So the other day, I realized that Sturdy and Pain Split are a pretty freaking awesome combo together. So, I decided to build a sorta gimmicky team around the idea. However, I didn't expect that such a silly idea would actually turn out to be an amazing team that has very few good counters. So far, I've had around 20 battles with this team, and I've only lost once or twice, so I figured I'd post to RMT to see if I could make this half-gimmick of a team the best it could be!
Dedicated Lead
Probopass @ Berry Juice
Ability: Sturdy
Level: 2
- Stealth Rock
- Pain Split
- Magic Coat
- Toxic
Yeah, I know dedicated leads have been out of style since the BW era, but this guy's pretty much the MVP of sorts for my team. As I mentioned in the header, I realized that Sturdy + Pain Split would be devastating, and here's why: If your level is low enough, each hit you take will knock you down to Sturdy, and you'll always be slower to hit with Pain Split. Then, your HP will almost certainly be recovered all the way, allowing Sturdy to activate again. It's a simple idea, but extremely effective. The first turn of the battle, I lead with Stealth Rock to get entry hazards down. If the opposing Pokemon attacks me, I get knocked down to Sturdy, which activates Berry Juice allowing me to return to full HP. From there, I just Pain Split away, draining the Opposing Poke's HP by about half each time. If I predict that the opposing Poke will go for a Status move of any sort, I simply have to Magic Coat and shoot it back at them. Toxic is for whenever I have a free turn after setting Rocks when I still have my Berry Juice. Say, when the opponent goes for a non-damaging move on the first turn and I don't properly predict it. Then, I can use Toxic to, well, inflict Toxic Poison on them. I have to be careful, however, as Toxic Poison might get them down so low that Pain Split won't fully heal me, in which case I have to switch out.
I chose Probopass for this role over Pineco, who could also work with Sturdy/Pain Split, and has both Spikes and Rapid Spin. However, Probopass' immunity to Toxic as well as access to Magic Coat are far more useful, as Will-O-Wisp is much less common than Toxic is.
Probably the best part about this strategy is that if Probopass is still at full HP, I can switch him back in after a faint and continue to Pain Split, which makes dealing with many defensive Pokemon much easier than it would be otherwise. Of course, to keep my HP full on a switch, I need to remove entry hazards, which requires the use of a Rapid Spinner. Eventually, I decided on...
Spinner/Sweeper
Hitmonlee @ Normal Gem
Ability: Unburden
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Fake Out
- High Jump Kick
- Knock Off
- Rapid Spin
So this may seem like it's among the weirdest sets on here, but it's actually really effective. Normal Gem + Fake Out + Unburden is really effective for an auto Agility, and it allows Hitmonlee to run Adamant without the worry of being outsped. Anyway, the strategy here is simple: Fake Out first turn to activate Unburden, and proceed to sweep. Then, when Hitmonlee is at the end of its time, Rapid Spin to get rid of hazards. HJK and Knock Off have good coverage between them, although they can't do much to fairies, especially Armoitesse, so I have to be sure to take care of it before this guy comes out. Hitmonlee seems to work best Mid and Late game when a lot of stuff has a chunk of health taken off. Probably the best part of having both Fake Out and Rapid Spin is that I can get the Normal Gem to activate even if the opponent sends out a Ghost first turn. I just Knock them Off (probably KOing) and use rapid spin against whatever comes out, provided I think I can survive a hit from it. If I don't think so, then I can switch out and Fake Out my next time in.
I'm considering investing more in Bulk than Speed, as hitting 420 (Blaze It!) Speed after Unburden is still no joke. More Bulk would help me take attacks that would normally KO. Hitmonlee has really good special bulk on its own, and investment would probably be good for it. I dunno, what do you guys think?
Anyway, Hitmonlee's great, but I really need something to take care of Fairies, because they're stupid strong and such. So, I decided that the best way to take down Fairies is with one of the most OP pokes in the tier:
Bulky Set Up Sweeper
Doublade @ Eviolite
Ability: No Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Shadow Sneak
- Shadow Claw
- Iron Head
There's nothing much to say about Doublade that you probably don't already know if you've played RU. He's incredibly strong and can sweep with Shadow Sneak and do a decent job of killing anything that isn't Normal-Type, and even if so, Iron Head does a good chunk to it. Shadow Claw is there in case a Shadow Sneak won't do the trick and the Poke in question doesn't pose a huge threat.
Anyway, like any good team, I needed a good core to compliment the rest of the guys on my team (although one normally creates the core before the rest...). Like most people, I am a big fan of FWG cores, and one would fit fairly well with the other guys on my team. I figured my primary concern was my need of good wallbreakers, since my other guys (save Doublade, in some cases) can't do it the best. Therefor, I decided that the Water-Type in my FWG would be...
