Tomas Elliot

@Sir_Bagel I was about to mention Typhlosion as well, as its Specs variant can 3ko Hariyama with Eruption which, paired with Hariyama's lack of recovery, means that the Arm Trust Pokemon can act as a sponge for Eruption only once... But ehi, the one recommended is just a core, not an entire team: it surely has some issues with Typhlo, but a wise player would complement it by adding a Typhlo counter to the mix...

lol I can't read. Also exactly what do you mean by "eh"?

Ah crap you beat me to this. I wish I could be the one doing these threads for my beloved NU tier, but unfortunately time is something I cannot spare (why must we require money in real life?)... Let's see if there is something constructive I can say: 1) I notice a lack of Curse Megalix in the sample sets. Given that many other Pokemon in the tier can use Stealth Rock, Steelix can be relieved from that duty and given a set consisting of Curse, EQ, Gyro Ball and Dragon Tail, which allows it to set up and hit like a truck while phazing away foes that attempt to set up alongside it (for example Feraligatr might attempt this, banking on the fact that it resists one of Steelix's STABs). And the fact that Steelix is known to be a Stealth Rock user will add to the surprise factor, particularly if you use, as a Stealth Rock user, a Pokemon that is known for having many different sets (for example, seeing Steelix and Uxie in the team preview will keep the opponent guessing as to whether or not yours is a TR team...). Personally, I don't think a Curse set is as good as the standard SR+Heavy Slam one, if nothing else because you trade away the ability to OHKO Mega Camerupt before it can OHKO you, but ehi, it's still a viable set you might want to include for completeness' sake. 2) Totally unrelated, but isn't 252 HP better on AV Hariyama? Then again, I vaguely remember already having an argument with you (or at least I think it was you, but I could be wrong) about the importance (or lack thereof) of HP investiments in Pokemon that need bulk... 3) I am totally requesting Malamar for next (if requesting is permitted that is). I might lend you a hand with that if you want.

In my NU adventures, I have been using many tanky Pokemon, however there are two I am particularly fond of: Miltank and Granbull. Miltank is insanely bulky, can heal, can support the team, and also has an offensive presence should you wish to try a different approach (I like to use Pokemon that can have different sets). Granbull is a physically bulky Fairy-type with Intimidate, in a tier full of physically-oriented Fighting-type attackers, so of course you can never go wrong with him...

Well, assuming you are talking about Reborn, Blaziken is a no-brainer, considering that it is possible to obtain your starter with the hidden ability...

I run that, as you can see. But I have met many people on the ladder who use EQ instead (or Return, generally Ice Punch seems to be the less popular choice these days for reasons I cannot fathom), and those are what I was talking about in the line you quoted. EDIT: when I say "as you can see", I mean in the in-game-turned-competitive team I am currently testing, which you can see in my signature. I forgot that isn't the one this topic is about @.@

As things stand now, Serperior is monopolizing the tier, with every single team in existance carrying it, a counter to it, or both. So yeah, I definitely wouldn't mind if it left the tier... Fun fact: Serperior is actually PU on Smogon as of now, lower than NU...

Sure I understand that, I just wanted to give you some advice so that you can improve. You are quite talented, so I honestly think the whole "I write for myself" mindset is a bit of a waste... Besides, it's not like you can re-write this story at this point: mine was a suggestion for future reference...

Oh ok, I had completly misunderstood then... Well, Roar is a handy move when facing set-up physical sweepers, like Feraligatr and to a lesser extent Malamar (both of which cannot really be dealt with by Steelix, given that they have supereffective moves...). Granted, the standard set for Feraligatr (SD - EQ - AJ - Waterfall) cannot touch Mantine, so I guess I can afford going without Roar... But well, the fact is that I'd rather phaze out opposing problematic mons, rather than attack them with a move that will deal minimal damage anyway... You mentioned "surprise kills" that Granbull supposedly can score with Rock Slide, but exactly what are the Pokemon it can kill? The only Pokemon that likes to switch on Granbull and is weak to Rock is Xatu (at least that's the only one I can think of), but I'd rather run Crunch for that, so that I actually manage to 2ko it without Roost cutting the damage from the second Rock Slide...

A narration that switches constantly between different point of vies is something very hard to get right, George R.R. Martin did it but I don't think you are at his level (yet)... Be extra careful when handling such a complicated device, confused readers tend to become former readers!

