Metagame np: NU Stage 10 - I'll Be Home For Christmas

[Abejas]

Abomasnow @ Icicle Plate/Lum Berry
Ability: Snow Warning
EVs: 92 HP / 252 Atk / 164 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Earthquake
- Ice Shard
- Seed Bomb

After testing with some friends I've been really enjoying SD abomasnow since it can be a great late game cleaner or even a good revenge killer with ice shard, the only big counters I've seen to it is weezing. The speed is enough to outspeed jolly rhydon. I perfer Icicle Plate to get stronger ice shards, but lum is also a option since it lets you set up on things with scald or will-o.

 

[TTFTW]

Next victim on the
"to steal from PU" list

cool core

Rotom-Frost @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Substitute
- Blizzard
- Thunderbolt
- Pain Split/Hp Fire/Hp Grass

Abomasnow @ Life Orb
Ability: Snow Warning
EVs: Optimal Spread
Optimal Nature
- Blizzard
- Wood Hammer
- Ice Shard
- Earthquake

Something I really want to try when aboma drops is hail. It is known to be a terrible playstyle due to the lack of setters (with only aurorus being the viable one) and by not helping your hail sweepers that much. But now that aboma is here I think things will change a bit and hail will go from mediocre playsyle to a half decent one. I got this core I used against some friends in the nu room and did surprisingly well. Aboma gets rid of lanturn and weakens hariyama for rotom frost, and rotom frost takes full advantage of a 100% accurate blizzard to abuse boltbeam. Try hail out n_n

Dunno about amphy since I haven't used it, but will prob make a post about it later.

 

[etern]

Ampharos @ Life Orb
Ability: Static
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Agility
- Focus Blast
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Ice]

So I've been playing around with 3 different amphy sets; Agility, Assault Vest and Specs. This set looks to be the most effective and stands out the most against our other electric types. Timid lets Amphy outspeed standard Garbodor, Modest Aurorus, Cacturne, Specs Poliwrath. After a +2 from Agility, amphy is able to outspeed almost the entire unboosted metagame (barring Ninjask ), as well as +1 Vivillion, +2 Timid Gorebyss and any positive natured scarfers below base 89 speed. Modest is optional if you want the extra power and works fine regardless. Tbolt/Focus Blast and HP Ice give amphy perfect neutral coverage on the entire tier. HP Grass is an alternative to OHKO Rhydon and Quagsire but doesn't have much use beyond that. Life Orb is the item of choice to dish out as much damage as possible.

 

[Brawlfest]

Floatzel @ Leftovers
Ability: Water Veil
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Waterfall
- Substitute / Taunt
- Bulk Up
- Baton Pass

Abomasnow @ Chople Berry / Babiri Berry / Icicle Plate
Ability: Soundproof / Snow Warning
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Ice Shard
- Seed Bomb / Wood Hammer
- Earthquake
- Swords Dance
​

Probably my favorite core that I've tested right now. People forget how much of a monster Bulk Up + BP Floatzel is but it turns any remotely bulky pokemon into complete setup fodder, and with its high speed and decent bulk has an amazing matchup against offensive teams if given an opportunity to setup, and can put down plenty of pressure. Furthermore, Water Veil is an awesome ability for BU + BP teams because you can pivot into the Wisps and Scalds you will tend to attract, soaking them up and again making more setup opportunities. Abomasnow is a monster with a couple of Bulk Ups under its belt or behind a Sub, as it can straight up put in the hurt with powerful Seed bombs / Wood Hammers or go all out and clean with Ice Shard. Behind a Sub and a Defense Boost, it can find even more opportunities to SD, sending Ice Shard to stupid strong heights. Furthermore it has two amazing abilities in Soundproof and Snow Warning. Although uncommon, Perish Song does exist and can be very annoying for Floatzel to deal with, which Abomasnow can BP into and sponge (has only happened once but I swear it was useful), while Snow Warning can destroy sashes and nullify Leftovers. Abomasnow also is Extremely good at finding opportunities to kill the Grass types that Floatzel finds a difficult time setting up again, so if brought in early can often give Floatzel opportunities to pass to other teammates such as Tauros or Archeops. Also Babiri berry is manly as fuck and can save your life in getting through a random Yama Bullet Punch, Klinklang, Steelix Heavy Slam, etc.

 

[Shadestep]

Abomasnow @ Life Orb / Never-Melt Ice
Ability: Snow Warning
EVs: 88 Atk / 252 SpA / 168 Spe
Mild Nature
- Blizzard
- Energy Ball
- Ice Shard
- Substitute

I love Sub Aboma. it naturally forces a lot of things out and you can easily get up a sub by switching into things like Lanturn or Rhydon.
for example if you're in vs a Lanturn and you Substitute on their switch to for example Scyther, you get a completely free Blizzard off which, especially with Life Orb, has very few switchins. Never-Melt Ice can be run over LO as you get a lot more opportunities to get up a sub, and you're not clicking Energy Ball very often anyway, but its honestly personal preference.

