Partner This Pokemon: USM CAP Edition! - Week 6 (Tapu Koko)

[LucarioOfLegends]

Approved by cbrevan and snake_rattler
OP mostly based from [Gen 7] Partner This Pokemon: SM CAP Edition

Partner This Pokemon

USM CAP Edition!

​

Hello, and welcome to Partner this Pokemon, hosted by yours truly. Each week, I will present a Pokemon from the USM CAP Metagame, and you, the community, will submit a Pokemon that you think serves as a great partner through its type, roles, movepool, or any other factor that the Pokemon carries. These Pokemon can be relevant powerhouses, CAP staples, or underrated Pokemon in the metagame, as long as they are good partners to the presented Pokemon. You will be be submitting a specific set for the partner you are arguing, as well as a description explaining why they are so great. At the end of each week, you will be voting on the submissions, and whoever gets the most votes will have their submission immortalized into the Hall of Fame!

Schedule:

1. Five [5] days of submissions of partners for that week's Pokemon
2. Two [2] days of voting for what you believe is the best partner

Submissions:

• A Sprite of your submitted Pokemon.
• The set of your submitted Pokemon and of the parent Pokemon, since they will not have a specific set for a broader range of submissions. Preferably put these in a hide tag.
• An explanation for why your submitted Pokemon makes a great partner, preferably in a hide tag.

Example Submission

Set

Tapu Bulu @ Choice Band
Ability: Grassy Surge
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Horn Leech
- Wood Hammer
- Stone Edge
- Superpower

Mollux @ Leftovers
Ability: Dry Skin
EVs: 248 HP / 8 SpA / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
- Lava Plume
- Sludge Bomb
- Recover
- Heal Bell

Explanation

Through Grassy Terrain, Tapu Bulu is able to help Mollux tank Earthquakes much better and help Mollux's longevity with passive healing. Tapu Bulu is also able to handely defeat Zygarde, who can prove very troublesome for Mollux. In return, Mollux can help shield Bulu from supereffective Fire and Poison type moves, and can heal off harmful status with Heal Bell.

Reservations: You are allowed to get a reservation on a specific set, but these reservations expire after 24 hours. After that, anyone is allowed to take the set for themselves.

Commenting/ Constructive Criticism: Feel free to comment your thoughts on a submitted set or give some constructive criticism, as both are allowed and appreciated!

Winning: If you win, congratulations! Not only do you get bragging rights, but your name and Pokemon will be put into the glorious Hall of Fame!

On Bandwagoning / Namevoting: Please don't do this. Don't feel compelled to vote for some simply because they have a ton of votes already or are a super famous person on Smogon. You should be voting for someone only because you think they have the best partner. If you think it is the best one out there, then vote for it; don't let anything pressure you otherwise. Bandwagoning just ruins the spirit of the competition and isn't cool :[.

On Suggestions: If you have any suggestions for this competition, feel free to contact me via PM! While I can't make any guarantees that your suggestion will be implemented, I know for a fact I will consider it.

Metagame: Unless otherwise stated, this will be taking place inside the USM CAP metagame.

THIS WEEK'S POKEMON​

WEEK 6
Tapu Koko

With a blistering Speed stat and Electric Terrain at its disposal, Tapu Koko is one of the strongest Electric-types in the metagame. Access to both U-turn and Volt Switch also make it a premier pivot, able to generate momentum against a majority of Pokemon present. It can run a multitude of different sets, from a powerful Choice Specs attacker to a Dual Screen utility setter to even the surprising Z-Wild Charge backed off of its respectable attack stat. Plenty of options but only one partner, so what will you choose this week?

