Two Kings??!!! How do the politics work???
:sv/nidoking: :sv/kingambit: :sv/latios-mega: :sv/moltres: :sv/great-tusk: :sv/kartana:
Howdy y'all! Just wanted to share this team that performed pretty well (at least in my standards). Involves a classic Nidoking with an AV Kingambit and a supporting crew. This was not inspired by Pinkacross, so that's a first! (At least I think he didn't use a similar team). Not much else to set, except enjoy reading!
Proof of Peak:
Then I lost a "bit" of ELO and dropped down...
Teambuilding
:nidoking:
Obviously the star of the show. With Sheer Force and Life Orb, and its Gen 1 moveset, Nidoking has the ability to just shred bulky teams and dissuade much from switching in. Of course it has its weaknesses, particularly special walls, so that's why I added...
:nidoking: :kingambit:
Kingambit! I decided on a Pursuit + Knock Off set to soften special sponges, like Chansey, Blissey and Assault Best Alomomola! From here I decided a bulky offence would be a great archetype for this team.
:nidoking: :kingambit: :latios-mega:
I decided on M-Lati next. Fast and hits like a truck, it provides as a crucial Ground-immunity and check to Waterpon, a Pokemon I was otherwise concerned with.
:nidoking: :kingambit: :latios-mega: :moltres:
Moltres was my next choice. I wanted to use a specially defensive set to fare better into Pokemon like Tapu Lele, Kyurem, Mega Charizard-Y and Volcarona.
:nidoking: :kingambit: :latios-mega: :moltres: :great-tusk:
Great Tusk. Ever reliable. Provides a sturdy physical wall, while providing hazard control and hazards itself.
:nidoking: :kingambit: :latios-mega: :moltres: :great-tusk: :kartana:
The final team member, Scarf Kartana. I wanted an extra Waterpon check, while having a good match-up into Diancie-Mega and Ting-Lu, among other things.
More details will be discussed later on. Like, right now.
The Team
:sv/nidoking:
Nidoking @ Life Orb
Ability: Sheer Force
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Earth Power
- Sludge Wave
- Ice Beam
- Flamethrower
Perhaps the most simple Pokemon set to explain. Its STABs and coverage really hurt a lot of Pokemon. I decided to go Modest for the greed factor, and I have teammates that can deal with threats that a timid Nidoking would otherwise scare, such as Gholdengo and Timid Raging Bolt. I'll be real here, Nidoking was really hard to use overall, since it seems bulky teams are now rarer, and Nidoking is extremely poor against offence teams. Still, incredibly fun Pokemon when it works.
:sv/kingambit:
Kingambit @ Assault Vest
Ability: Defiant
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Pursuit
- Knock Off
- Sucker Punch
- Low Kick
I was incredibly skeptical about Defiant Kingambit before making this team, but I decided to give it a shot, cause why not? Add Defiant really has exceeded my expectations. Landorus-Therian all of a sudden cannot check Gambit, Sticky Web is now welcomed, and a Parting Shot from an opponent expecting a Supreme Overlord Gambit will be in for a nasty scare.
As mentioned in the teambuilding, I decided to use Kingambit for being the best Pursuit trapper in the tier, chunking special walls like Chansey and Blissey. Knock Off aids further in this aspect, removing Assault Vest from Alomomola and Lefties from bulky suckas like Toxapex and Ting-Lu. Sucker Punch for much needed priority, and I decided to use a Jolly Nature + Low Kick to ease the mirror match-up to triviality. Seriously, if you have this set, opposing Kingambits actually become a joke. Also helps against TTar, which are sometimes slower than 218 speed. Don't count on it. Assault Vest is the chosen item to make its special matchup just simpler. Nothing in specific, the added bulk just helps.
Other benefits of Kingambit include walling Psychic-types that'd scare Nido out, like Lele and Glowking. In return, Nidoking can threaten the Fairies that threaten Gambit, like Clefable and Tapu Koko, especially since our Gambit lacks Iron Head. Also can switch-in and threaten Zapdos, which would otherwise be annoying.
