np: RU Stage 4 - Deck the Halls

[Molk]

im still using my same old trick room team(not hailroom lol), and its still doing incredibly well on the ladder, especially due to my new teammate cress for trick room + lunar dance, this allows one of my trick sweepers time for a second assault (cause for some reason the pokemon coming in doesnt get hit). so i have a 100% chance of using double dragon with just one pokemon (druddigon). most teams are crushed by the sheer power of having to deal with thing twice.
More reason to ban cress :D

 

[No Luck Involved]

Spiritomb's presence is really bad for Medicham :( I'll have to start looking for replacements.

So far I'm getting mixed results with Whimsicott. Priority is amazing but 75% acc on Stun Spore really really sucks. Especially when I originally had Glare Serperior. It's more threatening but much less reliable which is a bit of a deal breaker :/ Priority Taunt is useful for Baton Pass chains though...

 

[alexwolf]

I feel that Whimsicott is going to be great this round! Priority Taunt and Stun Spore are the best things about him.
He is one of the few viable Taunters in RU and he is the faster(even among other Prankster users).
He can check pretty well Sun,Rain and TR teams which are hugely threatening as ever. He also shits all over Cresselia, once he is in but the problem is switching in of 'course.
I am starting to think that he will fit very good in the RU meta, and he will be a very versatile poke. Once you see a Whimsicott you will never be sure of what to bring in. He can paralyze you,Taunt you, SubSeed you(subseeding in RU is a pretty shitty strategy but still viable), keep momentum with U-Turn, stop stat boosters with Encore, be a last resort answer to speedy boosters by giving to the opponent his Iron Ball, setup Priority weather and even kill stuff with Giga Drain like Rhydon and Omastar!

 

[Avira]

Congratulations to those who made it onto the Cresselia quickvote council. Best of luck to you in making it onto future councils as well.

I have been finding Sigilyph underwhelming since my team utilizes both Taunt/Whirlwind Mandibuzz and Haze Cofagrigus. Some may say that I am overpreparing for it, but my team used them even before the drop downs at the start of the month. Full stall should have AT LEAST two ways to get rid of boosted Pokemon, and one of them absolutely needs to be Haze or Perish Song or else a last Pokemon booster will give the team much trouble. Mandibuzz is just an extremely useful Pokemon, and in my opinion, also the best defensive Pokemon in the tier with it checking half of the RU metagame.

 

[alexwolf]

And yes!!!! Cresselia remains. It seems that the good players in the ladder have some sense of logic. Now let's explore this new round WITH Cresselia in it!

 

[Rakan]

Yea MalvirA, your team is incredibly annoying to most of my teams as I usually employ hyper offense or balanced. I still cannot believe how bulky Mandibuzz is :( Haze is an incredibly underrated move in this metagame, with many people utilizing set up mons like BU Gallade, SubCM Cress, etc. Also I've recently been using CB Durant (fuck hustle) and it hits so hard shit like Moltres is 2HKOed with Iron Head. Gotta thank nails for that idea xD

 

[sheniqua]

So is the stage still ending on the 16th? like will we have another council and suspect votes?

 

[Oglemi]

Yes, the stage will proceed as normal

 

[Double01]

I guess imma go back to laddering. I agreed with the decision to not ban cress. I have used the same exact team for over 2 rounds of play. I have yet to change my team to any of the changes. Cress has many checks and hard counters. Aerodactyl has actually been used more than cress as of the last few days. With aeros amazing speed a life orb set can be extremely difficult to care of. My mixpedo after a speed boost can't outspeed that annoying
Dino.

Aviras full stall team is extremely annoying to my hyper offensive team. The poke that actually ends up winning against him/her is klinklang. But avira team is the best stall team in ru at the moment. It checks a huge amount of the meta game and is very hard to break it's walls.

Back on the cress topic. It was absurd how people said try had to have at least 2 to 3 counters to cress. With cress's lack of offense it becomes set up bait for a lot of pokemon. Cresselias best used on a rain team since it will stay in the battle very long as well as helping set up screens to help the rain sweepers set up and sweep.

