Beyond the Stars (SD Mega Absol team)

[Adamant Zoroark]

np: Evans Blue - Beyond the Stars

Hi! Some of you may know me as "That guy who used Zoroark obsessively in BW OU." Well, sorry to disappoint. I have a new favorite to use obsessively, and it's called Mega Absol! Mega Absol is just lovely with its Magic Bounce shenanigans and there is no better feeling than screwing up someone's team with a +2 Mega Absol.

The idea for the team came after I had made many (failed) XY OU teams. I realized I was struggling immensely against Aegislash, and so I just kind of took a break. But then I decided I wanted to use Mega Absol, so I made this team (keeping Aegislash in mind.) So, after some modifications, this team's doing fairly well (although there are some small parts I don't like, i.e. Scarf Keldeo) Without further ado, let's get into it!

Absol @ Absolite
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 Atk / 4 SAtk
Naive Nature
- Swords Dance
- Sucker Punch
- Play Rough
- Fire Blast

Once upon a time, I was in a battle which I was almost certain I was going to lose. I had made several huge misplays, Talonflame was down, so I thought for sure I was getting swept by that Volcarona once it was sent out. But then I sent out Mega Absol; by playing mind games with Sucker Punch and managing to successfully set up a Swords Dance, I managed to turn the battle right back around and sweep the team. Threat averted.

Anyway... Swords Dance Mega Absol is a real pain in the ass to set up, but the payoff is fantastic. It's kind of like a "High Risk, High Reward," which is part of why I like it so much. Thanks to Magic Bounce, it can threaten stall teams pretty considerably, who often find themselves struggling to find something to do, and Swords Dance makes it even better against stall. Even if you're against an offensive team and can't find many setup opportunities, Sucker Punch coming off of 150 base Attack is going to hurt. I opted to run Play Rough instead of Superpower because I really think that Attack drop from Superpower hurts Mega Absol's sweeping potential; besides, the only real targets of Superpower (Tyranitar and Heatran) are handled perfectly fine at +2 regardless. Fire Blast makes Skarmory think twice about trying to wall Mega Absol; the Fire Blast nerf kinda hurts, but regardless, it's a very fine option against Skarmory, Forretress, and Ferrothorn.

Talonflame @ Choice Band
Ability: Gale Wings
EVs: 192 HP / 252 Atk / 64 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Brave Bird
- Flare Blitz
- U-turn
- Tailwind

When Talonflame was first announced, I was almost certain that 4x Stealth Rock weakness would mean that it'd be terrible. But then we found out its Hidden Ability was an ability known as Gale Wings, which gives all Flying-type moves priority. Killer! Priority Brave Bird! FizzyStardust would be very happy.

Talonflame's movepool is legitimately awful, but that doesn't stop it from being useful to the team. 81 base Attack is nothing to write home about, but Choice Band makes that usable. Talonflame's primary purpose on this team is to check Volcarona, who is otherwise incredibly threatening, as well as threats like Keldeo; Keldeo is still quite threatening, but Talonflame in conjunction with Rotom-W allows me to handle it. Thanks to U-turn, Talonflame can also scout, and possibly give the ultra-frail Absol opportunities to switch in. If I'm really desperate, I can go for Tailwind to give my team a temporary Speed boost if Talonflame's job is done. And... Yeah, those EVs are to speed creep standard 60 Spe Talonflame. Whoops! Sorry.

Excadrill @ Assault Vest
Ability: Mold Breaker
EVs: 128 HP / 128 Atk / 252 SDef
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Iron Head
- Rock Slide
- Rapid Spin

One of the most feared titans of BW OU prior to getting banned, Excadrill returns to XY OU, but in a very different environment: All of the weather abilities have been nerfed, going from "unlimited weather" to "only 5 turns!" Surely Excadrill must be terrible now.... Right?

