The Next Best Thing [Current Subject: Tapu Bulu]

[The Squash]

Congratulations to DawnManeDuskWings for winning this week's Next Best Thing! Your submission will be logged in the Archive!
This week's subject is of of Battle Spot's fattest walls: Ferrothorn! Due to it's great physical and special bulk Ferrothorn is able to wall a significant portion of the metagame, including top tier mons such as Mimikyu and the Tapus. In addition to this it's passable attack and low speed lets it fire off powerful Gyro Balls. So, with all that in mind, what is The Next Best Thing (TM) for Ferrothorn?

You have until Friday (2/9) at 9:00 p.m. EST (GMT-5) to post your submissions. Best of luck to everyone!

 

[Thick Fat Azumarill]

Ferrothorn @ Rockium Z
Ability: Iron Barbs
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Rollout
- Gyro Ball
- Leech Seed
- Stealth Rock / Protect / Bullet Seed

Are you tired of people switching in their Charizard/Volcarona on your Ferro for free? Well, fear no more! This Ferrothorn set gives even Whitney's Miltank a run for its money! (Not really, but the thought of a Ferrothorn KOing a Charizard is a nightmare in itself)

0 Atk Ferrothorn Continental Crush (100 BP) vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Charizard: 180-212 (117.6 - 138.5%) -- guaranteed OHKO
0 Atk Ferrothorn Continental Crush (100 BP) vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Mega Charizard Y: 180-212 (117.6 - 138.5%) -- guaranteed OHKO
0 Atk Ferrothorn Continental Crush (100 BP) vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Volcarona: 204-244 (126.7 - 151.5%) -- guaranteed OHKO

 

[chemcoop]

Ferrothorn @ Groundium Z
Ability: Iron Barbs
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 180 Atk / 76 Def
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Iron Head
- Bulldoze
- Leech Seed
- Power Whip

Heatran/Bulu/Pex cores got you down? Who cares when your Ferrothorn can nuke Heatran on the switch-in with z-Bulldoze. This set also runs Iron Head to avoid being stalled out of Gyro PP by something like SubSeed Bulu. Enjoy your anti-Tran/Bulu/Pex Ferrothorn!

Calc:
180 Atk Ferrothorn Tectonic Rage (120 BP) vs. 244 HP / 0 Def Heatran: 200-236 (101.5 - 119.7%) -- guaranteed OHKO

 

[Moose And Goose]

Ferrothorn @ Leftovers
Ability: Iron Barbs
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 76 Atk / 180 SpD
Careful Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Gyro Ball
- Power Whip
- Knock Off
- Curse

This set is for all of you out there who are down because you are tired of the hax duck raining on your parade, or a sharp fello ruinging your olives?
Ferrothorn has you covered with a all new improved set that still doesn't give access to your olives. Curse lets you boost ferrothorn's attack to respectable levels, and brings its overall bulk by a ton because it doesn't need to worry about a lack of bulk.

Calcs

28 Atk Ferrothorn Knock Off vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Aegislash-Blade: 84-100 (50.2 - 59.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
0 Atk Aegislash-Blade Sacred Sword vs. 252 HP / 20 Def Ferrothorn: 76-90 (41.9 - 49.7%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
worst case p2 senario:
+1 252+ SpA Porygon2 Ice Beam vs. 252 HP / 208+ SpD Ferrothorn: 50-59 (27.6 - 32.5%) -- 69.8% chance to 4HKO after Leftovers recovery
28 Atk Ferrothorn Knock Off (97.5 BP) vs. 244 HP / 12 Def Eviolite Porygon2: 26-31 (13.6 - 16.2%) -- possible 7HKO
+2 28 Atk Ferrothorn Power Whip vs. +1 244 HP / 12 Def Porygon2: 96-114 (50.2 - 59.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

probably more relevant calcs but whatever

Seriously help this boi open that jar.

