Mega-Scov Hex Semi-Stall:
:scovillain-mega: :corviknight: :slowking-galar: :clefable: :quaquaval: :dragapult:
Do you enjoy getting called slurs in all kinds of languages? Do you enjoy seeing a players forfeit after realizing their wincon was rendered useless after a single careless attack? Do you like the idea of turning low BST mons unkillable in the face of broken Megas? Boy do I have a team for you!
Spicy spray is broken, I realised this instantly after first playing against Mega Scov myself. Just a pokemon existing with this ability applies an unbelievable amount of pressure, as every attack could end up burning you. The main appeal for me was it making Hamurott reluctant to click Ceaseless Edge, something *increadibly* unique. Therefore, I decided to build around it. Testing it confirmed to me how broken Spicy Spray is, but at the same time, it felt near impossible to fit a team around it without glaring weaknesses. After nearly giving up on it, I finally found something that is feels consistent and got me into Top 10, despite me really not being as good of a player.
Paste:
https://pokepast.es/ae581fa1777cf9a9
The building process:
Scov only really works on defensive teams. I love the duo of Corv + Glowking, as they wall the majority of the Meta in tandem, but in my experience Corv struggles to keep up against physical breaks and cannot maintain hazards off throughout the game, while both struggle into Hamurott. Scov deals with all of that. I experienced that Scov acts as setup fodder against many setup sweepers, therefore I ran Clefable to not instantly lose after a single misposition. Scov spreading burns helps Clefable to get past it slow stats as well, as it can mostly invest in it's SpD and still check physical threats with burn support.
This core of 4 felt really strong, Clef *needed* leftovers and without lefties, Corv would often get chipped down, making it difficult to keep hazards off. This core also struggles against Kingambit and Fire types and SOMEHOW Hamurott spike stacking was still an issue at times. I also believe that this format is too volatile for a pure stall team to work consistently, especially with low BST mons like this core and therefore need some offense on my own.
This is where I was stuck and no two mons managed to fix the remaining holes. The core was strong, when it did work it was massive, but there were just too many patches left. I nearly gave up. That's where I had 2 breakthroughs:
First, I discovered that defensive Quaquaval did *everything* this team needed defensively, checking most physical fire types that would often sweep through my team before, while helping to keep hazards off and alleviate pressure away from Corv. But even these 5 mons felt incomplete. I wanted something that could revenge Yaichu and Delphox, that could also threaten opposing regenerator mons my team struggles against. I tried Scarf Meowsc, but Scarf was too abuseable for good opponents. Then after loosing to a Hex Draga, I thought "wait a minute, wouldn't Scov work really well incombination with Hex? It would turn a burn on defensive mons with recovery from useless to an opening to break through! That way every single burn would end up as valueable!" and I started to rebuild a team around this idea. Welp, I ended up with the exact same time, but now with Hex Draga.
After tweaking items and EVs, this team felt more consistent than any team I have built before. Nearly every loss I had was the result of a missplay, not an unwinnable matchup, which is a feat I am proud of considering this is a defensive team in a format with a bazillion explosive threats.
The team:
:sv/scovillain-mega:
Scovillain-Mega @ Scovillainite
Ability: Spicy Spray
Level: 50
EVs: 31 HP / 32 Def / 3 SpD
Bold Nature
- Flamethrower / Overheat
- Giga Drain
- Will-O-Wisp
- Protect
Max defense invest to stomach as many physical hits as possible. Gigadrain allows you to regain health on mons you spread burns to, like fully healingon Samurott, or healing most of Yaichus damage if it thinks it can attack in front of you. Will-O-Wisp might seem redundant, but it is *necessary* to burn mons trying to setup on you or clicking hazards. It also allows you to burn a mon switching in, which is useful to spread burns on special attackers of defensive mons. Protect is needed to reliably Mega-Evolve early, but it also allows you to scout scarfers or get more burn-chip.
At last, you need Fire Stab to not invite in offensive threats like MEGAnium, or to break through/force out steels like M-Scizzor and Corv. Flamethrower is more accurate and less abuseable, while Overheat gets the OHKO on most steels.
You can get really creative with spicy spray! You can spread many burns by baiting Rapid spins or U-Turns and burns are even useful on special attackers to chip them down! I like to switch it in on Hydreigon flamethrowers or Yaichu Zap Cannons to put them on a timer.
