UPDATE: Replace Chien-Pao with this Meowscarada set:
Meowscarada @ Choice Band
Ability: Protean
Tera Type: Fire
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Knock Off
- Flower Trick
- U-turn
- Thunder Punch
Warning: Due to some metagame changes (notably Dragapult becoming more prominent following the Chien-Pao ban), this team is likely not what it used to be. That being said, for those of you who want a simple replacement, this is it.
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
1. Introduction
2. Proof of Peak
3. Team + Description
4. Team Building Process
5. Team usage tips
6. Threat List
7. Replays
8. Shoutouts
9. Importable
10. Other Teams
11. Outro
1. INTRODUCTION
Hello everyone! It’s Pinkacross, and I’ve finally got my first team of generation 9. I was excited the moment I saw Cinderace enter the tier, for I knew that finally hazard stack was about to take a major hit. Court Change being able to switch hazards was a powerful tool that I was eager to utilize. Then I had a thought-- if I had Court Change, did I even need to set hazards of my own? Not having to include a Stealth Rock user on a team would open up a whole team slot, letting me run another wall or powerful breaker. I quickly dismissed the idea. What if my opponent just decided to not set hazards at all? Then I’m out of luck. But I pondered the idea a little more, and realized that if I could build a team that was stacked with pokemon that dislike Stealth Rock but are otherwise very strong, I could create a situation where my opponent couldn’t win. If they don’t set Stealth Rock, my team will benefit. If they do set Stealth Rock, I can steal them. And if hazards are up on both sides, I will still have a Rapid Spin user. The idea worked like a charm, and shot up to #1. I proudly present Eden!
2. PROOF OF PEAK
The laddering to achieve #1 was done by LudwigFrog. I then ghosted him in several ladder games, and together we brought the ELO even higher to reach this peak.
3. TEAM + DESCRIPTION
Cinderace @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Libero
Tera Type: Fire
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Pyro Ball
- U-turn
- Sucker Punch
- Court Change
Role / General Tips: Cinderace acts as hazard control, speed control, and a pivot. Don’t be reckless with Cinderace, it’s quite frail and often important in games due to Court Change. Try to get it in with Chilly Reception, or against pokemon you’re confident that you can defeat. Note that using Pyro Ball does not activate Libero (since Cinderace is already pure Fire type) so you can use Pyro Ball, then U-turn out and still change into a Bug type for the STAB U-turn.
Tera Type: Fire Tera allows Cinderace to use extremely powerful Pyro Balls, which can be useful for breaking and defeating Volcarona.
Item: Heavy Duty Boots is absolutely necessary for Cinderace, since otherwise it would be devastated by the same hazards it wants to swap.
Moves: Pyro Ball is a powerful no-contact STAB move that all Cinderace must run. U-turn is a fantastic pivot move that lets Cinderace maintain the team’s momentum. Sucker Punch is great for Dragapult and finishing off sweepers that would otherwise KO Cinderace. Lastly and most importantly, Court Change switches all hazards on the field, letting you turn your opponent’s hazards into your own.
EVs & Nature: Maximum Attack and Speed is used to make Cinderace function optimally as an offensive pivot. Jolly is needed to Speed tie Roaring Moon and outspeed Iron Valiant.
Other Options: You can run Will-O-Wisp over Sucker Punch to cripple incoming Great Tusk and defeat Bulk Up + Taunt Corviknight (which otherwise 6-0s the team), although you’ll likely miss Sucker Punch when facing more offensive teams.
Notable Calcs:
252 Atk Libero Cinderace Sucker Punch vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Dragapult: 270-318 (85.1 - 100.3%) -- 6.3% chance to OHKO
252 Atk Cinderace Pyro Ball vs. 248 HP / 108 Def Volcarona: 220-261 (58.9 - 69.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
Great Tusk @ Leftovers
Ability: Protosynthesis
Tera Type: Ground
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Rapid Spin
- Knock Off
- Headlong Rush / Earthquake
- Close Combat
Role / General Tips: Great Tusk is here for breaking, usage of Knock Off, hazard control, and occasionally even functioning as a defensive wall. Try to let Great Tusk keep its item against bulkier teams, it’s usually very helpful in breaking.
Tera Type: Tera Ground makes Headlong Rush powerful enough to break Tera Fairy Garganacl, Amoonguss, Defensive Tera Skeledirge, and more.
Item: Leftovers is vital for Great Tusk to maintain longevity despite having no recovery, especially against bulkier teams.
