New post-DLC (Indigo Disk) usage stats, new (early) Aleatory Alliance.
20 formats: 1v1, Almost Any Ability, Anything Goes, Balanced Hackmons, Create-a-Pokémon, Doubles, Godly Gift, Little Cup, Mix and Mega, Monotype, Not Fully Evolved, Never Used, Overused, PU, Rarely Used, STABmons, Tier Shift, Uber, Underused, Zero Used
Number 15 is Rarely Used, or RU for short. With the cream of the crop in Overused and the cream of the cream in Ubers (not to mention the competitive king, Shadow Rider Calyrex), RU is the second tier below the former. It has 59 native Pokémon, whose odds are doubled, and 49 other usable Pokémon. Let’s see what the dice have to roll.
Ooh, this team has it all. Hazards from Overqwil (Toxic Spikes) and Chansey (Stealth Rock), a fat core in Chansey and Slowbro, setup sweepers in Bronzong and Bisharp, and some fast hazard removal in Noivern. A little of everything, just the way I like it. (Well, it has fair share of nuances, but I’ll get to that later.)
What do they do?
Chansey @ Eviolite
Ability: Natural Cure
Tera Type: Ghost
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
– Seismic Toss
– Soft-Boiled
– Thunder Wave
– Stealth Rock
Since the fifth generation, Chansey has been bringing the fat with its effective 704/178/370 bulk thanks to Eviolite. However, its most reliable form of damage output is with Seismic Toss, which is a guaranteed 100 damage per use on non-Ghost-types. Soft-Boiled keeps it healthy, but not for long with its reduced Power Points. It is the only Thunder Wave user on the team, and a little speed control can go a long way, especially with Bisharp being the main powerhouse. Since Stealth Rock is one of its only five viable options (the other being Heal Bell, now that it has lost Toxic and Aromatherapy), it is the dedicated Stealth Rock user, with the only possible other two (Bronzong and Bisharp) playing more self-sufficient roles. Natural Cure is its go-to Ability, primarily capable of keeping it from being worn down or otherwise held back by non-volatile status conditions. Ghost Tera is intended for preventing Rapid Spin users from removing its Stealth Rock, in addition to turning its sole weakness to Fighting into an immunity.
Noivern @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Infiltrator
Tera Type: Fire
EVs: 168 Def / 88 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
– Hurricane
– Flamethrower
– Defog
– Roost
Heavy-Duty Boots are essential for any Rock-weak hazard remover worth its salt. The way Noivern removes hazards is with Defog, which should be used carefully because it affects hazards set by allies, can be prevented by Taunt, and can trigger Defiant or Competitive. Hurricane is a staple on specially-oriented Flying-types; despite its shaky accuracy outside of rain, it has a higher expected BP value than Air Slash, which could otherwise be an alternative. (110 * 0.7 = 77; 75 * 0.95 = 71.25) The average Noivern runs Draco Meteor over Hurricane and U-turn over Defog, but the latter is the only possible form of hazard removal on the entire team, and it’s not good to run Draco Meteor without U-turn or a Choice item. Flamethrower rounds off its coverage nicely, only being resisted by Fire-resistant Electric-types (notably Heat Rotom) and every relevant Rock-type in the tier. Tera Fire makes this more powerful, in addition to turning Noivern’s Ice and Fairy weaknesses into resistances. Roost promotes longevity and, for the duration of the turn, makes it less prone to Ice- and Rock-type moves if it has not Terastallized. Infiltrator is always its preferred Ability for thwarting Substitute users like Grimmsnarl. The EV spread helps it take hits from Zarude, which may or may not be holding a Choice Scarf.
Slowbro @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Regenerator
Tera Type: Fairy
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
– Scald
– Future Sight
– Body Press
– Slack Off
Ever since gaining Regenerator in the fifth generation, Slowbro has also been a defensive force of nature. It was OU last gen, but losing Teleport adversely impacted its viability. Still, its solid physical bulk is compatible with Rocky Helmet, a means of discouraging physical attackers from going too wild. (This item can also mildly punish one use of Knock Off, the quintessential way to hinder Chansey’s defensive prowess.) It will mostly be using Scald as a reliable source of damage output with a high chance to burn the foes it hits. For a stronger hit that may not be as reliable but can keep the opposing team on its toes, it has the option to use Future Sight. This pairs well with Body Press, which deters the average Dark-type from attempting to block it. Plus, while Body Press has no same-type attack bonus, it uses Slowbro’s highest stat (Defense) as an attacking stat (meaning that it deals almost 1.5* as much damage as it would if it was a special coverage move, given the EV spread). And guess what? Slowbro also gets reliable recovery in Slack Off.
Tera Fairy turns Slowbro’s weaknesses to Knock Off and U-turn into resistances, while also maintaining its Fighting resistance that buttresses its synergy with Chansey.
