Other Metagames [AG] I Can (Peaked #3)

Unicorns

Banned deucer.
Introduction
Hello friends! I have been on Pokémon Showdown mostly under the username Princess Unicorn (or a number of other Unicorns) for a couple of years and to commemorate my 11th (lol) and probable last post here on Smogon, I have an Anything Goes team that is by all accounts bizarre, fairly-well tested, and really fun to use.

Just to give a bit of personal background (You can skip over this if you want), I started by playing competitive with VGC in 2015. During VGC16, I grew to really like these super-powerful Uber-tier Pokémon that I had previously never seen before in a competitive setting. After reading Lance’s RMT for The Absolute Power and thinking it was the greatest thing I’ve ever read, I decided to give Anything Goes a try. I had a lot of fun learning singles and I eventually built my own team that I realized fell into Uber-tier qualifications. I began playing Ubers in late gen 6 with a Lugia-Diancie-Yveltal squad, while still learning and peaking at number 3 with an alt of mine. Come gen 7, I started in AG with an Arceus-loaded team that peaked at number 7, but I still didn’t think that I was really good at Pokémon. In a battle with him during CLC2, Fardin actually said one of the nicest things to me regarding Pokémon, and I eventually ended up winning CLC2. So after getting destroyed 1-2 in the first round of the AG Open while playing hungover, I realized that I needed to actually build teams with which I was comfortable to succeed. While I did end up building a number of other good teams, this team has always been my favorite because of the uniqueness while still being successful.

Something happened in my life in February that made me quit Pokémon for about a month. It wasn’t related to Pokémon and it wasn’t anything serious, but it did allow me to realize what I want to do with my life after graduation. I’m not going into too much detail because the dream career is a bit niche and kind of weird, but what it essentially amounts to is working this shaky job part-time simultaneously while working a secure job full-time and continuing extracurricular training for the part-time job until I can eventually get promoted and make it the dream. What this means is that any time that I could have spent playing Pokémon would be better spent training and honing my craft for this dream job. The first step begins Monday at 3:30am so that I can train before work at 6 and I have an interview for the first step for my dream job later this month. It’s going to be a grind and it’s going to suck, but it’s what I really want and I know I can be what I want to be.

Teambuilding Process

The original core for the team. Fast SubToxic Lugia and Geomancy Xerneas provide two drastically different win conditions that both rely on the same counters (Steel and Poison-types) being removed. The initial idea was to set up Xerneas early to force in and weaken the counters and pick them off with a couple Ground-types afterwards. Of course, this is a bad idea since Arceus-Steel, the premier Xerneas counter in AG, has Recover, so it should be noted that this is not a good way to build a team.

I figured that Primal-Groudon and Arceus-Ground would be enough to pick the offending Steel and Poison-types. I don’t believe I’ve actually ever built a good team without SpDef Primal Groudon. It’s simply a great Pokémon that can blanket check so many offensive threats, phase them out, provides enough offensive pressure, and sets up SR on nearly everything. PhysDef Support Arceus-Ground with Ice Beam is an underutilized Pokémon in the AG metagame that checks almost every relevant threat that SpDef Primal Groudon cannot, outside of Kyogre and the rare Kyurem-White.

Lugia REALLY appreciates rocks off the field in order to fulfill its defensive role so I began looking at hazard removers. Sure I could have used a Defog Arceus, but I’m me and I wanted to try something different. It turns out Pheromosa learns Rapid Spin, an attack that’s super rare in AG outside of lead Smeargle or Excadrill, and is pretty strong overall. Pheromosa also has coverage options to hit offensive threats and provides momentum that allows it to threaten nearly everything that wants to switch-in to its attacks. U-turn is also a really rare and great move in AG that nearly always provides momentum to offensive teams.

It’s at this point that I noted a lack of Mega for the team, so I threw Banded Mega Rayquaza onto the team for sheer splash-ability and to see what I really lacked. The team performed decently, but there were too many times that I found that Focus Sash Pheromosa was not causing enough damage and couldn’t perform its job correctly under a constant offensive barrage of priority and Ghost-type Pokémon. If Pheromosa was going to stay on the team it needed a little support. Additionally, Mega Rayquaza didn’t really have a role on the team and didn’t do anything outside of hurting something and switching. It’s also at this time that I learned of another underutilized Pokémon in AG in Choice Scarf Tapu Lele from the OU tier. Choice Scarf Tapu Lele is another revenge killer that, like Pheromosa, is nearly impossible to revenge kill and is very difficult to truly counter with Rocks on the opposing side. Pheromosa and Tapu Lele complement each other really well as a fun, offensive core that forces so many switches. The core can beat nearly every defensive Pokémon outside of Lugia and Ho-Oh without Rocks.