 

[cant say]

Ferrothorn @ Leftovers
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Substitute
- Curse
- Iron Head / Bullet Seed
- Leech Seed

Fat Ferro that can sweep. Use something like Porygon2, Cresselia, Fini etc to get the ball rolling.

edit: oh m&g's post hadn't loaded for me while typing this up lol. are they different enough?

 

[Lotus]

Ferrothorn @ Leftovers
Ability: Iron Barbs
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Impish Nature
- Leech Seed / Stealth Rock
- Power Whip
- Knock Off / Leech Seed
- Thunder Wave

Thunder Wave definitely isn't something totally new, but I find it much better way to punish Ferrothorn's switch-ins (mence / zards / etc) than running an offensive set that would either make Ferrothorn forgo hazard moves or equip a Z-crystal that one of its other teammates like Mimikyu or Naganadel can actually use.
Knock Off improves matchup versus Mega Gengar, provides useful utility for obvious reasons and can be run with Leech Seed if Ferrothorn's team already has a good Stealth Rock user like Landorus-T.

 

[Jmal98]

View attachment 100705
Ferrothorn @ Leftovers
Ability: Iron Barbs
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 76 Atk / 180 SpD
Careful Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Gyro Ball
- Power Whip
- Knock Off
- Curse

This set is for all of you out there who are down because you are tired of the hax duck raining on your parade, or a sharp fello ruinging your olives?
Ferrothorn has you covered with a all new improved set that still doesn't give access to your olives. Curse lets you boost ferrothorn's attack to respectable levels, and brings its overall bulk by a ton because it doesn't need to worry about a lack of bulk.

Calcs

28 Atk Ferrothorn Knock Off vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Aegislash-Blade: 84-100 (50.2 - 59.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
0 Atk Aegislash-Blade Sacred Sword vs. 252 HP / 20 Def Ferrothorn: 76-90 (41.9 - 49.7%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
worst case p2 senario:
+1 252+ SpA Porygon2 Ice Beam vs. 252 HP / 208+ SpD Ferrothorn: 50-59 (27.6 - 32.5%) -- 69.8% chance to 4HKO after Leftovers recovery
28 Atk Ferrothorn Knock Off (97.5 BP) vs. 244 HP / 12 Def Eviolite Porygon2: 26-31 (13.6 - 16.2%) -- possible 7HKO
+2 28 Atk Ferrothorn Power Whip vs. +1 244 HP / 12 Def Porygon2: 96-114 (50.2 - 59.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

probably more relevant calcs but whatever

Seriously help this boi open that jar.

implying hax duck doesn't just freeze you w/ ice beam

 

[The Squash]

View attachment 100706
Ferrothorn @ Leftovers
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Substitute
- Curse
- Iron Head / Bullet Seed
- Leech Seed

Fat Ferro that can sweep. Use something like Porygon2, Cresselia, Fini etc to get the ball rolling.

edit: oh m&g's post hadn't loaded for me while typing this up lol. are they different enough?

Yours is different enough from Moose and Goose's set, so I'll allow it.

 

[The Squash]

This round I think I'll through a submission into the mix, since no one else reserved it.

Ferrothorn @ Leftovers
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 100 Def / 156 SpA
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Gyro Ball
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Leech Seed
- Protect

Hp Fire Ferrothorn is pretty neat for mirror matches against other ferrothorns, and is a good alternative to clicking bullet seed or power whip until someone switches or fainted from iron barb damage. It also can give Kartana a nasty surprise, which is a bonus. The SpA Evs guarantee a 3HKO against physical Ferro and has a 50% chance to KO SpDef Ferro, but you could invest them in defense instead if you'd like.

