Hello, and welcome to Renaissance, an NU team by Barbeller with thanks to shnen and all the people in #neverused. This team focuses on using the tanking powers of Vileplume and the offensive powers of Charizard to push through opposing teams. It also uses Kangaskan and Golem to revenge opposing pokemon that otherwise might sweep my team, with dual Sucker Punch helping a lot. The unusual Musharna set allows for a lot of unexpected kills, and Cryogonal is a useful Rapid Spin user, as it has an amazing special bulk, and it can abuse Hidden Power [Ground] to lure in and kill Rock type pokemon. This team focuses on KOing as much as the opponent’s team in the early stages of the game, then whittle the rest down by abusing the holes left by the KOs. It is a rather obvious, rather simple team, however it has done well on the ladder, getting me to #4 with 1288 points, while barely missing #3. At the time of writing, it is #5. I would say that it is a type of bulky offense team, however you may disagree.
The team is called Renaissance due to the changing face of NU. This team abuses Vileplume, which is now not checked by Jynx – a change, or Renaissance, in the metagame. It also uses Charizard, which only recently moved down from RU.
I started with Stantler. It seemed like an interesting revenge killer, abusing intimidate to cripple the opponent, then KOing it with Returns. It also had a way to get past Quagsire in Energy Ball. I just wanted to test it, as it seemed unusual. I planned on using a scarf at the time.
Next I added Magmortar, as I wanted to be able to KO Tangela, which otherwise kills Stantler. It also had a lot of raw power, which I wanted so that I could sweep through teams.
Then I added Cryogonal, as I wanted Magmortar to be able to switch in multiple times. It also provided some needed bulk.
Then I added Golem, to provide a piece of physical offense that wasn’t choice locked, to get Stealth Rocks, and to have a piece of priority in Sucker Punch, and it had a very good physical defence.
Then I added a Musharna to take fight hits, which I was extremely weak to at the time. It also provided a lot of bulk.
At this point, I ran some calcs and found that Stantler didn’t have the power or the bulk to act as a revenge. I now had the decision on whether Cinccino or Kangaskan would take its place better. I decided on Kangaskan as it had power to revenge things of any speed, plus it had priority, which was useful. Shnen also pointed out that Charizard was better than Magmortar, as I was using Cryogonal, and he also introduced me to the Resttalk Musharna as I needed a Tangela counter.
I actually don’t know why or when I added Vileplume. It might even have been an accident, but it worked, and it was a really good accident if it was accidental. And with Vileplume, the team was complete!
Golem (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Sturdy
EVs: 212 HP / 252 Atk / 44 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Stealth Rock
- Rock Blast
- Earthquake
- Sucker Punch
Golem provides Stealth Rocks for the team, as well as being an important switch in to some of the large threats in the tier. It can normally KO at least one thing on the opponent’s team as well, because it can use its sturdy to take a hit. Rock Blast allows me to KO the Birds, and it has better accuracy than Stone Edge, as well as having the massive advantage of being able to break subs, which is useful in KOing Substitute pokemon, as well as breaking random focus sashes. I use Leftovers over Lum Berry as I have a cleric in Vileplume, although it does mean that random Misdreavus can be really annoying, although I can normally KO them with something then heal everything with Vileplume.
Golem does a very important job on the team, providing a lot of bulk, being a good switch in to Rotom-S and Magmortar early game, as long as I have kept sturdy intact and Rocks off the field, so their super-effective attacks can’t KO. I can then Sucker Punch, which normally doesn’t KO, however both Rotom and Magmortar are weak to Stealth Rock, so it’s unlikely they will be able to do anything else for the rest of the game. This allows me to use Vileplume to its full extent, and likely then beat them up. Golem can also KO a lot of random stuff, abusing Sucker Punch to be able to bring things down to low health with Earthquake and Rock Blast then killing them with the useful priority. Sucker Punch also prevents the opponent from being able to set-up sweepers on me, as it can KO the majority of them, apart from annoying Curse users.
