Game Moderator
Banned deucer.
Flares of the Heavenly Inferno
Pokémon Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon SmashPass
Introduction
Hiya! Welcome to possibly my third and last RMT for Generation VII! For those of you that don't know me, my name is Robyn, although I have most often been referred to as k_OS (pronounced chaos) by my close friends, and Azuriru★ on the ladder. Today, I will also be sharing not one, or two, but three teams containing Reshiram I had built during my attempt to make it work, however, unlike 7 Suckers and a GG, I won't be including them in the threatlist and such as those are entirely different teams altogether rather than alternate versions of the same team.
Like Tapu Koko, Reshiram has always been one of my favorite Pokémon, and there is no feeling comparable to that of a victory achieved with a Pokémon you hold affection for. And so in my quest to make Reshiram somewhat viable, I had tried to put her (yes, Reshiram is a she, in my eyes, nothing you say will ever make me believe otherwise) on various different playstyles such as Sun Offense and Balance, I had even tried Sticky Webs Hyper Offense, however, it seemed the most optimal spot for her in our current metagame was to use her as a SmashPass receiver.
The team name originates from a Black and White 2 Ubers team known as The Shadow Of The Illusionary Inferno, which was created by the combined efforts of the only two Living Legends in the entire history of the Pokémon battling world - namely, the Great Pokémon Master, CHAMPION LANCE, as well as the Legendary Pokémon Master, Sasha the Master. Inferno refers to the sunny weather of the team, and Illusion refers to the pretense the opponent makes of the team as they believe that the player will SmashPass to Dialga when in reality, it's just an illusion because the player can just as easily SmashPass to White Kyurem. Finally, the Shadow refers to White Kyurem once again as it's the Shadow of Dialga or its partner. Thus, since the Shadow no longer exists, I changed it to Flares, relating to Reshiram's signature move, Blue Flare, and since the concept of Illusion no longer exists as well, Heavenly refers to Reshiram's angelic appearance. Inferno was left unchanged as it references Primal Groudon and Reshiram's fiery qualities.
https://soundcloud.com/hyunesis%2Farcaea-hyun-infinity-heaven
Teambuilding Process
Flares of the Heavenly Inferno
↓
Starting off as The Shadow Of The Illusionary Inferno, Arceus-Normal was changed to Arceus-Fairy, since it handles the various threats that the team struggles against, and additionally, it is also a great Stealth Rock and Defog user. After this change, the team was named The Shadow Of The Destructive Inferno.
Now that the team's Arceus was turned into a support Pokémon, rather than a sweeper, the team had no specific lead. This was because Cloyster wasn't contributing much to the team, aside from keeping the field free of entry hazards on the first turn. Unless there was a big opportunity to set up, keeping the field clean of entry hazards remained as the top priority for the team during the early game. That was when Lance suggested a Focus Sash-holding Defog Mega Rayquaza, which would serve as an awesome lead that could keep the field clean of entry hazards from Pokémon such as Primal Groudon. Additionally, Mega Rayquaza could also potentially serve as an incredibly powerful SmashPass recipient.
Around that time, I realized that I wasn't able to achieve much success using any of my other Reshiram teams. Therefore, out of desperation, I asked Sasha if he could make me a SmashPass team that contained Reshiram, but Lance just told me to replace White Kyurem with Reshiram on the current team, as they both serve the same purpose. Although it didn't seem like a very good idea at the start, since Reshiram's Blue Flare could miss, over time, it was actually proven to be better, since Blue Flare at +2 Special Attack OHKOs support Arceus Formes, which was something that White Kyurem could never do without the use of a Z-Move or a critical hit. Ice + Dragon STAB also possesses redundant coverage, whereas Fire + Dragon does not, so Reshiram can afford to use Earth Power, which is essential for getting past the extremely common specially defensive Primal Groudon without needing to resort to the use of a Z-move. Furthermore, neutrality to Fairy-type attacks means quite a lot too.
The Squad
The nicknames of the Pokémon on this team are based on Plato's Allegory of the Cave.
Plato (Smeargle) (M) @ Focus Sash
Ability: Own Tempo
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
IVs: 0 SpA
- Baton Pass
- Shell Smash
- Spectral Thief
- Spore
Pretty standard Smash Pass Smeargle set, Spectral Thief was chosen over Taunt, Magic Coat and other moves Smeargle might run on a Smash Pass set as Spectral Thief lets it takes the boost from a +2 Special Attack Xerneas without having the defense drops that SmashPass causes, additionally, Spectral Thief also lets you take boosts in certain situations that the team would otherwise be unable to face comfortably with. Own Tempo was chosen over Moody as Moody tends to give unfavorable boosts every once in a while, damaging consistency.
