Cats and Rabbits
Special s/o to Gross Sweep for letting me make this.
Introduction
Hello folks! This is my 1500th post being made into an RMT! I didn't think I'd reach 1500 so soon. I just reached 1000 last August. I guess OM Mashups and staff positions left me with reasons to post more frequently. Well anyway, introducing to you one of the Pure Hackmons teams I made, Cats and Rabbits! This team is almost the usual balance type of deal with dual Wonder Guards, a No Guard, Huge Power Mega Mewtwo X, another breaker/sweeper, and something bulky capable of dealing with sweepers. The theme of this team just being just cats and rabbits was almost entirely unintentional. The true intention I had when making this team was to give Magearna some spotlight. I would've made a BH RMT instead, but I absolutely love Pure Hackmons and don't really have the current gen Balanced Hackmons experience to make an RMT for it yet. This is very likely the first OM Mashups RMT of this entire generation. Enjoy!
Teambuilding Process
Magearna was the starting pick for this team. I've decided to build a team around Magearna due to some concerns it had from other council members when I nominated this Pokemon to rise from B- to B on the Pure Hackmons Viability Rankings. It was put in to prove its capabilities as a potential offensive Wonder Guard in the Pure Hackmons metagame. The viability rankings was my 1000th post by the way, so feel free to check it out!
Next came Solgaleo. Solgaleo was given a direct purpose to Imposterproof Magearna's set and stop set up sweepers from sweeping through the entire team.
With Magearna being the first Wonder Guard, I needed a second one to take care of No Guard Sheer Cold. I've also noticed the team being in need of a cleric, specifically a wishpasser to help Magearna and whatever else I was going to add on later to the team. With that, Mega Audino was determined a good fit for the team for its bulk and unique weaknesses.
The team now currently lacks anything for Wonder Guard Steel-types and could use a better check to Deoxys-Speed, since Magearna is already weak to the less common Fissure. It could also use a Moongeist Beam Pokemon to shred through most of Pure Hackmon's dominant forces. Choice Scarf STAG Mega Gengar was the imperative choice for this slot since it manages to fill in all of these roles to a great extent. It also compliments Mega Audino nicely because it imposterproofs Mega Gengar's set.
Despite already having two offense Pokemon on the team, I still noticed a lack of raw offense power and perhaps a Pokemon who could more efficiently take down the likes of Alolan Muk, Innards Out Chansey, and opposing Mega Audino would work. When it comes to Pure Hackmons, there really isn't a better breaker than Mega Mewtwo X, so it was brought to the team. To take down Alolan Muk and Mega Audino I had to imposterproof it of course. It was gracefully given a Ground Memory and Sunsteel Strike to fulfill all of its deeds, along with the usual STAB moldy move to break through almost anything. Last but not least it was given False Swipe to specialize itself in hindering Innards Out Chansey.
At this point I looked at the five Pokemon made so far. They were just 3 cats and 2 rabbits. I wanted to fulfill this theme and add a third rabbit, so I quickly added in Mega Lopunny and called it a day. What was needed was a good Stealth Rock Pokemon available to support Mega Mewtwo X, Magearna, and most especially Mega Gengar by chipping the opposing Pokemon into KO ranges. Fast No Guard Pokemon are great at playing the magical game of Stealth Rock because they pressure and scare away opposing defoggers with the use of Sing and Gastro Acid. While Mega Lopunny doesn't have the highest speed its base 135 speed serves it very well as a No Guard and can work as a No Guard counterpart to Deo-Speed. This is due to Mega Lopunny matching resistances with pure Psychic-type's weaknesses.
Short Summary of Teambuilding Process
+ This is a usual balanced Pure Hackmons team made to check many of the most common threats in the metagame.
+ Magearna carries dual STAB moves and a coverage move with set up in order to act as a potential sweeper.
+ Solgaleo has Magearna's and Mega Mewtwo X's back in case Imposter steps in the way, but also holds a fort against other opposing sweepers.
+ Mega Audino is a cleric able to pass wish to anyone on the team if needed. Magearna especially appreciates this feat.
