One of the things I decided to do recently, given that I'm one of the more prominent battlers on some other forums, is make a few monotype teams. Or, should I say, mostly mono. I'll explain why it's not full monotype in a minute, let me get to that. The team itself seems pretty solid after a few test runs on Showdown, but I'm still debating what to fill the 6th slot with permanently.
Now, the reason it isn't full monotype, is because it's a ghost monotype team. As you probably know, Ghost types all have a gigantic weakness to Dark type moves, and there is not a single Ghost/Fighting type or Ghost/Bug type (that's viable in OU. I'm looking at you, Shedinja). To make it even worse, the Steel type lost it's resistance to Dark type and Ghost type moves, meaning Aegislash now falls as easily as the rest of them. Had that not happened, this entire issue wouldn't even exist; Aegislash would've been a viable counter with Sacred Sword.
So, to resolve this issue, I decided to add a wildcard to my team; that is, a single Pokemon that doesn't follow the monotype theme. You'll see what exactly I did there when I get to going over the sets. I will mention though, that this Pokemon is the one in the 6th slot. If you recall, I said up above that I'm still debating what would be the best Pokemon to put in that slot, so remember that.
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Mismagius (F) @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 236 HP / 176 Def / 96 Spd
Bold Nature
- Will-O-Wisp
- Taunt
- Pain Split
- Shadow Ball
Let's start off with my nice lead here. Mismagius is a pretty great Special wall, with a respectable base 105 Defense and a not-so-respectable base 60 HP. Mismagius can take a few hits, though, and that's what matters. With Mismagius' base 105 (again!) Speed, it can often outspeed Pokemon that try to set up for Speed boosts or general boosts, and Taunt them. This usually ends up with the foe either resorting to direct attacking or switching out. Either way, more times than not, I just fire off a Will-O-Wisp, which reliably cripples physical attackers and patches up Mismagius' Defensive weakness. Pain Split is there for easy HP recovery and to dispatch Wobbuffet, who would otherwise be easy to 2HKO with Shadow Ball, but would use Magic Coat and harm Mismagius, if not outright making her faint. Shadow Ball is there to attack, of course.
Aegislash (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Stance Change
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SDef
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Sacred Sword
- King's Shield
- Shadow Sneak
Next up, we've got Aegislash. Aegislash is a great attacker, as you may know. It can, of course, function as a great mixed attacker, except for the fact that it's Special-based movepool is kind of shoddy. Therefore, I decided to stick with Physical attacks, and they provide some nice coverage.
When I use Aegislash, I try to set up as fast as possible. The more boosts I can get, the better I can do, of course. After I use it once or twice, I can switch to either Sacred Sword or Shadow Sneak. Sacred Sword allows Aegislash to hit Normal types effectively, along with Dark types, which Aegislash would make a decent counter to had Steel not lost it's Dark type resistance. Shadow Sneak allows me to hit Pokemon fast and hard by moving with priority, and, despite it's base 40 power, it actually works rather well. During all of this, I can use King's Shield, which absolutely cripples physical attackers. Very useful.
Gengar (M) @ Gengarite
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Thunderbolt
- Shadow Ball
- Focus Blast
- Hidden Power [Ice]
Right here, we've got one of the most powerful attackers on the team. Gengar has an impressive base 110 Speed before mega evolution. Afterwards, though, that boosts up to 130, which allows Gengar to dispatch troublesome Pokemon such as Greninja (only assuming that Gengar was mega evolved prior to it being sent out). With Gengar's diverse movepool, we can do some pretty good damage before it gets knocked out, assuming that it does. Thunderbolt can easily knock out Flying and Water types with it's new base 170 Special Attack. Shadow Ball gets rid of opposing Ghost types and Fighting types with ease, which Focus Blast can easily rip through Normal, Ice, and Dark types (Gengar is also a decent Pokemon to use against Dark types, but considering that Greninja is one of the most used Dark types at the moment, it doesn't work out unless Gengar was mega evolved prior to being sent out). Hidden Power knocks out most Dragon types, and is even more reliable on Dragon/Flying Pokemon.
