My last post here was a Haxorus team, and now I'm using another team built around another outclassed and off-meta mon: Blacephalon! Though it's outclassed by the resident ghost horse, I've found its Choice Specs set to be incredibly powerful, especially with its 151 spA, though the scarf set seems to be more popular, since its speed tier is unfortunately rather middling. However, several assets Blacephalon sport are that it stays in on Rillaboom(at near full HP), and has access to Trick, an extremely valuable move on a choiced Pokemon, especially a Fire-type walled by Blissey. Getting free Heavy-Duty Boots and crippling its main wall is certainly a point in its favor. I had a lot of fun building this team, and it's quite fun to use on the ladder. Here's the team!
Blacephalon @ Choice Specs
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Overheat
- Trick
- Shadow Ball
- Flamethrower
The 'mon this team is structured around, Blacephalon busts holes in a ton of Pokemon with Choice Specs Overheat. It can come in and usually nab a ton of chip on Heatranless teams, with Shadow Ball for its other STAB move for incoming Toxapex/Swampert, or a more reliable move versus teams with Heatran. Flamethrower is weaker, but can't miss and doesn't drop SpA, and can be useful in certain endgame situations. Trick is for Blissey and a few other walls. I've used Blacephalon mostly to heavily chip or outright OHKO opposing Pokemon, not as a sweeper or cleaner, since most teams have enough speed to outpace Blace.
Rillaboom @ Life Orb
Ability: Grassy Surge
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Grassy Glide
- Superpower
- Knock Off
Rillaboom helps to back Blacephalon up by annihilating Water-types that want to wall it. Passive recovery is also good for Blacephalon and Swampert. Swords Dance Rillaboom is my favorite set. It annihilates sand and rain and is great in most endgames, as well as bringing great speed control to the team. Superpower is for Ferrothorn, Heatran, Corviknight, and Mandibuzz (a chipped Mandibuzz/Corviknight falls to a +2 Superpower). Knock Off is for things like Amoonguss, and any Ghost types.
Swampert @ Leftovers
Ability: Damp
EVs: 252 HP / 128 Def / 128 SpD
Careful Nature
- Protect
- Flip Turn
- High Horsepower
- Stealth Rock
Swampert rounds out the Fire/Water/Grass core, provides Stealth Rock, and a reliable Cinderace check to the team, as well as a decent blanket specially defensive team member. Protect gets it up to 12 percent recovery with Grassy Terrain up while also being useful for blocking High Jump Kicks from Cinderace, and because it needs the terrain for recovery, it's running High Horsepower over Earthquake. Flip Turn is a great pivot move that it's clicking a lot to get some residual damage and keep momentum up. Its Ground typing helps to balance out the electric weakness of two other members of the team.
Zapdos-Galar @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Defiant
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Close Combat
- Brave Bird
- U-turn
- Stomping Tantrum
Gapdos is great against opposing Defogs, as the only defogger it can't touch is Zapdos, the rest being susceptible to Brave Birds or Close Combats to the face.The scarf set provides speed control, and is especially great against opposing breakers like Kartana. It gets U-turn for momentum, and can even threaten things like Tapu Koko with Stomping Tantrum. Having Gapdos in the back sometimes keeps rocks up with the sheer threat of it coming onto the field.
Hydreigon @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 124 HP / 132 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Nasty Plot
- Dark Pulse
- Earth Power
- Roost
Hydreigon is extremely threatening against most fatter teams, though it sometimes lacks in the speed department. It also acts as a check to Spectrier. Hydreigon on its own can bust holes in opposing teams. Roost is for longevity, and Earth Power is for Toxapex, Melmetal, Heatran, and some other ground weaknesses. Dark Pulse and Nasty Plot are self-explanatory.
Corviknight @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Impish Nature
- U-turn
- Roost
- Brave Bird
- Defog
Corviknight is an effective wall, and Swampert shores up its weakness to Cinderace. It's the defogger of the team, and a blanket physical wall. It's great against Excadrill, Landorus-Therian, Rillaboom, Melmetal, and non-SD Kartana. It also provides momentum for the team in U-turn.
THREATS
- Even Hydreigon sometimes isn't enough against the SubDisable and SubWisp sets especially, and if Rillaboom is down it can be a real struggle to deal with. Even if Rilla is up, Spectrier or its team can always burn it. Really one of this team's worst matchups.
Generally difficult to break. Stonewalls unboosted Rillaboom and Hydreigon. Blacephalon can deal with it, but it is weak to its attacks, so it can only even try to break it when assured of a KO.
- Dragonspam teams usually try to remove Corviknight as fast as possible. Without it, the team crumbles rather quickly to dragons(since Hydreigon isn't all that fast), although Zapdos-Galar can help defeat them to some degree.
+ - This core is extremely threatening, especially when you don't know (or don't think you know) the Landorus set. In the replay below, I misplayed ridiculously hard by A) forgetting the Landorus wasn't scarf and B) allowing Zapdos to die. I barely squeaked by with some Roost Hydreigon plays, but this core can be hard to deal with, especially when you misplay against it.
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8ou-1260833036-inmmf787oxxo91fj7f8108l8p0ryiz0pw
- Clefable crumbles to Blacephalon, but late in the game, if Rillaboom and Blace are down, it can be difficult to break the physically defensive set. Unaware is also a problem, as Hydreigon can't even try to hit it with a +2 Earth Power. Smartly played, Clefable is easy to deal with, though.
- Hits like a truck and easily KO's most of the team. Offensive play is the only way to fight it.
- Broken. Setup and Specs can tear holes in the team, but play from Blace and Pert can help a lot.
Team Paste: https://pokepast.es/21bb4c4cb5798bd4
I'd love to hear your thoughts on this, and suggestions for improving the team!
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