Gen 8 "Gangsters" - Beat Up Weavile Offense (1700+ ELO so far)

agslash23

Banned deucer.
Beat Up Weavile Offense

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[Click on the above pics for PokePaste]

Hello, and welcome to this RMT, in which I would like to showcase "Gangsters", an offense team that revolves around Choice Band Beat Up Weavile.


Inspiration and thought-process

I saw someone in SPL using a team that contained both Band Weavile and Bisharp, and I loved it. This inspired me to build a team that revolved around a Dark- type that spammed Beat Up early-game, alongside other breakers, so that the sweepers and cleaners win it late-game.

I wanted as much firepower in the team as possible. However, Screens Hyper Offense would have been mediocre since the Dark- type breaker would be Choice locked and lose momentum. Hence, an Offense team with pivots, speed control and glue options was my way to go forward with this team, as you can find below.

:Weavile:/:Bisharp: -> :Weavile:

First of all, I had to choose between Weavile and Bisharp as the Beat Up wall-breaker. I had started with a Bisharp first, as it had slightly more power, beat Clefable more easily, and did not need defog support. However, after trying it, I did not like its Speed tier too much (gets outsped by Offensive Heatran and Lando, some Buzzwole variants, Specs Lele, Garchomp just to name a few), and Steel STAB felt mediocre outside of the Clefable matchup. Thus, I opted for Weavile. Even if it takes heavy hazards damage when equipped with Choice Band, it has a much better secondary STAB in Ice, way better speed tier, and a more reliable priority move. (Plus I realized that it may not even need Defog support, you'll find the reason shortly)

:Weavile: :Kartana:

Most of you would be aware of how Beat Up works (if not please message below). Thus, I had sorted the builder based on the attack stat, and guess who had the highest attack - Kartana, of course. Since Weavile is banded here, I decided to equip Choice Scarf on Kartana - Weavile breaks early, Kartana cleans based on that late in the game.


:Weavile: :Kartana: :Garchomp:

I always like the combo of Breaker + Cleaner + Sweeper on Offense teams, as it applies pressure versus all archetypes. Hence, I decided to go for Scale Shot Garchomp here. It has a high attack stat to boost Beat Up and synergizes well with both Weavile and Kartana, as they share checks like Buzzwole, Steel Birds. Further, Garchomp beats Heatran and Toxapex for them, while Weavile revenge kills Genies (Lando and Torn), Kartana beats Clefable, and they both beat Slowbro for Garchomp.


:Weavile: :Kartana: :Garchomp: :Landorus-Therian: :Melmetal:

On completing the Breaker + Cleaner + Sweeper core, I needed to start thinking about the team backbone, so that they can soak hits, pivot around, set hazards, chip away at the opponents - all in order to facilitate the offensive core. I had the additional constraint of selecting such glue Pokemon with only high attack stat (to boost Beat Up), hence I had to go for a Landorus-T + Melmetal core. This core has good defensive synergy, as they cover a lot of threats by themselves (Landorus-T takes care of Fighting and Ground attacks, while Melmetal deals with stuff like Weavile).

:Weavile: :Kartana: :Garchomp: :Landorus-Therian: :Melmetal: :Dragapult:

The team lacked a Special Attacker, an Urshifu-R switch-in, and could do with a fast pivot and another water resist. There was only one option here, considering high attack stat was once again a constraint - Dragapult.


Individual Pokémon sets

:ss/Weavile:

Shelby (Weavile) @ Choice Band
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Knock Off
- Triple Axel
- Ice Shard
- Beat Up

Weavile is the star of this team. While SD sets are a tad bit more popular, it hits very hard immediately with Choice Band. Knock off provides heavy chip damage and ensures progress, as every mon prefers not losing their item. It is also a reliable Dark STAB if Weavile has lost its teammates. Triple Axel is its strongest STAB. Albeit unreliable, it can achieve feats such as 2HKOing Buzzwole. Ice Shard is solid priority if it survives late in the game, to help vs late-game sweepers like Garchomp, Dragapult, Hawlucha, Moltres-G, and offensive Tornadus-T. Finally Beat Up is the main strat of this team that gives Weavile an absurdly strong STAB attack early in the game to 2HKO standard Weavile checks like Toxapex, Ferrothorn, bypasses Colbur Berry Slowbro to OHKO it, while heavily chipping other switch-ins like Urshifu-R, Tapu Fini and Clefable for its teammates to capitalize upon. Adamant nature is preferred here to maximize Weavile's power.

