Ask a Simple Question, Get a Simple Answer: Monotype Edition

[Wagev]

Thank you very much for the quick answer it helps a lot :)

I don't know if it's just bad luck for me but I see a lot of scarf urshifu.

For the chopple berry set on Kyurem your advice would be to just change the item and no change to the moveset ? I didnt know this set before.

I will try to preserve my Piloswine for the Blacephalon MU but because I often lead with my Piloswine and he already took damage when the Blacephalon comes. I guess I have to be more Careful when I see one on the opposite team.

Weavile could be great too but I don't really know who he would replace.

Thank you very much :)

 

[Neko]

Thank you very much for the quick answer it helps a lot :)

I don't know if it's just bad luck for me but I see a lot of scarf urshifu.

For the chopple berry set on Kyurem your advice would be to just change the item and no change to the moveset ? I didnt know this set before.

I will try to preserve my Piloswine for the Blacephalon MU but because I often lead with my Piloswine and he already took damage when the Blacephalon comes. I guess I have to be more Careful when I see one on the opposite team.

Weavile could be great too but I don't really know who he would replace.

Thank you very much :)

Sub-Roost Chople Berri Kyurem

Kyurem @ Chople Berry
Level: 100
Timid Nature
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 56 HP / 200 SpA / 252 Spe
- Substitute
- Roost
- Freeze-Dry
- Earth Power

56 HP allows Kyurem to make 101 HP Subs, which means it doesn't break after a Seismic Toss / Night Shade

If ever, Galarian Darmanitan will be kicked for Weavile :[

 

[Wagev]

Thank you for your help !
I will try all of that :)

Another question

Do you think ice punch over icicle crash is a viable option on Darmanitan-Galar ?

It annoys me a lot when I miss Icicle crash and lose because of it... Just happened to me like 3 times in one day.

I don't know if the difference of Power between the two move makes me lose some KO.

 

[Dead by Daylight]

I came up with an interesting Mamoswine set, can I get some thoughts?

Wooly Mammoth (Mamoswine) @ Chople Berry
Ability: Thick Fat
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Icicle Crash
- Ice Shard
- Stealth Rock

So, this set deals (decently) with any Fighting- and Fire-type threats, and offers a good amount of utility and power.

 

[Neko]

I came up with an interesting Mamoswine set, can I get some thoughts?

Wooly Mammoth (Mamoswine) @ Chople Berry
Ability: Thick Fat
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Icicle Crash
- Ice Shard
- Stealth Rock

So, this set deals (decently) with any Fighting- and Fire-type threats, and offers a good amount of utility and power.

Due to the lack of defense investment, you kinda don't live a lot of fighting- or fire-type attacks...at all, unlike Kyurem (better defensive profile)

Calcs

252 Atk Choice Band Urshifu-Rapid-Strike Close Combat vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Chople Berry Mamoswine: 354-417 (98 - 115.5%) -- 87.5% chance to OHKO (Or you know, it clicks surging)
252 Atk Zapdos-Galar Close Combat vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Chople Berry Mamoswine: 229-271 (63.4 - 75%) -- guaranteed 2HKO (You bait out Zapdos-G though, except Mamoswine has a Focus Sash set (SR/Endeavor/Ice Shard)...so Zappy would think twice before attacking you from full)
>Also Zappy has to respect Choice Band Ice Shard and might just flee from you entirely

+1 252 SpA Blacephalon Flamethrower vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Thick Fat Mamoswine: 372-438 (103 - 121.3%) -- guaranteed OHKO (You have to revenge-kill it now with Weavile instead of facetanking it with Piloswine)

EDIT: I forgot to take info account that you might have A.Veil up when it happens, but then...even non-Chople Mamo would survive it then...

I think Mamoswine might be too frail to check those Fighting-types, especially because 1.) You'd usually lead Mamo to get those Rocks up, leaving it to be a bit chipped in the process, 2.) even a tiny chip + SR damage might lead to Mamo getting removed even with Chople berry support 3.)Most mons that do have CC have other moves Supereffective to Mamo

 

[Wagev]

Hello !

I'm wondering how am I supposed to deal with Melmetal with mono ice?

I think the most damage I can make to him is with Darmanitan but if I'm not band it just doesn't kill.

The Melmetal always kill minimum 2 mons of my team before being KOed which is really annoying.

I think Melmetal is a great Pokemon but I honestly don't understand how a monster like this is allowed in the format.

Probably other type have some counters but this thing still KO the majority of the cast with Choice Band and Double Iron Bash. Obviously I'm missing something here

Thanks for your help :)

 

[Mada]

Hello !

