Featured LC RMT
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Introducing
Hey, fellas, how ya doin'. Furai here, this time with an LC RMT.
I have beem experimenting almost every tier in the BW metagame besides UU and RU (well, and NU) for a while and LC was the latest one I got into. I was awfully bad. Really, I completely hated the tier, because I did not get it. When I decided I wanted to go back into LC, I signed up for LC101 as a tutee. Chieliee was assigned as my tutor.
For our first lessons, I completely sucked. Really. I dropped below 950s if I recall correctly. I took a team that was in my team folder for a long while, and started revamping it with the help of Chieliee. After about a month, experimenting each version of the team and looking for weaknesses, We've Made It was created.
I really like offense, while still being able to remain balanced, so this team perfectly suits me and my playstyle. Someone told me here that "teams are not worth if you are not in perfect sync with them". I aimed for that goal and fortunately I achieved it.
During my climb to the top I have beaten many known people like elevator_music (<3), Ray Jay (:D), D4RR3N (Sup Bitch?) and Drifloon (.sECRET, who had the ladder peaked for a long while).
Before I end the introduction, I'm more than glad to say that I dedicate this team to Chieliee. Without him I wouldn't be here or at that spot.
You deserve it, man!
So yeah, to the team, shall we?
At a Glance
Mienfoo (M) @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Regenerator
EVs: 236 Atk / 36 Def / 236 Spe
Jolly Nature (+Spe, -SpA)
- Drain Punch
- Hi Jump Kick
- Stone Edge
- U-turn
The big boss. Definitely my most favorite Pokémon in this metagame. It's just too good. Mienfoo is my main sweeper and my guard from Scraggy. The thing is, that I must not let Scraggy get to +2, and that is not a hard task with Larvesta and Stunky in the team. Mienfoo also synergizes very well with the team, and gives lots of support like scouting with U-turn, which is just plain awesome with that amazing ability called Regenerator and with Larvesta. This thing also hits like a truck, Hi Jump Kick from Mienfoo is probably the strongest attack in the metagame. Drain Punch is there for backup, in case I don't want to risk a miss like against a ~60% Scraggy or when I'm in low health. Stone Edge is there for coverage, and it's pretty awesome against Gastly, Larvesta, and Flying switch ins, dealing 75% minimum to the first one mentioned.
Bronzor @ Eviolite
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 220 HP / 8 Atk / 152 Def / 4 SpA / 68 SpD / 12 Spe
Sassy Nature (+SpD, -Spe)
- Psychic
- Earthquake
- Toxic
- Stealth Rock
Probably the glue of the team. This little fella right here is my guard against Drilbur and Brave Birds, shame it doesn't get a reliable recovery. But that doesn't mean he's not good, and you all probably know it. Bronzor is most likely one of the best Supporters out there, and for a good reason. Stealth Rock is the most basic Entry Hazard and a must for every team. It allows me to get a few important OHKOs and 2HKOs, like against Scraggy which Hi Jump Kick does 95% minimum - and I am not willing to take the risk. Psychic is a good STAB move, taking care of Croagunks and other Fighting-types, so he won't become a set-up bait for them. Earthquake is there so Magnemite will have a harsh time against me, it shall not get a free Substitute! I am not using Toxic over Hidden Power [Ice] because Psychic does just about the same damage, like ~5% less. Toxic however, allows me to put many Pokémon under pressure like Chinchou, Mienfoo or Drifloon, meaning they would have to pick their move wisely and their lifespan on the field would be shorter.
