Hey everyone!
Overview
So, this will be my second Rate My Team of this generation and despite what some people have said about it being to close to my last one, I'm doing it regardless! So this was the first PU Premier League that I've ever participated in and would like to thank HJAD for picking me up for 3k (which I certainly repaid by going 3-0) and was overall the most enjoyable Premier League that I've ever participated in and the only one to date that I have a positive record for, lol. So, I made this team during Week Four of PU Premier League to face off against Robert Alfons, and wanted it to be a very hard counter team to any Balance or Stall archetype, which it ended doing extremely effectively too.
So, why the title? So we had this joke throughout signups and Week One that as soon as I go negative I would be benched for the rest of PUPL, with Hill Bitch being a reference to COD and basically saying I'd be the team's benchwarmer, which wasn't the case in the end, must to HJAD's dismay. To be honest I really didn't think I would end up going positive because I'm not really the best player and wasn't playing much around the time that signups were posted, so I'm happy that I didn't totally suck.
I also feel like I have enjoyed playing and contributing to PU far more than any tier I have played prior. Being part of the QC team, hosting several threads, being a PU tutor,
Usually when I make a RMT I endeavour to make it as different as possible, in comparison to my previous ones, because I find it rather boring building the same types of teams every time, which is why I have messed around with basically every archetype this generation from Stall to Hyper Offence.
Teambuilding Process
Drampa is what wanted to initially build my team around. On paper it seems like an incredibly poor Pokemon, with an awful base Speed stat and only average bulk; however, its ability to break bulkier teams is second-to-none because of a great STAB combination, incredible Special Attack and an extremely diverse movepool. It invalidates almost all the Specially Defensive walls that we have in the tier and basically requires teams to play aggressively against it so it doesn't come in for free, which is harder for bulkier teams to do. It only really started to pick up hype around the time Guzzlord rose to NU and in the later weeks of PUPL after more and more people realised how hard it is to play against.
Like mentioned above, Drampa is very slow and not that bulky so it requires the correct support to function correctly. This is where Lanturn and Mesprit, the best defensive Volt-Turn core in the tier, come in. I needed slow pivots to get Drampa in without receiving any damage and these two do the job almost perfectly; providing a Special and Physical wall and access to Stealth Rock and Healing Wish on Mesprit helps keep offensive pressure constantly while soft checking a large amount of the tier. This was probably my favourite core to use in ORAS NU because of how splashable it actually is, and how easily you can mould a team around these two.
The team now required some serious speed control as my match-up versus more offensive teams was basically non-existent, so Primeape was a must here. Almost certainly the best Choice Scarfer in the tier, Primeape provides a reliable way to revenge kill opposing foes like Archeops, Lilligant, and Magmortar, all of which put serious strain on my team. Primeape is also able to bring Drampa in for free versus Fighting-type resists like Gourgeist-XL and Weezing, which almost always switch into it, while also giving me a way to deter both Skuntank and Swanna from Defogging.
Again, Skuntank was basically a given for this kind of team as its ability to absorb Toxic Spikes and pressure more defensive cores with its z-move alongside Acid Spray is extremely useful. Being a soft-check to Psychic-types and providing the team with the most reliable hazard remover in the tier is all the role compression I needed. It is worth noting that by using the Special set I have a more awkward match-up versus offensive teams.
My final of the three breakers, Swords Dance Pinsir is an absolute menace to bulkier builds thanks to Mold Breaker and a decent Attack stat, making conventional Physical walls like Weezing and Pyukumuku struggle heavily against it. It's basically here to break things that Drampa struggles with like Clefairy, Type: Null, and Munchlax, and vice-versa.
