Research Week: SM Edition [Done]

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Hello, So far I've tested Ribombee and its been really good. It is suprisingly strong and is very fast with Moonblast being a very spammable STAB move. It is very good pared with something that beats steels such as Magneton. I originally tried a Lure Clefable set but eventually I realized that Magneton was better.

The Bomb (Ribombee) @ Choice Specs
Ability: Shield Dust
EVs: 252 SpA / 8 SpD / 248 Spe
Timid Nature
- Bug Buzz
- Moonblast
- U-turn
- Psychic/Hidden Power Fire

Hidden Power Fire can lure in Scizor/Forretress while Psychic can beat most Psychic types. You could probably run either depending on your team. I don't use max speed as there s nothing that you hit with 381 speed with the closest mon being Noivern with 379 speed, so you can afford to have 1 less EV in speed.

http://pastebin.com/H04g6PY5
In this pastebin its the damage Ribombee does to all UU mons and more. I only added psychic to the poison types as it took a long time and usually its just better to go for one of Ribombee's STABs.

Clefable:
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7uu-535197807 Ribombee gets 2 kills then the opponent forfeits.
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7uu-535202467 Ribombee gets 2 kills again in the end with the opp forfeiting after he only has Tenta left.
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7uu-535354566 Ribombee sweeps a large portion of the opposing team while dieng to keldeo in the end.
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7uu-535394548 Ribombee gets 4 kills and is a huge reason for me winning this match.
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7uu-535400087 Here Clefable lures Gengar allowing Ribombee to sweep late game.

Magneton:
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7uu-535599711 Mageton traps Empoleon turn 1 killing the opponents Ribombee check.
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7uu-535607862 Here I beat a fellow Ribombee user with Empoleon being a good check and my Ribombee sweeping in very late game.
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7uu-535611555 Magneton proving to be the mvp in this battle killing Scizor and Victini.
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7uu-535701334 Ribombee died in beginning but shows my peak.

My team wants to weaken the opposing team with Hazards and Leech Seed from Chesnaught with Magneton killing Steels all to help Ribombee sweep late game.

Three 4 1 (Magneton) @ Choice Specs
Ability: Magnet Pull
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Thunderbolt
- Flash Cannon
- Volt Switch
- Hidden Power [Fire]

The Bomb (Ribombee) @ Choice Specs
Ability: Shield Dust
EVs: 252 SpA / 8 SpD / 248 Spe
Timid Nature
- Bug Buzz
- Moonblast
- U-turn
- Psychic

Happy Feet (Empoleon) @ Leftovers
Ability: Torrent
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Defog
- Stealth Rock
- Scald
- Flash Cannon

Blue Crayon (Sharpedo-Mega) @ Sharpedonite
Ability: Speed Boost
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Crunch
- Waterfall
- Psychic Fangs
- Protect

Shy AF (Victini) @ Expert Belt
Ability: Victory Star
EVs: 96 Atk / 160 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- V-create
- Energy Ball
- Bolt Strike
- Glaciate

Belly Drum (Chesnaught) @ Leftovers
Ability: Bulletproof
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Def
Impish Nature
- Spikes
- Spiky Shield
- Leech Seed
- Wood Hammer

If I do CB Swampert I will do it on this alt: RW2 Pac3.
 
So you would rather not speed tie with other Ribombee? I mean Ribombee isn't common but I see no reason to turn potential 50/50s into scenarios where you always get outsped, especially since you will most likely encounter other Ribombee during RW. Unless 8 SpD makes frail Ribombee live an attack that it otherwise drops to (I highly doubt that is the case) and that I am unaware of, you should always run max speed investment.

Also, I agree, Magneton is a sick partner for Ribombee, U-turn helps a ton with trapping Scizor and Empoleon plus no one will ever click BP versus you as long as Magneton is in the back anyway. When pairing it with Magneton Psychic is the better coverage option that actually scores some good 2HKOs on things despite being non-STAB. Being a fast Fairy type is Ribombee's biggest selling point having an immunity to Dragon as well as resisting Dark (otherwise this thing would just be trapped by Aero) and Fighting, which are appreciated resistances on offense where Ribombee fits best from my observations.
 
