Project SS Monotype Community-Create-A-Team

[Elliot]

approved by Chaitanya / banner by Jolly Togekiss ^-^ / Original OP by Tyke

Welcome to Monotype Community-Create-A-Team, a weekly Monotype Event where users come together to build fresh new teams, as a community.​

During the process of a CCAT, the host guides the community through the process of building a team. Users involved will work together step-by-step to decide the team's build, pick teammates to support the core, and flesh out sets. Finished teams will be posted in this thread and gathered in the post below, alongside a brief description of the team-building process.

There will be 2 phases of selecting what the team shall be built around:

Submissions Phase:
Anyone may comment in this thread a set, core, or archetype they would like to build around, including the generation the team is to be built in, and the type the set, core, or archetype will be on. This phase will run from as soon as the previous CCAT is posted, to Thursday midnight / Friday. The submissions will then be grouped together for the next phase. (all times GMT)

Voting Phase:
Users will comment which of the options they like the most, and the winner will be what the next CCAT is based around. This phase will run from Thursday midnight / Friday, to be ended & tallied ready for the CCAT to start on Saturdays at 00:00pm GMT. (all times GMT)

Hosting:
The hosts of the CCAT will not necessarily be the same each week; Mateeus , Jolly Togekiss, Firnen, and I run the project however anybody the four of us deem trustworthy may host. Do not use this thread to ask to become a host. We will decide the hosts ourselves.

Here are some general guidelines regarding CCATs:

• Every CCAT will centre team-building around a specific idea––a core, a set, or an archetype––which has already been selected in this thread. Do not argue or appeal this idea during discussion. You may use this thread as a place to suggest cores or ideas for an upcoming CCAT.
• Suggestions for the team should be thoughtful. Remember that the purpose of the CCAT project is to build teams that are viable in the metagame. Creative and unconventional ideas are welcome and should be discussed.
• When discussing a Pokemon, consider it both individually and in the larger context of the team. What role does it fill? How does it support the team? What support does it itself need?
• Be prepared to make many revisions to the team over the course of the CCAT. Adjustments to movesets, EVs, or entire teamslots will be common at each stage of team-building.
• Remember, discussion should, first and foremost, be civil and respectful. Flaming, shitposting, and hostility will not be tolerated.

 

[Mateeus]

Archive

CCAT Built Teams

click on the sprites to get each team's importable!

Week 1 (SS Monotype) - Scarf Cobalion + AV Pangoro

core submitted by Fírnen

Description

This team was built around the core of AV Pangoro and Scarf Cobalion. We started by sorting out the slashed moves that Firnen left, and worked from there. The decisions of the moves were based on Megahorn not really hitting too much for Cobalion whereas Stone Edge was handy versus Fire when we weren't use Terrakion, and for Pangoro we chose Gunk Shot to hit things like Hatterene, and also because Fairy would have no switchins.

After these two moves we knew we wanted a lead; the chat liked the idea of a Focus Sash Terrakion so we went ahead with that. Our only decision here was for the last moveslot, which was a choice between Rock Polish, Swords Dance, Taunt, and Earthquake. The final set we chose was Taunt, however Rock Polish was a close second and it would be a very viable option for those testing alternative forms of the team. Taunt is here to counter lead but also to help (but not beat) against Corviknight and Toxapex, and other bulky walls.

The next Pokemon was Conkeldurr, everybody in the chat agreed we were going to use it so it seemed like an obvious next option. The first choice was between the itemslot; Flame Orb, or Roseli Berry. We knew that this team was using Scarf Cobalion which is a very helpful option for Fairy, so it seemed like Defog / Roseli Berry was a good idea, as it meant Conkeldurr was more able to keep webs away whilst facing Fairy which allows for Cobalion to do a lot of damage in general. After we had decided the item, the next choice was the moves. The first 3 moves (Drain Punch, Mach Punch, and Defog) were immediately obvious so the last moveslot was up for debate. The options we had were Earthquake, Poison Jab, and Ice Punch. Poison Jab was fairly easily ruled out as against Fairy Conkeldurr should be using Defog anyway, so it was between Ice Punch and Earthquake were ultimately we chose EQ to help against Steel and to hit Toxapex.

After Conkeldurr, we chose Keldeo. The choice here was between Sub / Calm Mind, and Taunt / Calm Mind. The chat was fairly unanimously in favour of Taunt because it helped us beat bulky walls more, which are big problems versus Fighting, and freeing up those slots allows our other pokemon to sweep more easily. It is worth mentioning in particular that without Taunt, Keldeo loses to Toxapex.

Our final Pokemon was the step that took the most deliberation. The options were Hawlucha, Kommo-o, Virizion, and Toxicroak. We ultimately chose Kommo-o as a late game sweeper as a lot of our team was able to beat the bulkier walls that Kommo-o struggles with. Taunt is again necessary for Kommo-o and the other two moves are again necessary, so this set was fairly easily decided. As for the ability, Bulletproof was the better option to allow for setting up against a choice-locked Pokemon using Shadow Ball or Focus Blast, and other bullet moves when they do situationally come up.

Once we had finished the team and looked again there were no changes offered, however people considered changing Taunt on Terrakion for Rock Polish, and Darkest Lariat on Pangoro for Knock Off.