Well, not quite. It just needs to operate differently than it used to. By running a relatively bulky Excadrill set (wut?) with Assault Vest, Excadrill becomes a very tanky Rapid Spinner. With Mold Breaker, Rotom-W is never switching in; in fact, even with no Speed EVs, Excadrill outspeeds 0 Speed Rotom-W (i.e. Physically Defensive Rotom-W) and threatens it with Earthquake. With the given EVs and Assault Vest, Excadrill has 343 Special Defense. It can take LO Thundurus's Focus Blast. If it can take super effective hits fairly well, then imagine how well it's taking neutral hits. Anyway, Talonflame needs Rapid Spin support (because Mega Absol isn't so great at stopping entry hazards) and Absol needs some Fairy-killing support, so... Excadrill with Iron Head and Rapid Spin!

Goodra @ Assault Vest
Ability: Gooey
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 HP
Quiet Nature
- Draco Meteor
- Fire Blast
- Sludge Bomb
- Dragon Tail

BlackLight's suggestion of Goodra has been working wonders for this team. Volcarona isn't anywhere near as problematic anymore, Rotom-W is much more manageable, and I get a kick-ass Special attacker. In addition, as Fairies enjoy switching in on Draco Meteor, Goodra can slam them with Sludge Bomb! More Fairy weakening!

So, what Goodra does is take on Special attackers, and dish out pain in return. Draco Meteor is obligatory STAB to be able to deal the pain, while Fire Blast and Sludge Bomb cover both of the main Pokemon trying to switch in on it, Steel-types and Fairy-types, respectively. Dragon Tail allows me to phaze Volcarona out, and Volcarona is one of the main reasons I'm running Goodra in the first place. What I'm not sure of, though, is the ability. I just picked Gooey for the possibility to slow Physical attackers down, but at the same time, Sap Sipper would give me a switch-in to Spore. Even then, though, I'm not sure if Breloom is common enough to justify it... I have not even seen a single Breloom on the ladder.

Garchomp @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Rough Skin
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 Atk / 4 HP
Jolly Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Outrage
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge

Garchomp is one of the few Dragon-types that is still good despite being screwed over by Fairy-types. And as I needed something to set up Stealth Rock that also wouldn't be a slouch offensively, what better choice than Garchomp?

Garchomp's mission is simple: Get up Stealth Rock. Even without investment, Garchomp is quite bulky, and if you honestly want to spin against it... Yeah, have fun with that Rocky Helmet + Rough Skin. With Togekiss's new-found Fairy typing, Togekiss just loves to switch in on this thing, which is a prime opportunity to weaken it with Stone Edge. That makes Mega Absol's life so much easier. Stone Edge also helps against Volcarona and Talonflame if I absolutely need to use Garchomp for that. Overall, Garchomp is just such a strong member of this team that I can't see myself replacing.

Rotom-Wash @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Volt Switch
- Hydro Pump
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Trick

Rotom-W exists on this team so I can stop myself from getting swept by other Talonflames. While I was originally running a bulkier set, knowing I needed to deal with Talonflame, the loss of Keldeo meant I was desperate for a new revenge killer, so now I'm running a Choice Scarf set. It's fantastic, really; Dragonite? Covered. Just make sure it's weakened enough because fucking HP nerf. Gyarados? Haha. Mega Lucario? Well, most of the Mega Lukes don't run Extreme Speed, but even if it does, Rotom-W can take one. Need to cripple a bulkier 'mon and have no revenge killing left to do? Trick! While being worse against Talonflame sucks, this Rotom-W set has been much more useful (of course I do have a more offensive play-style so...)

----------------------

Conclusion

This team has been a really fun team to use. While Mega Absol may be difficult to set up due to its frailty, it has nonetheless been a fantastic sweeper thanks to Magic Bounce and the sheer power of its Sucker Punch. Anyway, any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Importable:

Absol @ Absolite
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 Atk / 4 SAtk
Naive Nature
- Swords Dance
- Sucker Punch
- Play Rough
- Fire Blast

Talonflame @ Choice Band
Ability: Gale Wings
EVs: 192 HP / 252 Atk / 64 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Brave Bird
- Flare Blitz
- U-turn
- Tailwind

