XY NU One Trick Pony (1756 Peak #1 on NU Ladder)

[Zenza]

ONE TRICK PONY

Introduction:
Yo what's up guys, i've got my first RMT for y'all today. If you don't know me i'm a voice in the NU room on PS! And love laddering/playing in tournaments. I've been playing pokemon competitively for about 5 or 6 years now, but just very recently got into NU. Anyway, the team I have today is a squad I actually made right before tier shifts, but is still incredibly viable in the current meta (if not better). The short backstory behind the building of this team is back when stall was very good in the meta, I could never seem to break it. So my goal with this team was to build a team that could destroy stall, while doing very well against other play styles as well. The team name was actually thought of by Kiyo, because I am very meh at team building and this is like one of the only good teams i've made all gen. Without further ado, lets get on to the team building process.

Proof of Peak: http://postimg.org/image/r5f1nlcgv/​

Team Building:

Archeops was the first member of the team I added because it's fast taunt to shut down walls, and raw power and coverage let it destroy common stall teams.​

Xatu was then added because of it's similar prowess of breaking stall. Xatu also has decent synergy with Archeops, as it can bounce back the hazards that Archeops despises.

Next we have the mon that seems to be on every team I make: Hariyama. Yama was added because Archeops and Xatu have rather poor type synergy (both weak to ice and rock), and Yama can patch up these weaknesses

Seismitoad was then added because my team lacked a a reliable answer to threats like Klinklang and Feraligatr once they set up. Toad also gives me Rocks, and helps to create a very strong defensive backbone that my team needed.

Vileplume was put on the team to complete my teams defensive core, as Plume gives me an easier way to handle threats like sawk, hariyama, lilligant, sceptile etc.

Last but not least I decided to put scarf rotom on the team, as I needed more speed and I appreciated the fighting/ground immunities it brought to the table.

So yeah, thats how the squad came together :].

In Depth

Archeops
Ability: Defeatist
EVs: 248 HP / 36 Atk / 224 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Acrobatics
- Earthquake
- Roost
- Taunt
​

Alright so here we have the first member of my bird stall breaking core. Archeops is not only here to break stall, it also does incredibly well vs hyper offensive teams due to it's amazing speed tier, and can shred many balance/bulky offensive teams' defensive cores with it's raw power and solid coverage. The set I decided to go with is obviously the stall breaking set. Acrobatics is for strong STAB, EQ provides the best neutral coverage Archeops gets to put alongside Acrobatics, and is generally a solid choice on pokemon such as Archeops. Roost is put on to increase Archeops' survivability throughout a battle, dodge sucker punches, and get it out of defeatist when it needs to. Taunt is the crux of this set. Taunt allows Archeops to shut down walls such as Weezing which would otherwise give Archeops trouble. Taunt also provides nice support for the rest of the team, as it can help prevent hazards which are annoying due to having no hazard removal. Lastly, EV's are enough to outpace positive natured base 106's, while retaining as much bulk and offensive prowess as possible. PS I did not think of this set, I originally saw Brawlfest using it :].

EDIT: Changed Archeops EV's to Bulkychops, as it allows the team to better handle normal types like Zangoose Kanga and Swellow, and also strong fire types that wear down Hariyama quickly like Typhlosion. Thanks to Amarillo for suggesting the EV's.

Xatu @ Colbur Berry
Ability: Magic Bounce
EVs: 248 HP / 84 Def / 176 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Psyshock
- Heat Wave
- Roost
- Calm Mind​

Here we have the second member of my bird stall breaking core. Xatu is the bain of stall's existence. With great natural bulk, decent typing, and access to Magic Bounce there isn't much stall teams can do to stop xatu's rampage. Once you remove the opponents answer to xatu (every stall team has one), all you have to do is get it in safely and watch them cry. Similar to Archeops, Xatu has good utility outside of beating stall, as it is my only real way of stopping hazard stack, my only decent switch into Exeggutor, and one of my best ways to deal with Balance. Colbur berry is the item of choice, as I felt the ability to live pawniard/liepards sucker punch was more important than the recovery of leftovers, or nice chip damage Rocky Helmet provides (although the item can be changed if you prefer one of these, all of those options work fine). Psyshock is here for decently strong stab that helps Xatu break special walls. Heat Wave is my coverage of choice, as it allows me to murder things like steelix, klinklang, ferrossed and Pawniard that could either set up on Xatu or just plain wall it. Roost is on the set for recovery, and Calm Mind is what allows Xatu to beat stall and get past bulky walls. EV's let Xatu outpace Adamant Sawk, which would otherwise be a pretty big threat to the team.