Week 2 (SS Monotype) - Band Haxorus

submitted by Mateeus

Description

Given Haxorus Dragon was the winning submission, the main goal was to build a team that could take the utmost advantage of its perks - a powerful 90 BP priority move in First Impression to revenge kill threatening setup sweepers and overall amazing wallbreaking power. We firstly decided to choose one of the slashed moves in the fourth slot, and Close Combat was chosen by the majority of contributors to further threaten Normal and Dark teams.

Next up, the community decided we wanted a Stealth Rock setter. The entry hazard is really useful for offensive teams, and it further synergizes with Haxorus by putting frailer, faster threats like Scarf Gardevoir into First Impression's KO range. Two options of Stealth Rock users are available to Dragon teams, those being Kommo-o and Duraludon. Since the fourth slot on Haxorus was Close Combat, Kommo-o was less necessary; therefore, Duraludon was the preffered option for the second slot as a setter that can threaten a different range of types, mainly Fairy. We decided to use a defensive set with Body Press, Flash Cannon and Thunder Wave instead of the usual Scarf or Screens, as voted by the contributors.

Due to its astonishing impact on the current metagame, adding Kyurem-Black on the third slot was a consensual move among all teambuilders present. Being able to pull fair amounts of work in various matchups, the flagship DD + Substitute set was chosen. Item choice was between Leftovers and Heavy-Duty Boots; the former had more votes, so we decided to stick with it, having the mentality we needed a hazard remover later on.

The team was looking rather slow at this point; our fastest Pokemon was Haxorus. Therefore, Scarf Dragapult was a shoe-in for the fourth slot as a capable revenge killer that could enhance our matchups versus offensive teams. Draco Meteor, Shadow Ball and Fire Blast were no-brainers; however, the majority of voters decided to go with Grudge on the last slot to further support a Kyurem-Black sweep by disabling opposing threats' moves entirely.

A couple of options were brought for the last two slots of the team - Scarf Dracovish, Hydreigon, Offensive Kommo-o and Noivern were some of the suggestions. The chat fancied Hydreigon more on the fifth slot because its special wallbreaking prowess versus Psychic, Ghost and Steel teams complemented Haxorus's targets and formed, thus, a wallbreaking core for the team. Both STABs and Flamethrower were approved by everyone; last slot was a toss-up between Earth Power and Flash Cannon, on which the latter received more votes due to its ability to kill Hatterene and Mimikyu.

To tie the team off, Noivern was the choice for the contributors to give the team a much-needed form of hazard removal in Defog. U-turn and Taunt were chosen as support moves, while Draco Meteor was voted over Hurricane as its attacking move. The chat voted on Roseli Berry as the item for Noivern, allowing it to blow off entry hazards better against Fairy teams.

Week 3 (SS Monotype) - Defensive Incineroar

submitted by Roxiee

Description

We started out with AV Incineroar. We decided to add scarf Hydreigon to help with the dragon matchup. Hydreigon is dark’s only strong special attacker, so we thought it was a good first inclusion. We also knew that we wanted a Stealth Rock setter. Tyranitar could set up Stealth Rocks or sweep with Dragon Dance. This role compression gave us more freedom for the rest of our team.

Mandibuzz is almost an auto-include on dark. We gave it a fairly standard set with u-turn to keep up momentum. Brave Bird was added as an option later to help deal with Kommo-o and Keldeo.

We decided to have some fun and add a unique Grimmsnarl set. Sub + nasty plot can set up on pex and beat water. Draining kiss gave Grimmisnarl recovery and a way to kill keldeo/dark types. Substitute also allowed Grimmsnarl to set up on utility Pokémon.

Our last Pokémon was highly debated, but we ended up running Bisharp. Originally we had scarf drapion in this slot. We needed a Pokémon capable of dealing with bulky fairy types. Drapion added utility, but didn’t give us the wallbreaking power that we wanted. Bisharp’s steel typing also helped add some resistances to the team. After adding Bisharp, we realized that Incineroar would be better as a pivot/utility Pokémon, and so we voted to change the set.

Week 4 (BW Monotype) - Scarf Mienshao

submitted by Jolly Togekiss ^-^

Description

Choice Scarf Mienshao was the winning submission. It's a powerful, fast revenge killer that can late-game sweep weakened teams (most notably Water and Steel) while having wallbreaking potential in the form of Reckless-boosted High Jump Kicks. To complement Mienshao's wallbreaking potential, our first addition was Rocks Cobalion with Volt Switch to form a VoltTurn core, allowing the team to have boosted momentum.

After that, the majority of people present wanted a way to further countermeasure Psychic, BW's premier type at the moment. Scrafty was the addition of choice; with a specially defensive Bulk Up set, it can leave a dent on most Psychic teams. 48 Attack EV's enables it to OHKO Latios after a sole Bulk Up boost.

Fighting's relative versatility in terms of team options led to a community vote on the fourth slot. Keldeo was the winner, as people thought a wallbreaker was needed for the team. Given that, Specs was the set we opted for, with Icy Wind on the last slot to serve as a win condition against Dragon teams.

The participants were debating on either Terrakion or Breloom at this point. A vote was held to decide it, and Breloom had the most approval as Water is also a huge type in BW. To focus on beating Water, we chose Swords Dance + Poison Heal, with Facade and Seed Bomb as attacking moves and Protect to scout attacks from possible Choice-locked Pokemon like Politoed and Keldeo.