Calcs:
156 SpA Ferrothorn Hidden Power Fire vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Ferrothorn: 68-80 (37.5 - 44.1%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
156 SpA Ferrothorn Hidden Power Fire vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Ferrothorn: 48-60 (26.5 - 33.1%) -- 49.9% chance to 4HKO after Leftovers recovery
156 SpA Ferrothorn Hidden Power Fire vs. 4 HP / 0 SpD Kartana: 168-200 (124.4 - 148.1%) -- guaranteed OHKO



Submissions are now closed! There are to be no edits of your own Pokemon, nor are there to be any new submissions. A few quick things to note;

• Voting will close on 2/13 at 9:00pm EST (GMT-5), where the next subject will also be announced
• You can't vote for your own submission
• You can only change your vote once, so think carefully before doing so
• You can vote even if you haven't made a submission. It is expected that you vote if you did submit yourself, but not compulsory

ThickFatAzumarill's Z-Rollout

Ferrothorn @ Rockium Z
Ability: Iron Barbs
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Rollout
- Gyro Ball
- Leech Seed
- Stealth Rock / Protect / Bullet Seed

Are you tired of people switching in their Charizard/Volcarona on your Ferro for free? Well, fear no more! This Ferrothorn set gives even Whitney's Miltank a run for its money! (Not really, but the thought of a Ferrothorn KOing a Charizard is a nightmare in itself)

0 Atk Ferrothorn Continental Crush (100 BP) vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Charizard: 180-212 (117.6 - 138.5%) -- guaranteed OHKO
0 Atk Ferrothorn Continental Crush (100 BP) vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Mega Charizard Y: 180-212 (117.6 - 138.5%) -- guaranteed OHKO
0 Atk Ferrothorn Continental Crush (100 BP) vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Volcarona: 204-244 (126.7 - 151.5%) -- guaranteed OHKO

chemcoop's Z-Bulldoze

Ferrothorn @ Groundium Z
Ability: Iron Barbs
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 180 Atk / 76 Def
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Iron Head
- Bulldoze
- Leech Seed
- Power Whip

Heatran/Bulu/Pex cores got you down? Who cares when your Ferrothorn can nuke Heatran on the switch-in with z-Bulldoze. This set also runs Iron Head to avoid being stalled out of Gyro PP by something like SubSeed Bulu. Enjoy your anti-Tran/Bulu/Pex Ferrothorn!

Calc:
180 Atk Ferrothorn Tectonic Rage (120 BP) vs. 244 HP / 0 Def Heatran: 200-236 (101.5 - 119.7%) -- guaranteed OHKO

Moose and Goose's Curse + 3 Attacks

Ferrothorn @ Leftovers
Ability: Iron Barbs
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 76 Atk / 180 SpD
Careful Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Gyro Ball
- Power Whip
- Knock Off
- Curse

This set is for all of you out there who are down because you are tired of the hax duck raining on your parade, or a sharp fello ruinging your olives?
Ferrothorn has you covered with a all new improved set that still doesn't give access to your olives. Curse lets you boost ferrothorn's attack to respectable levels, and brings its overall bulk by a ton because it doesn't need to worry about a lack of bulk.

Calcs

28 Atk Ferrothorn Knock Off vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Aegislash-Blade: 84-100 (50.2 - 59.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
0 Atk Aegislash-Blade Sacred Sword vs. 252 HP / 20 Def Ferrothorn: 76-90 (41.9 - 49.7%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
worst case p2 senario:
+1 252+ SpA Porygon2 Ice Beam vs. 252 HP / 208+ SpD Ferrothorn: 50-59 (27.6 - 32.5%) -- 69.8% chance to 4HKO after Leftovers recovery
28 Atk Ferrothorn Knock Off (97.5 BP) vs. 244 HP / 12 Def Eviolite Porygon2: 26-31 (13.6 - 16.2%) -- possible 7HKO
+2 28 Atk Ferrothorn Power Whip vs. +1 244 HP / 12 Def Porygon2: 96-114 (50.2 - 59.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

probably more relevant calcs but whatever
Seriously help this boi open that jar.

cant say's Sub Curse

Ferrothorn @ Leftovers
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Substitute
- Curse
- Iron Head / Bullet Seed
- Leech Seed

Fat Ferro that can sweep. Use something like Porygon2, Cresselia, Fini etc to get the ball rolling.

edit: oh m&g's post hadn't loaded for me while typing this up lol. are they different enough?

