This is one of my older teams and, while it works exceptionally well now that most of it's hard counters (mainly To-T and Genesect) have been banned to Ubers, I feel it's due for an update, if possible. I want to say that yes I know there are gaping type weaknesses, but when this team is properly played, they don't come into play often. This IS a gimmick team, but effective nonetheless.
Ok, so I got bored one day and decided I wanted to take one of the most useless pokemon/abilities in the game and make it into a earthshaking troll in battle. I knew several pokemon got nerfed in Gen 5 with the likes of Damp (which quickly showed no merit on any of them), but then I stumbled across a little move almost no one had ever heard of: Entrainment. Coupled with the fact that Truant is arguably the worst ability you can have in a pokemon and the fact that Durant could learn the move, I was set on putting it to good use as a devastating weapon.
It was about this time that the Japanese Shadow Tag Gothorita was released, so I thought I'd try out Gothitelle.
After going through several teams and developing a fairly effective one, it was apparent that Gothitelle was too slow and not physically defensive enough to sweep after netting 6 Calm minds. Special attackers in general didn't seem to be going anywhere as a lead, so I started using Mamoswine for it's immense attack and effective set (I had developed a fondness for it after experimenting with it ever since the DW event).
Since Durant's main purpose ws to bass Truant and die in the same turn, I didn't think much about finding aother pokemon to take advantage of truant. that is until I found Durant often surviving against the various pokemon I encountered (like Jirachi and Togekiss). I then added Cloyster since Truant could give a guaranteed free switch in so I wouldn't waste my Focus Sash.
I then needed a fast fighting type and since Terrakion had often swept my early versions teams I figured I'd give it a shot. Up to this point, I noticed I had all physical attackers (as well as a fighting weakness). Try as I might to work in some special attackers, nothing seemed to work as well as the full physical team, so I added Super Fang Crobat who practically solved all of my problems with physical walls.
Author's note: The thing I like most about this team is that, while offense oriented, it plays like a stall team. 95% of this team's success comes from it's build while the remaining 5% is just execution. If it fails in a match, there's usually not much I could have done anyway.
The Setup
TubO'Lard (Mamoswine) (M) @ Focus Sash
Trait: Thick Fat
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Stealth Rock
- Endeavor
- Earthquake
- Ice Shard
This mammoth has been "hogging" the lead position on nearly all my teams for most of my competitive battling "journey". Stealth Rock allows me to test my speed against other leads on occasion and breaks Focus Sashes/Multiscale/Sturdy etc. during Dugtrio's sweep. Ice Shard is amazingly effective as a Priority STAB coming of a fully invested base 140 Attack stat. Earthquake allows me to hit must leads hard, often pseudo-revenge killing after the focus sash activates. Endeavor is for when I know I will be outsped and is usually followed by Ice Shard for the KO. Mamoswine rarely fails to both get SR up and take down a pokemon or two (if not just seriously wounding them). Mamoswine also tends to lure in pokemon that can OHKO Durant, thus making an early sweep by Dugtrio all the more likely.
Porthos (Terrakion) @ Air Balloon
Trait: Justified
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Rock Polish
- Swords Dance
- Close Combat
- Rock Slide
I chose Double Dancer Terrakion since it often causes a switch, allowing me a free turn to boost up. Air balloon foils the number 1 way Terrakion used to die (EQ) and usually lures out the fighting type on the foe's team, which Terrakion can often KO. Should it fail to KO, Dugtrio comes in and revenge kills, skewing the opponent's idea of it's purpose on the team. More often than not, when I bring Terrakion in, it begins a sweep of it's own. I rarely need Rock Polish, but there have been several times I was glad to have it (mainly against scarfed members of the so called "Kami-trio").
Durantula (Durant) (M) @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Truant
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Entrainment
- X-Scissor
- Thunder Wave
- Iron Head
As a gimmick team, Durant is the core of the whole team. If Durant falls without slapping a foe with Entrainment, the team is pretty much sunk. The EVs give it minimum bulk to let it die after giving the foe Truant, thus making my switch to Dugtrio unavoidable. The HP EVs ensure I can survive a +2 Bullet punch (most of the time) from LO Scizor, since u-turn ruins my setup. Should it survive the first round it's in, it can either troll again later or act as a hit-and-run revenge killer with it's amazing attack. The scarf off base 109 speed means I'll outspeed literally everything, including scarf terrakion, and force the foe to slack off the next turn. Since priority rarely OHKOs durant, it almost always gets off Entrainment before dying it's early, but by no means pointless death.
