Paste: https://pokepast.es/413d090a64d07746
This is my first, and probably only RMT. I'm not that great of a writer, so apologies if this looks pretty rough. I like to make funny looking and weird teams with restrictions, an example being a monocolor blue team, so most of them are bad. Most of the fun I have with Pokémon comes from teambuilding, so I only ever really use my own teams. This team is different though, in that it actually feels kind of good, so I wanted to share it and hopefully get some feedback.
I've heard of Dragon-type Pokémon being some of the best Pokémon around and the Steel + Dragon + Fairy core being one of, if not the best defensive core, so I wanted to take it to the extreme by using 4 Dragons, 1 Steel, and 1 Fairy. The team originally had Gholdengo and Iron Valiant, but when Walking Wake was released, I just had to use it so I replaced Gholdengo and Iron Valiant. I needed a defensive replacement and Klefki and Tinkaton were the only Steel/Fairy types available. I figured only Steel or Fairy would give me problems defensively, so I tried out Tinkaton since Gigaton Hammer could destroy Fairy-types.
Dragonite (F) @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Multiscale
Tera Type: Normal
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
IVs: 0 SpA
- Dragon Claw
- Extreme Speed
- Fire Punch
- Dragon Dance
Dragonite is the team's setup sweeper and cleaner. I chose Dragon Claw over Outrage as when testing it, it felt really hard to find a time to use it where it wouldn't get taken advantage of, whereas Dragon Claw is far easier to use. Extreme Speed is 1 of the 2 priority attacks on this team and is a must. It can also be used to outplay some Sucker Punches from Kingambit. Fire Punch is coverage that isn't stopped by Air Balloon. Although I do recognize that Dragonite is walled by Heatran, I don't feel the need to have Earthquake since Garchomp and Baxcalibur already have it. I chose Jolly over Adamant so that Dragonite can outspeed and OHKO Dragapult after 1 Dragon Dance. Since Dragonite has Multiscale, it's best preserved for when an opponent's Pokémon gets out of hand. It takes most hits from full and attacks back, and if the opponent's Pokémon lives, Extreme Speed can get one more hit in. If the opponent has Great Tusk, it must be weakened before Dragonite can sweep. If the Great Tusk doesn't have Ice Spinner or Bulk Up though, Dragonite is able to set up on it. Dragonite is female to prevent Enamorus's Cute Charm from activating. I made the rest of my team male in case someone wants to try Rivalry Haxorus.
Garchomp (M) @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Rough Skin
Tera Type: Steel
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
IVs: 0 SpA
- Earthquake
- Dragon Tail
- Stealth Rock
- Spikes
Garchomp is the team's hazard setter. Garchomp is usually the lead unless the opponent has a counter such as Enamorus, Baxcalibur, or Walking Wake that risks losing momentum. If the opponent has hazard removal, set 1 or 2 hazards and save Garchomp in case it needs to set them again later. Earthquake is basically for damage; use it if the opponent has a Hatterene. Dragon Tail stops setup sweepers and can rack up hazard damage. Stealth Rock and Spikes are both used as both feel valuable. If only one hazard can go up, Spikes is used a bit more often as Rock-weak Pokémon often run Heavy-Duty Boots. If the opponent has Cinderace or Enamorus, use Stealth Rock first. This team hates taking Spikes damage more than Stealth Rock in case Court Change is used. I have thought about using Iron Head just to have something that can touch Enamorus, but it's difficult to replace any of the other four moves. Max Speed is used to get up hazards against Zapdos, and the rest is put into HP to survive as long as possible. Garchomp's Rough Skin + Rocky Helmet combo can be really nice for getting out of bad situations. Azumarill is one of the biggest threats to this team, so Azumarill taking this contact damage even at the cost of losing Garchomp helps a ton. Having Kingambit take this contact damage can be game-changing as well. Tera Steel is a good defensive Tera, but it's rarely ever used as other Pokémon on the team prefer it more. I've tried mixed Garchomp with Life Orb and even Eject Pack. It does better against Great Tusk, but I found myself wanting the bulk and Rocky Helmet damage.
