By Koukouvayia of deviantART
INTRODUCTION
I'm Dracoyoshi8, and this is NU. In terms of variety and overall balance (with some feline exceptions), Neverused is probably the best tier that I've played in Gen V. The number of Pokemon that are viable is staggering. It his home to many fan favorites like Charizard, Butterfree and Pikachu as well as numerous obscure and forgotten Pokemon, like Chimecho and Mothim. It is a tier where getting creative and even gimmicky can often lead to success, and most of the best sets don't come from the onsite analyses. With that in mind, it is easy to see why I was drawn to it, in addition to the fact that many off my favorite Pokemon happen to reside in it.
Team SoulRock is essentially my first real success and what finally allowed me to break the 1700 benchmark, often one point per match. It was fun path to walk, though, as the NU community is one of the funniest, good-sported and creative Pokemon communities, including players who frequent Smogon and those who don't even have a forum account. It is generally surprising to see the sportsmanship of the players, especially with some of the things that they face regularly on the ladder. So, it is without further adieu that I present...
Team SoulRock is essentially my first real success and what finally allowed me to break the 1700 benchmark, often one point per match. It was fun path to walk, though, as the NU community is one of the funniest, good-sported and creative Pokemon communities, including players who frequent Smogon and those who don't even have a forum account. It is generally surprising to see the sportsmanship of the players, especially with some of the things that they face regularly on the ladder. So, it is without further adieu that I present...
* __| ~SOULROCK~|__ *
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Levitate
252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Spd
Impish Nature
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Solrock is amazing. Seriously, it is. It can take physical hits like a champ with Will-O-Wisp and its good Defense, heal with Morning Sun, set up Stealth Rock and switch in on Earthquake or Return with incredible ease. Will-O-Wisp is really the pièce de résistance. There is nothing more satisfying than hitting a Skuntank or Samurott on the switch with a burn. Rock Slide is there mostly to avoid being forced to Struggle by Taunt and for hitting birds, who Solrock can take on quite well. Solrock's ability to consistently get up rocks and cripple attackers has earned it the honor of being the title of the team. He really is, like matthew, much too bright.
Harvest
4 Spd / 252 HP / 252 SAtk
Modest Nature
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Tropius is easily my second favorite Pokemon, so I try to use it when I can. On this team, it serves a triple role: bulky attacker, status absorber and phazer. Air Slash is an excellent move in NU, as it hits common threats like Sawk, Ludicolo and Gurdurr for great damage. Leaf Storm is there for when I need more power. Roost allows Tropius to stay alive and take Rock-type moves fairly well, in addition to recovering off SR damage. Whirlwind punishes stat boosters or SR weak counters to Tropius, such as Regice and Charizard. Harvest and Lum Berry is an awesome combination that allows Tropius (or Exeggutor) to repeatedly take status. I chose Tropius over Eggy not only because it's awesome, but also because I preferred a 4x Ice weakness to a 4x Bug weakness along with a weakness to Pursuit.
Solid Rock
252 SAtk / 32 HP / 224 Spd
Timid Nature
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Someone on IRC suggested Choice Specs Camerupt to me. This turned out to be a very good suggestion, because SpecsRupt is a total beast. Very, very few things can safely switch into a full-health Eruption. Fire Blast is the back-up Fire STAB, still packing plenty of power. Earth Power is a great Ground-STAB and has a very useful secondary effect. Hidden Power Rock hits Altaria, Mantine and other such Pokemon for super-effective damage. The Speed allows Camerupt to outpace things like Alomomola, who would otherwise for it out.
Torrent
252 SAtk / 252 Spd / 4 HP
Timid Nature
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Most people use Swords Dance Samurott, which is fine. However, Samurott can use its great Special Attack to be an extremely effective revenge killer and lategame cleaner, thanks to Choice Scarf. Hydro Pump is the main STAB move, as it completely decimates anything that doesn't resist it or have gargantuan Special Defense. Ice Beam hits Grass-types and birds while Hidden Power Grass allows Samurott to deal with Seismitoad and other Water-types. Scald is the reliable STAB move and has the chance to burn something like Ludicolo on the switch, which kicks ass.
Sticky Hold
252 Atk / 252 HP / 4 SDef
Adamant Nature
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Muk is an excellent Pokemon. Some people prefer Weezing for Will-O-Wisp and Levitate or Garbodor for Spikes, but when you need a pure Poison-type who can bring the hurt and take a hit like a champ, Muk is the best choice, bar none. Haze is Muk's ace up the sleeve, as it allows it to take out bulky Pokemon who require numerous boosts to do damage or fix Attack drops from Intimidate. Poison Jab is the STAB of choice for its reliability. Shadow Sneak allows Muk to get the jump on Ghost-types and take out weakened Pokemon. Brickl Break ensures that Steel- and Rock-types don't utterly wall it. Thanks to Sticky Hold, Muk can hang on to its Black Sludge and block Trick, which is always a boon. Muk is also my best answer to Articuno thanks to its bulk, who is this team's biggest concern.
Scrappy
252 Atk / 212 HP / 44 Spd
Adamant Nature
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Kangaskhan is, in my opinion, the best Normal-type in NU. She is strong, incredibly durable and, most importantly, versatile. Kangaskhan is sort of the glue that holds this team together. She can come in on just about anything, throw up Substitute to block status and start throwing around incredibly powerful Returns. Drain Punch is great for recovery and hitting the likes of Bastiodon for heavy damage. Sucker Punch allows her to revenge-kill faster Pokemon and trap opponents while behind a Substitute. The EVs allow her to make 101 Substitutes, meaning Seismic Toss won't be able to break them. Leftovers allow for passive recovery, which helps her produce more Substitutes in the long run.
CONCLUSION
I hoped you enjoyed my RMT. All compliments, critiques and criticisms are appreciated. If you haven't tried NU, I highly recommend you do. See ya on the ladder!
credits to:
serebii.net, for the images
#neverused, for tolerating all my liepard rants and being awesome
FLCL, for me unintentionally stealing his rmt name
Raseri, for being adorable
and the NU PS! ladder, for all the great matches
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