Ah, neverused. Such a glorious format. I fell in love with it a few months ago while trying out something other then OU, and I have never looked back. Not only does it let me use my favorite pokemon (not hard to guess which it is) in a tier it stomps in, it also has many different viable strategies and pokemon compared to OU, which has basically Rain, Rain Stall, Sand, Sun, Anti-Weather, Baton Pass.
The name of the game here is hyper-offense. My team is reliant upon destroying the enemy team as fast as possible, with only minimal support in the form of Stealth Rock. It is well equipped to brutally beat up the entire tier, rising me to the fifth spot on the PS! ladder (Which honestly is a complete joke), as well as providing me with considerable success on PO.
This is my A-Team. It is grade A, and it is A team. Yes, I am a horrible pun person. Sue me.
At a glance:
First of all, I made my main pokemon Gardevoir. She could be considered my main bro, given that I run her on every NU team I use due to the fact that she can check so much of NU it's hilarious depending on what set you run. The primary set I run, a unorthodox Expert Belt set, feigns choice amazingly well. However, she gives me a huge steel and dark typing, thus making my next pokemon obvious...
Sawk just works so well it's not even funny. Sturdy is a great ability on him, although not good enough to warrant spin support to keep it up. A nice perk, nothing more. While his movepool is shallow, it plus his stats give me just what I need. I use a choice scarf set as band is overkill power wise and I need the speed more. At this point, I need a stealth rock user...
Golem is basiaclly the best user of SR in the entire tier. He can break opposing lead subs, kill taunt users, dish out the pain to flying types, and drop stealth rock. Plus, sucker punch and sturdy is a great combo to squeeze in a extra bit of damage out of him. Now, with a solid core established...
Cinccino was added as a physical attacker who is capable of responding to most threats on the fly, as well as back during the era of Jynx my main Jynx counter. Now he just serves to kill as many things as he can, which is crucial in NU's hard to predict environment.
Driftblim was added because I needed a ghost to spinblock and screw over fighting types. Nothing really more to say.
Gorebyss is filler. At this point I have enough checks and balances to most things, so I just went with a set-up sweeper to give me a win condition.
Indepth:
Calvier (Gardevoir) (F) @ Expert Belt
Ability: Trace
EVs: 252 SpAtk / 4 HP / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
-Psychic
-Thunderbolt
-Thunder Wave
-Signal Beam
"I'm sorry, what was that? "Mercy Please, Ms. Calvier?" Haha. I'm sorry, you lost your right to mercy when you insulted me. Now, let's see how far your knees will bend..."
Gardevoir is quite frankly among the most underrated pokemon in the entire game, and Calvier is no exception. Her entire set runs on the philosophy of Confusion Fu, that is, it's utterly impossible to know what the hell she's packing until you actually face her. Moves coming off a amazing base 125 SpAtk as well as a neat 80 speed ensure she is a threat to a lot of the tier's big guns and walls. Base 110 SpDef allows her -without investment- to sponge a hit from every single not super-effective special attacker save for Fire Blast Magmortar under the sun.
Why Expert Belt?
"Ah, a decent question. I suppose I can cease beating you with your own pelvis to answer."
The mindset of Choice Gardevior is stupid, and there are other pokemon that do it better. She doesn't need Specs, and Magmortar exists as a scarf user if you really need one. Life Orb's recoil is extremely undesirable, as it makes her vulnerable to priority, and it doesn't give her many KOs she would otherwise fail to get. Expert Belt allows her to feign a choice item, which is extremely helpful in nabbing KOs that your opponent won't see coming, and still provides a healthy power boost.
Why these moves?
"All the better to kill you with~"
First of all, Psychic being able to kill Weezing is extremely useful for my heavily physically based team, and it is a very powerful STAB that hits neutral for many things in the tier and destroys the FIGHTIN' HORDES. Next, I need some coverage, and Thunderbolt provides me with neutral damage on Steel, as well as OHKOing basically every water type in the tier, which would otherwise give me significant trouble. Thunder Wave is packed over Focus Blast or Shadow Ball because A. It's a reliable 100% "Screw You" sucker-punch bypassing move for when she's doomed that with a healthy amount of luck lets her actually beat her checks, and B. it gives her something to do against walls. Signal Beam is there to smack around Dark Types, Psychic Types, and Grass Types, giving me more coverage as well as a powerful answer to Chlorophyll-based sun teams.The lack of Focus Blast to handle Cryogonal and Probopass hurts somewhat, but Cryogonal and Probopass can't really threaten Calvier except with STALL WARS.
