GOING POSITIVE - AN INNARDS OUT SPAM TEAM
Introduction
This is probably the weirdest team I've ever built. This team, when used correctly, runs circles around the meta. It has probably the highest skill ceiling of any team I have ever made, period. This team gets better with the driver, the more you know the meta, the more you can pull from this team. It may not be the single best team for the format, but it certainly embodies an idea and archetype that I don't think I have seen anyone really use before it. The concept is simple, why bother dealing meaningful damage when you can just let your opponent kill themself? And so this team began to form, a team where more often than not, losing a pokemon means that you are in fact, Going positive as you have removed a way for them to make progress or remove your progress. So from there the concept was born. Stack hazards, run ways to force opponents to make difficult decisions on what to sack to trade for something, and then dominate their crippled and often unable to fight back team. Although there are some significant problems with this team, (as is the case with the entire meta as a whole), it is incredibly fun to play, build off or experiment with, and explores an archetype I think has the ability to turn the current standard on it's head. So sit back, relax, and enjoy as I explain how this team thoroughly rips apart what is currently meta, and then how it deals what was meant to be counterplay.
Reasoning for making the team, read at your own discretion:
Life is hard, that's pretty true for almost everyone, but sometimes it gets a little harder for a lot of little reasons, or big ones. I as a person have been struggling in the real world, with my mental health taking worrying turns, and then seemingly recovering with little to no warning, I have had problems with thoughts of harming myself, of distancing myself from loved ones, or taking actions that would negatively affect my overall life. My self esteem has always been a struggle, but 2024 was especially hard, with multiple small things piling up and over. Hobbies and the internet were a way to escape that. The ability to be someone different, and better, has been incredibly positive for me, and helped me through my hardest times this year. I know I'm not that good at a lot of things, and despite the vast amount of time I put into a lot of them, it doesn't feel like I'm getting better, seeing people who joined this community after me soar to much higher highs and achievements isn't helping either. I guess at some point I do just have to accept that I'm not as good at this as a lot of people, or as good as I would like to be. But even if I am unhappy with some of my performances or projects this year, overall, being both a part of this community and a different, more confident person on the internet has definitely helped me take a turn for the better. I do not know where I would be without PS! or the communities I am now a part of, and through that, personal projects and teams were a way to stay focused and distracted from real life. This was one such project, one that has been in the works for a long while, with the first drafts of the team being planned out in early summer right after the ladder for Gen7 Pure Hackmons went up, and evolving from there over the coming months. This team has been one that has been near and dear to my heart, because of how unique it felt for the format, I hope that if you do go and try it out, that you have as much fun as I have with it. As an additional note, the team has gone through a couple different naming schemes, which I will reference in the team building section.
Team building Process -
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This was the original core, at this point, it wasn't even innards out spam yet, I started with Innards out chansey though, so the team does have it's roots in that concept. From there I added imposter chansey. I went with scarf imposter, and specifically chansey, because it could bluff eviolite innards, which is incredibly helpful when dealing with higher level players, as the way that you play around the two different sets is inherently different. I wanted a way to take advantage of scarf's ability to reliably revenge offensive threats, and potentially sweep teams off of unimproofed setup sweepers. I liked it alongside innards chansey, because it could be used to surprise and remove the imposter proofing to the sweepers. Gengar-mega was a pokemon in a still-evolving meta that had kind of been cast aside, with people still running around to experiment with new sets and ideas, there were many different playstyles and team-comps being explored. In that, gengar-mega was very much cast aside as not as good as a lot of other top special attacking pokemon. In a still-developing meta where gengar often had to deal with incredibly crippling 4mss, and a lack of set diversity that would shock many current players, very few still used it mainly because no real sets beyond the standard magic guard sweeper set. Then, I came across a very interesting idea being pioneered (by I think Eyeos ), scarf parental bond Mgar. I was instantly hooked. It countered a significant number of meta threats, being able to revenge a majority of the tier from full or slightly chipped, and it excelled on teams that were able to chip down walls over time, rather than look for a shell smash directly to victory. it fit incredibly well onto this team, being able to outspeed and remove common magic guard threats, while also being able to chip or remove chipped walls, or just get ko's on pokemon you slotted coverage for (unsurprising because you slotted the coverage for them I know) finishing the original core.
