Hey Smogoners, EonADS here with a new RMT for you. Despite always enjoying the UU metagame, I eventually tired of facing Mew and Heracross on every goddamn team. I tried NU again (since I left after Magmortar and Cryogonal made the jump to RU) and I had some fun and made a few teams, but I wanted to reserve judgement until I checked out some of the other metagames. RU didn't have enough players for my taste, while OU was a Genesect-infested cesspool at the time (and it kinda still is). NU really started to interest me once again at this time (mainly because it reminded me a lot of Gen 4 UU and had no real spinners), and I made quite a few teams, but was never met with much success until recently due to a lot of gimmicky ideas and testing teams. It wasn't until about a week and a half ago that I was really met with success.
This team was the result of a lot of testing, a lot of battles, and a hatred of Stealth Rock screwing up my teams. Since I was never able to get spinners to work for me, I went for the next best thing: heavy offensive pressure.
Also, I apologize in advance for the large pictures.
First, the screenshot:
Next...
I designed this team around Specially-based LO Samurott, one of only two Pokemon capable of OHKOing the standard Regirock with Hydro Pump (the other is Gorebyss, but it isn't assured without some kind of boosting item and Gorebyss is slow). It can also 2HKO Amoonguss with Ice Beam on the switch, which is very nice.
My second choice was very easy. Since I had something that could batter opponents on the special side of the spectrum, I needed something to hit on the physical side. I picked Samurott's typical dance partner in Emboar. CB Emboar has a combination of reliability, great complimentary typing, awesome coverage, and of course, POWER.
So I had two heavy hitters, and I knew I would need Stealth Rock eventually. I needed something that could hit Flying-types hard, was both bulky and powerful, and had Stealth Rock. I was originally thinking Regirock... but then Piloswine reared his head. It filled all of my criteria, had Thick Fat and Eviolite to aid its mediocre defensive abilities, and provided me with an Electric-type immunity. I knew what I wanted as soon as I saw it.
Now I had half my team all ready to go, and I noticed a problem. AMOONGUSS. The most annoying and second most common Pokemon in NU, and I needed a way to get around its Spore, as well as its bulk. I started off with SD Sawsbuck. Sap Sipper gave me a way to block Spore while jump starting a sweep of the opposing team.
I noticed right away that I was getting a little offense-heavy, and I needed a good bulky pivot point. Amoonguss stuck out at me immediately because I needed the Fighting-type resist, but it would give me a three-fold weakness to Flying-type attacks. I pretty much said "the hell with it" and went ahead anyway. Idiot me.
Despite my "to hell with it" earlier, I still knew I needed the Flying-type resist. I also knew that I needed a revenge killer, and I also recognized just how badly Shell Smash Gorebyss could maul my team. Rotom-S, one of a select handful of Scarfers capable of outspeeding +2 Gorebyss, was my choice. Between bulk, typing, a Ground-type immunity, and offensive presence, Rotom-S is one of the best Scarfers in the tier.
I went ahead with the team, and I had decent success with it, but nothing spectacular. It was very apparent to me that the weak link of the team was Sawsbuck. Not so much in that it couldn't pull its weight, but that it attracted vultures... well, more like eagles, living fans, and swallows. I knew I had to swap it out for something else, but I needed to retain my advantage over Amoonguss and not screw up my synergy too much. My eyes were opened when I saw somebody else using a Sap Sipper Miltank.
MooFensive Miltank is quite possibly the best Sap Sipper abuser in NU. Played properly, you can constantly hound and harass opposing Grass-types and either wear them down (in the case of Amoonguss and Tangela), or you can take them out (in the case of pretty much everything else). It also has surprising speed for NU, and hits hard even without a Sap Sipper boost.
This team was the result of a lot of testing, a lot of battles, and a hatred of Stealth Rock screwing up my teams. Since I was never able to get spinners to work for me, I went for the next best thing: heavy offensive pressure.
Also, I apologize in advance for the large pictures.
First, the screenshot:
Next...
I designed this team around Specially-based LO Samurott, one of only two Pokemon capable of OHKOing the standard Regirock with Hydro Pump (the other is Gorebyss, but it isn't assured without some kind of boosting item and Gorebyss is slow). It can also 2HKO Amoonguss with Ice Beam on the switch, which is very nice.
My second choice was very easy. Since I had something that could batter opponents on the special side of the spectrum, I needed something to hit on the physical side. I picked Samurott's typical dance partner in Emboar. CB Emboar has a combination of reliability, great complimentary typing, awesome coverage, and of course, POWER.
So I had two heavy hitters, and I knew I would need Stealth Rock eventually. I needed something that could hit Flying-types hard, was both bulky and powerful, and had Stealth Rock. I was originally thinking Regirock... but then Piloswine reared his head. It filled all of my criteria, had Thick Fat and Eviolite to aid its mediocre defensive abilities, and provided me with an Electric-type immunity. I knew what I wanted as soon as I saw it.
