ORAS LC Cold Wind Blows (Peaked #1)

[fatty]

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introduction: ​

when it comes to lc, i have a pretty simple mindset as it pertains to teambuilding: cover as many weaknesses as possible while maintaining enough offensive pressure to be threatening. revolutionary, i know. i usually don't go out of my way to use specific pokemon if i know a different one will help me cover more threats. while most of the time this works out for me, it does tend to lean my teams more towards the standard side. now, i like to think my teams are some of the better versions of these standardized teams, but standard is standard. due to the fact that these teams are standard and the archetypes well known, they open themselves up to being exploited against with anti-metagame tactics and specific "innovative" sets. this, coupled with the fact that a couple users mentioned how my teams were a bit outdated, drove me to create this team. with the transition to oras, i never really felt like the metagame had changed that much, but there were a couple notable buffs in the form of pancham and skrelp. at the time i was a bit stuck in my ways, so i thought what best to get me out of it than attempt to abuse these new fangled threats. not to mention, they synergize quite well offensively. my biggest issue with them, though, was that they had all the power, yet lacked the speed to abuse it. skrelp is hella slow, sitting at 9 speed uninvested, and pancham is not much better at 10. because the effectiveness of pokemon in lc is so reliant on who attacks first, i had to find a way to remedy this, be it through para spam, webs, or something. para spam is always something i've been keen on, but i decided it was too unreliable to use on a team where two of my members were so reliant on it. webs is also something that i find way too matchup reliant, and these weren't the team members i wanted to use it with. with that, i looked back on a pokemon i had grown to love due to it's great utility: cottonee. tailwind is a sort of unexplored area within the realms of lc, and priority tailwind was just the support pancham / skrelp needed. with that, i had the basic core set (cottonee / pancham / skrelp) to build the rest of the team around. i didn't want cottonee to be the only chance for pancham and skrelp to do damage, though, so i went back to an old friend in archen to provide a second, albeit slightly less reliable, tailwind user. from there, onix and pawniard were added to fill in some gaps, and voila, Cold Wind Blows was formed. in terms of accomplishments, this team has helped me peak#1 twice, once on the ladder right before the last suspect test all by itself, and secondly during my peak during the suspect test with the help of some other teams i was using at the time. i also used this team vs. fitzy in splc, where it sadly lost but put up a valiant fight. i have to say, although i enjoy my standard balance in lc, offenses like these are definitely what keep the tier interesting for me and allow me to throw a curveball once a while.

Onix @ Berry Juice
Ability: Sturdy
Level: 5
EVs: 76 HP / 236 Atk / 196 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Taunt
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Rock Blast

just look at that monster, how in the fuck is this thing in lc? most lc mons aren't even as big as it's ass rock, let alone the rest of him. but seriously, onix is something i've always wanted to try, but never really had the chance to. like i mentioned before, i'm never one to just force a pokemon on a team, so it was great to see that it fit so well. i've always liked it's seemingly perfect combination for an offensive lead having stealth rock, taunt, great stab coverage, good speed, and sturdyjuice to top it all off. i don't know what else you could ask out of a lead mon. i needed a rocker and a more reliable fletchling counter (the bane of lc offense), and onix fills both of those roles very nicely. funnily enough though, most of the time i don't lead onix. there are too many mienfoo's running around, and almost everyone leads with it, so i try not to waste onix's sturdyjuice too early, opting to bring it in later in the game when warranted. opponents just seeing onix in team preview most of the time will lead something to beat it anyways, seeing as it pretty much is a dedicated lead, so it's not too big of a deal. onix's other qualities make it usable at any stage of a game anyways. the biggest of these traits is definitely sturdyjuice. for an offensive team like this that can't hope to counter everything, if i can keep sturdy in tact, onix can act as a "counter" to pretty much any offensive pokemon in the metagame, not once, but twice. although i'm still kind of weak to threats such as magnemite or shell smashers, this aspect helps a lot in that regard. it's pretty much also the only reason i have defog on archen, to help ensure the safety blanket that is onix. i guess i could go into the specific set and moves, but they really do speak for themselves. taunt prevents set up or opposing hazards, while stealth rock helps to get the residual damage going for this team. earthquake is obviously a great stab, more so in lc where not too many solid ground resists exist, and rock blast completes the edgequake coverage while simultaneously breaking subs.

Cottonee @ Eviolite
Ability: Prankster
Level: 5
EVs: 36 HP / 36 Def / 144 SpA / 196 SpD / 72 Spe
Bold Nature
- Tailwind
- Giga Drain
- Dazzling Gleam
- Hidden Power [Fire]

i go through little spurts of what my favorite pokemon to use is, the one i always go back to for different reasons, and now is no different. first it was missy back in xy, then archen (who i guess i still use a shit ton, who doesn't lol) and now i'd probably say it's this little bro. the sheer utility this guy brings to a team is unimaginable. not only does it's typing allow it to act as solid check to some of the most powerful / annoying pokemon in the metagame in chinchou, fighters, and drilbur, but it also has a godly support movepool, and prankster to tie it all together. it's the perfect glue pokemon on a lot of teams right now for being a really solid pivot as well as filling in essentially any support niche a team could ask for. on this particular team, it's the main tailwinder, and as such is probably the most important member. without a guaranteed priority tailwind, pancham and skrelp would rarely find the time to be effective. continually, because cottonee is so important to this team, i go to great lengths to make sure it stays alive. from not letting it take an arrant knock off, spamming giga drain, and switching it in only when necessary, i usually won't let cottonee die until i'm ready for it to be dead late-game. that's not to say i won't bring it in to get tailwind up early to mid-game, i just only will if i can foresee it providing more utility than a late-game surprise tailwind. as you may of noticed, tailwind isn't the only different thing about this cottonee. both the moveset and ev's are a little weird but let me explain. skrelp is one of my main win conditions, and although it's stab's are strong, it has a terrible time getting past ferroseed. cottonee always seems to lure in ferro, so why not slap it with an hp fire. there's a little bit extra spa investment so that i hit 12 spa, giving hp fire and giga drain a bit more of a punch while hitting an eviolite number. i evened out def and spd at 14 for, again, eviolite numbers, and threw the remaining ev's in speed and hp.

Archen @ Berry Juice
Ability: Defeatist
Level: 5
EVs: 76 HP / 36 Atk / 156 Def / 196 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Defog
- Acrobatics
- Earthquake
- Tailwind

if cottonee is the king of utility in lc, archen is definitely a close second. defog, sr, offensive presence, good typing, and apparently now tailwind, you name it and archen does it. that's probably why archen is everywhere right now, and why it's so hard for me to make a team without it. originally i was going to put drilbur in this slot to have a spinner and another offensive presence under tw, but then i realized i could have two tailwinders as well as that same stuff LOL. i also don't need to run sr on this due to onix, so that opens up the last slot for either defog or rock slide. id love to have the extra stab in rock slide, but defog is just too valuable, making sure i don't get screwed over by spikestack and helping to preserve onix's sturdy. other than defog and tailwind, archen provides yet another utility check to a lot of threats such as fighters, grasses, and birds, and the ground immunity is a very nice thing to have. archen is no slouch offensively either, sitting at 18 atk with only 36 ev's invested, so once berry juice is broke, acro + eq provide a nice little coverage combination for archen to do some damage of it's own. obviously, because archen lacks prankster like cottonee, i have to play the tailwind game a bit differently with him. archen does have good offensive prowess as well, so coming in and tailwinding right off the bat is usually not the way to go. archen's tailwind more of a latch ditch effort, punishing users who fail to knock it out or using it last second versus ferro / bulky water. i don't think i've ever seen tailwind on archen before i used this team, so utilizing the surprise factor is definitely the way to go. i try and wait for the perfect opportunity, i.e. archen can't do enough on it's own and with tailwind up, skrelp / pancham has an opening for a mini-sweep. i'll be the first one to say this doesn't always work, and a lot of the time i never even use tw from archen in a match, but it's nice to have that backup in case things go awry (in which they often do).

