Featured LC RMT

Team by Corkscrew with commentary by Superpowerdude. Art by Servaline.
« Previous Article Home Next Article »

Hello. Today I'm presenting to you an LC rmt which showcases what I believe to be a pretty solid Little Cup team dealing with many common threats. I have had reasonable success on the ladder. I peaked at #4 before I pretty much gave up trying to get any higher due to laziness and how LC ladder is quite boring with all the Aipoms and Meowths you see. The goal of the team is to pretty much weaken the opposing team for a sweep either from Misdreavus, Murkrow, Timburr or Snover. Having 4 different Pokémon that are capable of pulling of a late game sweep is great as it means at least one of them will work well against any given team.

Misdreavus @ Eviolite
Ability: Levitate
Level: 5
EVs: 240 SpA / 240 Spe
Timid Nature
- Nasty Plot
- Taunt
- Shadow Ball
- Hidden Power Fighting

Misdreavus is my most common lead for this team for two reasons. Firstly Mienfoo is what most people lead with which gives me an early advantage. Secondly, I can easily taunt any Stealth Rock leads my opponent has such as Hippopotas. This is very important as I don't carry rapid spin which means with rocks up I would have to play very conservatively with Snover. Taunt is also great for things like Foongus who often tries to spore me, and Lileep who want to beat me with Toxic. Nasty Plot makes this a great sweeper but I usually only use it at the very late game. Early to mid game, I will use Misdreavus to consistently check fighters like Mienfoo and Croagunk.

Murkrow @ Eviolite
Ability: Prankster
Level: 5
EVs: 36 HP / 236 Atk / 20 Def / 20 SpD / 188 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Substitute
- Roost
- Brave Bird
- Sucker Punch

There is literally no reason not to run Murkrow in LC right now. It is undoubtedly the best Pokémon in the tier. This is another great late game sweeper with the all powerful Brave Bird which just does a tonne of damage to anything that doesn't resist it. Subtitute is really useful for scouting things like whether Mienfoo is scarfed or not. It can also help avoid status from the likes of Foongus and Cottonee. Roost is roost. Keeps me healthy which is definitely needed due to my SR weakness. Sucker Punch lets me check Misdreavus as well as faster things like Snover, which it usually does around 70% to, and Drilbur who takes about 70% with Life Orb and about 50% with eviolite. Murkrow is also the best check I have to Timburr, OHKOing with Brave Bird whilst only taking 9HP from a +1 Mach Punch.

Timburr @ Eviolite
Ability: Guts
Level: 5
EVs: 76 HP / 196 Atk / 236 SpD
Careful Nature
- Bulk Up
- Drain Punch
- Mach Punch
- Payback

Although Mienfoo used to occupy this spot, Timburr was more useful as it checked the same things as well as being able to beat Misdreavus. It is my main check to Scraggy as it always avoids a KO, bar a crit or a zen headbutt flinch, and KOs back with a combination of Drain Punch and Mach Punch. It can absorb Will-O-Wisp from Misdreavus and OHKO back with a guts boost. Bulk Up allows it to sweep late game if things like Murkrow and Foongus are down.

Snover (M) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Snow Warning
Level: 5
EVs: 104 Atk / 184 SpA / 200 Spe
Naive Nature
- Blizzard
- Giga Drain
- Hidden Power Rock
- Ice Shard

Snover is in the team as it is the best sand counter in the game thanks to Snow Warning. Most of the time I just spam Blizzard which is great for cleaning up weakened teams. Giga Drain helps me beat water types, particularly Chinchou. HP Rock catches Larvesta, Houndour and Ponyta on the switch, OHKOing the former. I find HP Fire a bit redundant as it only hits Magnemite and I have Chinchou for that. Ice Shard is not used that much but it is good for bypassing a weakened Murkrow's Sucker Punch. As I don't have spinner, I will often be in the position where I have to play carefully with Snover. A lot of the time I will choose Giga Drain over Blizzard against things like Drilbur just for that extra bit of recovery to help me get an extra switch in.

