ORAS NU The Quintessential NeverUsed Offense Experience™

[ryan]

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Many teams in the current NU metagame run at least one or two Pokemon that are very passive, and using these Pokemon is mostly fine because free turns are less of a big deal to give up in NU than they are in higher tiers where more threatening Pokemon exist. This team seeks to exploit this with setup Pokemon that can easily dismantle teams with just one free turn and powerful wallbreakers that seek to create those free turns. This team also identifies the main Pokemon that can cause a momentum swing for the opponent and uses partners that can shift things back into your advantage. With so many strong offensive Pokemon in this tier, covering everything in just a few slots is nearly impossible without opening yourself up to a more obscure offensive threat, and this team recognizes this by ensuring that the faster offensive Pokemon can be handled through pressure or priority and the slower ones can be easily outsped.

Vivillon @ Focus Sash | Compound Eyes
252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe | Timid
Sleep Powder / Hurricane / Quiver Dance / Energy Ball

I began this team by building around Vivillon. Most NU teams are really weak to Vivillon, and it does everything I wanted the team to do in taking advantage of free turns as well as creating them itself. Handling Vivillon is much more than switching to a counter, which is how it creates these free turns. It forces many 50/50s for the opponent that often end advantageously for you no matter which decision you make. As an example, if you use Quiver Dance and the opponent chooses to switch to sleep fodder another Pokemon, you get a free boost. If they choose to attack, you're guaranteed to survive with Focus Sash, at which point you can put something to sleep and either boost again or start attacking.

How you use Vivillon depends on the opponent's team makeup. If the opponent's team doesn't give many setup opportunities to Vivillon, you can use it more recklessly in the early game to wear down Flying checks and give Swellow an easier time later on. Even if you feel that you can clean with Vivillon later on, it can still be helpful to bring it out early and try to put a Rhydon or Lanturn to sleep so that you can create potential setup opportunities for the rest of the team later on.

Timid max Speed is used to give Vivillon the fastest possible Sleep Powder before it boosts. Energy Ball hits Rhydon and Lanturn, two of Vivillon's best defensive checks. Focus Sash is used because it is simply the best item for Vivillon. It can give you extra setup opportunities or help you break through Vivillon checks that would normally take one hit and then OHKO it.

Swellow @ Choice Specs | Scrappy
252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe | Timid
Boomburst / Heat Wave / Sleep Talk / U-turn

Vivillon is a very self-sufficient Pokemon, and it rarely creates free turns for the opponent thanks to Sleep Powder. Because of this, I wanted to make sure I had something on the team that could help wear down Vivillon checks so that they could be taken out more easily later on. Swellow shares similar checks to Vivillon, but it still does a lot of damage to most of them with Specs Boomburst, so they can only switch in once without dying to two more Boombursts the next time they switch in. Because of this, most of the time the opponent will have to choose between allowing their best answer to Vivillon to get worn down very early on in the match or to sacrifice something else that might be standing in the way of Jynx or Samurott cleaning up instead.

Swellow should most generally be used very aggressively early on in the match. U-turn will honestly rarely be useful because the team's composition allows for you to give a switch to a bulky Normal resist without giving it a free kill immediately after it comes in. Keep in mind, however, that Swellow is a primary response to Lilligant because of its higher Speed and Sleep Talk. Although nothing Swellow carries is a guaranteed OHKO against Lilligant, Boomburst and Heat Wave will both usually put it in range of dying to an Aqua Jet from Samurott and always in range of Cacturne's Sucker Punch.

U-turn is still used despite not being incredibly useful because there are times when you really won't want the opponent's Rhydon or Regirock or whatever to get a chance to set up Stealth Rock and force you to spin later on. Heat Wave covers Steel-types, mostly just Klinklang but also Ferroseed. Sleep Talk helps Swellow check Lilligant, Vivillon, and some bulky Grass-types more easily.