Moves: Rapid Spin is very important for removing hazards. Even though we have Court Change Cinderace, if the opponent sets hazards again after the Court Change, we must remove them. Knock Off is a rare and incredible move, fantastic for making progress and usually a safe click on any turn where you’re unsure what your opponent will do. Headlong Rush is an incredibly powerful Ground STAB, amazing for breaking neutral-resistant pokemon. Lastly, Close Combat is another very powerful STAB used for Corviknight, Rotom-Wash, and other pokemon that are immune to or resist Ground moves.
EVs & Nature: Maximum Speed with Jolly is vital for outpacing Gholdengo. Maximum Attack is run so that Great Tusk is a more effective breaker.
Other Options: Earthquake can be run over Headlong Rush, but I find the additional power well worth it.
Notable Calcs:
252 Atk Tera Ground Great Tusk Headlong Rush vs. 248 HP / 252+ Def Tera Fairy Skeledirge: 190-224 (46.2 - 54.5%) -- 53.5% chance to 2HKO
252 Atk Great Tusk Headlong Rush vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Gholdengo: 414-488 (109.5 - 129.1%) -- guaranteed OHKO
Slowking @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Regenerator
Tera Type: Water
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 SpD
Sassy Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 0 Spe
- Future Sight
- Surf
- Chilly Reception
- Slack Off
Role / General Tips: Slowking is a pivot, a Future Sight breaker, and Specially Defensive wall. You typically want to use Tera-Water early game, so that slowking can switch in confidently on Gholdengo, Dragapult, and Chi-Yu. Use Chilly Reception to get in the more frail breakers of the team, Chien-Pao and Cinderace. Chilly Reception is also a great tool against weather teams, since it cancels out Rain and Sun. Often using Chilly Reception into Cinderace U-turn, back into Slowking Chilly Reception, rinse and repeat, is a good cycle to harass weather teams if they attempt to reset their weather.
Tera Type: Tera-Water powers up Surf and allows Slowking to switch into Ghost types like Gholdengo and Dragapult reliably. It also removes the Dark weakness, which is great for Chi-Yu, Great Tusk Knock Off, and Kingambit.
Item: Heavy Duty Boots is important for Slowking because it usually needs to use Chilly Reception into Cinderace to use Court Change. Both pokemon involved in this anti-hazard process must have Heavy Duty Boots, otherwise they’ll be less effective in this cycle.
Moves: Future Sight is great for breaking bulkier teams and making an unwallable combination when paired with Chien-Pao or Great Tusk. Surf is a great general STAB move, especially when Tera-Water is used. Chilly Reception functions like Teleport did last generation, bringing in more frail pokemon that otherwise would struggle to enter. Note that this move also sets snow, giving Chien-Pao a 1.5x Defense boost. Lastly, Slack Off allows Slowking to do its job well as a wall to Special attackers.
EVs & Nature: Sassy with Maximum HP and Special Defense lets Slowking wall Dragapult, Iron-Valiant, and Gholdengo. Minimum Speed lets Slowking use Chilly Reception after the opponent to get a slow pivot.
Other Options: I wouldn’t recommend running anything else major. You could run 128 Special Attack to guarantee an OHKO Chi-Yu with Tera-Water Surf, but this really isn’t a worthwhile change.
Notable Calcs:
0 SpA Tera Water Slowking Surf vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Great Tusk: 428-504 (98.6 - 116.1%) -- 87.5% chance to OHKO
252 SpA Choice Specs Dragapult Shadow Ball vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Tera Water Slowking: 111-132 (28.1 - 33.5%) -- 0.1% chance to 3HKO
Chien-Pao @ Choice Band
Ability: Sword of Ruin
Tera Type: Dark
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Crunch
- Ice Shard
- Ice Spinner / Icicle Crash
- Sacred Sword
Role / General Tips: Chien-Pao is a breaker and Speed control. Don’t try to break with Chien-Pao too early unless it's safe to do so, since a surprise Tera-type can quickly lead to a KOd Chien-Pao.
Tera Type: Tera Dark Crunch is insanely powerful, letting Chien-Pao break through Dondozo and nearly every other pokemon in the tier.
Item: Choice Band allows Chien-Pao to be an incredible and borderline broken breaker.
Moves: Crunch is a powerful stab move, great for breaking and it has few resists. Ice Shard is an amazing priority move that OHKOs Dragapult and puts pressure on many sweepers. Ice Spinner is a general Ice Stab move for breaking pokemon that resist Crunch. Lastly, Sacred Sword hits Kingambit, opposing Chien-Pao, and Garganacl for super effective damage.
EVs & Nature: Max Speed and Max Attack makes Chien-Pao more effective in its role as a breaker and Speed control. Running Adamant is a bad idea, you lose a lot of important speed tiers.
