Hey there everyone, just wanted to share with you all the team I used to reach #1 on the NU Ladder. As the title suggests, it's a volt-turn team based around banded Sawk and banded Scyther, with dual dance Rhydon. The basic premise is to get rocks, and keep momentum in your favor with U-Turn on Mesprit and Scyther, as well as Volt-Switch on Lanturn so that you can get free switches into your heavy hitters. Once the opponent's checks are whittled, the idea is to sweep with one of Rhydon, Sawk, or Scyther.
The Team
Sawk @ Choice Band
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Close Combat
- Knock Off
- Zen Headbutt
- Stone Edge
There's no denying that the potential for Choice Banded Sawk to put in the work against most teams is at an all time high. With Uxie now gone from the tier, there are hopelessly few things that can reliably switch into this mon and not fear taking a huge hit. Close Combat OHKO's 90% of the tier, putting heavy pressure on whichever check(s) your opponent may carry whenever Sawk can come in. On top of that, Sawk's coverage allows it to wallbreak for itself, with a little prediction.
Here are some calcs for some common switch-ins
252 Atk Choice Band Sawk Zen Headbutt vs. 248 HP / 252+ Def Weezing: 162-192 (48.6 - 57.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock and Black Sludge recovery
252 Atk Choice Band Sawk Knock Off (97.5 BP) vs. 252 HP / 252 Def Mesprit: 236-278 (64.8 - 76.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock
252 Atk Choice Band Sawk Knock Off (97.5 BP) vs. 240 HP / 252+ Def Musharna: 248-292 (57.2 - 67.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery
252 Atk Choice Band Sawk Close Combat vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Mega Audino: 175-207 (42.6 - 50.4%) -- 94.5% chance to 2HKO after Stealth Rock
252 Atk Choice Band Sawk Knock Off (97.5 BP) vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Gourgeist-Super: 194-230 (51.8 - 61.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery
252 Atk Choice Band Sawk Close Combat vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Quagsire: 229-270 (58.1 - 68.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery
You get the point. Every time Sawk comes in, it becomes a prediction game that is heavily in your favor, particularly if the opponent has no ghost type. I chose sturdy as the ability over Mold Breaker so that Sawk is ensured to live at least one hit, practically guaranteeing at least one kill. Sturdy also allows you to use Sawk as a one-time stop to a potential sweep. Jolly natured so that you can outspeed +speed base 80s, as well as speed-tie with other Sawk.
Scyther @ Choice Band
Ability: Technician
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- U-turn
- Aerial Ace
- Quick Attack
- Brick Break
Next up is Scyther. I chose Scyther for this slot for a few reasons. First, it serves as check to some of the bulkier Psychic types in the tier such as Musharna, defensive Mesprit, and Claydol that Sawk can't always afford to predict around. It can also switch into Close Combats from many of the dangerous fighting types in the tier, and then proceed to threaten them out. Scyther also sits at a very comfortable 105 base speed, allowing it to outspeed the majority of the non-scarfed metagame, and either click the appropriate coverage move or U-Turn out. Perhaps the most important reason however is for the massive amount of momentum that Scyther can generate. Just clicking U-Turn is usually the play to make with this guy, but you should always be wary of Rocky Helmet mons. Quick Attack is nice for the priority, but it is unstabbed so it can be underwhelming at times. Brick Break is for mons such as Klinklang or Rhydon who could otherwise use you as setup fodder. Scyther can also potentially clean up late-game with either its high natural speed or Choice Banded Quick Attack.