Chinchou @ Eviolite
Ability: Volt Absorb
Level: 5
EVs: 76 HP / 132 Def / 228 SpD / 60 Spe
Bold Nature
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
- Heal Bell
- Scald

Chinchou is a fantastic partner to Snover. This is because it can switch in on the Fire types which makes Snover's life hell. It also completely shuts down Magnemite, which most sand teams run to check Snover, which makes the pair of Snover and Chinchou very hard to beat with sand. Murkrow struggles against this set as well, non-eviolite versions are 2HKOd by scald and risk a burn. Heal Bell keeps the team healthy which really helps when the opponent has a Foongus or Cottonee which are both really annoying.

Magnemite @ Eviolite
Ability: Magnet Pull
Level: 5
EVs: 156 HP / 36 Def / 236 SpA / 76 SpD
Modest Nature
- Volt Switch
- Flash Cannon
- Thunderbolt
- Magnet Rise

Magnemite is the teams best answer to Snover who otherwise does pretty well against the team. It can also beat SubRoost Krow easily taking very little damage from Brave Bird or Sucker Punch. Volt Switch is obviously great for gaining momentum if the opponent lacks Chinchou or a ground type. Flash Cannon takes down Snover and Lileep. I use Thunderbolt over HP Fire because I find that HP Fire doesn't hit anything useful. Thunderbolt is better because often I want to use an electric move without switching myself out. Magnet Rise rounds off the set, acting as a great lure for things like Drilbur who can't hit it hard when it is levitating.

Although sand teams have been on the rise lately, bulky offense still stands out as the most dominant playstyle in Little Cup. Corkscrew's "Bulky Offense... What Else did you Expect from Little Cup?" is, as the title says, a bulky offense team, and a well built one too. The team utilizes a lot of powerful Pokémon like Snover, Misdreavus, Murkrow, and Timburr, which make it easy to pull off a late-game sweep as these Pokémon keep weakening each other's counters until one of them can pull off a sweep. Magnemite's ability to remove Steel-types is great because it makes this team's goal of pulling off a late-game sweep even easier for Snover and Murkrow especially. The team utilizes the popular offensive core of Choice Scarf Snover and SubRoost Murkrow who, despite having bad type synergy, have excellent offensive synergy as Murkrow can beat the Fighting-types that threaten Snover with Brave Bird and Snover can use its Giga Drain to threaten Chinchou and Tirtouga, two of Murkrow's biggest checks. Snover's Snow Warning also helps wear down the opponent with residual damage to make Pokémon easier to KO for the team. Magnemite and Chinchou provide a nice defensive backbone for the team. They also offer great utility, as Chinchou acts as a cleric with Heal Bell and Magnemite removes Steel-types for the team and keeps threats like Snover in check.

First up is Misdreavus, one of the most versatile and threatening Pokémon in the tier. Misdreavus fits great on this team because it is one of the best answers to Mienfoo, the most common Pokémon in the tier, and it has great sweeping potential with Nasty Plot. Shadow Ball and Hidden Power Fighting provide unresisted coverage in Little Cup, which Misdreavus can use along with Nasty Plot to tear some big holes in the opposing team or even sweep it late-game. Corkscrew gave this set a clever twist with the use of Taunt. Since Misdreavus already has great neutral coverage, it can easily fit Taunt on its moveset; this is very useful to stop the opponent's status-inflicting attempts, setup attempts, and most importantly preventing the opponent from setting up Stealth Rock, which this team desperately needs because Murkrow and Snover are both weak to it and the team lacks a spinner.

SubRoost Murkrow is one of the most annoying and terrifying sets to play against. Priority Substitute is an amazing tool to have on a Pokémon and, if used correctly, gives Murkrow a free turn against a predicted status move from the opponent or a predicted switch. It also lets Corkscrew scout out some of his opponent's sets to see if a Pokémon has a particular coverage move or item that it doesn't usually carry. Behind a Substitute, Brave Bird is very scary and lets Murkrow smash through Fighting-types that could threaten his team otherwise, like Croagunk, Timburr, and Mienfoo. Sucker Punch gives Murkrow a priority attack, letting it KO fast Pokémon or Choice Scarf users. Roost is a very important move on the set to recover the Brave Bird recoil, Substitute cost, and Snover's hail's residual damage. It also allows Murkrow to stall the opponent out with the buffeting hail.

