Disclaimer: It's been a little while since my last teambuilding experience (and I wasn't amazing at it to begin with), so be gentle on ya boy.
Raw team data can be found here.
I had an idea for this team not too long ago, although it was born as an idea for Sword and Shield teambuilding rather than in USUM. The initial plan was to start with Melmetal (Double Iron Bash, anyone?), Magearna, and Stakataka, then build from there. Of course I had to divert from that path after I learned that Magearna is banned in Monotype, but I still think it could be a decent/fun strategy given how many slow Steel-types there are. I finished this draft of the team under an hour before starting this post, and I've only had 3 battles -- all on the lower end of the ladder, since I've barely played the meta -- so I don't have a "peaked at <insert ranking here>" thing for it yet. This is just to see what people think of it, and what pointers I could get. And obviously there won't be a Melmetal on this version, since it's unobtainable in USUM.
Liberty (Bronzong) @ Mental Herb
Ability: Heatproof
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpD
Sassy Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Trick Room
- Stealth Rock
- Gyro Ball
- Toxic
Move-wise, this Bronzong set is pretty standard for Trick Room. It's one of the room setters while also serving as a rocker to whittle away at things. Gyro Ball is a basic and effective move to run on it given the Trick Room aspect, and Toxic helps with further whittling. Mental Herb was put on here in case something tries to Taunt me (although I don't know how common that is in this meta), since I only have one attacking move and very little attack investment. I could just as easily replace it with Leftovers, but we'll see how things go. Full special bulk was Showdown's recommended spread, and it's probably ideal given how much Steel tends toward physical bulk. The only really standout thing about this set is Heatproof over Levitate; this was a conscious decision after realizing I had very little at my disposal for handling Fire-types. I don't expect to beat many Fire-type teams regardless, but I figured this would help me, especially since I have a different Ground immunity on the team.
pear (Ferrothorn) (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Def
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Leech Seed
- Protect
- Knock Off
- Gyro Ball
This was actually a later addition to the team, but I'm putting them down here in the order they're listed in the paste file. There also isn't a whole lot to say about this set, aside from the fact that it's a bit more help in dealing with the average Ground-type. High defense in conjunction with only taking neutral from Ground should help somewhat against the numerous EQ users out there. Leftovers is obviously there for steady health gaining, with Leech Seed + Protect to aid in that process and whittle targets down with help from hazards and status on Bronzong's end. Knock Off can be useful to cripple certain opponents as well as minimally-useful coverage for Psychic/Ghost. And I don't think I really need to explain running Gyro Ball on a Ferrothorn.
Briggs (Stakataka) @ Rockium Z
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 232 HP / 252 Atk / 24 SpD
Lonely Nature
IVs: 0 Def / 0 Spe
- Trick Room
- Gyro Ball
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
If you're ever running mono-steel Trick Room, this mon is basically a given for that team. Not only does it learn Trick Room itself (for some reason), but high attack and abysmal speed make it one of the strongest Gyro Ball users out there, if not the strongest. Stakataka is basically "Gyro Ball: the Pokémon." It's also the only Steel-type besides Bronzong that learns Trick Room and has low enough speed to justify having it on the team (and that isn't banned). I wanted it to be more of a snowball than a tank, so I gave it minimum defense investment to have Beast Boost raise its attack instead. EQ is pretty good coverage in general, and Stone Edge takes care of coverage for its other STAB type, with Rockium Z to make it a nuke for things that resist Gyro Ball in case I need it.
Yuuto (Doublade) (M) @ Eviolite
Ability: No Guard
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 240 HP / 252 Atk / 16 SpD
Brave Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Swords Dance
- Gyro Ball
- Sacred Sword
- Shadow Sneak
Yes, I'm aware I have a high saturation of Gyro Ball users on this team. Honestly, though, I don't think it's very impractical. Everything I have is lacking in the speed department anyway, so might as well give them a move that benefits from that. Another fairly standard set: SD + 3 attacks Doublade. This was put on the team just to make sure I didn't get 6-0'd by Fighting moves. Sacred Sword is useful for coverage especially against other Steel-types, and I went with Shadow Sneak over Shadow Claw in the event I need to revenge kill something when Trick Room isn't up.
bamboozle (Celesteela) @ Choice Specs
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 252 HP / 248 SpA / 8 SpD
Quiet Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 0 Spe
- Air Slash
- Giga Drain
- Flamethrower
- Hidden Power [Ice]
This is probably the most "out there" set on the team. I doubt offensive Celesteela is very common in Monotype (let alone a Choice Specs set), but I felt like my team was a bit lacking in power on the special side, so here we are. Celesteela's Flying-type obviously gives me an immunity to Ground -- which would typically be a problem for mono-Steel -- and full HP investment helps to take some of their other attacks too. Like with Stakataka, the goal of this set is to become a powerhouse that snowballs quickly thanks to the almighty Beast Boost. Air Slash is basic STAB coverage, as well as the only special Flying move it gets; Giga Drain is a good option especially for problematic Water-types, and gives me a bit of HP back for my troubles; and Flamethrower is no-brainer coverage for other Steel-types like Ferrothorn. The last moveslot was originally occupied by Shock Wave (yes, I know), but I figured HP Ice might be more useful. I could very easily change it back, though; Shock Wave actually doesn't sound like terrible coverage. I didn't really think I needed Flash Cannon on this set, since I already have a full team with Steel coverage, and Specs Celesteela could probably hit most Steel-weak Pokémon pretty hard with the other moves anyway.
Ling Yao (Empoleon) (M) @ Iapapa Berry
Ability: Torrent
EVs: 252 HP / 8 Def / 4 SpA / 244 SpD
Sassy Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 0 Spe
- Scald
- Toxic
- Ice Beam
- Roar
This was the final addition to the team, used as another "how do I not lose to Fire-types" idea. It's reasonably slow and decently bulky, and that Fire neutralization could easily come in handy for the rest of the team. Showdown initially suggested a physically defensive spread, but I decided to swap over to special defense after looking at how comparatively high the average physical bulk was for my team. Plus, I figured Scald's chance to burn would help me in the physical bulk department anyway. Ice Beam's slot was originally occupied by Flash Cannon, but I switched it just for extra coverage. Toxic is useful for whittling if I don't get a burn from Scald, and Roar helps to whittle even more if I have my rocks up, or if I need to clear out a mon that's setting up on me. As for the Iapapa Berry, I'm not entirely sure why I have that. I'm considering changing it to Leftovers, but having the clutch 50% gain could be useful in certain situations so I'm on the fence about it.
So that's all I've got. As I said, I'm still not the best teambuilder in the world, so any (CONSTRUCTIVE) criticism is welcomed here.
Raw team data can be found here.
I had an idea for this team not too long ago, although it was born as an idea for Sword and Shield teambuilding rather than in USUM. The initial plan was to start with Melmetal (Double Iron Bash, anyone?), Magearna, and Stakataka, then build from there. Of course I had to divert from that path after I learned that Magearna is banned in Monotype, but I still think it could be a decent/fun strategy given how many slow Steel-types there are. I finished this draft of the team under an hour before starting this post, and I've only had 3 battles -- all on the lower end of the ladder, since I've barely played the meta -- so I don't have a "peaked at <insert ranking here>" thing for it yet. This is just to see what people think of it, and what pointers I could get. And obviously there won't be a Melmetal on this version, since it's unobtainable in USUM.
Liberty (Bronzong) @ Mental Herb
Ability: Heatproof
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpD
Sassy Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Trick Room
- Stealth Rock
- Gyro Ball
- Toxic
Move-wise, this Bronzong set is pretty standard for Trick Room. It's one of the room setters while also serving as a rocker to whittle away at things. Gyro Ball is a basic and effective move to run on it given the Trick Room aspect, and Toxic helps with further whittling. Mental Herb was put on here in case something tries to Taunt me (although I don't know how common that is in this meta), since I only have one attacking move and very little attack investment. I could just as easily replace it with Leftovers, but we'll see how things go. Full special bulk was Showdown's recommended spread, and it's probably ideal given how much Steel tends toward physical bulk. The only really standout thing about this set is Heatproof over Levitate; this was a conscious decision after realizing I had very little at my disposal for handling Fire-types. I don't expect to beat many Fire-type teams regardless, but I figured this would help me, especially since I have a different Ground immunity on the team.
pear (Ferrothorn) (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Def
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Leech Seed
- Protect
- Knock Off
- Gyro Ball
This was actually a later addition to the team, but I'm putting them down here in the order they're listed in the paste file. There also isn't a whole lot to say about this set, aside from the fact that it's a bit more help in dealing with the average Ground-type. High defense in conjunction with only taking neutral from Ground should help somewhat against the numerous EQ users out there. Leftovers is obviously there for steady health gaining, with Leech Seed + Protect to aid in that process and whittle targets down with help from hazards and status on Bronzong's end. Knock Off can be useful to cripple certain opponents as well as minimally-useful coverage for Psychic/Ghost. And I don't think I really need to explain running Gyro Ball on a Ferrothorn.
Briggs (Stakataka) @ Rockium Z
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 232 HP / 252 Atk / 24 SpD
Lonely Nature
IVs: 0 Def / 0 Spe
- Trick Room
- Gyro Ball
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
If you're ever running mono-steel Trick Room, this mon is basically a given for that team. Not only does it learn Trick Room itself (for some reason), but high attack and abysmal speed make it one of the strongest Gyro Ball users out there, if not the strongest. Stakataka is basically "Gyro Ball: the Pokémon." It's also the only Steel-type besides Bronzong that learns Trick Room and has low enough speed to justify having it on the team (and that isn't banned). I wanted it to be more of a snowball than a tank, so I gave it minimum defense investment to have Beast Boost raise its attack instead. EQ is pretty good coverage in general, and Stone Edge takes care of coverage for its other STAB type, with Rockium Z to make it a nuke for things that resist Gyro Ball in case I need it.
Yuuto (Doublade) (M) @ Eviolite
Ability: No Guard
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 240 HP / 252 Atk / 16 SpD
Brave Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Swords Dance
- Gyro Ball
- Sacred Sword
- Shadow Sneak
Yes, I'm aware I have a high saturation of Gyro Ball users on this team. Honestly, though, I don't think it's very impractical. Everything I have is lacking in the speed department anyway, so might as well give them a move that benefits from that. Another fairly standard set: SD + 3 attacks Doublade. This was put on the team just to make sure I didn't get 6-0'd by Fighting moves. Sacred Sword is useful for coverage especially against other Steel-types, and I went with Shadow Sneak over Shadow Claw in the event I need to revenge kill something when Trick Room isn't up.
bamboozle (Celesteela) @ Choice Specs
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 252 HP / 248 SpA / 8 SpD
Quiet Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 0 Spe
- Air Slash
- Giga Drain
- Flamethrower
- Hidden Power [Ice]
This is probably the most "out there" set on the team. I doubt offensive Celesteela is very common in Monotype (let alone a Choice Specs set), but I felt like my team was a bit lacking in power on the special side, so here we are. Celesteela's Flying-type obviously gives me an immunity to Ground -- which would typically be a problem for mono-Steel -- and full HP investment helps to take some of their other attacks too. Like with Stakataka, the goal of this set is to become a powerhouse that snowballs quickly thanks to the almighty Beast Boost. Air Slash is basic STAB coverage, as well as the only special Flying move it gets; Giga Drain is a good option especially for problematic Water-types, and gives me a bit of HP back for my troubles; and Flamethrower is no-brainer coverage for other Steel-types like Ferrothorn. The last moveslot was originally occupied by Shock Wave (yes, I know), but I figured HP Ice might be more useful. I could very easily change it back, though; Shock Wave actually doesn't sound like terrible coverage. I didn't really think I needed Flash Cannon on this set, since I already have a full team with Steel coverage, and Specs Celesteela could probably hit most Steel-weak Pokémon pretty hard with the other moves anyway.
Ling Yao (Empoleon) (M) @ Iapapa Berry
Ability: Torrent
EVs: 252 HP / 8 Def / 4 SpA / 244 SpD
Sassy Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 0 Spe
- Scald
- Toxic
- Ice Beam
- Roar
This was the final addition to the team, used as another "how do I not lose to Fire-types" idea. It's reasonably slow and decently bulky, and that Fire neutralization could easily come in handy for the rest of the team. Showdown initially suggested a physically defensive spread, but I decided to swap over to special defense after looking at how comparatively high the average physical bulk was for my team. Plus, I figured Scald's chance to burn would help me in the physical bulk department anyway. Ice Beam's slot was originally occupied by Flash Cannon, but I switched it just for extra coverage. Toxic is useful for whittling if I don't get a burn from Scald, and Roar helps to whittle even more if I have my rocks up, or if I need to clear out a mon that's setting up on me. As for the Iapapa Berry, I'm not entirely sure why I have that. I'm considering changing it to Leftovers, but having the clutch 50% gain could be useful in certain situations so I'm on the fence about it.
So that's all I've got. As I said, I'm still not the best teambuilder in the world, so any (CONSTRUCTIVE) criticism is welcomed here.
