XY NU gamma squadron

[jake]

gamma squadron

· · · · · · ·​

| introduction

It's been like two years since I last made a RMT, so I felt like putting a goofy one together with one of my favorite teams to use recently. It was built as a really trollish team at first, but after I built it and played a few matches I really loved the synergy that I had going on, so I continued with it and it became really enjoyable to play with. gamma squadron definitely has a lot of weaknesses, especially to other solid well-built teams, but it's fun enough that I don't even care.

I'm currently like 1521 or something on the ladder with this; I was climbing to jump Punchshroom earlier but I keep fucking losing to people running clones of his team, since my team has a very difficult matchup to overcome (and I swear to god the amount of those matches I've lost to Durant misses...). The highest I got was ~1553 with second place. Ladder peaks are kinda meaningless though!! This team was just super fun, and I want to share it. n_n

· · · · · · ·​

| in-depth

α (Swellow) (M) @ Choice Specs
Ability: Scrappy
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 SAtk / 4 SDef
Timid Nature
- Boomburst
- Defog
- U-turn
- Air Slash

Swellow is the crusher of worlds. Gimmicky as it may seem, I honestly greatly prefer Specs Swellow for this team rather than the standard bird because of Boomburst's ability to bypass Substitutes (it's come in handy far, far more often than you'd imagine) and because it lures literally everything that scares Durant / Fletchinder and chunks it. It does upwards of 40% to Doublade, Steelix, opposing Durant, etc, as well as OHKOing Qwilfish and Weezing given slight prior damage.

Boomburst is the only move you need to click. Defog if you -must-, but you usually don't want to get locked into that. Exceptions are: if you need to clear SR for Fletchinder, or if you need to rid yourself of Sticky Web. You should only be U-turning out of 4x resists, or in situations where you need to pressure something out but don't want to be locked into Boomburst. Air Slash is literally only for the flinch chance + guaranteed OHKO on Virizion.

β (Lilligant) (F) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Own Tempo
EVs: 252 Spd / 4 SDef / 252 SAtk
Timid Nature
- Petal Dance
- Sleep Powder
- Healing Wish
- Giga Drain

Lilligant is my catch-all and occasional lategame cleaner. If I can get up SR and pressure the opposing team's Grass-type resists, Lilligant can usually just spam Petal Dance and win the game. If not, it's an incredibly valuable support Pokemon. Sleep Powder can essentially nullify a particularly obnoxious threat, and Healing Wish can bring Swellow, Doublade, Durant, or Fletchinder back into the game, and nobody wants to fight down any of those Pokemon twice. HP Rock is literally filler; I've used it maybe twice in many many matches. I used to have Mesprit here, but given the fact that I was super weak to Omastar, I replaced it with Lilligant and haven't looked back.

edit: I changed my last move to Giga Drain. As dumb as having mono-Grass coverage is, HP Rock is just pitiful and Giga Drain at least has -some- utility (letting me revenge stuff without being locked into Petal Dance). If I'm facing a Pokemon with Sap Sipper like Bouff, Miltank, or Sawsbuck, I lose anyway unless it's at like 2%.

γ (Doublade) (M) @ Eviolite
Ability: No Guard
EVs: 4 Spd / 252 Atk / 252 HP
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Shadow Claw
- Iron Head
- Shadow Sneak

Standard Doublade, and checks a plethora of stuff. I creep more than this, but I don't want to reveal my creeps so yeah. I've heard of people running Gyro Ball and -Spe for stuff like Zangoose, but I don't think I want to roll with that. I might also try Sacred Sword on here maybe, but honestly being able to hit other Doublade harder is far more important to me right now.

I really like running Doublade and Durant together for whatever reason; probably because it feels like they break apart each other's checks really well. There's not a lot else to say on Doublade.

δ (Archeops) (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Defeatist
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 Atk / 4 SAtk
Naive Nature
- Stone Edge
- Heat Wave
- Hidden Power [Grass]
- Taunt

This used to be a CB Durant and then after that it was a LO Durant but now it's a LO Archeops. Archeops helps me significantly with my weakness to Fire-type spam, while also simultaneously helping punch through walls for me. I'm not sure that this is the ideal set quite yet (though I really do like it), but I'll work out the kinks as I go along. I -love- Taunt Archeops, so if you recommend I don't use it I'm just gonna slap you. >:(

In all seriousness, Taunt lets me leverage my Archeops to keep my momentum; whether I'm Taunting a Pokemon trying to recover, or a Weezing trying to get a burn, or anything like that, I'm better off than I was without Taunt. HW checks opposing Durant and weakens Steelix, and HP Grass bops Seismitoad / Rhydon that think they can get free hazards on me. I like it better than any other move, since Virizion is really a non-issue for my team.

