Eon Master
Born from the Flames
Booooooored. Band Nazi Death Camp is the dullest, most tiring and most irritating thing I've had to deal with this year, by a long shot. So I figured I'd bring back an old classic and make a music-themed team.
Songs:
- "Of Wolf and Man" by Metallica on The Black Album(Metallica)
- "Falling Apart" by Zebrahead on MFZB
- "Happy?" by Mudvayne on Lost and Found
- "Ten Thousand Fists" by Disturbed on Ten Thousand Fists
- "Night of the Hunter" by 30 Seconds to Mars on This Is War
- "Bye-Bye Beautiful" by Nightwish on Dark Passion Play
*Of Wolf and Man*
Mightyena @ Leftovers
Nature: Adamant
EVs: 252 Hp / 252 Atk / 4 Spe
Ability: Intimidate
- Crunch
- Sucker Punch
- Super Fang
- Protect
Stallbreaker Mightyena is a beast... literally *shot for horrible puns*. Ahem... anyway, this is a pretty standard set that I helped popularize a more competitive version of late in Gen 4 on Smogon. Crunch is for a solid STAB, while Protect lets you stall for Leftovers recovery. Sadly, it's more or less the best option for in-game, unless you'd rather go the Rest + Heal Bell support route. The real keys to this set's success are Sucker Punch, Super Fang, and Intimidate. Intimidate lets Mightyena block pesky physical attackers and weaken threats that jeopardize the rest of the team. Super Fang takes out massive chunks of Hp from anything that isn't a Ghost-type; happily enough, Mightyena's a Dark-type. Sucker Punch picks off anything weakened by Super Fang/Crunch, and is a good STAB Priority move in general. It also helps make up for the lack of speed necessary to bulk up this Mightyena. Speaking of bulk, Leftovers helps increase Mightyena's bulk and allows it to do its job for longer. It's a pity that this set came into being so late last generation; it was way better than anybody had anticipated.
*Falling Apart*
Klingklang @ Leftovers
Nature: Adamant
EVs: 252 Hp / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Ability: Clear Body
- Gear Grind
- Return
- Substitute / Wild Charge
- Shift Gear
Klingklang is a wonderful sweeper... if you have the patience to put up with a horrendous lack of coverage. Gear Grind is its only physical STAB, while Return is its best available coverage option, so long as you're talking "out in the U.S." Shift Gear is the cornerstone of the set, while Substitute makes setup (and sweeping) easier. I may, may be able to get a Wild Charge Klingklang from my friend's Japanese copy of Black 2, but eh. I probably won't. The EV spread may seem stupid due to a lack of speed, but the fact is that even with a neutral nature and no EVs, Klingklang outspeeds everything up to and including fully invested Accelgor at +2. Leftovers allows Klingklang to make use of its bulk, and it makes setup easier.
*Happy?*
Banette @ Life Orb
Nature: Naughty
EVs: 92 Atk / 196 SpA / 220 Spe
Ability: Insomnia
- Shadow Claw
- Shadow Sneak
- Thunderbolt
- HP Fire
Banette is a pretty fun Pokemon to use in-game; it's a decent wallbreaker and it spits on common Sleep abusers. Shadow Claw is Banette's most powerful Physical STAB, while Shadow Sneak is a good priority move that does decent damage off Banette's high attack stat. Thunderbolt is Banette's best coverage option and a way to hit bulky Water-types hard. HP Fire > Fighting because it gets better coverage with the rest of the set and it deals more damage to common in-game Steel-types like Ferroseed/Ferrothorn, Durant, and Escavalier. The EV Spread allows Banette to outspeed Neutral-natured Base 60's, which is a fair amount of Pokemon in-game; the Attack and SpA net 400 Attack and 325 Special Attack with the Life Orb boost factored in.
*Ten Thousand Fists*
Machamp @ Leftovers
Nature: Adamant
EVs: 252 Hp / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Ability: No Guard
- Dynamicpunch
- Stone Edge
- Payback
- Substitute
Standard SubChamp. Dynamicpunch is the only STAB Machamp should ever be running, unless you're stupid and use GutsChamp. Stone Edge is a great coverage move that benefits from No Guard, while Payback is Machamp's best move against Ghost- and Psychic-type Pokemon. Yeah, it got nerfed this gen because it doesn't get a power boost on the switch anymore, but in-game trainers rarely switch anyway. Substitute makes it easier to spam Machamp's attacks and lets it remain undamaged if the foe isn't affected by confusion. I would've used Drain Punch over Sub, but I was annoyed to find out that Machamp can't actually learn it.
