The Eye of the Tiger: A VGC 17 Team Report (PS)
Artist: mudkipbubble
Forward: Before continuing this team report there is one thing I want to address to everyone. No.... I'm not dead. Just busy. Lately there's been some shit on my plate I to address and actually wanted to make an update around early May, yet haven't due to the lack of time. To be honest, not sure whether there will be an update of sorts in this blogspot of mine. Its been now several months at this point and yeah I am disappointed I wasn't able to post this alot sooner, though better late than never.
If there's anything I wanted to say is I honestly not sure whether there will be any usual blog updates compared to in the past couple years. Quite frankly I love writing, especially about Competitive Pokemon, though the interest has died down given my lack of time on Showdown or Battle Spot lately. Do keep up with the metagame shifts here and there, but not to a point where I can distinguish cores from one another. Was going to write my thoughts about the VGC 17 format as a whole, yet might pass on that prospect. What's more I've revamp a Youtube channel for myself where I've uploaded about 25+ video in the past month, which I never thought would be possible. More accurately its best to say my attention shifted from making blog posts to videos now, though I do want to give a proper explanation on the future of this blogpost and all as I'm entering a strange new chapter both in my life and in the Pokemon Community.
Note: Most the Blogpost below was written around May but was since neglected here and there where I casually updated it with sections until July and late Jan of 2018. Guess better late than never but this is my adieu to VGC 17.
After Pokemon Showdown VGC 17 ladder (AROUND Late April), all I can say I "finally" got my footing on this format back after a two month hiatus. Honestly the past months I've found myself struggling with stuff I didn't expect to occur such as dealing with Hyper Offensive oriented teams and Hard Trick Room teams (then again... those teams are HO in nature so you're going to make to out think the opponent anyways. The biggest issue for me was how to address teams just from looking at a team building and preserving my win cons as best as possible without losing much. Z-Moves do play a role in this as almost every time I can't seem to "outmaneuver" around Z-Moves without having one of my Pokemon OHKOed or getting their HP chunked significantly. Basically the past months was me trying to find a good well-balanced team that can take as much punishment as possible, and retaliate as the following turn knowing well I can OHKO my opponent's mons afterward.
After all of this, I decided to go back to the teams that "worked" well for me in the past, but only have some minor to considerable improvements to them. One of those teams was an AFK team that got me to 3rd on the PS ladder way back in early January using a team similar to Yoshi's Winning Leipzig Regional team featuring Mandibuzz and the ever popular Recycle Snorlax. To this day, found it strange that I was using a team similar to that team specially before it was released. For those who don't know, Snorlax got a massive buff in this gen with the addition of High Horsepower and the now meta-defining "50% FIWAM Berries" which give Snorlax a strong recover option. For awhile I stayed away from using Snorlax since most of my team had one to try out some new stuff, yet found almost every time I find myself using Snorlax at in some form.
After Snorlax, we get to AFK featuring Arcanine, Tapu Fini and Kartana which I still think its one of the well-established cores in the format people still need to prepare for. The premise of the three revolve around using the Fire-Water-Grass cores that's been well documented on most balance teams. I still don't get why people discredit this core when honestly its extremely strong if played well especially with how these three Pokemon can basically cover each other's weaknesses well and while having their own traits. Arcanine provides Intimidate support, Fini cancels the other three Tapus's opposing terrains while nullifying status, and Kartana being an incredibly dangerous attacker who can get going with potential Attack Beast Boosts. Likewise, all three Pokemon on this team have underwent some notable changes from their sets which helped in the overall team effort as we'll get to in a bit.
As much as I like AFK, I am still rather weak to opposing or similar team variants, or mirror matches. As a result, decided the "best" Pokemon here was non other than Tapu Koko for hitting all three Pokemon with Electric Terrain Thunderbolt while outspeeding a good portion of the format. There wasn't much I wanted to add aside the fact that Tapu Koko is honestly the best cleaner in the game with its blistering fast 130 speed and boosted Electric attacks. The last mon added was a toss-up between whether keeping Alolan Ninetales or Mandibuzz from the original team, but I decided Mandibuzz helped long-term for its great support value for the team and disruption moves like Foul Play and Snarl.
