Hello. I wanted to do one final team dump to get some closure on this tier since I feel like I left this generation somewhat prematurely. This is an effort to share my collective knowledge that I’ve amassed from my time playing this game in hopes to help newer players understand the tier better, or perhaps even inspire more experienced ones. I’ve built in the ballpark of over 300 teams from my time playing SM, but the teams I included are my best ones that I feel collectively represent the tier as a whole. They are all updated to current meta and have been tested to meet my standards (for reference only about a quarter of the current sample teams are ones I actually think are decent). I’ll give a short description of each team, explain spreads if they aren’t obvious (if I didn’t then that means I already explained that set with a team that had it earlier), mention any egregious weaknesses, alternative edits that can be run, as well as some replays showing them in action. But first, team building in SM is challenging for many, even for myself, so I will provide a general list of rules I personally abide by when building a good team.
ground immunity: Levitate is not good enough, need at least 1 flying type since all relevant levitators are weak/neutral to uturn which is bad if it’s your initial lando switchin.
electric immunity: You can run a team with no electric immunity, but in my experience those teams are not as consistent compared to ones that do, but is fine for tournament one offs. Blocking volt switch is imperative otherwise something like koko will have a field day.
dark resist: Mostly to deter specs gren dark pulse from getting battle bond, chansey counts as a resist but make sure to have some way to cover for physical darks.
water, psychic, grass, ice, fire, fighting, flying, fairy resist: Major types that should be covered for defensively on almost every team, corresponding to rain/gren, lelezam, bulukartserp, kyubweav, zardtranvolctini, medilop, torn, and every fairy. If your team doesn’t have a resistance or a sturdy one to any of these, even for the uncommon types that I did not list, have some way to compensate to deal with them offensively. For offensive structures, it’s more important to have good offensive synergy, even if it means compromising on defensive resistances. Also if you're stacking types offensively, make sure to have extra counterplay to common weaknesses.
stealth rock: A one turn entry hazard that always helps in making progress is a must have. Do not run more than one sr user however as it’s wasted role compression when a team is already stretched too thin trying to cover for every threat. Personal opinion, but consolidating sr on sd z chomp or lando is not practical due to being pressured to either get up sr or wallbreak, giving your opponent the option to either kill a threat but deal with sr (which they can defog later) or incur damage at the cost of no sr for the rest of the game. These two sets historically only existed to pressure sableye and skarmory to get up sr to break dugtrio focus sash, but that is not relevant in this current meta. So I would not recommend it as you will be punished for greed (you can't have your cake and eat it too), but dedicated hazard leads are fine though.
hazard control: The only teams that can forgo removal are some ho structures that go all in on threats, or fatty hazard stack teams that have mons that are insulated against opposing hazard stack. There are two grades of hazard control depending on what your team may need. The first is reliable removal which includes torn (has regen), nonscarf lando, gliscor, rotom, synthesis kart, taunt serp (for offense). These mons are not as hazard susceptible which gives them more entry points to reliably remove hazards vs the majority of the tier.
The second is unreliable removal which includes zardy, exca (spikes weak and contact from spin wears it down), scarf lando, scarf kart, scarf serp, peli, skarm, sciz, fini, koko, zap, lati, thundt, mew, mantine, mandi, hydra, mbounce sab and dia (skarm, koko, lati, hydra, and mew are defoggers I would never use though since they have better options). These mons have issues in regards to deterring hazards, but some remove for themselves due to being sr weak, are too passive, frail, and/or lack ideal recovery options. They can compensate for their shortcomings by having more positive matchups into certain hazard setters or other mons, while also alleviating pressure off another potential defogger if your team has an extra.
For most teams that do not have any sr weaks, at least one unreliable remover is fine, but for teams with multiple x2 or even x4 weak then having a reliable removal, a reliable removal and an unreliable removal, or two unreliable removal options may be necessitated depending on the playstyle. Running at least two defoggers is fine for certain team structures since enabling sr weak mons gives your team a pretty big advantage and you can outlast opposing sr pp if it comes to that. Also there is less commitment clicking defog compared to spending multiple turns setting up layers of spikes+sr, which is a net waste if you can just defog to get rid of them in one turn.
speed control: The bare minimum speed every team needs to have is something that outspeeds 109 speed (absolutely necessary for most fat teams, but more offensive structures should go faster to cover speedier threats they’d have trouble checking defensively). Sd kartana is too debilitating to try to purely defensively check due to it being able to overcome all its counters depending on its z move of choice and snowball potential. Always make sure to run down faster unboosted threats above 109 spe to make sure you can deal with them in some way: zam>lop>koko>weav>gren>torn>serp>dia>lati. For speed boosters you’ll need either defensive counterplay, a faster scarfer, and/or priority to manage vs them. Spreading paralysis, weather abusers, and more niche options in sticky web and trick room are also valid options to consider.
win conditions: Set up sweepers, wallbreakers, taunt stallbreakers, and trapping. You need any of these options as a means of making progress. Item removal in knock off and trick also counts but is less meaningful than the above choices, so you can forgo them if you have stronger alternatives, but obviously still try to include them if possible. Double knock/trick is also fine if you have specific targets you want to cripple, but is not advisable if you have offensive knock off users that want the damage boost (band weav, kart, daunt).
passivity: Do not stack too many passive mons together on one team. Exposing yourself with too many do nothing mons will only invite disaster versus the myriad of threats that you would need to cover for. Even for fatty stall teams I will always have some form of offensive pressure or threat in the back, otherwise you are subjecting yourself to the whims of your opponent and are forsaking your agency in battle. Having your win condition be that your opponent cannot break your team is not practical considering the amount of threats to cover for in the tier (and also the fact that you yourself can get outstalled since you can’t force progress and open yourself up to more chances at getting haxed), and people who do use those kinds of stall teams I can only assume are ignorant, hard mu fishing, and/or aren’t confident in their own battling ability.