+Mega Gengar is able to trap and revenge kill many specific Pokemon while targeting a common type of Wonder Guard.
+Mega Mewtwo X breaks opposing Pokemon with moldy STAB and coverage while Solgaleo imposterproofs it.
+Mega Lopunny fits as a good No Guard due to its typing resisting Deoxys's weaknesses while still having a speed tier above base 130.
Team
There will be a music video linked on each of the Pokemon's names below. Click on them to find out what theme they were given. All of these Pokemon were given 30 HP IVs because of a Pokemon's known reputation in Pure Hackmons to choose an extra turn of survivability against hazards and status over recovering an extra percent of health. Especially with Wonder Guards in this metagame, which for many, attacks against them have an all or nothing chance to hit and OHKO.
Magearna-Original @ Iron Plate
Ability: Wonder Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Naughty Nature
IVs: 30 HP
- Shell Smash
- Moonblast
- Surf
- Sunsteel Strike
As mentioned in the teambuilding process section, this iron rabbit was the starting pick for the team. Magearna's dual Steel/Fairy typing leaves it having a total of two non Ice weaknesses, making it as a decent choice for a Wonder Guard. Despite this, it is important to be aware of not only both weaknesses being common among Huge Power Mega Mewtwo X and Shadow Tag Primal Groudon, but to also notice its weakness to Fissure, the primary alternative to Sheer Cold for No Guards. Magearna holds an Iron Plate for extra STAB damage with Sunsteel Strike without sacrificing HP from a Life Orb alternative. Steelium Z is another alternative but it doesn't break through abilities. This Pokemon holds a Naughty Nature because out of all of its stats, it cares the least about Special Defense. It needs the speed to outpace Pokemon as fast as Mega Aerodactyl at +2, needs both Attack and Special Attack due to running a mixed set, and needs the Defense to survive better against opposing Sunsteel Strike, allowing it to potentially imposterproof this team's Mega Mewtwo X and beat its own Imposter. It prefers an Attack boosting nature over a Special Attack boosting nature simply to maximize damage of Sunsteel Strike, which it'll attempt pulling off most.
Move Descriptions:
Shell Smash: Given to provide Magearna the opportunity of boosting Attack, Special Attack, and Speed. Because this is a metagame where Wonder Guards often have an all or nothing chance of getting hit and OHKOed, Magearna doesn't worry much about defense drops.
Moonblast: Special Fairy-type STAB move Magearna can use to take down common Dark-types such as Mega Sableye and Yveltal, Fighting-types like Mega Mewtwo X, or Dragon-types like Giratina, Zygarde-Complete, and Mega Rayquaza. Having something best for Mega Sableye especially helps me personally since I love running as little prep for Mega Sableye as possible -_-.
Surf: Seems like a wildcard for Magearna, but this move is given most notably to take down Primal Groudon, who could ultimately counter Magearna otherwise.
Sunsteel Strike: Given as a Moldy STAB move to break opposing Pokemon. Works well especially against common Fairy-type Wonder Guards like Xerneas and Mega Audino, or even common Wonder Guards with lower defense like Meloetta. It also helps prepare for Mega Mewtwo X to take on Alolan Muk without having to use an extra turn.
