i am here to post my 2nd pre-playoffs SPL team as promised in my other rmt
this time around, I had a good variety to choose from seeing as I built my own team weeks 6-9 (and 2 for week 6), but I wanted to go with something a little less 'characteristic' from myself, so i'm presenting my Snorlax HO.
I had planned to post this after week9, but durin my roadtrip to norcal, I had time to finish writing this so I'm posting now!!!
general process:
i wanted to build a team around Big papa Lax, specifically the doubles set with belly drum+aguav berry. I think this set is also very good/more splashable in UU and RU where the metas are more passive in a way (more like its harder to take out lax with immediate force because of how much weaker things tend to be).
I tried it around on different team styles, starting out with a balance build, which was just alright, but the team was a little too reliant on the Lax and it was often too hard to commit to sweeps without the right support, so I decided to take my big daddy elsewhere.
one thing that was pretty apparent that I would need to pair with lax was magnezone to be a general steel trapper, as those were the main defensive threats that could hypothetically take on lax (it can usually bust through like scizor/ferro, but not so easily celesteela). mag also is able to trap kartana which is one of the more common offensive stops to lax as it'll force me out (think things like medi/lop/cb tar).
my next decision was to move my core onto an HO build that directly helped setup lax for sweeps, aka aurora veil. ninetales-alola is very strong for setting up for snorlax as it also has access to hypnosis and safeguard, both of which are incredibly valuable in their own way.
i then finished off the main part of my team with an offensive lead rocker that could also anti-lead fighting megas (lando-t w/ yache+explosion), and a second sweeper to take on the teams that lax wasnt in for a great matchup against. pinsir is generally stronger for sweeping offensive teams, and already pairs incredibly well with Magnezone, so it just fit perfectly here.
lastly, i went with scarf latias to act as a reliable healing wisher (in case lax/pinsir get statused or too low etc) as well as a reliable defogger, in case hazards becoming to pressing. not too often will latias even find itself attacking, and its pretty much entirely here for the 2 support moves.
re-ordered to my liking
on to the sets:
Ninetales-Alola @ Light Clay
Ability: Snow Warning
EVs: 248 HP / 8 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Freeze-Dry
- Hypnosis
- Aurora Veil
- Safeguard
Ninetales is pretty much what defines this team as HO rather than just being a more vanilla offense, but also with a great importance: broken aurora veil. Pretty much the main use for Ninetales is just to setup the veil to allow Snorlax and Pinsir to have easier setup/avoid being knocked out by a general hard hitter like kartana/greninja. Freeze dry is the only attack, as it pressures both Pelipper on swampert on rain. There's no need to run any SAtk investment frankly, as you are most likely not going to be using an attack in the first place. Hypnosis is nice for sleeping Tyranitar or other things that offensively threaten Ninetales/the rest of the team like Heatran or Greninja. The final slot goes to safeguard, which can help snorlax more safely setup vs things that rely on status to stop lax, such as mew/toxic pex/anything else that could come up.
Magnezone @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Magnet Pull
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Volt Switch
- Flash Cannon
Magnezone is by far the single-best partner for both of the sweepers on this team for 4 reasons: Celesteela, Ferrothorn, Kartana, and Scizor. Being able to remove these 4 threats is very helpful to be able to pull off a sweep. Kartana is one of the offensive hard hitters that threaten both Snorlax and Pinsir, so scarf mag to trap kartana is very crucial. The other 2 main steels, Celesteela and Ferrothorn, also should be removed to commit to a sweep, as they can wall get in the way of both pinsir and lax. The moveset is hard to change up, as Thunderbolt is mandatory for celesteela and being a hard hitting stab, HP fire is for Kartana/Ferrothorn/Scizor, and flash cannon/volt switch happen to be the only 2 other moves worth using. Flash Cannon is useful for hitting grounds (Lando) neutrally, as well as threaten lele and other fairies. Volt Switch is the obvious fourth as grabbing momentum is quite broken.
Landorus-Therian @ Yache Berry
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Stealth Rock
- Swords Dance
- Explosion
One of the most important staples that all HOs should have: a rocker that threatens defoggers with explosion. Being fast is important in order to beat so many threats, including Heatran, Adamant Zyg/neutral Nature kyub or lele, slower Zapdos/gliscor, and certainly some others. Maximizing attack is a no-Brainer so I can apply the most pressure with booms and eqs. I chose Yache as my item as opposed to (the more common) sash, because being able to possibly EQ koko can be enabling for Pinsir, as well as surviving max speed hp ice from zapdos to pull off a boom. The 3 main moves, EQ/SR/Explosion are all must haves and can't really be explained further. The last slot goes to SD in order to better damage Explosion resists (situational celesteelas/rare skarmory). It can be replaced with hp ice/u-turn/a Z-move without much downside, but I personally prefer SD in this slot.