This version of the team performed really well, securing a number of wins against top players, but there were some notable synergy problems. The most pressing issue with this version was that it could simply not beat stall-type matchups. SubToxic Lugia is virtually worthless against defensive Pokémon, as it provides no offensive pressure. Additionally, this team struggled against sleep spam, a rare but very strong archetype in AG capable of overwhelming underprepared teams. To fix this, I replaced Lugia with Choice Band Ho-Oh, a stallbreaker that could absorb sleep, recovers health, and synergized well with the rest of the team. The one true “counter” to Ho-Oh, Arceus-Rock, is heavily pressured by Groudon, Arceus-Ground, Pheromosa, and Tapu Lele. This provided enough offense to pick apart defensive cores with the ability to serve as a switch-in to otherwise threatening Arceus-Fairy and Xerneas.

And thus, I had a non-stall team without a Mega or a Z-crystal. I’ve been told that it’s one of the weirdest teams on the upper ladder. With each team member analysis, I’ll provide some important calculations to know when using the team.

Team Breakdown


Bird Set Free (Ho-Oh) @ Choice Band
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 248 HP / 200 Atk / 52 SpD / 8 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Brave Bird – Only attack you should really click, 3HKOs Giratina and chunks others
- Sacred Fire – Worst attack in the game. I can’t actually count the number of times this attack has missed when I most needed it to hit. Only use when hitting Arceus-Steel or trying to burn something while waiting to sac, like Arceus-Normal/Ghost.
- Earthquake – Coverage that allows it to hurt Rock-types, like Tyranitar, Arceus-Rock, or fat things like Groudon-Primal
- Sleep Talk – Allows Ho-Oh to absorb sleep for the team that would otherwise be obnoxious

I know I can, be what I want to be,
If I work hard at it, I’ll be where I want to be,
I know I can (I know I can), be what I want to be (be what I want to be),
If I work hard at it (If I work hard at it ), I’ll be where I want to be (I’ll be where I want to be)

Choice Band Ho-Oh is an absolute monster that’s virtually impossible to counter and wear down if Rocks are off the field. Anything that can switch into either of its STABs is hit hard by Earthquake or completely crippled by the Burn from Sacred Fire. All the while Ho-Oh’s SpDef and typing make it a very good check to CM Arceus, outside of the rare Rock and Electric, as long as Rocks remain off the field. The HP and SpDef EVs ensure that Ho-Oh survives +2 Thunder from Max SpA Xerneas from full. With this in mind, Groudon should be considered the primary counter the Xerneas. The speed EVs are meant to speed creep uninvested base 90’s by 2, because I’m the worst, with the remaining EVs in attack.
200+ Atk Choice Band Ho-Oh Brave Bird vs. 248 HP / 252+ Def Giratina: 198-234 (39.3 - 46.5%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery
200+ Atk Choice Band Ho-Oh Brave Bird vs. 248 HP / 252+ Def Xerneas: 232-274 (50.9 - 60.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
+2 0 SpA Fairy Aura Xerneas Moonblast vs. 240 HP / 52 SpD Ho-Oh: 113-133 (27.3 - 32.2%) -- guaranteed 4HKO





Unstoppable (Xerneas) @ Power Herb
Ability: Fairy Aura
EVs: 208 HP / 252 SpA / 48 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Geomancy – Strong win condition
- Moonblast – The only move you’ll ever need
- Hidden Power [Fire] – Viable niche option to pick off Ferrothorn while hitting Arceus-Steel, Celesteela, and Skarmory without relying on Focus Blast
- Aromatherapy – Rare move in AG that heals off Poison and Paralysis for the team, greatly extending the longevity of Groudon and Arceus

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You can be anything in the world, in God we trust
An architect, doctor, maybe an actress
But nothing comes easy, it takes much practice

