SM Ubers A Tale of Two Nebbys (Peaked #12 on Ubers ladder)

A Tale of Two Nebbys








Greetings and salutations, and welcome to A Tale of Two Nebbys, my most recent balance team that revolves around the use of two "Nebbys" in Lunala and Dusk Mane Necrozma. WHile this team was originally a hyper offense team, it was proving to be took weak to Marshadow and Yveltal, and was changed to a bulkier balance team to better adapt to the metagame changes. Many people liked that version of the team, so what I'm going to do is have both versions of the team available in the importables section.

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nebbies.png



When I was constructing this team as a Hyper Offense team, I needed my hazard lead, and Deo-S fit the bill for what I needed. I decided on a Rocky Helmet Superpower set to improve my matchup vs opposing hazard leads such as Smeargle and Excadrill.



As a masochist, I wanted to give Dawn Wings a chance, making this the original user of Lunalium Z on my team. Its Menacing Moonraze Maelstorm was incredibly strong, being able to take down Magearna at +1 and having a chance to KO defensive Ho-Oh. Having a spinblocker is also nice. However, I'll later find out how middling its coverage, typing when combined with its ability, and speed tier was.


Mixed Rock Polish Primal Groudon was added next. It really appreciates having Hidden Power Ice on its set, as it lures in its usual switchins of Mega Salamence and Zygarde-C, and is also able to OHKO Rayquaza. Having this lure for Zygarde-C also helps its next teammate.


DD Mega Salamence is added to give the team a Ground immunity and check to Ho-Oh and opposing Primal Groudon, as well as dish out Intimidate pre-mega to help it or one its teammates set up a sweep. Its offensive capabilities are also desirable as Adamant Double Edge and Earthquake hurts a lot of the tier, especially when boosted.


Bulky SD Chople Berry Ekiller was added to the team next. Marshadow loves to prey on HO teams and potentially steal boosts, but not with Chople Ekiller. After a CC, Shadow Claw picks up the KO. This also lures in Mega Lucario, which enables Ekiller to OHKO with Earthquake. Besdies that, its cleaning capabilities with boosted Extreme Speed were highly desirable given how hard-hitting the rest of the team is.


I originally had Scarf Yveltal in this slot as a second cleaner and offensive check to the likes of Marshadow and opposing Necrozma forms. While this team appreciated it for a time, it compounded a Xerneas and a Stealth Rock weakness, and it hated being locked in to a certain move.


It is here where our final version of the Hyper Offense version of the team comes in. Having grown tired of Dawn Wings Necrozma, I swapped it out with Lunala, and I never looked back. Sure, its Z move doesn't hit as hard, but its better ability, speed, and coverage moves in Focus Blast and Ice Beam all make up for it. Meanwhile, Double Dance Dusk Mane Necrozma gives the team a second Xerneas answer and either a cleaner, wallbreaker, or both.


However, it was time to adapt the team to a balance squad. After some feedback, it was clear that Hyper Offense was too weak to mons like Marshadow and Yveltal, and the team was relying on cheese to get past them, which proved to be inconsistent. Since the team isn't HO anymore, Deo-S was swapped out to bring Scarf Yveltal back in to the fold to provide speed control for the team, and Ekiller was swapped out for Arceus-Fairy to better handle both Marshadow and opposing Yveltal.


The Sets:




Lunala @ Lunalium Z
Ability: Shadow Shield
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Calm Mind
- Moongeist Beam
- Ice Beam
- Focus Blast

This has been an MVP for my team as of late. It's such a clutch mon. Shadow Shield gives Lunala so much leg room at just about any point in the game, and Menacing Moonraze Maelstorm is such a powerful nuclear bomb. At +1, it's able to have a good shot at OHKOing support Primal Groudon, doing 97% minimum. Focus Blast is to hit Arceus-Normal, Arceus-Dark, and Tyranitar with a relatively strong attack, and Ice Beam is to pick off Rayquaza, Mega Salamence, and Zygarde-C without needing to waste my Z-move, as well as taking out a weekend Yveltal.

I opted for a Timid nature as opposed to a Modest nature to be able to outpace any Primal, non-Scarf Rayquaza, and fatter support Arceus forms.