*Night of the Hunter*
Crobat @ Life Orb
Nature: Timid
EVs: 160 Hp / 252 SpA / 96 Spe
Ability: Inner Focus
- Sludge Bomb
- Heat Wave
- Giga Drain
- Nasty Plot
Hell yes NP Crobat. This thing is one of the most enjoyable Pokemon to use in-game, and one of the best Flying-type sweepers. The set may seem like a bit of a hodge-podge of stuff with a bulky spread, a Speed increasing nature, a Life Orb, and no Roost, but hear me out first. Sludge Bomb is STAB, and yes, I'm fully aware that Poison typically has bad coverage. However, it manages to scrape by in that regard alongside Crobat's two other moves, and the extra power is pretty necessary. I've used Air Slash before and been sorely disappointed with the lack of power, even after a Nasty Plot. Heat Wave nails Steel-types and gets good coverage overall. Giga Drain is almost as important to this set as Nasty Plot itself; it allows Crobat to heal off Life Orb recoil, gets coverage against Ground-, Rock-, and Water-types, and completes Crobat's neutral coverage to the point that only a few Pokemon resist all of its moves (Chandelure being the only one to really stand out for in-game). After a Nasty Plot, Crobat's Special Attack stat hits 472 (or 613 when factoring in Life Orb), which isn't great, but it's usable. The EV spread and nature is the most efficient one available to Crobat. With a Timid Nature and 96 EVs, Crobat outspeeds all Pokemon with Base 110 Speed and below, which is literally everything unboosted in-game. 160 Hp EVs hits 351 Hp, allowing Crobat the use of 11 Life Orb attacks instead of 10 while putting its good 85/80/80 base defenses to work. Maximum Special Attack is absolutely necessary with this set, because Crobat's Base 70 SpA is middling at best, especially with a neutral nature. Speaking of the Nature, with Modest it would need 220 Speed EVs to achieve the same Speed teir, leaving Crobat with much less bulk, thus forcing me to run Leftovers over Life Orb. This still wouldn't completely make up for the loss of bulk and it would also be a rather significant drop in power compared to Timid + Life Orb (from effectively 613 to 524, a drop of 89 points). All in all, not worth it.
*Bye-Bye Beautiful*
Gardevoir @ Leftovers
Nature: Bold
EVs: 252 Hp / 188 Def / 68 SpD
Ability: Trace
- Psychic
- Thunder Wave / Will-O-Wisp
- Wish
- Protect
WishPassing Gardevoir is the crux of this team's support. Psychic is just there because it's the most reliable STAB Gardevoir has access to. Wish and Protect allow Gardevoir to tank against most anything, as well as support the team with 170 Hp Wishes. Thunder Wave is prefered as the status option, since it will allow the slower Pokemon on my team (Banette, Machamp, Mightyena) to plow through the opposing team more easily. However, Will-O-Wisp is an option because it lets me deal with Physical attackers and makes setup for Klingklang and Crobat easier. I already have Mightyena for physical attackers, and both Crobat and Klingklang are pretty self-sufficient with setup anyway, but eh. The EV spread makes tanking attacks from both sides of the spectrum easier.
Well, that's it. Fire away, guys. I'm looking forward to this.™
Songs:
- "Of Wolf and Man" by Metallica on The Black Album(Metallica)
- "Falling Apart" by Zebrahead on MFZB
- "Happy?" by Mudvayne on Lost and Found
- "Ten Thousand Fists" by Disturbed on Ten Thousand Fists
- "Night of the Hunter" by 30 Seconds to Mars on This Is War
- "Bye-Bye Beautiful" by Nightwish on Dark Passion Play
*Of Wolf and Man*
Mightyena @ Leftovers
Nature: Adamant
EVs: 252 Hp / 252 Atk / 4 Spe
Ability: Intimidate
- Crunch
- Sucker Punch
- Super Fang
- Protect
Stallbreaker Mightyena is a beast... literally *shot for horrible puns*. Ahem... anyway, this is a pretty standard set that I helped popularize a more competitive version of late in Gen 4 on Smogon. Crunch is for a solid STAB, while Protect lets you stall for Leftovers recovery. Sadly, it's more or less the best option for in-game, unless you'd rather go the Rest + Heal Bell support route. The real keys to this set's success are Sucker Punch, Super Fang, and Intimidate. Intimidate lets Mightyena block pesky physical attackers and weaken threats that jeopardize the rest of the team. Super Fang takes out massive chunks of Hp from anything that isn't a Ghost-type; happily enough, Mightyena's a Dark-type. Sucker Punch picks off anything weakened by Super Fang/Crunch, and is a good STAB Priority move in general. It also helps make up for the lack of speed necessary to bulk up this Mightyena. Speaking of bulk, Leftovers helps increase Mightyena's bulk and allows it to do its job for longer. It's a pity that this set came into being so late last generation; it was way better than anybody had anticipated.
*Falling Apart*
Klingklang @ Leftovers
Nature: Adamant
EVs: 252 Hp / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Ability: Clear Body
- Gear Grind
- Return
- Substitute / Wild Charge
- Shift Gear
Klingklang is a wonderful sweeper... if you have the patience to put up with a horrendous lack of coverage. Gear Grind is its only physical STAB, while Return is its best available coverage option, so long as you're talking "out in the U.S." Shift Gear is the cornerstone of the set, while Substitute makes setup (and sweeping) easier. I may, may be able to get a Wild Charge Klingklang from my friend's Japanese copy of Black 2, but eh. I probably won't. The EV spread may seem stupid due to a lack of speed, but the fact is that even with a neutral nature and no EVs, Klingklang outspeeds everything up to and including fully invested Accelgor at +2. Leftovers allows Klingklang to make use of its bulk, and it makes setup easier.
