Project USUM UU Research Week v2 (On a break)

[BlueWinds]

Research Week is a fen reason to get out of my comfort zone and experiment with new things. Practice with teambuilding is always good!

I briefly tried out SubToxic Suicune, but found it pretty miserable and moved on after a couple games. Spent most of the week (36 games, peaked at 1300) messing around with several variants of this team:

Scarf Celebi + AV Scizor

Celebi @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Giga Drain
- U-turn
- Psychic
- Dazzling Gleam

Terrakion @ Choice Band
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Close Combat
- Stone Edge
- Earthquake
- Iron Head

Scizor @ Assault Vest
Ability: Technician
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
- U-turn
- Bullet Punch
- Knock Off
- Superpower

Primarina @ Choice Specs
Ability: Torrent
EVs: 92 HP / 252 SpA / 164 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Dazzling Gleam
- Scald
- Psychic
- Hydro Pump

Steelix-Mega @ Steelixite
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 208 Atk / 48 SpD
Brave Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Gyro Ball
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Curse

Latias @ Electrium Z
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Defog
- Thunderbolt
- Ice Beam
- Psyshock

Scarf Celebi

Scarf Celebi is ok. It's not terrible, it's not great. As other people have mentioned, it has surprise on its side - there's a wide variety of threats it stays in against that normal Celebi doesn't. To take advantage of this though, you definitely have to run another common scarfer - in my case Latias. The surprise OHKOs on Infernape are great.

The trouble though, is that it doesn't hit hard enough. Giga Drain is unimpressive - most water types in the format can work around it to some extent, and it's resisted by much of the tier. Moonblast doesn't hit hard enough to take out most dragons in one hit, which is fine if you catch them on the switchin, but I never managed that. Honestly, I'd rather just use Scarf Hydreigon. It feels somewhat similar, with fewer weaknesses and more attack. Bulky Fairies counter both to an equal extent.

Assault Vest Scizor

Now here's something I can get behind. I've been running bulky swords dance Scizor a lot recently, and this sort of feels like an improved version. Due to the prevelence of Scizor, most teams run multiple answers, leaving it hard to find opportunities to Swords Dance or Roost. While the AV variant does get chipped down more readily, I've been enjoying how the combination of power and bulk (without giving up speed) lets me Knock Off and U-Turn on such a wide variety of threats.

 

[avarice]

Sub Toxic Suicune is something I've attempted to use on multiple occassions, and it's still no bueno. I had one squad that did well with it but like it gets 6-0ed by Block Bro with Suicune not running Roar.. Suicune wasn't awful with Toxic but there were more than enough scenarios in which boosting would've been preferable over Toxic. Umbreon was probably the most useful partner since Latias was baited into Toxic with ease. While Suicune can't beat Amoonguss with this set, the EVs that could go back into speed were nice for Mamoswine and Nidoking.
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7uu-853439984 team instantly being better thanks to Roar > Toxic

2/5, shows some merit but sub optimal frequently
Scarf Celebi I've used before and it's great imho. U-turn + Healing Wish is sick and supports sweepers consistently. Kommo-o is my favorite benefitiary as U-turn can wear down stuff like Scarf Hydreigon down so Kommo-o isn't stopped at +1. The surprise factor is amazing and you'll be able to get a number of Gengar, Beedrill, and Infernape too. Not sharing the team it's too much fun uwu.

5/5
AV Scizor is something I've slapped on a lot of teams prior to research week and yeah I really love this set. Aside from tanking so many hits, it "lures" Terrakion and other BP weak mons after trapping something with Pursuit. Scizor being Scizor means it doesn't need wish support either. The lack of power isn't too noticeable for me.

5/5

 

[CashKP]

View attachment 156883Sub Toxic Suicune is something I've attempted to use on multiple occassions, and it's still no bueno. I had one squad that did well with it but like it gets 6-0ed by Block Bro with Suicune not running Roar.. Suicune wasn't awful with Toxic but there were more than enough scenarios in which boosting would've been preferable over Toxic. Umbreon was probably the most useful partner since Latias was baited into Toxic with ease. While Suicune can't beat Amoonguss with this set, the EVs that could go back into speed were nice for Mamoswine and Nidoking.
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7uu-853439984 team instantly being better thanks to Roar > Toxic

2/5, shows some merit but sub optimal frequently
View attachment 156880Scarf Celebi I've used before and it's great imho. U-turn + Healing Wish is sick and supports sweepers consistently. Kommo-o is my favorite benefitiary as U-turn can wear down stuff like Scarf Hydreigon down so Kommo-o isn't stopped at +1. The surprise factor is amazing and you'll be able to get a number of Gengar, Beedrill, and Infernape too. Not sharing the team it's too much fun uwu.

5/5
View attachment 156882AV Scizor is something I've slapped on a lot of teams prior to research week and yeah I really love this set. Aside from tanking so many hits, it "lures" Terrakion and other BP weak mons after trapping something with Pursuit. Scizor being Scizor means it doesn't need wish support either. The lack of power isn't too noticeable for me.

5/5

I'm glad others are using the ranking system. Whoever started that is a real smart guy

 

[Lazadamn]

Team:

Celebi @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- U-turn
- Leaf Storm
- Psychic
- Dazzling Gleam / Healing Wish

Scizor @ Assault Vest
Ability: Technician
EVs: 240 HP / 252 Atk / 8 SpD / 8 Spe
Adamant Nature
- U-turn
- Bullet Punch
- Superpower
- Knock Off

Manectric-Mega @ Manectite
Ability: Lightning Rod
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Volt Switch
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Flamethrower

Nidoqueen @ Black Sludge
Ability: Sheer Force
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Stealth Rock
- Sludge Wave
- Earth Power
- Ice Beam

Starmie @ Life Orb
Ability: Analytic
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Hydro Pump
- Ice Beam
- Rapid Spin
- Thunderbolt

Infernape @ Fightinium Z
Ability: Blaze
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Nasty Plot
- Focus Blast
- Fire Blast
- Vacuum Wave

So, Scarf Celebi and AV Scizor have been tremendously fun to play with. I wanted to use both since I have experience with both of them and I wanted to build a volt-turn team. As usual, please note that I am terrible at team building so my team will always be subpar.

I toyed around with the last moveslot on Celebi between Healing Wish and Dazzling Gleam, but killing unsuspecting Scarf Hydreigon is much more fun than Healing Wish (which is probably the much better move overall). Scarf Celebi is ultimately a lure for unsuspecting fast Pokemon such as Mega Beedrill and Scarf Hydreigon, of which Celebi can easily kill. It's actually what I lead with every time I see a Beedrill in team preview. There are reasons why its not staple though: Its not that strong, and Pursuit users are way more of a problem now. This Celebi can't do anything to Muk-Alola, especially if it just kill something on their team. Its also not the best at cleaning up late game because of Leaf Storm side effect, making it rely on Psychic to clean. Overall, its a fun, viable niche set for Celebi. 4/5

AV Scizor though, is where its at. Surviving CM Latias' attacks are tremendously useful for Scizor;

Calc:

+1 252 SpA Latias Devastating Drake (195 BP) vs. 240 HP / 8 SpD Assault Vest Scizor: 168-198 (49.2 - 58%) -- 97.7% chance to 2HKO
+1 252 SpA Latias Hidden Power Fire vs. 240 HP / 8 SpD Assault Vest Scizor: 280-332 (82.1 - 97.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO (!!!)

The ubiquity of Band Scizor also worked in AV Scizor's favor because many opponents thought that Scizor is locked into a move. It does lack a lot in power compared to Band Scizor or SD Scizor, but overall this is a really good set that should have been one of Scizor's main niche (because obviously Scizor needs more viable sets) 5/5

Wanted to find a replay while writing this, but hax got me tilted and I didn't get actual good games to showcase so, will do better next week.

 

[Smallsmallrose]

importable

Scizor @ Assault Vest
Ability: Technician
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Bullet Punch
- U-turn
- Superpower
- Pursuit

Rotom-Heat @ Iapapa Berry
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 236 HP / 20 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Defog
- Volt Switch
- Overheat
- Toxic

Gligar @ Eviolite
Ability: Immunity
EVs: 252 HP / 156 Def / 100 SpD
Impish Nature
- Earthquake
- Roost
- Stealth Rock
- U-turn

Celebi @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Leaf Storm
- Psychic
- U-turn
- Healing Wish

Primarina @ Choice Specs
Ability: Torrent
EVs: 92 HP / 252 SpA / 164 Spe
Modest Nature
- Hydro Pump
- Moonblast
- Sparkling Aria
- Psychic

Hydreigon @ Dragonium Z
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Draco Meteor
- Dark Pulse
- Roost
- Taunt

I didn't get a chance to do many battles this week since work beat the tar out of me, but I got as many battles as I could. I couldn't test Suicune, but I managed to test both Scizor and Celebi on this team.

I'll start with Celebi: Its weird. Its not as bad as I thought it would be, to be honest, but it has some insane 4MSS. It wants to run 3 or 4 attacks, but it also wants all the scarfer utility moves like U-turn, Healing Wish, and Trick. While this does make Celebi very customizable from team to team, it also can get in it's way a lot. I've constantly been wanting both Dazzling and Psychic on this Celebi, rather than having to switch between the two, and it can get quite frustrating. That said, I did like this mon. It can get many surprise KOs on people not expecting the scarf, and it outspeeds a number of other threatening scarfers like Hydra and Krook, as well as outspeeding the tier's various fast megas. That said, the surprise factor and the utility are what make this set. Its only alright as a revenge killer. I found more games where I was dropping healing wish on something that needed it or hard U-turning to get something else in rather than flat taking a KO with Celebi itself. If your team needs a reliable revenge killer from their scarfer, I'm going to politely point you to one of the other scarfers, as the utility is the main thing that makes this one. But if a scarfer is just an accessory on your team, then this thing can be very versatile and a decent choice.

Scizor: I genuinely enjoyed this set. It was such a reliable check to various threats like Latias and Celebi that Scizor could only check by the skin of it's teeth before. Hell, even some Gengars had a little trouble with this set when I tested higher spdef variants (The spdef is worth checking Gar in this meta tbh, subgar can burn in hell) that said, while you check things better defensively, your offenses take a shot, especially if you're packing the spdef to check things like the aforementioned Gengar and better check things like Lati and Celebi. Without a boosting item alone, your bullet punch can miss important KOs like Terrakion, Mamoswine, and Aerodactyl at full. And if you slash on offenses to check more special attackers, it becomes even harder to check all of the above. all in all, AV Sciz is more about changing Scizor's matchups, as it loses about as many good matchups as it gains with the AV. Another thing, is that it's very susceptible to chip. You really do need (Healing) Wish support with this thing. Luckily my Celebi was there. It's so easy to get caught up in taking like 20 from some of the stronger special attackers to the tier that you can find yourself unable to check them anymore quite quickly, so things that Scizor's teammates can do to keep it upright is very appreciated by Sciz. The set needs more support than most Scizor sets that you can just tack on the end of a team, but the support is definitely worth it if you can make it work.

 

[Moutemoute]

Alright guys, since I'm really sick, I'm not gonna do a long and detailed post as I usually do. I was hyped for this week and before I got sick, I achieved 18-0. I've played on the ladder this afternoon some games and I was able to reach around 45 games overall. I've done around 20 games with Suicune and 15 with Celebi and 10 with Scizor. This is also for this reason that I'm just gonna say a few words on Celebi and Scizor at the end of this post. By the way, I reached around 1580 on the Ladder.

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Toxic Suicune - It's a trap :

Unlike some players, I asked 'sei. if I can use Whirlpool over Scald because I do believe that Scald + Toxic is bad as fuck. I tried this variant of Suicune during 4-5 games and since it was nothing but bad, I asked if I could use Whirlpool. Suicune is a really great Pokemon in Underused and can really be a pain in the ass for a lot of builds which doesn't have anything to really deal with it. VinCune, RoarCune, CroCune etc.. are all great Win conditions. Now let's focus on Toxic Suicune.. While it may be interesting on the paper, Toxic is a really hard move to play on Suicune in my opinion since you need to get rid of something which will be most of the time way better (like Calm Mind, Roar, Protect or even Ice Beam). With that in mind, I decided to imagine a new "Suicune" which can trap and weaken/remove opponent's Pokemon thanks to Whirlpool + Toxic. On the other hand, I opted for Substitute + Protect because I feel like those moves were the best because they let Suicune Stall out even more opponent's Pokemon. I played this set quite a lot and while it's definitively not Suicune's best set, I trully think that it has a pretty fun niche. Overall it's kinda a "meme" but it's trully fun to use it. However most of the time other sets will be tremendously better !

team

Suicune @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP / 116 Def / 140 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Substitute
- Protect
- Toxic
- Whirlpool

Scizor @ Iron Plate
Ability: Technician
EVs: 152 HP / 252 Atk / 104 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Roost
- U-turn
- Bullet Punch

Kommo-o @ Dragonium Z
Ability: Bulletproof
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Taunt
- Clanging Scales
- Close Combat

Krookodile @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Knock Off
- Pursuit
- Crunch

Sylveon @ Leftovers
Ability: Cute Charm
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Wish
- Heal Bell
- Protect
- Moonblast

Rotom-Heat @ Iapapa Berry
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 236 HP / 4 Def / 20 SpA / 248 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Defog
- Toxic
- Volt Switch
- Overheat

This is the team I made. The aim is to chip as much as possible opponent's Pokemon which will allow to Scizor to be deadly in the endgame. Suicune's EVs spread allows it to outpseed Adamant Bisharp but also Jolly Bewear and Timid Primarina. 252 EVs in HP allows it to make Sub fat enough to handle one Seismic Toss. Remaining EVs are dump in Defense for the physical Bulk. Sylveon can support Rotom-Heat which is my Defogger or Suicune if it struggles. On the other hand, Kommo-o is my Stealth Rocks setter and a pretty nice Stallbreaker thanks to its Mixed STABs + Taunt. Krookodile is in my opinion a great teammate for WhirlCune since its teammate can trap opponent's Pokemon and scout their attacks. It's pretty useful vs Magneton or Manectric-Mega since both of them will be weaken by Whirlpool or even Toxic for the former one and both of them can be trapped by Krookodile. Overall, WhirlCune + Krookodile can chip or even remove Pokemon which bother SD Scizor which open doors for it in the late game.

