What's up everybody, Dusky here, and welcome to my 2° RMT in the PU tier!
After many tweaks to the previous team (the Bouffalant + Simipour one), I arrived to a dead end since the number of loss increased while the win counter stayed still: thus, I decided to change my team.
Hope you enjoy :)
I found that Altaria and Mawile share amazing synergy type-wise, just like any other Altaria+Steel combination: however, this duo is also strong on the offensive side, as only a few Pokémon can withstand the power of a boosted Altaria, and the force of a Sheer Force Life orb Mawile.
Gourgeist-XL + Prinplup is a well-round off defensive core: Gourgeist-XL is here to sponge physical hits and spread Leech Seed in conjuction with what I call "Will-O-Stall", while Prinplup is more specially oriented.
This duo forms a solid backbone to the Altaria-Mawile core, softening physical attackers and setting/removing hazards from the field.
lastly, I put in the team structure a pair of specially offensive attackers to balance the 2 physically oriented attackers I already had in my team; moreover, I also needed a Fire-type to complete the FWG core (a type of core that I particularly love), and something that had a strong and fast VoltTurn option to keep momentum at my side.
Now, to the sets!
Sulauu (Altaria) @ Yache Berry
Ability: Natural Cure
EVS: 64 HP / 252 Atk / 192 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Dragon Claw
- Earthquake
- Roost
Altaria is a super cool and versatile pokémon: in fact, there are at least 4 effective ways to use it.
I choose an Offensive variant of the DD set, because I tried to use a bulkier variant but I met 0 success since even at +1 Atk it deals no damage.
This offensive version, however, exploits magnificently the boost in Atk provided by DD: Dragon Claw is the main move to spam once all Steel-types (and eventually Fairy-types) have been removed. It also avoid the undesidered effect of Outrage, which locks Altaria in and doesn't allow it to switch.
Earthquake is used whenever a Steel-type switch-in is predicted, as at +1 it can nail the majority of Steel-types hard, like Probopass, Metang, and Mawile. Roost is used to heal off whenever Altaria has the chance to do so, and somehow mitigates its weakness to Ice-type moves.
192 EVs in Speed are used to outspeed Timid Zebstrika after a boost, and in conjunction with yache berry, allows Altaria to boost without fearing the OHKO from Hidden Power Ice Zebstrika, Ice Beam Simipour (note: not at +2), and Ice Beam Floatzel. Maximum Atk and Adamant nature give Altaria full power when attacking. The remaining EVs are dumped into HP to somehow lengthen its lifespan.
Credits to my little brother for the nickname, as even though Sulauu makes absolutely no sense, it is pretty funny to say lol
Monica (Mawile) @ Life orb
Ability: Sheer Force
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Naughty Nature
- Play Rough
- Iron Head
- Sucker Punch
- Fire Blast
Mawile can enter pretty much always on Altaria's check (Steel-types bar Probopass, Fairy-types, Tangela etc..) and proceed to eliminate whatever stands in its way.
Play Rough hits obscenely hard, often 2HKOing Pokémon that don't resist it and OHKOing many frailer Pokémon. Iron Head is similar, and it forms a good coverage when combined with Play Rough (Steel/Fairy hits 6/18 types supereffectively, and it's walled only by Steel-type).
Sucker Punch serves as a good and powerful priority, killing weakened faster foes, and dealing a good amount of damage in general.
The real surprise comes out when a Steel-type, like Eviolite Klang and/or Metang, switches in: even though Mawile has a pitiful uninvested 55 SpA, it does a solid amount of damage with a Life orb + Sheer Force boosted Fire Blast: for example, this is what it can do against the aforementioned Klang, Metang, and opposing Mawile after Stealth Rock damage.
Although these calcs may seem underwhelming, remember that this is just for coverage, as I have a Simisear to deal with them.
Maximum Atk investment is necessary to hit very hard, and maximum Spe EVs let mawile outspeed base 40s like speedy Probopass.
Life Orb is the item of choice, as it works wonderfully with Sheer Force.
