Other Metagames [SS CAP] ClefSoil and Friends (Chromera Playtest Team)

[Brambane]

ClefSoil and Friends!

Quick Information about CAP and Chromera Playtest Meta

The Create-A-Pokemon Project (CAP) is discussion based community project on the Smogon Forums that designs custom Pokemon in order to explore game design, competitive concepts, and underutilized or novel strategies. Each step in the process is based in forum, PS!, or Discord discussion, from typing to movepool to exactly what each project is aiming to accomplish and discover. This process allow includes flavor elements, such as art, sprites, PokeDex entries, and shinies. The culmination of each project is the playtesting phase, where the creation is implemented on Pokemon Showdown for the CAP metagame. This metagame is based on OU, but allows players to use any of CAP's previous creations.

At the time of writing, CAP is playtesting its latest creation: Chromera. This team is specifically designed for this meta. Since CAP is based on OU, changes to the OU metagame and banlist affect CAP, but also new or updated CAP creations can also influence the metagame. There are always fascinating new trends and strategies to discover in CAP, I encourage anyone who is interested to check out the CAP metagame sub-forum for teams, tips, and general information on where to start!

Hi all, I recently reached #1 on the CAP ladder (more of an act of dedication than a testament to my battling prowess) and I wanted to celebrate by sharing one of my favorite teams I made for the Chromera playtest meta. This is a primarily defensive balance team with an offensive Dragapult for Speed control, wallbreaking, and late-game cleaning. It features some strong defensive synergies, a durable set-up sweeper against stall teams, and a very off-meta pick to cover some of the team's glaring weaknesses. Despite its defensive nature, four of these Pokemon can pressure Slowking, which helps prevent FuturePort from cutting through this team like a hot knife though butter. These kind of fat teams are my favorite to pilot, and it features one of the coolest CAPs: Colossoil!


@ Sticky Barb
Ability: Magic Guard

EVs: 252 HP / 192 Def / 64 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Moonblast
- Soft-Boiled
- Stealth Rock
- Trick

Clefable is just as splashable in CAP as it is in OU. Tricky Barb Clefable is an excellent Pokemon for weakening two of the most prominent Steel-types in the meta: Heatran and Equilibra. For people reading this who don’t play CAP 1) try it out there are really easy samples to use and 2) I cannot overstate how influential Heatran and Equlibra are to the meta. It also helps tremendously against Ferrothorn and Slowking. Clefable is the status absorber and rocker on this team. 252 HP / 64 SpD means Timid SpecsPult Shadow Ball doesn’t 2HKO without a crit or SpD drop. I dump the rest of the EVs in Defense with a Bold nature.

@ Leftovers
Ability: Guts
EVs: 80 HP / 252 SpD / 176 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Knock Off
- Toxic
- Rapid Spin

Colossoil is a fantastic spinner and with a very useful defensive typing. Ground helps block Volt Switch, while Dark means it can absorb Future Sight and switch into Ghost-type moves. STAB Knock Off off of 280 Attack keeps spinblockers at bay, while it can usually make progress with Toxic, Knock, or Earthquake chip. Toxic in particular is extremely useful for weakening Chromera. 200 Speed EVs Jolly outspeeds Excadrill, but I don’t find that super necessary in the current meta or on this team in particular. This spread hits 287 Speed, outspeeding Nidoking and Zeraora after Rapid Spin. The rest of the EVs are dumped to maximize special bulk.

@ Leftovers
Ability: Unaware
EVs: 252 HP / 152 Def / 104 SpD
Impish Nature
- Spikes
- Circle Throw
- Knock Off
- Recover

Arghonaut is a great Pokemon on these kinds of fat teams thanks to its role compression. Since I am using Rapid Spin for hazard removal, Spikes are a natural addition to the team and greatly benefit my Plasmanta and Dragapult. Circle Throw allows Arghonaut to deal with Chromera, Volcarona, Cawmodore, and Garchomp in a pinch. Knock Off is doubly useful for helping punish Slowking, who otherwise can come in on Arghonaut and use it for Future Sight set-ups. The EVs allow Arghonaut to tank through LO Garchomp Earthquake while still getting a bit of investment in Special Defense to help against offensive Chromera spreads and Psychic Volcarona.

@ Leftovers
Ability: Mirror Armor
EVs: 252 HP / 108 Def / 148 SpD
Careful Nature
- Bulk Up
- Roost
- Brave Bird
- Taunt

Corviknight serves a number of roles on the team. It is the team’s best answer to Blissey and offensive Landorus-T. It is also a generally decent bulky Pokemon which resists both Doom Desire and Future Sight, which is required on pretty much every balance team in CAP. Mostly importantly, it can break though opposing fat teams thanks to Taunt. 252 HP / 148 SpD Careful keeps you from being 2HKOed by Modest SpecsPult Shadow Ball; Mirror Armor means it cannot fish for a SpD drop. 108 Defense means Astrolotl does not reliably 2HKO after Rocks and Lefties, and Mirror Armor makes it vulnerable to Brave Bird if it spams Fire Lash.

@ Choice Specs
Ability: Infiltrator
EVs: 88 Def / 196 SpA / 224 Spe
Modest Nature
- Shadow Ball
- Draco Meteor
- U-turn
- Surf

A spinblocker for my Spikes, general wallbreaker, screens devourer, and late-game cleaner. SpecsPult is SpecsPult, the first three moves need no explanation. Since my team is overloaded with Dragapult answers, I wasn’t remotely concerned with trying to speed-tie it with my own. This spread might look weird for those unfamiliar with CAP, but the Defense and Speed hit very important benchmarks. 88 Defense means you live 252 Atk +6 Cawmodore Bullet Punch after rocks, ensuring you can KO with Shadow Ball before Cawm destroys your team. 224 Speed is enough to outspeed Syclant and Tornadus-T, and the rest of the EVs are dumped into SpA. Surf lets Pult chunk Heatran, Equilibra, and Colossoil, all of which are highly relevant SpD tanks in the CAP metagame.

@ Black Sludge
Ability: Storm Drain
EVs: 116 HP / 252 Def / 140 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Sludge Bomb
- Body Press
- Thunderbolt
- Haze

Plasmanta was the final addition to the team. Its main job is to patch up some of my teams’s more concerning weaknesses, specifically rain, Hawlucha + Cawmodore HO, Tapu Fini, opposing Corviknight, Toxapex, and Calm Mind Clefable. The first three moves are pretty standard: Sludge Bomb and Thunderbolt for STAB, and Body Press for Equilibra, Blissey, and Heatran. I went with Haze in the last slot so I had an emergency “oh shit” button against Cawmodore and Necturna; it makes it harder for HO to overwhelm Arghonaut and Corviknight. 140 Speed outpaces Rillaboom and standard Zapdos, max Defense for big meaty Body Presses, rest in HP. Black Sludge is pretty much required on Plasmanta; we have to play like cowards vs Zeraora early-game sadly since Knock Off makes Plasmanta very unhappy.

Notable Threats:
Kyurem - Specs Kyurem punches massive holes in this team if it predicts right; main gameplan against it involves carefully maneuvering Clefable and Dragapult to force it to try and take SR damage. Most other Kyurem sets are not too problematic.

Volcarona - The MU Moth strikes again. Offensive 3 Attacks crushes this team if it's the last mon and I can’t get a Toxic on it, which is quite likely. I have to play SUPER carefully around Volcarona, using Corviknight and Dragapult to pressure it.

Krilowatt - Not a directly threatening Pokemon since it can’t 2HKO Clefable, but its a super annoying pivot since it outspeeds everything except Pult and is immune to hazards. Plasmanta’s lack of reliable recovery means it cannot keep eating LO Ice Beam from Krilowatt. If I can Knock Off Life Orb, Krilowatt is a much smaller pain.

Sun - Not super common in CAP, but pretty much an auto-loss at team preview unless I can do some very fancy footwork with Dragapult. A well-played Venusaur will eat this team alive.

Importable!

Clefable @ Sticky Barb
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 192 Def / 64 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Moonblast
- Soft-Boiled
- Stealth Rock
- Trick

Colossoil @ Leftovers
Ability: Guts
EVs: 80 HP / 252 SpD / 176 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Knock Off
- Toxic
- Rapid Spin

Arghonaut @ Leftovers
Ability: Unaware
EVs: 252 HP / 152 Def / 104 SpD
Impish Nature
- Circle Throw
- Knock Off
- Spikes
- Recover

Corviknight @ Leftovers
Ability: Mirror Armor
EVs: 252 HP / 108 Def / 148 SpD
Careful Nature
- Taunt
- Bulk Up
- Brave Bird
- Roost

Dragapult @ Choice Specs
Ability: Infiltrator
EVs: 84 Def / 200 SpA / 224 Spe
Modest Nature
- Shadow Ball
- Draco Meteor
- U-turn
- Surf

Plasmanta @ Black Sludge
Ability: Storm Drain
EVs: 116 HP / 252 Def / 140 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Sludge Bomb
- Body Press
- Thunderbolt
- Haze

Thank you for everyone who helped me test this team, the CAP community for their resources, and the dedicated people reinvigorating the CAP ladder. I am looking forward to suggestions on how to improve this team or replays from people taking it for a spin!