Tales from Battle Spot Singles blog #8 — "Sou-ouuund!" Kommonium (azure-pokemon S14)
Whenever I come across a well-performing Kommo-o team, I can not help but dig in. Call it bias, call it obsession, I care not—for when scales need to be clanged, they simply need to be clanged. So, here I am, once more, with another Kommo-o team that managed to hit 2000 points in its respective season (season 14), this time with the interesting twist of featuring both of the Speed Boosting megas, Blaziken and Sharpedo.
nouthuca: http://nouthuca.com/topic/?code=g7s14single&num=7
blogs: http://azure-pokemon.hatenablog.com/entry/2019/04/02/080500
QR code: https://3ds.pokemon-gl.com/rentalteam/usum/BT-A713-444A
Pokepaste: https://pokepast.es/5946b88804e2ed2c
1) Team overview:
Please see links above for builds.
Kommo-o
To pair Kommo-o with a defensive steel type like Celesteela is to enable its use even against things that are immune to its Z-move, particularly Mimikyu and Tapu Lele. This is not to say that it is recommended, as Kommo-o gets plenty of mileage by way of the deterrent effect its presence in the team select screen alone can provide, but Leech Seed and repeated rounds of damage from Nihilego's hazards ensure that clicking a combination of Substitute and Flamethrower means Kommo-o can, in fact, prevail in the end even against some of the more prominent fairies.
Soundproof is the least used of Kommo-o's abilities across virtually all seasons of competition in USUM, but manages to find a place here, not least because of the threat of opposing Kommo-o, but also, perhaps even more importantly, to deter a special Hyper Voice Salamence that, as one of Celesteela's most significant offensive checks through its special-based fire-moves, would otherwise result in a complete and utter rout of the Kommo-o + Celesteela pairing. The resulting loss of the immunity to most, if not all, of the offensive pressure things like Ferrothorn (Gyro Ball, Bullet Seed) and Aegislash (Shadow Ball) put out, as well as a marginally improved Gengar-matchup (Shadow Ball and Sludge Bomb, though offensive variants have seldom reason to forgo Sludge Wave) you bring upon yourself by not going Bulletproof is painful, yes, but is offset somewhat by Thunder Wave support from Nihilego.
It bears mentioning that the team author's original blog also makes particular note of Kommo-o's utility as a lead against a likely Breloom from the opposing side, something which I too found to be a sound piece of advice.
Thundurus
Though last in terms of pick-rate in both the author's notes and across my games, bulky Thundurus fills the niche of dismantling stall and defensive play through a combination of Nasty Plot and Taunt, which is a slight role overlap with special attacking Kommo-o, but Thundurus, of course, also brings the electric immunity which stops Tapu Koko from Volt Switching or Z-moving for free on turn 1, and which makes Celesteela a more justifiable bring across more matchups. The matchup defensively invested Thundurus typically has against Hippowdon / Tapu Koko / Aegislash / Salamence cores is also so good, it easily lends itself to many teams for this very reason.
The specific defensive investments (or lack thereof) in this set are stated as being for Modest Scarf Tapu Lele, whose Psychic and Psyshock in Psychic Terrain is only a 6.3% to 1HKO. The set also barely takes a +1 +252 Salamence Double-Edge, turning +1 252 mega-Gyarados Ice Fang into an unfavorable roll, with only 21% to survive, while +252 Blaziken's Flare Blitz deletes Thundurus 87.5% of the time, the only defense against Timid Charizard Y's Overheat in the sun and Adamant Metagross' Ice Punch being +252 Thundurus' superior speed tier.
Since the author provides the pick-rate number as a mere 5% on his run to peaking in the 2070s, he also muses about finding replacements for this Thundurus from things that are both immune to electric and have a positive Mimikyu matchup—something perhaps to think on.
