Hi everyone! With the Isle of Armor DLC now released and the BSS meta about to change significantly in July based on that, I wanted to share my most successful pre-DLC SwSh BSS team. This team posted a top 200 finish in Season 5 (April) on cart with a 2051 ELO rating after spending most of the season in the top 75, made easy top 3k or 4k benchmarks in seasons where I didn’t decide to spend time on trying to go as deep (with the exception of May when I was burned out and decided top 9k was good enough), and it also contributed to some tournament successes, including helping me to reach Top 3 in this year’s BSS Open as well as helping me win a pivotal BSPL playoff set that kept my team alive in the Semifinals of that event.
The building process for this team was interesting. However, before continuing I need to specifically point out Psynergy as the person who was the primary builder for much of this iteration of the team, although I helped out a fair bit along the way. This current iteration also has another significant change on one Pokemon compared to the Facebook spotlight that featured the original version of the team, linked here: https://www.facebook.com/SmogonU/photos/a.10156301977777390/10158085011562390/?type=3.
After Season 1 on cart, I had seen a lot of Trick Room Mimikyu paired with Rhyperior late in that season, and in late December/early January I worked on building a semi-TR team with those two as the backbone. The original team was kind of a mess, as I mostly was throwing stuff at the wall to see what would pair well with the Rhyperior and Mimikyu combo. After those two, I went with Iron Defense Corviknight, Choice Scarf Darmanitan-G, Assault Vest Dracozolt, and Choice Specs Dragapult.
The general idea of the team was to find a good lead matchup, 1v1 the opposing lead, and then set up a 2v2 with Mimikyu and Rhyperior vs two opposing mons that they would be able to win--bonus if the opponent uses a turn of dynamax to kill my lead so that Mimikyu could waste the rest of it before Rhyperior cleaned things up with its own dynamax.
However, in this iteration, the team was far too dependent on leading well, and leading poorly often led to just falling too far behind. Further, it didn’t take long to realize that while some of the other mons on the team are both good in a vacuum and take care of threats to Rhyperior and Mimikyu (such as Waters and Corviknight for Dracozolt), they didn’t synergize very well.
As the meta moved out of Season 2 (January) and into Season 3 (February), Psynergy took an interest in the skeleton of the TR Rhyperior idea and combined it with us knowing that GMax Lapras was going to be released soon, with its incredibly strong GMax move GMax Resonance that sets Aurora Veil for 5 turns. While GMax Lapras ended up not being released for competitive play until March, Psynergy kept Lapras as part of a retooled core around Rhyperior and Mimikyu, and further showed that Lapras was a strong metagame choice even without needing Gigantamax. By Season 4 (March) when GMax Lapras was released, it also was able to 1v1 a significant number of threats, generally coming out on top against huge metagame threats such as Dragapult, Togekiss, Excadrill, Hydreigon, Hippowdon, Blaze Cinderace (remember those days?), Dracovish, the newly released Incineroar and Primarina, as well as threatening significant damage on switch-in to potential checks like Rotom formes and Dracozolt.
The fourth Pokemon added to this core was Hydreigon, which directly deals with several main threats that the Rhyperior-Mimikyu-Lapras core has issues with. The most notable of these threats are the Rotom-formes, which Hydreigon mostly eats for lunch, and in particular Rotom-Wash and Rotom-Mow which both make life difficult for both Lapras and Rhyperior, although helping matters is that AV Lapras doesn’t let them get away without significant damage of their own most of the time in a 1v1. Hydreigon also applied more offensive pressure with Nasty Plot, allowing the team to threaten bulkier builds that might be able to tank during Trick Room and outlast Rhyperior and Lapras.
