Team 1!
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Congrats to the winners of the 2023 Smog Awards!
Project SV ZU Teambuilding Competition
- Thread starter diegoyuhhi
- Start date
And team 1 by Creeperman129 takes the win!
Next week will be up tomorrow!
Next week will be up tomorrow!
The ZU viability list, which ranks mons in Top, High, Mid, and Low, based on how viable they are in the current meta, was recently updated.
Build a team featuring only mons in Mid/Low (or Unranked) on the VL and post it in this thread with a brief description.
Deadline is Friday 22nd at 10pm GMT+1.
Have fun!
Build a team featuring only mons in Mid/Low (or Unranked) on the VL and post it in this thread with a brief description.
Deadline is Friday 22nd at 10pm GMT+1.
Have fun!
Pretty fast build, but thought this would be a fun opportunity to build with Appletun before it completely falls off the VL, and I decided to return to something I've really liked using in prior iterations of ZU: Hard Trick Room!
- The heart of the team, and the boy I wanted to build around in general. Appletun suffers immensely due to its poor speed, but its few good traits make it still have a niche within ZU: The strongest Draco Meteor in the tier, an amazing spammable STAB move in Apple Acid, and decent typing supported by Thick Fat, letting it handle Pokemon like non-Band Basculin and Eelectross - furthermore, its excellent natural bulk means that it can often times take one big hit if it needs to, letting it secure crucial KO's under Trick Room that it may not otherwise. The choice between Tera Dragon vs Tera Grass wasn’t the easiest, but ultimately I opted for the better defensive typing, as being able to escape weaknesses to common Flying- and Poison-type attacks seemed too good to pass up.
- This guy's probably the best physical Trick Room abuser in the tier - a staggering base 132 Attack, an amazing STAB in Ice Hammer, and all the coverage you could ask for between Drain Punch, Knock Off, Earthquake, and more. I opted for Bulk Up, as almost nothing lives a +1 Ice Hammer in this tier except for H-Avalugg, with Drain Punch and Knock Off rounding out coverage excellently.
- Farigiraf’s out of the picture so I guess we’re grabbing the next best thing. Revival Blessing is too much of a momentum sink for a playstyle that already has crazy momentum issues, so just went with an offensive 2 attacks set, opting for solid general coverage for the metagame - Bug Buzz hits Farigiraf, Indeedee, Normal-types, and Dark-types while Shadow Ball grabs everything else. Rabsca also marks the initial usage of Memento for this team - I have three users of the move in total, as I don’t want mons like Oricorio and Sneasel taking too much advantage of the free turns offered by Trick Room and getting hazards up.
- Yes Indeedee, she’s back again! Our resident anti-priority empath has returned to another one of my hard TR builds. Psychic’s still great under Psychic Terrain, though it has more resistances than before, and Hyper Voice is a nice STAB option as well to compliment Psychic. Healing Wish to bring back Appletun or Crabominable from the brink of death is a nice bonus as well.
Suicide lead and general speed control. Trick Room builds can often suffer from a lack of hazards and hazard control, but Stealth Rock’s value is going to always be insane in a tier where defog’s hard to pull off and spinners are inconsistent - especially with the final Pokémon I’m loading.
This guy’s pretty bulky, hits hard enough with its STAB and Leech Life, blocks spin, and has Memento. That’s about all that needs said, really. Tera Dragon is to allow for emergency Memento into things like Tera Water Oricorio, though there might be a better option - not fully sure.
