Monotype Custom Ruleset National Mono Ice Team!

[Epoch5]

I like to run monotype tournaments with my friends and I'm considered the best among them (I'm still not great), so to handicap myself (and to use my favourite type), I use the worst defensive typing in the entire game: Ice. This team went undefeated in the tournament it played in, but it still doesn't feel perfect, what can I do to improve it?

Here are the rules:
Monotype Teams
National Dex AG
No Legendaries/Mythicals
No Starters
No Paradox Forms
No Terastalization

And now, I introduce to you, the Cold Boys:

Arthur (Baxcalibur) (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Thermal Exchange
Tera Type: Dragon
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Crunch
- Earthquake
- Brick Break

I included Baxcalibur to act as a dragon dance sweeper with coverage to check psychic, ghost, poison, and dark types. It has leftovers as it was originally meant to be an ice body defensive heal stall, but was changed to it's offensive build with thermal exchange at the last minute to counter the fire type player (who never ended up playing), but I decided I still needed to keep some survivability. I chose to avoid having glaive rush to preserve survivability, since the only thing dragon is super effective against is dragon, something that the rest of my team counters anyway. Brick Break is there to check dark types, as well as to clear screens, which are very popular in the group I play with.

Big Man (Darmanitan-Galar) (M) @ Salac Berry
Ability: Zen Mode
Tera Type: Ice
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Belly Drum
- Substitute
- Icicle Crash
- Fire Punch

Big Man has become kind of an icon in the group I play with. He's like the mascot of my whole team, and is the thing everybody fears to play against, I had to include him! Darmanitan is an extremely circumstantial, but powerful sweeper, I think I picked him because he's good, but also because he's given me great success in the past. The raw power provided by belly drum + salac berry can end entire teams with the right setup, which can be made easier to pull off by switching in on aurora veil and snow after alolan ninetales has put the opponent to sleep. Icicle crash is an amazing move with STAB, but the 90% accuracy has bitten me in the ass before, and fire punch is a necessary fire STAB move to check steel types, as well as a great option to use when I don't want to risk missing icicle crash.

Sheldon (Cloyster) (M) @ Focus Sash
Ability: Skill Link
Shiny: Yes
Tera Type: Water
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Icicle Spear
- Shell Smash
- Razor Shell
- Rapid Spin

Cloyster has the potential to act as a defensive rapid spin, but also with skill link and shell smash can sweep any pokemon that doesn't resist ice. I chose to use razor shell instead of rock blast to check rock and steel types, which icicle spear isn't very effective against. I chose to use focus sash over white herb in order to guarantee a shell smash so I can switch in to pokemon that would usually outspeed or otherwise one-shot cloyster, as well as giving me the option for a free rapid spin instead of using defog.

Kitsune (Ninetales-Alola) @ Light Clay
Ability: Snow Warning
Shiny: Yes
Tera Type: Ice
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Aurora Veil
- Freeze-Dry
- Hypnosis
- Moonblast

Kitsune is my opener more often or not, if I'm not trying to predict and check somebody else's starting pokemon, then I'm using Kitsune. Opening with snow and aurora veil is extremely powerful on a team that's built of solely ice types, increasing the type's defensive viability by a ton. My preferred opening is to use Kitsune, use aurora veil, and then use hypnosis until the opponent's sleeping, then either switch into Big Man to set up and sweep, or switch into Mamoswine and set up rocks if I know they have nothing that can rapid spin or defog. Having a special attacker is nice too, the ability to have freeze-dry to counter water types and moonblast to check fighting and dark types and overall being able to check physically defensive pokemon is immensely valuable to the team.

Snuffleupagus (Mamoswine) @ Life Orb
Ability: Thick Fat
Tera Type: Ice
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Icicle Crash
- Ice Shard
- Earthquake
- Stealth Rock

Mamoswine is one of my favourite pokemon ever, and swinub is my favourite pokemon ever, so combine that with being a generally useful way to check poison and fire types, as well as being able to set stealth rock and use a powerful STAB ice shard and I had to include it. Life orb mamoswine with earthquake gives me the ability to OHKO fire, rock, and steel types, which are very commonly used counters to ice types, providing me with an amazing coverage STAB move which takes down a lot of pokemon that could otherwise easily sweep my team. Thick fat is a great ability which allows me to switch into fire types which could OHKO any other member of the team (other than cloyster, but I need a safer switch into cloyster to set up shell smash, or keep the focus sash to clear hazards)

frij (Rotom-Frost) @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Levitate
Tera Type: Electric
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Blizzard
- Volt Switch
- Defog
- Shadow Ball

Frij is a much safer switch in than cloyster to remove hazards from my side if I haven't set my stealth rocks or have an aurora veil up. Defog also gives me a way to completely nullify the psychic type user's psychic terrain/expanding force team. Having volt switch to quickly escape and also to check water types is very useful to a team that otherwise struggles with water types. Having Shadow Ball and a 100% accurate blizzard with snow is also very useful as a check to physically defensive pokemon that can't be dealt with by Kitsune.

 

[awyp]

Hi Epoch5 , welcome to Smogon! I am locking your RMT for the time being as the forum rules require that you provide at least three lines of descriptions for each Pokemon to explain their roles. Please read the rules carefully and look at Team Showcase to see the detail we require. PM me with updated descriptions, and I will be happy to unlock this. Also, feel free to PM me if you need help or have any question. Have a nice day!

How to PM someone on Smogon

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Why did you choose this Pokemon?
What do the EV spreads do and why do you have it?
What are all 4 moves for?

 

[awyp]

Team is unlocked and updated with descriptions given, I appreciate the timely PM!

 

[Epoch5]

Team is unlocked and updated with descriptions given, I appreciate the timely PM!

Thanks for unlocking the post, and doing it pretty quickly considering how much later I PM'd you!

 

[Epoch5]

bump

 

[SirSly720312]

I would go Glaive Rush over Brick Break because at +1 you outspeed most meta threats. Also rock blast or liquidation over razor shell on cloyster, but otherwise great job!

 

[Epoch5]

I would go Glaive Rush over Brick Break because at +1 you outspeed most meta threats. Also rock blast or liquidation over razor shell on cloyster, but otherwise great job!

Thanks Mate! I'm really proud of the way I build monotype teams, and I'm glad to see that I'm actually good at it and I don't just think I am. I think I'll switch to liquidation on cloyster, since the defence drop from razor shell is rarely useful on sweepers like this Cloyster build. I want to keep brick break for coverage though, as well as screen removal, since my group just loves screens, but an alternative glaive rush build might get tried in the future. Thanks for the feedback!

 

[RoyalReloaded]

Hi Epoch5! You have a pretty cool team, but there are definitely some improvements we can make to improve your team to beat your friends even more. I've never responded to an RMT before but I'm really enjoying monotype this gen so I wanted to help out a bit.



1. Team Structure

You have a pretty solid team structure! However, your team is pretty weak to hazards, which is an inherent flaw of the ice types. I would recommend using Avalugg instead of Rotom as your hazard removal. Avalugg adds a physically defensive wall to your team.

Now, the team lacks a bit of special bulk. For this reason I would recommend replacing Mamoswine with Piloswine. This set allows for Piloswine to set up stealth rocks to support Baxcalibur and Darmanitan, as well as being able to check fire types.



2. Existing Members

The rest of the team members will remain the same, but some of the movesets will be adjusted a bit.

Ninetales has a pretty good moveset and spread already. However, the defensive investment seems a bit unnecessary because of how frail it is already. I think switching to this set would help out. Replacing Hypnosis with Encore allows for Ninetales to force a switch if you lock something in to something like stealth rock. However, if you were to keep Hypnosis instead, I would understand that decision.

Cloyster has a pretty good moveset and spread as well. I would recommend this set. We remove Rapid Spin to free up a move slot, as Avalugg is our spinner now. Rock blast allows you to hit fire types and break substitutes. Liquidation is a lot better than Razor Shell, as it is stronger and has better accuracy. The only down side to Liquidation is that it has a lower chance to lower the defense of the opposing pokemon, however, after a shell smash that will not matter much. I'm not sure if you're allowed to have Z-Moves on your team, but I would recommend this set if you are.

Darmanitan has a decent set as well, but I think this set would be a bit better. This set is more consistent than zen mode, has better coverage and is able to get the speed boost that salac berry provides without having to be at 25% health. This set is a great revenge killer and will definitely help your team out a lot.

Baxcalibur has a good set as well, but we have to update some things about it. This set allows for baxcalibur to switch in on entry hazards and pressure the opposing teams with very powerful moves. Baxcalibur has lots of great sets that it can use - including choice band, choice scarf and loaded dice - but leftovers falls short of these.

3. The Final Team



(click the image for the paste)

I hope this team works out for you! Let me know if you have any questions. I've never responded to an RMT post before, so I hope my explanations and thought process were decent enough!

 

[Epoch5]

Hi Epoch5! You have a pretty cool team, but there are definitely some improvements we can make to improve your team to beat your friends even more. I've never responded to an RMT before but I'm really enjoying monotype this gen so I wanted to help out a bit.



1. Team Structure

You have a pretty solid team structure! However, your team is pretty weak to hazards, which is an inherent flaw of the ice types. I would recommend using Avalugg instead of Rotom as your hazard removal. Avalugg adds a physically defensive wall to your team.

Now, the team lacks a bit of special bulk. For this reason I would recommend replacing Mamoswine with Piloswine. This set allows for Piloswine to set up stealth rocks to support Baxcalibur and Darmanitan, as well as being able to check fire types.



2. Existing Members

The rest of the team members will remain the same, but some of the movesets will be adjusted a bit.

Ninetales has a pretty good moveset and spread already. However, the defensive investment seems a bit unnecessary because of how frail it is already. I think switching to this set would help out. Replacing Hypnosis with Encore allows for Ninetales to force a switch if you lock something in to something like stealth rock. However, if you were to keep Hypnosis instead, I would understand that decision.

Cloyster has a pretty good moveset and spread as well. I would recommend this set. We remove Rapid Spin to free up a move slot, as Avalugg is our spinner now. Rock blast allows you to hit fire types and break substitutes. Liquidation is a lot better than Razor Shell, as it is stronger and has better accuracy. The only down side to Liquidation is that it has a lower chance to lower the defense of the opposing pokemon, however, after a shell smash that will not matter much. I'm not sure if you're allowed to have Z-Moves on your team, but I would recommend this set if you are.

Darmanitan has a decent set as well, but I think this set would be a bit better. This set is more consistent than zen mode, has better coverage and is able to get the speed boost that salac berry provides without having to be at 25% health. This set is a great revenge killer and will definitely help your team out a lot.

Baxcalibur has a good set as well, but we have to update some things about it. This set allows for baxcalibur to switch in on entry hazards and pressure the opposing teams with very powerful moves. Baxcalibur has lots of great sets that it can use - including choice band, choice scarf and loaded dice - but leftovers falls short of these.

3. The Final Team



(click the image for the paste)

I hope this team works out for you! Let me know if you have any questions. I've never responded to an RMT post before, so I hope my explanations and thought process were decent enough!

Oh, I like you, this will definitely be tried out at some point soon, thanks!