ORAS NU KAUAI

[JCM.]

"fuck jaden smith tho"

KAUAI

jcm here with my first rmt of the 6th gen! i never really rmt teams because 1) i'm not the best builder 2) i never stick with a team for very long. this team is an exception to both rules (i think), as it has performed consistently well for me. this team effectively utilizes hitmonchan's small, yet very useful niche, and showcases some other underrated sets that i think should be more used more in the meta. let's get to the good stuff now :]

btw listen to the album it's actually amazing lol

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teambuilding process

teambuilding process

it all started with specs swellow, a threat that i find quite underused in the nu tier. boomburst swellow slaughters offense and balance, which are two of the most common playstyles atm, with a bit of support.

specs lanturn is yet another underused threat in the tier. it forms a voltturn core with swellow, resists ice and electric, and softens/beats rock and steel types for a boomburst late-game sweep.

scyther was added for its amazing "synergy" (note the huge rock weakness lol) because it adds to the voltturn core with its powerful u-turn.

as mentioned previously, the team had a huge rock weakness, and was also vulnerable to hazards. hitmonchan seemed like a good idea because it filled both the roles of a rock check and a spinner. its mach punch also seemed like a valuable asset.

the team lacked hazards to compliment my hard hitters, and what better than a crustle to start off an offensive team?

the squad lacked a solid switch-in to fire types, water types and numerous other threatening mons. av kecleon is the perfect glue for my team because it provides an extremely solid check to special attackers, while having strong priority.

the team was thus completed.

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the team

Crustle @ Custap Berry **late night in kauai
Trait: Sturdy
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spd / 4 Def
Jolly Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Spikes
- Shell Smash
- Rock Blast

"one time i was at the beach
and we were looking at the stars..."

Crustle is supposedly my designated lead, but more often than not, I lead with Lanturn or Scyther to grab momentum / prevent hazards right off the bat. As weird as it may seem, Crustle's role on this team does not simply consist of laying down Stealth Rock and Spikes and dying. Custap Berry is an actual lifesaver and makes this Pokémon worth keeping around.

A common scenario is: X mon sets up on Crustle, while I lay down hazards. X knocks it down to Custap range, while I Rock Blast, and then Rock Blast again, depending on the matchup. What this does is that it allows me to get off the damage required for one of my Pokémon to revenge kill the weakened opponent. Trust me, this has saved my ass numerous times.

The moveset is pretty standard, except for maybe Shell Smash, which I use to threaten Xatu and sometimes even other mons (Crustle is actually pretty strong lol!). It hasn't seen much use to be quite frank, so maybe X-Scissor / Knock Off / Earthquake could be used instead. Typically, I keep Crustle around as death fodder if I see threats such as Sawk. It does its job very well, I must say.

This team doesn't really have a spinblocker except for Kecleon's Shadow Sneak (lol) but it uses sheer offensive pressure to prevent spinning.

Swellow @ Choice Specs **sober
Trait: Scrappy
EVs: 252 SAtk / 252 Spd / 4 Atk
Timid Nature
- Boomburst
- U-Turn
- Sleep Talk
- Tailwind

"and now that it's over, i'll never be sober
i couldn't believe, but now i'm so high"

The bane of offense and balance. I have seen countless teams that rely on cores such as Mawile + Lanturn to check burds, and those kind of teams are trounced by Boomburst + hazards. Those who run [insert rock type here] are constantly pressured by the fantastic core of Scyther and Lanturn.

Swellow's role is to wallbreak and clean up late-game. Being the fastest common Pokémon in the tier helps it immensely. My moveset is a bit odd for a Specs Swellow, I must admit. Boomburst is the main STAB move and U-Turn allows me to pivot out of resists. The interesting moves are Sleep Talk and Tailwind. Sleep Talk allows me to switch into stuff like Lilligant, while Tailwind (a move that I have used like a grand total of 5 times, two of those when chosen by Sleep Talk) can actually aid my other teammates to sweep, notably Lanturn, which is a monster under Tailwind.

Lanturn @ Choice Specs **pop thieves
Trait: Volt Absorb
EVs: 252 SAtk / 184 Spd / 72 SDef
Modest Nature
- Hydro Pump
- Scald
- Volt Switch
- Ice Beam

"Now that we have found this love, baby
I can't explain my feel, oh
Now that we have found this love, baby
I've never felt this real, oh"

The most underrated set of the bunch imo. Choice Specs Lanturn hits like a fucking truck, and it is complimented by its beautiful typing. My gameplan often consists of eliminating/softening its checks (such as opposing Lanturn, Vileplume, etc) using Scyther or other mons, so it can just cleanly sweep.

While it may seem weird as I pack a Custap Berry Crustle, Lanturn is my preferred lead in many matchups, such as against teams that utilize Mawile, Rhydon, Golurk and many others as their Stealth Rock. Its role is to mainly eliminate Rock types so that Scyther and Swellow can have a field day.

