The Bull That Wishes It Could Have An Afro
Intro mmf rules
What's up neverused community? My name's Annoyer and this is my first RMT. (I know the title sucks; I'm not creative.) I'm kinda new to the neverused community so I waited a bit until I made my first RMT. User BROStime and I decided to make a team based off Tauros. He wasn't on the next couple of days so I just made the team by myself because I was bored. (I know, what a dick move!) I started using the team a lot and it was pretty good. At the moment, it's at #4 on the PS! ladder with a record of 56 W-11 L-1 T and a rating of 1925. It's a pain to ladder now with all the crazy shenanigans in PS! and how I only get 5 points tops every match for winning. I started using the team at around 19-9 so it has a pretty good record by itself (37 W-2 L-1 T).
Intro mmf rules
What's up neverused community? My name's Annoyer and this is my first RMT. (I know the title sucks; I'm not creative.) I'm kinda new to the neverused community so I waited a bit until I made my first RMT. User BROStime and I decided to make a team based off Tauros. He wasn't on the next couple of days so I just made the team by myself because I was bored. (I know, what a dick move!) I started using the team a lot and it was pretty good. At the moment, it's at #4 on the PS! ladder with a record of 56 W-11 L-1 T and a rating of 1925. It's a pain to ladder now with all the crazy shenanigans in PS! and how I only get 5 points tops every match for winning. I started using the team at around 19-9 so it has a pretty good record by itself (37 W-2 L-1 T).
Teambuilding
I started the team off with Tauros because it can easily clean teams and Cinccino is gay.
Next, I needed a pokemon to set up rocks and to be able to wall the birds and Cinccino. I decided on defensive Mawile because it has Intimidate and can use Knock Off to threaten Misdreavus, Tauros's biggest enemy. Mawile is also my favorite pokemon so that's a plus.
Then, I needed spikes (MOAH HAZARDS) to help Tauros. Plus Spikes help wear down threats like Cinccino, Zangoose and Golurk. So I decided on Garbodor since it has good synergy with Mawile bar the Ground weakness and can easily deal with the fighting types in the tier (It's ugly as shit though...literally).
I decided to run SubDisable Haunter to abuse Spikes and it is just awesome in general. It also helps with the Ground weakness.
I decided to use Thick Fat Grumpig to patch up my Fire weakness and to help with specials threats and Emboar.
Finally, I wanted another Ground resist that could also take on Golem. I saw FLCL talking about how powerful Swords Dance Torterra is so I decided to try it.
After all of that, that was how the team started and that's how it is now.
Next, I needed a pokemon to set up rocks and to be able to wall the birds and Cinccino. I decided on defensive Mawile because it has Intimidate and can use Knock Off to threaten Misdreavus, Tauros's biggest enemy. Mawile is also my favorite pokemon so that's a plus.
Then, I needed spikes (MOAH HAZARDS) to help Tauros. Plus Spikes help wear down threats like Cinccino, Zangoose and Golurk. So I decided on Garbodor since it has good synergy with Mawile bar the Ground weakness and can easily deal with the fighting types in the tier (It's ugly as shit though...literally).
I decided to run SubDisable Haunter to abuse Spikes and it is just awesome in general. It also helps with the Ground weakness.
I decided to use Thick Fat Grumpig to patch up my Fire weakness and to help with specials threats and Emboar.
Finally, I wanted another Ground resist that could also take on Golem. I saw FLCL talking about how powerful Swords Dance Torterra is so I decided to try it.
After all of that, that was how the team started and that's how it is now.
The Team
Garbodor @ Black Sludge
Trait: Stench
EVs: 248 HP / 200 Def / 44 SDef / 16 Spd
Impish Nature
- Spikes
- Clear Smog
- Drain Punch
- Rock Blast
This piece of shit... I mean Garbodor is usually the pokemon I lead off with if the opponent has a Spikes weak team or if I have no clue what they are going to lead with. Spikes are such a huge part of this team since they wear down grounded pokemon so easily in conjunction with my defensive core of Mawile and Grumpig. I've seen people saying that Garbodor is only used for Spikes but it does so much more than laying Spikes. It is my best answer to Baton Pass teams and Ninjask. It can wall the hell out of Throh and Gurdurr with Clear Smog. It can severely weaken SD Samurott with good prediction. Garbodor is also my first switch-in to Musharna since I can't risk it getting too many boosts as weird as it sounds. It's also good fodder lategame when I need a safe switch-in.