*Happy?*
Banette @ Life Orb
Nature: Naughty
EVs: 92 Atk / 196 SpA / 220 Spe
Ability: Insomnia
- Shadow Claw
- Shadow Sneak
- Thunderbolt
- HP Fire
Banette is a pretty fun Pokemon to use in-game; it's a decent wallbreaker and it spits on common Sleep abusers. Shadow Claw is Banette's most powerful Physical STAB, while Shadow Sneak is a good priority move that does decent damage off Banette's high attack stat. Thunderbolt is Banette's best coverage option and a way to hit bulky Water-types hard. HP Fire > Fighting because it gets better coverage with the rest of the set and it deals more damage to common in-game Steel-types like Ferroseed/Ferrothorn, Durant, and Escavalier. The EV Spread allows Banette to outspeed Neutral-natured Base 60's, which is a fair amount of Pokemon in-game; the Attack and SpA net 400 Attack and 325 Special Attack with the Life Orb boost factored in.
*Ten Thousand Fists*
Machamp @ Leftovers
Nature: Adamant
EVs: 252 Hp / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Ability: No Guard
- Dynamicpunch
- Stone Edge
- Payback
- Substitute
Standard SubChamp. Dynamicpunch is the only STAB Machamp should ever be running, unless you're stupid and use GutsChamp. Stone Edge is a great coverage move that benefits from No Guard, while Payback is Machamp's best move against Ghost- and Psychic-type Pokemon. Yeah, it got nerfed this gen because it doesn't get a power boost on the switch anymore, but in-game trainers rarely switch anyway. Substitute makes it easier to spam Machamp's attacks and lets it remain undamaged if the foe isn't affected by confusion. I would've used Drain Punch over Sub, but I was annoyed to find out that Machamp can't actually learn it.
*Night of the Hunter*
Crobat @ Life Orb
Nature: Timid
EVs: 160 Hp / 252 SpA / 96 Spe
Ability: Inner Focus
- Sludge Bomb
- Heat Wave
- Giga Drain
- Nasty Plot
Hell yes NP Crobat. This thing is one of the most enjoyable Pokemon to use in-game, and one of the best Flying-type sweepers. The set may seem like a bit of a hodge-podge of stuff with a bulky spread, a Speed increasing nature, a Life Orb, and no Roost, but hear me out first. Sludge Bomb is STAB, and yes, I'm fully aware that Poison typically has bad coverage. However, it manages to scrape by in that regard alongside Crobat's two other moves, and the extra power is pretty necessary. I've used Air Slash before and been sorely disappointed with the lack of power, even after a Nasty Plot. Heat Wave nails Steel-types and gets good coverage overall. Giga Drain is almost as important to this set as Nasty Plot itself; it allows Crobat to heal off Life Orb recoil, gets coverage against Ground-, Rock-, and Water-types, and completes Crobat's neutral coverage to the point that only a few Pokemon resist all of its moves (Chandelure being the only one to really stand out for in-game). After a Nasty Plot, Crobat's Special Attack stat hits 472 (or 613 when factoring in Life Orb), which isn't great, but it's usable. The EV spread and nature is the most efficient one available to Crobat. With a Timid Nature and 96 EVs, Crobat outspeeds all Pokemon with Base 110 Speed and below, which is literally everything unboosted in-game. 160 Hp EVs hits 351 Hp, allowing Crobat the use of 11 Life Orb attacks instead of 10 while putting its good 85/80/80 base defenses to work. Maximum Special Attack is absolutely necessary with this set, because Crobat's Base 70 SpA is middling at best, especially with a neutral nature. Speaking of the Nature, with Modest it would need 220 Speed EVs to achieve the same Speed teir, leaving Crobat with much less bulk, thus forcing me to run Leftovers over Life Orb. This still wouldn't completely make up for the loss of bulk and it would also be a rather significant drop in power compared to Timid + Life Orb (from effectively 613 to 524, a drop of 89 points). All in all, not worth it.
*Bye-Bye Beautiful*
Gardevoir @ Leftovers
Nature: Bold
EVs: 252 Hp / 188 Def / 68 SpD
Ability: Trace
- Psychic
- Thunder Wave / Will-O-Wisp
- Wish
- Protect
WishPassing Gardevoir is the crux of this team's support. Psychic is just there because it's the most reliable STAB Gardevoir has access to. Wish and Protect allow Gardevoir to tank against most anything, as well as support the team with 170 Hp Wishes. Thunder Wave is prefered as the status option, since it will allow the slower Pokemon on my team (Banette, Machamp, Mightyena) to plow through the opposing team more easily. However, Will-O-Wisp is an option because it lets me deal with Physical attackers and makes setup for Klingklang and Crobat easier. I already have Mightyena for physical attackers, and both Crobat and Klingklang are pretty self-sufficient with setup anyway, but eh. The EV spread makes tanking attacks from both sides of the spectrum easier.
Well, that's it. Fire away, guys. I'm looking forward to this.™