Hello there !
Now that this prequel meme is out of the way, lemme tell you about a really cool trick that inspired me building this team. You see, everyone knows about the Guts wallbreaker Obstagoon. But this Pokemon is far from a one-trick pony, actually quite the opposite ! A rapid glance at its movepool and you'll see it has access to a wide variety of supporting tools, such as Parting Shot, Thunder Wave, Taunt, or Trick, as well as a very decent stats overall and the wonderful talent that is Defiant. So I came up with a set that would exploit this hidden potential, then built a Bulky Offense around it (I know, how original, am I right ?).
But let's cut to the chase and show you the result and some explanations :
Let's start by the Beastar of the team, the underdog, the one and only Obstagoon pivot !
Goon Boy (Obstagoon) (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Defiant
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Knock Off
- Obstruct
- Taunt
- Parting Shot
Here's the fact that started it all : this thing hard-counters Hatterene. Plain and simple. How, you might ask ? Just Parting Shot in its face. What it does is that Parting Shot is going to trigger Magic Bounce, which means that Hatterene will lower your stats then be forced to switch. This means that Defiant will proc twice, giving you a whopping 2.5x attack boost (once for each stat dropped, including your attack) AND since you're faster than Hatterene, it is forced to switch out without being able to retaliate ! As long as you don't switch into its Fairy move and it isn't the last enemy Pokemon standing, it simply cannot do anything to you.
The same is true for Mirror Armor Corviknight, but to a lesser extent. Parting Shot actually behaves weirdly against it : it reflects your stat drops back to you, but it cancels your switch, which means you still get the 2.5x attack boost, but Corviknight can still retaliate (you only avoid a OHKO from a full defense Body Press by investing 188 EVs in defense, which I would advise against), however you can actually further boost your attack by using Obstruct on any of its offensive moves, as it will reflect the defense drop back to you as well.
I know, the last one is supposed to be always used with Pressure, but hey, you never know. Anyway, Obstruct is here to scout for Choices, take a few extra Leftovers bites here and there, and makes a neat mini-combo with Taunt against contact move users. Taunt is here to mainly shut down setup sweepers and walls, as well as most SR setters, although you might prefer Parting Shooting into Hatterene against those. It also makes Obstagoon my default lead for most games, and it gets the job done very well ! Finally, Parting Shot is a great pivoting ability and a way to safely bring in our wallbreakers. I use a classic Jolly full speed/attack spread in order to hit as hard and fast as possible, as I feel like his natural bulk is more than enough most of the time. But since I haven't really tried a bulkier spread, you might want to tweak the EVs a bit.
A Hatt In Time (Hatterene) (F) @ Assault Vest
Ability: Magic Bounce
EVs: 248 HP / 252 SpA / 8 Spe
Modest Nature
- Psychic
- Draining Kiss
- Mystical Fire
- Nuzzle
I have to thank blunder and his Agency for this set. This Hatterene uses Nuzzle as its last move, meaning it can use an Assault Vest while still providing some great utility. Nuzzle is great on it because no Ground-type Pokemon can easily switch into it, and the only Electric-type that can "safely" switch into it in OU is Rotom-Heat, which gets 2HKOed by Psychic and is quite surprised to see this Hatterene take only ~70% on a +2 Overheat. It is also a great partner for Obstagoon, as they both handle Pokemons that the other struggles with, and it's also quite fun to lead with Obstagoon and immediatly Parting Shot into Hatterene in order to send Hazards back for free.
The spread is pretty standard, except for the fact that I run it with a Modest nature rather than Quiet, because the goal of a -Spe nature is to take less on Ferrothorn's Gyroball ; however, it only turns a 3HKO into a 4HKO, Power Whip still 3HKOs you and you will outspeed and 2HKO it anyway. On the other side, being Modest with standard IVs allows me to outspeed non speed-invested Corviknight and Clefable once they're paralyzed, which are common Hatterene switch-ins. As for Corviknight, the key is to always switch out when it comes until it is in range of 2 Mystical Fires, as most players will expect to be able to Roost before the second one and PP stall you from there. And the rarer Mirror Armor is handled by our best boy Obstagoon.
