Hello again! This team is an improvement over my previous Piloswine + Vaporeon team, and it takes a more offensive angle to the synergy of Piloswine and Vaporeon. The previous team could absolutely play the long game, but suffered from passivity issues and vulnerability to many special attackers due to the use of Skarmory as the team's Normal resist. This team instead starts the game off at a fast pace with Miracle Berry Forretress laying down Spikes, inviting in Electric-types, which Piloswine is happy to switch into. The team can then pivot from there into Gengar or Whirlwind Zapdos and get some heavy offensive pressure started immediately, denying Spikes from Cloyster and opposing Forretress early and pounding the opposing team with special coverage and phazing. The team features 2 Exploders in Forretress and Gengar to keep the pressure on Snorlax, Curse + EQ Lax to maintain pressure on Rocks and Ghosts, and 2 RestTalkers in Piloswine and Vaporeon that take on bulkier teams with excellent synergy and a good bit of bulk. Let's get into what the team members do!
The Team
I searched for a while for a way to give this team the offensive momentum it needed to start the game off strong, and toyed with various Cloyster ideas, but in the end, Miracle Berry Forry just does it much better for what this team needs. In particular, it provides a Spikes setter that is capable of absorbing Lovely Kiss from Jynx and Snorlax, which eases the pressure on Vaporeon and Piloswine to do so, preventing the former from being Thiefed and the latter from taking a Psychic or Double-Edge. Forry of course also provides a valuable Spinner for the team, which Pilo, Vap, and Lax all appreciate for maximizing longevity. HP Ghost was chosen to allow Forry to hit Ghosts that would attempt to spinblock it, taking more pressure off Piloswine and Snorlax to deal with these. HP Ghost also maintains a decent hit on Jynx, Starmie, and Eggy. Explosion is the final move, and it is critical in keeping pressure up on opposing Curse + EQ Lax. This team can heavily pressure spinners, so you should absolutely be blowing Forry up on Curse + EQ Lax as soon as it starts to boost to prevent it from getting out of hand, since this team lacks a Normal-resistant phazer.
Just like with the previous iteration of this team, Curse + EQ Lax is used for its offensive potential and synergy with Piloswine. Piloswine will be taking on the Electrics (at least initially), and eases the burden for Lax to have to switch into powerful Thunders, allowing it to forego Sleep Talk and instead pressure Rocks and Ghosts with Earthquake. Piloswine also appreciates Lax pressuring Gengar in particular here so that Pilo doesn't become Explosion bait, which could leave the team vulnerable to Electrics with Pilo removed. Rest is kept in the last slot to ensure that the team can still fight back against the Electrics and Psychics in case the other checks to those mons go down.
Piloswine obviously takes on the Electrics for the team. What stands out more about Pilo is how much of a threat it can pose to the other GSC OU mainstays. Piloswine's STAB Earthquake is quite powerful off Base 100 Atk, and allows it to put respectable pressure on many Pokemon that do not resist EQ (especially with Spikes), such as Snorlax, Starmie, Blissey, Misdreavus, Jynx, Alakazam, and Machamp, while greatly threatening Ground-weak staples like Tyranitar, Nidoking, Golem, Steelix, Gengar, and Rhydon. Additionally, Piloswine's STAB Ice Beam and use of RestTalk complement its STAB EQ well, allowing it to not fear Toxic from foes like Skarmory, Blissey, Misdreavus, and Forretress, and repeatedly threaten them with freezes. Piloswine's good physical bulk also allows it to take one or two strong hits if needed, such a Tyranitar Rock Slide, Snorlax Double-Edge, or Golem Earthquake.
Vaporeon is here once again for its excellent synergy with Piloswine in its ability to take on the Water-types that Piloswine hates. Vaporeon deals particularly well with Starmie, boosting repeatedly in its face and punishing it for attempts to Spin away Spikes. Vaporeon being a secondary RestTalker with good bulk also allows it to absorb status for the team and switch into Rock-type threats like Tyranitar and Rhydon that the team can otherwise have difficulty comfortably pivoting into, as well as other offensive threats, namely Jynx. Its ability to repeatedly shrug off status and boost in its sleep also makes it a massive threat to stall teams, even if Vaporeon's team is unable to win the hazard war (as can sometimes be the case with Forretress lacking Leftovers on this team).
