Introduction
Hello! This was a labor of love, created as I worked on teams for the Hackmons Premier League, I never used this team because it was incredibly similar to many other teams I've used in the past, and I've been trying to branch out and try different teamcomps. However this team holds a special place in my heart as a showcase of some of my favorite sets and Pokemon. It's a balance team focusing on keeping hazards up with Mray and dialga to allow mmx to eventually break down enemy defensive walls. I had a lot of fun building, testing, (and now writing!) about this team, and wanted to share it. So here you go!Teambuilding process:
The team started with mold breaker 
, I really wanted to make this work, but I didn't want to do another shell smash sweeper, and wanted something that could get a cheeky ko on already setup sweepers, so scarf was used over band. I didn't find the lack of damage to be a concern in test games, but if you want to use this team yourself and don't like needing heavy hazard + chip support to pick up ko's, then band would be fine.From there I added my favorite revenge killer, Gale wings
. This set picks up ko's on a majority of the metagame at -1 spd from shell smash, or just straight up ko's outright on some. Taunt + spikes can apply incredible amounts of pressure to defensive team compositions, as they can't bring out a sweeper/huge power pokemon to absorb taunt without the threat of it simply dying to Oblivion wing or hitting themself with chatter.
came 4th, but I placed it 3rd in the teamcomp because I felt it was more important than the Stag MMX in a majority of matchups. Dialga is great when running magic bounce, able to comfortably take oblivion wings from Mega Ray, Chatters, Moonblast from defensive xern, Boomburst/judgement from Arceus, and anything that isn't secret sword from specs MMY.The team was looking like it struggled to Latios-Mega and some substitute or quiver dance sweepers, so mixed STag
was slotted to wipe the floor with just about any sweeper. This thing is a monster when it comes to sweepers, so it was a no brainer on a team with great pivot control and decent item removal. The only worry is if they get a sub up, at which point you're in a bad spot.Next the team needed at least one wonder guard to not lose to fakespeed, since nothing on the team likes an extreme speed/boomburst from diancie. I chose
because it is The best wonder guard in to format, and used it over Blissey because I felt that I wanted a little bit more guaranteed counterplay to imposter on the team. Maud is great at slowpivoting, which this team appreciates.Finally, I wanted a guaranteed counter to Pdon. I had good counterplay to most other sweepers at this point besides Mgar or zekrom, so I wanted a good physical wall that wouldn't lose to ghost moves. And arceus was honestly really perfect here. shoring up Maud's Mgar weakness, meaning that Mgar was mostly covered. It also easily lives a +2 thousand arrows from groudon-primal, and Pheal means I guarantee to block it out, as I can't lose to random sleep turns.
The Team
“The Commonwealth of Venice in their armory have this inscription: 'Happy is that city which in time of peace thinks of war.'”
—Robert Burton
Venetian Arsenal (Mewtwo-Mega-X) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Turboblaze
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- U-turn
- Knock Off
- Close Combat
- Poison Jab
This was the starting idea for the team. MMX's absurd 190 attack stat means that it will be a (mostly) threatening presence whenever it comes out, and with decent defenses to shore it up, I was really excited about this set. The idea to have pivoting + item removal as the core concept came from Berry, so kudos to them. MMX has a few fairly common weaknesses in ghost, fairy, and flying, however it resists stealth rock, and has decent stab, although it probably won't be used as much as the other three moves... Choice scarf is run to outspeed almost the entire tier, like +2 Pdon (which needs near max speed investment to try and outspeed), or opposing Stag Pdon. Adamant nature is to deal a little more damage to opponents, since mmx does not use it's special attack on this set, there wasn't really a better option. I decided to not run more bulk, and instead opted to go all in on speed so I could outpivot Beedrill-mega. This set is imposter proofed by rayquaza-mega.
Move descs:
U-Turn - Pretty obvious. This capitalizes on the switches MMX forces while allowing it to deal chip damage. This was going to be on the set no matter what.
Knock Off - really useful item remover. it enables stag mmx to more effectively pressure sweepers if it somehow gets it off on them, deals good damage to giratina, threatens opposing wg's weak to the moves stag is running, helps break Pheal walls on more defensive teams. This move does it all.
