SM NU Welcome To The Rodeo

[SANJAY]

Introduction:

So, originally, this team wasn't all that serious and was just something built around Flynium Z Vivillon. However, NLT came around and I was looking to spam something pretty mindless on the ladder, so I sort of reworked it. I eventually decided just to scrap the whole team and rebuild around Sash Vivillon, as it fit more into the Offensive playstyle I was going for. I know offense isn't that great in the current metagame, however, this team has shown success for me (amongst others). This team helped me qualify for NLT (as well as EternalSnowman) and partially helped me in my run for reqs. The team isn't perfect by any means, and does tend to rely on matchup, but if you can keep offensive pressure up, you stand a decent chance.

Teambuilding Process:

This is what the team started around. I used Vivillon a lot in beta and I hadn't built around it in a while. Obviously, the meta has drastically changed since then, so I attempted to build around this once again. As mentioned above, this was originally Flynium + Sub because at the time, I wasn't going for a Hyper Offensive type build but more so a bulkier one. However, as I changed the team, Vivillon became Sash and I built around it accordingly.

I then decided that Scrafty would be a good choice for a partner, it's able to threaten / weaken the likes of Steelix, Piloswine, Silvally-Steel and Klinklang to ease Vivillon's cleaning. In a similar vein, if you ever decide to clean with Scrafty, Vivillon can weaken the likes of Garbodor, Mega Audino, etc.

Since now I knew the direction I wanted to take with this built, I added Lycanroc as a suicide lead. I needed something fast that can set up rocks whilst also prevent set-up / hazards / removal; either Lycanroc or Archeops seemed to fit here. I wasn't a fan of Defeatist, so I ended up using Lycanroc (However, Archeops can OHKO a Xatu attempting to prevent rocks whereas Lycanroc can't).

If I was going to have a suicide lead, I needed a spin blocker to help maintain pressure and keep SR on the field. Mismagius seemed like the best fit here, as it's able to keep up pressure whilst also being able to not only block spin, but also prevent Defog in the form of taunt.

I then added Sneasel as I felt it would be ideal if I could trap the likes of Scarf Rotom so Viv isn't RKed as easily. Sneasel also let me trap ghosts, "Knock Off" Colbur's and get rid of passive recovery from the likes of Steelix and Vaporeon. This makes it easier for Scrafty / Vivillon to clean late game.

The likes of Z Celebrate Venusaur, Whimsicott and Vanilluxe seemed like nuisances to deal with as the only way I really have dealing with them is Sneasel's Ice Shard, so for the final slot, I thought Klinklang was a perfect fit. It's able to take advantage of choice locked Whimsi and Vanilluxe and use that opportunity to set up.

I thought relying on solely Klinklang for dealing with the likes of Vanilluxe was not enough. After a couple of games, I also encountered a lot of stall, so I scrapped Sneasel and replaced it with Incineroar. Sneasel didn't seem to fit well on the team.

A way more recent change, but Finally, I ended up changing Lycanroc to Kabutops as I didn't like the amount of 50/50s I was getting into with Lycanroc. Kabutops still functions as suicide lead with a much better match-up against common rockers whilst also being able to provide Spin support for Vivillon. The only downside to using Kabutops over Lycanroc is that it's harder to keep Hazards up due to the lack of taunt.

THE TEAM:
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vivillon @ focus sash | compound eyes
timid | 252spa / 252spe / 4spd
hurricane | sleep powder | energy ball / endeavor | quiver dance