Why these EVs?
"Ah, training. Such a pain, given that master doesn't let me go nuts in the city. A good thing there's plenty of wildlife to slaughter."
The EVs are just your standard offensive maximizing damage and speed. Calvier cannot afford to sacrifice either speed or power, and her bulk is good enough to sponge at least one fighting type or special attack.
Daniel (Sawk) (M) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 HP / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
-Close Combat
-Stone Edge
-Earthquake
-Brick Break
"I'll take you all on!"
Sawk makes the entire tier his plaything. Daniel here pulls double duty as being my backup "OH SHIT" button against most high-powered sweepers that can't take a hit such as ShellSmash Gorebyss, and my main sweeper, in a similar regard to how the Scarf + Moxie Salamence set works in OU. Only, Daniel doesn't need any boosts. He'll just straight up kick your ass. A lot of my matches tend to devolve into "Oh hey Sawk's checks/counters are dead, now he gets to kill your entire team!"
Why Choice Scarf?
"Make a joke about my mother's quilting and I'll kick your ass!"
Sawk 101: Choice Scarf > Choice Band. You do not need, under almost any circumstance, the damage boost from Choice Band as Close Combat coming off of a 125 base attack stat is so powerful it OHKOs and 2HKOs almost everything in the tier even before a item boost. Life Orb's recoil breaks Sturdy, and is once again redundant. Expert Belt can work, but it's not really worth it. Choice Scarf is in my opinion the best item on Sawk as it uses his already good baseline 85 speed (the magic number for the tier), and turns him into a trailblazing powerhouse of a sweeper. Only ghosts and flying types who aren't burdened with a secondary normal type can even hope to stop him.
Why these moves?
"Crane Style!"
Really simple here, as Daniel has a very small movepool to draw from. Close Combat to kill things, Earthquake and Stone Edge for coverage, and Brick Break to kill Dual Screens. Sure, some people like to run Toxic to get in a laugh against walls, but breaking dual screens is a lot more important for my team. Plus toxic + choice scarf = whyyy
Why these EVs?
"Wax On, Wax Off? I don't understand what this has to do with my training..."
Power, speed, and more power. Jolly nature run to outspeed opposing Sawk and speed tie with 85 speed scarf user (damn Rotom-s's base 86 speed! Damn it to heck!), but sadly not +2 gorebyss. Adamant nature unnecessary as he has enough power already.
Derpy (Golem) (M) @ Lum Berry
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 212 HP / 252 Atk / 44 Spe
Adamant Nature
-Stealth Rock
-Rock Blast
-Earthquake
Sucker Punch
"Uh, little help here guys? :("
Golem is such a great pokemon, I'm sure you've heard its praises sung quite enough. Sturdy ensures that rocks will go up, and his moves will smack the hell out of taunt leads. Sure, he's predictable, but the sheer usefulness he brings to the table makes him well deserving of a team slot.
Why Lum Berry?
"Om nom nom :3~"
Four reasons: One, conditions ruin Sturdy, which I do not like. Two: Burn cripples him. Three: He's basically a rather suicidal lead anyways, so leftovers won't help terribly much. Four: It is HILARIOUS to hear people rant "FFS STUPID RANDOM LUM BERRIES"
Why these moves?
"I'm useful! :D"
Stealth Rock is one of the important and crucial moves in any tier, so putting it on the best user in the tier was a no brainier. Rock Blast allows me to kill substitute leads and flying types, Earthquake gives me STAB coverage, and Sucker Punch lets him get a extra hit in when he's at 1% against a choice locked mon. It's a simple set, but it works well.
Why these EVs?
"Daniel-san scares me with his intense training :("
Outspeed Regirock, tank hits, deal damage. Pretty straightforward.
Shepard (Cinccino) (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Technician
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 HP / 252 Spe
Jolly nature
-Bullet Seed
-Rock Blast
-Tail Slap
-Wake-up Slap
"It’s hard enough fighting a war, but it’s worse knowing no matter how hard you try… you can’t save them all."
