Battle Stadium Singles blog #13 — Terrakion (S11; Series 6)

As mentioned in the previous entry, the idea here was to run a base 60 Speed creeping Choice Band Rhyperior to surprise wall-break through teams that play towards reactive Dynamaxing with slower, bulkier stuff like Primarina and Azumarill, or defensive powerhouses such as Ferrothorn or Amoonguss.

   With Season 10's top teams including things like Choice Scarf Primarina and general speed creeping in the base 60 Speed bracket (more on Primarina), it felt like Rhyperior was only working as intended something like half the time towards the end of last season, so I had to bail on that project and look elsewhere for a decent relatively off-meta climb.

   So, to see off Series 6, I landed on warbler-p/pokesol's take on Weakness Policy Terrakion. The team below got mid-season triple digits (1798 Elo) comfortably while iterating along the way.

   Indeed, the first version of this team, partly as a reaction to the heartbreak caused by Rhyperior, used 76 HP / +252 SpAtt / 180 Spd Lum Berry Magneton, which not only lives Choice Scarf Urshifu-Rapid-Strike's Surging Strikes (both Adamant and Jolly), but also outspeeds 252 Spd base 60s by one with its real Spd stat of 113, and avoids Gengar's Hypnosis and an Amoonguss Spore, with Endure to waste an opposing Dynamax turn. Also featured on that first version was standard offensive Gmax-Charizard, which I had to drop after finding it exceedingly hard to justify bringing into the multiple Tangrowth/Vileplume/Amoonguss-Blissey defensive cores I kept hitting.

Keep your grimy paws off the Terrakion, Urshifu — 252 Atk Choice Band Urshifu-Rapid-Strike Surging Strikes (3 hits) vs. 244 HP / 0 Def Dynamax Terrakion on a critical hit: 324-384 (82.2 - 97.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO.

Can't even 1HKO a zero-bulk Dracozolt in Dynamax form with a +3 Earthquake — +3 116+ Atk Terrakion Earthquake vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Dynamax Dracozolt: 306-360 (92.7 - 109%) -- 56.3% chance to OHKO.

Final mon 1v1 against a croc at 40%. Didn't expect the Choice Scarf from Intimidate Krookodile.

Disrespect the Amoonguss by bringing both Dracozolt and Urshifu-Rapid-Strike?

Yes I crit it with two +2 Stone Edges in a row (+2 116+ Atk Terrakion Stone Edge vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Dynamax Amoonguss on a critical hit: 229-270 (51.8 - 61%), but in my defense, Urshifu got crit by a Blizzard which is why I was even in that position in the first place. Why be good when you can be bad and lucky. Like me.

The absolute nightmare: Diggersby, Rotom-C AND Weezing-G. Fortunately Weezing was 3-attacks + Protect instead of Will-o-Wisp.

Rental: 0000 0002 WLL8 8J

Pokepaste: https://pokepast.es/b6eda196900f45e8

1) Team overview

Terrakion

Out of all other Max Airstream sweepers with any kind of viability out there, Terrakion has the dubious distinction of having to endure the ignominy of being entirely reliant on its inferior offensive stat to increase its Speed. In other words, -0 SpAtt Air Slash off 72 Base SpAtt. Having Justified as its sole ability is also pretty much the same thing as not having an ability at all, as far as Series 6 is concerned, that is. Not exactly great considering abilities are a major criteria in evaluating objective competitive viability for a species/forme in BSS.

   It's not all bad though, because where Terrakion differs from previous prominent Weakness Policy sweepers natively already on the faster side, like Dragapult and +252 Spd Togekiss, is that all of its Dynamax attacks here boost its stats (Max Rockfall boosting its SpDef, being a Rock-type), making playing around Weakness Policy that much harder to begin with, especially following something like a Max Knuckle opener. And it should be noted that things that can afford to do so are usually bad match ups for Terrakion anyway (Corviknight or Quagsire play, to name but two examples).