How2Duggie (Dugtrio) (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Arena Trap
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Protect
- Hone Claws
- Earthquake
- Aerial Ace
This is my primary sweeper and main abuser of the results of Entrainment. The whole point is to trap the foe after they kill Durant, then boost up to +6 attack, followed by an overwhelming sweep. This is usually quite easy to pull of too. I deviate from the norm in using Aerial Ace over Sucker Punch since the latter relies too much on the foe trying to directly confront the already insanely fast Dugtrio. Aerial Ace hits almost everything not named Bronzong that is immune to Earthquake for at least neutral damage while also allowing me to OHKO many pokemon that resist EQ (namely grass types that expect to survive and pull off a status move or bulky fighting types that expect Sucker Punch as the secondary attack and can normally take a superpowered EQ). Without Durant's support, Dugtrio has little use besides a ultra frail revenge killer.
Pearl (Cloyster) (F) @ Focus Sash
Trait: Skill Link
EVs: 48 HP / 252 Atk / 208 Spd
Naive Nature (+Spd, -SDef)
- Shell Smash
- Icicle Spear
- Rock Blast
- Surf
I needed a way to mildly abuse the passing of Truant on opponents that were immune to Arena Trap. Since all of those pokemon are flying types (Levitate is replaced by Truant), an Ice, Rock, and Electric types were the logical choices. Cloyster already appreciates a turn to set up Shell Smash via it's sash, and if Durant plays out right, it gets an extra free turn or two thanks to truant for an even more "smashing" time. I also chose surf after missing an inordinate amount with Hydro Pump on an earlier version of the team and being walled too often when using Razor Shell. It is also the only special attack on the team.
Crobro (Crobat) (M) @ Black Sludge
Trait: Inner Focus
EVs: 176 HP / 192 Atk / 4 SDef / 136 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Super Fang
- Taunt
- Brave Bird
- Roost
This guy trolls like no other. Super fang softens up the foe for me to either sweep through with Brave Bird immediately after or makes the opponent freak out over 50% damage and switch, softening up more of their team. Taunt prevents pokemon from setting up on me and forces additional switches. Crobat's speedy roost often adds to the frustration as I dodge potential KOs while healing back up in the process. When I need it, Crobat really comes through by either setting the field for a sweep or even just late game mayhem that pressures the foe into making a mistake and losing the match.
Major weaknesses
I have shared this team with others and have personally found that if one knows the team extremely well, it can be easily countered by proper switching (mainly NOT KOing durant unless using a non-grounded pokemon). Other than that, the only things that seem to throw the team off are extreme speed (not the move, but stuff like Chlorsaur in the sun), extreme power (like To-T in the rain had), or Perish Song (forces Dugtrio to switch mid boosting and if durant is already out...). Additionally, teams that utilize Volt-turn as a driving tactic can prevent entrainment from taking full effect by allowing Durant to be easily KO'd while it slacks off after the switch. Lastly, Toxic Spikes, while not as common, makes boosting up with Dugtrio unrealistic (unless 'Duggie" was already on the field) due to both the inabilty to run a spinner on this team and the fact that Crobat can't absorb them unless the even rarer Gavity is in play. Also, If I don't give Chlorosaur Truant on the switch in, it can be a major problemfor the team since I have no priority outside of Mamoswine, who is usually sacrificed to allow Durant to do it's work.
Minor weaknesses
Occasionally I'll run across a pokemon I just can't KO with a +6 Aerial ace (when the foe is immune to ground) and that pokemon will happen to run a phasing move (ie: Dragon Tail Dragonite). While these cases are rare, it often causes me to lose momentum and usually results in an extremely close win (or even closer loss). Skarmory and Hippowdon also give me trouble, but they are declining in use (the prior in favor of Jelly-thorn cores and the latter with Tyranitar predominance) and can be handled with a few well placed Super Fangs to soften them up before Whirlwind phases me. Skarmory, itself, can't do much damage unless tons of hazards are up, and even then only Cloyster would take damage from more than one of the common two.
Greatest strengths
This team, although riddled with pokemon that don't see much use in today's OU metagame, can break at least 90% of opposing strategies while casually proceeding with it's own. Furthermore, it's main hard counters are either seeing less mainstream use or are being banned to Ubers.
Ok, so I got bored one day and decided I wanted to take one of the most useless pokemon/abilities in the game and make it into a earthshaking troll in battle. I knew several pokemon got nerfed in Gen 5 with the likes of Damp (which quickly showed no merit on any of them), but then I stumbled across a little move almost no one had ever heard of: Entrainment. Coupled with the fact that Truant is arguably the worst ability you can have in a pokemon and the fact that Durant could learn the move, I was set on putting it to good use as a devastating weapon.
It was about this time that the Japanese Shadow Tag Gothorita was released, so I thought I'd try out Gothitelle.
After going through several teams and developing a fairly effective one, it was apparent that Gothitelle was too slow and not physically defensive enough to sweep after netting 6 Calm minds. Special attackers in general didn't seem to be going anywhere as a lead, so I started using Mamoswine for it's immense attack and effective set (I had developed a fondness for it after experimenting with it ever since the DW event).
