Metagame Post-SPL Set Dump - RU Edition

[Pearl]

Not really going to make any fancy intro on this (because I'm lazy and UU didn't either, so it's not like I can't steal anything). So basically, everyone's free to post their SPL innovation here (if you want to of course).

Shamelessly tagging everyone who played RU this season for more than one week:

Ginku New Breed Bad Ass FAJI Afro Smash Calloflochie blarajan Windsong 49 Spirit Hot N Cold Bouffalant atomicllamas Meru Nails Hikari

Edit: For clarification, everyone who's had a word to say in regards to RU during SPL, be it fellow teammates who've helped testing, managers and assmen are more than free to post. Only reason I've tagged the RU starters was simply to catch their eye :)

 

[Mazinger]

I don't think there's a whole lot of innovation going on with my sets, but to start this off:

Slowking @ Assault Vest
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 248 HP / 252 SpA / 8 speed
Modest Nature
- Scald
- Fire Blast
- Future Sight
- Dragon Tail

I used this in week 5 and it was probably better when moltres was around, but even now it switches in on a decent amount of things and forces them out while gaining a lot of momentum with future sight (it creates free turns by forcing out shit without actually having to attack and if you pair it with camel and get that in safely you basically have a guaranteed kill). I originally came up with dragon tail because I needed a way to hold off cm reuniclus early on without getting worn down, but it also sets up future sight perfectly so I would probably use it in most other situations too; a combination of the other moves and the fact that every other slowking has it should be enough to make up for the lack of psyshock. (Speed/hp distribution depends on how paranoid you are).

I'll post more later on but this is probably my favorite creation of this season

 

[Nails]

I'm gonna look through my archive when I get a chance and I'm not at work but I'll lead this off with one of my favorite sets I used this spl.

Reuniclus @ Leftovers
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 136 Def / 120 Sdef
Bold Nature
- Acid Armor
- Psychic
- Recover
- Calm Mind

Requires Dugtrio support to take out icky things like Drapion, Whimsicott, and general annoying dark types, but that combo is just broken. Sludge Wave Dugtrio sitting in the back means that if you set up a cm on the switch to Whimsicott they're forced to win a 50/50 or Whimsi dies. If you stay in and Psychic as it Gigas you kill it. If you switch to dugtrio on the encore it dies. I cbf posting calcs right now but the sdef evs let you set up on things like LO Heliolisk, and the def evs and +def nature mean if you acid armor the switch to cb durant you beat it (acid armor again -> recover -> don't get crit). Psychic > Psyshock because higher base power, wins 1v1 vs curse mega lix, and idk they're pretty even just you beat different things. CM wars vs like, cm cresselia are determined by whether they crit moonblast and what evs they have and having psyshock doesn't change that matchup, though iirc the extra sdef means you can live crit +6 moonblast depending on spread and acid armor having 32 pp means you do really well in most pp wars. I needed 40 more def evs in my game vs Pearl. so that i could set up on adamant gatr crunch, oops haha. Though he was SD so it didn't matter.

Also Ginku 's Slowking is a f*cking monster. Js.

I'll post more later for sure.

 

[McMeghan]

Some of the stuff I came up with when I tried to build to test with/help Ginku (altho he just called me cancer for them):

Doublade (F) @ Eviolite
Ability: No Guard
EVs: 120 HP / 252 Atk / 136 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Shadow Sneak
- Iron Head
- Shadow Claw
- Swords Dance

Standard Doublade with enough speed to creep on Tangrowth and Rhyperior, which is apparently not common according to Pearl. Also make sure you outspeed the other Doublade. Fit Hyper Offense well, since I find the ability to be faster than its checks better than the added bulk.
edit: Pearl told me so much speed wasn't common D:
-----

Qwilfish (M) @ Focus Sash
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Spikes
- Taunt
- Explosion
- Icy Wind

Standard offensive Qwilfish with a twist: Icy Wind. I found it pretty nice to slow down something before dying. It'd give me more options as to what I could send out afterwards and thus having more gameplan options.
-----

Sigilyph (F) @ Life Orb
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Psyshock
- Heat Wave
- Energy Ball
- Hypnosis

I was pretty surprised at the lack of Sigilyph in SPL as it has easily been my MVP in pretty much every RU games I've played. The coverage is amazing and I love the ability to put something to sleep to further accentuate my grip on the game. Albeit unreliable, Hypnosis can be a game changer/winner move, and Sigi often has two opportunities to use it since it causes a lot of switches.

