I've got a new streak, using the interesting Landorus-I and Tapu Koko, with Aegislash and Mega Gyarados in the back?
I was originally gonna wait until 300 because Smucks (my nickname for Smuckem) said that 300 should be my new goal before posting anything, but I decided, ehh why not. I'm just gonna post the team and streak right now.
Alrighty, let's break down this hyper offensive team that somehow hit 276 battles.
OVERVIEW:
Landorus is in the front with its Sheer Force of power. But now in comes a very unpopular opinion. I like using Landorus-I MUCH more than Landorus-T. Sure, he might not have the great ability of Intimidate, but Sheer Force still does work. It's got great power alongside its Life Orb and Sheer Force-boosted Attacks such as, most notably, Earth Power. But it's hurt by quite a bit of stuff. It can't even take neutral damage all that well because of its absolute frailty. Its Speed tier, while amazing is still outsped by Garchomp, Mega Manectric and Mega Salamence, however, all of these threats have to be careful about switching in.
LandMaster (Landorus) @ Life Orb
Ability: Sheer Force
Level: 50
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 30 Def
- Earth Power
- Sludge Bomb
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Protect
SET DETAILS:
Landorus' Earth Power is the best move for him to spam because of the Life Orb + Sheer Force-boosted modifier. It hits a TON of Pokemon for a TON of damage. Excadrill, Tyranitar, and Mega Metagross to name a few. Sludge Bomb is its best way to touch Grass- and Fairy-types, such as Whimsicott, Florges, and Lilligant. Hidden Power Ice is the only way for my lead Pokemon (Landorus and Tapu Koko) to OHKO most Dragons, such as non-Multiscale Dragonite, Choice Scarf Garchomp, Flygon, and Mega Salamence. Other Landorus have to be wary of Hidden Power Ice that my Landorus has as well as they do not have access to it. Protect is used to scout moves and let Tapu Koko take out an opponent while Landorus sees what's going on.
HOW I USED IT:
Landorus was used as a lead Pokemon. Tapu Koko and Landorus have a ton of synergy together. It's fantastic that instead of using Earthquake, Landorus uses the, what would've been inferior Earth Power, which takes out Steel-types and Rock-types that Tapu Koko can't do much to (aside from Grass Knot some of those Rock-types) Sludge Bomb's coverage allows Landorus to hit Grass-types that Tapu Koko cannot usually OHKO with Dazzling Gleam. Hidden Power Ice's dominant coverage is a great choice against Dragon-types, Flying-types and most notably, Ground-types that Tapu Koko cannot touch. Landorus' typing itself allows it to avoid Ground-type moves like Earthquake, notably from Garchomp.
OTHER OPTIONS:
This list is quite small, since Landorus is so frail and its moveset is already good already.
However, Landorus can afford to run Psychic over Hidden Power Ice, although not only will you not be able to OHKO most notably Dragons, Earth Power hits it just as hard, unless they avoid it like Crobat or take neutral damage like Mega Venusaur.
Substitute can be ran but Landorus does not have the space in its moveset to run it.
A Yache Berry can be used to eat one Ice-type move but not only would you give up a Life Orb boost, you're itemless once hit by one.
COUNTERS:
Ice-types: Speaking of Ice-types, that was by far its biggest problem. Pokemon like Glaceon, Mega Abomasnow and Regice can use Blizzard or Ice Beam to OHKO Landorus, forcing it to Protect more often. Regice, especially, is a problem due to it being a Specially Defensive tank. Rotom-Frost doesn't help much either.
Water-types: Mega Swampert, though taken care of by Tapu Koko's Grass Knot can become a huge problem for Landorus, setting up a Rain Dance and proceeding to Waterfall on Landorus since it would easily outspeed Landorus. Suicune can also be a problem, however that's a little less of an issue thanks to Tapu Koko taking care of it.
Speed Control: GOD, do I despise Trick Room, it never works for me but works for other people. Tailwind doesn't help much either. Thanks to Landorus being naturally fast, it's not gonna like being outspeed by slower Pokemon.
