RMT Losers For The Win [PU]

[Team Rocket Fan]

The Team:

Raticate (M) @ Toxic Orb
Ability: Guts
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Protect
- Facade
- Sucker Punch
- U-turn

Raticate may be a joke in higher tiers but in PU it shines as one of the strongest attackers with a great move combinations and fairly good speed. In this team, he serves as an Anti-Lead. Protect is used in the 1st turn so the Toxic Orb can take effect. Then, immediately, Raticate can KO opponents. Facade OHKOes or weakens massively al opponents that don't resist it thanks to Guts. Sucker Punch finishes off faster opponents. U-Turn brings Raticate back in safety which results in very little damage from poison.

Strong against: Slower and Frail opponents like Beautifly, Plusle, Minun, Pikachu, Masqearin, Mightyena, Swanna and Volbeat. Supporters like Delcatty, Illumise, Jumplaff, Ledian, Mr Mime and Noctowl, Set Up Annoyers like Vespiqueen, Sweepers like Kadabra and other common Leads like Emolga, Ariados, Ninetales, Kricketune and Monferno.

Weak Against: Fighting and Rock / Steel Types like Machoke, Bastiodon, Golem, Lunatone, Indimitaters like Stoutland and Arbok, Powerful Bulky attackers like Marowak, Luxray, Leafeon, Ursaring, Glaceon, Flareon and Huntail. Really Bulky pokemon like Lickilicky and Eviolite Togetic. A most common lead. Meowstic-M.

Pelipper (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Rain Dish
EVs: 252 HP / 156 Def / 100 SpD
- Defog
- Scald
- Roost
- Air Slash

Pelipper is the most common switch after Raticate's U-Turn because it covers his weaknesses. Pelipper's main role in the metagame is Defog and he is the best at it. Defog is a must since SR and Spikes are big trouble for Floatzel, Raticate and Pachirisu. Scald is a good STAB with a fair chance to burn taking care of Bastiodon, Golem etc. Roost is for healing and Air Slash has great accurassy and can easily take care off Machoke, Leafeon and others threats for Raticate. Basically they can be called a core part of the team as they cover each other. Leftovers is the healing item of choice as it is the most reliable one.

Strong Against: Slow Bulky attackers like Machoke, Ursaring, Leafeon, Flareon. Rock / Ground Types like Golem, Marowak. Bugs like Leavanny, Ariados and others. Grass types like Jumpluff and Torterra.

Weak Against: Electric Types like Raichu, Pikachu, Emolga, Pachirisu, Zebstrika and Luxray, Special Defensive Sweepers and Supporters like Kadabra, Chimecho and Mr Mime. Fast Taunters like Persian and Purugly. Subsitute users like Mightyena and Linoone. Faster sweepers like Swellow.

Marowak (M) @ Thick Club
Ability: Battle Armor
EVs: 100 HP / 252 Atk / 84 Def / 72 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Bonemerang
- Knock Off
- Rock Slide
- Fire Punch

Marowak is actually the hardest hitting pokemon of the team and has great coverage moves with a wide movepool. Thick Club is a special item that makes him fearsome even against the bulkiest opponents. Bonemerang is prefered over Earthquake since it has bigger chance to lauc\nch a critical hit. Knock Off is a great move that hits hard and gets rid of Leftovers, Life Orbs and other threatening for the team items. In PU items play an even bigger role than in other tiers since the pokemon here need them to recover and hit with low stats. Rock Slide takes cared of flying types immune to Bonemerang and can hit many common threats like Pelipper, Butterfree, Dodrio, Fearow and Ninetales. Fire Punch is mostly here for Grass types like Sawsbuck, Carnivine and Gogoat that would otherwise easily KO Marowak. Adamant nature and full investment is attack with HP and defences combined with Pachirisu's Support make Marowak a total Beast!

Strong Against: Fire, Steel, Rock, Electric, Poison and Flying types. Marowak works great against Luxray that threatens the whole team except for himself and Pachirisu that really can't do much. Low Defensive hard hitting pokemon like Kadabra. He's also great against the pretty much really common Pyroar.

