TROP
BAN DRUDDIGON. FIREWALL DRAGON DID NOTHING WRONG
Commentary by: TropiOUs and Molk
GP'd by: EBeast
GP'd by: EBeast
Hi, this is Trop with an actually serious RMT from the RU tier that I decided to give a shot after not liking Cinccino among other things in NU. This team is mostly offensive, because playing more defensive oriented is quite boring to me. Because this team was made in like 5 seconds, omitting a teambuilding section, but if you really care members were added in this order: Absol / Queen / Uxie / Moltres / Kabutops / Sceptile This was mostly used under the alt "NO FUN ALLOWED" because that is pretty much what it did to most teams it faced. Title is The Queen's Tyranny because even though this team was originally made just to show off the underrated Absol (seriously, this shit needs way more usage and should not be NU) , Queen does most of the job of weakening the opponent's team and give everything that is not Uxie a shot at sweeping.
Because Molk used this team as well to keep his #1 spot in the INSANELY HARD PS LADDER that is really damn competitive, he is also commenting on the team himself.
PS Ladder is a joke and should never be taken seriously
#1 is Molk and #5 is me. This was before bs decay.
From here on out TropiOUs will be in Magenta.
and Molk will be in red
Uxie @ Lum Berry
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Psychic / Psyshock
- Thunder Wave
- U-turn
At first glance Mesprit might seem like a better fit for the role of a lead, but thanks to Uxie's superior speed and bulk, it can serve as an effective supporter and as an emergency check to Liligant, Drapion, and Nidoqueen. Lum berry is very helpful to beat those annoying Smeargle leads, while alongside Thunder Wave, Uxie can paralyze Liligant as tries to get a Quiver dance off or attemps to Sleep Powder. Stealth Rock is needed for about every team and makes some KOs possible and frees up a slot on Nidoqueen that will be explained by Molk later. Despite its terrible base 75 SpA, Uxie still hits hard enough to put Queen into KO range for about everything else, hit Cryogonal (when using Psyshock) really hard when it tries to come in and spin away the Stealth Rock. Not only that, but with access to U-turn, Uxie can scout for switches and gain switch advantage.
I've been using this Uxie set ever since i started playing RU, its a cool set and has some surprise value as well. The Lum berry and speed EVs allow Uxie to make short work of non-Lum Lilligant, Smeargle, and SubSplit Rotom. The Special Attack EVs give Uxie a surprising amount of power, making sure Uxie can make short work of frail pokemon or pokemon that are weak to Psychic-type attacks. Uxie also serves as a soft check for Nidoqueen, being immune to Earth Power and only taking any significant damage from Sludge Wave. In return, Uxie's Psychic can cripple Nidoqueen. Uxie is also our main switch in to the Hitmons, and Fighting-types in general (except for Champion Scraggy ofc) Thunder Wave allows Uxie to cripple fast, offensive pokemon that might give the team troubles for the rest of the match. U-turn is a cool move that lets Uxie scout and do some minor damage to whatever switches in, its also useful to get Absol and Kabutops in for free against fast shit.
Absol @ Life Orb
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Naughty Nature
- Sucker Punch
- Night Slash
- Superpower
- Fire Blast
Absol is our main revenge killer and the one in charge of scaring out most of Queen's "counters", while having extra utility in helping clear up the field for Kabutops or Sceptile to break through a team. Sucker Punch is a move that should be on EVERYONE of Absol's sets because it fixes Absol speed issues with a pretty strong priority move that will make Choiced opponents cry more often than not. Night Slash is a secondary STAB move to help Absol when the opponent can't risk to lose something to die to a Sucker Punch and hit what some call its "best counters" (After a Night Slash Tangrowth is in guaranteed KO range from Fire Blast.) Fire Blast is a glorious move that I have always prefered over Swords Dance, because I find it too hard to set up a Swords Dance with Absol and after any other move, it is guaranteed to bring some of Absol's checks and counters such as Steelix, Tangrowth, and the newcomer Escavalier. I also like Fire Blast because it means I bring Ferroseed down without taking extra damage from Iron Barbs or having to sacrifice Absol's great Attack stat. Superpower is mostly to remove annoying Normal-types and Aggron as fast as possible, as well as providing absol with perfect coverage.