- The heart of the team, and the boy I wanted to build around in general. Appletun suffers immensely due to its poor speed, but its few good traits make it still have a niche within ZU: The strongest Draco Meteor in the tier, an amazing spammable STAB move in Apple Acid, and decent typing supported by Thick Fat, letting it handle Pokemon like non-Band Basculin and Eelectross - furthermore, its excellent natural bulk means that it can often times take one big hit if it needs to, letting it secure crucial KO's under Trick Room that it may not otherwise. The choice between Tera Dragon vs Tera Grass wasn’t the easiest, but ultimately I opted for the better defensive typing, as being able to escape weaknesses to common Flying- and Poison-type attacks seemed too good to pass up. - This guy's probably the best physical Trick Room abuser in the tier - a staggering base 132 Attack, an amazing STAB in Ice Hammer, and all the coverage you could ask for between Drain Punch, Knock Off, Earthquake, and more. I opted for Bulk Up, as almost nothing lives a +1 Ice Hammer in this tier except for H-Avalugg, with Drain Punch and Knock Off rounding out coverage excellently. - Farigiraf’s out of the picture so I guess we’re grabbing the next best thing. Revival Blessing is too much of a momentum sink for a playstyle that already has crazy momentum issues, so just went with an offensive 2 attacks set, opting for solid general coverage for the metagame - Bug Buzz hits Farigiraf, Indeedee, Normal-types, and Dark-types while Shadow Ball grabs everything else. Rabsca also marks the initial usage of Memento for this team - I have three users of the move in total, as I don’t want mons like Oricorio and Sneasel taking too much advantage of the free turns offered by Trick Room and getting hazards up. - Yes Indeedee, she’s back again! Our resident anti-priority empath has returned to another one of my hard TR builds. Psychic’s still great under Psychic Terrain, though it has more resistances than before, and Hyper Voice is a nice STAB option as well to compliment Psychic. Healing Wish to bring back Appletun or Crabominable from the brink of death is a nice bonus as well. Suicide lead and general speed control. Trick Room builds can often suffer from a lack of hazards and hazard control, but Stealth Rock’s value is going to always be insane in a tier where defog’s hard to pull off and spinners are inconsistent - especially with the final Pokémon I’m loading. This guy’s pretty bulky, hits hard enough with its STAB and Leech Life, blocks spin, and has Memento. That’s about all that needs said, really. Tera Dragon is to allow for emergency Memento into things like Tera Water Oricorio, though there might be a better option - not fully sure.
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Seeing Ghosts: Choice Band Banette Bulky Offense
gm zu (also i shouldve been more active in zu back when banette was top tier ;w;)
Despite significant tier shifts causing incredible power creep in SV ZU, I still stand by the belief that Banette has a smidgen of viability left in its time in the tier. As the strongest Poltergeist attacker in the tier, Banette can prey on the item-reliant metagame that lacks in consistent Ghost-type switch-ins. Furthermore, the strong and reliable priority in Shadow Sneak makes it a sneakily strong revenge killer, making it more distinct than a wallbreaker like Trevenant. Gunk Shot is a generally powerful attack that covers the bulky Grass-types that are abundant, and Trick is obviously great utility. Below are a list of notable calcs that demonstrate just how hard it is to switch into Choice Band Banette, especially with Tera Ghost:
Poltergeist
252+ Atk Choice Band Banette Poltergeist vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Eelektross: 324-382 (86.6 - 102.1%) -- 93.8% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock
252+ Atk Choice Band Banette Poltergeist vs. 248 HP / 252+ Def Whiscash: 237-280 (56 - 66.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ Atk Choice Band Tera Ghost Banette Poltergeist vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Houndoom: 313-369 (107.5 - 126.8%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ Atk Choice Band Tera Ghost Banette Poltergeist vs. 248 HP / 244 Def Eviolite Gurdurr: 214-252 (57.3 - 67.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock
252+ Atk Choice Band Tera Ghost Banette Poltergeist vs. 248 HP / 0 Def Avalugg-Hisui: 212-250 (53.9 - 63.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
Gunk Shot
252+ Atk Choice Band Banette Gunk Shot vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Farigiraf: 263-310 (59.2 - 69.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock
252+ Atk Choice Band Banette Gunk Shot vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Shaymin: 394-464 (115.5 - 136%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ Atk Choice Band Banette Gunk Shot vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Tauros: 206-243 (70.7 - 83.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock
252+ Atk Choice Band Banette Gunk Shot vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Eviolite Dipplin: 178-210 (48.9 - 57.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock
252+ Atk Choice Band Tera Ghost Banette Gunk Shot vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Indeedee-F: 278-328 (98.9 - 116.7%) -- guaranteed OHKO after Stealth Rock
Shadow Sneak
252+ Atk Choice Band Banette Shadow Sneak vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Medicham: 252-296 (96.5 - 113.4%) -- guaranteed OHKO after Stealth Rock
252+ Atk Choice Band Tera Ghost Banette Shadow Sneak vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Lilligant: 168-198 (59.7 - 70.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ Atk Choice Band Tera Ghost Banette Shadow Sneak vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Oricorio: 176-208 (60.4 - 71.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ Atk Choice Band Tera Ghost Banette Shadow Sneak vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Eviolite Sneasel-Hisui: 142-168 (56.5 - 66.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ Atk Choice Band Banette Shadow Sneak vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Sneasel: 80-94 (31.8 - 37.4%) -- 89% chance to 3HKO
252+ Atk Choice Band Banette Poltergeist vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Eelektross: 324-382 (86.6 - 102.1%) -- 93.8% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock
252+ Atk Choice Band Banette Poltergeist vs. 248 HP / 252+ Def Whiscash: 237-280 (56 - 66.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ Atk Choice Band Tera Ghost Banette Poltergeist vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Houndoom: 313-369 (107.5 - 126.8%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ Atk Choice Band Tera Ghost Banette Poltergeist vs. 248 HP / 244 Def Eviolite Gurdurr: 214-252 (57.3 - 67.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock
252+ Atk Choice Band Tera Ghost Banette Poltergeist vs. 248 HP / 0 Def Avalugg-Hisui: 212-250 (53.9 - 63.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
Gunk Shot
252+ Atk Choice Band Banette Gunk Shot vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Farigiraf: 263-310 (59.2 - 69.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock
252+ Atk Choice Band Banette Gunk Shot vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Shaymin: 394-464 (115.5 - 136%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ Atk Choice Band Banette Gunk Shot vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Tauros: 206-243 (70.7 - 83.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock
252+ Atk Choice Band Banette Gunk Shot vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Eviolite Dipplin: 178-210 (48.9 - 57.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock
252+ Atk Choice Band Tera Ghost Banette Gunk Shot vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Indeedee-F: 278-328 (98.9 - 116.7%) -- guaranteed OHKO after Stealth Rock
Shadow Sneak
252+ Atk Choice Band Banette Shadow Sneak vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Medicham: 252-296 (96.5 - 113.4%) -- guaranteed OHKO after Stealth Rock
252+ Atk Choice Band Tera Ghost Banette Shadow Sneak vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Lilligant: 168-198 (59.7 - 70.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ Atk Choice Band Tera Ghost Banette Shadow Sneak vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Oricorio: 176-208 (60.4 - 71.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ Atk Choice Band Tera Ghost Banette Shadow Sneak vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Eviolite Sneasel-Hisui: 142-168 (56.5 - 66.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ Atk Choice Band Banette Shadow Sneak vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Sneasel: 80-94 (31.8 - 37.4%) -- 89% chance to 3HKO
The rest of the team is built around Banette's capabilities of punching massive holes into defensive cores. Golduck acts as the team's main win condition, as its balanced stats let it take resisted hits well and set up Nasty Plots to tear through balanced structures. Alolan Raichu has been one of my favorite Pokémon in ZU this generation, as its high Speed tier and wide coverage makes it a very splashable speical wallbreaker that also primarily serves as this team's main Speed control. Naclstack has also been another one of my favorite Pokémon to use, being a mixed wall that absorbs status and can check threats like Oricorio, Magmortar, and Venomoth. Appletun is another wall that can turn attackers like Basculin, Pyroar, and Shaymin into Iron Defense setup fodder. To round out the team, Gurdurr is a catch-all physical wall that also is a hazard remover thanks to Defog. Physical attackers like Perrserker, Hisuian Avalugg, and the Sneasel formes all have a hard time overwhelming Gurdurr, thanks to Gurdurr's longevity with Drain Punch. Gurdurr also serves as backup Speed control, given how fast the metagame can be sometimes.
