Beau geste/ˌbō ˈZHest/
Noun: A noble and generous act.
Introduction
Hey, I'm Crackstar, and I'm here with a Little Cup RMT for your viewing pleasure here on Smogon. Most of you dont know me; I've only been on Smogon for a couple months after lurking for a while, and can't get involved in the major things I want to because of school stuff, wrestling, lacrosse, or whatever. I think I'm an above-average battler, not amazing, but probably better than most people on the ladder. I tend to do better the higher on the ladder I go because I can predict effectively based on the moves of a player who actually knows what he's doing as opposed to spamming random coverage moves. I recently got back into Lc after playing Ou for a while, and it's really fun. It's unlike any other tier: the common moves, items, and strategies are all different from say an Ou or Uu. At first I laddered with a bog-standard Sand team- Hippo/Drilbur/Tirtouga/Missy/Scraggy/Doduo, and had great success, as I expected. It isn't hard to use offense on the ladder and wreck 80% of the teams you play if you're semi-competent. After this, I decided to build a team that's effective while being creative and above all fun to play. I messed around with a bunch of stuff before getting an idea: Clamperl in Trick Room. Its fearsome presence in Trick Room was the thing that got in banned back in Gen 4, as it could run through offensive teams (which they all were in Gen 4) with ease. From this sprouted Beau Geste. I named the team that as I felt a creative team that actually works was a nice gesture to give to Lc players and myself.
As I said in the intro, I began with Clamp. With a Deepseatooth, Clamperl's Special Attack shoots to sky-high levels capable of running through teams. The only problem was a lack of Speed. To fix this, I thought of Trick Room. But what can set up Tr in Little Cup? I opened up the Trick Room attackdex and found my first option:
Duskull. He's slow, which is a boon for a Tr setter. He also has very nice bulk with Evolite, allowing him to switch in multiple times over the course of a battle. As a bonus, he had many support options for the team, like Will-O-Wisp.
Next came Pory, who has nice synergy with Dusk, uses Tr, has great bulk and some pretty nice attacking stats as well. Pory may be the glue of my team, checking a variety of threats well and dishing out damage with Tri-attack. With these three Mons picked out, I began to thing i needed something to sponge strong special attacks from things like other Clamperl. Enter:
There's a Foongus Amoongus! Haha, Foongus provided a sponge to Water and Electric attacks much needed by my team. He could also put people to sleep with Spore, and was helped by the fact that he's slow so he could get the jump on things when Tr is active. I opted for another Tr setter after him, as well as something that could serve as a check to many things common in the Lc meta:
Bronzor gives me Sr, Trick Room, and a hell of a bulky pivot all in one. He helps to check double rush, Fighting Types, Priority, and many, many more threats in Lc. Awesome member.
As I was looking around for a last member, one caught my eye: Cranidos. It has a 125 base attack stat, which is absurd for a Lc poke. It's equal to Landorus-I's attack stat, and that's a top-tier Ou. The only things that hold It back in Lc are its speed (fixed by Trick room) and typing (doesn't have to take hits when it moves first). Adding him worked very well for my team.
So I took this team and playtested it, and noticed a few flaws. Foongus sort of sucked. It could take attacks well, but really didn't have much of an offensive presence at all. This was a problem, but even worse was the fact I often had no way to get from my Tr setters to my Tr abusers without them dying. I thought for a while and decided to change Foongus for Croagunk and slapped Hypnosis on Bronzor. This worked twofold: losing one sleep move allowed Bronzor the freedom to sleep things, which then allowed for double switches to my Tr sweepers, and Croagunk actually can dent things with Prio and good coverage, unlike Foongus.
This was the new team. It worked well and I was happy with it, but I made one last change to increase my offensive talents: I slapped on Missy in place of Duskull.
Misdreavus
Clamperl
Porygon
Croagunk
Cranidos
Bronzor
Noun: A noble and generous act.
Introduction
Hey, I'm Crackstar, and I'm here with a Little Cup RMT for your viewing pleasure here on Smogon. Most of you dont know me; I've only been on Smogon for a couple months after lurking for a while, and can't get involved in the major things I want to because of school stuff, wrestling, lacrosse, or whatever. I think I'm an above-average battler, not amazing, but probably better than most people on the ladder. I tend to do better the higher on the ladder I go because I can predict effectively based on the moves of a player who actually knows what he's doing as opposed to spamming random coverage moves. I recently got back into Lc after playing Ou for a while, and it's really fun. It's unlike any other tier: the common moves, items, and strategies are all different from say an Ou or Uu. At first I laddered with a bog-standard Sand team- Hippo/Drilbur/Tirtouga/Missy/Scraggy/Doduo, and had great success, as I expected. It isn't hard to use offense on the ladder and wreck 80% of the teams you play if you're semi-competent. After this, I decided to build a team that's effective while being creative and above all fun to play. I messed around with a bunch of stuff before getting an idea: Clamperl in Trick Room. Its fearsome presence in Trick Room was the thing that got in banned back in Gen 4, as it could run through offensive teams (which they all were in Gen 4) with ease. From this sprouted Beau Geste. I named the team that as I felt a creative team that actually works was a nice gesture to give to Lc players and myself.
Team Building
As I said in the intro, I began with Clamp. With a Deepseatooth, Clamperl's Special Attack shoots to sky-high levels capable of running through teams. The only problem was a lack of Speed. To fix this, I thought of Trick Room. But what can set up Tr in Little Cup? I opened up the Trick Room attackdex and found my first option:
Duskull. He's slow, which is a boon for a Tr setter. He also has very nice bulk with Evolite, allowing him to switch in multiple times over the course of a battle. As a bonus, he had many support options for the team, like Will-O-Wisp.
Next came Pory, who has nice synergy with Dusk, uses Tr, has great bulk and some pretty nice attacking stats as well. Pory may be the glue of my team, checking a variety of threats well and dishing out damage with Tri-attack. With these three Mons picked out, I began to thing i needed something to sponge strong special attacks from things like other Clamperl. Enter:
There's a Foongus Amoongus! Haha, Foongus provided a sponge to Water and Electric attacks much needed by my team. He could also put people to sleep with Spore, and was helped by the fact that he's slow so he could get the jump on things when Tr is active. I opted for another Tr setter after him, as well as something that could serve as a check to many things common in the Lc meta:
Bronzor gives me Sr, Trick Room, and a hell of a bulky pivot all in one. He helps to check double rush, Fighting Types, Priority, and many, many more threats in Lc. Awesome member.
As I was looking around for a last member, one caught my eye: Cranidos. It has a 125 base attack stat, which is absurd for a Lc poke. It's equal to Landorus-I's attack stat, and that's a top-tier Ou. The only things that hold It back in Lc are its speed (fixed by Trick room) and typing (doesn't have to take hits when it moves first). Adding him worked very well for my team.
So I took this team and playtested it, and noticed a few flaws. Foongus sort of sucked. It could take attacks well, but really didn't have much of an offensive presence at all. This was a problem, but even worse was the fact I often had no way to get from my Tr setters to my Tr abusers without them dying. I thought for a while and decided to change Foongus for Croagunk and slapped Hypnosis on Bronzor. This worked twofold: losing one sleep move allowed Bronzor the freedom to sleep things, which then allowed for double switches to my Tr sweepers, and Croagunk actually can dent things with Prio and good coverage, unlike Foongus.
This was the new team. It worked well and I was happy with it, but I made one last change to increase my offensive talents: I slapped on Missy in place of Duskull.
At a Glance
Misdreavus
- Item: Evolite
- Trait: Levitate
- Evs: 196 Hp / 152 Def / 80 Spa / 80 SpD (0 Spe IVs)
- Nature: Sassy
- Moves:
-Trick Room
-Will-O-Wisp
-Shadow Ball
-Destiny Bond
- Comments: This isn't your standard Missy set, is it? Missy has been a stalwart of many little cup teams for a long time, usually using a Nasty Plot or speedy defensive set. Some call it broken in Lc, and they may have a point. It can do nearly everything, including, in this case, set up Tr. It may seem like a stupid idea to have a pokemon as fast as Missy set up Trick room, which rewards being slower, but many things run speed in Lc, letting a slow Ev'ed Missy move before them in Tr. On to the set: Evolite is to allow for Missy to have as much bulk as posible, as she checks a lot of the meta for this team. Trick room is the crux of this team, and Missy sets it well. Shadow ball is for STAB, which is nice. Will-O-Wisp cripples physical attackers like Mienfoo, who is uber-common is this meta, and Drilbur, a recent suspect. Destiny Bond is clutch: Oftentimes, Missy will take a strong attack while setting up TR, then use a now-fast DBond to take out an attacker and free up the field for something else to sweep.
- Evs and Nature: Most bulky Missy's have speed; this doesn't make sense for my team. I took the standard bulky Missy spread and dumped most of the speed in Hp, with some other places. The Sassy natures slows her down while boosting SpD, helpful in tanking hits and outspeeding things in Tr. This set just aims to have a really bulky setter of TR that can still deal OK damage.