 

[col49]

man, i feel kinda bad, given my spl run, short as it was, was rather 'innovation'-free; there were a few techs here and there that i felt optimized roles in one role or another, but a ton of them were simple variations on already rather standard sets. many i didn't even end up bringing to games, b.c i ended up building in a fashion that made them extraneous. the few i did run + some others i ended up dumping in the 'creative sets' thing, so whoops haha. that being said, there are a couple techs i feel deserve some more acknowledge in 'standard play':

• shuca berry on poison-types: having the leniency to play into m-lix and (to what i'll admit to be a lesser extent now) rhyperior is very useful. this also substantially restricts the option of dugtrio follow-up, which has a lot of value in match-ups with more defensive builds, particularly those sporting tspikes (tspikes quickstall w/duggy is really fucking good).
• mental herb on sweepers: whimsicott is stellar rn, and if you can afford to forgo the usual 'standards' of sweepers, ie. lum / life orb, this is pretty much the closest to a staple item for them

As for actual sets, most of them were either posted elsewhere , but w.e, still got a few that i, sadly, didn't get to exercise e_e Oh, and I've been assuming folks were aware that Scarf Tyrantrum is good, though I been starting to glean that this was not something folks knew about? Not posting it, b.c I'd feel silly doing so, but, yeah, it is. Actually ran that one v.Pearl, albeit badly haha.

Spiritomb @ Leftovers
Ability: Infiltrator
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Impish Nature
- Will-O-Wisp
- Foul Play
- Protect
- Taunt / Curse

Definitely better in this meta than it has been for some time; nothing capitalizes too significantly upon this Pokemon, unlike when there were Moltres, Lum Panda, Dragalgae, etc. to make a huge liability of this. Most Fire-types are being punished reasonably well by Foul Play atm, enough to the point where you can usually get by without being excessively paranoid of it. I hate RestTalk on this, b.c it makes a clunky piece of trash that loses to any Reuniclus with Recover and a moderate amount of PP, so I don't run it. Protect scouting Emboar, the closest thing to a 'clean switch' for this 'mon, is just loverly. This is also beats Nails' stupid Duggy / mono-fetus w.e (I like that core a lot though, don't misinterpret), haha.

Rotom-Fan @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 248 HP / 72 Def / 148 SpA / 40 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 2 Atk / 30 Def / 30 SpA
- Thunderbolt
- Air Slash
- Hidden Power [Water]
- Will-O-Wisp

I have a weird fetish for this 'mon rn, I am aware, but it's actually rather cool; it checks pretty much all the relevant Steel-types sans Magneton ('Lix, Cobalion, Durant, and Doublade are the big ones for me), Tangrowth, Whimsicott (needs SR off the field for assurance v.offensive), and baits the other relevant Ground-types to boot. It's also one of those Pokemon that can bear into most defensive Pokemon with moderate ease. Phys.Def is also moderately good, but it's both (apparently ?_?) already an on-site set, takes a rather passive route in addressing 'Lix, and can't apply as significant of pressure unto things like Garbodor, which this set 2HKOs ~70% of the time w/SR up. Afro Smash likes TBolt > Volt Switch apparently, but he's a well-known fool.

