Hello everyone! This RMT features the five teams I used in OM World Cup IV, where I got my first undefeated record of 6-0. I put a lot of effort into teambuilding for this World Cup and love all five of these teams, so I couldn't really pick just one to highlight. Also it's my 2000th post so I wanted to do something special.
If you're confused about this metagame, I recommend hopping into the replays hide tag and watching some of those. The best way to learn BH is to participate in it through playing or watching.
TEAMS SO FAR
============================
NUCLEAR FUSION (MEDIUM) - https://pokepast.es/0193cbaa606937cf - overly reliant on special attackers to break and can have difficulty with scales and especially hooh, but structurally solid and good at giving the breakers ample opportunities to come in. also no choiced mons so it's automatically good. spikes etern makes the psea matchup almost bearable and horse can also 2hko a bunch of psea users with lo astral.
UNTITLED ⑨00 - https://pokepast.es/d94f0ae686e97ca9 - there's 1 sweeper, also no fur coat so you can auto lose to bozos who spam physical attacks which is no fun. fortunately i haven't really had any issues breaking through stuff as pert does a great job and kyub can win against stuff like fc no spectral zamac and ph fini. tends to be alright vs hyper offense as they hate rocks and you just have several good mons.
DOUBLE TRIAGE BUFFOONERY - https://pokepast.es/f5e903bbfae5388b - imposter is incredibly helpful here with keeping stuff in check and i need to use it more. team aims to overload opponents by spamming special attackers. opposing hazards can become a problem if they can get thru diancie, also the triage users can be a bit weak so it can be slower than opponents at breaking.
221 SECOND TEAM / PH RAY PH ZAC BALANCE - https://pokepast.es/f10a7753511eabeb - team is generally pretty consistent, only issues are shed shell imposter being too frail to handle some stuff (especially considering regenvest don being not the bulkiest so some issues w xern), ray being generally silly, and zac randomly getting shut down by stuff especially opposing ph like regi.
MG RAY BOUNCE WAK - https://pokepast.es/dcd4a98ff28ab53c - again no fc no imposter so there will always be some issues with opposing offense. this team however is very consistent at breaking thru due to the aggressive hazard setters, so the dragons will usually get opportunities and opps can rarely consistently deny hazards.
NP REGEN RAIKOU - https://pokepast.es/7395a219479ca15d - regenvest etern can randomly decide to suck as a hazard remover (considering the lack of slow pivots) which is really the only grievance i have with this team. it's very fast, raikou/etern/steela all outspeed base 100s and raikou especially is near impossible to wall out. opposing offense is also a bit annoying and golis/gira are a bit awkward.
RAINBOW OFFENSE - https://pokepast.es/a18347c83218fd18 - a very interesting structure built around spamming hard to kill sweepers and hoping one of them breaks through. has issues with opposing hazards on paper but in practice hazard stack teams prefer open games, which this team excels in. i tried to make another version with doom desire steela work (https://pokepast.es/8648993472809b5a) but was ultimately not as successful as the original.
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8balancedhackmons-1452218579
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8balancedhackmons-1481527114
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8balancedhackmons-1481741998-39aeqsndm0r83h2k4wokzpp6yaveoj9pw
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8balancedhackmons-1483196940
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8balancedhackmons-1454797723
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8balancedhackmons-1480498968
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8balancedhackmons-1482043851
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8balancedhackmons-1481735042-grhad7l5xczl0stnz7rigce2c385ki0pw
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8balancedhackmons-1481739380
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8balancedhackmons-1458423272
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8balancedhackmons-1481580152-8h2i214912xit27d927h6bh64g0e7f0pw
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8balancedhackmons-1483186923
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8balancedhackmons-1483191075
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8balancedhackmons-1475375171
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8balancedhackmons-1480495033
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8balancedhackmons-1481075556-rmo2anhfwlqxg8uu1jr5nhe1hyevc7kpw
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8balancedhackmons-1481621125-2d5u2rsli8cuqqh6sb1jzsldbj3o8bfpw
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8balancedhackmons-1482277155-pppvk1xvgto01ka12f92u3scc8gveigpw
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8balancedhackmons-1479106207 (double trap ends turn 130)
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8balancedhackmons-1480502876
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8balancedhackmons-1480517610
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8balancedhackmons-1481490019
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8balancedhackmons-1482083615
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8balancedhackmons-1482092670
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8balancedhackmons-1481568045-oe162cs0wgbednw0lsusxvcljh8koq6pw
the team with the stupidest name!!! i started here with triage lugia, a mon i'd experimented with in gen 7, once
and wanted to try out again, inspired by the rise in popularity of triage steela. lugia was similarly incredibly weak, but had a different set of weaknesses, amazing bulk, and stab future sight at its disposal. to accompany it on its journey, i took psycho shift regi from ompl's lil kiss (pblades/facade over wicked blow/sacred fire because i wanted an actual set) and a very standard 3 fairy moves pixilate xern (also stolen from gen 7).
the building process here was pretty short and straightforward. i added a bunch of good mons that i had experience with and didn't really have much to change. i was going for a structure that was hard to mess up, just to have something i could build off in future games. i think the team was successful in this.
this team looks a lot more solid than it actually is. not to say that it's bad, but winning lines will typically not be very boring, and often you need to play precisely to get through. that said, if you play well you will generally get rewarded.
