Online Competition ~Ultra Spooky Cup~ :ghost: | Shiny Mimikyu as entry gift!

Theorymon

Have a wonderful day, wahoo!
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Alright from the matches I've done on my main, and my alt account for college, Marshadow Mansion, I'm gonna make a rough viability rankings! This isn't a final one or anything, obviously we need to work together for that one! (also excuse the lack of minisprites, got too much to do to worry about that atm lol).

Also outside of the ranks, I'm not really putting these Pokemon in any particular order. I'm probably forgetting some obvious mons too since I made this in a bit of a rush! Because of the rush, some Pokemon don't have descriptions at the moment, I can justify them later if you guys want when I got more spare time!

S Rank

Marshadow: I think this one is pretty obvious. Sash Marshadow alone screws up most of the sweepers in this format, and its a good reason to look deep into the meager pool of Stealth Rock setters (or run Toxapex). I don't feel its quite as dominant as it was in Ultra No Holds Barred just because outside of the species and items clauses, theres much more Toxapex in this format than before! Also, due to Volcarona being such a threatening sweeper, I feel that Rock Tomb is a better option than it has been in the past. Also, Bulk Up Marshadium Z sets are nice for luring Toxapex!

Mimikyu: The other super strong spooky Ghost-type! With most Steel-types being nuked from this format, Mimikyu is absoloutly terrifying. The lack of good mold breakers (seriously you got like... Basculin lol) makes bulky Mimikyu quite difficult to handle for offensive Pokemon. For example, you only need 120 HP EVs to survive Marshadow's Shadow Sneak without Stealth Rock! In addition to being the usual sweeper stopper, Mimikyu is also the premier setter of Trick Room, great for letting slower stuff sweep.

A Rank

Volcarona: This thing is a TERRIFYING sweeper, pretty much every defensive check to Volcarona got banned. Not even Toxapex works, because Psychic is on most Volcarona at the moment, and its totally screwed against Psychium Z variants! It can run straight up offensive sets of course, but bulkier sets that can mess with Mimikyu are absoloutly viable as well. The only reason why I didn't put this in S is because of the 4x Stealth Rock weakness, but honestly I'm open to moving it up just because its so hard to check otherwise!

Darkrai: FINALLY, gamefreak made a format where Darkai is good! I've had a bit of trouble fitting this in, but it's pretty versatile for a special sweeper in this format. Darkrai has damn near perfect coverage, Nasty Plot, and if you want to roll the dice, it's very capable of using Z-Hypnosis for Xurkitree styled sweeps! That being said, outside of sleep shenigans, it is weak to Mimikyu, and has issues with Marshadow speed ties and random Scarfers. Still a damn fine mon regardless!

Xurkitree: Oh yeah speaking of Xurkitree, this thing is much more threatening than usual, mainly because this format doesn't have many good Electric-type switch ins. It works pretty much the same as usual, though some of us have speculated about Z-Electric Terrain and Z-Rain Dance Xurkitrees as alternatives to the usual Scarf and Z-Hypnosis shenigans. This thing is still pretty frail though, so don't get too reckless!

Naganadel: Like Xurkitree, a lot of Naganadel's usual checks bit the dust, so stopping this thing directly can be pretty difficult. Like most sweepers, its pretty Mimikyu weak, but after a Speed boost, you pretty much have to rely on Marshadow having an intact Focus Sash to stop a healthy Naganadel!

Toxapex: You'd think that a format that nukes most stall Pokemon would be bad news for Toxapex, but it actually did the opposite! Toxapex is the best check to Mimikyu and Marshadow you can ask for (granted, both of them DO have ways around Toxapex). With most Ground-types being gone and there being a lack of good Psychic-types, Toxapex's only big flaw is its Electric-type weakness. Otherwise, its the premier defensive mon of the format.

