SM PU The Nuclear Family

[SlightlySpritely]

Importable

Jellicent @ Assault Vest
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Shadow Ball
- Giga Drain
- Sludge Bomb

Illumise @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Prankster
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Encore
- Wish
- Protect
- Toxic

Manectric @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Lightning Rod
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Thunderbolt
- Volt Switch
- Overheat
- Hidden Power [Grass]

Sawsbuck (Sawsbuck-Autumn) @ Life Orb
Ability: Sap Sipper
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 Atk / 120 Def / 136 Spe
Impish Nature
- Aromatherapy / Leech Seed
- Horn Leech
- Jump Kick
- Megahorn

Flareon @ Firium Z
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Quick Attack
- Flare Blitz
- Will O Wisp / Heal Bell
- Superpower

Silvally-Ground @ Ground Memory
Ability: RKS System
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 Atk / 200 Def / 56 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Defog
- Parting Shot
- Multi-Attack
- Shadow Claw

Since the original post of this team, I have changed it around and it has undergone surgery, so some of the below posts won't make much sense. Here is an updated version of the team. I need help with a particular goal for this team theme that I've had brewing (warning: it is not a particularly intelligent or powerful team design philosophy).

My goal is to make a team that WORKS well enough to reach and stick in 1300~ rating as well as two main themes:

A.) Run one of each Volt Absorb/Lightning Rod, Water Absorb/Storm Drain/Dry Skin, Flash Fire, Sap Sipper

and

B.) Run lots of U-Turn, Volt Switch, Parting Shot etc to build and maintain momentum.

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Jellicent is one half of my defensive core, it is here to tank SpAtk's that I can't necessarily switch to otherwise - mainly Ice and Water type moves. None of the other Water immunity ability pkmn in this tier could make the cut (Poliwrath, Maractus, Lumineon, Lanturn) with Lanturn being the only pkmn with enough SpDef to make me pause for thought.

I decided to choose Jellicent because of its typing and movepool. This is not your regular defensive pivot Jelli, which means it is actually less flexible - although its spread offers much more raw power and the amount of surprise Giga Drain 80-100% turns on opponents only grows. I really like this pkmn as it is on my team, it has performed stellar.

It is weak to physical Atk wallbreakers, it is especially weak to Knock Off, and other tanky pkmn aren't really threatened out by Jellicent alone, making it prone to being set up on or getting trapped in hellish slogs. Regice in particular has caused me issues, as Flareon is quite frail and doesn't appreciate switching in to a move and then taking lots of recoil damage.

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I've really fallen in love with Illumise, it's the star of the show and keeps my team healthy and supported. Switching around so much means i'm taking a lot of punishment from Hazards and taking some moves on the chin, so I wanted a Cleric/Healer type thing going on. With Rocky Helmet and Toxic, a lot of physical attackers really just hate fighting this thing. Encore lets me punish the plethora of pkmn who like to set up in your face.

Of course Illumise is helpless against Dark types. Absol in particular can get a completely free SD and from then it is very difficult to stabilise the game, which is pretty sucky. Spiritomb, Skuntank, and Liepard can also cause issues but don't completely ruin my day as much as Absols.

Another problem is that I want to perform too much with this pkmn - Defog, U-Turn, Protect, Wish, Encore, Toxic, Aromatherapy are all great moves and there's probably more to choose from. Unfortunately I can only fit 4.

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Manectric is my Electric punisher, complete with Volt Switch to be able to take the SpAtk boost and use it to put a dent in and continue momentum. It outspeeds most of the tier and can often the damage you need to soften up teams at the start. It tries to cover its main weakness with HP Grass but it doesn't really hurt that much without the Lightning Rod boost.

Choice Scarf also can lock it out of Volt Switching when it's finished the job, or mean that it gets trapped in by other Electric type punishers. On the other hand, it's speed makes it a great late game janitor.

