Introduction:
Hey there everybody, its another NU RMT from Brawlfest! [What am I up to now like 7 NU RMTs?]. If you are not familiar with my work, I am a random Smogon poster who adores NU, and loves to rate teams as well as write RMT's [Basically RMT is the best Forum!]. Anyways, this is my first XY NU RMT, and I know that I'm a little late at writing this, but I wanted to make sure the team I would be able to post ensures the highest quality in XY NU, and is reliable, powerful, and consistently performs well every turn. After team building and rating this tier's teams for around 2 months now, I've finally come up with a team that I am confident enough to share, especially due to how well its proven on the ladder and in private matches for myself and friends I've shared the team with a bit. Anyways, now that I've finally gotten myself around to posting this, I just wanted to say that XY NU is an awesome tier, and anybody who isn't playing it at the minute is missing out on a lot. At any rate, this team was built around a Magneton / Vileplume / Poliwrath core which wrecks shop in the current tier. Between them three, there isn't a single type which is not checked by one of the members, letting those three alone go into and out of battle to tear down the opponents team. If any of you know me, you know that I adore playing bulky offense, and after playing around with a lot of pokemon in the tier, I absolutely fell in love with the combination of these three, as they not only fir into my bulky offensive / balance playstyle, but are easily the best core in NU, no joke. Honestly this core is SO underrated, just please use it because it fits in offensive and defensive teams, and it simply beats the entire tier without breaking a sweat. Anyways, to accompany them, I chose Offensive Support Spiritomb, not only to help me spread burns to cripple pokemon, but also act as a great revenge killer for a sweeper which has gotten out of hand, as well as to pursuit trap weaker pokemon. Honestly, Spiritomb is so broken at the minute, and if you don't use it you are a scrub! Golem was then chosen as a secondary check to flying types as well as a reliable lead, but also as a second revenge killer with a respectably powerful sucker punch, while setting up rocks well every time. Golem has almost always been my stealth rocker of choice through BW NU, and it simply is something you can trust to work well every time, with a combination of great attack, sturdy, and nice defenses, highlighting it as a great tank. Finally, I added Sigilyph as a glue, since it hits a great 97 base speed to beat all offensive teams, while it has access to Roost, Magic Guard, and Calm Mind to rip apart bulkier teams. At first I chose a offensive CM set, but eventually shifted the EVs to a more bulky spread to better check both sweepers and defensive monsters much better. Overall, this team has easily been one of the best, if not the best team I've used in the tier since its introduction, and I feel it is time to offer it as a gift to the public to have fun with! Without further ado, I present you a XY NU team packing the power of A Thousand Suns!
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Teambuilding:
As I've already stated, do not mess with this core at all. It is just too Offensively and Defensively sound for most relavant teams to break, and will easily return just as much power as they take. I built around this core, and obviously started with these three just because they are the epitome of the current bulky offensive playstyle in NU, and check one
another's threats with no issues whatsoever.
I figured I wanted a secondary check to Normal, Flying, and Fire spam, so I began to look into Steelix and Golem, two of my stealth rockers. However, I finally bended towards Golem, who while has more weaknesses [which are dealt with by the other three anyways], has a key resistance to fire types. On top of this, it has access to Sucker Punch to keep sweepers under control, making it once again the optimal choice for a NU Stealth Rocker.
Although I added Golem as a powerful tank with Sucker Punch, I still saw my team as rather weak to setup sweepers. Fighting types basically blitzed me atm, so I figured that Kecleon and Kangaskhan weren't options. Then, I turned to my favorite pokemon in the tier, Bulky Offensive Spiritomb, who offers undeniable support in revenge killing and crippling physical sweepers for my team!
Finally, I realized I had two key wholes. The first was ground types which I couldn't switch into, and the second was a lack of a win condition which could deal both with Hyper Offense and Stall. There was one obvious answer. Bulky CM Sigilyph is just awesome, and there isn't a single complaint I have.
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Strategy / Playstyle Analysis:
The strategy of using this team is fairly simple. In a single word, you want to pressure your opponent with both bulk and power. Unlike other teams, perfect defensive and offensive synergy is key to this team, abusing resistances to get Pokemon in, and pressure the team. Using Vileplume and Magneton as bulky pivots, force switches to get Poliwrath and Sigilyph in safely in order to set up. When well played, this team can easily tear down most opposition. Using SubPunch Poliwrath, wallbreaking is a piece of cake, wearing down all of Sigilyph's common checks, and helping to relieve stress from Fire Spam. Once it has done its work, Bulky CM Sigilyph can destroy the tier. 97 Speed, great offenses, and amazing bulk means that as long as I play well early in the game, Sigilyph can almost guarantee a sweep. Sigilyph also acts as a great status absorber when my other pokemon don't enjoy a burn or toxic. Finally, Golem and Spiritomb are used as utility to support the team with hazards and status, while offering revenge killing powers to act as a great glue for the rest of the team. The team thrives on matchups, so try to switch well and get the upper hand, and do not be afraid to spam Magneton's powerful and slow volt switch if you find yourself losing momentum!