 

[shiloh]

Abomasnow @ Life Orb / Never-Melt Ice
Ability: Snow Warning
EVs: 88 Atk / 252 SpA / 168 Spe
Mild Nature
- Blizzard
- Energy Ball
- Ice Shard
- Substitute

I love Sub Aboma. it naturally forces a lot of things out and you can easily get up a sub by switching into things like Lanturn or Rhydon.
for example if you're in vs a Lanturn and you Substitute on their switch to for example Scyther, you get a completely free Blizzard off which, especially with Life Orb, has very few switchins. Never-Melt Ice can be run over LO as you get a lot more opportunities to get up a sub, and you're not clicking Energy Ball very often anyway, but its honestly personal preference.

With this set I would imagine Giga Drain would be really nice over Energy Ball in order to make up from the HP you lose from Sub / LO Recoil, and being able to mitigate that a little is always good. That being said, I'm not sure how I feel about Sub Aboma, one thing I've noticed is how easy it is to wear down and Sub just makes it easier to beat in the end of the day. While it does give you a buffer for prediction, I think its just a better option to click Blizzard against Lanturn / Rhydon if you think your opponent will make the switch to Scyther.

I don't have that many other thoughts about this meta since I haven't played that much, but one core I would really like to see more is Safety Goggles Sawk paired w/ Aboma in order to beat opposing Aboma and just keep your Sturdy a lot easier throughout the match, and with Aboma to pressure Musharna this core actually puts in a surprising about of work.

 

[Punchshroom]

Abomasnow @ Life Orb
Ability: Snow Warning
EVs: 252 Atk / 92 SpA / 164 Spe
Lonely / Naughty Nature
- Swords Dance
- Ice Shard
- Seed Bomb
- Blizzard

While Abomasnow is a monster, it still has some functional flaws: the specially mixed set has lacklustre cleaning potential, limiting its presence against offense, whereas SD Abomasnow has issues against the numerous bulkier Pokemon in the tier. This set attempts to rectify those issues by essentially combining the two, and can very effectively bluff foes into thinking it is a certain Aboma variant and not the other, when really they have to worry about both at the same time.

Seed Bomb is used over Wood Hammer mainly because the latter is pretty overkill for Aboma alongside LO, but +2 LO Seed Bomb is pretty sufficient in hurting things as is. The Special Attack investment, which just consists of leftover EVs, may not seem like a lot, but Blizzard is such a strong attack, most Blizzard targets / SD Aboma checks would barely notice the difference.

calcs

252+ Atk Life Orb Abomasnow Ice Shard vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Sceptile: 211-250 (75 - 88.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after hail damage
252+ Atk Life Orb Abomasnow Ice Shard vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Swellow: 221-265 (84.6 - 101.5%) -- 6.3% chance to OHKO
252+ Atk Life Orb Abomasnow Ice Shard vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Vivillon: 257-304 (85.3 - 100.9%) -- 6.3% chance to OHKO

+2 252+ Atk Life Orb Abomasnow Seed Bomb vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Hariyama: 442-523 (103 - 121.9%) -- guaranteed OHKO
+2 252+ Atk Life Orb Abomasnow Seed Bomb vs. 248 HP / 228 Def Mantine: 298-352 (89.4 - 105.7%) -- 37.5% chance to OHKO
+2 252+ Atk Life Orb Abomasnow Seed Bomb vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Mega Audino: 181-214 (44.1 - 52.1%) -- 73.4% chance to 2HKO after hail damage

92 SpA Life Orb Abomasnow Blizzard vs. 4 HP / 0 SpD Eviolite Rhydon: 398-468 (113 - 132.9%) -- guaranteed OHKO
92 SpA Life Orb Abomasnow Blizzard vs. 248 HP / 8 SpD Vileplume: 343-406 (97.1 - 115%) -- 81.3% chance to OHKO
92 SpA Life Orb Abomasnow Blizzard vs. 248 HP / 8 SpD Gourgeist-Super: 398-471 (106.7 - 126.2%) -- guaranteed OHKO
92 SpA Life Orb Abomasnow Blizzard vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Weezing: 212-251 (63.4 - 75.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after hail damage and Black Sludge recovery
92 SpA Life Orb Abomasnow Blizzard vs. 248 HP / 8 SpD Pelipper: 211-250 (65.3 - 77.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after hail damage and Leftovers recovery
92 SpA Life Orb Abomasnow Blizzard vs. 244 HP / 128 SpD Steelix: 188-224 (53.4 - 63.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery

Relying solely on STAB coverage is a fine idea considering there aren't much of any bulky resistances to Ice + Grass in the tier; Magmortar would not take too kindly to LO Seed Bomb coupled with Hail damage.

252+ Atk Life Orb Abomasnow Seed Bomb vs. 104 HP / 0 Def Magmortar: 101-121 (31.8 - 38.1%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after hail damage

P.S. Any purely physical Abomasnow (aka those not using Blizzard) should consider Soundproof; extra switch-in opportunities to Choice-locked sound moves from Swellow, Aurorus, and even Pyroar should not be overlooked.