Excadrill @ Assault Vest
Ability: Mold Breaker
EVs: 128 HP / 128 Atk / 252 SDef
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Iron Head
- Rock Slide
- Rapid Spin

Goodra @ Assault Vest
Ability: Gooey
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 HP
Quiet Nature
- Draco Meteor
- Fire Blast
- Sludge Bomb
- Dragon Tail

Garchomp @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Rough Skin
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 Atk / 4 HP
Jolly Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Outrage
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge

Rotom-Wash @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 SAtk / 4 SDef
Timid Nature
- Volt Switch
- Hydro Pump
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Trick

 

[Adamant Zoroark]

Test post for Super Singles Maison team​

Hide

Posting completed Singles streak of 291 wins.

(F) @

, Jolly, Truant
EVs: 164|0|156|0|0|188* / IVs: 31|31|31|xx|31|31
Entrainment | Protect** | Confide | X-Scissor
* - since battle 179
** - since battle 173

(F) @

, Adamant, Multiscale
EVs: 172|124|0|0|0|212 / IVs: 31|31|31|xx|31|31
Dragon Dance | Protect | Dragon Claw | Fire Punch

(M) @

, Timid, Volt Absorb
EVs: 0|0|4|248|4|252 / IVs: 31|10|31|30|31|31
Work Up | Protect | Shock Wave | Shadow Ball

You may notice this is pretty similar to Drabsol, except with Jolteon > Mega Absol and some minor alterations to Dragonite and Durant. Jolteon sees value thanks to Shock Wave and blistering fast speed, allowing him to not only allows him to circumvent Double Team, but also prevents a 2nd/last-mon Walrein4 from ending your streak due to Bright Powder miss + Sheer Cold hit. The blistering speed means that not having Speed boosting is a relatively minor issue as it's already in a titanic speed tier. Shock Wave's low Base Power has been a relative non-issue thanks to the Focus Sash. Furthermore, Jolteon is a surprisingly effective means of answering Klinklang4. The only real downside is that Work Up is exclusively obtainable on Eeveelutions in Generation V, meaning I had to breed Jolteon in Black.

I know what you're thinking about Shock Wave: "It's too weak! Surely you could alternate between Protect and attack until you hit?" Okay, you tell me that when you have to hit Tornadus2 twice (once through Substitute) and when you miss every attack after using all of your Protects. It's a low probability, but you may have noticed I'm a strict adherent of Murphy's law. If it can go wrong, it will go wrong.

Durant's EVs have since been optimized from all of my other streaks. As Protect is now being used for Manectric4 (Protect -> Go to Dragonite -> Protect - > DD -> Protect and now Manectric4 has to Struggle) and Trace leads, Speed could be bumped down to 188 EVs to beat Scarf base 100s. The bulk dodges the OHKO from Mienshao3's CH High Jump Kick, which you probably won't need, but it could mean the difference between keeping Durant and losing it in an extreme worst-case-scenario. Do note that these EVs are not ideal prior to battle 40. Dragonite's EVs ensure no Aggron set can OHKO with Metal Burst, barring a critical hit.

Dragonite is going to be your go-to sweeper in most cases. She's by far the strongest sweeper, as pretty much nothing barring Metal Burst Bastiodon will take her down; plus, if Durant goes down turn 1 thanks to a Fire-type attack, you'll probably want Jolteon's blazing fast Speed tier + Focus Sash to be able to revenge kill. There are a few exceptions in which you will be setting up with Jolteon, which include:

• Most users of any of these moves: Curse, Play Nice (before battle 30), Iron Defense (or anything that boosts the Defense stat), Double Team, Minimize. Exceptions include Registeel1 (also has Amnesia and Dragonite hits it SE anyway). Be aware that vs. Hippowdon4, you may need to have Dragonite stall out Sand turns in order to preserve Jolteon's Focus Sash.
• Anything Choice-locked into a Ground-type move (Gogoat4, Landorus2, etc.)
• Durant taken out turn 1 after Entrainment AND opponent can have Bastiodon4 ("B" set Pokemon). Jolteon fares much better here thanks to the Focus Sash, and even worst-case-scenario, Jolteon does enough with +6 Shock Wave for Dragonite to be able to come in for the RK.
• vs. Pokemon Rangers, unless Walrein4 is leading, in which case it doesn't matter as long as Entrainment lands, or Lapras4 is, in which case you want to get Jolteon in on that to sack it to the Perish Song at worst. But in general, Jolteon should be able to sweep through all of their Pokemon (even Krookodile as it's 2HKOed by +6 Shadow Ball, and you have a Focus Sash) so just go with it since the ability to make 2nd or 3rd-poke Walrein4 a non-issue is pretty big.

You may notice that Jolteon's IVs correspond to Hidden Power Grass, even though I am not using Hidden Power. This is because I decided to go for a Jolteon I could use competitively in UU/RU once I was done with this streak, and HP Grass was the most likely one I'd use. It just didn't feel like a single extra point in Special Attack was worth the hassle of breeding another.

Threats

Walrein4 lead - If Entrainment misses and this thing lands an OHKO move, just quit.
Yanmega4 - Confide on the Protect, go to Dragonite, Fire Punch it into submission (2HKO while Yanmega gets like a 4HKO or something with -1 Air Slash, and you can stall for Lefties recovery if need be.)
Breloom4 - Straight switch to Dragonite and just start clicking Fire Punch.
Klinklang4 - Confide on the Protect, hard switch to Jolteon on the Thunderbolt, Work Up once. Even if you get poisoned, the 2HKO with Shock Wave is worth it.
Shuckle4 - nothing lol

Replays

G7JW-WWWW-WW3Z-KPCY: This illustrates the Fake Out lead strategy - basically, sacking Jolteon is worth it if it means ensuring the Entrainment goes up.
F7AG-WWWW-WW3Z-LE3A: This one was just silly so I had to share it.
X9KW-WWWW-WW3Z-L4BM: Nidoking4 can be mildly problematic if it gets a low roll, it seems. Either way, some switching around should be able to neutralize it, and this shows that Dragonite can set up without Entrainment if need be.

How I lost

3WFG-WWWW-WW3P-L53B

Providing this with no explanation, as I feel my catastrophically bad playing and lack of planning against Shuckle4 doesn't deserve an explanation.

Conclusion

I was kind of goofing off and didn't expect a fucking Jolteon to get a decent streak. But, it turns out, it's actually a surprisingly effective way of handling some specific streak threats (Klinklang4, Walrein4, Tornadus2) and I quickly found myself approaching 200 wins without issue. It's definitely not the best 'mon, but I was surprised at how much it pulled its weight (and how minor Shock Wave's low BP was.) I feel like it can do better than this.

​

 

[Tressed]

I liked it before reading your bump post. Now I feel as though i need to come up with something good.

Uh... Okay. Problems with Volcarona, Rotom-W, replace Keldeo... Maybe Goodra? It handles both Rotom-W and Volcarona well enough, it can hit Physically on Volcarona with Dragon Tail or Aqua Tail (Waterfall? Whatever), and of course the extra special bulk leaves you free to run Defense on Rotom-W. It doesn't revenge kill, sadly, but it can tank a hit, or worse case scenario slow a physical sweeper down with Gooey, if you'd want to run that. I dunno, I'm just tossing an idea out there.

That said, team looks really solid. May have to give this a try sometime.

 

[Adamant Zoroark]

I liked it before reading your bump post. Now I feel as though i need to come up with something good.

Uh... Okay. Problems with Volcarona, Rotom-W, replace Keldeo... Maybe Goodra? It handles both Rotom-W and Volcarona well enough, it can hit Physically on Volcarona with Dragon Tail or Aqua Tail (Waterfall? Whatever), and of course the extra special bulk leaves you free to run Defense on Rotom-W. It doesn't revenge kill, sadly, but it can tank a hit, or worse case scenario slow a physical sweeper down with Gooey, if you'd want to run that. I dunno, I'm just tossing an idea out there.

That said, team looks really solid. May have to give this a try sometime.