DawnManeDuskWings's Thunder Wave

Ferrothorn @ Leftovers
Ability: Iron Barbs
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Impish Nature
- Leech Seed / Stealth Rock
- Power Whip
- Knock Off / Leech Seed
- Thunder Wave

Thunder Wave definitely isn't something totally new, but I find it much better way to punish Ferrothorn's switch-ins (mence / zards / etc) than running an offensive set that would either make Ferrothorn forgo hazard moves or equip a Z-crystal that one of its other teammates like Mimikyu or Naganadel can actually use.
Knock Off improves matchup versus Mega Gengar, provides useful utility for obvious reasons and can be run with Leech Seed if Ferrothorn's team already has a good Stealth Rock user like Landorus-T.

The Squash's HP Fire

It's literally at the top of the post but I'll put it here for consistency's sake.

This round I think I'll through a submission into the mix, since no one else reserved it.

Ferrothorn @ Leftovers
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 100 Def / 156 SpA
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Gyro Ball
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Leech Seed
- Protect

Hp Fire Ferrothorn is pretty neat for mirror matches against other ferrothorns, and is a good alternative to clicking bullet seed or power whip until someone switches or fainted from iron barb damage. It also can give Kartana a nasty surprise, which is a bonus. The SpA Evs guarantee a 3HKO against physical Ferro and has a 50% chance to KO SpDef Ferro, but you could invest them in defense instead if you'd like.

Calcs:
156 SpA Ferrothorn Hidden Power Fire vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Ferrothorn: 68-80 (37.5 - 44.1%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
156 SpA Ferrothorn Hidden Power Fire vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Ferrothorn: 48-60 (26.5 - 33.1%) -- 49.9% chance to 4HKO after Leftovers recovery
156 SpA Ferrothorn Hidden Power Fire vs. 4 HP / 0 SpD Kartana: 168-200 (124.4 - 148.1%) -- guaranteed OHKO

 

[Lotus]

I hope this doesn't sound negative in any way, but I feel like this week's nominations were filled with gimmicks. Forgoing Leech Seed in Ferrothorn frankly gave me some negative impression regardless of the excellent creativity of the set behind it because that is what makes Ferrothorn so frustrating to deal with in general, and giving it Z-crystal generally means forgoing how offensive the team can be (for instance stuff like Naganadel / Blaziken / Mimikyu will be unable to use Z-moves of their own). Running offensive EV's on Ferrothorn will make it be 2HKOed by tons of attacks it normally stalls out with Leech Seed. Hidden Power Fire Ferrothorn is a thing in OU (keeping Kartana from setting up on it) but Kartana isn't as threatening in BSS as it is in OU as far as I am aware of, and opposing Ferrothorn sets hazard and just goes to stuff like subdd mence and mega scizor's at-worst-special-bulk set is not even 2HKOed even with given SpA investment.

This is not to say that my submission was good either because Thunder Wave is generally a subpar option on Ferrothorn. But this project is for undermining cool sets and I still had lots of fun reading sets from various users. With that said, I vote on cant say's SubCurse because when you seed your foe they most likely switch out and Substitute eases prediction to a lot of degree. I would recommend running max defense because HP Fire P2 2HKOes you anyway and it gives better chance against mimikyu in general, but it is totally dependent on personal preferences. As much as annoying as subseed cele is, same will go to ferrothorn.

Edit: fixed some typos

 

[PPB]

Yeah I'm going to vote for cant say too. I think curse is really cool; personally I'm not entirely sure about running sub instead of just two coverage moves, but I also think Leech Seed gives it the edge over the other curse+3 attacks set, because Leech Seed really helps the curse set out.