 

[Ares]

So I've seen a bunch of sets for Abomasnow, but I haven't really seen any talk about the mons that check / counter it. I've also noticed that balance is one of this meta's favorite teamstyles and that is the build against which Abomasnow thrives best. Let me pose this question to you guys, what is your favorite way to deal with Abomasnow on balance and what is it on offense? Doesn't have to be a complete counter, it could be that you play around it and switch from something like AV Magmortar into a levitate mon with type advantage or you run lures with resist berrys.

 

[Teddeh]

I think it's pretty obvious that hariyama has come back into clear favourable light right now due to the amount of special abomasnow sets around on the ladder, personally i like munchlax :)

 

[TTFTW]

Honestly the most viable "straight up counter" I see is articuno, and since it's not that splashable at all I tend to rely on pivoting around it with like yama + grass resist or fire type + earthquake switch-in. Aboma's speed tier isn't that great and gets worn down by rocks and life orb recoil which helps revenge killing with anything that resists ice shard. Still an annoyance for fat builds -_-

 

[ryan]

yea abomasnow is cool yay

but AMPHAROS is sick

set ive been running:

Ampharos @ Leftover | Static
200 HP / 252 SpA / 56 Spe | Modest
Thunderbolt / Focus Blast / Volt Switch / Hidden Power Ice

I don't remember what the Speed does, but I'm sure it creeps something, base 65s maybe? Lanturn isn't very common anymore, so missing out on it isn't that big of a deal. Plus, it's not hard to cover Lanturn with the rest of your team. Even without a boosting item, Ampharos's power is absurd. Thunderbolt 2HKOs basically every offensive Pokemon in the tier that doesn't resist it, and HP Ice covers most of those. Focus Blast gives Ampharos a way to deal with Steelix, which is cool because pretty much only Rotom could do that prior to Ampharos dropping. Basically, Ampharos gives NU a slow pivot that also hits really hard, and having a Klinklang/Flying check that isn't Steelix is so nice.

 

[Punchshroom]

set ive been running:

Ampharos @ Leftover | Static
200 HP / 252 SpA / 56 Spe | Modest
Thunderbolt / Focus Blast / Volt Switch / Hidden Power Ice

I don't remember what the Speed does, but I'm sure it creeps something, base 65s maybe? Lanturn isn't very common anymore, so missing out on it isn't that big of a deal. Plus, it's not hard to cover Lanturn with the rest of your team. Even without a boosting item, Ampharos's power is absurd. Thunderbolt 2HKOs basically every offensive Pokemon in the tier that doesn't resist it, and HP Ice covers most of those. Focus Blast gives Ampharos a way to deal with Steelix, which is cool because pretty much only Rotom could do that prior to Ampharos dropping. Basically, Ampharos gives NU a slow pivot that also hits really hard, and having a Klinklang/Flying check that isn't Steelix is so nice.

yeah I don't know what you're trying to outrun either, because your Ampharos is hitting the equivalent of uninvested base 62 right now which doesn't cover anything :/

I respect Ampharos a lot, but its big issue as an offensive pivot is that it just doesn't resist enough things to justify its tanking role; in BW NU it competed heavily with Eelektross as an attacker but at least its defensive sets were pretty unique. Now, Lanturn is outclassing Ampharos in more ways than one, which is really unfortunate for Amphy. Even with the sheer difference in power as far as Electric STAB is concerned, Lanturn easily manages to bridge the gap with superior typing and movepool. Even then:

252+ SpA Ampharos Thunderbolt vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Spinda: 223-264 (85.4 - 101.1%) -- 12.5% chance to OHKO
252+ SpA Lanturn Hydro Pump vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Spinda: 210-247 (80.4 - 94.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

From a glance, this may show Ampharos has more reliable damage output. However, looking at the meta, most of the most prominent Pokemon in the meta are either weak to Electric or resist it, meaning the difference between Ampharos's and Lanturn's power, even in terms of Electric STAB, rarely actually matters, so Ampharos' biggest advantage over Lanturn weakens; in other words, you don't really need the extra firepower of Ampharos's Electric STAB :[

Lanturn @ Assault Vest / Leftovers | Volt Absorb
252 SpA / 148 SpD / 112 Spe | Modest
Hydro Pump or Scald / Volt Switch / Ice Beam / Hidden Power Fire

I can understand why Lanturn is undergoing a decline in use, but it's not like it cannot adapt. With Electric immunity + Fire, Water, and Ice resistance, Lanturn already makes a better pivot than Ampharos by default. It also sits in a better Speed tier, allowing it to outspeed Jolly Rhydon while maintaining some semblance of bulk. Lanturn's Water STAB is far superior than Focus Blast against a majority of its targets bar Ferroseed, but Lanturn can already hit that with HP Fire, which more importantly catches overeager Abomasnow. Of course, if you really wanna go awol with Lanturn or are just maybe paranoid of max Speed Abomasnow, the set below can work as well.

