With the end of gen 8 and the start of gen 9, I'd like to revisit some of my favourite teams from the Crown Tundra in depth. With my thoughts on the teams and some recap towards the end.
Hiding in Mist
This team was built just before the SCL draft during some downtime when I had been eliminated from OSDT and wanted to get into the building mindset for SCL as I was not expecting to play should I get drafted (at least not until much later in the tournament) Shift Gear Genesect has always been something I wanted to get a really good team to use it on as its arguably the best setup mon in the tier bar CM Tapu Fini since DD Kyurem-B and Zygarde at fallen off extremely hard at this stage of the format.
@ Leftovers
Ability: Misty Surge
EVs: 252 HP / 112 Def / 132 SpA / 12 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Icy Wind
- Moonblast
- Heal Pulse
- Mist
One of the hardest obstacles for SG Genesect to overcome is Incineroar. Its combination of Intimidate, and a Fire-typing makes it incredibly difficult to set up and threaten a sweep. I started by looking for ways to punish Incin but quickly decided the majority of those options are pretty bad (Milotic, Gapdos, Defiant Thundurus) however eventually I landed on this, a wildly underutilized move in Finis wide movepool! Mist prevents the opponent from dropping stats through the use of abilities and moves, additionally, this entirely blocks the switching mechanic of Parting Shot. After that Fini aims to be a support mon clicking Icy Wind and spreading chip with Moonblast.
@ Life Orb
Ability: Download
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 196 HP / 252 Atk / 60 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Protect
- Leech Life
- Shift Gear
- Iron Head
The star of the show Genesect is a very powerful sweeper in the format, after a Shift Gear Genesect outspeeds the entire unboosted metagame, as well as base 100 and below scarf mons like Mew or Tapu Fini. With enough bulk to take a couple of hits and Leech Life for sustain, Genesect proves deadly into many common archetypes.
@ Choice Band
Ability: Aura Break
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Thousand Arrows
- Superpower
- Stone Edge
- Extreme Speed
Zygarde checks the Fire-types that would otherwise threaten Genesect. Additionally, Stone Edge threatens an OHKO on Zapdos, a Pokemon that Genesect has a hard time breaking through thanks to Static threatening Paralysis and Heat Wave threatening an OHKO. Mist also helps Zygarde as one of the best ways to check it is Intimidate, and having Zygardes Thousand Arrows essentially run unchecked is a nightmare for many teams.
@ Choice Scarf
Ability: Synchronize
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Psychic
- Earth Power
- Trick
- Ice Beam
After GenOne eliminated me from OSDT, Choice Scarf Mew has always been in the back of my mind. While his Mew was a more supportive set with Toxic Spikes, this Mew offers strong coverage and surprise KOs onto targets like Pheromosa, Heatran, or Landorus-I. Trick also cripples many supportive and defensive pokemon alike, while Mews Timid nature retains its natural speed.
@ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 68 Atk / 16 Def / 160 SpD / 12 Spe
Careful Nature
- Parting Shot
- Flare Blitz
- Fake Out
- Knock Off
Pretty important glue on this team, offering Fake Out and Intimidate support, as well as a ghost resist, and pivot all in one slot. Incineroar is incredibly important on this team as setting up without the support it offers would be virtually impossible. I chose Sitrus Berry over Heavy-Duty Boots as the instant health pack often comes in clutch, and hazard damage can be restored through Heal Pulse from Tapu Fini.
@ Assault Vest
Ability: Grassy Surge
EVs: 236 HP / 252 Atk / 20 Spe
Adamant Nature
- U-turn
- Grassy Glide
- Fake Out
- Wood Hammer
Another glue mon for the team. Grassy Terrain is incredibly good at keeping the team healthy long term as Tapu Fini can't be on the field all the time to click Heal Pulse, nor can Tapu Fini recover its health fast enough with just Leftovers. Wood Hammer is chosen as the last move as a strong STAB move that pushes advantage and lets me use Grass moves in the face of Tsareena, it also notably 2HKOs opposing Zygarde and is overall more applicable than Knock Off or High Horsepower.
Part 2
Lightning Spear
bro did not have to do temari like that
Nails got me hooked on Tyranitar during SCL and this was one of the builds I put out for week 2, even though we settled on a different team that week I still think this was the best version. This team has lots of offensive pressure available with a significant defensive backbone to fall back on if need be, although this team performs best when threatening pins with one of the many strong single-target moves it has.
@ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 248 HP / 216 SpD / 44 Spe
Careful Nature
- Stone Edge
- Dragon Tail
- Stealth Rock
- Ice Punch
Almost Nails Tyranitar, I prefer Stone Edge to Rock Slide for that juicy single-target damage however, this is functionally the same set used by Nails. Stealth Rock + Dragon Tail is great at spreading chip damage with a nice side bonus of checking Trick Room and non-Tapu Fini setup sweepers. A metric ton of Special Defence to tank 2 Landorus-I Earth Power in the sand while OHKOing back with Ice Punch.