Jolteon @ Life Orb
Ability: Volt Absorb
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Volt Switch
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Roar / Charge Beam

Heliolisk is a Pokemon that largely overshadows Jolteon at this time, which is why you need to actively strive to capitalize on what Jolteon has over it when you run it. Imo, the most significant boons to be observed with this Pokemon are a.speed, specifically putting over offensive Whimsicott and Dugtrio, and b.access to and better application of utility moves such as Roar and Charge Beam. HP Grass / Water variants, despite being better for defensive Ground-types of the tier, undermines the point of outpacing Whimsicott, making HP Ice a choice that better pronounces Jolteon's strong points, and my favourite manner of accommodating that loss in application v.defensive squads is Roar; in tandem with Spikes, this can allow Jolteon to similarly force damage unto bulky pivots, making up for its inability to 2hko w/coverage. Roar also allows it to play aggressively into SpDef Clerics nicely, Roaring them out as they attempt to receive their own Wishes and keeping them low in general. Charge Beam is another interesting option that I feel is greatly under-valued in this meta, since grabbing that boost on a death fodder can easily consolidate an end-game from this pokemon v.more fragile balance and offense alike.

Probably have some others that I didn't get to run with, but I swear I haven't eaten all day, and I'd rather like to, yeah?

edit: Speed creep on Doublade? Wow McMeghan , I knew you were an impressive player, but wow. Would've never thought of that :D
Love Sigilyph though, it's a cutie

 

[Pearl]

Seems like we've got some interesting stuff already~ Really liked Ginku's Dragon Tail + Future Sight Slowking, mcm's fast Doublade (which I've actually used myself in like 3 of my games) and 49's Jolteon (I think I brought that against New Breed really early into the tournament, but the metagame was much different at that time and I got slammed anyways)

Didn't think I had much to post here myself at first, but looking through my teams it looks like I actually have quite a bit to show haha (not claiming any of these sets though, I did steal some ideas)


THE WEPWNPOKEMON SLAYER

Meloetta @ Assault Vest
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 30 SpA / 30 Spe
- Psychic
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Grass Knot
- Dazzling Gleam

Didn't expect a set that I didn't come up with to do so well actually but that was probably for the worse since I still lost in the end haha. I knew that wepwn liked Rhyperior a lot at that time, but the main premise of this set was actually not to lure Rhyperior, but to serve as a Moltres check on the Spikes offense squad I was bringing (because it had Crustle already and I wasn't feeling like stacking Rock mons). The coverage moves you can bring on Melo are optional though, U-turn is really good to bring momentum (Dazzling Gleam isn't really needed anymore so you can just replace that), Focus Blast is strong as fuck and Shadow Ball is probably fine too. HP Fire dunks Escavalier btw (just imagine if his 3rd Meloetta switch was that @_@)


Garbo :)

Garbodor @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Aftermath
EVs: 248 HP / 164 Def / 96 Spe
Impish Nature
- Spikes
- Toxic Spikes
- Gunk Shot
- Drain Punch

sry for not remembering whoever gave me the idea of using this in RU, but while it's not really mine nor innovative, I did bring it 3 weeks in a row so might as well include it here. Better than Qwilfish on some squads thanks to its ability to weaken specific threats through the combination of Rocky Helmet and Aftermatch, which allows Pokemon such as Samurott and Abomasnow to just pick up the pieces. Stacks hazards and tanks decently well, should see more usage in this metagame


4 Attacks Accelgor

Accelgor @ Life Orb
Ability: Sticky Hold
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Bug Buzz
- Focus Blast
- Sludge Bomb
- Giga Drain / Knock Off

Brought this one against 49 and ended up playing it like aids anyways (I actually had Healing Wish for it ready on the back, but it ended up being more efficient on some other Pokemon which I don't really remember at the moment), but I still find this set really interesting. Ramps up through offense like a beast after Doublade / Poison-types are gone, while also bringing the required Speed to revenge kill into the table. I was actually told to bring Choice Specs on it, but I think that the ability to switch moves is one of the reasons that makes this set so magic to me. Knock Off is a strong 4th move btw, just in case you have a Doublade weak sweeper waiting on the back


Fast Seismitoad

Seismitoad @ Leftovers / Splash Plate
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 24 HP / 252 SpA / 232 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Stealth Rock
- Scald / Hydro Pump
- Earth Power
- Sludge Bomb

