Metagame ORAS NU Creative / Underrated Sets Thread v2.0 [REPLAYS REQUIRED]

shiloh

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Tiering Lead
Approved by Raseri, taken over from Blast and his thread here
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Standard and common sets are generally effective. After all, that's why they're common and standard. But sometimes a less-common set can be effective. In fact, brand-new sets can be quite effective as well. This thread is for new and creative movesets that can be quite effective, as well as old movesets that have fallen out of favor but have become quite effective in the NU metagame.

What is a new and creative, good moveset?
  • It successfully pulls off a role, and is not strictly outclassed by others.
  • It takes advantage of metagame trends.
  • It has had some success. Post replays / logs to strengthen your case.
What is an underrated, good moveset?
  • It is an existing set that for whatever reason isn't common.
  • Its use is meant to prey on specific facets of the metagame.
  • It might be able to surprise and demolish Pokemon that normally counter the usual sets, but does not become a gimmick in order to do so.
What are some things that constitute a shitty gimmick?
  • Using a Pokemon that has no business being used in NU, for the sake of using it in NU.
  • Movesets that are inferior and ineffective compared to existing movesets, or use an obscure move for the sake of hitting an even more obscure check or counter.
  • Movesets that are utterly impractical or are horribly outclassed by another Pokemon.
Some ground rules as well:
  • You must test your set before posting it here. Don't post something just because it "might" work, post it because it does.
  • Include a readable format and description for all sets, explain what it does and why it's worth running in the metagame.
  • Don't post joke or troll sets, this is for serious and competitive sets only.
  • YOU MUST INCLUDE REPLAYS SHOWCASING THE SET

I'll be archiving sets I think are good enough to be included in the Hall of Fame down below, so make sure your post counts


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Example Post from Finchinator :

Rotom @ Spell Tag
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Shadow Ball
- Will-O-Wisp
- Volt Switch
- Hex

This is the Rotom set I've been using on a couple of builds recently (specifically, on my teams vs FLCL for week two of SPL and Cased for week four of SPL) (PS: To those who asked, yes I did lie about the Rotom set I used week two so I could use it again in the future). Unfortunately, it didn't get much time to shine in either of those games, but Vileman and ium can confirm that this set is often effective.

With ground type SR users / special tanks (think Stunfisk, Rhydon, and even Torterra) being so common in the current metagame, having a pokemon that can render them, more or less, useless if things go well is really helpful. The idea behind this Rotom is to bluff choice (specs or scarf), Will-O-Wisp something like Stunfisk, Rhydon, Hariyama, Quagsire, etc. and then Hex them for a ton of damage. At worst, they switch out once burnt or don't take a ton from Hex and are still crippled and weakened while at best, the threat is totally neutralized thanks to Rotom. This opens up a path for some sweepers to clean late game that appreciate these pokemon gone. Specifically, I think Klinklang is the best partner as it cannot do much of anything with Stunfisk or Quagsire still alive, but most teams lack secondary answers to Klinklang and if they have them, then they're not solid counters like these grounds are. Other pokemon that can synergize well with this Rotom (in terms of taking advantage of the pokemon it cripples) are: Zangoose, Scyther, Mawile, and Bouffalant (sure there are others, but these just are off the top of my head). I elected to use Spell Tag (it's a clone of Spooky Plate for those who don't know what Spell Tag does) as it can help bluff Specs with Shadow Ball, bluff Scarf with Volt Switch, and power up Hex/Shadow Ball when I need them to hit pokemon hard enough. I know people like Cased and others have used Sub+Wisp+Hex in the past and I'm sure other variations of Hex+Status Rotom have been toyed around with, but I feel as if this is the best and surprisingly most uncommon variant of it in the metagame, so I encourage people who are curious to try it out and see how it does for them. In the Hide tags below I will post some many relevant calcs to show the effectiveness of this set.

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I'll start going through the old thread and re-picking sets that I feel work in this meta

Creative Sets

Underrated Sets

Viable Gimmicks
 
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shiloh

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Tiering Lead
reserved

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Feel free to post, please don't bring in arguments from the last thread into here :toast:

also I want to have a sort of "sets council" so I don't have to sort through everything on my own, so if you feel you would work well on this team shoot me a PM
 
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Nature Power Lilligant


Lilligant @ Lum Berry
Ability: Chlorophyll
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Quiver Dance
- Giga Drain
- Nature Power
- Hidden Power [Fire]/Sleep Powder

Definitely wasn't the one to innovate this set but it is criminally underused right now, nature power is briefly mentioned in Lilligant's Smogdex but isn't actually on any of the official sets and you don't see it a lot in actual play so I feel this fits in well in this thread. Nature Power Lilligant is definitely the most viable at this point than it was ever in the past.

