Featured LC RMT: Shine Bright Like A Vulpix

Introduction

If you have played LC during the Misdreavus era, more likely than not you have seen this team or some variation of it; sun threw the Misdreavus metagame for quite a loop. After much persuasion and procrastination, I finally decided to write up and post this RMT so that it can continue to be the only thing I'm known for. Anyways, this team is dedicated to providing support for Bellsprout so that it can slay literally everything.

The Crew

Vulpix @ Heat Rock
Ability: Drought
EVs: 76 HP / 196 SpA / 236 Spe
Timid Nature
-Fire Blast
-Energy Ball
-Will-O-Wisp
-Quick Attack

Vulpix is my #1 side hoe. Not only does she set up sun for Bellsprout, but she also does a good job at punching holes through the opposing team herself. Fire Blast under sun hits like a monster, even without a boost from LO, OHKOing and 2HKOing all but the bulkiest of non-resists. Energy Ball complements Fire Blast very well, giving Vulpix good neutral coverage. While the first two moves are rather self-explanatory, the next two are rather questionable. Will-O-Wisp gives Vulpix huge utility. Sturdy tirtouga and other physical sweepers finna set up on you? BITCH they thought! Crippling Archen, one of the most common switch ins to Vulpix, is very helpful as otherwise it's often difficult to switch into. The residual damage versus other 'mons like the rare Lileep and Munchlax and the much more common Porygon is also helpful, as otherwise they are quite problematic. Quick Attack, now, is a most vexing move to have on Vulpix. However, it also provides instrumental utility, much like Will-O-Wisp. With a combination of Fire Blast & Quick Attack, you can beat Sash Abra 85% (rip fblast miss :[ ) of the time, who is otherwise a huge annoyance as it will get in the way of a Bellsprout sweep. Should you happen to get trapped by Diglett, you can at least break its sash, the most common item on it at the time. You can also revenge 1 HP sturdy smashers, and most importantly low hp fletchling. !!!!! SPEAKING OF FLETCHLING!!!! Vulpix with 76 HP EVs survives an Acrobatics and can KO back with Fire Blast. !!!!! IMPORTANT NOTICE OVER!!!!!

Snubbull @ Berry Juice
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 196 HP / 36 Atk / 200 Def / 36 SpD / 36 Spe
Careful Nature
-Play Rough
-Earthquake
-Thief
-Heal Bell

Snubbull is my #2 side hoe. She provides general utility in being able to switch into mainly Mienfoo and Timburr, as well as other various physical attackers, and even special attackers if need be. Thief is the key stone of this set; Snubbull's main issue is longetivity. You can always run a RestTalk set, but, let's face it, in LC those sets are generally crap. Thus, the innovation of Berry Juice Thief Snubbull was born! Snubbull tanks physical hits, is restored to full HP via Berry Juice, and then can use Thief to steal the opposing 'mon's Eviolite or Berry juice or whatever else, letting it actually have staying presence in a match! Snubbull is often knock off bait, much like Spritzee, so this alleviates that issue to some degree. Play Rough and Earthquake give good neutral coverage, with Earthquake hitting things like Magnemite or Pawniard hard on the switch. Additionally, Snubbull can outspeed mixed Croagunk, the most common set in the Misdreavus era, and KO it with little prior damage. Heal Bell was chosen as a fourth move due to this team's general weakness to status, and it's not exactly hard to pull off since Snubbull forces enough switches.

Archen @ Berry Juice
Ability: Defeatist
EVs: 180 Atk / 76 Def / 196 Spe
Jolly Nature
-Earthquake
-Rock Tomb
-Acrobatics
-Defog

Fletchling is a major thot. Period. With Archen, not as much. Archen switches in on birds in general and helps clear annoying hazards. Rock Tomb is also a cool move in that it allows you to beat scarf pawns with less prediction on the switch, Sash Abra, which, as mentioned before, is a major annoyance, and in general is a nice move that you can spam on obvious switches from birds since it provides so much utility.