Audino-Mega @ Shed Shell
Ability: Wonder Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 30 HP / 0 Atk
- Wish
- Defog
- Aromatherapy
- King's Shield
For a Mega Audino in Pure Hackmons, this one has quite a strange set, for the lack of a pivot move. This Pokemon is a full on cleric utilized to heal the entire team and clear hazards away, leading it to sacrifice pivot moves such as U-Turn, Volt Switch, and Parting Shot, or reflect moves like Magic Coat, a move to further prepare for Deoxys-Speed. Although Mega Audino can run pivot over Defog due to the team having four rock resistances, Defog is useful to keep Mega Lopunny's Focus Sash unbroken. Mega Audino has a unique set of weaknesses for a Normal-type, just Steel and Poison. When combined with its nigh Arceus-level bulk and an immunity to the ferocious Moongiest Beam, Mega Audino makes itself the best Wonder Guard in the metagame that doesn't resist or isn't immune to Photon Geyser. Its typing allows this Pokemon to pair very well with Mega Gengar, since it'll be able to imposterproof against Gengar's STAB Moongeist Beam and common coverage moves it carries like Blue Flare for Bug/Steel Wonder Guards, and Secret Sword for other Normal-type Wonder Guards. Because this Mega Audino lacks pivot moves, Shed Shell for its item is almost mandatory. Losing a good Wonder Guard to Shadow Tag makes for one of the least desirable situations you could face in Pure Hackmons. Last notable thing about this set would be its nature. Mega Audino was given Calm Nature to survive better against Special Attackers like Mega Mewtwo Y and opposing Mega Gengar. Normally I'd give defensive Wonder Guards Bold Nature instead, but Mega Audino is a complete sitting duck against Huge Power Mega Mewtwo X regardless of nature, so it's better to move most of its investment to where it'd next profit more.
Move Descriptions:
Wish: Used to restore HP for either itself or a teammate by the end of the following turn.
Defog: Clears hazards on the team, providing help for Mega Lopunny to keep its Focus Sash while generally preventing the team from taking excess damage from hazards.
Aromatherapy: Used to restore status. Particularly helps with burns since both Magearna and Mega Mewtwo X don't appreciate having their Attack stat cut in half.
King's Shield: Primarily used for if Mega Audino wants to pass Wish into itself. Wish Pokemon like King Shield since it halves the attack of Pokemon who use contact moves against the user. In Mega Audino's case, it helps ease down the opposing threat of Sunsteel Strike. Despite the benefits King's Shield gives, you may consider Spiky Shield as a great replacement, since Mega Audino is forced to run Shed Shell and has nothing to block status. Unlike Spiky Shield, status still phases through King's Shield. Spiky Shield also slightly damages any opponent who use contact moves against it, with the cost of keeping their Attack stat normal.
Gengar-Mega @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Shadow Tag
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 30 HP / 0 Atk
- Moongeist Beam
- Blue Flare
- Trick
- Shell Smash
Enter Mega Gengar, who is perhaps the best revenge killer in the entire metagame. This particular Mega Gengar is Choice Scarf with Shadow Tag and Moongeist Beam to trap and KO opposing Mega Gengar, chipped Mega Mewtwo X, and most importantly, Deoxys-Speed. Mega Gengar also has Blue Flare to KO opposing Wonder Guard Scizor, who would otherwise wall this entire team. Some Mega Gengar would love to run other attacking moves like Secret Sword, Sludge Wave, or even Poison-type Judgment in teams with Mega Audino. However, I love having my Mega Gengar sneaky, so this one carries Trick to rid itself from Scarf and break walls. With the loss of Choice Scarf Mega Gengar must have another option to outspeed Mega Mewtwo and Deoxys-Speed right? Well, that's what Shell Smash is for! It makes Mega Gengar more powerful than ever before and provides a fantastic opportunity for it to sweep through Mega Mewtwo and Deoxys-Speed, along with Mega Slowbro and Doublade, who often check Mega Mewtwo X. Mega Gengar likes being as fast as possible and its attack stat isn't used, so Timid Nature fits best. Modest can pull off some extra damage but Mega Mewtwos aren't OHKOed by a +0 Moongeist Beam either way, and Modest puts Mega Gengar at risk of being outsped by the rising Choice Scarf Mega Mewtwo X and opposing Mega Gengar.
Move Descriptions:
Moongeist Beam: Heavily destructive Ghost-type STAB moldy move used to sweep against highly "meta" teams with Mega Mewtwo X, Mega Mewtwo X walls, and Deoxys-Speed.
Blue Flare: Deals with Mega Scizor and other general Wonder Guard Steel-types, which this team lacks preparation for otherwise. Despite Blue Flare having higher power, Searing Shot move prove to be a better choice, due to having 100% accuracy and a higher chance for burns while still having good power on its own.
