Gen 7 [BH] Immortal Smoke (1.5k)

[cityscapes]

banner by anaconja

Introduction: I am Still Carried by Shed​

Another few months, another Gen 7 BH Shedinja RMT. I'm very proud of this team because of the process involved in its creation. At the time, my teams weren't up to the standard I had previously set, but there was a spark of potential I saw in the form of a new Primal Groudon set. This set had the power to change the way the game was played if only someone could understand it and give it the support it needed. Through a lengthy process of trial and error, I was able to do that and create one of the best teams in the metagame, making everything I previously created look distant in comparison. This is Immortal Smoke, and it reflects how I have grown as a player through my 1,500 posts and 5 years on this site. I hope you enjoy.

I don't have a new peak for this RMT, but it started at about 97.2% GXE after I laddered with Gensokyo Millennium for a bit (a good team for sure, but not something that can compete on the 98 GXE level), and ended up back at 98% after about a 40-1-1 run, leaving me at a total record of 401-29-1 on the cityscapes alt.

Teambuilding Process​

RegenVest Avalugg is a bad Pokemon

I started out with this specific Primal Groudon set, also known as "Fujiyama Volcano" or, informally, "funny volcano man". This wasn't the first time that I'd built with it, but I was able to learn from these failed attempts in order to construct this one.

https://pokepast.es/ef69724b1f8c9d68 This team used Zygarde-C as an imposter-proofer, meaning that I would have to fight hard to make progress against opposing teams that used Bounce Gira/Zyg. I chose 3 attacks Xerneas to pair with it for this purpose, hard pressuring more defensive teams that brought a counter to Groudon. QD + Spin Regengar was a cool choice as a secondary fairy resist and in general a Pokemon that pairs well with Fujiyama Volcano, but my understanding of this specific Gengar set was low and because of this I failed to execute the rest of the team well. It lacked good defensive synergy and Golisopod felt necessary yet simultaneously worthless. MG Aerodactyl was an utterly silly pick here that contributed nothing. Overall, this team lacked the fundamentals to really get off the ground and accomplish things outside of beating a couple people on ladder.

https://pokepast.es/d164777df97e46e1 This team still used Zygarde-C, a Pokemon that didn't synergize very well with Groudon, but opted for the U-turn + Precipice Blades set in order to minimize the amount of time that Zygarde would spend on the field. I reused the PH Xerneas and PH MMY sets from my previous Shed teams in hopes that their effectiveness would translate well to the new team, but the tempos didn't quite fit each other and in practice there was far too much time in the early-midgame where the team was simply not getting enough done. Spikes Xerneas + Groudon was obviously a good core, and Groudon + Imposter also turned out to be solid because Imposter helped me against offensive threats like MMY, Mega Diancie, and others that could halt my momentum. However, the structure still needed some improvements.

https://pokepast.es/5966a8577128ed68 I brought this team a lot on ladder and in some smaller tournaments. Although it had some functionality issues such as Yveltal and Mega Slowbro not really working correctly (Slowbro was way too slow for the team, and this Yveltal set was just underwhelming), the team as a whole was fairly cohesive and could hope to stand a chance against most good teams. The additions of Prankster Xerneas and Yveltal caused this team to work much more effectively than all of the previous ones. That being said, the team did feel inconsistent and hard to use at times (read: no Poison Heal user) so the search for consistency continued.

https://pokepast.es/d5f9102b66d7c1b6 At this point, I was getting frustrated that none of my teams had succeeded at making this great set into something consistent, so I went the direct route and started out with Fujiyama Volcano + Shedinja, thinking that there was no way it could fail. I neglected to take my own advice about Shed teams being unable to be "forced", and as a result my search for synergy led me to Pokemon that simply were not viable enough to keep up with the pace set by the first two Pokemon. Perhaps if I had realized by then that Poison Fang Shed was much better than having 2 aggressive Stealth Rock users, the team could have turned out better, but my attempts to cover everything with innovation unfortunately ended up doing the exact opposite, barely covering anything at all.

experimental reddit gas01/15/2020
won't lie it's getting very annoying, i feel like if i want to avoid being weak to everything i have to use bad pokemon which makes me weak to everything anyway
needing a spinner feels really constricting
prank xern is even more constricting and cannot be used with a spinner imo
when i have spin it literally feels like all 6 of the abilities are decided from the start
ate bounce imposter ph prank sturdy
so it's about finding slightly better mon combinations when the ones i already have are near perfect
but even the best combinations simply don't get me that extra level of consistency
it might be time to abandon shed altogether and build with fujiyama + shed shell imposter or something

Shed Shell Imposter looked like a decent partner to the set, because not only did it provide the earlier stated benefits of Imposter (beating MMY/Diancie, generally scouting sets), it was also able to switch around Pokemon that relied on trapping to imposter-proof. This increased general mobility and gave me a counter to Thousand Waves Zygarde-C, one of the few Pokemon that could threaten to outright remove Groudon from the game. Together with Groudon, it was ultimately able to defend against almost all offensive threats.

