Gyara-Loom offense
Hello, and welcome!
I haven´t submitted a project to this thread before, so please excuse mistakes on my part, and feel free to point them out.
I started playing DPP OU about 3 months ago, though I didn´t start taking it seriously until about a month ago, when I started growing weary of my old home tier of BW OU. In all the time I spent learning DPP, I managed to only come up with a handful of usable teams myself, and only a single one that performed consistently for the most part. I relied almost solely on this team to reach the higher parts of the ladder, and in those parts, the lower parts of the higher parts of the ladder, I will lurk, until I broaden my horizon some more and learn to successfully utilize some more advanced strategies. Accordingly, this team and the accompanying thread are aimed mostly at fellow players that are still fairly inexperienced in the tier, and using it against more accomplished players may lead to inconsistent results. Many of the accompanying thoughts might also be either blindingly obvious to more experienced players or provoke strong disagreement which I invite people to voice freely. I am very much open to criticism and changing my opinion.
I could´ve given the team a flashier name, but the current one is very much to the point, which feels good to me. I didn´t want to participate here solely for empty bragging, but to spark some discussion on offensive strategies in general. DPP occupies a fairly balanced midground between ADV, which features a number of defensive Pokémon that can stay alive for a long time without a good plan by the opponent, and BW, which is in danger of being blown apart by offensive Pokémon every other week. The ADV OU forum has a lengthy list of excellent analyses on synergistic (and anti-synergistic) cores that I highly recommend to check out if you haven´t already. Among them is an interesting take on offense: Using two offensive Pokémon that share defensive answers can wear those defensive answers down quickly if played intelligently. This team attempts to implement the afore-mentioned concept with its two spotlight Pokémon: Gyarados and Breloom.
A study in offense or Why I think Gyarados and Breloom make a good basic offensive core
Gyarados has been making a huge splash in DPP OU as a threatening sweeper capable of taking down entire teams if not stopped quickly enough. Even though it is a powerful Pokémon in a vacuum for sure, a significant part of its value derives from its offensive and defensive match-up against most of the defensive DPP landscape. Water is an offensive typing that hits almost the entirety of the tier´s defensive steel-types for neutral damage and is even super-effective against other notable defensive Pokémon, such as Tyranitar, Hippowdon or Gliscor. Defensively its typing is completely unique, not being weak to any priority moves, and mandating electricity-based moves to take down quickly due to its impressive bulk. Thunderbolt and Hidden Power [Electric], moves otherwise arguably suboptimal or outclassed by ice- and grass-based attacks on many water resists, have become viable options and arguably even standard for Gyarados alone. As such, Gyarados can be considered somewhat of an anti-meta Pokémon, although one that has long since become part of the meta itself. What continues to be the same: Gyarados demands completely different defensive measures compared to other physical threats in the tier, measures that one can´t invest too much into, lest one risks losing to other offensive Pokémon.
However, Gyarados also has trouble setting up with Dragon Dance multiple times over the course of a game due to its Stealth rock weakness, sand damage and necessity to attack sooner than it would like, as many checks and counters enter the field with the express purpose of KO-ing it immediately. Thus it certainly appreciates help weakening those same checks and counters, before it prepares for a sweep.
Offensive threats in DPP OU have historically come and gone like the seasons, but if there´s a species that can be found thriving at any time of the year, it is fungi. As not only the best user of a sleep-inducing move, but also one of its best abusers, Breloom has consistently proven itself a powerhouse. Much like Gyarados, Breloom brings a unique typing to the table: Like Gyarados´ Waterfall, Breloom´s Seed bomb removes many bulky ground types from its list of potential counters and forces frailer Pokémon such as flying or ghost types to switch into its attacks instead. However, Breloom´s best asset remains Spore. The completely accurate sleep it induces can instantly cripple a counter and forces at least two of them onto most foolproof teams: One to absorb Spore, a second to actually beat Breloom itself.
However, with unreliable speed and only a comparatively weak Mach punch to circumvent this problem, Breloom has distinct trouble sweeping itself. Many bulky Pokémon laugh at it, even if it tries to utilize Swords dance. Furthermore, with two incredibly specific STAB attacks, a Breloom attempting to power through opposing teams alone will always find itself lacking for coverage. For these reasons, Breloom is typically doomed to be a wallbreaker rather than a sweeper.
When building a defensive team, one would have a hard time justifying Gyarados and Breloom on the same team. They answer many of the same opposing Pokémon and neither is a foolproof answer to any offensive threat. However, on an offensive team their synergy becomes quickly apparent on account of their unique talents: Breloom and Gyarados both target traditionally bulky Pokémon with their attacks and force frailer Pokémon to switch into them instead. Breloom can cripple part of its defensive counterplay easily, but struggles to actually take them down. Gyarados can knock down its counterplay after just a free turn or two, but struggles to find enough time to actually set up. If Breloom can incapacitate their shared answers early on, this can give Gyarados an important advantage later in the game.
Many years have passed since Cyrus brought Sinnoh to the brink of the apocalypse and this harmless looking midget still rules the tier with an ironfist head. Defensive variants are nearly impossible to take down for Gyarados in a single round even with Dragon dance, Earthquake and Life orb in the pocket, and that single round might be all it needs to turn things around by paralyzing its opponent and then flinching them down, regaining half its health in the process. Offensive variants meanwhile often carry Thunderbolt to threaten Gyarados directly and do the same to Breloom with a Fire punch or simply significantly stronger Iron heads. Jirachi will seldom be the designated victim for Spore, as it sometimes serves as an emergency plan for its team when all reasonable strategy fails. Our Gyarados has a plan for the defensive variants and backup on the team for its offensive counterpart. Still, fools rush in where dragons fear to tread.