The Stone Figure (Groudon) @ Red Orb
Ability: Drought
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
IVs: 0 SpA
- Earthquake
- Fire Punch
- Roar
- Stealth Rock
The Continent Pokémon is the only SmashPass recipient on the team that doesn't care about Prankster Thunder Wave, and one of the recipients that can smash teams that contain either Chansey or Blissey. However, it's generally impractical as a recipient, due to how common Mega Rayquaza is, as +2 Attack Fire Punch doesn't OHKO Mega Rayquaza, even after Stealth Rock. Earthquake threatens Arceus-Steel, Arceus-Poison, and Arceus-Rock while Fire Punch can scare out Steel-type Pokémon such as Ferrothorn and Celesteela, while setting up Stealth Rock. Although Precipice Blades wins in power, it has the possibility of missing, and that can severely damage consistency, since being able to deal some damage is better than nothing at all, and this especially holds true in the rare scenario in which Primal Groudon is being used as a SmashPass recipient, since missing an attack could very often mean the end of Primal Groudon's sweep. As a SmashPass recipient, Primal Groudon also doesn't care about whether or not Dusk Mane Ultra Bursts, since Earthquake destroys both in one hit anyway. Additionally, Roar prevents anything from setting up on it, including Dragon Dance Mega Rayquaza, while also serving as a check to Geomancy Xerneas. And last but not least, it also checks Primal Kyogre.
The Cave (Dialga) @ White Herb
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Aura Sphere
- Dragon Pulse
- Earth Power
- Flash Cannon
The Temporal Pokémon has been the premier SmashPass recipient since the days of BW1 Ubers, and this has not changed at all for this team. With its respectable physical bulk, combined with its resistance to the strongest priority move in the game, Extreme Speed, as well as White Herb as an item, which negates the Defense and Special Defense drops Shell Smash induces, the Steel/Dragon-type Pokémon, as a SmashPass recipient, is extremely resilient to being revenge killed by priority attacks in general. Additionally, it also possesses amazing coverage with its four attacks, which run off its sky-high 150 base Special Attack, allowing it to OHKO many Pokémon by striking them super effectively using a +2 hit. A boosted Dragon Pulse destroys Mega Rayquaza, Zygarde, Giratina, and many other Dragon-type Pokémon, as well as some other Pokémon, such as Marshadow and offensive Yveltal. Flash Cannon blasts Xerneas, Arceus-Fairy, Arceus-Rock, and Tapu Lele to pieces, while Aura Sphere obliterates Arceus-Normal, Ferrothorn, and Arceus-Steel. And finally, Earth Power exists mostly to take down Primal Groudon in a single boosted hit, since Dialga cannot afford to fail to OHKO this Pokémon, due to how common it is, combined with its ability to OHKO other Dialgas in return. Earth Power can also be useful for damaging Arceus-Poison, although, given the fact that they are usually specially defensive, they will quite often survive the hit anyway.
Unlike Reshiram, Dialga as a SmashPass recipient cannot sweep its way through a full-health Lugia or Skarmory without Stealth Rocks being on the opponent's side of the field, it also does not possess the ability to smash through special walls such as Chansey and Blissey, unlike Primal Groudon and Mega Rayquaza. As such, it is not always the ideal SmashPass recipient in every matchup. However, the use of Dialga as a SmashPass recipient shines most brightly against teams that possess a lot of priority attacks, with Pokémon such as Mega Rayquaza, Marshadow, Yveltal, and Arceus-Normal, especially considering the fact that such teams rarely include Lugia, Skarmory, Chansey, Blissey, or any other Pokémon that would normally require a different SmashPass recipient to power its way through.
Finally, when Dialga is not being used as a SmashPass recipient, its Aura Sphere can also be useful for resolving issues with Smeargle that boost its Evasion stat using Minimize, Moody, or a combination of both.
