Singles 3v3 Singles (BSS) Discussion

[marilli]

Nah, they definitely do run Sheer cold, it's Lapras's only way to avoid getting walled against fat Pokemon like Snorlax, Ferrothorn, and the like. Thunderbolt is used, too, but especially the AV set you will see Sheer Cold be used. Your experience may make you think there's less of them than there actually is, because in many games it goes unused, especially against an offensive team like you posted.

Ferrothorn is also definitely good. It beating Mimikyu and Lapras is huge, and so is forcing these Fire-move using Pokemon to be brought. Darmanitan and Togekiss always uses Fire moves, but neither can switch into Gyro Ball. Thus, Snorlax and Dragapult often have to as well, and if they are brought vs a Ferrothorn on a team that otherwise doesn't have obvious Fire-move coverage (Togekiss, Darmanitan, Rotom-H, etc.) you will always assume it has Fire move and switch out. If you were wrong Ferrothorn will win anyways so it doesn't matter, and if they did have a Fire-type move like they should, then you made the right play.

One thing I think I believe strongly is that Ferrothorn should never be your primary sponge into Rotom-W. This basically has been the case like, ever since BW OU. If it is, then it will start every game vs it burnt, and you won't be able to win with it even if you get rid of their Fire-type coverage.

 

[CloysterCube]

I run a Curse set, but I’m considering replacing Curse with Protect to stall Leech Seed and dynamax, and to scout for Fire moves.

 

[stonerchris]

Anyone else feel burned out for teams on BS Singles? Sorry if this is a pointless post, but I'm really ready for some new pokemon to be included, this sucks lol.

 

[CloysterCube]

Hehe making Ninjask meta again?

I’m not joking. Baton passing to any physical sweeper makes them deadly with the boost.

 

[PKQ]

Hehe making Ninjask meta again?

I’m not joking. Baton passing to any physical sweeper makes them deadly with the boost.

I just saw something on BSS and I think ninjask may be viable.



Ninjask (M) @ Aguav Berry
Ability: Speed Boost
Level: 50
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 244 HP / 12 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Leech Life
- Dig
- Metal Claw
- Baton Pass

The goal was to dynamax first. Gain defensive stats. After dynamax is over baton pass to a different pokemon and become the ultimate tank.

I don't this is the exact set I saw online but I think its close enough.

 

[1_TrickPhony]

Anyone else feel burned out for teams on BS Singles? Sorry if this is a pointless post, but I'm really ready for some new pokemon to be included, this sucks lol.

I feel that. Honestly Im burnt out on the gen, but *maybe* the DLC will revitalize me?

 

[CloysterCube]

I just saw something on BSS and I think ninjask my be viable.



Ninjask (M) @ Aguav Berry
Ability: Speed Boost
Level: 50
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 244 HP / 12 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Leech Life
- Dig
- Metal Claw
- Baton Pass

The goal was to dynamax first. Gain defensive stats. After dynamax is over baton pass to a different pokemon and become the ultimate tank.

I don't this is the exact set I saw online but I think its close enough.

Interesting set. Pokemon like Excadrill could use a bit for defense.

 

[cant say]

Here’s the nasty mod with mean things to say.....

Firstly, the Team Bazaar is NOT a place to talk team ideas. It’s not a discussion forum, I’ve been deleting all posts there that aren’t team submissions. It is a resource thread and I want it to be easy for players to find teams. Keep the discussion to here. Simpler questions have their own thread too.

Secondly, the Rest + Curse Goodra set on the last page, and more recently the Ninjask set on this page, are not viable at all... People are posting these acting like they’re cool and niche. Unfortunately they are not, and I can tell they’re untested.

I’ve been a desperate Baton Pass tryhard in BSS forever and I’ve given up on it this gen as the receiver often just dies on the Baton Pass turn. Also, using a mon to Dynamax to gain boosts, and then pass them off is SUPER bad. You just get reverse-swept by the opposing Dynamax lmao.


