Hi, its flyingtaco with my first RMT of SV. I've been a sun enthusiast ever since solar power charizard was discovered on Gen 8 sun in the Isle of Armor. I love clicking buttons, and when Walking Wake was introduced in gen 9, I immediately fell in love with the playstyle. When DLC 2 came out in gen 9, I immediately tried out sun, as gouging fire and raging bolt just got added. Over time, I optimized my team and got to the final result:
https://pokepast.es/12b9d4aafdf268fe
Proof of peak: (Edited for higher peak)
(Excuse the terrible GXE, I tilt down to the 1700s a lot)
Teambuilding process
So first I tried using all 3 dinos + great tusk along with the standard torkoal + hatterene
I then realized that my team was really slow so I replaced raging bolt with roaring moon
I then struggled for about 2 weeks to make sun work, as roaring moon and iron boulder were essentially auto-lose matchups. My team was good into fat but struggled into HO. Then I remembered that you could use lower-tier pokemon in OU and Lilligant-Hisui solved the HO problem while also not being useless into fat. I replaced great tusk with lilligant and arrived at the final version of my team:
The team
@ Heat Rock
Ability: Drought
Tera Type: Flying
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Lava Plume
- Rapid Spin
- Yawn
Every sun team needs a Torkoal (unless you really love Ninetales or something lol). I'm using SpDef torkoal on this team since torkoal is the only fairy resist, greatly easing the matchup into Enamorus. Spdef invested torkoal also can live an earth power from kyurem in a pinch, which otherwise is very hard for my team to switch into. Last, it helps against the otherwise very threatening specs dragapult, which is having a resurgence lately.
The moveset on torkoal is very standard, allowing it to have the maximum amount of utility.
@ Choice Specs
Ability: Protosynthesis
Tera Type: Water
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Hydro Steam
- Draco Meteor
- Dragon Pulse
- Flamethrower
I am of the opinion that every sun team should also have Walking Wake. The mon is just too good to not use in sun. I run +Spa protosynthesis because Walking Wake is the primary breaker on this team. The other members of the team fix the offense matchup. Timid over modest to outspeed Kyurem. The 4th move I use is flamethrower over something like hydro pump or knock off since it provides a nice midground into cores like Ogerpon-Wellspring + kingambit. Walking wake is so powerful it OHKOs Ogerpon-Wellspring with a non-stab flamethrower in sun most of the time.
Tera is water for maximum balance breaking power. Once you tera water, you can even 2HKO Blissey, although you shouldn't tera unless the opponent has already teraed.
@ Eject Button
Ability: Magic Bounce
Tera Type: Water
EVs: 252 HP / 232 Def / 24 Spe
Bold Nature
- Nuzzle
- Psychic Noise
- Dazzling Gleam
- Healing Wish
Another almost mandatory member on sun, Hatterene fixes the hazard weakness that most sun teams face. This hatterene is designed to maximize the utility it can provide for the team. Nuzzle allows hatterene to paralyze any switch ins, allowing you to cheese stuff like slowking-galar. Psychic Noise helps check various bulky recovery sweepers like CM primarina and gliscor. It is also a sound move, so it allows you to hit zamazenta behind a sub. Hatterene is also the team's primary idef + body press Zamazenta check. Dazzling gleam hits any dark type that wants to switch into psychic noise. Healing wish is the move I click most often on Hatterene, as it allows you to give a second chance to one of your sun sweepers or Torkoal to clean late game.
24 Spe EV's are to outspeed paralyzed max speed Kingambit.
@ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Protosynthesis
Tera Type: Fire
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Flare Blitz
- Morning Sun
- Outrage/Dragon Claw
Gouging fire is a terrifying setup threat against offense teams and is a secondary breaker vs balance or bulky offense teams. It's sun boosted, protosynthesis boosted, possibly tera fire boosted, flare blitzes are ridiculously powerful, allowing you to OHKO max HP tusk most of the time even without teraing. Morning sun was chosen over additional coverage since Gouging fire is the team's midgame check to Kingambit, and its natural bulk + morning sun healing 75% in sun allows you to almost always beat gambit if it has < 4 fallens, no matter how low you are. It also heals off Flare blitz recoil. The choice of the last move depends on whether you want a better matchup against fat or against offense. Outrage if you don't like fat and dragon claw if you don't like offense.
