Other Metagames [Monotype] Forest Guardians




Hey, guys! It's Crimson Torrent! Right. That one guy who only ever uses grass types. Yes, him. I decided it's high time I suggested one of my grass teams and see what y'all think. These 6 have put in so much work for me and so far I've managed to reach up to 1585 with them, although I really believe they can take me higher. I've been working with this team and modifying it as time went on ever since my start on showdown, so I can guarantee it's pretty dang good.



Leafy Greens (Venusaur) @ Venusaurite
Ability: Chlorophyll
EVs: 248 HP / 252 SpA / 8 Spe
Modest Nature
- Giga Drain
- Synthesis
- Sludge Bomb
- Hidden Power [Fire]

Of course, Mega-Venusaur is the most necessary Pokemon to have on a monotype grass team. It can wall so many kinds of Pokemon and dish out plenty of damage right on back. 248 HP investment has proven to be plenty enough to wall most hits so that Venusaur can hit back even harder with his 252, Modest special attack and rake in even more health with Giga Drain to kind of balance it out. Sludge Bomb is of course there for added stab and practically makes it so Venusaur can take care of fairy teams all on his own. Speaking of fairies, the 8 speed is there because it's not that significant enough in either of it's defenses and allows it to occasionally outspeed the bulky togekiss. Synthesis is a MUST HAVE on any Venusaur. I can't stress it enough how important it is, because leech seed and giga drain aren't going to save you if you're already low on health and/or the opponent resists grass. Lastly, Hidden Power Fire is there to counter Steel types mostly, or any type that resists/is immune to grass and poison. It's especially important to have for Skarmory and Scizor.


Portabella (Breloom) @ Focus Sash
Ability: Technician
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Spore
- Rock Tomb
- Mach Punch
- Swords Dance

OMG! omg... Breloom...
Breloom is such an incredible Pokemon. I'm not running anything atypical here either because what works, works, but Breloom can often be used as a lead to Spore hazard setting 'mons or rock tomb a potential threat to Ferrothorn. With rock tomb covering 4/5 of grass's weaknesses, the opposing lead has a good chance of falling prey to her Rock Tomb or, again, her Spore. And since Rock Tomb lowers speed, it provides a second chance to either again Rock Tomb or Spore if the opponent decides to switch into something else. She holds the sash too, of course, in order to keep her alive in case i need to use her Rock Tomb to take care of threats like Char Y, Volcarona, or Mega Pinsir.
Then there's her Swords Dance and Mach Punch. Breloom runs an Adamant nature since her moves effect speed and priority anways, so once Breloom gets a Swords Dance up, Dark, Ice, Normal, Rock, Pray for your lives! Because Mach Punch is running through your teams! (unless you still have a ghost type alive)
You might be wondering, 'Why no bullet seed'? Well really, it's a lot less important. And since it's a mono grass team, the grass coverage can be picked up else where.


The Great Pumpkin (Gourgeist-Super) @ Leftovers
Ability: Frisk
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Will-O-Wisp
- Shadow Sneak
- Leech Seed
- Protect

Now I'm sure this Pokemon here is where my team takes a turn from the typical Mono Grass. Gourgeist is the most underrated Pokemon I know. Max HP and Max SpD provides more bulk overall and throw out a wisp and no physical attacker is touching this thing. Even special attackers can have issues once the seed connects, because a protect keeps this thing alive much longer than you'd expect. Especially with the combined leftovers recovery. Often the protect becomes predictable and another leech seed or wisp can be cast off on a switch to catch more health recovery and damage. I swear, if used right, this Pokemon can widdle 'mons down better than hazards and then Shadow sneak can come in for the clean up.
Huge threats like Mega Gallade, Mega Medicham, Cloyster, Heracross, etc are put to shame by this Pokemon. That Fighting immunity really comes in handy when running both Cradily and Ferrothorn on the team. It's freakin' hilarious when mega medi dies because of Ferro's rocky/barb damage on the fake out and a HJK to gourgeist that's then followed by a shadow sneak. Although most experienced players know better.


