Hello and welcome to my first RMT. I'd built a lot of fair teams so far, but none have particularly accomplished anything enough worth sharing, especially at this late a stage in the meta with the DLC dropping in a few days and all. That said, I'm compelled to share this team in more depth anyway as a last hurrah to my favourite creation of the meta and to recruit your help to see how this could possibly be molded to adapt to the post-DLC meta, or just for your admiration if it can't be made to keep up in the new world.
Primarina hazard spam team, not the most unique or creative of concepts or structures, but with a slightly more aggressive focus than some other more notable ones. There's no Defog, the intent is force open opportunities to get as many hazards up as possible and have the passive damage grind down teams before they're ready to be blown through; this reliance on the passive damage means that this team isn't afforded the luxury to Defog the field clear, reposition, and start over, despite its overall pretty passive build, it plays quite aggressively and vs standard builds it shouldn't be dragging games on too long if you maintain a solid position. Taunt Kommo-o is the star of the games honestly, limiting Defoggers and TelePass Clef, allowing free switch-ins for my other hazard setters, Rotom-H, or Primarina to keep the machine moving. Its more dynamic than it looks and quite fun to play.
ƬΣΛMBЦIᄂDIПG PЯӨᄃΣƧƧ
IП-DΣPƬΉ
Ferrothorn @ Leftovers
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 248 HP / 188 Def / 72 SpD
Impish Nature
- Leech Seed
- Spikes
- Knock Off
- Body Press
One of the hazard-spam trio. Ferro is the Spike-setter of the team and a good complimentary teammate to Pex. Originally max Def was run since this team was built before the Fish suspect, but with flexibility with its EVs now, it runs enough Def to live two Zeraora CCs and the rest was invested into SpD. It has good defensive overlap with Kommo-o and the double Body Press on the team may seem redundant, but it's actually quite the relief not having to compress each defensive role onto one mon, especially given the lack of WishPort Clef, the defensive freedom really helps keep each game from being a treading on eggshells situation since I don't have to play like a pussy with one mon to avoid being swept by X threat, and double Body Press allows for good overall coverage to threaten and remove Excadrills and Bisharps with either option betwee Ferro and Kommo-o depending on who's more important to keep healthier. As much as Power Whip might have been handy over Press for Primarina to open up Pex a little more, the team really values the flexibility. Knock Off and Leech Seed were mandatory additions; Rotom-H is an absolute menace, I know, I have one, so Knock Off to catch it and limit its pivoting and offensive presence is incredibly ideal where possible or else playing against it is like trying to swat an angry mosquito. Leech is in part minor additional recovery which in some cases can also benefit the rest of the team, but it also forces switches which racks up additional forced chip damage from the entry hazards and lets Ferro either Spike up again or reposition if necessary.
Toxapex @ Black Sludge
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 248 HP / 108 Def / 152 SpD
Careful / Calm Nature
- Poison Jab / Scald
- Toxic Spikes
- Haze
- Recover
One of the hazard-spam trio. Pex is actually more fun than I ever expected, tanking a hit, getting up a T-Spike, pivoting out, and doing it all again with Regen and Recover, it's not always a sit outside and stall kinda mon at all, though it can do that where it has to. Specially defensive primarily to compliment Ferro's physically defensive presence, enough Def investment to live any two hits from Banded Aegi, live an EQ from Leftovers Exca, two CCs from Conk, etc, the rest invested in SpD. I've been running Poison Jab most recently in order to directly threaten opposing Primarina who are very threatening to us, but Scald is still a very valid option since Jab does greatly limit what you can do to anything else besides maybe Clef, and it opens up opposing Pex even more with the lack of opportunity to get the Burn, conversely my own Pex getting Burned becomes a more serious issue in the long run so switching it into Scalds becomes pretty dicey... It's a toss-up which to choose, I think they're both viable, but I respect the threat of Primarina more than the threat of Pex, at least right now. Haze and Recover are mandatory stall moves, limiting set-up, staying healthy, forcing switches when something can't break me and throwing out T-Spikes, the typical Pex things.
