Project SM OU Weekly Research [Round 16: Greninja & Mega Latios]

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Synopsis
Gliscor was really good in ORAS, being able to break stall with ease thanks to its access to Toxic Heal, which lets it recover health when poisoned and lets it absorb any other status ailment when poisoned. It was also capable to be used on Stall archetypes itself thanks to its ability to absorb status ailments and having useful utility with Knock Off. In SM Gliscor fell off a lot, becoming a measily C ranked Pokemon in OU, this was mainly due to offensive Landorus-T being better and not many Stall archetypes needing a status aborber anymore as they started to use Mega Sableye more. Fortunately for Gliscor with the introduction of USUM it got a handy new tool in Defog, while it did already have access to Defog it never had access to Defog in conjunction with Poison Heal, which was Gliscor's main niche over Landorus-T. In the current metagame Gliscor is known for its presence on Balance and Bulky Offense archetypes, unfortunately, it still faces a lot of competition from other Defog users like Mega Scizor, Rotom-W, and of course Landorus-T which also got access to Defog in USUM. Gliscor can still be used as a Stallbreaker but it's rather niche as a Stallbreaker.

Sets

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Gliscor @ Toxic Orb
Ability: Poison Heal
EVs: 244 HP / 152 SpD / 112 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Knock Off / Taunt / Ice Fang / U-turn
- Defog
- Roost


Gliscor is a very effective user of Defog thanks to its stats, movepool, and typing, allowing it to beat almost every Stealth Rock setter there is. It has a variety of useful utility moves ranging from Knock Off to Taunt to even U-turn, allowing it to support its team very well.

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Gliscor @ Toxic Orb
Ability: Poison Heal
EVs: 244 HP / 44 Def / 68 SpD / 152 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Knock Off
- Taunt / Swords Dance
- Roost


Thanks to Gliscor's ability to absorb status ailments it's a very niche yet effective Stallbreaker. Knock Off allows it to properly cripple Chansey and Skarmory and with Taunt it can annoy other bulky walls, preventing them from healing off damage Gliscor may have dealt to them.

Teambuilding


Charizard-Mega-X @ Charizardite X
Ability: Tough Claws
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Flare Blitz
- Dragon Claw
- Earthquake
- Roost

Gliscor @ Toxic Orb
Ability: Poison Heal
EVs: 244 HP / 152 SpD / 112 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Ice Fang
- Defog
- Roost

Ferrothorn @ Leftovers
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 48 Def / 208 SpD
Careful Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Leech Seed
- Power Whip
- Knock Off

Keldeo @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Hydro Pump
- Secret Sword
- Stone Edge
- Scald

Tapu Lele @ Psychium Z
Ability: Psychic Surge
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Psyshock
- Moonblast
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Calm Mind

Zapdos @ Leftovers
Ability: Static
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Volt Switch
- Heat Wave
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Roost


Charizard X and Gliscor are an excellent pairing as they cover each others weaknesses quite well. Charizard X is able to take out Grass-types that tend to annoy Gliscor, it's also able to take on Ice-types for Gliscor and even Celesteela and Skarmory, which Gliscor can't cripple since it doesn't carry Knock Off. Ferrothorn was added because of its nice synergy, mainly with Charizard X, being a solid Tapu Lele check and able to set up Stealth Rock for Charizard X, it also has decent synergy with Gliscor since it's able to take on Water-type Pokemon, in return Gliscor is able to take on Fire-type Pokemon for Ferrothorn. Keldeo is able to revenge kill Volcarona which my team struggled with, it's also able to pose a threat to Mega Lopunny and Blacephalon which are very hard to switch into. Tapu Lele is a good partner with Charizard X as it's capable of nuking Celesteela, Tapu Lele's best and most reliable switch in. Lastly I decided to use Zapdos since it's able to check Mega Pinsir which my team tends to struggle with otherwise, it's also able to gain momentum for the team with Volt Switch.


thanks HarrisIsAwesome
Gliscor (M) @ Toxic Orb
Ability: Poison Heal
EVs: 244 HP / 44 Def / 68 SpD / 152 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Knock Off
- Taunt
- Roost

Toxapex @ Black Sludge
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 248 HP / 196 Def / 64 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Toxic Spikes
- Haze
- Recover

