SM NU Doppelganger

[Blast]

DOPPELGANGER

Introduction:​

At first glance, this looks like a pretty simple variation of a very common build in NU, but the real point of interest is the sets. The team is built in a way so that almost every member is running a more uncommon set to catch opponents off guard, luring opponents into a false sense of security and overwhelming them with unexpected kills. It's made especially effective with how common this particular type of build is, as opponents will be very unlikely to expect anything but the standard. The team relies a lot on surprise factor to really get the upper hand against opponents, so it'll likely lose some of its effectiveness after being posted, but it still covers the general metagame pretty well and should work fine for anyone who wants to ladder with it.

The team went undefeated in NUL with a clean 7-0 record, and with the current Slowbro suspect going on I figured now was a good a time as any to share it. While the team is unorthodox in its own right, it also serves as a pretty accurate picture of current-gen NU overall, being purposely designed to look very standard. Also, the name doesn't come from any song I've heard, but the team itself is actually a doppelganger of the standard NU build and the name satisfies my inner edgy child. Onto the team!

In-Depth:​

Incineroar @ Choice Band
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 208 HP / 252 Atk / 48 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Knock Off
- Flare Blitz
- U-turn
- Earthquake

Choice Band Incineroar is awesome. I posted about it a while ago in an older np thread, and while it's a bit less favorable now than it was then, I still find it a hugely underrated set. Immediate power is quite useful for Incineroar as a lot of teams depend heavily on prediction to play around it, but between Choice Band and 4 very spammable moves, it's likely to get off a huge hit no matter what the opponent brings in. It's also just bulky enough to survive a lot of big hits in crucial scenarios, barely avoiding the OHKO from Life Orb Sceptile's Focus Blast and the 2HKO from Specs Vanilluxe's Blizzard.

Incineroar's a very flexible Pokemon, and there's a lot of variations you could opt for on this team. A bulky SD variant with either Figy or Chople Berry is especially notable, which would ease up a lot of pressure against those threatening special attackers. Choice Band fits the overall theme of the team much better, though, and it hasn't let me down yet.

Passimian @ Fightinium Z
Ability: Receiver
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Close Combat
- U-turn
- Knock Off
- Bulk Up

Z-Crystal Passimian is a set that's popped up here and there, but never to the point where anyone actually expects it. While Buginium and Grassium have their merits for baiting in Slowbro, I much prefer Fightinium Z, which I think fits the team best in general. Ironically enough, this Passimian set most often ends up luring in Fighting weaks rather than Fighting resists; the idea is to click Knock Off early-game, potentially weakening common Fighting resists like Xatu in the process, and proceed to destroy the subsequent switchin with All-Out Pummeling, as the most common Knock Off switchins in the tier are physically defensive Fighting weaks like Steelix or Rhydon.

This Passimian set is actually really versatile and can play a ton of different ways depending on the matchup. Against particularly threatening Pokemon like Sceptile, it can opt to continue bluffing Scarf for as long as needed, only revealing itself if you're confident you can still win. Against slower teams that rely on physically offensive revenge killers (e.g. their own Passimian or Sneasel), it can set up Bulk Up and take down multiple threats at once. As long as you play it well, it's practically guaranteed at least one kill per match.

Rotom @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Volt Switch
- Shadow Ball
- Thunderbolt
- Defog

When you're running non-Scarf Passimian, it's all but mandatory to pair it with a different, less common Scarfer to make the bluff as believable as possible. Rotom was my choice (xD) here, bluffing the more common Wisp + Hex sets and hitting an excellent Speed tier above both Scarf Passimian and +1 Vivillon. Rotom's role is pretty straightforward otherwise, although note that it usually wants to keep its Scarf a secret until Passimian's revealed its set as well. Its fast Volt Switch can also provide crucial chip damage in a match; for example, Volt Switch does enough to opposing Passimian to secure the kill with Hariyama's +6 Bullet Punch.

I went with Defog over Trick because I rarely find myself in a position where I actually want to give away my Scarf, as Rotom's Speed tier is really invaluable in this meta. Defog's able to come in handy as an emergency hazard removal, which can actually be crucial in some games for keeping certain Pokemon healthy, especially Incineroar.

Hariyama @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Guts
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Belly Drum
- Close Combat
- Knock Off
- Bullet Punch

Unironically the best Hariyama set don't @ me. Really though, it's a lot better than it sounds and it fits immensely well on a team like this. Hariyama most often serves as a cleaner, but the insane power that Belly Drum provides also lets it handle heavy-duty wallbreaking if necessary, as it can even OHKO defensive Slowbro with Knock Off if its Colbur Berry is eaten. An interesting thing to note about this team is that in a lot of games, the biggest focus is actually weakening offensive threats rather than defensive ones, as Hariyama runs through most defensive cores like nobody's business and can sweep through weakened offensive threats with Bullet Punch. Hariyama's natural bulk helps a lot with setup as well, being one of the few Belly Drum users that doesn't really need Memento support.

I just went with a simple 252/252 spread here, outspeeding everything up to approximately Blastoise. Guts was chosen over Thick Fat to help set up against bulky Waters with much less fear, as well as giving you a chance to break through Unaware users. Thick Fat seems like it would really come in handy with how few Vanilluxe answers I have, but I've always found Guts to be a lot better in practice.

