Project USUM UU Research Week v2 (On a break)

CashKP

CashKP

Alright I only got to play one day this week and I made it to 1502 and since decayed to like 1490 or something. To be totally honest I was struggling on ladder with Bisharp, really bad.

So I actually loved this thing. This was the set I used -
Shaymin @ Normalium Z
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Celebrate
- Seed Flare
- Dazzling Gleam
- Hidden Power [Fire]

As pretty much everyone already said Shaymin has pretty bad 4MSS but I didnt think it was too much of a problem. It's not really the type of sweeper you just slam on some random HO core and say okay well there a sweeper. It actually takes a lot of thinking to make sure you are using this thing the proper way. You need to build the team around it to cover it's biggest weakness (the move slots). I pretty much believe that dazzling gleam is 100% a staple. It almost always can hit something on the other team and tons of people just use dragons as their grass checks. So that being said, you have one free more slot to use whatever you want. Seems like the options are psychic/earth power/air slash/hidden power and you need to base that last coverage off the rest of your team and what mons you need this Shaymin to wear down or kill. On top of that I found that hazards really help net some of those KOs so a spikes are good and rocks obviously.

Besides that, the bulk of this thing is awesome after the boosts. It can actually take some hits and still be useful which is pretty cool and it gives more set up opportunities. I actually really liked using Z Shaymin and I think it's legitamtly pretty good and something I would try again in the future.


This mon is honestly bad. I remember when I used to play that Bisharp was a monster, killing literally everything with barley an answers. Now Bisharp is pretty lame and rocks Bisharp is complete and absolute trash. This is the set i had the most luck with

Bisharp @ Life Orb
Ability: Defiant
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Iron Head
- Sucker Punch
- Knock Off

I cant express in words how much I hated this thing. You cannot fit rocks on Bisharp, you just cant. You have to drop SD or pursuit, both of which are better than rocks. On top of that UU has a ton of really good rockers so why would I make my Bisharp garbage when I could use something good.

My two big points are that Bisharp just gets set up on by everything. I lost a way too many games because Bisharp cant do enough damage. Komo DDs in your face, Infenape NPs in your face. I even had a game where a regular defensive Altaria just DDed in my face while iron head did 30. I wanted to run taunt, I really think that would have been better than Sucker Punch.

Even worse than that is Bisharp cant even switch it on a lot of Defoggers. Rotom H could overheat or Will-o-wisp you, Moltres blows you away, Malt slams you, even Lati just dracos you and than switches out because you cant even fit pursuit because of rocks. Just sooo many negatives for getting up rocks, I dont see how it could ever be worth it.

I really wanted to try maybe a set with Taunt/Rocks/Pursuit/Iron Head but I'm sure even that would be bad probably. I also thought maybe some sort of scarf set might work like Pawniard runs in LC but I didnt have time to test them out. The only small success I would was just running classic HO but I even think any other Bisharp would have been better on that team.


So overall I was a huge fan of Shaymin and I hated Bisharp. I'm going to give ZShaymin a 4/5 and I will give Rocks Bisharp a 1/5
 

Darksafadao

best of the second options
Time's up for the second week! This is what the participants have brought to the table:

Z-Celebrate Shaymin: The most researched Pokemon of this week had some appreciation from the players, with some calling it the best omnibooster in the meta. However, it was also pointed out by most that it suffers from 4MSS as from picking a move it instantly loses important coverage, and as Moutemoute and I'm actually Cash said the teammates have to make up for the coverage it lacks. Also, the omniboost move has to be well-timed, as pointed out by I'm actually Cash, Rawbi and UnbecomingDuck. Relying on Seed Flare had mixed feelings as the RNG can make you miss your main move, as UnbecomingDuck says, but on the other hand it can make you break even easier through teams with some lucky SpDef drops, as Twilight states. Its bulk after setting up is highlighted by Rawbi and I'm actually Cash as it makes it harder to be revenge killed, the first one also praising its high speed after the boost. Scizorphobic finds it an interesting pick for teams that would like to have something like Celebi but fear Hydreigon.

Stealth Rock Bisharp: The researchers this week pretty much unilaterally viewed this as bad. Moutemoute, UnbecomingDuck and I'm actually Cash all think that it doesn't really have a niche, as the tier has better offensive rockers and even a better Dark-type rocker in Krookodile, and that it is a worse option than the other common Bisharp sets. Moutemoute was even unable to bring replays in which it shone. I'm actually Cash and Scizorphobic both mentioned common forms of hazard removal that can beat Bisharp easily. I'm actually Cash and UnbecomingDuck pointed out how it can't really fit rocks without forgoing great common moves that are seen on other Bisharp sets and how it hands out free setup turns to the opponent, especially if you forgo SD.

Work Up Primarina: Our contributors seem to have taken two routes on this one: Some tried a variation of the standard bulky set while others attempted a whole new type of approach from an offensive perspective. Twilight and Scizorphobic have tried a defensive variant with RestTalk and Moonblast. Twilight thinks it has potential, but Scizorphobic doesn't. They both agree it doesn't outclass the standard defensive set, and in many opportunities they wish they had the coverage Scald provides against Pokemon like Scizor. bukemon123 went with an offensive Work Up Life Orb set, and he states that although it doesn't bring with it the immediate power of Specs nor the ability to break through Blissey from the Metronome set, it can put in work once Blissey and Empoleon aren't around anymore. Moutemoute, who had already declared his appreciation for the bulky Work Up set, tried an offensive set as well and challenges the idea of it not breaking through Blissey: by making use of Work Up and Oceanic Operetta, it manages to be an interesting threat to stall - even to Blissey.

And after all of those, the winner of this week is Moutemoute, congrats!

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For this week we've picked the following Pokemon:



Durant @ Filler Item
Ability: Filler Ability
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Filler Nature
-
-
-
-



Kommo-o @ Choice Band
Ability: Filler Ability
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
-
-
-
-


Zeraora @ Filler Item
Ability: Volt Absorb
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Calm Mind
-
-
-

Durant faces some mean competition from Scizor as a Bug / Steel type, but it has some notable features over the S rank, which includes the more evident difference in speed and abilities. It may take research to uncover a full optimization of Durant's niche.

Kommo-o has found itself in a really good spot as of late, and was recently inducted into the A rank on the VR. Everyone is well aware of Kommo-o's prowess, and how its diversity and options make for a deadly pick --- everything from Specs to DD/BD and even Mixed has been explored, and they all have the ability to be effective in certain capacities. Now we shift our attention to the counterpart of Specs, and see what it has to offer.

Zeraora has settled in, more or less, comfortably since its arrival to UU in the October Tier Shifts. It's been quite awhile since those shifts, and Zeraora's exploration has been fruitful at times yet leaves us wanting more. A closer look into its CM set is overdue and we'd love to see what you guys can come up with.

The research lasts until next Sunday with USMRW3 alts, have fun with the new picks!
 
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Twilight

Twilight

is a Site Content Manageris a Top Team Rater Alumnusis a Social Media Contributor Alumnusis a Forum Moderator Alumnusis a Community Contributor Alumnusis a Smogon Discord Contributor Alumnusis a Tiering Contributor Alumnusis a Top Contributor Alumnus
Okay so I'm happy to be able to share my thoughts on these Pokemon because I feel like I tested them out enough to give a decent opinion on them. I played around 40 games this time, but if I get time I'll play some more later and try to update my peak using said sets. I initially only planned to use Durant and Kommo-o but DubFreaknakeeb passed me a Zera team so I decided to give it a go, though I had no intentions of playing nearly as many games with this one on the ladder. Once again I didn't go very high on the ladder as there is only so much time I have plus I don't have the brain capacity to handle it x)
rw3.PNG


Kommo-o @ Choice Band
Ability: Bulletproof
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Close Combat
- Outrage
- Poison Jab
- Ice Punch

Durant @ Fightinium Z
Ability: Hustle
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Hone Claws
- Iron Head
- Superpower
- Crunch

Altaria-Mega @ Altarianite
Ability: Natural Cure
Happiness: 0
EVs: 112 HP / 120 Atk / 100 Def / 176 Spe
Impish Nature
- Frustration
- Refresh
- Dragon Dance
- Roost

Krookodile @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 16 HP / 232 Atk / 8 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Knock Off
- Stone Edge
- Pursuit

Rotom-Heat @ Iapapa Berry
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 236 HP / 24 SpA / 248 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Overheat
- Toxic
- Defog
- Volt Switch

Empoleon @ Leftovers
Ability: Torrent
EVs: 252 HP / 76 Def / 180 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Stealth Rock
- Toxic
- Roar
So I used this team for a total of 18 games (won 15 lost 3) before I just became sick of using CB Kommo-o which is what I want to get into first, because imo this set sucks balls. There is absolutely no merit of using this set over the standard DD, SD and mixed sets w/ Z-Move or Life Orb. DD Kommo-o hits as hard as CB Kommo-o at +1 but you have the merit of also boosting your speed, you can nuke something even further with the use of a Z-move, and you have the ability to change up moves. The same thing for SD, you hit even harder than CB and you can actually pick up OHKOs on DD Malt and Togekiss after SR. Once again that set can also utilize a Z-move to nuke something even harder and has the freedom to change moves. Sure you can argue w/e your opponents initial switch-in is, it will get nuked hard but in most cases this is null when the 'check' is usually slower than Kommo-o anyways. There was absolutely no "surprise factor" with this set other than netting an OHKO on Specs Prima on the double or hitting the bulkier fairies harder than usual. You are then forced to double in most cases or you lose momentum if your opponent doubles, because being locked into P-Jab to catch Sylveon on the switch sucks. There was probably one game where it actually had a chance to do something otherwise I literally just sacked it whenever, as it was usually too slow to do anything against many offensive teams. While less of an issue, I feel like this set suffers from 4MSS compared to or at least harder than its other sets, where you either can't touch Pokemon like Doublade without Fire Punch or you are cucked by Gligar without Ice Punch. The other sets mitigate this with boosting moves + a Z-move while Mixed Clanger provides more utility support via SR and/or Taunt etc. While I never tried any other moves on CB Kommo-o I saw someone using Toxic and I know Phobic tried Stealth Rock at one point. The only good thing I can say about this set it how hard it can hit the Unaware mons in the tier. The set just needs so much unneccessary prediction for it to effectively work unlike the other sets mentioned. I probably would not use this set again and wouldn't recommend others to do so either.

Kommo-o @ Expert Belt / Life Orb
Ability: Bulletproof
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Clanging Scales
- Close Combat
- Flamethrower
- Poison Jab
Just to prove a point I even swapped out the CB Kommo-o on the original team for this set for another 8 games or so, and my god does it do so much more. All these things mentioned above just hurt the viability of this set so much imo (Yes I know it says E-belt Kommo-o I just felt like it ok). Yeah you do slightly less damage if you ran Life Orb on the set but the freedom to change up moves is just so much better for breaking shit, same goes for the other sets mentioned above.

http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7uu-842888060 - It didn't do anything other than keep forcing in Doublade. I was forced to keep doubling cos of it + Durant mvp

http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7uu-842900997 - Another game where this was as good as Kommo-o was gonna do + not risking going for Crunch against Celebi at the end cos of Hustle.
Anyway rant about CB Kommo-o is over so I'll get into Durant which was easily my fav Mon to use this week. I think Durant is actually really solid and has potential to be a strong breaker. Sure it is no Scizor which is able to switch into moves better, has recovery and priority etc. However Durant is actually able to break through Pokemon like Heatom and Moltres as well as mons like Cobalion easier thanks to its 109 Speed tier. Just the fact that it outspeeds the base 108 Mons is so nice as it alleviates the pressure from them. It better handles Celebi as well, because I ran into a few HP Fire Celebi on a previous team I tried with them seperately, + most Sciz can't handle a +2 Psychium-Z. People compare it a lot to Scizor in terms of what it does but I think it is niche enough to be set apart from it to a good extent.