Close Combat - strong stab move that isn't reliant on weight, is 100% accurate, and doesn't deal recoil? Sign me up! This is probably what you click when you have 3 spikes and rocks up on your opponent, it's going to hit hard, and you can bluff Koff/U-turn to make decisions harder for them.
Poison Jab: screw fairies, all my homies hate fairies. Xern and Maud really dislike this move, while it doesn't outright ohko (or sometimes 2hko), it applies good pressure to switch, often meaning you can go another turn where they can't get a defog off.
“Down through its history, only three people have managed to silence the Maracana: the Pope, Frank Sinatra, and me.”
—Alcides Ghiggia, Uruguayan soccer player
Estádio (de Maracanã) (Rayquaza-Mega) @ Life Orb
Ability: Gale Wings
EVs: 248 HP / 252 SpA / 8 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Oblivion Wing
- Chatter
- Taunt
- Spikes
Estadio is arguably the best revenger, outclassed by probably only Diancie-Mega. But here is where I get to explain the first name! I chose this name because ray is just unfun to play against, hence, a stadium both famous for it's size and glory, but also steeped in rivalry. Rayquaza applies immense pressure to both offensive and defensive pokemon alike. With LO boosted Oblivion wing or chatter shredding offenses, and rayquaza's great typing and bulk meaning it can take an unboosted knock off, scald, or chatter from defensive walls to taunt them, force progress with spikes, or then heal that damage back if they're flying weak. Rayquaza runs LO over something like specs or sky plate to minimize necessary chip on opposing sweepers and removing the disadvantage that comes from incorrectly predicting a sweeper to stay in, while also picking up ko's that sky plate doesn't. Ray doesn't need speed, so most of the ev's went into maximizing it's longevity and damage. Modest means it takes less from foul play, while 8 speed means It speedcreeps opposing gale wings dittos. This set is imposter proofed by dialga + Maud, however Maud is a shakier check, as it gets hard pressured by taunt.
Move descs:
Oblivion Wing - I went special over physical because this move doesn't have the drawbacks of some of the strong physical flying moves, while also having decent PP, healing power, and 100% accuracy. I went with this over aeroblast to not have to worry about PP being an issue over the course of a battle, and to also offer rayquaza some healing without sacrificing another move or an item.
Chatter - my least favorite move in the game, and probably one of the best. 60bp, bypasses sub, inflicts confusion which is a broken 50% chance to hit yourself this generation, and is 100% accurate with a spammable amount of PP. This move takes the set from good to great. With it bypassing the one move that normally means sweepers are safer from retribution.
Taunt - Applies heavy pressure on opposing defensive walls, punishes switchins, and can make progress if you capitalize on the switchout.
spikes - More progress! Because you can almost always safely taunt their defogger, spikes are going to stay up when you're on the field.
Other options include - toxic, other forms of hazards, spore, aeroblast, feather dance, roost, dragon ascent for qd ray or Mlatios.
“I ought to be jealous of the tower. She is more famous than I am.”
—Gustave Eiffel
Eiffel Tower (Dialga) @ Shed Shell
Ability: Magic Bounce
EVs: 248 HP / 4 SpA / 252 SpD
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Draco Meteor
- Spikes
- Milk Drink
- Taunt
my beloved. Steel dragon is a pretty fantastic type right now, with the only downside being that Pdon exists, and mmx often carries fighting coverage. However, flying and psychic resists are fantastic, and only being neutral to fairy and fire are decent enough too. Magic bounce is a fantastic momentum breaker or supporter, with the ability to shut down necessary switches, block hazards, threaten prankster Pokemon, threaten defensive Pokemon, although it has the downside of mold breaker existing. The ev spread is designed so Dialga both self Improofs, can delete Giratina, the single best Pokemon in the tier with only a few hazards up, threaten sweepers, and comfortably switch into defensive Xern or Pogre running moonblast/scald. Shed shell shores up the weakness to STag, and although you could run adamant crystal to help with trick or certain calcs on sweepers, I valued the ability to stay alive more. Min speed is not run because this set values getting a fast-ish taunt off on defensive pivots. 248 hp means Dialga survives curse better, while also taking less from hazards. Dialga is incredibly essential to the team, so keep it alive as long as possible most games.