If you don't know Nature Power due to it being a status move upon activation doesn't activate sucker punch meaning mons like Shiftry, Cacturne, and Skuntank can't just spam sucker punch on a weakened Lilligant to stop a sweep. As anyone who has played NU since the last drops knows sucker punch is everywhere. A lot of teams currently rely way too much on sucker punch alone to stop faster threats and this set abuses that over-reliance on sucker.

Proof of Concept: http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/nu-283761956

Nature power also serves as a solid neutral attack versus a lot of the meta in tandem with giga drain hitting mons that resist grass and aren't weak to HP fire a decent amount harder such as Weezing, Skuntank, Garbodor, and literally every fire type. While the power increase isn't substantial it allows for some easier time picking up KOs and in many cases turns 3hkos into 2hkos.​

For example with nature power Lilligant is guaranteed to 2hko Defensive Weezing at +1 w/Rocks up
+1 252 SpA Lilligant Giga Drain vs. 248 HP / 0 SpD Weezing: 110-129 (33 - 38.7%) -- 99.9% chance to 3HKO after Stealth Rock and Black Sludge recovery

+1 252 SpA Lilligant Nature Power vs. 248 HP / 0 SpD Weezing: 156-184 (46.8 - 55.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock and Black Sludge recovery

Hidden power fire can be put over sleep powder for maximizing Lilligant's coverage but it really depends on your own preference and team makeup. Losing Sleep Powder sucks but for people like me who really don't like to rely on a 75% accurate move it really isn't a huge loss. Hidden power fire allows you to not be otherwise walled by Ferroseed and better takes on Klinklang (espescially Lum Berry Klang).

Also there is always that 20% chance of paralyzing, burning or freezing the target ;]
 

Cased

Banned deucer.

Hariyama @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Thick Fat (Honestly doesn't matter, all it makes sure is that Magmortar can't effectively revenge I guess)
EVs: 12 HP / 252 Atk / 244 Spe
Nature: Adamant (+Atk, -SpA) (I'll explain perks of using Jolly)
- Belly Drum
- Close Combat
- Bullet Punch
- Knock Off / Protect

This set has been one of my favorite sets to use, I use it with Screens Rotom which I used in NUPL 2 with other set-up sweepers but this one is definitely one of my favorite. This is usually used to break holes through Physically Defensive walls, considering at +6, Vileplume / Weezing are pretty much fucked if they switch in to Hariyama. You obviously can't use this as a SpD pivot or else it somewhat gives away the set, I suggest using it with momentum, which is why I used it alongside Volt Switch Rotom-n, but there's a lot of other things you can use it alongside regarding momentum. Close Combat / Belly Drum / Bullet Punch are pretty easy to explain, one is priority for faster threats like Archeops (and helping get strong chip damage on Rotom-n, Tauros, Scyther, anything that feels like attempting to revenge), and Close Combat is the main breaking tool post-Belly Drum. While Knock Off or Protect comes down to if you like to fuck with Kangaskhan and/or have Toxic Spikes to help wear some things down, I like it for scouting choiced 'mons the most though. But yeah just to be clear odds are this isn't sweeping, it's just breaking holes and destroying balance (even if it has sweep potential)

+6 252+ Atk Hariyama Close Combat vs. 248 HP / 252+ Def Vileplume: 324-382 (91.7 - 108.2%) -- 50% chance to OHKO

+6 252+ Atk Hariyama Close Combat vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Weezing: 258-303 (77.2 - 90.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Black Sludge recovery

+6 252+ Atk Hariyama Close Combat vs. 240 HP / 252+ Def Musharna: 324-382 (74.8 - 88.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery

Just a few calcs, you actually do 90% to standard Garbodor with Jolly nature (252 / 160+ Def Garbodor) but I know everyone loves to Speed creep, so I just use Adamant for the extra Bullet Punch / Close Combat power. Knock Off is preferred though since it's 7 BP stronger than Close Combat if you factor in Fighting resistance from most Phys. Def walls, so it helps knock out Weezing/Plume and things of that nature much easier. Also helps you bluff the item easier, if you decide to Knock Off before Belly Drumming early-game, namely on Garbodor/Xatu switchins considering they both can OHKO depending on your health and their set.

http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-nu-93744 - Hariyama gets rid of Pelipper to Swords Dance Samurott can do good work, while using Bullet Punch on the Rotom made it in +2 Aqua Jet range if Samurott got the SD up (even if I should've Close Combat'd on the Volt Switch, didn't wanna risk Colbur/Spell Tag)

I've given a lot of people this team and I was told to post it so they probably have more logs
 
Okay, so I've got two very different sets for a Pokemon that i feel is very underrated: Hypno

upload_2015-10-21_13-35-46.png


This first set, to some, might appear to just be a really bad gimmick, but hypno gets a lot of great set up opportunities some some common threats (notably, weezing, lilligant, and mega audino. Hypno at +1 speed, actually outspeeds quite a bit, hitting 384 speed and outspeeds most of the unboosted tier.