The nickname is a common female name that I gave to my first VGC Mawile in 2015.
Fattyrella (Gourgeist-Super) @ Leftovers
Ability: Frisk
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Atk / 252 Def
Impish Nature
- Will-O-Wisp
- Synthesis
- Shadow Sneak
- Leech Seed
When I started playing PU, I used it in my very first team as a physically bulky wall with a durable recovery option and the ability to wear down an opponent via status.
The combination of Will-O-Wisp and Synthesis makes Gourgeist live quite a long on the field, slowly tearing down physically oreinted Pokémon thanks to burn, 100/122 full invested defensive stats, and an all-around good typing. Leech Seed further wears opposing Pokémon down, as Gourgeist is really difficult to break on the physical side.
Shadow Sneak acts as a cleaning move, killing everything with 5-10% HP, and avoids that Gourgeist becomes a total sitting duck when taunted (although it makes absolutely no damage...)
Maximum Def and HP allow Gourgeist to take physical hits like a champ, with the remaining 8 EVs dumped into Atk to slightly boost SSneak's power.
Frisk is the chosen ability, as Gourgeist is immune to Spore, and Dark Void/Hypnosis/Grasswhistle are either not common, unreliable, or both.
Leftovers provide even further recovery, and if Gourgeist has used Synthesis on an Leech Seeded opponent, it can recover 62.5% of max HP in a single turn (if under sun, it recovers an outstanding 78.5% HP).
Nickname is a pun on Cinderella, but I think there's no need to explain this lol
Pavarotti (Prinplup) @ Eviolite
Ability: Torrent
EVs: 248 HP / 4 SpA / 252 SpD / 4 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Defog
- Stealth Rock
- Scald
- Signal Beam
Prinplup is good in role compression, as it is my special wall, my hazard setter, and my hazard remover.
Defog is mandatory, as it removes Stealth Rocks/Spikes from the field.
On the other hand, Stealth Rock is used to put the foe under pressure, and to grab chip damage on opponent's switch-ins.
Scald is its STAB, and has a good chance to burn the foe; Signal Beam is here because this way Prinplup can act as a Cacturne lure, which payed off a good amount of times.
Maximum SpD and HP investment allow Prinplup to better take special hits, and when equipped with Eviolite, it can withstand even supereffective hits.
4 EVs Spe are used to creep opposing Prinplup and uninvested base 50s in general.
The nickname comes from a worldwide famous tenor, Luciano Pavarotti.
SideArms4Reason (Simisear) @ Life Orb
Ability: Blaze
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Fire Blast
- Grass Knot
- Low Kick
- Rock Slide
Simisear is my strong specially oriented mixed attacker, and can target a plethora of Pokémon (10/18 of types are hit supereffectively, which is impressive).
Fire Blast is the go-to move, as it is quite spammable even with low accuracy: when backed up by Life Orb and eventually blaze, it can practically incinerate everything not resisting Fire.
Grass Knot round off Fire Blast coverage by hitting pesky Water/Rock/Ground types supereffectively.
Low Kick is way better than Focus Blast, never missing the target and doing solid damage; finally, Rock Slide makes Simisear not be walled by Ninetales and other Fire-types neutral to Fighting.
Maximum Spe investment and a hasty nature ensure that Simisear will be outspeeding base 100s and goes in tie with Simipour. Max SpA and a Life Orb make Simisear hit pretty hard. Blaze is the chosen ability, as Gluttony is useless since it doesn't hold a Berry.
The nickname is the in-game name of a videogame player, SideArms (plays mostly GTA V, Battlefield etc..)
Beko (Rotom-Frost) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Thunderbolt
- Blizzard
- Volt Switch
- Trick
Rotom-F is my main anti-Dragon/Water Pokémon I use, and works nicely as a VoltLead, giving me good momentum.
Blizzard kills most leads, like Grass or Ground leaders, and deals a good damage on neutral targets. Thunderbolt is used when a neutral Blizzard may fail, and you need the KO; on the other hand, Volt Switch is used to grab momentum and send in something good against my opponent.
