Boring Balance

[Lord Death Man]

intro
I've been playing RU now for a while, and I just recently started checking out the RMT subforums to try to get ideas, but I noticed a real lack of solid RU RMTs (it seems even a lot of OMs get more love than RU!). I'm a god at making bad teams so I thought I'd get involved. This team peaked at #2 and could have probably gone to #1 if I wasn't so lazy.

proof

process

King had just dropped in and I really liked CM king in UU, so I figured I'd use it here. Started with a standard physically defensive spread.

Mega Steelix has amazing synergy with Slowking and is probably RU's best mon, especially on balance teams. Went with the on-site spread because it's good.

Grass types are incredible in RU, and with my mega slot taken, my choices are limited to Virizion, Tangrowth and Amoonguss. Not a fan of using Amoonguss unless I'm pairing it with a dangerous wallbreaker, which I haven't decided to do yet, so it's really between Virizion and Tangrowth. I want a Virizion check, which ironically leaves Tangrowth as my choice - CM Virizion wasn't very popular when I got started on this team, so it wasn't a consideration. Tangrowth is a very good wallbreaker with great defensive synergy.

Hone Claws Durant is a generically good sweeper. Didn't really consider anything else about it at this point.

Best hazard remover by far, especially at the time. Also soft checks Houndoom, who was clearly a problem at this point. Used an Earth Plate set because I find Life Orb to be really mediocre now that it's the standard. Also soft checks electrics, which can be nice if I lose Steelix somehow.

Fletch is an incredible cleaner + sweeper and adds a few key resists to the team, along with a check to Durant and a secondary check to Virizion, Tangrowth, Amoonguss, and a bunch of other mons. It also spreads burns, which greatly help Durant and Slowking set up. Since it's checks are almost always someone's rocker, it also really eases Flygon's job defogging late game and can facilitate a Durant sweep by someone over prepared for a Fletch sweep.

However, I noticed I was incredibly weak to special attackers, especially other CM mons, reliant on Fletch to revenge Scrafty, and, with the latest rounds of drops, very dark weak. I decided to replace Durant, who added the least in the way of defensive synergy.

I made Slowking specially defensive Calm Mind and added Gurdurr, making the team more adaptive to a lot of threats. Gurdurr is also a secondary wincon and a very good one at that.

the team

set

Slowking @ Leftovers
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 240 HP / 92 Def / 176 SpD
Calm Nature
- Calm Mind
- Slack Off
- Scald
- Psyshock

A weird set for sure, specially defensive calm mind lets me lure and handle a lot of serious threats to the team and slowking in general, notably giga drain mixed Abomasnows. Very solid mon in general. Sometimes opponents over-rely on using special attackers to break Slowking (especially Tangrowth, Eelektross, and Jolteon), and this set just completely destroys those people. Physical attackers are deterred by the threat of it being physically defensive. Don't be too aggressive or too passive with this, though, because once it's revealed it's specially defensive you have to turtle around things like Emboar and Hitmonlee, which you otherwise check.

set

Steelix-Mega @ Steelixite
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 56 Atk / 104 SpD / 96 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Heavy Slam
- Earthquake
- Toxic

Very generic set. Mega Steelix is an incredible mon in general. Toxic lures bulky waters, which can be helpful because Tangrowth's go-to stab has a very nasty side effect that makes it not always the best choice, especially early game. There's not much to say about this - it's just generically good.

set

Tangrowth @ Life Orb
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 96 HP / 252 SpA / 160 Spe
Modest Nature
- Leaf Storm
- Sludge Bomb
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Knock Off

Shoutout to tehy for the move choice. Absolutely amazing mon, really bulky, heals itself when switching, and a powerful wallbreaker. Absolutely hate using Focus Blast or Sleep Powder on this thing, so I don't. Speed is to win the arms race with itself, but I should probably bump it up to 168 to get the jump on Hitmontop. You have to predict like a good against some team comps, but it's so rewarding when you do.