Sgt. René (Excadrill) @ Leftovers
Ability: Mold Breaker
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Iron Head
- Rapid Spin
- Swords Dance
What can I say, it's a classic Sword Dance wallbreaker set. I prefer Leftovers over Life Orb as I don't often need the extra power over the small recovery that pairs well with the reduced damage taken after a Parting Shot. This is also my only Setup sweeper, one that can often clean games after Toxtricity blew some chunky holes into the enemy walls. My only problem is that I tend to underestimate Rapid Spin's damage and potential in preventing revenge-killing, because in my head it's still that weak-ass move that you only ever use to remove hazards. Use and abuse it folks, being faster can make all the difference between sweeping and being revenge-killed !
Teen Titeuf (Toxtricity) @ Choice Specs
Ability: Punk Rock
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Boomburst
- Overdrive
- Volt Switch
- Sludge Wave
Well it's not like this Pokemon has many viable sets, but it's still my favorite of this gen. And it does blow some serious holes when left unchecked ! I like to bring it through double switches or against Fairy-types after a Parting Shot when they come for my boy Obstagoon, and I like playing mindgames about what move I'm gonna click when there are still Ground- or Ghost-types around. Most of the time, you'll either be sent an Excadrill (which can be 2HKOed by Boomburst depending on its spread) or a Dragapult if your opponent has either of those. If Rocks are up on their side, they're more likely to switch into Excadrill, otherwise it'll be more often than not Dragapult, as it takes less on Volt Switch/Overdrive than Excadrill on Boomburst. Also, if your opponent has both types in their team, they're more likely to send the Pokemon they didn't send the first time you came, regardless if you predicted right the first time. It's also a great way to know up until what level does your opponent anticipate your actions, as they're likely to do the same with their other Pokemons !
KommOwO (Kommo-o) @ Leftovers
Ability: Bulletproof
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Bold Nature
- Body Press
- Toxic
- Protect
- Stealth Rock
A defensive version of Kommo-o that has been running a few variants for quite some time now. I much prefer it as a Rocker over Seismotoad, as I feel like it's much less passive and has much more useful resistances to set up Stealth Rocks. Much impressive indeed. It's also a great answer to Sub/Roost+Nasty Plot Hydreigon ! I like Bulletproof as a talent, I feel like it's much more potent currently than Soundproof : you can completely nullify many attacks, most notably Shadow Ball, but also Weather Ball, which means Kommo-o is my go-to switch in to Sun Sweeper Venusaur, which otherwise destroys my team under the sun. I used tobe an adventurer like you run Clanging Scales on this set, but now that Pokemon Home is out, I put Toxic back on it. This means I can't really handle any Dragapult/Aegislash set besides Specs anymore, but it makes Kommo-o much more annoying to deal with and allows me to wear down many setup sweepers and pesky Fairy types beside Magic Guard Clefable and Hatterene (which makes Kommo-o the perfect double switch pivot to lure it in against Obstagoon). Also, Bulletproof counters Gyroball and Pyro Ball, which makes Kommo-o a great switch-in to both Ferrothorn (3HKOed by Body Press, but be careful about being worn down by Leech Seed) and Cinderace (if he uses Court Change on your switch, you can also just put your Rocks back). Protect serves the same purpose as Obstruct for Obstagoon, with the added bonus of stalling for Toxic damage.
Japanese WC (Vaporeon) @ Leftovers
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Charm
- Wish
- Protect
This little dude is awesome. Its main role is to pass Wishes to the rest of the team obviously, but that's exactly what it needs since it's really good at reducing incoming damage, but not so much as sustaining itself in the long run. And given its HP pool, a successfully passed Wish will always heal at least ~70% HP of any teammate. And a Water immunity is more than welcome in OU gen8. Charm is quite niche, but it can be a lifesaver against Guts Obstagoon and Conkeldurr, although that means it cannot pose any threat to Seismitoad and other Water immunities. It also serves to alleviate the pressure on Kommo-o and Hatterene, which sometimes must stay healthy enough in order to deal with Setup sweepers, especially against Sun teams or Terrakion.
