
banner by the lovely Keiran
Introduction

It's been almost two months since NU was shaken up with crazy offensive threats like Jynx, Scolipede, and Primeape. This is the team that I built just a few days after the tier changes, and of all the teams I have created since then, this one has proven the most reliable and the most fun to play with. Though it's seen quite a few changes since it was first built, from the removal of Sawk and Primeape to simple tweaks to EVs, the basis of the team has remained the same: through maintaining initiative and applying constant offensive pressure throughout the whole team, the team tries to prevent the opposition from getting any "free turns" or chances to regain its own initiative. Overall, the team has done well for me, though I don't have any particular ladder peaks because I just used this team to maintain my previous ladder ranking and play around for fun. I would like to see this team make it even further though, and it's something I would like to be able to use more competitively. So without further adieu, let's see the team.
The Team








Golem @ Lum Berry
Trait: Sturdy
EVs: 84 HP / 252 Atk / 172 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Rock Blast
- Earthquake
- Sucker Punch
I've been using Golem as my Stealth Rock "lead" now for ages. To me, it's the most reliable at getting the job done. Its offensive presence is just stellar, dealing a staggering amount of damage to many of my opponents' typical leads, and with the Speed EVs, it outspeeds several of the common users. Between Earthquake and Rock Blast, Golem has great coverage that hits every relevant threat in the tier for neutral damage bar only Tortetta who can be handled with other Pokemon on the team. I chose Sucker Punch over Explosion on this set for a few reasons. First off, Sucker Punch adds much needed priority to my team. I'll get more into priority with other team members, but Golem really helps take down a lot of faster threats with Sucker Punch if it is needed later in the game. In addition to this, Golem serves as a nice check for opposing Flying-type Pokemon such as Swellow and Rotom-Spin. Ultimately, having it around later in the game has proven to be invaluable time after time, and this is a feature that the Explosion set does not carry.
The EVs are custom to outspeed particular threats: most notably Speed creepers like Eelektross who has to run 136 Speed to beat out this set, minus Speed nature Seismitoad, and 84 Speed Golurk. To be honest, if you wanted to, you could run maximum investment in Speed, but you won't be beating out a whole lot more with max Speed anyways. The item chosen for this set was Lum Berry, and this is for a few reasons. First off, if Liepard is naive enough to use Swagger on Golem, I can cause some heavy damage to teams and knock out Liepard all in one go. This is really nice since, as it is such an offensive team, ParaFusion is a deadly strategy against the team. It also guarantees I can set up Stealth Rock against the likes of Golurk who could otherwise prevent me from doing so thanks to DynamicPunch. Rare Jynx leads are also quickly disposed of—even Sash sets fall to Rock Blast. Ultimately, I've been told that Lum is a poor choice of an item, and while I agree its purposes are rather niche, they are beneficial enough to justify the use of the item on this set.

Swellow (F) @ Toxic Orb
Trait: Guts
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature
- Facade
- Brave Bird
- Quick Attack
- U-turn
Swellow is a force to be reckoned with in NU. It has a lot of things going for it: a blistering high Speed stat, priority in the form of Quick Attack, the ability to scout with U-turn, two powerful STAB moves, and an ability, Guts, which makes it incredibly powerful. In fact, with Guts, Swellow's Attack stat is higher than that of Jolly Darmanitan and even rivals that of Rampardos. But what makes it so great is its great Speed. It outspeeds basically all of the relevant unboosted threats in the tier bar Ninjask and Electrode, and frailer opposing Pokemon surely fall to either Brave Bird or a Guts-boosted Facade. U-turn helps keep up the very important offensive momentum. Additionally, thanks to Swellow's ability to absorb status, it hard counters most Misdreavus. Having a Pokemon that can switch into a Will-o-wisp is so crucial for this team as it would otherwise falter to Weezing and Misdreavus rather easily.
There's not much else to say about the set. It's very standard with maximum Attack and Speed, and the Toxic Orb is to get Guts up and running as soon as possible.

