Gimmicky (but Good?)
At present, the OU meta feels like most of the residents have settled into their given roles; sure, some niche/previously underrated stuff is seeing a good bit of experimentation, but the mainstays feel like they're starting to settle. Well nuts to that. Last week was a nightmare for me irl, so I wanted to have a bit of fun with sets, so I'm kind of bringing back a thing I (sometimes) did back when I mainly followed UU. Basically the idea is to take an already solid mon and make some kind of alteration that significantly changes how they play, and see if I could actually get results. So I've been making offbeat sets for a bunch of them for the past few days, and while some didn't quite pan out (did I say laddering would
decrease my stress? Wow my brain is all over the place) these mons were actually helpful.
If the title didn't clue you in, yes these sets probably aren't the best for each mon; I acknowledge that.
Dragapult @
Choice Band
Ability: Infiltrator
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Dragon Darts
- Phantom Force
- U-turn
- Psychic Fangs/Sucker Punch/Steel Wing
Starting off with the most radically different set, Banded Dragapult's aim was to fix the main issues that prevent DDance Dragapult from being consistent: its lack of immediate power and usually lacking room for non-STAB, meaning any player with a Fairy and Blissey can completely wall it, and Unaware Clef doesn't care at all. That said, Dragon Darts is really strong, and even resists like Heatran can struggle to come in repeatedly on Banded with hazard support. Phantom Force can pick up an unexpected KO on teams lacking Bliss or Ttar, U-turn is great for momentum, and your fourth slot, while rarely utilized, has some options; Steel Wing allows consecutive hits on Clef (but that's it), Psychic Fangs chomps on Pex and Urshifu (especially with Lele support) and does more to Koko and Fini, and Sucker Punch is a fallback option if you really fear HO or need an emergency sweeper answer.
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8ou-1358640539 (when RNG actually works
with you)
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8ou-1358742088
As you can see in these replays, Band Pult works best as a cleaner; once you soften up/remove bulkier Steels and Fairies Pult becomes exceptionally deadly as a revenge killer. It is definitely niche though; the main obstacle is actually not Fairies like you'd probably assume, but Steel types like Corviknight and Ferrothorn, who can just sit on every hit and can resist or ignore Pult's physical coverage. As such,
anti-Steel support is essential if you wish to use Band Pult; I chose to include Zone and Lando, as Zone handles birds and Ferro while Lando smacks every other Steel. Another great partner for Band Pult is Specs Lele, as the two can wear down each other's checks, while Lele's terrain both shields Pult from priority and powers up potential Psychic Fangs to OHKO Urshifu.
Band Pult is potentially devastating, but is probably the most gimmicky of these 5 mons.
Band Pult
(That last slot can also go to Zapdos; it depends if you prefer Defog support or a Weavile check. I also thought about Fini, but I didn't want to risk weakening Darts since that's the whole appeal of this set)
Slowking @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Sassy Nature
- Scald
- Future Sight
-
Dragon Tail/Teleport
- Slack Off/
Dragon Tail
FuturePort more or less defines the Slowtwins for its ability to force positioning; however, there are plenty of threats that don't mind
a Future Sight, so depending on what mon they bring in your opponent can ironically force your positioning. However, Slowking has one thing that can truly deprive the opponent of choosing what takes Sight-
Dragon Tail (I originally wanted to do this with Glowking, but of course it doesn't get DT). While it was a struggle to drop one of the key 4 moves, I ultimately opted to keep Slack Off so King could potentially stay in on something; however, someone more adventurous than me might prefer dropping Slack. It mainly comes down to what kind of team you want;
if you drop Teleport, pair King with bulky mons that can afford to hard-switch in. If you drop Slack Off, pair it with offensive mons that can better capitalize on momentum.
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8ou-1359212112
As shown here, DTail's potential lies in its ability to disrupt your opponent's momentum, and allows it to get small but useful bits of chip on bulky mons like Blissey while potentially lining up their offensive mons to take the full brunt of Sight. Also, phasing is good and it's sad most mons don't have room for it anymore. One welcome surprise I saw in practice (wish I'd saved that replay) is that Tail is able to break Heatran's molten grip, meaning that this King can
actually come in on Magma Storm without needing to worry about getting Taunt-trapped.
DT Slowking
Tangrowth @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Relaxed Nature
- Giga Drain
-
Sludge Bomb
- Focus Blast
- Knock Off
This change isn't quite as flashy as the others, but it does give some unique edges to Tangrowth. As a frequent user of Growth, I've noticed that I don't really use Sleep Powder, mainly because I prefer other statuses against most opponents; Sludge Bomb seemed like the most logical replacement. With Bomb, Tangrowth can apply pressure to most flying types after they've taken a Knock, score some gradual chip against certain annoyances and allow Growth to better check Rillaboom, Buzzwole, opposing Growth and rarer Bulu.
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8ou-1359825693-0r3qj56tremqglx3mi1dv0jy0hpz4mmpw
Not the most exciting replay, I know, but to those who don't get it; Bomb guaranteed that I'd win any Growth mirror match (especially since they swapped FB for Leech Seed), so they were constantly forced into Torn or Pex- Torn didn't want to eat a poison, but losing its Helmet would mean Pex couldn't keep my Urshifu at bay (especially if Growth went down).
While not flashy, Sludge is a good option for Growth if you don't need/want sleep.
SB Tangrowth
Ferrothorn @ Leftovers
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
-
Iron Defense
- Body Press
- Knock Off
- Leech Seed
This is a set I actually picked up from an opponent during this laddering. After just one Iron Defense, Ferro can be a real pain to break through (hence why you keep max SpD investment) especially once it gets Leech Seed off, while Knock Off allows Ferro to still support its team while chunking Ghost types.
Boosted Body Press is obviously a pain, but the main benefit is in this set's ability to sit on most physical attackers and gradually wear them down between Seed, Knock and Iron Barbs while taking minimal damage back.
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8ou-1360444298
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8ou-1360449506
While the first replay isn't a standard OU team, it does show off how Ferro can potentially auto-win an end-game, as once Conk goes down Ferro just wins in the hypothetical continuation. In game 2, Body Press lets Ferro OHKO Heatran on the switch (admittedly a high roll), which it otherwise couldn't accomplish even with max Def. Now, the presence of
Urshifu does mean Toxapex is ID Ferro's best friend, so this set is best used on defensive or balance teams.
ID Ferro
Garchomp @
Choice Scarf
Ability: Rough Skin
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Dragon Claw/Scale Shot/Outrage
- Stone Edge
- Poison Jab/Fire Fang
So, I saved this set for last because-
Scarf Garchomp might be legitimately good, actually. The idea was simply to maximize Garchomp's offensive potential, going all in with dual STAB, Edge for Flying types and Jab for Fairies; even with Adamant, Scarf still gets the guaranteed outspeed on Zeraora, aka the benchmark for any successful Scarfer, while letting Chomp have the full power it needed for some crucial KOs.
This set also has a decent amount of flexibility; in terms of Dragon STAB, Scale Shot allows potential greater damage and can make up that Speed in case of Knock Off, while Claw is more consistent and doesn't risk a miss. Outrage is also possible, though I don't like it because you can't safely throw it off until late game. Fire Fang is an option over Jab if you really want to dent Corv (
which you can somehow still lose to even when you specifically packs two answers to it), Skarm and Ferro, though you do need Rocks and reliance on RNG with Corv.
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8ou-1360082490 (admittedly RNG saved me here)
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8ou-1360084319
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8ou-1360126426
This ended up being my most successful team of the bunch, and in large part that was due to ScarfChomp's prowess as a revenge killer and general breaker; one of my few losses was actually to another ScarfChomp. ScarfChomp loves the current offensive state of the meta, since while it does have some consistent checks most are defensive staples that can be pressured easily with the right support, especially Zer and/or Zone (you should stick with one if you aren't blinded by rage for Corv).
The few checks it has do mean ScarfChomp is best suited for offense or balance, where you can fit key offensive partners like Zeraora and Fini. ScarfChomp does need some support to function at its peak, but that support is perfectly within reason. Of the sets I've featured here, I feel this is the one that is most likely to be genuinely good.
Scarf Garchomp
Throughout this laddering stint, I noticed a few recurring trends, but I don't want this post getting even more bogged down with all that so I'll save all those notes for later. Even for as stressful as building could be sometimes, I still enjoyed what I got with these sets; besides, being untested is what makes it fun. They may not be the most unstoppable sets ever, but I do think all of these guys have some merit (ok, maybe not BandPult. That one's a primadonna), and maybe someone can come up with an even better team for these sets than I could think up.