Hey guys my name is Can-Eh-Dian and this is going to be my first RMT. I have been playing competitive pokemon for about 6 months now, lurking in the Smogon Forums and I am really starting to get the hang of the NU metagame. Now the NU meta is very diverse and fun to play in and I often enjoy messing around with fun sets to use to see if they would work. Only recently have I adopted this name as my main account on Showdown while actually trying to build a solid team. After various attempts I finally found a team that fits my play-style very well and that is also very competitive. I like to build somewhat standard teams that create a lot of momentum with u-turn and baton pass, yet have a twist in them (hence the name of my team). Now sorry for the long intro and here is my first successful team: Twists and Turns.
Opening Look:
The In-Depth Team:
hyper beam swellow new meta
A Swell Guy (Swellow) @ Toxic Orb
Ability: Guts
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature
- Brave Bird
- Facade
- U-Turn
- Quick Attack
Swellow is the pokemon that I initially wanted wanted to build this team around and he has become an amazing and crucial member of my team. Swellow is a great mid to late-game sweeper and with the right team support he can excel to his fullest potential. As a player who likes momentum and gaining an upper hand on the opponent, Swellow is just the poke for me. I run Toxic Orb over Flame Orb because I feel like the way to play swellow is to come in for a quick hit and U-Turn out until late game. Overall, Swellow was my favourite poke in Gen 3 and is an extremely valuable member to my team
Scarfed (Torterra) @ Choice Band
Ability: Shell Armor
EVs: 76 HP / 252 Atk / 180 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Bullet Seed
- Stone Edge
- Wood Hammer
Next on the roster is Torterra. Torterra is crucial to my team as he is one of the most effective ways to keep rocks off the field early-game. With all of the pokemon that I have switching and turning my team doesn't appreciate stealth rocks, even though I only have 1 weakness. CB Torterra can effectively take out every single stealth rock lead (barring Probopass) with Bullet Seed to bypass sturdy on things such as Golem and Lvl 1 Dwebble. With the EVs that I have on Torterra I can speed creep Speed Creep Golurk and OHKO with Wood Hammer. He can even deal a ton of damage late game if Musharna spreads paralysis and such. CB Torterra also 2HKO's Alomomola on the switch which is extremely helpful to my team which is quite Mola weak.
HAL-9000 (Metang) @ Eviolite
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 252 HP / 176 Atk / 80 SDef
Adamant Nature
- Bullet Punch
- Stealth Rock
- Meteor Mash
- Toxic
I realized that I had 2 weaknesses to Ice, so I had to find something to counteract that. I had used Probopass on previous teams but I felt like I wanted something with a little more offensive presence. Then I found Metang while looking at the viablity rankings and he fit the role perfectly. Metang's ability to tank hits, spread status and get up rocks, all while maintaining offensive pressure makes it one of the all-stars on this team. The EV's are just the standard Smogon set and they work extremely well. Even in a Jynx-less meta, Metang is still proving to me that he is valuable member on any team.
props for original musharna gif... jk
Pro-Life (Musharna) @ Leftovers
Ability: Synchronize
EVs: 240 HP / 252 Def / 16 SDef
Bold Nature
- Moonlight
- Thunder Wave
- Baton Pass
- Psychic
What is a solid NU team without a Musharna. Easily one of the top pokemon in NU, being able to check pretty much every physical attacker in the tier along with decent bulk on the other side. T-Wave is one hell of a move as it allows Torterra to clean up late-game along with Swellow. Baton Pass allows it to bypass pursuit trappers to an extent (damn you taunt skuntank) while also providing key momentum for my team. This momentum can activate Swellow's orb as well as just plain old annoy the opponent. Musharna truly is one of the best pokes in the meta and on my team.
SwagPard (Liepard) @ Dread Plate
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spd
Adamant/Jolly Nature
- Encore
- U-Turn
- Pursuit
- Sucker Punch
Ever since I came across the pivot Liepard set a few weeks ago I fell in love. Pivot Pard truly is the MVP on this team and every team that I use it on. People may say that it is outclassed by Skuntank, however Liepard has one thing that Skuntank never will, Priority Encore. Nobody will ever set up because Liepard will put a stop to that. The ultimate pokemon when it comes to gaining momentum for your team, Liepard truly is a hidden gem and is my favourite pokemon in the meta right now. I prefer to run Adamant for more power however Jolly can be used for more speed. Liepard you truly are the best.
franctrode reference inbound
SexyToad (Seismitoad) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Water Absorb
EV's: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Hydro Pump
- Earth Power
- Sludge Bomb
- Grass Knot
Now here's the twist in the team: Choice Scarf Seismitoad. This set has thrown so many people off guard it's not even funny. Everyone thinks that they can outspeed this hilariously slow-looking toad, only to lose their precious pokemon. Seismitoad is a great poke as it has near perfect coverage between its stabs and Sludge Bomb. Though it might not be the most effective scarfer, the element of suprise is truly what make this set one of my favourites to run.
