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This team’s actually a few months old, and was built around the offensive core of Fightinium-Z Togekiss and PapaLax. Z-Fight Togekiss lures in and can OHKO a bunch of its checks after a +2 boost such as Empoleon, Mega Aggron, Rhyperior, and more. Even though it can’t OHKO certain other steels like Bronzong, it can still chip them to the point where another teammate, particularly Snorlax, has an easier time functioning. Snorlax’s Curse + Iapapa set is the one I’ve chosen to go with for this team, as Togekiss does a great job of KOing or severely weakening its checks, primarily the ones that rely on Toxic to beat it. It’s honestly one of the most slept on set up Pokemon in the tier, and definitely needs more exposure. At this point, I still needed a soft check to Steel-types and a spinner, so I ended up settling with Tentacruel. Tentacruel also gives me about as good of a defensive check to Scizor, and I’ve chosen to go with one of my own spreads, which gives Tentacruel enough speed to outpace positive base 85 Speed Pokemon such as Nidoking and Heracross. Cobalion was then added next, as it offers some nice defensive synergy to the team while also deterring Knock Off users trying to lower Snorlax’s effectiveness. It also gave me a rocker and a wallbreaking option, and with a Shuca Berry, it eases the matchup versus threats like Mamoswine and also allows me to trade some health for a more favorable position vs other grounds like Hippowdon and Scarf Krookodile. Voltturn cores were looking particularly annoying at this point, and I needed an Electric immunity desperately as well as some form of speed control. Scarf Krookodile fit the bill, and it also gives me a Knock Off user of my own to wear down opposing Pokemon to benefit the team. It also helps to trap Latias and Chandelure, the latter being especially important to trap since it walls Snorlax. Lastly, I added 3 attacks + Roost Mega Aerodactyl to give me a check to Flying types and some additional offensive firepower, and it patches up a bunch of holes for the team pretty nicely. Have fun breaking the team!
Core submissions are due by Thursday.
Also, Mega Venusaur is not allowed as a submission.
Kommo-o @ Dragonium Z
Ability: Bulletproof
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Clanging Scales
- Close Combat
- Flamethrower
- Stealth Rock
Doublade @ Eviolite
Ability: No Guard
EVs: 240 HP / 252 Atk / 16 SpD
Brave Nature
- Swords Dance
- Gyro Ball
- Shadow Claw
- Sacred Sword
Doublade has an overrall good m/u against this team, as it checks or counters 4/6 of the mons on the team. Once Tentacruel and Krookodile are removed, it can sweep with SD. I chose Bulletproof Kommo-o as my partner since it takes care of Tentacruel and absorbs Knock Off for Krookodile. It also sets up rocks so that Doublade can sweep easier and appreciates Doublade beating Togekiss and Aerodactyl.
When I looked st the team something that looked extremely scary is double dance cobalion, the main check to it is Tentacruel. Another mon thay is annoying albeit having an easier time with two checks in cobalion and Tentacruel, scizor was another Pokémon that appreciated either Tentacruel weakened, or have the ability to break down those mons in order to let cobalion sweep. Short description but there you go
Terrakion @ Rockium Z
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Close Combat
- Stone Edge
- Swords Dance
- Rock Polish
Manectric-Mega @ Manectite
Ability: Lightning Rod
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Thunderbolt
- Overheat
- Volt Switch
- Signal Beam
So Terrakion.....Utterly obliterates this team. It OHKOs or has a good shot at OHKOing every single member of the team, and Rock Polish ensures that it can't even be speed checked by Krook and Aero, this team's best method of defeating it. it finds ample setup opprotunities by threatening Lax and locked Krook. Mega Manectric is the means of getting Terrakion in safely. It threatens half the team pretty convincingly, while discouraging Krook from coming in with signal beam. If you win the 50/50 and manage to volt on a Lax planning to switch into Signal Beam, or catch a Pursuit-locked Krook, you win right there. Or you can even just sack Mane to let Terrak convincingly set up on a -1 Krook. Honestly, Terrak is the star of this show. Mane does threaten a few good mons on this team and is icing on the cake, but it's mostly just here to get Terrak in. Since Terrak's only issue vs this core is struggling to find a good way to get in. But once it's in, and has a rock polish, it's blowing this team to smithereens.
Krookodile @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Pursuit
- Knock Off
- Stone Edge
Toxicroak has a good match up overall, hitting most of the team hard and getting chances to set up versus Tentacruel (it has haze but it gets slowly weakened) and choice locked Krook. I paired it with Scarf Krookodile to be an answer to Aero as well as pursuit trap it, making it get in range of Vacuum Wave from Toxicroak as soon as possible. It also can Knock Lax if it gets out of hand.
Those two paired with a good rocker and some partners with synergy should do a good job versus this team
Who will triumph? Will it be the queen of the gods, the mother of dragons and rabbits, the smallest but fiercest of all roses, or spectacular offense utilizing Altaria? Get your votes in by this Saturday to find out!
Voting for Juuno. I thought about SD Kommo-o being absolutely lethal for the team, but didn't quite found the ideal partner: moreover, it was quite dependant to not getting scald burned.
The special set though is not as dependant to scald burns while still exploiting the lack of a sturdy CC switch-in when Tenta is weakened by Clanging Scales.
Whew, this was a close one. So close, in fact, that it ended in a tie. And for that reason, I'm gonna tiebreak this baby and vote for Smallsmallrose! Terrakion is a real menace to this team indeed, and that's coming from someone who's used the team. So, congratulations! also bye Juuno we'll miss you
Smallsmallrose - 5
Juuno - 4
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Our next team comes from glorious UU tutor and OU forum moderator Indigo Plateau!