:sv/latios-mega:
Latios-Mega @ Latiosite
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Luster Purge
- Draco Meteor
- Roost
- Flip Turn
A really underrated Pokemon at the very least. I understand why it's not OU, but on the right team, this is Pokemon is quite good. I chose MLati as the third teammate for a few main reasons. One, we desperately needed a Ground-immunity. Two, we needed a speedy Pokemon. Three, Water-STAB and Zard-Y seemed problematic. And four, we needed a way to threaten Fighting-types. However awesome Nidoking is, it is such a frail Pokemon. You know Specs Tapu Koko 3HKOs it with Dazzling Gleam? Anyways, I digress. MLati was able to compress all these roles and then some. Now we got power and pivoting! Since we got Nidoking and Kingambit to deal with the common Steel-types and other checks like Hatterene, MLati can forgo coverage in place of its power STABs instead. Luster Purge is particuarly nice for ripping apart almost anything with its Sp. Def drops, allowing Draco to become a real threat. Roost is here for longetivity against threats like Zamazenta and Toxapex.
While using the team, I was considering replacing MLati with Slowbro, since MLati fears common coverage from Ground-types, like U-Turn from Lando and Dragon STAB from Garchomp, among more. Slowbro actually can take hits from these, but I eventually decided that MLati was best due to its offensive pressure. Yes, MLati can't exactly switch safely against Garchomp, but it can force it out with a Draco. Also threatens Kyurem and Bolt which would otherwise threaten our whole team.
:sv/moltres:
Moltres @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Flame Body
EVs: 248 HP / 12 Def / 248 SpD
Calm Nature
- Mystical Fire
- Toxic
- U-turn
- Roost
Talking about Kyurem! Yes, MLati can OHKO it, but it cannot hope to switch-in. This is the job of Moltres. I decided to use a Mystical Fire + Sp. Def Moltres to really reinforce its job as a Special wall. Its typing allows Moltres to switch-in on special foes like Kyurem, Tapu Lele, Heatran, Terapagos, Zard-Y and Volcarona, while still switching in on physical attackers like Rillaboom, Zamazenta, Ferrothorn, Mega Scizor and Lando-T (all lacking coverage). Flame Body is for the sweet burn chances that can cripple a threat in a pinch (if you're lucky).
At first I had Ancient Power over Toxic to hit Volc and Zard all that harder. However I found myself not using it at all. Then I did use it against a Volc! But then it just danced to the point where Ancient Power bounced off it. It was a meme anyways (HP Rock would even be more consistent), so I was more than welcome to change it. I considered Roar for Sub Volc and other set-up sweepers, but Toxic seemed better. Alos were switching in too often. U-Turn is here for pivoting and Roost is for staying healthy.
I think it's quite important for a team to have an answer to Mega Scizor, since (in my experience anyways) its great typing often makes it too bulky for a lot of teams to take down. So have Fire-coverage folks!
:sv/great-tusk:
Great Tusk @ Icium Z
Ability: Protosynthesis
EVs: 248 HP / 8 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Headlong Rush
- Ice Spinner
- Rapid Spin
- Stealth Rock
Perhaps the Pokemon name that is the most deserved. It is Great. I chose to use Tusk since I needed a tanky mon on the physical side, a removal option and a hazard setter. I went with a max HP + Speed Tusk cause that's the best set. I prefer Headlong Rush on more offensive Tusk on such sets since the extra power is very good. The defence drops don't even end up mattering that much, since the Pokemon is just so Great!
Instead of just slapping on Boots as usual, I decided to experiment with an Icium-Z Ice Spinner set. It was a risk at first since I believed the lack of attack investment wouldn't make it worth it, and maybe reducing hazard pressure would be better. However, Icium-Z proved its worth. Serves as a great bait against foes like Gliscor, Lando-T, Garchomp, other Tusks and other Ice weak Pokemon that think they could take a hit. Also strengthens Tusk's role as a Knock Off absorber. It was also nice to discover while playing that this team does very well against hazards. I honestly don't know why or how, it's a fact.