Dragapult (M) @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Infiltrator
Tera Type: Fairy
EVs: 76 Atk / 180 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Dragon Darts
- Hex
- Will-O-Wisp
- Substitute
Dragapult is used for its high speed and utility. Having Dragon Darts and Hex makes Dragapult a decent mixed attacker, which alongside Will-O-Wisp and Substitute make it incredible against stall teams. Rest Ting-Lu is a problem, but you can do a lot of damage once it's dealt with. Will-O-Wisp is very important on Dragapult. It burns dangerous physical attackers like Azumarill, Sneasler, Kingambit, Great Tusk, etc. with Zamazenta being a massive threat that Dragapult should be saved for. Dragapult can use Will-O-Wisp and take a hit from a burned Great Tusk as the team really appreciates it. Admittedly however, Tera Fire physical setup sweepers can feel almost unstoppable. Substitute eases prediction; very safe move to use, but HP is limited because of no Leftovers. Heavy-Duty Boots is preferred because Toxic Spikes and especially Sticky Web can be disastrous. Substitute can catch status users like Rotom-W, Amoonguss, Toxapex, Clodsire, etc. off guard if Dragapult's set hasn't been revealed. I used to run U-Turn, but I don't find myself wishing I had it often. Tera Fairy gives an immunity to opposing Dragon-types like other Dragapult, and it resists Kowtow Cleave and Sucker Punch from Kingambit to get a Will-O-Wisp and another hit off if needed. I took the set from the Smogon analysis. 76 Atk EVs apparently allow Dragapult to OHKO 32 HP / 4 Def Roaring Moon with Dragon Darts. This is Protosynthesis Speed Roaring Moon though, which means often times it will be faster, forcing Dragapult to Tera to use Dragon Darts. This damage calc hasn't been relevant in my experience, but the EVs feel like a decent split between physical and special which Dragapult wants both of.
Tinkaton @ Leftovers
Ability: Mold Breaker
Shiny: Yes
Tera Type: Dragon
EVs: 252 HP / 248 SpD / 8 Spe
Careful Nature
IVs: 0 SpA
- Gigaton Hammer
- Knock Off
- Thunder Wave
- Encore
Tinkaton's Steel/Fairy typing stops the team from being outright swept by Fairy-types like Hatterene, Enamorus, Iron Valiant, and helps a ton against special setup sweepers. Tinkaton can come in on most Fairy-types and threaten them with Gigaton Hammer. Knock Off or Thunder Wave can be used when predicting the opponent to switch out. If the opponent has a Great Tusk, Knock Off is safe as in my experience, the opponent will bring it in most of the time. If the Great Tusk is Booster Energy Speed, consider using Encore if Great Tusk using Bulk Up can lose the game. Similar situation with Baxcalibur; consider using Thunder Wave if Baxcalibur using Dragon Dance can lose the game. When facing Garganacl, try to give Tinkaton a safe switch-in if possible to paralyze and remove its item. Garganacl can feel difficult to deal even after doing this, so the team very much appreciates it. Encore stops Pokémon like Cresselia and Hatterene from setting up. Encore is also really nice to have against last Pokémon Kingambit, because if an ally is KOed by Sucker Punch, Kingambit can be drained of its Sucker Punch PP with Encore, then paralyzed, and then have its item removed if Tinkaton has enough HP to survive Sucker Punch. If Kingambit isn't their last Pokémon, Encore can still force Kingambit out and potentially paralyze a different Pokémon or remove their item. These four moves work together so well that I don't believe any move can be replaced. Leftovers is best in most cases, though Tinkaton wishes for Heavy-Duty Boots against hazard stacking teams. 8 Speed EVs allow Tinkaton to outspeed paralyzed Baxcalibur and Great Tusk if Terastallized at +1 Speed. Only really lead with Tinkaton against Grimmsnarl and Trick Room teams. Against Grimmsnarl, Knock Off turn 1. Against Trick Room, Thunder Wave is nice to fish for full paralysis to waste Trick Room turns. Tera Dragon is a meme, though it can be used to take a Fire-type attack and KO the opponent, but only if every other play is bad. A serious Tera type might be Flying for Ground immunity. Encore can stop faster Pokémon using Earthquake like Baxcalibur as Tera Flying is used. How Encore is used against Great Tusk changes depending on whether it is faster or not, and an Encored Great Tusk can't really be taken advantage of with Tinkaton still in. The team really prefers that a different Pokémon Terastallizes.