Lastly, the team was in need of a Fighting-type resist, as Scarf Terrakion/Keldeo steamrolled. Between Heracross and Toxicroak, we decided to go with the former, mainly because it enables the team to have a very positive matchup against Psychic with a Choice Scarf set. Guts was the ability of choice for it to act as a secondary status absorber.

Week 5 (SS Monotype) - Libero Cinderace

submitted by Decem

Description

With Libero (essentially a rebranded Protean) being released on Cinderace, its status on Fire suddenly went from good to one of the type's staples. Between its good attacking coverage and supportive movepool, Libero Cinderace has a fair amount of possibilities that can help Fire as a whole in the current metagame, both in anti-meta terms or the general spectrum. Between those combinations, three were the most discussed: Court Change + 3 attacks, Expert Belt all-out wallbreaker and a Bulk Up set that takes utmost advantage of the switches it forces. The latter one received more votes from the community, as it was the less "obvious" option.

After Cinderace, Torkoal was the unanimous choice for the second slot due to the overall excellent support it provides, both for Cinderace and Fire. The decided set was straightforward: Stealth Rock chips opposition, Rapid Spin removes entry hazards, Lava Plume ensures it's not passive and Yawn can cripple targets with sleep. Heat Rock extends the turns of sun, further fueling Cinderace's Pyro Ball.

At this point, teambuilding pointed at speed control as the main hole to be filled. We went with Choice Scarf Charizard for this slot to guarantee the win against Steel and do a good cleaning job against types such as Dragon, Dark and Normal, which explains the insertion of both Focus Blast and Dragon Pulse alongside Solar Power. In the last slot, Solar Beam received more votes from the community to, in theory, help against Ground and Water.

Without Zen Headbutt on Cinderace, offensive Rotom-Heat was chosen unanimously to give the team a way to hit Toxapex, which is a huge threat to Fire on both types it is in. A wallbreaking Nasty Plot set further backed Cinderace as well, especially in matchups such as Poison, Flying and Water that it excels in. Overheat and Thunderbolt were chosen as the attacking moves, while Defog paired with Heavy-Duty Boots was elected in the last slot to give the team another form of hazard removal.

Another really good Pokemon on the current metagame, Incineroar was another shoe-in slot for our teambuilders. Its excellent bulk coupled with Intimidate and its part-Dark typing meant it could form a defensive backbone with Torkoal while threatening popular metagame types in Ghost and Psychic. Between Heavy-Duty Boots and Assault Vest, the former won the poll as it enabled us to run status moves such as Taunt and Parting Shot, which are very helpful for the team in various matchups. Knock Off is Knock Off, but the last move chosen was a surprise: Drain Punch, used to beat Bisharp and annoy Dark teams with the absence of High Jump Kick on Cinderace. 68 Defense EV's allows Incineroar to take a +4 Bisharp's Knock Off, thus shutting down a massive threat.

Fire's last slot is usually really versatile - and it was no different here. Salazzle, Arcanine, Ninetales, Darmanitan and Chandelure were all brought up by the contributors, each helping in a different array of matchups, but the dog sounded more appealing at the end. A Choice Band set was chosen to serve as a secondary wallbreaker that could pick off offensive threats with Extreme Speed, forming a priority core alongside Cinderace.

Week 6 (SM Monotype) - Guts Heracross + Mega Scizor

core submitted by Harpp

Description

Our first decision was to add a hazard control core of Araquanid + Forretress. The other option we considered was Galvantula + Armaldo. We decided Araquanid’s fire neutrality and Forretress’s bulk complemented the offensive core we started out with better.

The Araquanid set was suggested by maroon, and we all really liked it. The EVs allowed araquanid to survive a Return from Diggersby, a Hurricane from Mega Pidgeot, and outspeed Tyranitar. The final move on Forretress was debated, but we decided on Gyro Ball to give Forretress a chance to kill Mega Diancie. Rocky Helmet was the chosen item because it can wear down physical attackers and pivots.

Volcarona is a staple on Gen 7 Bug. This set allows Volcarona to sweep balanced water teams with the combination of Giga Drain and Psychium Z.

By far our biggest debate was over the last Pokemon. We knew we wanted speed control, but there were a few options to choose from. Yanmega had good coverage options, Scolipede was fast and could help against Fairy, but the option we chose was Buzzwole. Buzzwole has great coverage and has good bulk even when un-invested. When our debate was over, we had a few matches to test the team out.

Week 7 (SS Monotype) - Scizor + Boots Volcarona

core submitted by The Thunderbirds

Description

We started with the core of Quiver Dance Volcarona and Choice Band Scizor. We slightly edited the Volcarona set given to use because we felt that an offensive set suited the team better, and as there was no explanation provided with the core we assumed that changing them slightly would be ok, we stuck with Heavy-Duty Boots in the end as there is no hazard control on this team. We stuck with the same Scizor set and moved on to our hazards setter.

Shuckle was the option we chose to have a reliable Webs setter and a chance at getting Rocks up too, whilst also providing Knock Off and Encore utility. We opted for physical defensive ultimately so as to survive Urshifu's Surging Strikes.

After Shuckle we chose the next big drop for Bug in Heracross. This Pokemon adds speed control and sweeping potential, especially under Webs and with Rocks support.

The 5th Pokemon we chose was an offensive Galvantula set, utilising Volt Switch to attempt to bring Scizor and Heracross in, as well as Magnet to potentially bluff Sash. With Electric & Grass coverage Galvantula is able to hit every Pokemon on a Water-type team hard, whilst Bug Buzz is a strong STAB option.