Trick is used to quickly cripple hazard setters, and bulky walls.
Max SpA and Spe, alongside a Timid nature, are used to make Rotom-F hit hard and fast.
The Choice Scarf allows Rotom-F to outspeed almost any Pokémon in the tier, beside Jolly Ninjask and Scarf 90s with positive nature.
The name comes from a brand specialized in producting appliances, in particular fridges.
Ok so the RMT ends here: if you have constructive critics and/or tips on sets/Pokèmon, feel free to comment :)
Here's an importable of my team (without nicknames, they're mine!)
See ya next time! ;D
After many tweaks to the previous team (the Bouffalant + Simipour one), I arrived to a dead end since the number of loss increased while the win counter stayed still: thus, I decided to change my team.
Hope you enjoy :)
TEAMBUILDING PROCESS
I found that Altaria and Mawile share amazing synergy type-wise, just like any other Altaria+Steel combination: however, this duo is also strong on the offensive side, as only a few Pokémon can withstand the power of a boosted Altaria, and the force of a Sheer Force Life orb Mawile.
Gourgeist-XL + Prinplup is a well-round off defensive core: Gourgeist-XL is here to sponge physical hits and spread Leech Seed in conjuction with what I call "Will-O-Stall", while Prinplup is more specially oriented.
This duo forms a solid backbone to the Altaria-Mawile core, softening physical attackers and setting/removing hazards from the field.
lastly, I put in the team structure a pair of specially offensive attackers to balance the 2 physically oriented attackers I already had in my team; moreover, I also needed a Fire-type to complete the FWG core (a type of core that I particularly love), and something that had a strong and fast VoltTurn option to keep momentum at my side.
Now, to the sets!
TEAM SETS
Sulauu (Altaria) @ Yache Berry
Ability: Natural Cure
EVS: 64 HP / 252 Atk / 192 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Dragon Claw
- Earthquake
- Roost
Altaria is a super cool and versatile pokémon: in fact, there are at least 4 effective ways to use it.
I choose an Offensive variant of the DD set, because I tried to use a bulkier variant but I met 0 success since even at +1 Atk it deals no damage.
This offensive version, however, exploits magnificently the boost in Atk provided by DD: Dragon Claw is the main move to spam once all Steel-types (and eventually Fairy-types) have been removed. It also avoid the undesidered effect of Outrage, which locks Altaria in and doesn't allow it to switch.
Earthquake is used whenever a Steel-type switch-in is predicted, as at +1 it can nail the majority of Steel-types hard, like Probopass, Metang, and Mawile. Roost is used to heal off whenever Altaria has the chance to do so, and somehow mitigates its weakness to Ice-type moves.
192 EVs in Speed are used to outspeed Timid Zebstrika after a boost, and in conjunction with yache berry, allows Altaria to boost without fearing the OHKO from Hidden Power Ice Zebstrika, Ice Beam Simipour (note: not at +2), and Ice Beam Floatzel. Maximum Atk and Adamant nature give Altaria full power when attacking. The remaining EVs are dumped into HP to somehow lengthen its lifespan.
Credits to my little brother for the nickname, as even though Sulauu makes absolutely no sense, it is pretty funny to say lol
Monica (Mawile) @ Life orb
Ability: Sheer Force
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Naughty Nature
- Play Rough
- Iron Head
- Sucker Punch
- Fire Blast
Mawile can enter pretty much always on Altaria's check (Steel-types bar Probopass, Fairy-types, Tangela etc..) and proceed to eliminate whatever stands in its way.
Play Rough hits obscenely hard, often 2HKOing Pokémon that don't resist it and OHKOing many frailer Pokémon. Iron Head is similar, and it forms a good coverage when combined with Play Rough (Steel/Fairy hits 6/18 types supereffectively, and it's walled only by Steel-type).
Sucker Punch serves as a good and powerful priority, killing weakened faster foes, and dealing a good amount of damage in general.
