Hello, Smogon! This is my first post, my first RMT but I have been perusing the boards for awhile now and thought I'd contribute what I consider my most competitive team from Pokemon Showdown. When creating the team, I didn't have a concept for how it would end up. For now, I'd consider it a fast paced, offensive team with some bulk. So here's the team!
Piloswine @ Eviolite
Trait: Thick Fat
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def
Adamant Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Icicle Crash
- Ice Shard
- Earthquake
Piloswine is a vital piece to this team. He provides support with Stealth Rock, and STAB priority with Ice Shard, taking care of Baton Passers such as Ninjask and Volbeat, and killing Swellow easily. STAB Icicle Crash and Earthquake have good coverage and hit very hard with 328 attack. Now onto his bulk: eviolite allows him to take hits very well, sporting 404/300/225 defenses. Thick fat mitigates his Fire-type weakness, overall increasing bulk as well. I continue to be surprised by how Pilowswine handles supereffective hits, and it surprises other players when you respond with a powerful STAB move for a OHKO. Piloswine isn't on a lot of NU teams, but he should be; he is one of the most underrated pokemon in the tier.
Cradily @ Leftovers
Trait: Storm Drain
EV's: 252 HP/ 252 Def/ 4 SpDef
Bold Nature
-Energy Ball
-Hidden Power Fire
-Toxic
-Recover
Cradily replaced Misdreavus on my team for a couple reasons. First, I found that nothing on my team could soak up Water-type attacks. Second, Misdreavus' role as cleric was not as valuable as I thought it would be, especially with a Guts user on my team. So I opted for Cradily. I honestly do not understand why it isn't in a higher tier: with a common type immunity, solid recovery, not awful typing, and decent mixed bulk, it makes for an outstanding wall on my team. Cradily usually finds its way out to cover Piloswine from a Water-type attack once rocks are set up. Recover and Toxic make for an excellent stalling mechanic in the absence of a Fighting Type move. HP Fire rounds out Cradily's best coverage options.
Liepard @ Leftovers
Trait: Prankster
EV's: 80 HP/ 8 Def/ 252 SpDef/ 168 Spe
Jolly Nature
-Substitute
-Swagger
-Foul Play
-Thunder Wave
Meet any metagame's trolliest nightmare: Liepard. She is my team's second largest offensive threat, disrupting strategies and sweepers dead in their tracks. The combination of Swagger, STAB Foul Play, and access to Prankster have created a lethal combination. The concept is simple: force a switch, set up Sub, Swagger, and proceed to Foul Play. Sometimes this set can pay off huge dividends, and sometimes it comes up short. With good prediction and strategic switching, however, Liepard usually ends up KO'ing at least one pokemon. I became convinced on Liepard when one of them completely destroyed my ubers team. Teams that are unprepared for this nightmare will have a hard time reliably bringing it down. But be cautious: Liepard has paper thin defenses, and it doesn't like priority. It also dislikes Lum Berries, which completely ruin the point of running Liepard. Still, she plays a valuable role and plays it very well.
Beheeyem @ Choice Specs
Trait: Analytic
EV's: 252 HP/ 56 Def/ 200 SpA
IV's: 0 Speed
Modest Nature
-Signal Beam
-Thunderbolt
-Hidden Power Ground
-Psychic
Another vastly underrated NU threat in my opinion, Beheeyem is my team's primary special attacker. More importantly, it hits like an absolute truck. This EV spread allows it to reach 368 special attack. Couple this with some Specs and Beheeyem's ability Analytic, which increases damage by 30% if you move last, and you have a pokemon that rips through most everything fairly easily. The nature and IV will ensure that you're always reaping the benefit of Analytic. Beheeyem's bulk is also not awful: this EV spread gives it 354/200/225 defenses, definitely allowing it to take a few hits before it bites the dust. Beheeyem is a great switch in on choice Sawk, forcing a switch out and allowing Beheeyem to start shredding up. If anything else, the surprise element of Beheeyem is valuable as well. Players don't know what to expect when they see this rock..toy..thing..
Luxray @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Intimidate
EV's: 252 Atk/ 252 Spe/ 4 HP
Jolly Nature
-Wild Charge
-Superpower
-Ice Fang
-Crunch
Luxray makes for a great revenge killer and provides STAB electric, something my team is otherwise missing. This moveset provides the best coverage for Luxray. Wild Charge will hit anything hard that doesn't resist it. Superpower is best used to finish off a team, otherwise you're giving up a switch and allowing for set up. The Jolly Nature allows Luxray to outspeed anything and everything that isn't scarfed or named Ninjask in the NU tier. I usually save Luxray until late game; he bests serves as a cleaner. Intimidate also deserves a mention, improving Luxray's survivability against physical threats.
Swellow @ Toxic Orb
Trait: Guts
EV's: 252 Atk/ 252 Spe/ 4 HP
Jolly Nature
-Facade
-Brave Bird
-U-turn
-Protect
My sweeper of choice. Swellow is an amazing Guts abuser, even in a tier filled with them already. Swellow's 125 base speed is what sets her apart, outspeeding anything that isn't scarfed or named Ninjask. STAB Facade is your move of choice, however Brave Bird is also there to hit the many Ghost-types in NU. However, Swellow does have its problems. My lack of a Rapid Spinner on this team decreases the amount of time Swellow can sweep, as she takes 1/4 damage on the switch. U-turn is their to fill the fourth slot; I've never used it due to SR. Also, Brave Bird will further hinder Swellow's sweeping capabilities through recoil damage. Still, once you eliminate all rock, steel, and ghost types on the opponent's team, simply send in Swellow, use protect, and proceed to sweep. It truly is that easy.