Trick: Used to hinder defensive Pokemon and rid itself of Choice Scarf restrictions, while forcing Mega Gengar's return to normal speed.
Shell Smash: Boosts Mega Gengar's Special Attack and Speed, at the cost of lowering its defenses. Mega Gengar is normally a frail Pokemon so it's not too affected by this drawback. Gamefreak made sure its positives outweigh anyhow.
Mega Gengar can alternatively run loads of attacking moves like Secret Sword, False Swipe, Sludge Wave, and Judgement. It can also run many alternative abilities such as Mold Breaker, Parental Bond, and Prankster. Mega Gengar is very easily, if not the most, one of the most flexible Pokemon in USUM Pure Hackmons.
Solgaleo @ Safety Goggles
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Impish Nature
IVs: 30 HP
- Haze
- Destiny Bond
- Shore Up
- Spectral Thief
Solgaleo might be an unusual Prankster in the metagame but it's one capable of Imposterproofing Magearna and Mega Mewtwo X while also dealing with the same sweepers most other Pranksters deal with. Stuff like Mega Latios, Gyarados, Regigigas, and to some extent, Mega Mewtwo X are good examples of these sweepers. Since both Magearna and Mega Mewtwo X rely on at least one physical move, and Solgaleo doesn't need Special Attack, Impish was considered to be the best nature for it. Like many defensive Pokemon in Pure Hackmons, Solgaleo carries Safety Goggles to block Spore and perform its roles.
Move Descriptions:
Haze: Clears the opponent's stat boosts, whatever they are. Great for imposterproofing and preventing sweeps.
Destiny Bond: Only used if this seems to be a better option than Haze. A great example of a good situation to use Destiny Bond in would be one against Choice Scarf Mega Mewtwo X, who could potentially wipe out the entire team. This move promises to take out the opposing Pokemon if Solgaleo gets KOed within its next move.
Shore Up: Prankster Pokemon like good recovery options. Shore Up just happens to be the best. It's great to have this move over Heal Order, Recover, Roost, and all the other 50% heal options for the slight chance of facing a sand team.
Spectral Thief: Super effective against Mega Mewtwo X and can be used to greatly punish those who continue to spam set up without having a Normal-type. Makes Solgaleo stronger and more capable of knocking out sweepers like Mega Mewtwo X on its own.
Lopunny-Mega @ Focus Sash
Ability: No Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 30 HP / 0 Atk
- Sing
- Sheer Cold
- Gastro Acid
- Stealth Rock
This is Mega Lopunny, freezer of souls. One look into its eyes and you could turn into an ice block! All jokes aside Mega Lopunny takes advantage of Deoxy-Speed's prevalence by resisting moves from Pokemon who may excessively prepare for it. Scarf U-Turn Durant and Pursuit users such as Refrigerate/Magic Bounce Kyurem-Black or Wonder Guard Mega Gyarados are fine examples of those who Deoxys-Speed may struggle to survive against, while Mega Lopunny lasts. In return, Mega Lopunny still has a disadvantage over Deoxys-Speed by having a lower Speed stat. Mega Lopunny doesn't mind this because most players would rather not have even their own Deoxys-Speed 1v1 an opposing Deoxys-Speed, giving their Wonder Guards the opportunity to handle it instead. Due to Mega Lopunny's speed tier still being above 130, outspeeding much of the metagame including Mega Gengar and Mega Mewtwo X, this Pokemon can suffice running a standard No Guard set. It holds No Guard to hit everything and Focus Sash to survive at least one hit in case it still needs to throw rocks, scare away Wonder Guards, or OHKO opposing Pokemon. No Guard users with a standard Deoxys-Speed set can often choose between Timid and Jolly nature, since they need to be as fast as possible and don't use either offense stat. This No Guard's primary use is to lure opposing Wonder Guards, scare them away, and set Stealth Rock for Mega Gengar, Mega Mewtwo X, and Magearna.
Move Descriptions:
Sing: Lures foes to sleep. Is mostly used to ease down Wonder Guards without Magic Coat so they could refrain from doing much, but can be taken advantage of by those with Magic Coat or Magic Bounce. Since Wonder Guards often carry Defog, luring them to sleep and forcing them out provides a great opportunity to not only set up rocks, but hold them out for a while.
Sheer Cold: OHKOs everything bar Wonder Guards, Sturdy Pokemon, and Ice-types.
Gastro Acid: Nullifies the opponent's ability. This move is specifically targeted towards Wonder Guards and Sturdy Pokemon in attempt to scare them away and/or OHKO.
Stealth Rock: Sets up hazardous floating rocks on the opposing side. It's great for breakers and sweepers alike in every metagame, as if it isn't enough for Pure Hackmons.
Mewtwo-Mega-X @ Ground Memory
Ability: Huge Power
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
IVs: 30 HP
- False Swipe
- Photon Geyser
- Sunsteel Strike
- Multi-Attack
Mega Mewtwo X is the final Pokemon in display. It's built to break as much as this team hasn't covered up against without the fear of Imposter Chansey flipping the team over. Because of this, it is given a Ground Memory, Multi-Attack, and Sunsteel Strike, to take care of Mega Audino, Xerneas, and Air Balloon Alolan Muk, but also deal hefty amounts of damage to Yveltal, Mega Sableye, Primal Groudon, and Meloetta, False Swipe is used to take care of Chansey, and Photon Geyser to break through nearly anything that doesn't resist it. It can even go as far as to blindly 2HKO Giratina and almost 2HKO Zygarde-Complete, who could otherwise be dealt with by Magearna, Mega Lopunny, and Mega Gengar to an extent. As usual, Mega Mewtwo X loves being as fast as it could be while lacking the use of Special Attack. Because of this, Mega Mewtwo X works best having a Jolly Nature.
Move Descriptions:
False Swipe: Used to bring Innards Out Chansey down to its knees by restricting its HP to one. Some Innards Out Chansey may get sneaky however, and run pinch berries like Figy, Aguav, Wiki, and Mago, bringing back half their HP then using Final Gambit. Watch out for those as it'll make Mega Mewtwo X take as much as 86% damage. If Innards Out Chansey doesn't have a pinch berry then Mega Mewtwo X secures a risk-free KO.
Photon Geyser: The most reliable STAB move Mega Mewtwo X has ever had in this metagame. Photon Geyser is given to help this Pokemon break through most Wonder Guards while 2HKOing or OHKOing nearly the entire nonresistant metagame without Stealth Rocks up. With Stealth Rocks up it even pressures the one nonresistant Pokemon that can take more than two Photon Geysers.
252 Atk Huge Power Mewtwo-Mega-X Photon Geyser vs. 248 HP / 252+ Def Zygarde-Complete: 274-324 (43.1 - 51%) -- 53.1% chance to 2HKO after Stealth Rock
Sunsteel Strike: Another moldy physical move! This one is carried to break through Wonder Guard Fairy-types, do hefty amounts of damage to Mega Sableye, and destroy Alolan Muk's Air Balloon for it to get hit by Multi-Attack. Despite Sunsteel Strike 2HKOing Alolan Muk, this still matters in case Alolan Muk finds an opportunity to switch out, switch back in against one of your Pokemon, then recover.
Multi-Strike: Made a Ground-type move by its item, Multi-Attack knocks out Alolan Muk and does a hefty amount of damage to Steel-types, who resist all of Mega Mewtwo X's other attacks. This ranges from Mega Metagross, which has over a 40% chance of getting OHKOed after Stealth Rock, to Magearna, who gets OHKOed regardless of whether rocks are in the field. Other examples of reliable Steel-types who could take hefty amounts would be Dusk Mane Necrozma, Solgaleo, Aegislash, and Registeel. Last but not least this move can deal extra damage to Pokemon with a Ground-type weakness, such as Primal Groudon. This move cannot touch Bug/Steel-types however, but that's what the Mega Gengar above is for!