FYI : Beat Up in this team has a Max BP of 114 (only possible when neither mon has fainted nor is statused)

252+ Atk Choice Band Weavile Beat Up vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Ferrothorn: 172-204 (48.8 - 57.9%) -- 54.3% chance to 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
252+ Atk Choice Band Weavile Beat Up vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Toxapex: 154-183 (50.6 - 60.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ Atk Choice Band Weavile Beat Up vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Corviknight: 202-238 (50.5 - 59.5%) -- 80.9% chance to 2HKO after Leftovers recovery

252+ Atk Choice Band Weavile Triple Axel (40 BP) (3 hits) vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Urshifu-Rapid-Strike: 153-180 (44.8 - 52.7%) -- approx. 20.7% chance to 2HKO
252+ Atk Choice Band Weavile Triple Axel (40 BP) (3 hits) vs. 252 HP / 144+ Def Buzzwole: 189-225 (45.2 - 53.8%) -- approx. 96.5% chance to 2HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery - Btw, people don't use this Buzzwole spread anymore, they use Adamant Buzzwole. This calc is to show how strong CB Weavile's Triple Axel is

:ss/Kartana:

Escobar (Kartana) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Leaf Blade
- Knock Off
- Sacred Sword
- Smart Strike / Defog

Scarf Kartana provides the team with Speed Control, the highest base attack stat to boost Beat Up, as well as a late game wincon thanks to Beast Boost. Standard set here. Defog could be run over Smart Strike to remove Stealth Rock for Weavile, but Choice-Locking into Defog could be detrimental, so Smart Strike is preferred. It has good synergy with Weavile - both attempt to overwhelm shared checks like Buzzwole, Steel Birds, Toxapex. Also, Weavile beats Kartana checks like Zapdos, Tornadus-T, while Kartana beats bulky Water- types like Tapu Fini and Urshifu-R, as well as Fairy- types like Clefable and Scarf Tapu Lele (if running Smart Strike) in return.

:ss/Garchomp:

Lucifer (Garchomp) @ Yache Berry / Leftovers
Ability: Rough Skin
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Earthquake
- Fire Fang / Stone Edge
- Scale Shot

Garchomp is the sweeper of this team, a Heatran and Volcarona check, and the primary Toxapex breaker. Swords Dance helps it dismantle bulky teams, while Scale Shot is great versus Offensive ones. Yache Berry is preferred here to avoid Revenge kills from stuff like Weavile, Melmetal, Ice Punch Dragonite, but Leftovers is good as well to check Heatran and Volcarona better. Fire Fang helps it beat Steel Birds and Buzzwole (provided Yache Berry is intact for the latter) to open up the game for Weavile and Kartana. However, Stone Edge is a good alternative to snipe Zapdos, Tornadus-T, and Mandibuzz.

:ss/Landorus-Therian:

El Professor (Landorus-Therian) (M) @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Impish Nature
IVs: 23 Spe
- Stealth Rock / Defog
- Earthquake
- U-turn
- Toxic

Lando-T is the hazard controller, slow pivot, and status spreader. The reason it is Physically Defensive here is that it needs to check Kartana, who is difficult to check otherwise for this team, and the Pokemon for which it usually invests in Special Defense like Heatran (doesn't check Eruption Air Balloon set anyway), Tapu Koko are checked by Garchomp and Melmetal respectively. This also enables it to check Garchomp better. I prefer Stealth Rock personally, but Defog is definitely a choice if you want to preserve Choice Band Weavile's health (The reason why I prefer Stealth Rock is because I prefer Hazard Chip more on such an offensive team. Also, I haven't felt the need to prevent Weavile from getting chipped with Hazards, as it doesn't tank hits anyway and needs only a few turns to wallbreak). Finally, Toxic is better than Knock off here to cripple opponent Landorus-T (we already have 2 Knockers).