Honestly HO can be a bitch, but this team has tricks up its sleeve to tackle HO. Although HO is the most common, and arguably the most effective playstyle in the current metagame, the way my team plays is so anti-HO that I have no issues whatsoever. Golem and Spiritomb pressure it greatly early game, and Poliwrath + Vileplume can tank any single hits that they wish to offer. Finally, once quick threats such as Archeops are downed by stuff like Spiritomb, Sigilyph comes in to clean up with base 97 speed to outpace the rest of most HO teams.
Bulky Offense vs. Bulky Offense is always a tricky meta to play. In most cases, it comes down to landing super effective hits, and therefore getting good switches to bring in checks and counters is key. For this reason, Magneton is the trusted win condition against Bulky Offense, wearing down shit like Xatu to bring in Vileplume and Poliwrath easily, both of who check bulkier pokemon like themselves especially well, using recovery and substitutes to try to get the upper hand and pressure them. Once they are worn down, Sigilyph.
Sigilyph GG Bitch. Oh SubPunch Poliwrath too, that thing is a dick to stall just in case the opponent triple crits sigilyph. That is all I have to say, in most cases one of them simply 6-0's stall, it rarely even need to use both together, one is enough.
Golem + Vileplume is your friend. With Golem's unique typing, it shuts down a variety of Volt-Turners, checking Swellow, Rotom, Probopass, and Electabuzz among a few. By using Golem, more than half of VoltTurn's key pokemon are countered and shut down, making them rely more on stuff like Lanturn and Primeape, which are checked by Vileplume. Between Golem and Vileplume, every common VoltTurn mon is beaten surprisingly.
Normal Spam is one of the most powerful forms of hyper offense in NU. While underrated by newcomers as "unsynergized" the fact is that Normal Types wear down each others checks and counters, making it difficult to deal with. However, by playing smart between Magneton, Golem, and Magneton to tank hits and wear down normal types, eventually a core of 2-3 normal types should be torn down between constant spam of priority and other attacks.
Literally fuck Scorp [Although he my bb <3] hes gay af. He is the reason why this strategy is relavant at all, and it is so annoying when done right. Basically if I lose Golem and Poliwrath to HP Grass it is gg. You absolutely must predict well to try to switch well into HP Grass or Fire Blast, and so scouting the opponent's prediction skills and tendencies is key, to figure out how they will try to predict and kill your mons. Oh priority is cute too, cause once Stealth Rocks are up Sucker Punch pretty much OHKO's all of them.
Newcomers always underrate Rain, but it is one of the strongest playstyles when executed well. Don't let anybody tell you differently. If you do not play well around it, a combination of powerful setup mons like Volbeat and Liepard with some of NU's best abusers makes it hell to deal with. The bottom line is that Vileplume can tank an Ice Beam from Ludicolo and kill it with Sludge Bomb, and afterwards be able to tank everything else hopefully. Spiritomb and Golem need to have Ludicolo out of the way prior to their Priority spam.
This is a really cool team to face, because the games are always interesting and fun, but in most cases it isn't hard to beat. Poliwrath does a huge number to them, subbing down on Hippopotas, and 2HKO'ing all of Sands pokemon, being able to take anything that they have to throw at us. Sigilyph is nice to pressure them as well, because it really isn't worn down at all by sand, which helps. Stoutland can be met with Golem if it isn't locked into Superpower, and if it is Pursuit it with Spiritomb.
Why don't people use Hail. Literally, the only times I've met it on the ladder, i've always been put into a position where I did or was near losing. It is really good, because I can't use Sigilyph to avoid Hail Damage, because full powered blizzards are waiting. However, there are ways to defeat it. Poliwrath resists both Ice and Fire, the two most common offensive types in Hail, which allows it to pressure them, and Magneton pressures their team with Analytic Flash Cannons. Once this is done, Sigilyph can come in and spam Heat Waves.
Sun is not as threatening as the above three weathers, but it is a threat in the sense that of all four weathers, it has the best abusers. If it does set up, it is a major threat, but it at least is difficult for them to set up more than once. This said, once it goes up, priority is necessary to wear down powerful abusers such as Victreebel and Typhlosion if I am to get anywhere, and once that is done it really isn't much of a challenge to deal with.
I always tell myself that this doesn't even exist, but no matter what happens I always seem to be capable of finding 1-2 users of said strategy on the ladder. I'm not saying it is bad, but 3 abuse turns really sucks in a match, making it less of a threat than it could be. However, with powerhouses like Marowak and Rampardos, it makes it difficult to deal with still. Spiritomb checks Trick Room surprisingly well with Priority and a slow Destiny Bond and it beats Beheeyem and Lamp, Poliwrath / Vileplume can meet most abusers such as Marowak.
