Anything Goes Hose (Pivot / Shutdown Team)

[Firmamentality]

Introduction:
This team is built around quickly pivoting to either quickly shutdown a potential threat, put an existing threat out of commission, or to take advantage of a power vacuum to set up a sweeper. With 3 of 6 pokemon possessing pivoting moves, it is adaptable and fast.
The team is named Hose, and my pokemon after various hose settings, because of its ability to quickly adjust its tactics, and because it (hopefully) hoses the enemy.


Flat (Dragapult) @ Focus Sash
Ability: Clear Body
Tera Type: Steel
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Agility
- Quick Attack
- Will-O-Wisp
- Baton Pass

Dragapult is generally intended as a leading pokemon unless the opposing team has a gap which allows for a more aggressive lead.
Rather than a more typical physical attacker, this Dragapult has few offensive capabilities, and is instead built to be a disruptive support.
Its main goal is to take advantage of its focus sash to use agility while guaranteeing it can use baton pass in all cases except for a OHKO multi-hit move from the opposing lead.

• Agility allows for whatever I pivot into to outspeed the blisteringly high speeds of many AG threats. Agility was chosen over Dragon Dance because although I have many physical attackers, this provides less power to other members of my team. In many cases, the physical attackers are more than capable of dealing heavy damage on their own.
• Quick Attack is quite honestly here because there's not a better move (Substitute removes focus sash and takes longer to set up). It can still be useful to deal with frail targets regardless of their speed.
• Will-O-Wisp allows Dragapult to shut down physical attackers, and to inflict DoT where Toxic is not an option.
• Baton Pass allows for safer pivoting, as well as transferring Agility to pokemon that are otherwise too slow to handle fast targets.

If the opposing pokemon does not attack for its first move, there are a few options from there.

• Enemy applies damaging status condition:
  • To avoid being killed after focus sash is ineffective, immediately baton pass.
• Enemy applies paralysis:
  • The correct play will depend on the situation. I usually consider it worth the risk of staying in to either use agility or burn the opposing pokemon, as the odds of missing a turn twice in a row are acceptably low.
• Enemy powers up their physical attacker:
  • Apply burn with Will-O-Wisp. If Will-O-Wisp misses, try again on the next turn, as shutting down a potential sweeper is more valuable than pivoting. After burn lands, baton pass into the best counter.

Once the sash breaks, I can either pivot into an immediate counter such as Meowscarada, or into a disruptive pokemon such as Glimmora or Kyogre.
At this point, Dragapult serves as a block to an enemy attack. By switching into a fighting or normal move, it will be able to burn the attacker freely, or use Quick Attack to finish off a very low HP target. Otherwise, a threatening attack is absorbed by the 1HP Dragapult to allow a safe switch-in on the next turn.



Cone (Glimmora) @ Leftovers
Ability: Corrosion
Tera Type: Ghost
EVs: 252 HP / 168 Def / 88 SpD
Impish Nature
IVs: 0 SpA
- Toxic Spikes
- Spiky Shield
- Toxic
- Mortal Spin

Glimmora exists for the purposes of hazard control and removing tanky enemies through toxic.
Corrosion allows for steel types, often the most threatening in their bulk, to be poisoned, and for Mortal Spin to delete hazards against steel pokemon, particularly Gholdengo. Because Toxic Debris seems more common, Corrosion may provide an element of surprise, and lead the opponent to make a suboptimal switch believing that it will be immune to poison.

• Spiky Shield allows it to stay on the field for significantly longer, allowing for Toxic to ramp more effectively.
• Toxic Spikes serve to both bait in a poison or steel pokemon for Corrosion, or to bait the use of Rapid Spin. If successfully deployed and defended, this also discourages the opponent from switching.
• Mortal Spin is useful to remove hazards from my side. Corrosion allows this to affect steel-types.
• Toxic is a standard poison move, not much to say there.

Tera Ghost exists to protect against Rapid Spin, buying a turn and preventing hazard removal. This does not prevent an opposing Mortal Spin, but this is a much rarer move and Tera Steel would still be vulnerable to another Glimmora's Corrosion. This is also why I run Leftovers over Black Sludge, as it is not worth the damage during Terastalization simply to punish the occasional appearance of Trick.