Cinccino is among the most brilliant pokemon introduced in the fifth generation. Its ability, along with its movepool and stats give it just enough power and coverage to be able to smack around a large chunk of the tier. It's one of the few pokemon in the tier that absolutely mandate some form of scarf or bulky physical wall - if you lack both, you are going to lose, bar a large amount of luck. Shepard provides me with a excellent physical presence that can threaten a huge amount of pokemon, and unlike Sawk, it does not get locked into a single move.
Why Life Orb?
"I know a thing or two about killing."
Power, plain and simple. Shepard's bulk is utterly nonexistant, so the recoil not a issue, and I do not want Shepared to be locked into any move as the defeats half the point of using him.
Why these moves?
"We fight or we die! That's the plan."
Bullet Seed gives me more grass coverage, which is a godsend given that half of my team is stopped dead cold by Alomora and Quagsire. Rock Blast handles flying and fire types, of which there are no shortage in the tier. Tail Slap is a (sadly lowish accuracy) high power STAB that hits most things for neutral, and Wake-up Slap keeps steel types from walling me, but is mostly just filler.
Why these EVs?
"You still sassin' me soldier? I think you need more physical training."
Maximum speed, maximum power. Jolly nature to outspeed as much as possible. Didn't bother investing in any bulk as Shepard's bulk is so low that investment would just be a waste, and I'd rather maximize his killing potential.
BALLOON (Driflim) (M) @ Flying Gem
Ability: Unburden
EVs: 252 Atk / 56 SpD / 200 Spe
Adamant Nature
-Acrobatics
-Destiny Bond
-Will-O-Wisp
-Explosion
"HURR DURR I'MA BALLOOOON"
Drifblim is a really unique pokemon, and Balloon here is no exception. I use a acroloon set as, thrown out against the proper pokemon while using the proper timing, it can potentially score two KOs with ease, at the cost of its own life. It's also my Sawsbuck check, which is the only weather sweeper Calvier cannot handle under most circumstances.
Why Flying Gem?
"*Breaks Gem* WHEE IMA SUPPAAH FASST NAO"
Well, I needed something to activate Unburden, and given the natural synergy with Acrobatics, flying gem is pretty much my only option.
Why These Moves?
"CHECK OUT MY LOOPS!"
Acrobatics activates Unburden, provides flying STAB, and deals a impressive level of damage. Will-O-Wisp lets me bypass sucker punch, although the accuracy annoys me greatly -considering switching it to thunder wave-. Destiny Bond and Explosion might seem redundant at first, especially on the same pokemon, but I don't need substitute, and sucker punch doesn't really pack much of a hit, so Explosion is my ace in the hole that always catches the opponent off guard.
Why these EVs?
"WHEEE I CAN FLY SO HIIIIGH AND FAAAST!"
I only require 200 Spe to outspeed basically the entire tier, so the rest are poured into SpDef to survive a thunderbolt or ice beam here and there.
Aqua (Gorebyss) (F) @ White Herb
Ability: Swift Swim
EVs 252 SpAtk / 4 HP / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
-Shell Smash
-Surf
-Ice Beam
Hidden Power Grass
"Dudes, I am so high right now..."
Ah, Gorebyss. The most infamous shell smash user in NU, checks and coverage to it run absolutely amok. Why is Aqua on my team then if she's so easily countered? Because of two reasons. One, her sheer presence causes players to play conservatively, which greatly aids my offensive style. Two, she gives me a setup sweeper, effectively granting me a win condition. Honestly though she's really just a fillermon as the rest of my team is already balanced, and she would be my first canidate to be dropped from the team.
Why White Herb?
"Ah man, don't knock it till you try it! C'mon, have a pull of this stuff!"
To negate the stat drop from Shell Smash, thus ensuring priority does not OHKO her. Shell Smash already gives enough power, so I don't need a offensive item, and for obvious reasons I don't want to run a choice item.
Why these moves?
"Oh man, there's this guy in my head who tells me what to do. He's pretty cool."
Surf is STAB high power move, Ice Beam kills flying types and grass types, Hidden Power grass kills other water types and quagsire, and Shell Smash grants a amazing power boost that makes Gorebyss among the top sweepers of the tier. The only thing I don't like missing out on is Signal Beam for Ludicolio but HP Grass kills more and I need ice beam for grass types, thus HP grass gets preference.
