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Project SV RU Next Best Thing (CLOSED)

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Approved by Rarelyme | Adapted from SV NU NBT
SV RU Next Best Thing
picture coming soon(tm)

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The Next Best Thing is a project where the users can submit & search for various creative but viable Pokemon sets, utilizing the power of various overlooked & unexpected moves/items, or a combination of both in a set. Participants should value both creativity and viability when creating sets and voting. Please read the Procedures and Rules of the thread before submitting any set.


Procedure
  • Every cycle (1 per week), a new Pokemon, item, ability or Tera type will be chosen for participants to create a new, creative yet effective set.
  • As a rule of thumb, all the existing sets on the Smogdex are disallowed.
  • The participants will get 3 days to submit their sets in this thread - Friday-Sunday.
  • Voting will be held during the remaining 4 days of the week - Monday-Thursday.
  • All the winning sets will be kept in the Hall of Fame.

Rules
  • Be creative, but your creativity must also show viability.
  • You may only post 1 set per cycle.
  • Do not post the exact same sets from the Smogdex & WIPs.
  • You must explain your set in detail. It is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED to include a few replays and/or notable calcs, and you are welcome to include teammates options, threats, usage tips, & even a team built around the set.
  • You are allowed to reserve your set in this forum, but the reservation expires after 24 hours. Please have your description complete before this point.


Hall of Fame​

 
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Week 1 - Azelf

105390530_p0 (1).png

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While it lost in popularity recently, Azelf still has a lot of tricks in its toolkit as a blazing fast Pokemon with high mixed offenses, a colorful movepool in both the physical and special side, and strong support and disruption tools. Will you be able to reveal Azelf’s full potential?
Submissions start today, 1 day earlier than normal, to celebrate the return of Next Best Thing!

Submission deadline: Sunday, June 16th, 11:59 pm GMT-7
 
:pmd/azelf:

Azelf @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
Tera Type: Fairy
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Drain Punch / Zen Headbutt
- Knock Off / Trick
- Play Rough
- U-turn

This set is something I've theorized for a while, capable of annihilating lead Cyclizar who expect you to click rocks + boom on HO structures while giving a fast + strong offensive pivot on balance and bulky offense teams as well. Drain Punch hits Bisharp and Cobalion, Knock is generally good, Play Rough blows up Cyclizar and Salamence (which you outspeed at even +1), and U-turn is a safe click generally like Knock.

Calcs:
252+ Atk Azelf Play Rough vs. 164 HP / 0 Def Cyclizar: 298-352 (92.5 - 109.3%) -- 56.3% chance to OHKO
252+ Atk Azelf Drain Punch vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Eviolite Bisharp: 236-280 (87 - 103.3%) -- 18.8% chance to OHKO
252+ Atk Azelf Drain Punch vs. 0 HP / 252 Def Cobalion: 116-138 (35.9 - 42.7%) -- 94% chance to 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
252+ Atk Azelf Knock Off (97.5 BP) vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Jirachi: 226-268 (55.9 - 66.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ Atk Azelf Knock Off (97.5 BP) vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Slowbro: 154-182 (39 - 46.1%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
252+ Atk Azelf Play Rough vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Krookodile: 252-298 (76.1 - 90%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ Atk Azelf Play Rough vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Zapdos-Galar: 230-272 (71.6 - 84.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ Atk Azelf Play Rough vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Salamence: 252-298 (76.1 - 90%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
 
Happy to see this project back up and running!

:Azelf: @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
Tera Type: Fairy
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Mystical Power
- Fire Blast/Flamethrower
- Draining Kiss
- Nasty Plot

I used this set on a sun team a while back and still think it’s pretty decent. Mystical Power is inherently kind of broken if not given only to the lake guardians, however with Azelf’s decent attacking stats, it can make do. Fire is a pretty good pairing for Psychic, able to hit steels, primarily being Bisharp, for super effective damage. Draining Kiss provides greater longevity and helps negate the effects of Life Orb, and while I think I used Nasty Plot on the original set, the fourth slot is definitely flexible, with options like Encore, Taunt, or U-Turn being viable as well. Fairy Tera helps against priority from opposing Bisharp, and boosts the damage from Draining Kiss.
 
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Choice Band Explosion :azelf:
Azelf @ Choice Band
Ability: Levitate
Tera Type: Normal
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Zen Headbutt
- Knock Off
- U-turn
- Explosion

fun set using the fact that Azelf has 125 base Attack and that Knock Off and U-turn are great moves by themselves to go full on physical. Choice Band makes Knock Off a 2HKO on Jirachi, the go-to Azelf check in most teams. Zen Headbutt for STAB + you can always get the 20% cheese factor. The real reason for Choice Band though, is that Explosion hurts. As soon as you reveal Choice Band, your opponent will want to use their physical walls instead of their special ones. That's when you go boom and allow for something to clean up. If the opponent doesn't have a Ghost, it can also act as a "screw it button" if Azelf gets low on HP and you want to get guaranteed damage on something. Tera Normal turns Explosion into a nuclear warhead able to OHKO Slowbro and Hippowdon.
252 Atk Choice Band Tera Normal Azelf Explosion vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Slowbro: 400-472 (101.5 - 119.7%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252 Atk Choice Band Tera Normal Azelf Explosion vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Hippowdon: 382-450 (90.9 - 107.1%) -- 43.8% chance to OHKO

here is a team I quickly made featuring the set:
:azelf::cyclizar::empoleon::gligar::terrakion::bisharp:
https://pokepast.es/44166db8a947c22e
This is a classic BO where Azelf can spread Knock on everything, then bait physical walls and boom on them for Terrakion to hopefully clean up. Cyclizar/Empoleon/Gligar is a basic but tried-and-true balance core, and Bisharp helps against HO + Dark types are great currently.
 
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Supportive Azelf

:dp/azelf:
Azelf @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
Tera Type: Fire
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Encore
- Future Sight
- Knock Off
- Flamethrower

Azelf has a wide movepool and its shown off here in this moveset. With a ground immunity, azelf can switch in to a variety of attackers, including things it usually doesn't do such as krook, or it can switch into a setup or status move and due to its high speed, outspeed most things. From here, azelf can get off an encore to lock them into said move and then do a few things. It can use future sight to set up a teammate in order to break open defensive mons, knock off an opposing enemy's item or hit it with a flamethrower if its already weakened to pick up the ko. Tera fire ensures it can deal suprising damage with flamethrower.

(some of these calcs asuume you lock them into encore)
4 Atk Azelf Knock Off (97.5 BP) vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Jirachi: 170-202 (42 - 50%) -- 0.4% chance to 2HKO
4 Atk Azelf Knock Off (97.5 BP) vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Armarouge: 170-200 (54.6 - 64.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 SpA Azelf Future Sight vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Cobalion: 250-295 (77.3 - 91.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
252 SpA Azelf Future Sight vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Fezandipiti: 318-374 (83.6 - 98.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
 
EDIT: Aw fuck me Hoops posted a really similar set earlier and I didn’t see it, not deleting though I used Azelf in 2 tours already sorry bye bye

Azelf’s speed tier has always allowed it to be a threatening special attacker when supported by hazards or boosting its special attack itself with Nasty Plot. Azelf was also given a very interesting but unfortunately underwhelming signature move in Mystical Power, which in theory allows it to boost its special attack while finishing off an opponent. The problem? Mystical Power sucks. Not only is it fairly weak, 2 mystical powers don’t even out damaging 2 Psychics, but it’s also inconsistent with a frustrating 90% accuracy. This set does not attempt to solve the accuracy problem, that one’s on gamefreak because I refuse to run Wide Lens, but we can shore up the power issue somewhat.

Azelf @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
Tera Type: Fairy
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Psychic
- Flamethrower
- Nasty Plot
- Draining Kiss

I’ve always been a fan of this Life Orb Nasty Plot set with Tera Fairy Draining Kiss. It allows for great immediate power with Tera fairy draining kiss helping to mitigate the health lost from Life Orb. Azelf’s spikes immunity and neutrality to rocks means Life Orb recoil isn’t leaving it totally helpless to its own passive damage as well. However, being able to set up with nasty plot means mystical power isn’t worth running, as you’d prefer the consistency and immediate power of Psychic when you can’t feasibly set up. Without Nasty Plot though, Mystical Power can act as Azelf’s method of boosting special attack, and Life Orb lets it hit harder than expert belt Azelf’s Psychic on neutral targets immediately. Running Mystical Power also means Azelf can afford an additional coverage move, something nasty plot lacks. For our purposes, Tbolt and Energy Ball both have worthwhile targets to snipe, but Empoleon, Moltres, and Armarouge being more common than Gastrodon, Quagsire, and Swampert makes me want to use Tbolt.


Azelf @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
Tera Type: Fairy
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Mystical Power
- Flamethrower
- Draining Kiss
- Thunderbolt

Mystical power+Tera fairy draining kiss kills bike while recovering close to full health, with Azelf now at +1 though likely losing its life orb. This is about the same deal as expert belt tera fairy dazzling gleam, except without the recover of draining kiss.

Empoleon: +1 252 SpA Life Orb Tera Fairy Azelf Thunderbolt vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Empoleon: 265-315 (71.2 - 84.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery

Fast Jirachi: +1 252 SpA Life Orb Tera Fairy Azelf Flamethrower vs. 252 HP / 32 SpD Jirachi: 361-426 (89.3 - 105.4%) -- 31.3% chance to OHKO

Cyclizar after switching in on mystical power: +1 252 SpA Tera Fairy Azelf Draining Kiss (60 BP) vs. 164 HP / 120 SpD Assault Vest Cyclizar: 230-272 (71.4 - 84.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

Armarouge: +1 252 SpA Life Orb Azelf Thunderbolt vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Armarouge: 224-264 (72 - 84.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

Volcanion: 252 SpA Life Orb Azelf Thunderbolt vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Volcanion: 270-320 (89.7 - 106.3%) -- 37.5% chance to OHKO

252 SpA Life Orb Azelf Flamethrower vs. 176 HP / 4 SpD Eviolite Bisharp: 221-263 (70.1 - 83.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

252 SpA Life Orb Tera Fairy Azelf Draining Kiss (60 BP) vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Krookodile: 330-393 (99.6 - 118.7%) -- 93.8% chance to OHKO
]

As you can see, many of these pokemon can take 1 hit from boosted Azelf, but can’t switch in on Mystical power+coverage. Still, I would recommend running hazard support, always rocks and optionally Spikes for Empoleon and Jirachi. This is a team I’ve created to support Azelf in breaking, it’s a great spikes abuser with its already high speed and its ability to flip the matchup on Cyclizar. Checks like Jirachi, Bisharp, and Empoleon are often hit by spikes without needing to be knocked off.

:Azelf: / :Diancie: / :Jirachi: / :Basculegion-F: / :Hippowdon: / :Cyclizar:
 
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:sm/azelf:
Azelf @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Levitate
Tera Type: Dark
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Psychic
- Knock Off
- U-turn
- Flamethrower

KnockTurn Azelf: Azelf's blazing 115 speed, ground (and thus spikes) immunity make it a very attractive U-Turn bot. Its high offenses and a colorful array of moves make it extremely threatening. STAB Psychic off of base 125 special attack is nothing to scoff at and pairing it with Flamethrower makes a very dangerous combination. It works best on spikestack teams which enjoy it's speed and access to Knock Off and it's ability to bring in threatening breakers such as Terrakion, Krookodile and others to abuse the spikes. Even Jirachi has trouble taking the combination of Knock Off and Flamethrower. All in all, use it please.

Edit: Here is a team showing off Azelf. https://pokepast.es/eafe403b9991069e
 
Thank you everyone for your submissions!

:azelf: It is time to vote for your favorite set! :azelf:

Azelf @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
Tera Type: Fairy
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Drain Punch / Zen Headbutt
- Knock Off / Trick
- Play Rough
- U-turn
Azelf @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
Tera Type: Fairy
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Mystical Power
- Fire Blast/Flamethrower
- Draining Kiss
- Nasty Plot
Azelf @ Choice Band
Ability: Levitate
Tera Type: Normal
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Zen Headbutt
- Knock Off
- U-turn
- Explosion
Azelf @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
Tera Type: Fire
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Encore
- Future Sight
- Knock Off
- Flamethrower
Azelf @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
Tera Type: Fairy
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Mystical Power
- Flamethrower
- Draining Kiss
- Thunderbolt
Azelf @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Levitate
Tera Type: Dark
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Psychic
- Knock Off
- U-turn
- Flamethrower

Voting deadline: Thursday, June 20th, 11:59 pm GMT-7
 
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And the winner for Next Best Thing's return week is... me with Choice Band Explosion Azelf !

:dp/azelf:
Azelf @ Choice Band
Ability: Levitate
Tera Type: Normal
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Zen Headbutt
- Knock Off
- U-turn
- Explosion

A huge thank you to everyone for participating! Week 2 will be published in a few minutes.
 
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