ORAS PU Articuno in the sand

[CrimsonBlastoise]

CrimsonBlastoise here with my first PU RMT. When I play Pokemon I like to use Pokemon that I like. I don't really like any of the high tier PU Pokemon so I thought I would try something with some of my favourites that are not seen that often in this tier. This team I can tell is not that good, but it got me a rating in the low 1400's before I lost that score to bad play's. As you can see this is a sand offence team that centers around Hippopotas setting up sand and Stoutland sweeping.

Team Analysis

Hippopotas @ Smooth Rock
Ability - Sand Stream
EVs: 248HP / 8 Atk / 252 Def
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Slack Off
- Earthquake
- Whirlwind​

My first team member was Hippopotas, which is the best sand setter in PU as it can set up sand on switch in and has a go support move set. Smooth Rock ensures sand stays around for 8 turns which is a better item in my opinion because setting up sand is the only job for this Hippopotas other than setting up rocks when it gets a free switch in. The defensive spread was to switch into other physical attackers and set up the sand or even get free rocks up and then either switch back out or recover up with Slack Off. For the move set Stealth Rock is obviously a great move than can cripple many PU Pokemon and make the opponent think carefully about their switches as they gain damage with each switch in. Slack Off helps Hippopotas recover health and just stick around for longer to get sand up more. Earthquake allows some way to get damage on opposing Pokemon especially Pokemon with Taunt. Finally Whirlwind gives me a way to faze out Pokemon that think they can set up on Hippopotas.

Stoutland @ Choice Band
Ability - Sand Rush
Evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Return
- Wild Charge
- Superpower
- Crunch​

Stoutland was the main sweeper for this team. In the sand Stoutland out speeds mostly all of the PU speed tier other than a few other boosted Pokemon like Agility Articuno and Chlorophyll Sawsbuck/Leafeon. Choice Band makes Stoutland hit very hard being able to at least 2HKO the majority of PU. For the move set the primary attack was Return as it hits Pokemon that are non bulky or don't resist very hard with the band and stab. Wild Charge was the second attack that was mostly for Pelipper but i did not see myself using Wild Charge much so i might switch it out for Pursuit or another move. Superpower deals with all the Rock/Steel types that resist Return and Crunch takes care of ghost types that Stoutland can't really hit because it runs Sand Rush not Scrappy.

Gigalith @ Assault Vest
Ability: Sand Force
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 SpD
Brave Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Iron Head
- Explosion
​

Gigalith was added to the team because of Sand Force. Now Gigalith is not meant to be sweeping anybody with that speed but it can come in and tank a lot of attacks because of the 252HP, high base physical bulk and the Assault Vest. It can also come in and do a lot of damage to the opposing team before going down. The speed stat is for when i face other teams that are using Trick Room, this has helped a lot because they would set up Trick Room for me not knowing how slow i am then continue to get swept because they are also not expecting the bulk or the power. Earthquake was a great coverage move that can pretty much OHKO anything that is hit super effective under the sand. Stone Edge was a strong stab that is boosted by Sand Force and does series damage when it actually hits, sometimes even being able to 2HKO Pokemon that resist. Iron Head was also boosted by Sand Force and it hit Fairy types for super effective damage, Mega Audino can be 2HKO'd after Rock's and sand damge. Explosion was a last ditch attempt that i could use when the other moves would be useless and i needed to do some damage against the opponent or when i'm trying to sack Gigalith.

Electrode @ Life Orb
Ability: Soundproof
EVs: 60 HP / 252 SpA / 196 Spe
Modest Nature
- Thunderbolt
- Volt Switch
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Taunt
​

Electrode was added to this team for a few reasons, First of all it can check most water types that cause a lot of damage to this team, It can also temporarily shut down the opponents support/stall Pokemon with Taunt and it can check non Earth Power Probopass by using Taunt to stop it from setting up rocks and Volt Switching out to break Sturdy. Soundproof allows it to check Chatot by safely switching into Boomburst and safely going for Volt Switch in return assuming the opponent does not have a Ground type or a LightningRod user. Thunderbolt is the primary stab move that is only really used if going for an OHKO. Volt Switch is there to keep momentum up while switching into something else and dealing damage. HP Ice allows Electrode to hit Pokemon that would resist or be immune to it's electric attacks.