Recently Malamar has ascended my personal top ten for no particular reason. I just like how the guy is designed around the ability Contrary: not only can it make good use of it, it has also an entire gimmick built around it in terms of Pokedex entry, appearance, and even evolution method...

While I like a lot the way you write, and I can see that you are building up quite a complex plot, I have to point out a flaw in the way you structured your work. TO be more precise, it seems to me that you made the mistake that I like to call "questions overload". Basically, you end an episode in an enigmatic way, and then you open the next episode with a completely different and seemingly unrelated scenario: this is a great way to keep people wondering about what is going on, it makes reader ask themselves questions, and this motivates them to keep reading... But the problems begin if you do this multiple times in a row. If you end an episode in an enigmatic way and begin the next in a completely different and seemingly unrelated scenario, and then you end that too in an enigmatic way, and in the next episode you introduce a THIRD completely different and seemingly unrelated scenario, people will start to lose track of what is going on, they'll be confused by the questions piling up. In my opinion the fighting scene in the third episode, while magistrally done, is confusing in that it doesn't clarify the events of either the first or the second episode: before throwing there that scene, in my opinion you should have inserted a "breather episode", a less complicated and more linear scenario to be used to clarify some of the mysteries of the first two episodes. Of course I am not saying that you should have revealed everything right away, but at least handwave the minor points: for example, the first episode was told from Iris' point of view, but then she doesn't make an appearance for two episodes... That's kinda confusing! I personally think the fighting scene should have been the fourth or fifth episode, and that the third episode should have clarified at least what was of Iris! I hope I managed to make myself clear...

Honestly I've never met a Camerupt with HP Electric... But yes, if I did, all it would take it would be a bit of prediction to blast through Mantine. To be absolutely honest, it's not like I particularly like Mantine at all, I only use it for its set of resistances/immunities: the likes of Typhlosion and Camerupt can blast through any defensive core if backed by Serperior and possibly a physical attacker (Feraligatr?), and well, having a single Pokemon to switch in over and over, chances are it will be worn out in the end (it has actually happened to me in a couple of occasions)... But the problem is, I cannot see the solution. I cannot find a defensive core that can synergize with the 3 Pokemon I have/want to run (Miltank, Serperior, Malamar) and that is able to address all the mentioned threats... It's like that gag with Donald Duck's cloth, that is too short to cover both his feet and his head: every time I find a way to counter a mon, I find myself weak to another! When I called Mantine "just another guy", I meant from an offensive point of view: in other words, what I meant in that thread was that Mantine, even if able to switch into one or more of the members of that team, couldn't really do anything once in, it couldn't really threaten any of my mons! This however is a new team, in a mostly new metagame: incredible how swiftly things can change in a matter of two or three weeks... EDIT: reading again this post it looked a bit messy, so let me clarify one thing. I am not saying that I am not satisfied of my team or that the meta is evolving too fast, nor am I expressing a judgement of any kind, be it positive or negative, about any Pokemon. I am simply saying that 3 out of 6 Pokemon in this team were picked out of necessity, rather than with a strategy in mind: I simply tossed there Granbull, Steelix and Mantine because I felt they could address the larger amount of threats in the current tier possible... And well, I am worried that I might have forgotten something: I generally am not a fan of building teams with theorymoning... As for Nickrash's point about Protect, I am not sure I get it: Protect is used to let the opponent's Scarfer lock itself into a move and switch to an appropriate companion. I am not saying running such a move is a must, nor am I saying that this is the only way to use it, I am simply saying that this is how I use it. I am not sure I understand all the reasoning you made about it... :/