Why these EVs?
"Oh dude, I went on this amazing journey with this transparent badger, and next thing I know I can freeze mountains! Radical!"
Standard Gorebyss EVs. Really this thing is very, very straightforward to use. Click Shell Smash, then click appropriate STABs for MASSIVE DAMAGE.
Absol: Threatens Gardevoir, but the rest of my team eats him for dinner.
Altaria: Not a problem, as most of my team can safely 2hko or OHKO.
Armaldo: Hate it, but my team has little trouble with it as I can at worse swap in Cinncino or Golem for a kill with rock blast.
Banette: Never seen one, but theroymonning shows it's not a issue as it lacks the speed to do anything.
Basculin: Can potentially be a problem, but entire team OHKOs, and usually can survive one aqua jet.
Beartic: Never seen it, too slow to pose a threat
Beheeyem: Trick Room set gives me some serious problems, but generally I can just straight out kill it before it becomes a problem
Braviary: Not a problem, as he can at beat revenge kill a weakened Gardevoir.
Butterfree: Not a problem, as it's a butterfly and has the speed and defenses of such a creature.
Cacturne: Gardevoir doesn't like him, but signal beam OHKOs and the rest of the team save golem has no troubles with him.
Camerupt: Entire team has no problem OHKOing it.
Carracosta: Slightly problematic if it gets a shell smash, but most of the team have some way of killing it instantly.
Cinccino: Not a problem unless Sawk dies.
Dragonair: Not a problem, as it is too weak to do shit.
Drifblim: Can be problematic at times as I have no way of preventing destiny bond from getting one of my mons.
Duosion: Hate this guy with a undying passion. Golem can sucker punch him in a pinch.
Eelektross: Everyone on my team save Golem outspeeds and OHKOs, not a problem.
Emboar: Not a problem, Golem will die against him though.
Exeggutor: Gardevoir OHKOs and steals chlorophyll.
Floatzel: Not a problem except band variants @ max speed under rain, which make me cry myself to sleep at night. Otherwise Sawk handles it just fine. If rocks are down Sawk can burn sturdy to kill a rained Floatzel.
Fraxure: I don't even see this thing ever.
Gardevoir: MIRROR MATCH! But not really a problem.
Gigalith: Golem 2HKOs at worst, and can tank the explosion thanks to sturdy.
Glaceon: Too slow to prove a threat
Golem: Cincinno bypasses sturdy with bullet seed.
Gorebyss: Can be something of a issue, but Sawk can tank a hit if sturdy is up and kill it. Half of my team can kill it the second it comes out however.
Haunter:Can occasionally be problematic, usually wind up having to sac a mon to take him out.
Huntail: See Gorebyss
Kadabra: Cincinno outspeeds and cares not about sash variants
Kangaskhan: Too slow and it has crappy defenses.
Leafeon: Gardevoir trolls this thing to hell and back under the sun, but usually I just send out Daniel to handle it.
Linoone: Entire team OHKOs.
Machoke: I never even see this thing and it doesn't have the speed to prove to be a threat.
Magmortar: Sawk outspeeds and OHKOs, Gardevoir 2HKOs and can tank a single fire blast (although if the bastard gets a burn she cannot tank it).
Marowak: Too slow to prove a threat, although Gardevoir fails to OHKO which can be :<.
Ninjask: Golem and Cincinno breaks this thing's subs, rest of team OHKOs
Persian: Not enough bite, Sawk outspeeds and OHKOs
Pinsir: Not enough speed to be remotely considered a threat by any stretch of the imagination. Golem, Cincinno, Sawk, and Driflim all make this thing their bitch.
Raichu: Not enough bite, not enough speed, static annoys me but lightningrod is more common
Rapidash: It threatens Driflim before acrobatics and Gardevoir, and threatens Golem with a 2hko, but the rest of the team outspeeds and dispatches its poor defenses handily.
Rotom-F: Doesn't really threaten anything and three sixths of my team can nail it for SE.
Rotom-S: Scarf gives me a slight headache but Golem can wall it hard
Samurott: Every pokemon can tank a aqua jet +0 (Cincinno and Gardevoir can't take a +2) and OHKO in return.
