Other Creative / Underrated Sets Thread (Read the thread, NO SHITTY GIMMICKS)

[JayHankEdLyon]

Leavanny @ Focus Sash
Ability: Overcoat
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 Atk / 4 Def
Jolly Nature
- Sticky Web
- Knock Off
- Magic Coat
- Leaf Blade

I've been using this as an offensive sticky web lead to some success. Focus Sash guarantees you can get up Sticky Web, Magic Coat bounces back taunt, opposing hazards, etc. Leaf Blade is obligatory STAB, and Knock Off is a great support move, and provides coverage alongside Leaf Blade. Overcoat makes sure sandstorm damage doesn't break your sash. It hits surprisingly hard as well:

252 Atk Leavanny Leaf Blade vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Tyranitar: 234-276 (57.9 - 68.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 Atk Leavanny Leaf Blade vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Rotom-W: 236-282 (77.6 - 92.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 Atk Leavanny Leaf Blade vs. 252 HP / 252 Def Donphan: 176-210 (45.8 - 54.6%) -- 53.5% chance to 2HKO
252 Atk Leavanny Leaf Blade vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Azumarill: 302-356 (88.5 - 104.3%) -- 31.3% chance to OHKO
252 Atk Leavanny Leaf Blade vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Mega Kangaskhan: 126-148 (35.7 - 42%) -- guaranteed 3HKO

http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/pokebankoubeta-69685032 Here is a replay showcasing this set. Note: At this point I was using Toxic instead of Magic Coat on Leavanny.

It's reliably able to set up Sticky Web, Knock Off an item, and weaken something before going down. Sometimes it'll get up more hazards or status something with Magic Coat, or even kill something. I'm not sure if it's a better Sticky Webber than Galvantula and Smeargle, but I definitely think it's pretty good.

The question is whether Sticky Web is good on a suicide lead, period. Given the ease of spinning and defog, is it really worth using one sixth of your team with a primary goal of setting up something that a competent player can get rid of?

Yes, this Leavanny has other utility in Knock Off, and Magic Coat to stop Taunt. By all accounts, if you're going to use Sticky Web on a sasher, this sounds extremely good. But I just don't see many victories coming from any sort of frail hazard setters in the Defog Generation.

The bigger point, though, is for replays to display competence. You do just fine, but your opponent, as seen in the legendary Scizor vs Ferrothorn struggle, was not exactly ideal in showing how your set works against a decent player.

 

[Anty]

Did you get this from Pokemon Showdown Overused chatroom? lol I (my showdown name is mamaboogz) was up there asking people who learns Destiny Bond so I could troll with a pure destiny bond team...

But yeah, I think Mega Houndoom running Sub + Dark Pulse + Flamethrower + Destiny bond is creative (you lose Nasty Plot but you do get a free kill essentially) with 115 speed, and obviously Sub + DBond go really well together because Mega Houndoom isn't frail like it's former for an OHKO

Oh, i thought i made it up, i was checking the new egg moves on serebii and i saw it. m-Houndoom will now be the fastest user (in ou) but i would never use mega-houndoom without nplot also sharpedo would like more coverage, but then you lose out on vital protect. It was fun dbond and 3 attacks on m-gengar, one of the best ways to get an instant kill on mega kanga imo.

 

[SomeDrunkRockLee]

252 Atk Leavanny Leaf Blade vs. 252 HP / 252 Def Donphan: 176-210 (45.8 - 54.6%) -- 53.5% chance to 2HKO

Just to point this out, this will actually have a much lower chance to 2HKO Donphan in practice because any Donphan running 252 HP/Def will be running Leftovers. So you'd have to deal an average of about 53% between both of the moves, which isn't likely when your range is 45.8%-54.5%

But yeah. Just a minor little nitpick.

 

[ShadowThreat]

Hey guys, here's a set that I've been using since gen 5 and with the new gen, has only been improved further.