Now I had half my team all ready to go, and I noticed a problem. AMOONGUSS. The most annoying and second most common Pokemon in NU, and I needed a way to get around its Spore, as well as its bulk. I started off with SD Sawsbuck. Sap Sipper gave me a way to block Spore while jump starting a sweep of the opposing team.
I noticed right away that I was getting a little offense-heavy, and I needed a good bulky pivot point. Amoonguss stuck out at me immediately because I needed the Fighting-type resist, but it would give me a three-fold weakness to Flying-type attacks. I pretty much said "the hell with it" and went ahead anyway. Idiot me.
Despite my "to hell with it" earlier, I still knew I needed the Flying-type resist. I also knew that I needed a revenge killer, and I also recognized just how badly Shell Smash Gorebyss could maul my team. Rotom-S, one of a select handful of Scarfers capable of outspeeding +2 Gorebyss, was my choice. Between bulk, typing, a Ground-type immunity, and offensive presence, Rotom-S is one of the best Scarfers in the tier.
I went ahead with the team, and I had decent success with it, but nothing spectacular. It was very apparent to me that the weak link of the team was Sawsbuck. Not so much in that it couldn't pull its weight, but that it attracted vultures... well, more like eagles, living fans, and swallows. I knew I had to swap it out for something else, but I needed to retain my advantage over Amoonguss and not screw up my synergy too much. My eyes were opened when I saw somebody else using a Sap Sipper Miltank.
MooFensive Miltank is quite possibly the best Sap Sipper abuser in NU. Played properly, you can constantly hound and harass opposing Grass-types and either wear them down (in the case of Amoonguss and Tangela), or you can take them out (in the case of pretty much everything else). It also has surprising speed for NU, and hits hard even without a Sap Sipper boost.
The Team
|The Demolitions Expert|
Samurott @ Life Orb
Nature: Timid
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Ability: Torrent
- Hydro Pump
- Ice Beam
- HP Grass
- Megahorn
Special LO Samurott is never given enough credit next to its Sword Dance brethren. It has the right combination of power, speed, and coverage to completely ravage the typical team. LO Hydro Pump 2HKO's pretty much anything that doesn't resist it and isn't a dedicated Special Wall; even then it typically does upwards of 45% to the standard Lickylicky. Ice Beam is for coverage against common Grass-types, and it KOs pretty much all of them except Amoonguss and Ludicolo after a Hydro Pump (most only need Stealth Rock, really). HP Grass is for opposing Water-types, particularly Water Absorbers like Seismitoad and Lapras (Mantine can kiss my ass). Megahorn has one sole purpose, and that is to OHKO offensive Ludicolo after Stealth Rock. Sometimes it's nice to have Megahorn around for Musharna, but Hydro Pump typically does more damage when Mushy is unboosted. Most teams take ridiculous amounts of damage from Samurott alone, and I typically manage at least two or three KOs per match with it alone.
|The Bulldozer|
Emboar @ Choice Band
Nature: Adamant
EVs: 72 Hp / 252 Atk / 184 Spe
Ability: Blaze
- Flare Blitz
- Superpower
- Wild Charge
- Head Smash
Mmm... bacon. This guy, right here, is one of the most dangerous offensive Pokemon in the tier. Most Pokemon can't take an unresisted hit from Emboar and walk away; in fact, Emboar is capable of 2HKOing the ENTIRE TIER after Stealth Rock damage (trust me, I've done the calcs). Emboar's role on this team is to break down slow, powerful defensive threats with its STABs and coverage options, either abusing the holes Samurott has punched in the opposing team, or punching holes for Samurott to abuse. I usually have to do a lot of predicting with Emboar, because nobody really wants to stay in against it. The recoil damage from three of its attacks usually means that Emboar is either saved for late game, or dies in mid-game clearing the way for Samurott and the rest. The moveset is standard, while the EV spread allows Emboar to outspeed Bulk Up Braviary, as well as Modest Exeggutor and most Golurk sets.
|The Site Surveyor|
Piloswine @ Eviolite
Nature: Adamant
EVs: 240 Hp / 252 Atk / 16 Spe
Ability: Thick Fat
- Earthquake
- Ice Shard
- Icicle Spear
- Stealth Rock
Piloswine is one of the best Stealth Rock setters in the tier, NFE or not. It never ceases to amaze me how many people forget (or just don't care) that Piloswine has Thick Fat; that means he's neutral to Fire-type attacks, people! Anyway, Piloswine's job is to get SR on the field if it can, but sometimes it functions as a utility check for things like Regice and Swellow. Ice Shard's priority has saved me more times than I can even count, while Icicle Spear is good for punching through the Subs of sweepers like Swoobat and it does enough damage that I can typically KO Golurk with a 4-hit shot. The EV spread is to ensure that Piloswine isn't susceptible to a KO from switching into SR too much, while the speed lets me outpace speed creeping Regirock and other Base 50's.