Kommo-o @ Leftovers
Ability: Bulletproof
EVs: 248 HP / 200 Def / 60 Spe
Impish Nature
- Body Press
- Earthquake
- Stealth Rock
- Taunt
One of the hazard-spam trio. Standard defensive Kommo-o, enough speed to outspeed Aegi and standard Mandibuzz, It Rocks, it Taunts, it opens up free opportunities to send out another guy, it's the primary defensive answer to Aegi and Rotom-H. There's really not much to say at all. All moves are standard, all moves are mandatory. Taunt is very important on this team for limiting hazard removal and opening up opportunities for the rest of my team to come in for free and do stuff, Dargon Tail might be nice to phase things out and rack up more chip but with Clef everywhere it's just not all that viable and without the ability to easily open up opportunities for hazards to be set up, it's not a worthwhile trade-off in the long haul. Similar case with Iron Defense, just not good and just doesn't allow the team to function at its best.
Primarina @ Leftovers
Ability: Torrent
EVs: 248 HP / 64 SpA / 48 SpD / 148 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Moonblast
- Scald
- Substitute
- Calm Mind
While Primarina was the foundational mon of the team, I don't think it's right to call it the star of the show, but more-so just another strong gear in the machine. With Pex to sponge up T-Spikes it's free to come in on things and get a Sub up. So many standard builds are still Primarina-weak and with the hazards softening things up it can break through things even easier late-game. Opposing teams have to respect the threat. A specially defensive variant was more appropriate for this team to better gaurd against Dragapult and Hydreigon to a degree, the team didn't have the support to run an offensive spread and this standard defensive more than gets the job done. Enough speed to outspeed Conk and other mons around that range, enough SpD to Sub up on WishPort Clef, the leftovers into SpA. Draining Kiss is an option, except it's not an option, the immediate power of Moonblast makes it much more desirable than the healing utility of Kiss, it's simply too weak without a lot of boosts. Scald is necessary as the Burn can be vital vs Pex match-ups, being able to negate the Black Sludge is huge and it it's been Knocked Off even more-so, it gives you the chance to outstall it and win 1v1 provided it's not Jab. Offensively and defensively, it carries its weight.
Rotom-Heat @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 248 HP / 8 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Overheat
- Discharge
- Nasty Plot
- Pain Split
Rotom-H is hands down my favourite mon in the tier right now, it offers so much utility and support it's unreal and has pretty crazy breaking power, particularly with the support of T-Spikes allowing it to crack through things that should be walling it like Seismitoad and Kommo-o over time. It's also the team's Ice resist to limit Kyurem from just spamming 'Ice move' and winning. This is standard Nasty Plot, nothing too crazy. Discharge was chosen over VS to more directly threaten Mandibuzz and Toxapex, VS would definitely be desirable to maintain momentum and keep your positioning, but really you miss out on offensive presence against too many important things by foregoing Discharge. While it may be tempting to run Defog last to cover for this team's Spikes weakness, don't do it; Pain Split is such a great move here since Toxic is no longer mandatory thanks to the T-Spikes, and Heatom's offensive presence is so valued for removing a lot of things you'd want removed so its longevity is key, particularly if it gets Knocked Off at some point. This team simply doesn't have the staying power to drag games out by setting up hazards, clearing them, repositioning, and starting over, so keeping pace is vital and Pain Split helps you with that while Defog at best would serve as an emergency rescue button if Spikes are bogging you down and should never really be clicked at any other time, it's simply not worth running.
Dragapult @ Choice Specs
Ability: Infiltrator
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Draco Meteor
- Shadow Ball
- Hex
- Thunder
Tag Hex Pult is trash. I simply cannot stand how weak it is and the fact that it cannot 2HKO Clef with status boosted Hex is a total deal-breaker. SpexHex was an idea I was turned on to after sharing another status-spam team I built and was given SpexHex as a recommendation, I wasn't huge on the idea but on this team it's gold (and now I see it everywhere), this team relied entirely on chip damage and set-up in order to deal damage to opposing teams and lacked any source of immediate brute force. With so few Ghost resists, Specs Shadow Balls hurt a lot and the team has plenty good support against things that don't mind them. Thunder is one of those supportive utilities, luring in and catching Mandi on the switch, as well as being offensive contingency vs opposing Pex and Primarina. Modest is run since it can still act as very solid speed control as-is and outspeeds nothing particularly relevant besides opposing Dragapult, the ability to offer as much offensive support as possible I find much more important than the excess speed, it's a very effective cleaner and a very solid breaker.
