Delver
I got the runs like Jagger
It's been far too long since we've last had a LC RMT; so i figured I would show case mine, which has been doing well on the ladder and (i think) is an example of a decent team in the vastly underated competative metagame that is Little Cup.
This team has been made multiple times by me and each time I gave up on it. Basically, I really wanted to make a team based around murkrow, and each time I went about it differently. This team has seen the usage of the likes of staryu and larvesta, snover, hippotas, mienfoo and even ponyta; and i spent long hours doing calcs and paper-moning before going into practice and realize "LOL I'm super scraggy weak" or "LOL Drilbur will be the father of all my children" and have my dreams crushed. So suffice to say I was... disapointed when the team i threw together in a matter of minutes for the Pokemon of the Week challenge thread, in an attempt to try out by far the most unique mon in the meta - Riolu, ended up being the best working of them all. Again this team has cycled though some members, but none of the switches are truly intersting, so im going to skip the "this is how i got to where i am" part and just jump right into the discussion.
Oh right; I should show you the team first!
CHECK OUT DEM SETS
Riolu @ Eviolite
Trait: Prankster
Level: 5
EVs: 196 HP / 196 Def / 116 SDef
Impish Nature
- Copycat
- Crunch
- Drain Punch
- Protect
I know the team's called "the murkrow mafia" and a made a big deal about how I was trying to center a team around murkrow, but to be honest, murkrow's set is boring and Riolu is the true start of the team (I left the name because "Riolu Rumble" just sounds cheesy). ANYWAYS; Riolu is known basically as the only mon in the whole game that has the ability to phaze and shuffle with priority thanks to copycat and prankster. I'm sure many of you have noticed that I am not running roar. That's because roar is honestly fairly subpar in LC due to the lack of reliable hazard setters (past rockers) and the prevalence of powerful spinners. I was originally running Swords Dance over Protect to give him some much needed oomf, but the utility that Protect provided in scouting out a move, allowing me to decide if i want to just throw out a slow drain punch or copy that mienfoo's u-turn, or similiar. It also prevents fake out spam, which is really helpful on the ladder. Drain Punch provides with dependable, if not spectacular damage and regen while Crunch gives nearly perfect coverage in tandem with Drain Punch, nothing really outstanding there. The true appeal of the set comes with Copycat. Copycat basically makes riolu a dynamic Smeargle, allowing it to have acess to every single move in the game if played correctly. Allow me to list a few of the ways in which Copy cat has won me games: Copying Shadowball to finish of a weakened +3 missy, copying a Drain punch to finish of a weakened +1 scraggy, and my personal favorite copying a first turn Swords Dance and proceding to sweep with +2 priority Drain punches. The List goes on. Simply put, copy cat gives riolu so much more flexability than just LOL P-phazing and LC really lets those aspects of him shine. Besides its moveset, I opted for very defensive spread to abuse its utility throughout the game. I've been toying with the idea of moving the SpD ev's to Atk, but I feel like it'll be too vulnerable if i do. Thoughts from the community?
Murkrow @ Life Orb
Trait: Super Luck
Level: 5
EVs: 188 Spd / 240 Atk / 80 SAtk
Naive Nature
- Heat Wave
- Brave Bird
- Sucker Punch
- Hidden Power [Grass]
Ahh, the don of the group. Mixkrow, or as i affectionally call it, Murderkrow, or Allahkrow, or Krow the Ripper, is one of the best, if not simply the best, wall breakers in the teir. It boasts *colossal* offensive stats and hits the coveted 19 speed teir. Bravebird and Life Orb cause just absurd damage even to things that resist it and will basically always OHKO on a super effective hit. Sucker punch provides priority and a secondary (if not reliable) stab attack, and heatwave provides coverage on the annoying steels of the teir, most specifically Ferroseed and magnemite, as bronzor can accomplish a grand total of nothing during its time on the field. Hidden power grass was more a personal choice and many other things can go there. Honestly, it went on cause i was tired of chinchou switches ruining my day; so it was sort of a hate pick. honestly, any coverage move can do well there. the EV spread maximizes speed and attack while providing enough SpA to basically always OHKO ferroseed. I opted for super luck over Insomnia because the only popular mons that induce sleep are the sporer's, Shroomish and foongus - neither of whom should be switching into a murkrow. Does it limit my switch in capabilities? a little, but I make up for it with the ability to copy cat the spore with riolu (has happened, you can add that to the list above), and honestly, as anyone who spends time laddering can attest, crits wins games. Its not something to rely on, but if i can maximize my chances for it then you bet your ass i will.
