Resource SS ZU Sample Teams

Defensive Rapidash is much much easier to deal with because Alcremie can freely set up on it as much as it pleases. Offensive fires will require some playing around though.
Defensive rapidash is actually an ans to alc not vice versa. In fact it completely sits on the set you are running. Also I think sexy wooper was saying you don't have switch ins to fire types. E.g., Say ninetales comes in on smallgeist, sandslas, thwack, alc with pivot or to revenge kill then what will your counter play be?
252+ Atk Choice Band Thwackey Grassy Glide vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Ninetales in Grassy Terrain: 116-137 (40.4 - 47.7%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Grassy Terrain recovery
252+ Atk Pawniard Sucker Punch vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Ninetales: 120-142 (41.8 - 49.4%)
So even with max rolls+ gterrain recovery tales has 9-15% health and basically ohkos everything in that team bar vally and alc.
Then tales isn't even the main common fire. Its rap.

252+ Atk Pawniard Sucker Punch vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Rapidash: 127-150 (38 - 44.9%)
252+ Atk Choice Band Thwackey Grassy Glide vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Rapidash in Grassy Terrain: 123-144 (36.8 - 43.1%) -- 99.1% chance to 3HKO after Grassy Terrain recovery
18-24% hp remaining after max rolls + it can use morning sun in the face of thwack (already choice locked) and alc.
0 Atk Rapidash High Horsepower vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Silvally-Poison: 144-170 (43.5 - 51.3%) -- 99.6% chance to 2HKO after Stealth Rock
252 Atk Silvally-Poison Multi-Attack vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Rapidash: 211-250 (63.1 - 74.8%)

Besides all these mons end up being afraid of its flame body.

Sure there are ways to play around but they are so complex, at that point it's better to rewamp some parts of the team. Well it's still a cool team nevertheless and would love to see it's new version if you make any :D
 

viet noa

eating neopronoun pizza at little xe/xyrs
is a Pre-Contributor
Skuntank Bulky Offense
:skuntank::rotom::thwackey::rhydon::wishiwashi::rapidash:
Skuntank's stallbreaking capabilities with Taunt, Nasty Plot, and a fantastic dual STAB, make it a top tier threat. Although it has some notable checks and counters, major assistance is provided to Skuntank via its teammates. Rotom is an offensive pivot that lures in Ground-types like Rhydon and Piloswine, just to cripple them with Wisp and Hex. Thwackey not only revenge kills faster opponents, but Grassy Terrain provides recovery alongside a weakening of Earthquake for Skuntank. Rhydon blocks Volt Switch and sets up hazards, and has the bulk & firepower to check otherwise troublesome Pokémon like Altaria, Stunfisk, and Rapidash. A Jolly Nature is ran to outpace 56 Speed Alolan Sandslash. Wishiwashi is a defensive teammate that soft checks a lot of threats, and its slow U-Turn lets Skuntank or another Pokémon come in safely. Rapidash is also a generally good check to many Pokémon, and its easily-spammed Toxic allows Skuntank's checks to be worn down.
Replay VS TangDash Balance Sample Team
Replay in ZU Majors
 
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viet noa

eating neopronoun pizza at little xe/xyrs
is a Pre-Contributor
wait i didnt even realize mine got accepted LOL
here's my edited description to match my edited team:
Skuntank's stallbreaking capabilities with Corrosive Gas, Nasty Plot, and a fantastic dual STAB, make it a top tier threat. While it typically runs Taunt, Corrosive Gas is a fantastic way to cripple defensive switch-ins like Rhydon and Stunfisk. Although it has some notable checks and counters, major assistance is provided to Skuntank via its teammates. Rotom is an offensive pivot that lures in Ground-types like Rhydon and Piloswine, just to cripple them with Wisp and Hex. Thwackey not only revenge kills faster opponents, but Grassy Terrain provides recovery alongside a weakening of Earthquake for Skuntank. Rhydon blocks Volt Switch and sets up hazards, and has the bulk & firepower to check otherwise troublesome Pokémon like Altaria, Stunfisk, and Rapidash. Wishiwashi is a defensive teammate that soft checks a lot of threats, and its slow U-Turn lets Skuntank or another Pokémon come in safely. Rapidash is also a generally good check to many Pokémon, and its easily-spammed Toxic allows Skuntank's checks to be worn down.
 