I'm wondering how am I supposed to deal with Melmetal with mono ice?

I think the most damage I can make to him is with Darmanitan but if I'm not band it just doesn't kill.

The Melmetal always kill minimum 2 mons of my team before being KOed which is really annoying.

I think Melmetal is a great Pokemon but I honestly don't understand how a monster like this is allowed in the format.

Probably other type have some counters but this thing still KO the majority of the cast with Choice Band and Double Iron Bash. Obviously I'm missing something here

Thanks for your help :)

Hello, i'm not directly an ice player but i played it for a bit and basically i checked him with Rocky Helmet Cloyster. Usually for steel subroost kyurem is kinda scary, and when melm comes in I just switch on the Cloyster and let him take some nice chip. A lot of people runs HDB on cloy but i think Rocky Helmet can be a great move, especially for steel types like indeed Melm.

CALCS

Cloyster VS Melm

252+ Atk Iron Fist Melmetal Double Iron Bash (2 hits) vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Cloyster: 132-156 (43.4 - 51.3%) -- approx. 1.2% chance to 2HKO

Weavile vs Melm

252 Atk Choice Band Weavile Low Kick (120 BP) vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Melmetal: 272-322 (57.3 - 67.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 Atk Weavile Low Kick (120 BP) vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Melmetal: 182-216 (38.3 - 45.5%) -- guaranteed 3HKO

Mamo vs Melm

252+ Atk Choice Band Mamoswine Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Melmetal: 396-468 (83.5 - 98.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

252 Atk Life Orb Arctozolt Bolt Beak (170 BP) vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Melmetal: 220-261 (46.4 - 55%) -- 65.2% chance to 2HKO

As u said, mons like Gdarm can try to deal massive damage but they just can't OHKO + Melm could potentially scout the move and switch into the immunity core. So at the end of the day i think Cloyster is the one which handles Melm better, which can barely avoid 2HKO and chip him a lot, putting him in range of things like Bolt Beak Arctozolt, while pivotting arround with Teleport.

I also think Melm is a really strong mon which can deal crazy damage and take a lot of hits but i woudln't say he's banworthy

 

[Wagev]

Hello, i'm not directly an ice player but i played it for a bit and basically i dead with him with Rocky Helmet Cloyster. Usually for steel subroost kyurem is kinda scary, and when melm comes in I just switch on the Cloyster and let him take some nice chip. A lot of people runs HDB on cloy but i think Rocky Helmet can be a great move, especially for steel types like indeed Melm.

CALCS

Cloyster VS Melm

252+ Atk Iron Fist Melmetal Double Iron Bash (2 hits) vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Cloyster: 132-156 (43.4 - 51.3%) -- approx. 1.2% chance to 2HKO

Weavile vs Melm

252 Atk Choice Band Weavile Low Kick (120 BP) vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Melmetal: 272-322 (57.3 - 67.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 Atk Weavile Low Kick (120 BP) vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Melmetal: 182-216 (38.3 - 45.5%) -- guaranteed 3HKO

Mamo vs Melm

252+ Atk Choice Band Mamoswine Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Melmetal: 396-468 (83.5 - 98.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

252 Atk Life Orb Arctozolt Bolt Beak (170 BP) vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Melmetal: 220-261 (46.4 - 55%) -- 65.2% chance to 2HKO

As u said, mons like Gdarm can try to deal massive damage but they just can't OHKO + Melm could potentially scout the move and switch into the immunity core. So at the end of the day i think Cloyster is the one which handles Melm better, which can barely avoid 2HKO and chip him a lot, putting him in range of things like Bolt Beak Arctozolt, while pivotting arround with Teleport.

I also think Melm is a really strong mon which can deal crazy damage and take a lot of hits but i woudln't say he's banworthy

Thank you for your quick answer!

I will probably switch Avalugg for Cloyster then and try what you said :)

 

[WhiteQueen]

You can also give Ninetales the move Grudge and lure Melmetal into killing it using Double Iron Bash, which effectively zeroes out DIB’s PP.

it’ll be a rough matchup no matter what, though.

 

[Wagev]

You can also give Ninetales the move Grudge and lure Melmetal into killing it using Double Iron Bash, which effectively zeroes out DIB’s PP.

it’ll be a rough matchup no matter what, though.

