Smart Strategy | Swagger | #1 Peak

Fixed

SWAGGER IS NOW BANNED IN XY UBERS

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I personally think the move Swagger should be banned to create a more healthy metagame by making it harder to force luck-based situations. There is currently a suspect discussion taking place on Pokemon Online. I created this team in the first place to find out how to best abuse the move Swagger and to see how powerful it is in the hands of a competent player. After the team was created, I have used it on the PO ladder and got into the top 10 with it. I have since made some small changes to optimize the team, which you will be able to see below. Two nights ago I wanted to see how this team did on the PS ladder was drunk and unable to sleep so I trolled the PS ladder, and to my amazement the team did even better than on the PO ladder. I saw it would be possible to peak the ladder, so I set this as a small goal for myself. After many battles with mixed luck it has happened today, and that's why I'm writing this RMT. I feel slightly bad for using this horrible strategy, but on the other hand I believe that one should be allowed anything available to try to win. I also hope that this post will spark some discussion on a possible ban of the move Swagger in Ubers.


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Deoxys-Speed @ Focus Sash
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Taunt
- Spikes
- Dark Pulse
- Stealth Rock

Despite this not being your average team, it still benefits a lot from a good old Deoxys lead. Deoxys gives me a huge advantage against teams without a Defog user, as they will no longer be able to switch around to beat my Swagger Pokemon. Deoxys is also very good at antileading, and very often gives me momentum right from the start of the match. Dark Pulse is used to hit other Deoxys and lure the rare Magic Bounce users. It is superior to Knock Off because of the flinch chance. Not much else can be said about Deoxys, as it is pretty standard.

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Klefki (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SDef / 4 Spd
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Swagger
- Foul Play
- Substitute
- Thunder Wave

Here we have the first Swagger abuser. This set is very well known by now, and has caused rage to many Pokemon trainers already. Klefki's amazing typing and decent bulk give it many opportunities to come in and start the Swagger/Substitute cycle. Once Klefki is behind a substitute, it requires several attacks to hit past confusion to beat it. Thunder Wave is very useful not only to make it harder for the opponent to move, but also as a last resort move to slow down a threat or to cripple an opposing Pokemon enough for Xerneas to set up and win. The EVs are standard, you could possibly speed creep more for opposing Klefki though.

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Sableye (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SDef
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Swagger
- Foul Play
- Substitute
- Will-O-Wisp

Sableye is the second Swagger user on the team. It doesn't have the amazing defensive typing of Klefki, but Sableye's immunity to Extremespeed and access to Will-o-wisp make it crucial as a check to Extremekiller Arceus. Other physical attackers like Scizor and annoying Pokemon like Ferrothorn and Forretress can also be dealt with easily by Will-o-wisp. The other three moves, Swagger, Foul Play and Substitute, should be well known by now. As a bonus, Sableye gets STAB on Foul Play, allowing it to hit much harder than other Swagger users.

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Gengar (M) @ Gengarite
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SAtk / 36 SDef / 220 Spd
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 30 SAtk / 30 Spd
- Taunt
- Sludge Wave
- Destiny Bond
- Hidden Power [Fire]

Mega Gengar is one of the best Pokemon in the game, and it also gives invaluable support to Swagger teams. Chansey and bulky Fairy-types do a very good job walling my Swagger abusers, and Gengar traps them for me. With HP Fire I can also hit Scizor, Ferrothorn and Forretress, who would otherwise do well against this team. I cannot run maximum Speed with it though, so I have chosen just to outspeed Darkrai. More speed could be used to outspeed Shaymin-S, and Terrakion before evolving. The small investment in Special Defense gives me a higher chance to survive Xerneas' +2 Moonblast, in case I mess up against a Substitute variant or just when killing off a paralyzed one.

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Ditto @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Imposter
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SDef
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 1 Atk / 0 Spd
- Transform

Ditto is another very important supporter for a Swagger team. Swagger boosts the opponent's attack stats, and Ditto can copy these boosts from a physical attacker and use them to sweep the opposing team. Especially opposing Arceus, Blaziken, Zekrom and Ho-oh are great win conditions when copying them with Ditto. Besides that, Ditto generally fits well because I lack checks to every threat in the metagame, so I can use Ditto in a pinch to check something like Kyogre when I don't want to risk either of my Swagger users. The EVs are for Ditto vs Ditto matchups, and the IVs give me HP Ice.

EDIT: User Piexplode has noted that special defence EVs are not completely useless, so I have added this very crucial change.

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Xerneas @ Power Herb
Ability: Fairy Aura
EVs: 204 HP / 252 SAtk / 52 Spd
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Swagger
- Geomancy
- Moonblast
- Substitute

Last but not least, the final Swagger abuser. Well, this is not really a Swagger abuser but it has saved me on a few occasions. Feel free to replace it with a normal move like Thunder though. Anyways, SubGeo Xerneas fits extremely well on Swagger teams, using the free turns to set up a sweep. Swagger is especially good against Aegislash, and also gives me a chance against phazers like Lugia. It can also create turns for me to set up against naturally slower Pokemon, and sometimes set up an opposing physical attacker like Ho-oh for Ditto to copy. Xerneas is not only an excellent sweeper in general, it is also my only answer to some stall teams that can otherwise PP stall my Swagger users. Especially Blissey does amazingly against the rest of the team but often turns out to be setup bait for Xerneas.



That was it. Feel free to rate hate, and/or abuse the hell out of this until it gets banned.

