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Tonight's story is somewhat unique...
So, I'd like to start off by saying that USUM Mix and Mega is the first format I played on PS and this is what really got me into mons. The ladder has been removed, so I thought of showcasing one of my most consistent teams. I built this team quite a few months back, and also made it to #1, but unfortunately, the elo decayed, and I longer have enough time to make it into #1 again. Still though, I used this team to peak into top 20 now, and I think its worth sharing. This team is dedicated to all USUM Mix and Mega players and Michael Jackson fans. And here we are, at my first RMT.
I wanted to build around Darkrai because I found its design pretty cool. But unfortunately, Darkrai is held back by its poor Dark- typing as well as middling bulk. So I thought of creating a Balanced team centred around it, which covers for most, if not all of its flaws, as well as function well in general. And here I am, with the final iteration of the team.
TEAMBUILDING PROCESS
I started off with Darkrai. Its one of my most favourite Pokemon when it comes to designs, and the team is centred around it. I used the Nasty Plot set, and it works amazingly well.
I knew I had to pair it with a physically offensive Pokemon, because Darkrai, even with Nasty Plot, has a hard time dealing with Pokemon like Blissey, Gyaradosite Toxapex and Xerneas. I ended up using Pinsirite Magearna, since it has a great offensive profile thanks to its access to Shift Gear and Return, as well as nice utility thanks to Heal Bell. Darkrai helps Magearna by dealing with Pokemon like Necrozma-Dusk-Mane, Lunala, Zapdos, etc., which it often has a hard time against.
Now I had to work on the defensive backbone of my team. I wanted something that could deal with at least some of the offensive threats of the metagame, act as a hazard removal Pokemon, as well as, if possible, have a pivoting move to help bring Darkrai in. It turned out Mandibuzz was just the perfect Pokemon for the job, meeting all three criteria, having great bulk, and access to a removal move in Defog, as well as a pivoting move in U-turn. It can deal with many of the premier offensive treats of the tier including Necrozma, Lunala, and Kartana.
Mandibuzz now needed a Defensive partner, because using another Dark type on the team means you're stacking weaknesses, especially in a metagame where PixiSpeed is so prevalent. Its awkward typing also means the team is still vulnerable to a lot of offensive threats, especially on the physical side, like Swords Dance or Eruption Groudon-Primal, Altarianite Zygarde, Altarianite Entei, and Terrakion, amongst a few others. Mew just turned out to be the perfect Pokemon for the role. It's excellent in sponging physical hits, and due to its access to U-turn, can also help bring Darkrai and Magearna in.
The classic- Primal Groudon: the Pokemon without which USUM Mix and Mega teams are incomplete. Groudon provides a secondary blanket check to physical attackers, especially Altarianite Entei, as well as cripple generally annoying threats like Xerneas. There's also one Pokemon in particular which the team doesn't enjoy playing against: Manectite / Sablenite Magearna, and Groudon is an amazing answer to it, making it a perfect partner. I also lacked entry hazards on my Pokemon, so using Groudon-Primal solves that issue as well, thanks to its access to Stealth Rock, and therefore allows it to act as the perfect glue for the team.
My final Pokemon: Lunala. The main reason behind why I used Lunala here was because it acts as a soft check to almost every Pokemon of the tier, and also makes my MU against certain threats, like Groudon-Primal and a few CM users better.
THE TEAM
Is it Scary? (Darkrai) @ Diancite
Ability: Bad Dreams
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Nasty Plot
- Dark Pulse
- Sludge Bomb
- Thunderbolt / Thunder
The set isn't particularly unique. Diancite gives it a whopping Speed tier of 185, which allows it to outspeed just about every Pokemon of the tier. It acts as a good late-game sweeper with Nasty Plot. Dark Pulse is its strongest STAB, and allows it to blast through most of its neutral targets. Sludge Bomb here can deal with Pokemon like Tapu Koko, as well as Altarianite Zygarde and Altarianite Entei on the switch. Thunderbolt or Thunder acts as coverage against Pokemon like Ho-Oh, Mandibuzz, and Magearna.
Beat it (Magearna) @ Pinsirite
Ability: Soul-Heart
EVs: 100 HP / 252 Atk / 156 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Shift Gear
- Pain Split
- Return
- Heal Bell
Shift Gear Magearna: The cute demon. Magearna functions both as the main physical cleaner, as well as the cleric of the team. Aerilate boosted Return's power is about 122, which is just crazy. Pain Split helps it in its MU vs defensive Pokemon like Blissey, as well as helps it in staying healthy throughout the game. 156 Speed EVs allows it to outspeed Jolly Lopunnite Zeraora at +2 Speed.
Smooth Criminal (Mandibuzz) (F) @ Sablenite
Ability: Overcoat
EVs: 252 HP / 48 Def / 208 SpD
Sassy Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- U-turn
- Roost
- Foul Play
- Defog
Now for our second Dark-, the criminal Vulture, Mandibuzz. The set is pretty self explanatory: U-turn is an extremely powerful tool, which allows it to gain momentum as well as bring in its boss, Darkrai. Roost allows it to stay healthy throughout the game, and Defog (combined with Magic Bounce from Sablenite) deals with Hazards. Foul Play solves its passitivity issues, and allows it to cripple physical attackers like Groudon-Primal, Necrozma and Kartana, as well as heavily damage Lunala. 252 HP and 48 Def EVs allows it to survive a Lopunnite Zeraora's Plasma Fists after Stealth Rock.
Bad (Mew) @ Manectite
Ability: Synchronize
EVs: 252 HP / 212 Def / 44 Spe
Bold Nature
- Earth Power
- Roost
- U-turn / Volt Switch
- Ice Beam
Our resident defensive pivot: Mew. Its an amazing check to most of the physically offensive Pokemon of the tier: Groudon-Primal, Altarianite Zygarde, Altarianite Entei, Terrakion, Zeraora, Mamoswine, etc. I am not a big fan of Earth Power on Mew, but without it, you'll have a harder time dealing with the likes of Groudon-Primal, Entei, and Terrakion, and you really would appreciate to immediately threaten them. Ice Beam is for Zygarde, and U-turn is the pivot move of choice. Alternatively, Volt Switch can be used over U-turn, but you will have a hard time against strategies like PerishPool Arceus+Ground-type. Roost is for longetivity. Will-o-Wisp can be used over Earth Power, but I wouldn't recommend it, since the Groudon MU on the team is not the best.
Earth Song (Groudon-Primal) @ Red Orb
Ability: Desolate Land
EVs: 252 HP / 160 Def / 88 SpD / 8 Spe
Relaxed Nature
- Roar
- Lava Plume
- Precipice Blades
- Stealth Rock
The classic- the best Pokemon of the tier: easy to slap into any team, and provides amazing role compression. Nothing special about the set here, except for, I guess, Roar. It's good mainly because it helps to deal with Xerneas: a premier threat for the team. Lava Plume is the fire STAB of choice, having a 30% burn chance, and Precipice Blades does Precipice Blades things, until it decides to miss, that is. Stealth Rock is the main entry hazard for the team for progress making purposes. No Rock move means you've to play around Pokemon like Golisopod carefully, though.
Thriller (Lunala) @ Lunalium Z
Ability: Shadow Shield
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Calm Mind
- Moongeist Beam
- Moonblast
- Roost
I gotta admit: I lied before. I used Lunala as the 6th slot mainly because Darkrai needed a moon. But it worked out just fine: a CM Pokemon with near-about perfect stats, and of course, a spammable Ghost- type move in Moongeist Beam (and Menacing Moonraze Maelstorm). Moonblast is mainly for coverage against Dark- types, and Roost is for longetivity. Lunala makes your MU against offensive threats better, especially against Pokemon like (No Shadow Ball) Tapu Lele and Eruption Groudon-Primal. It may be replaced by something else, but Lunala is effective.
over Arceus-Ground @ Earth Plate
Ability: Multitype
EVs: 248 HP / 136 Def / 124 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Will-O-Wisp
- Ice Beam
- Judgement
- Recover
I ran Arceus-Ground for sometime over Mew, and it works almost as effectively, except for one thing: the team becomes weak to Mamoswine. Other than that, it makes so apparent difference.
USAGE TIPS
It's not very difficult to pilot to be honest, just try to create momentum. I recommend leading with Mandibuzz, and spamming slow U-turns. In case they use something slower, like Blissey, the advisable play would be to switch into Magearna. Try bringing in Darkrai as much as you can by Mandibuzz+Mew, and in case you end up encountering priority users like Mamoswine, Entei, and Zygarde, try making plays with Mew and Groudon-Primal.
THREATLIST
Nihilego is a tricky Pokemon and can be difficult to deal with, especially the Latiasite Thunder Wave variants. Right now, the team more or less depends on offensive pressure (Lunala and Darkrai) and pivoting to deal with it, with Magearna Heal Bell support. A solution to this could be replacing Lunala with something like Zygarde, or Keldeo.
