Resource Creative and Underrated Sets

Dr. Phd. BJ

aphasia
is a defending SCL Champion
OMPL Champion
Here are a few Underrated STABmons sets for people to use

Clefable @ Leftovers
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 244 Def / 12 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Calm Mind
- Moonblast
- Recover
- Glare

Clefable usage has been pretty low in stab for quite some time (5.26% usage in omwc). When clef is used, it is usually for Rapid Spin or as an Unaware wall. I recently wanted to experiment with cm clef to see why people never use it. As it turns out, this mon is still an insanely good win condition that devastates a lot of balance builds.
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8stabmons-1466600928


Polteageist-Antique @ Focus Sash
Ability: Weak Armor
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Moongeist Beam
- Stored Power
- Destiny Bond
- Shell Smash

Polteageist is a cool pick on ho builds atm. It matches up really well vs offensive builds that rely on set up and lack priority. This mon can struggle vs dark types such as ttar, but it is a fun pick nonetheless.
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8stabmons-1461128866-vrk4inos9liro5hw35ww3jo3fuz9le5pw
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8stabmons-1460508571-989hb6i9qedclxpof32bdw97p0dnfl9pw


Crawdaunt @ Life Orb
Ability: Adaptability
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Surging Strikes
- Swords Dance
- Sucker Punch
- Knock Off

Crawdaunt is a solid mon at the moment due to how effectively it can break sand builds, and serve as a revenge killer vs some offensive builds. Water/Dark is a pretty spammable typing, and sucker punch is really strong immediate priority. Crawdaunt benefits a lot in a meta with no helmet chomp and tapu bulu.
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8stabmons-1458630516


Inteleon @ Life Orb
Ability: Sniper
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Surging Strikes
- Swords Dance
- Icicle Spear / Ice Shard
- U-turn

Inteleon is a really funny mon with a lot of drip. Inteleon has a great speed tier, and Sniper with SD + Surging Strikes is deceptively strong considering Inteleon's low attack stat.

252 Atk Life Orb Sniper Inteleon Surging Strikes (3 hits) vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Mew on a critical hit: 270-321 (79.1 - 94.1%) -- approx. 2HKO
252 Atk Life Orb Sniper Inteleon Surging Strikes (3 hits) vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Grimmsnarl on a critical hit: 393-474 (99.7 - 120.3%) -- approx. 93.8% chance to OHKO

This mon is really fun if you do not load into a dedicated counter such as Slowbro, Ferrothorn, or Seismitoad. This mon matches up well vs offensive teams and leads pretty safely vs screen builds. I have one replay that showcases Inteleon, but I can't share it for privacy reasons.
 

UT

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Appeals + C&C Lead
in the hills has already provided some great lesser-used AAA sets, and I’m here to throw several more at you!


Terrakion @ Choice Band
Ability: Download
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Close Combat
- Stone Edge
- Megahorn
- Earthquake

Frustrated that your Terrakion just misses several key KOs like Corv? Annoyed that Intrepid Sword is banned? Good news, Discount Intrepid Sword is still free! This set works best on teams with Special pivots like Azelf, Genesect and Tapu Koko to provide it safe switch-ins to Special walls to trigger Download. It is still heavily prediction reliant, but now has the ability to to muscle through Intimidate Corv, Dauntless Shield Mew, and with a little chip, even Dauntless Shield Hippo.


Landorus-Therian (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 248 HP / 200 SpD / 60 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Knock Off
- Bulk Up
- Substitute

Pivots are a common and powerful tool to position your team for victory; this Lando aims to shut down opposing pivots entirely. Already immune to Volt Switch and resistant to U-turn, Water Absorb allows Lando to block Flip Turn as well, meaning no common pivots can break its sub. Once safely behind a sub, Lando is free to set up or fire off Earthquakes and Knock Offs at the normally-frailer mons now tasked with breaking its sub.


Genesect @ Metronome
Ability: Serene Grace
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Iron Head
- Leech Life
- Blaze Kick
- Shift Gear

Skill is overrated, just flinch your opponent to death! With Shift Gear and a resistance to common priority moves, it’s not hard for Gene to be the fastest mon on the field. From there, +1 Iron Head with a 60% flinch chance getting 20% stronger every turn can dismantle teams without a reliable answer. Blaze Kick can help against Heatran and Corv, but they are still annoying for it to try and break.


Nidoqueen (F) @ Black Sludge
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 160 Def / 96 SpD
Impish Nature
- Earthquake
- Super Fang
- Toxic Spikes
- Taunt

Nidoqueen is a fantastic anti-meta pick. It is one of the few reliable switch-ins to both of Terrakion’s STABs, annoys Koko to no end, and it’s access to Toxic Spikes means it can carry its own weight even if the opposing team isn’t carrying any of the mons it’s supposed to check. Super Fang+Taunt also allows it to frustrate common defensive mons such as Corviknight and Magic Bounce Blissey (just Super Fang for Blissey) who might try and deny Toxic Spikes, or keep them at low health for one of your breakers to get by them later.