Weak Against: Torterra that can easily KO him with a Giga Darain / Wood Hammer and easily Set Up SR, Special Attacking Water types like Swanna, Politoed, Golduck and Floatzel and others. Marowak must not be sent out against set up sweppers that are ready like NP Persian. Scarfed Seviper also Giga Drains Marowak to death.

Pachirisu (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Volt Absorb
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
- Nuzzle
- Super Fang
- Light Screen
- Volt Switch

The world champion shines again as one of the greatest Supporters in the PU Tier. Leftovers and Volt Absorb can easily wear off Raichu and Luxray along with Super Fang. Light Screen helps Marowak, Pelipper and Floatzel raising their special defence when their defence is already high enough. This also allowes Raticate to be able to take special hits with ihs fairly good Special Defence. Volt Switch will return Pachirisu after a supportive Nuzzle-Light Screen.

Strong Against: Fast Flying types like Swellow, Pachirisu destroys them. It basically destroys all fast sweepers with a Nuzzle. Choice Scarf Users like Mightyena and Seviper are also in big trouble. Special Attackers are easily beaten thanks to a great special Defence and Light Screen.

Weak Against: Ground Types and EQ users generally. Arbok can coil and KO Pachirisu with EQ. Golem, Marowak and Machoke also threaten it a lot. Subsitute users are also a threat. Things like Linoone.

Seviper (M) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Infiltrator
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Sludge Bomb
- Flamethrower
- Giga Drain
- Dark Pulse

There aren't many good special attackers in the PU tier. Other than Swoobat, Butterfree and Glaceon that need set up in order to make a hit. This leavesmost players with Seviper as the only realiable choice. Still not a great pokemon but when equiped with Choice Scarf it can hit fast and strong the whole PU tier for Super Effective or netrual damage. Infilitator is one of the best abilities in the game hitting behind subsitute. Otherwise Subsitute is a huge trouble for the team. The evs are self-explained. Sludge Bomb is the STAB choice over Sludge Wave for a bigger chance to poison. A great STAB overall. Flamethrower is a must for Seviper hitting Steel Types that can trouble him easily. Giga Drain takes care of Ground Types and Dark Pulse is good against Psychic Types and has a great chance to flinch the opposing pokemon.

Strong Against: Grass Types like Sawsbuck, Carnivine, Bellosom Leafeon and Roselia and Bug Types like Ariados, Beautifly, Dustox, Ledian and a really common lead, Leavnny can be OHKOed with Flamethrower although most of the time they'll be Sashed. Fairy Types like Mr Mime can also get beaten as long as they don't use Psychic / Psyshock.

Weak Against: Ground Types and EQ users like Golem and Arbok can survive thanks to Sturdy and pure poison typing any attack Seviper throws at them and hit back with EQ to KO. Swellow, Purugly and other hard hitting faster than Seviper pokemon easily KO him with pure Facade, Brave Bird or Fake Out + Return.

Floatzel (M) @ Focus Sash
Ability: Water Veil
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Bulk Up
- Waterfall
- Ice Punch
- Aqua Jet

Floatzel is a great choice for a PU Team as it serves as a Sweeper hitting extremely hard with STAB Waterfall, Priority Aqua Jet and a great coverage Ice Punch. This is great against the all powerful Armaldo that threatens everyone else. It's speed is also amazing tied with Persian and only outspeeded by a few threats like Swellow. However is stays in the bottom tier because of its too much frailness. Focus Sash fixes this giving him a turn to Bulk Up and then make its teammates proud with sheer power. Water Veil is choice because a burn would ressult in total destruction of the whole set.

Strong Against: Rock types like Armaldo and Carbink are easily taken Down by Waterfall after a Bulk Up. Torterra is dead once Floatzel hits with Ice Punch. Flying types are also in trouble. Floatzel outspeeds Unfezant, Beautifly, Vespiqueen, Butterfree and finishes them off instantly. Fire Types are also weak against the wrath of Floatzel. Things like Pyroar, Ninetales and Monferno are to be mensioned as dead already.

Weak Against: However not even Aqua Jet can save Floatzel from Swellow that Can Facade + Quick attack him to death. Then, there are things like Fake Out users including Purugly and Pikachu. They instanlty destroy Floatzel. Basically and hard hitting pokemon that actually lands a hit is a pretty big threat unless Floatzel outspeeds. Kadabra should also be mensioned here that easily takes Floatzel with Energy Ball or even Psychic.