Speaking of dragons, this lovely lady is en route to becoming the new face of the tier. Not only has Latias carved out a niche as a special wallbreaker for herself, but she has been directly invading Tyranitar´s home turf as the tier´s premier offensive specially defensive tank. Despite being overall more comfortable trading blows with special attackers like Heatran or Zapdos, she is perfectly capable of handling both Breloom and Gyarados in a pinch due to resisting all relevant STAB attacks from the both of them. Offensive variants equipped with Choice specs or a Life orb aren´t so much difficult to put down as they are to switch into and might require a convenient sacrifice, but defensive variants can utilize moves like Recover, Roar, Reflect or Thunder Wave to stick around a lot longer than one might hope for, and often require support from the rest of the team.
This spectral household machine has been losing some steam recently, but occasionally it still cooks - or washes, or mows - up a storm. A STAB Thunderbolt to threaten Gyarados directly and an immunity to Breloom´s fighting STAB´s combined with just the right stat spread to threaten the pair from multiple angles make this something to watch out for. Offensive choice scarf variants are often the designated Gyarados check on offensive teams, while defensive variants can comfortably avoid a KO at the hands of Breloom´s Seed bomb and sit on it for a while with Pain split or Rest, Sleep Talk and Will´o´wisp. Offensive variants are generally easy to switch around if momentum is on your side, but defensive variants, although increasingly rare due to Clefable´s influence, might require some clever prediction or even luck (critical hit, Will´o´wisp miss) to take down for good.
Offensive Zapdos has been declining proportionally directly to the rise of defensive Latias and Clefable, but physically defensive variants still soar boldly through the sky. Although weak to Stealth Rock, a lack of a Pursuit weakness and access to Pressure can give its team an important edge in stall mirrors. Similar to Jirachi it can prove obnoxious, because it can be difficult to take out in a single round, forcing one to pelt it with continuous attacks, lest it gets back into top shape. Breloom just throwing Focus punches at it until it decides to strike back may be the best strategy (not confirmed) to force it into half-shift, and since bold Zapdos often decides to go all the way and invests little into speed, Gyarados should be able to outspeed it and revenge kill it - ironically.
Similar to defensive Zapdos, defensive Dragonite exists - in theory. In practice I have never witnessed anybody using it aside from myself. It has some unique properties over its competition, such as Heal Bell, an immunity to being flinched down by Jirachi or a reasonably strong Earthquake, but those don´t seem to warrant enough attention. A pity. If it shows up and proves a problem, Swampert is yourman mon.
Opposing Gyaradoi can be a surprise, as they can carry Stone Edge for the mirror match-up and are hard for Breloom to take down, but between sand damage, Stealth rock and a suprising check on the team that lures it should be able to neutralize it.
What it lacks in finesse compared to its younger cousin Jirachi, it makes up for with sheer brute force. Its STAB Meteor Mash can comfortably score the one-hit KO on Breloom, and it often carries Thunder Punch to deal with Gyarados expressly aside from other water types. Also similar to Jirachi, it is bulky enough to not be able taken out in almost any single hit. Swampert can deal quite expertly with it, if it doesn´t use the rare Grass Knot, and is particularly adept at luring Explosion variants with Protect.
Jirachi´s and Metagross´ oft-forgotten second cousin once removed is one of the most difficult Pokémon in the tier to take out in a single hit, even by Magnezone. It often uses the free turns it gets to set up Trick room and/or get off an Explosion, often permanently crippling an opponent´s strategy for the following couple turns. With Substitute Gyarados can fortunately somewhat prepare for some of its strategies, and if everything else fails, Swampert can try taking it on. It is another Pokémon relatively easily baited into exploding on Protect.
Roserade has seen better days, but occasionally this thorny lady still gets press-ganged into fighting off Breloom for her team. Offensive versions drop to Gyarados´ +1 Double-Edge, defensive versions drop in two hits, but can´t heal reliably enough. It might be worth offering a sacrifice (especially if she utilizes Leaf storm), to facilitate a smoother sweep.
I haven´t encountered these Pokémon at a statistically relevant quantity, but technically they could be problematic, as they have the typing, bulk and reliable recovery to tough it out against most of the team. The best course of action when encountering them might be to take them out by Explosion.
This was a lot of words to explain a simple concept that may fail in practice, so let´s get to the team as a whole.
Twilight´s Herald (Azelf) @ Colbur Berry
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 80 HP / 176 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Taunt
- U-turn
- Explosion
Although Azelf has lost some of its popularity following the rise of Skarmory-Clefable stall, it performs its Suicide lead job for offensive teams such as this one as reliably as ever. Colbur Berry is the most logical item for me nowadays, as it fearlessly scouts lead Tyranitar for a scarf, and also wards off the by now relatively rare but still existing lead Machamp. This allows it to prepare for more variety with its EV spread. I find maximum speed very important here, as it is, for lack of a fast Choice scarf user, the fastest team member, and Taunt continues to be a very valuable tool. I prefer U-turn over Thunder Wave here, as paralyzing opposing leads (especially CS Tyranitar) has limited value for this team, and generating momentum at a high-pressure pace may occasionally necessary. The defensive EV´s aim for a very rare, but technically existant counterlead, Choice Specs Starmie. This team, relying on Tyranitar and Swampert as its backbone, has no decent switch-ins to that demon at all (in all fairness, not many other teams have one either, even specially defensive tanks fear Trick), and it survives a hit from other specially offensive leads like Zapdos and Heatran (lacking Life orb or Choice Specs) as well. It also comfortably survives the Hydro Pump-Aqua Jet combination from Lead Empoleon, allowing you to taunt it if you dare. It doesn´t survive Lead Metagross´ Meteor Mash + Bullet Punch combination, but many Metagross´ nowadays have taken to just opt for 4 attacks and leave the Stealth Rock to a team member in the back.
