Other Metagames [AAA] Flaming Victory!




Introduction
Flaming Victory! is a semi-stall team for AAA built around Tinted Lens Victini as a wallbreaker and a win condition. Its choice-banded V-create has almost no switchins except some bulky Thick Fat users and, of course, Flash Fire/Primordial Sea users. Even Tapu Fini, a popular PH user, can be OHKOed after Stealth Rock damage.
V-create of course has its drawbacks, as it lowers Victini's speed and both defense stats, so that Victini is usually forced out after one V-create, losing some momentum - and that's why I decided to build a semi-stall team, around it, which is capable of tanking hits and, thanks to a VoltTurn core consisting of two RegenVesters in Landorus and Magearna, regaining momentum to bring Victini in again.
Altough I'm not as high on the ladder as, for example, in BH - mainly because the ladder is currently relatively inactive and it takes so long to find an opponent - I had quite some success with the team like winning some tours and getting Reqs for suspect tests.

Teambuilding Process

Victini is the pokémon I started with and is the team's main offensive mon, capable of OHKOing most of the meta with its powerful V-create, even bulky
like Tapu Fini or Suicune die after some chip damage like from Stealth Rocks.

Skarmory with Flame Body was added as a physical wall, capable of spreading burns - when RNG is kind - and as the team's hazard setter, utilizing both Stealth Rock and Spikes to chip the opposing team, bringing even the bulkiest of the bulkiest mons into V-create range.

The next mon is the blob, which is a blanket check to every special attacker, and, thanks to unaware, can't be broken by setuppers.

The mechanical marvel was added as a secondary specially defensive wall and as a counter to the popular Psychic Surge Alakazam-Mega, which can 2HKO Chansey with Psyshock. It also forms a reliable VoltTurn core with the next member, Landorus-Therian.

RegenVest Landorus-Therian completes the VoltTurn core, supports the team by removing items with Knock Off and has excellent defensive synergy with Magearna, as it is immune to
-type attacks which threaten Magearna and scares out
-types with its Earthquake.

Poison Heal Tapu Fini should serve as both a defogger, and as a bulky late-game win condition; however eventually I saw that I was weak to opposing Tinted Lens Victinis and that Fini, even with Poison Heal, could be worn down too fast when facing strong attackers.

Thick Fat Zapdos was chosen to replace Tapu Fini. With its physically defensive EV investment, it is a reliable switch-in against opposing Tinted Lens Victinis and other physical fire-types, which cannot be walled by Skarmory.

The Team


Victini @ Choice Band

Ability: Tinted Lens
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpDef / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
V-Create
U-turn
Bolt Strike
Trick

Especially since the ban of Hoopa-Unbound, Victini is one of the most fearsome stallbreakers available in AAA. With the combination of Choice Band to boost its attack and Tinted Lens to ignore resists, there are only a few pokemon which can survive its V-create, and even less pokemon which can avoid a 2HKO. Only Flash Fire mons or some bulky Thick Fat users can safely switch into it - but two of the most popular Flash Fire users, Skarmoy and Celesteela, have to watch out for its Bolt Strike. Some users pair their Flash Fire users with an electric-immune pokemon like Motor Drive Manaphy, but with the right predictions, Victini can dismantle such teams easily, like this replay shows.
The adamant Nature was chosen over a jolly one for that little bit of extra power, which can be useful in some situations, while 299 speed is usually enough to outspeed the mons it needs to, as it is usually brought in against not-so-fast bulky mons like Magearna to force them out and get a kill.
While Bolt Strike and V-create are mainly for dealing huge amounts of damage, U-turn lets it gain some momentum by pivoting out of an unfavourable situation into another pokemon and with Trick, it can get rid of the Choice Band to cripple an opposing mon and to gain the ability to change moves freely, which can be important when playing around Flash Fire mons.​


Skarmory @ Rocky Helmet

Ability: Flame Body
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 Spe
Impish Nature
Roost
Brave Bird
Spikes
Stealth Rock

Skarmory supports the team by walling physical attackers and stacking hazards, which help Victini to get some OHKOs like against physically defensive Tapu Fini. I chose Flame Body as its ability to spread burns which help immensely with handling especially choiced or life-orbed stallbreakers. Unaware or even Intimidate are great alternative abilities, but Flame Body burns are unexpected as most Skarmories opt for other abilities and can cripple mons such as Terrakion the team otherwise has trouble with.
As Zapdos is the team's defogger, Skarmory can run both Stealth Rocks and Spikes while still having space for roost and, to prevent being taunt-bait and to kill stuff like Buzzwole, Chestnaught or Breloom, Brave Bird. I also thought about Whirlwind for phazing, but this would make Skarmory too passive, and this team doesn't really need phazing damage.


Zapdos @ Rocky Helmet

Ability: Thick Fat
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpDef
Bold Nature
Discharge
Roost
Defog
U-turn

Zapdos removes hazards, while being a solid switchin against opposing Tinted Lens Victinis thanks to Thick Fat and other physical fire-types. It also has great defensive synergy with Skarmory, resisting
and taking neutral damage from
, while Skarmory takes neutral damage from
. Its Stealth Rock weakness may be annoying sometimes, but usually is not that big of a problem. I chose a Rocky Helmet over Leftovers to deal some chip damage, even when the opposing mon switches out before I can fire off a Discharge.
Discharge was chosen for STAB because of its 30% paralysis chance, which can come in handy against faster threats and helps Victini to outspeed some faster mons, and U-turn serves as a pivoting option, running Heat Wave or Hidden Power Ice over hit is an alternative, but I didn't encountered situations where I really wanted to have those moves on Zapdos.