Submissions are due by Sunday, 9/16 at 5 PM EST

 

[LucarioOfLegends]

HALL OF FAME
​

Week 1: Mega Crucibelle + Krilowatt by snake_rattler

Sets

Crucibelle-Mega @ Crucibellite
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Head Smash
- Gunk Shot
- U-turn
- Low Kick / Stealth Rock

Krilowatt @ Life Orb
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Discharge
- Ice Beam
- Volt Switch
- Hidden Power [Grass]

Description

Despite their shared weakness to Ground-type moves, Mega Crucibelle and Krilowatt form one of the best Voltturn cores, due to their good bulk and access to Magic Guard, meaning that they can tank hits without having to worry about entry hazard damage. Between Low Kick and Hidden Power Grass, Crucibelle and Krilowatt can remove Voltturn's biggest counters, Ferrothorn and Gastrodon. They can even switch it up and run Wood Hammer and Hidden Power Fire, but that results in decreased overall effectiveness. Anyway, Krilowatt's Discharge is a really awesome move to spam because the paralysis can slow down basically anything into Mega Crucibelle's speed tier. Ground-types barring Scarf Landorus-T that want to switch into Discharge or Volt Switch fear a super effective Ice Beam as well. Mega Crucibelle's set is pretty standard, running STABs + U-turn. The last moveslot is team dependent. Low Kick, as mentioned previously, makes Ferrothorn regret trying to tank a STAB move, but Stealth Rock can be used if no other team member has access to it, and it's a pretty good setter. Add a Ground-type and Electric-type check, like Wish Jumbao or Choice Scarf Jumbao, and you've got a successful core going.

Week 2: Zapdos + Pajantom by Rat With Wings

Sets

Pajantom @ Leftovers
Ability: Comatose
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Spirit Shackle
- Toxic
- Protect
- Heal Block

Zapdos @ Leftovers
Ability: Static
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Volt Switch
- Heat Wave
- Roost
- Defog

Description

Pajantom struggles with sturdy Steels such as Ferrothorn and Celesteela but can trap them using Spirit Shackle which provides Zapdos a very easy switch-in where it can proceed to threaten out steels with Heat Wave, Defog away hazards, heal up safely or even gain momentum with Volt Switch. I've decided to go for Volt Switch over Discharge here because Pajantom likes to Toxic Pokemon like Jumbao and Pyroak so that it can wear them down faster and if they become paralysed then that is no longer an option. Pokemon like Pyroak and Heatran like to come in on Zapdos and so Volt Switching out into Pajantom forces them out.

Week 3: Pyroak + Arghonaut by Mx

Sets

Pyroak @ Leftovers
Ability: Battle Armor
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Lava Plume
- Stealth Rock
- Synthesis
- Earth Power

Arghonaut @ Leftovers
Ability: Unaware
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Knock Off
- Earthquake
- Spikes
- Recover

Description

This core basically compresses a typical Fire/Water/Grass core into just two mons, with Pyroak taking care of Grass, Fairy, Electric and Steel types, while Arghonaut deals with Fire, Water, Rock and Dark. Arghonaut uses a standard Specially defensive EV spread, to reduce the damage from Volkraken and Greninja, while Pyroak invests fully on the physical defense, something unusual in the current meta, as Specially Defensive variants are much more common. However, it still able to check the likes of Krilowatt and Koko, and complements Specially Defensive Arghonaut better. This core also packs both Stealth Rock and Spikes, so they can be used to rack up residual damage against the opponent, which is great in defensive and offensive team alike.

All that being said, there are a lot of ways to break this core, such as Tornadus-T, Tapu Lele and, M-Medicham , just to name a few. Therefore, to make this pair truly shine, you still need some support from other teammates. Zapdos, Mew and Kitsunoh are some of the best options available for this job, but there are many more possibilities, both defensively and offensively to complement this pair.