You are all alone (Breloom) @ Toxic Orb
Ability: Poison Heal
EVs: 8 HP / 248 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Spore
- Focus Punch
- Seed Bomb
- Mach Punch
Although jolly Breloom still generates distaste among many players, acceptance for it seems to have risen considerably, in part probably due to the efforts of its lead set. With maximum speed it outspeeds foes up to and including adamant Gyarados, drastically increasing the number of opposing Pokémon it can spore (which is by far its most important purpose). This set admittedly functions as a pseudo-lead set, with the aim of bringing it into play as early as possible to get the momentum rolling for the team. This also has the helpful side effect of activating its Toxic Orb early to act as an emergency status absorber for the team. It consequently often trades later in the game its life against opposing Brelooms that drop in against Swampert to regain momentum for the team, as Gyarados coming in on its heels can prepare for the decisive sweep thereafter. The rest of its moves allow Breloom to apply pressure to common physical tanks and deal damage to its and Gyarados´ checks, and even take down something on its own if it gets stuck in a 1 vs. 1 situation at the end of the game. Mach Punch provides important priority, which is essential on this team, as specially offensive Swampert may not be able to take on Tyranitar on its own.
Important note: If playing against stall teams, especially Skarmory-Clefable versions, which are usually easily identifiable by the early appearance of Skarmory, Clefable and Tyranitar, it often pays off delaying sporing a target. Those are teams that struggle to efficiently take out Breloom, who may be able to repeatedly switch into Clefable throughout the match. Moreover, those teams are often used by experienced players that will single out their least useful Pokémon in the match-up to absorb sleep for the team (this is frequently a Pokémon that otherwise has absolutely no business whatsoever switching into Breloom´s attacks, such as Tyranitar).
Dance with us (Gyarados) @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 40 HP / 252 Atk / 28 Def / 188 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Waterfall
- Double-Edge
- Substitute
One of the team´s two win-conditions, and usually the one that brings back the laurels. A lot of defensive Pokémon (especially Jirachi) usually aim for the speed threshold to outspeed jolly Tyranitar, so this Leviathan aims for exactly one point above that so it can safely set up a Substitute on them. The defensive EV´s allow the Substitute then to survive a Body Slam from afore-mentioned Jirachi to safely Dragon Dance on them. Normal moves are in my humble opinion the best coverage for Gyarados, as it provides similar offensive properties to Bounce, hitting all water resists bar Empoleon for neutral damage, but doesn´t consume two turns, which could easily backfire against targets such as Substitute Breloom. I prefer Double-Edge over Return, as it hits some important damage ranges that Return misses out on, painful though the recoil is: Offensive Breloom, Starmie, Roserade and Dragonite are all reliably one-hit-KO´ed at +1 after Stealth rock damage, and even defensive Latias is all but guaranteed to suffer a 2-hit KO.
Come and join (Magnezone) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Magnet Pull
EVs: 24 Atk / 252 SpA / 232 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Thunder Wave
- Explosion
An important fixture on a team centered around physical offense to remove Skarmory, Scizor, Empoleon, Lucario and other steel types that threaten to cut a sweep short. As the team otherwise struggles a bit with speed control, Magnezone makes good use of a Choice Scarf, allowing it to threaten some fast, frail Pokémon such as Gengar. It also contains the dangerous Swords Dance Lucario for the team. Its fast Explosion after doing its job is an excellent way to remove Pokémon such as defensive Latias for its teammates. Apart from its anti-steel surgery duties Magnezone can also do some specially defensive work for the team as the team´s only own steel type, pivoting into ice- and grass-type attacks if necessary. The speed EV´s aim for Gengar & Latias, as Magnezone has no hope trying to outspeed Starmie.
Recently, Choice scarf Magnezone has lost some support from players in favor of its own pre-evolution, Magneton, which, though otherwise blessed with significantly worse stats, boasts a higher speed tier to outspeed Dragon dancers at +1. However, as it can´t utilize the speed-lowering Hidden Power [Fire], it must instead rely on Hidden Power [Ground], which, while allowing the removal of opposing Magnezones and non-scarfed Heatrans, misses out on some logical and potentially very relevant targets in Scizor, Bronzong and Forretress. It is also almost completely helpless against Flygon and Gliscor without a third attack like Flash Cannon. As this team has other plans for dealing with opposing Dragon Dancers and runs three Heatran checks (four if you include Mach Punch Breloom), I prefer the good old Magnezone here.
Note: When combined with smart Tyranitar usage, Scarf Magnezone is an excellent way to countersweep many rain teams. Azelf is another key component of the team in those matchups, as its U-turn is essential to bring in the right team member at the right time - sometimes repeatedly.
Madness reigns (Swampert) @ Leftovers
Ability: Torrent
EVs: 248 HP / 4 Def / 248 SpA / 8 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 3 Atk / 30 SpA
- Earth Power
- Ice Beam
- Hidden Power [Electric]
- Protect
At first glance Swampert seems badly out of place on such an offensively-paced team, and the set it runs looks a little insane. However, it actually performs a very important glue function for the team. First off, every team should consider a backup plan for Jirachi. Secondly, as much as the team thrives in a fast-paced game, there are several points at which it is forced to lower its tempo to allow key team members to perform their duties, most notably Azelf setting Stealth rock at the start of the game and Breloom using Spore, and the team needs something that can go toe to toe with opposing physical threats if the opponent decides to use those breaks to their advantage. Thirdly, Breloom, Magnezone and Tyranitar generally form a somewhat shaky defensive core against Electricity-based attacks, and a ground type would greatly benefit the team´s defensive structure. Enter the mighty mudskipper, a Pokémon that can compress those qualities even on an offensive team like this. For a defensive Pokémon, Swampert is also surprisingly adept at avoiding a complete loss of momentum and keeping its player in the driver´s seat. Earth power and Ice beam together hit almost every offensive threat in the tier for significant damage. Hidden power [Electric] is there for the sole exception, opposing Gyarados, which also gets one-hit KO´ed after Stealth rock damage, while Gyarados can´t one-hit KO back. It also deals good damage to Skarmory in absence of a water-type attack. Speaking of Skarmory, specially offensive Swampert is an excellent backup plan to have for the metal bird, capable of wrestling it down on its own, thanks to Earth Power preventing the bird from ever roosting safely. It is particularly practical to have around for the Shed shell variants that have been popping up here and there on stall teams. Protect seems another potentially superfluous move, but actually drastically improves Swampert´s chances against bulkier opponents. 2-hit KO´es (such as by Choice Band Tyranitar) can be turned into 3-hit KO´es this way, and 3-hit KO´es (such as at the hands of regular Tyranitar) can be turned into 4-hit KO´es, for example. On top of that, several steel types such as Heatran, Metagross or Bronzong finding themselves unable to beat Swampert in a regular way will often resort to try taking it out with Explosion, and Protect does an excellent job luring that move.