Whirlwind Zapdos helps the team by keeping up offensive momentum and providing a useful Fighting/Bug resist beyond Gengar (which doesn't really count as a Machamp/Heracross check). As mentioned at the beginning of the post, Zapdos frequently switches in immediately after Piloswine pivots into an opposing Electric type, predicting an incoming Water-type and getting the team's offense going. Zapdos also provides the team with its most reliable Exeggutor check, although this Zapdos lacking RestTalk means that another teammate will need to absorb sleep (usually Forretress). Don't be afraid of taking some hits with Zap if needed - Zap can absorb a Double-Edge from Snorlax to phaze it out and keep the team from being run over. Protect is useful for scouting moves, absorbing Explosions, and maximizing Lefties recovery, which this Zapdos appreciates again due to the lack of Rest.
Last and certainly not least is Gengar. The more I play GSC OU the better I think this mon is, and its inclusion on this team over Skarmory is another key factor in keeping up the offensive momentum this team needs to succeed. Gengar's role is to maintain its team's Spikes, threaten the opposing team with excellent coverage, and keep Snorlax in check with its Explosion. As with Forry, don't be afraid to blow Gengar up if Snorlax starts Cursing and you know it has EQ - the team's lack of Normal resistant phazer means that this will be your best way of preventing Curse + EQ Lax from getting out of hand. The damage you inflict on Lax + the removal of its turn will allow you to either finish the Lax off with a strong hit (ex. your own Lax's Double-Edge, since you will be faster than the opposing -1 Speed Lax), or phaze it out with Zap once Lax is forced to rest (if you still have Forry around and can afford to Explode on Lax again later). Dynamic Punch is the coverage move of choice here to make Tyranitar regret trying to Pursuit trap this Gengar. You will often get 3 chances to land it, as the Tyranitar switch is frequently predictable, and Tyranitar will require 2 additional turns to KO Gengar no matter what its coverage is once it has the chance to attack, giving you excellent odds to land at least one Dynamic Punch on TTar, and quite likely allowing Gengar to take Tyranitar down itself. Dynamic Punch also allows Gengar to put some additional pressure on Snorlax before EQ is revealed, since Gengar will survive an unboosted EQ from full and can Explode if Snorlax does reveal EQ. If the Snorlax is a MonoLax variant, Gengar can happily fish for Ice Punch freezes on Lax and phaze it out with Zapdos once the freeze does set in. Gengar's Explosion also provides a great emergency checking mechanism for threats like Curse Machamp and Heracross, giving the team some flexibility in dealing with these Pokemon.
Threatlist
Probably the scariest Pokemon for this team to face due to the lack of RestTalk on Zapdos and Leftovers on Forretress. Unfortunately, you often cannot use the strategy of blowing Heracross up with Gengar and Forry like you can with Lax, since you will need to reserve those two for dealing with Lax itself. You will have to keep up the pressure on Hera and not let it get going. Keep Zapdos healthy and phaze Hera out before it can do too much damage. Keep the pressure on it and leave at least one of Gengar, Zapdos, and/or Forretress alive if you can so you have a (semi-reliable) way to take Heracross down.
Yep, Curse + EQ Lax is undoubtedly a threat to this team. The lack of a Normal-resistant phazer means that this team needs to maintain offensive pressure against Lax and not allow it to boost freely. Use your Exploders liberally against Curse + EQ Lax, threaten it with Pilo and your own Lax, phaze it out with Zap - just don't let it get going. FireLax is a threat to a lesser extent, as Gengar can take this variant of Lax on more comfortably, but Forry obviously can't risk it.
While the team's matchup against Electric-types has been improved thanks to the changes from Cloyster -> Forretress and Skarmory -> Gengar, Double Electric teams still remain a threat the team must be mindful of, and HP Water Electrics need to be scouted and played against carefully. Zapdos can be used to check for HP Water after Piloswine absorbs a Thunder(bolt), and once HP Water has been revealed, smart use of Snorlax in addition to Piloswine and Zapdos can get the job done against these teams.