Moves & EV Spread
Spikes is pretty obvious. It's to wear down the opposing team as the match progresses. Clear Smog is to prevent other pokemon from setting up on Garbodor. Drain Punch is to get a decent chuck out of Bastiodon and Probopass so Haunter can KO later with Hidden Power Ground. Drain Punch also helps recover HP. Rock Blast is for substituting pokemon, Armaldo, and flying types in general. I don't run Toxic Spikes since they're not necessary for success and can be easily stopped by other grounded Poison types. The EV spread is kind of wierd. 248 HP is to reduce damage from Spikes. 200 Def + gives me an extra point in Def. 16 Speed allows Garbodor to outspeed Adamant Golem. You will see me speedcreeping on almost all of my pokemon. 44 Sp. Def. allows Garbodor to take some special hits and can survive a Timid +2 Surf from Gorebyss 81.75% of the time.
Torterra @ Life Orb
Trait: Overgrow
EVs: 88 HP / 252 Atk / 168 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Wood Hammer
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
Torterra = STRONGTH. This gigantic monster is so goddamn powerful. Other than destroying AlomoGuss cores and doing 80% to Swellow with unboosted Wood Hammer, Torterra provides valuable resistances. Electric type attackers always think twice before locking themselves into a move when Torterra's around. I only switch in Torterra on Electric type attackers during desperate times. Resisting EdgeQuake is always a plus. Torterra is my main switch-in to Golurk because most don't usually Ice Punch first turn while I deliver a nice meaty Wood Hammer to the rusty robot putting it out of commission. He can deal a lot of damage to Eviolite pokemon such as Gurdurr and Duosion. He can easily break teams apart if he comes in on the right pokemon. He can also easily switch in on predicted Volt Switches or Thunder Waves from Probopass and can just easily switch in on Bastiodon. Unfortunately, Torterra racks up a lot of residual damage through Life Orb and Wood Hammer recoil. He also gets easily revenged but when he's at full health he can take hits from Cinccino and has a 93.75% chance to survive a Jolly Zangoose's Facade which can be absolutely clutch.
Torterra @ Life Orb
Trait: Overgrow
EVs: 88 HP / 252 Atk / 168 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Wood Hammer
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
Torterra = STRONGTH. This gigantic monster is so goddamn powerful. Other than destroying AlomoGuss cores and doing 80% to Swellow with unboosted Wood Hammer, Torterra provides valuable resistances. Electric type attackers always think twice before locking themselves into a move when Torterra's around. I only switch in Torterra on Electric type attackers during desperate times. Resisting EdgeQuake is always a plus. Torterra is my main switch-in to Golurk because most don't usually Ice Punch first turn while I deliver a nice meaty Wood Hammer to the rusty robot putting it out of commission. He can deal a lot of damage to Eviolite pokemon such as Gurdurr and Duosion. He can easily break teams apart if he comes in on the right pokemon. He can also easily switch in on predicted Volt Switches or Thunder Waves from Probopass and can just easily switch in on Bastiodon. Unfortunately, Torterra racks up a lot of residual damage through Life Orb and Wood Hammer recoil. He also gets easily revenged but when he's at full health he can take hits from Cinccino and has a 93.75% chance to survive a Jolly Zangoose's Facade which can be absolutely clutch.
Moves & EV Spread
Swords Dance is used for wallbreaking or when Musharna wants to Moonlight stall me. It doesn't see much use but when it does Torterra fucks shit up. Wood Hammer is a strong-ass move that becomes even stronger when Torterra is in Overgrow range. It is such as easy move to spam because it's so powerful. Earthquake is also another high base power move which easily removes Camerupt and other fire types. Stone Edge is used for flying types such as Altaria or Braviary even though I'd rather not overpredict and just Wood Hammer Braviary for about 48% iirc. Max Attack, Life Orb, and Adamant for as much strongth as possible. 168 Speed is used to outspeed Adamant Golems. The rest of the EVs are put into HP for bulk.
Grumpig @ Leftovers
Trait: Thick Fat
EVs: 248 HP / 28 Def / 216 SDef / 16 Spd
Calm Nature
- Psychic
- Thunder Wave
- Heal Bell
- Protect
Grumpig is an integral part of the team. He forms one half of the defensive core with Mawile and is my only special wall. He is usually my back up check since he can live almost any special hit. He's usually my number one switch-in to Electric types as most players overpredict and go for the "resisted" Hidden Power Ice thinking they'll catch Torterra. He can take on most Psychic types with ease but he can't do much back. Thick Fat is the only reason I'm using Grumpig over Musharna. He also has a much better speed stat that Musharna. Even though he is a special wall, he is my only counter to Emboar. Otherwise, Emboar could easily run through my team if scarfed. He also checks most of the other fire types in the tier bar Rapidash. He is also my best counter to most special water types such as Simipour, Gorebyss or special Samurott. He can also take Spec'd Ice Beams from Glaceon and Ice type attacks from Piloswine. Pursuit can ruin Grumpig's day which allows opposing Emboars or fire types in general to go ham.