Barbara (Ferrothorn) @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Leech Seed
- Stealth Rock
- Gyro Ball
- Knock Off

And here we have another 'mon that's practicaly a necessity for any grass team. Ferrothorns resistances makes it a perfect pair for both Cradily and Mega-Venusaur. Of course it acts a a physical wall to make full use of the rocky/barb damage. The amount of damage dealt with rocky/barbs alone is insane...
Leech Seed once again comes in handy to keep Ferro going longer and if it becomes necessary to switch into one of the other walls, they'll be taking even less damage on the switch. Stealth Rocks, of course, helps immensely seeing as, once again, 4/5 of grass's weakness are checked by rock. And Stab Gyro Ball makes for it's hardest hitting attack so that in case a set up 'mon like Dragonite tries to come in on Ferrothorn he can switch to the offensive. Knock off as well proves quite handy for expected switches like Victini to get rid of that pesky scarf.


Dis Bitch Cray (Cradily) @ Leftovers
Ability: Storm Drain
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Atk / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Curse
- Rock Slide
- Earthquake
- Recover

It's insane to think that Cradily, with it's attack stat, can occasionally sweep teams. Cradily, as per usual, is a special wall. So add in the curse defense boost and it becomes incredibly difficult to take out if given the time to set up. Plus Recover to keep it going even longer. The biggest issue it faces is a burn, because then all it can do from that point is possibly wall hits even with the attack boosts from curse, so Storm Drain as an ability to protect from scald burn is actually quite handy.
Cradily with its Rock Slide provides a second means of taking out special attackers like Volcarona, Mega Pidgeot, and Tornadus-Therian that pose huge threats to the team. It's Earthquake is probably the most dire move to have unless you're willing to just give up every time Heatran hits the field.


Garnish @ Assault Vest
Ability: Contrary
EVs: 168 SpA / 88 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Leaf Storm
- Mirror Coat
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Dragon Pulse

Serperior probably contains the most unusual set for its kind. Earthquake Cradily alone was not enough, so I specifically made Serperior capable of taking out Heatran w/ mirror coat, which also comes in quite handy against other special attackers. Although Serp is still quite weak prior to set up, so leaving the spa stat empty of EVs wasn't going to help. Instead I found the appropriate balance so that it can take out threats with the unexpected mirror coat when need be, and still put offensive pressure on many 'mons, most notably, Mega Fucking Sableye. Having another hidden power fire comes in handy against the dreaded steel types, and dragon pulse is mostly there for coverage.​



Replay:
I'm sorry, I only have this one replay, in which i ultimately lose the battle. Although it came really close and i feel that it actually displays how all of my team can be used better than most battles that I win.
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/monotype-324081302

Types:
Fire - Clearly, even Mega Venusaur and Cradily can only go so far against offensive powers like Char Y, and Breloom only gets one shot at rock tomb, maybe two if you're lucky. Not only that, but many of Fire's most used Pokemon carry secondary typings that really bother the team, like Volcarona and Victini.
Flying - Flying's just a bitch. Too much coverage. Too much variability. Decently fast 'mons. More Char Y to deal with. Skarmory is hell to take down.
Steel - Heatran and Skarmory core is one of the most annoying things to deal with. Can't hp fire skarmory when heatran's gonna come in and can't earthquake heatran when skarm is going to come in. Hence why i decided on mirror coat serp, but can't always count on that. Add on top of that Steel's general resistances and immunities, it makes for a hell of a typing to overcome.

Pokemon:
I mean really there's a lot that has the potential to be a threat, but the big ones are...
Skarmory - as stated previously.
Heatran - as stated previously
Victini - often scarfed little shit w/ a base 180 stab attack. I mean c'mon. That's bull shit. It doesn't even need zen headbutt because v-create can two shot mega venusaur. The only other answer is to rock tomb w/ breloom, but u-turn is a thing so swap to ferro for rocky/barbs first, oh but then rocks might come up and screw your sash over...
Kyurem-Black - Teravolt puts Mega Venu to shame and Cradily also takes massive damage from Kyu-B. It's often scarfed, so Breloom is the best option for it, but mach punch can't ohko without a swords dance first, so you you have to widdle it down w/ rocks or something, which there's no gauruntee for.
Togekiss - Scarfed Hax slash, usually paired w/ t-wavers. Although there are a few more ways around it with cradily and ferro around. But then, watch out for aura sphere and flamethrower as well.
Volcarona - If Breloom loses its sash, and Volc gets a Quiver Dance off, it's GG.
Char Y - Sun Boosted Fire Blast + Air Slash. And base 100 speed too.
Hawlucha - A lot of the time, Hawlucha can be dealt with as it is pretty predictable, but screw up and it can sweep the team with that speedy acrobatics/drain punch.