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then came time to figure out the other half of the core. After losing a couple of games to Aerobee running innards out giratina-O, I realized it slotted well onto the team, adding another innards out, while also being able to hit a very common pokemon, Zygarde-Complete, incredibly hard with stab griseous orb boosted dragon moves. Furthermore, it acted as a trick absorber, allowing it to counter some strategies that caused the team some difficulty otherwise. Lunala was added next because it was at the time a premier innards out sweeper, with a good hp stat, and a decent enough typing, the stab moongeist and 4x weakness to dark were what originally drew me, however it's role would shift as the team evolved. Solgaleo was added last to the original team as a cleric. With it's good defensive typing allowing it to switch in on some offensive pokemon, or bluff offensive sets against defensive pokemon, solgaleo was bulky enough to be able to live weaker hits from defensive pokemon, and defog off hazards that would otherwise potentially mean the team was unable to trade against certain opponents, or be put in a position where it was weaker than favorable. Being bulkier and still running innards out feels slightly counterintuitive, however solgaleo was in a perfect position where it could live the weaker hits comfortably, but still be easily ohko'd by common huge power sweepers.
-----Carefree melody(x2) - Opera Timoris - Forgotten Requiem - Moonlit Sonata - Triumphant March
so this was the original "final" lineup. And a very uncoordinated and haphazard one it was. This iteration of the team had the simple goal of keep letting innards ko stuff, and win the 2-2 with gengar and imposter. Feeling good about it, I named the team, and in turn named each pokemon after different kinds of songs. (A naming scheme I had heard a few good ideas for recently and expanded upon.) However it wasn't very consistent, or very good at dealing with what it was supposed to. As the meta evolved, and better players began experimenting with playstyles other than hyper-offense or balance, it fell off very fast, often being unable to deal with many new meta developments, so clearly some updating was in order.
(as a side note, while this version of the team had seen some updates, with giratina-o shifting to be a toxic stall trapper as opposed to a sweeper, and solgaleo and lunala going through many different set iterations, they weren't important enough to feel the need to mention them in-depth)
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--this was the first real revival of the team, opting for a very different approach, one that ultimately proved incredibly successful. Hazard stack. This more final iteration of the team had a much more coherent and streamlined goal, set large quantities of hazards, remove the pokemon that could threaten the hazard stacking offensively with innards out, gengar, or imposter, and remove the teams cleric/defogger with kart or gengar. Blissey was inserted over chansey to reliably imposter proof kartana while alive and healthy, as shell smash huge power kartana with the correct coverage is near-unimproofable beyond stratagies such as this one. giratina-o was dropped for huge power kartana because I felt it wasn't providing a consistent path to victory, whereas shell smash kart can often win games on the spot when it comes in safely. Lunala's role changed to one similar to that of giratina-o, it can threaten some defensive pokemon with moongeist, lower it's defenses (or further threaten walls) with shell smash, allowing it to be ko'd by moves that otherwise would not, and from there it spams spikes against stuff that doesn't want to touch it. Solgaleo was still the team cleric, and the other roles hadn't changed much, only now Gengar shifted from a more diverse offensive attacker to very solely aiming to snipe and revenge many offensive threats, or chip/remove potential kartana walls. Other than that, it still served the main goal of pressuring magic guard pokemon, while also dealing with other potential threats to the team like no guard gastro acid pokemon.
-----Ironically, the thing that made solgaleo fit well on the original team, it's propensity to live weak moves, became it's reason to remove it from the team. It was traded for a chansey that filled the same role.
