The opposing Gliscor used Earthquake!
(Aegislash lost 72% of its health!)
* What, don't tell me you've had ENOUGH already?
Aegislash unleashes its full force Z-Move!
Aegislash used Never-Ending Nightmare!
SWOON
The opposing Gliscor lost 100% of its health!
After my first RMT, Chaos King, was so well received, I decided to make another one featuring one of my favorite teams. I present to you...
BLACK KNIFE
(Click Pokeball for Pokepaste)
Ghostium Z Aegislash was always one of my favorite sets. It's not that easy to switch in to, can shrug off a few hits with its Shield Form, and has Shadow Sneak for emergency priority. I haven't built an Aegislash team in quite a while, so after a little bit of inspiration from Deltarune Chapter 3, this team was born. The team went through multiple iterations, and I ended up settling for the squad shown above. Admittedly, it didn't perform as well as Chaos King. Though it got solid results during ladder testing. I'm glad with how it turned out, and I do think there's still some room for improvements. Now let's get to each of the Pokemon.(Aegislash lost 72% of its health!)
* What, don't tell me you've had ENOUGH already?Aegislash unleashes its full force Z-Move!
Aegislash used Never-Ending Nightmare!
SWOON
The opposing Gliscor lost 100% of its health!
After my first RMT, Chaos King, was so well received, I decided to make another one featuring one of my favorite teams. I present to you...
BLACK KNIFE
(Click Pokeball for Pokepaste)
The Black Knife (Aegislash) (F) @ Ghostium Z
Ability: Stance Change
Shiny: Yes
Tera Type: Steel
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Mild Nature
- Shadow Ball
- Close Combat
- Shadow Sneak
- King's Shield
The star of the show. I decided to go with a mixed attacking Z Aegislash with its signature move King's Shield to scout incoming attacks. I do think that Aegislash has a few merits over the more popular Gholdengo. Though it can't Nasty Plot, it has more immediate firepower than Gholdengo, and running mixed coverage allows you to murk Tyranitar and overconfident Kingambits who don't plan on clicking Sucker Punch. Shadow Sneak is also very nice priority, letting you finish off a weakened opponent, or getting some chip damage before you go down. Max Speed might be a little bit unnecessary but it does let you outspeed stuff like Jolly Kingambit (does anyone actually use this?). You could probably go with 201 Speed and then just invest the rest into Attack. I went with Mild Nature (SpA+ Def-) as Aegislash is my primary Fairy check, and most Fairy Types such as Lele or Valiant love throwing out Moonblasts. In turn, this does make Aegislash more prone to Earthquake damage, but most defensive Ground Types can't OHKO the Shield Form with an Earthquake. And with Landorus and Alomomola in the back, I think Minus Defense is safe enough to use. The Ghost Z can be incredibly destructive. You can OHKO stuff like Physical Defense Gliscor. Nothing is more satisfying than throwing out the Z and getting that SWOON on an enemy. It's surprisingly easy to throw out too, as most Ghost resists in the format hate getting whacked by a Close Combat.
Vs. 
Phys. Def.
252+ SpA Aegislash-Both Never-Ending Nightmare (160 BP) vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Gliscor: 384-453 (108.4 - 127.9%) -- guaranteed OHKO Phys. Def.Vs. Spec. Def.
252+ SpA Aegislash-Both Never-Ending Nightmare (160 BP) vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Gliscor: 262-309 (74 - 87.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Poison Heal Spec. Def.Vs. 
252+ SpA Aegislash-Both Never-Ending Nightmare (160 BP) vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Heatran: 210-247 (54.4 - 63.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recoveryIf you're healthy enough, you can King's Shield to live the next Magma Storm and CC to KO it!
0 SpA Heatran Magma Storm vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Aegislash-Both: 204-240 (78.1 - 91.9%) -- 25% chance to OHKO after trapping damage
4 Atk Aegislash-Both Close Combat vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Heatran: 220-260 (56.9 - 67.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
Vs. 
252+ SpA Aegislash-Both Never-Ending Nightmare (160 BP) vs. 248 HP / 124 SpD Toxapex: 204-241 (67.3 - 79.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKOVs. 
