Team Onomatopoeia - NU RMT

[DarkSlay]

Introduction

To answer your question, yes, my team has some funny names. :)

Well, I know there isn't a whole lot of NU teams around this neck of the woods, especially since Smogon's Shoddy only goes to UU, but I've decided to make a team that's both successful in NU and UU play. It's a nice blend of teamwork and coverage, and has done well in the UU league (hand has contended with or beaten a few OU teams as well). A little unexpected, but pretty potent.

At A Glance

Team Insight

The one that started it all. I've heard of fast Status leads being used in UU like Roserade, and I liked the idea, so I kind of transitioned it into NU play with Beefree. I'll explain more in the in-depth stuff.

I've never done a BP team before, since UU has tons of counters that run Haze and Perish Song. However, thanks to Drifblim's good speed, typing, and HP, it's kind of hard to resist.

Now that I have a CM BP Drifblim, I needed a powerful special attacker or two to benefit from him. Manetric was my first choice. One of my favorite Pokes from the third gen, his great move coverage and pure special power cannot be overlooked. I originally had a wall-ish, status absorbing Politoed, but he was more of switch-in bait than anything. So, I picked Golduck, and I'll explain why later.

I needed a wall. I also needed some SR support and, for kicks, something to stop set-ups and traps. Bastiodon comes equipped with immunity to Poison, Stealth Rock, and Taunt. A classic combination that's sure to please.

To round out the team, I needed a physical monster. Iron fist plus a range of Punches plus that ability to take a 101 Sub from Drifblim equals some good old fashioned beat-downs.

In-Depth Analysis

It's a Bug's Life (Dual Status lead)

Butterfree (Buzz) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Compoundeyes
EV's: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid
Moveset:
- Sleep Powder
- Stun Spore
- Bug Buzz
- U-Turn

Nothing like a 92% chance of putting your opponent to sleep or to paralyze it, and combining it with the speed of Scarf. Outruns most, including common Focus Sash Roserades and other common leads. Rarely takes damage outside of SR as well, since it's a switch in-switch out kind of Poke. Lum Berry's the bane, but even so, it's a good way to scout.

...a Talking Shield? (TauntTank)

Bastiodon (BangChing) @ Lum Berry
Ability: Sturdy
EV's: 252 HP / 228 Def / 28 SpD (Speed IV is set at 0)
Relaxed
Moveset:
- Metal Burst
- Taunt
- Stealth Rock
- EQ/Stone Edge (I'm thinking S. Edge now, because Flying types wall this set. They do nothing to Bastiodon, which makes MB useless.)

My tanker, and the most underrated player on this team. This guy has taken down Salamence (nice switch-in on Outrage does the trick). Simple: Taunt, then SR or MB. Usually, Focus Sash or Leftovers is used, but normally Bastiodon doesn't die in just one hit, and common switch ins seem to be someone trying to Burn it. Will O' Wisp followed by a Lum/Taunt combo equal free SR, really.

The Eerie Balloon...Ghost...Thingy...(BP'er)

Drifblim (Whoosh) @ Leftovers
Ability: Aftermath
EV's: 80 HP / 252 SpD / 176 Spe
Calm
Moveset:
- Baton Pass
- Substitute
- Calm Mind
- Shadow Ball

Standard CM BP'er, but valuable. This guy here could mean the difference between a close game and a sweep. Even one CM sets up recipients enough to sweep, too, so keep that in mind. Two+ CM's are devastating, especially when combined with Golduck. Substitute also can be used well, although I rarely find the time to use it correctly. When I do, though, say hello to an Iron Fist, Choice Banded Focus Punch by Hitmonchan.

The Next Best Thing Since Jackie (Choice Band)

(We're going to pretend this pic's as cool as the others. Can't find Chan anywhere...)