Groudon needed an imposter-proofer in order to consistently progress in the game. This meant a Magic Bounce user that could shrug off V-Create damage. My previous choices were Zygarde-C and Mega Slowbro. Zygarde-C just felt very redundant; the Fairy weakness was definitely not appreciated, and it was just a very exploitable Pokemon in general. Mega Slowbro suffered mostly the same issues due to its low Special Defense, but its extremely low Speed introduced another problem: it would have to take 2 V-Creates from Imposter before getting the chance to recover. This typically meant that any sort of chip damage invalidated it as an imposter-proofer.

Suicune had basically never seen serious use in BH before this point, but it honestly seemed to fit perfectly. Jolly gave it enough Speed to outrun even -1 Scarf Imposter while having more defense than Primal Kyogre. V-Create does about 62%, which sounds bad, but with Rocky Helmet Suicune can spam Recover and chip Imposter down to death. Additionally, Suicune is far less exploitable than Primal Kyogre or Zygarde-C thanks to its great mono-Water typing and decent Special Defense, allowing it to soft check Mega Gengar and Mega Diancie and counter most PH Xerneas. Overall, Suicune is nearly optimal as an imposter-proofer for this set, and I would advise anyone else trying to build their own variations to start with Fujiyama Volcano + Suicune, possibly with Imposter as the third mon.

experimental reddit gas01/15/2020
i have ph mmy but im not sure if apollo 13 fits on this team
i might switch to a different moveset
btw the improof is regenvest avalugg cause i need a chomp switchin and a soft check for sf mmy

ChazmicSupernova01/15/2020
excuse me

experimental reddit gas01/15/2020
do you have a better suggestion

ChazmicSupernova01/15/2020
this is why we run blue flare mmy

experimental reddit gas01/15/2020
actually nvm
u know what
im just running shed

Shedinja seemed nice as a secondary MMY and Mega Diancie check, being vulnerable to hazards but taking a lot of pressure off Imposter to take hits. Originally I copy-pasted the Stealth Rock set like usual, but having two rock setters that both lost to Giratina seemed horribly inefficient. Poison Fang actually takes advantage of this; Magic Bounce Giratina is typically used as an Endeavor switchin, and poisoning it is obviously super good.

I needed an MMX check, so Prankster Xerneas seemed like a fine choice. It was one of my favorite Prankster users in the metagame, and Xerneas + Primal Groudon was already an incredible core, so I slapped on this mon without hesitation. Not too much to say here.

At this point, the team had only two weaknesses: it lost to Mega Gengar, and it had no Spikes (Xerneas was Rapid Spin). I got inspired by the PH Mega Gyarados set from my previous shed team A Million Miles Away (pigeon), but I chose Yveltal here for its useful Ground immunity and Fighting neutrality, adding an extra layer of protection against Mega Garchomp and Mega Mewtwo X. The U-turn neutrality and Spikes immunity were also very helpful.

At this point the team was pretty decent, but after about ten battles I noticed how utterly stupid it was that Yveltal, the Ghost-type check, didn't have Rapid Spin, while Xerneas, the mon designed to offensively synergize with Primal Groudon, didn't have Spikes. I switched the two moves and never looked back.

The Team

From the Ashes (Groudon) @ Red Orb
Ability: Electric Surge
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- V-create
- Will-O-Wisp
- Stealth Rock
- Strength Sap
​

This Primal Groudon set is phenomenal both defensively and offensively. Although switching it in recklessly is bound to get it killed early, very few things can threaten to kill it before it kills them in return. Physical attackers like Mega Mewtwo X, Kartana, and PH Regigigas have an extremely hard time breaking past it with Strength Sap factored in, meaning the set can sometimes pull off late game 2v1s or even 3v1s against favorable matchups to clutch the win. The hyper offense matchup is a matter of getting Groudon in against any physical attacker, clicking Will-O-Wisp, then just sitting there and getting up rocks.

