atomicllamas
but then what's left of me?
Introduction
I haven't posted an RMT in a while, and I noticed the lack of RU RMTs for this new meta game which is full of interesting drops. I decided to post this team because I have had some success with it, and I think its a pretty neat balance team with a lot of opportunities to gain momentum.
The concept for this team came from a previous team of mine (all the way back from the zoro-yan meta in XY RU), in which I used a mixed attacking Abomasnow to break down teams for sub CM Meloetta to sweep. On this team, the roles are reversed, and choice specs Meloetta is here to put major dents into opposing teams allowing SD Mega Abomasnow to clean up late game.
This team is 15-0 on the ladder and has done well against some good RU players (3-0 vs sweep, 1-0 vs kotori, 1-0 vs Rozes). I would have laddered more for a cool peak or something but I finished finals on Monday and have been busy with Christmas stuff since.
As stated above, I began with Meloetta and Abomasnow, Meloetta's ability to lure in Steel-types such as Bronzong and Mega Steelix, and weaken them for SD Abomasnow makes them a formidable offensive core. However this core has trouble with fighting-types as well as fire-types (particularly Houndoom). As such Fletchinder was added, because it is a very solid offensive check to both Fighting-types and Fire-types, especially given the physical frailty of the Fire-types in RU. Adding Fletchinder also mandates hazard removal, Blastoise had just dropped and fit well, giving me a better fire switch in, and a way to absorb status (as you'll see on the set).
This is where it got slightly more difficult, I knew I needed something for offensive Ice-types, particularly Mega Glalie, tho Mega Abomasnow and Sneasel could also be an issue. My initial reaction was to put a Choice Scarf Durant on the team, but I also needed rocks, and I knew it would be pretty difficult to fit a rocker on this team with Durant. Additionally I really knew I needed a rock resist, and having Durant as my Steel-type also severly limited my options. At this point I thought of Mawile, which I had seen hyped in the RU forum but had always written off as undeserving of the hype. Mawile did a lot of things for me, it provided SR without killing momentum, it is a sturdy Mega Glalie, Tyrantrum, and Sneasel counter, and allowed me to use another ice weak mon as my last. Scarf Flygon was added in the last slot because this team was a little slow and because it provided an additional fire-resist, and emergency hazard control.
On to the team.
The Team:
Side of Paradise (Abomasnow) @ Abomasite
Ability: Soundproof
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Wood Hammer
- Ice Shard
- Earthquake
Mega Abomasnow is one of the hardest Pokemon to switch into in the tier, especially since before it makes a move, you don't know whether its a Physical SD variant or a Specially Based Mixed set. In this case Mega Abomasnow is the SD set, which functions as a solid win condition, and can easily sweep weakened teams with a +2 Ice Shard. Defensive teams can really struggle against fast SD Mega Aboma, so I just went max speed, cause why not. Wood Hammer is the STAB move of choice over Seed Bomb, as against defensive teams it allows Abomasnow to deal major damage to the opponents defensive core when boosted, while against offensive teams, Wood Hammer does not need a boost to blast through their frailer pokemon.
Lies (Meloetta) @ Choice Specs
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Hyper Voice
- U-turn
- Psychic
- Focus Blast
Choice Specs Meloetta is a pretty cool Pokemon, as right now most Meloetta seem to be running offensive Calm Mind with Colbur, so people don't expect Meloetta to hit as hard as it does off the bat with Choice Specs. Meloetta also naturally draws in Steel-types and deals heavy damage with Focus Blast or even a resisted STAB move, which is very helpful for facilitating a Mega Abomasnow sweep. I've chosen to run U-turn on Meloetta, though Dazzling Gleam or Shadow Ball are options in this slot to hit Spiritomb and Bronzong respectively, but U-turn allows Meloetta to maintain momentum. Meloetta also has ridiculously high natural special bulk, allowing it to function as a soft check for opposing Psychics such as Sigilyph, which would otherwise be very threatening to this team.