Lanturn @ Leftovers / Expert Belt / Choice Specs | Volt Absorb
252 SpA / 52 SpD / 204 Spe | Modest
Hydro Pump / Volt Switch / Ice Beam / Hidden Power Fire

Even Agility Ampharos faces stiff competition from Agility Lanturn, which not only outspeeds Scarf base 95s after +2 but also outspeeds neutral-natured Samurott, giving it even more utility:

Lanturn @ Life Orb / Expert Belt | Volt Absorb
252 SpA / 60 SpD / 196 Spe | Timid
Hydro Pump / Thunderbolt / Agility / Ice Beam or Hidden Power Fire

Edit:

except ampharos has static and doesnt outright die to sceptile and has a stronger volt switch which is what youre mostly always clicking and has focus blast for the guaranteed ohko on 0/0 spinda

Static is funny bs but Amphy can't heal like Plume can, not dying to Sceptile would be more helpful if it can actually KO Sceptile, 'stronger Volt Switch' isn't too much of a boon in the long run considering the aforementioned reason about most of the meta being weak / resistant to Electric, and Focus Blast only realistically OHKOes Spinda 70% of the time ya goob

 

[ryan]

except ampharos has static and doesnt outright die to sceptile and has a stronger volt switch which is what youre mostly always clicking and has focus blast for the guaranteed ohko on 0/0 spinda

 

[Disjunction]

Hello and welcome to...

Disjunction's wonderful guide to...
---

The Choice Scarf

Part 1 of an epic 1 part series

---
​

It's the winter season and I'm sure you guys have seen that scarves are back in season, especially in our humble NeverUsed tier. However, there's some back and forth going on between users on whether their favorite mon can pull off the look. In an attempt to clear these misunderstandings, I, Fashionista Disjunction, have put together this short guide on whether your Pokemon is hot or not with their winter wear.

To understand if your favorite Pokemon can pull off the hottest look for the 2016 season, we must understand the origin of this new trend. As always, Fashionista Disjunction has you covered. The trend that started it all is none other than

So sleek, so slender... it's no wonder all of the offensive threats in the tier are trying to one-up this titan of the fashion world. Since Sceptile's introduction to the tier, it's warped our speed tiers to match its dazzling 372 Speed. If you want your partner to even show up on the fashion radar, you better be sure they can outspeed this terrifying diva.

The second rule of thumb your budding runway model will need to follow is if they have the strength to back up the look. The Choice Scarf is a bold fashion statement that extenuates a Pokemon's raw power, whether it be through their STAB moves, offensive stats, or both. Don't even try to give this brash fabric to a Pokemon that's going to leave a poor impact under the spotlight.

So with the essentials covered, let's look at some stars that really pull off this hot new look!

Sawk (M) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Sturdy / Mold Breaker
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Close Combat
- Knock Off
- Stone Edge
- Zen Headbutt / Earthquake

Cool... tough... dynamic... Sawk truly defines the style the Choice Scarf craves. Sporting amazing neutral coverage, plenty of Speed to out-style its opponents on the run-way, and a powerful STAB in Close Combat that'll leave a lasting impression. The ability to swap between abilities and coverage is a classic throwback to the 2015 Choice Band and Sawk still pulls it off today!

Musharna talks a lot of smack about Sawk, but don't listen to her cause she just a fat jealous hoe who wishes she had a neck to wear a Scarf with.

Jynx @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Dry Skin
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Ice Beam
- Psyshock
- Lovely Kiss
- Trick / Focus Blast

A real beauty and a true diva, Jynx wears the Choice Scarf like no other Pokemon in the tier. Sporting not only impressive coverage between her two STAB moves, but a flair with utility in the form of the fastest Sleep-inducing move in the game, Lovely Kiss. Trick can upset the more dramatic opponents and Focus Blast can force Jynx's way through some Steel-types like the gaudy disaster that is Klinklang.

Kabutops @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Swift Swim
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Waterfall
- Stone Edge
- Knock Off
- Rapid Spin / Superpower

Barbaracle @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Tough Claws
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Razor Shell
- Stone Edge
- Aerial Ace
- Cross Chop / Earthquake

These two are always causing drama trying to take the spotlight over the other. Near identical Speed, Kabutops has a stronger Stone Edge, Barbaracle has a stronger Water-type STAB, Kabutops has Rapid Spin, and Barbaracle has Earthquake. It really depends on what your team likes, but both sport the impressive coverage and power required to pull it off.

Haunter @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Shadow Ball
- Sludge Bomb
- Destiny Bond
- Trick / Hidden Power [Ground]

One of those cold, mysterious types, Haunter has only come onto the scene lately as an upstart with a bold taste on this new look. Never mind the impressive Special Attack, great coverage between its STAB moves, and Trick, but the opportunity to take any opposition down with it by using Destiny Bond is something very unique to Haunter.

If anyone else has any fabulous Scarfers they'd like to share, feel free! This style has been ragged on for far too long and it's great that we're trying new stuff.

 

[Em]

If we're bringing up this season's hottest Choice Scarfer's, what's better than the O.G. Ice type of Generation VI?