Tera fire was chosen to maximize the damage of Flare blitz. Other teras like Fairy or Flying can be used as well.
@ Choice Band
Ability: Protosynthesis
Tera Type: Steel
EVs: 32 HP / 220 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- U-turn
- Knock Off
- Outrage
- Iron Head
One of the 2 primary cleaners and early game wallbreakers on the team. Ever since Roaring Moon got knock off, it has been a great asset for sun teams. Roaring moon also punishes slowking-galar very hard with a choice band knock off, allowing sun to have an easier time in the slowking-galar matchup. I believe Outrage and Iron head are the best last 2 moves on Roaring moon. OU has a shortage of defensive fairy types, and fairy types also match up quite poorly into the rest of the team, so players are inclined to sack their fairy types early. Once this occurs, CB outrage can clean up like its gen 5. Iron head is the best last move as it allows you to revenge kill Enamorus and Iron Valiant, as well as hitting Raging Bolt once it has tera fairy'ed. Steel tera is important because it allows you to always OHKO raging bolt once it has tera'ed, which would otherwise pose a big problem for this team.
Evs are to boost speed in the sun.
@ Wide Lens
Ability: Chlorophyll
Tera Type: Ghost
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Solar Blade
- Close Combat
- Sleep Powder
- Triple Axel
The star of the team, Lilligant-Hisui! I made a VR post earlier today talking about why Lilligant is incredible on sun right now, but it boils down to Lilligant having an incredible matchup spread against the best sweepers against sun. Below is a copy from my VR post.
Also, lilligant-hisui is scientifically proven to make your opponents want to ban sleep.
Threats/Hard matchups
- Kingambit, if it gets to +2 with 4-5 fallen, can easily sweep this team with the appropriate tera type. In the endgame, try to avoid clicking a dragon move on walking wake or killing anything with roaring moon. Also try to scout out its item/knock off its item with roaring moon early. At 3 fallen, Gouging fire always lives a non-black glasses +2 sucker punch and OHKOs back with flare blitz. Lilligant-hisui can bail you out in the endgame if you get lucky with sleep powder/sleep turns. You can yawn with torkoal as well, but since torkoal is spdef, high fallen +2 Kowtow cleave will OHKO you.
- Raging bolt is impossible for this team to switch into and the turn they tera into a fairy type (which is the most common tera), they can usually get a kill. Try to bait out the tera early. Often times its worth it to just click hydro steam with walking wake and do like 60% as they dragon pulse/CM. Tera your roaring moon into steel to OHKO it in the late game.
- Once it gets 2 DD's it can just win the game. You can switch into torkoal and yawn it. Try to not lock into any move that it can set up on. If it switches in after walking wake killed something with a dragon move, tera fairy is coming.
- The third dino is also a threat. If it's proto-speed, every turn is a guessing game of do I go walking wake or do I sack a mon. You can usually out-offense this though.
- Slowking-g can turn the weather on you with chilly reception. To stop it from doing this, aggressively double into Roaring Moon when you suspect Slowking-g will come in.
- Every sun is weak to this. If its specs, just sack hatterene and try to play aggressively to limit Dragapult from coming in and to prevent hazards from going up. If its sub + wisp/twave, triple axel lilligant can ohko through the sub once dragapult is at ~50%
- Try to maintain momentum by using the eject button on hatterene. Walking wake is your greatest asset vs rain, as it 4x resists liquidation from barraskewda and also benefits from rain. Sun vs Rain is usually a sack war, but you can come out on top. Also, if you ever get hazards up and prevent opposing hazards, you will generally win.
(Trick room) - Lead roaring moon into their hatterene and hope you get the 30% iron head flinch lol. Otherwise, a surprise tera ghost on lilligant can allow to OHKO the ursaluna. Usually you will lose though.
General Tips
Play aggressively against balance and offense - this team has no longevity and will lose a war of attrition.
Play safe against stall - Walking wake can often PP stall blissey out of its softboileds and you just auto win after that. Use healing wish to heal walking wake once it is chipped.
Keep hazards off at all costs - this team has terrible removal, and every member of the team aside from gouging fire is vulnerable to hazards.
