(art by averagefella)
Hello Monotype! I am here to post a team that averagefella and I have been working on for the last few weeks. Originally we were going to build a webs water team that featured Feraligatr as its main wallbreaker. Very early on though, we came up with an alternative to Feraligatr that was still "fun", with even more power: Kingler! The team went through multiple iterations before reaching a level competitive enough to be worth the time of you wonderful folks. In the end, it moved away from webs water and Kingler got changed to Bruxish. If possible, I would like the team to keep as much of its character as possible in your rates.
Process
Webs water requires a Sticky Web user. Araquanid checks Mega Charizard-Y and Surskit does not, so we went with Araquanid.
We wanted to utilize the power of Swords Dance in tandem with Sheer Force to break through teams, so we put Feraligatr on the team.
We quickly realized that Sheer Force Kingler would be a stronger wallbreaker, so despite the lack of priority we chose Kingler over Feraligatr.
We were worried that Kingler would be overworked in Steel and Normal match ups and our team was slow. We remedied this by adding Keldeo.
As of this point, we were hopelessly walled by Venusaur, and Toxapex was a major annoyance. We added Manaphy because it fixed these problems.
We still needed Stealth Rock, some form of defense, and to prevent Tapu Koko from running us through. Utility Mega Swampert fit the bill.
We needed hazard control without losing our webs. We chose Tentacruel because it could spin and wore down Leech Seed users.
Even with Wacan Araquanid, Electric and Poison were both impossible match ups and Dragon was an uphill battle, so we replaced Manaphy and Tentacruel for Greninja and Lanturn.
Shortly after losing due to hazards for the umpteenth time, we realized that Starmie could do everything we were using Greninja for, and it could stop toxic spikes from making it "good game" from team preview! It was an easy change.
We hit a wall: if the opponent stopped Araquanid from getting up Webs, how could we stop something like Scarf Tapu Bulu from sweeping our team? We changed Keldeo to a Scarf set for some speed control and gave it Hidden Power Poison to hit Tapu Bulu. Because that wasn’t a guaranteed kill, we had to opt for Modest on Keldeo.
After facing a player on the ladder who used Bruxish and wondering why (really ironic coming from the person who ran Kingler, I guess), I ran some calculations and realized that Banded Bruxish dismantled Poison and to a lesser extent bulkier Psychic variants (I'm still in Gen 6). This realization led us to changing SD Kingler to Choice Banded Bruxish.
We realized our team was fast enough to make Sticky Web useless, and there was no longer any need for Starmie because we were more than capable of breaking Poison with Bruxish. These realizations led us to remove Araquanid, change Keldeo back to a normal Choice Specs set and add Tentacruel (for hazard control, Toxic Spikes, and punishing Leech Seed users) and Greninja (with a Choice Scarf for some speed control) back to the team. This is the current state of the team.
The Team
The Team
ewfadscgdsa (Keldeo) @ Choice Specs
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Surf
- Secret Sword
- Icy Wind
- Hidden Power [Electric]
The longest lasting member of the team, and for good reason. It is unmatched in its ability to create 50/50s against types like Flying, Ground, and Electric, and it manages to neuter something every time it gets in for free against Normal, Ice, Steel, Bug teams lacking Araquanid, and Rock. Sadly it is not as useful as it was last generation because of Pokemon like Toxapex and Mantine, but it is still one of the most spammable Pokemon on Water despite that.
ertfghuj (Swampert) @ Swampertite
Ability: Torrent
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Relaxed Nature
- Scald
- Rest
- Earthquake
- Stealth Rock
This team's Stealth Rocker and physical wall. Scald burns physical attackers that attempt to set up in Swampert's face. Rest gives Swampert more longevity and pairs very well with Lanturn's Heal Bell. Rest was chosen over Roar and Toxic because it is imperative that Swampert stays healthy in match ups like Poison (Alolan Muk and Crobat can be annoying), Dark, Bug, Electric, Fighting, Rock, Steel, and Ground. Earthquake is used either when a kill is assured or when Swampert is against attackers that do not fear burns.
gybuhnijmk (Lanturn) @ Leftovers
Ability: Volt Absorb
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Volt Switch
- Scald
- Toxic
- Heal Bell
This is a pretty standard set on a pretty standard Pokemon. The second part of the defensive core, it reduces the pressure on Swampert in the Electric match up. We went full investment on HP and Special Defense because we are already using defensive Mega Swampert. Scald burns annoyances that switch into Lanturn. Toxic makes Gastrodon, Rotom-W and other bulky 'mons that switch into Lanturn less annoying in the long term. Heal Bell ensures that Mega Swampert does not have to stay asleep for long when it rests, allows for much more aggressive play with Keldeo against Normal, and stops Scald and Will-o-Wisp from preventing Bruxish from doing its job. Volt Switch makes it an effective pivot into Greninja, Bruxish, and Keldeo.
iouygtd (Bruxish) @ Choice Band
Ability: Strong Jaw
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Psychic Fangs
- Liquidation
- Crunch
- Aqua Jet
Bruxish is this team's flair and best check to Toxapex and Mega-Venusaur, killing both in one hit after rocks. Crunch is used to hit Jellicent, and to make Psychic teams tremble every time it gets in for free on something slower than itself. Liquidation is used for everything that both resists Psychic Fangs and can handle Crunch. Aqua Jet can be used to pick off weakened sweepers and Choice Scarf users.