Misdreavus
Trait: Levitate
Level: 5
EVs: 240 Spd / 240 SAtk / 28 SDef
Timid Nature
- Nasty Plot
- Shadow Ball
- Hidden Power [Fighting]
- Substitute
Now I know it looks like a set up sweeper, but honestly its not. Shadow ball and HP fighting provide perfect neutral coverage, and fairly decent SE coverage as well. Nasty plot is nasty plot, and substitute allows for missy to get around some of her counters and checks. Most specifically is houndour, who has no hopes of killing a misdreavus behind a substitute (HP fighting does a minimum of 95% which OHKO's after any entry hazard or a LO recoil). Additionally Sub lets getting plots of easy, but I rarely ever try and set up for a sweep, as doing it too early basically just kills my misdreavus. Instead i try and abuse her absurdly bulk with an eviolite and innate power to really punch holes in teams.
Drilbur @ Eviolite
Trait: Mold Breaker
Level: 5
EVs: 212 Spd / 236 Atk / 60 SDef
Adamant Nature
- Rapid Spin
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
- Stealth Rock
Drilbur, much like his big brother, is quite the controversial pokemon for the very same reason: Sand rush. It makes it way too fast and way too powerful in a sand storm. However, Drilbur *also* gets something to play with his big brother never got the opportunity to: Mold breaker. Sometimes, people get so caught up in one thing a mon can do really well they begin to ignore everything else. Anyone who just said "why would i want mold breaker over sand rush?" is one of those people. Moldbreaker allows Earthquake to rock Levitators, which is huge. Bronzor (the only thing capable of walling a sweeper drilbur, btw), traced porygon, and especially Misdreavus are the big 3 this coms in handy on. I mean; could you opt for sandrush to act as a sand counter? sure go for it. I like being able to hit misdreavus with my Stab on her weaker side, so thats what i opted for. Why? Well, this set is significantly more support oriented than most drilbur. It sets up rocks and is also my spinner for the team. some people argue that Staryu is the best spinner in the teir, but i disagree. Drilbur is able to beat the majority of spikers/rockers ina one on one fight, and (with moldbreaker) can kill the majority of spin blockers to ensure that those hazards stay off my side. If drilbur dies and all it did was kill the opposing spiker and clear the hazards, it did its job and i couldn't be happier. Its EV spread is designed for maximum attack and speed because honestly theres never a reason not to on drilbur.
Chinchou @ Eviolite
Trait: Volt Absorb
Level: 5
EVs: 232 SAtk / 220 Spd / 56 Def
Modest Nature
- Hydro Pump
- Thunderbolt
- Thunder Wave
- Hidden Power [Fire]
Chinchou is my main murkrow check, being able to switch into anything not called hidden power grass fairly easily. Mixkrow is still a bit of a problem but then it always will be. Thunderwave is an absurdly good support move that helps when games start to get close to the end allowing riolu to really control the momentum of a fight and finish off all the weakened enemies with his drain punches. I opted for Hpump over Surf/scald for sheer power. I have thunderbolt for an accurate stab, and the power boost of hpump is, at least in my opinion, nearly mandatory when not running a life orb. Hidden power fire is for Ferroseed switch ins almost exclusively, though i have been thinking about switching it to something more helpful, like volt switch or heal bell, but the ability to hit Snover switch ins for a OHKO is too awesome to pass up for this team.
Porygon @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Trace
Level: 5
EVs: 236 SAtk / 196 Spd / 76 HP
Timid Nature
- Tri Attack
- Shadow Ball
- Ice Beam
- Trick
The last mon on the team is good o'l porygon. Its moveset is fairly straight foward, with tri-attack and shadow ball providing good coverage, with ice beam thrown in for some extra super effective hits. Trick, honestly, i have only used once, but its game breaking when i need it and i honestly dont need a nother coverage move. this porygon is signficantly more offensively based than many other ones you'll come across in the teir who try and abuse porygon's bulk with eviolite and recover. I ultimately decided on a Choice scarf set becasue i needed a good answer to double sand rush ( a strategy that abuses sandshrew and drilbur's ability to destroy eachothers checks in sand). Tracing sandrush with a choice scarf allows me to outspeed drilbur (and subsequently the slower sandshrew) and hit them with a powerful Ice beam.
and well thats basically it. Like I said this is, in my opinion, a good example of a balanced team in the Little Cup Metagame. It has good type synergy allowing for easy switching and the roles played by each mon is complementary to one another. The team has good matchups against Sand teams due to the TONS of priority used to get around drilbur's blistering speed, but has a hard time with shell smashers - most specifically Shellder, who resists every one of the moves he uses, and outspeeds porygon after a smash making revenge killing extremely hard after a boost.
Please feel free to critique the team, and please check out the Littlecup section of the forums if i managed to interested you in starting up.
This team has been made multiple times by me and each time I gave up on it. Basically, I really wanted to make a team based around murkrow, and each time I went about it differently. This team has seen the usage of the likes of staryu and larvesta, snover, hippotas, mienfoo and even ponyta; and i spent long hours doing calcs and paper-moning before going into practice and realize "LOL I'm super scraggy weak" or "LOL Drilbur will be the father of all my children" and have my dreams crushed. So suffice to say I was... disapointed when the team i threw together in a matter of minutes for the Pokemon of the Week challenge thread, in an attempt to try out by far the most unique mon in the meta - Riolu, ended up being the best working of them all. Again this team has cycled though some members, but none of the switches are truly intersting, so im going to skip the "this is how i got to where i am" part and just jump right into the discussion.
Oh right; I should show you the team first!
CHECK OUT DEM SETS
Riolu @ Eviolite
Trait: Prankster
Level: 5
EVs: 196 HP / 196 Def / 116 SDef
Impish Nature
- Copycat
- Crunch
- Drain Punch
- Protect
I know the team's called "the murkrow mafia" and a made a big deal about how I was trying to center a team around murkrow, but to be honest, murkrow's set is boring and Riolu is the true start of the team (I left the name because "Riolu Rumble" just sounds cheesy). ANYWAYS; Riolu is known basically as the only mon in the whole game that has the ability to phaze and shuffle with priority thanks to copycat and prankster. I'm sure many of you have noticed that I am not running roar. That's because roar is honestly fairly subpar in LC due to the lack of reliable hazard setters (past rockers) and the prevalence of powerful spinners. I was originally running Swords Dance over Protect to give him some much needed oomf, but the utility that Protect provided in scouting out a move, allowing me to decide if i want to just throw out a slow drain punch or copy that mienfoo's u-turn, or similiar. It also prevents fake out spam, which is really helpful on the ladder. Drain Punch provides with dependable, if not spectacular damage and regen while Crunch gives nearly perfect coverage in tandem with Drain Punch, nothing really outstanding there. The true appeal of the set comes with Copycat. Copycat basically makes riolu a dynamic Smeargle, allowing it to have acess to every single move in the game if played correctly. Allow me to list a few of the ways in which Copy cat has won me games: Copying Shadowball to finish of a weakened +3 missy, copying a Drain punch to finish of a weakened +1 scraggy, and my personal favorite copying a first turn Swords Dance and proceding to sweep with +2 priority Drain punches. The List goes on. Simply put, copy cat gives riolu so much more flexability than just LOL P-phazing and LC really lets those aspects of him shine. Besides its moveset, I opted for very defensive spread to abuse its utility throughout the game. I've been toying with the idea of moving the SpD ev's to Atk, but I feel like it'll be too vulnerable if i do. Thoughts from the community?
Murkrow @ Life Orb
Trait: Super Luck
Level: 5
EVs: 188 Spd / 240 Atk / 80 SAtk
Naive Nature
- Heat Wave
- Brave Bird
- Sucker Punch
- Hidden Power [Grass]
Ahh, the don of the group. Mixkrow, or as i affectionally call it, Murderkrow, or Allahkrow, or Krow the Ripper, is one of the best, if not simply the best, wall breakers in the teir. It boasts *colossal* offensive stats and hits the coveted 19 speed teir. Bravebird and Life Orb cause just absurd damage even to things that resist it and will basically always OHKO on a super effective hit. Sucker punch provides priority and a secondary (if not reliable) stab attack, and heatwave provides coverage on the annoying steels of the teir, most specifically Ferroseed and magnemite, as bronzor can accomplish a grand total of nothing during its time on the field. Hidden power grass was more a personal choice and many other things can go there. Honestly, it went on cause i was tired of chinchou switches ruining my day; so it was sort of a hate pick. honestly, any coverage move can do well there. the EV spread maximizes speed and attack while providing enough SpA to basically always OHKO ferroseed. I opted for super luck over Insomnia because the only popular mons that induce sleep are the sporer's, Shroomish and foongus - neither of whom should be switching into a murkrow. Does it limit my switch in capabilities? a little, but I make up for it with the ability to copy cat the spore with riolu (has happened, you can add that to the list above), and honestly, as anyone who spends time laddering can attest, crits wins games. Its not something to rely on, but if i can maximize my chances for it then you bet your ass i will.
Misdreavus
Trait: Levitate
Level: 5
EVs: 240 Spd / 240 SAtk / 28 SDef
Timid Nature
- Nasty Plot
- Shadow Ball
- Hidden Power [Fighting]
- Substitute
Now I know it looks like a set up sweeper, but honestly its not. Shadow ball and HP fighting provide perfect neutral coverage, and fairly decent SE coverage as well. Nasty plot is nasty plot, and substitute allows for missy to get around some of her counters and checks. Most specifically is houndour, who has no hopes of killing a misdreavus behind a substitute (HP fighting does a minimum of 95% which OHKO's after any entry hazard or a LO recoil). Additionally Sub lets getting plots of easy, but I rarely ever try and set up for a sweep, as doing it too early basically just kills my misdreavus. Instead i try and abuse her absurdly bulk with an eviolite and innate power to really punch holes in teams.
Drilbur @ Eviolite
Trait: Mold Breaker
Level: 5
EVs: 212 Spd / 236 Atk / 60 SDef
Adamant Nature
- Rapid Spin
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
- Stealth Rock
Drilbur, much like his big brother, is quite the controversial pokemon for the very same reason: Sand rush. It makes it way too fast and way too powerful in a sand storm. However, Drilbur *also* gets something to play with his big brother never got the opportunity to: Mold breaker. Sometimes, people get so caught up in one thing a mon can do really well they begin to ignore everything else. Anyone who just said "why would i want mold breaker over sand rush?" is one of those people. Moldbreaker allows Earthquake to rock Levitators, which is huge. Bronzor (the only thing capable of walling a sweeper drilbur, btw), traced porygon, and especially Misdreavus are the big 3 this coms in handy on. I mean; could you opt for sandrush to act as a sand counter? sure go for it. I like being able to hit misdreavus with my Stab on her weaker side, so thats what i opted for. Why? Well, this set is significantly more support oriented than most drilbur. It sets up rocks and is also my spinner for the team. some people argue that Staryu is the best spinner in the teir, but i disagree. Drilbur is able to beat the majority of spikers/rockers ina one on one fight, and (with moldbreaker) can kill the majority of spin blockers to ensure that those hazards stay off my side. If drilbur dies and all it did was kill the opposing spiker and clear the hazards, it did its job and i couldn't be happier. Its EV spread is designed for maximum attack and speed because honestly theres never a reason not to on drilbur.
Chinchou @ Eviolite
Trait: Volt Absorb
Level: 5
EVs: 232 SAtk / 220 Spd / 56 Def
Modest Nature
- Hydro Pump
- Thunderbolt
- Thunder Wave
- Hidden Power [Fire]
Chinchou is my main murkrow check, being able to switch into anything not called hidden power grass fairly easily. Mixkrow is still a bit of a problem but then it always will be. Thunderwave is an absurdly good support move that helps when games start to get close to the end allowing riolu to really control the momentum of a fight and finish off all the weakened enemies with his drain punches. I opted for Hpump over Surf/scald for sheer power. I have thunderbolt for an accurate stab, and the power boost of hpump is, at least in my opinion, nearly mandatory when not running a life orb. Hidden power fire is for Ferroseed switch ins almost exclusively, though i have been thinking about switching it to something more helpful, like volt switch or heal bell, but the ability to hit Snover switch ins for a OHKO is too awesome to pass up for this team.
