So this is my first time topping a ladder so I’m pretty ecstatic. I started playing this tier for the first time around May, and I started getting serious about laddering about a month ago. I’d like to say that I really love this tier, and the community and can’t wait for September 1st.
Intro: The team uses Ninjask+Grassy Terrain to overwhelm the checks to Ninjask and provide a way for it to sweep teams late game. It is supported by volt-turn momentum to bring in ninjask freely and never giving opponents a chance to breathe.
Proof of Peak:
The Team:
Ninjask @No Item
Ability: Speed Boost
EVs: 252 Atk / 100 Def / 156 Spe
Adamant Nature
-Swords Dance
-Protect
-U-turn
-Acrobatics
The star of the show, Ninjask is a wonderful mon on offense, and although it needs a lot of support, the pay off is worth it. It gains momentum on its switch ins, is a potent revenge killer of faster Pokemon, and a strong late game cleaner. The Evs are a little strange, Adamant max attack is standard for ninjask, but the speed and defense Evs are different than the typical Ninjask spread. I opted for 156 Speed to outspeed Jolteon, even though it is not that common at the moment. 100 Defense EVs allows it to take knock offs pretty easily, and allow it to have some bulk. I opted for no HP EVs because I am rarely ever going to switch this guy in on any attack much less a Special attack. Ninjask can set up on many mons in the tier, including Gurdurr, Gourgeist Small, Poltergeist/Earthquake locked Golurk and many more. Its switch ins do not like taking an acrobatics+u-turn(Barring Rocky Helmet users), and this chip is essential to allowing Ninjask to sweep freely in the late game.
Lanturn @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Volt Absorb
EVs: 40 HP / 104 Def / 96 SpA / 108 Spdef / 160 Spe
Modest Nature
-Volt Switch
-Scald
-Heal Bell
-Toxic
Lanturn Provides the team with an electric immune, and an ability to sh it down most rotom forms which threaten this team. It has a lot of role compression, so it was a necessary pick for this team. It is the cleric of the team, which is good because no one besides Gurdurr wants to be statuses. Volt Switch for momentum, Scald for potential burns and also to damage those ground types, Heal Bell for cleric support, and Toxic for other Lanturn. The EVs look strange, but after conferring withfellow Ninjask advocate Mariannabelle, 40 HP and the split defenses give it more bulk than 240 HP which was what it was at first. It also allows it to eat multiattacks from Silvally forms in a pinch, which are also big threats to this team. The SpA investment was enough to 2hko Galarian Stunfisk which even with the Grassy Terrain support still haunts my team. The speed EVs are for Adamant Golurk. Sitrus Berry was another Mariannabelle tech, the reasoning behind it is that Lanturn’s job is as a pivot. It is never staying in for long, and prefers the 30% from the Berry than 6% every turn. It also incentivizes pivoting more instead of staying in for long periods of time, making my games more fast paced and in my control.
Rotom @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
-Volt Switch
-Shadow Ball
-Thunderbolt
-Defog
Rotom is essential on Ninjask teams, because it provides the team with defogger number one. Double defog is needed to guarantee that rocks stay off the field. The moveset is standard, Volt Switch for momentum, Shadow Ball and Thunderbolt for STAB, and Defog because Stealth Rocks suck. Same mindset for the item as Lanturn, I don't want to be choiced because then I cannot pivot/defog freely, and the few times I switch this mon into a threat such as Weezing, it will need the recovery to get the defog off.
Gurdurr @ Eviolite
Ability: Guts
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 Atk
Adamant Nature
-Defog
-Drain Punch
-Knock off
-Mach Punch
After Silvally-Steel left NU, Mariannabelle and I were trying to find a defogger that provides the same role. With the rise in SpDef Miltank usage, I felt that Gurdurr would provide a lot of help with that Pokemon. It turned out to be one of the best picks I could have made. It beats the most common Stealth Rockers, and knocks off common Rocky Helmet users such as Garbodor and Weezing. It also has great bulk, and is a good revenge killer with priority mach punch. Overall, it is no Steelvally, but it does provide the team with ways to deal with common walls that weaken Ninjask and Rotom alike. A good lead as well to scare off greedy players who want to set up rocks turn one.