Groudon-Primal @ Red Orb
Ability: Desolate Land
EVs: 248 HP / 176 SpD / 84 Spe
Careful Nature
- Overheat
- Rock Tomb
- Precipice Blades
- Toxic

My team was pretty weak to Primal Kyogre, and it doesn't help to have a Xerneas answer as well, so I opted for a SpDef Primal Groudon over a sweeping set. Since Arceus-Fairy was setting Stealth Rocks for me, this gave Primal Groudon the freedom to use something else over it. Rock Tomb slows down opposing Primals, Mega Salamence, Rayquaza, and whatever else wants to come in, as well as smacking Ho-Oh very hard. Overheat does massive damage to its usual switchins such as Arceus-Ground, especially if I used Toxic on it previously, which is also on this set for wearing down its usual switchins such as Arceus-Water, Zygarde-C, etc.

The SpDef enables it to prevent the 2HKO from +1 Primal Kyogre's Ice Beam, and the speed is to outpace defensive Yveltal.




Salamence-Mega @ Salamencite
Ability: Aerilate
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Defog
- Roost
- Double-Edge
- Facade

I'm opting for Mega Salamence to be an offensive Defogger for the team. I've decided on Mence to be my defogger over something like Arceus-Fairy since, while it's Stealth Rock-weak, it's immune to Spikes and Toxic Spikes and I didn't want my Arceus-Fairy to have to take a Poison status when I need it to check Yveltal and Marshadow. Roost has been added back to the set for more sustain, and I'm running max speed to tie with opposing Arceus formes, opposing Mega Salamence, and outpace any Mega Lucario and revenge with Double Edge.




Arceus-Fairy @ Pixie Plate
Ability: Multitype
EVs: 252 HP / 52 Def / 204 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Stealth Rock
- Judgment
- Toxic
- Recover

Admittedly, the original team had to rely on borderline-gimmicky strategies to get past both Yveltal and Marshadow, and this mon provides a more consistent countermeasure to those two. I'm opting for Arceus-Fairy to be my Stealth Rocker for the team. It threatens out common Defoggers such as Giratina-A/O, Mega Latias, and Mega Salamence, and threatens out Mega Sableye that normally blocks hazards. The Ev spread is to outpace Timid Yveltal/Xerneas and everything slower. Arceus-Fairy also appreciates Lunalium-Z Lunala heavily-denting Primal Groudon. I'm opting to not run max speed on this as I feel having more physical bulk for Marshadow is more important.



Necrozma-Dusk-Mane @ Leftovers
Ability: Prism Armor
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Toxic
- Morning Sun
- Sunsteel Strike
- Heat Wave

Yes, I'm running a SpDef Dusk Mane despite running a SpDef Primal Groudon at the same time. It sounds redundant, but I was worried about both Primal Kyogre and Xerneas putting too much pressure on the team, especially when they're being used together. With that, I wanted some extra insurance, and SpDef Dusk mane is such a fantastic set in the metagame right now, probably one if its best imo. While Primal Groudon comes in vs Kyogre, this mon is mainly coming in on Xerneas and other support Arceus formes. One again, this Nebby likes the other Nebby from a different dimension slam-dunking on Primal Groudon with Menacing Moonraze Maelstorm. The EVs are pretty much standard. Max Max in HP and special bulk, but with an Adamant nature to OHKO standard GeoXern with Sunsteel Strike after Stealth Rock.

Speaking of Stealth Rock, since Arceus-Fairy is my chosen Stealth Rocker, I opted for another move in its place on this set. I originally had Earthquake on this set to chip Pdon and Magearna, but Toxic would do that to primal Groudon already, and Magearna hates taking Sunsteel Strikes. I also noticed that despite having Overheat Pdon, my team was still being annoyed by Ferrothorn, which is increasing in usage, so I opted for Heat Wave to smack Ferrothorn, which gives my Scarf Yveltal, Arceus-Fairy, and Lunala a much easier time (screw trying to hit Focus Miss lmao). Even with an Adamant nature, it's still able to 2HKO max SpDef Ferrothorn. Heat Wave is also handy for Mega Scizor, weakened Celesteela, and the rare Skarmory.




Yveltal @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Dark Aura
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Dark Pulse
- Oblivion Wing
- U-turn
- Foul Play

My team was pretty annoyed by Ultra Necrozma, and given that my team isn't Hyper Offensive anymore, I swapped Deoxys-S out and brought back Choice Scarf Yveltal. Nothing really ground-breaking here. It revenge-kills Marshadow, Ultra Necrozma, and gives me a second Pokemon to break through Mega Slowbro, which was another serious threat on my threat-list.

