A Little Cup RMT with No Name to Speak Of

[Banryu]

[Little Cup] Ascetics of the Unorthodox Church

Welcome, welcome... For quite some time I've been using the following Little Cup team, one that I plan to soon breed in real life. I think I've gotten about as far as I can on my own with them, so now I turn to you, the Smogon community, for advice with what to fix or do next before taking the final step to actually breed them.

At a Glance: I tried to go for a balanced approach, having type combinations and immunities that compliment each other, allowing for good synergy and (hopefully) easy switches. Most of the team has some helpful resistances or immunities that benefit the others.

So without further ado, here's the team in-depth:
Changes are in greenish.

Buto @ Focus Sash
Ability: Battle Armor
Nature: Naughty / Adamant
EVs: 196 Atk / 236 Spd / 76 SpAtk (76 SpDef)
Moves:
- Stealth Rock
- Aqua Jet
- Rock Slide
- Ice Beam
Summary: My lead. Gets Stealth Rock up, takes the enemy lead out-- that's the plan, anyway. If I can manage to keep him alive or prevent Rocks from going up early on, he makes a fantastic revenge-killer with Aqua Jet, but due to my awful prediction, he rarely makes it that long. Aqua Jet for priority, Rock Slide to crush stuff, and Ice Beam for Gligar leads and because the rest of my team lacks an Ice move.

Sect @ Oran Berry
Ability: Dry Skin
Nature: Impish
EVs: 236 HP / 116 Atk / 156 Def
Moves:
- Spore
- Stun Spore
- Seed Bomb
- Bug Bite
Summary: Good ol' double-powder Paras. Its dual debilitating dust attacks cripple anyone not expecting them, and Bug Bite helps him cripple walls or tanks that like their Oran Berry recovery after they've had a visit from the sandman. Seed Bomb for STAB. Not much of an attacker, his main role is to screw things with status, hit things that don't like his STAB, and absorb Water and Ground attacks aimed at Houndour and Aron, a job he performs quite well.

Gnar @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
Nature: Modest
EVs: 36 Def / 196 SpAtk / 76 SpDef / 196 Spd
Moves:
- Substitute
- Shadow Ball
- Thunderbolt
- Will-O-Wisp / Torment / Destiny Bond
Summary: The all-important Ghostly immunizer of the team, replacing the now-banned Missy. With Missy, I previously ran a near-identical set to this one utilizing Substitute and Will-O-Wisp, and thought not as bulky, Gastly has settled into the role quite comfortably. Substitute is the main attraction here, since it allows Gastly to beat Sucker Punching Croagunk and survive Munchlax. Recently changed Sub-Gastly's nature to Modest, with which it will outspeed and OHKO Croagunk after Stealth Rock with Shadow Ball. Also experimenting with Torment in place of Will-O-Wisp in that last slot. Destiny Bond is now also being considered less as a suicide option, and more as a potential buffer-- discouraging faster opponents from KOing Gastly after they break his Sub.

Ondu @ Life Orb
Ability: Flash Fire
Nature: Lonely
EVs: 116 Atk / 116 SpAtk / 236 Spd / 36 SpDef
Moves:
- Fire Blast
- Dark Pulse
- Sucker Punch
- Pursuit
Summary: Trappy-Dour, great for taking Fire attacks thrown at Paras. I need Fire Blast's extra power, as I am now running the set with more physical power than previously before. Sucker Punch is the most important move here, and because of its failure to KO things I need KOed, I often find myself questioning and revising its EVs. As it is, my current spread gives me 16 Attack and 15 Special Attack, which is the lowest I dare take either while keeping both usable. Pursuit, finally, is for trapping Ghosts that block my Choice Band Dratini's Extremespeed.

Gron @ Oran Berry (Life Orb)
Ability: Rock Head
Nature: Adamant (Jolly)
EVs: 36 HP / 196 Atk / 36 Def / 36 SpDef / 196 Spd
Moves:
- Rock Polish
- Head Smash
- Earthquake
- Substitute
Summary: I absolutely love Agility/Rock Polish sweepers, so it was mandatory that I have one on my Little Cup team. Aron fits the bill the best for what my team wants, providing a crapload of resistances behind that sturdy Defense stat. This Aron absolutely loves Meowth leads, as they can do nothing but U-turn out as I come in on their Fake Out. Since Head Smash and EQ together get perfect coverage on everything but Bronzor in Little Cup, I omitted Iron Head from the set in favor of Substitute. This way, Aron can Sub on Meowth's U-Turn (or someone else's switch) when Croagunk comes in, gaining protection from Vacuum Wave and the capability to knock out one of its biggest counters in one fell swoop. It also serves to block status from Duskull, who it can outrun and proceed to set up in the face of.