Okay I'm probably not going to get much higher on the ladder than I am currently because I'm bad but my two cents about CB Pert: it's good. I'd say the best thing it has going for it is the surprise factor. A lot of times people have sent in mons to set up on the expected Stealth Rock only to eat some pain. Get a Torrent boost and it's over.

http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7uu-535467704 -- An example of aforementioned Torrent power
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7uu-536647147 -- CB Pert snaps two mons in half, securing victory

For maximum hilarity, run a ridiculous amount of Speed. I started off with 36 HP/ 252 Atk / 212 Spe to outspeed Togekiss (why kiss? because I'm bad) and super fast, super strong fish...frog...thing is a threat no one expects. On the downside, you lose a ton of survivability. idk. Memes are fun.

also chandelure is gr8
 
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Yeah based on the games I have played so far, Ribombee does really well on offensive teams (I tried making a balance team with Ribombee but, it just wasn't that good). Magneton + Ribombee is a very solid core since not only do they help each other out quite well (Ribombee can pivot out into Magneton on a Steel-type) but, they also give the team a lot of momentum due to VoltTurn. At first I was a bit skeptical with U-turn since I was like "why don't you just put HP Fire/Ground there instead" but it isn't really needed with Magneton.

So far I have gotten no replays since I have not built a team that I'm satisfied with (SOS), but, hopefully that will change in the future.
 
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A bit more than half a week has passed, and I decided to wait an extra bit before making a short report as we already had a good amount of discussion going on. It seems everyone here is finding more success with these sets than with the free ones last week, which may be due to the Pokemon, but could also be because working around limitations can sometimes bring forth amazing ideas.

Silvally seems to have been working fine for everyone who is trying it, and seems to excel against bulkier teams. With the combination of Swords Dance + Z-Explosion + Explosion, it is not unusual for this mon to get 2 kills. I did not anticipate Staraptor getting retested this week, or I might have waited with this set, as Silvally can't dent Doublade even with Flame Charge and Staraptor is definitely going to make it more commonplace in the meta. However, the ability of Flame Charge to deal with Scizor and gain speed can patch up Silvally's mediocre speed tier a bit, and can allow it to put in more work against offense. ChrystalFalchion provided a good replay showcasing Silvally's ability to break through teams, and I have heard from others that it has been putting in a surprising amount of work. Other than the Crunch set that one of you was testing initially, do you think there are any other moves or sets worth trying out? Are there any Pokemon other than Cloyster that you think could perform a similar role, and outclass Silvally in certain aspects?

Choice Band Swampert has received very positive reception, and this makes me happy personally as I have used this in the early Alpha as well as the late Beta, and it has been a fun set. Of course, there are drawbacks to it, such as its only okay power for a Choice Band user and its low speed. But its typing and coverage make up for that, allowing it to lure Pokemon such as Hydreigon. On top of that, a Choice Band allows Swampert to surprise and break Pokemon such as Clefable. ChrystalFalchion provided us with a good set, and I know other sets could be run with more speed or different coverage moves. Meanwhile, Rawbi provided us with replays that give some insight into how Swampert plays. It is basically a bulky wallbreaker, and fits BO well. Do any of the Swampert users here think that any Pokemon might outclass it as a Choice Band User? I don't mean Pokemon like Scizor, but Pokemon with similar typing and coverage that could maybe offer more bulk or power, or more speed even.

Ribombee has definitely been the fan favorite this week. According to what I have read and seen, it has put in a lot of work against more offensive teams due to its typing and speed tier. Defensive teams with Scizor or Empoleon were a bit of a problem, since Ribombee wants to run both U-turn and Psychic if possible, but Magneton was able to patch up this problem quite well as Ov3r Ac3, Lord Esche and HotFuzzBall have reported. With Magneton, Hidden Power Fire is not necessary to lure in Scizor, and instead Psychic can be used to deal heavy damage to Pokemon such as Tentacruel and Amoonguss. This is definitely the set I have seen the most, and it seems to have been working out greatly. Have there been any situations where any of you felt you could have set up and won a game otherwise lost, and where a Quiver Dance set would have been more useful? Were there any games where Ribombee was absolute deadweight? Lastly, I have freed up the ability slot midweek after a discussion with Hikari, who does not wish to participate it seems but has been testing all 3 pokemon. Was there any situation where any of you wished you would have had Sweet Veil instead?

All of you are doing great work, and I thank you all for your research. It seems many of you have been enjoying the given sets, and many of you are participating in the discussion. There is still a bit more than 2 days left, and I hope you will continue having a good experience. The closing statement this week as well the announcement for next week will be done by my co-host eht, as she will be hosting said week. We are currently discussing the Pokemon and sets we wish to see researched, and I hope we can come up with a selection that includes at least one fun Pokemon for everyone here. Happy researching!
 