Move descs:
Draco Meteor - This allows dialga to OHKO every MRayquaza set, threaten Giratina, and threaten or significantly damage every other sweeper in the tier besides those immune to it. Draco meteor is run over spacial rend because it is required to guarantee certain ko's on bulkier Mray sets, and also to ensure that giratina dies to a hit the majority of the time.
Spikes - Force progress yet again! Dialga can also near guarantee spikes to be up on a lot of teams, while also giving it a move to burn turns on taunted walls trying to outlast your taunt capabilities.
Milk Drink - Heals. A reliable healing move ensures Dialga can stay bouncing and taunting long into the game, continuing to annoy and punish your opponents.
Taunt - Apply pressure now with this one simple trick! All your opponents pivots hate this move! In all seriousness, taunt is incredible in a meta where Pshot is the most common pivot move, and where defensive walls don't have a way to fight back.
“The Commonwealth of Venice in their armory have this inscription: 'Happy is that city which in time of peace thinks of war.'”
—Robert Burton
Venetian Arsenal (Mewtwo-Mega-X) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Shadow Tag
EVs: 252 Atk / 212 Def / 44 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Ice Punch
- Low Kick
- Dragon ascent
- Knock Off
Hey haven't we seen this quote before? While they aren't naval units, the joke still lands at least fairly well if you've played civ6. Stag ruins almost any sweeper not running shed shell. And I mean ruins. This movespread doesn't match up well into opposing healthy Kings shield Pdon, or healthy Xerneas, however it ohko's Mgar, Mray, MMX, Arceus, Mgyara, Mlatios, Dialga, Slaking, Regigigas, and a few more I'm forgetting. Choice scarf means it outspeeds pretty much the entire tier, while the EV spread is incredibly optimized. Atk was the obvious one, while 212 def and 44 speed are specific to the tier. With the defense ensuring I live a sucker punch from Gyarados-mega, so long as it is not dread plate or life orb. MMX isn't using it's special attack, so adamant nature made the most sense. While 44 speed ensures I outspeed scarf stag Pdon. This is imposter proofed by Maud.
Move descs:
Ice Punch - Mray deleter. icicle spear is another option, but that's a roll to kill higher hp sets, however it can deal with sub sets if you get lucky.
Dragon ascent - MMX and Mbeedrill deleter. This also deals good damage into opposing neutral targets like Xerneas, however the set does still struggle there.
Low Kick - just a general good damage option. Really good into a lot of different neutral targets, and can also get ko's on random wg's.
Knock Off - damage to giratina, removes items, and the main feature, rips through Mlatios, MMY, and Mgar, two of which otherwise have mostly unimpeded free reign over the team.
“Bolshoi Ballet is a universe of the imagination, a place of magic and enchantment, beauty and romance. Its many worlds vibrate with graceful dancers, glorious music, and sumptuous costumes.”
—Trudy Garfunkel
Bolshoi Theatre (Audino-Mega) (F) @ Shed Shell
Ability: Wonder Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Sassy Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 0 Spe
- Baton Pass
- Stealth Rock
- Defog
- Recover
Maudino is just absurd. Great bulk, great typing, slowpivoting, hazards, this does everything. Special defense was run because I already do well into Pdon, and I wanted to not take as much from an Mray oblivion wing. This does leave Maud weaker to huge power mmx and Mold Mlatios, however I wanted a better mu into protean pokemon. Baton pass is run over parting shot because my anti-sweepers don't care about lowered offense, they just delete the sweeper. Stealth rock lets me throw up more hazards, while defog + recover give some staying power/team support. Sassy is run to slowpivot, and not being physdef also has the benefit of the teams Mold mmx dealing more damage into it.
Move descs:
Baton pass - pivoting move, isn't blocked by magic bounce/coat which is great for a team that dislikes sweepers appearing on random switches.
Stealth Rock - more hazards! always appreciated, always annoying. Hazards are just great, and these really hit Mray which is always a plus.
Defog - pretty much required on any team, hazards are kind of oppressive in this tier, so even if it isn't great for when imposter turns into Maud, I needed it somewhere.
Recover - Healing. Thats it. Heals are great, they let you stay alive, and they let you keep rocking hazards.
“I sprang upon the swift ship in the form of a dolphin, pray to me as Apollo Delphinius; also the altar itself shall be called Delphinius and overlooked forever.”