status: The only teams that can really forgo any status are extremely agro offensive structures which can deal with fat walls and offensive threats through sheer damage output and speed (lelezam, kokokyub), but even then some ho variants should still at the very least have paralysis support since they generally can’t afford running a scarfer. Toxic is still good to generally carry in order to neutralize threats and make progress vs fat walls so be sure to always consider it. Burn is not as widely distributed but fishing with scald is also fine for some bulky waters. Sleep even less so, but those that do have it can buy free turns for themselves and their teammates. Paralysis is particularly notable not just for the speed control, but using it for the full para chance can be game changing for some mons. Conversely, having ways to pressure or absorb status from common users like sab, pex, chansey, and serp is equally important.
anti-gliscor technology: Your team needs either ice coverage, strong water stab, offensive grasses (bulu, serp), something that can ohko naturally (lele, zardy, zmoves), and/or a hard counter to prevent it from getting out of hand. Reliable recovery on top of ⅛ passive recovery every turn, status immune, effectively hazard immune, and only 2 weaknesses means this mon especially is one you need to be proactive in dealing with. Every mon can easily be chipped but gliscor in particular is an anomaly in how comically overtuned it is.
z-move+mega: You lose out too much value on not running either of these. Aside from the obvious stat buff and nuke potential to make progress, something that can absorb knock off and to a lesser extent trick is crucial. I would never use more than one z move on a team though, as it’s wasted item value for the most part.
minmax RNG: If you want consistency then reduce the amount of inaccurate moves as much as possible that you would have to use on a team. There are edge cases where that is not possible for certain mons, but generally speaking more offensive mons should try not to use too much of it since they have limited entry points to capitalize their gains in battle, as opposed to bulkier ones that can hit the field more often. The exception is if you need more power to secure certain ranges over a weaker alternative, or bypassing accuracy via z move. Damage boosting natures and ev distribution also matters in the context of minimizing variance in damage rolls, so recognizing tradeoffs between eving for power, bulk, and speed and how to make up for the loss of which you forgo is paramount. Probability management is as much of a skill in this game that players tend to ignore, since most just chalk it up to luck and something outside their control when it is something you can directly influence.
electric immunity: You can run a team with no electric immunity, but in my experience those teams are not as consistent compared to ones that do, but is fine for tournament one offs. Blocking volt switch is imperative otherwise something like koko will have a field day.
dark resist: Mostly to deter specs gren dark pulse from getting battle bond, chansey counts as a resist but make sure to have some way to cover for physical darks.
water, psychic, grass, ice, fire, fighting, flying, fairy resist: Major types that should be covered for defensively on almost every team, corresponding to rain/gren, lelezam, bulukartserp, kyubweav, zardtranvolctini, medilop, torn, and every fairy. If your team doesn’t have a resistance or a sturdy one to any of these, even for the uncommon types that I did not list, have some way to compensate to deal with them offensively. For offensive structures, it’s more important to have good offensive synergy, even if it means compromising on defensive resistances. Also if you're stacking types offensively, make sure to have extra counterplay to common weaknesses.
stealth rock: A one turn entry hazard that always helps in making progress is a must have. Do not run more than one sr user however as it’s wasted role compression when a team is already stretched too thin trying to cover for every threat. Personal opinion, but consolidating sr on sd z chomp or lando is not practical due to being pressured to either get up sr or wallbreak, giving your opponent the option to either kill a threat but deal with sr (which they can defog later) or incur damage at the cost of no sr for the rest of the game. These two sets historically only existed to pressure sableye and skarmory to get up sr to break dugtrio focus sash, but that is not relevant in this current meta. So I would not recommend it as you will be punished for greed (you can't have your cake and eat it too), but dedicated hazard leads are fine though.
hazard control: The only teams that can forgo removal are some ho structures that go all in on threats, or fatty hazard stack teams that have mons that are insulated against opposing hazard stack. There are two grades of hazard control depending on what your team may need. The first is reliable removal which includes torn (has regen), nonscarf lando, gliscor, rotom, synthesis kart, taunt serp (for offense). These mons are not as hazard susceptible which gives them more entry points to reliably remove hazards vs the majority of the tier.
The second is unreliable removal which includes zardy, exca (spikes weak and contact from spin wears it down), scarf lando, scarf kart, scarf serp, peli, skarm, sciz, fini, koko, zap, lati, thundt, mew, mantine, mandi, hydra, mbounce sab and dia (skarm, koko, lati, hydra, and mew are defoggers I would never use though since they have better options). These mons have issues in regards to deterring hazards, but some remove for themselves due to being sr weak, are too passive, frail, and/or lack ideal recovery options. They can compensate for their shortcomings by having more positive matchups into certain hazard setters or other mons, while also alleviating pressure off another potential defogger if your team has an extra.
