What's goin on y'all, and welcome to another LC RMT. I'm Joltage, aka a mediocre LCer, and this is my 2nd LC RMT. I've decided to write up this RMT mainly because there is a marked lack of LC RMTs around right now, so I thought I'd put one of my teams out here and hopefully get some good advice. And without further delay I present to you for your rating pleasure....
Croagunk @ Eviolite
Ability: Dry Skin
Level: 5
EVs: 132 HP / 28 Atk / 116 Def / 108 SpA / 116 SpD
Quiet Brave Nature
- Sucker Punch
- Sludge Bomb
- Vacuum Wave
- Knock Off
Alright so, this here is one of my favorite pokemon in the tier due to its ability to soft-check so many things, and that combined with its solid type synergy with Sandile is why Croagunk, once again, finds itself on a team of mine. This is pretty much my standard Croagunk, sporting the same moveset as he does in my previous RMT Abra Food. Once again, I'm basically running the standard 'mixed utility' set, but forgoing the use of Drain Punch in favor of Sucker Punch because fuck Abra, am I right? Actually though; I probably hate Abra almost as much as Shrug does, I just don't choose to write theses on why it's a bad influence on the metagame, but I digress. Anyway Gunk here helps deal with threats such as Pawn, and Smashers thanks to the beautiful move that is Vacuum Wave. Gunk also just provides general team support via Knock Off, and has generally been an all-around, solid mon, as usual. (Credits to Fiend for the change)
Sandile @ Eviolite
Ability: Intimidate
Level: 5
EVs:36 HP / 196 Atk / 236 Spe 100 Atk / 156 Def / 236 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Taunt
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge/Pursuit/Crunch/Thief
Next up we have Sandile, the mon that I built this team to try out. And after using this team for a while, I've got to say, Sandile is kinda cool and could definitely see more usage. It's not really ever gonna set the world alight thanks to him being really inconsistent, but I think he's a cute little role-player to have on the right team. Anyway, going into the building of this team I decided I wanted to go with a 'bulkier' Sandile because I deem the scarf set to be far too inconsistent and I wanted to use some of Sandiles support options anyway. Sandile is sporting Rocks and Taunt for pretty self-explanatory reasons. He's kinda fast sitting at that crowded 17 speed tier and Taunt has been gaming saving on quite a few occasions by preventing set up. Earthquake is obligatory STAB, and the last move is a toss up between Dark STAB, and a Rock move to hit them flying types. I've primarily been running Thief because stealing items is cool, and Sandile doesn't get Knock Off, which really fuckin blows tbh. Running Thief requires you to play more recklessly, because users of Knock Off are often able to beat you 1v1, so Pursuit and Crunch are certainly viable options. At the suggestion of Oma, I have changed the primary 4th move to Stone Edge so Sandile can OHKO standard Fletch and Archen after rocks and 2HKO Standard Vullaby after rock. EVs are max Speed,and max Attack because I wanted that fast Taunt, 156 Defense in order to avoid the 2HKO from itemless Archen's Acrobatics, and 100 Attack so Sandile can Sandile is never gonna be very bulky, so I thought it better to at least maintain some sort of offensive presence. (Credits to Oma for the changes)
Magnemite @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Analytic
Level: 5
EVs: 240 SpA / 236 Spe
Modest Nature
- Flash Cannon
- Thunderbolt
- Volt Switch
- Hidden Power Ground
Moving right along, we've got good ol' Scarf Mag. Magnemite here is running it's standard scarf set and provides some much needed speed to this team who otherwise would not have a mon faster than 17 speed, which isn't bad necessarily, but for this team I felt that there should be more speed on it. I actually just realized that Mag has been using a Modest nature, I thought was using Timid, don't really know how that difference has come into play over the lifetime of the team, but it's notable I guess. HP Ground here over HP Grass because I find the ability to hit other Mag more useful than not having to predict the Ground type vs the Chinchou, Grass is still usable though.
