Project VGC Creative/Underrated Pokemon & Movesets

[zee]

So I've been on vacation this week which means while I haven't had a ton of time to make long posts or play too many games, I've had a bit of downtime and thought of some sets that seem really effective to use or fun to test out in the current metagame. Use this thread to share any Pokemon and/or movesets you find interesting! Just keep it related to the current format and don't go too over the edge.

Not really much more to it so I'll start with some example posts:



Incineroar @ Sitrus Berry / FIWAM Berry
Ability: Intimidate
Level: 50
- Fake Out
- Flare Blitz
- Parting Shot
- Protect

Protect lets Incineroar respond to Dynamax Pokemon better. Players are dropping Darkest Lariat and its cousins pretty often right now for moves like Taunt or Burning Jealousy, but Protect has a lot of Utility. Even outside of sponging max moves, Protect lets you guard a slot that most opponents will often target into Incineroar since its low Protect usage guarantees a free switch move or just eases prediction. Recovery Berries make this even harder to take down, I don't like Shuca a lot because there's good odds you can blow your Shuca on a Protect and that might just be overkill. Goggles might work if you really need it.



Zapdos @ Magnet
Ability: Static
Level: 50
EVs: 252 SpA
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Charge
- Thunder

This is a bit more of a goofy set but I think it doesn't outright suck if you're opting to use Zapdos. Charge nets you a nice SpDef boost so you can better standup to Pokemon like Regieleki and Porygon2, and a Charged Max Lightning off of Thunder kills Porygon2. Just a testament to how insane the power is. Can be a nice pairing with Grimmsnarl so you can run offensive Zapdos and still afford to run Fake Out/Taunt in slot 4 while not missing out on the opportunity for boosted damage.

 

[Yourwelcomethanku]

Clefable @ Babiri Berry / Safety Goggles
Ability: Unaware
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 76 Def / 180 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Dazzling Gleam
- Follow Me
- Protect
- Helping Hand / Flamethrower

Clefable has a few advantages that give it a small niche over Clefairy and Togekiss.
Clefable is able to hold an item like Safety Goggles allowing it to sponge Spore and Sleep Powder unlike Clefairy. Clefable can also run a Babiri Berry to stomach pretty much any one steel type attack even boosted ones thanks to Unaware. Togekiss can also hold an item but Togekiss does not have Unaware and also has weaknessess Clefable does not. Clefable can stomach boosted hits from Rotom, Moltres-G, Registeel, Glastrier and many more. with Flamethrower thanks to Unaware ignoring Amnesia you can 1v1 Registeel and also slam Kartana.



Urshifu-Rapid-Strike-Gmax @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Unseen Fist
Level: 50
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Surging Strikes
- Close Combat
- Aqua Jet
- U-turn

Urshifu with a Choice Scarf is able to outspeed and deal with pokemon it otherwise would not be able to like Kartana, Terrakion, and Thundurus. It also acts as a generally good safety net vs many boosted threats like +1 Landorus-T +1 Moltres-Galar hitting them quite hard. If you were using this on like a sand team or the Focus Sash was already taken perhaps take this set into consideration.

 

[Bananers]

Hell yeah let's go. I got some sets.


Marowak-Alola @ Thick Club
Ability: Lightning Rod
Level: 50
- Flare Blitz
- Poltergeist
- Swords Dance
- Protect

Most AWaks are Bonemerang, when I was building with it I went with a different route in Swords Dance. Now, of course, being weak to Incineroar is never a good thing, but does Bonemerang help with that? Not much actually, look at these calcs.

-1 252+ Atk Thick Club Marowak-Alola Bonemerang (2 hits) vs. 252 HP / 116 Def Incineroar: 116-140 (57.4 - 69.3%) -- approx. 2HKO

-1 252+ Atk Thick Club Marowak-Alola Max Quake vs. 252 HP / 116 Def Incineroar: 150-178 (74.2 - 88.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

That's an easy Parting Shot pivot for the Incineroar player, and now you got a minus two AWak.

