I have been seriously getting into team-building since Fall 2017, and while I have made some teams I enjoyed running and saw success, none have proven as effective and reliable against most teams I have come across in tours or the ladder, for both me and some of my friends that have tried it, than this one, so far.
The team is based around Mega Lopunny's ability to revenge kill and chip much of the meta, as well as taking advantage of its matchup versus Sableye stall:
Lop is the basis of the team, and since it is focused on revenging, it must be able to chip appropriately, thus we run Fake Out and not Ice Punch. Encore is an option as well, but it will have a slightly harder time versus HO and will chip less efficiently. PuP takes advantage of switches and 50/50s with mons like Ferrothorn.
Next, I wanted to bring in Lop safely, and thus Volt-Turn was ideal for this. This engine also allows for chip damage on the enemy team, thus it fits perfectly on the team. The 2 I decided on were Scarf Protean Gren and Tornadus T:
These 2 mons allow Lop to come in safely. Tornadus provides Defog support and a Flyinium nuke as well. Taunt is ran here since Ferrothorn runs Knock Off, and they both bait in similar mons, thus Knock on Torn was a little redundant. It allows facilitates the macthup versus Pex, which the team otherwise can struggle to break. Gren is standard Scarf, but it runs HP Fire to help with the Scizor matchup, which otherwise would 6-0 the team. We also have space for it, since Ferro has Spikes. Gren also helps versus Volcarona teams, and thus we run Rock Slide instead of Gunk.
Ferro and Clef provide the bulk of the team, and set our Hazards for us as well:
These 2 work very well off of each other as a Defensive core, and deal with otherwise bad matchups the team could have, like Ash Gren or Kokolucha (Clef + Zyg can revenge a Hawlucha, so those matchups require you to be careful with Clef). Clefable takes advantage or status, which usually cripples Lop, and can set hazards on most teams pretty easily. CM allows it to beat Sableye to set rocks versus Stall, and allow Clef and Zyg to have a fighting chance in those cases, which they would otherwise not be able to break. Ferro runs Spikes to Hazard Stack, as well as Knock to cripple common switch ins. Heatran is an option over Clef (albeit I would not recommend it) to make the Scizor matchup easier.
The mon that allows the team to function properly at all is Banded Zygarde:
This mon puts in heavy pressure versus Balance and Offense cores, and offers immediate breaking power. It wears down enemy teams like few other mons are capable of. It also gives you a decent priority user, and a Heatran switch-in, which would otherwise run over this team. This mon also prevents Volt Switch from going rampant and lose you momentum, which this team desperately wants to keep due to its pressure-based playstyle. Zygarde can run Iron Tail or Toxic on the last slot. I personally only played it with Toxic, but Iron Tail has merit as well, and I may try it once I start using this team again. This mon is arguably the glue of the team, and what makes it function so effectively, as it+Lop wear teams down quickly.
Bad Matchups:
1. Stall can be a nuisance. Zygarde is strong, but by itself can lack the power needed of a Stallbreaker, and will need Hazard support and pressure to break it. Lopunny and Clef can take advantage of Sab Stalls, but other type of Stall teams could have one over you.
2. While it doesn't 6-0 you, Kartana can force you to play guessing games, as it can hurt your switchins with coverage or STAB, so you will need to play around it or prioritize a sack. Greninja will always be able to revenge +1 Spe Kartana, however, so use this to your advantage.
3. Tapu Bulu needs to be Toxiced/Iron Tailed by Zyg to be able to be broken, or you need to double into your team members that can take it on. Scizor is a pain for this team, so you need to keep Gren healthy and not get U-Turned on. If you can get minimal chip, Zor will die to HP Fire and not do much back even with +2 BP. Toxic Heatran is good at forcing Zyg in and Toxicing, so keep this in mind. You may want to Scout with Clef if you won't need it to beat something on your opponents team.
I appreciate any feedback I can get on this team. I personally like it a lot, and while I do not run it as much now, it is my best so far. Feel free to use it if you wish!
