Tales from Battle Spot Singles blog #11 — Triple-Z Blazikenpass with Decidueye (zouking S15)
For July's post, I decided to explore a sweet triple Z-move armed Decidueye team the team's author successfully piloted to 1900+ during season 15. What made this team stand out to me was not only the fact that this team comes equipped with a Decidueye, adding to the mix is dedicated Baton Pass Blaziken as the sole mega, making for a wholly unique experience, even if much hinges on a universal hyper offense opener in Landorus.
nouthuca: http://nouthuca.com/topic/?code=g7s15single&num=5
blogs: http://zouking.hatenablog.com/entry/2019/06/27/070000
QR code:
Pokepaste: https://pokepast.es/c4430e06e0ad5c45
1) Team overview:
Please see links above for builds.
Haxorus
Mold Breaker +252 Haxorus natively reachers a speed tier higher than 252 Mimikyu's, letting it win with Shadow Claw against fully offensive variants after a Stealth Rock even without clicking Dragon Dance as the Landorus follow-up. This is ideal since the main justification for bringing Haxorus as the offensive win condition is against teams that are prepared for Naganadel: teams carrying Heatran or Mimikyu. In the Baton Pass composition, Haxorus' main competition comes from Decidueye.
Naganadel
Naganadel remains a team building check that — after the Landorus setup — will just flat out run over teams that are unprepared for it. Naganadel is also the only offensive presence on the special side found here. And since this is a Z-Sludge Wave set instead of the more standard and consistent Z-Draco Meteor builds, clicking Draco Meteor isn't as free as it usually is, making Nasty Plot all the more tempting.
Snorlax
The team's defensive anchor, maximum defense-invested, dedicated pseudo-hazer Snorlax forgoes SpDef bulk for more consistent insertion into things like Tapu Lele in order to check Metagross and Salamence in particular, able to switch-in and solo all but the slower +252 Hammer Arm and the nigh unheard-of Power-Up Punch variants of Metagross, while comfortably surviving +1 252 Double-Edge from Salamence.
Landorus' Stealth Rock and Toxic are ideal lead-ins to Snorlax's insertion, whereafter it can Yawn / Whirlwind chip things into KO range for your aggressive option, be it Blaziken or one of the Z-move users.
Landorus
Showing Landorus + Naganadel in the team preview is asking to be counterled by whatever option the opponent might have against the standard suicide lead Landorus into sweeper momentum set up. The ingenious thing about this spread is its ability to at least somewhat pre-empt this while still being able to pull off the tried-and-true Rock Tomb + Stealth Rock play.
This is chielfly done through the chosen EV spread: defensive EV investments not only target 252 Greninja's 5-hit Shuriken roll in the lead matchup (6.3% to 1HKO by 252 Life Orb), lets it live through Fake Out + Ice Punch from -1 Lopunny, but also empower its deployment outside of its standard lead role. Some notable examples of this include the ability of this spread to live two hits from 252 Tapu Koko's HP Ice over 85% of the time to regain momentum, as well as being able to avoid the 1HKO from +252 Blaziken and +252 Charizard X Flare Blitz even after a few rounds of Stealth Rock damage, thanks to Intimidate. Landorus even still lives a Modest Scarf Tapu Lele Psychic after a single round of Stealth Rock (6.3% to 1HKO after rocks damage). Without an answer to Kommo-o, this team needs Landorus to also live a +1 252 Clanging Scales even after Stealth Rock damage, which it does.
Running Toxic over Explosion makes things like opposing Snorlax more consistent and plays towards your slow game plan of Snorlax attrition. Still, Explosion is very much missed when hitting teams seemingly unprepared for the hyper offense mode Landorus + Naganadel brings.
Decidueye
Decidueye's niche, as stated by the team's author, is to exploit some of the more prominent things that come in to check your sole mega, Blaziken. And with Tapu Fini currently (S15-16) enjoying its highest usage percentage at any point in the three years of Gen7 BSS, that niche sure seems relevant enough to warrant exploiting — doubly so because of the set Blaziken is running.