Grumpig @ Leftovers
Trait: Thick Fat
EVs: 248 HP / 28 Def / 216 SDef / 16 Spd
Calm Nature
- Psychic
- Thunder Wave
- Heal Bell
- Protect
Grumpig is an integral part of the team. He forms one half of the defensive core with Mawile and is my only special wall. He is usually my back up check since he can live almost any special hit. He's usually my number one switch-in to Electric types as most players overpredict and go for the "resisted" Hidden Power Ice thinking they'll catch Torterra. He can take on most Psychic types with ease but he can't do much back. Thick Fat is the only reason I'm using Grumpig over Musharna. He also has a much better speed stat that Musharna. Even though he is a special wall, he is my only counter to Emboar. Otherwise, Emboar could easily run through my team if scarfed. He also checks most of the other fire types in the tier bar Rapidash. He is also my best counter to most special water types such as Simipour, Gorebyss or special Samurott. He can also take Spec'd Ice Beams from Glaceon and Ice type attacks from Piloswine. Pursuit can ruin Grumpig's day which allows opposing Emboars or fire types in general to go ham.
Moves & EV Spread
Psychic is a strong STAB move which has decent power even though it's uninvested because it is off base 90 Special Attack. Thunder Wave is used to cripples foes it really can't touch and the paralysis can help Torterra and Tauros sweep late game. Protect might seem odd but it is obligatory for Grumpig to keep taking attacks over and over again. The lack of recovery bites but if you use Protect like every other turn, Grumpig will usually stay at a healthy amount of HP. It's also nice for scouting purposes. Heal Bell is used to heal status from the team since every team member of mine hates status. I haven't used Heal Bell much, only once every twenty battles or so. I used to run Focus Blast to dent Golem, Probopass, Dark types and Normal types but on paper Heal Bell looks much more appealing. The EV spread looks weird once again. 248 HP EVs is for less damage from Spikes. 216 Sp. Def. and Calm nature is once again a jump point. 16 Speed outspeeds max speed Base 50s such as Mawile and is useful for speedcreeping on uninvested base 80s. The rest is put in Def. to tank hits from Emboar better.
Haunter @ Leftovers
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Substitute
- Disable
- Sludge Bomb
- Hidden Power [Ground]
Even though this team is built around Tauros, Haunter usually does most of the work. SubDisable is such a potent combination in NU and it pisses off the majority of NU players. Also, when one predicts the Disable and switches to a faster pokemon, it just racks up more entry hazard damage for me. Haunter's immunities are amazing and choiced users think twice before locking themselves into a move that Haunter is immune to. Haunter can also switch in on most Grass types with ease and proceed to lob Sludge Bombs with ease. He can also come in on 3/4s of Zangoose's movepool with no problem and destroy it with a Sludge Bomb. He can dismantle opposing Fighting types such as Throh and Gurdurr as he disables their only attack that can hit Haunter. Haunter can also defeat CM + Heal Bell Musharna which is becoming more common. Haunter's 95 base speed allows it to revenge kill many pokemon as well. Absol and Skuntank are also dealt much better with this set since most usually run only two dark moves but currently I've been seeing a lot use three dark type moves.
Haunter @ Leftovers
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Substitute
- Disable
- Sludge Bomb
- Hidden Power [Ground]
Even though this team is built around Tauros, Haunter usually does most of the work. SubDisable is such a potent combination in NU and it pisses off the majority of NU players. Also, when one predicts the Disable and switches to a faster pokemon, it just racks up more entry hazard damage for me. Haunter's immunities are amazing and choiced users think twice before locking themselves into a move that Haunter is immune to. Haunter can also switch in on most Grass types with ease and proceed to lob Sludge Bombs with ease. He can also come in on 3/4s of Zangoose's movepool with no problem and destroy it with a Sludge Bomb. He can dismantle opposing Fighting types such as Throh and Gurdurr as he disables their only attack that can hit Haunter. Haunter can also defeat CM + Heal Bell Musharna which is becoming more common. Haunter's 95 base speed allows it to revenge kill many pokemon as well. Absol and Skuntank are also dealt much better with this set since most usually run only two dark moves but currently I've been seeing a lot use three dark type moves.