Kangaskhan (F) @ Silk Scarf
Trait: Scrappy
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Fake Out
- Double-Edge
- Earthquake
- Sucker Punch
Kangaskhan is a rather recent addition to the team, and it's quickly becoming one of my favorite members (though my absolute favorite, we will get to later on). This spot used to be taken up by Scarf Primeape and then Banded Sawk. Primeape played the role of a revenge killer while Sawk was there for wall breaking with its sheer brute force. Kangaskhan is so great for this team because it does both of these things at the same time. I found that both of these Pokemon really shit on the initiative for my team. Sure, Primeape could U-turn, but then it's not revenge killing. Sawk hit really hard, but thanks to Close Combat and Earthquake's common immunities, Stone Edge's unreliability, and Ice Punch's low base power. To me, choice locked Fighting moves are a liability right now because of Scolipede, Weezing, and Misdreavus. This is what makes Kangaskhan so great. I can run it without running a choice item, and I still have a very reliable revenge killer. Between Fake Out and Sucker Punch, a lot of frailer set-up sweepers in the tier are unable to beat it unless they have a Substitute up. Additionally, Earthquake allows it to break through the many Rock-types and occasional Steel-types in the tier while Double Edge provides immediate power. Overall, Normal is a really good offensive typing in NU right now, and Kangaskhan is hopping proof of that.
I decided to run Adamant over Jolly on this set because of the two priority moves, though to be honest, Jolly is quite good as well. It basically comes down to what you want to outspeed, but since a lot of the common Pokemon who are running positive Speed natures outspeed Kangaskhan anyways, I didn't really see the point outside of tying with other Kangaskhans. Silk Scarf is the item of choice. Life Orb causes a lot of recoil, especially when you're primarily spamming Fake Out. This makes Silk Scarf the superior option for such a set.

Ludicolo @ Life Orb
Trait: Swift Swim
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Modest Nature
- Rain Dance
- Surf
- Giga Drain
- Ice Beam
Ludicolo is such a cool Pokemon. In the anime, its primary role is comic relief, dancing all the time with a huge smile on its face. However, in competitive play, when you run into a Ludicolo, you probably won't be smiling. Ludicolo's ability to sweep through teams late game is almost unparalleled; with one turn of setting up, it goes from a decent yet slow offensive threat to a blazing fast threat with an incredibly powerful Surf. On that note, I chose Surf over Hydro Pump solely for the reliability of the move. Let it be known, however, that I have been told real men use Hydro Pump. So it's your choice whether you want to be a man or a consistent winner. This set really enjoys the hazard support provided by both Scolipede and Golem, so it's usually not a good idea to try and sweep with it early game. I will say, however, that against other offensively oriented teams that don't carry a rain check, it can be beneficial to set up as soon as possible to break down the opponent's team. From there, Swellow can usually clean up.
EVs and item are both standard as can be.

Misdreavus @ Eviolite
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Nasty Plot
- Shadow Ball
- Taunt
- Thunderbolt
This is by far my favorite set on this team. Offensive Misdreavus is a really cool Pokemon, and I chose it for a few reasons. To begin with, it manhandles Alomomola so long as it doesn't switch in on a Toxic. In addition to that, it is able to spinblock reliably while still posing an offensive threat. More often that not, Misdreavus will die mid-game after taking care of problem Pokemon for the rest of the team (spinblockers included). Its main purpose is not to sweep, and it rarely does. It weakens the opponent's walls, even if it does not beat them 1v1. Taunt allows it to serve as a wallbreaker while Thunderbolt provides much needed super-effective coverage against Alomomola, Wartortle, and the many Normal/Flying-types in the tier.
The given EV spread may need to be tweaked because I don't know that maximum Speed is truly necessary. To be honest, it has helped me a few times, but as I mentioned with Kangaskhan, most of the Pokemon that are going to outspeed it will do so regardless. That said, it may be something I want to look into changing. Otherwise, Eviolite gives it more bulk to set up, and the Special Attack EVs are quite crucial because even after a boost, it doesn't OHKO most of the tier's defensive Pokemon.

Scolipede (F) @ Black Sludge
Trait: Swarm
EVs: 248 HP / 32 Atk / 104 Def / 120 Spd
Jolly Nature
- Spikes
- Toxic Spikes
- Megahorn
- Aqua Tail
Last but not least, we have probably one of the most important members of the team—Scolipede. Scolipede's role is crucial to let other Pokemon on the team clean up and sweep. Spikes support turns 2HKOs into OHKOs and 3HKOs into 2HKOs pretty much on their own. Additionally, the ability these team has to force switches really helps rack up residual damage and punishes more defensively oriented teams when they try to play around the offensive threats the team carries. Thanks to its high Speed and intimidating offensive presence, Scolipede can force switches and find opportunities to set up Spikes throughout he match. Dual Spikes are also great for the team, since most opponents only run one Poison-type, and that is often going to be Scolipede, a Pokemon many opponents feel they can sacrifice after it sets hazards. Toxic Spikes also increase on the residual damage, and they play well against certain styles of teams, such as rain teams and stall teams.
Thanks to the EV spread and the presence of Black Sludge, not only can Scolipede not be set up on, but it can also take a couple of hits along the way. The Speed EVs are chosen to outspeed positive natured base 95s while the 32 EVs in Attack are there to ensure a 2HKO against Musharna. The rest is added in bulk because Spikes are so instrumental for this team to function.
Conclusion