ε (Seismitoad) (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Spd
Bold Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earth Power
- Scald
- Toxic

Standard AF. Seismitoad is important to check so many Pokemon like Feraligatr and Doublade, but ugh I really wish I could switch it out for something. Many of the problems my team has revolve around momentum issues and the fact that Seismitoad is a sitting duck for a lot of threatening Pokemon. For example, on Punchshroom's team Seismitoad is literally -always- a free switch for Vileplume which I have no reasonable switch-in for. It forces me to play riskier than I should sometimes by having to double out of Seismitoad or do other similar stuff. It's great and all, but if there's anything I should replace or otherwise deal with it should probably be this guy.

Ω (Liepard) (F) @ Dread Plate
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 Atk / 4 SDef
Adamant Nature
- Sucker Punch
- Knock Off
- Thunder Wave
- Encore

The NEW omega. Hooooly shit do I love using this guy (especially in lieu of baby Talonflame / Kangaskhan). I don't think any other Pokemon punishes people for being silly and trying to boost as much as Liepard does; if I play it well, I can beat literally anything with it thanks to Thunder Wave + Encore. I predicted a Bulk Up lategame from some guy's Gurdurr and used Knock Off, then Encored it into Bulk Up (since Prankster lets it outspeed Mach Punch) and proceeded to sweep with Swellow.

It's a far better "catch-all" than anything else I've used before. My only possible change would be to maybe run U-turn over something so I can be more than just a soft check to Shiftry, but honestly all four moves are more important than whatever U-turn can bring me. I'm also not running Jolly because there's nothing with priority that I want to hit that I outrun with Jolly and not Adamant. If something like Mismagius sets up a Substitute when I try to Sucker it to death, then I can Encore it and spam Knock Off, etc.

old members

δ (Durant) (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Hustle
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 Atk / 4 SDef
Jolly Nature
- Iron Head
- Crunch
- X-Scissor
- Superpower

&

Ω (Fletchinder) (M)
Ability: Gale Wings
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 Atk / 4 SDef
Adamant Nature
- Acrobatics
- Swords Dance
- Will-O-Wisp
- Roost

· · · · · · ·​

| threatlist

DANGER DANGER STRANGER DANGER

• 
  
  
  Scarfed Fire-types: URGH these are super super challenging to deal with, especially with Xatu or Defog support. I have no reasonable way to pressure them since they OHKO Swellow, Durant, Lilligant, and Doublade with their STABs, Seismitoad is easily worn down, and Fletchling literally cannot switch into anything barring people trying to be sneaky with HP Grass. Teams with bulky Xatu switch into Seismitoad with impunity, and Shiftry is super fucking threatening and I have no reasonable way to punish it with Seismitoad except by double switching. Seriously, these are the most threatening Pokemon to this team by far.
• 
  Shiftry: Hellspawn. I need to pressure it immediately with Durant, and keep Durant out of range of Sucker Punch. I also need to keep SR away so that Fletchling can also check it. Swellow is OHKOed by Adamant Sucker Punch after SR, Lilligant can't OHKO, Doublade is swamped by Knock Off, and Seismitoad is lolworthy. This is one of the reasons I am considering Sacred Sword on Doublade.
• 
  Rude Pokemon that can beat up on Seismitoad: I have no reasonable method of punishing these Pokemon apart from double switching, and since I have no reliable way to keep SR away it's just a huge pain in the ass.
• 
  Barbaracle: Jolly White Herb variants can run me over easily if Seismitoad + Doublade are even slightly weakened. It outruns Lilligant after the smash and OHKOes Durant, Swellow, Lilligant, and (obviously) Fletchling, while 2HKOing the other two. Basically, I need to play flawlessly around it and hope it doesn't get to set up on Durant's miss, since I never seem to actually hit this when it matters.