Durant @ Fightinium Z
Ability: Hustle
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Hone Claws
- Iron Head
- Superpower
- Crunch

Durant @ Darkinium Z
Ability: Hustle
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Hone Claws
- Iron Head
- Superpower
- Crunch
So I tried two different sets one utilizing Darkinium-Z and the other Fightinium-Z. I used the Fight-Z set more to break through Steel types and Rotom-H without getting an Atk drop (+ I couldn't rely on Kommo-o) which is amazing for it to continue its breaking potential. Darkinium-Z came in handy when it came to breaking Amoonguss and Moltres with Z-Crunch. I never got the chance to use Z-Hone Claws to get the additional Atk Boost but that is also a merit of using that set. On both sets I ran Crunch as I think it is a lot nicer for dealing with Doublade and has good neautral coverage in general. Just like any Mon there are still issues with it, first off its ability Hustle has caused me to miss some crucial damage in certain games whether I won or lost in the process. So this does hurt it's reliablity, in some games I straight up didn't want to risk it and just chose to fire off my Z-Move to ensure dmg. While it is faster than the base 108s it still struggles against common scarfers in the tier like Krook and Hydreigon which can revenge kill it fairly easily (More so in Hydras case). It also has no access to priority to be able to beat or chip faster threats like Maero or Latias unless you are healthy enough to eat a hit. That is the next negative of Durant, it is pretty much paper with its low HP and SpD stats. It can't even switch into unboosted Latias Psychic for example as it drops to two after SR. While I never fully swept with it, it is capable of picking up one or two key OHKOs in most games, in general I really enjoyed using Durant and think it is definitely worth using.

http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7uu-842867108 - Durant did something

http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7uu-842890385 - Hustle being annoying and this was probs as good as CB Kommo-o was gonna get

http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7uu-843138546 - Most work Durant has done, Darkinium-Z set


Zeraora @ Fightinium Z
Ability: Volt Absorb
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Calm Mind
- Thunderbolt
- Focus Blast
- Grass Knot

Slowbro @ Slowbronite
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Block
- Scald
- Calm Mind / Toxic
- Rest

Amoonguss @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 176 Def / 72 SpD / 8 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Giga Drain
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Clear Smog
- Spore

Scizor @ Iron Plate
Ability: Technician
EVs: 152 HP / 252 Atk / 104 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Bullet Punch
- Knock Off
- Superpower

Moltres @ Sharp Beak
Ability: Flame Body
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Hurricane
- Fire Blast
- Roost
- Defog

Diancie @ Leftovers
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Sassy Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Heal Bell
- Diamond Storm
- Moonblast
Okay so I decided to play about 15 games with this team which DubFreaknakeeb passed me, it is pretty much the same except I used Bulky Knock Off Sciz and made Amoong more Phys Def. Otherwise it is the same squad so credit where it is due. So, I have pretty mixed feelings about this Zera set tbh, as it never really did much other than nuking Kommo-o which was most peoples go to switch-in (This was still a role after SR as there is a 50% chance it eats a Fight-Z if it isn't a -SpD nature). And this is kinda whatever because imo Kommo-o is pretty easy to handle and chip down but I won't overlook that it is a nice thing to be able to do. In terms of its sweeping potential it struggles a lot with Scarf Krookodile and faster threats like Maero which is why Shuca Berry and Adrenaline Orb have been used before, tho you miss out on the garuanteed OHKO on Krook because of Focus Miss. This set in particular is still walled by Latias, Malt and Gligar etc. making it hard for it to break in general with this set. Almost every set is walled by Malt so that is w/e but as for Latias and Gligar I personally love having some form of coverage for them whether it be HP Ice to 2OHKO Gligar & chip Lati or Knock Off to 2OHKO Lati & remove Eviolite from Gligar. It became incredibly difficult for this to do much work against popular balance builds using Gligar over Hippo. I think this set still struggles a lot with 4MSS like its other sets because without the ability to hit said Mons above or pivot with Volt Switch it struggles. Also not being able to properly touch Blissey is kinda annoying as you need to get +4 to even garuanteed OHKO that thing with a Z-move. It was helpful in some cases when it came to getting some garuanteed damage to put something in range for another member due to its amazing speed tier, otherwise I can't say it really shone for me. So I'd say it has potential but I think I still prefer its mixed set or even CB set when it comes to breaking.

http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7uu-843069537 - It kinda nuked Kommo-o even if it didn't get the OHKO

http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7uu-843453322 - Against a gimmicky team but w/e its like the best replay I have for it lol

​
That pretty much sums up my opinion on the sets, in short:
- Fck CB Kommo-o, if you want it to hit hard on the physical side just run DD or SD with a Z-move
- Durant is actually kinda clean tbh but yeah it does have its issues like all Mons. Many unexplored sets I never tried also.
- CM Zeraora was kinda meh, but I think it could have potential under the right circumstances. I don't see myself using it over its Mixed set tho

If I have time and feel like it, I'll play a few more games and try climb higher but I'm pretty positive x amount of games won't change my mindest on some of these sets. As usual it was fun building around some of these sets and trying em out on ladder ^_^
 
Nakeeb

Nakeeb

Twilight said:
Okay so I'm happy to be able to share my thoughts on these Pokemon because I feel like I tested them out enough to give a decent opinion on them. I played around 40 games this time, but if I get time I'll play some more later and try to update my peak using said sets. I initially only planned to use Durant and Kommo-o but DubFreaknakeeb passed me a Zera team so I decided to give it a go, though I had no intentions of playing nearly as many games with this one on the ladder. Once again I didn't go very high on the ladder as there is only so much time I have plus I don't have the brain capacity to handle it x)
View attachment 153480


Kommo-o @ Choice Band
Ability: Bulletproof
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Close Combat
- Outrage
- Poison Jab
- Ice Punch

Durant @ Fightinium Z
Ability: Hustle
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Hone Claws
- Iron Head
- Superpower
- Crunch

Altaria-Mega @ Altarianite
Ability: Natural Cure
Happiness: 0
EVs: 112 HP / 120 Atk / 100 Def / 176 Spe
Impish Nature
- Frustration
- Refresh
- Dragon Dance
- Roost

Krookodile @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 16 HP / 232 Atk / 8 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Knock Off
- Stone Edge
- Pursuit

Rotom-Heat @ Iapapa Berry
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 236 HP / 24 SpA / 248 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Overheat
- Toxic
- Defog
- Volt Switch

Empoleon @ Leftovers
Ability: Torrent
EVs: 252 HP / 76 Def / 180 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Stealth Rock
- Toxic
- Roar
So I used this team for a total of 18 games (won 15 lost 3) before I just became sick of using CB Kommo-o which is what I want to get into first, because imo this set sucks balls. There is absolutely no merit of using this set over the standard DD, SD and mixed sets w/ Z-Move or Life Orb. DD Kommo-o hits as hard as CB Kommo-o at +1 but you have the merit of also boosting your speed, you can nuke something even further with the use of a Z-move, and you have the ability to change up moves. The same thing for SD, you hit even harder than CB and you can actually pick up OHKOs on DD Malt and Togekiss after SR. Once again that set can also utilize a Z-move to nuke something even harder and has the freedom to change moves. Sure you can argue w/e your opponents initial switch-in is, it will get nuked hard but in most cases this is null when the 'check' is usually slower than Kommo-o anyways. There was absolutely no "surprise factor" with this set other than netting an OHKO on Specs Prima on the double or hitting the bulkier fairies harder than usual. You are then forced to double in most cases or you lose momentum if your opponent doubles, because being locked into P-Jab to catch Sylveon on the switch sucks. There was probably one game where it actually had a chance to do something otherwise I literally just sacked it whenever, as it was usually too slow to do anything against many offensive teams. While less of an issue, I feel like this set suffers from 4MSS compared to or at least harder than its other sets, where you either can't touch Pokemon like Doublade without Fire Punch or you are cucked by Gligar without Ice Punch. The other sets mitigate this with boosting moves + a Z-move while Mixed Clanger provides more utility support via SR and/or Taunt etc. While I never tried any other moves on CB Kommo-o I saw someone using Toxic and I know Phobic tried Stealth Rock at one point. The only good thing I can say about this set it how hard it can hit the Unaware mons in the tier. The set just needs so much unneccessary prediction for it to effectively work unlike the other sets mentioned. I probably would not use this set again and wouldn't recommend others to do so either.

Kommo-o @ Expert Belt / Life Orb
Ability: Bulletproof
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Clanging Scales
- Close Combat
- Flamethrower
- Poison Jab
Just to prove a point I even swapped out the CB Kommo-o on the original team for this set for another 8 games or so, and my god does it do so much more. All these things mentioned above just hurt the viability of this set so much imo (Yes I know it says E-belt Kommo-o I just felt like it ok). Yeah you do slightly less damage if you ran Life Orb on the set but the freedom to change up moves is just so much better for breaking shit, same goes for the other sets mentioned above.

http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7uu-842888060 - It didn't do anything other than keep forcing in Doublade. I was forced to keep doubling cos of it + Durant mvp

http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7uu-842900997 - Another game where this was as good as Kommo-o was gonna do + not risking going for Crunch against Celebi at the end cos of Hustle.
Anyway rant about CB Kommo-o is over so I'll get into Durant which was easily my fav Mon to use this week. I think Durant is actually really solid and has potential to be a strong breaker. Sure it is no Scizor which is able to switch into moves better, has recovery and priority etc. However Durant is actually able to break through Pokemon like Heatom and Moltres as well as mons like Cobalion easier thanks to its 109 Speed tier. Just the fact that it outspeeds the base 108 Mons is so nice as it alleviates the pressure from them. It better handles Celebi as well, because I ran into a few HP Fire Celebi on a previous team I tried with them seperately, + most Sciz can't handle a +2 Psychium-Z. People compare it a lot to Scizor in terms of what it does but I think it is niche enough to be set apart from it to a good extent.


Durant @ Fightinium Z
Ability: Hustle
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Hone Claws
- Iron Head
- Superpower
- Crunch

Durant @ Darkinium Z
Ability: Hustle
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Hone Claws
- Iron Head
- Superpower
- Crunch
So I tried two different sets one utilizing Darkinium-Z and the other Fightinium-Z. I used the Fight-Z set more to break through Steel types and Rotom-H without getting an Atk drop (+ I couldn't rely on Kommo-o) which is amazing for it to continue its breaking potential. Darkinium-Z came in handy when it came to breaking Amoonguss and Moltres with Z-Crunch. I never got the chance to use Z-Hone Claws to get the additional Atk Boost but that is also a merit of using that set. On both sets I ran Crunch as I think it is a lot nicer for dealing with Doublade and has good neautral coverage in general. Just like any Mon there are still issues with it, first off its ability Hustle has caused me to miss some crucial damage in certain games whether I won or lost in the process. So this does hurt it's reliablity, in some games I straight up didn't want to risk it and just chose to fire off my Z-Move to ensure dmg. While it is faster than the base 108s it still struggles against common scarfers in the tier like Krook and Hydreigon which can revenge kill it fairly easily (More so in Hydras case). It also has no access to priority to be able to beat or chip faster threats like Maero or Latias unless you are healthy enough to eat a hit. That is the next negative of Durant, it is pretty much paper with its low HP and SpD stats. It can't even switch into unboosted Latias Psychic for example as it drops to two after SR. While I never fully swept with it, it is capable of picking up one or two key OHKOs in most games, in general I really enjoyed using Durant and think it is definitely worth using.

http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7uu-842867108 - Durant did something

http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7uu-842890385 - Hustle being annoying and this was probs as good as CB Kommo-o was gonna get

http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7uu-843138546 - Most work Durant has done, Darkinium-Z set


Zeraora @ Fightinium Z
Ability: Volt Absorb
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Calm Mind
- Thunderbolt
- Focus Blast
- Grass Knot

Slowbro @ Slowbronite
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Block
- Scald
- Calm Mind / Toxic
- Rest

Amoonguss @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 176 Def / 72 SpD / 8 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Giga Drain
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Clear Smog
- Spore

Scizor @ Iron Plate
Ability: Technician
EVs: 152 HP / 252 Atk / 104 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Bullet Punch
- Knock Off
- Superpower

Moltres @ Sharp Beak
Ability: Flame Body
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Hurricane
- Fire Blast
- Roost
- Defog

Diancie @ Leftovers
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Sassy Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Heal Bell
- Diamond Storm
- Moonblast
Okay so I decided to play about 15 games with this team which DubFreaknakeeb passed me, it is pretty much the same except I used Bulky Knock Off Sciz and made Amoong more Phys Def. Otherwise it is the same squad so credit where it is due. So, I have pretty mixed feelings about this Zera set tbh, as it never really did much other than nuking Kommo-o which was most peoples go to switch-in (This was still a role after SR as there is a 50% chance it eats a Fight-Z if it isn't a -SpD nature). And this is kinda whatever because imo Kommo-o is pretty easy to handle and chip down but I won't overlook that it is a nice thing to be able to do. In terms of its sweeping potential it struggles a lot with Scarf Krookodile and faster threats like Maero which is why Shuca Berry and Adrenaline Orb have been used before, tho you miss out on the garuanteed OHKO on Krook because of Focus Miss. This set in particular is still walled by Latias, Malt and Gligar etc. making it hard for it to break in general with this set. Almost every set is walled by Malt so that is w/e but as for Latias and Gligar I personally love having some form of coverage for them whether it be HP Ice to 2OHKO Gligar & chip Lati or Knock Off to 2OHKO Lati & remove Eviolite from Gligar. It became incredibly difficult for this to do much work against popular balance builds using Gligar over Hippo. I think this set still struggles a lot with 4MSS like its other sets because without the ability to hit said Mons above or pivot with Volt Switch it struggles. Also not being able to properly touch Blissey is kinda annoying as you need to get +4 to even garuanteed OHKO that thing with a Z-move. It was helpful in some cases when it came to getting some garuanteed damage to put something in range for another member due to its amazing speed tier, otherwise I can't say it really shone for me. So I'd say it has potential but I think I still prefer its mixed set or even CB set when it comes to breaking.

http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7uu-843069537 - It kinda nuked Kommo-o even if it didn't get the OHKO

http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7uu-843453322 - Against a gimmicky team but w/e its like the best replay I have for it lol

​
That pretty much sums up my opinion on the sets, in short:
- Fck CB Kommo-o, if you want it to hit hard on the physical side just run DD or SD with a Z-move
- Durant is actually kinda clean tbh but yeah it does have its issues like all Mons. Many unexplored sets I never tried also.
- CM Zeraora was kinda meh, but I think it could have potential under the right circumstances. I don't see myself using it over its Mixed set tho

If I have time and feel like it, I'll play a few more games and try climb higher but I'm pretty positive x amount of games won't change my mindest on some of these sets. As usual it was fun building around some of these sets and trying em out on ladder ^_^
Click to expand...
I feel like the zeraora set could've been wayy better, fuck the 4mss it has!
 
Daiyaga

Daiyaga

Did around 50 games with durant, so I felt like I should share my thoughts on it before focusing on CB Kommo-o (also if I don't do it now I'll probably forget).
rating.PNG
I used mainly 2 sets on Durant, Hone Claws + 3 Attacks and CB (I also used an All-out Attacker set a bit, but it's basically the CB set with a LO instead)
Durant @ Choice Band
Ability: Hustle
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- X-Scissor
- Iron Head
- Rock Slide
- Superpower
Durant @ Life Orb
Ability: Hustle
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- X-Scissor
- Iron Head
- Rock Slide
- Superpower
Durant @ Fightinium Z
Ability: Hustle
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Hone Claws
- X-Scissor
- Superpower
- Rock Slide

Durant @ Choice Band
Ability: Hustle
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- X-Scissor
- Iron Head
- Rock Slide
- Superpower

Mienshao @ Assault Vest
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 100 HP / 156 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- High Jump Kick
- Knock Off
- U-turn
- Fake Out

Zeraora @ Life Orb
Ability: Volt Absorb
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Plasma Fists
- Close Combat
- Knock Off
- Grass Knot

Hydreigon @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Dark Pulse
- Draco Meteor
- Flamethrower
- U-turn

Hippowdon @ Leftovers
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 HP / 80 Def / 176 SpD
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Slack Off
- Toxic

Tentacruel @ Black Sludge
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 252 HP / 112 Def / 144 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Rapid Spin
- Haze
- Sludge Bomb
Aurorus @ Focus Sash
Ability: Snow Warning
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Stealth Rock
- Freeze-Dry
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Encore

Sandslash-Alola @ Light Clay
Ability: Slush Rush
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Aurora Veil
- Rapid Spin
- Icicle Crash
- Knock Off

Durant @ Fightinium Z
Ability: Hustle
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Hone Claws
- X-Scissor
- Superpower
- Rock Slide

Linoone @ Figy Berry
Ability: Gluttony
EVs: 148 HP / 248 Atk / 8 Def / 88 SpD / 16 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Belly Drum
- Extreme Speed
- Stomping Tantrum
- Seed Bomb

Doublade @ Eviolite
Ability: No Guard
EVs: 240 HP / 252 Atk / 16 SpD
Brave Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Swords Dance
- Gyro Ball
- Shadow Claw
- Shadow Sneak

Kommo-o @ Salac Berry
Ability: Soundproof
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Substitute
- Belly Drum
- Drain Punch
- Shadow Claw
Durant @ Choice Band
Ability: Hustle
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- X-Scissor
- Iron Head
- Superpower
- Rock Slide

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

Mienshao @ Assault Vest
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 100 HP / 156 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- High Jump Kick
- Knock Off
- U-turn
- Fake Out

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

Empoleon @ Leftovers
Ability: Torrent
EVs: 252 HP / 76 Def / 180 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Defog
- Toxic
- Protect

Manectric-Mega @ Manectite
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Thunderbolt
- Volt Switch
- Flamethrower
- Toxic
Let's get to the negatives first : Durant lacks any kind of defensive utility whatsoever because of its extremely low HP and SpD stats. It made it really awkward to build around, as you're basically carrying a steel-type that has none of the defensive utility you would expect from a steel-type. Hustle's accuracy drop is terrible, and it put me in some really weird situations, like having Durant lose to Celebi or Hydreigon when they should just die on the spot. Finally, it has a hardcore competitor in UU's king, Scizor, which shares its typing while having much better defensive utility and providing a lot more to the team, with access to pursuit, knock off, U-turn and Bullet Punch.

But despite all of this, Durant has actually been pretty good when I used it. Not great, but it definitely put in some work every time it came on the field. And that's because it actually beats some common checks to Scizor (like Cobalion, Infernape, Moltres, Amoonguss, Rotom-H, Chesnaught, Aggron-Mega and Steelix-Mega) thanks to a superior attack stat (with Hustle's boost, Cobalion is OHKO'd, Aggron-M and Steelix-M are 2HKO'd with good rolls by CB Superpower), access to rock-type coverage (OHKO on both Rotom and Moltres), and a decent base 109 speed (outspeeds Cobalion and Nape, and they both die to Superpower). In other words, Scizor existing actually makes Durant good as a mon that can abuse common counterplay to its Bug/Steel compatriot.