Slowbro-Mega @ Slowbronite
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Bold Nature
- Scald
- Calm Mind
- Rest
- Slack Off
Moltres @ Wide Lens
Ability: Flame Body
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Hurricane
- Fire Blast
- Roost
- Flamethrower
Diancie @ Leftovers
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 SpD
Sassy Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Moonblast
- Diamond Storm
- Earth Power
The team was built around CM + Slack Off + Rest Slowbro, which can be an excellent wincon and very hard to break for teams that rely on Toxic to break past it. Moltres gained more traction when Mega Venusaur was in the tier, but even after its departure, it still forms a good core with Slowbro because it can threaten Grass-types like Celebi and things like Scizor that pose a problem to Slowbro. Sleep Talk > Flamethrower is a good alternative because nothing blocks Spore on the team, but I’ve found Flamethrower to be more reliable when I don’t wanna bank on the accuracy of the other moves. Empoleon was chosen as the team’s hazard control because it’s a reliable Defog user that can check Latias outside of Electrium Z, can beat a lot of Stealth Rock users thanks to Scald, and is just annoying in general with Toxic + Protect. Additionally, it commonly lures in Pokemon like Cobalion and Krookodile to revenge kill it, which Slowbro can use as a setup opportunity. I still needed a Ground-type + Rocks, so I added a core of Scarf Krookodile + Diancie. Scarf Krookodile helps the team out with Pursuit and serves as a check against threatening Pokemon like Manectric and Latias, while Diancie also helps out against these Pokemon + Flying-types like Moltres and Pidgeot to prevent them from getting out of hand. Earth Power > Heal Bell is used on Diancie to prevent Empoleon and Tentacruel from clearing hazards without much risk and because Slowbro has Rest for status anyway. The last Pokemon was chosen to be Kommo-o, which might be a bit weird at first, but it gives the team a better physical presence without adding many additional weaknesses and can serve as a soft check to Ghost-types and Amoonguss due to Bulletproof as well as Mega Manectric lacking HP Ice.
Get your cores in by Thursday, please. Have fun breaking this nice n spicy team!
Krookodile @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
- Stealth Rock
- Knock Off
- Earthquake
- Taunt
Celebi hits 5/6 members of the team with super effective damage, sets up on Slowbro, Diancie, and EQ locked Krook, and is not OHKOd by Krookodile. After an NP boost it wins, so the best partner is a simple SR Krook to get rocks up for Moltres.
Bulky SD Scizor finds many setup opportunities against this team and not only threatens every non-Moltres or Empoleon member while boosted, but walls many of it's members barring Moltres and Kommo-O and is only really checked by Moltres. Of course, more often than not it will lure in Moltres to try and check it, which can leave ample setup opportunities for Latias if it rides in on a U-turn. Latias with an electrium Z finds ample setup opportunities against Moltres and the waters, and when boosted, plows through this team. Blowing up every single member with boosted Draco or (Z) Thunder barring Diancie who is walled by boosted Latias. Krook can try to check it, but Pursuit 50/50s, its failure to OHKO a minimally chipped Latias with knock off, and not wanting to be setup fodder for bulky Scizor makes it a very shaky check to Latias at best when in this duo.
Terrakion @ Choice Band
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Close Combat
- Stone Edge
- Earthquake
- Quick Attack
Alright, so we have a solid team which I struggled to find something creative to break it so props to Indigo for building such a good team. But I found something I think does really well against it. Taunt Roost hydreigon is able to not only beat slowbro, but as well as empoleon, krook, moltres, and kommo-o [though it will not be able to switch into the latter two. Not into any of kommo-o's moves unless a predicted SD, or a moltres hurricane.] Due to taunt and recovery, it is able to stay healthy while being able to deal with major threats. The next mon added is terrakion, which though slowbro is a very hard check to it, it can still do a lot of damage if its able to switch in safely, nothing would really want to switch into a stone edge and if krook switches in, hydreigon is a great counter to that mon. The one mon that this core struggles with is diancie, but overall with the right support from the rest of the team [as this would be on a full team] diancie wouldn't be too much of a problem.
Now, let's get to deciding whichst of these three fine individuals will obtain the grand prize of Break This Team Week 28 Winner™! (Note: no actual prize involved)
I’ve loved using this team recently, but something it does struggle with is Grass-types that are able to beat Moltres.
Adaam’s core is really effective as the team is forced to keep rocks off the field in order to not lose to Celebi at +2. Usually I’d have to rely on chip damage as it sets up + Krook to revenge it if rocks are up, which isn’t a good plan.
Smallsmallrose’s core is one that never really gave me much trouble in practice as it does on paper. Diancie + Krook (even Empo with Toxic) can all deal with Latias pretty well, and bulky Scizor struggles to beat Moltres + Empo and even Kommo-o 1v1.
DraconicLepus also presented an interesting core. I’m a huge fan of CB Terrak, and although it can do a lot of damage vs this team if Slowbro is weakened, it can’t switch in safely vs anything. The Hydreigon set, on the other hand, can be really annoying since it’s only walled by Diancie.
Kinda disappointed that no one came up with Rotom-Mow, as it’s a Volt Switch user that also beats the only Electric-type immunity on the team. Something like Pidgeot + Rotom has been really problematic in the past, as Rotom can also potentially weaken Diancie, the team’s only switch-in to Flying-types.