AV Slither WIN sun (Peak 2003 - #5)
1) Intro :
Hello everyone and welcome to my third RMT !
I didn't really plan on doing an RMT at first but since I was just playing this team for fun on a trroll alt account and didn't think or try to climb this high so I didn't save any replay. However, it has been pretty fun to use and I thought it would be cool to share it now that I'm done playing the tier for a while.
After DLC2 dropped I wanted to test all the new Pokemon and Gouging Fire was the last one I needed to try so I thought building a Sun team would be the best for me since I prefer using HO. My last RMT was also a Sun so I wanted to see how the style evolved since I quit playing just after my previous RMT.
Since I mainly use this account to test fun things I thought I would give some love to Slither Wing since I never really used it in the past and I absolutely love its design.
Yes, you could probably improve the team by removing Slither Wing but sometimes building a team to use a particular Pokemon (even if it's "bad") without aiming to reach number one on the ladder is what I like to do. No pressure of winning/losing, you're just having a good time and I hope you'll have fun with this team too :)
2) Proof of peak :
3) Team Building Process :
Since I wanted to build a sun with Slither Wing and Gouging Fire, Torkoal was an obvious choice as the better Sun setter. I also added Walking Wake directly as I just loved using it with my previous RMT and it gave me a "decent" speed tier since my team is quite slow otherwise.
After that, I decided to put Hatterene on the team since Sun teams are really weak to hazard and it also provides the team with a much needed dragon immunity.
Finally, I settled on Great Tusk to have a decent Kingambit and Dragonite check while providing me some speed control and a good cleaner in some matchs.
4) The Team :
Torkoal (M) @ Heat Rock
Ability: Drought
Tera Type: Grass
EVs: 248 HP / 100 Def / 160 SpD
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 17 Spe
- Rapid Spin
- Lava Plume
- Stealth Rock
- Burning Jealousy / Sunny Day
The centerpiece of every sun team. The sleep ban has been a pretty huge nerf for Torkoal since it used to be able to force switches with Yawn. In my opinion, Clear Smog is a terrible move on Torkoal. Not only you waste your sun turns but it also doesn't work on steel types which is why I have been running Burning Jealousy as my last move. It's a guaranteed burn if your opponents try to set up. Sunny Day is a good alternative for the 4th move since with these IVs you are slower than G-Slowking and can set sun after the Chilly Reception. The evs spread makes Torkoal a decent Iron Valiant check while being able to take a Power Gem from Glimmora if you really need to.
Hatterene @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Magic Bounce
Tera Type: Steel
EVs: 248 HP / 208 Def / 52 Spe
Bold Nature
- Nuzzle
- Healing Wish
- Psychic Noise
- Dazzling Gleam
Despite Hatterene being a common choice for Sun teams, I decided to change the set a little to fit my team the best. While I love the momentum provided with Eject Button, I am running Rocky Helmet for two Pokemon in particular : Glimmora and H-Samurott. Now onto the explanation :
- Glimmora : Against teams leading with Glimmora I like leading with Walking Wake to bait the Stealth Rock from Glimmora. I immediately switch to Hatterene so they get the SR on their side. When they decide to Mortal Spin they get hurt by the Rocky Helmet and die to Psychic Noise. Not only Hatterene is still healthy but you can play a game without hazards on your side !
- H-Samurott : I absolutely hate this stupid Pokemon and the broken Ceaseless Edge which is the main reason I am running Rocky Helmet to begin with. If H-Samurott seems like an obvious lead from your opponent, lead Great Tusk and CC it. Thanks to Eject Pack you can switch to Hatterene and watch H-Samurott die without putting a single Spike on the field as dying from Rocky Helmet prevents the secondary effect of Ceaseless Edge.
Despite my hatred for H-Samurott being the main reason I am using Rocky Helmet, it has proven quite useful agaisnt a lot of threats : Glimmora, Dragonite, U-Turn spam, Weavile etc...
Great Tusk @ Eject Pack
Ability: Protosynthesis
Tera Type: Ghost
EVs: 248 HP / 4 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Bulk Up
- Ice Spinner
- Close Combat
- Headlong Rush
I went with a speed boosting Great Tusk for this team as I really needed to be able to outspeed the entire unboosted Metagame. On top of being a good Kingambit check, it is also a decent win condition and provides the team with a one time momentum switch after CC/HR which has been game changing a few times. I decided to use Tera Ghost on this set as an emergency button against Dragonite or some Iron Defense Pokemon. Tera Fire and Poison are also good alternatives.
Slither Wing @ Assault Vest
Ability: Protosynthesis
Tera Type: Fairy
EVs: 248 HP / 252 SpD / 8 Spe
Careful Nature
- U-turn
- Tera Blast
- Close Combat
- First Impression
The star of the team ! While I wanted to use it to its full potential, I quickly realized my team didn't need even more firepower and I really needed a special sponge.