The set chosen here runs an effective Spd stat of 122 (same as 252 Breloom), enough to outspeed up to +252 base 110s at -1 after Rock Tomb, as well as being high enough to wallbreak virtually every purely defensive pokemon after clicking Swords Dance. With a single round of Speed Boost from a greedy Blaziken Bulk Up as Tapu Fini switches in, Decidueye outspeeds (183 real Spd stat) and threatens things like incoming Charizard and Metagross with the 1HKO.
Blaziken
The team's original author takes care to mangle his explanation of this set with caveats, giving some indication of how greedy it is to drop Protect altogether.
The Spd tier this set hits at +1 is the +252 Greninja-outspeeding 192, the last major unboosted Spd benchmark before the real stat of 200, inhabited of course by +252 mega-Gengar and Tapu Koko. Meanwhile, a hefty investment in Def is employed to ensure setup in any post-Intimidate environment against physical attackers, and to surprise even things like opposing Charizard X by surviving an unboosted Outrage in a heads-up situation. Bulk Up is eminently clickable (and arguably one of the main selling points of the set) into an opposing Scarf Landorus switch-in, +252 Earthquake being survivable at +1 Def with around 25% health remaining, ideally letting the subsequent Baton Pass recipient be inserted with +1 Att, +2 Def and +2 Spd. This approach works even better against opposing Gyarados, unboosted Waterfall from a 252 mega only doing 50-60% at +1 Def.
2) Usage notes:
This time around, I gave myself no more than 30 games to do something with this team, starting at rating 1632. The usage stats listed below are direct extracts from my play notes after said games. The highest rated player I faced was a decisive loss to someone in the mid 1800s, which was enough to barely not be in the global top 10 at the time of the match.
As far as general game play observations go, another thing that can't be stressed enough is the importance of nailing the choice of sweeper in the Landorus-Snorlax-sweeper team composition, as Landorus can easily go down having only clicked Rock Tomb and Stealth Rock, and the best Snorlax can do offensively is chip at things. This also means that when facing things like Sash Mamoswine — one of the worst possible things imaginable for this team — which can easily carry Knock Off (26%), suiciding Landorus just to break the Sash and then following up with Blaziken-sweeper might be in order.
Trying to greedily skip out on Snorlax proved fatal in a number of games where playing more conservatively would have avoided a few silly losses to Greninja and Tapu Lele, in particular. Especially depressing is the fact that Scarf Tapu Lele can switch in on a Bulk Up and still outspeed and 1HKO if the opponent suspects what you are up to.
2.1 — Usual team compositions
Landorus-Snorlax-Naganadel/Haxorus/Blaziken
Landorus-Blaziken-Haxorus/Decidueye
2.2 — Draft stats / 30 games
2.3 — Drafting and leading cf. matchup-archetype list
See link for my basic archetype checklist:
https://tinyurl.com/archetypes101
"Kabamanda"
Salamence/Hippowdon/Aegislash/Koko
Landorus-Snorlax-Naganadel/Haxorus
Whatever the truth may be, I do not consider this a favourable matchup. Since Blaziken is mostly out of the question against Hippowdon + Salamence teams anyway, Stealth Rock + Snorlax attrition seems the most logical approach — not exactly ideal since Aegislash all too often carry Toxic (50% usage) and Naganadel only does 60%-ish to it in Shield-forme.
Still, barring a Greninja on the opposing side, Landorus should be able to deploy rocks and establish Spd control relatively comfortably in the opener. Naganadel should be the cleanest sweeper option of choice in most cases, although it has problems breaking through Hippowdon without +2. Indeed, putting Hippowdon into KO range for the sweeper of choice is a key thing in this matchup.
"Rizzagross"
Charizard/Metagross/Greninja
Landorus-Blaziken-Decidueye/Haxorus
Landorus-Snorlax-sweeper
Landorus should be free to click Rock Tomb until it dies, providing Blaziken all it needs to pop off, unless felled by Greninja or Tapu Fini, in which case Snorlax-based play should have been employed anyway.
"Kabarizza"
Charizard/Hippowdon
Landorus-Snorlax/Blaziken-sweeper
Hippowdon is relatively annoying for this team, and therefore a prime Toxic attrition target, while telegraphing a rocks lead should make Charizard Y less appealing as a bring for the opponent. Blaziken can, again, also actually take an unboosted Charizard X Outrage, which is something that can be played towards.
