Can't Knock The Hustle (Durant Suspect Test)

Hey guys first time creating an RMT and I've always wanted to do it, and I finally got around to it. I have been playing RU a lot as of late because I wanted to participate in the Durant Suspect Test. I have been playing with different teams and I have found this particular team to be successful and consistent on the suspect ladder and it really showcases how with the right support, Durant can be a powerful force capable of overcoming some of its checks and counters. I'm not endorsing a ban or do not ban on Durant at the moment, I'll save that for when I've played the ladder a bit more and gained reqs for the suspect test.

^Song From the Title
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Jay-Z (Durant) @ Wide Lens/Leftovers/Iron Plate
Ability: Hustle
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Baton Pass
- Iron Head
- Superpower
- Substitute

Naturally, to showcase Durant, I chose to put him on the team. I originally had a Choice Banded Durant with Thunder Fang and X-Scissor over Substitute and Baton Pass, but I found this set to have a greater element of surprise and versatility than a Choice Banded Durant. Durant is a cleaner and has decent offensive presence thanks to Hustle, even without a boosting item. Durant also garners momentum for the team by using Substitute on a predicted switch and Baton Passing the Substitute to another teammate better equipped to handle the opponent's Pokemon (ie Baton Passing into Virizion when they bring in their bulky Water type). Iron Head is the obligatory STAB move, and Superpower nets Durant a super effective hit on Steel types as well as good neutral damage on Fire and Water types. I use Wide Lens to mitigate the accuracy drop accrued from Durant's ability, Hustle. Leftovers is a solid option that mitigates residual damage and can potentially allow you to create more Substitutes throughout a match. Iron Plate can be used to increase Iron Head's damage. I do not recommend using a Life Orb on this set because the recoil would significantly reduce Durant's longevity when combined with the lack of recovery, residual damage, and the 25% lost with each Substitute.

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Naturia Beast (Virizion) @ Life Orb
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Calm Mind
- Giga Drain
- Focus Blast
- Hidden Power [Ice]

Virizion pairs up nicely with Durant because it has a solid Special Defense and the typing to allow it to take on the Water, Steel, and Electric types that give Durant trouble. I originally had a Swords Dance Virizion with Stone Edge, Close Combat, and Leaf Blade holding a Lum Berry, but I find that this set is better equipped to take on bulky Waters like Alomomola and Seismitoad due to the fact it doesn't mind Scald burns as much. Initially I was using Life Orb Tangrowth over Virizion, but the team needed some more speed and a more consistent sweeper as opposed to a breaker like Tangrowth. Calm Mind is your means of boosting, Giga Drain and Focus Blast provide the STAB combo you need to handle Durant's Water and Steel type checks, and Hidden Power Ice gives you a way past Grass and Flying types, as well as Flygon, who is troublesome to switch into for the team.

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Flamedog3 (Houndoom) @ Life Orb
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 220 Atk / 36 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Pursuit
- Sucker Punch
- Fire Blast
- Crunch

Up until now, the team has a serious problem with Delphox, as the Scarf variant outspeeds and OHKOes Durant and Virizion with Fire Blast and Psyshock respectively, and the Life Orb set gets free turns VS. both of them as neither has a way of doing even neutral damage to Delphox. Houndoom is our best bet at trapping and removing Delphox from the match, giving Durant and Virizion more breathing room the rest of the match. The given attack EVs with a Life Orb allow me to OHKO Delphox with Sucker Punch if they stay in and Pursuit if they switch out. Crunch gives me a consistent Dark STAB to use against the likes of Jellicent, Slowking, and Bronzong, as well as Meloetta. Most of those aforementioned mons can survive Pursuit if they don't switch and have the potential to KO Houndoom back or status him, so Crunch nets the same damage on them that a Pursuit on the switch would. Fire Blast is there to give me a way to hit Steel and Grass types hard. Keeping Houndoom alive for the late game can be handy, as Sucker Punch gives him a way to clean up against weakened teams, regardless of how fast the opposing team is.


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Old Ironsides (Steelix-Mega) @ Steelixite
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 96 Atk / 76 SpD / 84 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Heavy Slam
- Earthquake
- Stealth Rock
- Roar/Stone Edge

