[Spooky Cup] Sample sets and cores

[Spyro190]

This week Pokèmon Forever's staff announced the Spooky Cup Tournament that will start on Saturday the 28th of October @7pm BST. The participans can use the following three weeks to prepare their teams in order to try to beat all their opponents. What to use? What not to use? What to be prepared for? I'm here to explain you all what you need to know.

First of all, keep in mind that the tour will be played in BSD, but MEs are banned and you will have to choose your party's members between the only 153 pokèmon allowed. There you can see the complete list:

Now we remove the useless ones:

There are still 97 pokèmon, but obvly between them there are some wimps. A second cut is needed.

Those are the pokèmon that should be used in this competition, at least imo. Here are some cores.

Volcarona+Oricorio

Volcarona @ Firium Z  
Ability: Flame Body 
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe  
Timid Nature  
IVs: 0 Atk  
- Heat Wave  
- Bug Buzz  
- Quiver Dance  
- Protect  

Oricorio-Sensu @ Focus Sash  
Ability: Dancer  
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe  
Timid Nature  
IVs: 0 Atk  
- Revelation Dance  
- Hurricane  
- Baton Pass  
- Protect

Never played Dance Party? Don't mind, there is always a first time for everything. Just setup twice with a single move and then choose when you'll use Baton Pass. Oricorio-Sensu is preferred to Pa'u thanks to its Revelation Dance wich hits well Chandelure, Volcarona's main problem, while the Sun pokèmon can destroy Dark types with Bug Buzz.

Sableye+Crobat

Sableye @ Figy Berry  
Ability: Prankster 
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpD / 4 Spe  
Calm Nature  
IVs: 0 Atk  
- Gravity  
- Will-O-Wisp  
- Snarl  
- Recover  

Crobat @ Mago Berry  
Ability: Inner Focus/Infiltrator
EVs: 244 HP / 4 Atk / 4 Def / 4 SpD / 252 Spe  
Jolly Nature  
- Hypnosis  
- Acrobatics  
- Super Fang  
- Protect

Yep, the fastest pokèmon allowed can spam Hypnosis with 100% Accuracy even through Substitute. Should I say something else?

Pikachu+Murkrow

Pikachu @ Light Ball  
Ability: Lightning Rod  
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe  
Timid Nature  
- Fake Out/Nuzzle
- Thunderbolt  
- Hidden Power [Ice]  
- Protect  

Murkrow @ Eviolite  
Ability: Prankster  
EVs: 244 HP / 188 Def / 64 SpD / 12 Spe  
Bold Nature  
IVs: 0 Atk  
- Foul Play/Snarl
- Roost  
- Taunt/Whirlwind
- Tailwind/Quash  

Pikachu is an amazing threat to be always prepared for wich boost its poor SpA thanks to Light Ball, becaming one of the most dangerous pokèmon allowed in SC. It has nearly perfect coverage with HP Ice, as BoltBeam is resisted just by AMarowak and Rotom-H. It has even an useful ability and utility moves such as Fake Out and Nuzzle. Murkrow loves Lighting Road's effect and helps vs AMarowak with Foul Play or Rotom-H with Snarl. Eviolite+Roost give a bit of staying power, while its movepool is full of support options. This spread allows Murkrow to survive AMarowak's Flare Blitz and outspeed max Spe Sableye.

Misdreavus+Golurk

Misdreavus @ Eviolite  
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 236 HP / 76 Def / 196 SpD  
Calm Nature  
IVs: 0 Atk  
- Imprison  
- Trick Room  
- Shadow Ball  
- Pain Split/Protect

Golurk @ Groundium Z/Colbur Berry 
Ability: Iron Fist/No Guard
EVs: 196 HP / 252 Atk / 12 Def / 44 SpD / 4 Spe
Adamant Nature  
- Earthquake  
- Shadow Punch  
- Hammer Arm/Power-Up Punch/Dynamic Punch
- Protect  