The real surprise comes out when a Steel-type, like Eviolite Klang and/or Metang, switches in: even though Mawile has a pitiful uninvested 55 SpA, it does a solid amount of damage with a Life orb + Sheer Force boosted Fire Blast: for example, this is what it can do against the aforementioned Klang, Metang, and opposing Mawile after Stealth Rock damage.
4 SpA Life Orb Sheer Force Mawile Fire Blast vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Mawile: 268-317 (88.1 - 104.2%) -- 62.5% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock
4 SpA Life Orb Sheer Force Mawile Fire Blast vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Eviolite Metang: 135-161 (41.6 - 49.6%) -- 27% chance to 2HKO after Stealth Rock
4 SpA Life Orb Sheer Force Mawile Fire Blast vs. 252 HP / 100 SpD Eviolite Klang: 117-138 (36.1 - 42.5%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Stealth Rock
4 SpA Life Orb Sheer Force Mawile Fire Blast vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Eviolite Metang: 135-161 (41.6 - 49.6%) -- 27% chance to 2HKO after Stealth Rock
4 SpA Life Orb Sheer Force Mawile Fire Blast vs. 252 HP / 100 SpD Eviolite Klang: 117-138 (36.1 - 42.5%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Stealth Rock
Although these calcs may seem underwhelming, remember that this is just for coverage, as I have a Simisear to deal with them.
Maximum Atk investment is necessary to hit very hard, and maximum Spe EVs let mawile outspeed base 40s like speedy Probopass.
Life Orb is the item of choice, as it works wonderfully with Sheer Force.
The nickname is a common female name that I gave to my first VGC Mawile in 2015.
Fattyrella (Gourgeist-Super) @ Leftovers
Ability: Frisk
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Atk / 252 Def
Impish Nature
- Will-O-Wisp
- Synthesis
- Shadow Sneak
- Leech Seed
When I started playing PU, I used it in my very first team as a physically bulky wall with a durable recovery option and the ability to wear down an opponent via status.
The combination of Will-O-Wisp and Synthesis makes Gourgeist live quite a long on the field, slowly tearing down physically oreinted Pokémon thanks to burn, 100/122 full invested defensive stats, and an all-around good typing. Leech Seed further wears opposing Pokémon down, as Gourgeist is really difficult to break on the physical side.
Shadow Sneak acts as a cleaning move, killing everything with 5-10% HP, and avoids that Gourgeist becomes a total sitting duck when taunted (although it makes absolutely no damage...)
Maximum Def and HP allow Gourgeist to take physical hits like a champ, with the remaining 8 EVs dumped into Atk to slightly boost SSneak's power.
Frisk is the chosen ability, as Gourgeist is immune to Spore, and Dark Void/Hypnosis/Grasswhistle are either not common, unreliable, or both.
Leftovers provide even further recovery, and if Gourgeist has used Synthesis on an Leech Seeded opponent, it can recover 62.5% of max HP in a single turn (if under sun, it recovers an outstanding 78.5% HP).
Nickname is a pun on Cinderella, but I think there's no need to explain this lol
Pavarotti (Prinplup) @ Eviolite
Ability: Torrent
EVs: 248 HP / 4 SpA / 252 SpD / 4 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Defog
- Stealth Rock
- Scald
- Signal Beam
Prinplup is good in role compression, as it is my special wall, my hazard setter, and my hazard remover.
Defog is mandatory, as it removes Stealth Rocks/Spikes from the field.
On the other hand, Stealth Rock is used to put the foe under pressure, and to grab chip damage on opponent's switch-ins.
Scald is its STAB, and has a good chance to burn the foe; Signal Beam is here because this way Prinplup can act as a Cacturne lure, which payed off a good amount of times.
Maximum SpD and HP investment allow Prinplup to better take special hits, and when equipped with Eviolite, it can withstand even supereffective hits.
4 EVs Spe are used to creep opposing Prinplup and uninvested base 50s in general.
The nickname comes from a worldwide famous tenor, Luciano Pavarotti.
