Gen 1 The New Staple Seven - Toxic+Wrap/Clamp Sweep Team


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Introduction

This is a team centered around three wrappers/clamper - Victreebel, Dragonite and Cloyster which take the place of Exeggutor, Chansey and Snorlax in a standard team. The team is built around four distinctive but related themes:

a) The use of toxic on slow and bulky pokemon so that they lose health from poison each turn in addition to wrap/clamp attack. The damage is significant even if toxic reverts to normal poison and would wear down any pokemon which would otherwise be laborious to take down with just wrap/clamp on its own. For example it is not a good idea generally for Dragonite to attempt wrapping Lapras to death from full health yet if Lapras had been poisoned beforehand then it is feasible.

b) An attacking tempo relatively early in the game using the sweepers in order to eliminate threats to your wrappers/clamper and bring as many things as possible to within the KO-range of the wrappers/clamper's main attacks, or within that range after just a few extra wrap/clamp attacks. If this is achieved, whether due to tactical or psychological reasons, the opponent will normally play much more cautiously and defensively, doing lots of switches and being risk averse - something which can be exploited.

c) Taking full advantage of the wrap/clamp switching mechanism to arrange favorable matchups as a platform to spread status e.g. have Victreebel against Rhydon/Golem and use Sleep powder/Stunspore, expected to hit whatever switches in; or Cloyster against Exeggutor, and use toxic which is expected to hit Chansey as Exeggutor switches out.

d) Focus all strategy and firepower on eliminating or severely wearing down Chansey, and to a lesser Exeggutor, in order to better facilitate b).

The Team
Reserve:
Either Zapdos or Jolteon will be on the team, with the former being marginally preferred. As a general rule opponent's fast moving pokemons should be destroyed by explosion (Gengar/Cloyster), traded-off in one to one duals with your sweepers (Tauros/Zapdos/Jolteon), or paralyzed if possible (Zapdos/Victreebel and to a lesser extent Tauros/Gengar). This would leave the remaining slow and bulky pokemon easy targets to theme a).​

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B-2 Spirit (Gengar)
- Hypnosis
- Toxic
- Thunderbolt
- Explosion
Like the B2-Spirit stealth bomber, Gengar is first up to destroy or disable key military facilities which are a threat. He is mostly that and not much more. His main purpose is to destroy Jynx, since it would otherwise be such a huge threat to the team, and Alakazam - both of which have a good chance of being taken out by explosion (the former more so than the later). Gengar can also put lead Exeggutor to sleep and will have a chance to spread toxic on Chansey and/or Snorlax. Against Starmie Gengar also has a shot with thunderbolt.​

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F-15 Eagle (Zapdos) or M2 Bradley (Jolteon)
- Thunderbolt
- Drill Peck/Pin Missile
- Thunder Wave
- Light Screen/Agility/Double Kick
Like the formidable F-15 Eagle or the versatile M2 Bradley, Zapdos or Jolteon are fast attackers designed to keep the enemy on their toes. Zapdos is marginally preferred to Jolteon because it is less walled by Chansey and Alakazam and resists Snorlax and Tauros better as it is immune to earthquake and has a higher defence/health. However, these advantages are in exchange for having weakness to ice and neutrality to electric attacks (though these can be remedied by light screen). Jolteon's big bonus is the speed and will be used to attempt a revenge kill on Alakazam should Gengar failed to finish it off with a single explosion, and being faster than Starmie can also prove crucial. It is generally to your advantage if your Zapdos/Jolteon goes on one v one with the opposing team's Zapdos/Jolteon and both end up being destroyed (whichever one survives gets revenge killed).​

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M1A2 Abrams (Tauros)
- Body Slam
- Hyper Beam
- Blizzard
- Earthquake
Like the Abrams tank Tauros is a powerful sweeper probably even more dangerous than Jolteon/Zapdos. The best counter against the opponent's Tauros is another Tauros and we will gladly fight fire with fire.​

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AH-64 Apache (Victreebel)
- Wrap
- Razor Leaf
- Sleep Powder
- Stun Spore
Victreebel like the Apache helicopter is for accomplishing some crucial special operations as a status spreader, yet it also has some big guns with razor leaf. A key mission for Victreebel is to put Exeggutor to sleep which shouldn't be a problem being the faster pokemon. Putting a sleeper to sleep is a double win since not only do you gain the sleep lead your opponent can't put you to sleep - it's almost as good as putting two pokemons to sleep. Therefore target Exeggutor. With sleep powder Victreebel after putting something to sleep, normally your opponent expects sword dance next and so will likely send out a fast counter such as Zapdos before things get out of hand. Recognise this and use stunspore on whatever is coming - very rarely do people expect this and if they have a Zapdos chances are it will be sent out and gets paralyzed as a result. If they don't have a Zapdos then they probably have Rhydon/Golem instead in which case the team arrangement would be so in your favor that it should be an easy win. Victreebel will also be a constant threat to Starmie and anyone who tries to amnesia up Slowbrow - not a chance (razor leaf negates amnesia). Lapras users would also be in big trouble.​