 

[sheniqua]

I would just like to add that stall is alive and well in RU. Haze Cofagrigus and Taunt Mandibuzz form the perfect core.

 

[Rakan]

As an user and abuser of Cress in the present and the past, I can definitely say the novelty has worn off quite a bit. I often found myself being set up on, or phazed, and Cresselia often became a Pokemon that I sacked to get another teammate in safely. Cresselia is actually pretty underwhelming without any boosts, and any support sets are immediately stopped by Taunt. I've opted to switch out Cresselia for Tangrowth, which seems to have been completely forgotten in the current Cresselia craze. Tangrowth still does a magnificent job of walling physical attackers, and Regeneration is super useful for extra recovery and makes it very difficult to kill, even with a super effective physical attack. Once Tangrowth was added to my team, it became leagues more successful as I wasn't bogged down with Cresselia. In all honesty, it was more of a hindrance than a help in most cases. Sure, those few times where I managed to set up to +6 and sweep were quite satisfying, it hardly happened, and when it did, I was usually playing an inept opponent.

However, one of the new additions to RU that I am enjoying immensely is Aerodactyl. Aerodactyl almost always manages to get Stealth Rock up with its blazing base 130 Speed, and can Taunt virtually anything as well. Earthquake and Stone Edge are great coverage moves, and do quite a bit of damage even without a Life Orb boost. Aerodactyl makes a great revenge killer to stupid shit like Specs Porygon-Z and Specs Moltres. As for the other additions, I don't really think they are that good in the current metagame. Before the tier shifts, Sigilyph was super hyped up, but from what I've seen, it's been incredibly disappointing and fails to do basically anything in battle. Anything that can hit it hard before it boosts with Cosmic Power absolutely destroys it, and Volt-Turn strategies easily break through. Powerful physical attackers such as Choice Band Durant can destroy Sigilyph even if it manages to pass a burn through Psycho Shift. Whimsicott is little more than an annoyance, and is easily dealt with through the use of virtually any Grass-type, though faster ones such as Sceptile should beware a priority Stun Spore, which is in my opinion the most annoying thing about it.

I'd also like to draw some attention to some rather underrated Pokemon in the RU metagame that have proven to be excellent team members. Samurott in particular, has worked wonders for me, specifically the Swords Dance set. Everyone expects the Special set, and ends up switching in Slowking on a Swords Dance, only to be mauled by Megahorn, which also can OHKO Tangrowth after a boost, a feat no other physical Water-type can boast, even Feraligatr. Access to priority in the form of Aqua Jet just makes it that much better, and allows it to revenge some otherwise troublesome opponents. Feraligatr is in the same boat, though it cannot OHKO Tangrowth with +2 Ice Punch, but it does boast slightly higher Speed, Attack, and overall bulk. I just prefer Samurott for its access to Megahorn which destroys any Grass-type switch-ins as well.

EDIT: FUCK HUSTLE'S INFURIATING ACCURACY

 

[Double01]

I find aerodactyl more used and frankly better at the moment then cress. Having 3 Alta in the top 15 in the ladder (yea I have too much time) I think I'm more than qualified to say that aerodactyl is becoming more and more popular than cress. It guranties stealth rocks while also being able to punch large wholes in teams. The sr life orb set seems the most dangerous set. I can't remember who used it but it always got sr and took out at least one pokemon. IMO it's the best sr setter in ru since it can outrun all taunters while still being able to punch wholes in teams after it set up sr.

The only reason to use claydol over aero if you are using a more stall based team or if you absolutely need rapid spin support. Anyone else seen aero used more than cress at the moment and thoughts on aero being the best stealth rock user?

 

[Lou Cypher]

I'd like to hold a little parade in honor of Crawdaunt. There are so many defensive pokes around that he just loves to set up a bit on...and it's even more fun when you introduce Memento Whimsicott to the mix. Not a lot outpaces it after a Dragon Dance - and the things that do tend to be relatively easy to remove or prefer to be down after two turns anyway (See Aerodactyl) and he hits really hard.
To me, he's the best cleanup sweeper in the tier.

