After not playing since Chi-Yu was banned, I came back and saw a lot of shiny new Pokemon to work with. I've always loved the move Head Smash due to its raw power and description ("life-endangering head butt", Goddamn) and even tried to use Relicanth back in DPP back when it was the only one with Rock Head. After seeing Hisuian Arcanine got this combo, I really wanted to make a team around it. In short, this is a fairly bulky-offense team which attempts to capitalise on Webs with Choice Band HArcanine, outspeeding and 2HKOing almost everything in the tier.
Ribombee @ Focus Sash
Ability: Shield Dust
Tera Type: Ghost
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Sticky Web
- Moonblast
- U-turn
- Psychic
Standard Ribombee lead, which I use 90% of the time given how important Webs are to the team. U-turn occasionally catches some switches to pivot into HArcanine, but it's fairly uncommon in honesty. I had experimented with Stun Spore, but very rarely found myself using it.
Arcanine-Hisui @ Choice Band
Ability: Rock Head
Tera Type: Rock
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Head Smash
- Psychic Fangs
- Flare Blitz
- Extreme Speed
The reason I made the team, the goal being get Webs up, then click Head Smash without a care in the world. I chose Jolly mainly for the reason of outspeeding Gholdengo, Scarf if under Webs. The power is absolutely absurd, potentially being able to 2HKO Dondozo with Head Smash, guaranteed with Tera. It 2HKO's Clodsire which resists Head Smash. Against a team with Great Tusk however, Flare Blitz is almost always selected, given it 2HKO's and I can't really afford to give it a switch in, ever. Extreme Speed is occationally useful in finishing a low HP mon off. Psychic Fangs I've never used, but could be theoretically useful. It's quite difficult to get in, but there are opportunities against Cinderace, Iron Moth, Clefable and the like. A lot of things threaten it should it get a kill, such as Garchomp, Gliscor, Great Tusk, which is where the next mon comes in.
Enamorus (F) @ Leftovers
Ability: Cute Charm
Tera Type: Fairy
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Calm Mind
- Moonblast
- Earth Power
- Substitute
In most games, this is the MVP. Substitute has been extremely useful in a meta dominated by Gliscor - providing you avoid the Toxic on the switch in, it is completely helpless against you and guarantees at least an unbroken Substitute. Garchomp, a big threat against HArcanine, generally can't even touch you. It has good matchups against the Unaware users in the tier, especially with Tera. Moonblast and Earth Power are the natural choice for coverage. Webs also benefits Enamorous by slowing down any would-be revenge killers, while being untouched by opposing Webs. While it can't really switch into Tusk directly fearing Ice Spinner, it can easily threaten it out once it is in, generally getting a Sub up in the process. Finally, it acts as another layer of insurance against Kingambit, as it Sucker Punches while you sub up. Overall, this thing is a menace and pairs very nicely with HArcanine, I feel.
The remaining members of the team are more put together to (try to) deal with some of the larger metagame threats.
Hoopa-Unbound @ Assault Vest
Ability: Magician
Tera Type: Steel
EVs: 248 HP / 16 SpA / 244 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Thunderbolt
- Drain Punch
- Knock Off
- Psychic
Slightly altered Assault Vest Hoopa-U, with EV's to outrun -1 Dragapult. This is my blanket-check to a number of threatening special attackers in the tier, coming in on Zapdos (without U-Turn), Manaphy, Walking Wake, Gholdengo and more. I run Thunderbolt over Gunk Shot as the team is a bit susceptible to Corviknight - the loss of coverage on fairies isn't too bad, as Arcanine can switch in on a lot and Enamorous is covered by Thunderbolt. I don't think I've ever Tera'd with Hoopa, but it was chosen to survive a U-turn and resist Fairy, specifically opposing Enamorous. Hoopa also really benefits from Webs given its middling speed, making it a frightful thing to switch in on - specially bulky, extremely powerful mixed (even without much investment) and with Webs, probably faster to boot.
Landorus-Therian (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
Tera Type: Water
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Stone Edge
- Earthquake
- U-turn
- Taunt
Another somewhat anti-Gliscor set, this was included to check a number of Mons such as Sneasler and Kingambit, as well as Roaring Moon to an extent. Stealth Rock was tried, but most games I simply didn't have time to set it up, so went with U-Turn for the momentum and potentially catch a Tusk, giving Enamorous opportunity to setup. I'm sure the EV's could be slightly more optimised. It's probably the least concrete member of my team, but it still synergises fairly well with Webs and has decent coverage and power, whilst checking things that Gliscor would struggle to.
Amoonguss @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Regenerator
Tera Type: Steel
EVs: 248 HP / 176 Def / 84 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Spore
- Giga Drain
- Sludge Bomb
- Foul Play
I had tried a few Mons in the last slot. I think what shamed me into trying Amoonguss was being 6-0'd by a Quaquaval, which hurt, frankly. This acts as a check to Iron Valiant and the singular Water resist on the team - nothing enjoyed switching into Ogerpon or Dondozo should they manage to get in on Arcanine. Speaking of whom, both synergise fairly well, with Amoonguss attracting a number of Fire types which give Arcanine the rare opportunity to come in. Spore usually ensures Amoonguss makes some progress in a game and also removes Toxic Spikes which are incredibly detrimental to Arcanine and Hoopa. Tera Steel was chosen to potentially catch a Tera-Flying mon off guard with Foul Play, but I haven't really used it.
Overall, I think a big weakness of the team is bulky hazard stacking. There's a couple of Stealth Rock weaknesses and very few of my Mons use Boots, so it's been susceptible to being worn down. Most of the time, against Glimmora / HSamurott, I just forego Webs and try to minimise opposing hazards by attacking with Ribombee, but this causes other problems. I had tried Tusk and Iron Treads, but these made the team much more open to Sneasler / Roaring Moon Acrobatics problems. Getting rid of my own Webs with Defog was also not an option I liked.