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F-35 Lightning (Dragonite)
- Wrap
- Blizzard/Surf
- Agility
- Thunder Wave/Hyper Beam
Dragonite is the heart of the team and the main wrap user. Like the stealth fighter F-35 Lightning if played well (and with a bit of luck) should avoid being hit at all. When Victreebel/Gengar puts Exeggutor or anyting to sleep, Victreebel and/or Cloyster will follow with wrap/clamp at some point. Often people will switch out that sleeping pokemon in the hope that it will wake up during the wrap/clamp turns. Now would be a good chance to send in Dragonite and take that turn to use agility - and then wrap away! Dragonite's job would be much easier if many bulky things have already been poisoned by toxic beforehand. In general Dragonite comes in after Victreebel and Cloyster, sometimes quite late in the game. Although surf is better against Golem/Rhydon, since these days Zapdos is more common and a much bigger threat to the team, blizzard would probably be preferred. Blizzard also works better against Exeggutor or another Dragonite. If you do run into Rhydon/Golem there's no shortage of things in the team to take it out. Thunder wave is preferred over hyper beam because the team needs some more paralysis support, and hyperbeam's recharge can be exploited by an opponent who's good at psychology. Twave and agility together would be unexpected which helps makes paralysis spreading easier.​

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USS Zumwalt (Cloyster)
- Clamp
- Blizzard
- Toxic
- Explosion
Cloyster is here to hold the line against heavy weights such as Tauros and Snorlax like the stealth destroyer Zumwalt from offshore. It is also an important toxic spreader particularly on Chansey and the best chance to do so would be when Cloyster is switched in with a sleeping Exeggutor (which will come out to wear off sleep from wrap). The opponent will of course expect blizzard so switch to Chansey but instead toxic comes. Sometimes toxic falls on Lapras instead which is also useful. One on one against Lapras don't be afraid to dish out toxic in exchange for being hit by non-stab thunderbolt - it is well worth it since it means Dragonite and Victreebel can quickly wear that massive wall down to a little wall within KO range in just a few turns. Explode on fast pokemon which are still in the game including Alakazam, Jynx and Starmie. Explode on Chansey if you fancy - once Chansey is down your sweepers (Tauros and Zapdos/Jolteon) will be free to go on a rampage.​

Conclusion
This team if played to its strength will totally destroy any team built around the 'staple seven/eight'. In many games Chansey is the key 'swing state'. Once Chansey falls it will be like a domino and your opponent's defences will collapse like a pile of cards. Hence focus all your strategy and firepower on bringing Chansey down. With toxic+wrap/clamp Chansey will often be beaten down very quickly or if you wish to avoid the hassle Cloyster can just take care of the matter more simply by the less graceful explosion...

Jynx is a serious threat to the team and luckily it mostly shows up in lead positions which Gengar has the control. I would not risk trying to put it to sleep - just blow it up. Also as mentioned it is best to try and put Exeggutor to sleep.

I hope people have fun playing with this team or its variations. I am sick of WWI style trench fights/stalemates between Chanseys, Alakazams and Starmies which too often occur in gen1 ou... it is my hope that in time Victreebel, Dragonite and Cloyster will challenge the seemingly unmovable monopoly positions of Exeggutor, Chansey and Snorlax, which I think are over-rated.

For some specific and detailed step-by-step strategies on how to best use this team please see the following link:

http://www.smogon.com/forums/threads/how-to-win-in-just-7-turns-in-gen-1.3619762/

B-2 Spirit (Gengar)
- Hypnosis
- Toxic
- Thunderbolt
- Explosion

F-15 Eagle (Zapdos)
- Thunderbolt
- Drill Peck
- Thunder Wave
- Light Screen

M1A2 Abrams (Tauros)
- Body Slam
- Hyper Beam
- Blizzard
- Earthquake

AH-64 Apache (Victreebel)
- Wrap
- Razor Leaf
- Sleep Powder
- Stun Spore

F-35 Lightning (Dragonite)
- Wrap
- Blizzard
- Agility
- Thunder Wave

USS Zumwalt (Cloyster)
- Clamp
- Blizzard
- Toxic
- Explosion
 
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Intriguing team concept.

Toxic isn't really considered viable in RBY, but if there were any way to make it work, ToxWrap would be the way to go. If things go to plan, then this team's Toxic usage can work, but if you poison the wrong thing (anything fast) things can go to shit real fast. Unfortunately, I'm unsure how you're spreading Toxic in a safe manner. Gengar has bugger-all longevity and so can't be counted on for much, Tauros is a really mediocre status spreader, since it shouldn't really enter play until the lategame and you'd rather be attacking than clicking Toxic anyway, leaving Cloyster as the main Toxic spreader for the team. Unfortunately I don't think it's a great choice as besides Lap and Chansey all of its checks are really fast, meaning that spreading Toxic via Cloy can easily backfire- Jolt, Star, Zam and Gengar all switch in on it.