Naire @ Choice Band
Ability: Shed Skin
Nature: Hasty
EVs: 28 HP / 244 Atk / 36 SpD / 196 Spe
Moves:
- Extremespeed
- Outrage
- Aqua Tail
- Fire Blast
Summary: Changed again from DDtini to Bandratini. I find that most of the time, I only really end up using ExSpeed before being forced out by something faster/stronger than Dratini, so running Choice Band on it fits my needs better by offering an immediately stronger priority attack for revenge-killing purposes. This also makes Houndour's Pursuit have a purpose again, since it traps the Ghosts that block Dratini's ExSpeed.


Advice? Comments? Criticism? Any and all are appreciated.
Mostly, I'm hoping to fix these problems without resorting to changing Pokemon, but if need be I will do that. Right now I'm thinking Houndour is the most easily changed here, since I seem never to need Pursuit.

 

[Banryu]

Threat List: Threat level is color-coded. Color-coding is based not only on my ability to counter a specific Pokemon, but also the Pokemon's (or specific sets of the Pokemon's) frequency of usage and occurrence.

Anorith - Haven't seen many of these, and Rock Polish sweepy variants have the capacity to be pretty threatening. If it lacks Brick Break, Aron can come in and set up in its face, but I can't take that chance. In the lead position, Kabuto can smack it around with Rock Slide and Aqua Jet, giving it the option only to get up Rocks or attempt to break its scarf.

Aron - Any Aron that sets up Rock Polish is a major and severe threat, as it resists all my priority except for Kabuto's Aqua Jet, and can OHKO everything I have with its absurd power. Before it sets up, it goes down easily before Dratini and my own Aron, and can be crippled by Paras' powders or Gastly's Will-O-wisp.

Bagon - Not too much of a problem before it sets up, and after a Dragon Dance or if it's Scarfed, it can be beaten if I sacrifice someone to take him down in the process. Aron in particular loves coming in to set up when Bagon and other dragons get locked into Outrage.

Bronzor - Causes some grief to Aron by being the only thing in LC that resists both his moves, but other Pokes on the team can handle Bronzor. Paras can sleep it, steal its Oran Berry with Bug Bite, and eventually 3-4HKO it while it's asleep, Houndour has Flamethrower to 2HKO variants that don't pack Earthquake and Gastly can also 2HKO with Shadow Ball, and Dratini can beat it with Aqua Tail after setting up. My team's lack of Brick Break means that Dual Screen variants can be a problem, but with Paras to shut it down with Spore, Bronzor doesn't often get the chance to do much to me.

Buizel - Another thing I haven't seen much. Paras can stop it in its tracks by switching into a Water attack, and at full health (as taking a Water attack negates SR damage), there's nothing to stop Paras from crippling Buizel and taking it out with Seed Bomb. If Paras is gone, I have to resort to Dratini's unboosted Extremespeed and hope it does enough damage to KO.

Carvanha - Potentially dangerous. Again, Paras is the main line of defense, being able to take Carvanha's Crunches after absorbing a Water attack and OHKO with Seed Bomb. Sub-Carvanha can be troublesome, but if Paras fails, I have Dratini's Extremespeed to fall back on.

Chinchou - Still threatening, but less so now that the team has more priority thanks to Dratini. If it sets up, I'm definitely losing at least one Poke to it, but Houndour and Dratini can take it out together with their priority.

Cranidos - Dangerous. Scarf Cranidos' EQ hits everything but Paras thanks to Mold Breaker and only Aron resists its Head Smash, but even then it stings. If either of them is gone, it has the potential to sweep, since it resists Dratini's Exspeed and Houndour's Sucker Punch just fails to OHKO it at full health or with SR damage. At best, I can try to get it to wear itself down with Head Smash before attempting that.

Croagunk - Croagunk's versatility is kind of problematic, but my team is equipped to deal with it. If it lacks Ice Punch, Paras can cripple it with sleep or paralysis and Dratini can set up on it; if it has Sucker Punch, Gastly can set up Sub and beat it with Shadow Ball or if it's an NP variant, Gastly outspeeds its Dark Pulse; if it switches in as Aron puts up a Sub, it gets Quaked to death. As long as I figure out what kind of Croagunk it is, I can find some way to deal with it.