Sandslash @ Earth Plate | Sand Rush
248 HP / 196 Atk / 56 Spe | Adamant
Stealth Rock / Earthquake / Rapid Spin / Knock Off

With the team starting out with two Flying-types, one of which is 4x weak to Stealth Rock and carries Focus Sash, hazard removal was essential to add to the team. Sandslash was far and away the best choice for a number of reasons. Most importantly, although I often want the opponent to bring in their bulky Rock-types against Swellow so that I can wear them down, I still don't want Swellow taking any damage from them. Sandslash can switch into most of the tier's Rock-types reasonably well and either spin against them or threaten them with Earthquake. It was also important that my spinner be able to take a couple hits from Archeops because I knew fitting a Flying resist onto the team just to beat Archeops was going to be nearly impossible. I also wanted to have the flexibility of Stealth Rock as an option in case the opponent was especially weak to it without having to run a dedicated slot to setting it up.

In most games, Sandslash won't really be seeing much game time. So long as you play aggressively enough, hazards aren't easy for the opponent to set, and in those games, you'll usually use Sandslash as a check to Klinklang or Archeops that keeps you from being steamrolled before you can respond to them offensively with something else. However, if you need to set or spin Stealth Rock, Sandslash is always hanging out in the back, ready to find a free turn to do either.

The Attack investment alongside Earth Plate allows Sandslash to 2HKO max HP Rhydon after Stealth Rock 100% of the time, while the Speed EVs let it outrun Jolly Carracosta and Adamant Rhydon. Knock Off is there to take out spinblockers.

Jynx @ Focus Sash | Dry Skin
252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe | Timid
Lovely Kiss / Ice Beam / Psyshock / Nasty Plot

Jynx was the most difficult Pokemon to figure out for this team, mostly because the many roles it fulfills are crucial to the team's success. With the first three Pokemon on the team all being weak to Ice, I really needed something that could reliably switch into Ice-types. I considered Hariyama, Poliwrath, Piloswine, and Magmortar for the role, but they all had major drawbacks that kept me from using them. Both Hariyama and Poliwrath were mostly free openings for Spikes setters to come in and get up a free layer, which is bad for Sandslash because it doesn't want to be taking a bunch of damage every time it comes in. Piloswine wasn't really necessary because I already found room elsewhere to fit Stealth Rock on the team, and it clashes defensively with Sandslash. Magmortar is a pretty solid answer to most Ice-types, but that's where its usefulness on the team ends. It's far too slow to do much against opposing offense, and because it is so important to keep up momentum on this team, it would be too much of a liability for it. Jynx can take on Ice-types, Water-types that commonly carry Ice-type coverage, has the Speed to threaten offense, and offers a nice check to rain, which is really scary for basically all offense teams.

Double sleepers can create awkward moments for the team, so you really have to think far in advance before you put something to sleep with Jynx. Is this really the most optimal move, or is it the lazy move that could more easily create early game advantage at the expense of winning the late-game? How can a get ahead this turn without putting something to sleep? If I can't, is there a way for me to regain the advantage later on? These are all important things to keep in mind before using Lovely Kiss in the early game. Setting up should also very rarely be a priority unless you need to in order to break through particularly bulky Pokemon such as Mega Audino. Having the option to boost is more important overall than actually doing it in many games.

I went with Focus Sash on Jynx as well for a few reasons. I already really want hazards clear on my side anyways, so keeping them away is a priority that doesn't increase much by adding another Focus Sash user to the team. Jynx is also fast, but not necessarily quite fast enough to afford to run another item. As an example, the team lacks solid switch-ins to fast offensive Pokemon such as Tauros and Archeops, so being able to stay in instead of being forced out can really turn the tides of the game early on, especially when the opponent is forced to sacrifice something in order to bring one of these Pokemon in for the revenge.

Samurott @ Lum Berry | Torrent
80 HP / 252 Atk / 176 Spe | Adamant
Waterfall / Megahorn / Swords Dance / Aqua Jet

At this point, the team was really lacking in ways to handle Fire-types, especially Pyroar and Assault Vest Magmortar. Magmortar in particular is a great answer to Vivillon, and having something that can take a hit and then threaten it is very important. Aside from this, some teams can really easily take on the initial power behind the other Pokemon on the team. Well-built stall, for example, could really crumble the rest of the team without Samurott there to break through it. The Water-type priority also serves as a great way to take out an opposing Archeops or Pyroar, or even force them out to give you a free turn to set up.

Playing with Samurott will vary based on the opponent's team. Most often, you'll use it in the mid-to-late game, setting up on a bulky Water-type or generally weak defensive Pokemon to end the game. This is the Pokemon that does the best job of taking advantage of free turns. A lot of people will focus all of their efforts on setting up Stealth Rock because of Vivillon, Jynx, and Swellow, which gave often give you just the chance you need to break the opponent's team and give way for Swellow to clean up afterwards. Samurott really puts the most pressure on the opponent's team once it has been weakened a bit. Its mere presence forces them to reconsider healing up their Pokemon in fear of giving you free setup opportunities, which can go a long way towards giving you the prior damage needed to close out the game with Vivillon.

Lum Berry really helps out with setting up on bulky Water-types, giving you a lot of opportunities to set up without fearing Scald burns. The Speed lets Samurott outrun Pawniard, the most relevant priority user around its Speed tier, and the extra bulk, while not doing any one thing in particular, gives Samurott an easier time setting up or coming in on offensive Pokemon when you really need Sandslash to spin without dying. Waterfall is mostly better than Razor Shell because this team has no issues with breaking through Quagsire and generally prefers flinches to help break through defensive Pokemon instead.

Cacturne @ Life Orb | Water Absorb
4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe | Mild
Dark Pulse / Giga Drain / Spikes / Sucker Punch

The last slot was pretty much a freebie. At this point the team was looking really solid, and the main issues I saw were breaking well-built stall that had Quagsire for Samurott and opposing offensive teams that utilized faster Pokemon than I did. Cacturne helped out with both of these by offering Spikes support and a great switch-in to Quagsire, as well as very powerful priority to help out against opposing offense. Cacturne also came with another perk in giving the team another Scald switch-in that didn't mind coming in on hazards, and it was another way to really punish passive teams that might have the bulk to deny advantage from free turns for the setup Pokemon on the team.

Despite its poor bulk, it's important to play aggressively with Cacturne unless keeping its priority around is essential in the matchup. The earlier you can get up a free layer of Spikes, the sooner you can start racking up residual damage on bulkier Pokemon and force them to recover, giving you a free turn to switch into an offensive threat or set up. A lot of teams are also really weak to Cacturne's dual STAB, so don't be afraid to throw out Dark Pulses instead of getting up a layer of Spikes on a free turn unless the opponent has a guaranteed easy switch into either move.

There's nothing special to say about this set. Everything about it is incredibly standard, and there's no other way to use it outside of maybe adding in some more Attack to guarantee some random Sucker Punch OHKO.

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This team takes a completely different route to the standard idea of hyper offense in NU, and I believeit performs much more effectively and consistently because of it. With powerful breakers to take advantage of free turns given to you by more passive, bulky teams and plenty of ways to survive the onslaught of opposing offensive teams through the use of multiple Focus Sashes and bulky yet still powerful Pokemon, you should usually feel comfortable in every common matchup. Focus on being the aggressor, identifying the path to victory, and executing it, and you will find yourself consistently succeeding with this team.

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Vivillon @ Focus Sash
Ability: Compound Eyes
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Sleep Powder
- Hurricane
- Quiver Dance
- Energy Ball

Swellow @ Choice Specs
Ability: Scrappy
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Boomburst
- Heat Wave
- Sleep Talk
- U-turn

Sandslash @ Earth Plate
Ability: Sand Rush
EVs: 248 HP / 196 Atk / 64 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Rapid Spin
- Knock Off

Jynx @ Focus Sash
Ability: Dry Skin
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Ice Beam
- Psyshock
- Lovely Kiss
- Nasty Plot

Samurott @ Lum Berry
Ability: Torrent
EVs: 80 HP / 252 Atk / 176 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Waterfall
- Megahorn
- Swords Dance
- Aqua Jet

Cacturne @ Life Orb
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Mild Nature
- Dark Pulse
- Giga Drain
- Spikes
- Sucker Punch

 

[HJAD]

Hey hollywood

I really like this team, its a breath of fresh air in such a balance NU Meta, having a Hyper Offense team which has little to no synergy defensively, yet so threatening at the same time is very rare and cool too. I think it's best summed up by one of your sentences in the conclusion: "Focus on being the aggressor, identifying the path to victory, and executing it," by being the aggressor, you are the one who is in control, not the opponent. Onto the team itself, and I feel like despite the fact it is hyper offense, Archeops still has a boon against this team. It beats everything apart from Samurott provided Sashes are appropriately broken. 1 Fighting Resist being Vivillon is also risky, as we know should you lead with it and try to get a sweep underway but lose it in the process, Fighting Types are massive pains to deal with. No Normal Resist is also quite crucial. It means shit like Tauros and more likely, Kangaskhan will have fun spamming their STABs or in Kangas case, strong fake out priority. In this case, I think it's neccesary to maybe have an extra pivot switch, maybe not something that can flat out use to beat all these assorted threats, but at least something that you can switch in to any of these threats, in order to gain momentum later for your sash core.

