Table of Contents:
- Proof of Peak
- Teambuilding Process
- The Team
- How to Play
- Threatlist
- Replays
- Conclusion
Hi, some may know me from VGC or even as that one shitter in UUbers, never been good at singles and went from Life Orb utility Pult in 1300s to where I am now <3. It's been a great journey and im very happy with myself despite the mediocre peak. Enjoy the RMT!!
. I quickly realised this wasn't it though, Tinkaton couldn't take on the Fairy-types all alone, and Dragonite was overworked, so I dropped Samurott for Glowking
So back to the drawing board, I stuck with the
. We liked the core of 3 though so we wanted to keep it and start over from step 2. Ting-Lu Gholdengo 
was also scrapped.I haven't lost hope yet because I felt like we were getting closer, I combined the
felt great, I was climbing at an okay pace and I had a good combination of pivots, bulk, and offense. This was until a certain monster crept from the shadows:
.The Team
Ruby (Iron Valiant) @ Choice Specs
Ability: Quark Drive
Tera Type: Ghost
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Moonblast
- Psyshock
- Shadow Ball
- Vacuum Wave
The gay, the myth, the legend, star of the team. Choice Specs Iron Valiant is the team's breaker and primary way of dealing damage. With Hazard support She's bound to make a mess everytime She comes in, and that is a lot of times considering how many Pokemon fold to Moonblast. I found that the most common answers to Iron Valiant were Moltres, Pecharunt, Glowking, Gholdengo, and AV Iron Crown, which all folded to Tera Ghost Shadow Ball. If playing VGC taught me anything, its that Fairy/Ghost is a busted combination and Iron Valiant uses it perfectly. Psyshock is crucial to make the Stall match up bearable, and also nice for the rare non-stall Clodsire which would otheriwse come in for free. Vaccum Wave I wasn't too sure about at first, seemed like its just fishing for Kingambit but wow was I wrong, this is powerful and one of the most reliable ways to clean up a game, I find myself preserving Valiant to take 3 KOs with Vaccum Wave. Kingambit match up is still really good though, being able to lure and murder it once you're Tera Ghost.
Akane (Samurott-Hisui) (F) @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Sharpness
Tera Type: Poison
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Ceaseless Edge
- Razor Shell
- Knock Off
- Encore
Samurott was a Pokemon I constantly thought of in the builder, because all the aforementioned checks struggle a lot, and she could set up hazards to make Iron Valiant have an easier time breaking. Knock Off is also fantastic, makes her a very good Pokemon against stall and Boots spam balance. Not sure how many are using Encore but it's been great, provides a lot of momentum vs Gliscor, CM Sinistcha, and can offer outs vs Kingambit considering my checks aren't the sturdiest. It also can deny sweeps from threatening Pokemon that try to set up on Samurott like Roaring Moon and Kyurem. Not much else to say though, does Samurott things and I love her.
Aqua (Dragonite) (M) @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Multiscale
Tera Type: Normal
EVs: 252 HP / 240 Atk / 16 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Dragon Tail
- Extreme Speed
- Earthquake
- Roost
He's the goat. Dragonite is a good bulky attacker and the reason this team doesn't get flattened by half the metagame. If you're afraid of anything just preserve Dragonite's hp and one Dragon Tail later you're safe, resident Iron Moth check, Water resist, soft Roaring Moon check, Wellspring check once Pecharunt is low/important, ground immunity, I could go on. Dragon Tail can help throw away set up sweepers and put more lasting damage on annoying Pokemon like Moltres and Gliscor. Extreme Speed helps make up for how slow the team looks, and often offers just enough chip for Iron Valiant or Kingambit to take over.
Melt (Pecharunt) @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Poison Puppeteer
Tera Type: Dark
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Malignant Chain
- Hex
- Parting Shot
- Recover
Pecharunt is the team's pivot, spinblocker, as well as sturdy Zamazenta & Ogerpon check (well more sturdy than anything at least). I prefer fast Pecharunt as he makes the Great Tusk and Samurott-H match ups that much friendlier. Pecharunt is the safest lead I've used against teams that aren't HO or Stall, as very little can put you behind and it forces plays to avoid Toxic. Pecharunt doesn't often make it to the endgame as he's tasked with being the anchor for the the team and has already done its job by the time it faints. Notably using Tera Dark over the standard Ghost because the only times I've wanted to Tera Pecharunt are vs another Ghost- or Dark-type when im at a disadvantage.
Kana (Great Tusk) @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Protosynthesis
Tera Type: Water
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Headlong Rush
- Ice Spinner
- Rapid Spin
- Stealth Rock
Who loves hazard removal? Great Tusk is the Ground-type and will forever be a good Pokemon, helps improve the Kingambit, Raging Bolt, Gliscor match ups, as well as taking advantage of the Pokemon Iron Valiant and Pecharunt forced in thanks to a very strong Headlong Rush. With Great Tusk being the closest thing I have to a defensive backbone, I chose the bulkier set with Stealth Rock, completing the Hazard Stack core. Likes to spin for Iron Valiant and Kingambit so they can come in more often, and often beats opposing Great Tusk because of 252 HP and Rocky Helmet.
Ai (Kingambit) (F) @ Leftovers
Ability: Supreme Overlord
Tera Type: Ghost
EVs: 212 HP / 252 Atk / 44 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Sucker Punch
- Kowtow Cleave
- Iron Head
Finally, last but definitely not least the ew commer; The King (Queen?). Fairly standard set that lets Kingambit make use of her defensive typing vs Dragapult, Gholdengo, and Kyurem while still being very good at sweeping in the late-game. The more I played the more I realised how much synergy Kingambit had with Iron Valiant. As a Dark-type she loved to enter on the Ghosts and Glowking which would regularly come in on Iron Valiant, but as a Dark she also invited Great Tusk, Ting-Lu, opposing Kingambit, and even Samurott-H. These were all Pokemon that hated Iron Valiant and it allowed for a lot of aggressive double switches from both Pokemon.
Ability: Quark Drive
Tera Type: Ghost
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Moonblast
- Psyshock
- Shadow Ball
- Vacuum Wave
The gay, the myth, the legend, star of the team. Choice Specs Iron Valiant is the team's breaker and primary way of dealing damage. With Hazard support She's bound to make a mess everytime She comes in, and that is a lot of times considering how many Pokemon fold to Moonblast. I found that the most common answers to Iron Valiant were Moltres, Pecharunt, Glowking, Gholdengo, and AV Iron Crown, which all folded to Tera Ghost Shadow Ball. If playing VGC taught me anything, its that Fairy/Ghost is a busted combination and Iron Valiant uses it perfectly. Psyshock is crucial to make the Stall match up bearable, and also nice for the rare non-stall Clodsire which would otheriwse come in for free. Vaccum Wave I wasn't too sure about at first, seemed like its just fishing for Kingambit but wow was I wrong, this is powerful and one of the most reliable ways to clean up a game, I find myself preserving Valiant to take 3 KOs with Vaccum Wave. Kingambit match up is still really good though, being able to lure and murder it once you're Tera Ghost.
Ability: Sharpness
Tera Type: Poison
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Ceaseless Edge
- Razor Shell
- Knock Off
- Encore
Samurott was a Pokemon I constantly thought of in the builder, because all the aforementioned checks struggle a lot, and she could set up hazards to make Iron Valiant have an easier time breaking. Knock Off is also fantastic, makes her a very good Pokemon against stall and Boots spam balance. Not sure how many are using Encore but it's been great, provides a lot of momentum vs Gliscor, CM Sinistcha, and can offer outs vs Kingambit considering my checks aren't the sturdiest. It also can deny sweeps from threatening Pokemon that try to set up on Samurott like Roaring Moon and Kyurem. Not much else to say though, does Samurott things and I love her.
Ability: Multiscale
Tera Type: Normal
EVs: 252 HP / 240 Atk / 16 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Dragon Tail
- Extreme Speed
- Earthquake
- Roost
He's the goat. Dragonite is a good bulky attacker and the reason this team doesn't get flattened by half the metagame. If you're afraid of anything just preserve Dragonite's hp and one Dragon Tail later you're safe, resident Iron Moth check, Water resist, soft Roaring Moon check, Wellspring check once Pecharunt is low/important, ground immunity, I could go on. Dragon Tail can help throw away set up sweepers and put more lasting damage on annoying Pokemon like Moltres and Gliscor. Extreme Speed helps make up for how slow the team looks, and often offers just enough chip for Iron Valiant or Kingambit to take over.