In-depth Look
Drampa @ Choice Specs
Ability: Sap Sipper
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Draco Meteor
- Hyper Voice
- Fire Blast
- Focus Blast
Like I mentioned above Drampa is by far the strongest wallbreaker in the tier, along with being the scariest. It has an unresisted movepool that's able to 2HKO every single Pokemon in the tier with the correct predictions and even without it, it'll still heavily dent foes who resist its attacks. Draco Meteor and Hyper Voice are incredible STAB options, with only the uncommon Steel-type resisting both, Fire Blast lets it break through Pokemon like Ferroseed extremely easily (providing it cannot force the 50/50 with Protect) and Focus Blast breaks every Specially Defensive Normal-type available. This is the best Pokemon to break Balance and Stall teams because the amount of offensive pressure it exerts is often too much for them to deal with, and those types of teams usually have 1-2 Pokemon that let it in for almost free too. Now the reason it is Sap Sipper, which is the best ability by the way, it because Quiver Dance Lilligant is a massive pain to most teams at the moment thanks to its z-move set; Sap Sipper also lets me come in on things like Gourgeist-XL and Ferroseed.
Lanturn @ Assault Vest
Ability: Volt Absorb
EVs: 136 HP / 252 SpD / 120 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Volt Switch
- Ice Beam
- Hidden Power [Grass]
Lanturn is one of the tier's best available defensive pivots, checking many of the common Special Attackers thanks to its great HP stat, decent Special Defence and access to Assault Vest. I needed a good special wall and a way to at least pivot into Fire-types like Magmortar and Pyroar, so this was a given for the second slot. Slow pivoting moves is also what makes this team so Lanturn also provided that too. Scald is your standard move on more defensive Water-types because even with the burn nerf the ability to cripple another Pokemon, namely Physical Attackers, is too good to pass up. Volt Switch helps me pivot into any of my breakers, but more often than not it'll be used to get Drampa in for free. Ice Beam is really just coverage for Grass-types. The last slot on Assault Vest Lanturn is usually a toss-up between Hidden Power Fire, which hits Ferroseed, and Hidden Power Grass, which hits Gastrodon; even though Ferroseed is becoming increasingly more common. I already have 3 other Pokemon who can pressure it so I decided I needed something to deal with Gastrodon, which puts in some serious work against most of my team. Now, the EV spread is a little weird because most of the time Assault Vest will run maximum Special Attack; however I only needed it to pivot and to check Special Attackers, so I decided that max Special Defence would suit it far better.
Mesprit @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 248 HP / 248 Def / 12 Spe
Bold Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Healing Wish
- U-turn
- Psychic
Mesprit is hands-down the most versatile Pokemon in PU, capable of being used on almost every play style effectively; with the exception of full Stall. With a great utility movepool, high defensive stats and access to Levitate, it was a given for this team. This team needed a good Fighting-type resist along with a Ground immunity because of how vulnerable the rest of my Pokemon are to these types. Mesprit provides both Stealth Rock, which helps chip down opposing Pokemon and break things like Sturdy / Focus Sash for Drampa, and Healing Wish, which lets me heal up one of my wallbreakers, along with rounding out my slow Volt-Turn core alongside Lanturn. Psychic helps me break foes like Assault Vest Hitmonchan, which is able to pressure almost every other Pokemon on my team along with being able to take one hit from Drampa with relative ease. The EV spread is rather standard but I decided to make it one point slower than the common defensive Mesprit sets and Lanturn sets so that I'm able to get off the slower pivot; it does mean I tie with Aggron but considering how uncommon it is, it doesn't really bother the team. Now the item is a weird choice, but I need Rocky Helmet for this team because of how much Pokemon like Kangaskhan and Primeape threaten this team, so any extra chip on them is appreciated in the long run and forces them to not click Fake Out or Close Combat, respectively.
Primeape @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Defiant
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Close Combat
- Earthquake
- U-turn
- Stone Edge
Primeape is the best Choice Scarfer in PU thanks to a great Speed tier, decent Attack and access to both a fast U-Turn and its ability Defiant, which punishes Defog users such as Skuntank and Swanna heavily. This is my main way of pressuring more offensive teams and without it I hard lose to almost all of them, so it is essential that it's played carefully if I face them. The primary reason I use this is to gain momentum on things like Weezing, Palossand, and Mesprit, which often switch directly into Primeape, allowing me to pivot into either Drampa or Skuntank. The move across from generation 6 to generation 7 has been extremely kind to Primeape because the SM PU metagame is far more offensive in comparison to the ORAS NU metagame, where it struggled to find much use. The fact that with Defiant it also puts a large amount of pressure on the tier's premier Spike setter, Qwilfish, as it gets a +2 Attack boost thanks to Intimidate. Outspeeding +1 Lilligant and tying with +1 Jynx also gives me a way to not get swept by them late-game.