Ceremonial Blade (Chansey) (F) @ Eviolite
Ability: Imposter
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Anchor Shot
- Spectral Thief
- Aromatherapy
- Roost
i think imposter is on all the most consistent teams. the ability to a) scout and b) 1v1 all the random stuff is just so nice to have around. imposter is overloaded on this team, meaning against more offensive teams it can get stretched thin and worn down extremely quickly, so you need to be a bit careful with it in these matchups. anchor spectral aroma is the standard to imposter-proof xern and lugia if necessary. imposter is also the only xern switchin on the team which is funny
Vermillion (Regigigas) @ Toxic Orb
Ability: Poison Heal
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Facade
- Precipice Blades
- Psycho Shift
psycho shift regi is one of the main breakers of the team; the main idea behind the move is poisoning giratina and other walls like dusclops, null, etc while pblades facade hits everything else. obviously this doesn't work so well against fc zamac ph gira, so keep regi in the back against those. regigigas is also typically key in the offense matchup due to the insane power of +1 facade, so you should usually try to get more in exchange for it than breaking some sash and then dying to a no retreat attack or something. it's not too big a deal on this team due to the 2 priority users + imposter though.
dragon dance is used over shift gear cause it has more pp than sap and the edge cases where it's bad are typically not very relevant.
Blue Wings (Zamazenta-Crowned) @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Primordial Sea
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Spikes
- Flip Turn
- Thunderous Kick
- Recover
psea zamac does 2 things for this team: general zamac wall stuff (you beat vcreate coverage guys and np etern), and setting spikes, especially against bounce hooh. the reason this is important is because bounce hooh is typically paired with a pixilate xern, and the funny thing about this team is it has no pixilate xern switchin, so you need to make ground in other parts of the matchup. it's adamant because strong zamac is super cool, and it's boots because zamac is broken when it doesn't take spikes.
What We Became (Giratina) @ Griseous Orb
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Careful Nature
- Haze
- Entrainment
- Spectral Thief
- Shore Up
mon you use if you want to lame stuff out. gira honestly isn't great here and is a big contributor to this team not being in (imo) my best. i later learned that prank glare-type structures are a lot more solid against aggression. gira can screw around and entrain pixilate xern to avoid boomburst but it won't save you against a lot of setup guys, so the team needs to cover that matchup with the priority users. anyway, what this mon does is counter zamac (important), lame out various ground move guys including pblades regi and cb arrows don, and exist with prank haze.
Rainbow after Rain (Lugia) @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Triage
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Nasty Plot
- Future Sight
- Oblivion Wing
- Lava Plume
triage lugia is the cool mon on the team. 90 special attack means you don't just break everything instantly, but lava plume can burn mons that really don't want to get burned (you beat scales non-topsy zamac for example), while future sight sets up for a combo with either lugia itself or one of the other mons on the team. the reason lugia is used here is because with triage typically you win eventually as long as they can't immediately kill you, and lugia is really good at not immediately dying.
Cybernetic Anima (Xerneas) @ Pixie Plate
Ability: Pixilate
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Rash Nature
- Extreme Speed
- Boomburst
- Rapid Spin
- Strength Sap
3 fairy move pixilate xern is a set i've enjoyed less recently due to issues with sap blockers (hooh, darmz) limiting your entire hazard removal gameplan, but thanks to flip turn zama these problems are less glaring. extreme speed pixie plate is really awesome on xern, other stuff like coverage and metronome/boots can come into fashion but i don't really think you can beat the flexibility of plate espeed. this mon is more efficient at damage-dealing than pretty much every other offensive guy and cleans up games like nothing else.
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8balancedhackmons-1452218579
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8balancedhackmons-1481527114
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8balancedhackmons-1481741998-39aeqsndm0r83h2k4wokzpp6yaveoj9pw
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8balancedhackmons-1483196940
something funny about this rmt was that the title came before the team. i wanted to name something after annihilation (it is a banger) but i'm very particular about my nicknames. putting a cool nickname on a bad mon or team is a disservice to the name and makes it harder to use it again.
after the improvements to this team, i was happy with it. the structure was weird, but it worked. this would be annihilation, and i would bring it knowing i'd given it all i had even if i lost. then it won in 16 turns lol.
Collapsing Sun (Heatran) @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Desolate Land
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Calm Nature
- Lava Plume
- Spectral Thief
- Stealth Rock
- Soft-Boiled
desolate land heatran here is a similar offensive idea to reshiram on all i need. lava plume is annoyingly strong enough to help this mon set rocks against most stuff. heatran is primarily defensive on this team, though: it's one of the main lines of defense against extremely common mons such as xern, palk, and even some eterns and kyubs. basically the goal of this mon is to take some pressure off of lugia, who's both passive and liable to collapse if faced with too many threats at once. having a second steel is nice so you aren't throwing your main wincon in front of random attackers, too.
speaking of which, heatran does imposter-proof gear cause it 4x resists both attacks and has spectral thief. you should be fine in 99% of cases if heatran is above like 25.
Asphyxiation (Lugia) @ Shed Shell
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Milk Drink
- Entrainment
- Glare
- Haze
entrain glare is silly but does protect you from all non dark type threats. typically you want to trade this off for etern, keep it alive for triage kart, glare at stuff that can't kill you, and entrain ph mons that try to take advantage of you. DO NOT USE THIS AS THE PRIMARY POISON HEAL ANSWER. it's way too passive, dies to regigigas, dies to cage xern, lets up spikes, and generally loses if they have any slow pivoting strategy. heatran beats xern, giratina beats regigigas, don't complicate things unless the opponent complicates them for you.
shed shell is nice to have whenever you can fit it cause trapping is rly annoying and you want to avoid dealing with it whenever possible. yes, there is giratina, but that often gets severely weakened or traded off so it's good to have a secondary response.
Retrogenesis (Giratina) @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Fur Coat
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Teleport
- Core Enforcer
- Defog
- Roost
this is the guy you have out early game just to see what they do primarily. it keeps ph regi and zamac in check but isn't really necessary for much else so you can play risky with it a lot of the time. by this i mean don't let it just die on the spot, but you can take status, get into hazard vs defog wars you lose long term, and get your boots knocked if necessary.
gira is kind of the first line of defense before xern regi gear start kicking into gear. xern regi gear is a giant mecha! but giant mechas take some times to charge up; this is what spamming teleport is for. hopefully by the time gira is 1) dead 2) chipped/statused 3) coming in just to click defog 4) on 70 (dont let it get lower) vs ph regi, the mecha will be fully constructed and self-sufficient, able to switch around by itself without needing teleports.