:sv/corviknight:
Corviknight @ Leppa Berry
Ability: Pressure
Level: 50
EVs: 32 HP / 5 Def / 29 SpD
Impish Nature
- Brave Bird
- Defog
- Roost
- Taunt
Standard Corv set, but with more SpD invest than usual. Scov support allows you to invest most EVs into SpD to defog in the face of Chomp and Clef, or to stay in on Glimmora if necessary. Makes it really reliable at defogging. Pressure is *crucial*, don't run anything else on it. It helps to drain opposing PP and without it, it couldn't stay in on most Flamethrowers.
I dropped U-Turn as this team can afford to forfeit momentum and I rarely have the needs for Iron Defense in my games, therefore I run Taunt to stop opposing Corvs to use mine as Defog or Roost opportunity and to help in Defog wars, or prevent setup of a mon switching in.
I run Leppa on it, because this team is weak to future sight and it's forced to suck up a lot of them in certain matchups. Occa is another option to help against Fires and scout LOrb Chomp
:sv/slowking-galar:
Slowking-Galar @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Regenerator
Level: 50
EVs: 32 HP / 2 Def / 32 SpD
Sassy Nature
- Sludge Bomb
- Psychic Noise
- Toxic
- Chilly Reception
The primary special wall of this team and *absolutely* essential. If Glowking dies, the team usually crumbles. It sucks up most status and is a great emergency pivot to help bait certain moves or buy a turn of burn chip. Toxic is necessary for Volc, Sludge bomb is needed for Hatterene and Floette and many other mons, Chilly reception just great pivot move you always love to have. I run psychic noise in the last slot to help against Glimmora, but also great against Blaziken and few others to deny setup. Also helps to muscle through defensive cores. Sitrus is necessary to avoid many 2HKOs after rocks are up.
:sv/clefable:
Clefable @ Leftovers
Ability: Unaware
Level: 50
EVs: 32 HP / 14 Def / 20 SpD
Calm Nature
- Moonblast
- Stealth Rock
- Protect
- Wish
My setup insurance and backup special wall. Wish+Protect to not get crippled by weather, also good for stalling PP and stalling out burn/toxic, or just wish passing. Moonblast to not be sitting duck and actually kill stuff it walls, rocks as nothing else can fit it. It's not the best rocks setter, but burn chip comensates for this team not having hazards up as reliably in the face of corv. I use lefties on this mon, as it gets the most out of it with Wish+Protect. It also really needs them to hang on with its bad stats. Some def EVs to not die to psyshock, otherwise it needs to be special defensive to avoid Glowking getting overwhelmed.
:sv/quaquaval:
Quaquaval
Ability: Moxie
Level: 50
EVs: 31 HP / 2 Atk / 32 Def / 1 Spe
Impish Nature
- Close Combat
- Flip Turn / Aqua Step
- Rapid Spin
- Roost
Totally slept on set, you have to try it to realize how big it's defensive value is! Actually a great physical check with max defenses, my primary way to deal with opposing physical fire types. Rapid spin to help keep Hazards off. It needs Roost as reocvery, needs fighting Stab for Kingambit, needs Water Stab to deal with opposing fires.
I chose CC to have a high damaging stab on it and to KO Zard X after rocks, while on Water Stab I am torn between Flip turn to pivot on ghost switch ins and Aqua Step to deal with fires better and potentiall become a physical threat after Moxie/Speed boosts, but both work.
Full phys. defense to actually tank hits, 1 in speed to outspeed uninvested Archaludon, 2 in attack to have the necessary damage on Zard X
:sv/dragapult:
Dragapult @ Spell Tag
Ability: Infiltrator
Level: 50
EVs: 7 Def / 32 SpA / 27 Spe
Timid Nature
- Hex
- Draco Meteor
- Will-O-Wisp
- U-turn
My actual win condition. U-Turn is used to bring Delphox in Hex range and to pivot on Dark types switching into Hex to preserve Hex PP. I chose to forfeit the speed tie and rather invest the EVs in its defense, as I don't want to risk my only offensive mon to a speed tie anyway.