Croagunk (M) @ Eviolite
Trait: Dry Skin
EVs: 52 HP / 188 Atk / 116 Def / 116 SpD / 36 Spe
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SpA)
- Fake Out
- Sucker Punch
- Drain Punch
- Taunt
Croagunk is a key Pokémon in my team as well. From the beginning I have used the Bulky Attacker because I knew that Croagunk needs to stay on the field as much as possible, because it tanks many hard attacks like Hi Jump Kick. Croagunk also removes Toxic Spikes immediately due to his typing, which are a pain. Fake Out and Sucker Punch are my only priority moves, and on Croagunk they are a very solid choice. With these moves I'm able to check Clamperl, Drilbur, Drifloon, and Gastly, unless they use non-attacking moves which in that case will be a mindgame. Drain Punch is such a cool move. Croagunk has no reliable recovery and Drain Punch combines both STAB and recovery into one attack which is great. With Toxic on Bronzor, I don't really need Toxic on Croagunk too. So I picked Taunt, so SubHypnosis will not have a fun time switching into me. With that I could also smack it with Sucker Punch because it must use an attacking move (or switch), and prevent from stuff like Lileep setting up on me.
Chinchou (M) @ Eviolite
Trait: Volt Absorb
EVs: 52 Def / 232 SpA / 220 Spe
Modest Nature (+SpA, -Atk)
- Volt Switch
- Hydro Pump
- Heal Bell
- Hidden Power Grass
(+).(+) tzz tzz. iss's favorite Pokémon, and probably for a good reason. Chinchou is the third force in the combo of Mienfoo-Larvesta-Chinchou, added after both Mienfoo and Larvesta, being able to spam STAB Volt Switch and heal status causes with Heal Bell. Chinchou functions as a counter to most Water-types, Bulky and Offensive together, in the metagame, especially Staryu which can spin off my Stealth Rock and opposing Chinchou who annoys me with Volt Switch. Hydro Pump is a good STAB move, landing a few marks on my opponent with its big base power. Hidden Power [Grass] is there so I will have something to hit opposing Chinchou with, Hydro Pump barely tickles it.
Larvesta (M) @ Eviolite
Trait: Flame Body
EVs: 76 HP / 156 Atk / 76 Def / 76 SpD / 124 Spe
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SpA)
- Morning Sun
- Will-O-Wisp
- U-turn
- Flare Blitz
The rising star of the metagame. Larvesta is so cute and very important for the team. It allows me to beat U-turn chains by Flame Body haxxing the opponent. This ability comes in handy against Fighting-types the most, except for Timburr, who will just enjoy the burn. I tweaked prem's EVs a bit so I could speedtie with Exeggcute and by that I will leave a lot of pressure on it. Will-O-Wisp is good for the cases where Flame Body doesn't burn my opponent and for trolling those Sucker Punch users (e.g. Stunky HAHAHAHAA). Morning Sun is amazing on Larvesta so it could expand its lifespan on the field. Flare Blitz hits so hard already, combine that with STAB and that it's not even funny anymore. U-turn is another STAB move, which suits the team very well, scouting along with Chinchou and Mienfoo.
Staryu @ Eviolite
Trait: Natural Cure
EVs: 116 HP / 116 SpA / 236 Spe
Timid Nature (+Spe, -Atk)
- Hydro Pump
- Thunderbolt
- Rapid Spin
- Recover
Because every Larvesta needs Rapid Spin support, and Staryu is clearly the best spinner in the game. Staryu as well maintains the Offensive power of Clamperl, while still being bulkier and faster. Recover is all about increasing the time Staryu would spend battling. Hydro Pump hits pretty hard, being able to hit hard stuff like Gastly (which is OHKOed) and Mienfoo. Thunderbolt has very good coverage with Hydro Pump and can dent Water and Flying Pokémon with an ease. Staryu is pretty much self-explanatory, everyone know it because it's really awesome.
So this is my team, I hope you guys enjoyed reading it. I had a lot of fun building it and battling with it, I hope I expressed it enough in this RMT. Just one thing that I can conclude:
Rate My Team!
Introduction
Metagames always shift, and Little Cup is of no exception. Despite the fact that no bans have been made for awhile and the metagame is now more balanced than ever, certain Pokémon have become more popular than others. Originally starting out as almost a hyper offense team, Furai opted to go a more balanced route, as can be seen in the final version of his team. Despite Clamperl being the original star of his team, he realized that it wasn't a perfect fit. No first plan ever survives contact, though, and Furai constantly replaced members of his team with different Pokémon in order to find the perfect combination.