One-half of the team's defensive backbone, Mega Steelix's 8 resistances (To Rock, Steel, Bug, Normal, Flying, Fairy, Dragon, and Psychic) and 2 immunities (To Electric and Poison) make him a solid mixed wall. Steelix is the team's Stealth Rocker, Tyrantrum Check, Jolteon Check, Durant Check, Mega Glalie Check, Sneasel Check, ect. The EV's gurantee that you the OHKO on Tyrantrum with Earthquake after Stealth Rock damage, as well as giving you an extremely high chance to OHKO Mega Glalie with Heavy Slam after Stealth Rock damage. 84 EVs in Speed allow Mega Steelix to outspeed uninvested Rhyperior and 2HKO it back. The remaining EVs are funneled into Special Defense and HP to takes hits better. Investing in Defense is frivolous considering this thing's colossal base 230 defense after Mega Evolving. You can always siphon EVs from Speed and Attack into Special Defense if you feel you need a better special wall on the team. I run Roar in the last slot to phaze set up sweepers and rack up hazard damage, although Stone Edge is usable simply because Fletchinder is such a big problem for the team. (Helpful Tip: If Steelix has not yet Mega Evolved and its Sturdy is still intact, you can avoid Mega Evolving to ensure that you get Rocks up VS. an opponent)

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Mr. Puff (Qwilfish) @ Black Sludge
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 232 HP / 200 Def / 76 Spe
Impish Nature
- Spikes
- Waterfall
- Toxic Spikes
- Taunt

Qwilfish forms the other half of the team's defensive core, as Qwilfish and Steelix cover for each other's weaknesses quite nicely (Steelix can take on Psychic and Electric attacks that Qwilfish can't, and Qwilfish tanks Fighting, Fire, and Water attacks for Steelix). Although his base Defense is pretty average, it is bolstered significantly by his eight resistances and Intimidate, which softens up Physical Attacks. Spikes and Toxic Spikes are hazards that put the pressure on opponents and rack up damage quickly in tandem with the opponent switching and Steelix phazing with Roar. These hazards wear down the opponent's team and really allow Durant and Virizion to do some damage. Taunt allows you to block opposing hazards from going up, and 76 Speed EVs puts you ahead of other Qwilfish who usually run 56 Speed, as well as various other defensive mons in the tier. Waterfall is a solid STAB option that can break some Substitutes and do decent damage, as well as giving you a way of beating Fletchinder. I don't run Scald or Thunder Wave because I feel that often conflicts with Toxic Spikes, and Electric types like Eelektross and Rotom-C like to come in on Qwilfish anyways, making Thunder Wave a moot point. Black Sludge gives Qwilfish some recovery, as outside of running Pain Split or Rest it's all he gets.

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Mary J. Blige (Meloetta) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Hyper Voice
- Psychic/Psyshock
- Focus Blast/Dazzling Gleam
- U-turn

Meloetta is the team's Scarfer, Revenge Killer, and Late Game Cleaner at times. She also makes a great lead due to U-Turn in conjunction with her high Speed stat. With a Timid Nature and a Choice Scarf, Meloetta reaches 459 speed. This outpaces Timid Accelgor, Neutral-Natured Base 100 Scarfers, Timid Omastar After a Shell Smash (by one point), Timid Jolteon, Jolly Aerodactyl, and it speed ties with Neutral-Natured Base 105 Scarfers (ie Modest Scarf Manectric). Meloetta's solid HP and Special Defense Stats allow her to sponge special hits on occasion. One thing Meloetta has to be wary of is Pursuit trapping by the likes of Houndoom, Sneasel, and in particular Spiritomb, who is immune to both STABs and Focus Blast. Dazzling Gleam can be run over Focus Blast to if you feel hitting Spiritomb is a greater priority than hitting Steel types. I'm undecided on whether Psychic or Psyshock is better. Any advice on this is appreciated.


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Comes in on Durant and Virizion with ease, can pick off Meloetta with Sucker Punch, threatens Steelix, and Houndoom can't touch it. Qwilfish can handle it to an extent, but even at -1 from Intimidate a Life Orb Flare Blitz+Rocks+Wild Charge will spell doom for Qwilfish.

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Scarf sets have the potential to outspeed the entire team bar Meloetta and KO them with the appropriate move, and the Life Orb Set is problematic enough because my Psychic resist is weak to Fighting and my Fighting resist is weak to Psychic. Houndoom can play mindgames with Pursuit/Sucker Punch to do 62-75%.

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Virizion is my only switch-in to an Earth Power, and if my opponent predicts that and goes for a Fire move, goodbye Virizion. Even if Virizion comes in safely, Focus Blast only does 55-65%. Qwilfish can threaten it with a Waterfall if it by some miracle gets in for free, and Steelix can do the same with Earthquake.

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A Timid Scarf Typhlosion outspeeds my entire team, and my only Fire resist takes 52-61% from a full power Eruption. Best bet is to use Houndoom's Fire immunity and try and Pursuit trap it. Be wary of switching in to a Focus Blast though. Getting Stealth Rocks up or using Steelix's Sturdy to surivive a hit and OHKO back with Earthquake are also options to keep it in check.