Well I guess its onto the team it is:
TEAM
Tapu Koko @ Electrium Z
Ability: Electric Surge
Level: 50
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Thunderbolt
- Dazzling Gleam
- Taunt
- Protect
Tapu Koko is still one of the best Pokemon in the format given its potential to fire fast STABS, including its own Z-Thunderbolt at any target that needs to go. Definitely the key to using Tapu Koko is to be able to maintain offensive pressure as best as possible without "wasting" turns, which definitely includes targeting down a threat with Z-Thunderbolt for an OHKO or significant damage. Do miss using Life Orb Modest Koko from time to time here, but honestly Timid speed allows me to outspeed or speed tie with opposing Koko which can be extremely important to getting off the damage. Aside the increased speed creep, Tapu Koko has Taunt to disrupt my opponent's plans whether they're attempting to setup Trick Room, replenish HP, boost their stats, and etc. Honestly fast Taunt is the best "filler" on Tapu Koko given its high natural speed allows it to disrupt before potentially going down to an attack.
Kartana @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Beast Boost
Level: 50
EVs: 4 HP / 148 Atk / 4 Def / 100 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Leaf Blade
- Smart Strike
- Night Slash
- Sacred Sword
Here we have a stupid paper alien thing capable of sweeping unprepared teams with is high attack and speed. At the start of the format, most of my Kartana sets were either Assault Vest or Focus Sash with little experimentation. Both items have their merits, yet didn't have a sorta surprise factor in them since my opponents can beat AV with a Fire or strong special attacker, and Sash can be deadweight at times. After testing some items (including Z-Moves), Choice Scarf was an option that was extreme viable for this team. for a number of reasons. Kartana is one of the fastest Pokemon in the VGC 17 format with a threatening Attack stat already built in. With Scarf Kartana, I can get the jump on naturally fast Pokemon such as Pheromosa and Tapu Koko while outspeeding opposing Scarfers such as Garchomp, Tapu Lele, and Nihilego. One last thing I found useful with Kartana is usually I tend to use it as a lead with Koko to attempt to deal chip damage so Koko can knock out the target with a Z-Thunderbolt. This is useful especially against bulky Arcanine and Mimikyu which the latter can be a pain to deal with for this team. Overall Kartana was perhaps the most unpredictable member of the team, given the item choice and lead option, but do feel like at the time Koko Kart was a justifiable lead before the end of the format.
Arcanine @ Iapapa Berry
Ability: Intimidate
Level: 50
EVs: 204 HP / 12 Atk / 76 Def / 204 SpD / 12 Spe
Impish Nature
- Flare Blitz
- Extreme Speed
- Will-O-Wisp
- Leer
Everyone's favorite pupper. So basically I wanted to try out a "balanced" Arcanine set capable of being disruptive, bulky, dealing good damage, and helping the team effort. The moveset is fairly standard with Flare Blitz for STAB, Extreme Speed for priority, and Wisp to neuter Physical Attackers (with a Fini on this team I know). The only thing worth mentioning before we get to out secret ingredient is the 50% Berry or the Iapapa Berry in this case. Let me start by saying these berries are second next to the Z-crystals as the most influential items in the current format. In all my past two time playing on Pokemon have I've seen opponents being capable of making "comebacks" especially with the advent of these berries. While it might sound trick at first to activate them given the 25% benchmark, when it does activate Pokemon like Arcanine can find itself in a better position as before. Heck players now use Flare Blitz on Arcanine mostly to be able to activate these berries in a pinch to replenish that extra 50% HP. which definitely helps.
What sets this Arcanine apart from the others is a stupid early game move we all delete for Ember or some OP TM/HM shit: Leer. The idea of using Leer came around as early as December 2016 when facing some guy with a Prankster Leer Sableye to weaken opponents for say Garchomp or Kartana. With Leer, Arcanine drops "BOTH" the targets' defenses by one stage, allowing my main physical attackers like Kartana and Snorlax to punch throw targets they would not OHKO to begin with. Of course my opponents have the chance to switch out to deter the defense drops, but what happens when its just Arcanine and Snorlax/Kartana versus a three remaining Pokemon? Where this is getting at is Leer can actually pressure my opponent to the point that my team benefits from this, but Arcanine doesn't have to worry about having a lackluster attack investment.
Tapu Fini @ Wiki Berry / Leftovers
Ability: Misty Surge
Level: 50
EVs: 236 HP / 132 Def / 4 SpA / 76 SpD / 60 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Moonblast
- Muddy Water
- Calm Mind
- Protect
Tapu Fini has been the most consistently used Water-type on most of my teams for good reason. Like what Pokemon does a good job at shutting down status, threatening Dragon-types, and being incredibly defensive even for most defensive Water-types? I know Tapu Fini has gotten some slack from people lately, but still standby it as one of the best Pokemon in the format thanks to its various traits mentioned. At the start of the season, Fini was a Leftover Calm Mind setters and was actually decent, except there are situations where I want more "immediate" HP. Thanks to the buffed Wiki Berry, Tapu Fini can replenish about 50% recovery which has proved far useful than just passive 1/16th HP recovery from Leftovers. Like don't get me wrong, but having that extra instant recovery was amazing at certain points in the game and can directly shift the tide of the battle at times. Overall, do appereciate the introduction of Tapu Fini into the VGC and Doubles format given how impacting Misty Terrain can be to prevent status options, and even prevent random 10% chances from influencing the game.