The general gameplan is to soften up the opposing team with the defensive trio of Naclstack, Appletun, and Gurdurr. The hazard game is fairly important, as you want to keep hazards up to help Banette hit huge OHKO's and 2HKO's. Bulky Heavy-Duty Boots users like Lurantis, Hisuian Avalugg, and Articuno should be overwhelmed by the setup power of Appletun and Golduck, alongside the long-term damage from Naclstack. From there, nothing should be able to safely switch into Choice Band Banette, especially with Tera Ghost. Alolan Raichu cleaning up in the late game with the opposing team withered away.
Role Summary / TDLR:
- Primary Tera User, Physical Wallbreaker, Speed Control, Spinblocker - Special Wallbreaker, Setup Sweeper - Speed Control, Late-Game Cleaner, Pivot - Mixed Wall, Status Absorption, Stealth Rock Setter - Special Wall, Bulky Setup - Tank, Hazard Removal, Speed Control
wasnt sure what route to go with this week as the prompt was so open-ended. landed on electric terrain cheese and have been having a lot of fun on the low ladder testing it out!
cant have an electric terrain team without electric surge!
raichu essentially has no ability on other builds. this archetype lets it have some fun! im running aoa just because i find more value in all of its move slots than i do in something like np or encore
heres where the real fun begins. this is an inferior farigiraf, but i had to follow the prompt, of course! agil + cm + electric seed boost stored power to huge levels, with tera blast + tera fighting to be able to smack dark types + orthworm
i knew i wanted an acrobatics user, and i found jumpluff to be the best fit. despite not having the strongest damage output with only base 55 attack, it's been putting in a lot of work thanks to its speed tier, encore, and swords dance. in my testing, it's been a more useful team member than raichu!
i dont remember exactly why i picked pilo but rocks are always good to have, and ice shard chip can go a long way
komala has really been disappointing me in zu lately, but ive surprisingly gotten a decent amount of value out of it on this build. it compresses a lot of roles here: specially defensive mon, knock off user (which the team lacked otherwise), pivoting with u-turn, and a spinner most importantly
cant have an electric terrain team without electric surge!
raichu essentially has no ability on other builds. this archetype lets it have some fun! im running aoa just because i find more value in all of its move slots than i do in something like np or encore
heres where the real fun begins. this is an inferior farigiraf, but i had to follow the prompt, of course! agil + cm + electric seed boost stored power to huge levels, with tera blast + tera fighting to be able to smack dark types + orthworm
i knew i wanted an acrobatics user, and i found jumpluff to be the best fit. despite not having the strongest damage output with only base 55 attack, it's been putting in a lot of work thanks to its speed tier, encore, and swords dance. in my testing, it's been a more useful team member than raichu!
i dont remember exactly why i picked pilo but rocks are always good to have, and ice shard chip can go a long way
komala has really been disappointing me in zu lately, but ive surprisingly gotten a decent amount of value out of it on this build. it compresses a lot of roles here: specially defensive mon, knock off user (which the team lacked otherwise), pivoting with u-turn, and a spinner most importantly
There arent a lot of checks to strong physical electrics in ZU, so i wanted to build around 2 of them for this team. Also all of them are low tier mons bc why not.
Zeb is the fastest relevant mon in the tier (no electrode doesnt count). Supercell slam lets it use STAB off its higher physical attack. High horsepower threatens muk and the fires, volt switch for pivoting, and overheat dents grass types that resist its other moves. I didnt have a ground type so lightning rod is its ability to voltblock.
Tink serves as a special wall and rocker for the team. Mold breaker lets you knock muk and rock in front of hattrem. Twave and encore help discourage setup
Gurdurr serves as hazard removal and a physical wall. Iron fist and drain punch help it stay topped up and be threatening, and mach punch can pick off low hp mons.
Alolem has unique access to galvanize boosted dedge. Not much can take more than one of these, so it can be super threatening late game. rock polish lets it outspeed every unboosted mon in the tier. Tera flying gets setup on fighting and geound moves and tb lets it beat grass types more reliably.
Thwackey gives strong priority in grassy glide, with band for that extra punch. Grassy terrain helps with the teams ground vulnerability and gives passive healing.
Scarf duck is fast and hits reasonably hard to be a good revenge killer and cleaner. Knock over hydro pump to beat cuno in the long run.
Zeb is the fastest relevant mon in the tier (no electrode doesnt count). Supercell slam lets it use STAB off its higher physical attack. High horsepower threatens muk and the fires, volt switch for pivoting, and overheat dents grass types that resist its other moves. I didnt have a ground type so lightning rod is its ability to voltblock. Tink serves as a special wall and rocker for the team. Mold breaker lets you knock muk and rock in front of hattrem. Twave and encore help discourage setup Gurdurr serves as hazard removal and a physical wall. Iron fist and drain punch help it stay topped up and be threatening, and mach punch can pick off low hp mons. Alolem has unique access to galvanize boosted dedge. Not much can take more than one of these, so it can be super threatening late game. rock polish lets it outspeed every unboosted mon in the tier. Tera flying gets setup on fighting and geound moves and tb lets it beat grass types more reliably. Thwackey gives strong priority in grassy glide, with band for that extra punch. Grassy terrain helps with the teams ground vulnerability and gives passive healing. Scarf duck is fast and hits reasonably hard to be a good revenge killer and cleaner. Knock over hydro pump to beat cuno in the long run.
It's now time to vote!
Team 1: Specs Apple + Offensive Dusclops TR by BaitWiz
Team 2: CB Banette + NP Duck BO by viet noa
Team 3: Wyrdeer + Jumpluff Elec Terrain by wooper
Team 4: Zebstrika + A-Golem Electric Spam BO by sinnabyss
Vote for your two favourite teams!
Deadline to vote is Sunday 24th at 10pm GMT+1.
Team 1:
Specs Apple + Offensive Dusclops TR by BaitWizTeam 2:
CB Banette + NP Duck BO by viet noaTeam 3:
Wyrdeer + Jumpluff Elec Terrain by wooperTeam 4:
Zebstrika + A-Golem Electric Spam BO by sinnabyssVote for your two favourite teams!
Deadline to vote is Sunday 24th at 10pm GMT+1.
Teams 2 and 3
Just wanted to say that the teams are so good this week that I stopped building mine after even the first two submissions. <3
I imported EACH into my teambuilder so I can use them.
VOTE:
Team 2 (had a lot of success with it) & Team 3 (not just because wooper didn't use orthworm and whiscash)
Edit: I JUST posted this and I'm already second guessing my votes. Great job builders!
I imported EACH into my teambuilder so I can use them.
VOTE:
Team 2 (had a lot of success with it) & Team 3 (
Edit: I JUST posted this and I'm already second guessing my votes. Great job builders!
This fat apple has become a true defensive staple in the ZU tier, with its access to reliable recovery, Sticky Hold to preserve its bulk increasing Eviolite, phazing in Dragon Tail, and a decent defensive typing which can be further improved via tera.
Build a team featuring Dipplin and post it in this thread with a brief description.
Deadline is Friday 29th at 10pm GMT+1.