Main threats :
- Mimikyu : by far the biggest threat to the team. I ain't gonna lie, your chances of winning against it with this team are pretty low, 30% to be exact. Yep, that's your chances of burning it with Scald. The Adamant version gets outsped and OHKOed by Excadrill through the Disguise thanks to Mold Breaker, but the Jolly Life Orb version outspeeds and OHKOs everyone except Vaporeon, which "only" gets 2HKOed. So yeah, pretty small chances. You actually have another way of dealing with it if it runs Drain Punch over Shadow Claw : if you switch into Vaporeon on the Swords Dance, spam Charm until he attacks you (you cannot affort to let it get to +4 EVER), then Scald once to break the disguise and back to Charm until he KOs you, his best move against Toxtricity becomes Play Rough, which cannot OHKO even after Rocks (even Adamant, he has only 6.3% chance of OHKOing after Rocks). This means that even if he finished Vaporeon with a Drain Punch that somehow got him back to full health, he won't be able to go higher than 90% health because of the Life Orb recoil. This will then give you an 87.5% chance of OHKOing it back with Overdrive (NEVER click Sludge Wave against it, it will deal less than Overdrive because of its Ghost typing). But that's honestly the best I can think of besides a Play Rough miss, and Vaporeon still has a small chance of getting KOed by (+2) Play Rough + (+0) Play Rough even with Leftovers (and the risk of Protecting on a Swords Dance is too high), without getting a chance of breaking the Disguise.
- Hawlucha : the Sky Attack version is especially dangerous for me. Only Toxtricity can hope to properly deal with it, and it gets OHKOed by an Adamant +2 Sky Attack after Rocks. I have to keep it healthy at any cost, keep Rocks off my side as much as possible, then sacrifice something on the Sky Attack to revenge kill it with Overdrive. Hopefully, he only gets the opportunity to use it once.
- Cloyster : at first glance, Cloyster doesn't seem to have much room for setup against my team, but it's trickier than it seems. First of all, if it gets away with a Shell Smash, it OHKOs my whole team besides Vaporeon, which it has good odds of beating with King's Rock. Hopefully, the only reasonable setup fodder it can find is Excadrill, but if it comes on it after a KO, I'm pretty much toasted. This also means I cannot use Vaporeon as I would like, as it must steay healthy enough at all costs in order to deal with it, which means much more pressure on Kommo-o. The only way for me to avoid being swept by it when it comes on Excadrill is to be at +1 speed before or as it comes. This way, I can Rapid Spin again, still be faster after Shell Smash and KO it with Earthquake after the drop. Thing is, I won't KO the White Herb version without Rocks, and even a +0 Liquidation has a 62.5% chance of OHKOing. Either way, having one against me is quite stressful and often results in at least one KO on my end.
- Dracozolt : I have to be really careful around it, because depending on what move it clicks, anybody on my team gets at least 2HKOed, and my Kommo-o is slower than it. I didn't come across many though.
Aaaaand, that's it ! I managed to get up to 1700+ on the ladder, which is my personal best with any team ever and I'm really proud of it. I mainly wanted to share it to have some thoughts on the movesets of Obstagoon and Kommo-o, as well as maybe inspire people to further explore this niche set and utility for Obstagoon, but the team actually turned out better than I could've ever hoped for. If you read it this far, you have my deepest thanks for taking your time to look at it even if you don't react to it. As a bonus, here's a replay showcasing perfectly how potent Obstagoon can be as a pivot. Have a good day, and may the haxx be with you !
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8ou-1061026857
Now that this prequel meme is out of the way, lemme tell you about a really cool trick that inspired me building this team. You see, everyone knows about the Guts wallbreaker Obstagoon. But this Pokemon is far from a one-trick pony, actually quite the opposite ! A rapid glance at its movepool and you'll see it has access to a wide variety of supporting tools, such as Parting Shot, Thunder Wave, Taunt, or Trick, as well as a very decent stats overall and the wonderful talent that is Defiant. So I came up with a set that would exploit this hidden potential, then built a Bulky Offense around it (I know, how original, am I right ?).