Brought it last week against Meru and I firmly believe this set has some good perks compared to its slower counterparts (even though I was only using it because of Webs). The ability to outrun Adamant Tyrantrum while remaining capable of gluing offensive teams by checking Doublade and other Pokemon thanks to its amazing typing is really neat. It actually outruns a lot more under webs (with Whimsicott being the most important target), but even outside of those it is an option to consider

Stuff I brought during slightly different metas: SubPunch Pangoro (sucked ass rip), Future Sight Reuniclus (bugged with Choice Specs rip) and Curse Mega Steelix (based on the Curse Mega Aggron I posted i the UU thread)

Might post another set or two I didn't get to bring later. Tagging Omfuga to talk about his Jynx and Specially Defensive Piloswine haha

 

[Omfuga]

Piloswine @ Eviolite
Ability: Thick Fat
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Atk / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Icicle Spear
- Earthquake
- Toxic

Im p sure Hikari used this in SPL before I did, but I used this in really early XY and have loved it in RU since. My original intention on its first team (not the one I used in SPL) was to check Delphox (when it was a thing) and Moltres, while still keeping the niche ice/ground typing that helps it wall Eelektross and Glalie-- having its cool niche of cock-blocking the infamous bolt-beam coverage. Toxic was nice for crippling stuff like Cresselia... Not much to say about this set. It gets up rocks and is much bulkier than most people think; its impressive physical bulk allows it to shrug off threats like Cobalion or doublade if necessary.

Jynx (F) @ Focus Sash
Ability: Dry Skin
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Lovely Kiss
- Shadow Ball
- Ice Beam
- Nasty Plot

I told Pearl. and New Breed to use this mon because it's been one of the most successful things for me since the beginning of RU open. The set is pretty simple outside of shadow ball. Jynx outspeeds most common threats in RU, especially most of the leads. Once it gets a lovely kiss off, whether it requires the sash to be broken or not, it can either nasty plot and kill an incoming mon, or shadow ball predicting an obvious doublade.

Shadow ball may seem weird over psychic, but thinking of the most common mons in RU that normally wall Jynx, they're all weak to shadow ball. Doublade, Bronzong, Slowking, and Delphox all hate taking a shadow ball, and pokemon like Registeel wall Jynx regardless of its coverage. I believe New Breed ran a variant with 3 attacks, including focus blast, over this set which is p cool too.

 

[Bouff]

I usually brought standard stuff throughout the weeks I played, so I didn't bring anything too uncommon to the table (aside from Pursuit Drapion + Substitute LO Moltres, but that's g0ne), but this was by far my favorite set I've used the entire season.

Brad Jordan (Escavalier) @ Leftovers
Ability: Overcoat
EVs: 252 HP / 164 SpD / 92 Spe
Careful Nature
- Megahorn
- Rest
- Swords Dance
- Sleep Talk

The main point of this set was to break through CM Psychic balance / stall teams as well as just serving as a wincon that can soak up status (which I was mainly focused on building around week 4 since BR seemed to like status mons like dual status banette, twave cress, etc.). The spread was to outspeed 8 Speed Slowking (unfortunately he ran a lot of speed, but my esca had brightpowder in the back so it was all good ;] ), with the rest dumped into HP and SpD to tank stuff like Specs Meloetta and other special attackers. It really takes advantage of the passive walls like Alomomola, Amoonguss, and Cress, while being able to deal a fuck ton of damage even without boosts unlike Curse Registeel, and to an extent, Curse Mega Steelix. I think it's even better in the current metagame than it was in the one I used it in since no Molt or Panda, and stuff like Cresselia and Reuniclus are more common, although it's not amazing against HO / bulky offense, so pairing it with some anti-offense mons like Sawk could probably be a good idea (sawk in particular is nice since it appreciates the removal of CC switch-ins like Cress and Aroma and can wear down shit like Steelix).