Landorus-Therian @ Assault Vest

Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 156 Def / 100 SpD
Impish Nature
Earthquake
Stone Edge
U-turn
Knock Off

Landorus-Therian is the first part of the VoltTurn core. A RegenVest set on it is pretty uncommon, so a lot of players are surprised when it tanks an Ice Beam or Hidden Power Ice and kills back the opposing pokemon. Because of the Assault Vest, it loses the ability to set up Stealth Rock, so that Skarmory became the Stealth Rock setter, but thanks to its boosted special bulk, it becomes a much safer check to opposing electric types which tend to run ice coverage, and can also stay in against water types to knock off their item without having to fear their supereffective STAB attacks. Thanks to Regenerator, its biggest flaw, the lack of recovery outside of Leftovers, is fixed, so that it can switch in repeatedly without being worn down too fast.
It also has good defensive synergy with Magearna, being immune to
attacks and forcing out
types with its Earthquake. It also provides great utility in gaining momentum via a slow u-turn to bring in Victini safely and by removing the opposing pokemons's items via Knock Off, which cripples defensive mons by removing their Eviolites, Leftovers... and softens up offensive powerhowses by removing their Life Orbs or choice items.


Magearna @ Assault Vest

Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 / 156 / 100
Sassy Nature
Flash Cannon
Fleur Cannon
Volt Switch
Ice Beam

RegenVest Magearna is one of the best bulky pokemon in the current AAA meta, as it blanket-checks most special attackers, most notably Alakazam-Mega, which 2HKOs Chansey with Psyshock in Psychic Terrain, and Aerilate Noivern, wich can cripple Chansey with Switcheroo for the rest of the match, while Magearna doesn't hate Choice Specs that much. It also checks some physical attackers which can't hit it super-effectively and can switch into Terrakion's Stone Edge easily. Thanks to Regenerator, it also has reliable recovery now, so that it can come in repeatedly. A sassy nature was chosen to be as slow as possible and underspeed opposing Magearnas with Volt Switch to gain momentum and provide a safe switchin for Victini.
I opted to run dual STABs with Fleur Cannon and Flash Cannon with Ice Beam as coverage to kill opposing Zygardes after either tanking thousand Arrows or after they locked themselves into Outrage to get a kill against another teammember. Depending on its EVs, an opposing Landorus also often fails to OHKO, so that it can be nailed with Ice Beam - unless it is a RegenVest variant like mine which survives the Ice Beam comfortably.


Chansey @ Eviolite

Ability: Unaware
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpDef
Bold Nature
Soft-Boiled
Heal Bell
Toxic

Skill Swap
Last, but not least, there's Unaware Chansey, a blanket check to the specially attacking meta, which can now even withstand Tail Glow-boosted Z-moves easily thanks to Unaware. On top of that, it keeps the whole team healthy with its Heal Bell and spreads poisonings to wear down the opposing mons. Skill Swap instead of Seismic Toss might seem odd, but it has proven to be very helpful when facing bulky poison healers, which can otherwise be very annoying, especially if Victini fails to OHKO them from full, and they can hit it super-effectively, like Suicune or Zygarde.

Threatlist

With its great STAB combination, this mammoth can do severe damage to the team and 2HKO almost every pokemon when predicting right. However, it gets outsped by victini which can actually switch into its
attacks, so that it is not a totally hopeless matchup.


Terrakion posesses also a huge threat to the team and can do lots of damage, but gets shut down by Flame Body burns and both Landorus and Magearna can tank a hit and OHKO back with their super-effective STAB moves. If it turns out to not be a choiced but a Swords Dance set and doesn't miss with Stone Edge, it is practically game over.


Yes, opposing Victinis can be dangerous too, especially if they're NOT Tinted Lens, as choice-banded V-create in Desolate Land sun does too much damage to my poor Zapdos. Luckily I can chip them with hazards and Rocky Helmets and force them out with my own Victini.


Landorus-Therian with Gravity is practically a lost matchup, as four of my six mons are ground-weak as long as Gravity is in effect, Chansey still can't tank physical moves (Fur Coat please...) and my own Landorus takes too much damage, especially without Intimidate.


Just extremely annoying, especially when running Flash Fire - forcing me to whittle it down, but thanks to the Regen core, I can easily heal up Leech Seed damage.


Conclusion
Altough this team still has trouble with some of the strongest offensive wallbreakers in Terrakion and Mamoswine, I had quite some success with it and like to play with it. Using a stallbreaker like Victini in a stall team also has the advantage that matchups against opposing stall become much shorter. And maybe Intimidate or Unaware are better for Skarmory, but I like using some unusual stuff and it definitely has its uses - especially when RNG is with me.


Importable
Skarmory @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Flame Body
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Spe
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Spikes
- Brave Bird
- Roost

Victini @ Choice Band
Ability: Tinted Lens
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- V-create
- U-turn
- Bolt Strike
- Trick

Landorus-Therian @ Assault Vest
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 156 Def / 100 SpD
Impish Nature
- Earthquake
- Knock Off
- U-turn
- Stone Edge

Chansey @ Eviolite
Ability: Unaware
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Skill Swap
- Soft-Boiled
- Toxic
- Aromatherapy

Magearna @ Assault Vest
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 100 Def / 156 SpD
Sassy Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Volt Switch
- Fleur Cannon
- Ice Beam
- Flash Cannon

Zapdos @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Thick Fat
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Bold Nature
- Roost
- U-turn
- Defog
- Discharge


 
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IronBullet

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Hi, I'm locking your RMT for the time being since you're only allowed to post one team every two weeks. This is stated in the forum rules. I'll reopen this thread on 26 August.

Edit: Reopened
 
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