:sv/kartana:
Kartana @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Leaf Blade
- Smart Strike
- Sacred Sword
- Knock Off
The final team member, Kartana! At this stage of teambuilding, I realised I had quite a few visible holes. I couldn't deal with Mega Diancie at all, and Water-types still seemed problematic! Also the team was incredibly slow, being outsped by threats like IVal, Zamazenta and regular Scarfers. Kartana was a perfect solution to all of those dilemmas (funny thing was that before deciding on Kart, I was thinking that poor Kart has been outclassed in all of Gen 9 NatDex. Guess who's the fool now :P). With a Scarf, Kart can easily deal with Diancie and Waterpon, and outspeed Scarf Urshifu, the most common Water-type scarfer. Its Grass-STAB also hurt Alomomola even more, a Pokemon that would otherwise wall this team.
Its coverage is sparce, but still calls for some explanation. Smart Strike hits Diancie even harder than Leaf Blade, especially helpful against lucky Defence boosts with Diamond Storm. Smart Strike also serves to hit Kyurem better. Sacred Sword serves as coverage against Steel-types like Ferro and Kingambit. Knock Off is here to hit Gholdengo and Ceruledge for supereffective damage, while also serving as utility, removing items from defensive switches like Toxapex and Corviknight.
While Beast Boost is Kart's only option as an ability, it is noteworthy to say that it is crucial for the endgame situations, where Kart can easily threaten to clean-up the team if the opponent lets Kart get a KO.
And with that, there is the team. Here's the link again cause why not:
https://pokepast.es/232485343281616a
However, not every team is flawless. Here are some flaws I discovered while playing.
Threatlist
:sv/diancie-mega:
Either I have to sack a Pokemon to let Kart in safely, or make a prediction, and switch Kart in on the Diamond Storm. Kingambit can trade for some chip on Diancie. Either way, the match-up is somehow not that horrible.
:sv/zamazenta: :sv/lopunny-mega:
Zamazenta has coverage, while Lopunny is just fast and hits too hard for an unboosted threat. Latios can almost OHKO IronPress Zamazenta only isn't even 2HKOd, so that's nice. I think Latios can take a Banded Crunch when healthy, so preserve its HP.
Meanwhile Lopunny... the times I played, I either got lucky with a burn or the opponent questionably sacked it. Hope for the best!
:sv/ceruledge:
I HATE SASH AND HOW IT ALWAYS WORKS IT IS SUCH A BUM ITEM ARGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHH
Set up hazards, or win a few Sucker Punch mindgames.
:sv/landorus-therian: :sv/urshifu-rapid-strike:
Two Pokemon that MLati would wall rather safely if not for U-Turn! It's actually not that bad. As Urshifus are usually choice locked, switch Molt in on the expected U-Turn and try to punish it with a Burn. Lando can be dispatched either with Icium-Z Tusk or a prediction with Nidoking. It is strange to me that so much people think Lando-T safely switches on Nidoking.
:sv/garchomp:
As again, not exactly horrible-ish. Great Tusk does a good job at trading with Swords Dance Garchomp with Icium-Z. If it is Z-Outrage, then that's better for MLati, since Chomp can't boost its speed. You just have to play a bit aggresively.
:sv/sableye-mega:
I am yet to build a good team that has a positive match-up against stall. This is the problem of having not a single Fairy-move or set-up Pokemon. This. One. Godforsaken. Pokemon.
Replays
Click the sprites for the replay.
:glimmora: :landorus-therian: :ogerpon-wellspring: :zamazenta: :primarina: :lopunny-mega: A scare when Waterpon pulled out Knock Off and KO'd Kart. A pursuit trap from Waterpon was safe though, and Lopunny was dealt with a burn, as mentioned before.