Week 4: Gliscor + Arghonaut by Heaven Jay

Sets

Arghonaut @ Leftovers
Ability: Unaware
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Scald
- Toxic/Spikes
- Recover
- Circle Throw/Spikes

Gliscor @ Toxic Orb
Ability: Poison Heal
EVs: 252 HP / 144 SpD / 112 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Roost
- Toxic/Swords Dance/Taunt
- Earthquake
- Facade/Stealth Rock

Description

Gliscor and Arghonaut are very good mons on balance builds. Arghonaut covers for gliscor’s water and ice weakness while Gliscor covers Arghonaut’s electric weakness. They both are good hazard setters as well. They are a very hard core to beat down since Argonaut can phase the set up mons while Gliscor can taunt the fat mons.

Week 5: Necturna + Heatran by Drapionswing

Sets

Necturna @ Ghostium Z
Ability: Forewarn
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Power Whip
- Phantom Force
- Substitute
- Shell Smash

Heatran @ Leftovers
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Magma Storm
- Earth Power
- Taunt
- Toxic/Stealth Rock

Description

Heatran is a great partner with Necturna for many reasons. Firstly, the typing is great as Necturna can pressure Pokemon that Heatran doesn't appreciate such as Arghonaut or Zygarde. Killing Heatran with some Pokemon in the late game will give necturna a free setup opportunity thanks to the great typing synergy, this means Landorus-T, Zygarde, Greninja, Volkraken, Gliscor, Lele, Jumbao and Bulu locked into Superpower, and Kartana locked into Sacred Sword all give this potent threat easy set up opportunities. Heatran also provides Necturna with a direct threat to defensive Tomohawk, thus keeping pressure up all game and if you're running Stealth Rock it basically means spinner Hawk is gonna be pressured to do its role immensely. As for defensive synergy, Heatran provides a Fire immunity as well as a Flying resist, both of which Necturna appreciates meaning pokemon like Zapdos, Tornadus or Pyroak are going to be switching out more making them weaker in the late game to get swept by your Phantom Force and less reliant on a Z Move. Also a small note, at +2 spe Phantom Force becomes a reliable stab and with rocks up plus your boost, it becomes increasingly difficult to switch into.

 

[LucarioOfLegends]

WEEK 1

Mega Crucibelle

With its great attack stats, great speed tier, and powerful attacks, Mega Crucibelle emerges as one of the most powerful and common Mega Evolutions in the tier. Its attacks are known to be ruthlessly strong, so switching into it can be quite the struggle. However, its low physical bulk and 4x ground weakness have always been a major drawback, its reliance on inaccurate moves can let it down, and it has been known to struggle against certain steel types. I look forward to the partners you come up with!

Submissions are due Saturday 6/30 7 PM EST​

 

[snake]

Mega Crucibelle + Krilowatt

Crucibelle-Mega @ Crucibellite
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Head Smash
- Gunk Shot
- U-turn
- Low Kick / Stealth Rock

Krilowatt @ Life Orb
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Discharge
- Ice Beam
- Volt Switch
- Hidden Power [Grass]

Explanation

Despite their shared weakness to Ground-type moves, Mega Crucibelle and Krilowatt form one of the best Voltturn cores, due to their good bulk and access to Magic Guard, meaning that they can tank hits without having to worry about entry hazard damage. Between Low Kick and Hidden Power Grass, Crucibelle and Krilowatt can remove Voltturn's biggest counters, Ferrothorn and Gastrodon. They can even switch it up and run Wood Hammer and Hidden Power Fire, but that results in decreased overall effectiveness. Anyway, Krilowatt's Discharge is a really awesome move to spam because the paralysis can slow down basically anything into Mega Crucibelle's speed tier. Ground-types barring Scarf Landorus-T that want to switch into Discharge or Volt Switch fear a super effective Ice Beam as well. Mega Crucibelle's set is pretty standard, running STABs + U-turn. The last moveslot is team dependent. Low Kick, as mentioned previously, makes Ferrothorn regret trying to tank a STAB move, but Stealth Rock can be used if no other team member has access to it, and it's a pretty good setter. Add a Ground-type and Electric-type check, like Wish Jumbao or Choice Scarf Jumbao, and you've got a successful core going.

 

[Granny Pie]

Reserving Landorus.