5Dots

Chairs
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Malamar Hazard Stack
:Malamar: :Sandslash-Alola: :Wishiwashi: :Stunfisk: :Eldegoss: :Sawk:
Malamar is an excellent abuser for hazard-stacking cores thanks to its excellent dual STABS of Knock Off + Superpower, enabling it to be used for utility via Knock Off in the early stages of the game and as a lethal wincon with Superpower for late-game. RestTalk enables it to continue sweeping or cripple Pokemon from switching in, like Wishiwashi or Thwackey. Sandslash-Alola assists in covering Malamar’s weaknesses to Fairy and U-Turn with its respectable mixed bulk and defensive typing, while being able to more reliably defeat Alcremie and Articuno with Iron Head. Spikes provides appreciated chip so that Malamar will be able to sweep easier. Wishiwashi provides a secondary status absorber and provides the role of a physical wall, able stomach attacks from the likes of Choice Scarf Sawk or Rapidash while providing important pivoting capabilities. Stunfisk provides the role of a special wall and a necessary Rotom check, being able serve as a nice check for popular threats like Rotom and Skuntank. Eldegoss offers cleric support and hazard removal, and has the means to force out popular Stealth Rock setters like Rhydon and Stunfisk with enough speed EVs. Scarf Sawk rounds out the team by providing revenge killing capabilities with its fantastic Attack stat and wide array of coverage tools.
Edit: Finally topped the ladder with the team

12053F5C-531A-4986-8F1B-211B83330C9C.jpeg
 
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diegoyuhhi

our shared past and our lost future
is a Pre-Contributor
Hazard stack BO ft. Roselia

:Roselia: :Pawniard: :Alcremie: :Altaria: :Rotom: :Piloswine:

Hazard stacking is a playstyle I’ve recently been experimenting a lot with, and it has proved to be really successful in this meta without many good defoggers/spinners. This team is made of pokemons that are/have been really meta, and then there’s... Roselia.
4 SPEED EVS ON EVERYTHING
Roselia actually fills a really good niche in this team, being very bulky on the special side and having spikes and leech seed to chip down even more the opponent. 44 speed evs let it outspeed uninvested base 70s.
Pawniard works as a defog deterrent thanks to his defiant ability, which gives him a +2 atk boost if the opponent defogs. It also provides knock off support, priority and taunt.
Alcremie is a really good late game cleaner that really appreciates the hazards chip. I went for a really standard cm+recover set that can really destroy the opposing team after a bit of chip.
Altaria is the standard smogon set, and although it might seem weird to have a defogger on a hazard stack team, it really synergizes with the rest of the team thanks to his typing, giving the team a FWG resist and a ground immunity.
Rotom works as a spin blocker, can pivot, gives speed control thanks to the scarf and is able to make some mons completely useless by tricking them a scarf.
Piloswine is a really good role compressor, since when building this team I still missed a rocker and an elec immunity; Piloswine has both of these qualities while also helping Altaria with its x4 ice weakness.
The team is unfortunately weak to knock off, with 3 mons relying on their eviolite, Altaria that really needs its boots and Rotom that just straight up dies from knock. Usually the main knock off absorber is Alcremie, but Pawniard can do it too. Other than this, the team has got no big issues and has a pretty all-rounded defensive & offensive synergy.
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8zu-1445321234 This replay really shows how this team can recover from stupid mistakes done in the first part of the game, by constantly chipping down the opponent until Alcremie can setup 2 calm minds and sweep. You can also see how useful Roselia is in this team, continuously using leech seed to provide chip to the opponents and recovery to teammates.
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8zu-1457179352-c5y30mdmwsug9sh2yif01xkwvf4gbztpw This game against a really strong opponent really showed what Pawniard is able to do, even without the defiant boost. Roselia completely walled that specs Basculin, and Rotom was able to make that clutch scarf trick to Uxie, making it completely walled by Roselia. You can also see the typing immunities really getting fundamental here, thanks to a bunch of predictions.

bonus round: https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8zu-1457266836-aknnfhvfzglcyawbpieep83gjcwgxrrpw piloswine sweep (?)

I have to say that i'm a pretty bad player, so if this team didn't have much success it's entirely my fault. i don't think this will be approved but i just wanted to share this team with all the community since i love it so much. also sorry for any eventual spelling mistakes but english isn't my first language :/
 
The Last
1638716092993.png1638716111259.png1638716126122.png1638716142004.png1638716158853.png1638716170606.png
Hey, today I'm here to introduce you my last post in this tier as an active player.