Hypno @ Salac Berry
Ability: Insomnia
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
IVs: 28 HP
- Substitute
- Belly Drum
- Drain Punch
- Zen Headbutt

Some damage calcs for you guys :
+6 252 Atk Hypno Zen Headbutt vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Mega Audino: 219-258 (53.4 - 62.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
+6 252 Atk Hypno Zen Headbutt vs. 240 HP / 252+ Def Musharna: 143-168 (33 - 38.7%) -- 99.7% chance to 3HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery
+6 252 Atk Hypno Zen Headbutt vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Xatu: 161-189 (48.2 - 56.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery
+5 252 Atk Hypno Zen Headbutt vs. 252 HP / 232+ Def Granbull: 274-324 (71.3 - 84.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery

Bottom line: it hits hard. plus with drain punch and substitute, you can gain health and avoid status.

The second set i have for you guys is a mixed wall set that can support your team in fantastic ways

Hypno @Leftovers/Colbur Berry
Ability: Insomnia
EVs: 232 HP / 84 Def / 164 SpD / 28 Spe
Calm Nature
- Taunt
- Thunder Wave
- Wish
- Psychic / Seismic Toss

The EVs are a little weird, but they're designed to let Hypno live any knock off or dark type move that comes it's way, and tank hits like a boss. This set makes set up sweepers eat dirt, cripple common switch ins with twave, and support your team with wish and speed control. If you're not worried about dark types then use leftovers to add survivability. I also prefer seismic toss in order to consistently deal damage, but then ghost types are pretty scary to deal with. but with a good team, that can be played around.

Hope you enjoy!
 

shiloh

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Tiering Lead
Okay, so I've got two very different sets for a Pokemon that i feel is very underrated: Hypno

View attachment 51658

This first set, to some, might appear to just be a really bad gimmick, but hypno gets a lot of great set up opportunities some some common threats (notably, weezing, lilligant, and mega audino. Hypno at +1 speed, actually outspeeds quite a bit, hitting 384 speed and outspeeds most of the unboosted tier.

Hypno @ Salac Berry
Ability: Insomnia
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
IVs: 28 HP
- Substitute
- Belly Drum
- Drain Punch
- Zen Headbutt

Some damage calcs for you guys :
+6 252 Atk Hypno Zen Headbutt vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Mega Audino: 219-258 (53.4 - 62.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
+6 252 Atk Hypno Zen Headbutt vs. 240 HP / 252+ Def Musharna: 143-168 (33 - 38.7%) -- 99.7% chance to 3HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery
+6 252 Atk Hypno Zen Headbutt vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Xatu: 161-189 (48.2 - 56.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery
+5 252 Atk Hypno Zen Headbutt vs. 252 HP / 232+ Def Granbull: 274-324 (71.3 - 84.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery

Bottom line: it hits hard. plus with drain punch and substitute, you can gain health and avoid status.

The second set i have for you guys is a mixed wall set that can support your team in fantastic ways

Hypno @Leftovers/Colbur Berry
Ability: Insomnia
EVs: 232 HP / 84 Def / 164 SpD / 28 Spe
Calm Nature
- Taunt
- Thunder Wave
- Wish
- Psychic / Seismic Toss

The EVs are a little weird, but they're designed to let Hypno live any knock off or dark type move that comes it's way, and tank hits like a boss. This set makes set up sweepers eat dirt, cripple common switch ins with twave, and support your team with wish and speed control. If you're not worried about dark types then use leftovers to add survivability. I also prefer seismic toss in order to consistently deal damage, but then ghost types are pretty scary to deal with. but with a good team, that can be played around.

Hope you enjoy!
Some ground rules as well:
  • YOU MUST INCLUDE REPLAYS SHOWCASING THE SET
 

jake

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b-b-bird is the word


crooked young (Xatu) @ Life Orb
Ability: Magic Bounce
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Psychic
- Heat Wave
- Grass Knot
- Roost

i've only used this in one game against omfuga for nu open rd 4 (and it broke open the early game for me), but i don't currently plan to use it again. imo, this bird set is one of the most practical and most effective variants of xatu available right now. it's almost impossible to effectively run a slow xatu without giving up a ton of ground against skuntank, shiftry, and even sawk since it'll outrun you and slam you with knock off.

some neat things about this: it handles a number of fat balance pokemon that really rely on status moves to get advantage like ferroseed, and it has enough coverage to maintain effectiveness against a good % of viable pokemon. it has a roll to kill 0/0 rotom after SR, another excellent pokemon in this meta - on top of that, it is surprisingly fast and outruns rotom who might expect it to be slower. heat wave also has a fair chance to 2hko variants of skuntank with no bulk after sr, and the speed lets you force sucker punch predictions against skunk and shiftry, which is a lot better than slow xatu variants can do.

unfortunately it does trade this newfound offensive potential for the ability to switch in fairly reliably on rockers and even like garbodor, so this would work best on aggressive teams that don't necessarily rely on xatu to block rocks (ie dont run with cuno, scyther) but would appreciate the ability to do so if a play can be made there.
 