Sawk: Sawk and Driflim can handle it, but if they're both down I'm in deep shit.
Serperior: Sub variants can prove a issue but usually Daniel and Shepard can handle them.
Slaking: Two mons with sturdy, if all else fails Driflim walls him hard if it comes in on a stab Return.
Skuntank: Traps Gardevoir but otherwise not a problem.
Simisage: Too crappy to consider a threat.
Simisear Also too crappy to consider a threat.
Simipour: Scarf variant gives me trouble but you never see it anyways.
Swellow: Sawk outspeeds, Golem tanks. Usually not a problem.
Tauros: Hate this thing with the passion of a thousand burning sons. Sawk can take it down, but I just hate it.
Torterra: Too slow to prove any significant threat, although it usually winds up getting at least one kill to my infinite sadness.
Ursaring: Too slow to do shit against anyone save for Golem.
Victreebel: Too slow, too weak to tank a hit if it chooses to go for a turn 1 growth.
Zweilous: Can be slightly problematic, but usually not a big deal as I have a user of Ice and a user of Fighting.
NU Defensive Threats
Only two pokemon are defensively a issue for me, as my team thrives on murdering defensivemons.
Bastiodon: This thing is a real bastard, Sawk is my only real answer to it as Cincinno will fail to get a OHKO and will be KO'd in return by Metal Burst. Golem can also OHKO but he often doesn't come out.
Weezing: I basically have to keep Gardevoir alive if I see this thing on the enemy team, as he can tank four sixths of my team, a huge problem.
Please, let me know what you think of my team! Give feedback, thoughts about how I could improve the team, etc. As a heads up, the most disposable mon on the team at the time of writing is, in my mind, Gorebyss. Also Y u all say good things but no luvdisc me :< Give a luvdisc if you like this team please and feed my dangerously tiny ego.
The name of the game here is hyper-offense. My team is reliant upon destroying the enemy team as fast as possible, with only minimal support in the form of Stealth Rock. It is well equipped to brutally beat up the entire tier, rising me to the fifth spot on the PS! ladder (Which honestly is a complete joke), as well as providing me with considerable success on PO.
This is my A-Team. It is grade A, and it is A team. Yes, I am a horrible pun person. Sue me.
At a glance:
First of all, I made my main pokemon Gardevoir. She could be considered my main bro, given that I run her on every NU team I use due to the fact that she can check so much of NU it's hilarious depending on what set you run. The primary set I run, a unorthodox Expert Belt set, feigns choice amazingly well. However, she gives me a huge steel and dark typing, thus making my next pokemon obvious...
Sawk just works so well it's not even funny. Sturdy is a great ability on him, although not good enough to warrant spin support to keep it up. A nice perk, nothing more. While his movepool is shallow, it plus his stats give me just what I need. I use a choice scarf set as band is overkill power wise and I need the speed more. At this point, I need a stealth rock user...
Golem is basiaclly the best user of SR in the entire tier. He can break opposing lead subs, kill taunt users, dish out the pain to flying types, and drop stealth rock. Plus, sucker punch and sturdy is a great combo to squeeze in a extra bit of damage out of him. Now, with a solid core established...
Cinccino was added as a physical attacker who is capable of responding to most threats on the fly, as well as back during the era of Jynx my main Jynx counter. Now he just serves to kill as many things as he can, which is crucial in NU's hard to predict environment.
Driftblim was added because I needed a ghost to spinblock and screw over fighting types. Nothing really more to say.
Gorebyss is filler. At this point I have enough checks and balances to most things, so I just went with a set-up sweeper to give me a win condition.
Indepth:
Calvier (Gardevoir) (F) @ Expert Belt
Ability: Trace
EVs: 252 SpAtk / 4 HP / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
-Psychic
-Thunderbolt
-Thunder Wave
-Signal Beam
"I'm sorry, what was that? "Mercy Please, Ms. Calvier?" Haha. I'm sorry, you lost your right to mercy when you insulted me. Now, let's see how far your knees will bend..."
Gardevoir is quite frankly among the most underrated pokemon in the entire game, and Calvier is no exception. Her entire set runs on the philosophy of Confusion Fu, that is, it's utterly impossible to know what the hell she's packing until you actually face her. Moves coming off a amazing base 125 SpAtk as well as a neat 80 speed ensure she is a threat to a lot of the tier's big guns and walls. Base 110 SpDef allows her -without investment- to sponge a hit from every single not super-effective special attacker save for Fire Blast Magmortar under the sun.