Smeargle@ Choice Scarf
Ability: Own Tempo
252 speed/ 252 HP/ 4 Def
Jolly Nature

-Spore / Dark Void (When pokebank is released)
-Trick / Switcheroo
- Destiny Bond
- Parting Shot

With a scarf Smeargle reaches 410 speed and is able to temporarily cripple an opponent with spore, it can also be used as a sacrifice in combination with destiny bond, instantly taking out an opponents pokemon. Parting shot and trick are just there to force switches and ruin opponents strategies. But, overall it is unpredicted and incredibly useful.

 

[Pinkachu]

Just thought of this when I saw chesnaught gets Belly Drum:
Chesnaught @ Salac Berry
Ability: Overgrow
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature
- Belly Drum
- Earthquake
- Seed Bomb
- Substitute

While i havent gotten to testing this yet, in theory, it seems absolutely destructive. Belly drum and sub activates both overgrow and the salac berry, giving you an insane boost to both seed bomb and speed, while maxing out your attack for a clean sweep. above all, you're behind a sub, so you can take a hit and dish it right back with this gargantuan powerhouse.

 

[Scorpiopt]

gimmicky? perhaps but Weakness policy rock polish Aurorus is awesome

Aurorus @ Weakness Policy
Ability: Refrigerate
EVs: 4 Hp / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
IVs: 30 Atk / 30 Def
- Nature Power
- Ancient Power
- Thunderbolt
- Rock Polish

relevant replay
http://pokemonshowdown.com/replay/pokebankoubeta-70481703

 

[CQC]

Just thought of this when I saw chesnaught gets Belly Drum:
Chesnaught @ Salac Berry
Ability: Overgrow
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature
- Belly Drum
- Earthquake
- Seed Bomb
- Substitute

While i havent gotten to testing this yet, in theory, it seems absolutely destructive. Belly drum and sub activates both overgrow and the salac berry, giving you an insane boost to both seed bomb and speed, while maxing out your attack for a clean sweep. above all, you're behind a sub, so you can take a hit and dish it right back with this gargantuan powerhouse.

Even the weakest priority will destroy this build completely unscathed, it will probably go like this:
1. You sub, the enemy switches out.
2.you bd, the enemy destroys sub.
3.the enemy outspeeds with priority and KOes easily.

Actually, given chesnaughts terrible speed, it doesn't even need to be priority; Just about every scarfer, as well as everything with 120+ base speed will still outspeed after a salac.

You only have a chance if your opponent didn't switch in something faster/with priority(which isn't to likely given that it's best counter, talonflame, has priority as its trademark), and even then, ground/grass coverage is really terrible, resisted by grass, flying and bug, as well as several levitators (like lati@s, rotom-c and rotom-h), so the opponent has very good chances at stopping your sweep nonetheless.

Builds like these only work if you have priority yourself imho.

 

[NoStatusPlz]

yea his stab combo is absolutely awful and gets resisted by many common types in both STABs, I don't think he's the candidate for a set like that.

 

[ImperialTheme]

This is a variation on Bulky Salamence was actually tailored to cover weaknesses for my team, but I can see it being useful on many other OU stall teams as well.

Salamence@Leftovers
Intimidate
252HP/88Def/168SpA, Modest
-Draco Meteor
-Fire Blast
-Roost
-Hidden Power (Poison)

It's designed to switch in on physical attackers (especially Swords Dancers) and either KO with a powerful special attack or force them to switch. With Intimidate, it's defensive investment and a powerful Fire Blast it's a perfect counter for Aegislash, Mega Lucario and Scizor. Draco Meteor will severely dent most Pokemon that might switch in on it. HP poison is there because my team has a tough time dealing with Belly Drum Azumarill, but you could easily replace it with hydro Pump or Roar depending on your team's needs. The reason I like him over Dragonite is that Intimidate gives him a kinder switch-in to physical attackers, and he doesn't need to be full health to be able to take a hit. Much more useful when you have a reliable spinner and a defensive steel type to pair with him (clearly he has trouble switching in on physical Ice, Fairy and Dragon-type moves).

 

[Punchshroom]

This is a variation on Bulky Salamence was actually tailored to cover weaknesses for my team, but I can see it being useful on many other OU stall teams as well.

Salamence@Leftovers
Intimidate
252HP/88Def/168SpA, Modest
-Draco Meteor
-Fire Blast
-Roost
-Hidden Power (Poison)

It's designed to switch in on physical attackers (especially Swords Dancers) and either KO with a powerful special attack or force them to switch. With Intimidate, it's defensive investment and a powerful Fire Blast it's a perfect counter for Aegislash, Mega Lucario and Scizor. Draco Meteor will severely dent most Pokemon that might switch in on it. HP poison is there because my team has a tough time dealing with Belly Drum Azumarill, but you could easily replace it with hydro Pump or Roar depending on your team's needs. The reason I like him over Dragonite is that Intimidate gives him a kinder switch-in to physical attackers, and he doesn't need to be full health to be able to take a hit. Much more useful when you have a reliable spinner and a defensive steel type to pair with him (clearly he has trouble switching in on physical Ice, Fairy and Dragon-type moves).

There is little point in Hidden Power Poison though, seeing as most, if not all Fairies have good enough bulk to tank it. Since you're using a bulky Mence with Roost, why not give Toxic a shot for long term damage? It adds to the stalling element of bulkyMence and is more detrimental to Fairies, and can put pressure on Azumarill as well.

 

[SansNickel]

This is a variation on Bulky Salamence was actually tailored to cover weaknesses for my team, but I can see it being useful on many other OU stall teams as well.

Salamence@Leftovers
Intimidate
252HP/88Def/168SpA, Modest
-Draco Meteor
-Fire Blast
-Roost
-Hidden Power (Poison)

It's designed to switch in on physical attackers (especially Swords Dancers) and either KO with a powerful special attack or force them to switch. With Intimidate, it's defensive investment and a powerful Fire Blast it's a perfect counter for Aegislash, Mega Lucario and Scizor. Draco Meteor will severely dent most Pokemon that might switch in on it. HP poison is there because my team has a tough time dealing with Belly Drum Azumarill, but you could easily replace it with hydro Pump or Roar depending on your team's needs. The reason I like him over Dragonite is that Intimidate gives him a kinder switch-in to physical attackers, and he doesn't need to be full health to be able to take a hit. Much more useful when you have a reliable spinner and a defensive steel type to pair with him (clearly he has trouble switching in on physical Ice, Fairy and Dragon-type moves).

Hidden power poison isn't very practical in other situations. You aren't staying in on a strong fairy type anyway, are you? Anyways, HP poison will do like no damage regardless.

 

[ImperialTheme]

Hidden power poison isn't very practical in other situations. You aren't staying in on a strong fairy type anyway, are you? Anyways, HP poison will do like no damage regardless.

Like I said, the reason it's there is because my team is slow and was getting wrecked by Belly Drum Azumarill. HP Poison allows me to switch in on an Aqua Jet, take another, and then finish it off with the super-effective move. Azumarill resists Fire Blast and is immune to Draco Meteor. It works, I've killed off Azumarills with it after they've Belly Drummed.

 

[ImperialTheme]

Toxic might be cool for things like T-tar switch ins and Togekiss.

 

[SansNickel]

Like I said, the reason it's there is because my team is slow and was getting wrecked by Belly Drum Azumarill. HP Poison allows me to switch in on an Aqua Jet, take another, and then finish it off with the super-effective move. Azumarill resists Fire Blast and is immune to Draco Meteor. It works, I've killed off Azumarills with it after they've Belly Drummed.