While HP Water Espeon is handled much more easily by this team than the team's previous iteration, Fire Punch Alakzam and HP Fire variants of Espeon and now Exeggutor are large threats. The team's lack of RestTalk Zapdos and Snorlax means that it does not have any Pokemon that can take strong Psychics + Fire coverage comfortably over the course of longer games, so these Pokemon will need to be dealt with mainly using Vaporeon and Snorlax before Resting. As such, if you see or suspect these Pokemon on the opposing team, be careful to not allow either Snorlax or Vaporeon to take a Thief or unnecessary status. You may need to get creative with using the other members of the team to check these Pokemon as well, such as using Forretress to pivot into Psychic and draw an HP Fire for Snorlax to take more comfortably. Beware!
While Piloswine does make a pretty good check to a lot of Gengar sets, Gengar is a devilish little creature, and can easily have Fire Punch or HP Water to spoil that idea. Even without these, Piloswine does get worn down by repeated Ice Punches in combination with Spikes, and must always be mindful of Explosion, so use Forretress and Snorlax to help absorb hits from Gengar if needed.
Final Words
Piloswine has been a ton of fun to continue to experiment with, and I think its synergy with Vaporeon makes for a unique teamstyle that remains competitive and exciting to use. I'm again very happy with how this team has been performing and I encourage others to give it a go despite its straying from some GSC OU conventions. I look forward to more experimentation with lesser-seen mons like Pilo and possibly improving this team even more in the future. Thanks for reading!
The Team
I searched for a while for a way to give this team the offensive momentum it needed to start the game off strong, and toyed with various Cloyster ideas, but in the end, Miracle Berry Forry just does it much better for what this team needs. In particular, it provides a Spikes setter that is capable of absorbing Lovely Kiss from Jynx and Snorlax, which eases the pressure on Vaporeon and Piloswine to do so, preventing the former from being Thiefed and the latter from taking a Psychic or Double-Edge. Forry of course also provides a valuable Spinner for the team, which Pilo, Vap, and Lax all appreciate for maximizing longevity. HP Ghost was chosen to allow Forry to hit Ghosts that would attempt to spinblock it, taking more pressure off Piloswine and Snorlax to deal with these. HP Ghost also maintains a decent hit on Jynx, Starmie, and Eggy. Explosion is the final move, and it is critical in keeping pressure up on opposing Curse + EQ Lax. This team can heavily pressure spinners, so you should absolutely be blowing Forry up on Curse + EQ Lax as soon as it starts to boost to prevent it from getting out of hand, since this team lacks a Normal-resistant phazer.
Just like with the previous iteration of this team, Curse + EQ Lax is used for its offensive potential and synergy with Piloswine. Piloswine will be taking on the Electrics (at least initially), and eases the burden for Lax to have to switch into powerful Thunders, allowing it to forego Sleep Talk and instead pressure Rocks and Ghosts with Earthquake. Piloswine also appreciates Lax pressuring Gengar in particular here so that Pilo doesn't become Explosion bait, which could leave the team vulnerable to Electrics with Pilo removed. Rest is kept in the last slot to ensure that the team can still fight back against the Electrics and Psychics in case the other checks to those mons go down.
Piloswine obviously takes on the Electrics for the team. What stands out more about Pilo is how much of a threat it can pose to the other GSC OU mainstays. Piloswine's STAB Earthquake is quite powerful off Base 100 Atk, and allows it to put respectable pressure on many Pokemon that do not resist EQ (especially with Spikes), such as Snorlax, Starmie, Blissey, Misdreavus, Jynx, Alakazam, and Machamp, while greatly threatening Ground-weak staples like Tyranitar, Nidoking, Golem, Steelix, Gengar, and Rhydon. Additionally, Piloswine's STAB Ice Beam and use of RestTalk complement its STAB EQ well, allowing it to not fear Toxic from foes like Skarmory, Blissey, Misdreavus, and Forretress, and repeatedly threaten them with freezes. Piloswine's good physical bulk also allows it to take one or two strong hits if needed, such a Tyranitar Rock Slide, Snorlax Double-Edge, or Golem Earthquake.