But with Swords Dance, you are able to capitalize on passive plays such as pivoting around with Intimidate Pokemon or going for a screens Trick Room lead. Of course, now your team needs Incineroar assurance, but doesn't every team? A simple Blastoise, Defiant Pokemon (which btw I think offensive Thundy is a good surprise pick nowadays), or my next set, which partners with Swords Dance AWak perfectly.


Tapu Fini @ Life Orb
Ability: Misty Surge
Level: 50
- Muddy Water
- Moonblast
- Icy Wind
- Protect

Life Orb Fini is great against the Intimidate-heavy Meta. Completely destroys Landorus, most don't expect fini to have Icy Wind and will just redirect and set up, only to get outsped and put in a shitty situation by Icy Wind. This thing is always a huge surprise to opponents, especially since I max it a lot. This is again a predator to passive leads, such as leads that try and shut down Calm Mind Fini with Taunt or Fake Out. Really good mon and I recommend it on Incin/Intimidate weak teams.

 

[Helios of Sun]

Disclaimer: Credit of Idea goes to BigBadBirdVGC, who got Top 33-48 in EU Players Cup 3 with this combo of Pokemon!

More a set of Pokemon that I've found to be a nice gimmick to use on ladder, and I also won a set in the APAC League using this very combination.

Incineroar @ Safety Goggles
Ability: Intimidate
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 20 Atk / 44 Def / 156 SpD / 36 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Fake Out
- Swagger
- Flare Blitz
- Parting Shot

Mimikyu @ Lum Berry
Ability: Disguise
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Brave Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Trick Room
- Play Rough
- Shadow Sneak
- Phantom Force


So the idea here is to make use of people's lack of knowledge of our Mimikyu's set into thinking it is holding a Mental Herb, in order to guarantee Trick Room setup. After Trick Room is setup, Mimikyu Dynamaxes, while Incineroar Swaggers it, giving Mimikyu +2 attack as it is able to use Max Starfall in order to set up Misty Terrain. After Misty Terrain is set up, Incineroar is able to continuously Swagger the Mimikyu, increasing it's attack as it sweeps through the entire team.

Example Replay:
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8vgc2021series9-1340964798

 

[Evelyie]

Celesteela @ Assault Vest
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Flash Cannon
- Air Slash
- Meteor Beam
- Energy Ball

"Imagine not running Bamboo Girl without Bamboo". Well, you prolly know about me and my Energy Ball Celesteela. Yes I did a shit run on Hatterene Series and got no results with it, but that was on me, Energy Ball Celesteela was something that helped me alot through my games on the tour and Ladder. I think Energy Ball Celesteela is great, as it allows it to hit Pokemon it wouldn't be able to hit, specially bulky Water-types like Tapu Fini, which takes neutral damage from Celesteela's Max Steelspike, Rotom-W, which Celesteela can hit hard when they think they're safe and just go for the Nasty Plot, and Blastoise. Energy Ball Celesteela also provides Terrain Control, so you can remove, for example, Tapu Fini's terrain and Spore with Amoonguss, and this definetly came in clutch on some of my games.

 

[garchompthebest369]

Cinderace @ Razor Claw
Ability: Libero
Gigantamax: Yes
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Focus Energy
- Pyro Ball
- High Jump Kick
- Bounce
I have been testing focus energy + razor claw combos recently and I think it is very underrated . After using focus energy ,if the Pokemon is holding a crit boosting item it gets guaranteed crits on all of its moves (unless opposing pokemon has shell armour).For cinderace it means it gets to ignore both screens and intimidate spam and do 1.5* damage which can easily pick up kos .I think this combo is really good and after getting set up it can easily snowball

 

[pix]

Shedinja @ Focus Sash
Ability: Wonder Guard
Level: 50
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Shadow Sneak
- Will-O-Wisp
- Ally Switch
- Protect

Shedinja?!?!? Uh well shedinja is a great mon with it's amazing ability. I have been using shedinja with alot of different mons such as xern, zacian and kyogre but I think kyogre fits shedinja well cause of its typing and it being able to take care of mons like incin or lando which are strong against shedinja. Shedinja is a mon which can take care of the endgame if you get rid of it's threat. Ally switch is a great way to protect your mon from psychic , flare blitz and many more moves . Focus sash guarantees you live one more turn to be able to pull of something with will-o wisp or shadow sneak. Overall I think that this mon is really good and after getting rid of it's threats it just wins you the game.

