Project OM Matchmaking - On Hiatus Until gen 9

:Eternatus:
Eternatus @ Metronome
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 20 HP / 248 Def / 8 SpA / 232 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Dragon Pulse
- Sludge Bomb
- Flamethrower
- Recover

Eternatus is a nice partner for Pheromosa because it harasses Pheromosa's most common answers in Ho-oh and Toxapex and can take on many Ate Extreme Speed users like Entei, Arcanine, Regieleki, and Dragonite if it has mega'd. On the flip side, Pheromosa does an excellent job forcing out Mews, Blissey, Excadrill, and Kyurem that can all force out Eternatus and prevent it from snowballing through teams with Metronome. The spread is EV'd to live two Altarianite Entei Extreme Speeds even after a burn and the speed is to outpace Salamencite Landorus-Therian so Eternatus is able to take it out with a bit of prior chip or if it gets a few turns of Metronome Dragon Pulse rolling on another target. Metronome is such a strong item on Eternatus in Mix and Mega because it is able to freely come in on so many defensive Mons and not only harass them with Pressure and fish for a poison with Sludge Bomb or a burn with Flamethrower, it is able to do both of those things while continuously strengthening its moves from a very high base special attack stat. Although Metronome's stacking starts slow, it snowballs faster than you would expect and transforms Eternatus from just a bulky Pressure tank to a bulky Pressure tank that is also capable of leveling entire teams if you don't have something to stop it quick.
 

in the hills

spreading confusion
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Thank you to the few who submitted; the submissions are as follows:
:landorus-therian: drampa's grandpa with Salamencite Landorus-Therian
:spectrier: Flaming Deoxys with Manectite Spectrier
:tapu lele: Chazm with Diancite Tapu Lele
:eternatus: Andyboy with Metronome Eternatus
Voting closes 12/6. As always you may vote if you have submitted as long as you don't vote for yourself. As usual I'll use my vote as an example
1. drampa’s grandpa
2. Chazm
3. Andyboy
 

in the hills

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Congrats to Andyboy for winning, with drampa's grandpa and Chazm tying for second! Week 10 is Almost Any Ability...
Week 10: Tough Claws Zeraora (Almost Any Ability)
:ss/Zeraora:

Zeraora @ Expert Belt
Ability: Tough Claws
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Plasma Fists
- Knock Off
- Close Combat
- Grass Knot​
Submissions close 12/11. As always you have 24 hours to finish reservations, so make sure to finish reservations in a timely manner.
 
Zapdos-Galar @ Life Orb
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Bulk Up
- Thunderous Kick
- Brave Bird
- Taunt

MGLO Zapdos-Galar is an excellent partner for Zeraora. It covers many Pokemon that would otherwise give Zeraora trouble, like Tapu Bulu, Zarude, and Kommo-O, without giving up momentum or neccesitating a passive wall. It can also put heavy pressure on defensive checks to Zeraora like Dauntless Shield Mew or Rotom, as these pokemon usually cannot check both Zeraora and Zapdos-Galar over the course of the game. Thanks to its access to taunt and excellent typing, Zapdos is also able to prevent many common forms of hazard setting and clearing for Zeraora, which makes it easier for Zeroara to do its job over the course of the game. In return, Zeraora covers many of Zapdos' checks like Zapdos and Noivern decently well and can use knock off to remove leftovers on shared checks, making it easier for Zapdos-Galar to bypass them.
 

Eli

any?
is a Battle Simulator Moderator
:tapu fini:
Tapu Fini @ Leftovers
Ability: Grassy Surge
EVs: 252 HP / 204 Def / 52 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Moonblast
- Taunt
- Protect

Earthquake is weakened by Grassy Terrain, which is good for making Zeraora harder to take out, along with the healing Grassy Terrain provides. The Speed EVs outspeed zero investment Landorus-Therian, making Tapu Fini good for switching in on it and being able to burn it with Scald while also doing good damage. Protect gives it an extra turn of healing while also scouting out moves and potentially abilities such as -ate abilities, which is helpful when dealing with Landorus-Therian. The weakened Earthquake alongside STAB Moonblast from Tapu Fini makes it a good switch in on Garchomp, with which Zeraora struggles. Taunt keeps things like Toxapex and Mew from healing, and other Pokemon like Tapu Fini from setting up.

