and
Golem @ Leftovers
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 32 Atk / 224 Def
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Toxic
- Stone Edge
- Earthquake
Golem makes for a much better rocker than Magcargo, due to it's strong physical bulk, it's ability in sturdy allowing it to avoid ohko while at full health, and it's STAB EdgeQuake, making for incredible offensive coverage.
Crustle @ White Herb or Rockium Z
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Shell Smash
- Stone Edge
- Earthquake
- Knock Off
Magcargo has also trouble with sweeping shell smash because at +2 it hits 319 speed which is quite slow for whats it supposed to(like SS magcargo can be revenge killed by positive speed nature swanna and simipour which is disappointing) and not even mention that it has weak to priority such a jet and mach punch not as strong as crustle because of its 90 base attacking stats(crustle s 125 atk vs magcargo s 90 spa).First crustle has also problems with being weak to rocks and revenged by a jet and scarf evire.It hits much better speed tier at 378 which allows to outspeed threats such as rapidash,kadabra and jumpluff.Second with the ability sturdy it can find much more oppurtinity to use SS something that magcargo wishes to have because of its typing.Third It has more raw power than it and also not weak to mach punch/wacuum wave.For this reason crustle is outright superior option mag as a SS user.Just stay away from these fellowsand you will be fine.
Set 2: (actually it shouldn't have been allowed because it's unranked, but now it's to late)Toucannon @ Life Orb
Ability: Skill Link
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
IVs: 29 HP
Adamant / Jolly Nature
- Brave Bird
- Bullet Seed
- Knock Off
- U-turn / Brick Break / Overheat
As a Flying-type wallbreaker in ZU, Toucannon is better than its fellow regional bird by a country mile. Unlike Unfezant, Toucannon's coverage is actually really good. It actually gets Brave Bird, can beat Golem via Skill Link Bullet Seed which Unfezant has no chance of doing (Steel Wing does rather paltry damage), it can remove items with Knock Off, and also has a solid Special Attack stat to utilize Overheat, which can beat Pokemon such as Mawile that Unfezant struggles against. It is slower, but it is much stronger, and much less of a dead weight against Rock and Steel-types.
Set 3:May I present to you: The O.G. badass birb.
View attachment 169593
Fearow @ Flyinium Z
Ability: Sniper
Happiness: 0
EVs: 252 Atk / 156 Def / 4 SpD / 96 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Tailwind
- Drill Peck
- Drill Run
- Frustration
I've actually found that this set is a lategame cleaner almost on par with (and sometimes exceeding) Z-Me First Pinsir.
Not only do you get more than enough speed with this investment to outspeed scarfed base 95s (you could put more speed if you're concerned about scarf Rapidash/Kadabra/etc), but you also actually have more overall power than Unfezant due to guaranteed superpowered crits on your Drill Run and 50% chance of crit on your other moves. Let me show you some basic math regarding the base power of some of Fearow's moves:
Here are some calcs to show that the difference in BP makes up for the lower attack stat of Fearow (assuming crit) - note these are not meant to represent common switchins, just the difference in power.Drill Run: 80 Base Power * 2 (guaranteed crit due to high crit rate on the move + 2 stages from Tailwind) * 1.5 (Sniper) = 240 Base Power
240 BP * 0.95 (accuracy) = 228 Base Power. Note that this is on a move that hits all of Fearow's walls except Bronzor for Super-Effective damage and has overall excellent neutral coverage (see: Electivire EQ Spam, Golem).
Drill Peck v Aerial Ace
The math is a bit complicated, but the value of Sniper at a 50% chance to crit is actually equivalent to the power of guaranteed crits. Basic math is:
80 BP (example, assuming no STAB or anything besides 50% Sniper Crit)
80 * (0.5) - the value of not critting; 50% of the time, you will end up with 80 value
Plus
80 * 3 * 0.5 - the value of critting 50% of the time (the calculation for 3 can be confirmed with an example: 80 * 2 (crit) * 1.5 = 240. 240/80 = 3)
The result of adding these together is 160, which is the same as simply doubling the base power with a guaranteed crit.