Will add more sets later (i'll probably put in a SV innovation i wanted to use rly badly but gave up on). also 1k hype

 

[Nails]

Virizion @ Leftovers
Ability: Justified
EVs: 104 HP / 252 SpA / 152 Spe
Timid Nature
- Taunt
- Calm Mind
- Giga Drain
- Focus Blast

Not that creative but criminally underused, it causes headaches for tons of teams. Focus Blast owns tons of pokemon

+1 252 SpA Virizion Focus Blast vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Drapion: 289-342 (102.8 - 121.7%)
+2 252 SpA Virizion Focus Blast vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Registeel: 330-390 (90.6 - 107.1%)

and the remaining hp evs after outrunning Drapion + Houndoom make you reasonably tanky

0 Atk Bronzong Gyro Ball (126 BP) vs. 104 HP / 0 Def Virizion: 160-190 (45.8 - 54.4%) -- 7.4% chance to 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
0 SpA Cresselia Moonblast vs. +1 104 HP / 0 SpD Virizion: 58-70 (16.6 - 20%)
252 Atk Life Orb Hustle Durant Iron Head vs. 104 HP / 0 Def Virizion: 296-348 (84.8 - 99.7%)

so you can set up on a decent amount of defensive switches with taunt. Not too much to say, it owns. Also it can switch into scald which is mandatory to run on every team.

Emboar @ Leftovers
Ability: Reckless
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Flare Blitz
- Superpower
- Will-O-Wisp
- Protect

Houndoom counter, good switch into resisted attacks (bugs and grasses), difficult to switch into. Even with sdef it still is an ok switch into Durant. The calcs:

252 SpA Life Orb Houndoom Fire Blast vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Emboar: 97-116 (22.8 - 27.3%)
252 SpA Life Orb Houndoom Dark Pulse vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Emboar: 70-84 (16.5 - 19.8%)

and then you still wreck with huge BP stab attacks and a 123 base attack stat. And wisp owns. Protect is for lefties healing, it adds up.

Reuniclus @ Leftovers
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 Spe
Bold Nature
- Recover
- Knock Off
- Psychic
- Focus Blast

Knock Off is broken and it's stupidly tanky after not having to take rocks or toxic, support Reuniclus is really good. Similar to Defensive Emboar it hits really hard without offensive investment. Oh and it can switch into scald forever. Pairs well with other calm minders who like facing no item Drapion/Durant/Escavalier/you get the idea.

Dugtrio @ Life Orb
Ability: Arena Trap
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Earthquake
- Sludge Wave
- Substitute
- Sucker Punch

I posted this in the forums and hyped it up to p much everyone on irc but having this thing sitting in the back makes your setup sweepers way more potent as the opponent can't safely encore them with Whimsicott.

0 SpA Life Orb Dugtrio Sludge Wave vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Whimsicott: 265-312 (101.5 - 119.5%)

Turning the Whimsicott Encore into two predictions instead of one (switching it in initially and then encore vs attack the Dugtrio switch) makes that strategy of checking boosters far riskier. Plus, losing stone edge coverage isn't that relevant. Oh and substitute is for dodging Sucker Punch so you can trap Houndoom and Skuntank and weakened Shiftry

4 SpA Life Orb Dugtrio Sludge Wave vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Shiftry: 159-187 (49.5 - 58.2%)

and it has utility with stalling out toxiced Alomomola and things like that but it's mostly just Houndoom.

Alomomola @ Leftovers
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 120 HP / 252 Def / 136 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Wish
- Protect
- Scald
- Refresh

This thing doesn't die. It sits there and clicks scald for 40 turns and you can't stop it. It's a massive (BAN ME PLEASE) and I used it and I wish it didn't exist but it does. Pdef mola > Sdef mola atm.

Medicham @ Life Orb
Ability: Pure Power
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- High Jump Kick
- Zen Headbutt / Recover
- Fire Punch
- Bullet Punch

Hits really hard, Recover lets it not be on a timer while ZH rocks a lot of fighting resists. Fire Punch is mandatory for Doublade. Bullet Punch hits a couple things really hard

252 Atk Life Orb Pure Power Medicham Bullet Punch vs. 172 HP / 0 Def Mega Abomasnow: 133-159 (36.5 - 43.6%)
252 Atk Life Orb Pure Power Medicham Bullet Punch vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Tyrantrum: 120-143 (39.2 - 46.7%)
252 Atk Life Orb Pure Power Medicham Bullet Punch vs. 52 HP / 0 Def Slurpuff: 159-187 (50 - 58.8%)

so you don't have to worry about being swept by those guys in most scenarios (screw teambuilding around Slurpuff). Fake Out can be used over ZH / BP depending on what you need. Basically Medicham owns.

