morogrim
( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
(Credits to aki0s)
Contents
i. Introduction
ii. Teambuilding
iii. In-Depth Analysis
iv. Threat List & Match-ups
v. Importable & Replays
vi. Conclusion
vii. Shoutouts
i. Introduction
Hello everybody and welcome to my second RMT. During the suspect test for Illusion, after getting the reqs I decided to mess around on the ladder with what started as a troll (but fun) HO. For those who aren't familiar with the BH meta, the meta at the moment isn't too kind to the hyper offense archetype as there are many (and I mean many) elements that can just completely shut it down. After achieving some initial success with the team, I came to realize that maybe the team could actually peak the ladder if I made some tweaks. The end result was a HO team that peaked the ladder with a pretty decent win ratio (56-9, around 5 or 6 of the losses happened while the team was getting tweaked).
Disclaimer: The team I am about to present does require a good amount of knowledge in order to achieve success and therefore I would not recommend this team to a player that is new to BH. As you will soon see for yourself, this team has many weaknesses that require proactive playing in order to play around them. Proceed at your own risk.
ii. Teambuilding
Main Core: When I first wanted to build this team, I wanted to build around the Fairy+Steel core of Mega Diancie and Dialga. The typing of this core isn't particularly advantageous, but what is noteworthy is that this core has no immunities and will always deal damage when they come into the field. Additionally, Diancie is (surprisingly) also the way I improof Dialga.
Speed Control: I noticed that Mega Diancie + Dialga is a pretty slow duo for a HO core. To remedy this, I decided to add in Pheromosa and Mega Gengar. Pheromosa takes care of threats such as Mmy and Mega Ray while Mega Gengar is a switchin for Shedinja and an emergency setup check (as will be shown in detail later).
Stallbreaking & Sweeping: I decided to then add PH Slaking to the team as a way to check other PH sweepers (more on that later) while also being a very effective stallbreaker and potentially sweeper in the mid to late game.
Finishing Touch: I finally added Ho-Oh as an improof for my Diancie while also being able to check certain threats such as Kartana.
Speed Control: I noticed that Mega Diancie + Dialga is a pretty slow duo for a HO core. To remedy this, I decided to add in Pheromosa and Mega Gengar. Pheromosa takes care of threats such as Mmy and Mega Ray while Mega Gengar is a switchin for Shedinja and an emergency setup check (as will be shown in detail later).
Stallbreaking & Sweeping: I decided to then add PH Slaking to the team as a way to check other PH sweepers (more on that later) while also being a very effective stallbreaker and potentially sweeper in the mid to late game.
Finishing Touch: I finally added Ho-Oh as an improof for my Diancie while also being able to check certain threats such as Kartana.
iii. In-Depth Analysis
Diancie-Mega @ Leftovers
Ability: Pixilate
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Rash Nature
- Boomburst
- Extreme Speed
- Thousand Waves
- Substitute
Roles: Mixed wallbreaker, revenge killer
Improofed by: Ho-Oh
Mega Diancie is one of my main wallbreakers thanks to its fantastic mixed offensive stats and coverage. It also serves as my main Core Enforcer switchin as I like to use Diancie very aggressively when I use this team. Pixilate is chosen as the ability over Magic Guard to allow Diancie to also serve as a powerful revenge killer with the boosted Extreme Speeds. The combination of Boomburst + Thousand Waves allow Diancie to break almost all walls in the meta. Substitute + Leftovers allows Diancie to improof Dialga, which is another reason why Thousand Waves was chosen over other more powerful options such as Precipice Blades. Substitute can also be used to stall out Endeavors from Shedinja as the team does not have many viable ways of dealing with that threat. A Rash Nature is chosen so Imposter takes additional damage from Boomburst. In order to use this team to its maximum potential, Mega Diancie must be used aggressively, you will see that most of the time Leftovers alone provide incredible longevity for this mon.