As for the team itself, it has some gaping defensive weaknesses and they can only be partially patched by aggressive play. This team has basically zero checks to special attackers, as all special attackers have either great coverage against this team or raw power in conjunction with status. Ice types in particular run amok with this team, as your only good check is Cloy, which struggles against other Ice types. If Zam shows up outside the lead position I legitimately don't know what you'd do as you basically don't have any checks to it.

Changes I would make:
Jolteon>Zap. I don't know why Zap's on the team. It offers limited defensive utility, and is generally restricted to the role of lategame sweeper... with which it's competing against Tauros and Dragonite. Jolteon on the other hand is still really potent offensively, but it offers some actual defensive synergy, being capable of switching into most special attackers once or twice over the course of a match thanks to its Electric resistance and Ice neutrality. It's still relatively poor defensively thanks to its BST, but with sufficiently aggressive play it can be good enough, which makes it a great fit for this team.

Drop Dragonite for literally anything that has a defensive role- I get that it fits the theme of the team, but this Dragonite serves literally zero purpose besides being Wrapper #3. Normally it would be a sweeper but again, your team isn't short on potential sweepers. Meanwhile your team is absolutely desperate for some sort of defensive backbone. Note that said backbone doesn't need to be the sturdiest thing in the world if it packs sufficient offensive power. I'd probably look at adding something to take Psychics, since that's kinda important.

Like I said though, it's a very interesting concept and I'd be interested in seeing what you can achieve with a team concstructed around this idea
 
Intriguing team concept.

Toxic isn't really considered viable in RBY, but if there were any way to make it work, ToxWrap would be the way to go. If things go to plan, then this team's Toxic usage can work, but if you poison the wrong thing (anything fast) things can go to shit real fast. Unfortunately, I'm unsure how you're spreading Toxic in a safe manner. Gengar has bugger-all longevity and so can't be counted on for much, Tauros is a really mediocre status spreader, since it shouldn't really enter play until the lategame and you'd rather be attacking than clicking Toxic anyway, leaving Cloyster as the main Toxic spreader for the team. Unfortunately I don't think it's a great choice as besides Lap and Chansey all of its checks are really fast, meaning that spreading Toxic via Cloy can easily backfire- Jolt, Star, Zam and Gengar all switch in on it.

As for the team itself, it has some gaping defensive weaknesses and they can only be partially patched by aggressive play. This team has basically zero checks to special attackers, as all special attackers have either great coverage against this team or raw power in conjunction with status. Ice types in particular run amok with this team, as your only good check is Cloy, which struggles against other Ice types. If Zam shows up outside the lead position I legitimately don't know what you'd do as you basically don't have any checks to it.

Changes I would make:
Jolteon>Zap. I don't know why Zap's on the team. It offers limited defensive utility, and is generally restricted to the role of lategame sweeper... with which it's competing against Tauros and Dragonite. Jolteon on the other hand is still really potent offensively, but it offers some actual defensive synergy, being capable of switching into most special attackers once or twice over the course of a match thanks to its Electric resistance and Ice neutrality. It's still relatively poor defensively thanks to its BST, but with sufficiently aggressive play it can be good enough, which makes it a great fit for this team.

Drop Dragonite for literally anything that has a defensive role- I get that it fits the theme of the team, but this Dragonite serves literally zero purpose besides being Wrapper #3. Normally it would be a sweeper but again, your team isn't short on potential sweepers. Meanwhile your team is absolutely desperate for some sort of defensive backbone. Note that said backbone doesn't need to be the sturdiest thing in the world if it packs sufficient offensive power. I'd probably look at adding something to take Psychics, since that's kinda important.

Like I said though, it's a very interesting concept and I'd be interested in seeing what you can achieve with a team concstructed around this idea
Hiya thanks for the reply and the suggestion. This is the latest version of my team and I have previous versions which are more defensive. Please search my replays under the accounts 'p5726', 'p33', 'yc318' and 'pchen442'. The most recent tests are featured in replays by the account 'ka1a' which has this team. Often I do not get the chance to spread toxic but I could still win by many other ways.

I used to include more defenisve things like Chansey, Alakazam, Starmie and even Hypno in the position of Zapdos, yet the problem is they tend to get locked into an endless stalemate with the defences on the opposing team. I wasn't particularly disadvantaged that way but it was annoying to play for sure... The wrap pokemon seemed a bit redundant as it was often difficult to get them out and keep the attack momentum going. I agree that Gengar doesn't do much and he's just there mostly as a bomb to destroy Jynx, which had wrecked my team so many times before I decided to put Gengar in. If there's no Jynx, a Hypno lead would be great, and I will have him as a status spreader - hypnosis, twave, toxic and seismic toss/psychic. But I find that Jynx has now increased in popularity so Gengar is definitely needed.
 
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