For our final Pokemon we chose Ribombee to provide Fairy STAB against Dragon, with Stun Spore and Psychic to provide utility and hit Toxapex respectively. Again we chose Heavy-Duty Boots as we have no hazard control on this team.

Week 7 (SS Monotype) - Lead Krookodile + Band Urshifu

core submitted by smub

Description

We started out by adding Mandibuzz. Mandibuzz is a staple on Dark-type teams because it provides good hazard control, a Fighting/Bug-type neutrality, and acts as a slow pivot. We decided on a standard Heavy Duty Boots set with 16 speed EVs to outspeed Adamant Azumarill.

Dark really only has one viable special attacker, and it’s a good one. We had a debate over which Hydreigon set to add. Nasty Plot wasn’t needed to beat steel now that we have Urshifu. Specs is good for hurting water and breaking through steel types, but we decided that we needed a faster Pokemon to complement Mandibuzz’s slow pivoting. In the end we decided on a Choice Scarf set with Flash Cannon to hit Fairy-type Pokemon.

The next slot had quite a few options. At first we considered Sharpedo. Its new moveset and setup options seemed compelling, but we decided to add a fairy check first. In the battle between Drapion and Bisharp, we decided that Bisharp does the Fairy matchup better. Its Sucker Punch also forms a nice priority spam core with Urshifu.

In the final slot we needed to add some glue to keep the team together. Crawdaunt’s powerful Aqua Jet complemented the team nicely. Aqua Jet allows Crawdaunt to terrorize Fire-types and finish off many teams late game.

Week 8 (SS Monotype) - Dragalge

submitted by smub

Description

We started out by adding a stealth rock setter. Between Duraludon and Kommo-o, we decided that Kommo-o was a stronger dedicated lead.

Next we added Dragapult. Dragapult is a staple on dragon due to its speed and coverage options. We decided on a Choice Scarf set with U-turn to form a core with Dragalge.

Kyurem is a great addition to Dragon-type teams for its Ice neutrality, bulk, and ability to terrorize Water teams. We decided on a Specs set to maximize its sweeping power.

Hydreigon’s ability to take on bulky Steel-types makes it a great addition to the team. Substitute allows it to get extra turns of sweeping after setting up.

Duraludon’s Choice Scarf set allows dragon to have an easy answer to opposing Ice, Fairy, and Dragon-type Pokemon. We decided to add Thunder Wave for some extra utility and speed control.

The biggest change to the team came at the end. We decided that Kommo-o wasn’t as effective as a Stealth Rock setter, and we wanted another wallbreaker. We decided to do some role compression and add Stealth Rocks instead of Thunderbolt on Duraludon. Then we removed Kommo-o and replaced it with a Choice Band Dracovish. Dracovish is a great wallbreaker capable of taking on most of the Steel-type Pokemon that the team struggled with. We also changed the Kyurem set to have better synergy with Toxic Spikes. Sub + Roost allows Kyurem to set up on Water-type teams and break through Toxapex with Metronome.

Week 8 (SS Monotype) - Slowking + Toxapex

core submitted by Keahi

Description

We started out by adding the Water-type Urshifu. We started out with a Bulk Up set, but we changed it to a Choice Scarf set to help in the Psychic matchup. With U-turn, Urshifu is a solid pivot that works well in conjunction with Teleport Slowking.

Our pivot core needed a wallbreaker. Very few Pokemon hit as hard as Choice Band Crawdaunt. Its combination of strong priority and powerful STABs means it can break through almost every type, with limited switch-ins.

Primarina’s Fairy typing meant that the team had a switch to Dragon-type wallbreakers such as Choice Specs Hydreigon. We opted for a Calm Mind set, as it could put in large amounts of work in the Dark, Dragon, and Fighting matchups.

It wouldn’t be a very good water team without an Electric immunity. Seismitoad is great because it can set up Stealth Rock and take powerful water type attacks for the team by virtue of its ability Water Absorb.

Week 9 (SS Monotype) - Galarian Weezing

submitted by smub

Description

Galarian Weezing was the winner of the poll, so it was our Pokemon to build around for this CCAT. We went for the first set using Neutralizing Gas, as setting up Toxic Spikes without any restrictions + cancelling threats' abilities like Azumarill's Huge Power and Jirachi's Serene Grace sounded more appealing for the community. Out of the slashes, Flamethrower was chosen later on for the team to have a Scizor check and damage Steel-types in general.

Our two next teamslots were quickly decided; a hazard stack core satisfied the builders the most, so the SR user in Clefable and the Spikes one in Klefki were unanimously added onto the team. An offensive Clefable set won the votes, as it could threaten offensive teams and certain bulkier builds like Poison and Steel with surprise factor.

With hazard stacking + Dual Screens as our main strategy, we felt good set-up sweepers were needed to further abuse such support. That's where Azumarill and Mimikyu come in; both greatly appreciate the extra bulk given by screens and the chip damage provided by the triple hazards combo. Superpower was chosen as the last slot on Azumarill for it to be further threatening vs Steel and Normal while having an overall powerful move.

Choice Scarf Gardevoir was added to tie the team up as a fast speed control Pokemon and weather abusers' check, seeing the team lacked in both departments. A Healing Wish user also synergized well with the team's purpose, healing up the sweepers to do their job late-game.