Mamoswine is, again, a difficult Pokemon to deal with. Right now, the answer to it in the team is Mew, but if you get unlucky with chips and flinches, it will blow apart the team.
Also a tricky Pokemon to deal with. There is no "true answer" to it in the team, and largely relies on offensive pressure and pivoting to deal with it. A solution could be replacing Lunala, again, with something like Keldeo or PixiSpeeder.
CONCLUSION
Is it Scary? (Darkrai) @ Diancite
Ability: Bad Dreams
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Nasty Plot
- Dark Pulse
- Sludge Bomb
- Thunderbolt
Beat it (Magearna) @ Pinsirite
Ability: Soul-Heart
EVs: 100 HP / 252 Atk / 156 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Shift Gear
- Pain Split
- Return
- Heal Bell
Smooth Criminal (Mandibuzz) (F) @ Sablenite
Ability: Overcoat
EVs: 252 HP / 48 Def / 208 SpD
Sassy Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- U-turn
- Roost
- Foul Play
- Defog
Bad (Mew) @ Manectite
Ability: Synchronize
EVs: 252 HP / 212 Def / 44 Spe
Bold Nature
- Earth Power
- Roost
- U-turn
- Ice Beam
Earth Song (Groudon-Primal) @ Red Orb
Ability: Desolate Land
EVs: 252 HP / 160 Def / 88 SpD / 8 Spe
Relaxed Nature
- Roar
- Lava Plume
- Precipice Blades
- Stealth Rock
Thriller (Lunala) @ Lunalium Z
Ability: Shadow Shield
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Calm Mind
- Moongeist Beam
- Moonblast
- Roost
Ability: Bad Dreams
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Nasty Plot
- Dark Pulse
- Sludge Bomb
- Thunderbolt
Beat it (Magearna) @ Pinsirite
Ability: Soul-Heart
EVs: 100 HP / 252 Atk / 156 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Shift Gear
- Pain Split
- Return
- Heal Bell
Smooth Criminal (Mandibuzz) (F) @ Sablenite
Ability: Overcoat
EVs: 252 HP / 48 Def / 208 SpD
Sassy Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- U-turn
- Roost
- Foul Play
- Defog
Bad (Mew) @ Manectite
Ability: Synchronize
EVs: 252 HP / 212 Def / 44 Spe
Bold Nature
- Earth Power
- Roost
- U-turn
- Ice Beam
Earth Song (Groudon-Primal) @ Red Orb
Ability: Desolate Land
EVs: 252 HP / 160 Def / 88 SpD / 8 Spe
Relaxed Nature
- Roar
- Lava Plume
- Precipice Blades
- Stealth Rock
Thriller (Lunala) @ Lunalium Z
Ability: Shadow Shield
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Calm Mind
- Moongeist Beam
- Moonblast
- Roost
Is it Scary? (Darkrai) @ Diancite
Ability: Bad Dreams
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Nasty Plot
- Dark Pulse
- Sludge Bomb
- Thunderbolt
Beat it (Magearna) @ Pinsirite
Ability: Soul-Heart
EVs: 100 HP / 252 Atk / 156 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Shift Gear
- Pain Split
- Return
- Heal Bell
Smooth Criminal (Mandibuzz) (F) @ Sablenite
Ability: Overcoat
EVs: 252 HP / 48 Def / 208 SpD
Sassy Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- U-turn
- Roost
- Foul Play
- Defog
Bad (Mew) @ Manectite
Ability: Synchronize
EVs: 252 HP / 212 Def / 44 Spe
Bold Nature
- Earth Power
- Roost
- U-turn
- Ice Beam
Earth Song (Groudon-Primal) @ Red Orb
Ability: Desolate Land
EVs: 252 HP / 160 Def / 88 SpD / 8 Spe
Relaxed Nature
- Roar
- Lava Plume
- Precipice Blades
- Stealth Rock
They drc about us (Keldeo) @ Lucarionite
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Calm Mind
- Substitute
- Hydro Pump
- Secret Sword
Ability: Bad Dreams
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Nasty Plot
- Dark Pulse
- Sludge Bomb
- Thunderbolt
Beat it (Magearna) @ Pinsirite
Ability: Soul-Heart
EVs: 100 HP / 252 Atk / 156 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Shift Gear
- Pain Split
- Return
- Heal Bell
Smooth Criminal (Mandibuzz) (F) @ Sablenite
Ability: Overcoat
EVs: 252 HP / 48 Def / 208 SpD
Sassy Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- U-turn
- Roost
- Foul Play
- Defog
Bad (Mew) @ Manectite
Ability: Synchronize
EVs: 252 HP / 212 Def / 44 Spe
Bold Nature
- Earth Power
- Roost
- U-turn
- Ice Beam
Earth Song (Groudon-Primal) @ Red Orb
Ability: Desolate Land
EVs: 252 HP / 160 Def / 88 SpD / 8 Spe
Relaxed Nature
- Roar
- Lava Plume
- Precipice Blades
- Stealth Rock
They drc about us (Keldeo) @ Lucarionite
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Calm Mind
- Substitute
- Hydro Pump
- Secret Sword
Yoru97 my first friend on PS, those were such good days... It's a shame we don't get along too well, but I hope we'll still remain friends.
