Project SV CAP - Victim of the Week - Week 14: Caribolt

[Waldinji]

Krilowatt @ Life Orb
Ability: Magic Guard
Tera Type: Water
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Surf
- Ice Beam
- Thunderbolt
- Volt Switch

This is a Counter for Fairly Obvious reasons , You abuse the fact every Krilo team Should have Spikes to get passive Turns against Equilibra as it's forced to spin for its teammates to threaten Enormous damage on The opponent's team as a whole , From Equilibra itself to some of the best pokemon in the tier like Venomicon , Arghonaut , Skeledirge , Even Offensive Jumbao with ice beam. The only way The shrimp loses to Equilibra is if sun is up , since Equilibra can surprisingly fit on sun teams as a defensive backbone (which is what the last 2 slots of sun are for usually). But in the Vast Vast Majority of Cases , Equilibra can't beat a tera water Krilowatt , since its own tera makes it weak to Thunderbolt. Krilowatt necessitates a bit of chip damage to fully prevent hazards from being gone , but it's not truly a necessity if you have a reliable Spiker

 

[MurderousMantyke]

Nominating SpDef Argh as a counter.

Arghonaut @ Covert Cloak / Leftovers
Ability: Unaware
Tera Type: Fairy
EVs: 252 HP / 40 Def / 216 SpD
Careful Nature
- Spikes / Bulk Up
- Circle Throw
- Knock Off
- Recover

Thanks to its amazing bulk and defensive typing, Arghonaut has no trouble switching into and taking advantage of Equilibra. Circle Throw deals heavy damage -- even unboosted -- while Knock Off cripples its only form of recovery. Covert Cloak is traditionally used to beat Garg, but in this case, it solidifies the long-term matchup since neither Flash Cannon nor Earth Power will have their secondary effects of lowering Special Defense. Tera Fairy is standard but will not be used since Argh's base typing handles Quil flawlessly

36 SpA Equilibra Earth Power vs. 252 HP / 216+ SpD Arghonaut: 94-112 (22.7 - 27%) -- possible 5HKO after Leftovers recovery
0 Atk Arghonaut Circle Throw vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Equilibra: 146-174 (42.3 - 50.4%) -- 0.4% chance to 2HKO

 

[nutritious blend]

Krilowatt @ Life Orb
Ability: Magic Guard
Tera Type: Water
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Surf
- Ice Beam
- Thunderbolt
- Volt Switch

Most Krilowatt I face are Tera Water. I see the value for this matchup in particular, but at the same time what about Tera Flying? I feel like it gives more pivoting utility, a better defensive typing, and a turn of invincibility against Libra and Clod.

 

[Waldinji]

Most Krilowatt I face are Tera Water. I see the value for this matchup in particular, but at the same time what about Tera Flying? I feel like it gives more pivoting utility, a better defensive typing, and a turn of invincibility against Libra and Clod

It's just the tera Type I have more experience with , and I get where the logic of Tera Flying is coming from. But there's a reason I always prefer tera water on Krilowatt , and it's thanks to how better it is at abusing spikes , which is the main teambuilding archetype you'll see Krilowatt in , alongside a spiker and Gholdengo. Tera Water on it essentially forces a Used tera out of your opponent if Hazards stayed up to even stand up to it , and even then , If played well , this burnt tera can essentially be a waste with Spikes Chip , and that can lead to highly exploitable situations.

Yes , The turn of Invicibility against Clodsire is nice , I'm not saying it isn't useful , but Since every krilo team imo should have a way around hazards (and Gholdengo is Obviously the main one) , Trick + Nasty Plot Tera Flying and Clodsire is as free a set up folder as anything for it , so tera flying Krilowatt felt redundant. An even better thing with Gholdengo on Clod instead of Krilo is , you threaten a lot more directly the opposition for an endgame where Krilowatt or its offensive teammate can finish the game , even if Unaware , You just waste its recover over and over and eventually will break throught.

I do understand your statement , but I hope this explanation was enough of a concrete reason to whyI didn't mention tera Flying on Krilowatt when I posted the counter post

 

[Da Pizza Man]

Alright, closing this.

Venomicon automatically wins for checks, we will only be voting on Counters

Options:

(Brown4Sides)
(JayHeaven)
(Waldinji)
(MurderousMantyke)

Voting ends Sunday, April 9th 11:59 PM GMT-4.

 

[Da Pizza Man]

Snaelstrom

 

[nutritious blend]

Corviknight

 

[faithviolet]

Snaelstrom

 

[Zmaslan256]

Snaelstrom

 

[TerrickTerran]

Snaelstrom

 

[Da Pizza Man]

Snaelstrom wins! Stay tuned for Week 11!