At the same time, defensive counterplay for this set is incredibly scarce. Bounce Giratina/Zygarde-C are really the only common hard counters. Giratina lacking Bounce can get burned, lets up rocks, and heals up Groudon if it's at low HP. Thousand Waves Zygarde-C is still problematic, but it can be burned on the switch, leaving it powerless against the rest of the team. Opposing Shedinja teams tend to match up horribly against it because of Will-O-Wisp shutting down Shedinja itself, meaning the match is simply a matter of taking out the Magic Bounce user with V-Create (or even clicking hazards, which is safe against teams without Yveltal counterplay) and winning from there.

If you suspect Bounce Giratina/Zyg/other resists, the best option is usually to throw out Wisps or other safe moves (Suicune Entrain, Yveltal Wisp after the orb activates, or just Imposter) to scout the set safely. It is unlikely that Primal Groudon will accomplish anything of note while these Pokemon are healthy, especially if they are running a fast EV spread.

InfoWars (Chansey) (F) @ Shed Shell
Ability: Imposter
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Careful Nature
- Cotton Guard
- Recover
- Anchor Shot
- Perish Song
​

Shed Shell Imposter is great; with just a bit of team awareness (things like not switching it in vs RegenVest Magearna against a team with Mega Garchomp), switching into it is extremely safe and guaranteed to grant you the upper hand. Additionally, if its HP is preserved in the late game it can shut down any attempts at aggression, unless your opponent has made an effort to keep their imposter proofers healthy, locking them into a tough midgame.

Typically Imposter is my lead. The team has more than enough capabilities to gain a positional advantage against any set that doesn't immediately lose to itself. Even No Guard Mega Mewtwo Y, which is typically really annoying early on when nothing wants to take a Zap Cannon, gets hard walled by Primal Groudon thanks to Electric Surge blocking sleep. If they lead something like Mega Gengar, knowing the set is extremely helpful for dealing with it later on.

It may not be quite as effective now that I have posted this team, but bluffing no Shed Shell and running away from Pokemon like Registeel and Zygarde-C can cause your opponent to miscalculate their gameplan and lead to Imposter potentially spiraling out of control. Even if it works, though, this bluff is not always worth it. Not going into Imposter against these Pokemon means making your play predictable and potentially opening you up for punishes. Make sure your movement stays hard to read.

The moves on this set are pretty stupid. Change them if you like (maybe add Pursuit for Impostered Shedinja), but I'm pretty sure I never clicked untransformed Chansey once during my games with this team-- there is nearly always a better option.

ミュン・ファン・ローン (Suicune) @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Magic Bounce
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Spectral Thief
- Anchor Shot
- Heal Order
- Entrainment
​

Suicune's role is to imposter-proof Primal Groudon while also beating Xerneas without Pixilate. The moves are chosen in order to complete these tasks as efficiently as possible. Entrainment removes Poison Heal and helps you completely wall Impostered Primal Groudon because V-Create only does around 40% without Desolate Land (although you can't do this if you get V-Created on the switch). Anchor Shot prevents Imposter from coming in on Suicune itself to recover, and also threatens to remove Xerneas. Spectral Thief steals QD boosts and hits Gengar for a bunch.

Suicune is by far the most passive member of the team, and it can force the user into predictable patterns. For example, if Imposter repeatedly switches in on Primal Groudon, you can get forced into constantly switching into Suicune, letting in a breaker when you're forced to recover. If this is a dangerous position, you should definitely push for getting Stealth Rock up. In general, Suicune finds itself being forced to come in on most hazard setters due to how good Magic Bounce is; it will often be switching into Pokemon like unrevealed Xerneas, PH MMX, and ladder Arceus depending on the game situation. This gamble can often turn out poorly for Suicune.

However, not all is bad for Suicune. It performs admirably as a midground and does a great job at slowing down opposing initiative. For example, against a team with Specs Mega Gengar (a potentially dangerous threat), Suicune can come in on U-turn, get helmet chip, live whatever Gengar throws at it and recover, then go into Yveltal with no risk of getting hit by Volt Switch or coverage. Just by existing, being bulky, and only being weak to 3 moves in the game (Kartana Power Whip, Volt Switch, Bolt Strike), Suicune can offer an additional wall of defense against basically all offensive threats.

Another notable thing about the set is how much PP it has on all its moves. In total you have 88 PP, which is more than a lot of other trappers (especially Zyg). You can often win the 1v1 if it comes to that, but this is most likely not something you should immediately go for.

