Kinda wondering the same thing as the above posters, how DO you define a gimmick? How do you differentiate between a good gimmick and a bad gimmick? @
Matthew, apparently you think taunt Hydreigon isn't a gimmick because it's a good idea, even though it's uncommon. So if I get what you're saying, a viable, yet uncommon set does not fit the description of a gimmick. Yet your example of rock tomb Breloom pretty much fits the same description. I agree that you could consider hp fire Forretress and hp ice Terrakion gimmicks, but where do you draw the line? Does it need to have less utility or higher risk/reward than a standard set (such as dropping spore for coverage on Breloom) to be considered a gimmick? It seems like by your logic, a gimmick is pretty much bad by default because of how you define it. But I'd like to hear what you have to say about this; I don't want to put words in your mouth.
I wasn't going to post anything because I think my gimmicks are bad, but since I'm already here I might as well. Here's two gimmicks I used on the team I got reqs with for the Lando suspect test (included that last bit so you don't assume I'm ladder trash using stupid sets):
Tyranitar @ Custap Berry
Trait: Sand Stream
EVs: 152 Atk / 252 HP / 104 SDef
Adamant Nature
- Pursuit
- Stone Edge
- Low Kick
- Stealth Rock
I don't know where I got the idea of using custap berry exactly, but I needed Ttar to by my SR supporter, so I really couldn't afford to be choiced. I know some people use scarf + rocks on mons like Jirachi and Garchomp, but it's really not ideal for Ttar because it's slow and has exploitable weaknesses. Lum and chople are decent options, as you can still bluff choice, but after setting up rocks idk who's still going to think you're choiced. And then there's leftovers, which is an option that should never be used imo. So I went with custap for shits and giggles. And it turned out to not be that bad. The custap really comes in handy against spike stacking hyper offense teams, as you can manipulate your hp by switching in and out. I always thought it was hilarious when I did this against things like +2 Volcarona and scarf Mence which would have caused me trouble me otherwise. The sdef is there so I can switch into specs Latios and take two draco meteors or have a decent shot at living 2 surfs, guaranteeing the trap even if they stay in due to the custap. I chose low kick > superpower in that slot because it still hits a good amount of targets for max damage (Terrakion, Ferrothorn, Lucario), and there's no attack drop to force you out. I guess this isn't a terrible gimmick since it can beat specs Latios reliably without having to guess between crunch and pursuit, but it's still not really the best. It can also help you beat Starmie, but you need way too much investment to be able to take two life orb hydros.
Torterra @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Overgrow
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 Atk / 4 HP
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Wood Hammer
- Stone Edge
- Superpower
LOL don't use this. It's terrible, but I used it anyway. I got the idea from an old smogcast and thought it would be fun to troll with. And it was. Jolly scarf Torterra hits the same speed as Durant unboosted (base 109), so it also speed ties with hp fire Gengar/Latios. Which means, you can outspeed unboosted Terrakion and Keldeo among other fast things. But it'll never outspeed any real scarfers, ever. STAB wood hammer is powerful, but outside of that Torterra is really underwhelming in OU. Don't use this unless you're trolling on the ladder like I was.
So those are my shitty gimmicks I've been successful with.
BTW I was curious about how much hp fire Forry could do to Ferrothorn, so I ran the calcs and wasn't very impressed :|
0 SpAtk Forretress Hidden Power Fire vs 252 HP/168 SpDef Ferrothorn: 29.55% - 35.23% (4-5 hits to KO)
0 SpAtk Forretress Hidden Power Fire vs 252 HP/168 SpDef Ferrothorn: 44.32% - 52.27% (3 hits to KO) even in sun... meh.