XY RU The Cupcake of Doom

[ScraftyIsTheBest]

THE CUPCAKE OF DOOM
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Introduction
Hey guys, this is ScraftyIsTheBest, or SITB or just Scrafty for short if you want. It's been a long time since I've posted an RMT (in fact, I haven't really posted one since the beginning of the generation lol). Anyways, it's been a little over two years since I've been here on Smogon. I've been around the community for a while, and I've met plenty of people, and I've had both good and bad experiences through these two years, and I've really tied myself into the competitive battling world overall. Back in BW I was primarily a lower tier player, mostly around UU and RU. Today, I still am, though I do get into OU quite a bit this gen. Anyways, let's get onto the team.

Anyways, in case you didn't already guess by the title of this RMT, I built this team around Slurpuff, who I personally think is quite underrated in RU. This team is primarily offensive, and mostly aims for five of the teammates to do work and together open the pathway to a Slurpuff sweep. Idk how to completely describe this team, though it's a mix of slower Pokemon in tandem with a few faster ones. Anyways, this team has gotten me quite a few wins, though I do aim to use this team more. Anyways, let's get on with the team.

Team at First Glance

Team in Detail

Cobalion @ Leftovers
Ability: Justified
EVs: 160 HP / 96 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Taunt
- Close Combat
- Volt Switch

A staple set of Cobalion since BW2 UU tbh. Anyways, this is by far one of the most reliable Stealth Rock users in RU. Cobalion serves as a fast and bulky Stealth Rock user that can provide momentum for my team. Basically, it comes in, and sets up Stealth Rock quickly, and somewhat reliably thanks to its great physical bulk and typing. Because of its nice bulk, Cobalion is also capable of repeatedly setting up Stealth Rock throughout the match as the need arises. I could've chosen Rhyperior, but Cobalion does better against Sharpedo which imo is important. Close Combat serves as a strong and reliable STAB move when the need to use it arises. It also allows Cobalion to OHKO Hitmonlee and Kabutops, both relevant spinners in the tier. The other really cool thing about this set is the extra utility it brings. Taunt is an awesome move to stop Defog and setup opportunities, and in general also prevents opponents from getting Stealth Rock up themselves, especially since Cobalion is pretty fast. Volt Switch also allows Cobalion to gain momentum and gain an advantage by safely getting to a teammate and dealing some damage. It's also nice if the opponent has the rare Xatu, so as they come in, Cobalion clicks Volt Switch, and I resort to something else (usually Shiftry, of which I will get to later).

Druddigon @ Assault Vest
Ability: Rough Skin
EVs: 236 HP / 252 Atk / 20 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Outrage
- Fire Punch
- Gunk Shot
- Sucker Punch

i love druddigon druddigon is my favorite Pokemon (Jk, it's not lol). Anyways, Druddigon continues to be the premier Dragon-type in the RU tier, as it always has been since BW2 RU lol. If you look past its ugly appearance, Druddigon is quite an excellent Pokemon. I use an Assault Vest set because this makes Druddigon serve as somewhat of a defensive backbone for my team while still sticking to the offensive nature of this team (and FYI, Druddigon is one of only four viable AV users in RU), checking stuff like Rotom-Mow and Jolteon, among other Pokemon such as Delphox and Moltres thanks to its typing. Druddigon's high Attack means it packs quite a bit of power and it has a nice movepool too. Outrage is a strong and reliable STAB that hits hard off of Druddigon, hitting anything that isn't a Steel- or Fairy-type pretty hard and ohkoes Xerneas. Fire Punch is a great option to hit Escavalier, Magneton, and the like hard, while in general it's good to hit Virizion reliably if Outrage is too risky to use. Gunk Shot hits Aromatisse, Slurpuff, Togetic, and Whimsicott all hard because they all will try to come in on a potential Outrage, so whacking them is nice. Sucker Punch serves as strong priority and allows Druddigon to face Meloetta and also sting Delphox and Reuniclus. Anyways, overall this is somewhat of the tank of my team, being able to switch into stuff and fight back.

Moltres @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Fire Blast
- Hurricane
- Hidden Power [Grass]
- U-turn

Moltres, like Druddigon, was a pretty excellent Pokemon back in BW RU and is still a great Pokemon today. Since I kinda felt that this team was a bit slow, I decided to have a Choice Scarf user around, and Moltres was my pick. Moltres is quite a good Choice Scarf user, packing great power in its STABs and off of a high Special Attack too, so it revenge kills decently while packing a nice punch overall. It revenge kills Virizion, who is currently one of the most prominent Pokemon atm, and also hurts a few other fast mons like Cinccino, Heliolisk, Dugtrio, etc. It has a cool defensive typing beyond its SR weakness so that's a plus too. Fire Blast and Hurricane alone do quite a bit of work, and HP Grass is for Rhyperior and I guess Lanturn. Fire Blast also burns up Doublade which is great for Slurpuff. U-turn allows Moltres to obtain momentum against the opponent, and is cool in case the opposing team has a Moltres answer such as Slowking. Overall though this is a pretty good Pokemon and the Scarf set is quite good, only problem is that it's rather unreliable and it's massively weak to Stealth Rock, but I do mitigate that with the next team member, which is...

Shiftry @ Life Orb
Ability: Chlorophyll
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Lonely Nature
- Defog
- Leaf Storm
- Sucker Punch
- Knock Off

Shifty is something that has never really gotten much attention throughout the generations, it was okayish in NU last generation but nothing truly amazing. Anyways, Shiftry got Defog and a buffed Knock Off this gen which made it a whole lot better, especially in XY RU. I didn't think much of this Pokemon, but after trying it out I'm really impressed. This thing is an incredible offensive Defogger (and the only purely offensive Defogger in RU), and even after removing hazards this thing does quite a bit of damage. Leaf Storm stings Almomola and Rhyperior and in general is very powerful, while Sucker Punch and Knock Off are both quite useful, the former being priority and revenge killing a lot of things (especially Meloetta), while Knock Off hits hard and also dents a bunch of things like Slowking, Bronzong, and Doublade, and removing items is awesome too. Hitting Doublade and Bronzong is also helpful for Slurpuff. Defog is also great for this team, because it helps Moltres and Slurpuff a lot, since the former hates SR, and hazards limit setup opportunities for the latter. In general a powerful offensive Pokemon that also is a great hazard remover and proved itself quite valuable to this team.

Clawitzer @ Life Orb
Ability: Mega Launcher
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Scald
- Aura Sphere
- Dark Pulse
- Ice Beam

Ah, yes, Clawitzer. Tbh when Clauncher was revealed, it wasn't really seen as much, just a very generic Water-type and was nothing too special. However, Clawitzer was really something I was excited to try in XY RU, and it's honestly impressed me since the beginning of XY RU, it's really good. This thing excels as a wallbreaker, as it hits very hard and has good coverage, especially with Mega Launcher boosting Dark Pulse and Aura Sphere to 120 Base Power. Basically, all slower Pokemon will sustain heavy damage from this thing, and this thing has very few, if any, safe switch-ins. Scald basically is a reliable and powerful STAB option, and that burn chance can be super clutch in some situations. Aura Sphere is strong and hits Registeel hard, as well as other things like Abomasnow. Dark Pulse hits Bronzong, Reuniclus, and Slowking, and the flinch chance can occasionally come in handy. Ice Beam is useful to hit Virizion, Amoonguss, and to an extent Sceptile and Tangrowth. In general this thing also beats Gligar which is cool. Overall this thing is an excellent wallbreaker and also puts incredible offensive pressure on the opponent's team.

Slurpuff @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Unburden
EVs: 52 HP / 252 Atk / 204 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Belly Drum
- Aromatherapy
- Play Rough
- Return

And here we have it, the focus of this team and the underrated monster itself, Slurpuff. I know for a fact that back when Swirlix was revealed, it got a lot of love, and a lot of people made Swirlix their avatar back then iirc. Slurpuff was a little bit of a disappointment design-wise, as it's actually kind of ugly and its stats are also sort of lame. That said, beneath all that, this thing is a monstrous late-game sweeper. While its counterpart Aromatisse walls some prominent Pokemon and keeps its team alive, Slurpuff follows a very simple game plan: 1. Set up 2. Destroy. Slurpuff is a unique sweeper, as it only really needs one turn to set up, and then it's unstoppable as long as its counters are gone. Basically, a +6/+2 sweeper is scary and will basically win the game. What's even better is Slurpuff's typing, which allows it quite a few opportunities to set up, and also makes it resilient to Sucker Punch and Mach Punch. Its bulk is not exactly great, but it's good enough to get some setup opportunities and in general get ready to wreck. After a Belly Drum, Play Rough is basically a nuke button and OHKOes everything. Return also does the same, and also hits Amoonguss and Golbat while it's more reliable than Play Rough. Aromatherapy is cool to remove status and also gives Slurpuff a little utility before sweeping. Even in a few cases where it can't set up, it can do a bit of work by picking off Sharpedo and Hitmonlee with Play Rough and in general try to pick off a severely weakened team. Anyways, this thing is pretty underrated imo and is one of the most fun Pokemon to build a team around, I really like using this thing even though I initially didn't really expect much out of it.