Moves & EV Spread
When you look at my Haunter's moveset, you probably thought I'm an idiot for not using Shadow Ball and Hidden Power Fighting, but Sludge Bomb and Hidden Power Ground have insanely good coverage as well. I chose Sludge Bomb and Hidden Power Ground because Sludge Bomb is a much stronger STAB move than Shadow Ball and it hits Grass types super effectively. Also, I would have to hit Swellow and Braviary with the much weaker Hidden Power Fighting. Hidden Power Ground is also useful against Skuntank and other Poison types. Ditto can't even revenge kill me with these moves as I can just Disable it. I've never missed using Shadow Ball and Hidden Power Fighting so I think I will stay with these moves. The EV spread is just standard for a special attacker.
Mawile @ Leftovers
Trait: Intimidate
EVs: 248 HP / 244 Def / 16 Spd
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Knock Off
- Toxic
- Iron Head
Defensive Mawile? WTF! Even though defensive Mawile may look strange, it is a very potent wall since it's ability, Intimidate, allows it shrug off most physical hits with ease. Mawile can also take on weak resisted special hits as well. It completes my defensive core with Grumpig and is my obligatory bird check as well as checking Cinccino and Skuntank. It also sets up the obligatory Stealth Rock for my team which wears down Braviary which would otherwise be a huge threat. It also Knocks Off Eviolites from Gurdurr and Misdreavus which could be a huge nuisance. Mawile is also my main switch in to Absol when Garbodor is dead since -1 Superpower does about 70% to Mawile so I can easily toxic it or bash it with an Iron Head. Intimidate also comes in handy when I need Tauros to live a hit late game.
Mawile @ Leftovers
Trait: Intimidate
EVs: 248 HP / 244 Def / 16 Spd
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Knock Off
- Toxic
- Iron Head
Defensive Mawile? WTF! Even though defensive Mawile may look strange, it is a very potent wall since it's ability, Intimidate, allows it shrug off most physical hits with ease. Mawile can also take on weak resisted special hits as well. It completes my defensive core with Grumpig and is my obligatory bird check as well as checking Cinccino and Skuntank. It also sets up the obligatory Stealth Rock for my team which wears down Braviary which would otherwise be a huge threat. It also Knocks Off Eviolites from Gurdurr and Misdreavus which could be a huge nuisance. Mawile is also my main switch in to Absol when Garbodor is dead since -1 Superpower does about 70% to Mawile so I can easily toxic it or bash it with an Iron Head. Intimidate also comes in handy when I need Tauros to live a hit late game.
Moves & EV Spread
Stealth Rock is Stealth Rock. I hope that needs no explanation. Knock Off is insanely useful for getting rid of item reliant pokemon such as Eviolite users. It is also handy for getting rid of Leftovers on pokemon such as Musharna or Amoonguss. Iron Head is the nice STAB that hits pokemon for decent damage. Toxic is just filler but is useful for wearing down opposing pokemon such as non-Heal Bell Musharna much faster. I don't see the need for Pain Split since I am usually careful with Mawile. I am contemplating about putting Sunny Day or Thunderpunch on Mawile so Gorebyss and Samurott can't set up on me. I don't know so I would appreciate some feedback on this. 248 HP is to reduce Spikes damage. 16 Speed is to speed creep on base 50s such as Vileplumes even though Vileplume is non-existant at the moment. The rest is poured into Def. with an Impish nature to maximize Mawile's capability to take physical attacks.
Tauros @ Life Orb
Trait: Sheer Force
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature
- Rock Climb
- Zen Headbutt
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
Finally, the poke you've all been waiting for: The Bull That Wishes It Could Have An Afro. Tauros is sooooo underrated right now. I've always wanted to use it since I've never had a good check for Tauros lategame. Sheer Force + Life Orb is a powerful combination with base 100 Attack and base 110 Speed. It's coverage is so wide and it forces a lot of switches. Spikes and Stealth Rock help Tauros in achieving certain OHKOs and 2HKOs. With one layer of Spikes, Tauros can 2HKO with Zen Headbutt 100% of the time if Golurk has less than 88 HP EVs and no Lefties. Unfortunately, his moves miss at the worst times which is why I usually spam EQ. I prefer Tauros over Cinccino because it actually has respectable bulk and can live most priority attacks at full health. Tauros can also hit Poison and Fighting types hard with Zen Headbutt and EQ can take care of Probopass and friends. My team gives enough support where Tauros can usually bulldoze through teams.