Here are some of the more dangerous attacks Tinkaton takes:
252 SpA Zapdos Heat Wave vs. 252 HP / 248+ SpD Tinkaton: 142-168 (37.9 - 44.9%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
0 SpA Moltres Flamethrower vs. 252 HP / 248+ SpD Tinkaton: 164-194 (43.8 - 51.8%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
252 SpA Life Orb Greninja Hydro Pump vs. 252 HP / 248+ SpD Tinkaton: 140-165 (37.4 - 44.1%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
0 SpA Hatterene Mystical Fire vs. 252 HP / 248+ SpD Tinkaton: 100-118 (26.7 - 31.5%) -- 19.1% chance to 4HKO after Leftovers recovery
252 SpA Choice Specs Dragapult Flamethrower vs. 252 HP / 248+ SpD Tinkaton: 172-204 (45.9 - 54.5%) -- 4.7% chance to 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
252 SpA Choice Specs Dragapult Shadow Ball vs. 252 HP / 248+ SpD Tinkaton: 115-136 (30.7 - 36.3%) -- guaranteed 4HKO after Leftovers recovery
252 SpA Enamorus Earth Power vs. 252 HP / 248+ SpD Tinkaton: 142-168 (37.9 - 44.9%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
252 SpA Gholdengo Make It Rain vs. 252 HP / 248+ SpD Tinkaton: 139-165 (37.1 - 44.1%) -- 99.9% chance to 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
Tinkaton can't safely switch in to Booster Energy Speed Iron Valiant. Close Combat 2HKOs Tinkaton and OHKOs if they use Swords Dance. Tinkaton can switch in if Iron Valiant uses Moonblast, but this is a risk. It's generally safer to attack Iron Valiant with whatever Pokémon is already in and give Tinkaton a safe switch in. If Iron Valiant is low enough to be revenge killed with priority at -1 Defense, it's a bit easier to risk switching in Tinkaton. If Iron Valiant isn't Booster Energy, switching Tinkaton hard in is fine as Choice Band Iron Valiant is rare. If it is Choice Scarf Trick, letting Tinkaton get tricked is fine, but Gigaton Hammer or a switch must be done afterward. So much momentum is lost otherwise.
Baxcalibur (M) @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Thermal Exchange
Tera Type: Fairy
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
IVs: 0 SpA
- Glaive Rush
- Earthquake
- Ice Shard
- Swords Dance
Baxcalibur is a very straightforward breaker. Glaive Rush for high damage, Earthquake for coverage, Ice Shard for priority, and Swords Dance to boost Attack. I chose Swords Dance over Dragon Dance because the team is fast enough and the power from Swords Dance is preferred. It also synergizes better with Ice Shard, the other crucial priority attack on this team. It can also be used to outplay some Sucker Punches from Kingambit. Having multiple options against Kingambit is important if you couldn't tell. If you have too much HP to survive Sucker Punch though, Kingambit will just use Iron Head. I don't like Icicle Crash because of its 90% accuracy, and it's hard to fit it over any of its other moves. I chose Jolly over Adamant to outspeed Heatran, Samurott-Hisui, Gholdengo and to at least speed tie max Speed Great Tusk. Baxcalibur has good bulk even when uninvested, so Heavy-Duty Boots is used to take advantage of that. Fairy is a pretty good defensive Tera. It resists Kingambit's Sucker Punch. It got me out of some tough spots.
Walking Wake @ Eject Pack
Ability: Protosynthesis
Tera Type: Steel
EVs: 12 HP / 244 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Draco Meteor
- Hydro Steam
- Flamethrower
- Tera Blast
Walking Wake is the team's main special attacker. It makes for a good lead with Eject Pack Draco Meteor. Lead with Walking Wake if the opponent has Samurott-Hisui or Glimmora. Draco Meteor against Samurott-Hisui and switch to Garchomp. Samurott-Hisui uses Ceaseless Edge almost 100% of the time and dies to contact damage, leaving no spikes. Hydro Steam twice against Glimmora. Its hazard can't be prevent but that's fine. If Draco Meteor is used against Slowking-Galar, eject out into Baxcalibur. I'm fine with Hydro Steam over Surf as the damage doesn't make a huge difference and Walking Wake is much stronger against sun. Bluff Choice Specs if you can. Sometimes the opponent is not expecting you to be able to switch moves. Against lead Masquerain, consider leading with a different Pokémon, probably Garchomp, and switch to Walking Wake if preserving the Eject Pack feels useful. Otherwise, keep in mind you'll have to burn it later. The EVs are max Speed and as high Special Attack as possible to still give Protosynthesis Speed in sun, with the rest put into HP. Tera Steel is mainly used for Enamorus. Tera Blast Steel OHKOs Enamorus with no bulk investment, and Walking Wake can survive an Earth Power after Terastallizing into Steel. However, it's preferred it doesn't take this hit and to only do this if Tinkaton has fainted. The opponent is far more likely to use Moonblast if Tinkaton is gone.
