NU Spotlight RMT: Light Speed
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Introduction
Hi guys. :) I made this RMT today based around my favorite team that has some really cool, really fun sets. Trying to unleash Liepard's true potential, Sweet Jesus made this really cool Liepard set a while back that I've been using a lot lately. It's totally fun, especially because the ladder always expects SwagPard, so they'll stay in and try to hit it, hoping to kill it, only to get smashed by it. I wanted to build around this and Primeape to form a cool VoltTurn core that would be pretty hard to break, especially since a lot of the things that Primeape can't beat, Liepard can. I threw in some Pokemon that could take some hits and a Scarfer, and the team was born.
A First Glance
A Closer Look
Primeape (M) @ Choice Band
Trait: Vital Spirit
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Close Combat
- U-turn
- Ice Punch
- Assurance
The original reason why I built this team was because I wanted to use Choice Band Primeape. It's a really cool Pokemon, and it's totally different from Sawk who uses his sheer power to break through almost everything in the tier. Primeape has better Speed than Sawk, which is a good enough reason in and of itself to use it, but on top of that, Primeape has U-turn. With U-turn, I can have Primeape U-turn out from its checks and counters, primarily stuff like Musharna and Liepard, and bring out something else to take them on. Later in the game, Primeape can just spam Close Combat and watch things die. Also, I used Assurance over Stone Edge because it can KO Musharna with a little bit of residual damage and Stealth Rock. Assurance's Base Power doubles if the Pokemon it's hitting took damage already that turn, so if I know I can take out a Musharna switch-in, I will!
Liepard @ Dread Plate
Trait: Prankster
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- U-turn
- Encore
- Pursuit
- Sucker Punch
After I added Primeape, the next logical step would normally be to use Skuntank, as it can come in after U-turning out against Misdreavus and Musharna and Pursuit trap them. I didn't want to use Skuntank because while it is a great Pursuit trapper, it also causes you to lose a lot of momentum and hates getting burned by Will-O-Wisp from Misdreavus. I decided to use Liepard instead as a catch all for Ghost- and Psychic-types, another U-turn user, a way of revenge killing a lot of stuff with Sucker Punch, and a way to stop setup sweepers from destroying my team. Liepard is easily the most clutch member of my team, and it's gotten me out of a lot of really scary situations with priority Encore.
Jynx @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Dry Skin
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Ice Beam
- Psychic
- Trick
- Lovely Kiss
Jynx is the best Choice Scarf user in the tier because it's fast, it has awesome two-move coverage, and it has both Trick and Lovely Kiss to screw with defensive and offensive teams alike. These things make it both one of the best revenge killers and one of the best late-game cleaners all in one. Jynx is also my answer for a lot of setup sweepers that Liepard can't beat, such as Shell Smash Carracosta and Swords Dance Samurott, because neither of them can outspeed Jynx or use their priority moves to beat it. There's really not a whole lot to say about her. She doesn't add a whole lot in terms of defensive synergy for the team, but that's ok because a have a really cool defensive core as well that I'll get to in a minute!
Probopass @ Leftovers
Trait: Magnet Pull
EVs: 208 HP / 252 SpA / 48 Spe
Modest Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Volt Switch
- Power Gem
- Earth Power
Probopass is a totally cool Pokemon that doesn't get near as much love as it deserves. Unfortunately, its two massive weaknesses hold it back a lot, but when you have those weaknesses covered, it can really shine. Because Probopass is so bulky, I decided to use an offensive set with Magnet Pull. There are very few times when Sturdy would be advantageous anyways, since I have teammates to cover its weaknesses. Magnet Pull also helps to get rid of Steel-types so that Jynx can clean up more easily later in the game. Probopass serves as my Normal- and Flying-type check, and it can also help keep up momentum with Volt Switch. The Speed EVs are used to creep min Speed Golem and hit it hard with Earth Power in clutch situations.
Roselia @ Eviolite
Trait: Natural Cure
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 Spd
Bold Nature
- Spikes
- Synthesis
- Giga Drain
- Sludge Bomb
Roselia is used on this team for a few reasons. First off, it covers a huge weakness to Toxic Spikes that the team had when defensive Ludicolo was in this spot. Second, it can take on most Ground-types pretty easily, which is huge for the team since it has no Ground resists. Finally, it sets Spikes for the team, which is huge considering the massive amounts of switches that a VoltTurn-y team can force. Physically defensive Roselia is being used over specially defensive because it's far more necessary for the team to cover Ground-types, and it also allows it to beat other lesser seen Pokemon, such as Sawsbuck, far more easily.