Piloswine @ Eviolite
Trait: Thick Fat
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def
Adamant Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Icicle Crash
- Ice Shard
- Earthquake
Piloswine is a vital piece to this team. He provides support with Stealth Rock, and STAB priority with Ice Shard, taking care of Baton Passers such as Ninjask and Volbeat, and killing Swellow easily. STAB Icicle Crash and Earthquake have good coverage and hit very hard with 328 attack. Now onto his bulk: eviolite allows him to take hits very well, sporting 404/300/225 defenses. Thick fat mitigates his Fire-type weakness, overall increasing bulk as well. I continue to be surprised by how Pilowswine handles supereffective hits, and it surprises other players when you respond with a powerful STAB move for a OHKO. Piloswine isn't on a lot of NU teams, but he should be; he is one of the most underrated pokemon in the tier.
Cradily @ Leftovers
Trait: Storm Drain
EV's: 252 HP/ 252 Def/ 4 SpDef
Bold Nature
-Energy Ball
-Hidden Power Fire
-Toxic
-Recover
Cradily replaced Misdreavus on my team for a couple reasons. First, I found that nothing on my team could soak up Water-type attacks. Second, Misdreavus' role as cleric was not as valuable as I thought it would be, especially with a Guts user on my team. So I opted for Cradily. I honestly do not understand why it isn't in a higher tier: with a common type immunity, solid recovery, not awful typing, and decent mixed bulk, it makes for an outstanding wall on my team. Cradily usually finds its way out to cover Piloswine from a Water-type attack once rocks are set up. Recover and Toxic make for an excellent stalling mechanic in the absence of a Fighting Type move. HP Fire rounds out Cradily's best coverage options.
Liepard @ Leftovers
Trait: Prankster
EV's: 80 HP/ 8 Def/ 252 SpDef/ 168 Spe
Jolly Nature
-Substitute
-Swagger
-Foul Play
-Thunder Wave
Meet any metagame's trolliest nightmare: Liepard. She is my team's second largest offensive threat, disrupting strategies and sweepers dead in their tracks. The combination of Swagger, STAB Foul Play, and access to Prankster have created a lethal combination. The concept is simple: force a switch, set up Sub, Swagger, and proceed to Foul Play. Sometimes this set can pay off huge dividends, and sometimes it comes up short. With good prediction and strategic switching, however, Liepard usually ends up KO'ing at least one pokemon. I became convinced on Liepard when one of them completely destroyed my ubers team. Teams that are unprepared for this nightmare will have a hard time reliably bringing it down. But be cautious: Liepard has paper thin defenses, and it doesn't like priority. It also dislikes Lum Berries, which completely ruin the point of running Liepard. Still, she plays a valuable role and plays it very well.
Beheeyem @ Choice Specs
Trait: Analytic
EV's: 252 HP/ 56 Def/ 200 SpA
IV's: 0 Speed
Modest Nature
-Signal Beam
-Thunderbolt
-Hidden Power Ground
-Psychic
Another vastly underrated NU threat in my opinion, Beheeyem is my team's primary special attacker. More importantly, it hits like an absolute truck. This EV spread allows it to reach 368 special attack. Couple this with some Specs and Beheeyem's ability Analytic, which increases damage by 30% if you move last, and you have a pokemon that rips through most everything fairly easily. The nature and IV will ensure that you're always reaping the benefit of Analytic. Beheeyem's bulk is also not awful: this EV spread gives it 354/200/225 defenses, definitely allowing it to take a few hits before it bites the dust. Beheeyem is a great switch in on choice Sawk, forcing a switch out and allowing Beheeyem to start shredding up. If anything else, the surprise element of Beheeyem is valuable as well. Players don't know what to expect when they see this rock..toy..thing..
Luxray @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Intimidate
EV's: 252 Atk/ 252 Spe/ 4 HP
Jolly Nature
-Wild Charge
-Superpower
-Ice Fang
-Crunch
Luxray makes for a great revenge killer and provides STAB electric, something my team is otherwise missing. This moveset provides the best coverage for Luxray. Wild Charge will hit anything hard that doesn't resist it. Superpower is best used to finish off a team, otherwise you're giving up a switch and allowing for set up. The Jolly Nature allows Luxray to outspeed anything and everything that isn't scarfed or named Ninjask in the NU tier. I usually save Luxray until late game; he bests serves as a cleaner. Intimidate also deserves a mention, improving Luxray's survivability against physical threats.
Swellow @ Toxic Orb
Trait: Guts
EV's: 252 Atk/ 252 Spe/ 4 HP
Jolly Nature
-Facade
-Brave Bird
-U-turn
-Protect
My sweeper of choice. Swellow is an amazing Guts abuser, even in a tier filled with them already. Swellow's 125 base speed is what sets her apart, outspeeding anything that isn't scarfed or named Ninjask. STAB Facade is your move of choice, however Brave Bird is also there to hit the many Ghost-types in NU. However, Swellow does have its problems. My lack of a Rapid Spinner on this team decreases the amount of time Swellow can sweep, as she takes 1/4 damage on the switch. U-turn is their to fill the fourth slot; I've never used it due to SR. Also, Brave Bird will further hinder Swellow's sweeping capabilities through recoil damage. Still, once you eliminate all rock, steel, and ghost types on the opponent's team, simply send in Swellow, use protect, and proceed to sweep. It truly is that easy.