The Team
At a quick glance of Furai's team, there really isn't a dedicated lead, such as Dwebble. In fact, due to the offensive nature that this team has in an attempt to preserve momentum, almost any Pokémon on Furai's team can function as a decent lead. Bronzor has Stealth Rock, while Mienfoo and Larvesta both have U-turn to switch to a counter. Chinchou is in the same boat as the latter two, except it utilizes Volt Switch to change to an appropriate teammate. Staryu also can take the first slot in battle if Furai believes that his opponent is going to lead with Dwebble, one of the most common entry hazard supporters in Little Cup.
Now, because all of Furai's Pokémon complement each other so well, there is no core of 2-3 Pokémon that Furai relies on for his victories. Instead, his Pokémon fill very specific roles and use each other work together to win matches. Mienfoo is, without a doubt, the glue that holds the team together. Mienfoo acts as a great revenge killer and scout, and due to Regenerator, can heal itself in a pinch. Furai's team consists of two more scouts that keep the flow of the battle in his favor: Chinchou and Larvesta. Having great synergy with each other, as well as with the rest of the team, these two Pokémon can hit for decent damage with their STAB transition attacks in Volt Switch and U-turn, respectively, and allow Furai to switch to an appropriate check for the Pokémon his opponent has on the field. Larvesta, a Pokémon that has been gaining a lot of popularity over the past couple of months, has access to Morning Sun—a great recovery move to have in the heat of battle.
But because of Larvesta's crippling weakness to the ever-present Stealth Rock, Furai needed a sturdy Rapid Spinner to take attacks while at the same time being able to spin away entry hazards. Enter Staryu, stage right. With a strong STAB move in Hydro Pump, Staryu can still dish out damage while providing Rapid Spin support to remove pesky entry hazards. Speaking of supporters, the bulkiest Pokémon on Furai's team, Bronzor, is a great asset to this team. With its huge defenses further increased by Eviolite, Bronzor can take punishment all day long, set up Stealth Rock, and spread Toxic while doing so. Throwing in some balance to this offensive-themed team, Bronzor will be Furai's go-to Pokémon when he sees a strong physical attacker such as Drilbur or Timburr on the battlefield or when he faces a strong defensive threat that is weak to status, such as Hippopotas or Lileep.
Finally, there's Croagunk, quite possibly the most annoying Pokémon on Furai's team, and for good reason. With two priority attacks in Fake Out and Sucker Punch, Croagunk has the ability to act before a lot of faster Pokémon and potentially KO them, which is never a bad thing. Being able to heal itself with Drain Punch and remove pesky Ghost-types such as Gastly are never bad things either, not to mention Croagunk also acts as a stop to other Fighting-types, bar Zen Headbutt Scraggy.
Threats
No team is perfect, despite the fact that this one comes pretty damn close to it. Though this team seems to have covered all of its bases pretty well, there are a few problematic Pokémon that will give this team fits. The first is the combination of Magnemite and Drilbur, as Bronzor is the only true counter to Drilbur on this team, and so if it is trapped and KOed by Magnemite, Drilbur in the sand will be able to walk all over this team. Wynaut is also trouble since it traps both Bronzor and Croagunk, and can easily dispatch them with Encore and Counter. Scraggy with Zen Headbutt can also give this team a lot of trouble, especially if Stealth Rock is up, since Larvesta will easily lose to a +1 Crunch. Mienfoo will be able to revenge kill it, but if it mispredicts and the opponent switches to Wynaut as Mienfoo uses Hi Jump Kick, Scraggy will easily be able to smash through the rest of the team. If Croagunk goes down, a DeepSeaTooth Clamperl can easily rip through the rest of the team as well.
Conclusion
Hitting 1500 on the Little Cup ladder is no joke, and with solid victories over the great majority of the Little Cup community, Furai has proven to be quite the contender. A great team with almost no visible holes in it, "We've Made It" has proved itself to be one of the best Little Cup teams of this metagame, and quite possibly of all time.
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