Darmanitan-Galar @ Life Orb
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Icicle Crash
- Flare Blitz
- U-turn
- Earthquake

XxSevagxX made me post this one, and wanted me to say “monke strong.” Physical Ice resists are uncommon in a meta that heavily relies on Kommo, Corv, and Swampert as physical checks, meaning Darm can often fire off Icicle Crash freely, and it has good coverage and pivoting as well. It is a little slow and vulnerable to revenge killing, but a solid threat none the less.


Tapu Lele @ Grassy Seed
Ability: Unburden
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Moonblast
- Psyshock
- Focus Blast
- Calm Mind

Unburden in general is a fantastic win condition, eliminating a lot of normal counterplay like Scarfers. While everyone knows what a monster Kommo-o is, other Unburden mons like Lele offer their own unique advantages. Thanks to Psyshock, Lele can function as a mixed attacker, and its STABs+Focus Blast have near-perfect coverage. Unlike Kommo, Lele can be at double speed the turn it is sent out, allowing it to “set up” on faster mons, and the Grassy Seed defense boost also aids in set up.

Any other lesser-used or creative AAA sets better than mine? Share them here!
 
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Heracross @ Leftovers
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Spikes
- Knock Off
- Swords Dance
- Close Combat
Nobody uses spikes in AAA which is kind of weird because they're really good. Water Absorb + Ground resist means you can set em on Pert or Skewda teams pretty easily. Knock means you can always annoy their switchin to Heracross, often Corv, and wear em down long term. Only kind of lose to mew as well which is nice, and can check Zarude in a pinch.

Zacian @ Toxic Orb
Ability: Poison Heal
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Coil
- Will-O-Wisp
- Spirit Break
- Taunt

This guy actually beats everything, it's crazy. Unless they crit you ofc, that's always an option. Really great at just shutting down a lot of teams and being able to spread around wisps on steels and whatever can offer great team support, also it's stupid fast. Sometimes a bit prediction reliant though.

Dialga @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Stealth Rock
- Flamethrower
- Rest
- Earth Power

Pressure is kind of a crazy ability in MnM, lets you punish a ton of stuff. Coming in on espeed still does a bunch but when it means they lose 2 PP it's worth it. Sets rocks, doesnt mind volt switch from Eleki, shuts down Kartana and soft checks gene, can really annoy urshifu if you're willing to take risks with prediction, can 1v1 a susprising amount of offensive mons. Draco Meteor is a solid pick to annoy grounds like Groudon and Lando but other moves are usually better atm since it still doesn't beat Kyurem.

Porygon2 @ Eviolite
Ability: Trace
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
- Discharge
- Court Change
- Milk Drink
- Teleport
Trace. Good ability, lets you freely hard in on stuff like Gyarados, Slowking, Pex, etc without a worry. Also great for FlipTurn blocking seismitoed and then teleporting out, or shutting down heatran. Can go spin over CC if you want to set your own hazards. Spread is pretty customizable.
 

in the hills

spreading confusion
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Back again so soon with a few more sets, in a sharing mood this holiday season lol

:ss/ferrothorn:
Ferrothorn @ Leftovers
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Body Press
- Cotton Guard
- Strength Sap
- Toxic
While previously not very highly regarded, Cotton Guard Ferrothorn has definitely been used before in STAB due to Body Press being added. I do think it has some potential to be a relevant set though. Most sets I've seen for it in the past have opted for Grav Apple as its fourth move, but I think Toxic is what makes this set so potent. Setting up on strong attackers while dissuading Fire types from coming in due to Toxic/Body Press is a really nice thing to have on a Pokemon. However, this does come at the cost of being completely susceptible to Gengar and physical defensive Toxapex.

:ss/nihilego:
Nihilego @ Power Herb
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 80 HP / 176 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Meteor Beam
- Sludge Wave
- Grass Knot
- Pain Split
Is this the OU set? yeah, what are you a cop? this set is actually really neat in STABmons as well and can sweep unprepared teams really well. Beast Boost giving +1 Speed after each kill makes it a great way to pick apart offensive builds. It's not fool proof and has quite a lot of checks in the meta, such as Ferrothorn, Magearna, Slowking, and Tyranitar, and is susceptible to priority.