Runaway (Fletchinder)
Ability: Gale Wings
EVs: 152 HP / 252 Atk / 76 Def / 28 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Acrobatics
- Swords Dance
- Roost
- Will-O-Wisp
Standard SD Fletchinder also follows the teams theme of overwhelming opposing Steel-types to allow for Mega Abomasnow to sweep. However, this actually tends to sweep opposing teams much more often, thanks to a priority base 110 STAB move. Thanks to its typing and Will-o-wisp, it actually still contributes to the defensive synergy of the team in spite of the fact that it isn't very bulky. The Special Defense and HP investment allow it to hard check LO Tangrowth while the Physical Defense investment means that it can take any hit + burned hit from Choice Band Escavalier. Fletchinder also has an excellent match up against most balanced teams in the tier, as it is hard to revenge kill, but gets free set up on basically every defensive fairy in the tier.
Hazey (Blastoise) @ Leftovers
Ability: Torrent
EVs: 248 HP / 224 Def / 36 Spe
Bold Nature
- Scald
- Refresh
- Rapid Spin
- Toxic
Blastiose is a natural addition for any team packing two SR weak Pokemon will need some sort of hazard control, and defensive Blastoise is a pretty great option in this meta. Its naturally high SpD allow it to deal with most Houndoom, and any Delphox lacking Grass Knot, while its bulk after investment on the physical side allow it to soak up most unboosted physical hits. Scald and Rapid Spin are essentially mandatory on any Blastoise in RU, and Toxic allows Blastoise to defeat all ghosts in RU with the exception of Sleep Talk Spiritomb. Refresh was the move of choice in the last slot, as it allows it to deal more easily with opposing Blastoise, Jellicent, and Alomomola, by simply Refreshing off the status and letting toxic wear them down. Because my team is very physically oriented, defeating opposing Scald users is pretty important for my team, and Blastoise does just that.
Extraordinary (Mawile) @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Iron Head
- Baton Pass
- Swords Dance
Mawile does a lot of important things for this team, mainly checking the myriad of Physical threats that are common in the RU tier and set up Stealth Rock. It's typing and intimidate allow it to deal with Mega Glalie, Tyrantrum, Sneasel, Mega Abomasnow (post mega evolution or whenever if physical), SD Absol, and Physical Sharpedo. It also provides a lot of momentum with a slow Baton Pass, which allows my heavy hitters in Choice Specs Meloetta and Mega Abomasnow in for free. I actually took this set from the NU analysis and changed Play Rough to Iron Head because I decided hitting Ice-types was more important to this team than hitting Dark-types. In the final slot I put in Swords Dance, which may seem kind of redundant on this team given the fact I have 2 SD mons, but it is really cool in conjunction with Flygon, and also allows Mawile to deal with sleep talk Spiritomb without Play Rough.
Moondust (Flygon) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- U-turn
- Earthquake
- Outrage
- Defog
The final member of my team is Choice Scarf Flygon which allows me to offensively check a large portion of the tier, including opposing Scarf Mons such as Tyrantrum, or set up sweepers like SD Drapion and NP Houndoom. I usually only ever click U-turn or EQ, or I guess Outrage against teams with no fairies, so Defog is pretty cool in the last slot against teams that don't allow stoise to spin, and its not like I miss another move there. A couple times I've managed to get Flygon a +2 boost passed to it from Mawile, and it can easily destroy teams lacking a ground immune Pokemon (or a Steel / Fairy).
Conclusion
Well that's the team! The thing I've enjoyed most with the team is how easy it is to keep momentum, due to the offensive pressure Meloetta / Aboma / Fletch / Flygon can put on the opponent, while Blastoise and Mawile provide a solid defensive core to fall back on, and Mawile even provides a slow BP for its teammates. The importable is below if you want to try out the team yourself n_n.
also apparently I saved no replays except this one which was against rozes using mono dark (a surprisingly viable strategy in RU e_e).
Thanks for reading!
I haven't posted an RMT in a while, and I noticed the lack of RU RMTs for this new meta game which is full of interesting drops. I decided to post this team because I have had some success with it, and I think its a pretty neat balance team with a lot of opportunities to gain momentum.
The concept for this team came from a previous team of mine (all the way back from the zoro-yan meta in XY RU), in which I used a mixed attacking Abomasnow to break down teams for sub CM Meloetta to sweep. On this team, the roles are reversed, and choice specs Meloetta is here to put major dents into opposing teams allowing SD Mega Abomasnow to clean up late game.
This team is 15-0 on the ladder and has done well against some good RU players (3-0 vs sweep, 1-0 vs kotori, 1-0 vs Rozes). I would have laddered more for a cool peak or something but I finished finals on Monday and have been busy with Christmas stuff since.
