Galvantula & The Misfits
A team of cool guys by G.R.'s Cousin
A team of cool guys by G.R.'s Cousin
Hey. So yeah, one day I just decided I would try something new. A tier besides OU or Ubers (both of which get pretty annoying sometimes). I was browsing the Strategy section of the Smogon website, looking for a place to start. I stumbled across Galvantula, whom I used on my White team and loved to spam Thunder with. I read up on its articles and decided that it would be fun to use it competitively, so I figured, what better place than the lowest tier it can shine in? Thus began the creation of my team. Let me introduce Galvantula & The Misfits.
Galvantula @ Life Orb
Trait: Compoundeyes
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 SAtk / 4 HP
Timid Nature
- Thunder
- Bug Buzz
- Giga Drain
- Hidden Power [Ice]
The star of my team, who would have figured? Galvantula hits extremely hard and fast, something any cookie-cutter special-sweeper would be expected of. I usually end up using him late-game, due to how there are always threats I have to clean up first, such as Choice Scarf Braviary, Cryogonal, and biggest of all, Stealth Rock. As such, he requires a ton of support from the rest of the team, but being able to 2HKO most of the tier is always a great feeling. If a team lacks an entry hazard layer, however, Galvantula can start rampaging from the very start of the game, either OHKOing their lead or dealing heavy damage to the mon they switch to, placing them within range with a different move.
Sandslash @ Leftovers
Trait: Sand Veil
EVs: 4 SDef / 252 Def / 252 HP
Impish Nature
- Rapid Spin
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
Upon hearing that Sandslash makes a good partner for Galvantula, at first I thought: "So it's an inferior Donphan... Not sure how well this will turn out." After using him for a while however, now I think: "Sandslash is fucking amazing." Many a time has he removed Stealth Rock off the field, which is invaluable to using a Life Orb Galvantula. Sandslash is also a great lure of sorts. When opponents switch to Cofagrigus, expecting me to use Rapid Spin, I get an opportunity to switch straight to Absol. Same applies with users of Scald and Ice Beam only hitting Alomomola. Plus, my team now has an EdgeQuake combo. What more needs to be said?
Alomomola @ Leftovers
Trait: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SDef
Impish Nature
- Wish
- Protect
- Waterfall
- Toxic
To be honest, I once hated Alomomola out of sheer ignorance. Outclassed by Chansey, ugly, and not the evolution Luvdisc really needs. Using her later showed me that first impressions are nothing. Alomomola is wonderful to have, due to how important it is for this team to stay at above 50% health, as well as her type-synergy with Galvantula and Sandslash. If all that weren't enough, Alomomola can easily outstall various Bulk Up Gallade and Hitmonlee, who Sandslash can't take on and the rest of my team can't stand more than two hits from.
Clefable @ Life Orb
Trait: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 216 Atk / 40 SpD
Brave Nature
- Double-Edge
- Flamethrower
- Heal Bell
- Softboiled
Stalling with Toxic and Will-o-Wisp? That's pretty funny. Steelix and Cryogonal walling my attacks? Bitch, please. Clefable is a great support to my team, given that Alomomola hates Toxic while Galvantula is essentially dead when paralyzed. Magnemite and Steelix that would also OHKO Sandslash with Hidden Power Ice also find themselves switching out in fear from Life Orb Flamethrower, while Cryogonal and other defensively frail Pokemon are almost always OHKO'd by a Double-Edge that hits like a truck. The EVs may seem a bit unorthodox, but being able to switch into special attacks (which a majority of my team can't do) is yet another great value to the team.
Absol @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Super Luck
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spd / 4 HP
Adamant Nature
- Pursuit
- Night Slash
- Superpower
- Megahorn
Ah, yes. Absol. My main Ghost-type counter and revenge killer. Switching in safely on Psychic-types and Cofagrigus pretty much means Absol is taking a chunk of health out of something, if not outright killing it. Pursuit and Night Slash alternate in usage depending on whether I'm predicting a switch or not, while Superpower rounds Absol out to hit anything neutrally, thanks to Heracross and Toxicroak banned to higher tiers. Megahorn rounds out the coverage even further, otherwise functioning as a less-accurate Superpower that can be used multiple times in a row.
Also crits. Can't have enough of them.
Ludicolo @ Leftovers
Trait: Own Tempo
EVs: 248 HP / 252 SDef / 8 Def
Calm Nature
- Substitute
- Leech Seed
- Scald
- Ice Beam
Finally, there's Ludicolo. Originally, I didn't know what to put in as the sixth member, so I just threw Offensive Sigilyph in. That did not end well, due to how my team has a rough time handling special attacks. There was also a Whimsicott that pissed me off so badly that I decided I needed a permanent check to one. Thus, Ludicolo came in to fill both those roles. Things only get better in that his SubSeed set lets me outstall what Alomomola can't. Own Tempo may seem like the lesser choice of his abilities due to how the occasional Rain Dance team won't feed him, but then you have to remember I have Galvantula with both Thunder and Giga Drain, so no point in having a rain check beyond that.
- - - - - - - -
Anyway that's about it I guess. I've actually had a lot of success with this team, my loss rate probably being about 20% of the time, and even those being solely based on several critical hits occuring at the worst times. I'm still relatively new to the RU tier, so I'm not entirely familiar with everything the tier has to offer. If you see any flaws in my team I can patch up, please do tell. Otherwise, knowing about potential counters would still be helpful to a currently RU rookie like myself. RU is fun and I hope I can mold this team into something viable enough to compete against some of the higher-ladder teams going around.