Diglett - Somewhat a problem to deal with, since it's mostly used as a revenge-killer and its user generally determines the circumstances when it comes out. Mostly depends on prediction and mindgames. Paras and Gastly don't mind being trapped, Dratini and Kabuto can beat it or at least dent it if I predict properly, but Aron (if not set up) and Houndour will probably be KOd. If Aron is running Magnet Rise and has a Rock Polish when Diglett switches in, Aron can beat it too, but with Sub, Diglett can be more of a problem, especially if it switches in after executing the above tactic against Croagunk.

Dratini - As mentioned, Dratini is a huge threat to the team if I'm not packing any scarfers (as I'm currently not). Dratini is the main reason I'm considering Scarf Gastly over Sub Gastly. If I can force it to lock itself into Outrage, Aron can take it out or even set up on it.

Drifloon - Potentially troublesome. As a lead, Kabuto will have a little trouble with it, since Trick prevents it from setting up while stealing its Sash, to assure that Rock Slide does not OHKO, so I have to try to set up and figure out how to get Houndour in so I can Sucker Punch it to death. Substitute-using variants can also be troublesome, since Paras can't do anything to them and they get to set up in the meantime. My best bet is prediction wars using Houndour's STAB moves to get the best of it, but after it activates Unburden, it'll be trouble, especially if it manages to take out Houndour in the process.

Duskull - Handled easily by Houndour. Aron can also come in on its Shadow Sneak or Ice Beam, throw a Sub in his face, and proceed to set up for a sweep.

Eevee - Aron laughs at Eevee if it isn't packing HP Ground or Fighting, and Gastly can revenge-kill weakened Eevee.

Elekid - Lack of an Electric immunity is a tad problematic for the team, but Houndour can attempt to beat it with Sucker Punch (or Dark Pulse if it uses Quick Attack, expecting a Sucker Punch), and Dratini can Extremespeed it. Requires some careful maneuvering, but I can deal with it since it's pretty fragile.

Gastly - Scarf Gastly beats my own Gastly, but can be beaten by my Houndour's Pursuit or set up on with Aron. If I force it to explode, my own Gastly can make that in vain. Sub-Gastly is a pain, but Houndour can still beat it.

Gligar - Oof... Gligar is a mixed bag. Lead Gligar is beaten pretty reliably by Kabuto, unless it has Quick Attack. Scarf Gligar usually requires me to sacrifice someone, but it can usually be mitigated by setting up someone like Gastly with Sub or Aron for a sweep. Paras likes bulky variants, since it can survive their Stone Edges, put them (or their switch-in, if they pack Aqua Tail and can't do anything to Paras) to sleep, and steal their Oran Berry. Aerial Ace kills Paras, though. Stally Sandstream Gligars are extremely troublesome, and sweeping versions with Swords Dance or Rock Polish are extremely difficult for my team to stop, since Gligar can survive a round from both my priority users' attacks, especially if it has Oran Berry to give it that extra push. Sort of like Croagunk, the biggest danger with it is its versatility.

Hippopotas - Annoying, but not that bad. Kabuto's Ice Beams and Aqua Jets beat it, but it usually gets to SR or Quake me. Paras can also beat it.

Horsea - Haven't seen one yet.... presumably in the same boat as Chinchou.

Houndour - TrapDour beats my Gastly, Sucker Punch gets foiled by Sub. ScarfDour can be trouble, but Aron can set up RP on its Dark Pulses (because ScarfDour ALWAYS DPs). Dratini can finish a weakened one with ExSpeed. Not too bad.

Kabuto - Lead Kabuto with Earth Power will beat mine, I can only set up SR and run to Paras for help. Swift Swim Kabuto isn't as common, and my team is basically unprepared for it.

Krabby - Not so worrisome... As with most Water-types, Paras is my usual counter, although I was surprised by one that packed Aerial Ace. If it uses Agility, Houndour and Dratini can take it down with priority moves, or Gastly can come in and Tbolt it if it hasn't gotten Agility off yet.

Machop - Machop gives me trouble. I seem always to fail to predict against ScarfChop, and usually I have to end up sacrificing a Pokemon to bring someone in on his resisted attack. I never seem to be able to bring him down, especially with his bulk shrugging off my priority attacks. ScarfChop always ruins me late-game if I fail to take him down, which isn't all that uncommon.

Magby - I haven't seen a lot of Magby, which surprises me a bit, because he's quite good. Gives Houndour, Kabuto, and Aron trouble because of Mach Punch, so I have to attempt to revenge-kill it with Dratini, or else defeat it with a Sub up from Aron or Gastly. Variants that have Cross Chop instead of Flare Blitz / Mach Punch are easier to handle.

