The Bull That Wishes It Could Have An Afro (Peaked #4)

The Bull That Wishes It Could Have An Afro

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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).

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Teambuilding​


I started the team off with Tauros because it can easily clean teams and Cinccino is gay.

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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.

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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).

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I decided to run SubDisable Haunter to abuse Spikes and it is just awesome in general. It also helps with the Ground weakness.

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I decided to use Thick Fat Grumpig to patch up my Fire weakness and to help with specials threats and Emboar.

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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.

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After all of that, that was how the team started and that's how it is now.​

The Team​



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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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​


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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
 
While I haven't faced this particular team, I have faced you before and I know that you definitely are a rising star in NU. The only major threat to your team are special attacking Water-types, since you have no real resists to them and Grumpig can tank their hits only so much without a Wish passed to it. You'd be hard pressed to handle Gorebyss after a Shell Smash, a Ludicolo after a Rain Dance, or even just Rain teams in general. As for Emboar, luckily most Emboar's aren't Scarfed as much as they are Banded, Specs, or mixed.

Flying types look to be a major threat to you, especially since you lack Stealth Rocks. Braviary is especially threatening since it now has Defiant to gain an attack boost from Mawile.

Agent Dell and I were talking about how SubDisable Haunter is a major threat right now since it counters so many teams (including most RMT teams we've seen so far this meta). HP Ground isn't quite as useful as HP Fighting from what I've seen, and it makes you even more vulnerable against Normal/Flying types. While Sludge Bomb is my personal favorite move to use in that slot, HP Fighting does let you beat Steel types. Of course, since you have Torterra for Steel types and Skuntank, you could give it Sludge Bomb like I mentioned. On the bright side, Sludge Bomb can KO Skuntank at around 30% HP is they aren't extremely invested in SpDef. Just a useful tidbit.

I understand that Mawile is one of your favorite Pokemon. It might be better to make a team around it rather than use it to support Tauros though. A Scarfed Rotom-S/F would be very useful since you lack a revenge killer. I'd personally go with Rotom-S since it provides you with an extra defense against Sawk, but Rotom-F does protect you from Ice moves better.

Anways, it late and I can't think of anything else right now (why I stay up so late is a good question). So for now, good luck rising up and I hope this helps! :pimp:
 
Thank you WhiteDMist for the kind words and the rate. It really means a lot.

Rain teams are usually a problem for me but I've only faced two of them while I was laddering. Gorebyss can only set up a Shell Smash against Mawile so I'm really careful about that. Grumpig can paralyze half of the enemy's rain team and I wouldn't let Ludicolo or other teammates set up rain for free. Mawile can also handle physical rain attackers such as Floatzel easily. I think I might put Sunny Day on Mawile so when Gorebyss sets up a Shell Smash it can't do much to my team. I also spam Protect on Grumpig which stalls for rain turns and actually gives me a lot more recovery than expected.

Defiant Braviary isn't that big of a deal since most variants are choiced and SubRoost or Bulk Up Roost are walled by Haunter. I can usually bait out the wrong move from Braviary through Haunter so I can easily bring in Mawile to take it's hits. +1 Braviary can't 2HKO Mawile with Brave Bird even with Stealth Rock while Banded can easily be walled by Haunter or revenged by Tauros.

Sludge Bomb and HP Fighting have much worse coverage than Sludge Bomb and HP Ground. HP Fighting only achieves 5 more base power against Normal types and Dark types than Sludge Bomb (after STAB). I'd rather Sludge Bomb and fish for the 30% poison and have Hidden Power Ground against pokemon that Sludge Bomb doesn't hit super-effectively such as Garbodor, Camerupt, and Golem.

I didn't pick Mawile for this team because it's my favorite pokemon, I picked it because it can fulfill many of the empty gaps in my team. Both Rotom forms would be nice for revenge killing but I try not to let any set up through powerful attacks or status. I would also be a lot weaker to the birds and Cinccino since I wouldn't have any safe switch ins. Sawk is also easily handled by a combination of Garbodor, Haunter, and Mawile.

Do you play on PS! because I haven't seen you on the ladder at all? I need to get my revenge. xD
 
Wow this team looks very impressive, the only nitpick I can see is Guts Swellow after Mawile is gone, but it can probably be played around pretty easy. And I just have to say that the Hunter set is so scary, it can screw a whole team alone after spikes and SR.