Nihilego
Once the novelty of seeing Kommo-o and Sharpedo on a relatively high placing team finally wears off, the next thing that jumps off the page is the author's assertion about the pick-rate of Nihilego—that being nearly 100%—and one starts to get a more clear picture of the kind of gameplay involved here: drop paralysis and rocks and fish for full paralysis turns with Celesteela, Sharpedo and Kommo-o. Now, this is, obviously, an oversimplification, but it is also a valid strategy, one often seen employed by cripple lead Mimikyu teams, to name an example.
Outside its more typical lead role, Nihilego enjoys the privilege of getting to revenge kill things like the Charizards, Salamence and Volcarona thanks to its Focus Sash.
Celesteela
Celesteela has a pick-rate of 80% according to the author's notes, chiefly intended to follow-up on Nihilego's Thunder Wave. The defensive investment here is stated by the author as being for a durable Substitute against Landorus Rock Tomb, and to live a +2 252 Naganadel Z-Draco Meteor or unboosted Fire Blast with enough HP left to put up a Substitute (74.5% highest roll, incidentally in the same ball park as the rare +252 Metagross Thunderpunch, which stands at an absolute high roll of 76.8%). The spread also handily avoids the 3HKO from Scarf Tapu Lele with Leftovers Recovery. The 124 Spd stat is not only useful for outspeeding 252 Breloom, most Heatran variants that love switching into Celesteela, and opposing Celesteela, but also obviously lets it Substitute on everything that has been hit by Thunder Wave.
When there exists an obstacle to Kommo-o, it is usually Mimikyu, fully offensive variants against which Air Slash only does 30-40%, virtually the same amount as Kommo-o's Flamethrower, so attrition with Leech Seed and hazards is very much preferred until in range of the latter.
Sharpedo
Sharpedo normally lacks the teeth to go through most things that it can't hit super-effectively, so it really appreciates support from Leech Seed and Nihilego, the team's author estimating its bring rate at 30% (4th highest oveall). To get an idea of just how important Stealth Rock is, -1 mega-Sharpedo actually misses the 1HKO even on fully offensive Salamence without it. Similarly, opposing Thundurus running any kind of physical bulk are even beyond the reach of +0 Ice Fang.
Adamant Sharpedo also only hits 235 at +1, slower than Timid Scarf Tapu Lele (241), Adamant Swampert in rain (244) and the base 100 Spd gang running +252 at +1 (250), so much like with Kommo-o, knowing when to pull the trigger is key. Also, it's a Sharpedo, so caveat emptor. For the same reason, being able to pull up the damage ranges from a calc while laddering might be, initially, at least, necessary for this seldom seen shabby shark.
Blaziken
The choice of Jolly nature is to prevent getting outsped at +1 by Jolly Landorus (out of which you Baton Pass into Celesteela, for example), Timid Tapu Lele, and, of course, opposing Blaziken. Any resulting perceived deficit in the direct damage department is, as is the case with Sharpedo, intended to be made up for with Nihilego support. Defensively, the rather conspicuous 20 SpDef EVs let Blaziken more consistently live a 3-hit Water Shuriken from +252 Torrent or 252 Protean Life Orb Greninja.
As with Thundurus, the author's original notes nominate Blaziken, with an apparent pick rate of only 15%, for replacement going forward. With two out of six pokemon being relegated to a total usage of no more than 20% combined, this surely speaks volumes as to the power of a gameplan as simple as this. Or to suboptimal team building. Or both.
2) Usage notes:
So as not to entirely embarrass myself, I try not to post about teams that I fail to hit a minimum of 1800 with while maintaining at least a 60% win rate in doing so. But with this team, I ended up having such a miserable time climbing early in the season, I stopped at 1700 with a sub-par score of 28-14.
Now, about the team itself, since Nihilego only runs Power Gem as an offensive option, this team will, inevitably, have problems with the tapus. For one, Tapu Fini completely walls Kommo-o and Timid Scarf Tapu Lele outspeeds it even after it has used its Z-move. The fact that Tapu Fini also hard walls both of the megas this team might want to bring, and can run Taunt sets for Celesteela, does not really help either, potentially making games hinge on Thundurus HP management depending on what offensive options Fini is paired with.
