Heliolisk got Hyper Voice in ORAS, so unfortunately:So when I saw NU got some new drops I was really excited because it's been a while since NU got some drops, and after looking at the list of drops my immediate thought was, "Vileplume is gonna be really good." So here it is.
Vileplume @ Black Sludge
Ability: Effect Spore
EVs: 252 HP / 184 Def / 72 SpD
Calm Nature
- Sludge Bomb
- Giga Drain
- Aromatherapy/Leech Seed/Hidden Power Fire
- Moonlight
Yes that's right it's a mixed Vileplume, but before you call me garbage or bad just hear me out. With the given EV spread you aren't 2hkoed by any attacks from Heliolisk, Virizion, Mawile, Quagsire or Claydol.
Relevant Calcs
- 252 Atk Virizion Stone Edge vs. 252 HP / 184 Def Vileplume: 80-95 (22.5 - 26.8%) -- possible 5HKO after Black Sludge recovery
- 252 Atk Virizion Zen Headbutt vs. 252 HP / 184 Def Vileplume: 128-152 (36.1 - 42.9%) -- 96.4% chance to 3HKO after Black Sludge recovery
- 252 SpA Choice Specs Heliolisk Hidden Power Ice vs. 252 HP / 72+ SpD Vileplume: 160-190 (45.1 - 53.6%) -- 2.3% chance to 2HKO after Black Sludge recovery
- 252 SpA Choice Specs Heliolisk Thunderbolt vs. 252 HP / 72+ SpD Vileplume: 89-105 (25.1 - 29.6%) -- 0% chance to 4HKO after Black Sludge recovery
- 0 SpA Sheer Force Mawile Fire Blast vs. 252 HP / 72+ SpD Vileplume: 118-140 (33.3 - 39.5%) -- 17.1% chance to 3HKO after Black Sludge recovery
Moveset is standard, Sludge Bomb and Giga Drain for stab, Synthesis for recovery, and the final moveslot is up to you. Aromatherapy can be used to help support your team. Hidden Power Fire can be used to beat Mawile easier and be able to at least hit Steelix even if it is for minuscule damage. Leech Seed is the last option and is sort of a middle ground. It's let you beat steel types by wearing them down like Hidden Power Fire but can also support your team by giving them hp back when they switchin. All in all Vileplume will be a great Pokemon in this tier because it checks all the new drops.
This shouldn't be confused with a counter tho. You can use Vileplume as your only Virizion/Heliolisk check and need some other ones on your team, but they don't need to be hard checks. Particularly you'll want a check for CM Virizion because Vileplume struggles against it. A great teammate for this set would be Xatu, because it has good synergy with Vileplume and it beats the cm Virizion set. So their you go, you shouldn't be afraid of the new drops. It's been forever since NU got some drops and I can't wait to see how the metagame develops.
252 SpA Choice Specs Heliolisk Hyper Voice vs. 252 HP / 72+ SpD Vileplume: 178-211 (50.2 - 59.6%) -- 82.4% chance to 2HKO after Black Sludge recovery
More spdef solves the issue but then you handle Viriz/general physical attackers worse :[