   I will admit I am not entirely happy with the slightly wasteful anti-Gyarados (146) allocation of Speed EVs here (a native stat of 147 merely ties +252 Spd Choice Scarf Darmanitan's 220 at +1, but is way faster than the major benchmark of unboosted +252 Spd Dracozolt's 139, as well as +252 Spd Diggersby's 143), especially given how prominent +252 Speed Choice Scarf Urshifu-Rapid-Strike is (244 Spd).

   Still, the sizeable HP-investment makes up for deliberately underspeeding in the Urshifu-Single-Strike encounter by living even 252 Att Choice Band Surging Strikes in Dynamax form from full, and bagging the 1HKO with the subsequent +2 Max Airstream. Air Slash also helps with circumventing Focus Sash Counter play from the likes of Urshifu and Lycanroc, much in the same way as Flamethrower/Fire Blast does for Dracozolt.

Aegislash

Aegislash has a great deal going against it in generation 8 thus far. Its Toxic sets are gone; the general offensive power creep brought about by the Dynamax mechanic does it no favors given how bad it itself is in Dynamax; its defensive King's Shield + Weakness Policy sets risk failing to get the KO even with +2 attacks through opposing Dynamax bulk unless hitting super-effectively (Dragapult) even when it manages to avoid getting straight up 1HKOed through maximum physical defense investment by Cinderace and Urshifu-Single-Strike. Looking at Aegislash's fall from prominence from the past two generations of ranked singles to where it is now, the comparison to what happened to something like Tauros after generation 1 is starting to sound not too far fetched. Fortunately, with the Crown Tundra, Aegislash will probably find new life in defensive pairing itself with Landorus, Salamence, and Dragonite once more.

   Nevertheless, as I see it, Aegislash has at least two relevant niches as things stand right now: fast Focus Sash with Swords Dance, and Substitute + Leftovers as an anti-stall measure. The former is hard to justify in Series 6 because of just how contested Focus Sash is, but the latter merits consideration, and is what I have opted for here.

   The EVs are lifted from fortune_36, and are geared for fast Substitutes against uninvested base 60 Speed opponents, with the Def-investment letting it take Dynamax Dracozolt's 252 Att Life Orb Max Quake, +252 Att Rhyperior Earthquake (12.5% to 1HKO), and 252 Att Diggersby's Earthquake (25% to 1HKO) from full, but also mean that it has a slightly easier time clicking Subsitute after King's Shield Attack drops against things like Azumarill and Knock Off Ferrothorn.

   The moveset is geared towards cracking Tangrowth/Vileplume/Amoonguss-Blissey in particular, and Quagsire or Toxapex-based defensive play in general. To this end, and although dropping Flash Cannon in a format so favorable to the Fairy-type seems dubious, Sacred Sword — with its 24 max PP — can attrition out Substitute + Soft-Boiled (16 PP) Blissey, or the slightly more exotic Substitute + Minimize Chansey, and catching a Quagsire or a Tangrowth with a Shadow Ball just once potentially puts Urshifu/Azumarill/Terrakion into sweeping position for later. This Aegislash also excels at hard switching into Amoonguss/Vileplume, two prominent Dracozolt checks, with Amoonguss needing Foul Play/Hex-tech to actually break a Substitute, and Vileplume relegated to having to catch it with a Leech Seed on the switch.

   Admittedly, using Aegislash like this means it tends to be benched a fair bit, but Aegislash's many resists, and King's Shield do lend it some viability in more offensive match ups with its ability to exhaust valuable turns of opposing Dynamax, especially when facing slower offensive opposing line ups where Aegislash's Speed tier is relevant, such as ones featuring Lapras or Rhyperior, for instance, and where Subsitute spam can reasonably be expected waste the entire duration of the opposing Dynamax.

Amoonguss

Amoonguss is on this team to at least threaten some kind of consistent check for opposing Urshifu (especially Rapid-Strike) and Dracozolt (empowering Azumarill play), and to have something to contest slow, reactive anti-Dracozolt styles like Trick Room mode and Rhyperior that tend to be a problem for Terrakion as well. Azumarill also benefits from Amoonguss having its back against Grimmsnarl openers, which have as of Series 6, made a fully offensive max speed Focus Sash lure set part of their repertoire to catch Primarina with a Power Whip.