Double roaring moon aggressively into slowking-g. This point is so important that I mentioned it twice.
Replays
Gouging fire clutches up
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9ou-2035110505
Lilligant misses a sleep powder against Kingambit + he gets a turn 1 wake but roaring moon cleans up
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9ou-2035053840?p2
Spdef torkoal living an earth power from tera ground kyurem + lilligant goes on a rampage
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9ou-2034744511?p2
Gouging fire obliterates balance
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9ou-2028909744?p2
Roaring moon outplays a bad matchup
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9ou-2033585477?p2
I get my ass kicked by the agency TR
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9ou-2028907402
Conclusion
Sun in DLC2 is a very dynamic and underrated playstyle, with very few terrible matchups and great potential. I truly believe a better player than myself could take this team to the top of the ladder.
https://pokepast.es/12b9d4aafdf268fe
Proof of peak: (Edited for higher peak)
(Excuse the terrible GXE, I tilt down to the 1700s a lot)
Teambuilding process
So first I tried using all 3 dinos + great tusk along with the standard torkoal + hatterene
I then realized that my team was really slow so I replaced raging bolt with roaring moon
I then struggled for about 2 weeks to make sun work, as roaring moon and iron boulder were essentially auto-lose matchups. My team was good into fat but struggled into HO. Then I remembered that you could use lower-tier pokemon in OU and Lilligant-Hisui solved the HO problem while also not being useless into fat. I replaced great tusk with lilligant and arrived at the final version of my team:
The team
@ Heat Rock Ability: Drought
Tera Type: Flying
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Lava Plume
- Rapid Spin
- Yawn
Every sun team needs a Torkoal (unless you really love Ninetales or something lol). I'm using SpDef torkoal on this team since torkoal is the only fairy resist, greatly easing the matchup into Enamorus. Spdef invested torkoal also can live an earth power from kyurem in a pinch, which otherwise is very hard for my team to switch into. Last, it helps against the otherwise very threatening specs dragapult, which is having a resurgence lately.
The moveset on torkoal is very standard, allowing it to have the maximum amount of utility.
@ Choice Specs Ability: Protosynthesis
Tera Type: Water
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Hydro Steam
- Draco Meteor
- Dragon Pulse
- Flamethrower
I am of the opinion that every sun team should also have Walking Wake. The mon is just too good to not use in sun. I run +Spa protosynthesis because Walking Wake is the primary breaker on this team. The other members of the team fix the offense matchup. Timid over modest to outspeed Kyurem. The 4th move I use is flamethrower over something like hydro pump or knock off since it provides a nice midground into cores like Ogerpon-Wellspring + kingambit. Walking wake is so powerful it OHKOs Ogerpon-Wellspring with a non-stab flamethrower in sun most of the time.
Tera is water for maximum balance breaking power. Once you tera water, you can even 2HKO Blissey, although you shouldn't tera unless the opponent has already teraed.
@ Eject Button Ability: Magic Bounce
Tera Type: Water
EVs: 252 HP / 232 Def / 24 Spe
Bold Nature
- Nuzzle
- Psychic Noise
- Dazzling Gleam
- Healing Wish
Another almost mandatory member on sun, Hatterene fixes the hazard weakness that most sun teams face. This hatterene is designed to maximize the utility it can provide for the team. Nuzzle allows hatterene to paralyze any switch ins, allowing you to cheese stuff like slowking-galar. Psychic Noise helps check various bulky recovery sweepers like CM primarina and gliscor. It is also a sound move, so it allows you to hit zamazenta behind a sub. Hatterene is also the team's primary idef + body press Zamazenta check. Dazzling gleam hits any dark type that wants to switch into psychic noise. Healing wish is the move I click most often on Hatterene, as it allows you to give a second chance to one of your sun sweepers or Torkoal to clean late game.
