Introduction:
Hi. I'm terrors, a monotype player. I decided to RMT a team that I created a few months ago featuring Torterra for a 'core challenge' (here). The team gave me immediate success on the ladder and allowed me to win the challenge quite easily. Another reason behind my motivation to RMT a team was because of July being my Monotype 1 year anniversary. Monotype grew on to me very quickly after being invited to it by Fractions. and is easily my favourite OM now. I can continue on about how much fun it is but this isn't the place for that.
Teambuilding Process:
The 'challenge core' required me to use Seismitoad (
) and Torterra (
). Seismitoad is a staple on almost all of my offensive ground teams as an Assault Vest user. Torterra, however, was a much more uncommon Pokemon and I was at a loss to decide which set I wanted to run. My initial thought after seeing the core was that the team was going to be an offensive one, and I could see Scarf Torterra being a decent option on it to check Pokemon like Keldeo and Manaphy. Yet at the same time, I could not think of a viable way to fit in both Seismitoad and Torterra on an offensive sand ground team. Instead, I thought about it a bit and went for a non-sand ground with Torterra substituting for Hippowdon, being able to set up Stealth Rock, phase out Pokemon with Roar, have reliable recovery (although with unfortunately low PP) and be able to switch in to Pokemon like Azumarill, Breloom and Mega Gyarados that ground normally has trouble with. I liked the idea and went along with it immediately. Next, I needed an offensive core that could rely on this defensive backbone. I went for Mamoswine (
) to have a solid win condition vs Dragon-, Flying-, and Grass-type teams. Choice Band lets me hit as hard as I can and create extreme pressure on Grass-, and Flying-type teams when choosing what to switch in. Another benefit that Manoswine provides is its priority Ice Shard and the Choice Band set makes full use of that providing a late-game cleaner after the opposing team has been worn out. Adding a Mega Evolution was my next plan. Mega-Camerupt seemed like the perfect fit, seeing as it could destroy Grass-type teams and help in the Ice matchup a lot. It also provided a special wallbreaker which my team lacked. But after putting in a bit of thought, I ended up going for Mega-Garchomp (
) instead. My team was becoming extremely slow and much bulkier than I expected / wanted. Mixed Mega-Garchomp could add a lot of speed, being able to outspeed and OHKO Mega-Charizard-Y which could destroy the defensive core. It also successfully annihilates Flying-type's defensive core of Skarmory and Zapdos between Stone Edge and Fire Blast. By now, my physical / special situation was getting out of hand even with mixed Mega-Garchomp so I decided to add Rock Polish Landorus-I (
). It works as a special wallbreaker especially with its wide coverage as well as a Rock Polish set up sweeper that helps greatly in the Psychic-, and Fighting-type matchup. For my last Pokemon, I decided to go for a Choice Scarf user. My two initial options were Excadrill and Krookodile. Krookodile helps vs the Psychic-type matchup a lot and is a very dangerous sweeper with Moxie and its decently good speed coupled with a Choice Scarf. Excadrill on the other hand provides Steel-type coverage which my team lacked and Rapid Spin support that I had no other means of, meaning that Spikes stack teams would have an easy time beating my team. Unfortunately, Choice Scarf Excadrill betrayed my expectations brutally. As tempting as the Rapid Spin support was, I decided to forgo it for the much more needed power that Krookodile (
) provided me. With that, I ended up with a pretty good offensive core that could cover as many types as it could in my opinion, backed up with the defensive core to sponge hits and create opportunities for the offensive core to come in.
In-Depth Analysis:
hollow (Torterra) @ Leftovers
Ability: Shell Armor
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Def
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Synthesis
- Roar
- Seed Bomb
The star of the show and the MVP of the team, Torterra is an extremely underrated physical wall, almost always outshined by Hippowdon. Yet it's superior typing allows it to check Water-types such as Azumarill, Mega-Gyarados, Crawdaunt etc. a lot better as well as being able to completely counter Breloom and be able to force mind games with specs Keldeo (eating up a Secret Sword very easily). Its amazing physical bulk coupled with decently high HP stat makes it a very reliable Stealth Rock user and a switch in to pretty much every unboosted non-ice type physical hit. Synthesis provides recovery which is necessary for a bulky Pokemon like Torterra while Roar beats set up sweepers that try to set up on it such as Swords Dance Breloom, Tail Glow Manaphy, Dragon Dance Dragonite, Belly Drum Azumarill etc. Seed Bomb is the STAB move I opted for to hit Water-types that trouble the team for Super Effective damage. Torterra also proves itself to be very helpful in the Ground vs Ground matchup, being able to wall Choice Banded Excadrill, which is a very common set and hitting Gastrodon/Seismitoad for Super Effective damage. Ice-type moves, however, can quickly finish Torterra because of its x4 weakness and its mediocre special bulk holds it back. Torterra's EVs allow it to make full use of its physical bulk with 252/252+ HP/Defense.