Why Expert Belt?
"Ah, a decent question. I suppose I can cease beating you with your own pelvis to answer."
The mindset of Choice Gardevior is stupid, and there are other pokemon that do it better. She doesn't need Specs, and Magmortar exists as a scarf user if you really need one. Life Orb's recoil is extremely undesirable, as it makes her vulnerable to priority, and it doesn't give her many KOs she would otherwise fail to get. Expert Belt allows her to feign a choice item, which is extremely helpful in nabbing KOs that your opponent won't see coming, and still provides a healthy power boost.
Why these moves?
"All the better to kill you with~"
First of all, Psychic being able to kill Weezing is extremely useful for my heavily physically based team, and it is a very powerful STAB that hits neutral for many things in the tier and destroys the FIGHTIN' HORDES. Next, I need some coverage, and Thunderbolt provides me with neutral damage on Steel, as well as OHKOing basically every water type in the tier, which would otherwise give me significant trouble. Thunder Wave is packed over Focus Blast or Shadow Ball because A. It's a reliable 100% "Screw You" sucker-punch bypassing move for when she's doomed that with a healthy amount of luck lets her actually beat her checks, and B. it gives her something to do against walls. Signal Beam is there to smack around Dark Types, Psychic Types, and Grass Types, giving me more coverage as well as a powerful answer to Chlorophyll-based sun teams.The lack of Focus Blast to handle Cryogonal and Probopass hurts somewhat, but Cryogonal and Probopass can't really threaten Calvier except with STALL WARS.
Why these EVs?
"Ah, training. Such a pain, given that master doesn't let me go nuts in the city. A good thing there's plenty of wildlife to slaughter."
The EVs are just your standard offensive maximizing damage and speed. Calvier cannot afford to sacrifice either speed or power, and her bulk is good enough to sponge at least one fighting type or special attack.
Daniel (Sawk) (M) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 HP / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
-Close Combat
-Stone Edge
-Earthquake
-Brick Break
"I'll take you all on!"
Sawk makes the entire tier his plaything. Daniel here pulls double duty as being my backup "OH SHIT" button against most high-powered sweepers that can't take a hit such as ShellSmash Gorebyss, and my main sweeper, in a similar regard to how the Scarf + Moxie Salamence set works in OU. Only, Daniel doesn't need any boosts. He'll just straight up kick your ass. A lot of my matches tend to devolve into "Oh hey Sawk's checks/counters are dead, now he gets to kill your entire team!"
Why Choice Scarf?
"Make a joke about my mother's quilting and I'll kick your ass!"
Sawk 101: Choice Scarf > Choice Band. You do not need, under almost any circumstance, the damage boost from Choice Band as Close Combat coming off of a 125 base attack stat is so powerful it OHKOs and 2HKOs almost everything in the tier even before a item boost. Life Orb's recoil breaks Sturdy, and is once again redundant. Expert Belt can work, but it's not really worth it. Choice Scarf is in my opinion the best item on Sawk as it uses his already good baseline 85 speed (the magic number for the tier), and turns him into a trailblazing powerhouse of a sweeper. Only ghosts and flying types who aren't burdened with a secondary normal type can even hope to stop him.
Why these moves?
"Crane Style!"
Really simple here, as Daniel has a very small movepool to draw from. Close Combat to kill things, Earthquake and Stone Edge for coverage, and Brick Break to kill Dual Screens. Sure, some people like to run Toxic to get in a laugh against walls, but breaking dual screens is a lot more important for my team. Plus toxic + choice scarf = whyyy
Why these EVs?
"Wax On, Wax Off? I don't understand what this has to do with my training..."
Power, speed, and more power. Jolly nature run to outspeed opposing Sawk and speed tie with 85 speed scarf user (damn Rotom-s's base 86 speed! Damn it to heck!), but sadly not +2 gorebyss. Adamant nature unnecessary as he has enough power already.