Bellsprout @ Eviolite
Ability: Chlorophyll
EVs: 36 HP / 196 SpA / 36 SpD / 196 Spe
Modest Nature
-Solar Beam
-Weather Ball
-Sleep Powder
-Sludge Bomb

My tru hoe. All of the moves are rather self explanatory; Solar Beam hits super hard, Sludge Bomb provides additional STAB and coverage as well as utility outside of sun, and Weather Ball evens out the coverage while also having pseudo-STAB under sun. Eviolite as an item allows Bellsprout to come in versus the likes of Mienfoo, Chinchou, Timburr, Foongus, Tirtouga, as well as tank strong hits, like LO Carvanha's crunch and even +2 Misdreavus' shadow ball some of the time! Bellsprout hates Fletchling, Ponyta, bulky Houndour, and Vullaby, but really only Ponyta gives this team too much trouble, and Bellsprout can just put it to sleep.

Mienfoo @ Eviolite
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 156 HP / 116 Def / 196 SDef
Impish Nature
-Stone Edge
-Knock Off
-Drain Punch
-U-turn

Mienfoo is a staple on many teams. With access to the ability Regenerator, it has staying power the whole match and with U-turn, it can easily provide momentum for the team. On this team in particular, Stone Edge is run on Mienfoo because not only does it hit annoying fire types (especially you Larvesta) super effectively, but it also OHKOs Fletchling, something a Fletchling user won't expect. No speed EVs lets Mienfoo have access to a slow U-turn which allows Bellsprout or Vulpix to get in relatively unscathed as well as give room to invest in greater bulk, which allows it to survive Sash Abra's Psychic (which fast Mienfoo cannot), which, in case you haven't noticed, is a threat to this team. It also tanks even a +2 Dazzling Gleam from Misdreavus! Slayyyy B

Pawniard @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Defiant
EVs: 236 Atk / 36 Def / 36 SpD / 196 Spe
Jolly Nature
-Stealth Rock
-Knock Off
-Iron Head
-Pursuit

Pawniard is my go-to Misdreavus answer on this team. On predicted switches, it can either pursuit her or set up rocks to help deal with Fletchling, Ponyta, Larvesta, or any other reasonably bulky fire type. Being able to spam Knock Off freely lets Pawniard really support my team, as nothing without an Eviolite really wants to tank any of Vulpix's or Bellsprout's attacks. Iron head allows you to hit Dark type resists like Mienfoo on a predicted switch, and after Mienfoo has its Eviolite knocked off, Iron Head will 2HKO. Also, having another flying resist is always nice because Fletchling hard stops Bellsprout.

Conclusion

This team has peaked at #1 an insane amount of times, and it was always fun laddering with it. Just watch out versus opposing Fletchling and you'll be smooth sailing :) s/o to Corporal Levi for pushing me to make this RMT

Without a trace of doubt the single most influential LC team of the sixth generation, queenlucy's team has single-handedly popularized an entire archetype. Before her team became recognizable, sun in LC was almost universally regarded as a gimmick without Tangela. As queenlucy began to ladder more and her team gained notice, this quickly began to change. Nowadays, sun is known as an extremely effective offensive archetype that absolutely must be taken into account when teambuilding, all thanks to a single team created by a single user.

It wasn't just the sun archetype that this team brought to the playerbase's attention, however; it also innovated several sets that have since become standard fare. The most notable of these would be the star of the team, Eviolite Bellsprout. The plant that has since almost become synonymous with this team among the LC community was almost never seen between Tangela's ban and queenlucy's rise, and when it was, it would be carrying a Life Orb in a futile attempt to imitate Chlorophyll Tangela, as opposed to the Eviolite on this team's Bellsprout. Later renditions of the team, especially after Misdreavus was banned, carried Berry Juice + Thief Snubbull, which was unheard of then but has since risen to become one of LC's most notable support Pokémon for offensive teams. Although it was eventually replaced by Pawniard, Magnemite was originally one of the defining members of the team, since it carried Endure to make it less reliant on hazard removal to act as a safety net, a move that is now considered a staple on most Berry Juice Magnemite sets.