Snorlax @ Figy Berry
Ability: Gluttony
Level: 50
EVs: 148 HP / 76 Atk / 180 Def / 100 SpD
Brave Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Facade / Return
- Curse
- High Horsepower
- Recycle
Milestones:
- Tanks most Z-Move attacks (Lele's Z-Psychic, Koko's Z-Thunder, Garchomp's Z-EQ, etc)
- Garchomp's EQ is a 5HKO (also far better with Curse boosts
- Lele's Psychic Terrain-boosted Psychic is a 3HKO (mostly of the time)
Honestly Snorlax is the true MVP of this team thanks to its new berry mechanics and setup potential which itself its a win con. Aside any Fighting-types, Z-Fighting moves (I'm looking at you Kartana -_-), or even boosted hits, Snorlax can attempt to setup some curses and muscle opposing teams thanks to its natural bulk and high HP stat. Let me just say this, for a time I thought Curse Gluttony Snorlax perhaps the best Pokemon of VGC 17 especially in the early to mid season. Keep in mind, Snorlax has a high 160 HP Stat and 110 Special Defense stat to eat up a most of the strongest STAB and Z-Moves in the with the proper boosts and investment listed. Thanks to the Gluttony-Recycle combination, Snorlax now has an viable recovery option to abuse over and over. What cool about this is if my opponent leaves Snorlax just below 50%, it will instantly get back 50% to its HP total, thus effectively giving Snorlax potentially more HP than before. High Horsepower is a great addition to Snorlax as it now has a single target Ground-type move to hit common Pokemon such as Arcanine, Tapu Koko, Nihilego, Alolan Marowak, Alolan Muk, Magnezone, etc. Curse is the crux of this set as it allows Snorlax to boosts its Attack and Defense stat by one stage at the cost of lowering its already low Speed stat.
Will like to note Curse is extremely beneficial for Snorlax as it can act as a great Trick Room counter when in the field condition, even underspeeding Torkoal after a Curse boost. To explain why Snorlax has Facade over Return, well originally this was the reverse until mid season. Once people started using opposing terrain Pokemon as switch ins to the inflict a status option like a Burn or Toxic, Snorlax would get crippled in offense or longevity. In order to alleviate this weakness, Snorlax can use Facade to take advantage of these situations and when paired with Curse, break down opposing teams. Facade was also selected do Celesteela itself as usually the person tries to go for the burn and if Snorlax goes get inflicted, then it can overpower Leech Seed Celesteela in a 1v1. There are also some strange, yet funny scenarios when using Curse Lax with Leer Arcanine to pressure my opponent as they'll have both Pokemon with -1 Defenses.
Though I did use Snorlax as a early-mid-late game Pokemon, keeping it as healthy as possible with as many partner is alway appreciated. This is why I try to utilize Arcanine's Intimidate ability to keep dropping the Attack stat of the opposing side by minus 1 throughout the course of the battle. Will like to mention having the Double Fairy option in Tapu Koko and Tapu Fini is appreciated as they are the best answers to opposing Fighting-type Pokemon such as Hariyama, Buzzwole, or sometimes Pheromosa...(yeah maybe not at times for this one.) Overall Curse Snorlax was one of the most dangerous threats in VGC 17 especially towards the middle given how bulky this bear is. It never ceases to amaze me how a couple changes to a single Pokemon can turn them into of the best in the doubles format. Hopefully I'll continue to utilize Snorlax when I can.
Mandibuzz @ Misty Seed
Ability: Overcoat
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 4 SpA / 228 SpD / 20 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Foul Play
- Snarl
- Roost
- Tailwind / Toxic
Finally we have a Pokemon I'd didn't come close to thinking it be viable in VGC 17: Mandibuzz. During the search for a 6th slot member the team needed another Pokemon who can reliably counter Garchomp, Tapu Lele, and Metagross while giving me a good speed control option. Mandibuzz actually fulfills this roles comfortably with the array of support options from the likes of Foul Play, Snarl, Tailwind, Toxic, and Roost for recovery. Now the reason why Mandibuzz become one of the linchpins of the team is Misty Seed, which in tandem with Tapu Fini gives the Dark/Flying-type a boost to its special defense, thus allowing it to take on opposing special attackers. Snarl helps Mandibuzz fulfill this role as with the -1 drops to their special attack, this allows Mandibuzz, and the rest of my team to take special moves better. Though not seen as support, STAB Foul Play allows Mandibuzz to hit many Physical Pokemon such as Garchomp, Kartana, Arcanine, and Snorlax for good damage. If Mandibuzz ever needs to recover any HP, Roost is helpful to replenish lost HP. Overall Mandibuzz served as a great tank for the team a great amount of utility that surprisingly held its own in a very fluid format.