Musharna @ Leftovers
Trait: Synchronize
EVs: 240 HP / 252 Def /16 SpD
- Psychic
- Moonlight
- Baton Pass
- Thunder Wave
Musharna wraps up my defensive core and team in general. It's able to take on the strong Fighting-types that would otherwise be huge threats for my team, and it's easily the best glue Pokemon in the tier. Thunder Wave is the only thing I'm a bit iffy on, but it's nice to be able to paralyze opponents so that Primeape has an easier time later on in the match (since it's not as fast as people normally expect it to be). The reason why I chose pivot Musharna is because it donks Skuntank that try to come in and Pursuit trap it and can pass out to Probopass who doesn't care about anything Skuntank might want to do to it. Baton Pass in general was a big reason for Musharna, as it's another great pivot to help me keep up offensive momentum against my opponents. It works exceedingly well with Liepard as well because people who think they can try to set up on Musharna will get Encore'd into whatever move they want to use.
Wrapping Up
That's the team! It's easily the most fun team I've made in ages because it's probably the best VoltTurn team I can really make without being hyper offensive (which is super boring and generally a pretty unreliable strategy in NU because of the lack of overwhelmingly powerful Pokemon). I sometimes struggle against Bug-types, but overall, I've found them pretty manageable with smart playing. Swords Dance Pinsir is taken care of with a well-played Liepard, while Scolipede is only a major threat if it is carrying Earthquake (which outside of the ladder, it rarely ever does). I tried to cover as many things defensively and offensively at the same time without having to give up any momentum, and I think this team overall succeeds in that. I'll leave with this: free Serifs fonts on the forums, NU rules, Ariana Grande for life, and ( ͡≖ ͜ʖ ͡≖) you like krabby patties don't you squidward?
Introduction
VoltTurn is a strategy that has fallen from the limelight a lot in BW2. Lots of incredibly powerful threats have made it much more difficult to pull off in nearly every tier! However, Treecko successfully resurrects the playstyle by using many powerful but underrated threats in the current metagame. The team combines Spikes-stacking offense with a bulky backbone to take on of the largest threats to VoltTurn. The use of entry hazards in NU is very common, with many amazing Spikers that can easily get up two layers against most teams. The team is especially noteworthy for its interesting use of Liepard. Strolling away from the traditional use of SubSwagger, Treecko instead uses Liepard as an offensive pivot and check to Ghost- and Psychic-types. With Kangaskhan, a huge threat to offensive play, in the tier, it has proven difficult to build a lot of offensive teams. Treecko succeeds in this because instead of using typical offensive VoltTurners, he uses bulkier ones in order to maintain momentum for his offensive core to open holes.
The Team
Primeape has proven itself to be a great Pokemon in NU, and uses its Speed and access to U-turn to differentiate itself from Sawk. On Treecko's team, Primeape is the powerhouse, with its ability to utilize extremely powerful Close Combats and U-turn out of any Pokemon that resist them. Choice Band is also an interesting choice for an item on Primeape, as it only appeared on 10% of them on the ladder in July. The extra power that Choice Band gives turns Primeape from a revenge killer into a true offensive threat. Also noteworthy is the use of Assurance, an extremely rare attack on Primeape. Assurance is neat on Choice Band Primeape because of its ability to do massive damage to Musharna and Misdreavus on the switch. Choice Band Primeape is the most offensive Pokemon on Treecko's team, and does an amazing job at keeping pressure on the opponent.
Liepard is definitely the most interesting Pokemon on Light Speed. Instead of the typical SubSwagger set, Treecko has instead used Liepard as an offensive pivot with U-turn. Pivot Liepard is a very rare set, but has always been liked by many of the elite Neverused players. Liepard can easily come in on Psychic from Musharna or Shadow Ball from Misdreavus and either Encore them or use Pursuit as they switch out. This set plays like a combination of Skuntank and Volbeat. It has the power and Dark-type STABs of the former and the utility of the latter. Liepard is able to stop many of the common answers to VoltTurn, while also being able to use Encore to open up opportunities to get entry hazards down for free. Liepard is surprisingly effective, and it has become more and more common among top-tier players because of this set!
