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Substitute Terrakion HO ft. Basculegion-F
1. Introduction
Quickly after starting to learn RU, it became very clear that hyper offense is outright good archetype thanks to all of the Pokemon those teams can take advantage of. So, I decided to numb my brain along with seemingly the rest of the ladder as well. (Y’all can now laugh at my joke about RU ladder spamming hyper offense teams.)
2. Proof Of Peak & Pokepaste
https://pokepast.es/cce496c80e6d400a
3. Teambuilding
Immediately, I knew I wanted to build around Substitute Terrakion, since it’s just amazing at taking advantage of the switches it forces, and especially bulkier teams that hyper offense usually struggles with.
Since this is a hyper offense team, naturally, I required a lead. For this, I chose Azelf because it is faster than most other entry hazard-setting leads, namely Lycanroc and Lycanroc-D; has access to Taunt; and can use Explosion for great damage while keeping up momentum.
Terrakion can struggle with breaking past bulky Poison- and Ground-types like Galarian Weezing and Hippowdon, so I added on two physical sweepers to weaken them down. Additionally, Mimikyu and Salamence provide counterplay to opposing setup sweepers as well as a Ground immunity, respectively.
I didn’t want to have to rely on purely physical wallbreakers to beat down teams, leading to both Oricorio-E and Armarouge being added on. They had especially good synergy with the team, as Oricorio-E took advantage of how the physical sweepers weakened Steel-types whereas Armarouge KOed Galarian Weezing outright.
Oricorio-E wasn’t pulling its weight, so I threw it out for a Basculegion-F, which doesn’t require set up to hit insanely hard. After adding Basculegion-F, though, I realized Defog was a big issue, and since I already had another spinblocker, I traded Mimikyu for Bisharp, which could still beat opposing setup sweepers.
4. Sets & Explanations
Azelf @ Focus Sash
Ability: Levitate
Tera Type: Ghost
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Taunt
- Explosion
- Flamethrower
Stealth Rock gets chip on the opposing team, easing cleaning for the setup sweepers. Taunt stops foes from taking advantage of Azelf, whether they wish to set their own hazards or start boosting their stats. Explosion deals big damage while keeping up the team’s momentum. Flamethrower hits Galarian Weezing for decent damage as well as nails Steel-types like Bisharp, Jirachi, and Klefki. Focus Sash ensures Azelf can set its Stealth Rock, while Tera Ghost lets it spinblock in emergencies.
Terrakion @ Leftovers
Ability: Justified
Tera Type: Flying
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Stone Edge
- Close Combat
- Swords Dance
- Substitute
Stone Edge and Close Combat have great synergy because the former smacks Flying-types, and the latter hits Steel-types. Swords Dance as well as Substitute are both ways for Terrakion to capitalize on switches and free turns versus passive Pokemon or Choice item foes like Krookodile that lock themselves into a poor move. Leftovers allows Terrakion to set up its Substitute repeatedly. Justified is nice on Terrakion to take advantage of Choice Scarf Krookodile, since Knock Off can be problematic into this team otherwise. Tera Flying lets Terrakion find turns to set up its Substitute against both Ground- and Fighting-types such as Rhyperior, Galarian Zapdos, and Slithrr Wing. Additionally, if Terrakion is behind a Substitute, Tera Flying lets it wall Quagsire.
Bisharp @ Eviolite
Ability: Defiant
Tera Type: Flying
EVs: 76 HP / 252 Atk / 180 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Throat Chop
- Iron Head
- Sucker Punch
- Swords Dance
Throat Chop and Iron Head are strong STAB moves that help against walls as well as during Sucker Punch mind games. Sucker Punch allows Bisharp to pick off weakened cleaners and setup sweepers. With Eviolite, Bisharp can often find turns for it to use Swords Dance. Defiant means that Bisharp punishes Defog users like Noivern and Talonflame, while Tera Flying lets it take either a Fighting- or Ground-type attack in a pinch. 180 Speed EVs allow Bisharp to outpace Modest Magnezone as well as opposing Bisharp that try to outspeed Modest Magnezone by one point.
Salamence @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Moxie
Tera Type: Fire
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Dual Wingbeat
- Dragon Dance
- Roost
Earthquake super effectively hits Poison- and Steel-types like Fezandipiti, Tera Poison Slowbro, and Jirachi whereas STAB Dual Wingbeat nails Galarian Zapdos, Galarian Weezing, and Chesnaught. Roost allows Salamence to use Dragon Dance repeatedly against foes that can’t hit it too hard. Heavy-Duty Boots means that Salamence can circumvent entry hazards. Moxie lets Salamence snowball, and with Tera Fire, Salamence can’t even be slower down by Will-O-Wisp. Notably, Tera Fire also lets Salamence fully take advantage of and set up on non-Toxic Galarian Weezing sets.
Basculegion-F (F) @ Weakness Policy
Ability: Adaptability
Tera Type: Ghost
EVs: 52 Def / 236 SpA / 24 SpD / 196 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Surf
- Shadow Ball
- Ice Beam
- Agility
Surf and Shadow Ball are great STAB moves to fire off, both being boosted by Adaptability. Ice Beam nails Cyclizar, which could comfortably wall Basculegion-F otherwise. Additionally, thanks to Weakness Policy and Agility, Basculegion-F can actually take advantage of Cyclizar’s weak Knock Off, using it to boost and then sweep. Tera Ghost powers up Basculegion-F’s weaker STAB attack, and the EV spread allows Basculegion-F to survive either a Bisharp’s Sucker Punch or a Gengar’s Shadow Ball from full health, letting it activate its Weakness Policy and clean.
Armarouge @ Weakness Policy
Ability: Weak Armor
Tera Type: Normal
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Armor Cannon
- Psyshock
- Endure
- Calm Mind
Armor Cannon and Psyshock are necessary moves for both power and the ability to hit special walls, respectively. Endure pairs well with both Weakness Policy and Weak Armor, ensuring Armarouge can boost its Special Attack and Speed. Additionally, Endure is great to block Slither Wing’s First Impression. Calm Mind lets Armarouge’s power not be entirely reliant on getting its Weakness Policy activated, since Basculegion-F is using one as well. Tera Normal means that Armarouge can take advantage of Mimikyu: Endure + Weakness Policy allows Armarouge to always survive and boost its stats after getting hit by Mimikyu’s Shadow Claw, and Tera Normal blanks Mimikyu’s Shadow Sneak. The extra 4 EVs go into Defense for slight optimization.
This team is quite good, being able to beat many others. It obviously has somewhat problematic matchups, though.
Dragon Tail Cyclizar can be bothersome if Terrakion goes down, but even in that scenario, Cyclizar can be overwhelmed with repeated attacks.
Other phazing methods such as Whirlwind Hippowdon are annoying too, though they can be handled similarly.
Unaware Quagsire can also be a problem. However, we have workarounds like Substitute + Tera Flying Terrakion, which can kind of just own stall; Taunt Azelf; and Basculegion-F.
Rain teams can be an issue due to their sheer Speed, but with Dragon Dance Salamence, Agility Basculegion-F, Endure Weak Armor Armarouge, and Sucker Punch Bisharp, they can be handled.
6. Conclusion
I’ve enjoyed building as well as laddering with this team and believe it’s really good while being fun to play with; I hope you like it just as much as I did. Thanks for reading through all of this. All questions and advice are welcomed.
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