Have fun!
raaaaaah :3
i feel proud of the banette team i built, tbh its one of the best teams ive ever made. anyways ill be cooking up a dipplin team!! (trying my best not to shove in banette into the dipplin team)
here's a fun little stall team I've been tinkering with over the past week or so
Carbink is the best lead, setting up spikes and not really being threatened by anything other than steel type moves
Avalugg-H is the resident spinner, as well as a hard wall against anything without strong super effective coverage and a good rocker
Sableye is probably the funniest mon on the team, with prankster encore and 3 immunities as well as knock and prankster wisp to deal with physical attackers
Muk is the check-all special wall, as well as a great knocker and toxic spreader
Dipplin is the check-all physical wall, with feats such as taking a whopping 30% from golem boom and sometimes living 2 entire banded basculin ice fangs and can be quite threatening with draco and giga drain
Finally Articuno is genuinely unbreakable specially without a super effective move, stops setup sweepers with haze, and provides some nice momentum with u-turn
Carbink is the best lead, setting up spikes and not really being threatened by anything other than steel type moves
Avalugg-H is the resident spinner, as well as a hard wall against anything without strong super effective coverage and a good rocker
Sableye is probably the funniest mon on the team, with prankster encore and 3 immunities as well as knock and prankster wisp to deal with physical attackers
Muk is the check-all special wall, as well as a great knocker and toxic spreader
Dipplin is the check-all physical wall, with feats such as taking a whopping 30% from golem boom and sometimes living 2 entire banded basculin ice fangs and can be quite threatening with draco and giga drain
Finally Articuno is genuinely unbreakable specially without a super effective move, stops setup sweepers with haze, and provides some nice momentum with u-turn
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Built this funny little mish-mash of a balance team around the defensive core of and . The reason I called it Frankenstein's Balance is because it implements aspects of Hazard Stack and Volt-turn, all accompanied with a FWG core.
is the first member of the team, running a pretty standard set of Roost for healing, U-turn for pivoting, utilising 's solid bulk to manoeuvre my attackers onto the field, Freeze-Dry for STAB, and Roar for phazing. I'm opting for Roar over Haze here because of the superior synergy with later on. Tera-Ground is chosen here for the Electric-immunity and Rock-resistance.
is the star of the show here, acting as a good partner for , as 's stellar physical bulk is a nice complement to 's solid special bulk. I'm running another relatively standard set here, with Dragon Pulse over Draco Meteor so I don't force myself out for becoming too passive. Tera-Steel is here as an epipen to 's severe 
allergy, along with other common Ices of course.
I proceeded to add as my hazard 'mon. 's Roar and 's Dragon Tail allow me to rack up hazard damage through phazing, so hazards are essential here. Again, running a very standard moveset with Tera-Dragon to shed 's Grass-weakness and Leftovers to try and squeek out just a bit more longevity from a 'mon that otherwise lacks reliable recovery. I could've used 
here, but I decided I wanted to add a bit of a FWG core, so I forewent him.
Rounding out said core, we have. This guy's dishing out most of the haymakers with its strong Fire-STAB and good coverage options in Focus Blast for Rocks and Thunderbolt for Waters. Knock Off is here since doesn't really need a ton more coverage, and it's nice utility in lieu of a special boosting move which it lacks. Boots allows to potentially get in more often to deal damage, off the back of and 's pivoting, and Tera-Fire is here to maximize Fire Blast damage.
To accompany the special breaking talents of, I wanted to add a 'mon that could do similar things on the physical side, eventually landing on , who has solid bulk through the Eviolite it now gets access to, bolstered further by a solid defensive tera in Water. Without boosting, 's attacks can feel a little lackluster, so Bulk Up is essential here, along with Drain Punch to stay topped up seeing as I don't have a Wish user on the team. Rage Fist is used for its potential big damage over time, and U-turn is another nice pivoting option. Bulk Up and U-turn may seem a little weird on the same set, but the idea here is to try and use as a sort of bulky pivot, sponging attacks whenever possible to power up Rage Fist, before potentially committing to the sweep in the late-game with Bulk Up and a meaty Rage Fist.
