Hello hello! I wanted to build an OU team with Piloswine, having been a UU player as my first GSC tier. Knowing the power of Piloswine in UU and seeing as it is viable (though niche) in OU, I thought making a solid team with it would be a fun challenge. This team went through several iterations before reaching its current state, but I'm quite happy with the final product, and was able to achieve top 10 on the GSC OU ladder with it. Let's get into the members!
Zapdos is a terror in any GSC match, being really difficult to reliably answer, and that's no exception here. I ended up choosing the RestTalk set and leading with it on this team for several reasons. Zapdos as a lead on this team starts the game off strong against Cloyster and Forretress leads, while being able to stay in on Snorlax, Exeggutor, and Smeargle and throw out a Thunder/HP Ice while safely absorbing potential sleep moves for the team. Against lead Raikou or Zapdos, Zapdos can safely pivot into Piloswine to absorb Thunders and Thunderbolts, then double to Cloyster to either set Spikes up or scout for Hidden Power Water. Aside from the lead matchup, Zapdos takes some of the pressure off Skarmory in checking threats like Machamp and Exeggutor, while providing immediate pressure against Starmie and Forretress, making them think twice about staying in, and helping the team to maintain Spikes. Zapdos is of couse excellent in forcing damage alongside Spikes as well, and provides additional insurance for the team against a variety of threats like Marowak, Nidoking, Gengar, and Heracross.
Cloyster provides consistent Spiking for the team while threatening damage on Rocks and Steels, taking some of the pressure off the other team members to do this. Cloyster is also better able to threaten Gengar, Forretress, and Skarmory than Forretress would be able to in this slot. Cloyster also provides an Explosion that can be helpful in pressuring Resting or paralyzed Pokemon, which in conjuction with Zapdos, Piloswine, and Snorlax can form pathways to pressure and remove threats like Raikou and Blissey. Cloyster also often finds itself switching into opposing Cloyster to pressure them or to take an Explosion that Zapdos would rather not risk itself against.
Piloswine is one of the standout members of the team, and is unique it its role of switching reliably into HP Ice variants of Zapdos and Raikou while pressuring both with Ice Beam and Earthquake, respectively. With Spikes down, Piloswine's Earthquake also puts a decent chunk of damage into Pokemon like Snorlax, Starmie, Forretress, and Blissey, allowing the team to keep up pressure against these Pokemon and force them to recover HP or switch out after repeated sequences. Piloswine also makes for a decent check to most Snorlax answers due to its STAB combination, being able to threaten moderate to heavy damage against all of Golem, Steelix, Skarmory, Tyranitar, Rhydon, Gengar, and Misdreavus. Piloswine's Ice neutrality and STAB Earthquake also makes it an excellent check to many Gengar sets, taking pressure off Zapdos and Snorlax to check it. Likewise, Piloswine's Rock neutrality and STAB Earthquake also allows it to check Tyranitar from high HP. Piloswine is useful for pulling off sequences of switches between the other team members, as it can bait Thunders/Thunderbolts from Pokemon like Zapdos, Raikou, and Gengar, and then pivot into Snorlax, Zapdos, or Vaporeon depending on the coverage the opposing threat has (ex. Piloswine draws Thunder from Raikou, then pivots into Snorlax while drawing HP Water). Piloswine is not a perfect check to HP Ice Zapdos/Raikou, as it can be worn down switching into these repeatedly with Spikes up, so it's important to manage its HP and make use of Zapdos and Snorlax to continually threaten the opposing team in conjunction with Piloswine. Piloswine also invites in Pokemon like Cloyster and Starmie, so smart doubles to Zapdos and Vaporeon will reward the Piloswine user.
Lax is lax, not too much needs to be said here. Curse + EQ was the set I ultimately settled on, mainly to pressure Golem more and not allow it to spin freely. Earthquake also allows Snorlax to threaten Gengar and Tyranitar, taking the pressure off the other team members. Retaining Rest allows Snorlax to still check Zapdos and Raikou with some reliability, while keeping Curse allows Snorlax to maintain its offensive potential, which the team can otherwise find itself coming up a little short on, especially if Vaporeon cannot boost safely in the current game state.