For most teams that do not have any sr weaks, at least one unreliable remover is fine, but for teams with multiple x2 or even x4 weak then having a reliable removal, a reliable removal and an unreliable removal, or two unreliable removal options may be necessitated depending on the playstyle. Running at least two defoggers is fine for certain team structures since enabling sr weak mons gives your team a pretty big advantage and you can outlast opposing sr pp if it comes to that. Also there is less commitment clicking defog compared to spending multiple turns setting up layers of spikes+sr, which is a net waste if you can just defog to get rid of them in one turn.
speed control: The bare minimum speed every team needs to have is something that outspeeds 109 speed (absolutely necessary for most fat teams, but more offensive structures should go faster to cover speedier threats they’d have trouble checking defensively). Sd kartana is too debilitating to try to purely defensively check due to it being able to overcome all its counters depending on its z move of choice and snowball potential. Always make sure to run down faster unboosted threats above 109 spe to make sure you can deal with them in some way: zam>lop>koko>weav>gren>torn>serp>dia>lati. For speed boosters you’ll need either defensive counterplay, a faster scarfer, and/or priority to manage vs them. Spreading paralysis, weather abusers, and more niche options in sticky web and trick room are also valid options to consider.
win conditions: Set up sweepers, wallbreakers, taunt stallbreakers, and trapping. You need any of these options as a means of making progress. Item removal in knock off and trick also counts but is less meaningful than the above choices, so you can forgo them if you have stronger alternatives, but obviously still try to include them if possible. Double knock/trick is also fine if you have specific targets you want to cripple, but is not advisable if you have offensive knock off users that want the damage boost (band weav, kart, daunt).
passivity: Do not stack too many passive mons together on one team. Exposing yourself with too many do nothing mons will only invite disaster versus the myriad of threats that you would need to cover for. Even for fatty stall teams I will always have some form of offensive pressure or threat in the back, otherwise you are subjecting yourself to the whims of your opponent and are forsaking your agency in battle. Having your win condition be that your opponent cannot break your team is not practical considering the amount of threats to cover for in the tier (and also the fact that you yourself can get outstalled since you can’t force progress and open yourself up to more chances at getting haxed), and people who do use those kinds of stall teams I can only assume are ignorant, hard mu fishing, and/or aren’t confident in their own battling ability.
status: The only teams that can really forgo any status are extremely agro offensive structures which can deal with fat walls and offensive threats through sheer damage output and speed (lelezam, kokokyub), but even then some ho variants should still at the very least have paralysis support since they generally can’t afford running a scarfer. Toxic is still good to generally carry in order to neutralize threats and make progress vs fat walls so be sure to always consider it. Burn is not as widely distributed but fishing with scald is also fine for some bulky waters. Sleep even less so, but those that do have it can buy free turns for themselves and their teammates. Paralysis is particularly notable not just for the speed control, but using it for the full para chance can be game changing for some mons. Conversely, having ways to pressure or absorb status from common users like sab, pex, chansey, and serp is equally important.
anti-gliscor technology: Your team needs either ice coverage, strong water stab, offensive grasses (bulu, serp), something that can ohko naturally (lele, zardy, zmoves), and/or a hard counter to prevent it from getting out of hand. Reliable recovery on top of ⅛ passive recovery every turn, status immune, effectively hazard immune, and only 2 weaknesses means this mon especially is one you need to be proactive in dealing with. Every mon can easily be chipped but gliscor in particular is an anomaly in how comically overtuned it is.
z-move+mega: You lose out too much value on not running either of these. Aside from the obvious stat buff and nuke potential to make progress, something that can absorb knock off and to a lesser extent trick is crucial. I would never use more than one z move on a team though, as it’s wasted item value for the most part.
minmax RNG: If you want consistency then reduce the amount of inaccurate moves as much as possible that you would have to use on a team. There are edge cases where that is not possible for certain mons, but generally speaking more offensive mons should try not to use too much of it since they have limited entry points to capitalize their gains in battle, as opposed to bulkier ones that can hit the field more often. The exception is if you need more power to secure certain ranges over a weaker alternative, or bypassing accuracy via z move. Damage boosting natures and ev distribution also matters in the context of minimizing variance in damage rolls, so recognizing tradeoffs between eving for power, bulk, and speed and how to make up for the loss of which you forgo is paramount. Probability management is as much of a skill in this game that players tend to ignore, since most just chalk it up to luck and something outside their control when it is something you can directly influence.
clericgear+sdmegachomp: Pretty fun sand team I used back in the day. Plays similarly to heal bell+sd zardx but megachomp distinguishes itself by not being sr weak, being much bulkier, and just as strong with sand force. The rest of the members help deal with its hard counters via volturn and double regenerator. Mantine is also a sleeper pick that helps curb the weakness to fire and water spatkers, forming a decent defensive duo with hippo to take on physical attackers.
evs: Megachomp has enough spdef to live latias ice beam, nonspecs lele moonblast and uninvested gear fleur cannon from full (more spdef can be allocated from hp to guarantee survive dia moonblast but requires too much evs which compromise chomp’s ability to take physical hits). Even with no atk evs it can ohko spdef pex and gear at neutral and phys def clef at +2 under sand. Hippo has 21 speed ivs to underspeed -spe 0 iv peli so sand activates after rain. Gear has enough bulk to survive +2 hjk from lucha and +2 z fight from thundt. Amoong has enough phys def to survive psyshock from modest specs lele and zen headbutt from band hoopa/medi with payapa.
threats: mamo, lo clef, cmboltbeam lati
edits: More agro version would be mixed megachomp with hp ice, fleur cannon>pain split, twave>heal bell, and iapapa>lefties on gear.
replays: https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7ou-791360116?p2
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7ou-2354469153-sjlnpwkob2wxw95b7rmqpr3jhmfveqqpw?p2
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7ou-2381335301-umvplb61wn6u6g6wis6lrw6asp2y1gbpw
fatvolc+perishtrapazu: The basic gist of this team is to trap volc counters with azu (also traps grasses for dia), as the rest of the team functions synergistically while not being too passive. Azu is an interesting trapper over fini since it actually beats fires in zard and volc with toxic while punishing common pivots in torn and rotom trying to chip it down with volt or knock off. Flame body punishes uturn while magic bounce phazing if they try to circumvent getting trapped. Mew is here to role compress rocks, but I always prefer it as a rocker instead of a defogger since it matches up better into most defoggers with ice beam.
evs: Volc is a bit faster to cover the weather mu namely vs megatar and jolly pert, while also potentially outspeeding mana to revenge if its bulky. It’s still able to switch into bandkart, weav, and maw while outspeeding ashgren and neutral nature zam/aero at +1. Azu has enough phys def to live +2 acro from lucha, with the rest in spdef to take on gren, zardy, and volc. Gliscor has enough spdef to avoid the 2hko from timid zam psychic and dia moonblast, while also surviving +1 flare blitz from zardx and uninvested gear ice beam.
threats: rain mana if it outspeeds volc, taunt m/gyara
edits: None that I would consider.
replays: https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen7ou-446286?p2
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7ou-2503192776?p2
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7ou-2382714315-4qrj25c5dfcygadoxpmwdwdxm2oswltpw
zwaterkeld+bandweav: This original structure was adapted from a team made by obii that had band zygarde when that was a thing, but I added some oras flair to it. Pretty simple but effective core, volturn between sciz and zap into complimentary offensive threats in pursuit weav and cm keld to force progress. Spore and double defog ensures safer entry points to dish out damage and manage defensively against threats.
evs: Chomp’s set is a hybrid between tank and scarf. It has enough bulk to survive jolly pert ice punch, +2 lucha hjk, and specs koko dazzle/hp ice. It doubles as a revenge killer into speed boosting sweepers due to endure+custap with the advantage of move flexibility and bulk. Keld has just enough speed for chomp since pinsir and blace are manageable, and the bit of bulk ensures it can survive +1 dragon claw from zardx and uninvested hurricane from torn.
threats: lo clef, zclang kommo, leech venu
edits: Surf>hydro pump for greater pp and accuracy.
replays: https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7ou-2361998819?p2
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7ou-2497413818-yr2mb9eehlxkg7kgqo3rc43rhv48x2wpw
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7ou-2334881993-tw3pgn7ugpcatid2pk36k59m8i85wkppw
spdefsdbulu+npcamel: My best attempt at supporting camerupt, an offensive fire whose coverage is able to hit everything in the tier aside from chansey. It’s kind of a shit rocker and half a ground type so chomp has to help fill that role, but camel gets decent mileage vs most fire, steel, elec, and fairies. Grassy terrain makes gear and camel much scarier by being harder to kill, so bulu can afford to take a more defensive role. Cmsplit gear and band weav provide insurance against chansey and lati, but camel still has toxic to pressure them especially if they are twave.
evs: Camel has enough bulk to not get 2hkod by timid zardy solar beam/focus blast, survive +2 maw sucker, and +1 stone edge from jolly megatar and creeps pex.
threats: zdig gren, ice beam mana, medi, leech venu
edits: You can go trgear for a better offense mu, but that leaves you susceptible to chansey stall. Also camel isn’t the best abuser as it’s outclassed by marowak for the most part. If you do then make camel max hp and spatk with fire blast>flamethrower.
replays: https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7ou-2504847868
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7ou-2344485656-s1np62xlpqcc05kpyv0g8b7bh8haoi3pw
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7ou-2344607441-x6935urrpivwja7sbg3ggufab7f5154pw
protectkart+sleeprachi: I stole this team from eeveeto and made it worse by replacing tyrantrum with kart, but I made up for it by inventing this nifty rachi set. 60% chance to sleep something in grassy terrain while also benefiting from passive recovery and eq neutrality makes rachi really obnoxious to deal with. The rest of the team is well balanced defensively, with kart being able to ohko through most resistances with +2 z under terrain.
evs: Toad I usually go spdef but is redundant with rachi, so it just has enough phys def to live jolly hjk from medi with the rest in spdef to handle what it usually does.
threats: subseed serp, subcm lati, giga drain volc
edits: Volt switch>discharge and/or uturn>secret power if you favor momentum and not autlosing to sub lati and serp, but tradeoff is worse lucha and pex mu and spreading para is ideal for kart, but make bulu toxic/megahorn>stone edge if you do to deal with those targets in particular. Sub, sacred, or synthesis>protect are also options for kart filler but passive recovery from terrain, scouting revenge killing, and safer z move usage is more practical for it as the sole breaker.
replays: https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen7ou-445344
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7ou-2379443994-2wxuxpgnxe0fbtqelygoywcjgc7reerpw
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7ou-2469422566-qhf5kmjogq2a2oyb8f6fwh3opx36k99pw
scarfbulu+sdkartpinsir: Was looking for offensive partners besides bulu that synergized with sd kart, and pinsir surprisingly has a lot of similar checks that kart can very easily break down. Zap as the sole hazard control with two sr weaks and tspikes susceptibility means that you need to trade with offensive threats to maintain tempo. The team is stretched a bit thin, but is able to cover most things by positioning the threats properly.
evs: Kart has enough bulk so that its sub isn’t broken by pex scald or ferro gyro ball. Always go max spdef on tran if bulky, you guarantee survive specs hydro pump from gren, modest pummel from lele/gear, earth power from dia, and avoid the 2hko from specs blace shadow ball after sr. Outspeeding just rotom isn’t worth the amount of evs unless running taunt, but that should only be used with magma miss which is only worth on offensive sets imo.
threats: kyurem, energy ball zam, subcm lati, z grass tran, sub zardx
edits: Sacred>sub on kart can be used to fare better vs kyurem, sciz, and skarm, but makes you status prone and is more prediction reliant. Earth power+roar>protect+toxic on tran to deal with subseed serp, subqd volc, subcm lati, subzardx, and opposing tran better, but the team can manage against those threats offensively and the latter makes it more annoying to deal with.