 

[Cherub Agent]

People seem to have forgotten about the wonder that is Golurk. The simple SubPunching set hits really, really, hard and can totally setup on shit like Claydol, plus remember that it has three excellent immunities and a further three resistances (Rock is huge, coupled with the Fighting immunity). Focus Punch reaches 180 BP, and shadow bunch reaches a respectable 72 as well, outdamaging moves like Night Slash. Not to mention Golurk breaks stuff like Sigilyph with Shadow Punch, if it can avoid the burn.

Also, Cresseila is really, really underwhelming. Sigilyph is certainly good, but not the broken thing we expected it to be. Pearl_ and I have had massive success with a 3 attack Roost Silipyph with Life Orb, since everyone expects the Cosmic Power variant. Cress, Siggy and Tomb are also incredibly weak to Trick Scarf, which completely cripples them. Flame Orb can be a nuisance to be tricked, but it's simply another crippling item you can give your opponent again, and if you pack a Heal Bell user like Lanturn, it's no bother at all.

Also, coming back to Tangrowth. Man that thing is underrated. My favourite set is actually an offensive one with LO. Rash nature, enough Speed (190) to outspeed minimum Claydol, and the attacks Sleep Powder, Leaf Storm, HP Fire and Earthquake. The Hidden Power can be varied according to need. This set always nets at least to "kills" a game; one to Sleep Powder and one to the sheer power of a positive natured 140 BP STAB Leaf Storm, boosted by Life Orb. Latias' Draco Meteor has nothing on this guy. People should really try this set out, since it still has massive pysical bulk, and Regenerator keeps it healthy during the match.

 

[Rakan]

Golurk is kind of hard to use in this metagame however, as a few Rapid Spinners such as Cryogonal can actually beat it outright. Golurk is also annoyingly slow, and even with bulk invested its defenses really aren't that good. Claydol also often runs Ice Beam, meaning that Golurk cannot set up on it. Toxic Spikes also messes with Golurk. If we're talking about spinblockers here, I'd much rather use Spiritomb or Rotom. I like Rotom in general because of its nice dual STABs and excellent Speed that allows it to outrun base 90s. Spiritomb is useful for trapping Psychic-types, something that Golurk cannot ever hope to do. For example, Spiritomb actually has a chance against SubCM Cresselia, while Golurk's Shadow Punch does measly damage, and it gets KOed in return by a boosted Ice Beam / Psychic.

As for offensive Tangrowth, that seems like a really cool idea. I've been running the standard defensive variant, but the lack of power is incredibly annoying at times. But may I ask, what exactly does Earthquake hit other than Fire-types? I feel like there's a better choice for that moveslot but I can't seem to figure out what.

 

[Cherub Agent]

Oh, I don't use Golurk for spinblocking. Just for punching holes in the opponent: it can easily setup on choice locked mons and proceed to spam focus punch. Sure it's not the biggest threat in the tier, but I like it lol.

As for Tangrowth, I admit, Earthquake may be the weakest option. I'm going to test full special with Focus Blast and get back to you on that. Rock slide is also an option for Moltres, but doesn't do enough to Entei to really warrant a spot. Might submit the set in C&C, get some feedback

 

[Molk]

just realized, another honchkrow counter, COTTON GUARD AMPRHAROS. it can tank a BB in theory and simply cotton guard and be invulnerable to everything that honchkrow throws at it

intimidate luxray works too

 

[Double01]

lol cotton guard Ampharos honestly Honchkrow does have a few hard counters but ever since the tier shifts ive seen a ton less honchkrow. He has been sorely forgotten which is sad for him being such a great poke. I used to have run klinklang on my team just for honchkrow but with no usage of honch Klinklang actually has helped me in numerous other ways. Such as beating Aviras stall team :P and giving me a dragon resist against those nasty druddigons.

 

[yee]

Yes, Klingklang is for more than just countering Moxiecrow, and I hate seeing people say otherwise. When I was building an offensive team it ended up being the most consistently useful piece because of its ability to Agility and up attack at the same time, while being a Steel type (giving the most resistances possible in one pokemon) and actually having great coverage. It doesn't sweep immediately but it is probably the most consistent cleaner in the tier. Even Hone Claws Durant isn't doing as much werk in the cleaning department.