The last two Pokemon on the team were added to deal with more specific threats and situations. Focus Sash Aegislash was the next addition and was a significant upgrade over my beta team in applying the “1v1 something with a lead to set up a 2v2 with Mimi + TR abuser” concept in practical action. Sash Aegi has incredible coverage and either outright 1v1s or at least does significant damage to a large swathe of the metagame, especially the Seasons 3 through 6 meta, so there were many situations when leading Aegislash with Mimikyu + Rhyperior/Lapras in the back was a strong possibility that was apparent from preview and worked more often than not. After that, the last addition was bulky Wisp Dragapult. Wisp Dragapult is hardly a new invention, having seen even more use in 6v6 formats than in BSS, but even here Dragapult’s versatility allowed it to help check prominent metagame threats during these seasons, perhaps most notably Focus Sash Excadrill and most Snorlax. Dragapult also set up a double Dragon core that any Rotom user would have to be very wary of, and while it did make the team somewhat weaker to Fairy types in general, it also tended to make team preview significantly more predictable since cores like Rotom + Fairy (such as Togekiss or Clefable) were likely to bring both, which helped me to set up a preview battle plan of how to whittle down one part of the core to open up opportunities for Rhyperior, Lapras, or Hydreigon.
Now let’s take a look at the individual sets. I will note here that two of the Pokemon on the team are modified compared to the Facebook Spotlight version. In these instances, both versions will be presented, with the modded version that I have used getting the first slash or spread and the original version featured in the Facebook Spotlight getting second billing.
Rhyperior @ Weakness Policy
Ability: Solid Rock
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Rock Blast
- Earthquake
- Fire Punch
- Swords Dance / Superpower
Rhyperior’s presence in Trick Room is what much of the original concept of the team was based around. While Rhyperior has been an extremely niche option in BSS over the last two generations, dynamax helped to solve many of Rhyperior’s most immediate problems while also highlighting its best traits, including its incredible attack stat and Solid Rock helping to dial down the damage on Super Effective moves. Just how much better Rhyperior had become was apparent when despite knowing the archetype and borderline calling out opponent moves near the end of Season 1, I was still having trouble beating this thing with a Gyarados team that was able to prey on its 4x weakness. The major problem was that even Max Geyser didn’t kill this thing while dynamaxed (in fact, Waterfall from unboosted Gyarados doesn’t even kill full health non-maxed Rhyperior either--yikes!), which just goes to show how bulky Rhyperior can get when you get to double its HP for three turns. Many times physical threats hit this with super effective moves that mostly just bounce off and activate the Weakness Policy. This is only further intensified by Rhyperior’s STAB moves both enhancing its special defense, either via the Rock-type boost in Sand after Max Rockfall or the more direct one stage boost from Max Quake.
That said, the bulk wouldn’t matter as much if Rhyperior didn’t hit like a truck. Rhyperior does immense damage to much of the metagame once it gets time to get in a hit, easily dispatching foes such as non-Sash Excadrill, no bulk Mimikyu after Disguise chip, Togekiss, Dracozolt, Rotom-Heat, Gyarados, and others. This only gets worse if its Weakness Policy is activated, allowing it to plow through the vast majority of the meta in one shot for most opponents and two shots for the bulkiest of foes such as Hippowdon, physically defensive Snorlax, and Corviknight. Earthquake is an obvious STAB move, but the other moves on the set merit quick comment: Rock Blast is secondary STAB that gives a 130 BP Max Rockfall (same as what Stone Edge would give) while providing the extremely valuable utility of hitting through Disguise, Substitute, or Focus Sash. Fire Punch gives critical coverage on Ferrothorn and Corviknight, and Swords Dance punishes opponents for being too passive about trying to stall out Trick Room turns or trying to sit in front of Rhyperior with tanks like Corviknight or Snorlax, as well as giving the extremely important option of Max Guard if stalling an extra turn in a dynamax mirror, after Mimikyu has set Curse, or some other similar scenario is helpful (which is actually quite often). While I have preferred the utility of Swords Dance and Max Guard, it is worth noting that Psynergy has done very well with Superpower in the last slot as well, as the extra coverage and the option to utilize Max Knuckle while in dynamax gives it strong utility as well. Rock Wrecker is another option in this slot for anyone who wants to experiment with this type of build, but neither Psynergy or I really used it while piloting the team, so that’s probably best left as just a quick mention here.