Added the shiny because it's pretty.
白い王女 (Aurorus) (F) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Snow Warning
Shiny: Yes
Happiness: 8
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Blizzard
- Freeze-Dry
- Earth Power
- Psychic

Psychic is entirely optional, I just like being able to hit Hariyama. Nature Power can also be used if you wanna beat Sucker Punch users, or Rock Slide to beat things like Cryogonal, or Articuno.
Choice Scarf Aurorus is hitting 354 Speed, which is really good in the NU speed tiers, getting outsped by only Swellow, and Sceptile. It also serves as a reminder of the season with the oh so joyful Snow Warning ability. What's not to like about Aurorus? Alternatively you could run a Refrigerate set, but then where's the seasonal spirit in that?

Shoutouts to SuperEpicAmpharos, and MARCU5theBAW5.

 

[Punchshroom]

Barbaracle @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Tough Claws
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Razor Shell
- Stone Edge
- Aerial Ace
- Cross Chop / Earthquake

Just wanna say that I don't really think Aerial Ace is worth its own moveslot as it barely outdamages Razor Shell against Fighting-types, and is still piss weak against stuff like Vileplume, Gourgeist, and Poliwrath. X-Scissor on the other hand allows Barbaracle to smack offensive Grass-types much more effectively (most notably OHKOing Sceptile >90% of the time while Ace cannot OHKO) and can also check Malamar. Also you didn't even mention its access to Switcheroo, which is something else it has over Kabutops.

Based Sexy Pants There is very little reason to run Scarf Aurorus over Scarf Abomasnow, and there's minimal reason to run the latter at all . Abomasnow can smack everything Aurorus wants to, and can even carry Ice Shard if it still has its sights on Sceptile and Swellow (and outrun Sucker Punch!).

 

[Shadestep]

Hello and welcome to...

Disjunction's wonderful guide to...
---

The Choice Scarf

Part 1 of an epic 1 part series

---
​

It's the winter season and I'm sure you guys have seen that scarves are back in season, especially in our humble NeverUsed tier. However, there's some back and forth going on between users on whether their favorite mon can pull off the look. In an attempt to clear these misunderstandings, I, Fashionista Disjunction, have put together this short guide on whether your Pokemon is hot or not with their winter wear.

To understand if your favorite Pokemon can pull off the hottest look for the 2016 season, we must understand the origin of this new trend. As always, Fashionista Disjunction has you covered. The trend that started it all is none other than

So sleek, so slender... it's no wonder all of the offensive threats in the tier are trying to one-up this titan of the fashion world. Since Sceptile's introduction to the tier, it's warped our speed tiers to match its dazzling 372 Speed. If you want your partner to even show up on the fashion radar, you better be sure they can outspeed this terrifying diva.

The second rule of thumb your budding runway model will need to follow is if they have the strength to back up the look. The Choice Scarf is a bold fashion statement that extenuates a Pokemon's raw power, whether it be through their STAB moves, offensive stats, or both. Don't even try to give this brash fabric to a Pokemon that's going to leave a poor impact under the spotlight.

So with the essentials covered, let's look at some stars that really pull off this hot new look!

Sawk (M) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Sturdy / Mold Breaker
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Close Combat
- Knock Off
- Stone Edge
- Zen Headbutt / Earthquake

Cool... tough... dynamic... Sawk truly defines the style the Choice Scarf craves. Sporting amazing neutral coverage, plenty of Speed to out-style its opponents on the run-way, and a powerful STAB in Close Combat that'll leave a lasting impression. The ability to swap between abilities and coverage is a classic throwback to the 2015 Choice Band and Sawk still pulls it off today!

Musharna talks a lot of smack about Sawk, but don't listen to her cause she just a fat jealous hoe who wishes she had a neck to wear a Scarf with.

Jynx @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Dry Skin
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Ice Beam
- Psyshock
- Lovely Kiss
- Trick / Focus Blast

A real beauty and a true diva, Jynx wears the Choice Scarf like no other Pokemon in the tier. Sporting not only impressive coverage between her two STAB moves, but a flair with utility in the form of the fastest Sleep-inducing move in the game, Lovely Kiss. Trick can upset the more dramatic opponents and Focus Blast can force Jynx's way through some Steel-types like the gaudy disaster that is Klinklang.

Kabutops @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Swift Swim
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Waterfall
- Stone Edge
- Knock Off
- Rapid Spin / Superpower

Barbaracle @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Tough Claws
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Razor Shell
- Stone Edge
- Aerial Ace
- Cross Chop / Earthquake

These two are always causing drama trying to take the spotlight over the other. Near identical Speed, Kabutops has a stronger Stone Edge, Barbaracle has a stronger Water-type STAB, Kabutops has Rapid Spin, and Barbaracle has Earthquake. It really depends on what your team likes, but both sport the impressive coverage and power required to pull it off.