Mega Alakazam (Alakazam-3): DO NOT stay in on an Alakazam with the possibility of it being Set 3. Tracing Sheer Force might just be the end of your streak. Psychic OHKOes Tapu Koko and Landorus (~37% of the time), dent Aegislash with Shadow Ball and outspeed Mega Gyarados even after a Dragon Dance and OHKO with a Focus Blast.
Mega Tyranitar (Tyranitar-4): Though killed by a barrage of Dazzling Gleams and Earth Powers, Tyranitar can proceed to beat Landorus by using Ice Fang. And unless Intimidated, it will always OHKO Landorus.
OVERVIEW:
Ahh, Tapu Koko. One of my favorite Pokemon in the seventh generation and easily my favorite Island Deity in the game. (Tapu Lele being a close second) It's been super reliable to get most of my streaks. With its fantastic ability in Electric Surge, Thunderbolt and Volt Switch are its best moves to use. Its typing itself is also fantastic and when that's the case, its coverage is amazing. It also has a fantastic Speed stat, which outspeeds some of the Choice Scarf users in the Battle Tree like Rampardos and Braviary. However, not all is good for the Electric Deity here, as it is HEAVILY reliant on Electric Terrain to deal damage with its STAB Electric-type attacks. Its Special Attack is much lower than its physical Attack stat. 95 Special Attack is quite low for it but it works, especially when you run Choice Spectacles to remedy that.
Event [Choice Specs] (Tapu Koko) @ Choice Specs
Ability: Electric Surge
Level: 50
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Thunderbolt
- Volt Switch
- Dazzling Gleam
- Grass Knot
SET DETAILS:
Electric Surge is the reason for Tapu Koko's success. Thunderbolt is used in conjunction with the Electric Terrain to OHKO most threats such as Salamence (albeit 93.8% of the time), Jellicent, Mega Charizard Y, Greninja, Tornadus, and Porygon-Z. Volt Switch allows it to gain momentum by switching out. And honestly, I've said this before, but Volt Switch from a Choice Specs Tapu Koko under Electric Terrain FREAKING HURTS. Dazzling Gleam is its second STAB Option to hit Dragon- and Dark-types more easily such as Hydreigon, Weavile and Kingdra. Grass Knot is its best option against Rock and Ground-types like Rhyperior, Mega Swampert, and Hippowdon.
HOW I USED IT:
Tapu Koko was, alongside Landorus, a lead Pokemon. Tapu Koko's barrage of attacks can overwhelm the opponent, such as how Thunderbolt OHKOes a huge fraction of the Battle Tree Pokemon, such as Moltres, Articuno, Azelf, Tornadus, Thundurus, Mega Gyarados, Slowbro, Slowking, Skarmory (assuming not Sturdy), and Mega Alakazam.
OTHER OPTIONS:
Tapu Koko has a ton of other options. Though they are most of the time inferior to the Choice Specs set, a dedicated player can somehow make it work.
One can afford to run a Life Orb set, which is what I used to do until I realized the potential of Choice Specs.
Grass Knot can be replaced with Hidden Power Ice to hit Dragons more easily, however then you give up the ability to hit Ground-types like Mamoswine.
Taunt can be used to shut down Tailwind or Trick Room users such as Oranguru and Mega Pidgeot.
Assault Vest can be used to live more hits, however you then give up the excellent power that Tapu Koko has.
Electrium Z gives Tapu Koko one big nuke that can OHKO a portion of the Battle Tree, however this is done better by other Pokemon.
COUNTERS:
Electric Resistant Pokemon: Excadrill can outspeed Tapu Koko if under Sand Rush and OHKO with Earthquake. Choice Scarf Garchomp can also outspeed Tapu Koko as well. Tyranitar can set up a Dragon Dance and outspeed using Earthquake to beat Tapu Koko. Mega Tyranitar, though slower still has access to Earthquake, and so much still be wary for that.
Trick Room and Tailwind: Here's another Pokemon who hates Speed Control. Although this time Tapu Koko hates it even more than Landorus does. Slow Pokemon like Hippowdon can OHKO with Earthquake, however, would you really stay in on Trick Room with Tapu Koko?
