Strategy
The whole goal of this team is to sweep with Linoone and/or Gorebyss. Both of them have fabulous set-up moves (Belly Drum and Shell Smash respectively), but both moves are hard to use because it's very easy to die right after using them. That's where the other four come in, as utility. I have two Pokémon with Memento, which lowers the opponent's Attack and Special Attack by two stages each, but the user faints. After that, I send in one of my two sweepers who can pretty safely set up. The final two are both fast and powerful Pokémon who can clean up the mess of the opponent's team that my sweepers made.
The Team
Linoone @ Lum Berry
Trait: Pickup
EVs: 252 Atk / 40 HP / 216 Spd
Jolly Nature
- Belly Drum
- ExtremeSpeed
- Seed Bomb
- Shadow Claw
The star of the show. There are only a handful of Pokémon that Linoone does not OHKO after a Belly Drum, especially with maximum attack investment. The Speed EVs are to outspeed non-Scarf Haunters. This is the standard set, providing great coverage and power. I pretty much never send this thing in unless it's right after a Memento because although Linoone's Speed and Extremespeed are nice for revenge killing, Linoone is weak and if I haven't begun my sweep yet, the opponent almost certainly has at least five, or at the minimum four, Pokémon left, making revenge killing difficult. After a Memento, I always send this in unless there is a Pokémon which I can't OHKO on the opponent's side and Gorebyss can just about OHKO everything on my opponent's side.
Gorebyss @ White Herb
Trait: Swift Swim
EVs: 252 SAtk / 252 Spd / 4 HP
Timid Nature
- Shell Smash
- Surf
- Hidden Power [Grass]
- Ice Beam
My other sweeper who easily OHKOs things Linoone can't, such as Probopass, Regirock, Bastiodon, and Tangela. To compliment Linoone, I mainly needed a Special Attacker with amazing setup capabilities. It's clear that Gorebyss is a top choice, outspeeding nearly everything after a Shell Smash and hitting very hard. While the extra boost from Life Orb is nice, especially since I'm not running Modest, the survivability was just too much of an issue, especially since my other 4 non-sweepers don't really KO that often. It's more valuable for me to stay in especially since my opponent will probably have 5 or 6 Pokémon left when I send Gorebyss out, one of which can likely punish Gorebyss with priority and its own Life Orb recoil. Timid over Modest to outspeed base 85 Scarfers.
Pinsir @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Moxie
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spd / 4 Def
Adamant Nature
- Close Combat
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- X-Scissor
Once Linoone and Gorebyss have been taken down, (hopefully) the opponent's team has taken a serious beating, so Pinsir is here to clean up the rest. With a Scarf and all that Attack plus Moxie, Pinsir tears through the rest of the weakened Pokémon. The move choices are obvious, as they are the most powerful good coverage that Pinsir has. Since I will likely not be outsped, I can use an Adamant nature. Pinsir is great at taking care of huge threats such as Musharna and Skuntank, which the rest of my team really appreciates not having to deal with.
Weezing @ Black Sludge
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 252 Def / 252 HP / 4 SDef
Bold Nature
- Pain Split
- Will-O-Wisp
- Memento
- Sludge Bomb
One of my guys that gets the ball rolling. This is a dedicated physical wall. Again, I'm not intending to KO with this thing, but instead use it as a pathway for my sweepers. The fact that Weezing can just wall so many things is invaluable. This is my go-to Pokémon if there's just about any all-out physical attacker on my opponent's side that threatens me, as the only one weakness with several resistances makes Poison with Levitate great defensively. Sludge Bomb might seem like redundant status, but I just really need something to hit Fire-types who are immune to Will-O-Wisp and things in general.
Gardevoir @ Light Clay
Trait: Trace
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 HP / 4 SDef
Timid Nature
- Reflect
- Light Screen
- Memento
- Taunt
The premise is simple: Taunt --> screens --> Memento --> sweep. Max Speed for a fast Taunt and screens which, by the way, work so well together, especially when my opponent's are expecting some sort of offensive set. I'm not too bothered by the fact that Taunt completely shuts this thing down because I can outspeed pretty much every non-Prankster Taunter and Taunt their Taunt. Even though it's uninvested, Gardevoir's Special Defense is nice, augmented by a quick Light Screen. Gardevoir is an excellent partner for my sweepers, as screens and the half offenses provided by Memento make the opponent unable to do any significant damage, barring crits.
Kadabra @ Focus Sash
Trait: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 SAtk / 4 HP
Timid Nature
- Encore
- Psychic
- Hidden Power [Ground]
- Signal Beam
My special cleaner which serves pretty much the same role as Pinsir. Kadabra's excellent Speed and Special Attack make quick work of many weakened Pokémon. Focus Sash gives Kadabra a much easier time cleaning, as I can utilize the "super-late-game-two-turns-from-the-end-but-still-have-sash-intact" due to Magic Guard. I love Encore's utility, but because of Kadabra's function, I may find Shadow Ball helpful too. We'll see. Obligatory coverage against things like Stuntank and other Psychics is obligatory.
The whole goal of this team is to sweep with Linoone and/or Gorebyss. Both of them have fabulous set-up moves (Belly Drum and Shell Smash respectively), but both moves are hard to use because it's very easy to die right after using them. That's where the other four come in, as utility. I have two Pokémon with Memento, which lowers the opponent's Attack and Special Attack by two stages each, but the user faints. After that, I send in one of my two sweepers who can pretty safely set up. The final two are both fast and powerful Pokémon who can clean up the mess of the opponent's team that my sweepers made.
The Team
Trait: Pickup
EVs: 252 Atk / 40 HP / 216 Spd
Jolly Nature
- Belly Drum
- ExtremeSpeed
- Seed Bomb
- Shadow Claw
The star of the show. There are only a handful of Pokémon that Linoone does not OHKO after a Belly Drum, especially with maximum attack investment. The Speed EVs are to outspeed non-Scarf Haunters. This is the standard set, providing great coverage and power. I pretty much never send this thing in unless it's right after a Memento because although Linoone's Speed and Extremespeed are nice for revenge killing, Linoone is weak and if I haven't begun my sweep yet, the opponent almost certainly has at least five, or at the minimum four, Pokémon left, making revenge killing difficult. After a Memento, I always send this in unless there is a Pokémon which I can't OHKO on the opponent's side and Gorebyss can just about OHKO everything on my opponent's side.
Trait: Swift Swim
EVs: 252 SAtk / 252 Spd / 4 HP
Timid Nature
- Shell Smash
- Surf
- Hidden Power [Grass]
- Ice Beam
My other sweeper who easily OHKOs things Linoone can't, such as Probopass, Regirock, Bastiodon, and Tangela. To compliment Linoone, I mainly needed a Special Attacker with amazing setup capabilities. It's clear that Gorebyss is a top choice, outspeeding nearly everything after a Shell Smash and hitting very hard. While the extra boost from Life Orb is nice, especially since I'm not running Modest, the survivability was just too much of an issue, especially since my other 4 non-sweepers don't really KO that often. It's more valuable for me to stay in especially since my opponent will probably have 5 or 6 Pokémon left when I send Gorebyss out, one of which can likely punish Gorebyss with priority and its own Life Orb recoil. Timid over Modest to outspeed base 85 Scarfers.
Trait: Moxie
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spd / 4 Def
Adamant Nature
- Close Combat
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- X-Scissor
Once Linoone and Gorebyss have been taken down, (hopefully) the opponent's team has taken a serious beating, so Pinsir is here to clean up the rest. With a Scarf and all that Attack plus Moxie, Pinsir tears through the rest of the weakened Pokémon. The move choices are obvious, as they are the most powerful good coverage that Pinsir has. Since I will likely not be outsped, I can use an Adamant nature. Pinsir is great at taking care of huge threats such as Musharna and Skuntank, which the rest of my team really appreciates not having to deal with.
Pinsir replaced:
Golurk @ Leftovers
Trait: No Guard
EVs: 168 Atk / 164 Spd / 176 HP
Adamant Nature
- DynamicPunch
- Stealth Rock
- Shadow Punch
- Earthquake
A big problem is Sturdy, because although Linoone and Gorebyss can easily take an opponent down to Sturdy in one shot, the opponent can also KO them. So, standard hazards are standard. This Golurk is more of a utility, and I value frustrating things with Dynamicpunch, which makes it much easier for my other utility Pokémon to do their jobs. The last two moves are really a toss-up. I have four great options in Earthquake, Shadow Punch, Ice Punch, and Stone Edge (which doesn't miss because of No Guard). I'm not exactly sure if I have chosen the right two. I guess more testing will tell.
Trait: No Guard
EVs: 168 Atk / 164 Spd / 176 HP
Adamant Nature
- DynamicPunch
- Stealth Rock
- Shadow Punch
- Earthquake
A big problem is Sturdy, because although Linoone and Gorebyss can easily take an opponent down to Sturdy in one shot, the opponent can also KO them. So, standard hazards are standard. This Golurk is more of a utility, and I value frustrating things with Dynamicpunch, which makes it much easier for my other utility Pokémon to do their jobs. The last two moves are really a toss-up. I have four great options in Earthquake, Shadow Punch, Ice Punch, and Stone Edge (which doesn't miss because of No Guard). I'm not exactly sure if I have chosen the right two. I guess more testing will tell.
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 252 Def / 252 HP / 4 SDef
Bold Nature
- Pain Split
- Will-O-Wisp
- Memento
- Sludge Bomb
One of my guys that gets the ball rolling. This is a dedicated physical wall. Again, I'm not intending to KO with this thing, but instead use it as a pathway for my sweepers. The fact that Weezing can just wall so many things is invaluable. This is my go-to Pokémon if there's just about any all-out physical attacker on my opponent's side that threatens me, as the only one weakness with several resistances makes Poison with Levitate great defensively. Sludge Bomb might seem like redundant status, but I just really need something to hit Fire-types who are immune to Will-O-Wisp and things in general.
Trait: Trace
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 HP / 4 SDef
Timid Nature
- Reflect
- Light Screen
- Memento
- Taunt
The premise is simple: Taunt --> screens --> Memento --> sweep. Max Speed for a fast Taunt and screens which, by the way, work so well together, especially when my opponent's are expecting some sort of offensive set. I'm not too bothered by the fact that Taunt completely shuts this thing down because I can outspeed pretty much every non-Prankster Taunter and Taunt their Taunt. Even though it's uninvested, Gardevoir's Special Defense is nice, augmented by a quick Light Screen. Gardevoir is an excellent partner for my sweepers, as screens and the half offenses provided by Memento make the opponent unable to do any significant damage, barring crits.
Trait: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 SAtk / 4 HP
Timid Nature
- Encore
- Psychic
- Hidden Power [Ground]
- Signal Beam
My special cleaner which serves pretty much the same role as Pinsir. Kadabra's excellent Speed and Special Attack make quick work of many weakened Pokémon. Focus Sash gives Kadabra a much easier time cleaning, as I can utilize the "super-late-game-two-turns-from-the-end-but-still-have-sash-intact" due to Magic Guard. I love Encore's utility, but because of Kadabra's function, I may find Shadow Ball helpful too. We'll see. Obligatory coverage against things like Stuntank and other Psychics is obligatory.
Kadabra replaced:
Skuntank @ Black Sludge
Trait: Aftermath
EVs: 252 Atk / 220 SDef / 36 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Crunch
- Pursuit
- Sucker Punch
- Taunt
Skuntank rounds off the nice core for my utilities. It's one of the best counters to the Ghost-types that threaten Gardevoir, and possibly Golurk and Linoone (Haunter), and the Psychic-Types that threaten Weezing. I do have Golurk, but Skuntank really helps fending off Musharna. Plus, I don't have a spinner, so getting rid of Toxic Spikes is nice too. This is just the standard set; I know having only Dark-type moves seems really bad on paper, but Poison Jab is just not good offensively due to its horrible typing.
Trait: Aftermath
EVs: 252 Atk / 220 SDef / 36 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Crunch
- Pursuit
- Sucker Punch
- Taunt
Skuntank rounds off the nice core for my utilities. It's one of the best counters to the Ghost-types that threaten Gardevoir, and possibly Golurk and Linoone (Haunter), and the Psychic-Types that threaten Weezing. I do have Golurk, but Skuntank really helps fending off Musharna. Plus, I don't have a spinner, so getting rid of Toxic Spikes is nice too. This is just the standard set; I know having only Dark-type moves seems really bad on paper, but Poison Jab is just not good offensively due to its horrible typing.