Vaporeon's main purpose on this team and the reason it synergizes so well with Piloswine is its ability to switch into and beat other Water-types, most importantly Cloyster and Starmie. The RestTalk + Growth set alongside Vaporeon's excellent bulk also makes Vaporeon an immense threat to stall teams, which often have no real ways to threaten Vaporeon once their Electric types and Snorlax have been KO'd or statused. Vaporeon also performs an essential role on this team as its most reliable Jynx answer, which the team otherwise does not deal well with. Vaporeon's good bulk and Water typing + STAB also help the team deal with Tyranitar, especially Curse and Fire Blast variants.
Skarmory is the final member of the team, and is really necessary on the team to deal with all versions of EQ Lax. Skamory fits well on balance squads that can reliably switch into the Electrics and Water-types, which this team pulls off quite well. The reward for this is Skarmory reliably dealing with many Snorlax variants all game long, allowing the other members of the team to focus on checking the Pokemon they should be, rather than trying to pressure Lax in addition to these. Skamory of course also provides checks to various offensive threats like Machamp, Exeggutor, and Heracross, and provides Whirlwind to greatly improve the team's matchup into Baton Pass squads.
Threatlist
Despite the addition of Vaporeon, Jynx is probably the single biggest threat to this team. Vaporeon is really the only reliable switch-in to it, and being forced to do this repeatedly can easily wear it down, to say nothing of Nightmare sets. Because of this, I recommend aggressively attacking Jynx with Zapdos if you see a Jynx lead, as Vaporeon, Skarmory, and Piloswine will be able to make up for the defensive utility lost if Zapdos goes down, but the team will otherwise greatly struggle with Jynx if Vaporeon is lost. A paralysis on Jynx from a Turn 1 Thunder will make it much easier to deal with, and the Jynx is quite likely to throw out a Lovely Kiss upon seeing Zapdos on Turn 1, making this play a consistent choice. If Vaporeon does go down, your best bet will to be to absorb Sleep with Piloswine or Zapdos, then pressure Jynx with Snorlax and RestTalk rolls from Zapdos and Piloswine.
Double Electric teams can also be difficult for this squad to deal with, especially since one of the two Electrics is likely to be carrying HP Water instead of HP Ice. Your goal against these will be to scout for this coverage and figure out which of the two Electrics has HP Water, then focus on pressuring that one as much as possible with Snorlax. You will want to use your own Zapdos to aid with this. This is undoubtedly a tough matchup, however.
This team has several Tyranitar answers, the most reliable of which is Vaporeon, but Vaporeon can be worn down throughout a game, especially if it is forced to switch into boosted Rock Slides. Playing around Tyranitar will again require figuring out its set by pivoting through your team members (ex. take a Rock Slide with Skarmory, then bait Fire Blast while switching into Vaporeon). Zapdos will also be helpful in ensuring Tyranitar does not switch in too freely, as it doesn't like taking on Zapdos' Thunders. Piloswine can also be used to draw Rock Slides as it takes these decently well and can threaten Tyranitar with STAB Earthquake.
This team lacks a reliable Psychic resist, allowing Alakazam and Espeon to pressure it rather freely. Checking these two will mostly involve keeping Zapdos healthy and Snorlax awake so that they cannot throw around STAB Psychics too freely. Vaporeon can also help here if it has enough HP.
Moltres and Charizard are threats to this team mostly because Vaporeon can find itself worn down rather quickly if played recklessly, and it is slower than both. The absence of a Sleep Talk Snorlax does not help this, either. While Zapdos can checks both Moltres and Charizard, it can easily turn into a very shaky check if Sun is active or if it loses the Speed tie vs a +6 Charizard, so anticipating these threats and keeping Vaporeon healthy and Zapdos awake is important for winning against them.