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The Team:
Voodoo
Sigilyph @ Life Orb
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Psychic
- Calm Mind
- Heat Wave
- Roost
Bulky Calm Mind Sigilyph is way more awesome than Offensive Calm Mind. I mean seriously, this set is more chill than anything I've every used in a long ass time. It acts as the win condition of my team, and boy is it good. Unlike other wincons such as DD Feraligatr, SD Durant, and Bulk Up Gurdurr, Sigilyph is able to reliably counter both Stall and Offensive teams, which is key to my success. You ask how? Let me elaborate. The ability for it to so reliably perform this niche relies in its stats, moveset, and ability. When against Stall, a potent combination of Recovery and Magic Guard gives them hell, giving most defensive teams 0 way to defeat Sigilyph, being forced to rage quit. It is because of Magic Guard that Sigilyph shrugs off Stealth Rocks, Toxic, and Burns to give stall teams hell. Against offensive then, an absurdly quick 97 base speed, and a Life Orb boosted 103 special attack, with a topping of well invested bulk means that they not only are unable to OHKO Sigilyph, but they will be forced to take a powerful hit from this monster, most of the time before they even move. Offensive staples such as Jynx, Primeape, and Zangoose now must be wary of being outsped by this monster. Between all of these factors, as well as the EV investment of Max HP, Max Speed, it can simply wreck shop. Psychic is my choice of STAB, as while some may argue that Psyshock can help me deal with specially defensive walls, I can continue to set up Calm Minds, and thus I prefer to pack a reliable STAB which has higher base power, and has a chance to cripple the opponent's special defense. My next move, Calm Mind is the crux of the set, making specially offensive teams cry in mercy, and powering up my STAB and Coverage moves to unbelievable heights, enabling me to sweep an opponent at +2 or +3. Heat Wave is up next as my primary coverage move, beating pokemon that resist my STAB such as Durant, Spiritomb, and Steelix reliably. Finally, Roost is used to annoy both Offensive and Defensive teams alike, making their assaults worthless, and when put with 252 HP Investment is just awesome. Honestly, the next time you ever try using Sigilyph, make sure to consider this bulkier spread over the standard Offensive Calm Mind set, because while you aren't immediatly strong, you still pack a nice amount of hurt, but you can tank so much more shit that you normally cannot! Honestly, I am unsure why Sigilyph is even in NU, but I will definitely abuse it as much as I can while it is here!
Synergy:
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Hades
Spiritomb @ Dread Plate
Ability: Infiltrator
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Sucker Punch
- Pursuit
- Shadow Sneak
- Destiny Bond / Will-O-Wisp
Oh my god Spiritomb. Honestly, I find myself using this thing on every fucking XY NU team I've made, and honestly even though I'm tired of relying on it, it is just too damned good. Not only does it offer Priority, but it also gives you a method of trapping opponents, as well as crippling them severely with support options as well. It is dumb how good this thing is. Although it is slow, dual priority makes this thing a beast alongside amazing bulk, making it the number one counter to any form of hyper offense in the current XY NU tier. It is just too good, and I rely on it so much against Offense, Weather, and Trick Room that it becomes a handicap that I need to win every match in NU. Moving to the move set, I've given it a standard bulky attacker spread with 8 Speed instead of 4 because I found myself speed tying with every fucking Spiritomb out there, and the rest is thrown into Attack and HP. Infiltrator is probably one of the best parts of the set, ignoring Sub-Setters thinking they can avoid my will-o-wisp or sucker punch, only to have themselves OHKO'd behind a sub. What a great feeling. With such a tool, Spiritomb solidifies itself even more as a great revenge killer. Dread Plate is used to power up Sucker Punch and Pursuit, which are the two primary moves I will be spamming over and over throughout a match. If you feel that you want more power or longevity, Life Orb and Leftovers are both options, but I enjoy the mild power boost without loss in health, as well as added utility in being able to bluff the Choice Banded set. Sucker Punch is the most used move on the set, being able to revenge kill all sorts of offensive threats, and dealing shit tons of damage that you wouldn't expect to come out of Spiritomb, allowing it to come in on sweepers and easily take them out. It is also one of few pokemon to be able to Sucker Punch both Swellow and Zangoose, as it is immune to Quick Attack, easing predictions and making sure that they will be forced to use a non-priority attack. Pursuit is the first utility move on the set, making it so that Psychic types will take massive damage on the switch out, as well as other frail pokemon that are forced out. Oftentimes, on the revenge kill when I know someone will not stay in, I will just pursuit to ensure the threat is eliminated. Like Skuntank last gen, a combination of Sucker Punch and Pursuit allows for mindgames which I love to play, pressuring opponents to either sac their pokemon or take massive damage. Shadow Sneak is a more reliable form of priority for when the opponent might take advantage of Sucker Punch to set up, or against Fighting types to do some form of significant damage, but primarily is a filler move. The last spot is between Will-O-Wisp, a standard move, and Destiny Bond, my personal preference. Destiny Bond pressures the opponent to switch out, allowing you to nab a final pursuit prior to death, or even get a surprise kill!