Swampert´s biggest downside is doubtlessly its weakness to opposing Breloom. In such cases the team´s own Breloom often serves as a sacrifice to regain momentum for the team.
Important Note: Swampert is typically at its best in a match in two very different roles: One is that of an early-to-mid game behemoth to take on opposing offensive steel types and stop them in their tracks. On other occasions, against teams spearheaded by Pokémon such as Choice Scarf Heatran or offensive Latias that are handled better by Swampert´s teammates, it may pay off to keep Swampert unrevealed to the end and utilize it as an unusual win condition. The battered opposing team will often expect yet another dangerous sweeper with a key weakness, not a bulky Pokémon that can come out victorious in most 1 vs. 1 matches.
The Mountain King (Tyranitar) @ Chople Berry
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 40 HP / 208 Atk / 4 Def / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Crunch
- Earthquake
- Ice Punch
I think this would be a pretty good leitmotif for Tyranitar in general...
Although Gyarados exerts an unusual amount of pressure on opposing teams, it will never match the threat that its big brother poses. Dragon Dance Tyranitar is a staple on offense builds due to the ease with which it both sets up and threatens the vast majority of the tier´s roster. The set itself is standard, threatening the 2-hit KO on every Pokémon in the tier except physically defensive Hippowdon and Swampert after one dance. Some defensive investment allows Tyranitar to survive some potentially fatal hits such as Swampert´s Earthquake or even Choice Band Scizor´s Bullet Punch, while retaining the KO range on all of its relevant targets. The Chople berry is Tyranitar´s most logical asset on this team, preventing Breloom or the by now rare Mach Punch Infernape from revenge-killing it, while Magnezone is tasked with taking down Skarmory and Scizor for it.
Unlike most Dragon Dance Tyranitars that try to sweep during the endgame, this one does a fairly good job setting up and either dismantling defenses on the opposing team or luring out some of the steel types that Magnezone aims to trap early on. Nevertheless, if it manages to stay around for the endgame, it can prove a game-changer there as well.
That was a huge wall of text, and most of it wasn´t even that informative. If you read all the way until here, thank you so much! I hope I could give a good account of an offensive team in the tier, as well as its strengths and weaknesses, and spark some discussion on the playstyle in general. I encourage fellow newcomers to the tier to build and share their own teams. Offense is a good point to start out, but it is only the beginning to something much more grand and exalted...
I am not including replays for the time being, as it feels like bloated bragging to me, and I hope I could still explain the team´s performance in practice in sufficient detail. I still want to extend my thanks to all the players I faced with this team that helped me test and perfect it. At this point also a shout-out to the active DPP community, especially the very pleasant Discord chat.
Have a nice day and stay flashy!
© *
* I do not own :flashmie:. All rights belong to Kristyl and the DPP Discord chat.
Hello, and welcome!
I haven´t submitted a project to this thread before, so please excuse mistakes on my part, and feel free to point them out.
I started playing DPP OU about 3 months ago, though I didn´t start taking it seriously until about a month ago, when I started growing weary of my old home tier of BW OU. In all the time I spent learning DPP, I managed to only come up with a handful of usable teams myself, and only a single one that performed consistently for the most part. I relied almost solely on this team to reach the higher parts of the ladder, and in those parts, the lower parts of the higher parts of the ladder, I will lurk, until I broaden my horizon some more and learn to successfully utilize some more advanced strategies. Accordingly, this team and the accompanying thread are aimed mostly at fellow players that are still fairly inexperienced in the tier, and using it against more accomplished players may lead to inconsistent results. Many of the accompanying thoughts might also be either blindingly obvious to more experienced players or provoke strong disagreement which I invite people to voice freely. I am very much open to criticism and changing my opinion.
I could´ve given the team a flashier name, but the current one is very much to the point, which feels good to me. I didn´t want to participate here solely for empty bragging, but to spark some discussion on offensive strategies in general. DPP occupies a fairly balanced midground between ADV, which features a number of defensive Pokémon that can stay alive for a long time without a good plan by the opponent, and BW, which is in danger of being blown apart by offensive Pokémon every other week. The ADV OU forum has a lengthy list of excellent analyses on synergistic (and anti-synergistic) cores that I highly recommend to check out if you haven´t already. Among them is an interesting take on offense: Using two offensive Pokémon that share defensive answers can wear those defensive answers down quickly if played intelligently. This team attempts to implement the afore-mentioned concept with its two spotlight Pokémon: Gyarados and Breloom.