Skuntank @ Darkinium Z
Ability: Aftermath
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Dark Pulse
- Acid Spray
- Fire Blast
- Defog
Skuntank has proven to be a rather versatile Pokemon in PU, with access to several viable sets and utility in Defog along with it being the only hazard remover not weak to Stealth Rock and/or Toxic Spikes, and the ability to absorb the latter as soon as it switches in. I opted for the Special set over the Physical one purely because it has an overall better match-up versus Balance and Stall teams, especially with the set I'm running. Defog is the standard on every Skuntank set, excluding Choice Band, because it's by far the most reliable remover in the tier thanks to its typing and access to both Physical and Special sets. Dark Pulse in conjunction with Darkinium Z gives Skuntank a reasonably powerful move, especially when paired with the -2 drop that Acid Spray delivers. Fire Blast is a must because giving Ferroseed free setup basically cripples this team and makes it a lot harder to continually pivot with the prior three teammates. I was pretty much forced to run Timid because outspeeding things like Adamant Kangaskhan and the likes is crucial, and the extra boost to Skuntank's Special Attack doesn't really make much of a difference. It also gives me a soft check to Ghost- and Psychic-types, which can run through my team quite easily.
Pinsir @ Lum Berry
Ability: Mold Breaker
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Swords Dance
- X-Scissor
- Stone Edge
Pinsir is such a massive threat to Balance teams thanks to Mold Breaker, Swords Dance and a high base 125 Attack stat. This was a no-brainer when it came to dealing with bulkier builds because when used in conjunction with Drampa the match-up is so heavily in your favour that it's basically always winnable unless the game is played poorly. Mold Breaker bypassing abilities like Unaware and Levitate make it extremely difficult for defensive teams to check it, as it puts a large amount of pressure on standard Physical walls like Weezing and Pyukumuku. Pinsir also helps pressure a lot of Drampa's checks like Type: Null, Munchlax, Audino, and Clefairy, as it's able to setup on basically all of them relatively easily. The moveset is pretty standard for Swords Dance, with X-Scissor being its best STAB option and Stone Edge alongside Earthquake giving perfect neutral coverage. Jolly is almost a given so it can outspeed things like Timid Magmortar and Adamant Kangaskhan. Lum Berry is the best item for this team, as it puts so much pressure on status users while giving it the ability to setup on them if needed.
Importable
Drampa @ Choice Specs
Ability: Sap Sipper
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Draco Meteor
- Hyper Voice
- Fire Blast
- Focus Blast
Lanturn @ Assault Vest
Ability: Volt Absorb
EVs: 136 HP / 252 SpD / 120 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Volt Switch
- Ice Beam
- Hidden Power [Grass]
Mesprit @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 248 HP / 248 Def / 12 Spe
Bold Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Healing Wish
- U-turn
- Psychic
Primeape @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Defiant
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Close Combat
- Earthquake
- U-turn
- Stone Edge
Skuntank @ Darkinium Z
Ability: Aftermath
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Dark Pulse
- Acid Spray
- Fire Blast
- Defog
Pinsir @ Lum Berry
Ability: Mold Breaker
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Swords Dance
- X-Scissor
- Stone Edge
Ability: Sap Sipper
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Draco Meteor
- Hyper Voice
- Fire Blast
- Focus Blast
Lanturn @ Assault Vest
Ability: Volt Absorb
EVs: 136 HP / 252 SpD / 120 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Volt Switch
- Ice Beam
- Hidden Power [Grass]
Mesprit @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 248 HP / 248 Def / 12 Spe
Bold Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Healing Wish
- U-turn
- Psychic
Primeape @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Defiant
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Close Combat
- Earthquake
- U-turn
- Stone Edge
Skuntank @ Darkinium Z
Ability: Aftermath
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Dark Pulse
- Acid Spray
- Fire Blast
- Defog
Pinsir @ Lum Berry
Ability: Mold Breaker
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Swords Dance
- X-Scissor
- Stone Edge
Threat list
Pretty much every form of Hyper Offence has a fairy easy time dealing with my team, because of how slow a lot of the Pokemon on it are. Weather is the most noteworthy because I have literally zero counter-play for it outside of playing literally perfectly, and other forms of Hyper Offence like Sticky Webs also pressures my team immensely. Against standard Hyper Offence I do have some ways of beating it, but it basically relies on me preserving Primeape throughout the entire match.