Shower (Kyogre) @ Damp Rock
Ability: Drizzle
Tera Type: Ground
EVs: 252 Def / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Thunder
- Ice Beam
- Water Spout
- Thunder Wave

Kyogre serves as an effective coverage pokemon, while also setting up rain for Basculegion's Swift Swim. Damp Rock allows this to last for longer, though I'm not certain this is particularly valuable. Though not especially fast, with max Speed EV, it can outspeed middling-speed pokemon. Its naturally high SpD and max EV Def allow it to serve as a formidable tank. Its zero Atk IVs is a minor benefit against Foul Play. If possible, Kyogre is intended to stay alive as the second-to-last pokemon available, to maximize the odds of Basculegion reversing a sweep.

• Thunder is useful to deal with flying pokemon and water pokemon, including those who wish to take advantage of the rain. This is preferable to Ice Beam against flying types due to its higher BP and paralysis chance.
• Ice Beam can handle grass and dragon types which threaten Kyogre, as well as being an answer to ground types when Kyogre's HP is too low to use Water Spout.
• Water Spout is a devastatingly powerful water move in the rain, and was chosen for its high power.
• Thunder Wave allows for speed control, in addition to adding risk to any of the opponent's moves. I have previously used Roar here, though I am not sure if Roar is worth taking because it is not always useful, and when it is, I have other ways to handle setups.

Tera Ground allows Kyogre to ignore otherwise threatening Electric attacks, and turns the tables on Miraidon, Regeleki, and Raging Bolt.



Jet (Scizor) @ Life Orb
Ability: Technician
Tera Type: Fire
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Knock Off
- Bullet Punch
- Dual Wingbeat

Scizor exists as a way to deliver powerful priority damage, counter Fairy types, and to tank hits upon switch-in with its steel typing that give it room to start up Swords Dance. Its high HP and Atk EVs make it both tanky and dangerous.

• Swords Dance takes advantage of the power vacuum left by switching into a pokemon that steel resists. This then puts offensive pressure on the opponent to stop Scizor from reaching full power, delaying their own aggressive moves.
• Knock Off is able to deliver great dark coverage while removing problematic items such as Leftovers, Heavy-Duty Boots, Assault Vest, or Focus Sash.
• Bullet Punch is an immensely powerful offensive move that benefits from Technician + STAB + Life Orb, easily countering fairy and ice types and doing heavy damage to even resistant pokemon. Additionally, BP's priority allows for Scizor to make up for its very low speed, only losing to other priority moves.
• Dual Wingbeat is a powerful move also boosted by Technician + STAB + Life Orb which allows Scizor to handle ground and fighting types which threaten its steel (and tera fire) typing. Additionally, it counters Focus Sash.

Tera Fire allows for Scizor to change its quad weakness to fire into a resistance, and its quad weakness to ground into a regular weakness. While still (less) weak to ground moves, Dual Wingbeat gives Scizor a better matchup.



Mist (Basculegion) @ Assault Vest
Ability: Swift Swim
Tera Type: Water
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Flip Turn
- Waterfall
- Aqua Jet
- Last Respects

Basculegion (M) is primarily a late-game physical sweeper, though can be used to take advantage of rain at any point, or to block fighting/normal moves after Dragapult inevitably kicks the bucket. By allowing Kyogre to die second-to-last, it is ensured that rain is active for Swift Swim when it matters most. Its high Atk EV makes it difficult to take hits from, and despite not being exceptionally fast on its own, its Speed EV lets it outspeed even fast, speed buffed pokemon in the rain, as well as improving its matchup against mid-to-high speed pokemon outside of rain.

• Flip Turn provides respectable damage and ensures flexibility and survivability in the early game if Basculegion is out.
• Waterfall is Basculegion's primary damaging move, benefiting from STAB + Rain boost. Waterfall is chosen over Liquidation despite a slightly lower physical BP because of its high flinch chance providing the potential to prevent potentially game-losing damage.
• Aqua Jet is useful for ensuring the first move even outside of rain. In rain, Basculegion's monstrous speed stat lets Aqua Jet deliver high damage while outspeeding other priority moves, even causing Kingambit or Raging Bolt to fail their attacks.
• Last Respects is, if a game runs down to the wire, an nearly instant-KO on most non-dark pokemon, while providing coverage for water resistance or other ghost types. Its scaling, by design, allows it to stay a devastating move at the end even when considering rain and Tera Water. Early game, this can still be a respectable option outside of rain if the type matchups are preferable.