Porygon @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Trace
Level: 5
EVs: 236 SAtk / 196 Spd / 76 HP
Timid Nature
- Tri Attack
- Shadow Ball
- Ice Beam
- Trick
The last mon on the team is good o'l porygon. Its moveset is fairly straight foward, with tri-attack and shadow ball providing good coverage, with ice beam thrown in for some extra super effective hits. Trick, honestly, i have only used once, but its game breaking when i need it and i honestly dont need a nother coverage move. this porygon is signficantly more offensively based than many other ones you'll come across in the teir who try and abuse porygon's bulk with eviolite and recover. I ultimately decided on a Choice scarf set becasue i needed a good answer to double sand rush ( a strategy that abuses sandshrew and drilbur's ability to destroy eachothers checks in sand). Tracing sandrush with a choice scarf allows me to outspeed drilbur (and subsequently the slower sandshrew) and hit them with a powerful Ice beam.
and well thats basically it. Like I said this is, in my opinion, a good example of a balanced team in the Little Cup Metagame. It has good type synergy allowing for easy switching and the roles played by each mon is complementary to one another. The team has good matchups against Sand teams due to the TONS of priority used to get around drilbur's blistering speed, but has a hard time with shell smashers - most specifically Shellder, who resists every one of the moves he uses, and outspeeds porygon after a smash making revenge killing extremely hard after a boost.
Please feel free to critique the team, and please check out the Littlecup section of the forums if i managed to interested you in starting up.
Riolu @ Eviolite
Trait: Prankster
Level: 5
EVs: 196 HP / 196 Def / 116 SDef
Impish Nature
- Copycat
- Crunch
- Drain Punch
- Protect
Murkrow @ Life Orb
Trait: Super Luck
Level: 5
EVs: 188 Spd / 240 Atk / 80 SAtk
Naive Nature
- Heat Wave
- Brave Bird
- Sucker Punch
- Hidden Power [Grass]
Misdreavus
Trait: Levitate
Level: 5
EVs: 240 Spd / 240 SAtk / 28 SDef
Timid Nature
- Nasty Plot
- Shadow Ball
- Hidden Power [Fighting]
- Substitute
Drilbur @ Eviolite
Trait: Mold Breaker
Level: 5
EVs: 212 Spd / 236 Atk / 60 SDef
Adamant Nature
- Rapid Spin
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
- Stealth Rock
Chinchou @ Eviolite
Trait: Volt Absorb
Level: 5
EVs: 232 SAtk / 220 Spd / 56 Def
Modest Nature
- Hydro Pump
- Thunderbolt
- Thunder Wave
- Hidden Power [Fire]
Porygon @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Trace
Level: 5
EVs: 236 SAtk / 196 Spd / 76 HP
Timid Nature
- Tri Attack
- Shadow Ball
- Ice Beam
- Trick
Trait: Prankster
Level: 5
EVs: 196 HP / 196 Def / 116 SDef
Impish Nature
- Copycat
- Crunch
- Drain Punch
- Protect
Murkrow @ Life Orb
Trait: Super Luck
Level: 5
EVs: 188 Spd / 240 Atk / 80 SAtk
Naive Nature
- Heat Wave
- Brave Bird
- Sucker Punch
- Hidden Power [Grass]
Misdreavus
Trait: Levitate
Level: 5
EVs: 240 Spd / 240 SAtk / 28 SDef
Timid Nature
- Nasty Plot
- Shadow Ball
- Hidden Power [Fighting]
- Substitute
Drilbur @ Eviolite
Trait: Mold Breaker
Level: 5
EVs: 212 Spd / 236 Atk / 60 SDef
Adamant Nature
- Rapid Spin
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
- Stealth Rock
Chinchou @ Eviolite
Trait: Volt Absorb
Level: 5
EVs: 232 SAtk / 220 Spd / 56 Def
Modest Nature
- Hydro Pump
- Thunderbolt
- Thunder Wave
- Hidden Power [Fire]
Porygon @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Trace
Level: 5
EVs: 236 SAtk / 196 Spd / 76 HP
Timid Nature
- Tri Attack
- Shadow Ball
- Ice Beam
- Trick