And there you have it. This is my second RMT, and it's by far one of my favorite teams I have ever built. Offensive playstyles are really fun because it lets me relive the kid inside of me who would use Bubblebeam/Hydro Pump/Surf/Skull Bash on Blastoise. To think that the fun side of Pokemon can be applied to the competitive side is rarely done these days. I often find myself and many others getting fed up with Pokemon because it feels like we're just going through the motions on the ladder. For me, this team has been a way to bring that fun back. I hope you all enjoyed this RMT! Feedback is of course appreciated, and feel free to test the team out yourself.
Importable

Scolipede (F) @ Black Sludge
Trait: Swarm
EVs: 248 HP / 32 Atk / 104 Def / 120 Spd
Jolly Nature
- Spikes
- Megahorn
- Swords Dance
- Aqua Tail
Kangaskhan (F) @ Silk Scarf
Trait: Scrappy
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Fake Out
- Double-Edge
- Earthquake
- Sucker Punch
Golem @ Lum Berry
Trait: Sturdy
EVs: 84 HP / 252 Atk / 172 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Sucker Punch
- Rock Blast
Swellow (F) @ Toxic Orb
Trait: Guts
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature
- Brave Bird
- Facade
- Quick Attack
- U-turn
Ludicolo @ Life Orb
Trait: Swift Swim
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Modest Nature
- Giga Drain
- Surf
- Ice Beam
- Rain Dance
Misdreavus @ Eviolite
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Nasty Plot
- Shadow Ball
- Thunderbolt
- Taunt
Trait: Swarm
EVs: 248 HP / 32 Atk / 104 Def / 120 Spd
Jolly Nature
- Spikes
- Megahorn
- Swords Dance
- Aqua Tail
Kangaskhan (F) @ Silk Scarf
Trait: Scrappy
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Fake Out
- Double-Edge
- Earthquake
- Sucker Punch
Golem @ Lum Berry
Trait: Sturdy
EVs: 84 HP / 252 Atk / 172 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Sucker Punch
- Rock Blast
Swellow (F) @ Toxic Orb
Trait: Guts
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature
- Brave Bird
- Facade
- Quick Attack
- U-turn
Ludicolo @ Life Orb
Trait: Swift Swim
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Modest Nature
- Giga Drain
- Surf
- Ice Beam
- Rain Dance
Misdreavus @ Eviolite
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Nasty Plot
- Shadow Ball
- Thunderbolt
- Taunt
Shoutouts

Keiran for making me a sick banner that led to me making this RMT
dwib for smashing old variants of this team which helped me find out why I didn't want to run any choice mons
FLCL for going to sleep before rating this -`/
butt for being the best IRC bot
Showdown for being the best Pokemon simulator
Cherub Agent for helping me out with the team before posting it
Agent Dell for theorymonning shit with me all the time
skylight for being you [:
RU players for letting Scolipede drop
Misdreavus for killing most of the Alomomolas I've encountered (FireMage: "fuck alomomola")
TalkTakesTime for nitpicking this RMT (and my Smog articles) and thus making it (and them) better
ebeast for the Scolipede set and being a chill guy and I think I stole this RMT format from him when I posted my last one but idr
Raseri for originally drafting me for NUPL and believing in me even though like nobody knew me back then
[00:12] <%Frizy> YOU CANNOT LEAVE THE PENIS ONCE YOU'VE HAD A TASTE
probably missing other people but oh well \o/
dwib for smashing old variants of this team which helped me find out why I didn't want to run any choice mons
FLCL for going to sleep before rating this -`/
butt for being the best IRC bot
Showdown for being the best Pokemon simulator
Cherub Agent for helping me out with the team before posting it
Agent Dell for theorymonning shit with me all the time
skylight for being you [:
RU players for letting Scolipede drop
Misdreavus for killing most of the Alomomolas I've encountered (FireMage: "fuck alomomola")
TalkTakesTime for nitpicking this RMT (and my Smog articles) and thus making it (and them) better
ebeast for the Scolipede set and being a chill guy and I think I stole this RMT format from him when I posted my last one but idr
Raseri for originally drafting me for NUPL and believing in me even though like nobody knew me back then
[00:12] <%Frizy> YOU CANNOT LEAVE THE PENIS ONCE YOU'VE HAD A TASTE
probably missing other people but oh well \o/