Vaporeon is here once again for its excellent synergy with Piloswine in its ability to take on the Water-types that Piloswine hates. Vaporeon deals particularly well with Starmie, boosting repeatedly in its face and punishing it for attempts to Spin away Spikes. Vaporeon being a secondary RestTalker with good bulk also allows it to absorb status for the team and switch into Rock-type threats like Tyranitar and Rhydon that the team can otherwise have difficulty comfortably pivoting into, as well as other offensive threats, namely Jynx. Its ability to repeatedly shrug off status and boost in its sleep also makes it a massive threat to stall teams, even if Vaporeon's team is unable to win the hazard war (as can sometimes be the case with Forretress lacking Leftovers on this team).
Whirlwind Zapdos helps the team by keeping up offensive momentum and providing a useful Fighting/Bug resist beyond Gengar (which doesn't really count as a Machamp/Heracross check). As mentioned at the beginning of the post, Zapdos frequently switches in immediately after Piloswine pivots into an opposing Electric type, predicting an incoming Water-type and getting the team's offense going. Zapdos also provides the team with its most reliable Exeggutor check, although this Zapdos lacking RestTalk means that another teammate will need to absorb sleep (usually Forretress). Don't be afraid of taking some hits with Zap if needed - Zap can absorb a Double-Edge from Snorlax to phaze it out and keep the team from being run over. Protect is useful for scouting moves, absorbing Explosions, and maximizing Lefties recovery, which this Zapdos appreciates again due to the lack of Rest.
Last and certainly not least is Gengar. The more I play GSC OU the better I think this mon is, and its inclusion on this team over Skarmory is another key factor in keeping up the offensive momentum this team needs to succeed. Gengar's role is to maintain its team's Spikes, threaten the opposing team with excellent coverage, and keep Snorlax in check with its Explosion. As with Forry, don't be afraid to blow Gengar up if Snorlax starts Cursing and you know it has EQ - the team's lack of Normal resistant phazer means that this will be your best way of preventing Curse + EQ Lax from getting out of hand. The damage you inflict on Lax + the removal of its turn will allow you to either finish the Lax off with a strong hit (ex. your own Lax's Double-Edge, since you will be faster than the opposing -1 Speed Lax), or phaze it out with Zap once Lax is forced to rest (if you still have Forry around and can afford to Explode on Lax again later). Dynamic Punch is the coverage move of choice here to make Tyranitar regret trying to Pursuit trap this Gengar. You will often get 3 chances to land it, as the Tyranitar switch is frequently predictable, and Tyranitar will require 2 additional turns to KO Gengar no matter what its coverage is once it has the chance to attack, giving you excellent odds to land at least one Dynamic Punch on TTar, and quite likely allowing Gengar to take Tyranitar down itself. Dynamic Punch also allows Gengar to put some additional pressure on Snorlax before EQ is revealed, since Gengar will survive an unboosted EQ from full and can Explode if Snorlax does reveal EQ. If the Snorlax is a MonoLax variant, Gengar can happily fish for Ice Punch freezes on Lax and phaze it out with Zapdos once the freeze does set in. Gengar's Explosion also provides a great emergency checking mechanism for threats like Curse Machamp and Heracross, giving the team some flexibility in dealing with these Pokemon.
Threatlist
Probably the scariest Pokemon for this team to face due to the lack of RestTalk on Zapdos and Leftovers on Forretress. Unfortunately, you often cannot use the strategy of blowing Heracross up with Gengar and Forry like you can with Lax, since you will need to reserve those two for dealing with Lax itself. You will have to keep up the pressure on Hera and not let it get going. Keep Zapdos healthy and phaze Hera out before it can do too much damage. Keep the pressure on it and leave at least one of Gengar, Zapdos, and/or Forretress alive if you can so you have a (semi-reliable) way to take Heracross down.