What I built the team around, Vivillon. In the correct circumstances, Vivillon can pose a massive threat to teams which are underprepared. At +1, it's able to out-speed the entire unboosted metagame whilst also out-speeding scarfers such as Medicham, Passimian, Braviary and Venusaur. Whilst faster scarfers such as Delphox and Houndoom do pose a threat, assuming sash is still in tact, it's able to either cripple them with Sleep Powder or OHKO them (Assuming Rocks are up). Otherwise, the likes of Delphox / Houndoom being choice locked into moves allow other members of the team to set up and pressure whatever comes in. Max Special Attack ensures Vivillon hits as hard as possible. Compound Eyes is great, as it gives Sleep Powder and Hurricane 98% and 91% accuracy respectively. Sleep Powder allows you to cripple the likes of Silvally-Steel, Slowking, etc. and take advantage. Hurricane is mandatory STAB which can be fairly difficult to switch into at +1 and Energy Ball allows Vivillon to hit bulky waters and the likes of Rhydon super effectively. Endeavor is also an alternative option as it works great in conjunction with Sash, it allows Vivillon to cripple Pokemon such as Steelix, ultimately assisting Klinklang to clean late game. Vivillon can also act as an emergency stop button to opposing set up sweepers (Toxicroak, Vikavolt, Scrafty, etc.)
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scrafty @ lum berry / chople berry / roseli berry | moxie
jolly | 252atk / 252spe / 4spd
dragon dance | knock off | high jump kick / poison jab | drain punch / poison jab

I was thinking of partners for Vivillon and I stumbled across Scrafty. Whilst it may not be the perfect partner for Vivillon, it works very well on this team. As I've mentioned before, it helps weaken / eliminate the likes of Steelix, Piloswine, Silvally Steel, etc. which aids Vivillon in late game cleaning whereas Vivillon weakens / eliminates Poison and Fairy types which similarly, aids Scrafty. Much like, Vivillon, Scrafty can absolutely demolish teams as most teams run Slowbro as their fighting resist, which Scrafty usually beats. Max Attack makes sure Scrafty can hit hard as possible whereas Max Speed makes sure you outspeed as much as you can at +1. Knock Off is able to cripple common switch-ins such as Toxicroak (Assuming it's non Z-Move), Whimsicott, Defensive Venu, etc whilst also being a spammable STAB move. The last two moves can either be dual Fighting STAB, HJK and Poison Jab or Drain Punch and Poison Jab. The main reason for having Poison Jab is to be able OHKO Whimsi on the switch (Resists both STABs, outspeeds at +1), however, bar that (And hitting other fairies, I suppose) there isn't much use; so I've stuck with Dual Fighting STAB, simply for power and recovery. Now, the item on Scrafty is also fairly customisable; all have their merits. Lum Berry allows you to set up on most Bulky Waters without fearing Scald / Toxic, Chople Berry prevents you from being RKed by Scarf Passimian and similarly, Roseli Berry prevents you from being RKed by Scarf Delphox. However, I've found Lum Berry to be the most consistent.

kabutops @ focus sash | weak armor
naive | 252atk / 252spe / 4spa
hydro pump | rapid spin | stealth rock | stone edge / rock tomb

Since I knew the type of build I was going for, I looked for a suicide lead which has a decent match-up vs defoggers. As mentioned earlier, this was originally Lycanroc, but I ended up replacing it very recently with Kabutops and it's seemed to fit much better on the team. I didn't enjoy the amount of 50/50s I got into with Lycanroc, I'd much rather enjoy being able to consistently keep hazards off whilst still being able to get up hazards of my own and keep them up by pressuring defoggers. The main reason for me using Hydro is simply due to its ability to 2HKO Lix. Despite this, Pump does less damage to Piloswine and misses out on the 2HKO (Not that's in a big issue, since majority of the time, Pilo will just EQ then Shard). Pump also does more to Rhydon, but not by substantial amount. Stealth Rock and Rapid Spin are mandatory for reasons I've mentioned before, keeping Hazards off is crucial with Vivillon + Incineroar on the same team whilst keeping them up is equally as important as it allows me to exert pressure. Rock Tomb allows Kabutops to slow down faster threats (Likes of Heliolisk and Sneasel) then scare them out with other members of the team, whereas Stone Edge is a more powerful STAB move which threatens most Defoggers in the tier whilst having a consistent damage output. Kabutops also comes with Weak Armor which has its merits, it allows me to get Rocks up as well as some chip on the likes of Scarf Passimian (This is more useful than it seems, the chip Kabutops provides helps Klinklang OHKO Passimian at +1). The EVs are also straight forward, 252 Attack is given so Kabutops maximises its damage output with Stone Edge, 252 Speed with a positive nature is given so it can outspeed as much as possible, this includes Specs Vanilluxe, which has the potential to break Vivillon's sash. Finally, a Naive nature is given so the power of Kabutops' Hydro Pump isn't weakened whilst maximising its speed.
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mismagius @ colbur berry | levitate
timid | 252spa / 252spe / 4spd
shadow ball / nasty plot / dazzling gleam / taunt

