ORAS PU My best PU team ever! (peaked at no.5)

[ChrystalFalchion]

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Welcome to my best ever PU team. Due to my hatred of stall, it's a mostly offensive team, although it is bulkier than the teams I usually make. I've been amazed at how well it's done, and I've managed to pull it off with some Pokémon that don't see that much usage in PU. There has been some luck involved, but RNGesus has screwed me over a few times as well. So, without further ado, here is the team.

At a glance:

A closer look

My Primary Sweeper

Crustle @ White Herb
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Shell Smash
- Stone Edge
- X-scissor
- Earthquake

Crustle's job is to plough through teams late game, and it does that job brilliantly. Shell Smash is a move most boosting sweepers would die for, as for the price of -1 Def & SpD it's basically Swords Dance, Nasty Plot and Rock Polish all in one. Shell Smash lets Crustle outrun everything south of Electrode. Stone Edge is its strongest STAB, although I try not to rely on it too much due to its shaky accuracy. X-scissor is the back up STAB, and is what I use on most neutral targets. Typically by the time Crustle comes in to do its job, the opponent's team will have been weakened, so X-scissor gets the job done most of the time. Earthquake rounds out the coverage, hitting the Steel types that resist Crustle's STABs. The EVs maximise Speed and power - even with a Jolly nature, Crustle still can't outrun any relevant Scarf users, so you might as well run Adamant. White Herb restores its respectable bulk after Shell Smash. Sturdy gives Crustle a pseudo Focus Sash, although it's still not that useful.

I chose Crustle because...I just wanted to try Crustle. It has not disappointed at all - right now I'd say it's one of the best physical sweepers in PU.

My Wallbreaker / Secondary Sweeper

Simisage @ Life Orb
Ability: Overgrow
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 30 Def
- Nasty Plot
- Giga Drain
- Focus Blast
- Hidden Power [Ice]

Simisage's main function is to weaken teams so that Crustle can sweep later on, although it can sweep itself. Nasty Plot fixes its average Special Attack. Giga Drain is the chosen STAB, as while it is weaker than Energy Ball the healing effect somewhat mitigates Life Orb recoil. Focus Blast hits the Steel types that resist Giga Drain, and also OHKOes Audino and Lickilicky at +2 (latter needs some prior damage to guarantee the OHKO). Hidden Power Ice hits opposing Grass-types like Tangela without having to rely on Focus Blast's shoddy accuracy. The EVs simply maximise Speed and power; a Life Orb is used to give Simisage as much power as possible. Overgrow makes Giga Drain incredibly powerful at low health.

Originally I had Sawsbuck in this slot, but it was completely walled by Gourgeist. Then I tried Servine, but it was too slow, and even with Eviolite it wasn't especially bulky. Then I tried Cacturne, and was thoroughly underwhelmed - it was too slow, and died to almost anything (using hyperbole to make a point). So I tried Nasty Plot Simisage, and it's been a huge success. It almost always gets at least 1 KO, and has several times saved me from what looked like certain defeat.

My Offensive Tank

Bouffalant @ Assault Vest
Ability: Sap Sipper
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Return
- Earthquake
- Pursuit
- Facade

Boufallant's main job is to take the heat off my offensive Pokémon by checking special attackers. Return is its STAB move, doing good damage to anything not resisting it. Earthquake hits the Rock and Steel types that resist Return. Pursuit is used to damage fleeing Pokémon. Facade is used so that burns don't cripple Boufallant - as it has to switch into defensive Water-types occasionally, it's nice to have that insurance. 252 HP / 252 Atk EVs give Boufallant a combination of power and bulk, letting it dish out and take a good amount of punishment. Assault Vest gives Boufallant amazing special bulk - Scarf Mr. Mime's Focus Blast doesn't 2HKO, to give you an example: 252 SpA Mr. Mime Focus Blast vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Assault Vest Bouffalant: 152-180 (38.5 - 45.6%) -- guaranteed 3HKO. (OK it can 2HKO after Stealth Rock, but even so it's still only has a 14% chance). Sap Sipper gives it a useful Grass immunity and insane power if it gets the boost. It also gives me a Smeargle switch in (although I'm seeing more of them run Dark Void).

Unlike Simisage, choosing Boufallant was a straight forward process. I needed an offensive tank, and I needed a Sleep Powder / Spore switch in. So Boufallant was a no brainer. It's done well for me so far, and I really like its design.

My Revenge Killer / Offensive Pivot

Rotom-Frost @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Volt Switch
- Thunderbolt
- Blizzard
- Trick

With a Choice Scarf equipped, Rotom-F outruns the unboosted metagame as well as +2 Gorebyss and Huntail. Volt Switch lets it scout switch ins and grab momentum. It's fairly safe to spam, as no Ground type wants to eat a STAB Blizzard (apart from possibly Whiscash). Thunderbolt is the reliable STAB for when I need to clean late game. Blizzard is Rotom's strongest STAB, and has wonderful coverage with its Electric STABs, hitting the Grass, Ground and Dragon-types that resist them super effectively. Rotom-F draws in a lot of special walls - Tricking them my Choice Scarf renders them pretty much useless. The EVs maximise Speed and power, as this set needs to be as fast and as strong as possible.