@ Life Orb
Ability: Sand Rush
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Protect
- Bolt Beak
- High Horsepower
- Dragon Claw
This dino's damage is insane. Bolt Beak punches enormous holes in many teams, and is the move you should be clicking as often as possible. It also has decent coverage options in High Horsepower and Dragon Claw for most things that would otherwise be able to tank a Bolt Beak. Abusing pins created by this Pokemon is the main idea of this team, so put it to good use.
@ Safety Goggles
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 208 HP / 252 SpA / 48 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Protect
- Heat Wave
- Roar
- Steam Eruption
Volcanion matches up on sand teams incredibly well. When paired with one of the many strong attackers on this team, it creates the second half of most pins. Roar also lets Volcanion phase things to spread hazard damage, although it often would prefer to just attack as it threatens significant damage in its own right. Roar is exceptionally good at checking Tapu Fini, as it would otherwise be unable to hurt it and would end up as set-up bait for Calm Mind.
@ Life Orb
Ability: Sheer Force
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Protect
- Earth Power
- Substitute
- Sludge Bomb
Another strong single-target damage monster. One of the best cleaners in the tier, and is overall quite good at breaking holes. Ground Poison is very difficult to switch into consistently unless your name is Celesteela which is covered by Dracozolts Bolt Beak. Substitute is preferred to block Spore from Amoonguss as the team has limited sleep counterplay.
@ Life Orb
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Sludge Bomb
- Draco Meteor
- Tailwind
- Fire Blast
I think this team is better off with Timid Naganadel as the mirror can be quite hectic without it, and speed-boosting past scarf Genesect is a nice touch. You do lose a fair bit of damage, but considering how much output this team has it's hard to find situations where you miss it. Tailwind gives this team another option for speed control outside of Dracozolt, and Naganadels coverage fits in perfectly.
@ Assault Vest
Ability: Grassy Surge
EVs: 236 HP / 252 Atk / 20 Spe
Adamant Nature
- U-turn
- Grassy Glide
- Fake Out
- Wood Hammer
Rillaboom ties this team together exceptionally well, its Grassy Terrain helps keep the team healthy and Grassy Glide picks off targets weakened by the rest of the team. Wood Hammer is preferred to inflict as much damage as possible on targets that Grassy Glide wouldn't otherwise pick off.
I am feeling a little bittersweet about this generation ending. It was my breakout format, and I felt as though I grew immensely during its run, however, there were long stretches of time when I did not enjoy the format. I think this format is best in moderation, and I look forward to playing it in Classic next year, maybe DPL if I need to fill in. Thank you for reading this far, and I can't wait to see what gen 9 holds.
Hiding in Mist
This team was built just before the SCL draft during some downtime when I had been eliminated from OSDT and wanted to get into the building mindset for SCL as I was not expecting to play should I get drafted (at least not until much later in the tournament) Shift Gear Genesect has always been something I wanted to get a really good team to use it on as its arguably the best setup mon in the tier bar CM Tapu Fini since DD Kyurem-B and Zygarde at fallen off extremely hard at this stage of the format.
@ LeftoversAbility: Misty Surge
EVs: 252 HP / 112 Def / 132 SpA / 12 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Icy Wind
- Moonblast
- Heal Pulse
- Mist
One of the hardest obstacles for SG Genesect to overcome is Incineroar. Its combination of Intimidate, and a Fire-typing makes it incredibly difficult to set up and threaten a sweep. I started by looking for ways to punish Incin but quickly decided the majority of those options are pretty bad (Milotic, Gapdos, Defiant Thundurus) however eventually I landed on this, a wildly underutilized move in Finis wide movepool! Mist prevents the opponent from dropping stats through the use of abilities and moves, additionally, this entirely blocks the switching mechanic of Parting Shot. After that Fini aims to be a support mon clicking Icy Wind and spreading chip with Moonblast.
@ Life OrbAbility: Download
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 196 HP / 252 Atk / 60 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Protect
- Leech Life
- Shift Gear
- Iron Head
The star of the show Genesect is a very powerful sweeper in the format, after a Shift Gear Genesect outspeeds the entire unboosted metagame, as well as base 100 and below scarf mons like Mew or Tapu Fini. With enough bulk to take a couple of hits and Leech Life for sustain, Genesect proves deadly into many common archetypes.
@ Choice BandAbility: Aura Break
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Thousand Arrows
- Superpower
- Stone Edge
- Extreme Speed
Zygarde checks the Fire-types that would otherwise threaten Genesect. Additionally, Stone Edge threatens an OHKO on Zapdos, a Pokemon that Genesect has a hard time breaking through thanks to Static threatening Paralysis and Heat Wave threatening an OHKO. Mist also helps Zygarde as one of the best ways to check it is Intimidate, and having Zygardes Thousand Arrows essentially run unchecked is a nightmare for many teams.
@ Choice Scarf Ability: Synchronize
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Psychic
- Earth Power
- Trick
- Ice Beam
After GenOne eliminated me from OSDT, Choice Scarf Mew has always been in the back of my mind. While his Mew was a more supportive set with Toxic Spikes, this Mew offers strong coverage and surprise KOs onto targets like Pheromosa, Heatran, or Landorus-I. Trick also cripples many supportive and defensive pokemon alike, while Mews Timid nature retains its natural speed.
