Project Victim of the Week 2.0: ZU Edition

[Nickit with hat]

Miltank (F) @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Thick Fat
EVs: 252 HP / 84 Def / 108 SpD / 64 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Milk Drink
- Seismic Toss
- Toxic
- Stealth Rock
Submitting miltank as a counter to rapidash
Miltank takes absolutly nothing from blitz or hh and can cripple dash with toxic
Here are the calcs
0 Atk Rapidash Flare Blitz vs. 252 HP / 84+ Def Thick Fat Miltank: 52-63 (13.1 - 15.9%) --
possible 7HKO
0 Atk Rapidash High Horsepower vs. 252 HP / 84+ Def Miltank: 56-66 (14.2 - 16.7%) -- possible 6HKO

 

[btboy]

Ninetales @ Air Balloon
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 Def / 252 Spe
IVs: 0 A
Timid Nature
- Substitute
- Nasty Plot
- Fire Blast
- Energy Ball

Meme set, but Rapidash quite literally cannot touch this particular Ninetales unless it’s carrying Toxic (which can cripple other counters mentioned here like Rhydon and Miltank without Heal Bell.) Flash Fire grants Ninetales an immunity to Flare Blitz/Wisp, so Dash cannot pop the balloon to hit it with High Horsepower. This gives Tales a free turn to set a substitute or secure a Nasty Plot boost and proceed to get walled by Altaria.

 

[wooper]

Bell Miltank without Heal Bell

:owohehe:

Spiritomb @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Rest
- Calm Mind
- Dark Pulse
- Sleep Talk​

eats flare blitz for breakfast, lunch, dinner; doesnt care about status thanks to rest; generally can just sit on rap and use it as setup fodder.

calcs <3

0 Atk Rapidash Flare Blitz vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Spiritomb: 88-105 (28.9 - 34.5%) -- 99.6% chance to 4HKO after Leftovers recovery (4.2% chance to 3HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery)

0 SpA Spiritomb Dark Pulse vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Rapidash: 97-115 (29 - 34.4%) -- 4.8% chance to 3HKO
+1 0 SpA Spiritomb Dark Pulse vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Rapidash: 144-171 (43.1 - 51.1%) -- 4.7% chance to 2HKO
+2 0 SpA Spiritomb Dark Pulse vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Rapidash: 193-228 (57.7 - 68.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
+3 0 SpA Spiritomb Dark Pulse vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Rapidash: 240-283 (71.8 - 84.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
+4 0 SpA Spiritomb Dark Pulse vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Rapidash: 288-340 (86.2 - 101.7%) -- 12.5% chance to OHKO
+5 0 SpA Spiritomb Dark Pulse vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Rapidash: 336-396 (100.5 - 118.5%) -- guaranteed OHKO

 

[rumia]

Gurdurr @ Eviolite
Ability: Guts
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Drain Punch
- Mach Punch
- Knock Off
- Bulk Up
​

gurdurr (my goat) is a certified rapidash counter!! i love gurdurr; it easily takes anything rapidash throws at it and threatens to 3/2hko back with its stab drain punch whilst sustaining itself easily thru the secondary healing effect.

calculations

0 Atk Rapidash Flare Blitz vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Eviolite Gurdurr: 99-117 (26.4 - 31.2%) -- guaranteed 4HKO breakfast af
252+ Atk Gurdurr Drain Punch vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Rapidash: 156-184 (46.7 - 55%) -- 69.1% chance to 2HKO (20.8 - 24.5% recovered)
252+ Atk Guts Gurdurr Drain Punch vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Rapidash: 232-274 (69.4 - 82%) -- guaranteed 2HKO (31 - 36.6% recovered) if u switch into burn its even better
252+ Atk Guts Gurdurr Mach Punch vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Rapidash: 124-147 (37.1 - 44%) -- guaranteed 3HKO bop

(for the sd set)
+2 252 Atk Rapidash Flare Blitz vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Eviolite Gurdurr: 250-295 (66.8 - 78.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO (24.7 - 29.1% recoil damage)
252+ Atk Gurdurr Drain Punch vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Rapidash: 156-184 (57.5 - 67.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ Atk Gurdurr Mach Punch vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Rapidash: 84-99 (30.9 - 36.5%) -- 60.1% chance to 3HKO
24 + 57 + 30 = dead horse

its worth noting that gurdurr can only switch into sd rapidash once
252 Atk Rapidash Flare Blitz vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Eviolite Gurdurr: 126-148 (33.6 - 39.5%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Stealth Rock
but being able to block rapidash from clicking sd can help alleviate pressure on the rest of ur team bc of it, but gurdurr still hard counters the utility set very nicely

shout outs to kay and JdRDMS for proofreading, anti shout outs to btboy :]

 

[wooper]

holy counters, batman!

