I looked up the word "Fledgling" on Google, and the definition I got back was "a young bird that has just fledged." I don't really know what it means to fledge, but there is literally only one bird in Fledgling Cup, so something about either the name or the word feels a little off to me.
Maybe I should start from the beginning.
In the micro-metagames thread, one of the many micro-metagames proposed is the Fledgling Cup, a variant of Little Cup wherein only Baby Pokémon are allowed. The idea produced some discussion, but the battling community isn't exactly active (or existent, as far as I can tell). This is unsurprising, as there are a grand total of 18 viable Pokémon in the tier, including "gems" such as Azurill and Chingling.
Feeling undeterred, I put together a team anyway, and upon realizing that I didn't know anyone I could battle under Fledgling Cup rules, decided to take my team to the Little Cup ladder.
And I did surprisingly okay! For awhile, I was winning more battles than I lost, and I managed to reach I think somewhere around the upper 1300s before dropping; not good by any stretch, but it was better than I'd ever done before at the time. I didn't think to record the exact peak, unfortunately, but it's not exactly a tremendous accomplishment anyhow, relative to many other RMTs.
Since I did do better than expected, though, I decided I was interested in improving the team. If I didn't limit myself to only baby Pokémon, I could possibly do quite a bit better, and so I made an RMT, and I received some great suggestions on how to improve the team. The I thought, hey, maybe the team could be made even better! So I edited this OP to reflect the current team.
I've gone on long enough, so without further ado:
The Team
Killer MagBEE (Magby) (F) @ Berry Juice
Ability: Vital Spirit
Level: 5
EVs: 236 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
IVs: 29 HP
- Belly Drum
- Fire Punch
- Thunder Punch
- Mach Punch
Say hello to Fledgling Cup's one and only bird! At least... I think Magby's supposed to be a bird. Anyway, meet wincon #1, one of two members of the old guard and the Pokémon I started building the original team around in the first place. The EVs aren't anything unusual and are taken from the Smogon set: max attack and max speed enable Magby to sweep, with Jolly letting her hit 19 speed, and 29 HP IVs activate the Berry Juice with one Belly Drum, putting her back at max health. I experimented with taking some EVs from speed to add them to bulk, but it didn't do much for Magby, so I changed them back. Vital Spirit also makes Magby a great Foongus counter. If allowed to set up, Magby can rip through entire teams, and even when she's stopped the team doesn't often recover. Fire Punch is STAB, Mach Punch is priority to hit anything faster than Magby (along with Rock types), and Thunder Punch hits Water types. In Fledgling Cup this would be Mantyke, but in LC there are obviously a lot more targets.
Opponents to watch out for are Focus Sash users like Abra or Sturdy Pokémon, since they can't be swept through and Magby's too frail to take more than maybe one neutral hit.
Incense-itive (Munchlax) (F) @ Eviolite
Ability: Thick Fat
Level: 5
EVs: 236 Atk / 36 Def / 236 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Return
- Curse
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
Meet wincon #2. While Munchlax was on the original Fledgling Cup team, the set's been changed to an Eviolite ResTalk Curser instead of a Berry Juice Curser. The added bulk of the Eviolite enables Munchlax to take hits a lot better as it boosts, as with Berry Juice it was a bit too susceptible to powerful special attackers like Specs Abra.
There's nothing especially strange about LC's rendition of the classic Curselax: set up Curse on a Pokémon that doesn't threaten Munchlax (either something passive or a special attacker that can't punch through), use Rest to recover health and Sleep Talk to maintain momentum, and once you have enough boosts, start attacking. And in the early game, when there are still Pokémon that can stop Curselax, Munchlax can switch in to tank special hits and force out opponents by threatening a powerful Return. Having only Return as an attacking move means that Munchlax is walled by Ghost-types and some defensively tough Rock and Steel-types, even after Curse boosts, so she's best saved for the late game.
CrystalOnix4Alola (Onix) (M) @ Berry Juice
Ability: Sturdy
Level: 5
EVs: 76 HP / 236 Atk / 196 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Rock Blast
- Stealth Rock
- Taunt
Say hello to Bonsly's much better replacement! On the old team, Bonsly acted as a Suicide Rocks lead that would, generally speaking, just set up Rocks and Explode. Onix is another change that acts as a far superior Rocks setter, being much faster, as well as having a great match up against other Lead Mons, having access to Taunt to stop hazard setters on the opposing team. Earthquake because it's such a great STAB move, and Rock Blast over Stone Edge to break through Sturdy (such as Dwebble) or Substitutes.
