https://pokepast.es/8d562f32ba4b8cdb
Concept
This is a team that I literally spammed at the end of the year because I was lazy to build something else and I had pretty good results with. It's a hyper-offensive team that may seem pretty classic but it has a few little twists. The gameplan is pretty simple: win with Zigzagoon, Magby or Grookey depending on the match-up.
How to use it
Dwebble is usually lead in most cases, especially if there is a Mienfoo on the opposing team. Generally, the wincon is zigzagoon most of the time. In other cases, Magby is preferred. The only big exception is the match-up with Scarf Frillish: one will usually try to win with Grookey, or Abra in this case. We usually try to set up as many hazards as possible, prevent the spin with Yamask, and then set up with Magby or Zigzagoon to finish off the other team once their counters have taken enough chip damage. It's pretty simple to understand. Some in-depth sets :
Dwebble
The Dwebble set is quite special since it is played with Counter. The team doesn't really have good switch-ins in Mienfoo and Counter with this spread often allows a trade or to inflict important chips on a U-Turn or a Knock Off. Generally, this is a very interesting option when you only need stealth rocks.
Some Counter calcs :
0 Atk Mienfoo High Jump Kick vs. -1 116 HP / 76 Def Eviolite Dwebble: 15-18 (65.2 - 78.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO (OHKO)
156 Atk Pawniard Iron Head vs. 116 HP / 76 Def Eviolite Dwebble: 14-18 (60.8 - 78.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO (OHKO)
236 Atk Mienfoo High Jump Kick vs. -1 116 HP / 76 Def Eviolite Dwebble: 16-21 (69.5 - 91.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO (OHKO)
236 Atk Mienfoo Knock Off (97.5 BP) vs. -1 116 HP / 76 Def Eviolite Dwebble: 9-11 (39.1 - 47.8%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
*
* Counter will do something between 18 and 20 to foo, depending on the hjk roll. Most of the time, it's 20 and you can kill it with Knock Off the next turn. Otherwise, Foo is really weakened and you can get a free SR before dying.
This set lacks a bit of offensive presence, but that's not a big deal from experience considering the job this set can do. The spread allows you to take full advantage of Counter and gives him enough bulk to pose at least one hazard, most often two.
Magby
This Magby set may look completely silly but it's all calculated. The point of this set is pretty simple: do more or less everything Magby normally does, but with the ability to protect yourself from Mienfoo's Fake Out which usually makes Magby's sweep very difficult. Since you need to clear a slot to get Protect, you need a neutral cover, so Body Slam is played here. It may come as a surprise, but Magby with Adamant nature OHKOs the vast majority of the metagame at +6 with Body Slam with some hazards. Again, a few calcs:
+6 236+ Atk Magby Body Slam vs. 0 HP / 196 Def Eviolite Mienfoo: 21-25 (100 - 119%) -- guaranteed OHKO
+6 236+ Atk Magby Body Slam vs. 36 HP / 0 Def Eviolite Koffing: 18-22 (85.7 - 104.7%) -- 87.5% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock
+6 236+ Atk Magby Body Slam vs. 196 HP / 20+ Def Eviolite Mareanie: 21-25 (87.5 - 104.1%) -- guaranteed OHKO after Stealth Rock
+6 236+ Atk Magby Body Slam vs. 124 HP / 156+ Def Eviolite Foongus: 21-25 (84 - 100%) -- 81.3% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock
The few OHKOs that are not guaranteed are guaranteed after one more spike. This is not very hard to get, just put a spikes instead of trying counter in case of Mienfoo lead, for example. So it's quite important to know how to gauge your match-up with Dwebble. Overall I would say that when the Zigzagoon matchup is better, hitting counter is the most profitable. If Magby has an excellent matchup, it's probably better to put down a layer of spikes in addition to sr. But the Dwebble dilemma obviously depends on a lot of factors. Especially since a slightly more advanced opponent may decide to lead with Staryu or Mareanie for example. The latter is not really a problem, the former can be.
This set absolutely does not touch ghost types, and that is its main flaw. It also can't OHKO Ferroseed. Is it really that annoying in practice? The answer is generally no. First, because ghost types are generally not played much these days. Second, because the opponent must understand that this Magby does not touch ghost types. Generally, he will tend to send the standard answers instead, like Mienfoo with the idea to chip him with Fake Out. On the other hand, nobody is stupid enough to send his Ferroseed on a boosted Magby, especially when there is a Zigzagoon in front of him. On the other hand, Magby almost always plays Thunder Punch, so sending Frillish as a check (probably the most played ghost) is an idea that usually doesn't occur to people. And when it does, it means that Frillish is Scarf, and the standard Magby couldn't have done anything either.
For all these reasons, I think this Magby set is extremely undervalued, and is probably a set that deserves more attention. However, it is important to note something: it is necessary to reveal protect only at the last moment, to let the opponent sacrifice one or two members of his team. Sometimes he will unintentionally sacrifice mons that could have tanked Body Slam with a low roll, believing that the Magby has something like Fire Punch. If you can tank one Fake Out, do not reveal Protect on the spot. It will help you.
Yamask
Yamask is a completely unused pokémon at high level or even on the ladder. The idea of having a spinblocker seems obvious, but why this one in particular? The answer lies in several factors, which I'll detail.
First, very few ghost pokémon have Memento, which is central to this type of team. None of the best spinblockers in the metagame have this combination. Sinistea learns Memento, but unfortunately cannot use it in Little Cup. That leaves Duskull, Yamask, Yamask-Galar and Litwick. But Litwick and Yamask-Galar are destroyed by Staryu. Only the first two are left. And Duskull is terribly passive.
On the other side, Yamask has a decent offensive presence thanks to his decent special attack. The investment in special attack coupled with Energy Ball makes sure to win the duel against the defensive versions of Staryu. Shadow Ball also does pretty decent damage. Finally, it has many useful attacks, I chose Will-O-Wisp to punish Pawniard who has the annoying tendency to switch on it, which makes Zigzagoon's task much easier afterwards. But more generally, it is useful against many switch-ins. Finally, the Mommy talent is one of the most surprising features. This talent is poisonous to all Pokémon with Regenerator, especially Mienfoo (for example, hard Yamask on a foo's U-Turn will break its Regenerator for the turn). In some cases, this talent also allows to use Memento on Pawniard, which can sometimes be very useful. This talent allows for many vicious tricks.
Finally, a last practical advantage is that many players know very little about this pokémon and therefore make more mistakes. For example, many choose to stay with Staryu if they just got spinblocked, clicking Hpump for instance. This is a huge mistake most of the time because Yamask can spam Energy Ball, and the Staryu will have to leave the field having lost half its life. And if he wants to try again, he will have to take damage from hazards. In a team with so many priorities, 90% of the time, Staryu will never be able to come back. And of course, a Yamask-Staryu trade is almost always great for the team if the hazards have been set. The rest of the spread is a bit technical, I did a lot of calc to optimize but I can't find them anymore. So just know that it maximizes the bulk.
O
thers sets :
It all seems pretty logical to me so I won't make it long. Drain Punch Grookey and Fire Punch Abra are simply lures to force Steel types out. Sash Abra also allows the team to not get swept immediately in case of an opponent set-up. The Zigzagoon set is nothing special.
Weaknesses
While the team is extremely dangerous against many standard Bulky Offense, it also has some very bad match-ups, which I will list. This is not exhaustive but these are the main ones.
: Most of the teams around Tyrunt are very difficult to manage. Tyrunt at +1 OHKO almost the entire team, with the exception of Yamask who can take some hits. Zigzagoon can't OHKO even at +6. It doesn't set up so easily against this team, but it's still hard to deal with, especially since it's often played with other problematic pokémon for the team. Most of the time, you have to try to revenge kill him with Grookey. It is a very bad match up in general.
: Scarf Frillish is an almost unwinnable match-up in practice. The only theoretical chance is to place a lot of entry hazards, to be able to hold them and to force Frillish to come back to the hazards several times until Water Spout can't OHKO Zigzagoon anymore. Then, you have to manage to place yourself on another pokémon, survive Frillish's attack when he comes to revenge kill, and kill him with Thief. Then pray to place Magby or finish otherwise. In fact, you understand that it is a 6-0. This is the worst match-up you can have, and if your opponent plays well, it's unwinnable. The bulky version with 14 speed is also horrible to handle. The slow version is more manageable, but generally, Frillish is the pokémon that causes the most trouble for this team.
(defog burr) : An extremely problematic pokémon for the team, simply because of its ability to get rid of hazards with ease. The team's lack of defensive strength makes it very vulnerable without hazards. This is why Timburr Defog is a problematic match-up. Not unwinnable, but very difficult. The version without Defog can also cause some problems.
Since the team has no electrical immunity, I won't draw you a picture to explain the problem. The Scarf is extremely dangerous. However, the presence of Protect on many pokemons allows to scout its attacks quite easily, which helps to limit its harmfulness. It is still an extremely dangerous match-up. The Berry Juice + Recycle + Endure version, which we hardly see anymore, is much more dangerous. But to be honest, I haven't come across this set in a while.
The team is more or less weak to any pokémon that hits more or less hard. That's why it's important to play aggressively with this team, and to be precise. On the other hand, its surprise potential is quite interesting and its match-up can be surprisingly good against many standard bulky offense.
I elaborated a bit more than usual. Even if you don't like the team, I think there are some interesting ideas. This team is probably better in practice than it looks in theory. I've been doing very well on the ladder with this team, around 1600. And in my tournament games I'm about 5-1 against good players with this team, generally playing pretty badly. So there you go, maybe this team will appeal to some people. And anyway, I was too lazy to make a RMT lol
