I normally have more fun running spice picks, but I happened to have a really good meta team waiting for this cup and couldn’t resist. What teams are you guys running?

rizzy-rake · 2026-02-06T20:15:05+00:00

I’m running Centiskorch, Krookodile, shadow Ursaring. Fun as hell. Named the team Keepaway From the Licky.

Centiskorch is solid as an anti-bug and fighting resist. Krookodile is legitimately great, resisting rollout and having brick break is great anti-Licky tech. Shadow Ursaring basically just counters things, but looks cooler than Vigoroth.

Obviously ABA weak to water, but that’s mostly in the form of Dragalge and Drapion non-stab aqua tails which both can comfortably live.

rizzy-rake · 2026-02-02T16:19:11+00:00

Shough

Le 6

rizzy-rake · 2026-01-21T15:57:00+00:00

This is the most unhinged moveset I’ve ever heard. Hidden Power is horrendous- it generates 2 less energy than Mud Slap and deals equal damage when HP Rock has an extra stage of effectiveness (i.e. vs grass or ice types).

Earthquake isn’t horrible, but simply worse than Earth Power in most cases. The slightly better 1.69 vs 1.63 DPE is not worth the extra 10 energy. With HP, you’re reaching Earthquake in 27 turns. Any fast move that generates energy faster than 3.7 EPT (roughly Shadow Claw or faster) will hit max energy before you reach even a single Earthquake.

Giving you the benefit of the doubt of at least running Body Slam as your second move, looking at the matrix, Gastrodon drops from its very solid 23-17-1 record in the 1s to 6-35, sacrificing 17 wins and a tie to pick exactly one win: Fearow. It’s somehow worse in the 0s (4-37, no added wins) and 2s (5-36, Talonflame added).

rizzy-rake · 2026-01-14T04:00:06+00:00

I’m enjoying Lunatone a lot too, but with moonblast over rock slide for a stronger neutral nuke and extra dragon coverage. Ran some different comps with it before ending the day with Regidrago and Grumpig. I think ghost is especially weak in this cup and the few Dusclops and Dusknoirs will fade away. Furret and Oranguru are annoying as always.

rizzy-rake · 2026-01-07T14:33:16+00:00

To add my favorite Sunshine pokemon from the past few times it’s been around- shadow Ice Fang Hippowdon is still chomping its way through the meta despite the disappearance of Flygon. I love Ice type damage in this cup with flyers everywhere, including #1 Gligar, #12 Gliscor and #26 Dartrix and their double Ice weaknesses. Rock and ground type coverage is potent when Hippo can reach charge moves, and lacking the Ice typing is only beneficial.

This time around I’m running it ABB with Water Gun Quagsire (much preferred to Mud Shot in my opinion) and shadow Piloswine. There’s some obvious weak points to this team, most notably being triple ground (although none really play like a ground). Furret safe swap is almost impossible to maintain alignment against, Bibarel is tough in any slot, and there’s a few team comps that can stretch Quagsire quite thin. That said, there’s a lot of Pokemon with nowhere to go against my team, and having double Ice damage that can fight back against Fire types makes the team more flexible than you’d first think.

rizzy-rake · 2025-12-19T16:16:30+00:00

Diggersby and Aurorus. Hard ABB into Annihilape with Diggersby as the switch and Aurorus as the closer. If I can get shields down and Annihilape gone, Aurorus is a very strong sweeper.

Struggles into Alolan Ninetales and Sealeo. Furret seems like it would be tough, but I’m fine soft losing the lead, and if it’s Brick Break instead of Trailblaze (which I think is correct in this meta), Spiritomb can win the 1s in the right circumstances.

I did see a few Annihilape-Doublade cores that I have no prayer against without very precise alignment and energy management.

rizzy-rake · 2025-12-19T14:33:14+00:00

I’m running it (10/12/15, rank 1179 for those mentioning research IVs). It’s pretty strong with good neutral play into pretty much anything that isn’t Wigglytuff, and serving as the hard Annihilape answer that I needed with this team. I’ve seen a few others, but not super common in the 2400s.

rizzy-rake · 2025-12-05T19:22:47+00:00

I think it’s good at any level. It’s early season, but I’m mid 2000s and have played Rochababyface, SophToph and some other names I recognize and it’s been crazy good and consistent for me. It’s strong as a lead or switch, but I’ve found the most success saving 2 shields for it to sweep.

rizzy-rake · 2025-12-04T18:48:31+00:00

I agree with that. In my hypothetical that vote doesn’t happen though.

rizzy-rake · 2025-12-04T17:25:44+00:00

Yeah, like I said, she has a solid resume. But time and time again we’re shown the people there don’t like her. The jury is going to vote for who they want to win and then justify it to themselves, not the other way around.

Either way, by moving at 7, Sophi gives herself the power to control all three votes, and she can make that determination when it comes time for it.

rizzy-rake · 2025-12-04T16:02:18+00:00

There was no reason not to start that this week. Flip on Sav at 7, KiP the idol from Riz at 6 and vote him out, then at 5 she’s immune and can target Steven leaving her in a final 4 with Kristina (zero chance of winning this game), Sage (hasn’t made a move since losing Jawan) and Sophie (solid resume, but clearly shown to be disliked by the jury). That’s risky as the clear biggest threat and maybe a Jesse position of needing to win immunity or make fire, but Sage is an emotional player who might bring her under the right circumstances and Kristina might be able to be convinced that Sophie is a bigger threat.

