Gen 7 Monotype - We Ride

mushamu

God jihyo
is a Tutor Alumnusis a Site Content Manager Alumnusis a Community Leader Alumnusis a Community Contributor Alumnusis a Top Tiering Contributor Alumnusis a Contributor Alumnusis a Smogon Media Contributor Alumnusis a Battle Simulator Moderator Alumnusis a Former Smogon Metagame Tournament Circuit Champion
:sm/aerodactyl-mega: :sm/tornadus-therian: :sm/gliscor: :sm/mantine: :sm/celesteela: :sm/zapdos:

Introduction:
With MPL concluding for me I really felt like sharing one of the SM Monotype teams I've been enjoying for a while now. SM Monotype is my favorite tier to play, and I believe it's the second best SM metagame aside from OU because it's just so incredibly balanced and you can get away with running a lot of teams and archetypes. I actually built this team a few years ago in my first MPL that I started in, but it still works really well. Flying is overall one of my favorite types to use in SM and balance is my preferred playstyle with a lot of the stuff I use being things that cover a majority of the tier which leaves outplay potential. Without further ado, here's the team:

Building Process:
:tornadus-therian:
Leru gave me the idea of using Toxic Tornadus-Therian because it's a really good stallbreaker and progress maker. Toxic punishing things like Rotom-W and Zapdos means that Tornadus-T is now really good against types like Water and Flying combined with its other moves.

:tornadus-therian: :gliscor: :mantine: :celesteela: :zapdos: :aerodactyl-mega:
The rest of the team was pretty easy to fill out. I wanted to make a semistall/balance Flying team because Wincon brought it to popularity an MPL ago from when I first made it. Flying's Pokemon synergize really well defensively, which makes the playstyle very efficient. Mega Aerodactyl covers a lot of holes as a mega evolution choice and it's overall one of my favorite Pokemon to build around in SM. The first version had Taunt and Stealth Rock Gliscor, but I changed it to Defog in later version since Defog is just so reliable with Stealth Rock on Mega Aerodactyl.

The Team:
:sm/aerodactyl-mega: @

Ability: Tough Claws
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Stealth Rock

- Stone Edge
- Earthquake
- Ice Fang

Mega Aerodactyl is the glue on this team and is generally known as the mega evolution you'd go for if you want role compression. Since this Flying team is essentially just 4 defensive fat Pokemon and 2 progress makers, Mega Aerodactyl fulfills an important role by serving as the Speed control and Stealth Rock setter. This gives you more counterplay to faster Pokemon like Kyurem-B, Tapu Koko, Garchomp, and Victini which would be otherwise hard. I felt like Tornadus-T covered Psychic well enough so I decided to run Ice Fang over Pursuit on it for the Dragon matchup to OHKO Garchomp and 2HKO Mega Latias.
:sm/tornadus-therian: @

Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 200 HP / 56 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Taunt
- Toxic
- Hurricane
- Knock Off


Tornadus-T is the Pokemon I was "building around". Like I said, Tornadus-T is an excellent stallbreaker. Taunt combined with Knock Off and Regenerator makes it a nuisance to many top types, and Toxic means you can hit specific Pokemon like Rotom-W, Tyranitar, and Zapdos which would otherwise wall you. It's EV'd to take a V-Create from non-Choice Banded Victini, and if it's Choice Band then you can just Knock it off. Tornadus-T is generally a good lead because of how it matches with opposing leads-Taunting Stealth Rock setters and getting Knock Off/Toxic early is always nice. Z-Hurricane is nice for nuking random stuff like +1 Keldeo and chipped walls like Toxapex and opposing Gliscor.
:sm/gliscor: @

Ability: Poison Heal
EVs: 244 HP / 20 Def / 188 SpD / 56 Spe
Careful Nature
- Defog
- Toxic
- Earthquake

- Roost

Gliscor is the best Defog user in SM. Its typing, ability, and bulk allows it to remove on a lot of Stealth Rock setters and Pokemon in the tier like Chansey, Swampert, Garchomp, and Mega Aerodactyl. Toxic makes it so you can pressure Pokemon like Greninja and Deoxys-S from coming in for free and opposing walls like Swampert and Rotom-W on a timer. The EVs mean Choice Band Victini's V-Create never OHKO it from full land the rest goes into Special Defense and enough Speed to creep Bisharp. A lot of this team's progress revolves around Toxic spreading and the first two Pokemon and set choices reflect on that.
:sm/mantine: @

Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 252 HP / 84 SpD / 172 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Mirror Coat
- Roost
- Scald

- Haze

Mantine is typically really ass in SM because of how passive it is but I think it fits on this team fine. I got Wacan Berry Mirror Coat from roman when it lured and killed my Thunderbolt Nidoking. It honestly helps with a lot of the issues Flying team faces, like Kommo-o, Deoxys-S, Greninja, Nidoking, and Tapu Koko-just random BoltBeam coverage Pokemon that these teams are traditionally weak to. Mantine's Speed is for Jolly Azumarill so you can Haze it, and the rest goes into Special Defense to take hits from Pokemon like Tapu Koko better.
252 SpA Choice Specs Tapu Koko Volt Switch vs. 252 HP / 84+ SpD Wacan Berry Mantine in Electric Terrain: 266-314 (71.1 - 83.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
+2 252 SpA Expert Belt Deoxys-Speed Thunderbolt vs. 252 HP / 84+ SpD Wacan Berry Mantine: 245-288 (65.5 - 77%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 SpA Life Orb Sheer Force Nidoking Thunderbolt vs. 252 HP / 84+ SpD Wacan Berry Mantine: 161-190 (43 - 50.8%) -- 2.3% chance to 2HKO
252 SpA Expert Belt Protean Greninja Hidden Power Electric vs. 252 HP / 84+ SpD Wacan Berry Mantine: 130-154 (34.7 - 41.1%) -- guaranteed 3HKO

:sm/celesteela: @

Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Relaxed Nature
- Heavy Slam
- Flamethrower
- Protect

- Leech Seed

The thing about Flying teams and I guess SM building in general is that it's very mix and match-y. In SM, you have a lot of options in terms of teambuilding with Z-moves and Mega Evolutions. If you want to build around a specific set or Pokemon, you typically lose out on a matchup and you have to try and find out how to cover it with the rest of the team. For example, I did have to try and juggle around Stealth Rock on Gliscor or Mega Aerodactyl and Defog on Tornadus-T or Gliscor when making this team. Flamethrower Celesteela actually fell off a decent amount of time ago, but it's the better set here because the alternative option is Toxic which I already have two users of and the rest of the team is really weak to Steel teams as of now. Besides this, physically defensive Celesteela is pretty standard on Flying and Mantine checking the special Pokemon like Greninja and Deoxys-S made me think that specially defensive Celesteela was unneeded.
:sm/zapdos: @

Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP / 176 SpD / 80 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Defog
- Heat Wave
- Discharge

- Roost

Like Mantine, Zapdos isn't seen too much nowadays, but it works fine on this team. Honestly SM Flying doesn't even need double Defog due to the users being incredible, but since this team is just fat as shit, I decided double Defog could be cool so that Stealth Rock don't overpressure it. Pressure is a really nice ability for stalling out Stealth Rock and attacks in general when you're on such a fat team, and that's why it's such a good Defogger. Heat Wave and Discharge also means you can break Steel nicely and mess with Pokemon with yellow magic. The Speed EVs creep Adamant Diggersby, and the rest goes into Special Defense to take hits from Pokemon like Tapu Koko and Latios better. Zapdos itself has a really nice typing which gives Flying teams an Electric neutrality which isn't too weak to Ice moves, so it's a nice midground against Pokemon like Tapu Koko and Porygon2 which carry BoltBeam coverage.
Threatlist:
The thing I like about SM Monotype is that the teams are usually really well prepared against other threats in the metagame. With this being said, the threatlist for this team is pretty short because you can pretty much deal with everything else decently well.​
Boltbeam Pokemon:
:greninja: :tapu koko: :thundurus-therian: :deoxys-speed: :nidoking: :nihilego:
BoltBeam Pokemon have always been an issue for Flying. The Mantine set is supposed to tech for them besides Kyurem-B, but if they know the set then it's a lot harder. They can still be checked through playing well though, like Mega Aerodactyl outspeeding a lot of them and playing aggressive around Deoxys-S.

Kommo-o:
:kommo-o:

Kommo-o can be caught off guard by Mantine, but generally it can be hard because Dragon teams have Kyurem-B as well, which leads them to put a lot of pressure on Flying teams, especially passive ones like this. Tornadus-T can beat it from full but it can be rough when Stealth Rock come up.

Reuniclus:
:reuniclus:

Reuniclus is annoying with Thunder, but thankfully it isn't too common and you can try to beat it through Mantine or bullshitting through Discharge paralysis and Hurricane confusion.


Conclusion and Shoutouts:
I don't care if this long ass section is "cringe" or whatever, but it's my way of expressing why this community means so much to me. I don't think anyone's gonna read through all this to be honest; it's mainly just me being emotional. I chose this team because it reminds me of when I was really trying to get "out there" as a player and in the community and I guess I'm glad I made it so far.

Monotype has always been a special place for me and a lot of people. The community is really tightly knit, and we all really play this tier out of passion, so it's always felt more like a family or a little bubble. We don't get a lot of respect from the outside tournaments community on Smogon, but honestly that's okay if we're all having fun and enjoying the tier, the game, and each other. Personally I've hit a ceiling in which I can't really improve any more as a player. Most of it is just me misplaying due to stress here and there which I can't really fix since that's part of my nature as a person.

I first started Monotype back in like, 2016 when I got recruited to a league and made a lot of friends who have unfortunately almost all quit aside from a few. When a lot of people went from side servers to main I went there too but I was like, really awful at the game. I remember getting smashed in my first MLT against Wincon but then getting voice sometime later which the latter really made me feel good because I felt like I was contributing something positive to this community that I previously thought despised me a lot.