Snivy @ Berry Juice
Ability: Contrary
Level: 5
EVs: 156 HP / 240 SpA / 96 Spe
Timid Nature
- Leaf Storm
- Substitute
- Hidden Power Fire
- Glare
Snivy was always super mediocre up until it got access to its hidden ability, Contrary which turned the smug little snake into quite the threat. This team was built after the initial Snivy hype had died down, but I don't think there was a standard 'best' set at the time, so I stole this set from the good cores thread, where Knock Off was listed in place of HP Fire. I ended up changing to HP Fire to improve my ability to mutilate Ferroseed as well as take Pawn out if it comes down to it. This set only hits 15 speed so Glare is actually really useful for 1) allowing Snivy to outspeed some stuff, and 2) potentially giving free turns to sub. Snivy often serves as a potential win con for the team and has pulled its weight many times, including once beating a Fletchling 1v1 thanks to some severe hax which ultimately allowed me to win the game.
Shellder @ Eviolite
Ability: Skill Link
Level: 5
EVs: 36 HP / 236 Atk / 36 Def / 196 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Shell Smash
- Icicle Spear
- Ice Shard
- Rock Blast
Shellder provides the team with another strong win con. The set is as standard as you can get, though I guess the analysis has Razor Shell over Icicle Spear, so that statement is probably less than accurate, but this is the set I see most commonly. Like I said in my teambuilding process section, this slot used to belong to Omanyte sporting the Aerow set in order to prevent Abra from ending its sweep early. Shellder basically provides the team with everything Omanyte did except the extra bird resist and the mountain of cool points, though Shellder makes up for those with the lack of a weakness to Fighting and Ground.
Natu @ Eviolite
Ability: Magic Bounce
Level: 5
EVs: 36 HP / 236 Def / 36 SpA / 196 Spe
Timid Nature
- Heat Wave
- Roost
- Psychic
- U-turn
Last, but not least, we've got Natu to tie the team together. Natu is actually one of my absolute favorite pokemon to use in LC, and I think it is criminally underrated. The mind games it plays with your opponent alone make this mon so incredibly threatening and annoying to opposing teams. Honestly, this mon is fantastic; with it's amazing ability, surprisingly solid bulk, and insanely deep movepool; it would barely be an exaggeration at all to say that if this thing could hit 18 Speed, I'd be using it on every damn team I make. I like it that much. Unfortunately though, it only hits that crowded ass 17 speed tier and has to speed tie with threats like Archen, Drilburr, and Mienfoo. Though it should be noted that you live almost any Knock Off from Foo from full, only life orb has a chance to OHKO, and that's only a 6.3% chance. Anyway, Natu is running a fast bulky set hitting 21/14/11 bulk (not quite enough EVs to hit 12 Sdef) as well as 14 SpAtk and 17 Speed. Heat Wave bops Pawniard on the switch as well as Ferroseed and Cottonee. Roost is for increased longevity, Psychic is obligatory STAB, and U-turn is for Pivoting out of threatening mons.
Day at the Beach
(maybe not the best name, but I could see all these mons in a beach setting, so that's the name I'm going with)
Teambuilding Process
Teambuilding Process
Alright so I think I started building this team sometime around/during the regular season of LCPL, (GO TIMBURRS btw) don't quite remember. But anyway, I was using a lot of Sandile, thanks to LC UU, and I was really liking the little croc, so naturally I decided to try him out in regular LC. In order to do this I decided to implement him in a scaled down version of one of my favorite UU cores (actual UU, not LC UU), and paired him up with Croagunk.
This core does alright, with some pretty solid type synergy, though the weight often falls more on Gunk due to Sandile's admittedly poor bulk. Moving forward I decided that I wanted a flying resist and thus added good ol' Magnemite.
At this point my team was really weak to ground type moves, and I hadn't gotten around to using Snivy since it's hidden ability had been released, so I threw Snivy on the squad. And to compliment Snivy I also added an Omanyte, specifically because I saw a post about this core in the core thread awhile back (I think Shrug posted about it, not sure though). I think I actually just copy/pasted the Snivy set from that post; Omanyte's set however, was Aerow's mixed smash set chosen partially for cool points, and partially because fuck Abra.
