Hello, blapperl here with my first RMT. I'm leaving Smogon for a half a year as I'm leaving my country to study abroad and I thought I'd share this with you. This is the team I've been using ever since NU got official, and it is the one I've had the most fun playing with while still being successful, getting a 95-15 wl-ratio on two accounts, comfortably getting into top ten and even peaking the ladder once in a while (pls remember this when taking a first look on the team that looks disfunctional as hell).
I built this team around Shedinja, as I had only once seen a NU team making good use of Shedinja before and I thought the little bug deserved more love. The goal is to stack hazards while preventing the opponent from doing so, causing chip damage to the opposing team and cleaning with the appropriate remaining mon.
Onto the team:
MC Hammer (Shedinja) @ Focus Sash
Ability: Wonder Guard
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Will-O-Wisp
- Protect
- Baton Pass
- Shadow Claw
Shedinja, the Poke this team was based around. Whenever it gets a free turn, it can either cripple something with WoW or straight BP out on the opponent's switch to keep up the momentum. BP also prevents it from being hit by a slow Pursuit. Protect is used to rack Burndmg and scout moves. Shadow Claw coming from Base 90 Atk isnt too bad either but should be used very cautiously if things like Vileplume, Ferroseed and Dragalge are alive, as making contact might seal Shedinjas doom. Max Atk Adamant is self explanatory, max speed helps scouting with BP on things like Vileplume that might have HP Fire, to keep up momentum and not destroying it with a untimely Protect, and to outspeed the uninvested 70 speed tier.
Shedinja's ability allows it to wall some of the tiers most dangerous threats, eg. Feraligatr, Kangaskhan, Ludicolo, and a plethora of setupmons that lack SE coverage like CM Mesprit, Musharna, Uxie, all of which can ruin a regular stall team's day. It can spinblock against offensive Cryogonal, play mindgames with a status'd or Choice locked foe, and prevent both U-turn and Volt-switch.
The fun ends right there, as everything else is out there to kill the poor bug. Hazards and status just annihilate it, and its typing leaves it with many exploitable weaknesses.
Unpleasant Burd (Xatu) (M) @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Magic Bounce
EVs: 248 HP / 80 Def / 172 SpD / 8 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Reflect
- Roost
- Toxic
- Psychic
With Shedinja's most exploitable weakness being its vulnerability to hazards, Xatu was an obvious choice. Most of the time it can manage to keep hazards from your side of the field just long enough to secure the victory. The EV spread allows Xatu to never be KOd by a combination of pursuit/foul play + shadow sneak coming from standard Spiritomb, while being able to roost off the damage and whittling away at Tomb's health via Rocky Helmet. If Tomb came in on Xatu and got Toxicd, chances are it has already lost a good portion of its health, meaning its ability to prevent a spin later on is significantly lower. This relieves a lot of pressure from Xatu, as it might not be forced to always switch in on something that lays hazards.
Rocky Helmet is a nice tool which helps wonders to wear down the opposing hazard setters, effectively punishing things like ferroseed for trying to cause some chip damage on the switch in.
Reflect allows Xatu to come in Turn 1 against a myriad of SR users and force them out, in case they are not able to 2hko Xatu through the reflect. Toxic helps slowly killing these SR leads while being able to roost off any damage.
The investment in SpDef lets Xatu act as a special wall too, being able to handle Vileplume, Dragalge, Lilligant and Scarf Pyroar decently well, just to name a few.
The Climb (Cryogonal) @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 200 HP / 176 Def / 132 SpA
Modest Nature
- Rapid Spin
- Recover
- Frost Breath
- Hidden Power [Fighting]
As Xatu can not always prevent hazards, a spinner was needed. Cryogonal was chosen bc it could handle most Ghost-Types in the tier, featuring the ability to beat Crotomb 1o1. HP Fighting is a must, as it can deal good damage against Probopass, to which Xatu can't do anything. HP Fighting could be replaced with HP Ground, for the sake of hitting Fire Types instead of Pawniard.