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Honestly I think I'd pass on all those sets. They're certainly non standard and being able to use something that is suboptimal (on some mons that are suboptimal to begin with) has its merits. But there's nothing there that would make me run those sets over standard ones. They're standard because despite being mediocre they do maximize the mons ability to best perform its job.

I can understand conceptually what you're going for for all the sets but I don't think they will perform well against competent players, and if you're against bad ones you'll win regardless of what you use pretty much.
 
Hey there, always thought this set could use some more love:

upload_2015-10-25_13-17-32.png


Whisca$$h (Whiscash) @ Leftovers
Ability: Oblivious
EVs: 172 HP / 112 Atk / 224 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Substitute
- Dragon Dance
- Waterfall
- Earthquake

Whiscash has a great typing with water/ ground and access to Dragon Dance, which gives him an interesting niche. Substitute allows him to set up on some of the most common defensive mons in the current meta, such as Ferrosed, Weezing, Lanturn (with no Hidden Power Grass) or Garbodor (without Seed Bomb) and Oblivious saves you from the Taunt of a crippled Archeops or a Skunktank. Sadly Whiscash is slow like a snail, so even with 252 speed and one Dragon Dance it cant outspeed max. base 105 mons, so you will mostly need to dance twice in order to sweep. I paired it with a Sheer Force Hariyama with Thunder Punch and Ice Punch to lure things like Pelipper, Mantine, Torterra or Vileplume.

Didn't realize we now have to include replays, would have had some more, but here the is most recent one I had on the (higher) ladder:

http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/nu-285836685

The NU- ladder isn't that challenging at the moment, but this was good enough to get me in the top 10... :]
 

Carracosta @ Choice Band
Ability: Solid Rock
EVs: 228 HP / 252 Atk / 28 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Aqua Jet
- Waterfall
- Stone Edge
- Superpower

Hey I've got a cool set that has been putting in work for me. Choice band Carracosta is a really cool mon that is useful if you want something that can switch into fire types and dish out immediate damage. I'm using this on my Klinklang offense team because it can OHKO life orb variants of Combusken, does 83-98% to AV Magmortar so essentially an OHKO if Magmortar switches into stealth rocks or is a minus defense nature, and it can switch into Pyroar. I've been running Superpower to lure Ferroseed but you can also run Zen Headbutt to lure Poliwrath. I've been using this set a ton on the ladder and it always does what i want it to. I also have some replays of me using this in the Neverused League Tournament against Megazard and it was quite successful. Oh yeah 28 speed EVs is so you outspeed uninvested Quagsire so you can flinch it with Waterfall which does 40%~ish :)

If you want something that has powerful priority and can switch into fire types reliably this is the set for you. It can also check flying and normal types pretty well but that's not too different from the normal set.

http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-nu-96564
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-nu-96566
 
so actually I saw someone else using this set in UU with Snorlax first

after that I saw someone using it in NU with Munchlax

figured it was interesting and effective enough to submit


Munchlax @ Custap Berry
Ability: Gluttony
EVs: 252 Atk / 212 SpD / 44 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Power-Up Punch
- Double-Edge
- Self-Destruct
- Fire Punch

basically lure in bulky stuff or faster stuff that typically checks/revenges Munchlax, using PuP boosts / Double Edge recoil for powerful Custap booms to make sure your opponents have a bad time

Gluttony makes Custap activation about 20 times easier

EVs are to outspeed 0 speed Ferroseed even though everyone's running Gyro Ball

get luring m8s Custap Munchlax is the future

disclaimer: not actually very reliable, boom may injure spectators / partner mons in doubles / unprepared trainers, use at your own discretion

edit: wait I forgot you can run endure but then gluttony is illegal
edit2: alternate spread of 96 defense evs ensures that you live adamant Rhydon's EQ after rocks and then you can run seed bomb over fire punch to bop that instead ((RUN THIS SO YOU DON'T DIE WHEN JYNX USES QUICK ATTACK, YOU SHOULD HAVE FIGHTING TYPES THAT YOU'RE LURING FOR THAT CAN TAKE CARE OF FERRO))
edit3: endure is probably more useful for getting into custap range than double-edge is

munchlax puts in a TON of work http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/nu-287721614
the very sight of custap scares an experienced ladder veteran into forfeiting http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/nu-287718367
munchlax lures and kos a flareon which posed a HUGE THREAT to my team http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/nu-287724351
munchlax lures a miltank which posed a HUGE THREAT to the remaining fighting types on my team http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/nu-287727003
munchlax scouts for protect ursaring with its selfdestruct http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/nu-287728874

munchlax actually lures a maudino and kos it which the rest of my team had trouble with http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/nu-287725856
more replays soon(tm)
 
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erisia

Innovative new design!
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Not exactly uncommon but it seems quite underrated to me.