Slowbro @ Choice Specs
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 212 HP / 252 SpA / 44 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Psychic
- Ice Beam
- Shadow Ball

Choice Specs Slowbro looks very similar to the Assault Vest set, but has the power to KO a ton of the threats that depend on tanking one move from it and threatening back. Slowbro's able to lure in some of the most threatening Pokemon to the team, with Ice Beam clobbering Grass- and Dragon-types (particularly Alolan Exeggutor and Torterra) and Psychic putting heavy pressure on most bulky Waters. Also, much like Incineroar, Slowbro's moves are all very spammable. Especially after you've weakened certain targets with a coverage move, you can usually just go to town with Specs-boosted STAB moves.

Slowbro has a huge offensive movepool and I've gone through a ton of moves on this set, but this is the one I think hits the most important targets for this team. Some minor tweaks you could make include Psyshock over Psychic, which definitely has its uses for Heliolisk and Cryogonal, though I prefer the stronger hit against Blastoise and Vaporeon. Grass Knot's also an option over Shadow Ball to hit Seismitoad, though it's a considerably worse move to be locked into and I find Psychic already handles Seismitoad well enough.

Steelix @ Leftovers
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 112 Atk / 144 SpD
Brave Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Stealth Rock
- Gyro Ball
- Earthquake
- Curse

Lastly, Steelix rounds off the team as the obligatory Stealth Rocker, being the only member without any twists or bluffs whatsoever. As much as I wanted to run the ORAS classic of special Sheer Force Steelix, I simply needed the bulk and recovery a lot more. That being said, there is still one notable Pokemon that Steelix manages to attract and weaken, with Curse allowing it to overwhelm its most common switchin in Xatu. Generally, Steelix is mainly there to get up rocks and preserve as much health as possible, so the likes of Comfey can't just come in and run through me late-game. Luckily, the team plays aggressively enough that you usually shouldn't have to bring it in too much.

The EV spread is customized by me, OHKOing standard Xatu with Gyro Ball after 2 Curses, and being able to survive 2 Energy Balls from Life Orb Whimsicott. Curse is actually pretty vital for this team, because in addition to beating Xatu, it prevents Steelix from being free setup for things like Bulk Up Scrafty, which could easily threaten a sweep if it's running Chople Berry.

Threatlist:​

Sceptile: Sceptile is perhaps the single most threatening Pokemon to the team. Not only does it have coverage for my one Grass resist, but it outspeeds the entire team outside of Rotom, who can't do much in return. You have to play very well against this thing, though the good thing is it really can't switch in on anything. You just have to kill things faster than it can kill you.

Special wallbreakers: You'll notice the team is rather weak to a lot of strong special attackers, as the team sacrifices a lot of bulk for the sake of power. Just to name a few, Heliolisk, Vanilluxe, Guzzlord, Magmortar, and Alolan Exeggutor all smash through the team with their STABs and coverage. A lot of them can be baited in and removed, but you still need to be wary.

Fairy-types: Comfey is especially annoying with Triage Draining Kiss outspeeding Hariyama's Bullet Punch, while Whimsicott can be highly threatening midgame with Moonblast and Energy Ball. Incineroar and Steelix tend to be key against these guys.

As a rule, the best way to deal with these threats is to play aggressively. Opponents will usually play with their guard down because of how standard the team looks from preview, which is very important for you to take advantage of. Focus on dismantling cores faster than they can dismantle yours, clear things up for Hariyama to sweep, and things should be fine. Even in a really bad-looking matchup, there's usually a way to win.

Conclusion:​

It's hard to believe this is the first RMT I've posted all generation, but I feel like I've finally gotten past this teambuilder's block that I've had for the longest time and built a squad good enough for me to do this. Most people seem to hate this current stage of NU, so idk if it's just me, but I've always stood by it. In my eyes, there's always something new you can be using in NU, even with the most standard build imaginable. And seeing how a potential Slowbro ban could mark a major, major shift in the tier, I thought this all tied together very nicely. Like comment sub etc, and until next time peace

Importable

Incineroar @ Choice Band
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 208 HP / 252 Atk / 48 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Knock Off
- Flare Blitz
- U-turn
- Earthquake

Passimian @ Fightinium Z
Ability: Receiver
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Close Combat
- U-turn
- Knock Off
- Bulk Up

Rotom @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Volt Switch
- Shadow Ball
- Thunderbolt
- Defog

Hariyama @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Guts
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Belly Drum
- Close Combat
- Knock Off
- Bullet Punch

Slowbro @ Choice Specs
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 212 HP / 252 SpA / 44 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Psychic
- Ice Beam
- Shadow Ball

Steelix @ Leftovers
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 112 Atk / 144 SpD
Brave Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Stealth Rock
- Gyro Ball
- Earthquake
- Curse

 

[King Roma]

Exactly how are scarf rotom and curse steelix unusual? Scarf sees just as much play as colbur, and curse is pretty fucking common for steelix (while half people play toxic, just as many people play a choice between roar, protect and curse)

 

[carcy]

Exactly how are scarf rotom and curse steelix unusual? Scarf sees just as much play as colbur, and curse is pretty fucking common for steelix (while half people play toxic, just as many people play a choice between roar, protect and curse)

It's mostly toxic or protect right now on most teams because people noticed you sometimes either need to get out of range of sth like comfey or not be deadweight against slowbro. Curse rly shouldnt be a widespread option because it only really helps you beat braviary and do more chip to xatu than usual, which blast was going for.

However, id still suggest protect > curse to improve your mu vs fairies, esp comfey which rly has little trouble winning vs you.

I like the "no bullshit" approach this team has so i wouldnt change very much. One thing that could go very nicely with the team is zmove 3 attack tspikes weezing - you get a cool soft check to fairies and sceptile, lure xatu and tspikes work rly well with protect lix and getting annoying faster things into range of +6 bp.

Overall, seems like a pretty fun team reliant on aggressive plays which is a huge plus. I hope my suggestions help improve it