Hey all, this is my second time posting here, and my first year of VGC, the twist is, this time I'm posting about a format I actually enjoy playing. I wasn't sure about series 7 early on, but when I saw that Guzzlord could work, I knew I had to try it out. I spent the first month of the format using the guzzlord team that placed 13th at the VR challenge, but after PCII, when had the meta had settled down a bit, I decided it was finally time to make some changes to the team.
I'll link the team report for the original team here
https://victoryroadvgc.com/2020/11/05/alex-dellapasqua-vr-tundra-report/
If you have any questions about the spreads, check here first ^ ^
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The Team
Dusclops @ Eviolite
Ability: Frisk
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 52 Def / 204 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 atk / 0 Spe
- Night Shade
- Pain Split
- Brick Break
- Trick Room
Dusclops' role on this team remained the same, it would set up trick room and side activate Guzzlord's weakness policy. The original ev spread was far too physically defensive given the current format. I invested more in special defense to be able to tank Regieleki's electro ball and Charizard's everything. On this team I didn't need to invest too much in physical defense since the pokemon that threatened Dusclops struggled against fake out. With this ev spread and fake out support, I was able to get up trick room whenever I needed it. I switched to a calm nature since Dusclops would still be able to underspeed things in trick room regardless and I wanted to minimize the damage dealt to Guzzlord.
Incineroar @ Iapapa Berry
Ability: Intimidate
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 164 Def / 92 SpD
Relaxed Nature
- Parting Shot
- Fake Out
- Flare Blitz
- U-turn
I kept the ev spread the same since I knew this team needed Incineroar to keep Glastrier from walking all over everything. I replaced snarl with U-turn to be able to side activate Guzzlord's weakness policy in situations where my opponent would protect in fear of a fake out. This was especially useful against Clefairy leads where I could self U-turn predicting a helping hand or protect. Incineroar not only contributed to the fire/water/grass core of the team, but was also a huge part of most endgames that I had to play. The relaxed nature allows it to function even better in trick room and help Guzzlord pivot in more safely.
Rillaboom @ Assault Vest
Ability: Grassy Surge
Level: 50
Gigantamax: Yes
EVs: 116 HP / 132 Atk / 92 Def / 164 SpD / 4 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Fake Out
- Grassy Glide
- U-turn
- Wood Hammer
The original team had Amoonguss instead of Rillaboom, but two of the biggest flaws I noticed with the team was the lack of offense, and the weakness to calm mind Fini. Rillaboom solved both these issues, being able to threaten out Fini and beat it late game, as well as provide more offensive pressure. Having two fake out users, one of which removed psychic terrain, was incredibly useful in almost every match I played. Simply being able to spam fake out with Rillaboom and Incineroar was crucial late-game after both players had used their dynamax. The spread is a pretty basic defensive set designed to live at least 1 hit from unboosted Moltres-G and Nihilego, and I dumped the rest into bulk and attack. I had 4 evs left over after all the calcs so I put them into speed so as to not speed tie with opposing RIllabooms.
Tapu Fini @ Life Orb
Ability: Misty Surge
Level: 50
EVs: 244 HP / 188 SpA / 76 SpD
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Protect
- Muddy Water
- Moonblast
- Ice Beam
I haven't changed this set at all, it fit so perfectly onto the team and I just didn't see any reason to change it. Having the life orb gave it more immediate damage potential, as well as providing a second max candidate if things went south. The special defense investment went a long way in helping shrug off hits from Moltres-G while 2HKOing it back with max starfall. Ice beam allowed it to hit the ever-present Landorus and schmix up the weather on Venusaur. I lead it with dusclops frequently against sun teams to guarantee trick room while threatening both Venusaur and Torkoal.
Celesteela @ Misty Seed
Ability: Beast Boost
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 180 Atk / 76 Def
Relaxed Nature
- Protect
- Heavy Slam
- Earthquake
- Leech Seed
This was the only other set that I didn't change at all, since like Fini, it just felt optimal. The boost from misty seed combined with the boosts it would receive from its max moves made this thing the ultimate tank. If I brought Celesteela, I usually planned on maxing it. It was mainly here to check Glastrier, but also performed well against things like Landorus, Nihilego and even Coalossal. The spread allows it to 2HKO Regieleki with max quake, while minimizing damage taken from volt switch and thunderbolt. However, The most important thing was being able to live a +1 max hailstorm from Glastrier without evey dynamaxing. This Celesteela set abuses max incredibly well and fit perfectly right next to the final member.
Guzzlord @ Weakness Policy
Ability: Beast Boost
Level: 50
EVs: 116 Def / 180 SpA / 212 SpD
Quiet Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 0 Spe
- Protect
- Dark Pulse
- Draco Meteor
- Sludge Bomb
The hungriest being in existence, Guzzlord. I kept the moveset the same since there weren't any other moves I felt like it needed, but I changed the spread to always survive Tapu Fini's moonblast after Dusclops had brick broken it. Its ability to sweep teams was as useful as ever, and all the pivot moves on the team gave it really easy entry. The general strategy was to get up trick room, have Dusclops brick break it to activate, then sweep with max darkness and beast boost. If this thing was ever able to pick up a KO with max darkness, it could snowball incredibly easily. I lead it alongside Incineroar and Rillaboom to punish more passive leads, like Clefairy-Spectrier.
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The original team had 4 bad matchups that were pretty significant, but rillaboom was able to patch up those holes quite well.
Both calm mind Tapu Fini and electro ball Regieleki didn't like taking fake out or grassy glide, making it much easier to keep them in check.
Urshifu absolutely hated having its sash broken by the fake out spam meaning it couldn't just switch in and start clicking whatever it wanted.
While Rotom-H still threatened a lot of the team, it was only if it was given an oppurtunity to set up, and double fake out was extremely helpful in stopping it. I still think the team struggles with it a little bit, but definitely not as much anymore.
Here are some replays I guess
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8vgc2021-1251434093-adiw1vs98c2xxw1cxpayk2w46d5k3l5pw (vs sun with a fake out endgame)
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8vgc2021-1251676423-oy54ylqdafx2aw147ia8vuqfv60okfbpw (vs sun taking the guzzlord route)
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8vgc2021-1251430320 (vs sand hyper offense with dynamax celesteela)
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8vgc2021-1252307098 (vs rotom-h using guzzlord outside of trick room)
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8vgc2021-1252315487 (this one is just celesteela refusing to die)
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8vgc2021-1250644457 (vs screens while rillaboom carries me)
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8vgc2021-1254548567 (vs spectrier using guzzlord outside of trick room)
Overall, this team was super fun to play, and I think Guzzlord truly can succeed in this meta, given a well built team with good support. It does well against many pokemon in the meta at the moment, Regieleki, Rotom-H, Metagross, Regigigas, and Kartana just to name a few. It also excels at punishing redirection leads alongside fake out users. Its bulk is immense in and outside of dynamax, allowing it to switch in easily to protect its team members. I think that Guzzlord is a pokemon that can't be put on any team, but if you build around it well enough, it can be an absolute menace capable of sweeping through teams and constantly forcing the opponent into a bad position. I managed to hit 1700s with this team, so I'm feeling pretty confident about it. If you notice any weaknesses or flaws, please point them out to me in the replies, I'm always looking to improve. I'll attach proof of Guzzlord's success as well as the pokepaste down below. Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed!
Here's the pokepaste: https://pokepast.es/422df19a2029df07
I'll link the team report for the original team here
https://victoryroadvgc.com/2020/11/05/alex-dellapasqua-vr-tundra-report/
If you have any questions about the spreads, check here first ^ ^
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The Team
Dusclops @ Eviolite
Ability: Frisk
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 52 Def / 204 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 atk / 0 Spe
- Night Shade
- Pain Split
- Brick Break
- Trick Room
Dusclops' role on this team remained the same, it would set up trick room and side activate Guzzlord's weakness policy. The original ev spread was far too physically defensive given the current format. I invested more in special defense to be able to tank Regieleki's electro ball and Charizard's everything. On this team I didn't need to invest too much in physical defense since the pokemon that threatened Dusclops struggled against fake out. With this ev spread and fake out support, I was able to get up trick room whenever I needed it. I switched to a calm nature since Dusclops would still be able to underspeed things in trick room regardless and I wanted to minimize the damage dealt to Guzzlord.
Incineroar @ Iapapa Berry
Ability: Intimidate
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 164 Def / 92 SpD
Relaxed Nature
- Parting Shot
- Fake Out
- Flare Blitz
- U-turn
I kept the ev spread the same since I knew this team needed Incineroar to keep Glastrier from walking all over everything. I replaced snarl with U-turn to be able to side activate Guzzlord's weakness policy in situations where my opponent would protect in fear of a fake out. This was especially useful against Clefairy leads where I could self U-turn predicting a helping hand or protect. Incineroar not only contributed to the fire/water/grass core of the team, but was also a huge part of most endgames that I had to play. The relaxed nature allows it to function even better in trick room and help Guzzlord pivot in more safely.
Rillaboom @ Assault Vest
Ability: Grassy Surge
Level: 50
Gigantamax: Yes
EVs: 116 HP / 132 Atk / 92 Def / 164 SpD / 4 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Fake Out
- Grassy Glide
- U-turn
- Wood Hammer
The original team had Amoonguss instead of Rillaboom, but two of the biggest flaws I noticed with the team was the lack of offense, and the weakness to calm mind Fini. Rillaboom solved both these issues, being able to threaten out Fini and beat it late game, as well as provide more offensive pressure. Having two fake out users, one of which removed psychic terrain, was incredibly useful in almost every match I played. Simply being able to spam fake out with Rillaboom and Incineroar was crucial late-game after both players had used their dynamax. The spread is a pretty basic defensive set designed to live at least 1 hit from unboosted Moltres-G and Nihilego, and I dumped the rest into bulk and attack. I had 4 evs left over after all the calcs so I put them into speed so as to not speed tie with opposing RIllabooms.
Tapu Fini @ Life Orb
Ability: Misty Surge
Level: 50
EVs: 244 HP / 188 SpA / 76 SpD
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Protect
- Muddy Water
- Moonblast
- Ice Beam
I haven't changed this set at all, it fit so perfectly onto the team and I just didn't see any reason to change it. Having the life orb gave it more immediate damage potential, as well as providing a second max candidate if things went south. The special defense investment went a long way in helping shrug off hits from Moltres-G while 2HKOing it back with max starfall. Ice beam allowed it to hit the ever-present Landorus and schmix up the weather on Venusaur. I lead it with dusclops frequently against sun teams to guarantee trick room while threatening both Venusaur and Torkoal.
Celesteela @ Misty Seed
Ability: Beast Boost
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 180 Atk / 76 Def
Relaxed Nature
- Protect
- Heavy Slam
- Earthquake
- Leech Seed
This was the only other set that I didn't change at all, since like Fini, it just felt optimal. The boost from misty seed combined with the boosts it would receive from its max moves made this thing the ultimate tank. If I brought Celesteela, I usually planned on maxing it. It was mainly here to check Glastrier, but also performed well against things like Landorus, Nihilego and even Coalossal. The spread allows it to 2HKO Regieleki with max quake, while minimizing damage taken from volt switch and thunderbolt. However, The most important thing was being able to live a +1 max hailstorm from Glastrier without evey dynamaxing. This Celesteela set abuses max incredibly well and fit perfectly right next to the final member.
Guzzlord @ Weakness Policy
Ability: Beast Boost
Level: 50
EVs: 116 Def / 180 SpA / 212 SpD
Quiet Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 0 Spe
- Protect
- Dark Pulse
- Draco Meteor
- Sludge Bomb
The hungriest being in existence, Guzzlord. I kept the moveset the same since there weren't any other moves I felt like it needed, but I changed the spread to always survive Tapu Fini's moonblast after Dusclops had brick broken it. Its ability to sweep teams was as useful as ever, and all the pivot moves on the team gave it really easy entry. The general strategy was to get up trick room, have Dusclops brick break it to activate, then sweep with max darkness and beast boost. If this thing was ever able to pick up a KO with max darkness, it could snowball incredibly easily. I lead it alongside Incineroar and Rillaboom to punish more passive leads, like Clefairy-Spectrier.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The original team had 4 bad matchups that were pretty significant, but rillaboom was able to patch up those holes quite well.
Both calm mind Tapu Fini and electro ball Regieleki didn't like taking fake out or grassy glide, making it much easier to keep them in check.
Urshifu absolutely hated having its sash broken by the fake out spam meaning it couldn't just switch in and start clicking whatever it wanted.
While Rotom-H still threatened a lot of the team, it was only if it was given an oppurtunity to set up, and double fake out was extremely helpful in stopping it. I still think the team struggles with it a little bit, but definitely not as much anymore.
Here are some replays I guess
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8vgc2021-1251434093-adiw1vs98c2xxw1cxpayk2w46d5k3l5pw (vs sun with a fake out endgame)
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8vgc2021-1251676423-oy54ylqdafx2aw147ia8vuqfv60okfbpw (vs sun taking the guzzlord route)
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8vgc2021-1251430320 (vs sand hyper offense with dynamax celesteela)
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8vgc2021-1252307098 (vs rotom-h using guzzlord outside of trick room)
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8vgc2021-1252315487 (this one is just celesteela refusing to die)
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8vgc2021-1250644457 (vs screens while rillaboom carries me)
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8vgc2021-1254548567 (vs spectrier using guzzlord outside of trick room)
Overall, this team was super fun to play, and I think Guzzlord truly can succeed in this meta, given a well built team with good support. It does well against many pokemon in the meta at the moment, Regieleki, Rotom-H, Metagross, Regigigas, and Kartana just to name a few. It also excels at punishing redirection leads alongside fake out users. Its bulk is immense in and outside of dynamax, allowing it to switch in easily to protect its team members. I think that Guzzlord is a pokemon that can't be put on any team, but if you build around it well enough, it can be an absolute menace capable of sweeping through teams and constantly forcing the opponent into a bad position. I managed to hit 1700s with this team, so I'm feeling pretty confident about it. If you notice any weaknesses or flaws, please point them out to me in the replies, I'm always looking to improve. I'll attach proof of Guzzlord's success as well as the pokepaste down below. Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed!
Here's the pokepaste: https://pokepast.es/422df19a2029df07
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