Week 10 (NDex Monotype) - Nasty Plot Mega Alakazam + Indeedee

submitted by Tico 21

Description

Gen 8's DLC1 brought, alongside new moves, wider distribution of older ones to old Pokemon. One of the most benefitted ones was, without a single doubt, Mega Alakazam. Getting a blessed boosting move in Nasty Plot was enough to make it, on paper, much more viable than it was in the previous gens, taking advantage of its amazing coverage to tear apart most defensive cores after a single boost. Alongside it, Indeedee's Psychic Terrain support and Expanding Force meant it could have a powerful, boosted 120 (156 if counting Terrain) BP nuke most of the time.

At first glance, such a powerful offensive backbone immediately screamed "Hyper Offense" as its archetype. Having that in mind, participants all agreed that entry hazard support was, in fact, a must for the team. Deoxys-S won the poll over Celebi, Jirachi and Metagross. We chose the classic entry hazard lead Deoxys-Speed over the Dual Screens variant because hazard stacking softened up many defensive threats in theory.

The lack of physical presence on the team was immediately noted, and we didn't think once before putting in our next Pokemon: Victini. Psychic's small pool of physical attackers and Mega Gallade not being available meant splashing in the historic staple of Psychic teams was a no-brainer. A Choice Band set was the chosen one, enabling the team to hit hard on both sides. It also synergized well with Mega Alakazam by beating Psychic-type resists and special walls like Celesteela and Chansey.

Psychic's wide pool of viable offensive Pokemon kept us brainstorming for a while when deciding for the last two slots. Options like Hatterene to check Dragon-type teams better, Latias for Healing Wish support and Celebi for a bulky Water/Electric resistant pivot were all brought up, but we ended up with Latios as our Choice Scarfer and Jirachi as a secondary sweeper and Z-move user.

After finishing up the team and testing it for a while, we noticed it had some major flaws defensively that offensive pressure couldn't fill. Most faster Dark- and Electric- types seemingly ran through the team, as we had no response from them given Latios can only outspeed so much before dying and turning the team slow. Instead of opting for HO, Celebi was splashed alongside a SpDef + Healing Wish Jirachi set to create a more reliable variant of the team. Most people decided to use a wallbreaking Celebi set over a defensive one to have extra mileage against Water, Electric and Poison teams.

Week 11 (SS Monotype) - Spikes Heracross

submitted by smub

Description

We started by resolving the slash in smub's set, which we decided should be Jolly considering we appreciate the instant speed of Heracross in certain matchups.

As we aren't running Scarf Heracross, we will need something to hit Psychic. Scarf Urshifu was a natural choice as it adds necessary speed control and outspeeds most things on Psychic and 0hkos. The set is standard with Sucker Punch, one of our 2 forms of priority in the team.

We then chose Terrakion, and as we had speed control sorted we could afford a suicide lead which synergises with Heracross to form a hazard stacking core and is able to clean certain types with a well-timed Rock Polish.

The next natural choice was Keldeo, it adds important special wallbreaking power and coverage for the team. We chose Choice Specs to further boost its wallbreaking skills and gave it Air Slash as the coverage option.

As the team had a nice hazard stacking core and plenty of wallbreaking power, our next choice was Hawlucha to attempt to clean late game. We opted for Sky Attack so as to make sure we can still set up against Ghost.

Our final choice was a tricky one but we ultimately chose Toxicroak. This was to hit Fairy-types such as Hatterene, use its priority to remove faster threats, and be able to make use of its ability Dry Skin to remove specific threats like Toxapex.

Week 12 (SS Monothreat) - Dual Immunity

submitted by Roxiee

Description

We started by making sets for the original core. We decided on a Resttalk Lapras set with max defense to help beat band Dracovish, and a Thunder Wave Pivot set for Lanturn.

Most of our conversation was spent deciding on a way to beat Gyarados, so we added our own! We used a standard taunt + two attacks set to really destroy opposing walls like toxapex. Lum Berry was added to allow us a free setup on scald Toxapex.

Barbaracle is a Gyarados Check with access to Stealth Rock and great sweeping potential. Focus Sash allows us to check Power Whip Gyarados.

Toxapex is almost a staple on monothreat water teams due to its insane bulk and access to Haze. Toxic Spikes allows us to pressure offensive teams while we make predictions with our immunity core. Shed Shell allows us to switch into Azumarill with no fear of Perish Trap

Azumarill is our Gyardos Counter. This set can counter almost every variation of the sea monster thanks to Mental Herb getting us past taunt to land toxic. Perishtrap azu can also get us free kills if we ever land a Whirlpool.

Week 13 (SM Monotype) - Work Up Zeraora

submitted by Silveruby

Description

The Zeraora set was taken from the suggested core, however we ultimately tweaked it as by the time we added our final Pokemon, it was decided the team did not fully take advantage of the Shuca Berry which Zeraora held, so the item was swapped to Leftovers to improve longevity and make use of Work Up.

The next Pokemon was automatic; Tapu Koko goes on every Gen 7 Electric team and we decided Specs would be a good fit for the team after a poll with options people were interested in looking into.

After a lot of debate over the Thundurus set and numerous polls ending in ties, we finally settled on a Z-Fly set, this was possible as we didn't have a Z-move user yet in Raichu and decided we wanted a physical wallbreaker while we were lacking Band Zeraora.

