TRAPPING IS A GOOD PLAYSTYLE
Articuno @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Hurricane
- Freeze-Dry
- Substitute
- Roost
Arbok @ Shuca Berry
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Gunk Shot
- Earthquake
- Sucker Punch
- Coil
Trapinch @ Eviolite
Ability: Arena Trap
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Earthquake
- Crunch
- Toxic
- Rest
Lumineon @ Leftovers
Ability: Storm Drain
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 Spe
Bold Nature
- Scald
- U-turn
- Toxic
- Defog
Mawile @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 248 HP / 236 Def / 24 Spe
Impish Nature
- Iron Head
- Knock Off
- Stealth Rock
- Baton Pass
Grumpig @ Colbur Berry
Ability: Thick Fat
EVs: 120 HP / 252 SpA / 136 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Psychic
- Signal Beam
- Thunder Wave
- Taunt
I wanted to play around with a forgotten threat in Articuno whilst also throwing in something I view as an underdog in the current meta, Arbok. Both appreciate Trapinch support so that was my starting point. I added Lumineon as a form of hazard removal for Articuno whilst also giving me an easy way to pressure Golem, and since I had Trapinch I felt comfortable using Mawile as my normal check so Stoutland doesn't eat me alive. I was super stumped on the last slot so I added Grumpig on a whim since it's known for checking a ton of mons for a single slot, using both t-wave and taunt since the team is slow and Clefduo is annoying.
In testing the team struggled a lot, and with all of the random Bronzor teams running around on ladder (Which 6-0's this team) I quickly lost patience and almost gave up on the team.
Then I remembered this thread was made.
Yay!
Have fun fixing it!
Hey Dibs, thanks for being patient. The team is pretty good already, with good synergy in Cuno, Lumineon, Trapinch and Arbok. However, in fixing the team, we felt that Mawile and Grumpig could be replaced with better mons to help the team.
Rotom-Frost appeared to be a big problem for the team and Grumpig simply tried to take on way too many roles, checking Monferno, Duosion, Clefairy, Rotom, etc. Furthermore, the team lacked a Cacturne switch in with rocks up. With this in mind, the first change was:
Clefairy now solves this problem and sets up rocks reliably and easily. With recovery and enough bulk to take on strong special attackers like Rotom-Frost or Cacturne which threatened the team significantly, Clefairy helps you pivot around much better. Knock Off is there to weaken Steel switch ins such as Metang or Pawniard or Bronzor so that Cuno can deal better damage. Seismic Toss is to break opposing Articuno Substitutes and deal consistent damage.
At this point, outside of Arbok and Articuno, the team lacked a strong offensive presence or a mon that clean up late game. Additionally, now with rocks on Clefairy, this freed up space for the team to find an offensive mon while still being that normal resist. Thus the second change was:
Shell Smash Crustle was added as an offensive mon that benefited from Clefairy's special walling capabilities and status absorbing meaning special waters and Gourgeists can't stop Crustle unless they get rid of Clefairy first. Crustle is easily used as a late game sweeper when scarfers are gone and opposing walls are weakened by mons like Articuno. It is important to note, however, that while Crustle is a normal resist, it still takes a lot of damage from Banded Stout's Superpower and Dodrio's Brave Bird. If you feel like Crustle isn't your cup of tea, you can always go with offensive Golem in this slot. You can also change Crustle to Jolly to outspeed some threats, if you feel that'd be necessary.
Final comments; since I didn't want to shake the team archetype up too much, I could not manage to fit something fast like scarfers. However I did not find this to be a problem because the defensive core walls all the fast mons anyway in Floatzel, Zebstrika, Electrode, Ninjask, etc. Also a note: during play testing, if you ever do decide to switch in Crustle on something like Stoutland and they go for Superpower predicting your switch, know that Arbok will then get free set up which is always nice.
Articuno @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Hurricane
- Freeze-Dry
- Substitute
- Roost
Arbok @ Shuca Berry
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Gunk Shot
- Earthquake
- Sucker Punch
- Coil
Trapinch @ Eviolite
Ability: Arena Trap
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Earthquake
- Crunch
- Toxic
- Rest
Lumineon @ Leftovers
Ability: Storm Drain
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 Spe
Bold Nature
- Scald
- U-turn
- Toxic
- Defog
Crustle @ White Herb
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Shell Smash
- Stone Edge
- X-Scissor
- Earthquake
Clefairy @ Eviolite
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Soft-Boiled
- Knock Off
- Seismic Toss
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Hurricane
- Freeze-Dry
- Substitute
- Roost
Arbok @ Shuca Berry
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Gunk Shot
- Earthquake
- Sucker Punch
- Coil
Trapinch @ Eviolite
Ability: Arena Trap
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Earthquake
- Crunch
- Toxic
- Rest
Lumineon @ Leftovers
Ability: Storm Drain
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 Spe
Bold Nature
- Scald
- U-turn
- Toxic
- Defog
Crustle @ White Herb
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Shell Smash
- Stone Edge
- X-Scissor
- Earthquake
Clefairy @ Eviolite
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Soft-Boiled
- Knock Off
- Seismic Toss
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