I've had countless good memories on this site through 5 years. There's the early league days where I just fucked around with league buddies as gym leaders. There was me getting picked up for my first MPL on the Saffron Sabers; I went 0-1 but I learned a lot from people like Leru and Eien about how to build and prepare in the tier. There's countless memories of just messing around with friends in chats and talking about whatever. When I finally put up a good performance in MWP3 after being very lackluster as a player I felt really proud because I felt like I finally got rid of the image of me being this dude who randomly throws games and gets farmed because of it. There were also bad moments like being upset after not initially being drafted for MPL4 and the times I got muted and banned in the Monotype room for shitposting, but those are just good memories now and a lot of the people that were involved in them have left due to the community changing and life happening.

Honestly as community leader I never really did a lot of notable things and I shouldn't have gotten TL without council to begin with. I'm not a "leader" at heart; I have a lack of self confidence which leads me to be a bad decision maker and I have emotional impulsivity. I really wanted to help the community, and if it wasn't really through strong decision making skills, it was just me trying to be super nice and approachable to bring people into Monotype and help resolve issues within the community since I've always enjoyed just supporting people.

I also learned a lot through Smogon/Pokemon Showdown. Playing games in tournaments I cared about helped the issue of having stage fright when I was really younger and I gradually learned to trust myself as time went on and I improved. I got into K-pop after Ssalbap forced me to watch a music video that I came to like. I finally came out about wanting to be transgender on this website because I felt more comfortable after interacting with people who feel the same way. Working with other staff members gave me experience in the workplace I can use for later on when I get a job. When COVID hit, Smogon gave me a group of people to interact to so I wouldn't feel too lonely. When we lost MPL semifinals today I got really emotional because I finally felt accomplished as a player and as a contributor, so I kinda decided to shout out all the good times I've had on this website with a team I really enjoy using. I probably don't have enough time and I definitely don't have as much motivation to tryhard as much in tournaments for the forseeable future especially with college starting tomorrow, but I'll still be around for sure. I guess I'm just at the point where I feel satisfied with my time on here and what I've done with it.

Shoutouts:
Attribute Isza maroon Floss Jyph Ssalbap Zar Kev adjustments LuckyPiper Hyperspace12 Mateeus Maki Sabella avarice Cell Maple Namranan Leru friends in Rhyperiors who I enjoy talking to frequently. Attribute/Isza are people I have looked up to and still kind of do because they're generally super solid players, and adjustments is an old friend from like 2017. I really enjoy talking to you guys about stuff, whether it's Pokemon or just stuff like anime/life in general. Leru was the person who showed me how to be creative in the builder after he helped our team in MPL V because a lot of his ideas were cracked.

Ticken Needed to give you a separate shoutout in particular. I don't remember when we started talking but it was back in 2018 in winter I think? Honestly I can't remember why you started talking to me but it was probably because I was a noob who wanted to contribute. I'm also glad you called me out on the headass shit I did as staff; you have a good head on your shoulders and good judgement when it comes to things in policy, and it's cool that we still talk as friends today. We should definitely meet up sometime :-3.

Haaku. you were my first friend in this community and you stuck by my side a lot for a few years. It's sad you don't come on as much anymore, but people have to move on.

Jolly Togekiss ^-^ Perish Song Bondie roxiee Monotype people who aren't in Rhyperiors but I still enjoy talking to. Perish Song I'm glad we're friends to this day even though we initially hated each other's guts a few years ago. Bondie, Roxiee, and Jolly Togekiss are just generally nice people to talk to.

I've met a lot of good people on this website so it's really hard to shout them all out without flooding the page. If I didn't shout you out and you know me, I still appreciate you a lot for making my time enjoyable here; mainly some of the friends I have made in other communities and the rest of Monotype for making that community really fun.

Importable:
:aerodactyl-mega: :tornadus-therian: :gliscor: :mantine: :celesteela: :zapdos:
Aerodactyl-Mega @ Aerodactylite
Ability: Tough Claws
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Ice Fang
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge

Tornadus-Therian @ Flyinium Z
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 200 HP / 56 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Taunt
- Toxic
- Hurricane
- Knock Off

Gliscor @ Toxic Orb
Ability: Poison Heal
EVs: 244 HP / 20 Def / 188 SpD / 56 Spe
Careful Nature
- Defog
- Toxic
- Earthquake
- Roost

Mantine @ Wacan Berry
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 252 HP / 84 SpD / 172 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Mirror Coat
- Roost
- Scald
- Haze

Celesteela @ Leftovers
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Relaxed Nature
- Protect
- Flamethrower
- Heavy Slam
- Leech Seed

Zapdos @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP / 176 SpD / 80 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Defog
- Heat Wave
- Discharge
- Roost

The last thing I wanted to say is to anyone who's considering getting into Monotype: I'd recommend it. The tier is really fun even though SS is a shit generation and overall has a lot of potential in terms of the metagame and community. We don't have representation in trophy tournaments, at least not yet, but that's never been an issue for Monotype's competitiveness. Also I've been playing the song I linked on loop for a while now, K-pop is also extremely underrated !_!
 

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