Hariyama @ Assault Vest
Ability: Thick Fat
EVs: 252 Atk / 212 SpD / 44 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Close Combat
- Knock Off
- Heavy Slam
- Bullet Punch
​

Ah Hariyama, is there a team you don't fit well on? Seriously this thing is a monster. Yama is on the squad to help deal with strong special attackers such as Typhlosion, Pyroar and Samurott. Yama also helps mitigate the teams otherwise immense weakness to freeze dry users, and provides an incredibly useful rock resist. Assault Vest is obviously the item I choose, as other items wouldn't allow Yama to do what it does best: Chew hits for days. Close Combat is there for strong stab, Knock off provides almost perfect neutral coverage with CC, and provides great team support. The next coverage move was a tricky choice, but I decided to go with Heavy Slam; as I already have two users of EQ and a Psychic type for poisons, and Vileplume isn't a big threat for this team so Ice Punch wasn't particularly useful. Heavy Slam allows me to destroy annoying fairies such as Togetic, Slurpuff and Granbull, who are all annoying to this team. Because fairies are so annoying, I went with Bullet Punch in my last moveslot to help me pick off these damn fairies, and also gives my team a little priority which is something it otherwise lacked. EV's could possibly be optimized, but I run enough speed to get the jump on base 55's while also avoiding a 2 hit KO from Specs Typhlosions Extrasensory after rocks.

Seismitoad @ Leftovers
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 200 HP / 252 Def / 56 SpD
Relaxed Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Scald
- Earthquake
- Toxic​

Seismitoad is on this team to help deal with threats like Feraligatr, Klinklang, and Archeops to an extent. Along with this, Toad also gives me Stealth Rocks which every team needs, key immunities to electric and water, and is just a good mon in general. Leftovers is the obvious item of choice to help with longevity, and a relaxed nature was chosen because I didn't want to have to weaken scald or EQ. Rocks, Scald, and EQ were obvious choices, and the last slot was given to Toxic over something like Knock as I value the ability to toxic shit like Sceptile and Lilligant that love to switch in on Toad. Ev's are to hit a leftovers number, and give me maximum physical defense.

Vileplume @ Black Sludge
Ability: Effect Spore
EVs: 244 HP / 252 Def/ 12 Spe
Bold Nature
- Giga Drain
- Sludge Bomb
- Aromatherapy/ Hidden Power [Fire]
- Synthesis​

Vileplume is a very interesting mon on this team, and easily the mon that has changed the most. I started with physically defensive Plume with aromatherapy over HP fire, but as I tested the team more and more; I started to think I didn't really need the extra bulk that came with physically defensive Plume so i changed it to offensive. This change worked rather well, and is what i'm sticking with for now (although if you prefer physically defensive plume it works rather well also). Even when running offensive Plume, Aromatherapy is still a viable option over HP fire, as almost all of my other mons have super effective coverage for steel types anyway. Ev's are to hit a lefties number, and the moves are fairly simple, but Giga drain for reliable STAB, Sludge Bomb for strong secondary STAB, HP Fire to round out coverage, and Synthesis for survivability.

EDIT: After testing the team even more, I have come to the conclusion that defensive Plume is in fact better than offensive for this team in the current metagame. Ty to Can-eh-Dian and Galbia for suggesting the switch.

Rotom @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Volt Switch
- Shadow Ball
- Trick
- Will-O-Wisp/Thunderbolt​

Lastly we have Rotom. Rotom is here due to it's excellent typing for my team, ability to revenge kill speedy threats, and trick annoying walls. The set is very standard, and the only thing really changeable about it is Wil-O-Wisp vs Thunderbolt. I prefer Wil-O to catch things like Yama and Pawniard, but thunderbolt is completely viable as well for stronger and more reliable Electric STAB.