As stated above, I began with Meloetta and Abomasnow, Meloetta's ability to lure in Steel-types such as Bronzong and Mega Steelix, and weaken them for SD Abomasnow makes them a formidable offensive core. However this core has trouble with fighting-types as well as fire-types (particularly Houndoom). As such Fletchinder was added, because it is a very solid offensive check to both Fighting-types and Fire-types, especially given the physical frailty of the Fire-types in RU. Adding Fletchinder also mandates hazard removal, Blastoise had just dropped and fit well, giving me a better fire switch in, and a way to absorb status (as you'll see on the set).
This is where it got slightly more difficult, I knew I needed something for offensive Ice-types, particularly Mega Glalie, tho Mega Abomasnow and Sneasel could also be an issue. My initial reaction was to put a Choice Scarf Durant on the team, but I also needed rocks, and I knew it would be pretty difficult to fit a rocker on this team with Durant. Additionally I really knew I needed a rock resist, and having Durant as my Steel-type also severly limited my options. At this point I thought of Mawile, which I had seen hyped in the RU forum but had always written off as undeserving of the hype. Mawile did a lot of things for me, it provided SR without killing momentum, it is a sturdy Mega Glalie, Tyrantrum, and Sneasel counter, and allowed me to use another ice weak mon as my last. Scarf Flygon was added in the last slot because this team was a little slow and because it provided an additional fire-resist, and emergency hazard control.
On to the team.
The Team:
Side of Paradise (Abomasnow) @ Abomasite
Ability: Soundproof
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Wood Hammer
- Ice Shard
- Earthquake
Mega Abomasnow is one of the hardest Pokemon to switch into in the tier, especially since before it makes a move, you don't know whether its a Physical SD variant or a Specially Based Mixed set. In this case Mega Abomasnow is the SD set, which functions as a solid win condition, and can easily sweep weakened teams with a +2 Ice Shard. Defensive teams can really struggle against fast SD Mega Aboma, so I just went max speed, cause why not. Wood Hammer is the STAB move of choice over Seed Bomb, as against defensive teams it allows Abomasnow to deal major damage to the opponents defensive core when boosted, while against offensive teams, Wood Hammer does not need a boost to blast through their frailer pokemon.
Lies (Meloetta) @ Choice Specs
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Hyper Voice
- U-turn
- Psychic
- Focus Blast
Choice Specs Meloetta is a pretty cool Pokemon, as right now most Meloetta seem to be running offensive Calm Mind with Colbur, so people don't expect Meloetta to hit as hard as it does off the bat with Choice Specs. Meloetta also naturally draws in Steel-types and deals heavy damage with Focus Blast or even a resisted STAB move, which is very helpful for facilitating a Mega Abomasnow sweep. I've chosen to run U-turn on Meloetta, though Dazzling Gleam or Shadow Ball are options in this slot to hit Spiritomb and Bronzong respectively, but U-turn allows Meloetta to maintain momentum. Meloetta also has ridiculously high natural special bulk, allowing it to function as a soft check for opposing Psychics such as Sigilyph, which would otherwise be very threatening to this team.
Runaway (Fletchinder)
Ability: Gale Wings
EVs: 152 HP / 252 Atk / 76 Def / 28 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Acrobatics
- Swords Dance
- Roost
- Will-O-Wisp
Standard SD Fletchinder also follows the teams theme of overwhelming opposing Steel-types to allow for Mega Abomasnow to sweep. However, this actually tends to sweep opposing teams much more often, thanks to a priority base 110 STAB move. Thanks to its typing and Will-o-wisp, it actually still contributes to the defensive synergy of the team in spite of the fact that it isn't very bulky. The Special Defense and HP investment allow it to hard check LO Tangrowth while the Physical Defense investment means that it can take any hit + burned hit from Choice Band Escavalier. Fletchinder also has an excellent match up against most balanced teams in the tier, as it is hard to revenge kill, but gets free set up on basically every defensive fairy in the tier.