Hmm maybe I could yes but I don't know if it's worth to have this move on Ninetales instead of "encore"

But yeah, like you said it's a difficult matchup

 

[Snapteryx]

I know this thread hasn't been used in a month but is Landorus the only way for mono flying to beat tapu koko? What other mono flying mons could beat tapu koko? (that are still viable since crobat kinda sucks tbh)

 

[Mada]

Usually it depends on the koko set.
Zapdos can eventually stall it with Toxic + Roost,
Dragonite can always dd on it and kill with EQ even tho you usually like to roost and try dd'ing again
Thundurus-T has Volt Absorb and can use Sludge Wave/Bomb which are viable moves

Those should be the most viable / common mons to beat him which also help with Electric overall, but i don't think you should try a Lando-less flying team.
Scarf G-Zapdos could eventually be great, but Stomping Tantrum only does 64-76% to uninvested Koko.

 

[Snapteryx]

Usually it depends on the koko set.
Zapdos can eventually stall it with Toxic + Roost,
Dragonite can always dd on it and kill with EQ even tho you usually like to roost and try dd'ing again
Thundurus-T has Volt Absorb and can use Sludge Wave/Bomb which are viable moves

Those should be the most viable / common mons to beat him which also help with Electric overall, but i don't think you should try a Lando-less flying team.
Scarf G-Zapdos could eventually be great, but Stomping Tantrum only does 64-76% to uninvested Koko.

I'm still using Lando. I just want something to fall back on in case Lando gets worn down overtime.

 

[Dead by Daylight]

With mono-Dark, is Heavy Slam a viable option on Tyranitar to beat Fairy?

 

[Mada]

With mono-Dark, is Heavy Slam a viable option on Tyranitar to beat Fairy?

Heavy Slam is for sure a valid option even tho you prefer it on Dragon Dance Tyranitar, since the other sets usually want to have a stab and the other slots are used for utility / you run STAB + EQ and utility.

 

[JirachiFlinch]

Question, Ive been having success with electric for a little now, but I rarely use magnezone as of late due to the typings im going against. Is he a a must have for an electric team? Or can I possibly swap him with something more offensive possibly, and if so.. who are my choices?

Thanks a ton!

-Rachi

 

[Neko]

Question, Ive been having success with electric for a little now, but I rarely use magnezone as of late due to the typings im going against. Is he a a must have for an electric team? Or can I possibly swap him with something more offensive possibly, and if so.. who are my choices?

Thanks a ton!

-Rachi

He's extremely neat for Electric teams due to its ability to trap Excadrill (in both types), locked into earthquake/rock slide (when using air balloon). His typing also helps electric teams not get run over by something like TR Hatt/Scarf Lele and helps preserve your Koko vs Dragons as it takes a draco/psyshock kinda well. Also Magnet pull traps Klefki, Ferrothorn which makes the Fairy/Steel matchups much easier.

No one can replicate what zone does, unfortunately.

 

[JirachiFlinch]

He's extremely neat for Electric teams due to its ability to trap Excadrill (in both types), locked into earthquake/rock slide (when using air balloon). His typing also helps electric teams not get run over by something like TR Hatt/Scarf Lele and helps preserve your Koko vs Dragons as it takes a draco/psyshock kinda well. Also Magnet pull traps Klefki, Ferrothorn which makes the Fairy/Steel matchups much easier.

No one can replicate what zone does, unfortunately.

Hey Neko :D thanks for the clarification, im definitely keeping him, I was using him wrong for sure! Ive been running lefties on him, is that not the go to?

 

[Neko]

Hey Neko :D thanks for the clarification, im definitely keeping him, I was using him wrong for sure! Ive been running lefties on him, is that not the go to?

its not.

Magnezone @ Air Balloon
Ability: Magnet Pull
EVs: 248 HP / 44 Def / 216 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Substitute
- Iron Defense
- Body Press
- Flash Cannon / Thunderbolt / Magnet Rise

Def evs allow it to survive Exca Eq at +2 Def (in case it isnt choiced)
Speed outspeeds most Heatrans that are defensive + Crawdaunt
Sub to avoid Ferrothorn's leech seed
Flash Cannon for Fairies, Tbolt for just...damage, Magnet Rise allows you to bully exca harder

Edit: It has an analysis btw :o

 

[LuciShrimp]

Alright, so I'm running a Normal team and I am having a lot of trouble with Urshifu. Are there any good checks available? I am running a max HP/Def Braviary with Rocky Helmet, kind of emulating Gen 7 Staraptor, but it doesn't quite do the trick(mainly because it has no Intimidate), here's the set.

Really big bird (Braviary) (M) @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Defiant
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Impish Nature
- U-turn
- Defog
- Roost
- Brave Bird

 

[twinkay]

Alright, so I'm running a Normal team and I am having a lot of trouble with Urshifu. Are there any good checks available? I am running a max HP/Def Braviary with Rocky Helmet, kind of emulating Gen 7 Staraptor, but it doesn't quite do the trick(mainly because it has no Intimidate), here's the set.