The Fire (Reshiram) @ Dragonium Z
Ability: Turboblaze
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Blue Flare
- Dragon Pulse
- Earth Power
- Fusion Flare
At long last, the description I've most wanted to write, the fire-breathing Heavenly Dragon is not one you would Baton Pass boosts to very often, however, this nonetheless makes it irreplaceable on the team. After receiving a Shell Smash boost, its scorching-hot Blue Flare incinerates support Arceus Formes that the team would otherwise be unable to break through easily. Granted, it may miss, being able to do this without the use of a Z-Move is simply remarkable on its own, and even those that do resist Blue Flare are blasted to bits by any of its other coverage moves, such as Dragon Pulse and Earth Power. In the case that Reshiram does happen to face a Pokémon that it cannot OHKO with its current stat boosts, such as Ho-Oh or Primal Kyogre, it carries Dragonium Z, which turns its Dragon Pulse into a killing machine capable of reducing the Rainbow Phoenix or the Oceanic Emperor to mere ashes on the spot, before continuing to rain destruction upon the opponent's team. In addition, thanks to Turboblaze, Reshiram doesn't care for Flash Fire that would otherwise protect Air Balloon Heatran from its wrath, nor the mighty Multiscale of the Great Wall itself, Lugia.
The Prisoner (Rayquaza) @ Focus Sash
Ability: Air Lock
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
IVs: 0 SpA
- Defog
- Dragon Ascent
- Earthquake
- Extreme Speed
The very mascot of Pure Pokémon battling itself, the Heavenly Dragon God keeps entry hazards off the field against Primal Groudon, as well as many other common Stealth Rock leads that Arceus-Fairy cannot deal with on its own, such as Excadrill and Deoxys-Speed. With Focus Sash, Mega Rayquaza is generally not afraid of one-turn wakes, unlike the other recipients, and at +2 Attack, its already sky-high base 180 Attack stat reaches a total of 1008 Attack, which enables Dragon Ascent to OHKO most Pokémon in the metagame, excluding Steel-types. Combining this with the fact that it also has access to the strongest priority move in the game, Extreme Speed, there are few that are capable of revenge killing this Pokémon. Additionally, Focus Sash also allows this Mega Rayquaza to check Dragon Dance and Sword Dance Mega Rayquaza, as well as Swords Dance Arceus in general. Last but not least, Mega Rayquaza also emergency checks Primal Kyogre, a Pokémon we often don't want to Shell Smash against, as it carries not one but two moves with a negative 30% chance, them being Scald, capable of burning Smeargle once it has Shell Smash'd, and/or Thunder paralyzing it on the spot and possibly preventing it from passing the boosts.
The Shadow (Arceus-Fairy) @ Pixie Plate
Ability: Multitype
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Defog
- Earth Power
- Judgment
- Stealth Rock
The Alpha Pokémon that shaped the world with its 1,000 arms, Arceus-Fairy is the second Stealth Rock user of the team. With 120 base stats across the board, its relatively fast Speed tier makes it one of the fastest Stealth Rock users in the game. When this is combined with its natural bulk, nothing is knocking this Pokémon out in one hit before it sets up Stealth Rock. Defog on this Pokémon helps to keep Stealth Rock off, as there is more than one Pokémon on the team that dislikes Stealth Rock, and one of them requires its Focus Sash to be intact in order to play its role. Arceus-Fairy also checks Marshadow, Yveltal and Mega Rayquaza, as, without it, Smeargle is unable to perform its role. Smeargle can't really Shell Smash on Yveltal, due to Taunt, Dark Pulse flinches and the like. Mega Rayquaza also carries Extreme Speed. Additionally, it also checks Zygarde, which Smeargle can't really set up on as well, because of Dragon Tail. Last but not least, Arceus-Fairy can also be made a sweeper in some scenarios.
Threat List
Excessive Form of Priority
Ditto
Any team that contains two or more Pokémon that any single recipient by itself can't beat. An example being a team with both Chansey and Lugia. There is only one recipient that can beat Lugia; Reshiram. However, if you use Reshiram as the recipient, then you won't be able to get past Chansey. The same way there are two recipients that can get past Chansey, but neither of them can get past Lugia.
Additionally, Sasha had actually created a Smash Chart to aid those who wish to play with the team, giving heads up on what you can or can't Smash against.
Replays
Others
Edgar I am so sorry about your laptop pls forgive me lmfao.
Shoutouts
The Living Legends - First off this list, I'd like to thank you both for being so supportive of me when it comes to using unorthodox Pokémon and for being a great friend in general. You have both helped me immensely on my journey, whether it be humoring me or giving me quality advice, I will never forget the kindness you have displayed. I hope SmashPass gets buffed in Gen 8, I'd love to see you in action again, Sasha!