Other Options: Icicle Crash occasionally misses, although it is stronger than Ice Spinner and also avoids contact. Tera-Ice can be used as well, although I prefer Tera-Dark since it’s better against Dondozo, a stall staple.
Notable Calcs:
252 Atk Choice Band Sword of Ruin Chien-Pao Ice Shard vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Dragapult: 314-372 (99 - 117.3%) -- 93.8% chance to OHKO
252 Atk Choice Band Sword of Ruin Tera Dark Chien-Pao Crunch vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Dondozo: 214-254 (42.4 - 50.3%) -- 1.2% chance to 2HKO
Amoonguss @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Regenerator
Tera Type: Flying
EVs: 248 HP / 200 Def / 60 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Grass Knot / Giga Drain
- Sludge Bomb
- Foul Play
- Spore
Role / General Tips: Amoongus is a physical wall that compliments the weaknesses of Dondozo. Use Foul Play as your opponent switches into the obvious Gholdengo. Use Amoonguss to scout and switch into Great Tusk, since it usually doesn’t mind losing its Rocky Helmet too much.
Tera Type: This team has no Ground immunity, so in the case of something like Choice Scarf / Band Tera Ground Headlong Rush Great Tusk, or a Choice Band Garchomp, we need something to take it on. This Amoonguss can use Tera-Flying to get out of this unfortunate situation.
Item: Rocky Helmet can deal damage to Great Tusk, pokemon using U-turn, and notably Annihilape.
Moves: Grass Knot deals 120 base power damage to Garganacl, forcing a Tera-Fairy, at which point Sludge Bomb does massive damage. Grass Knot is also 120 BP against Dondozo, Great Tusk, and Ting-Lu. Sludge Bomb is another powerful STAB move with a whopping 30% poison chance, very nice for poison fishing in drawn-out games. Foul Play is fantastic against Dragapult (particularly Choice Banded variants) and it also deals decent chip against Gholdengo. Lastly, Spore is amazing for putting a single pokemon on your opponent’s team out of commission, and giving yourself a free switch-in to a breaker.
EVs & Nature: Bold with Max HP and significant defense investment helps Amoonguss be a more effective physical Wall. The 60 Speed lets Amoonguss outspeed Hatterene, Garganacl, and other Amoonguss.
Other Options: You can run Giga Drain over Grass Knot for healing and more consistent Damage.
Notable Calcs:
0 SpA Amoonguss Grass Knot (120 BP) vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Great Tusk: 372-440 (100.2 - 118.5%) -- guaranteed OHKO
0 SpA Amoonguss Grass Knot (120 BP) vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Garganacl: 248-294 (61.3 - 72.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
0- Atk Amoonguss Foul Play vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Gholdengo: 86-102 (22.7 - 26.9%) -- 32.1% chance to 4HKO
Dondozo @ Leftovers
Ability: Unaware
Tera Type: Fairy
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Impish Nature
- Wave Crash
- Curse
- Rest
- Protect / Sleep Talk
Role / General Tips: Dondozo is an Unaware Wall and Chien-Pao switch-in. Try to only bring in Dondozo if you have to, as it’s a significant momentum drain against most teams. Use Protect to scout if your opponent switches into a pokemon that is commonly Choiced, such as Iron Valiant.
Tera Type: Fairy lets Dondozo take on Dragapult Dragon Darts, Baxcalibur Glaive Rush, and generally have a good typing to resist or be neutral-effective against most of the tier.
Item: Leftovers are vital for Dondozo to maintain longevity, especially alongside Protect.
Moves: Wave Crash is a great 120 BP STAB Water-type attack that helps Dondozo do enough damage to not be a complete sitting duck. Curse helps boost Dondozo’s attack and defense so it can reliably wall powerful physical setup sweepers and KO them in return. Rest is Dondozo’s only recovery move, so it must be run. It also helpfully restores status, making Dondozo a decent status absorber in some games. Lastly, Protect helps Dondozo get a little extra recovery in a tight spot, and scout powerful breakers that try to take advantage of Dondozo’s passivity.
EVs & Nature: Maximum Defense and HP makes Dondozo the most effective physical wall it can be.
Other Options: Sleep Talk can be run over Protect to make Dondozo less of a sitting duck when Resting. However, I prefer Protect since it allows Dondozo the ability to scout, while also giving additional recovery. This lets Dondozo use Rest fewer times in the first place, making it, in my opinion, a sitting duck less often.
Notable Calcs:
252 Atk Sword of Ruin Chien-Pao Crunch vs. 248 HP / 252+ Def Dondozo: 109-129 (21.6 - 25.6%) -- 0.8% chance to 4HKO
252+ Atk Supreme Overlord 5 allies fainted Kingambit Kowtow Cleave vs. 248 HP / 252+ Def Dondozo: 153-181 (30.4 - 35.9%) -- 45.3% chance to 3HKO
4. TEAM BUILDING PROCESS
I started off with Cinderace. I was sick of Gholdengo Hazard Stack, and I wanted to counter it hard.
I realized that I could simply steal my opponent’s Stealth Rock and run a no-hazards team, but in case hazards got up on both sides, I knew I’d need a good Rapid Spin user. So, I went with the best: Great Tusk.
I realized that my Court Change strategy was far from reliable. Sure, I could steal Stealth Rock, but getting in Cinderace, especially multiple times per game, sounded almost impossible without an exceptional pivot. I added on Slowking, since Cinderace and Great Tusk both love Future Sight support, and it’s the best pivot there is with Chilly Reception.
This is when I realized that if I was going to run a team without Stealth Rock, I needed to be prepared for the possibility that the opponent would choose to simply not set hazards. This meant my team needed to be better without hazards than my opponent’s team, otherwise my strategy fails. I knew the next 3 pokemon would need to love a hazardless field, so I started with what I consider to be the pokemon that appreciates good removal the most: Choice Band Chien-Pao. This also gave me speed control and another great Future Sight abuser.
I had a distinct weakness to Breloom, Iron Valiant, and Meowscarada. I also knew that having a Toxic Spikes absorber would be important, so adding Amoonguss was naturally a good choice. It also appreciates lack of entry hazards, so it can maximize Regenerator.
I had no switch-in to Chien-Pao, and I noticed I was weak to a lot of Physical setup sweepers such as Dragonite, Roaring Moon, and Annihilape. Thus, Dondozo made a perfect final member. It also is weak to entry hazards and loves being able to freely run Leftovers.
5. TEAM USAGE TIPS
1. Preserving Tera is often a good idea in this tier, but not when using this team. Using Tera-Water on Slowking is often the right play early game. Slowking is absolutely the most common Tera user. If not necessary though, definitely wait until you must use Tera.
2. Let your opponent set hazards up. Don’t spin them away with Great Tusk unless you’re reasonably sure that Cinderace won’t have a good opportunity to Court Change.
3. Try not to let Great Tusk lose its item. If you’re in a situation when it’s Great Tusk vs. Great Tusk, usually switching Amoonguss is the right play unless this is later in the game. When breaking with Great Tusk, especially vs Garganacl, Leftovers are very important.
4. Note which pokemon’s health you must preserve before the game begins. Often, you’ll notice that preserving the health of Dondozo or Great Tusk is important.
5. Don’t be spamming Future Sight. This isn’t gen 8 anymore. Often clicking Surf (especially if Tera-Water) or using Chilly Reception is the better play. Future Sight is still good, but don’t mindlessly click it every time Slowking enters-- it’s often not worth using against more offensive teams.
6. Be adaptive in your playstyle. This team has a double Regenerator core and a Dondozo, but it also has the potential to break and play aggressively. Depending on the team you’re facing, you’ll have to change up your tactics. Aggressive reads one game, patience the next.
7. If you’re struggling, check out the Replays section! It has lots of high-level play that should help you out. :)
6. THREAT LIST
This is a threat to every team, but it is so with this team as well. This team can deal with most Annihilape, but depending on the set and Tera-type, there are many different procedures with many variations. If facing a Protect or a RestoChesto set, use Dondozo and never actually hit it with a move until you can OHKO or do significant damage with Wave Crash. If facing the more common Taunt variant, I recommend using Future Sight with Slowking (the boost doesn’t activate until the Future Sight actually hits), and Knock Off with Great Tusk. From here, you can use Dondozo (which beats all but Tera-types that resist Water once Knocked Off), and Amoonguss Rocky Helmet chip. And of course, if a slower variant of Annihilape tries to set up on Great Tusk, Headlong Rush (particularly Tera-Ground) will shut down this strategy.
You can Tera-Water Slowking and OHKO after Stealth Rock. Tera-Water Slowking also lives all hits from Choice Specs Chi-Yu, although Dark Pulse likely 2HKOs. You can scout using Protect Dondozo to see what it will do. Cinderace scares most out, and lives a Scarf Dark Pulse. You have a 1-time switch-in to Specs Dark Pulse, which is Chien-Pao. All of this being said, sometimes this pokemon is going to get a kill and there’s not much you can do. If that time comes, sack whichever pokemon is least useful. Also, Chi-Yu will be banned soon, so you won’t have to worry about it much longer.