The moveset is pretty bog standard. I almost never click Hydro Pump (except versus fat stuff like Quag) as Scald is a much more spammable alternative. Ice Beam hits Grass types, although I am considering Signal Beam too. Hitting Vileplume just seems more important I guess. Lanturn just loves when the opponent lacks an Electric resist, as Volt Switch also becomes very spammable and amazing in conjunction with Scyther's U-Turn.

Scyther @ Choice Band **retro
Trait: Technician
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spd / 4 Def
Jolly Nature
- U-Turn
- Aerial Ace
- Pursuit
- Quick Attack

"the booty lookin' retro, retro
you can be the moon to me
and i can be your spotlight (spotlight)
and if you think i'm ballin'
you shoulda seen me last night, last night"

Ahhh Band Scyther. An incredibly strong Pokémon that synergizes well the rest of my team. What I love about Scyther is its speed, which, combined with its offenses, is a deadly combo.

Scyther's role on this team is to soften up the opposing Pokémon and form a Voltturn core with Lanturn and Swellow. It also serves as a Malamar and Fighting check, both of which are very important and can be very threatening otherwise.

The moves are pretty standard as well. U-Turn and Aerial Ace provide STAB. I have never, ever clicked Pursuit. Now that I look at it, I'd rather have it replaced by something like Brick Break so I'm not setup fodder for Klinklang and RP Rhydon. Quick Attack, while bashed on, has actually been such a clutch move. It has saved my ass several times, akin to Custap Berry Rock Blast. Too bad I'm an idiot and I don't save replays.

Kecleon @ Assault Vest **the palisades
Trait: Protean
EVs: 252 Atk / 172 HP / 84 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Knock Off
- Drain Punch
- Sucker Punch
- Shadow Sneak

"I think there's something for us
Lying around as the world comes down
If you understand what I'm saying
You won't end up in the lost and found, nope"

Hands down one of the best glues in the tier. This thing is crazy underrated and should definitely see more usage. Kecleon gives me a catch-all check to a majority of the threatening special attackers in the tier, such as Lilligant, Magmortar, and many others.

Kecleon is the main member of my "Prio Trio" core (yes it sounds awful, yes i know, sue me), along with Scyther's Quick Attack and Hitmonchan's Mach Punch. Thanks to Protean, it is able to hit harder and succesfully revenge kill many setup sweepers with Sucker Punch or Shadow Sneak. This gives me a lot more breathing room with my other Pokémon, and I'm not as pressured to make double switches and such just to prevent setup (although that does work).

I run Knock Off over Power-Up Punch simply because Kecleon's job is not to sweep, although I admit it could be helpful against Mega Audino, one of the main threats to the team. Knock Off has a lot of utility though.

Hitmonchan @ Assault Vest **V.3005 (Beach Picnic Version)
Trait: Iron Fist
EVs: 144 HP / 252 Atk / 112 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Drain Punch
- Mach Punch
- Ice Punch
- Rapid Spin

"in the year 3005
and the world i love is gone
do you know where we're headed?"

I feel like Hitmonchan gets a lot of unjustified shit. It's true, on most teams, Sawk and Gurdurr are the better options, I admit it. On this particular team, Hitmonchan carves itself a nice niche, as its strong priority and Rapid Spin are invaluable assets.

Last member of the "Prio Trio" core, Hitmonchan's Mach Punch is incredibly useful against threats like KLINKLANG, Kabutops, Carracosta and others. In combination with Iron Fist, it actually hits quite hard. Drain Punch is good STAB and allows me to hit hard, while Ice Punch hits incoming Flying, Psychic and Ghost types.

Hitmonchan has always gotten the job done as a Rapid Spinner. To the people who say that it can't do shit to Ghost types, I ask you: What do they do back? Assault Vest allows it to stomach hits much better than LO or Fist Plate Fling sets, and it's insurance in case that Kecleon gets too weakened.

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conclusion

this team is fun, it's kinda good, it's not perfect, rate hate steal whatever lol. i actually peaked like #10 on the ladder and then i kept getting haxed and lost 68 pts in 3 games (gj showdown!!) so fuck laddering lol.

also cbt come back bro.

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threatlist

threatlist

archeops can be a threat because it hits hard and not much on my team switches into it, but my priority does a number to it.

band sawk can be threatening if rocks are up on my side, otherwise scyther does fine vs it. scarf sawk is a bit more annoying because it outspeeds scyther / swellow, but its significantly weaker tho

how the fuck do i beat this

i never really had problems with it, but i heavily rely on mach punch and specs lanturn to check it, and that can be a slight problem i guess

this thing fucking hurts me, i need to revenge it with swellow which cannot switch in. i usually keep custap crustle around for it.

sd is such a fucking threat lol. aqua jet is faster hitmonchan's mach punch. i try not to lock myself into aerial ace or give it a free switch in with crustle.

