PHANTUMP AAA LC BULKY OFFENSE TEAM
Good afternoon everyone. With the spooky season descending upon us, I would like to spook all of the AAA LC players with my 
team. I will do my best to explain the role of each pokemon to you.
THE TEAM: https://pokepast.es/f9c4679eb3b3607c
Phantump
Phantump @ Eviolite
Ability: Grassy Surge
Level: 5
EVs: 196 Atk / 52 Def / 196 SpD / 52 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Grassy Glide
- Poltergeist
- Power-Up Punch
- Shadow Claw
Let's begin with the spooky tree itself. Phantump is quite an underrated option is AAA LC, often overshadowed by even grookey as a grassy terrain setter and grassy glide attacker. It's role on this team is similar to grookey's on standard LC teams, to act as speed control against faster attackers/ set-up pokemon and revenge kill them with a powerful grassy glide. However, it has two major advantages over grookey that truly sements it as a good choice on many offensive teams. Firstly, it would not get beaten by the common triage attacker in pancham, which is a huge threat to teams not packing psychic terrain to block its +3 pirority drain punches. Thus, phantump is able to act as a pancham check, which is especially useful in the late game when koffing is not able to deal with pancham. Secndly, its powerful poltergiest could threaten grassy glide resists that the opponent might want to pivot to, and it could do significant damage to most non-resists with poltergiest, which could also be further boosted by power-up punch. Power-up punch is a useful coverage option against pawniard, its best check and shadow claw can be used in case eviolite gets knocked off.
Weaknesses: Pokemon without an item would be able to switch into poltergiest, but they would also be signifcantly less bulky to deal with phantump's other attacks.
Archen
Archen @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Magic Guard
Level: 5
EVs: 180 Atk / 76 SpD / 196 Spe
Jolly Nature
- U-turn
- Head Smash
- Dual Wingbeat
- Earthquake
Archen is the first of the supporting cast of the spooky tree. Personally, i found it extremely overwhelming in terms of its effectiveness and defintely is worth an inclusion on almost any offensive team. Its head smash boasts immense power, OHKOing almost all of non-resists, and its dual wingbeat is incredible coverage against the common fighting types that may be used to switch into head smash. It also acts as a way to beat focus sash abra in the late game. U-turn is an extremely spammable move that could chip semi-reliable switch ins such as ferroseed, and it could come back in later to clean up lategame after its checks are weakened. It would not have to deal with the stealth rock chip or head smash recoil in spamming u turn, making it almost an unpunishable move. Earthquake is always useful as coverage against other steel types.
Weaknesses: It is not bulky enough and would fold to many pirority attackers.
Mienfoo
Mienfoo @ Eviolite
Ability: Regenerator
Level: 5
EVs: 196 Atk / 36 Def / 40 SpD / 236 Spe
Jolly Nature
- High Jump Kick
- Knock Off
- Fake Out
- U-turn
Mienfoo is part of the double fighting core of this team. Even without any new ability, Mienfoo remains one of the top pokemon of the tier and is worth a place on most teams. Mienfoo is an extremely versatile and durable Pokemon that can serve as a lead, defensive pivot, and offensive wallbreaker over the course of a game. U-turn lets Mienfoo take advantage of the switches it forces while maintaining offensive momentum and healing itself with Regenerator. It is able to do so to bring in all the hard-hitting threats on this team, keeping offensive momentum on your side. Knock off is extremely useful in softening targets by removing their eviolite and acts as excellent coverage with its powerful high jump kick.
Pancham
Pancham @ Eviolite
Ability: Triage
Level: 5
EVs: 180 Atk / 100 Def / 212 SpD / 12 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Drain Punch
- Gunk Shot
- Swords Dance
- Knock Off
Pancham is the main win-con of this team. It is particually useful in the lategame when most eviolites have been removed and it is able to do over 50% to every pokemon with its +2 drain punch. It is very simple, use swords dance on pokemon that cannot 0HKO you (many pokemon couldnt thanks to its bulk), and them spam drain punch, regaining health that could be useful to try to sweep later on/ maintain longevity to sweep. Knock off and gunk shot are coverage moves and knock off is also a strong netural hit on fighting resists like koffing.
Pawniard
Pawniard @ Berry Juice
Ability: Magic Bounce
Level: 5
EVs: 236 Atk / 36 Def / 196 SpD / 36 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Knock Off
- Iron Head
- Sucker Punch
Pawniard has always been one of Little Cup's best stealth rock setters, and now it is also able to keep stealth rock off the field with magic bounce, an invaluable role that few other pokemon can fill, along with checking highly dangerous checks like porygon and abra. Berry juice helps maintain longevity for it to switch into said pokemon multiple times in a game. It forms an excellent defensive core with the double regenerator mienfoo and koffing, which both fear psychic type and stab normal type moves from said pokemon. Its stab knock off is extremely strong and is one of your best options in removing eviolite on the opposing team. It is an integral part of this team and it could not be forgotten.
Koffing
Koffing @ Eviolite
Ability: Regenerator
Level: 5
EVs: 76 Def / 196 SpA / 76 SpD / 156 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Sludge Bomb
- Fire Blast
- Thunderbolt
- Will-O-Wisp
Last but not least, its Smogon itself, Koffing. Koffing is the team's poison type, which acts as a fighting check for the extremely dangerous mienfoo timburr and pancham. It is able to reliably switch into them repeatedly in a game with regenerator recovery, which finally gives it much needed reliable recovery to compliment its excellent movepool, which consists of the poison spreading sludge bomb, fire blast to do significant damage to steel types, and thunderbolt to hit common koffing switchins such as natu and staryu hard. Will o wisp allows it to cripple said fighting types, and also not lose to pancham 1v1 late game.
Strengths
This team is able to use the deadly offensive core of archen pancham and phantump, all of which can switch into each others checks somewhat reliably and fire off powerful attacks. The defensive core of koffing pawniard and mienfoo are able to stay healthy throughout the game and spread knock off, status and maintain momentum to bring in these powerful attackers. Most balance teams are unable to overcome this team with the mix of defensive and offensive potency if played well ( i hope it is).
Weaknesses
With the only special attacker being koffing, physical checks, most notably bulky poison types, are able to stand in the way of the physical attackers quite effectively. However, with the double fighting core, utilizing the overload strategy, they could pivot in and out of each other to overcome the bulky poison types. However, will o wisp is quite a hard move to switch in, so koffing ironically is a threat to this team
CONCLUSION
Hopefully this was not too wordy and you know how to utilize this SPOOOKY AAA LC team. I hope you enjoy using it and make sure to check out toursplaza on PS!, where the tournament is somewhat regularly held.
This is Pika Sup signing out!
