Resource SS Monotype Sample Teams [Crown Tundra]

Status
Not open for further replies.
Hey guys! I thought I'd share my Steel team that I used to get rank #1 on the monotype ladder just over a week ago. It's more or less similar to a standard steel team, however, the major difference is that my Heatran is scarfed! (Sorry for the long description as I tried to explain as in depth as possible, I hope it's a good read!)

Double Scarf Steel
1644775389361.png
1644775397133.png
1644775414485.png
1644775421613.png
1644775429251.png
1644775435300.png


Intro
Steel is widely acknowledged as a very strong defensive type, boasting a huge number of resistances. Therefore, in my experience, the most consistent steel teams seem to be the more defensive teams as they play to the type's strengths. The fact that toxic doesn't work on steel types also encourages this defensive style as you don't have to worry about being put on a timer. However, teams that utilise a defensive style are also not the most popular as many people find that it's not very fun to play or play against (although I'm sure some people do find it fun!). Personally, I also find defensive teams a bit boring especially if you're trying to grind the ladder; but steel is one of my personal favourite types! Therefore, I tried to build a team that can play to the type's strengths and encourage tactical play, but also switch up the pace and erupt for a more exciting battling experience! I absolutely love this team and I hope you guys give it a go if you'd ever like to try playing with steel!

Team Explanation
This team utilises different methods to whittle down the opponent's health such as hazard stacking and toxic spreading (as you'd expect from most steel teams), in order to deal fast, fatal blows with the two scarfed Pokémon on the team!

1644775397133.png
Skarmory: Our first piece of the defensive core. It's very important to have a Steel/Flying type on any steel team for the immunity to ground type attacks, and Skarmory is my favourite of the bunch! An incredibly good physically defensive wall with great utility, being able to switch into many physical attacks. It's also a very effective Pokémon against fighting types as most of them are physical attackers, even Keldeo's Secret Sword hits the physical side (but be careful of the special attacking water moves)! I've personally found that Stealth Rock on Skarmory and Spikes on Ferrothorn is better than the other way round (which seems to be what's standard) because it means Skarmory can be a lot more useful against Flying teams (Ferrothorn has Leech Seed anyway which is already great value against Flying teams). Whirlwind is a great way to stop set-up sweepers before they get scary, and also synergises nicely with the hazard stacking capabilities of both Skarmory and Ferrothorn. Body Press is a great attacking move to have on such a physically defensive Pokémon like Skarmory, and also aids Melmetal with the fighting type coverage. Rocky Helmet also aids in the goal of whittling down the opponent's health for the grand finale!

1644775435300.png
Ferrothorn: Another piece of the defensive core. Ferrothorn can be a good wall in both the physically defensive side and the specially defensive side. However, in this team, the main focus is the physical side. It synergises with Skarmory as it can switch into electric type moves and rain boosted water type moves that Skarmory may struggle to take (alongside others given the situation). Physically defensive Ferrothorn also synergises with its ability Iron Barbs, allowing it to survive for longer while contributing to the goal of whittling down the opponent's health. To aid its survivability, Leech Seed and Leftovers give Ferrothorn the sustain it needs to be an annoying thorn for your opponent to deal with! Protect further aids the sustain as you can Protect for extra Leech Seed and Leftovers recovery! Power Whip provides important overall coverage especially against water and ground Pokémon.

1644775429251.png
Aegislash: As much as I'd love to run Weakness Policy offensive Aegislash as it's such a fun set, the defensive core is in need of a specially defensive wall, and a ghost type to prevent rapid spinners from clearing the hazards that you've worked so hard setting up! The fighting immunity is nice too! Aegislash fits this role very well and is also an incredibly good toxic staller. Substitute, King's Shield and Leftovers all synergise together to toxic stall, and being behind a sub facilitates the spreading of poison (as well as general damage with Shadow Ball). 248 HP EVs brings Aegislash to an optimal HP number that minimises HP loss from Substitute while maximising Leftovers recovery.