We start with LO lycanroc, which can do a lot of damages, with 252 in speed it can outspeed the 262 like butterfree, flapple or poliwrath. Lycanroc is an excellent breaker with this set (252+ Atk Life Orb Lycanroc-Midnight Stone Edge vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Eviolite Tangela: 95-113 (28.4 - 33.8%) -- 0.2% chance to 3HKO) you can see than if we have any hazards on the opponent's side, tangela can't be healed by regenerator. sucker is to pressure faster mons like rotom or jynx.

The next mon is scarf tom, to have an excellent speed control, it can trick tangela for example or just switch with volt switch to weaken opponent's team, it's also the spinblocker, not really bulky to in on koff or icicle crash from snowlash but, it still cool to notice that.

Stunfisk is the 3rd, it blocks rotom or manectric, foul play to hit physical attackers and to break rotom's sub, very important, sr setter, basic set, the 1st mon of my defensive core.

To cover him, we have articuno, also spdef wall, but it can turn, I choose frz dry here for tangela for sure, it helps lycanroc to clean in late game and it's the defogger.

Also to complete my defensive core, i added a qwilfish, my spiker, 231 in speed to taunt others qwilfsh, or altaria and uxie for example, pain spilt for the recovery and liquidation because i prefer, vs grouds or snowlash.

In last, rapidash is here. It's my check to frosmoth and ninetales, good speed tier, toxic for bulky mons like rhydon or stunfisk (stunfisk which is strong vs rotom & lycanroc) also basic set, rapidash is important because it's the main threat for snowlash (it can switch on snowlash and morning sun or flare blitz).

Here it is, I'm leaving this tier and I hope than the team will be cool to play. GL for the rest of ZU.​
 
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viet noa

eating neopronoun pizza at little xe/xyrs
is a Pre-Contributor
i know this was briefly mentioned before, but i think it's right to archive all of the sample teams. besides the kangaspikes team, all of the sample teams were from past metagames and haven't represented the current meta (including mine, sadly). and of course, kangaspikes includes snowslash, which is sadly banned.

i would propose and support a project where we as a community try building new sample teams for the new meta to compensate :)
 


Sample Teams:
(click on sprites for the Pokepaste)

KangaSpikes 2.0 by S1nn0hC0nfirm3d
:kangaskhan: :qwilfish: :sandslash-alola: :eldegoss: :throh: :rotom:
Kangaskhan is always a great offensive threat to pair with Spikes. Fake Out + Spikes chip damage adds up so that Kangaskhan take out more walls with Double-Edge or revenge kill offensive threats by following with Sucker Punch. Qwilfish provides Spikes, and Alolan Sandslash is a great defensive partner that also adds Stealth Rock. For both removal and for a Ground-type switch-in, there's Eldegoss. Throh completes the defensive core as a much needed special wall with recovery, and its Knock Off + Circle Throw combo is also awesome here. Rotom finally is a spinblocker and it uses its extra speed as a Choice Scarf user to clean.

NP Skuntank+Hex Rotom Offense by hiss
:skuntank::rotom::thwackey::rhydon::wishiwashi-school::rapidash:
Skuntank's stallbreaking capabilities with Corrosive Gas, Nasty Plot, and a fantastic dual STAB, make it a top tier threat. While it typically runs Taunt, Corrosive Gas is a fantastic way to cripple defensive switch-ins like Rhydon and Stunfisk. Although it has some notable checks and counters, major assistance is provided to Skuntank via its teammates. Rotom is an offensive pivot that lures in Ground-types like Rhydon and Piloswine, just to cripple them with Wisp and Hex. Thwackey not only revenge kills faster opponents, but Grassy Terrain provides recovery alongside a weakening of Earthquake for Skuntank. Rhydon blocks Volt Switch and sets up hazards, and has the bulk & firepower to check otherwise troublesome Pokémon like Altaria, Stunfisk, and Rapidash. Wishiwashi is a defensive teammate that soft checks a lot of threats, and its slow U-Turn lets Skuntank or another Pokémon come in safely. Rapidash is also a generally good check to many Pokémon, and its easily-spammed Toxic allows

Minor pitnick but first team could use qwilfish spread:

Qwilfish @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 156 Def / 100 Spe
Impish Nature
- Liquidation
- Spikes
- Taunt
- Pain Split

Same speed and physical defense and 12 extra evs in HP.