I opted for a Timid nature as opposed to a Modest one to outpace slow RP Primal Groudon and tie with opposing Choice Scarf Yveltal and weakened Xerneas.

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The Team's Weaknesses:


Eruption Primal Groudon's stupidly annoying for this team. Don't have many switchins to such a powerful move. Mega Salamence can come in on physical sets, Yveltal can pivot on Precipice Blades, and Lunala nukes it with its Z move.


A lot of teams are weak to this mon, too, and this one's no exception. If it comes in on primal groudon, Water Spout's denting something. Primal groudon can come in on it, and Salamence dents with Double Edge.

https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7ubers-666085091
Shows how handy Heat Wave on Dusk Mane can be vs mons like Skarmory. Also, Lunala's Z move cleanly OHKOs a Primal Groudon.

https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7ubers-666044995
Playing against Gothitelle's always an unnerving experience when using Balance. Luckily, I was able to play around it. This replay shows how well max Speed Mega Salamence is vs opposing Salamence, and has a sweep with Lunala at the end.

https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7ubers-665995006
Another lategame Lunala sweep. Goes to show how well Defog Salamence helps its team in the lategame. Also shows how bulky Ekiller can be exploited at times.


HO version:
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7ubers-664051011
Rocky start, I misclicked Magic Coat after I taunted the opposing Deo-S, but Lunala comes through in the end.

https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7ubers-664026405
Once again, Lunala clutches the game in the end. Even managed to stop a Z-Geomancy sweep with Taunt.

https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7ubers-664021767
This one's not a great replay, but I'm including it because of the irony that my opponent's name gives off. However, this does showcase how Deo-S works against Magic Coat Smeargle.

https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7ubers-664008716
This one also shows how Deo-S manages against lead Excadrill.

https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7ubers-663999953
A Dusk Mane Necrozma sweep thanks to Mega Salamence whittling down many of the opposing mons.

https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7ubers-663756680
Dusk Mane Necrozma tanking a LO Dark Pulse and proceeding to kill Yveltal and chipped Arceus-Water. Had to play around Z Geomancy Xerneas, but Ekiller pulls through.


Lunala @ Lunalium Z
Ability: Shadow Shield
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Calm Mind
- Moongeist Beam
- Ice Beam
- Focus Blast

Necrozma-Dusk-Mane @ Leftovers
Ability: Prism Armor
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Toxic
- Morning Sun
- Sunsteel Strike
- Heat Wave

Arceus-Fairy @ Pixie Plate
Ability: Multitype
EVs: 252 HP / 52 Def / 204 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Stealth Rock
- Judgment
- Toxic
- Recover

Groudon-Primal @ Red Orb
Ability: Desolate Land
EVs: 248 HP / 176 SpD / 84 Spe
Careful Nature
- Overheat
- Rock Tomb
- Precipice Blades
- Toxic

Salamence-Mega @ Salamencite
Ability: Aerilate
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Defog
- Roost
- Double-Edge
- Facade

Yveltal @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Dark Aura
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Dark Pulse
- Oblivion Wing
- U-turn
- Foul Play


Deoxys-Speed @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 120 HP / 188 Atk / 200 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Superpower
- Magic Coat
- Taunt

Lunala @ Lunalium Z
Ability: Shadow Shield
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Calm Mind
- Moongeist Beam
- Ice Beam
- Focus Blast

Groudon-Primal @ Red Orb
Ability: Desolate Land
EVs: 240 SpA / 144 SpD / 124 Spe
Mild Nature
- Rock Polish
- Fire Blast
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Precipice Blades

Salamence-Mega @ Salamencite
Ability: Aerilate
EVs: 44 HP / 252 Atk / 212 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Facade
- Double-Edge
- Earthquake

Arceus @ Chople Berry
Ability: Multitype
EVs: 240 HP / 252 Atk / 16 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Extreme Speed
- Shadow Claw
- Earthquake

Necrozma-Dusk-Mane @ Colbur Berry
Ability: Prism Armor
EVs: 148 HP / 132 Atk / 228 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Photon Geyser
- Sunsteel Strike
- Autotomize

 
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Minority

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Lunala just doesn't do much worthwhile here, and further weakens this team vs. Darks and Marshadow - a major threat to HO already. Pretty much anything Lunala does for this team, Xerneas can do better. Even if you wanted some Ghost-type that can wallbreak with anti HO techs, Marshadow fits better. Busting through Mega Sableye, throwing around strong special moves, picking off Dragons - Xerneas does these and more. It tackles every single Pokemon in your threatlist and is one of the best ways for offense to help deal with Yveltal, Marshadow, and punishing Special Attacking Arceus.