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Probably done laddering with Ribombee for now so I guess I'll share how it has been doing for me. As stated above, Specs Ribombee is easily the most viable set which has been featured in RW so far. It simply fits the current metagame more, 124 Speed makes it naturally faster than anything beside Aero and other scarfers which is quite great as it allows it to threaten offensive teams easily. Magneton is also the partner i've used alongside it for obvious reasons, allowing Ribombee to run Psychic instead of being forced into risking hp-fire vs Scizor is very useful as it is the most used answer right now. The rest of the team was basically meant to pressure bulkier teams which Ribombee has trouble doing so that's always something to consider when building around it. Specs is clearly better than QD, it's extremely frail so setting up isn't that easy and it's not quite powerful enough at +1 to justify the turn wasted by setting up. I feel like using specs ribombee is relatively hard, even though it has a few useful resistances it's shaky bulk forces the user to find the right opportunity to bring it in order to pressure the opposing offensive teams. This was definitely an interesting week, I honestly didn't expect Ribombee to put as much work as it did in the games i've played. Didn't think about taking replays unfortunately so I don't really have anything more to showcase, I did manage to reach a decent ladder rank using ribombee though so I guess that's worth noting.

edit: http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7uu-537523185, found one replay that showcases how well ribombee can do vs offense if it's played the right way. I did take a risk by switching ribombee into toxicroak which allowed me to massively threaten my oppo's team and I believe this kind of risk is sometimes needed to truly be able to get a game in control.
 
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And that's Week 2! As of writing this post, Sacri' had the highest ranked laddering account of everyone who shared their results. Congratulations, and welcome to the SMUU Hall of Fame!

We tested 3 Pokemon this last week, each with specific sets: Choice Band Swampert, Choice Specs Ribombee, and Swords Dance Silvally, all to some degree of success. Despite initial skepticism, Ribombee turned out to be a surprise threat, with its high Speed stat and decent STAB combo making it a big threat to offense when played correctly. Magneton proved to be far and away the most helpful partner for this set, not only forming a VoltTurn core with it, but also punishing teams that rely on the extremely common Scizor to blanket check a large portion of the tier by trapping and removing it. Ribombee returns the favor by checking Fighting-types and pressuring bulky Ground-types by spamming Moonblast, although its general frailty and Rocks weakness means it needs to be played aggressively to do so.

Silvally proved itself to be a massive threat to balance and stall. The insane power of Breakneck Blitz and Explosion making up for its average Attack stat, Flame Charge being able to surprise Scizor as well as give it an edge against offense with a Speed boost, and the surprisingly good coverage provided by Normal / Fire all make Silvally a force to be reckoned with. Despite its good coverage, though, it gets stopped cold by Rock- and Ghost-types; even Doublade can handle it decently, since its Flame Charge still too weak to dent it. It is also pretty easy to pressure offensively, which stops it from setting up, as it doesn't offer much defensively despite its alright bulk.

Last, but certainly not least, Choice Band Swampert proved to be a nasty lure and wallbreaker for bulky offense. Its bulk is still good enough for it to switch in to some of the things that regular Swampert can, while also catching standard Swampert switch-ins like Hydreigon, Latias, and Celebi off-guard with its coverage. However, the cost in bulk and utility versus regular Swampert proves to be quite high, as offensive teams this set fits on struggle a bit more versus Fire types and Mega Aerodactyl.

And with that, a new week is upon us. Just like last week, these sets are going to be a bit limited, but open-ended enough to allow for some creativity. All of these Pokemon will offer varying degrees of utility, and will support their team in specific ways. Here is cycle 3's selection:

Alomomola @ Leftovers
Ability: Regenerator
EVs:
Filler Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Healing Wish
- Scald
- Wish
- Protect
Bisharp @ filler item
Ability: Defiant
EVs:
filler nature
- Taunt
- Knock Off
- Iron Head
- Sucker Punch
Amoonguss @ Black Sludge
Ability: Regenerator
EVs:
filler nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Spore
- Stun Spore
-
-
Mew @ filler item
Ability: Synchronize
EVs:
filler nature
- Volt Switch / U-turn
-
-
-
Thank you to everyone who has participated in week 2! To participate in week 3, please sign up with a fresh RW alt. I'd like to emphasize again how important it is to see a Pokemon in action, so please post replays of your exploits. If you are worried about your post count, it is also not necessary to make a new post; you can always edit your sign-up post with your research later on. My co-host Ark or myself will look at the end of the week and decide the winner. The deadline will be Friday, March 3rd, at 11:59 pm GMT+1.