This team really relies on Zapdos to check Tentacruel, which like with Moltres and Charizard, can quickly go south if Zapdos is statused or forced to hit Tenta behind a Sub. Snorlax can aid in checking Tenta as well, but it is likely to sustain massive damage in the process of trying to take it down, which can leave the team unable to break through opposing Pokemon or more vulnerable to Electrics. Again, keep Zapdos healthy.
The team's Normal resist is weak to Electric and it doesn't dish out much status nor pack multiple Explosions, so P2 can easily snowball against it if given a chance. Pressure this thing as much as possible if you see it, as multiple Curses can allow P2 a clean sweep through the team.
Other Options
Snorlax @ Leftovers
Ability: No Ability
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
- Double-Edge
- Earthquake
Snorlax can, instead of its Curse set, sport a RestTalk set with DE and EQ on this team. This will improve the team's matchup into many of its threats listed above, such as double Electric teams, Psychic-types, and Tentacruel, but will remove a lot of Snorlax's offensive potential in return, which can leave you unable to break through bulkier teams. This can also cause you to be less able to force some interactions you otherwise could, such as forcing Starmie out and forcing Cloyster to Explode into Skarmory.
Skarmory @ Leftovers
Ability: No Ability
- Whirlwind
- Drill Peck
- Rest
- Toxic
Skarmory can opt to run Toxic over Curse, which will allow the team some additional pressure against Electrics, Psychics, and Waters. Without Curse, Skarmory can be more easily broken through by Snorlax, however, and so teams using this variant will need to take a more active approach in pressuring Snorlax, especially Lovely Kiss and Belly Drum variants.
Final Words
This has been a team I've really enjoyed the process of developing and using, and I'm happy to be posting my first GSC RMT as well. I got into this tier last year as part of the Retro Cup of Pokemon on Team Canada, and it's had me hooked since. I hope reading this helps others to get into the tier and experiment with cool configurations like this one, as GSC allows for a lot of creativity and fun in its viable structures and sets. Thank you for reading!
Zapdos is a terror in any GSC match, being really difficult to reliably answer, and that's no exception here. I ended up choosing the RestTalk set and leading with it on this team for several reasons. Zapdos as a lead on this team starts the game off strong against Cloyster and Forretress leads, while being able to stay in on Snorlax, Exeggutor, and Smeargle and throw out a Thunder/HP Ice while safely absorbing potential sleep moves for the team. Against lead Raikou or Zapdos, Zapdos can safely pivot into Piloswine to absorb Thunders and Thunderbolts, then double to Cloyster to either set Spikes up or scout for Hidden Power Water. Aside from the lead matchup, Zapdos takes some of the pressure off Skarmory in checking threats like Machamp and Exeggutor, while providing immediate pressure against Starmie and Forretress, making them think twice about staying in, and helping the team to maintain Spikes. Zapdos is of couse excellent in forcing damage alongside Spikes as well, and provides additional insurance for the team against a variety of threats like Marowak, Nidoking, Gengar, and Heracross.
Cloyster provides consistent Spiking for the team while threatening damage on Rocks and Steels, taking some of the pressure off the other team members to do this. Cloyster is also better able to threaten Gengar, Forretress, and Skarmory than Forretress would be able to in this slot. Cloyster also provides an Explosion that can be helpful in pressuring Resting or paralyzed Pokemon, which in conjuction with Zapdos, Piloswine, and Snorlax can form pathways to pressure and remove threats like Raikou and Blissey. Cloyster also often finds itself switching into opposing Cloyster to pressure them or to take an Explosion that Zapdos would rather not risk itself against.
