MOMENTOUS OFFENSE
With that intro of my personal experience out of the way, this team is to show a different team style than I’ve seen most of the time. It’s similar to a hyperoffensive team, yet there are many bulky defensive members that do more than just set up entry hazards, and the entire team has a seemingly crippling weakness to various Pokémon and even an entire type (waters). However, it still manages to win and has gotten to #1 on the ladder (at the very beginning of this round – sorry, this is a really late RMT, but the point is more to show the team style than how it works in the metagame). It’s played very suicidally (I do save my Pokémon, not just throwing them away, but I will sacrifice things to take out something dangerous) and the bulky Pokémon are not really expected to take a lot of hits, focusing more on straight out dishing out damage than using passive toxic/entry hazard damage. I would call this… Momentous Offense.
Note: I won't even bother with typing the type synergy thing... that would look pretty bad for this team, and it doesn't even matter, since I don't depend on that.
Chandelure (M) @ Choice Specs
Trait: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Shadow Ball
- Fire Blast
- Overheat
- Energy Ball
No surprise here. Many UU players use specs Chandelure, and for good reason. It 2hkoes most everything in UU with the correct move, bar Snorlax and Porygon2. However, its real use in this team is not necessarily getting that 2hko. For my team, Chandelure’s main use is to weaken my opponent’s water types for the rest of the sweepers, and contrict my opponent to a very limited set of options so that I can keep the momentum. I play this without expectations for it to survive long – I just want to get the opponent’s team weakened enough for a late game sweep. I don’t have any great switch-ins to waters, so I often sac this and energy ball the water type so that I can sweep later with Victini/Flygon. Specs Chandelure puts so much pressure on the opponent and has so few checks that I can quite consistently double switch to another of my offensive Pokémon, giving my team much needed offensive momentum, and also is a formidable threat if I can double switch or U-turn to it.
This thing’s typing is also absolutely ridiculous. Ghost typing is imperative for this team to combat Stoutlands, as it gives me offensive momentum that switching Bronzong in does not. Also, I like to keep Bronzong for other threats. Fire type moves from Will-o-wispers and choicers like Darmanitan and Victini are fairly obvious; I am not afraid to switch in Chandelure into them and take advantage of that. Abusing immunities and double switching/U-turn are how I use Chandelure to its greatest potential. The speed is for the tie with other Chandelures, as the case where it’s Chandelure vs. Chandelure actually happens pretty often, considering Blastoise is physically defensive and can’t hold up too well.
Victini @ Choice Band
Trait: Victory Star
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- V-create
- Fusion Bolt
- U-turn
- Zen Headbutt
The original basis of this team. I wanted to use band Victini as I hadn’t seen anyone use it very effectively, and it seemed like such a strong threat to me. V-create is incredibly powerful and Zen Headbutt is actually quite strong. Because V-create is such a threat water types are the main switch-in and a CB Zen Headbutt can do a great deal of damage, while preventing switch-ins to many other Pokémon (unlike fusion bolt, which allows easy Flygon switch-ins). U-turn for offensive momentum, and Fusion Bolt for water types. It plays a very similar role to Chandelure (powerful fire type that limits the opponent to a limited set of options and takes advantage of it). After the one good water type/fire type check on a team falls, Victini can spam V-create and/or Zen Headbutt easily, but after it gets a kill it gets forced out by a faster Pokemon. Victini is adamant because most of the time this revenger is already faster than Victini and adamant vs. jolly doesn’t matter. Also, it is a wallbreaker, and though I have regretted having it over jolly in some situations (offensive roserade), I am hesistant to change because the extra power can be essential to getting faster kills on the bulky waters (with Zen Headbutt).
Flygon (M) @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- U-turn
- Earthquake
- Outrage
- Stone Edge
A lot of people have told me that scarf Flygon sucks, but I really love it. This is often my last and only Pokémon, and cleans for me. Synergistically, this is perfect for Chandelure and Victini. Flygon brings out water types, Gligar, or Bronzong most commonly. All provide a great opportunity to switch to Chandelure via U-turn.
This is just the generic revenge killer set, and the resistance to stealth rock is really useful, as with my playstyle, I don’t like spinning if there is just stealth rock because I lose all the momentum I’ve worked for. Immunity to ground type attacks and electric is essential for me, as I have no other electric resistance and switching this into a ground attack keeps the offensive momentum in my favor. Out of my whole team, this is the one Pokemon I don’t play recklessly with. I can lose other Pokémon in trades, but I NEED this at the end if I want to win after weakening the opponent, as it’s my only fast Pokémon.
Blastoise (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Torrent
EVs: 252 HP / 244 Def / 12 Spd
Bold Nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Scald
- Rapid Spin
- Ice Beam
- Roar
Hey, it’s a rapid spinner! On a team with my main attackers being weak to stealth rock and based on lots of switching, it’s a given. However, I try not to spin if it’s just stealth rock, as I can usually use momentum in my favor to kill the opponent before I die from stealth rock.