Meloetta @ Assault Vest
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Psychic
- Shadow Ball
- Focus Blast
- U-turn

Used it in Moltres/Pangoro meta, Focus Blast ohkoes panda and it pivots into Moltres. Not much to say, it tanks special hits really well and maintains momentum while packing a solid punch. Also I used it before Pearl. >:(

Nothing else is really that interesting in my archive imo, I only played 4 weeks of RU (3 serious weeks, my team vs llamas was pretty troll) and a lot of the early part of spl was me trying to learn the meta so I couldn't really innovate that much early on.

 

[New Breed]

Accelgor @ Choice Specs
Ability: Sticky Hold
EVs: 48 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpA / 204 Spe
Modest Nature
- Bug Buzz
- Focus Blast
- Hidden Power [Ground]
- Giga Drain / U-turn

The King. Used this week 9 vs IFM, during the battle and throughout all tests it did work. Many common RU builds lack solid Bug resists since Yanmega left and this works in Accelgor's favour as it's actually stronger than a Timid Specs Yanmega Bug Buzz when hitting things neutrally. Ev's have it outpacing Choice Scarf Emboar, if you're extremely weak to Jolteon running a Timid nature and hitting 398 lets you get the jump on that and Choice Scarf Tyrantrum. Focus Blast absolutely destroys Mega-Steelix and 2HKO's Registeel. Hidden Power Ground provides great coverage letting you hit Doublade and Emboar as well as 2HKO'ing all offensive Steelix variants. Giga Drain in the last slot is nice if you don't have any means to remove SR or U-turn if your team appreciates offensive momentum.

Dugtrio @ Life Orb
Ability: Arena Trap
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Sucker Punch
- Hidden Power [Fire]

Standard LO Dugtrio with a twist, Hidden Power Fire is used to revenge all non Scarf Durant. Always OHKO's after SR and has a 35% chance to OHKO without any prior damage. Not much else to say on this Wepwn used it to great success vs HnC.

Jynx (F) @ Focus Sash
Ability: Dry Skin
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Lovely Kiss
- Psychic
- Ice Beam
- Focus Blast

Spin-off of Omfugas Sash Jynx set. Used this vs Wepwn and it worked really well. Works similair to the set Omfuga posted but gives up that early game wall breaking potential for extra coverage. Psychic and Ice Beam just hit extremely hard and when paired with Lovely Kiss Jynx becomes one of the most annoying Pokemon to deal with. Focus Blast gives you nice coverage on Steels such as Steelix and Registeel, Energy Ball is an interesting option which gives you a way to threaten Slowking. Not really an innovative set, just something that should be way more common.

 

[Oglemi]

Played a few practice matches with faji and a couple others and brought a couple funny things I thought were cool. These two seemed pretty legit but idk if I'd ever bring them to an actual SPL match, but they were fun to spitball around.

Cresselia (F) @ Choice Specs
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 Spe
Modest Nature
- Moonblast
- Psyshock
- Ice Beam
- Lunar Dance

Cress makes an excellent tank that can dish out some decent damage against stallier teams and continues to provide support to the team with Lunar Dance. Is particularly useful against common shit like MegaLix and Rhyperior that would normally switch in to absorb Twave or Toxic to get nailed by Ice Beam. Works especially well on Spikes teams to further weaken Cress's main switchins. Other stuff it's nice against includes Drapion (straight 2HKO on offensive sets w/ Moonblast), Cobalion (2HKO with Spikes w/ Moonblast), Durant (2HKO with Spikes w/ Moonblast), Houndoom (2HKO), and the list goes on. Even Reun dislikes switching into Moonblast since it forces it to Recover right away.