Also throh probably better with:

Throh (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Guts
EVs: 248 HP / 216 SpD / 44 Spe
Careful Nature
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
- Knock Off
- Circle Throw
Just because gain an extra sdef point doing that change.


Second team, the same for wishiwashi

Wishiwashi @ Leftovers
Ability: Schooling
EVs: 252 HP / 156 Def / 100 SpD
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- U-turn
- Liquidation
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
 

diegoyuhhi

our shared past and our lost future
is a Pre-Contributor
hey there, i wanted to share with you all one of my most recent teams, which i found to be really strong in the current meta, making me peak decently high on ladder. hope you like it and sorry for any eventual grammar mistakes :)))

PSYVALLY BALANCE
:silvally: :sawk: :rapidash: :tangela: :cramorant: :rhydon:
Screenshot 2022-03-18 17.18.29.png
this team was born when i believe risin_glory sent a pokepaste with just a core of boltbeam fightvally and scarf sawk in the zu chatroom, and so i thought “wow this is really cool, let me build a fightspam team around this”. after a bit of testing, i realized that fightvally wasn’t really cutting the edge, mainly because i didn’t actually have a good psychic switchin; i then tried darkvally, but began to struggle against opposing sawks and alcremies. in the end, i decided to try out psyvally, since it was very niche, but it was exactly the niche i needed in this team. psyvally proved to be absolutely perfect in this team structure and stayed there. a few movesets and spreads changes later, we have the team i’m presenting you today.
the team is built around the famous tangdash core, one of the best defensive cores in the whole tier: they help with each other’s weaknesses, have good support moves in knock off, toxic and sleep powder and recovery in regenerator and morning sun. cramorant really works out well together with this core, thanks to its access to defog, its ground immunity and its water typing giving us a FWG core; this bulkier spread handles special attackers better, while still outspeeding adamant thwackey. to finish the defensive core off, we have a rhydon for stealth rock and electric immunity. sawk is one of the best offensive mons in the tier, giving good speed control with choice scarf and a variety of coverage moves to hit a lot of different mons, on top of a pretty good attack stat. psyvally serves a really interesting niche in this team, beating most sawk checks thanks to his boltbeam coverage, and handling opposing sawks thanks to multiattack; uturn is a really useful pivoting move, easing out prediction games, and hitting other psychic and dark types on the switchout.
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8zu-1532889230-73a3u8xwea0mrm3pvmctknnuxq4n7sdpw on this replay, we can see how cramorant’s bulkier spread really worked out, letting us completely wall his tangela, and surviving the shadow ball from rotom who didn’t want to risk using an electric move, killing it with gulp missile. you can also see psyvally really handling his sawk and hitting his darkvally for good damage on the switchout with uturn, letting me also reposition into my own sawk to try and do as much damage as possible.

https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8zu-1534133650 here against a pretty interesting spikestack team, the team really showed its longevity; on his team, golbat was the only mon with a recovery move, meaning that after i had knocked off rotom’s leftovers and qwilfish’s black sludge, his team was slowly but surely going to die, chip after chip. tangela also walled most of his team, while most of mine was walled by golbat; but i was able to kill it with a good prediction using rhydon’s earthquake, and from there the game was all downhill.
the team struggles mainly with 2 mons: alcremie (less) and raichu (more). alcremie becomes threatening after a few calm minds/acid armours, so the best way to deal with it is to kill it before it sets up too much. raichu on the other hand, is basically unstoppable; unlike other electrics, who kinda get walled by rhydon, raichu has got access to surf and grass knot, making it able to hit all my team for good damage; tangela’s grass typing might seem good against raichu, but its abysmal spdef means that it takes a ton of damage from most attacks, primarily focus blast (252 SpA Choice Specs Raichu Focus Blast vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Eviolite Tangela: 207-244 (61.9 - 73%) -- guaranteed 2HKO)
 

5Dots

Chairs
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ToxTect Wishi + CB Thwackey
Click the sprites to see the team!
:Thwackey: :Wishiwashi: :Miltank: :Rhydon: :Poison Memory: :Rotom-Fan:
Thwackey is very versatile not just as a standalone Pokemon, but to its teammates as well. It performs utility, revenge killing, and pivoting roles exceedingly well, and brings recovery to Pokemon that otherwise get worn down easily. Wishiwashi synergizes well, gaining additional health from Grassy Terrain and making wallbreakers like Rhydon and Gurdurr easier to handle. Miltank provides Speed control and outspeeds important Pokemon like Silvally formes, Kangaskhan, Rotom, and Thievul so it can trade more reliably and prevent it from being too passive. Rhydon provides an electric immunity and wallbreaker. MIxed Silvally-Poison is the team’s primary wincon, utilizing Grassy Terrain’s boosts to break through Rhydon and Piloswine easier. Rhydon and Silvally-Poison greatly appreciate the terrain recovery, enabling them to last longer. Rotom-Fan rounds out the team by forming a VoltTurn core and Defogger in one slot, while also functioning as an emergency Sawk and Gurdurr check.
 
So... I just realised how all of our sample teams have been nullified by the shifts so here's one of my recent teams that i have been having consistent success with.
The team is very offense oriented with the aim to keep up the pressure and add on the chips, then clean with whichever of the 3 sweepers has the best MU.
Klinklang is really gooodd rn and it likes how theres no wisiwashi or jellicent to jsutify wild charge over facade. facade is huge as it gives i)offense after burn ii)hard hit after stunfisk static iii)100% acc move without recoil. The magnet rise on this set gives neat setup oppurtunities vs stuff

Accelgor hits really hard and outspeeds scarfers which is really handy and like theres only a few stuff that sits on it like cuno alt or lickilicky which the team takes care of.

rhydon cramo and gurdurr give pneat defenses and can switch into most offensive staples currently. Gurdurr also provides the priority and statu absorbing merits, while sd bulky rhydon also acts as a secondary alc answer.

rotoms mostly just there for speed control.

 

Corthius

diehard hockey fan
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The return: TangDash-Balance 2.0
:Tangela::Rapidash::Skuntank::Rotom::Rhydon::Altaria:
Paste opens by clicking the sprites above
Tangela is a ZU staple and has many tools making it still an A+ pick in the current metagame. The famous pairing of Tangela and Rapidash is well known for a really long time now and after the Basculin ban I've found that the core only benefited from it, not needing to worry about Choice Specs Hydro Pumps. Tangela's Spe EVs allow it to outspeed Alcremie without speed investment, making it easier to play around it with Knock Off, Sludge Bomb and Leech Seed. 8 SpD EVs alongside max HP make Choice Scarf Rotom's Shadow Ball never 2HKO you (unless they get a SpD drop/critical hit). Skuntank covers opposing Ghost type attacks and helps beating fatter teams relying on Toxic to make progress. Corrosive Gas removes key items from the likes of Articuno, Stunfisk and Rhydon. Rotom provides Speed control and a fast pivot for the team. Rhydon uses a standard spread, using enough Spe EVs to outspeed base 50s without speed investment. The attack is for more offensive presence while hitting a so called jump point. Investing the remaining EVs into SpD allows to check opposing Skunktank and Rotom easier. Altaria acts as hazard removal for the team, while also improving the matchup into the same fat/Toxic reliant teams Skuntank helps against thanks to Natural Cure. The Spe EVs allow Altaria to outspeed Modest max Spe base 55s like Exeggutor. 248 HP + 24 SpD EVs avoids the 2HKO from Choice Scarf Rotom's Thunder Bolt after Stealth Rock in case Heavy-Duty Boots get removed. The remaining EVs are put into Def to make Altaria as bulky as possible.
Overall the team is best played in mid to semi long battles where you rack up damage with Sludge Bomb poisons, Stealth Rock damage and stronger hits like Rhydon's and Skuntank's attacks, especially after a boost.
I wish I could provide some replays but I forget to save them while battling or it is really annoying to do so while playing on mobile. I did test the team quit a lot. Also s/o master of TangDash kay who tweaked some minor stuff.​
 