Leafy Greens (Venusaur) @ Venusaurite
Ability: Chlorophyll
EVs: 248 HP / 252 SpA / 8 Spe
Modest Nature
- Giga Drain
- Synthesis
- Sludge Bomb
- Hidden Power [Fire]

Portabella (Breloom) @ Focus Sash
Ability: Technician
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Spore
- Rock Tomb
- Mach Punch
- Swords Dance

The Great Pumpkin (Gourgeist-Super) @ Leftovers
Ability: Frisk
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Will-O-Wisp
- Shadow Sneak
- Leech Seed
- Protect

Barbara (Ferrothorn) @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Leech Seed
- Stealth Rock
- Gyro Ball
- Knock Off

Dis Bitch Cray (Cradily) @ Leftovers
Ability: Storm Drain
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Atk / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Curse
- Rock Slide
- Earthquake
- Recover

Serperior @ Assault Vest
Ability: Contrary
EVs: 168 SpA / 88 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Leaf Storm
- Mirror Coat
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Dragon Pulse


scpinion
 
Last edited:

BlackJak

formerly Balanced Break
Hey dude, nice grass team you have here. Not every day you see a Pokemon like Gourgeist on a grass team. Also I like the Serperior set because it is unique and different from the generic sets you see (Life Orb Sub Glare Filler etc.) The only suggestion I'd make is to give Venusaur EQ>Giga Drain. This may sound odd, but I say this because this set will allow you to handle steel matchups better, as fire ground coverage is brutal against Heatran(the ones that don't run Air Balloon on Hyper Offense) and Skarmory. Other than that, I don't think I have much to say.

Nice team man!
 
Last edited:

lax

cloutimus maximus
is a Community Leader Alumnusis a Top Tiering Contributor Alumnuswon the 10th Official Ladder Tournamentis a Past SPL Championis a Past WCoP Champion
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Hey, cool team :O. I would definitely change Earthquake>Sludge Bomb on mega venu because eq + hp fire really helps destroy the steel core (heatran, ferro etc) Regarding your Ferrothorn and Cradily, I've noticed that grass teams definitely have a higer chance of setting up Stealth Rock if it's on cradily because it does not get ohkoed by any fire move. What I would do is Stealth Rock>Curse and Toxic>Earthquake because crippling standard hazard removers like Zapdos is very nice for a grass team that wants to keep rocks up. With that being changed, I would move on to Spikes>Stealth Rock on Ferrothorn to completely utilize hazard stack on your grass team. Finally, I notice your purpose of running that serperior set, but I would completely advise against it. While serp is indeed bulky, it is really better off with Max Special Attack and Life Orb/Lefties>AV as the item so it can hit harder in general/preserve itself (your team is pretty bulky anyways). You can rotate between HP Fire and HP Ground if you believe you have a bigger problem with scizor or tran (venusaur hits both though) and I'd run Glare<Mirror Coat just for that nice paralysis crippling walls like Tornadus-therian etc.
 
Hey dude, nice grass team you have here. Not every day you see a Pokemon like Gourgeist on a grass team. Also I like the Serperior set because it is unique and different from the generic sets you see (Life Orb Sub Glare Filler etc.) The only suggestion I'd make is to give Venusaur EQ>Giga Drain. This may sound odd, but I say this because this set will allow you to handle steel matchups better, as fire ground coverage is brutal against Heatran(the ones that don't run Air Balloon on Hyper Offense) and Skarmory. Other than that, I don't think I have much to say.

Nice team man!
Thanks a bunch! =D
And I agree that Venusaur is one of the best ways to check Skarmtran. The only thing is giving up Giga Drain would reduce my grass offensive to just Serperior. And I really don't wanna struggle against water, rock, and ground as a grass team XD. The only other place I can see myself adding grass offensive would be Breloom, but those other four moves provide so much use that I can't really part with them. Also, I'd have 2 decently frail 'mons as my only grass offensive if I did. What makes Venu having it so great is that he dishes out so much damage as well as takes it so well. I'd probably give up Sludge Bomb before Giga Drain, but I'm reluctant to do that as well because of Togekiss and the amount of times i've gotten the poison hax to save me.
 
