Once again, I found myself wanting to make another anti-offence balance side. Getting a little sick of Hawlucha, Greninja, Pinsir, the whole lot, I went searching for a single threat that could handle them all.
And I found it.
K-Kartana?! (Whimsicott) @ Choice Specs
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Moonblast
- Giga Drain
- Nature Power
- Memento
The man, the monster, the legend. Nature Power + Prankster + Specs = Sad Hawluchas. Also sad mamoswines, sad rain teams, sad Koko teams, etc.
Most of you will read this and think "surely you're joking, outside of these situations Whimsicott just does nothing!"
Well, here:
252 SpA Choice Specs Whimsicott Moonblast vs. 248 HP / 252+ SpD Sableye-Mega: 216-254 (71.2 - 83.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
And most sableye dont tend to go full SpD. This thing lures anti-utility mons like a bitch and 2HKOs almost all of them, especially if a terrain is up. Memento also helps us in the hail matchup, and against Volcarona/Scarf Blacephalon
OLE (Tapu Bulu) @ Assault Vest
Ability: Grassy Surge
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Horn Leech
- Nature's Madness
- Stone Edge
- Superpower
No huge surprises here. Balance bread-and-butter. Gets up terrain and eats hits.
Venus (Tapu Fini) @ Leftovers
Ability: Misty Surge
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Defog
- Haze
- Nature's Madness
- Moonblast
This slot went through several iterations, starting with fini, then experimenting with various Mew variants, and even with CM Taunt Keldeo.
However, all this went in the toilet when I clicked Nature Power -> Energy Ball against Greninja, and realised that Whimsicott doesn't answer Greninja thanks to the totally-good-sense-making Prankster nerf. So here's my greninja check, and it also functions as a terrain setter, defogger and general nuisance.
Birb (Skarmory) @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Roost
- Stealth Rock
- Whirlwind
- Toxic
Because I couldn't just lose to Megacham. Deals with the vast majority of physical attackers pretty nicely, and whirlwind/sturdy can help if I can keep rocks off. Toxic also lets the team break Mew and other walls if the opponent is playing around Whimsicott.
Zygarde @ Choice Band
Ability: Aura Break
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Thousand Arrows
- Outrage
- Extreme Speed
- Glare
In my opinion, the perfect companion for Bulu. Eats the poison attacks that otherwise wreck this team without the passiveness of a Skarm switch. Breaks things open, and provides yet more speed control with both its last moveslots. Can also pressure stall teams as Thousand Arrows is just too good (although watch out for Bulu.)
Gengar @ Fightinium Z
Ability: Cursed Body
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Shadow Ball
- Sludge Wave
- Focus Blast
- Destiny Bond
This is another mon who's had a few iterations. Early variants ran sub Magnezone to counter opposing Specs Mag, but the team doesn't have a huge steel weakness. Gengar functions as a decent nuke with Destiny Bond, and pressures some offence builds by forcing switches on non-scarf Kartana and Bulu. Z-Fight means he can reliably lure and OHKO TTar and Bisharp, which is nice for the team.
Threatlist:
These with Fly-Z or Band wreck this team. They eat Bulu, and then proceed to 2HKO Skarm, and just switch out on Zygarde. Not a whole lot we can do but pray they stay in on Whimsicott.
Provided this guy has good core support, we're not breaking it. Ever.
Stall in general. The CM Taunt Keldeo helped a lot in that matchup but honestly I dont care enough about the stall matchup. I dont go on showdown to play stall.
Overall:
Don't use Whimsicott. He's fun, but the prankster immunity of dark types tears his viability to shreds. That said I've still won a good number of games with this team, it's pretty good against rain and lucha offence, so if you really want to stick it to some cancer it's a decent side.
And I found it.
K-Kartana?! (Whimsicott) @ Choice Specs
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Moonblast
- Giga Drain
- Nature Power
- Memento
The man, the monster, the legend. Nature Power + Prankster + Specs = Sad Hawluchas. Also sad mamoswines, sad rain teams, sad Koko teams, etc.
Most of you will read this and think "surely you're joking, outside of these situations Whimsicott just does nothing!"
Well, here:
252 SpA Choice Specs Whimsicott Moonblast vs. 248 HP / 252+ SpD Sableye-Mega: 216-254 (71.2 - 83.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
And most sableye dont tend to go full SpD. This thing lures anti-utility mons like a bitch and 2HKOs almost all of them, especially if a terrain is up. Memento also helps us in the hail matchup, and against Volcarona/Scarf Blacephalon
OLE (Tapu Bulu) @ Assault Vest
Ability: Grassy Surge
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Horn Leech
- Nature's Madness
- Stone Edge
- Superpower
No huge surprises here. Balance bread-and-butter. Gets up terrain and eats hits.
Venus (Tapu Fini) @ Leftovers
Ability: Misty Surge
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Defog
- Haze
- Nature's Madness
- Moonblast
This slot went through several iterations, starting with fini, then experimenting with various Mew variants, and even with CM Taunt Keldeo.
However, all this went in the toilet when I clicked Nature Power -> Energy Ball against Greninja, and realised that Whimsicott doesn't answer Greninja thanks to the totally-good-sense-making Prankster nerf. So here's my greninja check, and it also functions as a terrain setter, defogger and general nuisance.
Birb (Skarmory) @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Roost
- Stealth Rock
- Whirlwind
- Toxic
Because I couldn't just lose to Megacham. Deals with the vast majority of physical attackers pretty nicely, and whirlwind/sturdy can help if I can keep rocks off. Toxic also lets the team break Mew and other walls if the opponent is playing around Whimsicott.
Zygarde @ Choice Band
Ability: Aura Break
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Thousand Arrows
- Outrage
- Extreme Speed
- Glare
In my opinion, the perfect companion for Bulu. Eats the poison attacks that otherwise wreck this team without the passiveness of a Skarm switch. Breaks things open, and provides yet more speed control with both its last moveslots. Can also pressure stall teams as Thousand Arrows is just too good (although watch out for Bulu.)
Gengar @ Fightinium Z
Ability: Cursed Body
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Shadow Ball
- Sludge Wave
- Focus Blast
- Destiny Bond
This is another mon who's had a few iterations. Early variants ran sub Magnezone to counter opposing Specs Mag, but the team doesn't have a huge steel weakness. Gengar functions as a decent nuke with Destiny Bond, and pressures some offence builds by forcing switches on non-scarf Kartana and Bulu. Z-Fight means he can reliably lure and OHKO TTar and Bisharp, which is nice for the team.
Threatlist:
These with Fly-Z or Band wreck this team. They eat Bulu, and then proceed to 2HKO Skarm, and just switch out on Zygarde. Not a whole lot we can do but pray they stay in on Whimsicott.
Provided this guy has good core support, we're not breaking it. Ever.
Stall in general. The CM Taunt Keldeo helped a lot in that matchup but honestly I dont care enough about the stall matchup. I dont go on showdown to play stall.
Overall:
Don't use Whimsicott. He's fun, but the prankster immunity of dark types tears his viability to shreds. That said I've still won a good number of games with this team, it's pretty good against rain and lucha offence, so if you really want to stick it to some cancer it's a decent side.