Rounding out the team, we have, providing the team with a Flying resistance I felt like it needed. I'm running a pretty standard Vest pivot set with Knock Off for utility and Giga Drain for reliable recovery, alongside tera-Grass to further strengthen the latter. Being as slow as it is, is probably the best way to get 'mons like on the field to start dealing damage, and Assault Vest makes it a really bulky special wall, right alongside .
and . The reason I called it Frankenstein's Balance is because it implements aspects of Hazard Stack and Volt-turn, all accompanied with a FWG core. is the first member of the team, running a pretty standard set of Roost for healing, U-turn for pivoting, utilising 's solid bulk to manoeuvre my attackers onto the field, Freeze-Dry for STAB, and Roar for phazing. I'm opting for Roar over Haze here because of the superior synergy with later on. Tera-Ground is chosen here for the Electric-immunity and Rock-resistance. is the star of the show here, acting as a good partner for , as 's stellar physical bulk is a nice complement to 's solid special bulk. I'm running another relatively standard set here, with Dragon Pulse over Draco Meteor so I don't force myself out for becoming too passive. Tera-Steel is here as an epipen to 's severe allergy, along with other common Ices of course.I proceeded to add
as my hazard 'mon. 's Roar and 's Dragon Tail allow me to rack up hazard damage through phazing, so hazards are essential here. Again, running a very standard moveset with Tera-Dragon to shed 's Grass-weakness and Leftovers to try and squeek out just a bit more longevity from a 'mon that otherwise lacks reliable recovery. I could've used here, but I decided I wanted to add a bit of a FWG core, so I forewent him.Rounding out said core, we have
. This guy's dishing out most of the haymakers with its strong Fire-STAB and good coverage options in Focus Blast for Rocks and Thunderbolt for Waters. Knock Off is here since doesn't really need a ton more coverage, and it's nice utility in lieu of a special boosting move which it lacks. Boots allows to potentially get in more often to deal damage, off the back of and 's pivoting, and Tera-Fire is here to maximize Fire Blast damage.To accompany the special breaking talents of
, I wanted to add a 'mon that could do similar things on the physical side, eventually landing on , who has solid bulk through the Eviolite it now gets access to, bolstered further by a solid defensive tera in Water. Without boosting, 's attacks can feel a little lackluster, so Bulk Up is essential here, along with Drain Punch to stay topped up seeing as I don't have a Wish user on the team. Rage Fist is used for its potential big damage over time, and U-turn is another nice pivoting option. Bulk Up and U-turn may seem a little weird on the same set, but the idea here is to try and use as a sort of bulky pivot, sponging attacks whenever possible to power up Rage Fist, before potentially committing to the sweep in the late-game with Bulk Up and a meaty Rage Fist.Rounding out the team, we have
, providing the team with a Flying resistance I felt like it needed. I'm running a pretty standard Vest pivot set with Knock Off for utility and Giga Drain for reliable recovery, alongside tera-Grass to further strengthen the latter. Being as slow as it is, is probably the best way to get 'mons like on the field to start dealing damage, and Assault Vest makes it a really bulky special wall, right alongside .
Decided to build around alolem again bc i love him.
and make for a solid defensive core that covers most of the mons in the tier. I really tried to find something creative to do but has the barest bones moveset ever. helps with fires like and 
and sets up rocks, plus spreads passive damage with salt cure. is the main sweeper of the team. Zu doesnt have many ways to deal with strong physical elecs, as i said last week. Tera flying blast and eq round its coverage and rock polish lets it outrun every unboosted mon. is the teams scarfer and can help soften up physical walls for . rounds out the team, giving a fighting immunity and helping deal with medi and hsneas. Otr tomb is the only good set imo, and is slow enough before a rock polish to abuse tr should tomb die while its still up.
and make for a solid defensive core that covers most of the mons in the tier. I really tried to find something creative to do but has the barest bones moveset ever. helps with fires like and and sets up rocks, plus spreads passive damage with salt cure. is the main sweeper of the team. Zu doesnt have many ways to deal with strong physical elecs, as i said last week. Tera flying blast and eq round its coverage and rock polish lets it outrun every unboosted mon. is the teams scarfer and can help soften up physical walls for . rounds out the team, giving a fighting immunity and helping deal with medi and hsneas. Otr tomb is the only good set imo, and is slow enough before a rock polish to abuse tr should tomb die while its still up.
ATV: Venomoth Bulky Offense
gm zu (i tried making this description shorter but i ended up yapping relentlessly lol)
In a tier with a variety of special attacking threats, Venomoth stands out as debatably the scariest special sweeper in the metagame. It goes without saying that after some boosts, nothing can stand in the way of Venomoth's attacks supported by Tinted Lens. As a result, it's important to have teammates that can check revenge killers like Basculin, Hisuian Sneasel, and Piloswine. Female Indeedee is not only capable of revenge killing other fast threats, but its Psychic Terrain can make Venomoth immune to priority for at least a turn or two. Dipplin takes on the role of a key supporting member, being a phyiscal wall that completely stuffs Aqua Jet attempts from the likes of Basculin and Samurott. Muk is an incredible glue mon, as its combination of Toxic and Knock Off makes it force progress on virtually every single Pokémon in the tier. Orthworm is the team's hazard setter, and a mixed wall with potential to set up on walled opponents. Finally, Hisuian Avalugg is not only the team's spinner, but is an insanely strong physical wallbreaker.
In order to reap the most amount of benefits from this team, keeping the defensive core healthy is a top priority. Hisuian Avalugg also serves as a phyiscal wall, but the core of Dipplin, Muk, and Orthworm uses their ridiculous bulk to prevent opposing progress. This makes it easier for Female Indeedee and Hisuian Avalugg to finish off opponents, or punch walls into a team's defensive structure. I find Orthworm to be an amazing lead for this team, thanks to its mixed bulk and ability to bring out hazards early. If you can set up Iron Defense in the early game, Orthworm can kick off the game with a lot of momentum. Muk can sometimes be the MVP of the team as well, as it can spam Toxic and Knock Off against passive teams and ruin balanced structures. Of course though, the win condition of this team is to get a Venomoth sweep, so you ideally want to threaten the opposing wallbreakers first, so Venomoth can set up on passive opposing Pokémon.
In order to reap the most amount of benefits from this team, keeping the defensive core healthy is a top priority. Hisuian Avalugg also serves as a phyiscal wall, but the core of Dipplin, Muk, and Orthworm uses their ridiculous bulk to prevent opposing progress. This makes it easier for Female Indeedee and Hisuian Avalugg to finish off opponents, or punch walls into a team's defensive structure. I find Orthworm to be an amazing lead for this team, thanks to its mixed bulk and ability to bring out hazards early. If you can set up Iron Defense in the early game, Orthworm can kick off the game with a lot of momentum. Muk can sometimes be the MVP of the team as well, as it can spam Toxic and Knock Off against passive teams and ruin balanced structures. Of course though, the win condition of this team is to get a Venomoth sweep, so you ideally want to threaten the opposing wallbreakers first, so Venomoth can set up on passive opposing Pokémon.
Role Summary / TLDR:
- Primary Tera User, Setup Sweeper - Speed Control, Special Wallbreaker, Late-Game Cleaner - Physical Wall, Phaser - Special Wall, Status Spreader, Knock Off Spammer - Mixed Wall, Stealth Rock Setter, Bulky Setup - Tank, Physical Wallbreaker, Spinner
Sorry for the delay, it's now time to vote!
Team 1: Carbink + Sableye Stall by Aurora_Veil
Team 2: Magmortar + BU Ape Balance by Gymlead11b
Team 3: OTR Tomb + RP A-Golem BO by sinnabyss
Team 4: QD Venomoth + Scarf Deedee BO by viet noa
Vote for your two favourite teams!
Deadline to vote is Sunday 7th at 10pm GMT+1.
Team 1:
Carbink + Sableye Stall by Aurora_Veil Team 2:
Magmortar + BU Ape Balance by Gymlead11b Team 3:
OTR Tomb + RP A-Golem BO by sinnabyss Team 4:
QD Venomoth + Scarf Deedee BO by viet noa Vote for your two favourite teams!
Deadline to vote is Sunday 7th at 10pm GMT+1.