"Random" Z-Moves: Alright I'm not lying by saying that Z-Moves are completely bust imo and can sway the battle in just about anyone favor, if timed correctly, you have to admit this team isn't fullproof when it comes to them. Usually I'd try my best to see how my opponent is positioning themselves to determine whether a certain Z-Move attack will come from say Chomp, Kartana, or Pheromosa (btw all three kinda give me problems). If there was a full list of Z-moves this team doesn't enjoy taking, its definitely Z-Sacred Sword from Kartana or Z-Focus Blast from Pheromosa as both can essentially OHKO my main Pokemon Snorlax immediately, especially with some prior damage. Other Z-Attack such as Z-Thunderbolt from Koko / Xurkitree, or Z-EQ from Chomp are annoying to deal with, but only if my opponent has me "pinned" down or so though generally speaking my fast mode should be able to deal with those two.
Mimikyu - Snorlax: Every time I face these two, its always a 50/50 mind game when it comes to guessing who's going to setup Trick Room, and/or go with the Belly Drum immediately. Yes I know for "that" guy saying, " OH wait you have Kartana + Taunt Koko, and therefore these two shouldn't be an issue"...except I'm scarfed while Koko can easily die to a random Z-Move or I walk myself into a Mental Herb variant. To make matters worse, I don't know the item on Mimkyu and usually have to commit to "assuming" it doesn't have Focus Sash as I don't have a good way around this. If I do double target with Kartana + Koko, it be against the Mimikyu as I have to break the Disguise and "hope" that my opponent doesn't have Focus Sash. Sometimes Taunting the Snorlax is a fail-safe, though they can carry protect sometimes, meaning that Mimikyu can get to +6 via Psych Up the following turn while I'm forced to deal with the Lax.
PS: If Roar Arcanine is your suit, well I guess you should use it over Leer to improve the matchup, but be warned that it can't stop late game Mimikyu or Snorlax from setting up without anyone to phaze out.
Porygon-Z - Smeargle: Oh where to I begin with this one... yeah this is basically a coin flip unless I somehow "know" and "predict" what sets both Normal-types are before going for turn 1. Once again, my go-to lead here is Koko and Scarf Kartana as Kartana easily outspeeds any Scarf PZ variant and threatens for the OHKO, which that alone my opponent will likely go for the Fake Out. As for Tapu Koko, its extremely important to decide whether I'm going to go for the Taunt on Smeargle or Z-Thunderbolt onto the PZ as getting a quick KO or neutralizing them can help tremendously once Snorlax gets in to have its way. Usually the Smeargle is Focus Sash, if its Scarf...at least Scarf Kart can outspeed. Porygon-Z might be able to get a Trick Room or Z-Conversion up depending on how the opponent engages with the Smeargle, whether to Fake Out, Follow Me, or brazenly Protect. Might as well say it.... to beat cheese... you must use your own cheese and slice it.
FAKEPG: Just listing this common team since I do face it many time on the ladder so might as well dissect this one. My go to for this one is generally my AFK core with Snorlax in the back as Fini cancels out the Electric Terrain from Koko while Arcanine can get off Intimidates on the potential Arcanine, Kartana, and even Gigalith. Essentially this game comes down to how well I can manage my AFK core and most importantly Lax in order to stomp then thru with Curses-boosted attacks. If Porygon2 has Toxic for Lax, wonderful as I can punch immediate hole on my opponent's team with Facade boosted hits, especially if I just spam Leer with Arcanine. Speaking of Leer, this is one of the few times I'd recommend using Leer for the matchup, especially for the end game as Kartana and Snorlax can potentially clean house here.
Conclusion: So it took me about 5 months (NOW OVER A YEAR) to write this team, but really its been the most consistent team I've used on Showdown. To be frank, this team was a variation of several similar team with the same AFK cores with Snorlax. Some things like Leer Arcanine or the Scarf Kartana might seem like gimmicks or memes though they can be rather useful at certain points in the battle. It might take a while to get use to the team, but its really fun to use if you play it especially in Bo1 settings like Showdown or Battle Spot. Not sure how this team would play in an actual VGC 17 tournament, but at least its somewhat of a unique take an already familiar good stuff teams we've seen lately.
