Preface
yo. For those of you unaware, i'm 49. Or col, Ben, w.e, call me what you will. I'm a pretty average player, all things considered, with a bit of a penchant for building; perhaps because I have viewed myself as a ladder player moreso than anything else for the stretch of my 'career', and thereby grew pretty jaded towards the entire playing aspect of things, or simply because I find the building aspect more interesting. Notwithstanding, in spite of my opinions of my own mediocrity, I was privileged with the opportunity to play in SPL after a midseason pick-up, and as of such I figured the least I could do was offer what little I could in terms of support. I would admit to being a bit 'safer' with some of my builds than I'd generally like, but such is the nature of such tourneys, I suppose, and I enjoyed myself all the same.
What I am showcasing here is an offensive team I built for my 3rd SPL game vs. Ginku. While it unfortunately did not get to perform as I would have hoped for one reason or another, it was perhaps the build I found most enjoyable to use, making use of some lesser utilized sets while not falling victim to common, oftentimes malignant trends of lower-tier building that I observe all too often. I, sadly, do not have any flashy ladder peaks with which to flaunt the potency of this team, but it has an Ambipom counter, means to break Regnerator cores, and it doesn't auto-lose to the team galbia recently showcased, so I figure some dedicated youngster could peak #1 with this if he or she felt so inclined. This RMT is named after an EP by the same name, b.c good music is soul food and we should support those that produce it, yeah? All my alts and nicks are references to either music or manga anywho.
At A Glance
In building, I sought to cover most bases without entirely abandoning an offensive mindset; I find the act of "counter-styling" to be rather disagreeable and inconsistent from what little I can say from experience, and the shift from bulky offense to balance in building would often denote a dispersion of an overlying offensive 'goal'. The original basis to this team was the offensive battery of Swords Dance Virizion and Rock Polish Tyrantrum, whose interactions I really enjoyed; one could usually break for the other if the situation called for it, one could often enough force in Pokemon that allowed free turns for the other, and the two of them generally retained the ability to threaten all major playstyles to some capacity. With these two 'mons set in stone, as it were, I sought to address some of the more glaring weaknesses to be observed of this core, with two more significant being the presented vulnerability to Toxic Spikes (a very potent hazard in this metagame) and inability to actively force damage unto defensive facets of particular cores. To this end, I found both Skuntank and more convention Drapion variants, the most readily available options for this particular role, to be too 'slow' in terms of performing their ideal role, so I instead took to a Choice Band variant, which took a far more direct approach. From hereon in, I went about evening out the shortcomings to be had of an initial core such as this, resulting in what you see now.
Under The Microscope
Virizion @
Jolly | 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
• Swords Dance
• Close Combat
• Leaf Blade
• Zen Headbutt
Virizion is a pokemon whose true value can be appreciated in the defensive match-up, wherein very little can adequately respond. Traditionally, by merit of it's STAB combination in conjunction with a very useful Special Defense stat, very few Pokemon can claim to adequately respond to this Pokemon from a defensive outlook. To illustrate this point, neither defensive Amoonguss nor Aromatisse can deal any more than 60% with their SE, STAB attacks of choice, allowing Virizion the option of boosting into their switch and winning 1v1, should the situation warrant. While this metagame has not been incredibly kind to this Pokemon, what with the prevalence of Pokemon such as Durant and Whimsicott, in other ways, it has come to favor it quite nicely. The Moltres ban was obviously a significant boon to it immediately, but indirectly as well, as it came to favour Pokemon such as Offensive Tangrowth, which can full well yield Virizion free turns if left to its own devices. Dugtrio has also been gaining prevalence, and with most, if not all, lacking Aerial Ace, the possibility of offensive counter play from Virizion became all the more possible.
Virizion is, generally speaking, a Pokemon that doesn't see too much play in the early-game, given the team's diversification of Scald switch-ins, though occasionally it will find value v.offense (where it, inevitably, will not clean) beating into their Durant or what have you on the switch. SD Virizion is a Pokemon that needs Lum Berry, unless you have complete confidence that the bulky Waters you're looking to play into will never get the Scald burn / carry an alternative status, and I am not someone with that kind of confidence. The application of coverage on this Pokemon is very narrow at this point, but not to the point where it's worth forgoing for something like Synthesis, unfortunately. I find Zen Headbutt has far more value than Stone Edge at this time, as the latter is now relegated solely to catching Fletchinder on the switch, whilst being able to 2HKO Amoonguss at +2, pop off Garbodor after ~40% of prior damage, and even expedite the process of removing Qwilfish, is all rather valuable in the current metagame.
Tyrantrum @
Adamant | 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
• Rock Polish
• Head Smash
• Earthquake
• Outrage
Strangely, I have found myself to at odds with some in this opinion, but I consider Rock Polish Tyrantrum to be a completely amazing set, and is, in fact, one of the best sweepers v.offense in the current metagame; Rock-type resists are quite sparse on the average offensive build, furthering the possibility of a Head Smash clean, and has the ability to outpace most conventional Choice Scarf users, which will commonly sit at 317 Speed initially at most (whether it be + Spe Base 95's, or Adamant Durant) at +2 while still retaining a + Atk nature, which is key for various reasons. While technically 'weak' to a lot of the more conventional priority sources, such as Mach Punch and Ice Shard, Tyrantrum's natural physical bulk buffers a lot of that out rather nicely, only taking ~50% max from Adamant M-Aboma's Ice Shard. Finding free turns for this Pokemon to set up can at times be vexing, but feigning a Choice set can go a long way in terms of accomplishing this (which, given the structure of the team, isn't too difficult to pull off), setting up on what might have been viewed as a basic death fodder, or even conceding it a free turn in a Fire-type lock-in from something like a Scarf Emboar.
With the exception of item use, I would consider this set to be exceptionally standard of a set-up sweeper, so I won't go into detail what exactly each move does here. Stone Plate is a neat little toy on this set that I've found to be exceedingly useful of late, particularly in contrast to the more 'typical' item choices for a set such as this, notably Life Orb and Lum Berry. As mentioned prior, the ability to feign a Choice set is of great value here, making Life Orb recoil somewhat unslightly, and not only that, but it was also lend itself to being brought into priority range all the easier, which I dislike as well. As for Lum, I find Tyrantrum an exceedingly poor choice to play into status anywho, and when coupled with the fact that Outrage is far from the most used move on this set (being often relegated to either aggressive play into defensive teams, when you know it won't be sweeping, or for ending a sweep when you don't want to miss), I consider its application to be far too narrow. I considered Mental Herb as a means of playing more naturally into potential Whimsicott (by the by, a very plausible item tech on sweepers in this metagame), but in the end, I found Stone Plate's application to be more broad. For a basic idea of what this item can accomplish, it ensures the 2HKO on Qwilfish / Alomomola (well, assuming folks aren't running that abysmal max / max bold momo) w/o prior damage, the OHKO on max HP Slowking / Escavalier (87.5% chance w/Esca, though very few people run max HP on it for some reason) after SR, the OHKO on SD Drapion w/o prior damage, etc.
Drapion @
Jolly | 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
• Pursuit
• Knock Off
• Earthquake
• Poison Jab
As an old BW RU player, it still impresses me just how much value Drapion compresses into a single team-slot nowadays. Drapion's primary functions on this team are rather basic; absorption of Toxic Spikes which, as previously stated, are incredibly burdensome against most any team left ill-prepared for them, and to push significant damage unto defensive facets, seeking to establish a sweep from any of my more dedicated sweepers. A Swords Dance set lacked the immediate presence I strove for in this team-slot, and generally did not befit my 'style of play', so I instead took to this Choice Band variant. This afforded me a valuable utility in Pursuit, which is quite useful in forcing damage, as minor as it may initially appear on Pokemon like Doublade and Cresselia, who need to remain healthy should they desire to continually check my sweepers. Earthquake, despite being generally a poor lock-in, has a lot of value here, 2HKOing what are generally exceedingly safe switch-ins in Cobalion and Qwilfish with complete certainty after SR, making it a vital lure as well.
As a whole, this is a rather straightforward Pokemon to play; click Knock Off unless you are presented with a particularly strong reason to throw an alternative move (you need Pursuit damage on something to facilitate a sweep, EQ'ing into a Cobal / Poison switch, etc.). The primary concern you need to be weighing with this Pokemon is when you encounter Dugtrio balance, wherein you have to be that much more cautious about your plays. Diversifying my switch-ins to Psychics helps here, since having Drapion trapped doesn't automatically put me in a poor position with them, but the interactions between Dugtrio and Toxic Spikes can be problematic, which is something to make note of when you find yourself in such a match-up.
Sigilyph @
Timid | 16 Def / 240 SpA / 252 Spe
• Psychic
• Heat Wave
• Thunder Wave
• Roost
In with the team's intended goal of maintaining offense stability without entirely conceding momentum, I sought to incorporate a Pokemon capable of efficiently restricting most, if not all of the Pokemon the current team conceded free turn too. While this category was not exceedingly broad, given that very few Pokemon are given excessive breathing room vs.offense, they were diverse to a point that it made consolidating this role to a singular slot somewhat difficult; these Pokemon were largely composed of those who could exploit a locked Drapion, namely boosting Fighting-types, and select Steel-types of either significant bulk or resistances, being Doublade and Durant. After some tinkering, I decided upon a fairly uncommon, set, Focus Sash Sigilyph. The 'failsafe' this set establishes while still retaining utility value as a Scald / arbitrary soft attack absorber is really quite impressive, mitigating the concern of presenting free turns to many of the more passive defensive Pokemon that occupy the tier. While the observable drop in power to be had from the shift to Sash over Life Orb is very significant, I consider this to be largely mitigated by the team's more aggressive build (which might favour a match-up with more defensive teams), particularly with the inclusion of Pursuit support, which accommodates Sigilyph's inability to push through pertinent bulky Psychics.
Generally speaking, Sigilyph is a Pokemon that has the leniency to be played aggressively into more defensive teams, but will be conserved v.offense as to preserve its Sash for when it is most relevant. I prefer Psychic to Psyshock for its ability to apply further pressure unto Psychic-neutral bulky Water-types, who are both primarily physically defensive and susceptible to being forced out by SpD drops, with the primary risk associated with this choice being a lessened ability to take on Virizion, which is fairly manageable given the team's retention of secondary checks. The most dubious choice on such a set would be Roost, which (obviously enough) is not a commonplace utility for Sash Pokemon. However, I find it rather appropriate here, on this particular build; the necessity for additional coverage is rather low, given the incorporation of Pursuit support in conjunction with the only mild threat presented by those non-Pursuit weak coverage targets, such as Rhyperior. As of such, I found it agreeable to look to expand its role in the defensive match-up, extending its ability to play into defensive Pokemon with moderate impunity, and even allowing it to retain its Focus Sash in play with certain balance builds. This loss in coverage is similarly mitigated by the use of Thunder Wave, which helps to stifle most pertinent and otherwise threatening faster boosters, such as Flame Charge Houndoom.
Seismitoad @
Modest | 136 HP / 224 SpA / 12 SpD / 136 Spe
• Stealth Rock
• Scald
• Earth Power
• Sludge Wave
Whilst bordering dangerously on the fringe of offensively clunky, Seismitoad is a Pokemon I find to be of integral worth to this particular build. The retention of a Water-type attack absorber with more mid-game leniency is quite nice here, particularly in handling Slowking, who is quite thoroughly suppressed through the combination of this Pokemon and CB Drapion. In the struggle for Electric-types to cover the pertinent Volt Switch absorbers of the tier, many have taken to Water-type coverage as their means of 'playing around them', a substantial niche is fleshed out for it, despite remaining vulnerable to both Rotom-C and Heliolisk (who still 2HKOs with Hyper Voice) to certain capacities. As a more aggressively-inclined fallback, if grants more leniency of play to Tyrantrum and Drapion in the face of Mega Steelix, which is quite significant in the metagame, as all too many players fetishize this Pokemon (not to say that it isn't quite good, but I think it has been hyped a smidge too much).
As could be likely gleaned from the statements prior, the application of this Pokemon in the context of this team is a rather defensive one, though it is fashioned in a manner that does not entirely dismiss offensive prowess; the 'glue' of the team, if you will. The EVs are fashioned to reflect this, with the Speed investment putting it over Modest Clawlizter (whom I don't consider to be particularly good, though this does in turn put it over certain other relevant benchmarks, given me enough reason to validate it), and thereby all Crustle and slower-end Qwilfish, allowing it to stymy hazard concession to a moderate extent. Under circumstances beyond this particular tier, I would consider Sludge Wave to be extraneous, but given the potency of this tier's Grass-types, I find the move to be somewhat of a necessity. I run Scald over the more conventional Hydro Pump largely as a means to accrue chip damage on bulky Water-types, given that the necessity to push additional, immediate damage unto Pokemon like Golbat and Hitmontop is rather low here.
Doublade @
Adamant | 252 HP / 192 Atk / 20 SpD / 44 Spe
• Swords Dance
• Shadow Sneak
• Iron Head
• Shadow Claw
Doublade is a Pokemon whose role can almost exclusively be identified as a defensive lynchpin with offensive presence, which fits comfortably in with the trends of this team. In this context, it compresses a Durant and Whimsicott check (amongst other things, but these are of the most consequence to this build), an active, non-trappable Psychic check, and secondary win condition v.balance. Its overlap offensively with a few of the team's other members allows for this 'mon to set up a win condition for itself all that much more cohesively, which I find of reasonable value here, given too many teams have Doublade tacked on without it actively contributing to an end-game beyond checking this or that. Doublade also retains significant value in forcing Tyrantrum-exploitable choice locks, ranging from Emboar's Flare Blitz to Meloetta's Shadow Ball.
I always creep out of Attack, rather than bulk, when I run Doublade, and frankly I don't know why everybody else doesn't do the same. I cannot think of one outlying instance under which Doublade was introduced on a team to fulfill something beyond a primarily defensive function, making it what I would think to be a perfectly natural choice to favor its bulk when EVing it. To that end, my investment seeks to always survive a +1 Reuniclus Shadow Ball after 2 SR switch-ins, which is the most I'd allow for this build, given my desire to avoid reducing its damage output too much. I favor Iron Head to Sacred Sword here as, while the additional chip on Mega Steelix would indeed be nice, the threat presented by granting more substantial windows to Drapion and Meloetta is greater than that luxury. Houndoom, while certainly threatening itself, is a Pokemon that can be suppressed moderately well through the prioritization of SR and in forgoing early-game setup.
Conclusion
I'm quite shit at these, sadly, because I feel by this point one should have said all he or she needed to say. I'm avoiding any kind of shout-outs, as I'm a pretentious twat, but if you feel you're one who would have been receiving one here, chances are good you're right; I'm very grateful of all those that make this an enjoyable experience, gives me enough of a reason to play this game yet still. As a couple broad points, thanks to the Cryonicles for taking their chances on me (sorry for my terribly mediocre record, I'll do what I can to iron out my inconsistency for next year), the RU community for being chill and fairly drama-free, and everybody that puts up with me on a daily basis, b.c goodness knows that must be tough. Love you all.
Tyrantrum @ Stone Plate
Ability: Rock Head
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Rock Polish
- Head Smash
- Earthquake
- Outrage
Virizion @ Lum Berry
Ability: Justified
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Leaf Blade
- Close Combat
- Zen Headbutt
Drapion @ Choice Band
Ability: Sniper
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Pursuit
- Knock Off
- Earthquake
- Poison Jab
Sigilyph @ Focus Sash
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Psychic
- Heat Wave
- Roost
- Thunder Wave
Doublade @ Eviolite
Ability: No Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 192 Atk / 20 SpD / 44 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Shadow Sneak
- Iron Head
- Shadow Claw
Seismitoad @ Leftovers
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 136 HP / 224 SpA / 12 SpD / 136 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Stealth Rock
- Scald
- Earth Power
- Sludge Wave
Ability: Rock Head
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Rock Polish
- Head Smash
- Earthquake
- Outrage
Virizion @ Lum Berry
Ability: Justified
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Leaf Blade
- Close Combat
- Zen Headbutt
Drapion @ Choice Band
Ability: Sniper
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Pursuit
- Knock Off
- Earthquake
- Poison Jab
Sigilyph @ Focus Sash
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Psychic
- Heat Wave
- Roost
- Thunder Wave
Doublade @ Eviolite
Ability: No Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 192 Atk / 20 SpD / 44 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Shadow Sneak
- Iron Head
- Shadow Claw
Seismitoad @ Leftovers
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 136 HP / 224 SpA / 12 SpD / 136 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Stealth Rock
- Scald
- Earth Power
- Sludge Wave
