Back before the DPP NU ladder was opened, I struggled to teambuild any consistent teams, only relying on DPP samples since I admittedly didn't commit any due diligence research via the Smog forums until recently. Even to this day, I am thankful that DPP NU was selected last year since it helped me construct teams & educated me on both cores & archetypes alike! (Also shout out to Amity for helping me on suggestions & criticism!)
I'm afraid I can't participate any tournaments since I'm getting a job, so if you wish to use this team for any tournaments, go ahead!
So without further ado, let's dig in:
HItmonchan (Lincoln Loud)
Ability: Iron Fist
252 Atk/ 4 Def / 252 Spe
Items: Choice Scarf
Adamant Nature
-Close Combat
-Rapid Spin
-Ice Punch
-Thunder Punch
Starting off, we have our spinner & speed control on our team, between Hitmonchan & Sandslash for Charizard, Hitmonchan works better on offense while Sandslash works better on slower stall teams. The issue I have with Hitmonchan is it does suffer from 4MSS, where you want both elemental punches for Gligar & Slowking, but you end up biting hard against a raging Tauros ready to dismantle your team. I'm not a fan of Life Orb Chan unless if I'm using it as an aggressive lead, Lefties is usually preferred for longevity purposes.
Choice Scarf does fix Chan's 4MSS somewhat, I was inspired by the new Blaziken + Rhyperior sample on the DPP UU discussion when building this team, Scarf provides a surprise attack against tricky leads such as Glalie or Bulk Up Floatzel who can bully Charizard teams theoretically due to how Charizard teams are more build on bulky offense or balance similar to Moltres teams in DPP UU. Rapid Spin is there in case if I needed a crucial spin, Adamant is needed so Chan can provide power wether as a lead or revenge, Hitmonchan does sit at an awkward speed tier that's shy from the standard base 80. You can use Chan's solid base 110 SpD to eat up 1 special hit in case if you want the hazards gone.
Charizard (Lynn Jr)
Ability: Blaze
4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Items: Life Orb
Timid Nature
-Fire Blast
-Air Slash
-HP Grass
-Roost
Charizard, much like Infernape, did suffer from hard times. Though Charizard fell off given how unexplored DPP NU was back when Honko was in charge of DPP NU (RIP Honko, you will be missed dearly), while Infernape fell off due to Latias's suspect causing Lati to descend down to OU from Ubers in 2020.
Does this mean Charizard is a terrible mon that should be thrown towards PUBL? Absolutely not! Charizard, despite its flaws & lacking the immense power Molt has (Molt can even cheat using Air Slash to flinch hax Milotic in UU, can even punch through a Calm Clefable with Modest.) is a terrific mon that can check a good amount of Pokemon in this tier such as the rising Meganium or Dusclops. But like Infernape, you can't over rely on Charizard as your sole wallbreaker.
Charizard too also provides speed control along with Scarf Hitmonchan against mons that sit by the 95 Speed tier, you do need a hit & run playstyle to make Zard work efficiently to scout for any Regirocks or Slowkings in the back. Zard overall is a solid mon that doesn't fit on every team in NU, but can thrash players getting too complacent in NU, reminding them how scary Zard can be once Zard's checks & counters are gone.
Skuntank (Luna Loud)
Ability: Aftermath
252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Items: Choice Band
Adamant Nature
-Crunch
-Pursuit
-Poison Jab
-Sucker Punch
Now here we've got the Tyranitar of DPP NU, with every spinner comes with a pursuiter, a testament engraved in stone before Defog was buffed. Skuntank is an absolute bastard in both UU & NU with access to Sucker Punch & Explosion. Though I did forgo Explosion for Poison Jab since I appreciate Sucker Punch to keep Medicham in check while Poison Jab is underrated on Skunk, with Pokemon such as Poliwrath or even Grass/Dark mons such as Cacturne & Shiftry getting complacent; expecting mono dark + boom.
Choice Band is there because Banded Tar in DPP OU is on the rise thanks to the Machamp's exile to Ubers (Praise be the Lord for that), with spinblockers becoming much bulkier with the rise of Dusclops, the idea of Band isn't just taking out Clops by surprise, but to put it out of commission by Death's door. You want Clops to be severely weakened to the point the opponent wouldn't think of switching out, with Dusclops's pitiful HP & abysmal speed tier. Haunter & Drifblim can be taken care of by Careful Regirock, you definitely want a good plan against Sableye however, Sableye is the only unique spinblocker that's neutral against Dark similar to Spiritomb in UU.