shinigami (Seismitoad) @ Assault Vest
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 72 HP / 252 SpA / 184 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Earth Power
- Sludge Wave
- Grass Knot
Seismitoad was the second part of the 'challenge core' and was therefore a necessity to the team. Even if it were not, I would have likely added it anyway. Between its excellent coverage, Water Absorb ability, decent Special Attack and its synergy with Torterra, it is a perfect fit on the team. It takes up the special attacks that Torterra fears and forces mindgames vs Keldeo with Torterra. Scald is a decently strong STAB Water-type move with a helpful 30% chance to burn that can turn a big threat into a completely useless Pokemon. Earth Power is secondary STAB, stronger than Scald in case damage is more important than the chance to burn. Sludge Wave helps vs Grass-, and Fairy-types especially Azumarill which can threaten the team with a Belly Drum up. Grass Knot hits Water-types that it usually manages to wall. The specific speed EVs allow Seismitoad to hit 230 speed, outspeeding max speed Jolly Azumarill and max speed Jolly Crawdaunt. The rest of the EVs are divided between HP and Special Attack to hit as hard as it can and make use of its excellent coverage.
quincy (Mamoswine) @ Choice Band
Ability: Thick Fat
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Icicle Crash
- Knock Off
- Ice Shard
One of the main things that hold Torterra back is its x4 weakness to Ice-type moves. Unfortunately, Seismitoad's neutrality is nowhere near enough to be able to switch in to physical Ice-type moves which is where Mamoswine comes in. Mamoswine with Thick Fat eats up almost every single Ice-type attack with ease and hits back with a Choice Band boosted Earthquake. Mamoswine also helps in the Flying-, Dragon-, and Grass-type matchup with banded Icicle Crash and Ice Shard. Knock Off helps beat Porygon 2 which walls Mamoswine completely, being able to trace Thick Fat. Knock Off's handy secondary effect helps in a lot of matchups by being able to knock off crucial items such as Choice Band, Choice Scarf etc. Ice Shard is this team's only method of priority and appreciates the boost in power given by Choice Band making Mamoswine a great late-game cleaner. 252/252 Attack and Speed are self-explanatory as Mamoswine is a great wallbreaker with decent speed. I opted for Adamant nature instead of Jolly to maximise damage output at the cost of getting outsped by Pokemon like Breloom and Bisharp. Since I have Torterra, neither of them are huge threats so it isn't much of a loss.
arrancar (Garchomp-Mega) @ Garchompite
Ability: Rough Skin
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Earthquake
- Draco Meteor
- Stone Edge
- Fire Blast
Mega-Garchomp fills up the mega slot that my team lacked. It provides a very strong mixed wallbreaker with amazing speed while non-mega and great bulk as mega. It also provides another neutrality to Water-, and Grass-type moves to support the team. Earthquake is its strongest physical STAB while Stone Edge is a necessary option to beat Mega-Charizard-Y, a huge threat to my defensive core. Fire Blast beats Pokemon like Skarmory and Ferrothorn which otherwise wall Mega Garchomp. Fire Blast + Earthquake can completely destroy Steel-type teams as long as you play safely with random HP Ice's. Draco Meteor is the secondary STAB which is a bit less spammable yet strong nonetheless. It provides coverage for opposing Dragon-types which are annoying for the team to face even with Mamoswine. It also hits physically defensive Pokemon that aren't weak to Fire Blast such as Slowbro and Swampert. As I laddered with this team, I tried out fully special Mega-Garchomp with Earth Power and HP Ice over Earthquake and Stone Edge yet that made Mega-Garchomp a bit too weak and was rarely even useful so I reverted back to mixed Mega-Garchomp. The EVs allow it to hit as hard as possible with Earthquake + Stone Edge. Naive nature with 252 speed is a necessity to outspeed base 100s while non-mega such as Mega-Charizard-Y. As far as I know, Special Attack investments aren't necessary on mixed Mega-Garchomp as Fire Blast manages to beat Skarmory and Ferrothorn anyway.
visored (Landorus) @ Life Orb
Ability: Sheer Force
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Earth Power
- Rock Polish
- Focus Blast
- Psychic
While Mega-Garchomp and Mamoswine act as the physical wallbreakers of the team, Landorus-I takes care of the walls that Mamoswine or Mega-Garchomp fail to break through with its amazing Special Attack coupled with the absurd combination of Life Orb + Sheer Force. Not only that, but it gains access to excellent coverage and a way to double its already decent speed. However, at the same time, it suffers from 4MSS (4 moveslot syndrome) as the Rock Polish set that I use has to give up on one of its coverage moves. I decided to give up on Sludge Wave as this team already has a good matchup vs Fairy-type and Seismitoad already carries Poison-type coverage. Rock Polish along with Psychic can make Landorus-I a great win condition vs Fighting-type. It sets up freely on Terrakion / Heracross or any other Choice Scarf user locked into a Fighting-type move and OHKOs everything besides the occasional Mega-Gallade. Its typing also supports the team providing a Fighting-type resist for Mamoswine and Krookodile. Earth Power is its STAB move with little switch ins in the entire metagame barring Flying-types. Focus Blast beats Ice-types that it outspeeds as well as levitating Rock- or Steel-types. Maximum Speed and Special Attack EVs are self-explanatory, Timid nature over Modest is because even on a Rock Polish set, I prefer to make use of Landorus-I's great speed tier.
