Grimmsnarl moved from RU to NU
Stakataka moved from RU to NU
In light of the new tier drops, thought I'd drop off some conceptual sets that I'm still in the process of refining.
Grimmsnarl @ Black Glasses / Lum Berry
Ability: Prankster / Pickpocket
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Darkest Lariat
- Spirit Break
- Power Whip
- Thunder Wave / Sucker Punch
So we all know what the deal with Dual Screens Grimm is, though with Light Clay being banned its prospects don't look as great. Enter offensive Grimmsnarl; while it sadly doesn't have access to Knock Off or indeed any STAB even exceeding 90 BP, 120 Atk with its unique dual STAB combination can still mess some teams up. It is also faster than other holepunchers like Machamp, Golurk, and Dhelmise which it can OHKO, giving it an additional edge in the 'slow wallbreaker' arms race too. Darkest Lariat is usually Grimmsnarl's most reliable STAB to throw out, especially since it can pierce through Mudsdale's Stamina, though Throat Chop can be cheeky in stuffing Sylveon's Hyper Voice if that suits your fancy. You can use Play Rough over Spirit Break since that cleanly OHKOes Machamp and phys def Guzzlord and is also Grimm's strongest STAB (without Black Glasses), though Spirit Break also OHKOes those after burn and Stealth Rock chip, respectively.
Power Whip is actually pretty nice for smacking bulky things like Vaporeon, Diancie, and Mudsdale (sadly still doesn't 2HKO) that would otherwise tank Grimm's STABs with little issue. The last slot is customisable; Prankster TWave is the general offense harassing tool to shut down something like Shell Smash Blastoise or whatever, while Sucker Punch gives Grimm a bit more offensive presence, especially against things like Rotom-Mow, GroundVally, and Starmie, especially when backed by Black Glasses. However, an interesting tech option that caught my eye is actually
Lum Berry + Pickpocket. This lets Grimmsnarl brawl with status users like Vaporeon, Mantine, Rotom-Mow, and Talonflame more recklessly, and Pickpocket can disrupt them further by stealing their item afterwards, which is especially nice for tripping up Talonflames. A notable downside is potentially getting screwed by stealing a Vileplume's Black Sludge after it triggered your Lum Berry with Effect Spore, so that's something to worry about. Other options I have considered include Superpower to bait and smack Steels, Bulk Up to further capitalize on the Lum tech, or even just go full Choice Band with Trick. This mon has neat applications and is a very interesting addition to most offensive teams.
Stakataka @ Leftovers
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Sassy / Careful Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Toxic
- Gyro Ball
- Body Press / Rock Blast
A very welcome bulky Steel for NU. Staka has the typing and just enough bulk to withstand powerful special attacks from the likes of Sylveon, Indeedee-F, Salazzle, and Dragalge, and can usually shrug off their coverage moves well enough too. Gyro Ball and Body Press both hit hard enough to deter the large majority of offensive checks, though Rock Blast can be considered if Staka is your primary Fire answer. Heck, Stone Edge can be used instead for a better matchup against Rocky Helmet Xatu. There's not really too much that needs to be explained here; defensive Stakataka is likely going to be the best example of a bulky Steel NU currently has atm, especially with how hard it hits offensive mons, so I doubt its position would be threatened for a long time to come .
Stakataka @ Shuca Berry / Chople Berry
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Lonely Nature
IVs: 15 Def / 0 Spe
- Trick Room
- Gyro Ball
- Stone Edge
- Heat Crash / Earthquake
Let's not forget good ol' Trick Room Stakataka, which can flip a matchup against offense on its head with how quickly it can steamroll out of control, especially with its resist berries giving it Trick Rooming opportunities it otherwise would not have, or to simply thwart counterplay such as Doublade form stopping its sweep, but if those aren't concerns for you, you can just go Life Orb for maximum destruction. Heat Crash is nice in this tier as it squashes Escavalier & Rotom-Mow, has a high chance at 2HKOing Doublade after SR and puts pressure on Vileplume, though Earthquake is available for hitting Heavy Metal Copperajah.
These are just the preliminary sets I am working on atm, hope you guys can expand upon the potential of these solid newcomers.