as Hippowdon and Chansey can be worn down relatively easily by Surf and Psyshock respectively. this is absolutely massive especially when pairing Latios with threats like Metagross and Bisharp who are otherwise hampered by the presence of the Ground-types. despite the fact that they aren't necessarily weak to Stealth Rock, Latios aids them by getting rid of their biggest checks while also removing the pointy stones for partners such as Thundurus who also struggles against Moto Moto who easily walls it with its massive HP in conjuction with its good Special Defense.
what I like most about this is that Latios' doesn't lose any of its ability to wallbreak. the ability to keep Stealth Rock off the field vs. the Ground-types is merely additional utility aiding Latios play a more active role as opposed to the more one dimensional 'click Draco Meteor and Trick and die to Pursuit' of the Choice sets. I could go on longer about the positive traits of Latios but in short, Draco Meteor is a crazy move and Ground-types run from the blue dragon.
I hope this inspires some of you to give a second look at Latios and find new ways to breath life into him.
shoutout to KlefkiHolder once again for opening my eyes
I appreciate you bringing topics to the discussion. That being said, It's time for my Skeptical Spectacles to be put on.
This team is pretty slow for an offense. Fastest mon Thundurus is just not enough in this current climate when Serperior, Weavile, Scarf Volcanion, and Alakazam are everywhere. Not to mention Lopunny is still annoying and the rare Manectric can destroy it.
Not to mention boosters like Tyranitar, Gyarados, and Volcarona. There's a reason why Scarf Latios AND triple priority (Bullet Punch + Sucker Punch + Twave) is used - because this team is always one wrong turn away from fumbling to a faster threat.
What the actual hell do you do vs. Mega Diancie? The counterplay cannot be hoping to win the speedtie. What about Volcarona after a QD? It might look like it struggles to set up, but you can definitely find opportunities like a -2 Latios or a -1 Speed Metagross. Not to mention the possibility of sreens or roost giving it more opportunities. The team's original sets (by Garay) make a lot more sense.
In general, these team archetypes fall under "Trade Offense." An archetype where one uses the high natural bulk of the mons used (everything here can take a big hit) and outdamage the opponent. These teams were a hallmark in the 2018 but went out of favor due to teams developing longevity counterplay. They are resurging because of the return of fast-paced offense. However, it is essential that you have counterplay to 1) teams with longevity and 2) teams with faster, immediate threats.
Scarf Latios is essential (with Psyshock) for Volcarona, Volcanion, and other stuff, Trick helps vs. fat. Bullet Punch and EQ are much preferrable on Metagross as they give you priority, a way to bypass contact to keep your health, and avoid the -1 speed drawback. To be clear, Defog on Latios is mainly for spikes/tspikes since the team is usually structured in a way where rocks are not a problem.
As it stands now, the team crumbles immediately under Scarf Volcanion w/ rocks up after a burn on keldeo, or Mega Alakazam with 1 correct prediction. Not to mention you can switch into Weavile exactly twice. You never really need to click Pursuit, opponent was just bad.
Even with these changes, you need 148 SpD Chomp to better the Diancie mu by being able to eat a Moonblast in a pinch situation and also checking moth.
Despite all of this, I am still very skeptical of teams like this. Frankly, I do not think they are great in the current meta. It is very easy to see how Serperior can quickly overwhelm this, or perhaps something like Amoonguss being able to sit on this indefinitely (note: pretty sure metagross is pursuit to enable Keldeo and also to be able to get past amoonguss w/ burn + pursuit). Then there's the stuff I mentioned like Mega Diancie / Mega Alakazam where in the hands of a good player they can always win this mu. Even something as simple as Calm Mind Slowbro can be a menace once Trick on Latios is removed. Team is good into players that do BO, HO, or slower offenses. It's gonna crumble against most other things, and it requires good play. Proceed with caution
