I got bored and decided to return from my hiatus a few days ago and tackle a tier that I have not yet tried before. Having already played UU, RU, OU and Ubers, my only options remaining were either NU or PU. As PU was evidently more popular, I decided to give it a shot.
The PU tier itself is quite interesting. It's not a particularly difficult tier, but it differs from some of the high level tiers in that, the sets and mons used are completely unpredictable, even in the higher bracket. This meant that it did take some time to adjust to appropriately and gain a grasp of the metagame threats.
The team I have built is not too original sadly, since there aren't many tools to work with in this tier. I decided to go with a stall style once again, since it made building a lot simpler. So far the team itself is currently #2 on ladder, but I have no intentions to ladder any further, and will be going back on hiatus after this RMT.
Proof of Peak:
*Character name is Hungraylow. I decided to borrow someone else's account lol. GXE is a bit low due to testing and very limited games..
Team at a Glance
Team-Building Process
I decided to start off with Articuno, a Pokemon that I had previously used in my RU Shedinja Stall. The mon itself provides superb hazard control and was an excellent switch-in to special attackers in the tier like Specs Jellicent. It also defogs against the omnipresent Mesprit. Pressure + Defog allows Articuno to always defog against SR users that do not threaten it directly.
Naturally Articuno by itself is unable to deal with the vast majority of special attackers in this tier. I needed answers for Rotom, Oricorio, Jynx, Manectric, Chatot etc. Furthermore, Psyshock abusers such as Raichu and Mesprit were quite annoying too, which is where Bastiodon comes in, with its great mixed bulk. Bastiodon also provides some emergency solutions to dealing with scary threats such as Ursaring, through Sturdy + Metal Burst.
Next, I needed physical walls, something that could switch in on the vast number of physical threats in the tier and absorb punishment. Eviolite Tangela is easily the strongest physical wall in the tier, and proves to be an absolute necessity for Stall. I decided to run a Power Swap variant, as it provides me with a reliable answer to Coil Eelektross. I need to make sure that the Eviolite doesn't get knocked off, if I'm in a position where I'm against a team with many strong Physical Attackers.
Naturally, I also needed some more defoggers, as just Articuno was simply not enough. Vullaby provides me with a Defogger that can remove hazards set by physically offensive enemies. Vullaby's dark type is also useful against Taunt Sableye and other Prankster abusers. Vullaby also provides me with a reliable secondary physically defensive switch-in, and Foul Play ensures that it doesn't become setup bait. If the opponent is a physical attacker with Knock Off, I will usually opt to send Vullaby in, instead of Tangela, as Tangela keeping its Eviolite is paramount.
The team was almost complete, but it lacked many answers to some of the scary set up sweepers that could break through the team. There were two main unaware users in PU, it was either Pyukumuku or Quagsire (Bibarel is there too). I tried Quagsire for a while, but the 4x Grass Weakness and poor SpD proved to be far too debilitating, I needed something that could adequately deal with not only physical set-up sweepers like Kabutops, but also special sweepers such as Shell Smash Turtonator or Omastar. I elected to go for a Block + Spite build to really punish bulky teams with plenty of recovery. And with this, the team was complete.
The Team
Bastiodon @ Leftovers
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Metal Burst
- Toxic
- Protect
The first part of my trifecta of Specially Defensive Walls. Bastiodon provides an effective solution against some of the Psyshockers in this tier. It's able to come in against opposing Special Attackers like Articuno or Oricorio, and easily set up Stealth Rocks or get off a Toxic. Sturdy + Metal Burst provides Bastiodon with a reliable solution to some physical threats that get out of control. I opt for Maximum Special Defense to tank some of the harder hits in the game, but Bastiodon still remains very defensive on the Physical aspect too. Generally speaking, as long as Bastiodon retains Leftovers, it is pretty much unkillable, with Wish Support and Heal Bell Support. It also provides a great switch-in to Head Smash if necessary.
Articuno @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP / 200 SpD / 56 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Heal Bell
- Roost
- Freeze-Dry
- Defog
Articuno also acts as a specially defensive check to a large portion of the PU meta-game. With access to Defog + Pressure, Articuno is able to safely Defog against some of the common hazard setters such as Weezing, Froslass, Mesprit etc. Heal Bell provides additional sustainability and support to team members, while also ensuring that Articuno is always in a health condition. Maximum Special Defense in combination with its stellar 90/100/125 defenses allows it to soak a very heavy amount of punishment. Unfortunately, Articuno does come with a 4x Weakness to SR, but since I run sufficient Hazard Removal on this team, this didn't prove to be an issue. Freeze Dry provides Articuno with some great coverage by itself, as well as a nifty freeze chance. 56 Speed EVs to outrun Modest Jellicent.