Adding Oma did present some problems though because my team was still super weak to ground and my fighting check at this point was Croagunk. So to alleviate this, I added a Natu because it's immune to ground, 4x resistant to fighting, and I generally just really like using this mon.
Unfortunately, this draft of the squad had some notable issues, namely the fact that diglett was a little bit of a bitch and a half. So I ended up replacing Omanyte with another threatening smasher in Shellder after I took this team to a teambuilding workshop in the RMT room on PS. Shoutouts to Levi for that suggestion. While that change doesn't make the team diglett-proof, it helps the matchup a bit.
Now, on to the meat and potatoes...
This core does alright, with some pretty solid type synergy, though the weight often falls more on Gunk due to Sandile's admittedly poor bulk. Moving forward I decided that I wanted a flying resist and thus added good ol' Magnemite.
At this point my team was really weak to ground type moves, and I hadn't gotten around to using Snivy since it's hidden ability had been released, so I threw Snivy on the squad. And to compliment Snivy I also added an Omanyte, specifically because I saw a post about this core in the core thread awhile back (I think Shrug posted about it, not sure though). I think I actually just copy/pasted the Snivy set from that post; Omanyte's set however, was Aerow's mixed smash set chosen partially for cool points, and partially because fuck Abra.
Adding Oma did present some problems though because my team was still super weak to ground and my fighting check at this point was Croagunk. So to alleviate this, I added a Natu because it's immune to ground, 4x resistant to fighting, and I generally just really like using this mon.
Unfortunately, this draft of the squad had some notable issues, namely the fact that diglett was a little bit of a bitch and a half. So I ended up replacing Omanyte with another threatening smasher in Shellder after I took this team to a teambuilding workshop in the RMT room on PS. Shoutouts to Levi for that suggestion. While that change doesn't make the team diglett-proof, it helps the matchup a bit.
Now, on to the meat and potatoes...
A Closer Look
Croagunk @ Eviolite
Ability: Dry Skin
Level: 5
EVs: 132 HP / 28 Atk / 116 Def / 108 SpA / 116 SpD
- Sucker Punch
- Sludge Bomb
- Vacuum Wave
- Knock Off
Alright so, this here is one of my favorite pokemon in the tier due to its ability to soft-check so many things, and that combined with its solid type synergy with Sandile is why Croagunk, once again, finds itself on a team of mine. This is pretty much my standard Croagunk, sporting the same moveset as he does in my previous RMT Abra Food. Once again, I'm basically running the standard 'mixed utility' set, but forgoing the use of Drain Punch in favor of Sucker Punch because fuck Abra, am I right? Actually though; I probably hate Abra almost as much as Shrug does, I just don't choose to write theses on why it's a bad influence on the metagame, but I digress. Anyway Gunk here helps deal with threats such as Pawn, and Smashers thanks to the beautiful move that is Vacuum Wave. Gunk also just provides general team support via Knock Off, and has generally been an all-around, solid mon, as usual. (Credits to Fiend for the change)
Sandile @ Eviolite
Ability: Intimidate
Level: 5
EVs:
Jolly Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Taunt
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge/Pursuit/Crunch/Thief
Next up we have Sandile, the mon that I built this team to try out. And after using this team for a while, I've got to say, Sandile is kinda cool and could definitely see more usage. It's not really ever gonna set the world alight thanks to him being really inconsistent, but I think he's a cute little role-player to have on the right team. Anyway, going into the building of this team I decided I wanted to go with a 'bulkier' Sandile because I deem the scarf set to be far too inconsistent and I wanted to use some of Sandiles support options anyway. Sandile is sporting Rocks and Taunt for pretty self-explanatory reasons. He's kinda fast sitting at that crowded 17 speed tier and Taunt has been gaming saving on quite a few occasions by preventing set up. Earthquake is obligatory STAB, and the last move is a toss up between Dark STAB, and a Rock move to hit them flying types. I've primarily been running Thief because stealing items is cool, and Sandile doesn't get Knock Off, which really fuckin blows tbh. Running Thief requires you to play more recklessly, because users of Knock Off are often able to beat you 1v1, so Pursuit and Crunch are certainly viable options. At the suggestion of Oma, I have changed the primary 4th move to Stone Edge so Sandile can OHKO standard Fletch and Archen after rocks and 2HKO Standard Vullaby after rock. EVs are max Speed,