The EV spread is very standard, 44 Speed to beat uninvested Regirock, the as much as possible into Attack, with the remaints being stuffed into HP. This lets it hit as hard as possible, and keep as much as possible.
Vileplume (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Effect Spore
EVs: 252 HP / 208 Def / 48 SAtk
Bold Nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Aromatherapy
- Giga Drain
- Sludge Bomb
- Moonlight
Vileplume is possibly the most underrated pokemon of the current NU metagame. This pokemon is simply amazing, much due to the banning of Jynx. Many people haven’t realised that with Jynx gone, Vileplume has very few counters, all of which can be easily dealt with. This means that it can easily rip apart teams at the moment, and its tanking abilities are pretty much unrivalled. It can hit Magmortar for 40% on the switch in to Sludge Bomb, and about 20% on Giga Drain, which means that it can only switch in once, and I can sometimes predict it using Focus Blast to kill Golem, which lets me KO it without switching. The Birds are also countered by Golem, or if that doesn’t work, I can ususally revenge it with Cryogonal, Charizard or Kangaskan. It also has access to immediate recovery, as well as a cleric move. Effect Spore means that random physical attackers are sometimes crippled, which is extremely useful.
On the offensive side, Giga Drain and Sludge Bomb gives almost perfect coverage in NU, resisted only by random pure steels and poison types, both of which can be easily dealt with, Poison types easily being KOed by Golem, and Steels by Charizard. They also have good power, being able to KO most opponents, Giga Drain being for when I need extra recovery and a KO simultaneously, and Sludge Bomb being much more powerful, plus having a 30% chance of poisoning, which is useful for breaking down opponents.
On the defensive side, it is very good at taking physical hits, and not too shabby on the special side. It can take 40% from a Golem’s Earthquake, and promptly KO back. It takes 60% from a +2 Samurott’s Megahorn, although I have to be careful to make sure it’s not mixed or special, as they both beat Vileplume. It takes 25% from a CB Sawks Close Combat, and it doesn’t get KOed by Stone Edge, so if I predict it wrong then I can always get another chance at It can also abuse Moonlight to pull it back from the brink of death, then KO some more things. All in all, Vileplume is probably the MVP of this team.
Charizard (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Blaze
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Substitute
- Roost
- Fire Blast
- Air Slash
Charizard is an extremely powerful, considering the current metagame. I use one of the lesser used, yet still extremely viable sets. SubRoost allows Charizard to survive for longer, and not be too bothered by being revenged, as the only pokemon who abuses multi-hit moves that beat Charizard is Golem, who can be easily beaten by other members of the team or it can often be worn down by switching in repeatedly on Fire Blasts. This allows Charizard to abuse its power, bulk, and access to recovery to be a devil to the opponent. Fire Blast and Air Slash is very nice coverage, and it hits everything for neutral damage except Rocks. The only thing that hinders Charizard from being completely amazing is its weakness to Stealth Rocks – something that can often be dealt with easily by a Rapid Spinner, however leaving a slot for a Rapid Spinner and finding a good one in NU is often a harrowing job. Also, so as not to take chances, on a Substitute set you need to use Roost so it can set up more than just 2 Substitutes if you can’t spin, rather than 4. This prevents it from getting perfect coverage, as it wastes a moveslot.
Although the negatives towards Charizard are large, it is still an amazing pokemon. Fire Blast is a very nice STAB move, allowing it to KO vast amounts of NU, and sometimes it can be boosted by Blaze. Air Slash provides nice coverage to go along with Fire Blast, as it can hit waters and other fire types well, and it has a chance to flinch, which can sometimes pull me out of awkward situations. Air Slash is also very necessary as it allows me to hit fighting types, which 3 of my 6 members are weak to. I use the SubRoost set over Life Orb, or others, as the increased length of time it spends on the field is much appreciated. Substitute also means that Charizard doesn’t worry about status as much.
I run the EV spread and nature to get the maximum amount of speed, and I also invest as much as into SAtk as possible, so it can hit hard. 4 Defence rather than 4 HP lets me switch into Stealth Rocks two times and survive, rather than just once.