Gliscor: My arch nemesis is still excellent in this format with its usual Poison Heal stalling shenigans! However, abusing poison and OHKO moves isn't the only thing Gliscor can do. It also seems to be one of the most reliable setters of Stealth Rock in the format if you're willing to give up some stalling or OHKO power.

Nihilego: Nihilego is a pretty good offensive Stealth Rocker. Beleive it or not, despite its poor defense stat, you can actually survive a Marshadow Close Combat with just 84 Def EVs, so you can do weird stuff that I did like run Red Card + Stealth Rock to screw over Sash Marshadows! However, note that investing 84 Def EVs means you either get a Speed Boost from Beast Boost, or have to lose speed ties with Nihilego to get the SpA boost... Anyways, Nihilego also stands out as a damn good Choice Scarf Pokemon, being an excellent revenge killer of Volcarona!

Rotom-W: Rotom-W is one of the best pviots you could ask for in this format, making excellent use of Choices Specs and Choice Scarf because of it. They can even run Trick to mess up Tangrowth switch-ins! Bulky sets with Will-O-Wisp are also viable to discourage Mimikyu and Marshadow from attempting a revenge kill.

Aegislash: Thanks to the bulk Shield forme provides and King's Shield itself giving Marshadow and Mimikyu a hard time, Aegislash is still a fantastic offensive threat in this metagame.

Hydreigon: You'd think Darkrai would outclass this thing, but Hydreigon has one very important thing over it: U-turn! Thanks to U-turn, you can break Mimikyu disguises instead of letting it set up for free. If you use Choice Scarf, you can even punish Marshadow in a similar way, and also get the jump on slower, bulkier Volcarona if you go mixed with Head Smash (watch out for the accuracy). Even for non Scarfed variants, Hydreigon's access to U-turn is just too sweet to ignore imo!

Araquanid: Araquanid stands out from Rotom-W by having much better Water-type offenses due to Water Bubble, and the Bug-typing giving it a handy Fighting-type resistance against Marshadow. It works pretty damn well on Trick Room teams, but it can also set up Sticky Webs so you can outspeed speedy threats with other teammates! This one was orginally going to be high-B, but I put it in A just because Sticky Webs pushed it past that for me.

B

Tangrowth: While not as prominent of a defensive Pokemon as Toxapex, Tangrowth happens to work pretty well with it. Tangrowth is another regenrator mon like Toxapex, but it does a lot better against Rotom-W, and is also probably the best user of Leech Seed in the format. Just be warned though, its Special Defense stat sorta sucks.

Rotom-H: While the Fire-typing may not make quite as much sense as it does in other formats, Rotom-H is still pretty competent for similar reasons Rotom-W is. As a bonus, it handles Tangrowth and Aegislash much better. Honestly I'm tempted to move this thing up to A, but I want some feedback on that first!

Krookodile: This is possibly the only viable offensive Ground-type allowed here. Certainly not as good as the usual suspects for Ground-types in most formats, but Krookodile can get the job done thanks to Intimidate. Its a pretty decent setter of Stealth Rock, and can also use a Choice Scarf set to surprise Marshadow. Access to STAB Knock Off is nice too!

Gigalith: Gigalith is another viable setter of Stealth Rock, being able to use Sand Stream to boost up its SpD, or Sturdy to have more of a gurantee of set up. Gigalith also stands among the few viable users of Gravity, which can be extremely dangerous if paired with Z-Hypnosis Xurkitree or Darkrai! Also notable, if you use an Adamant specially defensive spread of 252 HP / 4 Atk / 4 Def / 244 SpD / 4 Spe with an Assault Vest, Gigalith becomes one of the best checks to Naganadel and Volcarona in the format!

Ditto: With all the fear of Marshadow turning the tables on sweepers, you can give them a taste of their own medicine with Ditto! However, note that Ditto preforms pretty poorly against bulky Pokemon itself.