I don't think EKiller is well-justified on this team. Do you really need this revenge kill option vs. Geomancy Xerneas when you have Primal Groudon, Dusk Mane, and the team gives them basically no good set up opportunities? What are you using the priority against? If you want to Earthquake Mega Lucario and Primal Groudon, Arceus-Ground does the job better. Superpower on Deoxys-S also makes me scratch my head, because Rocky Helmet already messes with Excadrill leads trying to Rapid Spin, and this move doesn't help vs. bouncers or most common anti-leads in general. When Xerneas provides a proper Dark-type resist, I'd be very tempted to run Z Crystal on Dusk Mane and a coverage move over Automize, especially if the squad details to have better revenge killing techs.
 
I’ll give your suggestions a shot later, but I want to address a couple of things.

Taking Lunala off the team will ruin the theme, as it’ll no longer be “A Tale of Two Nebbys”, for the there will only be one Nebby in Dusk Mane remaining, and that depresses me :(

Lunala was in this slot for its incredibly powerful Z move, which not a lot of teams have sturdy resists for besides the rare Arceus Dark (Fairy and Ground are by far all I see in high ladder). Even Yveltal takes a ton from it after rocks, and is usually in range of an Ice Beam as long as my Shadow Shield is intact, which by itself alleviates the mon's weakness to Ghost/Dark type attacks if I manage to keep Lunala healthy. This, Chople Ekiller, and Colbur Dusk Mane are my countermeasures to the presence of Marshadow + Yveltal, and that's due to the unpredictability of these movesets, and I've managed to get around them just fine, with some of the replays that I've provided giving evidence to that claim. I can post more if you're still not convinced.

Not once have I said Ekiller was here to specifically revenge-kill Xerneas, although it is able to do just that if my checks to it have been whittled. Ekiller is here for another reason. Marshadow cannot steal Ekiller's Swords Dance boosts, and is killed by a Shadow Claw post-Close Combat. Ekiller also gives me a pivot to Marshadium Z sets as it's immune to SSSSS. Arceus-Ground, on the other hand, is prey to Marshadow's Spectral Thief.

But if that's the case, then why not just use Xerneas over Lunala? Regarding the Sableye match-up, no Sableye's going to let a Xern just kill it. It's telegraphed as fuck. However, SpDef Sableyes usually don't give a flying fuck about Lunala and just attempt to break the Shadow Shield with Foul Play/Knock off, and a Moongeist in to Z-Moongeist picks up the surprise kill. Bam. Now I can freely set hazards with my Deo-S, which brings me to my next point.

Superpower Deo-S isn't just for Excadrill; it's for Magic Coat Smeargle as well. When I go against a Smeargle lead, I always Superpower Turn 1 as it's my safest play, and if they Nuzzle instead, well now neither of us can set hazards as it dies to Rocky Helmet damage. It's better this way so I don't have to worry about webs. If it does Magic Coat, that's awesome because now I can either Superpower it again to take it out of the game, or Taunt it if I predict a last-ditch-effort webs. Regarding the Excadrill matchup, I set rocks turn 1 and it EQs, then it can just EQ again once it finds out I'm Helmet, saving Exca for later when I bring in a mon that’s naturally faster than it after my Deo-S goes down in an attempt to either spin the rocks away or set rocks against one of my naturally slower mons. Superpower eliminates the lead Drill outright, and if it attempts to spin, it dies to helmet.

As for the magic bouncers in the tier, I once again lead Lunala for Sableye and I lead Necrozma for Diancie.

This all being said, I did go with each of your suggestions and while it does work out nicely, and I thank you very much for the rate, once again, it’s no longer A Tale of Two Nebbies without Lunala, as the core of Lunala + Dusk Mane Necrozma was the theme for this team.
 