Jynx has such a good match-up against my team thanks to its fantastic STAB combination, access to Lovely Kiss and outspeeding everything except Primeape. The Z-move set is the most dangerous as almost every time I face it, it comes down to me needing to win the speed tie with Primeape. Skuntank not being the Physical set also makes this confrontation a lot harder, as I can't attempt to either revenge kill it with Sucker Punch or trap it with Pursuit.
Another Pokemon that is so threatening for my team. It basically requires me to keep Stealth Rocks up at all times and use Primeape extremely well, and this Pokemon is one of the reasons that I run Rocky Helmet on Mesprit, so that I'm able to chip it enough to be in range of Defeatist, where it isn't nearly as threatening for the rest of my team to deal with. Playing against Skuntank + Archeops is basically a borderline impossible match up, because of Skuntank trapping my Mesprit.
As Megazard and Hjad like to point out, this team has no solid Normal-type resist. Overall this isn't too much of an issue because I have both Mesprit and faster Pokemon like Pinsir and Skuntank to pressure foes like Stoutland and Kangaskhan; however, Zangoose is a different beast. I have zero counter-play to a well played Zangoose because the only thing I have that outspeeds it is Primeape. It basically dismantles my team from preview, and it's a "just click x now" thing.
Final thoughts
I really enjoyed using this team during PUPL and the weeks after it because of how crazy of a match up it has versus bulkier teams and how much fun it is to watch everything drop to Drampa. I'm happy that I got bought for PUPL and that I got involved in the PU community! I'm looking forward to this being a good generation n_n
Against Raiza: http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7pu-652668696
Against Haund: http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7pu-645348401
Against Robert Alfrons (PUPL week 4): http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7pu-642128249
Against Haund: http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7pu-645348401
Against Robert Alfrons (PUPL week 4): http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7pu-642128249
Shout outs!
My PUPL Team: HJAD Dibs The Dreamer Taskr Christo snagaa ggggd Heysup Quite Quiet Teddeh
Rest of my buds: Eternally ADVANTAGE PursuitOfHappiny Realistic Waters Shaneghoul Dundies cryalot Anty
PU people: 2xTheTap Akir galbia Megazard TONE ShuckleDeath Slowbroth amber lamps Twix GeneralAnnoyance TJ pancake LordST Many iRebel UBERSkitty
NU people: Disjunction Hootie quziel Kiyo Earth Blast Ares Allstar i like cute things neomon Rapture Stan Soojung
RMT people: Team Pokepals A Anish Gross Sweep Sun Mr. Perry Qplaz 1Surgeon Baloor double switches RedzoneX Eden.
Special s/o to Haund for being a bitch boi!
And to everyone else I missed!
Rest of my buds: Eternally ADVANTAGE PursuitOfHappiny Realistic Waters Shaneghoul Dundies cryalot Anty
PU people: 2xTheTap Akir galbia Megazard TONE ShuckleDeath Slowbroth amber lamps Twix GeneralAnnoyance TJ pancake LordST Many iRebel UBERSkitty
NU people: Disjunction Hootie quziel Kiyo Earth Blast Ares Allstar i like cute things neomon Rapture Stan Soojung
RMT people: Team Pokepals A Anish Gross Sweep Sun Mr. Perry Qplaz 1Surgeon Baloor double switches RedzoneX Eden.
Special s/o to Haund for being a bitch boi!
And to everyone else I missed!
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