~Introduction~
With Scyther and Bouffalant departing us for the lands of NU it's time for me to retire the team that drove me to #1 on the PU ladder, beating every other standard build around at the time. I intend with this to showcase some of my team building strategy that led to the creation of what has become one of the defining teams of the metagame.
~Teambuilding Process~
I built this team when I was getting my feet wet in the PU tier so I started off by looking at the viability rankings to see what was good. The two Pokemon that immediately jumped out at me as major physical threats were Tauros and Sneasel. Tauros was hyped by everyone as the most dominant force in the metagame and I reasoned that Sneasel would be able to wear down it's checks with Knock Off while being a second speedy threat.
The next step was some kind of bulk and hazard support. I knew from past experience in RU how much of a tank Piloswine could be so it was a natural addition for having Rocks, priority, and he ability to switch in on nearly anything. Leafeon was the next addition to add a bit more type synergy and the ability to switch in on Poliwrath which had at this point become a major threat. It also supported the concept of physical mons breaking down each other's checks with it's access to Knock Off.
At this point there was a pretty major fighting weakness so I needed something that could abuse Throh and Poliwrath. I experimented with Misdreavus and other Ghosts but the Knock Off weakness was too major for them to overcome. And thus I found Scyther. The Stealth Rock weakness was unfortunate but I reasoned that it would still be able to come into both of the aforementioned fighters all day, and with a bulky SD set would be able to Roost off the Stealth Rock damage to stay alive. With Fightings covered I decided that I needed a little bit of general bulk to act as something of a catchall, as well as a dedicated Stallbreaker. Full stall would be able to have answers for each of my Pokemon and thus something needed to be able to break through them. Bouffalant became a natural fit.
~In Depth~
Sneasel @ Life Orb
Ability: Pickpocket
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Icicle Crash
- Knock Off
- Low Kick
- Ice Shard
Sneasel is the Pokemon I have slated in my lead slot for two reasons: first, it poses an immediate threat to most teams and helps foster the illusion that I use it as a lead which forces the opponent to respond accordingly, and second it disguises the team structure and thus the general roles of the team. What Sneasel will often do is force the opponent to lead with any of their Poliwrath, bulky rock, or bulky water and, thus, my lead is frequently Leafeon who can find immediate opportunities to set up and gain momentum.
The set is entirely straightforward with full coverage over Swords Dance. I had Swords Dance over Low Kick at one point in the teambuilding but I found that it was rare for Sneasel to gain an advantage by setting up over outright attacking, and the ability to do additional damage to the likes of Avalugg, Carracosta, and Tauros et al was a major benefit.
Sneasel is very versatile in how I play it. Against more bulky teams, or teams that have concrete counters to my other sweepers I often play early in the game as a sort of hit and run nuke. Early game Knock Offs from Sneasel's attack stat are excellent ways of wearing down an opponent and, because of how threatening it is, it will almost always be wearing down a threat to the rest of my team.
Bouffalant @ Leftovers
Ability: Sap Sipper
EVs: 80 HP / 252 Atk / 176 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Return
- Substitute
- Iron Head
Bouffalant is a god, that is all.
No like actually.
Bouffalant is probably the second most valuable member on the team, as it does so many things that really help the team to excel. Against stall teams it can often be, if not an automatic win in and of itself, but the impetus that allows another member to sweep. Against offensive teams it can often be the Pokemon to tank a hit from a threatening opposing mon (Raichu or Ninetales for instance) and strike back for the OHKO.
The EVs aren't analysis recommended but are definitely important as it gives Bouffalant 190 speed, enough to beat out max speed adamant Golem and the like. Sap Sipper is chosen because I like dicking over Roselia and Gourgeist but Soundproof is also definitely valid. Iron Head is the most unusual move on this set. It was actually Earthquake initially but I came to the realization that I simply couldn't afford being deadweight against Haunter and Misdreavus when I could instead abuse them to continue a sweep. This definitely comes down to preference however. Earthquake is completely valid for the super effective hits it gives on Carracosta et al, and Stone Edge is also a very valid coverage move for the stronger hit on Flyers and such. I prefer Iron Head as it maintains neutral hits on Carracosta, both of the Ghosts and so on, while gaining Super effective hits on Avalugg and Golem. It's essentially the slightly weaker middle ground that I find enables a sweep the most easily.