fullbringer (Krookodile) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Moxie
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Knock Off
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Superpower
For my last Pokemon on the team, I wanted a Choice Scarf user. My options were Excadrill or Krookodile and I ended up with Krookodile for various reasons (check Teambuilding Process above). Krookodile gives me a huge edge in the Psychic-type matchup with its STAB Knock Off. It also helps vs Normal-type teams, being able to effectively knock off the Eviolite off the Eviolite twins. Earthquake is the secondary STAB which is stronger especially after the opponent has had their items knocked off. Stone Edge hits Flying-type Pokemon that are immune to Earthquake, notably Zapdos and Mega-Charizard-Y. Lastly, Choice Scarf Superpower is my main way to beat Weavile and most other Ice-type Pokemon. It also hits Mega-Lopunny which can be a threat to my team with Ice Punch. In my laddering period, I tried out Pursuit over Superpower to trap certain Psychic-types such as Victini and Starmie but in the end, I decided that Superpower was a lot more helpful. EVs are regular 252/252+ with nothing special.
There's definitely more but they should be pretty obvious such as Grass-type teams and Spikes stack teams so i'm not going to list any more
I didn't save many of these because I didn't know at that time that I'll do an RMT later but these are what I could find:
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/monotype-379285430 vs Flying
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/monotype-379160856 vs Dragon
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/monotype-379167197 vs Grass
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/monotype-379220123 vs Steel
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/monotype-379285430 vs Flying
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/monotype-379160856 vs Dragon
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/monotype-379167197 vs Grass
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/monotype-379220123 vs Steel
hollow (Torterra) @ Leftovers
Ability: Shell Armor
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Def
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Synthesis
- Roar
- Seed Bomb
shinigami (Seismitoad) @ Assault Vest
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 72 HP / 252 SpA / 184 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Earth Power
- Sludge Wave
- Grass Knot
quincy (Mamoswine) @ Choice Band
Ability: Thick Fat
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Icicle Crash
- Knock Off
- Ice Shard
arrancar (Garchomp-Mega) @ Garchompite
Ability: Rough Skin
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Earthquake
- Draco Meteor
- Stone Edge
- Fire Blast
visored (Landorus) @ Life Orb
Ability: Sheer Force
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Earth Power
- Rock Polish
- Focus Blast
- Psychic
fullbringer (Krookodile) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Moxie
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Knock Off
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Superpower
Ability: Shell Armor
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Def
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Synthesis
- Roar
- Seed Bomb
shinigami (Seismitoad) @ Assault Vest
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 72 HP / 252 SpA / 184 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Earth Power
- Sludge Wave
- Grass Knot
quincy (Mamoswine) @ Choice Band
Ability: Thick Fat
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Icicle Crash
- Knock Off
- Ice Shard
arrancar (Garchomp-Mega) @ Garchompite
Ability: Rough Skin
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Earthquake
- Draco Meteor
- Stone Edge
- Fire Blast
visored (Landorus) @ Life Orb
Ability: Sheer Force
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Earth Power
- Rock Polish
- Focus Blast
- Psychic
fullbringer (Krookodile) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Moxie
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Knock Off
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Superpower
k so this is going to be long.
Ferno
Fractions. sorry you should be first but ferno asked me soo.. : (
dusk raimon
TheAce22
Dream Eater Gengar
vlmufa
Tyke
TheOfficialVodoom
Zyo
The Excadrill
Prosaic
madman404
average fella
6TI
Cjl1
Formidable
KGBanter tips from the god himself?
Or1hara Izaya
Mateeus_1
P0werSurge
Typhozzz
Ransei
Dr. Phd. BJ
draegn ompl squad :^]
Ticktick
czim
Waszap
Dece1t
drop a like : )
Ferno
Fractions. sorry you should be first but ferno asked me soo.. : (
dusk raimon
TheAce22
Dream Eater Gengar
vlmufa
Tyke
TheOfficialVodoom
Zyo
The Excadrill
Prosaic
madman404
average fella
6TI
Cjl1
Formidable
KGBanter tips from the god himself?
Or1hara Izaya
Mateeus_1
P0werSurge
Typhozzz
Ransei
Dr. Phd. BJ
draegn ompl squad :^]
Ticktick
czim
Waszap
Dece1t
drop a like : )
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