replays: https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen7ou-443916?p2
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7ou-2344592966-knyrb7x72oqbt2m8e33tbldej0ff663pw
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7ou-2508587774-f5hw43omldw5pae2bvwo5dqvndmfdktpw
scarfserp+subhera: I was trying to make hera work and pairing it with paraspam and bulu seemed like it would give it the best chances at success. Grassy terrain is ideal for it since it allows it to run bullet seed which is a more potent secondary stab than pin missile, notably being able to 2hko clef, pex, and gliscor (can’t roost on it either) without needing to sd. Paralysis support also allows hera and bulu to break past walls they may have trouble with by fishing for para. Scarfserp is a strong partner to threaten a sweep under terrain or glare faster threats.
evs: Hera outspeeds max spe modest tran before mega and both hera and bulu outspeed paralyzed scarf lando if serp glares it. Bro has enough spatk to ohko spdef pex, amoong, zardx, and cham with z, while also being able to 2hko spdef gliscor and clef with scald and scald into z, with the rest in defense to cushion against lop, lucha, medi, pert and zardx. Thundt is evd to survive +2 return from pinsir, +1 crunch/waterfall from mgyara, unboosted stone edge from chomp, timid flamethrower from zardy, and z water from gren, as spatk investment isn’t as relevant for a support set. Serp has enough bulk to survive uninvested hurricane from torn, though I’d typically go max spatk for scarf on a more offensive build.
threats: np thundt, lo/lum volc
edits: Pin missile>sub if you want insurance against bulky psychics and amoong/venu.
replays: https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7ou-2503240158-fh7wjjsbl0golen9k2rx6194742xschpw
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7ou-2493293192-kvgrwd0gpxoaxh1rrnbnj2k8fspq72hpw
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7ou-2507166960-8ld4a5r082fy6ub9umocn1x0lx3lyj3pw
taunthydratran+adamantlop: Not sure who made it originally, but this is a revamp from an old ORAS team that I adapted for SM. Hydra has a troll speed tier for lele and kyub, gets free switches into tran and gren, and stallbreaks vs passive stuff with taunt. As it is bait for most fairies, amoong and tran help cover for it in that department. This is essentially CHALK core for SM, just replace kanga with lop and cress for mew and it works out pretty well unsurprisingly enough. Also credits to cryptbloom for annoying me with this tran set every time I play him on ladder.
evs: Lando evs survive neutral flare blitz from zardx after sr while outspeeding +1 spe neutral nature base 100s. Adamant lop still outspeeds most torn variants that don’t go max speed, but you should always calc damage vs it to see if they are bulky or not. Similarly always calc magma storm damage on gliscor to see if it’s bulky or fast, so as to not get bamboozled by faster gliscor eq.
threats: zardy, ice punch pert, z steel drill, band weav
edits: Stone edge>knock off on lando covers zardy, pinsir, thundt, dnite, and gyara better but adamant fake out+quick attack lop is as anti offense as you can get and knock off facilitates stallbreaking better for hydra and tran.
replays: https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7ou-2364418701
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7ou-2491059969-k4wtl8mi7w85jg2dlp65af1l6bo55xdpw
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7ou-2378721778-elvo7ofn2hfihnjgxh16l6ybqtkitb7pw?p2
cmtrickclef+subqdvolc: Edit of an old italian chansey offense team with sciz>maw, though I was also inspired by a team lopunny kicks made that featured trick barb clef which he paired with volc and sciz. Prime targets that can get tricked are tran, pex, gastro, unawareclef, chansey, and gliscor, which make it easier for either clef or volc to threaten a sweep. Volturn core between sciz, rotom, and lando maintains offensive pressure and gets volc in more safely to set up.
evs: Volc is a bit faster to revenge lele if necessary, while also creeping a bit to sub vs lead mew and outspeeding adamant pert in rain at +1. Sciz can afford to go more physdef instead of spdef because of chansey (it also covers for what volc usually checks since it’s not defensive with roost), with some spdef to survive hp fire from scarfzone after sr. Rotom has enough spatk to ohko zardx, maw, spdef tran, and +1 tini with z, with enough bulk to survive stored power from boosted tini.
threats: sub blace, zardx, bandtini, lele, suicune, rain mana if it outspeeds rotom
edits: Knock off>trick with lefties can work on clef if you want to more easily cripple taunt tran and fini, but I prefer barb for forcing recovery on fat walls to buy free turns and stall them out faster (just don’t be dumb and trick potential av mons). Tran beats subvolc outright if its roar but volc has decent odds if it’s taunt since magma storm+taunt+toxic is rare, and if its roar then clef can easily trick it since it’s not taunt. You can make sciz sd>defog and rotom defog>wow, but offensive rotom is generally more scarier to deal with than defensive sd sciz.
replays: https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7ou-2498926573?p2
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7ou-2507101122-msx3aukf47aaf3huix92yn3r9w39j7kpw?p2
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7ou-2507147723-6y37yu82a5tf5d2wx0h5c3je0l5y7xtpw
loclef+zpoisongren: This was the team that I used back in the day that popularized lo clef. While there are other versions of this squad that have rotom or gliscor, I like this version best since it’s the least passive. Essentially it is a team that is mostly hazard insulated, while spamming hazards in return, with roar tran to rack up hazard chip and phaze set up sweepers. Paraspam from ferro and latias function as speed control with gren and clef to serve as offensive pressure. Clef also covers things that wall protean gren in sab, pex, and gear. Lando is defensive since clef is offensive, but clef’s lack of bulk is covered by the rest of the team.
evs: Clef has enough bulk to live unboosted flare blitz from zardx, with enough speed to creep defensive gear and paralyzed pinsir. More speed isn’t as necessary since defensive lando and tran cover maw. Lando has enough physdef to live jolly fake out+ice punch from medi, with some speed to outspeed -1 tini.
