After months of absence, I finally returned to Smogon and Shoddy, only to find that my NU team's ace, Sawk, was no longer legal in that tier. I was pleased to discover, however, that he was quite usable in RU, which motivated me to base a team around him and finally foray into a tier I had never explored before.
I just managed to win an RU tournament with this team, so I figured that now would be as good a time as ever to post it. Here it is!
Krisha (Accelgor) (F) @ Focus Sash
Ability: Unburden
EVs: 248 HP / 8 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Spikes
- Bug Buzz
- Final Gambit
- Encore
"You'll be dead before you even see me. That's a promise."
Here, we've got a pretty standard lead set for Accelgor. Encore, as I've discovered, is actually a really useful move for her. If the opponent opens with a status move (say Stealth Rock or Toxic) I'm pretty much guaranteed to get at least two layers of Spikes up right when the battle begins. And as I'll elaborate on later, hazard stacking is a pretty important part of my overall strategy.
Aside from that, I've got Bug Buzz to give her some offensive presence and Final Gambit in case the opponent tries to send in their spinner/defogger.
Pops (Jellicent) (M) @ Lum Berry
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs:252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 Spe 252 HP / 108 Def / 148 Spe
Timid Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Taunt
- Will-O-Wisp
- Recover
"Good show! Jolly good show!"
(The EV spread and nature were changed at the suggestion of Chakra.)
Now, I realize that this is a pretty unusual EV spread for Jellicent, so I'll gladly provide an explanation. See, Jellicent fulfills two vital roles on my team: spinblocking and stallbreaking. This set in particular was specifically designed with Blastoise in mind, as the Speed EVs let him outspeed most Blastoise sets, which would otherwise be able to force him out with Toxic. In fact, this set is great at dealing with supporters/clerics in general, since he's fast enough to Taunt most of them before they can do anything.
As for the Colbur Berry, it lets him take Knock Offs from all but the strongest attackers and burn them in return, which is neat.
Jack (Hitmontop) (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Def
Impish Nature
- Rapid Spin
- Close Combat
- Foresight
- Earthquake
"Why do I always get stuck with the dirty work?!"
And here we have my spinner. My team relies heavy on hazard stacking and hazard control, and Hitmontop does the latter job splendidly. Additionally, with max physical bulk and Intimidate, he can safely switch in on several of the tier's top physical threats, like Hitmonlee and Drapion. Well, maybe "safely switch in" is a little too generous, but he does check them moderately well.
The first three moves are pretty self-explanatory. Earthquake is a reliable coverage move that lets him deal out pain to bulky Poison types that would otherwise wall him completely.
Rafiel (Xatu) (M) @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Magic Bounce
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Impish Nature
- Night Shade
- Roost
- Toxic
- U-turn
"Anger is only a weapon to one's opponent."
(Hitmontop was swapped out for Xatu at the suggestion of Chakra.)
Xatu here's my main form of hazard control. With maximum physical defense, he can switch in to a lot of the common hazard setters, like Registeel, Steelix and support Druddigon, with impunity. I opted for a Rocky Helmet in lieu of Leftovers, since it allows him to deal out chip damage to those mons if they go for an attack on the switchin. He does tend to have more trouble with hazard setters like Diancie and Toxic Spikes Drapion, though.
R-108 (Registeel) @ Leftovers
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Thunder Wave
- Seismic Toss
-Explosion Toxic
"Gravity connectors locked and ready."
And here we have my special wall. Regi's primary purpose is to soak up damage from the tier's special attackers, like Magneton and Jolteon (and a few physical attackers, most notably Scyther). Its secondary purpose is to facilitate late game cleaning, by using Stealth Rock to supplement the damage from Spikes and spreading paralysis to prevent revenge killing.
As for the last move... Explosion is just an incredibly fun move to use, especially since nobody seems to see it coming. There are few things more satisfying than blowing up on an unsuspecting setup sweeper, or a Dugtrio who had the audacity to try and trap me.
Yeah, on further inspection, Toxic is far more useful. For one thing, it prevents the numerous Ghost types from getting a free switchin on Regi, and it's a move I can use without sacrificing my sturdiest special wall.