Mega Gengar (Gengar-4): Mega Gengar becomes a problem especially when Landorus is gone as no one can safely take a hit from it. Tapu Koko can't even switch out unless it switches out RIGHT when Gengar Mega Evolves, and uses Sludge Bomb on Aegislash. However, if Landorus is still on the field, it is dealt with very easily.
Blissey: A specially defensive wall can beat out Tapu Koko and Landorus albeit under very hax measures. Either using Minimize and Mud Bomb, or using Calm Mind with Thunderbolt and Ice Beam. Oh, and both have access to Soft-Boiled. Of course they do.
OVERVIEW:
Aegislash is a fantastic Pokemon to use in Singles and Doubles. Access to great STABs and protection moves in King's Shield and Wide Guard help the team out a lot, considering most of the moves that the Pokemon in this team are weak to, tend to be spread moves such as Blizzard, Rock Slide, and most notably Earthquake and Heat Wave. However, Stance Change is both a blessing and a curse. Blessing? The fact that Aegislash is slow as hell and changes at the last turn and its offensive stats become insane. The curse? Aegislash HAS to rely on King's Shield to change forms. But Aegislash is one of those Pokemon where even after its flaws. It's Uber for a reason.
Deception (Aegislash) @ Leftovers
Ability: Stance Change
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpA
Quiet Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Flash Cannon
- Shadow Ball
- Wide Guard
- King's Shield
SET DETAILS:
Aegislash's STABs in Flash Cannon and Shadow Ball are both the same base power, though I see myself spamming Shadow Ball more often because it hits more types. Flash Cannon hits Rock-types, Ice-types and Fairy-types super hard, such as Regirock, Articuno and Florges. Shadow Ball hits Gengar, Gallade, and Gardevoir. Wide Guard blocks incoming spread moves like Earthquake, Heat Wave and Rock Slide. King's Shield is the reason Aegislash is Ubers in the first place. Leftovers provides it a way to get a tad bit of HP back every turn.
HOW I USED IT:
Aegislash is a fantastic utility Pokemon. Wide Guard is great to block those spread moves and let my other Pokemon either strike moves or set up.
Tapu Koko is assisted by blocking Earthquake, Landorus is assisted by blocking Blizzard or Heat Wave, and Gyarados is assisted by blocking Rock Slide. Also, its bulk in Shield Forme is fantastic. Honestly, I struggled with typing stuff on how I used it other than it being just a simple utility Pokemon.
OTHER OPTIONS:
Aegislash has very little options to use.
Aegislash can afford to run Ghostium Z over Leftovers or if you really want to be that guy, you can use Weakness Policy over it.
Shadow Sneak can also be used alongside the Weakness Policy to get powerful priority off.
Sacred Sword can also be used over Flash Cannon to better face off against Dark-types.
Substitute can be used over one of its moves, however Aegislash does not have the moveslot to use it.
COUNTERS:
Dark-types: Most Dark-types are specially defensive. Drapion, Weavile, and Incineroar can break Aegislash down very easily. However Drapion takes significant damage from Flash Cannon and Weavile is super frail. Unless Aegislash runs Sacred Sword, Incineroar fully beats Aegislash one-on-one. Scrafty is another bulky Pokemon that can easily take on Aegislash. Mega Gyarados and Tyranitar can set up a Dragon Dance and try hitting it with Crunch.
Fire-types: Mega Charizard X is one of the best counters to Aegislash. It can set up Dragon Dance and hit Aegislash with Flare Blitz. Darmanitan with a Choice Scarf is also a problem. Entei with Sacred Fire is one of the biggest problems for Aegislash to beat as Sacred Fire isn't affected by King's Shield. Entei with a Choice Scarf using Eruption, however, can easily be dealt with using Wide Guard.
OVERVIEW:
Ahh.. Mega Gyarados. This is a VERY underrated Pokemon to use in Doubles in my opinion. Expect a lot of love for this one. Remember when you found that red Gyarados in the water in the Lake of Rage? Or any other game you could've possibly found a Shiny Gyarados? It's here to put in work against the Battle Tree. Mega Gyarados is one of the most terrifying Pokemon I've ever used. Low risk for setting up Dragon Dance and high rewards for beating down opponents. A useful ability in Intimidate lowers Attack, which is great, since Gyarados doesn't have the best physical bulk, however, it does have better bulk upon Mega Evolving. The AI can also get fooled by Gyarados Mega Evolving as well, especially with Psychic-type moves directed on Gyarados. However, it has a huge weakness to Electric-type moves especially when Gyarados is not Mega Evolved yet. Before it sets up is when it is at its weakest. So, nevertheless, Mega Gyarados is a fantastic addition to the team and is not something to mess around with.