ƬΉЯΣΛƬƧ
Hatterene is an absolute nightmare, nothing really want to switch into it depending on its spread, stacking hazards becomes very risky at best and impossible at worst, getting your own Spikes bounced back is an absolute no-no. Dragapult can revenge it, there's counterplay, but nothing direct and it just being up against you puts you at an awful uphill struggle.
Court Change was always a dicey situation before and basically meant no setting Spikes till it was removed and avoiding T-Spikes as well ideally. Now with Libero, it's a monster threat. There's no counter here. Each move in its arsenal can be directly answered so you can theoretically play around it, and Dragapult is a decent enough solution to non-Sucker Punch variants, but a well-played Bunny or one with the right coverage is very very hard to deal with and usually comes down to get it Poisoned and pivot around till the chip racks up; Ferro's Knock Off and Iron Barbs can help where you can get it too.
It will Poison everything and sponge up your T-Spikes and you'll just need to deal with it. Establish your weak links very early and do what you can. Double down on it, get it removed as fast as possible.
A well-played Kyurem can smash this team. Pult can revenge it, that's it. You have counterplay, but it will punish your mistakes severely.
While in an ideal world you can say you can avoid letting it get Spikes up with offensive pressure, this is not an ideal world and it simply can have too many opportunities. Not the end of the world, but treat with caution.
FIПΛᄂ ЩӨЯDƧ
That's all. This has been my favourite team of the gen so far, and I have no idea what struggles it'll face, what changes may be made, or whether it'll need to be shelved entirely once DLC arrives, but I'm glad to have this out there anyway, maybe it's not the end for this squad. If any of you want to run this in the last days before DLC then feel free, get as much as you can out of it now. Thanks for reading, have fun with it, and we'll see what the DLC brings very soon.
IMPӨЯƬΛBᄂΣ
KIᄂᄂIПG
FᄂӨӨЯ
Primarina hazard spam team, not the most unique or creative of concepts or structures, but with a slightly more aggressive focus than some other more notable ones. There's no Defog, the intent is force open opportunities to get as many hazards up as possible and have the passive damage grind down teams before they're ready to be blown through; this reliance on the passive damage means that this team isn't afforded the luxury to Defog the field clear, reposition, and start over, despite its overall pretty passive build, it plays quite aggressively and vs standard builds it shouldn't be dragging games on too long if you maintain a solid position. Taunt Kommo-o is the star of the games honestly, limiting Defoggers and TelePass Clef, allowing free switch-ins for my other hazard setters, Rotom-H, or Primarina to keep the machine moving. Its more dynamic than it looks and quite fun to play.
ƬΣΛMBЦIᄂDIПG PЯӨᄃΣƧƧ
1.
It was pretty much this simple.
1.
Ok, on a more helpful note, Primarina was the starting point of this team. Ugly starter, not a fan, but I had to respect the impact of Sub CM in the meta so I figured I'd give it a shot.
2.
Primarina hates T-Spikes, so something to absorb them was ideal. I thought of Pex immediately and just stuck it on. There were other options, but I never considered them, I ran with Pex and the rest of the team structure fell into place well enough on its own, in part due to the option of running T-Spikes of my own.
3.
Pex and Ferro make a pretty solid defensive core, super passive yeah, but good nonetheless. I figured with running this pair though, total hazard-spam would be a cool direction to take this team down so I ran with it.
4.
