Hey guys, and welcome to my first ever RMT, I guess. I think this team is pretty fun and it's got a lot of promise, but I could use some help making it the best it can be so let's just jump right into it.
Teambuilding Process
When I made this team, I made it knowing I wanted to build it around these two. Lycanroc's awesome attack stat, access to priority that hits some of the bulkier mons in the tier like Articuno and Altaria hard for super-effective STAB damage, it's great speed tier, outspeeding threats like Dodrio and A-Dugtrio, and the ability to bust past its walls like Tangela with a +2 Z-move, makes it a fantastic mon to use. Bulky physical walls and ground types, however, give it trouble, so pairing it with Abomasnow made perfect sense. It's such a shame this mon is still unranked in the tier; it's one of the best wallbreakers in the game with a powerful life orb 100% accurate Blizzard, and the ability to blow back common hail checks with Giga Drain, Abomasnow covers Lycanroc's weaknesses well. Overall, the two tear holes in to almost any opposing team.
I felt like what this team needed next was a couple of pivots, so I chose Jellicent. Scarfed Primeape 2-shots this core entirely, so I wanted one of its best checks on my team.
Claydol is a pretty underrated Pokemon in the tier. Its 60/105/120 defenses make it hard to OHKO in a tier where some of the biggest offensive threats don't even push past 100 attack./special attack Its access to Stealth Rock and Rapid Spin offered good role compression; setting up rocks would prove key in ensuring both Abomasnow and Lycanroc pick up their KO's without taking too much damage, and keeping rocks off my side of the field especially helps Abomasnow come in.
At this point I needed a scarfer, and an offensive one at that. I also figured some spikes pressure would help out my offensive core. So I decided to pair Primeape with the only dark type spike-user in the tier: Cacturne. The idea is to use Primeape to pick off anything faster than Lycanroc. It'll naturally lure in bulky psychic types like Musharna and Mesprit, which don't appreciate a Dark Pulse from Cacturne's great special attack stat. I can also use Primeape's access to U-turn to bring in Cacturne on bulky waters, and set up spikes on the switch.
So, uh, I don't know how else to say this, but fuck Cacturne. Playtesting this team, it did not work out as I had hoped. I can explain why in one simple calc:
Code:
0- Atk Mesprit U-turn vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Cacturne: 288-340 (102.4 - 120.9%) -- guaranteed OHKO
Set details
Code:
Lycanroc @ Lycanium Z
Ability: Steadfast
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Accelerock
- Stone Edge
- Drill Run
Code:
252 Atk Lycanroc Splintered Stormshards vs. 136 HP / 0 Def Drampa: 325-384 (98.1 - 116%) -- guaranteed OHKO after Stealth Rock
252 Atk Lycanroc Splintered Stormshards vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Eviolite Clefairy: 337-397 (97.9 - 115.4%) -- 87.5% chance to OHKO
252 Atk Lycanroc Splintered Stormshards vs. 248 HP / 8 Def Audino: 321-378 (78.4 - 92.4%) -- guaranteed OHKO after Stealth Rock, 1 layer of Spikes, and Leftovers recovery
Code:
Abomasnow @ Life Orb
Ability: Snow Warning
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Blizzard
- Giga Drain
- Earthquake
- Ice Shard
Code:
Jellicent @ Colbur Berry
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 252 HP / 224 Def / 32 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Taunt
- Recover
- Will-O-Wisp
Code:
Claydol @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 92 Def / 164 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Stealth Rock
- Rapid Spin
- Protect
- Psyshock
Code:
Primeape @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Defiant
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Close Combat
- U-turn
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
Code:
Qwilfish @ Black Sludge
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Scald
- Spikes
- Destiny Bond
- Poison Jab
Threats
Without a dark type on the team, bulky psychic types end up being a problem. On balance or bulky offense teams, Lycanroc and Abomansow can usually bust through the occasional threat, but up against full on stall with Bronzor or Duosion it gets... challenging to say the least. Though between Lycanroc, Abomasnow, and Jellicent, I might have all the tools to beat stall and just be bad at playing against it.
Also, Gurdurr just destroys this team. I can't count on them being Iron Fist over guts, so burning it isn't an option. A combination of Mach Punch and Knock Off takes care of this entire team, save Qwilfish, which is frail enough to be picked off by any other Pokemon on a Gurdurr team anyway. Yet, I'm at a loss as to which mons I should actually change, and for what.
Finally, Regirock, sometimes. It's not a "threat" so much as an annoyance. These calcs show why:
Code:
252 Atk Primeape Close Combat vs. 252 HP / 180+ Def Regirock: 152-180 (41.7 - 49.4%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
+2 252 Atk Lycanroc Drill Run vs. 252 HP / 180+ Def Regirock: 144-170 (39.5 - 46.7%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
252 SpA Life Orb Abomasnow Giga Drain vs. 252 HP / 76 SpD Regirock: 234-276 (64.2 - 75.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
0 Atk Regirock Rock Slide vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Abomasnow: 204-242 (63.5 - 75.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
0 Atk Regirock Earthquake vs. -1 0 HP / 4 Def Primeape: 163-192 (60.1 - 70.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
0 Atk Regirock Earthquake vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Lycanroc: 204-240 (70.1 - 82.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
Full team
The team can be copy/pasted here: https://pokepast.es/c20dc2001ce82b42