252+ SpA Aegislash-Both Never-Ending Nightmare (160 BP) vs. 8 HP / 248 SpD Alomomola: 381-448 (80.5 - 94.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKOOther Options
You can run a Swords Dance Aegislash with the weaker Shadow Claw over Shadow Ball and SD over King's Shield to forgo that defensive option in favor of a boosting move. I have considered trying so myself, but I think the team already has enough physical attackers as is. The mixed coverage allows you to whack one-sided walls like Blissey or Dondozo as well.
Alomomola (F) @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Regenerator
Tera Type: Water
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpD
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Wish
- Protect
- Toxic
- Flip Turn
Alomomola. Not much to say here, seriously. We all know what it does. I thought the team would appreciate a healer to increase everyone's longevity. Alomomola also doubles as a slow pivot, which helps get my attackers in. This Pokemon is admittedly pretty boring but sometimes the boring things are the most efficient.
Other Options
You can run the Assault Vest set if you want a special wall that also doubles as a slow pivot. I personally think that Wish is too valuable for this team to give up, but Assault Vest can help you switch into special attackers like Gholdengo much more easily.
Zamazenta @ Choice Band
Ability: Dauntless Shield
Tera Type: Fighting
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Close Combat
- Crunch
- Stone Edge
- Ice Fang
I wanted some more firepower on this team so I added a Choice Band Zamazenta. This guy is just really good in general due to his practically unlimited coverage options. With Alomomola allowing for safe entry, Zamazenta has been an invaluable member of this team. With good predictions, Zamazenta can crack many defensive cores with the help of the team's other attackers. Everyone knows to consider Zamazenta as a serious threat. Close Combat and Crunch are givens, Stone Edge can punish reckless switches into Flying types 80% of the time, and Ice Fang is a nice tool to scare out Gliscor and Landorus, the former being a pretty big nuisance in general.
Other Options
If you want, you can run Boots or Expert Belt over Choice Band if you want versatility over power. As for different moves, Heavy Slam is also a great coverage move for Zamazenta to have, as it allows you to hurt stuff like Tapu Lele and Clefable, who is rising in popularity. Wild Charge over Stone Edge is also a funny yet considerable option to deal with stuff like Toxapex while still hitting things like Moltres and Corviknight. The recoil can potentially be healed off by Alomomola's Wish.
Dragonite (M) @ Loaded Dice
Ability: Multiscale
Tera Type: Steel
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Scale Shot
- Earthquake
- Fire Punch
Scale Shot Dragonite functions as a lategame sweeper for this team. I think Scale Shot is a great option on Z-less Dragonite, as it lets you carry Dragon STAB as well as giving you an option to boost your Speed. Assuming you don't miss, Scale Shot can allow you to run away with the game when facing a weakened team, as well as allowing you to break Substitutes if needed. Earthquake and Fire Punch are basic coverage moves that let you hit stuff like Heatran and Corviknight respectively. Alomomola's Wish allows Dragonite to regain its Multiscale if it was previously chipped down by hazards or enemy attacks.
Other Options
Like Zamazenta, Dragonite has practically endless coverage options. You can ditch the Scale Shot and Loaded Dice in favor of Boots and run something like Ice Spinner to cover Landorus and Gliscor, or Extreme Speed for some extra priority. A defensive Dragon Dance + Roost set is also an option for those who want to win battles and/or heal against stuff like Ogerpon Wellspring or Landorus. You can also run Substitute over Earthquake to get the standard Scale Shot set, but I never really liked Substitute Dragonite as it hinders the Multiscale. Not to mention you also struggle to damage Heatran now.
Tapu Lele @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Psychic Surge
Tera Type: Psychic
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Moonblast
- Psyshock
- Focus Blast
- Hidden Power [Fire]
My team needed Speed control and I wanted to continue off of that offensive Dragon/Steel/Fairy core I had going, so I added in a Choice Scarf Tapu Lele. Lele is another pretty effective Pokemon in general. Boosted Psyshocks and being immune to priority for a short while makes Lele a formidable presence on this team. It felt like a natural choice for this team, as Zamazenta and Lele form a good offensive core, and the Psychic Terrain also helps my Aegislash against Sucker Punch shenanigans. I decided to drop the Psyshock/Psychic combination to run both Focus Blast and HP Fire. That way I have moves to hit both Heatran and Ferrothorn effectively.
