SV RU Beanie Babies - A WoGlow Team (peak 1549)

[Bice]

click me for an importable!
click me for the nickname-free version!​

Introduction
While I restarted my competitive career in UU, I found the tier too powercrept to be enjoyable, so I jumped down to RU. Thanks to the lower power level and a supportive community, I've found success within the tier, even reaching 1549 with one specific team (which isn't super high but still something I'm proud of). This team is centered around the core of Wo-Chien and Galarian Slowbro, both of whom complement each other relatively well.
Proof of Peak

Teambuilding Process

Process

- I chose to start with the core of Wo-Chien and Glowbro due to their defensive synergy; Wo-Chien handles most of the Special Attackers Glowbro hates, while Glowbro provided muscle with Calm Mind and beat the Fairies Wo-Chien loathed.
- Hisuian Typhlosion was added next, as I noticed the core disliked Lucario greatly (at the time I was running SpDef Wo-Chien). It provided a bit of extra speed and Burn support.
- While Hisuian Typhlosion provided a welcome bit of Speed, it wasn't exactly a speed demon. While I was somewhat reluctant to run two Dark-types, I added Krookodile for Speed control and physical defense in addition to its Ground-typing. Having a second Knock Off User was nice as well.
- While I initially considered Stealth Rock over Stone Edge on Scarf Krookodile, I was worried about Armarouge and other Fire-types, so I added Diancie as a defensive glue and Stealth Rocker.
- I was missing hazard removal and Krookodile wasn't enough as speed control, so I added Defog Noivern. I know it's not the ideal set, but RU's hazard removal options are quite strained at the moment, so I didn't have much else of a choice.
- I found that the team struggled quite a bit against opposing Wo-Chien and Krookodile, so I ultimately replaced Typhlosion with Slither Wing due to its solid defensive profile. When combined with Krookodile, it made beating those two much easier.

The Team
SWIRLY

@

Ability: Tablets of Ruin
Tera Type:

EVs: 252 HP / 200 Def / 56 SpD
Impish Nature
-

Knock Off
-

Leech Seed
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Protect
-

Foul Play
One of the two main components of the WoGlow core, Wo-Chien is a metagame-defining defensive juggernaut, and for good reason; it's obscenely tanky. This set opts for a more physically defensive spread; 200 Defense EVs with an Impish nature prevent it from being 2HKO'd by +2 Bisharp's Iron Head. Foul Play compliments the spread nicely, punishing Pokemon that attempt to set up on it such as the aforementioned Bisharp and Lucarios expecting a switch. However, if you struggle against bulky waters than Giga Drain is also an option. The rest of the set is a standard LeechTect snail, letting it slowly whittle down teams. Tera Poison is chosen to help against the likes of Mimikyu and Choice Specs Sylveon. Tera Ghost can be used instead to improve the team's matchup against Revavroom. Wo-Chien tends to come in early-mid game against Water-types like Slowbro and Basculegion, as well as against physical attackers like Bisharp. Many opponents expect a cycle of Leech Seed/Protect and will attempt to take advantage of this by setting up; that's your chance to punish them with Foul Play.
CLAUDE

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Ability: Regenerator
Tera Type:

EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpA
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
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Calm Mind
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Sludge Bomb
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Flamethrower
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Slack Off
The other half of the WoGlow core, Glowbro is a threatening Calm Mind user once threats such as Krookodile are removed or crippled. A Colbur Berry is used to let Glowbro take Dark-type moves, most notably Bisharp's Night Slash, better, before retaliating with Flamethrower. Speaking of which, said move is used over Surf in order to hit the aforementioned Bisharp better as well as fellow Steel-types such as Forretress. Sludge Bomb is used over Shell Side Arm due to its Poison chance often coming in clutch. Because Glowbro does not have Surf, Tera Fairy is used as a solid overall defensive typing that punishes Bisharp that attempt to spam its Dark STAB moves. Glowbro usually makes his appearance during the later stages of the game once its checks are whittled or eliminated; however it may come in as needed to take Fairy moves from the likes of Sylveon and Florges. Sometimes winning the Calm Mind war against those two is an uphill battle, especially if they Tera; carefully sending in Slither Wing or Krookodile on a predicted status move is a good way to punish them.
FLITTER