As I had no place for Haze on this set, Frost Breath was chosen over Freeze-Dry to (most of the time) 3HKO Spiritombs without SpDef investment. Bc Frost Breath always crits, defensive boosts do not matter, so this Cryo also has an easier time taking on CM Slurpuff / Xatu or Lilligant.
Ferroseed @ Eviolite
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Def
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Stealth Rock
- Spikes
- Leech Seed
- Gyro Ball
With the previous 3 Pokemon being weak to Rock, and me not having a hazard setter of my own, Ferroseed fits this team perfectly. Against defensive teams, it gets many free switch ins and can punish the opponent's attempt to heal up his team by laying Rocks and Spikes and revocering health with Leech Seed. Especially Leech Seed in combination with the defensive nature of this team that can switch into a lot of stuff forces many switches, which puts the opponent under a lot of pressure to break through before going down. EV spread is very simple, haven't experimented with that too much.
Having Shedinja as a backup against Feraligatr often allows Ferroseed to do its job more recklessly, as it is not needed to check it if you are sure you can keep hazards at bay. Not sure what to else to say, cause standard Seed is standard.
Spiritomb @ Leftovers
Ability: Infiltrator
EVs: 252 HP / 248 Def / 8 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Will-O-Wisp
- Foul Play
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
Despite having one immunity and a x4 ressist to fighting, i needed a safe switch in for the karate chopping type of Pokemanz (screw you knock off) and a reliable spinblocker on top of that. Spiritomb can switch into most of them with ease and threaten a burn. Guts Gurdurr can beat this if it bulk ups enough, but will get worn down in the process.
Apart from checking the NU Fighting types, this Tomb handles so many physical attackers in the tier it's ridicoulus. The opponent can't sub to evade the burn, nor can he safely set up due to foul play hitting like a truck. This Spiritomb has a high survivability (unlike most users of Rapid spin) and loves to trade status at an early time in the game when rest talk has not been revealed.
Barbara (Barbaracle) (F) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Tough Claws
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Razor Shell
- Stone Edge
- Cross Chop
- Night Slash / Aerial Ace / Switcheroo / Grass Knot
OK, this one is a little awkward to explain. The rest of the team is extremely weak to powerful fire attacks, so I desperately needed a good switch in for those. With its x4 ressist, Barbara can repeatedly switch into fire moves and threaten the kill. With Adamant scarf, it outspeeds base 110s, meaning it will be faster than say Pyroar and Archeops.
How I play with Barbara depends a lot on the opposing team. When I see a Magmortar / Typhlosion / Pyroar and a Poke that can handle Barbara even at +2, chances are the opponent is just straight up gonna lead with the respective threat. If he does, and I lead with Scarfbara too, he might be tempted to just attack and kill it before it does anything (with HP grass / Focus miss / Tbolt). If he didn't read the RMT, he would probably not suspect Barbara holding the scarf, and if he isnt holding one himself, he's dead now. (The opponent expecting Barb to maybe carry Grass knot for Seismitoad also helps with baiting them to stay in.) Barbara can survive a Timid Scarf HP grass from Pyroar with about a 50% chance either way, so thats nice too.
Barbara can also switch into Magmortar (which demolishes the team), which has no reason to Tbolt straight away as it usually outspeeds Barbaracle and could kill a regular one the next turn with Tbolt.
Scarfbara helps against lead Archeops too. This Archeops is usually found on offensive teams who can not allow it to get a free Shell Smash up, so often enough they Taunt Turn 1 just to be outsped and KOd the following turn.
You get the twist: Barbara is the team's revenge / surprise killer, eliminating threats by threatening a set up.
A plus for Scarfbara is also that many Pokemon that can take it on can be used as set up fodder for Ferroseed or are no threat to this team whatsoever (say regular Vileplume or Toad).
Barbara also threatens most users of Defog and makes a decent Scarfer apart from baiting certain Pokemon to stay in.
I really wanted to include a threat list and go a little more in depth about each pokemon and their synergy, but I'm running out of time and I#m sure you raters are good enough to not need this :D.