 

[The Squash]

Congratulations to cant say for winning this week's Next Best Thing! Your submission will be logged in the Archive!
This week's subject is a tenacious tapu, known for it's great wallbreaking ability: Tapu Lele! Thanks to a great ability and strong special attack, Lele can fire off super-powerful Psychic-type moves, making it a fantastic scarfed revenge killer. It can also use Specs to power through mons that could normally wall it, making it a deadly threat in the metagame. So, with all that in mind, what is The Next Best Thing (TM) for Tapu Lele?

You have until Saturday (2/17) at 9:00 p.m. EST (GMT-5) to post your submissions. Best of luck to everyone!

 

[Jmal98]

Tapu lele @ Tapunium Z
Ability: Psychic Surge
Level: 50
EVs: 188 HP / 156 Def / 164 Spe
Modest Nature
- Psychic
- Mooblast
- Nature's Madness
- Taunt / Hidden Power Fire

This set is great at removing the opponents steel type to open up a door for a teammate to sweep. Pair this set with sweepers like scarf kartana, mega mence, naganadel or anything that appreciates mons like celesteela aegislash and heatran being removed. Evs allow you always live an adamant flare blitz from mega blaziken, and gives you a 50% chance to live an adamant double edge from salamence.

Calcs:

252+ Atk Aerilate Salamence-Mega Double-Edge vs. 188 HP / 156 Def Tapu Lele: 153-181 (90.5 - 107.1%) -- 43.8% chance to OHKO
252+ Atk Blaziken-Mega Flare Blitz vs. 188 HP / 156 Def Tapu Lele: 136-162 (80.4 - 95.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
0 Atk Celesteela Heavy Slam (120 BP) vs. 188 HP / 156 Def Tapu Lele: 144-170 (85.2 - 100.5%) -- 6.3% chance to OHKO
252+ SpA Aegislash-Blade Shadow Ball vs. 188 HP / 0 SpD Tapu Lele: 150-176 (88.7 - 104.1%) -- 25% chance to OHKO

 

[Lotus]

Tapu Lele @ Electrium Z
Ability: Psychic Surge
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Psychic
- Moonblast
- Thunder
- Nature's Madness / Hidden Power [Fire] / Taunt

Nothing much. Eases prediction against celepex core and against Mega Gyarados. EV spread can be modified as it was in the previous post at a cost of missing some KOs.

Gigavolt Havoc OHKOs max Defense Celesteela and Mega Gyarados. Max HP Heatran and Mega Scizor are KOd by said Z-move after switching into Nature's Madness. If better matchup against Ferrothorn is preferred HP Fire is definitely an option but I prefer using a move that takes off 50% from anything.

 

[ethan06]

Tapu Lele @ Focus Sash
Ability: Psychic Surge
Level: 50
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Psychic
- Moonblast
- Shadow Ball
- Taunt

Aegislash killer Lele! This set aims to beat Aegislash in a 1v1 by taking an attack with Sash and OHKOing the next turn while it's Taunted into Blade Forme. Psychic Terrain blocks Shadow Sneak, making this strategy fairly watertight. A savvy Aegi player will switch out the moment they see Taunt Sash but it's still useful for a lastmon scenario (not uncommon for Aegislash) and for dumb players, also Sash is just kinda handy. Modest max makes Lele as fast as possible while also being able to guarantee an OHKO on Aegislash-Blade. It's capable of outspeeding bulky Mimikyu for guaranteed damage and/or disruption of supportive sets such as Curse, but it's shaky due to the continued prevalence of offensive Mimikyu. Not the greatest tech but you're not 1v1ing Aegislash any other way so I'd call it a niche :)

252+ SpA Tapu Lele Shadow Ball vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Aegislash-Blade: 170-202 (101.7 - 120.9%)

 

[The Squash]

Submissions are now closed! There are to be no edits of your own Pokemon, nor are there to be any new submissions. A few quick things to note;

• Voting will close on 2/19 at 9:00pm EST (GMT-5), where the next subject will also be announced
• You can't vote for your own submission
• You can only change your vote once, so think carefully before doing so
• You can vote even if you haven't made a submission. It is expected that you vote if you did submit yourself, but not compulsory

Jmal98's Bulky Tapunium

Tapu lele @ Tapunium Z
Ability: Psychic Surge
Level: 50
EVs: 188 HP / 156 Def / 164 Spe
Modest Nature
- Psychic
- Mooblast
- Nature's Madness
- Taunt / Hidden Power Fire

This set is great at removing the opponents steel type to open up a door for a teammate to sweep. Pair this set with sweepers like scarf kartana, mega mence, naganadel or anything that appreciates mons like celesteela aegislash and heatran being removed. Evs allow you always live an adamant flare blitz from mega blaziken, and gives you a 50% chance to live an adamant double edge from salamence.

Calcs:

252+ Atk Aerilate Salamence-Mega Double-Edge vs. 188 HP / 156 Def Tapu Lele: 153-181 (90.5 - 107.1%) -- 43.8% chance to OHKO
252+ Atk Blaziken-Mega Flare Blitz vs. 188 HP / 156 Def Tapu Lele: 136-162 (80.4 - 95.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
0 Atk Celesteela Heavy Slam (120 BP) vs. 188 HP / 156 Def Tapu Lele: 144-170 (85.2 - 100.5%) -- 6.3% chance to OHKO
252+ SpA Aegislash-Blade Shadow Ball vs. 188 HP / 0 SpD Tapu Lele: 150-176 (88.7 - 104.1%) -- 25% chance to OHKO

DawnManeDuskWings's Z-Thunder

Tapu Lele @ Electrium Z
Ability: Psychic Surge
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Psychic
- Moonblast
- Thunder
- Nature's Madness / Hidden Power [Fire] / Taunt

Nothing much. Eases prediction against celepex core and against Mega Gyarados. EV spread can be modified as it was in the previous post at a cost of missing some KOs.

Gigavolt Havoc OHKOs max Defense Celesteela and Mega Gyarados. Max HP Heatran and Mega Scizor are KOd by said Z-move after switching into Nature's Madness. If better matchup against Ferrothorn is preferred HP Fire is definitely an option but I prefer using a move that takes off 50% from anything.

ethan06's Aegislash Killer

Tapu Lele @ Focus Sash
Ability: Psychic Surge
Level: 50
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Psychic
- Moonblast
- Shadow Ball
- Taunt

Aegislash killer Lele! This set aims to beat Aegislash in a 1v1 by taking an attack with Sash and OHKOing the next turn while it's Taunted into Blade Forme. Psychic Terrain blocks Shadow Sneak, making this strategy fairly watertight. A savvy Aegi player will switch out the moment they see Taunt Sash but it's still useful for a lastmon scenario (not uncommon for Aegislash) and for dumb players, also Sash is just kinda handy. Modest max makes Lele as fast as possible while also being able to guarantee an OHKO on Aegislash-Blade. It's capable of outspeeding bulky Mimikyu for guaranteed damage and/or disruption of supportive sets such as Curse, but it's shaky due to the continued prevalence of offensive Mimikyu. Not the greatest tech but you're not 1v1ing Aegislash any other way so I'd call it a niche :)

252+ SpA Tapu Lele Shadow Ball vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Aegislash-Blade: 170-202 (101.7 - 120.9%)

 

[Lotus]

Jmal98's Bulky Tapunium
This is actually a good set in OU too because the only defensive counterplay against this broken mon is sending a fat Steel among which majority of them fall into KO range after losing 75% of their health.

 

[Moose And Goose]

DawnManeDuskWings Z-Thunder Zappy bois are pretty cool :)

 

[The Squash]

Oops.
I've been a bit busy recently, but I guess I should probably revive this. I'll leave voting open until Friday at 9:00pm EST (GMT-5)

 

[Darkinium]

jmal98's Bulky Tapunium

EDIT: late rip :( I assume this will still be counted since round hasn't ended yet.