As for feeling burnt out of team ideas, I definitely feel that way. This feels like the gen with the fewest viable pokémon, the good teams all look the same, especially when you take a scroll through nouthuca. Using anything outside the top ... 20 or so feels like a handicap. If your cute niche mon lets an actual threat in for free they just Dynamax and beat you. What’s even worse is it feels like nothing actually checks anything unless you’re able to get the call right of “do they sac, dynamax or switch” correct.

Let’s say have your Scarf Excadrill out against their Mimikyu. Iron Head kills unless they Dynamax, and Max Phantasm KOes back. So do you Dynamax Drill to ensure you live and KO back? But it’s not a good play for them to Dynamax Mimi against a damn Excadrill right? So they should switch out. So let’s just Iron Head and if they switch or Dynamax we’ll deal with it......oh they’re Babiri Berry and set Trick Room. GG.


Anyway, I don’t think it’s a bad format. I actually don’t hate centralisation or variance. I just personally get more enjoyment out of teambuilding than battling, and I’ve exhausted all my teambuilding ideas for what we have available. The DLC will be interesting when it drops, but having more teambuilding options also comes at the cost of having to deal with Dynamax Lando-T until gen 9 comes out lol.

 

[Hermanator]

Here’s the nasty mod with mean things to say.....

Firstly, the Team Bazaar is NOT a place to talk team ideas. It’s not a discussion forum, I’ve been deleting all posts there that aren’t team submissions. It is a resource thread and I want it to be easy for players to find teams. Keep the discussion to here. Simpler questions have their own thread too.

Secondly, the Rest + Curse Goodra set on the last page, and more recently the Ninjask set on this page, are not viable at all... People are posting these acting like they’re cool and niche. Unfortunately they are not, and I can tell they’re untested.

I’ve been a desperate Baton Pass tryhard in BSS forever and I’ve given up on it this gen as the receiver often just dies on the Baton Pass turn. Also, using a mon to Dynamax to gain boosts, and then pass them off is SUPER bad. You just get reverse-swept by the opposing Dynamax lmao.


As for feeling burnt out of team ideas, I definitely feel that way. This feels like the gen with the fewest viable pokémon, the good teams all look the same, especially when you take a scroll through nouthuca. Using anything outside the top ... 20 or so feels like a handicap. If your cute niche mon lets an actual threat in for free they just Dynamax and beat you. What’s even worse is it feels like nothing actually checks anything unless you’re able to get the call right of “do they sac, dynamax or switch” correct.

Let’s say have your Scarf Excadrill out against their Mimikyu. Iron Head kills unless they Dynamax, and Max Phantasm KOes back. So do you Dynamax Drill to ensure you live and KO back? But it’s not a good play for them to Dynamax Mimi against a damn Excadrill right? So they should switch out. So let’s just Iron Head and if they switch or Dynamax we’ll deal with it......oh they’re Babiri Berry and set Trick Room. GG.


Anyway, I don’t think it’s a bad format. I actually don’t hate centralisation or variance. I just personally get more enjoyment out of teambuilding than battling, and I’ve exhausted all my teambuilding ideas for what we have available. The DLC will be interesting when it drops, but having more teambuilding options also comes at the cost of having to deal with Dynamax Lando-T until gen 9 comes out lol.

Would you say that the few viable Pokémon are due to the cut dex or dynamax?

 

[Ultima-Z]

Honestly I don’t think Ferrothorn is as good as it was before because metagame mons like Dragapult and Tyranitar mostly fire-moves on their sets, and it can OHKO or 2HKO even with full defensive investment. Even Fairy-types give it some trouble now that that most of them run Mystical Fire. It is only good at checking Dracovish, Mimikyu, and Dragapults without Flamethrower/Fire Blast, but overall, the meta isn’t friendly with Ferrothorn and personally I think Corviknight can do better as a physical wall that’s even able to run specially defensive.

Nah man. Ferro is absolutely baller right now. I looked on the Pokesol rankings yesterday just to see that it's in the top 8 Pokemon used. It walls Primarina and Lapras from hell to back, provided they don't hit stupid Sheer Colds against you. Protect + Leech allows you to stall DMAX turns and Occa Berry is viable to take one super effective Fire hit. Beats Mimi, Diggersby lacking SD and Fire Punch, Zolt, and Vish. Ferro is also a incredible Stealth Rock user, which in a meta game where Focus Sash is arguably the best item in the game, is extremely valuable.