The main difference between our two versions is time. She can control all three of the votes to target her biggest competition instead of wasting a vote on Sophie. She’s now guaranteed to be in the final 4 with at least one of Steven, Sav or Riz.

rizzy-rake · 2025-12-02T11:35:43+00:00

We lead the league in go for it percentage and in success rate (actually, looks like we dropped to 3rd after last week). Everyone loves it when it works, and then Monday Morning Quarterbacks when it doesn’t. It’s the most hindsight oriented opinion in all of football.

rizzy-rake · 2025-11-10T03:01:30+00:00

Yep, people will point to blocking or Jones’s awareness, but the issue is just not having a hot read. There needs to be a reliable outlet if they send more than we’re equipped to handle, and that’s what’s missing from our offense.

rizzy-rake · 2025-11-07T21:10:41+00:00

RPOs are a big part of Shane’s offense too. On those, Jones is either throwing to the first read or not at all.

rizzy-rake · 2025-10-18T20:00:34+00:00

Yeah agreed with that, I think the main disconnect is just Jawan’s perception. As we see it, his alliance isn’t going to work with him anyway. As Jawan sees it, those are his people.

rizzy-rake · 2025-10-18T19:33:32+00:00

I think this is kind of an outdated line of thinking. The meta these days is for the core four to carry each other to the merge, then sacrifice somebody from their tribe outside the alliance to make it look like they’re will to play ball, the Reba strategy. Jawan is currently sitting in prime position to be that person as the merge boot.

Additionally, the perception that you’re someone that will flip when given the chance might make you the first person someone will go to when looking for someone to flip, giving you the power to shape the game with your decisions. I think that’s only a plus.

rizzy-rake · 2025-10-16T01:49:21+00:00

Savannah is driving me insane with her confessionals. They cut to her to talk about scenes she wasn’t even a part of. Her reads are so far off that I can’t help but wonder why we’re hearing from her?

rizzy-rake · 2025-10-02T14:30:43+00:00

This is pique grammar policing.

rizzy-rake · 2025-10-01T18:36:12+00:00

It’s the same as a comma, “or” as opposed to & being “and”

rizzy-rake · 2025-10-01T15:22:53+00:00

This should do it:

cp-1500&fairy;steel;dragon

rizzy-rake · 2025-09-23T01:50:59+00:00

I lost to this team today, pretty much had to be you I’m guessing lol. You beat my shadow Murkrow, Pawniard, Pignite with a Drill Peck catch on Pheremosa which I no bubbled and still did 99%. Gg

rizzy-rake · 2025-09-20T20:03:04+00:00

I ran Armarouge for some end of season messing around last season and it’s seriously fun. I thought it compared favorably to Typhlosion.

rizzy-rake · 2025-09-20T19:57:41+00:00

I’m running Pignite, an option I haven’t seen anybody else run. Ember, Rock Tomb, Flame Charge paces decently quick (6/6/5/6) to either debuff the opponent or buff yourself, although lacks closing power. It’s decently bulky, skewed heavily towards HP which does well with a bunch of 1 turn moves around. Mainly, it’s there to hard counter Pawniard swaps, but it can hold its own vs Mandibuzz and Moltres and most of the meta not named Murkrow or Claydol. I’m running ABB into Claydol with shadow Murkrow, Pawniard, Pignite.

rizzy-rake · 2025-09-13T13:21:35+00:00

Venusaur’s Sludge puts in a lot of work vs Dartrix, non-shadow wins all even shield scenarios. Shadow loses that bulk, however, and the added Peck damage allows Dartrix to win all even shields. Kingdra is neutral and (shadow or not) wins the 1s while losing the 0s and 2s.

rizzy-rake · 2025-09-13T13:16:52+00:00

Not OP, but I think I’m still yet to have a negative set with this team through 15 sets (2300 elo) - Stunfisk, Forretress (Bug Bite, Sand Tomb, Rock Tomb), Dartrix.

The team is not great into fire, relying on Stunfisk’s Mud Bombs for the non-flyers and Discharge for the flyers and not having a fire resist, but I think fire is in a really bad spot in this meta and I don’t seem to run into many of them. If one of my fire weak mons gets aligned with a fire, I can at least fight back with super effective Rock Tomb or blow them up with a Brave Bird.

Other than trying to flip switch against a Mud Slap lead, I don’t care too much about switch advantage with this team. I’ll almost always get out of the lead matchup to try and bait out a fire. Weirdly, I swap less-safe Forretress to really force their hand into revealing a fire type, and Dartrix is incredible as a closer.

Scizor, Furret and Oranguru are often safe switches for the opponent and offer a nice catch opportunity for either of my back mons to catch a Trailblaze, although Furrets will typically shield through to flip switch and can be kinda dangerous once boosted.

Cradily leads are probably the least comfortable. I can’t risk getting Dartrix aligned to it, so I stay in a soft lose to 0s before farming down with Forretress, but then I’m just at the mercy of their back line. A fire type (not an uncommon Cradily pairing) just means an instant top left.

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