Articuno @ Life Orb
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Agility
- Hurricane
- Freeze-Dry
- Roost
​

Articuno was a weird choice for this team especially since I was not running any moves to remove hazards. I had wanted to run Articuno as it is my favourite mon in PU and it also helped with the Ground and Grass weaknesses my team had, It's flying type also let it OHKO many Fighting types like Machoke which is a threat to this team and PU in general. I ran the offensive Articuno as it was not meant to be switching in and out a lot but coming in once or twice late game and sweeping. I picked Hurricane and Freeze-Dry for STAB coverage, Freeze-Dry over Ice Beam because it hits Water types for super effective damage. Agility was to help it sweep the opposing team and not many pokemon can outspeed +2 Articuno. Roost was used in the last slot over HP Fighting because I felt my team could deal with Pawniard and Probopass so i went for Roost to allow Articuno to stay around for a bit longer and stall some mon.

Roselia @ Eviolite
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 HP / 128 Def / 128 SpD
Calm Nature
- Spikes
- Synthesis
- Sludge Bomb
- Giga Drain​

Roselia was the last choice for the team. It helped cover many holes in the team by helping deal with Stunfisk, Setting up Spikes to help other Pokemon sweep, Being a special wall, Getting rid of Toxic Spikes and absorbing status. Roselia could freely switch in on any status move because of Natural Cure and Toxic not affecting it. Roselia would easily be able to switch into Machoke and set up Spikes most of the time. Spikes helped my other Pokemon sweep, with 3 layers stacked the opponent really has to think about the moves they make as it limits switches since they take 25% each turn, with Stealth Rocks up that would be even more damage. Synthesis is there for recovery. Sludge Bomb and Giga Drain are the STAB coverage i picked for Roselia, i wanted to pick HP Fighting because Pawniard will occasionally try to switch in on my Roselia but i needed both Sludge Bomb and Giga Drain.

Threat List
​

Leavanny - If given the chance to set up, Sticky Web can seriously mess up my team.

Machoke - Bulk Up/Ice Punch set's destroy my Roselia and if Hurricane misses with it wins with *insert fighting move* and Bullet Punch combo.

Pawniard - After a swords dance it can deal damage to a lot of my team especially if they are already weakened. It also gets free switches on Articuno and Roselia.

Grumpig - This thing just goes around clicking Thunder Wave and Roselia cannot do anything to stop it because it is a Psychic type.


I'm looking forward to receiving any feedback about the team and sorry but i forgot to save any replays with the team.

 

[Dundies]

Hi CrimsonBlastoise cool team you've got here, I'm just going to leave some recommendations to help improve the team overall.

The biggest problem I notice with the team right from the start is that you have an Articuno without any hazard control, which is a major problem since Stealth Rock + Life Orb + Sand is going to wear you down to the point where you'll rarely get in to get off a hit, and it's very unlikely you'll sweep, so I'm going to start by recommending that you change Gigalith --> Armaldo. AV Gigalith really isn't viable in the first place, so the addition of Armaldo will really help as it provides a better Rock-type in general as well as Rapid Spin, which is extremely helpful for Articuno.

Secondly I'm going to recommend you change Wild Charge --> Facade and Choice Band --> Life Orb on Stoutland. Wild Charge was more viable in Pelipper meta, but at this point it's not really that helpful. Facade mainly helps you with Will-O-Wisp variants of Rotom-F, which you do have a bit of trouble with, but you can beat it with Stoutland under sand. As for the item change, Life Orb is generally just a better item on sand, as you can take advantage of the Speed boost much more effectively and not have to predict around, therefore losing turns.

Lastly I'll recommend you change defensive Roselia --> offensive Sleep Powder Roselia. You might've noticed that Synthesis is actually nerfed by sand, so it's really not a good choice for this type of team. Instead I think an offensive spread with enough Speed for Pawniard will be very helpful, as you can put Pokemon such as Machoke, Regice, and Pawniard to sleep before they threaten your team too much.

Just kind of as a final note, Ice-types such as Regice and Rotom-F are very threatening to your team and I didn't want to change the build too much since I think you have a good base, so if your opponent has one of them, make sure you keep Hippopotas alive and Stoutland relatively healthy. Regice will most likely try to set up on Roselia, so if you get the chance, put it to sleep. Otherwise, try to get up sand and KO them with Stoutland before they become too much of a problem.

tl;dr

Armaldo @ Leftovers | Battle Armor
252 HP / 92 Atk / 164 Spe | Adamant
Stone Edge / Knock Off / Earthquake / Rapid Spin

Wild Charge --> Facade
Choice Band --> Life Orb

Roselia @ Eviolite | Natural Cure
40 HP / 252 SpA / 216 Spe | Modest
Sleep Powder / Leaf Storm / Sludge Bomb / Spikes

Hope I helped

 

[CrimsonBlastoise]

Hi CrimsonBlastoise cool team you've got here, I'm just going to leave some recommendations to help improve the team overall.