A study in offense or Why I think Gyarados and Breloom make a good basic offensive core
Gyarados has been making a huge splash in DPP OU as a threatening sweeper capable of taking down entire teams if not stopped quickly enough. Even though it is a powerful Pokémon in a vacuum for sure, a significant part of its value derives from its offensive and defensive match-up against most of the defensive DPP landscape. Water is an offensive typing that hits almost the entirety of the tier´s defensive steel-types for neutral damage and is even super-effective against other notable defensive Pokémon, such as Tyranitar, Hippowdon or Gliscor. Defensively its typing is completely unique, not being weak to any priority moves, and mandating electricity-based moves to take down quickly due to its impressive bulk. Thunderbolt and Hidden Power [Electric], moves otherwise arguably suboptimal or outclassed by ice- and grass-based attacks on many water resists, have become viable options and arguably even standard for Gyarados alone. As such, Gyarados can be considered somewhat of an anti-meta Pokémon, although one that has long since become part of the meta itself. What continues to be the same: Gyarados demands completely different defensive measures compared to other physical threats in the tier, measures that one can´t invest too much into, lest one risks losing to other offensive Pokémon.
However, Gyarados also has trouble setting up with Dragon Dance multiple times over the course of a game due to its Stealth rock weakness, sand damage and necessity to attack sooner than it would like, as many checks and counters enter the field with the express purpose of KO-ing it immediately. Thus it certainly appreciates help weakening those same checks and counters, before it prepares for a sweep.
Offensive threats in DPP OU have historically come and gone like the seasons, but if there´s a species that can be found thriving at any time of the year, it is fungi. As not only the best user of a sleep-inducing move, but also one of its best abusers, Breloom has consistently proven itself a powerhouse. Much like Gyarados, Breloom brings a unique typing to the table: Like Gyarados´ Waterfall, Breloom´s Seed bomb removes many bulky ground types from its list of potential counters and forces frailer Pokémon such as flying or ghost types to switch into its attacks instead. However, Breloom´s best asset remains Spore. The completely accurate sleep it induces can instantly cripple a counter and forces at least two of them onto most foolproof teams: One to absorb Spore, a second to actually beat Breloom itself.
However, with unreliable speed and only a comparatively weak Mach punch to circumvent this problem, Breloom has distinct trouble sweeping itself. Many bulky Pokémon laugh at it, even if it tries to utilize Swords dance. Furthermore, with two incredibly specific STAB attacks, a Breloom attempting to power through opposing teams alone will always find itself lacking for coverage. For these reasons, Breloom is typically doomed to be a wallbreaker rather than a sweeper.
When building a defensive team, one would have a hard time justifying Gyarados and Breloom on the same team. They answer many of the same opposing Pokémon and neither is a foolproof answer to any offensive threat. However, on an offensive team their synergy becomes quickly apparent on account of their unique talents: Breloom and Gyarados both target traditionally bulky Pokémon with their attacks and force frailer Pokémon to switch into them instead. Breloom can cripple part of its defensive counterplay easily, but struggles to actually take them down. Gyarados can knock down its counterplay after just a free turn or two, but struggles to find enough time to actually set up. If Breloom can incapacitate their shared answers early on, this can give Gyarados an important advantage later in the game.
Many years have passed since Cyrus brought Sinnoh to the brink of the apocalypse and this harmless looking midget still rules the tier with an iron
Speaking of dragons, this lovely lady is en route to becoming the new face of the tier. Not only has Latias carved out a niche as a special wallbreaker for herself, but she has been directly invading Tyranitar´s home turf as the tier´s premier offensive specially defensive tank. Despite being overall more comfortable trading blows with special attackers like Heatran or Zapdos, she is perfectly capable of handling both Breloom and Gyarados in a pinch due to resisting all relevant STAB attacks from the both of them. Offensive variants equipped with Choice specs or a Life orb aren´t so much difficult to put down as they are to switch into and might require a convenient sacrifice, but defensive variants can utilize moves like Recover, Roar, Reflect or Thunder Wave to stick around a lot longer than one might hope for, and often require support from the rest of the team.
This spectral household machine has been losing some steam recently, but occasionally it still cooks - or washes, or mows - up a storm. A STAB Thunderbolt to threaten Gyarados directly and an immunity to Breloom´s fighting STAB´s combined with just the right stat spread to threaten the pair from multiple angles make this something to watch out for. Offensive choice scarf variants are often the designated Gyarados check on offensive teams, while defensive variants can comfortably avoid a KO at the hands of Breloom´s Seed bomb and sit on it for a while with Pain split or Rest, Sleep Talk and Will´o´wisp. Offensive variants are generally easy to switch around if momentum is on your side, but defensive variants, although increasingly rare due to Clefable´s influence, might require some clever prediction or even luck (critical hit, Will´o´wisp miss) to take down for good.
Offensive Zapdos has been declining proportionally directly to the rise of defensive Latias and Clefable, but physically defensive variants still soar boldly through the sky. Although weak to Stealth Rock, a lack of a Pursuit weakness and access to Pressure can give its team an important edge in stall mirrors. Similar to Jirachi it can prove obnoxious, because it can be difficult to take out in a single round, forcing one to pelt it with continuous attacks, lest it gets back into top shape. Breloom just throwing Focus punches at it until it decides to strike back may be the best strategy (not confirmed) to force it into half-shift, and since bold Zapdos often decides to go all the way and invests little into speed, Gyarados should be able to outspeed it and revenge kill it - ironically.
Similar to defensive Zapdos, defensive Dragonite exists - in theory. In practice I have never witnessed anybody using it aside from myself. It has some unique properties over its competition, such as Heal Bell, an immunity to being flinched down by Jirachi or a reasonably strong Earthquake, but those don´t seem to warrant enough attention. A pity. If it shows up and proves a problem, Swampert is your
Opposing Gyaradoi can be a surprise, as they can carry Stone Edge for the mirror match-up and are hard for Breloom to take down, but between sand damage, Stealth rock and a suprising check on the team that lures it should be able to neutralize it.