 

[ChrystalFalchion]

Reshiram @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Turboblaze
EVs: 100 HP / 212 SpA / 196 Spe
Timid Nature
- Fusion Flare
- Draco Meteor
- Earth Power
- Heat Wave

Yep, this may seem crazy, but it has taken me to Master Ball tier and into the top 2000. Scarf Reshiram is a great anti meta choice, as it has a serious who’s who of Pokemon it checks. Zacian, Rillaboom, Eternatus, Regieleki, Tsareena and many more. Fusion Flare is a reliable STAB with no drawbacks. Draco Meteor gives you a more powerful option, and with Scarf lets you smash Eternatus before it can either Cosmic Power or wallop you with Dynamax Cannon. Earth Power hits opposing Fire types, 2HKOing physically defensive Incineroar. Heat Wave gives you a spread move. EVs let you outrun Jolly Zacian-C and OHKO uninvested variants with Fusion Flare, with the rest in HP.
For best results, pair with Kyogre checks like Rillaboom, Regieleki and Gastrodon. Xerneas checks like Aegislash and Stakataka are good choices too.

I promise it’s good!

 

[Evelyie]

Tsareena (F) @ Miracle Seed / Sitrus Berry
Ability: Queenly Majesty
Level: 50
EVs: 228 HP / 76 Atk / 4 Def / 44 SpD / 156 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Grassy Glide
- U-turn
- Helping Hand / Synthesis
- Triple Axel

I think people are going kind of automatic on AV Tsareena. It's not bad, it is one of its optimal sets, but with so many Pokémon wanting to use the Assault Vest such as Rillaboom and Incineroar competing for it, Tsareena can easily leave it to other Pokémon and run her support moves, specially Helping Hand, but she does get other interesting choices, such Taunt (most standard), and Synthesis (Works well on some Sun teams)

 

[Ace Emerald]

Tsareena (F) @ Miracle Seed / Sitrus Berry
Ability: Queenly Majesty
Level: 50
EVs: 228 HP / 76 Atk / 4 Def / 44 SpD / 156 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Grassy Glide
- U-turn
- Helping Hand / Synthesis
- Triple Axel

I think people are going kind of automatic on AV Tsareena. It's not bad, it is one of its optimal sets, but with so many Pokémon wanting to use the Assault Vest such as Rillaboom and Incineroar competing for it, Tsareena can easily leave it to other Pokémon and run her support moves, specially Helping Hand, but she does get other interesting choices, such Taunt (most standard), and Synthesis (Works well on some Sun teams)

To add on to this, I'd even go so far as to say if you dont need the Ice coverage, Triple Axel is replaceable too. Helping Hand/Taunt on the same set makes Tsareena super flexible, and more useful into balanced team comps.

 

[ethan06]

Krookodile @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Intimidate
Level: 50
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Darkest Lariat
- High Horsepower
- Rock Slide
- Taunt / Snarl / Earthquake

So I've been having fun with this mon as an offensive support, and I think if we're talking underrated Pokemon choices then this is one of the easiest to overlook. I swear it's good though!

The premise here is simple: Krookodile is basically a compression of good Season 10 meta qualities in one mon. Ground typing is valuable for chunking Zacian and inflicting Regieleki with all my friends are dead in an endgame, "Choice Scarf with Dark move" is basically the premier Caly-S answer in the teambuilder, and Intimidate is Intimidate. Rock Slide is also Rock Slide, and makes it really useful into Xerneas-Volcarona matchups and the odd Ho-oh. I've been running it on a Caly-S Mienshao team and it's been pulling its weight :)

 

[WettestTowelVGC]

Conkeldurr @ Choice Band
Ability: Guts
Level: 50
- Close Combat
- Thunder Punch
- Ice Punch
- Sleep Talk

Conkeldurr has a massive base attack of 140, boosted with choice band and guts it hits 474, which is something not even a level 100 [252 adamant] Calyrex-Ice hits. Close Combat is STAB move that hits like a truck. Thunder Punch and Ice Punch are good coverage moves, which let it hit everything for neutral damage, except one notorious pokemon. The real reason this set shines is Sleep Talk, which helps when your opponent has Amoonguss and clicks Spore.