Tauros @ Life Orb
Trait: Sheer Force
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature
- Rock Climb
- Zen Headbutt
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
Finally, the poke you've all been waiting for: The Bull That Wishes It Could Have An Afro. Tauros is sooooo underrated right now. I've always wanted to use it since I've never had a good check for Tauros lategame. Sheer Force + Life Orb is a powerful combination with base 100 Attack and base 110 Speed. It's coverage is so wide and it forces a lot of switches. Spikes and Stealth Rock help Tauros in achieving certain OHKOs and 2HKOs. With one layer of Spikes, Tauros can 2HKO with Zen Headbutt 100% of the time if Golurk has less than 88 HP EVs and no Lefties. Unfortunately, his moves miss at the worst times which is why I usually spam EQ. I prefer Tauros over Cinccino because it actually has respectable bulk and can live most priority attacks at full health. Tauros can also hit Poison and Fighting types hard with Zen Headbutt and EQ can take care of Probopass and friends. My team gives enough support where Tauros can usually bulldoze through teams.
Moves & EV Spread
Rock Climb is used for a hard hitting STAB attack that can 2HKO most of the tier with entry hazards. Zen Headbutt is used for pesky Poison and Fighting types such as Amoonguss and Throh. Earthquake allows Tauros to get past Probopass and hit Golem extremely hard. Rock Slide is for annoying Bug and Flying types where Rock Climb won't cut it. The EV Spread is standard for a physical attacker.
Threats
Pursuit users paired with scarfed Emboar or other big threats that only Grumpig can wall are usually a guaranteed win for the other user. I usually just try to play without Grumpig unless Emboar comes in and even then I usually fodder something in case they double switch into their Pursuit user. Gorebyss can be a threat with hazards but it can only set up on Mawile so it's not that big of a threat. Defiant Braviary can also be an issue since Mawile is my primary switch-in. There are probably more threats that I haven't noticed which is what you raters are supposed to find out.
Last Minute Words
Thank you for reading this whole long RMT. I hope you like the team and can give me suggestions on how to improve it. ( Luvdisc maybe? <3 ) Shoutout to #neverused for giving me tips on this RMT and for being a great IRC channel overall. I'd also like to give a big thank you to No Luck Involved even though we've never talked because his team, Inside Out, inspired me to play NU and got me to where I am today.
One Last Look
Importable
Haunter @ Leftovers
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Substitute
- Disable
- Sludge Bomb
- Hidden Power [Ground]
Grumpig @ Leftovers
Trait: Thick Fat
EVs: 248 HP / 28 Def / 216 SDef / 16 Spd
Calm Nature
- Psychic
- Thunder Wave
- Heal Bell
- Protect
Garbodor @ Black Sludge
Trait: Stench
EVs: 248 HP / 200 Def / 44 SDef / 16 Spd
Impish Nature
- Spikes
- Clear Smog
- Drain Punch
- Rock Blast
Torterra @ Life Orb
Trait: Overgrow
EVs: 88 HP / 252 Atk / 168 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Wood Hammer
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
Mawile @ Leftovers
Trait: Intimidate
EVs: 248 HP / 244 Def / 16 Spd
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Knock Off
- Toxic
- Iron Head
Tauros @ Life Orb
Trait: Sheer Force
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature
- Rock Climb
- Zen Headbutt
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Substitute
- Disable
- Sludge Bomb
- Hidden Power [Ground]
Grumpig @ Leftovers
Trait: Thick Fat
EVs: 248 HP / 28 Def / 216 SDef / 16 Spd
Calm Nature
- Psychic
- Thunder Wave
- Heal Bell
- Protect
Garbodor @ Black Sludge
Trait: Stench
EVs: 248 HP / 200 Def / 44 SDef / 16 Spd
Impish Nature
- Spikes
- Clear Smog
- Drain Punch
- Rock Blast
Torterra @ Life Orb
Trait: Overgrow
EVs: 88 HP / 252 Atk / 168 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Wood Hammer
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
Mawile @ Leftovers
Trait: Intimidate
EVs: 248 HP / 244 Def / 16 Spd
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Knock Off
- Toxic
- Iron Head
Tauros @ Life Orb
Trait: Sheer Force
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature
- Rock Climb
- Zen Headbutt
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