Hitmonchan @ Assault Vest
Ability: Iron Fist
EVs: 136 HP / 240 Atk / 132 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Drain Punch
- Ice Punch
- Mach Punch
- Rapid Spin

Hitmonchan is one of the best hazard control mons in the tier due to its offensive presence and great typing. While Life Orb sets can hit switch-ins harder and revenge kill more reliably with Mach Punch, Assault Vest and some HP investment gives Hitmonchan a lot of extra staying power. This is not only due to giving Hitmonchan impressive 275/194/384 special bulk, but also due to the fact that it doesn't lose HP every time it attacks or spins. This helps Hitmonchan stay in the match longer as a dedicated spinner while not sacrificing too much offensive potential. Lum Skuntank makes a great partner as it can double-switch into things like Mismagius and cause them problems, while Vivillon and SD Scyther really appreciate Rocks being removed from the field before they start their sweeps.

136 HP EVs lets Hitmonchan avoid the 2HKO from LO Haunter's Sludge Bomb and Specs Rotom's Thunderbolt after Stealth Rock, letting it beat them with Ice Punch as they attempt to spinblock. It also gives Hitmonchan good 1v1 matchups against some of the tier's strongest threats.

252+ SpA Life Orb Magmortar Fire Blast vs. 136 HP / 0 SpD Assault Vest Hitmonchan: 153-183 (55.6 - 66.5%)
240+ Atk Iron Fist Hitmonchan Drain Punch vs. 104 HP / 0 Def Magmortar: 192-226 (60.5 - 71.2%)
240+ Atk Iron Fist Hitmonchan Mach Punch vs. 104 HP / 0 Def Magmortar: 102-121 (32.1 - 38.1%)

4 SpA Life Orb Shiftry Leaf Storm vs. 136 HP / 0 SpD Assault Vest Hitmonchan: 103-122 (37.4 - 44.3%)
252+ Atk Life Orb Shiftry Sucker Punch vs. 136 HP / 0 Def Hitmonchan: 94-112 (34.1 - 40.7%)
240+ Atk Iron Fist Hitmonchan Mach Punch vs. 0 HP / 0- Def Shiftry: 248-294 (77.2 - 91.5%)

Finally the Speed EVs let it outspeed max neutral Aurorus, Torterra, and Pawniard, although a 252 Atk / 252 Spe spread is good if you want to outspeed Samurott and Claydol

http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/nu-286963397: Hitmonchan gets slept by Lilligant and tanks a +2 LO Giga Drain.
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/nu-286983374: Two AV Hitmonchans tank various attacks and maintain hazard control for an eventual Vivillon sweep.
 
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Floatzel @ Leftovers
Ability: Water Veil
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Taunt
- Bulk Up
- Waterfall
- Baton Pass

And one that ive been running for a awhile that i think everyone should use:
Sawsbuck @ Life Orb
Ability: Sap Sipper
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Agility
- Horn Leech
- Megahorn / Jump Kick
- Return

With sawsbuck, the agility lets it out speed just about anything in the tier, and life orb lets it hit hard. It should be noted that having SR on the field is greatly recommended, because without rocks, it narrowly misses the OHKO on pyroar with an unboosted return. It should be noted that these two sets play very well together. floatzel finds lots of opportunities to set up, and sawsbuck is a great recipient.

http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/nu-284380834
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/nu-279941973
 

shiloh

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Tiering Lead

archangel (Vileplume) (F) @ Black Sludge / Toxic Plate
Ability: Effect Spore
EVs: 68 HP / 252 SpA / 188 Spe
Modest Nature
- Giga Drain
- Sludge Bomb
- Hidden Power [Ground]
- Moonlight

This is a pretty cool set for Plume to run in the current meta as it is able to use its pretty good type combo to its advantage offensively as opposed to defensively. Giga / Sludge are great STABs, though you can run Energy Ball if you want more power and don't really care about recovery, and HP Ground is great for Skuntank and Steels like Klinklang to prevent them from setting up. You can also bluff defensively really easily since nobody expects an offensive set and being able to hit stuff like Malamar for a close 3HKO while outspeeding with the given spread is really nice especially when you pair it with things that hate Dark-types like Musharna.

When fitting this on a team you'll probably want another Fighting check since it can't really take that many repeated hits since it has such minimal HP investment. Black Slude allows you to bluff a defensive set easier, while Toxic Plate allow you to take the more offensive route w/o having to take Life Orb recoil. It also increases your chance of 3HKOing Malamar which can be extremely useful when playing against it. Overall this is a really underrated set I believe should be getting more attention in the current meta as its a pretty good choice for a offensive grass / poison type.