Threats:​

Malamar is a pretty big threat to this team, as it's dual stab + Superpower is unresisted by my team. Scarf Malamar isn't too big of a deal as long as you have your prediction pants on, but AV, Rest Talk, and ChestoResto are huge threats. The way I normally deal with Malamar is getting off a Toxic with Toad, and then pivoting around or sacking a member.

This thing will be the death of me I swear. The way I usually deal with Ice types is with Yama, but because Articuno has access to STAB Hurricane, this doesn't really work out to well. Freeze Dry + Flying coverage is incredibly difficult for the team to deal with, so play extremely smart around Articuno. Best way to deal with it is keep Rocks on your opponents side of the field I suppose. Articuno, while not relevant is absolutely the biggest threat to this team.

Pangoro is a threat especially when you're running offensive Plume over defensive Plume. Nothing really switches into it's dual STAB, but Toad and Plume can both eat a hit or two, and Archeops can always revenge or rotom can burn it.

Exeggutor is a big threat because my only have decent switch in is Xatu (seriously, what switches into this thing in the tier lol) But yeah, if it's anything but Specs/Life Orb Eggy or trick room sitrus berry (Can-Eh-Dian) it isn't a problem. If you can keep Rocks off the field Xatu can always eat two Leaf storms iirc.

Mesprit is a threat to this team depending on the coverage/set it is running. Physical Scarf Mesprit isn't too big of a deal, but special Mesprit with the coverage of Psyshock/Energy Ball/Ice Beam/ Filler is kind of rapes the team. Luckily, most Mesprit don't run Ice Beam which means Xatu can check Mesprit fairly well. Best way to deal with this is to scout for what set/coverage Mesprit has, and react accordingly. (Normally keeping Rocks off your side of the field and using Xatu as a pivot for mesprit).

Conclusion:​

As you can see, most of the biggest threats to this team are all somewhat uncommon, which is one of the reasons why this team does so well. I've had great success with it in tournaments (used it in all of my 5 rounds of NU open), and it obviously does well on the ladder. Feel free to try out the team yourself, and comment any changes you suggest. Thanks for reading :].

Importable:
http://pastebin.com/4dAp3dZY

SHOUT OUTS:
Hollywood: Global Leader and Room Owner in NU, a guy who's opinion I really respect is funny as hell too.
Raseri: NU Leader and the guy who first got me into NU as a tier. Always helpful.
Zebraiken: Not someone I talk to too much but a great player and is NU Co- Leader. Chill Guy.
FLCL: I think one time we talked iirc lol..great battler and the player I probably admire most in NU.
Hyunation: Mod in NU room, hilarious guy who actually knows his shit about basketball which I appreciate :]
Montsegur: Mod in NU room..also not someone I talk to a lot but a cool guy who is p good at battling too.
Quite Quiet: Mod in NU room who is super active and a really nice guy to come to when I have a question.
scorpdestroyer: Not someone i speak with a ton, but a guy who knows his stuff when it comes to mons, and a cool guy overall.
SolarisFox: Mod in NU room and Room Owner of the Art room too iirc, helped me get my YT Banner which was awesome so I am forver in debt :]
Soulgazer: Real cool guy who has a great mind for pokemon overall..used to intimidate me a lot but is now a fren lol.
iTeddeh: One of my first and best friends in NU, a great battler and one of the nicest guys in the community.
Aladyyn: Cool guy who is a p good battler as well, i like watching you rage on ladder haha.
Brawlfest: A great team builder and rater which is something i envy. Real funny guy too.
Can-Eh-Dian: One of the funniest guys in the community, Evan is good fren. Also a good battler and good Youtuber.
Davon: Real cool guy who is a great builder and good battler who I have made a lot of good teams with and had a lot of funny convo's with. Good fren.
Deej Dy: One of my first friends in NU, I can always count on Deej for a good battle. Really good battler and a better fren.
HJAD: Not someone I talk to a ton, but nice guy who I look forward to playing in NULT Playoffs ;]
QueenOfLuvdiscs: Really good friend of mine who always accepts me even when i'm being a horse lol...very good battler and also has a good mind for team building.
The Goomy: Hilarious guy who is a good friend of mine. Good battler and a better Youtuber.
iplaytennislol: The only other jew in the community, an awesome friend who is a very innovative team builder, which is something i'd like to pick up. Good battler and a nice guy.
Realistic Waters: Kinda quiet sometimes but that's what I love about you <3. Seriously though, very good battler and a nice fren.
Sir Kay 9: Probably the nicest guy in the NU room, Kay is a p good battler and a better fren.
TheCanadianWifier: Very good battler and friend, Richard is also one of the funniest guys i know. Very innovative and a cool guy.
Thrillz: One of my best friends on the site and also probably the funniest guy I know, Thrillz always makes me laugh. P good battler too, a really good guy.
Kiyo: A super cool guy who is a great battler and team builder. Kiyo really has a knack for making the right plays during a game which is something you can't teach. Overall an awesome guy.
DMT: Room Owner in UU room, and a hilarious and very nice guy. Cool guy and probably my favorite Youtuber atm.
swagilyph: another guy who is funny as hell, p good battler and an awesome youtuber too. Good fren.
boltsandbombers: p cool guy who is a great team rater and a good battler too. Nice friend.
Scarf Buck: Nice guy who should be voice again imo. P good battler and a funny dude
Sorry if I forgot someone, I basically looked at the room auth in the NU room (and kiyo), and chose the people I know

​

 

[boltsandbombers]

Hi friend, nice team!
I honestly don't have much to change as your team is very well built and covers most of the common threats in NU.

A few small tweaks: Unless you really need the speed creep, I suggest just maxing out special attack on Vileplume for obvious reasons.
Also on Vileplume, running aromatherapy over HP fire can be useful as you already have Heat Wave on Xatu which lures in the Steel-types that HP fire is meant to hit on Vileplume, but you have them slashed so yeah.

I also suggest running Earthquake or Ice Punch over Heavy Slam on Hariyama. While it is nice to be able to prevent Slurpuff from setting up, granbull and togetic are becoming much less common these days and Posion-types such as Garbodor, Vilelplume, and Dragalge are used more often for switch ins to Fighting-types. EQ is particularly nice to lure in Garbodor while avoiding the Rocky Helmet and Aftermath damage, while Ice Punch is just for plume.
Aside from that, the only thing I would change is Knock Off over Toxic on Seismitoad but I guess thats just personal preference.

P.S. I'm Jewish as well, so I guess that makes tennis not the only other one in the community :P (Also I feel a little left out from the shoutouts js)

 

[Zenza]

thanks for the rate fren,
on vileplume yeah i should probably be running 252 sp.atk but i am crazy about speed creeps and the difference between 248 sp.atk and 252 is basically non noticeable.
Regarding Hariyama, I feel i don't really need EQ on it due to having two other mons with EQ and xatu to handle poisons like Garb. I dont think I really need Ice Punch either, because I have xatu, archeops, and my own plume to an extent to beat other vileplume. Regardless, I will consider slashing both and thanks for the rate :]

PS: Sorry about the shoutouts, i basically looked at the NU Auth's and figured i got everyone lol

 

[Evan.]

an awesome friend who is a very innovative team builder, which is something i'd like to pick up.​

​

What VileToad + RotoYama + Xatu + Filler isn't innovation? ;)

anyways not much can be said about this team, it's incredibly solid and the only change I would have made you found yourself which was switching the Mesprit you originally had to a Xatu which you have now. One thing I see however is that because you are running a more offensive version of Vileplume, if your Seismitoad gets weakened Feraligatr does a lot of work to your team. I would recommend changing to a more defensive spread on Vileplume so that if need be you can take a +2 ice punch from Feraligatr and either kill or revenge with Rotom. Also you should be running HP Fire because giving Klinklang free set-up turns doesn't fare well for your team, especially if Toad is weakened. Cool team CHAD.

p.s oh yeah sitrusroom eggy annhiliates this team with mesprit js: http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/nu-175793345

Vileplume @ Black Sludge
Ability: Effect Spore
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 Spd
Bold Nature
- Giga Drain
- Sludge Bomb
- Synthesis
- Hidden Power Fire

 

[Zenza]

ye back when I had Mesprit > Xatu the team literally got 6-0'd by Eggy lol. Regarding Plume, basically for the exact same reasons you just mentioned is why I mention in the RMT that running a more physically defensive Plume works just as well so yea i agree with you on that. thanks for the rate amigo