Now for the actual team -
(In honor of my discord username, all the pokemon have been named after some quite excellent recipes I have made that go well with polenta, I can provide said recipes upon request)
Maple Glaze Pork (Blissey) (F) @ Lum Berry
Ability: Innards Out
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Gentle Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 0 Def
- Whirlwind
- Roost
- Magic Coat
- Stealth Rock
The first mon on the team, and a fairly standard one, not a super nuanced flavour, or a super nuanced set. Mellow and a little sweet, blissey helps to imposter proof Mgar, however it's main role is to imposter proof kartana, and more than often, lunala. Lum berry is run to be able to safely set rocks on pokemon that would try to status blissey while also giving a one time soft-check to many magic guard sweepers, allowing bliss to not have to play status mind-games and safely click whirlwind on them. Whirlwind also helps long-term to beat harvest slaking, a premier offensive threat in the tier currently. Roost is a standard healing move, while technically, one should run shore up always, as it heals more in sand, sand, (and weather in general) are so unbelievably useless 99% of the time that against a real player, you are likely to never see weather on any team, ever. (some sets involving rain exist, but they are fairly fringe and very low in overall viability) Srocks are pretty standard hazards, and I wanted to slot them here instead of somewhere else because Bliss wants to get rocks, maybe click ww, and most of the time, let something else be in and causing havoc. I didn't want it to be the primary spikes setter when it's often one of the first mons to go, meaning rocks fit well. Magic coat rounds out the set, and is vital to it. Countering spore spam, no guard trying to get around innards, taunt, opposing hazards, opposing ww, it's a move you can stall a turn and scout with without too much punishment available, all around the perfect choice.
Mustard+Honey pork (Chansey) (F) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Imposter
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Perish Song
- Trick
- Roost
- Spikes
Mustard and honey for that little extra kick, sweet and a little savory, this pork shouldn't be hard or too melt-in-your-mouth. The main star of this dish however is, and always will be, the sauce. Similar to how imposter works! The base for this set is fairy standard. Perish song stops baton pass chains, tricking an opposing imposter is usually a good thing for this team, as it means you can more comfortably play around what they do, and with how everything is imposter proofed, it doesn't matter that much in the long run, as most likely you'll be receiving an eviolite in return, meaning imposter can better support the team defensively. Roost is to keep you healthy if you really need it, but it was more a "yeah that's a fine filler move" wish is also a possibility, but everything on the team (besides gar) has some form of healing, so I didn't see the need to potentially risk being unable to heal (because something forces you out) as a viable trade-off. Spikes were chosen because why not~! I wanted to slot a second spikes setter somewhere, and while you wont be clicking it very often, you will click it, and so it matters which hazard it is. Scarf is very important over eviolite. Not only does it greatly improve the teams matchup against hyper offense, providing a relatively secure lategame wincon, but it also removes much of the fear around speed ties, allowing for a more consistent gameplan involving it.
Tuscan Pepper Beef (Gengar-Mega) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Parental Bond
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 30 HP / 0 Atk
- Moongeist Beam
- Bug Buzz
-Searing Shot -> Ice Beam
-Sludge Wave -> Sludge Bomb
blasting in with a bit of a kick, tuscan pepper beef is the perfect dish to impress your guests. With a stunning colour and texture, the flavour will have you crooning. Gar is the revenger of the team. However it is also the anti-autolose mon. Scarf gar is by far the best revenger in the tier, beating/threatening out MMX, MMY (thanks to this specific set), Deo-A, Deo-S, and opposing gar on the offensive side. While also threatening a large quantity of defensive presences in the tier. This set opts for the standard Geist, With Bug buzz to punish the standard Dark/psychic wonder guards that geist can't hit, searing shot to help Kartana break faster, and Swave for Maud / normals. Not as much to say about gar, it's really just a standard set that hits like a truck, supports the teams offensive presence, and picks up ko's where it needs to.