Here's a cool replay I had on the ladder where Vileplume was able to weaken Mantine so it could no longer check Sawk / Musharna which led to me being able to break holes with both of them late game. I'll grab some more in the morning when im not extremely tired
 
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Raseri @ Leftovers | Synchronize
240 HP / 172 Def / 96 SpDef | Calm
Psychic | Calm Mind | Moonlight | Thunder Wave

mush is rly good right now so im just gonna shine some light on an underused 4th move and a cool spread i came up with. t-wave lets you cripple stuff like faster mons that try and set up on you like scyther or just wallbreakers in general that think they can 2HKO you. t-wave + recovery on anything is good because you can just keep recovering until hax eventually happens. the spread is a nifty little one that i concocted so that mag never 2hkos you after rocks w/ fire blast, making you a pretty solid answer to it, at which point you can either recover or throw a t-wave its way hoping to catch mag or something like shiftry or scyther as they come in. pair this with another fighting check cause lefties is rly nice on it, as well as something that can remove hazards cause rocks + spikes make it not check stuff its supposed to.

procrastinating is fun!
 

Shadestep

volition immanent
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Skuntank @ Dread Plate / Life Orb
Ability: Aftermath
EVs: 224 Atk / 128 SpD / 156 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Taunt
- Pursuit
- Poison Jab
- Punishment

with CM Psychics being scary as always (especially the rise of CM+Barrier Musharna caused me to post this) I thought this was a pretty cool set to share with you guys. Punishment goes up to a maximum of 200 BP after boosts and it does a shit-ton to Musharna as long as it isn't +6 Phys. Def.

calcs:

-> 228+ Atk Dread Plate Skuntank Punishment (180 BP) vs. +2 240 HP / 252+ Def Musharna: 242-288 (55.8 - 66.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery (1 Barrier, 2 Calm Minds)
-> 228+ Atk Dread Plate Skuntank Punishment (140 BP) vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Colbur Berry Xatu: 312-367 (93.4 - 109.8%) -- 56.3% chance to OHKO (2 Calm Minds)
-> 228+ Atk Dread Plate Skuntank Punishment (120 BP) vs. 136 HP / 0 Def Klinklang: 178-211 (60.3 - 71.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery (1 Shift Gear)
->228+ Atk Dread Plate Skuntank Punishment (180 BP) vs. +3 252 HP / 0 Def Malamar: 135-159 (35.9 - 42.2%) -- 91.1% chance to 3HKO after Leftovers recovery (after 3 Superpowers. Skuntank lives a +3 Superpower from full and wins the matchup because 2x Punishment + Aftermath kills)


of course this isn't always useful but it's an OK way to deal with bulky set-up mons, although you shouldn't rely on it too much tho.

E: i will try and find some replays today
 
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Cheryl.

Celesteela is Life

Mesprit @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 164 HP / 252 SpA / 92 Spe
Timid Nature
-Substitute
- Calm Mind
- Psyshock
- Signal Beam / Hidden Power Fire / Thunderbolt
This set was suggested for my team by LucianVega (That's his PS name), and it's been putting in some work on the ladder. While I was skeptical at first, I decided to try it out because it seemed pretty legit. Basically, how this Mesprit set works is to set up on something Mesprit likes to come in on, like a Fighting type or something passive like Lanturn. Substitute helps by avoiding status, and since Levitate helps Mesprit avoid most hazards, it isn't gonna make Mesprit get worn down easier either. Then you set up with Calm Mind and sweep if you can. Leftovers, combined with Mesprit's decent bulk, helps it stay alive longer. Nobody expects this set, which is the best part, since most Mesprits are Colbur or LO or Scarf. It's also a great alternative to CM Mushy for more offensive teams, as I find Mushy a bit too slow sometimes to use properly. Overall, I think set is pretty UNDERRATED, and should definetly be used more.

Attacking moves are standard for Mesprit, I use Signal Beam but HP Fire can be used for Steels and Thunderbolt for good neutral coverage. EV spread is same as offensive SR Mesprit.

EDIT: Will try and find replays in next few days
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/nu-297038895 SubCM Mesprit does WORK! Laddering on my alt is so fun
 
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Kiyo

the cowboy kid
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Skuntank @ Dread Plate / Life Orb
Ability: Aftermath
EVs: 224 Atk / 128 SpD / 156 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Taunt
- Pursuit
- Poison Jab
- Punishment

with CM Psychics being scary as always (especially the rise of CM+Barrier Musharna caused me to post this) I thought this was a pretty cool set to share with you guys. Punishment goes up to a maximum of 200 BP after boosts and it does a shit-ton to Musharna as long as it isn't +6 Phys. Def.

calcs:

-> 228+ Atk Dread Plate Skuntank Punishment (180 BP) vs. +2 240 HP / 252+ Def Musharna: 242-288 (55.8 - 66.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery (1 Barrier, 2 Calm Minds)
-> 228+ Atk Dread Plate Skuntank Punishment (140 BP) vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Colbur Berry Xatu: 312-367 (93.4 - 109.8%) -- 56.3% chance to OHKO (2 Calm Minds)
-> 228+ Atk Dread Plate Skuntank Punishment (120 BP) vs. 136 HP / 0 Def Klinklang: 178-211 (60.3 - 71.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery (1 Shift Gear)
->228+ Atk Dread Plate Skuntank Punishment (180 BP) vs. +3 252 HP / 0 Def Malamar: 135-159 (35.9 - 42.2%) -- 91.1% chance to 3HKO after Leftovers recovery (after 3 Superpowers. Skuntank lives a +3 Superpower from full and wins the matchup because 2x Punishment + Aftermath kills)


of course this isn't always useful but it's an OK way to deal with bulky set-up mons, although you shouldn't rely on it too much tho.

E: i will try and find some replays today
I'm struggling to see why I'd ever relinquish a moveslot on skunk for punishment, especially when that move is one of the most powerful priority moves in the tier. Maybe its just your examples I have a problem with, idk.

-> Barrier+CM Musharna will automatically lose to any Skuntank that isn't packing Life Orb, especially when your set already runs Taunt I don't see the need to run Punishment. Keeping Taunt in mind, Skuntank should in theory beat most CM Musharna variants anyways or at least prevent it from healing before it faints which allows a teammate to deal with it.

->Calm Mind Xatu seems like a stretch to me, that set is probably the least common of the three or so standard sets Xatu can run (Pivot, Offensive, CM) and standard skunk deals with that set well enough as is
228+ Atk Skuntank Sucker Punch vs. 252 HP / 176 Def Xatu: 240-284 (71.8 - 85%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
+1 0 SpA Xatu Heat Wave vs. 16 HP / 252 SpD Skuntank: 105-124 (29.9 - 35.3%) -- guaranteed 4HKO after Black Sludge recovery
->
So the only way this plays in your favor is if the Klinklang user tries to set up on Skuntank, as otherwise Klinklang has a pretty good chance to just kill you, lol.
+1 252+ Atk Klinklang Gear Grind (2 hits) vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Skuntank: 312-368 (89.9 - 106%) -- approx. 25% chance to OHKO
I personally won't set up on a mon that I won't beat 100% of the time unless I'm absolutely forced to, epsecially one that: commonly runs Fire Blast, can prevent me from dodging Sucker Punch with Taunt, and deals 25% to me when I kill it. If you commonly find that Sucker Punch isn't useful for some reason, and that Klinklang tries to set up on your skunk all the time, then sure try out Punishment I guess.
-> This is probably the mon your set checks best, but you don't even beat it reliably. Based on your calc (228+ Atk Dread Plate Skuntank Punishment (180 BP) vs. +3 252 HP / 0 Def Malamar: 135-159 (35.9 - 42.2%) -- 91.1% chance to 3HKO after Leftovers recovery) you actually cannot secure an ohko on this thing even with max rolls and aftermath (i.e. 42.2 + 42.2 = 84.4 - 12.5 for lefties = 71.9 + 25 for aftermath = 96.9 which is not a kill D:) Which leads me to ask, why aren't I just using something better to deal with this? apparently I let it set up to +3 just so I could get this much damage on it, wtf did I have to sack to do that?

I'm not trying to disparage creativity here, but if we could keep it to sets that work in practice and don't force you to give up one of a Pokemon's best moves I think I could get on board a little more easily.

i wrote this during class so if i fucked up the math or said something stupid let me know! D:
 

etern

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NU Leader

Magmortar @ Assault Vest
Ability: Vital Spirit
EVs: 104 HP / 252 SpA / 152 Spe
Modest Nature
- Fire Blast
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Grass]/Focus Blast
- Clear Smog

Musharna is probably the most annoying mon to deal with right now in NU, once it gets a few boosts up, its basically unstoppable. This is where Magmortar comes in. With Clear Smog, Mag destroys all the boosts Mushy worked so hard on getting up, and can proceed to wear it down and eventually KO with Fire Blast. This set is also helpful against other bulky CM mons that get out of hand, e.g Mega Dino etc and will be an unexpected surprise, as most Magmortar run either EQ or Flame Charge in their last moveslot. This set works well with stuff like Kanga and Sawk which can break down Lanturn and Flash Fire mons which benefit from Mag not having EQ.