1644775389361.png
Heatran: The star of the show! If you've ever played/faced a steel team before, you'll find that a lot of Heatrans are part of the defensive core as another specially defensive wall with moves like Magma Storm and Toxic (and also as a much-needed fire immunity which is still the case in this team). But not this Heatran! Eruptions from Heatran are so incredibly strong, I felt that it would be such a waste if I didn't slap a scarf on it and let it loose! Nidoking thinks it can kill Heatran with Earth Power? Heatran clicks Eruption and Nidoking is never to be seen again! Even Pokémon that resist Eruption still take substantial damage assuming Heatran's HP is full. Oh and don't get me started on what happens if you ever get a Flash Fire boost. Of course, scarf Heatran does have its drawbacks. For example, mirror Heatran matchups become a lot harder to deal with especially if they have Air Balloon. However, as long as you can break the air balloon somehow, the game should be a lot easier. You can even hit it with a juicy Superpower from Melmetal (which we'll come to later). Another drawback is that scary Pokémon like Volcarona and Dragonite can get a bit comfortable with setting up in front of Heatran, which is why I've put Toxic so that if I ever expect one of them to switch in, I can poison them and put them on a timer. In the early game, Toxic can also be used to bluff the scarf too as long as the opponent's Pokémon is slower anyway.

1644775414485.png
Melmetal: Since Heatran is no longer the special defensive wall that assists Aegislash as you would usually see in other steel teams, I needed a different Pokémon that can switch into special attacking dark or ghost moves, while also not being passive (as I already have 3 Pokémon that are quite passive). Melmetal's incredible bulk paired with an assault vest seemed like the perfect answer! Melmetal's attacking stat is already so high that I didn't think it was necessary to give it a damage-boosting item. Melmetal's signature move Double Iron Bash is incredibly strong especially against Pokémon that like to set up a Substitute, or Pokémon like Mimikyu (with the Decoy ability). It's also one of the few STAB attacks on this team which is important for keeping favourable type matchups actually favourable! Ice Punch helps against ground matchups, and there's something satisfying about clicking Ice Punch predicting a Landorus-Therian switch in, then subsequently seeing its health bar getting deleted. I've seen a lot of Melmetals run Earthquake over Thunder Punch, however, I think Thunder Punch is important to help deal with opposing Steel/Flying types as well as Pokémon like Mantine. Superpower is also important for fighting coverage as Skarmory's Body Press isn't sufficient. Overall a very solid Pokémon that still hits like a truck even without a Choice Band, what's not to love about Melmetal!

1644775421613.png
Excadrill: Last but certainly not least we have our fire type destroyer and electric immunity. In general, having an electric immunity is very useful otherwise dealing with hard-hitting and fast volt-switchers becomes a pain. Also, it's incredible how many people forget that Excadrill has Mold Breaker, may I remind you that your Rotom-Wash is not safe if I click Earthquake? :pika: Excadrill is this team's form of hazard removal, which is important as this team will want to switch a good number of times. Switching into 3 layers of spikes every so often is not fun! I found the best success when giving Excadrill a Choice Scarf as it's able to revenge kill, on top of being able to outspeed and kill most fire types. Now for your rock type coverage, you could run either Rock Slide or Rock Blast. Rock Blast is usually better for those flying types with Substitute (like Galarian Moltres), ice type Pokémon with Focus Sash, or even some Volcarona Substitute sets. However, I've personally had such a horrible experience with Rock Blast as most of the time they either hit twice or just miss completely, so out of frustration I changed it to Rock Slide! Hopefully, the same experience doesn't happen to you!

If you're reading this, I sincerely thank you for getting this far with reading my word vomit about a team that I've enjoyed playing with so much! I hope you guys give this team a go and see if you like this offensive spin on a typically defensive standard steel team! Even if you're not a fan, I hope my breakdown of the team has been an interesting and informative read. For my next steps, I might try climbing the ladder with other types and see how they go! I'm currently playing with a dark-type team and it's been a lot of fun so far! Best of luck in your battles!!
 
3x Regenerator Salazzle Hybrid

This is only my first official post on the forum, but I hope you all enjoy this team I put together with inspiration from other mono poison users.




Slowking-Galar @ Assault Vest
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 SpD
Sassy Nature
- Future Sight
- Sludge Bomb
- Earthquake
- Flamethrower

Amoonguss @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 220 Def / 36 SpD
Bold Nature
- Giga Drain
- Sludge Bomb
- Foul Play
- Spore

Salazzle @ Black Sludge
Ability: Corrosion
EVs: 248 HP / 8 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Flamethrower
- Substitute
- Protect
- Toxic

Toxapex @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Sassy Nature
- Haze
- Scald
- Knock Off
- Recover

Crobat @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Infiltrator
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Brave Bird
- Roost
- U-turn
- Defog

Drapion @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Battle Armor
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Toxic
- Toxic Spikes
- Knock Off
- Poison Jab
Amoonguss, Toxapex, and Slowking are all not only reliable switch ins to one another, but they each have the ability regenerator. Against hyper offensive teams, no matter the coverage each mon can switch in to one another. In the event of psychic types, scarf Drapion's knock off works wonders, and Crobats quick U-Turns help deal immense damage while also being able to bring back in important walls. However despite all this, my favorite addition to the team still has to be Salazzle. Salazzle is an MVP and serves an important niche against mono steel and other mono poison teams. Salazzle can come in off of a U-Turn from Crobat and deal some really cheap and annoying toxic chip!