Gameplan:
On team preview, look at which mons you can stall indefinetely and which can break through eventually. Keep your Scov burns for threats can can otherwise break through. Also keep an eye on hazard setters, as this team can crumble very quickly if you aren't planning a way to defog/spin them away. You usually want to lead with Scov to instantly get the Mega, even if you just Protect and switch out. Against rock setters like Glimmorra, you might want to Anti-Lead instead, depending on how crucial burns are to deal with your opponents physical attackers. Now try to spread burns while keeping entries on the enemy breakers at a minum, to have enough recovery in between to not get broken through.
Offensive teams usually just loose if you manage to burn their physical attackers before they made enough progress. Against strong special threats like Delphox, Yaichu and MEGAnium, you want to keep your Glowking up and avoid Hazards as best as you can, otherwise they are quick to overwhelm you. Yaichu often needs a burn from Scov to get chipped down. In my experience, these are tricky but manageable with a bit of practise.
Against defensive teams, try to spot a way to let Hazards stick, though its not always possible. As an example, if you have an easy time to get clef in, you can just keep setting them up and switch Corv on opposing Corv to PP stall Defog. Just spread burns with Scov early on and then transition to spread burn to the rest of the team with Draga, while working to keep Hazards off. Once most of the opposing mons are burned, you can chip down the remaining ones with U-Turn or just spam Hex from the get go. Don't go for Hex mindlessly, as you are quick to get PP stalled.
Replays:
This one shows the value of Scov + Hex against a opposing defensive team:
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9championsou-2670832779
I want to highglight turn 89-90 as an example of the value of Spicy Spray. I at this point had a low HP Corv I needed to get full again to Defog for me and prepared Wish-Pass. My opponent could deny this with a Brave Bird, but has a Corv without Leftovers, meaning a burn will alow me to PP stall Roost over time. He tried to avoid the burn on Corv all game, but this baits him to attack into it. The only way to avoid it would be to not attack into it, which could leave me to fully heal up my Corv.
This one shows how the team handles common offensive mons, despite me playing bad:
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9championsou-2670476236?p2
Problem Matchups:
Physical Fire types. Most mons on this teams deal enough damage to not get setup on, but Scov just can't help it. If the enemy has no mon you don't absolutely need Scov for, try to avoid using it. Similar story with Clef, except rocks might be worth it. Against some fires, like LOrb Blaziken or Close Combat Ceruledge, you will just loose if your opponent knows that they are doing, you need to get really creative in these cases and pretent to have max defense occa corv to have a chance and hope they take the bait.
Future Sight + Physical Breakers. Strong breakers in addition to Future sight can create many 50/50s of if you get Scov in or not, eventually chipping it down without getting a burn. Try to get Corv in on the Future Sight to drain PP faster and make it difficult for your opponent to get problematic mons in on the turn before Future Sight hits. This is especially true for mons that usually get walled by Quaquaval.
Hazard Stack + Spin Block + Taunt/Offensive pressure. This team gets worn down quickly by Hazards. Against most teams, you can keep off Hazards fine, but teams that specialize in keeping Hazards on the field by spamming taunt or similar can quickly turn into a problem
Status clear. Lum Berries or Healing Wish can heal off the burns on crucial mons, after already lowering Scovs health too much for it to burn everything it needs to.
Araquanid. The only reliable mon I have against Araquanid is Quaquaval, but with Endevear it can get it low while keeping hazards up with a Spinblocking ghost. Be careful if there is anything that now runs rampant without your Quaqua healthy enough to check it.
Edit:
Changed the Corv
:corviknight: set to following:
Corviknight @ Occa Berry
Ability: Pressure
Level: 50
EVs: 32 HP / 18 Def / 16 SpD
Relaxed Nature
- Brave Bird
- Defog
- Roost
- Light Screen
The previos set died to +2 Adamant Sneasler CC and has no other check for it, except Scov, which might need to handle other threats as well and offensive teams featuring future sight were just too hard to handle. The new EV spread always survives Sneasler CC.
With so much less SpD though, Occa is needed to scout for SpA LOrb Chomp without getting too low. It also helps to check physical fires better. I replaced Taunt with Lightscreen to reduce the damage from Future sight. It's also needed to PP stall flamethrowers, now that Leppa is gone. A nice bonnus is helping against Yaichu and M-Delphox, as they love to corv, but with Lightscreen on the switch, Glowking takes less damage than Regenerator heals, providing a good opportunity to gregain HP. Also makes it easier to 1vs1 glimmora.