Bulky Wallbreaker
Clawitzer @ Choice Specs
Ability: Mega Launcher
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
Modest Nature
- Water Pulse
- Aura Sphere
- Dark Pulse
- Ice Beam
A relatively standard Clawitzer. This think hits like a freaking truck and can OHKO or 2HKO most important things in the meta. Its movepool gives it literally everything it needs to take stuff down. Except Hydro Pump, I guess, but I tend towards the better accuracy moves anyway.
Interestingly enough, I hardly ever use Water Pulse on this guy because there always seems to be a better move among the three of them. I'm considering replacing it altogether with Sludge Bomb for more Fairy killing abilities. This would leave him STABless, but if he doesn't use his STAB anyway, I can't really see a reason not to. Besides, Aura Sphere and Dark Pulse are almost as strong anyay. Thoughts?
Continuing the FWG Core, I realized that the other Pokes that would give me the most trouble are Doublade and Yanmega (Who's on the slate to be banned now anyway so who cares at this point). After some thought, I decided that the best possible Doublade Counter, as well as a generally great Fire Type, would be...
Sweeper
Pyroar (F) @ Choice Specs
Ability: Unnerve
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Flamethrower
- Hyper Voice
- Dark Pulse
- Hidden Power [Grass]
Yusssss. This thing is extremely underrated, IMO. Its trollish Base 106 speed allows it to juuuust barely outspeed things like non-Scarf Delphox. Flamethrower and Hyper Voice are great STAB, Dark Pulse is awesome coverage, and HP grass takes care of Rhydon and Gastrodon. It's also the ideal counter to Doublade, being immune to Shadow Sneak, Shadow Claw, and resisting Iron Head. Furthermore, it can OHKO with Flamethrower. Also, Hyper Voice can hit through Substitute, which is probably the biggest counter to Probopass' Pain Split.
And finally, the Grass-Type member of my team, although probably the least useful:
Sweeper/Wallbreaker/Bulky Thing
Virizion @ Leftovers
Ability: Justified
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Leaf Blade
- Sacred Sword
- X-Scissor
- Synthesis
This thing's pretty interesting. It hits harder than you'd expect with only base 90 Attack, and its STAB combination is pretty sweet. X-scissor is mostly for filler, as there aren't many moments when I'd rather use it than switch. I'm considering running a bulky Swords Dance variant with Leaf Blade/Sacred Sword/Swords Dance/Synthesis. Anyway, this thing's main job is to take care of special-based threats due to its amazing natural Special Defense.
Final Glance at the Team:
Thanks a lot for reading all this! Thoughts or suggestions on what to improve? I'd love to hear criticism about it!
Dedicated Lead
Probopass @ Berry Juice
Ability: Sturdy
Level: 2
- Stealth Rock
- Pain Split
- Magic Coat
- Toxic
Yeah, I know dedicated leads have been out of style since the BW era, but this guy's pretty much the MVP of sorts for my team. As I mentioned in the header, I realized that Sturdy + Pain Split would be devastating, and here's why: If your level is low enough, each hit you take will knock you down to Sturdy, and you'll always be slower to hit with Pain Split. Then, your HP will almost certainly be recovered all the way, allowing Sturdy to activate again. It's a simple idea, but extremely effective. The first turn of the battle, I lead with Stealth Rock to get entry hazards down. If the opposing Pokemon attacks me, I get knocked down to Sturdy, which activates Berry Juice allowing me to return to full HP. From there, I just Pain Split away, draining the Opposing Poke's HP by about half each time. If I predict that the opposing Poke will go for a Status move of any sort, I simply have to Magic Coat and shoot it back at them. Toxic is for whenever I have a free turn after setting Rocks when I still have my Berry Juice. Say, when the opponent goes for a non-damaging move on the first turn and I don't properly predict it. Then, I can use Toxic to, well, inflict Toxic Poison on them. I have to be careful, however, as Toxic Poison might get them down so low that Pain Split won't fully heal me, in which case I have to switch out.
I chose Probopass for this role over Pineco, who could also work with Sturdy/Pain Split, and has both Spikes and Rapid Spin. However, Probopass' immunity to Toxic as well as access to Magic Coat are far more useful, as Will-O-Wisp is much less common than Toxic is.
Probably the best part about this strategy is that if Probopass is still at full HP, I can switch him back in after a faint and continue to Pain Split, which makes dealing with many defensive Pokemon much easier than it would be otherwise. Of course, to keep my HP full on a switch, I need to remove entry hazards, which requires the use of a Rapid Spinner. Eventually, I decided on...