Slurpuff: Slurpuff is a more dedicated Sticky Webs Pokemon than Araquanid. You can use Sweet Veil so Xurkitree and Darkrai can't put it to sleep, or you can use Unburden with a berry to activate unburden, and screw Marshadow over harder provided you invested in enough EVs to survive 2 Spectral Thieves (very possible, but the EVs will vary depending on what else you want to survive). It also gets access to Yawn, which, while not as effective without Stealth Rock set up like Hippowdon can in other formats, can still be annoying. There is also that Belly Drum set too, but I've only seen that once, not sure if that's worth it, especially with Marshadow around.

Galvantula: The other webs setter. It doesn't stick around nearly as long as Slurpuff does, but in exchange, its fast and gets access to Thunder Wave, which comes in handy if you need to screw over fast threats like Marshadow as a lead! Compound Eyes also does wonder for it offensively, letting it get away with a more accurate Thunder than usual to hit things hard. You can even choose to pivot with Volt Switch, or you can just hit annoying Electric-types with Bug Buzz!

Aerodactyl: This is among the few Stealth Rock setters to actually outspeed Marshadow and Darkrai, which is pretty neat. Outside of Stealth Rock setting, it also seems to make a competent offensive Pokemon for its speed and decent coverage alone, though its STABs aren't great, having to rely on the shaky Stone Edge. It also gets a cool ability in Unerve, which can mess up some Pokemon that rely on berries to survive stuff normally!

Crobat: I found this to be a nice alternative to Aerodactyl. It's offensive stats aren't as good, but it does get a powerful STAB in Brave Bird, and gets the lovely U-turn to punish Mimikyu and annoying sash things like Marshadow! However, Crobat's coverage as a Choice Bander isnt as good as Aerodactyls, and the recoil means Crobat usually doesn't last that long either. I should also note that Inflitrator is a rad ability for messing with Sub users!

Chandelure: Chandelure is a bit overshadowed by the other Ghost-types, but with Inflitrator, it does fantasticaly well against Substitute Gliscor (well for revenge killing at least), and it has great coverage for a Fire-type as well. You can even use a sash set with Trick Room.

Omastar

Bewear

Alolan Muk

Golisopod (might be C, not sure yet)

Crawdaunt

C

Mawile: Mawile without mega evolving sorta sucks on paper, but it also happens to be one of the few Steel-types in this format that can set up Stealth Rock. If you use Impish and max defensive and HP investment, it can actually set up Stealth Rock pretty well against Mimikyu and Marshadow, and also has Rock Tomb to mess with Volcarona switch ins. It's offenses are pretty pittable when you do this though, and unforutnately, unless you use your viable Focus Sash on Mawile, it can't survive what it needs to without the massive defensive investment. Still, this thing worked a lot better than I expected tbh!

Weavile

Malamar (almost tempted to put this in B but I saw few people using it, + I havent tried it myself)

Scolipede

Eevee

Bisharp

Blacephalon

Gengar

Granbull
 
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Ullar

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Can confirm as a Trick Room user, Volcarona dunks on me hard. Definitely a big threat to watch out for. I’ve put Rock Slide on two of my mons just because of it!

I have to mention Bewear and Granbull due to them both being so superbly heavy hitters. Even without TR support, they can wreck a good face or two. It’s really refreshing to see Granbull being a viable threat, ngl

Marshadow is definitely the thing to beat, though. Thing’s a monster. Especially with Sash, it neccessitates planning nearly every mon on your team around it! Hits hard, steals boosts, can take a hit or two surprisingly well...eesh.

At any rate, I’m gonna support Bewear > A (and ik my boiwears chemcoop and cant say will too) due to it having good bulk, hitting amazingly hard, and filling a near-unique niche in this format.
 