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Flareon is my Fire punisher, able to convert Will O Wisp's into Wish U Would's. Z Flare Blitz can often claim or lead to a KO, especially after Flash Fire. Flareon's movepool is also quite flexible for a team with this dumb strategy - it can learn Wish, Baton Pass and Heal Bell to support other members switching around. Weezing is annoying for this team because of Levitate, protecting it from Silvally. Silvally's Defog and Shadow Claw can often bait Weezing into using Will O Wisp, which Flareon can switch into and OHKO with Z Flare Blitz - problem solved.

It's quite frail, and doesn't like switching in to moves that it doesn't resist or absorb. Quick Attack offers some revenge killing possibilities or desperation chip. Other than that, it doesn't particularly perform well outside of it's 1-Dimensional role, and if there are no good opportunities to switch into a Fire move, it is just here to click Z and take a bow.

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Sawsbuck is my Grass punisher, offering big dents of physical damage and also running a bit of support for other members on the side. I needed a pkmn with Aromatherapy/Heal Bell because switching around so much makes it easy for Status to be spread around my team - especially for Silvally who will likely step on T. Spikes in order to Defog them.

I have found that this pkmn completely decimates all the other Grass types in the tier thanks to Megahorn, and can cover it's weakness with Jump Kick. Life Orb is there to offer an impact without having to rely on Sap Sipper boosts, and doesn't detriment too badly thanks to Horn Leech recovering HP.

It runs a weird spread because Flareon and Manectric are already glass cannons so I wanted to have some sort of defensive investment - especially to survive turns where I want to use Aromatherapy. I just.... I just wish so much that this pkmn could learn U-Turn.

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S.G is here because obviously Hazards suck for my team who want to switch around a lot and carry lots of momentum. Rock type physical moves were also a problem for my team so I needed something to soak those up. So I needed a Rock-resistant Defogger who can U-turn/Parting Shot out.

Silvally Steel or Rock was another candidate, but I felt like it left my team too weak to Ground type moves. Unfortunately a this tier sports a whole host of Levitate pkmn, and I felt Shadow Claw covered them well (Haunter, Claydol, Mesprit). The hard thing for me here is deciding if I want my team to be vunerable to Ice or Ground moves.

Here are a couple of replays for those interested in what it looks like when this team does well, although if you are thinking of testing this team out - be warned - any player with more than half a brain can actually either outplay this team hard by counter-predicting your switches, or by simply mowing you down before you get a chance to build momentum. Once you lose one member on this team, the pieces slowly start to fall apart and before long it's exacerbated to the point where you crumble completely.

REPLAYS

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Replay 1: https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7pu-836190827

Replay 2: https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7pu-835727574

Replay 3: http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7pu-836244677 (< this one is short lived, although it displays the core theme of the team at work - switch favourably, maintain momentum, keep denting away)

Replay 4: http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7pu-836868776

Considerations:

Lanturn @ Leftovers
Ability: Water Absorb
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Ice Beam
- Scald
- Heal Bell
- Volt Switch

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So, Lanturn would replace Jellicent on this team as the SpDef tank / Water punisher. The first advantage that really jumps out at me is with Lanturn instead of Jelli, I can have 1 more momentum-move user on the team with it's ability to slow Volt Switch. An additional momentum-move like that would be really nice for this team as I feel like only having 2 with Manectric and Silvally isn't enough. Having Heal Bell lets it further support the team and allows Sawsbuck to run a different move instead of Aromatherapy. The reason I'm not using Lanturn is that I really prefer Jellicent's raw stats and better typing coverage... I would lose a lot of offensive SpAtk capability, having to rely on Manectric for any SpAtk impact.

After experimenting with this change a while, I realised that immediately my team just felt much weaker offensively and started losing a lot more often than I was used to. This is probably due to me running a dumb spread for Lanturn and well pretty much all of my PKMN. It's a damn shame that Sawsbuck and Flareon's Baton Pass is Smogon-banned because I'd love to have another momentum-switching move (that could also donate Sap Sipper's boost to Flareon or Silvally!), but not enough to sacrifice Jellicent for Lanturn. Woe is me.