HOW THE FUCK DO I BEAT CURSE MUK LOL

Hax: the reason why i stopped laddering lol.

there's probably a ton of other thing but i'm too lazy to find them. like i struggle with some physical attackers but idrk which ones? and most of these are not really threats, as i can deal with them.

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importable

importable

Swellow @ Choice Specs
Ability: Scrappy
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Boomburst
- U-turn
- Sleep Talk
- Tailwind

Scyther @ Choice Band
Ability: Technician
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Aerial Ace
- U-turn
- Pursuit
- Quick Attack

Lanturn @ Choice Specs
Ability: Volt Absorb
EVs: 252 SpA / 72 SpD / 184 Spe
Modest Nature
- Hydro Pump
- Volt Switch
- Scald
- Ice Beam

Crustle @ Custap Berry
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Spikes
- Rock Blast
- Shell Smash

Hitmonchan @ Assault Vest
Ability: Iron Fist
EVs: 144 HP / 252 Atk / 112 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Drain Punch
- Mach Punch
- Rapid Spin
- Ice Punch

Kecleon @ Assault Vest
Ability: Protean
EVs: 172 HP / 252 Atk / 84 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Knock Off
- Drain Punch
- Shadow Sneak
- Sucker Punch

 

[Sweet Jesus]

Cool team!

If you say you don't use moves replace them and try new things (that's how I discovered my beloved lum rock tomb sawk)!
For Crustle, I'd replace SS by either endure (since you don't always lead with it), flail, counter or knock off. For swellow, I'd replace tailwind with defog as you might need an emergency hazard removal while a ghost type is roamin.

 

[JCM.]

Cool team!

If you say you don't use moves replace them and try new things (that's how I discovered my beloved lum rock tomb sawk)!
For Crustle, I'd replace SS by either endure (since you don't always lead with it), flail, counter or knock off. For swellow, I'd replace tailwind with defog as you might need an emergency hazard removal while a ghost type is roamin.

thanks bro :]

your suggestions actually sound extremely cool, especially the defog swellow one! i'll try out those options, thanks man!

 

[HJAD]

Hey JCM.

Nice hyper offense team you have here, it seems really strong in the current meta and utilises quite a few underrated threats. As far as weakness' are concerned, Sawk, Klinklang and Mega Audino are the main threats to this team.

As far as solutions for this problem are concerned, there aren't really any good ones that don't ruin the synergy of your team. In addition to SJs post, which I think you should 100% follow through with; I'm gonna suggest Bulky SD Scyther > CB Scyther. Bulky SD Scyther can switch in and beat M- Audino and Sawk 1v1 thanks for its great speed, bulk and access to SD which let's it boost faster than M-Audino to the point where M-Audino isnt a viable check to it. What's brilliant about Bulky SD is that you can also run U-Turn on the set, allowing you to get nice residual leaving damage on stuff like Rhydon and Klinklang. It therefore allows you to pivot into Lanturn and regain the momentum. Overall, this change is probably more beneficial for your team since after an SD, Scyther hits just as hard as Band. The added Eviolite bulk also allows it to check stuff like Mismagius and Haunter, which you would have previously pursuit trapped. It's key however to keep hazards off your side of the field, so I definitely reccomend SJs swap alongside this one.
just so you don't get 6-0d by Mega Dino :]

set

Scyther @ Eviolite
Ability: Technician
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Roost
- Aerial Ace
- U-Turn

Good luck in your future endeavours fren, cbt, you should definitely come back :]
~HJAD

 

[Ares]

I really like the team JCM.

Right off the bat looking at your team I was going to suggest SD Scyther as it really patches up a lot of things you struggle with, HJAD beat me to that but there are a couple of other tweaks I could see you making to the team to tweak it and help against somethings you listed in your threat list.

First things first is it sounds like you dont even use Crustle as a HO lead (nor do you have any spinblocking) so a much more reliable rock setter as well as something to give you a better Archeops check should be in order. I think that Rhydon > Crustle is the way to go as it gives you and Archeops check as well as more reliable rocks and allows you to beat Curse Muk LOL! As far as the set goes you have a ton of special tanks so I think you could expiriment with the set. Something like Rock Polish + rocks + 2 attacks could be cool as well as a bulkier set with SD to beat Xatu, Rhydon can be customized easily and while it can be defensive it is also quite offensive so I think it'll fit on your team and not slow it down as far as offensive momentum goes.