If I was going to use a suicide lead, a spin blocker is pretty much essential in order to keep hazards up throughout the duration of the game, Mismagius seemed like the ideal fit here. Not only does it block spin from the likes of Blastoise, Cryogonal and Hitmonlee, but it's also able to prevent defog and other statuses due to taunt. Aside from that, Mismagius seemed to fit really well with the offensive nature of this team, not only is it able to act as a spin blocker, it's also able to act as another set up sweeper. Shadow Ball is necessary STAB whereas Dazzling Gleam allows you to common ghost resists such as Guzzlord and Scrafty super effectively. Mismagius also helps the team vs Fighting Types due to its immunity and discourages scarf fighting STAB spam. Colbur Berry helps a healthy Mismagius live Knock Off from the likes of Passimian and RK with a +2 Dazzling Gleam.

incineroar @ weakness policy | intimidate
jolly | 252hp / 252spe / 4spd
bulk up | flame charge | power trip | substitute / drain punch

Aka the "Unset" Mon. Whilst this set isn't great and more of a meme, it works better than it seems on this team. The team seemed to struggle vs. stall (Mismagius kept getting trapped by Sneasel) and seeing stall frequently appearing on the NLT ladder, I decided to scrap Sneasel and change to Incineroar. Due to Intimidate + It's typing, it's able to set up on things such as Vanilluxe, Delphox, Houndoom, Druddigon, etc. Maximum HP is given to maximise these set up opportunities whereas Maximum Speed is given so it can outspeed Heliolisk amongst other Pokemon at +1. Weakness Policy is great at catching out opponents, giving Incineroar a +2 Attack and Special Attack boost simultaneously whilst boosting the BP of Power Trip. Flame Charge, albeit weak, gives Incineroar a much needed speed boost whilst again, boosting the BP of Power Trip. Bulk Up also gives Incineroar multiple opportunities to set up (Avoids 2HKO from Steelix), especially with Intimidate, it gives Incineroar a way to boost the BP of Power Trip without having to activate Weakness Policy. Finally, the last slot is either Substitute or Drain Punch. Personally, I think Substitute is better by a large margin and it's what I've stuck with, because after all, the main reason I used Incineroar to improve my stall MU. Substitute allows me to dodge status which cripples Incineroar, set up on the likes of Druddigon as well as take advantage of choice locked mons such as Sneasel. However, Drain Punch does have its merits, such as being able to hit Scrafty and Guzzlord, being able to provide Incineroar with some much needed recovery. Regardless, I do still feel like it's the inferior option compared to substitute. All in all, this Pokemon has worked much better than I expected it to, it provides the team with some much needed resistances and consistent answer to stall.
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klinklang @ electrium z | clear body
adamant | 72hp / 252atk / 184spe
gear grind / shift gear / wild charge / return

So, as I came to the end of my building phase, it seemed like I struggled a lot against Pokemon such as Whimsicott and Vanilluxe as they're easily able to spam their STABs with no consequence, especially the former and the latter is harder to revenge kill due to it breaking Viv's sash. I also lacked a Z Move user, so it seemed like Klinklang was a perfect fit here. Klinklang is able to use Pokemon locked into the wrong moves as set up bait and easily punish teams that have been weakened. I love Electrium Z on Klinklang whilst it's not exactly a "lure", most people expect Steelium Z and lose their bulky water as a result. 252 Attack EVs + An Adamant nature allow Klinklang to hit as hard as possible, whereas the Speed EVs allow Klinklang to outspeed Scarf Heliolisk at +2; the rest of the EVs are dumped in HP to give it extra bulk. Gear Grind is really nice STAB, being able to break sashes and Return is able to hit Gear Grind resists like Delphox without taking recoil.