Tell Me What You Think!

 

[Scattered mind]

Wow! the team looks very nice TRF :] I'm glad there is only one set up sweeper instead of 3. I think it gives you in general a lot more room for other important roles and so it seems that each of your Pokémon has a different kind of purpose. Raticate being a hard wall/stallbreaker, and Floatzel as a set up sweeper.
So the structure of the team looks good to me. Other than that, well, it is PU so I don't have too much to say as I am not familiar with this tier.
Can you explain a bit about the EV spreads? In OU and VGC, there is not much to say about them unless they are not standard. Since not many people know about PU, I feel like there is a need in a little bit of info even if the spreads are standard.

 

[Team Rocket Fan]

Wow! the team looks very nice TRF :] I'm glad there is only one set up sweeper instead of 3. I think it gives you in general a lot more room for other important roles and so it seems that each of your Pokémon has a different kind of purpose. Raticate being a hard wall/stallbreaker, and Floatzel as a set up sweeper.
So the structure of the team looks good to me. Other than that, well, it is PU so I don't have too much to say as I am not familiar with this tier.
Can you explain a bit about the EV spreads? In OU and VGC, there is not much to say about them unless they are not standard. Since not many people know about PU, I feel like there is a need in a little bit of info even if the spreads are standard.

Sure! Well, in PU people can be really creative with their sets. For example some people can use a Rain Dance / Hurricanne / Scald / Roost Pelipper and actually make it work. However, the hard part of building a PU team is to be able to threaten most pokemon because you might see anyone in there. Well, you won't see things like Delcatty often but you'll see Kadabra, Articuno and Carbink a lot. The EVs can differ for many different sets. As I learned in many failures to build OU teams, people prefer to give emphasis in one single defensive role like HP / SpDef or HP / Def. In PU while some pokemon work like that (Special Defensive Noctowl for Defog) walls like Pachirisu and Dustox work well with both Defences equal and full HP investment because you always have to be preapred to see anything. Pokemon like Raichu / Persian / Victreebel and Floatzel are able to attack as both Attacker and Special Attackers. Of course they are all Set-Up sweepers so you have a turn to realize what's going on with them but still you have to be prepared for either a Raichu's / Persian's Fake Out or a Nasty Plot from them. Victreebel will mostly be using Sunny Day but then what? Will he go for Sloar Beam / Sludge Bomb / Weather Ball or will it be something Leaf Blade / Knock Off / Sleep Powder? That's why Pachirisu has almost equal defences. However a dual screen works great for every team. Other than Kadabra, Purugly, Regigigas, Armaldo, Swellow and Machoke there are really no predictable threats. That's what makes it interesting. I mean in VGC you you'll see Kangaskhan, Talonflame, Sylveon, Tyranitar or other guys. So for the EVs again, you have to get tricky and test a pokemon alone so you can see how it goes and then add it to the team. Marowak for example needs full Attacking potential cause his role is to KO almost everyone in there. However because of poor speed you'll have to be caerfull to invest in Defences. You'll most propably want ot make sure that HP and both Defences are higher than 250 in order to make it bulky enough to take and give some hits. But with this set his Special Defence is not even 220. That's why it needs a Supporter. Pachirisu comes to the rescue with Light Screen. It's really the same thing with Pelipper. Better Defensive EVs than special defensive since we have Light Screen. But that's why Pachirisu needs to get in action early game and then Volt Switch in and out for support. So, I actually find it really nice that you can be really creative as there are no really standart sets. Of course Smogon is really helpful but still, you HAVE to add your own thoughts in a moveset. On what the team needs. Smogon suggests Floatzel as a Special Attacker. I can't see why not physical sweeper. I've seen it work a lot. Also, Smogon suggests Marowak to have Double Edge and Rock Head along with Stone Edge instead of Rock Slide. Of course this set is for a lead since it also suggests SR. Well, I need a powerful attacker. Fire Punch and Knock Off are the choices. I hope I gave yo a taste of how the EVs work. I am really good at lower tiers but OU, Ubers and stuff like that? I'm really really bad at them.

 

[Team Rocket Fan]

YAY! Finally, Swellow got to NU. It will leave us alone!