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5Dots

Chairs
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DOUBLE POISON BALANCE OFFENSE
:Poison Memory: :Skuntank: :Thwackey: :Rhydon: :Hattrem: :Rapidash:
Click the sprites to see the team!
Poison-types have always been neat for their defensive and even offensive utility, bringing crucial Fighting, Fairy, and Grass resists in a tier loaded with them, while simultaneously dealing with dominant Grass- and Fairy-types like Tangela and Alcremie. Silvally-Poison and Skuntank form a great core by overwhelming checks like Rhydon, Piloswine, and Stunfisk with repeated attacks (or in Skuntank’s case, either Corrosive Gas or Sludge Bomb poison). Taunt is used to give the team an advantage in the Skunk matchup. Thwackey provides the team with much-needed utility, combining passive recovery, priority, pivotiing, and Knock Off into one slot. This crucially benefits all members that don’t have reliable recovery, like Silvally and Rhydon. Rhydon stops Volt Switch and an offensive Stealth Rock setter. Toxic helps cripple potential switch-ins like Tangela, Miltank, and physically defensive Poliwrath. 200 Speed EVs designated to outspeed opposing Alcremie. Hattrem provides necessary hazard control and facilitates its offensive teammates with Nuzzle and Healing Wish, enabling them to break and clean up more easily. Rapidash rounds the team with an appreciated Klinklang check and Speed control, while also discouraging contact moves from the likes of Thwackey and Klinklang.
Would also like to give shoutouts to kay for test games and discussion, got to learn a lot!​
 
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OranBerryBlissey10

is a Tiering Contributor
NUPL Champion
AppleKlang Offense
:appletun:-:klinklang:-:rotom:-:alcremie-matcha-cream:-:stunfisk:-:water_memory:

The team is built around the dual breaker core of Appletun and Klinklang, who cover each other's offensive weaknesses perfectly. Appletun is only effectively checked by steels, some fairies, and Articuno. The team has multiple steel checks while Klinklang loves facing the latter two. Klinklang in turn, is most bothered by grounds, fires and some electrics, all of which give Appletun a good switchin. Rotom provides the necessary speed control and also is also useful against some common Appletun and Klinklang checks while Alcremie, Stunfisk and Watervally form the defensive backbone while also providing cleric support, hazards and removal respectively. Something else of note is that Rotom and Watervally are good pivots, allowing them to repeatedly bring out the breakers. The team shouldn't be hard to pilot but a more detailed description can be found below.

some tour replays of the team doing what it does best (winning games)
facing the same core but with worse support https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8zu-1561317095-qanpu1odyvy23w5hjvb4kymotk9e2mopw
cb klang showing its advantages over shift gear https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8zu-1565444252-nlf82989gbgksiyhr7o9jmfz1023g5qpw
this one in particular shows how it still has outs in a horrible mu https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8zu-1567054338-5ujj9rlzauigym885f1v77om1g8857vpw

:appletun:
When Appletun is out, dropping a draco is usally the right move, and tends to instantly get a kill against unprepared teams. Apple Acid is there for obvious reasons and also prevents Alcremie from using it as setup fodder while Dragon Pulse is useful in case of accuracy concerns, low health opposing team or pp issues (relevant with Pressure Articuno). Giga Drain can prevent your opponent playing around Appletun by chipping it down and takes advantage of sacs.

:klinklang:
So this was originally a Perrserker but then disaster struck. I lazily just replaced it with a cb klang to see if the team would still work decently, and turns out... it does, better than expected. It's faster but still strong and able to pivot even if it's worse in general. At least 80% of the time, Gear Grind is the move to click. Volt Switch provides unexpected pivoting if your opponent doesn't have a ground with a good Klinklang mu (like Rhydon) while Facade can be used to brute force your way through Stunfisk and Rapidash after being statused.

:rotom:
Apart from making the ladder experience 1000% more bearable and providing the obvious speed control, it also has good synergy with both of the breakers. Tricking a Stunfisk or tricking/weakening an Articuno for example can be immensely useful. Even the defensive utility is helpful as the breaker core is weak to some threats like Sawk. Not much else to say y'know, it's scarftom.

:alcremie-matcha-cream:
Not exactly a flashy set, but useful. Recover + aroma makes it hard to take down while providing valuable assistance to its status-prone teammates. Mystical Fire chunks the steels switching in on it and helps with some cm sweepers. It's not uncommon either for it to win in endgame scenarios where the opponent has no good way to break Alcremie left. The 48+ spdef ev's were put there with Thievul in mind (who has fallen out of favor) but help with a variety of special attackers. That being said, one could easily go full physdef for a better sawk mu without major consequences. Also yes it needs to be that color bc it's the cleric.