Elekid you not (Elekid) (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Vital Spirit
Level: 5
EVs: 240 SpA / 236 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 1 Atk / 30 SpA / 30 SpD
- Thunderbolt
- Volt Switch
- Psychic/Grass Knot?
- Hidden Power [Ground]/Hidden Power [Ice]?
And here's the second member of the old guard whose set is still unchanged. Boasting an incredible special attack stat in both Fledgling and Little Cup, Elekid is a powerful offensive pivot. The EVs max out special attack and speed, and a Timid nature lets him hit 20 speed, speed-tying with Diglett. Vital Spirit enables Elekid to switch into Spore, which is fantastic, gaining momentum for the team. Thunderbolt is reliable STAB, and Volt Switch is a wonderful pivoting move. Psychic and HP Ground are coverage; in the context of Fledgling Cup, they hit Pokémon like Riolu and other Elekid, while in Little Cup they hit Foongus and Chinchou, though it does leave him with no recourse against Diglett and an imperfect, which is unfortunate. As a result, I've been contemplating replacing HP Ground with Grass Knot and Psychic with HP Ice. While HP Ice is a bit weaker, it can still hit Foonguss and it hits Diglett super effectively to boot. Grass Knot also still hits non-ResTalk Chinchou for a 2HKO. The Life Orb provides extra power while also leaving Elekid with some flexibility so you don't have to rely too much on prediction. While Elekid has swept in the past thanks to his speed and power, he's typically best used for pivoting to get teammates into a better position.
PAUL T. BUNYAN! (Timburr) (M) @ Eviolite
Ability: Guts
Level: 5
EVs: 116 Atk / 156 Def / 236 SpD
Careful Nature
- Drain Punch
- Mach Punch
- Knock Off
- Bulk Up
Timburr is Riolu 2.0, and while he lacks Riolu's incredibly fun ability to spam Prankster Copycat, his superior defenses and use of Bulk Up provide a more consistent wincon that can tank more neutral hits. Drain Punch and Mach Punch provide STAB, recovery, and priority, keeping Timburr strong, healthy, and sort of revenge-kill proof. Knock Off hits Ghosts and is fantastic utility, and Bulk Up is what makes Timburr wincon #3.
RevengeoftheSith (Honedge) (F) @ Eviolite
Ability: No Guard
Level: 5
EVs: 76 HP / 116 Atk / 36 Def / 220 SpD / 52 Spe
Careful Nature
- Iron Head
- Shadow Sneak
- Sacred Sword
- Swords Dance
Honedge is another newbie, although I added her myself rather than her being suggested as part of a Rate. She's around in order to partner with Timburr by taking out Fairy types that Timburr would otherwise struggle with, and having Swords Dance makes her wincon #4. +2 Shadow Sneaks are nothing to sneeze at, and with Eviolite Honedge has fairly impressive mixed bulk. Iron Head is STAB to take out Fairies, and Sacred Sword takes care of Steel types like Ferroseed and Pawniard.
Overview
The goal is straightforward enough: set up Stealth Rock (and try to use Taunt to stop the opp from doing the same), and pivot until a wincon gets a chance to set up and win. Since there are four separate ones, it's a little more okay to play aggressively and use some wincons to wear down checks and counters for one so that it can sweep more easily.
Threatlist/Concerns
While the team's doing a lot better than before (since now it's designed for Little Cup in mind instead of Fledgling Cup), it still has some very prominent weaknesses. This short list is by no means exhaustive and is only meant to demonstrate the most prevalent weaknesses of the team.
Earthquake and Ground type moves are a pretty serious problem for the team, since no one on the team resists the type. Timburr is usually the best option, although he doesn't like to switch into Earthquakes, as it makes setting up with Bulk Up much harder.
Fighting Types with Knock Off can be a bother, since I've been trying to depend on Honedge's Ghost typing to check Fighting types, and ones with Knock Off (or Sucker Punch, in Croagunk's case) are able to wear Honedge down anyway and get rid of its Eviolite.
Conclusion
While using Fledgling Cup Mons was a lot of fun, it was a bit limiting, so it was fun to get help polishing the team in order to help it do better in Little Cup. Little Cup's been a tier I liked a lot for awhile, as it always feels like there are a lot of options in the metagame, and it's been great learning more about how to battle in it.
