Hi! It's the unviable Englishman back with his second RMT. This one's for Gen 9 BH, which i've had a blast with so far. If you saw my last one, which you can find here, you'll know that I like to come up with unreasonable offensive threats and build the teams around those - unsurprusingly, this is no different. This time I decided to build around something I've never used before (in any capacity, Showdown or cartridge), being Hoopa-Unbound, a mon with unmatched mixed attacking prowess for current BH.
The Team
(enamorus icon does not exist yet so just using thundy)
March of Death (Hoopa-Unbound) @ Life Orb
Ability: Tough Claws
Shiny: Yes
Tera Type: Dark
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Lonely Nature
- Shift Gear
- Wicked Blow
- V-create
- Grass Knot
This Hoopa set is nothing short of terrifying. Tough Claws breakers have always been effective at tearing through teams, and this set is possibly the most potent of them all - largely due to the complete ease with which it deconstructs common Fur Coat walls, along with Dark-type giving it an immunity to Prankster Glare and Parting Shot. Shift Gear allows Hoopa to outrun the entire tier at +2, with the additional Attack boost letting it do some ridiculous things like OHKOing Arceus with Wicked Blow or V-create. Grass Knot is excellent coverage that is also contact (thus boosted by Tough Claws), and ensures Hoopa is never walled by Arceus-Water, Dondozo, or Ting-Lu. Hoopa's low Defense stat makes setting up annoying but also means that Imposter can't challenge it without taking at minimum 68.3% from boosted Wicked Blow. Tera Dark is used to amplify Wicked Blow's damage output, on top of nice additional effects like removing the 4x U-turn weakness. This mon also 6-0s pretty much every Stall team at preview, which is always a good thing. Lonely is so you outspeed neutral-natured +1 Arceus after Shift Gear.
Here's some calcs as to the damage this can cause:
It's also worth noting that Wicked Blow was nerfed this gen - it's now 75 BP. This means that V-create now does more but Wicked Blow doesn't drop Speed, so what you're clicking will likely depend on the chances that Wicked Blow OHKOes whatever's in front of you. At this time, the Showdown calc still registers stuff as if it were Gen 8 (80BP Wicked Blow, 170 Attack Zacian-C, 145 Def/SpD Zamazenta-C, etc.), so remember to change this stuff.
Arceus-Fire @ Leftovers
Ability: Fur Coat
Tera Type: Water
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Bold Nature
- Lava Plume
- Heal Bell
- U-turn
- Recover
Arceus is back and the most flexible mon in the meta. Right now, most teams are opting for Poison Heal boosting sets, however here Arceus-Fire (which IMO is one of the best ones) is playing another crucial role as the Fur Coat wall and Hoopa Imposter-proof. Lava Plume is always recommended as a way to threaten the stuff you're switching in to, and in a tight spot you can always fish for a burn in front of a Groudon or Ursaluna that's about to win. Heal Bell is generic utility and helps against the Glare and Mortal Spin running around. U-turn is both a momentum tool and as a way to smash Imposter Hoopa-U with a 4x effective move, which is why Arceus has 252 Atk EVs rather than the 0 you'd assume. This is crucially also the primary Zacian-C answer as it resists all of Steel, Fairy, and Fire. If you're concerned about Poison Heal stuff, Circle Throw can also be used here.
Zacian-Crowned @ Choice Band
Ability: Gorilla Tactics
Tera Type: Fire
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Magical Torque
- V-create
- Headlong Rush
- U-turn
I don't know why we decided to free Gorilla Tactics, but here we are - even despite Zacian-C's lowered base Attack going in to the generation, it's still an unmatched offensive menace, especially given it now actually has a good Fairy-type move in Magical Torque. This set has unmatched instant power and threatens to drop pretty much anything that isn't Fur Coat in one hit, either through raw damage or through Magical Torque's unreasonable 30% confusion rate. Headlong Rush is notable here, as its the team's main way around opposing Fur Coat Arceus-Fire that would wall Hoopa - this also means that this Zacian has to be Imposter-proofed by something else, which you'll see later. Tera Fire is used to make V-create deal absurd damage and because it's generally a good offensive type, however using it specifically to Imposter-proof is kind of sketchy because Imposter's Headlong Rush always OHKOes.
Groudon @ Leftovers
Ability: Ice Scales
Tera Type: Fairy
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Precipice Blades
- Tidy Up
- Knock Off
- Roost
Groudon is always good, to nobody's surprise, because there has never been a viable Ground resist in BH - the only real exception has been Arceus-Flying, as it's the only one that doesn't just die to Thousand Arrows. What this means is that Groudon kind of breaks Tidy Up - being able to both clear hazards and boost at the same time makes Groudon an incredibly difficult Pokemon to properly handle, especially given the most common Ground-type "Resists" in Giratina and Dondozo do not appreciate the other attackers on this team. Knock Off is used to punish Imposter (so Hoopa's Wicked Blow now OHKOes for example) and also remove stray items like Covert Cloak or Leftovers. Ice Scales, especially when combined with Tera Fairy, make Groudon a much-needed and effective switchin to the highly dangerous Miraidon. Jolly is so you outspeed Zacian-C at +1.
Dondozo @ Covert Cloak
Ability: Prankster
Tera Type: Fairy
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 0 Spe
- Haze
- Shore Up
- Entrainment
- Parting Shot
Dondozo is the resident Prankster user on the team, and also the Zacian Imposter-proof. This set is nothing special, Entrainment is here largely to remove Poison Heal from stuff and Parting Shot is for fast pivoting. Covert Cloak is used specifically for Imposter-Proofing Zacian, as to not get RNGed by Magical Torque confusion. This is also the main switchin for Ground-types that threaten Arceus-Fire, such as Groudon or Ursaluna. Tera Fairy is pretty similar to Groudon, mostly just a panic button against Dragon Energy users.
Enamorus (F) @ Life Orb
Ability: Pixilate
Tera Type: Fire
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Boomburst
- Rapid Spin
- V-create
- Strength Sap
Enamorus rounds out the team as a wallbreaker and secondary hazard control. Enamorus' talents largely come from its ability to reliable force out defensive Pokemon in order to reliably use Rapid Spin or threaten to KO with Boomburst, on top of its ability to Imposter-proof Groudon if Life Orb isn't needed. Rapid Spin's Speed boost is excellent in allowing Enamorus to reliably threaten offensive threats like Zacian-C, Miraidon, and Poison Heal Arceus forms. V-create is a general wallbreaking tool and is recommended because it OHKOes Zacian-C with Life Orb or Tera Fire, on top of also forcing Ice Scales Zamazenta-C to Recover. Tera Fire is both for V-create and for the Fairy resist, meaning Zacian-C and a weakened Imposter can be cleaned up easier.
Replays
I haven't done as much laddering as the last one, largely because i've been bogged down with University work and Christmas shopping - however, the recent BH No Johns Tour has meant i've been able to get more games against actual teams. Managed to go 21-2 on an alt in about an hour and a half if that's worth anything.
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9balancedhackmons-1738382597-n049tmii0qhkmcryyxmrl0z2bj9esorpw
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9balancedhackmons-1734270869-cqkcuo5gmqoazv1lj47z4s5adyafhdkpw
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9balancedhackmons-1734024401-ob1k6k7fvbak8n8os28p9hsz0cfcnlapw
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9balancedhackmons-1738429052-x4op5r8lgq1jguvtwr3e5ihtn7ng29epw
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9balancedhackmons-1735696876-5n6v9301x7assyghitb06y3h3w2j3vcpw
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9balancedhackmons-1734674568
Threat List
Poison Heal Arceus-Dark can be annoying to deal with thanks to its immunity to Dondozo's Entrainment. This matchup is usually fine, because every Arceus-Dark user runs unviable mono-Dark sets and you have 2 Fairy-types, however this is obviously subject to change.
Groudon and Ursaluna, if running offensive sets, need to be treaded around very carefully since your Fur Coat user isn't really walling them. They still need to watch out for Lava Plume burns though, so they probably aren't switching in on Arceus.
There are no checks to this Pokemon that aren't unviable mons like Ice Scales Arceus-Grass. Your best solution is either to out-offense it or Tera Fairy on Groudon/Dondozo and cope.
(enamorus icon does not exist yet so just using thundy)
March of Death (Hoopa-Unbound) @ Life Orb
Ability: Tough Claws
Shiny: Yes
Tera Type: Dark
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Lonely Nature
- Shift Gear
- Wicked Blow
- V-create
- Grass Knot
This Hoopa set is nothing short of terrifying. Tough Claws breakers have always been effective at tearing through teams, and this set is possibly the most potent of them all - largely due to the complete ease with which it deconstructs common Fur Coat walls, along with Dark-type giving it an immunity to Prankster Glare and Parting Shot. Shift Gear allows Hoopa to outrun the entire tier at +2, with the additional Attack boost letting it do some ridiculous things like OHKOing Arceus with Wicked Blow or V-create. Grass Knot is excellent coverage that is also contact (thus boosted by Tough Claws), and ensures Hoopa is never walled by Arceus-Water, Dondozo, or Ting-Lu. Hoopa's low Defense stat makes setting up annoying but also means that Imposter can't challenge it without taking at minimum 68.3% from boosted Wicked Blow. Tera Dark is used to amplify Wicked Blow's damage output, on top of nice additional effects like removing the 4x U-turn weakness. This mon also 6-0s pretty much every Stall team at preview, which is always a good thing. Lonely is so you outspeed neutral-natured +1 Arceus after Shift Gear.
Here's some calcs as to the damage this can cause:
+1 252+ Atk Life Orb Tough Claws Hoopa-Unbound Wicked Blow vs. 252 HP / 252- Def Eviolite Chansey on a critical hit: 481-567 (68.3 - 80.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 SpA Life Orb Tough Claws Hoopa-Unbound Grass Knot (120 BP) vs. 252 HP / 252 SpD Arceus-Water: 377-445 (84.9 - 100.2%) -- 6.3% chance to OHKO
+1 252+ Atk Life Orb Tough Claws Hoopa-Unbound Wicked Blow vs. 252 HP / 252 Def Arceus on a critical hit: 419-493 (94.3 - 111%) -- 62.5% chance to OHKO
+1 252+ Atk Life Orb Tough Claws Hoopa-Unbound V-create vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Fur Coat Zamazenta-Crowned: 364-429 (93.8 - 110.5%) -- 62.5% chance to OHKO
+1 252+ Atk Life Orb Tough Claws Hoopa-Unbound Wicked Blow vs. 252 HP / 252 Def Groudon on a critical hit: 374-441 (92.5 - 109.1%) -- 50% chance to OHKO
252 SpA Life Orb Tough Claws Hoopa-Unbound Grass Knot (120 BP) vs. 252 HP / 252 SpD Ting-Lu: 494-582 (96.1 - 113.2%) -- 75% chance to OHKO
252+ Atk Life Orb Tough Claws Hoopa-Unbound Wicked Blow vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Giratina on a critical hit: 507-601 (100.5 - 119.2%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252 SpA Life Orb Tough Claws Hoopa-Unbound Grass Knot (120 BP) vs. 252 HP / 252 SpD Arceus-Water: 377-445 (84.9 - 100.2%) -- 6.3% chance to OHKO
+1 252+ Atk Life Orb Tough Claws Hoopa-Unbound Wicked Blow vs. 252 HP / 252 Def Arceus on a critical hit: 419-493 (94.3 - 111%) -- 62.5% chance to OHKO
+1 252+ Atk Life Orb Tough Claws Hoopa-Unbound V-create vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Fur Coat Zamazenta-Crowned: 364-429 (93.8 - 110.5%) -- 62.5% chance to OHKO
+1 252+ Atk Life Orb Tough Claws Hoopa-Unbound Wicked Blow vs. 252 HP / 252 Def Groudon on a critical hit: 374-441 (92.5 - 109.1%) -- 50% chance to OHKO
252 SpA Life Orb Tough Claws Hoopa-Unbound Grass Knot (120 BP) vs. 252 HP / 252 SpD Ting-Lu: 494-582 (96.1 - 113.2%) -- 75% chance to OHKO
252+ Atk Life Orb Tough Claws Hoopa-Unbound Wicked Blow vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Giratina on a critical hit: 507-601 (100.5 - 119.2%) -- guaranteed OHKO
Arceus-Fire @ Leftovers
Ability: Fur Coat
Tera Type: Water
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Bold Nature
- Lava Plume
- Heal Bell
- U-turn
- Recover
Arceus is back and the most flexible mon in the meta. Right now, most teams are opting for Poison Heal boosting sets, however here Arceus-Fire (which IMO is one of the best ones) is playing another crucial role as the Fur Coat wall and Hoopa Imposter-proof. Lava Plume is always recommended as a way to threaten the stuff you're switching in to, and in a tight spot you can always fish for a burn in front of a Groudon or Ursaluna that's about to win. Heal Bell is generic utility and helps against the Glare and Mortal Spin running around. U-turn is both a momentum tool and as a way to smash Imposter Hoopa-U with a 4x effective move, which is why Arceus has 252 Atk EVs rather than the 0 you'd assume. This is crucially also the primary Zacian-C answer as it resists all of Steel, Fairy, and Fire. If you're concerned about Poison Heal stuff, Circle Throw can also be used here.
Zacian-Crowned @ Choice Band
Ability: Gorilla Tactics
Tera Type: Fire
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Magical Torque
- V-create
- Headlong Rush
- U-turn
I don't know why we decided to free Gorilla Tactics, but here we are - even despite Zacian-C's lowered base Attack going in to the generation, it's still an unmatched offensive menace, especially given it now actually has a good Fairy-type move in Magical Torque. This set has unmatched instant power and threatens to drop pretty much anything that isn't Fur Coat in one hit, either through raw damage or through Magical Torque's unreasonable 30% confusion rate. Headlong Rush is notable here, as its the team's main way around opposing Fur Coat Arceus-Fire that would wall Hoopa - this also means that this Zacian has to be Imposter-proofed by something else, which you'll see later. Tera Fire is used to make V-create deal absurd damage and because it's generally a good offensive type, however using it specifically to Imposter-proof is kind of sketchy because Imposter's Headlong Rush always OHKOes.
Groudon @ Leftovers
Ability: Ice Scales
Tera Type: Fairy
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Precipice Blades
- Tidy Up
- Knock Off
- Roost
Groudon is always good, to nobody's surprise, because there has never been a viable Ground resist in BH - the only real exception has been Arceus-Flying, as it's the only one that doesn't just die to Thousand Arrows. What this means is that Groudon kind of breaks Tidy Up - being able to both clear hazards and boost at the same time makes Groudon an incredibly difficult Pokemon to properly handle, especially given the most common Ground-type "Resists" in Giratina and Dondozo do not appreciate the other attackers on this team. Knock Off is used to punish Imposter (so Hoopa's Wicked Blow now OHKOes for example) and also remove stray items like Covert Cloak or Leftovers. Ice Scales, especially when combined with Tera Fairy, make Groudon a much-needed and effective switchin to the highly dangerous Miraidon. Jolly is so you outspeed Zacian-C at +1.
Dondozo @ Covert Cloak
Ability: Prankster
Tera Type: Fairy
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 0 Spe
- Haze
- Shore Up
- Entrainment
- Parting Shot
Dondozo is the resident Prankster user on the team, and also the Zacian Imposter-proof. This set is nothing special, Entrainment is here largely to remove Poison Heal from stuff and Parting Shot is for fast pivoting. Covert Cloak is used specifically for Imposter-Proofing Zacian, as to not get RNGed by Magical Torque confusion. This is also the main switchin for Ground-types that threaten Arceus-Fire, such as Groudon or Ursaluna. Tera Fairy is pretty similar to Groudon, mostly just a panic button against Dragon Energy users.
Enamorus (F) @ Life Orb
Ability: Pixilate
Tera Type: Fire
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Boomburst
- Rapid Spin
- V-create
- Strength Sap
Enamorus rounds out the team as a wallbreaker and secondary hazard control. Enamorus' talents largely come from its ability to reliable force out defensive Pokemon in order to reliably use Rapid Spin or threaten to KO with Boomburst, on top of its ability to Imposter-proof Groudon if Life Orb isn't needed. Rapid Spin's Speed boost is excellent in allowing Enamorus to reliably threaten offensive threats like Zacian-C, Miraidon, and Poison Heal Arceus forms. V-create is a general wallbreaking tool and is recommended because it OHKOes Zacian-C with Life Orb or Tera Fire, on top of also forcing Ice Scales Zamazenta-C to Recover. Tera Fire is both for V-create and for the Fairy resist, meaning Zacian-C and a weakened Imposter can be cleaned up easier.
Replays
I haven't done as much laddering as the last one, largely because i've been bogged down with University work and Christmas shopping - however, the recent BH No Johns Tour has meant i've been able to get more games against actual teams. Managed to go 21-2 on an alt in about an hour and a half if that's worth anything.
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9balancedhackmons-1738382597-n049tmii0qhkmcryyxmrl0z2bj9esorpw
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9balancedhackmons-1734270869-cqkcuo5gmqoazv1lj47z4s5adyafhdkpw
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9balancedhackmons-1734024401-ob1k6k7fvbak8n8os28p9hsz0cfcnlapw
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9balancedhackmons-1738429052-x4op5r8lgq1jguvtwr3e5ihtn7ng29epw
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9balancedhackmons-1735696876-5n6v9301x7assyghitb06y3h3w2j3vcpw
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9balancedhackmons-1734674568
Threat List
Poison Heal Arceus-Dark can be annoying to deal with thanks to its immunity to Dondozo's Entrainment. This matchup is usually fine, because every Arceus-Dark user runs unviable mono-Dark sets and you have 2 Fairy-types, however this is obviously subject to change. Groudon and Ursaluna, if running offensive sets, need to be treaded around very carefully since your Fur Coat user isn't really walling them. They still need to watch out for Lava Plume burns though, so they probably aren't switching in on Arceus. There are no checks to this Pokemon that aren't unviable mons like Ice Scales Arceus-Grass. Your best solution is either to out-offense it or Tera Fairy on Groudon/Dondozo and cope.
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