168+ SpA Salamence Hidden Power Poison vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Azumarill: 146-172 (36.1 - 42.5%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
+5 252+ Atk Huge Power Azumarill Aqua Jet vs. 252 HP / 88 Def Salamence: 150-177 (38 - 44.9%) -- guaranteed 3HKO

Any prior damage (like SR) and Salamence is 2hko'd by aqua jet. Since azmarill is 2hko'd by HP poison after a belly drum, it can actually just waterfall / ice punch / play rough the next turn, it doesn't have to aqua jet.

 

[ImperialTheme]

My team is stall so it almost always has some sort of entry hazard up, usually at least a stealth rock and a layer of spikes. I put priority on keeping entry hazards out with Rapid Spin Hitmontop. It's been working for me thus far. I would admit that HP Poison has almost no merit on anyone else's team. My point is that this version of Salamence is very good at taking out physical threats, and while the last moveslot is something very specific to my team, it can easily be replaced with Roar if you need a pHazer, Hydro Pump if you want to make more of a dent in Tyranitar, or Punchshrew's idea of using Toxic. I could even see it being Dragon Claw or Earthquake if one were to try a mixed attacking variant.

 

[Richitt]

If it was just to take out azumarill's, why hp poison but not hp electric?

 

[Punchshroom]

Like I said, the reason it's there is because my team is slow and was getting wrecked by Belly Drum Azumarill. HP Poison allows me to switch in on an Aqua Jet, take another, and then finish it off with the super-effective move. Azumarill resists Fire Blast and is immune to Draco Meteor. It works, I've killed off Azumarills with it after they've Belly Drummed.

Slow as your team is, you shouldn't have too much trouble finding Water resists that can finish off Azumarill on a stall team, like Grass-types or Rotom-W. The fact that you are using a Salamence to check Azumarill is somewhat worrisome, because if your team is as slow as you claim it to be, Azu has little reason to be spamming Aqua Jet and go for other moves like Belly Drum or Play Rough.

-1 252+ Atk Choice Band Huge Power Azumarill Play Rough vs. 252 HP / 88 Def Salamence: 386-456 (97.9 - 115.7%) -- 87.5% chance to OHKO

BellyJet Azumarills also carry Sitrus Berry, meaning even after the Drum you cannot KO unless it suffered like 40% damage beforehand. Either way you put it, Salamence is far too risky an Azumarill switch-in, and you should leave handling Azu to teammates while Salamence improves its other matchups.

 

[Shroomisaur]

Braviary @ Choice Band
Ability: Defiant
Nature: Jolly
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
- Brave Bird
- Superpower
- Return / Facade
- Shadow Claw / U-Turn

Here's a completely underrated set that's flying under the radar this gen (I guess Braviary is a stealth fighter)? Talonflame might be hogging all the glory as the military-themed bird of choice, but Captain America outranks Sergeant Talonflame anyway! Braviary might not have that incredibly delicious Priority or Speed, but what he does have is a monster 123 base Attack stat, high-power moves, and a metagame that finally lets Braviary abuse Defiant. With Defog being thrown everywhere, and Intimidate Lando-T a common sight, Braviary will have plenty of opportunities to grab a free +1 or +2 boost by switching in. Pair that with an additional boost from Choice Band and you have a wrecking machine capable of smashing nearly anything:

+1 252 Atk Choice Band Braviary Brave Bird vs. 252 HP / 160 Def Landorus-T: 390-460 (102 - 120.4%) -- guaranteed OHKO
+2 252 Atk Choice Band Braviary Brave Bird vs. 240 HP / 216+ Def Mandibuzz: 405-477 (96.1 - 113.3%) -- 75% chance to OHKO

Superpower allows Braviary to KO Talonflame's great nemesis, Tyranitar:
252 Atk Choice Band Braviary Superpower vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Mega Tyranitar: 532-628 (131.6 - 155.4%) -- guaranteed OHKO

STAB Return lets Braviary 2HKO the ubiquitous Rotom-W that walls Talonflame:
252 Atk Choice Band Braviary Return vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Rotom-W: 165-195 (54.2 - 64.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