If Offensive, Volcarona is not much of an issue. Cinderace Pyro Ball into Sucker Punch kills every time, and Volcarona can’t do anything about it. Defensive is more scary. When facing a Max Defense Volcarona, Tera-Fire Cinderace can break, as long as you can hit a few Pyro Balls. If Cinderace is too heavily chipped, or you’ve already used your Tera, go into Dondozo. Promptly use Wave Crash to force Tera-Grass, then (if possible) switch hard into Cinderace. Ice Shard from Chien-Pao will now also do massive damage (63-74%).
Espathra is always an issue. Try to hit this with whatever is in. Slowking is setup fodder, but everything else on the team can threaten this bird from hell. Use every tool at your disposal, including offensive Tera from Cinderace and Great Tusk. Ice Shard from Chien-Pao can finish this off. If you really grow to hate Espathra, Tera-Dark Dondozo can work.
We have only Tera-Fairy Dondozo to switch into Dragon Darts, and that hates taking Ghost Tera Blast. Fortunately, Great Tusk lives any one hit, Chien-Pao outspeeds Adamant variants and OHKOs Jolly Variants with Ice Shard, and Cinderace Sucker Punch does 85% minimum, making it very likely to OHKO after Stealth Rock. Watch out for Dragon Darts, though. Don’t let this pokemon in for free, or it will likely get a kill.
7. REPLAYS
Game that reached 2078: https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9ou-1763039469-5qgcdq4tlm0k4zodoi2rs1ddjjjprb6pw
Vs Garganacl + Chi-Yu Balance: https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9ou-1763886340-s79z786k6qk60vgc62ythk0sabm1uo2pw
Vs Toxapex Balance: https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9ou-1763662969-pv9owd28rs05vgzf0zhyhzqnja79bcopw
Vs Gallade Balance: https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9ou-1763640391-zelgm13b10sjgzy5ci40fkuwz4at8tupw
Vs Kingambit Balance: https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9ou-1763632501-6m7hpmlgnj0siophf0h8wyogpqodns4pw
Vs Choice Specs Dragapult + Annihilape Offense: https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9ou-1763029873-qbl06ymn06bntwgg9o3x8l5q5dxa6bqpw
Vs Cinderace Sun: https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9ou-1763012887-mcim27a4rfd7d1ravka1p8mfjhp270hpw
Vs CB Dragapult Bulky Balance: https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9ou-1762991040-qb1g0tun46e8odwaf4hejvlh3mrjjdrpw
Vs Hex Dragapult Balance: https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9ou-1762628746-8hizvrftpt1vz7kkcmf7jurtvnbd05hpw
Vs Hatterene Stall: https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9ou-1762618201-n5npt8fbnb74wj9zj9l5qjhbm5wknrdpw
Vs Life Orb Garchomp Balance: https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9ou-1762606879-6qf1tzgol1hjmhs8o2wx2emzb3m53expw
Vs Choice Specs Tera Ghost Dragapult Balance: https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9ou-1761134045-mym3lj4dlim007r57rx0oodmg95g5jlpw
Vs Ting-Lu Offense: https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9ou-1761101618-xvhu2vtn60jc4il0ajba5py3tylp7uqpw
Vs Ceruledge Balance Offense: https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9ou-1760814280-9x2xxfc6g0pp6nocyg7u6hp1vb99smfpw
Vs Tera-Dragon Choice Specs Dragapult Offense: https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9ou-1760791806-aj0hl1xsbqt0sj9vokdvyw1ojrnuvm1pw
Vs Glimmora Hazard Stack: https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9ou-1760779539-ygd8elcoqgjjtxixbxoubnr73uti6c2pw
8. SHOUTOUTS
Massive thank you to LudwigFrog for helping tweak the team and playing it much better than I did, achieving that #1 peak. Huge thanks to Shawk for the amazing banner and the art on the pokemon’s names. As always, he did an incredible job.
9. IMPORTABLE
The Team: https://pokepast.es/03668313c48521a8
Team with my Nicknames: https://pokepast.es/ab29b15f1fdb03bb
Team with LudwigFrog’s Nicknames (and preferred sets): https://pokepast.es/eae07b18ca281fd5
10. OTHER TEAMS
This is my first team this gen. :O
But, if you enjoy gen 8, here is a link to my latest gen 8 RMT which contains links to many other gen 8 RMTs: https://www.smogon.com/forums/threads/lanturn-balance-peaked-1-2129-ft-tapu-bulu.3704905/
11. OUTRO
Thanks for reading! Enjoy the team, and I hope 2023 is a great year for you!
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