:stunfisk:
Mandatory voltblocker. Stunfisk was chosen since the team is pretty weak to Skuntank and Klinklang, but it's just great in general right now as well. The first three moves are absolutely mandatory on it but the fourth is debatable. The reason I tend to prefer Discharge over Foul Play is because (apart from no one using sub np rotom) it nails Cramorant and chips Articuno. While the latter can be extremely valuable here, the former really isn't on this team. Either option beats magrise klang so it's not going to be relevant in the vast majority of games anyway. (in other words feel free to put fp over discharge)

:silvally-water: :water_memory:
Watervally is hella underrated and a perfect fit here. Apart from being a defogger that beats the majority of hazard setters and an excellent slow pivot it's just so valuable defensively. It checks jynx, steels, fires, grounds (where only having apple for the latter two would be risky) and is such a crutch vs offensive teams in general. Random example to demonstrate its bulk: 252 Atk Mold Breaker Sawk Close Combat vs. 248 HP / 252+ Def Silvally-Water: 142-168 (36.1 - 42.7%) -- guaranteed 3HKO

 

wooper

heavy booty-doots
is a Forum Moderator
:ss/rapidash::ss/lurantis::ss/cramorant::ss/sawk::ss/stunfisk::ss/spiritomb:

as the title in the paste above alludes, i made this team after fighting and chatting with my friend kay many times over the course of a week or so. the team handles recent meta trends very well imo, which i will talk about more in detail later, and is a great example of balance in the meta rn, while also varying a bit from the standard miltank + stunfisk rut i was stuck on in the builder.

:rapidash:
although the paste says lurantis + cram, i actually started with dash for whatever reason. great mon into things like thwackey, alcremie, and articuno, for spreading toxic (but can also justify will-o-wisp), and for revenge killing weakened foes due to its high speed tier and high base attack, despite the latter being uninvested. also works as a check to klinklang. the 8 def can also go into spdef to better handle ice beam, freeze-dry, and alcremie in general, but it doesnt matter on the whole i dont think.

:lurantis:
next up is lurantis, which serves as the team's cleric and secondary alcremie check; 156 speed outpaces it when uninvested. the hp and spdef are just for a better matchup vs cremie, which you can just overpower with leaf storms if it tries setting up. aromatherapy is so useful in such a fat meta that relies heavily on spamming status, and lets it beat mons like miltank and even articuno 1v1, while also snowballing and just generally being a self-sufficient win condition. could definitely run leppa berry over lefties to allow you to spam leaf storm more freely, giving you the ability to beat a well-played cremie long-term; leppa also helps vs opposing resttalk spiritomb and cuno, both of whom can pressure stall you out due to leaf storm's and superpower's already-low pp made even lower thanks to their abilities.

:cramorant:
cram completes a fire-water-grass core with the previous two mons and provides defog support. i initially had a bulky spread with 248 hp/96 def/28 spdef/136 speed with a timid nature to outspeed adamant max speed thwackey and max speed base 70s like flapple, with the spdef allowing you to live 2 +2 energy balls from ninetales. however, kay advised that i run max speed because the team overall was more fat than it was fast, and that you still only have a marginal chance to lose in aforementioned ninetales matchup. if that does end up happening, you always have rap + sawk to fall back on. a spread of 184 hp/72 spdef/252 speed with a timid nature retains its speed tier and still avoids the 2hko but cuts into your bulk quite a bit, but i did want to make mention of it.

:sawk:
pretty self-explanatory for swsh zu veterans. the team's speed control, late-game cleaner, and knock off user. very much appreciates the team's ability to check psychic- and fairy-types, while his teammates appreciate knock off spam and being able to handle certain fat mons, like miltank for instance.

:stunfisk:
stunfisk fills many roles on this team, and pretty much most teams it's slapped onto: resident klinklang counter, volt switch immunity, stealth rock, toxic spreading, and spdef wall. loves being paired with lurantis for its aromatherapy support and to ease pressure on it on the specially defensive side. also a great pair with cramorant, resisting rock and being immune to electric, while cram in return resists water and is immune to ground.

:spiritomb:
last up is resttalk tomb, which is really, really underrated in the current meta. it serves as the team's fighting immune, can function as a knock and status absorber, counters current menace in the tier in malamar, adds literal pressure on the opponents with its ability, and acts as an additional wincon. really excellent into fat teams without fairy-types, and loves aromatherapy support from lurantis so it doesnt always have to rely on sleep talk rolls.

replays
vs spikestacking balance
vs opposing balance + epic av ludicolo (it's unironically good)
vs electric terrain cheese
lead tomb 6-0ing spikestacking balance vs tier leader :owohehe:
 