Haunter @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Shadow Ball
- Sludge Bomb
- Destiny Bond
- Trick / Hidden Power [Ground]

One of those cold, mysterious types, Haunter has only come onto the scene lately as an upstart with a bold taste on this new look. Never mind the impressive Special Attack, great coverage between its STAB moves, and Trick, but the opportunity to take any opposition down with it by using Destiny Bond is something very unique to Haunter.

If anyone else has any fabulous Scarfers they'd like to share, feel free! This style has been ragged on for far too long and it's great that we're trying new stuff.

wanted to add this cuz its a really cool scarfer atm :]

Tauros @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Sheer Force
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Rock Climb
- Earthquake / Other Coverage
- Iron Tail / Other Coverage
- Rock Slide / Fire Blast / Other Coverage

hi, i really like scarfed pokémon at the moment, with the current meta shifting towards faster and more offensive teams. Scarf Tauros is still really strong and also outspeeds all other common Scarfers, which is really neat.
since you're not hitting as hard cuz not LO, coverage is more important than with the LO set. there's 3 moveslots that you can fill in with Zen Headbutt, Iron Tail, Iron Head, Fire Blast, Rock Slide, Earthquake, and whatever other fancy coverage you might like. :]

 

[Disjunction]

wanted to add this cuz its a really cool scarfer atm :]

Tauros @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Sheer Force
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Rock Climb
- Earthquake / Other Coverage
- Iron Tail / Other Coverage
- Rock Slide / Fire Blast / Other Coverage

hi, i really like scarfed pokémon at the moment, with the current meta shifting towards faster and more offensive teams. Scarf Tauros is still really strong and also outspeeds all other common Scarfers, which is really neat.
since you're not hitting as hard cuz not LO, coverage is more important than with the LO set. there's 3 moveslots that you can fill in with Zen Headbutt, Iron Tail, Iron Head, Fire Blast, Rock Slide, Earthquake, and whatever other fancy coverage you might like. :]

I have also used Scarf Tauros to great extent

One thing that I'd like to add on is that Tauros doesn't even need Jolly to outspeed the other relevant Scarfers right now. Timid Jynx and Haunter, the tying second fastest scarfers in the tier, both hit 317 Speed while Adamant Tauros sits at a comfortable 319. Running Adamant ends up bridging a lot of the gap in power between Life Orb and Scarf while letting Tauros snag a lot of extra KOes. Definitely agree it's a great set :)

 

[XenoTech N]

Introducing an electric feel to this fashion season:

Rotom-Fan @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid / Modest Nature
- Volt Switch
- Air Slash
- Will-O-Wisp / Thunderbolt / Hidden Power Water
- Trick
Rotom-Fan became much better when Sceptile/Steelix dropped, and has reclaimed its old title of powerful wallbreaker. Not only is Rotom's dual-STAB combination resisted by only Rhydon, Steelix, and other electrics, which aren't that common now (except Rotom ofc) thanks to Steelix, and in case of Lanturn, Sceptile, but it is ridiculously fast, reaching speeds of 298 w/o the scarf, and 447 with it when timid, and goes 271 and 406 when modest. Now, onto the moveset. EVs are to hit as hard and fast as possible, Nature is chosen on what you want for the team, whether it being to outspeed other scarfers or merely to hit as hard as possible. Air Slash and Thunderbolt are STAB, Volt Switch, while not doing as much as T-Bolt, allows Rotom to pivot out of switch-ins. HP Water hits Rhydon and Steelix hard, while Will-O-Wisp cripples them and physical set-up sweepers. Trick is good to mess up walls like Audino Musharna and Steelix, locking them into 1 move. This thing definitely needs recognition.

 

[Oda]

Introducing an electric feel to this fashion season:

Rotom-Fan @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid / Modest Nature
- Volt Switch
- Air Slash
- Will-O-Wisp / Thunderbolt / Hidden Power Water
- Trick
Rotom-Fan became much better when Sceptile/Steelix dropped, and has reclaimed its old title of powerful wallbreaker. Not only is Rotom's dual-STAB combination resisted by only Rhydon, Steelix, and other electrics, which aren't that common now (except Rotom ofc) thanks to Steelix, and in case of Lanturn, Sceptile, but it is ridiculously fast, reaching speeds of 298 w/o the scarf, and 447 with it when timid, and goes 271 and 406 when modest. Now, onto the moveset. EVs are to hit as hard and fast as possible, Nature is chosen on what you want for the team, whether it being to outspeed other scarfers or merely to hit as hard as possible. Air Slash and Thunderbolt are STAB, Volt Switch, while not doing as much as T-Bolt, allows Rotom to pivot out of switch-ins. HP Water hits Rhydon and Steelix hard, while Will-O-Wisp cripples them and physical set-up sweepers. Trick is good to mess up walls like Audino, locking them into 1 move. This thing definitely needs recognition.

