SM RU Tyrantrum-based

[Ballislife01]

Import

Tyrantrum @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Rock Head
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Head Smash
- Crunch
- Earthquake
- Outrage

Toxicroak @ Black Sludge
Ability: Dry Skin
EVs: 252 HP / 148 SpD / 108 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Drain Punch
- Gunk Shot
- Protect

Raikou @ Life Orb
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Volt Switch
- Discharge
- Extrasensory
- Hidden Power [Ice]

Swellow @ Choice Specs
Ability: Scrappy
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Boomburst
- Air Slash
- Heat Wave
- U-turn

Escavalier @ Leftovers
Ability: Overcoat
EVs: 252 HP / 44 Atk / 204 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Megahorn
- Iron Head
- Protect
- Knock Off

Blastoise-Mega @ Blastoisinite
Ability: Rain Dish
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Rapid Spin
- Scald
- Ice Beam
- Dark Pulse

Note: in no way are any of these sets original. For the most part, they're based on popular sets readily available on smogon. I wanted to base a team focused around supporting scarfed Tyrantrum. It's still a work in progress, and I'm open to any suggestions or identified weaknesses.

Tyrantrum | the truck that lost control of the breaks going 85 on a 60

Tyrantrum @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Rock Head
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Head Smash
- Crunch
- Earthquake
- Outrage

I really don't understand why I don't see more scarfed tyrantrum in RU. At 398 speed, you outspeed most unscarfed mons bar Mega-Sceptile. Head Smash + Rock Head is a very satisfying combo and is my default option in most cases. I try not to break out tyrantrum too early in the game and prefer to bait out any potential speed / defensive threats that can't be one-shotted by a head smash or outrage lock. If I feel like I have a good idea on what my opponent will lead with, I might occasionally start with tyrantrum just for the thrill of it. Getting a KO during the first turn is always appreciated if I can get a safe switch out. Bulky fairies are a problem, which is why I run escavalier + toxicroak. Outrage over dragon claw since getting locked into outrage isn't bad once your opponent's would-be safe switch-ins are gone late game. Crunch is meh, its only marginally useful over Head Smash. Head Smash's low PP isn't great, but in most battles, I don't need to guard my usage of it too closely.

Toxicroak | kind of a bully

Toxicroak @ Black Sludge
Ability: Dry Skin
EVs: 252 HP / 148 SpD / 108 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Drain Punch
- Gunk Shot
- Protect

I love toxicroak, he's cool and has a few fun tricks. First, EVs are set in a way to gaurantee a 3-KO from Mega-Blastoise's Ice Beam. By gettting a safe switch into a water move + a SD, toxicroak becomes a huge threat. Drain Punch + Protect sustain him and help scout out moves by your opponent. Gunk shot will hit like a truck. He's a solid counter for a good deal of threats: M-Blastoise, Araquanid, Golisopod, Florges, Exeggutor, and Slurpuff, and to some extent Milotic a lot of which pose a huge threat to Tyrantrum. Gardevoir can be a threat since it outspeeds toxicroak and can KO with pschic/psyshock, however if its brought in on the switch, Toxicroak KO's with Gunk Shot.

Raikou | oh wow, his sprite out right shows the specific fur pattern around his arse
Raikou @ Life Orb
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Volt Switch
- Discharge
- Extrasensory
- Hidden Power [Ice]

Raikou does work. I have landed so many nice OHKO's with a HP ice on switch-ins that expecting to take up a volt/charge, namely Flygon, Zygarde-10%, and M-Sceptile. Often times, I'll lead with Raikou when I see my opponent carries on of those specific pokemon because more often than not, they'll end up switching them in. Its a nice first turn KO, and makes it easier to play volt switch without worry. Extrasensory isn't as handy as I'd like, but it handles poison types like Roserade, Toxicroak, and Salazzle pretty well.

Swellow | a representation of the missiles used on Bikini Atoll

Swellow @ Choice Specs
Ability: Scrappy
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Boomburst
- Air Slash
- Heat Wave
- U-turn

A set that's gaining some popularity, BomSpec Swellow is a joy to play. I'll occasionally lead if I think I can get a clean OHKO with boomburst, otherwise U-turn can deal a very modest amount of damage to bring in someone else. Having the ability to bypass subs is super nice. Heat Wave catches a lot of people off guard and threatens Forretress, and Escavalier. Air Slash is mainly there since for STAB + flinch chance, however it's never something to count on.

Escavalier | a harsh switch-in

Escavalier @ Leftovers
Ability: Overcoat
EVs: 252 HP / 44 Atk / 204 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Megahorn
- Iron Head
- Protect
- Knock Off

I've been toying with Escavalier's stats, currently testing a higher defense investment, but this is what I've been running with good results so far. Protect is a nice scouting move and gives leftovers another chance to recover HP. Knock off really ruins eviolite tanks and Alola-Marowak. Megahorn deals a ton of damage, and Iron Head threatens fairies. Synergizes will with Tyrantrum by bodying Steel/Fairy/Ice moves that threaten our star. Bulky water types can really cripple Escavalier with Scald, so Toxicroak should generally be switched in to potentially gain some HP.