252 Atk Choice Band Hustle Durant Superpower vs. 248 HP / 8 Def Filter Aggron-Mega: 186-219 (54.2 - 63.8%)
-1 252 Atk Choice Band Hustle Durant Superpower vs. 248 HP / 8 Def Filter Aggron-Mega: 123-145 (35.8 - 42.2%)
sum of the two makes 90-106%
252 Atk Choice Band Hustle Durant Superpower vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Cobalion: 418-492 (129.4 - 152.3%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252 Atk Choice Band Hustle Durant Superpower vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Infernape: 341-402 (116.3 - 137.2%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252 Atk Choice Band Hustle Durant Iron Head vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Infernape: 171-201 (58.3 - 68.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 Atk Choice Band Hustle Durant Iron Head vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Moltres: 141-167 (43.9 - 52%) -- 14.1% chance to 2HKO
252 Atk Choice Band Hustle Durant Rock Slide vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Moltres: 708-836 (220.5 - 260.4%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252 Atk Choice Band Hustle Durant Rock Slide vs. 236 HP / 0 Def Rotom-Heat: 306-362 (102 - 120.6%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252 Atk Choice Band Hustle Durant Iron Head vs. 252 HP / 184 Def Amoonguss: 276-325 (63.8 - 75.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Black Sludge recovery
252 Atk Choice Band Hustle Durant Iron Head vs. 248 HP / 252+ Def Chesnaught: 162-192 (42.7 - 50.6%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
252 Atk Choice Band Hustle Durant Superpower vs. 252 HP / 56+ Def Steelix-Mega: 218-258 (61.5 - 72.8%)
-1 252 Atk Choice Band Hustle Durant Superpower vs. 252 HP / 56+ Def Steelix-Mega: 146-174 (41.2 - 49.1%)
(double Superpower on MLix deals at the very least 102%)
252 Atk Life Orb Hustle Durant Superpower vs. 248 HP / 8 Def Filter Aggron-Mega: 162-191 (47.2 - 55.6%)
-1 252 Atk Life Orb Hustle Durant Superpower vs. 248 HP / 8 Def Filter Aggron-Mega: 107-127 (31.1 - 37%)
double LO Superpower never kills M-Aggron
252 Atk Life Orb Hustle Durant Superpower vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Cobalion: 361-426 (111.7 - 131.8%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252 Atk Life Orb Hustle Durant Superpower vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Infernape: 296-350 (101 - 119.4%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252 Atk Life Orb Hustle Durant Iron Head vs. 236 HP / 0 Def Rotom-Heat: 52-62 (17.3 - 20.6%)
252 Atk Life Orb Hustle Durant Rock Slide vs. 236 HP / 0 Def Rotom-Heat: 265-315 (88.3 - 105%) -- 31.3% chance to OHKO (dies to any move + rock slide)
252 Atk Life Orb Hustle Durant Iron Head vs. 252 HP / 184 Def Amoonguss: 239-282 (55.3 - 65.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Black Sludge recovery
252 Atk Life Orb Hustle Durant Superpower vs. 252 HP / 56+ Def Steelix-Mega: 190-226 (53.6 - 63.8%)
-1 252 Atk Life Orb Hustle Durant Superpower vs. 252 HP / 56+ Def Steelix-Mega: 127-151 (35.8 - 42.6%)
Double LO Superpower deals 89.4- 106.4% (around 40% chance to kill i think)
From what I've tested, Hone Claws was really weird to use, as Durant really struggles to find setup opportunities, and even when it does, I always felt like nuking the mon coming in with a CB Iron Head was a better idea. It worked decently well in Veil as it gave Durant the bulk to setup and take a few hits, but it still dies to Scarf Hydra's Flamethrower/Fire blast so ... (also most of the time I felt like setting another mon up was a better idea)

All-out attacker was my preferred set, but then the accuracy problem kicks back in. Also choosing between LO's ability to switch moves and CB's superior power was pretty annoying.

The only replays I actually saved 'cause I'm dumb af and forgot to save more:
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7uu-843479325 - one of the times where missing a hit with Durant put me in danger
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7uu-843270114 - my opp let me setup on reuni fsr, but I think that's the kind of team that Hone Claws Durant can really mess up
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7uu-843189650 - Durant basically kills everything once Gligar's eviolite is knocked off (rocks helped too, but even without them I could just predict a switch on Moltres and throw a Rock Slide - assuming it hits)

tl;dr Durant is pretty good as a glass cannon and benefits from Scizor's presence as there are a few threats to Scizor that Durant can easily take care of. Accuracy is an issue though, but if you don't mind it then it's a pretty interesting pick in the current metagame.

EDIT : ok I'm done with CB Kommo-o. I played like 10 games with it, I hated building around it, I hated playing it, and there's litteraly nothing it did that the other sets couldn't have done, and it didn't even put that much work anyway. It mainly came from a surprisingly low damage output (doesn't get the guaranteed OHKO on 0HP Zor smh), a need for predictions to work correctly, and the metagame being used to clanger's presence making its STABs (especially Outrage) hard to spam. Also its coverage moves are weak af, so even if you predict your opponent switching on its Fairy, CB Kommo-o barely 2HKOes them with Poison Jab, meaning you'll actually have to predict several times to get rid of things that prevent you from spamming your STABs. SD Clanger is better to smash fat teams, DD is much better against offense (because, y'know, it actually outspeeds stuff), and SR + Taunt is much better as a whole (supports the team with SR, still hits decently hard, doesn't get walled by anything bulky on the physical side, has access to taunt to mess with said walls)

Kommo-o @ Choice Band
Ability: Overcoat
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Close Combat
- Outrage
- Poison Jab
- Ice Punch

Slowbro-Mega @ Slowbronite
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpA
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Future Sight
- Ice Beam
- Slack Off

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

Nihilego @ Electrium Z
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Stealth Rock
- Sludge Wave
- Grass Knot
- Thunder

Rotom-Heat @ Iapapa Berry
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 236 HP / 24 SpA / 248 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Volt Switch
- Overheat
- Defog
- Thunder Wave

Scizor @ Choice Band
Ability: Technician
EVs: 164 HP / 252 Atk / 92 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Bullet Punch
- U-turn
- Pursuit
- Superpower