· · · · · · ·​

| conclusion

So there's that. There are probably other scary threats that I neglected to mention and it's definitely far from a flawless team, but having built a solid team with Specs Swellow has been fun in and of itself. It was nice to have a short RMT for once. n_n

plz rate, like & subscribe and i will love u all

import

α (Swellow) (M) @ Choice Specs
Ability: Scrappy
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 SAtk / 4 SDef
Timid Nature
- Boomburst
- U-turn
- Defog
- Air Slash

β (Lilligant) (F) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Own Tempo
EVs: 252 Spd / 4 SDef / 252 SAtk
Timid Nature
- Petal Dance
- Sleep Powder
- Healing Wish
- Giga Drain

γ (Doublade) (M) @ Eviolite
Ability: No Guard
EVs: 4 Spd / 252 Atk / 252 HP
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Shadow Claw
- Iron Head
- Shadow Sneak

δ (Archeops) (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Defeatist
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SAtk / 252 Spd
Naive Nature
- Stone Edge
- Heat Wave
- Hidden Power [Grass]
- Taunt

ε (Seismitoad) (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Spd
Bold Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earth Power
- Scald
- Toxic

Ω (Liepard) (F) @ Dread Plate
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Sucker Punch
- Knock Off
- Thunder Wave
- Encore

 

[Brawlfest]

Zeb is biggest hax.
Legit though what a great team, it is so simple and yet works so well, that most common teams have difficulty winning. This said, I see two big threats. The first are fire types, which deal a shit crap to your team, and especially if they are faster can take out member after member without issue, making your team even further pressured by the absolutely classic Fire Spam teams! Outside of that, the only other thing I see that is a "major" issue is probably Sandslash in Sand, as it can be difficult for your team to keep it in check if Seismitoad has been worn down earlier in the match. Outside of that, this team is just awesome, and uses tons of unpredictable sets to support tried and tested reliable mons like SD Doublade and ANT. In terms of flaws in the team's structure, I just find that using Fletchinder as a catch all is almost never a good idea because of how easily it is worn down, as well as its low power and depressing bulk, in tangent with its easiness to wear down.

Your team is absurdly weak to fire types, and for this reason alone I recommend replacing Fletchinder with Mixed Archeops. It is worn down a lot less than Fletchinder and can actually do significant damage to most fire types while forcing them out, and still offers a key resist. More importantly, it can wallbreak well for your primary sweeper in Doublade or Lilligant to wreck shop with, which you typically would be unable to do with Fletchinder. On top of this, it also is insanely fast, outpacing even common scarfers to help you clean teams, and it will not dissipoint with far better coverage than Fletchinder, while it can also help to tank at least one hit from a threatning flying types (e.g OTHER FLETCHINDER.)

First of all, I find that you need a better "Catch All" Revenge Killer than Fletchinder, and find that durANT honestly isn't that useful on your team. Instead, I would look into running All-Out Attacker Kangaskhan, NU's reigning best mama. It's ability to fake out and revenge kill shit like Fire Types that threaten your team, or sweepers such as Sandslash and Stoutland to stall turns is key to your success, and can disrupt a sweep when you cannot afford to lock Lilly into Petal Dance too early, making it a great option. On top of this, it forms the MLG normal spam core with BURD.
O and AV is baller.

Minor Changes:
Swellow: Lets be real, 50 SAtk is laughable, even you have to admit it Zeb. I would much rather you run a standard Guts Attacker Swellow which is far more reliable in the long run, with Defog > U-Turn or Quick Attack. Literally being choice locked into Defog can potentially allow a sweep to occur, which a team like yours absolutely cannot afford.

MLG Team hope this helped! :]
_____________

Archeops @ Life Orb / No Item
Ability: Defeatist
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 Atk / 4 SAtk
Hasty Nature
- Stone Edge
- Heat Wave / Earth Power
- Roost
- U-turn / Acrobatics

Kangaskhan (F) @ Assault Vest / Silk Scarf / Life Orb
Ability: Scrappy
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Fake Out
- Double-Edge
- Sucker Punch
- Earthquake / Drain Punch

 

[jake]

thanks brawlfest! i took your suggestions and played a few matches on ladder with 'em to get the feel of it.

i definitely agree that fletch / durant should probably be replaced. i like the archeops suggestion, not sure yet on the coverage moves i want but yeah i definitely like that over durant. nooot super solid on kanga, but i do like it more than fletch so i suppose we'll see how that one works out.

i also reluctantly tried phys swellow > specs... and i really really don't like it on this team, haha. silly as it sounds, specs swellow is the more reliable set. it also fits this team much better, breaking down some tanks that i'd otherwise have trouble pushing through like weezing (i just lost a match because phys swellow couldn't clean through a couple of checks and got worn down into priority range, where specs swellow wouldn't have). i mean, i really am not going to lock myself into defog when it's not absolutely necessary, but yeah i honestly greatly prefer specs bird despite how gimmicky it is.