Edit: My replays arent working right now D:, ill try and get some up ASAP.​
 

erisia

Innovative new design!
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Drifblim @ Colbur Berry
Ability: Unburden
EVs: 252 Def / 80 SpA / 176 Spe
Modest Nature
- Hex
- Will-O-Wisp
- Disable
- Destiny Bond

Something I've been really enjoying recently is Colbur Berry Drifblim. While facing heavy competition from Mismagius as a disruptor and Fighting type check, the extra speed from Unburden makes Drifblim hard to deal with after a Knock Off. Even Scarf Rotom and Rain Ludicolo are outsped while Sucker Punch users get stopped by Will-O-Wisp, Destiny Bond, or Disable, and unless they opponent packs strong priority like Ice Shard, Drifblim is almost guaranteed a kill with either Hex or Destiny Bond, often getting two or more. Max Defense EVs make Drifblim much physically bulkier than the likes of Mismagius and Rotom and lets it take hits like CB Sawk Ice Punch and CB Primeape Stone Edge if SR is cleared by a teammate. Hex was used over Acrobatics for consistency and dealing with usual Drifblim checks, while Disable seemed like a good choice as many mons can only hit Drifblim with one move, forcing them to switch and getting a free Will-O-Wisp on a teammate. Some mons that get completely stopped by Disable (either if Drifblim is outsped and can take the hit (with or without Wisp on the switch), or if Drifblim outspeeds and switches in after the move gets a kill) include Rhydon, Archeops, Scyther, Hitmonchan, Hariyama, Shiftry, Malamar, Tauros, Sandslash, and most physical Choice users... it depends on the set of course and while the opponent can switch out, this just lets you Burn something and hit it with Hex later. Of course it relies on the opponent having a Dark type attack somewhere to be better than Mismagius, but with Sawk, Shiftry, and Skuntank being so popular, this isn't usually hard to find.

Here are some replays of Drifblim in action.

http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/nu-296437420: Drifblim takes out 4 mons in a row after Claydol decides to set Stealth Rocks instead of use an attack.
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/nu-297416161: After a failed Will-O-Wisp versus Zangoose, Drifblim forces it out with Disable and kills the remaining teammates.
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/nu-297731770: Drifblim tries to Burn Sandslash, but after a Lum Berry and a miss, it's still able to get off a Destiny Bond after two Knock Offs and SR to secure the KO.
 

etern

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NU Leader

Kecleon @ Life Orb
Ability: Protean
EVs: 96 HP / 252 Atk / 76 SpA / 84 Spe
Lonely Nature
- Fire Blast
- Knock Off
- Drain Punch
- Shadow Sneak

Kecleon is a mon that forces a lot of switches and forces predictions due to its access to such a large scope of moves, ranging from Sucker Punch, Shadow Sneak, Knock Off etc. However, the defensively bulky behemoths of the tier, aka Weezing, Plume, Lix, Gourgeist, Tangela and Torterra are usually able to put its reign of terror to a halt. Then of course there are mons such as Defensive Mawile and Scyther which are also able to take on Kecleon to a certain degree.

This is where Fire Blast comes in. With the given ev spread, Kecleon is able to keep its main weapon which is its attack, and also 2HKO every single one of the mons mentioned above with FB, making some of Kecleons usual checks, liabilities for your opponent. Whilst this is definitely not a 'new set' it is definitely underrated when taking into account how effective it is in the current meta. The EV spread is specialised to outspeed uninvested base 50's such as Vileplume and Mega-Audino. A lonely nature is preferred, as to preserve the power of Fire Blast without hindering Kecleon's respectable Spdef stat.

Here are some replays of Kec putting in work against supposed "counters"
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/nu-304624365
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/nu-304631554
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/nu-304635999
 

Garbodor @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Aftermath
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpAtk
Relaxed Nature
- Gunk Shot
- Spikes
- Toxic Spikes
- Focus Blast

im not the person that came up w/ this but i've been seeing it around more and more so I might as well get it out there. Focus Blast Garb is a really neat Steelix lure that can help weaken it for mons like Kangaskhan and Archeops (which also appreciate the spikes support that it provides). I know that there are plenty of different spreads and sets that are running around like full special, or a faster spread than this but this is just the set that i've been playing around with. I don't really think the speed is worth running a -SpAtk nature because the damage output goes from like 40% to ~33-34% iirc which can turn it from a 3HKO into a 4HKO.
 

Quite Quiet

I need a kitchen knife that doesn't whisper to me
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Rotom-Fan @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 248 HP / 252 SpD / 8 Spe
Calm Nature
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
- Will-O-Wisp
- Air Slash / Thunderbolt

This started out a joke on a joke team I was building with Jarii , but somehow it does stuff... It is surprisingly bulky and can deal with some pretty important mons in a single slot (Lilligant, Vivillon, Steelix, all the other Grass types) and it also counters every Sceptile variant as long as there's no Stealth Rocks around, which is cool if you need one x_x. It can also tank powerful special moves like a champ (252 SpA Choice Specs Pyroar Fire Blast vs. 248 HP / 252+ SpD Rotom-S: 163-193 (53.7 - 63.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery). You don't even lose out on most of the physical bulk, because Will-O-Wisp is broken, and Sleep Talk is incredible when your goal is to beat mons that Sleep you anyway.

(It doesn't beat water types as well as regular sets do though.)

Random battles with it:
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/nu-306506076
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/nu-306519506
 

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