EDIT: Changed Searing Shot to Ice beam, geist hits pretty much everything searing does, and only needs a little chip to pick up the ko on Msteelix. Sludge bomb's poison chance was also deemed more valuable than the extra 5 power, thank you NtotheN for these great suggestions
Butter Herb Pork (Chansey) @ Safety Goggles
Ability: Innards Out
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Gentle Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 0 Def
- Toxic Spikes
- Shore Up
- Defog
- Aromatherapy
another smooth and lighter pork dish, very mellow, still incredibly good, but much more casual of a pork dish. The Tspikes setter, and cleric of the team. Really standard cleric tbh. Selfproofs, sets tspikes, is annoying, supports the team defensively by keeping kart unburnt. I really don't have much to say. Max spd is run because it helps to proof Gar, and you can always switch it in on lunala too, but other than that, there really isn't much else special. Goggles helps versus spore spam, but the team also has kart. Chansey was run over a second blissey because chansey is the better innards out. It dies to significantly more random weak moves, and with the current ev spread, dies to just about everything.
Cola Marinade Beef (Kartana) @ Focus Sash
Ability: Huge Power
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
IVs: 30 HP
- Shell Smash
- Sunsteel Strike
- Ice Shard
- Horn Leech / Searing Sunraze Smash
deceptively smooth, you can taste the cola, but it has a rather refined taste for so unconventional a dish. Huge power kart is a beast, especially when it has shell smash. It crunches through pretty much everything besides prankster haze willow Solgaleo/Msteelix, and even then they're taking heavy damage. This set allows itself to heal on common wonder guards/offensive mons, while also just cleaning up many teams. Who cares that sunsteel is resisted, it's coming off 2000atk stab. This is very much a "click moves and win" mon, and it fits perfectly on the team, as with the current set it is capable of deleting most stall cores, with the rest of the team supporting it enough to remove anything it isn't ohko'ing. Ice shard is critical for prankster Zygod, but also deals with the many weakened or chipped mons that this team leaves in it's wake. Sash is very useful on ladder to provide a setup turn to countersweep, while also helping to soft-selfproof if blissey is gone. There is an alternative set, with leppa extreme eevoboost, however I found that to be less consistent in setup against ladder (given it's unpredictable and volatile nature) however I would probably recommend that set to anyone looking to run this team against better opponents. Searing sunraze smash is a very interesting move. Much less reliable than horn leech long term, and it means you can't always keep sash, but nothing lives +2 SSS, so there is that. I personally like Leech because it helps kart have more longevity, while also consistently beating Msteelix, Mbro, and Mgyara, which can otherwise be troublesome. If you want a much more offensive version of the team, a few other things would have to be changed, but this is definitely one I would recommend.
Peposo (Lunala) @ Leftovers
Ability: Innards Out
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Mild Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 0 Def / 0 SpD
- Moongeist Beam
- Shell Smash
- Roost
- Spikes
Soooo~ this may or may not just be the italian name for tuscan pepper beef (with red wine marinade because I didn't mention it above), but I love this dish so much I'm giving it two shout outs. Lunala is a very supportive pokemon on this team, it ironically runs smash not because I expect it to sweep, but because it lowers lunala's defenses, while also allowing it to chip opponents more with geist. Geist threatens a lot of offensive pokemon looking to try and chip lunala into a range where it won't ko them with innards out, while roost gives it some longevity beyond just leftovers. Lunala's main role is to click spikes, a lot. Lunala can very easily get up three layers against teams that don't have a defogger immune to geist, and then it can often get those spikes up when that defogger is gone. Lunala's offensive output is not to be ignored however, as against more offensive teams, after a smash it can easily pick up a ko or two, giving you an advantage in an otherwise potentially more risky lategame. Lunala also has the benefit of dying to a lot of the more common moves run by alolan muk. (when it is smart and runs attack to chip special attackers) Amuk is a mon that otherwise can give the team trouble with it's ability to absorb tspikes safely on gar or other mons. This is more of a problem than other poison types because Amuk is usually harder to remove, although it still cannot stand up to kart, and it probably will never be staying in on kart.
