Project VGC Next Best Thing - Week 8 (won by Helios of sun)

[I'mKindaTrashTho]

CHOICE BAND BRONZONG!

Bronzong @ Choice Band
Ability: Heavy Metal
Level: 50
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def
Brave Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Heavy Slam
- Zen Headbutt
- Body Press
- Trick

When I noticed that Bronzong was used almost entirely as a Trick Room setter support mon, I figured there was SOME way I could use it for offense. I then saw that its hidden ability was Heavy Metal, and that it got Heavy Slam. Zen Headbutt was added because it was the best Psychics STAB that Bronzong learned. It also turns out that Choice Band does affect Body Press, so I added that to round out the attacking moves. Trick was a given for this set, as it gave Bronzong the ability to cripple a setup or support mon, and provides a guaranteed win condition against the Chansey/Shuckle team that was commonly used at the beginning of the series, and still sees play now. Overall, Heavy Metal + Choice Band + STAB means Heavy Slam does a surprisingly huge amount of damage, and the set reliably picks up KOs. A good partner for it is a Trick Room setter who allows Bronzong to utilize its low speed.

 

[Sagdiyev]

Offensive Rain Special Trick Room Bronzong

Bronzong @ Mystic Water
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpA
Quiet Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 0 Spe
- Trick Room
- Skill Swap
- Weather Ball
- Flash Cannon

Pretty simple set. While most of the moves are ripped from 2016, the function is still the same. As a special attacker, Bronzong is unaffected by Intimidate, and Rain + Weather Ball heavily chunks the two most common ones: Landorus-Therian and Incineroar, doing at least 63% to both when they’re fully decked out in special bulk.

As this is an OTR set, Trick Room is a given move.

Skill Swap is great for resetting weather, cycling Intimidate or taking away an ability a Pokémon needs to function (such as Magic Bounce from Hatterene).

Weather Ball, as established before, is a way to neuter intimidate from the field while in rain. It seriously dents Incineroar and Landorus, allowing for a threatening teammate like Gyarados to come in and wreak havoc.

Flash Cannon is the chosen STAB move, as Psychic is a poor attacking type due to not hitting any relevant types super effectively. Flash Cannon, however, hits Tyranitar and Fairies for heavy damage. It also is on par with Psyshock’s Base Power of 80, meaning that it is not a weak move.

This set struggles with bulky water types, meaning that a Thunder user, like Zapdos is near mandatory as a partner to break past them.

I hope you enjoy this set!

 

[Giokio]

Submission phase is over! Let’s start with voting.
The sets this time are:
Lefties by lucariomaster2
Imprison by Yourwelcomethanku
Ally switch by Prinz
Rocky Helmet by NitroKnight68
Custap Berry by skyp1llar
Choice Band by @l’mKindaThrashTho
Rainy Mood by Sagdiyev
You have until 7/12/2021 23:59 UTC+2 to vote.

My vote goes to Skyp1llar for his original and interesting set.
​

I admit I was thinking about disqualifying some people, as many sets are almost identical to others.
In the end I decided to not do so but please in the next weeks try to be more original with your sets.

 

[Yourwelcomethanku]

Ally switch sogood

 

[Low-Key]

Ally Switch

 

[Sagdiyev]

Ally Switch

 

[NitroKnight68]

Custap Berry pogggg

 

[skyp1llar]

Rainy mood is sick real creative Sagdiyev

 

[mayamajig]

Custap berry

 

[Giokio]

Congratulations to skyp1llar and Prinz for winning week 2 of VGC Next Best Thing!

For week 3 we will shift to series 10! But beginning with Zacian or Xerneas would be boring, so let’s spice up your teambuilders with the one and only
Zygarde!

No restrictions to form, ability and moves, you can submit a 50% set with aura break if you feel like it.
You have until 07/18/2021 23:59 UTC+2 to submit your set, enjoy your building!​

 

[Yourwelcomethanku]

Good pick
Zygarde I think is quite interesting in a format with limited Ground-types anyways onto the set.

Zygarde @ Mago Berry
Ability: Power construct
Level: 50
EVs: 12 HP / 236 Atk / 4 Def / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Thousand Arrows
- Protect
- Substitute

In contrast to Coil Dragon Dance lets Zygarde outspeed and threaten Pokemon that would before outspeed it such as Calyrex-Shadow, Zacian-C, and Tapu Koko. Zygarde of course doesn't outspeed and OHKO these Pokemon but it could be the difference between your opponent 2HKOing you and you 2HKoing them or simply outspeeding them to be in range of another teammate like Rillaboom. Substitute is good as Zygarde does not need other moves and is taken advantage especially well with Zygardes huge bulk. Max speed with a Jolly nature is needed to outspeed Calyrex-shadow after a Dragon Dance because keep in mind big form is slower.

