Hey, guys!!! This is an RMT I have for all of you!! This was a team I made before Gengarnite got drafted to Ubers. This team was made to abuse the ability "Shadow Tag", and this team went really well for me in the past, but unfortunately, good things don't last forever, cuz Gengarnite became banned!! After Mega Gengar became banned, this team needed to regroup......someone to fill the void!! So after a little planning and thinking, this is what I have so far.....
Fair Warning: Before any of you scream "troll team", I have tested this team numerous times!! This team does work for me, and I even have decent success with it on the ladder (only losing a few times)!! So anyways, this is the team now!!
This team is full of mind games of it's own!! I see many people underestimate the power of this team, mainly because most of these pokemon aren't even OU, but little do they know the real consequences of being trapped (insert evil laugh here lol)!! This team is a clear example of working together, which is why this team works so well. Let's get into the team a little bit more!!
Punching Bag (Wobbuffet) @ Leftovers
Ability: Shadow Tag
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SDef
Calm Nature
- Counter
- Mirror Coat
- Encore
- Destiny Bond
Wobbuffet serves a major purpose on this team (beyond Shadow Tag)!! His main niche is "Encore"!! Why is that important? When most people see Wobbufett, they expect you to spam "CounterCoat", thus what do they do? Use a status move, like Sword Dance, Stealth Rock, or Toxic! Now is that a problem if they do? Normally, yes, however this logic is why it is very easy to predict said status move. Wobba's main job is to Encore a foe into said status move. CounterCoat allows me to hit opposing Pokemon who attacks me, and Destiny Bond allows me to take my foe down with me. After that is done, Gothorita comes into the picture.
Emo Kid (Gothorita) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Shadow Tag
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Trick
- Safeguard
- Magic Coat
- Reflect
Once the foe is locked into a status move by Wobba (for example, Stealth Rocks), the Emo Kid gets to shine. Note that I am carrying a Choice Scarf, and after being Encored, all I have to do is use Trick, and after the Encore ends, the combination of being given a Choice Item during Encore now permalocks the foe into the last move it used (unless he/she runs out of PP, but moves like Stealth Rocks have 32 PP)!! Note that this doesn't work on megas! Add in the fact that you can't escape due to Shadow Tag, and you got the perfect set up bait!! The rest of the move set is based on the situation! Magic Coat is for if my opponent is permalocked into Rocks (or if I'm dealing with a Prankster Pokemon), just so I can get hazards too. Safeguard is if my opponent is permalocked into Toxic/any status move, so when I switch out, my teammates won't get hit with it. After Gothorita permalocks her foe, it's time to choose a sweeper!!
Raven (Gothitelle) @ Leftovers
Ability: Shadow Tag
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SAtk
Modest Nature
- Substitute
- Calm Mind
- Psychic/Psyshock
- Energy Ball
This is probably one of the major key members of my team, as she came through for me numerous times!! Basically, after Gothorita permalocks her foe, Gothorita starts setting up Calm Minds!! This is probably the best way to max out her SpA and SpD, as she's hard to stop after she's maxed out!! Substitute is there for two reasons. First, if I lock my foe into Toxic, even with Gothorita's Safeguard, the Safeguard only lasts 5 turns. Sub will keep me safe from Toxic!! Also, since Gothitelle isn't the bulkiest Pokemon on the physical side, and she's slow, not having a Sub up will make her easy to revenge kill. Basically Psychic/Psyshock is there for STAB, and Energy Ball is strictly there for Tyranitar (he'd be a major threat without it)!! I needed a move to hit him hard without letting other Pokemon wall or resist her move set.
In & Out She Said (Dugtrio) (M) @ Muscle Band
Ability: Arena Trap
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Substitute
- Hone Claws
Dugtrio is more of a test Pokemon than a major member. Bascially, his role is the same as Gothitelle's. After the foe is permalocked, set up all over their face. The biggest advantage is his speed, however, he's still outpaced by the common threats today, such as Talonflame and Greninja, so I need a Sub up to take a hit, or I will die! His bulk is atrocious, and I don't run sash cuz my foe could have used Rocks on the turn I permalocked him/her! Another problem is his low Attack. Even at x4 Atk, he still fails to OHKO most things! Muscle Band is there to boost his physical moves, and EQ and Stone Edge hits many things. Hone Claws to max out my Atk when my foe is locked in!
Sakura (Azumarill) (F) @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Huge Power
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SDef
Adamant Nature
- Aqua Jet
- Waterfall
- Belly Drum
- Play Rough
Some of you may be wondering, what if you Encore a Mega Pokemon? My main plain is to go straight into Azumarill!! If I encore a Mega Pokemon, I will Belly Drum, and spam Aqua Jet from there. Encore Tag will allow me to easily get up my Belly Drum. At the moment I chose Azumarill because I see her as the best Belly Drummer in the game so far, mainly cuz she gets priority as well! I might also test Unburden Slurpuff! Play Rough is for Dragons, and Waterfall is a harder hitting Water move!