 

[Rat With Wings]

busted sets

Pajantom @ Leftovers
Ability: Comatose
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpD / 4 Spe
Careful Nature
IVs: 0 SpA
- Spirit Shackle
- Protect
- Heal Block
- Toxic

Crucibelle-Mega @ Crucibellite
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Gunk Shot
- Head Smash
- U-turn

busted explanation

Pajantom Spirit Shackles incoming Fairies such as Jumbao and Clefable enabling Crucibelle to come in relatively safely (has to watch out for Hidden Power Ground from Jumbao and the now seldom seen Thunder Wave from Clefable). Pajantom can also Protect to scout the opponent's set as these two moves aren't staples on their respective sets while also threaten to Heal Block on the predict out to Crucibelle. Pajantom can also take on Arghonauts lacking Knock Off and Tomohawk whilst denying Steels such as Celesteela, Ferrothorn and Mega Scizor the ability to heal with Heal Block which gives Crucibelle a much easier time smashing things. Crucibelle's Stealth Rocks also have increased chance of staying on the field because Pajantom can spin block Tomohawk while also threaten Zapdos. Compound this with the fact that Pajantom and Crucibelle naturally pair well with Pokemon like Krilowatt (Spirit Shackle + Kril renders Celesteela not a good answer to Paj), Heatran and Magnezone and you have synergy coming out of your ears. They're also both purple.

 

[JayHeaven]

Set

Volkraken @ Choice Specs
Ability: Analytic
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Fire Blast
- Hydro Pump
- Hidden Power [Grass]
- Power Gem

Crucibelle-Mega @ Crucibellite
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- U-turn
- Head Smash
- Gunk Shot
- Low Kick

Will put explanation later

 

[LucarioOfLegends]

Sorry for the delay, but consider this your 24 hour warning. Get those submissions in!

 

[LucarioOfLegends]

Alrighty, thank you to those who have submitted! Submissions are now closed!

Heaven Jay failed to supply a description for his set, so his submission will not be joining in voting. Here are the options:

snake_rattler's Krilowatt ( found here)

Rat With Wings's SpD Pajantom ( found here)

Vote clearly on the first line. You may describe why you voted for it, but make it seperate and distinct from your vote. Voting will close on Tuesday 7/3 at 10PM EST, so get your votes in before then!

 

[S. Court]

snake_rattler's Krilowatt

I'd have wished to note this thread earlier, I'd have submitted Magnezone but oh well, maybe next time

 

[Plazzap]

snake_rattler's Krilowatt

https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7cap-769711186

Krilowatt served as a very effective partner in this game. By luring Gastrodon into HP Grass at Turn 11, the major thing keeping Mega-Crucibelle in check was weakened to the point where it couldn't pivot in anymore. From there, Cruci was able to more or less sweep, occasionally U-Turning into Kril to avoid incoming Scalds from Toxapex.

Because of how well it dealed with the walls in Cruci's way, I place my vote on Krilowatt.

 

[Airwind]

Rat With Wings's SpD Pajantom

 

[Eris]

Rat With Wings's SpD Pajantom

 

[LucarioOfLegends]

Thank you for voting!

We have hit upon a tie for first place, so I will be giving my tie-breaking vote. Congratulations, snake_rattler, for winning my vote and the first week of Partner This Pokemon! Your duo shall be entered in the Hall Of Fame shortly!

WEEK 2

Zapdos

​

Supporting great bulk, good moves, a strong typing, and reliable recovery, Zapdos has proven itself to be a great defensive Pokemon over its lifetime in CAP. It has been known to reliably Defog despite its weakness to Stealth Rocks, and is able to apply a surprising deal of pressure with a combination of Discharge, Heat Wave, and Hidden Power Ice. What will you come up with this week?