 

[PyProd]

The bulky Tapunium.

 

[chemcoop]

jmal98's Bulky Tapunium

Can work on both Koko and Lele and is very good at luring in "counters" and putting them in range of a powerful terrain boosted attack

 

[The Squash]

Congratulations to Jmal98 for winning this week's Next Best Thing! Your submission will be logged in the Archive!
This week's subject is the origami ultra beast: Kartana! Kartana shines in the battle spot metagame thanks to its great speed and attack, making it a powerful setup sweeper or revenge killer. So, with all that in mind, what is The Next Best Thing (TM) for Kartana?

You have until Sunday (3/25) at 9:00 p.m. EST (GMT-5) to post your submissions. Best of luck to everyone!

 

[chemcoop]

Truly enlightened individuals understand the potential of this set, as most mortal players would need PSYCHIC powers to see this coming.

Kartana @ Psychium Z
Ability: Beast Boost
Level: 50
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Psycho Cut
- Leaf Blade
- Vacuum Wave / Sacred Sword / Knock Off

This set is prepared to TOTALLY MISH "counters" to Kartana such as PhysDef Mega Venu and Mega Blaziken. The goal of this set is to bring Kart in on something it scares out, SD, and then break on through to the other side with your crazy coverage Z-move. Once these Kartana answers are gone, take your Beast Boost and slice and dice your way to victory. It should be noted that this set is optimally used with rocks support, as the chip guarantees key KOs. Vacuum Wave is a neat niche option to pick off anything that lives your Z-move or to surprise common fast Focus Sash users like Gren - plus, even though it's a special attack getting the KO you still get an attack raise! If you elect for a more standard 4th move, Sacred Sword or Knock Off give you the best options to hit other Kartana checks like Heatran and Aegislash.

Calcs:
+1 252 Atk Kartana Shattered Psyche (140 BP) vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Mega Venusaur: 192-226 (102.6 - 120.8%) -- guaranteed OHKO
0- SpA Kartana Vacuum Wave vs. 4 HP / 0 SpD Greninja: 24-30 (16.2 - 20.2%) -- possible 5HKO (take out those pesky low health Grens!)
+2 252 Atk Kartana Sacred Sword vs. 212 HP / 4 Def Heatran: 248-294 (128.4 - 152.3%) -- guaranteed OHKO
+2 252 Atk Kartana Knock Off (97.5 BP) vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Aegislash-Shield: 200-236 (119.7 - 141.3%) -- guaranteed OHKO

With Rocks support:
+2 252 Atk Kartana Shattered Psyche (140 BP) vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Mega Blaziken: 490-578 (316.1 - 372.9%) -- guaranteed OHKO
- comes out to ~79-93.2% through Protect and 12.5% from SR into Vacuum Wave (7-9%) guarantees the KO on Kickin' Chicken.
+2 252 Atk Kartana Shattered Psyche (140 BP) vs. 212 HP / 4 Def Mega Salamence: 163-192 (82.7 - 97.4%) -- guaranteed OHKO after Stealth Rock (common HP/Def investment for Bulky SpD Mence)

 

[Darkinium]

Kartana @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Beast Boost
Level: 50
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Leaf Blade
- Sacred Sword / Smart Strike / Knock Off
- Sacred Sword / Smart Strike / Knock Off
- Guillotine

Standard Choice Scarf Kartana, but Guillotine gives you a more reliable revenge killing and sweeping tool.

Just kidding. Guillotine allows you to potentially snatch a KO on more passive mons that could wall or cripple a normal Choice Scarf set, such as Toxapex, Celesteela, and Zapdos. However, it's more for hitting them on their switch in; staying in could result in you being KOed by Fire-type coverage, or being crippled by burns, which can also be done by the aforementioned Pokemon.