Goodra seems like it'd help against Volcarona/Rotom-W; of course being unable to revenge kill sucks, and Dragonite could possibly end up becoming problematic (but if so I should be able to find some way to handle Dragonite), but I'll be sure to give Goodra a go. Thanks for the rate!

If I do end up using Goodra, though, then I could run Scarf Rotom-W to be able to have a revenge killer... Of course it's not as good against Talonflame as a physically defensive set, but still.

e: Just did some testing and Assault Vest Goodra over Keldeo and Scarf Rotom-W over my existing Rotom-W has been working wonders. I'll be updating the OP accordingly.

 

[tcr]

Hey man, as i told you, i think this is a pretty cool team to use, especially with its use of Mega Absol, a pretty uncommon mega. However, here are some set changes I think would benefit you!

First off, Choice Scarf Rotom is a pretty mediocre pokemon this generation. I personally dont like choice items this generation, with the introduction of several really bulky pokemon, as well as another speed increase from last generation. The extra boost generally isnt worth being locked into a move, as you end up relying too much on prediction. Besides which,the things it's supposed to take care of are completely demolished by a Physically Bulky set anyway. Therefore, I suggest running ChestoResto Rotom-w over your current set. Bulky offense is your friend this generation, and this gives you insurance against Talonflame (who otherwise runs through your team) as well as +1 Dragonite, not being 2hkoed by dragon claw IIRC, so you can burn and then Rest.

I recommend running 164 Spe EVs on Talonflame to outspeed Mega Kanghaskhan and base 100s in general (I could be wrong on the exact amount of EVs tho). This allows you to bypass Mega Sucker Punch. Lastly, I really dont get the hype with AV Excadrill. Its pretty mediocre I find, and running an Air Balloon+Max Spe allows you to have a better switchin to Mold Breaker Excadrill, as you will probably outspeed it, as well as outspeeding and OHKOing Rotom-W. If you decide to run SD>Iron Head as well, you can have a back up win condition, but ultimately thats up to you and is a very minor suggestion. Good luck with your team, I really liked it ^_^

 

[Adamant Zoroark]

Hey man, as i told you, i think this is a pretty cool team to use, especially with its use of Mega Absol, a pretty uncommon mega. However, here are some set changes I think would benefit you!

First off, Choice Scarf Rotom is a pretty mediocre pokemon this generation. I personally dont like choice items this generation, with the introduction of several really bulky pokemon, as well as another speed increase from last generation. The extra boost generally isnt worth being locked into a move, as you end up relying too much on prediction. Besides which,the things it's supposed to take care of are completely demolished by a Physically Bulky set anyway. Therefore, I suggest running ChestoResto Rotom-w over your current set. Bulky offense is your friend this generation, and this gives you insurance against Talonflame (who otherwise runs through your team) as well as +1 Dragonite, not being 2hkoed by dragon claw IIRC, so you can burn and then Rest.

I recommend running 164 Spe EVs on Talonflame to outspeed Mega Kanghaskhan and base 100s in general (I could be wrong on the exact amount of EVs tho). This allows you to bypass Mega Sucker Punch. Lastly, I really dont get the hype with AV Excadrill. Its pretty mediocre I find, and running an Air Balloon+Max Spe allows you to have a better switchin to Mold Breaker Excadrill, as you will probably outspeed it, as well as outspeeding and OHKOing Rotom-W. If you decide to run SD>Iron Head as well, you can have a back up win condition, but ultimately thats up to you and is a very minor suggestion. Good luck with your team, I really liked it ^_^

Thanks for the rate.

I really don't like ChestoRest Rotom-W. Plus, after I got rid of Keldeo, I absolutely needed something with a Choice Scarf, and the bulky Rotom-W set I was using (which had Pain Split) just wasn't delivering anyway. I function better with offensive sets, and Rotom-W is not an exception to that rule. Given how I play, ChestoRest Rotom-W would be more detrimental to my team than beneficial.

As for the Speed EVs on Talonflame, I'll try that.