Maple Glaze Pork (Blissey) (F) @ Lum Berry
Ability: Innards Out
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Gentle Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 0 Def
- Whirlwind
- Roost
- Magic Coat
- Stealth Rock
The first mon on the team, and a fairly standard one, not a super nuanced flavour, or a super nuanced set. Mellow and a little sweet, blissey helps to imposter proof Mgar, however it's main role is to imposter proof kartana, and more than often, lunala. Lum berry is run to be able to safely set rocks on pokemon that would try to status blissey while also giving a one time soft-check to many magic guard sweepers, allowing bliss to not have to play status mind-games and safely click whirlwind on them. Whirlwind also helps long-term to beat harvest slaking, a premier offensive threat in the tier currently. Roost is a standard healing move, while technically, one should run shore up always, as it heals more in sand, sand, (and weather in general) are so unbelievably useless 99% of the time that against a real player, you are likely to never see weather on any team, ever. (some sets involving rain exist, but they are fairly fringe and very low in overall viability) Srocks are pretty standard hazards, and I wanted to slot them here instead of somewhere else because Bliss wants to get rocks, maybe click ww, and most of the time, let something else be in and causing havoc. I didn't want it to be the primary spikes setter when it's often one of the first mons to go, meaning rocks fit well. Magic coat rounds out the set, and is vital to it. Countering spore spam, no guard trying to get around innards, taunt, opposing hazards, opposing ww, it's a move you can stall a turn and scout with without too much punishment available, all around the perfect choice.
Mustard+Honey pork (Chansey) (F) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Imposter
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Perish Song
- Trick
- Roost
- Spikes
Mustard and honey for that little extra kick, sweet and a little savory, this pork shouldn't be hard or too melt-in-your-mouth. The main star of this dish however is, and always will be, the sauce. Similar to how imposter works! The base for this set is fairy standard. Perish song stops baton pass chains, tricking an opposing imposter is usually a good thing for this team, as it means you can more comfortably play around what they do, and with how everything is imposter proofed, it doesn't matter that much in the long run, as most likely you'll be receiving an eviolite in return, meaning imposter can better support the team defensively. Roost is to keep you healthy if you really need it, but it was more a "yeah that's a fine filler move" wish is also a possibility, but everything on the team (besides gar) has some form of healing, so I didn't see the need to potentially risk being unable to heal (because something forces you out) as a viable trade-off. Spikes were chosen because why not~! I wanted to slot a second spikes setter somewhere, and while you wont be clicking it very often, you will click it, and so it matters which hazard it is. Scarf is very important over eviolite. Not only does it greatly improve the teams matchup against hyper offense, providing a relatively secure lategame wincon, but it also removes much of the fear around speed ties, allowing for a more consistent gameplan involving it.
Tuscan Pepper Beef (Gengar-Mega) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Parental Bond
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 30 HP / 0 Atk
- Moongeist Beam
- Bug Buzz
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blasting in with a bit of a kick, tuscan pepper beef is the perfect dish to impress your guests. With a stunning colour and texture, the flavour will have you crooning. Gar is the revenger of the team. However it is also the anti-autolose mon. Scarf gar is by far the best revenger in the tier, beating/threatening out MMX, MMY (thanks to this specific set), Deo-A, Deo-S, and opposing gar on the offensive side. While also threatening a large quantity of defensive presences in the tier. This set opts for the standard Geist, With Bug buzz to punish the standard Dark/psychic wonder guards that geist can't hit, searing shot to help Kartana break faster, and Swave for Maud / normals. Not as much to say about gar, it's really just a standard set that hits like a truck, supports the teams offensive presence, and picks up ko's where it needs to.