The next Pokemon was Raichu to add speed control and to fully take advantage of terrain, since it couldn't use a Z-move and we wanted it to be able to switch moves, we gave it a Life Orb. As we already had Grass Knot on Zeraora and therefore did not worry too much about Water nor need to have it on Raichu, we are free to run the moves chosen without worrying about missing coverage.

We next chose Washtom as our hazard clearing option, with an Iapapa Berry to increase longevity. The speed creep hits 220 speed to outspeed base 60s.

Our last choice was Magnezone with HP Fire, to act as a trapper to Steel-types that give the rest of the team trouble.

Week 14 (SS Monotype) - Chople Berry Zarude

submitted by Dieu Amphibien

Description

The core we were given to build around consisted of Zarude on a Dark-type team, using a Chople Berry to allow it to check things like Keldeo and other Fighting-types that give Dark trouble.

Our next choice was a banded Urshifu as a wallbreaker and to add Fighting coverage; we decided Urshifu was guaranteed to be on the team so it was the easy second choice.

At this point the team was lacking in a SR setter and a SpD tank, so Tyranitar was an easy option. We chose Heavy Slam to hit Hatterene, and Thunder Wave to spread paralysis to let our slower wallbreakers like Urshifu to be more effective.

The next Pokemon was another necessary addition; Mandibuzz complements Tyranitar well and creates a nice core. It has U-turn to bring Urshifu in more and Foul Play to hit the likes of Mimikyu and Bisharp.

Our next choice was speed control with Scarf Hydreigon. This gives us a revenge killer and helps against Dragon.

Our last choice was initially Incineroar - this was to add type coverage vs Fire, Steel, Grass, etc. utilising a sweeping set of Flame Charge, Bulk Up, Power Trip, Drain Punch with Weakness Policy. Ultimately however it was decided that even in the event of Incineroar switching in to a threat such as Cinderace, it could not actually hit it back therefore it wasn't actually adding much to the team. After deciding we did not want to use Incineroar we swapped it for Bisharp, using the standard Swords Dance set.

Hall of Fame

Standings

smub - 4 cores built
Roxiee - 2 cores built
Fírnen - 1 core built
Mateeus - 1 core built
Jolly Togekiss ^-^ - 1 core built
Decem - 1 core built
Harpp - 1 core built
Keahi - 1 core built
Tico 21 - 1 core built
Silveruby - 1 core built
Dieu Amphibien - 1 core built

 

[Elliot]

Submissions are open for cores for this weeks CCAT on Saturday! As this is the inaugural official SS CCAT, we will only be accepting gen 8 cores this week. Feel free to submit your ideas!

 

[Harpp]

Core

Torkoal @ Heat Rock
Ability: Drought
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Rapid Spin
- Yawn
- Lava Plume

Incineroar @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Knock Off
- Toxic
- Taunt
- U-turn

Torkoal + Incineraor form a good core to patch up some of the holes Fire-type teams generally have. Specially defensive Incineroar is a good check to threatening Pokemon to Fire-type teams like Choice Scarf Dragapult and providing immunity against Psychic-type attacks making sure the team does not fall apart to Pokemon such as Indeedee, Gardevoir, and Hatterene. Taunt and Toxic provides much needed stallbreaker utility and we have U-turn here to pivot since Parting shot can be taken advantage of by Magic Bounce users. Intimidate is also neat to deter some physical Pokemon like Obstagoon. Torkoal on the other hand provides quintessential sun support, Stealth Rock and Rapid Spin support, along with taking on physical threats like the dreaded DD Kyurem-B. The core also makes sure that Fire-type teams stand a greater chance to beat Dragons since Incineroar can take on Choice Scarf Dragapult. Fire as a type is quite decent since Ice, Steel, Psychic are common and you know the rest of the drill.
Also whats a more Fire way than to start with actual Fire?

 

[Fírnen]

I would like to build around this core in Fighting type:

Core

Cobalion @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Volt Switch
- Iron Head
- Close Combat
- Megahorn / Stone Edge


Pangoro @ Assault Vest
Ability: Scrappy
EVs: 216 Atk / 252 SpD / 40 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Drain Punch
- Darkest Lariat
- Bullet Punch
- Gunk Shot / Thunder Punch

With Cobalion Scarf and Pangoroo AV. This core has a good pairing because of resistance and bulk they make together.
Cobalion has a natural good physical bulk and this AV teammate will give special bulk.
Both of them help Fighting type against Fairy/Psychic which are more common than ever in this generation.

Cobalion scarf is a nice variant of Terrakion scarf and may be more usefull to deal with Fairy Pokemon (even scarf).
In addition of that, it gets Volt Switch which allo Cobalion to anticipate a switch and bring a better Pokemon able to make good damage.

Pangoroo AV:
Pangoroo AV is a good variant to Conckeldurr, gives psychic immunity and, isn't affect by Prankster Encore or anything else.
In addition of that, Scrappy will help against Ghost type (especially against Aegislash).


Edit: "Also whats a more Fire way than to start with actual Fire?" A good punch from fighting Pokemon to the victory.
(Joke).

 

[mushamu]

Importable

Xatu @ Light Clay
Ability: Magic Bounce
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Reflect
- Light Screen
- Teleport
- Thunder Wave

Xatu's a cool screener on Psychic teams. Psychic teams, like Flying teams are also stacked with setup sweepers to use the screens support with. Xatu can also use Teleport with negative priority to bring in said setup sweeper in question in safely without risking getting hit by a hard attack or status. Magic Bounce is nice for keeping hazards and status off as well as bouncing back Defog when setting screens too.