SpaceSpeakersgrow up bossaru 2.o 
fatboy999 one of my first friends on PS, thanks for ur legendary teameven tho i lost it
EnesBatur come back... also learn smth except donker >:(
Beartico one of my first friends on PS, again, i hope u r enjoying ur vacation. send me money
MythicFlame one of my first friends on PS, again, also im not a weeb >:(
TrainerGoldAlt also a good friend of mine, traffic sucks
Fabulous4707 JoJo sucks
Clastia you're super amazing dude, and it often scares me LMAO. I also owe u an apology for being mad at u for the retirement thing ig, sry, and thanks for everything u've done
urkerab i know we annoy u a lot pal, but you've been just AMAZING and i'm so glad to have been able to interact with ya, words can't express our gratitude.
dilllllllllllon u r too good
Tile Denial you also scare me with ur mon skills LMAO
Zephyr Dragon Lord thank u for all ur support so far, good friend
Mincera31 make a viable custom stone for once...
BandedBodyPress ty for being engaged with ROCS MnM pal
Ryan5374 THEY DID US DIRTY
Axzel DerpyBoi for ur mnmm and snm contributions
drampa's grandpa KaenSoul AlexSaysBruh123 the vtm council, so glad to have y'all onboard
scorbunnys no more spying required, also where tour????????
Magikarp_Is_AG come back
DeepFriedMagikarp tink to A+ next time for sure
Rofna99 dude u r broken
@moongirlll its been fun
Gman come back nerd...
special thanks to the mnm council for finally freeing orbs, and all the USUM MnM(M) playerbase whom i forgot to mention (sry am bad), and ofc, all the Michael Jackson fans.
special thanks to Daylight, your RMT inspired me a lot.
special s/o to all omm staff members for being corrupt
(sry if i forgot some1)
(can any1 pls do the tags lol, ty
SpaceSpeakers
fatboy999 one of my first friends on PS, thanks for ur legendary team
EnesBatur come back... also learn smth except donker >:(
Beartico one of my first friends on PS, again, i hope u r enjoying ur vacation. send me money
MythicFlame one of my first friends on PS, again, also im not a weeb >:(
TrainerGoldAlt also a good friend of mine, traffic sucks
Fabulous4707 JoJo sucks
Clastia you're super amazing dude, and it often scares me LMAO. I also owe u an apology for being mad at u for the retirement thing ig, sry, and thanks for everything u've done
urkerab i know we annoy u a lot pal, but you've been just AMAZING and i'm so glad to have been able to interact with ya, words can't express our gratitude.
dilllllllllllon u r too good
Tile Denial you also scare me with ur mon skills LMAO
Zephyr Dragon Lord thank u for all ur support so far, good friend
Mincera31 make a viable custom stone for once...
BandedBodyPress ty for being engaged with ROCS MnM pal
Ryan5374 THEY DID US DIRTY
Axzel DerpyBoi for ur mnmm and snm contributions
drampa's grandpa KaenSoul AlexSaysBruh123 the vtm council, so glad to have y'all onboard
scorbunnys no more spying required, also where tour????????
Magikarp_Is_AG come back
DeepFriedMagikarp tink to A+ next time for sure
Rofna99 dude u r broken
@moongirlll its been fun
Gman come back nerd...
special thanks to the mnm council for finally freeing orbs, and all the USUM MnM(M) playerbase whom i forgot to mention (sry am bad), and ofc, all the Michael Jackson fans.
special thanks to Daylight, your RMT inspired me a lot.
special s/o to all omm staff members for being corrupt
(sry if i forgot some1)
(can any1 pls do the tags lol, ty
Thanks for reading. This was my first RMT, so there might be flaws and mistakes. If you see any, please let me know. Cheers.
What you have just witnessed
Could be the end of a particularly terrifying nightmare
It isn't
It's the beginning
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