I originally had Chatot in this slot, but it was extremely frail and its susceptibility to Rock and Steel types was a problem. Rain teams were also a major problem (and they do still make me nervous now) and Chatot didn't help against them. I then I switched it out for Rotom-F, and never looked back.

My Stealth Rock setter / Defensive pivot

Probopass @ Leftovers
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 248 HP / 176 SpD / 84 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Stealth Rock
- Volt Switch
- Power Gem
- Toxic

Now I needed something which could set up Stealth Rock and still take a few hits. Stealth Rock is all but compulsory if you want your team to succeed nowadays. Volt Switch lets Probopass pivot out of bad match ups, and its low Speed helps it bring in teammates more easily. Power Gem is chosen as the attack, as it has much better coverage than Flash Cannon. Toxic lets me cripple a would-be wall, putting them on a timer. 84 Speed EVs let Probopass outrun uninvested Metang, so I can either Volt Switch out before it attacks or set up Stealth Rock. 248 HP EVs give Probopass great overall bulk. The rest is in Special Defence, as its 2 X4 weaknesses are to predominantly Physical types it makes a better Special wall.

I originally had Carbink in this slot, but it was such a momentum killer. So I switched it out for Probopass, which in addition to the aforementioned Volt Switch is also immune to Toxic.

My Defogger

Swanna @ Life Orb
Ability: Hydration
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Defog
- Hurricane
- Scald
- Roost

With Crustle and Rotom-F on my team, hazard removal is a must. Defog clears the entry hazards off the field - its Evasion lowering effect also lets Swanna use perfectly accurate Hurricanes on a target (I think). Speaking of Hurricane, that's Swanna's strongest STAB - it wrecks the Grass and Bug-types in the tier. Scald is the more reliable STAB, and is generally what I throw around if I don't know what's coming in. Even Pokémon who resist it won't like the Burn. Roost keeps Swanna alive longer, letting it Defog and fire off attacks throughout the match. The EVs maximise Speed and power (last time I say that I promise). A Life Orb is needed as Swanna's Special Attack isn't great.

Swanna was a straightforward choice. I needed a Defogger, and unlike Vullaby and Lumineon it actually has offensive presence. It can also check Monferno well, which was otherwise a major threat to my team.

OK, so that's my team. It's served me very well so far (I don't think I've ever been higher on a ladder!), and I really enjoy using it.

Suggestions for the PU ladder

STOP USING UNFEZANT! Dodrio is better in almost every conceivable way, as it can actually, you know, DAMAGE ROCK AND STEEL TYPES! I get wanting to use lesser used Pokémon, I really do, but they do have to be at least viable.

Stop slapping Focus Sash on random stuff. Gorebyss much prefers the power of Life Orb or the insurance of White Herb, same story for Huntail, Chatot prefers the Speed of a Choice Scarf and Cacturne much prefers the power of Life Orb. The only Pokémon who should run Focus Sashes are suicide leads and Kadabra, as they won't need to worry about hazards due to being played first and Magic Guard, respectively. Stealth Rock renders Focus Sashes useless, and PU doesn't have many reliable hazard removers.

Same goes for Assault Vest, I actually saw someone use Assault Vest Rotom-S the other day.

Importable

Crustle @ White Herb
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Shell Smash
- X-Scissor
- Stone Edge
- Earthquake

Simisage @ Life Orb
Ability: Overgrow
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 30 Def
- Nasty Plot
- Giga Drain
- Focus Blast
- Hidden Power [Ice]

Bouffalant @ Assault Vest
Ability: Sap Sipper
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Return
- Earthquake
- Pursuit
- Facade

Rotom-Frost @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Volt Switch
- Thunderbolt
- Blizzard
- Trick

Probopass @ Leftovers
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 248 HP / 176 SpD / 84 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Stealth Rock
- Volt Switch
- Power Gem
- Toxic

Swanna @ Life Orb
Ability: Hydration
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Defog
- Hurricane
- Scald
- Roost

 

[Anty]

Hi, cool team, its nice to see things like simisage and ss crustle.

The team covers most of the metagame, however it does still have a few weaknesses such as Monferno and Cacturne. Though Swanna can check the former, it is your only proper check and is put under a lot of pressure if Monferno comes out on Simisage or Probopass, and though Bouffalant checks Cacturne, it gets KOd by Focus Blast + Dark Pulse with hazards, and then the team doesn't have much counter measures vs Sucker Punch.