Geomancy Xerneas is one of the most powerful win conditions in nearly every tier that it’s allowed because of its immense power and ability to devastate weakened teams with its counters removed. Xerneas also provides a way to scare Giratina out if Tapu Lele is weakened and Giratina needs to go. HP Fire is a fairly niche and forgotten option for Xerneas that I think is very underrated since a lot of people rely on Ferrothorn to counter Xerneas while options like HP Ground only hit two Pokémon (Primal Groudon and Mega Gengar) that are both already easily worn down through entry hazards and chip damage. Aromatherapy was chosen because of its rarity, value to the team, and I never really found myself clicking anything outside of Moonblast or HP Fire. Groudon and Arceus-Ground both hate poison and Tapu Lele, Pheromosa, and Xerneas all hate paralysis so anyway to prevent these without having to bring Ho-Oh into Rocks is great. EVs are standard Geomancy Xerneas from Gen 6, to outspeed Scarf Genesect after a Geomancy because it could be annoying, and I wanted max or near max special attack. I gave 1 point speed creep on other gen 6 GeoXern because I’m the worst. The remaining EVs were put into general bulk.
252+ SpA Xerneas Hidden Power Fire vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Ferrothorn: 188-224 (53.4 - 63.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery (Geo not always necessary)
+2 252+ SpA Xerneas Hidden Power Fire vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Arceus-Steel: 248-292 (55.8 - 65.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO (Most common form of Arceus meant to counter Xerneas)
+2 252+ SpA Fairy Aura Xerneas Moonblast vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Arceus: 288-340 (64.8 - 76.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO (The reason to make sure everything has taken chip)





House on Fire (Groudon-Primal) @ Red Orb
Ability: Drought
EVs: 248 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD / 4 Spe
Careful Nature
- Stealth Rock – One of the best attacks in the game
- Roar – the combination of Roar and Stealth Rocks is absolutely fantastic for scouting Arceus sets, phasing out GeoXern and CM Arceus, getting crucial chip damage onto Mega Rayquaza, and not letting Kyogre in for free
- Precipice Blades – Hits Kyogre on the switch and picks off Chansey and Giratina-A
- Lava Plume – The Fire-type Scald, not meant to cause significant damage, and makes it so Mega Rayquaza can’t switch-in safely

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'Cause they came to do drugs and you came to sing
So if you gonna be the best, Imma tell you how
Put your hands in the air, and take the vow

The aforementioned specially defensive Primal Groudon. I can’t emphasize enough how amazing this Pokémon is in terms of blanket checking offensive threats, providing enough offensive pressure against bulkier teams, hitting both sides of the spectrum for decent damage, while potentially getting some hax in with Lava Plume. As I’ve said before, I’ve never made a truly “great” without team this Pokémon. Roar allows Groudon to shuffle the opposing team into Rocks and removes CM, SD, and Geomancy boosts and prevents the +1 from Mega Rayquaza and Zygarde. EVs are simple max HP and SpDef to eat boosted special attacks, because of Primal Groudon’s natural physical bulk, and Roar them out with 1 point speed creep over the uninvested base 90’s because I’m the worst.
0 Atk Groudon-Primal Precipice Blades vs. 240 HP / 0 Def Xerneas: 226-267 (49.8 - 58.9%) -- 99.6% chance to 2HKO
0 Atk Groudon-Primal Precipice Blades vs. 180 HP / 0 Def Kyogre-Primal: 237-279 (61.3 - 72.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO (Remember the 85% accuracy please)
252+ SpA Kyogre-Primal Ice Beam vs. 248 HP / 252+ SpD Groudon-Primal: 107-126 (26.5 - 31.2%) -- guaranteed 4HKO
0- SpA Groudon-Primal Lava Plume vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Arceus-Ground in Harsh Sunshine: 142-168 (31.9 - 37.8%) -- 92.4% chance to 3HKO
0 Atk Groudon-Primal Precipice Blades vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Eviolite Chansey: 288-339 (40.9 - 48.1%) -- 66% chance to 2HKO after Stealth Rock
0 Atk Groudon-Primal Precipice Blades vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Giratina: 138-163 (27.3 - 32.3%) -- 60.8% chance to 4HKO after Leftovers recovery
0 SpA Earth Plate Arceus-Ground Judgment vs. 248 HP / 252+ SpD Groudon-Primal: 234-276 (58 - 68.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO





Cheap Thrills (Arceus-Ground) @ Earth Plate
Ability: Multitype
EVs: 252 HP / 232 Def / 24 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Ice Beam – Great coverage move that OHKOs Rayquaza on the switch, 2HKOs all but the bulkiest Zygarde-Complete, and really hurts Yveltal if Taunted
- Toxic – Great move to get chip damage in AG due to the lack of clerics
- Judgment – STAB to hit Steel and Poison-types that would otherwise avoid Toxic and lead Groudon-Primal
- Recover – Necessity

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Begging different women for a place to sleep at night
Smart boys turn to men and do whatever they wish
If you believe you can achieve, then say it like this

Physically Defensive Arceus-Ground is a really underrated pick in the AG metagame. Ground’s weaknesses to Water and Grass are very uncommon coverage in AG and non-STAB Ice-attacks from anything that isn’t Kyogre causes negligible damage to something as bulky as Arceus. Arceus-Ground provides a fantastic anti-lead to Groudon or Arceus trying to get rocks up immediately/anti-lead and Rayquaza trying to turn 1 sweep. Typical Arceus anti-leads to Rocks Groudon (Fairy, Dark, Water, Ground) are all crippled by poison and Arceus-Ground is bulky enough to eat at least one hit from any of them. Additionally, resistance to Rocks means Arceus-Ground can switch-in freely without being too worn down. EVs are standard Phys Def Support Arceus, enough speed to outspeed neutral 252 base 90’s, and speed creeps other Phys Def Support Arceus by 2 because I’m the worst. Simple max HP with the remaining EVs in defense was given to best handle Mega Rayquaza and SD Arceus.
In AG, since nearly every Pokémon has a large variety of different sets that require different checks and urgencies, it's good to disguise your Pokémon as much as you can. Arceus has an incredible movepool and each typing can normally run a large variety of sets that each requires different checks and different urgencies towards dealing with them. The easiest way to determine the potential set of your opponent’s Arceus is by looking at their typing and determining their speed stat. If your physically defensive Arceus is always outspeeding your opponent’s physically defensive Arceus, your opponent can’t get a true read on your actual set, maybe thinking that it’s potentially fast support Arceus. Fast support Arceus plays a lot differently than slow support Arceus so by speed creeping other support Arceus by a few points, you are hiding valuable information from your opponent while still fulfilling the role that it needs to perform.

+1 252+ Atk Life Orb Rayquaza-Mega Dragon Ascent vs. 252 HP / 232+ Def Arceus-Ground: 344-407 (77.4 - 91.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO (Ice Beam 2HKOs)
0 SpA Arceus-Ground Ice Beam vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Zygarde: 316-376 (88.5 - 105.3%) -- 31.3% chance to OHKO (Judgment has a 20% chance to activate Power Construct)
0 SpA Arceus-Ground Ice Beam vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Zygarde-Complete: 316-376 (55.1 - 65.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
0 SpA Arceus-Ground Ice Beam vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Zygarde-Complete: 224-268 (35.2 - 42.1%) -- 83.7% chance to 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
+1 252+ Atk Zygarde-Complete Tectonic Rage (180 BP) vs. 252 HP / 232+ Def Arceus-Ground: 259-306 (58.3 - 68.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO (Zygarde does negligible damage)
0 SpA Arceus-Ground Ice Beam vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Giratina: 130-154 (25.7 - 30.5%) -- 1.5% chance to 4HKO after Leftovers recovery
+2 252 Atk Arceus Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 232+ Def Arceus-Ground: 133-157 (29.9 - 35.3%) -- 24.2% chance to 3HKO (Psychic Terrain is fantastic for Arceus-Ground)





Alive (Pheromosa) @ Life Orb
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 252 Atk / 8 SpA / 248 Spe
Naive Nature
- U-turn – Pivoting move to get momentum so Pheromosa does not have to take damage, “damages” Ghost-types that would prevent the Rapid Spin
- Ice Beam – OHKOs most Zygarde and 2HKOs others, allows Phero to stay in and pick off Pokémon without going for High Jump Miss, also freeze chance
- Rapid Spin – Rare move in AG that really helps Ho-Oh, click when you get the chance but recognize when to sacrifice Ho-Oh to preserve momentum
- High Jump Kick – Second worst attack in the game, puts a sizable dent into virtually every Arceus, should probably be replaced with Low Kick but doesn’t OHKO Chansey or Blissey

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They learn to survive until they gain control
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Read more, learn more, change the globe

When under the protection from Psychic Terrain, Life Orb Pheromosa is a very difficult Pokémon to truly counter because of its high speed and good attacking stats with decent coverage. HJK provides STAB Fighting-type pressure, an essentially non-existent type in AG. Pivoting moves are super rare in AG, only being seen on the occasional Scarf Yveltal, which provides valuable momentum to offensive teams. It hurts nearly everything on the switch with HJK and Ice Beam, can Rapid Spin on the switch, or can simply U-turn out to a threatening teammate. It needs Life Orb over Choice Band because Ferrothorn will always Protect turn 1, which you should Rapid Spin or U-turn, then stay in as Phero HJKs it out of existence. Speed EVs are meant to outspeed Scarf Modest Lunala by 1 point and Deoxys-Attack by 2, which is essentially max since other Pheromosa aren’t common enough in AG to speed tie. Max attack and LO allow Pheromosa to OHKO all but the bulkiest Arceus-Normal with HJK and the remaining 8 EVs into special attack for Ice Beam since bulk isn’t important for Pheromosa.
252 Atk Life Orb Pheromosa High Jump Kick vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Arceus: 367-432 (82.6 - 97.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO (Get up chip damage to completely ensure the sweep)
8 SpA Life Orb Pheromosa Ice Beam vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Rayquaza-Mega in Strong Winds: 221-263 (62.9 - 74.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 Atk Life Orb Pheromosa High Jump Kick vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Ferrothorn: 455-538 (129.2 - 152.8%) -- guaranteed OHKO (U-turn on the first turn Protect and HJK second turn as they stay in for some reason)
252 Atk Life Orb Pheromosa U-turn vs. 4 HP / 0 Def (Broken Shadow Shield) Lunala: 172-203 (41.3 - 48.7%) -- guaranteed 3HKO (Rocks give 73% chance to 2HKO, guaranteed 3HKO without)
8 SpA Life Orb Pheromosa Ice Beam vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Zygarde-Complete: 333-395 (52.3 - 62.1%) -- 98.8% chance to 2HKO after Leftovers recovery (Zygarde can't set up on you)
252 Atk Life Orb Pheromosa High Jump Kick vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Arceus-Ground: 246-290 (55.4 - 65.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO (Neutral Arceus can’t switch-in)
252 Atk Life Orb Pheromosa High Jump Kick vs. 248 HP / 8 Def Groudon-Primal: 188-224 (46.6 - 55.5%) -- 73.4% chance to 2HKO
252 Atk Life Orb Pheromosa High Jump Kick vs. 180 HP / 0 Def Kyogre-Primal: 313-370 (81 - 95.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 Atk Life Orb Pheromosa High Jump Kick vs. 200 HP / 0 Def Ho-Oh: 156-185 (38.7 - 45.9%) -- guaranteed 3HKO (Keeping pressure up)
252 Atk Life Orb Pheromosa Rapid Spin vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Deoxys-Attack: 92-109 (38.1 - 45.2%) -- guaranteed 3HKO (Damage)





The Greatest (Tapu Lele) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Psychic Surge
EVs: 40 HP / 252 SpA / 216 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Moonblast – STAB, use only when Yveltal is still alive so you’re not forced out, OHKO’s chipped Mega Rayquaza
- Psychic – Strongest STAB and what makes Tapu Lele difficult to switch into
- Focus Blast – 2HKO on Arceus-Steel and Ferrothorn
- Psyshock – 3HKO on Ho-Oh and Chansey

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Your man is saying "She's my Queen"