|The Heavy Lifter|
Miltank @ Life Orb
Nature: Jolly
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Ability: Sap Sipper
- Return
- Earthquake
- Punishment
- Milk Drink
Miltank is a very important Pokemon on this team for one simple reason: it is the only thing keeping Amoonguss off the backs of my heavy hitters. Miltank functions as both a tank and an offensive threat on this team, tackling a wide variety of threats and outspeeding most common offensive Pokemon. Standard everything on this set, though Punishment is slowly falling out of favor with most players; I find that it's exceptionally handy for taking down Musharna after it's gotten down a few Calm Minds. Miltank's speed is just flat-out awesome; one of my opponents on PS! once commented "That's crap. Last I checked, dairy cows weren't as fast as fighter jets." upon learning that Miltank is faster than Haunter.
I AM CURRENTLY GIVING SKUNTANK A TEST RUN IN MILTANK'S PLACE; THANKS FLCL AND WhiteDMist :)
|The Foreman|
Amoonguss @ Black Sludge
Nature: Bold
EVs: 252 Hp / 232 Def / 24 Spe
Ability: Regenerator
- Giga Drain
- Clear Smog
- Spore
- Sludge Bomb
Amoonguss is, bar none, the most irksome Pokemon I have faced this generation (Jirachi from Gen 4 takes the cake for all-time). However, it is also the best tank in NU and is capable of shutting down most attackers and acting as a great bulky pivot for an offensive team. Amoonguss' role is pretty much directing traffic; he decides what I can allow near my sweepers and slaps down the rest with Spore or by walling them to hell and back. I used Sludge Bomb over Stun Spore because you can't beat Miltank without Sludge Bomb, and it's also good for hitting Grass-type resists that always come in once you've put something to sleep with Spore. Clear Smog stayed, however, because it's the only thing that enables my team to beat Gurdurr down and it's handy for stopping opposing setup cold. The 24 Speed EVs are because I was sick and tired of getting outsped by speed creeping Musharna and other Amoonguss. It also allows me to outspeed minimum speed Carracosta and Stunfisk, which is nice.
|The Crowd Control|
Rotom-S @ Choice Scarf
Nature: Timid
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Ability: Levitate
- Volt Switch
- Air Slash
- Thunderbolt
- Trick
Ladies and gentlemen, the only double-immunity to Ground-types in existence. Rotom-S is probably the best scarfer in the tier. It's just fast enough to check Shell Smash Gorebyss, just strong enough to put some serious hurt down with its dual-STABs, and has just enough of a movepool to cover a good portion of the tier. He has four very important roles to play. First and foremost, Rotom-S is the team's revenge killer, and is designed to take down threats the rest of the team can't. Second, he is the scout, gauging my opponent's responses and letting me get information on their team. Thirdly, he is my response to anything faster than Base 100 Speed, i.e. Cinccino and occasionally Rapidash. Finally, Rotom is great for snatching up momentum and playing around my opponent late game. The only thing holding it back is the Stealth Rock weakness, which is annoying, but manageable.
|The Demolitions Expert|
Samurott @ Life Orb
Nature: Timid
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Ability: Torrent
- Hydro Pump
- Ice Beam
- HP Grass
- Megahorn
Special LO Samurott is never given enough credit next to its Sword Dance brethren. It has the right combination of power, speed, and coverage to completely ravage the typical team. LO Hydro Pump 2HKO's pretty much anything that doesn't resist it and isn't a dedicated Special Wall; even then it typically does upwards of 45% to the standard Lickylicky. Ice Beam is for coverage against common Grass-types, and it KOs pretty much all of them except Amoonguss and Ludicolo after a Hydro Pump (most only need Stealth Rock, really). HP Grass is for opposing Water-types, particularly Water Absorbers like Seismitoad and Lapras (Mantine can kiss my ass). Megahorn has one sole purpose, and that is to OHKO offensive Ludicolo after Stealth Rock. Sometimes it's nice to have Megahorn around for Musharna, but Hydro Pump typically does more damage when Mushy is unboosted. Most teams take ridiculous amounts of damage from Samurott alone, and I typically manage at least two or three KOs per match with it alone.