During its very early stages, queenlucy's sun team went through many different changes, from Mienfoo over Timburr to Snubbull over Misdreavus, but the team had already settled for some time when it started gaining recognition. This earlier version of the team was the same as the current rendition except with one big difference: the presence of the Magnemite in the slot where Pawniard now resides. This was the Magnemite set:

Magnemite @ Berry Juice
Ability: Sturdy
Level: 5
EVs: 36 Def / 236 SpA / 236 Spe
Timid Nature
- Endure
- Flash Cannon
- Volt Switch
- Recycle

This set is quite similar to the Sturdy + Berry Juice Magnemite set that has been present in LC since the reintroduction of Berry Juice at the beginning of the sixth generation, but with a simple yet important twist. With Endure, Magnemite can afford to switch in while hazards are up or take chip damage, thus breaking Sturdy, and still continue to act as an effective safety net, provided Berry Juice hasn't been used up or removed. This allows Magnemite to play much more aggressively, pivoting around throughout the match and Recycling whenever Berry Juice is down. It would be several weeks after queenlucy began gaining notice when she decided that the team was too weak to Misdreavus, and replaced Magnemite with Choice Scarf Pawniard. During that period of time, LC players everywhere became wary of trying to OHKO weakened Magnemite with Berry Juice intact, and suggestions to move Magnemite down in the viability rankings mysteriously ceased.

Without further ado, let's move onto the finished product!

Vulpix

Necessary on any sun team in LC is the only available auto-sun setter, Vulpix. Its ability, Drought, provides Bellsprout with the support needed to function as the potent offensive threat that it is, doubling Bellsprout's speed and allowing it to effectively utilize Weather Ball and Solar Beam. Of course, Vulpix itself is no slouch either, taking advantage of its own ability to fire off Drought-boosted STAB attacks while sitting at a fairly high Speed tier. As if that weren't difficult enough to switch into, Vulpix can burn would-be physical switch-ins with Will-O-Wisp or hit Water-type checks hard with Energy Ball. Vulpix usually only needs three attacks, and Quick Attack has since become a standard filler move to pick off weakened Abra and the like, but this wasn't always the case; this team is what brought Quick Attack Vulpix to the attention of the player base. Of course, a minor tweak to Vulpix's moveset is just the beginning to the drastic changes this team brought to the LC metagame.

Snubbull

The most dominant type in LC is easily the Fighting-type, which means that every team should have some sort of answer to them. Snubbull is a good choice for this role thanks to its Fairy typing and ability in Intimidate. At first glance, queenlucy's set might seem standard; Play Rough and Earthquake are mandatory on just about every Snubbull set, and Heal Bell is just a generally good support move to have. However, what set this Snubbull apart from other Snubbull sets at the time was a combination of Berry Juice and Thief, giving Snubbull a one-time heal to cover up arguably its single biggest weakness in its lack of recovery, then crippling a switch-in by stealing its item. The beauty of this particular set on this team is that Snubbull and the team's main sweeper, Bellsprout, share a number of switch-ins, including Ponyta, Porygon, and Magnemite; all three are left unable to effectively check Bellsprout with their Eviolites removed, allowing Bellsprout to sweep unimpeded. Of course, this set's advantages extend to all sorts of teams, hence its current widespread use since this team introduced it.

Archen

One thing that greatly troubles sun teams is the presence of entry hazards on the sun team's side of the field; not only is Vulpix weak to Stealth Rock, but if it faints to entry hazards upon switching in, then Drought is not activated. This makes some method to get rid of hazards a must for any sun team. Archen is queenlucy's hazard remover of choice, utilizing Defog to ensure that Vulpix and Bellsprout can get into play with full health. It also checks Fletchling, which is an otherwise massive thorn in the team's side, stopping Bellsprout's sweep with a priority Acrobatics and heavily damaging Vulpix. Other than these two integral roles, Archen's sky-high Attack stat allows it to act as an overall powerful attacker.

Bellsprout

Next up is Bellsprout, the true terror of this team and the usual focus of sun offense in Little Cup in general. Despite being the most frail sun sweeper in the game, its dual STAB Sludge Bomb and Solar Beam hit incredibly hard even when not backed by Life Orb, and its access to Weather Ball while using Chlorophyll (a combination Bulbasaur cannot legally have) gives it notably stronger Fire-type coverage than the Hidden Power Fire other Chlorophyll sweepers are forced to resort to, making it arguably the most fearsome offensive threat under strong sunlight. As should be expected, Bellsprout is able to incapacitate a foe it finds itself incapable of striking down with a OHKO by way of Sleep Powder, making it even more difficult to face and harder to prepare for. Fletchling is an obvious issue for Bellsprout, as are Fire-types that can take a Sludge Bomb and hit back, but that's what Archen and Stone Edge Mienfoo are on the team for. It should be noted that Bellsprout's lack of a reliable Grass-type STAB attack while sun is not out makes it a liability if Hippopotas comes in after a KO, but it can be beaten down. An example of this is a nice sun-boosted Fire Blast from Vulpix after its Eviolite is removed and a little prior damage has been dealt to it, and a nice way to crack the old hippo hide is to coax your opponent into taking a Knock Off from the likes of Mienfoo or Pawniard. After the threats of sand, Fletchling, Ponyta, and bulky Houndour have been removed, Bellsprout is able to overwhelm the opposing team with force, and with very few things able to have a chance to significantly damage it.

Mienfoo

The necessity of a dedicated Fighting-type check like Snubbull for this team is a good indication of how effective Fighting-types are, and it's only fair for this team to also take advantage of such a powerful group of Pokémon. Mienfoo is without doubt the most versatile and flexible Pokémon in Little Cup, and the variant found on this team definitely goes a fair distance in accentuating that fact. This bulky Mienfoo set is not only designed to take incredible super effective hits like Abra's Psychic and Fletchling's itemless Acrobatics, but it is also intentionally slow to allow for safely bringing in Bellsprout for a sweep, Vulpix to restore sunlight, or Pawniard to Pursuit trap or KO a weakened enemy through the use of U-turn. As is usually the case, Mienfoo's combination of Drain Punch and Regenerator gives it a huge amount of longevity so that it can continue supporting its team with the momentum and utility that has given it #1 usage in the tier for so long. The team-specific fourth move of choice here is Stone Edge, which puts a nice dent in the things that obstruct Bellsprout's sweeping ability; Fire-types are hit for massive damage, Larvesta is annihilated, and Fletchling is also OHKOed after Stealth Rock whether it decides to go for Acrobatics or attempt to set up on the predicted switch. Notably, Stone Edge knocks Vullaby for a loop as well, a Pokémon that can pose issues for Bellsprout due to its high bulk, its Grass resistance, and its Overcoat ability that blocks Sleep Powder. If used properly, Mienfoo works very well as a provider of opportunities for the rest of this team, which helps it perform at a higher level overall, mainly by helping Bellsprout sweep without interruptions.

Pawniard

Last but not least, Choice Scarf Pawniard wraps up this awesome team. While its original purpose was mainly to beat Misdreavus, its effectiveness remains as good as ever even after the ghastly necklace bearer's banishment. Pawniard's boosted Speed still allows it to Pursuit-trap relevant threats such as Gastly and Life Orb Abra, and its hard-hitting Knock Off also benefits from the unnatural increase in Speed that Choice Scarf provides. Obligatory secondary STAB in Iron Head rounds out Pawniard's damaging moves, slamming the likes of opposing Archen and Spritzee for super effective damage and having a reasonable chance to flinch other enemies at times. Stealth Rock may seem like an odd choice for this set, being a non-damaging move that makes Pawniard unable to do anything meaningful afterward except switch out, but the softening up of the Fire- and Flying-types that can get in the way of Bellsprout's sunny onslaught is greatly appreciated and is well worth being locked in if the player can use it while forcing a switch or after Pawniard has already done a lot of work in removing items and weakening the opposing team. Pawniard's resistance to Flying among other resistances comes in handy as well; it only needs to watch for Fighting-types and Ground- or Fire-type moves that can hit it should they survive Pawniard's attack, but this team packs plenty of means to deal with common users of those moves. All in all, Pawniard is a great manipulator and wallbreaker that makes it easier for the rest of the team to power through and can even score its own kills in the process.