I agree Rotom fan is a good scarfer with lots of utility and good offensive Sceptile/Fighting/Lix check but just to clarify you can't trick Audino sadly unless we are talking about the irrelevant Regular Audino :{

 

[Blapperl]

Barbaracle @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Tough Claws
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Razor Shell
- Stone Edge
- Aerial Ace
- Cross Chop / Earthquake

Couldn't agree more on Aerial Ace being a fly but bad coverage move on Barbaracle. X-Scissor is great. Nothing better than U-Turning into this, fainting a mon and smacking an incoming Lilligant for a KO. Fuck Malamar too. Also this thing gets Superpower, which might give away the scarf, however its is more powerful and doesn't miss (!).
Things that Barb has over Kabutops is first the threat of a Shell Smash which forces (presumed) mindgames. Second, as long as scarf hasn't been confirmed, Barb is not likely to be destroyed by a Fire type's coverage move upon switchign in unlike Tops. Scarf on both things won't be regularly expected, so people will play around their regular sets. Tops carries the threat of an Aqua Jet to force the Fire out and might get predicted, while against Barb clicking a stab feels safe because it can just be followed with a coverage move.
Spin is a cool niche though.

 

[boltsandbombers]

On the topic of scarfers, here's another cool one which has some merit.

the vine (Pyroar) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Unnerve
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Fire Blast
- Hyper Voice
- Sleep Talk / Flamethrower
- Hidden Power [Grass]

While this set had some use back in XY and was more or less tossed aside during most of ORAS for being inferior to Pyroar's sets with a power boosting item, but with the metagame getting increasingly faster I think this set is certainly one to be considered. Choice Scarf Pyroar can revenge kill many unboosted and boosted threats such as Sceptile, Tauros, Swellow, Barbaracle, and Lilligant. While it's certainly no Tauros in being faster than all relevant scarfers, Pyroar is faster than the likes of Jynx, Haunter, and Rotom-S which is handy. The moveset is pretty simple and standard, but I went with Sleep Talk in the third slot to better handle Lilligant and Jynx, but Flamethrower is a fine alternative. In regards to revenge killing Sceptile, Hyper Voice is a nice attribute as it can revenge Sceptile behind a Substitute, which I learned the hard way in a game against Raseri where he surprised me with this set. While in the few test games I did with the team I built with Scarf Pyroar it didn't really do that much due to matchup and whatnot, this set definitely has a lot of potential if used with proper team support.

 

[Punchshroom]

Gourgeist-Super @ Colbur Berry
Ability: Frisk
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Impish / Bold Nature
- Will-O-Wisp
- Synthesis
- Foul Play
- Leech Seed Rock Slide / Skill Swap

I've always been sketchy about Leech Seed on Gourgeist-Super. Leech Seed is primarily used to harass Fire-type switch-ins and bulky setup sweepers that can shrug off the burn. However, Rock Slide does better at annoying the former (as well as Vivillon, who may otherwise Quiver Dance in Gourgeist's face) and is another move Gourgeist can use to hit Xatu with (if only to prompt it to heal), so clearly the moveslot is used to handle the latter threat. Leech Seed would be helpful to deter fat boosters like Mega Audino and Musharna, though with Steelix in the tier this no longer becomes such a huge concern, and those two require dedicated checks anyway so Leech Seed doesn't help too much against them. This means that Leech Seed's main target would be Gurdurr, a setup sweeper that Gourgeist-Super would want to switch into but otherwise be unable to check. Even then, Leech Seed still needs some time to work, and Gourgeist-Super has to play around Bulk Ups and try to outlast Gurdurr's rampage in the meanwhile.

Skill Swap allows SuperGeist to overcome that issue altogether; Gurdurr gets its Guts taken away from it and it is instantly neutered as a threat, as it will no longer be able to hit Gourgeist-Super with a +1 Guts boosted attack, allowing Gourgeist-Super to easily outheal Gurdurr's assaults. Perhaps more importantly, Skill Swap is an option SuperGeist can use against Xatu, and even completely turn the tables on the bulkier pivot variants of Xatu that use Psyshock + TWave + U-turn or anything of that sort, giving SuperGeist free reign to burn things if Fire-types are not present. Skill Swap can even target Combusken switch-ins, who are otherwise unfazed by Rock Slide, by removing Speed Boost from them, putting them in a rather awkward position. While it's not an immediate deterrent to Malamar like Leech Seed is, it can definitely still screw with Malamar in the long run. Skill Swap may be generally less useful than Rock Slide, but since the opponent would only manage to use Frisk on Gourgeist-Super itself, it would rarely ever backfire on SuperGeist, unless you somehow Skill Swap an Archeops :I

Hell, for that matter, the need for running Foul Play is starting to diminish; the meta is developing to the point where Gourgeist-Super's own attacks are starting to do more overall damage compared to just Foul Playing everything. One can start to experiment with Seed Bomb to do more damage to things like Sawk, Hariyama, and Rhydon, or Shadow Sneak to make Gourgeist-Super less vulnerable to fast Ghosts and Psychics like Rotom, Haunter, Jynx, and Mismagius. If you do consider these attacks, just be sure to run Rock Slide alongside them.