Piloswine is one of the standout members of the team, and is unique it its role of switching reliably into HP Ice variants of Zapdos and Raikou while pressuring both with Ice Beam and Earthquake, respectively. With Spikes down, Piloswine's Earthquake also puts a decent chunk of damage into Pokemon like Snorlax, Starmie, Forretress, and Blissey, allowing the team to keep up pressure against these Pokemon and force them to recover HP or switch out after repeated sequences. Piloswine also makes for a decent check to most Snorlax answers due to its STAB combination, being able to threaten moderate to heavy damage against all of Golem, Steelix, Skarmory, Tyranitar, Rhydon, Gengar, and Misdreavus. Piloswine's Ice neutrality and STAB Earthquake also makes it an excellent check to many Gengar sets, taking pressure off Zapdos and Snorlax to check it. Likewise, Piloswine's Rock neutrality and STAB Earthquake also allows it to check Tyranitar from high HP. Piloswine is useful for pulling off sequences of switches between the other team members, as it can bait Thunders/Thunderbolts from Pokemon like Zapdos, Raikou, and Gengar, and then pivot into Snorlax, Zapdos, or Vaporeon depending on the coverage the opposing threat has (ex. Piloswine draws Thunder from Raikou, then pivots into Snorlax while drawing HP Water). Piloswine is not a perfect check to HP Ice Zapdos/Raikou, as it can be worn down switching into these repeatedly with Spikes up, so it's important to manage its HP and make use of Zapdos and Snorlax to continually threaten the opposing team in conjunction with Piloswine. Piloswine also invites in Pokemon like Cloyster and Starmie, so smart doubles to Zapdos and Vaporeon will reward the Piloswine user.
Lax is lax, not too much needs to be said here. Curse + EQ was the set I ultimately settled on, mainly to pressure Golem more and not allow it to spin freely. Earthquake also allows Snorlax to threaten Gengar and Tyranitar, taking the pressure off the other team members. Retaining Rest allows Snorlax to still check Zapdos and Raikou with some reliability, while keeping Curse allows Snorlax to maintain its offensive potential, which the team can otherwise find itself coming up a little short on, especially if Vaporeon cannot boost safely in the current game state.
Vaporeon's main purpose on this team and the reason it synergizes so well with Piloswine is its ability to switch into and beat other Water-types, most importantly Cloyster and Starmie. The RestTalk + Growth set alongside Vaporeon's excellent bulk also makes Vaporeon an immense threat to stall teams, which often have no real ways to threaten Vaporeon once their Electric types and Snorlax have been KO'd or statused. Vaporeon also performs an essential role on this team as its most reliable Jynx answer, which the team otherwise does not deal well with. Vaporeon's good bulk and Water typing + STAB also help the team deal with Tyranitar, especially Curse and Fire Blast variants.
Skarmory is the final member of the team, and is really necessary on the team to deal with all versions of EQ Lax. Skamory fits well on balance squads that can reliably switch into the Electrics and Water-types, which this team pulls off quite well. The reward for this is Skarmory reliably dealing with many Snorlax variants all game long, allowing the other members of the team to focus on checking the Pokemon they should be, rather than trying to pressure Lax in addition to these. Skamory of course also provides checks to various offensive threats like Machamp, Exeggutor, and Heracross, and provides Whirlwind to greatly improve the team's matchup into Baton Pass squads.
Threatlist
Despite the addition of Vaporeon, Jynx is probably the single biggest threat to this team. Vaporeon is really the only reliable switch-in to it, and being forced to do this repeatedly can easily wear it down, to say nothing of Nightmare sets. Because of this, I recommend aggressively attacking Jynx with Zapdos if you see a Jynx lead, as Vaporeon, Skarmory, and Piloswine will be able to make up for the defensive utility lost if Zapdos goes down, but the team will otherwise greatly struggle with Jynx if Vaporeon is lost. A paralysis on Jynx from a Turn 1 Thunder will make it much easier to deal with, and the Jynx is quite likely to throw out a Lovely Kiss upon seeing Zapdos on Turn 1, making this play a consistent choice. If Vaporeon does go down, your best bet will to be to absorb Sleep with Piloswine or Zapdos, then pressure Jynx with Snorlax and RestTalk rolls from Zapdos and Piloswine.
Double Electric teams can also be difficult for this squad to deal with, especially since one of the two Electrics is likely to be carrying HP Water instead of HP Ice. Your goal against these will be to scout for this coverage and figure out which of the two Electrics has HP Water, then focus on pressuring that one as much as possible with Snorlax. You will want to use your own Zapdos to aid with this. This is undoubtedly a tough matchup, however.