Zeraora takes on other Water types for Tapu Fini, like other Tapu Fini, Swampert, and Toxapex. Zeraora can break through things like Chansey and Kyurem with Close Combat for Tapu Fini. Zeraora frees up the Taunt slot for Tapu Fini by being able to run Knock Off well on its own. It just works as a nice general breaker for Tapu Fini.
 

OM

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3rd

Kyurem @ King's Rock
Ability: Skill Link
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Roost
- Icicle Spear
- Freeze-Dry​

Kyurem does kyurem things. Thanks to Ice STAB it can force out the two big zeraora checks of Bulu / Lando (which you outspeed and ohko unless they're scarfed), and king's rock + skill link + ddance can help you break past some of the bulkier mons like hippo (or maybe mew but I'm sure that's like w/e the flinch chance is) and especially volt absorb mons like corviknight or moltres, whilst freeze dry makes sure volt absorb pex doesn't just sit on you and click buttons.
 
:noivern:
Noivern @ Choice Specs
Ability: Aerilate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Boomburst
- Switcheroo
- U-turn
- Roost

Yeaah sorry I had to do it. Noivern and Zeraora form an excellent speed control core, you really can't go wrong when using those two together. Zeraora threatens Pokemon that Noivern U-Turns on, namely Chansey/Blissey, Corviknight, Zapdos, Snorlax and Nihilego ; while Noivern is immune to Earthquakes that threaten Zeraora. If Noivern has a good matchup, doubling into Noivern on the incoming Zeraora check is one of the easiest things to do, as Noivern threatens all Zeraora checks (Bulu, Mew, Garchomp, Landorus-T) and claims with Boomburst.
 

in the hills

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:ss/mew:
Mew @ Leftovers
Ability: Unaware
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Ice Beam
- Spikes
- Skill Swap
- Roost
Unaware Mew is a good partner with Zeraora since it can cover switchins to Zeraora such as Garchomp and Landorus-T. Spikes are useful at chipping Zeraora's switchins as well or let Zeraora secure KOs on threats more safely. Skill Swap is for Poison Heal Pokemon such as Snorlax and Tapu Fini, though in a pinch Mew could remove Volt Absorb from a defensive check to Zeraora. On the other hand, Zeraora is able to support Mew by threatening Tapu Fini, Corviknight, and non-Volt Absorb Toxapex.

Closing submissions in about half an hour, so hurry if you have any last minute submissions.
 

Isaiah

Here today, gone tomorrow
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UM/OM Leader
Sorry for the post at the eleventh hour (literally), but I couldn't go without posting...
Him.
:ss/Tapu Bulu:
Tapu Bulu @ Life Orb
Ability: Triage
EVs: 232 HP / 252 Atk / 24 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Horn Leech
- Close Combat
- Darkest Lariat / Stone Edge

*Note: EVs are variable. They can be pretty much anything you want as long as they serve a tenable purpose. I've seen things like jolly max speed and even some defensive sets.*

Why: One of Zeraora's biggest claims to fame is that in gen 8, it's able to cram coverage against a variety of pokemon into one set. Bulu amplifies this in several ways, namely in that it finds setup opportunities versus several Zeraora checks: Landorus-T, Garchomp, Mew, [opposing Tapu Bulus] all tend to be setup fodder or cleanly 2hkoed even before a Swords Dance. Additionally, Tapu Bulu is able to take advantage of potential volt absorbers like Moltres/Corviknight and overpower them with Swords Dance boosted coverage moves on the switch, or serve as a form of secondary speed control in a meta where stacking speedy threats is extremely favorable. It's just as noteworthy that some of the fastest non-choiced mons in the tier (Barraskewda, Weavile, Spectrier, Zeraora itself, Noivern) and even some prominent scarfers like Victini are blasted to smithereens by Bulu's coverage, meaning that it brings a certain surprise factor to the table--all of which only helps Zera's theme of coverage-for-all. Lastly, while any typing that includes grass doesn't immediately come off as tanky, the fact is that Bulu's naturally decent 70/115/95 bulk when combined with Fairy/Grass means it's actually able to consistently threaten Swords Dances against virtually anything it has resistances to and break opposing teams..