Also the Pokemon you named that have fire coverage to hit it :(Darmanitan/Snorlax/Tyranitar/Togekiss/Pult)
None of them like being sapped by leech seed, worn down by stealth rocks, or can switch in safety to Gyro Ball/Body Press without taking a shit ton. These pokemon having fire coverage imo puts you a step ahead since you can scout to see if they have it and lock them into it they do or if they don't, you basically wall them.
Also listen to Marilli about using Ferro against Washtom. Having a burned one sucks and they can wear you down just by Volt Switching all over you.

 

[cant say]

Would you say that the few viable Pokémon are due to the cut dex or dynamax?

I sense you might be a #bringbacknationaldex type and/or anti-Dynamax so I’m worried how productive this conversation will be. Either way I heavily alluded to Dynamax limiting viable picks. At a glance it has the potential to make any Pokémon viable, kind of like a Mega Evolution for your favourite Pokémon. Instead it just makes the good Pokémon even better. The best way to build a team is not around one specific Pokémon that wants to Dynamax, instead just build a good team and Dynamax whatever you need to win. If your plan was to set up and Dynamax Rapidash specifically, too bad! Your opponents Excadrill / Ferrothorn come in, survive, and Max Steelspike you to death. Or their Togekiss comes out and Airstreams you to reverse sweep. This is a bit different to last gen with Z moves because your gimmick mon could run a gimmick Z move to not get countered by a scary mon, there was no such thing as a defensive Z move in that scenario.

Basically, Dynamax killed gimmicky Pokémon. Now a lot of people are probably saying “but hold on, gimmicks are bad so this is a good thing.” That’s arguably true in a competitive sense, but now the good Pokémon are running the gimmicks instead. Who would have thought last gen one of the biggest strats of the new games was to run Fly + Weakness Policy on every mon that got it? That Lapras and Durant would be centralising threats? That Aegislash’s only viable set would be Focus Sash?

So even though team preview feels like Groundhog Day, you play out a battle thinking you’re about to win, then BAM some weird ass coverage move from a Dynamax mon comes back from 1-3 down. That’s why I seemed to contradict myself in my last post saying the meta is too centralised but there’s too much variance lol.


As for available Pokémon / dex cut; this changed the format in a lot of ways, good and bad. Not having to deal with Porygon2, Landorus-T, Celesteela, Tapu Fini, Breloom, Heatran, and Cresselia has allowed a lot of offensive Pokémon to shine that were otherwise kept in check. However this comes at the cost of Excadrill being almost unstoppable, and hyper offensive teams in general being the best way to build. This means there isn’t a lot of checking/countering going on in the format, just getting leads right or wrong and revenge killing as necessary until someone loses 3 mons.

So would the metagame be better if all pokémon made it to Galar? Well we’ll have a decent idea when the DLC drops, but if the defensive Pokémon we need get added, so too do the offensive behemoths. Dragonite, Blaziken, Scizor, Greninja, Salamence, Garchomp, Volcarona....

Who knows what Pokémon we get in the DLC, but I don’t think it will increase the total number of viable Pokémon. Some that are viable now will drop off that’s for sure.

 

[CloysterCube]

Magnezone might be used in BSS to check the common Corviknight, which may cause its usage to drop.

 

[Ika Ika Musume]

I've been saying from day one that Dynamax is a very unhealthy competitive mechanic that is cool in an ingame sense but definitely isn't meant or tested for singles play. Since Gamefreak needs to sell Pokemon games, each generation seems to need a new gimmick in order to spice up battling and make it play out differently from the previous generation. In generation six for example, you have the introduction of Mega Pokemon, which I believe was probably Gamefreak's best implementation since team preview. In gen seven you have z-moves, which certainly are problematic in some instances but manageable. Dynamax is an example of a gimmick that just takes things way too far. The main issues with Dynamax have long been gone over, but I thought I'd pull attention to why you don't see much variety of pokemon in your games.