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Ability: Protosynthesis
Tera Type:

EVs: 248 HP / 16 Atk / 68 Def / 176 Spe
Adamant Nature
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Will-O-Wisp
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Close Combat
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U-turn
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Morning Sun
Once people discovered that max/max Slither Wing is quite middling, the fuzzy moth has truly come into its own as a solid defensive pivot, checking dangerous threats such as Krookodile and Bisharp. Will-O-Wisp is used over First Impression to spread burns against the aforementioned physical threats, as well as to make it easier for Glowbro to set up against would-be defensive checks like Overqwil and Mudsdale. The EV spread lets it outrun max speed Timid Magnezone, with Tera Steel being used to improve Slither Wing's matchup against Umbreon and Mimikyu. While leading Slither Wing seems appealing thanks to its access to U-Turn, it's a poor lead against faster teams who can and will take advantage of it. A valid tactic is to scare out chipped faster threats with the threat of a First Impression in order to get a free U-Turn; this can be a risky move however.
SWAMPY

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Ability: Moxie
Tera Type:

EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
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Earthquake
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Knock Off
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Gunk Shot
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Stone Edge
Krookodile isn't so much of a glue as it is a nice thin coat of sealant that still manages to reinforce the team. This is a largely standard Scarf Krookodile set; Tera Poison is picked to give it the edge against Fairy-types such as Mimikyu and Sylveon, letting it pick up KOs against them easier. It can also be used to take an Aqua Jet from Waters such as Barraskewda in a pinch. Moxie gives Krookodile incredible snowball potential, especially in the late-game. Intimidate is also an option to bluff a different set such as Stealth Rock, though you'll have to be careful around Bisharp. Krookodile often has a hard time getting onto the field, so positioning with more defensive Pokemon, namely Wo-Chien and Slither Wing, is key. One example of such is getting a Leech Seed off as Wo-Chien, then switching into Krookodile as they switch out in order to get rid of Leech Seed.
FORTRESS

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Ability: Clear Body
Tera Type:

EVs: 248 HP / 252 SpD / 8 Spe
Careful Nature
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Stealth Rock
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Diamond Storm
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Body Press
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Encore
Arguably the (current) Princess of RU, Diancie forms a solid defensive glue that can snowball itself thanks to Diamond Storm's Defense boosts and Body Press. Encore is somewhat prediction reliant but can potentially punish hyper-offensive mons such as Cloyster who attempt to use Diancie as setup bait. 8 Speed EVs let it creep other Diancies who are uninvested. Tera Water lends Diancie an incredible defensive typing, letting it wall Pokemon such as Inteleon and Krookodile after a defense boost. Diancie should come in early, but not be used as a lead as it's quite predictable as one. Get hazards up as soon as possible to put as much pressure on the opposing team as possible. However, sometimes the best course of action is to predict a hazard removal switch-in and to switch out yourself.
BAT-E

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Ability: Infiltrator
Tera Type:

EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
-

Draco Meteor
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Flamethrower
-

Defog
-

Roost
While not the tier's best hazard removal, Noivern's unique combination of traits (high speed, Flying typing, decent offensive presence) made it the best removal option for this team. Defog is used over U-Turn in order to maintain Noivern's offensive presence; however a bulkier spread in conjunction with U-Turn over one of Noivern's attacks is an option. The rest of the set is standard, with Tera Fire being a good option in a pinch against Pokemon like Magnezone and Scarf Gardevoir. Noivern is often used as a lead due to its high Speed, letting it get the jump against other lead Pokemon and punch early holes in teams lacking a Fairy-type. However, against teams using a Fairy-type alternative leads are encouraged.
Threatlist
- This is what I call the unholy trinity of Steels. Because this team lacks a Steel resist without Terastallization, offensive Steel-types can roll through the team if left unchecked. Bisharp is by far the easiest to check thanks to Colbur Glowbro and Slither Wing, but Tera Fire variants can spiral out of control real fast. Revavroom needs careful play by Slither Wing and Wo-Chien to check it, with a tera from one of them often being necessary. Magnezone is by far the hardest to beat, as thanks to Analytic it's near-impossible to switch into; still, offensive pressure from Krookodile and Noivern as well as Knock Off from the former and Wo-Chien can keep it in check.
- Broken mon that threatens a variety of teams. Offensive pressure with Noivern, Krookodile, and Diancie is key; be sure to have hazards up against Weakness Policy variants. Tera Dragon Diancie can help somewhat, though it worsens your already-tenuous matchup against the Steels.
- Fat water that's hard to break thanks to its colossal physical defense and Scald, deterring Glowbro and Wo-Chien from coming in. CM Glowbro does well against non-CM variants, and even those can be exploited by Diancie thanks to Encore.
- Yet another irritating fat water that's also a Wish passer on top of that. Every variant is annoying in their own unique way; CM Variants can outdamage Glowbro, Haze stops Glowbro from setting up, Flip Turn lets it slow pivot out against Wo-Chien or escape Glowbro's wrath, and Ice Beam offensively threatens Wo-Chien and Noivern. If you really find yourself struggling against Vaporeon, then running Speed investment on Diancie is an option so you can Encore them.
- Annoying fat Wish passer #859506853, what makes it so bothersome is its combination of Toxic (deters non-Tera Slither Wing/Wo-Chien) and Foul Play (chunks Glowbro for decent damage). You can trade a Burn on it with Slither Wing to turn it into setup fodder for Glowbro or force a Tera and punish it with Krookodile.
- Mercifully uncommon, but it does over half to Glowbro unresisted and blows chunks into everyone else. Tera Poison Wo-Chien is your best bet, though be careful of Psyshock.
- Tera Diancie ASAP, as Wo-Chien hates taking Ice Beam/U-Turn and it destroys everything else offensively. Specs variants are especially irritating, though Scarfed Inteleons can at least be exploited somewhat.
- Insane typing combined with Disguise gives it immense snowball potential against this team, try to trade with it with Diancie (or Encore it into SD if you can) and then revenge kill with Krookodile. You can also Terastallize Slither Wing or Wo-Chien to make the matchup easier.
- Threatens most bulky offense/balance teams, try to keep up the pressure with Noivern and Krookodile while dancing around it with Diancie. Choice Specs variants are nigh-impossible to switch into.
- Yes, Yanmega of all things is a big threat to this team. Not only do you have to play the Tinted Lens or Speed Boost guessing game, but with Tera it can wreck Diancie, the team's best check, in different ways; Tera Bug does around half with Bug Buzz on Specs sets, and Tera Ground on Throat Spray sets cleaves right through it. Chunk it with Noivern, Tera Diancie into Water (for Throat Spray sets), and pray to God.
Replays
Unfortunately most of my replays were in the intial draft of the RMT, which got lost due to a power outage. I do have these two however:
vs. Dr.Cookie.JAR
vs. guille14
Conclusion
RU is definitely a pretty fun tier, and tomorrow it's going to see massive changes due to the incoming tier shifts. I hope you guys enjoyed this RMT and find success with it on the ladder in this metagame's sunset hours. Shoutouts to Yourwelcomethanku for the team idea, Rarelyme for the Wo-Chien spread, feen and the RU Discord for being supportive even during my worst tilts!feen

 

[1LDK]

Orange cat activities (also congrats)

 

[Roxyroxyroxy]

defensive slither wing my beloved