EDIT: Changed Searing Shot to Ice beam, geist hits pretty much everything searing does, and only needs a little chip to pick up the ko on Msteelix. Sludge bomb's poison chance was also deemed more valuable than the extra 5 power, thank you NtotheN for these great suggestions
Butter Herb Pork (Chansey) @ Safety Goggles
Ability: Innards Out
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Gentle Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 0 Def
- Toxic Spikes
- Shore Up
- Defog
- Aromatherapy
another smooth and lighter pork dish, very mellow, still incredibly good, but much more casual of a pork dish. The Tspikes setter, and cleric of the team. Really standard cleric tbh. Selfproofs, sets tspikes, is annoying, supports the team defensively by keeping kart unburnt. I really don't have much to say. Max spd is run because it helps to proof Gar, and you can always switch it in on lunala too, but other than that, there really isn't much else special. Goggles helps versus spore spam, but the team also has kart. Chansey was run over a second blissey because chansey is the better innards out. It dies to significantly more random weak moves, and with the current ev spread, dies to just about everything.
Cola Marinade Beef (Kartana) @ Focus Sash
Ability: Huge Power
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
IVs: 30 HP
- Shell Smash
- Sunsteel Strike
- Ice Shard
- Horn Leech / Searing Sunraze Smash
deceptively smooth, you can taste the cola, but it has a rather refined taste for so unconventional a dish. Huge power kart is a beast, especially when it has shell smash. It crunches through pretty much everything besides prankster haze willow Solgaleo/Msteelix, and even then they're taking heavy damage. This set allows itself to heal on common wonder guards/offensive mons, while also just cleaning up many teams. Who cares that sunsteel is resisted, it's coming off 2000atk stab. This is very much a "click moves and win" mon, and it fits perfectly on the team, as with the current set it is capable of deleting most stall cores, with the rest of the team supporting it enough to remove anything it isn't ohko'ing. Ice shard is critical for prankster Zygod, but also deals with the many weakened or chipped mons that this team leaves in it's wake. Sash is very useful on ladder to provide a setup turn to countersweep, while also helping to soft-selfproof if blissey is gone. There is an alternative set, with leppa extreme eevoboost, however I found that to be less consistent in setup against ladder (given it's unpredictable and volatile nature) however I would probably recommend that set to anyone looking to run this team against better opponents. Searing sunraze smash is a very interesting move. Much less reliable than horn leech long term, and it means you can't always keep sash, but nothing lives +2 SSS, so there is that. I personally like Leech because it helps kart have more longevity, while also consistently beating Msteelix, Mbro, and Mgyara, which can otherwise be troublesome. If you want a much more offensive version of the team, a few other things would have to be changed, but this is definitely one I would recommend.
Peposo (Lunala) @ Leftovers
Ability: Innards Out
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Mild Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 0 Def / 0 SpD
- Moongeist Beam
- Shell Smash
- Roost
- Spikes
Soooo~ this may or may not just be the italian name for tuscan pepper beef (with red wine marinade because I didn't mention it above), but I love this dish so much I'm giving it two shout outs. Lunala is a very supportive pokemon on this team, it ironically runs smash not because I expect it to sweep, but because it lowers lunala's defenses, while also allowing it to chip opponents more with geist. Geist threatens a lot of offensive pokemon looking to try and chip lunala into a range where it won't ko them with innards out, while roost gives it some longevity beyond just leftovers. Lunala's main role is to click spikes, a lot. Lunala can very easily get up three layers against teams that don't have a defogger immune to geist, and then it can often get those spikes up when that defogger is gone. Lunala's offensive output is not to be ignored however, as against more offensive teams, after a smash it can easily pick up a ko or two, giving you an advantage in an otherwise potentially more risky lategame. Lunala also has the benefit of dying to a lot of the more common moves run by alolan muk. (when it is smart and runs attack to chip special attackers) Amuk is a mon that otherwise can give the team trouble with it's ability to absorb tspikes safely on gar or other mons. This is more of a problem than other poison types because Amuk is usually harder to remove, although it still cannot stand up to kart, and it probably will never be staying in on kart.