I feel Granbull should be ranked higher. ( Or at least higher than Mawile. ) It has Intimidate and with an Assault Vest, its can take a lot of hits. Its move pool is really good too. This is what I've been using:

Granbull @ Assault Vest
Ability: Intimidate
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 166 Atk / 90 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Play Rough
- Earthquake
- Fire Punch
- Rock Tomb
Calcs:

252 SpA Nihilego Sludge Wave vs. 252 HP / 80 SpD Assault Vest Granbull: 144-170 (73 - 86.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 SpA Volcarona Fire Blast vs. 252 HP / 80 SpD Assault Vest Granbull: 87-103 (44.1 - 52.2%) -- 16% chance to 2HKO
+1 252+ SpA Volcarona Fire Blast vs. 252 HP / 80 SpD Assault Vest Granbull: 142-168 (72 - 85.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
-1 252 Atk Marshadow Spectral Thief vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Granbull: 64-76 (32.4 - 38.5%) -- 98% chance to 3HKO
166+ Atk Granbull Play Rough vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Marshadow: 180-212 (109 - 128.4%) -- guaranteed OHKO
166+ Atk Granbull Rock Tomb vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Volcarona: 188-224 (117.5 - 140%) -- guaranteed OHKO
 
Is there ANY way to beat Hypnosis Darkrai? I met him 3 times and he put everytime my Pokemon to sleep, then nasty plot and game over... I know it isn't normal to get hit by Hypnosis every time and if I am the one who use Hypnosis it will never hit ;) But is there a reliable way outside of hoping not to sleep or winning randomly a speed tie with marshadow? Neither Crobat nor Aerodactyl fit to my team :/
 
Is there ANY way to beat Hypnosis Darkrai? I met him 3 times and he put everytime my Pokemon to sleep, then nasty plot and game over... I know it isn't normal to get hit by Hypnosis every time and if I am the one who use Hypnosis it will never hit ;) But is there a reliable way outside of hoping not to sleep or winning randomly a speed tie with marshadow? Neither Crobat nor Aerodactyl fit to my team :/
Sweet Veil Slurpuff's an option, provided your team benefits from it and its webs. You can give it Cotton Spore to make it trivial for the rest of your team to deal with, yawn to give it a taste of its own medicine, or just 2hko with dgleam.
 

ethan06

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is a Community Contributor Alumnus
a fun way to deal with hypnosis boosters is to tech magic coat on something like toxapex, that way if you're lucky you might be able to sleep them instead of the other way around :)
 
Is there ANY way to beat Hypnosis Darkrai? I met him 3 times and he put everytime my Pokemon to sleep, then nasty plot and game over... I know it isn't normal to get hit by Hypnosis every time and if I am the one who use Hypnosis it will never hit ;) But is there a reliable way outside of hoping not to sleep or winning randomly a speed tie with marshadow? Neither Crobat nor Aerodactyl fit to my team :/
Sleep Talk Araquanid is another tech you can use for Hypnosis Darkrai.
 
Thanks for your suggestions that help me a lot!

The actual Meta is pretty weird. Yesterday I've finally found "my team" have beaten many opponents with it, so I've climbed and climbed the ladder... And Today: Everyone has the same team with small variations -.- It's more or less a coin flip who wins. The strong restriction in viable Pokemon destroys creativity because if you not use 6 of the top 10 Pokemon, you have clearly a disadvantage. I see it very often, that the more not-top-10-Pokemon are included, the team hampers more and more. That "beginner"-teams are not rarely beaten from one Pokemon (i.e. Volcarona).

It's very hard now to find a different team from the rest when every good Pokemon is part of those teams ;)
 
Honestly I'd go for Aerodactyl for A (A- if it was there). The movepool likely disagrees with this but even with Z-Fly i rarely find myself using Fly as a base move and still netting quite a few kills on most of the Pokémon in A. Iirc I've only used it once in however many battles I've had.. Continental Crush can also have its time but it does leave it open for Marshadow since Fly shouldn't be able to kill normally. Could even potentially even just go Z-Sky attack and get some bulk on Aero

252 Atk Aerodactyl Supersonic Skystrike (175 BP) vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Darkrai: 141-166 (97.2 - 114.4%) -- 81.3% chance to OHKO

