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Mew @ Mental Herb
Ability: Synchronize
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Taunt
- Self-Destruct
- Stealth Rock
- Spikes
Mew's role is to lead against teams lacking a Magic Bounce user or lead Excadrill and set up as many hazards as possible. Thanks to Mental Herb, Mew can actually Taunt Prankster or faster Taunt users, namely Grimmsnarl. Self-Destruct allows Mew to possibly dent the opponent, while also allowing the next Pokemon to enter the field safely. This is great when used against Rapid Spinners like Excadrill, as their Rapid Spin will fail if Mew got off the Self-Destruct. Stealth Rock and one layer of Spikes is ideal, but only Stealth Rock is also fine. Against teams that have a Court Change Cinderace, setting up hazards is not out of the question, but do set them in moderation. Pressure the Cinderace and put it in situations where it may not want to Court Change (like if it is at risk of making its team get swept).
Bisharp @ Life Orb
Ability: Defiant
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Sucker Punch
- Throat Chop
- Iron Head
Bisharp is here to punish Defog users and pose a threat to more offensive and fragile builds. Bisharp can set up on Corviknight that lack Body Press, but sometimes the opponent may U-turn into a check. Rotom-Heat users will almost always Will-O-Wisp your Bisharp, especially if the Rotom has taken chip damage. This means Sucker Punch is almost always a bad play. Throat Chop at +2 is a major nuke on Pokemon such as Ferrothorn, Corviknight, and Toxapex. Without boosts, you can OHKO a (Shield-form) Aegislash thanks to Adamant + Life Orb. Iron Head will also take out Clefable, Sylveon, and many other Pokemon hit super effectively without boosts.
Dragapult @ Life Orb
Ability: Infiltrator
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Shadow Ball
- Thunderbolt
- Flamethrower
- Draco Meteor
Dragapult is the only special attacker on the team. It has naturally high speed, which is useful when revenge killing and cleaning. The Ghost-typing lets Dragapult act as the team's spinblocker, which is vital for a hazard-stacking team such as this. With high coverage, Dragapult is constantly able to put up and keep up pressure. In this slot, I initially had Polteageist, but it was always finding itself to be deadweight in match-ups that had Hydreigon, Mandibuzz, etc. Dragapult's Infiltrator means it doesn't care about a Hydreigon behind a Sub. Thanks to Life Orb, Pult is also always immediately threatening and doesn't require a boost in stats.
Conkeldurr @ Flame Orb
Ability: Guts
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Mach Punch
- Drain Punch
- Earthquake
- Bulk Up
Conkeldurr is sometimes the biggest player on this team. Its Attack stat after a Bulk Up and Guts is absolutely monstrous.
+1 252+ Atk Guts Conkeldurr Mach Punch vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Hydreigon: 372-440 (114.4 - 135.3%) -- guaranteed OHKO
+1 252+ Atk Guts Conkeldurr Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Sylveon: 403-475 (102.2 - 120.5%) -- guaranteed OHKO
+1 252+ Atk Guts Conkeldurr Drain Punch vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Mandibuzz: 306-360 (72.1 - 84.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
+1 252+ Atk Guts Conkeldurr Drain Punch vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Corviknight: 222-262 (55.5 - 65.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
Packing Mach Punch lets Conkeldurr kill Pokemon hit super effectively with ease like Hydreigon, Excadrill, or the late Darmanitan-Galar. Conkeldurr is able to take on these offensive titans and several defensive threats. Toxapex is useless, and SpDef Sylveon is OHKO'd by a +1 Earthquake, for example. Mandibuzz's best option in retaliation is Foul Play, which definitely does a lot of damage, but Drain Punch's recovery lets Conk win the interaction. Even Brave Bird Corviknights can't take Conkeldurr on after it uses a Bulk Up. I run max speed for simplicity's sake. It makes it so I outspeed most defensive mons, opposing Conkeldurrs, etc. LO Clefable is usually faster from my experience though.
Gyarados @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Moxie
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Taunt
- Waterfall
- Power Whip
Gyarados needs a good match-up to clean most teams. This means teams devoid of Dragapult, Hydreigon, or other Pokemon that resist Water + Grass coverage. It sucks that this set can't afford extra coverage. Bounce is not reliable enough to be used. Taunt is Gyarados' way of stopping Mandibuzz Roosts (specifically ones that carry Knock Off), Toxapex's recovery or Haze, Corsola's Strength Sap and Will-o-Wisp, etc. Substitute also works in this slot, but Taunt stopping recovery is more useful in my opinion. Heavy-Duty Boots are important in case Stealth Rock make it onto your side. Gyara's natural bulk is important, so rocks chip is very annoying when you're going for a Dragon Dance.
Cloyster @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Skill Link
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Shell Smash
- Icicle Spear
- Rock Blast
- Liquidation
Lastly there's Cloyster. This is the Pokemon that will most likely be taken off due to the Darmanitan ban, but I'll explain its role. Cloyster is really good against teams lacking a good Ice-resist. Most things that can beat Cloyster can be taken out by Gyarados' Power Whip, like Rotom-Wash. You'll mostly be clicking Shell Smash on physical attackers like Excadrill or Dracovish, but Darmanitan is a prime target. There are a few items that you can go for, but I've settled on Heavy-Duty Boots. King's Rock can let you cheese through normal checks when used with Icicle Spear and Rock Blast. Focus Sash lets you stomach a single hit from mons like Hydreigon or Dragapult. At the moment, priority users like Bisharp, Conkeldurr, Cinderace, etc. are super popular, so it can sometimes feel like a wasted item. White Herb is obviously another item that can be considered, resetting your defense drops to 0. Liquidation on the final moveslot lets Cloyster damage Steels like Bisharp and Aegislash. There aren't really many other viable alternatives. Self-Destruct can be a last-minute nuke I guess, but I've never found myself clicking it. Spikes or Toxic Spikes could also work, taking less weight off of Mew's shoulders.
High Ladder Replays
vs. Hippo Mandibuzz Rotom-Heat balance
vs. Hippo Mandibuzz Rotom-Mow balance (game 1)
vs. Hippo Mandibuzz Rotom-Mow balance (game 2)
vs. Rain
vs. Banned Darm
vs. a Similar Hyper Offense team
Post Darmanitan-Ban, I'd probably change the Cloyster to Aegislash or Crawdaunt. I think Cloyster is going to be less valuable without the niche of soft-checking Darm. This team is overall pretty easy to use so give it a try and lmk what you think of it.