Metagame ZeroUsed Metagame Discussion

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Just wanted to share this electrode set, I don't know if it's really useful so I'd love feedback.



Electrode @ Choice Specs
Ability: Soundproof
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Thunderbolt
- Volt Switch
- Hidden Power [Grass]
- Signal Beam

Better speed tier (even when modest) and more damage than Zebstrika and also has soundproof, meaning it can stop parting shot. But more importantly, it can serve as an offensive check to Chatot, which is extremely prominent right now (252 SpA Chatot Heat Wave vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Electrode: 99-117 (37.9 - 44.8%) -- guaranteed 3HKO) and specs heatwave only 2HKOs even after rocks so if necessary electrode can switch in to that. Electrode doesn't really have great coverage, which sets it back as well. The set I'm running includes thunderbolt and volt switch (for obvious reasons), as well as HP Grass to hit Golem and other ground types and signal beam to hit Grumpig, which gets 2HKOed.

What are your thoughts?
 
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Just wanted to share this electrode set, I don't know if it's really useful so I'd love feedback.



Electrode @ Choice Specs
Ability: Soundproof
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Thunderbolt
- Volt Switch
- Hidden Power [Grass]
- Signal Beam

Better speed tier (even when modest) and more damage than Zebstrika and also has soundproof, meaning it can stop parting shot. But more importantly, it can serve as an offensive check to Chatot, which is extremely prominent right now (252 SpA Chatot Heat Wave vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Electrode: 99-117 (37.9 - 44.8%) -- guaranteed 3HKO) and specs heatwave only 2HKOs even after rocks so if necessary electrode can switch in to that. Electrode doesn't really have great coverage, which sets it back as well. The set I'm running includes thunderbolt and volt switch (for obvious reasons), as well as HP Grass to hit Golem and other ground types and signal beam to hit Grumpig, which gets 2HKOed.

What are your thoughts?
Electrode suffers from the similar issue that Zebstrika has regarding using choice items. You don't want to be locked into Electric coverage a tier where most teams have immunities to check Volt-Switch spam, plus your base SpA is only 80 so you want to be able to abuse Electrode's speed to its fullest, making Life Orb a more suitable choice.

HP Water is better for neutral coverage and hits Camerupt and Dugtrio-Alola for Super-Effective damage while still netting the 4x damage multiplier versus Golem. HP Grass would be used to also hit Seaking but is not the optimal coverage of choice since Seaking can commonly survive the 3hko due to its SpD investment to effectively counter Rotom-Frost. Using HP Grass also puts Electrode at a disadvantage when dealing with Pursuit Trappers like Sap Sipper AV Bouffalant and Life Orb Dugtrio-Alola.

I hope this serves as a reference for you and those who wish to use Electrode as an offensive pivot. Good luck on your ZU endeavors and future success!
:mehowth:
 
Well for the (likely) few of you that want to try Icevally out here's my set (even tho it's already on my nom lol):
Silvally-Ice @ Ice Memory
Ability: RKS System
Happiness: 0
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Multi-Attack
- Swords Dance
- Fire Fang/Flame Charge
- Zen Headbutt
 
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BP

Beers and Steers
is a Contributor to Smogon
Raichu Offense: The Uprising (Potentially)

love chants brought to my attention just how threatening everyone's favorite mouse Raichu can be. After being 4-0'd by his Raichu in a room tour match I decided that it was the perfect time to make a Raichu team and see what I was able to came up with!

mousey boi (Raichu) (M) @ Fightinium Z
Ability: Lightning Rod
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 1 Atk
- Nasty Plot
- Thunderbolt
- Focus Blast
- Hidden Power [Ice]

steely boi (Bronzor) @ Eviolite
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 144 Def / 112 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Psywave
- Toxic
- Stealth Rock
- Rest

kek boi (Kecleon) @ Assault Vest
Ability: Protean
EVs: 172 HP / 252 Atk / 84 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Knock Off
- Drain Punch
- Shadow Sneak
- Sucker Punch

watery boi (Silvally-Water) @ Water Memory
Ability: RKS System
EVs: 248 HP / 76 Def / 184 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Surf
- Flamethrower
- Parting Shot
- Defog

leafy boi (Leafeon) @ Choice Band
Ability: Leaf Guard
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Bullet Seed
- Leaf Blade
- Knock Off
- Double-Edge

human boi (Mr. Mime) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Soundproof
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Healing Wish
- Dazzling Gleam
- Psyshock
- Trick


Raichu being the star of the team needed a set that would showcase its sweeping capabilities so I decided to go with the old standard Nasty Plot set with Z-Focus Blast to kill those nasty Kecleons. The whole point of Raichu is to net kills whenever it possibly can thanks to its great speed tier and then ultimately if given the opportunity sweep late game. Golem being one of the best Stealth Rock users in the tier was an immediate concern among other Ground-types. Thus I added Bronzor for Stealth Rock support as well as Toxic. I hadn't tried Kecleon yet and I lacked a good form of Priority and a special wall in order to compliment Bronzor. Kecleon is great for those late game match-ups as it is great at netting crucial kills against the likes of Chatot, Rotom-Frost, and Mr.Mime which can otherwise give my team trouble. Next I turned to Silvally because it did a number of things for team that I needed to take care of. It gets rid of hazards, Absorbs opposing Knock Offs, and Pivots out with Parting Shot which can setup sweeping opportunities for Raichu. 5gen recommened I instead use Silvally-Dragon but I decided Silvally-Water was better for 2 reasons. I myself prefer Silvally-Water because I really love Water-type hazard removers and furthermore Silvally-Water is more defensively inclined then Silvally-Dragon. Next I decided it was time for a fast Physical Breaker in order to really take care of Pokemon that could potentially get in Raichu's way of sweeping late game. For this role Choice Band Leafeon fit perfectly because it not only had a great speed tier but it was able to Immediately get rid of Golem's Sturdy with Choice Band Bullet Seed. Furthermore Leafeon is able to severely damage Bronzor with a Knock Off. Next I wanted some kind of Speed control as well as a decent Chatot switch-in since that Pokemon can tend to cause issues some times. Mr. Mime was a good option as I could potentially fake out opponents on which Pokemon was the Choice Scarf uses between Mr. Mime and Raichu. Furthermore Mime's healing wish support is extremely helpful come late game when securing a win.


https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7zu-789754692 (Kecleon and Raichu paving the way for a fat W against JdRDMS)
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7zu-789794764 (Kecleon coming in clutch again and catching a THICC W against Czim)
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7zu-789751213 (Kecleon again contributes heavily but Raichu ends up finishing the game (against Player 58)


EDIT: Can we just take some time to appreciate how beautiful the BW shiny Kecleon sprite looks. My favorite part is the Blue tongue!
 
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Shuckle @ Mental Herb
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Sticky Web
- Stealth Rock
- Encore
- Toxic

Pawniard @ Life Orb
Ability: Defiant
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Knock Off
- Sucker Punch
- Iron Head

Misdreavus @ Eviolite
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Hex
- Will-O-Wisp
- Taunt
- Memento

Mr. Mime @ Fightinium Z
Ability: Soundproof
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Psychic
- Nasty Plot
- Focus Blast
- Shadow Ball


Basculin @ Choice Band
Ability: Adaptability
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Liquidation
- Zen Headbutt
- Superpower
- Aqua Jet

Electivire @ Life Orb
Ability: Motor Drive
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Thunderbolt
- Flamethrower
- Focus Blast
- Earthquake




This is a pretty standard webs team I created a few weeks ago, I was told I should post it onto the sample thread, which I believe is here.

