SS OU CB Buzzwole Balance

ZannaBianca99

The premise of the team was to find a way to use Buzzwhole since it's a fun mon and an underrated threat. I was tired though of only seeing defensive sets and wanted to try a choiced set, since I have heard it can work with enough support.

:buzzwole: :slowking-galar: :mandibuzz: :heatran: :zeraora: :tapu fini:

:ss/buzzwole:
Buzzwole @ Choice Band
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Close Combat
- Ice Punch
- Leech Life
- Poison Jab

The star of the team. Banded CC hits like a truck, even 2HKOing the pesky metal birds. Ice Punch is for Lando, Zapdos and Dragonite. Leech Life is for general recovey, as well as for smashing the slow twins. The fourth slot was quite a big dilemma since every option leaves something out. I decided to settle with Poison Jab since it hits faires and with Future Sight support it only leaves out Aegislash, which is still 3HKOd by Ice Punch and lacks recovery. Jolly nature lets it always outspeed Heatran.

:ss/slowking-galar:
Slowking-Galar @ Assault Vest
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 160 SpA / 96 SpD
Sassy Nature
- Future Sight
- Sludge Bomb
- Flamethrower
- Earthquake

I realised Buzzwole needed Future Sight support to work offensively and Glowking can sponge a lot of special attacks so it seemed like a nice addition. The set is quite standard, with EQ to hit Heatran.

:ss/mandibuzz:
Mandibuzz @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Overcoat
EVs: 248 HP / 60 Def / 144 SpD / 56 Spe
Impish Nature
- Foul Play
- Roost
- Defog
- U-turn

Mandibuzz is a very good partner to Glowking, providing a crucial ghost resist, U-turn and Defog support. The set is pretty standard, with enough investment to outspeed Adamant Crawdaunt. Foul Play keeps it from being too passive against set up sweepers. The defensive investment helps to cover for Kart, Boom and other physical threats. In addition, the core Glow-Mandi, with the help of Heatran covers the massives threats of spec Kyurem and Lele.

:ss/heatran:
Heatran @ Leftovers
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 248 HP / 132 SpD / 128 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Stealth Rock
- Magma Storm
- Earth Power
- Taunt

A genereal solid mon, providing SR support, trapping and general defensive utility, especially against choiced-locked mons. I put it on the team once I found I vas very weak to Volc, for which Heatran is the perfect solution. It also helps out against CM Clef, which can be a problem if it gets out of hand. In addition, Magma Storm being so obnoxius to handle has the bonus of forcing in mons like Pert, Slowking or Chop, which can then be smashed by Buzzwole on the double (or even just regular for Chomp).

:ss/zeraora:
Zeraora @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Volt Absorb
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Plasma Fists
- Knock Off
- Close Combat
- Volt Switch

General fast pivot, bringing in Buzzwole and the other threats of the team. I also needed a mon for Knock Off support. Volt Switch can still be blocked by ground types, but for them you can just hard switch Buzzwole in since it eats most of them.

:ss/tapu fini:
Tapu Fini @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Misty Surge
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Moonblast
- Hydro Pump
- Knock Off
- Trick

Lastly, I put it in since I needed better speed control, as well as a water resist, while being a check to Urshifu-R. I put Knock Off over Defog since Mandi already provides support. The Zamazenta suspect also made me realize how devastating Trick can be. Misty terrain is especially helpful for Buzzwole and Zeraora since they can then spam their moves without having to fear status from Zapdos, Volc or the rare Moltres.

Major Threats:
:nidoking:Nidoking with the right set can dismantle the team so I have to go for aggressive preditions to bring in Fini.
:clefable: Clef can be quite a pain depending on the set. Also I got swept by a CM variant carrying Focus Blast and am still salty.
:hawlucha: Hawlucha can be very dangerous and generlly requires team effort to stop.
:hydreigon: Especially life orb sets
Any suggestion for the team is more than welcome
 
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Hey there, here to rate the team and propose some changes you can try.

I find your team both pretty cool and pretty good. Choice Band Buzzwole :buzzwole: is an underrated beast that smacked me several times on the ladder. Played with the support of Future Sigh, it’s almost impossible to find a reliable switch-in to its moves. Buzzwole can also use its more than ok physical def stat to come on threats like Bisharp :bisharp: and Weavile :weavile: for instance and pressure them in return. Of course, it has some drawbacks like its mediocre Speed and poor special bulk which can make him hard to use in some matchups. But it remains a very efficient wallbreaker as most people are not prepared to face him and can even be caught off guard not excepting a banded set. I like how the team is thought and I think the team is clearly viable. Zeraora is a good fast offensive option to compensate Buzzwole bad Speed. Slowking Galar :slowking galar: is a great Future Sigh user even if not having Teleport can be detrimental as it becomes harder to break with Buzzwole + Future Sigh when you cannot switch him in safely. Tapu Fini :tapu fini: is a nice Water resist even if it gets weaken over time and may leave you open to Urshifu-R :ushifu-rapid-strike: if it gets knocked down. Mandibuzz :mandibuzz: is a great Bulky Flying type that can deal with Kartana :kartana: and Garchomp :garchomp: even if you may be weak to Life Orb boosted Stone Edge and can get cripple by Knock Off + Rocks. Finally, Heatran :heatran: is a great Stallbreaker and Rocker and can help against Clefable :clefable: and Volcarona :volcarona: that both threaten Buzzwole.

As the team is already pretty good, the changes I’ll propose will mainly aim to give you something a bit different around the idea of banded Buzzwole with Future Sigh and will not be strict improvements of the team. Feel free to try them, I will also try your team if I have time as you made me want to play banded Buzzwole. Anyone let’s dive into the changes.


Major Changes:

:tapu fini: -> :slowbro:: I’m going toward something a bit bulkier but with more pivot options to facilitate Buzzwole wallbreaking job. Thus, the Future Sigh user will be Slowbro :slowbro: which unlike Slowking Galar :slowking galar: has access to both Future Sigh and Teleport. It’s also a more reliable switch to Urshifu-R :urshifu-rapid-strike: and physical attackers in general thanks to Regenerator and Slack Off. Sure, you’re losing the Speed Control and the option to Trick an annoying Pokemon brought by Choice Scarf Tapu Fini but having a FuturePort user may worth the trade. I drop you the classic Slowbro pivot set just here:

slowbro.gif

Slowbro @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Future Sight
- Slack Off
- Teleport


:slowking galar: -> :blissey:: As for your main special wall, Blissey :blissey: can be a great substitute to Slowking Galar :slowking gala: now that we already have a Future Sigh user. Even if Blissey is a more passive choice, it can bring utility to the team in several ways. You can use him as Rock setter to free a moveslot on Heatran, use Aromatherapy to heal status especially to heal Buzzwole :buzzwole: if it gets burned or paralyze, or use Thunder Wave to cripple fast attackers and leave them slower than Buzzwole. Something else you can use is Wish which will help healing Buzzwole, Zeraora :zeraora:, and Heatran :heatran:. Especially, with an option to heal Buzzwole you will be able to use its great physical bulk more often as most strong physical attackers that come on Blissey can’t touch Buzzwole and you’ll then be able to heal it pretty freely. Teleport could be an option but as you can’t play it with Wish I think Wish is a better choice overall. Here is the set I’m thinking of to sum it up a bit:

blissey.gif

Blissey (F) @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Bold Nature
- Wish / Teleport
- Soft-Boiled
- Seismic Toss
- Stealth Rock / Aromatherapy /Thunder Wave


Minor Changes:
:Buzzwole:: Your set is fine and even if Adamant could be an option, Jolly is great to avoid being surprised by max Speed Heatran :heatran:. Something I would suggest here however is to use Earthquake over Poison Jab. This is because Earthquake could help a lot against Toxapex :toxapex: when you have no space to fire a Future Sigh. It also has a good neutral coverage and is less committing than using Poison Jab. Poison Jab can be good for Clefable :clefable: but as Clef is already taking huge damage on Close Combat/ Earthquake, I think you should be fine as it will be forced to heal so that you can freely come with Heatran.

buzzwole.gif

Buzzwole @ Choice Band
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Close Combat
- Ice Punch
- Leech Life
- Earthquake