Introduction Howdy, people of Reborn. Since my last RMT, I've continued my adventures in the NU tier for two reasons: firstly, it is a tier relatively immune from overly long suspect discussions, or at least, from frequent ones (and considering that I strongly believe that most suspect discussions are full of crap, that's great news); secondly, I recently developed a strong liking for Malamar, a Pokemon that really caught my attention in many ways (more on this in the in-depth description) and well, the guy just happens to be in the NU tier. So yeah, I decided to work a bit around the concept of "Contrary sweeper", and this team is the result. At a glance It took me quite a while to decide on this line-up. Initially, the team only included Malamar as a Contrary sweeper, and was geared around spreading paralyzis (Granbull aside, the first version of the team also included Regirock and Qwilfish with Thunder Wave) in order to allow Malamar, back then sporting an Assault Vest set, to sweep. After a while however it became evident that Serperior was becoming more and more ubiquitous in the tier, so I was forced to include a counter for it: after an initial (and quite pitiful, I'll admit it) attempt at using Eviolite Sliggoo to fit the bill, it was soon clear that every team that included both Serperior and a fire-type special attacker (Mega Camerupt in particular) had a chance at breaking through my defenses: my usual NU semi-stall strategy, reliant on Audino to keep everyone healthy, just didn't work together with my attempts at clearing a path for a sweep. And the moment I decided to use Miltank as an anti-Serperior, I found myself once again facing the chronic problem of most of my teams: the lack of a special sweeper. So yeah, in order to fit the Contrary theme I decided to run a Serperior myself as a special sweeper, and that required to completely re-think my team with a new, more offensive mentality. The end result stands before you: of the original members of the team, only Granbull and Malamar were kept, and of them only Granbull kept its original moveset and EV spread. However, I am quite satisfied with the final result, as the test battles seem to indicate that this team is fairly good (do keep in mind that the displayed rating also accounts the many battles I lost with the original line-up, this version is currently on a winning streak...). So yeah, let's see in detail what each member is about, shall we? In-depth analyzis @ Steelixite Ability: Sturdy EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 SpD Adamant Nature - Stealth Rock - Earthquake - Heavy Slam - Dragon Tail There has been a moment in my life when I, too, had that hipster mindset of "if everyone run a Pokemon, I shall not!". Nowadays however I have a different mindset: "if everyone run a Pokemon, there must be a damn good reason". And indeed, there is a damn good reason why Mega Steelix (couldn't find anywhere the animated sprite of the Mega form ;-; ) is rapidly becoming NU's premier Ground-type and Stealth Rock user. A Pokemon so bulky it is basically guaranteed to manage to use Stealth Rocks when used as lead (unless your foes run some Fire-type special attacker as lead that is)? A Pokmon so bulky you can invest all of your EVs in offensive presence, because its bulk is immense even uninvested? Yes please! The two STAB moves hit really hard, and Dragon Tail provides some useful phazing to get rid of mons that might try to set up in the big guy's face (SD Feraligatr comes to mind). A set with 31 Speed IVs and Heavy Slam was chosen over a set with 0 Speed IVs and Gyro Ball to have a chance to outspeed Mega Camerupt (whose base Speed is even lower than Steelix's) and OHKO it with EQ: do remember however that, on the turn Mega Evolution occurs, attack order is determined with the stats of the regular forms, and regular Camerupt outspeeds regular Steelix, so be careful. Granted, without Gyro Ball you are trading away the ability to OHKO defensive Xatu as it attempts to switch in to bounce your SR, bu Heavy Slam is still a comfortable 2KO regardless of Roost attempts, and you can still OHKO the offensive set, so yeah... @ Leftovers Ability: Intimidate EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Def Impish Nature - Play Rough - Thunder Wave - Protect - Roar In a tier where many Fighting-type physical attackers dwell, a Fairy-type mon with Intimidate is highly appreciated. With Roar to phaze out set-up sweepers, THunder Wave to cripple key threats on the switch in, and Protect to help with prediction and to provide some form of recovery in combination with Leftovers, you will rarely be attacking at all, but should you need to, Play Rough is still a fairly powerful STAB attack with a handy chance to lower the opponent's attack, meaning physical attackers that resist the Fairy type, for example Muk, will have to be careful upon switching in. All in all, there is a reason why Granbull is the only Pokemon I never replaced nor altered since day one! @ Leftovers Ability: Water Absorb EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpA Bold Nature - Scald - Protect - Defog - Toxic This thing is bulky. Like my God, if you time your switches right, it never goes down. It's base Special Defense is so high that, with full HP investiments (gotta keep those HPs in an odd number because of those SR), Mantine will become one hell of a special wall even without investiments in Special