So after looking at the best options for my team I settled on this Assault Vest set that can take every special hits with ease while still providing the team with momentum and priority. Even uninvested in attack, Slither Wing hits quite hard with its 306 attack stat. The moveset is classic but I went with Tera Blast fairy as my last option as Slither Wing movepool is quite bad and I needed to be able to hit the Dragons and Iron Valiant hard in return.
People often underestimate how bulky Slither Wing is but here are some fun calcs :
- 252 SpA Choice Specs Kyurem Draco Meteor vs. 248 HP / 252+ SpD Assault Vest Protosynthesis Slither Wing: 114-135 (30.5 - 36.1%) -- 48.8% chance to 3HKO
- 252 SpA Choice Specs Kyurem Ice Beam vs. 248 HP / 252+ SpD Assault Vest Protosynthesis Slither Wing: 79-94 (21.1 - 25.2%) -- 0% chance to 4HKO
- 244 SpA Choice Specs Walking Wake Flamethrower vs. 248 HP / 252+ SpD Assault Vest Protosynthesis Slither Wing in Sun: 154-182 (41.2 - 48.7%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
- 252 SpA Choice Specs Dragapult Draco Meteor vs. 248 HP / 252+ SpD Assault Vest Slither Wing: 124-147 (33.2 - 39.4%) -- 100% chance to 3HKO
- +1 252 SpA Quark Drive Iron Valiant Moonblast vs. 248 HP / 252+ SpD Assault Vest Protosynthesis Slither Wing: 204-242 (54.6 - 64.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
- 252+ SpA Heatran Magma Storm vs. 248 HP / 252+ SpD Assault Vest Protosynthesis Slither Wing in Sun: 198-234 (53 - 62.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after trapping damage
- 252+ SpA Choice Specs Protosynthesis Raging Bolt Draco Meteor vs. 248 HP / 252+ SpD Assault Vest Protosynthesis Slither Wing: 169-201 (45.3 - 53.8%) -- 41.8% chance to 2HKO
As you can see, Slither Wing is one of the bulkiest special wall you could dream of under sun and is not a momentum drain. While it won't sweep many teams, it will force progress A LOT. I really didn't expect it to be this good so give it a try !
Walking Wake @ Choice Specs
Ability: Protosynthesis
Tera Type: Water
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Flip Turn / Scald
- Hydro Steam
- Flamethrower / Weather Ball
- Draco Meteor
As I said in my previous RMT, boosting speed with Protosynthesis on Walking Wake is a bad idea. You don't outspeed much more than you already do and you lose a lot of its nuke potential. Flip Turn over Dragon Pulse is a personnal choice since I realized I was never clicking Dragon Pulse anyway and I have used Flip Turn a few times which is already a lot more than Dragon Pulse.
Gouging Fire @ Choice Band
Ability: Protosynthesis
Tera Type: Fire
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly/Adamant Nature
- Flare Blitz
- Heat Crash
- Earthquake
- Raging Fury
With Choice Band, Gouging Fire can OHKO or 2HKO everything in the metagame, even Dondozo :
- 252+ Atk Choice Band Protosynthesis Tera Fire Gouging Fire Flare Blitz vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Dondozo in Sun: 252-297 (50 - 58.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
I've been switching the nature a lot as Adamant provides an instant win against stall teams while Jolly is better to 2HKO max speed Great Tusk. I ended up finishing my run with a Jolly nature but both options are fine and Adamant is funnier.
As for the moveset I decided to use Gouging Fire without a dragon move as I really don't like being locked on Outrage and I never used Dragon Claw. Having the option to choose between Heat Crash and Flare Blitz depending on the situation is way better than having a useless 4th move 99% of the time. Being able to save your bulk when you need to and do good damage to heavy Pokemon the rest of the time is invaluable so I don't recommend changing the moveset.
5) Threat list :
Tera Water Gliscor is the most annoying Pokemon you can face with this team. You can force your way through it with Walking Wake and Gouging Fire but it's really a nuisance for this team.
Dragon types are a problem for this team since Hatterene is the only fairy immunity/resist.
This Pokemon is always a problem for sun teams so be careful when facing it. Hatterene can force some progress with Psychic Noise so it won't be able to stay on the field too long if you pressure it correctly.
Kingambit is broken and you should try to preserve your health with Great Tusk or Gouging Fire when you see one.
6) Importable :
https://pokepast.es/a6cf2154f5a510b9
7) Conclusion :
I have been a lot of fun using this team and I'm glad I was able to showcase the strenghts of a niche pick in an otherwise terrible metagame where creativity is at an all time low because of all the broken Pokemon currently in OU. I really enjoyed using Gouging Fire but I do believe it will get banned really soon so have fun with it while you can.
Thanks for reading and I hope you will enjoy this Slither Wing team !
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