How: An extremely important reason why Tapu Bulu suits Zeraora so ideally as a partner is that unlike other viable Zera partners [such as some of the ones mentioned above], it doesn't compound weaknesses that teams shouldn't already have general blanket checks/counters to. Bulu serves as a ground resist and dragon immunity, but other than that: Running answers to common Fire, Ice, and Flying attackers especially is something that every team should have regardless of what its breakers are, and teammates who fulfill those roles are very easy to find (*cough* Tapu Fini/Swampert/Blissey-Chansey/Heatran/Jirachi/Koko/co.). This means that having Bulu as a teammate doesn't mandate support past what one would expect to need. This is a huge boon in AAA because with some mons enjoying a monopoly on role compression and others struggling to check opposing breakers on their own, preserving as many open slots in the builder as possible is always beneficial.

So: Zeraora + Tapu Bulu = kill 'em dead. Together they offer an offensive core that leaves plenty of room for finesse on which teammates can be used, and they aren't such high maintenance that they lead to limited teambuilds.
 

in the hills

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is a Top Artistis a Site Content Manager Alumnusis a Social Media Contributor Alumnusis a Senior Staff Member Alumnusis a Community Contributor Alumnusis a Contributor Alumnusis a Smogon Media Contributor Alumnusis a Battle Simulator Moderator Alumnus
Thank you to all who submitted! The submissions are as follows:
:zapdos-galar: Quantum Tesseract with Magic Guard Zapdos-Galar
:tapu fini: Flaming Deoxys with Grassy Terrain Tapu Fini
:kyurem: OM with Skill Link Kyurem
:noivern: Atha with Aerilate Noivern
:mew: In The Hills with Unaware Mew
:tapu bulu: Thinkerino with Triage Tapu Bulu
Submissions close 12/13. As always you can vote if you submitted a set as long as you don't vote for yourself, and as usual I'll use my vote as an example
1. Flaming Deoxys
2. Thinkerino
3. Atha
 

in the hills

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Congrats to Flaming Deoxys for winning! Thinkerino comes in second with Quantum Tesseract in 3rd. Next week is BH...
Week 11: Zacian-Crowned (Balanced Hackmons)
:ss/zacian-crowned:

Zacian-Crowned @ Rusted Sword
Ability: Intrepid Sword
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Sunsteel Strike
- Bolt Beak
- Glacial Lance
- Stealth Rock​
You have until 12/18 to submit your best partner for Zacian-Crowned! As always reservations last for 24 hours so make sure to post in a timely manner
 

berry

what kind
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Fur Coat Zamazenta-Crowned
:ss/zamazenta-crowned:
Zamazenta-Crowned @ Leftovers
Ability: Fur Coat
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Anchor Shot
- Spectral Thief
- Roost
- Teleport

The other crowned dog is the perfect partner for Zacian-Crowned. Its incredible Fighting / Steel typing serves both as a great imposterproof, resisting Zacian's main offensive STAB in Sunsteel Strike, as well as taking neutral-at-best damage from its boltbeam coverage. With Spectral taking their boosts and 50% recovery, you can easily outheal and drop the opponent's attack while trapping the imposter and securing a kill on non-shed shell imps. Teleport is taken as the last slot to ensure a slow pivot into Zacian or other offensive powerhouses that don't want to take hits.

Moveset Alternatives:
Rapid Spin > Specthief - Use this in case you feel you're comfortable enough just clicking recover to stall out boosted zacians, or you want to use another item other than lefties.
Rapid Spin > Teleport - Use this if you want the set to trap itself as an imposter, or if you have enough defensive pivots to get in Zacian safe.
King's Shield > Specthief - Use this to have a better matchup vs revenge imposters and to make yourself less of a target for other specthief mons​

imp zaci-c calcs
+2 252 Atk Zacian-Crowned Sunsteel Strike vs. 248 HP / 252+ Def Zamazenta-Crowned: 110-130 (28.4 - 33.5%) -- 95.9% chance to 4HKO after Leftovers recovery
+2 252 Atk Zacian-Crowned Bolt Beak (170 BP) vs. 248 HP / 252+ Def Fur Coat Zamazenta-Crowned: 125-148 (32.2 - 38.2%) -- 1.6% chance to 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
+2 252 Atk Zacian-Crowned Glacial Lance vs. 248 HP / 252+ Def Fur Coat Zamazenta-Crowned: 48-57 (12.4 - 14.7%) -- possibly the worst move ever


Cool Alternates (not boring)
v-create > teleport for a decently well self-improofed set, you also get a better mu vs stuff like zacian because you have a chance to nuke it
252 Atk Chansey V-create vs. 248 HP / 252+ Def Fur Coat Zamazenta-Crowned: 110-130 (28.4 - 33.5%) -- 0.1% chance to 3HKO (chansey imposter vs your own zama, you can king's shield and recovery stall this pretty easily).