The biggest problem I notice with the team right from the start is that you have an Articuno without any hazard control, which is a major problem since Stealth Rock + Life Orb + Sand is going to wear you down to the point where you'll rarely get in to get off a hit, and it's very unlikely you'll sweep, so I'm going to start by recommending that you change Gigalith --> Armaldo. AV Gigalith really isn't viable in the first place, so the addition of Armaldo will really help as it provides a better Rock-type in general as well as Rapid Spin, which is extremely helpful for Articuno.

Secondly I'm going to recommend you change Wild Charge --> Facade and Choice Band --> Life Orb on Stoutland. Wild Charge was more viable in Pelipper meta, but at this point it's not really that helpful. Facade mainly helps you with Will-O-Wisp variants of Rotom-F, which you do have a bit of trouble with, but you can beat it with Stoutland under sand. As for the item change, Life Orb is generally just a better item on sand, as you can take advantage of the Speed boost much more effectively and not have to predict around, therefore losing turns.

Lastly I'll recommend you change defensive Roselia --> offensive Sleep Powder Roselia. You might've noticed that Synthesis is actually nerfed by sand, so it's really not a good choice for this type of team. Instead I think an offensive spread with enough Speed for Pawniard will be very helpful, as you can put Pokemon such as Machoke, Regice, and Pawniard to sleep before they threaten your team too much.

Just kind of as a final note, Ice-types such as Regice and Rotom-F are very threatening to your team and I didn't want to change the build too much since I think you have a good base, so if your opponent has one of them, make sure you keep Hippopotas alive and Stoutland relatively healthy. Regice will most likely try to set up on Roselia, so if you get the chance, put it to sleep. Otherwise, try to get up sand and KO them with Stoutland before they become too much of a problem.

tl;dr

Armaldo @ Leftovers | Battle Armor
252 HP / 92 Atk / 164 Spe | Adamant
Stone Edge / Knock Off / Earthquake / Rapid Spin

Wild Charge --> Facade
Choice Band --> Life Orb

Roselia @ Eviolite | Natural Cure
40 HP / 252 SpA / 216 Spe | Modest
Sleep Powder / Leaf Storm / Sludge Bomb / Spikes

Hope I helped

Thanks for the suggestions. Will try the changes out and tell you how it goes.

 

[Raiza]

Hi CrimsonBlastoise, nice team, always nice to see some sand teams around, it's a pretty underrated strategy and it should be used much more as it has potential.
As Dundies already said, the main problem the team has are Ice-types, which you don't really have anything for apart from Assault Vest Gigalith, which still fears Focus Blast from Regice and Will-O-Wisp from Rotom-F so it's still not a reliable switch-in at all, also because Regice can force you to click Whirlwind / Taunt with Hippopotas and Electrode to prevent him from setting up and threatening your whole team, therefore the Regice user can punish you by just spamming Ice Beam and getting an handful of KOs. Another problem is that Articuno without anything to prevent the opponent from setting up his Stealth Rock or Defog users, is going to get KO'd prematurely if you also count Life Orb recoil in, which doesn't help for sure staying alive, and Articuno getting so weakened means Machoke becomes a pain for the team to handle too as Roselia, despite resisting its Fighting-type STAB, can't stand a Knock Off + Ice Punch combo, while other members can't do much back to it. Pawniard, as you stated in the OP, is also an huge issue as you have no switch-ins for a Knock Off, and it can set up rather easily on both Articuno and Roselia, then proceed to threaten your whole team(if Hippopotas is already a little weakened Pawniard will probably win the game alone). The following changes will help you patch up mostly the weakness to Ice-types and the fact that Articuno gets weakened too early in case you can't prevent Stealth Rock from the opponent(almost all the time), therefore this will also indirectly help dealing with Machoke.