set

Gurdurr @ Eviolite
Ability: Guts
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Bulk Up
- Drain Punch
- Knock Off
- Mach Punch

This thing is a god. Incredibly bulky and checks everything it needs to check while also having the potential to win games, and priority can be a godsend on balance teams. Importantly, it deters careless Wil o Wisping and Toxicing from other balance teams. Also, it's my team's Gurdurr check. :)

set

Flygon @ Earth Plate
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- U-turn
- Roost
- Defog

I do not like special Life Orb right now, and I really do not like dropping U-turn for a coverage move when Flygon is so good a U-turning. Earth Plate bluffs a choice item I guess, but most importantly powers up Earthquake, which is just a really spammable stab move in general. Only other item I'd use here is Yache. Effective mon, effective set.

set

Fletchinder
Ability: Gale Wings
EVs: 112 HP / 252 Atk / 144 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Acrobatics
- Will-O-Wisp
- Roost

Is bulky fletch better? Probably. But this gets the jump on Samurott's Aqua Jet and Emboar's Sucker Punch, both of which are annoying. I don't actually clean with this all that often; it usually spreads burns to mons that often can barely touch Gurdurr in the first place, facilitating free bulk ups. It's also the team's revenge killer and, despite the lack of bulk and stealth rock weakness, has an all-around good defensive typing. Also has the habit of always getting pulled out by Roar and Dragon Tail somehow.

replays

replays

http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ru-306005022
esca has a serious threat to the team in Tangrowth. Sharpedo and Rotom are on my radar from easily on as well, because both can come in easily and harass at least two mons. Sharpedo, in fact, can kill every single mon depending on set, which terrifies me from turn 1. I win a few 50/50s and make some decent predicts to pull out a win. Game comes down to a speed race between Tangrowths.

http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ru-305979228
zelfie also has the immortal god that is Tangrowth, which he also leads with. Slowking tanks a Leaf Storm to the face like it's nothing and does some serious damage to his team.

major weaknesses
Sharpedo with a mixed set can ohko every mon except Gurdurr, which is 2hko'd by Hydro Pump. Slowking barely walls special sets, while Tang+King barely wall physical sets.
Meloetta's specs and subCM sets get a lot of chances to grab kills and have to be played around very aggressively.
Samurott can seriously dent Tangrowth and Slowking unboosted, and has no safe switch ins.
Pursuit Trappers. This team hinges on Slowking, so losing it is a very big deal.
Absol's 4 attacks set has super effective coverage on everything but Fletchinder, who takes a ton.
Tangrowth. No safe switch ins, hard to KO, comes in easily on Slowking and Steelix.
Amoonguss walls Tangrowth and Gurdurr decently and can easily sleep something. A non-threat once something is asleep.
Exploud. 2hkos spdef Slowking. Faster than Tangrowth or Gurdurr. Very hard to play around.

importable

Hide

Slowking @ Leftovers
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 240 HP / 92 Def / 176 SpD
Calm Nature
- Calm Mind
- Slack Off
- Scald
- Psyshock

Steelix-Mega @ Steelixite
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 56 Atk / 104 SpD / 96 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Heavy Slam
- Earthquake
- Toxic

Tangrowth @ Life Orb
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 96 HP / 252 SpA / 160 Spe
Modest Nature
- Leaf Storm
- Sludge Bomb
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Knock Off

Gurdurr @ Eviolite
Ability: Guts
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Bulk Up
- Drain Punch
- Knock Off
- Mach Punch

Flygon @ Earth Plate
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- U-turn
- Roost
- Defog

Fletchinder
Ability: Gale Wings
EVs: 112 HP / 252 Atk / 144 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Acrobatics
- Will-O-Wisp
- Roost

shout outs

Hide

Kableye is a bro
tehy cteaming you taught me how to innovate
aoemica do you even play ru
Diogo you build very similar to me most of the time
esca and SlaySlenderDragon XD thanks for letting me use these replays
Scythe. ty for saying i was decent at ru

final words
If you use this team and you lose please pretend you didn't take it from here, thanks.

