I've always been a fan of TR teams and imo the presence of many slow hard hitters in the meta (Escavalier, Druddigon, Machamp, Copperajah, Arctovish, etc.) coupled with a variety of excellent TR users that aren't ghost/psychic types e.g. Diancie addresses a major limitation of TR teams being especially weak to Dark types in the past.
I initially wanted an offensive core around Dragalge and Machamp. The two complement each other fairly well, with Dragalge checking many of the Fairy types that give Machamp trouble while Machamp takes care of Steel types e.g. Escavalier, Copperajah that walls Dragalge. There are also a few other reasons I chose this particular core - I'm blown away by Dragalge's sheer offensive prowess with Adaptability, great offensive typing, and a Choice Specs, decimating many of the key walls in the NU meta while also being fairly bulky. I was also interested in abusing Machamp's Guts with the reduced damage taken from a Flame Orb and being able to soak up status infliction bane to TR sweepers.
I'm of the mind that 3-4 TR users are key to maintaining TR throughout the game, but I couldn't find a combination of 4 TR users that provided sufficient offensive presence for the current NU meta so I stuck with 3: Runerigus, Diancie, Exeggutor. Runerigus is the quintessential TR + SR lead, Diancie possesses a great offensive moveset while providing a key Dark resistance, and Exeggutor patches up elemental weaknesses to Water while providing key coverage against Psychic + Water/Ground types that the team didn't really have. I then chose Escavalier to round up the team's offensive potential with excellent Steel + Bug coverage and providing key resistances to Fairy, Poison, and Psychic.
Machamp @ Flame Orb
Ability: Guts
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 SpD
IVs: 0 Spe
Brave Nature
- Close Combat
- Bullet Punch
- Knock Off
- Poison Jab
First 3x moves are core while Poison Jab allows me to kill Sylveon, a major defensive threat, after it switches into a Close Combat/Knock Off.
Dragalge @ Choice Specs
Ability: Adaptability
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 SpA
Quiet Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Draco Meteor
- Sludge Wave
- Thunderbolt
- Flip Turn
Specs Dragalge is arguably the hardest hitting special wallbreaker in NU, OHKO'ing or 2HKO'ing many defensive threats that do not run dedicated special defense sets and not being Steel types. I've tried LO over Specs but the damage difference was more than noticeable and Dragalge doesn't stay in a fight too long anyways.
Escavalier @ Life Orb
Ability: Overcoat
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 SpD
Brave Nature
IVs: 0 SpA / 0 Spe
- Iron Head
- Megahorn
- Knock Off
- Drill Run
Escavalier rounds off the offensive core, fairing decently against defensive threats that Machamp & Dragalge struggle with e.g. Bronzong (OHKO with Knock Off after SR and about 10% residual damage), Vileplume (OHKO with Megahorn after SR). Choice Band can be used in place of Life Orb, but I found his STABs aren't as spammable and coverage too good to be restricted. Still, the HP loss from Life Orb cuts into his otherwise great bulk.
Diancie @ Mental Herb
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 SpA
Brave Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Play Rough
- Diamond Storm
- Mystical Fire
- Trick Room
Sets up TR late game, provides a critical Dark type resist. I'm considering using a Special variant utilizing Moonblast & Power Gem, but Diamond Storm > Power Gem and the defense boost has come in handy at times. Mystical Fire provides crucial Fire-type coverage against Escavalier. I currently have Mental Herb on as it is so crucial for Diancie to set up TR late game, but in practice I haven't actually encountered a Taunt user late game and the lack of LO has caused it to miss more than a few KOs.
Runerigus @ Mental Herb
Ability: Wandering Spirit
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 SpD
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 0 Spe
- Trick Room
- Stealth Rock
- Memento
- Taunt
Dedicated TR lead; SpD bulk is maximized as the few things that can OHKO Runerigus are mainly offensive water types e.g. Starmie. I typically use TR -> SR -> Memento; occasionally skipping the SR against offensive teams with lower bulk.
Exeggutor @ Life Orb
Ability: Harvest
EVs: 248 HP / 252 SpA / 8 SpD
Quiet Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Trick Room
- Psychic
- Leaf Storm
- Explosion
Mid-game TR setter with good offensive potential and provides key resist to Water while providing crucial Grass & Psychic coverage. I replaced Psychock with Psychic to deal more damage v.s. Vileplume, which this team struggles with. Also chose Harvest over Chlorophyll to avoid an unwanted speed boost under the rare sun.
Main weaknesses:
The advantage of having many slow heavy hitters to choose from in NU is also a disadvantage, since offensive threats like foe Escavalier and Copperajah can outspeed most of the team under TR. This team struggles against Escavalier and Copperajah, for which I have to keep Machamp alive for. The team also especially struggles against wallbreaker Tyrantrum with Rock Head Head Smash, which outspeeds and OHKO's my entire team, and usually requires a sacc + keeping Machamp alive. Defensively, Bronzong, Vileplume, and Vaporeon are the biggest defensive threats to the team. I usually try spamming Knock Out on Machamp/Escavalier to chip away at their Leftovers/Black Sludge and weaken them for the kill. There is also a distinct lack of Fire coverage from the team that makes handling Steel types all the more difficult. Although each member of the team is fairly bulky, there aren't consistently safe defensive pivots and sufficient resistance gaps that can make an especially strong neutral hit fatal. The lack of recovery, especially for the main offensive sweepers, is also a fair concern. The absence of hazard removal is a lesser concern as I'm already unlikely to win a game where hazard damage starts to really rack up.
Main strengths:
Excellent offensive coverage, and a lot of teams aren't prepared to face dedicated TR. The team's immediate sheer offensive potential is such that even key defensive threats can be quickly taken out.
Other considerations:
Mesprit feels like a decent alternative to Exeggutor, sacrificing offensive presence for the potential to Healing Wish a weakened Escavalier/Machamp for a late game sweep while still retaining key Psychic coverage. Still, I found teams in general to be unprepared for what Exeggutor can really do with max. SpA investment, Life Orb, and a STAB attack - followed by an Explosion - that really adds momentum and major offensive presence. I'm also toying with the idea of LO +Sheer Force Copperajah in place of Escavalier, but am not yet convinced.
The Team in action:
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8nu-1318441193-vikijseuiaxjby1udua8d4cr0w0hc5spw
Thanks for reading this far and appreciate any thoughts you have on my team!
I initially wanted an offensive core around Dragalge and Machamp. The two complement each other fairly well, with Dragalge checking many of the Fairy types that give Machamp trouble while Machamp takes care of Steel types e.g. Escavalier, Copperajah that walls Dragalge. There are also a few other reasons I chose this particular core - I'm blown away by Dragalge's sheer offensive prowess with Adaptability, great offensive typing, and a Choice Specs, decimating many of the key walls in the NU meta while also being fairly bulky. I was also interested in abusing Machamp's Guts with the reduced damage taken from a Flame Orb and being able to soak up status infliction bane to TR sweepers.
I'm of the mind that 3-4 TR users are key to maintaining TR throughout the game, but I couldn't find a combination of 4 TR users that provided sufficient offensive presence for the current NU meta so I stuck with 3: Runerigus, Diancie, Exeggutor. Runerigus is the quintessential TR + SR lead, Diancie possesses a great offensive moveset while providing a key Dark resistance, and Exeggutor patches up elemental weaknesses to Water while providing key coverage against Psychic + Water/Ground types that the team didn't really have. I then chose Escavalier to round up the team's offensive potential with excellent Steel + Bug coverage and providing key resistances to Fairy, Poison, and Psychic.
Machamp @ Flame Orb
Ability: Guts
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 SpD
IVs: 0 Spe
Brave Nature
- Close Combat
- Bullet Punch
- Knock Off
- Poison Jab
First 3x moves are core while Poison Jab allows me to kill Sylveon, a major defensive threat, after it switches into a Close Combat/Knock Off.
Dragalge @ Choice Specs
Ability: Adaptability
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 SpA
Quiet Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Draco Meteor
- Sludge Wave
- Thunderbolt
- Flip Turn
Specs Dragalge is arguably the hardest hitting special wallbreaker in NU, OHKO'ing or 2HKO'ing many defensive threats that do not run dedicated special defense sets and not being Steel types. I've tried LO over Specs but the damage difference was more than noticeable and Dragalge doesn't stay in a fight too long anyways.