Skrelp @ Eviolite
Ability: Adaptability
Level: 5
EVs: 36 HP / 116 Def / 196 SpA / 36 SpD / 116 Spe
Modest Nature
- Hydro Pump
- Sludge Wave
- Rest
- Sleep Talk

THE POWER. adaptability really was a godsend for this thing. hydro pump + sludge wave, boosted by adaptability, does a ridiculous amount of damage, even to resists. the things that do resist it are often lured by cottonee (ferro) or don't have the staying power to tank sludge wave especially if i knock off eviolite (croagunk). under tailwind, i also run enough speed to reach 22, outspeeding even 14 speed scarfers. this allows skrelp to plow through offensive teams while tw is up, spamming it's stabs and watching as the other team crumbles. versus slower, stallish teams, skrelp is a threat as well because it's so hard to wear down with a resttalk set. with that said, i try and avoid knock off as much as possible (it's hard because it's a great fighter check, but i make due) to allow it to tank hits over the course of a match. resttalk also lets this act as a status absorber for the team, seeing as nothing likes taking wow, or any status for that matter. skrelp also makes a great offensive partner for pancham under tw, attacking from the special side and nailing fairies / weakening croagunk. i used to have scald > hydro pump to help spread burns, but the power provided from hydro is too much to pass up.

Pancham @ Eviolite
Ability: Iron Fist
Level: 5
EVs: 60 HP / 180 Atk / 100 Def / 52 SpD / 116 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Drain Punch
- Knock Off
- Gunk Shot

this is the main win condition for the team. swords dance + iron fist + the possibility of being under tailwind makes this a monster for pretty much any team to face, stall and offense alike. the coverage it has with drain punch / gunk / knock off give it all the right offensive tools to beat any defensive mon as well. sd drain punch also gives it the staying power it needs to stay relevant throughout a match. i will say, i've contemplated putting sd mienfoo > this to give me a better pivot vs stuff like magnemite, porygon, and pawniard, but the sweeping potential pancham has is off the charts. a lot of the times, i don't even need tailwind up to punch massive holes in a team, as once i get an sd, drain punch + coverage moves prove too much to bring pancham down without being dismantled. the ev's give me 18 atk and as much bulk as possible while letting me hit 12 speed (24 under tw).

Pawniard @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Defiant
Level: 5
EVs: 236 Atk / 36 Def / 36 SpD / 196 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Knock Off
- Iron Head
- Pursuit
- Brick Break

the final member of this team, and the final member on a lot of my teams tbh. i even think i used this in my last rmt, but that's alright because it always does exactly what i need. first of all, i can't always rely on tailwind being up, so having a solid revenge killer for faster mons is a must. pawniard fulfills this role, while also giving me a secondary (primary?) knock off user, as well as a way to trap ghosts / psychics so they're not a problem later on. this is huge for both skrelp and pancham, as focus sash abra is a full on counter to both if sash isn't broken. other than that, it also gives me a secondary check to stuff such as archen, fletch, fairies, other pawniard and pretty much everything lol. pawniard's typing also allows it to tank a lot attacks i might need to switch-in on despite lacking an eviolite. against stealth rock weak teams, it also gives me a way to absorb defog and go on a mini iron head sweep of my own. all-in-all, i find this to be the perfect revenge killer on most of my teams, and this one is no different.

conclusion: ​

whelp, that's my tailwind team. thanks a lot for reading, and feel free to use this to your hearts content. i know there's a couple of weaks that i mentioned over the course of the rmt (magnemite, offensive porygon, shell smashers) but most offenses are going to have weaknesses like that. with solid play and the setting of a win con of my own, although troublesome, they can be played around. i'm at a crossroads with my lc teams, seeing as i've been eliminated from the lc tournament, and what better time to retire this team / force myself to build new ones. i hope this shows that i don't always run the most standard shit and can "innovate" when need be. the great thing about lc is there is an abundance of strategies just waiting to be found and abused, you just have to do the work.