I'm open to suggestions.

 

[feen]

Sup man this team looks cash as hell, I really love the idea of a mixed Slowking especially since the new drops. Here is the rate:

• Have you tried considering Life Orb Poliwrath over Gurdurr? That has amazing typing and is one of my favorite Pokemon to use right now. It also removes your weakness to Sharpedo and Absol. Although it racks up Grass- and Electric-type weakness, both of which Tangrowth and Mega Steelix can handle respectively. With Ice Beam, you can also 2HKO max HP Tangrowth, which is getting lesser common these days as faster ones are better, so you can also OHKO them after a bit of prior damage. Poliwrath can also deal with Samurott since it resists all its STABs and can hit hard with Focus Blast. It also lures Exploud, since they tend to stay in because most Poliwraths are bulky Circle Throw, so you can KO it as well.
• With that, I think running Stone Edge over Toxic is better on Mega Steelix since this is your only Fletchinder check and they usually stay in and clicks Will-o-Wisp. If you run Toxic, and do Toxic Fletchinder, they can just switch out and might come back later upon a Healing Wish or Heal Bell / Aromatherapy.
• Slowking is very important on your team and thus I think running Colbur Berry over Leftovers is good, as it won't let you get Pursuit trapped by Houndoom, Absol, or Drapion.

Poliwrath set

Poliwrath @ Life Orb
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 208 HP / 252 SpA / 48 Spe
Modest Nature
- Focus Blast
- Vacuum Wave
- Ice Beam
- Hydro Pump

Good luck mate!

 

[Lord Death Man]

Hadn't consider Wrath - a little concerned because it's never been a mon that's worked out particularly well for me before and makes me weaker to Meloetta. Not sure how it patches up my weakness to Exploud (Vacuum Wave doesn't do that much more than Mach to it) or Absol (it's less physically bulky than Gurdurr, and the move I'm afraid of is Play Rough). It also makes my Fletch weakness worse, but it seems decently anti-meta and Durant is a crazy threat at midgame.

I'm really not a fan of Stone Edge Lix, since I feel it's just as unreliable as Toxic can be. Toxic is useful in more than just that matchup as well.

Other people suggested Colbur and I'm inclined to try it. Just a little apprehensive of how it affects Slowking's ability to handle Mega Abomasnow, which was part of the point of using specially defensive in the first place.

Thanks for the tips, and I'll try them out in the next few days and let you know how they worked out.

 

[feen]

Hadn't consider Wrath - a little concerned because it's never been a mon that's worked out particularly well for me before and makes me weaker to Meloetta. Not sure how it patches up my weakness to Exploud (Vacuum Wave doesn't do that much more than Mach to it) or Absol (it's less physically bulky than Gurdurr, and the move I'm afraid of is Play Rough). It also makes my Fletch weakness worse, but it seems decently anti-meta and Durant is a crazy threat at midgame.

I'm really not a fan of Stone Edge Lix, since I feel it's just as unreliable as Toxic can be. Toxic is useful in more than just that matchup as well.

Other people suggested Colbur and I'm inclined to try it. Just a little apprehensive of how it affects Slowking's ability to handle Mega Abomasnow, which was part of the point of using specially defensive in the first place.

Thanks for the tips, and I'll try them out in the next few days and let you know how they worked out.

Play Rough Absol is uncommon especially since it prefers having Superpower, Fire Blast or Iron Tail over it. As for the Meloetta weakness, you're right, but as you said, you need to make aggressive plays and play around it. It does not patch up your weakness to Exploud, but it acts as a lure to it, making it less threatening (perhaps make the Speed EVs such that it outspeeds Modest Exploud).