[ORAS LU] LU Web Offense - RMT

Discussion in 'Rate My Team' started by karkinos, Mar 7, 2015.

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  1. karkinos

    karkinos Lord Of The Car Keys

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    BOOM!

    NOTE: With the rise of Absol to UU and the ban of Honchkrow in LU, this team is p much dead. The core still lives though, so if you want to use it, make workarounds.

    So, this is the first RMT I'm doing...hope it turns out alright. Sometime playing LU, I wanted to build a team with a Modest Specs Exploud. It's an incredibly fun Pokemon to use (Boomburst spam! Even though some would argue it requires no skill at all), but it's just kind of too slow to really match all the Hitmons and stuff running around the metagame, so I decided to build a web team (what a surprise!). My ladder achievement is #1 (±Porygon: Your rank in ORAS LU is 1/2283 [1352 points / 177 battles]!) and I also won some tours with it, but I felt like sharing it with you here on the forums, also hoping to get some advice on what can be improved. This is what came about after some one week of trial and error:

    [​IMG][​IMG][​IMG][​IMG][​IMG][​IMG]

    Importable:
    Lord Smergl (Smeargle) (F) @ Focus Sash
    Trait: Own Tempo
    EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 Spd
    Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
    - Sticky Web
    - Stealth Rock
    - Spore
    - Nuzzle

    DeathBlade (Doublade) (M) @ Eviolite
    Trait: No Guard
    EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SDef
    Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
    - Shadow Sneak
    - Sacred Sword
    - Iron Head
    - Swords Dance

    KACAW! (Honchkrow) (F) @ Life Orb
    Trait: Moxie
    EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
    Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
    - Brave Bird
    - Sucker Punch
    - Pursuit
    - Superpower

    BOOM (Exploud) (M) @ Choice Specs
    Trait: Scrappy
    EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
    Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
    - Boomburst
    - Ice Beam
    - Surf
    - Shadow Ball

    PoisonEmpress (Nidoqueen) (F) @ Life Orb
    Trait: Sheer Force
    EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
    Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
    - Sludge Wave
    - Earth Power
    - Ice Beam
    - Flamethrower

    MasterOfDisaster (Absol) (F) @ Absolite
    Trait: Justified
    EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
    Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
    - Sucker Punch
    - Play Rough
    - Knock Off
    - Swords Dance


    So, a short description of what this does: Set up Sticky Web with Smeargle, get out Exploud after it dies and spam Boomburst. I'm not even really kidding, but the other mons do come in handy as well. Let's get into the details:

    [​IMG]
    Lord Smergl (Smeargle) (F) @ Focus Sash
    Trait: Own Tempo
    EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 Spd
    Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
    - Sticky Web
    - Stealth Rock
    - Spore
    - Nuzzle


    First off, you'd need something to set Sticky Web with. In LU, you would have two options that have not yet sunk into the far depths of NU (see Ariados or maybe Leavanny): Smeargle and Shuckle. In my eyes, Smeargle is the far superior choice: Hitting 273 speed, it can outspeed not too much, but all kinds of defensive mons and put them to sleep in the process. It can also get a free turn of setup by crippling something by means of Nuzzle and use the speed drop or sleep to set up Sticky Web. If you have time, you can set Stealth Rocks as well, but that is not too important (at least it never really hurt me if I didn't have them up). This set can be varied: Endeavor can be used over Stealth Rock to take some HP off of things after they (most likely activating the Sash, bulky Smeargle...) dealt damage to Smeargle, in the same slot (or in a Status slot, if you don't want Smeargle acting like a Lugia) Taunt to stop Rocks or all kinds of set up in Smeargle's face as well as Whirlwind might be viable. Feel free. The Item and EVs are fairly obvious - HP EVs to make Smeargle as "tanky" as possible and Speed EVs to make it outspeed stuff together with the Timid nature. As the HP EVs are definetely not enough, I added a Focus Sash to let it live at least one attack.

    [​IMG]
    DeathBlade (Doublade) (M) @ Eviolite
    Trait: No Guard
    EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SDef
    Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
    - Shadow Sneak
    - Sacred Sword
    - Iron Head
    - Swords Dance


    At first glance, this seems fairly stupid. Why would anyone use Doublade on a Sticky Web team, Doublade, a mon known for being slower than even some mons on Trick Room teams? The reason is quite simple: It is probably the best spinblocker the current metagame can offer. The Hitmons, prime spinners in LU, are not able to touch Doublade without either dying or becoming setup fodder. One has to watch out for Starmie, though: Even with an Eviolite, Doublades special bulk is far from good. The set is, again, straightforward: Come in on a physical mon or a spinner and proceed to kill it. You can also set up a Swords Dance instead, at +2, Doublade reaches 700 Attack, which is not bad at all. The EVs and Nature support this purpose. Sacred Sword might come in handy for all those Steel and Water types that think they can just wall or kill Doublade. It also makes Doublade this team's only good check to Sharpedo, which does a max of not even 80% with Crunch and immediately dies in return.

    [​IMG]
    KACAW! (Honchkrow) (F) @ Life Orb
    Trait: Moxie
    EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
    Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
    - Brave Bird
    - Sucker Punch
    - Pursuit
    - Superpower


    As I am not really a creative person when it comes to sets, here's another one you would find on the top of the Stats page: A standard Murderkrow. The idea is to come in on a weakened mon that has killed something, something with no Defense or bulk in general or any Psychic type (stuff like Slowking or Reuniclus). After coming in, Honchkrow will probably steal a kill somewhere, being faster than even most offensive mons (due to the web) and being able to trapkill Psychic types with Pursuit. Frail mons that might hope to outspeed would fall prey to the Sucker Punch, whereas Superpower is a move that deals nasty damage to all kinds of Steel and Rock types hoping to wall this bird. Even Superpower will NOT, however, help against the bulk of something like Mega Aggron. I use a Jolly nature to be able to kill semi-fast mons with a choice scarf that would otherwise outspeed Honchkrow, such as Emboar.