There is no alternative playstyle other than goodstuffs in my opinion that is any good in SWSH BSS. You may find the odd win, you surprise your opponent or whatnot but you cannot consistently ladder this to high ELO either on Showdown or Cartridge ladder. The best you can actually do when it comes to non-conventional teams is to put 4-5 of the best pokemon in the game on your team and then bring a few memes that you rarely if ever bring. This is because Dynamax gives these pokemon that were already chocked full of tools even more of them. Take Snorlax for example, when was it viably able to change the weather, block yawn, gain back bulky berry with an attack, gain stat boosts with attacks etc. before gen 8? What has made more options possible has always been, can this strategy deal with the meta? Part of what has made that possible is that all teams are limited in what tools they have at their disposal and further limited by needing to check meta threats. The vast majority of formerly viable strategies in gens 5-7 cannot deal with the meta since the meta pokemon are just so much more swiss army knife than they were in previous generations. This doesn't even include the huge number of 50/50s that Dynamax brings and the fact that pokemon already difficult to KO become impossible to kill. That just ultimately leads most teambuilders to bringing the best swiss army knives.

This carries through to tournament play too. In BSPL for example, the top six pokemon used so far based on the regular season are

Mimikyu: 76.79%
Dragapult: 55.36%
Rotom-A: 55.36%
Togekiss: 48.21%
Snorlax: 48.21%
Excadrill: 46.43%

Lets compare that to USUM BSS for example. Marilli did Usage stats for BSPL IV when USUM BSS was the main generation. Excadrill, which is 6th in usage in SWSH BSS, would easily be 2nd in Usage if the usage was translated directly into USUM, being 10% higher than Landorus-T at 36.76%. Only Mimikyu, easily the most broken pokemon in Gen 7 has higher usage and even then it has 20% lower usage than in gen 8. Its ability to nearly always live a hit is needed more than ever. I have no doubt SWSH will continue to become more and more centralised as we go later and later into the generation, I believe it will end up be more centralised than generation 6 most likely and easily. Unlike gen 6, where there was just a clear best style and other styles could work, I just think Dynamax means those other styles are less viable to the point you struggle.

Either ways, this is not to diminish people's enjoyment of gen 8, it can still be fun but it really is a death knell to those of us who like to think outside the box since you are kneecapping yourself by not thinking in it.

 

[PKQ]

I've been saying from day one that Dynamax is a very unhealthy competitive mechanic that is cool in an ingame sense but definitely isn't meant or tested for singles play. Since Gamefreak needs to sell Pokemon games, each generation seems to need a new gimmick in order to spice up battling and make it play out differently from the previous generation. In generation six for example, you have the introduction of Mega Pokemon, which I believe was probably Gamefreak's best implementation since team preview. In gen seven you have z-moves, which certainly are problematic in some instances but manageable. Dynamax is an example of a gimmick that just takes things way too far. The main issues with Dynamax have long been gone over, but I thought I'd pull attention to why you don't see much variety of pokemon in your games.

There is no alternative playstyle other than goodstuffs in my opinion that is any good in SWSH BSS. You may find the odd win, you surprise your opponent or whatnot but you cannot consistently ladder this to high ELO either on Showdown or Cartridge ladder. The best you can actually do when it comes to non-conventional teams is to put 4-5 of the best pokemon in the game on your team and then bring a few memes that you rarely if ever bring. This is because Dynamax gives these pokemon that were already chocked full of tools even more of them. Take Snorlax for example, when was it viably able to change the weather, block yawn, gain back bulky berry with an attack, gain stat boosts with attacks etc. before gen 8? What has made more options possible has always been, can this strategy deal with the meta? Part of what has made that possible is that all teams are limited in what tools they have at their disposal and further limited by needing to check meta threats. The vast majority of formerly viable strategies in gens 5-7 cannot deal with the meta since the meta pokemon are just so much more swiss army knife than they were in previous generations. This doesn't even include the huge number of 50/50s that Dynamax brings and the fact that pokemon already difficult to KO become impossible to kill. That just ultimately leads most teambuilders to bringing the best swiss army knives.