Audino @ Leftovers
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Wish
- Protect
- Knock Off
- Toxic
Audino provides the team with some much needed Wish Support. Knock Off and Toxic add great utility to the team, and its ability regenerator allows Audino to act as a soak for Volt Switch, without actually taking any damage. Overall, it act as a great pivot and a few tactical switches and it can be bumped back to Full HP. Max Special Defense so that it can take the most punishment from Special Attackers.
Tangela @ Eviolite
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpA
Relaxed Nature
- Synthesis
- Power Swap
- Knock Off
- Giga Drain
Tangela provides a solution to some of the scary physical attackers in the tier. As long as Tangela avoids Knock Off, it is capable of switching into CB attacks with impunity. Leech Seed + Knock Off + Giga Drain, allow Tangela to easily harass any of its potential switch-ins. I run Power Swap as well, to deal with some setup sweepers that aren't handled by my Pyukumuku, such as Zap Cannon + Coil Eelektross, which can prove to be quite an annoyance for this team. Power Swap also allows it to deal with contrary Lurantis, which can easily overwhelm Pyukumuku if played correctly.
Vullaby @ Eviolite
Ability: Overcoat
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Foul Play
- Toxic
- Defog
- Roost
Now Vullaby may not appear to be menacing, but it is actually a very sturdy physically defensive check, in conjunction with Eviolite. Vullaby's fortuitous Dark Typing allows it to switch into Prankster Pokemon like Liepard and Sableye, and be immune to the majority of their moves. Vullaby also provides the team with a secondary defogger to help out Articuno. Foul Play allows Vullaby to easily threaten foes and prevent set-ups. Toxic is used as utility. Generally speaking, if there's a physical attacker with Knock-Off, I usually switch in Vullaby to address that issue instead of Tangela, as having the Eviolite on Tangela is far too valuable.
Pyukumuku @ Leftovers
Ability: Unaware
EVs: 252 HP / 176 Def / 80 SpD
Impish Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Toxic
- Recover
- Spite
- Block
Pyukumuku basically acts as the Unaware user for this team, and its great mixed defenses allow it to deal with not only physical set-up sweepers like Kabutops, but also special sweepers such as Shell Smash Turtonator or Omastar. I elected to go for a Block + Spite build to really punish bulky teams with plenty of recovery. Since many switch-ins to Pyukumuku had status recovery such as Rest or were Poison Type themselves, it was imperative that Pyukumuku did not just simply provide them with a free switch-in, and Block + Spite allows it to threaten switch-ins appropriately. Most of the EVs are invested into Defense to survive onslaughts from Z-Fly Dodrio and other scary Wallbreakers.
Conclusions
Overall, this team was great fun to play, and it showed that many different types of Pokemon can be viable given the right support. The team itself went through many many iterations to get to this point. Since I was new to PU, I was basically adjusting the team after almost every loss, or whenever I realized I was wide open to a threat that I had missed.
I think the PU tier is alright, not too difficult but quite diverse and encourages players to form creative solutions to tackle certain problems, which I thoroughly enjoy doing. Downside is that, since it is not a major tier, it takes quite a while to find games and this is compounded by the fact that I was playing Stall, so games were longer. This meant that in order for me to ladder efficiently, I had to be searching and playing multiple games simultaneously, which sometimes backfired on me.
But I digress, I have included some Replays (forgot to save many :/) and the Importable below for anyone who wants to try out the team for themselves.
The PU tier itself is quite interesting. It's not a particularly difficult tier, but it differs from some of the high level tiers in that, the sets and mons used are completely unpredictable, even in the higher bracket. This meant that it did take some time to adjust to appropriately and gain a grasp of the metagame threats.
The team I have built is not too original sadly, since there aren't many tools to work with in this tier. I decided to go with a stall style once again, since it made building a lot simpler. So far the team itself is currently #2 on ladder, but I have no intentions to ladder any further, and will be going back on hiatus after this RMT.
Proof of Peak:
*Character name is Hungraylow. I decided to borrow someone else's account lol. GXE is a bit low due to testing and very limited games..
Team at a Glance
Team-Building Process
I decided to start off with Articuno, a Pokemon that I had previously used in my RU Shedinja Stall. The mon itself provides superb hazard control and was an excellent switch-in to special attackers in the tier like Specs Jellicent. It also defogs against the omnipresent Mesprit. Pressure + Defog allows Articuno to always defog against SR users that do not threaten it directly.
Naturally Articuno by itself is unable to deal with the vast majority of special attackers in this tier. I needed answers for Rotom, Oricorio, Jynx, Manectric, Chatot etc. Furthermore, Psyshock abusers such as Raichu and Mesprit were quite annoying too, which is where Bastiodon comes in, with its great mixed bulk. Bastiodon also provides some emergency solutions to dealing with scary threats such as Ursaring, through Sturdy + Metal Burst.
Next, I needed physical walls, something that could switch in on the vast number of physical threats in the tier and absorb punishment. Eviolite Tangela is easily the strongest physical wall in the tier, and proves to be an absolute necessity for Stall. I decided to run a Power Swap variant, as it provides me with a reliable answer to Coil Eelektross. I need to make sure that the Eviolite doesn't get knocked off, if I'm in a position where I'm against a team with many strong Physical Attackers.
Naturally, I also needed some more defoggers, as just Articuno was simply not enough. Vullaby provides me with a Defogger that can remove hazards set by physically offensive enemies. Vullaby's dark type is also useful against Taunt Sableye and other Prankster abusers. Vullaby also provides me with a reliable secondary physically defensive switch-in, and Foul Play ensures that it doesn't become setup bait. If the opponent is a physical attacker with Knock Off, I will usually opt to send Vullaby in, instead of Tangela, as Tangela keeping its Eviolite is paramount.
The team was almost complete, but it lacked many answers to some of the scary set up sweepers that could break through the team. There were two main unaware users in PU, it was either Pyukumuku or Quagsire (Bibarel is there too). I tried Quagsire for a while, but the 4x Grass Weakness and poor SpD proved to be far too debilitating, I needed something that could adequately deal with not only physical set-up sweepers like Kabutops, but also special sweepers such as Shell Smash Turtonator or Omastar. I elected to go for a Block + Spite build to really punish bulky teams with plenty of recovery. And with this, the team was complete.
The Team
Bastiodon @ Leftovers
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Metal Burst
- Toxic
- Protect
The first part of my trifecta of Specially Defensive Walls. Bastiodon provides an effective solution against some of the Psyshockers in this tier. It's able to come in against opposing Special Attackers like Articuno or Oricorio, and easily set up Stealth Rocks or get off a Toxic. Sturdy + Metal Burst provides Bastiodon with a reliable solution to some physical threats that get out of control. I opt for Maximum Special Defense to tank some of the harder hits in the game, but Bastiodon still remains very defensive on the Physical aspect too. Generally speaking, as long as Bastiodon retains Leftovers, it is pretty much unkillable, with Wish Support and Heal Bell Support. It also provides a great switch-in to Head Smash if necessary.
Articuno @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP / 200 SpD / 56 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Heal Bell
- Roost
- Freeze-Dry
- Defog
Articuno also acts as a specially defensive check to a large portion of the PU meta-game. With access to Defog + Pressure, Articuno is able to safely Defog against some of the common hazard setters such as Weezing, Froslass, Mesprit etc. Heal Bell provides additional sustainability and support to team members, while also ensuring that Articuno is always in a health condition. Maximum Special Defense in combination with its stellar 90/100/125 defenses allows it to soak a very heavy amount of punishment. Unfortunately, Articuno does come with a 4x Weakness to SR, but since I run sufficient Hazard Removal on this team, this didn't prove to be an issue. Freeze Dry provides Articuno with some great coverage by itself, as well as a nifty freeze chance. 56 Speed EVs to outrun Modest Jellicent.
Audino @ Leftovers
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Wish
- Protect
- Knock Off
- Toxic
Audino provides the team with some much needed Wish Support. Knock Off and Toxic add great utility to the team, and its ability regenerator allows Audino to act as a soak for Volt Switch, without actually taking any damage. Overall, it act as a great pivot and a few tactical switches and it can be bumped back to Full HP. Max Special Defense so that it can take the most punishment from Special Attackers.