This team has several Tyranitar answers, the most reliable of which is Vaporeon, but Vaporeon can be worn down throughout a game, especially if it is forced to switch into boosted Rock Slides. Playing around Tyranitar will again require figuring out its set by pivoting through your team members (ex. take a Rock Slide with Skarmory, then bait Fire Blast while switching into Vaporeon). Zapdos will also be helpful in ensuring Tyranitar does not switch in too freely, as it doesn't like taking on Zapdos' Thunders. Piloswine can also be used to draw Rock Slides as it takes these decently well and can threaten Tyranitar with STAB Earthquake.
This team lacks a reliable Psychic resist, allowing Alakazam and Espeon to pressure it rather freely. Checking these two will mostly involve keeping Zapdos healthy and Snorlax awake so that they cannot throw around STAB Psychics too freely. Vaporeon can also help here if it has enough HP.
Moltres and Charizard are threats to this team mostly because Vaporeon can find itself worn down rather quickly if played recklessly, and it is slower than both. The absence of a Sleep Talk Snorlax does not help this, either. While Zapdos can checks both Moltres and Charizard, it can easily turn into a very shaky check if Sun is active or if it loses the Speed tie vs a +6 Charizard, so anticipating these threats and keeping Vaporeon healthy and Zapdos awake is important for winning against them.
This team really relies on Zapdos to check Tentacruel, which like with Moltres and Charizard, can quickly go south if Zapdos is statused or forced to hit Tenta behind a Sub. Snorlax can aid in checking Tenta as well, but it is likely to sustain massive damage in the process of trying to take it down, which can leave the team unable to break through opposing Pokemon or more vulnerable to Electrics. Again, keep Zapdos healthy.
The team's Normal resist is weak to Electric and it doesn't dish out much status nor pack multiple Explosions, so P2 can easily snowball against it if given a chance. Pressure this thing as much as possible if you see it, as multiple Curses can allow P2 a clean sweep through the team.
Other Options
Snorlax @ Leftovers
Ability: No Ability
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
- Double-Edge
- Earthquake
Snorlax can, instead of its Curse set, sport a RestTalk set with DE and EQ on this team. This will improve the team's matchup into many of its threats listed above, such as double Electric teams, Psychic-types, and Tentacruel, but will remove a lot of Snorlax's offensive potential in return, which can leave you unable to break through bulkier teams. This can also cause you to be less able to force some interactions you otherwise could, such as forcing Starmie out and forcing Cloyster to Explode into Skarmory.
Skarmory @ Leftovers
Ability: No Ability
- Whirlwind
- Drill Peck
- Rest
- Toxic
Skarmory can opt to run Toxic over Curse, which will allow the team some additional pressure against Electrics, Psychics, and Waters. Without Curse, Skarmory can be more easily broken through by Snorlax, however, and so teams using this variant will need to take a more active approach in pressuring Snorlax, especially Lovely Kiss and Belly Drum variants.
Final Words
This has been a team I've really enjoyed the process of developing and using, and I'm happy to be posting my first GSC RMT as well. I got into this tier last year as part of the Retro Cup of Pokemon on Team Canada, and it's had me hooked since. I hope reading this helps others to get into the tier and experiment with cool configurations like this one, as GSC allows for a lot of creativity and fun in its viable structures and sets. Thank you for reading!
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As xFactorymade mentioned above, Gengar has a pretty straightforward way to break your team and I'm surprise you didn't include it on your threat list. Pilo is your only safe switch to Gar, and if it gets boomed your team is going to be very weak to electrics. This is pretty much unavoidable with your 6, so be prepared to use Zap and Lax aggressively against Gar.
Fire Lax severely bruises your team, similar to how Eq Lax bruises offenses using Golem/Ttar/Lix as their normal resist. The main difference being these other normal resists can threaten Snorlax in return. Skarmory doesn't have this luxury. Fortunately FireLax is less common these days but be prepared to turn up the pressure if you see it.