This carries through to tournament play too. In BSPL for example, the top six pokemon used so far based on the regular season are

Mimikyu: 76.79%
Dragapult: 55.36%
Rotom-A: 55.36%
Togekiss: 48.21%
Snorlax: 48.21%
Excadrill: 46.43%

Lets compare that to USUM BSS for example. Marilli did Usage stats for BSPL IV when USUM BSS was the main generation. Excadrill, which is 6th in usage in SWSH BSS, would easily be 2nd in Usage if the usage was translated directly into USUM, being 10% higher than Landorus-T at 36.76%. Only Mimikyu, easily the most broken pokemon in Gen 7 has higher usage and even then it has 20% lower usage than in gen 8. Its ability to nearly always live a hit is needed more than ever. I have no doubt SWSH will continue to become more and more centralised as we go later and later into the generation, I believe it will end up be more centralised than generation 6 most likely and easily. Unlike gen 6, where there was just a clear best style and other styles could work, I just think Dynamax means those other styles are less viable to the point you struggle.

Either ways, this is not to diminish people's enjoyment of gen 8, it can still be fun but it really is a death knell to those of us who like to think outside the box since you are kneecapping yourself by not thinking in it.

I really miss the x and y days

 

[DragonWhale]

please keep the discussion about bss thanks

 

[AwesomeDave980]

Has anyone heard anything about the upcoming Isle of Armor move tutor moves? Just curious, as I haven’t heard or seen anything yet, and certain new move/Pokémon pairings could have huge meta game implications.

Also it’s not long now before we can start breaking out those Evolite Chanseys and Libero Cinderaces lol.

 

[1_TrickPhony]

Has anyone heard anything about the upcoming Isle of Armor move tutor moves? Just curious, as I haven’t heard or seen anything yet, and certain new move/Pokémon pairings could have huge meta game implications.

Also it’s not long now before we can start breaking out those Evolite Chanseys and Libero Cinderaces lol.

I dont think there is any public information on this atm. Only rumor news I've seen recently is in regards to DPP remake which'll probably come 2021, or if we are lucky, Christmas time.

 

[cant say]

A lot of the “tutor moves” in gens 5/6/7 are now just TRs. I kind feel like we won’t get extra moves in the DLC.

However, Pokémon Home was datamined and you can see what old Pokémon get access to the SwSh TRs here:

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1228085803093413888

Things like Play Rough + Close Combat Tapu Koko and Tapu Bulu are huge. Stored Power Cresselia could be okay. Iron Defense + Body Press Heatran is a funny way to get by Chansey since it doesn’t get Toxic anymore. Have a look through and see what else you notice.

 

[Hematite]

A lot of the “tutor moves” in gens 5/6/7 are now just TRs. I kind feel like we won’t get extra moves in the DLC.

To clarify not really sure how relevant it is to BSS at this point, so sorry to drag it out, it's been confirmed that there will be move tutors, but they're for entirely new moves, not the moves that have been tutors in the past. That said, to address the question: nope, we have no information on any of these moves, I'm afraid. I guess we'll find out next month?

 

[LatiosGemma]

Hello everyone! I really hope that y'all can help me out.
I've been using and trying to modify this team for a while on the battle spots singles, but it just doesn't seem to work like I would love it too. Darm gets ohko'ed everytime, i've not found great use in gastro's item, despite the mon itself being incredibly good, and in general I'd like to improve the team and maybe get some suggestions on how to use it properly (with the correct changes). I've also tried adamant cinderace in place of darm, but I'm opened to any ideas that you can give me.
This the team:

Corviknight @ Leftovers
Ability: Mirror Armor
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Def
Impish Nature
- Bulk Up
- Roost
- Body Press
- Brave Bird

Rotom-Wash @ Rindo Berry
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Nasty Plot
- Hydro Pump
- Thunderbolt
- Dark Pulse

Gastrodon @ Assault Vest
Ability: Storm Drain
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpA
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Earth Power
- Clear Smog
- Ice Beam