Overall, I feel that this team is very sound in the way that it functions, and I've really enjoyed using it!

Examples:

https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8monotype-1525840787
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8monotype-1525870410
 
This thread has been dead for 2 months but I figured I might as well dump my team here

SashBarbaracle Rock
:ss/terrakion::ss/tyranitar::ss/shuckle::ss/coalossal::ss/barbaracle::ss/nihilego:

https://pokepast.es/93cd194706aba494
Terrakion @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Stone Edge
- Close Combat
- Earthquake
- Poison Jab

Tyranitar @ Choice Band
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 216 HP / 252 Atk / 40 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Crunch
- Earthquake
- Fire Punch
- Ice Punch

Shuckle @ Mental Herb
Ability: Contrary
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Impish Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Infestation
- Toxic
- Rest
- Sticky Web

Coalossal @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Flame Body
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Relaxed Nature
- Stone Edge
- Flamethrower
- Rapid Spin
- Stealth Rock

Barbaracle @ Focus Sash
Ability: Tough Claws
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Stone Edge
- Liquidation
- Earthquake
- Shell Smash

Nihilego @ Power Herb
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 80 HP / 176 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Meteor Beam
- Sludge Wave
- Thunderbolt
- Grass Knot
Sashed Barbaracle is probably the best set for Barbaracle. Air Balloon is better at dealing with ground types, but focus sash lets you set up on a lot more pokemon than just ground types, including fast electric types that would normally slaughter air balloon Barbaracle. Barbaracle naturally forms a great offensive core with Nihilego. Nihilego removes the water types that would annoy Barbaracle while Barbaracle gets rid of ground types that aren't already weak to grass knot. These 2 sweepers are your main win cons and it's your job to spend the match setting up an opportunity for one of them to sweep. Since I'm running sashed Barbaracle, hazard removal is almost mandatory. And the only good hazard removal you're gonna get from mono rock is the moderately slept on Coalossal. Coalossal also helps with the core's weakness to Ferrothorn, being mono rock's primary Ferrothorn switch in. Shuckle is a mandatory hazard setter that gives your team some much needed bulk and applies pressure to the other team with sticky webs. The Shuckle set I'm running is a bit unorthodox, running contrary to bait defoggers and also infestation + rest to annoy unsuspecting players. Realistically, the standard Shuckle set should work just as well if you don't like my more unusual set. Banded tyranitar is also a necessary pokemon. Spdef Tyranitar isn't good for this team because I already have Shuckle and Coalossal which are pretty passive mons and right now, my team desperately needs some firepower considering how much mono rock relies on offensive pressure. Banded tyranitar can dish out strong hits, take a few of them in return, and support everyone else on the team by setting up sand, which not only boosts everyone's spdef, but also shuts down hail, letting sashed Barbaracle freely sweep (Assuming Alolan Ninetales is dead. If Alolan Ninetales is still alive, you should try to sweep with Nihilego instead.). And finally, scarfed Terrakion is the best revenge killer in mono rock, providing good speed control along with great coverage with close combat and earthquake.
While mono rock will always be held back by it's flaws, I've had a lot of fun building and using this team and I think it utilizes mono rock's offensive toolkit pretty well.
Terrakion's 4th move can vary a bit. Poison jab, iron head and megahorn are all valid options. I honestly don't find myself using the 4th move slot at all so you could put anything there and it wouldn't change too much. I picked poison jab because it hits a lot of fairy types well and there are more fairy types that resist iron head than fairies that resist poison jab (I think). The Shuckle set I'm using for this team is pretty unconventional simply because I like using it more but the standard Shuckle set also works. Coalossal's 1st move slot can be changed quite a bit. You can run scorching sands to beat Heatran on the switch, will o wisp to cripple physical attackers even more, heavy slam to improve your matchup against fairy or body press to take advantage of your high physical defense. You can also run spikes over stealth rock if you already have stealth rock on Shuckle. Barbaracle's 3rd move can be changed to grass knot to better deal with bulky waters. Personally, I prefer earthquake to deal with electric types but if you're a team Magma grunt or something and you hate water that much, go nuts with it. As long as you don't forget to make it Naive instead of Jolly.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Users Who Are Viewing This Thread (Users: 1, Guests: 0)

Top