Tauros (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Sheer Force
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Rock Climb
- Earthquake
- Fire Blast
- Zen Headbutt
I'm not going to go too much into depth here because you all know what this does. The key role for Tauros on this team is the completion of the double bull core with Bouffalant. With one taking on the bulkier role and the other being the speed demon, one can very quickly break down the checks and counters to the other. For example, if my opponent's best answer to Bouffalant is burning it with a Misdreavus I will not hesitate to sacrifice Tauros to the burn with consecutive Zen Headbutts to enable the bull sweep. It also pairs with Sneasel to outpace the majority of offensive teams while KOing almost every mon they can throw at me.
Standard set as far as things go but there's really a lot of room to play with things, only Rock Climb and Zen Headbutt are essential. You can do fun things like throwing Thunderbolt or Surf in there to catch physical walls, throw on Iron Tail to get hits on Piloswine and Avalugg, and so on. I simply chose to go with the most consistent of those options for the consistent damage in the case I'm trying to secure a late game clean and don't want to risk a miss.
Is bull.
Scyther @ Eviolite
Ability: Technician
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Wing Attack
- Knock Off
- Swords Dance
- Roost
Scyther is probably the least valuable member and yet simultaneously critical for the defensive structure of the team. I play Scyther primarily defensively due to it's multitude of checks and weakness to Stealth Rocks. It will be a primary switch into Throw and Poliwrath to absorb Circle and Storm Throws that no one else on the team can handle, as well as being a common death fodder when Rocks are up and I need a free switch.
As far as the moveset goes, I had little patience for a bulky set on a team as fast paced as this one so I chose to go full offensive. Roost was obviously a necessity, however, given that I needed Scyther to come into rocks and absorb Fighting attacks. Bog standard otherwise.
Against teams where I don't need Scyther to absorb Fighting attacks I'll often play it in a suicidal role and use it to Knock Off items early, especially when they have fairly hard counters such as Avalugg.
Honestly, there's not much to say about Scyther, it's a necessity but as close to deadweight as you can get.
Leafeon @ Leftovers
Ability: Chlorophyll
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Leaf Blade
- Knock Off
- Baton Pass
Leafeon is the unquestionable MVP of this team, it saves the team against certain archetypes and can generate sweeps out of nowhere. As I alluded to with Sneasel, I'll often lead with Leafeon using the lead matchups that Sneasel forces and get immediate momentum through the free set up opportunities Leafeon forces. Leafeon is also one of my primary switch ins to burn inducers such as Poliwrath and Misdreavus. Burn is obviously hugely threatening to a physical based offensive team so, as the only Pokemon capable of performing it's role even while burned, Leafeon will use them as set up opportunities.
Moveset is again fairly standard, Leafeon can actually so a fairly decent job sweeping and wallbreaking with the good coverage it gets between Leaf Blade and Knock Off. Knock off let's it check Ghosts and beat Golem in the lead matchup without activating Weakness Policy. Baton Pass is the key to the team and the reason it can be so devastating. With Leafeon's good bulk and free switches it generates it's not difficult for Leafeon to pull off several SDs per game, both for it's own use and to pass off to a teammate. With the whole team being physically oriented I can generally pass to the most appropriate teammate at any given moment. If Avalugg is brought in against Leafeon for instance, I can pass the SD to Sneasel who is absolutely devastating at +2. +2 Tauros is similarly dominant. Even +2 Piloswine is a major threat in spite of its speed, as few things can KO it quickly without dying themselves. i experimented with Rocky Helmet for a while and it worked decently but I ended up appreciating the passive healing more, especially when burned or with spikes up.