Escavalier @ Life Orb
Ability: Overcoat
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 SpD
Brave Nature
IVs: 0 SpA / 0 Spe
- Iron Head
- Megahorn
- Knock Off
- Drill Run
Escavalier rounds off the offensive core, fairing decently against defensive threats that Machamp & Dragalge struggle with e.g. Bronzong (OHKO with Knock Off after SR and about 10% residual damage), Vileplume (OHKO with Megahorn after SR). Choice Band can be used in place of Life Orb, but I found his STABs aren't as spammable and coverage too good to be restricted. Still, the HP loss from Life Orb cuts into his otherwise great bulk.
Diancie @ Mental Herb
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 SpA
Brave Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Play Rough
- Diamond Storm
- Mystical Fire
- Trick Room
Sets up TR late game, provides a critical Dark type resist. I'm considering using a Special variant utilizing Moonblast & Power Gem, but Diamond Storm > Power Gem and the defense boost has come in handy at times. Mystical Fire provides crucial Fire-type coverage against Escavalier. I currently have Mental Herb on as it is so crucial for Diancie to set up TR late game, but in practice I haven't actually encountered a Taunt user late game and the lack of LO has caused it to miss more than a few KOs.
Runerigus @ Mental Herb
Ability: Wandering Spirit
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 SpD
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 0 Spe
- Trick Room
- Stealth Rock
- Memento
- Taunt
Dedicated TR lead; SpD bulk is maximized as the few things that can OHKO Runerigus are mainly offensive water types e.g. Starmie. I typically use TR -> SR -> Memento; occasionally skipping the SR against offensive teams with lower bulk.
Exeggutor @ Life Orb
Ability: Harvest
EVs: 248 HP / 252 SpA / 8 SpD
Quiet Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Trick Room
- Psychic
- Leaf Storm
- Explosion
Mid-game TR setter with good offensive potential and provides key resist to Water while providing crucial Grass & Psychic coverage. I replaced Psychock with Psychic to deal more damage v.s. Vileplume, which this team struggles with. Also chose Harvest over Chlorophyll to avoid an unwanted speed boost under the rare sun.
Main weaknesses:
The advantage of having many slow heavy hitters to choose from in NU is also a disadvantage, since offensive threats like foe Escavalier and Copperajah can outspeed most of the team under TR. This team struggles against Escavalier and Copperajah, for which I have to keep Machamp alive for. The team also especially struggles against wallbreaker Tyrantrum with Rock Head Head Smash, which outspeeds and OHKO's my entire team, and usually requires a sacc + keeping Machamp alive. Defensively, Bronzong, Vileplume, and Vaporeon are the biggest defensive threats to the team. I usually try spamming Knock Out on Machamp/Escavalier to chip away at their Leftovers/Black Sludge and weaken them for the kill. There is also a distinct lack of Fire coverage from the team that makes handling Steel types all the more difficult. Although each member of the team is fairly bulky, there aren't consistently safe defensive pivots and sufficient resistance gaps that can make an especially strong neutral hit fatal. The lack of recovery, especially for the main offensive sweepers, is also a fair concern. The absence of hazard removal is a lesser concern as I'm already unlikely to win a game where hazard damage starts to really rack up.
Main strengths:
Excellent offensive coverage, and a lot of teams aren't prepared to face dedicated TR. The team's immediate sheer offensive potential is such that even key defensive threats can be quickly taken out.
Other considerations:
Mesprit feels like a decent alternative to Exeggutor, sacrificing offensive presence for the potential to Healing Wish a weakened Escavalier/Machamp for a late game sweep while still retaining key Psychic coverage. Still, I found teams in general to be unprepared for what Exeggutor can really do with max. SpA investment, Life Orb, and a STAB attack - followed by an Explosion - that really adds momentum and major offensive presence. I'm also toying with the idea of LO +Sheer Force Copperajah in place of Escavalier, but am not yet convinced.
The Team in action:
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8nu-1318441193-vikijseuiaxjby1udua8d4cr0w0hc5spw
Thanks for reading this far and appreciate any thoughts you have on my team!