Marie (Eelektross) (F) @ Assault Vest
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 248 HP / 252 SpA / 8 SpD
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 30 Def
- Volt Switch
- Flamethrower
- Giga Drain
- Hidden Power [Ice]
"Come closer, sweetheart. I want to taste you."
Eelektross here is my strongest special attacker, so I keep her around to pressure some of the physical walls that would ruin my day otherwise. Volt Switch is her main STAB, which lets her pivot right into Sawk (who I'll cover in just a moment); Flamethrower lets her threaten bulky Steel types; Giga Drain lets her boost her survivability (and it's a pretty nice move to spam against Diancie); and finally, HP Ice lets her act as a lure for Flygon (who can often give my team a bit of a hard time).
Additionally, the AV takes some of the pressure off of Registeel by letting her absorb a special attack or two.
Blitzkrieg (Sawk) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Close Combat
- Poison Jab
- Zen Headbutt
- Knock Off
"I'm back, bitches!"
And here we have the man of the hour, Sawk. Everything up to this point has been designed with one purpose in mind... weakening and slowing down the opposition until Sawk can successfully sweep.
As far as the set goes, it's pretty much what you'd expect. Close Combat is its main STAB, Poison Jab covers Fairy types, Zen Headbutt covers Poison types, and Knock Off covers Psychic types. I opted for a Choice Scarf instead of a Choice Band, for a couple of reasons. First of all, Sawk gets speed crept by a lot of RU mons otherwise, and I generally want him to take as few hits as possible. Second of all, the speed boost from Choice Scarf lets him function pretty effectively as a revenge killer mid-match, picking off weakened foes who would effortlessly outspeed him otherwise (namely Virizion and Delphox).
And that's it! All feedback is greatly appreciated.
I just managed to win an RU tournament with this team, so I figured that now would be as good a time as ever to post it. Here it is!
Krisha (Accelgor) (F) @ Focus Sash
Ability: Unburden
EVs: 248 HP / 8 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Spikes
- Bug Buzz
- Final Gambit
- Encore
"You'll be dead before you even see me. That's a promise."
Here, we've got a pretty standard lead set for Accelgor. Encore, as I've discovered, is actually a really useful move for her. If the opponent opens with a status move (say Stealth Rock or Toxic) I'm pretty much guaranteed to get at least two layers of Spikes up right when the battle begins. And as I'll elaborate on later, hazard stacking is a pretty important part of my overall strategy.
Aside from that, I've got Bug Buzz to give her some offensive presence and Final Gambit in case the opponent tries to send in their spinner/defogger.
Pops (Jellicent) (M) @ Lum Berry
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs:
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Taunt
- Will-O-Wisp
- Recover
"Good show! Jolly good show!"
(The EV spread and nature were changed at the suggestion of Chakra.)
Now, I realize that this is a pretty unusual EV spread for Jellicent, so I'll gladly provide an explanation. See, Jellicent fulfills two vital roles on my team: spinblocking and stallbreaking. This set in particular was specifically designed with Blastoise in mind, as the Speed EVs let him outspeed most Blastoise sets, which would otherwise be able to force him out with Toxic. In fact, this set is great at dealing with supporters/clerics in general, since he's fast enough to Taunt most of them before they can do anything.
As for the Colbur Berry, it lets him take Knock Offs from all but the strongest attackers and burn them in return, which is neat.
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Def
Impish Nature
- Rapid Spin
- Close Combat
- Foresight
- Earthquake
The first three moves are pretty self-explanatory. Earthquake is a reliable coverage move that lets him deal out pain to bulky Poison types that would otherwise wall him completely.
Rafiel (Xatu) (M) @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Magic Bounce
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Impish Nature
- Night Shade
- Roost
- Toxic
- U-turn
"Anger is only a weapon to one's opponent."
(Hitmontop was swapped out for Xatu at the suggestion of Chakra.)
Xatu here's my main form of hazard control. With maximum physical defense, he can switch in to a lot of the common hazard setters, like Registeel, Steelix and support Druddigon, with impunity. I opted for a Rocky Helmet in lieu of Leftovers, since it allows him to deal out chip damage to those mons if they go for an attack on the switchin. He does tend to have more trouble with hazard setters like Diancie and Toxic Spikes Drapion, though.