But let's cut to the chase and show you the result and some explanations :
Goon Boy (Obstagoon) (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Defiant
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Knock Off
- Obstruct
- Taunt
- Parting Shot
A Hatt In Time (Hatterene) (F) @ Assault Vest
Ability: Magic Bounce
EVs: 248 HP / 252 SpA / 8 Spe
Modest Nature
- Psychic
- Draining Kiss
- Mystical Fire
- Nuzzle
Sgt. René (Excadrill) @ Leftovers
Ability: Mold Breaker
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Iron Head
- Rapid Spin
- Swords Dance
Teen Titeuf (Toxtricity) @ Choice Specs
Ability: Punk Rock
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Boomburst
- Overdrive
- Volt Switch
- Sludge Wave
KommOwO (Kommo-o) @ Leftovers
Ability: Bulletproof
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Bold Nature
- Body Press
- Toxic
- Protect
- Stealth Rock
Japanese WC (Vaporeon) @ Leftovers
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Charm
- Wish
- Protect
Ability: Defiant
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Knock Off
- Obstruct
- Taunt
- Parting Shot
A Hatt In Time (Hatterene) (F) @ Assault Vest
Ability: Magic Bounce
EVs: 248 HP / 252 SpA / 8 Spe
Modest Nature
- Psychic
- Draining Kiss
- Mystical Fire
- Nuzzle
Sgt. René (Excadrill) @ Leftovers
Ability: Mold Breaker
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Iron Head
- Rapid Spin
- Swords Dance
Teen Titeuf (Toxtricity) @ Choice Specs
Ability: Punk Rock
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Boomburst
- Overdrive
- Volt Switch
- Sludge Wave
KommOwO (Kommo-o) @ Leftovers
Ability: Bulletproof
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Bold Nature
- Body Press
- Toxic
- Protect
- Stealth Rock
Japanese WC (Vaporeon) @ Leftovers
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Charm
- Wish
- Protect
Let's start by the Beastar of the team, the underdog, the one and only Obstagoon pivot !
Goon Boy (Obstagoon) (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Defiant
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Knock Off
- Obstruct
- Taunt
- Parting Shot
Here's the fact that started it all : this thing hard-counters Hatterene. Plain and simple. How, you might ask ? Just Parting Shot in its face. What it does is that Parting Shot is going to trigger Magic Bounce, which means that Hatterene will lower your stats then be forced to switch. This means that Defiant will proc twice, giving you a whopping 2.5x attack boost (once for each stat dropped, including your attack) AND since you're faster than Hatterene, it is forced to switch out without being able to retaliate ! As long as you don't switch into its Fairy move and it isn't the last enemy Pokemon standing, it simply cannot do anything to you.
The same is true for Mirror Armor Corviknight, but to a lesser extent. Parting Shot actually behaves weirdly against it : it reflects your stat drops back to you, but it cancels your switch, which means you still get the 2.5x attack boost, but Corviknight can still retaliate (you only avoid a OHKO from a full defense Body Press by investing 188 EVs in defense, which I would advise against), however you can actually further boost your attack by using Obstruct on any of its offensive moves, as it will reflect the defense drop back to you as well.
Against the full defense spread : +5 252 Atk Obstagoon Knock Off (97.5 BP) vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Corviknight: 300-354 (75 - 88.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
Against the Smogon Defog spread : +5 252 Atk Obstagoon Knock Off (97.5 BP) vs. 252 HP / 32 Def Corviknight: 400-472 (100 - 118%) -- guaranteed OHKO
Against the Smogon Sub+Bulk Up spread : +5 252 Atk Obstagoon Knock Off (97.5 BP) vs. 252 HP / 76+ Def Corviknight: 349-412 (87.2 - 103%) -- 18.8% chance to OHKO
Against the Smogon Defog spread : +5 252 Atk Obstagoon Knock Off (97.5 BP) vs. 252 HP / 32 Def Corviknight: 400-472 (100 - 118%) -- guaranteed OHKO
Against the Smogon Sub+Bulk Up spread : +5 252 Atk Obstagoon Knock Off (97.5 BP) vs. 252 HP / 76+ Def Corviknight: 349-412 (87.2 - 103%) -- 18.8% chance to OHKO
I know, the last one is supposed to be always used with Pressure, but hey, you never know. Anyway, Obstruct is here to scout for Choices, take a few extra Leftovers bites here and there, and makes a neat mini-combo with Taunt against contact move users. Taunt is here to mainly shut down setup sweepers and walls, as well as most SR setters, although you might prefer Parting Shooting into Hatterene against those. It also makes Obstagoon my default lead for most games, and it gets the job done very well ! Finally, Parting Shot is a great pivoting ability and a way to safely bring in our wallbreakers. I use a classic Jolly full speed/attack spread in order to hit as hard and fast as possible, as I feel like his natural bulk is more than enough most of the time. But since I haven't really tried a bulkier spread, you might want to tweak the EVs a bit.