Good luck with your research, and have fun!
 
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Alright I've laddered quite a bit this week using everything except the Mew since I can't really think of a set I'd like the pivoting options on. Nevertheless though had experience with the other 3 Pokemon sets so I'll be posting about them.

alomomola.gif


Alomomola @ Leftovers
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 40 HP / 252 Def / 216 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Healing Wish
- Wish
- Protect

Ok so this is the first thing I wanted to talk about since it's the set I liked playing with the most and the one I was the most excited to test out. Healing Wish Alomomola is actually a really cool option that allows you to play a lot more aggressively with Pokemon that lack recovery options. It also allows you to be less caring about recovery for your teammates by virtue of having HWish and Wish, so you can run stuff like HP Fire Latias with less care. On the team I was using I had CM + 3 Attacks Keldeo, Defog + 3 Attacks Latias and CB Scizor as my offensive options, all of which benefit greatly from the Wish support Alo provided while also benefitting from HWish since it meant I didn't care as much about passive damage so I didn't necessarily have to Defog or prioritizing pressure on entry hazard setters. I'm not exactly the most high ladder player and such so I couldn't get too much in terms of high ladder replays, quality battles and such but here are a couple games where Healing Wish was useful:

http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7uu-538651033 - HWish Alomomola comes into play during the late game to ensure Keldeo can clean.
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7uu-538649447 - HWish Alomomola once again heals up Keldeo later on after it's been worn down so it cleans.

I wish I could've gotten more replays but I forgot to save a lot of the time and the effect it had in a lot of games was moreso indirect where it would allow me to make aggressive plays but difficult to showcase. Anyhow, using HWish isn't without drawbacks, however, as it means you're unable to have Toxic which means you're very passive. A lot of the times against Pokemon I would struggle with like Volcanion I would bluff having Toxic to force it out and such. Relying on Scald 100% for any offensive pressure when it's coming off a very low SpA and the burn nerf in Generation 7 means you're always open to being punished easily so be sure to play aggressively and have teammates that compensate for the space Alomomola gives your opponents.

bisharp.gif


Bisharp @ Dread Plate
Ability: Defiant
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Knock Off
- Sucker Punch
- Iron Head
- Taunt

Ok so this is the next thing I wanted to talk about. Bisharp with Taunt is actually quite weird for me since I honestly prefer having Swords Dance, or Pursuit, or even Grass Knot a lot of the time but it's actually pretty cool since it allows you to prevent recovery on stuff that would normally be able to take a few hits and just stall it out like Hippowdon or Quagsire. This thing is definitely best paired up with stuff that benefits from the recovery prevention like Cobalion and CM Raikou, especially when considering what would usually attempt to wall Bisharp. Taunt also probably provides the best option for the fourth move Bisharp has against stall, imo, since preventing the recovery from everything is huge, especially with the residual damage from entry hazards and after Knock Off prevents any passive recovery through Leftovers. Again only a single replay for this since I couldn't end up saving many and this is the one I used the least but it shows how Taunt Bisharp can be used and the effect it has:

http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7uu-541266614 - This one actually shows a lot of what it would provide. In this game Bisharp prevents Hippowdon from recovering early thus leaving it at near half HP without Leftovers, then prevents Klefki from getting more than a single layer of Spikes and then makes the Hippowdon player hesitate from recovering due to Taunt thus ensuring it dies to Aerodactyl after the predicted EQ.

amoonguss.gif


Amoonguss @ Payapa Berry
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 248 HP / 188 Def / 72 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Spore
- Stun Spore
- Giga Drain
- Clear Smog

Honestly not much to say about this one. I was disappointed by it to say the least but that's probably because my team composition wasn't the best suited for it. Generally speaking though, whenever I actually decided to click Stun Spore, assuming it was the best option at the time, I would usually much rather have had HP Fire since otherwise I would just be setup fodder regardless for stuff like Scizor and Bisharp. However, I did find this was useful for crippling non-Steels that switch-in and are relatively fast like Latias and Crobat so it could be good for stuff that benefits from those Pokemon underspeeding your main sweeper. I eventually used Normalium-Z Keldeo on my team so Stun Spore probably ends up being a lot more useful if I gave it a chance. Especially with Payapa Berry ensuring I can cripple Latias and Alakazam among other things. No replays to showcase this one though unfortunately.
 
