Other Metagames Anything Goes Toxic Spikes, featuring Scolipede! Peaked #11 with 1820 ELO, 90.5 GXE

Why?

  • Yes

    Votes: 6 75.0%
  • No

    Votes: 2 25.0%

  • Total voters
    8
Hello forums, welcome to my 7th (I think?) RMT featuring a really fun team to use, that haas also been really successful! It features a really good, but under-utilized playstyle of Toxic Spikes Balance. Most Toxic Spikes teams are more offensive, using offensive pressure to keep Toxic Spikes set, whereas this team uses it to wear down common check to my sweepers, and uses Defog as setup opportunities. The general lack of Poison types in the meta means that Toxic Spikes are all the more effective. While this team does lack Defog, I much prefer not to remove my own hazards, as i can usually only set them once. The pressure that Toxic Spikes puts on the opponent is often enough to make them Defog, removing their own hazards, and giving me free setup turns. This team also won me a Tournament. So, yay and stuff for that. :)

Proof of Peak
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Kaleidoscorp is me. My other alt, Drummerilla, peaked #7 with this team:
http://www.smogon.com/forums/threads/anything-goes-offense-feat-3-arceus-peak-1645-7.3557546/
Feel free to check out that team as well.
Anyone who gets the reference of my names gets a cookie ;)

Teambuilding Process:
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As this is a Toxic Spikes based team, I of course started with Suicide Lead Scolipede. When played correctly, he is incredibly effective. Along with setting Toxic Spikes, he can also be effective in dismantling walls, anti-leading Deoxys, and, even though he is a suicide lead, he almost never leaves me in a 5v6 situation.

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Next came Mega Gengar. Yes, this means this team doesn't use Mega-Ray. Sue me. I had been testing him in another team, and while that team wasn't very good, I liked how he worked. He is able to Trap and revenge kill Extremekiller Arceus and Mega-Ray due to immunity to Extreme Speed, as well as remove troublesome walls for my sweepers. Very fast, very powerful, and invaluable team support.

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The first sweeper is none other than Extremekiller himself. He appreciates Toxic Spikes whittling down Primal Groudon, and he really loves Mega Gengar's ability to remove Giratina, Lugia, and opposing Arceus, especially Ghostceus.

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Next up is sweeper #2. Xerneas is ridiculously powerful, even without using Geomancy. People need to learn to not be greedy with their Geomancies. Countless times they've set up just to die without doing anything. Xerneas checks Yveltal for Arceus, and forces a ton of switches. On those switches, don't set up. Throw out a Moonblast. Wear down your checks so you can actually break them later. Especially Ho-oh. He's a douche.

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Jirachi is so underloved in this meta. He is a really good check to Xerneas, sets Rocks, and paraflinches everybody. He also resists Extreme Speed, which lets him beat Arceus most of the time if you Paralyze (most Arceus carry Lum Berry, so this is indeed possible) him on the switch. This spot used to be Primal Groudon, but Jirachi is a much more consistent Xerneas check and Rock setter due to ACTUALLY BEING ABLE TO HEAL. Groudon always died way too fast. Also, Wish support is nice, if unreliable at times.

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Ah, Lugia. You are awesome. Lugia serves as my primary check to Extremekiller, and to most sweepers in general. His walling capabilities are amazing, being able to take any hit and either poison-stall, or phaze. He is also useful in shuffling the opposing team, using up Lum Berries so they will stay poisoned on coming back in.

The Team:

scolipede.gif

Scolipede @ Focus Sash
Ability: Speed Boost
EVs: 252 Atk / 6 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
IVs: 0 HP / 0 Def / 0 SpA / 0 SpD
- Endeavor
- Toxic Spikes
- Pin Missile
- Protect

My lead 99% of the time (screw you Sableye >.>). Scolipede is the whole reason this team exists, being the best, and probably only viable Toxic Spikes setter in AG. Toxic Spikes poisons enemies upon switch in, making them much easier to wear down, as well as using up the omnipresent Lum Berries on all the Extremekillers everywhere. Primal Groudon and Kyogre have 0 recovery, Giratina only has Lefties, Refresh is very rare on Arceus, and Poison types just don't exist in AG. All this means that Toxic Spikes are deadly. Focus Sash allows him to survive a hit with 1 HP, and the IVs and Nature increase my chance of being brought down to 1. After hitting 1 HP, Endeavor can be used to cripple, well, anything not intangible. However, a decision must be made between a second layer of Toxic Spikes, or Endeavor. Even if they don't attack you, Endeavor still knocks off about half the HP of the titans residing here. Pin Missile is used to anti-lead deoxys formes, as it breaks their Sash and KOs them (needs at least 3 hits to OHKO Speed forme). Protect is useful for blocking Deoxys' Taunt first turn and outspeeding them turn 2. Pin Missile also does good damage to lead Darkrai, and beats Smeargle through Sash.