|The Bulldozer|
Emboar @ Choice Band
Nature: Adamant
EVs: 72 Hp / 252 Atk / 184 Spe
Ability: Blaze
- Flare Blitz
- Superpower
- Wild Charge
- Head Smash
Mmm... bacon. This guy, right here, is one of the most dangerous offensive Pokemon in the tier. Most Pokemon can't take an unresisted hit from Emboar and walk away; in fact, Emboar is capable of 2HKOing the ENTIRE TIER after Stealth Rock damage (trust me, I've done the calcs). Emboar's role on this team is to break down slow, powerful defensive threats with its STABs and coverage options, either abusing the holes Samurott has punched in the opposing team, or punching holes for Samurott to abuse. I usually have to do a lot of predicting with Emboar, because nobody really wants to stay in against it. The recoil damage from three of its attacks usually means that Emboar is either saved for late game, or dies in mid-game clearing the way for Samurott and the rest. The moveset is standard, while the EV spread allows Emboar to outspeed Bulk Up Braviary, as well as Modest Exeggutor and most Golurk sets.
|The Site Surveyor|
Piloswine @ Eviolite
Nature: Adamant
EVs: 240 Hp / 252 Atk / 16 Spe
Ability: Thick Fat
- Earthquake
- Ice Shard
- Icicle Spear
- Stealth Rock
Piloswine is one of the best Stealth Rock setters in the tier, NFE or not. It never ceases to amaze me how many people forget (or just don't care) that Piloswine has Thick Fat; that means he's neutral to Fire-type attacks, people! Anyway, Piloswine's job is to get SR on the field if it can, but sometimes it functions as a utility check for things like Regice and Swellow. Ice Shard's priority has saved me more times than I can even count, while Icicle Spear is good for punching through the Subs of sweepers like Swoobat and it does enough damage that I can typically KO Golurk with a 4-hit shot. The EV spread is to ensure that Piloswine isn't susceptible to a KO from switching into SR too much, while the speed lets me outpace speed creeping Regirock and other Base 50's.
|The Heavy Lifter|
Miltank @ Life Orb
Nature: Jolly
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Ability: Sap Sipper
- Return
- Earthquake
- Punishment
- Milk Drink
Miltank is a very important Pokemon on this team for one simple reason: it is the only thing keeping Amoonguss off the backs of my heavy hitters. Miltank functions as both a tank and an offensive threat on this team, tackling a wide variety of threats and outspeeding most common offensive Pokemon. Standard everything on this set, though Punishment is slowly falling out of favor with most players; I find that it's exceptionally handy for taking down Musharna after it's gotten down a few Calm Minds. Miltank's speed is just flat-out awesome; one of my opponents on PS! once commented "That's crap. Last I checked, dairy cows weren't as fast as fighter jets." upon learning that Miltank is faster than Haunter.
I AM CURRENTLY GIVING SKUNTANK A TEST RUN IN MILTANK'S PLACE; THANKS FLCL AND WhiteDMist :)
|The Foreman|
Amoonguss @ Black Sludge
Nature: Bold
EVs: 252 Hp / 232 Def / 24 Spe
Ability: Regenerator
- Giga Drain
- Clear Smog
- Spore
- Sludge Bomb
Amoonguss is, bar none, the most irksome Pokemon I have faced this generation (Jirachi from Gen 4 takes the cake for all-time). However, it is also the best tank in NU and is capable of shutting down most attackers and acting as a great bulky pivot for an offensive team. Amoonguss' role is pretty much directing traffic; he decides what I can allow near my sweepers and slaps down the rest with Spore or by walling them to hell and back. I used Sludge Bomb over Stun Spore because you can't beat Miltank without Sludge Bomb, and it's also good for hitting Grass-type resists that always come in once you've put something to sleep with Spore. Clear Smog stayed, however, because it's the only thing that enables my team to beat Gurdurr down and it's handy for stopping opposing setup cold. The 24 Speed EVs are because I was sick and tired of getting outsped by speed creeping Musharna and other Amoonguss. It also allows me to outspeed minimum speed Carracosta and Stunfisk, which is nice.
|The Crowd Control|
Rotom-S @ Choice Scarf
Nature: Timid
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Ability: Levitate
- Volt Switch
- Air Slash
- Thunderbolt
- Trick
Ladies and gentlemen, the only double-immunity to Ground-types in existence. Rotom-S is probably the best scarfer in the tier. It's just fast enough to check Shell Smash Gorebyss, just strong enough to put some serious hurt down with its dual-STABs, and has just enough of a movepool to cover a good portion of the tier. He has four very important roles to play. First and foremost, Rotom-S is the team's revenge killer, and is designed to take down threats the rest of the team can't. Second, he is the scout, gauging my opponent's responses and letting me get information on their team. Thirdly, he is my response to anything faster than Base 100 Speed, i.e. Cinccino and occasionally Rapidash. Finally, Rotom is great for snatching up momentum and playing around my opponent late game. The only thing holding it back is the Stealth Rock weakness, which is annoying, but manageable.