On the topic of Celesteela, the defensive backbone of this team, it can not be understated just how crucial the Leech Seed + Substitute + Protect cycle is to putting things in KO range for the megas, whose lack of attack boosting moves can leave them, especially in the case of Sharpedo, getting walled all the way to the defeat screen in a badly gone draft. Paralysis via Nihilego is, of course, what really enables the Celesteela cycle even in otherwise suspect scenarios, such as against the likes of Naganadel and Heatran. To the extent that this can be said to be a playstyle in its own right, it can, despite the purported draft percentages, be lamentably inconsistent and does not lend itself well at all to playing on autopilot, that is to say, mass grinding games like one would with the various hyper aggro options out there.
2.1 — Usual team compositions
Nihilego-Celesteela-Kommo-o/Sharpedo
Nihilego-Sharpedo-Kommo-o
2.2 — Most drafted, by rate/member (descending)
The percentages listed below in parentheses are the author's original estimations of usage across what I assume are the 132 games in total in his screenshots, something I initially found difficult to justify, especially when it came to Sharpedo, which I was not at all comfortable with. Though a much lower sample size, eventually, my picks started to converge with the author's stated figures, although if I kept precise numbers for my games, I will admit the precentages therein would still likely even out significantly more compared to the ones found in the author's original notes, due to me being bad at the game moreso anything else, I'm sure.
1. Nihilego (100%)
2. Celesteela (80%)
3. Kommo-o (70%)
4. Sharpedo (30%)
5. Blaziken (15%)
6. Thundurus (5%)
2.3 — Drafting and leading cf. matchup-archetype list
See link for my extremely basic archetype checklist:
https://tinyurl.com/archetypes101
"Kabamanda"
Salamence/Hippowdon/Aegislash/Tapu Koko
Thundurus-Kommo-o-Sharpedo
Nihilego-Thundurus/mega-Celesteela
This is, alongside hard stall, the best matchup for Thundurus. Leading it lets you Taunt a Hippo or straight up Z-Thunderbolt Koko or Aegislash. Thundurus is also valuable in the back because it can revenge Salamence if at full and bring that invaluable Volt Absorb.
While Koko is, after Bulu, the second easiest tapu for Kommo-o to work around in general, it is relatively difficult for this team to deal with overall. This is mainly because Koko does not particularly mind the hazards since getting the Flamethrower 2HKO requires more than one round of hazard damage, and the Nihilego gameplan isn't exactly the best thing ever since Aegislash and Hippowdon do not care about Stealth Rock, Thunder Wave or Toxic Spikes and not leading it risks its Sash being broken by Stealth Rock from Hippowdon. The fact that Koko also destroys Celesteela makes its appearance more likely since Celesteela has an otherwise decent matchup against everything else in the usual core.
"Rizzagross / Kabarizza"
Charizard/Metagross/Greninja; Charizard Y/Hippowdon
Nihilego-Celesteela-Kommo-o/mega
Nihilego should lead decently against everything but Metagross, against which Celesteela is usually a free switch anyway. Speaking of Metagross, seeing it paired defensively with Tapu Fini instead of offensively with Greninja is a sight most unwelcome, as it nudges you into that 5% Thundurus pick over Kommo-o and the megas. In the absence of Tapu Fini, Sharpedo deserves special mention against both teams since it 1HKOs Metagross and both Charizards after Stealth Rock.
"Landorus momentum" hyper aggro
Suicide lead Landorus + set-up sweepers (Naganadel, Gyarados, NagaScizor etc.)
Nihilego/Celesteela-Blaziken/Sharpedo/Kommo-o
Nihilego's nigh 100% pick rate is hard to justify in a matchup where a telegraphed Sash Stealth Rock Landorus lead exists. Celesteela wants to Substitute on Landorus and Protect or Substitute on Landorus' Explosion turn if it stays in. The megas need Naganadel not to get +1 Spd from Beast Boost in order to realistically contest the outcome of the match.