Replay :

• Suicune 1v1 Slowbro-Mega and weaken Magneton
• Suicune bothers a lot Latias and Scizor to a lesser extent

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Summary of Suicune & quick thoughts on Celebi and Scizor :

• Toxic Suicune is overall outclassed by all its other sets. However it has a little niche and can be fun to use if it has some support.

• Choice Scarf Celebi is pretty meh in my opinion. I do not like the fact that it has to use a Choice Lock item at all. This makes it even easier to be trapped by Pokemon like Choice Band Scizor or Krookodile. While it may startle your opponent's at the beginning of the match (which allows you to get rid of a potential threats like Beedrill-Mega, Choice Scarf Krookodile or even Adamant Sharpedo-Mega at +1), once you’ve lost the surprise factor, Celebi is kinda a deadweight in my opinion. It can't do anything vs a plethora of Pokemon in the tier and it's trully useless vs Stall. Healing Wish is nice but come on, Latias also get Healing Wish too and it's faster and more powerful.

• Assault Vest Scizor is an interesting pick, while it's not Scizor's best set, I can see why people can use it. It allows Scizor to be a pretty clean check to Pokemon like Latias, Celebi or Nihilego. However since it can't run Roost, I do believe that it need some Wish support to be as much effective as possible.

Thanks for reading me, that wasn't as good as previous weeks but eh.. gonna sleep and cure myself

 

['sei.]

And with that Week 6 comes to an end. Good on Moutemoute for coming out on top (once again) this week. Now, let's get to it.

SubToxic Suicune
Suicune wasn't very popular with this week's participants and the ones who did use it were, more or less, unsatisfied (with one exception). Those who did use it all agreed that its other sets were usually preferred over the researched Sub + Toxic variant, but Moutemoute and Twilight did mention that its nice for status'ing common answers in Jellicent, Latias, Zeraora, Volcanion, and M-Manectric. Moutemoute experimented with a trapping variant based around Whirlpool Toxic/Tect (which was super creative by the way) and it turns out he enjoyed that far more than he did the suggested Scald/Toxic set.

I do believe that Scald + Toxic is bad as fuck.

Overall, it seems as though SubToxic Suicune fell short of the mark, but did show a small amount of potential to those who partook in the research.

Choice Scarf Celebi
Scarf Celebi was our second pick for RW6, and it had a lot more to offer to our participants than SubToxic Suicune did (no surprise there). Lazadamn, Daiyaga, Twilight, Smallsmallrose, Moutemoute, and BlueWinds all mentioned how the surprise factor can net some nice KO's on 'mons that usually scare Celebi out like M-Beedrill, Gengar, Krook, Starmie, and even Infernape. Many researchers also spoke on the utility and momentum that U-Turn and Healing Wish grants Celebi, and how this much-needed utility results in Celebi's 4MSS as a Scarfer. Scarf Celebi does have a lot to offer, but not without its faults --- Pursuit being a staple in today's metagame and how it ultimately limits the set was echoed by Daiyaga, Moutemoute, and Lazadamn. In addition to its Pursuit weakness and 4MSS, the lack of damage output was also voiced as a negative from most of this week's participants. In summary, Celebi's average damage and 4MSS hold it back as a revenge killer, but the utility it brings to the table more than makes up for it.

Assault Vest Scizor
Last but certainly not least we have AV Scizor, which turned out to be a hit with most of the people who used it. Comparisons to its Band set were drawn up by Twilight and Daiyaga; Twilight appreciated the added bulkiness and didn't mind the decrease in Attack while Daiyaga did mind it and found AV Scizor was trying to do a lot of things at once and succeeding at none. Scizorphobic, billionbattler, Twilight, and Lazadamn all mentioned how being able to bluff Band can really come in handy at times. This week's researchers were split on the set's tankiness, some regarded it as very respectable in comparison to its other sets while others mentioned the lack of sustain and how its easily worn down by turns of hazard. Despite the mixed opinions, most everyone who used it acknowledged its potential and said it can put in work with the necessary support.

That concludes our findings, and here are our picks for Week 7.

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This Week's Selections

Choice Band Snorlax

Snorlax @ Choice Band
Ability: Filler
Filler Nature
-
-
-
-

Adrenaline Orb Lati

Latias (F) @ Adrenaline Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Calm Mind
-
-
-

Gastrodon

Gastrodon @ Filler Item
Ability: Storm Drain
Filler Nature
- Recover
-
-
-

Snorlax has always managed to be an interesting option every generation, with its Curse sets always making the opponent need to carefully plan out his moves or be punished by Snorlax since Gen 2. However, the fighting-type infested UU scenario right now may not be the most prolific for the Curse sets, even the newest ones that abuse Gluttony, at least making them ask for specific support. With this in mind and how bulky Snorlax naturally is, we have picked a Choice Band set for this week, granting it immediate power, using its bulk to fire off a hit or two and Pursuit important Pokemon and we would like to see how it can be explored in this current meta.

Latias is a known and threatening face in the UU tier, and as such, the tier has made sure to hold it down with specific staples dealing well with it, one of the most common ones being Scarf Krookodile. Such a scenario makes the usually useless item Adrenaline Orb find a niche to exert, abusing it and making a Pursuit bait Latias into an even faster sweeper.

Gastrodon has been having its ups and downs since the start of the generation and its now an eligible UU pick again. The combination of Water immunity, Water Ground typing, good bulk, and access to Recover and some interesting moves is very interesting, and we are wondering if that is enough to get Gastrodon to carve its niche on its way back to the tier.
​

Sign up with a fresh USMRW7 alt, post your ladder results as well as your findings on the 'mon(s) in question. Feel free to edit your sign-up post if you wanna keep that crispy post:like ratio. This week the deadline is Sunday, February 3, at 11:59 pm GMT-2. Darksafadao or I will tally up the ladder results and reveal the winner at the end of the week. Good luck to all the participants, go get it done.

 

[Sickist]

USMRW 7 disease

taking Lax and Gastro for sure, maybe Lati if I have time. Sorry for not posting results, I keep getting sidetracked I've set a reminder in my phone, so I should post this week.

 

[Lazadamn]

USMRW7 Laza

Band Snorlax sounds like a fun set to try so will mainly be using that. Maybe Gastrodon too.

 

[avarice]

USMRW7 comfortable

Already have ad lati and gastro teams, will be fun to try out CB Lax owo

 

[Estarossa]

USMRW7 Estarossa

Gonna try out gastrodon, and maybe band snorlax.

Some initial thoughts on Gastrodon:

Honestly i think its actually an insanely underrated special wall, immunity to both water and electric is incredible for a special wall, and with the bulk to take 2 hp grass's from a manectric (which is probably running ice again now anyway cause gligar). Infestation/Whirpool sets are really cool, and i'll probably be testing both those and ones with just scald/waterfall instead of it.

