SM LC Corphish Balance by Luthier & Shrug

[RMT Staff]

Introduction

The team is centered around luring and removing Foongus with Corphish and Timburr. Typically, Foongus is a pain to deal with thanks to Spore and Regenerator; however, with Waterium Z and Stealth Rock, Corphish can overcome its would-be check, clearing the way for Timburr to dish out damage. Spritzee also appreciates the removal of its best counter, and it serves as a sturdy Fighting-type answer. Abra was added largely for its speed, as without it the team is incredibly slow; with Life Orb it is immensely threatening, which helps keep up an offensive tempo. The last two slots are dedicated to compressing hazard control and checks to key Pokemon together, leaving Onix and Vullaby as the only choices for the team. Onix was added to cover the glaring weakness to Flying-types, and of course, offers Stealth Rock support. A specially defensive Vullaby was added to patch up the team's issues with Sucker Punch Gastly while also being a generally solid pick due to Defog and naturally pressuring Grass-types for Corphish.

Team Members

Violet (Onix) @ Eviolite
Ability: Weak Armor
Level: 5
EVs: 76 HP / 236 Atk / 196 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Rock Blast
- Earthquake
- Explosion

Onix is using an extremely standard set and is the primary switch-in to Flying-types. Spritzee is a secondary Vullaby check against Flying-spam matchups; otherwise, Onix will be a rather mindless response to Vullaby early game, to secure Stealth Rock is set up. Hidden Power Grass Vullaby is very difficult to deal with, however, so do be mindful of any teams that pair Ponyta and Vullaby together, or otherwise may have Flyinium Z Vullaby, as such compositions are more likely to have that set. Setting Stealth Rock is frequently more important than catching their Onix switch-in with a neutral STAB attack, though against Staryu teams, this is rarely true. Often you cannot secure damage on Staryu if you opt to get up your hazards and instead should try to take out Staryu with your Onix. Staryu is Explosion's primary target, with Shellder and Snivy being noteworthy mentions as well. Onix is also the only thing in the way of Magnemite using Volt Switch to pivot and chip through the entire team.

Asking For It (Vullaby) @ Berry Juice
Ability: Overcoat
Level: 5
EVs: 116 HP / 76 Def / 156 SpD / 116 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Brave Bird
- Knock Off
- U-turn
- Defog

Special Defensive Vullaby is the tier's best glue option and makes a rather typical last addition. Overcoat is the preferred ability, as it hedges the Foongus matchup greatly by giving the team an immunity to Spore. Running Weak Armor instead is a possible change, though that forces you to predict correctly around Foongus every time. Vullaby manages to patch nearly every hole in the team. It provides checks to Foongus, Fighting-types, Abra, Gastly, and Snivy all in one slot (though it must pick one in a game). This Vullaby set is a very common last choice on a team because it provides so much utility and acts as a strong blanket check. Defog is a necessity to have a chance against Sticky Web teams.

Softer, Softest (Timburr) @ Eviolite
Ability: Iron Fist
Level: 5
EVs: 196 Atk / 156 Def / 156 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Drain Punch
- Mach Punch
- Knock Off
- Ice Punch

Timburr is fairly difficult to switch in on already, even with Foongus to resist its Fighting-type moves and use Regenerator to stay healthy. If Corphish is able to successfully remove the foes that can stand up to its Iron Fist-boosted Drain Punch, Timburr becomes even more difficult to manage. Mach Punch is very useful coverage; in conjunction with Corphish's Aqua Jet, it prevents this slower offense team from losing to numerous quicker wall breakers. This Timburr hits 12 Special Defense to check Gastly in a pinch, as its typing and power limit the team's counterplay otherwise. Timburr is also one of the team's few outs against Staryu.

Gutless (Corphish) @ Waterium Z
Ability: Adaptability
Level: 5
EVs: 196 Atk / 76 SpD / 236 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Knock Off
- Aqua Jet
- Crabhammer

Corphish is the primary breaker with its Adaptability-boosted Hydro Vortex. Despite running Dragon Dance, an Adamant nature is preferred to guarantee your ability to KO Foongus and Mareanie with the combination of Stealth Rock, Knock Off, and Hydro Vortex. Unfortunately, this leaves Corphish with 13 Speed, or 19 Speed after a Dragon Dance; consequently, even a +1 Corphish is outsped by the entire boosted tier and ties with a few fast unboosted threats. However, Aqua Jet is powerful enough to threaten a KO on most of these quicker threats with little prior chip damage. It is worth noting that +1 Hydro Vortex will OHKO Snivy after Stealth Rock.

Miss World (Spritzee) @ Eviolite
Ability: Aroma Veil
Level: 5
EVs: 212 HP / 196 Def / 12 SpA / 76 SpD / 12 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Wish
- Protect
- Moonblast
- Psychic

Spritzee serves several purposes. Chiefly, it is a resilient Fighting-type check, though it also serves as a lure that secures damage on key Pokemon with Psychic. Corphish and Spritzee happen to have a large overlap of counters. Ferroseed, Foongus, and Mareanie are all important to secure damage on and pressure out whenever possible, which Spritzee enables with Psychic. Ferroseed can be dealt with through Moonblast chip damage, though it is more important to note that Spritzee's Wish passing allows Timburr to switch in on Bullet Seed fairly well. Ferroseed is often forced in against Spritzee, which permits fairly secure doubles to either Timburr or Abra to keep up momentum. If Foongus manages to escape Hydro Vortex, the combination of Crabhammer from Corphish, Ice Punch from Timburr, and Psychic from Spritzee should manage to keep it at bay. Psychic is also necessary to limit Gastly's ability to switch in and pick up KOs.