What i suggest is running 252 HP / 232 Def / 24 Spe Impish Nature on Sandslash and to change the item to Leftovers. With this additional physical bulk, Sandslash can avoid 2HKOs from non CB Sawk, Kangaskhan, Tauros and Archeops. At the cost of being less of a threat offensively. The reason why I decided to sacrifice this offensive threat is because you really didn't need Sandslash for anything BUT SR and Rapid Spin. Those 2 Moves are going to be the moves you click most and by giving it a bulkier spread and leftovers, it will be able to contribute more towards the win-condition since it will be able to spin / set SR much more reliably. EQ and Knock Off aren't going to be troubling any standard balance teams, so there isn't much point in making something a less reliable spinner for the sake of being offensive, than avoiding all these crutch 2HKO's which might affect your team in the long run more so than an offensive spread would.

Finally, a more padantic change of 29 HP IVs on Cacturne. This is so you take the ideal 9% Recoil on Cacturne without having to sacrifice speed or power.

summary

Sandslash Spread --> 252 HP / 232 Def / 24 Spe Impish Nature
Sandslash Item --> Leftovers

29 HP IVs on Cacturne.

Best of luck in the future,
~HJAD

 

[ryan]

The easiest way to beat Sawk is to make sure that sashes AREN'T appropriately broken. Also, the only thing that doesn't outspeed it or have priority to break its Sturdy is Sandslash, which can take a hit and do the same. I agree that on paper it is very threatening, but in practice, playing well or even just not badly will keep Sawk from doing a whole lot throughout the match. The opponent will never get a free opportunity to bring in Sawk without losing its Sturdy on the switch, and again, the only things it can revenge kill can break its Sturdy first. Kangaskhan is definitely a bigger problem, but it helps that both Vivillon and Jynx can put it to sleep. It is also often forced to use Fake Out or risk dying/taking a large amount of damage, which makes pivoting against it much simpler. Sacrificing Sandslash to get momentum isn't an uncommon play, and if the opponent finds an opportunity to set up hazards, keep them up, and find opportunities to bring in Kangaskhan, chances are you've messed up along the way. Defensive Sandslash would almost certainly ruin this team because you're giving it a more reliable switch-in to a couple of things in exchange for tons of chances for the opponent to gain the upper hand, which isn't really worth sacrificing.

 

[Blast]

I'd use Focus Blast over Psyshock on Jynx to limit the amount of things Klinklang can set up on. Also helps a bit with Ferroseed which beats most of your members 1v1 outside of Cacturne, and idt losing Psyshock costs you much that you don't already have covered fine.

The most I would change on Sandslash is Leftovers or Sitrus over Earth Plate but I doubt it's necessary, might be worth a shot though.

Cool team btw, I really like Sash spam so it's neat to see it's getting some recognition

 

[Evan.]

Hi hollywood! This is honestly such a great team, although it's pretty weak to some serious metagame threats like Passho Berry Archeops and Dual Chop Fraxure. Have you thought about using Avalugg to combat these threats?

nah but seriously this team is pretty strong, sash spam is really cool and i had a really similar team that i built around the same viv / jynx / fast bird (chops or swellow) / rott base. i think you'd probably benefit more from putting rocky helmet > earth plate if you were going to change your sandslash's item since it gets nice residual on stuff like kangaskhan and hariyama when they fake out, as well as helping weaken klinklang (which is a big threat to any sash spam team) to the point where you can pick it off w/ rott.

i'd also agree w/ blast in putting on focus blast, although i'd put it over nasty plot instead of psyshock. realistically most of the time you don't end up clicking nasty plot and i think you'd rather have the guaranteed damage on lanturn and mortar.