Conclusion pt.1
This team was a blast to make, and I'll explain more about why I love it so much here. For starters, it is by far my most consistent team into just about any matchup that can be thrown at it. Yes there are some positions where it'll struggle, however, legitimately I have yet to find a real matchup where the team struggles outside of blatant counterteaming (looking at you shell smash double kick+spectral thief magic guard MMX) that wasn't related to my ineffectuality as a driver. Part of what makes this team so great in my opinion is that it is essentially a matchup fish team, but for 95% of the meta. There will always be those 5% of games you cannot win ever, however outside of those? You have a very real fighting chance into just about everything. It has a fantastic matchup against stall, because if the stall team clicks the wrong move at the wrong time, they've lost their ability to counter something on the team, or they've lost a way to stop progress. A majority of the pokemon on the team can force progress against everything, because your opponents are either afraid of losing an important defensive piece of their team by trying to force you out or force you to burn a turn healing, or they don't want to risk losing one of their mons that can make progress on yours. It matches up well against hyper-offense too, with chansey + gengar ripping through the team, forcing mindgames surrounding whether or not they'll stay in, or hard switch to innards. When played right, not much can stand in the way of your forcing of progress, but there are a few things that will give some difficulty.Checks and Counters:
Magic guard Pursuit - not much you can really do. This is one of those 5% "well screw this" matchups. You just have to pray that kart, gar, or imposter can clean it up, and win from there. It will be taking an innards with it every time it comes in, and you don't have a good way to stop it if it's paired with imposter.magic bounce - an uncommon ability for sure, but one that requires heavy prediction and careful pivoting to beat. More often than not, you cannot deny it opportunities to recover, and gar can't usually remove them. Your best bet is to kill it with kartana quickly, and then go back to the original gameplan of stacking hazards if you cannot win outright.
Stag Perish song - another incredibly niche problem, that will not show up in a vast majority of games, but when it surprises you, it can easily remove half the team with little to no trouble.
Opposing 2+ innards with good anti-hazard - pretty specific, but another problem for the team. It renders kart pretty ineffectual, unless you can play well and carefully remove one then the other, you'll have a pretty hard time.
Beat up - normally beat up and other "counterplay" to innards can be managed pretty easily, gengar-mega can remove a lot of stuff that wants to click it, chansey can just outright be ohko'd by it without worry, because of how low it's defense is, or lunala can try and abuse it's 4x weakness. However, this is still incredibly threatening as a lot of times you can get unlucky, and the move will deal 99.8% randomly.
(actually that should probably be it's own section~)
Damage rolls - these are your biggest enemy. By far the most games have been lost to something not dying to what it was supposed to, as is the problem with any team of this nature. This team seeks to minimize problems like this, with hazard spreading and consistent healing, however it is always a real possibility and problem that you'll have to play around.
Replays:
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7purehackmons-2272874383-taavzarb3ksflhfkl658va791od8jwdpw
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7purehackmons-2274853584
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7purehackmons-2274328609?p2
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7purehackmons-2275633631-c96q5b8qhaq06ttq1lt58ivhemgrd6tpw
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7purehackmons-2275638083
An earlier version of the team
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7purehackmons-2272032804
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7purehackmons-2271721726
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7purehackmons-2272874383-taavzarb3ksflhfkl658va791od8jwdpw
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7purehackmons-2274853584
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7purehackmons-2274328609?p2
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7purehackmons-2275633631-c96q5b8qhaq06ttq1lt58ivhemgrd6tpw
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7purehackmons-2275638083
An earlier version of the team
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7purehackmons-2272032804
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7purehackmons-2271721726
Conclusion pt.2
I've had a lot of fun making this team (and a lot less fun laddering, but that's ladder), and am really happy to actually get to share this project that I think went really well, and is a very consistent team. When your biggest threats are luck, hard counterteams, or very niche unwinnable matchups, you like to hope it's a good team. I know I'm not the best player, or even a very good one overall, (I'd love to see what a better driver could do with this team!) but this team let me do some pretty decent things, and I'm happy with the end result. Writing this was a really satisfying way to start the year, and I hope I'll be able to continue this positive outlook into 2025. Thanks for reading!IMPORTABLE:
Glory - you were the reason I pushed myself to be better over these last few months. I've known you for a short time, and your skill, creativity, and passion towards everything you get into has been incredibly uplifting and inspirational to me. On top of that, your incredible skill as a player has helped me push to reach new heights and goals. I do not know where I would be had I not met you.