Heatran @ Firium Z
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Magma Storm
- Earth Power
- Stealth Rock
- Taunt

Tapu Bulu @ Assault Vest
Ability: Grassy Surge
EVs: 248 HP / 60 Atk / 56 SpD / 144 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Horn Leech
- Wood Hammer
- Superpower
- Nature's Madness

Latias @ Latiasite
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 248 HP / 8 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Stored Power
- Ice Beam
- Calm Mind
- Recover

Kartana @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Smart Strike
- Leaf Blade
- Sacred Sword
- Defog


Gliscor was the main Pokemon being built around as its Taunt set can annoy stall and bulkier teams in general rather well. Toxapex was added since it pairs relatively well with Gliscor, being able to switch into Water- and Ice-type attacks for it while Gliscor can absorb Electric-type attacks, it also provides Toxic Spikes, which is nice for Mega Latias. Firium Z Heatran helps the stall match up and can get Stealth Rock up against a lot of common Stealth Rock setters. Tapu Bulu was used as it can check Ash Greninja and Tapu Koko, it also weakens Earthquakes for Heatran and allows for Toxapex to run a more physically defensive spread. Mega Latias is the teams main win condition, Ice Beam is used for its ability to OHKO Landorus-T. Lastly Kartana was added as a good cleaner that can threaten Choice Scarf Tapu Lele, it also acts as a good Defog user.

Good Teammates
Pokemon that are able to beat Pokemon Gliscor tends to struggle with~

Gliscor has a 4x weakness to Ice-type attacks and tends to struggle against Grass-type Pokemon, thus it needs teammates that are able to patch that up many Fire-types like Charizard X, Heatran, Blacephalon, and Volcarona and Flying-types like Mega Pinsir and Tornadus-Therian are able to do so, Pokemon like Kartana and Keldeo are also able to beat Ice-types, Kartana and Kyurem-B are exceptionally good teammates as they can also bypass Water- and Grass-type Pokemon that Gliscor tends to struggle with.

A defensive backbone~

Gliscor works very well on Balance and Bulky Offense so a good defensive backbone is necessary, a lot of different Pokemon as listed above can fill this role.

Conclusion
Gliscor was a very effective Pokemon in ORAS, unfortunately it fell back from its grace in SM, falling in viability to a measily C rank. Fortunately it gained a useful tool in Defog with the introduction of USUM, and it's very effective as a Defog user too, being able to beat most Stealth Rock setters due to its good typing and useful movepool.​
 
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cdbk

Banned deucer.
Reserving quite a few mons. Unfortunately, I probably won’t be able to finish typing everything until next year, but I’ll try to be as quick as I can!
 
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Overview
I really love how Stakataka subverted everyone's expectations on it. At first we all thought it would be Steel/Ghost with Recover and Spikes or whatever, but turns out Game Freak decided to make a pun with it's name and turn it into an 'ataka'. It plays very interestingly with 150BP Gyro Balls against a huge portion of the tier and overall it just hits a lot harder than one would expect. Stakataka finds itself a niche mainly on full Trick Room teams or as some sort of OTR Wallbreaker for Bulky Offense, as it's be honest, it's way too slow not to be using Trick Room. It's for sure an interesting Pokémon, capable of demolishing offense in a couple of turns with the combination of Gyro Ball, Beast Boost, and Continental Crush or pressuring bulkier builds that may struggle to stomach it's hits at +1 or at +2. Still, it does struggle to get up Trick Room due to the quad weakness to Ground- and Fighting-type moves and a big weakness to Water as well, that when combined with a poor Special Defense, means it can set up Trick Room mostly on physical attackers that don't pack a Ground- or Fighting-type move. Another issue with it, is that it's turns are rather limited, as the opponent is very much capable of pivoting into it's coverage and wasting it's turns. But overall, it's a solid Trick Room sweeper if left unchecked.