I really don't get the hype with Air Balloon Excadrill. It's temporary and very shaky insurance against opposing Excadrill at best. Plus, Excadrill is my main spinner (which is absolutely mandatory considering Talonflame's crippling 4x SR weakness) so Assault Vest gives it the Special bulk to be able to stick around. If I do find extra insurance against Mold Breaker Excadrill to be necessary (which, as of now, I haven't, but that may change) then I'd rather run something more consistent than Air Balloon Excadrill.

 

[SomeoneStoleTheNameIWant]

Also you have no bank mons, make this non-bank so you don't have to deal with other people's bank mons.

Yeah, for now you can have a bit of an easier time playing in a non-bank meta, if you want.

I've played a couple rounds with your team, and I must say I love it. Mega-Absol is definitely under appreciated and fun to use. Goodra is a total boss of a tank (why the hell does it have panties?!).

How exactly do you handle physical powerhouses that resist your priority?

 

[Adamant Zoroark]

If physical attackers get past your priority duo you are definitely in trouble. Luckily they have near perfect coverage, but still lose to extremespeed and tyranitar. These are all issues for you. I would put in a fighting or fairy pokemon somewhere to take these on, Azumarill is the best pokemon I can think of but maybe something else could work. Azumarill also gets rid of fighting weakness. Replace excadrill if you ask me. Also why scarf rotom? With this replacement you have enough priority and you must be struggling with sand excadrill and talonflame. I would fiddle with goodra's moveset, it has good attack. I would just put rock slide over dragon tail, kill volcarona and talonflame (without SpA drops.)

Also you have no bank mons, make this non-bank so you don't have to deal with other people's bank mons.

Actually... I do have a bank 'mon. Garchomp does not have access to Stealth Rock pre-Bank. Therefore, as long as I have Stealth Rock Garchomp, I have to play in Pokebank. Same story with Excadrill; no Iron Head pre-bank. You probably overlooked these.

Talonflame is very much manageable (honestly people overrate Talonflame quite a bit; it's still good but not as good as people give it credit for) but Sand Excadrill is in fact one of my biggest worries. Azumarill would help with this, but over Excadrill is just "no" because I need Rapid Spin to support Talonflame (Mega Absol is no Espeon/Xatu; although it's brilliant for blocking Will-O-Wisp/Whirlwind, etc. it's not so great with blocking hazards.) I'm open to the idea of Azumarill, but not over Excadrill. If anything, I'd replace Talonflame (and thereby eliminate my need for Excadrill, allowing me to run something like Scizor) before replacing just Excadrill.

Goodra is a total boss of a tank (why the hell does it have panties?!).

Yeah, sorry about that. You'll have to deal with stuff like that from me from time to time. Welcome to Smogon!

 

[SomeoneStoleTheNameIWant]

Yeah, sorry about that. You'll have to deal with stuff like that from me from time to time. Welcome to Smogon!

I'm not complaining.
I find it to be... strangely compelling. Hmm... I like you.

All Pokephilia aside, I like the Dragon Tail on Goodra. I don't know if that's something a lot of people expect, but it works very well.

 

[Team Rocket]

Hmm. Your team looks amazing, and Absol indeed works great, I already used it once. Swept whole team starting from round 3, after bouncing spore back to Smeargle. Anyway, the only thing I don't like about those pokes is Goodra. (I like the panties, though). I feel like it hits just not strong enough to KO let's say a Sableye. Sadly, I can't think about a pokemon that could replace that slot.

I wish you luck with further battles.

Oh, and Brelooms indeed exsist on the ladder, though they are not so common when they can't just Spore Ferrothorn, SD and proceed to sweep. I'd love to see the look on some guy's face when he tried that with my Ferro. He used Spore, probably didn't see that it's not asleep and tried to Mach Punch. Rocky Helmet, Iron Barbs and Gyro Ball did their job.

 

[Kazuma Yato]

Cool team really old though could you optimise it for this meta? i'm using it atm and it's awesome :) ,knock off over night slash btw. and keldeo's secret sword trolls