:heatran:: Your set is great. You can put 4 more EVs in Speed to outspeed the Heatran :heatran: with the classic Smogon spread. You can also use the Air Ballon instead of Leftovers as the team is a bit weak to opposing Heatran. As for the last moveslot, if you chose to use Stealth Rock on Blissey :blissey: you can run Toxic to cripple some common Heatran’s switch-ins like Slowking :slowking:, Garchomp :garchomp:, dragonite :Dragonite:, and Swampert :swampert:. Another option could be Heavy Slam as it’s a great way to deal with Calm Mind Clefable but in fact you’ll only struggle against Focus Blast Clefable which are rather uncommon (if you chose to use Heavy Slam just change the Nature to have the guaranteed 2HKO).

heatran.gif


Heatran @ Leftovers
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 248 HP / 128 SpD / 132 Spe
Calm Nature
- Magma Storm
- Earth Power
- Taunt
- Toxic / Heavy Slam / Stealth Rock

As for Mandibuzz :mandibuzz: and Zeraora :zeraora: the sets are fine and I would keep the exact same sets.


Thus, to sum up, here is a past with the changes I made (in the spots where I talked about several possible moves, I chose some but feel free to try other options or use the one you prefer):

Buzzwole @ Choice Band
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Close Combat
- Ice Punch
- Leech Life
- Earthquake

Slowbro @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Future Sight
- Slack Off
- Teleport

Mandibuzz (F) @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Overcoat
EVs: 248 HP / 60 Def / 144 SpD / 56 Spe
Impish Nature
- Foul Play
- Roost
- Defog
- U-turn

Heatran @ Leftovers
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 248 HP / 128 SpD / 132 Spe
Calm Nature
- Magma Storm
- Earth Power
- Taunt
- Toxic

Zeraora @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Volt Absorb
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Plasma Fists
- Volt Switch
- Close Combat
- Knock Off

Blissey (F) @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Bold Nature
- Wish
- Soft-Boiled
- Seismic Toss
- Stealth Rock

Keep in mind that I don’t consider this as an improvement of your team but rather a different team based on the same core that may have easier matchups against some teams and harder against others.

Hope this was interesting and gave you some ideas. Have fun testing this and have a nice day!
 
I really appreciate the feedback, I'll certainly give your options a try since i really found myself struggling with lack of longevity. Since this new team would be quite weak against opposing Heatran could EQ be an option over Scald on Slowbro?

Edit: Also could Protect be a choice over Soft-Boiled on Blissey to prevent opposing FuturePort shenanigans (with the exception of Urshifu-RS but that is taken care for by Slowbro)?
 
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Hey, glad you appreciate the feedback.

About Slowbro :slowbro:, I don't think Earthquake is a good option over Scald. This is because it only helps against Heatran :heatran:, giving you a 2HKO instead of a potential 3HKO with Scald. Against plenty of other physical attackers you rather have Scald for the higher damage but more importantly the chance of burn. You can try to shift some Def EVs in Spa to have the guaranteed 3HKO on Heatran with Scald (something like 68 Spa EVs should work). The other issue with Earthquake is that against Rillaboom :rillaboom: + Heatran :heatran: you won't even be able to 3HKO him and as they are sometimes played together it can be an issue. To deal with Heatran if you don't want to use Air Ballon on your own Heatran (as losing Leftovers is pretty annoying) you can try to play a bit aggresively against Heatran because all your Pokemon can pivot on its switch-in or threaten him with their moves. However, playing agressively may be hard in some matchups and thus, I suggest you to test the team and if you happen to have too much troubles dealing with Heatran try using Air Ballon on your own Heatran or a bit more Spa on Slowbro.

About Blissey :blissey:, you can consider using Protect over Soft Boiled. It can help to scout choice lock Pokemon, to stall weathers or terrains and can help against Future Sigh. Soft Boiled give you a more convenient way to recover your health and more PP on your recovery moves so that you can use Wish to exclusively heal your teammates and Soft Boiled to heal Blissey. Here too, try to see if you struggle against Future Sigh + some specific breakers. Maybe Zeraora :zeraora: or Banded Bisharp :bisharp: could be an issue with Future Sigh and Protect Blissey is a good answer for that. I think this change may help in some matchups (like against the aforementioned threats) but will make Blissey a bit less useful in others, so it's up to you and what you find the harder to deal with.
 
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