Super Star Shooter (Magearna-Original) @ Pixie Plate
Ability: Triage
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD
Quiet Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 0 Spe
- Nasty Plot
- Doom Desire
- Draining Kiss
- Strength Sap
one of the most fun mons in the game. there are 2 main ways of using it:
1) doom desire then going to regi to play various casino games (dragon tail) against the poor soul who brought any steel-weak mon against you
2) they can't wall me! i win! i get to click every button at random!
do not let gear get chipped early especially if sapping will be hard (look for bounce hooh or generally aggressive structures). more importantly, don't risk it straight up dying to something like specs etern, anchor scales zamac, or various vcreate users: not having it can suuuuuck later on. regi xern is good but you can't rely on it to win on its own. the nature of these pokemon is that they get chipped down over time against any remotely aggressive structure, so you will simply run out of hit points and die.
minimum speed quiet is cause it has no moves that hit at +0, so you just underspeed spectral. the exception is if your ability gets suppressed.
the third (obscure) way to use gear is doom desire then go to xern and 50/50 between attack and qd to boost doom desire. this is mostly silly though and you typically won't be using it.
what does gear do for the team? refer to the first sentence. also it's a wincon i guess.
Bed of Thorns (Regigigas) @ Toxic Orb
Ability: Poison Heal
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Facade
- Precipice Blades
- Dragon Tail
regi provides the crucial ghost resist against spectrier and muscles through opposing xern. dragon tail complements doom desire and also serves to underspeed core enforcer and troll stuff like drum kart. pblades is the best steel coverage because it beats psea and doesn't lose to imposter*. use regi liberally in the offense matchup as a mid-game breaker to ensure gear wins later. vs anything slower it chills in the back and waits to win.
*pblades does do quite a bit to be fair, which is exacerbated by chip on regi and boosts imposter accumulates. luckily you can wall em out with lugia, and gear can spam sap unless imposter is above +1.
Four of a Kind (Xerneas) @ Toxic Orb
Ability: Poison Heal
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Quiver Dance
- Lava Plume
- Thunder Cage
- Moonblast
one common plan with xerneas is trading it off for the fairy resist so gear can win against defensive teams. see the second replay for an example of this. lava plume helps with this plan by burning anchor steels, especially zamac, so they have a rough time actually killing you without committing to entrain and thus losing to gear. the burn chip is also great for forcing recovers and negating leftovers, and when you add thunder cage into the mix it just gets ridiculous.
xern is cool vs offense cause it kills everything, then kills them again at +1. the exceptions are no retreat, xern, regi, and etern. try to have a prior boost before facing these if you do decide to go for them. also vs stall if the trade strat doesn't work, you can try to play slower with xern so it doesn't run out of pp.
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8balancedhackmons-1458423272
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8balancedhackmons-1481580152-8h2i214912xit27d927h6bh64g0e7f0pw
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8balancedhackmons-1483186923
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8balancedhackmons-1483191075
If you're confused about this metagame, I recommend hopping into the replays hide tag and watching some of those. The best way to learn BH is to participate in it through playing or watching.
city — 11/08/2021
TEAMS SO FAR
============================
NUCLEAR FUSION (MEDIUM) - https://pokepast.es/0193cbaa606937cf - overly reliant on special attackers to break and can have difficulty with scales and especially hooh, but structurally solid and good at giving the breakers ample opportunities to come in. also no choiced mons so it's automatically good. spikes etern makes the psea matchup almost bearable and horse can also 2hko a bunch of psea users with lo astral.
UNTITLED ⑨00 - https://pokepast.es/d94f0ae686e97ca9 - there's 1 sweeper, also no fur coat so you can auto lose to bozos who spam physical attacks which is no fun. fortunately i haven't really had any issues breaking through stuff as pert does a great job and kyub can win against stuff like fc no spectral zamac and ph fini. tends to be alright vs hyper offense as they hate rocks and you just have several good mons.
DOUBLE TRIAGE BUFFOONERY - https://pokepast.es/f5e903bbfae5388b - imposter is incredibly helpful here with keeping stuff in check and i need to use it more. team aims to overload opponents by spamming special attackers. opposing hazards can become a problem if they can get thru diancie, also the triage users can be a bit weak so it can be slower than opponents at breaking.
221 SECOND TEAM / PH RAY PH ZAC BALANCE - https://pokepast.es/f10a7753511eabeb - team is generally pretty consistent, only issues are shed shell imposter being too frail to handle some stuff (especially considering regenvest don being not the bulkiest so some issues w xern), ray being generally silly, and zac randomly getting shut down by stuff especially opposing ph like regi.
MG RAY BOUNCE WAK - https://pokepast.es/dcd4a98ff28ab53c - again no fc no imposter so there will always be some issues with opposing offense. this team however is very consistent at breaking thru due to the aggressive hazard setters, so the dragons will usually get opportunities and opps can rarely consistently deny hazards.
NP REGEN RAIKOU - https://pokepast.es/7395a219479ca15d - regenvest etern can randomly decide to suck as a hazard remover (considering the lack of slow pivots) which is really the only grievance i have with this team. it's very fast, raikou/etern/steela all outspeed base 100s and raikou especially is near impossible to wall out. opposing offense is also a bit annoying and golis/gira are a bit awkward.
RAINBOW OFFENSE - https://pokepast.es/a18347c83218fd18 - a very interesting structure built around spamming hard to kill sweepers and hoping one of them breaks through. has issues with opposing hazards on paper but in practice hazard stack teams prefer open games, which this team excels in. i tried to make another version with doom desire steela work (https://pokepast.es/8648993472809b5a) but was ultimately not as successful as the original.