Choice Scarf Tapu Lele is a heavily underutilized pick in AG that is an amazing revenge killer (easily top 3 in the game) and provides Psychic Terrain support to itself, Pheromosa, and Arceus-Ground. Pheromosa appreciates the priority immunity and Arc-Ground appreciates the immunity to Arceus-Normal’s strongest attack. Since there are no other Tapus are relevant in the tier, Tapu Lele’s Psychic Terrain will most likely go unimpeded. Choice Scarf Tapu Lele picks off weakened or poisoned foes and is incredibly difficult to counter since Deoxys-Speed is the only unboosted Pokémon that can outspeed Lele outside of faster Scarfers. A Timid nature and the speed EVs were chosen to out-speed Deoxys-Attack and the positive base 90’s at +1, because faster Scarfers are super rare in AG since Scarf Kyurem-White should be Modest, but also because Timid Scarf Kyogre is apparently a thing. Special Attack was maxed and the remaining EVs went into general bulk.
252 SpA Tapu Lele Psychic vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Arceus in Psychic Terrain: 187-222 (49 - 58.2%) -- 97.7% chance to 2HKO
+2 252 Atk Arceus Shadow Claw vs. 40 HP / 0 Def Tapu Lele: 366-432 (125.7 - 148.4%) -- guaranteed OHKO (Never let Lele stay in)
252 SpA Tapu Lele Moonblast vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Rayquaza-Mega: 308-366 (87.7 - 104.2%) -- 25% chance to OHKO
252 SpA Tapu Lele Focus Blast vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Arceus-Steel: 226-266 (50.9 - 59.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 SpA Tapu Lele Focus Blast vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Ferrothorn: 170-202 (48.2 - 57.3%) -- 41.8% chance to 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
252 SpA Tapu Lele Psyshock vs. 4 HP / 252+ Def Eviolite Chansey in Psychic Terrain: 261-307 (40.6 - 47.8%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
252 SpA Tapu Lele Psyshock vs. 244 HP / 216+ Def Ho-Oh in Psychic Terrain: 157-186 (37.9 - 44.9%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
0 SpA Splash Plate Arceus-Water Judgment vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Tapu Lele: 135-159 (48 - 56.5%) -- 85.9% chance to 2HKO (Lele can switch-in once)


Using the Team
An important thing to note that when using the team is to always apply offensive pressure throughout the match and keep momentum at all costs. If that means sacking Xerneas to get Pheromosa in for free, then so be it. You need to control match tempo. This means always staying ahead of your opponent and never being put on the back foot. While only Arceus-Ground can really “handle” a +1 Mega Rayquaza, each one of the members prevents Mega Ray from going for the Dragon Dance. Also, hazards suck, so get Pheromosa in and Rapid Spin kill whenever you can.
The team’s lead depends on the opposing team:
    • Lead Pheromosa against Smeargle/Excadrill lead or stall, unless Sableye is present.
    • Lead Tapu Lele against stall if Sableye is present.
    • Lead Groudon against Shuckle or Baton Pass.
    • Lead Xerneas against Deoxys-Speed.
    • Lead Arceus-Ground against everything else.
Threats

Mega Rayquaza: Surprise! The Pokemon that brought AG into existence is also the most difficult Pokémon in the game to actually counter. The first step towards beating it is by determining its set. Physical and Mixed LO or Lum Berry are normally leads, for some reason, and that means lead Arc-Ground so Ice Beam can kill or severely damage. Nothing switches into Choice Band or Specs, so sack something and revenge-kill or get momentum with Phero or Lele.

CM Arceus forms not weak to Phero or Lele: You get a one-time out with Groudon or Ho-Oh with Rocks off the field, but you need to keep offensive pressure with Lele or Ho-Oh so it can’t set up. Try to get Geomancy Xerneas up before they set up.

Xerneas: KEEP ROCKS OFF THE FIELD. First thought should be to play offensively and try to Geomancy your own Xerneas before they do. You need to determine if theirs is Geomancy or Z-Geomancy and DO NOT allow the Ingrain. If it Ingrain’s and Rocks are up, it’s probably gg since Groudon can’t recover health and Ho-Oh can’t counter adequately. Groudon will eat any attack if remotely healthy and can Roar or kill if weakened.

Lugia: Stall as a whole can be a bit of an issue for this team if you don’t know how to play it right, but Lugia in particular can be really difficult to beat if you can’t get the poison on it or Rocks are on the field for Ho-Oh. Pheromosa and Tapu Lele can’t deal enough damage, Xerneas doesn’t have recovery and it needs to Aromatherapy on it, and Ho-Oh is outsped and Roosted on. The first step towards beating it is by getting the Toxic onto Lugia. If it’s poisoned but has cleric support, then keep offensive pressure up to never let in Clefable or Chansey. Whatever you do, DO NOT BURN IT since it’ll just sit there, Roost off hits, and never die. Groudon can Roar it out but be warned that that will normally only work once since Lugia is naturally faster and can Whirlwind before Groudon.