Cryogonal @ Leftovers
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Ice Beam
- Hidden Power [Ground]
- Rapid Spin
- Recover
Ah, Cryogonal. One of the most needed, and one of the worst pokemon that is actually used to any extent in NU. It has a good special bulk, speed, and a good special attack, however the only reason it is ever used is due to its move, Rapid Spin, and the fact that there are no better pokemon that have it. Basically, Cryogonal is probably the best Rapid Spinner in NU, and it’s still pretty bad. It is, however, essential to the team, as otherwise Charizard wouldn’t be able to get safe switch ins. It can also be very useful against random spike stacking teams, as it can use Levitate to take no damage from Spikes and not be poisoned by Toxic Spikes. On Cryogonal, I decided to run the standard offensive spread, as even though it’s meant to be standard, it’s not actually that common and can therefore still get a few surprise kills (especially on things like Bastiodon, Lairon, Probopass and Relicanth). I didn’t run a Life Orb on Cryogonal though, as I wanted it to last a bit longer than normal, as if it didn’t manage to Rapid Spin safely then I could often find myself in a tricky situation. Leftovers also mean I can bluff a wall set.
Cryogonal can also use its excellent special bulk to switch on into special pokemon and Rapid Spin safely, which is extremely useful in times when I need to spin desperately. Cryogonal can also sometimes beat the spinblockers, if needed. It can often wear down Misdreavus, and if Haunter switches in on an Ice Beam rather than a Rapid Spin, then it can’t really be very useful to the opponent. Ice Beam is the main STAB for Cryogonal, and Hidden Power [Ground] lets it get the KO on incoming steels or rocks, as well as fires, letting it get perfect coverage with Ice Beam. Hidden Power [Ground] can also KO weakened Skuntanks sometimes, which are often pain for this team. Recover is used to get back HP, so if I am spinblocked I can come in again and take Stealth Rock damage, and it also lets me keep the offensive presence and defensive presence of Cryogonal around.
I run the EV spread to get as many switch ins to Stealth Rock as possible, and to give me power. Timid and full speed lets me tie with other +Speed base 105s, and outspeed all neutral base 105s.
Musharna (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Synchronize
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SAtk
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
- Calm Mind
- Psychic
This Musharna is probably the most unusual set on the team. RestTalk lets it easily come in on a Tangela that will Sleep Powder, and promptly set up on it. It also lets me get some random KOs, people think that because I’m asleep they can switch out to anything and KO me, when the reality is they can’t, as I will often simply blast them with Psychic. It’s a very useful pokemon to have on my team, and can sometimes completely sweep the opponent, although it is completely walled by any dark type pokemon, which means that I often have to wait until late game to get it in, when I need to be able to use it early game. I can still often use it against teams that have dark types, up until the point they realise I’ve only got Psychic, which often still allows me 1 or 2 kills.
Synchronise with Rest is often quite useful as well, as it lets me to take a status from the opponent, have them get it too and then simply rest it off. The full HP recovery from rest is amazing, and completely worth it, even though you don’t know what your moves will be in the next two turns. RestTalk Musharna isn’t very powerful; however it is extremely useful in certain situations, and completely central to the team. It’s typing also allows it to help counter Sawk, a pokemon that I am quite weak to, although I can normally deal with. Musharna can also nab a few KOs for me, which is always useful and appreciated. There are teams that aren’t very well prepared against Musharna, and I try and exploit that as much as possible, while also using a set that helps the team. Musharna does have slight trouble with pokemon like Rotom-S, that can Trick it while it’s asleep. These pokemon are very annoying, however sometimes they give me the choice items once I’ve boosted already, so I get +2 and specs, which normally lets me sweep through a team. Plus, Musharna doesn’t even need to boost often, and I can abuse it even without Calm Mind or anything else.
I use Modest and 252 SAtk to get me a load of power, while investing in HP and a bit in defence so that I can take hits well while setting up and waiting for sleep to end. This means that Musharna becomes an excellent tank, although it is a bit weak to super-effective hits from the physical side of the spectrum.