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8balancedhackmons-1452218579
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8balancedhackmons-1481527114
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8balancedhackmons-1481741998-39aeqsndm0r83h2k4wokzpp6yaveoj9pw
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8balancedhackmons-1483196940
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8balancedhackmons-1454797723
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8balancedhackmons-1480498968
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8balancedhackmons-1482043851
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8balancedhackmons-1481735042-grhad7l5xczl0stnz7rigce2c385ki0pw
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8balancedhackmons-1481739380
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8balancedhackmons-1458423272
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8balancedhackmons-1481580152-8h2i214912xit27d927h6bh64g0e7f0pw
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8balancedhackmons-1483186923
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8balancedhackmons-1483191075
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8balancedhackmons-1475375171
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8balancedhackmons-1480495033
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8balancedhackmons-1481075556-rmo2anhfwlqxg8uu1jr5nhe1hyevc7kpw
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8balancedhackmons-1481621125-2d5u2rsli8cuqqh6sb1jzsldbj3o8bfpw
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8balancedhackmons-1482277155-pppvk1xvgto01ka12f92u3scc8gveigpw
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8balancedhackmons-1479106207 (double trap ends turn 130)
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8balancedhackmons-1480502876
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8balancedhackmons-1480517610
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8balancedhackmons-1481490019
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8balancedhackmons-1482083615
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8balancedhackmons-1482092670
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8balancedhackmons-1481568045-oe162cs0wgbednw0lsusxvcljh8koq6pw
the team with the stupidest name!!! i started here with triage lugia, a mon i'd experimented with in gen 7, once
ChazmicSupernova — 06/15/2019
please tell me you at least kill ogre with psystrike
Donald Trump (White Version) — 06/15/2019
im not running that
-
ChazmicSupernova — 06/15/2019
fuck dude
Donald Trump (White Version) — 06/15/2019
it is giga tho
ChazmicSupernova — 06/15/2019
owing giga roost?
or
recovery rather
Donald Trump (White Version) — 06/15/2019
3 atks
lo
ChazmicSupernova — 06/15/2019
this sounds cursed
Donald Trump (White Version) — 06/15/2019
qaefqa newmeta sent out Black March (Gengar-Mega)!
Turn 20
R. Kelly used Oblivion Wing!
(The opposing Black March lost 97% of its health!)
The opposing Black March had its energy drained!
R. Kelly lost some of its HP!
The opposing Black March used Moongeist Beam!
It's super effective!
(R. Kelly lost 90.1% of its health!)
R. Kelly fainted!
ChazmicSupernova — 06/15/2019
LOL
cancel
aCasualMemeLord — 06/15/2019
lool
please tell me you at least kill ogre with psystrike
Donald Trump (White Version) — 06/15/2019
im not running that
-
ChazmicSupernova — 06/15/2019
fuck dude
Donald Trump (White Version) — 06/15/2019
it is giga tho
ChazmicSupernova — 06/15/2019
owing giga roost?
or
recovery rather
Donald Trump (White Version) — 06/15/2019
3 atks
lo
ChazmicSupernova — 06/15/2019
this sounds cursed
Donald Trump (White Version) — 06/15/2019
qaefqa newmeta sent out Black March (Gengar-Mega)!
Turn 20
R. Kelly used Oblivion Wing!
(The opposing Black March lost 97% of its health!)
The opposing Black March had its energy drained!
R. Kelly lost some of its HP!
The opposing Black March used Moongeist Beam!
It's super effective!
(R. Kelly lost 90.1% of its health!)
R. Kelly fainted!
ChazmicSupernova — 06/15/2019
LOL
cancel
aCasualMemeLord — 06/15/2019
lool
and wanted to try out again, inspired by the rise in popularity of triage steela. lugia was similarly incredibly weak, but had a different set of weaknesses, amazing bulk, and stab future sight at its disposal. to accompany it on its journey, i took psycho shift regi from ompl's lil kiss (pblades/facade over wicked blow/sacred fire because i wanted an actual set) and a very standard 3 fairy moves pixilate xern (also stolen from gen 7).
the building process here was pretty short and straightforward. i added a bunch of good mons that i had experience with and didn't really have much to change. i was going for a structure that was hard to mess up, just to have something i could build off in future games. i think the team was successful in this.
this team looks a lot more solid than it actually is. not to say that it's bad, but winning lines will typically not be very boring, and often you need to play precisely to get through. that said, if you play well you will generally get rewarded.
Ceremonial Blade (Chansey) (F) @ Eviolite
Ability: Imposter
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Anchor Shot
- Spectral Thief
- Aromatherapy
- Roost
i think imposter is on all the most consistent teams. the ability to a) scout and b) 1v1 all the random stuff is just so nice to have around. imposter is overloaded on this team, meaning against more offensive teams it can get stretched thin and worn down extremely quickly, so you need to be a bit careful with it in these matchups. anchor spectral aroma is the standard to imposter-proof xern and lugia if necessary. imposter is also the only xern switchin on the team which is funny
Vermillion (Regigigas) @ Toxic Orb
Ability: Poison Heal
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Facade
- Precipice Blades
- Psycho Shift
psycho shift regi is one of the main breakers of the team; the main idea behind the move is poisoning giratina and other walls like dusclops, null, etc while pblades facade hits everything else. obviously this doesn't work so well against fc zamac ph gira, so keep regi in the back against those. regigigas is also typically key in the offense matchup due to the insane power of +1 facade, so you should usually try to get more in exchange for it than breaking some sash and then dying to a no retreat attack or something. it's not too big a deal on this team due to the 2 priority users + imposter though.
dragon dance is used over shift gear cause it has more pp than sap and the edge cases where it's bad are typically not very relevant.
Blue Wings (Zamazenta-Crowned) @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Primordial Sea
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Spikes
- Flip Turn
- Thunderous Kick
- Recover
psea zamac does 2 things for this team: general zamac wall stuff (you beat vcreate coverage guys and np etern), and setting spikes, especially against bounce hooh. the reason this is important is because bounce hooh is typically paired with a pixilate xern, and the funny thing about this team is it has no pixilate xern switchin, so you need to make ground in other parts of the matchup. it's adamant because strong zamac is super cool, and it's boots because zamac is broken when it doesn't take spikes.
What We Became (Giratina) @ Griseous Orb
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Careful Nature
- Haze
- Entrainment
- Spectral Thief
- Shore Up
mon you use if you want to lame stuff out. gira honestly isn't great here and is a big contributor to this team not being in (imo) my best. i later learned that prank glare-type structures are a lot more solid against aggression. gira can screw around and entrain pixilate xern to avoid boomburst but it won't save you against a lot of setup guys, so the team needs to cover that matchup with the priority users. anyway, what this mon does is counter zamac (important), lame out various ground move guys including pblades regi and cb arrows don, and exist with prank haze.
Rainbow after Rain (Lugia) @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Triage
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Nasty Plot
- Future Sight
- Oblivion Wing
- Lava Plume
triage lugia is the cool mon on the team. 90 special attack means you don't just break everything instantly, but lava plume can burn mons that really don't want to get burned (you beat scales non-topsy zamac for example), while future sight sets up for a combo with either lugia itself or one of the other mons on the team. the reason lugia is used here is because with triage typically you win eventually as long as they can't immediately kill you, and lugia is really good at not immediately dying.
Cybernetic Anima (Xerneas) @ Pixie Plate
Ability: Pixilate
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Rash Nature
- Extreme Speed
- Boomburst
- Rapid Spin
- Strength Sap
3 fairy move pixilate xern is a set i've enjoyed less recently due to issues with sap blockers (hooh, darmz) limiting your entire hazard removal gameplan, but thanks to flip turn zama these problems are less glaring. extreme speed pixie plate is really awesome on xern, other stuff like coverage and metronome/boots can come into fashion but i don't really think you can beat the flexibility of plate espeed. this mon is more efficient at damage-dealing than pretty much every other offensive guy and cleans up games like nothing else.
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8balancedhackmons-1452218579
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8balancedhackmons-1481527114
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8balancedhackmons-1481741998-39aeqsndm0r83h2k4wokzpp6yaveoj9pw
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8balancedhackmons-1483196940
going into the game against tttech the 1 thing i remembered was facing him on ladder once with glare + hex lunala being my primary progress maker, then getting walled out by regen heal bell and eventually losing. i wanted to not let that happen again.
city — 11/13/2021
i might try to make something with ye olde scrappy focus punch zamac
for tttech
sevag — 11/13/2021
will scrapy make enough progress against tttech?
you'll just get parting shotted
city — 11/13/2021
the set is focus punch tkick poison fang so yes i think it cna make progress
sevag — 11/13/2021
mmm
maybe
i'm not set on it tbh
cuz tttech
is also prone to run heal bell
as the above log might suggest, the subpunch zamac i brought against tttech wasn't a new set: i first used it in the previous omwc a year ago, where it helped me create asymmetry without being too unsound. i figured i could make a similar structure with toxic orb imposter work, even though the metagame had changed massively since then.
this, of course, brings me to fc nuzzle hex lunala and qd pixilate xern + soundproof, two things which i innovated at the start of ompl 9. these were mons i understood well and also worked well with the structure: lunala + zamac provided fighting + ghost attacking coverage, while xern and lunala both acted as wincons with speed control to make up for zamac getting owned by offensive mons. the end result was a team with strange functionality and a decidedly "off-meta" flavor, but not something unsound at all.
Loving Heart (Reshiram) @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Soundproof
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Lava Plume
- Core Enforcer
- Soft-Boiled
- Stealth Rock
loving heart is awesome. this mon turned out to be the mvp of my game vs tttech and i consider it one of the better sets in this rmt. the reason it's used over other soundproofers, especially groudon, is for the fire resist (covering for zamac), ice neutrality (not giving kyub opportunities), water neutrality (being fine vs rend xern), and fairy neutrality (never losing to espeed/spin xern). additionally, resh is great at just poking the opponent and slowly making progress with its stabs and rocks. a lot of mons including zamac (psea variants can get cored), all dragons, ph regi, and various steels are really annoyed by this mon, and if you poison an opposing hooh with zamac poison fang vs xern balance then you might as well type gg in the chat.
theres no formal imposter proofer for this mon but like, figure it out. either para mon will work, trick chansey will work. depends on the situation and what possible trick blockers they might have. (etern is the scariest but does lose to fling heal bell)
Xerneas @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Pixilate
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Rapid Spin
- Quiver Dance
- Boomburst
- Strength Sap
qd pixilate xern isn't a new set, but it is one of the less common variants. you exchange the immediate fast espeed for additional power with qd into boomburst. this mon is much easier to use than espeed xern: when they can't counter it, you just set up and then are never forced out. pretty straightforward. boots are pretty helpful here to help you spin against bozos who run stall: xern can get worn down over time in the matchup, but zamac should be doing most of the work anyway.
Snorlax @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpD
Sassy Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Haze
- Wish
- Shore Up
- Nuzzle
this is basically for spectrier and etern cause it has enough spdef to eat boosted hits. some chansey + blissey combination can also be considered. wish is primarily for zamac against extremely passive play, but most of the team enjoys getting wished up so don't get too rigid in your ideas. this mon is extremely passive so try not to go into it too much lest you lose the game. nuzzle over glare is to hit dark types, dazzling, and priority blocking, snorlax should usually be able to eat the hit.
Lunala @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Fur Coat
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Nuzzle
- Hex
- Core Enforcer
- Roost
fc lunala forms the second part of the anti-offense core with xern. together they cover most offensive types, have a ton of bulk, and beat everything besides simple setup 1v1. the 2 mons also function as demons lurking in the background vs balance/stall, basically if your opponent gets careless or has no counter then they can randomly see no counter and instantly win. typically though you'll play slower vs such teams with typical paraspam gameplans such as "paralyze them".