 

[Elliot]

Importable

Dragapult @ Light Clay
Ability: Infiltrator
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Shadow Ball
- Fire Blast
- Light Screen
- Reflect

Kommo-o @ Salac Berry
Ability: Bulletproof
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Substitute
- Belly Drum
- Close Combat

Similar to Decem's core this would be a team based around screens with Dragapult as the main setter. Screens are here to support the multiple dragon set up mons available, but mainly to allow Kommo-O to safely sub against a few more mons and give it the chance to set up its BD and sweep using the boost from Salac.

 

[Mateeus]

Alright folks! Submission phase is over, you may now vote on one of the submitted cores above. To vote on a core, you only need to post the submission titles, which are listed below:

• Harpp's Torkoal + Incineroar Fire core
• Fírnen's Cobalion + Pangoro Fighting core
• Decem's Xatu Screens
• Bondie's Dragapult + Kommo-o core

Voting phase ends at Friday, May 8th at 10 PM EDT.

 

[smub]

Fírnen's Cobalion + Pangoro Fighting core

 

[adjustments]

Decem's Xatu Screens

 

[its.huey]

Sign me up for Firnen's Cobalion and Pangoro core

 

[Floss]

Harpp's Torkoal + Incineroar Fire core, haven't used fire at all so that'd be a fun one.

 

[Thunder]

Harpp's Torkoal + Incineroar Fire core

 

[Derpeddeath]

Fírnen's Cobalion + Pangoro Fighting core defo looks good the other cores are extremely generic

 

[Otak'out]

Decem's Xatu Screens

 

[Metheguy]

Firnen's av pangoro and scarf cobalion seems heat

 

[ZekoPlayzR6]

Idk. Prankster+Light Clay+ Light Screen and Reflet + Subsitute Grimsnarl?

 

[Elliot]

With 4 votes, we will be building around Fírnen's core of Pangoro and Cobalion! Check the second post for a list of all the teams we've built once the CCAT is completed.

 

[Elliot]

The first CCAT is finished!

Firnen's Fighting Core

Cobalion @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Volt Switch
- Iron Head
- Close Combat
- Stone Edge

Pangoro @ Assault Vest
Ability: Scrappy
EVs: 216 Atk / 252 SpD / 40 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Drain Punch
- Darkest Lariat
- Bullet Punch
- Gunk Shot

Terrakion @ Focus Sash
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Close Combat
- Stone Edge
- Stealth Rock
- Taunt

Conkeldurr @ Roseli Berry
Ability: Guts
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Drain Punch
- Mach Punch
- Defog
- Earthquake

Keldeo @ Leftovers
Ability: Justified
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Taunt
- Calm Mind
- Scald
- Secret Sword

Kommo-o @ Throat Spray
Ability: Bulletproof
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Clangorous Soul
- Clanging Scales
- Flamethrower
- Taunt

Teambuilding Process

This team was built around the core of AV Pangoro and Scarf Cobalion. We started by sorting out the slashed moves that Firnen left, and worked from there. The decisions of the moves were based on Megahorn not really hitting too much for Cobalion whereas Stone Edge was handy versus Fire when we weren't use Terrakion, and for Pangoro we chose Gunk Shot to hit things like Hatterene, and also because Fairy would have no switchins.

After these two moves we knew we wanted a lead; the chat liked the idea of a Focus Sash Terrakion so we went ahead with that. Our only decision here was for the last moveslot, which was a choice between Rock Polish, Swords Dance, Taunt, and Earthquake. The final set we chose was Taunt, however Rock Polish was a close second and it would be a very viable option for those testing alternative forms of the team. Taunt is here to counter lead but also to help (but not beat) against Corviknight and Toxapex, and other bulky walls.

The next Pokemon was Conkeldurr, everybody in the chat agreed we were going to use it so it seemed like an obvious next option. The first choice was between the itemslot; Flame Orb, or Roseli Berry. We knew that this team was using Scarf Cobalion which is a very helpful option for Fairy, so it seemed like Defog / Roseli Berry was a good idea, as it meant Conkeldurr was more able to keep webs away whilst facing Fairy which allows for Cobalion to do a lot of damage in general. After we had decided the item, the next choice was the moves. The first 3 moves (Drain Punch, Mach Punch, and Defog) were immediately obvious so the last moveslot was up for debate. The options we had were Earthquake, Poison Jab, and Ice Punch. Poison Jab was fairly easily ruled out as against Fairy Conkeldurr should be using Defog anyway, so it was between Ice Punch and Earthquake were ultimately we chose EQ to help against Steel and to hit Toxapex.

After Conkeldurr, we chose Keldeo. The choice here was between Sub / Calm Mind, and Taunt / Calm Mind. The chat was fairly unanimously in favour of Taunt because it helped us beat bulky walls more, which are big problems versus Fighting, and freeing up those slots allows our other pokemon to sweep more easily. It is worth mentioning in particular that without Taunt, Keldeo loses to Toxapex.

Our final Pokemon was the step that took the most deliberation. The options were Hawlucha, Kommo-o, Virizion, and Toxicroak. We ultimately chose Kommo-O as a late game sweeper as a lot of our team was able to beat the bulkier walls that Kommo-o struggles with. Taunt is again necessary for Kommo-o and the other two moves are again necessary, so this set was fairly easily decided. As for the ability, Bulletproof was the better option to allow for setting up against a choice-locked Pokemon using Shadow Ball or Focus Blast, and other bullet moves when they do situationally come up.