 

[Ares]

Thx for the shoutout dude,

So I've been looking at this team for a little while now, and there really isnt anything I can suggest that will drastically improve it. You've already ironed out all of the major kinks and play tested a ton with it, the one thing I can recommend trying is Dragalge > Vileplume if you somehow wanted to fit Toxic Spikes on your team as this lets you put more offensive pressure on things like Malamar and Pangoro. I know people like deej are big fans of Toxic Spikes as it can quickly turn a 3HKO into a 2HKO and help you wear down bulky walls. This is more a personal preference, and from the short time testing the team I couldn't see any problems with the switching out of plume.

Also your team gets messed up by E-Ball, Ice Beam, Psyshock Mesprit lol, might wanna add that to the threat list.

Dragalge @ Black Sludge
Ability: Poison Point
EVs: 180 HP / 252 Def / 76 Spe
Bold Nature
- Toxic Spikes
- Protect
- Sludge Bomb
- Dragon Tail

 

[g]

Hi Aquajetbrelool, cool team!

This team has all around has answer to all the threats in this metagame and I can see it struggle only against offensive teams that have multiple sweepers walled by Seismitoad as they can usually pressure it enough to let the other sweep.
Another big threat to your teak I can see is Swords Dance Sceptile as it can set up on Seismitoad quite easily and sweep you if Xatu is at around 50 (as offensive plume is ohkod at +2!).
You honestly can't do much about that bar again changing Vileplume spread to a more defensive one like any other else said and play smart around them.

Anyway congrats on your peak and good luck in the ladder tournament!

 

[Zenza]

After play testing the team even more, I have come to the conclusion that Defensive Vileplume over Offensive Vileplume is what the team needs for the current meta game. As it eases the role of Seismitoad against very offensive teams that have two threats toad needs to check (like Gatr and a Klinklang). Ty to Can-eh-Dian and Galbia for further suggesting the change. Also I will be testing Dragalge > Vileplume today. Thanks everyone :]]

 

[marilli]

Yo just letting you know, the real manly taunt roost archeops uses 248 HP / 36 Atk / 224 Spe, which is what Brawlfest actually uses. It's crazy how much damage it does with uninvested attack, which was probably why you assumed it was max invested in attack. The additional bulk is really useful because it allows Archeops to take on Fire-types and Normal types a whole lot better, while in contrast most other offensive threats get OHKOed. Your team has an assault vest Hariyama, which makes it so that it exactly isn't necessary to go Bulcheops, but your team lacks a normal resist asides from Archeops. It's very good to have something that can actually switch into the typical EQ Kangaskhan sets while posing offensive threat as well! Also another thing the bulk lets you do is directly switching into predicted Knock Offs from fighters and stuff without losing your item, and makes an ok switch-in to Liepard if it has to come to that.

I'm not sure if this is common knowledge that taunt roost set actually invests a lot in bulk but this set is amazing and more people should use it!

 

[Zenza]

I appreciate the Rate Amarillo! I have actually seen Brawl use the set i put in the RMT as well, (ik the spread bc he RMT'd it); but i will certainly give bulky arch a shot. I originally saw him using the set with max attack quite a while ago, so it might be outdated (and replaced with bulkychops) by now :/Anyway, thanks for the suggestion, ill test it tomorrow budE

 

[soulgazer]

AquajetBreloom You should try Dazzling Gleam over Heat Wave on your Xatu and keep Hidden Power Fire on Vileplume imo. With Deej Dy spamming Malamar on the ladder you should probably try to not get 6-0d by it lol and Hidden Power Fire on Plume will be helpful to damage Ferroseed, which loves to switch on Plume.

nice n standard hari+ground+vileplume balance still doing work

 

[Zenza]

After testing a bit more, I really like Dragalge > Plume, as toxic spikes are quite helpful to the team, but I am not going to make the official change just yet. Next, I am going to change the EV's on Archeops to Bulkychops, as it allows me to better handle normal types like Zangoose and Kanga, and also strong fire types that wear down Hariyama quickly like Typhlosion + Pyroar. Ty to Amarillo for suggesting the change. Lastly, I will be testing Dazzling Gleam > Heat Wave on xatu to help mitigate my Malamar problem.