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Disclaimer: These beasts were carefully hand-picked while experimenting with dumb strong physical wallbreakers like
the Goon (might build more around him, he has the sauce) and guts Conk.
Eventually Banded Aegi became the starting point of choice, and in conjunction with Kommo-o (aptly named Paarthurnax) they've got what it takes to tear up some ladder.
Here's what followed.
THE TEAM
IN DETAIL
Aegislash @ Choice Band
Ability: Stance Change
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Shadow Sneak
- Iron Head
- Close Combat
- Head Smash / Shadow Claw
Good old Aegi never aegies, stupid powerful CB mon that one-shots EVERY single fairy (bar Grimmsnarl under reflect) with Iron Head,
and has coverage to 2HKO pretty much everything else.
Shadow claw is the most spammable move but head smash is the strongest move this set could have, so there's reasons for running both. Sneak is very strong and often cleans late game. CC for big damage on Ferro and 50ish to Toad.
The mon is very powerful and often has opportunities to come in and start breaking but shouldnt be brought in too lightly as it relies a lot on prediction to be effective. Another potential problem with Aegi is that it can invite in one of the biggest threats in this metagame, Hydreigon.
Hence:
Sylveon @ Leftovers
Ability: Pixilate
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Moonblast
- Wish
- Protect
- Mystical Fire
Sylveon is here mostly to not get steamrolled by Hydre. EVs let it comfortably live a +2 life orb Flash Cannon after rocks and OHKO back. Max SpD to have more room to breathe in case you're fighting Hydre+Dragapult (who is also hard walled on every set except for LO mixed attacker with Iron Tail).
Moonblast is chosen over Hyper Voice because I lost to a Soundproof Kommo-o once and decided once was enough. This means you can't give Hydreigon two free turns (Sub + NP) so basically go hard into Sylv as soon as it comes out and click Moonblast until it dies or switches out.
In order for it to not be useless throughout the game, Wish+Proect allows it to pivot into or check opposing fairies like LO Hatterene or Clef as you wish pass around. Mystical fire reduces their damage output, as well as pressuring Ferro and Corv that might want to come in.
All in all, pretty standard fairy set, and Sylv pulls its weight more often than not. At this point a stealth rocker was needed.
Seismitoad @ Leftovers
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 252 HP / 44 Atk / 212 Def
Adamant Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Scald
- Earthquake
- Toxic
Obligatory Toad. Walls dracovish, helps with rain, always takes two hits to kill, spreads status, nothing new here.
EVs look weird but guarantee the KO on Cinderace with EQ, which is a scary threat for this build.
Toxic over Protect because wearing down opposing toads and other random threats like most rotoms is a priority for the team.
Time to get some pivots in the mix.
Rotom-Heat @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Overheat
- Volt Switch
- Nasty Plot
- Thunder Wave / Discharge
Lowkey the MVP. Pivot that is always crucial in dealing with Corv, Hippowdon, Toxapex, Clef and many more threats.
EVs to maximise offensive power as the typing and natural bulk is often enough to check what it needs to. Also max speed allows it to revenge kill a plethora of mons hovering below the 85 range.
Boots to switch in as often as possible to threaten mons out and gain initiative, and Wishes from Sylveon make up for the lack of recovery. It's often very useful to bluff the scarf trick set early game to get even more mileage in the long run.
Nasty Plot is huge for gaining momentum on walls and is what allows Rotom to act as both a breaker and a pivot. Twave is a nice tech in the fourth slot that cripples dragons that want to come in to set up or fire big hits. However it isnt used often and another move like Discharge may be more beneficial.
Corviknight @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 196 HP / 64 Def / 196 SpD / 52 Spe
Impish Nature
- Brave Bird
- Roost
- Defog
- U-turn
Corv's main role is Defogging (mainly Webs and Tspikes), but finds plenty of utility as a defensive pivot and as a secondary check to dragons and fairies. he's often the one to take scalds and knock offs, as he has reliable recovery and finds plenty of opportunities to get back to full if needed.
EV spread is rather convoluted but basically attempts to have the best SpDef possible while tanking a couple hits from Obstagoon and Conk, HUGE threats to the team, and outspeeding some low investment Clefs. Speed EVs need some work though.
Brave Bird is the offensive option of choice to severely weaken guts wallbreakers and deal the most damage to ferro, as Body Press would result weak with this investment. U-turn is needed as an unstoppable pivot move to get the breakers in for free.
