Here's my attempt at creating a well-rounded team for the tier. Rest assured, the tier has a lot of potential.
The Team
The Strategy
Boo!
Sableye (M) @ Safety Goggles
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 Def / 252 HP / 4 SDef
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Spikes
- Knock Off
- Spore
While this certainly misses out on the whole Shell Smash Sacred Fire Sacred Sword OP thing, Suicide lead Sableye sets up at least 1 layer of SR and 1 layer of Spikes before going down, and a lot more if the opponent is a bit stupid. This will severely damage the foe's switches. And you can be sure to force a switch with Thundurus around. Thanks to Spore, it can shut down something temporarily, setting up more layers of spikes, while also naturally Spinblocking (Spore also mitigates Defog, by the way. Mandibuzz is an exception here, but it's too useless to be used otherwise). Safety Goggles is for you to make sure that you don't loose a speed tie against another Sableye or avoid a Magic Bounce backfire. Knock Off is for the rare Magic Bouncers and Prankster Taunters quicker than you, like Thundurus or Whimsicott. Prankster Spore + Knock Off can also take down weakened foes late in the game, should Sableye survive upto that (Note though, that setting up those extra layers of Spikes is a lot more important than the chance to Spore something late-game).
Powering Through!
Excadrill (M) @ Lum Berry
Ability: Mold Breaker
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 HP / 4 SDef
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Iron Head
- Earthquake
- ExtremeSpeed
Why Excadrill? Because it KOes all Pranksters with a +2 135 Base ExtremeSpeed. Also, it's naturally immune to T-Wave and Toxic. It doesn't fear a lot of mons, like something with Unaware, Levitate or Multiscale owing to Mold Breaker. Make sure you have that exact ability. Countering this set in this Meta is very difficult, but keep in mind that the investment is in 252 HP and no speed (Only the rare Scarfed Heatran gets to KO you). Spam ExtremeSpeed on anything you can. If something like Gengar comes in, you can usually take a Focus Blast with that bulk and KO it right back with Mold Breaker Earthquake. Things that come close to threatening are few and rare, like 252 HP Medicham and Focus Sash Magic Guard Alakazam. If you don't invest in bulk, you are at the danger of being KOed by a Pure Power STAB Mach Punch (You also lose out on KOing another Excadrill - You won't survive a STAB Earthquake, even with 252 HP, but you can always switch into something else). Prankster WillOWisp and Spore, especially from Sableye, is easily taken care of with a +2 STAB, thanks to the Lum or ExtremeSpeed in case of Whimsicott. Finally, there are quite a few things that just avoid a KO from +2 ExtremeSpeed. So if you can, try to get to +4 (Set up on a Specially Defensive mon like Chansey or Blissey and Unaware Clefable).
Ninja'd
Greninja (M) @ Power Herb
Ability: Protean
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 SAtk / 4 HP
Timid Nature
- Geomancy
- Surf
- Ice Beam
- Giga Drain
As if Protean wasn't powerful enough, now you have Geomancy to push it to the limits. Water/Ice/Grass has amazing coverage. Giga Drain even gives an option for recovery. But never, ever use Geomancy while the opponent still has a Thundurus. With Stealth Rocks up, Thundurus can't make a lot of switches. More importantly, if you have something else that's out with a boost and you predict a Thundurus Topsy Turvy, switch into Greninja and use Ice Beam. I'm not sure why, but almost all the time I've done this, people just stay in and take a Protean Ice Beam in the face (Maybe they think you'd set up Geomancy and they could just use Thunderbolt the first turn and use Topsy Turvy the next). Blissey and Chansey wall the heck out of this, so make sure they're out of the way too, before wasting your Power Herb. A trend I noticed is that, as I advanced in the ladder, I almost never used Geomancy. I used Greninja just to KO things without a boost.
Om Shanthi Shanthi Shanthi:
Medicham (M) @ Medichamite
Ability: Pure Power
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 Atk / 4 SDef
Jolly Nature
- Mach Punch
- High Jump Kick
- Ice Punch
- Fire Punch
Mega Medicham is the one that's going to make a lot of switches. It can easily take care of frequent threats like Excadrill, Greninja, Diggersby, Escavalier and even Thundurus (Mega Medicham is a great switch-in on a Topsy Turvy). Getting Mach Punch from the tier also helps it out a great deal. It also plays the crucial role of resisting Fighting Type moves, which are sure to come your way if you're going to use this team. Zen Headbutt can be use over Fire Punch, but you are at the risk of letting Scizor set up Shell Smash or Escavalier set up Swords Dance. Prankster WilloWisp is an ever-present danger, so don't think you can sweep with Mega Medicham. Just use it to take out threats.
God
Thundurus @ Chill Drive
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 SAtk / 4 Atk
Hasty Nature
- Topsy-Turvy
- Techno Blast
- Thunderbolt
- Superpower
I have nothing to comment on Thundurus, except it's definitely broken. But I understand that without Thundurus, the meta would be even more unstable than it is right now. On the offensive side, as you'd have already figured out, Electric/Ice is a great combination, resisted by only a handful of mons. Superpower is a great move to have on Thundurus, which will put a dent in Chansey/Blissey, Excadrill, Weavile and Mamoswine, all common switch-ins into Thundurus. If you predict right, you can KO them quite easily.
Satan
Weavile (M) @ Lum Berry
Ability: Pickpocket
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 Atk / 4 HP
Jolly Nature
IVs: 30 Atk / 30 SAtk
- Swords Dance
- Knock Off
- Ice Shard
- Poison Jab
If you haven't noticed yet, there's nothing creative about this particular Weavile set. All the moves in there are already learned by it. In fact, the only good move that Weavile gets from the Meta is Water Shurikens (Which can be useful sometimes). But what makes it stand out is the ability to outrun Thundurus and Whimsicott and KO them without taking a Burn/Topsy Turvy, there by retaining a +2 or +4 Attack. It is, in all senses, the Anti-Meta mon of Alphabet Cup (Mamoswine comes close). The Lum is to try and KO Sableye, but a lot of S mons are offensive with Shell Smash (Weavile also beats the famed Shell Smash Salamence) and Sableye is better utilized with SR and Spikes. You definitely have to watch out for it though, as a Defensive Sableye with WilloWisp and Recover will mess you up (You still successfully put a dent in it while Knocking Off its Leftovers, if it has one). Poison Jab is an attempt to take care of Unaware Clefable. Unaware Quagsire is also crippled by Knock Off. Once again, you miss out on the rare Choice Scarf Heatran.
Checks and Counters
Choice Scarf Heatran can check this team provided that Greninja is taken out. The only passable counter is Mega Medicham. Scratch 'passable', Mega Medicham is a huge threat. 100 Base Pure Power is no joke. Then again, there's no feasible way to counter Mega Medicham anyway. The mons that can actually counter Mega Medicham outside the tier, like Cofagrigus, aren't feasible enough to be included in the tier. Otherwise, winning totally depends upon your switches and predictions. For instance, this one time, I predicted too much and got swept by a Shell Smash mixed-attacking Swampert.
Conclusion
I've had good sucess with this team. I'm still making changes, but the team is becoming more and more stable. So if you see minor discrepancies, it's because I've edited wrongly somewhere. I'll keep updating here if I change it. I topped the ladder with this team (My PS Alt is DinaIsha). In short, if you're good at this tier but still finding it difficult to top the ladder, this team might just help you ace it.
Finally, here's the importable text for your Teambuilder. Good Luck! Have fun!
Please do rate my team. I've edited the team over the days and it is not the original team that got me to #1. Well, not exactly. I topped the ABC ladder 3 times and I'd edited my team here and there. This would be the team I'm currently using for the tier. I'm making this RMT to discover a good overall team for the Metagame. Thanks!
The Team
The Strategy
Boo!
Sableye (M) @ Safety Goggles
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 Def / 252 HP / 4 SDef
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Spikes
- Knock Off
- Spore
While this certainly misses out on the whole Shell Smash Sacred Fire Sacred Sword OP thing, Suicide lead Sableye sets up at least 1 layer of SR and 1 layer of Spikes before going down, and a lot more if the opponent is a bit stupid. This will severely damage the foe's switches. And you can be sure to force a switch with Thundurus around. Thanks to Spore, it can shut down something temporarily, setting up more layers of spikes, while also naturally Spinblocking (Spore also mitigates Defog, by the way. Mandibuzz is an exception here, but it's too useless to be used otherwise). Safety Goggles is for you to make sure that you don't loose a speed tie against another Sableye or avoid a Magic Bounce backfire. Knock Off is for the rare Magic Bouncers and Prankster Taunters quicker than you, like Thundurus or Whimsicott. Prankster Spore + Knock Off can also take down weakened foes late in the game, should Sableye survive upto that (Note though, that setting up those extra layers of Spikes is a lot more important than the chance to Spore something late-game).
Powering Through!
Excadrill (M) @ Lum Berry
Ability: Mold Breaker
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 HP / 4 SDef
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Iron Head
- Earthquake
- ExtremeSpeed
Why Excadrill? Because it KOes all Pranksters with a +2 135 Base ExtremeSpeed. Also, it's naturally immune to T-Wave and Toxic. It doesn't fear a lot of mons, like something with Unaware, Levitate or Multiscale owing to Mold Breaker. Make sure you have that exact ability. Countering this set in this Meta is very difficult, but keep in mind that the investment is in 252 HP and no speed (Only the rare Scarfed Heatran gets to KO you). Spam ExtremeSpeed on anything you can. If something like Gengar comes in, you can usually take a Focus Blast with that bulk and KO it right back with Mold Breaker Earthquake. Things that come close to threatening are few and rare, like 252 HP Medicham and Focus Sash Magic Guard Alakazam. If you don't invest in bulk, you are at the danger of being KOed by a Pure Power STAB Mach Punch (You also lose out on KOing another Excadrill - You won't survive a STAB Earthquake, even with 252 HP, but you can always switch into something else). Prankster WillOWisp and Spore, especially from Sableye, is easily taken care of with a +2 STAB, thanks to the Lum or ExtremeSpeed in case of Whimsicott. Finally, there are quite a few things that just avoid a KO from +2 ExtremeSpeed. So if you can, try to get to +4 (Set up on a Specially Defensive mon like Chansey or Blissey and Unaware Clefable).
Ninja'd
Greninja (M) @ Power Herb
Ability: Protean
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 SAtk / 4 HP
Timid Nature
- Geomancy
- Surf
- Ice Beam
- Giga Drain
As if Protean wasn't powerful enough, now you have Geomancy to push it to the limits. Water/Ice/Grass has amazing coverage. Giga Drain even gives an option for recovery. But never, ever use Geomancy while the opponent still has a Thundurus. With Stealth Rocks up, Thundurus can't make a lot of switches. More importantly, if you have something else that's out with a boost and you predict a Thundurus Topsy Turvy, switch into Greninja and use Ice Beam. I'm not sure why, but almost all the time I've done this, people just stay in and take a Protean Ice Beam in the face (Maybe they think you'd set up Geomancy and they could just use Thunderbolt the first turn and use Topsy Turvy the next). Blissey and Chansey wall the heck out of this, so make sure they're out of the way too, before wasting your Power Herb. A trend I noticed is that, as I advanced in the ladder, I almost never used Geomancy. I used Greninja just to KO things without a boost.
Om Shanthi Shanthi Shanthi:
Medicham (M) @ Medichamite
Ability: Pure Power
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 Atk / 4 SDef
Jolly Nature
- Mach Punch
- High Jump Kick
- Ice Punch
- Fire Punch
Mega Medicham is the one that's going to make a lot of switches. It can easily take care of frequent threats like Excadrill, Greninja, Diggersby, Escavalier and even Thundurus (Mega Medicham is a great switch-in on a Topsy Turvy). Getting Mach Punch from the tier also helps it out a great deal. It also plays the crucial role of resisting Fighting Type moves, which are sure to come your way if you're going to use this team. Zen Headbutt can be use over Fire Punch, but you are at the risk of letting Scizor set up Shell Smash or Escavalier set up Swords Dance. Prankster WilloWisp is an ever-present danger, so don't think you can sweep with Mega Medicham. Just use it to take out threats.
God
Thundurus @ Chill Drive
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 SAtk / 4 Atk
Hasty Nature
- Topsy-Turvy
- Techno Blast
- Thunderbolt
- Superpower
I have nothing to comment on Thundurus, except it's definitely broken. But I understand that without Thundurus, the meta would be even more unstable than it is right now. On the offensive side, as you'd have already figured out, Electric/Ice is a great combination, resisted by only a handful of mons. Superpower is a great move to have on Thundurus, which will put a dent in Chansey/Blissey, Excadrill, Weavile and Mamoswine, all common switch-ins into Thundurus. If you predict right, you can KO them quite easily.
Satan
Weavile (M) @ Lum Berry
Ability: Pickpocket
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 Atk / 4 HP
Jolly Nature
IVs: 30 Atk / 30 SAtk
- Swords Dance
- Knock Off
- Ice Shard
- Poison Jab
If you haven't noticed yet, there's nothing creative about this particular Weavile set. All the moves in there are already learned by it. In fact, the only good move that Weavile gets from the Meta is Water Shurikens (Which can be useful sometimes). But what makes it stand out is the ability to outrun Thundurus and Whimsicott and KO them without taking a Burn/Topsy Turvy, there by retaining a +2 or +4 Attack. It is, in all senses, the Anti-Meta mon of Alphabet Cup (Mamoswine comes close). The Lum is to try and KO Sableye, but a lot of S mons are offensive with Shell Smash (Weavile also beats the famed Shell Smash Salamence) and Sableye is better utilized with SR and Spikes. You definitely have to watch out for it though, as a Defensive Sableye with WilloWisp and Recover will mess you up (You still successfully put a dent in it while Knocking Off its Leftovers, if it has one). Poison Jab is an attempt to take care of Unaware Clefable. Unaware Quagsire is also crippled by Knock Off. Once again, you miss out on the rare Choice Scarf Heatran.
Checks and Counters
Choice Scarf Heatran can check this team provided that Greninja is taken out. The only passable counter is Mega Medicham. Scratch 'passable', Mega Medicham is a huge threat. 100 Base Pure Power is no joke. Then again, there's no feasible way to counter Mega Medicham anyway. The mons that can actually counter Mega Medicham outside the tier, like Cofagrigus, aren't feasible enough to be included in the tier. Otherwise, winning totally depends upon your switches and predictions. For instance, this one time, I predicted too much and got swept by a Shell Smash mixed-attacking Swampert.
Conclusion
I've had good sucess with this team. I'm still making changes, but the team is becoming more and more stable. So if you see minor discrepancies, it's because I've edited wrongly somewhere. I'll keep updating here if I change it. I topped the ladder with this team (My PS Alt is DinaIsha). In short, if you're good at this tier but still finding it difficult to top the ladder, this team might just help you ace it.
Finally, here's the importable text for your Teambuilder. Good Luck! Have fun!
Sableye (M) @ Safety Goggles
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 Def / 252 HP / 4 SDef
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Spikes
- Knock Off
- Spore
Excadrill (M) @ Lum Berry
Ability: Mold Breaker
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 HP / 4 SDef
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Iron Head
- Earthquake
- ExtremeSpeed
Medicham (M) @ Medichamite
Ability: Pure Power
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 Atk / 4 SDef
Jolly Nature
- Mach Punch
- High Jump Kick
- Ice Punch
- Fire Punch
Greninja (M) @ Power Herb
Ability: Protean
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 SAtk / 4 HP
Timid Nature
- Geomancy
- Surf
- Ice Beam
- Giga Drain
Weavile (M) @ Lum Berry
Ability: Pickpocket
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 Atk / 4 HP
Jolly Nature
IVs: 30 Atk / 30 SAtk
- Swords Dance
- Ice Shard
- Knock Off
- Poison Jab
Thundurus @ Chill Drive
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 SAtk / 4 Atk
Hasty Nature
- Topsy-Turvy
- Techno Blast
- Thunderbolt
- Superpower
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 Def / 252 HP / 4 SDef
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Spikes
- Knock Off
- Spore
Excadrill (M) @ Lum Berry
Ability: Mold Breaker
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 HP / 4 SDef
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Iron Head
- Earthquake
- ExtremeSpeed
Medicham (M) @ Medichamite
Ability: Pure Power
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 Atk / 4 SDef
Jolly Nature
- Mach Punch
- High Jump Kick
- Ice Punch
- Fire Punch
Greninja (M) @ Power Herb
Ability: Protean
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 SAtk / 4 HP
Timid Nature
- Geomancy
- Surf
- Ice Beam
- Giga Drain
Weavile (M) @ Lum Berry
Ability: Pickpocket
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 Atk / 4 HP
Jolly Nature
IVs: 30 Atk / 30 SAtk
- Swords Dance
- Ice Shard
- Knock Off
- Poison Jab
Thundurus @ Chill Drive
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 SAtk / 4 Atk
Hasty Nature
- Topsy-Turvy
- Techno Blast
- Thunderbolt
- Superpower
Please do rate my team. I've edited the team over the days and it is not the original team that got me to #1. Well, not exactly. I topped the ABC ladder 3 times and I'd edited my team here and there. This would be the team I'm currently using for the tier. I'm making this RMT to discover a good overall team for the Metagame. Thanks!
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