Dusclops (M) @ Eviolite
Ability: Pressure
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SDef
Bold Nature
- Curse
- Night Shade
- Will-O-Wisp
- Pain Split
Dusclops might as well be the devil. Dusclops is an amazing staller if you use it right, with base 130 Defense and Special Defense stats, boosted much higher than it's evolution's if holding an Eviolite (which it is!). Pressure makes stalling an even more viable tactic. Curse allows me to quickly reduce the foe's HP. Typically, I can just regain that HP on the turn afterward via Pain Split, if they're not too low. If they are, I should tread carefully. Night Shade reliably takes out 100 HP each turn, which makes it pretty nice to use. If a foe is low enough, it's pretty much a guaranteed OHKO. Finally, we have Will-O-Wisp, which, again, cripples physical attackers and allows Dusclops to easily tank hits.
Sableye (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 HP / 120 Def / 136 SDef
Calm Nature
- Recover
- Taunt
- Night Shade
- Toxic
The last member of our team following the monotype rule is Sableye. Sableye without Prankster is pretty useless, but it's extremely annoying if used correctly with Prankster. Recover allows Sableye to quickly gain back HP that it lost, thanks again to Prankster, while Taunt allows it to disable Pokemon trying to set up on it with ease. Night Shade is on Sableye for the same reason it's on Dusclops; it reliably does 100 damage. Toxic is in the last moveslot, which is good to stall with if you use Recover as well. Toxic can be replaced with Will-O-Wisp if you so desire.
Heracross @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Moxie
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 Atk / 4 HP
Jolly Nature
- Close Combat
- Megahorn
- Stone Edge
- Sleep Talk
This right here is the 6th slot I mentioned above. It's worked well for the two battles I've used it in before (and actually finished, since people seem to love forfeiting). Heracross makes a pretty decent counter to Dark types, the disadvantage being it's Speed. That's mostly resolved with a Choice Scarf, however. Close Combat is a move with a reliable 100% accuracy and 120 power that I can use to get rid of opposing Dark types and then gain a Moxie boost, which, if used correctly, can allow for Heracross to rip through teams. Megahorn has 80% accuracy and 120 power, so I don't use it as often, but it works for coverage. Same idea with Stone Edge. Then we have Sleep Talk, which allows Heracross to continue, even while asleep.
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Exportable Format
Now, the reason it isn't full monotype, is because it's a ghost monotype team. As you probably know, Ghost types all have a gigantic weakness to Dark type moves, and there is not a single Ghost/Fighting type or Ghost/Bug type (that's viable in OU. I'm looking at you, Shedinja). To make it even worse, the Steel type lost it's resistance to Dark type and Ghost type moves, meaning Aegislash now falls as easily as the rest of them. Had that not happened, this entire issue wouldn't even exist; Aegislash would've been a viable counter with Sacred Sword.
So, to resolve this issue, I decided to add a wildcard to my team; that is, a single Pokemon that doesn't follow the monotype theme. You'll see what exactly I did there when I get to going over the sets. I will mention though, that this Pokemon is the one in the 6th slot. If you recall, I said up above that I'm still debating what would be the best Pokemon to put in that slot, so remember that.
----------
Mismagius (F) @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 236 HP / 176 Def / 96 Spd
Bold Nature
- Will-O-Wisp
- Taunt
- Pain Split
- Shadow Ball
Let's start off with my nice lead here. Mismagius is a pretty great Special wall, with a respectable base 105 Defense and a not-so-respectable base 60 HP. Mismagius can take a few hits, though, and that's what matters. With Mismagius' base 105 (again!) Speed, it can often outspeed Pokemon that try to set up for Speed boosts or general boosts, and Taunt them. This usually ends up with the foe either resorting to direct attacking or switching out. Either way, more times than not, I just fire off a Will-O-Wisp, which reliably cripples physical attackers and patches up Mismagius' Defensive weakness. Pain Split is there for easy HP recovery and to dispatch Wobbuffet, who would otherwise be easy to 2HKO with Shadow Ball, but would use Magic Coat and harm Mismagius, if not outright making her faint. Shadow Ball is there to attack, of course.
Aegislash (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Stance Change
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SDef
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Sacred Sword
- King's Shield
- Shadow Sneak
Next up, we've got Aegislash. Aegislash is a great attacker, as you may know. It can, of course, function as a great mixed attacker, except for the fact that it's Special-based movepool is kind of shoddy. Therefore, I decided to stick with Physical attacks, and they provide some nice coverage.
When I use Aegislash, I try to set up as fast as possible. The more boosts I can get, the better I can do, of course. After I use it once or twice, I can switch to either Sacred Sword or Shadow Sneak. Sacred Sword allows Aegislash to hit Normal types effectively, along with Dark types, which Aegislash would make a decent counter to had Steel not lost it's Dark type resistance. Shadow Sneak allows me to hit Pokemon fast and hard by moving with priority, and, despite it's base 40 power, it actually works rather well. During all of this, I can use King's Shield, which absolutely cripples physical attackers. Very useful.