Import:
Ditto @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Imposter
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SDef
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 1 Atk / 0 Spd
- Transform

Gengar (M) @ Gengarite
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SAtk / 36 SDef / 220 Spd
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 30 SAtk / 30 Spd
- Taunt
- Sludge Wave
- Destiny Bond
- Hidden Power [Fire]

Klefki (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SDef / 4 Spd
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Swagger
- Foul Play
- Substitute
- Thunder Wave

Xerneas @ Power Herb
Ability: Fairy Aura
EVs: 204 HP / 252 SAtk / 52 Spd
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Swagger
- Geomancy
- Moonblast
- Substitute

Sableye (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SDef
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Swagger
- Foul Play
- Substitute
- Will-O-Wisp

Deoxys-Speed @ Focus Sash
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Taunt
- Spikes
- Dark Pulse
- Stealth Rock
 
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Using swagger on xerneas to get rid of checks like aegislash/lugia is very disapointing.I'm pretty sure this team gets beaten by stall easily as the team is luck-based.

Just to remind you how broken swagplay is this team gets wrecked by steelceus running magic coat, thunder wave, iron head and recover.

Still a very disappointing team.
 
lol garbage team

knock knock off>dark pulse on deo, hazards suck they are pretty bad
megagar is suboptimal, bad poke in general, chansey>gar
run minimize/softboiled/heal bell/stoss oc

to all the scrubs complaining about swagplay being gay and stuff:

"if you cant outplay a coinflip then honestly that's your problem"

~~√-1/10 needs more swagwave~~
 
I would just like to offer my congratulations to Fixed for successfully wielding this skill-intensive strategy, colloquially known as "cancer," on the ever-challenging battlefield of "Pokemon Showdown!". Since its introduction, the quality of play on the Ubers ladder improved exponentially. Your team does suffer what can be deemed a crippling weakness to the perennial Ubers powerhouse Numel, but otherwise I cannot find fault with this balanced and inventive squad. Kudos ^^
 
so yeah as far as swagger is uncompetitive and getting hated and all, this team would prove why it deserves a ban in ubers (if proof was even needed). as for the team itself, it's pretty well thought through although i disagree with some build choices. i'd firstly like to see icy wind on gengar somewhere, ground types like lando-t and especially gliscor prove quite silly for your swagger core to break through, so i'd say icy wind gives you a much more healthy match up there. replacing destiny bond might be a little unfeasible so i understand it's hard to fit but i'd really make an effort to. if you forgo hp fire on gengar, using it on xerneas becomes mandatory. the flinch chance of dark pulse might be appealing but considering the chances of flinching a fellow deo-s is rather low (needs to win tie and 25 % chance) I'd just use knock off since it helps a lot more in general, examples being opposing ditto, xerneas (if you somehow get taunted/magic coat bounced a taunt against you from something like gothitelle, which can happen- look at furai vs aim in spl), or even rip off subpar players gliscors' tox orbs.
 
Lol this team is garbage imo (at least against my luck). I mean congrats on #1 and making what is possibly the best swagger team also. Although, you have such a hard time with ground types so what hack said is probably a good idea. I've won 3/4 times and the last time was because I didn't use groudon (love that sun offense doe). Also kyogre kinda poops on the team imo. If you miss the swagger or they don't get para most of the time it was gg. At least when I saw you play against it you lost a lot of times. Well hope it gets banned and thanks for being a good sport on the ladder. Final note the guy who kept calling you the n-word actually starting using it and claiming it as his own and then calling me bad. Unlike you where you were actually were kinda nice in chat.
 
Congratulation for creating a fucking cancer. Literally the reason why I don't ladder on PS. Peace and cuz everybody does that: 'fuck you for the Team'. But I don t mean that cuz I like you. nevertheless ur a good player(who gets destroyed in finals by Reflect Type Gengar ^)
 
Hack He Must said:
so yeah as far as swagger is uncompetitive and getting hated and all, this team would prove why it deserves a ban in ubers (if proof was even needed). as for the team itself, it's pretty well thought through although i disagree with some build choices. i'd firstly like to see icy wind on gengar somewhere, ground types like lando-t and especially gliscor prove quite silly for your swagger core to break through, so i'd say icy wind gives you a much more healthy match up there. replacing destiny bond might be a little unfeasible so i understand it's hard to fit but i'd really make an effort to. if you forgo hp fire on gengar, using it on xerneas becomes mandatory. the flinch chance of dark pulse might be appealing but considering the chances of flinching a fellow deo-s is rather low (needs to win tie and 25 % chance) I'd just use knock off since it helps a lot more in general, examples being opposing ditto, xerneas (if you somehow get taunted/magic coat bounced a taunt against you from something like gothitelle, which can happen- look at furai vs aim in spl), or even rip off subpar players gliscors' tox orbs.
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Hmm, Icy Wind is interesting, I haven't thought of that. Running HP Fire on Xerneas makes me weaker to Ho-oh though, so not really sure what to do. Maybe replace Destiny Bond after all, tough decisions... About Knock Off vs Dark Pulse, I see what you mean, but I still prefer Dark Pulse. It flinches not only Deoxys-S but also Deoxys-A and random stuff I've seen like Gengar and also hits Cloyster a lot harder.
 
Fixed said:
Running HP Fire on Xerneas makes me weaker to Ho-oh though, so not really sure what to do.
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Well tbh its not like Xern is going to check Ho-Oh anytime soon (except for like LO or Scarf with Rock Slide).

About Knock Off vs Dark Pulse, I see what you mean, but I still prefer Dark Pulse. It flinches not only Deoxys-S but also Deoxys-A and random stuff I've seen like Gengar and also hits Cloyster a lot harder.
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Well, Knock Off is probably better, but if you're using SwagPlay, may as well use a flinch hax move anyways :)
 
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