Pretty straight forward, Future Sight Bro + a fighting-type is a cool combination so I went with that; Nihilego provides rocks, some speed control and a special sponge; Krook provides an electric immunity and Pursuit support; Rotom provides more speed control by paralyzing stuff like Hydra and Latias, Defog support and Volt Switch to bring Kommo-o in; finally, Scizor provides more pivoting, speed and more pursuit support, and gives me something else that can come in on Draco Meteors instead of having to rely solely on Nihilego. Kinda ironically, SR + Taunt Clanger is a pain for this squad.
Don't have replays of it 'cause either the matches were utter garbage, or Kommo-o did nothing spectacular (fought some random stall on the ladder twice, and while kommo-o definitely put somework, the mixed set would have been much, much better).

tl;dr CB Kommo-o is terrible, probably the worst set I used on Clanger, and gods knows I tried some weird shit on it (Z-Belly Drum + Autotomize is better than CB, don't @ me). It does nothing its more standard sets can't do, and has more shortcomings than said standard sets.
 
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Moutemoute

Moutemoute

is a Community Contributoris a Top Tiering Contributoris a Tutor Alumnusis a Site Content Manager Alumnusis a Top Social Media Contributor Alumnusis a Forum Moderator Alumnusis a Contributor Alumnusis a Smogon Media Contributor Alumnusis a Past SCL Champion
Alright folks, time to give my opinion for the week 3 of Research Week. I tried my best to grind the Ladder, my goal was to reach at least 1600 of Elo and 80% of GXE but it was too tough for me this week. I've done around 75 games and I was able to reach 1600 Elo with some teams that I will introduce you later. I've done around 15 games with Choice Band Kommo-o, 20 games with Calm Mind Zeraora and more than 35 with Durant. In my opinion, the 3 Pokemon of this week weren't as good as the previous week and just as I did last week, I'm gonna talk about those Pokemon starting with the worst of them and ending with the best in my opinion.

USMRW3.png


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Choice Band Kommo-o - A good idea in theory :

Choice Band Kommo-o is in my opinion the worst Pokemon we got so far this week. On the paper, Choice Band Kommo-o seems interesting since it has a good Attack, a good Bulk and a really nice Movepool which allows it to hit effectively a huge majority of the tier. However it's really hard to play with it and it forces you to win a ton of 50/50 if you want it to be effective which definitively sucks. Also, I don't see any reason to play Kommo-o with Choice Band since it has access to both Swords Dance and Dragon Dance which are definitively better and allow Kommo-o to run another item like a Z-Crystal. Also, the only niche I can see with Choice Band Kommo-o is that it can 2HKO both Quagsire and Alomomola after Stealth Rock while also being able to pressure Altaria-Mega and Gligar with Poison Jab and Ice Punch. Unfortunately, it needs to run an Adamant nature to ensure the 2HKO on Alomomola which means it will globally be to slow. Also, Mixed Stealh Rocks Kommo-o can also pressure Quagsire and Alomomola while still being able to bring some support to the team thanks to Stealth Rock and Taunt. I do believe that there isn't a real reason to run Choice Band on Kommo-o because all its others sets are way better.


Kommo-o @ Choice Band
Ability: Overcoat
EVs: 16 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 236 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Outrage
- Close Combat
- Poison Jab
- Ice Punch

Empoleon @ Leftovers
Ability: Torrent
EVs: 248 HP / 76 Def / 184 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Stealth Rock
- Toxic
- Protect
- Scald

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

Latias @ Electrium Z
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Calm Mind
- Psychic
- Thunder
- Ice Beam

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

Rotom-Heat @ Iapapa Berry
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 236 HP / 20 SpA / 4 SpD / 248 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Defog
- Toxic
- Volt Switch
- Overheat
This is the team I used with Choice Band Kommo-o. The EVs spread on Kommo-o allows it to outspeed Jolly Bisharp while being able to hit as hard as possible. Thanks to its sheer power, Kommo-o can weaken Pokemon for Scizor / Latias. Latias is used to weaken Suicune or Alomomola which can be annoying for both Kommo-o and Scizor. I opted for Psychic over Recover because it allows Latias to pressure Mamoswine but Also Rotom-Heat for Scizor. Empoleon is my Stealth Rocks setter and my best Fairy check, it can handle Primarina while Rotom-Heat is my Defogger and bring Momentum with Scizor's U-Turn which gives more opportunities for Kommo-o to pressure the opponent's Pokemon. Last but not least, Choice Scarf Krookodile brings an Electrik immunity to the team and a nice Revenge Killer which can deal with Latias.

Replay : I don't have any replays which shows Choice Band Kommo-o actually putting some work

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Calm Mind Zeraora - The 4 MSS pushed to the limit :

Now let's talk about Calm Mind Zeraora. Unlike Choice Band Kommo-o, Calm Mind Zeraora is in my opinion a pretty clean set of Zeraora and can be really effective if it has enough support. However Zeraora in one of those Pokemon which already have an annoying 4 MSS and its Calm Mind set has an ever worst 4 MSS due to Calm Mind which takes a slot on its moveset. With that in my mind, you have to choose between Grass Knot, Hidden Power [Ice] or Focus Blast (since Thunderbolt is mandatory) and for me, this is the first problem with Zeraora's Calm Mind set. Without Grass Knot you will struggle vs Hippowdon, Swampert or Quagsire while without Hidden Power [Ice], Zeraora can't beat Gligar and most Dragon types like Latias, Hydreigon, Altaria-Mega and Kommo-o. Finally, without Focus Blast, Zeraora can't beat at all Blissey (and Kyurem in a lesser extent). This 4 MSS is trully a pain in the ass because depending of Zeraora's moveset, there is some MU which are going to be good while other will be bad as fuck. The second issue with Calm Mind Zeraora is that it struggles to find opportunities to Setup. One of the big advantage of Zeraora is that it has an incredible Movepool which allows it to pressure a lot of Pokemon every time it comes on the field. With Calm Mind Zeraora, you often need to Setup it you want it to be effective which means you can lost a shit ton of Momentum while doing that. At first, I tried Calm Mind Z-Focus Blast Zeraora but this set wasn't good at all in my opinion and Zeraora was way too easy to Revenge Kill so I decided to opt for Calm Mind Shuca Berry without Focus Blast which allows Zeraora to deal more easily with Choice Scarf Krookodile or Aerodactyl-Mega.