Bonnie (Lopunny-Mega) (F) @ Lopunnite
Ability: Limber
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Fake Out
- Return
- High Jump Kick
- Power-Up Punch
Bill (Clefable) (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Stealth Rock
- Moonblast
- Calm Mind
- Soft-Boiled
Thorny (Ferrothorn) (F) @ Leftovers
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 48 Def / 208 SpD
Careful Nature
- Spikes
- Power Whip
- Leech Seed
- Knock Off
Katrina (Tornadus-Therian) @ Flyinium Z
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Hurricane
- Taunt
- U-turn
- Defog
Snek (Zygarde) @ Choice Band
Ability: Aura Break
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Thousand Arrows
- Outrage
- Extreme Speed
- Toxic
Uchiha (Greninja) (M) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Protean
EVs: 176 Atk / 80 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Rock Slide
- Ice Beam
- U-turn
- Hidden Power [Fire]
Ability: Limber
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Fake Out
- Return
- High Jump Kick
- Power-Up Punch
Bill (Clefable) (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Stealth Rock
- Moonblast
- Calm Mind
- Soft-Boiled
Thorny (Ferrothorn) (F) @ Leftovers
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 48 Def / 208 SpD
Careful Nature
- Spikes
- Power Whip
- Leech Seed
- Knock Off
Katrina (Tornadus-Therian) @ Flyinium Z
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Hurricane
- Taunt
- U-turn
- Defog
Snek (Zygarde) @ Choice Band
Ability: Aura Break
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Thousand Arrows
- Outrage
- Extreme Speed
- Toxic
Uchiha (Greninja) (M) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Protean
EVs: 176 Atk / 80 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Rock Slide
- Ice Beam
- U-turn
- Hidden Power [Fire]
The team is based around Mega Lopunny's ability to revenge kill and chip much of the meta, as well as taking advantage of its matchup versus Sableye stall:
Lop is the basis of the team, and since it is focused on revenging, it must be able to chip appropriately, thus we run Fake Out and not Ice Punch. Encore is an option as well, but it will have a slightly harder time versus HO and will chip less efficiently. PuP takes advantage of switches and 50/50s with mons like Ferrothorn.
Next, I wanted to bring in Lop safely, and thus Volt-Turn was ideal for this. This engine also allows for chip damage on the enemy team, thus it fits perfectly on the team. The 2 I decided on were Scarf Protean Gren and Tornadus T:
These 2 mons allow Lop to come in safely. Tornadus provides Defog support and a Flyinium nuke as well. Taunt is ran here since Ferrothorn runs Knock Off, and they both bait in similar mons, thus Knock on Torn was a little redundant. It allows facilitates the macthup versus Pex, which the team otherwise can struggle to break. Gren is standard Scarf, but it runs HP Fire to help with the Scizor matchup, which otherwise would 6-0 the team. We also have space for it, since Ferro has Spikes. Gren also helps versus Volcarona teams, and thus we run Rock Slide instead of Gunk.
Ferro and Clef provide the bulk of the team, and set our Hazards for us as well:
These 2 work very well off of each other as a Defensive core, and deal with otherwise bad matchups the team could have, like Ash Gren or Kokolucha (Clef + Zyg can revenge a Hawlucha, so those matchups require you to be careful with Clef). Clefable takes advantage or status, which usually cripples Lop, and can set hazards on most teams pretty easily. CM allows it to beat Sableye to set rocks versus Stall, and allow Clef and Zyg to have a fighting chance in those cases, which they would otherwise not be able to break. Ferro runs Spikes to Hazard Stack, as well as Knock to cripple common switch ins. Heatran is an option over Clef (albeit I would not recommend it) to make the Scizor matchup easier.
The mon that allows the team to function properly at all is Banded Zygarde:
This mon puts in heavy pressure versus Balance and Offense cores, and offers immediate breaking power. It wears down enemy teams like few other mons are capable of. It also gives you a decent priority user, and a Heatran switch-in, which would otherwise run over this team. This mon also prevents Volt Switch from going rampant and lose you momentum, which this team desperately wants to keep due to its pressure-based playstyle. Zygarde can run Iron Tail or Toxic on the last slot. I personally only played it with Toxic, but Iron Tail has merit as well, and I may try it once I start using this team again. This mon is arguably the glue of the team, and what makes it function so effectively, as it+Lop wear teams down quickly.
Bad Matchups:
1. Stall can be a nuisance. Zygarde is strong, but by itself can lack the power needed of a Stallbreaker, and will need Hazard support and pressure to break it. Lopunny and Clef can take advantage of Sab Stalls, but other type of Stall teams could have one over you.
2. While it doesn't 6-0 you, Kartana can force you to play guessing games, as it can hurt your switchins with coverage or STAB, so you will need to play around it or prioritize a sack. Greninja will always be able to revenge +1 Spe Kartana, however, so use this to your advantage.
3. Tapu Bulu needs to be Toxiced/Iron Tailed by Zyg to be able to be broken, or you need to double into your team members that can take it on. Scizor is a pain for this team, so you need to keep Gren healthy and not get U-Turned on. If you can get minimal chip, Zor will die to HP Fire and not do much back even with +2 BP. Toxic Heatran is good at forcing Zyg in and Toxicing, so keep this in mind. You may want to Scout with Clef if you won't need it to beat something on your opponents team.
I appreciate any feedback I can get on this team. I personally like it a lot, and while I do not run it as much now, it is my best so far. Feel free to use it if you wish!
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