I may also try some physical wall sets, but I am under the opinion that it's got more use as a special wall. I may also try 3 attacks + recover sets, but I feel that without proccing storm drain the power just isn't there. A z-poisonium set however could catch out common swap ins like celebi however.

A core I'm loving working with: After some games with having both of them in the team, I started to realise how amazingly gastrodon and moltres pair together. As you use infestation on a physical attacker coming in expecting to kill you, you have essentially forced them in for one turn, and can swap into moltres to eat the hit and potentially burn. Think things like scizor etc, but without letting them just swap without attacking.

 

[Daiyaga]

USMRW7 Mephorashm
Definitely gonna try Adrenaline Orb Tias. Might try CB Lax as well, I'll see

 

[Twilight]

USMRW7 Twilight

I'll try all 3 again this week but might not play as many games as usual cos of time, but I'll try my best ^_^

 

['sei.]

Hey, deciding to step down and pass the co-host torch to Moutemoute. Gl with the research peeps, I'll still be around and might even participate (don't hold me on that).

 

[billionbattler]

USUMRW7 Ditto
taking lax and possibly gastrodon

 

[InvejaMata]

Hey, deciding to step down and pass the co-host torch to Moutemoute. Gl with the research peeps, I'll still be around and might even participate (don't hold me on that).

Thank u next sei for all your hard work co-hosting this project until here and welcome Moute in this new journey ;)

 

[Moutemoute]

​

For what will probably be my last in.. I will try the 3 Pokemon !
USMRW7 Sayonara

 

[BlueWinds]

USMRW7 YoloMeteor

Will be testing out Adrenaline Orb Latias. :)

 

[avarice]

Posting early since I feel that I've kinda gathered all I really need to know. I've been using Gastrodon since its dropped as well as Adrenaline Orb Latias a fair amount. CB Snorlax was something new to me but honestly it wasn't that hard to use at it does on paper. As usual I didn't really try to ladder on the rw alt bc im bad at lattering anyway. Nonetheless, it was still a enjoyable set of mons :]. Also, with most of my games being on mobile, I neglected to save a lot of replays .

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Choice Band Snorlax - Insatiable :

It may be because I had real fucking low expectations for Snorlax, but in my opinion it was the best mon this week, or at least the most fun. It was nice to try something unfamiliar and have it actually work out well lmao (@ gayfish). Snorlax is essentially a slightly weaker Bewear that trades the physically defensive utility for specially defensive utility. Snorlax also has a fairly wide amount of options it can run. However, I stand by Frustration/Return - Fire Punch - Earthquake - Pursuit. Some more interesting options would be moves like Self-Destruct or Focus Punch but Snorlax is already exploitable. I wanted to fit Facade in so Snorlax could be a Scald sponge, but it wants both Fire Punch and Earthquake and Pursuit is mandatory. Obviously this the case with other Choice-locked Pokemon but giving free turns to Gengar is super scary in this meta. With Frustration/Return being the move you'll be clicking the most you need solid answers to Steel-types, as even when running Fire Punch, Snorlax gives Scizor additional turns to set up. Same thing with Earthquake and giving turns to Latias to boost. Though, when played well Snorlax can be trapping Latias instead of being overwhelmed by a boosted Z-Move. Furthermore, there are plenty of times offensive Pokemon will be meet an unfortunate demise expecting Snorlax to start setting up Curse. As for abilities Thick Fat was the best and generally the most useful as it let Snorlax pivot into Rotom-H's Overheat, take the Toxic, and nab a surprise kill. But for teams with a harder time beating Stall, Immunity worked okay. Overall, Snorlax is pretty consistent in its ability to smash stuff.

team

Snorlax @ Choice Band
Ability: Thick Fat
Happiness: 0
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 SpD / 4 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Frustration
- Fire Punch
- Pursuit

Chandelure @ Ghostium Z
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Shadow Ball
- Taunt
- Flamethrower
- Calm Mind

Amoonguss @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 184 Def / 72 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 1 Atk
- Spore
- Giga Drain
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Sludge Bomb

Aerodactyl-Mega @ Aerodactylite
Ability: Unnerve
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Pursuit
- Stone Edge
- Earthquake
- Ice Fang

Cobalion @ Shuca Berry
Ability: Justified
Happiness: 0
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Stone Edge
- Stealth Rock
- Close Combat
- Iron Head

Hydreigon @ Life Orb / Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 8 HP / 8 Def / 240 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Defog
- Roost / U-turn
- Draco Meteor
- Dark Pulse

Forfeiting the ability to set up for the ability to Pursuit trap, I figured Snorlax would need help against fatter teams. Chandelure felt appropriate as I've been meaning to try it anyway and Chandelure could switch into the Fire-type Thick Fat Snorlax couldn't-- Infernape. Amoonguss was a reliable answer to Terrakion, who could give Snorlax and Chandy hell. Amoonguss could also pivot into Scizor if Chandelure is getting worn down too quickly. Aerodactyl was a second Pursuit user that could deal with Gengar should it get a Substitute from Snorlax getting locked into Frustration/Return. Ice Fang > Roost helps a ton with opposing Gligar as they don't expect to be 2HKOed. Shuca Cobalion helped against opposing Aerodactyl, provided Stealth Rock, and could lure Moltres with Stone Edge. Hydreigon serves as Hazard Removal and hits hard with Life Orb, giving the team more breaking power without Chandelure needing to set up. Choice Scarf works for more consistent speed control and can get Snorlax in against trappable Pokemon like Mega Sceptile and Latias. Definitely a favorite team that I'll use past this week.

Replay :

• Snorlax being a reminder to have a Steel-type on your team
• Snorlax trapping Nihilego for Chandy

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​

Gastrodon - Going Places :

Gastrodon I've been using a fair amount of time since it finally came back to us. I'm surprised that I haven't seen more of it, honestly. Granted, it's no A+ Pokemon but it is always nice to have a reliable win con. Gastrodon is rather versatile as it can run supporting sets with Momento, be an aggro Z-Move set, a basic Curse wincon, etc. I played with the standard Curse Gastrodon mostly, but I messed around with the Groundinium-Z set by Twilight too. Gastrodon is able to be used throughout the match until it has the moment to set up, which seperates itself from Snorlax, who has to remain in pristine condition to have a good chance of boosting safely, and Mega Steelix who is worn down and gets one chance, really. Being a Ground-type that can't run Stealth Rock is still a downer, though. Lacking the raw bulk to stomach hits like Specs Primarina Moonblast isn't a huge deal though, as pressuring Prim to not click Hydro Pump is sick af. There is certainly a lot to explore with Gastrodon, such as lure Poisonium-Z and Icium-Z sets.

team

Gastrodon @ Leftovers
Ability: Storm Drain
EVs: 252 HP / 148 Def / 108 SpD
Sassy Nature
- Curse
- Recover
- Earthquake
- Scald

Bisharp @ Assault Vest
Ability: Defiant
EVs: 188 HP / 236 Atk / 84 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Pursuit
- Knock Off
- Iron Head
- Sucker Punch