R-108 (Registeel) @ Leftovers
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Thunder Wave
- Seismic Toss
-
"Gravity connectors locked and ready."
And here we have my special wall. Regi's primary purpose is to soak up damage from the tier's special attackers, like Magneton and Jolteon (and a few physical attackers, most notably Scyther). Its secondary purpose is to facilitate late game cleaning, by using Stealth Rock to supplement the damage from Spikes and spreading paralysis to prevent revenge killing.
Yeah, on further inspection, Toxic is far more useful. For one thing, it prevents the numerous Ghost types from getting a free switchin on Regi, and it's a move I can use without sacrificing my sturdiest special wall.
Marie (Eelektross) (F) @ Assault Vest
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 248 HP / 252 SpA / 8 SpD
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 30 Def
- Volt Switch
- Flamethrower
- Giga Drain
- Hidden Power [Ice]
"Come closer, sweetheart. I want to taste you."
Eelektross here is my strongest special attacker, so I keep her around to pressure some of the physical walls that would ruin my day otherwise. Volt Switch is her main STAB, which lets her pivot right into Sawk (who I'll cover in just a moment); Flamethrower lets her threaten bulky Steel types; Giga Drain lets her boost her survivability (and it's a pretty nice move to spam against Diancie); and finally, HP Ice lets her act as a lure for Flygon (who can often give my team a bit of a hard time).
Additionally, the AV takes some of the pressure off of Registeel by letting her absorb a special attack or two.
Blitzkrieg (Sawk) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Close Combat
- Poison Jab
- Zen Headbutt
- Knock Off
"I'm back, bitches!"
And here we have the man of the hour, Sawk. Everything up to this point has been designed with one purpose in mind... weakening and slowing down the opposition until Sawk can successfully sweep.
As far as the set goes, it's pretty much what you'd expect. Close Combat is its main STAB, Poison Jab covers Fairy types, Zen Headbutt covers Poison types, and Knock Off covers Psychic types. I opted for a Choice Scarf instead of a Choice Band, for a couple of reasons. First of all, Sawk gets speed crept by a lot of RU mons otherwise, and I generally want him to take as few hits as possible. Second of all, the speed boost from Choice Scarf lets him function pretty effectively as a revenge killer mid-match, picking off weakened foes who would effortlessly outspeed him otherwise (namely Virizion and Delphox).
And that's it! All feedback is greatly appreciated.
Krisha (Accelgor) (F) @ Focus Sash
Ability: Unburden
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Spikes
- Encore
- Bug Buzz
- Final Gambit
Pops (Jellicent) (M) @ Colbur Berry
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 252 HP / 108 Def / 148 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Taunt
- Will-O-Wisp
- Recover
Marie (Eelektross) (F) @ Assault Vest
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 30 Def
- Volt Switch
- Giga Drain
- Flamethrower
- Hidden Power [Ice]
Rafiel (Xatu) (M) @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Magic Bounce
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Impish Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Night Shade
- Roost
- Toxic
- U-turn
R-108 (Registeel) @ Leftovers
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Stealth Rock
- Thunder Wave
- Seismic Toss
- Toxic
Blitzkrieg (Sawk) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Close Combat
- Poison Jab
- Knock Off
- Zen Headbutt
Ability: Unburden
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Spikes
- Encore
- Bug Buzz
- Final Gambit
Pops (Jellicent) (M) @ Colbur Berry
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 252 HP / 108 Def / 148 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Taunt
- Will-O-Wisp
- Recover
Marie (Eelektross) (F) @ Assault Vest
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 30 Def
- Volt Switch
- Giga Drain
- Flamethrower
- Hidden Power [Ice]
Rafiel (Xatu) (M) @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Magic Bounce
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Impish Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Night Shade
- Roost
- Toxic
- U-turn
R-108 (Registeel) @ Leftovers
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Stealth Rock
- Thunder Wave
- Seismic Toss
- Toxic
Blitzkrieg (Sawk) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Close Combat
- Poison Jab
- Knock Off
- Zen Headbutt
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