If there's anything I wanted to say is I honestly not sure whether there will be any usual blog updates compared to in the past couple years. Quite frankly I love writing, especially about Competitive Pokemon, though the interest has died down given my lack of time on Showdown or Battle Spot lately. Do keep up with the metagame shifts here and there, but not to a point where I can distinguish cores from one another. Was going to write my thoughts about the VGC 17 format as a whole, yet might pass on that prospect. What's more I've revamp a Youtube channel for myself where I've uploaded about 25+ video in the past month, which I never thought would be possible. More accurately its best to say my attention shifted from making blog posts to videos now, though I do want to give a proper explanation on the future of this blogpost and all as I'm entering a strange new chapter both in my life and in the Pokemon Community.
Note: Most the Blogpost below was written around May but was since neglected here and there where I casually updated it with sections until July and late Jan of 2018. Guess better late than never but this is my adieu to VGC 17.
Background of Team
(Long Ass Story)
After Pokemon Showdown VGC 17 ladder (AROUND Late April), all I can say I "finally" got my footing on this format back after a two month hiatus. Honestly the past months I've found myself struggling with stuff I didn't expect to occur such as dealing with Hyper Offensive oriented teams and Hard Trick Room teams (then again... those teams are HO in nature so you're going to make to out think the opponent anyways. The biggest issue for me was how to address teams just from looking at a team building and preserving my win cons as best as possible without losing much. Z-Moves do play a role in this as almost every time I can't seem to "outmaneuver" around Z-Moves without having one of my Pokemon OHKOed or getting their HP chunked significantly. Basically the past months was me trying to find a good well-balanced team that can take as much punishment as possible, and retaliate as the following turn knowing well I can OHKO my opponent's mons afterward.
After all of this, I decided to go back to the teams that "worked" well for me in the past, but only have some minor to considerable improvements to them. One of those teams was an AFK team that got me to 3rd on the PS ladder way back in early January using a team similar to Yoshi's Winning Leipzig Regional team featuring Mandibuzz and the ever popular Recycle Snorlax. To this day, found it strange that I was using a team similar to that team specially before it was released. For those who don't know, Snorlax got a massive buff in this gen with the addition of High Horsepower and the now meta-defining "50% FIWAM Berries" which give Snorlax a strong recover option. For awhile I stayed away from using Snorlax since most of my team had one to try out some new stuff, yet found almost every time I find myself using Snorlax at in some form.
After Snorlax, we get to AFK featuring Arcanine, Tapu Fini and Kartana which I still think its one of the well-established cores in the format people still need to prepare for. The premise of the three revolve around using the Fire-Water-Grass cores that's been well documented on most balance teams. I still don't get why people discredit this core when honestly its extremely strong if played well especially with how these three Pokemon can basically cover each other's weaknesses well and while having their own traits. Arcanine provides Intimidate support, Fini cancels the other three Tapus's opposing terrains while nullifying status, and Kartana being an incredibly dangerous attacker who can get going with potential Attack Beast Boosts. Likewise, all three Pokemon on this team have underwent some notable changes from their sets which helped in the overall team effort as we'll get to in a bit.
As much as I like AFK, I am still rather weak to opposing or similar team variants, or mirror matches. As a result, decided the "best" Pokemon here was non other than Tapu Koko for hitting all three Pokemon with Electric Terrain Thunderbolt while outspeeding a good portion of the format. There wasn't much I wanted to add aside the fact that Tapu Koko is honestly the best cleaner in the game with its blistering fast 130 speed and boosted Electric attacks. The last mon added was a toss-up between whether keeping Alolan Ninetales or Mandibuzz from the original team, but I decided Mandibuzz helped long-term for its great support value for the team and disruption moves like Foul Play and Snarl.
Well I guess its onto the team it is:
TEAM
Tapu Koko @ Electrium Z
Ability: Electric Surge
Level: 50
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Thunderbolt
- Dazzling Gleam
- Taunt
- Protect
Tapu Koko is still one of the best Pokemon in the format given its potential to fire fast STABS, including its own Z-Thunderbolt at any target that needs to go. Definitely the key to using Tapu Koko is to be able to maintain offensive pressure as best as possible without "wasting" turns, which definitely includes targeting down a threat with Z-Thunderbolt for an OHKO or significant damage. Do miss using Life Orb Modest Koko from time to time here, but honestly Timid speed allows me to outspeed or speed tie with opposing Koko which can be extremely important to getting off the damage. Aside the increased speed creep, Tapu Koko has Taunt to disrupt my opponent's plans whether they're attempting to setup Trick Room, replenish HP, boost their stats, and etc. Honestly fast Taunt is the best "filler" on Tapu Koko given its high natural speed allows it to disrupt before potentially going down to an attack.