:kingambit: :gardevoir-mega: :pecharunt: :salamence: :iron-treads: :rotom-wash: A scary accidental Kart sack to Vacuum Wave Gardevoir saved by a few questionable switches from the other side. Also a masterclass Defiant Gambit showcase.
:samurott-hisui: :gholdengo: :terapagos-terastal: :ceruledge: :tapu-lele: :lopunny-mega: A strange Lopunny sack made the game far easier than it should've been.
:kyurem: :xurkitree: :nihilego: :alomomola: :cinderace: :scizor-mega: So I did use Roar on Moltres??? I honestly forgot. Seems Roar spam won me the game lol
:araquanid: :great-tusk: :gholdengo: :enamorus: :iron-moth: :kingambit: Hey, get back to OU! The game was easy goings until Great Tusk started setting up, and the way I played was too passive, and ran the real risk of Tusk reverse sweeping it all. Luckily, a burn left the opponent completely dispirited to continue, so we won!
:scizor-mega: :serperior: :slowbro: :clodsire: :rotom-heat: :kommo-o: This game made me love Icium Z Tusk. Nothing notable to mention here, we just eliminated the important pieces that made the clean-up inevitable. Our team remained fantastically healthy by the time of their forfeit. A Clangorous Soul Kommo-O might've actually swept, but we were lucky it was a DDance set. We also got decently lucky with the RNG, so there's that too.
Final Thoughts
I am quite proud of this team! It has been my best team that isn't hyper offence, and everything worked out super well! Of course I might've peaked higher on the ladder, but I am an inconsistent player to say the least. Anyways, feedback and suggestions for improvements will be very much appreciated, and I thank you for the time you took to read this (if you did lol). Enjoy your day!
Special thanks to... no one??? Yes, this is a team that I didn't need any help to reach decent heights! No shade to anyone who helped me in the past, I am just proud to have grown so much as a player!
...
Fine, Pinkacross's video directly helped me. I guess I can never escape his guidance. Alas.
Team one last time: https://pokepast.es/232485343281616a
:sv/nidoking: :sv/kingambit: :sv/latios-mega: :sv/moltres: :sv/great-tusk: :sv/kartana:
Howdy y'all! Just wanted to share this team that performed pretty well (at least in my standards). Involves a classic Nidoking with an AV Kingambit and a supporting crew. This was not inspired by Pinkacross, so that's a first! (At least I think he didn't use a similar team). Not much else to set, except enjoy reading!
Proof of Peak:
Then I lost a "bit" of ELO and dropped down...
Teambuilding
:nidoking:
Obviously the star of the show. With Sheer Force and Life Orb, and its Gen 1 moveset, Nidoking has the ability to just shred bulky teams and dissuade much from switching in. Of course it has its weaknesses, particularly special walls, so that's why I added...
:nidoking: :kingambit:
Kingambit! I decided on a Pursuit + Knock Off set to soften special sponges, like Chansey, Blissey and Assault Best Alomomola! From here I decided a bulky offence would be a great archetype for this team.
:nidoking: :kingambit: :latios-mega:
I decided on M-Lati next. Fast and hits like a truck, it provides as a crucial Ground-immunity and check to Waterpon, a Pokemon I was otherwise concerned with.
:nidoking: :kingambit: :latios-mega: :moltres:
Moltres was my next choice. I wanted to use a specially defensive set to fare better into Pokemon like Tapu Lele, Kyurem, Mega Charizard-Y and Volcarona.
:nidoking: :kingambit: :latios-mega: :moltres: :great-tusk:
Great Tusk. Ever reliable. Provides a sturdy physical wall, while providing hazard control and hazards itself.
:nidoking: :kingambit: :latios-mega: :moltres: :great-tusk: :kartana:
The final team member, Scarf Kartana. I wanted an extra Waterpon check, while having a good match-up into Diancie-Mega and Ting-Lu, among other things.
More details will be discussed later on. Like, right now.
