Introduction
Hello, Smogon! I’m Othesemo, and this is my third RMT on the forum. After the reasonable success of my last team (also on these boards), I decided to start delving further into offense as a play style. After the miserable failure of the first version of this team, I started making a few tweaks, and ended up with what I’m showing you now, which allowed me to peak at #2 on the NU ladder.
Now, I’m a fan of building teams around individual pokemon, and while I was searching for inspiration, I happened upon FLCL’s Charizard in the Next Best Thing thread. It struck me as both hilarious and effective- the rest of the team spiraled out from that. The basic premise of the team is to utilize the wall breaking potential of both Charizard and Sawk to clear the way for Tauros to sweep through the enemy team. Over my two alts, GMarius and LSulla, this team has managed to grab thirty wins to three losses, with a peak ACRE of 1876.
The Team
Charizard @ Power Herb
Trait: Blaze
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 SAtk / 4 Def
Nature: Timid (+Spd -Atk)
- Fire Blast
- Air Slash
- Roost
- SolarBeam
Credit to FLCL for posting this set. The premise is simple- you spam fire blast as if you were choiced, and when the opponent brings in their water/rock type to take a hit, you retaliate with a 1 turn solar beam. If timed correctly, this set can completely eliminate its best counters, and coincidentally remove any wall that might give tauros trouble. Alomomola, Carracosta and Regirock will all fall to a fire blast followed by a SolarBeam, and with a bit of prior damage, Alomomola and Regirock can both be dropped in a single turn.
The other moves are standard fare for charizard- Fire Blast and Air Slash for obligatory STABs, and Roost to mitigate his Stealth Rock weakness. The EVs and nature are chosen to capitalize on ‘zard’s excellent speed tier, and hit as hard as possible.
The other moves are standard fare for charizard- Fire Blast and Air Slash for obligatory STABs, and Roost to mitigate his Stealth Rock weakness. The EVs and nature are chosen to capitalize on ‘zard’s excellent speed tier, and hit as hard as possible.
Sawk @ Choice Band
Trait: Mold Breaker
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 HP / 252 Spd
Nature: Adamant (+Atk -SAtk)
- Close Combat
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Ice Punch
Knowing that I was going to use Charizard, my first question was how I was going to keep rocks off the field. NU spinners being what they are, I decided to use anti-lead sawk as my preventive measure of choice. Being able to outspeed and 1HKO nearly every relevant Stealth Rock lead is no mean feat, and outside of that, Choice Band Sawk is still a fantastic mon. In particular, he synergizes excellently with the two special attackers on this team, since two of the most popular special walls in the tier, Lickilicky and Regice, are both outsped and KOd by Close Combat. Although he’s mostly intended to wallbreak for Tauros’s benefit, it’s not uncommon for Sawk to just plow through slower teams on his own, and getting a free switch in against a paralyzed team forms a second win condition.
An Adamant nature is chosen for the shot at either 1HKOing or permanently eliminating Regirock. While Kangaskhan is an annoyance, it doesn’t pose a very serious threat to the team.
An Adamant nature is chosen for the shot at either 1HKOing or permanently eliminating Regirock. While Kangaskhan is an annoyance, it doesn’t pose a very serious threat to the team.
Vileplume @ Life Orb
Trait: Effect Spore
EVs: 84 Spd / 172 HP / 252 SAtk
Nature: Modest (+SAtk -Atk)
- Giga Drain
- Sludge Bomb
- Sleep Powder
- Synthesis
After discovering with the first version of this team that I had a massive weakness to Alomomola, and to a lesser extent Tangela- Charizard might get taken down by a surprise HP rock, or the opponent might outplay me with his Ghost type and get rocks on the field- I tried a few mons in this spot. Although I had moderate success with Bulky Arbok, I ultimately decided on Vileplume. Plume gives zero fucks about anything Alomomola or Tangela can throw at it, bar sleep powder, and can do massive damage with Giga Drain and Sludge Bomb, respectively. Without Vileplume’s assistance, Regenerator cores would be a huge problem for this team. I have been considering switching out Sleep Powder for Aromatherapy, though, as an untimely Thunder Wave can really screw with me.
The EVs and nature are chosen to outspeed standard Tangela and other uninvested base 60s, which are this sets main targets. Max Sp. Attack and a Modest nature capitalizes on the set’s offensive presence over standard Vileplume, and the rest is put into health to allow her to switch in multiple times throughout the match.
The EVs and nature are chosen to outspeed standard Tangela and other uninvested base 60s, which are this sets main targets. Max Sp. Attack and a Modest nature capitalizes on the set’s offensive presence over standard Vileplume, and the rest is put into health to allow her to switch in multiple times throughout the match.