Yep, Curse + EQ Lax is undoubtedly a threat to this team. The lack of a Normal-resistant phazer means that this team needs to maintain offensive pressure against Lax and not allow it to boost freely. Use your Exploders liberally against Curse + EQ Lax, threaten it with Pilo and your own Lax, phaze it out with Zap - just don't let it get going. FireLax is a threat to a lesser extent, as Gengar can take this variant of Lax on more comfortably, but Forry obviously can't risk it.
While the team's matchup against Electric-types has been improved thanks to the changes from Cloyster -> Forretress and Skarmory -> Gengar, Double Electric teams still remain a threat the team must be mindful of, and HP Water Electrics need to be scouted and played against carefully. Zapdos can be used to check for HP Water after Piloswine absorbs a Thunder(bolt), and once HP Water has been revealed, smart use of Snorlax in addition to Piloswine and Zapdos can get the job done against these teams.
While HP Water Espeon is handled much more easily by this team than the team's previous iteration, Fire Punch Alakzam and HP Fire variants of Espeon and now Exeggutor are large threats. The team's lack of RestTalk Zapdos and Snorlax means that it does not have any Pokemon that can take strong Psychics + Fire coverage comfortably over the course of longer games, so these Pokemon will need to be dealt with mainly using Vaporeon and Snorlax before Resting. As such, if you see or suspect these Pokemon on the opposing team, be careful to not allow either Snorlax or Vaporeon to take a Thief or unnecessary status. You may need to get creative with using the other members of the team to check these Pokemon as well, such as using Forretress to pivot into Psychic and draw an HP Fire for Snorlax to take more comfortably. Beware!
While Piloswine does make a pretty good check to a lot of Gengar sets, Gengar is a devilish little creature, and can easily have Fire Punch or HP Water to spoil that idea. Even without these, Piloswine does get worn down by repeated Ice Punches in combination with Spikes, and must always be mindful of Explosion, so use Forretress and Snorlax to help absorb hits from Gengar if needed.
Final Words
Piloswine has been a ton of fun to continue to experiment with, and I think its synergy with Vaporeon makes for a unique teamstyle that remains competitive and exciting to use. I'm again very happy with how this team has been performing and I encourage others to give it a go despite its straying from some GSC OU conventions. I look forward to more experimentation with lesser-seen mons like Pilo and possibly improving this team even more in the future. Thanks for reading!
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For Snorlax: Add Toxic to your moveset to hamper Curse sets without needed to rely on the immediate Explosion. Forcing Rest with Toxic helps reveal Snorlax's moveset and makes it easier to force out with Whirlwind Zapdos or Gengar. Additionally Toxic is nice to hit anything that a lead RestTalk 2 attacks Snorlax may switch out into. I think Rapid Spin is the best move to drop for this purpose. All others are too critical. You might be tempted to change HP Ghost now that you no longer have spin, but I think getting some unexpected chip off on ghosts/psychics can be game deciding against offense teams. Dropping it for HP Fire or Giga Drain is fine though.
For Cloyster: Give up on the idea of Miracle Berry lead to get an early advantage. Cloyster essentially refutes the Forretress's early strategy. When you have Piloswine and Vaporeon as sleep talkers I think its much better to replace Miracle Berry with Leftovers on Forretress and just switch out against sleep leads. Neither Piloswine nor Vaporeon are your key win conditions versus offense so its not difficult to deal with one getting Thiefed. (Try to let Pilos get Thiefed thought). If the sleep leads choose use their sleep move turn 1 it also easy to bring Forretress back in on turn 2. Leftovers will be useful long term to keep your Spikes up and harass Snorlax with Toxic.
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For Zapdos and Raikou: Consider adding turn 1 Explosion to your opening repertoire. While undeniably risky early in the game, it can be the type of decisive move that really enables Vaporeon. This does have anti-synergy with WW Zapdos (no Spikes) and Piloswine (you just removed what it's supposed to check) so its not a move you click every time or against every opponent. Just keep in mind that going Piloswine does not make your turn 2 Zapdos switch automatic.