The Team
:sv/nidoking:
Nidoking @ Life Orb
Ability: Sheer Force
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Earth Power
- Sludge Wave
- Ice Beam
- Flamethrower
Perhaps the most simple Pokemon set to explain. Its STABs and coverage really hurt a lot of Pokemon. I decided to go Modest for the greed factor, and I have teammates that can deal with threats that a timid Nidoking would otherwise scare, such as Gholdengo and Timid Raging Bolt. I'll be real here, Nidoking was really hard to use overall, since it seems bulky teams are now rarer, and Nidoking is extremely poor against offence teams. Still, incredibly fun Pokemon when it works.
:sv/kingambit:
Kingambit @ Assault Vest
Ability: Defiant
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Pursuit
- Knock Off
- Sucker Punch
- Low Kick
I was incredibly skeptical about Defiant Kingambit before making this team, but I decided to give it a shot, cause why not? Add Defiant really has exceeded my expectations. Landorus-Therian all of a sudden cannot check Gambit, Sticky Web is now welcomed, and a Parting Shot from an opponent expecting a Supreme Overlord Gambit will be in for a nasty scare.
As mentioned in the teambuilding, I decided to use Kingambit for being the best Pursuit trapper in the tier, chunking special walls like Chansey and Blissey. Knock Off aids further in this aspect, removing Assault Vest from Alomomola and Lefties from bulky suckas like Toxapex and Ting-Lu. Sucker Punch for much needed priority, and I decided to use a Jolly Nature + Low Kick to ease the mirror match-up to triviality. Seriously, if you have this set, opposing Kingambits actually become a joke. Also helps against TTar, which are sometimes slower than 218 speed. Don't count on it. Assault Vest is the chosen item to make its special matchup just simpler. Nothing in specific, the added bulk just helps.
Other benefits of Kingambit include walling Psychic-types that'd scare Nido out, like Lele and Glowking. In return, Nidoking can threaten the Fairies that threaten Gambit, like Clefable and Tapu Koko, especially since our Gambit lacks Iron Head. Also can switch-in and threaten Zapdos, which would otherwise be annoying.
:sv/latios-mega:
Latios-Mega @ Latiosite
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Luster Purge
- Draco Meteor
- Roost
- Flip Turn
A really underrated Pokemon at the very least. I understand why it's not OU, but on the right team, this is Pokemon is quite good. I chose MLati as the third teammate for a few main reasons. One, we desperately needed a Ground-immunity. Two, we needed a speedy Pokemon. Three, Water-STAB and Zard-Y seemed problematic. And four, we needed a way to threaten Fighting-types. However awesome Nidoking is, it is such a frail Pokemon. You know Specs Tapu Koko 3HKOs it with Dazzling Gleam? Anyways, I digress. MLati was able to compress all these roles and then some. Now we got power and pivoting! Since we got Nidoking and Kingambit to deal with the common Steel-types and other checks like Hatterene, MLati can forgo coverage in place of its power STABs instead. Luster Purge is particuarly nice for ripping apart almost anything with its Sp. Def drops, allowing Draco to become a real threat. Roost is here for longetivity against threats like Zamazenta and Toxapex.
While using the team, I was considering replacing MLati with Slowbro, since MLati fears common coverage from Ground-types, like U-Turn from Lando and Dragon STAB from Garchomp, among more. Slowbro actually can take hits from these, but I eventually decided that MLati was best due to its offensive pressure. Yes, MLati can't exactly switch safely against Garchomp, but it can force it out with a Draco. Also threatens Kyurem and Bolt which would otherwise threaten our whole team.
:sv/moltres:
Moltres @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Flame Body
EVs: 248 HP / 12 Def / 248 SpD
Calm Nature
- Mystical Fire
- Toxic
- U-turn
- Roost
Talking about Kyurem! Yes, MLati can OHKO it, but it cannot hope to switch-in. This is the job of Moltres. I decided to use a Mystical Fire + Sp. Def Moltres to really reinforce its job as a Special wall. Its typing allows Moltres to switch-in on special foes like Kyurem, Tapu Lele, Heatran, Terapagos, Zard-Y and Volcarona, while still switching in on physical attackers like Rillaboom, Zamazenta, Ferrothorn, Mega Scizor and Lando-T (all lacking coverage). Flame Body is for the sweet burn chances that can cripple a threat in a pinch (if you're lucky).
