DOUBLE REGI BALANCE: A BALANCED HACKMONS RMT
INTRODUCTION
TEAM BUILDING PROCESS
I began with the amazing defensive core of Prankster Giratina, Unaware Mega Audino, and Magic Bounce Registeel. Fairy-Dragon-Steel is spectacular defensively, and the combination of moves and abilities cover one another's weaknesses very well.
I then added a pair of PH setup sweepers that I believed together could break through the majority of defensive cores in Balanced Hackmons, with support. Regigigas's huge physical power pairs well with Primal Kyogre's special attack stat, and so together even stall teams have a hard tiem dealing with the sheer offensive force these two provide.
Until now, every slot and mon has been pretty conventional. I started playing with 5 to see what the team could use, and I realized what I was missing - uniqueness. This was, until the last mon, a very bread and butter balance team that struggled to a) set itself apart, and b) surprise and make our opponents think. I also realized that reliable stealth rocks were very important for breaking focus sashes and chipping away at defensive threats, and so I decided on my final mon: Teravolt Zekrom, to set rocks, cripple opposing sweepers, and take Shedinja out of the game.
THE POKEMON
Registeel @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Magic Bounce
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpD
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Recover
- Entrainment
- Defog
- U-turn
Improofed by: Self, Zeraora
Role: -ate switch in, anti-hazard support, ph check, slow pivot
Resists: Normal, Grass, Ice, Poison, Flying, Psychic, Bug, Rock, Dragon, Steel, Fairy
Registeel is the best pokemon in Balanced Hackmons. Obviously, this isn't fact, but I think its true. Amazing defensive stats paired with an awesome typing can be paired with a good defensive ability to make a powerful defensive mon. For my Registeel, I opt for Magic Bounce in order to block all of my opponent's status moves, namely hazards. Additionally, this means that Registeel can stop Normalize M-Gengar from setting up on it, and surprise setup sweepers by switching in to spore and putting them to sleep. Rocky Helmet makes Shedinja die, and is great at getting off little pieces of chip damage. 0 speed IVs maximize our chances of being outsped and getting off a slow U-Turn. Relaxed nature lowers our speed, and the DEF is important because the majority of the supereffective coverage moves used on Registeel are physical, and I want to avoid OHKO's if possible. I opted not to run Shore Up on any of my mons, because the chance of me benefiting from opposing sand is incredibly low, and I've lost to imprison shenanigans before and I don't want that to happen. Recover heals us. Entrainment cripples opposing PH users, as well as weakens a ton of offensive and defensive threats. Defog eliminates hazards for the team. U-Turn is our pivot of choice-Baton Pass has no utility, Volt Switch can be blocked by Ground types, and Parting Shot is good but doesn't break sashes and is easy to punish with a contrary user. Switch Registeel in to a hazard setter, defog, recover if you are low, and then u-turn out. Rinse, lather, repeat. I mention this later, but Registeel is incredibly important in the HO matchup, so we must protect it at all costs. Because of the power of Steel types in BH, scouting for FGT/FIR/GRD coverage is important to not mess up and take a super effective hit.
Ability: Unaware
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpD
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Topsy-Turvy
- U-turn
- Soft-Boiled
- Spikes
Improofed by: Registeel, Zeraora, Self
Roles: anti-setup support, spikes setter, slow pivot
Weak to: Poison, Steel
Resists: Bug, Ghost, Dragon, Dark
Mega Audino makes up the Fairy of our FDS core, and is immune to both Ghost and Dragon, which is super useful. Audino is a great scout for Giratina, as a suspected Spectral Thief or Core Enforcer does nothing and can give us a free pivot. Unaware allows us to ignore setup sweepers not carrying Photon Geyser or Sunsteel Strike, and gives us a window to flip their stats and annoy the f*ck out of them. I run Babiri Berry to weaken opposing Sunsteel Strike, but if you don't like it, Leftovers gives us even better recovery to cover for Audino's meh HP stat. EVs are standard, IV's minimze speed. Relaxed maximizes our chances of living Sunsteel Strike and helps us better check Physical setup sweepers. Topsy Turvy is run to give the team free switches, and to be really irritating (and because we don't need the PPs from Haze). U-Turn is our pivot, as explained above. Its especially important here to avoid being trapped by Anchor Shot Soft Boiled is recovery, and take advantage of Audino's ability to force opposing mons out. You'll notice I am paranoid about Sunsteel Strike, but for good reason: many setup sweepers carry it to deal with this mon exactly, and it does a hella good job at it, dealing super effective damage and ignoring our Unaware. To scout for these coverage options, Registeel switches into SSS and lets us slow pivot back into Audino. Keep in mind Unaware doesn't make Audino immune to setup sweepers, as they can still hit pretty hard without boosts, and Audino is the least bulky of my three defensive mons, so be sure not to play too aggresively and accidentally lose her.