9i0i0uhy (Tentacruel) @ Leftovers
Ability: Liquid Ooze
EVs: 248 HP / 156 Def / 8 SpA / 96 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Sludge Bomb
- Rapid Spin
- Toxic Spikes
- Scald
Tentacruel is going to inevitably be a controversial choice on this team. The EV spread was just taken from the UU analysis for it, it outpaces base 80 speed (primarily for Mamoswines that come in on occasion and Tapu Bulu at base 75), and the rest goes into defensive bulk. It was chosen over Toxapex because it is effective hazard control, Liquid Ooze helps wear down Venusaur, Celesteela, and Ferrothorn for other Pokemon to break, and though it is a little situational, players have a tendency to click Horn Leech rather than Wood Hammer if they don't see a Toxapex or a Pelipper on Water teams, weakening Tapu Bulu and either outspeeding and killing Choice Banded variants before they can deal the death blow or taking the second hit from Choice Scarf variants and killing them. Toxic Spikes is a further aid against balanced teams that are not Poison, and can aid in wearing down threats for Greninja and the other attackers.
cleansed (Greninja) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Protean
EVs: 16 Atk / 240 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Ice Beam
- Surf
- Low Kick/U-turn
- Gunk Shot
Greninja is the team's speed control and primary revenge killer. Ice Beam makes it a strong lead against Dragon and Ground in addition to dealing heavy damage to threats weak to it when it manages to come in for free, Surf was chosen over Hydro Pump for reliability (the loss in power is notable, but Hydro Pump seems to miss a lot more often than its accuracy would make you expect). Low Kick was chosen over alternatives because Mega Sharpedo was very difficult for the team to deal with, but U-turn can also be used for more momentum. Gunk Shot allows Greninja to revenge kill (or lead against) Tapu Koko and Choice Scarf Tapu Bulu, among other things.
Threats
Galvantula and Thundurus-T variants carrying Grass moves deal heavy damage every time they come in, quickly wearing Lanturn down
Alolan-Raichu basically requires 5 turns of heavy prediction after Tapu Koko is dead to beat
Kyurem-Black requires the user to play very aggressively if they don't want it to wear the team down
Celesteela variants carrying both Earthquake and Giga Drain can be annoying for the team
Breloom (though if you aren't running Sap Sipper Azumarill, this is a given)
Mega Lopunny can be an annoying match up if Mega Swampert is played poorly
Mega Pinsir and Mega Gallade can be problems if they are given a turn to set up
Galvantula and Thundurus-T variants carrying Grass moves deal heavy damage every time they come in, quickly wearing Lanturn down
Alolan-Raichu basically requires 5 turns of heavy prediction after Tapu Koko is dead to beat
Kyurem-Black requires the user to play very aggressively if they don't want it to wear the team down
Celesteela variants carrying both Earthquake and Giga Drain can be annoying for the team
Breloom (though if you aren't running Sap Sipper Azumarill, this is a given)
Mega Lopunny can be an annoying match up if Mega Swampert is played poorly
Mega Pinsir and Mega Gallade can be problems if they are given a turn to set up
gybuhnijmk (Lanturn) @ Leftovers
Ability: Volt Absorb
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Volt Switch
- Scald
- Toxic
- Heal Bell
iouygtd (Bruxish) @ Choice Band
Ability: Strong Jaw
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Psychic Fangs
- Liquidation
- Crunch
- Aqua Jet
ewfadscgdsa (Keldeo) @ Choice Specs
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Surf
- Secret Sword
- Icy Wind
- Hidden Power [Electric]
ertfghuj (Swampert) @ Swampertite
Ability: Torrent
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Relaxed Nature
- Scald
- Rest
- Earthquake
- Stealth Rock
9i0i0uhy (Tentacruel) @ Leftovers
Ability: Liquid Ooze
EVs: 248 HP / 156 Def / 8 SpA / 96 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Sludge Bomb
- Rapid Spin
- Toxic Spikes
- Scald
cleansed (Greninja) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Protean
EVs: 16 Atk / 240 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Ice Beam
- Surf
- Low Kick
- Gunk Shot
Ability: Volt Absorb
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Volt Switch
- Scald
- Toxic
- Heal Bell
iouygtd (Bruxish) @ Choice Band
Ability: Strong Jaw
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Psychic Fangs
- Liquidation
- Crunch
- Aqua Jet
ewfadscgdsa (Keldeo) @ Choice Specs
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Surf
- Secret Sword
- Icy Wind
- Hidden Power [Electric]
ertfghuj (Swampert) @ Swampertite
Ability: Torrent
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Relaxed Nature
- Scald
- Rest
- Earthquake
- Stealth Rock
9i0i0uhy (Tentacruel) @ Leftovers
Ability: Liquid Ooze
EVs: 248 HP / 156 Def / 8 SpA / 96 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Sludge Bomb
- Rapid Spin
- Toxic Spikes
- Scald
cleansed (Greninja) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Protean
EVs: 16 Atk / 240 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Ice Beam
- Surf
- Low Kick
- Gunk Shot
Thanks for reading! I am excited to hear your feedback!
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