—Homer
Oracle (Arceus) @ Toxic Orb
Ability: Poison Heal
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Psycho Shift
- Toxic Spikes
- Surf
- Roost
"I am a dolphin!" Pheal is great. Like really great. Sleep is busted, especially on sweepers, so any way to stop it reliably is great. Arceus is bulky enough on its own that most +2 special sweepers aren't ohkoing it, so I went with physdef to completely give Pdon a bad time. Pheal Arc also has the added benefit of easy imposterproofing, status spreading, and the ability to wall out mold Mdiancie and Maero, the two more common sweepers the team could have a hard time with. I went with surf over foul play because I didn't like how that was a 2hko on Pdon, and foul play has worse matchups into fairy sweepers like Mdiancie.
Move Descs:
Psycho shift - pretty common, it lets you get guaranteed status on magic bounce or magic coat, it can't miss, and it also is imposter proofed. (although Dialga is a free switch on arc so idk why you would need it)
Toxic Spikes - More hazards!!! Spread status even when arc isn't on the field. Dialga once again imposter proofs this, although you might have to be careful about it being too obvious of a switch each time.
Surf - Deletes Pdon. That's pretty much it. You can do like small chip to other stuff, but it's really just for Pdon. I chose this over scald/steam eruption because I didn't want the chance to miss, or the chance to burn, which would have a counter synergy with the desire to spread burn
Roost - Healing on sweepers is great, and supports Arc's longevity. It also means you can try to toxic stall opposing sweepers if they can't deal enough damage.
Alternate moves: Magic coat > Toxic Spikes. Could be useful to reflect taunt, encore, or other hazards. King's Shield > toxic spikes, another way to slow opposing sweepers and burn a turn to heal up. I didn't find it necessary in my damage calculations against Pdon or other more niche sweepers, so I didn't run it.
Checks and Counters:
2+ MMX - this teamcomp is really good into this team. With it applying pressure on a lot of the team, especially if they have shed shell. Maudino or xern are incredibly common as a defensive pivot, so they always bring coverage for fairies. Despite having stag Dascent, shed shell is pretty common, and shadow sneak still deals absurd damage.
Quiver Dance Sweepers with reliable subpass - This is pretty threatening. Dialga / ray can try and stop a subpass with taunt, but a qd sweeper behind a sub is ripping through most of this team.
SmashPass Xern - Dialga can take an unboosted moonblast, but a +2 or more moonblast is going to outdamage it's healing. Xern is even more threatening if it is running taunt, as then Maud is no longer a safe switchin either.
Pheal Giratina + Bounce Registeel stall cores- MMX + mray can't outdamage this core, and they usually can keep hazards up too. Arc can't break either because neither care about poison, which results in a losing matchup unless the opponent messes up and lets registeel get knocked off or trapped.
Replays!
Replay 1 - the team is able to overcome a misplay resulting in an early burn on Turboblaze MMX by stacking hazards and taunt on the opposing walls.
replay 2 - The aforementioned core in question. Registeel and Giratina were in for a majority of the turns, and just kind of sat there and the team couldn't do much.
replay 3 - Smashpass xern being smashpass xern. I threw slightly at the end by not planning out my sacs so that Mlatios was weak to flying, but you can see the damage that set wreaks.
replay 4 - A little unlucky, but just another match to show off
replay 5 - my opponent didn't play the best, but I got to show off arc + ray.
replay 6 - magic bounce + hazardstack dominates once again.
Current importable:
There were quite a few more battles that perhaps could have had replays, but I was dumb and forgot to save them. Many thanks to all the wonderful people who helped me test or formulate ideas!
—Robert Burton
Venetian Arsenal (Mewtwo-Mega-X) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Turboblaze
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- U-turn
- Knock Off
- Close Combat
- Poison Jab
This was the starting idea for the team. MMX's absurd 190 attack stat means that it will be a (mostly) threatening presence whenever it comes out, and with decent defenses to shore it up, I was really excited about this set. The idea to have pivoting + item removal as the core concept came from Berry, so kudos to them. MMX has a few fairly common weaknesses in ghost, fairy, and flying, however it resists stealth rock, and has decent stab, although it probably won't be used as much as the other three moves... Choice scarf is run to outspeed almost the entire tier, like +2 Pdon (which needs near max speed investment to try and outspeed), or opposing Stag Pdon. Adamant nature is to deal a little more damage to opponents, since mmx does not use it's special attack on this set, there wasn't really a better option. I decided to not run more bulk, and instead opted to go all in on speed so I could outpivot Beedrill-mega. This set is imposter proofed by rayquaza-mega.
Move descs:
U-Turn - Pretty obvious. This capitalizes on the switches MMX forces while allowing it to deal chip damage. This was going to be on the set no matter what.
Knock Off - really useful item remover. it enables stag mmx to more effectively pressure sweepers if it somehow gets it off on them, deals good damage to giratina, threatens opposing wg's weak to the moves stag is running, helps break Pheal walls on more defensive teams. This move does it all.
Close Combat - strong stab move that isn't reliant on weight, is 100% accurate, and doesn't deal recoil? Sign me up! This is probably what you click when you have 3 spikes and rocks up on your opponent, it's going to hit hard, and you can bluff Koff/U-turn to make decisions harder for them.
Poison Jab: screw fairies, all my homies hate fairies. Xern and Maud really dislike this move, while it doesn't outright ohko (or sometimes 2hko), it applies good pressure to switch, often meaning you can go another turn where they can't get a defog off.
“Down through its history, only three people have managed to silence the Maracana: the Pope, Frank Sinatra, and me.”
—Alcides Ghiggia, Uruguayan soccer player
Estádio (de Maracanã) (Rayquaza-Mega) @ Life Orb
Ability: Gale Wings
EVs: 248 HP / 252 SpA / 8 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Oblivion Wing
- Chatter
- Taunt
- Spikes
Estadio
is arguably the best revenger, outclassed by probably only Diancie-Mega. But here is where I get to explain the first name! I chose this name because ray is just unfun to play against, hence, a stadium both famous for it's size and glory, but also steeped in rivalry. Rayquaza applies immense pressure to both offensive and defensive pokemon alike. With LO boosted Oblivion wing or chatter shredding offenses, and rayquaza's great typing and bulk meaning it can take an unboosted knock off, scald, or chatter from defensive walls to taunt them, force progress with spikes, or then heal that damage back if they're flying weak. Rayquaza runs LO over something like specs or sky plate to minimize necessary chip on opposing sweepers and removing the disadvantage that comes from incorrectly predicting a sweeper to stay in, while also picking up ko's that sky plate doesn't. Ray doesn't need speed, so most of the ev's went into maximizing it's longevity and damage. Modest means it takes less from foul play, while 8 speed means It speedcreeps opposing gale wings dittos. This set is imposter proofed by dialga + Maud, however Maud is a shakier check, as it gets hard pressured by taunt.Move descs:
Oblivion Wing - I went special over physical because this move doesn't have the drawbacks of some of the strong physical flying moves, while also having decent PP, healing power, and 100% accuracy. I went with this over aeroblast to not have to worry about PP being an issue over the course of a battle, and to also offer rayquaza some healing without sacrificing another move or an item.
Chatter - my least favorite move in the game, and probably one of the best. 60bp, bypasses sub, inflicts confusion which is a broken 50% chance to hit yourself this generation, and is 100% accurate with a spammable amount of PP. This move takes the set from good to great. With it bypassing the one move that normally means sweepers are safer from retribution.
Taunt - Applies heavy pressure on opposing defensive walls, punishes switchins, and can make progress if you capitalize on the switchout.
spikes - More progress! Because you can almost always safely taunt their defogger, spikes are going to stay up when you're on the field.
Other options include - toxic, other forms of hazards, spore, aeroblast, feather dance, roost, dragon ascent for qd ray or Mlatios.
“I ought to be jealous of the tower. She is more famous than I am.”
—Gustave Eiffel
Eiffel Tower (Dialga) @ Shed Shell
Ability: Magic Bounce
EVs: 248 HP / 4 SpA / 252 SpD
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Draco Meteor
- Spikes
- Milk Drink
- Taunt
my beloved. Steel dragon is a pretty fantastic type right now, with the only downside being that Pdon exists, and mmx often carries fighting coverage. However, flying and psychic resists are fantastic, and only being neutral to fairy and fire are decent enough too. Magic bounce is a fantastic momentum breaker or supporter, with the ability to shut down necessary switches, block hazards, threaten prankster Pokemon, threaten defensive Pokemon, although it has the downside of mold breaker existing. The ev spread is designed so Dialga both self Improofs, can delete Giratina, the single best Pokemon in the tier with only a few hazards up, threaten sweepers, and comfortably switch into defensive Xern or Pogre running moonblast/scald. Shed shell shores up the weakness to STag, and although you could run adamant crystal to help with trick or certain calcs on sweepers, I valued the ability to stay alive more. Min speed is not run because this set values getting a fast-ish taunt off on defensive pivots. 248 hp means Dialga survives curse better, while also taking less from hazards. Dialga is incredibly essential to the team, so keep it alive as long as possible most games.Move descs:
Draco Meteor - This allows dialga to OHKO every MRayquaza set, threaten Giratina, and threaten or significantly damage every other sweeper in the tier besides those immune to it. Draco meteor is run over spacial rend because it is required to guarantee certain ko's on bulkier Mray sets, and also to ensure that giratina dies to a hit the majority of the time.
Spikes - Force progress yet again! Dialga can also near guarantee spikes to be up on a lot of teams, while also giving it a move to burn turns on taunted walls trying to outlast your taunt capabilities.
Milk Drink - Heals. A reliable healing move ensures Dialga can stay bouncing and taunting long into the game, continuing to annoy and punish your opponents.
Taunt - Apply pressure now with this one simple trick! All your opponents pivots hate this move! In all seriousness, taunt is incredible in a meta where Pshot is the most common pivot move, and where defensive walls don't have a way to fight back.
“The Commonwealth of Venice in their armory have this inscription: 'Happy is that city which in time of peace thinks of war.'”
—Robert Burton
Venetian Arsenal (Mewtwo-Mega-X) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Shadow Tag
EVs: 252 Atk / 212 Def / 44 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Ice Punch
- Low Kick
- Dragon ascent
- Knock Off
Hey haven't we seen this quote before? While they aren't naval units, the joke still lands at least fairly well if you've played civ6. Stag
ruins almost any sweeper not running shed shell. And I mean ruins. This movespread doesn't match up well into opposing healthy Kings shield Pdon, or healthy Xerneas, however it ohko's Mgar, Mray, MMX, Arceus, Mgyara, Mlatios, Dialga, Slaking, Regigigas, and a few more I'm forgetting. Choice scarf means it outspeeds pretty much the entire tier, while the EV spread is incredibly optimized. Atk was the obvious one, while 212 def and 44 speed are specific to the tier. With the defense ensuring I live a sucker punch from Gyarados-mega, so long as it is not dread plate or life orb. MMX isn't using it's special attack, so adamant nature made the most sense. While 44 speed ensures I outspeed scarf stag Pdon. This is imposter proofed by Maud.Move descs:
Ice Punch - Mray deleter. icicle spear is another option, but that's a roll to kill higher hp sets, however it can deal with sub sets if you get lucky.
Dragon ascent - MMX and Mbeedrill deleter. This also deals good damage into opposing neutral targets like Xerneas, however the set does still struggle there.
Low Kick - just a general good damage option. Really good into a lot of different neutral targets, and can also get ko's on random wg's.
Knock Off - damage to giratina, removes items, and the main feature, rips through Mlatios, MMY, and Mgar, two of which otherwise have mostly unimpeded free reign over the team.
“Bolshoi Ballet is a universe of the imagination, a place of magic and enchantment, beauty and romance. Its many worlds vibrate with graceful dancers, glorious music, and sumptuous costumes.”
—Trudy Garfunkel
Bolshoi Theatre (Audino-Mega) (F) @ Shed Shell
Ability: Wonder Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Sassy Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 0 Spe
- Baton Pass
- Stealth Rock
- Defog
- Recover
Maudino is just absurd. Great bulk, great typing, slowpivoting, hazards, this does everything. Special defense was run because I already do well into Pdon, and I wanted to not take as much from an Mray oblivion wing. This does leave Maud weaker to huge power mmx and Mold Mlatios, however I wanted a better mu into protean pokemon. Baton pass is run over parting shot because my anti-sweepers don't care about lowered offense, they just delete the sweeper. Stealth rock lets me throw up more hazards, while defog + recover give some staying power/team support. Sassy is run to slowpivot, and not being physdef also has the benefit of the teams Mold mmx dealing more damage into it.