Ability: Prankster
Level: 99
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Atk/0 Spe
- Haze
- Destiny Bond
- Core Enforcer
- Roost
Improofed by: Audino, Registeel
Roles: anti-setup support, revenge killer (kinda), ph check
Weaknesses: Ice, Ghost, Dragon, Dark, Fairy
Resistances: Normal, Fire, Water, Electric, Grass, Fighting, Poison, Bug
The spooky dragon lord himself, and one of the pillars of BH, makes an appearance on this team. I love Giratina, and always have, but his presence here isn't because of that, but rather because he is so f*cking good. With a solid defensive typing, incredible bulk, and good STAB utility, Giratina is a house on all sorts of teams. Prankster is our way of guaranteeing we can stop setup sweepers in their tracks, as well as a way to get off recovery before taking another hit. The level is at 99 to lose maximum speed ties to support Core Enforcer, as well as to guarantee we die to Diancie's Boomburst with Relaxed Nature. This guarantees we can Destiny Bond away M-Diancie if necessary, and take hits from Triage M-Ray. Icium Z gives us Z-Haze, which helps get out of sticky situations, and Dragonium Z gives us a suprise Devastating Drake that can KO unprepared mons. I run Dragonium Z, but they are both viable.The EVs are standard, and the IVs minimize Foul Play damage as well as speed. Haze eliminates all stat changes without risking a Spectral Thief, and can be used with Icium Z to heal up completely. Destiny Bond can eliminate opposing offensive threats as well as force sweepers out. Core Enforcer does damage and weakens a lot of mons in general, as well as giving us access to Devastasting Drake. Roost heals our HP. Giratina can wall a lot of mons it has no right beating, but is weaker to trapping because of a lack of U-Turn and can't pivot us into our PH sweepers. Destiny Bond creates a lot of mind games, but keep in mind if you live a hit you don't want to live, you can click Core Enforcer to extend your Destiny Bond a little bit longer.
Ability: Poison Heal
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Water Spout
- Moongeist Beam
- Quiver Dance
- Spore
Improofed by: Self
Roles: setup sweeper, status absorber
Weaknesses: Electric, Grass
Resistances: Fire, Water, Ice, Steel
Primal Kyogre is the special sweeper on our team, and definitely takes apart teams with ease when given time to set up. Sleep Clause is annoying, but doesn't really hinder this mon too much, as spore-spam isn't our A-strat. Poison Heal and Toxic Orb let us absorb status moves and recover HP quickly, eliminating the need for a recovery move. EVs and IVs are standard, and Modest nature maximizes our special attack. Water Spout is our powerful STAB, which KOs an absurd amount of mons with +2. A common trap is to choose Steam Eruption over Water Spout. Don't. With reliable recovery and a speed boost, the power of Water Spout vastly outweighs the risk. Moongeist Beam gives us coverage against unaware users, and KOs Shedinja. Quiver Dance boosts SPA, SPD, and SPE by one, which sets us up well to sweep. We want Pogre to be able to take hits after boosting, so Shell Smash is disregarded. Spore gives us time to setup on lots of mons, as well as successfully gives us a self-improof. You don't need to always commit to Pogre, boosting once or twice lets you get a KO or two but also gives you the option of switching in to Regi to get the job done a different way. With a vulnerability to Spectral Thief, play carefully around popular users (like Giratina).
Ability: Poison Heal
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Facade
- Knock Off
- Shift Gear
- Spore
Roles: Setup Sweeper, Anti-Item support, status absorber
Weaknesses: Fighting
Resistances: Ghost
Regigigas is hard to spell and even harder to wall. Poison Heal and Toxic Orb were explained above, and the EVs are Standard. Adamant gives us even more physical power. Facade is absurdly powerful stab when we are poisoned, and hits a ton of mons for neutral and can KO even those it doesn't. Knock Off hits ghost types and removes key items, as well as doing significant damage when boosted itself. Shift Gear speeds up Regi by a lot, and adds to its power. Spore improofs it and lets us setup easier. Regigigas wins more of my games then Pogre, and is an absolute pain in the butt to deal with. However, Unaware Ttar walls it, so be wary of that.
Ability: Turboblaze
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Glare
- Taunt/Encore/Bolt Strike
- U-turn
Roles: Hazard setter, offense crippler, fast pivot, anti-setup support
Weaknesses: Ground
Resistances: Electric, Flying, Steel
Zeraora is the spicy mon on the team, and was chosen for its high speed, immunity to paralysis, and surprisingly decent defensive stats. Turboblaze laughs in the face of magic bouncers and Sturdy Shedinja, and Leftovers gives Zera the ability to keep setting rocks later. EVs are standard, and jolly maximizes our speed stat. Stealth Rock is self-explanatory, Glare slows down opposing setup sweepers and lets our two offensive mons whack them. U-Turn lets us do damage to Shedinja, as well as pivot out into a defensive mon. The last slot is flexible-Taunt can beat other hazard setters, Encore pisses off rocks setters and setup sweepers, and bolt strike can do lots of damage to paralyzed pokemon. Zera almost always leads this team, and can endure a surprising amount of hits from powerful mons. However, this team isn't HO and shouldn't be played like it, meaning Zera shouldn't be sacrificed unless necessary.