252 Atk Aerodactyl Continental Crush (180 BP) vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Darkrai: 144-171 (99.3 - 117.9%) -- 93.8% chance to OHKO

108 Atk Aerodactyl Supersonic Skystrike (200 BP) vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Darkrai: 142-168 (97.9 - 115.8%) -- 87.5% chance to OHKO

108 Atk Aerodactyl Supersonic Skystrike (200 BP) vs. 20 HP / 0 Def Naganadel: 169-199 (111.9 - 131.7%) -- guaranteed OHKO

108 Atk Aerodactyl Continental Crush (180 BP) vs. 20 HP / 0 Def Naganadel: 153-180 (101.3 - 119.2%) -- guaranteed OHKO

108 Atk Aerodactyl Supersonic Skystrike (200 BP) vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Marshadow: 314-372 (190.3 - 225.4%) -- guaranteed OHKO
Fly still kills at 108
It does have its flaws with Gliscor and Rotom though. Toxapex also gives it trouble even with Earthquake..

252 Atk Aerodactyl Supersonic Skystrike (200 BP) vs. 244 HP / 44 Def Gliscor: 118-139 (65.1 - 76.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Poison Heal

And lastly I'd like Zoroark to be in B or C either works as it can be a nice surprise factor with Dark pulse and Flamethrower. I've been running Scarf trick Zoroark which there are quite a few Pokémon here that doesn't really appreciate. Even when players know it's Zoroark it still has worked out quite well..

Zoroark @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Illusion
Level: 50
EVs: 84 HP / 4 Atk / 12 Def / 252 SpA / 156 Spe
Naive Nature
- Flamethrower
- Trick
- Dark Pulse
- Sucker Punch
 
Honestly I'd go for Aerodactyl for A (A- if it was there). The movepool likely disagrees with this but even with Z-Fly i rarely find myself using Fly as a base move and still netting quite a few kills on most of the Pokémon in A. Iirc I've only used it once in however many battles I've had.. Continental Crush can also have its time but it does leave it open for Marshadow since Fly shouldn't be able to kill normally. Could even potentially even just go Z-Sky attack and get some bulk on Aero

252 Atk Aerodactyl Supersonic Skystrike (175 BP) vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Darkrai: 141-166 (97.2 - 114.4%) -- 81.3% chance to OHKO

252 Atk Aerodactyl Continental Crush (180 BP) vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Darkrai: 144-171 (99.3 - 117.9%) -- 93.8% chance to OHKO

108 Atk Aerodactyl Supersonic Skystrike (200 BP) vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Darkrai: 142-168 (97.9 - 115.8%) -- 87.5% chance to OHKO

108 Atk Aerodactyl Supersonic Skystrike (200 BP) vs. 20 HP / 0 Def Naganadel: 169-199 (111.9 - 131.7%) -- guaranteed OHKO

108 Atk Aerodactyl Continental Crush (180 BP) vs. 20 HP / 0 Def Naganadel: 153-180 (101.3 - 119.2%) -- guaranteed OHKO

108 Atk Aerodactyl Supersonic Skystrike (200 BP) vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Marshadow: 314-372 (190.3 - 225.4%) -- guaranteed OHKO
Fly still kills at 108
It does have its flaws with Gliscor and Rotom though. Toxapex also gives it trouble even with Earthquake..

252 Atk Aerodactyl Supersonic Skystrike (200 BP) vs. 244 HP / 44 Def Gliscor: 118-139 (65.1 - 76.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Poison Heal

And lastly I'd like Zoroark to be in B or C either works as it can be a nice surprise factor with Dark pulse and Flamethrower. I've been running Scarf trick Zoroark which there are quite a few Pokémon here that doesn't really appreciate. Even when players know it's Zoroark it still has worked out quite well..