What it lacks in finesse compared to its younger cousin Jirachi, it makes up for with sheer brute force. Its STAB Meteor Mash can comfortably score the one-hit KO on Breloom, and it often carries Thunder Punch to deal with Gyarados expressly aside from other water types. Also similar to Jirachi, it is bulky enough to not be able taken out in almost any single hit. Swampert can deal quite expertly with it, if it doesn´t use the rare Grass Knot, and is particularly adept at luring Explosion variants with Protect.
Jirachi´s and Metagross´ oft-forgotten second cousin once removed is one of the most difficult Pokémon in the tier to take out in a single hit, even by Magnezone. It often uses the free turns it gets to set up Trick room and/or get off an Explosion, often permanently crippling an opponent´s strategy for the following couple turns. With Substitute Gyarados can fortunately somewhat prepare for some of its strategies, and if everything else fails, Swampert can try taking it on. It is another Pokémon relatively easily baited into exploding on Protect.
Roserade has seen better days, but occasionally this thorny lady still gets press-ganged into fighting off Breloom for her team. Offensive versions drop to Gyarados´ +1 Double-Edge, defensive versions drop in two hits, but can´t heal reliably enough. It might be worth offering a sacrifice (especially if she utilizes Leaf storm), to facilitate a smoother sweep.
I haven´t encountered these Pokémon at a statistically relevant quantity, but technically they could be problematic, as they have the typing, bulk and reliable recovery to tough it out against most of the team. The best course of action when encountering them might be to take them out by Explosion.
This was a lot of words to explain a simple concept that may fail in practice, so let´s get to the team as a whole. Twilight´s Herald (Azelf) @ Colbur Berry
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 80 HP / 176 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Taunt
- U-turn
- Explosion
Although Azelf has lost some of its popularity following the rise of Skarmory-Clefable stall, it performs its Suicide lead job for offensive teams such as this one as reliably as ever. Colbur Berry is the most logical item for me nowadays, as it fearlessly scouts lead Tyranitar for a scarf, and also wards off the by now relatively rare but still existing lead Machamp. This allows it to prepare for more variety with its EV spread. I find maximum speed very important here, as it is, for lack of a fast Choice scarf user, the fastest team member, and Taunt continues to be a very valuable tool. I prefer U-turn over Thunder Wave here, as paralyzing opposing leads (especially CS Tyranitar) has limited value for this team, and generating momentum at a high-pressure pace may occasionally necessary. The defensive EV´s aim for a very rare, but technically existant counterlead, Choice Specs Starmie. This team, relying on Tyranitar and Swampert as its backbone, has no decent switch-ins to that demon at all (in all fairness, not many other teams have one either, even specially defensive tanks fear Trick), and it survives a hit from other specially offensive leads like Zapdos and Heatran (lacking Life orb or Choice Specs) as well. It also comfortably survives the Hydro Pump-Aqua Jet combination from Lead Empoleon, allowing you to taunt it if you dare. It doesn´t survive Lead Metagross´ Meteor Mash + Bullet Punch combination, but many Metagross´ nowadays have taken to just opt for 4 attacks and leave the Stealth Rock to a team member in the back.
You are all alone (Breloom) @ Toxic Orb
Ability: Poison Heal
EVs: 8 HP / 248 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Spore
- Focus Punch
- Seed Bomb
- Mach Punch
Although jolly Breloom still generates distaste among many players, acceptance for it seems to have risen considerably, in part probably due to the efforts of its lead set. With maximum speed it outspeeds foes up to and including adamant Gyarados, drastically increasing the number of opposing Pokémon it can spore (which is by far its most important purpose). This set admittedly functions as a pseudo-lead set, with the aim of bringing it into play as early as possible to get the momentum rolling for the team. This also has the helpful side effect of activating its Toxic Orb early to act as an emergency status absorber for the team. It consequently often trades later in the game its life against opposing Brelooms that drop in against Swampert to regain momentum for the team, as Gyarados coming in on its heels can prepare for the decisive sweep thereafter. The rest of its moves allow Breloom to apply pressure to common physical tanks and deal damage to its and Gyarados´ checks, and even take down something on its own if it gets stuck in a 1 vs. 1 situation at the end of the game. Mach Punch provides important priority, which is essential on this team, as specially offensive Swampert may not be able to take on Tyranitar on its own.
Important note: If playing against stall teams, especially Skarmory-Clefable versions, which are usually easily identifiable by the early appearance of Skarmory, Clefable and Tyranitar, it often pays off delaying sporing a target. Those are teams that struggle to efficiently take out Breloom, who may be able to repeatedly switch into Clefable throughout the match. Moreover, those teams are often used by experienced players that will single out their least useful Pokémon in the match-up to absorb sleep for the team (this is frequently a Pokémon that otherwise has absolutely no business whatsoever switching into Breloom´s attacks, such as Tyranitar).
Dance with us (Gyarados) @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 40 HP / 252 Atk / 28 Def / 188 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Waterfall
- Double-Edge
- Substitute
One of the team´s two win-conditions, and usually the one that brings back the laurels. A lot of defensive Pokémon (especially Jirachi) usually aim for the speed threshold to outspeed jolly Tyranitar, so this Leviathan aims for exactly one point above that so it can safely set up a Substitute on them. The defensive EV´s allow the Substitute then to survive a Body Slam from afore-mentioned Jirachi to safely Dragon Dance on them. Normal moves are in my humble opinion the best coverage for Gyarados, as it provides similar offensive properties to Bounce, hitting all water resists bar Empoleon for neutral damage, but doesn´t consume two turns, which could easily backfire against targets such as Substitute Breloom. I prefer Double-Edge over Return, as it hits some important damage ranges that Return misses out on, painful though the recoil is: Offensive Breloom, Starmie, Roserade and Dragonite are all reliably one-hit-KO´ed at +1 after Stealth rock damage, and even defensive Latias is all but guaranteed to suffer a 2-hit KO.