Skuntank @ Black Sludge
Ability: Aftermath
EVs: 192 HP / 252 Atk / 64 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Taunt
- Crunch/Poison Jab
- Defog
- Pursuit
Looking at the team so far, we have Sturdy on Sawk and Scyther who dies if anything remotely rock-like enters his space so naturally this team needs a defogger. I chose Skuntank because I feel that it is one of, if not THE best pursuit trappers in the tier at the moment. Having an immunity to Psychic, Skuntank can freely switch in on the likes of Xatu, Mesprit, Musharna, etc. and trap them if they do not U-Turn/hard switch. It also deals with ghost types such as Mismagius and Rotom who could otherwise stop Sawk from spamming Close Combat. I prefer to run both Pursuit and Crunch in order to screw over mons like Xatu who think they can Roost on you (seriously, fuck Xatu), as well as catch other annoying trappable mons such as Mismagius and Musharna once their potential Colbur Berry has been used. Additionally, Crunch prevents Klinklang from using you as setup fodder, as SR + 2 Crunches + aftermath leaves it severely crippled, with a small chance to outright KO. Because the purpose of this team is to eliminate Psychics/Ghosts and deal heavy damage with Sawk, I believe mono-dark to be the set of choice, but Poison Jab has its merits allowing you to wall Shiftry and OHKO it back, as well as give the team a more solid answer to Fairy types such as Mega-Audino and Granbull. Taunt is there to shut down slower mons who could otherwise use Skuntank to setup or recover. With its good bulk and typing, mixed with a healthy offensive presence, Skuntank has many opportunities to defog in the tier as well. Aftermath is a great ability, providing what is often times game-changing chip damage, and opening the way for this team's heavy hitters.
Mesprit @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 200 HP / 252 Def / 56 Spe
Bold Nature
- Psychic
- Stealth Rock
- U-turn
- Energy Ball/Healing Wish
Mesprit sort of acts like the glue of this team, in many ways. I chose a defensive spread, with a minor amount of speed creep to outspeed max speed neutral natured base 50s, such as Golurk. Mesprit provides Stealth Rock support, and serves as sort of a "catch all" defensive pivot with a slow U-turn. With this spread, you can eat up physical hits the likes of Archeops's Acrobatics, an Offensive Rhydon Stone Edge, Tauros's Rock Climb, etc. While Mesprit is certainly no Uxie on the defensive side of things, all the previously mentioned attacks from some of the tier's hardest hitters are guaranteed 3HKOs (though Rock Climb becomes a 2HKO with rocks). Mesprit can then either lay up the rocks, U-Turn out into something more favorable, or dish out some damage with its respectable base 105 Sp.Atk. Even univested, Mesprit can deal moderate amounts of damage with STAB Psychic to anything that doesn't resist. Mesprit is also one of the go-to fighting switch-ins for this team, as it avoids 2HKOs from everything bar Banded Sawk's Knock Off. I have Energy Ball in the last slot as this team struggles a bit with the likes of Quagsire (especially curse!) and RP Rhydon. Although it might seem out of place at first, this move has saved my ass more times than I can count and although it's a bit unorthodox, it fits the overall team well by opening up more ways for Rhydon to sweep. I originally had Healing Wish which was very useful for things such as restoring Sawk to Sturdy or restoring a Rhydon that had been whittled down throughout the match for a late-game sweep. Both options provide something for the team, although right now I really like Energy Ball for both the surprise factor and the fact that it actually helps the team as a whole, as Scyther doesn't care for Rhydon, Sawk needs to force Quagsire in on CC to really beat it 1v1, and Rhydon can do nothing to Quagsire at all. It also comes in clutch during last-mon situations, or in situations where your opponent just doesn't expect you to have it.