Paarthurnax (Kommo-o) @ Throat Spray
Ability: Bulletproof
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Clangorous Soul
- Clanging Scales
- Flamethrower
- Flash Cannon
Last but not least, after a bunch of previous iterations the team was severely lacking in offensive presence, and needed a fast and bulky setup sweeper to cover some holes and finish games off. Kommo-o fits the role very nicely as it takes full advantage of Aegislash's pressure on fairies and fat mons in general, and appreciates the setup opportunities granted by the two pivots. The set is very standard and tries to get maximum coverage to finish the sweep as once you get started as its almost impossible to set up twice.
Bulletproof is the ability of choice to set up on choice-locked ghosts (Gengar, Dragapult) that attempt to revenge kill Aegislash with Shadow Ball. It also blocks Pyro Ball from Cinderace and can set up on sets lacking HJK with ease. Throat Spray boosts SpA further when using Clangorous Soul and is what really makes this set scary to face. EVs maximise speed and allow Kommo-o to outspeed every unboosted mon in the tier. Some can be taken off for more bulk but its nice to have maximum speed when not boosted to speed tie with opposing Kommo-o.
Sometimes Clangorous Soul can be used midgame to pave the way for a Shadow Sneak sweep, but it's hard to make sure it won't be revenge killed before it can do enough damage for it to be worth it, so it's usually advisable to leave for late game.
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-Obstagoon: Faster than everything, OHKOs everything bar Corviknight and Toad and is immune to shadow sneak. Bulk up variants are even scarier as they beat Corv 1v1. Kill it by any means, which often means letting Toad die to EQ for 50ish and hope it burns itself down.
-Conkeldurr: Similar to Obstagoon as it OHKOs everything except for burd and toed. It's slower but Drain Punch means chip damage won't be enough. Corv will have to Brave Bird it every single time or it will run through the team.
-Grimmsnarl: Lives even Banded Iron Head and can set up both screens. If alive it can Twave Kommo-o and immediately end the sweep. Bulk Up sets are also pretty scary as they tend to wear the team down.
-Bisharp: This is the main reason why Kommo-o was chosen after a hard 6-0. Matchup is better now but can easily break the team without aggressive counterplay
-Excadrill (mold breaker): If corv has to go down to beat a Conkeldurr or for whatever reason the only thing that can take a hit is Toad, and it can be easy to wear it down. Not the biggest threat but scary nonetheless
-Stall matchup: The team has no dedicated stallbreaker and it can easily lose all momentum accumulated with a few misreads. Rotom-H has the potential to break most builds with Nasty Plot but limited overheats means it needs to be played perfectly. Wish support for it will be crucial.
Aegislash @ Choice Band
Ability: Stance Change
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Shadow Sneak
- Iron Head
- Head Smash
- Close Combat
Sylveon @ Leftovers
Ability: Pixilate
EVs: 252 HP / 44 Def / 212 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Moonblast
- Wish
- Protect
- Mystical Fire
Seismitoad @ Leftovers
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 252 HP / 44 Atk / 212 Def
Adamant Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Scald
- Earthquake
- Toxic
Rotom-Heat @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Overheat
- Volt Switch
- Nasty Plot
- Thunder Wave
Corviknight @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 196 HP / 64 Def / 196 SpD / 52 Spe
Impish Nature
- Brave Bird
- Roost
- Defog
- U-turn
Paarthurnax (Kommo-o) @ Throat Spray
Ability: Bulletproof
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Clangorous Soul
- Clanging Scales
- Flamethrower
- Flash Cannon
Ability: Stance Change
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Shadow Sneak
- Iron Head
- Head Smash
- Close Combat
Sylveon @ Leftovers
Ability: Pixilate
EVs: 252 HP / 44 Def / 212 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Moonblast
- Wish
- Protect
- Mystical Fire
Seismitoad @ Leftovers
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 252 HP / 44 Atk / 212 Def
Adamant Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Scald
- Earthquake
- Toxic
Rotom-Heat @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Overheat
- Volt Switch
- Nasty Plot
- Thunder Wave
Corviknight @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 196 HP / 64 Def / 196 SpD / 52 Spe
Impish Nature
- Brave Bird
- Roost
- Defog
- U-turn
Paarthurnax (Kommo-o) @ Throat Spray
Ability: Bulletproof
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Clangorous Soul
- Clanging Scales
- Flamethrower
- Flash Cannon
FINAL WORDS
The team is by no means perfect but it definitely has more than some merits. I'll be reading and evaluating all suggestions to try and get this to the next level.
Hope you enjoy using it on ladder.