aerobee - The titan of Pure Hackmons, your ability to innovate, design new ideas, and play at an incredibly high level has always been a goal of mine to get close to. I am sorry to hear you losing a lot of interest in some of these formats, but hope you'll stay a part of the community in the future. (how else am I supposed to try and get better than you?)
NToTheN - another titan of Pure Hackmons. Your ability to make super-consistent teams regularly is something I envy, and your playing skills are top-notch too. You have definitely been a source of inspiration for my style of teambuilding and play, and I hope to keep playing with you.
Ransei - the rambler himself! You write such amazing rmt's, I always take inspiration from them when writing my own. It is always fun to see you writing an essay in the PS! chatroom or discord, and your skills as a player and builder are not to be underestimated either. I hold deep respect for you.
Eyeos - amazing gen7 player, you need no other introduction. You create incredibly unique teams, and are a phenomenal player alongside it. I take inspiration from your cores and sets all the time.
bullsht (can't find your smogon acc srry!) - A little annoyed about some of your sets~ but overall a fantastic player. You have so many accounts on high ladder it's a struggle to even count them all. I look forward to continuing improving and experimenting alongside you, good luck on 1900 elo~!
sussyamongusdrip - FISH. another inspiratory player, your teambuilding thought process and playing skill have led me to improve myself quite a bit. You are another fantastic player that has helped me push myself to improve.
Electra102 - gen4 for the win! working with you is always a pleasure, you're super positive and smart, you always catch all the mistakes I make when working with you, a really nice person to work with and be around. You absolutely hold your own as a player and builder, looking forward to more gen4 projects in 2025.
rightclicker - super good hackmons player, incredibly funny. I steal your memes constantly and spread them through my friend groups.
aerobee - The titan of Pure Hackmons, your ability to innovate, design new ideas, and play at an incredibly high level has always been a goal of mine to get close to. I am sorry to hear you losing a lot of interest in some of these formats, but hope you'll stay a part of the community in the future. (how else am I supposed to try and get better than you?)
NToTheN - another titan of Pure Hackmons. Your ability to make super-consistent teams regularly is something I envy, and your playing skills are top-notch too. You have definitely been a source of inspiration for my style of teambuilding and play, and I hope to keep playing with you.
Ransei - the rambler himself! You write such amazing rmt's, I always take inspiration from them when writing my own. It is always fun to see you writing an essay in the PS! chatroom or discord, and your skills as a player and builder are not to be underestimated either. I hold deep respect for you.
Eyeos - amazing gen7 player, you need no other introduction. You create incredibly unique teams, and are a phenomenal player alongside it. I take inspiration from your cores and sets all the time.
bullsht (can't find your smogon acc srry!) - A little annoyed about some of your sets~ but overall a fantastic player. You have so many accounts on high ladder it's a struggle to even count them all. I look forward to continuing improving and experimenting alongside you, good luck on 1900 elo~!
sussyamongusdrip - FISH. another inspiratory player, your teambuilding thought process and playing skill have led me to improve myself quite a bit. You are another fantastic player that has helped me push myself to improve.
Electra102 - gen4 for the win! working with you is always a pleasure, you're super positive and smart, you always catch all the mistakes I make when working with you, a really nice person to work with and be around. You absolutely hold your own as a player and builder, looking forward to more gen4 projects in 2025.
rightclicker - super good hackmons player, incredibly funny. I steal your memes constantly and spread them through my friend groups.
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