Really big bird (Braviary) (M) @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Defiant
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Impish Nature
- U-turn
- Defog
- Roost
- Brave Bird

braviary is about as good as you will get in terms of a switch-in, and ultimately urshifu is going to be hard to deal with using normal without building too crazy. something i've tried is focus sash heliolisk which can lure scarf urshifu and be quite hard for water to deal with in general (as long as you don't int your sash to swampert), but i wouldn't say it's that consistent. there's a few pokemon on normal that can take a hit from scarf urshifu like porygon2 and bewear, and heliolisk should win against band urshifu eventually. i wouldn't worry about finding the perfect switch-in to urshifu on normal, braviary is good enough if you want to use that, and ultimately you should focus on using your own offensive mons to force urshifu into a late game situation where it can't win. hope this helps!

 

[Dead by Daylight]

Should Weakness Policy be considered an option on Tyranitar on Screens Dark?

This is the set in question:

Tyranitar @ Weakness Policy
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Rock Blast / Stone Edge
- Earthquake
- Rock Polish / Dragon Dance
- Crunch

This set seems to compress setting up and coverage well, as being hit by a super-effective attack (which shouldn't be hard, given how many weaknesses Tyranitar has) under screens will probably only do ~25%, upon which you can reach +2 Attack & +2 Speed quickly. Additionally, Sand Stream augments its special bulk, making attacks very survivable. I'm using this set and it's given me great success.

 

[Neko]

Should Weakness Policy be considered an option on Tyranitar on Screens Dark?

This is the set in question:

Tyranitar @ Weakness Policy
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Rock Blast / Stone Edge
- Earthquake
- Rock Polish / Dragon Dance
- Crunch

This set seems to compress setting up and coverage well, as being hit by a super-effective attack (which shouldn't be hard, given how many weaknesses Tyranitar has) under screens will probably only do ~25%, upon which you can reach +2 Attack & +2 Speed quickly. Additionally, Sand Stream augments its special bulk, making attacks very survivable. I'm using this set and it's given me great success.

Rock Polish seems to be too unreliable as you're forced to get hit by a supereffective move and non-boosted TTar hits not too hard. Also, should you want Rock Polish, I'd rather have a Jolly nature than an Adamant one, as at +2, Jolly ttar outspeeds base 95 and below Scarfers (notably G.Darm, Lele, Excadrill), while Adamant only has enough Speed to outpace the whole unboosted metagame (~442 speed).

Weakness Policy + DD + 3 Attacks seems not so bad though as you trade Leftovers + Substitute or Lum Berry survivability for a chance of being super scary. You might want Heavy Slam/Fire Punch over Crunch though as Dark has no shortage of spamming Dark moves while HSlam makes it pretty scary vs Fairy teams and Fire Punch deals with pesky grasses/birds like Ferrothorn and Corviknight. Jolly nature is preferred over Adamant though as you don't want to get outsped and nuked by Garchomp and Gengar at +1. The downside of not having Substitute though is that you cannot use passive stuff like no Body Press Slowbro, Toxapex, and Weezing-Galar as setup fodder though.

Ttar is unfortunately quite slow though, so its prone to get revenge killed by Scarfers (and fast mons) such as Galarian Zapdos, Landorus-T, and Zeraora We also didnt consider that some mons like Urshifu-R, Zeraora, Barraskewda, and Tapu Bulu that OHKOs it even behind screens.

under screens will probably only do ~25%,

also this is kinda misguided, most special supereffective hits I checked while doing this dealt way more than that. Stuff like SubRoost Kyurem wouldnt dare stay in against you, and neither do weaker special attackers like Alolan Ninetales, Tapu Fini, and Tapu Koko because DD ttar is really scary.

Calcs

252 SpA Life Orb Sheer Force Nidoking Earth Power vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Tyranitar in Sand through Light Screen: 125-148 (36.6 - 43.4%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
252+ SpA Life Orb Raichu-Alola Focus Blast vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Tyranitar in Sand through Light Screen: 203-239 (59.5 - 70%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 SpA Thundurus-Therian Focus Blast vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Tyranitar in Sand through Light Screen: 190-224 (55.7 - 65.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 SpA Tapu Lele Focus Blast vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Tyranitar in Sand through Light Screen: 174-206 (51 - 60.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

 

[Snapteryx]

Why is there a new sample teams thread? Did something happen with the old one?

 

[style.css]

Why is there a new sample teams thread? Did something happen with the old one?

The previous sample thread was outdated so the new one was created with more up to date teams. I'm also taking over the project from the previous owner.