    [​IMG]
    BOOM (Exploud) (M) @ Choice Specs
    Trait: Scrappy
    EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
    Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
    - Boomburst
    - Ice Beam
    - Surf
    - Shadow Ball / Focus Blast


    "BOOM" (~La.Neptune) says it all. With Sticky Web up, the opponent will need a positive-natured Pokemon with more than 110 base speed (gl finding one in LU) or something that flies to effectively kill Exploud, seeing that walling it is nearly impossible (it 2HKOs non-AV Slowking more or less easily). Scrappy is helpful so that one doesn't have to predict around with Shadow Ball - and Doublade, with it's measly special bulk, will get 2HKOed as well. To effectively get rid of this monster, you'd need something either fast or priority fighting attacks (the Hitmons say hi), which is why it synergizes wonderfully with Doublade: Doublade tanks the physical hits and Mach Punches which Exploud does certainly not enjoy, while Exploud usually is fine tanking one special hit on its own (Specs Raikou can not OHKO). Aside from Boomburst, the other moves are just there to fill slots and thus some misclick rage. I have used Surf twice and Ice Beam once in the battles I did with this team, so you'd be better off using Boomburst than predicting around about 80% of the time. The 20% would include all cases of specially-defensive-invested Rhydons and Rhyperiors as well as the occasional Mega Aggron. For the latter, Focus Blast is fine in the last slot as well.

    [​IMG]
    PoisonEmpress (Nidoqueen) (F) @ Life Orb
    Trait: Sheer Force
    EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
    Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
    - Sludge Wave
    - Earth Power
    - Ice Beam
    - Flamethrower / Stealth Rock


    While Nidoqueen usually has a problem due to her low speed, it is yet again Sticky Web that patches this up for her. Sludge Wave and Earth Power provide two STAB Attacks with a nice Sheer Force boost that give Nidoqueen some decent coverage. Ice Beam is a must to be able to hit the Flygons and Aerodactyls if they'd happen to switch in, or rather: It complements the Poison/Ground coverage quite well. In the fourth slot one can use Flamethrower to roast some Escavaliers or Ferroseeds (lol) to round off the coverage in general, or, if Smeargle does not run Rocks or you want a backup Rocks setter, Stealth Rock. The Timid nature is a backup for the aforementioned Scarf Emboar you might want to outspeed, stuff like that might create problems otherwise. On the team, this is the prime check to all kinds of bulky Rock-, Steel- and Fairy-types that might attempt to wall Honchkrow and Exploud.

    [​IMG]
    MasterOfDisaster (Absol) (F) @ Absolite
    Trait: Justified
    EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
    Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
    - Sucker Punch
    - Play Rough
    - Knock Off
    - Swords Dance


    The real definition of "I didn't know what to use in the last slot". I had no Mega Pokemon yet, so I just picked Absol, which works surprisingly well. If you get Absol to Mega-Evolve early in the game, it can be an annoyance in bouncing back Twaves, Stealth Rocks and all the other good stuff you don't really want to have. You can also switch it in on a predicted Dark-type attack and get a free boost, even at "only"+1, Mega Absol is able to deal some decent damage. Normally, one would use a Jolly Nature on Absol, but I eventually came to the conclusion that wouldn't really help me (stuff like Aerodactyl is faster no matter what, and I don't really NEED the speed tie with the occasional timid scarf Raikou). Play Rough is helpful for killing Honchkrow, as Absol won't die from a +1 Sucker Punch, as well as all kinds of Dark- and Fighting-types (other Absol, Hitmons w/out Mach Punch, and so on), while Sucker Punch provides priority and Knock off is a nuisance to mons that would rather keep their leftovers (hi Aromatisse). Swords Dance lets you set up on stuff that can't touch Absol because it's either too weak, locked into a Psychic move or relies on status moves.


    So, that's it for this team. Say what you think, even if you're not native to the LU tier, as I do struggle with teambuilding and would like to know what I can improve here.

    Thanks to @gengar17 , who probably helped me test this against his own LU teams, and everyone in the Tournaments channel who probably made some helpful comments. My memory sucks, though.
     
    Last edited: Apr 13, 2015
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  2. Edna

    Edna Chasing the Dragon Forum Moderator Forum Moderator

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    Nice team bro, but like usual: Flygon! :D
     
  3. karkinos

    karkinos Lord Of The Car Keys

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    wow, okay carl. I didn't make a threat list, but Flygon, having Base 100 speed and the very annoying Levitate, paired with the ability to use Defog, can be quite the nuisance. Then again, Flygon will not enjoy coming in on anything bar Smeargle. Depending on the move it's goint to use, one might have to play around with Doublade and Honchkrow (meaning prediction mindgames). Thanks for the reminder Carl :]
     
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  4. Edna

    Edna Chasing the Dragon Forum Moderator Forum Moderator

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    Flygon can run multiple sets: even a LO defog will break your team, bar your absol who can OHKO after some damage with Sucker Punch.
    If webs are not on, Choice Scarf Emboar can rip you :x
     
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  5. karkinos

    karkinos Lord Of The Car Keys

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    seems like a simple question: is jolly flygon faster than adamant mega absol? the answer is
    NO
    .
     
  6. topah

    topah Active Member

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    Besides playing LU, I don't see any problems here.
    Exploud + Doublade core is my favorite part of this team.
     
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