:ss/tornadus-therian:
Tornadus-Therian (M) @ Choice Band
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Dragon Ascent
- U-turn
- Knock Off
- Superpower
Choice Band Tornadus-T is really funny breaker and has pretty solid longevity due to Regenerator. Its damage output is pretty crazy from Dragon Ascent, and its coverage isn't terrible either. Obviously Tornadus-T is best with a defensive or Nasty Plot set, but I think this set has its merit and is worth trying out.

:ss/slowking-galar:
Slowking-Galar @ Assault Vest
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Future Sight
- Acid Spray
- Grass Knot
- Flamethrower
Acid Spray Slowking-Galar is a neat idea to catch switch-ins off guard and force even more switches. Losing Sludge Bomb poisons can stink but I think the extra annoyance to teams is worth it, especially on hazard stack. Grass Knot can probably be substituted for Earthquake/Scald to hit Heatran but Grass Knot is convenient for Seismitoad as well.

:ss/mew:
Mew @ Heavy-Duty Boots / Colbur Berry / Life Orb
Ability: Synchronize
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature / TImid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Psystrike
- Aura Sphere
- Nasty Plot
- Roost
NP Mew is pretty neat right now as a bulkier offensive Psychic type that still keeps a solid speed tier. Its item is really customizable and the nature really only depends on whether you want to maximize power or outpace non-Scarf Tapu Lele.

:ss/mienshao:
Mienshao @ Life Orb
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Thunderous Kick
- U-turn
- Knock Off
- Poison Jab / Blaze Kick
Funny offensive Regenerator mon with Thunderous Kick to annoy teams even more. It's a little slow for an offensive Pokemon but it has a ton of tools to almost always do something in a matchup. Poison Jab is probably best to hit Tapu Lele and Clefable, while Blaze Kick hits Buzzwole.

:ss/gastrodon:
Gastrodon @ Leftovers
Ability: Storm Drain
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Thousand Waves
- Surging Strikes
- Recover
- Curse
Pretty sure I've posted about this set on Swampert in the past, but I think Gastrodon's ability to block Flip Turn is really nice with opposing Gastrodon and Seismitoad relying on it so heavily. Pretty simple set overall, the Water move is pretty customizable depending on what you want.

Hit send on this post too early so I'm gonna cut it off here, enjoy! Happy holidays and such
 

a loser

I'm a loser, baby, so why don't you kill me?
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Been doing some BH ladder runs with randomly picked pokemon and have come across some mons that I never would have picked. Gonna share some that seem to have interesting places in the meta.


Lanturn @ Toxic Orb
Ability: Poison Heal
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 0 Spe
- Glare
- Volt Switch
- Baneful Bunker
- Scald

A pivot with a nice typing to mega-resist Anchor Shot and status anyone with burns, para, or poison. Being naturally immune to paralysis is also nice. You can change up Glare for something like entry hazards if you need but just have to watch out for random Magic Bounce. This mon's HP is really nice but its defense stats really aren't great so it does get worn down quite easily so Baneful Bunker or another protect clone is mandatory to get recovery.
Here it is in action showing off enough bulk to take hits from Eternatus and Xerneas while being a pain in the butt.
Longer one but Lanturn is the MVP burning Zama-C and Regigigas who would otherwise be terrors to the team and pivoting on everyone else.
1640713375935.png



Sandslash-Alola @ Assault Vest
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Careful Nature
- Glacial Lance
- Sunsteel Strike
- U-turn
- Nuzzle

This mon isn't amazing but it was cool enough to at least give a shoutout to. It paired very well with the above Lanturn set which was neat and it is basically the same set Zama-C runs sometimes but you get STAB on both the big attacks. This mon dies quicker to Fire and Fighting coverage though so you need to watch out, but you can really pester guys like Tina and Etern after they've been paralyzed. You can see this in action in the above replays.


Articuno-Galar @ Life Orb
Ability: Triage
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Nasty Plot
- Oblivion Wing
- Psystrike / Photon Geyser / Future Sight
- Quiver Dance / Earth Power / Leech Seed

When in doubt, run Triage. If things go well enough for you the Triage mon can cheese out a win and Articuno-Galar has neat STABs that allow it to play around with different Psychic moves and mess with various potential checks. I tried out NP + QD so that I could have a fast Psystrike and tank some hits in a pinch but there are several coverage options available depending on your improof. I don't have many good replays of this because the rest of my team is terrible. Here's at least one though to see it in action.


Magnezone @ Assault Vest
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD
Sassy Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Doom Desire
- Volt Switch
- Spectral Thief
- Nuzzle

This is my improof to the double dance version. Psystrike gets a little sketchy at +4 or more but you can steal boosts before it gets out of hand and annoy Imposter with Nuzzle and stuff. This mon would be pretty cool if it weren't for Groudon and Zyg-C existing. It can check Xern and Etern decently but can easily die to random coverage.

Type in "/randpoke 6, fe" in the PS! chat to get a team for yourself and try it out! It definitely gives you some interesting teambuilding ideas. (If you have more questions about the rules and goal of the challenge just ask me)
 

hayedenn

forgotten me already?
is a Community Contributoris a Contributor to Smogon
gonna post some sets ive been enjoying the past few months :)

Mix and Mega
:ss/mew:
Mew @ Manectite / Sablenite / whatever
Ability: Synchronize
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 0 Spe
- Imprison
- Infestation
- Transform
- Teleport / Flip Turn

This set is VERY inconsistent, BUT it can be really neat in some scenarios where you're trying to trap a troublesome wall, especially if you're going up against fatter teams that lack pivots. I haven't really been able to make this set work because MnM is very offensive now and if you don't get a good matchup this mon is completely useless, however it can occasionally be very funny.

:ss/tornadus-therian:
Tornadus-Therian (M) @ Manectite
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 160 HP / 96 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Nasty Plot
- Hurricane
- Heat Wave
- U-turn

Tornadus-T is something in MnM that is honestly for the most part not good. However, it is carried by the fact that A) Regenerator is ALWAYS good, and B) it is very fast. Coupled with those aspects and a very solid boosting move + STAB, you can sometimes put work in against offensive teams that lack ways to outspeed and revenge-kill you. The main issue with this set is that you basically never want to mega, however Manectite can be useful in some scenarios where you desire the extra speed + Intimidate, so it's never completely useless. Moreso this set is just...situational

:ss/slowbro:
Slowbro @ Sablenite / Manectite
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Slack Off
- Iron Defense
- Body Press
- Scald / Teleport

I used this set around Swiss last year to some degree of success, and I've decided to revive it because honestly there are way too many set-up mons at the moment. I know a Slowbro set without Teleport seems absolutely insane, but the idea behind this set is that you're able to check Setup SR users (Groudon/Rhyperior) to a better degree than a Pokemon like Milotic would be able to. ID + BPress is really cool in that you can also act as a pseudo-wincon, as with Sablenite you're able to dodge (non-Moldy) status and have very strong Body Presses. Mane is also a solid option as you can directly switch Slowbro in on a Swords Dance and not be as concerned about having taken too much chip damage and getting 2HKO'd like Sablenite sometimes struggles with. Overall, a very neat set that I think has solid utility in the metagame.

Godly Gift
:ss/volcanion: (Speed)
Volcanion @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Steam Eruption
- Flamethrower
- Earth Power
- Toxic

I have honestly found putting Volcanion in, for example, Zamazenta Speed to be a little bit broken (not like, ban-worthy broken but just a bit cracked). Fire + Water coverage offensively is fantastic in GG, and Earth Power is a great option to round out the coverage (you could alternatively run Sludge Bomb/Focus Blast/idk if u want). Toxic is last so you have a way to put stuff like Slowking on a timer, but you could alternatively use Substitute. Volcanion can at times be a bit weak, but it has a great niche as an anti-offense Pokemon that has more good matchups than not.

:ss/Zamazenta-Crowned:
Zamazenta-Crowned @ Rusted Shield
Ability: Dauntless Shield
EVs: 252 HP / 104 SpD / 152 Spe
Careful Nature
- Howl
- Close Combat
- Behemoth Bash
- Crunch

The main "creative" part of this set is the spread. I kind of hate Zama-C in Godly Gift. It's pretty weak, it's movepool is barren, and it doesn't really ever seem to do much. I combined the two aspects of Zama that I really like, it's solid defenses and typing as well as it's moderate offensive capabilities, to make this weird fusion of a specially-defensive offensive Zamazenta? It honestly works to a certain degree, as much as Zama-C can feasibly work, as a decent special wall that can hit back with its decent STABs. It isn't an amazing set, but it does function as a decent glue mon.

:ss/Slurpuff: (SpA)
Slurpuff @ Electric Seed
Ability: Unburden
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Calm Mind
- Draining Kiss
- Flamethrower
- Surf

I honestly love this set. I originally looked to try out Attack-slot Slurpuff and I found it to be really underwhelming. I scoped out its movepool some and noticed that it has a VERY good special movepool, so I put together a funny E-Terrain Pheromosa offense with this in the SpA slot. It's a very solid sweeper, especially into balance and offense, and it has surprising bulk on the physical side. Overall, it's able to cheese out some very funny wins and Draining Kiss continues to prove to me that it is a busted move (sometimes).

:ss/pangoro: (Speed)
Pangoro @ Life Orb
Ability: Mold Breaker
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant / Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Knock Off
- Close Combat
- Gunk Shot

Pangoro was something I came up with when I was just really tired of facing Pigeons-stall and I needed a Moldy-mon to make progress on my HO team. This set I paired with Pheromosa-speed to make a fearsom wallbreaker. Pangoro has a fantastic Attack-stat, and paired with its great dual-STABs and fantastic coverage in Gunk Shot, it worked to a solid degree. I think out of all of the Mold Breaker mons at our disposal, Pangoro is my favorite. It isn't super strong before an Attack boost, but it always seems to be able to do something in a game.
 
Here's a BH set I've been using recently:

:ss/zygarde-complete:
Zygarde-Complete @Terrain Extender
Ability: Misty Surge
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpD
IVs: 0 Atk / 0 Spe
Relaxed/Sassy Nature
- Teleport / U-turn
- Knock Off / Metal Burst
- Entrainment
- Shore Up

Misty Terrain happens to counter several prominent elements of the BH meta, namely Poison Heal, Nuzzle, and Dragons. Zygarde-Complete benefits greatly from Misty Terrain weakening Dragon moves, so that's what I put it on. Misty Terrain enables situations that are pretty hilarious, such as Kyurem-Black beating almost every Eternatus set 1v1. Teleport helps generate momentum, U-turn is an alternative if you're afraid of Taunt. Knock Off helps to really screw over Poison Heal mons, Metal Burst can also work to deter certain attackers if Knock Off support isn't necessary or if you're having trouble improofing Knock Off. Entrainment can set up Misty Terrain if it happens to run out in addition to getting rid of the opposing mon's Ability. Shore Up provides recovery. Try to be careful around all the Glacial Lances and Pixilate Boombursts going around; great defensive Synergy with a Steel of your choice.

Here's a replay of this set in action:
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8balancedhackmons-1555072350
 
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A set for AAA that I find very underrated-
:ss/latios:
Latios (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Sheer Force
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Ice Beam
- Mystical Fire/Calm Mind
- Psychic/Agility/Roost/Psyshock
- Thunderbolt

This thing is a crazy wallbreaker. Ice Beam and Thunderbolt provide unresisted coverage. Calm Mind + Psychic is preferred although any combination of moves works. The only threats are faster/scarfed/priority mons, especially those with a super-effective move against Latios, and Blissey/Chansey. Psyshock, though not boosted by Sheer Force, can be run to beat Blissey. Unfortunately, it does not get a good special dragon move that is boosted by Sheer Force. You are almost always going to be able to get one Calm Mind off. Psychic surge Azelf is a great partner for Latios, as it is no longer not grounded and gets the boost from psychic surge and is immune to priority (thanks to UT for the suggestion). Shadow Ball can be run to defeat opposing ghosts and non choice scarf Tapu Lele (Triage Draining Kiss does not OHKO, but Shadow Ball from Latios does). Aura Sphere can be used to defeat Ferrothorn (does 62.7 - 74.7% to max SpD plus nature Ferrothorn at +1). With the correct set, any wall can crumble in front of it.

Calcs-
+1 252 SpA Life Orb Sheer Force Latios Ice Beam vs. 252 HP / 248+ SpD Hippowdon: 442-520 (105.2 - 123.8%) -- guaranteed OHKO

+1 252 SpA Life Orb Sheer Force Latios Psychic vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Toxapex: 416-494 (136.8 - 162.5%) -- guaranteed OHKO

+1 252 SpA Life Orb Sheer Force Latios Thunderbolt vs. 248 HP / 252 SpD Corviknight: 437-515 (109.5 - 129%) -- guaranteed OHKO (though Ice Beam does more than half and is always preferred, in case it is Volt Absorb, same for Skarmory, although it rarely runs Volt Absorb)

vs Sample Set Regen Tapu Fini
+1 252 SpA Life Orb Sheer Force Latios Thunderbolt vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Tapu Fini: 398-468 (115.6 - 136%) -- guaranteed OHKO

vs Sample Set Mew-
+1 252 SpA Life Orb Sheer Force Latios Ice Beam vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Mew: 250-294 (61.8 - 72.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery (0 SpA Mew Ice Beam vs. +1 0 HP / 0 SpD Latios: 80-96 (26.5 - 31.8%) -- guaranteed 4HKO, also beats Cosmic Power Mew with atleast one Calm Mind up)

vs Sample Set Unaware Mandibuzz-
+1 252 SpA Life Orb Sheer Force Latios Ice Beam vs. 248 HP / 108 SpD Unaware Mandibuzz: 309-367 (73 - 86.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO (0- Atk Mandibuzz Foul Play vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Latios: 174-206 (57.8 - 68.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO, but since Latios moves first, it should win this)

+1 252 SpA Life Orb Sheer Force Latios Ice Beam vs. 248 HP / 252+ SpD Assault Vest Silvally-Dragon: 250-294 (63.6 - 74.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO (Silvally can't damage back as u-turn does 38.5 - 45.8%)

Shadow Ball variants vs Tapu Lele-
Without CM,
252 SpA Life Orb Sheer Force Latios Shadow Ball vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Tapu Lele: 263-309 (93.5 - 109.9%) -- 62.5% chance to OHKO (252+ SpA Life Orb Triage Tapu Lele Draining Kiss vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Latios: 218-257 (72.4 - 85.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO)

Mystical Fire CM Latios vs AV Jirachi-
+1 252 SpA Life Orb Sheer Force Latios Mystical Fire vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Assault Vest Jirachi: 203-239 (50.2 - 59.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO (U-Turn doesn't do enough (40.5 - 47.8%), and it dies after coming in the 3rd time)

Psyshock can out recover Blissey, especially in Psychic Terrain
+1 252 SpA Life Orb Latios Psyshock vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Blissey: 464-546 (64.9 - 76.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
+1 252 SpA Life Orb Latios Psyshock vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Blissey in Psychic Terrain: 601-707 (84.1 - 99%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

Blissey also can't switch in on a Psychic in Psychic Terrain-

+1 252 SpA Life Orb Sheer Force Latios Psychic vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Blissey in Psychic Terrain: 372-438 (52.1 - 61.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

Does less damage to Chansey however-
+1 252 SpA Life Orb Latios Psyshock vs. 248 HP / 252+ Def Eviolite Chansey in Psychic Terrain: 441-519 (62.7 - 73.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

+1 252 SpA Life Orb Sheer Force Latios Thunderbolt vs. 248 HP / 252+ SpD Scizor: 207-244 (60.3 - 71.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO (Bullet Punch does 32.2 - 38.2%, but U-turn (75.7 - 89.7%) does a lot, since they are usually Primordial Sea/Flash Fire, Mystical Fire sets can't do much against it)

Non Mystical Fire Latios vs AV Jirachi-
+1 252 SpA Life Orb Sheer Force Latios Thunderbolt vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Assault Vest Jirachi: 120-142 (29.7 - 35.1%) -- 14.6% chance to 3HKO (Although Roost variants can Roost off any damage Jirachi can throw at it)

Non Shadow Ball Latios vs Tapu Lele-
vs unboosted Triage Tapu Lele, there's a 4.7% chance Latios wins, obviously dies to scarf

Non Aura Sphere Latios vs Ferrothorn-
+1 252 SpA Life Orb Sheer Force Latios Ice Beam vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Ferrothorn: 161-191 (45.7 - 54.2%) -- 5.1% chance to 2HKO after Leftovers recovery (Knock Off does 52.4 - 62.4%, then 35.2 - 41.7%)
 
Last edited:

hayedenn

forgotten me already?
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i back

AAA
:ss/darmanitan-galar: / :ss/darmanitan-galar-zen:
Darmanitan-Galar @ Salac Berry
Ability: Zen Mode

EVs: 20 HP / 252 Atk / 216 Def / 20 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Belly Drum
- Icicle Crash
- Earthquake
- Substitute

Yeah Drum Kommo-o might be dead, but how about this monster? What makes Zen-mode Garmanitan threatening is not only its raw power, but also its surprise factor. An issue I have had with BellyBurden Garmanitan is just how weak it seems at times. With its +20 base attack going from Base -> Zen, this set is able to net 2hkos on Unaware Mandibuzz and still be very threatening without having clicked Drum. Zen Garmanitan's high base speed means it also doesn't need heavy speed investment, letting you invest a lot of EVs into defense so you can set up on stuff like Pixie Koko behind screens.

:ss/charizard:
Charizard @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Unburden
EVs: 100 HP / 252 Atk / 156 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Belly Drum
- Fire Punch
- Acrobatics
- Earthquake

Similar to Zen Garmanitan, with stuff like Prank/Unaware seeing less usage now, stuff like Drum is ironically better in a lot of ways with the Kommo-o ban. I did not come up with this Zard set (s/o UT who had brought it to my attention a few months ago), but I have rather started using it some now and I think it's particularly underrated. It has enough bulk to be able to set up consistently and it has the coverage to be a real menace as well. It hard flops vs prank/unaware but if you run into teams without any of those, it can be a very free win.

Here's a team I made with both of these sets https://pokepast.es/710ec1de4e4ac95f

:ss/blissey:
Blissey (F) @ Eject Button
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 12 HP / 252 Def / 244 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Soft-Boiled
- Teleport
- Seismic Toss
- Stealth Rock

I have used both Eject Button Blissey and Tapu Fini to good effect the past few weeks. They do struggle a bit versus faster offensive threats such as Tapu Koko but the ability to switch into a strong attack and immediately pivot out is fantastic when paired with strong breakers such as Primordial Sea Inteleon, Desolate Land Chandelure, and Adaptability Zydog. Regenerator lets you immediately heal off that damage while giving you momentum, and while you lose the ability to run Boots, if you're able to nab a KO it doesn't matter all that much.

:ss/mew:
Mew @ Leftovers / Choice Scarf
Ability: Magic Bounce
EVs: 248 HP / 240 Def / 20 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Ice Beam
- Trick
- Volt Switch
- Roost

Tl;dr I was tired of getting owned by Spikes Trick RegenScarf Mew so I started teching Trick onto my Bounce Mew, and while it can be a bit of dead weight at times, the ability to actually Bounce hazards instead of just getting crippled is very nice. You can also run Scarf and then trick as well but like, if they just keep switching their own Scarf Regen Gene/Mew in on you it is really lame.

:ss/raikou:
Raikou @ Magnet
Ability: Electric Surge
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Calm Mind
- Rising Voltage
- Volt Switch
- Scald

When paired with Koko this forms a very nice Electric-spam core where you can just bypass each other's checks like Ferro/Bliss and threaten Grounds with a Burn.

:ss/suicune:
Suicune @ Leftovers
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 Spe <- u can also go with a bulkier spread this is just the one TNM used
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Substitute
- Calm Mind

- Scald
- Roar / Weather Ball

Fat water-type that isn't weak to Cinderace and can threaten progress at all times with SubCM and Scald. Roar lets you just be a nuisance while Weather Ball lets u actually 1v1 DesoLand mons

:ss/thundurus:
Thundurus (M) @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Primordial Sea
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Knock Off
- Thunder
- Superpower
- Weather Ball

Zapdos but you trade recovery + Flying STAB for Knock Off + a move to hit Blobs with. LO is probably better than Boots but it requires you have strong removal.

BH
:ss/zekrom:
Zekrom @ Yache Berry
Ability: Fur Coat
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Roost
- Core Enforcer
- Nuzzle
- Spectral Thief

This thing isn't that bulky and is definitely suboptimal in some ways but like, it's a physical wall that isn't crippled by Nuzzle, that has to account for something.

Godly Gift
:ss/torkoal: (SpA)
Torkoal @ Charcoal
Ability: Drought
EVs: 248 HP / 252 SpA / 8 SpD
Quiet Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 0 Spe
- Eruption
- Fire Blast
- Solar Beam
- Earth Power / Body Press

I've been using this on a TR team and it's hella gas. It's the Fire-type version of Araquanid and as long as you don't run into Tyranitar or defensive Kyogre it's very effective. Sun-boosted Eruption OHKOs/2HKOs basically everything, and you have Earth Power/Solarbeam for Heatran and Gastrodon/Seismitoad.

:ss/rillaboom: (SpD)
Rillaboom @ Assault Vest
Ability: Grassy Surge
EVs: 132 Atk / 232 SpD / 144 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Drum Beating
- Grassy Glide
- U-turn
- Knock Off

Been using this on offensive teams as an emergency Kyogre check and it's very solid. AV gives you significant bulk to switch in on Ice Beam/Water Spout at least twice (unless it's Specs but zzzzz) while also still having significant offensive presence. You could run a different Grass STAB or move > Drum Beating but eh, I didn't look too much into it. Maybe HH > Drum Beating

:ss/pheromosa: (God)
Pheromosa @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Lonely Nature
- Close Combat
- U-turn
- Ice Beam
- Throat Chop

Ran this with Lele so you don't get owned by prior (s/o Weavile and Rayquaza). You have crazy speed control while also getting the Beast Boost boost in Attack so you're actually a good sweeper too. Very funny set, especially since it's super unexpected so people will just give u their mons for free.

STAB
:ss/jellicent:
Jellicent (F) @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 252 HP / 140 Def / 116 Spe
Impish Nature
- Recover / Strength Sap
- Taunt
- Scald
- Spirit Shackle

S/o in the hills for telling me Jellicent exists. I'm not sure if this is what he was running but Tl;dr you trap the like 1 billion water-types in STAB and prevent them from switching out/doing anything since u Taunt + Water Absorb. This set was better when Gambit was legal bc you actually walled literally every fighting-type in the tier but even now you still can sit on the NR mons pretty well.