Hades
Spiritomb @ Dread Plate
Ability: Infiltrator
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Sucker Punch
- Pursuit
- Shadow Sneak
- Destiny Bond / Will-O-Wisp
Oh my god Spiritomb. Honestly, I find myself using this thing on every fucking XY NU team I've made, and honestly even though I'm tired of relying on it, it is just too damned good. Not only does it offer Priority, but it also gives you a method of trapping opponents, as well as crippling them severely with support options as well. It is dumb how good this thing is. Although it is slow, dual priority makes this thing a beast alongside amazing bulk, making it the number one counter to any form of hyper offense in the current XY NU tier. It is just too good, and I rely on it so much against Offense, Weather, and Trick Room that it becomes a handicap that I need to win every match in NU. Moving to the move set, I've given it a standard bulky attacker spread with 8 Speed instead of 4 because I found myself speed tying with every fucking Spiritomb out there, and the rest is thrown into Attack and HP. Infiltrator is probably one of the best parts of the set, ignoring Sub-Setters thinking they can avoid my will-o-wisp or sucker punch, only to have themselves OHKO'd behind a sub. What a great feeling. With such a tool, Spiritomb solidifies itself even more as a great revenge killer. Dread Plate is used to power up Sucker Punch and Pursuit, which are the two primary moves I will be spamming over and over throughout a match. If you feel that you want more power or longevity, Life Orb and Leftovers are both options, but I enjoy the mild power boost without loss in health, as well as added utility in being able to bluff the Choice Banded set. Sucker Punch is the most used move on the set, being able to revenge kill all sorts of offensive threats, and dealing shit tons of damage that you wouldn't expect to come out of Spiritomb, allowing it to come in on sweepers and easily take them out. It is also one of few pokemon to be able to Sucker Punch both Swellow and Zangoose, as it is immune to Quick Attack, easing predictions and making sure that they will be forced to use a non-priority attack. Pursuit is the first utility move on the set, making it so that Psychic types will take massive damage on the switch out, as well as other frail pokemon that are forced out. Oftentimes, on the revenge kill when I know someone will not stay in, I will just pursuit to ensure the threat is eliminated. Like Skuntank last gen, a combination of Sucker Punch and Pursuit allows for mindgames which I love to play, pressuring opponents to either sac their pokemon or take massive damage. Shadow Sneak is a more reliable form of priority for when the opponent might take advantage of Sucker Punch to set up, or against Fighting types to do some form of significant damage, but primarily is a filler move. The last spot is between Will-O-Wisp, a standard move, and Destiny Bond, my personal preference. Destiny Bond pressures the opponent to switch out, allowing you to nab a final pursuit prior to death, or even get a surprise kill!
Synergy:
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Nuts and Bolts
Magneton @ Eviolite
Ability: Analytic
EVs: 212 HP / 252 SAtk / 44 Spd
Modest Nature
- Thunderbolt
- Volt Switch
- Flash Cannon
- Hidden Power [Grass] / HIdden Power [Ground]
Meet what is my absolute favorite new addition to the NU metagame, Magneton. How is this thing not being used by every team on the ladder yet? It is so good. A bulky special attacker equipped with the ability to run one of the best items in the game in Eviolite, amazing stats for an NFE [Better than some fully evolved NU's, and on top of that a Eviolite boost], among with is a 120 base special attack and 70 base speed, both of which are surprisingly nice for a NFE. As if thats not enough, it also earns an Eviolite boosted 50 / 95 / 70 defenses, which isn't bad at all, letting it tank tons of stuff. And as if that wasn't enough, it also gets a Steel typing for great resistances and an Electric typing for a great neutral STAB in the NU Tier. There honestly is no better pokemon in the metagame in my opinion, but thats also just because of my love for magneton. For the set I use on this team, I obviously take advantage of its most prominent niche as a bulky special attacker with Eviolite. Its EV spread is tailored to tackle 8 Speed Seismitoads [The most common variant], and beat down anything below that speed tier. The rest is thrown into a 252 SAtk with 120 base modest, as well as some HP investment for better tanking. While people argue that Magnet Pull is better than Analytic, they are dead wrong. The fact is, that most people assume Magnet Pull anyways and refuse to switch their precious Doublades out in the first place, letting me nab the kill. Surprisingly, throughout my laddering as well as private matches, players have consistantly kept their pokemon in, assuming that my direct switch in signifies that I am a Magnet Pull variant, allowing me to slam them down with my powerful attacks. Because of this, I run Analytic, because it gives me a huge Life Orb power boost without the recoil, and in addition packs the psychological effects of Magnet Pull still, giving me the best of both worlds. Thunderbolt is the primary STAB on the set, hitting most of the tier absurdly hard, especially if I get Analytic under my belt. Volt Switch is the greatest asset that Magneton offers my team though, letting me bring in the correct pokemon with the switch advantage of a slow Volt Switch, and it bluffs choiced sets. Flash Cannon is cool for removing annoying Fairies, and acts as a great secondary STAB for incoming Vileplumes and Golems. HP Grass and HP Ground are my options for filler moves. HP Grass is to hit Seismitoad better, and HP Ground is to aid my bluffing of Magnet Pull, which I choose over Fire to hit Lanturn more easily, since Thunderbolt decimates Durant anyways. Just a great pivot, and a key member to the teams success!
Nuts and Bolts
Magneton @ Eviolite
Ability: Analytic
EVs: 212 HP / 252 SAtk / 44 Spd
Modest Nature
- Thunderbolt
- Volt Switch
- Flash Cannon
- Hidden Power [Grass] / HIdden Power [Ground]
Meet what is my absolute favorite new addition to the NU metagame, Magneton. How is this thing not being used by every team on the ladder yet? It is so good. A bulky special attacker equipped with the ability to run one of the best items in the game in Eviolite, amazing stats for an NFE [Better than some fully evolved NU's, and on top of that a Eviolite boost], among with is a 120 base special attack and 70 base speed, both of which are surprisingly nice for a NFE. As if thats not enough, it also earns an Eviolite boosted 50 / 95 / 70 defenses, which isn't bad at all, letting it tank tons of stuff. And as if that wasn't enough, it also gets a Steel typing for great resistances and an Electric typing for a great neutral STAB in the NU Tier. There honestly is no better pokemon in the metagame in my opinion, but thats also just because of my love for magneton. For the set I use on this team, I obviously take advantage of its most prominent niche as a bulky special attacker with Eviolite. Its EV spread is tailored to tackle 8 Speed Seismitoads [The most common variant], and beat down anything below that speed tier. The rest is thrown into a 252 SAtk with 120 base modest, as well as some HP investment for better tanking. While people argue that Magnet Pull is better than Analytic, they are dead wrong. The fact is, that most people assume Magnet Pull anyways and refuse to switch their precious Doublades out in the first place, letting me nab the kill. Surprisingly, throughout my laddering as well as private matches, players have consistantly kept their pokemon in, assuming that my direct switch in signifies that I am a Magnet Pull variant, allowing me to slam them down with my powerful attacks. Because of this, I run Analytic, because it gives me a huge Life Orb power boost without the recoil, and in addition packs the psychological effects of Magnet Pull still, giving me the best of both worlds. Thunderbolt is the primary STAB on the set, hitting most of the tier absurdly hard, especially if I get Analytic under my belt. Volt Switch is the greatest asset that Magneton offers my team though, letting me bring in the correct pokemon with the switch advantage of a slow Volt Switch, and it bluffs choiced sets. Flash Cannon is cool for removing annoying Fairies, and acts as a great secondary STAB for incoming Vileplumes and Golems. HP Grass and HP Ground are my options for filler moves. HP Grass is to hit Seismitoad better, and HP Ground is to aid my bluffing of Magnet Pull, which I choose over Fire to hit Lanturn more easily, since Thunderbolt decimates Durant anyways. Just a great pivot, and a key member to the teams success!
Synergy:
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Rafflesia Aronoldii
Vileplume @ Black Sludge
Ability: Effect Spore
EVs: 248 HP / 216 Def / 44 SDef
Bold Nature
- Giga Drain
- Synthesis
- Sludge Bomb
- Hidden Power [Fire] / Sleep Powder
Vileplume is so anti-meta this generation. Last generation, it was completely outclassed by Roselia, who packs better special defense, speed, and has access to Natural Cure and Spikes to support teams better. However, this generation Vileplume is truly king of the hill, with far better mixed bulk it pivots more effectively against a metagame which is more heavy offensive than not, making it a far better option than Roselia this generation. On top of this, Knock Off is far more common than it used to be due to the major buff it received, making it a more present threat, meaning Roselia isn't as reliable because of its reliance on Eviolite. Because of these factors, Vileplume is a far more effective bulky grass / poison type to deal with the metagame's top threats. Surprisingly, while Vileplume didn't receive a buff, the change in the tier's style gave it a huge boost in viability. It checks so much stuff, from Feraligatr to Sawk to Samurott. It just deals so well with the metagame, and is one of the most reliable and effective pivots at the minute. Black Sludge is an obvious choice of item, offering recovery, and taking advantage of an opponent's trick. Effect Spore is the best possible ability it earns, and while it isn't as good as Natural Cure, Effect Spore offers some nice hax to spread status and pressure opponents to question whether or not they should try to attack Vileplume, its pretty nice. The EV Spread lets me always survive Gorebyss's or Ludicolo's Ice Beam, while investing largely in defense to beat down physical threats like Gurdurr or Feraligatr. Giga Drain is the STAB of choice, giving me recovery, decimating stuff like Seismitoad, and still offering me some nice power. Synthesis helps me to recover HP when I get worn down, and allows me to continue to pivot throughout an entire match. Sludge Bomb is my strongest possible STAB and pressures grass types really well, destroying most pokemon off a 110 base SAtk, and dealing with most Fairies as well. HP Fire vs. Sleep Powder comes down to coverage or Status. For me at least, I find myself using HP Fire more, since Sleep isn't that effective in the current metgame anyways, and I want a way to hit shit like durant. Overall, Vileplume is currently one of the best pokemon in the metagame and I encourage everybody to go and try it out.
Rafflesia Aronoldii
Vileplume @ Black Sludge
Ability: Effect Spore
EVs: 248 HP / 216 Def / 44 SDef
Bold Nature
- Giga Drain
- Synthesis
- Sludge Bomb
- Hidden Power [Fire] / Sleep Powder
Vileplume is so anti-meta this generation. Last generation, it was completely outclassed by Roselia, who packs better special defense, speed, and has access to Natural Cure and Spikes to support teams better. However, this generation Vileplume is truly king of the hill, with far better mixed bulk it pivots more effectively against a metagame which is more heavy offensive than not, making it a far better option than Roselia this generation. On top of this, Knock Off is far more common than it used to be due to the major buff it received, making it a more present threat, meaning Roselia isn't as reliable because of its reliance on Eviolite. Because of these factors, Vileplume is a far more effective bulky grass / poison type to deal with the metagame's top threats. Surprisingly, while Vileplume didn't receive a buff, the change in the tier's style gave it a huge boost in viability. It checks so much stuff, from Feraligatr to Sawk to Samurott. It just deals so well with the metagame, and is one of the most reliable and effective pivots at the minute. Black Sludge is an obvious choice of item, offering recovery, and taking advantage of an opponent's trick. Effect Spore is the best possible ability it earns, and while it isn't as good as Natural Cure, Effect Spore offers some nice hax to spread status and pressure opponents to question whether or not they should try to attack Vileplume, its pretty nice. The EV Spread lets me always survive Gorebyss's or Ludicolo's Ice Beam, while investing largely in defense to beat down physical threats like Gurdurr or Feraligatr. Giga Drain is the STAB of choice, giving me recovery, decimating stuff like Seismitoad, and still offering me some nice power. Synthesis helps me to recover HP when I get worn down, and allows me to continue to pivot throughout an entire match. Sludge Bomb is my strongest possible STAB and pressures grass types really well, destroying most pokemon off a 110 base SAtk, and dealing with most Fairies as well. HP Fire vs. Sleep Powder comes down to coverage or Status. For me at least, I find myself using HP Fire more, since Sleep isn't that effective in the current metgame anyways, and I want a way to hit shit like durant. Overall, Vileplume is currently one of the best pokemon in the metagame and I encourage everybody to go and try it out.
Synergy:
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Vertigo
Poliwrath @ Leftovers
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 160 HP / 252 Atk / 96 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Waterfall
- Focus Punch
- Toxic / Encore / Ice Punch
- Substitute
Poliwrath is god. It is way too underrated atm, and it beats so much shit it is not even funny. Durant, one of the most threatning pokemon in the metagame, is so irrelavant to this team because of Poliwrath that it isn't even funny. Iron Head, X-Scissor, Crunch, and Rock Slide, Durant's four most common moves are all resisted by Poliwrath. It also acts as a great check for any Water types with an amazing ability in Water Absorb, allowing it to completely wall so much shit, and setup substitutes throughout a match. It also acts as a great lead, beating Golem, Golurk, Rhydon, and so much more, while setting substitutes up against Seismitoad to put a Focus Punch down its sorry ass. As stated above, so much of the metagame is checked completely by Poliwrath, and I feel it is a really underrated bulky attacker to use on any offensive or defensive team. It also baits out Virizion, who takes like a fucking 96% from STAB Focus Punch when you are behind a sub, which is awesome. It is such a good feeling. In the end, I found SubPunch to be the best and most reliable variant on this team, and is a part of the primary core of this team. Leftovers is the obvious option for a SubPunch Set, helping me to recovery my HP as I go throughout the match. Water Absorb is then the greatest possible ability for Poliwrath, because it enables it to check so many water type sweepers, and in tangent with its typing makes it resist the coverage moves of stuff like Carracosta, Barbarcle, and Samurott, three of NU's toughest water type sweepers. Waterfall is the primary STAB move on the set to take advantage of Poliwrath's offensive capabilities whether or not a Substitute is up, and does consistent damage throughout a match. Focus Punch is then a secondary STAB, and most people just underrate its power. Please, think before you switch stuff into this. Any STAB base 150 powered move is bound to be monstrously powerful. It is so strong, putting baiting in and OHKOing shit like Virizion that people think couldn't be harmed by Poliwrath. In my third spot is primarily a filler move. Toxic is my first choice, allowing me to punish stuff I normally would be unable to hurt such as Musharna or Spiritomb, letting me severely pressure them. Encore is my second choice, allowing me to lock stuff into setup or hazards for me to nab a free substitute, which is often extremely helpful when I am unable to find an opportunity to sub down. Finally, Ice Punch is a third option to give me some method to hurt Sigilyph and Vileplume, who otherwise wall be to hell and back, so Ice Punch takes care of those. Substitute is the crux of the set, helping me to avoid status, and giving me the single tool necessary to reliably launch STAB 150 base power Focus Punches. Poliwrath is god!
Synergy:
Vertigo
Poliwrath @ Leftovers
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 160 HP / 252 Atk / 96 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Waterfall
- Focus Punch
- Toxic / Encore / Ice Punch
- Substitute
Poliwrath is god. It is way too underrated atm, and it beats so much shit it is not even funny. Durant, one of the most threatning pokemon in the metagame, is so irrelavant to this team because of Poliwrath that it isn't even funny. Iron Head, X-Scissor, Crunch, and Rock Slide, Durant's four most common moves are all resisted by Poliwrath. It also acts as a great check for any Water types with an amazing ability in Water Absorb, allowing it to completely wall so much shit, and setup substitutes throughout a match. It also acts as a great lead, beating Golem, Golurk, Rhydon, and so much more, while setting substitutes up against Seismitoad to put a Focus Punch down its sorry ass. As stated above, so much of the metagame is checked completely by Poliwrath, and I feel it is a really underrated bulky attacker to use on any offensive or defensive team. It also baits out Virizion, who takes like a fucking 96% from STAB Focus Punch when you are behind a sub, which is awesome. It is such a good feeling. In the end, I found SubPunch to be the best and most reliable variant on this team, and is a part of the primary core of this team. Leftovers is the obvious option for a SubPunch Set, helping me to recovery my HP as I go throughout the match. Water Absorb is then the greatest possible ability for Poliwrath, because it enables it to check so many water type sweepers, and in tangent with its typing makes it resist the coverage moves of stuff like Carracosta, Barbarcle, and Samurott, three of NU's toughest water type sweepers. Waterfall is the primary STAB move on the set to take advantage of Poliwrath's offensive capabilities whether or not a Substitute is up, and does consistent damage throughout a match. Focus Punch is then a secondary STAB, and most people just underrate its power. Please, think before you switch stuff into this. Any STAB base 150 powered move is bound to be monstrously powerful. It is so strong, putting baiting in and OHKOing shit like Virizion that people think couldn't be harmed by Poliwrath. In my third spot is primarily a filler move. Toxic is my first choice, allowing me to punish stuff I normally would be unable to hurt such as Musharna or Spiritomb, letting me severely pressure them. Encore is my second choice, allowing me to lock stuff into setup or hazards for me to nab a free substitute, which is often extremely helpful when I am unable to find an opportunity to sub down. Finally, Ice Punch is a third option to give me some method to hurt Sigilyph and Vileplume, who otherwise wall be to hell and back, so Ice Punch takes care of those. Substitute is the crux of the set, helping me to avoid status, and giving me the single tool necessary to reliably launch STAB 150 base power Focus Punches. Poliwrath is god!
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CATerpillar
Golem @ Lum Berry / Leftovers
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 192 HP / 252 Atk / 64 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Stone Edge / Rock Blast
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Sucker Punch
Who do you choose when you need the toughest, strongest, and most consistent stealth rocker in NU? You call Golem. Golem is just an amazing tank, packing tons of utility, bulk, and raw power. Unlike most other tanks like Rhydon or Seismitoad, it gets something that sets it truly apart. Sucker Punch. With this weapon and sturdy, it potentially can put in two hits into any given threat, guaranteeing a revenge kill. Even with only 110 Atk compared to the powerful 130 Atk of Rhydon or 124 Atk of Golurk, that is enough considering it packs priority. It is just a great tank, dealing with tons of threats, being one of few poekmon to reliably switch into Swellow, Fletchinder, Rotom, and a bunch of other crap that I totally hate dealing with that he can to set up stealth rocks or get a hit in reliably. Lum Berry is definitely my favorite item at the minute because I gain free kills on Fletchinder, defensive Mismagius variants, and a really cocky Jynx [Its happened]. However, Leftovers does help so that I can replenish my Sturdy and tank extra hits, as well as to come in more than once to set up my Stealth Rocks should a defog occur. The EV spread is fairly simple. All leads in NU are tailored to outspeeding 56 speed golem, the most common variant, so I've invested 64 speed, allowing me to go first against common Golem, Steelix, and Rhydon variants. 252 Attack backed by adamant very simply allows me to hit as hard as possible. Sturdy's an awesome ability, and sets Golem apart from others as well, because it can guarantee its stealth rocks against crap like Samurott, which is especially important if it is paired with SR weak mons, since I would rather sac Golem than not be able to kill those threats. Speaking of which, the first slot is occupied by either Stone Edge or Rock Blast. I know, Rock Blast is better for subs and is more reliable, but honestly this gen I haven't come across that many times where I absolutely needed to break substitutes, but the consistent high damage is far more important on the team. Rock Blast is more reliable though, so I do use it every now and then. Stealth Rocks are a must because of the pressure they offer against most teams, and I've already talked about Sucker Punch far too much. Earthquake is definitely the best possible STAB that Golem has access to, just hitting reliably hard, and is something that you can fall back on should you not want to miss. Golem really is an awesome stealth rocker, and it hasn't changed one bit between these two generations!
Synergy:
CATerpillar
Golem @ Lum Berry / Leftovers
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 192 HP / 252 Atk / 64 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Stone Edge / Rock Blast
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Sucker Punch
Who do you choose when you need the toughest, strongest, and most consistent stealth rocker in NU? You call Golem. Golem is just an amazing tank, packing tons of utility, bulk, and raw power. Unlike most other tanks like Rhydon or Seismitoad, it gets something that sets it truly apart. Sucker Punch. With this weapon and sturdy, it potentially can put in two hits into any given threat, guaranteeing a revenge kill. Even with only 110 Atk compared to the powerful 130 Atk of Rhydon or 124 Atk of Golurk, that is enough considering it packs priority. It is just a great tank, dealing with tons of threats, being one of few poekmon to reliably switch into Swellow, Fletchinder, Rotom, and a bunch of other crap that I totally hate dealing with that he can to set up stealth rocks or get a hit in reliably. Lum Berry is definitely my favorite item at the minute because I gain free kills on Fletchinder, defensive Mismagius variants, and a really cocky Jynx [Its happened]. However, Leftovers does help so that I can replenish my Sturdy and tank extra hits, as well as to come in more than once to set up my Stealth Rocks should a defog occur. The EV spread is fairly simple. All leads in NU are tailored to outspeeding 56 speed golem, the most common variant, so I've invested 64 speed, allowing me to go first against common Golem, Steelix, and Rhydon variants. 252 Attack backed by adamant very simply allows me to hit as hard as possible. Sturdy's an awesome ability, and sets Golem apart from others as well, because it can guarantee its stealth rocks against crap like Samurott, which is especially important if it is paired with SR weak mons, since I would rather sac Golem than not be able to kill those threats. Speaking of which, the first slot is occupied by either Stone Edge or Rock Blast. I know, Rock Blast is better for subs and is more reliable, but honestly this gen I haven't come across that many times where I absolutely needed to break substitutes, but the consistent high damage is far more important on the team. Rock Blast is more reliable though, so I do use it every now and then. Stealth Rocks are a must because of the pressure they offer against most teams, and I've already talked about Sucker Punch far too much. Earthquake is definitely the best possible STAB that Golem has access to, just hitting reliably hard, and is something that you can fall back on should you not want to miss. Golem really is an awesome stealth rocker, and it hasn't changed one bit between these two generations!