Doll Parts (Abra) @ Life Orb
Ability: Magic Guard
Level: 5
EVs: 240 SpA / 200 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 1 Atk / 30 Def / 30 SpA / 30 SpD / 30 Spe
- Substitute
- Psychic
- Hidden Power [Fighting]
- Dazzling Gleam

Life Orb Abra is one of the tier's hardest Pokemon to check, and its sheer strength is greatly appreciated on this team. Abra usually holds a Focus Sash, which may mean that the opponent plays such that you can easily get up a Substitute or KO their Vullaby unexpectedly. Generally, Abra is useful for clearing out the opponent's less important Pokemon, forcing something useful to take a Hydro Vortex even if they play around the Z-move. Life Orb Abra can comfortably OHKO Foongus, Vullaby, and Fighting-types, which the team greatly desires. Life Orb gives Abra the raw power to KO Eviolite Diglett after Stealth Rock the majority of the time, and Substitute can shield it from Pawniard's Sucker Punch, which can make an unsuspecting opponent suddenly need to sacrifice several more Pokemon just to take down Abra.


Threatlist

Staryu - On paper, Staryu is one of the most threatening Pokemon for this team. Nothing outpaces it, with Abra instead being a Speed tie, and Corphish will also only Speed tie Staryu after a Dragon Dance which makes it even more of an issue for this team. If Staryu opts for multiple coverage moves, things become far worse. Offensive Staryu will be able to pick up a KO almost every time it comes in, provided that Hydro Pump connects. Still, Timburr or Abra can beat Staryu 1v1. Spritzee and Vullaby are able to get chip damage off in a worst-case scenario, and in combination with Onix's attacks, that may just be enough.

Gastly - With Life Orb and Sucker Punch, Gastly has the potential to revenge kill the entire team. Abra does have Substitute to circumvent this, but it requires some foresight to pull off. Timburr and Vullaby are tailored to survive Gastly's coverage options and KO in return. If Gastly switches in on Spritzee's Moonblast, it will be in range of Corphish's Aqua Jet. Choice Scarf Gastly is easier to play around due to its loss of power, but it often forces a KO once it comes in to scare out Corphish, Spritzee, or Abra.

Mareanie - Crabhammer-based Hydro Vortex is typically enough to pick off Mareanie before it becomes too problematic, but if this fails, Mareanie has good odds to muscle past the team. Timburr is completely walled and nothing wants to switch into Mareanie's Knock Off or Scald. Doubling around Mareanie and removing its Eviolite is key, but you're going to need to win through thoroughly outplaying if Corphish is unable to pick off Mareanie.

Magnemite - Flash Cannon is able to pick off Onix very easily, and only Corphish resists Steel attacks. Magnemite matchups often come down to outplaying the opponent and properly positioning around it. Keeping up offensive momentum and blocking its Volt Switch when necessary is crucial.

Pawniard - Timburr does not have great longevity when Pawniard is allowed to come in more than once without losing momentum. A Defiant raise from Moonblast is hard to come back from, and will probably end the game on the spot if Timburr has already switched in on Knock Off. Corphish, Abra, Spritzee, and Vullaby do not like dealing with Pawniard much, but they should be able to wear it down before it becomes overbearing.

Offensive Mudbray - Without a proper switch in, Offensive Mudbray is able to either outspeed and 2HKO or have good odds to OHKO the entire team. Mudbray may or may not run enough Speed to outpace Corphish outright, and often will hit 13 Speed itself, meaning the two will Speed tie. Onix and Vullaby give Mudbray an opportunity to come in safely and leave only if Abra or Corphish able to deal with it.

Choice Scarf Snivy - Choice Scarf Snivy can essentially win from team preview; once it gets a few Contrary boosts under its belt, a healthy Vullaby will be unable to check it. With Stealth Rock up, Snivy is able to roll through the team far more easily. There is little to do in this matchup other than trying to limit hazards on your side of the field and keep Vullaby at high health. Leaf Storm can always miss too.

Hidden Power Grass Vullaby - Hidden Power Grass will limit Onix to setting Stealth Rock and doing little else. This makes Vullaby an issue in the long term, with Timburr unable to trade against it in a pinch.

Replays
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen7lc-438134 Luthier vs Lopunny Kicks

Importable

Violet (Onix) @ Eviolite
Ability: Weak Armor
Level: 5
EVs: 76 HP / 236 Atk / 196 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Rock Blast
- Earthquake
- Explosion

Asking For It (Vullaby) @ Berry Juice
Ability: Overcoat
Level: 5
EVs: 116 HP / 76 Def / 156 SpD / 116 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Brave Bird
- Knock Off
- U-turn
- Defog

Softer, Softest (Timburr) @ Eviolite
Ability: Iron Fist
Level: 5
EVs: 196 Atk / 156 Def / 156 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Drain Punch
- Mach Punch
- Knock Off
- Ice Punch

Gutless (Corphish) @ Waterium Z
Ability: Adaptability
Level: 5
EVs: 196 Atk / 76 SpD / 236 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Knock Off
- Aqua Jet
- Crabhammer

Miss World (Spritzee) @ Eviolite
Ability: Aroma Veil
Level: 5
EVs: 212 HP / 196 Def / 12 SpA / 76 SpD / 12 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Wish
- Protect
- Moonblast
- Psychic

Doll Parts (Abra) @ Life Orb
Ability: Magic Guard
Level: 5
EVs: 240 SpA / 200 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 1 Atk / 30 Def / 30 SpA / 30 SpD / 30 Spe
- Substitute
- Psychic
- Hidden Power [Fighting]
- Dazzling Gleam

Credits
Created by: Shrug & Luthier
Written by: Fiend
Grammar checked by: talkingtree
Art by: Image by Ticken & Text by TPP​