USER​	POKEMON​	SET​
Marsheaux​	​	defensive altaria​
Corthius​	​	resttalk poliwrath​
OranBerryBlissey10​	​	defensive qwilfish​
5Dots​	​	tank rhydon​
Nickit with hat​	​	mixed wall miltank​
btboy​	​	meme air balloon ninetales​
waterbend​	​	resttalk spiritomb​
rumia​	​	tank gurdurr​

feeling quirky today so i used bw sprites instead of swsh! please vote for two (2) submissions this week! i'll be voting for and . voting will end tomorrow, june 5th, at 11:59 pm gmt -4. good luck everyone!

 

[btboy]

Voting for Altaria and Qwilfish

 

[rumia]

and

 

[Corthius]

Gurdurr my beloved
rhydon
EVIOLITE SUPREMECY

 

[5Dots]

 

[Yuri_z9]

Gurdurr and Ninetales

 

[Marsheaux]

Miltank and Rhydon

 

[OranBerryBlissey10]

Altaria and Rhydon

 

[Nickit with hat]

Rhydon and poliwrath
Also forgor to put heal bell on tank on my submission kek

 

[wooper]

life got in the way and we never updated votw, oops!

USER​	POKEMON​	SET​	VOTES​
Marsheaux​	​	defensive altaria​	3​
Corthius​	​	resttalk poliwrath​	3​
OranBerryBlissey10​	​	defensive qwilfish​	2​
5Dots​	​	tank rhydon​	4​
Nickit with hat​	​	mixed wall miltank​	1​
btboy​	​	meme air balloon ninetales​	2​
waterbend​	​	resttalk spiritomb​	0​
rumia​	​	tank gurdurr​	3​

congrats to our co-host 5Dots for winning last week with rhydon! this was pretty evenly spread out im not salty about 0 tomb votes smh, great week everyone! hope youre all ready for some dessert with...

Appletun @ Choice Specs
Ability: Thick Fat
EVs: 12 HP / 252 SpA / 244 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Draco Meteor
- Apple Acid
- Giga Drain
- Dragon Pulse​

specs appletun, while arguably not its best set, is an extremely potent wallbreaker in the tier, and as been since the beginning of gen 8 zu if memory's serving me correctly. draco meteor is an absolute nuke off of its base 100 special attack stat, and dragon pulse is there for when you dont want to miss or get the -2 drops; apple acid is your grass stab, forcing switches or increasing damage thanks to the guaranteed special defense drop; giga drain is a secondary grass options, allowing you to heal up if necessary. spread outspeeds uninvested tangela so you can take it out before it hits you with knock or sludge bomb.

apologies for getting this out so late, and thank you to everyone for being patient! submissions will still be accepted until friday june 10th at 11:59 pm gmt -4, but if we decide we want a larger pool, we might extend it. thanks again, and have fun !

 

[Corthius]

Articuno @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 248 HP / 84 Def / 20 SpA / 140 SpD / 16 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Roost
- Defog
- Freeze-Dry
- Haze
Counter
Eats any special attack for days, heals taken damge with Roost and scares it out with Freeze-Dry.

calc spoiler

252+ SpA Choice Specs Appletun Draco Meteor vs. 248 HP / 140+ SpD Articuno: 195-231 (50.9 - 60.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

 

[OranBerryBlissey10]

Shiinotic @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Effect Spore
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Spore
- Strength Sap
- Moonblast
- Toxic

Appletun loves to spam draco; and like any fairy, Shiinotic puts a stop to that. Its secondary typing however, makes it a lot safer in general vs Appletun than alc or clef due to also resisting Apple Acid. Technically, it is still a check due to being easily 3hko'd by it, but it is far easier to switch into grass moves in general. Shiinotic as a fairy gives you the best odds vs specs apple unless you're using fast offensive cake (which takes over half from acid).

calcs

252+ SpA Choice Specs Appletun Apple Acid vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Shiinotic: 89-105 (27.4 - 32.4%)
252+ SpA Choice Specs Appletun Apple Acid vs. -1 252 HP / 4 SpD Shiinotic: 134-158 (41.3 - 48.7%)
252+ SpA Choice Specs Appletun Apple Acid vs. -2 252 HP / 4 SpD Shiinotic: 179-211 (55.2 - 65.1%)
0 SpA Shiinotic Moonblast vs. 12 HP / 0 SpD Appletun: 224-266 (61.5 - 73%)

 

[Marsheaux]

Unfezant @ Choice Band
Ability: Super Luck
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Brave Bird
- U-turn
- Quick Attack
- Night Slash / Facade​

Band Unfezant is a check to Specs Appletun - Brave Bird secures the OHKO without exception, which remains true against the Dragon-type's defensive variants. U-Turn is a momentum-friendly option for Unfezant once Appletun takes a decent amount of damage, or if the birb has a reliable switch-in for a teammate.