Kangaskhan (F) @ Life Orb
Trait: Scrappy
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Fake Out
- Return
- Drain Punch
- Sucker Punch
Kangaskan is an interesting pokemon, however it does work well to revenge things, KO stuff and just generally throw hits around. Having Fake Out and Sucker Punch, it can be a check to the majority of the sweepers in NU, preventing them from ever just outright sweeping me, while it also hits pretty hard on things, KOing a lot of the offensive and defensive metagame with Return and Drain Punch. Drain Punch is also especially useful as it gives it a form of recovery, meaning that Life Orb doesn’t restrict it’s time on the field. Scrappy is also useful, as it means that it can KO ghosts, which would otherwise spinblock Cryogonal, meaning that in turn Charizard can work properly. Fake Out can also be useful in breaking Focus Sashes/Sturdies, so that then another pokemon can KO it with ease. Kangaskan isn’t majorly powerful, and it can’t OHKO very much, but it does its job extremely well. Often I sacrifice Kangaskan to get a large chunk of HP out of something, allowing me to easily kill it with something else. I have no qualms about this, I think that even if a pokemon can’t KO something by itself, it doesn’t mean it can’t beat it, it just beats it with assistance of another pokemon. The Mother’s tough but she won’t really kill anything (well, she does kill a lot of stuff, but she doesn’t kill others).
Anyway, Kangaskan can also act as a good revenge killer, especially to the birds, as the birds don’t generally like switching out due to their Stealth Rock weakness, which is a pain to them. With Fake Out + Sucker Punch (again, a very useful combo), it can take out the large majority of the tier, which means that I don’t have to worry about not letting sweepers set up on me, etc. Fake Out can also let me stall something for poison damage or burn damage, or something, which can sometimes be extremely useful in KOing something.
I run a basic sweeper EV spread, with Jolly so that I can outspeed as many things as possible (lets me outspeed anything with less than 90 base speed, as well as some 90s and some pokemon with more than 90). I also get as many attacks with Life Orb as possible, with 11 attacks.
Thankyou for reading my RMT, I hope it wasn’t too tl;dr (it probably was). This is the best team I have ever made in any tier, and I’m proud of it.
Musharna (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Synchronize
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SAtk
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
- Calm Mind
- Psychic
Charizard (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Blaze
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Substitute
- Roost
- Fire Blast
- Air Slash
Kangaskhan (F) @ Life Orb
Trait: Scrappy
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Fake Out
- Return
- Drain Punch
- Sucker Punch
Vileplume (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Effect Spore
EVs: 252 HP / 208 Def / 48 SAtk
Bold Nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Aromatherapy
- Giga Drain
- Sludge Bomb
- Moonlight
Cryogonal @ Leftovers
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 88 HP / 252 SAtk / 168 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Ice Beam
- Hidden Power [Ground]
- Rapid Spin
- Recover
Golem (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Sturdy
EVs: 212 HP / 252 Atk / 44 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Stealth Rock
- Rock Blast
- Earthquake
- Sucker Punch
Trait: Synchronize
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SAtk
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
- Calm Mind
- Psychic
Charizard (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Blaze
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Substitute
- Roost
- Fire Blast
- Air Slash
Kangaskhan (F) @ Life Orb
Trait: Scrappy
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Fake Out
- Return
- Drain Punch
- Sucker Punch
Vileplume (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Effect Spore
EVs: 252 HP / 208 Def / 48 SAtk
Bold Nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Aromatherapy
- Giga Drain
- Sludge Bomb
- Moonlight
Cryogonal @ Leftovers
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 88 HP / 252 SAtk / 168 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Ice Beam
- Hidden Power [Ground]
- Rapid Spin
- Recover
Golem (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Sturdy
EVs: 212 HP / 252 Atk / 44 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Stealth Rock
- Rock Blast
- Earthquake
- Sucker Punch
Also, because people aren't understanding how to use the team, here are some logs of it in play.
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