Blastoise | 'Splash-able' Support

Blastoise-Mega @ Blastoisinite
Ability: Rain Dish
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Rapid Spin
- Scald
- Ice Beam
- Dark Pulse

For a while I ran Mantine in this slot, but its additional flying type + lower BST just made it harder to efficiently use. Rapid Spin + Dark Pulse lets us work around potentially spin-blocking issues, Scald over water pulse since 30% chance to burn and cripple an offensive attacker vs increase power of 10 and 20% chance to have an opponent confused which then has a 33.3% chance of activating. Ice Beam threatens grass types that might consider switching in. The bulk has really helped Blastoise sustain itself throughout the match, but lack of recovery can feel scary on a offensive team.

I think this team would really benefit from Wish/Bell member that restore HP and decrease worry over status. Might try to see how Vaporeon runs in liew of Blastoise, however the lack of hazard removal is scary.

 

[esche]

Hi!

Points that need to be addressed:

Public Enemy #1: Sceptile-Mega

This monster applies an unhealthy amount of pressure to your team, so much that after a bit of damage on Escavalier, if it carries HP Fire, which almost half of them do according to usage statistics, it may cleanly sweep your team. Substitute + Leech Seed variations too will annoy and eventually beat Escavalier (not as common a set, but still good to be wary of), and while Raikou can take a hit from full HP, it is pressured too easily by hazards and Life Orb recoil to be considered a reliable check.

Others:

Now I could go on and explain why in particular circumstances Pokémon such as DD Zygarde and Flygon as well as to some degree Snorlax might be putting you in a bit of a situation from time to time (Barbaracle is yet another threat that Choice Scarf Tyrantrum teams always have to be wary of), though I think that generally you have ways of dancing around most offensive threats if you're careful not to let up the pressure yourself. I just felt that Sceptile-Mega needed to pointed out here considering it doesn't need turns to set up versus your team to be immediately threatening. Anyway, I will move on to the more technical stuff now.

Hazards

You definitely want some form of hazard pressure on this team. Stealth Rock is pretty much a necessity and given you're running offense, Spikes wouldn't hurt either. Stacking hazards also pairs nicely with a Rapid Spin user such as Blastoise-Mega, in contrast to Defog.

Various Moveset Recommendations

Raikou, Blastoise-M and Tyrantrum to be specific. See below!

Minor Fixes:

Raikou Moveset

I find LO 4 attacks Raikou to be an underperforming set on this team. Threatening bulkier teams with a CM boost under your belt appears to me to be of much greater utility for this team. Extrasensory and HP Ice give the best coverage options here alongside Thunderbolt, unless I'm missing something significant that Shadow Ball hits. With a Shuca Berry equipped this Raikou will also act as a fine lure for the likes of Choice Scarf Flygon, Zygarde and even bulky EQ Metagross, all of which Choice Scarf Tyrantrum appreciates removed or weakened. You can try Modest on this, I guess, but tying with Zygarde can still be of importance. Depends how the rest of the team can handle that thing.

Blastoise-Mega EV-Spread

Specially Defensive Blastoise-Mega is something that I haven't seen before so I can't really attest to its viability but on this team you certainly want as much power as possible. Blastoise-Mega is quite customisable when it comes to spreads from my experience so I recommend you toy around with what attacks you might find useful to survive and invest in bulk accordingly. For starters, however, simply make use of a 252 SpA/4SpDef/252Spe spread and a Modest nature. In theory, Timid might be nice here to get the jump on Metagross and Nidoqueen but in practice Modest has sufficed so far (everybody seems to be craving for power on their rockers lately).

Tyrantrum Moveset

This is but a small detail. Crunch is of little use when Tyrantrum carries Choice Scarf in my humble estimation. Choice Band can make better use of it but on Choice Scarf other options such as Aerial Ace for Virizion or Toxic to catch Slowbro and Rhyperior on the switch are of greater benefit.

Major Fixes:

Starting with the obvious, I recommend you use a hazard setter over one of your members, since I doubt you will want to run Choice Scarf Stealth Rock Tyrantrum, which, despite having utilised in the past, I do not endorse. A different steel type than Escavalier might just do the job here and you're probably already aware of what I'm thinking may fit here considering how very prominent it has been ever since its introduction to RU:
Metagross. Shuca Berry is a common yet reliable item choice, although other resists berries (such as Occa Berry to snipe unsuspecting Salazzle and to have better insurance versus HP Fire Sceptile-Mega variants) or pinch berries can work here too. Personally, I would opt for a set with Explosion here (Normal Gem is a possibility if you think you can afford to give up the safety you gain from the berries) to ensure Stealth Rock stay up versus teams that feature Defog Mandibuzz or Mantine, but Pursuit is also an option. Same as with Blastoise-Mega, Metagross' EV spread is quite customisable, so definitely adjust the spread to your liking as you play with the team (be wary not to go too defensive on this though, it's still supposed to be an offensive rocker).