Prepare for a wall of text.

Roles
Shuckle is easily the best websetter we currently have in the tier, shuckles amazing bulk and sturdy ability lets it run mental herb without worrying about focus sash like smeargle normally would. The set is nothing special, set up webs, click encore if the enemy is trying to setup in your face, click toxic vs any sturdy mon that could get in the way of pawniard or mr.mimes sweep, (always click toxic on golem after getting up webs, that mon needs to have its sturdy broken if you dont want to rely on a flinch.). its spdef to better deal with silvally water and other special attackers but it can run defensive with no problems, so do with it as you see fit.

Pawniard is a staple of web teams, and for good reason. With access to defiant you get to abuse defoggers for a free +2 boost to your attack, enabling an incredible amount of sweeps off of pawniard great attack and knock off + iron head + sucker punch coverage. pawniard needs max speed as otherwise it fails to outspeed a concerning amount of mons in the meta however the majority of the time you will be able to ohko any mon that still outspeeds you with sucker punch. Pawniard also helps vs opposing webs as it gets a free boost to its atk from webs when it comes in, effectively making it so that everytime you enter the field you can claim a mon.

Misdreavus is the resident spinblocker of the team, and also allows for a bulky pivot that can wisp and memento to setup for sweeps, taunt opposing silvally if they come in as after webs you do outspeed them, and still dish out a suprising amount of damage with hex. Ive tired gastly and other offensive ghosts however midreavus has proved infinetely more usefull. Misdreavus also helps the matchup vs monferno, who needs to be at atleast half inorder for sucker punch from pawniard to kill. Misdreavus can easily tank some hits and get it in range with just one hex + rocks. once again, there isnt much special about the set, it does its job to enable webs to stay up and for the rest of the mons on the team to sweep.

Mr. Mime is our second sweeper aswell as our Z move user. Mr.mime is an incredibly big threat right now with limited switchins and "counters" that can usually be defeated by coverage. I am running a fairly unusual set of fightinium z focus blast as well as shadow ball where usually you would have one of those coverage moves > dazzling gleam. The reason for this is to defeat some of the mons that this team struggles with. Shadow ball on mr.mime allows it to defeat the maerenie + bronzor core thats been going around incredibly well, I previously had ghostium inorder to ohko bronzor, however since bronzor cannot ohko mr.mime back and fightinium Z proves heaps more usefull when dealing with the incredibly common defogger of darkvally aswell as helping you ohko golem (without sturdy obviously) and on top of that it also makes it so you can deal with licki licki without settuing up to ohko it.

although pawniard and mr.mime are great at sweeping, they have trouble dishing out damage before their setup. To counteract this, the main breaker of the team, basculin is here. 90% of the time on basculin you will be clicking liquidation. A banded liquidation from an adaptability basculin can ohko the majority of mons in the tier. put this on top of a great speed tier at 324 + webs and this beast has no mons that can either outspeed him without a scarf, or take a liquidation well. The only reason you will be clicking basically any other move is either if you need to finish something off with a banded aqua jet, such as a setup monferno, or if the enemy has a maerenie on the team. Now vs mearnie you have two options. You can either try to double into mr.mime, giving it a free setup, or you can click zen headbutt. Zen headbutt can 2hko mearnie after rocks however it is not hard to take advantage of once mearnie dies. So use this move with caution.

The most recent adition to the team is Life Orb electivire. Electivire provides a immunity to volt switch to better deal with rotoms lightning bolt spam, as well as provides a great wallbreaker with insane coverage for the team. Electivire can generally net 2-3 kills in a game when he comes in safely due to the limited switchins to this mon. webs allows it to avoid being revenge killed by any mon besides very fast scarfers, and provides another answer to completely break open the mearnie + bronzor core.


Weaknesses
I have been made aware of a weakness to this team in lurantis. The current gameplan vs that mon is flamethrower from electivire into sucker punch from pawniard/ zen headbutt from basculin. Im currently looking into how to edit the team to have a better matchup vs the mon as with synthesis sucker punch is a risky play at best, and vs superpower lurantis its definetely a big concern.

The team is very simple to use vs the majority of teams and will not require a lot of prediction in order to gain success with it. Its prefect for new players trying to learn the tier, and is actually the team I started with when first getting into the tier. I hope you enjoyed reading my massive over explanation of a webs team, and enjoy the team.

(p.s. silvally fighting can be put > electivire if you want another sweeper however this makes mareanie wall like half of your team and makes it so your answer to it is to pray you dont get your mr.mime chipped),

editied mr.mime, ghostium z dazzling gleam will still work however after some testing I believe the new set to be a better fit and provides more synergy for the team.
 
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Shuckle @ Mental Herb
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Sticky Web
- Stealth Rock
- Encore
- Toxic

Pawniard @ Life Orb
Ability: Defiant
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Knock Off
- Sucker Punch
- Iron Head

Misdreavus @ Eviolite
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Hex
- Will-O-Wisp
- Taunt
- Memento

Mr. Mime @ Ghostium Z
Ability: Soundproof
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Psychic
- Nasty Plot
- Shadow Ball
- Dazzling Gleam

Basculin @ Choice Band
Ability: Adaptability
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Liquidation
- Zen Headbutt
- Superpower
- Aqua Jet

Electivire @ Life Orb
Ability: Motor Drive
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Thunderbolt
- Flamethrower
- Focus Blast
- Earthquake




This is a pretty standard webs team I created a few weeks ago, I was told I should post it onto the sample thread, which I believe is here.

Prepare for a wall of text.

Roles
Shuckle is easily the best websetter we currently have in the tier, shuckles amazing bulk and sturdy ability lets it run mental herb without worrying about focus sash like smeargle normally would. The set is nothing special, set up webs, click encore if the enemy is trying to setup in your face, click toxic vs any sturdy mon that could get in the way of pawniard or mr.mimes sweep, (always click toxic on golem after getting up webs, that mon needs to have its sturdy broken if you dont want to rely on a flinch.). its spdef to better deal with silvally water and other special attackers but it can run defensive with no problems, so do with it as you see fit.

Pawniard is a staple of web teams, and for good reason. With access to defiant you get to abuse defoggers for a free +2 boost to your attack, enabling an incredible amount of sweeps off of pawniard great attack and knock off + iron head + sucker punch coverage. pawniard needs max speed as otherwise it fails to outspeed a concerning amount of mons in the meta however the majority of the time you will be able to ohko any mon that still outspeeds you with sucker punch. Pawniard also helps vs opposing webs as it gets a free boost to its atk from webs when it comes in, effectively making it so that everytime you enter the field you can claim a mon.

Misdreavus is the resident spinblocker of the team, and also allows for a bulky pivot that can wisp and memento to setup for sweeps, taunt opposing silvally if they come in as after webs you do outspeed them, and still dish out a suprising amount of damage with hex. Ive tired gastly and other offensive ghosts however midreavus has proved infinetely more usefull. Misdreavus also helps the matchup vs monferno, who needs to be at atleast half inorder for sucker punch from pawniard to kill. Misdreavus can easily tank some hits and get it in range with just one hex + rocks. once again, there isnt much special about the set, it does its job to enable webs to stay up and for the rest of the mons on the team to sweep.

Mr.mime is our second sweeper on the team and it is running quite an odd z move. Mr.mime is an amazing sweeper in this tier, however with its base speed it is easily revenge killed. This makes it a perfect candidate for webs and it most definetely shows when you are playing with it. If you get the opportunity to setup a nasty plot with mr.mime after either being enabled my memento from misdreavus or just by getting in a good position vs a mon that cant touch you, mr.mime will give the enemy a run for its money with its great coverage and powerful psychics. ghostium z is there to make sure you get the ohko on bronzor. Without ghostium shadow ball is a 2hko at + 2, and bronzor does about 70-80% back with gyro ball which is not a good trade when you are trying to stay out of range of priority so you can continue your sweep.

although pawniard and mr.mime are great at sweeping, they have trouble dishing out damage before their setup. To counteract this, the main breaker of the team, basculin is here. 90% of the time on basculin you will be clicking liquidation. A banded liquidation from an adaptability basculin can ohko the majority of mons in the tier. put this on top of a great speed tier at 324 + webs and this beast has no mons that can either outspeed him without a scarf, or take a liquidation well. The only reason you will be clicking basically any other move is either if you need to finish something off with a banded aqua jet, such as a setup monferno, or if the enemy has a maerenie on the team. Now vs mearnie you have two options. You can either try to double into mr.mime, giving it a free setup, or you can click zen headbutt. Zen headbutt can 2hko mearnie after rocks however it is not hard to take advantage of once mearnie dies. So use this move with caution.

The most recent adition to the team is Life Orb electivire. Electivire provides a immunity to volt switch to better deal with rotoms lightning bolt spam, as well as provides a great wallbreaker with insane coverage for the team. Electivire can generally net 2-3 kills in a game when he comes in safely due to the limited switchins to this mon. webs allows it to avoid being revenge killed by any mon besides very fast scarfers, and provides another answer to completely break open the mearnie + bronzor core.


Weaknesses
I have been made aware of a weakness to this team in lurantis. The current gameplan vs that mon is flamethrower from electivire into sucker punch from pawniard/ zen headbutt from basculin. Im currently looking into how to edit the team to have a better matchup vs the mon as with synthesis sucker punch is a risky play at best, and vs superpower lurantis its definetely a big concern.

The team is very simple to use vs the majority of teams and will not require a lot of prediction in order to gain success with it. Its prefect for new players trying to learn the tier, and is actually the team I started with when first getting into the tier. I hope you enjoyed reading my massive over explanation of a webs team, and enjoy the team.

(p.s. silvally fighting can be put > electivire if you want another sweeper however this makes mareanie wall like half of your team and makes it so your answer to it is to pray you dont get your mr.mime chipped)
Pretty cool team, but I feel as though misdreavus is just a wasted slot on the team because rapid spin practically doesn't exist in the tier and you'll rarely find it.
 
Pretty cool team, but I feel as though misdreavus is just a wasted slot on the team because rapid spin practically doesn't exist in the tier and you'll rarely find it.
Although rapid spin is rare it is admittedly not the main reason for misdeavus on the team. The team is very squishy aside from shuckle and misdreavus and a pivot that can tank a hit, burn something, and then memento out inorder for one of your setup mons to have an easy setup is most definetely a worth slot on a webs team.
 
Although rapid spin is rare it is admittedly not the main reason for misdeavus on the team. The team is very squishy aside from shuckle and misdreavus and a pivot that can tank a hit, burn something, and then memento out inorder for one of your setup mons to have an easy setup is most definetely a worth slot on a webs team.
If you're looking for something that can pivot and help out setup sweepers you can just use a Silvally form with parting shot.
 

BloodAce

Untier Connoisseur
is a Tiering Contributor
Here is the team built during today's CCAT! This time we built around Nasty Plot Fightium-Z Raichu. Thank you to those of you that participated!

Raichu @ Fightinium Z
Ability: Lightning Rod
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Focus Blast
- Nasty Plot

Oricorio @ Leftovers
Ability: Dancer
EVs: 176 HP / 132 SpA / 200 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Revelation Dance
- Hurricane
- Taunt
- Roost

Lurantis @ Leftovers
Ability: Contrary
EVs: 248 HP / 216 Def / 44 Spe
Impish Nature
- Leaf Storm
- Superpower
- Defog
- Synthesis

Gabite @ Eviolite
Ability: Rough Skin
EVs: 180 HP / 248 Def / 80 Spe
Impish Nature
- Earthquake
- Toxic
- Roar
- Stealth Rock

Silvally @ Choice Scarf
Ability: RKS System
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- U-turn
- Double-Edge
- Crunch / Flamethrower
- Explosion

Muk @ Black Sludge
Ability: Sticky Hold
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Poison Jab / Fire Punch
- Curse
- Sleep Talk
- Rest

Raichu is an extremely powerful breaker as it is able to threaten many conventional Electric-type checks through the combination of Nasty Plot and Fightinium-Z. The rest of team supports Raichu: Gabite sets Stealth Rocks to break opposing Focus Sash and Sturdy as well as wearing down priority users with Rough Skin, Oricorio provides the team a solid answer to threatening pokemon such as Lurantis and Butterfree, Lurantis provides Defog support and deters opposing Defog users, Muk gives the team a solid specially defensive wall and a Toxic Spikes absorber, and Silvally provides speed control and is able to OHKO many scarfers with its powerful STAB.
 
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If you're looking for something that can pivot and help out setup sweepers you can just use a Silvally form with parting shot.
silvally cant taunt opposing silvallys or send out wisps ive tested multiple silvally forms in replace of misdreavus, but the support it gives to setting up sweeps is incredibly valuable on the team
 
Hey, Loxiv here.
Hold on with me as this is the first time I do something like this:

I want to talk about my favorite defensive core, being
Magcargo and Chimecho
:

https://pokepast.es/b8094116496a84dd
Code:
Magcacargo (Magcargo) @ Leftovers 
Ability: Flame Body 
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpA 
Bold Nature 
IVs: 0 Atk 
- Stealth Rock 
- Recover 
- Toxic 
- Lava Plume

Foofootoo (Chimecho) @ Leftovers 
Ability: Levitate 
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 SpD 
Calm Nature 
IVs: 0 Atk 
- Psychic 
- Defog 
- Recover 
- Healing Wish

So Magcargo is the physicall wall and rock setter, whilst Chimecho is a special wall, defogger. Magcargo spreads burn quite easily with Flame body and lava plume. They also both have reliable recovery with, well, recover.

Here is a list of calcs for the relevant pokémon that are walled, by rank as per 18/08/18
252 SpA Choice Specs Rotom-Frost Thunderbolt vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Chimecho: 147-174 (41.5 - 49.1%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
252 SpA Choice Specs Rotom-Frost Blizzard vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Magcargo: 140-165 (43.2 - 50.9%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
252 SpA Chatot Boomburst vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Magcargo: 108-128 (33.3 - 39.5%)
4 SpA Magcargo Lava Plume vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Chatot: 154-183 (52.5 - 62.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 SpA Chatot Boomburst vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Chimecho: 139-165 (39.2 - 46.6%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
4 SpA Chimecho Psychic vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Chatot: 181-214 (61.7 - 73%)
252+ Atk Protean Kecleon Drain Punch vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Magcargo: 134-158 (41.3 - 48.7%)
GET THAT BURN :D
If you ever get in big trouble: +6 0 Atk Vigoroth Facade (140 BP) vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Magcargo: 158-186 (48.7 - 57.4%)
252 SpA Kadabra Shadow Ball vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Chimecho: 128-152 (36.1 - 42.9%)
252+ Atk Choice Band Muk Gunk Shot vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Magcargo: 88-104 (27.1 - 32%)
252 SpA Mr. Mime Dazzling Gleam vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Chimecho: 84-100 (23.7 - 28.2%)
+2 252 SpA Mr. Mime Dazzling Gleam vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Chimecho: 169-199 (47.7 - 56.2%) -- 28.9% chance to 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
252 Atk Life Orb Dugtrio-Alola Iron Head vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Chimecho: 172-203 (48.5 - 57.3%) -- 39.5% chance to 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
252 SpA Ninetales Fire Blast vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Magcargo in Sun: 59-70 (18.2 - 21.6%)
252 SpA Ninetales Fire Blast vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Chimecho in Sun: 153-180 (43.2 - 50.8%)
252 SpA Oricorio Hurricane vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Magcargo: 89-105 (27.4 - 32.4%)
252 SpA Oricorio Hurricane vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Chimecho: 115-136 (32.4 - 38.4%)

Note:
A chimecho fully invested in defense would tank what the core is weak too (physicall hitters with ground or fighting moves) for the price of adding an assault vest to do the special tanking for it, and can be healed with healing wish.
 
Hey, Loxiv here.
Hold on with me as this is the first time I do something like this:

I want to talk about my favorite defensive core, being
Magcargo and Chimecho
:

https://pokepast.es/b8094116496a84dd
Code:
Magcacargo (Magcargo) @ Leftovers
Ability: Flame Body
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpA
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Stealth Rock
- Recover
- Toxic
- Lava Plume

Foofootoo (Chimecho) @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Psychic
- Defog
- Recover
- Healing Wish

So Magcargo is the physicall wall and rock setter, whilst Chimecho is a special wall, defogger. Magcargo spreads burn quite easily with Flame body and lava plume. They also both have reliable recovery with, well, recover.

Here is a list of calcs for the relevant pokémon that are walled, by rank as per 18/08/18
252 SpA Choice Specs Rotom-Frost Thunderbolt vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Chimecho: 147-174 (41.5 - 49.1%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
252 SpA Choice Specs Rotom-Frost Blizzard vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Magcargo: 140-165 (43.2 - 50.9%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
252 SpA Chatot Boomburst vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Magcargo: 108-128 (33.3 - 39.5%)
4 SpA Magcargo Lava Plume vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Chatot: 154-183 (52.5 - 62.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 SpA Chatot Boomburst vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Chimecho: 139-165 (39.2 - 46.6%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
4 SpA Chimecho Psychic vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Chatot: 181-214 (61.7 - 73%)
252+ Atk Protean Kecleon Drain Punch vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Magcargo: 134-158 (41.3 - 48.7%)
GET THAT BURN :D
If you ever get in big trouble: +6 0 Atk Vigoroth Facade (140 BP) vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Magcargo: 158-186 (48.7 - 57.4%)
252 SpA Kadabra Shadow Ball vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Chimecho: 128-152 (36.1 - 42.9%)
252+ Atk Choice Band Muk Gunk Shot vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Magcargo: 88-104 (27.1 - 32%)
252 SpA Mr. Mime Dazzling Gleam vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Chimecho: 84-100 (23.7 - 28.2%)
+2 252 SpA Mr. Mime Dazzling Gleam vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Chimecho: 169-199 (47.7 - 56.2%) -- 28.9% chance to 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
252 Atk Life Orb Dugtrio-Alola Iron Head vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Chimecho: 172-203 (48.5 - 57.3%) -- 39.5% chance to 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
252 SpA Ninetales Fire Blast vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Magcargo in Sun: 59-70 (18.2 - 21.6%)
252 SpA Ninetales Fire Blast vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Chimecho in Sun: 153-180 (43.2 - 50.8%)
252 SpA Oricorio Hurricane vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Magcargo: 89-105 (27.4 - 32.4%)
252 SpA Oricorio Hurricane vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Chimecho: 115-136 (32.4 - 38.4%)

Note:
A chimecho fully invested in defense would tank what the core is weak too (physicall hitters with ground or fighting moves) for the price of adding an assault vest to do the special tanking for it, and can be healed with healing wish.
magcargo is 2hkod by thunderbolt after rocks from rotom-frost, mr.mime sets up on chimecho so that calc is irrelevant, dugtrio-alola litterally just 2hkos chimecho with rocks up and has a chance to 2hko without them up, its a 50/50 shot for ninetails to 2hko chimecho in sun after rocks, magcargo does litterally 17-20% to vigoroth so even though it lives a hit its not doing anything back, all the rest of the calcs are valid though
 
magcargo is 2hkod by thunderbolt after rocks from rotom-frost, mr.mime sets up on chimecho so that calc is irrelevant, dugtrio-alola litterally just 2hkos chimecho with rocks up and has a chance to 2hko without them up, its a 50/50 shot for ninetails to 2hko chimecho in sun after rocks, magcargo does litterally 17-20% to vigoroth so even though it lives a hit its not doing anything back, all the rest of the calcs are valid though
chimecho deals with rotom frost, and vigoroth doesn't hurt in the same way as I don't hurt it, and of cours a 2 pokémon core can't wall EVERYTHING consistantly
 
chimecho deals with rotom frost, and vigoroth doesn't hurt in the same way as I don't hurt it, and of cours a 2 pokémon core can't wall EVERYTHING consistantly
vigoroth does (48.7 - 57.4%) with a +6 facade and facade has 2x the pp of recover
 
vigoroth does (48.7 - 57.4%) with a +6 facade and facade has 2x the pp of recover
That's +6 dude, you can't expect it to wall at +6, Vigo wouldn't have that many turns to set up cause after burning the Vigo he'd probably switch out into a counter/check.

Also like he said, you can't expect a core of just 2 mons to hard counter literally everything in the tier.

I think Mag/Chime is a pretty cool concept.
 
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That's +6 dude, you can't expect it to wall at +6, Vigo wouldn't have that many turns to set up cause after burning the Vigo he'd probably switch out into a counter/check.

Also like he said, you can't expect a core of just 2 mons to hard counter literally everything in the tier.

I think Mag/Chime is a pretty cool concept.
a + 2 vigoroth facade while burned doesnt have many switchins, and besides thats not what he said he replied that vigoroth wouldnt hurt it the same way it couldnt hurt vigoroth. And I litterally never said it was supposed to wall everything I was just disputing his calcs lol.
 

Apagogie

Zee you later
is a Community Contributor Alumnusis a Battle Simulator Staff Alumnus
Some thoughts about some Pokémon and some trends :


Pinsir @ Buginium Z / Groundium Z / Rockium Z / Life Orb / Lum Berry / ...
Ability: Mold Breaker
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- X-Scissor
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge

This set is very effective right now. Pinsir Mold Breaker Swords Dance is one of the best or even the best mon to destroy the common balanced core actually. The set in itself is pretty simple, you set up SD when you have the opportunity to do it and after you spam your moves to severly weaken the opposite team. Earthquake Mold Breaker is really nice to catch Bronzor and Frosttom, but after Swords Dance with the Groundium Z, it OHKO Golem without trouble. Buginium Z has the ability to weaken mons you normally have trouble to deal with such as Gabite or Gourgeist. And if you choose Rockium Z, it's more to dont miss an important Stone Edge. If you dont have your Z-move slot, Life Orb or Lum Berry (against scald Mareanie) are both viable options. This set is really threaten against balanced as I said earlier, Bronzor Mareanie core or TangMuk are eaten by Pinsir. Generally, it's a vally which will be the switch in (especially fighting vally) but they take very bad earthquake at +2.

This set has obviously flaws, you generally have only one opportunity to set up Pinsir, it's very weak to hazards (rock + toxic spikes) and its speed just correct means that's relatively easy to RK it. However, if you success to switch it against a bulky mon, it will be very hard for the opponent to don't lose a pokemon.



Both are pretty ridiculous right now. When I dont have Gourgeist/Silvally-Fighting/Monferno in my team, i feel in danger and i need to avoid as much as possible to let them free turn to set up a Swords Dance. The pressure they put on the opposite team is difficult to handle now you cannot play Pyuku balanced (Mareanie is one shot by bibarel after SD and same with Darkium-Z at +2 of Pawniard after Mareanie koffed). It's a nightmare to fight them without the good mons. I can dominate the battle and then be just surprised by a bad switch and lose because i let them a turn of SD, i can just watch them to sweep me without mercy. I really hope they viability will decrease in the next months because they are quite brainless at the moment.


Toucannon @ Sky Plate
Ability: Skill Link
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Brave Bird
- Bullet Seed
- Overheat
- Roost / Knock Off

I like a lot Toucannon and I enjoy especially this set. The only thing it does is spamming brave bird on the switch and see a mon of the opposite team dying. It doesn't have any single switch-in in the tier if you run Knock Off but i like sometimes Roost to not dying too quickly, you force a lot of switchs so heal toucannon isn't too difficult. Sky Plate is a bit better than Life Orb in my opinion because you will click Brave Bird almost everytime (and lose a lot of life) and the life orb only matters against mawile. Jolly allows you to outspeed the whole slow meta (even Rampardos) and nukes it (bye bye golem). It's totally crazy, it can OHKO offensive Tangela after stealth rock, 2HKO Mareanie after stealth rock, Knock Off + Overheat puts bronzor in a very bad situation, it does until 80% to Muk,... It's probably one of the three mons I enjoy the most recently. Very solid actually, scarf is its best set but this set is dangerous too.


Despite priorities, there is something which is really strong actually, it's double scarf. Yeah, if until here i talked about mons which were strong against slow and bulkier build, lets take a look about how to threaten offensive teams. What I dont like when I run Trick Frosttom or Mr.mime Trick/Healing wish is I generally cannot Trick even if I want (often to get rid of the scarf which is annoying in some match ups, especially against golem) because I lose my speedcontrol in tricking. With double scarf, this is not a problem and often the opponent doesnt predict you play double scarf and is quickly pressured. Dont be afraid you are counter by the same mons, stuff like Kecleon/Grumpig are easy to cheap with rocks/toxic spikes, just run a mon which is able to threaten them such as Kecleon or Mareanie. Also, Mime + Frosttom is just an example, you can run other double scarf such as Monferno Scarf, Chatot Scarf, Simipour Scarf, etc.

>


SD Combusken is a bit better than SD Monferno right now. There are two reasons to explain that. The first one is Monferno suffers of a 4mss with Mach Punch/Close Combat/Flare Blitz/Thunder Punch/Swords Dance, without one of these moves you are walled by Mareanie, by Gourgeist or by Gabite/Dragon Vally or you are easily RK. Combusken on the opposite can get rid of Protect in set upping up in front of Bronzor or in bluffing the protect. It means you can play SD/Flare Blitz/Sky Uppercut/Thunder Punch and threaten at the same time all mons listed above (Mareanie including). The second point is Combusken hits a little bit stronger. This looks maybe anecdotal but that matters a lot for some rolls. Lets see the Z-Move at +2 on grumpig (one of the best Monferno&Combusken "counter") :
+2 252 Atk Monferno Inferno Overdrive (190 BP) vs. 252 HP / 80 Def Thick Fat Grumpig: 280-330 (76.9 - 90.6%) -- 25% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock
+2 252 Atk Combusken Inferno Overdrive (190 BP) vs. 252 HP / 80 Def Thick Fat Grumpig: 295-348 (81 - 95.6%) -- 56.3% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock
Between have only one chance out of four to OHKO Grumpig if you play Monferno or have the opportunity to OHKO Grumpig with the roll in your favor if you play Combusken, that makes a big difference. That's why SD Combusken is a bit more threaten than SD Monferno actually. Monferno has obviously other qualities such as a strong mach punch to RK stuff like Pawniard or Bibarel listed above and close combat is far better than Sky Uppercut. But globally, Combusken is a more threaten SD set up Sweeper due to its ability to get rid easily of common staple mon such as Mareanie without suffering of a 4mss and in having better rolls with flare blitz. The chicken is strong at the moment, very strong, be careful when you see it in the opposite team.


Very not bad at the moment. It has two mains qualities thanks to its poison typing, it removes toxic spikes and it's maybe the only Lurantis counter if Marill isn't considered. So yeah, it cannot do anything against Mareanie but Mareanie either, it's free spikes against the opposite team. Spikes is quite strong at the moment because our main defogers (Vally + Lurantis) doesnt levitate and especially if Roselia is the spiker because our defogers take also very bad sludge bomb (bar vally poison). Thanks to Mareanie, it has the opportunity to stack spikes more often than Crustle and many times in a battle. Honnestly, even if it's not easy to include it in a team, it's very decent at the moment.


There are two pokemon I hate fighting for the moment, it's Bibarel and Sawsbuck. Considering this, I love Gourgeist-Large. Outisde of them, Gourgeist-L is also a good switch-in to common difficult mon to switch into such as golem, pinsir and even some Electivire sets. It prevents as well Chatot scarf to spam boomburst and Bouffalant Band to spam Head charge. It's very antimeta right now and I recommend to play it, you wont disappointed.


To end this, lets meme a bit. If you dont like toxic spikes of Mareanie or even spikes of Roselia, Natu is your best friend. It's even fast for a defensive mon and have u-turn. It's not as bad as you could think, i was surprised. The more fun fact is Gabite is often played nowadays with only earthquake in attacking move so it literally cannot hits Natu. After, when there is no mareanie or no gabite in the opposite team, Natu is often a deadweight of course and its bulk isn't very good. It's however fun to use when you have to counterteam someone, play it with moderation.
 
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5gen

jumper
is a Forum Moderator Alumnusis a Community Contributor Alumnusis a Contributor Alumnusis a Battle Simulator Staff Alumnus
Apologies for the double post.

The CCAT hosted today went relatively well. I want to thank everyone who came out and made the whole process possible. Now, onto the team: https://pokepast.es/3e6f922398a78ced

A poll was set up to decide the theme for the team and Electric-type spam won. From there, Rotom-Frost and Silvally-Electric were selected as the core to build around. However, after much discussion we felt that Silvally-Electric held back the team concept and was an inferior pick, so we voted on Choice Band Golem-A. The idea was that Rotom-Frost deals with Ground- and Grass-types that trouble Golem-A, where as Golem-A can bust through most or all of Rotom-Frost's checks (be wary of Seaking creeping though). Next up, Mareanie was added to deal with Fighting- and Water-types, as well as Tspikes support. The team looked very weak to Rapidash and Electivire, and it lacked Stealth Rock, so naturally Gabite fit in well. From there, the team needed Speed control and some sort of hazard removal, so we decided on Choice Scarf Chatot with Defog. From here, we realized that the team is fairly weak to Abomansow and very weak to NP Mr. Mime, so AV Kecleon was added to help deal with those threats. The team is far from perfect and has numerous weaknesses such as Golem-K, Abomasnow, Psychic-types, opposing Rotom-Frost, and just revenge killing outside of Chatot.

Here is Froasty's spin on the team: https://pokepast.es/58da7cc3feffb540. They went Scarf Electivire over Golem-A because it adds more Speed and just frees up team building for this particular theme. This build covers more metagame threats at the cost of losing the wall breaking power of CB Golem-A. Feel free to take either team for a spin on the ladder, which is back now for September.

Room logs: https://pastebin.com/te4BYMke (fsr the first ten minutes are cut off).
 

5gen

jumper
is a Forum Moderator Alumnusis a Community Contributor Alumnusis a Contributor Alumnusis a Battle Simulator Staff Alumnus
Community-Create-a-Team Archive
"Collaboration is like carbonation for fresh ideas. Working together bubbles up ideas you would not have come up with solo, which gets you further faster."
- Caroline Ghosn

For those who do not already know, the Community-Create-a-Team (CCAT) project is about, as the name suggests, the community coming together in a groupchat on Pokemon Showdown, under the supervision of a member of room staff, in order to create a team. Previously the team would be based around a single lower ranked Pokemon, a more niche set on a higher ranked Pokemon or a less popular strategy, which was voted on by the participants. As of September 13, 2018 the team will be built around a core from the Good Cores project that the users will vote on. If you want something specific to be featured then make sure to get a core submitted and QC'd for the participants to work off of! More than one if you're particularly ambitious!

The importable versions of CCAT teams will be archived below, and the original posts will be linked with the teams for anyone who wants more information about a team, so make sure to check them out and drop some likes!

CCAT December 13, 2018
Post: https://www.smogon.com/forums/threads/zeroused.3629669/page-14#post-7984283

Silvally-Dragon @ Dragon Memory
Ability: RKS System
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest / Timid Nature
- U-turn
- Draco Meteor
- Flamethrower
- Defog

Golem-Alola @ Choice Band
Ability: Magnet Pull
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Volt Switch / Wild Charge / Explosion
- Stone Edge
- Earthquake
- Fire Punch

Bronzor @ Eviolite
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Toxic
- Psywave
- Stealth Rock
- Rest

Electivire @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Motor Drive
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Volt Switch
- Wild Charge
- Earthquake
- Ice Punch

Gourgeist-Super @ Colbur Berry
Ability: Frisk
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold / Impish Nature
- Foul Play
- Leech Seed / Seed Bomb
- Will-O-Wisp
- Synthesis

Floatzel @ Icium Z
Ability: Water Veil
EVs: 160 Atk / 96 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Focus Punch
- Liquidation
- Substitute
- Blizzard
Silvally-Dragon @ Dragon Memory
Ability: RKS System
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest / Timid Nature
- U-turn
- Draco Meteor
- Flamethrower
- Defog

Golem-Alola @ Choice Band
Ability: Magnet Pull
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Volt Switch / Wild Charge / Explosion
- Stone Edge
- Earthquake
- Fire Punch

Bronzor @ Eviolite
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Toxic
- Psywave
- Stealth Rock
- Rest

Electivire @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Motor Drive
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Volt Switch
- Thunderbolt
- Flamethrower
- Focus Blast

Gourgeist-Super @ Colbur Berry
Ability: Frisk
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold / Impish Nature
- Foul Play
- Leech Seed / Seed Bomb
- Will-O-Wisp
- Synthesis

Floatzel @ Fightinium Z
Ability: Water Veil
EVs: 196 Atk / 60 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
IVs: 29 HP
- Liquidation
- Low Kick
- Blizzard
- Taunt

CCAT October 11, 2018
Post: https://www.smogon.com/forums/threads/zeroused.3629669/page-12#post-7940955

Tangela @ Eviolite
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 8 Def / 248 SpA
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Giga Drain
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Leech Seed
- Synthesis

Muk @ Black Sludge
Ability: Sticky Hold
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Curse
- Fire Punch
- Rest
- Sleep Talk

Gabite @ Eviolite
Ability: Rough Skin
EVs: 252 Atk / 48 Def / 208 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Toxic
- Earthquake
- Dragon Claw

Silvally-Water @ Water Memory
Ability: RKS System
EVs: 252 HP / 80 Def / 176 Spe
Timid Nature
- Defog
- U-turn
- Surf
- Thunderbolt

Electivire @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Motor Drive
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Volt Switch
- Wild Charge
- Cross Chop
- Ice Punch

Floatzel @ Fightinium Z
Ability: Water Veil
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Liquidation
- Low Kick
- Taunt
- Bulk Up

Tangela @ Eviolite
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpA
Bold Nature
- Giga Drain
- Knock Off
- Leech Seed
- Synthesis

Muk @ Black Sludge
Ability: Sticky Hold
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Poison Jab
- Curse
- Sleep Talk
- Rest

Pyukumuku @ Leftovers
Ability: Unaware
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Toxic
- Soak
- Counter
- Recover

Lickilicky @ Leftovers
Ability: Oblivious
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Toxic
- Heal Bell
- Wish
- Protect

Probopass @ Groundium Z
Ability: Magnet Pull
EVs: 168 HP / 252 SpA / 88 Spe
Modest Nature
- Volt Switch
- Earth Power
- Smack Down
- Stealth Rock

Silvally-Water @ Water Memory
Ability: RKS System
EVs: 252 HP / 72 Def / 124 SpA / 60 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Surf
- Flamethrower
- Thunderbolt
- Defog

CCAT September 1, 2018
Post: https://www.smogon.com/forums/threads/zeroused.3629669/page-10#post-7896252

Rotom-Frost @ Icium Z
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Thunderbolt
- Blizzard
- Substitute
- Pain Split

Golem-Alola @ Choice Band
Ability: Galvanize
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Return
- Stone Edge
- Earthquake
- Volt Switch

Mareanie @ Eviolite
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Toxic Spikes
- Recover
- Haze

Gabite @ Eviolite
Ability: Rough Skin
EVs: 180 HP / 248 Def / 80 Spe
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Protect
- Roar

Chatot @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Tangled Feet
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Boomburst
- Defog
- Heat Wave
- U-turn

Kecleon @ Assault Vest
Ability: Protean
EVs: 172 HP / 252 Atk / 84 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Knock Off
- Shadow Sneak
- Drain Punch
- Fake Out

Rotom-Frost @ Icium Z
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Thunderbolt
- Blizzard
- Substitute
- Pain Split

Electivire @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Motor Drive
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Volt Switch
- Earthquake
- Ice Punch
- Cross Chop

Lurantis @ Leftovers
Ability: Contrary
EVs: 248 HP / 216 Def / 44 Spe
Impish Nature
- Leaf Storm
- Superpower
- Defog
- Synthesis

Mareanie @ Eviolite
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 248 HP / 240 Def / 20 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Toxic Spikes
- Haze
- Recover

Gabite @ Eviolite
Ability: Rough Skin
EVs: 180 HP / 248 Def / 80 Spe
Impish Nature
- Earthquake
- Toxic
- Roar
- Stealth Rock

Kecleon @ Assault Vest
Ability: Protean
EVs: 136 HP / 252 Atk / 120 SpA
Brave Nature
- Knock Off
- Drain Punch
- Fire Blast
- Shadow Sneak

CCAT August 17, 2018
Post: https://www.smogon.com/forums/threads/zeroused.3629669/page-9#post-7883098

Raichu @ Fightinium Z
Ability: Lightning Rod
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Focus Blast
- Nasty Plot

Oricorio @ Leftovers
Ability: Dancer
EVs: 176 HP / 132 SpA / 200 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Revelation Dance
- Hurricane
- Taunt
- Roost

Lurantis @ Leftovers
Ability: Contrary
EVs: 248 HP / 216 Def / 44 Spe
Impish Nature
- Leaf Storm
- Superpower
- Defog
- Synthesis

Gabite @ Eviolite
Ability: Rough Skin
EVs: 180 HP / 248 Def / 80 Spe
Impish Nature
- Earthquake
- Toxic
- Roar
- Stealth Rock

Silvally @ Choice Scarf
Ability: RKS System
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- U-turn
- Double-Edge
- Crunch / Flamethrower
- Explosion

Muk @ Black Sludge
Ability: Sticky Hold
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Poison Jab / Fire Punch
- Curse
- Sleep Talk
- Rest
CCAT September 16, 2018
Post: https://www.smogon.com/forums/threads/zeroused.3629669/page-10#post-7909255

Lapras @ Choice Specs
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 120 HP / 252 SpA / 136 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Hydro Pump
- Freeze-Dry
- Ice Beam
- Hidden Power [Fire]

Stoutland @ Choice Band
Ability: Scrappy
Happiness: 0
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Frustration
- Facade
- Superpower
- Pursuit

Rotom-Fan @ Mago Berry
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Volt Switch
- Air Slash
- Will-O-Wisp
- Defog

Silvally-Dragon @ Dragon Memory
Ability: RKS System
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Draco Meteor
- Flamethrower
- Defog
- U-turn

Probopass @ Groundium Z
Ability: Magnet Pull
EVs: 164 HP / 252 SpA / 92 Spe
Modest Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Smack Down
- Power Gem
- Earth Power

Leafeon @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Chlorophyll
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Leaf Blade
- Knock Off
- Double-Edge
- Toxic
CCAT July 19, 2018
Post: https://www.smogon.com/forums/threads/zeroused.3629669/page-8#post-7853836

Huntail @ White Herb / Darkinium Z
Ability: Swift Swim
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive / Naughty Nature
- Shell Smash
- Sucker Punch
- Waterfall
- Ice Beam

Kecleon @ Assault Vest
Ability: Protean
EVs: 172 HP / 252 Atk / 84 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Knock Off
- Drain Punch
- Shadow Sneak
- Fake Out / Sucker Punch

Electivire @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Motor Drive
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Flamethrower
- Earthquake / Cross Chop
- Volt Switch
- Wild Charge

Golem @ Leftovers
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 32 Atk / 216 Def / 8 Spe
Impish Nature
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Toxic
- Stealth Rock

Grumpig @ Leftovers
Ability: Thick Fat
EVs: 80 HP / 252 SpA / 176 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Substitute
- Calm Mind
- Psyshock
- Focus Blast / Shadow Ball / Signal Beam

Silvally-Grass @ Grass Memory
Ability: RKS System
EVs: 72 HP / 252 SpA / 184 Spe
Timid Nature
- Grass Pledge
- Defog / Toxic
- U-turn
- Flamethrower
CCAT July 5, 2018
Post: https://www.smogon.com/forums/threads/zeroused.3629669/page-7#post-7836362

Golem @ Heat Rock
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Sunny Day
- Stealth Rock
- Explosion
- Earthquake

Sawsbuck @ Life Orb
Ability: Chlorophyll
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Horn Leech
- Double-Edge
- Jump Kick

Bellossom @ Grassium Z
Ability: Chlorophyll
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Quiver Dance
- Solar Beam / Giga Drain
- Hidden Power [Fire] / Moonblast
- Strength Sap

Liepard @ Heat Rock
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Knock Off
- Sunny Day
- Encore
- U-turn

Rapidash @ Charcoal
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Flare Blitz
- Wild Charge
- High Horsepower
- Morning Sun

Shiftry @ Life Orb
Ability: Chlorophyll
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Rash Nature
- Solar Beam
- Dark Pulse
- Sucker Punch
- Growth

CCAT June 21, 2018
Post: https://www.smogon.com/forums/threads/zeroused.3629669/page-7#post-7820417

Natu @ Eviolite
Ability: Magic Bounce
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Bold Nature
- Reflect
- U-turn
- Night Shade
- Roost

Mareanie @ Eviolite
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 248 HP / 240 Def / 20 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Toxic Spikes
- Recover
- Haze

Silvally @ Dark Memory
Ability: RKS System
EVs: 252 HP / 196 Def / 60 Spe
Impish Nature
- Multi-Attack
- Rest
- Defog
- U-turn

Lickilicky @ Leftovers
Ability: Oblivious
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpD / 4 Spe
Careful Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Wish
- Protect
- Toxic
- Heal Bell

Torterra @ Leftovers
Ability: Shell Armor
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Def
Impish Nature
- Toxic
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Synthesis

Vigoroth @ Eviolite
Ability: Vital Spirit
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Taunt
- Bulk Up
- Slack Off
- Return

CCAT June 7, 2018
Post: https://www.smogon.com/forums/threads/zeroused.3629669/page-6#post-7808395

Lapras @ Choice Specs
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Hydro Pump
- Surf
- Freeze-Dry
- Future Sight

Monferno @ Eviolite
Ability: Iron Fist
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Mach Punch
- Flare Blitz
- U-turn

Dugtrio-Alola @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Tangling Hair
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Iron Head
- Stone Edge
- Memento

Grumpig @ Mago Berry
Ability: Thick Fat
EVs: 252 HP / 80 SpD / 176 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Recycle
- Substitute
- Psychic
- Focus Blast

Tangela @ Eviolite
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Leaf Storm
- Sleep Powder
- Giga Drain
- Hidden Power [Fire]