Ability: Poison Puppeteer
Tera Type: Dark
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Malignant Chain
- Hex
- Parting Shot
- Recover
Pecharunt is the team's pivot, spinblocker, as well as sturdy Zamazenta & Ogerpon check (well more sturdy than anything at least). I prefer fast Pecharunt as he makes the Great Tusk and Samurott-H match ups that much friendlier. Pecharunt is the safest lead I've used against teams that aren't HO or Stall, as very little can put you behind and it forces plays to avoid Toxic. Pecharunt doesn't often make it to the endgame as he's tasked with being the anchor for the the team and has already done its job by the time it faints. Notably using Tera Dark over the standard Ghost because the only times I've wanted to Tera Pecharunt are vs another Ghost- or Dark-type when im at a disadvantage.
Ability: Protosynthesis
Tera Type: Water
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Headlong Rush
- Ice Spinner
- Rapid Spin
- Stealth Rock
Who loves hazard removal? Great Tusk is the Ground-type and will forever be a good Pokemon, helps improve the Kingambit, Raging Bolt, Gliscor match ups, as well as taking advantage of the Pokemon Iron Valiant and Pecharunt forced in thanks to a very strong Headlong Rush. With Great Tusk being the closest thing I have to a defensive backbone, I chose the bulkier set with Stealth Rock, completing the Hazard Stack core. Likes to spin for Iron Valiant and Kingambit so they can come in more often, and often beats opposing Great Tusk because of 252 HP and Rocky Helmet.
Ability: Supreme Overlord
Tera Type: Ghost
EVs: 212 HP / 252 Atk / 44 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Sucker Punch
- Kowtow Cleave
- Iron Head
Finally, last but definitely not least the ew commer; The King (Queen?). Fairly standard set that lets Kingambit make use of her defensive typing vs Dragapult, Gholdengo, and Kyurem while still being very good at sweeping in the late-game. The more I played the more I realised how much synergy Kingambit had with Iron Valiant. As a Dark-type she loved to enter on the Ghosts and Glowking which would regularly come in on Iron Valiant, but as a Dark she also invited Great Tusk, Ting-Lu, opposing Kingambit, and even Samurott-H. These were all Pokemon that hated Iron Valiant and it allowed for a lot of aggressive double switches from both Pokemon.
This is a rather simple team to use, and you'll come to think so too. When watching the replays you might think "damn she's....kinda bad?" because Specs Iron Valiant can be so braindead. The main gameplan is simply to break with Iron Valiant and keep hazards up, Iron Valiant is really good at breaking through teams and I often commit Tera just to make the process faster or have middlegrounds vs Great Tusk and friends.
You'll notice the rest of the team is filled with Bulky Attackers, with the exception of maybe Boots Samurott, but that contributes to the hazard stack element of the team very well. This is a Bulky Offense where you rely on bulky offensive Pokemon as the defensive backbone (Dragonite, Pecharunt, Great Tusk, Kingambit) of the team, which means you're often maintaining good momentum and the opponent is forced to respect all of them and their threat potential.
On top of that, this team should be trying to abuse hazards, with Pecharunt as a sturdy spinblocker and Dragonite's ability to rack up damage with Dragon Tail. Triple Boots and a defensive Great Tusk should help in the event where hazards are on both sides, but its not perfect so ideally go for shorter games. After Iron Valiant and the team break well, Kingambit should seize an opportunity to set up a one and done sweep, where if it doesn't sweep for itself, its made a huge hole for priority spam to clean up.
Vs the extremes Hyper Offense and Stall you obviously have to play differently. Stall can get overwhelmed with Samurott spamming Ceaseless Edge and Knock Off, Encore is great at burning Corviknight's Roost PP and you'll win the war. Dragonite then comes in to help rack up chip for one of the more offensive Pokemon to break, most notably Iron Valiant and Kingambit. For HO you can forget about this slow play and commit back to back trades. The amount of priority and bulky Pokemon on the team enable these trades and a positive outcome from them. Just have to be careful with which Pokemon you trade, please don't throw away your Great Tusk when they have a Raging Bolt in the bak.
You'll notice the rest of the team is filled with Bulky Attackers, with the exception of maybe Boots Samurott, but that contributes to the hazard stack element of the team very well. This is a Bulky Offense where you rely on bulky offensive Pokemon as the defensive backbone (Dragonite, Pecharunt, Great Tusk, Kingambit) of the team, which means you're often maintaining good momentum and the opponent is forced to respect all of them and their threat potential.
On top of that, this team should be trying to abuse hazards, with Pecharunt as a sturdy spinblocker and Dragonite's ability to rack up damage with Dragon Tail. Triple Boots and a defensive Great Tusk should help in the event where hazards are on both sides, but its not perfect so ideally go for shorter games. After Iron Valiant and the team break well, Kingambit should seize an opportunity to set up a one and done sweep, where if it doesn't sweep for itself, its made a huge hole for priority spam to clean up.
Vs the extremes Hyper Offense and Stall you obviously have to play differently. Stall can get overwhelmed with Samurott spamming Ceaseless Edge and Knock Off, Encore is great at burning Corviknight's Roost PP and you'll win the war. Dragonite then comes in to help rack up chip for one of the more offensive Pokemon to break, most notably Iron Valiant and Kingambit. For HO you can forget about this slow play and commit back to back trades. The amount of priority and bulky Pokemon on the team enable these trades and a positive outcome from them. Just have to be careful with which Pokemon you trade, please don't throw away your Great Tusk when they have a Raging Bolt in the bak.
Of course, no team is perfect, and since theres room to outplay, Im pretty happy with this section
Roaring Moon
- I don't think it's fair to say any team is fine into Roaring Moon, as its extremely custimizable with Taunt, Roost, Tera, and its plethora of coverage, tilted to a Brick Break Roaring Moon on this climb actually. You should just try to not let it set up, when it comes in on Samurott you Encore, when it comes in on Dragonite you Dragon Tail, Great Tusk Headlong Rushes etc, this is so that if it sets up you still have priority in the back to minimize destruction, But this is specifically troublesome as it forces you to lose a potentially very useful Pokemon. Tera on Great Tusk, Kingambit, or Pecharunt in a pinch can help alleviate the trouble
3A Iron Valiant
- This girl is designed to break and without any faster Pokemon it can become difficult, preserve Pecharunt's hp or accept that you'll commit Tera to sneak a kill on it.
Kyurem
- This is very scary without a proper check but this team attempts to deny it of breathing room, and trusts that the DD sets can be handled through priority.
Sun
- The only true water resist is Dragonite which goes byebye to a stray Draco Meteor, or just having to take SpA Booster Hydro Steams. This requires aggressive play and the two most valuable Pokemon are Great Tusk and Kingambit. Catching a Ninetales on lead is great as sun teams often struggle to switch into Great Tusk, and rocks become immensely helpful once the Hatterene is down. The lategame should be set up for a Kingambit sweep.
Raging Bolt
- Life is like this when Great Tusk is the ground of choice, may have to sack to get Great Tusk or Iron Valiant in, similar to Roaring Moon should try and play aggressively so it doesn't get the turns to murder you.
IDBP Corviknight
- Corviknight is already difficult to take on but IDBP provides sweepong potential, the way out of this is definitely to commit Tera Ghost on Iron Valiant or Kingambit and overwhelm Roost PP. PS: The rare Bulk Up version just kind of owns the team, havent been able to beat it yet and you just got to hope for the best with the team effort.