Magnemite @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Analytic
Level: 5
EVs: 240 SpA / 236 Spe
Modest Nature
- Flash Cannon
- Thunderbolt
- Volt Switch
- Hidden Power Ground
Snivy @ Berry Juice
Ability: Contrary
Level: 5
EVs: 156 HP / 240 SpA / 96 Spe
Timid Nature
- Leaf Storm
- Substitute
- Hidden Power Fire
- Glare
Snivy was always super mediocre up until it got access to its hidden ability, Contrary which turned the smug little snake into quite the threat. This team was built after the initial Snivy hype had died down, but I don't think there was a standard 'best' set at the time, so I stole this set from the good cores thread, where Knock Off was listed in place of HP Fire. I ended up changing to HP Fire to improve my ability to mutilate Ferroseed as well as take Pawn out if it comes down to it. This set only hits 15 speed so Glare is actually really useful for 1) allowing Snivy to outspeed some stuff, and 2) potentially giving free turns to sub. Snivy often serves as a potential win con for the team and has pulled its weight many times, including once beating a Fletchling 1v1 thanks to some severe hax which ultimately allowed me to win the game.
Shellder @ Eviolite
Ability: Skill Link
Level: 5
EVs: 36 HP / 236 Atk / 36 Def / 196 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Shell Smash
- Icicle Spear
- Ice Shard
- Rock Blast
Shellder provides the team with another strong win con. The set is as standard as you can get, though I guess the analysis has Razor Shell over Icicle Spear, so that statement is probably less than accurate, but this is the set I see most commonly. Like I said in my teambuilding process section, this slot used to belong to Omanyte sporting the Aerow set in order to prevent Abra from ending its sweep early. Shellder basically provides the team with everything Omanyte did except the extra bird resist and the mountain of cool points, though Shellder makes up for those with the lack of a weakness to Fighting and Ground.
Natu @ Eviolite
Ability: Magic Bounce
Level: 5
EVs: 36 HP / 236 Def / 36 SpA / 196 Spe
Timid Nature
- Heat Wave
- Roost
- Psychic
- U-turn
Last, but not least, we've got Natu to tie the team together. Natu is actually one of my absolute favorite pokemon to use in LC, and I think it is criminally underrated. The mind games it plays with your opponent alone make this mon so incredibly threatening and annoying to opposing teams. Honestly, this mon is fantastic; with it's amazing ability, surprisingly solid bulk, and insanely deep movepool; it would barely be an exaggeration at all to say that if this thing could hit 18 Speed, I'd be using it on every damn team I make. I like it that much. Unfortunately though, it only hits that crowded ass 17 speed tier and has to speed tie with threats like Archen, Drilburr, and Mienfoo. Though it should be noted that you live almost any Knock Off from Foo from full, only life orb has a chance to OHKO, and that's only a 6.3% chance. Anyway, Natu is running a fast bulky set hitting 21/14/11 bulk (not quite enough EVs to hit 12 Sdef) as well as 14 SpAtk and 17 Speed. Heat Wave bops Pawniard on the switch as well as Ferroseed and Cottonee. Roost is for increased longevity, Psychic is obligatory STAB, and U-turn is for Pivoting out of threatening mons.
Importable
Threatlist
Fighting types in general are decently scary to this team because it doesn't have a sturdy Poison or Fairy type to lean on, but the most threatening of them all by far is Scraggy. My only real 'check' to the little hooligan is Croagunk, who not only is bested by ZHB variants, but also doesn't hit that hard with Vacuum Wave thanks to its low BP and Scraggy's impressive bulk.