Derpy (Golem) (M) @ Lum Berry
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 212 HP / 252 Atk / 44 Spe
Adamant Nature
-Stealth Rock
-Rock Blast
-Earthquake
Sucker Punch
"Uh, little help here guys? :("
Golem is such a great pokemon, I'm sure you've heard its praises sung quite enough. Sturdy ensures that rocks will go up, and his moves will smack the hell out of taunt leads. Sure, he's predictable, but the sheer usefulness he brings to the table makes him well deserving of a team slot.
Why Lum Berry?
"Om nom nom :3~"
Four reasons: One, conditions ruin Sturdy, which I do not like. Two: Burn cripples him. Three: He's basically a rather suicidal lead anyways, so leftovers won't help terribly much. Four: It is HILARIOUS to hear people rant "FFS STUPID RANDOM LUM BERRIES"
Why these moves?
"I'm useful! :D"
Stealth Rock is one of the important and crucial moves in any tier, so putting it on the best user in the tier was a no brainier. Rock Blast allows me to kill substitute leads and flying types, Earthquake gives me STAB coverage, and Sucker Punch lets him get a extra hit in when he's at 1% against a choice locked mon. It's a simple set, but it works well.
Why these EVs?
"Daniel-san scares me with his intense training :("
Outspeed Regirock, tank hits, deal damage. Pretty straightforward.
Shepard (Cinccino) (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Technician
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 HP / 252 Spe
Jolly nature
-Bullet Seed
-Rock Blast
-Tail Slap
-Wake-up Slap
"It’s hard enough fighting a war, but it’s worse knowing no matter how hard you try… you can’t save them all."
Cinccino is among the most brilliant pokemon introduced in the fifth generation. Its ability, along with its movepool and stats give it just enough power and coverage to be able to smack around a large chunk of the tier. It's one of the few pokemon in the tier that absolutely mandate some form of scarf or bulky physical wall - if you lack both, you are going to lose, bar a large amount of luck. Shepard provides me with a excellent physical presence that can threaten a huge amount of pokemon, and unlike Sawk, it does not get locked into a single move.
Why Life Orb?
"I know a thing or two about killing."
Power, plain and simple. Shepard's bulk is utterly nonexistant, so the recoil not a issue, and I do not want Shepared to be locked into any move as the defeats half the point of using him.
Why these moves?
"We fight or we die! That's the plan."
Bullet Seed gives me more grass coverage, which is a godsend given that half of my team is stopped dead cold by Alomora and Quagsire. Rock Blast handles flying and fire types, of which there are no shortage in the tier. Tail Slap is a (sadly lowish accuracy) high power STAB that hits most things for neutral, and Wake-up Slap keeps steel types from walling me, but is mostly just filler.
Why these EVs?
"You still sassin' me soldier? I think you need more physical training."
Maximum speed, maximum power. Jolly nature to outspeed as much as possible. Didn't bother investing in any bulk as Shepard's bulk is so low that investment would just be a waste, and I'd rather maximize his killing potential.
BALLOON (Driflim) (M) @ Flying Gem
Ability: Unburden
EVs: 252 Atk / 56 SpD / 200 Spe
Adamant Nature
-Acrobatics
-Destiny Bond
-Will-O-Wisp
-Explosion
"HURR DURR I'MA BALLOOOON"
Drifblim is a really unique pokemon, and Balloon here is no exception. I use a acroloon set as, thrown out against the proper pokemon while using the proper timing, it can potentially score two KOs with ease, at the cost of its own life. It's also my Sawsbuck check, which is the only weather sweeper Calvier cannot handle under most circumstances.
Why Flying Gem?
"*Breaks Gem* WHEE IMA SUPPAAH FASST NAO"
Well, I needed something to activate Unburden, and given the natural synergy with Acrobatics, flying gem is pretty much my only option.
Why These Moves?
"CHECK OUT MY LOOPS!"
Acrobatics activates Unburden, provides flying STAB, and deals a impressive level of damage. Will-O-Wisp lets me bypass sucker punch, although the accuracy annoys me greatly -considering switching it to thunder wave-. Destiny Bond and Explosion might seem redundant at first, especially on the same pokemon, but I don't need substitute, and sucker punch doesn't really pack much of a hit, so Explosion is my ace in the hole that always catches the opponent off guard.
Why these EVs?
"WHEEE I CAN FLY SO HIIIIGH AND FAAAST!"