A Hatt In Time (Hatterene) (F) @ Assault Vest
Ability: Magic Bounce
EVs: 248 HP / 252 SpA / 8 Spe
Modest Nature
- Psychic
- Draining Kiss
- Mystical Fire
- Nuzzle
I have to thank blunder and his Agency for this set. This Hatterene uses Nuzzle as its last move, meaning it can use an Assault Vest while still providing some great utility. Nuzzle is great on it because no Ground-type Pokemon can easily switch into it, and the only Electric-type that can "safely" switch into it in OU is Rotom-Heat, which gets 2HKOed by Psychic and is quite surprised to see this Hatterene take only ~70% on a +2 Overheat. It is also a great partner for Obstagoon, as they both handle Pokemons that the other struggles with, and it's also quite fun to lead with Obstagoon and immediatly Parting Shot into Hatterene in order to send Hazards back for free.
The spread is pretty standard, except for the fact that I run it with a Modest nature rather than Quiet, because the goal of a -Spe nature is to take less on Ferrothorn's Gyroball ; however, it only turns a 3HKO into a 4HKO, Power Whip still 3HKOs you and you will outspeed and 2HKO it anyway. On the other side, being Modest with standard IVs allows me to outspeed non speed-invested Corviknight and Clefable once they're paralyzed, which are common Hatterene switch-ins. As for Corviknight, the key is to always switch out when it comes until it is in range of 2 Mystical Fires, as most players will expect to be able to Roost before the second one and PP stall you from there. And the rarer Mirror Armor is handled by our best boy Obstagoon.
Sgt. René (Excadrill) @ Leftovers
Ability: Mold Breaker
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Iron Head
- Rapid Spin
- Swords Dance
What can I say, it's a classic Sword Dance wallbreaker set. I prefer Leftovers over Life Orb as I don't often need the extra power over the small recovery that pairs well with the reduced damage taken after a Parting Shot. This is also my only Setup sweeper, one that can often clean games after Toxtricity blew some chunky holes into the enemy walls. My only problem is that I tend to underestimate Rapid Spin's damage and potential in preventing revenge-killing, because in my head it's still that weak-ass move that you only ever use to remove hazards. Use and abuse it folks, being faster can make all the difference between sweeping and being revenge-killed !
Teen Titeuf (Toxtricity) @ Choice Specs
Ability: Punk Rock
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Boomburst
- Overdrive
- Volt Switch
- Sludge Wave
Well it's not like this Pokemon has many viable sets, but it's still my favorite of this gen. And it does blow some serious holes when left unchecked ! I like to bring it through double switches or against Fairy-types after a Parting Shot when they come for my boy Obstagoon, and I like playing mindgames about what move I'm gonna click when there are still Ground- or Ghost-types around. Most of the time, you'll either be sent an Excadrill (which can be 2HKOed by Boomburst depending on its spread) or a Dragapult if your opponent has either of those. If Rocks are up on their side, they're more likely to switch into Excadrill, otherwise it'll be more often than not Dragapult, as it takes less on Volt Switch/Overdrive than Excadrill on Boomburst. Also, if your opponent has both types in their team, they're more likely to send the Pokemon they didn't send the first time you came, regardless if you predicted right the first time. It's also a great way to know up until what level does your opponent anticipate your actions, as they're likely to do the same with their other Pokemons !
KommOwO (Kommo-o) @ Leftovers
Ability: Bulletproof
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Bold Nature
- Body Press
- Toxic
- Protect
- Stealth Rock
A defensive version of Kommo-o that has been running a few variants for quite some time now. I much prefer it as a Rocker over Seismotoad, as I feel like it's much less passive and has much more useful resistances to set up Stealth Rocks. Much impressive indeed. It's also a great answer to Sub/Roost+Nasty Plot Hydreigon ! I like Bulletproof as a talent, I feel like it's much more potent currently than Soundproof : you can completely nullify many attacks, most notably Shadow Ball, but also Weather Ball, which means Kommo-o is my go-to switch in to Sun Sweeper Venusaur, which otherwise destroys my team under the sun. I used to
Japanese WC (Vaporeon) @ Leftovers
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Charm
- Wish
- Protect
This little dude is awesome. Its main role is to pass Wishes to the rest of the team obviously, but that's exactly what it needs since it's really good at reducing incoming damage, but not so much as sustaining itself in the long run. And given its HP pool, a successfully passed Wish will always heal at least ~70% HP of any teammate. And a Water immunity is more than welcome in OU gen8. Charm is quite niche, but it can be a lifesaver against Guts Obstagoon and Conkeldurr, although that means it cannot pose any threat to Seismitoad and other Water immunities. It also serves to alleviate the pressure on Kommo-o and Hatterene, which sometimes must stay healthy enough in order to deal with Setup sweepers, especially against Sun teams or Terrakion.