Tyranitar @ Weakness Policy
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 244 HP / 52 Atk / 212 Def
Brave Nature
- Fire Blast
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Iron Head

Darmanitan-Galar @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Gorilla Tactics
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Icicle Crash
- Earthquake
- U-turn
- Flare Blitz

Excadrill @ Focus Sash
Ability: Mold Breaker
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Rapid Spin
- Earthquake
- Iron Head
- Rock Slide

 

[Photon]

Although you look like you're checking some boxes running Corviknight/AV Gastrodon, upon closer inspection it looks like everything just wants to play aggressor. What little support options you do have (like Rapid Spin Excadrill and Clear Smog Gastrodon) are more reactive than proactive. In my opinion, this team really needs a better way to gain momentum.

One easy synergy you are missing out on right now is Tyranitar + Sand Rush Excadrill, so it might be worth tweaking Excadrill's set and seeing how that goes. Nasty Plot Rotom-Wash would also benefit from any Corviknights who get lured into stop the Sand Rush sweep, so Tyranitar + Excadrill + Rotom-Wash could be a core to start building the rest of the team around (I run something very similar on my current team and I've been hovering in the 2k-3k ranked range.)

To summarize, I'm just struggling to see a clear strategy for this team other than brute force. You really want at least one endgame scenario that you are shooting for each match (Sand Rush Excadrill sweep, Moxie Gyarados snowball, etc.)

 

[LatiosGemma]

Although you look like you're checking some boxes running Corviknight/AV Gastrodon, upon closer inspection it looks like everything just wants to play aggressor. What little support options you do have (like Rapid Spin Excadrill and Clear Smog Gastrodon) are more reactive than proactive. In my opinion, this team really needs a better way to gain momentum.

One easy synergy you are missing out on right now is Tyranitar + Sand Rush Excadrill, so it might be worth tweaking Excadrill's set and seeing how that goes. Nasty Plot Rotom-Wash would also benefit from any Corviknights who get lured into stop the Sand Rush sweep, so Tyranitar + Excadrill + Rotom-Wash could be a core to start building the rest of the team around (I run something very similar on my current team and I've been hovering in the 2k-3k ranked range.)

To summarize, I'm just struggling to see a clear strategy for this team other than brute force. You really want at least one endgame scenario that you are shooting for each match (Sand Rush Excadrill sweep, Moxie Gyarados snowball, etc.)

I like your advice of changing exca to sandrush. What other 3 teammates could I use in your opinion? And do you think that moves and evs are fine as far as rotom, exca and tyranitar are concerned?

 

[Photon]

I like your advice of changing exca to sandrush. What other 3 teammates could I use in your opinion? And do you think that moves and evs are fine as far as rotom, exca and tyranitar are concerned?

The first question about the other 3 teammates is a pretty in-depth question. I'll mostly defer on that one for now; I'm actually preparing a RMT for my "Sand Rush" team so that's something that I can point you to when its posted. Also, my previous comments were not meant to dissuade you from keeping your other teammates. Rather, I was just giving you a baseline core to work with, and you can decide from there who else should stay and who needs to go.

If there is one blatant need I would point to, a Tyranitar+Excadrill+Rotom-Wash core could really struggle with is Ferrothorn. Rotom-Wash will get walled hard; Excadrill can sometimes muscle past it (Swords Dance, Dynamax moves, etc.) but in general Ferrothorn has a lot of options to wear it down (Body Press, Leech Seed+Protect stall, etc.) Fire Blast Tyranitar would be your main out, but I would say its 50/50 on whether or not you can lure the opponent into giving you that matchup. Some opponents may try to use Ferrothorn to stall out your sand, while others may try to save Ferrothorn for the suspected Excadrill in back. There are a lot of matchup/mind games that can go on in regards to countering something like Sand Rush, and learning to navigate that is more or less something that comes with experience.

(Edit: OK, technically Rotom-Wash can muscle past Ferrothorn too but just like Excadrill, you're generally expending more resources in that matchup than you really want to be, and the occasional Bullet Seed/Power Whip coverage is problematic.)