Come and join (Magnezone) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Magnet Pull
EVs: 24 Atk / 252 SpA / 232 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Thunder Wave
- Explosion
An important fixture on a team centered around physical offense to remove Skarmory, Scizor, Empoleon, Lucario and other steel types that threaten to cut a sweep short. As the team otherwise struggles a bit with speed control, Magnezone makes good use of a Choice Scarf, allowing it to threaten some fast, frail Pokémon such as Gengar. It also contains the dangerous Swords Dance Lucario for the team. Its fast Explosion after doing its job is an excellent way to remove Pokémon such as defensive Latias for its teammates. Apart from its anti-steel surgery duties Magnezone can also do some specially defensive work for the team as the team´s only own steel type, pivoting into ice- and grass-type attacks if necessary. The speed EV´s aim for Gengar & Latias, as Magnezone has no hope trying to outspeed Starmie.
Recently, Choice scarf Magnezone has lost some support from players in favor of its own pre-evolution, Magneton, which, though otherwise blessed with significantly worse stats, boasts a higher speed tier to outspeed Dragon dancers at +1. However, as it can´t utilize the speed-lowering Hidden Power [Fire], it must instead rely on Hidden Power [Ground], which, while allowing the removal of opposing Magnezones and non-scarfed Heatrans, misses out on some logical and potentially very relevant targets in Scizor, Bronzong and Forretress. It is also almost completely helpless against Flygon and Gliscor without a third attack like Flash Cannon. As this team has other plans for dealing with opposing Dragon Dancers and runs three Heatran checks (four if you include Mach Punch Breloom), I prefer the good old Magnezone here.
Note: When combined with smart Tyranitar usage, Scarf Magnezone is an excellent way to countersweep many rain teams. Azelf is another key component of the team in those matchups, as its U-turn is essential to bring in the right team member at the right time - sometimes repeatedly.
Madness reigns (Swampert) @ Leftovers
Ability: Torrent
EVs: 248 HP / 4 Def / 248 SpA / 8 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 3 Atk / 30 SpA
- Earth Power
- Ice Beam
- Hidden Power [Electric]
- Protect
At first glance Swampert seems badly out of place on such an offensively-paced team, and the set it runs looks a little insane. However, it actually performs a very important glue function for the team. First off, every team should consider a backup plan for Jirachi. Secondly, as much as the team thrives in a fast-paced game, there are several points at which it is forced to lower its tempo to allow key team members to perform their duties, most notably Azelf setting Stealth rock at the start of the game and Breloom using Spore, and the team needs something that can go toe to toe with opposing physical threats if the opponent decides to use those breaks to their advantage. Thirdly, Breloom, Magnezone and Tyranitar generally form a somewhat shaky defensive core against Electricity-based attacks, and a ground type would greatly benefit the team´s defensive structure. Enter the mighty mudskipper, a Pokémon that can compress those qualities even on an offensive team like this. For a defensive Pokémon, Swampert is also surprisingly adept at avoiding a complete loss of momentum and keeping its player in the driver´s seat. Earth power and Ice beam together hit almost every offensive threat in the tier for significant damage. Hidden power [Electric] is there for the sole exception, opposing Gyarados, which also gets one-hit KO´ed after Stealth rock damage, while Gyarados can´t one-hit KO back. It also deals good damage to Skarmory in absence of a water-type attack. Speaking of Skarmory, specially offensive Swampert is an excellent backup plan to have for the metal bird, capable of wrestling it down on its own, thanks to Earth Power preventing the bird from ever roosting safely. It is particularly practical to have around for the Shed shell variants that have been popping up here and there on stall teams. Protect seems another potentially superfluous move, but actually drastically improves Swampert´s chances against bulkier opponents. 2-hit KO´es (such as by Choice Band Tyranitar) can be turned into 3-hit KO´es this way, and 3-hit KO´es (such as at the hands of regular Tyranitar) can be turned into 4-hit KO´es, for example. On top of that, several steel types such as Heatran, Metagross or Bronzong finding themselves unable to beat Swampert in a regular way will often resort to try taking it out with Explosion, and Protect does an excellent job luring that move.
Swampert´s biggest downside is doubtlessly its weakness to opposing Breloom. In such cases the team´s own Breloom often serves as a sacrifice to regain momentum for the team.
Important Note: Swampert is typically at its best in a match in two very different roles: One is that of an early-to-mid game behemoth to take on opposing offensive steel types and stop them in their tracks. On other occasions, against teams spearheaded by Pokémon such as Choice Scarf Heatran or offensive Latias that are handled better by Swampert´s teammates, it may pay off to keep Swampert unrevealed to the end and utilize it as an unusual win condition. The battered opposing team will often expect yet another dangerous sweeper with a key weakness, not a bulky Pokémon that can come out victorious in most 1 vs. 1 matches.
The Mountain King (Tyranitar) @ Chople Berry
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 40 HP / 208 Atk / 4 Def / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Crunch
- Earthquake
- Ice Punch
I think this would be a pretty good leitmotif for Tyranitar in general...
Although Gyarados exerts an unusual amount of pressure on opposing teams, it will never match the threat that its big brother poses. Dragon Dance Tyranitar is a staple on offense builds due to the ease with which it both sets up and threatens the vast majority of the tier´s roster. The set itself is standard, threatening the 2-hit KO on every Pokémon in the tier except physically defensive Hippowdon and Swampert after one dance. Some defensive investment allows Tyranitar to survive some potentially fatal hits such as Swampert´s Earthquake or even Choice Band Scizor´s Bullet Punch, while retaining the KO range on all of its relevant targets. The Chople berry is Tyranitar´s most logical asset on this team, preventing Breloom or the by now rare Mach Punch Infernape from revenge-killing it, while Magnezone is tasked with taking down Skarmory and Scizor for it.