But as I see this team is very well build, so congratz with the peak and have a nice day ! :)

Luvdisc'd :D
 
This team is very unique and effective at the same time. The only weakness I see is the lack of a Water-type resist, which makes it hard to deal with Samurott, Gorebyss, and Ludicolo. Heck, even things like Scarf Wailord or Golduck can be a pain for this team to face, at least on paper. To fix this, I suggest you run Coil Serperior over Torterra. It still deals with Golem and other Ground-types wonderfully (with the exception of Camerupt, who is rarely seen these days and can be walled by Grumpig). Serperior can also abuse the hazards on your team by shuffling the Grass and Flying types that commonly switch in. It's fast enough to outrun most Water-types and deal a huge dent in them with Leaf Blade.

Summary of changes:

Torterra —> Coil Serperior


Serperior @ Leftovers
Trait: Overgrow
EVs: 32 HP / 252 Atk / 224 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Coil
- Leaf Blade
- Dragon Tail
- Substitute

Good luck with the team!
 
Thanks for the rates everybody!

Wow this team looks very impressive, the only nitpick I can see is Guts Swellow after Mawile is gone, but it can probably be played around pretty easy. And I just have to say that the Hunter set is so scary, it can screw a whole team alone after spikes and SR.

Swellow is pretty easy to play around. I just have to keep Mawile safe for it and wait for it to wear itself down. Thanks for the luvdisc!

This team is very unique and effective at the same time. The only weakness I see is the lack of a Water-type resist, which makes it hard to deal with Samurott, Gorebyss, and Ludicolo. Heck, even things like Scarf Wailord or Golduck can be a pain for this team to face, at least on paper. To fix this, I suggest you run Coil Serperior over Torterra. It still deals with Golem and other Ground-types wonderfully (with the exception of Camerupt, who is rarely seen these days and can be walled by Grumpig). Serperior can also abuse the hazards on your team by shuffling the Grass and Flying types that commonly switch in. It's fast enough to outrun most Water-types and deal a huge dent in them with Leaf Blade.

Thanks a lot for the rate FLCL. Coming from a player like you means a lot.
The lack of a water resist bites but I can usually play around it with Grumpig and Haunter. Torterra does seem like the weak link in this team because it can't really take on water types even though I kind of hyped it a lot in the description. I will try Coil Serperior instead but I'm not too sure about the EV spread since I would like it to take repeated attacks.
 
You get cool points for using Tauros! :D

Anyway, this team is nicely built and is obviously very effective. I also like the originality of using Mawile. :)

I do agree with everything FLCL said. This team looks like it struggles against Rain and Water-types in general. However, I'm not sure Serperior could fix this problem. Practically every Water uses Ice Beam and this will further cause problems if they can outspeed you. This is why I would suggest using a Bulky Attacking Ludicolo to replace Torterra. Ludicolo is a great support mon and will further aid Tauros. It is also a complete stop to Rain, which you said gives you trouble. Here is the set:

Ludicolo @Leftovers
Trait: Rain Dish
EVs: 252 HP/152 SpA/104 SpD
Modest Nature (+SpA, -Atk)
-Giga Drain
-Scald
-Ice Beam
-Leech Seed

Leftovers, Rain Dish, and Giga Drain together makes Ludicolo ridiculously bulky! Rain Dish is also a big "screw you!" to Rain teams, as they fail to damage it while you constantly restore health. A Modest Nature and 152 EVs in special attack let's Ludicolo pull off some damage. Ice Beam provides decent coverage along side Scald and Giga Drain, as it catches Flyings on the switch and hits Grass-types for SE damage. Leech Seed is a better option for your team because it causes a lot of switches and further assists Tauros' attempt to sweep the opponent's team.

Hope this helps and congrats on your peak! :)
 
Thanks for the rate Majestic Electric. Yay, I got cool points! xD

I will test out Ludicolo. It could easily help my problems with Rain but the lack of an Electric resistance might turn out bad. I think I will try a different spread since I like coming up with my own and your spread doesn't have as much as power as I usually like my Ludicolos to have. The moveset seems fine though. I am a bit worried though since I would have to rely on Tauros as my main physical attacker. I will get back to this once I can actually get on PS!
 
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