At first I had Ancient Power over Toxic to hit Volc and Zard all that harder. However I found myself not using it at all. Then I did use it against a Volc! But then it just danced to the point where Ancient Power bounced off it. It was a meme anyways (HP Rock would even be more consistent), so I was more than welcome to change it. I considered Roar for Sub Volc and other set-up sweepers, but Toxic seemed better. Alos were switching in too often. U-Turn is here for pivoting and Roost is for staying healthy.
I think it's quite important for a team to have an answer to Mega Scizor, since (in my experience anyways) its great typing often makes it too bulky for a lot of teams to take down. So have Fire-coverage folks!
:sv/great-tusk:
Great Tusk @ Icium Z
Ability: Protosynthesis
EVs: 248 HP / 8 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Headlong Rush
- Ice Spinner
- Rapid Spin
- Stealth Rock
Perhaps the Pokemon name that is the most deserved. It is Great. I chose to use Tusk since I needed a tanky mon on the physical side, a removal option and a hazard setter. I went with a max HP + Speed Tusk cause that's the best set. I prefer Headlong Rush on more offensive Tusk on such sets since the extra power is very good. The defence drops don't even end up mattering that much, since the Pokemon is just so Great!
Instead of just slapping on Boots as usual, I decided to experiment with an Icium-Z Ice Spinner set. It was a risk at first since I believed the lack of attack investment wouldn't make it worth it, and maybe reducing hazard pressure would be better. However, Icium-Z proved its worth. Serves as a great bait against foes like Gliscor, Lando-T, Garchomp, other Tusks and other Ice weak Pokemon that think they could take a hit. Also strengthens Tusk's role as a Knock Off absorber. It was also nice to discover while playing that this team does very well against hazards. I honestly don't know why or how, it's a fact.
:sv/kartana:
Kartana @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Leaf Blade
- Smart Strike
- Sacred Sword
- Knock Off
The final team member, Kartana! At this stage of teambuilding, I realised I had quite a few visible holes. I couldn't deal with Mega Diancie at all, and Water-types still seemed problematic! Also the team was incredibly slow, being outsped by threats like IVal, Zamazenta and regular Scarfers. Kartana was a perfect solution to all of those dilemmas (funny thing was that before deciding on Kart, I was thinking that poor Kart has been outclassed in all of Gen 9 NatDex. Guess who's the fool now :P). With a Scarf, Kart can easily deal with Diancie and Waterpon, and outspeed Scarf Urshifu, the most common Water-type scarfer. Its Grass-STAB also hurt Alomomola even more, a Pokemon that would otherwise wall this team.
Its coverage is sparce, but still calls for some explanation. Smart Strike hits Diancie even harder than Leaf Blade, especially helpful against lucky Defence boosts with Diamond Storm. Smart Strike also serves to hit Kyurem better. Sacred Sword serves as coverage against Steel-types like Ferro and Kingambit. Knock Off is here to hit Gholdengo and Ceruledge for supereffective damage, while also serving as utility, removing items from defensive switches like Toxapex and Corviknight.
While Beast Boost is Kart's only option as an ability, it is noteworthy to say that it is crucial for the endgame situations, where Kart can easily threaten to clean-up the team if the opponent lets Kart get a KO.
And with that, there is the team. Here's the link again cause why not:
https://pokepast.es/232485343281616a
However, not every team is flawless. Here are some flaws I discovered while playing.
Threatlist
:sv/diancie-mega:
Either I have to sack a Pokemon to let Kart in safely, or make a prediction, and switch Kart in on the Diamond Storm. Kingambit can trade for some chip on Diancie. Either way, the match-up is somehow not that horrible.