Spinner/Sweeper
Hitmonlee @ Normal Gem
Ability: Unburden
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Fake Out
- High Jump Kick
- Knock Off
- Rapid Spin
So this may seem like it's among the weirdest sets on here, but it's actually really effective. Normal Gem + Fake Out + Unburden is really effective for an auto Agility, and it allows Hitmonlee to run Adamant without the worry of being outsped. Anyway, the strategy here is simple: Fake Out first turn to activate Unburden, and proceed to sweep. Then, when Hitmonlee is at the end of its time, Rapid Spin to get rid of hazards. HJK and Knock Off have good coverage between them, although they can't do much to fairies, especially Armoitesse, so I have to be sure to take care of it before this guy comes out. Hitmonlee seems to work best Mid and Late game when a lot of stuff has a chunk of health taken off. Probably the best part of having both Fake Out and Rapid Spin is that I can get the Normal Gem to activate even if the opponent sends out a Ghost first turn. I just Knock them Off (probably KOing) and use rapid spin against whatever comes out, provided I think I can survive a hit from it. If I don't think so, then I can switch out and Fake Out my next time in.
I'm considering investing more in Bulk than Speed, as hitting 420 (Blaze It!) Speed after Unburden is still no joke. More Bulk would help me take attacks that would normally KO. Hitmonlee has really good special bulk on its own, and investment would probably be good for it. I dunno, what do you guys think?
Anyway, Hitmonlee's great, but I really need something to take care of Fairies, because they're stupid strong and such. So, I decided that the best way to take down Fairies is with one of the most OP pokes in the tier:
Bulky Set Up Sweeper
Doublade @ Eviolite
Ability: No Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Shadow Sneak
- Shadow Claw
- Iron Head
There's nothing much to say about Doublade that you probably don't already know if you've played RU. He's incredibly strong and can sweep with Shadow Sneak and do a decent job of killing anything that isn't Normal-Type, and even if so, Iron Head does a good chunk to it. Shadow Claw is there in case a Shadow Sneak won't do the trick and the Poke in question doesn't pose a huge threat.
Anyway, like any good team, I needed a good core to compliment the rest of the guys on my team (although one normally creates the core before the rest...). Like most people, I am a big fan of FWG cores, and one would fit fairly well with the other guys on my team. I figured my primary concern was my need of good wallbreakers, since my other guys (save Doublade, in some cases) can't do it the best. Therefor, I decided that the Water-Type in my FWG would be...
Bulky Wallbreaker
Clawitzer @ Choice Specs
Ability: Mega Launcher
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
Modest Nature
- Water Pulse
- Aura Sphere
- Dark Pulse
- Ice Beam
A relatively standard Clawitzer. This think hits like a freaking truck and can OHKO or 2HKO most important things in the meta. Its movepool gives it literally everything it needs to take stuff down. Except Hydro Pump, I guess, but I tend towards the better accuracy moves anyway.
Interestingly enough, I hardly ever use Water Pulse on this guy because there always seems to be a better move among the three of them. I'm considering replacing it altogether with Sludge Bomb for more Fairy killing abilities. This would leave him STABless, but if he doesn't use his STAB anyway, I can't really see a reason not to. Besides, Aura Sphere and Dark Pulse are almost as strong anyay. Thoughts?
Continuing the FWG Core, I realized that the other Pokes that would give me the most trouble are Doublade and Yanmega (Who's on the slate to be banned now anyway so who cares at this point). After some thought, I decided that the best possible Doublade Counter, as well as a generally great Fire Type, would be...
Sweeper
Pyroar (F) @ Choice Specs
Ability: Unnerve
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Flamethrower
- Hyper Voice
- Dark Pulse
- Hidden Power [Grass]
Yusssss. This thing is extremely underrated, IMO. Its trollish Base 106 speed allows it to juuuust barely outspeed things like non-Scarf Delphox. Flamethrower and Hyper Voice are great STAB, Dark Pulse is awesome coverage, and HP grass takes care of Rhydon and Gastrodon. It's also the ideal counter to Doublade, being immune to Shadow Sneak, Shadow Claw, and resisting Iron Head. Furthermore, it can OHKO with Flamethrower. Also, Hyper Voice can hit through Substitute, which is probably the biggest counter to Probopass' Pain Split.
And finally, the Grass-Type member of my team, although probably the least useful:
Sweeper/Wallbreaker/Bulky Thing
Virizion @ Leftovers
Ability: Justified
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Leaf Blade
- Sacred Sword
- X-Scissor
- Synthesis
This thing's pretty interesting. It hits harder than you'd expect with only base 90 Attack, and its STAB combination is pretty sweet. X-scissor is mostly for filler, as there aren't many moments when I'd rather use it than switch. I'm considering running a bulky Swords Dance variant with Leaf Blade/Sacred Sword/Swords Dance/Synthesis. Anyway, this thing's main job is to take care of special-based threats due to its amazing natural Special Defense.
Final Glance at the Team:
Thanks a lot for reading all this! Thoughts or suggestions on what to improve? I'd love to hear criticism about it!