Hitmonchan (Thwack) @ Choice Band
Ability: Iron Fist
EV's: 40 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 212 Spe
Adamant
Moveset:
- Focus Punch
- Ice Punch
- Mach Punch
- Fire Punch

After looking at this set again, I wouldn't want to be caught dead getting hit by one of these punches. Alone, he provides a fast, efficient way of dealing with Special walls. With Substitute or good prediction...his Focus Punch tears things to shreds. A good, reliable guy to call upon when boosted special attacks just aren't covering it.

A Streetlight's Best Friend (Special Sweeper)

Manetric (Sizzle) @ Life Orb
Ability: Static
EV's: 4 HP/252 SpA/252 Spe
Timid
Moveset:
- Thunderbolt
- HP Grass
- Flamethrower
- Charge Beam

There's nothing like being able to cover just about anything with immense power. In its own right, Manetric gets the job done with LO-boosted Bolts and Flames. HP Grass on the expected Ground switch-in, and when eliminated, it's TBolt/Flame time. With CM boosts, this thing is wicked. I chose Charge Beam/LO over SubPeteya because of the abundance of priority moves in UU. Sucker Punch by Honch would kill me after Peteya kicks in, as would Mach Punch, Fake Out, Extremespeed, etc. LO allows for a faster time sweeping and KO'ing certain threats. Charge Beam only makes me stronger as well as STAB, too.

The Mighty Duck (Choice Specs)

Golduck (Swish) @ Choice Specs
Ability: Cloud Nine
EV's: 4 HP/252 SpA/252 Spe
Timid
Moveset:
- Surf
- HP Grass
- Ice Beam
- Psychic

This guy's the wild card. Usually nets me three KO's or more a game with CM boosts. Just to give you an idea, if two CM's get into this guy, Azumarill (a common UU switch in) is 2KO'd by Surf. He just completely decimates on his own. Best part is, in UU and NU play, you're more likely to see TBolts and HP Electric than TPunches, making those CM boosts really effective. Even without CM, this guy was born to KO.

Concerns

NOTE: Unless there's a list of every possible NU threat, and its evolutions, I'm just going off a few things I have trouble with in UU. If there is...haven't faced them all, either. XD

- Roserade. Scarved versions outspeed Beefree, but are rarer than Focus Sash. FS'ers still have Natural Cure, which basically means its a stalemate for the first turn. Not really an issue for the team offensively, though. Just annoying.

- Alataria. More specific, Perish Song. Ah, how I loathe it. Completely ruins the flow of my gameplan. It's not too hard to take down, and Bastio helps a little, but its hard when it just keeps switching in and out...and in...and out...

- Donphan. HP Grass and Golduck are great, but this guy just seems to come out at the wrong times for me. Ice Shard's annoying for Drifblim, too.

In Conclusion

I hope you guys give this team a shot: it has a lot of potential to be a powerhouse of underrated Pokes. I'd love some feedback, and I'm open to any changes as well. Thanks! :)
​

 

[DarkSlay]

Bump. Also, sorry about the size of those pictures. I tried adjusting them, but apparently, it didn't work. :/

 

[Snorlaxe]

Hi! =)

At first glance at this team, I noticed that you really did plan it very well. You thought of the role that every member would play, how to deal with threats, and which Pokemon would support each other best. Now...onto the actual team:

The first thing I noticed was your Bastiodon set. I think that you would greatly benifit from having Toxic in the last slot (over either EQ or Stone Edge). Toxic helps you wear down any common UU or NU wall that isnt named Chansey or Shaymin, and can help you greatly in OU also. Bastiodon is sorely lacking in offensive power: even with STAB, Bastiodon will occasionally miss out on the OHKO. Another thing that I might suggest is changing Hitmonchan to a Choice Band Ursaring. It packs even more amounts of power, and has better defenses to back up the bulky Sub that Drifblim passes. Here is the set:

Ursaring @ Choice Band
Ability: Guts
EVs: 4 Hp / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant nature (+Attack, -Speed)
~ Return / Body Slam
~ Crunch
~ Earthquake
~ Fire Punch

Sporting the same attack stat as the mighty Scizor, a base 102 STAB move, and a relatively high Hit point stat, Ursaring is truly a powerful force to be reckoned with. The idea is simple: get a 101 Hp Sub passed to it, and OHKO everything it can get its hands on. No Pokemon in NU makes a safe switch into this set, not even Shedinja. Return is your primary STAB weapon, capable of 2HKOing anything neutral to it. Crunch hits ghosts such as Drifblim and Mismagius, whom would otherwise wall this set with relative ease. Earthquake hits the many steels and rock types in NU for high damage, and Fire Punch picks up the slack, hitting whatever your other moves can't.

Guts is a good ability to have on this set, as if you manage to switch in on a Toxic or Will-O-Wisp, Ursaring gets a x2 boost to all of its attacks (when factoring in Choice Band). While Ursaring isnt "fast" in any sense of the word, these EVs bring it to 209 speed, enough to outspeed some of Ursarings counters with relative ease. If you want to have the freedom to switch attacks, Life Orb is still a fine option, but the extra x0.2 boost that choice Band provides over Life Orb will be missed.

So anyway, I hope I helped in some way, and good luck! =)

 

[SlottedPig]

Hey, I'm paX, Just battled you.

I recommend putting Focus Sash on Butterfree. Even though it will be ruined by Stealth Rock, the main Stealth Rocker that is faster than Butterfree is Scarf Uxie (and the occasional speed-invested Uxie), and most Stealth Rockers in UU are Lead Uxies. So, you incapacitate their lead and get the jump on their switch with U-Turn. Lum Berry, the bane of CS, is not as problematic for Focus Sash Butterfree as it will always survive the attack (no SR / earlier damage)

 

[DarkSlay]

@Snorlax:

The only problem with getting rid of EQ/SE on Bastiodon and putting Toxic on is Bastiodon becomes switch-in bait for popular SubPunchers (Medicham, Toxicroak, etc.) If I Taunt a Poke, and he switches it with a SubPuncher, I'm screwed. I wouldn't be able to anticipate a switch in, really, and Taunting twice in a row would not be a good idea. Drif could help, but if it's a SubPuncher, it has moves to cover Ghosts (and Flying). It's a good idea without this fact, though.

I really like the Ursaring suggestion, though. I'd still keep CB on it, since it would replace CB Hitmonlee, which does pretty much the same thing. The only thing is, which do you think would provide more support: Fire Punch or ThunderPunch? Milotic is a big problem for Fire Punch sets. I'm definitely trying this guy out soon, though.

@paX:

Hey. :P Good game again.

True, that would prevent SR set-up. However, would it stop other Status leads? Roserade comes to mind. Without Scarf and with FS, Roserade and other faster Status-users put it to sleep. I'm thinking of getting rid of the Choice Scarf anyways, though. Maybe a Lum Berry? Stops status once, and is still faster than SR leads. Thoughts?

 

[petrie911]

Why do you keep mentioning UU threats in a NU team? NU threats would be more worrisome. For example, SubCM Entei could give you a lot of problems. As could a Quick Feet Ursaring, as only Hitmonchan's Mach Punch can take it down, and with Facade/Close Combat/Crunch/Swords Dance, you'll have difficulty switching in. Also, Gligar can set up quite easily on Bastiodon, and a successful pass to Bibarel could be gg.

For Gligar, making your Bastiodon's attacking move Ice Beam puts a stop to that quite quickly. For Entei, there are a few things that would be able to handle it and still appreciate CM boosts. Flareon comes to mind, as it can Wish pass to Bastiodon and Drifblim. The myriad of bulky waters would also work. As for Ursaring, well, prediction can play around it, but it's a nasty sweeper no matter what. Hitmonchan can come in on Swords Dance or Crunch, so ideally you'd try to get in on that.