While Mismagius is often considered the poor version of Gengar its prevolution can be a great Imprisoner wich make opponent's TR and Shadow Ball unusable. Thanks to Eviolite and this spread it can survive Specs Chandelure's Shadow Ball. Levitate is the perfect ability to pair this pokèmon with a Ground type, as it will take nothing from its EQ. And here Golurk comes: enough fast to outspeed entire heavy TR teams but even slow to benefit from TR when needed, weak to the common Shadow Ball and ready to spam EQ. Both Groundium Z and Colbur Berry are useful to reduce Knock Off's damage, but the first one provides sheer power while the second one also weakens Sucker Punch. The choice of the move in the third slot isn't easy: Hammer Arm reduce Imprison's effectiveness, but Dynamic Punch remove Iron Fist's boost from Shadow Punch (because it needs No Guard to be used) and PuP doesn't inflict damage at all. This spread allows Golurk to outlive Oricorio-Sensu's Revelation Dance, wich is practically the only special Ghost STAB apart from Shadow Ball.

Lycanrock+Volcarona

Lycanroc @ Choice Band/Chioce Scarf 
Ability: Steadfast
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe  
Jolly Nature  
- Stone Edge  
- Rock Slide  
- Crunch  
- Accelerock/Rock Tomb 

Volcarona @ Firium Z  
Ability: Flame Body   
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe  
Timid Nature  
IVs: 0 Atk  
- Heat Wave  
- Bug Buzz  
- Quiver Dance  
- Protect  

Rock is an amazing typing in SC, as the only viable pokèmon (imo) wich resist it are Aegislash, Mawile, Golurk, Krookodile and Toxicroak. Volcarona beats them all, so it's obvly one of the best patner for Lycanrock. With a Choice Band it can destroy opposite's team spamming its STABs (including Accelerock, a priority move wich hits hardly Crobat, Salazzle and Weavile) while the Choice Scarf is more suitable for a "support" role, as a fast Rock Slide is what you need to take out Crobat or Volcarona after Quiver Dance. Rock Tomb can be funny vs impreparate opponents, while Crunch is a nice coverage move.

Malamar+Dusclops

Malamar @ Psychium Z  
Ability: Contrary
EVs: 4 HP / 236 Atk / 36 Def / 4 SpD / 228 Spe  
Jolly Nature  
- Knock Off  
- Psycho Cut  
- Superpower  
- Protect  

Dusclops @ Eviolite  
Ability: Frisk
EVs: 252 HP / 180 Def / 76 SpD  
Bold Nature  
IVs: 0 Atk  
- Trick Room  
- Imprison  
- Bulldoze  
- Pain Split  

Bulldoze+Contrary: get it. Malamar can hit hard almost everything in SC with its STABs, and the sheer power lacking is given by Superpower and Psychium Z. Dusclops is the perfect team mate, as it can boost its Spe with Bulldoze (reducing at the same time opponent's non-grounded pokèmon's ones) or simply set TR when more effective. Imprison stops what it has to stop in order not to make unuseful Bulldoze, while Pain Slit is its only form of recovery. With those spreads Malamar outspeeds Crobat after Bulldoze and isn't OHKOed by its U-Turn (if Crobat's not Banded) while Dusclops outlives Specs Chandelure's Shadow Ball.

Chandelure+Zoroark

Chandelure @ Choice Scarf  
Ability: Flash Fire/Infiltrator  
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe  
Timid Nature  
IVs: 0 Atk  
- Shadow Ball  
- Heat Wave  
- Overheat  
- Trick  

Zoroark @ Fightinium Z  
Ability: Illusion
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe  
Timid Nature  
IVs: 0 Atk  
- Dark Pulse/Night Daze
- Focus Blast  
- Sludge Bomb/Roar/Nasty Plot
- Detect

Chandelure has the highest SpA in SC and when using Choice Scarf it's even more scary. Its STABs are resisted just by Hydreigon and Incineroar, both OHKOed (when lacking AV/Chople Berry) by Zoroark's A-OP. The reason to pair these guys is that both try to deceive your opponent, as Chandelure is usually used as slow TR setter and Zoroark can use Illusion to seem a TR abuser, such as Araquanid or Golurk. Night Daze can be used instead of Dark Pulse to inflict more damage, but it has a less useful secondary effect and nullify Illusion when Zoroark is disguised as a pokèmon wich can use the first choice. Sludge Bomb hits Fairy as hard as possible, but it's not always needed because Shadow Ball+Focus Blast is a perfect combo. Roar is an anti-TR measure, while Nasty Plot turns Zoroark in a deadly sweeper.