Zoroark @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Illusion
Level: 50
EVs: 84 HP / 4 Atk / 12 Def / 252 SpA / 156 Spe
Naive Nature
- Flamethrower
- Trick
- Dark Pulse
- Sucker Punch
Hi,

please explain a bit how you use Zoroark and in which circumstances it is a good Pokemon. As far as I know, Zoroark looks like the last unfainted Team member. But tbh everyone sees the team preview, so I don't get where is the surprise factor.

I thought of using it too, but most of the time I face a Zoroark team, the opponent was very bad, so I've never seen, how it is used "right".
 

Red Shreder

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is a Tiering Contributor Alumnus
Zoroark is taking the appearance of the last selected Pokémon, not the last Pokémon of team preview. So basically, the player choose a Pokémon that resists to Fighting, Bug or Fairy types attacks (ideally the 3 of them), in order to protect Zoroark.
 
I'm pretty conflicted about which team I'm going with. They all performed pretty well in testing with the only memorable loss being a Z Hypnosis miss. Also tried out Devilican's team and it was pretty fun.

Bulky Fairy Silvally pairs nicely with both Darkrai and Volcarona. It can take some decent hits from Marshadow, scare it out, and what usually comes in to answer Silvally is set-up bait for Darkrai or Volcarona. And because of the attack drops from Parting Shot, there's a wider margin of error if you get the play wrong.
 
Sounds not bad, but I am not a huge Silvally fan. How does a bulky fairy looks like EV/moves and so on?

I am also not a fan of boosting, because Marshadows' spectral thief.
 
Sounds not bad, but I am not a huge Silvally fan. How does a bulky fairy looks like EV/moves and so on?

I am also not a fan of boosting, because Marshadows' spectral thief.
What I ran was Max Def, Max HP with a Relaxed nature. And the moves were Parting Shot, Multi Attack, Flamethrower, and Thunder Wave. I may replace Thunder Wave with Ice Beam to hit Gliscor if I stick with the team that uses Silvally. The first two moves are static, but you can run whatever in the other 2 slots depending on your team's needs.
 
Yanmega is seriously being slept on. If you get Rocks up, Yanmega sweeps a lot of the Spooky Cup meta picks.

252 SpA Life Orb Yanmega Psychic vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Naganadel: 304-359 (105.9 - 125%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252 SpA Life Orb Yanmega Air Slash vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Marshadow: 322-382 (100.3 - 119%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252 SpA Life Orb Yanmega Bug Buzz vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Darkrai: 385-455 (137 - 161.9%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252 SpA Life Orb Yanmega Air Slash vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Volcarona: 283-335 (90.9 - 107.7%) -- 43.8% chance to OHKO
252 SpA Life Orb Yanmega Bug Buzz vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Hydreigon: 385-455 (118.4 - 140%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252 SpA Life Orb Yanmega Psychic vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Crobat: 283-335 (90.9 - 107.7%) -- 43.8% chance to OHKO
252 SpA Life Orb Yanmega Psychic vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Toxapex: 174-205 (57.2 - 67.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 SpA Life Orb Yanmega Psychic vs. 248 HP / 252+ SpD Toxapex: 133-159 (43.8 - 52.4%) -- 75% chance to 2HKO after Stealth Rock and Black Sludge recovery
252 SpA Life Orb Yanmega Air Slash vs. 216 HP / 0 SpD Araquanid: 234-276 (70.6 - 83.3%) -- 62.5% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock
252 SpA Life Orb Yanmega Bug Buzz vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Krookodile: 476-562 (143.8 - 169.7%) -- guaranteed OHKO

Yanmega is weak to priority, Mimikyu, Aegislash, Gliscor, and other beefy bruisers, but can really destroy a squishy Hyper Offense team that isn't prepared for it.

Red Card Stealth Rock Sturdy Gigalith is also being slept on. It breaks Focus Sash leaders like Marshadow, and is almost guaranteed to get Stealth Rocks up for free thanks to Sturdy. It's immune to Gliscor Guillotine spam. It stops Baton Pass teams and teams that try to set up on your Rocks. It sets up Gravity for Hypnosis Xurk/Darkrai. It breaks subs and Mimikyu's diguise with Rock Blast. It can even use Explosion for tempo swings, to wallbreak, and to get your sweep started. Very underrated.
 