Rhydon @ Eviolite
Ability: Lightning Rod
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Rock Polish
- Swords Dance
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
Rhydon gives the team a few things I felt it was still missing at this point. First and foremost, another defensive mon that can eat up hits from things that ordinarily check Sawk and Scyther. Rhydon looks to come in on common mons such as Archeops, Kangaskhan, Swellow (physical or special), opposing Scyther, and Rotom-F. It also serves as an electric immunity (invaluable when facing choice-locked electric types) and semi-reliable switch in to Normal-Types that run rampant in the tier. Only semi-reliable however, as attacks such as LO Tauros EQ will 3HKO you, so you must choose your switch-ins wisely against a competent opponent. Fortunately in many games Rhydon need only come in once or twice before the bodies start to drop. With a massive 394 attack stat, coupled with the potential to boost even higher, there are VERY few things that can switch into this. Better yet, Rhydon can setup on a plethora of things and start wallbreaking against slow bulky teams; essentially anything without a special super-effective move to hit it with is an opportunity. Here are some calcs of some common switch-ins to show THE POWER of a +2 Rhydon
+2 252+ Atk Rhydon Stone Edge vs. 248 HP / 252+ Def Weezing: 228-268 (68.4 - 80.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock and Black Sludge recovery
+2 252+ Atk Rhydon Stone Edge vs. 252 HP / 252 Def Mesprit: 274-324 (75.2 - 89%) -- 12.5% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock
+2 252+ Atk Rhydon Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Vileplume: 288-339 (81.3 - 95.7%) -- 56.3% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock
+2 252+ Atk Rhydon Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Eviolite Ferroseed: 183-216 (62.6 - 73.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock
+2 252+ Atk Rhydon Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Mega Audino: 220-259 (53.6 - 63.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock
Of the above, Weezing is probably the most reliable answer, needing to come in at no more than 80% and having rocks on the field in order to faint to a +2 stone edge before it can burn you. The rest either need only a bit of previous chip damage, or are setup-fodder (Ferro, Audino). Eliminating Weezing, Mesprit or Vileplume from your opponents team opens up huge opportunites for Sawk, and Scyther in the case of Weezing. Alternatively, Rhydon can opt for the Rock Polish to clean up weakened teams. STAB Earthquake off a 394 attack stat is no joke, and with this spread you outspeed the entire metagame, bar scarfers and Swellow at+2. Only Claydol and Torterra resist both Stone Edge and Earthquake, so Rhydon can also deal plenty of damage with its STAB without needing to set-up an SD, allowing other members of the team to pick off a weakened opponent. Rhydon can also switch into Fire-Types, but should always be wary of the common HP Grass on mons such as Magmortar and Pyroar.
Lanturn @ Leftovers
Ability: Volt Absorb
EVs: 40 HP / 252 Def / 216 SpD
Calm Nature
- Volt Switch
- Scald
- Toxic
- Heal Bell
Last, we have our Scald switch in, Fire switch-in, status spreader, and cleric. Lanturn provides support by spreading status to its switch-ins in the form of Scald burns and Toxic. The given EV spread allows you to effectively check fire types such as Pyroar and Magmortar that commonly carry HP Grass. Life Orb HP Grass from Pyroar and Magmortar both fail to 2HKO after lefties, although with Magmortar you have to fear the Earthquake. Regardless, Lanturn can come in, and threaten those two mons who would otherwise be able to dismantle this team if played correctly, so Lanturn's value cannot be underestimated. The slow Volt-Switch is fantastic, allowing you to chew a hit before switching safely into a faster threat of your own, and Heal Bell helps you out when your sweepers get hit with a rouge T-Wave, Will-O-Wisp, or Scald burn. Again, a well played LO Magmortar or Pyroar can seriously hurt this squad, so Lanturn being able to deal heavy damage to either of these threats is huge.
There's the squad, I feel that it's pretty well balanced and efficient at what it's supposed to do. To give a better idea of how I play this team, right from Team Preview I try to #1 decide which member of the team is the most threatening to my opponent and #2 decide if I have any obvious win conditions (often times, a Rock Polish with Rhydon, or SD then break for Sawk/Scyther to clean). I usually lead with the member that is most immediately threatening to my opponent. For example, if I see that 5/6ths of their team cannot take a Close Combat from Sawk, I lead Sawk. If nothing stands out to me at Team Preview, I may lead Scyther to immediately gain momentum or Mesprit to get my rocks and immediately begin pressuring my opponent, assuming they have no way to stop it. The beauty of this team is that there are many potential leads, so you don't need to always begin a match the same way. Always take into account the team match-up before selecting a lead. From this point it's all a matter of keeping up momentum with Scyther, Mesprit, and Lanturn while sneaking in big hits with Sawk and Rhydon whenever the opponent slips up and gives an opening. If you can Volt-Switch/U-Turn on their switch to a Psychic/Ghost type that prevents you from putting in that work with Sawk/Rhydon, Skuntank can either come in and pursuit trap the more offensive ones, or shut them down with Taunt if they happen to be running something such as Gourgeist, before proceeding to trap them. Early/Mid-Game, Rhydon can break down fat defensive cores with a +2 from Swords Dance, while late-game, Rhydon comes in on a U-Turn/Sack and sets up on a huge number of common mons such as Archeops, Tauros, Skuntank, Kangaskhan, etc. and cleans with Rock Polish. Sawk can function as a win condition even against faster threats, provided you can keep sturdy intact. Mesprit provides Stealth Rock support in addition to acting as a defensive pivot that can either catch annoying Quagsire that would otherwise put a stop to Rhydon and indeed much of the team if played correctly, or revitalize one of the other team members that may have taken damage earlier on in the match that prevents it from cleaning up.