Anyway, thanks for reading and any advice would be appreciated.
Ribombee @ Focus Sash
Ability: Shield Dust
Tera Type: Ghost
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Sticky Web
- Moonblast
- U-turn
- Psychic
Standard Ribombee lead, which I use 90% of the time given how important Webs are to the team. U-turn occasionally catches some switches to pivot into HArcanine, but it's fairly uncommon in honesty. I had experimented with Stun Spore, but very rarely found myself using it.
Arcanine-Hisui @ Choice Band
Ability: Rock Head
Tera Type: Rock
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Head Smash
- Psychic Fangs
- Flare Blitz
- Extreme Speed
The reason I made the team, the goal being get Webs up, then click Head Smash without a care in the world. I chose Jolly mainly for the reason of outspeeding Gholdengo, Scarf if under Webs. The power is absolutely absurd, potentially being able to 2HKO Dondozo with Head Smash, guaranteed with Tera. It 2HKO's Clodsire which resists Head Smash. Against a team with Great Tusk however, Flare Blitz is almost always selected, given it 2HKO's and I can't really afford to give it a switch in, ever. Extreme Speed is occationally useful in finishing a low HP mon off. Psychic Fangs I've never used, but could be theoretically useful. It's quite difficult to get in, but there are opportunities against Cinderace, Iron Moth, Clefable and the like. A lot of things threaten it should it get a kill, such as Garchomp, Gliscor, Great Tusk, which is where the next mon comes in.
Enamorus (F) @ Leftovers
Ability: Cute Charm
Tera Type: Fairy
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Calm Mind
- Moonblast
- Earth Power
- Substitute
In most games, this is the MVP. Substitute has been extremely useful in a meta dominated by Gliscor - providing you avoid the Toxic on the switch in, it is completely helpless against you and guarantees at least an unbroken Substitute. Garchomp, a big threat against HArcanine, generally can't even touch you. It has good matchups against the Unaware users in the tier, especially with Tera. Moonblast and Earth Power are the natural choice for coverage. Webs also benefits Enamorous by slowing down any would-be revenge killers, while being untouched by opposing Webs. While it can't really switch into Tusk directly fearing Ice Spinner, it can easily threaten it out once it is in, generally getting a Sub up in the process. Finally, it acts as another layer of insurance against Kingambit, as it Sucker Punches while you sub up. Overall, this thing is a menace and pairs very nicely with HArcanine, I feel.
The remaining members of the team are more put together to (try to) deal with some of the larger metagame threats.
Hoopa-Unbound @ Assault Vest
Ability: Magician
Tera Type: Steel
EVs: 248 HP / 16 SpA / 244 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Thunderbolt
- Drain Punch
- Knock Off
- Psychic
Slightly altered Assault Vest Hoopa-U, with EV's to outrun -1 Dragapult. This is my blanket-check to a number of threatening special attackers in the tier, coming in on Zapdos (without U-Turn), Manaphy, Walking Wake, Gholdengo and more. I run Thunderbolt over Gunk Shot as the team is a bit susceptible to Corviknight - the loss of coverage on fairies isn't too bad, as Arcanine can switch in on a lot and Enamorous is covered by Thunderbolt. I don't think I've ever Tera'd with Hoopa, but it was chosen to survive a U-turn and resist Fairy, specifically opposing Enamorous. Hoopa also really benefits from Webs given its middling speed, making it a frightful thing to switch in on - specially bulky, extremely powerful mixed (even without much investment) and with Webs, probably faster to boot.
Landorus-Therian (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
Tera Type: Water
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Stone Edge
- Earthquake
- U-turn
- Taunt
Another somewhat anti-Gliscor set, this was included to check a number of Mons such as Sneasler and Kingambit, as well as Roaring Moon to an extent. Stealth Rock was tried, but most games I simply didn't have time to set it up, so went with U-Turn for the momentum and potentially catch a Tusk, giving Enamorous opportunity to setup. I'm sure the EV's could be slightly more optimised. It's probably the least concrete member of my team, but it still synergises fairly well with Webs and has decent coverage and power, whilst checking things that Gliscor would struggle to.
Amoonguss @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Regenerator
Tera Type: Steel
EVs: 248 HP / 176 Def / 84 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Spore
- Giga Drain
- Sludge Bomb
- Foul Play
I had tried a few Mons in the last slot. I think what shamed me into trying Amoonguss was being 6-0'd by a Quaquaval, which hurt, frankly. This acts as a check to Iron Valiant and the singular Water resist on the team - nothing enjoyed switching into Ogerpon or Dondozo should they manage to get in on Arcanine. Speaking of whom, both synergise fairly well, with Amoonguss attracting a number of Fire types which give Arcanine the rare opportunity to come in. Spore usually ensures Amoonguss makes some progress in a game and also removes Toxic Spikes which are incredibly detrimental to Arcanine and Hoopa. Tera Steel was chosen to potentially catch a Tera-Flying mon off guard with Foul Play, but I haven't really used it.
Overall, I think a big weakness of the team is bulky hazard stacking. There's a couple of Stealth Rock weaknesses and very few of my Mons use Boots, so it's been susceptible to being worn down. Most of the time, against Glimmora / HSamurott, I just forego Webs and try to minimise opposing hazards by attacking with Ribombee, but this causes other problems. I had tried Tusk and Iron Treads, but these made the team much more open to Sneasler / Roaring Moon Acrobatics problems. Getting rid of my own Webs with Defog was also not an option I liked.
Anyway, thanks for reading and any advice would be appreciated.