As for the movesets and EVs:

Excadrill : Switch over Focus Sash to something like Life Orb or Weakness Policy. The ideal situation is that he'll be under sand or tanking a hit under Dynamax to set sand up (ie Max Rockfall,) so Focus Sash doesn't really suit the all-out offensive nature of Sand Rush. Get rid of Rapid Spin for sure since offensive Excadrill really doesn't want to leave itself open using it, and the speed boost is less important if you have Sand Rush. Brick Break and Horn Drill are two other offensive options you could use instead; Brick Break breaks screens and gives you Max Knuckle, whereas Horn Drill can be your last resort against Corviknight if for some reason Rotom-Wash isn't available.

Tyranitar : Do you want him to be more support-oriented (i.e. set up Excadrill) or do you want him to maintain an offensive focus? If you want support, go for things like Stealth Rock and Thunder Wave and think about moving Focus Sash onto it instead. The support options make it harder for the enemy team to pivot around you and waste your sand turns. If you stay offensive, think about what coverage moves are needed to help Excadrill and Rotom-Wash with their blind spots (like Fire Blast for Ferrothorn.) Either way though, I would drop Weakness Policy; WP Tyranitar really wants to Dynamax, but that's better reserved for Excadrill or Wash-Rotom imo.

Rotom-Wash : The Max HP and Max speed EV spread is pretty confusing on this one. Unless you can provide sound reasoning for why it is that way, I would say the preferable EV spread is offensive (Max SpA + Spd). I would also say the Rindo Berry is too situational; I don't see it having a big influence on which matchups you win or lose except for maybe Power Whip Gyarados. Something like Sitrus Berry would probably be the better choice.

 

[marilli]

Rotom-Wash @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Levitate
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 84 Def / 108 SpA / 4 SpD / 60 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Nasty Plot
- Dark Pulse
- Volt Switch
- Hydro Pump

Here's a Nasty Plot Rotom-W set I like. It allows you to live the +1 Life Orb Max Overgrowth from Gyarados after Dynamax, without needing the Rindo Berry, and in all other cases Sitrus is better for the additional health. Speed outspeeds neutral max Speed 60s including Lapras, by 2 (and covers Adamant Max Tyranitar, though it is surely rare)

Volt Switch allows Rotom to be a smart pivot with Sitrus. I think this Rotom gets the best of both worlds - the non-dynamaxing Sitrus Volt Switch supportive pivot, and the Nasty Plot 3 attacks Dynamax sweeper. The additional damage on straight Thunderbolt is not worth losing the utility of Volt Switch if not Dynamaxed, nor the coverage of Dark Pulse if you were to Dynamax and actually go for a sweep.

Rapid Spin on Excadrill is really bad. It basically loses to every relevant setter aside from Clefable which you can't say with any confidence in team preview if it's actually going to have SR or be some other set. Your team isn't even overly weak to Stealth Rock, so this seems like a pretty nonsense pick. Something like SD or Brick Break or Stealth Rock are all going to be better here.

Now that I got some general advice out of the way, let's talk specifics. BTW I think fast + bulky Rotom is fine too, I see a pretty significant edge in being faster than Togekiss and Gyarados. Simillarly, I don't think there's anything wrong with NOT using Sand Rush on Excadrill, either. The Corvi / Gastrodon core is relatively passive but I think it's something you can still make work if you know how to play with such cores. I also don't see the big problem with "not having win conditions" - you have lots of ways to win the game as is, like chipping things with your bulk for a Darm / Rotom-W cleanup, removing an offensive threat and establishing a defensive win condition in Gastrodon / Corviknight, and so forth.

I think the main problems with this team is twofold:

1. You lack Mimikyu with a reactive core - Mimikyu is the ticket for reactive cores to turn the tables, neutering their Dynamax and posing a Dynamax sweeping threat of their own despite any set up permitted by your passive Pokemon, in my opinion. Not every team requires a Mimikyu but a team with a passive core definitely wants it. This also solves the "no clear wincon" thing Photon was talking about. You can bring your bulky things, and win with trading positively with Mimikyu. A win condition does not have to be a sweeper; it can be a big positive trade, removal of certain offensive threat, etc. which works quite differently for defensive teams. Mimikyu deflects opposing Dynamax and forces trades. The forced trade part in particular is why I think Mimikyu is mandatory for strong teams trying to establish a defensive win condition.