Once we had finished the team and looked again there were no changes offered, however people considered changing Taunt on Terrakion for Rock Polish, and Darkest Lariat on Pangoro for Knock off.

Shoutouts to Firnen for suggesting the core, and Flossed Over, Derpeddeath, Mateeus, MiniLawrence, Jolly Togekiss, and everybody else in the chat who was discussing and voting in our polls!

Replays:
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8monotype-1111824189 (Bondie, v Dragon)
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8monotype-1111834004 (Hyperspace12, v Ground)

Now that our first CCAT is finished, the thread is back open for core recommendations! For now, we are still looking for gen 8 cores due to these being the first few CCATs of the generation. Feel free to post your suggestions here!

 

[Hyperspace12]

Hey guys, this is an offensive bug core that I think might seem fun for the next CCAT. The core's
Araquanid and Durant: https://pokepast.es/cdafa9f0c56be16f
Durant is able to hit the rock types that araquanid is weak against, and also has neutrality to both flying and rock, two types that hit araquanid super effectively. Sash Araquanid almost always guarantees webs to be set up on the other side, allowing durant to outspeed a larger birth of pokemon. Durant's 4x weakness to fire is covered by Araquanid's resistance to fire with Water Bubble, which also increases Araquanid's ability to hit fire types with liquidation. I have Mirror Coat so Araquanid can get rid of pesky electric types that hit araquanid Super effectively. Durant runs life orb for more damage, and hone claws to increase his accuracy and attack. First Impression hits anything that still outspeeds after webs, Rock Slide for coverage, and Iron Head for stab.

Edit: I added slashed some moves of both Araquanid's and Durant's movepools.

 

[Floss]

Dropping this defensive core, which seems to be standard at first glance of the Pokemon but has interesting tech.

Sets

Toxapex @ Black Sludge
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 68 Def / 180 SpD / 8 Spe
Careful Nature
- Gunk Shot
- Knock Off
- Toxic Spikes
- Recover

Seismitoad @ Leftovers
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 224 HP / 68 Atk / 216 Def
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Power Whip
- Substitute

Starting with the Toxapex, a version which is more oriented towards Special Defense is geared to be able to switch into the likes of Scarf Hydreigon, Dragapult, Specs Aegislash, and Specs Pelipper. Gunk Shot lets Toxapex threaten the likes of Ninetales-A and Hatterene, which can switch into it and setup without much hassle otherwise (Veil, Trick Room, Calm Mind). Toxic Spikes softens the Psychic MU in conjunction with Gunk, since Hatterene is invited by the presence of Pex and taken out with 2 Gunks. Knock Off is better than ever in this gen due to lack of Megas and Z-Moves, and cripples Pokemon that need Leftovers/Choice items, amongst others. The Defense EVs let it live an Excadrill Earthquake post-rocks and proceed to KOff so Keldeo and other potential faster teammates can outspeed. Speed EVs are there to creep CM Hatt creeping Pex. (Note - Toxapex will not 2HKO CM Hatterene switching in, but it should not take prohibitive damage from an unboosted 0 SpA Psychic).

Meanwhile, Seismitoad is geared towards being the Physically Defensive SR setter, which also helps a lot in the mirror. Able to set up sub on Toxapex, it proceeds to be able to click a combination of it's moves to inflict good damage. It is recommended to first Knock Off the Toxapex, and burn it if possible with Scald (Keld is an option in this regard). Seismitoad has enough Attack EVs to have a very high chance of 2HKOing a burned, Sludgeless PhysDef Pex on the switchin (94.9%). The PhysDef EVs are so that Seismitoad gets a +2 jump in stats as the last boost, and rest of EVs are in HP.

A few issues of this core is the lack of Scald to cripple Corviknight, and the lack of Haze on Pex making certain setup mons dangerous. If my core gets selected, I'll be looking forward to see how the community will build to neutralise the aforementioned issues.

 

[Mateeus]

Set

Haxorus @ Choice Band
Ability: Mold Breaker
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- First Impression
- Earthquake
- Outrage
- Close Combat / Dragon Claw / Crunch / Iron Tail

A 'mon I think is underrated in Dragon, Haxorus is a potent wallbreaker that brings some valuable perks for those teams, and could be a cool idea for a CCAT. It is the only Dragon-type with powerful +2 priority in First Impression, allowing Dragon teams to beat Cloyster better and threaten fast, frail mons like Gardevoir in the same fashion Gen 7 CB Dragonite did. Earthquake is overall good coverage alongside Mold Breaker, and Outrage is the main wallbreaking STAB. Last slot is a choice between hitting Ferrothorn/Tyranitar better, having a safe STAB move or further improving the Psychic / Fairy MUs, two of Dragon's toughest in this generation.

 

[Mateeus]

Alright folks, submission phase is over for this week! You may now vote on one of the submitted cores above. To vote on a core, you only need to post the submission titles, which are listed below:

• Hyperspace12's Araquanid + Durant Bug core
• Floss's Toxapex + Seismitoad Water core
• Mateeus's Haxorus Dragon

Voting phase ends at Friday, May 15th at 10 PM EDT.

 

[Thunder]

Mateeus's Haxorous

 

[Elliot]

Mateeus's Haxorus