Chansey (F) @ Toxic Orb
Ability: Imposter
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Slack Off
- Switcheroo
- Heal Bell
- Fling
toxic orb imposter is about as silly and awkward as it looks. make no mistake, this mon is incredibly unwieldy and the random poison damage can pose issues at the best of times. the main idea, however, is limiting opposing poison heal users, especially aggressive (cage, spikes) xerns and regigigas. these mons typically aren't hard imposter-proofed; the opponent will typically have some sort of counter to avoid being swept immediately, but toxic orb imposter forces them into extremely passive positions where zamac can usually come in.
the moves are basically to get rid of poison. heal bell can be used without regret as there are no poison heal users on the team. note that flinging your orb does poison the opponent. teleport can be used over switcheroo for a safer set that aims to avoid trapping from anchor steela, etc.
Zamazenta-Crowned @ Leftovers
Ability: Scrappy
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Substitute
- Focus Punch
- Poison Fang
- Thunderous Kick
this set is so awesome. sub focus punch is strong enough to demand the opponent for an answer, and it has 32 pp so you should never run out vs stall. the majority of switchins despise poison fang and tkick. there are 3 counters: defensive etern, ph fini, and fc solg/dusk mane (especially helmet variants). if you run into any of these on a defensive structure, try to secure stealth rock by any means necessary while not giving them opportunities to do anything. also note that fini (and ph xern) are much softer counters then they may appear, and you can certainly wear them down over time.
against offense it's not great although if you can get a sub up you're in business. do it while they have their stupid lead out or something. focus punch on the setup move, you know theyre clicking it.
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8balancedhackmons-1454797723
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8balancedhackmons-1480498968
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8balancedhackmons-1482043851
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8balancedhackmons-1481735042-grhad7l5xczl0stnz7rigce2c385ki0pw
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8balancedhackmons-1481739380
city — 11/13/2021
i might try to make something with ye olde scrappy focus punch zamac
for tttech
sevag — 11/13/2021
will scrapy make enough progress against tttech?
you'll just get parting shotted
city — 11/13/2021
the set is focus punch tkick poison fang so yes i think it cna make progress
sevag — 11/13/2021
mmm
maybe
i'm not set on it tbh
cuz tttech
is also prone to run heal bell
as the above log might suggest, the subpunch zamac i brought against tttech wasn't a new set: i first used it in the previous omwc a year ago, where it helped me create asymmetry without being too unsound. i figured i could make a similar structure with toxic orb imposter work, even though the metagame had changed massively since then.
this, of course, brings me to fc nuzzle hex lunala and qd pixilate xern + soundproof, two things which i innovated at the start of ompl 9. these were mons i understood well and also worked well with the structure: lunala + zamac provided fighting + ghost attacking coverage, while xern and lunala both acted as wincons with speed control to make up for zamac getting owned by offensive mons. the end result was a team with strange functionality and a decidedly "off-meta" flavor, but not something unsound at all.
Loving Heart (Reshiram) @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Soundproof
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Lava Plume
- Core Enforcer
- Soft-Boiled
- Stealth Rock
loving heart is awesome. this mon turned out to be the mvp of my game vs tttech and i consider it one of the better sets in this rmt. the reason it's used over other soundproofers, especially groudon, is for the fire resist (covering for zamac), ice neutrality (not giving kyub opportunities), water neutrality (being fine vs rend xern), and fairy neutrality (never losing to espeed/spin xern). additionally, resh is great at just poking the opponent and slowly making progress with its stabs and rocks. a lot of mons including zamac (psea variants can get cored), all dragons, ph regi, and various steels are really annoyed by this mon, and if you poison an opposing hooh with zamac poison fang vs xern balance then you might as well type gg in the chat.
theres no formal imposter proofer for this mon but like, figure it out. either para mon will work, trick chansey will work. depends on the situation and what possible trick blockers they might have. (etern is the scariest but does lose to fling heal bell)
Xerneas @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Pixilate
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Rapid Spin
- Quiver Dance
- Boomburst
- Strength Sap
qd pixilate xern isn't a new set, but it is one of the less common variants. you exchange the immediate fast espeed for additional power with qd into boomburst. this mon is much easier to use than espeed xern: when they can't counter it, you just set up and then are never forced out. pretty straightforward. boots are pretty helpful here to help you spin against bozos who run stall: xern can get worn down over time in the matchup, but zamac should be doing most of the work anyway.
Snorlax @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpD
Sassy Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Haze
- Wish
- Shore Up
- Nuzzle
this is basically for spectrier and etern cause it has enough spdef to eat boosted hits. some chansey + blissey combination can also be considered. wish is primarily for zamac against extremely passive play, but most of the team enjoys getting wished up so don't get too rigid in your ideas. this mon is extremely passive so try not to go into it too much lest you lose the game. nuzzle over glare is to hit dark types, dazzling, and priority blocking, snorlax should usually be able to eat the hit.
Lunala @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Fur Coat
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Nuzzle
- Hex
- Core Enforcer
- Roost
fc lunala forms the second part of the anti-offense core with xern. together they cover most offensive types, have a ton of bulk, and beat everything besides simple setup 1v1. the 2 mons also function as demons lurking in the background vs balance/stall, basically if your opponent gets careless or has no counter then they can randomly see no counter and instantly win. typically though you'll play slower vs such teams with typical paraspam gameplans such as "paralyze them".
Chansey (F) @ Toxic Orb
Ability: Imposter
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Slack Off
- Switcheroo
- Heal Bell
- Fling
toxic orb imposter is about as silly and awkward as it looks. make no mistake, this mon is incredibly unwieldy and the random poison damage can pose issues at the best of times. the main idea, however, is limiting opposing poison heal users, especially aggressive (cage, spikes) xerns and regigigas. these mons typically aren't hard imposter-proofed; the opponent will typically have some sort of counter to avoid being swept immediately, but toxic orb imposter forces them into extremely passive positions where zamac can usually come in.
the moves are basically to get rid of poison. heal bell can be used without regret as there are no poison heal users on the team. note that flinging your orb does poison the opponent. teleport can be used over switcheroo for a safer set that aims to avoid trapping from anchor steela, etc.