Meloetta @ Life Orb
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Relic Song
- Close Combat
- Return
- U-turn

This thing is fun as shit to play with and it fucks up a lot of the current meta through sheer speed and power (128 Speed are you fucking kidding me). The set up turn sucks but rly when your biggest fears are Doublade and Whimsicott ur doing something right. Also bonus points for naturally outspeeding Scarf Emboar (though it misses Tyrantrum). You even straight 2HKO 120/136 Alomomola with Close Combat even without Spikes lol. Also you rly need U-turn to work properly, not having Knock Off sucks but pairing with something like Drapion that can Pursuit or usually works just as good or better.

 

[Meru]

Druddigon @ Leftovers
Ability: Rough Skin
EVs: 248 HP / 240 SpD / 20 Spe
Careful Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Dragon Claw
- Fire Punch
- Glare

I've never used a single team with Druddigon in all of Generation VI, but this mon arose as the perfect counterstyle support mon to add to my team against Bad Ass. Nothing on standard offense teams aside from Rotom-C, Heliolisk, and Jolteon are immune to Glare, and with an investment in special defense, those mons aren't looking to go toe to toe with Drudd. It's also a really good early- to mid-game check for Houndoom thanks to Glare. Dragon/Fire is extremely good coverage in RU, where no common Steel-types are neutral to Fire attacks. Physical attackers aren't just flying by him either, as Rough Skin provides chip damage, and with something like Dugtrio to capitalize on this, it wound up being a pretty potent combination.

Rhyperior @ Choice Band
Ability: Solid Rock
EVs: 168 HP / 252 Atk / 88 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Megahorn
- Fire Punch

Didn't get to reveal this but I think it was a good pick in the post-Gligar metagame, as absolutely nothing can safely switch into this set. Since it's going for the full on offensive route, it can be relied upon to outcreep and outspeed Doublade, which you can never have too many checks for. Sometimes it has more than one move that is extremely effective to use, so its not your typical predictable 50/50 Choice user. More options is always better. Standard moves but Ice Punch is pretty much obsolete now that Gligar is gone, so Fire Punch was chosen as it could punish some predictions such as Doublade/Steelix->Rotom-C and I wanted to eliminate Escavalier at all costs. With the above SpDef Druddigon to sponge Leaf Storms and Scalds while spreading paralysis, this monster was well supported.

Audino @ Audinite
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 248 HP / 252 SpA / 8 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Dazzling Gleam
- Fire Blast
- Surf
- Healing Wish

Thanks to good coverage, retarded bulk, and a useful ability pre-evo, Offensive Mega Audino provides invaluable utility as a catch all defensive/offensive pivot on bulky offensive teams. Also a decently sturdy Doublade check, which like I said before, you can never have enough of in this meta. Some builds can run Hyper Voice over Dazzling Gleam, Grass Knot over Surf, or Thunder Wave over Healing Wish. This mon wound up being an invaluable asset against Pearl. as it ate up a Specs Exploud Boomburst with no Normal resistance or specially defensive investment, which is extremely impressive. Mega Audino has the same large problem it does in NU, which is being set up bait for CM Psychic-types, so I paired it with SD Shuca Drapion and Doublade, who appreciate having a second life, as they tend to get worn down in the process of scouting/checking the diverse Psychic-types of the meta. Also its so cute n_n

Cresselia (F) @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 112 HP / 252 SpA / 144 Spe
Modest Nature
- Substitute
- Calm Mind
- Psyshock
- Hidden Power [Ground]

A twist on the traditional SubCM set, HP Ground has earned consideration as a coverage move due to the sheer amount of targets it hits. Drapion, Skuntank, Doublade, Houndoom, Mega Steelix, Mega Camerupt, and Cobalion are all targets and are all top tier mons. Moonblast isn't as mandatory with Pangoro and Sharpedo gone, but it did sometimes allow SubCM Cresselia to beat Reuniclus, which HP Ground can never do. Pair with some anti-Psychic support, but set is more than capable of catching many common offensive teams off-guard and disrupt them. Enough speed EVs for Adamant CB Tyrantrum, which has become one of a few crucial speed tiers to consider.