   Seed Bomb over Giga Drain is an attempt to circumvent Substitute + Calm Mind Primarina, which stands out among the many, many things that seek to abuse Amoonguss like the delicious piece of set-up bait it can be.

Dracozolt

Although the focus of this team is Terrakion mode, bringing Dracozolt into the team preview forces the opponent to respect it, which might mean resources away from checking Terrakion, assuming the latter is even read as a Weakness Policy sweeper in the first place. Not that Choice Scarf Dracozolt is useless or anything, the Speed tie with opposing Dynamax Dracozolt at +1 is a potential out when Amoonguss is benched and/or Dracozolt is beyond non-Counter Focus Sash Urshifu's reach (Wicked Blow + Sucker Punch).

   Not relying on Dracozolt as a win condition every game also means it is more expendable, able to aggressively open with its Choice Scarf against and devastating vast swathes of the metagame, especially when not enough defensive counterplay to +1 Speed Bolt Beak/Outrage is present on the opposing team. And with its myriad resistances, Dracozolt also does a decent job of defensively complementing Amoonguss.

Azumarill

Consistently good against Ninetales-A openers because of Assault Vest and Brick Break, this set cuts some survivability in order to Speed creep stuff that Speed creeps uninvested base 60s. Moreover, fairies like other Azumarill, Primarina and Clefable are all also made somewhat easier to contest with a fast Azumarill, even opening up a path for Azumarill to surprise the aforementioned trio with Dynamax.

Urshifu-Single-Strike

The team preview Urshifu-identification minigame for Series 6 has been more or less resolved in favor of Rapid-Strike, because of how good the Surging Strikes + U-turn Choice Scarf set is alongside its Focus Sash sets, whereas Single-Strike excels at the less-in-demand Choice Band wall-breaking, and is even more heavily pushed towards the direction of Focus Sash if wanting to opt for anything else. This means that, as with a Dracozolt relegated to Choice Scarf duties, the secondary Dynamax role is very much on the table for Urshifu here, thanks in no small part to to Max Knuckle + Gmax-One Blow deleting some of Urshifu-Rapid-Strike's would-be checks like Tangrowth and Amoonguss — provided they are sufficiently bruised beforehand.

   I have dropped Counter over Thunder Punch, worsening Urshifu's utility as a backline momentum-recovery tool, but making it better against Primarina/Azumarill and Urshifu-Rapid-Strike especially ealier on in the game when things need to be bruised into Terrakion (Max Knuckle) range.

2) Usage notes

Defensive Will-o-Wisp leads like Rotom-C and Arcanine will always get value because of how physically orientated this team is, requiring something to put a massive dent into them, and accept being crippled, in order to get into attacking position with the actual win-condition of choice somewhere down the line.

   In the same vein, lead Weezing-G is also difficult because counterleading it with a Speed-creeping Aegislash feels heavily incentivized, except for the fact that Aegislash does not actually carry a Steel-type move here, and the turn 1 Terrakion Dynamax is not safe due to the threat of Will-o-Wisp.

   Diggersby is also exceptionally scary because of its multiple viable sets, ranging from reactive Focus Sash Flail, the Choice Scarf surprise/pivot, to proactive Life Orb/Lum Berry Max Airstream, and the way any of them can be mindgamed into goodstuffs team previews alongside the usual suspects Dracozolt and Urshifu.

   Corviknight also looks like a dodgy match up for the team, and tends to force Aegislash and/or Dracozolt. Fortunately, though, its sets feel more offensive in Series 6 (50% Bulk Up vs. 21% Iron Defense sets, for what pure usage stats are worth), so even something like Urshifu or Terrakion sitting on Max Knuckle momentum can potentially still muscle through.

Start of the season.

Midseason re-climb.

Trips before the DLC-drop. 1798 Elo.

2.1 — Usual team/lead compositions

Azumarill-Urshifu/Amoonguss-

Dracozolt-Terrakion-

Urshifu-

Dracozolt-Amoonguss-

2.2 — Most brought, by rate/member (descending)

1. Azumarill

2. Terrakion

3. Urshifu

4. Dracozolt

5. Amoonguss

6. Aegislash

2.3 — VS Team Select Screen (in order of frequency)

Final revamp for Series 6.