THREATLIST:

Usually, they're not an issue, but sometimes, they can be a nuisance late game. Passimian can spam CC, Medicham can spam HJK or Priority, depending on the set, Toxicroak can spam Drain Punch + Sucker Punch. However, you should be fine if you keep Mismagius / Vivillon alive. Scrafty also deserves a special mention, because if it manages to get a DD up and Vivillon's sash is broken, you've lost. Chople > Lum on Scrafty can alleviate this issue vs Fighting Types late game, if you really think it's an issue.

+

These two on the same team can be a pain, wearing down Steelix for Klinklang to (usually) clean with Endeavor Viv or Mismagius is the best way to deal with these two. Playing aggressively with Scrafty also works or managing to get to +1/+2 with Incineroar.

Scarf is easily the most annoying set, as everything bar Klinklang fail to outspeed it boosted. LO and Specs are also annoying, however, they're easier to play around because you're able to cripple it with Vivillon or outspeed it after set up.

Finally, Agility Vikavolt can be a nuisance if it finds a way to set up. It outspeeds everything at +2 due to the lack of speed control and Buginium OHKOs Scrafty. Thankfully, it's not that common and Z Moves are a one time use, meaning I can beat it with Incineroar + Klinklang.

FINAL WORDS:

This team worked much better than I expected it to. Obviously, like any team, it has its flaws (see: above), but if you're looking to get quick wins on ladder and have fun, this team does that. If you still really desire Lycanroc > Kabutops is still a possibility, but I suppose it comes down to personal preference.

IMPORTABLE:

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Kabutops Version

Vivillon @ Focus Sash
Ability: Compound Eyes
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Quiver Dance
- Sleep Powder
- Hurricane
- Energy Ball

Scrafty @ Lum Berry
Ability: Moxie
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Knock Off
- High Jump Kick
- Drain Punch

Kabutops @ Focus Sash
Ability: Weak Armor
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Rapid Spin
- Hydro Pump
- Stone Edge
- Stealth Rock

Mismagius @ Colbur Berry
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Nasty Plot
- Shadow Ball
- Dazzling Gleam
- Taunt

Incineroar @ Weakness Policy
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Power Trip
- Bulk Up
- Flame Charge
- Substitute

Klinklang @ Electrium Z
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 72 HP / 252 Atk / 184 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Shift Gear
- Gear Grind
- Return
- Wild Charge

Lycanroc Version

Vivillon @ Focus Sash
Ability: Compound Eyes
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Quiver Dance
- Sleep Powder
- Hurricane
- Energy Ball

Scrafty @ Lum Berry
Ability: Moxie
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Knock Off
- High Jump Kick
- Drain Punch

Lycanroc @ Focus Sash
Ability: Steadfast
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Stone Edge
- Stealth Rock
- Taunt
- Endeavor

Mismagius @ Colbur Berry
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Nasty Plot
- Shadow Ball
- Dazzling Gleam
- Taunt

Incineroar @ Weakness Policy
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Power Trip
- Bulk Up
- Flame Charge
- Substitute

Klinklang @ Electrium Z
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 72 HP / 252 Atk / 184 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Shift Gear
- Gear Grind
- Return
- Wild Charge

REPLAYS:

Replays

Unfortunately, I don't have many replays saved, but here are a couple I could find (They're with Lycanroc and not Kabutops, unfortunately):

https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7nususpecttest-725085506 vs Stall. Incineroar sets up vs Steelix, gets WP boost and wins.
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7nususpecttest-725097857 vs RW. Vivillon manages to weaken Steelix, allowing Klinklang to clean.
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7nususpecttest-725100355 Incineroar manages to 1v1 a Mega Audino.
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7nususpecttest-726225879 (TheWall using the team). Incineroar sets up on Steelix and wins.
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7nu-719164386 (EternalSnowman using the team). Incineroar manages to set up on Steelix, again, and cleans.