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SDef
Adamant Nature
- Power-Up Punch
- Sucker Punch
- Return
- Earthquake
I wanted to give this thing Scrappy, but Pokebank OU says that Kangashkan must have Early Bird as an ability! But it's all good! Mega Kan is one of the best megas in the game! Her job is to basically set up Power Up Punch's and sweep from there, and clean up late game (or early if need be). I run Max Hp over the Max Spe Kan because the bulk helps her out to tank hits, and I can outspeed most fast threats anyways with Sucker Punch!
U-Turners (especially Genesect/Scizor)- They prevent me from leading with Wobba, cuz they can almost always OHKO Wobba with U-turn, and U-Turn prevents me to trap them. I don't put Volt Switch here cuz Volt Switch doesn't do nearly as much damage as U-Turn, but priority switching of any kind is hard to deal with.
Ghost Types (especially Aegislash)- they can escape at free will, allowing my foe to sent in a counter freely! Aegislash is the number one problem because he has the potential to take out everyone on my team, including Mega Kan if my foe predicts right!
Dark Types (especially Tyranitar/Mega Absol)- Half of my team is weak to Ghost, but also Dark too! Tyranitar isn't a major threat as of now due to Gothorita having Energy Ball, but Mega Absol has Sucker Punch, which can take out both Dugtrio/Gothorita.
Substitute- Encoring a foe into Substitute is problematic because they always get their sub back even when I break it due to Encore. Mega Kan is my best counter to Encoring foes into Sub
Leech Seed- Safeguard does not protect Leech Seed, and encoring a foe into Leech Seed means I can't send in Gothorita/Dugtrio to set up! I might add a Sap Sipper to my team to fix this issue, cuz I am aware that some Sap Sippers have Sword Dance. That's +3 Atk in one turn!
Mega Kangashkan- Unfortunately, Mega Kan became a major threat now that Mega Gengar is no longer allowed on my team. She OHKO's everyone with either Return or SuckerPunch! My best chance of winning is hoping my Mega Kan is faster....
Team In Action (Ladder):
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/pokebankoubeta-67542743
Fair Warning: Before any of you scream "troll team", I have tested this team numerous times!! This team does work for me, and I even have decent success with it on the ladder (only losing a few times)!! So anyways, this is the team now!!
KINGS OF TRAPS!!!!
Ability: Shadow Tag
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SDef
Calm Nature
- Counter
- Mirror Coat
- Encore
- Destiny Bond
Wobbuffet serves a major purpose on this team (beyond Shadow Tag)!! His main niche is "Encore"!! Why is that important? When most people see Wobbufett, they expect you to spam "CounterCoat", thus what do they do? Use a status move, like Sword Dance, Stealth Rock, or Toxic! Now is that a problem if they do? Normally, yes, however this logic is why it is very easy to predict said status move. Wobba's main job is to Encore a foe into said status move. CounterCoat allows me to hit opposing Pokemon who attacks me, and Destiny Bond allows me to take my foe down with me. After that is done, Gothorita comes into the picture.
Ability: Shadow Tag
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Trick
- Safeguard
- Magic Coat
- Reflect
Once the foe is locked into a status move by Wobba (for example, Stealth Rocks), the Emo Kid gets to shine. Note that I am carrying a Choice Scarf, and after being Encored, all I have to do is use Trick, and after the Encore ends, the combination of being given a Choice Item during Encore now permalocks the foe into the last move it used (unless he/she runs out of PP, but moves like Stealth Rocks have 32 PP)!! Note that this doesn't work on megas! Add in the fact that you can't escape due to Shadow Tag, and you got the perfect set up bait!! The rest of the move set is based on the situation! Magic Coat is for if my opponent is permalocked into Rocks (or if I'm dealing with a Prankster Pokemon), just so I can get hazards too. Safeguard is if my opponent is permalocked into Toxic/any status move, so when I switch out, my teammates won't get hit with it. After Gothorita permalocks her foe, it's time to choose a sweeper!!
Raven (Gothitelle) @ Leftovers
Ability: Shadow Tag
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SAtk
Modest Nature
- Substitute
- Calm Mind
- Psychic/Psyshock
- Energy Ball
This is probably one of the major key members of my team, as she came through for me numerous times!! Basically, after Gothorita permalocks her foe, Gothorita starts setting up Calm Minds!! This is probably the best way to max out her SpA and SpD, as she's hard to stop after she's maxed out!! Substitute is there for two reasons. First, if I lock my foe into Toxic, even with Gothorita's Safeguard, the Safeguard only lasts 5 turns. Sub will keep me safe from Toxic!! Also, since Gothitelle isn't the bulkiest Pokemon on the physical side, and she's slow, not having a Sub up will make her easy to revenge kill. Basically Psychic/Psyshock is there for STAB, and Energy Ball is strictly there for Tyranitar (he'd be a major threat without it)!! I needed a move to hit him hard without letting other Pokemon wall or resist her move set.