threats: lo/lum volc, sub lucha
edits: Fire blast>flamethrower if you want the guaranteed ohko on ferro, exca, and maw, but the team can easily chip them down and the higher pp and accuracy is preferred. Gren can also go 4 atks with a different z move, but I dislike hazardless gren since you'll still be walled no matter what depending on your coverage and you lose the ability to midground setting hazards. You can make clef and lati cm, but that requires defensive clef and scarf lando since you would lose out on twave for speed control, which would make the team less immediately threatening and weaker into tran.
replays: https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen7ou-564986
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7ou-2336625624-ea5ektws8r14bil29h07qml4y33kheypw?p2
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7ou-2501272246-5rqykhh2emo089f5eu9ct3sb9skw3k2pw
submawchomp+bandtini: Kudos to redemption for this six. I just appropriated it, revised the sets, and people thought it was mine for some reason. Maw is too slow, frail, and prediction reliant for me to consistently use too often, but subpunch solves that issue for the most part. Band tini is a good partner as maw lures tran, pex, and lando cores. Chomp and gren are complimentary breakers that serve as backup win conditions. I normally don’t overload too much on offensive breakers unless its ho, but these members share very strong offensive and defensive synergy that it can afford too.
evs: Maw has enough bulk so that it’s sub likely takes ferro gyro ball after intimidate and pex scald, with enough speed to outspeed paralyzed pinsir. Lando has enough defense to survive +1 acrobatics from lucha, but I only go offensive boom on scarf lando if the team isn’t as sturdy and I have another mon with priority to follow up on weakened speed boosters.
threats: sub mence/dnite, zbug fatvolc, keld
edits: Sd or 4 atks maw, life orb chomp with fire fang>sub, scarf>band tini, protean 4 atks z gren, defensive sr or defog lando but if it’s sr then make ferro the spiker. You can also make tini z celebrate, ebelt (vcreate, bolt strike, energy ball, glaciate), or iapapa (vcreate, bolt strike, pup, wow), gren the scarfer, or sub/rp z lando and sr or scarf chomp. The team is extremely flexible in terms of sets you can use so experiment.
replays: https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen7ou-449737
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen7ou-663060
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen7ou-833543
trgear+traparaq: At first I built this team in an attempt to farm easy wins vs people who were known to only play offense, as the double threat of rain pert and tr gear seemed very difficult to manage against. In doing so, it allowed me to find gear’s best partner in tr, also doubling as a threat under rain which was araq (also resisting fire and ground to cover gear’s weaknesses). This mon is able to reprise manaphy’s role as the rain stallbreaker, albeit more potently due to no 4mss. The only mons it may struggle dealing with is rest seismitoad (it beats refresh due to infestation chip) and physdef baneful/protect pex and ferro, but very few mons aside from hard resists/immunities can take a water bubble liquidation in the rain. Spikes ferro is unnecessary since the team prefers sr off for the most part, with volt switch and eject to safely bring in threats.
evs: Peli has enough defense to survive z outrage+rough skin from chomp so that it can live to uturn if necessary (other notable ranges are not getting 2hkod by dragon claw from zardx, return from lop, and lives adamant z fly from lando). The rest is put in spdef to help balance its bulk, with a bit of spatk to guarantee ko medi with hurricane, and slight speed creep to chip tang and opposing peli for pert. Pert only has enough speed to outspeed scarf lando in rain with adamant. Ferro has to be physdef on rain teams in order to not get one shot by adamant z freeze shock from kyub, superpower from band bulu, and +2 superpower from spdef sd bulu.
threats: suicune, bd azu, lucha, maw
edits: Power whip>protect on ferro to notably handle gyara and mana better, but rain+tr is able to out offense the playstyles those mons are featured on, so the onus is on them to react to trgear+araq instead of vice versa. Protect is better to manage ferro’s hp since it’s the team’s major defensive stalwart, can tactically stall out rain turns to get peli in under ideal turns, and render ferro nearly unkillable in rain. Gyro ball is necessary to pressure serp, bulu, torn, and kyub. Choice band>mystic water can be used on araq to get certain 2hkos under rain and take advantage of tr better, but means you’re mostly helpless vs sturdy water resists/immunes with no toxic+infestation.
replays: https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen7ou-446338?p2
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen7ou-833509
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7ou-2381970884-nmxpfsh6xh9b0dinm5fs38eso0vx3eipw
sdchomp+ddtar: I made this sand structure originally with tang>torn, but that was when zygarde still existed. When I first made this, I was trying to fake people out thinking it was megachomp and support tar since that was common at the time, only for them to get bamboozled by the double threat of sd z chomp and dd megatar. The major thing I changed on this structure is slotting safeguard on pex, which allows both tar and chomp to more safely switchin and set up without needing to slot sub in favor of coverage. Fini on sand is bad due to getting residually sand chipped, but safeguard pex has the advantage of not being altered by opposing terrain and not nerfing chomp’s z move. Eject on torn is also helpful to safely pivot in those mons after pex sets it up.
evs: Adamant megatar still outspeeds scarfzone and serp at +1, though you miss out on torn, gren, weav, and koko if not jolly. The increase in damage is worth not outspeeding those, especially since exca, pex and tar itself can deal with them naturally. I always go spdef on exca since it’s really good into most fairies and can perform hazard duty vs them (also the fact that z drill is outclassed as an offensive weather abuser since you have limited turns of sand to take advantage of unlike rain pert). Its spread survives timid zam focus blast while outspeeding +1 base 100s in sand and modest tran. For spdef pex I generally go near max spdef to deal with dia earth power better, but when paired with steela it can forgo some spdef for some defense. Physdef steela is better on sand mostly to cover sd grounds, as it can survive +2 z rock from chomp and lando as well as 1v1 sd gliscor assuming no crits. It still has some spdef to handle psychics, but tar, exca, and torn should alleviate pressure to deal with them.