Latias @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Draco Meteor
- Psychic
- Healing Wish
- Defog
Latias is probably the best mon for being able to keep both of my main sweepers/other supports alive because of 2 important moves: Healing Wish and defog. Healing Wish is very crucial for games where you may need to half-commit to a setup with BD lax or Pinsir, but still needing them for a later stage in the game. Something that also shouldn't be forgotten is the ability to heal up ninetales if need be, and re-set up veil or safeguard given the circumstances. Defog can also be incredibly important for removing rocks, which Pinsir is weak to, or toxic spikes to help Lax out. A lot of the times I'll find defogging the more valuable option between the two and it really just depends on the situation. Scarf is the optimal item because using these 2 utility moves first tends to be important. More often than not, Lati won't even need to use any attacks, but just for when it does, I went with dual stab. Draco is the main attack that would see usage as it does the most amount of damage to greninja/kartana/medi or whatever attacker you may need out of the way. Psychic>Psyshock last because I believe doing more damage on things like Koko is better than having Psyshock for volc (when I already have Quick Attack pinsir and snorlax).
Snorlax @ Aguav Berry
Ability: Gluttony
Happiness: 0
EVs: 164 HP / 32 Atk / 76 Def / 176 SpD / 60 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Frustration
- Belly Drum
- Earthquake / Fire Punch
- Recycle
Big fucking coom daddy Snorlax. If you couldn't guess by now, the entire premise of this team was built around Snorlax. The EVs may seem a little wild/random, but they are pretty important. 60 speed allows you to beat pretty much the FASTEST toxapex to avoid getting hazed or toxiced. 32 attack Adamant was meant to KO both all pex variants at +6 and to kill less phys invested variants at +5 (intimidated). The HP number is to specifically get to 50% after a belly drum from full, as well as proc the berry after 2 Seismic tosses after rocks (felt like something that I had might as well account for). I went with more special investment so that I could have something to potentially sponge hits from Greninja/Koko/Lele, while still having physical investment just to be able to more easily setup on things like lando/zyg/bulu. The moveset is pretty self explanatory as far as what the set aims to accomplish, with the only thing that could logically change being EQ into fire punch as the coverage move, but I definitely prefer EQ to maximize damage vs Sableye and phys def Pex, and mag is pretty reliable for trapping the things fire punch hits. The only move I'd touch on is Recycle, which should be used a lot more than one may think, as the 50% healing on something as bulky as snorlax is very good. Being able to preemptively recycle when an attack is going to put you into 50% range is extremely useful.
Pinsir-Mega @ Pinsirite
Ability: Aerilate
Happiness: 0
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Frustration
- Quick Attack
- Earthquake
- Swords Dance
Lastly, I wanted another sweeper that complemented snorlax as well as benefited from the same things that Snorlax wants trapped. Before going into most matches, it should be decided early which sweeper will be the one to play for the win towards, and using the other as a breaker potentially (Pinsir more often will end up being just a breaker than lax). The moveset on pinsir should pretty much never change, and I always value EQ>close combat in the fourth slot, though CC does have its notable upsides. I prefer EQ mainly because it let's you hit Koko and guarantee ohkos on heatran.
Importable:
Ninetales-Alola @ Light Clay
Ability: Snow Warning
EVs: 248 HP / 8 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Freeze-Dry
- Hypnosis
- Aurora Veil
- Safeguard
Snorlax @ Aguav Berry
Ability: Gluttony
Happiness: 0
EVs: 164 HP / 32 Atk / 80 Def / 180 SpD / 52 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Frustration
- Belly Drum
- Earthquake
- Recycle
Magnezone @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Magnet Pull
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Volt Switch
- Flash Cannon
Landorus-Therian @ Yache Berry
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Stealth Rock
- Swords Dance
- Explosion
Pinsir-Mega @ Pinsirite
Ability: Aerilate
Happiness: 0
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Frustration
- Quick Attack
- Earthquake
- Swords Dance
Latias @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Draco Meteor
- Psychic
- Healing Wish
- Defog
Ability: Snow Warning
EVs: 248 HP / 8 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Freeze-Dry
- Hypnosis
- Aurora Veil
- Safeguard
Snorlax @ Aguav Berry
Ability: Gluttony
Happiness: 0
EVs: 164 HP / 32 Atk / 80 Def / 180 SpD / 52 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Frustration
- Belly Drum
- Earthquake
- Recycle
Magnezone @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Magnet Pull
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Volt Switch
- Flash Cannon
Landorus-Therian @ Yache Berry
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Stealth Rock
- Swords Dance
- Explosion
Pinsir-Mega @ Pinsirite
Ability: Aerilate
Happiness: 0
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Frustration
- Quick Attack
- Earthquake
- Swords Dance
Latias @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Draco Meteor
- Psychic
- Healing Wish
- Defog
Threats:
Knock Off - this stops snorlax from healing up with the pinch berry, so be careful when setting up vs things like tang and ferro.
Mega Medicham - this also pressures everything on the team heavily, I try to boom on the yache'd ice punch usually
Ash Greninja - this thing just hits really hard vs everything and has faster prio than Pinsir. Snorlax can kind of wall it pre-ash evolve, and Ninetales can take a hydro as well and hypnosis / freeze dry.
Tyranitar/Ttar Mega - this thing is only obnoxious because of sand blocking veil and not being able to be ohko'd like Pelipper is
Thanks for reading! :)
My only s/o goes to psychicmewtwo for taking over driving so I could finish writing XD.
