Team Building Process
So I kinda wanted to build a team round this guy after reading about his Unburden set! I was wondering why Sceptile then was in such a low tier (although now I kinda understand why...)
I needed a someone who could deal with and resist alot of Sceptiles weaknesses - A toss up between Armaldo and Crustle... Although I love Crustle, I wanted a change and Armaldo had the right moves to set up with no defence reduction...
I needed a wall! - I tried both Musharna (multiple weaknesses) and Alomomola (defensive and boring) but neither took my fancy! Weezing offered only one weakness and an extremely high defense (and access to Will-O-Wisp).
I needed a Special Attacker and, with the prevalence of Normal-type sweepers (Belly Drum Linoone, Toxic Orb Zangoose, etc.), I needed a resistance for that too... Two birds, one stone... Mismagius!
The Normal-Ghost type combo features alot in NU! Ursaring was an option here but was too slow - Zangoose was next in line! With access to Knock-Off, it became more appealing (seeing the importance of items in this tier - similar to LC)
Finally, I needed someone to offer another dimension to my special attacking prowess! I figured an electric or water type... I considered Stallrein and Offensive Lapras sets but neither matched Politoed's power!
Completed Team
In-Depth Look
Sceptile @ Focus Sash
Ability: Unburden
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Leaf Blade
- Drain Punch
- Rock Slide
- Swords Dance
The set is simple to run... Come in on a super effective hit causing the sash to break, you use Swords Dance - Unburden kicks in... Youre ready to sweep!
Leaf Blade is a brilliant STAB (with a +2 boost it cuts through teams!), Rock Slide covers checks and Drain punch is for coverage - Stealth Rocks cripples this set and without support, the strategy is useless! The boosts can be deadly, but theres a reason you barely see this guy in NU...
Armaldo @ Leftovers
Ability: Battle Armor
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature
- X-Scissor
- Rock Slide
- Earthquake
- Swords Dance
X-Scissor hits both Dark and Psychic types hard! Rock Slide allows it to counter its own switch-ins. Earthquake offers coverage hitting Poison and Steel types... (no STAB fire move means I need a way of dealing with bulky Steels)
Armaldo is usually my lead so this dodges his defensive frailties - He can hit hard but on a bad day can also be pretty useless - the Speed EVs seem redundant considering its already low Base speed!
Weezing @ Black Sludge
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SDef
Bold Nature
- Sludge Bomb
- Flamethrower
- Pain Split
- Will-O-Wisp
Pretty standard Weezing set - this guy is a MONSTER! Walls hits, causes switches = incredible - my go-to guy when I need to defend!
Sludge Bomb hits Fairies and Grass types nicely. Flamethrower attempts to deal with Steels... Pain Split helps heal along with Black Sludge (has taken down walls/healers with a Split-Wisp combination...) - STABed special attacks can be crippling though...
Mismagius @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Shadow Ball
- Hidden Power [Fighting]
- Calm Mind
- Substitute
The Shadow Ball-HP Fighting combo (ie. perfect Ghost-Fighting coverage) hits hard with CM boosts - Substitute acts as a defensive and scouting move
Physical dark moves cripple Mismagius (doesnt need to be STAB) - Crunch and Knock Off have been used effectively - Ghost moves are not an issue as Missy outspeeds ghost-move users. Standard special sweeper EV spread.
Zangoose @ Toxic Orb
Ability: Toxic Boost
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature
- Facade
- Close Combat
- Knock Off
- Swords Dance
It has such a cool ability but I also understand why its low in the tier ranking - its both my insane physical attacker and weak spot! Generally the battle pivots on Zangoose: if killed quickly, momentum is theirs...
Move set built for coverage - Facade + STAB + Statused + SD Boost = Incredible Power (the sole reason for being here) Knock Off deals with ghost switches - CC hits hard
Politoed @ Choice Specs
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SAtk
Modest Nature
- Scald
- Ice Beam
- Psychic
- Hidden Power [Electric]
This guy can be an incredible bulky special sweeper. Scald = STAB - Ice Beam deals with Grass types and Defensive Altaria sets. Psychic hits fighting and poison types - HP Electric is used to hit waters (as i only like switching to Sceptile when i can activate unburden)
It can take a few hits considering EV spread... STABed Giga Drain doesnt OHKO at times...
That's the team... If you've got this far, thanks!! :D Any constructive criticism is welcome!
