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Something is wrong with my browser I can't add the RMT tag. Anyway I made this NU beta team and I am having modest success with it on the ladder. I would definitely call it a balanced offensive team, with the appropriate hazards to wear down opposing walls and spinners. I originally ran Cryogonal as a hazard remover, but I removed it because it compounded my weakness to Steel types, particularly Klinklang and Steelix. I still don't have a great way of dealing with these mons, but Hitmontop is certainly more suited for this team than Cryogonal. Without further ado... A Tsk RMT...
Spoiler:
Tyrantrum @ Lum Berry
Ability: Rock Head
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Head Smash
- Dragon Claw
- Dragon Dance
- Fire Fang
This one is certainly the MVP of the team. The ability to rattle off those drawback-free Head Smashes gives Tyrantrum not only the ability to sweep late game but also the ability to come in on slower threats, threaten them out and get off a huge chunk of damage on switch ins, even if they outright resist Rock. I opted for Dragon Claw over Outrage because locking Tyrantrum into a Dragon-type move often spells the end of its sweep if it cannot OHKO absolutely every remaining member of the opposing team with Outrage. Fire Fang gives it a reliable way to hit bulky Grass-type switch-ins and can KO weakened Steel-types if needed. Overall, I think Tyrantrum is a great Pokemon in NU beta that will probably end up being banned at some point. That Head Smash, especially at +1, simply OHKO's far too much of the metagame. For the meantime I will enjoy using it, as it has a few checks that the rest of my team attempts to deal with.
Shuckle @ Mental Herb
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Atk / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Sticky Web
- Stealth Rock
- Toxic
- Knock Off
Ever since it gained Sticky Web, Shuckle went from zero to hero instantly, offering to its team the type of support it could have only dreamed of in the past. Toxic is great because it punishes opposing spinners in the tier, none of whom can even come close to 2HKO'ing Shuckle with their standard offensive spinner sets. It is great for Cryogonal in particularly, who is immune to both Toxic Spikes and Sticky Web. Knock Off is a situationally useful move. It can scout switch-ins with Z-Crystals, and since there are currently no Megas in NU beta, virtually anything else (with the exception of Archeops and Jumpluff, among a few others) will have their item knocked off.
Shuckle's contribution to this team are two-fold. While Stealth Rock is a rather obvious choice for its ability to wear down Cryogonal, one of the best spinners in the tier, Sticky Web also gives Tyrantrum a chance to beat threats that it cannot afford to Dragon Dance in front of, but can KO with an unboosted STAB attack. And yeah, there are definitely a lot of cases where that happens. It can also give Drapion a chance to sweep, which doesn't happen too often but is awfully satisfying when it does. This pressure with multiple entry hazards requires the opponent to switch in their spinner many times to keep their side of the field free of hazards, which can lead to their spinner being KO'd prematurely.
Kadabra @ Focus Sash
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Psychic
- Energy Ball
- Dazzling Gleam
- Signal Beam
Kadabra is a bit of a nuke, though I know this set definitely needs some work. I want to replace either Signal Beam or Dazzling Gleam with a Hidden Power move, likely either Fighting or Fire. I need another way to deal with Steel-types in a pinch, due to the number of defensive mons on my team that can't do anything to Steel-types. Signal Beam was originally for Malamar, which is hit pretty hard by Dazzling Gleam, but I do lose the ability to hit things like Whimsicott by running Dazzling Gleam. Your recommendations would be helpful, or if you think I should remove Kadabra altogether let me know that too. I think it does compliment Tyrantrum and Drapion by overwhelming some of the physical walls that can take them both on, but I should definitely tailor it to be able to beat opposing Steel types which give both Drapion and Tyrantrum a ton of trouble. Running HP Fire would allow Kadabra to beat Steelix one on one in particular, if it absolutely needed to.
Spoiler:
Whimsicott @ Leftovers
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpA
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Leech Seed
- Memento
- Encore
- Giga Drain
Whimsicott was definitely a hard choice to justify at first, since it stacks that dreaded Steel weakness with Tyrantrum and Shuckle and often surrenders some momentum to opposing Dark types that are immune to its Prankster moves. It is very passive with this set, but I decided to include it anyway because it totally shuts down the preponderance of Shell Smash users currently in the tier. If they decide to use Ice Beam their first turn out, Whimsicott's bulk combined with the recovery from Giga Drain and Leech Seed will usually prevent Ice Beam from even 3HKO'ing. If they use Shell Smash, I simply use Encore and there's nothing they can do but watch as their preferred win condition falls out of reach.
I do want to try out Moonblast > Memento because honestly, once checks have been eliminated, Tyrantrum almost never needs the Memento support to set up and sweep. Moonblast would allow Whimsicott to do a lot more to opposing Dark-types. While it can currently wall a good deal of them, it can't do much in return and is a huge sap on momentum. I'd get rid of Giga Drain, but it really is just too helpful against opposing Shell Smash users and Rain teams that I don't want to do that. It also helps heal HP, which keeps Whimsicott on the field for a long time. Whimsicott is a decent glue for this team alongside Hitmontop; I have almost never had a match in NU beta where Whimsicott was deadweight.
Drapion @ Lum Berry
Ability: Sniper
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Toxic Spikes
- Poison Jab
- Knock Off
I think Drapion has been criminally underrated since its inception in DP. This set aims to make Drapion fulfill whatever potential role it needs. If I need to switch into powerful Psychic type moves from non-Relic Song Meloetta, Kadabra, etc., I've got a mon that can do that. It's bulky enough to set Toxic Spikes more than once throughout a match. And if I see the opponent doesn't have a grounded Poison-type has a spinner that isn't either Cryogonal or Claydol, I'll go ahead and set up those T-Spikes so I can force them to poison their spinner. This type of pressure more easily gets their spinner out of the game and enables Shuckle to set up Sticky Web, which can give Drapion a chance to come back in and either set up Toxic Spikes again or attempt a sweep.
Hitmontop @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Rapid Spin
- Foresight
- Close Combat
- Sucker Punch
Hitmontop is definitely a kind of glue Pokemon in NU right now. While it doesn't have the offensive presence of Lee or Chan, it can switch in on Steelix and Klinklang multiple times throughout a match, which is something my team desperately needs. Access to Sucker Punch also allows it to maul non-Relic Song Meloetta and Mismagius which would otherwise make quick work of Hitmontop. That Close Combat ensures that, though Hitmontop is somewhat weak compared to its counterparts, it can still dish out massive amounts of damage to opposing Steel-types. The Foresight + Rapid Spin combination is obvious, for while my team isn't terribly weak to any one entry hazard, having them stacked on my side is really bad for members of my team like Tyrantrum, Drapion and Shuckle which have no way to recover HP whatsoever and rely greatly on having as much of their HP as possible to do their jobs.
Thanks for checking out my NU beta team. The metagame will be subject to a ton of changes in coming days and weeks. Feel free to leave a comment!