Toxapex, Gliscor, Marshadow, Darkrai, Xurkitree and Mimikyu. That's my team and with very little variation everywhere to see. So it's meta :)

As I made it before the masses copied it, it was simply the best you can do (if xurkitree or nihilego is personal preference) and now it is one of the best through unique sets. The teams, you will see, are more or less copies of this.
 
Using Kasib Aegi recently:

Aegislash @ Kasib Berry
Ability: Stance Change
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 68 Atk / 36 Def / 148 SpD
Careful Nature
- Shadow Claw
- Shadow Sneak
- Head Smash
- Kings Shield

252 HP/ 36 Def
-> +2 Ada Mimikyu Ghostium-Z max 99.6% (W/Kasib)
-> +2 Life Orb Marshadow Spectral Thief max 95.8% (W/Kasib)
-> Sash Marshadow Spectral Thief (Kasib) -> Shadow Sneak max 87.8%

252 HP/148+ SpD
-> +1 Volcarona Flamethrower max 98.2%
-> +2 Naganadel Fire Blast max 101.7% (12.5% chance to KO)
-> +3 Xurkitree Thunderbolt max 97.6%
-> Rotom-H Overheat max 80.5%

68 Atk
-> Headsmash -> Shadow Sneak vs. Naganadel = 2HKO
-> Headsmash vs. Rotom-H = OHKO
-> Headsmash vs. Volcarona = OHKO
-> Headsmash -> Shadow Sneak vs. Xurkitree = 95.3% chance 2HKO
-> Headsmash vs. Araquanid (252hp) = OHKO
-> Shadow Claw -> Shadow Claw vs. Xurkitree = 98% chance 2HKO
-> Shadow Claw vs. Mimikyu = OHKO
-> Shadow Claw vs. Marshadow = 6.3% chance OHKO
 
Is there ANY way to beat Hypnosis Darkrai? I met him 3 times and he put everytime my Pokemon to sleep, then nasty plot and game over... I know it isn't normal to get hit by Hypnosis every time and if I am the one who use Hypnosis it will never hit ;) But is there a reliable way outside of hoping not to sleep or winning randomly a speed tie with marshadow? Neither Crobat nor Aerodactyl fit to my team :/
This is very risky but you could switch in Magic Bounce Espeon and put the Darkrai to sleep instead. Espeon can also 2hko with Dazzling Gleam if Darkrai doesn’t switch out.


Why has nobody mentioned Incineroar..... the best Intimidate user that also has U-Turn and lots of useful resists for this format...?
 
This is very risky but you could switch in Magic Bounce Espeon and put the Darkrai to sleep instead. Espeon can also 2hko with Dazzling Gleam if Darkrai doesn’t switch out.


Why has nobody mentioned Incineroar..... the best Intimidate user that also has U-Turn and lots of useful resists for this format...?
I love espeon, but I think there are too many dark/ghost Pokemon for it. But good suggestion, thx!

Incineroar is mainly not mentioned because all guys using Marshadow, so it has to fear Close Combat or Earthquake from Gliscor (the ladder totally walls it).
 

ethan06

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is a Community Contributor Alumnus
i've been running magic coat toxapex to try and catch darkrai (and xurk, and the odd gengar or crobat that runs hypnosis) off-guard, and nobody's really seen it coming in the matches i've played so far. past that, darkrai is really frail so you just run a physical scarfer with a super-effective attack and destroy it on the spot (i've been running scarf krookodile with superpower - scarf krook is actually kinda slept on here as a lot of the teams you see have no real answer for earthquake once their gliscor is gone). golisopod also just removes it from the equation with first impression if you position it correctly, but you need an out for toxapex if you go that route.
 

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