24 Spe EV's are to outspeed paralyzed max speed Kingambit.
@ Heavy-Duty Boots Ability: Protosynthesis
Tera Type: Fire
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Flare Blitz
- Morning Sun
- Outrage/Dragon Claw
Gouging fire is a terrifying setup threat against offense teams and is a secondary breaker vs balance or bulky offense teams. It's sun boosted, protosynthesis boosted, possibly tera fire boosted, flare blitzes are ridiculously powerful, allowing you to OHKO max HP tusk most of the time even without teraing. Morning sun was chosen over additional coverage since Gouging fire is the team's midgame check to Kingambit, and its natural bulk + morning sun healing 75% in sun allows you to almost always beat gambit if it has < 4 fallens, no matter how low you are. It also heals off Flare blitz recoil. The choice of the last move depends on whether you want a better matchup against fat or against offense. Outrage if you don't like fat and dragon claw if you don't like offense.
Tera fire was chosen to maximize the damage of Flare blitz. Other teras like Fairy or Flying can be used as well.
@ Choice Band Ability: Protosynthesis
Tera Type: Steel
EVs: 32 HP / 220 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- U-turn
- Knock Off
- Outrage
- Iron Head
One of the 2 primary cleaners and early game wallbreakers on the team. Ever since Roaring Moon got knock off, it has been a great asset for sun teams. Roaring moon also punishes slowking-galar very hard with a choice band knock off, allowing sun to have an easier time in the slowking-galar matchup. I believe Outrage and Iron head are the best last 2 moves on Roaring moon. OU has a shortage of defensive fairy types, and fairy types also match up quite poorly into the rest of the team, so players are inclined to sack their fairy types early. Once this occurs, CB outrage can clean up like its gen 5. Iron head is the best last move as it allows you to revenge kill Enamorus and Iron Valiant, as well as hitting Raging Bolt once it has tera fairy'ed. Steel tera is important because it allows you to always OHKO raging bolt once it has tera'ed, which would otherwise pose a big problem for this team.
Evs are to boost speed in the sun.
@ Wide Lens Ability: Chlorophyll
Tera Type: Ghost
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Solar Blade
- Close Combat
- Sleep Powder
- Triple Axel
The star of the team, Lilligant-Hisui! I made a VR post earlier today talking about why Lilligant is incredible on sun right now, but it boils down to Lilligant having an incredible matchup spread against the best sweepers against sun. Below is a copy from my VR post.
Lilligant-hisui is an incredible speed control option on sun teams, fixing sun's bad HO matchup. The set I have been liking is
With this set, you can check/revenge kill many scary offensive threats to sun, including Kingambit, Iron Boulder, Roaring Moon, Iron Valiant (if you chip it slightly beforehand), and with tera ghost, Dragonite as well. It's speed tier of 618 in the sun is very important, since the next fastest speed control options for sun, roaring moon and venusaur, are outsped by booster energy iron boulder, which otherwise 6-0's sun without lilligant at +2. Lilligant also has much more immediate power than its fellow chlorophyll sweeper Venusaur since it can run adamant instead of jolly and also has triple axel to hit dragon types, notably having (almost) a guarenteed OHKO on dragapult.
Here are some calcs demonstrating the power:
252+ Atk Lilligant-Hisui Triple Axel (40 BP) (3 hits) vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Dragapult: 318-378 (100.3 - 119.2%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ Atk Lilligant-Hisui Solar Blade vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Tera Fighting Iron Boulder: 232-274 (72.2 - 85.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO (after they sub you are very likely to kill them)
252+ Atk Lilligant-Hisui Triple Axel (40 BP) (3 hits) vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Multiscale Dragonite: 440-520 (136.2 - 160.9%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ Atk Lilligant-Hisui Triple Axel (40 BP) (3 hits) vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Roaring Moon: 330-390 (94 - 111.1%) -- approx. 62.5% chance to OHKO
252+ Atk Lilligant-Hisui Solar Blade vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Iron Valiant: 211-249 (72.7 - 85.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
With this set, you can check/revenge kill many scary offensive threats to sun, including Kingambit, Iron Boulder, Roaring Moon, Iron Valiant (if you chip it slightly beforehand), and with tera ghost, Dragonite as well. It's speed tier of 618 in the sun is very important, since the next fastest speed control options for sun, roaring moon and venusaur, are outsped by booster energy iron boulder, which otherwise 6-0's sun without lilligant at +2. Lilligant also has much more immediate power than its fellow chlorophyll sweeper Venusaur since it can run adamant instead of jolly and also has triple axel to hit dragon types, notably having (almost) a guarenteed OHKO on dragapult.