Minority

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Taking Lunala off the team will ruin the theme, as it’ll no longer be “A Tale of Two Nebbys”, for the there will only be one Nebby in Dusk Mane remaining, and that depresses me :(
Then the premise of the team isn't to accomplish X while maximizing options vs. opposing teams. The team as is fails to justify Lunala, because there are other Pokemon, in this application, that do its job better. There's not much point in posting an RMT if there is more concern about using arbitrary combination X + Y rather than improving the team's overall cohesion. I could have posted a rate that strips the team down to Lunala + Dusk Mane and suggested a structure that does justify these two together, but I didn't take this approach because it requires far more changes.

This, Chople Ekiller, and Colbur Dusk Mane are my countermeasures to the presence of Marshadow + Yveltal, and that's due to the unpredictability of these movesets
Of Lunala, EKiller, and Solgaleo, none of them can reasonably be considered as checks to Yveltal or Marshadow. They're the opposite. At best, EKiller is a Ghost immune that can pivot through something like Lunala, but vs. Marshadow it's no check, Chople or no Chople. EKiller is running a dedicated item for a particular move, is outsped, and is 2HKOed by Marshadow's most spamable move. With matchup traits like that, it's not functioning as a check. EKiller doesn't run Chople to check Marshadow, rather it runs it so that Marshadow, a common anti HO Pokemon, doesn't invalidate EKiller's attempts at a break or clean just because it sits on the opponent's team. In short, it allows EKiller to do its intended job even if the opponent has a Marshadow, but at the cost of its item and half its health. This doesn't make EKiller a Marshadow check, rather it has an adaptation to help reduce how much Marshadow checks it.

Even if it's assumed that a quad weak Pokemon that is outsped by one of the tier's most powerful Pokemon is a "check" to it, you openly admit that the team needs to cheese by with "unpredictable movesets" rather than using Pokemon and sets that are good in their own right. The best teams don't waste their effort on surprise, because they force themselves over the opponent regardless of if they see it coming. The real surprise is, despite every single set being obvious at preview, the opponent couldn't do anything about it. One of the best Ubers players once told me "If your team couldn't win if your opponent knew the sets, then your team isn't worth using". Does that mean unique sets and techs should never be used? Of course not - the point is that the reason why you're using unique techs and detailed sets isn't because your opponent won't see it coming, but because they'll do the job even if they did.

Yveltal and Marshadow have pronounced places in the threat list. You openly acknowledge that this team has problems with them, and have posted in RMT, thus are seeking options. Do you autolose vs. every Yveltal or Marshadow team on the ladder? Of course not, and the ladder rank would reflect that. Does this team struggle to beat a good Yveltal or Marshadow team wielded by a strong player? Yes, it does. Xerneas over Lunala helps alleviate this, hence the suggestion.

Regarding the Sableye match-up, no Sableye's going to let a Xern just kill it. It's telegraphed as fuck. However, SpDef Sableyes usually don't give a flying fuck about Lunala and just attempt to break the Shadow Shield with Foul Play/Knock off, and a Moongeist in to Z-Moongeist picks up the surprise kill. Bam. Now I can freely set hazards with my Deo-S, which brings me to my next point.
No Mega Sableye with a good player behind it is keeping it in vs. Lunala. The two best Lunala sets outspeed and easily 2HKO SpD Mega Sableye, so unless there is some special circumstance, Lunala vs. Mega Sableye is just as telegraphed as Xerneas vs. Mega Sableye - it's a losing matchup for Mega Sableye. If the success of a team is reliant on brainless plays from opponents, that's a sign that the team's structure can be improved.

Superpower Deo-S isn't just for Excadrill; it's for Magic Coat Smeargle as well. When I go against a Smeargle lead, I always Superpower Turn 1 as it's my safest play, and if they Nuzzle instead, well now neither of us can set hazards as it dies to Rocky Helmet damage. It's better this way so I don't have to worry about webs. If it does Magic Coat, that's awesome because now I can either Superpower it again to take it out of the game, or Taunt it if I predict a last-ditch-effort webs.
If you personally find Smeargle Sticky Web that annoying to justify a one-off move on your suicide lead, so be it. That's mostly just a personal detail where you'd rather be able to mess with Smeargle than be able to Spike or Skill Swap, where most players find the other utilities far more useful. There are other ways for this team to detail vs. Sticky Web though. I brought up bouncers not because the team has nothing to lead vs. them, but because your hazard setter could improve its lead matchup against them if it wanted to.
 