Magnemite - Kills Aron, that's what he's there for, after all. If it's Choice-locked, Gastly can come in and set up on it or Paras can status the switch-in. If not Scarfed, Houndour beats it (I think).

Mankey - In the same boat as Machop.... those U-turns sting like a bitch, and all I can really hope to do to beat it is outpredict it, or let it kill something and switch in someone who resists him after that. Particularly troublesome because it likes to come in to absorb Paras' Spore, for which I have no warning until it pops out. Also outspeeds Gastly and isn't always killed by Dratini's ExSpeed, unless it's been in and out of SR a couple times.

Mantyke - Same as Chinchou.

Meowth - Aron switches into Fake Out, sets up Rock Polish (or Sub to lure Croagunk) on the U-Turn, and calls it a day.

Munchlax - Paras outspeeds, sleeps him, and steals his Berry. If it wakes up too soon though, Paras eats Fire Punch and dies. Gastly can sometimes take it out with it, but Gastly is tough to lose. Because Houndour has Dark Pulse, it has to resort to Sucker Punch to beat Munchlax, which can be a dangerous game.

Omanyte - Gastly OHKOs with Thunderbolt. Rain Omanyte is pretty scary, though, since its defense is sturdy enough to take my priority attacks. Like Kabuto, my team isn't really prepared for it.

Onix - Haven't seen one yet, but Kabuto 1-2HKOs Lead versions with Aqua Jet and Paras does same with Seed Bomb. Late-game, when those two are gone or weakened, I need to beat it with Dratini's Aqua Tail or neutral Special attacks from Gastly / Houndour before it sets up RP, or it will be trouble.

Paras - Other Paras are weird to fight, LOL. Usually, I have to take the sleep and switch out, but if Paras comes in on Gastly or Aron, I can block its status with Sub. Bar status, Houndour checks it and Gastly can KO it with Sludge Bomb. Agility Paras is a bit more problematic, but Houndour still beats him if someone else has taken Spore, and Aron can do likewise.

Phanpy - Sort of a stalemate with Kabuto... both have the choice to either set up rocks or KO the opposing lead. Paras can try to beat it and it can survive an Ice Shard, but Head Smash beats it if Phanpy packs it. Gastly can switch in on its EQ and attempt to cripple it with Wisp, or take it out with Shadow Ball.

Poliwag - Needs Wynaut to set up, and gets wrecked by priority. Dratini and Houndour both beat it easy after it Belly Drum.

Porygon - Scarfpory isn't so bad and is easily set up on or revenge-killed, TR or Agility Pory is more troublesome, but still beaten with priority.

Slowpoke - Slowpoke only ever shows up on Trick Room teams, but Houndour has Sucker Punch to handle it with even in there. Outside of TR, Gastly beats it easily.

Snover - Lead Snover is problematic, as Seed Bomb OHKOs Kabuto with hail nullfying his Sash. If I run to Houndour for help, I run the risk of letting it set up Sub and start stalling me out. Offensive Snovers are far less troublesome, being easily handled by Houndour. (Does anyone know if Paras outspeeds Snover? I can't remember but if not, and the Snover doesn't invest in Speed, then Paras can beat it with Spore and Bug Bite.)

Staryu - Definitely a threat. Staryu typically pack all offensive moves, though, which is ripe pickings for Houndour's Sucker Punch. However, everyone else is too slow to beat it without setup, and it hits everything on my team supereffectively or neutrally.

Stunky - No longer showing up much with Missy banned, the only one really threatened by him is Gastly, who can avoid Sucker Punch with Sub and dodge Pursuit if it already has a Sub up. Alternatively, it can try to Burn Stunky at the expense of being quite possibly KO'd to give Aron a chance to set up.

Taillow - Aron resists Brave Bird x4 and laughs and anything else Taillow tries to do to it, all it can do is U-turn out as Aron sets up. With Aron gone, though, Taillow's much more threatening.

 

[Albinoloon]

I really like your synergy and EV spread, but personally (I'm a novice, so I might not be right) I would switch Gastly's Sludge Bomb with Psychic for Croagunk threats, and for Kabuto, I prefer Waterfall over Ice Beam. Hope I helped! :)

 

[TPM]

I'd much rather switch Shadow Ball for Psychic, no need to let Houndour completely destroy even if you're behind a sub.