Ability: Arena Trap
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Substitute
- Hone Claws
Dugtrio is more of a test Pokemon than a major member. Bascially, his role is the same as Gothitelle's. After the foe is permalocked, set up all over their face. The biggest advantage is his speed, however, he's still outpaced by the common threats today, such as Talonflame and Greninja, so I need a Sub up to take a hit, or I will die! His bulk is atrocious, and I don't run sash cuz my foe could have used Rocks on the turn I permalocked him/her! Another problem is his low Attack. Even at x4 Atk, he still fails to OHKO most things! Muscle Band is there to boost his physical moves, and EQ and Stone Edge hits many things. Hone Claws to max out my Atk when my foe is locked in!
Ability: Huge Power
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SDef
Adamant Nature
- Aqua Jet
- Waterfall
- Belly Drum
- Play Rough
Some of you may be wondering, what if you Encore a Mega Pokemon? My main plain is to go straight into Azumarill!! If I encore a Mega Pokemon, I will Belly Drum, and spam Aqua Jet from there. Encore Tag will allow me to easily get up my Belly Drum. At the moment I chose Azumarill because I see her as the best Belly Drummer in the game so far, mainly cuz she gets priority as well! I might also test Unburden Slurpuff! Play Rough is for Dragons, and Waterfall is a harder hitting Water move!
Mama's Boy (Kangaskhan) (F) @ Kangaskhanite
Ability: Early BirdEVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SDef
Adamant Nature
- Power-Up Punch
- Sucker Punch
- Return
- Earthquake
I wanted to give this thing Scrappy, but Pokebank OU says that Kangashkan must have Early Bird as an ability! But it's all good! Mega Kan is one of the best megas in the game! Her job is to basically set up Power Up Punch's and sweep from there, and clean up late game (or early if need be). I run Max Hp over the Max Spe Kan because the bulk helps her out to tank hits, and I can outspeed most fast threats anyways with Sucker Punch!
Strengths:
This team is a mind game of it's own!! Wobba tricks most players into using a status move Turn 1 just by mere presence! After that, Gothorita permalocks them into the status move, and Gothitelle/Dugtrio begins sweeping from there. If i need to play more "different" cuz of team preview, Mega Kan can take on most threats in OU due to her bulk, and Azumarill is still a force to be reckon with!Weaknesses/Threats:
Prankster/Taunt Users- Always annoying to deal with, cuz they shutdown Wobba cold, and forec me to find other ways to take me out. Dealing With Swagger spammers just causes me to lose momentum, as it forces me to switch out cuz it's risky to take the chance and attack during confusion.U-Turners (especially Genesect/Scizor)- They prevent me from leading with Wobba, cuz they can almost always OHKO Wobba with U-turn, and U-Turn prevents me to trap them. I don't put Volt Switch here cuz Volt Switch doesn't do nearly as much damage as U-Turn, but priority switching of any kind is hard to deal with.
Ghost Types (especially Aegislash)- they can escape at free will, allowing my foe to sent in a counter freely! Aegislash is the number one problem because he has the potential to take out everyone on my team, including Mega Kan if my foe predicts right!
Dark Types (especially Tyranitar/Mega Absol)- Half of my team is weak to Ghost, but also Dark too! Tyranitar isn't a major threat as of now due to Gothorita having Energy Ball, but Mega Absol has Sucker Punch, which can take out both Dugtrio/Gothorita.
Substitute- Encoring a foe into Substitute is problematic because they always get their sub back even when I break it due to Encore. Mega Kan is my best counter to Encoring foes into Sub
Leech Seed- Safeguard does not protect Leech Seed, and encoring a foe into Leech Seed means I can't send in Gothorita/Dugtrio to set up! I might add a Sap Sipper to my team to fix this issue, cuz I am aware that some Sap Sippers have Sword Dance. That's +3 Atk in one turn!
Mega Kangashkan- Unfortunately, Mega Kan became a major threat now that Mega Gengar is no longer allowed on my team. She OHKO's everyone with either Return or SuckerPunch! My best chance of winning is hoping my Mega Kan is faster....
Conclusion
This team does have it's far share of weaknesses, however, this team does have it's strengths, seeing how this team has the ability to 6-0 opponents! This is one of the best way to abuse Trapping Abilities, because they work so well as a team! Any advice and tips to make this team better is appreciated!! My current alt with this team is "King of Trapzz"! Do /rank King of Trapzz on your free time to see my current ladder score. It's low atm, but I barely played any ladder matches (only 4 so far, but I won them all). Other alts I used were "Claim All Soulz", which was the alt i used before Mega Gengar was banned! I'm trying to hit high with this team! So please help if you can!! Thanks!!Team In Action (Ladder):
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/pokebankoubeta-67542743