"Landorus momentum"
Suicide lead Landorus+set-up sweepers (Naganadel, Dragon Dance megas, NagaScizor etc.)
Landorus-Snorlax-Naganadel
Landorus-Blaziken-Haxorus
Barring explicit counters to Naganadel, trying to force your own Naganadel momentum through Snorlax Yawn or a hard switch on the opposing Landorus' possible Stealth Rock on turn 2 is a viable line of play (in the latter scenario, -2 Draco still 1HKOs fully offense invested opposing Naganadel some 68% of the time).
Blaziken momentum is harder to pull off, although it can be inserted after the Landorus Rock Tomb off each others' Sashes to click Bulk Up and Baton Pass to Haxorus, which can then opt to KO with Z-Outrage or even Dragon Dance once, as -1 Explosion only does 45-50% while at +1 Def. This is all, of course, provided the opposing Landorus does not just simply click Explosion on turn 1 or 2, which it very well may.
Decidueye can dodge the opposing Landorus' Explosion, but does not live a Z-Draco Meteor after Stealth Rock damage (and neither does Blaziken), although it does carry a Shadow Sneak powerful enough to finish off an opposing Naga after a Snorlax Earthquake, for instance. At a real Spd stat of 183, Decidueye is also still slower than opposing Naganadel even after being passed +1.
If ever there was a matchup where Landorus' Explosion is missed, it is this one.
Rain core modular
Politoed/Pelipper/Swampert/steel type/Tapu Koko
Naganadel-Snorlax-Landorus/Blaziken/Decidueye
Counterleading the rain-setter Pelipper / Volt Switch Koko with Naganadel is both safe and greedy at the same time — the best possible combination. Snorlax can check and run out the clock on non-Power-up-Punch / Superpower Swampert, forcing the rain composition to bring their steel option, which Blaziken can exploit. Landorus can be deployed as a backliner since — unlike sand — rain is not likely to bring Stealth Rock.
"Mimigassa / suropoke"
Mimikyu/Breloom/Mawile/Porygon2
Landorus-Snorlax-Haxorus/Blaziken
Blaziken-Snorlax/Landorus-Haxorus
While Decidueye hardcounters Breloom, it gets destroyed by Mimikyu and Mawile, and can't stop Trick Room from being deployed by Porygon2. Suiciding in Landorus to cripple Breloom is the optimal start, since even if it doesn't hit Breloom in the lead, it still greatly reduces its utility by removing its Focus Sash with Stealth Rock.
Toxic poison on a possible Porygon2 lead + Snorlax Yawn play is intended to facilitate the insertion of your sweeper — most likely Haxorus — on favourable terms both chip damage and Trick Room turn count wise.
Dedicated stall
Chansey/Toxapex/Sableye/Celesteela/Slowbro/Skarmory/Venusaur/Shedinja/Gliscor etc...
Landorus-Naganadel/Decidueye-Blaziken
Blaziken goes through a good number of defensive pokemon, especially once something like Skarmory's Sturdy is broken. Carrying Earthquake lets Blaziken have a shot at Toxapex, as well. Likewise, Decidueye is natively fast enough to Swords Dance up on most slow bulk before getting worn down, and can break things like Quagsire and Slowbro, which just hard wall Blaziken.
3) In Conclusion:
Overall, I have to say that, in addition to the surface level appeal that I found in this team while initially scrolling through nouthuca for material, it was also cleverly built in that it offered two primary modes of play: slow Snorlax attrition with hazards, and fast Blazikenpass.
However, I know enough about what I enjoy to say that I ended up needlessly tanking several games out of a sheer general dislike of the slow bulky shuffle type of slow mode (the same goes for Hippowdon and Porygon2 too, as far as I'm concerned, which is why I have yet to be able to force myself to play dozens of games on teams that hinge on them). Still, putting myself out of my comfort zone to experience something new is one of the many benefits of taking it upon oneself to learn a new team every month. And that's what I'm here for.
- Tox
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/tox.146/
