SS LC Choice Scarf Archen + Drilbur Offense

RMT Staff

archetype
is an official Team Rater



Introduction

New innovations continue to appear in SS LC, and this team is centered around two of those innovations: Choice Scarf Archen and Drilbur. The so-called "DrilChen" archetype was first popularized by Scottie in his LC Open run and has continued to evolve. In this rendition of the archetype by wesh papillon, Choice Scarf Archen is supported by various pivots and entry hazard setters in order to better facilitate its wallbreaking and late-game cleaning. Drilbur is the team's best answer into Koffing, and it can help the team win the entry hazard war against Natu, a promient fixture in the current metagame. The team also employs another uncommon Pokemon in Larvesta to handle difficult matchups into Grookey and Fighting-types, which is great for Archen. The team is rounded off by the trio of Mienfoo, Natu, and Ferroseed, which form a solid defensive core and provide additional utility. Overall, the team highlights the strengths of Archen and Drilbur and does great to minimize their weaknesses.

In-Depth

:ss/archen:
Archen @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Defeatist
Level: 5
EVs: 76 HP / 180 Atk / 196 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Dual Wingbeat
- Knock Off / Rock Blast
- Earthquake
- U-turn


The First Bird Pokemon is a versatile offensive threat with a massive Attack and great coverage. Choice Scarf makes it even more threatening, outspeeding foes like Abra and Diglett as well as boosted threats like +1 Carvanha, Dragon Dance Tyrunt, and Choice Scarf Porygon. Flying STAB is one of the best in LC due to its few resistances, and Dual Wingbeat poses a threat to common foes like Mienfoo and Grookey. Archen can utilize Knock Off early-game to soften bulky walls like Ferroseed, Koffing, and Mareanie to facilitate a late-game sweep or be more deadly offensively with Rock Blast, which also allows it to bypass activating Flame Body from Larvesta and Ponyta and Effect Spore from Morelull. Earthquake is Archen's best way to pressure the few Flying-resistant foes in Pawniard, Magnemite, and Onix. U-turn finally rounds out the set and turns Archen into a capable pivot that generates momentum for its fellow teammates, which particularly synergizes with the sheer amount of pivots on the team. If Archen has any weaknesses, it might be its ability Defeatist. Dropping below 50% HP drastically reduces Archen's offensive potential, which is why the team is set up with a solid defensive core and plenty of entry hazard prevention to support it.

:ss/drilbur:
Drilbur @ Eviolite
Ability: Mold Breaker
Level: 5
EVs: 116 HP / 76 Atk / 196 Def / 120 Spe
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Rock Tomb
- Rapid Spin


Defensive Drilbur is one of most interesting recent developments in LC. Its Ground typing is pivotal for checking Koffing and threats like Tyrunt, and its ability Mold Breaker lets Drilbur be one of the few Pokemon that is able to set Stealth Rock against the prominent Natu. However, Drilbur lacks a source of recovery, making it only fit on specific teams such as this team. Earthquake is generally a strong attack to use against foes like Mienfoo, Koffing, and Ponyta, chipping them down or outright KOing them. Drilbur can utilize Rock Tomb to weaken Ground-immune and -resistant foes like Natu, Air Balloon Diglett, and Grookey; the Speed drop is also beneficial for Drilbur's teammates, helping them avoid crucial Speed ties. Rapid Spin makes Drilbur one of the best entry hazard removers in LC due to its potent matchup into common setters like Pawniard; entry hazard prevention is very crucial on this team because Archen and Larvesta are very susceptible to Stealth Rock. The EVs are relatively simple; maximum Defense investment gives Drilbur a better matchup into foes like Pawniard and Onix, and the Speed EVs let it outspeed Koffing and Mareanie.

:ss/mienfoo:
Mienfoo @ Eviolite
Ability: Regenerator
Level: 5
EVs: 196 Def / 36 SpD / 236 Spe
Jolly Nature
- High Jump Kick
- Knock Off
- U-turn
- Fake Out


Mienfoo is arguably the best Pokemon in LC, and it is often a difficult choice to not use it on every team. It has the perfect balance of offense, defense, and utility to complement any team. On this team, its powerful High Jump Kick is crucial to handle Steel-types like Ferroseed and Pawniard as well as Onix so Archen can freely utilize Dual Wingbeat. Knock Off and U-turn provide solid utility; the former softens up bulky Poison-types like Koffing and Mareanie as well as foes like Staryu and opposing Mienfoo, while the latter enables Mienfoo to garner offensive momentum and generate good matchups for teammates like Archen, Drilbur, and Natu. Fake Out is the team's only source of priority and furthers contributes to Mienfoo's utility by letting it revenge kill weakened threats, which is especially useful in end-game scenarios, and stall out Grassy Terrain turns. On the defensive side, Mienfoo's bulk and Regenerator are crucial in its longevity and let it be utilized in multiple ways, whether as a way to scout attacks, trade blows with opposing Fighting-types, or just sponge up neutral hits. Mienfoo also hits the crucial 17 Speed tier with this EV spread, which is crucial into matchups against Natu, Grookey, and opposing Mienfoo.

:ss/larvesta:
Larvesta @ Eviolite
Ability: Flame Body
Level: 5
EVs: 76 HP / 236 Def / 156 SpD
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- U-turn
- Flare Blitz
- Will-O-Wisp
- Morning Sun


Defensive Larvesta is a role compression Pokemon that serves multiple purposes on this team. Firstly, it fulfills the defensive role of checking Fighting-types. Secondly, Larvesta also checks Grookey, which can threaten Archen and Drilbur with Grassy Glide. These two roles are made possible by Larvesta's typing, which gives it crucial resistances to both Fighting and Grass, and ability Flame Body, which punishes contact moves. Flame Body is a hit-or-miss ability that has game-changing consequences; for example, burning Mienfoo can leave it incapable of breaking this team's defensive core, while burning a foe like Carvanha or Tyrunt can deny their sweeping opportunities. Will-O-Wisp and Morning Sun further add on to Larvesta's status as a pest and give it a more consistent way to burn and good recovery, letting it continually check those meta-defining threats. Lastly, Larvesta's offensive movepool is crucial to supporting Archen in its success. It can safely pivot the bird in with U-turn and threaten Steel-types with Flare Blitz. With this EV spread, Larvesta can better check Fighting-types and Grookey and be slower than Mareanie, letting it slow pivot in teammates safely. When using Larvesta, it is important to keep Stealth Rock off the field to increases its effectiveness.

:ss/ferroseed:
Ferroseed @ Eviolite
Ability: Iron Barbs
Level: 5
EVs: 84 HP / 36 Atk / 188 Def / 4 SpA / 148 SpD / 36 Spe
Sassy Nature
- Giga Drain
- Knock Off
- Spikes
- Explosion / Revenge


A Steel-type is a necessity on almost any LC team, and Ferroseed is one of two premier Steel-types in LC. Its typing is crucial to check threats like Porygon, Abra, and Staryu, which are capable of shredding this team offensively. Giga Drain lets it threaten Water- and Ground-types like Staryu, Carvanha, and Diglett. Knock Off is incredibly useful for generally weakening threats like Mienfoo, Mareanie, and opposing Ferroseed; with 36 Attack EVs, Ferroseed can better pressure one of its main switch-ins in Natu with Knock Off. Spikes is one of the reasons to use it over Pawniard, and it is crucial on this team to chip down grounded foes, opening up opportunities for all of Ferroseed's teammates. It is also easier for Ferroseed to set Spikes against Natu because Drilbur can reliably pressure it with Stealth Rock. The last moveslot is a bit unconventional, since Ferroseed generally likes to run Thunder Wave for further utility. Instead, Explosion or Revenge is used to give the team some spice and aid in unfortunate matchups for Ferroseed. Explosion is a highly volatile option that sacrifices Ferroseed for a huge amount of damage on threats like Mienfoo, while Revenge is more suitable for luring and KOing Pawniard and giving Ferroseed a better mirror matchup. Both options are also great against Salac Berry Magnemite, as it prevents Magnemite from consistently boosting and outright sweeping this team. The EV spread may seem complex at a glance, but it is relatively simple overall; it lets Ferroseed reach 22 HP / 18 Def / 18 SpD, which is great for its overall mixed bulk.