Kartana @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Beast Boost
Level: 50
EVs: 4 HP / 148 Atk / 4 Def / 100 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Leaf Blade
- Smart Strike
- Night Slash
- Sacred Sword
Here we have a stupid paper alien thing capable of sweeping unprepared teams with is high attack and speed. At the start of the format, most of my Kartana sets were either Assault Vest or Focus Sash with little experimentation. Both items have their merits, yet didn't have a sorta surprise factor in them since my opponents can beat AV with a Fire or strong special attacker, and Sash can be deadweight at times. After testing some items (including Z-Moves), Choice Scarf was an option that was extreme viable for this team. for a number of reasons. Kartana is one of the fastest Pokemon in the VGC 17 format with a threatening Attack stat already built in. With Scarf Kartana, I can get the jump on naturally fast Pokemon such as Pheromosa and Tapu Koko while outspeeding opposing Scarfers such as Garchomp, Tapu Lele, and Nihilego. One last thing I found useful with Kartana is usually I tend to use it as a lead with Koko to attempt to deal chip damage so Koko can knock out the target with a Z-Thunderbolt. This is useful especially against bulky Arcanine and Mimikyu which the latter can be a pain to deal with for this team. Overall Kartana was perhaps the most unpredictable member of the team, given the item choice and lead option, but do feel like at the time Koko Kart was a justifiable lead before the end of the format.
Arcanine @ Iapapa Berry
Ability: Intimidate
Level: 50
EVs: 204 HP / 12 Atk / 76 Def / 204 SpD / 12 Spe
Impish Nature
- Flare Blitz
- Extreme Speed
- Will-O-Wisp
- Leer
Everyone's favorite pupper. So basically I wanted to try out a "balanced" Arcanine set capable of being disruptive, bulky, dealing good damage, and helping the team effort. The moveset is fairly standard with Flare Blitz for STAB, Extreme Speed for priority, and Wisp to neuter Physical Attackers (with a Fini on this team I know). The only thing worth mentioning before we get to out secret ingredient is the 50% Berry or the Iapapa Berry in this case. Let me start by saying these berries are second next to the Z-crystals as the most influential items in the current format. In all my past two time playing on Pokemon have I've seen opponents being capable of making "comebacks" especially with the advent of these berries. While it might sound trick at first to activate them given the 25% benchmark, when it does activate Pokemon like Arcanine can find itself in a better position as before. Heck players now use Flare Blitz on Arcanine mostly to be able to activate these berries in a pinch to replenish that extra 50% HP. which definitely helps.
What sets this Arcanine apart from the others is a stupid early game move we all delete for Ember or some OP TM/HM shit: Leer. The idea of using Leer came around as early as December 2016 when facing some guy with a Prankster Leer Sableye to weaken opponents for say Garchomp or Kartana. With Leer, Arcanine drops "BOTH" the targets' defenses by one stage, allowing my main physical attackers like Kartana and Snorlax to punch throw targets they would not OHKO to begin with. Of course my opponents have the chance to switch out to deter the defense drops, but what happens when its just Arcanine and Snorlax/Kartana versus a three remaining Pokemon? Where this is getting at is Leer can actually pressure my opponent to the point that my team benefits from this, but Arcanine doesn't have to worry about having a lackluster attack investment.
Tapu Fini @ Wiki Berry / Leftovers
Ability: Misty Surge
Level: 50
EVs: 236 HP / 132 Def / 4 SpA / 76 SpD / 60 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Moonblast
- Muddy Water
- Calm Mind
- Protect
Tapu Fini has been the most consistently used Water-type on most of my teams for good reason. Like what Pokemon does a good job at shutting down status, threatening Dragon-types, and being incredibly defensive even for most defensive Water-types? I know Tapu Fini has gotten some slack from people lately, but still standby it as one of the best Pokemon in the format thanks to its various traits mentioned. At the start of the season, Fini was a Leftover Calm Mind setters and was actually decent, except there are situations where I want more "immediate" HP. Thanks to the buffed Wiki Berry, Tapu Fini can replenish about 50% recovery which has proved far useful than just passive 1/16th HP recovery from Leftovers. Like don't get me wrong, but having that extra instant recovery was amazing at certain points in the game and can directly shift the tide of the battle at times. Overall, do appereciate the introduction of Tapu Fini into the VGC and Doubles format given how impacting Misty Terrain can be to prevent status options, and even prevent random 10% chances from influencing the game.