Other Options
Lele doesn't have too many moves to work with. You can drop either Focus Blast or HP Fire for Psychic if you want to run both Psyshock and Psychic. You can probably run another item over the Scarf like Twisted Spoon if you consider Zamazenta to be adequate speed control. If you're feeling really confident, you can drop the Scarf for Specs to get some even more devastating damage, with Specs or Twisted Spoon you could probably drop HP Fire for Future Sight.
Landorus-Therian (M) @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Intimidate
Tera Type: Ground
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Knock Off
- Defog
This Landorus is Role Compression Incarnate (or rather, Therian..?). I needed Rocks, Knock Off, and Defog all in one, and I was satisfied with the core I currently had so I threw in this Landorus as a last minute addition. To my surprise, it actually wasn't half bad. Some people don't expect Knock Off on Landorus, which allows me to score hits on stuff like Alomomola, Zapdos, and Toxapex and remove their item. Before I decided to use Landorus, I ran Iron Treads, but I found Defog to be better than Rapid Spin for this team as there are so many spin blockers running amok. Defog Landorus felt better overall can threaten Gholdengo pretty soundly, and also has access to Rocks like Treads.
Other Options
I think you can potentially replace this Landorus for Gliscor if you like Gliscor's healing over the traits such as Intimidate that Landorus provides. As for the moves, there is very little to work with if you want Knock Off, Rocks, and hazard removal on this team. If you don't need one of the things listed, you can probably switch the corresponding move out for something like U-Turn.
Things to Watch Out For
Mega Venusaur is probably the #1 threat that this team has to deal with. Its typing, bulk, and recovery make it really bothersome to deal with. Incoming Sludge Bomb poisons can be really annoying, and being immune to Alomomola's Toxic as well make Venusaur incredibly annoying to go up against. Heals Synthesis and Leech Seed make it difficult to take this thing down for good. Lele has trouble switching in against Venusaur due to its typing.
The Solution
Keeping Venusaur low enough to take it out with Dragonite's Scale Shot or Aegislash's Ghost Z can put it out of commission for good. Keeping your hazards up is also important during this matchup, as Venusaur can be slowly chipped down through numerous switches. Lele can threaten to Psyshock and force it out, but it always has to fear a potential Sludge Bomb. As long as you play a little aggressively and find ways to bring Lele in, you should be able to break past Venusaur.
The Solution
If you see a Tapu Koko on team preview, make sure to keep Lele and Zamazenta in good shape, so that they can outspeed and threaten it. They are your greatest tools against Koko as they can exploit its weak defenses once they find a way to switch in. Make sure you scout the set as well. Always scout for HP Ice with Landorus too, unless you are sure it's Choiced. Losing your Ground type against a Koko often leads to a terrible experience. If you think the Koko is Choiced then try to start making some predictions, like catching their U-Turns. It is also important to scout for a potential Z so you don't end up losing someone important like Tapu Lele.
REPLAYS:
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9nationaldex-2417223125-adr2c0i88p92h4kloth95repfenqfsupw
This was a really fun replay where my Aegislash got 2 KOs, one by taking a Shadow Ball from Gholdengo and OHKO'ing with its own, and another by Shadow Sneaking a Garchomp going for a greedy SD.
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9nationaldex-2416904993-dudv3qpxdm7tpx3bbt65tia9lnjl80dpw?p2
This is a good demonstration of Aegislash's mixed coverage options. Being able to take down Tyranitar and Double Dance Manaphy right out the gate for Lele to clean up.
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9nationaldex-2416603959-ue3jrjqclq0yce172l9mieq6v1mlsktpw?p2
Not the most insane replay, but I thought I'd include it because I got an epic Ghostium Z SWOON on an unsuspecting Zapdos.
And that's it for my second RMT! I had a lot of fun building this team and creating the prophecies for each of the team members. I hope everyone enjoyed reading this! I think that this team has the potential to be very effective with careful playing. If you decide to try the team, I hope it goes well for you!
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