Thanks for reading, and thanks for your thoughts!
Shoutout
To Sam-testings for making the suggestions of Eviolite Munchlax, Onix, and Timburr for the original team in the first place.
Introduction
I looked up the word "Fledgling" on Google, and the definition I got back was "a young bird that has just fledged." I don't really know what it means to fledge, but there is literally only one bird in Fledgling Cup, so something about either the name or the word feels a little off to me.
Maybe I should start from the beginning.
In the micro-metagames thread, one of the many micro-metagames proposed is the Fledgling Cup, a variant of Little Cup wherein only Baby Pokémon are allowed. The idea produced some discussion, but the battling community isn't exactly active (or existent, as far as I can tell). This is unsurprising, as there are a grand total of 18 viable Pokémon in the tier, including "gems" such as Azurill and Chingling.
Feeling undeterred, I put together a team anyway, and upon realizing that I didn't know anyone I could battle under Fledgling Cup rules, decided to take my team to the Little Cup ladder.
And I did surprisingly okay! For awhile, I was winning more battles than I lost, and I managed to reach I think somewhere around the upper 1300s before dropping; not good by any stretch, but it was better than I'd ever done before at the time. I didn't think to record the exact peak, unfortunately, but it's not exactly a tremendous accomplishment anyhow, relative to many other RMTs.
Since I did do better than expected, though, I decided I was interested in improving the team. If I didn't limit myself to only baby Pokémon, I could possibly do quite a bit better, and so I made the RMT. I'd really like to know how I can make this team better in the Little Cup metagame, since it's a tier that I really enjoy! Additionally, if anyone was interested in analyzing the team in relation to the Fledgling Cup metagame, I'd love to hear your thoughts on that as well.
I've gone on long enough, so without further ado:
The Team
Killer MagBEE (Magby) (F) @ Berry Juice
Ability: Vital Spirit
Level: 5
EVs: 236 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
IVs: 29 HP
- Belly Drum
- Fire Punch
- Thunder Punch
- Mach Punch
Say hello to Fledgling Cup's one and only bird! At least... I think Magby's supposed to be a bird. Anyway, this is wincon #1, and she's the Pokémon I started with. The EVs aren't anything unusual and are taken from the Smogon set: max attack and max speed enable Magby to sweep, with Jolly letting her hit 19 speed, and 29 HP IVs activate the Berry Juice with one Belly Drum, putting her back at max health. I experimented with taking some EVs from speed to add them to bulk, but it didn't do much for Magby, so I changed them back. Vital Spirit also makes Magby a great Foongus counter. If allowed to set up, Magby can rip through entire teams, and even when she's stopped the team doesn't often recover. Fire Punch is STAB, Mach Punch is priority to hit anything faster than Magby (along with Rock types), and Thunder Punch hits Water types. In Fledgling Cup this would be Mantyke, but in LC there are obviously a lot more targets.
Incense-itive (Munchlax) (F) @ Berry Juice
Ability: Thick Fat
Level: 5
EVs: 236 Atk / 36 Def / 236 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Return
- Earthquake
- Curse
- Recycle
Meet wincon #2. There's nothing especially strange about LC's rendition of the classic Curselax: set up Curse on a Pokémon that doesn't threaten Munchlax (either something passive (that doesn't know Wil-O-Wisp) or a special attacker that can't punch through), use the Berry Juice and Recycle to recover health, and once you have enough boosts, start attacking. And in the early game, when there are still Pokémon that can stop Curselax, Munchlax can switch in to tank special hits and force out opponents by threatening a powerful Return or Earthquake. Though the lack of Eviolite makes Munchlax slightly less bulky, her usefulness as a wincon that can wall attackers like Mienfoo without Knock Off is why I've kept the Berry Juice set. Not having Rest means that status can be a problem, though, so it is important to typically save Munchlax for the mid-game or late game when such threats have been eliminated.