2. Your lack of options for Dynamax Lapras.
Well that's straight forward. You massively lose all your trades vs this, Rotom helps but it's not quite enough. Gastrodon being mauled by Freeze Dry hurts here big time.

There's two ways to handle this problem. You can go a more offensive route like what Photon is describing, adding offensive synergy and momentum. Or you should add a Mimikyu to your team and solidify your team defensively. Adding Mimikyu and Snorlax for instance should give you the Lapras check you needed, gives you a Mimikyu to turn the tables and force trades, at cost of dropping 2 Pokemon - hopefully something that isn't working for your team right now. If you can't find room for a Lapras check you should definitely make your Corviknight Maranga Berry. It's not ideal but it's better than nothing.

Hope this helps!

 

[AwesomeDave980]

Hello everyone! I really hope that y'all can help me out.
I've been using and trying to modify this team for a while on the battle spots singles, but it just doesn't seem to work like I would love it too. Darm gets ohko'ed everytime, i've not found great use in gastro's item, despite the mon itself being incredibly good, and in general I'd like to improve the team and maybe get some suggestions on how to use it properly (with the correct changes). I've also tried adamant cinderace in place of darm, but I'm opened to any ideas that you can give me.
This the team:

Corviknight @ Leftovers
Ability: Mirror Armor
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Def
Impish Nature
- Bulk Up
- Roost
- Body Press
- Brave Bird

Rotom-Wash @ Rindo Berry
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Nasty Plot
- Hydro Pump
- Thunderbolt
- Dark Pulse

Gastrodon @ Assault Vest
Ability: Storm Drain
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpA
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Earth Power
- Clear Smog
- Ice Beam

Tyranitar @ Weakness Policy
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 244 HP / 52 Atk / 212 Def
Brave Nature
- Fire Blast
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Iron Head

Darmanitan-Galar @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Gorilla Tactics
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Icicle Crash
- Earthquake
- U-turn
- Flare Blitz

Excadrill @ Focus Sash
Ability: Mold Breaker
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Rapid Spin
- Earthquake
- Iron Head
- Rock Slide

Hello. You’ve already received plenty of helpful advice, so I’m going to go a different direction here. Have you tried using Snorlax at all? Dynamaxed Snorlax are very hard to take down, and on my most recent team I used an Assault Vest Snorlax with the normal Iron Defense Body Press Corviknight (with others of course) to a good amount of success. It’s also helpful to have both on the same team for those times that the opposing team is either really physically offensive or really specially offensive as well. Here is the set I used:

Snorlax @ Assault Vest
Adamant nature
EVs: 252 Atk, 252 Def, 4 Spe
Ability: Thick Fat
- Body Slam
- Iron Head
- Fire Punch
- Thunder Punch
(I know that you can use Heat Crash and Heavy Slam for more power at times, but I stayed away from those moves due to their inability to hit Dynamaxed Pokemon. It’s EVs actually make it a decent mixed wall too)

If you decide to use Snorlax, then I would replace the Assault Vest Gastrodon here, as I don’t really see it being more useful than other Pokemon on the team (primarily Rotom-W) here.
Also, if you do go that route, your team would have a big weakness to Fighting moves (even with Gastrodon really). Thankfully right now there really is a lack of good Fighting Pokemon right now, so this isn’t as big of an issue as it could be. I could see Conkeldurr being an issue though, as Corviknight is the only real answer to it right now, and even then Corviknight may not always work. A Pokémon like Gyarados or Togekiss would help with that weakness and in general provide helpful resistances that the rest of your team may mostly lack, but I’m not exactly sure who I would replace, and I don’t want to completely remake your team either. I would encourage you to try out a few things (both from me, others, and yourself) and find what works best for you. I hope this helped!