Rain core modular
Politoed/Pelipper/Swampert/steel type/Tapu Koko
Nihilego/Thundurus-Celesteela-Kommo-o
Nihilego shuts down a Pelipper lead, but hates running into something like Koko + Politoed. Celesteela avoids the 2HKO from +252 Waterfall in the rain through a combination of Leech Seed and Protect, but, again, is dead weight against Koko. Kommo-o lives a hit from Swampert and deals 70-80% to it with its Z-move, needing to kill it in doing so in order to get full value. And Kommo-o value is what to usually play for here since your megas do not do enough in the rain core matchup.
"Mimigassa / suropoke"
Mimikyu/Breloom/Mawile/Porygon2
Nihilego/Kommo-o-Blaziken-Celesteela
Kommo-o is the preferred lead against Breloom, while Nihilego can usually get two turns against the occasional lead Mimikyu, transitioning well into Celesteela. Blaziken, too, does decently with Celesteela, as both can waste Trick Room turns with Protect.
Dedicated stall
Chansey/Toxapex/Sableye/Celesteela/Slowbro/Skarmory/Venusaur/Shedinja/Gliscor etc...
Nihilego-Thundurus-Kommo-o/Blaziken/Celesteela
Special attacking Kommo-o beats fairyless stall by clicking its Z-move when Skarmory's Sturdy is down or Toxapex is in KO range from a previous Clanging Scales. Thundurus' combination of Taunt and Nasty Plot also lets it elbow past a number of the more prominent stall lineups.
Dedicated Baton Pass
Scolipede, Blazikenpass, Eeveepass, Dual Screens lead etc.
Nihilego/mega/Thundurus-Celesteela/Kommo-o
Blaziken OHKOs Eevee even through Reflect and can Baton Pass +1 Spd if counterled; Sharpedo is immune to standard mono-attacking Yawn + dual screens Espeon leads; Thundurus provides a faster-than-Memento Uxie Taunt and can contest most lead dual screens Tapu Koko; and, Nihilego + Celesteela should be able to outlast a Baton Pass recepient that is susceptible to two layers of Toxic Spikes (Espeon). Baton Pass teams without Tapu Lele (Blazikenpass) can have problems with an explosive Kommo-o opener, as well.
Dedicated Glalie
Cripple lead (Glare Serperior, Thunder Wave/Will-o-Wisp Mimikyu, Light Ball Fling users etc.), Thunder Wave + Lunar Dance Cresselia, Glalie
Nihilego/Thundurus-Celesteela-Kommo-o/Blaziken
Thundurus is immune to Glare from Serperior and Thunder Wave from Mimikyu, and can Taunt + Nasty Plot on Cresselia to its heart content. Kommo-o's Clanging Scales hits through Glalie's Substitute and Blaziken can come out on top in the same encounter so long as it is not paralyzed.
Leading Nihilego's Toxic Spikes puts a clock on the Glalie finisher, although something like Serperior should not let it get down more than one layer.
3) In conclusion:
All and all, I found this to be an unpleasant experience, despite first appearances. As much as I enjoy Kommo-o, having to rely over and over again on Celesteela attrition to get into a winning position is not only not proactive enough for my tastes, it simply stopped being interesting after a point, which meant abandoning this team before reaching the goal of a minimum of 1800 I usually set for myself so as to be able to write about a team with at least some degree of authority. Perhaps this team works better in the higher ranks, but I was personally not able to even climb up there with this before jumping ship.
Well then, for the next post, I resolve to make a serious effort to learn the ways of a 2100 (S14) peak team with what looks very much to be an unsupported Mawile as the sole mega. Here's hoping I won't find anything even more interesting until then.
- Tox
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/tox.146/
