Please note that this team is no longer usable in LC following the Misdreavus ban.
As many of you know, Meditite and Murkrow (Swagger too) were recently banned from LC, leaving all sorts of new teambuilding possibilities. After my rating dropped a good 200 points from testing so much, I finally found a team that both works well and I love using.
Teambuilding Process:
All the shifts in the metagames left multiple things I wanted to try out, such as Trubbish, Riolu, and Fletchling + Diglett. After extensive testing with Fletchling + Diglett, I decided to move away from that and try Riolu, producing this team.
Pawniard, besides being great by itself, goes great with Riolu
I needed hazards, which are ridiculously important right now, and a birdspam check that could still keep the offensive pressure. Archen was the perfect fit
Enter Trubbish, the perfect Spike stacker that I really wanted to try out
With Pawniard already there to prevent Defog, I needed a spinblocker. Missy was the only option.
I also wanted to try out Scraggy, who got several times more dangerous with the new bans. Extremely dangerous, while further supporting the team with Intimidate and Knock Off
At this point I did quite a lot of testing and noticed that: 1. I had no switch-in to missy, 2. I had nothing to take tougher hits, and 3. Trubbish just wasn't doing it. So after doing a lot of digging, I found a great replacement: Porygon!
So I really loved the final result -- even without a pivot, switches were easy, it could take on most anything, and it could continually wear down opposing team to the point where at least one of my three win conditions could sweep. It's both viable and fun, which is what I look for in any team.
Riolu @ Eviolite
Ability: Prankster
Level: 5
EVs: 36 HP / 196 Atk / 116 Def / 36 SpD / 116 Spe
Adamant Nature
- High Jump Kick
- Swords Dance
- Copycat
- Crunch
No, I'm not using that Copycat + Roar crap, I'm using HJK + Copycat :P. This strategy actually works really well, and often doesn't even need boosts to sweep. It makes me relatively safe from smashers, Scraggy, and various other setup sweepers, while continually sitting on the sidelines, pressuring the opponent as they have to keep a counter ready to go. This is also immune to Protect, as only bulky mons use it and when it Copycats it will copy the protect instead of the HJK, and then can just HJK again. It's a bit gimmicky, but still insanely fun to use.
Pawniard @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Defiant
Level: 5
EVs: 236 Atk / 76 SpD / 196 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Pursuit
- Knock Off
- Iron Head
- Brick Break
Pawniard is definitely S rank for a reason, and if you use it, you will see why. Pawniard not only serves as my scarfer, but is glue, a Defog blocker, a trapper, a Knock Off supporter, and a Fletchling check all at the same time. This ability to do so much so well leaves me with little reason not to use it. It traps Fletch and Ghost types for Riolu, and Knock Offs for the rest of the team.
Archen (M) @ Berry Juice
Ability: Defeatist
Level: 5
EVs: 180 Atk / 132 Def / 196 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Acrobatics
- Stealth Rock
- Rock Slide
- Knock Off
I know what you're probably thinking. "Ew Defeatist". You're right, as it is a pain in the side, but Archen is still good. Not only does Archen annoy Fletchling + Diglett to no end, but it also supports with Knock Off and Stealth Rock and deals tons of damage with Acrobatics.
Porygon @ Eviolite
Ability: Download
Level: 5
EVs: 236 HP / 236 SpA
Modest Nature
- Tri Attack
- Hidden Power [Fighting]
- Recover
- Shadow Ball
A fairly straightforward set. Bulky attacker, kills Pawniard with HP Fighting. I mainly added this as a response to missy, but it's great otherwise. if all else fails it can take all sorts of hits, allowing me to KO back and prevent a potential sweep.
Misdreavus @ Eviolite
Ability: Levitate
Level: 5
EVs: 236 SpA / 36 SpD/ 236 Spe
Timid Nature
- Substitute
- Nasty Plot
- Shadow Ball
- Dazzling Gleam
If something is broken in LC, it's this thing. It looks fantastic on paper, but in performance it's not quite as good, allowing it to stay. Don't get me wrong though, it is amazing. It forces an incredible amount of switches, allowing me to sub, potentially NP, and sweep.
Scraggy @ Eviolite
Ability: Intimidate
Level: 5
EVs: 236 Atk / 60 SpD / 212 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Knock Off
- Dragon Dance
- Drain Punch
- Iron Head
I'm getting tired of this, so I'll make this quick. Intimidate and Knock Off support, can sweep.
Replay One