One final thing to add, DON'T just mindlessly click U-Turn/Volt-Switch! Yes, momentum is important to this team and there are plenty of things on the team to abuse it, but if for example you lose nothing by clicking Psychic with Mesprit, then click Psychic! It's easy to just mindlessly click U-Turn (I was definitely guilty when I first started with this team) but remember that it's not always the best play. Be mindful of the situation, as a smart opponent will eventually begin to adapt.
Threats
Fuck this thing lol. Quagsire can eat an Earthquake from Rhydon regardless of boosts due to its unaware, and KO back with Scald. It's important to make sure that this thing never gets a chance to recover throughout the match, or things can get ugly very quickly. Although Sawk can 2HKO it with ease, a smart player isn't switching this into Sawk once they realized it's banded.
While this team has a good switch into Shiftry in the form of Skuntank, should you choose not to run Poison Jab then in the best case scenario you're trading Skuntank for Shiftry, which isn't always ideal. Poison Jab clears up this issue, but then you aren't nearly as threatening to psychic types. Scyther dies to LO Sucker Punch after rocks, to make matters worse. While easily revengable, this thing is practically guaranteed a kill vs this team, bar running Poison Jab Skuntank.
Another Grass-Type threat to the squad is the Bae, Lilligant. When the best way to handle it is to not let it come in, you know you could be in for a rough time. Sleep Powder ensures at least one boost 75% of the time, and Scyther is practically always OHKO'd by HP Fire/Ice at +1 with Life Orb. Skuntank is probably the best answer this team has to at the very least secure some damage, being 3HKO'd by Giga Drain and Hidden Power. However if no prior damage has been dealt and Sturdy on Sawk is broken, you're basically forced to lock yourself into Banded Quick-Attack, which can be a huge problem depending on your opponents team.
Both these hard hitting Water-Types put immense pressure on Lanturn, and while it can handle the special sets of both these monsters, it's the physical set where things start to fall apart a bit. Samurott in particular has a reasonable chance to OHKO with +2 Megahorn after just ONE SR switch in. Basculin is a bit less threatening, however Lanturn isn't going to appreciate repeated Zen Headbutts/Superpowers either. These mons, SD Samurott specifically, can run through the team with a bit of prior damage so be very careful about allowing free switches and setup opportunities!
Additionally, Sun and Rain can be very dangerous to face off against. While Skuntank can taunt slower weather setters, there's very little you can do to prevent at least one round of weather, due to the prevalence of Liepard. Rain isn't as bad, because outside of rain you have checks to common rain abusers such as Ludicolo, Poliwrath, Gorebyss, etc. and can stall rain turns with some intelligent play. Sun, however, is pretty horrible as your only switch-in to Victrebell is Skuntank, which gets murked by Weather Ball. Mesprit takes the hit pretty comfortably and OHKOs in return but by this point you've most likely allowed something to be put to sleep, sacked a mon, and took a huge hit on Mesprit as well. It makes for an uphill battle, to say the least. Hazard control is very important in these matches. Due to the lack of bulk on most weather teams, Sturdy Sawk is all but guaranteed to come into play at some point, as it's much harder to win these games without relying on it get a guaranteed kill on at least one of their offensive threats.