Pseudo-woodo (Bonsly) (M) @ Custap Berry
Ability: Sturdy
Level: 5
EVs: 116 HP / 196 Atk / 196 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Explosion
- Brick Break
- Rock Slide
- Stealth Rock
I wanted to complement Munchlax's special tankiness by using a teammate with physical tankiness... but there aren't really a lot of options like that in Fledgling Cup. I settled on Bonsly, but ultimately the best thing he can do is act as a suicide lead. The majority of the time, the plan is incredibly simple: 1) Use Stealth Rock. 2) Use Explosion. Sometimes, if there aren't any prominent Sash or Sturdy Pokémon, I just click Explosion immediately. Sturdy usually ensures that Bonsly can get Stealth Rock up, and the Custap berry lets him use Explosion immediately afterward. The EVs give Bonsly some survivability against weaker attacks, and along with an Adamant nature they give as much power as possible to Explosion. While in the context of Fledgling Cup I'm sure he'd be fine, in Little Cup he's badly outclassed.
Womantyke (Mantyke) (F) @ Chesto Berry
Ability: Water Absorb
Level: 5
EVs: 156 HP / 196 Def / 116 SpD / 36 Spe
Calm Nature
- Rest
- Signal Beam
- Scald
- Air Slash
Since Bonsly was not the physical wall I wanted, I kept looking until I settled on Mantyke, who... is not much better. Like Bonsly, Mantyke is a Fledgling Cup Pokémon that is outlcassed in Little Cup, and while she's been of use to the team in battles, I won't deny that she hasn't been as useful. The EVs are to try and optimize Mantyke's bulk and give it enough speed to outspeed slow Pokémon. To be honest, I can't remember the last time Mantyke outsped anything that wasn't a Ferroseed or maybe a Geodude. Water Absorb lets Mantyke switch in for no damage (and sometimes for recovery). ChestoRest is the only recovery available to her, and the three attacks are simply STAB and coverage. Scald's burn chance is always nice, Air Slash can cause a flinch (if Mantyke is faster), and Signal Beam can hit Psychic and Dark types super-effectively. While Mantyke has had use, I am looking to replace her with something a bit more viable.
Elekid you not (Elekid) (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Vital Spirit
Level: 5
EVs: 240 SpA / 236 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 1 Atk / 30 SpA / 30 SpD
- Thunderbolt
- Volt Switch
- Psychic
- Hidden Power [Ground]
And now we're back to Pokémon that are pretty viable in Little Cup. Boasting an incredible special attack stat in both Fledgling and Little Cup, Elekid is a powerful offensive pivot. The EVs max out special attack and speed, and a Timid nature lets him hit 20 speed, speed-tying with Diglett. Vital Spirit enables Elekid to switch into Spore, which is fantastic, gaining momentum for the team. Thunderbolt is reliable STAB, and Volt Switch is a wonderful pivoting move. Psychic and HP Ground are coverage; in the context of Fledgling Cup, they hit Pokémon like Riolue and other Elekid, while in Little Cup they hit Foongus and Chinchou, though it does leave him with no recourse against Diglett, which is unfortunate. The Life Orb provides extra power while also leaving Elekid with some flexibility so you don't have to rely too much on prediction. While Elekid has swept in the past thanks to his speed and power, he's typically best used for pivoting to get teammates into a better position.
Coon (Riolu) (M) @ Eviolite
Ability: Prankster
Level: 5
EVs: 116 HP / 196 Atk / 196 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- High Jump Kick
- Copycat
- Iron Tail
Meet wincon #3. The EVs and set are the Smogon standard, but Riolu doesn't have a niche among Fighting types for no reason. You probably know the drill: set up Swords Dance on an unthreatening Pokémon (not always necessary since Riolu has a lot of raw power), KO the next opponent with High Jump Kick, and then click Copycat until either the other team is KO'd or Riolu is KO'd. This set stops Gale Wings Fletchling from revenge-killing, which is nothing short of fantastic. Iron Tail is coverage for Fairy types like Spritzee. Copycat gets priority thanks to Prankster, and it also enables lots of situational shenanigans, such as Copycatting an opponent's Coil to give HJK perfect accuracy, and once I used it to copy a Chlorophyll Bellsprout in its tracks.
Overview
The goal is straightforward enough: set up Stealth Rock, and pivot until one of the wincons gets an opportunity to set up. With three separate wincons, it's alright to play a little more aggressively and use one (often Magby) to blast holes in the other team until it's KO'd, since that still paves the way for another wincon to set up.
Threatlist/Concerns
Having been originally put together with the Fledgling Cup metagame in mind, the team has its fair share of weaknesses in the Little Cup metagame.