Blastoise-Mega @ Blastoisinite
Ability: Rain Dish
EVs: 60 HP / 252 SpA / 196 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Aura Sphere
- Dark Pulse
- Rapid Spin
- Hydro Pump

Sylveon @ Leftovers
Ability: Pixilate
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpA
Bold Nature
- Hyper Voice
- Wish
- Protect
- Heal Bell / HIdden Power Fire

Crobat @ Flyinium Z
Ability: Infiltrator
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Brave Bird
- Super Fang
- Roost
- Taunt

Kommo-o @ Life Orb
Ability: Bulletproof
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Clanging Scales
- Close Combat
- Flamethrower / Taunt
- Stealth Rock

The team was first made when Gastrodon was orignally freed, and I wasn't thinking about options beyond what I already knew Gastrodon could do. AV Bisharp was a cool Pokemon that worked well with set up mons susceptible to Latias and did a beautiful job supporting Gastrodon as it covered both Latias and Celebi. I lazily added the Blastoise + Sylveon core as they also appreciated Latias being controlled. Sylveon being a cleric meant there was leeway for Gastrodon to be played recklessly. Crobat could smack Latias with Supersonic Skystrike and was a nuisance for bulkier builds with Super Fang + Taunt. Crobat actually resisted Fairy, too. Kommo-o gave the team Stealth Rock and pressured Stall with its Mixed set.

Replay :

• Gastrodon beats Hone Claws Aerodactyl
• Gastrodon exploits Scarf Latias

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​

Adrenaline Orb Latias - A Rare Treat :
As expected, Latias couldn't have gone wrong. Adrenaline Orb has been my favorite item on Latias for awhile now with how easily it screws over Scarf Krookodile and Mega Manectric. It can often flip the match against offense for this reason. "Best coverage" for AO Latias in my opinion is Draco/HP Fire/Ice Beam. Draco Meteor lets Latias muscle through whatever it wants to, Ice Beam means it won't be burning a Draco Meteor on Krookodile, and Hidden Power Fire prevents Scizor from cutting the sweep short. I have used basic Boltbeam with CM/Roost/Tbolt/Ice Beam with AO though. Either way, AO doesn't restrict your choice of coverage on Latias. I would still choose Soul Dew over it on STABs/Roost/CM Latias though, assuming someone else on the squad needed the Z-Move a majority of the time. Regardless, Adrenaline Orb Latias is moreso a default item on Latias and less of something you actually intend to use when building a team to me.

team

Primarina (F) @ Choice Specs
Ability: Torrent
EVs: 92 HP / 252 SpA / 164 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Hydro Pump
- Moonblast
- Sparkling Aria
- Psychic

Kommo-o (M) @ Choice Specs
Ability: Bulletproof
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Clanging Scales
- Flamethrower
- Focus Blast
- Flash Cannon

Steelix (M) @ Steelixite
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 208 Atk / 48 SpD
Brave Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Stealth Rock
- Gyro Ball
- Earthquake
- Curse

Amoonguss (M) @ Poisonium Z
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 220 Def / 36 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Synthesis / Stun Spore
- Sludge Bomb
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Spore

Latias @ Adrenaline Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Draco Meteor
- Calm Mind
- Psyshock
- Roost / Ice Beam

Rotom-Heat @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 240 HP / 20 SpA / 248 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Defog
- Volt Switch
- Overheat
- Pain Split / Thunder Wave / Toxic

I have multiple squads with AO Latias, but this one appreciates it the most I'd say. The original idea behind it was Specs Spam, with :clanger: and Primarina. Steelix finished the Dragon-Fairy-Steel core and provided Stealth Rock. The two together somewhat implies Kommo-o is running a Dragon Dance set, too. Poisonium Amoonguss was a set I haven't used frequently since, like, when the garden snake was in the tier. While the team so far was two Dark resists, and a Mega with considerable physical bulk, I still wanted Amoonguss in. Losing Specs wouldn't be great, nor would mispredicting and switching Steelix into an Earthquake. Latias fit well with Psyshock able to pressure Blissey and it could switch into Moltres. Rotom-H is another countermeasure for Moltres and is a real Flying resist.

Replay : I actually couldn't find any saved replays of Latias activating orb and cleaning but trust me

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tl;dr :

• Snorlax is a good Choice Band user and trapper but can struggle to separate itself from Bewear
• Gastrodon has a lot of depth and is still good with its basic mixed wall Curse set
• Adrenaline Orb Latias is pretty solid when another member needs the Z-Crystal
• Mounte's format takes forever to type

Thanks for reading owo

 

[Twilight]

Right so I lied. I played a lot of games because dear lord I haven't had such a bad experience in low ladder in a hot while. I tilted so damn much and I can't even count the number of times I got haxed with random T-bolt paras. Right so I am using quite a few crazy squads and sets but it was fun using them. And just want to shout out I'm actually Cash for building the Gastrodon team for me because you damn well know I was gonna run that Ground-Z set I created. I peaked 1400 using three squads and also tried out two of Scizorphobic teams, thanks bro :3. But, yeah I was far too tilted this week so I don't think I have the drive to try aim higher tbh. Once again I'll go in order from my least to most favourite sets.

<Click sprites for importable>
​

So here is the team I made with Latias. Pretty basic froslass spikes. Doublade gives a lot of defensive utility. Kommo-o as SR and taunt user. Bisharp to deter hazard removal. I originally had Malt but swapped it to Primarina to break better for Lati to sweep + Malt mainly just stole the show from Lati. I went like 9 - 7 with this team, it was so sad trying to make this Lati set do what it is supposed to >.<

Adrena Lati

Latias @ Adrenaline Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Calm Mind
- Draco Meteor / Thunderbolt
- Ice Beam
- Hidden Power [Fire]

Right Adrenaline Orb Lati was actually useless af for me. No joke I didn't prock Adrenaline Orb once, NOT ONCE. I played about 20 games with it and I ran into 3 Krook all of which were Moxie like wtaf. Which leads to my first point of it being extremely situational as you are solely reliant on your opponent having Krook or Manec. Initially I had Boltbeam + HP Fire but this was just ridiculously weak because this set is reliant on CM boosts unlike it's standard sets which can run Z-moves or a LO. So, I just swapped to Draco, HP Fire and Ice Beam. This worked out a bit better but if you don't have 2 CM boosts you just weaken your SpA to the point that it won't matter if you get the speed boost to look to sweep, especially vs HO. Unlike Dragonium-Z which can avoid the SpA drop. This set also lacks recovery as I think it is way too difficult to fit Roost or Recover on it without it being detrimental to what you can attempt to break through e.g. without HP Fire I'd just get walled by Scizor. And honestly that's the best thing this set did for me, killing Scizor. Sure it still has the same defensive utility it always has, but i found the lack of power to be really annoying. Idk maybe I was just unlucky as hell while laddering but it didn't work once for me, so zero replays of it working. I just think it is so situational it really isn't worth running, and tbh I'd rather run Salac Berry as that way I could get the Boost in most games regardless of what Mons are brought.