Momentum Offense (goodstuffs & hyper offense compositions)

- Dracozolt, Primarina/Azumarill, Gengar, Ninetales-A mode, Urshifu, GMax-Charizard, Ferrothorn/Amoonguss, Diggersby/Rhyperior, Rotom-C/H.

- Dracozolt and alternative dedicated Dynamax user, or, worse yet, everything being a threat in Dynamax form.

- Typical team composition: dedicated Dynamax sweeper, Focus Sash user, bulky defensive pivot like Rotom-C/H, Amoonguss/Ferrothorn, Snorlax, or even Rhyperior.

- Ninetales-A's screens mode doesn't have a separate entry for "Screens mode" because it is used just as much for damage as it is for screens in Series 6 (Choice Scarf, Focus Sash sets).

Azumarill-Amoonguss/Urshifu-Terrakion

Urshifu-Terrakion-Azumarill

Dracozolt-

Azumarill is a good lead against the most things on typical goodstuffs teams, but the existence of Dracozolt means that Amoonguss likely has to be brought to have a switch-in against turn 1 Bolt Beak. Turn 1 Dynamax Terrakion is decent if the opponent doesn't have Rotom-C (Will-o-Wisp), Gengar (Will-o-Wisp/Hypnosis) as possible openers. Ninetales-A (Aurora Veil) can also be annoying for Terrakion openers if the match ups between the likely backliners are not clearly in your favor.

   Urshifu is also a decent lead against most things other than Ninetales-A or Weezing-G, in no small part due to Thunder Punch (Azumarill/Primarina/Urshifu-Rapid-Strike), and doesn't mind trading into Rotom-C's Will-o-Wisp or Gengar, so long as Amoonguss/Terrakion are brought to check opposing Dracozolt.

Stall mode / Defensive cycle checkmate

- Stall Mode: Tangrowth-Blissey, Toxapex, Ferrothorn, Unaware Clefable/Quagsire, Chansey.

- Offensive options: Urshifu, Dracozolt

Urshifu-Aegislash-Azumarill/Terrakion/Dracozolt

Aegislash's best match up: once inserted without being crippled on the switch-in, it is extremely hard for defensive teams to dislodge, and will eventually connect with a Shadow Ball into the soft underbelly of a physically defensive target in such as way as to enable a Max Knuckle user to break through.

Trick Room mode, slow modes, Baton Pass

- Runegrigus, Bronzong and Dusclops can usually set Trick Room against Dynamax Dracozolt without being forced into Focus Sash.

- Focus Sash Trick Room setters mainly consist of either Hatterene or Chandelure

- Typical Trick Room reverse-sweepers: Rhyperior, Azumarill, Dracovish, Dragalge, or even Lapras/Primarina.

- Baton Pass (mostly into Clefable) only really exists because Scolipede is good, but Polteageist and Bellossom also threaten it.

Azumarill-Aegislash/Urshifu-

Urshifu-Aegislash-Terrakion

Aegislash is good at wasting Dynamax turns, and Terrakion doesn't mind going second with its Dynamax bulk so long as the first incoming super-effective attack is survivable.

   Teams that use Trick Room merely to get back speed control after being Max Airstreamed without dedicated Trick Room sweepers are, as always, the real threat.

   And as for Baton Pass, Urshifu's Wicked Blow is very much the main out, but the difficulty comes from determining just how convoluted the set up is going to be (e.g. cripple/screens lead into Scolipede into Clefable vs. straight Weakness Policy Scolipede into Clefable).

3) In Conclusion

The month of November will, in all likelihood, herald in the final from of generation 8 BSS, based on currently available information, at least. For me, this, first and foremost, means a period of nostalgic experimentation with old favorites (LeleVolc, wall-breaker BulkiXurki, and defensive Zapdos pivots, for example), but I'm sure Moxie Salamence mode and some kind of Metagross play wll be on the agenda eventually.The thing I am most eagerly looking forward to, however, is seeing what new ways players will find to overcome the threat of Gmax-Cinderace. In short: save us, Landorus!

- Tox

SW-0021-9848-8999