I only require 200 Spe to outspeed basically the entire tier, so the rest are poured into SpDef to survive a thunderbolt or ice beam here and there.
Aqua (Gorebyss) (F) @ White Herb
Ability: Swift Swim
EVs 252 SpAtk / 4 HP / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
-Shell Smash
-Surf
-Ice Beam
Hidden Power Grass
"Dudes, I am so high right now..."
Ah, Gorebyss. The most infamous shell smash user in NU, checks and coverage to it run absolutely amok. Why is Aqua on my team then if she's so easily countered? Because of two reasons. One, her sheer presence causes players to play conservatively, which greatly aids my offensive style. Two, she gives me a setup sweeper, effectively granting me a win condition. Honestly though she's really just a fillermon as the rest of my team is already balanced, and she would be my first canidate to be dropped from the team.
Why White Herb?
"Ah man, don't knock it till you try it! C'mon, have a pull of this stuff!"
To negate the stat drop from Shell Smash, thus ensuring priority does not OHKO her. Shell Smash already gives enough power, so I don't need a offensive item, and for obvious reasons I don't want to run a choice item.
Why these moves?
"Oh man, there's this guy in my head who tells me what to do. He's pretty cool."
Surf is STAB high power move, Ice Beam kills flying types and grass types, Hidden Power grass kills other water types and quagsire, and Shell Smash grants a amazing power boost that makes Gorebyss among the top sweepers of the tier. The only thing I don't like missing out on is Signal Beam for Ludicolio but HP Grass kills more and I need ice beam for grass types, thus HP grass gets preference.
Why these EVs?
"Oh dude, I went on this amazing journey with this transparent badger, and next thing I know I can freeze mountains! Radical!"
Standard Gorebyss EVs. Really this thing is very, very straightforward to use. Click Shell Smash, then click appropriate STABs for MASSIVE DAMAGE.
NU Defensive Threats
Only two pokemon are defensively a issue for me, as my team thrives on murdering defensivemons.
Derpy (Golem) (M) @ Lum Berry
Trait: Sturdy
EVs: 212 HP / 252 Atk / 44 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Stealth Rock
- Rock Blast
- Sucker Punch
- Earthquake
Aqua (Gorebyss) (M) @ White Herb
Trait: Swift Swim
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Ice Beam
- Surf
- Shell Smash
- Hidden Power [Grass]
Daniel (Sawk) (M) @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Sturdy
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Close Combat
- Stone Edge
- Earthquake
- Brick Break
Calvier (Gardevoir) (F) @ Expert Belt
Trait: Trace
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Psychic
- Thunderbolt
- Thunder Wave
- Signal Beam
BALLOON (Drifblim) (F) @ Flying Gem
Trait: Unburden
EVs: 252 Atk / 56 SDef / 200 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Acrobatics
- Will-O-Wisp
- Destiny Bond
- Substitute
Shepard (Cinccino) (M) @ Life Orb
Trait: Technician
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Bullet Seed
- Rock Blast
- Tail Slap
- Wake-Up Slap
Trait: Sturdy
EVs: 212 HP / 252 Atk / 44 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Stealth Rock
- Rock Blast
- Sucker Punch
- Earthquake
Aqua (Gorebyss) (M) @ White Herb
Trait: Swift Swim
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Ice Beam
- Surf
- Shell Smash
- Hidden Power [Grass]
Daniel (Sawk) (M) @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Sturdy
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Close Combat
- Stone Edge
- Earthquake
- Brick Break
Calvier (Gardevoir) (F) @ Expert Belt
Trait: Trace
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Psychic
- Thunderbolt
- Thunder Wave
- Signal Beam
BALLOON (Drifblim) (F) @ Flying Gem
Trait: Unburden
EVs: 252 Atk / 56 SDef / 200 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Acrobatics
- Will-O-Wisp
- Destiny Bond
- Substitute
Shepard (Cinccino) (M) @ Life Orb
Trait: Technician
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Bullet Seed
- Rock Blast
- Tail Slap
- Wake-Up Slap
Please, let me know what you think of my team! Give feedback, thoughts about how I could improve the team, etc. As a heads up, the most disposable mon on the team at the time of writing is, in my mind, Gorebyss. Also Y u all say good things but no luvdisc me :< Give a luvdisc if you like this team please and feed my dangerously tiny ego.