Corpsewood Manor - It feels like only yesterday I battled you on the ladder scoring extremely rare wins with last second predicts or extremely bad hax for you (If you remember what I'm talking about, please forgive me for being an ass back then xd). How the times have changed. If anyone has helped me the most, it's you. Even though I don't play with most of the teams you pass me (sorry LOL but I hate balance and you know that), I appreciate it. Thanks for always being a good sport, for tolerating my memes, and me.
The Pokémon Master from the Shadows - "..."
Spairo - Fireburd. Yeah you did nothing but man, I so enjoy our.. "talks" lmfao. Don't worry I haven't forgotten about the Übers bet, once I get my shit together you'll be begging for mercy.
Sylveon ♡ - Holy fuck your memes are almost as hot as Blue Flare. I always have tons of fun playing with you on the rare times we ladder as one, your Destruction Reaper team is eternally one of my favs. c:
The Steel-clad Defense Girl - I need to know your #art supplier because the stuff you post in there is 1337/10.
Global Jackass - Ain't never seen no one that swings Dual Fairy like you do. You also make for a decent sparring partner.. Sometimes.
// Writing this for the biggest asshole ever
// Honestly I'm very doubtful he'll even come across this
// Or if he'll read the stuff before it
// Or even get linked to it
// Why did I even bother adding this for him, tbh
// Or maybe I'm pretending to be nice when I'm just doing this for myself
// Yeah, I'm too selfish for any of that, fuck being nice
Opalmin - Saved the best for last. Te amo! It_says_idiot.jpg ;>
Conclusion
I'm pretty sure SmashPass is frowned heavily upon as a playstyle which is understandable as anything that utilizes sleep as a strategy is cancer that must burn in hell, but who has never used cancer? It also has quite the strong matchup against Balance and passive teams, even those with Perish Song can have its user put to sleep and you can sweep them while it does. Also.. contrary to popular belief, SmashPass is not as easy a playstyle as many claim it to be, however, it does make for funny victorieswhen you luck them with 3 turn sleeps. The team has reached a GXE of 93% and an ELO of late 1930s on its first day up the ladder, but unfortunately, I do not have a screenshot as it was lost so you'll just have to take my word for it. This was done on the HeavenlyInferno alt, which has since decayed and tilted rip.
“ People will never care about your well-being and will take each opportunity to take advantage of you and make you feel horrible. We don't care about your problems, and we will never care about you. Once you grow to accept this, to push ahead regardless of that fact and disregard the people who will hurt you, only then you will be able to see the ones who truly care about you and want to see you succeed. ”
Happy Mother's Day and I hope you guys will have as much fun with this team as I did, and try not to make too many players hate you in one run or become a snipe target, yeah?
Pokémon Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon SmashPass
Introduction
Hiya! Welcome to possibly my third and last RMT for Generation VII! For those of you that don't know me, my name is Robyn, although I have most often been referred to as k_OS (pronounced chaos) by my close friends, and Azuriru★ on the ladder. Today, I will also be sharing not one, or two, but three teams containing Reshiram I had built during my attempt to make it work, however, unlike 7 Suckers and a GG, I won't be including them in the threatlist and such as those are entirely different teams altogether rather than alternate versions of the same team.
Like Tapu Koko, Reshiram has always been one of my favorite Pokémon, and there is no feeling comparable to that of a victory achieved with a Pokémon you hold affection for. And so in my quest to make Reshiram somewhat viable, I had tried to put her (yes, Reshiram is a she, in my eyes, nothing you say will ever make me believe otherwise) on various different playstyles such as Sun Offense and Balance, I had even tried Sticky Webs Hyper Offense, however, it seemed the most optimal spot for her in our current metagame was to use her as a SmashPass receiver.
The team name originates from a Black and White 2 Ubers team known as The Shadow Of The Illusionary Inferno, which was created by the combined efforts of the only two Living Legends in the entire history of the Pokémon battling world - namely, the Great Pokémon Master, CHAMPION LANCE, as well as the Legendary Pokémon Master, Sasha the Master. Inferno refers to the sunny weather of the team, and Illusion refers to the pretense the opponent makes of the team as they believe that the player will SmashPass to Dialga when in reality, it's just an illusion because the player can just as easily SmashPass to White Kyurem. Finally, the Shadow refers to White Kyurem once again as it's the Shadow of Dialga or its partner. Thus, since the Shadow no longer exists, I changed it to Flares, relating to Reshiram's signature move, Blue Flare, and since the concept of Illusion no longer exists as well, Heavenly refers to Reshiram's angelic appearance. Inferno was left unchanged as it references Primal Groudon and Reshiram's fiery qualities.
https://soundcloud.com/hyunesis%2Farcaea-hyun-infinity-heaven
Teambuilding Process
Flares of the Heavenly Inferno
↓
Starting off as The Shadow Of The Illusionary Inferno, Arceus-Normal was changed to Arceus-Fairy, since it handles the various threats that the team struggles against, and additionally, it is also a great Stealth Rock and Defog user. After this change, the team was named The Shadow Of The Destructive Inferno.
Now that the team's Arceus was turned into a support Pokémon, rather than a sweeper, the team had no specific lead. This was because Cloyster wasn't contributing much to the team, aside from keeping the field free of entry hazards on the first turn. Unless there was a big opportunity to set up, keeping the field clean of entry hazards remained as the top priority for the team during the early game. That was when Lance suggested a Focus Sash-holding Defog Mega Rayquaza, which would serve as an awesome lead that could keep the field clean of entry hazards from Pokémon such as Primal Groudon. Additionally, Mega Rayquaza could also potentially serve as an incredibly powerful SmashPass recipient.
Around that time, I realized that I wasn't able to achieve much success using any of my other Reshiram teams. Therefore, out of desperation, I asked Sasha if he could make me a SmashPass team that contained Reshiram, but Lance just told me to replace White Kyurem with Reshiram on the current team, as they both serve the same purpose. Although it didn't seem like a very good idea at the start, since Reshiram's Blue Flare could miss, over time, it was actually proven to be better, since Blue Flare at +2 Special Attack OHKOs support Arceus Formes, which was something that White Kyurem could never do without the use of a Z-Move or a critical hit. Ice + Dragon STAB also possesses redundant coverage, whereas Fire + Dragon does not, so Reshiram can afford to use Earth Power, which is essential for getting past the extremely common specially defensive Primal Groudon without needing to resort to the use of a Z-move. Furthermore, neutrality to Fairy-type attacks means quite a lot too.
The Squad
The nicknames of the Pokémon on this team are based on Plato's Allegory of the Cave.
Plato (Smeargle) (M) @ Focus Sash
Ability: Own Tempo
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
IVs: 0 SpA
- Baton Pass
- Shell Smash
- Spectral Thief
- Spore
Pretty standard Smash Pass Smeargle set, Spectral Thief was chosen over Taunt, Magic Coat and other moves Smeargle might run on a Smash Pass set as Spectral Thief lets it takes the boost from a +2 Special Attack Xerneas without having the defense drops that SmashPass causes, additionally, Spectral Thief also lets you take boosts in certain situations that the team would otherwise be unable to face comfortably with. Own Tempo was chosen over Moody as Moody tends to give unfavorable boosts every once in a while, damaging consistency.
Would you look at how it's looking at you. I'm pretty sure you're all shaking in fear of this little cunt. In my last team, I nicknamed it "Ur Nightmare". Yes this little kid is your nightmare. I just like how people get pissed just by seeing this pokemon in the Team Preview even though they should respect me more.
"Smashpass is for noobs"
"Smashpass is cheap"
"Still Smashpassing like kids"
Let me tell you something guys- You only say this because you hate losing to the weakest strategy in this game. I really don't want to get into how easy it is to counter SmashPass. If SmashPass was easy to ladder with, then I am pretty sure that everyone would be using it. I admit that it's really easy to ladder with it till 1400, but soon after that it's so hard to get 1550+ with it, impossible for 1600+, and a miracle for 1650+. I guess I should earn some more respect for this. You all have the idea that SmashPass is easy. Yes, it was, but ONLY BEFORE BW2. Yes, it was for n00bs and cheap and all but only pre-BW2. Now everything can counter this strategy. Anyways, this nightmare of yours is as you all claim easy to use, so I'll just go with that. All you have to do is:
1. Shell Smash
2. Spore
3. Baton Pass
4. GG.
Even though this reasoning is pathetic, it's funny to think it's like that. If you can't go with this, then:
1. Spore
2. Shell Smash
3. Baton Pass
4. GG.
LIKE HELL IT'S THIS EASY.