 

[Banryu]

I really like your synergy and EV spread, but personally (I'm a novice, so I might not be right) I would switch Gastly's Sludge Bomb with Psychic for Croagunk threats, and for Kabuto, I prefer Waterfall over Ice Beam. Hope I helped! :)

Hmm... well, I'll consider the Psychic on Gastly, but it doesn't really have a lot of application or coverage outside of beating Gunk. :0 Another thing I could do is change Gastly to Modest, as my Timid Gastly's Shadow Ball KO's Gunk after Gunk's LO damage. But would the drop in speed be that much of a problem, even with Sub? I'm not sure...

As for Waterfall VS Ice Beam, I've gotten a pretty mixed slate of opinions for that, which is mostly the reason for my indecisiveness on it. =___= I kind of need a clear-cut 'Ice Beam does this but not this' and 'Waterfall beats this but not this' kind of thing to decide...

Thanks, guys.

 

[Albinoloon]

Oh, ok thanx for critiqing my comment! :)

 

[Banryu]

Err, it was more like I was thinking out loud, but... you're welcome....? xD

Okay, went and slashed Psychic over Shadow Ball, most likely to be used alongside Sludge Bomb for coverage (with Shadow Ball going with Wisp). Unsure how losing that Ghost STAB would affect the team, guess I'll just have to try it and see. :x

 

[Albinoloon]

*Sigh*....wow, I just did that? I feel stupid. :X

 

[SandslashPWNS]

Ok, well... Have you tried DD Dratini instead of your Choice Scarfed variant? This will allow you to successfully beat the Bulky Agility Sweepers that give your team harm, and may even help beat Croagunk and other priority users, the things you have as threats. +1 Extreemspeed does massive damage to both Chinchou and Mantyke, and may even kill, I'm not too sure about that, though. Overall, decent team.

 

[Banryu]

But then I don't have a revenge-killer and am prone to being easily revenge-killed myself.

But... hmmm... I wonder... what if I did that and then made Houndour a scarfer...? That might be interesting. Although I do have to point out that that does little to help me if said sweepers are already set up, since I'd be forced to resort to an unboosted ExSpeed from Dratini in order to damage those sweepers, which undoubtedly would not KO. And without Sucker Punch on Houndour, I have no backup priority. Hmm... oh, I guess there's always the option of making Gastly a Scarfer.

....yeah, I think that would be best. That way I get Sucker Punch AND ExSpeed, giving the team more priority, and with Gastly as a Scarfer I still have a revenge-killer. The only thing that worries me there is that, from experience, Scarf Gastly tends to have a much shorter lifespan than Sub-Gastly, and Gastly's immunities are essential to my other Pokemon like Aron. But still, I guess that's worth a shot.

 

[Banryu]

Finally added a Threat list.

I was thinking about Aron, and I was wondering how it would be if I dropped Rock Polish and just gave him both Magnet Rise AND Substitute. Sure, I lose him as a sweeper, but he becomes a much greater defensive threat that might help my team. Any opinions on that? Maybe I'll try it later.

 

[MegaKick]

LOL legendless v.2???

Anyway, definatly reccomending switching to scarf ghastly - your team lacks a dedicated revenge killer, if paras has taken some prior damge your team can easily be swept, and I remebered we battled twice, the first time I almost swept you with dratini but then you brought aron out on the the outrage, set up on the outrage, and swept from there. However, 2nd battle, I not only lured out your aron early and killed it, I crippled paras. Paras really is the glue of your team, and a lot of weigth is on his shoulders, (bronzor with reflect and earthquake switching in on aron FTW) so once again, scarf ghastly.

 

[Banryu]

Yeah... I guess Paras really is the glue. However, I have to restate my extreme hesitation to use Scarf Gastly, as it is revenge-killed extremely easily (with no effort at all, really) by Munchlax and several others. Scarf Gastly also dies extremely quickly, and provides my only Ground immunity (unless you count Paras), as well as the only immunity to the ever-dangerous Machop's Dynamic Punch (and the crippling confusion that goes along with it).

DDtini is, as mentioned in the threats list, the only real reason to use Scarf Gastly, as my current set lasts a great deal longer, which is extremely important for the rest of the team (3 fighting/ground weaknesses throughout, heck, I could even say that Gastly is the glue). I'm still definitely considering it, but I'm also trying to find a way to add a scarfer that doesn't completely unbalance the synergy of the team if said Scarfer is lost, as will be the case with Gastly. Thanks for your input. :3

EDIT: BTW, I have absolutely no idea what you mean by the 'legendless' thing. :0

 

[Banryu]

Bump, made some more changes. Houndour's Pursuit now has significance again.