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This thing is annoying because it Defogs away my hazards and gets to come in for free a lot of the time due to my lack of Ground resists. Timid/Jolly Scarf sets can outspeed my entire team and do some major damage. Virizion can manage it due to its high Special Defense and Hidden Power Ice, and Scarf Meloetta can revenge kill slower sets if running Dazzling Gleam.

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If this thing gets to +2 and Steelix is dead and Qwilfish is under 60%, GG. Will-O-Wisp variants can neuter and wear down Steelix and Qwilfish with ease. Fortunately, Stone Edge OHKOes through burn, and Sucker Punch from Houndoom out prioritizes Acrobatics and hits Fletch for 61-71%. Get Rocks up and do your best to keep them up.

*96+ Atk burned Mega Steelix Stone Edge vs. 152 HP / 76 Def Fletchinder: 296-350 (97.6 - 115.5%) -- 87.5% chance to OHKO*

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Specs Boomburst is difficult to switch into, especially since my only resists have no recovery, and one has base 48 Special Defense. Couple that with the fact that Exploud can utilize Surf, Focus Blast, and Fire Blast, it is almost impossible to switch into if hazards are up. I have three Fighting type moves on the team that can OHKO it (Durant's Superpower, Focus Blast on Virizion and Meloetta), but unfortunately you have to rely on those not missing hitting. Get up hazards and make aggressive plays to ensure that it gets as few free turns as possible, and try to chip away at it as much as possible so you can rely on more accurate moves to try and KO it if possible.

*252+ SpA Choice Specs Exploud Boomburst vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Durant: 261-308 (101.5 - 119.8%) -- guaranteed OHKO*

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More of an annoyance than an actual threat, this thing likes to Volt Switch around and Knock Off items, and often packs Flamethrower for Steelix, which does 50-59%. It's also immune to Spikes and Toxic Spikes, making it much harder to wear down compared to other defensive mons.


Hope you guys enjoy the team, any suggestions are greatly appreciated! Obviously the team is in need of a more consistent Ground resist and a better Fire resist. Tangrowth was able to manage the former, but he was removed due to the great opportunity cost he carried in terms of speed and sweeping potential. The team could also benefit from some sort of hazard removal. I realize that Flygon would provide me with a Ground immunity, a Fire resist, and a Defogger, but I'm not sure what to replace to fit him onto the team. Thoughts?

Old Ironsides (Steelix-Mega) @ Steelixite
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 96 Atk / 76 SpD / 84 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Heavy Slam
- Earthquake
- Stealth Rock
- Roar

Jay-Z (Durant) @ Wide Lens
Ability: Hustle
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Baton Pass
- Iron Head
- Superpower
- Substitute

Mary J. Blige (Meloetta) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Hyper Voice
- Psychic
- Focus Blast
- U-turn

Flamedog3 (Houndoom) @ Life Orb
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 220 Atk / 36 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Pursuit
- Sucker Punch
- Fire Blast
- Crunch

Naturia Beast (Virizion) @ Life Orb
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Calm Mind
- Giga Drain
- Focus Blast
- Hidden Power [Ice]

Mr. Puff (Qwilfish) @ Black Sludge
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 232 HP / 200 Def / 76 Spe
Impish Nature
- Spikes
- Waterfall
- Toxic Spikes
- Taunt
 
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Hey there! I really love the SubPass Durant + CM Virizion core you have, I think it's really cool! I do have some suggestions for your team though.

Major threats at first glance:
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I looked at your threatlist and agree that Medicham is a huge threat to this team. It's a natural problem for Steelix + Qwilfish teams in general. Camerupt is also annoying, especially since it can switch into your Durant set once they figure out what it is. It's also pretty reliant on Meloetta, or something fast, because Pokemon like Virizion can streamroll through the entire team and it it is given multiple setup opportunities on Qwilfish since you are lacking Thunder Wave. Another Pokemon that gives this team issues is Manectric, which has the same annoying nature of Eelektross, being able to outspeed and pivot around the majority of your team -- it's another reason that you're so reliant on Meloetta.
  • 199.gif
    Changing Meloetta to Slowking
    gives you an answer to a bunch of threats on your threat list, being a great check to Medicham, Camerupt, Typhlosion (even though it's terrible), Emboar, and being a decent last ditch check to Fletchinder. Slowking isn'the a ground resist per say, but it can switcu into ground types like Flygon and Steelix because of its bulk. The Calm Mind set has a lot of fun on this team because of the hazard support and it can be a great late game win condition that's supported by the wallbreaking power of Virizion + Durant. Adding Slowking of course gives you a big weakness to Electric Pokemon in general, including both Eelektross and Manectric. It also makes your team significantly slower, and gives you absolutely nothing for Virizion, which leads me my next change..
  • 500.png
    Now that you have Slowking to deal with Delphox fairly well, Houndoom isn't really needed on the team. Because of no hazard control, Houndoom really hates ever switching in to rocks and the utility it had as checking those annoying Psychic types is diminished. Scarf Emboar > Houndoom gives you a great revenge killer that can deal with annoying Grass types to this team, like Venusaur and Virizion while also being a good general powerful Pokemon that can also get rid of Manectric and Eelektross. Scarf Emboar is also a great win condition that is helped by the Virizion + Durant wallbreakers. This change doesn't help your Manectric weakness persay, but it revenge kills it just as well as Meloetta.
  • 632.png
    You seem to be conflicted on your Durant set -- Wide lens isn't that useful honestly, it only boosts the accuracy to 88% from 80%, which isn't that big of a difference and many times other items could be a lot more helpful. Leftovers seems to be more helpful for longevity.
That's all I have, hope I helped!
Emboar @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Reckless
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Flare Blitz
- Superpower
- Wild Charge
- Sleep Talk