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Threatlist
This thing is a dick to my teams, basically nothing on my team resists the coverage of Psychic / Fairy / Fighting. I have to predict well to get Sigilyph or Spiritomb in and try to hurt it with Shadow Sneak or Calm Mind up on it.
Pyroar is good against my team, but I typically can deal with it if it is choice locked. However, Life Orb and Substitute variants totally decimate me due to their use of Fire / Grass coverage, forcing me to get a sucker punch or two in, because I am unable to live any attacks otherwise.
Lanturn is not as much a threat as it is annoying for me to deal with, especially if the opponent takes out my Vileplume. Magneton's HP Grass / Ground guarantees a 3HKO, if I can land a Focus Punch or EQ it dies, and I can live 1 TBolt with a CM under my belt, but its just annoying.
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Other Options / Past Members
Threatlist
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Other Options / Past Members
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Shoutouts
____________________________________
Importable
____________________________________
Outroduction
Thanks everybody for reading this RMT, I hope you've enjoyed and like the team, because I really had fun tweaking and teambuilding it, while having some really nice games throughout its life span. Feel free to comment and offer suggestions! Oh and drop a luvdisc silly, have a nice day!
Shoutouts
Jonater - #1 Nigga absolutely bff forever bb ily altho u dum
Dat Blast - tied for #1 mah fav user :] u dum too tho
scorpdestroyer - obviously not as good as above user cause u lost to me with rain rain op how you can lose obvi dum <3
Punchshroom - CC IS NOT A REAL TIER BITCH FITE ME REAL TIERS T_T also dum
Zebraiken - can land a focus miss gay ._. very dum
WhiteDMist - best tr <3 also my realest nigga :]....Oh still dum
Aladyyn - Wat a pussy smh.....oh also dum
atomicllamas - ur a dum mammal js :] o i like ur new prof pic vry cute
GG>NO RE Shoutout everybody in the NU Community! :]
Dat Blast - tied for #1 mah fav user :] u dum too tho
scorpdestroyer - obviously not as good as above user cause u lost to me with rain rain op how you can lose obvi dum <3
Punchshroom - CC IS NOT A REAL TIER BITCH FITE ME REAL TIERS T_T also dum
Zebraiken - can land a focus miss gay ._. very dum
WhiteDMist - best tr <3 also my realest nigga :]....Oh still dum
Aladyyn - Wat a pussy smh.....oh also dum
atomicllamas - ur a dum mammal js :] o i like ur new prof pic vry cute
GG>NO RE Shoutout everybody in the NU Community! :]
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Importable
Sigilyph @ Life Orb
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Psychic
- Calm Mind
- Heat Wave
- Roost
Magneton @ Eviolite
Ability: Analytic
EVs: 216 HP / 252 SAtk / 40 Spd
Modest Nature
- Thunderbolt
- Volt Switch
- Flash Cannon
- Hidden Power [Grass]
Spiritomb @ Dread Plate
Ability: Infiltrator
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Sucker Punch
- Pursuit
- Shadow Sneak
- Destiny Bond
Vileplume @ Black Sludge
Ability: Effect Spore
EVs: 248 HP / 216 Def / 44 SDef
Bold Nature
- Giga Drain
- Synthesis
- Sludge Bomb
- Hidden Power [Fire]
Poliwrath @ Leftovers
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 160 HP / 252 Atk / 96 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Waterfall
- Focus Punch
- Toxic
- Substitute
Golem @ Leftovers
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 200 HP / 252 Atk / 56 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Rock Blast
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Sucker Punch
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Psychic
- Calm Mind
- Heat Wave
- Roost
Magneton @ Eviolite
Ability: Analytic
EVs: 216 HP / 252 SAtk / 40 Spd
Modest Nature
- Thunderbolt
- Volt Switch
- Flash Cannon
- Hidden Power [Grass]
Spiritomb @ Dread Plate
Ability: Infiltrator
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Sucker Punch
- Pursuit
- Shadow Sneak
- Destiny Bond
Vileplume @ Black Sludge
Ability: Effect Spore
EVs: 248 HP / 216 Def / 44 SDef
Bold Nature
- Giga Drain
- Synthesis
- Sludge Bomb
- Hidden Power [Fire]
Poliwrath @ Leftovers
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 160 HP / 252 Atk / 96 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Waterfall
- Focus Punch
- Toxic
- Substitute
Golem @ Leftovers
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 200 HP / 252 Atk / 56 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Rock Blast
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Sucker Punch
____________________________________
Outroduction
Thanks everybody for reading this RMT, I hope you've enjoyed and like the team, because I really had fun tweaking and teambuilding it, while having some really nice games throughout its life span. Feel free to comment and offer suggestions! Oh and drop a luvdisc silly, have a nice day!
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