♪ Singin' in the Rain ♫
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Introduction
Triage on non-Comfey things is broken.
Teambuilding Process
I'm always looking for new ways to bust Triage, as +3 priority on most anything is just ridiculous. In this case, I wanted to abuse the combo of Sturdy + priority Rest to keep my team alive as close to forever as possible. To keep my Pokémon awake, I turned to Hydration, which then necessitated Drizzle. Because this team spends is so focused on healing, I included Unaware to waste the opponent's time and give me more opportunities to attack, and as a final backup plan I included Pressure to have an advantage if the game goes long.
The Team
Comfey @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Triage
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Relaxed Nature
- Rest
- Trick Room
- Defog
- Draining Kiss
Comfey grants my team Triage, which allows me to use slow, bulky Pokémon and not have to play predictions with Rest. It also comes with a handy support movepool. Trick Room makes it easier for my team to attack rather than just Rest constantly, as Shared Power is a fast metagame. Defog gets rid of Stealth Rock and Spikes, which break Sturdy and sort of ruin the whole strategy, and Draining Kiss provides priority damage and an out to the odd Taunt. Rocky Helmet provides passive damage, and is the only item that really meshes well with the strategy, save for one other I'll talk about later.
Goodra @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Hydration
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Sassy Nature
- Rest
- Rain Dance
- Draco Meteor
- Sludge Wave
Goodra is my Hydration user of choice thanks to its great Special Defense and synergistic typing with the rest of my team. Unfortunately the fact I have to run Rest means Assault Vest won't work, but Rocky Helmet is still a good item. Rain Dance refreshes the rain so I don't have to make a bad switch, Draco Meteor provides some offensive power, and Sludge Wave takes care of Fairies.
Regirock @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Relaxed Nature
- Rest
- Earthquake
- Drain Punch
- Stone Edge
Regirock is my Sturdy user thanks to its enormous Defense stat which allows it to hardwall most physical attackers lacking supereffective coverage. Neither Stealth Rock nor Toxic appear on this set because almost all teams run either Magic Bounce or Magic Guard, so instead there's Earthquake and Stone Edge for STAB and coverage, and Drain Punch for priority.
Politoed @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Drizzle
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Relaxed Nature
- Rest
- Rain Dance
- Encore
- Scald
Politoed is my Drizzle user because it's the bulkiest one available. Encore and Scald also work well together as Encore punishes setup attempts—Unaware mitigates sweepers as threats but doesn't provide much tempo—and Scald deals respectable damage in the rain and can cause handy burns. Water is also a great defensive typing, so Politoed works as a decent pivot that can usually enable a KO or two per battle.
Deoxys-Defense @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Relaxed Nature
- Rest
- Rain Dance
- Psycho Boost
- Knock Off
Deoxys is my Pressure user because it's the bulkiest available that isn't Suicune (which would be my third pure Water type). It's also one of my main ways of actively damaging the opposing team, as Psycho Boost usually puts a respectable dent in anything that doesn't resist it, and Knock Off deals with pesky Toxic Orbs and Leftovers and other annoyances.
Pyukumuku @ Leppa Berry
Ability: Unaware
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Sassy Nature
- Rest
- Recycle
- Light Screen
- Counter
Pyukumuku is my Unaware user both because it's the fattest but also because it serves a unique role for my team. Rather than carrying a Rocky Helmet like every other member, it has a Leppa Berry and Recycle, so it can PP stall to the bitter end. Before that however, it can support my team by killing physical threats with Counter and neutering special ones with Light Screen.
Conclusion
There isn't much that decisively counters this strategy. Rain teams, opposing Triage, and Skill Link all cause problems, and I'm sure there are other checks I haven't encountered yet. Developing counterplay to these strategies is my main goal moving forward with this team.
Introduction
Triage on non-Comfey things is broken.
Teambuilding Process
I'm always looking for new ways to bust Triage, as +3 priority on most anything is just ridiculous. In this case, I wanted to abuse the combo of Sturdy + priority Rest to keep my team alive as close to forever as possible. To keep my Pokémon awake, I turned to Hydration, which then necessitated Drizzle. Because this team spends is so focused on healing, I included Unaware to waste the opponent's time and give me more opportunities to attack, and as a final backup plan I included Pressure to have an advantage if the game goes long.
The Team
Comfey @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Triage
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Relaxed Nature
- Rest
- Trick Room
- Defog
- Draining Kiss
Comfey grants my team Triage, which allows me to use slow, bulky Pokémon and not have to play predictions with Rest. It also comes with a handy support movepool. Trick Room makes it easier for my team to attack rather than just Rest constantly, as Shared Power is a fast metagame. Defog gets rid of Stealth Rock and Spikes, which break Sturdy and sort of ruin the whole strategy, and Draining Kiss provides priority damage and an out to the odd Taunt. Rocky Helmet provides passive damage, and is the only item that really meshes well with the strategy, save for one other I'll talk about later.
Goodra @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Hydration
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Sassy Nature
- Rest
- Rain Dance
- Draco Meteor
- Sludge Wave
Goodra is my Hydration user of choice thanks to its great Special Defense and synergistic typing with the rest of my team. Unfortunately the fact I have to run Rest means Assault Vest won't work, but Rocky Helmet is still a good item. Rain Dance refreshes the rain so I don't have to make a bad switch, Draco Meteor provides some offensive power, and Sludge Wave takes care of Fairies.
Regirock @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Relaxed Nature
- Rest
- Earthquake
- Drain Punch
- Stone Edge
Regirock is my Sturdy user thanks to its enormous Defense stat which allows it to hardwall most physical attackers lacking supereffective coverage. Neither Stealth Rock nor Toxic appear on this set because almost all teams run either Magic Bounce or Magic Guard, so instead there's Earthquake and Stone Edge for STAB and coverage, and Drain Punch for priority.
Politoed @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Drizzle
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Relaxed Nature
- Rest
- Rain Dance
- Encore
- Scald
Politoed is my Drizzle user because it's the bulkiest one available. Encore and Scald also work well together as Encore punishes setup attempts—Unaware mitigates sweepers as threats but doesn't provide much tempo—and Scald deals respectable damage in the rain and can cause handy burns. Water is also a great defensive typing, so Politoed works as a decent pivot that can usually enable a KO or two per battle.
Deoxys-Defense @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Relaxed Nature
- Rest
- Rain Dance
- Psycho Boost
- Knock Off
Deoxys is my Pressure user because it's the bulkiest available that isn't Suicune (which would be my third pure Water type). It's also one of my main ways of actively damaging the opposing team, as Psycho Boost usually puts a respectable dent in anything that doesn't resist it, and Knock Off deals with pesky Toxic Orbs and Leftovers and other annoyances.
Pyukumuku @ Leppa Berry
Ability: Unaware
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Sassy Nature
- Rest
- Recycle
- Light Screen
- Counter
Pyukumuku is my Unaware user both because it's the fattest but also because it serves a unique role for my team. Rather than carrying a Rocky Helmet like every other member, it has a Leppa Berry and Recycle, so it can PP stall to the bitter end. Before that however, it can support my team by killing physical threats with Counter and neutering special ones with Light Screen.
Conclusion
There isn't much that decisively counters this strategy. Rain teams, opposing Triage, and Skill Link all cause problems, and I'm sure there are other checks I haven't encountered yet. Developing counterplay to these strategies is my main goal moving forward with this team.