Well, I think that just about wraps up my first RMT. Thanks for reading :] any and all feedback is much appreciated.
The Team
Sawk @ Choice Band
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Close Combat
- Knock Off
- Zen Headbutt
- Stone Edge
There's no denying that the potential for Choice Banded Sawk to put in the work against most teams is at an all time high. With Uxie now gone from the tier, there are hopelessly few things that can reliably switch into this mon and not fear taking a huge hit. Close Combat OHKO's 90% of the tier, putting heavy pressure on whichever check(s) your opponent may carry whenever Sawk can come in. On top of that, Sawk's coverage allows it to wallbreak for itself, with a little prediction.
Here are some calcs for some common switch-ins
252 Atk Choice Band Sawk Zen Headbutt vs. 248 HP / 252+ Def Weezing: 162-192 (48.6 - 57.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock and Black Sludge recovery
252 Atk Choice Band Sawk Knock Off (97.5 BP) vs. 252 HP / 252 Def Mesprit: 236-278 (64.8 - 76.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock
252 Atk Choice Band Sawk Knock Off (97.5 BP) vs. 240 HP / 252+ Def Musharna: 248-292 (57.2 - 67.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery
252 Atk Choice Band Sawk Close Combat vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Mega Audino: 175-207 (42.6 - 50.4%) -- 94.5% chance to 2HKO after Stealth Rock
252 Atk Choice Band Sawk Knock Off (97.5 BP) vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Gourgeist-Super: 194-230 (51.8 - 61.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery
252 Atk Choice Band Sawk Close Combat vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Quagsire: 229-270 (58.1 - 68.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery
You get the point. Every time Sawk comes in, it becomes a prediction game that is heavily in your favor, particularly if the opponent has no ghost type. I chose sturdy as the ability over Mold Breaker so that Sawk is ensured to live at least one hit, practically guaranteeing at least one kill. Sturdy also allows you to use Sawk as a one-time stop to a potential sweep. Jolly natured so that you can outspeed +speed base 80s, as well as speed-tie with other Sawk.
Scyther @ Choice Band
Ability: Technician
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- U-turn
- Aerial Ace
- Quick Attack
- Brick Break
Next up is Scyther. I chose Scyther for this slot for a few reasons. First, it serves as check to some of the bulkier Psychic types in the tier such as Musharna, defensive Mesprit, and Claydol that Sawk can't always afford to predict around. It can also switch into Close Combats from many of the dangerous fighting types in the tier, and then proceed to threaten them out. Scyther also sits at a very comfortable 105 base speed, allowing it to outspeed the majority of the non-scarfed metagame, and either click the appropriate coverage move or U-Turn out. Perhaps the most important reason however is for the massive amount of momentum that Scyther can generate. Just clicking U-Turn is usually the play to make with this guy, but you should always be wary of Rocky Helmet mons. Quick Attack is nice for the priority, but it is unstabbed so it can be underwhelming at times. Brick Break is for mons such as Klinklang or Rhydon who could otherwise use you as setup fodder. Scyther can also potentially clean up late-game with either its high natural speed or Choice Banded Quick Attack.