<Click sprites for importable>
​

This is the Lax team I built which I've had most success with out of the 3 squads. So I partnered Lax with Nidoking which likes Lati being removed, it is also my SR user. Next we have Malt as a cleaner and Scarf Ape for speed control. Encore actually came in handy once or twice lol. Silvally Steel is actually kinda nice tbh, parting shot is cool for getting in Lax and is my defog user. Finally NP Grassium-Z + HP Fire Celebi as sweeper / breaker. I had the most success with this team going 13 - 2

CB Lax

Snorlax @ Choice Band
Ability: Thick Fat
Happiness: 0
EVs: 252 Atk / 248 SpD / 8 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Frustration
- Pursuit
- Earthquake
- Self-Destruct / Fire Punch

Snorlax was okay I guess. It didn't really do anything fantastic but it was never completely useless. It is really fat on the SpD side which actually eased the match-up a lot against Latias, Chandelure etc. So it was nice to have that sort of insurance for my squad and to then proceed to Pursuit trap and remove them. I think I have a pretty standard set except I used Self Destruct in the last slot for the lulz. I didn't press it as many times as I'd thought but it was a nice one time nuke against something. However, this set was pretty susceptible to burns which made me want to have Facade in most cases. I also tried Fire Punch on Phobics team and that is a lot nicer for luring Scizor and just removing it. Based off this I think it can have some 4MSS with wanting all these kind of moves but nothing crazy like Zeraora for example. Anyways, I also went for Thick Fat to better eat these fire and Ice attacks from like BoltBeam Lati and Chand. CB Frustration does a lot to really squishy Mons as they just fall over. Most defensive walls however, can eat the hit pretty well and just recover it off. It was also very easy to wear down Snorlax because this set has no recovery thus, hazard dmg + chip dmg greatly hinders how effective it can be. Also unlike the Curse set this doesn't eat a physical hit well at all which can be a huge momentum drain. And with a meta running around with so many fighting types it is hard to find an oppurtunity to freely fire off an attack without pivots. It's also really slow meaning it can't always follow up with an important 2OHKO because you either risk getting knocked back or they spam recovery till healthy enough. Unlike other choiced sets I didn't find this one to be as prediction heavy, as Frustration hurts most things a lot. So yeah, it was alright but nothing crazy. I came across a lot of Chand and Latis which Lax trapped and removed but it never did a whole lot else so I didn't feel those replays were worth showing, but I think the Mon is decent and maybe Wish or Heal Bell support would be really nice to patch up its weakness. But it did its main job which was to just trap for this squad and break if possible.

<Click sprites for importable>
​

Here is the Gastrodon squad which Cash built for me. Won't explain the team as I think he might be posting It, saw him laddering with it on a RW account but I went 9 - 3 with this one. But the team was fun and is the most anti Manectric and Zera team you could ask for, had issues with CM Latias and HC Maero but otherwise it's heat. I made a few adjustments like Toxic on Gligar and Sleep Talk on Moltres also. EV spread explanation is in the Next Best Thing thread but yeah I really wanted to test this out more.

Ground-Z Gastro

Gastrodon (M) @ Groundium Z
Ability: Storm Drain
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 156 HP / 124 Def / 156 SpA / 72 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Earth Power
- Ice Beam
- Surf
- Recover

Honestly I had a blast using this thing. The mix of defensive + offensive utility was really nice for not letting this thing be so passive, like I killed so many Scizor lmao. Storm Drain also came in handy giving a SpA boost, and because this is a more offensive set it takes advantage of this even better. Anyway Gastrodon was just nice for being able to check Pokemon like Zera, Manec and Rotom super easily thanks to its typing. Which then allowed me to retaliate with my coverage options. I had a few scenarios against physical threats like Scizor and Cobalion but thanks to the natural bulk and it's HP stat it handles them pretty well and nuke them with the Z-move. Storm Drain in general is cool for deterring water spam, making your opponent have to think carefully about what they click. Having a Z-move also lets it eat Knock Off better which actually came in handy a few times. However, just like its standard sets this is very prone to being worn down by Toxic, once it is put on a timer it actually has a hard time handling said threats I have listed. It is nice it has recover to alleviate this, but it also blows it doesnt get SR lol. But yeah that's about all it does tbh, (this set anyways) it catches a lot of things off guard and nukes em while still having some defensive utility. I don't think this makes Gastro extremely good or anything but by no means is it all that bad. I think it can have some merit when it comes to fitting it on some BO or Balance squads that need a solid answer to Rotom-H etc. I never tried any other set but just based off my experience the bulky variants would just have an even easier time checking Manec and proceed to put things on a timer. And yeah defo some cool sets it could run like Curse, Icium-Z etc.

Gastro Replays

http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7uu-855081313 - Gastro again kills 3 Mons got lucky with a freeze on Kommo-o tho

http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7uu-855102531 - Low Ladder but it kills 3 Mons so yeah

http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7uu-855474132 - Short replay but shows how Gastro can lock down Manectric

http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7uu-855508662 - Offensive Gastro doing work. Also dettered some water spam but he had a wierd Prima set

TL DR;

- This set tilted me cos it did nothing for me. Not once did I get the Orb prock in 20 games. I'd rather run Salac as its so dependant on your opponent having Krook or Manec. Without a Z-move or LO it is also pretty weak even at +1, meaning Draco is its best spammable move otherwise. It is still Latias but I'm not a fan at all of the set.

- Snorlax wasn't awful but nothing special either. It trapped a lot of Latias and Chand which was really nice thanks to its amazing special bulk. It is very easy to wear down however, as it lacks recovery and is susceptible to burns. It was pretty easy to spam Frustration which is nice for a choice locked Mon but it doesn't do much to some bulky walls, and cos it is so slow you can't always stay in with it to pick up the 2OHKO on something unlike say CB Terrakion or Ape.

- This Gastrodon set was really fun lol. I think it was mainly the surprise factor of the set, but defensively speaking it is really nice for dealing with Rotom-H, Manectric and Zera etc. Storm Drain is always a really nice ability preventing water spam and having access to recovery unlike Seis is amazing. Shame it doesn't get Stealth Rocks tho.

Anyways yeah this was a really bad week for me. I hope next week is better for me when it comes to passing through low ladder lol. None of these sets really put in much work other than the Gastrodon, but Snorlax always fulfilled its role of trapping something then hitting at least one mon hard. Thanks again Cash and Phobic for passing me squads, appreciate it. Look forward to the next sets as usual and hopefully I enjoy them a little more also ^_^

 

[BlueWinds]

I didn't end up playing a ton of games this week, but definitely enjoyed working with Adrenaline Orb Latias. Here's the team:

<Click sprites for importable>​

I'd like to say I had a plan as I created the team, but really, this is about the third iteration after a ton of trial and error. All fairly standard sets, with Volcanion taking up the slack in terms of bulky fairies (especially Primarina). Latias can be left in the backseat while the other mons remove Latia's checks - notably easier against scarf-Krook, since people with one of those tend to assume Latias is handled and are less careful with their other answers.

AO Latias has been a pleasure to use. The item seldom triggers, but when it does, it's glorious. The set I'm using here is 100% reliant on setup - without LIfe Orb, a Z-move or even Draco Meteor, and with only one STAB, it doesn't hit hard very hard without a CM boost. That's fine on this team though - CB Terrakion is the very definition of immediate threat. Psyshock is used instead of Psychic so you can win the Calm Mind wars people like to get into.

That's the theme of the team - AO is seldom useful, but when it is, it wins you the game. Unlike Twilight, my set leaned into the lack of immediate power, and benefited from the strengths that come from being a dedicated setup sweeper. Alas, I forgot to save replays of the two times I wrecked Scarf-Krook, but they did happen.

Replays:
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7uu-856216701 - Latias gets frozen twice, paralyzed, and still manages to clean up. Nothing that a Z-Latias couldn't accomplish, but a AO didn't hurt.
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7uu-855967361 - In which I overestimate how hard Latias hits. A Z-move would definitely have helped here. Highlighting a weakness of the set, the lack of immediate power.
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7uu-855950120 - Not actually relevant to RW since Latias didn't come out, but was a really amusing. Clicked the same move 11 times and then they forfeited.

 

[Daiyaga]

Played way too many games that week, and that definitely wasn't because I liked this week's picks. Can't even remember how many games I played with Latias and Lax, and I was tilting hard for most of them. Anyway, let's talk about these sets.

Adrenaline Orb Tias

summed up in one pic

AO Latias seems kinda nice on paper as a way to abuse people relying on krook to deal with her, but I couldn't make it work for a simple reason : I encountered a grand total of zero Krookodiles while I was laddering (72 games total). Which means I ended up with a set meant to abuse a 'mon that I didn't encounter at all, and that means I had a subpar CM set lacking what makes Latias so threatening (at least to me) - a Z-move. Might've had a better experience if the ladder wasn't such a troll but ... Well, that's how it goes.
Only positive I can really think of is its ability to bluff a Z-Tias since almost everyone expects Calm Mind Latias to have a Z, which was useful in the team I was running. But not having a Z-crystal simply hurts way too much, as Latias really struggles to break anything remotely fat without Devastating Drake/Gigavolt Havoc, and can even struggle breaking offensive team because of Scizor (which - admittedly - dies to HP fire, but using HP fire on Latias means losing either Roost or better coverage, so that wasn't exactly an appealing option).
Also if you want Latias to lure Krook then you might as well just run Colbur Berry

squad

Latias (F) @ Adrenaline Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Calm Mind
- Thunderbolt
- Ice Beam
- Roost

Gengar @ Fightinium Z
Ability: Cursed Body
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Taunt
- Shadow Ball
- Sludge Wave
- Focus Blast

Altaria-Mega @ Altarianite
Ability: Pixilate
EVs: 252 HP / 164 Def / 92 SpD
Relaxed Nature
- Defog
- Body Slam
- Fire Blast
- Roost

Cobalion @ Shuca Berry
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Swords Dance
- Close Combat
- Iron Head

Krookodile @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Knock Off
- Pursuit
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge

Volcanion @ Choice Specs
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Steam Eruption
- Flamethrower
- Sludge Wave
- Focus Blast

Basic idea was to use Latias' ability to take advantage/get rid of Krook so Z-fight gengar could run rampant more easily. I opted for taunt>Sub for a slightly better stall MU, though both moves work from what I've tried. Altaria and Cobalion give the dark-types SI while providing hazard control to the team, Krook provides an electric immunity, some speed control and pursuit support, and Volcanion provides immediate offensive pressure and a check to Scizor and Primarina.

Choice Band Snorlax

Band Lax was decent. It hits pretty hard (252+ Atk Choice Band Snorlax Return vs. 252 HP / 80+ Def Hippowdon: 180-213 (42.8 - 50.7%) ), and its exceptional special bulk + access to Pursuit make it ideal at trapping things like Latias, Chandelure, Gengar and Starmie. To round that out, it also has access to Earthquake, Fire Punch and Crunch to deal with the Steel and Ghost-types that may want to come in on your STAB.
But the thing is, Choice band Bewear exists, and because of its higher attack + secondary STAB + much better speed, it outclasses Snorlax as a Normal-type Choice Band user. The only thing Snorlax has going for it over Bewear is Pursuit combined with an excellent special bulk, but ... Latias and offensive Starmie can 2HKO Snorlax with Psyshock (Latias needs to be at +1 though) while Gengar and Chandelure commonly carry substitute to handle Pursuit users, which means that it's not even that good of a Pursuit trapper.Another bad thing going for it is how exploitable it is once it's locked itself into a move : locking into Return means free switches for all the Steel-, Rock- and Ghost-types (like, idk, Terrakion and Gengar), locking into Earthquake means levitating mons are free to run rampant (ie. Moltres), Fire Punch invites the dragons and a Snorlax locked into Pursuit is basically a free switch for everything in this tier.Also, its mediocre speed means most walls can actually outspeed it (unless you go for a lot of speed investments, and lose bulk in the process), and heal on its face as much as they want. Finally, although it sponges special hits extremely well, it doesn't have any kind of recovery, and as such is weak to all forms of chip damage, especially burn if it doesn't carry facade.

tl;dr
-Adrenaline Orb Latias is a decent counter-pick in a tournament if you know for sure your opponent will bring a Manectric-Mega/Krookodile, but the other item options on CM Latias are much more consistent. Ladder is probably the worst place to use AO Latias tbh. 7/10
-Band snorlax hits decently hard, takes special hits incredibly well, but struggles to break stuff due to the moves it uses being exploitable by common 'mons and being slower than most walls if it doesn't run speed investments. 5/10​

 

[Sickist]

actually remembered to post this week yeet

So I did 2 of the 3, being Gastrodon and Banded Snorlax, I didn't quite have time for Latias because tomorrow+sat and sun are busy days.

Starting off..

Choice Band Snorlax
​

I personally don't quite know what it's capable of simply because in all 13 games I played...

It never got to switch in. Like at all. Except where I used it as a sack in one game. So no replays for that. Maybe it's just my teambuilding skills, or lack thereof. Heres the team:

Banded Snorlax squad

https://pokepast.es/088767eca54663cc

Moving on to by far my favorite pick of the week:

Gastrodon​

My intial thoughts were that it'd be a worse pert or toad. However, this mon I feel has alot of potential, due to Storm Drain. Being Scald burn immune is quite nice for a sweeper, so thats where I went. Curse Rest talk Gastrodon.

Gastrodon squad

https://pokepast.es/7143ae50b2b54ca4

Ignore that it says Calm nature, that's a mistake. Should be Sassy/Careful.

For those who are watching the Next Best Thing project, yes this is the same Gastrodon set as the one I submitted.

Replays

https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7uu-856404386
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7uu-856400911

This thing is a really fun late game cleaner given you can rid the world of Celebi or any other grasses. Especially Amoongus. This thing 1v1's most water types, as rest negates Toxic/Burn. This is the most fun mon I have ever had the joy of using in Research Week. Anyways, If there are no grasses, this thing actually gets alot of settup chances due to Tenta/Empoleon/Defensive Primarina being everywhere (specs has a chance to 2HKO so I usually avoid setting up on it.) Overall, This mon has alot of potential and deserves alot more exploration.

tl;dr
Snorlax

Not that great, really hard to get in, good sack and bait if it ever gets the chance to even click a move. 2.5/10

Gastrodon

Fun mon, overall probably the best pick imo this week. Deserves more exploration. 7.5/10
​

Thanks for reading, cya all next week

 

[Lazadamn]

When I started this week I was convinced that Snorlax is a good Pokemon, and Gastrodon would be mediocre, sort of like the lesser Swampert/Seismitoad. I was wrong on both counts.