So there is Twists and Turns, my first RMT. I believe that this team truly reflects my play style and I love using it. I am open to any suggestions that anyone may have for my team. I hope you enjoyed reading and please drop a rate!
Opening Look:






The In-Depth Team:
hyper beam swellow new meta
A Swell Guy (Swellow) @ Toxic Orb
Ability: Guts
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature
- Brave Bird
- Facade
- U-Turn
- Quick Attack
Swellow is the pokemon that I initially wanted wanted to build this team around and he has become an amazing and crucial member of my team. Swellow is a great mid to late-game sweeper and with the right team support he can excel to his fullest potential. As a player who likes momentum and gaining an upper hand on the opponent, Swellow is just the poke for me. I run Toxic Orb over Flame Orb because I feel like the way to play swellow is to come in for a quick hit and U-Turn out until late game. Overall, Swellow was my favourite poke in Gen 3 and is an extremely valuable member to my team
Scarfed (Torterra) @ Choice Band
Ability: Shell Armor
EVs: 76 HP / 252 Atk / 180 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Bullet Seed
- Stone Edge
- Wood Hammer
Next on the roster is Torterra. Torterra is crucial to my team as he is one of the most effective ways to keep rocks off the field early-game. With all of the pokemon that I have switching and turning my team doesn't appreciate stealth rocks, even though I only have 1 weakness. CB Torterra can effectively take out every single stealth rock lead (barring Probopass) with Bullet Seed to bypass sturdy on things such as Golem and Lvl 1 Dwebble. With the EVs that I have on Torterra I can speed creep Speed Creep Golurk and OHKO with Wood Hammer. He can even deal a ton of damage late game if Musharna spreads paralysis and such. CB Torterra also 2HKO's Alomomola on the switch which is extremely helpful to my team which is quite Mola weak.
HAL-9000 (Metang) @ Eviolite
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 252 HP / 176 Atk / 80 SDef
Adamant Nature
- Bullet Punch
- Stealth Rock
- Meteor Mash
- Toxic
I realized that I had 2 weaknesses to Ice, so I had to find something to counteract that. I had used Probopass on previous teams but I felt like I wanted something with a little more offensive presence. Then I found Metang while looking at the viablity rankings and he fit the role perfectly. Metang's ability to tank hits, spread status and get up rocks, all while maintaining offensive pressure makes it one of the all-stars on this team. The EV's are just the standard Smogon set and they work extremely well. Even in a Jynx-less meta, Metang is still proving to me that he is valuable member on any team.
props for original musharna gif... jk
Pro-Life (Musharna) @ Leftovers
Ability: Synchronize
EVs: 240 HP / 252 Def / 16 SDef
Bold Nature
- Moonlight
- Thunder Wave
- Baton Pass
- Psychic
What is a solid NU team without a Musharna. Easily one of the top pokemon in NU, being able to check pretty much every physical attacker in the tier along with decent bulk on the other side. T-Wave is one hell of a move as it allows Torterra to clean up late-game along with Swellow. Baton Pass allows it to bypass pursuit trappers to an extent (damn you taunt skuntank) while also providing key momentum for my team. This momentum can activate Swellow's orb as well as just plain old annoy the opponent. Musharna truly is one of the best pokes in the meta and on my team.
SwagPard (Liepard) @ Dread Plate
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spd
Adamant/Jolly Nature
- Encore
- U-Turn
- Pursuit
- Sucker Punch
Ever since I came across the pivot Liepard set a few weeks ago I fell in love. Pivot Pard truly is the MVP on this team and every team that I use it on. People may say that it is outclassed by Skuntank, however Liepard has one thing that Skuntank never will, Priority Encore. Nobody will ever set up because Liepard will put a stop to that. The ultimate pokemon when it comes to gaining momentum for your team, Liepard truly is a hidden gem and is my favourite pokemon in the meta right now. I prefer to run Adamant for more power however Jolly can be used for more speed. Liepard you truly are the best.
franctrode reference inbound
SexyToad (Seismitoad) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Water Absorb
EV's: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Hydro Pump
- Earth Power
- Sludge Bomb
- Grass Knot
Now here's the twist in the team: Choice Scarf Seismitoad. This set has thrown so many people off guard it's not even funny. Everyone thinks that they can outspeed this hilariously slow-looking toad, only to lose their precious pokemon. Seismitoad is a great poke as it has near perfect coverage between its stabs and Sludge Bomb. Though it might not be the most effective scarfer, the element of suprise is truly what make this set one of my favourites to run.
So there is Twists and Turns, my first RMT. I believe that this team truly reflects my play style and I love using it. I am open to any suggestions that anyone may have for my team. I hope you enjoyed reading and please drop a rate!