Kommo-o came in as the Rocker. Has good defensive synergy with Primarina, was a pseudo-Ghost answer with its immunity to Shadow Balls, and has Taunt which is vital in limiting Defog for my hazards as well as luring in Clef, catching it with a Taunt to prevent it from WishPassing so my hazards chip on the team remains, and allows me a free easy switch into one of my other hazard setters to get another free layer up or into Primarina to Sub up if we're at that stage. It's also not as ugly as Hippo which is very important.
5.
Heatom is the best mon in the game, so I used it. It's the team's Ground immunity, which was sorely lacking, as well as an actually direct way to attack and kill Defoggers, Clef, opposing Pex and Ferro, etc as well as check Zeraora who's quite annoying with Play Rough. With T-Spikes support, I was relatively free to forego Toxic and run Pain Split for longevity to compensate for lack of Clef.
6.
I had no speed control. That was the first thing I thought of that made me think of Pult, but after remembering SpexHex, I knew I had to have this thing. It's the teams only real source of immediate unboosted power, as well as a Ghost type which in this meta only benefits a team by being run, Specs Shadow Balls blow through things in sticky situations and when everything's Poisoned and chipped by hazards it can clean up nicely with Hex. It compressed so many things that the team would like in one very convenient last slot, it was a no-brainer.
1.
Ok, on a more helpful note, Primarina was the starting point of this team. Ugly starter, not a fan, but I had to respect the impact of Sub CM in the meta so I figured I'd give it a shot.
2.
Primarina hates T-Spikes, so something to absorb them was ideal. I thought of Pex immediately and just stuck it on. There were other options, but I never considered them, I ran with Pex and the rest of the team structure fell into place well enough on its own, in part due to the option of running T-Spikes of my own.
3.
Pex and Ferro make a pretty solid defensive core, super passive yeah, but good nonetheless. I figured with running this pair though, total hazard-spam would be a cool direction to take this team down so I ran with it.
4.
Kommo-o came in as the Rocker. Has good defensive synergy with Primarina, was a pseudo-Ghost answer with its immunity to Shadow Balls, and has Taunt which is vital in limiting Defog for my hazards as well as luring in Clef, catching it with a Taunt to prevent it from WishPassing so my hazards chip on the team remains, and allows me a free easy switch into one of my other hazard setters to get another free layer up or into Primarina to Sub up if we're at that stage. It's also not as ugly as Hippo which is very important.
5.
Heatom is the best mon in the game, so I used it. It's the team's Ground immunity, which was sorely lacking, as well as an actually direct way to attack and kill Defoggers, Clef, opposing Pex and Ferro, etc as well as check Zeraora who's quite annoying with Play Rough. With T-Spikes support, I was relatively free to forego Toxic and run Pain Split for longevity to compensate for lack of Clef.
6.
I had no speed control. That was the first thing I thought of that made me think of Pult, but after remembering SpexHex, I knew I had to have this thing. It's the teams only real source of immediate unboosted power, as well as a Ghost type which in this meta only benefits a team by being run, Specs Shadow Balls blow through things in sticky situations and when everything's Poisoned and chipped by hazards it can clean up nicely with Hex. It compressed so many things that the team would like in one very convenient last slot, it was a no-brainer.
IП-DΣPƬΉ
Ferrothorn @ Leftovers
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 248 HP / 188 Def / 72 SpD
Impish Nature
- Leech Seed
- Spikes
- Knock Off
- Body Press
One of the hazard-spam trio. Ferro is the Spike-setter of the team and a good complimentary teammate to Pex. Originally max Def was run since this team was built before the Fish suspect, but with flexibility with its EVs now, it runs enough Def to live two Zeraora CCs and the rest was invested into SpD. It has good defensive overlap with Kommo-o and the double Body Press on the team may seem redundant, but it's actually quite the relief not having to compress each defensive role onto one mon, especially given the lack of WishPort Clef, the defensive freedom really helps keep each game from being a treading on eggshells situation since I don't have to play like a pussy with one mon to avoid being swept by X threat, and double Body Press allows for good overall coverage to threaten and remove Excadrills and Bisharps with either option betwee Ferro and Kommo-o depending on who's more important to keep healthier. As much as Power Whip might have been handy over Press for Primarina to open up Pex a little more, the team really values the flexibility. Knock Off and Leech Seed were mandatory additions; Rotom-H is an absolute menace, I know, I have one, so Knock Off to catch it and limit its pivoting and offensive presence is incredibly ideal where possible or else playing against it is like trying to swat an angry mosquito. Leech is in part minor additional recovery which in some cases can also benefit the rest of the team, but it also forces switches which racks up additional forced chip damage from the entry hazards and lets Ferro either Spike up again or reposition if necessary.