Rhyperior wants to be in Trick Room to function at its best, so when bringing it Mimikyu should usually be accompanying it. However, it would be a mistake to assume that Rhyperior can’t find ways to make an impact outside of Trick Room--Rhyperior can sometimes lead if you predict a physical lead from the opponent that Rhyperior would do well against. This is similar to how Heracross Semi-TR would often work in previous generations, where Heracross could lead, do as much damage as possible, switch before dying, and come back in later to finish the job, usually under TR (and often after getting Lunar Dance/Healing Wish support). While some of those tools are not available this generation, the general idea can still be used, especially if the third Pokemon that you brought is able to pivot against a majority of what gives Rhyperior trouble on the opponent’s team. Overall, while Rhyperior is still somewhat uncommon (#38 in usage this month as of the time of writing), it can be surprisingly strong in the right team composition and with the right support.
Mimikyu @ Life Orb / Babiri Berry
Ability: Disguise
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD (LO) OR 212 HP / 188 Atk / 108 Def (Babiri)
Adamant Nature
- Play Rough
- Shadow Sneak
- Curse
- Trick Room
Arguably the most broken Pokemon in Battle Stadium is back for more in Sword and Shield and, in a development I think no one really saw coming, might actually be even better than it was last generation. Mimikyu’s ability to 1v1 opposing threats always makes it a nightmare in a 3v3 format, but while GameFreak apparently thought that giving it 12% chip on Disguise break in combination with taking away Z moves would apparently make it more balanced, they also left Disguise with only minor penalties for being broken in a metagame where stalling even one extra turn of dynamax can mean the world. Thus, despite losing some valuable tools from last generation, Mimikyu has very possibly become even better this generation, although it hasn’t quite reached mountainous heights in usage probably partly because it isn’t the new toy anymore (while Dragapult and, more recently, Libero Cinderace are new toys).
Mimikyu’s most obvious job on this team is to stall out baited dynamax, set up Trick Room, and prepare a sweep for Rhyperior (or, in more limited cases, Lapras or Aegislash). However, leaving Mimikyu’s role as only this does it a disservice. While this Mimikyu is not as offensively threatening as standard Swords Dance Jolly Mimikyu, both because of the lack of Swords Dance and the lack of a more powerful Ghost option against certain targets, it is a glue mon that helps to hold this team together while providing significant utility with or without needing to set Trick Room.
Before continuing it is worth noting the item and EV spread split above: the base version of the team that was featured on the Facebook Spotlight has Babiri Berry with a spread designed to survive Max Steelspike from Mold Breaker Excadrill. This is indeed the more stable option and more effectively guarantees that Trick Room is set up safely. However, on cart I mostly have used Life Orb Mimikyu with a more aggressive 252+ Atk spread, which gives Mimikyu more teeth than might not be expected if the opponent recognizes the semi-Trick Room archetype in preview. While this makes Excadrill or the occasional Haxorus getting in on the wrong turn much more dangerous, the tradeoff is that Mimikyu has significantly more power without having to boost, which can lead to situations where Mimikyu can be its own Trick Room sweeper in scenarios where its STABs effectively handle most of the opposing team or Rhyperior and/or Lapras have especially bad matchups. Further, if Mimi needs to dynamax, the extra power from Life Orb can get a significant number of extra KOs on Max Phantasm into Max Starfall progressions. In any case, while the item/EV split might seem to make Mimikyu play a lot differently, it mostly does the same things regardless but just with a bit more offensive punch or defensive stability depending on what is preferred.
Curse also must be mentioned as a critical part of the set. Curse is an incredibly valuable tool for a Trick Room setter, allowing it to pivot out relatively safely, typically by KOing itself and allowing the sweeper to get in while still providing valuable chip. This is especially important in a 3v3 format where you will likely only get one chance to set Trick Room per game, and the 25% chip also helps to ensure that trying to stall out the Trick Room will be most painful for the opponent. However, Curse provides significant utility even outside of Trick Room: for example, Curse can be instrumental in breaking more balanced or defensive teams that rely on specific checks to stop Nasty Plot Hydreigon by using Curse on them while allowing Hydriegon to set up a Substitute either to set up or stall out the opposing Pokemon.