Skuntank @ Black Sludge
Ability: Aftermath
EVs: 192 HP / 252 Atk / 64 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Taunt
- Crunch/Poison Jab
- Defog
- Pursuit
Looking at the team so far, we have Sturdy on Sawk and Scyther who dies if anything remotely rock-like enters his space so naturally this team needs a defogger. I chose Skuntank because I feel that it is one of, if not THE best pursuit trappers in the tier at the moment. Having an immunity to Psychic, Skuntank can freely switch in on the likes of Xatu, Mesprit, Musharna, etc. and trap them if they do not U-Turn/hard switch. It also deals with ghost types such as Mismagius and Rotom who could otherwise stop Sawk from spamming Close Combat. I prefer to run both Pursuit and Crunch in order to screw over mons like Xatu who think they can Roost on you (seriously, fuck Xatu), as well as catch other annoying trappable mons such as Mismagius and Musharna once their potential Colbur Berry has been used. Additionally, Crunch prevents Klinklang from using you as setup fodder, as SR + 2 Crunches + aftermath leaves it severely crippled, with a small chance to outright KO. Because the purpose of this team is to eliminate Psychics/Ghosts and deal heavy damage with Sawk, I believe mono-dark to be the set of choice, but Poison Jab has its merits allowing you to wall Shiftry and OHKO it back, as well as give the team a more solid answer to Fairy types such as Mega-Audino and Granbull. Taunt is there to shut down slower mons who could otherwise use Skuntank to setup or recover. With its good bulk and typing, mixed with a healthy offensive presence, Skuntank has many opportunities to defog in the tier as well. Aftermath is a great ability, providing what is often times game-changing chip damage, and opening the way for this team's heavy hitters.
Mesprit @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 200 HP / 252 Def / 56 Spe
Bold Nature
- Psychic
- Stealth Rock
- U-turn
- Energy Ball/Healing Wish
Mesprit sort of acts like the glue of this team, in many ways. I chose a defensive spread, with a minor amount of speed creep to outspeed max speed neutral natured base 50s, such as Golurk. Mesprit provides Stealth Rock support, and serves as sort of a "catch all" defensive pivot with a slow U-turn. With this spread, you can eat up physical hits the likes of Archeops's Acrobatics, an Offensive Rhydon Stone Edge, Tauros's Rock Climb, etc. While Mesprit is certainly no Uxie on the defensive side of things, all the previously mentioned attacks from some of the tier's hardest hitters are guaranteed 3HKOs (though Rock Climb becomes a 2HKO with rocks). Mesprit can then either lay up the rocks, U-Turn out into something more favorable, or dish out some damage with its respectable base 105 Sp.Atk. Even univested, Mesprit can deal moderate amounts of damage with STAB Psychic to anything that doesn't resist. Mesprit is also one of the go-to fighting switch-ins for this team, as it avoids 2HKOs from everything bar Banded Sawk's Knock Off. I have Energy Ball in the last slot as this team struggles a bit with the likes of Quagsire (especially curse!) and RP Rhydon. Although it might seem out of place at first, this move has saved my ass more times than I can count and although it's a bit unorthodox, it fits the overall team well by opening up more ways for Rhydon to sweep. I originally had Healing Wish which was very useful for things such as restoring Sawk to Sturdy or restoring a Rhydon that had been whittled down throughout the match for a late-game sweep. Both options provide something for the team, although right now I really like Energy Ball for both the surprise factor and the fact that it actually helps the team as a whole, as Scyther doesn't care for Rhydon, Sawk needs to force Quagsire in on CC to really beat it 1v1, and Rhydon can do nothing to Quagsire at all. It also comes in clutch during last-mon situations, or in situations where your opponent just doesn't expect you to have it.