Submissions are due Sunday 7/8 at 10PM EST
​

 

[Frostbiyt]

Sets

Zapdos @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 248 HP / 240 Def / 20 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Discharge
- Heat Wave
- Defog
- Roost

Revenankh @ Life Orb
Ability: Triage
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Drain Punch
- Shadow Sneak
- Bulk Up
- Moonlight

Explanation

Zapdos is a great bulky defogger able to spread status and put offensive pressure on more passive Pokemon such as Tomohawk and Ferrothorn with its combination of discharge and heat wave. Zapdos has trouble with more offensive Pokemon that aren't weak to fire or electric such as Crucibelle, Colossoil, and Stratagem and with specially bulky Pokemon such as Pajantom, Chansey, and Mollux.

Revenankh is a sweeper with a completely unresisted STAB combo that is easy to set up with and hard to take down once it gets going. The combination of priority Drain Punch, Moonlight, and decent bulk allows Revenankh to be a threat throughout an entire match. This is extra helpful considering how common Zapdos' counters are. The main threats to Revenankh are Haze Tomohawk and fairies such as Jumbao and Magearna. Zapdos is able to take care of Tomohawk and can generally stall fairies with a combination of Roost and Pressure. And as shown below, Revenankh is more than capable of taking care of most of Zapdos' checks and counters.

First up is Crucibelle, the most used Pokemon on the ladder. Revenankh resists both of Crucibelle's STABs and is able to 2HKO it with drain punch, recovering some of the damage from Head Smash or Wood Hammer

Calcs

252+ Atk Life Orb Revenankh Drain Punch vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Crucibelle-Mega: 191-226 (53.9 - 63.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 Atk Crucibelle-Mega Wood Hammer vs. 248 HP / 0 Def Revenankh: 147-174 (38.3 - 45.4%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
252 Atk Crucibelle-Mega Head Smash vs. 248 HP / 0 Def Revenankh: 138-162 (36 - 42.2%) -- guaranteed 3HKO

While it is risky to switch Revenankh directly into Colossoil, it will beat it if it gets in for free

Calcs

252+ Atk Life Orb Revenankh Drain Punch vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Colossoil: 393-463 (96.5 - 113.7%) -- 75% chance to OHKO after burn damage
252+ Atk Guts Colossoil Earthquake vs. 248 HP / 0 Def Revenankh: 280-331 (73.1 - 86.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

Stratagem is really only dangerous if it manages to get a burn with fire blast

Calcs

252+ Atk Life Orb Revenankh Drain Punch vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Stratagem: 429-507 (133.6 - 157.9%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252 SpA Life Orb Stratagem Fire Blast vs. 248 HP / 8 SpD Revenankh: 135-160 (35.2 - 41.7%) -- guaranteed 3HKO

Chansey is dispatched easily

Calcs

252+ Atk Life Orb Revenankh Drain Punch vs. 244 HP / 252+ Def Eviolite Chansey: 398-471 (56.6 - 67%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

SpD Pajantom is a bit of an issue, but Revenankh will beat it 1 on 1

Calcs

252+ Atk Life Orb Revenankh Shadow Sneak vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Pajantom: 213-252 (57.2 - 67.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
0 Atk Pajantom Spirit Shackle vs. 248 HP / 0 Def Revenankh: 240-284 (62.6 - 74.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

And finally, my Pokemon can beat up Reach's Pokemon :P
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7cap-771727666

 

[reachzero]

Gliscor is the best partner for Zapdos.

Sets

Gliscor @ Toxic Orb
Ability: Poison Heal
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 244 HP / 44 Def / 68 SpD / 152 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Taunt
- Earthquake
- Toxic
- Roost

Zapdos @ Leftovers
Ability: Static
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Discharge
- Hidden Power [Ice] or Heat Wave
- Defog
- Roost

I thought long and hard about this one. I considered Tomohawk (counters Colossoil, Zapdos takes on MPinsir, Tornadus-T, Celesteela, etc. for Tomohawk) and Clefable (takes on Zygarde, SpD Pajantom, stalemates Gastrodon), but each left a lot of holes. Gliscor, however, is almost perfect, especially when Ferrothorn is added as your third Pokemon.