Toxapex @ Black Sludge
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 248 HP / 108 Def / 152 SpD
Careful / Calm Nature
- Poison Jab / Scald
- Toxic Spikes
- Haze
- Recover
One of the hazard-spam trio. Pex is actually more fun than I ever expected, tanking a hit, getting up a T-Spike, pivoting out, and doing it all again with Regen and Recover, it's not always a sit outside and stall kinda mon at all, though it can do that where it has to. Specially defensive primarily to compliment Ferro's physically defensive presence, enough Def investment to live any two hits from Banded Aegi, live an EQ from Leftovers Exca, two CCs from Conk, etc, the rest invested in SpD. I've been running Poison Jab most recently in order to directly threaten opposing Primarina who are very threatening to us, but Scald is still a very valid option since Jab does greatly limit what you can do to anything else besides maybe Clef, and it opens up opposing Pex even more with the lack of opportunity to get the Burn, conversely my own Pex getting Burned becomes a more serious issue in the long run so switching it into Scalds becomes pretty dicey... It's a toss-up which to choose, I think they're both viable, but I respect the threat of Primarina more than the threat of Pex, at least right now. Haze and Recover are mandatory stall moves, limiting set-up, staying healthy, forcing switches when something can't break me and throwing out T-Spikes, the typical Pex things.
Kommo-o @ Leftovers
Ability: Bulletproof
EVs: 248 HP / 200 Def / 60 Spe
Impish Nature
- Body Press
- Earthquake
- Stealth Rock
- Taunt
One of the hazard-spam trio. Standard defensive Kommo-o, enough speed to outspeed Aegi and standard Mandibuzz, It Rocks, it Taunts, it opens up free opportunities to send out another guy, it's the primary defensive answer to Aegi and Rotom-H. There's really not much to say at all. All moves are standard, all moves are mandatory. Taunt is very important on this team for limiting hazard removal and opening up opportunities for the rest of my team to come in for free and do stuff, Dargon Tail might be nice to phase things out and rack up more chip but with Clef everywhere it's just not all that viable and without the ability to easily open up opportunities for hazards to be set up, it's not a worthwhile trade-off in the long haul. Similar case with Iron Defense, just not good and just doesn't allow the team to function at its best.
Primarina @ Leftovers
Ability: Torrent
EVs: 248 HP / 64 SpA / 48 SpD / 148 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Moonblast
- Scald
- Substitute
- Calm Mind
While Primarina was the foundational mon of the team, I don't think it's right to call it the star of the show, but more-so just another strong gear in the machine. With Pex to sponge up T-Spikes it's free to come in on things and get a Sub up. So many standard builds are still Primarina-weak and with the hazards softening things up it can break through things even easier late-game. Opposing teams have to respect the threat. A specially defensive variant was more appropriate for this team to better gaurd against Dragapult and Hydreigon to a degree, the team didn't have the support to run an offensive spread and this standard defensive more than gets the job done. Enough speed to outspeed Conk and other mons around that range, enough SpD to Sub up on WishPort Clef, the leftovers into SpA. Draining Kiss is an option, except it's not an option, the immediate power of Moonblast makes it much more desirable than the healing utility of Kiss, it's simply too weak without a lot of boosts. Scald is necessary as the Burn can be vital vs Pex match-ups, being able to negate the Black Sludge is huge and it it's been Knocked Off even more-so, it gives you the chance to outstall it and win 1v1 provided it's not Jab. Offensively and defensively, it carries its weight.