Rampage [Doubles] (Gyarados-Mega) @ Gyaradosite
Ability: Intimidate
Level: 50
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Crunch
- Waterfall
- Protect
SET DETAILS:
Mega Gyarados is very capable of setting up a Dragon Dance on opponents that it easily walls. In general, it's also used because Gyarados is kind of slow before. Waterfall and Crunch are its chosen STAB moves to use, with Waterfall, while hitting Moltres and Landorus very hard, also has a great chance to flinch opponents, while Crunch hits Mega Metagross, Uxie, Dusknoir, and Jellicent. Protect is used to protect against certain moves aimed at Mega Gyarados, such as Thunderbolt, Close Combat and Moonblast.
HOW I USED IT:
Because Mega Gyarados is one of my favorite Mega Pokemon, I am exceptionally biased for using this Pokemon in the Battle Tree. Gyarados is kept in the back as Intimidate support. Mold Breaker is situational to say the least, it prevents Waterfall from being drawn in by Storm Drain and prevents effectiveness against Dry Skin Pokemon like Toxicroak.
OTHER OPTIONS:
Mega Gyarados has a surprising amount of options.
Though not bad, regular Gyarados can function in this team, however then the Electric weakness becomes more prominent and can be hit by Psychic-type Attacks. Using Flyinium Z alongside Dragon Dance and Bounce can be a huge surprise against Tangrowth and Mega Venusaur, however like said before, it usually isn't recommended to run regular Gyarados.
Earthquake can be ran to hit the Rotom Appliances and Mega Mawile more easily but then this left me hitting Tapu Koko and Aegislash. If I were to run Earthquake on Gyarados, then I would either have to swap into Landorus to not hit a teammate or spam Wide Guard with Aegislash.
Ice Fang can be used to hit the Dragons that threaten the many Pokemon on my team like Goodra and Mega Salamence.
Iron Head gives it a way to hit Fairy-types such as Ribombee, Togekiss, Sylveon, Mega Gardevoir, and Alolan Ninetales. Alolan Ninetales is a key threat to take down due to access to Freeze-Dry. Mimikyu's Disguise, because of Mold Breaker will be negated and then Mega Gyarados can easily OHKO Mimikyu by using Iron Head. Taunt can be used to negate Trick Room, Tailwind, or setup sweepers of their usefulness. Like said before, however, these moves are very niche to use and are only useful in select situations.
COUNTERS:
Electric-types: Zapdos, Thundurus, and Raikou can easily deal with Mega Gyarados with their STAB super-effective Electric-type moves.
Fairy-types: Unless running the niche Iron Head or Earthquake, Florges, Mega Mawile, and Mega Altaria can easily deal with Mega Gyarados with super-effective Fairy-type moves. Protecting against the Fairy-type move might not be bad, but Mega Mawile has a ton of power to go with that and might go for Mega Gyarados' teammate instead of it.
Fighting-types: Fighting-types such as Mega Heracross, Mega Medicham and Hawlucha can either take one hit from Mega Gyarados or outspeed it in general and hit it with a Close Combat or High Jump Kick. Remember, before it sets up is when it is at its weakest, and Protecting against the Fighting-type move (notably High Jump Kick) can dent through it.
Revenge Killer: Mega Alakazam is very hard to deal with using Mega Gyarados, it has to set up TWO Dragon Dances to outspeed and kill Mega Alakazam. Choice Scarf Garchomp can outspeed and use Earthquake to revenge kill Mega Gyarados if weakened. Tsareena can outspeed and use its multiple moves against Mega Gyarados, mainly Trop Kick to lower its Attack stat.
LOSS VIDEO: NS2W - WWWW - WWXW - 6ZHQ
WOW. That was a lot. Gonna go now.
See you guys in the next post.