"Smashpass is for noobs"
"Smashpass is cheap"
"Still Smashpassing like kids"
Let me tell you something guys- You only say this because you hate losing to the weakest strategy in this game. I really don't want to get into how easy it is to counter SmashPass. If SmashPass was easy to ladder with, then I am pretty sure that everyone would be using it. I admit that it's really easy to ladder with it till 1400, but soon after that it's so hard to get 1550+ with it, impossible for 1600+, and a miracle for 1650+. I guess I should earn some more respect for this. You all have the idea that SmashPass is easy. Yes, it was, but ONLY BEFORE BW2. Yes, it was for n00bs and cheap and all but only pre-BW2. Now everything can counter this strategy. Anyways, this nightmare of yours is as you all claim easy to use, so I'll just go with that. All you have to do is:
1. Shell Smash
2. Spore
3. Baton Pass
4. GG.
Even though this reasoning is pathetic, it's funny to think it's like that. If you can't go with this, then:
1. Spore
2. Shell Smash
3. Baton Pass
4. GG.
LIKE HELL IT'S THIS EASY.
The Stone Figure (Groudon) @ Red Orb
Ability: Drought
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
IVs: 0 SpA
- Earthquake
- Fire Punch
- Roar
- Stealth Rock
The Continent Pokémon is the only SmashPass recipient on the team that doesn't care about Prankster Thunder Wave, and one of the recipients that can smash teams that contain either Chansey or Blissey. However, it's generally impractical as a recipient, due to how common Mega Rayquaza is, as +2 Attack Fire Punch doesn't OHKO Mega Rayquaza, even after Stealth Rock. Earthquake threatens Arceus-Steel, Arceus-Poison, and Arceus-Rock while Fire Punch can scare out Steel-type Pokémon such as Ferrothorn and Celesteela, while setting up Stealth Rock. Although Precipice Blades wins in power, it has the possibility of missing, and that can severely damage consistency, since being able to deal some damage is better than nothing at all, and this especially holds true in the rare scenario in which Primal Groudon is being used as a SmashPass recipient, since missing an attack could very often mean the end of Primal Groudon's sweep. As a SmashPass recipient, Primal Groudon also doesn't care about whether or not Dusk Mane Ultra Bursts, since Earthquake destroys both in one hit anyway. Additionally, Roar prevents anything from setting up on it, including Dragon Dance Mega Rayquaza, while also serving as a check to Geomancy Xerneas. And last but not least, it also checks Primal Kyogre.
The Cave (Dialga) @ White Herb
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Aura Sphere
- Dragon Pulse
- Earth Power
- Flash Cannon
The Temporal Pokémon has been the premier SmashPass recipient since the days of BW1 Ubers, and this has not changed at all for this team. With its respectable physical bulk, combined with its resistance to the strongest priority move in the game, Extreme Speed, as well as White Herb as an item, which negates the Defense and Special Defense drops Shell Smash induces, the Steel/Dragon-type Pokémon, as a SmashPass recipient, is extremely resilient to being revenge killed by priority attacks in general. Additionally, it also possesses amazing coverage with its four attacks, which run off its sky-high 150 base Special Attack, allowing it to OHKO many Pokémon by striking them super effectively using a +2 hit. A boosted Dragon Pulse destroys Mega Rayquaza, Zygarde, Giratina, and many other Dragon-type Pokémon, as well as some other Pokémon, such as Marshadow and offensive Yveltal. Flash Cannon blasts Xerneas, Arceus-Fairy, Arceus-Rock, and Tapu Lele to pieces, while Aura Sphere obliterates Arceus-Normal, Ferrothorn, and Arceus-Steel. And finally, Earth Power exists mostly to take down Primal Groudon in a single boosted hit, since Dialga cannot afford to fail to OHKO this Pokémon, due to how common it is, combined with its ability to OHKO other Dialgas in return. Earth Power can also be useful for damaging Arceus-Poison, although, given the fact that they are usually specially defensive, they will quite often survive the hit anyway.
Unlike Reshiram, Dialga as a SmashPass recipient cannot sweep its way through a full-health Lugia or Skarmory without Stealth Rocks being on the opponent's side of the field, it also does not possess the ability to smash through special walls such as Chansey and Blissey, unlike Primal Groudon and Mega Rayquaza. As such, it is not always the ideal SmashPass recipient in every matchup. However, the use of Dialga as a SmashPass recipient shines most brightly against teams that possess a lot of priority attacks, with Pokémon such as Mega Rayquaza, Marshadow, Yveltal, and Arceus-Normal, especially considering the fact that such teams rarely include Lugia, Skarmory, Chansey, Blissey, or any other Pokémon that would normally require a different SmashPass recipient to power its way through.