:ss/natu:
Natu @ Eviolite
Ability: Magic Bounce
Level: 5
EVs: 36 HP / 76 Def / 36 SpA / 156 SpD / 196 Spe
Timid Nature
- Psychic
- Heat Wave
- U-turn
- Roost


From one bird to another, the last one to round out this team is Natu. Natu is the perfect complementary piece to the team's defensive core, serving as a secondary check to Mienfoo, Grookey, and Poison-types while also providing a Ground-immune partner. Its ability Magic Bounce is extremely crucial to this team's success because it denies entry hazards from being set, increasing the longevity of Archen and Larvesta tremendously. This Natu set is pretty standard, with Psychic to capitalize on Poison- and Fighting-types, Heat Wave for Steel-types as well as opposing Natu, and U-turn to round out the pivot core. Natu can take advantage of Roost to consistently check the aforementioned foes. The EV spread ensures that Porygon will not get a Special Attack Download boost, which alleviates some pressure off of Ferroseed.

Threat List

Shellos - Shellos is an incredibly difficult matchup for this team and generally for teams without measures like Grookey and Thunderbolt Porygon. Its item cannot be removed due to Sticky Hold, giving Shellos great bulk, and it has reliable healing in Recover. Curse and Amnesia make it virtually unstoppable for the team to break through, and it gets many opportunities to set up against this team. Ferroseed is also not a consistent way to handle this Pokemon barring critical hits.

Magby - Magby is another difficult matchup for this team, but it is a bit more manageable. It has the tools to dismantle the team with its Belly Drum set, and Fire + Electric + Fighting priority is potent against the team's defensive core. However, the influx of pivots on this team and aggressive maneuvering can prevent Magby from setting up in the first place and sweeping this team.

Mienfoo - Mienfoo is an interesting dilemma for this team. On one hand, it can pressure every Pokemon on this team with High Jump Kick + Knock Off, and it has incredible longevity with Regenerator to consistently continue this assault. On the other hand, Archen outspeeds and KOes it easily, and both Natu and Larvesta can handle it rather effectively.

Tyrunt - On paper, Tyrunt has the capability to handle this team, since it has access to all the necessary coverage moves to threaten every individual member of the team. However, it has to pick between certain coverage moves to remain effective against other matchups, meaning it cannot fit all the moves it wants.

Replays
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8lc-1602992213-ghywvtisw9vh71b0rnijs0j8jz488yhpw (Acehunter1 vs zeriloa, LCPL XI)
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen8lc-637592 (Elfuseon vs dcae, LCPL XI)

Importable
Archen @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Defeatist
Level: 5
EVs: 76 HP / 180 Atk / 196 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Dual Wingbeat
- Knock Off / Rock Blast
- Earthquake
- U-turn

Drilbur @ Eviolite
Ability: Mold Breaker
Level: 5
EVs: 116 HP / 76 Atk / 196 Def / 120 Spe
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Rock Tomb
- Rapid Spin

Mienfoo @ Eviolite
Ability: Regenerator
Level: 5
EVs: 196 Def / 36 SpD / 236 Spe
Jolly Nature
- High Jump Kick
- Knock Off
- U-turn
- Fake Out

Larvesta @ Eviolite
Ability: Flame Body
Level: 5
EVs: 76 HP / 236 Def / 156 SpD
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- U-turn
- Flare Blitz
- Will-O-Wisp
- Morning Sun

Ferroseed @ Eviolite
Ability: Iron Barbs
Level: 5
EVs: 84 HP / 36 Atk / 188 Def / 4 SpA / 148 SpD / 36 Spe
Sassy Nature
- Giga Drain
- Knock Off
- Spikes
- Explosion / Revenge

Natu @ Eviolite
Ability: Magic Bounce
Level: 5
EVs: 36 HP / 76 Def / 36 SpA / 156 SpD / 196 Spe
Timid Nature
- Psychic
- Heat Wave
- U-turn
- Roost

Credits
Created by: wesh papillon
Written by:
DC
Grammar checked by: Astra
Art by: Ticken
 

Users Who Are Viewing This Thread (Users: 1, Guests: 0)

Top