Snorlax @ Figy Berry
Ability: Gluttony
Level: 50
EVs: 148 HP / 76 Atk / 180 Def / 100 SpD
Brave Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Facade / Return
- Curse
- High Horsepower
- Recycle
Milestones:
- Tanks most Z-Move attacks (Lele's Z-Psychic, Koko's Z-Thunder, Garchomp's Z-EQ, etc)
- Garchomp's EQ is a 5HKO (also far better with Curse boosts
- Lele's Psychic Terrain-boosted Psychic is a 3HKO (mostly of the time)
Honestly Snorlax is the true MVP of this team thanks to its new berry mechanics and setup potential which itself its a win con. Aside any Fighting-types, Z-Fighting moves (I'm looking at you Kartana -_-), or even boosted hits, Snorlax can attempt to setup some curses and muscle opposing teams thanks to its natural bulk and high HP stat. Let me just say this, for a time I thought Curse Gluttony Snorlax perhaps the best Pokemon of VGC 17 especially in the early to mid season. Keep in mind, Snorlax has a high 160 HP Stat and 110 Special Defense stat to eat up a most of the strongest STAB and Z-Moves in the with the proper boosts and investment listed. Thanks to the Gluttony-Recycle combination, Snorlax now has an viable recovery option to abuse over and over. What cool about this is if my opponent leaves Snorlax just below 50%, it will instantly get back 50% to its HP total, thus effectively giving Snorlax potentially more HP than before. High Horsepower is a great addition to Snorlax as it now has a single target Ground-type move to hit common Pokemon such as Arcanine, Tapu Koko, Nihilego, Alolan Marowak, Alolan Muk, Magnezone, etc. Curse is the crux of this set as it allows Snorlax to boosts its Attack and Defense stat by one stage at the cost of lowering its already low Speed stat.
Will like to note Curse is extremely beneficial for Snorlax as it can act as a great Trick Room counter when in the field condition, even underspeeding Torkoal after a Curse boost. To explain why Snorlax has Facade over Return, well originally this was the reverse until mid season. Once people started using opposing terrain Pokemon as switch ins to the inflict a status option like a Burn or Toxic, Snorlax would get crippled in offense or longevity. In order to alleviate this weakness, Snorlax can use Facade to take advantage of these situations and when paired with Curse, break down opposing teams. Facade was also selected do Celesteela itself as usually the person tries to go for the burn and if Snorlax goes get inflicted, then it can overpower Leech Seed Celesteela in a 1v1. There are also some strange, yet funny scenarios when using Curse Lax with Leer Arcanine to pressure my opponent as they'll have both Pokemon with -1 Defenses.
Though I did use Snorlax as a early-mid-late game Pokemon, keeping it as healthy as possible with as many partner is alway appreciated. This is why I try to utilize Arcanine's Intimidate ability to keep dropping the Attack stat of the opposing side by minus 1 throughout the course of the battle. Will like to mention having the Double Fairy option in Tapu Koko and Tapu Fini is appreciated as they are the best answers to opposing Fighting-type Pokemon such as Hariyama, Buzzwole, or sometimes Pheromosa...(yeah maybe not at times for this one.) Overall Curse Snorlax was one of the most dangerous threats in VGC 17 especially towards the middle given how bulky this bear is. It never ceases to amaze me how a couple changes to a single Pokemon can turn them into of the best in the doubles format. Hopefully I'll continue to utilize Snorlax when I can.
Mandibuzz @ Misty Seed
Ability: Overcoat
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 4 SpA / 228 SpD / 20 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Foul Play
- Snarl
- Roost
- Tailwind / Toxic
Finally we have a Pokemon I'd didn't come close to thinking it be viable in VGC 17: Mandibuzz. During the search for a 6th slot member the team needed another Pokemon who can reliably counter Garchomp, Tapu Lele, and Metagross while giving me a good speed control option. Mandibuzz actually fulfills this roles comfortably with the array of support options from the likes of Foul Play, Snarl, Tailwind, Toxic, and Roost for recovery. Now the reason why Mandibuzz become one of the linchpins of the team is Misty Seed, which in tandem with Tapu Fini gives the Dark/Flying-type a boost to its special defense, thus allowing it to take on opposing special attackers. Snarl helps Mandibuzz fulfill this role as with the -1 drops to their special attack, this allows Mandibuzz, and the rest of my team to take special moves better. Though not seen as support, STAB Foul Play allows Mandibuzz to hit many Physical Pokemon such as Garchomp, Kartana, Arcanine, and Snorlax for good damage. If Mandibuzz ever needs to recover any HP, Roost is helpful to replenish lost HP. Overall Mandibuzz served as a great tank for the team a great amount of utility that surprisingly held its own in a very fluid format.