Calcs for reference

252+ Atk Choice Band Guts Conkeldurr Close Combat vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Venusaur: 156-183 (100 - 117.3%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ Atk Choice Band Guts Conkeldurr Close Combat vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Charizard: 163-192 (106.5 - 125.4%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ Atk Choice Band Guts Conkeldurr Close Combat vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Solgaleo: 253-298 (103.6 - 122.1%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ Atk Choice Band Guts Conkeldurr Close Combat vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Zacian-Crowned: 237-280 (119 - 140.7%) -- guaranteed OHKO
-1 252+ Atk Choice Band Guts Conkeldurr Close Combat vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Incineroar: 272-324 (134.6 - 160.3%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ Atk Choice Band Guts Conkeldurr Thunder Punch vs. 196 HP / 132 Def Tapu Fini: 178-210 (104.7 - 123.5%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ Atk Choice Band Guts Conkeldurr Ice Punch vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Dynamax Thundurus: 298-352 (96.7 - 114.2%) -- 81.3% chance to OHKO
-1 252+ Atk Choice Band Guts Conkeldurr Ice Punch vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Dynamax Landorus-T: 324-384 (98.7 - 117%) -- 93.8% chance to OHKO

Clearly it doesn't care about Intimidate.

Sad boy Calcs :(

Conkeldurr Close Combat vs. Shedinja: 0-0 (0 - 0%)
Conkeldurr Ice Punch vs. Wonder Guard Shedinja: 0-0 (0 - 0%)
Conkeldurr Thunder Punch vs. Wonder Guard Shedinja: 0-0 (0 - 0%)

 

[Duck-Monke]

(BDSP Festival Doubles! - Articuno Breakdown)

Articuno @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Snow Cloak
Level: 50
EVs: 12 HP / 12 Def / 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 228 Spe
Modest Nature
- Freeze-Dry
- Ice Beam
- Hurricane
- U-turn


Set Comments

Articuno going zoom is one of my favorite sets of BDSPFD, I've seen so many players lower it in their tier lists because of its weakness to rockslide and heat wave. Is it true it "doesn't beat Garchomp"? Well short answer it utterly destroys it, I've thought of wiki and charti berries allowing my cuno to have >50% Hp after a rockslide and go for tailwind, but in the case of this set it just kills Garchomp, outspeeding a 252 crobat along the way. Another thing cuno's great at doing is freeze-drying, in fact the whole reason I'm here right now is because of Freeze-Dry. Freeze-Dry is rare af in this format so I constantly salvage any remaining freeze-dry users. It also counters Gastrodon and the Entirety of rain, this mon only needs mild support mainly a Lightning Rodder, Intimidator, or Earthquake Clicker.

(Me using This set too much and a sample team)

'
If you can't tell, the underlined in red is my set for cuno, which I personally haven't shared this is just to show you that its not that bad lol

Paste
(I didn't get back to top 150)

Proof the Team works:

(Tour Finals)
Replays - Pokémon Showdown (pokemonshowdown.com)

(Other Games)
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8bdspbattlefestivaldoubles-1475746328
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8bdspbattlefestivaldoubles-1476036376


Anyways Thanks for reading!

- Duck Monke

 

[151runner]

I've had decent luck with this opening, but the team still has easy counters and I haven't figured that out yet.


Calyrex-Shadow @ Choice Scarf
Ability: As One (Spectrier)
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Speed Swap
- Expanding Force
- Astral Barrage
- Pollen Puff

Snorlax-Gmax (M) @ Figy Berry
Ability: Gluttony
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 244 HP / 252 Atk / 12 SpD
Careful Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Belly Drum
- Body Slam
- Earthquake
- Darkest Lariat

Full team here:

https://pokepast.es/64a485a5f41bf23e