Unlike most Dragon Dance Tyranitars that try to sweep during the endgame, this one does a fairly good job setting up and either dismantling defenses on the opposing team or luring out some of the steel types that Magnezone aims to trap early on. Nevertheless, if it manages to stay around for the endgame, it can prove a game-changer there as well.
Most of the following Pokémon are at their most dangerous when faced as a lead, as this team is at its most vulnerable in the opening stages of a game.
Offensive Zapdos has decreased in usage due to the surge of stall builds heavily abusing Latias, Clefable and Tyranitar, but it remains a threat against offensive teams such as this one. Usually seen in the lead position and not rarely utilizing Hidden Power [Grass] to terrorize Swampert along Heat Wave for Magnezone, it can swing games in its team´s favor fast if not accounted for. Azelf can take a hit from it, but it may not be unreasonable to just explode on the opening turn. Else there is a chance it will stick around for the entire game to disrupt this team´s strategies. Stealth Rock isn´t necessarily worth having to play around this threat.
It is like Zapdos, except it speed ties with Azelf and it usually uses a move expressly to hit Tyranitar with (Aura Sphere). And it has Extreme Speed. Joy. Again, a turn one Explosion may save an unexpected amount of headaches.
Offensive Starmie is unsurprisingly a headache for a team whose water resists drop to Ice beam and Thunderbolt, respectively. The dreadful Choice Specs version sometimes seen as a lead these days in particular has no reliable switch-ins on the team, and may again be worth taking down with Explosion on turn 1, since Azelf is expressly EV´d to survive an attack from it.
I haven´t had to play against it in a long time, but offensive Suicune could be a reasonable menace against this team. It outspeeds everything bar Azelf and Magnezone, and runs the same offensive coverage as Starmie, the dangerous Water/Ice/Electric trinity, while also being bulky enough to not be taken out easily. Sand storm damage and pressure from Magnezone should be able to contain it, however. Defensive Calm Mind + Rest + Sleep Talk Suicune generally has little in the way of winning against Gyarados, but is bulky enough that Gyarados might just kill itself with Double-Edge recoil trying to take it out. Breloom is generally the preferred method of applying pressure there.
Yet another potent special threat. Substitute versions in particular can pretty much pick their target of choice. Magnezone is usually key in those match-ups to scare it out, as it is too frail to pose a threat to the Dragon Dancers at +1.
Swords dance Lucario is a menace that in recent times seems to have been largely forgotten about due to the (in my humble opinion hopelessly overblown) hype its Choice Scarf counterpart has received. This team´s best direct switch-in is Gyarados, which however can´t one-hit KO it due to lack of Earthquake. It is one of the main reasons this team benefits Choice Scarf Magnezone (which can´t one-hit KO it either without it lowering its defenses with Close Combat!).
Offensive Zapdos has decreased in usage due to the surge of stall builds heavily abusing Latias, Clefable and Tyranitar, but it remains a threat against offensive teams such as this one. Usually seen in the lead position and not rarely utilizing Hidden Power [Grass] to terrorize Swampert along Heat Wave for Magnezone, it can swing games in its team´s favor fast if not accounted for. Azelf can take a hit from it, but it may not be unreasonable to just explode on the opening turn. Else there is a chance it will stick around for the entire game to disrupt this team´s strategies. Stealth Rock isn´t necessarily worth having to play around this threat.
It is like Zapdos, except it speed ties with Azelf and it usually uses a move expressly to hit Tyranitar with (Aura Sphere). And it has Extreme Speed. Joy. Again, a turn one Explosion may save an unexpected amount of headaches.
Offensive Starmie is unsurprisingly a headache for a team whose water resists drop to Ice beam and Thunderbolt, respectively. The dreadful Choice Specs version sometimes seen as a lead these days in particular has no reliable switch-ins on the team, and may again be worth taking down with Explosion on turn 1, since Azelf is expressly EV´d to survive an attack from it.
I haven´t had to play against it in a long time, but offensive Suicune could be a reasonable menace against this team. It outspeeds everything bar Azelf and Magnezone, and runs the same offensive coverage as Starmie, the dangerous Water/Ice/Electric trinity, while also being bulky enough to not be taken out easily. Sand storm damage and pressure from Magnezone should be able to contain it, however. Defensive Calm Mind + Rest + Sleep Talk Suicune generally has little in the way of winning against Gyarados, but is bulky enough that Gyarados might just kill itself with Double-Edge recoil trying to take it out. Breloom is generally the preferred method of applying pressure there.
Yet another potent special threat. Substitute versions in particular can pretty much pick their target of choice. Magnezone is usually key in those match-ups to scare it out, as it is too frail to pose a threat to the Dragon Dancers at +1.
Swords dance Lucario is a menace that in recent times seems to have been largely forgotten about due to the (in my humble opinion hopelessly overblown) hype its Choice Scarf counterpart has received. This team´s best direct switch-in is Gyarados, which however can´t one-hit KO it due to lack of Earthquake. It is one of the main reasons this team benefits Choice Scarf Magnezone (which can´t one-hit KO it either without it lowering its defenses with Close Combat!).
That was a huge wall of text, and most of it wasn´t even that informative. If you read all the way until here, thank you so much! I hope I could give a good account of an offensive team in the tier, as well as its strengths and weaknesses, and spark some discussion on the playstyle in general. I encourage fellow newcomers to the tier to build and share their own teams. Offense is a good point to start out, but it is only the beginning to something much more grand and exalted...
I am not including replays for the time being, as it feels like bloated bragging to me, and I hope I could still explain the team´s performance in practice in sufficient detail. I still want to extend my thanks to all the players I faced with this team that helped me test and perfect it. At this point also a shout-out to the active DPP community, especially the very pleasant Discord chat.
Have a nice day and stay flashy!
* I do not own :flashmie:. All rights belong to Kristyl and the DPP Discord chat.
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