A Returnee Cinccino's Practice

[jireh the provider]

Before I put my discussions here about my team, keep in mind that I'm just warming up back into this metagame for I've played so much DotA 2 Competitively (Mastering various support heroes in that game like Omninknight, Necrophos [My Main in MMR], Vengeful Spirit, and Windranger) that I lost track of Pokémon competitively, ok?

The first factor that I kept in mind is which pokemon do I want to centralize? I decided to be old school 5th gen and use my favorite normal type as my win condition: Cinccino herself. While she has became somewhat of a niche this gen (C Rank I guess? She's like B or A in 5th gen?), I'd rather still use her over the newer top tier pokemon this current gen since she's the only RU pokemon that I'm still familiar with. No one else. Hence, the other members are just covering up her weaknesses and deal with them. And she's the only One I'll always keep in this team.

Cinccino (F) @ Life Orb
Ability: Skill Link
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Bullet Seed
- U-turn
- Tail Slap
- Rock Blast

Like her classic 5th Gen Set, I stick with her niche of doing massive damage through sashes and sturdy coupled with that 115 speed. While I worry about scarf abusers, I could have used a choice scarf or choice band of my own, but I HATE BEING LOCKED ON ONE MOVE! I suck at predicting. Hence, life orb gives me the reign of choosing a move at least. U-turn is my scout move in case Miss Cresselia comes or some other threat comes in to ruin her streak. But a part of me kinda want to give her knock off just for a utility move. Or maybe Gunk Shot for Whimsycotton fluff.
Gastrodon (F) @ Leftovers
Ability: Sticky Hold
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpA
Bold Nature
- Toxic
- Scald
- Recover
- Ice Beam

For a defensive backbone, I wanted something to hold off fire types through stall while being able to do scald burns for some steel types. Ice beam is for some flying types. I could consider Earth Power, but I don't know which move to replace. Recover is for survivability alongside Leftovers and Sticky hold to possibly stave off trick users from giving her like a choice Item or Toxic or Flame Orb. Toxic could be used for most walls. Grass types are still a problem.
Jolteon (M) @ Choice Specs
Ability: Volt Absorb
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Volt Switch
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Signal Beam

Learning a little bit from X and Y, BirdSpam is the word of the current meta. With flying types just gusting everything, perhaps OU Veteran Jolteon's arrival to RU is a saving grace for me ever since I learned just how much I get wreck by Fletchinder and possibly Moltres. the other two moves, HP Ice and Signal Beam, are for offensive coverage. Being one of the fastest in the tier, I figured that maybe all he needs is the power to wreck said flying types, and some water types. Since he's just cover for offensive priority abusers like said Fletchinder, I can tolerate giving him a choice item.
Virizion @ Expert Belt
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Close Combat
- Leaf Blade
- Zen Headbutt
- Stone Edge

With Dark, Fairy, and Steel types reigning this generation, I figure that if I want my Cinccino to safely sweep, I need a versatile physical attacker. Hence, Virizion came to mind. At first it was Cobalion, but since I ended up accumulating too much ground weakness, Virizion is my replacement for I need Delphox as a special nuker / wallbreaker (or am I just unaware on what tier she is now. I only recall her X&Y tier as S or A). She is on the reliable pokemon I have that does not have focus on her own win condition.
Delphox (F) @ Choice Specs
Ability: Blaze
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Fire Blast
- Psyshock
- Grass Knot
- Trick

Like in X&Y tier generation of RU, I used one of her most popular sets for being a wall breaker on most pokemon. Psyshock is just my preference in case I encounter like a special based wall. Fire Blast for the massive damage, Grass Knot for coverage of her weaknesses. Trick to disrupt walls that could hinder my main pokemon. But the Role I give to her is getting rid of Escavalier and other troublesome steel types, and most Fighting types that could stop my Cinccino.
Rhyperior (M) @ Assault Vest
Ability: Solid Rock
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Aqua Tail
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Ice Punch

Once again, he will assist my Jolteon and Delphox on removing Cinccino's problematic foes while still being able to do reliable damage to the enemy team like Virizion. For me, he has a small win condition, but still does his part to help my main pokemon to win. I kept his popular Earthquake and Stone Edge for the stab, Ice Puch to stop grass types and other dragons and Ground Types, and Aqua tail for coverage. Though I don't know what other move I could replace for Aqua Tail or Ice Punch. While choice band is nice, I find assault vest the same vain as Life orb where I can choose freely and not locked into a move while being a bit more survivable.

 

[Goddess Briyella]

Hi there, jireh the provider!