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DOUBLE POISON BALANCE OFFENSE
:Poison Memory: :Skuntank: :Thwackey: :Rhydon: :Hattrem: :Rapidash:
Click the sprites to see the team!
Poison-types have always been neat for their defensive and even offensive utility, bringing crucial Fighting, Fairy, and Grass resists in a tier loaded with them, while simultaneously dealing with dominant Grass- and Fairy-types like Tangela and Alcremie. Silvally-Poison and Skuntank form a great core by overwhelming checks like Rhydon, Piloswine, and Stunfisk with repeated attacks (or in Skuntank’s case, either Corrosive Gas or Sludge Bomb poison). Taunt is used to give the team an advantage in the Skunk matchup. Thwackey provides the team with much-needed utility, combining passive recovery, priority, pivotiing, and Knock Off into one slot. This crucially benefits all members that don’t have reliable recovery, like Silvally and Rhydon. Rhydon stops Volt Switch and an offensive Stealth Rock setter. Toxic helps cripple potential switch-ins like Tangela, Miltank, and physically defensive Poliwrath. 200 Speed EVs designated to outspeed opposing Alcremie. Hattrem provides necessary hazard control and facilitates its offensive teammates with Nuzzle and Healing Wish, enabling them to break and clean up more easily. Rapidash rounds the team with an appreciated Klinklang check and Speed control, while also discouraging contact moves from the likes of Thwackey and Klinklang.
Would also like to give shoutouts to kay for test games and discussion, got to learn a lot!​
This team is fire, been spamming it
 
https://pokepast.es/d3ea8652fd9d88c9

Reached #1 on the esteemed ZU ladder while using a combination of this and other teams.

Has a decent enough matchup against most playstyles, and isn't very difficult to use. Coal+Cuno covers special attackers while Persian+Palo covers most physical attackers. Thwacky and Qwil form a solid SD core while also having solid synergy with the rest of the team.

Side note: Haze Cuno is underrated and shuts down any slow set up (especially Alcremie) but you can use defog if you don't like relying on Rapid Spin from Coal. Toxic > Haze is also a solid option.
Rock Tomb may seem weird on Coal but I like it.
Qwil should be running Jolly (outspeeds Skuntank).
 
Team 1
https://pokepast.es/84a5b962d40daf49

Got reqs single-handedly with this team, and it did well against all sections of the ladder. Nascar Cow covers mons that the team could otherwise struggle with, such as Silvally-Grass and Appletun. Scarf Gourgeist-Small prevents setup sweepers from causing significant problems, such as Lilligant or Carracosta. Gourgeist can also trick scarves to mons that may cause this team problems. Palossand offers rocks as well as a switch-in to CB Sawk. Articuno is for momentum via u-turn as well as the ability to wall special breakers such as Nasty Plot Uxie and Specs Thievul. I wanted to try CB Lycanroc since Perrserker is going to be banned, and it did not disappoint. With a Jolly nature it can outspeed mons such as Modest Lilligant, Spikes Qwilfish and Jolly Choice Banded Thwackey locked into a move such as Knock Off. It also does an impressive amount of damage, with its only consistent switch-in throughout a game being Palossand. The last member on the team, Gurdurr, is successful at offering reliable priority via mach punch, as well as Knock Off for mons such as Tangela, allowing Lycanroc to 2HKO it with Stone Edge later on.

Replays
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8zu-1717953617-ftztggguqtd740oxlhcaj4brzt93ov8pw vs. Tier Leader

Team 2
https://pokepast.es/9c8cf28929ebad0a

Made this team with plznostep on discord and they used it to get reqs. Froslass is a wallbreaker with Choice Band. Cryogonal offers hazard removal without removing its Roselia hazards. Roselia can get spikes up with decent bulk and reliable recovery. Stunfisk offers additional hazards via Stealth Rock and Poliwrath threatens to do massive damage to mons that aren't running boots via Circle Throw. Alcremie is a win-con with Aromatherapy to cure status.

Sidenote: Poliwrath can also run leftovers.

Replays may be added in the near future.
 
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curlyfrycaycay

Banned deucer.
https://pokepast.es/436dff2b6eeff392
zause and i made this team.
froslass and heatmor have lots of power with their choice items, and cover for each other.
rotom is a goodish speed control and can screw some mons over with trick.
piloswine is very defensive and takes dangerous rock moves well.
alt is a pretty good defogger and toxic roost is always good.
alcremie is just good allround. aromatherapy and recover for healh, calm mind for stats and gleam to damage.
good team mayhaps who knows
 

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