Blastoise is really the best rapid spinner I have to say, as Hitmontop just doesn’t do that much for a team and provides too much setup opportunity for the opponent. In fact, Blastoise is the opposite, and needs to be given that I don’t want a useless member when I don’t spin! Roar on Blastoise is very good for this team because many choiced attackers means that after a kill, I am forced to switch out and let the opponent set up; roar is an all-purpose check to set-up. Physically defensive because I use this as a normal bulky water – switch into physical attacks from Weavile, Krookodile, Darmanitan, etc.
Bronzong @ Choice Band
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 88 Atk / 168 Def
Relaxed Nature (+Def, -Spd)
- Stealth Rock
- Gyro Ball
- Earthquake
- Trick
General support bronzing EVs and most of the set, but played extremely differently. Stealth rock is used only if I have the chance or feel like I have no way to beat a team without residual damage, as that one turn of set-up loses my momentum. Trick is surprisingly useful, as things that try to set up get crippled instead of coming in for free – I don’t know why more people don’t use it over toxic! I actually had a bit of trouble in general before changing the standard zong set to trick, which makes a lot of walls easy to deal with (e.g. bronzong, milotic) and gives me more momentum if they are forced to switch out after getting locked into a bad move.
The first part of the glue on my team. CB actually helps me kill dangerous threats, which makes the set better for my team. This is my best check for Weavile, Bisharp, Shaymin, offensive Roserade, Hitmonlee, Stoutland, and a bunch of fast threats that Flygon doesn’t deal with. It’s really amazing how much Bronzong handles. I actually used to run special defense instead of physical defense on this, as it lets me handle CM raikou better and stay in on waters longer to trick them, but I think defense will help me more against the most dangerous threats for my team.
Porygon2 @ Eviolite
Trait: Download
EVs: 252 HP / 248 SAtk / 8 Spd
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Recover
- Thunderbolt
- Ice Beam
- Tri Attack
It’s the second part of my glue. If I don’t want to lose team members, this will be my best trade for a water type. Also, its bulk is much appreciated in general for when the rest of my team falls before a threat. The mixture of coverage, power, and bulk is nice, but this is probably the least essential Pokemon on the team. I’ve considered changing it to Shaymin so that I would have a reliable switch-in for water types, but Porygon2 has done really well in some games that seem lost, so I haven’t yet had the motivation to change it. This is the team slot that I really have not been able to figure out and would like help on.
Threats:
Water types:
· Sacrifice Chandelure for the energy ball and keep the offensive pressure on so they can’t recover
· Burn with Blastoise’s scald, stall with Bronzong
· Go to Porygon2 and get as much damage in before dying, keep offensive pressure up
Chandelure: Really annoying with my main attackers being choiced fire types. My prediction has to be really good so that I don’t let it have too much setup opportunity – switch in Chandelure on the fire moves (most of the time I go to Chandelure) and Porygon2 into shadow ball.
Sharpedo: really dangerous if the enemy team manages to get spikes up. I rely on Porygon2 if there aren’t too many entries on my side; otherwise, I make sure to keep Bronzong very healthy and try to stop it with that.
Bisharp: roar each time it sets up when blastoise is healthy, hope the rest of the team is dead by the time it comes out next so that flygon can kill. Extremely dangerous, and it might come down to just CB EQ from Bronzong+thunderbolt from Porygon2 if nothing else.
Weavile: CB=Blastoise/P2/Bronzong, SD=Bronzong, Blastoise to roar
Kingdra: Roar first time with blastoise, if RD: don’t let it come in before their team is dead, if DD: sac something to prevent +2 so that flygon can revenge. Very dangerous.
Rate, Steal, etc. Have fun!
Importable:
Bronzong @ Choice Band
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 88 Atk / 168 Def
Relaxed Nature (+Def, -Spd)
- Stealth Rock
- Gyro Ball
- Earthquake
- Trick
Victini @ Choice Band
Trait: Victory Star
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- V-create
- Fusion Bolt
- U-turn
- Zen Headbutt
Blastoise (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Torrent
EVs: 252 HP / 244 Def / 12 Spd
Bold Nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Scald
- Rapid Spin
- Ice Beam
- Roar
Flygon (M) @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- U-turn
- Earthquake
- Outrage
- Stone Edge
Porygon2 @ Eviolite
Trait: Download
EVs: 252 HP / 248 SAtk / 8 Spd
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Recover
- Thunderbolt
- Ice Beam
- Tri Attack
Chandelure (M) @ Choice Specs
Trait: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Shadow Ball
- Flamethrower
- Overheat
- Energy Ball
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 88 Atk / 168 Def
Relaxed Nature (+Def, -Spd)
- Stealth Rock
- Gyro Ball
- Earthquake
- Trick
Victini @ Choice Band
Trait: Victory Star
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- V-create
- Fusion Bolt
- U-turn
- Zen Headbutt
Blastoise (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Torrent
EVs: 252 HP / 244 Def / 12 Spd
Bold Nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Scald
- Rapid Spin
- Ice Beam
- Roar
Flygon (M) @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- U-turn
- Earthquake
- Outrage
- Stone Edge
Porygon2 @ Eviolite
Trait: Download
EVs: 252 HP / 248 SAtk / 8 Spd
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Recover
- Thunderbolt
- Ice Beam
- Tri Attack
Chandelure (M) @ Choice Specs
Trait: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Shadow Ball
- Flamethrower
- Overheat
- Energy Ball