Mewtwo: Actually pretty obnoxious since its pretty bulky and Lele gives it Psychic Terrain. Phero doesn’t OHKO unless it’s Mega Mewtwo Y, so you need to apply offensive pressure on it, sac something, and never let it come in for free.

Shaymin-Sky: Without priority, can be a pain to beat. Assume the worst (Scarf) and keep Rocks off the field so that Arc-Ground and Ho-Oh can counter.

Proof of Peak
From a bit ago

Replays
Mixes of the team with Lugia and with Ho-Oh, but I highly suggest using Ho-Oh instead
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7anythinggoes-582475333 - vs Banded Rayquaza
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7anythinggoes-526872180 - Who needs Xerneas when you have Phermomosa
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7anythinggoes-582510746 - vs Smeargle-Lele Offense sample team
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7anythinggoes-581635260 - Room tour 6-0 vs Stall
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7anythinggoes-550299304 - vs Fardin fat ugly balance team
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7anythinggoes-530180444 - vs F6tornado Arceus-Ground spam showing off the strength of Scarf Tapu Lele
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7anythinggoes-527228456 - vs F6tornado Arceus-Normal spam showing off the strength of LO Pheromosa
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7anythinggoes-535086124 - 6-0 vs Fardin’s CLC1 stall team
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7anythinggoes-527815671 - vs Fardin’s CLC1 stall team again
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7anythinggoes-534966242 - vs the old Lele-DeoA sample team​

Shoutouts
F6Tornado – You’re super nice
MoongiestBeam5 – You’re nice
Jaytin – You’re nice
Fardin – You’re nice :]
Thimo – You’re nice
Syno – You’re nice
DSMP – You’re nice
PurpleGatorade – You’re nice
Lance – You’re nice and helped me with formatting :)
Megazard – You’re nice
Chloe – You’re nice
Tyler – You’re nice
HunterStorm – You’re nice
Erotic Pigeons – You’re nice, also I think you were the first person to inform me that there was an AG room on PS lol

Importable​
Bird Set Free (Ho-Oh) @ Choice Band
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 248 HP / 200 Atk / 52 SpD / 8 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Brave Bird
- Sacred Fire
- Earthquake
- Sleep Talk

House on Fire (Groudon-Primal) @ Red Orb
Ability: Drought
EVs: 248 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD / 4 Spe
Careful Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Precipice Blades
- Roar
- Lava Plume

Unstoppable (Xerneas) @ Power Herb
Ability: Fairy Aura
EVs: 208 HP / 252 SpA / 48 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Geomancy
- Moonblast
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Aromatherapy

Cheap Thrills (Arceus-Ground) @ Earth Plate
Ability: Multitype
EVs: 252 HP / 232 Def / 24 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Ice Beam
- Toxic
- Judgment
- Recover

Alive (Pheromosa) @ Life Orb
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 252 Atk / 8 SpA / 248 Spe
Naive Nature
- U-turn
- Ice Beam
- Rapid Spin
- High Jump Kick

The Greatest (Tapu Lele) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Psychic Surge
EVs: 40 HP / 252 SpA / 216 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Moonblast
- Psychic
- Focus Blast
- Psyshock


Closing Thoughts
This is an incredibly fun anti-meta team to use and you should definitely try it out. It’s been fun! Thank you all for reading! I’m out! Goodbye frens :]
 

MZ

And now for something completely different
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Hey man, thanks for the shoutout and grats on the peak. However I do kinda want to jump right into this because frankly this team is really weird structurally and I'm not sure about a lot of the choices here. In particular, the decision to use Pheromosa is a weird one that I can't fully justify and it's odd to see a Ho-Oh team without real removal (Phero doesn't really count because it's just not a good or reliable spinner). I'm gonna suggest a lot of small set cleaning changes that I think will help out, but as for the larger team structure changes it's weird to know where to take this because the team just starts in such a weird position of forgoing checks to a ton of basic things. The team still has plenty of potential, but there's almost certainly plenty of other ways to take it than the direction I'm going to recommend.