I have considered using Heavy-Duty Boots over Eject Pack for quite some time. I had 2 cases where Landorus-Therian was swapped in while Heatran and Great Tusk were out. It would be funny if the ultimate version of this team was mono Heavy-Duty Boots. Using Heavy-Duty Boots is like starting the battle with the Eject Pack used up with the benefit of hazard immunity. Ultimately, the momentum gained from Eject Pack is very hard to pass up. Being in with a -2 SpA non-Specs Walking Wake can be a tough spot that's easy to lose in. Eject Pack is better against offensive teams, while Heavy-Duty Boots is better against defensive teams. My climb from the 1400s to the 2000s was with Eject Pack, so it might be best to leave it. I've thought about Tera Poison which is better against Azumarill and Iron Valiant, but worse against Baxcalibur which at the moment feels more threatening. Tera Poison Tera Blast does 2HKO Assault Vest max HP Azumarill though. Surf over Hydro Steam is fine if sun falls to obscurity. No counterplay to Kingambit on this Pokémon unfortunately. Maybe in a universe where Kingambit isn't banned and Tera Blast is, Aqua Jet can be slapped on.
[Gen 9] OU Rating:
I'm showing my peak for those who are curious. I've been as high as #9 at 2042 Elo so far. I was in the 1400s a month ago and have always been at that range. Back then, I could never have imagined myself hitting the 2000s ever. Can't tell if I've improved, the team improved, a bit of both, or if this is all just a fluke. As of typing this, I haven't been battling as much. I don't know if I want to push higher at the moment.
Replays:
1) https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9ou-1910824020
2) https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9ou-1910828323-qyn9b0z6quvrcaq8mxz7c7xx3ax8p2qpw
3) https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9ou-1910833880-ryt9un15fqls6e8xswbacuzao3zl9w0pw
4) https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9ou-1910848697-ze6e8626fsbecg49xxjq635hzww6ehlpw
5) https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9ou-1911027710-6w1dj6yx72ce4yjojg0t7zs2qwf4n28pw
6) https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9ou-1911493661
7) https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9ou-1911565602-au0jvt4uzp601ixk5aqqr15x5oya9fcpw
8) https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9ou-1911576456-cp6b84wpq8ho87afb5ed375v1t2g1y1pw
9) https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9ou-1911583533-l2oqj13qd2qvui3dvreouq8vfjr4kzqpw
10) https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9ou-1911602957
11) https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9ou-1911605030
12) https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9ou-1911665075
13) https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9ou-1911704083-uwnextbm7wwuy9v2mwm3st61sinro45pw
14) https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9ou-1912231912-z891aj7y1lrzmnwwpoptx2us1jlnv9cpw
15) https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9ou-1912249155-w1qi1tysn43eyb5yywe8e6u2iuz3z8opw peak*
16) https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9ou-1912271448
17) https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9ou-1912871682-vu9x970zi59ua9skhmoylnryjg8we47pw
18) https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9ou-1912879942-d5rms6izfwaduml30gqpebfzy14xjrdpw
19) https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9ou-1912883362
20) https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9ou-1912916962
21) https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9ou-1913434617-67rvavpkl9ydcty3t1qctcrgcfvu21spw
22) https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9ou-1914080467-7goig1tjzs0wts5yc5r1ebiggg3gp8epw
23) https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9ou-1914082586
24) https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9ou-1915282507-5cdj7folzc075nyepihvip36u37093spw
25) https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9ou-1915922569
These replays are just a list of wins I quickly compiled. I haven't really gone through to look at the quality of each game, and I wouldn't really know how to judge that either. I don't expect people to view all of them; there's like 25 games. This is just to get a really good idea of how the team functions, so click a few at random if you want.
Here's a game where I tested Heavy-Duty Boots on Walking Wake instead of Eject Pack and it worked out nicely:
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9ou-1914729675
I posted a bunch of wins, but I still lose quite a bit as well. You can probably search for "Zapsuki" in the replays and find a couple of losses. When preparing an RMT, it didn't make sense to record them. I'm also fairly inconsistent; got 40-16 on OUZD Zap attempting suspect requirements, though it was my first attempt ever. Here's a bonus replay where I completely choked, entirely my fault though. It was honestly a good quality game despite that though:
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9ou-1914073898
Thanks for reading! If anyone has any questions about the team, feel free to ask. If anyone has any suggestions for the team or the RMT, let me know.
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