TL;DR: Absol is god and deserves more usage than what it currently gets.
Absol is most likely THE most underrated Pokemon in the RU tier. Despite its current NU status, Absol is more than capable of destroying offensive and defensive teams alike. Absol is this team's primary revenge killer, sniping several dangerous Pokemon such as Manectric, Galvantula, Sceptile, Scolipede, and OTR cofagrigus. While both Mixed and Swords Dance sets are perfectly viable on this team, Mixed Absol is often the better option. Fire Blast makes Absol one of the best Tangrowth lures in the tier, having a chance to OHKO the mess of vines and open up a team for Kabutops to clean up. It also gets a OHKO against Escavalier on the switch in, making sure it doesnt do too much damage if Moltres is down. Swords Dance is a cool option if you have master prediction skills, but in an offensive metagame like RU it isn't easy to get a Swords Dance against any opponent smarter than TLC, and you will usually only be able to boost on a predicted switch. Superpower OHKOes Aggron, and provides Absol with perfect coverage against any Pokemon not named Champion Croagunk. Night Slash gives absol a cool weapon against defensive pokemon and Substitute users who think they are smart and try to stall Absol out of Sucker Punches. A quick Night Slash is enough to OHKO Slowking and cripple a Cofagrigus for the rest of the match. Overall, use Absol more plox, its a great mon and shouldnt be NU ;/-;.
Nidoqueen @ Life Orb
Trait: Sheer Force
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Earth Power
- Fire Blast
- Sludge Wave
- Thunderbolt
Walls? What the fuck is that? Nidoqueen doesn't give a fuck about them and at worst 2HKOes all of them without even trying thanks to her perfect coverage, and moves with no drawbacks. Sludge Wave is the best move on this set, because when in doubt, I just click it and whatever comes in to absorb the attack is taking plenty of damage and proceed to 2HKO with any other move. Thunderbolt is there just to guarantee the 2hko on Slowking, Poliwrath, and Mandibuzz after Sludge Wave and Stealth Rock damage. Fire Blast makes Cryo commit suicide if it even tries to come in Nidoqueen because it can't OHKO back if Defensive while Offensive is flat out OHKOed. Fire Blast is also Queen's best move against newcomer Escavalier,
One of the two new addtions to RU, Nidoqueen has really made an impact on the metagame since it dropped. Nidoqueen serves as this team's wallbreaker, and it does its job very well. Nidoqueen has the capability to singlehandedly break 90% of RU's walls with one of its coverage moves, and Sheer Force doesn't just power up Nidoqueen's attacks, it stops Life Orb recoil from taking effect, making Nidoqueen last much longer than other wallbreakers. Nidoqueen is also the team's main counter to fast Electric- and Bug-types such as Manectric, Rotom, Accelgor, and Galvantula. Nidoqueen resists most of their attacks and can OHKO all of them in return, Nidoqueen also absorbs Toxic Spikes for this team if Kabutops doesnt get the chance to spin (>implying that ever happens). Nidoqueen is also decently bulky, meaning it can take many hits for the team. It's our best check to Lum Lilligant, taking even a +2 giga drain from it and KOing back with sludge wave, while Life Orb varients lose to Uxie. Nidoqueen also does rather well against opposing Sceptile. No matter how tempting it may be to run Stealth Rock over sludge wave, don't; Sludge Wave is a rather easy move to spam, and lets Nidoqueen do things like2HKO Slowking without having to predict the switch in. tbh, without Nidoqueen this team wouldnt be half as good, shes the star of the show, and even though i admit she is pretty damn broken, it was fun while it lasted ;/-;.