 

[Da Pizza Man]

Week 11: Snaelstrom

Snaelstrom @ Toxic Orb
Ability: Poison Heal
Tera Type: Water / Fairy / Normal
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Razor Shell
- Toxic / Facade
- Swords Dance
- Recover
​

Let's go with this since Ladder Tour has just started and it's the most common mon on the CAP Ladder.

Snaelstrom, who was regarded as one of the worst CAPs in both SM and SS, has gained a lot from the transition to SV that not only make it viable, but actually quite good. First of all, Knock Off distribution is at an all time low, making it easier than even before to trigger Toxic Orb. On top of that, Snaelstrom's already solid bulk in conjuction with Poison Heal is complemented well with Recover, turning it into a wall than many teams struggle to break. Finally, and most significantly, the introduction of Terastallization has finally allowed Snaelstrom to ditch it's rather subpar defensive typing into a more useful one. All of these factors have cause Snaelstrom to skyrocket in viability, but as well all know, what comes up must come down. Let's find out what the best answers to everyone's favorite snail are.

Submissions end Friday, April 14th 11:59 PM GMT-4

 

[Brown4Sides]

Plasmanta @ Leftovers
Ability: Storm Drain
Tera Type: Water
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpD / 4 Spe
Timid Nature
- Magnet Rise
- Thunderbolt
- Sludge Bomb
- Surf

Plasmanta acts as a check to Snaelstrom. It's immune to Razor Shell, immune to Toxic, doesn't take that much from an unboosted Facade, and hits it back a little harder.

0 Atk Snaelstrom Facade (140 BP) vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Plasmanta: 83-98 (25.6 - 30.2%) -- 0.8% chance to 4HKO after Leftovers recovery
0 SpA Plasmanta Thunderbolt vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Snaelstrom: 180-212 (46.6 - 54.9%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Poison Heal

 

[Da Pizza Man]

reserving Plasmanta

you mean Toxic?

Yes, thanks for catching that

 

[Waldinji]

Mollux @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Dry Skin
Tera Type: Ghost
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
- Flamethrower
- Will-O-Wisp
- Rapid Spin
- Recover

Before why it's a counter
It's the Mollux set I use on my newest team , even tho Acid Spray would be better for this , the team I copied this from prefered Reliable Burn Spreading with Will-O-Wisp and OHKO against Gholdengo after Spikes , or Extra damage against something like Equilibra who you also help against with tera Ghost.

While It forces the team to Tera Mollux for it to counter Snaelstrom fully , The Job is well done. It will take a while , but Hazards + Forcing recover and / or Tera on someone else (for certain teammates like Krilo (the main example) will fasten the process , especially with other hazard abusing allies. But Mollux , even if it'll eventually take a while / Waste a lot of Flamethrower on this set to beat Snaelstrom , It completely walls and will eventually beat Snaelstrom 1V1.

 

[Zmaslan256]

Krilowatt @ Life Orb
Ability: Magic Guard
Tera Type: Water
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Thunderbolt
- Surf
- Volt Switch
- Ice Beam

I am nominating the shrimp as a Check to Snaelstrom.

Krilowatt is immune to any of the passive damage that Snaelstrom commonly uses like Toxic or Hazards. Krilowatt also smacks Snaelstrom very hard with Thunderbolt, or it could potentially force a Tera. Krilowatt does have to fear a boosted Facade, but who doesn't.

Calcs:
252 SpA Life Orb Krilowatt Thunderbolt vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Snaelstrom: 211-250 (54.6 - 64.7%) -- 91% chance to 2HKO after Poison Heal

252 SpA Life Orb Krilowatt Volt Switch vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Snaelstrom: 164-195 (42.4 - 50.5%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Poison Heal

0 Atk Snaelstrom Facade (140 BP) vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Krilowatt: 124-146 (27.9 - 32.9%) -- guaranteed 4HKO

+2 0 Atk Snaelstrom Facade (140 BP) vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Krilowatt: 247-291 (55.7 - 65.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

 

[nutritious blend]

Nominating as a check.

Kingambit @ Leftovers
Ability: Supreme Overlord / Defiant
Tera Type: Dark / Flying / Fire
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def
Adamant Nature
- Sucker Punch
- Swords Dance
- Kowtow Cleave
- Iron Head

I just played my heart out in a ladder match and found an unsuspecting answer to my opponent's Snael, the young king. Nobody runs this but depending on how weak your team is to the Snael, Defiant felt like a good ability here thanks to the combination of Sticky Web and Razor Shell. Its Steel typing gives an immunity to toxic, and it gets lots of opportunities to get +2. My opponent ran Spiky Shield and Recover which made them particularly vulnerable if I used SD. There is definitely more variance in this matchup compared to using Kril, but Snael is only threatening to Kingambit after getting +2 itself, and even then it gets 2HKO'd in return once it gets up an SD.

252+ Atk Kingambit Kowtow Cleave vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Snaelstrom: 144-171 (37.3 - 44.3%) -- 24.7% chance to 3HKO after Poison Heal

+2 252+ Atk Kingambit Kowtow Cleave vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Snaelstrom: 288-340 (74.6 - 88%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Poison Heal

0 Atk Snaelstrom Razor Shell vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Kingambit: 66-78 (16.3 - 19.3%) -- possible 6HKO

+2 0 Atk Snaelstrom Razor Shell vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Kingambit: 130-154 (32.1 - 38.1%) -- 96% chance to 3HKO

 

[Da Pizza Man]

I forgot to close this, sorry about that

Mollux automatically wins for Counters, we will only be voting on Checks

Options:

(Brown4Sides)
(Zmaslan256)
(nutritious blend)

Voting ends Sunday, April 16th 11:59 PM GMT-4

 

[Da Pizza Man]

Krilowatt

 

[Brown4Sides]

the goat Plasmanta

 

[TerrickTerran]

Plasmanta

 

[Da Pizza Man]

Plasmanta wins! Week 12 will be up later today.

 

[Da Pizza Man]

Week 12: Baxcalibur

Baxcalibur @ Loaded Dice
Ability: Thermal Exchange
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Tera Type: Dragon / Fairy / Ground
Jolly Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Glaive Rush
- Icicle Spear
- Earthquake​

Baxcalibur is an incredibly threatening sweeper, and is the star of many different Hyper Offense teams this generation, often getting compared to Kyurem-Black for good reasons. Thanks to its monstrous attack stat and solid offensive typing, Baxcalibur is able to easily rip straight through many different teams after setting up. Furthermore, thanks to its signature ability Thermal Exchange, you cannot rely on burns to quell this beast like many other similar Dragon-type sweepers that have been seen in metagames past. What Pokemon are best qualified to prevent this dragon from turning the metagame into a frozen wasteland? Let's find out.

Submissions end Friday, April 21st 11:59 PM GMT-4.

 

[Concept Everything]

Counter

Dondozo @ Heavy-Duty Boots / Leftovers
Ability: Unaware
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Tera Type: Fairy
Impish Nature
- Liquidation
- Body Press
- Rest
- Sleep Talk

Standard Rest Talk set counters Bax pretty easily and can just rest off all damage Bax does

252+ Atk Tera Dragon Baxcalibur Glaive Rush vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Dondozo: 204-242 (40.4 - 48%) -- guaranteed 3HKO

252+ Atk Tera Ice Baxcalibur Icicle Spear (5 hits) vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Tera Fairy Dondozo: 220-260 (43.6 - 51.5%) -- approx. 0.4% chance to 2HKO

252+ Atk Tera Ground Baxcalibur Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Dondozo: 127-151 (25.1 - 29.9%) -- guaranteed 4HKO

252+ Def Dondozo Body Press vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Tera Ground Baxcalibur: 95-112 (25.6 - 30.1%) -- guaranteed 4HKO

252+ Def Dondozo Body Press vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Baxcalibur: 190-224 (51.2 - 60.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

Calcs were even giving Adamant to showcase how little damage the Pokémon actually does to Dondozo.

 

[Zmaslan256]

Iron Valiant @ Choice Scarf / Booster Energy
Ability: Quark Drive
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 Spa / 252 Spe
Tera Type: Fairy
Naive Nature
-Close Combat
-Moonblast
-Knock Off / Psyshock
-Trick / Shadow Ball

Scarf / Booster Energy Mixed Iron Valiant is a solid Check to Baxcalibur. Faster, OHKO's with Moonblast if rocks are up, or if Valiant Teras, or if Bax has taken any amount of chip, and can fit on a variety of different teams. Just be wary of a stray Ice Shard if you yourself have been chipped and you should be fine.

Calcs:

252 SpA Iron Valiant Moonblast vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Baxcalibur: 332-392 (89.4 - 105.6%) -- Guaranteed OHKO after Stealth Rock

252 SpA Tera Fairy Iron Valiant Moonblast vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Baxcalibur: 444-524 (119.6 - 141.2%) -- guaranteed OHKO

+1 252 Atk Baxcalibur Ice Shard vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Tera Fairy Iron Valiant: 117-138 (40.4 - 47.7%) -- guaranteed 3HKO