252 Atk Zamazenta-Crowned V-create vs. 248 HP / 252 Def Zacian-Crowned: 282-332 (72.8 - 85.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
you do a nice amount to zacian pretty easily. V-Create has a 75% chance to KO after a minimum roll (24.2%) anchor shot, the only time you're not KOing is pretty much when you get 2 min rolls

252 Atk Zamazenta-Crowned V-create vs. 252 HP / 252 Def Eviolite Chansey: 190-224 (26.9 - 31.8%) -- guaranteed 4HKO
you do a chunk to zacian imps as well, not too bad if they don't have healing. Does up to 60 when you specthiefed their +2, not too shabby

The Cool Alternate Set (not boring) (this mon has such 4mss don't run rapid spin on this set it's unviable)
offensive chad zama-c


Zamazenta-Crowned @ Leftovers
Ability: Fur Coat
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Spectral Thief
- Roost
- V-create
- Anchor Shot​


writing this let me find out that fur coat doesn't double body press' damage that move sucks
 
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Eli

any?
is a Battle Simulator Moderator
Calyrex-Shadow @ Choice Specs
Ability: Adaptability
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Astral Barrage
- Psystrike
- Fleur Cannon
- Volt Switch

ok this thing is broken so it goes well with just about anything

Zacian-Crowned puts up Stealth Rock for it, letting it break anything more easily. It switches in on and weakens or kills Dark types attempting to do anything about Calyrex-Shadow, like Yveltal. Zacian-Crowned also kills off a lot of specially defensive Pokemon that Calyrex-Shadow has issues with taking down on its own, like non-Volt Absorb Ho-Oh or Snorlax. Calyrex-Shadow does the same sort of thing for Zacian-Crowned, but on the special side. It beats up Zamazenta-Crowned, if it isn't Ice Scales, and even other Zacian-Crowned, which it has a good chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock damage, all while outspeeding it if it lives. It 2HKOs about everything else Zacian-Crowned might not be able to, getting it in range for itself or Zacian-Crowned to kill of easily, same with the other way around. They just nuke stuff together :bloblul:
 
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Champion Leon

Banned deucer.
Reserving Pheromosa:

Pheromosa @ Expert Belt
Ability: Tough Claws
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Close Combat
- U-Turn
- V-Create
- Wicked Blow

Covering what Zacian-C cannot, Pheromosa breaks past the Steels that wall it’s Steel and Ice Coverage, can easily pivot to add chip damage, and ultimately amplifies hazard chip damage by forcing out foes when sending in their checks to accumulate the Stealth Rock damage set by Zacian-C.

Wicked Blow handles the Calyrex-S that can outspeed Zacian-C, as they can pack a mean Blue Flare for its Specs sets, and of course can be slow pivoted in to surprise its enemies. Wicked Blow also handles Strength Sap Prankster Giratina, enabling it to maintain damage while healing Giratina less HP per Strength Sap.

With Zacian-C’s Glacial Lance, Sunsteel, and Bolt Beak handling the Zygarde-C, Fairies like Xerneas, and Flying types like Ho-Oh that tend to survive Pheromosa’a other attacks, their coverage works well, as do their utility hazards, and pivoting, respectively.

Easily Improofed by Fur Coat mons that take nuetral or resisted hits, such as Fur Coat Eternatus, or Zygarde-C.
 
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cityscapes

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:xy/xerneas:
Xerneas @ Toxic Orb
Ability: Poison Heal
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest / Timid / Bold Nature
- Nasty Plot
- Strength Sap
- Nuzzle
- Moonblast

2 of the big struggles zac has are not killing regi and not killing gira while both can click spectral in return and own you. this cool xern set fixes both of these problems, you beat regi thanks to sap and arent scared of gira's spectral at all thanks to being np>qd. nuzzle was added due to calyrex but has various uses including breaking through various ice scales users, zamac, and hooh.

if you want, you could run a similar set with pixilate like boots, and zacc can similarly be modified to have spikes>rocks which eases your job a bit. at the very least you want spikes somewhere and knock for sure. for a really funny improof you have boots volt absorb victini which handles both xern and zac although youll need a hard calyrex answer if you run him

heres a game i just had vs some random ladder dude with a team i threw together https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8balancedhackmons-1243678790 zac didnt do a ton but it still had a really solid lategame presence and obviously has an incredible mu vs paralyzed imposter
 

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