Move descs:
Baton pass - pivoting move, isn't blocked by magic bounce/coat which is great for a team that dislikes sweepers appearing on random switches.
Stealth Rock - more hazards! always appreciated, always annoying. Hazards are just great, and these really hit Mray which is always a plus.
Defog - pretty much required on any team, hazards are kind of oppressive in this tier, so even if it isn't great for when imposter turns into Maud, I needed it somewhere.
Recover - Healing. Thats it. Heals are great, they let you stay alive, and they let you keep rocking hazards.
“I sprang upon the swift ship in the form of a dolphin, pray to me as Apollo Delphinius; also the altar itself shall be called Delphinius and overlooked forever.”
—Homer
Oracle (Arceus) @ Toxic Orb
Ability: Poison Heal
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Psycho Shift
- Toxic Spikes
- Surf
- Roost
"I am a dolphin!" Pheal is great. Like really great. Sleep is busted, especially on sweepers, so any way to stop it reliably is great. Arceus is bulky enough on its own that most +2 special sweepers aren't ohkoing it, so I went with physdef to completely give Pdon a bad time. Pheal Arc also has the added benefit of easy imposterproofing, status spreading, and the ability to wall out mold Mdiancie and Maero, the two more common sweepers the team could have a hard time with. I went with surf over foul play because I didn't like how that was a 2hko on Pdon, and foul play has worse matchups into fairy sweepers like Mdiancie.
Move Descs:
Psycho shift - pretty common, it lets you get guaranteed status on magic bounce or magic coat, it can't miss, and it also is imposter proofed. (although Dialga is a free switch on arc so idk why you would need it)
Toxic Spikes - More hazards!!! Spread status even when arc isn't on the field. Dialga once again imposter proofs this, although you might have to be careful about it being too obvious of a switch each time.
Surf - Deletes Pdon. That's pretty much it. You can do like small chip to other stuff, but it's really just for Pdon. I chose this over scald/steam eruption because I didn't want the chance to miss, or the chance to burn, which would have a counter synergy with the desire to spread burn
Roost - Healing on sweepers is great, and supports Arc's longevity. It also means you can try to toxic stall opposing sweepers if they can't deal enough damage.
Alternate moves: Magic coat > Toxic Spikes. Could be useful to reflect taunt, encore, or other hazards. King's Shield > toxic spikes, another way to slow opposing sweepers and burn a turn to heal up. I didn't find it necessary in my damage calculations against Pdon or other more niche sweepers, so I didn't run it.
Checks and Counters:
2+ MMX - this teamcomp is really good into this team. With it applying pressure on a lot of the team, especially if they have shed shell. Maudino or xern are incredibly common as a defensive pivot, so they always bring coverage for fairies. Despite having stag Dascent, shed shell is pretty common, and shadow sneak still deals absurd damage.
Quiver Dance Sweepers with reliable subpass - This is pretty threatening. Dialga / ray can try and stop a subpass with taunt, but a qd sweeper behind a sub is ripping through most of this team.
SmashPass Xern - Dialga can take an unboosted moonblast, but a +2 or more moonblast is going to outdamage it's healing. Xern is even more threatening if it is running taunt, as then Maud is no longer a safe switchin either.
Pheal Giratina + Bounce Registeel stall cores- MMX + mray can't outdamage this core, and they usually can keep hazards up too. Arc can't break either because neither care about poison, which results in a losing matchup unless the opponent messes up and lets registeel get knocked off or trapped.
Replays!
Replay 1 - the team is able to overcome a misplay resulting in an early burn on Turboblaze MMX by stacking hazards and taunt on the opposing walls.
replay 2 - The aforementioned core in question. Registeel and Giratina were in for a majority of the turns, and just kind of sat there and the team couldn't do much.
replay 3 - Smashpass xern being smashpass xern. I threw slightly at the end by not planning out my sacs so that Mlatios was weak to flying, but you can see the damage that set wreaks.
replay 4 - A little unlucky, but just another match to show off
replay 5 - my opponent didn't play the best, but I got to show off arc + ray.
replay 6 - magic bounce + hazardstack dominates once again.
Current importable:
There were quite a few more battles that perhaps could have had replays, but I was dumb and forgot to save them. Many thanks to all the wonderful people who helped me test or formulate ideas!