threats: sub pert, sub lucha, sub bd kommo, bd azu
edits: fire punch>crunch on tar can be used to be more proactive against steels but leaves you weak to reuni, bro, and pert. If you do then go uturn>heat wave and helmet>eject on torn. Tspikes>safeguard can also be used, but leaves tar and chomp unprotected vs status, which isn’t ideal with no status absorber, but if you do then make chomp sub>fire fang and sand veil.
replays: https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7ou-2381978032-27a114ejqsigdjo5bisaj65hvu04nf1pw
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7ou-2382421557-ib7x33rfc2xu5j9tse53jo31cn1u4gxpw
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7ou-2381925528-o6d89po76v69htly0bxvsc0fdoxu1a5pw?p2
scarfgren+cmegabro: This team isn’t anything too crazy, just a typical fwg core featuring triple regenerator. I like the lando set here since it can bluff scarf and also threaten rotom, bro, and lati with uturn so that they can’t switch in as freely on sd while not being forced to commit to sd, otherwise they risk forfeiting momentum. Megabro is kind of mid in most instances, so preserving regular form is generally better to keep regenerator. Even so, it can serve as a decent win condition if sd lando and uturn spam don’t get the job done.
evs: Gren has enough speed to outspeed adamant exca in sand with some bulk to guarantee live +2 quick attack from pinsir. Lando has some bulk to guarantee survive a neutral flare blitz from zardx. Bro has some speed creep to not get hazed by pex.
threats: rain mana if it outspeeds lando, bish, bdazu, subcm/refresh lati
edits: Amoong is able to drop giga drain for tantrum since cm bro can deal with most waters, which means tran can greed with protect+toxic instead of earth power. Lando can also be sr>sd and tran roar>sr. Aside from that, you can go scarf lando and z gren, z rock lando, or magma storm tran.
replays: https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen7ou-452177
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen7ou-456691
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7ou-2381882197-cgr8rtc1tbthmkybo3otpvw85qgol2lpw
sdloom+ddzardx: Probably my best rendition at making loom work. It’s basically a bulky fighter with a grass subtext that is status immune, giving it free entry points vs most bulky waters, grounds, and passive mons. Sd loom surprisingly doesn’t have much natural hard counters (you have more pp than sab if it comes to it), and spore also gives it free set up vs things that would normally force it out. Zardx is a natural offensive partner, as they both work together to break down each other’s counters with tar also trapping lati, cress, and blace. I generally would be more scared facing sd loom than sd gliscor since it isn’t 4x ice weak, doesn’t need to waste turns roosting, forces sleep fodder, and is a lot stronger. Very underexplored mon that deserves more experimentation.
evs: Loom has enough speed to outspeed gren if paralyzed, with the rest in spdef to take on gren, koko, and rotom better (it’s also likely to survive uninvested magma storm from tran at full). Exca only has enough speed to outspeed +1 kommo since av tar and bro can deal with volc, tini, and zardx. Tar has enough speed to creep paralyzed pinsir.
threats: zclang kommo, tpunch medi, sub/taunt gyara
edits: Sub+leech seed+focus punch>sd+facade+drain punch can be used for a better offense and rain mu, but means you can’t really break past regenerator, magic guard, and gliscor. If you do, you’d have to make zard sd>dd with dragon claw>eq to compensate for the lack of wall breaking, but that also leaves you prone to getting reverse swept by ditto and you lose a means of speed boosting vs offense.
replays: https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7ou-2504270519-6bh95o4ivrhypb832k5d6yk8xxenah1pw
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7ou-2507075745-gkomba1oo3htyf5betcyskwoeabcog2pw
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7ou-2379543569-h45l3kojwvg0h67a5abbnwb2tmctwqcpw
bandweav+fatzardy: I dislike most sun teams due to the fact that most offensive zardy teams struggle to actually keep sr off the field, which is really bad considering the fact that it’s a 4x weak that wants to have as many entry points as possible. I then came to the realization that solar beam on zardy was actually a dead slot since it is effectively a liability into opposing weather, and the fact that zardy itself already neuters most waters even without solar beam due to setting up sun. This led me to experiment with a defensive defog set on it, which has positive mus into all spikers, defensive sr grounds, steels, and clef. While it’s counterintuitive for it to be a 4x weak defogger, zardy has enough offensive pressure to scare them out and remove hazards for itself, which means that it can still contribute to a battle even if it’s hardwalled by kommo, pex, lati, or chansey. It also gives it much more entry points since the bulk and utility makes it much easier for it to hit the field than if it was purely offensive. Since zard plays a defensive role, weav and kart take an offensive one. Both of them synergize well offensively while gliscor brings them in safely with uturn.
evs: Zard has enough bulk to live adamant fusion bolt from kyub, psyshock/psychic from timid specs lele, explosion from jolly lando, +2 sucker from maw, +2 z steel from kart, and isn’t 2hkod by band kart knock off. The rest is dumped into speed to outspeed modest lele and adamant kyub (at the very least you can always trade vs them regardless of their spread). Gliscor underspeeds lando and opposing gliscor in order to get the slower uturn vs them.
threats: sub blace, subcm keld, sub zardx/tar, pinsir
edits: Toxic>uturn on gliscor, but the momentum is preferred to get in weav and kart safely (also helpful to break serp’s sub). If you do then chansey can afford to go twave>toxic for greater speed control, but is for the most part unnecessary. Weav is pickpocket>pressure for this team notably to steal band from opposing weav and daunt if they knock, which can pose a threat otherwise. Kart can use another z move over z fight, but sacred sword covers the majority of the meta, and weav is able to pressure what walls it in zap, torn, and lati.