I think using a more balanced approach instead of HO is a good idea, Arceus-Fairy could very well fix a lot of issues that this team has, it takes care of Marsh and Dark-types in general. I guess it changes a lot in how the team is played but if the main theme of it is the ussage of 2 Nebbys then it isn't that big of a deal, is it? Good luck!
 
One of the best Ubers players once told me "If your team couldn't win if your opponent knew the sets, then your team isn't worth using".
That actually resonated with me. Thank you for that. Sorry if I came off as annoying with my response lol. I did make a separate team with your suggestions and it's actually pretty cool thanks to your help:

Deoxys-Speed @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Stealth Rock
- Spikes
- Magic Coat
- Taunt

Xerneas @ Power Herb
Ability: Fairy Aura
EVs: 72 HP / 252 SpA / 100 SpD / 84 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Geomancy
- Aromatherapy
- Moonblast
- Hidden Power [Ground]

Groudon-Primal @ Red Orb
Ability: Desolate Land
EVs: 240 SpA / 144 SpD / 124 Spe
Mild Nature
- Rock Polish
- Fire Blast
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Precipice Blades

Salamence-Mega @ Salamencite
Ability: Aerilate
EVs: 44 HP / 252 Atk / 212 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Double-Edge
- Facade
- Earthquake

Arceus-Ground @ Earth Plate
Ability: Multitype
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Substitute
- Swords Dance
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge

Necrozma-Dusk-Mane @ Ultranecrozium Z
Ability: Prism Armor
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Photon Geyser
- Sunsteel Strike
- Earthquake


I think using a more balanced approach instead of HO is a good idea, Arceus-Fairy could very well fix a lot of issues that this team has, it takes care of Marsh and Dark-types in general. I guess it changes a lot in how the team is played but if the main theme of it is the ussage of 2 Nebbys then it isn't that big of a deal, is it? Good luck!
I might just do this, as well. I'll toy around with some of the team slots and see what I come up with.

Thanks for the rates! :D
 
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So I went with Edgar's suggestions and re-worked this team to a more balanced approach instead of hyper offense, and I'm liking the changes, so shout out to him for the idea. Also shout out to Minority for knocking some sense in to me and his patience.

The original's still very fun to use, but this particular revision feels more consistent and a lot safer to play with, so I'll have imports available for both versions of the team, but just keep in mind that the balanced version is the result of rates from high-level players.

Lunala retains the very same set from the original version of the team, and it's still doing what it's supposed to do: break fat mons with its incredibly powerful Z move and revenge-kill whatever is slower than it. However, the rest of the squad needed to be re-tuned, and some of the mons were swapped out for others.

Arceus-Normal -----> Arceus-Fairy



Arceus-Fairy @ Pixie Plate
Ability: Multitype
EVs: 252 HP / 52 Def / 204 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Stealth Rock
- Judgment
- Toxic
- Recover

Admittedly, the original team had to rely on borderline-gimmicky strategies to get past both Yveltal and Marshadow, and this mon provides a more consistent countermeasure to those two. I'm opting for Arceus-Fairy to be my Stealth Rocker for the team. It threatens out common Defoggers such as Giratina-A/O, Mega Latias, and Mega Salamence, and threatens out Mega Sableye that normally blocks hazards. The Ev spread is to outpace Timid Yveltal/Xerneas and everything slower. Arceus-Fairy also appreciates Lunalium-Z Lunala heavily-denting Primal Groudon. I'm opting to not run max speed on this as I feel having more physical bulk for Marshadow is more important, and while I'm missing out on max speed Mega Lucario, I'm making it up for this next Pokemon.

DD 3 Attacks ----> Offensive Defog



Salamence-Mega @ Salamencite
Ability: Aerilate
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Defog
- Roost
- Double-Edge
- Facade

I'm opting for Mega Salamence to be an offensive Defogger for the team. I've decided on Mence to be my defogger over something like Arceus-Fairy since, while it's Stealth Rock-weak, it's immune to Spikes and Toxic Spikes and I didn't want my Arceus-Fairy to have to take a Poison status when I need it to check Yveltal and Marshadow. Roost has been added back to the set for more sustain, and I'm running max speed to tie with opposing Arceus formes, opposing Mega Salamence, and outpace any Mega Lucario and revenge with Double Edge.