Zeraora @ Shuca Berry
Ability: Volt Absorb
EVs: 64 HP / 252 SpA / 192 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Calm Mind
- Thunderbolt
- Grass Knot
- Hidden Power [Ice]

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

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

Tentacruel @ Black Sludge
Ability: Liquid Ooze
EVs: 248 HP / 244 Def / 16 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Rapid Spin
- Haze
- Scald
- Sludge Wave

Gligar @ Eviolite
Ability: Immunity
EVs: 248 HP / 156 Def / 104 SpD
Impish Nature
IVs: 29 Spe
- Stealth Rock
- Roost
- Earthquake
- U-turn

Infernape @ Firium Z / Fightinium Z
Ability: Blaze
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Nasty Plot
- Fire Blast
- Vacuum Wave
- Grass Knot / Focus Blast
This is the team I've been using. Nasty Plot Infernape is a pretty nice teammate for Calm Mind Zeraora because it can pressure Amoonguss or Blissey (depending if it's Firium Z or Fightinium Z) for its teammate. Choice Scarf Krookodile is a really cool partner because it can trap Latias which can check both Zeraora and Infernape. Sludge Wave Tentacruel is my soft check to Primarina and my Rapid Spinner while Gligar is my Stealth Rocks setter. It also bring Momentum with Scizor thanks to their U-Turn. Scizor acts as my Late Game Sweeper and likes the fact that Infernape can weaken Steel types while Zeraora pressures most Water types and check to a certain extent (with Krookodile and Gligar) Manectric-Mega.

Replay :

• Zeraora put a bit of pressure on the opponent's team by removing Swampert for Scizor. It also finish Moltres
• Zeraora was able to KO Hippowdon + Magneton and also weaken Stoutland which allows Scizor to clean the game
• Zeraora was able to KO Jellicent which open doors for Scizor in the late game
• Zeraora removed Swampert + Gengar and also weaken Manectric-Mega which helps Scizor to clean the game more easily

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Durant - Hit or miss :

Finally let's talk about Durant which is in my opinion the best Pokemon we got so far this week. In my opinion, Durant is an underrated Pokemon which is in the shadow of Scizor even if they don't perform the same role. Indeed, even if they share the same typing they don't have the same role at all. On one side, Scizor is a really good Pivot and an insanely good Late Game Sweeper thanks to Swords Dance and Bullet Punch whereas on the other side Durant performs its role of breaker perfectly. I definitively think that Durant is a better breaker than Scizor thanks to Hustle and the fact that it has a better Speed Tier which allows it to pressure and/or Revenge Kill Pokemon like Cobalion, Celebi, Rotom-Heat, Moltres, Bisharp or Kommo-o. I've been using some variants of Hone Claws Durant with Z-Dig + 2 STABs or Iron Head + Crunch + Z-Superpower and it was pleasant to see that Durant has definitively a good niche on this tier. However, even if Hustle is a really nice ability which allows Durant to hit like a truck it also has a drawback which is the loss of precision which almost force you to use Hone Claws if you don't want to rely on an inaccurate move.


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

Durant @ Fightinium Z / Groundium Z
Ability: Hustle
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Hone Claws
- Iron Head
- Superpower / X-Scissor
- Crunch / Dig

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

Latias @ Choice Specs
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Healing Wish
- Draco Meteor
- Psyshock
- Thunderbolt

Tentacruel @ Black Sludge
Ability: Liquid Ooze
EVs: 248 HP / 244 Def / 16 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Rapid Spin
- Haze
- Scald
- Sludge Wave

Diancie @ Leftovers
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 SpD
Sassy Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Toxic
- Diamond Storm
- Moonblast

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

Durant @ Fightinium Z / Groundium Z
Ability: Hustle
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Hone Claws
- Iron Head
- Superpower / X-Scissor
- Crunch / Dig


Hydreigon @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- U-turn
- Dark Pulse
- Draco Meteor
- Fire Blast

Latias @ Choice Specs
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Healing Wish
- Draco Meteor
- Psyshock
- Thunderbolt

Tentacruel @ Black Sludge
Ability: Liquid Ooze
EVs: 248 HP / 244 Def / 16 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Rapid Spin
- Haze
- Scald
- Sludge Wave

Diancie @ Leftovers
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 SpD
Sassy Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Toxic / Hidden Power [Fire]
- Diamond Storm
- Moonblast
This is the team I've been using with Durant. There is two variants of it with Krookodile or Hydreigon. Krookodile's one has a better MU vs Manectric-Mega (and Latias to a certain extent) while Hydreigon's one can handle more easily Choice Scarf Krookodile. The aim of the team is to use Durant to break Pokemon like Empoleon, Tentacruel, Aggron/Steelix-Mega, Doublade, Moltres or Rotom-Heat which opens doors for Swords Dance Iron Plate Scizor. In both teams, Krookodile/Hydreigon act as my Revenge Killer. Krookodile is also a really nice Pursuit Trapper while Hydreigon is a fast Pivot. Tentacruel is my Rapid Spinner while Diancie is my main answer to Dragon types (especially Hydreigon and Kommo-o). It's also my Stealth Rock setter. Finally, I brought Choice Specs Latias from Week 1 and it's a fun Pokemon to use. Its main goal is to spam its STABs to weaken the opponent's team for its teammates. I've devided to run Thunderbolt to hit Empoleon and Steel types which helps Scizor in the back. As usual, Healing Wish is there for the support.

Replay :

• Durant breaks the majority of the opponent's team
• Durant vs a Semi-Stall / Stall without Unaware's user

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tl;dr :

• There is almost no reason to play Choice Band Kommo-o. Its others sets are way better, effective and fearsome. This set forcing you to make a lot of 50/50 and mindgames. It's most of the time not worth it.
• Calm Mind Zeraora can be effective if it has some support. However, this set has an even worst 4 MSS than its other sets and may struggles to be effective since it needs to Setup to be as fearsome as possible.
• Durant is an underrated Pokemon which can act as a powerful breaker thanks to Hustle + Hone Claws + Z-Crystal. Unfortunately, without the boost of accuracy of Hone Claws, it has to rely on inaccurate moves which can be a problem in certain situations where you need to hit the foes.
 
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