Snorlax

Team:

Snorlax @ Choice Band
Ability: Thick Fat
EVs: 16 HP / 252 Atk / 240 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Double-Edge
- Earthquake
- Pursuit
- Self-Destruct

Klefki @ Iapapa Berry
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Spikes
- Thunder Wave
- Foul Play
- Recycle

Kommo-o @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Soundproof
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Taunt
- Close Combat
- Clanging Scales

Doublade @ Eviolite
Ability: No Guard
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 4 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Shadow Sneak
- Iron Head
- Sacred Sword

Sharpedo-Mega @ Sharpedonite
Ability: Speed Boost
Happiness: 0
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Protect
- Crunch
- Earthquake
- Psychic Fangs

Infernape @ Fightinium Z
Ability: Blaze
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Nasty Plot
- Focus Blast
- Fire Blast
- Vacuum Wave

So Snorlax was definitely a let down, mainly because I had high expectations of it. It was really hard to switch into stuff because its not as bulky as its other sets (and I was used to using Assault Vest / Papa Lax before)and too slow to actually finish things off. Admittedly, it was strong as hell. I tried different variations of the team (on testing alts) using Self Destruct / Facade / Fire Punch / Pursuit, but I find that Pursuit was the only move that is a must on this set, others are customizable. Overall, not a fan of this set due to the prevalence of FIghting Types in the tier. 2/5

Gastrodon

This slug though, took me by surprise. I tried 2 different sets, both are not the "standard" sets (because they were taken from Next Best Thing). Mirror Coat Gastrodon is really fun (shout out Scizorphobic ) to lure mainly Primarina and Latias. There are downsides though, its a setup bait for Latiases who actually expects Mirror Coat and continues boosting. It relies on surprise factor, but boy do people get surprised a lot. Its also bulkier than people might think on the Special side. The other set that I used was Groundium Z 3 attacks set (shoutout to Twilight ). This Gastrodon is also a lure. Its able to get rid of Empoleons / Scizors that commonly stays in on Gastro. I didn't play as many as the Mirror Coat set, but this set also should be explored more.

Overall, the slug took me by surprise. It won't be a top tier UU mon, but it definitely has a niche over Swampert or Seismitoad. 4/5

Team 1:

Gastrodon @ Leftovers
Ability: Storm Drain
EVs: 248 HP / 64 Def / 196 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Earth Power
- Recover
- Mirror Coat

Kommo-o @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Soundproof
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Clanging Scales
- Close Combat
- Flamethrower

Roserade @ Poisonium Z
Ability: Technician
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Leaf Storm
- Sludge Bomb
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Sleep Powder

Rotom-Heat @ Iapapa Berry
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 248 HP / 8 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Volt Switch
- Defog
- Overheat
- Will-O-Wisp

Steelix-Mega @ Steelixite
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def
Brave Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Curse
- Gyro Ball
- Earthquake
- Fire Fang

Togekiss @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Air Slash
- Dazzling Gleam
- Aura Sphere
- Flamethrower

Team 2:

Gastrodon @ Groundium Z
Ability: Storm Drain
EVs: 156 HP / 124 Def / 156 SpA / 72 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Earth Power
- Ice Beam
- Scald
- Recover

Scizor @ Assault Vest
Ability: Technician
EVs: 240 HP / 252 Atk / 16 Spe
Adamant Nature
- U-turn
- Bullet Punch
- Superpower
- Pursuit

Nidoqueen @ Black Sludge
Ability: Sheer Force
EVs: 240 HP / 240 Def / 28 SpA
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Stealth Rock
- Sludge Wave
- Earth Power
- Flamethrower

Pidgeot-Mega @ Pidgeotite
Ability: Big Pecks
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Hurricane
- U-turn
- Heat Wave
- Hidden Power [Ground]

Infernape @ Life Orb
Ability: Iron Fist
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Thunder Punch
- Flare Blitz
- Mach Punch

Amoonguss @ Black Sludge
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 200 HP / 124 Def / 184 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Spore
- Giga Drain
- Sludge Bomb
- Foul Play

Thanks for reading. I definitely had fun this week and looking forward to the next research. Standard disclaimer (grain of salt cause I'm bad, etc) still applies.

 

[Estarossa]

Played enough games this week to actually make a summary post this time I'd say. Wish i saved some better replays but here are some of them,

http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7uu-857411523
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7uu-857476145 ( Haxed to death but still an example of what it can do)
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7uu-857490753 (This one has it put in a lot of work really, was expecting him to dd at end since I knew from a previous match it was dd, but I knew it didnt matter anyway cause he'd lose either way ;p)
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7uu-857500463 ( My Favourite, absolutely stopped that suicune from wrecking shit, and absolutely countered everything on team once that chesnaught was gone lol)
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7uu-857779381 (Puut in crazy amoounts of work this game)

Adding more replays when i can remember where i left them <.<

Highest peak atm is 1534 (Number 348 on ladder at time of edit):

Highest peak atm

Gastrodon

Click here for the team link. https://pokepast.es/84816e02057fe0d8


Melascula (Gastrodon) @ Leftovers
Ability: Storm Drain
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpD
Sassy Nature
- Earthquake
- Recover
- Toxic
- Infestation

I have mainly tested infestation gastrodon the most this week, as I feel it takes the best advantage of its gorgeous special bulk. When making teams to go with it, I prioritsed putting a cleric on the team as I felt a lot of the mons I ended up trying to trap were carrying toxic and making it hard to repeatedly use this.

It serves as an amazing counter to pokemon such as latias and hydreigon, and is a great lead to trap and kill hazard setters, meaning that once you get rid of them they are gone for good. Infestation is also a great move to use on pokemon wanting to swap in, as it prevents doubles from the opponeent, and this can pair well with pokemon such as moltres meaning pokemon such as scizor are forced to get burned or at least sd, instead of swapping.

It's ev's are also handy in that it allows it to survive 2 grass knots from zeraora and manectric (always and sometimes respectively), unlike a mr hippo in the first case. It also survives a +1 dragonium-z from latias, and takes basically nothing from electrium-z sets's ice beams. This mon is also not entirely helpless vs clerics unlike standard toxic mons, as while they can heal bell and wish all they like, they end up eating up their pp while doing nothing back to you in return.

Overall I have to say it's a great mon to have back in the tier, and this trapping set has definitely been my favourite. Serves far better as a defensive ground/water than swampert due to the water immunity and recovery, and definitely has a place in the tier. With two powerful immunities behind it, and amazing special bulk that lets it check most non grass type special attackers.

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Side point: really grateful to this week cause its made me discover how much i like mega blastoise haha