Finally, when Dialga is not being used as a SmashPass recipient, its Aura Sphere can also be useful for resolving issues with Smeargle that boost its Evasion stat using Minimize, Moody, or a combination of both.
The Fire (Reshiram) @ Dragonium Z
Ability: Turboblaze
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Blue Flare
- Dragon Pulse
- Earth Power
- Fusion Flare
At long last, the description I've most wanted to write, the fire-breathing Heavenly Dragon is not one you would Baton Pass boosts to very often, however, this nonetheless makes it irreplaceable on the team. After receiving a Shell Smash boost, its scorching-hot Blue Flare incinerates support Arceus Formes that the team would otherwise be unable to break through easily. Granted, it may miss, being able to do this without the use of a Z-Move is simply remarkable on its own, and even those that do resist Blue Flare are blasted to bits by any of its other coverage moves, such as Dragon Pulse and Earth Power. In the case that Reshiram does happen to face a Pokémon that it cannot OHKO with its current stat boosts, such as Ho-Oh or Primal Kyogre, it carries Dragonium Z, which turns its Dragon Pulse into a killing machine capable of reducing the Rainbow Phoenix or the Oceanic Emperor to mere ashes on the spot, before continuing to rain destruction upon the opponent's team. In addition, thanks to Turboblaze, Reshiram doesn't care for Flash Fire that would otherwise protect Air Balloon Heatran from its wrath, nor the mighty Multiscale of the Great Wall itself, Lugia.
The Prisoner (Rayquaza) @ Focus Sash
Ability: Air Lock
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
IVs: 0 SpA
- Defog
- Dragon Ascent
- Earthquake
- Extreme Speed
The very mascot of Pure Pokémon battling itself, the Heavenly Dragon God keeps entry hazards off the field against Primal Groudon, as well as many other common Stealth Rock leads that Arceus-Fairy cannot deal with on its own, such as Excadrill and Deoxys-Speed. With Focus Sash, Mega Rayquaza is generally not afraid of one-turn wakes, unlike the other recipients, and at +2 Attack, its already sky-high base 180 Attack stat reaches a total of 1008 Attack, which enables Dragon Ascent to OHKO most Pokémon in the metagame, excluding Steel-types. Combining this with the fact that it also has access to the strongest priority move in the game, Extreme Speed, there are few that are capable of revenge killing this Pokémon. Additionally, Focus Sash also allows this Mega Rayquaza to check Dragon Dance and Sword Dance Mega Rayquaza, as well as Swords Dance Arceus in general. Last but not least, Mega Rayquaza also emergency checks Primal Kyogre, a Pokémon we often don't want to Shell Smash against, as it carries not one but two moves with a negative 30% chance, them being Scald, capable of burning Smeargle once it has Shell Smash'd, and/or Thunder paralyzing it on the spot and possibly preventing it from passing the boosts.
The Shadow (Arceus-Fairy) @ Pixie Plate
Ability: Multitype
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Defog
- Earth Power
- Judgment
- Stealth Rock
The Alpha Pokémon that shaped the world with its 1,000 arms, Arceus-Fairy is the second Stealth Rock user of the team. With 120 base stats across the board, its relatively fast Speed tier makes it one of the fastest Stealth Rock users in the game. When this is combined with its natural bulk, nothing is knocking this Pokémon out in one hit before it sets up Stealth Rock. Defog on this Pokémon helps to keep Stealth Rock off, as there is more than one Pokémon on the team that dislikes Stealth Rock, and one of them requires its Focus Sash to be intact in order to play its role. Arceus-Fairy also checks Marshadow, Yveltal and Mega Rayquaza, as, without it, Smeargle is unable to perform its role. Smeargle can't really Shell Smash on Yveltal, due to Taunt, Dark Pulse flinches and the like. Mega Rayquaza also carries Extreme Speed. Additionally, it also checks Zygarde, which Smeargle can't really set up on as well, because of Dragon Tail. Last but not least, Arceus-Fairy can also be made a sweeper in some scenarios.