Jolly might look weird on this set, but it's necessary to outspeed Scarf Imposter at -1 and recover on it. You actually end up outspeeding everything up to base 97 (Solgaleo/Lunala), only barely missing out on Xerneas and Yveltal, which is pretty cool. I can't count the number of times I've recovered from low HP on Pokemon like Giratina, Primal Kyogre, and Dialga that were too slow to kill me.

Makai Esoteria (Shedinja) @ Protective Pads
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk
Brave Nature
IVs: 0 Def / 0 SpD / 0 Spe
- Endeavor
- Extreme Speed
- U-turn
- Poison Fang
​

Shedinja definitely performs differently on this team than on other Shed teams I've made. In fact, this team is less of a "Shed team" than it is just 6 good Pokemon with good synergy slapped together. Because of this, you can often see me taking outrageous risks with Shedinja such as switching it into random unconfirmed Pokemon that won't obviously kill it immediately (Kartana) but may very well be able to. The best way to see if Shedinja has a good matchup is to find an opportunity to get it in and see how the opponent responds. Most BH players are really scared of Shedinja because of how much damage it can do if it gets out of control, so they can often reveal their hand early and hand you the knowledge of what their gameplan is resting on.

Typically I go for double switches and midgrounds to catch Sunsteel/Moongeist/Photon early on when bringing in Shedinja, but there are really no rules for using this Pokemon. Against stronger opponents, a more aggressive Shed might be the play early on. The gameplans of good players will typically rest on not giving up too much momentum, so making a good call with Shed can really shake things up.

One more thing, learn double Endeavor and all the other Shed tricks. They go such a long way.

Sylvan Sanctuary (Xerneas) @ Fairium Z
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Spikes
- Moonblast
- Haze
- Recover
​

Just like all the other Pokemon on the team, Xerneas is bulky, capable of killing things, and only weak to a couple things. This set has two main roles: shutting down Shell Smash/Belly Drum sweepers and getting Spikes vs Bounce Gira/Zyg. The moves and ability are pretty obvious considering this purpose. Moonblast and Spikes can both be extremely spammable moves in certain situations (weakened fairy resists, no good hazard control), but early on you will mostly be using Xerneas in combination with other Pokemon to progress in the game. Good examples of this are drawing in Steels to copy with Imposter and forcing a Defog to allow another Pokemon to come in.

Xerneas is also a key player in the hyper offense matchup. It stops most Shell Smash sweepers from getting out of hand, and it can also set up a priority spike before getting taunted by the lead. Also, it can shred through offense teams filled with Pokemon like Mega Mewtwo X, Dragon-types, and Mega Tyranitar with Moonblast. Don't be too reliant on it, though, because Pokemon like Sunsteel MMX can threaten the 2HKO. In this situation, your options include things like going hard to Suicune, going hard to Primal Groudon, recovering to reset, or even going for the hard read with Moonblast/Z-Moonblast.

This set is very much not set in stone, and there are several alternatives that can be used, mainly in the item. Fairium Z is great for the burst option, but the consistent damage offered by Pixie Plate is also great, and other options like Safety Goggles, Shed Shell, or even Leftovers are viable. Also, you can use a Bold nature instead of Calm if you want; I used Calm to soft check MMY better but Bold for MMX is perfectly fine. Strength Sap over Recover is something I've used, but being blocked by Dazzling makes it pretty inconsistent.

Teriyaki God (Yveltal) @ Toxic Orb
Ability: Poison Heal
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Knock Off
- Will-O-Wisp
- Dragon Dance
- Rapid Spin
​

This is definitely a very customized set, with the moves not really flowing into each other super well (Rapid Spin is kind of just there). The goal is to beat all the Ghost-types so you can spin. Will-O-Wisp is great because after DD you can outspeed and burn all the physical attackers instead of doing 55 with +1 boosted Knock, failing to 2HKO, and dying. It also beats Shedinja so he can't spinblock you, and Imposter would be a lot more threatening without it. Dragon Dance is used for its 32 PP and gives Yveltal an easy way of sweeping against Psychic/Ghost-heavy aggressive teams, which is very convenient considering how annoying something like Gengar spam can otherwise be.

Just like Xerneas before it, this set is very customizable. I used Adamant to deal the most damage to Giratina, but Careful is also workable here. Dragon Dance can potentially be replaced by something like Baneful Bunker, Recover, or King's Shield to offer additional survivability if you want to play a slower game. Crunch, Throat Chop, Darkest Lariat, or even special moves can be used for consistent damage against Giratina, especially the Griseous Orb variant. Also, you get +100 style points for using Quiver Dance + Dark Pulse, shoutouts a loser.