Zamazenta-Crowned @ Leftovers
Ability: Scrappy
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Substitute
- Focus Punch
- Poison Fang
- Thunderous Kick
this set is so awesome. sub focus punch is strong enough to demand the opponent for an answer, and it has 32 pp so you should never run out vs stall. the majority of switchins despise poison fang and tkick. there are 3 counters: defensive etern, ph fini, and fc solg/dusk mane (especially helmet variants). if you run into any of these on a defensive structure, try to secure stealth rock by any means necessary while not giving them opportunities to do anything. also note that fini (and ph xern) are much softer counters then they may appear, and you can certainly wear them down over time.
against offense it's not great although if you can get a sub up you're in business. do it while they have their stupid lead out or something. focus punch on the setup move, you know theyre clicking it.
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8balancedhackmons-1454797723
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8balancedhackmons-1480498968
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8balancedhackmons-1482043851
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8balancedhackmons-1481735042-grhad7l5xczl0stnz7rigce2c385ki0pw
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8balancedhackmons-1481739380
sevag — 11/15/2021
I'm worried
About just building a good team
I think maybe going to more reliable route might be betyer
Since
Assymetry [sic] vs. funky offense can make things a toss up
Like my approach to Ivar would be to build a v symmetric team and go from there
It's how to beat losr imo
But I think also
Ivar tends to not have all that great back bones
city — 11/15/2021
yeah i wanna build something sturdy
sevag — 11/15/2021
So mons like triage stuff or things which slow offense down
city — 11/15/2021
something like
sevag — 11/15/2021
Are rlly good as well
I better not hear
"pig"
city — 11/15/2021
doom desire steela/ph xern/desolate land entei
was what i was thinking
sevag — 11/15/2021
Deso tran
Feels rlly good ngl
this is the first team i came up with. as you can see, all the pokemon on this team do the same exact thing: stab, recover, hazard set or remove, maybe set up. sevag hated it, so i wanted to come up with something better.
city — 11/16/2021
yeah and palk cant exploit me
vs actual rain i have psea i think
sevag — 11/16/2021
Lol
No one uses rain it's adapt
city — 11/16/2021
no one uses rain?
ivar does
sevag — 11/16/2021
But ye p shot makes sense, helps a lot with switches
That was
2 years ago
He hasn't built rain since
Unless he's trying to c-team u
city — 11/16/2021
its still his smog avatar
checkmate
1-0 city vs rest of team
from the earlier doom desire steela idea i arrived at doom desire triage gear. it absolutely needed pixie plate due to how weak a move draining kiss was, but despite all that it looked to be a promising set. aggressive regi/xern builds alongside it (3 atks xern + dragon tail regi) reduced the amount of time clowning around so gear could consistently win before turn 1000, while at the same time not adding exploitable pokemon like kyurem-b. this structure cemented my confidence in xern regi.
psea zamac + soundproof giratina + prank lugia were added to attempt to cover every offensive threat. this did not work. the pokemon were way too passive, managed to lose 50% of the time anyway, and didn't mesh with the xern regi idea at all, plus gear had no proper imposter-proofer besides hoping zamac was healthy enough to eat draining kiss.
quojova — 11/21/2021
having two thirds of the offensive core lose to desoland hooh is an issue
city — 11/21/2021
ya desolate land hooh is the big one
anyway
i woke up at about 4:30 am and my brain told me to run desolate land rocks tran + fc gira + entrain lugia
so you win this one sevag
i was also hyperventilating for some reason and had to calm myself down in order to get back to sleep so that was weird
sevag — 11/21/2021
Let's goooooo
Heatran pogg
1-1 city vs rest of team
I'm worried
About just building a good team
I think maybe going to more reliable route might be betyer
Since
Assymetry [sic] vs. funky offense can make things a toss up
Like my approach to Ivar would be to build a v symmetric team and go from there
It's how to beat losr imo
But I think also
Ivar tends to not have all that great back bones
city — 11/15/2021
yeah i wanna build something sturdy
sevag — 11/15/2021
So mons like triage stuff or things which slow offense down
city — 11/15/2021
something like
sevag — 11/15/2021
Are rlly good as well
I better not hear
"pig"
city — 11/15/2021
doom desire steela/ph xern/desolate land entei
was what i was thinking
sevag — 11/15/2021
Deso tran
Feels rlly good ngl
this is the first team i came up with. as you can see, all the pokemon on this team do the same exact thing: stab, recover, hazard set or remove, maybe set up. sevag hated it, so i wanted to come up with something better.
city — 11/16/2021
yeah and palk cant exploit me
vs actual rain i have psea i think
sevag — 11/16/2021
Lol
No one uses rain it's adapt
city — 11/16/2021
no one uses rain?
ivar does
sevag — 11/16/2021
But ye p shot makes sense, helps a lot with switches
That was
2 years ago
He hasn't built rain since
Unless he's trying to c-team u
city — 11/16/2021
its still his smog avatar
checkmate
1-0 city vs rest of team
from the earlier doom desire steela idea i arrived at doom desire triage gear. it absolutely needed pixie plate due to how weak a move draining kiss was, but despite all that it looked to be a promising set. aggressive regi/xern builds alongside it (3 atks xern + dragon tail regi) reduced the amount of time clowning around so gear could consistently win before turn 1000, while at the same time not adding exploitable pokemon like kyurem-b. this structure cemented my confidence in xern regi.
psea zamac + soundproof giratina + prank lugia were added to attempt to cover every offensive threat. this did not work. the pokemon were way too passive, managed to lose 50% of the time anyway, and didn't mesh with the xern regi idea at all, plus gear had no proper imposter-proofer besides hoping zamac was healthy enough to eat draining kiss.
quojova — 11/21/2021
having two thirds of the offensive core lose to desoland hooh is an issue
city — 11/21/2021
ya desolate land hooh is the big one
anyway
i woke up at about 4:30 am and my brain told me to run desolate land rocks tran + fc gira + entrain lugia
so you win this one sevag
i was also hyperventilating for some reason and had to calm myself down in order to get back to sleep so that was weird
sevag — 11/21/2021
Let's goooooo
Heatran pogg
1-1 city vs rest of team
something funny about this rmt was that the title came before the team. i wanted to name something after annihilation (it is a banger) but i'm very particular about my nicknames. putting a cool nickname on a bad mon or team is a disservice to the name and makes it harder to use it again.
after the improvements to this team, i was happy with it. the structure was weird, but it worked. this would be annihilation, and i would bring it knowing i'd given it all i had even if i lost. then it won in 16 turns lol.