Rhydon @ Eviolite
Ability: Lightning Rod
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Rock Polish
- Swords Dance
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
Rhydon gives the team a few things I felt it was still missing at this point. First and foremost, another defensive mon that can eat up hits from things that ordinarily check Sawk and Scyther. Rhydon looks to come in on common mons such as Archeops, Kangaskhan, Swellow (physical or special), opposing Scyther, and Rotom-F. It also serves as an electric immunity (invaluable when facing choice-locked electric types) and semi-reliable switch in to Normal-Types that run rampant in the tier. Only semi-reliable however, as attacks such as LO Tauros EQ will 3HKO you, so you must choose your switch-ins wisely against a competent opponent. Fortunately in many games Rhydon need only come in once or twice before the bodies start to drop. With a massive 394 attack stat, coupled with the potential to boost even higher, there are VERY few things that can switch into this. Better yet, Rhydon can setup on a plethora of things and start wallbreaking against slow bulky teams; essentially anything without a special super-effective move to hit it with is an opportunity. Here are some calcs of some common switch-ins to show THE POWER of a +2 Rhydon
+2 252+ Atk Rhydon Stone Edge vs. 248 HP / 252+ Def Weezing: 228-268 (68.4 - 80.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock and Black Sludge recovery
+2 252+ Atk Rhydon Stone Edge vs. 252 HP / 252 Def Mesprit: 274-324 (75.2 - 89%) -- 12.5% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock
+2 252+ Atk Rhydon Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Vileplume: 288-339 (81.3 - 95.7%) -- 56.3% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock
+2 252+ Atk Rhydon Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Eviolite Ferroseed: 183-216 (62.6 - 73.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock
+2 252+ Atk Rhydon Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Mega Audino: 220-259 (53.6 - 63.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock
Of the above, Weezing is probably the most reliable answer, needing to come in at no more than 80% and having rocks on the field in order to faint to a +2 stone edge before it can burn you. The rest either need only a bit of previous chip damage, or are setup-fodder (Ferro, Audino). Eliminating Weezing, Mesprit or Vileplume from your opponents team opens up huge opportunites for Sawk, and Scyther in the case of Weezing. Alternatively, Rhydon can opt for the Rock Polish to clean up weakened teams. STAB Earthquake off a 394 attack stat is no joke, and with this spread you outspeed the entire metagame, bar scarfers and Swellow at+2. Only Claydol and Torterra resist both Stone Edge and Earthquake, so Rhydon can also deal plenty of damage with its STAB without needing to set-up an SD, allowing other members of the team to pick off a weakened opponent. Rhydon can also switch into Fire-Types, but should always be wary of the common HP Grass on mons such as Magmortar and Pyroar.
Lanturn @ Leftovers
Ability: Volt Absorb
EVs: 40 HP / 252 Def / 216 SpD
Calm Nature
- Volt Switch
- Scald
- Toxic
- Heal Bell
Last, we have our Scald switch in, Fire switch-in, status spreader, and cleric. Lanturn provides support by spreading status to its switch-ins in the form of Scald burns and Toxic. The given EV spread allows you to effectively check fire types such as Pyroar and Magmortar that commonly carry HP Grass. Life Orb HP Grass from Pyroar and Magmortar both fail to 2HKO after lefties, although with Magmortar you have to fear the Earthquake. Regardless, Lanturn can come in, and threaten those two mons who would otherwise be able to dismantle this team if played correctly, so Lanturn's value cannot be underestimated. The slow Volt-Switch is fantastic, allowing you to chew a hit before switching safely into a faster threat of your own, and Heal Bell helps you out when your sweepers get hit with a rouge T-Wave, Will-O-Wisp, or Scald burn. Again, a well played LO Magmortar or Pyroar can seriously hurt this squad, so Lanturn being able to deal heavy damage to either of these threats is huge.
There's the squad, I feel that it's pretty well balanced and efficient at what it's supposed to do. To give a better idea of how I play this team, right from Team Preview I try to #1 decide which member of the team is the most threatening to my opponent and #2 decide if I have any obvious win conditions (often times, a Rock Polish with Rhydon, or SD then break for Sawk/Scyther to clean). I usually lead with the member that is most immediately threatening to my opponent. For example, if I see that 5/6ths of their team cannot take a Close Combat from Sawk, I lead Sawk. If nothing stands out to me at Team Preview, I may lead Scyther to immediately gain momentum or Mesprit to get my rocks and immediately begin pressuring my opponent, assuming they have no way to stop it. The beauty of this team is that there are many potential leads, so you don't need to always begin a match the same way. Always take into account the team match-up before selecting a lead. From this point it's all a matter of keeping up momentum with Scyther, Mesprit, and Lanturn while sneaking in big hits with Sawk and Rhydon whenever the opponent slips up and gives an opening. If you can Volt-Switch/U-Turn on their switch to a Psychic/Ghost type that prevents you from putting in that work with Sawk/Rhydon, Skuntank can either come in and pursuit trap the more offensive ones, or shut them down with Taunt if they happen to be running something such as Gourgeist, before proceeding to trap them. Early/Mid-Game, Rhydon can break down fat defensive cores with a +2 from Swords Dance, while late-game, Rhydon comes in on a U-Turn/Sack and sets up on a huge number of common mons such as Archeops, Tauros, Skuntank, Kangaskhan, etc. and cleans with Rock Polish. Sawk can function as a win condition even against faster threats, provided you can keep sturdy intact. Mesprit provides Stealth Rock support in addition to acting as a defensive pivot that can either catch annoying Quagsire that would otherwise put a stop to Rhydon and indeed much of the team if played correctly, or revitalize one of the other team members that may have taken damage earlier on in the match that prevents it from cleaning up.