 

[jake]

double posting: updated the OP to include new team members (archeops + liepard) and a couple other edits

i keep fckn losing when i'm one point under punchshroom

edit: i MIGHT just use acrobatics on archeops just for fckn vileplume >:((

 

[Cherub Agent]

Hey Zeb, this is an awesome team. Loads of really cool sets :]

The team is really good as it is and suggestions now probably will only open up other holes, but hey I'll give it a go :)

You say you're not very happy with Seismitoad, and that's understandable. It's mainly to check Feraligatr and Doublade you said, but tbh I feel that you have these pretty well covered by Liepard (prevents them from hitting you boosted and can obv cripple Doublade), Lilligant, who can obv revene any Feraligate and use Doublade's No Guard against it with Sleep Powder, and you could possibly use Heat Wave on Swellow (hang on idk if thats illegal lol) to smack Doublade, Steelix, Durant etc some more.

If you're having trouble with bulky Grass types like Vileplume with your Stealth Rocker, you could possibly try Sap Sipper Miltank in Seismitoads slot?

An alternative would be to use the standard offense Archeops lead with Taunt, Stealth Rock, Endeavour and whatever else your team may need in the last slot (Heat Wave seems nice?) and replace Toad with something that cheerfully walls Vileplume and Scarfed Fire-types, like say Specs Sleep Talk Dragalge.

You're probably fine without these, but it may be worth a try :)

 

[jake]

thanks for the rate, cherub!

i've used taunt + SR archeops before and while i do like it, it often puts me in a situation where i sacrifice it to get SR or take a risk with a taunt. i'll give that a go too for sure, but i think i'll try out miltank > seis first and see how that goes, especially if there's something i can do with it to check doublade. thanks very much for the rate and i'll let you know how they go for me!!

 

[Blast]

Hey Zeb, cool team :] I don't have much to add that hasn't already been said, but you would probably appreciate a more reliable way of deterring hazards from being set up than Swellow's Defog since you're pretty vulnerable to hazards as a whole (SR for your two birds, Spikes for most of your other mons, etc). Xatu might be worth trying out over Swellow since it can deter setup while not losing momentum, and can still serve as an okay lure to Doublade thanks to LO Heat Wave. It also helps a bit vs Vileplume since you can switch in on most things except Sludge Bomb and force it out. Idk if you want to part with Swellow though since you obviously like it a lot lol, but still hope this helped :)

Hide

Xatu @ Life Orb
Ability: Magic Bounce
EVs: 152 HP / 180 SAtk / 176 Spd
Modest Nature
- Psyshock
- Heat Wave
- Grass Knot
- Roost

 

[Hulg Bears]

Hey Zeb, cool team :] I don't have much to add that hasn't already been said, but you would probably appreciate a more reliable way of deterring hazards from being set up than Swellow's Defog since you're pretty vulnerable to hazards as a whole (SR for your two birds, Spikes for most of your other mons, etc). Xatu might be worth trying out over Swellow since it can deter setup while not losing momentum, and can still serve as an okay lure to Doublade thanks to LO Heat Wave. It also helps a bit vs Vileplume since you can switch in on most things except Sludge Bomb and force it out. Idk if you want to part with Swellow though since you obviously like it a lot lol, but still hope this helped :)

Hide

Xatu @ Life Orb
Ability: Magic Bounce
EVs: 152 HP / 180 SAtk / 176 Spd
Modest Nature
- Psyshock
- Heat Wave
- Grass Knot
- Roost

Ok, I know this isn't relevant to the thread but can SOMEONE please tell me how to do the Show Hide thing?

Anyway, I agree with swapping out Swellow for Xatu.

 

[Cherub Agent]

[Hide = blablabla][ / hide]

No spaces between the brackets and hide words in the = and /