Offensive Trick Room

Stakataka @ Rockium Z​
Ability: Beast Boost​
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD​
Lonely Nature​
IVs: 15 Def / 0 SpA / 0 Spe​
- Trick Room​
- Gyro Ball​
- Stone Edge​
- Superpower​
This is Stakataka's main set. One could argue about Choice Band or Brave Trick Room, but in all honesty, Stakataka should always be running this set. The goal is to pretty much get a Trick Room up and rampage through Offense or even pressure balance teams alike. For those unaware the Lonely Nature along with 15 Def IVs makes it so Beast Boost raises Attack instead. Gyro Ball and Continental Crush are you bread and butter and a coverage move for these pesky Steel-types is used on the last slot. Superpower is prefered for Ferrothorn and Kartana, whereas Earthquake hit Magnezone and Heatran harder, along with not having to waste the Z-move on Toxapex.

Notable Teams
Time: Bulky Offense
by Exploudit

Fun team I've built with Stakataka. I started off with a OTR core of Stakataka + Magearna, so that they can wear eachother's checks out for one of them to sweep. I decided to go with AV Bulu to provide a switch in to Tapu Koko and Ash-Greninja as well as weaken Earthquake which was a big threat. Grassy Seed Hawlucha gives the team Speed control other tha Trick Room which is very much appreciated. Landorus-T provides a check to most physical attackers namely Zygarde whereas Toxapex does the same for Special Attackers, namely Volcarona, both of which were big nuisances.

Shadow Boning Patlock's Mom (Stakataka Edit): Trick Room Offense
by imsosorrylol

imsosorrylol's famous Trick Room team is now edited over with Stakataka over Magearna, while the Magearna version is probably better, Full Room with Stakataka would probably look nearly identical to this team anyways, so I still decided to give sorry credits for popularizing Full Room. If you haven't seen it yet, you should absolutel check out sorry's RTM for more details on the tean!

Untitled: Balance
by Jord-e

This a very well done team by Jord-e that demonstrates how Stakataka doesn't have to rely on other Trick Room setters to do work, being backed up by a team with outstanding synergy. For more details on his team, you can check this post!

Teambuilding Frameworks
Ground-Immune Defensive Stealth Rock setter

Despite Stakataka being able to learn the move itself, it has no room to use Stealth Rock, and it really appreciates a hazard setter by it's side, to the point where the few Pokémon that can withstand a hit get worn down and drop to a Gyro Ball or a Continental Crush. The likes of Landorus-T and Uxie also provide defensive utilility by tanking the moves that hit Stakataka most effectively in Ground and Fighting.

Speed Control

Since Stakataka's opportunities to set up Trick Room are fairly limited, a partner capable of providing Speed control through Unburden, Priority, or Choice Scarf is heavily appreciated. This gives the team some type of 'Plan B' which is why it is very important even for Full Trick Room teams to have some form of Priority.

Complementary Wallbreaker

Stakataka can't clean most teams by itself, so it needs a partner dedicated to wearing it's checks down. Magearna, Alolan Marowak, and Mega Tyranitar are just examples of what could be paired with it to soften it's checks, interestingly enough, all of these are set up Wallbreakers which can clean up on their own, or simply make things easier for Stakataka.

Ash Greninja countermeasure

We all know how threatening Ash Greninja's Water Shuriken can be, specially to a Stakataka, so something that can reliably take it on is a must to any Stakataka team. Assault Vest Tapu Bulu is a great option for more Bulky Offense or Balance esque playstyles, whereas Crawdaunt works very well in Full Room.

Supportive Defensive Backbone

Stakataka teams do appreciate another defensive backbone to help make up the planty of weaknesses it has. Toxapex can support it's team with Toxic Spikes and Haze, Cresselia sets up Trick Room and has Lunar Dance, and Zapdos provides hazards removal which is always important.

Conclusion
Stakataka is a hella fun Pokémon! There's nothing better than sweeping an opponent with Gyro Ball from this goofy tower Ultra Beast. Grab one of the teams above or build your own, and I'll see you on the ladder! Hope you enjoyed this research :)
 

Indigo Plateau

is a Community Leaderis a Top Tiering Contributoris a Community Contributor Alumnusis a Contributor Alumnusis a Past SCL Champion
UU Leader
Thanks to our two contributors this week! We'll be adding Jord-e's post on Gliscor and Exploudit's post on Stakataka to the HoF.

This round features Mega Latios, who was a surprising lure after the launch of USM and has seen usage due to the non-requirement of megas this gen, and Protean Greninja, which can still run a few sets and sometimes be used as a surprise factor. The deadline for this round is Wednesday, January 10 @ 11:59 PM GMT -5. Good luck!

 
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