Resource Simple Questions, Simple Answers Thread

what's the best EV spread for miracle seed rillaboom right now? just a simple maxatk/maxspeed?
Standard is fine I guess but you can play around it a little bit. Speed tiers you want to hit are 254 for modest heatran, especially if you carry fighting coverage in the last slot, or around 243/244 ish for that crowded mess of adamant bish and timid zone, which also means lando and fini sometimes.

I have this spread right here

EVs: 44 HP / 248 Atk / 68 Def / 148 Spe
Adamant Nature

That hits 243 speed, has optimized grassy terrain recovery and does these two things

252 Atk Choice Band Urshifu-Rapid-Strike Close Combat vs. 44 HP / 68 Def Rillaboom: 297-351 (84.3 - 99.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Grassy Terrain recovery

252 Atk Choice Band Urshifu-Rapid-Strike Surging Strikes (3 hits) vs. 44 HP / 68 Def Rillaboom on a critical hit: 141-168 (40 - 47.7%) -- approx. 1.2% chance to 2HKO after Stealth Rock and Grassy Terrain recovery

You can also go 108 / 252 / 148 for a bit more special bulk, although you lose on those specific Urshifu calcs
 

Abhi

Professional Zoomer
is an official Team Rateris a Community Contributoris a Contributor to Smogonis a Site Content Manager Alumnusis a Forum Moderator Alumnus
Why does Lando run max spedef instead of running a little less spedef and a bit of physdef for stuff like cb melm and chomp?
It can definitely run physdef instead of physdef or mixed sets, but its more team oriented. Usually people prefer Spdef since landorus doesnt really need physdef to check things like Garchomp and Zera well (although it can be shaky at times) and it usually has other pokemon to help it check these mons and the spdef helps with Dragapult, Tapu Koko, and Glowking. You can definitely run mixed defenses if you want to, its up to you in the end.
 

Katy

Banned deucer.
To add onto Abhis good explanation, Spdef Lando-T can also survive an Overheat from Choice Specs Blacephalon without Stealth Rocks up, and it can switch in more consistently into Heatran and also is a better check to Volcarona (Bulky Quiver Dance at +1) at the very end. Moreover Lando-T is usually paired up with great walls like Corviknight, Ferrothorn, and it also makes a great partner with Buzzwole and Dragonite. so they can check physical attackers too in this case. But ya Lando-T doesnt need to run full phys def, unless there are the rare teams, which rely on a great physical wall and have covered up the special side already well enough.

Hopefully that helped as well :)
 
What's the usage cutoff for tier shifts ? Didn't it used to be 3, 41% ? That does not seem to currently be the case, else Skarmory would still be OU.
 

Katy

Banned deucer.
What's a good amount of Special Defense EV's to run on a more Physically-oriented Ferrothorn set?
I personally like 88 spdef evs so its not a guaranteed 2HKO on Ferrothorn from Choice Specs Kyurems Freeze-Dry, its only a 3HKO, it also has enough bulk to check Choice Specs Modest Tapu Lele, Arctozolt, Tapu Koko, Zeraora, Choice Band Barraskewda, and Choice Band Melmetal. 88 SpD EVs means you do not cut off that much from your physical side, which means you are still good in checking the aforementioned Arctozolt with Low Kick.

But that is personal preference, some might run more, some would advice less. But 88 feels to me as a great midground here as spread.

Hopefully that helped :)
 
Hi, is there any way to battle against a bot in Showdown? I have heard of Abyssal Bot which is working great, but is there any other?
 

Red Raven

I COULD BE BANNED!
Why does Tornadus run 168 speed evs? I know it is to outrun adamant Weavile but that only has 349 speed and Tornadus only needs 164 to outspeed it. So, what's up with the extra four evs?
 

TailGlowVM

Now 100% more demonic
Why does Tornadus run 168 speed evs? I know it is to outrun adamant Weavile but that only has 349 speed and Tornadus only needs 164 to outspeed it. So, what's up with the extra four evs?
While they're not common, outrunning the Latis and Gengar only requires a tiny bit more investment than Adamant Weavile, so you might as well. It's not like 4 EVs do much defensively.
 

pulsar512b

ss ou fangirl
is a Pre-Contributor
While they're not common, outrunning the Latis and Gengar only requires a tiny bit more investment than Adamant Weavile, so you might as well. It's not like 4 EVs do much defensively.
indeed i think when that sort of spread first caught on that was the reasoning (this was before everyone knew +2 ada lo weav kills corv)
 
Can someone help me with general templates for weather? I ask with the caveat that I know building purely by a template is a bad idea, but having a general formula would help.

like,
Sun...
1) setter
2) chlorophyll abuser
3/4) fire abuser
5) ground type?
6) ?

rain...
1) setter
2) swift swimmer
3) electric immune
4)
5)
6) ferrothorn? I know he’s always there on rain but I can’t figure out why (I know the 4x fire weakness is mitigated but like, there are others like scizor too)

and so on for sand and hail

I feel like I have a solid start when I build teams, and then as I add I cause more problems than I solve.. and I enjoy messing with Weather so I thought it’d be a good one to ask about
 