 

[DarkSlay]

Why do you keep mentioning UU threats in a NU team? NU threats would be more worrisome. For example, SubCM Entei could give you a lot of problems. As could a Quick Feet Ursaring, as only Hitmonchan's Mach Punch can take it down, and with Facade/Close Combat/Crunch/Swords Dance, you'll have difficulty switching in. Also, Gligar can set up quite easily on Bastiodon, and a successful pass to Bibarel could be gg.

For Gligar, making your Bastiodon's attacking move Ice Beam puts a stop to that quite quickly. For Entei, there are a few things that would be able to handle it and still appreciate CM boosts. Flareon comes to mind, as it can Wish pass to Bastiodon and Drifblim. The myriad of bulky waters would also work. As for Ursaring, well, prediction can play around it, but it's a nasty sweeper no matter what. Hitmonchan can come in on Swords Dance or Crunch, so ideally you'd try to get in on that.

I mention UU threats because there is no NU Ladder for Smogon's Shoddy. This is my Shoddy team, and I use it in UU, with moderate success. And, like I stated, I'm not too knowledgeable to NU Pokes, because of the wide variety of possible threats.

SubCM Entei is met by Bastiodon (Taunt/EQ) or Golduck (breaks the sub OR takes an unboosted ThunderFang and OHKO's with SpecsSurf). Manetric can also OHKO with a boosted TBolt (via Charge Beam or Drifblim). However, that Ursaring is troublesome, but if I pass a Sub or if I can catch it (I assume this set has Flame/Toxic Orb, yes?), I can take it down. That problem is more that "It can take me down" than "I can't take it down". And, like you mentioned, it's hard for any team to safely counter it, so it's an obvious threat to anyone.

I'm not sure why Ice Beam. Bastiodon has no Special Attack. Whatsoever. A FS'ed Gligar still kills, and it goes first to boot. If I invest into Sp. Attack, then Attack goes down, making Metal Burst less threatening. I'm not too keen on that move. Flareon's an interesting choice, but there's no room on this team for him. There really isn't anyone I can take out to make room.

Thanks for the imput, though. :)

 

[petrie911]

I mention UU threats because there is no NU Ladder for Smogon's Shoddy. This is my Shoddy team, and I use it in UU, with moderate success. And, like I stated, I'm not too knowledgeable to NU Pokes, because of the wide variety of possible threats.

There's a threat list in the NU topic. You may want to check that out.

SubCM Entei is met by Bastiodon (Taunt/EQ) or Golduck (breaks the sub OR takes an unboosted ThunderFang and OHKO's with SpecsSurf). Manetric can also OHKO with a boosted TBolt (via Charge Beam or Drifblim).

Entei can actually make it so Bastiodon's EQ won't break its sub. That means you're getting hit with at least 2 Flamethrowers, which is about half of your health, and Entei has more than enough HP to take a Metal Burst. And that assumes you didn't switch Bastiodon into Entei, at which point you're getting hit with 3 +1 Flamethrowers, a guaranteed KO. Golduck can't switch into Entei, as Entei puts up a sub, then HP Electrics you twice. Manectric can attempt to revenge kill it, but it's not going to have that boost in that case. It's not as easy to counter as you think, especially since it can set up quite quickly on Butterfree.

I'm not sure why Ice Beam. Bastiodon has no Special Attack. Whatsoever. A FS'ed Gligar still kills, and it goes first to boot. If I invest into Sp. Attack, then Attack goes down, making Metal Burst less threatening. I'm not too keen on that move. Flareon's an interesting choice, but there's no room on this team for him. There really isn't anyone I can take out to make room.

Bastiodon has no attack whatsoever, either. 140 atk is just as godawful as 130 special attack. However, it's not attacking Gligar you need to be worried about. It's BP Gligar, who will taunt Bastiodon, get +2 speed and/or attack, then pass. Stone Edge/EQ does absolutely nothing to it, but Ice Beam will 2HKO.

Flareon seems like it would fit fine over Golduck. Manectric is already a fast, powerful special attacker.