Main threats :
- Mimikyu : by far the biggest threat to the team. I ain't gonna lie, your chances of winning against it with this team are pretty low, 30% to be exact. Yep, that's your chances of burning it with Scald. The Adamant version gets outsped and OHKOed by Excadrill through the Disguise thanks to Mold Breaker, but the Jolly Life Orb version outspeeds and OHKOs everyone except Vaporeon, which "only" gets 2HKOed. So yeah, pretty small chances. You actually have another way of dealing with it if it runs Drain Punch over Shadow Claw : if you switch into Vaporeon on the Swords Dance, spam Charm until he attacks you (you cannot affort to let it get to +4 EVER), then Scald once to break the disguise and back to Charm until he KOs you, his best move against Toxtricity becomes Play Rough, which cannot OHKO even after Rocks (even Adamant, he has only 6.3% chance of OHKOing after Rocks). This means that even if he finished Vaporeon with a Drain Punch that somehow got him back to full health, he won't be able to go higher than 90% health because of the Life Orb recoil. This will then give you an 87.5% chance of OHKOing it back with Overdrive (NEVER click Sludge Wave against it, it will deal less than Overdrive because of its Ghost typing). But that's honestly the best I can think of besides a Play Rough miss, and Vaporeon still has a small chance of getting KOed by (+2) Play Rough + (+0) Play Rough even with Leftovers (and the risk of Protecting on a Swords Dance is too high), without getting a chance of breaking the Disguise.
- Hawlucha : the Sky Attack version is especially dangerous for me. Only Toxtricity can hope to properly deal with it, and it gets OHKOed by an Adamant +2 Sky Attack after Rocks. I have to keep it healthy at any cost, keep Rocks off my side as much as possible, then sacrifice something on the Sky Attack to revenge kill it with Overdrive. Hopefully, he only gets the opportunity to use it once.
- Cloyster : at first glance, Cloyster doesn't seem to have much room for setup against my team, but it's trickier than it seems. First of all, if it gets away with a Shell Smash, it OHKOs my whole team besides Vaporeon, which it has good odds of beating with King's Rock. Hopefully, the only reasonable setup fodder it can find is Excadrill, but if it comes on it after a KO, I'm pretty much toasted. This also means I cannot use Vaporeon as I would like, as it must steay healthy enough at all costs in order to deal with it, which means much more pressure on Kommo-o. The only way for me to avoid being swept by it when it comes on Excadrill is to be at +1 speed before or as it comes. This way, I can Rapid Spin again, still be faster after Shell Smash and KO it with Earthquake after the drop. Thing is, I won't KO the White Herb version without Rocks, and even a +0 Liquidation has a 62.5% chance of OHKOing. Either way, having one against me is quite stressful and often results in at least one KO on my end.
- Dracozolt : I have to be really careful around it, because depending on what move it clicks, anybody on my team gets at least 2HKOed, and my Kommo-o is slower than it. I didn't come across many though.
Aaaaand, that's it ! I managed to get up to 1700+ on the ladder, which is my personal best with any team ever and I'm really proud of it. I mainly wanted to share it to have some thoughts on the movesets of Obstagoon and Kommo-o, as well as maybe inspire people to further explore this niche set and utility for Obstagoon, but the team actually turned out better than I could've ever hoped for. If you read it this far, you have my deepest thanks for taking your time to look at it even if you don't react to it. As a bonus, here's a replay showcasing perfectly how potent Obstagoon can be as a pivot. Have a good day, and may the haxx be with you !
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8ou-1061026857
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