Threats
"Random" Z-Moves: Alright I'm not lying by saying that Z-Moves are completely bust imo and can sway the battle in just about anyone favor, if timed correctly, you have to admit this team isn't fullproof when it comes to them. Usually I'd try my best to see how my opponent is positioning themselves to determine whether a certain Z-Move attack will come from say Chomp, Kartana, or Pheromosa (btw all three kinda give me problems). If there was a full list of Z-moves this team doesn't enjoy taking, its definitely Z-Sacred Sword from Kartana or Z-Focus Blast from Pheromosa as both can essentially OHKO my main Pokemon Snorlax immediately, especially with some prior damage. Other Z-Attack such as Z-Thunderbolt from Koko / Xurkitree, or Z-EQ from Chomp are annoying to deal with, but only if my opponent has me "pinned" down or so though generally speaking my fast mode should be able to deal with those two.
Mimikyu - Snorlax: Every time I face these two, its always a 50/50 mind game when it comes to guessing who's going to setup Trick Room, and/or go with the Belly Drum immediately. Yes I know for "that" guy saying, " OH wait you have Kartana + Taunt Koko, and therefore these two shouldn't be an issue"...except I'm scarfed while Koko can easily die to a random Z-Move or I walk myself into a Mental Herb variant. To make matters worse, I don't know the item on Mimkyu and usually have to commit to "assuming" it doesn't have Focus Sash as I don't have a good way around this. If I do double target with Kartana + Koko, it be against the Mimikyu as I have to break the Disguise and "hope" that my opponent doesn't have Focus Sash. Sometimes Taunting the Snorlax is a fail-safe, though they can carry protect sometimes, meaning that Mimikyu can get to +6 via Psych Up the following turn while I'm forced to deal with the Lax.
PS: If Roar Arcanine is your suit, well I guess you should use it over Leer to improve the matchup, but be warned that it can't stop late game Mimikyu or Snorlax from setting up without anyone to phaze out.
Porygon-Z - Smeargle: Oh where to I begin with this one... yeah this is basically a coin flip unless I somehow "know" and "predict" what sets both Normal-types are before going for turn 1. Once again, my go-to lead here is Koko and Scarf Kartana as Kartana easily outspeeds any Scarf PZ variant and threatens for the OHKO, which that alone my opponent will likely go for the Fake Out. As for Tapu Koko, its extremely important to decide whether I'm going to go for the Taunt on Smeargle or Z-Thunderbolt onto the PZ as getting a quick KO or neutralizing them can help tremendously once Snorlax gets in to have its way. Usually the Smeargle is Focus Sash, if its Scarf...at least Scarf Kart can outspeed. Porygon-Z might be able to get a Trick Room or Z-Conversion up depending on how the opponent engages with the Smeargle, whether to Fake Out, Follow Me, or brazenly Protect. Might as well say it.... to beat cheese... you must use your own cheese and slice it.
FAKEPG: Just listing this common team since I do face it many time on the ladder so might as well dissect this one. My go to for this one is generally my AFK core with Snorlax in the back as Fini cancels out the Electric Terrain from Koko while Arcanine can get off Intimidates on the potential Arcanine, Kartana, and even Gigalith. Essentially this game comes down to how well I can manage my AFK core and most importantly Lax in order to stomp then thru with Curses-boosted attacks. If Porygon2 has Toxic for Lax, wonderful as I can punch immediate hole on my opponent's team with Facade boosted hits, especially if I just spam Leer with Arcanine. Speaking of Leer, this is one of the few times I'd recommend using Leer for the matchup, especially for the end game as Kartana and Snorlax can potentially clean house here.
Conclusion: So it took me about 5 months (NOW OVER A YEAR) to write this team, but really its been the most consistent team I've used on Showdown. To be frank, this team was a variation of several similar team with the same AFK cores with Snorlax. Some things like Leer Arcanine or the Scarf Kartana might seem like gimmicks or memes though they can be rather useful at certain points in the battle. It might take a while to get use to the team, but its really fun to use if you play it especially in Bo1 settings like Showdown or Battle Spot. Not sure how this team would play in an actual VGC 17 tournament, but at least its somewhat of a unique take an already familiar good stuff teams we've seen lately.
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