How I play Leafeon depends on how the opposing team can respond to my sweepers. If they have a very physical wall heavy team, for example Piloswine+Pelipper+Poliwrath I will play Leafeon early and often to get my wallbreakers the needed power to break through the cores. In other cases I'll hold Leafeon back for a late game sweep or as a Volt Switch absorber, particularly if the opponent carries a Scyther themselves - easily the most threatening opponent for Leafeon.
Incidentally, the only loss in recent memory for me came to a team heavy on physical walls (Piloswine+Pelipper+Throh) paired with a CB Scyther to neutralize Leafeon.
Piloswine @ Eviolite
Ability: Thick Fat
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Icicle Spear
- Ice Shard
Piloswine may be my favourite team member simply because of how reliable it is. At nearly any point in the game I can send in Piloswine to tank an attack and either set up SR or threaten my opponent in return. Piloswine is the obligatory SR setter and, crucially, is also the second priority user on the team which can save me against super fast offensive teams. Naturally it's fat is it's most defining characteristic. The common Dark spam cores would sweep me with Mightyena without too much trouble were it not for Piloswine being fat and shit and absorbing all of it's attacks. Piloswine is the definitive 'glue' Pokemon for this team. It handles threats like SubDisable Haunter, can pressure opposing hazard setters, stops VoltTurn from going ham, and is a catchall 'oh crap' switch in I can generally rly on to weaken or neutralize a threat.
~Conclusion~
In conclusion, this was one of the defining teams of the Sycther+Bouffalant metagame, peaking the ladder while matching up well against the other standard builds of the metagame. It provides an excellent template for physical heavy offense exemplifying concepts such as shared counter breaking while also using underrated sets such as SD Pass Leafeon and introducing Iron Head Bouffalant to the metagame. It was my introductory team and definitely one of the one's I've had the most fun using since.
No point with an importable so like, rate, comment, enjoy, what have you~
With Scyther and Bouffalant departing us for the lands of NU it's time for me to retire the team that drove me to #1 on the PU ladder, beating every other standard build around at the time. I intend with this to showcase some of my team building strategy that led to the creation of what has become one of the defining teams of the metagame.
~Teambuilding Process~
I built this team when I was getting my feet wet in the PU tier so I started off by looking at the viability rankings to see what was good. The two Pokemon that immediately jumped out at me as major physical threats were Tauros and Sneasel. Tauros was hyped by everyone as the most dominant force in the metagame and I reasoned that Sneasel would be able to wear down it's checks with Knock Off while being a second speedy threat.
The next step was some kind of bulk and hazard support. I knew from past experience in RU how much of a tank Piloswine could be so it was a natural addition for having Rocks, priority, and he ability to switch in on nearly anything. Leafeon was the next addition to add a bit more type synergy and the ability to switch in on Poliwrath which had at this point become a major threat. It also supported the concept of physical mons breaking down each other's checks with it's access to Knock Off.
At this point there was a pretty major fighting weakness so I needed something that could abuse Throh and Poliwrath. I experimented with Misdreavus and other Ghosts but the Knock Off weakness was too major for them to overcome. And thus I found Scyther. The Stealth Rock weakness was unfortunate but I reasoned that it would still be able to come into both of the aforementioned fighters all day, and with a bulky SD set would be able to Roost off the Stealth Rock damage to stay alive. With Fightings covered I decided that I needed a little bit of general bulk to act as something of a catchall, as well as a dedicated Stallbreaker. Full stall would be able to have answers for each of my Pokemon and thus something needed to be able to break through them. Bouffalant became a natural fit.