Encore Cottonee is devastating, as it stops my wincons from setting up. Riolu doesn't strictly need set up since HJK is so powerful, but it would much rather use Iron Tail on Cottonee, so an Encore can disrupt a sweep.
If Bonsly doesn't set up Stealth Rock, Focus Sash users can put a hard stop to a sweep by Riolu or Magby. If Riolu has enough health, it can typically survive a hit from Diglett, though, and once it's weakened a little, Elekid can pick it off with Psychic.
Speaking of Focus Sash users, Abra also puts a hard stop to Magby and Riolu sweeps. However, Munchlax can set up easily on Focus Sash Abra, even ones that pack HP Fighting.
Entry Hazards can be problematic if I don't stop them in time, since Fledgling Cup has no access to Defog, and the only Rapid Spinner is the rather disappointing Tyrogue. Stealth Rock isn't that big a deal for the team, since there are only two teammates weak to it, but Spikes, Toxic Spikes, and Sticky Web are very bad. If I improve this team for Little Cup, access to Rapid Spin or Defog would be nice. While Magby easily beats Ferroseed, Sturdy Pokémon like Dwebble are harder to put a stop to before Spikes and Stealth Rock goes up.
Choice Scarf or Life Orb Mienfoo with High Jump Kick pack a mean punch, since it OHKOs Munchlax, even with a Curse boost, and with the Scarf it outruns Elekid. However, Copycat Riolu can turn High Jump Kick against it, mitigating the problem.
This list may not be comprehensive (I don't keep as adequate records of my losses as I should), so if you notice anything else I seem weak to, help with that would be appreciated.
Conclusion
This is a team I've had fun with, and while using Fledgling Cup Pokémon is limiting in some ways, it was very interesting and a lot of fun. While I'll probably still use the team sometimes to see how well I can do with a Fledgling Cup team, its unexpected okay-ness has prompted me to see if it can be made better in Little Cup. Of the concerns I listed, my inability to remove Hazards and Cottonee are the most threatening. Mienfoo, Abra, and Diglett can be worked around, though. I enjoy having multiple wincons, as I think this is the first team I've put together that has multiple set up sweeper wincons, and I'd like to preserve that if possible, as it allows me to play proactively and aggressively.
Thanks for reading, and thanks for your thoughts!
Replays if you're interested:
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/lc-410605646
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/lc-410602304
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/lc-410060351
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/lc-410078134
I looked up the word "Fledgling" on Google, and the definition I got back was "a young bird that has just fledged." I don't really know what it means to fledge, but there is literally only one bird in Fledgling Cup, so something about either the name or the word feels a little off to me.
Maybe I should start from the beginning.
In the micro-metagames thread, one of the many micro-metagames proposed is the Fledgling Cup, a variant of Little Cup wherein only Baby Pokémon are allowed. The idea produced some discussion, but the battling community isn't exactly active (or existent, as far as I can tell). This is unsurprising, as there are a grand total of 18 viable Pokémon in the tier, including "gems" such as Azurill and Chingling.
Feeling undeterred, I put together a team anyway, and upon realizing that I didn't know anyone I could battle under Fledgling Cup rules, decided to take my team to the Little Cup ladder.
And I did surprisingly okay! For awhile, I was winning more battles than I lost, and I managed to reach I think somewhere around the upper 1300s before dropping; not good by any stretch, but it was better than I'd ever done before at the time. I didn't think to record the exact peak, unfortunately, but it's not exactly a tremendous accomplishment anyhow, relative to many other RMTs.
Since I did do better than expected, though, I decided I was interested in improving the team. If I didn't limit myself to only baby Pokémon, I could possibly do quite a bit better, and so I made the RMT. I'd really like to know how I can make this team better in the Little Cup metagame, since it's a tier that I really enjoy! Additionally, if anyone was interested in analyzing the team in relation to the Fledgling Cup metagame, I'd love to hear your thoughts on that as well.