Checks and Counters
If you thought this team was perfect you thought wrong! No team made by Ransei is perfect, and this is in a still developing metagame with matchups influencing the end result much of the time. Now onto what I have in store for checks and counters. Most of these may be a result of having a lack of speed control, utility, or even powerful enough coverage.
Fissure: Although rare, this team will find quite a challenge in dealing with No Guard Fissure, because one of the two Wonder Guards are weak to Ground-type, and the other could have Gastro Acid used on. In this scenario, something would have to be sacked then Mega Gengar could come in and hinder the Fissure user.
Choice Scarf users: Choice Scarf users are able to trick Choice Scarf on most of this team. This harms especially Mega Lopunny, Solgaleo, and Mega Audino, whose strategies have them rely on using sets of different moves in one sitting in order to be successful. Choice Scarf also threatens the team due to speed tiers. A Choice Scarf Mega Mewtwo X can outspeed nearly the entire team, including a x2 Speed Magearna, while being able to KO with its normal moves.
Mega Aerodactyl: Holds a crazy high speed tier, managing to outspeed Pokemon as fast as Mega Lopunny, while also being notorious for carrying Shadow Tag as one of its abilities. This Perish Song trapper would often run Encore, causing much of the same problems Choice Scarf does. Overall the main problem is the lack of extensive prep for this Pokemon. It could run a large variety of sets outside Perish Song to win, including Huge Power or Mold Breaker with Dragon Ascent, Thousand Arrows, and Sunsteel Strike.
Primal Groudon + Wonder Guard Mega Gyarados core: The only Pokemon with a move to efficiently hit Mega Gyarados would be Magearna, who may hold the chance of being trapped and KOed by Primal Groudon. This leaves a huge vulnerability for the rest of the team as nothing is left to hit Wonder Guard Mega Gyarados very well in most cases. It likes carrying Magic Coat making it tough for Mega Lopunny, and Pursuit to KO this team's Mega Gengar. In worst case scenarios it could even carry Taunt to prevent Solgaleo and Mega Audino from performing their roles, and/or hold a Z-Crystal as an item, preventing Mega Gengar from switching Choice Scarf into it.
Deoxys-Speed: Despite what was explained with Mega Lopunny, this team still struggles against Deoxys-Speed due to lack of proper utility. Magic Bounce nor Magic Coat are used, allowing Deoxys-Speed to potentially force Wonder Guards into a game of switching and waking up at the right moment to attack or use Defog. This also permits Deoxys-Speed to launch a free Stealth Rock after using Sing and Gastro Acid. Deoxys-Speed however, can still be beaten by Mega Gengar or chips from Moonblast in the process of Magearna waking up.
-ates: The common -ate users normally carry priority fakespeed and coverage for those who resist or are immune. For instance, one can run a Fake Out, Extreme Speed, V-Create, and Sunsteel Strike Mega Rayquaza. I've never faced this exact set with the team, but it's still something to think about since Mega Mewtwo X is weak against two of the three most common -ate types being Flying-type and Fairy-type, while Mega Gengar and Mega Lopunny have poor defenses, and Solgaleo and Magearna are both common walls bound to be hit by Fire-type or Ground-type coverage. Last but not least, -ates in Pure Hackmons are likely to run coverage against Wonder Guards such as Mega Audino for instance.
These are just most examples of what can be commonly found as weaknesses among this team but Pokemon like Deoxys-Attack, Mega Sceptile, any of the less common Pokemon whose base speed is above 135 could pose as threats as well.
Conclusion
I didn't come here with a godsend of a team for my 1500th post but it has at least proven its use in the current Pure Hackmons metagame and made its way into being an updated sample team. I'm not a teambuilding enthusiast as of yet but this is one of the greater Pure Hackmons teams I've built in this gen. If you have any questions or concerns about this team, you are encouraged to post below. Thanks for your time reading! Before you go, here's a final song to listen to: Not Afraid ft Faded. It's a mashup! If you want, you can also review the replays and "shoutouts" below.
Replays - Since this team was made a sample it was used against me too.
Latest Importable:
Shoutouts
Smogon University
Way too many people to tag. Just spread this RMT around everywhere!
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