~In Depth~
Sneasel @ Life Orb
Ability: Pickpocket
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Icicle Crash
- Knock Off
- Low Kick
- Ice Shard
Sneasel is the Pokemon I have slated in my lead slot for two reasons: first, it poses an immediate threat to most teams and helps foster the illusion that I use it as a lead which forces the opponent to respond accordingly, and second it disguises the team structure and thus the general roles of the team. What Sneasel will often do is force the opponent to lead with any of their Poliwrath, bulky rock, or bulky water and, thus, my lead is frequently Leafeon who can find immediate opportunities to set up and gain momentum.
The set is entirely straightforward with full coverage over Swords Dance. I had Swords Dance over Low Kick at one point in the teambuilding but I found that it was rare for Sneasel to gain an advantage by setting up over outright attacking, and the ability to do additional damage to the likes of Avalugg, Carracosta, and Tauros et al was a major benefit.
Sneasel is very versatile in how I play it. Against more bulky teams, or teams that have concrete counters to my other sweepers I often play early in the game as a sort of hit and run nuke. Early game Knock Offs from Sneasel's attack stat are excellent ways of wearing down an opponent and, because of how threatening it is, it will almost always be wearing down a threat to the rest of my team.
Bouffalant @ Leftovers
Ability: Sap Sipper
EVs: 80 HP / 252 Atk / 176 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Return
- Substitute
- Iron Head
Bouffalant is a god, that is all.
No like actually.
Bouffalant is probably the second most valuable member on the team, as it does so many things that really help the team to excel. Against stall teams it can often be, if not an automatic win in and of itself, but the impetus that allows another member to sweep. Against offensive teams it can often be the Pokemon to tank a hit from a threatening opposing mon (Raichu or Ninetales for instance) and strike back for the OHKO.
The EVs aren't analysis recommended but are definitely important as it gives Bouffalant 190 speed, enough to beat out max speed adamant Golem and the like. Sap Sipper is chosen because I like dicking over Roselia and Gourgeist but Soundproof is also definitely valid. Iron Head is the most unusual move on this set. It was actually Earthquake initially but I came to the realization that I simply couldn't afford being deadweight against Haunter and Misdreavus when I could instead abuse them to continue a sweep. This definitely comes down to preference however. Earthquake is completely valid for the super effective hits it gives on Carracosta et al, and Stone Edge is also a very valid coverage move for the stronger hit on Flyers and such. I prefer Iron Head as it maintains neutral hits on Carracosta, both of the Ghosts and so on, while gaining Super effective hits on Avalugg and Golem. It's essentially the slightly weaker middle ground that I find enables a sweep the most easily.
Tauros (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Sheer Force
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Rock Climb
- Earthquake
- Fire Blast
- Zen Headbutt
I'm not going to go too much into depth here because you all know what this does. The key role for Tauros on this team is the completion of the double bull core with Bouffalant. With one taking on the bulkier role and the other being the speed demon, one can very quickly break down the checks and counters to the other. For example, if my opponent's best answer to Bouffalant is burning it with a Misdreavus I will not hesitate to sacrifice Tauros to the burn with consecutive Zen Headbutts to enable the bull sweep. It also pairs with Sneasel to outpace the majority of offensive teams while KOing almost every mon they can throw at me.
Standard set as far as things go but there's really a lot of room to play with things, only Rock Climb and Zen Headbutt are essential. You can do fun things like throwing Thunderbolt or Surf in there to catch physical walls, throw on Iron Tail to get hits on Piloswine and Avalugg, and so on. I simply chose to go with the most consistent of those options for the consistent damage in the case I'm trying to secure a late game clean and don't want to risk a miss.
Is bull.
Scyther @ Eviolite
Ability: Technician
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Wing Attack
- Knock Off
- Swords Dance
- Roost
Scyther is probably the least valuable member and yet simultaneously critical for the defensive structure of the team. I play Scyther primarily defensively due to it's multitude of checks and weakness to Stealth Rocks. It will be a primary switch into Throw and Poliwrath to absorb Circle and Storm Throws that no one else on the team can handle, as well as being a common death fodder when Rocks are up and I need a free switch.
As far as the moveset goes, I had little patience for a bulky set on a team as fast paced as this one so I chose to go full offensive. Roost was obviously a necessity, however, given that I needed Scyther to come into rocks and absorb Fighting attacks. Bog standard otherwise.
Against teams where I don't need Scyther to absorb Fighting attacks I'll often play it in a suicidal role and use it to Knock Off items early, especially when they have fairly hard counters such as Avalugg.
Honestly, there's not much to say about Scyther, it's a necessity but as close to deadweight as you can get.
Leafeon @ Leftovers
Ability: Chlorophyll
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Leaf Blade
- Knock Off
- Baton Pass
Leafeon is the unquestionable MVP of this team, it saves the team against certain archetypes and can generate sweeps out of nowhere. As I alluded to with Sneasel, I'll often lead with Leafeon using the lead matchups that Sneasel forces and get immediate momentum through the free set up opportunities Leafeon forces. Leafeon is also one of my primary switch ins to burn inducers such as Poliwrath and Misdreavus. Burn is obviously hugely threatening to a physical based offensive team so, as the only Pokemon capable of performing it's role even while burned, Leafeon will use them as set up opportunities.
Moveset is again fairly standard, Leafeon can actually so a fairly decent job sweeping and wallbreaking with the good coverage it gets between Leaf Blade and Knock Off. Knock off let's it check Ghosts and beat Golem in the lead matchup without activating Weakness Policy. Baton Pass is the key to the team and the reason it can be so devastating. With Leafeon's good bulk and free switches it generates it's not difficult for Leafeon to pull off several SDs per game, both for it's own use and to pass off to a teammate. With the whole team being physically oriented I can generally pass to the most appropriate teammate at any given moment. If Avalugg is brought in against Leafeon for instance, I can pass the SD to Sneasel who is absolutely devastating at +2. +2 Tauros is similarly dominant. Even +2 Piloswine is a major threat in spite of its speed, as few things can KO it quickly without dying themselves. i experimented with Rocky Helmet for a while and it worked decently but I ended up appreciating the passive healing more, especially when burned or with spikes up.
How I play Leafeon depends on how the opposing team can respond to my sweepers. If they have a very physical wall heavy team, for example Piloswine+Pelipper+Poliwrath I will play Leafeon early and often to get my wallbreakers the needed power to break through the cores. In other cases I'll hold Leafeon back for a late game sweep or as a Volt Switch absorber, particularly if the opponent carries a Scyther themselves - easily the most threatening opponent for Leafeon.
Incidentally, the only loss in recent memory for me came to a team heavy on physical walls (Piloswine+Pelipper+Throh) paired with a CB Scyther to neutralize Leafeon.
Piloswine @ Eviolite
Ability: Thick Fat
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Icicle Spear
- Ice Shard
Piloswine may be my favourite team member simply because of how reliable it is. At nearly any point in the game I can send in Piloswine to tank an attack and either set up SR or threaten my opponent in return. Piloswine is the obligatory SR setter and, crucially, is also the second priority user on the team which can save me against super fast offensive teams. Naturally it's fat is it's most defining characteristic. The common Dark spam cores would sweep me with Mightyena without too much trouble were it not for Piloswine being fat and shit and absorbing all of it's attacks. Piloswine is the definitive 'glue' Pokemon for this team. It handles threats like SubDisable Haunter, can pressure opposing hazard setters, stops VoltTurn from going ham, and is a catchall 'oh crap' switch in I can generally rly on to weaken or neutralize a threat.
~Conclusion~
In conclusion, this was one of the defining teams of the Sycther+Bouffalant metagame, peaking the ladder while matching up well against the other standard builds of the metagame. It provides an excellent template for physical heavy offense exemplifying concepts such as shared counter breaking while also using underrated sets such as SD Pass Leafeon and introducing Iron Head Bouffalant to the metagame. It was my introductory team and definitely one of the one's I've had the most fun using since.
No point with an importable so like, rate, comment, enjoy, what have you~