Drill Peck: 80 BP * 1.5 STAB * 2 (the value of a 50% chance to Sniper Crit) = 240 BP
Aerial Ace: 60 BP * 1.5 STAB * 2 (guaranteed crit) = 180 BP
Return/Frustration
This is the only move where Unfezant is the same BP as Fearow due to equivalent BP.
102 BP * 1.5 * 2 = 306
102 BP * 1.5 * 2 = 306
252+ Atk Sniper Fearow Drill Peck vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Eviolite Bronzor on a critical hit: 94-112 (29.5 - 35.2%)
252+ Atk Sniper Fearow Drill Run vs. 252 HP / 120+ Def Silvally-Water on a critical hit: 142-168 (36 - 42.6%)
252+ Atk Fearow Frustration vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Eviolite Bronzor on a critical hit: 80-95 (25.1 - 29.8%)
252+ Atk Unfezant Aerial Ace vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Eviolite Bronzor on a critical hit: 57-67 (17.9 - 21%)
252+ Atk Unfezant Return vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Eviolite Bronzor on a critical hit: 95-112 (29.8 - 35.2%)
As you can see, even though Unfezant is guaranteed to crit on every move, the reliability of Fearow's Drill Run crit and the value provided by Sniper give it an edge as a cleaner (specifically allowing it to bypass Golem, Mawile, and other Rock or Steel types aside from Bronzor). You're better vs Gourgeist at the expense of losing the ability to KO Bronzor with Night Slash, but Drill Run + Drill Peck provide almost perfect neutral or SE coverage vs the entire metagame which Fearow is able to outspeed after Tailwind.
Set 3:Unfezant-> Electivire
Electivire @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Motor Drive
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Volt Switch
- Wild Charge
- Earthquake
- Ice Punch
If we are talking about Revenge Killers here with access to Volt-Turn, Electivire has much better type coverage and STAB than Unfezant as well as a greater Attack Stat. While Ground-Types threaten Electivire, it can pressure them with Ice Punch, whereas Unfezant is immune to Ground but doesn't provide much pressure with Ground-Types also tend to pack Rock-Type coverage moves (E.x. Golem).
Gourgeist-Super @ Leftovers
Ability: Frisk
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Will-O-Wisp
- Synthesis
-Leech Seed
- Foul Play
So, here the first set.
As a special and physical wall Gourgeist is clearly better thanks to one move : will O Wisp it becomes a great special and physical wall.
It can also do a lot damage to strong attacker like Electivire whit Foul Play.
The absence of Aromatherapy is easily compensated whit Licky which more forms a excellent core whit gourg and its Ghost/Grass double type.
Next slate is opening asap.View attachment 170935
Shiftry @ Darkinium Z
Ability: Chlorophyll
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Seed Bomb
- Knock Off
- Sucker Punch
Shiftry is very dominant in the current ZU metagame for good reason: few things want to switch in on it, and few things want to stay in on it. Many physical walls in the tier, such as Bronzor and Mareanie, are reliant on their Eviolites to function, giving Shiftry ample opportunities to break down defensive cores. Many Pokémon also don't enjoy losing their items, which puts pressure on Silvally forms and Z-Crystal users to function as switch-ins, which reduce their longevity and can pose risks to the stability of a team when their Defog pivot or Z-Move user aren't in good health. Shiftry's Attack stat is notably much better than Meganium, but what gives it a much greater advantage is its access to priority in Sucker Punch. Through this, Shiftry can compensate for its rather average Speed to deal heavy damage to faster threats that may try to revenge kill it. Electivire, Rapidash, and Swanna are fast threats that commonly run choice items to act as revenge killers, but none of them can stomach a +2 Sucker Punch after rocks, even from Darkinium Jolly Shiftry. Life Orb can be run to increase damage, but running Darkinium Z instead can keep Shiftry healthy for longer while giving it a fearsome nuke. Almost paradoxically, Shiftry is able to find more opportunities to set up than Meganium because it pressures so much of the current ZU metagame, and can quickly proceed to dismantle teams that lack good checks to Shiftry, such as Silvally-Fighting, Combusken, and Silvally-Dark.