Can someone help me with general templates for weather? I ask with the caveat that I know building purely by a template is a bad idea, but having a general formula would help.

like,
Sun...
1) setter
2) chlorophyll abuser
3/4) fire abuser
5) ground type?
6) ?

rain...
1) setter
2) swift swimmer
3) electric immune
4)
5)
6) ferrothorn? I know he’s always there on rain but I can’t figure out why (I know the 4x fire weakness is mitigated but like, there are others like scizor too)

and so on for sand and hail

I feel like I have a solid start when I build teams, and then as I add I cause more problems than I solve.. and I enjoy messing with Weather so I thought it’d be a good one to ask about
Rain typically consists of Pelipper (mandatory), Ferrothorn (mandatory), a swift swimmer (Barreskewda, Seismitoad), electric immune (Seismitoad, Thundurus-T, Zeraora), Hurricane user, (Tornadus-T, Zapdos), occasionally a Water abuser (like Volcanion) and a Thunder abuser (Tornadus-T, Zapdos, Zeraora, Tapu Koko) Of course, a Thunder abuser or Water abuser aren't mandatory, but the rest generally are. The reason Ferrothorn is used on nearly every rain team is due to the fact that it resists Electric and Grass, and provides hazard support with Spikes and Stealth Rock.

I don't really much know for Sand, but I think it usually consists of something like Sand setter (Hippowdon, Tyranitar), Excadrill and Dracozolt.

For Hail, it's really flexible but is usually something like Ninetales+Arctozolt with support like Magnezone and Heatran and stallbreakers and hard hitters like subroost Kyurem and Specs Tapu Lele.

idk for sun
 

Red Raven

I COULD BE BANNED!
Can someone help me with general templates for weather? I ask with the caveat that I know building purely by a template is a bad idea, but having a general formula would help.

like,
Sun...
1) setter
2) chlorophyll abuser
3/4) fire abuser
5) ground type?
6) ?

rain...
1) setter
2) swift swimmer
3) electric immune
4)
5)
6) ferrothorn? I know he’s always there on rain but I can’t figure out why (I know the 4x fire weakness is mitigated but like, there are others like scizor too)

and so on for sand and hail

I feel like I have a solid start when I build teams, and then as I add I cause more problems than I solve.. and I enjoy messing with Weather so I thought it’d be a good one to ask about

For sun, there are only four mandatory pokemon

The first one is Torkoal obviously, unless you wanna use regular Ninetales in which case I think that's a bad idea. Next one is your Venusaur. If you're not using Venusaur, don't use sun. It's that simple

For the third slot, you want your sun abuser. Specs eruption Heatran, band v create Victini, band flare blits Darmanitan, specs Volcanion, whatever. As long as it has a strong fire stab fire move powered up by the sun, that's good enough

On the fourth slot, you need Mandibuzz especially if you're new to the archetype. If you don't have Mandibuzz, Garchomp will click swords dance once and there is nothing you can do about it. Dragapult, while not as threatening as Garchomp, is also a pain since it can spam shadow balls unhindered. Unless you are that good with both the playstyle and your prediction, stick with Mandibuzz. It patches up this gaping maw on a sun team

The last two slots can be whatever you want. You can add in a mix or sd Garchomp, a Dragapult, or a wall like Blissey. Just mix and match what works for you. Maybe an answer for Weavile can work

For rain, you only have limited tools to play with

Rain is a very restrictive playstyle and the structure for it goes Pelipper, Ferrothorn, Barraskewda, ground type / electric immunity, hurricane user, whatever. Pelipper is self explanatory while Barraskewda is near mandatory. The reason for this is that every swift swimmer sucks. At least even without rain, Barraskewda is stupidly fast. Ferrothorn is a must have as this is your buffer to basically everything and sets down hazards

The fourth slot is either your Seismitoad, which allows Ferro to run spikes instead of sr, or something like Zeraora or Thundurus. Ground type is usually the most common option since it's been proven that it works but you can also make the volt absorb electrics work

The fifth slot is a hurricane user. No matter what happens, you need a hurricane user. If you don't have one, Rillaboom will rip your entire team apart. Banded is meh but a no hurricane user rain team is an autolose to sd fighting type Rillaboom. Tornadus and Zapdos are the two most common options. Tornadus is fast and has access to nasty plot while Zapdos is slower but has access to both thunder and hurricane. Just take your pick as long as the bird in question is offensive and can learn hurricane

Finally, while a thunder user might seem nice, the most consistent option for the final slot is Scizor. This is because Kyurem is a much bigger threat than Rillaboom ever is. Kyurem will spam ice beam and there is nothing a rain team can do about it. However, while Scizor provides the maximum safety, another good option would be Volcanion. Combined with Ferrothorn, it should deter Kyurem from ever clicking ice beam. It's not perfect and the battle basically turns into russian roulette but its better than nothing since Scizor is near useless on a rain team that isn't facing Kyurem. There are more options of course but these two are usually the most consistent. Also, do not replace Ferrothorn with Scizor. Metal bug does not have a high enough of a defensive profile as metal durian does

For Sand, you really only need three mandatory options

Personally, I find that dedicated sand teams are the second worst weather. I think rain is the worst because of how insanely restrictive it is but that's just me. At any rate, on sand, you only need your three mandatory options. You're sand setter, your Rillaboom answer and Excadrill

Before anything else, DO NOT USE SAND VEIL GARCHOMP ON SAND. It is such a huge waste. Yes, watching every attack miss is very amusing but that is the recipe for inconsistency over nine thousand. Garchomp has far better things to do than fish misses with substitute. This is why Excadrill is the best option since it can provide utility with rapid spin which in turn, lessens its reliance on sand. Garchomp may not need sand as well but at that point, why even bother to use a dedicated sand team. Dracozolt might be a nice option but in reality, it's not. Dracozolt is over reliant on sand turns and you would need to use smooth rock on your setter just to give it a chance to sweep, unlike Excadrill who has speed boosting options outside of sand. Don't forget the fact that Dracozolt is helpless against opposing Hippowdons and can barely make progress against Landorus

For your setter, you really only have Hippowdon or Tyranitar. Just use standard spdef Hippo and a spdef Tyranitar if you're new to the playstyle. If you are making a dedicated sand team, then choice band Tyranitar is really hard to use. You will run out of sand turns very quickly. Excadrill can mitigate this issue but it is very tough to use in the current meta

The third slot is your Rillaboom answer. As it should be obvious, Rillaboom also rips sand apart thanks to all the ground types and yes, that includes Excadrill. You can't even use Dracozolt's grass resist since it doesn't exactly have the bulk. The most obvious ones for this slot is usually metal birbs, both Skarm and Corvi. Skarmory can lay down spikes while Corvi has u turn. Aside from Rillaboom, these two are just natural fits for sand since they don't take sand damage at all and can provide a buffer to both Garchomp and Weavile, which are massive threats to sand

While those three are the absolute mandatory ones, I'm a huge fan of Tapu Lele on sand. This allows you to have a strong wall breaker and contest Rillaboom's terrain. Aside from that, another near mandatory on sand is a way to get rid of opposing metal birbs. It should be obvious why, Excadrill is no Jirachi and is not flinching its way past them. As such, you need something like Magnezone to make sure that they won't grief you

Basically, a dedicated sand team is gonna look like this. Excadrill + sand setter + Rillaboom answer + anti metal birb + wall breaker + whatever. You can mix and match which ones you like but those are the roles that a sand team needs. Also, if you are not going to use Excadrill, don't bother using a dedicated sand team. The only reason you would ever use dedicated sand is if you want to provide Excadrill with the support it needs to succeed. If not, just use Hippo and Tyranitar for their other uses. Hippowdon is an unkillable Landorus while Tyranitar spams choice banded stone edge and everything but Garchomp and Ferrothorn dies to it. I did leave out Dracozolt because that pokemon is definitely not a mon that someone new to the dedicated sand archetype should use. If Excadrill is difficult to make work, Dracozolt is even worse

Lastly, Hail

In all honesty, hail has no structure at all. For one thing, dedicated hail teams are just straight up bad and two, why build a dedicated hail team when you can just use Ninetales and Arctozolt? Instead, what you do is put Ninetales for the aurora veil and Arctozolt as your main wall breaker. Everything else can basically be whatever you want, the best ones are mons that love both the veil and Arctozolt's powerful stab boltbeams. The number one pokemon that loves this of course is Garchomp, who just enjoys the freedom it has when metal birds and Landorus are gone. Others include Volcanion, Dragapult, Weavile, Melmetal. Just mix and match whatever you like as long as you have a pokemon that appreciates Arctozolt's stab boltbeam
 
What is the de facto SubDD Kyurem set/spread?
It's a pretty niche set overall, but I typically use this spread which I adapted:

:ss/(Kyurem):
Kyurem @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 56 HP / 92 Atk / 232 SpD / 128 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Icicle Spear
- Substitute
- Roost

56 HP gives you a 101 HP Substitute which lets you stall Blissey's Seismic Toss with Pressure, 232 SpD reduces uninvested Clefable's Moonblast to a 3HKO which lets you stall that out too, 128 Spe with a Jolly Nature outpaces Zeraora after one Dragon Dance and the remaining 92 are put into Atk to improve rolls with Icicle Spear.

Alternatively, you can use this spread:

:ss/(Kyurem):
Kyurem @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 248 HP / 112 Def / 116 SpD / 32 Spe
Careful Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Icicle Spear
- Substitute
- Roost

The added physical bulk with Leftovers lets you Pressure stall a wider variety of attacks with this, however, the reduced Speed investment can give you a somewhat harder time when setting up. You still outspeed targets such as Kartana and Latios with the 32 EVs after one Dragon Dance though.
 

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