Since Durant's main purpose ws to bass Truant and die in the same turn, I didn't think much about finding aother pokemon to take advantage of truant. that is until I found Durant often surviving against the various pokemon I encountered (like Jirachi and Togekiss). I then added Cloyster since Truant could give a guaranteed free switch in so I wouldn't waste my Focus Sash.
I then needed a fast fighting type and since Terrakion had often swept my early versions teams I figured I'd give it a shot. Up to this point, I noticed I had all physical attackers (as well as a fighting weakness). Try as I might to work in some special attackers, nothing seemed to work as well as the full physical team, so I added Super Fang Crobat who practically solved all of my problems with physical walls.
Author's note: The thing I like most about this team is that, while offense oriented, it plays like a stall team. 95% of this team's success comes from it's build while the remaining 5% is just execution. If it fails in a match, there's usually not much I could have done anyway.
The Setup
TubO'Lard (Mamoswine) (M) @ Focus Sash
Trait: Thick Fat
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Stealth Rock
- Endeavor
- Earthquake
- Ice Shard
This mammoth has been "hogging" the lead position on nearly all my teams for most of my competitive battling "journey". Stealth Rock allows me to test my speed against other leads on occasion and breaks Focus Sashes/Multiscale/Sturdy etc. during Dugtrio's sweep. Ice Shard is amazingly effective as a Priority STAB coming of a fully invested base 140 Attack stat. Earthquake allows me to hit must leads hard, often pseudo-revenge killing after the focus sash activates. Endeavor is for when I know I will be outsped and is usually followed by Ice Shard for the KO. Mamoswine rarely fails to both get SR up and take down a pokemon or two (if not just seriously wounding them). Mamoswine also tends to lure in pokemon that can OHKO Durant, thus making an early sweep by Dugtrio all the more likely.
Porthos (Terrakion) @ Air Balloon
Trait: Justified
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Rock Polish
- Swords Dance
- Close Combat
- Rock Slide
I chose Double Dancer Terrakion since it often causes a switch, allowing me a free turn to boost up. Air balloon foils the number 1 way Terrakion used to die (EQ) and usually lures out the fighting type on the foe's team, which Terrakion can often KO. Should it fail to KO, Dugtrio comes in and revenge kills, skewing the opponent's idea of it's purpose on the team. More often than not, when I bring Terrakion in, it begins a sweep of it's own. I rarely need Rock Polish, but there have been several times I was glad to have it (mainly against scarfed members of the so called "Kami-trio").
Durantula (Durant) (M) @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Truant
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Entrainment
- X-Scissor
- Thunder Wave
- Iron Head
As a gimmick team, Durant is the core of the whole team. If Durant falls without slapping a foe with Entrainment, the team is pretty much sunk. The EVs give it minimum bulk to let it die after giving the foe Truant, thus making my switch to Dugtrio unavoidable. The HP EVs ensure I can survive a +2 Bullet punch (most of the time) from LO Scizor, since u-turn ruins my setup. Should it survive the first round it's in, it can either troll again later or act as a hit-and-run revenge killer with it's amazing attack. The scarf off base 109 speed means I'll outspeed literally everything, including scarf terrakion, and force the foe to slack off the next turn. Since priority rarely OHKOs durant, it almost always gets off Entrainment before dying it's early, but by no means pointless death.
How2Duggie (Dugtrio) (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Arena Trap
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Protect
- Hone Claws
- Earthquake
- Aerial Ace
This is my primary sweeper and main abuser of the results of Entrainment. The whole point is to trap the foe after they kill Durant, then boost up to +6 attack, followed by an overwhelming sweep. This is usually quite easy to pull of too. I deviate from the norm in using Aerial Ace over Sucker Punch since the latter relies too much on the foe trying to directly confront the already insanely fast Dugtrio. Aerial Ace hits almost everything not named Bronzong that is immune to Earthquake for at least neutral damage while also allowing me to OHKO many pokemon that resist EQ (namely grass types that expect to survive and pull off a status move or bulky fighting types that expect Sucker Punch as the secondary attack and can normally take a superpowered EQ). Without Durant's support, Dugtrio has little use besides a ultra frail revenge killer.
Pearl (Cloyster) (F) @ Focus Sash
Trait: Skill Link
EVs: 48 HP / 252 Atk / 208 Spd
Naive Nature (+Spd, -SDef)
- Shell Smash
- Icicle Spear
- Rock Blast
- Surf
I needed a way to mildly abuse the passing of Truant on opponents that were immune to Arena Trap. Since all of those pokemon are flying types (Levitate is replaced by Truant), an Ice, Rock, and Electric types were the logical choices. Cloyster already appreciates a turn to set up Shell Smash via it's sash, and if Durant plays out right, it gets an extra free turn or two thanks to truant for an even more "smashing" time. I also chose surf after missing an inordinate amount with Hydro Pump on an earlier version of the team and being walled too often when using Razor Shell. It is also the only special attack on the team.