Roaring Moon
3A Iron Valiant
Kyurem
Sun
Raging Bolt
IDBP Corviknight
Hyper Offense:
Vs Ribombee Webs: https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9ou-2305358107-tlro2qv95gj81raagdvlij1c2o58vu3pw
Vs Araquanid Webs: https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9ou-2307386498-jr7xvma3dschhw1h5evggm4lhg9qsb5pw
Vs Deoxys HO: https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9ou-2305911963-q9s6r2v73s683irr2eyh8i36tyep1mspw
Vs Quick Claw spam: https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9ou-2307380573
Vs Veil: https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9ou-2307383300-8moctuykm8cgxx9uhuqd4gfomr769dypw
Offense:
Vs Armarouge Grassy terrain: https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9ou-2305361646
Vs Bulky Grassy Terrain: https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9ou-2305365115-l1sy82q4okshf3geku70rorn6009dcspw
Vs Torkoal Sun: https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9ou-2305337509
Vs Dishonesty: https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9ou-2305907783-hqpbn9qerq4pnnasaon2f3n0d8ikckypw
Vs Primarina Sand: https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9ou-2306061770-l38ax2o6orvgs4ht4phnrtldmp7ltotpw
Bulky Offense:
Vs Choice Specs Kyurem: https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9ou-2305404424-x0hidalv2lfpc4vi2o5vnw7c72puwihpw
Vs How is this 1800s: https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9ou-2305901394
Vs TankChomp Corviknight: https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9ou-2305888376
Vs Heatran is my ground resist: https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9ou-2306051414-amrvfw879bu16s6o9kfyuvko6mm10rhpw
Vs Quadruple Choiced: https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9ou-2306090096
Balance:
Vs IDBP Corviknight: https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9ou-2305410957-n8lmdkmbtasoh38gq8sihsvpp7xf3mlpw
Vs Keldeo Weavile Hazard Stack: https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9ou-2305922497-18hvavap0vxhp2v9crifvpv0l7iwlumpw
Stall:
Vs Salt: https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9ou-2304911218-91rtfq431cfdr2b7jxg2ht7nh0h2ppwpw (Would love to show vs a better player but ran into no other stalls when I started saving replays.)
Vs Ribombee Webs: https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9ou-2305358107-tlro2qv95gj81raagdvlij1c2o58vu3pw
Vs Araquanid Webs: https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9ou-2307386498-jr7xvma3dschhw1h5evggm4lhg9qsb5pw
Vs Deoxys HO: https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9ou-2305911963-q9s6r2v73s683irr2eyh8i36tyep1mspw
Vs Quick Claw spam: https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9ou-2307380573
Vs Veil: https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9ou-2307383300-8moctuykm8cgxx9uhuqd4gfomr769dypw
Offense:
Vs Armarouge Grassy terrain: https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9ou-2305361646
Vs Bulky Grassy Terrain: https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9ou-2305365115-l1sy82q4okshf3geku70rorn6009dcspw
Vs Torkoal Sun: https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9ou-2305337509
Vs Dishonesty: https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9ou-2305907783-hqpbn9qerq4pnnasaon2f3n0d8ikckypw
Vs Primarina Sand: https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9ou-2306061770-l38ax2o6orvgs4ht4phnrtldmp7ltotpw
Bulky Offense:
Vs Choice Specs Kyurem: https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9ou-2305404424-x0hidalv2lfpc4vi2o5vnw7c72puwihpw
Vs How is this 1800s: https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9ou-2305901394
Vs TankChomp Corviknight: https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9ou-2305888376
Vs Heatran is my ground resist: https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9ou-2306051414-amrvfw879bu16s6o9kfyuvko6mm10rhpw
Vs Quadruple Choiced: https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9ou-2306090096
Balance:
Vs IDBP Corviknight: https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9ou-2305410957-n8lmdkmbtasoh38gq8sihsvpp7xf3mlpw
Vs Keldeo Weavile Hazard Stack: https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9ou-2305922497-18hvavap0vxhp2v9crifvpv0l7iwlumpw
Stall:
Vs Salt: https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9ou-2304911218-91rtfq431cfdr2b7jxg2ht7nh0h2ppwpw (Would love to show vs a better player but ran into no other stalls when I started saving replays.)
Conclusion
First off huge shout outs to gephicka for taking this idea and building with me, and FayaWizard who helped me realise & handle weaknesses, wouldn't be here without their help. Here is the importable again:
After such a huge climb, from a hardstuck 1500 to top 100, I've learnt many things, including when to predict, accounting for tera, and developed my overall meta knowledge. I've also felt more confident in myself and attempt to help out others with their teams, as a beginner myself. I've tilted recently and don't have the energy to peak higher yet, but I'll be sure to update the peak and potential new techs as I develop the team further. But the most important is that watching Oshi no ko gives a 30% boost to play and plot armour. I was flying and doing better than ever before, and when I finished the series, I soon began to tilt. I shall go rewatch and update you all on the 2000s team.
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