Sub + CM Koko. Hey, it works for Blacephalon
honestly on the topic of tapu koko and blace, in my experience the two actually do complement each other quite nicely. the one difference was running hp ice on blace. specs blace really appreciates the offensive pressure that koko provides on bulky waters like pex as well as its ability to setup on mega sab and the like, and koko loves blace's ability to pressure its checks such as non-scarf lando, zygarde, mega venu, and tang (although tang is dropping so less relevant ig). while it does require a bit of prediction and does require a hard stop to gren and scarf lando, the core does function effectively particularly against bulkier teams.
Tapu Koko @ Electrium Z
Ability: Electric Surge
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Substitute
- Calm Mind
- Thunderbolt
- Dazzling Gleam
yeah basically the set that
Yung Dramps suggested, but forgoing hp ice/fairium in favor of dazzling gleam, as with some prediction blace deals with everything that would otherwise wall this set.
Blacephalon @ Choice Specs
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Fire Blast
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Shadow Ball
- Knock Off
you could always replace fire blast with mind blown, but it takes away blace's already low longevity and sort of defeats its purpose as a check to certain pokemon, as a correctly predicted switchin could result in blacephalon losing 50% hp for nothing. specs is the key for koko to function effectively, as without it, koko would have a much harder time dealing with certain bulky grass types. the immediate power that specs affords helps blace threaten the opposing team, and the pressure on the opp of not giving blace a special attack boost eases prediction.
however, one thing to note about this "core" are its inherent flaws and weaknesses to certain pokemon. these include:
scarf lando - without a sub up on koko, or without a proper check, scarf lando demolishes both these pokemon
ttar - as usum has seen a rise in the usage of ttar in general, it's noteworthy to put this here simply because even +1 koko's dazzling gleam doesn't have a guaranteed chance to ohko
chansey - chansey is stupid >:c basically the reason i put knock off on blace
hippowdon - yes i'm well aware that nobody runs fully spdef hippo but it still checks nonetheless. here's calcs as a point of reference, with the mixed defensive set included.
+1 252 SpA Tapu Koko Dazzling Gleam vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Hippowdon: 139-165 (33 - 39.2%) -- 99.9% chance to 3HKO
+1 252 SpA Tapu Koko Dazzling Gleam vs. 252 HP / 176 SpD Hippowdon: 166-196 (39.5 - 46.6%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
252 SpA Choice Specs Blacephalon Fire Blast vs. 252 HP / 252 SpD Hippowdon: 292-345 (69.5 - 82.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
252 SpA Choice Specs Blacephalon Fire Blast vs. 252 HP / 176 SpD Hippowdon: 316-373 (75.2 - 88.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
scarfchomp - you could honestly group a bunch of scarfers here, as this core struggles with scarf users in general
ash-gren- after transformation, ash gren demolishes both of these mons.
anyway those are just some ramblings about that subcm set lol, was bored and wanted to try it out.