:ss/amoonguss:
Amoonguss @ Black Sludge
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 248 HP / 184 Def / 76 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Sludge Bomb
- Apple Acid
- Strength Sap
- Clear Smog

This set is definitely a bit mid but I enjoy it. Another victim of the Gambit ban unfortunately, but you still mu well into a lot of the fat Waters (bar pex) and Fighting-types. Sap is super spammable and Clear Smog is a god-send. I'm unsure of whether Sludge + Apple Acid is the best combo of moves but they're fairly effective at making moderate progress unless you run into Pex. Corrosive Gas is an option to punish Tornadus-T but having Mono Psn or Grass STAB just feels bad in S-rank Pex meta.
 

cityscapes

Take care of yourself.
is a Tiering Contributoris a Community Contributor Alumnus
a few

:xy/xerneas:
GackGirlTechnology (Xerneas) @ Toxic Orb
Ability: Poison Heal
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Naughty Nature
- Clangorous Soul
- Fleur Cannon
- V-create
- Fishious Rend

its like zacian except you can actually maybe set up multiple times per game and also fleur is pretty decent. if you're experienced building with zacian maybe give this a try. i imposter proofed with pex which i believe is the correct play here.

omni boost ph xern is generally very strong and better than a lot of people give it credit for. some other ideas are no retreat volt switch (this needs rend, otherwise scales don traps you), and no retreat bp moonblast nuzzle which sounds like a fun time. you can also run a clangsoul set with sap. just lots of fun to be had

:xy/lunala:
Jentleman Jamer (Lunala) @ Twisted Spoon
Ability: Fur Coat
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Psystrike
- Roost
- Spikes
- Aromatherapy

this is obviously very silly but it is a real alternative to the fc set that i invented like a year ago and is still somehow in use. so if you wanna use something besides that & still beat all non dark/ghost regis then try this. spin yveltal is the most annoying thing you can face with it i think.


Awoken (Regigigas) @ Silk Scarf
Ability: Simple
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Coil
- Thousand Waves
- Extreme Speed
- Roost

near-impossible to revenge kill once it gets going. horse is a non-issue, espeed is a pain for etern and rend users, imposter gets 10 chances to crit you (be very careful). hard to deal with even if it's paralyzed. silk scarf ensures you have no issue 2hkoing the majority of pranks at +2. the only issues are prank ghosts and topsy zamac (loses if parad).

https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8balancedhackmons-1687480286

:xy/xerneas:
CHAMPION OF GAY (Xerneas) @ Terrain Extender
Ability: Grassy Surge
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Nuzzle
- Nasty Plot
- Moonblast
- Strength Sap

this was a funny guy on one of the teams of all time (featuring the goat soak/power whip/facade/sd ph regi) but in practice it always put in work. nuzzle sd/np is always a deadly combo, as long as your own team isnt lame and slow and poor against para you legit just get free wins. people need to look beyond just slapping this on ph because then you lose to imposter which goes against the entire point of ph. also everyone always runs glare sd arrows ph don which is the worst thing in the world, it kills nothing at +0 and needs golis to imposter proof so you have 2 terrible pokemon and building is generally a depressing affair.

:xy/ho-oh: :xy/celesteela:

Rainbow Wind Chime (Ho-Oh) @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Careful Nature
- Sacred Fire
- Glare
- Teleport
- Defog

On the Horizon (Celesteela) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Bold Nature
- Trick
- U-turn
- Circle Throw
- Defog

Toxapex @ Light Clay
Ability: Regenerator
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD
Sassy Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 0 Spe
- Glare
- Reflect
- Teleport
- Clear Smog

you guys should really get the idea by now. if you want to win every game, use one of these. criminally underrated type of mon that constantly puts in work. the key to their functionality is redundancy--these are almost never mons you outright need, so opponents are hesitant to make trades like getting etern paralyzed to kill them, but then that just lets them stick around the whole game and win every endgame. if you can hard switch this in on an opponent's pivoting move without them being able to force you out, you literally just win. you have to know how to build obviously but with any decent ideas these literally just carry. they also prep super well with imposter which i almost never go without on my serious teams nowadays.

:xy/regigigas:
Regigigas @ Toxic Orb
Ability: Poison Heal
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Facade
- Poltergeist
- Swords Dance
- Force Palm

you can meme so many people with this. poltergeist is still apparently not something people have caught on to yet, you can run force palm on this and still have it be a broken. force palm is for paralyzing grounds and hitting zamac for slightly more than facade. just fantastic stuff all around

https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8balancedhackmons-1699131024

:xy/celesteela:
i drive (2011) (Celesteela) @ Shock Drive
Ability: Triage
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Nasty Plot
- Techno Blast
- Oblivion Wing
- Recover

recover triage is pretty underrated, it saves me vs regigigas all the time when im at +0 and low. give it a try, you won't be disappointed

:xy/reshiram:
sneed (Reshiram) @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Fur Coat
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Blue Flare
- Core Enforcer
- Zap Cannon
- Soft-Boiled

about one out of every 6 games this mon is untouchable so you can literally just stay in clicking the red yellow and blue buttons until you win. you lose to ph xern but beat everyone else.

meta is completely solved at this point. if one of the sides has me on it then that side will win otherwise coinflip
 

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