Threat List
Excessive Form of Priority
Ditto
Any team that contains two or more Pokémon that any single recipient by itself can't beat. An example being a team with both Chansey and Lugia. There is only one recipient that can beat Lugia; Reshiram. However, if you use Reshiram as the recipient, then you won't be able to get past Chansey. The same way there are two recipients that can get past Chansey, but neither of them can get past Lugia.
Additionally, Sasha had actually created a Smash Chart to aid those who wish to play with the team, giving heads up on what you can or can't Smash against.
Tier 1 Unsma | shable against | Tier 2 Need sc | outing / 2 turns | Tier 3 Sm | ashable |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Arceus | Lum Berry | Rayquaza-Mega | Emergency | Marshadow | Substitute |
Smeargle | Focus Sash | Groudon Groudon-Primal | Dragon Tail | Necrozma-Dusk-Mane | |
Deoxys-Attack | Focus Sash | Yveltal | Taunt | Arceus-Fairy | Defog |
Ho-Oh | Sacred Fire | Zygarde | Dragon Tail | Xerneas | |
Gengar-Mega | Taunt / Poison | Lugia | Whirlwind | Arceus-Steel | Defog |
Deoxys-Speed | Taunt / Focus Sash | Ferrothorn | Thunder Wave | Kyogre Kyogre-Primal | 1/3 Paralyze |
Mewtwo-Mega-Y | Taunt / Insomnia | Giratina | Dragon Tail | Arceus-Ground | Wakeup OHKO |
Mewtwo | Taunt | Arceus-Ghost | As long as it's not an E Killer | Arceus-Poison | Defog |
| | | | Arceus-Dark | Defog |
| | | | Arceus-Water | Defog |
| | | | Lunala | |
| | | | Chansey Blissey | |
| | | | Celesteela | |
The first two columns tell you what you absolutely can't Smash against, with the Pokémon on the left and the reasoning on the right. The reasonings should be pretty straight forward, like if it has Taunt, you can't Smash, etc.
The next two columns tell you what you can Smash against under certain conditions. Such as making sure they don't have a certain move (the one on the right), or you have to Spore twice.
The last two columns indicate what is usually considered safe to Smash against, with the Pokémon once again on the left and the conditions that might potentially stop the sweep on the right side. A Defog means you lose your Stealth Rock, rendering you unable to KO Pokémon carrying Focus Sash.
In the case of Marshadow, for example, you may SmashPass, but if it does have Substitute, you will have to cancel your SmashPass.
However, you're not in danger of ruining the battle.
Tier 2 may ruin it. Tier 3 will ruin it.
The next two columns tell you what you can Smash against under certain conditions. Such as making sure they don't have a certain move (the one on the right), or you have to Spore twice.
The last two columns indicate what is usually considered safe to Smash against, with the Pokémon once again on the left and the conditions that might potentially stop the sweep on the right side. A Defog means you lose your Stealth Rock, rendering you unable to KO Pokémon carrying Focus Sash.
In the case of Marshadow, for example, you may SmashPass, but if it does have Substitute, you will have to cancel your SmashPass.
However, you're not in danger of ruining the battle.
Tier 2 may ruin it. Tier 3 will ruin it.
Replays
Others
Edgar I am so sorry about your laptop pls forgive me lmfao.
Shoutouts
// Writing this for the biggest asshole ever
// Honestly I'm very doubtful he'll even come across this
// Or if he'll read the stuff before it
// Or even get linked to it
// Why did I even bother adding this for him, tbh
// Or maybe I'm pretending to be nice when I'm just doing this for myself
// Yeah, I'm too selfish for any of that, fuck being nice
Conclusion
I'm pretty sure SmashPass is frowned heavily upon as a playstyle which is understandable as anything that utilizes sleep as a strategy is cancer that must burn in hell, but who has never used cancer? It also has quite the strong matchup against Balance and passive teams, even those with Perish Song can have its user put to sleep and you can sweep them while it does. Also.. contrary to popular belief, SmashPass is not as easy a playstyle as many claim it to be, however, it does make for funny victories
“ People will never care about your well-being and will take each opportunity to take advantage of you and make you feel horrible. We don't care about your problems, and we will never care about you. Once you grow to accept this, to push ahead regardless of that fact and disregard the people who will hurt you, only then you will be able to see the ones who truly care about you and want to see you succeed. ”
Happy Mother's Day and I hope you guys will have as much fun with this team as I did, and try not to make too many players hate you in one run or become a snipe target, yeah?
—
Azuriru
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