REPLAYS
Versus HO: https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7balancedhackmons-866573037
THREAT LIST (OFFENSIVE)
Obviously, this team isn't perfect. Over the week I've noted a few mons I have had problems with, and my plan to beat them. Here's the offensive half.-Triage Mega Rayquaza-Obviously I don't want this to be a bad matchup, and all of my defensive mons have their own way to beat Mega Ray, but honestly this mon is so busted that even a custom-built core can't 100% beat Triage M-Ray. Getting rocks up is important, and scouting for coverage that beats Registeel is crucial. If the second moves is Moongeist Beam, Audino can switch in on a predicted MGB and topsy turvy, letting Regigigas in to force it out. If the coverage is Secret Sword, Giratina can predict it, haze the boosts, and then either Roost stall or dbond the Ray. If the coverage is Giga Drain, Registeel can get the job done, until he starts boosting, in which case we can switch out to Giratina and do the same thing. If the coverage is Earth Power, we have a bigger problem on our hands. The best option is just to DBond him away, or try to stall him out with Giratina, but that definitely takes a fair amount of skill. M Audino can deal with all of these variants, but Oblivion Wing just hits too hard for her to be a reliable check.
-Pixilate Mega Diancie-Another incredibly prevalent mon that we generally do a good job of answering, but can still pose problems. Rapid Spin on M Diancie is annoying, because she can come in on our defensive mons and spin away Rocks and Spikes. Registeel absorbs the -ate attacks, but the last coverage move, again, can pose problems. V Create and Precipice Blades are the most common-it can be tempting to switch Giratina into V Create, but for the love of god, don't. Weakening Giratina to the point where Extreme Speed knocks us out is a really bad idea, so switch Pogre into V Create, even though its not ideal. Precipice Blades also hits Pogre hard, but with PH recovery Kyogre can live a Blades into Extreme Speed, and then force her out or KO her with our water STAB.
-Sheer Force Mega Mewtwo-Y-Same thing as above-we should be able to beat it, but its just really good so its not easy. The plan is to paralyze it, and then the U-Turn out into an offensive mon just KOs it. Regi can switch into Psychic and MMY's second move, which is either Moonblast or Ice Beam. Kyogre switches into Blue Flare, Giratina switches into Focus Blast, and no one really likes switching in to Earth Power so we often end up sacking a mon. Bolt Strike is easy for Giratina to eat.
-PH Mega Mewtwo-X-This mon is less prevalent, but it actually is a bigger problem for the team. If we think they are PH, we absolutely need to either knock off the orb or paralyze the MMX, or else this mon becomes a big problem. Primal Kyogre forces out the paralyzed MMX, and once the orb is knocked off, Zeraora should try to get the paralysis. If we can predict well enough, we can bring Giratina in on a Close Combat and then core enforcer, but that risks prediction from their team that can KO Giratina. All that being said, we can beat this mon if we play well.
-Unburden Kartana-Big yikes. Mega Audino doesn't check this threat, which is a really big problem. Generally, Giratina can Haze, Core Enforcer, then switch out, but without Giratina we just lose to Kartana. If Giratina is weakened, I often end up dbonding away the Kartana, because he can pose a huge threat if Giratina goes down.
-Registeel Dying-This is less a specific mon and more a general threat to the team. If we lose Registeel, we lose our best switch in to a lot of moves, and we start losing to mons we could beat before. Because of that, in offense matchups I always do my best to protect Registeel. I'd rather sac a healthy Audino then let Registeel take a big chunk.
THREAT LIST (DEFENSIVE)
Generally, our team is a lot better against stall then HO, but we definitely don't have a guaranteed win. I've only noticed one mon that really walls this team:-Unaware M-Audino-Even more so than Unburden Kartana, this is the mon that threatens our team the most. It just beats Pogre, and while Regigigas' Facade does hit hard, Audino can Entrainment and remove the PH which means that Audino will win the HP battle every time. I have a plan for beating it, but it is complex and very difficult. The first step is getting rocks up and as many spikes as possible. This will hit Audino for chip damage every time she comes in on a sweeper, and lets our mons break it better. The next step is getting Audino in, which usually works best after quiver dancing with Kyogre. With Audino in, we switch out to a slow u-turner, and try to get a 1v1 situation with Regigigas. With goggles knocked off and some lucky sleep turns, Spore+Facade can take it out or weaken in to the point of not being able to take hits from our offensive mons. The key is to not boost up on a sleeping Audino, no matter how tempting, because a) we really want as many facade hits as possible, and b) if she wakes up and clicks Topsy-Turvy or Heart Swap, either our plan for KOing her falls apart or we are in danger of being reverse swept.
Really big shoutout to fwqef, who helped me optimize the team and has really been a great mentor for me