This is a cool team you've put together here, and I have a few suggestions that should enhance the performance of it. The main issue with this team appears to be a weakness to Calm Mind Cresselia, and Meloetta can cause similar problems. Lack of Stealth Rock also causes Cinccino and Virizion to miss out on important KOs. There are other general team improvements I have in mind as well, and I'll be explaining those. Let's get into the rate.

Cinccino (F) @ Life Orb
Ability: Skill Link
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Bullet Seed
- U-turn
- Tail Slap
- Rock Blast -> Knock Off

Exchanging Rock Blast for Knock Off is my first suggestion, since you wanted to try and fit Knock Off into this set. Rock Blast doesn't hit anything for super effective damage in RU that Cinccino's STAB doesn't already hit, so this isn't a bad trade-off. Delphox dies to Tail Slap in one hit and so does Moltres after a little prior damage (once Stealth Rock is added, this will never be an issue, and Rhyperior walls the Choice Scarf set anyway), so you might as well have the utility of Knock Off at Cinccino's disposal. Not only does this inconvenience Cresselia and Meloetta after dealing a nice chunk of damage to them, but it removes items from any switch-in in general and can soften up problematic walls such as Registeel.

->

Alomomola @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 120 HP / 136 Def / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
- Scald
- Wish
- Protect
- Toxic

I recommend swapping Gastrodon out for Alomomola. If you're looking for a defensive backbone that can resist Fire and stall well, Alomomola does this job a lot better than Gastrodon. It still has Scald and Toxic for statusing the opposition, but the real difference here is the support Alomomola provides. While Gastrodon is able to heal off damage for itself with Recover, Alomomola's Wish recovery heals not only itself but also the rest of the team. Its huge HP stat causes its Wishes to almost grant an extra life to a partner, and its Regenerator ability allows it to recover itself passively while switching to pass this healing on. Rocky Helmet punishes physical attackers such as Hitmonlee on the switch-in, and Protect additionally punishes its High Jump Kick if it attempts to take Alomomola out.

Virizion @ Expert Belt -> Lum Berry
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Close Combat
- Leaf Blade
- Zen Headbutt -> Swords Dance
- Stone Edge

I'd like to recommend these changes to Virizion's set. The ability to set up for a sweep is much more valuable than the ability to hit Amoonguss and Golbat when Delphox and Rhyperior already have that covered. Adding Swords Dance also alleviates the need for the held item to boost the power of attacks, so I recommend replacing Expert Belt with Lum Berry to ease prediction and allow for a safe setup against something with a stray status move that could cause a problem. This keeps Pangoro and bulky Water-types in check rather nicely, and Stone Edge is an obvious OHKO on Moltres. If you want extra power, you can use Life Orb, but I figured you'd prefer Lum Berry since you said you're not fan of having to predict.

Rhyperior (M) @ Assault Vest -> Leftovers
Ability: Solid Rock
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 SpD -> 248 HP / 16 Atk / 244 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Aqua Tail -> Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge -> Rock Blast
- Ice Punch -> Roar

I'd like to recommend these changes to Rhyperior. This is the thing that puts a stop to Cresselia once and for all. Making this thing specially bulky doesn't have to come at the cost of not being able to use Stealth Rock, though! Switching Assault Vest with Leftovers and using this defensive spread lets Rhyperior maintain its ability to tank special hits while also having residual recovery and more freedom for its moves. Aqua Tail and Ice Punch don't provide very good attacking options for Rhyperior, as you may have discovered in practice, and swapping them for Stealth Rock and a means to shuffle the opponent's team through the hazard damage is much more beneficial for a few reasons. Stealth Rock alone not only assists Cinccino and Virizion with sweeping by assuring more KOs, but it also limits the opponent's ability to switch freely in general. Now that Gligar is no longer in the tier, the best Defogger is Golbat, which has no chance standing up to this thing, and Hitmonlee can be met with Rocky Helmet Alomomola. Rock Blast is recommended over Stone Edge because it still hits what it needs to but also has superior accuracy and the chance to deal even higher damage, while being able to damage foes behind Substitutes as well. Roar is suggested here instead of Dragon Tail to be able to phaze Cresselia even from behind a Substitute, which prevents it from setting up, and Moonblast/Psyshock does a laughable amount of damage back if it opts to attack instead. Keeping this healthy with Alomomola's Wish passing is key, especially against more stallish teams.