Though, I've yet to actually run into one that has given me too much trouble, on paper, Ponyta completely tears this team apart. Sunnybeam variants in particular, just kinda annihilate my entire team now that I look at it. Good thing nobody runs that set I guess, though Wild Charge is also problematic.
I feel like most of the rest of the meta can be handled pretty decently so long as you play well.
Replays
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/lc-298138621 vs OP
Game for Round 1 of the Fuck Pawn and Foo tour. Came down to the wire, but Mag was able to pull it out in the end
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/lc-300589020 vs Yagura
This was week 1 of SPL Farm League. Yagura brought Fightspam which was really scary as I could see my checks being ovewhelmed, but Natu was able to take out the likely scarfed Mienfoo early and in the end Snivy was there to grab us the victory
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-lc-107011 vs Slurmz
This one was for the 2nd round of Fuck Pawn and Foo. In this game Scraggy was making me shit myself the entire game because I knew that I let it set up, the game was over. Eventually though, with a bit of help from the RNG, not anything too major I don't think, Snivy was once again able to secure the win.
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/lc-305975556 vs ggggd
The final replay of this team I have saved, and can still access, (seriously is annoying how you can't find older replays after a while) was this game for week 3 of Farm league. I end up losing this game, but honestly I'm gonna put this loss on me playing poorly and my opponent playing better by capitalizing on my mistakes rather than it being the fault of the team itself.
Edit: http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/lc-311149716 vs Madoka
Thought I'd might as well post this replay from my LC Tour Playoffs series vs Madoka, where Snivy proves its worth yet again, picking up 3 kills thanks to the Glare. Also Sandile put in some work showing off why Taunt kicks ass and taking out both Goldeen and Carvahna. I'm not gonna lie, I kinda haxed Madoka to death in this one between Glare being Glare and multiple speed tie wins for yours truly.Not like she needed another spot in the Invite tour anyway though
Conclusion
So that's it. That was Day at the Beach. I sincerely hope you enjoying reading and I look forward to y'alls rates.
Magnemite @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Analytic
Level: 5
EVs: 240 SpA / 236 Spe
Modest Nature
- Flash Cannon
- Thunderbolt
- Volt Switch
- Hidden Power Ground
Croagunk @ Eviolite
Ability: Dry Skin
Level: 5
EVs: 132 HP / 28 Atk / 116 Def / 108 SpA / 116 SpD
Brave Nature
- Sucker Punch
- Sludge Bomb
- Vacuum Wave
- Knock Off
Sandile @ Eviolite
Ability: Intimidate
Level: 5
EVs: 100 Atk 156 Def / 236 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Taunt
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
Snivy @ Berry Juice
Ability: Contrary
Level: 5
EVs: 156 HP / 240 SpA / 96 Spe
Timid Nature
- Leaf Storm
- Substitute
- Hidden Power Fire
- Glare
Shellder @ Eviolite
Ability: Skill Link
Level: 5
EVs: 36 HP / 236 Atk / 36 Def / 196 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Shell Smash
- Icicle Spear
- Ice Shard
- Rock Blast
Natu @ Eviolite
Ability: Magic Bounce
Level: 5
EVs: 36 HP / 236 Def / 36 SpA / 196 Spe
Timid Nature
- Heat Wave
- Roost
- Psychic
- U-turn
Ability: Analytic
Level: 5
EVs: 240 SpA / 236 Spe
Modest Nature
- Flash Cannon
- Thunderbolt
- Volt Switch
- Hidden Power Ground
Croagunk @ Eviolite
Ability: Dry Skin
Level: 5
EVs: 132 HP / 28 Atk / 116 Def / 108 SpA / 116 SpD
Brave Nature
- Sucker Punch
- Sludge Bomb
- Vacuum Wave
- Knock Off
Sandile @ Eviolite
Ability: Intimidate
Level: 5
EVs: 100 Atk 156 Def / 236 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Taunt
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
Snivy @ Berry Juice
Ability: Contrary
Level: 5
EVs: 156 HP / 240 SpA / 96 Spe
Timid Nature
- Leaf Storm
- Substitute
- Hidden Power Fire
- Glare
Shellder @ Eviolite
Ability: Skill Link
Level: 5
EVs: 36 HP / 236 Atk / 36 Def / 196 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Shell Smash
- Icicle Spear
- Ice Shard
- Rock Blast
Natu @ Eviolite
Ability: Magic Bounce
Level: 5
EVs: 36 HP / 236 Def / 36 SpA / 196 Spe
Timid Nature
- Heat Wave
- Roost
- Psychic
- U-turn
Threatlist
Fighting types in general are decently scary to this team because it doesn't have a sturdy Poison or Fairy type to lean on, but the most threatening of them all by far is Scraggy. My only real 'check' to the little hooligan is Croagunk, who not only is bested by ZHB variants, but also doesn't hit that hard with Vacuum Wave thanks to its low BP and Scraggy's impressive bulk.