replays: https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen7ou-434065
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7ou-2498252636-7n518ci8wxqtcl5enj0b2gvq206jlg9pw
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7ou-2495077103-nvhgmpwm5k0og2r81wnca1th1pwq8sypw?p2
bdazu+subsdzardx: My favorite screens ho team, as it is one that I most consistently win with. Bd azu is the offensive water I generally fear the most when building (well besides rain mana), and behind screens makes it more likely to claim kills before going down. For zardx on screens, I always use sub+sd since it eases prediction, protects it from status and ditto, has two different defensive typings it can play with when setting up, and its sub is not broken by most defensive mons behind screens. It also has the advantage of being able to use sd>dd to wallbreak due to having flame charge to boost speed, which is much less punishing than flare blitz recoil (serp can deal with dia and fini which otherwise walls). Koko, lando, and serp all act as strong lead options supporting the rest of the team while also being offensive threats.
evs: Azu has enough speed to outspeed most gear and maw spreads to ko them with liquidation. Gear has enough speed to outspeed scarf tini and rachi at +2. Lando can afford adamant>jolly since it doesn’t need to antilead opposing fast sr lando or exca with imprison because of defog serp, allowing it to ohko defensive torn with boom guaranteed.
threats: spite pyuku, cosmic power clef
edits: None that I would consider but to explain some movesets, azu is liquidation>play rough since play rough doesn’t hit anything the combination of liquidation/knock off+aqua jet can’t deal with, with the added benefit of ohkoing gear, maw, and sciz. It also is more accurate and can potentially break past unaware clef by dropping its defense and knocking it. Koko has wild charge as a way to kill itself after setting up screens, while also preventing torn and pex to stay in on it so that it can uturn safely to set up sweepers. Gliscor and lando are the only defoggers koko can’t threaten with no taunt, but both are free set up for zard.
replays: https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7ou-869684145?p2
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7ou-2334935599-l77vo4nj6bbaeckyjsmnouqw8btoj72pw
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7ou-2337471684-ukx5kt2ja8vrxxxiwuayyfl0fjvqwtipw
ddgyara+subseedserp: Pretty much an alternate version of the previous screens team but with gyara>azu. I’d be a bit scared using regular gyara without screens due to its frailty and 4x elec weakness, but I also wanted to pair it with subseed serp since it is able to capitalize off of bulky waters and elecs which would give it trouble. Since gyara is speed boosting, serp can afford to drop glare with lando reprising the role for hazard control. Base gyara has a higher ceiling for pulling off a sweep compared to azu, but is a lot more prediction reliant. This isn’t as practical when piloting ho since every turn matters and a misstep can cost you dearly, but the risk vs reward may be worth it.
evs: Gyara has enough speed to outspeed adamant exca in sand at +2, as well as scarf bulu and lop at +1, with the slight amount of bulk allowing it to guarantee live stone edge from scarf lando. Lando has enough bulk to survive two ice punches from jolly -1 megatar and hydro pump from offensive rotom.
threats: cosmic power clef
edits: Glare>hp fire on serp if you feel like you can still manage vs ferro and sciz, but having insurance vs those makes it easier for gyara and gear. Uturn>hp ice on lando if momentum is favored, but being able to defog and threaten opposing fat lando for two sr weaks is preferred, as well as guaranteeing the 2hko on offensive chomp and pressuring gliscor.
replays: https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen7ou-894490
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7ou-2481499123-im34tvqww1xu1k5hhggyw5r7g9tuv6wpw
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7ou-2497277641-fhs9y77djysjvtvew9gcow0h9yu4bpxpw
buznormalzera+bdkommo: Zera is largely outclassed by koko and thundt as offensive elecs, but occupies a speed tier that outspeeds everything unboosted bar zam and can threaten on the physical side of the spectrum. It’s basically a cracked out electivire, so I thought it was optimal to pair it with its best partner in gyara to form the extremely potent zeragyara combo. Koko is a more support based screens setter with safeguard to protect both of them from status, allowing them to forgo sub or taunt for coverage. Kommo I dislike as a dder since I think its largely outclassed by dnite (and also the fact that clangorous shitblaze is complete fairy bait), but bd is the one exception since it covers the majority of the meta without 4mss and is viable to set up under screens.
evs: Zera is adamant in order to secure certain ranges, notably to ohko gliscor and lati at +2 and zardx at +1 with z, with enough speed to outspeed gren. Gyara only has enough speed to outspeed lop at +1, as the slight bulk allows it to avoid the 3hko from clef moonblast and 2hko from uninvested serp leaf storm unmegad. Lando is adamant life orb to surprise 2hko chansey, clef, and sciz while ohkoing gear and spdef pex with eq. Hp ice also 2hkos opposing lando and gliscor to chip for zera, with boom threatening major damage or a kill on the way out. Kommo is max atk in order to have higher odds at ohkoing clef at +6 with thunder punch under terrain.
threats: cosmic power clef, ice punch lop, helmet tang
edits: Zera can go special with cm, tbolt, hpice, focus blast with z fight, but is largely outclassed by np thund. Lando can also go jolly sash with sr, imprison, rock tomb, explosion to more reliably deter sr, but trading major damage for sr is preferred with no immediate offensive threat since koko is passive. Also them getting up sr means they are less inclined to defog screens away, lest they remove their own hazards. Taunt>safeguard can also be used on koko to deter opposing set up and hazards, but makes it precarious to pivot into set up sweepers while they’re taunted and loses insurance against status.
replays: https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen7ou-884640
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7ou-2355660513-cdqiwpcn63myj6dn5sr8hunl41f5vo6pw
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7ou-2496931869-gbwod1u0ye3jnn9pxnbxeorg3fwn4cqpw