Zapdos fears Colossoil and SpD Pajantom more than any other Pokemon--it damages them too slowly to avoid the bad, bad things they can do in return. Countering those two Pokemon was a must, and Gliscor does that reasonably well, so long as Toxic Orb has already activated.

Colossoil vs Gliscor Calcs

Adamant Colossoil vs Gliscor:
252+ Atk Guts Colossoil Knock Off (97.5 BP) vs. 244 HP / 44 Def Gliscor: 199-235 (56.5 - 66.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Poison Heal
252+ Atk Guts Colossoil Earthquake vs. 244 HP / 44 Def Gliscor: 204-241 (57.9 - 68.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Poison Heal
252+ Atk Guts Colossoil Knock Off vs. 244 HP / 44 Def Gliscor: 133-157 (37.7 - 44.6%) -- guaranteed 3HKO

Jolly Colossoil vs Gliscor:
252 Atk Guts Colossoil Knock Off (97.5 BP) vs. 244 HP / 44 Def Gliscor: 181-214 (51.4 - 60.7%) -- 48.4% chance to 2HKO after Poison Heal
252 Atk Guts Colossoil Knock Off vs. 244 HP / 44 Def Gliscor: 121-144 (34.3 - 40.9%) -- guaranteed 3HKO

The matchup is a complicated one. So long as Stealth Rock is not up (reasonable, considering you have Zapdos) and Toxic Orb has already Poisoned Gliscor, Adamant Colossoil is not a threat to Gliscor, as it can outspeed Colossoil and Roost, and can outsustain Colossoil even if Colossoil Earthquakes on its Roosts a few times. Jolly is also not a threat to Gliscor, because Poison Heal keeps Knock Off from being a 2HKO, allowing Gliscor to Roost back to a safe range.

SpD Pajantom is a much easier matchup--Spirit Shackle does 25 - 29.8% to Gliscor, while Gliscor is faster and does 36.6 - 43.6% with Earthquake, meaning it wins easily even if Pajantom uses Heal Block.

Gastrodon is a full stop for Zapdos, but Gliscor switches in (even on Scald if Toxic Orb has already activated: 52.8 - 63%), and threatens it out with Toxic. Gliscor is also a Ground type, and so helpful against Tapu Koko Volt Turn shenanigans. Perhaps most remarkably, Gliscor hard counters SubCoil Zygarde, which means that Zapdos can safely run Heat Wave with virtually no repercussions if it wishes.

Gliscor vs SubCoil Zygarde

0 Atk Gliscor Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Zygarde: 88-105 (20.9 - 25%) -- 22.1% chance to 4HKO after 3 layers of Spikes and Leftovers recovery
0 Atk Zygarde Thousand Arrows vs. 244 HP / 44 Def Gliscor: 78-93 (22.1 - 26.4%) -- possible 7HKO after Poison Heal
+1 0 Atk Zygarde Thousand Arrows vs. 244 HP / 44 Def Gliscor: 117-138 (33.2 - 39.2%) -- 96.9% chance to 4HKO after Poison Heal

Zygarde can either be at +1/+1 or have a Sub, and either way Gliscor Taunts it, takes acceptable damage from Zygarde, and then forces it out after either breaking its Sub or hitting it with Toxic.

One of the best parts of this partnership is that Zapdos does almost nothing against defensive teams, and Gliscor helps this immensely by putting substantial pressure on defensive teams, which very few other Zapdos partners can offer!