:sv/zamazenta: :sv/lopunny-mega:
Zamazenta has coverage, while Lopunny is just fast and hits too hard for an unboosted threat. Latios can almost OHKO IronPress Zamazenta only isn't even 2HKOd, so that's nice. I think Latios can take a Banded Crunch when healthy, so preserve its HP.
Meanwhile Lopunny... the times I played, I either got lucky with a burn or the opponent questionably sacked it. Hope for the best!
:sv/ceruledge:
I HATE SASH AND HOW IT ALWAYS WORKS IT IS SUCH A BUM ITEM ARGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHH
Set up hazards, or win a few Sucker Punch mindgames.
:sv/landorus-therian: :sv/urshifu-rapid-strike:
Two Pokemon that MLati would wall rather safely if not for U-Turn! It's actually not that bad. As Urshifus are usually choice locked, switch Molt in on the expected U-Turn and try to punish it with a Burn. Lando can be dispatched either with Icium-Z Tusk or a prediction with Nidoking. It is strange to me that so much people think Lando-T safely switches on Nidoking.
:sv/garchomp:
As again, not exactly horrible-ish. Great Tusk does a good job at trading with Swords Dance Garchomp with Icium-Z. If it is Z-Outrage, then that's better for MLati, since Chomp can't boost its speed. You just have to play a bit aggresively.
:sv/sableye-mega:
I am yet to build a good team that has a positive match-up against stall. This is the problem of having not a single Fairy-move or set-up Pokemon. This. One. Godforsaken. Pokemon.
Replays
Click the sprites for the replay.
:glimmora: :landorus-therian: :ogerpon-wellspring: :zamazenta: :primarina: :lopunny-mega: A scare when Waterpon pulled out Knock Off and KO'd Kart. A pursuit trap from Waterpon was safe though, and Lopunny was dealt with a burn, as mentioned before.
:kingambit: :gardevoir-mega: :pecharunt: :salamence: :iron-treads: :rotom-wash: A scary accidental Kart sack to Vacuum Wave Gardevoir saved by a few questionable switches from the other side. Also a masterclass Defiant Gambit showcase.
:samurott-hisui: :gholdengo: :terapagos-terastal: :ceruledge: :tapu-lele: :lopunny-mega: A strange Lopunny sack made the game far easier than it should've been.
:kyurem: :xurkitree: :nihilego: :alomomola: :cinderace: :scizor-mega: So I did use Roar on Moltres??? I honestly forgot. Seems Roar spam won me the game lol
:araquanid: :great-tusk: :gholdengo: :enamorus: :iron-moth: :kingambit: Hey, get back to OU! The game was easy goings until Great Tusk started setting up, and the way I played was too passive, and ran the real risk of Tusk reverse sweeping it all. Luckily, a burn left the opponent completely dispirited to continue, so we won!
:scizor-mega: :serperior: :slowbro: :clodsire: :rotom-heat: :kommo-o: This game made me love Icium Z Tusk. Nothing notable to mention here, we just eliminated the important pieces that made the clean-up inevitable. Our team remained fantastically healthy by the time of their forfeit. A Clangorous Soul Kommo-O might've actually swept, but we were lucky it was a DDance set. We also got decently lucky with the RNG, so there's that too.
Final Thoughts
I am quite proud of this team! It has been my best team that isn't hyper offence, and everything worked out super well! Of course I might've peaked higher on the ladder, but I am an inconsistent player to say the least. Anyways, feedback and suggestions for improvements will be very much appreciated, and I thank you for the time you took to read this (if you did lol). Enjoy your day!
Special thanks to... no one??? Yes, this is a team that I didn't need any help to reach decent heights! No shade to anyone who helped me in the past, I am just proud to have grown so much as a player!
...
Fine, Pinkacross's video directly helped me. I guess I can never escape his guidance. Alas.
Team one last time: https://pokepast.es/232485343281616a