First off, there's a couple of changes that should be made whether or not you like the larger direction I'm going to suggest moving the team in. Low Kick is just better than High Jump Kick on Pheromosa, it hits most stuff just fine and is only 10BP weaker on Arceus, Pdon, Pogre, Yveltal, Zygarde, and most other mons without the risk you run every time there's a Ghost around. I'm not convinced on the Tapu Lele EV spread, running Timid doesn't really help for anything outside of Deo-A, which you have Phero to check if you don't take my later advice, and Lele isn't terribly strong for AG. You should give some consideration to running an EV spread of 16 HP / 240 SpA / 252 Spe with a Modest nature, the 12 out of Special Attack is to survive an unboosted LO Shadow Claw from Ekiller without losing the ability to speed tie with +1 incomplete Zygarde. I'd also recommend changing Lava Plume to Rock Slide on Pdon since the team is really, really troubled by opposing Ho-Oh and this at least makes it slightly easier to handle. If you don't like the change, at least go -Speed instead of -Special Attack nature because nerfing your offenses sucks. Finally, Ho-Oh or not it seems really weird that you've chosen to rely on Rapid Spin Pheromosa as opposed to simply putting Defog over Toxic on Groundceus. This would open up the Rapid Spin slot for Poison Jab and give you a much more reliable way to control the hazard game.

As far as major changes go, the big one I came up with was going Mega Gengar over Ho-Oh. It'd help the team a lot in the capacity of revenge killing Mega Rayquaza and removing most Calm Mind Arceus formes in a similar capacity to how Ho-Oh handled them. It also invalidates Lugia, pressures Skymin, and makes playing with Xerneas a lot more difficult since they have to deal with you going to either Gengar and trapping or Pdon and phazing. Realistically Lele+Phero isn't great but this sorta preserves what you were going for even if you're going to have to play more offensively vs fairies. Z-Geoxern still sucks to face but that's not going to change with the basic structure. I think it'd be a huge help to remove some Rayquaza fodder for something that can trap and remove it instead, as that+Ray not switching into most of the team safely+Groundceus to check it should make you a lot more comfortable vs it. The other big thing that you ought to heavily consider is Deoxys-Attack > Pheromosa. Phero's big things over Deo are being faster than other Deo, having U-Turn, and having Spin. You don't need U-Turn or Rapid Spin and the team isn't really awful vs Deospam with the threat of a Geoxern countersweep plus the ability to retain Timid on Tapu Lele if you feel the need (plus you outspeed +Special Attack Deo aka more common Deo with Modest Lele). More importantly, it's some priority to check DD ray as long as you've got Terrain up, and that's something the team is sorely lacking in. Even sash isn't an awful idea, it just puts a lot of pressure on Groundceus to Defog while also staying healthy for Ray and Pdon. It's also slightly better with some CM Arceus formes if any should slip past Gengar's Taunt+Dbond combo so that's something. The flipside is not being able to spam Low Kick vs. Arceus-spam quite as well but I think that's a hit you can take. Anyway, I hope some of these changes helped you out. It's really interesting to see a "Semi-Psychic Terrain" archetype using Lele for more than just setting said Terrain, and this team has clearly had some success because of that dynamic.

e: apparently I completely forgot to mention the last minor change, which was changing defensive Groundceus to defensive Waterceus. It simply beats most of the same things but will be more pressured by SD Pdon sets and far less pressured by Arceus-Ground. I think the latter is more important here because CM Groundceus is the one thing none of these choices can really cover that Ho-Oh used to.
Gengar @ Gengarite
Ability: Cursed Body
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Taunt
- Destiny Bond
- Sludge Wave
- Shadow Ball

Groudon-Primal @ Red Orb
Ability: Drought
EVs: 248 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD / 4 Spe
Careful Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Precipice Blades
- Roar
- Rock Slide

Xerneas @ Power Herb
Ability: Fairy Aura
EVs: 208 HP / 252 SpA / 48 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Geomancy
- Moonblast
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Aromatherapy

Arceus-Water @ Splash Plate
Ability: Multitype
EVs: 248 HP / 236 Def / 24 Spe
Bold Nature
- Toxic
- Ice Beam
- Toxic
- Recover

Deoxys-Attack @ Life Orb
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Rash Nature
- Psycho Boost
- Ice Beam
- Superpower
- Extreme Speed

Tapu Lele @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Psychic Surge
EVs: 16 HP / 240 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Moonblast
- Psychic
- Focus Blast
- Psyshock
 
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