Defense. And this allows you to dump those EVs in the physical side, making Mantine very hard to bring down. Immunity to Ground and Water and resistance to Fire make our manta a great switch-in for a plethora of offensive threats, including Feraligatr (whose Ice Punch variant will struggle to deal significant damage, while the EQ variant will be shut down completely), Typhlosion, Magmortar (watch out for Thunderbolt!), Mega Camerupt and even Mega Steelix (Stone Edge is kinda rare on the guy), and most of these threats will be OHKOed or otherwise hurt badly by Scald (and there is also the fact that virtually nothing can switch safely into Scald without Water Absorb, because nothing likes to be burned)... Or you can just use Toxic to put a timer on them. This team isn't particularly weak to Stealth Rock, but Defog is here to keep away more dangerous hazards like Toxic Spikes. @ Leftovers Ability: Sap Sipper EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD Adamant Nature - Body Slam - Earthquake - Milk Drink - Heal Bell Having to pick a Pokemon to counter the ubiquitous Serperior, I went for Miltank because of the greater staying power it boasts over Bouffalant. This set handily beats down any variant of Serperior while also being able to put the hurt on Steel types that think they have nothing to fear from a cow. Miltank's attack is nothing to sniff at, particularly at +1, her bulk is excellent even uninvested (provided you have full HP investiments of course), and between Milk Drink and Heal Bell, it will be hard for opponents to cripple her and force her out... Too bad she cannot touch Mismagius, considering that I have a STAB EQ and a key Superpower in my team I'd rather have a Dark move on Miltank to hit Mismagius rather than EQ to hit Steel types I can kill anyway, but sadly she doesn't learn any good Dark-type move... @ Leftovers Ability: Contrary EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe Timid Nature - Leaf Storm - Dragon Pulse - Hidden Power [Fire] - Substitute Here it is, the special sweeper of the team and the first half of my Contrary offensive core. Serperior is very difficult to take on if you don't pack a Pokemon with Sap Sipper: once behind a substitute (and given the switches it forces, it isn't hard to get behind a substitute) it can essentially Nasty Plot while spamming an immensely powerful STAB move, which will hurt even Pokemon that resist it... And that will most likely be finished off by a coverage move. As Ground-type Pokemon are destroyed by the STAB and the rare Dragon-type ones are dealt with by Dragon Pulse, HP Fire was preferred over HP Ice to OHKO Ferroseed and other Steel-type mons that think they can take a Leaf Storm (they can, but they'll net me a +2, and I pack HP Fire...). It is important to notice that, with these investiments, Serperior is one of the fastest mons in the tier, so you will have plenty of chances to get behind a sub in order to scout your opponent's moves. This is particularly useful when facing a slower Pokemon that packs Sucker Punch, for example Pawniard. @ Choice Scarf Ability: Contrary EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe Jolly Nature - Superpower - Knock Off - Psycho Cut - Switcheroo And here is the reason why I went through all this just to make a Contrary-themed team. I cannot really explain why I grew to like this guy so much, and in such a short time: maybe it's the look (it looks badass, admit it), maybe it's the fact that it was specifically designed around the Contrary ability (not just in terms of stats and movesets, but also in terms of appearance, Pokedex entry and even evolution method), maybe it's just that everything is squishier with squids. All I know is that I like the guy, and I wanted to make a team that could allow me to end as many battles as possible with a Malamar sweep. Originally, I had a bulky Assault Vest set, but the problem with that was the lackluster moveset: Malamar only has 3 useful attacks, so I was forced to run the worthless Night Slash in the fourth slot (God, how I wish Malamar could learn Sucker Punch...). The Scarf set has multiple advantages over that: for one, it can outspeed stuff and keep on bulking up while spamming a 120 bp move, but there is also the fact that it can actually make use of the fourth move slot, in order to cripple stall-oriented teams with Switcheroo. Knock Off is used to destroy Pokemon that are weak to it and don't expect Malamar to be faster (for example, this makes Malamar a decent check for Mismagius), while Psycho Cut is usually used only after trading away the Scarf, because its lackluster power, its lack of cool added effects (sure it has enhanced crit rate, but you cannot just rely on hax) and the sheer amount of mons that resist it in NU make it a terrible move to lock yourself in. I guess you can use it to catch the opponent's Poison-type on the switch as they predict Superpower, but even then, I'd rather cripple them with Switcheroo (you can always give that Black Sludge to some Eviolite user later...). Conclusions So yeah, here is the team. I hope people will post here to provide feedback, and not to pick a fight with me like in some past occasions... Please do keep in mind that this team, as the title should make sufficiently clear, is all about Contrary Sweepers, so no matter what you do, please do not suggest to remove Serperior/Malamar, or to run them with some non-sweeping set... Importable