Braviary got a few other subtle bonuses this generation as well. With Ghost-type attacks increasingly common, Braviary will have more switch-in opportunities. It's also not weak to Fighting, which means that it's a solid matchup against Aegislash because Defiant will ignore King's Shield and 2HKO:

252 Atk Choice Band Braviary Shadow Claw vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Aegislash-Shield: 156-184 (48.1 - 56.7%) -- 88.3% chance to 2HKO

And then there's Facade. In case you haven't heard, Facade now ignores Burn's attack drop, which means even if Braviary gets hit by a stray WoW/Scald it can still pose a very big threat with a 140-power STAB Choice Band Facade:

252 Atk Choice Band Braviary Facade (140 BP) vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Rotom-W: 312-367 (102.6 - 120.7%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252 Atk Choice Band Braviary Facade (140 BP) vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Quagsire: 264-312 (67 - 79.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

U-Turn should be used if you don't care about Aegislash, which allows it to scout while dealing solid chip damage. Choice Scarf is also an option if you want to trade raw power for being able to outspeed and KO most unboosted Pokemon in the metagame, such as Lati@s, but Speed is SonicTalonflame's game. Braviary differentiates itself from Bisharp by being faster and stronger thanks to high power moves and CB's boost, able to overpower things like Mandibuzz that Bisharp can't.

 

[Vegan Zombie]

gimmicky? perhaps but Weakness policy rock polish Aurorus is awesome

Aurorus @ Weakness Policy
Ability: Refrigerate
EVs: 4 Hp / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
IVs: 30 Atk / 30 Def
- Nature Power
- Ancient Power
- Thunderbolt
- Rock Polish

relevant replay
http://pokemonshowdown.com/replay/pokebankoubeta-70481703

Very creative use of nature power. Very unique set, but aurorus gets destroyed by bullet punch and Mach punch sadly. It's also difficult for aurorus to live a fighting or steel type move in general for the weakness policy boost. You'd have to have aurorus take a ground or rock move so it can possibly live though.

 

[Scorpiopt]

i use this more of late game, i try to get rid or possible counters to this set

 

[aVocado]

The thing with Aurorous is that it's x4 weak to 2 very common priority moves, and x2 weak to an equally-common priority move in Aqua Jet. It's just got the most terrible typing, defensively.

 

[NotSoClutch]

Hazard stall milotic

Milotic @ leftovers
Ability competitive
EVs: 252 HP/4 Spa/252+Spd/-Atk
- dragon tail
- recover
- scald
- ice beam

I'm still working on the Evs needed, but the point of this set is to have hazards up and slowly rack up hazards damage. Milotic is incredibly bulky, even without marvel scale, and can really frustrate opponents. While a rest talk set with marvel scale is better as a pure phazer, competitive allows milotic to be a constant threat against things like defogg and intimidate. Recover greatly increases milotics survivability and allows it to do more than just defog block. The one major setback of this particular set is the loss of something like hidden power fire or electric, but it can also act as a bulky water phazer and is more helpful against non-defog teams than offensive milotic is. It may seem like this set is trying to do too much, but I assure you that both of its functions are greatly appreciated by hazards teams and are done effectively.

 

[SleepySonata]

Braviary @ Choice Band
Ability: Defiant
Nature: Jolly
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
- Brave Bird
- Superpower
- Return / Facade
- Shadow Claw / U-Turn

Here's a completely underrated set that's flying under the radar this gen (I guess Braviary is a stealth fighter)? Talonflame might be hogging all the glory as the military-themed bird of choice, but Captain America outranks Sergeant Talonflame anyway! Braviary might not have that incredibly delicious Priority or Speed, but what he does have is a monster 123 base Attack stat, high-power moves, and a metagame that finally lets Braviary abuse Defiant. With Defog being thrown everywhere, and Intimidate Lando-T a common sight, Braviary will have plenty of opportunities to grab a free +1 or +2 boost by switching in. Pair that with an additional boost from Choice Band and you have a wrecking machine capable of smashing nearly anything:

+1 252 Atk Choice Band Braviary Brave Bird vs. 252 HP / 160 Def Landorus-T: 390-460 (102 - 120.4%) -- guaranteed OHKO
+2 252 Atk Choice Band Braviary Brave Bird vs. 240 HP / 216+ Def Mandibuzz: 405-477 (96.1 - 113.3%) -- 75% chance to OHKO

Superpower allows Braviary to KO Talonflame's great nemesis, Tyranitar:
252 Atk Choice Band Braviary Superpower vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Mega Tyranitar: 532-628 (131.6 - 155.4%) -- guaranteed OHKO

STAB Return lets Braviary 2HKO the ubiquitous Rotom-W that walls Talonflame:
252 Atk Choice Band Braviary Return vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Rotom-W: 165-195 (54.2 - 64.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

Braviary got a few other subtle bonuses this generation as well. With Ghost-type attacks increasingly common, Braviary will have more switch-in opportunities. It's also not weak to Fighting, which means that it's a solid matchup against Aegislash because Defiant will ignore King's Shield and 2HKO:

252 Atk Choice Band Braviary Shadow Claw vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Aegislash-Shield: 156-184 (48.1 - 56.7%) -- 88.3% chance to 2HKO

And then there's Facade. In case you haven't heard, Facade now ignores Burn's attack drop, which means even if Braviary gets hit by a stray WoW/Scald it can still pose a very big threat with a 140-power STAB Choice Band Facade:

252 Atk Choice Band Braviary Facade (140 BP) vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Rotom-W: 312-367 (102.6 - 120.7%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252 Atk Choice Band Braviary Facade (140 BP) vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Quagsire: 264-312 (67 - 79.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

U-Turn should be used if you don't care about Aegislash, which allows it to scout while dealing solid chip damage. Choice Scarf is also an option if you want to trade raw power for being able to outspeed and KO most unboosted Pokemon in the metagame, such as Lati@s, but Speed is SonicTalonflame's game. Braviary differentiates itself from Bisharp by being faster and stronger thanks to high power moves and CB's boost, able to overpower things like Mandibuzz that Bisharp can't.

Do you have a replay with this thing? I've tried Braviary in the past and it just wilts in the face of anything it can't OHKO. You talk about ghost type switch ins but most ghosts can/do run Tbolt and sableye can rip this things face off with Foul play, so I'm curious what team comp this fits into.
I see it's anti-meta potential but are you babying this thing? I switched over to reckless staraptor soon after trying a set like this because it seemed to do everything I was trying to do but easier and more consistently.

Oh wait this is the gimmick thread. I want to know if this is a consistent gimmick because I really like this mon but this is like it as far as things he can do best.

 

[FurryGah]

My friend noticed the other day that Shuckle gets Contrary as its hidden ability and learns Shell Smash, so he came up with the idea of "Contrary Shell-Smashing Shuckle". Since Shuckle doesn't really have any sort of offense, it basically acts like Cosmic Power, boosting it's base 230 defenses.

Shuckle @ Chesto Berry / Leftovers
Contrary
Impish 200 HP / 56 Def / 252 SpD
-Shell Smash
-Toxic
-Rest
-Infestation / Sleep Talk

 

[mrglass]

Lanturn @ Leftovers
Calm
252 Def/ 4 Sp. Atk/ 252 Sp. Def
Volt Switch
Thunderbolt
Soak
Thunder Wave

This gen, Lanturn got a nice gift in Soak. Now it can maintain momentum in a way that Rotom-W was never able to. Soak removes your opponent's STAB, and makes your STAB SE against them. Additionally, it removes any Thunder Wave immunities. At this point your opponent will likely switch out, so you can use Thunder Wave to paralyze them, or Volt Switch to pick up momentum. If they don't switch out, you have a choice of paralyzing them, hitting them with T-bolt, or Volt Switching.