 

[Oda]

Gourgeist-Super @ Colbur Berry
Ability: Frisk
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Impish / Bold Nature
- Will-O-Wisp
- Synthesis
- Foul Play
- Leech Seed Rock Slide / Skill Swap

I've always been sketchy about Leech Seed on Gourgeist-Super. Leech Seed is primarily used to harass Fire-type switch-ins and bulky setup sweepers that can shrug off the burn. However, Rock Slide does better at annoying the former (as well as Vivillon, who may otherwise Quiver Dance in Gourgeist's face) and is another move Gourgeist can use to hit Xatu with (if only to prompt it to heal), so clearly the moveslot is used to handle the latter threat. Leech Seed would be helpful to deter fat boosters like Mega Audino and Musharna, though with Steelix in the tier this no longer becomes such a huge concern, and those two require dedicated checks anyway so Leech Seed doesn't help too much against them. This means that Leech Seed's main target would be Gurdurr, a setup sweeper that Gourgeist-Super would want to switch into but otherwise be unable to check. Even then, Leech Seed still needs some time to work, and Gourgeist-Super has to play around Bulk Ups and try to outlast Gurdurr's rampage in the meanwhile.

Skill Swap allows SuperGeist to overcome that issue altogether; Gurdurr gets its Guts taken away from it and it is instantly neutered as a threat, as it will no longer be able to hit Gourgeist-Super with a +1 Guts boosted attack, allowing Gourgeist-Super to easily outheal Gurdurr's assaults. Perhaps more importantly, Skill Swap is an option SuperGeist can use against Xatu, and even completely turn the tables on the bulkier pivot variants of Xatu that use Psyshock + TWave + U-turn or anything of that sort, giving SuperGeist free reign to burn things if Fire-types are not present. Skill Swap can even target Combusken switch-ins, who are otherwise unfazed by Rock Slide, by removing Speed Boost from them, putting them in a rather awkward position. While it's not an immediate deterrent to Malamar like Leech Seed is, it can definitely still screw with Malamar in the long run. Skill Swap may be generally less useful than Rock Slide, but since the opponent would only manage to use Frisk on Gourgeist-Super itself, it would rarely ever backfire on SuperGeist, unless you somehow Skill Swap an Archeops :I

Hell, for that matter, the need for running Foul Play is starting to diminish; the meta is developing to the point where Gourgeist-Super's own attacks are starting to do more overall damage compared to just Foul Playing everything. One can start to experiment with Seed Bomb to do more damage to things like Sawk, Hariyama, and Rhydon, or Shadow Sneak to make Gourgeist-Super less vulnerable to fast Ghosts and Psychics like Rotom, Haunter, Jynx, and Mismagius. If you do consider these attacks, just be sure to run Rock Slide alongside them.

Even though this seems like a cool way to surprise different threats and deal with them when they would otherwise beat you with the standard spreads if Malamar is an issue that you want to deal with right away you could always run Insomnia over Frisk to prevent Malamar from stalling out your Synthesis with Rest-Talk since you are no longer running Leech Seed. This allows you to act as a Pseudo-Worry Seed in a way however you loose the utility of Frisk in scouting out sets and items which comes in handy. Perhaps removing Malamars contrary and switching out into the appropriate counter could work however if your team cant really deal with a Malamar that was already boosted prior to switching in Gourgeist this might also be a way of dealing with Malamar if you choose to run Skill Swap.

 

[kay]

Steelix @ Leftovers
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 244 HP / 180 Atk / 84 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Heavy Slam
- Earthquake
- Toxic

So I'm not a fan of the standard Lix spread mainly because I don't think Tauros atm is relevant enough to warrant running a special ev set to deal with it. So rather then put up with it and keep running the standard set I went and made this spread which I find a lot better. The extra Atk investment lets you 2hko standard Xatu with Heavy Slam 94% of the time, while the Sp.D keepings a good roll not to be 2hko by Heat Wave. Given how much more relevant Xatu is right now over Tauros I find that this is just a lot more practical to run.

An option is to put the 84 Sp.D into Speed which allows you to out speed base 40's such as Gurdurr and Rhydon, but that comes with the downsides of being 2hko by heatwave from Xatu 100% of the time.

Calcs

180+ Atk Steelix Heavy Slam (120 BP) vs. 252 HP / 176 Def Xatu: 162-192 (48.5 - 57.4%) -- 94.1% chance to 2HKO


0 SpA Xatu Heat Wave vs. 244 HP / 84 SpD Steelix: 166-196 (47.1 - 55.6%) -- 21.5% chance to 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
4 SpA Life Orb Sheer Force Tauros Fire Blast vs. 244 HP / 84 SpD Steelix: 169-200 (48 - 56.8%) -- 34.8% chance to 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
(this also still is a roll in your favor still)


0 SpA Xatu Heat Wave vs. 244 HP / 0 SpD Steelix: 186-220 (52.8 - 62.5%) -- 99.6% chance to 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
4 SpA Life Orb Sheer Force Tauros Fire Blast vs. 244 HP / 0 SpD Steelix: 190-224 (53.9 - 63.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery