Resource Sword and Shield Teambuilding Compendium

Minority

Numquam Vincar
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(Thread Approved by Nayrz and dream, original XY thread concept by Edgar)


The purpose of this thread is to serve as a visual guide for structuring teams. It is useful to have all potential candidates for a particular role laid out so that things aren't overlooked and alternatives can be quickly considered. Please suggest additions, removals, or new categories to be added, all of which will be catalogued in the edits log as the tier continues to develop. Lists should lean more toward inclusivity, categories should be limited to essential and highly desirable techs.

Calyrex-SR Checks:



Necrozma-DM Checks:




Kyogre Checks:



Xerneas Checks:



Yveltal Checks:



Zygarde-C Checks:



Stealth Rock:



Spikes / Toxic Spikes:



Anti-Hazard:



Priority:




Pre-Home SS

Pokemon That May Be Viable:
/



Zacian Checks:
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Eternatus Checks:
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Ground Immunity:



Choice Scarf:
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Stealth Rock:



Spikes and Toxic Spikes:



Sticky Web:



Anti-Hazard:




Screens:
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Weather:



~
 
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Alolan Ninetales can also set up hail i'm pretty sure
also, regular Weezing gets toxic spikes and alolan dugtrio gets stealth rock
 
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It's been one day but here's what I think:

Zacian Checks:
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Aegislash is because I agree with the post above. Even if Zacian has a move needed to hit Aegislash King's Shield is still going to be annoying despite its nerfs and a hit + Shadow Sneak is going to do a lot of damage.

Sand Rush Excadrill is one of the common offensive answers I see for Zacian-C. As long as sand is up, Earthquake OHKOs. I would personally say Dugtrio + scarf is a valid way to deal with chipped Zacian to make sure it no longer causes damage with whatever the Attack boost it has. Hippowdon lives +3 Play Rough with physically defensive spread and hits back hard with Earthquake or phazes with Whirlwind.

There is no need to repeat how awful it is to actually check Zacian-C. To my knowledge, team compendium from USM thread has been as inclusive as possible with checks so if that will be the case for this generation, I think it is valid to include Pokemon that Zacian will need a specific move to bypass. The 'mon pretty much has infinite coverage and can either brute force or set sub and throw a finger against just about every fat 'mon that can feasibly attempt to stop it. I would probably list stuff like Toxapex or Bronzong. Ferrothorn is hit by two coverage (Fire Fang / CC) and Corviknight can't really do anything back aside from maybe hoping Body Slam will do something.

Also it may be nice to review whether we need a section for Zacian Checks, Zacian-C Checks, or both. Regular forme is barely used and Crowned forme is just better.

Eternatus Checks:
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I could say the list will be bigger if we were to explore 'mons from lower tier but as of now I think these are fine additions. Sand Rush Excadrill and Dugtrio are offensive checks like they were to Zacian-C (+Spe Dugtrio outspeeds neutral Speed Eternatus). Tyranitar should be thicc enough to take hits with sand and its typing, and Toxapex narrowly avoids 2HKO from Dynamax Cannon with Black Sludge. This is relevant to note as Eternatus has nothing else to really hit pex with and fishing crit with 8 PP move will just be a waste; not to mention Toxic Spikes it sets can be removed by pex itself.

----

I also think new sections could see use:

Screens:
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There are obviously more things that learn screens but I think these are 'possible' options to utilize.

Trappers:
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(GMax?)


Weather Abuser section can probably exist with things like Excadrill, Barraskewda, Shiftry, and such but there are 'mons with similar abilities that won't be viable (like who tf would use Seismitoad over Barraskewda in rain teams) and stuff like Dracozolt and Dracovish have Sand Rush as HA but neither of them is released yet.

Priority Moves section is something I'd consider a possibility but I'm not entirely sure about it given that two cover legendaries resist espeed / Quick Attack / Sucker Punch. Eternatus and any 'mon attempting to snowball with Dynamax / Gigantimax will be relatively unphazed by them.

There are no Z-moves to my knowledge and Kommo-o can still Clangorous Soul?
 
Alolan Ninetales can also set up hail i'm pretty sure
also, regular Weezing gets toxic spikes and alolan dugtrio gets stealth rock
Both those pokemon are unavailable at the moment and will not be available until Home comes around. For the main tiers, pokemon unavailable in game aren't considered until they are released, thus they cannot be considered for a list.
There are no Z-moves to my knowledge and Kommo-o can still Clangorous Soul?
Clangorous Soul is actually a new move Kommo-O got in gen 8, which consumes 33% hp for a omniboost, it's not actually his former Z-move.
 

bigtalk

Banned deucer.
In addition to what was mentioned above Quag / Pyuku can be mentioned under Zacian checks, Quag being the more solid under this category since it's less passive and isn't weak to coverage like Wild Charge
 

Eve

Bzzt!
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Time for a few odd things I've been using and reached top 50 with as Zamazenta-Crowned this afternoon:

:shedinja: Shedinja hard counters Zacian varieties not carrying Aegislash coverage, while not being vulnerable to Gothitelle like the Unaware mons and spreading Wisp. Sand is everywhere so Safety Goggles are the best bet for it, meaning it greatly appreciates Excadrill as a teammate as well as potentially a Defogger- Conk's my favourite for this, beating Ferrothorn and Toxapex. Shedinja also always beats Gyarados once Dynamax runs out unless it's carrying Crunch and sits in front of most Conks, but really, just being able to come in on and sit in front of Zacians without fear of Gothitelle is good enough already to warrant a slot on some teams.

:corsola: Galarian Corsola is just as annoying in Ubers, to be honest- it's able to greatly hinder a majority of the biggest threats in the meta and is, once again, not even vulnerable to Gothitelle as a Stealth Rock setter. While Tyranitar also has this trait, Tyranitar imo is just not as good as Hippowdon in the current environment as your Drill supporter and loses hard to the dogs as well as opposing Drill which exploits your weather against you. Corsola can beat these foes quite easily! Its main vulnerability is absolutely Toxic- I run the move on my Eternatus almost solely because of this thing. Its ability to throw around Will-O-Wisps and Strength Saps as you flounder is amazing, and it's definitely worth trying out.

:sableye: This is the only Dark-type I'd personally ever use in this current meta other than the prediction-heavy Hydreigon. While its stats absolutely suck, it has an amazing Gothitelle matchup and messes with Ferrothorn and Toxapex with Taunt, Will-O-Wisp and Knock Off. Prankster Will-O-Wisp is also a game-changer, as it makes Sableye possibly the only Dark-type to not invite Zacian in for free. I'm not actually using it anymore but it's something to consider. Not sure whether it fits on the team compendium at all but it does cool things.

Also, I haven't been using it personally but there's one other mon...

:ninetales: Scarf Ninetales has a respectable niche in being able to revenge kill Zacian and Excadrill without being called Ditto. It also obviously clears Sand, which can allow you to run a Heavy Duty Boots Shedinja (and experiment with the shiny new Earth Power Venusaur when it gets released!). Obviously not ideal due to its mediocre Eternatus and Hippo matchup, but outside of those it isn't too bad!

If you want replays, I uploaded some so you can search for them :] there's quite a few so not linking directly. Really enjoying this meta, niche picks have proved valuable! Also glad to see Shedinja back with some relevancy until Zacian users finally drop Play Rough for Crunch haha
 

Arcanine @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Will-O-Wisp
- Morning Sun
- Flamethrower
- Roar

I think Arcanine deserves a mention as a Zacian check. Not only it stops Zacian but also checks Darmanitan and Ferrothorn. Roar allows Arcanine to not get trapped by Gothitelle which is huge. For more info there is already a post about Arcanine here

https://www.smogon.com/forums/threa...a-and-speculation.3656149/page-4#post-8285929
Calcs:

252 Atk Mawile-Mega Close Combat vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Arcanine: 133-157 (34.6 - 40.8%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
252 Atk Choice Band Darmanitan Icicle Crash vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Arcanine: 91-108 (23.6 - 28.1%) -- 90.1% chance to 4HKO
 

bigtalk

Banned deucer.
^ Arcanine definitely deserves a mention in Zacian checks. It's able to eat banded hits, which not even Quagsire can achieve.

I think there should be a cleric section added with a list of Pokemon that can learn Aromatherapy / Heal Bell. Although a lot of the top mons are immune to Toxic, there's still plenty vulnerable to it, and wisp spam has been (in my experience) pretty annoying to switch into since there's a lack of viable Fire-types like Heatran / Pdon that can switch in and absorb it
 
I think Choice Scarf Darmanitan should definitely be an Eternatus check, it can easily OHKO it with Icicle Crash if it's not a bulky/choice scarf set.
Here are some calcs. Gorilla Tactics doesn't work in calcs yet so i'll be replacing it with Hustle.
252 Atk Hustle Darmanitan-Galar Icicle Crash vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Eternatus: 458-542 (108.7 - 128.7%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252 Atk Hustle Darmanitan-Galar Icicle Crash vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Eternatus: 458-542 (94.6 - 111.9%) -- 68.8% chance to OHKO
252 Atk Hustle Darmanitan-Galar Icicle Crash vs. 0 HP / 252 Def Eternatus: 360-426 (85.5 - 101.1%) -- 6.3% chance to OHKO
252 Atk Hustle Darmanitan-Galar Icicle Crash vs. 252 HP / 252 Def Eternatus: 360-426 (74.3 - 88%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

All Eternatus atleast get 2HKOed/OHKOed from Darmanitan, and it can even Dynamax and switch out moves while it's taken Eternatus out, making Darmanitan the threatening sweeper it is.
 
Zacian & Eternatus Check:


If Excadrill is listed as a check then Seismitoad should be mentioned as well. Swift Swim Seismitoad is able to outspeed all of the Legendaries and deal massive damage to all of them in return. Also considering that sand is quite common to go against, that just helps favor its match up even more. Although it's not Excadrill levels of strength it still shows its worth.

Standard (Modest LO)
252+ SpA Life Orb Seismitoad Hydro Pump vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Zacian-Crowned in Rain: 257-304 (79 - 93.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ SpA Life Orb Seismitoad Earth Power vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Eternatus: 330-390 (78.3 - 92.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
With Rocks
252+ SpA Life Orb Seismitoad Earth Power vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Zacian-Crowned: 281-330 (86.4 - 101.5%) -- 50% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock
252+ SpA Life Orb Seismitoad Earth Power vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Eternatus: 330-390 (78.3 - 92.6%) -- 37.5% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock
Dynamax
252+ SpA Life Orb Seismitoad Max Quake vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Zacian-Crowned: 406-478 (124.9 - 147%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ SpA Life Orb Seismitoad Max Quake vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Eternatus: 476-562 (113 - 133.4%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ SpA Life Orb Seismitoad Max Quake vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Eternatus: 476-562 (98.3 - 116.1%) -- 87.5% chance to OHKO
 

Minority

Numquam Vincar
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Now that the meta has started to settle, I axed all the stuff that had low usage and added some Pokemon that have gotten some usage, but didn't make the cutoff for initial analyses.

Thread is still very much a work in progress, but it should at least be a bit cleaner now.
 

absdaddy

Banned deucer.
goth as eternatus check, all sets but especially trick scarf mess up the new big bad tank etern and it doesn't do bad vs offensive sets either provided you don't just yolo hard on a LO cannon. pack sdef for that. scarf normal zacian i see now and then so might add it too
 
Galvantula @ Focus Sash
Ability: Compound Eyes
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Sticky Web
- Thunder
- Thunder Wave
- Volt Switch

Been using this, often as a dedicated lead, to climb to mid-1400s in ladder alongside teammates that very much appreciate having faster threats like Zacian-Crowned and Eternatus slowed down, not to mention scarf users. Thunder Wave is guranteed to hit targets thanks to Compound Eyes. It doesn't directly check threats in the meta game, but Galvantula's offensive utility serves as an effective teammate for offensive teams.
 
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Maybe it was not taken into account but Rotom H is not considered as Zacian check?
idk I think it can be. Rotom-H with Choice Scarf can switch into Behemoth Blade then hit it back with Overheat to OHKO, or it can pivot with Volt Switch. Not the best check, but it can work.
 

Minority

Numquam Vincar
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This important teambuilding resource has been (preliminarily) updated for Crown Tundra. Due to the nature of Dynamax often times a Pokemon can serve as a check to another Pokemon when they are Dynamaxed; however, it is important for this resource to only visualize Pokemon that do not necessarily need to rely on Dynamax to function as a check. Like with Speed Tiers this resource should lean toward being inclusive, especially at the start. While there are minisprites available for all Pokemon, I have not yet been able to find a sprite archive that uses the unified style for the returning Pokemon.

Feel free to make suggestions for new checks or sections that you think would be worthwhile, but be sure to elaborate on their inclusion.
 
Regieleki should be considered a check for Zacian-C, and Calyrex-GR
It easily outspeeds both with just 12 Speed EVs, and a Choice Band/Specs Wild Charge/Thunderbolt can KO after a bit of chip damage, while Regieleki can use Assurance to OHKO Calyex-GR 100% if the time (although Wild Charge and Thunderbolt have a chance).
252+ Atk Choice Band Regieleki Transistor Wild Charge vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Zacian-Crowned: 267-315 (82.1 - 96.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ SpA Choice Specs Regieleki Transistor Thunderbolt vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Zacian-Crowned: 268-316 (82.4 - 97.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ Atk Choice Band Regieleki Assurance vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Calyrex-Ghost-Rider: 432-512 (126.6 - 150.1%) -- guaranteed OHKO

I also think Gothitelle should be put into Anti-Hazards.
Gothitelle might not have any tools to remove hazards, but it has the best tools from removing defensive Hazard Setters. I can’t list how many times I trapped a SpD Necrozma with Gothitelle, and watched it struggle to death.
In a way, it’s like how Bisharp is Anti-Defog. It doesn’t stop defog from removing hazards, just that it severally punishes that Corviknight that just wanted to remove Stealth Rock. Just that Gothitelle sends Necrozma and other defensive Hazard Setters to the last stage of hell.

With that being said, and I hope this isn’t too pushy, but I think an Anti-Defog and Spinblocker section would be great.
 
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Minority

Numquam Vincar
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Hesitant to include Regieleki as a RK to Calyrex-SR or Zacian-C. For the former it has to run a specific coverage move on a specific set to get the RK and can't switch into any attack, and for the latter it doesn't even RK bulkless variants even with max SpA and Specs. It'd be good to stay away from a situation where the Calyrex-SR and Zacian-C sections are just flooded with random pseudo-viable barely effective RK mons.

Spinblockers are literally just Ghost-types, and Anti-Defog in this meta is basically just a "Stallbreakers" section, which constitutes the larger portion of what's even viable.

Also a unified style of minisprite for all legal Pokemon is now available and the OP reflects that.
 

Ropalme1914

Ace Poker Player
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From what I see, most people think that the top threats of the meta atm are Calyrex, Yveltal, Kyogre, and Zygarde, so I would like to suggest a Zygarde-C checks section (I'll try to list some below, also trying to be more inclusive)

Zygarde-C Checks
(a few more shaky ones like Clef, Ray, and Palkia, but since the thread is more inclusive, I decided to go with it)
 

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