Tangela @ Eviolite
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpA
Relaxed Nature
- Synthesis
- Power Swap
- Knock Off
- Giga Drain
Tangela provides a solution to some of the scary physical attackers in the tier. As long as Tangela avoids Knock Off, it is capable of switching into CB attacks with impunity. Leech Seed + Knock Off + Giga Drain, allow Tangela to easily harass any of its potential switch-ins. I run Power Swap as well, to deal with some setup sweepers that aren't handled by my Pyukumuku, such as Zap Cannon + Coil Eelektross, which can prove to be quite an annoyance for this team. Power Swap also allows it to deal with contrary Lurantis, which can easily overwhelm Pyukumuku if played correctly.
Vullaby @ Eviolite
Ability: Overcoat
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Foul Play
- Toxic
- Defog
- Roost
Now Vullaby may not appear to be menacing, but it is actually a very sturdy physically defensive check, in conjunction with Eviolite. Vullaby's fortuitous Dark Typing allows it to switch into Prankster Pokemon like Liepard and Sableye, and be immune to the majority of their moves. Vullaby also provides the team with a secondary defogger to help out Articuno. Foul Play allows Vullaby to easily threaten foes and prevent set-ups. Toxic is used as utility. Generally speaking, if there's a physical attacker with Knock-Off, I usually switch in Vullaby to address that issue instead of Tangela, as having the Eviolite on Tangela is far too valuable.
Pyukumuku @ Leftovers
Ability: Unaware
EVs: 252 HP / 176 Def / 80 SpD
Impish Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Toxic
- Recover
- Spite
- Block
Pyukumuku basically acts as the Unaware user for this team, and its great mixed defenses allow it to deal with not only physical set-up sweepers like Kabutops, but also special sweepers such as Shell Smash Turtonator or Omastar. I elected to go for a Block + Spite build to really punish bulky teams with plenty of recovery. Since many switch-ins to Pyukumuku had status recovery such as Rest or were Poison Type themselves, it was imperative that Pyukumuku did not just simply provide them with a free switch-in, and Block + Spite allows it to threaten switch-ins appropriately. Most of the EVs are invested into Defense to survive onslaughts from Z-Fly Dodrio and other scary Wallbreakers.
Conclusions
Overall, this team was great fun to play, and it showed that many different types of Pokemon can be viable given the right support. The team itself went through many many iterations to get to this point. Since I was new to PU, I was basically adjusting the team after almost every loss, or whenever I realized I was wide open to a threat that I had missed.
I think the PU tier is alright, not too difficult but quite diverse and encourages players to form creative solutions to tackle certain problems, which I thoroughly enjoy doing. Downside is that, since it is not a major tier, it takes quite a while to find games and this is compounded by the fact that I was playing Stall, so games were longer. This meant that in order for me to ladder efficiently, I had to be searching and playing multiple games simultaneously, which sometimes backfired on me.
But I digress, I have included some Replays (forgot to save many :/) and the Importable below for anyone who wants to try out the team for themselves.
Bastiodon @ Leftovers
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Metal Burst
- Toxic
- Protect
Articuno @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP / 200 SpD / 56 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Heal Bell
- Roost
- Freeze-Dry
- Defog
Pyukumuku @ Leftovers
Ability: Unaware
EVs: 252 HP / 176 Def / 80 SpD
Impish Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Toxic
- Recover
- Spite
- Block
Vullaby @ Eviolite
Ability: Overcoat
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Foul Play
- Toxic
- Defog
- Roost
Tangela @ Eviolite
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpA
Relaxed Nature
- Synthesis
- Power Swap
- Knock Off
- Giga Drain
Audino @ Leftovers
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Wish
- Protect
- Knock Off
- Toxic
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Metal Burst
- Toxic
- Protect
Articuno @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP / 200 SpD / 56 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Heal Bell
- Roost
- Freeze-Dry
- Defog
Pyukumuku @ Leftovers
Ability: Unaware
EVs: 252 HP / 176 Def / 80 SpD
Impish Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Toxic
- Recover
- Spite
- Block
Vullaby @ Eviolite
Ability: Overcoat
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Foul Play
- Toxic
- Defog
- Roost
Tangela @ Eviolite
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpA
Relaxed Nature
- Synthesis
- Power Swap
- Knock Off
- Giga Drain
Audino @ Leftovers
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Wish
- Protect
- Knock Off
- Toxic
Last edited:
