Introduction
Since Gen 9 is here and I don't play Godly Gift anymore, I thought I might as well share this team surrounding the popularity at the time of its creation. Since Nidoking's ban, I felt like webs was at a downturn, and I still wanted to build a webs team in case webs were the play. I never intended the team to be good, but then it started winning room tournaments in the OM room, not just by me, but by others such as Ducky too. It had a decentish track record on the higher portions of the ladder, and then UT intentionally brought it vs Quantum Tesseract and won the game with a Falinks sweep. UT then decided to kick my ass with it every time I tried to build and test a more serious team, so jokes on me I guess. Since the team managed to get its own limelight, I thought if I wasn't going to make a team dump, at least this one would be showcased especially considering how much it went through, alongside concerning number of wins attached to the team.
The Team
Shuckle @ Mental Herb
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
- Sticky Web
- Stealth Rock
- Encore
- Final Gambit
It's lead shuckle. It sets up hazards and dies. Encore puts the opponent in a reactive state so you can set up hazards without fear of not knowing what the opponent will do next, and Final Gambit allows you to give good damage to the opponent in exchange for dying. Thanks to Kyurem-Black's 125 HP stat it gets through this tier's mechanic, Gambit allows you to actually get a kill or live enough to win. A very standard Shuckle set for a very unstandard team.
Falinks @ Shed Shell
Ability: Defiant
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- No Retreat
- Close Combat
- Throat Chop
- Poison Jab
Falinks is certainly a Pokemon, and arguably one of the better Pokemon on this team. Thanks to Webs and Kyurem-Black's 170 attack, it becomes an incredible sweeper after No Retreat. Jolly allows you to outspeed Tapu Koko at +1. While I could have chosen something like Zapdos-Galar, I felt like Falinks is a more explosive Pokemon that does a similar role: discourage Defog. The moves were inspired by how overwhelming Pangoro is as a presense went for similar moves as Fighting/Dark/Posion hits a wide array of targets. This Pokemon can usually win after a No Retreat, but needs a lot of help to get there from its middling bulk, hence the Shed Shell so I can get out if things go awry.
Tapu Lele @ Leftovers
Ability: Psychic Surge
EVs: 8 Def / 248 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Calm Mind
- Psyshock
- Moonblast
- Taunt
Tapu Lele is a powerhouse in the tier already, but with webs up its pretty good at mowing down Pokemon that are slower than it. Calm Mind + Taunt allows you to block attempts to defog hazards and/or terrain, and then use the stopped Rotom-Wash or Tornadus-T to set up. It is easily beat by Steel types such as Necrozma-Dusk-Mane, but Taunt prevents them from setting up and using it as fodder. It is the Pokemon I use to also break through stall, as Psyshock + Moonblast can easily get through Clefable + Giratina + Skarm cores. Psychic Surge also prevents priority, which is pretty key for a webs team.
Suicune @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Substitute
- Calm Mind
- Protect
Substitute Protect Suicune doesn't seem like a good option on webs, but it is a buffer with its key set of resistances between everything that wants to beat the other 5 Pokemon. It can stall through Necrozma-Dusk-Mane or Zamazenta-Crowned if it outspeeds, and 1v1 it pretty reliably. After the webs speed drop, it is near impossible to outspeed and get damage off before it sets up again. Spreading burns also gives every other teammate ample opportunities to set up if Suicune ever dies. It also has a habit of winning on the spot if the opponent's team is too passive to take care of Suicune.
Kartana @ Life Orb
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Leaf Blade
- Knock Off
- Sacred Sword
Kartana is just a nice Pokemon to have on any offensive team. It just fits cleanly into the SpD slot of almost every God and does Kartana things. This is simply the Swords Dance set to deal as much damage before inevitably kicking the bucket. It is my primary Fairy-type switchin, and retaliates with hard hitting attacks capable of doing a lot of damage to anything that switches in. It primarily functions as an early game or late game sweeper, either leading the way so Falinks or Kyurem-Black can sweep or cleaning up whatever they couldn't deal with. It also helps Lele deal with annoying Steel types it couldn't break through.
Kyurem-Black @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Teravolt
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Icicle Spear
- Roost
- Fusion Bolt
Kyurem-Black is one of my favorite gods in this tier. It feels very natural to build with and has great synergy with Kartana. While I feel like specially oriented wincons start and end with Moltres-Galar, there are a lot more fun wincons you can use with Kyurem's massive 170 Attack. with Dragon Dance, it is a very potent wincon with the ability to break through Clefable's Unaware or Skarmory's Sturdy. Bolt-Beam is all the coverage you need, and roost allows some extra longevity. It's also great because just sets up against Rotom-Wash without wisp or twave, Landorus-Therian, and Tornadus-Therian, all of the tier's better defoggers. Being able to force them out and getting a Dragon Dance or two net get you an advantage and allow you to clean up with Falinks or Kartana.
Threats
Fast Pokemon with Heavy-Duty Boots or no speed drops: It's a rough matchup, especially against Zeraora or a speedy Volcanion who don't mind switching in with their boots on, but if you can manage to debilitate them then the game becomes easier to play against. Zamazenta-Crowned and Mewtwo can win but only if it doesn't get affected by webs. You can slot String Shot over Encore or run Red Card on Shuckle if you really want to
Powerful Dark-type Pokemon: Moltres is a threat that can be taken care of by winning first, but Persian-Alola just 6-0's if it doesn't get its speed dropped.
Hazard removal: You really need webs up to compete with the faster threats, if you lose webs then the game is practically over unless you Dragon Dance enough with Kyurem-Black.
Conclusion
Thanks for reading, it was fun but I was never really good at this tier, I am grateful for the opportunity to allow me to play at a high level. ponchlake UT Ducky Sulo I still genuinely cannot believe the team did as well as it did.
Importable: https://pokepast.es/35ebb3893571753e
Fast Pokemon with Heavy-Duty Boots or no speed drops: It's a rough matchup, especially against Zeraora or a speedy Volcanion who don't mind switching in with their boots on, but if you can manage to debilitate them then the game becomes easier to play against. Zamazenta-Crowned and Mewtwo can win but only if it doesn't get affected by webs. You can slot String Shot over Encore or run Red Card on Shuckle if you really want to
Powerful Dark-type Pokemon: Moltres is a threat that can be taken care of by winning first, but Persian-Alola just 6-0's if it doesn't get its speed dropped.
Hazard removal: You really need webs up to compete with the faster threats, if you lose webs then the game is practically over unless you Dragon Dance enough with Kyurem-Black.
Conclusion
Thanks for reading, it was fun but I was never really good at this tier, I am grateful for the opportunity to allow me to play at a high level. ponchlake UT Ducky Sulo I still genuinely cannot believe the team did as well as it did.
Importable: https://pokepast.es/35ebb3893571753e