One final thing to add, DON'T just mindlessly click U-Turn/Volt-Switch! Yes, momentum is important to this team and there are plenty of things on the team to abuse it, but if for example you lose nothing by clicking Psychic with Mesprit, then click Psychic! It's easy to just mindlessly click U-Turn (I was definitely guilty when I first started with this team) but remember that it's not always the best play. Be mindful of the situation, as a smart opponent will eventually begin to adapt.
Threats
Fuck this thing lol. Quagsire can eat an Earthquake from Rhydon regardless of boosts due to its unaware, and KO back with Scald. It's important to make sure that this thing never gets a chance to recover throughout the match, or things can get ugly very quickly. Although Sawk can 2HKO it with ease, a smart player isn't switching this into Sawk once they realized it's banded.
While this team has a good switch into Shiftry in the form of Skuntank, should you choose not to run Poison Jab then in the best case scenario you're trading Skuntank for Shiftry, which isn't always ideal. Poison Jab clears up this issue, but then you aren't nearly as threatening to psychic types. Scyther dies to LO Sucker Punch after rocks, to make matters worse. While easily revengable, this thing is practically guaranteed a kill vs this team, bar running Poison Jab Skuntank.
Another Grass-Type threat to the squad is the Bae, Lilligant. When the best way to handle it is to not let it come in, you know you could be in for a rough time. Sleep Powder ensures at least one boost 75% of the time, and Scyther is practically always OHKO'd by HP Fire/Ice at +1 with Life Orb. Skuntank is probably the best answer this team has to at the very least secure some damage, being 3HKO'd by Giga Drain and Hidden Power. However if no prior damage has been dealt and Sturdy on Sawk is broken, you're basically forced to lock yourself into Banded Quick-Attack, which can be a huge problem depending on your opponents team.
Both these hard hitting Water-Types put immense pressure on Lanturn, and while it can handle the special sets of both these monsters, it's the physical set where things start to fall apart a bit. Samurott in particular has a reasonable chance to OHKO with +2 Megahorn after just ONE SR switch in. Basculin is a bit less threatening, however Lanturn isn't going to appreciate repeated Zen Headbutts/Superpowers either. These mons, SD Samurott specifically, can run through the team with a bit of prior damage so be very careful about allowing free switches and setup opportunities!
Additionally, Sun and Rain can be very dangerous to face off against. While Skuntank can taunt slower weather setters, there's very little you can do to prevent at least one round of weather, due to the prevalence of Liepard. Rain isn't as bad, because outside of rain you have checks to common rain abusers such as Ludicolo, Poliwrath, Gorebyss, etc. and can stall rain turns with some intelligent play. Sun, however, is pretty horrible as your only switch-in to Victrebell is Skuntank, which gets murked by Weather Ball. Mesprit takes the hit pretty comfortably and OHKOs in return but by this point you've most likely allowed something to be put to sleep, sacked a mon, and took a huge hit on Mesprit as well. It makes for an uphill battle, to say the least. Hazard control is very important in these matches. Due to the lack of bulk on most weather teams, Sturdy Sawk is all but guaranteed to come into play at some point, as it's much harder to win these games without relying on it get a guaranteed kill on at least one of their offensive threats.
Well, I think that just about wraps up my first RMT. Thanks for reading :] any and all feedback is much appreciated.