As for the last reason Mimikyu is here… well, would it really feel like a Greil team without one?!
Lapras-Gmax @ Assault Vest
Ability: Water Absorb
Level: 50
EVs: 220 HP / 44 Def / 156 SpA / 4 SpD / 84 Spe
Modest Nature
- Freeze-Dry
- Sparkling Aria
- Sheer Cold
- Ice Shard
Lapras had already been starting to do fairly well for itself in BSS in Season 3 (February) even before its GMax became legal, but with its GMax it stands as an incredibly frustrating threat that is capable of 1v1ing a vast array of Pokemon as well as providing strong team support with Aurora Veil should it GMax. Lapras might be my most common lead with this team, partly because it deals with such a vast array of threats fairly effectively that it rarely just starts off by falling flat on its face, and even on the super rare occasions Lapras gets OHKOed it’s usually because the opponent is burning through their dynamax, which can mean countersweep opportunities with whatever I brought in back.
Freeze-Dry is the most important move on this set, giving Lapras incredible coverage with just its STABs thanks to Water types being hit super effectively by it. Sparkling Aria hits most of what Freeze-Dry doesn’t, and also has a higher BP to utilize when you can only hit neutrally. Hitting through Substitute is a nice bonus as well, and while it isn’t great at stopping SubSeed thanks to Grass types being the ones who run that, it can make a huge difference against Curse + Substitute Mimikyu and other niche sets like that. Sheer Cold is a move that might make more dedicated Smogon tier players frustrated, but the OHKO threat helps to put extreme pressure on very passive teams that try to stall this team out through lots of switching and possibly Toxic from Pokemon like Toxapex. In fact, Lapras is so effective at dismantling those types of teams that once the GMax released niche mons like Shedinja and Frosmoth rose to niche roles on stall builds just to check it. Ice Shard is the last move and helps Lapras pick off Focus Sash users or anything else left on super low health, such as Dragapult after a Freeze-Dry. While Lapras would like to have Thunderbolt on this set as well primarily for the mirror, the utility it brings outside of the mirror is relatively mediocre compared to the listed moves.
More generally, Lapras is a versatile tank that can waste opposing dynamax turns, exchange solid damage, and otherwise help the team pivot into a good position. Extra checks against Dragapult and Togekiss are always incredibly valuable in BSS, and its general bulk makes it difficult for even more offensive teams to just run through this build.
Hydreigon @ Salac Berry / Lum Berry
Ability: Levitate
Level: 50
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Dark Pulse
- Flash Cannon
- Substitute / Draco Meteor
- Nasty Plot
This is definitely the biggest change compared to Psynergy’s original version of the team that was featured on the Facebook spotlight. While that Hydra was Lum + Draco, this one is SubSalac. As such, they play slightly differently, but regardless Hydreigon functions as a huge threat that is able to pressure bulkier teams very effectively. Dark is a surprisingly strong STAB typing for such a Fairy dominated meta, hitting many threats neutrally or better and also carrying a very strong max move effect of lowering the opponent’s special defense. Flash Cannon is the best compliment to Dark Pulse in this meta, hitting most Fairy types super effectively and also providing Max Steelspike when the extra physical bulk might save a game.
With Substitute this Hydreigon does a great job of setting up against more passive opponents like Toxapex, Quagsire, Umbreon, and even weaker Rotom formes, eliminating one or more Pokemon from the defensive cores that the former three in particular run with these mons to allow the team to finish off the game. Special care must be taken to not allow Infiltrator Dragapult in for free, so it’s usually worth firing off some Dark Pulses even without boosts after setting up a sub on one of these if Dragapult is in the back, as usually the opponent will try to sneak it in on you to force you out, often on a predicted Nasty Plot. As such, playing with this set isn’t always super straightforward, but the Salac Berry helps give Hydreigon an extra surprise that can get it past Dragapult and other faster checks if circumstances allow. While not running Lum means that this Hydreigon takes more risks in switching in on potential status users, the Salac boost has saved a surprising number of games against a variety of threats, so while it isn’t necessarily the easiest Nasty Plot Hydreigon variant to use, it is rather effective.