Musharna @ Leftovers
Trait: Synchronize
EVs: 16 SDef / 240 HP / 252 Def
Nature: Bold (+Def -Atk)
- Psychic
- Moonlight
- Thunder Wave
- Baton Pass
Though her heyday may have passed, Musharna remains one of the most reliable physical walls in the tier. Giving me a reliable switch in against Sawk, who is otherwise very threatening, is invaluable, and she does an excellent job of dealing with the other physical threats which dominate the tier. What I love most about this set, however, is the ability to lure, cripple, and escape from Musharna’s number 1 counter- Skuntank. A thunder wave on the predicted switch followed by a baton pass more or less eliminates Skuntank’s ability to reliably check Musharna throughout the match, making her an excellent and generally risk free switch in to most physical attackers. Perhaps most importantly, Musharna can spread paralysis, dramatically reducing the ability of the opponent to check Charizard, Sawk and Tauros.
240 HP EVs lets Musharna hit a leftovers number, while the rest are dedicated to improving her already formidable bulk- offensive investment is more or less unnecessary, since Musharna isn’t meant to deal damage.
240 HP EVs lets Musharna hit a leftovers number, while the rest are dedicated to improving her already formidable bulk- offensive investment is more or less unnecessary, since Musharna isn’t meant to deal damage.
Golem @ Leftovers
Trait: Sturdy
EVs: 56 Spd / 252 Atk / 200 HP
Nature: Adamant (+Atk -SAtk)
- Earthquake
- Stealth Rock
- Sucker Punch
- Rock Blast
Golem serves four main functions on this team- Stealth Rock support, which is of course invaluable, the team’s only priority, the ability to ruin any Ninjask’s day, and a switch in to Swellow. While a bit of a defensive liability, no other pokemon can fulfill all of these niches so perfectly as Golem. Still, I’m open to suggestions for a replacement- giving a free switch in for Alomomola, Tangela and Sawk is the last thing this team needs.
The EVs and nature are standard for non-lead Golem- just enough speed to take out Torkoal before it can spin, maximum offensive investment because it’s one of Golem’s selling points, and the rest into HP to help it switch in throughout the match.
The EVs and nature are standard for non-lead Golem- just enough speed to take out Torkoal before it can spin, maximum offensive investment because it’s one of Golem’s selling points, and the rest into HP to help it switch in throughout the match.
Tauros @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spd / 4 HP
Nature: Adamant (+Atk -SAtk)
- Double-Edge
- Earthquake
- Pursuit
- Stone Edge
In my personal opinion, Tauros is hands down the best scarfer in the tier right now. Not only does he have an excellent ability in Intimidate, he hits like an absolute truck with Double-Edge. Perhaps most importantly, though, his beautiful 110 base speed means that he can afford to run an adamant nature, and still outrun and 1HKO Primeape, as well as the vast majority of other scarfers. Pursuit is chosen over retaliate to eliminate Jynx, Haunter and Kadabra- while situational, it comes in handy fairly often.
Still, although he makes a fine revenge killer, that isn’t his main use on this team. Fast and frail offensive teams are everywhere, and it’s not uncommon for a match to end after five turns of Double-Edge and five KOs. Once any ghost types and dedicated physical walls are removed by Charizard and Sawk, Tauros is free to commence his sweep through the enemy’s team, and represents the main win condition for this team.
The EVs and nature are chosen to hit as hard as possible, while still outspeeding base 95 scarfers. Simple, and effective.
Still, although he makes a fine revenge killer, that isn’t his main use on this team. Fast and frail offensive teams are everywhere, and it’s not uncommon for a match to end after five turns of Double-Edge and five KOs. Once any ghost types and dedicated physical walls are removed by Charizard and Sawk, Tauros is free to commence his sweep through the enemy’s team, and represents the main win condition for this team.
The EVs and nature are chosen to hit as hard as possible, while still outspeeding base 95 scarfers. Simple, and effective.
Threat List
I group these two together because they are the only two common SRers who can avoid the 1HKO from Sawk, and survive to set up stealth rock. Golurk in particular is a pain to deal with, since he can completely halt Tauros' sweep. While neither are terribly threatening offensively, the represent a major impediment to the team's win condition, and must be worn down for me to win.
Although most of my team can handle him, Ludi gets a free switch in against Golem, and is free to set up rain and begin sweeping. Unless he's been established as a bulky set, I basically can't afford to send out Golem, which means the opponent is free to switch as often as he likes. If he does manage to set up, I just have to hope that Musharna has enough health to pull off a T-Wave.
This little bugger does seem to crop up on my threat lists fairly often. Since the only priority on the team is Golem's Sucker Punch, any encounter with this guy will fall down to a mind game, which is never a good thing.