Dialga @ Steelium Z
Ability: Magic Bounce
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 248 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Tail Glow
- Doom Desire
- Core Enforcer
- Shore Up
Roles: Hazard/Status switchin, PH switchin, wallbreaker
Improofed by: Mega Diancie
Dialga is my blanket switchin to most passive walls (such as Mega Audino or Registeel) and PH sweepers (most notably, Regigigas). Thanks to its unique typing, it can also check the special PH sweepers such as Xerneas and Pgre. Steelium Z is used over Adamant Orb to give Dialga access to an extremely strong instant Steel attack, which can be timed to hit on the same turn as a regular Doom Desire for incredible wallbreaking power. It can also be used to surprise Fairies that try to stay in and take advantage of Doom Desire's delay such as opposing Mega Diancie. Steelium Z additionally makes Dialga immune to Trick while also reducing Knock Off damage taken. The moveset is fairly standard, with Tail Glow being the boosting move of choice to maximize damage output and the combination of Doom Desire + Core Enforcer for Dual STAB. Shore Up is chosen to increase Dialga's longevity, which increases even further in sand. A Calm nature is chosen to decrease damage taken from Moonblast and other moves (such as -ate boosted Boombursts), but Modest can be used as an alternative for maximum damage. 248 Speed EVs allow Dialga to undercreep neutral Spe base 90s such as Kyogre-Primal so Core Enforcer suppresses their ability. Opting for absolute minimum Spe is fine too but from experience, most of the time you want to be able to Core Enforce walls such as Giratina first for the 2HKO.
Gengar-Mega @ Spooky Plate
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Stealth Rock / Shell Smash / Quiver Dance / Tail Glow
- Judgment
- Sludge Bomb
- Destiny Bond
Roles: Shedinja switchin, setup check, hazard setter/secondary sweeper
Improofed by: Itself, Dialga (if Stealth Rock)
Mega Gengar was a very interesting choice for my team as the set is not really common at all, which can be a good thing since the Destiny Bond is almost never expected. Judgment + Sludge Bomb provide a decently good coverage which also allows Mega Gengar to potentially poison would-be checks such as Yveltal and Shedinja. Mega Gengar can also almost always trade at least 1 for 1 thanks to Destiny Bond. Even in the event that the opposing sweeper doesn't KO Mega Gengar on Destiny Bond, Mega Gengar can use attacking moves on the turns after using Dbond (since the opponent has set up Mega Gengar will most likely be outsped) so the opponent has to choose between trading 1 for 1 or switching out. The EV spread is a standard Mega Gengar spread with a Timid nature chosen to maximize Speed in order to speed tie with other Mega Gengar and Mmx.
Pheromosa @ Life Orb
Ability: Dazzling
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- U-turn
- Close Combat
- Ice Beam
- Lunar Dance / Nuzzle
Roles: Speed control, Triage/priority check, general utility
Improofed by: Ho-Oh, Mega Gengar (if Lunar Dance)
Pheromosa is my main way of dealing with Triage sweepers and in general, priority users. Thanks to its ability and fantastic speed tier, Pheromosa outspeeds and KOs most of the common priority users of the meta. Mega Ray gets OHKOed by Ice Beam, while Kyurem-B gets KOed by Close Combat. Pheromosa also acts as my main way of keeping faster threats such as Mmy in check and I often end up using Pheromosa as a lead to deter my opponent from leading with those threats. The last moveslot is used for utility since usually in the late game when Pheromosa has done its job, it can perform one last act of service and sacrifice itself to bring back a weakened team member to finish the game. Alternatively, a move such as Nuzzle could be used so that Pheromosa can cripple opposing fast threats for the other team members to deal with. Keep in mind however that Lunar Dance does also remove status effects so if you want to bring Slaking back, make sure its Toxic Orb has not been removed.
Slaking @ Toxic Orb
Ability: Poison Heal
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Dragon Dance / Swords Dance / Shift Gear
- Facade
- Spectral Thief
- Avalanche
Roles: Stallbreaker/sweeper, offensive PH check
Improofed by: Itself
PH Slaking serves as a phenomenal stallbreaker thanks to Facade. The reason for choosing Slaking for this particular team instead of Regigigas was because Slaking is more physically bulky, making it more likely to beat Imposter while also being much more resistant to Fake Out + Extreme Speed. Additionally, Slaking's physical bulk allows it to survive PH Mmx's unboosted Low Kick from full HP, something that Regigigas cannot do. Many players ask me why I use Dragon Dance over Shift Gear; the reason is that Dragon Dance is far more effective at breaking stall since the combination of Dragon Dance + Facade can break Prankster Steels that rely on Haze to check Slaking while Shift Gear is more likely to get PP stalled out. Swords Dance is also an alternative option that allows for even stronger stallbreaking, but at the expense of being forced out by faster threats. Avalanche allows Slaking to stay in against Core Enforcer from the likes of Giratina and Zygarde-C, dealing heavy damage and avoiding the ability suppression. Spectral Thief allows Slaking to finish off Giratina and Aegislash while also enabling Slaking to go toe-to-toe with other PH setup sweepers such as Xerneas and Kyogre-Primal. The EV spread is pretty standard with an Adamant nature for maximum damage output.
Ho-Oh @ Toxic Orb
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Impish Nature
- Sacred Fire
- Spectral Thief
- Psycho Shift / Nuzzle / Defog / Thousand Waves
- Slack Off
Roles: Status absorber, status spreader, setup check
Improofed by: Itself, Slaking (if Toxic Orb is already activated)
Ho-Oh brings the team full circle, improofing Mega Diancie while also serving as a crucial setup check and status absorber for the team. This teamslot is also coincidentally the most flexible as there are many alternatives that can improof Mega Diancie and provide different utilities for the team: Soundproof Mega Slowbro for example improves the matchup of the team against other -ates while also giving the team a much needed Mmx check. Ho-Oh however makes the team more resistant to setup and status users since Sacred Fire + Spectral Thief are extremely valuable tools that deter setup sweepers from setting up in front of Ho-Oh. The third moveslot is flexible and can be used for many different moves, but I have been experiencing the most success with Psycho Shift (stallbreaking) and Nuzzle. Magic Guard allows Ho-Oh to take no damage from Stealth Rocks and its Toxic Orb, which also makes Ho-Oh a great status absorber. An Impish nature is chosen to give Ho-Oh maximum physical bulk while maintaining its high Atk stat.
iv. Threat List & Match-ups
Let's be honest here, the whole meta is a threat to this team. I'll list the threats to this team that are the hardest to play around instead:
- Mmx: I honestly have no idea how this team managed to get this result without having a single Mmx switchin. The obvious solution to this problem though is to replace Mega Gengar with something like Mega Sableye or Giratina, but then the team wouldn't really be fully HO anymore. I usually play around this threat by playing extremely proactive and trying to either trade with Gengar or burning with Ho-Oh or preventing it from wanting to switch in by having a Doom Desire up in the air.
- Shedinja: Similar to the Mmx problem, I have no idea how the peak happened in a ladder which has been recently infested with Shedinja teams. But anyway, the main way of dealing with Shedinja on this team is either by getting rocks up, poisoning with Sludge Bomb, statusing with Ho-Oh, or stalling out Endeavors with Mega Diancie's Substitutes (might need Lunar Dance to completely stall them out though).
- KyuB: At least Dialga can switch into Aerilate Ray and Ho-Oh can switch into Pixilate Mega Diancie, but nothing really wants to switch into KyuB on my team. I play around this threat similarly to Mmx: I make sure to either have a Doom Desire up in the air or try to switch Pheromosa into an Extreme Speed. Be very cautious though, if you switch Pheromosa into a Boomburst and lose it, you will most likely lose the game soon after.
- Magic Guard Mega Diancie: If it sets up, my only option is to trade with Mega Gengar. Otherwise, Dialga can take 1 hit and KO back with its Z-move.
- Mega Gengar: Mega Gengar in general is very difficult for me to switch into, but Adaptability is probably the worst set for my team to face as my only switchin is Ho-Oh. If it's Specs Adapt, Ho-Oh isn't a switchin either and I have to basically try to guess correctly and switch either Dialga or Slaking in and try to end the game before I guess wrong.
- Contrary users: My main way of dealing with Contrary is by either Core Enforcing it with Dialga or by stealing the boosts with Ho-Oh. Mega Diancie can then try to revenge kill if they get low enough, but Mega Gengar can also trade with Dbond in emergencies.
- Spore setup sweepers: If a setup sweeper gets out of hand and Spores my Mega Gengar, it's usually gg.
Archetype Matchups:
1. HO: Depending on how offensive the opposing team is, this team can either stomp or get stomped by other HO teams. The key is to not allow the opponent to set up with anything while still dealing your own damage. If you fall behind in these matchups it is usually very difficult to bounce back, so be proactive not reactive. Pheromosa and Gengar are the most valuable mons in this matchup, so don't lose them for free and don't be afraid to get weakened on the other mons; Pheromosa can bring them back in the late game with Lunar Dance.
2. Balance: In this matchup, Dialga and Diancie are usually the MVPs. If you weaken key targets, Slaking can clean up late game as well. Also keep in mind that against balance builds, the opponent usually has only 2-3 offensive threats; so don't be afraid to trade Gengar in for one of them since that trade is often more beneficial for you than the opponent.
3. Stall: Against stall, you must preserve Slaking until you have at least weakened the key walls to a point where Diancie/Dialga can finish the game or vice versa. Trade Gengar with a key wall aggressively. Ho-Oh can also often pressure Regen cores by spreading Tox/Burns. Also keep in mind that this team is extremely well improofed, so the match is essentially a 5v6 since most stall teams carry Imposter and Imposter is virtually useless against this team. Also, don't boost too high with Slaking until Imposter is either gone or weakened to the point where you can OHKO.
v. Importable & Replays
Diancie-Mega @ Leftovers
Ability: Pixilate
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Rash Nature
- Boomburst
- Extreme Speed
- Thousand Waves
- Substitute
Dialga @ Steelium Z
Ability: Magic Bounce
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 248 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Tail Glow
- Doom Desire
- Core Enforcer
- Shore Up
Gengar-Mega @ Spooky Plate
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Stealth Rock
- Judgment
- Sludge Bomb
- Destiny Bond
Pheromosa @ Life Orb
Ability: Dazzling
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- U-turn
- Close Combat
- Ice Beam
- Lunar Dance
Slaking @ Toxic Orb
Ability: Poison Heal
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Facade
- Spectral Thief
- Avalanche
Ho-Oh @ Toxic Orb
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Impish Nature
- Sacred Fire
- Spectral Thief
- Psycho Shift
- Slack Off
Ability: Pixilate
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Rash Nature
- Boomburst
- Extreme Speed
- Thousand Waves
- Substitute
Dialga @ Steelium Z
Ability: Magic Bounce
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 248 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Tail Glow
- Doom Desire
- Core Enforcer
- Shore Up
Gengar-Mega @ Spooky Plate
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Stealth Rock
- Judgment
- Sludge Bomb
- Destiny Bond
Pheromosa @ Life Orb
Ability: Dazzling
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- U-turn
- Close Combat
- Ice Beam
- Lunar Dance
Slaking @ Toxic Orb
Ability: Poison Heal
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Facade
- Spectral Thief
- Avalanche
Ho-Oh @ Toxic Orb
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Impish Nature
- Sacred Fire
- Spectral Thief
- Psycho Shift
- Slack Off
lol moro including replays in 2k18
when will they learn...
vi. Conclusion
Overall, this team was probably one of the most fun teams that I have used in gen7. While making mistakes can be very unforgiving when using the team, the feeling you get when you win games with this team makes it all worth it, which is actually the main reason I decided to RMT this team despite the mediocre stats it achieved compared to my stall team. I hope the readers can use this RMT to improve their BH knowledge and playmaking, as using this team in the current BH meta is truly challenging but at the same time very rewarding.
vii. Shoutouts
aki0s Best artwork Africa (maybe even best BH player Africa
)Shoutouts to the Metro Boomers, I'll make the metroray dream a reality next OMPL :)
While we're on the topic of OMPL, big shout out to my team managers DEG and sed for being chill af
Mark K and Donno for helping with testing even though BH wasn't their main area of expertise, appreciate you guys
HunterStorm I might help out the Bewears with their BH match tbh, that's a pfp I could get used to LOL
TEEMO AG JESUS
Finally, a big shoutout to you, the reader, for taking the time out of your day to read my RMT. Thank you!
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