Timburr provides few but important resistances to the team: Dark and Rock. This is good as Corkscrew's other offensive Pokémon (Murkrow, Snover, and Misdreavus) have a weakness to one of these types. These three Pokémon can lure in Pokémon that use Dark- or Rock-type moves such as Stunky and Scraggy for Timburr to set up on with Bulk Up. Timburr is the only setup sweeper on the team and it can easily capitalize on the setup opportunities that its teammates provide due to its resistances. It acts as the team's check to Misdreavus and Scraggy, who are two of the biggest offensive threats in the tier. Mach Punch and Payback overcome the disadvantage presented by Timburr's horrible speed by utlizing priority and by receiving a power boost by going second, respectively. Drain Punch is the main STAB move and provides a form of minor recovery so Timburr doesn't get worn down from setting up Bulk Ups.

Without Snover, the team would simply fall apart. First of all, Snover provides this team with a Choice Scarf user, which is very important so the team can handle fast Pokémon and boosting sweepers. Snover's other great role on this team is a counter to sand teams. With Snow Warning negating Sand Stream and making Snover's Blizzard 100% accurate, Snover can destroy Hippopotas and common sand team Pokémon like Drilbur and Sandshrew. Giga Drain lets Snover take out two of Murkrow's biggest counters, Tirtouga and Chinchou, and it provides Snover with some nice recovery. Corkscrew uses an interesting Hidden Power choice on Snover in Hidden Power Rock, which hits Fire-type threats like Ponyta, Houndour, and Larvesta that think they can switch in freely. Since Magnemite already handles Steel-types, Hidden Power Fire isn't needed on the set too much. Ice Shard is primarily used to bypass Murkrow's Sucker Punch.

Chinchou has a rather different role than the first 4 Pokémon on the team. Rather than threatening the opponent with powerful moves, Chinchou spreads burn around with Scald and heals the team from status conditions with Heal Bell. It also fits great synergy-wise helping the team take on Fire-types and countering Magnemite, a Pokémon who is commonly found on sand teams to check Snover and remove Steel-types to open up a Drilbur sweep. With Chinchou and Snover, as long as Corkscrew plays properly, he pretty much can't be swept by sand teams. RestTalk Chinchou is one of the most popular sets in Little Cup and it fits perfectly on this team.

The last team member is Magnemite. Basically, if Magnemite can trap the opponent's Steel-type, the opponent is going to have a very hard time stopping either Murkrow or Snover from sweeping them with their powerful Brave Birds and Blizzards since the opponent will not be able to resist both of these attacks. Magnemite also acts as a counter to opposing Snover and Murkrow with its Steel- and Electric-type STAB. Magnet Rise is good to ensure Bronzor with Earthquake can't beat it while Magnemite can slowly KO it with Thunderbolt. Magnemite can use Volt Switch to scout and to possibly give a free switch to one of his powerful offensive partners such as Murkrow.

Like all teams, Corkscrew's does have a few flaws. Stealth Rock can be very painful for this team if the opponent is able to get it up. Although Misdreavus's Taunt does help prevent Stealth Rock, once it is up it will limit the amount of switches Snover can have and will severely decrease Murkrow's longetivity. The team also has no spinner to remove Stealth Rock, so once it's there, it's there. Some Fighting-types can also be painful; the main ones that come to mind are Choice Scarf Mienfoo, Bulk Up Timburr, and Croagunk. Choice Scarf Mienfoo outspeeds the whole team and can do significant damage to pretty much the whole team except Misdreavus. Choice Scarf Mienfoo is also quite uncommon, so it can be quite easy to lose Murkrow or Snover to a Hi Jump Kick or Stone Edge because you thought you were faster. Timburr doesn't have to worry about a Scald burn from Chinchou due to Guts, it can beat Magnemite and Snover with its Drain Punch and Mach Punch, and as long as it has been brought in before Corkscrew's Timburr it will win that battle too. It can also threaten Misdreavus with Payback if it hasn't Nasty Plotted yet. Although Murkrow can stop Timburr quite easily, a boosted Mach Punch or a critical hit on Murkrow can easily turn the game around. Croagunk has access to Fighting-type priority, either Dark Pulse or Shadow Ball to hit Misdreavus super effectively, and can even have Ice Punch to stop Murkrow from switching in. Although these Pokémon are threatening, the power of Corkscrew's offensive Pokémon make it hard for them to switch in, and careful play with Murkrow and Misdreavus will make it easier to handle those.

« Previous Article Home Next Article »