Calcs

252 Atk Choice Band Unfezant Brave Bird vs. 12 HP / 0 Def Appletun: 648-764 (178 - 209.8%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252 Atk Choice Band Unfezant U-turn vs. 12 HP / 0 Def Appletun: 252-298 (69.2 - 81.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

 

[5Dots]

Rapidash-Galar @ Life Orb
Ability: Pastel Veil
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Play Rough
- High Horsepower
- Morning Sun
Rapidash-Galar is a check to Specs Appletun, as the horse stops it from clicking Dragon-type STAB moves and can OHKO it with Play Rough, regardless of Stealth Rock. However, Galarian Rapidash could get OHKOed back by Specs Apple Acid (and with a bit more chip, Giga Drain). Life Orb is necessary for the guaranteed KO, because with Leftovers, Play Rough isn’t a guaranteed OHKO.

Calcs

252+ SpA Choice Specs Appletun Apple Acid vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Rapidash-Galar: 216-255 (79.7 - 94%) -- 43.8% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock.
252+ SpA Choice Specs Appletun Giga Drain vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Rapidash-Galar: 204-240 (75.2 - 88.5%) -- 6.3% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock
252 Atk Life Orb Rapidash-Galar Play Rough vs. 12 HP / 0 Def Appletun: 385-455 (105.7 - 125%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252 Atk Rapidash-Galar Play Rough vs. 12 HP / 0 Def Appletun: 296-350 (81.3 - 96.1%) -- 56.3% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock

 

[wooper]

Froslass (F) @ Choice Band
Ability: Cursed Body
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Trick
- Poltergeist
- Triple Axel
- Ice Shard / Spikes​

neat and simple offensive check to specs apple. you definitely dont want to be switching this in, but band triple axel on 3 hits will always ohko even through thick fat. you could even run a standard physically offensive set with boots with dbond/polt/axel/taunt and axel will still have a very high chance of ohkoing, guaranteed with rocks up.

calcs

252 Atk Choice Band Froslass Triple Axel (40 BP) (3 hits) vs. 12 HP / 0 Def Thick Fat Appletun: 516-624 (141.7 - 171.4%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252 Atk Froslass Triple Axel (40 BP) (3 hits) vs. 12 HP / 0 Def Thick Fat Appletun: 360-432 (98.9 - 118.6%) -- approx. 93.8% chance to OHKO (guaranteed OHKO after Stealth Rock)

252+ SpA Choice Specs Appletun Draco Meteor vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Froslass: 390-460 (138.7 - 163.7%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ SpA Choice Specs Appletun Apple Acid vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Froslass: 240-283 (85.4 - 100.7%) -- 6.3% chance to OHKO (guaranteed OHKO after Stealth Rock)
252+ SpA Choice Specs Appletun Dragon Pulse vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Froslass: 255-301 (90.7 - 107.1%) -- 43.8% chance to OHKO (guaranteed OHKO after Stealth Rock)
252+ SpA Choice Specs Appletun Giga Drain vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Froslass: 226-267 (80.4 - 95%) -- guaranteed 2HKO (guaranteed OHKO after Stealth Rock)

very few submissions this week unfortunately, definitely partially my fault, but we're gonna make do!

USER​	POKEMON​	SET​
Corthius​	​	mixed def articuno​
OranBerryBlissey10​	​	defensive shiinotic​
Marsheaux​	​	band unfezant​
5Dots​	​	sd LO gapidash​
waterbend​	​	band froslass​

please vote for one (1) submission! voting will end sunday june 12th at 11:59 pm gmt -4. im voting the counter. thanks for the submissions everyone, and good luck!

 

[viet noa]

big cuno

 

[Corthius]

remember froslass? yea thats zu

 

[Marsheaux]

Articuno

 

[5Dots]

Unfezant

 

[S1nn0hC0nfirm3d]

Gapadash

 

[OranBerryBlissey10]

gapidash