Lumineon @ Assault Vest
Ability: Storm Drain
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD
Modest Nature
- Ice Beam
- Scald
- Signal Beam
- U-turn

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In much the same vein as Lanturn, Lumineon could replace Jellicent with access to U-Turn and Storm Drain. It has high HP and fair enough defensive values where it could act as some sort of SpDef pivot. Again, the ability to soak and punish a Water move and be able to turn out of battle is exactly what I am looking for, but I seriously cannot stress enough just how much Jellicent's raw stats benefit the team. Lumineon is just quite a weak pkmn and can't make up enough for it to replace Jellicent.

I've started to think that maybe ZU tier would make more sense, Raichu would replace Manectric (who is above ZU) and Lumineon would replace Jellicent (also not in ZU). The team would function much closer to my stated goals, but would be much weaker. Of course every other team would be weaker too since it's a lower tier.

 

[TTK]

Hello! It's nice to see more people try out PU, because it is a good tier to get into. Now I have never done anything like this but since I pretty much spend my days playing PU and I like helping people with PU, I wanna see if we can get your team to function just a little bit better, while still trying to keep pretty much the same pokemon or it isn't really your team anymore is it?

First of all, I have to address the Mesprit set. Choice Band Mes isn't a set. Mesprit is probably one of the most versatile PU mons and it can run a lot of successful sets but unfortunately, Choice Band is far from being a optimal set for it. Since I see you have a lead Lycanroc with Stealth Rock, I figured you wanted an offensive Mesprit set. I suggest that instead of Choice Band, Choice Specs would be a better option.

Specs Mesprit

Mesprit @ Choice Specs
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Psychic
- Dazzling Gleam
- Ice Beam
- Healing Wish

Second of all, Air Balloon on Manectric all isn't that useful for it. On a team like this which lacks speed control, Scarf Mane would be nice for you so you can outspeed scarfers like Togedemaru, which could cause you some problems. You're bang on regarding the attacks but I would replace Signal Beam with Thunderbolt so you have a stronger Electric-STAB move to use alongside Volt Switch.

Now, the last change I think would be ideal for your team. Persian-alola's role in the meta is a bulky pivot which can give momentum via Parting Shot and be able to sponge physical hits from some of our physical attackers in the tier. The Nasty Plot Technician set makes less bulky because it is not running Fur Coat and it just makes it easier to exploit with the good Fighting types we have in the tier and in all honesty, it doesn't hit too hard compared to other special set up sweepers. This links in with your next pokemon, Dusknoir, you'll see why.

Dusknoir isn't that great. It might have high base defences but like you said, it can get blown up by our physical wallbreakers and to be honest a lot of other mons are as well. If you want, it is possible for you to replace Dusknoir with Oricorio-Sensu, which can run a bulky Calm Mind set. I think this is a good idea because once Poliwrath is gone, you're pretty much out of wincons in a game and Oricorio can be your second wincon.

Bulky Sensu

Oricorio-Sensu @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Dancer
EVs: 252 HP / 168 Def / 88 Spe
Timid Nature
- Calm Mind
- Hurricane
- Roost
- Taunt

Now coming back to Persian-alola. You can run the bulky pivot set and with Parting Shot, either Poliwrath or Sensu can come in and start doing their thing, which I think is a good idea. Z-Parting Shot can allow weakened mons come back in on full HP so if Poliwrath is low, it can come in, attempt to Belly Drum and the opposing mons will be dealing less damage. So the z-crystal slot could go to Persian so for Poliwrath, if it's not running a z-crystal, maybe run Sitrus Berry (I'm not sure what item BD poli runs tbh its not common)

Persian Alola

Persian-Alola @ Darkinium Z
Ability: Fur Coat
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Parting Shot
- Taunt
- Foul Play
- Toxic

Hopefully, you can take some of these changes and it'll improve your team. If you need some ideas about the sets that mons run in this tier, checking out the Smogdex to see their sets, because the majority of mons usable in PU have analyses written on them so yeah. Hoped I could be of some assistance to you. Happy PUing!