Next thing I suggest is putting Life Orb on Hitmonchan as the power difference in Mach Punch is something like 10-20% which can mean the difference between taking out Klinklang and not taking it out. Seeing as I just removed one of your Assault Vest users I think that you could try out Assault Vest on Lanturn as you are able to maintain offensive pressure while having the ability to switch in as a defensive answer. I've really been liking a set posted by Sweet Jesus which has whirlpool to lure in and take out opposing Lanturns and is really quite a cool set.

sets

I'll leave the standard tank set here and let you customize it the way you see fit.
Rhydon @ Eviolite
Ability: Lightning Rod
EVs: 240 HP / 16 Atk / 252 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Rock Blast
- Megahorn

Lanturn @ Assault Vest
Ability: Volt Absorb
EVs: 96 Def / 252 SpA / 160 Spe
Modest Nature
- Scald
- Ice Beam
- Volt Switch
- Whirlpool

Gl with the team and I agree fuck laddering and hax.

 

[JCM.]

Hey JCM.

Nice hyper offense team you have here, it seems really strong in the current meta and utilises quite a few underrated threats. As far as weakness' are concerned, Sawk, Klinklang and Mega Audino are the main threats to this team.

As far as solutions for this problem are concerned, there aren't really any good ones that don't ruin the synergy of your team. In addition to SJs post, which I think you should 100% follow through with; I'm gonna suggest Bulky SD Scyther > CB Scyther. Bulky SD Scyther can switch in and beat M- Audino and Sawk 1v1 thanks for its great speed, bulk and access to SD which let's it boost faster than M-Audino to the point where M-Audino isnt a viable check to it. What's brilliant about Bulky SD is that you can also run U-Turn on the set, allowing you to get nice residual leaving damage on stuff like Rhydon and Klinklang. It therefore allows you to pivot into Lanturn and regain the momentum. Overall, this change is probably more beneficial for your team since after an SD, Scyther hits just as hard as Band. The added Eviolite bulk also allows it to check stuff like Mismagius and Haunter, which you would have previously pursuit trapped. It's key however to keep hazards off your side of the field, so I definitely reccomend SJs swap alongside this one.
just so you don't get 6-0d by Mega Dino :]

set

Scyther @ Eviolite
Ability: Technician
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Roost
- Aerial Ace
- U-Turn

Good luck in your future endeavours fren, cbt, you should definitely come back :]
~HJAD

hey hjad,

as usual, team rating skills on point ! i actually had considered sd scyther in the early stages of the team, but i totally forgot it could run both u-turn and sd, so that's a really good idea that should help my team with its sawk weakness. i'll miss banded quick attack though, but it should be fine. thanks man, and im glad you like the team :]

I really like the team JCM.

Right off the bat looking at your team I was going to suggest SD Scyther as it really patches up a lot of things you struggle with, HJAD beat me to that but there are a couple of other tweaks I could see you making to the team to tweak it and help against somethings you listed in your threat list.

First things first is it sounds like you dont even use Crustle as a HO lead (nor do you have any spinblocking) so a much more reliable rock setter as well as something to give you a better Archeops check should be in order. I think that Rhydon > Crustle is the way to go as it gives you and Archeops check as well as more reliable rocks and allows you to beat Curse Muk LOL! As far as the set goes you have a ton of special tanks so I think you could expiriment with the set. Something like Rock Polish + rocks + 2 attacks could be cool as well as a bulkier set with SD to beat Xatu, Rhydon can be customized easily and while it can be defensive it is also quite offensive so I think it'll fit on your team and not slow it down as far as offensive momentum goes.

Next thing I suggest is putting Life Orb on Hitmonchan as the power difference in Mach Punch is something like 10-20% which can mean the difference between taking out Klinklang and not taking it out. Seeing as I just removed one of your Assault Vest users I think that you could try out Assault Vest on Lanturn as you are able to maintain offensive pressure while having the ability to switch in as a defensive answer. I've really been liking a set posted by Sweet Jesus which has whirlpool to lure in and take out opposing Lanturns and is really quite a cool set.

sets

I'll leave the standard tank set here and let you customize it the way you see fit.
Rhydon @ Eviolite
Ability: Lightning Rod
EVs: 240 HP / 16 Atk / 252 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Rock Blast
- Megahorn

Lanturn @ Assault Vest
Ability: Volt Absorb
EVs: 96 Def / 252 SpA / 160 Spe
Modest Nature
- Scald
- Ice Beam
- Volt Switch
- Whirlpool

Gl with the team and I agree fuck laddering and hax.

hey montsegur,

it's true i dont lead with crustle a lot lol so rhydon over it definitely gives my team a bit more bulk overall, good idea. i'll try out different sets and see what fits best on this team.

i'm kind of iffy about lo hitmonchan + av lanturn bc there's a significant power difference for lanturn, but also bc i never found lo hitmonchan really good.

i'll give both of these suggestions a try though because klinklang pressures me a LOT and i already had used the av whirlpool set (i love sj's sets) and trapping lanturn on this team could actually be beneficial for swellow.

thanks man :]