I've gone on long enough, so without further ado:
The Team
Killer MagBEE (Magby) (F) @ Berry Juice
Ability: Vital Spirit
Level: 5
EVs: 236 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
IVs: 29 HP
- Belly Drum
- Fire Punch
- Thunder Punch
- Mach Punch
Say hello to Fledgling Cup's one and only bird! At least... I think Magby's supposed to be a bird. Anyway, this is wincon #1, and she's the Pokémon I started with. The EVs aren't anything unusual and are taken from the Smogon set: max attack and max speed enable Magby to sweep, with Jolly letting her hit 19 speed, and 29 HP IVs activate the Berry Juice with one Belly Drum, putting her back at max health. I experimented with taking some EVs from speed to add them to bulk, but it didn't do much for Magby, so I changed them back. Vital Spirit also makes Magby a great Foongus counter. If allowed to set up, Magby can rip through entire teams, and even when she's stopped the team doesn't often recover. Fire Punch is STAB, Mach Punch is priority to hit anything faster than Magby (along with Rock types), and Thunder Punch hits Water types. In Fledgling Cup this would be Mantyke, but in LC there are obviously a lot more targets.
Incense-itive (Munchlax) (F) @ Berry Juice
Ability: Thick Fat
Level: 5
EVs: 236 Atk / 36 Def / 236 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Return
- Earthquake
- Curse
- Recycle
Meet wincon #2. There's nothing especially strange about LC's rendition of the classic Curselax: set up Curse on a Pokémon that doesn't threaten Munchlax (either something passive (that doesn't know Wil-O-Wisp) or a special attacker that can't punch through), use the Berry Juice and Recycle to recover health, and once you have enough boosts, start attacking. And in the early game, when there are still Pokémon that can stop Curselax, Munchlax can switch in to tank special hits and force out opponents by threatening a powerful Return or Earthquake. Though the lack of Eviolite makes Munchlax slightly less bulky, her usefulness as a wincon that can wall attackers like Mienfoo without Knock Off is why I've kept the Berry Juice set. Not having Rest means that status can be a problem, though, so it is important to typically save Munchlax for the mid-game or late game when such threats have been eliminated.
Pseudo-woodo (Bonsly) (M) @ Custap Berry
Ability: Sturdy
Level: 5
EVs: 116 HP / 196 Atk / 196 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Explosion
- Brick Break
- Rock Slide
- Stealth Rock
I wanted to complement Munchlax's special tankiness by using a teammate with physical tankiness... but there aren't really a lot of options like that in Fledgling Cup. I settled on Bonsly, but ultimately the best thing he can do is act as a suicide lead. The majority of the time, the plan is incredibly simple: 1) Use Stealth Rock. 2) Use Explosion. Sometimes, if there aren't any prominent Sash or Sturdy Pokémon, I just click Explosion immediately. Sturdy usually ensures that Bonsly can get Stealth Rock up, and the Custap berry lets him use Explosion immediately afterward. The EVs give Bonsly some survivability against weaker attacks, and along with an Adamant nature they give as much power as possible to Explosion. While in the context of Fledgling Cup I'm sure he'd be fine, in Little Cup he's badly outclassed.
Womantyke (Mantyke) (F) @ Chesto Berry
Ability: Water Absorb
Level: 5
EVs: 156 HP / 196 Def / 116 SpD / 36 Spe
Calm Nature
- Rest
- Signal Beam
- Scald
- Air Slash
Since Bonsly was not the physical wall I wanted, I kept looking until I settled on Mantyke, who... is not much better. Like Bonsly, Mantyke is a Fledgling Cup Pokémon that is outlcassed in Little Cup, and while she's been of use to the team in battles, I won't deny that she hasn't been as useful. The EVs are to try and optimize Mantyke's bulk and give it enough speed to outspeed slow Pokémon. To be honest, I can't remember the last time Mantyke outsped anything that wasn't a Ferroseed or maybe a Geodude. Water Absorb lets Mantyke switch in for no damage (and sometimes for recovery). ChestoRest is the only recovery available to her, and the three attacks are simply STAB and coverage. Scald's burn chance is always nice, Air Slash can cause a flinch (if Mantyke is faster), and Signal Beam can hit Psychic and Dark types super-effectively. While Mantyke has had use, I am looking to replace her with something a bit more viable.