Slowking @ Leftovers
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Bold Nature
- Calm Mind
- Slack Off
- Psyshock
- Scald
 
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Hey there! I really love the SubPass Durant + CM Virizion core you have, I think it's really cool! I do have some suggestions for your team though.

Threats at first glance:
640.png
308.png
310.png
323-mega.png


I looked at your threatlist and agree that Medicham is a huge threat to this team. It's a natural problem for Steelix + Qwilfish teams in general. Camerupt is also annoying, especially since it can switch into your Durant set once they figure out what it is. It's also pretty reliant on Meloetta, or something fast, because Pokemon like Virizion can streamroll through the entire team and it it is given multiple setup opportunities on Qwilfish since you are lacking Thunder Wave. Another Pokemon that gives this team issues is Manectric, which has the same annoying nature of Eelektross, being able to outspeed and pivot around the majority of your team.
  • 199.gif
    Changing Meloetta to Slowking
    gives you an answer to a bunch of threats on your threat list, being a great check to Medicham, Camerupt, Typhlosion (even though it's terrible), Emboar, and being a decent last ditch check to Fletchinder. The Calm Mind set has a lot of fun on this team because of the hazard support and it can be a great late game win condition that's supported by the wallbreaking power of Virizion + Durant. Adding Slowking of course gives you a big weakness to Electric Pokemon in general, including both Eelektross and Manectric. It also makes your team significantly slower, and gives you absolutely nothing for Virizion, which leads me my next change..
  • 500.png
    Now that you have Slowking to deal with Delphox fairly well, Houndoom isn't really needed on the team. Because of no hazard control, Houndoom really hates ever switching in to rocks and the utility it had as checking those annoying Psychic types is diminished. Scarf Emboar > Houndoom gives you a great revenge killer that can deal with annoying Grass types to this team, like Venusaur and Virizion while also being a good general powerful Pokemon that can also get rid of Manectric and Eelektross. Scarf Emboar is also a great win condition that is helped by the Virizion + Durant wallbreakers.
  • 632.png
    You seem to be conflicted on your Durant set -- Wide lens isn't that useful honestly, it only boosts the accuracy to 88% from 80%, which isn't that big of a difference and many times other items could be a lot more helpful. Leftovers seems to be more helpful for longevity
That's all I have, hope I helped!
Emboar @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Reckless
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Flare Blitz
- Superpower
- Wild Charge
- Sleep Talk

Slowking @ Leftovers
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Bold Nature
- Calm Mind
- Slack Off
- Psyshock
- Scald

Thank you so much for the suggestions! I'll try them out and update the RMT in the near future once I have tested your ideas out. I do like the use of Sleep Talk on Scarf Emboar, as Amoonguss and Venusaur have been somewhat of a nuisance with their Grass-Poison-Fire coverage and access to sleep moves. Nice touch!
 
Hey there cool team, although I find pretty annoying that your team doesn't really have a way to prevent hazard removal; Flygon can come in on Steelix, Qwilfish and Houndoom, and if played well on Melo too, and Blastoise can switch on everything bar Virizion. Hoopa over Meloetta can give you a nice spinblocker, while it will still be able to clean late game, although 70 base speed is pretty low, in a late game scenario it will work anyway. Hoopa will also work as a decent Medicham check :)
Hoopa @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Magician
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Shadow Ball
- Focus Blast / Thunderbolt
- Psychic
- Trick / Thunderbolt
On Qwilfish I suggest you to run Pain Split over Toxic Spikes, so you can give Qwil some more longevity, especially because you really need him to check fighting mons as you would be terribly weak to them without Qwil, and poison type mons have many opportunity to switch on the field and remove your Toxic Spikes.

This is everything comes to my mind, I hope this was useful :)
 
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