 

[Rakan]

Klinklang is still terrible in my opinion, as many things in RU can easily wall it, even after boosts. In addition, its Special Defense is so low it gets easily revenged by basically any decently powerful Special Attack. Like I said before, Sigilyph isn't really all that threatening. I personally deal with it by using Volt-Turn with Rotom and Moltres, or I can just 2HKO it with Rotom's Thunderbolt or Moltres's Fire Blast. The Psycho Shift set is incredibly overrated. I think the proper way to abuse Sigilyph is by using a Life Orb Variant that has good coverage in Psychic, Ice Beam, Air Slash, and whatever else you might need. Base 97 Speed is ahead of the pack by a decent margin, and its Special Attack isn't bad. So stop using fucking Flame Orb and use Sigilyph the right way.

As for Steel-types, while I understand that the majority of the tier is leaning towards offensive playstyles, Steelix is an incredibly underrated Pokemon. I don't usually use it, but when I do, it works wonders for me. Stealth Rock and Roar are great moves to phaze some otherwise troublesome set-up sweepers, and Gyro Ball does a decent chunk to anything faster, even without Attack investment. Although Durant is plagued by its low Special Defense and the amount of Choice Scarf abusers in the tier, Hone Claws is one of the most frightening sets to face without a Will-O-Wisp user such as Cofagrigus or a phazer.

However, what I've recently become very annoyed with is Choice Scarf Galvantula. Despite its low-ish Special Attack, STAB Thunders are nothing to laugh at, and Volt Switch fucks up a lot of teams. In addition, with its great base 108 Speed, it almost always outspeeds other Choice Scarfers, such as Moltres and Rotom. Bug Buzz is a great secondary STAB and hits Grass-types super effectively. Overall, I think Galvantula is another really underrated threat that can cause massive damage if you aren't prepared for it.

 

[sheniqua]

I have tried Steelix out before and he always seemed really underwhelming. It has huge defense, but it is weak to 4 of the most common attacking types (fire, fighting, ground, and water). There are so many great physical walls in RU that outclass Steelix. Cofagrigus, Regirock, Rhydon all do a lot better than steelix.

 

[yee]

Well Omicron we probably agree on Galvantula. All the time I see people using standard Subsplit Rotom and I want to tell them they're using the wrong pokemon. Galvantula's speed is much more useful (fuk this new Durant trend) and it hits SO much harder, with better coverage to boot. Unless you really need those immunities in your offensive Electric type, stop using Rotom!

 

[Double01]

Omicron klinklang shouldn't be used as a main sweeper. Yes it has terrible sp def and only can use return and gear grind as it's 2 primary moves. But it can check many threats none the less. It's one of the best if not the best counter to moxiekrow for an offensive team but it also can beat druddigon with resisting it's stab and not to bad defences. Klinklang should be used on offensive teams to deal with certain threats. It should be built around as klinklang bring the main sweeper. One of the best attributes to klinklang is it's ability to abuse substitute. It can sub up on a ferroseed and continue to set up. After a few boosts it impossible to revenge kill while still doing good damage (too bad his attack is terrible). He is terrible at sweeping per say but a great check yo some deadly pokes.

He may seem terrible if you just throw him onto your team but he can excel at his job of checking key threats while still being able to set up

 

[yee]

Yeah, it fails as a wallbreaker but does provide resists mid game. If it is the main sweeper it can clean with ease after a certain amount of werk on the other team has been done.

 

[Cherub Agent]

klinklang isn't exactly a reliable druddigon counter... You do know Drudd has Superpower, Earthquake, and Fire Fang, and Rough Skin really hurts klinklang, especially as it often uses LO. So klinklang switches in and... what? It will either try to setup shift gear or attack. On the shift gear turn, drudd can simply EQ, and attacking without a boost will probably end up doing as much damage to klinklang as druddigon, thanks to rough skin. And don't think Klinklang can tanks 2 Outrages from cb druddigon. I share omicrons view on it. Durant is a much better steel-type sweeper. I also agree with his view on sigilyph, although i don't support using ice beam. Psychic, air slash, hp fighting and roost with timid is an extremely effective set with LO