Rotom-Heat @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 248 HP / 8 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Overheat
- Discharge
- Nasty Plot
- Pain Split
Rotom-H is hands down my favourite mon in the tier right now, it offers so much utility and support it's unreal and has pretty crazy breaking power, particularly with the support of T-Spikes allowing it to crack through things that should be walling it like Seismitoad and Kommo-o over time. It's also the team's Ice resist to limit Kyurem from just spamming 'Ice move' and winning. This is standard Nasty Plot, nothing too crazy. Discharge was chosen over VS to more directly threaten Mandibuzz and Toxapex, VS would definitely be desirable to maintain momentum and keep your positioning, but really you miss out on offensive presence against too many important things by foregoing Discharge. While it may be tempting to run Defog last to cover for this team's Spikes weakness, don't do it; Pain Split is such a great move here since Toxic is no longer mandatory thanks to the T-Spikes, and Heatom's offensive presence is so valued for removing a lot of things you'd want removed so its longevity is key, particularly if it gets Knocked Off at some point. This team simply doesn't have the staying power to drag games out by setting up hazards, clearing them, repositioning, and starting over, so keeping pace is vital and Pain Split helps you with that while Defog at best would serve as an emergency rescue button if Spikes are bogging you down and should never really be clicked at any other time, it's simply not worth running.
Dragapult @ Choice Specs
Ability: Infiltrator
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Draco Meteor
- Shadow Ball
- Hex
- Thunder
Tag Hex Pult is trash. I simply cannot stand how weak it is and the fact that it cannot 2HKO Clef with status boosted Hex is a total deal-breaker. SpexHex was an idea I was turned on to after sharing another status-spam team I built and was given SpexHex as a recommendation, I wasn't huge on the idea but on this team it's gold (and now I see it everywhere), this team relied entirely on chip damage and set-up in order to deal damage to opposing teams and lacked any source of immediate brute force. With so few Ghost resists, Specs Shadow Balls hurt a lot and the team has plenty good support against things that don't mind them. Thunder is one of those supportive utilities, luring in and catching Mandi on the switch, as well as being offensive contingency vs opposing Pex and Primarina. Modest is run since it can still act as very solid speed control as-is and outspeeds nothing particularly relevant besides opposing Dragapult, the ability to offer as much offensive support as possible I find much more important than the excess speed, it's a very effective cleaner and a very solid breaker.
ƬΉЯΣΛƬƧ
Hatterene is an absolute nightmare, nothing really want to switch into it depending on its spread, stacking hazards becomes very risky at best and impossible at worst, getting your own Spikes bounced back is an absolute no-no. Dragapult can revenge it, there's counterplay, but nothing direct and it just being up against you puts you at an awful uphill struggle.
Court Change was always a dicey situation before and basically meant no setting Spikes till it was removed and avoiding T-Spikes as well ideally. Now with Libero, it's a monster threat. There's no counter here. Each move in its arsenal can be directly answered so you can theoretically play around it, and Dragapult is a decent enough solution to non-Sucker Punch variants, but a well-played Bunny or one with the right coverage is very very hard to deal with and usually comes down to get it Poisoned and pivot around till the chip racks up; Ferro's Knock Off and Iron Barbs can help where you can get it too.
It will Poison everything and sponge up your T-Spikes and you'll just need to deal with it. Establish your weak links very early and do what you can. Double down on it, get it removed as fast as possible.
A well-played Kyurem can smash this team. Pult can revenge it, that's it. You have counterplay, but it will punish your mistakes severely.
While in an ideal world you can say you can avoid letting it get Spikes up with offensive pressure, this is not an ideal world and it simply can have too many opportunities. Not the end of the world, but treat with caution.
FIПΛᄂ ЩӨЯDƧ
That's all. This has been my favourite team of the gen so far, and I have no idea what struggles it'll face, what changes may be made, or whether it'll need to be shelved entirely once DLC arrives, but I'm glad to have this out there anyway, maybe it's not the end for this squad. If any of you want to run this in the last days before DLC then feel free, get as much as you can out of it now. Thanks for reading, have fun with it, and we'll see what the DLC brings very soon.
IMPӨЯƬΛBᄂΣ
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