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Gengar @ Gengarite
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Shadow Ball
- Sludge Wave
- Taunt
- Destiny Bond

This guy is just insanely good. Shadow Tag means he always has the matchup he wants. He's like your crazy ex-girlfriend that handcuffs you to the bed so you can't leave her. Just look at that creeper smile. His ability to trap and remove specific threats to my team make him invaluable. Lugia, who would otherwise wall my two sweepers, is utterly helpless against this guy. Taunt shuts down recovery and status. Since Taunt is uncommon in AG, a lot of support mons run 0 attacks, meaning they Struggle to death. I went Dual STAB over Focus Blast because Focus Blast for me only has about 3% accuracy, and only when it's not even helpful. His STABs alone are enough to pick off his targets.

Calcs:
252 SpA Mega Gengar Sludge Wave vs. 4 HP / 0 SpD Arceus: 162-192 (42.4 - 50.2%) -- 0.4% chance to 2HKO
Can pick off weakened Extremekiller thanks to a handy Extreme Speed immunity. Between Lugia and Toxic Spikes, its easy to wear him down. Can also use Destiny Bond as a last resort.

252 SpA Mega Gengar Shadow Ball vs. 248 HP / 8 SpD Giratina: 272-324 (54 - 64.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery

252 SpA Mega Gengar Sludge Wave vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Arceus-Fairy: 324-384 (72.9 - 86.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
Stealth Rock and two poison turns is a guaranteed OHKO

252 SpA Mega Gengar Shadow Ball vs. 248 HP / 0 SpD Arceus-Ghost: 272-324 (61.3 - 73.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
Again, let Poison and Rocks weaken it a bit. Destiny Bond can also remove him if Arceus is free to sweep after.

252 SpA Mega Gengar Shadow Ball vs. 128 HP / 0 SpD Primal Groudon: 175-207 (46.9 - 55.4%) -- 73.4% chance to 2HKO
No recovery makes him easy to wear down.

Keep him safe though. He is incredibly frail, and he is often your last emergency stop to an Extremekiller or Xerneas sweep. Keep in mind, Arceus is faster pre-mega.

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Arceus @ Lum Berry
Ability: Multitype
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Extreme Speed
- Shadow Claw
- Earthquake
- Swords Dance

Probably the most centralizing mon in the meta, Extremekiller makes another appearance here. This guy is my premier revenge killer with STAB Extreme Speed, and he has high speed outside of that as well. Mega Ray is easily checked by him or Mega Gengar, because Ray's Extreme Speed is useless against both. Gengar is immune, and Arceus is faster. Lum Berry is used to set up on Ho-oh and Darkrai, as well as help against Klefki. Shadow Claw is used to cover Ghosts and Lugia, but it doesn't do much to them anyway, so hazards are essential to breaking past them. Earthquake hits steel types and Primal Groudon hard, and Swords Dance turns him into the terrifying sweeper that he is.

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Xerneas @ Power Herb
Ability: Fairy Aura
EVs: 248 HP / 216 SpA / 44 Spe
Modest Nature
- Moonblast
- Focus Blast
- Thunderbolt
- Geomancy