Moving on, Sceptile-Mega will most likely always be a threat to some degree to your team, seeing how well it matches up versus offensive builds in general, but having some form of counterplay is certainly needed here. Therefore, I recommend you either make use of a Choice Scarf user on this team that actually outspeeds Sceptile-Mega or you rely on priority such as Ice Shard. Plus, there is a third option here that I will get into below. Personally, I feel like the contenders for holding a Choice Scarf in the RU tier rarely fit fall-out-offense because they either lack in power (e.g. Drapion, Flygon) or speed (e.g. Tyrantrum, Gardevoir), as well as generally being heavily detrimental to the teams momentum from being locked in a single move. Anyway, my estimation is that you have the following options on this team:

a) Make use of a more appropriate Choice Scarf user: Roserade with its powerful STABs and Spikes support comes to mind. I can see Toxicroak or Swellow being replaced by this, but I recommend you test out for yourself which member to replace, if you do decide to go this route. In this case, I recommend swapping the Choice Scarf on Tyrantrum with a Choice Band (since this team is apparently centred around Tyrantrum, I wouldn't want to replace that). I wouldn't worry too much about losing the designated Extreme Speed resist in the process of that by the way, since Linoone is certainly getting the axe. You can quote me on that.

b) Go all-out-offensive and replace Blastoise-Mega with Glalie-Mega, which features priority in the form of Ice Shard as well as Spikes support. Glalie-Mega is indeed a fun pick in this meta if utilised well, but you'll need to play aggressively with it to capitalise on switches as it is somewhat reliant on prediction. If you choose to go this route I can see an offensive Xatu lure (Z-Grass Knot for example could remove the likes of Rhyperior, Seismitoad and even Slowbro so that Tyrantrum has an easier time) functioning as a replacement for Swellow to discourage the opponent from mindlessly getting up layers.

c) Another option is to opt for Virizion over Toxicroak, which sports a more reliable recovery option in Synthesis and therefore can still pivot into bulky waters semi-reliably (ban Scald), while taking care of Sceptile-Mega thanks to its natural special bulk. Since it doesn't need the additional recovery from Leftovers, Virizion would be a great contender for a Z-move, which your team also lacks!

In what follows, I will assume you took the third option.

At this point you need to decide whether you want to keep Swellow on your team. Personally, Swellow never impressed me much due to having almost non-existent defensive utility despite its immunities to Ground and Ghost. I feel however, that Ground immunities are somewhat less significant to have in RU anyway (at least on offense), since there are few to no existent fast offensive threats that run a powerful EQ. Nidoqueen is the exception here and most of the team at this point deals with Nidoqueen quite nicely in that you can trade for damage on it so that any other member can pick it off. Recall also that Raikou has the Shuca Berry equipped to tank a Thousand Arrows or an Earth Power.

With that being said I feel like Swellow might be replaced by one of the following:

a) Add another (faster) Choice Scarf user such as Drapion or Salazzle. I outlined earlier why I don't particularly like this option but I feel like the case can still be made here. Drapion in particular deserves a mention for its ability to remove items with Knock Off and to somewhat reliably trap Bronzong with Pursuit. Absorbing Toxic Spikes can be nice too, I guess, but it's a very miniscule detail considering they're not common at all.

b) Some sort of strong priority might be appreciated by this team. I feel Honchkrow might be a decent pick here seeing how it offers both STAB Sucker Punch but can chip stuff with Pursuit as well (Pursuit as the opponent predicts Sucker Punch and switches out + Get a Moxie boost = Profit). Unfortunately, it offers next to no defensive utility. Other than that you could opt for the undisputed RU king that is Golisopod, which not only features strong priority (although only on its first turn out) and can set up Spikes.

c) My personal favourite, Ribombee. I put this on the team for fun but was quite pleased with the result. Outspeeding Noivern came into play more than once and instead of opting for coverage, Trick was very useful when it came to crippling Steel types for Tyrantrum and being a surprising annoyance to bulkier teams in general. Dragon immunity and Ground resistance were much more appreciated on this team than Ground and Ghost immunities, I felt. If you find you don't need U-turn as much and are annoyed by Scald burns or other status ailments, you can even try Aromatherapy in the last slot.

Final Musings & Import

I ultimately decided against the change of the item on Tyrantrum to Choice Band despite my initial assessment of Linoone getting banned soon because a) you may want to participate in the Linoone suspect with this team and b) I realised that the resitance to Fire types such as Salazzle and Ninetales only really holds value here when Tyrantrum can threaten them on the following turn.

Also, since you toyed with the idea of replacing Blastoise-Mega with Vaporeon: Considering the overall offensive nature of your build, I would recommend you don't use a straight-up wall like Vaporeon on your build, which is likely to slow down how your team plays quite substantially, despite the support it may seem to offer on a first glance. Same goes for Mantine, but you already recognised that it wasn't holding its weight on this team yourself.

I hope you found this helpful. Click the sprites below for the import. If you got any questions, feel free to ask, of course!

if you find grammar errors, keep em