Though, I've yet to actually run into one that has given me too much trouble, on paper, Ponyta completely tears this team apart. Sunnybeam variants in particular, just kinda annihilate my entire team now that I look at it. Good thing nobody runs that set I guess, though Wild Charge is also problematic.
I feel like most of the rest of the meta can be handled pretty decently so long as you play well.
Replays
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/lc-298138621 vs OP
Game for Round 1 of the Fuck Pawn and Foo tour. Came down to the wire, but Mag was able to pull it out in the end
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/lc-300589020 vs Yagura
This was week 1 of SPL Farm League. Yagura brought Fightspam which was really scary as I could see my checks being ovewhelmed, but Natu was able to take out the likely scarfed Mienfoo early and in the end Snivy was there to grab us the victory
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-lc-107011 vs Slurmz
This one was for the 2nd round of Fuck Pawn and Foo. In this game Scraggy was making me shit myself the entire game because I knew that I let it set up, the game was over. Eventually though, with a bit of help from the RNG, not anything too major I don't think, Snivy was once again able to secure the win.
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/lc-305975556 vs ggggd
The final replay of this team I have saved, and can still access, (seriously is annoying how you can't find older replays after a while) was this game for week 3 of Farm league. I end up losing this game, but honestly I'm gonna put this loss on me playing poorly and my opponent playing better by capitalizing on my mistakes rather than it being the fault of the team itself.
Edit: http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/lc-311149716 vs Madoka
Thought I'd might as well post this replay from my LC Tour Playoffs series vs Madoka, where Snivy proves its worth yet again, picking up 3 kills thanks to the Glare. Also Sandile put in some work showing off why Taunt kicks ass and taking out both Goldeen and Carvahna. I'm not gonna lie, I kinda haxed Madoka to death in this one between Glare being Glare and multiple speed tie wins for yours truly.
Conclusion
So that's it. That was Day at the Beach. I sincerely hope you enjoying reading and I look forward to y'alls rates.
-Joltage
Day at the Beach
Shoutout to the LC Regulars and the rest of the Community. Even though I'm only like half a part of the community, y'all seem to be pretty cool people and I respect each and everyone of you as a battler. If any of y'all ever wanna test or build or something, feel free to ask me, cause I'll likely be down.
Also Happy New Year, I guess. It's the 29th, but that's close enough.
Also Happy New Year, I guess. It's the 29th, but that's close enough.
Oh yeah, this is the Aerow set for Omanyte, if you didn't know:
Omanyte @ Eviolite
Ability: Shell Armor
Level: 5
EVs: 116 Atk / 36 Def / 196 SpA / 156 Spe
Naive Nature
- Hydro Pump
- Rock Blast
- Earth Power/Ice Beam
- Shell Smash
Omanyte @ Eviolite
Ability: Shell Armor
Level: 5
EVs: 116 Atk / 36 Def / 196 SpA / 156 Spe
Naive Nature
- Hydro Pump
- Rock Blast
- Earth Power/Ice Beam
- Shell Smash
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