 

[NitroKnight68]

AV Zygarde


Zygarde @ Assault Vest
Ability: Aura Break
Level: 50
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 164 HP / 180 Atk / 164 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Scale Shot
- Thousand Arrows
- Iron Tail
- Crunch

Zygarde was hit hard when Dynamax was banned and pretty much lost the ability to run super bulky weakness policy sets, so this is the best set I could come up with. Zygarde doesnt pack that many good status moves apart from Glare/Haze which I don't really know how to use because there are other mons who can do that better than Zygarde so I decided to use AV. This Zygarde is EVd to outspeed Calyrex-Shadow and Zacian after one Scale Shot and can 2HKO Zacian(with a good roll) and also OHKO Offensive Calyrex-Shadow with Crunch. But the best part of this set is the fact that it is Aura Break and Timid Max SpA Xerneas literally cannot OHKO you even after a Geomancy which I feel is kinda nasty. That being said Intimidate cycling will render Zygarde useless even on Dragon Dance/Coil sets so it is best paired with a Defiant/Competitive mon to punish the intimidators.

 

[Human]

2K Zygarde (Soft Sand)

Zygarde @ Soft Sand
Ability: Power Construct
Level: 50
EVs: 4 HP / 156 Atk / 4 Def / 196 SpD / 148 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Thousand Arrows
- Thousand Waves
- Dragon Dance / Coil
- Protect​

So the spread is mostly irrelevant, with random numbers. I put a bunch of attack investment hitting a jump point, arbitrarily got enough speed to outspeed base 130s at +1, but the speed can be dropped further - the number that is important to hit is to outspeed Calyrex-S when at +2 speed, and maybe some Regieleki if they are dropping bulk. The important thing is the justification for Soft Sand though.

Relevant Calcs:
Regieleki: 156+ Atk Soft Sand Zygarde Thousand Arrows vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Regieleki: 200-236 (129 - 152.2%) -- guaranteed OHKO
Incineroar: 156+ Atk Soft Sand Zygarde Thousand Arrows vs. 236 HP / 28 Def Incineroar: 122-146 (61 - 73%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
Zacian: 156+ Atk Soft Sand Zygarde Thousand Arrows vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Zacian-Crowned: 102-122 (61 - 73%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

The Incineroar spread comes from Hamstermania's vods with a handful of relevant Series 10 teams from the day the ladder dropped, essentially if Zygarde does 60% or more then +0 and -1 combine to KO Incineroar, this sets a damage threshold to hit because honestly, if you're using Zygarde expect to get Intimidated. A lot. To push these to OHKOs on Zacian and Incineroar requires too much attack investment to justify (probably), and I cannot particularly justify dropping attack investment to survive Xerneas Moonblast either.

Coil and Dragon Dance both accomplish similar things, I personally have enjoyed Dragon Dance more, but Coil is about as effective and matches up better into Rillaboom + Incineroar.

How does it play:
Zygarde with Thousand Waves is mostly trying to catch something on the switch so you can get priority on a switch, or with Taunt/Throat Chop/Fake Out to trap an Incineroar or other common pivot in for a while to get an advantage. This advantage can lead to a switch out or to get more general damage onto your opponent during those turns. Knowing that say a Zacian cannot switch out allows for you to Intimidate it more safely and maybe even get it to -1, all of these things make Thousand Waves (trapping) more and more valuable.

Things to consider for teammates:
You'd probably want pivots, or ways to remove offensive stat drops to keep Zygarde more relevant because, with Thousand Waves you want to keep Zygarde on the field, this includes healing such as Amoonguss, Tapu Fini, or Comfey. Power Constrict and a healing move very quickly get Zygarde close to full and that makes Zygarde especially difficult to breakthrough. Incineroar and Rillaboom are obvious partners since even though Zygarde doesn't deal much damage, they set up the field rather nicely to minimize what the opponent can do and help finish off Pokemon. Urshifu (both forms) is also relevant because, in addition to raw damage, it has priority. I've used some Perish Song Gengar, so I'd say ghost types are also good partners, Shedinja may be one. A final teammate worth consideration is Ditto, I have not really used it much, but Zygarde enables trapping which is important specifically for imposter because you can finally control which Pokemon you copy by keeping them in the specific slot without having to worry about switches.