Deoxys-S ----> Choice Scarf Yveltal



Yveltal @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Dark Aura
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Dark Pulse
- Oblivion Wing
- U-turn
- Foul Play

My team was pretty annoyed by Ultra Necrozma, and given that my team isn't Hyper Offensive anymore, I swapped Deoxys-S out and brought back Choice Scarf Yveltal. Nothing really ground-breaking here. It revenge-kills Marshadow, Ultra Necrozma, and gives me a second Pokemon to break through Mega Slowbro, which was another serious threat on my threat-list. I opted for a Timid nature as opposed to a Modest one to outpace slow RP Primal Groudon and tie with opposing Choice Scarf Yveltal and weakened Xerneas.

Mixed Rock Polish ----> "Chinese"



Groudon-Primal @ Red Orb
Ability: Desolate Land
EVs: 248 HP / 176 SpD / 84 Spe
Careful Nature
- Overheat
- Rock Tomb
- Precipice Blades
- Toxic

My team was pretty weak to Primal Kyogre, and it doesn't help to have a Xerneas answer as well, so I opted for a SpDef Primal Groudon over a sweeping set. Since Arceus-Fairy was setting Stealth Rocks for me, this gave Primal Groudon the freedom to use something else over it. Rock Tomb slows down opposing Primals, Mega Salamence, Rayquaza, and whatever else wants to come in, as well as smacking Ho-Oh very hard. Overheat does massive damage to its usual switchins such as Arceus-Ground, especially if I used Toxic on it previously, which is also on this set for wearing down its usual switchins such as Arceus-Water, Zygarde-C, etc. The SpDef enables it to prevent the 2HKO from +1 Primal Kyogre's Ice Beam, and the speed is to outpace defensive Yveltal.

Double Dance Colbur ----> Specially Defensive



Necrozma-Dusk-Mane @ Leftovers
Ability: Prism Armor
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Toxic
- Morning Sun
- Sunsteel Strike
- Heat Wave

Yes, I'm running a SpDef Dusk Mane despite running a SpDef Primal Groudon at the same time. It sounds redundant, but I was worried about both Primal Kyogre and Xerneas putting too much pressure on the team, especially when they're being used together. With that, I wanted some extra insurance, and SpDef Dusk mane is such a fantastic set in the metagame right now, probably one if its best imo. While Primal Groudon comes in vs Kyogre, this mon is mainly coming in on Xerneas and other support Arceus formes. One again, this Nebby likes the other Nebby from a different dimension slam-dunking on Primal Groudon with Menacing Moonraze Maelstorm. The EVs are pretty much standard. Max Max in HP and special bulk, but with an Adamant nature to OHKO standard GeoXern with Sunsteel Strike after Stealth Rock.

Speaking of Stealth Rock, since Arceus-Fairy is my chosen Stealth Rocker, I opted for another move in its place on this set. I originally had Earthquake on this set to chip Pdon and Magearna, but Toxic would do that to primal Groudon already, and Magearna hates taking Sunsteel Strikes. I also noticed that despite having Overheat Pdon, my team was still being annoyed by Ferrothorn, which is increasing in usage, so I opted for Heat Wave to smack Ferrothorn, which gives my Scarf Yveltal, Arceus-Fairy, and Lunala a much easier time (screw trying to hit Focus Miss lmao). Even with an Adamant nature, it's still able to 2HKO max SpDef Ferrothorn. Heat Wave is also handy for Mega Scizor, weakened Celesteela, and the rare Skarmory.

Lunala @ Lunalium Z
Ability: Shadow Shield
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Calm Mind
- Moongeist Beam
- Ice Beam
- Focus Blast

Necrozma-Dusk-Mane @ Leftovers
Ability: Prism Armor
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Toxic
- Morning Sun
- Sunsteel Strike
- Heat Wave

Arceus-Fairy @ Pixie Plate
Ability: Multitype
EVs: 252 HP / 52 Def / 204 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Stealth Rock
- Judgment
- Toxic
- Recover

Groudon-Primal @ Red Orb
Ability: Desolate Land
EVs: 248 HP / 176 SpD / 84 Spe
Careful Nature
- Overheat
- Rock Tomb
- Precipice Blades
- Toxic

Salamence-Mega @ Salamencite
Ability: Aerilate
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Defog
- Roost
- Double-Edge
- Facade

Yveltal @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Dark Aura
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Dark Pulse
- Oblivion Wing
- U-turn
- Foul Play
 
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