Gengar (M) @ Gengarite
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Thunderbolt
- Shadow Ball
- Focus Blast
- Hidden Power [Ice]
Right here, we've got one of the most powerful attackers on the team. Gengar has an impressive base 110 Speed before mega evolution. Afterwards, though, that boosts up to 130, which allows Gengar to dispatch troublesome Pokemon such as Greninja (only assuming that Gengar was mega evolved prior to it being sent out). With Gengar's diverse movepool, we can do some pretty good damage before it gets knocked out, assuming that it does. Thunderbolt can easily knock out Flying and Water types with it's new base 170 Special Attack. Shadow Ball gets rid of opposing Ghost types and Fighting types with ease, which Focus Blast can easily rip through Normal, Ice, and Dark types (Gengar is also a decent Pokemon to use against Dark types, but considering that Greninja is one of the most used Dark types at the moment, it doesn't work out unless Gengar was mega evolved prior to being sent out). Hidden Power knocks out most Dragon types, and is even more reliable on Dragon/Flying Pokemon.
Dusclops (M) @ Eviolite
Ability: Pressure
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SDef
Bold Nature
- Curse
- Night Shade
- Will-O-Wisp
- Pain Split
Dusclops might as well be the devil. Dusclops is an amazing staller if you use it right, with base 130 Defense and Special Defense stats, boosted much higher than it's evolution's if holding an Eviolite (which it is!). Pressure makes stalling an even more viable tactic. Curse allows me to quickly reduce the foe's HP. Typically, I can just regain that HP on the turn afterward via Pain Split, if they're not too low. If they are, I should tread carefully. Night Shade reliably takes out 100 HP each turn, which makes it pretty nice to use. If a foe is low enough, it's pretty much a guaranteed OHKO. Finally, we have Will-O-Wisp, which, again, cripples physical attackers and allows Dusclops to easily tank hits.
Sableye (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 HP / 120 Def / 136 SDef
Calm Nature
- Recover
- Taunt
- Night Shade
- Toxic
The last member of our team following the monotype rule is Sableye. Sableye without Prankster is pretty useless, but it's extremely annoying if used correctly with Prankster. Recover allows Sableye to quickly gain back HP that it lost, thanks again to Prankster, while Taunt allows it to disable Pokemon trying to set up on it with ease. Night Shade is on Sableye for the same reason it's on Dusclops; it reliably does 100 damage. Toxic is in the last moveslot, which is good to stall with if you use Recover as well. Toxic can be replaced with Will-O-Wisp if you so desire.
Heracross @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Moxie
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 Atk / 4 HP
Jolly Nature
- Close Combat
- Megahorn
- Stone Edge
- Sleep Talk
This right here is the 6th slot I mentioned above. It's worked well for the two battles I've used it in before (and actually finished, since people seem to love forfeiting). Heracross makes a pretty decent counter to Dark types, the disadvantage being it's Speed. That's mostly resolved with a Choice Scarf, however. Close Combat is a move with a reliable 100% accuracy and 120 power that I can use to get rid of opposing Dark types and then gain a Moxie boost, which, if used correctly, can allow for Heracross to rip through teams. Megahorn has 80% accuracy and 120 power, so I don't use it as often, but it works for coverage. Same idea with Stone Edge. Then we have Sleep Talk, which allows Heracross to continue, even while asleep.
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Code:
Mismagius (F) @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 236 HP / 176 Def / 96 Spd
Bold Nature
- Will-O-Wisp
- Taunt
- Pain Split
- Shadow Ball
Aegislash (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Stance Change
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SDef
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Sacred Sword
- King's Shield
- Shadow Sneak
Gengar (M) @ Gengarite
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Thunderbolt
- Shadow Ball
- Focus Blast
- Hidden Power [Ice]
Dusclops (M) @ Eviolite
Ability: Pressure
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SDef
Bold Nature
- Curse
- Night Shade
- Will-O-Wisp
- Pain Split
Sableye (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 HP / 120 Def / 136 SDef
Calm Nature
- Recover
- Taunt
- Night Shade
- Toxic
Heracross @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Moxie
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 Atk / 4 HP
Jolly Nature
- Close Combat
- Megahorn
- Stone Edge
- Sleep Talk