Crobro (Crobat) (M) @ Black Sludge
Trait: Inner Focus
EVs: 176 HP / 192 Atk / 4 SDef / 136 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Super Fang
- Taunt
- Brave Bird
- Roost
This guy trolls like no other. Super fang softens up the foe for me to either sweep through with Brave Bird immediately after or makes the opponent freak out over 50% damage and switch, softening up more of their team. Taunt prevents pokemon from setting up on me and forces additional switches. Crobat's speedy roost often adds to the frustration as I dodge potential KOs while healing back up in the process. When I need it, Crobat really comes through by either setting the field for a sweep or even just late game mayhem that pressures the foe into making a mistake and losing the match.
Major weaknesses
I have shared this team with others and have personally found that if one knows the team extremely well, it can be easily countered by proper switching (mainly NOT KOing durant unless using a non-grounded pokemon). Other than that, the only things that seem to throw the team off are extreme speed (not the move, but stuff like Chlorsaur in the sun), extreme power (like To-T in the rain had), or Perish Song (forces Dugtrio to switch mid boosting and if durant is already out...). Additionally, teams that utilize Volt-turn as a driving tactic can prevent entrainment from taking full effect by allowing Durant to be easily KO'd while it slacks off after the switch. Lastly, Toxic Spikes, while not as common, makes boosting up with Dugtrio unrealistic (unless 'Duggie" was already on the field) due to both the inabilty to run a spinner on this team and the fact that Crobat can't absorb them unless the even rarer Gavity is in play. Also, If I don't give Chlorosaur Truant on the switch in, it can be a major problemfor the team since I have no priority outside of Mamoswine, who is usually sacrificed to allow Durant to do it's work.
Minor weaknesses
Occasionally I'll run across a pokemon I just can't KO with a +6 Aerial ace (when the foe is immune to ground) and that pokemon will happen to run a phasing move (ie: Dragon Tail Dragonite). While these cases are rare, it often causes me to lose momentum and usually results in an extremely close win (or even closer loss). Skarmory and Hippowdon also give me trouble, but they are declining in use (the prior in favor of Jelly-thorn cores and the latter with Tyranitar predominance) and can be handled with a few well placed Super Fangs to soften them up before Whirlwind phases me. Skarmory, itself, can't do much damage unless tons of hazards are up, and even then only Cloyster would take damage from more than one of the common two.
Greatest strengths
This team, although riddled with pokemon that don't see much use in today's OU metagame, can break at least 90% of opposing strategies while casually proceeding with it's own. Furthermore, it's main hard counters are either seeing less mainstream use or are being banned to Ubers.
TubO'Lard (Mamoswine) (M) @ Focus Sash
Trait: Thick Fat
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Stealth Rock
- Endeavor
- Earthquake
- Ice Shard
Porthos (Terrakion) @ Air Balloon
Trait: Justified
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Rock Polish
- Swords Dance
- Close Combat
- Rock Slide
Durantula (Durant) (M) @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Truant
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Entrainment
- X-Scissor
- Thunder Wave
- Iron Head
How2Duggie (Dugtrio) (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Arena Trap
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Protect
- Hone Claws
- Earthquake
- Aerial Ace
Pearl (Cloyster) (F) @ Focus Sash
Trait: Skill Link
EVs: 48 HP / 252 Atk / 208 Spd
Naive Nature (+Spd, -SDef)
- Shell Smash
- Icicle Spear
- Rock Blast
- Surf
Crobro (Crobat) (M) @ Black Sludge
Trait: Inner Focus
EVs: 176 HP / 192 Atk / 4 SDef / 136 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Super Fang
- Taunt
- Brave Bird
- Roost
Trait: Thick Fat
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Stealth Rock
- Endeavor
- Earthquake
- Ice Shard
Porthos (Terrakion) @ Air Balloon
Trait: Justified
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Rock Polish
- Swords Dance
- Close Combat
- Rock Slide
Durantula (Durant) (M) @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Truant
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Entrainment
- X-Scissor
- Thunder Wave
- Iron Head
How2Duggie (Dugtrio) (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Arena Trap
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Protect
- Hone Claws
- Earthquake
- Aerial Ace
Pearl (Cloyster) (F) @ Focus Sash
Trait: Skill Link
EVs: 48 HP / 252 Atk / 208 Spd
Naive Nature (+Spd, -SDef)
- Shell Smash
- Icicle Spear
- Rock Blast
- Surf
Crobro (Crobat) (M) @ Black Sludge
Trait: Inner Focus
EVs: 176 HP / 192 Atk / 4 SDef / 136 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Super Fang
- Taunt
- Brave Bird
- Roost