Regirock (Lori Loud)
Ability: Clear Body
252 HP/ 4 Def / 252 SpD
Items: Leftovers
Careful Nature
-Rock Slide
-Thunder Wave
-Stealth Rock
-Rest
One of the best mixed walls in the tier hands down, Regirock is the King of DPP NU providing this team with a solid defensive backbone against the terrifying Tauros & Charizard for this team. Regirock is the "Why is this guy in NU" mon with legendary stats along with a serviceable movepool backing it up to remind teambuilders its presence.
Regirock does its work spreading Paralysis & Stealth Rock similar to his brother in UU, the one exception is why I slotted in Rest. That's bc Regirock is the only mon here that's my normal resist, even with solid defensive stats of 200 Def & 100 SpD backed by a passable 80 HP can Regirock be overwhelmed significantly. Rest is there as Regirock's semi reliable recovery along with a cleric to cure its sleep. Regi may be a passive mon without Boom, but with its surrounding teammates that can either boost, wallbreak, or trap does Regi provide a solid defensive pivot similar to Registeel in ADV OU & DPP UU.
Meganium (Leni Loud)
Ability: Overgrow
252 HP/ 80 SpD / 176 Spe
Items: Leftovers
Careful Nature
-Swords Dance
-Seed Bomb
-Aromatherapy
-Synthesis
Admittedly, I didn't like Meganium at first, assuming it was just a "boring grass type that's outclassed by Venusaur". What I didn't realize was that Meganium's defenses along with its ok offensive stats make it passable in a much weaker tier below UU. Meganium's 80 HP / 100 Def / 100 SpD grants me a pseudo Celebi in NU.
Swords Dance is needed to break through fat, while Leech Seed is an ok alternative to annoy the opposing team, it does make Meganium a do nothing Pokemon that's a passive blob. Cradily can annoy this team to high heavens & Magneton can bully this team without proper boosting. Meganium does provide this team defense against water types in this tier with how much waters can give both Regi & Zard trouble. To make it even better, Meg + Regi + King do provide an excellent defensive core & Meg can even use Aromatherapy to both cure Skunk from Burn & Regi from its sleep.
Slowking (Luan Loud)
Ability: Own Tempo
252 HP / 144 Def / 40 SpA / 72 SpD
Items: Colbur Berry
Modest Nature
-Surf
-Signal Beam
-Slack Off
-Nasty Plot
Last but not least, we have Slowking! The closest we have to the Latias of NU! Slowking is an amazing mon that can also wall Charizard to no end & can act as a soft check against fighting types along with Zard (Assuming no Rocks) in NU. Another solid mixed wall that partners well with Meganium & Regirock.
Colbur helps immensely against Skuntank in case if my opponent double switches or revenge, anticipating a random Thunder Wave against Skunk that could diminish its power. With a Modest nature, this does help Slowking solve its passivity as a bland bulky water that can also set up Nasty Plot against opposing Slowkings. Signal Beam is there to catch Cacturne/Shiftry on the switch just in case & provides Charizard back up against the RegiKing combo that's been hindering its success.
Of course Slowking isn't without flaws, another issue with Slowking is its a very slow mon, so paralysis from Regirock does offer support for Slowking just in case.
Weakness:
Rhydon: Rhydon, much like his father Rhyperior, can sub down to take 1 mon down & unlike UU, there aren't as many sufficient checks. Do what you can do best against Rhydon, but expect this monster to drag 1 of your teammates down to hell with it.
Medicham: This mon is a demon unless if you have either a bulky ground or a ghost to keep this guy in check, just try to dance around with this mon & remember that you do have the tools to keep Cham in place. (Zard, Scarf Chan, & Sucker Punch Skunk)
Shiftry: Underrated threat that can scare this team with its hard hitting Leaf Storm, Dark pulse combo with Boom. Dispatch it with a Signal Beam bait or use Zard to anticipate a Leaf Storm.
Replays:
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen4nu-2471889009-82w02fhbor1n4s6ottvyfk2jexkvxgupw (I did get lucky against Drifblim, sorry!)
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen4nu-2470553041-3qm4jundfajix8ele7dejdbdmmpxhjdpw?p2
Team paste is in the spites, click down below!
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