Kabutops @ Life Orb
Trait: Weak Armor
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Aqua Jet
- Stone Edge
- Rapid Spin
After the addition of Moltres to the team, I knew a Rapid Spinner was needed and because I had barely any RU experience before, I asked Molk what was a good Spinner for an offensive team. That's how Kabutops bursts itself onto the team. Kabutops is an extremely important member providing a reliable Spin, great offensive power to sweep if really needed, as well as checking some annoying threats such as Moltres, Archeops, and Magmortar when there is nothing better to handle them. Swords Dance is what makes this guy great, thanks to the power boost that, thanks to its handy resists, is easy to get. Kabutops beats every single Ghost-type Pokemon in the tier after Stealth Rock damage, allowing it to Rapid Spin with ease and keep Moltres in good health to nuke the opponent later. Aqua Jet fixes Kabutops's speed problems by providing him a change to pick off weakened threats and as mentioned earlier bring down annoying threats that are weak to it and hit non-resists pretty hard after a Swords Dance. Stone Edge is its best move and what allows it to beat down most Ghost-types in the tier after a Swords Dance, making it superior to every single offensive spinner in the tier, picking stuff in the switch because something is afraid of Aqua Jet is also nice and removing annoying threats such as Sceptile, Liligant, and any other frail Aqua Jet resists can be really helpful. Weak Armor is the best ability for this set because Rain Dance Teams are not really common, Kabutops is surprisingly frail without any defensive investement making it inmune to crits not really important, the extra speed provided by Weak Armor is way more helpful allowing it to sweep easier, and because of Aqua Jet, the defense drops will hardly matter.
Kabutops is hands down the best offensive Spinner in the tier, and this team makes excellent use of its positive qualities. Weak Armor is an excellent ability on Kabutops, giving it the ability to sweep through entire teams if it comes in on a weak physical attack. Swords Dance is a great move on kabutops, and lets it OHKO almost every Ghost-type (and most Pokemon in general for that matter) after entry hazards damage. Aqua Jet makes up for Kabutops's average Speed, and can OHKO many frail pokemon such as Rotom easily at +2. Aqua Jet is also useful for picking off Pokemon weak to it such as Moltres and Magmortar, it also outspeeds Absol's Sucker Punch, crippling Absol if needed. Stone Edge is Kabutops's most powerful attack, and has excellent coverage along with Aqua Jet, and even though it's 80% accuracy is annoying, it lets Kabutops sweep if needed. Rapid Spin is very important and probably the most important move on the set, entry hazards can get really annoying, especially when you have a Moltres. Rapid Spin easily gets rid of all entry hazards in one go, giving our team much more freedom to switch in and out.
Moltres @ Life Orb / Leftovers
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Fire Blast
- Hurricane
- Substitute
- Roost
Since the day I started using Swanna in NU (btw, she is great and you kids should use her more in NU), I have used all birds that are not Tornadus-T (or Zapdos ;_;) that get Hurricane with a simple yet effective SubRoost set. Because Moltres is a pokemon that forces many switches, I find it easy to get a Substitute up to protect it from whatever my opponent want to brings in and proceed to hit everything hard with its powerful STABS. Fire Blast's only real explanation is that it's Moltres strongest Fire-type attack and overall the best option when facing an opponent that is not weak to either of its STABs because of its superior Accuracy. Hurricane is the gift that BW2 gave it and gives it a chance of 2HKOing Slowking and other opponents that resists its Fire-type STAB such as Druddigon, Entei, and other Moltres. Substitute is really helpful here to save Moltres's life in case a Hurricane misses, safeguarding Moltres from getting hit directly by the opposition. Only real problem with Moltres is that its STABs are really innacurate making it amazing in some games, but in other it can die without doing anything. Molk prefers Life Orb, but leftovers is also a solid item to help Moltres in making extra subs when it doesn't have time to Roost.
Moltres has always been a powerful force in RU, and with the addition of Hurricane to the mighty Pheonix's movepool, that doesnt look like its going to change anytime soon. (unless it gets banned :D) Moltres's main role here is to break down walls, switch in on bulky Grass-type Pokemon such as Tangrowth, Amoonguss, Ferroseed and Roselia, and check Escavalier with its 4x resistance to Megahorn. Moltres forces a lot of switches against a variety of threats, giving it plenty of chances to set up a Substitute and blast huge holes into the opponent's team. Substitute also lets moltres Pressure stall many pokemon until they can no longer hurt my team. Fire Blast and Hurricane are both very powerful, and hit most of the tier for at least neutral damage, only missing out on Rock-type Pokemon (and two of them are 2HKOed anyway by Hurricane). Hurricane also has a handy confusion chance that sometimes allows Moltres to get a free Substitute. Roost keeps Moltres healthy at all times, and works very well with Substitute. Kabutops and Moltres make an excellent pair, Kabutops having decent synergy with Moltres and happens to be the best rapid spinner in the tier, making sure that Moltres can come in at full health as much as possible.
Sceptile @ Life Orb
Trait: Overgrow
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Substitute
- Giga Drain
- Hidden Power [Rock]
- Focus Blast
Because I was lazy and need a 6th member, I decided to pick Sceptile because of its great Speed stat and to complete the F/W/G Offensive core that Kabutops and Moltres started. This guy has 2 main objectives, revenge killing annoying threats such as Magmortar, Moltres, Archeops, and Galvantula with Hidden Power Rock to save Kabutops for later. Its other role is cleaning up late game when everything faster than it has been eliminated and only weakened opponents are left. Substitute is a great move, not only does it it prevent Absol and other stuff in general from revenging Sceptile, but it also helps in getting Sceptile into Overgrow range and recover most of its health with Giga Drain. Substitute is also easy to set up because Sceptile scares out most water-types in the tier. Focus Blast sucks and the only reason it is on this set is to eliminate Bouffalant and Ferroseed that otherwise take no real damage from any other move.
Sceptile is cool, with a blazing base 120 Speed and great base 105 Special Attack stat, Sceptile was the perfect finish to the F/W/G core that Kabutops and Moltres started. The set we used is a bit unorthodox, but very effective. Sceptile also checks Crawdaunt, who is a big threat to this team otherwise. Sceptile forces a lot of switches, especially against bulky water-types such as Lanturn and Slowking. This gives Sceptile the perfect chance to get a Substitute up, and most likely a KO. Substitute also has another use, it slows down Absol, making sure the opponent will have to predict perfectly to get past Sceptile. Giga Drain is Sceptile's best STAB move, and has excellent synergy with Substitute. I mean whats more fun than Subbing down to Overgrow range, OHKOing the opponent with Giga Drain, and getting all your hp back in the process? Hidden Power Rock gives sceptile useful coverage against the many Fire-types in the tier, and gives us an extra check to Moltres in case Kabutops is down. Focus Blast allows Sceptile to dispose of bulky Normal-types such as Bouffalant and Clefable, along with Ferroseed. I would urge many more people to try SubTile out, its a very fun and effective set, and its the best thing you can do with Sceptile's last moveslot.
Hax: No explanation needed
Uxie @ Lum Berry
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Psychic
- Thunder Wave
- U-turn
Absol @ Life Orb
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SAtk / 252 Spd
Naughty Nature
- Sucker Punch
- Night Slash
- Superpower
- Fire Blast
Nidoqueen @ Life Orb
Trait: Sheer Force
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Modest Nature
- Earth Power
- Fire Blast
- Sludge Wave
- Thunderbolt
Kabutops @ Life Orb
Trait: Weak Armor
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Aqua Jet
- Stone Edge
- Rapid Spin
Moltres @ Life Orb
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Fire Blast
- Hurricane
- Substitute
- Roost
Sceptile @ Life Orb
Trait: Overgrow
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Substitute
- Giga Drain
- Hidden Power [Rock]
- Focus Blast
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Psychic
- Thunder Wave
- U-turn
Absol @ Life Orb
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SAtk / 252 Spd
Naughty Nature
- Sucker Punch
- Night Slash
- Superpower
- Fire Blast
Nidoqueen @ Life Orb
Trait: Sheer Force
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Modest Nature
- Earth Power
- Fire Blast
- Sludge Wave
- Thunderbolt
Kabutops @ Life Orb
Trait: Weak Armor
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Aqua Jet
- Stone Edge
- Rapid Spin
Moltres @ Life Orb
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Fire Blast
- Hurricane
- Substitute
- Roost
Sceptile @ Life Orb
Trait: Overgrow
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Substitute
- Giga Drain
- Hidden Power [Rock]
- Focus Blast
Absol @ Life Orb
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Sucker Punch
- Superpower
- Night Slash
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Sucker Punch
- Superpower
- Night Slash