 

[Corporal Levi]

Hi fatty
I have a few minor suggestions that I guess you could test out if you like them, although there's not much to say, seeing how your team is already super solid and you've had success with it.

From your Cottonee description, it sounds like you're not using Dazzling Gleam too often while Cottonee is in play, and considering how you already have RestTalk Skrelp + Acrobatics Archen, it doesn't seem particularly necessary for Fighting-types. Encore probably wouldn't be used much, either, especially considering how Omanyte can't really set up on anything except for Pawniard, but it might help to serve as a back-up check against Sturdyjuice Tirtouga/Dwebble so you can play Onix more aggressively or in case something goes wrong, as well as discourage Foongus's Spore.

I like your idea of SD Mienfoo over Pancham, since Regenerator helps a lot in the early game so that your team isn't whittled down by Magnemite and stuff, and it's still not too bad of a sweeper. Mienfoo is already pretty powerful, it can be EVed to hit similar stats to the current Pancham, and Poison Jab is still enough to OHKO a koffed Spritzee at +2. Unboosted High Jump Kick has a good chance to OHKO a full health offensive Porygon, which you mentioned was a little bit troublesome, if you're willing to forgo Drain Punch or Poison Jab. With that being said, Pancham's abilities are slightly more useful for sweeping, and that looks like what the slot is mostly for.
Mold Breaker over Iron Fist could also be an option on Pancham so that you don't run as great a risk of being revenge-killed by Magnemite or Counter Dwebble once Pancham is weakened, but I'm not sure if you're trying to obtain any specific KOs with Iron Fist.

But yea, this team is really strong

 

[fatty]

thanks for the rate man. hmm now that you mention it I really dont use dazzling gleam too often, and even though shell smashers can't set up on much, in the rare cases that it does happen it really sucks having to sac cotton. I think I am gonna try encode out, it'd also help get a free tailwind up when used right.

yeah like I mentioned mienfoo is something I've been meaning to try over pancham, so I probably will.

thanks again, I'll be sure to try the changes out

 

[Mr. Spidly]

I faced off against this very team the other day, with encore on the cottonee.
Sitting at the other end of this team i thought you were super weak to foongus, to the point where I expected a lead with onix and met it with foongus. (I then made the incorrect predict of sludge bombing while he set up sneaky pebbles).
I understand the gunk shot on pancham, but i think something to deal with foongus might be a little better. Knock off is solid (i think i owe that match to sporing while he danced) but maybe a zen headbutt or elemental punch? I think your fairy types are well covered by skrelp and pawniard, you would just need to play from a position of "eliminate those threats before bringing out pancham" but im not certain pancham is sweeping with dance as it is. Tailwind only lasts 4 turns and when one is swords dancing and another is switching theres no time left for sweeping.

From this point I would suggest dropping dance for a punch of choice, probably Fire, though I could see Ice. This is purely from a theoretical approach.
This is the first cohesive fringe team I have seen in some time, and I am excited to see you wrote about it!

 

[doomsday doink]

You passed me this team a while ago and the only change I've made is Zen Headbutt > Gunk Shot on Pancham. Pretty much echoing Mr. Spidly above me, but the ability to hit Poison-types is much nicer than the coverage provided by Gunk Shot, as Skrelp is already a fantastic check to Spritzee and deals with Snubbull rather effectively (especially if it lacks Earthquake).

 

[RZL]

Hello fatty,
This team is very well built, it also has a sense of some originality as, tailwind is not a common stratagem. This team uses this unique playstyle optimally, with slow wallbreakers such as, Skrelp. The main change that should be made I think is Gunk Shot<Zen Headbutt. If, I decided against this I would switch Pancham with Mienfoo as, it can preform this role just as effectively. I would like to reiterate that this team is very well built, and most problems it has are either extremely situational, or uncommon.