okay, messed around with mew some bits and i have to say it honestly feels like a waste of a teamslot for me....partly because non np mew has been a bit underwhelming from what ive seen in general, but thats besides the pt. i feel like that even tho it pivots it lets literally everything in for free. i originally rocked a sr set since i felt like it would be a nice way to compress shit but aside from setting up rocks and knocking you just let everything in and even though u can pivot into an answer to whatever they switch in, it has still never pulled its weight.

then i decided to try it with overheat to lure in stuff like bish / have a semi check to zor but that never really worked out either, and had the same problems as the first set....

i'll paste my teams / sets when i got home but point is that volt / uturn mew is not worth :[
 
Well since I'm both low on time and skill, I'll stop now at 1328 with a 15-2 record. I used both Bisharp and Mew on the same team throughout my laddering. Bisharp didn't leave much to imagination so I just went with the following:

Bisharp @ Life Orb
Ability: Defiant
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Taunt
- Iron Head
- Knock Off
- Sucker Punch

I never had too much success with this one, I'd maybe get off a surprise taunt on a wall and then be threatened out by their STAB or coverage. Most of the time I'd rather just click Knock Off and I felt like the teams I faced would've been a lot more threatened by Swords Dance in general. I'd also run in to the problem of certain faster Taunt users such as Crobat. Overall it can definitely support you against fat teams but somewhat lackluster against offense.

Mew on the other hand was much more successful, as I decided to go with a specially oriented lure set:

Mew @ Expert Belt
Ability: Synchronize
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Volt Switch
- Psychic
- Fire Blast
- Ice Beam

Decided to go with just a max/max Timid spread to get the jump on as many unsuspecting opponents as I could and Mew's vast movepool really gets to shine. People loved staying in with their Gliscors and eat an Ice Beam or Swords Dancing with their Scizors as I switched in to Fire Blast them. Even Expert Belt helped trick opponents to thinking I was choice locked. Mew unfortunately has the worst case of 4MSS out of any mon as you can't run every coverage to lure everything. Even though Volt Switch was the requisite, and it did help gain momentum a lot of the time, I often wished I had Energy Ball instead to nuke the Gastrodons and Swamperts, while still hitting most of the waters harder.

The rest of my team was mostly built around trying to get Work Up Tauros to clean late-game, with Tentacruel and Clefable as my defensive backbone and hazard setters/remover, and a Choice Scarf Flygon to help with some much needed speed and ground immunity.

Some replays:
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7uu-538781678 - Against a pretty fat and annoying team, Bisharp couldn't shine all too much but pulled off a taunt near the end to stop Mandibuzz's Roost and allowing Flygon to pick it off. Mew helped me keep momentum against the very stally Sub/Disable/Toxic Salazzle while also keeping Mandibuzz low. Unfortunately it got flinched by the Cobalion as a Fire Blast would've cleanly knocked it out.

http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7uu-538801372 - Here Mew got a lucky first turn wake and destroyed the Scizor, Bisharp taunted the Amoonguss but really did most of its work when it flinched the Blissey with Iron Head. Later on Tauros just cleaned up.

I could've saved replays featuring stuff like Mew taking out both Gliscor and then Scizor in just two turns of the game, but most of the time when Mew's surprise factor was at its best I was met with ragequits, which are not that fun to watch in general.

I'll include the shitty team as well if anyone is interested. Was fun doing some research at least.

Bisharp @ Life Orb
Ability: Defiant
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Taunt
- Iron Head
- Knock Off
- Sucker Punch

Mew @ Expert Belt
Ability: Synchronize
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Volt Switch
- Psychic
- Fire Blast
- Ice Beam

Tentacruel @ Black Sludge
Ability: Liquid Ooze
EVs: 240 HP / 244 SpD / 24 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Rapid Spin
- Scald
- Toxic Spikes
- Sludge Bomb

Clefable @ Leftovers
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Moonblast
- Knock Off
- Soft-Boiled

Tauros @ Life Orb
Ability: Sheer Force
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Work Up
- Body Slam
- Zen Headbutt
- Fire Blast

Flygon @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- U-turn
- Earthquake
- Outrage
- Stone Edge
 
bisharp.gif

Bisharp @ Life Orb
Ability: Defiant
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Taunt
- Knock Off
- Iron Head
- Sucker Punch

How original my set is is beyond me.