Hazey (Blastoise) @ Leftovers
Ability: Torrent
EVs: 248 HP / 224 Def / 36 Spe
Bold Nature
- Scald
- Refresh
- Rapid Spin
- Toxic
Blastiose is a natural addition for any team packing two SR weak Pokemon will need some sort of hazard control, and defensive Blastoise is a pretty great option in this meta. Its naturally high SpD allow it to deal with most Houndoom, and any Delphox lacking Grass Knot, while its bulk after investment on the physical side allow it to soak up most unboosted physical hits. Scald and Rapid Spin are essentially mandatory on any Blastoise in RU, and Toxic allows Blastoise to defeat all ghosts in RU with the exception of Sleep Talk Spiritomb. Refresh was the move of choice in the last slot, as it allows it to deal more easily with opposing Blastoise, Jellicent, and Alomomola, by simply Refreshing off the status and letting toxic wear them down. Because my team is very physically oriented, defeating opposing Scald users is pretty important for my team, and Blastoise does just that.
Extraordinary (Mawile) @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Iron Head
- Baton Pass
- Swords Dance
Mawile does a lot of important things for this team, mainly checking the myriad of Physical threats that are common in the RU tier and set up Stealth Rock. It's typing and intimidate allow it to deal with Mega Glalie, Tyrantrum, Sneasel, Mega Abomasnow (post mega evolution or whenever if physical), SD Absol, and Physical Sharpedo. It also provides a lot of momentum with a slow Baton Pass, which allows my heavy hitters in Choice Specs Meloetta and Mega Abomasnow in for free. I actually took this set from the NU analysis and changed Play Rough to Iron Head because I decided hitting Ice-types was more important to this team than hitting Dark-types. In the final slot I put in Swords Dance, which may seem kind of redundant on this team given the fact I have 2 SD mons, but it is really cool in conjunction with Flygon, and also allows Mawile to deal with sleep talk Spiritomb without Play Rough.
Moondust (Flygon) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- U-turn
- Earthquake
- Outrage
- Defog
The final member of my team is Choice Scarf Flygon which allows me to offensively check a large portion of the tier, including opposing Scarf Mons such as Tyrantrum, or set up sweepers like SD Drapion and NP Houndoom. I usually only ever click U-turn or EQ, or I guess Outrage against teams with no fairies, so Defog is pretty cool in the last slot against teams that don't allow stoise to spin, and its not like I miss another move there. A couple times I've managed to get Flygon a +2 boost passed to it from Mawile, and it can easily destroy teams lacking a ground immune Pokemon (or a Steel / Fairy).
Conclusion
Well that's the team! The thing I've enjoyed most with the team is how easy it is to keep momentum, due to the offensive pressure Meloetta / Aboma / Fletch / Flygon can put on the opponent, while Blastoise and Mawile provide a solid defensive core to fall back on, and Mawile even provides a slow BP for its teammates. The importable is below if you want to try out the team yourself n_n.
Side of Paradise (Abomasnow) @ Abomasite
Ability: Soundproof
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Wood Hammer
- Ice Shard
- Earthquake
Lies (Meloetta) @ Choice Specs
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Hyper Voice
- U-turn
- Psychic
- Focus Blast
Runaway (Fletchinder)
Ability: Gale Wings
EVs: 152 HP / 252 Atk / 76 Def / 28 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Acrobatics
- Swords Dance
- Roost
- Will-O-Wisp
Hazey (Blastoise) @ Leftovers
Ability: Torrent
EVs: 248 HP / 224 Def / 36 Spe
Bold Nature
- Scald
- Refresh
- Rapid Spin
- Toxic
Extraordinary (Mawile) @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Iron Head
- Baton Pass
- Swords Dance
Moondust (Flygon) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- U-turn
- Earthquake
- Outrage
- Defog
Ability: Soundproof
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Wood Hammer
- Ice Shard
- Earthquake
Lies (Meloetta) @ Choice Specs
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Hyper Voice
- U-turn
- Psychic
- Focus Blast
Runaway (Fletchinder)
Ability: Gale Wings
EVs: 152 HP / 252 Atk / 76 Def / 28 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Acrobatics
- Swords Dance
- Roost
- Will-O-Wisp
Hazey (Blastoise) @ Leftovers
Ability: Torrent
EVs: 248 HP / 224 Def / 36 Spe
Bold Nature
- Scald
- Refresh
- Rapid Spin
- Toxic
Extraordinary (Mawile) @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Iron Head
- Baton Pass
- Swords Dance
Moondust (Flygon) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- U-turn
- Earthquake
- Outrage
- Defog
also apparently I saved no replays except this one which was against rozes using mono dark (a surprisingly viable strategy in RU e_e).
Thanks for reading!