To help fix this, I think you should try Altaria over Simisage, as Altaria really helps you check big threats such as Monferno and Grass-types, including Cacturne, which give your team issues. Additionally, Altaria does work well with Crustle as it can help weaken some of its checks like Steel-types such as Metang and Mawile. I think the special attacker set would provide you with the most support, as your team would prefer power over a set up sweeper since you already have a Crustle. Since this change removes your wallbreaker, I recomend SubSD Bouff over your current set. SubSD Bouff is quite an underrated threat right now, especially now some of its checks like Gourgeist have lost popularity, and Bouffalant can actually beat Clefairy and Duosion, which your team have issues with given Probopass lacks a way to hurt them. Bouffalant weakens pretty much every Stealth Rock user, such as Mawile and Golem, which can annoy Crustle.

I also think Choice Scarf Leafeon over Rotom-f would help as removing Simisage makes your team weaker to Golem, and adding Altaria gives an extra Stealth Rock weakness, so Scarf Leafeon takes a lot of pressure off of Swanna to Defog. Additionally, the team is weak to Jolly Rock Polish Relicanth, which Leafeon outspeeds, and Leafeon also does more damage to Rock Polish Regice which is also an annoyance.

Lastly, I think your Probopass set could be improved by running Offensive Pivot Probopass. Specially defensive doesn't provide too much more over offensive does, as most mons which Probopass would like to check can run coverage for it, and offensive sets can still reliably check Electric types such as Zebstrika. Also, the team has a weakness to SD Pawniard right now, and offensive tank Probopass can trap and OHKO it.

changes

Altaria @ Leftovers
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 76 HP / 252 SpA / 180 Spe
Modest Nature
- Draco Meteor
- Fire Blast
- Roost
- Toxic

Bouffalant @ Leftovers
Ability: Sap Sipper
EVs: 248 HP / 136 Atk / 124 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Substitute
- Swords Dance
- Return
- Earthquake

Leafeon @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Leaf Guard
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Leaf Blade
- Knock Off
- X-Scissor
- Double Edge

Probopass @ Leftovers
Ability: Magnet Pull
EVs: 172 HP / 252 SpA / 84 Spe
Modest Nature
- Volt Switch
- Flash Cannon
- Earth Power
- Stealth Rock

Hope I helped!

 

[ChrystalFalchion]

Hi, cool team, its nice to see things like simisage and ss crustle.

The team covers most of the metagame, however it does still have a few weaknesses such as Monferno and Cacturne. Though Swanna can check the former, it is your only proper check and is put under a lot of pressure if Monferno comes out on Simisage or Probopass, and though Bouffalant checks Cacturne, it gets KOd by Focus Blast + Dark Pulse with hazards, and then the team doesn't have much counter measures vs Sucker Punch.

To help fix this, I think you should try Altaria over Simisage, as Altaria really helps you check big threats such as Monferno and Grass-types, including Cacturne, which give your team issues. Additionally, Altaria does work well with Crustle as it can help weaken some of its checks like Steel-types such as Metang and Mawile. I think the special attacker set would provide you with the most support, as your team would prefer power over a set up sweeper since you already have a Crustle. Since this change removes your wallbreaker, I recomend SubSD Bouff over your current set. SubSD Bouff is quite an underrated threat right now, especially now some of its checks like Gourgeist have lost popularity, and Bouffalant can actually beat Clefairy and Duosion, which your team have issues with given Probopass lacks a way to hurt them. Bouffalant weakens pretty much every Stealth Rock user, such as Mawile and Golem, which can annoy Crustle.

I also think Choice Scarf Leafeon over Rotom-f would help as removing Simisage makes your team weaker to Golem, and adding Altaria gives an extra Stealth Rock weakness, so Scarf Leafeon takes a lot of pressure off of Swanna to Defog. Additionally, the team is weak to Jolly Rock Polish Relicanth, which Leafeon outspeeds, and Leafeon also does more damage to Rock Polish Regice which is also an annoyance.

Lastly, I think your Probopass set could be improved by running Offensive Pivot Probopass. Specially defensive doesn't provide too much more over offensive does, as most mons which Probopass would like to check can run coverage for it, and offensive sets can still reliably check Electric types such as Zebstrika. Also, the team has a weakness to SD Pawniard right now, and offensive tank Probopass can trap and OHKO it.

changes

Altaria @ Leftovers
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 76 HP / 252 SpA / 180 Spe
Modest Nature
- Draco Meteor
- Fire Blast
- Roost
- Toxic

Bouffalant @ Leftovers
Ability: Sap Sipper
EVs: 248 HP / 136 Atk / 124 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Substitute
- Swords Dance
- Return
- Earthquake

Leafeon @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Leaf Guard
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Leaf Blade
- Knock Off
- X-Scissor
- Double Edge

Probopass @ Leftovers
Ability: Magnet Pull
EVs: 172 HP / 252 SpA / 84 Spe
Modest Nature
- Volt Switch
- Flash Cannon
- Earth Power
- Stealth Rock

Hope I helped!

Thanks very much, I made the changes you suggested and I'm now ranked 5th. I'm still not sold on Scarf Leafeon yet, but it's done OK so far. I've noticed offensive Probopass has a tougher time setting up Stealth Rock so I might switch that back. Sub + SD Bouffalant is awesome, absolutely murders stall.

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