I start by saying there is another Bird Spam team in this gen. However, what I'm trying here is quite different, and I'd love to hear from the community. Here is the team , and here are the sets:
Corviknight @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Impish Nature
- Iron Head
- U-turn
- Roost
- Defog
This is the first Defensive Tank of the team. I'm not running Brave Bird because there are other users on the team, so I'm not sure if Iron Head or Body Press is the best option. Iron Head hits Fairy-types while Body Press hits Steel-types. Maybe I could use both and remove U-turn, but I'm not sure either, because this way would lose a lot of momentum. is a big threat in general, and I'm aware that Body Press is by far the best way to deal with it [1][2]. This is the main Deffoger by the way, the other being .
Zapdos-Galar @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Defiant
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Close Combat
- Brave Bird
- U-turn
- Stomping Tantrum
This is my speed control. :Zapdos-G: naturally hits hard, and because of this I think it's the perfect Choice Scarf for the team. All the moves are classical, but I'm running Stomping Tantrum to hit [3] without the recoil of Brave Bird. The lack of power by using Choice Scarf instead of Choice Band is obviously tough. Nevertheless, I still believe that speed control is crucial for the team to work.
Moltres @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Flame Body
EVs: 248 HP / 252 SpD / 8 Spe
Careful Nature
- Flare Blitz
- Brave Bird
- U-turn
- Defog
This is my second Defogger. I'm using a physical set because I don't think Hurricane is reliable, but I'm not sure if this is the best option. On the other hand, this is Specially Defensive to tank neutral hits from threats like , but also pressure and , both taking good damage from Brave Bird. However, the main SpDef tank is , so 's main role are helping to clean hazards and to tank special hits.
Gastrodon @ Leftovers
Ability: Sticky Hold
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Sassy Nature
- Scald
- Earthquake
- Clear Smog
- Recover
This is a check against Fire-types such as , because I'm running two Steel-types. Interestingly, the majority of Fire-types in the meta are special attackers, so a SpDef set fits quite well. The moves are all standard, and I think Clear Smog is very important to reset buffs, sometimes even from Physical attackers such as , which can't OHKO with full life [4]. One additional bonus: Gastrodon is Ground-type, so it can check Electric-types.
Ferrothorn @ Leftovers
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Def
Impish Nature
- Spikes
- Leech Seed
- Knock Off
- Power Whip
The second Physical tank of the team, that also resists Electric-type moves. The moves are standard, but the EVs I'm not sure if PhysDef is the best option, as already fills this role. An alternative is to use SpeDef with PhyDef , but in my opinion can't handle very well the Physical attackers of the meta, such as . Despite that, I'm still considering a SpeDef .
Hydreigon @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Crunch
- Iron Tail
- Earthquake
- Dragon Dance
Someone in the team needs to attack, right? The task is for , which is a Physical attacker that can sometimes surprise the opponent and get an early kill. The moves are STAB Crunch, Iron Tail to hit Fairy-types, Earthquake to hit neutral targets that resist the other two moves, but also to hit Steel-types that Hydreigon has difficulty passing through. One Dragon Dance is enough to give 486 speed, which is faster than a non-Choice Scarf Dragapult, which has 421 speed.
[1] 252+ Def Corviknight Body Press vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Weavile: 472-556 (167.9 - 197.8%) -- guaranteed OHKO
[2] 0 Atk Corviknight Iron Head vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Weavile: 218-260 (77.5 - 92.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
[3] 252 Atk Zapdos-Galar Stomping Tantrum vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Toxapex: 86-102 (28.2 - 33.5%) -- 0.1% chance to 3HKO
[4] +1 252 Atk Dragonite Dual Wingbeat (2 hits) vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Gastrodon: 272-324 (63.8 - 76%) -- approx. 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
[2] 0 Atk Corviknight Iron Head vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Weavile: 218-260 (77.5 - 92.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
[3] 252 Atk Zapdos-Galar Stomping Tantrum vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Toxapex: 86-102 (28.2 - 33.5%) -- 0.1% chance to 3HKO
[4] +1 252 Atk Dragonite Dual Wingbeat (2 hits) vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Gastrodon: 272-324 (63.8 - 76%) -- approx. 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
The first replay depicts the fragility of the team to Electric and Fire-types. However, I was able to circumvent these weaknesses.
The second replay illustrates the general usefulness of the core Gastrodon+Ferrothorn to the team against Electric-types.
The third and fourth replays show the nice performance of Choice Scarf Zapdos-G.
The second replay illustrates the general usefulness of the core Gastrodon+Ferrothorn to the team against Electric-types.
The third and fourth replays show the nice performance of Choice Scarf Zapdos-G.
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