Finally I wanted to say I really enjoyed the time playing with you guys, I'll be back in half a year (to kick ass with offensive Mega Audino:))
Importable on: http://pastebin.com/gmhgsSWF
I built this team around Shedinja, as I had only once seen a NU team making good use of Shedinja before and I thought the little bug deserved more love. The goal is to stack hazards while preventing the opponent from doing so, causing chip damage to the opposing team and cleaning with the appropriate remaining mon.
Onto the team:
MC Hammer (Shedinja) @ Focus Sash
Ability: Wonder Guard
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Will-O-Wisp
- Protect
- Baton Pass
- Shadow Claw
Shedinja, the Poke this team was based around. Whenever it gets a free turn, it can either cripple something with WoW or straight BP out on the opponent's switch to keep up the momentum. BP also prevents it from being hit by a slow Pursuit. Protect is used to rack Burndmg and scout moves. Shadow Claw coming from Base 90 Atk isnt too bad either but should be used very cautiously if things like Vileplume, Ferroseed and Dragalge are alive, as making contact might seal Shedinjas doom. Max Atk Adamant is self explanatory, max speed helps scouting with BP on things like Vileplume that might have HP Fire, to keep up momentum and not destroying it with a untimely Protect, and to outspeed the uninvested 70 speed tier.
Shedinja's ability allows it to wall some of the tiers most dangerous threats, eg. Feraligatr, Kangaskhan, Ludicolo, and a plethora of setupmons that lack SE coverage like CM Mesprit, Musharna, Uxie, all of which can ruin a regular stall team's day. It can spinblock against offensive Cryogonal, play mindgames with a status'd or Choice locked foe, and prevent both U-turn and Volt-switch.
The fun ends right there, as everything else is out there to kill the poor bug. Hazards and status just annihilate it, and its typing leaves it with many exploitable weaknesses.
Unpleasant Burd (Xatu) (M) @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Magic Bounce
EVs: 248 HP / 80 Def / 172 SpD / 8 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Reflect
- Roost
- Toxic
- Psychic
With Shedinja's most exploitable weakness being its vulnerability to hazards, Xatu was an obvious choice. Most of the time it can manage to keep hazards from your side of the field just long enough to secure the victory. The EV spread allows Xatu to never be KOd by a combination of pursuit/foul play + shadow sneak coming from standard Spiritomb, while being able to roost off the damage and whittling away at Tomb's health via Rocky Helmet. If Tomb came in on Xatu and got Toxicd, chances are it has already lost a good portion of its health, meaning its ability to prevent a spin later on is significantly lower. This relieves a lot of pressure from Xatu, as it might not be forced to always switch in on something that lays hazards.
Rocky Helmet is a nice tool which helps wonders to wear down the opposing hazard setters, effectively punishing things like ferroseed for trying to cause some chip damage on the switch in.
Reflect allows Xatu to come in Turn 1 against a myriad of SR users and force them out, in case they are not able to 2hko Xatu through the reflect. Toxic helps slowly killing these SR leads while being able to roost off any damage.
The investment in SpDef lets Xatu act as a special wall too, being able to handle Vileplume, Dragalge, Lilligant and Scarf Pyroar decently well, just to name a few.
The Climb (Cryogonal) @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 200 HP / 176 Def / 132 SpA
Modest Nature
- Rapid Spin
- Recover
- Frost Breath
- Hidden Power [Fighting]
As Xatu can not always prevent hazards, a spinner was needed. Cryogonal was chosen bc it could handle most Ghost-Types in the tier, featuring the ability to beat Crotomb 1o1. HP Fighting is a must, as it can deal good damage against Probopass, to which Xatu can't do anything. HP Fighting could be replaced with HP Ground, for the sake of hitting Fire Types instead of Pawniard.
As I had no place for Haze on this set, Frost Breath was chosen over Freeze-Dry to (most of the time) 3HKO Spiritombs without SpDef investment. Bc Frost Breath always crits, defensive boosts do not matter, so this Cryo also has an easier time taking on CM Slurpuff / Xatu or Lilligant.