Clamperl
- Item: DeepSeaTooth
- Trait: Shell Armor
- Evs: 248 SpA / 80 SpD / 180 Spe
- Nature: Modest
- Moves:
-Surf
-Hidden Power (Grass)
-Ice Beam
-Shell Smash
- Comments: This thing is a tiny terror, packing an absurd 36 Special Attack with DeepSeaTooth and excellent coverage. Most Clamperl sets aim to use Shell Smash and sweep at +2/+2, and this does work. However, I would often have problems with setting up a Smash in the first place; Clamp has terrible defenses compared to some of the Evolite-Boosted tanks in the meta. Also, due to Clamperl's slow speed, it was often revenged by scarfers, even at +2. To remedy this, I built this team around Trick Room. Surf is strong STAB and doesn't miss. Hp Grass gives Clamperl coverage on bulky water types, which is well needed. Ice beam hits Grasses and Dragons, rounding out the coverage. Shell Smash looks out of place, but I often use it outside of Trick Room for easy sweeps, besides, what's a better move in that spot? Lastly, DeepSeaTooth boosts SpA, pretty standard.
- Evs and Nature: I run enough Speed to hit 12, which is useful, as most offensive pokemon are above that, and it's still faster than many stall mons in battles where I can't Trick Room. 248 Special Attack Modest is so Clamp hits as hard as possible, and 80 SpD is just filler, I guess the point is helpful in some cases.
Porygon
- Item: Evolite
- Trait: Trace
- Evs: 236 Hp/ 196 Def / 76 SpA
- Nature: Bold
- Moves:
-Trick Room
-Tri-Attack
-Shadow Ball
-Recover
- Comments: Porygon is a great pokemon in this meta. It's utilities are many: it can check threats, deal damage, and set up TR. It is one of the best Murkrow checks, especially this set, which is the on-site spread and moves with Trick Room over Thunder Wave. Evolite is to improve bulk, no surprise. Trick Room is kinda the point of the team, so it's on there. Tri-Attack is STAB, with a nice hax chance. Shadow Ball is for coverage on things like Missy. Recover is for recovery (not too hard to get).
- Evs and Nature: This is the spread on-site that's designed to beat Krow; I saw no reason to change what seems to work. Hp, Def, and SpA are the things this Pory needs to succeed, and those are what it's Ev'd for.
Croagunk
- Item: Evolite
- Trait: Dry Skin
- Evs: 212 Hp / 28 Def / 36 Def/ 108 Spa / 116 SpD
- Nature: Quiet
- Moves:
-Fake Out
-Drain Punch
-Shadow Ball
-Vacuum Wave
- Comments: I added Croagunk over Foongus and never looked back. Croagunk is a legit check to many things that run around in Lc, from fighting types to Shell Smashers and more. It has good bulk and an even better typing, resisting a lot of common attacking types in the meta. Evolite adds bulk to Croagunk, letting it wall all of the things it does. Fake Out is free damage on a lot of things, and it puts a surprisingly large dent in some sweepers. Drain Punch is for some recovery and also gives STAB, allowing Croagunk to live longer. Shadow Ball is for some coverage on Ghosts that want to switch in on a Fake Out or Drain Punch, like Missy. Vacuum Wave is for Prio when Croagunk is outsped by a sweeper. Croagunk is an invaluable member of my team, one who I can't battle without.
- Evs and Nature: The spread is based on maximizing the many talents of Croagunk. 212 Hp is to improve mixed defenses. 28 Attack powers up Drain Punch and Fake Out. 36 Defense allows Gunk to check fighting types better. 108 Spa and a Quiet nature is to power up Shadow Ball and Vacuum Wave, two of the set's main moves. Lastly 116 SpD lets him take Special hits better.
Cranidos
- Item: Evolite
- Trait: Mold Breaker
- Evs: 236 Atk / 76 Def / 196 SpD
- Nature: Adamant
- Moves:
-Stone Edge
-Earthquake
-Fire Punch
-Zen Headbutt
- Comments: Cranidos! He hasn't been used much, but damn is he effective. His attack stat is monstrous, reaching 24 at its max, which this is. This lets him blast through teams, with his good coverage allowing him to get past many would-be checks with ease. His Evolite gives him more bulk, letting him switch in on occasion. Stone Edge is strong STAB. Earthquake + Mold Breaker allows him to hit Bronzor, who otherwise would cause Cranidos problems. Fire Punch is added coverage on Steels like Ferroseed. Zen Headbutt lets him hit Fighting types who would otherwise resist his Rock STAB.
- Evs and Nature: These are simple: Adamant and max Attack for power, and the rest just spread in the defenses.
Bronzor
- Item: Evolite
- Trait: Levitate
- Evs: 220 Hp / 4 Atk / 68 Def / 148 SpD (0 Spe IVs)
- Nature: Careful
- Moves:
-Trick Room
-Stealth Rock
-Hypnosis
-Earthquake
- Comments: Bronzor has long been are much-used part of Lc. He has many uses, not the least of which being a check to Double Rush, a dangerous playstyle. His bulk is legendary: I dont think he gets OHKO'd by nearly anything common in the tier. This is very, very useful in a TR setter, which he is on my team. He also provides Stealth Rock, which is great. Again, Evolite is for bulk. He's my thrid and final Trick Room setter, so Tr is on there. every team needs Stealth Rock. Hypnosis is there to put something to sleep, gaining a free switch-in to one of my sweeper. Lastly, Earthquake is to avoid getting trapped and deal some damage to things.
- Evs and Nature: Bulk is maxed out here. Full Hp, some Defense, and a lot of SpD with a positive nature allows Bronzor to tank hits. The attack Ev's are to put a little extra dent in whatever.
Importable
Misdreavus @ Eviolite
Trait: Levitate
Level: 5
EVs: 196 HP / 152 Def / 80 SAtk / 80 SDef
Sassy Nature
IVs: 0 Spd
- Trick Room
- Will-O-Wisp
- Destiny Bond
- Shadow Ball
Clamperl @ DeepSeaTooth
Trait: Shell Armor
Level: 5
EVs: 180 Spd / 248 SAtk / 80 SDef
Modest Nature
- Surf
- Ice Beam
- Hidden Power [Grass]
- Shell Smash
Porygon @ Eviolite
Trait: Trace
Level: 5
EVs: 236 HP / 196 Def / 76 SAtk
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Spd
- Tri Attack
- Recover
- Shadow Ball
- Trick Room
Croagunk @ Eviolite
Trait: Anticipation
Level: 5
EVs: 212 HP / 36 Def / 108 SAtk / 116 SDef / 28 Atk
Quiet Nature
IVs: 30 HP / 30 Atk / 30 Def / 30 SAtk / 30 SDef
- Fake Out
- Drain Punch
- Vacuum Wave
- Shadow Ball
Cranidos @ Eviolite
Trait: Mold Breaker
Level: 5
EVs: 236 Atk / 196 SDef / 76 Def
Adamant Nature
- Stone Edge
- Zen Headbutt
- Fire Punch
- Earthquake
Bronzor @ Eviolite
Trait: Levitate
Level: 5
EVs: 220 HP / 4 Atk / 68 Def / 148 SDef
Careful Nature
IVs: 0 Spd
- Trick Room
- Stealth Rock
- Hypnosis
- Earthquake
Trait: Levitate
Level: 5
EVs: 196 HP / 152 Def / 80 SAtk / 80 SDef
Sassy Nature
IVs: 0 Spd
- Trick Room
- Will-O-Wisp
- Destiny Bond
- Shadow Ball
Clamperl @ DeepSeaTooth
Trait: Shell Armor
Level: 5
EVs: 180 Spd / 248 SAtk / 80 SDef
Modest Nature
- Surf
- Ice Beam
- Hidden Power [Grass]
- Shell Smash
Porygon @ Eviolite
Trait: Trace
Level: 5
EVs: 236 HP / 196 Def / 76 SAtk
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Spd
- Tri Attack
- Recover
- Shadow Ball
- Trick Room
Croagunk @ Eviolite
Trait: Anticipation
Level: 5
EVs: 212 HP / 36 Def / 108 SAtk / 116 SDef / 28 Atk
Quiet Nature
IVs: 30 HP / 30 Atk / 30 Def / 30 SAtk / 30 SDef
- Fake Out
- Drain Punch
- Vacuum Wave
- Shadow Ball
Cranidos @ Eviolite
Trait: Mold Breaker
Level: 5
EVs: 236 Atk / 196 SDef / 76 Def
Adamant Nature
- Stone Edge
- Zen Headbutt
- Fire Punch
- Earthquake
Bronzor @ Eviolite
Trait: Levitate
Level: 5
EVs: 220 HP / 4 Atk / 68 Def / 148 SDef
Careful Nature
IVs: 0 Spd
- Trick Room
- Stealth Rock
- Hypnosis
- Earthquake
Conclusion
I like this team, and I think it works well, but i want your help in editing it. Trick Room is an undervalued and underestimated playstyle that can do some major damage in Lc. I took the format for the RMT from a PO RMT of kokoloko's. Feelm free to use the team and leave comments. Thanks for reading.