This concludes my rate! I hope you found my suggestions useful and I wish you luck with your team! :)

 

[g]

In addition to what Goddess Briyella said (which is mostly a set fix and not really a rate in my opinion even though everything she said is quite correct), your team has a big Doublade weakness as without luck on your side Alomomola isn't really an answer and Rhyperior is as unreliable as it gets as well as an already mentioned weakness to Psychic-types.
My first suggestion is to change Cinccino with Drapion. Considering you have Alomomola and Virizion to deal with Ground-types pretty well Drapion would be a great option on your team as a great offensive check to Psychic-types such as Reuniclus and Cresselia, as well as Doublade. Swords Dance sets also give you a good answer to opposing Stall teams who are often put in a though spot while trying to deal with this thanks to its decent bulk and immunity to Toxic
My second suggestion is to change Delphox, a rater mediocre Pokemon, with Choice Scarf Emboar which, in addition to being a little better all around gives you a strong revenge killer against Pokemon such as Durant who can be quite annoying "restoring" the Speed loss that getting rid of Cinccino brings.
My third and final idea to improve your team, since you dont have anything to take a Fighting-type attack, which is very annoying especially in this tier, is to change Virizion to Defensive Whimsicott. In addition to saving you from a complete Slurpuff sweep Whimsicott gives you a solid switch in to most Fighting-types such as opposing Virizion and Hitmonlee which you cant handle in any other way (Jolteon deals with Cobalion and Emboar ok i would say in combination with Mola) and basically claim a kill any time they come in and is also helpful to Encore opposing Psychic-types preventing their setup in extreme situations and to Paralyze sweepers out of control. I will leave the sets below:

drapion @ lum berry
ability: sniper | evs: 252 atk / 4 def / 252 spe | nature: adamant
swords dance / knock off / poison jab / aqua tail | earthquake

emboar @ choice scarf
ability: reckless | evs: 252 atk / 4 def / 252 spe | nature: jolly
flare blitz / superpower / wild charge / overheat | sleep talk

whimsicott @ leftovers
ability: prankster | evs: 252 hp / 236 def / 20 spd | nature: bold
encore / stun spore / u-turn / moonblast

 

[jireh the provider]

In addition to what Goddess Briyella said (which is mostly a set fix and not really a rate in my opinion even though everything she said is quite correct), your team has a big Doublade weakness as without luck on your side Alomomola isn't really an answer and Rhyperior is as unreliable as it gets as well as an already mentioned weakness to Psychic-types.
My first suggestion is to change Cinccino with Drapion. Considering you have Alomomola and Virizion to deal with Ground-types pretty well Drapion would be a great option on your team as a great offensive check to Psychic-types such as Reuniclus and Cresselia, as well as Doublade. Swords Dance sets also give you a good answer to opposing Stall teams who are often put in a though spot while trying to deal with this thanks to its decent bulk and immunity to Toxic
My second suggestion is to change Delphox, a rater mediocre Pokemon, with Choice Scarf Emboar which, in addition to being a little better all around gives you a strong revenge killer against Pokemon such as Durant who can be quite annoying "restoring" the Speed loss that getting rid of Cinccino brings.
My third and final idea to improve your team, since you dont have anything to take a Fighting-type attack, which is very annoying especially in this tier, is to change Virizion to Defensive Whimsicott. In addition to saving you from a complete Slurpuff sweep Whimsicott gives you a solid switch in to most Fighting-types such as opposing Virizion and Hitmonlee which you cant handle in any other way (Jolteon deals with Cobalion and Emboar ok i would say in combination with Mola) and basically claim a kill any time they come in and is also helpful to Encore opposing Psychic-types preventing their setup in extreme situations and to Paralyze sweepers out of control. I will leave the sets below:

drapion @ lum berry
ability: sniper | evs: 252 atk / 4 def / 252 spe | nature: adamant
swords dance / knock off / poison jab / aqua tail | earthquake

emboar @ choice scarf
ability: reckless | evs: 252 atk / 4 def / 252 spe | nature: jolly
flare blitz / superpower / wild charge / overheat | sleep talk

whimsicott @ leftovers
ability: prankster | evs: 252 hp / 236 def / 20 spd | nature: bold
encore / stun spore / u-turn / moonblast

Well, while I appreciate the alternatives, I may put that idea as a temporary second build on showdown. While I get the idea that the modified team given to me by the first responder at least maintained the one pokemon that I like to have (like a must) mixed with my taste, yours gave me a alternative to my favorite cinccino (I don't mind the others though). Technically, I see the higher strengths vs my current central main IF I plan on playing in a serious competitive level, but to encourage me to replace my main pokemon from last gen, you seriously put me ON THE FENCE.

Maybe in tourneys, I may use your strategy and set. But in other cases, I'd rather still have battles with my favorite chinchilla on this tier. Look, I'm the kind of player that borders between the casual and the hardcore. Ok? Just like in my current status in DOTA 2, my current skill rate is in between the casual and the experienced. It's not that bad on being a competitive player that still plays I a casual manner, right?