I'm generally opposed to using Xerneas, because of how prepared for he is, but he fits so well in this team, thanks to Toxic Spikes wearing down his checks. Moonblast is the primary STAB, hitting really hard against even things that resist it. Focus Blast, as much as I hate using it, provides coverage against steel types, and hits Arceus for the OHKO after Geomancy. Thunderbolt is used over Thunder because of accuracy issues. Thunderbolt still OHKOs Ho-oh after Rocks, or after one turn of switching into a Thunderbolt before boosting. Geomancy turns him into a terrifying late game sweeper, capable of ripping apart weakened teams. Bring Xerneas in liberally, as he has the power to wear down his own checks by nailing them on the switch. Arceus can only switch into Moonblast ONCE. How's he gonna use Extreme Speed to revenge you if he's dead? Use him as a hit and run attacker, until all of his checks are sufficiently weakened, then Geomancy and win. He gets plenty of switch in opportunities against defensive Yveltal, who likes to come in on Arceus, giving him chances to fire off attacks. Honestly though, half my games I don't even use Geomancy. He often doesn't need it. He's too good for his own signature move. The EVs make him as bulky as possible, and outspeeds Scarf Genesect after Geomancy.

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Lugia @ Leftovers
Ability: Multiscale
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Psychic
- Substitute
- Roost
- Whirlwind

The Great Wall. Able to check powerful monsters such as Extremekiller Arceus, Dragon Dance Mega Rayquaza and Geomancy Xerneas, and either stall them out with Toxic Spikes poison, or just phaze them. He is my main switch in to Arceus, as he can easily stall out poison turns. He also serves as a check to Choice Band Ho-oh, a huge threat to my team. SubRoost lets him stall out a myriad of threats, and in general just keeps him alive. Psychic is used over Toxic, as most enemies will already be poisoned by Toxic Spikes, and it hits Mega Ray hard after Dragon Ascent's defense drops. Whirlwind is to phaze out boosted enemies, use up Lum Berries, and spread poison around the opposing team.

jirachi.gif

Jirachi @ Leftovers
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Iron Head
- Thunder Wave
- Wish
- Stealth Rock

Jirachi replaced Primal Groudon as my Stealth Rock setter because he served much the same role, but with access to recovery. Stealth Rocks allow me to beat Ho-oh, which is very important. Thunder Wave cripples Flying threats such as Ho-oh and Mega Rayquaza as well as the Lati twins (do those still exist?) on the switch, as they are immune to Toxic Spikes. It's also useful for hitting Arceus after he uses his Lum Berry on the poison. Iron Head allows for fun paraflinch shenanigans and allows him to beat Xern who he is supposed to check. Wish gives him semi-reliable healing, as well as supporting the other members who get worn down over time. He is the most expendable member of my team, however, and if a suitable replacement can be found, I would very much appreciate it.

So, that's the team! It's been a lot of fun to climb the ladder with, and also very successful. Let me know what you guys think, and feel free to try it out!

Importable:
Scolipede @ Focus Sash
Ability: Speed Boost
EVs: 252 Atk / 6 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
IVs: 0 HP / 0 Def / 0 SpA / 0 SpD
- Endeavor
- Toxic Spikes
- Pin Missile
- Protect

Gengar @ Gengarite
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Shadow Ball
- Sludge Wave
- Taunt
- Destiny Bond

Lugia @ Leftovers
Ability: Multiscale
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Psychic
- Substitute
- Roost
- Whirlwind

Arceus @ Lum Berry
Ability: Multitype
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Extreme Speed
- Shadow Claw
- Earthquake
- Swords Dance

Jirachi @ Leftovers
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Iron Head
- Thunder Wave
- Wish
- Stealth Rock

Xerneas @ Power Herb
Ability: Fairy Aura
EVs: 248 HP / 216 SpA / 44 Spe
Modest Nature
- Moonblast
- Focus Blast
- Thunderbolt
- Geomancy

Threatlist:
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:
Sacred Fire is extremely threatening to my team, as nothing likes to switch in. He can also anti-lead Scolipede 50% of the time due to burn killing the Sash. Keep Rocks up, and Xern's Thunderbolt on the switch hurts a lot.

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: ArcSpam is very threatening to me. I have to rely on Poison to wear them down. Gengar can take out at least 1, depending on their types. If Xern can get free setup, he can take out 3, as my set avoids the 2HKO from Extreme Speed, and OHKO's back with Moonblast after Rocks. Extreme Speed also limits Scolipede-s hazards.

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: Outspeeds my entire team and hits really hard. Scolipede outspeeds after one turn though, and deals good damage with Pin Missile. Arceus revenge kills with Extreme Speed.

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: No safe switch ins, with Lugia being the best (though Thunder hurts). No recovery means Toxic Spikes will wear him down, and Extreme Speed deals good damage.

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