Here are some calcs demonstrating the power:
252+ Atk Lilligant-Hisui Triple Axel (40 BP) (3 hits) vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Dragapult: 318-378 (100.3 - 119.2%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ Atk Lilligant-Hisui Solar Blade vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Tera Fighting Iron Boulder: 232-274 (72.2 - 85.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO (after they sub you are very likely to kill them)
252+ Atk Lilligant-Hisui Triple Axel (40 BP) (3 hits) vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Multiscale Dragonite: 440-520 (136.2 - 160.9%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ Atk Lilligant-Hisui Triple Axel (40 BP) (3 hits) vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Roaring Moon: 330-390 (94 - 111.1%) -- approx. 62.5% chance to OHKO
252+ Atk Lilligant-Hisui Solar Blade vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Iron Valiant: 211-249 (72.7 - 85.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
Also, lilligant-hisui is scientifically proven to make your opponents want to ban sleep.
Threats/Hard matchups
- Kingambit, if it gets to +2 with 4-5 fallen, can easily sweep this team with the appropriate tera type. In the endgame, try to avoid clicking a dragon move on walking wake or killing anything with roaring moon. Also try to scout out its item/knock off its item with roaring moon early. At 3 fallen, Gouging fire always lives a non-black glasses +2 sucker punch and OHKOs back with flare blitz. Lilligant-hisui can bail you out in the endgame if you get lucky with sleep powder/sleep turns. You can yawn with torkoal as well, but since torkoal is spdef, high fallen +2 Kowtow cleave will OHKO you. - Raging bolt is impossible for this team to switch into and the turn they tera into a fairy type (which is the most common tera), they can usually get a kill. Try to bait out the tera early. Often times its worth it to just click hydro steam with walking wake and do like 60% as they dragon pulse/CM. Tera your roaring moon into steel to OHKO it in the late game. - Once it gets 2 DD's it can just win the game. You can switch into torkoal and yawn it. Try to not lock into any move that it can set up on. If it switches in after walking wake killed something with a dragon move, tera fairy is coming. - The third dino is also a threat. If it's proto-speed, every turn is a guessing game of do I go walking wake or do I sack a mon. You can usually out-offense this though. - Slowking-g can turn the weather on you with chilly reception. To stop it from doing this, aggressively double into Roaring Moon when you suspect Slowking-g will come in. - Every sun is weak to this. If its specs, just sack hatterene and try to play aggressively to limit Dragapult from coming in and to prevent hazards from going up. If its sub + wisp/twave, triple axel lilligant can ohko through the sub once dragapult is at ~50% - Try to maintain momentum by using the eject button on hatterene. Walking wake is your greatest asset vs rain, as it 4x resists liquidation from barraskewda and also benefits from rain. Sun vs Rain is usually a sack war, but you can come out on top. Also, if you ever get hazards up and prevent opposing hazards, you will generally win. (Trick room) - Lead roaring moon into their hatterene and hope you get the 30% iron head flinch lol. Otherwise, a surprise tera ghost on lilligant can allow to OHKO the ursaluna. Usually you will lose though.General Tips
Play aggressively against balance and offense - this team has no longevity and will lose a war of attrition.
Play safe against stall - Walking wake can often PP stall blissey out of its softboileds and you just auto win after that. Use healing wish to heal walking wake once it is chipped.
Keep hazards off at all costs - this team has terrible removal, and every member of the team aside from gouging fire is vulnerable to hazards.
Double roaring moon aggressively into slowking-g. This point is so important that I mentioned it twice.
Replays
Gouging fire clutches up
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9ou-2035110505
Lilligant misses a sleep powder against Kingambit + he gets a turn 1 wake but roaring moon cleans up
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9ou-2035053840?p2
Spdef torkoal living an earth power from tera ground kyurem + lilligant goes on a rampage
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9ou-2034744511?p2
Gouging fire obliterates balance
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9ou-2028909744?p2
Roaring moon outplays a bad matchup
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9ou-2033585477?p2
I get my ass kicked by the agency TR
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9ou-2028907402
Conclusion
Sun in DLC2 is a very dynamic and underrated playstyle, with very few terrible matchups and great potential. I truly believe a better player than myself could take this team to the top of the ladder.
Attachments
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