Threatlist​

Mega Diancie is annoying because not only can it threaten to 2HKO Suicune and set up hazards, but Extreme Speed can prevent a weakened +1 Yveltal from spinning when paired with U-turn. The team has several Pokemon that match up well against it like Primal Groudon, Imposter, and Shedinja, and Suicune Anchor Shot does about 60%, but you need to be very careful to not let rocks up in this matchup.

Hard stall teams can rarely threaten to outright beat this team thanks to its longevity, but sometimes they can force the game to 1000 turns, causing a draw. This is probably the team's worst matchup, because there really isn't anything you can do to prevent a tie against an optimally played and well built stall team.

Annoying because it can prevent spinning and sometimes block hazards from Primal Groudon or Xerneas depending on set. Luckily, it does horribly against Imposter, and Yveltal, Xerneas, Suicune, and Shedinja can switch around it depending on set. Overall, Giratina isn't threatening on its own, but it can enable other threats and worsen already bad situations. Be careful when facing it.

Replays​

https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7balancedhackmons-1054425563
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7balancedhackmons-1054431499
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7balancedhackmons-1054452472
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7balancedhackmons-1054447878
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7balancedhackmons-1055255464
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7balancedhackmons-1081589758
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7balancedhackmons-1054363842-q325nc5l700actgi3pgufydu3mc3ugipw
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7balancedhackmons-1054357516-osi1s0i60gk6sohxvih7wg9a1fcuye9pw

Conclusion: A Word from the Unfunny Volcano Man​

It's been months since I created and used this team, but I procrastinated writing this RMT until now. Luckily, the Gen 7 BH playerbase is still alive and well. We've had viability ranking discussions, a decent-sized tournament, and tons of friendly games, all with no ladder. The metagame and the skills of the playerbase have continued to develop beautifully. I think anaconja's "unfunny volcano man" set is a perfect example of this. Although the set is still in its infancy, there just isn't anything like watching all the awkward mechanics of the set come together and manifest as a real threat.

Hide

GoodPlayIsMashing withdrew Union!
GoodPlayIsMashing sent out Rising World (Lugia)!

unfunny volcano ma used Will-O-Wisp!

[The opposing Rising World's Magic Bounce]
The opposing Rising World bounced the Will-O-Wisp back!
unfunny volcano ma was burned!

unfunny volcano ma was hurt by its burn!

Turn 15
☆pains me inside: in.

--

The opposing Rapture Insignia (Gyarados-Mega) used Dragon Dance!
The opposing Rapture Insignia's Attack rose!
The opposing Rapture Insignia's Speed rose!
unfunny volcano ma surrounded itself with its Z-Power!

unfunny volcano ma used Tectonic Rage!
(The opposing Rapture Insignia lost 100% of its health!)

The opposing Rapture Insignia fainted!

unfunny volcano ma was hurt by its burn!
☆pains me inside: gone
☆GoodPlayIsMashing: 100%

GoodPlayIsMashing forfeited.

pains me inside won the battle!

Playing OMPL in the first year of the Gen 8 metagame has been fun, but the complete emphasis on creativity and innovation offered by Gen 7 BH is unmatched. I've heard that an OM Classic tour is in the works, which sounds great. I might try hosting my own tournament as well. Even without tournaments, though, friendlies are great, especially because I don't have to worry about GXE or THE SHEET for the foreseeable future.

Thanks to everyone who has played and continues to play this metagame. The more this metagame is played, the more it becomes worth playing. And I would say that Gen 7 BH in 2020 is definitely worth playing.

Tele did nothing wrong.

Thanks for reading.

Importable

From the Ashes (Groudon) @ Red Orb
Ability: Electric Surge
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- V-create
- Will-O-Wisp
- Stealth Rock
- Strength Sap

InfoWars (Chansey) (F) @ Shed Shell
Ability: Imposter
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Careful Nature
- Cotton Guard
- Recover
- Anchor Shot
- Perish Song

ミュン・ファン・ローン (Suicune) @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Magic Bounce
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Spectral Thief
- Anchor Shot
- Heal Order
- Entrainment

Makai Esoteria (Shedinja) @ Protective Pads
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk
Brave Nature
IVs: 0 Def / 0 SpD / 0 Spe
- Endeavor
- Extreme Speed
- U-turn
- Poison Fang

Sylvan Sanctuary (Xerneas) @ Fairium Z
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Spikes
- Moonblast
- Haze
- Recover

Teriyaki God (Yveltal) @ Toxic Orb
Ability: Poison Heal
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Knock Off
- Will-O-Wisp
- Dragon Dance
- Rapid Spin