Aegislash @ Focus Sash
Ability: Stance Change
Level: 50
EVs: 204 Atk / 252 SpA / 52 Spe
Rash Nature
- Shadow Ball
- Close Combat
- Flash Cannon
- Shadow Sneak
Sash Aegislash is a strong 1v1 specialist. While the transition to 8th gen slightly nerfed its stats, it still hits with significant power and excellent Ghost/Steel STABs paired with Fighting coverage. Aegi does very well in the lead against a variety of threats, including Pokemen that ostensibly have the type advantage against it but fall to super effective coverage + priority, such as Dragapult, Excadrill, Togekiss, Hydreigon, Darmanitan-G, Tyranitar, Grimmsnarl, Whimsicott, and it even does really good damage to Lapras as well. Like with Lapras, opponents that 1v1 this from the lead without losing a lot of health have often expended dynamax to do so, and sometimes even two turns of it given the Sash.
Aegislash is usually brought as a lead, but it can also be brought as a Sash revenge killer or TR abuser if the matchup is especially favorable. Teams that spam slower Fairy types can often be vulnerable to Aegi picking up multiple kills, and as a lead Aegi generally does an exceptional job of setting up its teammates in the back in strong position by either grabbing an early 3-2 Pokemon lead or forcing the opponent to drop their dynamax to avoid that.
Dragapult @ Leftovers
Ability: Infiltrator
Level: 50
EVs: 36 HP / 188 Def / 28 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Draco Meteor
- Will-O-Wisp
- Hex
- Flamethrower
The #1 Pokemon in usage for much of 8th Gen BSS so far before the Libero Cinderace takeover this month, Dragapult has shown itself to be exceptionally versatile and is able to fill a variety of roles depending on what any given team needs it to do. In this case, while the team has generally solid attacking power and good speed control with Trick Room, a fast Wisp user does a good job of supporting the other mons by helping to dial down the threat level of both dangerous Pokemon like Snorlax, Excadrill, and Durant as well as more specific meta choices that give the other mons on the team trouble, like Rillaboom and Diggersby. Wisp Dragapult is typically able to cripple these opposing threats with a burn, increasing the team’s survivability as well as giving Dragapult extra damage with STAB Hex on a burned target.
The EVs allow Dragapult to survive a +2 Jolly Life Orb Mimikyu Shadow Sneak from full health on 15/16 possible rolls (investing to cover the max roll that is a whopping 6 damage higher than the 2nd highest roll is not worth it), which also means that a burned Play Rough into Shadow Sneak is also well short of a kill. Dragapult also does well against teams where its best checks hate a burn, and is a solid way to cripple dangerous threats like Snorlax and Rillaboom.
Typical Combinations of Brings:
Lapras + Mimikyu + Rhyperior
Aegislash + Mimikyu + Rhyperior / Lapras
These two sets of combinations are the signature ones for this team, utilizing the Trick Room option as well as the strong presence of either Rhyperior or Lapras to sweep after hopefully 1v1ing in the lead matchup to set up the proper 2v2 scenarios with Mimi + TR sweeper.
Lapras / Aegislash + Hydreigon + Mimikyu / Lapras
The combos of choice against many bulkier teams, integrating Hydreigon allows the team to have a huge setup threat with the support of both 1v1 specialists as well as potential Curse support. Semi-stall builds focusing on Toxapex + Quagsire + Corviknight have extreme trouble winning against this combination, and builds that try to use Umbreon to frustrate the offensive modes of this team find the tables turned when Hydra easily sets up on them with Sub + NP.
Dragapult + Mimikyu + Hydreigon / Lapras
This is a common combination of brings against teams that lack much Fairy presence or otherwise have an overreliance on generalist bulk from Pokemon like Snorlax. Wisp Pult deals with many of these threats very effectively, crippling opponents and often wearing them down enough for whichever combo of Hydra/Mimi/Lapras is in the back.
This certainly isn’t an exhaustive list of potential combinations, but they are the most common to effectively take on prominent and successful opposing archetypes.