Bronzong @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
Tera Type: Electric
EVs: 252 HP / 88 Def / 168 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
– Iron Defense
– Body Press
– Stored Power
– Calm Mind
Type changing aside, Bronzong has always been the only Steel-type with Levitate, although generational power creeps and the sixth-generation loss of Steel’s resistance to Ghost and Dark have taken their toll on this bell. One of its best bets at present is the frequently used combination of Iron Defense and Body Press, a counterpart of Swords Dance or Nasty Plot boosting that also augments its physical durability. Iron Defense also boosts the base power of Stored Power by 40 per use until after three uses, which would bring it up to 140. Calm Mind does a similar thing on the special side, but the boost is less defensively oriented and can contribute up to 240 BP to Stored Power. Since Bronzong cannot regain HP without Rest, Leftovers are a must-have held item for it. Tera Electric leaves it with effectively no weaknesses, improving its matchup against opponents with Fire-, Ghost-, and Dark-type moves. The EV spread gives it 338/319/310 bulk, plenty to work with on both sides of the spectrum.
Bisharp @ Eviolite
Ability: Defiant
Tera Type: Flying
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
– Swords Dance
– Sucker Punch
– Iron Head
– Low Kick
Even without investment, 271/354/265 bulk with Eviolite (thanks to the existence of Kingambit) is still a considerable safety net in the context of setting up Swords Dance. There is also the possibility of switching into a Defog and having Defiant activate, or perhaps having an Intimidate user switch in to give it an effective +1 Attack. In any case, Bisharp cannot always rely on Chansey to control opposing Speed stats above 239, which is where Sucker Punch comes in. On the flip side, Iron Head lacks priority but is a stronger and more reliable move, additionally known for its flinch chance and being super-effective against Fairy-types. Low Kick is notable coverage against foes such as the following, listed by the base power it has against them.
80: Bisharp, Empoleon, Krookodile, Lucario, Zarude, Alolan Sandslash, Shiftry, Wo-Chien
100: Forretress, Magnezone, Bronzong, Drednaw
120: Cobalion, Mamoswine, Copperajah, Iron Thorns
Tera Flying makes Bisharp resistant to Fighting, immune to Ground, and neutral to Fire.
Overqwil @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
Tera Type: Ghost
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
– Barb Barrage
– Crunch
– Toxic Spikes
– Taunt
While Overqwil is typically used as a rain sweeper, it has no rain to sweep with, so it’s better off as a Toxic Spikes setter on this team. This also calls for the use of Intimidate over Swift Swim. Unlike Chansey, Overqwil does not have the bulk or recovery to stick around for long, hence Leftovers. Black Sludge is typically preferred on Poison-types, but this Overqwil won’t always be Poison-type; it has Tera Ghost to prevent Rapid Spin users from removing its Toxic Spikes. Speaking of prevention, Taunt can prevent slower/unsuspecting Taunt, hazard, and Defog users from having their way. In case it gets taunted itself, Barb Barrage has a high chance of inflicting regular poison and boasts 120 base power against poisoned foes, while Crunch has a more consistent damage output and better coverage.
Importable: https://pokepast.es/144170a19a1c87f3
What went wrong?
Too much vulnerability to Knock Off. No U-turn, Volt Switch, or the like. Noivern is stuck with Defog, leaving no room for U-turn. Psychic, Steel, and Dark are represented twice each. Overqwil has no rain to pair with its usual Swift Swim. Other than that, not much; this is overall a pretty solid team.
Top 5 Watchlist
The team has a serious vulnerability to Knock Off, and Alolan Muk is the tier’s most threatening user to this team, due to its high Special Defense and the lack of Ground coverage against it. Also, it typically runs Rest to stave off status conditions such as from Chansey’s Thunder Wave and Slowbro’s Scald.
Krookodile is the second-most threatening user, the offensively oriented one. Alongside Earthquake and Knock Off, if a non-Choice set needs coverage, it will likely be Gunk Shot, which does not concern this team in the slightest. However, if it does have a Choice item, Chansey and Bisharp should watch out for Close Combat, while Noivern would not appreciate Stone Edge. Moreover, as a Stealth Rock lead, it may be packing a faster Taunt than that of Overqwil. The only bright side is that it’s weak to Body Press and Low Kick.
Competitive and Defiant users, like Empoleon (which newly gained the former over the latter) and opposing Bisharp, can take advantage of the fact that Defog is this team’s only means of hazard removal. Empoleon in particular has a leg up in momentum thanks to Flip Turn, and either one can set up Stealth Rock if so desired.
With the team’s lack of Ground or Fire coverage, Tinkaton will prove difficult to take down. It also runs Knock Off and is capable of Encore shenanigans.
Afterword
“I got a rock.”
“Rock? Where!?”
“Don’t look at me. The rocks on this helmet are not removable.”
“No weirdos rock the bells as hard as me since Quasimodo.”
“I don’t know much about rocks. Rooks, on the other hand…”
[listening to “Rock Lobster” by the B-52’s]
Vouiv-review 