Silvally-Water @ Water Memory
Ability: RKS System
EVs: 252 HP / 228 Def / 28 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Defog
- Surf
- Toxic
- Parting Shot

CCAT June 2, 2018
Post: https://www.smogon.com/forums/threads/zeroused.3629669/page-6#post-7803745

Murkrow @ Flyinium Z
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Brave Bird
- Sucker Punch
- Mirror Move
- Pursuit

Torterra @ Occa Berry
Ability: Overgrow
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Rock Polish
- Wood Hammer
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge

Probopass @ Leftovers
Ability: Magnet Pull
EVs: 248 HP / 176 SpD / 84 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Volt Switch
- Earth Power
- Pain Split
- Stealth Rock

Silvally-Fighting @ Fighting Memory
Ability: RKS System
EVs: 236 HP / 88 Def / 184 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Multi-Attack
- Defog
- U-turn
- Swords Dance

Grumpig @ Mago Berry
Ability: Thick Fat
EVs: 252 HP / 80 SpD / 176 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Recycle
- Substitute
- Psychic
- Focus Blast

Rotom-Frost @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Blizzard
- Volt Switch
- Thunderbolt
- Trick

CCAT May 15, 2018
Post: https://www.smogon.com/forums/threads/zeroused.3629669/page-5#post-7788802

Combusken @ Fightinium Z
Ability: Speed Boost
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Fire Blast
- Focus Blast
- Defog
- Protect

Liepard @ Black Glasses
Ability: Limber
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Knock Off
- U-turn
- Pursuit
- Sucker Punch

Grumpig @ Leftovers
Ability: Thick Fat
EVs: 120 HP / 252 SpA / 136 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Psychic
- Focus Blast
- Taunt
- Toxic

Torterra @ Leftovers
Ability: Overgrow
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Synthesis
- Wood Hammer
- Earthquake

Poliwrath @ Leftovers
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 160 HP / 252 SpA / 96 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Focus Blast
- Ice Beam
- Vacuum Wave

Rotom-Frost @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Thunderbolt
- Volt Switch
- Blizzard
- Trick
 
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https://pokepast.es/5d014ff2c58fad10
This is the team that I have had the most success in the September ZU ladder. I know it may look a little off meta but all the pokemon on this team are viable. Machoke with eviolite is a good lead since golem is a very popular rock setter. No guard is the ability so Dynamic Punch Will be your main damage. Dynamic Punch will activate sturdy. And anything that switches into a dynamic punch will be in a world of PAIN. Also has bulk up, knock off, and bullet punch. Next we specs Frostom but honestly you can run and frostom set. Specs is my personal favorite. Next we have one of my favorite and one of the most slept on pokemon, Unfezant. It's ability super luck combined with razor claw is op. 50% chance to crit on all moves. !00% chance on night slash. Crit return takes out 75% of the meta and crit quick attacks kill lots of thing. Aerial Ace and night slash for coverage. Unfezant has a pretty solid attack on 361 with my set. Next we have Wartortle. With eviolite it is a tank. Feel free to run is physical or special but i use it physically. Good rapid spin. It is a decent attacker. Beheeyem is really nice. Analytic is a great ability for such a slow pokemon. Setup with calm mind. Cripple with thunder wave. Psychic and Signal Beam for coverage. Finally we have arbok for coverage. Great sweeper to switch in on a physical attacker since intimidate drops attack. Then you can coil once and you will be good. Seed Bomb and EQ hit a loot of things super effectively. And a neutral gunk shot from a +1 attack arbok will do massive damage. Really good team and I hope you try out some of the components.
 
I'm using a Magmar with Life Orb, and haven't been disappointed. Flamethrower, HP Grass, and Psychic let it hit many targets extremely hard, while Mach Punch is priority in a pinch.
Still, how does this compare with the other Fire Types in the Tier?
 

5gen

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I'm using a Magmar with Life Orb, and haven't been disappointed. Flamethrower, HP Grass, and Psychic let it hit many targets extremely hard, while Mach Punch is priority in a pinch.
Still, how does this compare with the other Fire Types in the Tier?
That sounds like a really neat set. It seems that this Magmar set aims to be anti-meta in its ability to hit standard Fire-type resists such as Golem and Mareanie. Taking that niche into account, we can see that most other Fire-types can also nail the same targets as Magmar. For example, Rapidash, Oricorio-Baille, Silvally-Fire, Ninetales, and Simisear all have the coverage to 2HKO both Golem and Mareanie. Also, these are Pokemon who are as fast or faster than Magmar, which shows you how it’s Speed compares to other Fire-types. However, due to holding a Life Orb, Magmar likely can hit harder than some of the aforementioned Fire-types (on phone so I won’t calc). Next, you mention Mach Punch to hit weakened foes. The only Fire-type that commonly uses priority is Monferno, who gets a STAB+Iron Fist boost from Mach Punch. In that aspect, Magmar kind of sets itself apart in the sense that it can beat Mareanie (something Monferno typically can’t do) and use priority to pick off weakened foes (although non-STAB Mach Punch is really weak).

Overall, Magmar doesn’t compare well with the tier’s Fire-types. It’s a really cool Pokemon with a super specific niche, but is largely outclassed by other Fire-types to their superior offensive stats or coverage options.

Lastly, I know I left out certain aspects such as bulk, but that’s because Magmar’s bulk is relatively okay on the special side and simply poor on the physical side. It won’t be taking many hits or switching in easily due to that and due to the fact that Life Orb recoil chips Magmar down.
 
That sounds like a really neat set. It seems that this Magmar set aims to be anti-meta in its ability to hit standard Fire-type resists such as Golem and Mareanie. Taking that niche into account, we can see that most other Fire-types can also nail the same targets as Magmar. For example, Rapidash, Oricorio-Baille, Silvally-Fire, Ninetales, and Simisear all have the coverage to 2HKO both Golem and Mareanie. Also, these are Pokemon who are as fast or faster than Magmar, which shows you how it’s Speed compares to other Fire-types. However, due to holding a Life Orb, Magmar likely can hit harder than some of the aforementioned Fire-types (on phone so I won’t calc). Next, you mention Mach Punch to hit weakened foes. The only Fire-type that commonly uses priority is Monferno, who gets a STAB+Iron Fist boost from Mach Punch. In that aspect, Magmar kind of sets itself apart in the sense that it can beat Mareanie (something Monferno typically can’t do) and use priority to pick off weakened foes (although non-STAB Mach Punch is really weak).

Overall, Magmar doesn’t compare well with the tier’s Fire-types. It’s a really cool Pokemon with a super specific niche, but is largely outclassed by other Fire-types to their superior offensive stats or coverage options.

Lastly, I know I left out certain aspects such as bulk, but that’s because Magmar’s bulk is relatively okay on the special side and simply poor on the physical side. It won’t be taking many hits or switching in easily due to that and due to the fact that Life Orb recoil chips Magmar down.
Woah. This is a really neat analysis. I really appreciate all the points you've made, and am going to keep them in mind for later. I've been having a fair bit of success with it, and on my team it's niche is special attacking with good coverage rather than hitting Grass, Bug, Steel, and Ice, but you're right that there are some more Fire types I can experiment with who fill the same role
 
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