SideArms4Reason (Simisear) @ Life Orb
Ability: Blaze
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Fire Blast
- Grass Knot
- Low Kick
- Rock Slide
Simisear is my strong specially oriented mixed attacker, and can target a plethora of Pokémon (10/18 of types are hit supereffectively, which is impressive).
Fire Blast is the go-to move, as it is quite spammable even with low accuracy: when backed up by Life Orb and eventually blaze, it can practically incinerate everything not resisting Fire.
Grass Knot round off Fire Blast coverage by hitting pesky Water/Rock/Ground types supereffectively.
Low Kick is way better than Focus Blast, never missing the target and doing solid damage; finally, Rock Slide makes Simisear not be walled by Ninetales and other Fire-types neutral to Fighting.
Maximum Spe investment and a hasty nature ensure that Simisear will be outspeeding base 100s and goes in tie with Simipour. Max SpA and a Life Orb make Simisear hit pretty hard. Blaze is the chosen ability, as Gluttony is useless since it doesn't hold a Berry.
The nickname is the in-game name of a videogame player, SideArms (plays mostly GTA V, Battlefield etc..)
Beko (Rotom-Frost) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Thunderbolt
- Blizzard
- Volt Switch
- Trick
Rotom-F is my main anti-Dragon/Water Pokémon I use, and works nicely as a VoltLead, giving me good momentum.
Blizzard kills most leads, like Grass or Ground leaders, and deals a good damage on neutral targets. Thunderbolt is used when a neutral Blizzard may fail, and you need the KO; on the other hand, Volt Switch is used to grab momentum and send in something good against my opponent.
Trick is used to quickly cripple hazard setters, and bulky walls.
Max SpA and Spe, alongside a Timid nature, are used to make Rotom-F hit hard and fast.
The Choice Scarf allows Rotom-F to outspeed almost any Pokémon in the tier, beside Jolly Ninjask and Scarf 90s with positive nature.
The name comes from a brand specialized in producting appliances, in particular fridges.
Ok so the RMT ends here: if you have constructive critics and/or tips on sets/Pokèmon, feel free to comment :)
Here's an importable of my team (without nicknames, they're mine!)
Altaria @ Yache Berry
Ability: Natural Cure
EVS: 64 HP / 252 Atk / 192 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Dragon Claw
- Earthquake
- Roost
Mawile @ Life orb
Ability: Sheer Force
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Naughty Nature
- Play Rough
- Iron Head
- Sucker Punch
- Fire Blast
Gourgeist-Super @ Leftovers
Ability: Frisk
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Atk / 252 Def
Impish Nature
- Will-O-Wisp
- Synthesis
- Shadow Sneak
- Leech Seed
Prinplup @ Eviolite
Ability: Torrent
EVs: 248 HP / 4 SpA / 252 SpD / 4 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Defog
- Stealth Rock
- Scald
- Signal Beam
Simisear @ Life Orb
Ability: Blaze
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Fire Blast
- Grass Knot
- Low Kick
- Rock Slide
Rotom-Frost @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Thunderbolt
- Blizzard
- Volt Switch
- Trick
Ability: Natural Cure
EVS: 64 HP / 252 Atk / 192 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Dragon Claw
- Earthquake
- Roost
Mawile @ Life orb
Ability: Sheer Force
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Naughty Nature
- Play Rough
- Iron Head
- Sucker Punch
- Fire Blast
Gourgeist-Super @ Leftovers
Ability: Frisk
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Atk / 252 Def
Impish Nature
- Will-O-Wisp
- Synthesis
- Shadow Sneak
- Leech Seed
Prinplup @ Eviolite
Ability: Torrent
EVs: 248 HP / 4 SpA / 252 SpD / 4 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Defog
- Stealth Rock
- Scald
- Signal Beam
Simisear @ Life Orb
Ability: Blaze
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Fire Blast
- Grass Knot
- Low Kick
- Rock Slide
Rotom-Frost @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Thunderbolt
- Blizzard
- Volt Switch
- Trick
See ya next time! ;D