Jynx is easily the best user of Choice Scarf in the tier. Her ability to revenge kill nearly every offensive threat is unrivaled. This set allows Treecko to handily defeat a lot of offensive threats that could run over his team otherwise. In particular, Shell Smash Carracosta is easily revenge killed by this set, as it can not use its priority attack, Aqua Jet, due to Jynx's ability Dry Skin. This set does not add much in terms of defensive synergy to Light Speed, but instead works as the glue that stops many common threats from easily defeating it.
Probopass is a very underrated Pokemon in NU, and Treecko uses it very effectively on this team. The use of Magnet Pull over Sturdy is interesting, as Sturdy is far more common on Probopass nowadays. Magnet Pull allows Probopass to trap and remove Klang and Metang, both threats that can stop Jynx from cleaning up late-game. It also provides entry hazards for Primeape and Liepard to flourish, as it can easily get Stealth Rock down early- or mid-game. Probopass also has Volt Switch, which allows it to do some damage to the Water-types that like switching in on it, all while safely retreating to a partner. Probopass forms a part of the defensive core of the team, taking on many forms of Scolipede as well as countering non-Life Orb Jynx, both major threats to the team.
Roselia forms the second part of the defensive core, and is meant to take on many of the Water-types that Probopass can't without resorting to Jynx. Roselia combines a lot of roles that Light Speed needs into a single Pokemon. Most importantly, she absorbs Toxic Spikes upon switching in, which would be one of the biggest threats to the team otherwise. Beyond this, Roselia also provides more residual damage with Spikes, as she is one of the more reliable defensive users in the tier. Spikes allow Primeape to be much more effective, as the opponent is punished for switching, meaning that Primeape can use Close Combat more freely. Roselia is also the team's primary switch-in to Ground-type attacks, which is why it is running a physically defensive spread. Roselia truly tries to combine a lot of roles into a single Pokemon, and as such is hard to keep alive over the course of the match. However, she is indispensable, as no Pokemon in Neverused can do everything that she can.
Musharna is the final part of the defensive core, and is used to take on the many powerful physical attackers that could otherwise ruin this team. Musharna is using a pivot set, which has been growing in popularity in the last few months. Thunder Wave is used to paralyze fast threats that could otherwise be big issues for the team, such as Charizard. Baton Pass without Calm Mind is the most interesting move choice on this set, and it is incredibly effective. Musharna lures in Skuntank like no other, as it lacks a way to seriously damage it outside of Hidden Power Ground. So with Baton Pass, Musharna can easily leave on the switch in and go to Probopass or Primeape to do massive damage. On top of this, when the opponent attempts to set up on Musharna, it can Baton Pass to Liepard and use Encore, trapping it into its setup move and leaving it free to be Pursuited as it switches out. Musharna is an amazing Pokemon on any defensive core, and it fits into this team perfectly by fixing nearly every issue it would otherwise have.
Threats
Now no team is without weaknesses, and Light Speed has some very large ones. Ground-types are a humongous threat to the team, as Treecko lacks a Pokemon to resist it. The best bet to take on most Ground-types is Musharna, as it can take a few hits from the majority of them. Roselia can also take on the few that Musharna cannot, but lacks the sheer physical bulk to repeatedly switch in. Another huge threat to the team is mixed Eelektross. Eelektross is incredibly difficult to switch in to, with only Dragon-types being counters to it. Musharna can tank a few hits, but if it has sustained previous damage it will fall. Outside of Musharna, there is nothing on Treecko's team that can switch in to Eelektross.
Conclusion
Light Speed brings an old favorite playstyle back into the limelight. VoltTurn offense hasn't been popular in Neverused for quite some time, but has seen a resurgence in popularity because of it. On top of being a very well-built team, it is also a very fun team to play with, as its unique use of many standard threats leads to interesting matchups and reactions on the ladder. Using Liepard for something other than hax is also a lot of fun! I'll leave with this: free Serifs fonts on the forums, NU rules, Ariana Grande for life, and ( ͡≖ ͜ʖ ͡≖) you like krabby patties don't you squidward?
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