Thwackey @ Eviolite
Ability: Grassy Surge
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpDef / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Grassy Glide
- Knock Off/Drain Punch
- U-turn
Thwackey was the main thing that I wanted to try out with this team. Galarian Stunfisk has the ability Mimicry, which makes it mimic the type of the terrain it is in. That Pokemon, outside of terrain, is a threat to not only potential Ninjask sweeps, but also to the team as a whole. The idea was to get the terrain up, pivot into either Skuntank or Ninjask, and then destroy the annoying fish. Terrain also allowed my grounded Pokemon to gain some recovery while they were in. When this team was first built, the Gurdurr slot was Silvally Steel, so Miltank was a pain to deal with. I made him Drain Punch to beat Miltank and Ferroseed 1v1, and to also beat down Stunfisk outside of Terrain. It was helpful for sure, but after we lost Steelvally and I started using Gurdurr, Miltank became almost a non issue. I switched to Knock Off later in my run, because it is just a spammable move, and another way to cripple defensive walls and remove Rocky Helmets if anything were to happen to Gurdurr. Themomentum this Pokemon provides is exceptional, and the ability to bring in one of my Special Attackers on either Garbodor or Weezing is invaluable. Definitely a niche pick in the tier right now, but he provided a way to beat Stunfisk-Galar, which is always helpful when using Ninjask, not to mention the nice priority of Grassy Glide helping me clutch many games I should not have won.
Skuntank @ Black Sludge
Ability: Aftermath
EVs: 252 SpA / 100 SpD / 156 Spe
-Nasty Plot
-Sludge Bomb
-Dark Pulse
Fire Blast
This spot was originally a weird offensive Weezing, but I changed it to Skuntank for a few reasons. Weezing was a momentum suck on my team, and although it caught some people off guard, it wasn't very reliable on this type of build. Skuntank is one of the best stall breakers in the tier, and although my stall matchup is not bad, I needed a way to beat those typical Weezing, Miltank, Water Resist cores. Its ability to spread Poison and Flinches throughout teams made it an invaluable team member. It broke down fat teams, allowing Thwackey or Ninjask to clean up. I opted for only 156 speed EVs because earlier in the run I only needed to outspeed Specs Abomasnow. The rest was put in its special defense, to ease the Alcremie match up. Defensive Calm Mind sets 6-0 my team without this mon, and Skuntank is not the most reliable switch in to Alcremie, taking up to 47 percent from a Dazzling Gleam. The SpDef investment allowed him to switch in more than twice, and trade with it in return to just being beat by it. Not the most reliable Alcremie check, but it managed to check it decently well. Afterwards, I switched it to the typical max SpA max Spe spread, because outspeeding typical Miltanks is invaluable. Also, Skuntank under Grassy Terrain is very good at breaking down those pesky ground types, as half damage allow Skuntank to take advantage of Sandaconda and of course Stunfisk-Galar, both obvious Ninjask checks. In all Skuntank eased the stall match up while allowing my other team members a chance to breath against Alcremie(Most of the time)
My Final Game Against the Number 2 Player At the Time:
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8nu-1176044028
Pokepaste: https://pokepast.es/e04206a482a6101b
Shout outs:
Shout out to Mariannabelle for not only being my mentor when I first started playing NU, but for also giving me so many ideas in regards to team building around Ninjask. A great mons player and a god with the Jask.
Shout outs to Davon as well for being helping me with this post, as this is my first time topping a ladder and I was pretty confused where to go from there. Also one of the NU top dogs, Good luck in Finals!
Thanks for your help guys!
Conclusion:
Although not the most solid team, it is consistent in regards to game plan and how to manage certain threats. A few pokemon to watch out for when using this team are Weezing, Alcremie, Garbodor, and Silvally Fire. Weezing and Garbodor are basically dealt with by knocking them off and then spamming special attacks with either Rotom, Lanturn, or Skuntank. Alcremie and Silvally Fire are the biggest threats, as getting in Skuntank involves pivoting into Lanturn first, weakening your electric immune or taking a good chunk of damage. Silvally Fire, like all silv forms, just needs to be chipped into Acrobatics range, which is harder as U-Turn is resisted, but still manageable. Gettign a Ninjask sweep is one of the best feelings and I want you all to enjoy that as well. Enjoy the team!
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