While somewhat reliant on rain to be effective, Basculegion is able to play around its team, particularly Kyogre, to ensure advantageous conditions. Its Assault Vest allows it to tank hits that would otherwise kill it, giving it more time to claw back a victory.

Tera Water further powers up its water moves, making even its weakest move, Aqua Jet, hit extremely hard, while also removing a weakness to ghost. This can in particular be used to let it defeat an unbuffed Calyrex-Shadow inside and outside of rain by surviving an Astral Barrage to deliver Last Respects. This is slightly risky against Gholdengo, as it removes Basculegion's steel resistance, but its decent special bulk makes it worth chancing, especially when the alternative is a supereffective shadow ball.



Soaker (Meowscarada) @ Expert Belt
Ability: Protean
Tera Type: Normal
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Flower Trick
- Triple Axel
- Brick Break
- U-turn

Meowscarada is the team's main way to handle offensive threats if able to switch in safely. Its high speed and Protean ability allow it to alter its type matchups on the fly, avoiding its quad weakness to U-turn and respond to threats as they come. Additionally, Meowscarada is able to shut down Baton Pass chain teams due to its wide toolkit. An Expert Belt further enhances its versatility.

• Flower Trick is a move which deals rather high damage while ignoring any defense or evasion buffs due to its guaranteed non-missing critical hit. This is excellent for handling Baton Pass users which rely on high defense and/or evasion, but is an extremely dangerous move in any case. Its grass typing and high damage is generally superior against ground types in which Triple Axel lacks additional advantages. This also removes its dark typing without replacing it with something worse, making it the optimal move against fairy types.
• Triple Axel handles grass pokemon, and is quad effective against the common ground/flying and dragon/flying combos. If used first, Meowscarada gains a poor defensive typing, but in ideal cases, the high damage will land a KO, allowing for a switch-out afterwards. By hitting multiple times, Triple Axel breaks Focus Sash, further enhancing its counterplay to Baton Pass teams.
• Brick Break gives Meowscarada a defensive and offensive advantage against ice, dark, and steel types, while removing screens set up by Grimmsnarl or Ninetales.
• U-turn allows for Meowscarada to reset Protean, escape pokemon who would KO it, and give a better switch-in for an ally. It is additionally able to uniquely damage psychic types for supereffective damage.

Tera Normal is important because although it does start with dark typing, Protean will remove this. Tera Normal allows for Meowscarada to override Protean and avoid ghost attacks from faster or tankier enemies, such as Calyrex-Shadow, whose high damage and speed pose a significant threat to the frail Meowscarada.


Conclusion / Questions:
I believe that this team is very competent, though there are a few concerns that I have in addition to any unaddressed ways to improve it.

• Is Damp Rock the best item for Kyogre? Considering that I only have one other water pokemon and that a longer duration makes it harder to reset the timer, I think there might be a better option.
• Is there a better move than Quick Attack for Dragapult? Its use seems niche considering Dragapult's already high speed and QA's low BP.
• Is there a better move than Thunderwave for Kyogre? Thunder's high paralysis chance and my team's high speed/priority makes me skeptical.
• Is it worth dedicating a move to bypassing Substitute?
• Building off the last two questions, should I use Roar on Kyogre? Or do I already have too many shutdown moves?

Thanks, I hope my team is workable :3

 

[Pengu]

Hey Firmamentality, welcome to Smogon! I have played a bit in the AG metagame, and I have to deliver the unfortunate news that: half you team is unviable.
This being: Scizor, Mewoscarada, and Dragapult
Not to mention the sets of the viable Pokemon are, questionable.
I'm not trying to be mean but I suggest scrapping the team entirely. Try looking at the Sample Teams or the AGPL VI Team/Set Dump to start with AG (assuming you are relatively new to the scene. But don't let this deter you, as it happens to everyone.