Hey, cool team :O. I would definitely change Earthquake>Sludge Bomb on mega venu because eq + hp fire really helps destroy the steel core (heatran, ferro etc) Regarding your Ferrothorn and Cradily, I've noticed that grass teams definitely have a higer chance of setting up Stealth Rock if it's on cradily because it does not get ohkoed by any fire move. What I would do is Stealth Rock>Curse and Toxic>Earthquake because crippling standard hazard removers like Zapdos is very nice for a grass team that wants to keep rocks up. With that being changed, I would move on to Spikes>Stealth Rock on Ferrothorn to completely utilize hazard stack on your grass team. Finally, I notice your purpose of running that serperior set, but I would completely advise against it. While serp is indeed bulky, it is really better off with Max Special Attack and Life Orb/Lefties>AV as the item so it can hit harder in general/preserve itself (your team is pretty bulky anyways). You can rotate between HP Fire and HP Ground if you believe you have a bigger problem with scizor or tran (venusaur hits both though) and I'd run Glare<Mirror Coat just for that nice paralysis crippling walls like Tornadus-therian etc.
Thanks for the advice. =)
I've debated giving up sludge bomb for EQ before, but it's hard to part with because of the struggles i'll have with fairies and a few others. So idk, I'm still figuring that out. If possible I'd prefer not to.
And as for stealth rocks, i think it really is a lot more effective to have it on someone other than Ferro. Especially against Fire teams. The only problem is if i get rid of curse on cradily, it becomes drastically weaker and the rock and ground offensive can be extremely important. Toxic might make up for it, but steel and poison teams will still be increasingly difficult =/
Maybe it'd work if Venu does have the EQ to help pick up the slack. I'll have to give it a try, but I feel like i'll really regret not having Sludge Bomb.
If I could have SR on someone else though, I would definitely take your advice and add spikes over stealth rocks on ferro. The hazard stack could definitely prove useful.
Finally, as for Serperior, I actually haven't found a huge difference when it comes to its offensive strength. Serperior is pretty weak either way with out the first special attack boost, even with life orb. And if mirror coat can take out tornadus-therian, then i'm happy to do so rather than just paralyzing it with glare. Even if serperior is low on health afterwards, it's still pretty fast and can come back in for clean up and possible sweep. Besides, if tornadus is paralyzed, it's still going to be throwing out hurricanes because nothing I have can one shot it.
 
LIES I USE GRASS TOO xd. But Great team honestly the only problem i see on this team is the fact that venusaur is not hp fire and eq. I know that serperior would be the only grass type with grass moves but venusaur is bulky and can quickly rid of skarmtran like above and thats all i have to say and gl in the future
 
lol serperior assault vest is really innovative, I wonder if this set really works, curiously monotype there are not many counters of serperior present in one team because of that I decided to do some calculations of the most probable counters
252+ SpA Heatran Lava Plume vs. 0 HP / 88 SpD Assault Vest Serperior: 186-218 (63.9 - 74.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 SpA Life Orb Gengar Sludge Bomb vs. 0 HP / 88 SpD Assault Vest Serperior: 242-289 (83.1 - 99.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 SpA Choice Specs Latios Draco Meteor vs. 0 HP / 88 SpD Assault Vest Serperior: 202-238 (69.4 - 81.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ SpA Adaptability Dragalge Sludge Wave vs. 0 HP / 88 SpD Assault Vest Serperior: 240-284 (82.4 - 97.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
 
Nice team here, mate! I will actually never forget that Mirror Coat Serperior killing my Mega-Venusaur...lol

Curse Cradily seems interesting, but I don't think it works that well, does it? I mean, most of the types have at least one way to stop its setup, especially considering you are not running a RestTalk set (which makes it vulnerable by Toxic and Will o Wisp). Also, keep in mind running an utility set on Cradily saves a slot for Ferrothorn so you can use Spikes on it (while using Stealth Rock on Cradily). Having both spikes and stealth rock allows you to dish some nice amount of damage, and its arguably the best way to handle opposing hazard setters (since you are not using defog, then you are better off setting as much hazards as possible).

I also really liked the fact you have Gourgeist on this team, its a great response to Medicham and Gallade, which Grass teams tend to struggle against.

I really appreciate the fact you found an effective way of using Serperior and being unpredictable. Assault Vest is an innovative way of using Serperior, and I think you should keep it, otherwise, you would be better with other offensive mons such as Celebi (wider coverage and solid stats) or Whimsicott (prankster utility).

Well, guess that's it. Good luck peaking high elos with it ^_^ and make sure to represent the Grass users lol.
 

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