With this submission, I Iook at my
most recent build which features the core consisting of Grassium-Z Victreebel and Choice Scarf Aurorus. They work so well together because not only do they chip away at each others checks very consistently, they also pivot into them because of their defensive utility! But let's go in detail.
Sarzenia (Victreebel) @ Grassium Z
Ability: Chlorophyll
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Strength Sap
- Leaf Storm
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Sludge Bomb
So the standard Victreebel helps Aurorus in a way that's simple to play out in practise but still is genius. With Guzzlord most recently leaving the tier, one of Victreebel's best defensive counterplay is gone and so you'll often find yourself in matchups where you can
lead with Victreebel to chip away at the special sponges that are left. Opponents will often begin their earlygame with something that can take one of Victreebel's hits.
Eelektross for example often dies in the first few turns because Victreebel actually
lives a Flamethrower and retaliates with Z-Leaf Storm into raw Leaf Storm.
Defensively, Victreebel pivots into Fighting and weak Water type attacks that Aurorus doesn't like - from the likes of Hitmonchan, Gurdurr, Primeape, Jellicent or Lanturn. Other Pokemon that wall Aurorus are also pressured out by Victreebel. Clefairy, Regirock or Ferroseed are represantive for that.
Amargarga (Aurorus) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Snow Warning
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Blizzard
- Freeze-Dry
- Earth Power
- Hidden Power [Rock]
Aurorus is there to pick up the weakened bits of the opposing team. Blizzarding or Freeze Drying through everything that was worked by Victreebel before.
My main idea when partnering Victreebel to Scarf Aurorus, was Aurorus' ability to be a potent threat to
offensive builds. Breakers often struggle with those playstyles, so I thought it would make sense.
Turns out that Aurorus not only helps in that regard, it even ensures that Victreebel doesn't have to struggle against the feared
Flying types! Articuno, Oricorio and Dodrio to some degree are checked and defeated by Scarf Aurorus. You can even pivot into some
Ice Types like Froslass or Rotom-Frost that can be chipped by HP Rock!
So that sounds nice on paper to have a decent offensive core to build a bulky offensive team around. But as every core it has flaws. These two have very obvious ones in
Steel Types and
sturdy specially defensive walls. Metang and Alolaslash as well as Audino and Cryogonal are impossible for these two to beat. So, it's important to pair these two with a third offensive Pokemon, that can get rid of them.
Gurdurr seems like a perfect fit since Metang usually doesn't carry a Psychic STAB which lets you pivot into every called threat. You could even think about running
Toxic to punish flying types for Victreebel!
The only thing missing would be a Hazard Removal.
Skuntank could fulfill this role, as well as trapping the likes of Metang or Cryogonal for the main core. It even compliments Gurdurr by dealing super effective damage against Psychic, Ghost and Fairy types!