 

[PTF]

Hi mate, I hope you're enjoying PU and I'm glad you exploring the teambuilding aspect of it. Here are my suggestions for your team.

Broad Picture
Overall, you have sets that aren't viable. Those are Choice Band Mesprit, Air Balloon Manectric and NP Persian-A with Icy Wind and HP Psychic.

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Furthermore, a broad picture of your team reveals that your defensive backbone solely consists of Dusknoir.

The team has a lack of speed control with your fastest mon being Persian-A and you have no hazard control. Finally, you have too many offensive mons trying to set up namely BD Poliwrath, NP Persian-A and Power-up Punch Dusknoir.

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Suggestions

I think the mons that you have chosen are actually quite good mons however, the team needs to be rearranged. The first thing I suggest for you to change is Lead Lycanroc > SD Lycanroc.

set

Lycanroc @ Lycanium Z
Ability: Steadfast
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Stone Edge
- Drill Run
- Sucker Punch

This would act as the wincon for your team and is really good late game sweeper and quite potent in the current meta.

Now given that you need a Stealth Rock setter, I think it would be appropriate to change Choice Band Mesprit into the defensive pivot set. The set is as follows:

Mesprit Set

Mesprit @ Colbur Berry
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpA
Bold Nature
- Stealth Rock
- U-turn
- Psychic
- Healing Wish

This set would not only provide Stealth Rock but allows you to create momentum with U-turn. Furthermore, the set provides you with a good defensive mon that checks Fighting-type mons like Gurdurr and Hitmonchan and blanket checks most mons in the meta. Healing Wish is handy to give your other mons a second chance on the field.

Your team lacks speed and would be quite weak to faster mons like Alolan Dugtrio, Primeape, Omastar at +2 and mons under weather. To help with the speed of the team, I would advise you to use Scarf Manectric rather than the Air Balloon set.

set

Manectric @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Lightning Rod
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Thunderbolt
- Volt Switch
- Overheat
- Hidden Power Grass / Switcheroo

This set helps you outspeed almost every mon in the tier including Dodrio and Omastar at +2. The set provides coverage with Flamethrower and HP Grass for Roselia and Quagsire respectively. Alternatively, you can run Switcheroo which locks the opposing mon into a move, this would be useful against stall or mons that rely on Eviolite. This set also creates synergy with Mesprit which forms a volt-turn core.


Your team lacks any form of hazard removal which is very important in a meta where spikes is everywhere and with a team that has Manectric and Lycanroc being susceptible to the hazards. Since your teams speed is under control and because you need hazard removal, I recommend you go with Skuntank > Persian Alola.

>

set

Skuntank @ Black Sludge / Rocky Helmet
Ability: Aftermath
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Defog
- Pursuit
- Sucker Punch / Crunch
- Poison Jab

Skuntank is really useful for the team because it not only provides hazard removal but also checks Dark and Grass-Type mons including Sableye, Lilligant and Liepard. It also gives an immunity to Psychic mons including opposing Mesprit. It has Pursuit to trap and hurt mons including Jellicent, Mesprit, Alolan Raichu and priority in Sucker Punch that allows you to kill faster mons.

Your team needed a defensive special blanket check and an answer to opposing Lycanroc and Aggron which is why I would change Belly Drum Poliwrath into bulky Wrath.

set

Poliwrath @ Leftovers
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 252 HP / 160 SpA / 96 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Focus Blast
- Toxic
- Vacuum Wave

This set is good against a lot of mons in the meta including Aggron and Lycanroc but also Jellicent, Omastar, and Skuntank. The set is pretty standard and straightforward. Make sure you preserve this mon if Aggron and Lycanroc are still active so as to have a consistent check to them.

Finally, your team needed a strong wallbreaker so as to make it easier for Lycanroc to sweep. Alolan Eggy was chosen over Dusknoir because of its ability to blast holes into many teams with the ease of just clicking a button.

set

Exeggutor-Alola @ Choice Specs
Ability: Frisk
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Leaf Storm
- Draco Meteor
- Flamethrower
- Giga Drain

Hope this helps my friend.