Threats to this team:

Can sweep through the team with priority Acrobatics and also cripple Druddigon and Slurpuff with Will-O-Wisp. Something to be cautious around, Cobalion with Taunt and Volt Switch works but this thing is still a threat.

Specs Boomburst too strong. Though Druddigon with AV can live one and retaliate, and in general it's easy to revenge kill

Webs are annoying, especially in tandem with above Pokemon.

Not actually a threat to the team but in rare cases can cause laughter for 150 seconds until the timer runs out, causing the user of this Pokemon to instantly win

See Ambipom

Conclusion:

Well, that's my first XY RMT. It's been a while since I've posted one of these, so yeah. I've taken a real liking to this team, and I enjoy playing XY RU, it's almost as fun as BW RU imo, and is very balanced. RU in general has always been a fun and balanced tier, and very enjoyable to play. My only problem is that the ladder is garbage and the tier list is as a result bad, if I could modify the RU tier to my desire then I most certainly would. But eh, that's all I gotta say, and here's the importable.

Importable

Clawitzer @ Life Orb
Ability: Mega Launcher
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Scald
- Aura Sphere
- Dark Pulse
- Ice Beam

Druddigon @ Assault Vest
Ability: Rough Skin
EVs: 236 HP / 252 Atk / 20 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Outrage
- Fire Punch
- Gunk Shot
- Sucker Punch

Shiftry @ Life Orb
Ability: Chlorophyll
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Lonely Nature
- Defog
- Leaf Storm
- Knock Off
- Sucker Punch

Cobalion @ Leftovers
Ability: Justified
EVs: 160 HP / 96 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Taunt
- Close Combat
- Volt Switch

Moltres @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Fire Blast
- Hurricane
- Hidden Power [Grass]
- U-turn

Slurpuff @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Unburden
EVs: 52 HP / 252 Atk / 204 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Aromatherapy
- Belly Drum
- Play Rough
- Return

 

[Molk]

sup scraftyisthebest, i actually think this team looks pretty cool, i have just two suggestions.

Perhaps you could try replacing Moltres with a Fletchinder? Fletchinder performs the same role as Choice Scarf Moltres as a revenge killer, but with the twist of being able to burn things, recover, and set up without sacrificing its speed, not to mention that it outspeeds EVERYTHING without priority of its own. A Fletchinder of your own with a reasonable amount of Speed creep gives you another method to revenge kill opposing Fletchinder, which you mentioned as a problem, and priority Acrobatics are a great weapon to have against those Sticky Web teams you mentioned you were struggling with. Outside of this, Fletchinder has some pretty solid offensive synergy with Slurpuff (the center of your team) too! Will-O-Wisp's burns are quite nice for expanding what puff can set up on, and are incredibly helpful for wearing down the bulky Steel-types that stop Slurpuff from sweeping such as Doublade and Registeel, especially given they get lured in to get burned quite easily because they're able to take repeated Acrobatics from the little bird. Sets up all over Escavalier too.

If you decide to stay with Moltres i'd try using Flamethrower over Hidden Power Grass. I honestly really don't feel comfortable using a coverage move that weak on Scarf Moltres, being locked into a move like that can be really problematic if the opponent has a good way to take advantage of it, and the power really just seems underwhelming without Life Orb's power boost even against the targets it's supposed to hit. I'd much rather U-turn out to either Clawitzer or Shiftry on a predicted switch in to Rhyperior instead of trying and hit it on the switch with Hidden Power Grass (it only does like 60 max to standard Rhyperior and telegraphs that you're scarf, so if the opponent has anything that can take an HP grass you're in big trouble and Rhyperior is still kicking, if you simply U-turn out to Clawitzer as Rhyperior comes in your opponent is in a really really bad spot). As for Lanturn, Hidden Power Grass doesn't really do much to it at all and it can just Volt Switch out of Moltres for free momentum, if you U-turn out to Shiftry or Druddigon as Lanturn comes in, you get the momentum, not Lanturn.

Meanwhile, Flamethrower is a great secondary STAB move for Choice Scarf Moltres as well as a great "safe option" to use when Moltres can't afford to miss while attempting to eithe revenge kill something or clean up (anyone who's used Moltres knows how infuriating its accuracy is ;-;), so it's a better option here imo.

I might post again with more suggestions if i think of anything, this looks really fun to use so i'll probably give it a try myself.

As for your threatlist, those Pokemon are threatening indeed, but i think you can play around them for the most part (especially Kricketune given you have taunt Cobalion).