Collapsing Sun (Heatran) @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Desolate Land
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Calm Nature
- Lava Plume
- Spectral Thief
- Stealth Rock
- Soft-Boiled
desolate land heatran here is a similar offensive idea to reshiram on all i need. lava plume is annoyingly strong enough to help this mon set rocks against most stuff. heatran is primarily defensive on this team, though: it's one of the main lines of defense against extremely common mons such as xern, palk, and even some eterns and kyubs. basically the goal of this mon is to take some pressure off of lugia, who's both passive and liable to collapse if faced with too many threats at once. having a second steel is nice so you aren't throwing your main wincon in front of random attackers, too.
speaking of which, heatran does imposter-proof gear cause it 4x resists both attacks and has spectral thief. you should be fine in 99% of cases if heatran is above like 25.
Asphyxiation (Lugia) @ Shed Shell
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Milk Drink
- Entrainment
- Glare
- Haze
entrain glare is silly but does protect you from all non dark type threats. typically you want to trade this off for etern, keep it alive for triage kart, glare at stuff that can't kill you, and entrain ph mons that try to take advantage of you. DO NOT USE THIS AS THE PRIMARY POISON HEAL ANSWER. it's way too passive, dies to regigigas, dies to cage xern, lets up spikes, and generally loses if they have any slow pivoting strategy. heatran beats xern, giratina beats regigigas, don't complicate things unless the opponent complicates them for you.
shed shell is nice to have whenever you can fit it cause trapping is rly annoying and you want to avoid dealing with it whenever possible. yes, there is giratina, but that often gets severely weakened or traded off so it's good to have a secondary response.
Retrogenesis (Giratina) @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Fur Coat
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Teleport
- Core Enforcer
- Defog
- Roost
this is the guy you have out early game just to see what they do primarily. it keeps ph regi and zamac in check but isn't really necessary for much else so you can play risky with it a lot of the time. by this i mean don't let it just die on the spot, but you can take status, get into hazard vs defog wars you lose long term, and get your boots knocked if necessary.
gira is kind of the first line of defense before xern regi gear start kicking into gear. xern regi gear is a giant mecha! but giant mechas take some times to charge up; this is what spamming teleport is for. hopefully by the time gira is 1) dead 2) chipped/statused 3) coming in just to click defog 4) on 70 (dont let it get lower) vs ph regi, the mecha will be fully constructed and self-sufficient, able to switch around by itself without needing teleports.
Super Star Shooter (Magearna-Original) @ Pixie Plate
Ability: Triage
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD
Quiet Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 0 Spe
- Nasty Plot
- Doom Desire
- Draining Kiss
- Strength Sap
one of the most fun mons in the game. there are 2 main ways of using it:
1) doom desire then going to regi to play various casino games (dragon tail) against the poor soul who brought any steel-weak mon against you
2) they can't wall me! i win! i get to click every button at random!
do not let gear get chipped early especially if sapping will be hard (look for bounce hooh or generally aggressive structures). more importantly, don't risk it straight up dying to something like specs etern, anchor scales zamac, or various vcreate users: not having it can suuuuuck later on. regi xern is good but you can't rely on it to win on its own. the nature of these pokemon is that they get chipped down over time against any remotely aggressive structure, so you will simply run out of hit points and die.
minimum speed quiet is cause it has no moves that hit at +0, so you just underspeed spectral. the exception is if your ability gets suppressed.
the third (obscure) way to use gear is doom desire then go to xern and 50/50 between attack and qd to boost doom desire. this is mostly silly though and you typically won't be using it.
what does gear do for the team? refer to the first sentence. also it's a wincon i guess.
Bed of Thorns (Regigigas) @ Toxic Orb
Ability: Poison Heal
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Facade
- Precipice Blades
- Dragon Tail
regi provides the crucial ghost resist against spectrier and muscles through opposing xern. dragon tail complements doom desire and also serves to underspeed core enforcer and troll stuff like drum kart. pblades is the best steel coverage because it beats psea and doesn't lose to imposter*. use regi liberally in the offense matchup as a mid-game breaker to ensure gear wins later. vs anything slower it chills in the back and waits to win.
*pblades does do quite a bit to be fair, which is exacerbated by chip on regi and boosts imposter accumulates. luckily you can wall em out with lugia, and gear can spam sap unless imposter is above +1.
Four of a Kind (Xerneas) @ Toxic Orb
Ability: Poison Heal
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Quiver Dance
- Lava Plume
- Thunder Cage
- Moonblast
one common plan with xerneas is trading it off for the fairy resist so gear can win against defensive teams. see the second replay for an example of this. lava plume helps with this plan by burning anchor steels, especially zamac, so they have a rough time actually killing you without committing to entrain and thus losing to gear. the burn chip is also great for forcing recovers and negating leftovers, and when you add thunder cage into the mix it just gets ridiculous.
xern is cool vs offense cause it kills everything, then kills them again at +1. the exceptions are no retreat, xern, regi, and etern. try to have a prior boost before facing these if you do decide to go for them. also vs stall if the trade strat doesn't work, you can try to play slower with xern so it doesn't run out of pp.
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8balancedhackmons-1458423272
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8balancedhackmons-1481580152-8h2i214912xit27d927h6bh64g0e7f0pw
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8balancedhackmons-1483186923
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8balancedhackmons-1483191075
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