@ Sitrus BerryAbility: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 68 Atk / 16 Def / 160 SpD / 12 Spe
Careful Nature
- Parting Shot
- Flare Blitz
- Fake Out
- Knock Off
Pretty important glue on this team, offering Fake Out and Intimidate support, as well as a ghost resist, and pivot all in one slot. Incineroar is incredibly important on this team as setting up without the support it offers would be virtually impossible. I chose Sitrus Berry over Heavy-Duty Boots as the instant health pack often comes in clutch, and hazard damage can be restored through Heal Pulse from Tapu Fini.
@ Assault VestAbility: Grassy Surge
EVs: 236 HP / 252 Atk / 20 Spe
Adamant Nature
- U-turn
- Grassy Glide
- Fake Out
- Wood Hammer
Another glue mon for the team. Grassy Terrain is incredibly good at keeping the team healthy long term as Tapu Fini can't be on the field all the time to click Heal Pulse, nor can Tapu Fini recover its health fast enough with just Leftovers. Wood Hammer is chosen as the last move as a strong STAB move that pushes advantage and lets me use Grass moves in the face of Tsareena, it also notably 2HKOs opposing Zygarde and is overall more applicable than Knock Off or High Horsepower.
Part 2
Lightning Spear
Nails got me hooked on Tyranitar during SCL and this was one of the builds I put out for week 2, even though we settled on a different team that week I still think this was the best version. This team has lots of offensive pressure available with a significant defensive backbone to fall back on if need be, although this team performs best when threatening pins with one of the many strong single-target moves it has.
@ Sitrus BerryAbility: Sand Stream
EVs: 248 HP / 216 SpD / 44 Spe
Careful Nature
- Stone Edge
- Dragon Tail
- Stealth Rock
- Ice Punch
Almost Nails Tyranitar, I prefer Stone Edge to Rock Slide for that juicy single-target damage however, this is functionally the same set used by Nails. Stealth Rock + Dragon Tail is great at spreading chip damage with a nice side bonus of checking Trick Room and non-Tapu Fini setup sweepers. A metric ton of Special Defence to tank 2 Landorus-I Earth Power in the sand while OHKOing back with Ice Punch.
@ Life OrbAbility: Sand Rush
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Protect
- Bolt Beak
- High Horsepower
- Dragon Claw
This dino's damage is insane. Bolt Beak punches enormous holes in many teams, and is the move you should be clicking as often as possible. It also has decent coverage options in High Horsepower and Dragon Claw for most things that would otherwise be able to tank a Bolt Beak. Abusing pins created by this Pokemon is the main idea of this team, so put it to good use.
@ Safety GogglesAbility: Water Absorb
EVs: 208 HP / 252 SpA / 48 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Protect
- Heat Wave
- Roar
- Steam Eruption
Volcanion matches up on sand teams incredibly well. When paired with one of the many strong attackers on this team, it creates the second half of most pins. Roar also lets Volcanion phase things to spread hazard damage, although it often would prefer to just attack as it threatens significant damage in its own right. Roar is exceptionally good at checking Tapu Fini, as it would otherwise be unable to hurt it and would end up as set-up bait for Calm Mind.
@ Life OrbAbility: Sheer Force
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Protect
- Earth Power
- Substitute
- Sludge Bomb
Another strong single-target damage monster. One of the best cleaners in the tier, and is overall quite good at breaking holes. Ground Poison is very difficult to switch into consistently unless your name is Celesteela which is covered by Dracozolts Bolt Beak. Substitute is preferred to block Spore from Amoonguss as the team has limited sleep counterplay.
@ Life OrbAbility: Beast Boost
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Sludge Bomb
- Draco Meteor
- Tailwind
- Fire Blast
I think this team is better off with Timid Naganadel as the mirror can be quite hectic without it, and speed-boosting past scarf Genesect is a nice touch. You do lose a fair bit of damage, but considering how much output this team has it's hard to find situations where you miss it. Tailwind gives this team another option for speed control outside of Dracozolt, and Naganadels coverage fits in perfectly.
@ Assault VestAbility: Grassy Surge
EVs: 236 HP / 252 Atk / 20 Spe
Adamant Nature
- U-turn
- Grassy Glide
- Fake Out
- Wood Hammer
Rillaboom ties this team together exceptionally well, its Grassy Terrain helps keep the team healthy and Grassy Glide picks off targets weakened by the rest of the team. Wood Hammer is preferred to inflict as much damage as possible on targets that Grassy Glide wouldn't otherwise pick off.
I am feeling a little bittersweet about this generation ending. It was my breakout format, and I felt as though I grew immensely during its run, however, there were long stretches of time when I did not enjoy the format. I think this format is best in moderation, and I look forward to playing it in Classic next year, maybe DPL if I need to fill in. Thank you for reading this far, and I can't wait to see what gen 9 holds.