 

[Evelyie]

Glare Substitute Zygarde
​

Zygarde @ Grassy Seed
Ability: Power Construct
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 52 Atk / 4 Def / 196 SpD / 4 Spe
Careful Nature
- Thousand Waves
- Dragon Dance
- Glare
- Substitute

This is a set that is meant to trap opponents with Thousand Waves, and then spread Glares through the opposing teams while setting up. The spread is really invested in bulk, surviving even an Ice Beam from a Kyogre. I capped the SpD at the bump, the defense wasn't really needed due to Grassy Seed, and I just deposited the rest to Attack, although I did not felt the need to be hefty on it, due to Dragon Dance.

are some good allies to Zygarde, to allow Zygarde having an easier time getting its Substitutes and other moves off, with Fake Out pressure, Redirection and countering Xerneas. Other options consist in Urshifu-Rapid-Strike and Heal Pulse Tapu Fini.

 

[Giokio]

Voting phase has started!
This time the sets are all really original and I’ve been loving some of them in my teams

Sub-DD by Yourwelcomethanku
AV by NitroKnight68
Double thousand by Human
Sub-Glare by Evelyie
You have until 07/20/2021 23:59 GMT+2 to vote!
my vote this time goes to my friend Human as their set is the one I’m enjoying the most on ladder​

 

[Evelyie]

Voting on SubDD by ywt

 

[NitroKnight68]

My vote goes to Sub-Glare which imo can sweep more than any of the other sets if played right and also be immune to intimidate and I feel stupid for not thinking of that lmao.

 

[Helios of Sun]

Double thousand by Human

 

[Yourwelcomethanku]

Sub glare

 

[DJWT64]

Sub-Glare

 

[zee]

Human

 

[SoulBadguy0408]

Glare Substitute Zygarde

 

[Giokio]

Congratulations to Evelyie for winning week 4 with her Sub + Glare set!

Similar to the previous one with Zygarde, week 4 features another multi form Pokémon
Necrozma!

All Necrozma forms can be submitted, of course we won’t feature Ultra Necrozma since it doesn’t exist in Sword and Shield, but feel free to build around the Leo and the Bat forms.
You have until 07/27/2021 23:59 GMT+2 to submit your set!​

 

[Yourwelcomethanku]

Two good picks in a row Giokio

Necrozma-Dusk-Mane @ Weakness Policy
Ability: Prism Armor
Level: 50
EVs: 228 HP / 4 Atk / 4 Def / 236 SpA / 36 SpD
Quiet Nature
- Sunsteel Strike
- Earth Power
- Photon Geyser
- Protect / Trick Room
Mixed

Necrozma-Dusk-Mane is normally slowed down horribly by intimidate with Earthquake being a physical move and potentially being halved by Grass-terrain to. Incineroar gets ton of value into NDM. However running a mixed set allows you to not be slowed down as horribly and NDM has a respectable base 113 Special attack with a STAB 100 BP Psychic move which isn't weak by any means. Psychic STAB and ground coverage hits most of the format on its own missing out mainly on Psychic types however pair that with Steel STAB and only a select few Pokemon like Celesteela can take those attacks super comfortably. Even without attack investment your still an good Xerneas check the main reason NDM could struggle with Xerneas is Xerneas's common teammates not Xerneas itself.

NDM is EVd so that Photon Geyser will be special and not physical.


Teammates
Necrozma-Dusk-Mane is still slowed down by Incineroar and Landorus-T so Urshifu-Rapid-strike can check those. NDM is also slow and vulnrable to Calyrex-Shadow so Dark-types such as Incineroar, Umbreon paired with a redirector like Volcarona to keep Mienshao in check. NDM can struggle with Kyogre considerably so Assault Vest Rillaboom and Ludicolo can alleviate this. Landorus-I outspeeds NDM and hits it very hard with its Sheer Force Life Orb boosted Earth power, Rillaboom and Amoonguss can help check Landorus.

 

[NitroKnight68]

Dancing Lion

Necrozma-Dusk-Mane @ Weakness Policy
Ability: Prism Armor
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 12 Atk / 4 Def / 124 SpD / 116 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Sunsteel Strike
- Dragon Dance/ Swords Dance
- Protect

Necrozma is one of the very few WP abusers in the meta and I personally feel that speedy Necrozma-DM is the way to go. This set outspeeds base 100s at +1 and base 150s like Calyrex-Shadow and Zacian at +2(or under tailwind). It also lives Earth Power from Lando-I and Astral Barrage from Timid Calyrex-Shadow and can smack it back into the shadow realm once WP is activated. Necrozma-DM is a great mon you can build around if you are having problems with Xerneas or Calyrex-Ice.

It would be best paired with either a Defiant mon, speed control or redirection or my personal favourite Haze Crobat which can setup a free tailwind and Haze away any attack drops if people want to Intimidate cycle you and set up a DD after for free. There are not many common threats that can OHKO Necrozma-DM so a setup Necrozma can destroy anything in its path with the right support and coverage.