CM Grumpig over Gigalith: As Dundies already said, Assault Vest Gigalith, even if it may fit decently here, is still way too risky to run and despite the Assault Vest, as its mono Rock-type still doesn't make it that easy to switch into most special attackers, and Gigalith doesn't provide much utility to Stoutland whatsoever, especially compared to what Calm Mind Grumpig can bring to the table for you. Calm Mind Grumpig, while still efficient against bulkier opponents, helps you against a plethora of threats this build is susceptible to, starting from the aforementioned Ice-types. Then, it also comes handy against Pawniard and Machoke due to Colbur Berry, which allows you to lure and KO them, opposing Grumpig, and other stuff such as Monferno which can be quite threatening too(Choice Scarf and Sword Dance variants actually dismantle this team). You lose a Normal-type resist, but Grumpig still outspeeds opposing Stoutland and can deal high damage to them with Focus Blast.

Offensive Quilladin over Roselia: This change will address the issue with opposing Stealth Rock. As Dundies already said, defensive Roselia won't have much purpose in this team, as it can't reliably recover up health and will be prone to being weakened fairly quickly anyway. In my opinion offensive Quilladin here provides you an actual anti-lead, which is way more valuable than offensive Roselia, since it will prevent opposing Golem and Stunfisk from setting up Stealth Rock, while still being able to set up Spikes by itself, therefore hugely helping the whole team structure, especially Articuno. It's access to Drain Punch also allows it to lure Pawniard, which will often try to switch into Quilladin and use it as a setup fodder. You lose a more reliable switch in into specially attacking Water-types, but now Articuno can actually switch into them, and you have many ways to revengekill them if you keep Quilladin healthy, along with Electrode and Stoutland in sand.

Stoutland: Facade over Wild Charge: I don't agree with giving Life Orb to Stoutland, because of your lack of reliable entry hazard control, which lets already most of your team get weakened early-mid game fairly easily, so giving Life Orb to Stoutland here will just further increment the passive damage your team is receiving. While Life Orb can be surely beneficial on other sides, I feel like the downside of the recoil here is too big to get ignored since you lack any form of entry hazard removal and two of its teammates already carry a Life Orb and are extremely susceptible to entry hazards. Life Orb would help you get cleaner sweeps, but even if Stoutland can't manage to sweep a team entirely by itself, you still carry other win conditions in Calm Mind Grumpig and Agility Articuno. I agree though on giving Facade over Wild Charge. Wild Charge isn't that useful as Pelipper is gone and Facade would help you much more against Rotom-F and other status inducers.

Hope I helped

sets

Grumpig @ Colbur Berry
Ability: Thick Fat
EVs: 80 HP / 252 SpA / 176 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Psychic
- Focus Blast
- Calm Mind
- Thunder Wave / Shadow Ball

Quilladin @ Eviolite
Ability: Bulletproof
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Spikes
- Taunt
- Seed Bomb
- Drain Punch

 

[Anty]

Hi there, nice team

As others have said, AV Gigalith isn't a very good Pokemon as many special attackers have a type advantage over its anyway, it gets warn down quickly due to the lack of recovery, and overall is a bad option for a Rock-type as its outdone by others such as Golem which has a Ground STAB and more speed, for example. Vullaby I feel would be a great addition to the team, as not only does it provide Defog support for Articuno, which gives it a much greater probability to sweep. It also checks Psychic-types such as Grumpig and Kadabra which gives you trouble, along with blanket checking many physical attackers, which helps you since you best physical wall is Hippopotus, which is slightly frail without Eviolite. It fits nicely on Sand teams due to Overcoat preventing chip damage, and even gives you a sleep absorber and a more reliable switch into Jumpluff.

Next, I think you should Choice Specs on Electrode, with Signal Beam over Taunt. Without Sand, Electrode is your fastest mon so you rely on it a decent amount in order to revenge kill Pokemon, and Choice Specs allows you to get KOs on pokemon like Rapidash and Quick Feet Ursaring after they have been weakened slightly (Rapidash only need stealth rocks - which you couldnt do with Life Orb) and Signal beam does more damage to other electric-types like Zebstrika. I also recommend you run a spread of 252 HP/76 Def/180 SDef on Roselia as it is your main special wall and you need it to check Pokemon such as Floatzel. Lastly, I agree with others that Facade is a better choice than Wild Charge on Stoutland, and you should try Life Orb on Stoutland to see if you like it better than Choice Band.

changes

Vullaby @ Eviolite
Ability: Overcoat
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Impish Nature
- Roost
- Defog
- U-turn
- Foul Play

Roselia
EVs: 252 HP / 76 Def / 180 SpD

Electrode
Life Orb --> Choice Specs
Taunt --> Singla Beam

Stoutland
Wild Charge --> Facade

Hope I helped!