Bisharp was a good mon all around and It is very understandable why it has a shiny S in viability rankings.As far as the taunt set goes,I was not impressed seeing as like Kalalokki, I did not find a proper use for it, seeing as most of the things you would want to taunt are pokemon like ground types looking to set up rocks, or are faster than Bisharp. Which defeats the whole purpose of having taunt on the bisharp, and I would of much rather preferred Swords Dance.

(All of these will be Stealth Rock users)
252 Atk Krookodile Earthquake vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Bisharp: 306-360 (112.9 - 132.8%) -- guaranteed OHKO
0 Atk Swampert Earthquake vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Bisharp: 236-278 (87 - 102.5%) -- 18.8% chance to OHKO
0 Atk Gliscor Earthquake vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Bisharp: 206-246 (76 - 90.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

It was difficult getting a proper replay with taunt,seeing as I'm bad and was stuck in low ladder(yay me.)PLEASE EXCUSE ANY MISTAKES IT WAS LATE (nah Im just bad)
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7uu-539464115 -- I don't know why I won but bisharp shined through \o/
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7uu-539360408 --first steps into da ladder. poor dhelmise

Grats to whoever climbed up the highest :3 <3 <3 <3
 
And with that, week 3 has come and gone. Congratulations to Kreme, who, as of writing this, has the highest ladder ranking of anyone who shared their results, and will have their name added to the SMUU Hall of Fame! With just 9 ELO less, Bouff was a very close contender, though. Keep up the good work!

After an initial few days of silence (hence the lack of a midweek update), week 3's selection of Healing Wish Alomomola, Taunt Bisharp, Double Powder Amoonguss, and Volt Switch / U-turn Mew was met with mixed results. Healing Wish Alomomola allowed for reckless play with strong wallbreakers or sweepers such as Choice Specs Hydreigon and Calm Mind + Z-Move Keldeo. Meanwhile, it could still pivot into a multitude of opposing threats and heal its team back up through the use of Wish. It also allowed Pokemon that typically want a recovery move, such as Latias, to forgo it in exchange for coverage.

Taunt Bisharp turned out to be a mixed bag. While a well-timed Taunt, especially if the opponent switched into Knock Off, proved quite potent versus teams that rely on the likes of Hippowdon and Mandibuzz to blanket check the tier, using Taunt at the wrong time can be very punishing, often resulting in Bisharp taking unnecessary damage or being KOed outright. All in all, a high-risk, high-reward Pokemon that relies heavily on proper prediction, but as such is not always as consistent as, say, Swords Dance or Pursuit.

Double Powder Amoonguss sings a similar tune. Spore forces opponents to play rather predictably, allowing the Amoonguss user to get off surprise paralysis as the opponent attempts to regain momentum after sleep foddering something. A resistance Berry, as Kreme demonstrated, allowed you to be a little more reckless versus fast threats like Alakazam and make them nonentities for the rest of the game, which is a very nice asset for offensive teams weak to such threats. However, while crippling two Pokemon in two turns can be very powerful, it comes at the high cost of losing out on coverage. This means that you lose out on the only thing keeping Amoonguss from being complete setup fodder for dangerous setup sweepers, such as Scizor and Clefable, once something has been put to sleep. Again, a nice sidegrade from the standard fare, but quite risky.

And lastly, pivot Mew proved to be quite a letdown. Defensive / utility sets were quite underwhelming, as Bouff discovered, since U-turn and Volt Switch are far less consistent at punishing switches than Knock Off or Will-O-Wisp. An offensive set, Kalalokki showed, can be an interesting lure, but its effectiveness compared to a simple Nasty Plot set is questionable, especially considering the plethora of other options out there for an all-out attacker. Surprising Hydreigon with Volt Switch or Gliscor with Ice Beam is nice, but not necessarily as reliable as something more straightforward.

And that's week 3! We aren't going to have as much of a set theme this week, and are instead going to explore some options that we felt might deserve more attention. That said, here is cycle 4's selection:

Cresselia (F) @ filler item
Ability: Levitate
EVs:
filler nature
-
-
-
-
Gastrodon @
Ability: Storm Drain
EVs:
filler nature
- Curse
- Recover
-
-
Haxorus @ filler item
Ability: Mold Breaker
EVs:
filler nature
- Dual Chop
-
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Thank you again to everyone who has participated! You should all know the drill by now: sign up with a fresh RW alt, and post replays to demonstrate your findings. Again, don't worry about making a new post for your research if you don't want to, as you can always edit your sign-up post and add it in there. The deadline is Friday, March 10th, at 11:59 pm, at which point either my co-host Ark or I will decide the winner. Best of luck to you all, and have fun!
 
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