Key Threats:
Like with any team by this point in Pokemon’s history, it’s difficult to cover everything. Thus, there are quite a few significant threats in the early SwSh BSS meta that this team has some problems with, although the team does have a decent plan against almost all of them. Before starting, it is also worth noting that the hidden ability Galar starters and the DLC tutor moves dropping this month before the significant meta change in July has already made the team more difficult to use, which I will discuss some below.
Rotom-Wash + Fairy: Rotom-Wash is the most difficult Rotom for this team to deal with, as while I have one of the best counters in Hydreigon, it is typically paired with Fairy types like Togekiss, Mimikyu, or Clefable since Wash isn’t great against Dragons in general. Wash is a frustrating but not impossible threat for the signature Trick Room Pokemon of the team to deal with, but it takes careful maneuvering to eliminate whichever part of the defensive core is more threatening to open up a path to victory. Lapras actually does pretty well at trading with Rotom-W since Freeze-Dry does significant damage, but having to engage in that 1v1 generally means that Lapras comes out crippled or dead, so it tends to pay to try to organize Hydreigon against Rotom. However, Rotom’s ability to pivot with Volt Switch can be a huge headache and occasionally requires predicting both that and the opponent’s appropriate switch if backed into a corner.
Primarina: Continuing the theme from above, this team has issues with Water types that can effectively take on the Dragons and don’t auto-lose to Lapras. Primarina is more successful than opposing Lapras in this regard, primarily because Lapras takes a boatload of damage from Aegislash Close Combat and also cannot reliably switch in on Rhyperior. Prima is better at both and is only really effectively checked by Lapras and Mimikyu. Both of those can beat it, but going up against it heavily restricts what can be effectively brought from preview. If you have to bring Hydra or Pult against this, you’d better get chip on it very quickly or it will likely wear down the team for its compatriots. This is definitely manageable since Lapras handles Primarina more handily than it does Rotom-Wash since Prima can’t pivot super effectively and also sometimes doesn’t even carry Grass coverage, but without getting damage on this with Lapras or Mimikyu, games against this can be an uphill battle.
Rillaboom: Rillaboom is rough for this team to deal with, especially since in this last month before the big meta change it received both Grassy Terrain from the HA starter distribution and Grassy Glide from the Isle of Armor move tutors. Since it heavily pressures both Lapras and Rhyperior and isn’t especially weak to the Dragons or Aegislash to compensate, defeating this takes a community effort. Mimikyu can do serious damage, and Lapras can use its dynamax to remove Rillaboom if it doesn’t dynamax itself, which is often worth the trouble for this team especially since you get up screens with the kill as well. Dragapult does quite well against Rillboom 1v1 as well by burning it before wailing on it with Flamethrower or Hex, but it both struggles against common Rillaboom partners and also still has trouble outright winning the 1v1 since Rillaboom invariably runs Knock Off. While Rillaboom was fairly uncommon when this team was at its zenith, the June meta has spiked Rillaboom usage enough to make it a huge problem in the waning days before the IoA meta.
Some Snorlax Variants: Snorlax is a pain to kill for most teams, but with only Aegi having Fighting coverage this team has some issues breaking through the sleepy bear. There are plenty of outs: Rhyperior does quite well against non-Curse Snorlax in a 1v1 since even its super effective coverage attacks don't do much damage (and also activate the Weakness Policy), but Yawn tends to mean that boosting up against Lax isn’t practical. Lapras can spike a Sheer Cold, Dragapult can burn it, and Mimikyu can Curse it, so there are tactics at my disposal, but it has to be played around carefully. Curse or ChestoRest Lax are the worst for this team to deal with, as Curse is not as vulnerable to Rhyperior and ChestoRest better resists being worn down, but even the more standard Yawn + Protect can be annoying since the team doesn’t have a super dedicated status absorber.
Well Played FWG cores: While Lapras normally does very well against FWG cores, when these cores have good Dragon answers the team is sometimes over-reliant on Lapras to break the opposing team. The most threatening core is probably Primarina + Rillaboom + Charizard, although these are not necessarily the most common partners for each other. Regardless, Grass types paired with good Dragon answers can make life tough unless one of Lapras, Rhyperior, or Hydreigon can get some momentum.
Replays:
Unfortunately cartridge replays cannot be saved this generation, which means that the best replays to show off the team are not really available. However, we do still at least have tournament replays to fall back on, although in the first grouping of these cases there are modifications to the above six.
Tournament Replays:
Games 1-3: BSPL Semifinals anchor Best of 3 set vs TonyFlygon
Game 1: https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8battlestadiumsingles-1108191714
Game 2: https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8battlestadiumsingles-1108191777
Game 3: https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8battlestadiumsingles-1108191880
The alteration to the team in this teamlocked BSPL set is Snorlax over Hydreigon and Life Orb Dragapult over Wisp Pult, which was designed to make the team more defensively stable against Fairy types while still keeping decent coverage on physical tanks like Corviknight. Interestingly, the change ends up mattering a lot since Snorlax ends up with a strong matchup against basically everything except Corviknight, so this admittedly isn’t the best exemplar of how the team works, but the second half of Game 2 does a good job of showing the potential of this kind of team to bait out the opponent’s dynamax before giving Rhyperior an opening to sweep.
Games 4-6: 2020 BSS Open Games Pt. 1--My Version
Vs. Psangli: https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8battlestadiumsingles-1074358597
Vs. Puff Killa: https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8battlestadiumsingles-1066737408
Vs. Sukato17: https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen8battlestadiumsingles-476003
The team in these games is much more in accordance with the outline listed above. Against Psangli, the team shows its ability to bait out dynamax and then leave one’s own dynamax as an option to ensure finishing off the game. Against Puff Killa, the Aegi + Lapras + Mimikyu combination again shows its worth, which Sheer Cold coming up big to finish off the Flame Orb Milotic attempting to stand in Mimikyu’s way. Against Sukato17, the somewhat more signature Mimikyu + Rhyperior combo is brought and pulls a fairly standard reverse sweep after Aegi once again baits out a dynamax.
Games 7-11: 2020 BSS Open Games Pt. 2--Psynergy’s Version
Vs. Mackenzie Knife (Game 1): https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8battlestadiumsingles-1060664717
Vs. Mackenzie Knife (Game 2): https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8battlestadiumsingles-1060666444
Vs. Asbestosman24 (Game 1): https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8battlestadiumsingles-1062342541
Vs. Asbestosman24 (Game 2): https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8battlestadiumsingles-1062344882
Vs. DragonWhale: https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8battlestadiumsingles-1067805586
These games, also from BSS Open but piloted by Psynergy with his version of the team, are also good examples of the team’s potential. Against Mackenzie Knife, Psynergy is able to set up TR at opportune moments in both games, allowing Rhyperior to clean up in the back. Game 1 against Asbestosman24 was much the same, with TR setup allowing a sweep, while Game 2 showed that Rhyperior is surprisingly good at fending off threats one might not expect it to do well against, such as mono-attacking Corviknight. Rhyperior also shows its ability to tank Cinderace easily against DragonWhale (though to be fair this was before Libero), as well as comfortably tanking a Light Ball Max Geyser from Pikachu with the dynamax boosts.
Closing Thoughts:
This team has been a fun way to utilize bulky semi-Trick Room in the pre-DLC Sword/Shield BSS metagame, and its success validates the effectiveness of the archetype and its tools for 3v3 even despite the new toys of the June meta starting to make life more difficult for this specific team composition. While the team definitely has its weaker matchups, it does a good job of adapting the semi-Trick Room archetype to the SwSh BSS meta and having outs even when the matchup doesn’t look great on paper. I hope that this team not only documents a successful build from this meta but is also fun to play or gives ideas for new builds to prospective BSS players. Before ending, I would like to shoutout Psynergy again for his preview of this write-up, his permission to use the above BSS Open games as examples, and more generally just for being a primary initiator of this team being built. Thank you for taking the time to read this RMT, and best regards!
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