Hydreigon+Gliscor

Hydreigon @ Dragonium Z/Focus Sash/Yache Berry
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe  
Timid Nature  
IVs: 0 Atk  
- Draco Meteor  
- Dark Pulse  
- Flamethrower  
- Protect

Gliscor @ Toxic Orb  
Ability: Poison Heal
EVs: 212 HP / 4 Atk / 92 Def / 196 SpD / 4 Spe  
Careful Nature  
- Tailwind  
- Taunt  
- Protect  
- Earthquake

Its type gives Hydreigon a lot of useful resistances, but even a couple of STABs wich almost nobody resists in SC. All what it need is Speed control: Gliscor provides both Tailwind and Taunt to get rid of TR setters wich rely on Eviolite to avoid OHKO from Hydreigon, while the others usually can't outlive Dark Pulse/Devastating Drake. EQ can be spammed freely thanks to Levitate, while Protect+Toxic Orb provide both a recovery form and immunity to Hypnosis and WoW. Flamethrower hits very well Mawile and Shiinotic, while Weavile and Granbull can be handled with Focus Sash or Yache Berry. Gliscor's EVs spread maximizes Poison Heal's effect, allows to avoid OHKO from Scarf Rotom-W's Hydro Pump and gives good possibilities not to be killed by Band Weavile's Ice Shard.

Feel free to reply with the sets you're going to use (or not, to confuse your opponents :P ) or those you've already discarded. This post will be progressively updated with new cores of mine and yours best ones. The sets of the pokèmon wich are only in the first image will be ignored, and anyhow if the involved pokèmon aren't between the 53 best ones you should prove their viability adding the replay of a battle in wich they show how their sets work.

[Kris]

I'm just going to use Pokemon I think are cool. Not there to win I'm there for a good time.

[0kamii]

@Kris

I think I'm going to do a mix of both. Winning would be fun, but there's no fun in winning unless you use the pokémon you love.

- 0kamii

[PerchPond]

*Saloon doors swing open as Taunt the Dreaded enters*

[wartty]

@Spyro190 Always so helpful lol I made a nearly identical list for myself xD except I included Weezing Krookodile Decidueye and Bruxish and excluded Shiftry Cacturne and Raticate, kinda out of personal experience. I'm trying to make a choice specs scrappy Exploud work with the lack of rock and steel types in this format but he's just so.... Awkward.... Dont worry he wasn't on my viable list xP


Ugh that crobat sableye core looks annoying........

[Kris]

Well said @0kamii

[Kris]

I might just bring my Hustle Band Raticate to mess with people @wartty lol

[PerchPond]

(Oct 7, 2017, 11:47 AM)wartty Wrote: @Spyro190 Always so helpful lol I made a nearly identical list for myself xD except I included Weezing Krookodile Decidueye and Bruxish and excluded Shiftry Cacturne and Raticate, kinda out of personal experience. I'm trying to make a choice specs scrappy Exploud work with the lack of rock and steel types in this format but he's just so.... Awkward.... Dont worry he wasn't on my viable list xP

@wartty U need Scrappy to hit the 50 Ghost types in the tournament, but u kinda wanna pair it with a ghost type in order to spam Boomburst #TheStruggle (Exploud the full-time BoomBoxDealer)

[PerchPond]

There's seriously sooo many different and fun strategies to run in this tournament, that are more or less viable of course

[RetroTyphlosion]

I like that Crobat.... hehehe...