Here is a sample of what a team with this combination might look like:

http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7cap-771688534

 

[Rat With Wings]

will put da pictures in and maybe some more for the explanation later skater

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Pajantom @ Leftovers
Ability: Comatose
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Spirit Shackle
- Toxic
- Protect
- Heal Block

Zapdos @ Leftovers
Ability: Static
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Volt Switch
- Heat Wave
- Roost
- Defog

:no_bicycles:

Pajantom struggles with sturdy Steels such as Ferrothorn and Celesteela but can trap them using Spirit Shackle which provides Zapdos a very easy switch-in where it can proceed to threaten out steels with Heat Wave, Defog away hazards, heal up safely or even gain momentum with Volt Switch. I've decided to go for Volt Switch over Discharge here because Pajantom likes to Toxic Pokemon like Jumbao and Pyroak so that it can wear them down faster and if they become paralysed then that is no longer an option. Pokemon like Pyroak and Heatran like to come in on Zapdos and so Volt Switching out into Pajantom forces them out.
[/hide=]

 

[S. Court]

Reserving Mega Scizor

 

[Plazzap]

Reserving Arghonaut

 

[Gross Sweep]

This is an interesting week. Seeing as every user so far has gone with a defensive partner trying to patch holes I figured I'd go with a more offensive teammate. Mainly to mix things up, and secondly because I've never been a huge fan of 2 mon defensive pairings for this kind of competition since you can always nitpick a few things that break the core in half. The same could be said about this pairing though, but let me try and sell you on an opportunity. This week I'm pairing up Cawmodore with Zapdos, since Zapdos can annoy some of the better Cawmodore stops in the tier, and also through the use of Volt Switch find great oppurtunites for everyone's favorite nautical bird to set up. Some stops to Cawmadore like Tomahawk or Skarmory don't enjoy dealing with Zapdos. However, the ability of Zapdos to switch into a few Cawmodore checks is far from the main selling point this combo provides. The biggest pull of this core is momentum. Cawmodore is a frailer mon that truly desires a comfortable way to set up, and that's what Zapdos provides by simply clicking Volt Switch. As a special attacking electric type Zapdos draws in a lot of desireable things like fat grasses and other all around special walls like Chansey, or Tyranitar that either provide Cawmodore with a chance to punish or set up. Fat Grasses, or a mon like Chansey give Cawmodore an excellent oppurtunity to set up late in the game safely. While switch ins like Tyranitar give cawmodore a great chance to fire off something super effective and just try yo nab one (given a little chip, like a Volt Switch or two perhaps). Another great aspect of this core is that you're not forced into anything. If something that shuts down the core like Cyclohm comes in on your Volt Switch you simply say thanks for the chip, and go out into something else content on setting up another time while still in an advantageous position pressuring their best check to the core that was just drawn in. I will note that grounds can be annoying for this core, but they're not impossible as you can run HP Ice on Zapdos, or even Heatwave, to pressure and chip them. On top of that if you get up something like Rocks or Spikes up you can just slowly chip at them biding time tell they're weak enough for Zapdos to break through. This post is getting a little long so I'll wrap it up here, before I finish though I just want to remind you all to think of this core as an opportunity, not something to just break in half.

Sets

Cawmodore (M) @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Volt Absorb
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Belly Drum
- Bullet Punch
- Drain Punch
- Acrobatics

Zapdos @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 248 HP / 240 Def / 20 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Volt Switch
- Roost
- Hidden Power [Ice] / Heat Wave
- Defog

 

[LucarioOfLegends]

For anyone else who wants to submit, you have a 24 hour warning! Get those submissions in!

 

[LucarioOfLegends]

Sorry for the late reply, but submissions have closed, thank you all who submitted. These are the sets you can vote on!

Frostbiyt's Revenankh (found here)
reachzero's Gliscor (found here)
Rat With Wings's SpD Pajantom (found here)
Gross Sweep's Cawmodore (found here)

Vote clearly on the first line. You may describe why you voted for it, but make it seperate and distinct from your vote. Voting will close on Tuesday 7/10 at 10PM EST, so get your votes in before then!

 

[Plazzap]

Rat With Wings's SpD Pajantom

 

[Mova]

Rat With Wings's SpD Pajantom

 

[Birkal]

Gross Sweep's Cawmodore