Ferroseed @ Eviolite
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Def
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Stealth Rock
- Spikes
- Leech Seed
- Gyro Ball
With the previous 3 Pokemon being weak to Rock, and me not having a hazard setter of my own, Ferroseed fits this team perfectly. Against defensive teams, it gets many free switch ins and can punish the opponent's attempt to heal up his team by laying Rocks and Spikes and revocering health with Leech Seed. Especially Leech Seed in combination with the defensive nature of this team that can switch into a lot of stuff forces many switches, which puts the opponent under a lot of pressure to break through before going down. EV spread is very simple, haven't experimented with that too much.
Having Shedinja as a backup against Feraligatr often allows Ferroseed to do its job more recklessly, as it is not needed to check it if you are sure you can keep hazards at bay. Not sure what to else to say, cause standard Seed is standard.
Spiritomb @ Leftovers
Ability: Infiltrator
EVs: 252 HP / 248 Def / 8 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Will-O-Wisp
- Foul Play
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
Despite having one immunity and a x4 ressist to fighting, i needed a safe switch in for the karate chopping type of Pokemanz (screw you knock off) and a reliable spinblocker on top of that. Spiritomb can switch into most of them with ease and threaten a burn. Guts Gurdurr can beat this if it bulk ups enough, but will get worn down in the process.
Apart from checking the NU Fighting types, this Tomb handles so many physical attackers in the tier it's ridicoulus. The opponent can't sub to evade the burn, nor can he safely set up due to foul play hitting like a truck. This Spiritomb has a high survivability (unlike most users of Rapid spin) and loves to trade status at an early time in the game when rest talk has not been revealed.
Barbara (Barbaracle) (F) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Tough Claws
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Razor Shell
- Stone Edge
- Cross Chop
- Night Slash / Aerial Ace / Switcheroo / Grass Knot
OK, this one is a little awkward to explain. The rest of the team is extremely weak to powerful fire attacks, so I desperately needed a good switch in for those. With its x4 ressist, Barbara can repeatedly switch into fire moves and threaten the kill. With Adamant scarf, it outspeeds base 110s, meaning it will be faster than say Pyroar and Archeops.
How I play with Barbara depends a lot on the opposing team. When I see a Magmortar / Typhlosion / Pyroar and a Poke that can handle Barbara even at +2, chances are the opponent is just straight up gonna lead with the respective threat. If he does, and I lead with Scarfbara too, he might be tempted to just attack and kill it before it does anything (with HP grass / Focus miss / Tbolt). If he didn't read the RMT, he would probably not suspect Barbara holding the scarf, and if he isnt holding one himself, he's dead now. (The opponent expecting Barb to maybe carry Grass knot for Seismitoad also helps with baiting them to stay in.) Barbara can survive a Timid Scarf HP grass from Pyroar with about a 50% chance either way, so thats nice too.
Barbara can also switch into Magmortar (which demolishes the team), which has no reason to Tbolt straight away as it usually outspeeds Barbaracle and could kill a regular one the next turn with Tbolt.
Scarfbara helps against lead Archeops too. This Archeops is usually found on offensive teams who can not allow it to get a free Shell Smash up, so often enough they Taunt Turn 1 just to be outsped and KOd the following turn.
You get the twist: Barbara is the team's revenge / surprise killer, eliminating threats by threatening a set up.
A plus for Scarfbara is also that many Pokemon that can take it on can be used as set up fodder for Ferroseed or are no threat to this team whatsoever (say regular Vileplume or Toad).
Barbara also threatens most users of Defog and makes a decent Scarfer apart from baiting certain Pokemon to stay in.
I really wanted to include a threat list and go a little more in depth about each pokemon and their synergy, but I'm running out of time and I#m sure you raters are good enough to not need this :D.
Finally I wanted to say I really enjoyed the time playing with you guys, I'll be back in half a year (to kick ass with offensive Mega Audino:))
Importable on: http://pastebin.com/gmhgsSWF