Elekid you not (Elekid) (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Vital Spirit
Level: 5
EVs: 240 SpA / 236 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 1 Atk / 30 SpA / 30 SpD
- Thunderbolt
- Volt Switch
- Psychic
- Hidden Power [Ground]
And now we're back to Pokémon that are pretty viable in Little Cup. Boasting an incredible special attack stat in both Fledgling and Little Cup, Elekid is a powerful offensive pivot. The EVs max out special attack and speed, and a Timid nature lets him hit 20 speed, speed-tying with Diglett. Vital Spirit enables Elekid to switch into Spore, which is fantastic, gaining momentum for the team. Thunderbolt is reliable STAB, and Volt Switch is a wonderful pivoting move. Psychic and HP Ground are coverage; in the context of Fledgling Cup, they hit Pokémon like Riolue and other Elekid, while in Little Cup they hit Foongus and Chinchou, though it does leave him with no recourse against Diglett, which is unfortunate. The Life Orb provides extra power while also leaving Elekid with some flexibility so you don't have to rely too much on prediction. While Elekid has swept in the past thanks to his speed and power, he's typically best used for pivoting to get teammates into a better position.
Coon (Riolu) (M) @ Eviolite
Ability: Prankster
Level: 5
EVs: 116 HP / 196 Atk / 196 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- High Jump Kick
- Copycat
- Iron Tail
Meet wincon #3. The EVs and set are the Smogon standard, but Riolu doesn't have a niche among Fighting types for no reason. You probably know the drill: set up Swords Dance on an unthreatening Pokémon (not always necessary since Riolu has a lot of raw power), KO the next opponent with High Jump Kick, and then click Copycat until either the other team is KO'd or Riolu is KO'd. This set stops Gale Wings Fletchling from revenge-killing, which is nothing short of fantastic. Iron Tail is coverage for Fairy types like Spritzee. Copycat gets priority thanks to Prankster, and it also enables lots of situational shenanigans, such as Copycatting an opponent's Coil to give HJK perfect accuracy, and once I used it to copy a Chlorophyll Bellsprout in its tracks.
Overview
The goal is straightforward enough: set up Stealth Rock, and pivot until one of the wincons gets an opportunity to set up. With three separate wincons, it's alright to play a little more aggressively and use one (often Magby) to blast holes in the other team until it's KO'd, since that still paves the way for another wincon to set up.
Threatlist/Concerns
Having been originally put together with the Fledgling Cup metagame in mind, the team has its fair share of weaknesses in the Little Cup metagame.
Encore Cottonee is devastating, as it stops my wincons from setting up. Riolu doesn't strictly need set up since HJK is so powerful, but it would much rather use Iron Tail on Cottonee, so an Encore can disrupt a sweep.
If Bonsly doesn't set up Stealth Rock, Focus Sash users can put a hard stop to a sweep by Riolu or Magby. If Riolu has enough health, it can typically survive a hit from Diglett, though, and once it's weakened a little, Elekid can pick it off with Psychic.
Speaking of Focus Sash users, Abra also puts a hard stop to Magby and Riolu sweeps. However, Munchlax can set up easily on Focus Sash Abra, even ones that pack HP Fighting.
Entry Hazards can be problematic if I don't stop them in time, since Fledgling Cup has no access to Defog, and the only Rapid Spinner is the rather disappointing Tyrogue. Stealth Rock isn't that big a deal for the team, since there are only two teammates weak to it, but Spikes, Toxic Spikes, and Sticky Web are very bad. If I improve this team for Little Cup, access to Rapid Spin or Defog would be nice. While Magby easily beats Ferroseed, Sturdy Pokémon like Dwebble are harder to put a stop to before Spikes and Stealth Rock goes up.
Choice Scarf or Life Orb Mienfoo with High Jump Kick pack a mean punch, since it OHKOs Munchlax, even with a Curse boost, and with the Scarf it outruns Elekid. However, Copycat Riolu can turn High Jump Kick against it, mitigating the problem.
This list may not be comprehensive (I don't keep as adequate records of my losses as I should), so if you notice anything else I seem weak to, help with that would be appreciated.
Conclusion
This is a team I've had fun with, and while using Fledgling Cup Pokémon is limiting in some ways, it was very interesting and a lot of fun. While I'll probably still use the team sometimes to see how well I can do with a Fledgling Cup team, its unexpected okay-ness has prompted me to see if it can be made better in Little Cup. Of the concerns I listed, my inability to remove Hazards and Cottonee are the most threatening. Mienfoo, Abra, and Diglett can be worked around, though. I enjoy having multiple wincons, as I think this is the first team I've put together that has multiple set up sweeper wincons, and I'd like to preserve that if possible, as it allows me to play proactively and aggressively.
Thanks for reading, and thanks for your thoughts!
Replays if you're interested:
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/lc-410605646
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/lc-410602304
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/lc-410060351
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/lc-410078134
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