:ss/Melmetal:

Terminator (Melmetal) @ Assault Vest
Ability: Iron Fist
EVs: 252 Atk / 244 SpD / 12 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Double Iron Bash
- Earthquake / Superpower
- Rock Slide
- Thunder Punch

Melmetal is the Special Tank of the team when equipped with Assault Vest, checking Tapu Lele, Koko, Fini, Dragapult, Zapdos, Moltres-Galar. The reason why it's maxed out offensively is to enable it to 1v1 most of the meta without being too passive. Rock Slide is preferred over Ice Punch here to lure and beat Volcarona, while still hitting Zapdos. Earthquake vs Superpower is a matter of preference - Earthquake nails Toxapex, Victini, as well as roosting birds like Zapdos, Corviknight; Superpower dents Ferrothorn and Air Balloon Heatran.

+1 252 SpA Volcarona Flamethrower vs. 0 HP / 244 SpD Assault Vest Melmetal: 314-372 (76.3 - 90.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock
252+ Atk Melmetal Rock Slide vs. 248 HP / 156 Def Volcarona: 444-524 (119 - 140.4%) -- guaranteed OHKO

:ss/Dragapult:

Reddington (Dragapult) @ Choice Specs
Ability: Infiltrator
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Shadow Ball
- Draco Meteor
- U-turn
- Thunderbolt

Dragapult is the special attacker and fast pivot of the team, that can softcheck Water- types like Urshifu-R. First 3 moves are standard. Thunderbolt is preferred over other coverage options to nail Toxapex, and especially Mandibuzz (since it could pose some difficulty if Weavile has fainted), which is appreciated by Weavile and Garchomp/Kartana respectively.

How to pilot the team for best results

This is an unconventional team, thus might take some time to get used to. However, the important part to remember is that this is a pure offensive team that works on "Kill before getting Killed" motto that Gangsters have to adopt. Even if there are glues like Lando-T, Melmetal, they check stuff in short term due to constant need to switch in, and lack of longevity. However, their goal is to aid the other offensive Pokemon wall break/sweep/clean, either through Hazards, Status, slow pivoting (Lando-T), or by applying immediate offensive pressure (Melmetal), so it's ok if they don't last throughout the game. We are running CB Weavile without Defog support here (if you follow my PokePaste), because Weavile is only an early-game breaker to pave the way for Kartana, Dragapult to clean late game. It doesn't always need to be alive forever. Garchomp also follows this to some extent but provides more defensive utility than Weavile.

Thus, the aim of this team should be to position the Pokemon correctly right from turn 1, make reads and aggressive plays (sacks sometimes are necessary to gain momentum and make progress), identify wincons from turn 1 and preserve them as much as possible (For e.g. vs Rain, Kartana and Dragapult need to be preserved, as they avoid OHKO from water moves, but something like Garchomp or Lando-T could be sacked instead). You can get some examples of piloting this team through the below replays.

Replays

https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8ou-1529921833-kh2i82wryob9k69eijald0dabudt4typw- vs Pinkacross Offense
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8ou-1530250431
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8ou-1530344345-k6whwnowjwvi6aqepy702n11iwyg36xpw
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8ou-1530408200-g2iu7bg6fvwhr1hs5eoqgbrh7xjuhjdpw

(More to follow soon)

Threat List

:Pelipper: + :Barraskewda: - Rain is the toughest match-up for this team, as we lack a sturdy water resist and Swift Swimmers can't be outsped in rain. The way to deal with them is to preserve Dragapult and Kartana, they must be at near 100%; additionally don't hesitate to make sacks (like one of our ground types), if it means correctly positioning our water resists to gain momentum.

:Urshifu-Rapid Strike: - Similar to above, Urshifu-R has no good switch-ins. The best one is Dragapult, but it takes +50% vs Banded Surging Strikes. However, it is easier to check offensively by Revenge Killers like Dragapult, Kartana, Garchomp. Note - I have observed that opponents usually lead Shifu when they see my team, hence best bet would be to lead vs Dragapult.

:Blacephalon: - This clown is one of the few special attackers that Melmetal can't tank - Specs Overheat is an OHKO, and Flamethrower is 2HKO, hence it has no checks defensively. However, it is easy to exploit once it is Choice Locked - Melmetal and Weavile take Shadow Ball, and the Dragons tank Fire- moves. Also, Kartana is a reliable Revenge Killer with Knock Off.

:Nidoking: - Similar to Blacephalon, Nidoking is a breaker that beats AV Melmetal and Lando-T, and thus lacks switch-ins. Unlike Blace, it can't be exploited through Choice-Lock. However, it is very easy to revenge kill with all the 4 offensive Pokemon in the team, and it switches into nothing safely.

Shout Outs

mind gaming - Your SPL team of Weavile + Bisharp CB Spam was what inspired me to build this team.

SLDR - Man, what can I say! You have turned out to be a very good friend in the past few months. From earning the Ladybug together, to hosting "The Next Best Thing", and discussing heat sets and team ideas on Discord, I'm glad to have you.

ausma Finchinator ironwater adem Eve KaiserKaiba airfare - My usual RMT buds, who have helped me in some way or the other in learning basics of team-building, either through past RMTs, Projects, or just a random Discord chat

Proof of Peak

Beat Up Weavile Ladder Rank.png


I do plan on laddering further when I get the time, so this is not the final peak.

Conclusion

It was really awesome to build this team. Not only could I use a lot of my favorite Pokemon like Garchomp, Dragapult, Weavile, Kartana in 1 team together, the archetype of all-out attack really suits my playstyle.

This team is highly customizable, provided you have Pokemon with high attack. For e.g. Dragonite could be used over Garchomp to improve rain matchup, but at the cost of not pressuring Toxapex as much. There will be tradeoffs like this, so keep in mind accordingly.

But one thing is for certain, this squad goes all guns-blazing to nab the win - even if it means losing small battles, these "Gangsters" will always look to win the war through power and speed.​
 
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yo! ngl I was a bit confused when I saw that you mentioned me given I contributed nothing to this team, but I appreciate the kind shoutout :)

anyway, this team follows a similar structure to one my good friend Will of Fire showed me a while back, with weav+kart+lando+melm being the centerpiece of backbone+breaker+cleaner.
that structure is what I think it's absolutely mandatory for a team trying to get the biggest mileage out of cb beat up weavile, so the only slots I can try to contest are those occupied by dragapult and garchomp.

Pokémon Changes
:garchomp: --> :Dragonite:
off tops, :dragonite: looks like a better fit that garchomp, for multiple reasons. first of all, it gives you a slight advantage in shifu and rain matchups while retaining defensive utility against volcarona and heatran and still being able to break through pex. it also shares similar synergy with weavile and kartana, appreciating pressure being put on buzzwole, pex, slowbro, clefable and steel birds. to top it off, it has slightly more attack than garchomp as well. In this instance I would go for the classic eq+ipunch ddrost set due to being more offensively threatening immediately and more viable, although I must say a bulky variant with dwb and heal bell is also quite interesting because heal bell makes weavile's beat up work in spite of toxiced landot and burnt/paralyzed melm, for example. heal bell is also very useful when dealing with mons like zapdos that can paralyze your kartana or melmetal.

:dragapult: --> anything that immediately threatens landot and steel types
i dont really know what to suggest here, but you definitely need something to compensate for this. you lack a pokèmon specifically capable of threatening out these mon with an ohko. anything can work here, a special attacker or a physical one. you can definitely choose to overload them with beat up early game, but having a back up will make sure you just not lose to them. will of fire had volcanion (alongside zapdos) which is a good ass mon rn for this purpose as well as bolstering rain/sun matchups, but you can use pretty much whatever you want in this slot. if this mon happens to beat pex as well, then you are good to go.

these two slots are what allows you to make a big difference and I want to direct your attention towards this. even dragonite isn't mandatory with a dd set and can run a lure set instead, these are just ideas.

Set Changes
Aerial Ace :kartana: --> free chip damage vs buzzwole, becomes easier to break considering how this team structure has multiple chances to pressure it.

Stealth Rock & Defog + :eject button: + Speed :landorus-therian: --> especially with your beat up tactics, being slow and risking a toxic trade against opposing landot is quite silly. what you can do instead is going for a faster landot with both rocks and defog since your team is too offensively oriented for toxic to do any meaningful work tbh, and with eject button for added momentum and utility. as for speed, you could reach timid volcanion's speed tier which leaves you with usable bulk for kartana (now you have dnite helping too).

all in all, this team looks quite powerful to me. as we said to each other on discord, try to defende everything is impossible so the best strategy is arguably trying to "win before you lose" aka being aggressive and offensive as much as possible. unlike HO, however, I think that having this kind of backbone is generally a lot more reliable.
very good team bro
 
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My favorite team to spam on high ladder at the moment ! Great job mate :)

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I was able to peak 1900 not only on my main account yung_iznamakin, but also on my four alts drop a baby, 2(H2O), 2(H2O)-Alt and I'm Arnaud. I found it to very effective lately in the current metagame state. Though I have made some slight adjustments to team that I think makes it better overall.




MODIFICATIONS

:ss/dragapult:
Reddington (Dragapult) @ Choice Specs

Ability: Infiltrator
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Shadow Ball
- Draco Meteor
- U-turn

- Thunderbolt -

TO

:ss/dragapult:
Reddington (Dragapult) @ Choice Specs

Ability: Infiltrator
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Shadow Ball
- Draco Meteor
- U-turn

- Flamethrower

My reasoning for this is that Choice Specs Dragapult does not really need to run Timid Nature as there's nothing really to outspeed between 383 and 421 speed besides maybe Tapu Koko, which you already said can be dealt with if you play smart with Melmetal and Garchomp. Also, I don't think Thunderbolt is very useful because Draco Meteor 2-hit KO's Mandibuzz anyways if you run Modest ( 252+ SpA Choice Specs Dragapult Draco Meteor over 2 turns vs. 248 HP / 152 SpD Mandibuzz: 391-461 (92.4 - 108.9%) -- 56.3% chance to 2HKO ) and Shadow Ball/Draco Meteor already does a good chunk of damage to Toxapex.
252+ SpA Choice Specs Dragapult Draco Meteor over 2 turns vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Toxapex: 322-380 (105.9 - 125%) -- guaranteed KO in 2 turns after Stealth Rock
Now compare this : 252+ SpA Choice Specs Dragapult Shadow Ball vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Toxapex: 132-156 (43.4 - 51.3%) -- 98.8% chance to 2HKO after Stealth Rock
To this : 252 SpA Choice Specs Dragapult Shadow Ball vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Toxapex: 120-142 (39.4 - 46.7%) -- 35.5% chance to 2HKO after Stealth Rock
You would rather run Flamethrower because it nails SpDef Corviknight/SpDef Ferrothorn/AV Melmetal that take Shadow pretty easily and also because it's most of the time a better middle ground move to use. Example : You're up against a Specs Lele at let's say 26% HP and a full HP Weavile.

Other than that, I have nothing to say about this team. It is built in a very smart way and the alchemy between the Pokémon works so well ! Like for example Rocky Helmet on Landorus is very smart because things like AV Melmetal like to come in on Dragapult and to a lesser extent Weavile but getting chipped by Rocky Helmet ensures they are in range of Weavile/Dragapult next time they come in.

Again, very good job man ;)


edit : here's some replays
VS Balance : [Gen 8] OU replay: OUTD Spiritbox vs. I'm Arnaud - Pokémon Showdown (pokemonshowdown.com)
VS Stall : [Gen 8] OU replay: Pinecoishot vs. I'm Arnaud - Pokémon Showdown (pokemonshowdown.com)
VS Trick Room : [Gen 8] OU replay: I'm Arnaud vs. Steez Ibanez - Pokémon Showdown (pokemonshowdown.com)
 
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Thank you very much for this team, I peaked at 1k6 for the first time thanks to this team. I play without even thinking of what I do, it seems kind of easy haha
The main thing i noticed is how rarely i use garchomp and how it's rare i set him up.

Weavile kartana dragapult seems unstopable, and melmetal + lando are really helpfull to just tank in order to switch safely into another carry
 

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