Welcome to the Swampland(A Semi-Hyper Offensive Monotype RMT)

[Hymdall]

Greetings folks! I've been super hooked on Monotype lately, and while Ice is by far my favorite Type, Poison is the one I've had the most success with by far. A versatile type with powerful offensive, defensive, and bulky threats, Poison isn't a type you want to take lightly. Given that this team is a Monotype, take note that some threats listed might be Ubers elsewhere, but perfectly legal in Monotype.

Let's get started, shall we? First, the team building process.

When you're building any monotype team, your first question should always be "Should I use a Mega Evolution or not?" It's perfectly viable that your answer can be no, but in this case, the answer is most assuredly yes. Poison has access to two incredibly powerful and useful Mega Evolutions: Mega Venusaur and Mega Beedrill. I personally decided on Mega Venusaur as Beedrill is a bit too frail for the heavily offensive monotype metagame. Mega Venusaur also heavily trounces Mono Water, Grass, and gives Mono Ghost quite the hard time.

Team: Mega Venusaur.

Poison's hugest and most devastating weakness aside from Ground is Psychic. There are approximately 2 Poison types that reliably can stay in on most Psychic types: Tentacruel, and my personal choice, Drapion. Drapion's Dark/Poison typing makes it an absolute MUST on Poison monotypes due to its immunity to Psychic. Drapion's stat line isn't that bad either, hosting an incredibly respective 70/110/75 defensive line, with access to Swords Dance and Whirlwind, it makes a good Specially Defensive wall or a surprisingly powerful sweeper.

Team: Mega Venusaur, Drapion

At this point I still needed something that was immune to Ground, as well as some support and power. Mega Venusaur and Drapion are great, but neither is really gonna appreciate a +2 Bullet Punch from Scizor, Mega or otherwise. This is where Weezing comes in. Weezing is bulky, it's defensive, has access to Will o Wisp AND Haze/Clear Smog(I personally prefer Haze due to it ignoring subs and not being useless against Steel types), and has the all important ability of LEVITATE. Immunity to ground, a usage of burns and the removal of boosts make Weezing a fantastic partner. However, my team still lacks a reliable physical punch, even with Drapion. As such I chose another staple on Poison to give me another immunity to Ground, as well as a momentum grabber. I of course refer to the fastest non-mega Poison type, Crobat. A blistering 130 base speed outspeeds pretty much everything under the sun, and Infiltrator flat out ignores just about everything I care for, punching holes with Brave Bird, U-turn, Cross Poison, and a variety of other interesting options. Crobat also doubles as a hazard remover should I choose to run it that way.

Team: Mega Venusaur, Drapion, Weezing, Crobat

Finally, I wanted to round out my speed and power with a couple more devastating special attackers. I didn't really need hazards on this team as I feel monotype is a meta where hazards can be dead more often than not. Poison has a decent matchup vs Flying and Ice is arguably one of Poison's worst matchups, as is Fire. Due to this, I needed a couple of wallbreakers that could handle those types as well as just punch holes through the things Poison needs them too. To this end I decided on Nidoking and Gengar, two of the best special attackers at Poison's disposal. With Nidoking I also receive some nifty and oft unexpected priority with Sucker Punch, and Gengar makes Ghost an even BETTER matchup for Poison, despite Ghost's natural resistance. With that, our team of 6 is finally built.

Team: Mega Venusaur, Drapion, Weezing, Crobat, Nidoking, Gengar.

On to the sets.

Drapion @ Life Orb
Ability: Sniper
EVs: 164 HP / 92 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Poison Jab
- Knock Off
- Swords Dance
- Taunt

Let's start with the Pokemon most of you are probably the least familiar with, and my only immunity to Psychic, Drapion. I'm using the Bulky Swords Dance set, mostly to take advantage of the earlier mentioned fantastic natural bulk Drapion has. This set can generally live any non-STAB EQ, as well as an unboosted Flare Blitz from Adamant Mega Zard X at full. The max speed also allows me to outspeed neutral nature base 100s and Taunt them if applicable. At +2, Knock Off is going to be the move you click most often except against Fairy. It'll be an OHKO on pretty much everything that doesn't resist it/isn't horrifically physically defensive, assuming they have an item. There is an argument somewhere that Poison Jab should be replaced by Earthquake, but the fantastic neutral coverage that STAB Knock Off provides is usually enough. Of note, here is a small proof of concept about Adamant Zard X vs this set

252+ Atk Tough Claws Mega Charizard X Flare Blitz vs. 160 HP / 0 Def Drapion: 264-312 (82.2 - 97.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

+2 96 Atk Life Orb Drapion Poison Jab vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Mega Charizard X: 208-246 (70 - 82.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

You are in fact trading here, but trading a Drapion for a Mega Charizard X is entirely worth it most of the time.

Nidoking @ Life Orb
Ability: Sheer Force
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Earth Power
- Sludge Wave
- Ice Beam/Fire Blast
- Sucker Punch

Next up is Nidoking. It's your box standard Nidoking set, frankly. Max Speed and Special attack for your offense, with the last 4 in Attack and a Naive nature to ensure Sucker Punch hits as hard as possible. Earth Power and Sludge Wave hit ridiculously hard with Sheer Force and Life Orb, and Sucker Punch picks off weakened targets as well as bops cheeky Psychic and Ghost types trying to get the jump on you. The choice of Ice Beam vs Fire Blast is up to you: Do you want to incinerate Scizor/Ferrothorn, or do you want to nail Dragonite and the like? Other than that, there's not much to say about Nidoking here.

Venusaur @ Venusaurite
Ability: Chlorophyll
EVs: 232 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 20 Spe

Modest Nature
- Giga Drain
- Sludge Bomb
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Synthesis

Venusaur is an interesting mon on Poison, especially its Mega Form. Granted the ungodly ability of Thick Fat upon Mega Evolution, Venusaur is a defensive powerhouse with offensive edge. I choose to run the offensive set here to beat out the cheeky stall teams that tend to run around. Giga Drain and Sludge Bomb are your STAB, HP Fire nails Scizor/Ferrothorn/Steel types in general, and Synthesis gives you extra reliable recovery in case Giga Drain doesn't cut it as well as easing prediction somewhat. Of note to think of: Be wary of things with Mold Breaker, mainly Mega Gyarados on offensive Water teams. A +1 Ice Fang WILL in fact hurt. Mold Breaker will ignore your Thick Fat and make you a sad plant dinosaur.

Crobat @ Choice Band
Ability: Infiltrator
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Brave Bird
- U-turn
- Cross Poison
- Pursuit

Choice Banded Crobat is a nightmare. Brave Bird hits ridiculously hard, U-turn provides the necessary switch advantage, Cross Poison is my alternative STAB, and Pursuit is a niche option I've been trying out lately to ease my matchup against Psychic. Most Psychic teams will back Slowbro as a physical wall and switch out whatever is in against Crobat right into Slowbro. Most Psychic types will then fall to the Pursuit, netting me an easy kill and a free switch into my Mega Venusaur on the Slowbro. The sheer power of a Banded Brave Bird is not to be underestimated, just be wary of the amount of recoil you will be taking.

Gengar @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Shadow Ball
- Sludge Wave
- Destiny Bond
- Focus Blast

Life Orb Gengar is probably my favorite set, given how hard and fast it hits. Shadow Ball and Sludge Wave are your main STABs of choice, with Shadow Ball being amazing neutral typing and hitting ridiculously hard. Focus Blast nails Bisharp on the switch, and Destiny Bond is there for when Gengar has fulfilled its use or in an emergency(I.E a non-scarfed non boosted outrage from Dragonite/Zard X/Haxorus). Gengar isn't going to be switching in to much, so you're gonna have to play aggressively to get it in. Bring it into predicted Earthquakes or weak non-STAB special attacks, as Gengar's special defense stat isn't quite as bad as you might think. After that, go nuts and start spamming your STABs. Be wary of priority, choice scarves, and things that outspeed and OHKO you such as Mega Lopunny, and you should be just fine.

Weezing @ Black Sludge
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpA
Bold Nature
- Will-O-Wisp
- Haze
- Fire Blast
- Pain Split

Introducing: The Wall. Weezing is a physically defensive NIGHTMARE, and my chief answer to things like Mega Scizor, physical Aegislash, physical Genesect, Mega Mawile, Azumarill, opposing Crobat, Haxorus....If it's a physical attacker, there's a chance that this Weezing WILL beat it 1v1. It won't be pretty and it won't be quick, but you will do it. Will O Wisp burns physical attackers to halve their offensive presence, Haze neutralizes all the boosts they've acquired(Looking at YOU Weakness Policy Aegislash!), Fire Blast nets the 2HKO on Genesect, Scizor(mega or otherwise), Mega Mawile, Aegislash outside of Shield Forme, and a few niche Grass types, and Pain Split is of course your way of recovery outside of the Black Sludge. Be wary of Pain Split as you will probably have more HP than your opponent, with 172 HP at level 50, and 374 at level 100, meaning your 50% and they're 50% might just end with you giving THEM health back. The goal here with Weezing is to switch into a boosting move such as Swords Dance or Dragon Dance, click Haze or Will O wisp depending on the target, and then follow up with the other move. You'll have to play carefully with Lum Berries, as this team lacks any other way of reliably inflicting a status. In that case, your best option is to immediately Haze and try to win that way. Play smart, and you should be fine.

Threats to the team: CHOICE SCARF. Any viable user of Choice Scarf can be a massive issue to this team. Excadrill from Ground and Steel, Latios in Psychic and Dragon, Victini in Fire and Psychic, the list goes on and on and on. The trick is using your switchins wisely to either use Levitate or Crobat's flying type to dodge a ground move without Mold Breaker, a Psychic move with Drapion's Dark typing, or a plethora of other ways this team deals with threats like that. The number one rule when dealing with Choice Scarves on this team is to ALWAYS RESPECT THE SCARF. They will be faster than you, just accept this fact. Play smart, play well, and you should be fine.

Mega Charizard X: Mega Zard X is a damned monster. It's nearly impossible to actually counter this beast, even when you dedicate a team slot to it. If Zard X sets up a DDance, you'd best hope Weezing can survive. Also if it's Adamant, and you have Drapion at full in against a neutral Zard X, you DO outspeed and can taunt to prevent the DDance. Bulky Zard X is less of an issue as Gengar outspeeds and 2HKOs with Sludge Wave, and Nidoking absolutely demoralizes it with Earth Power.

Specially Defensive Mew: I'll be frank: I lose to this thing. I lose to this thing really really badly. I have approximately one option against this thing, and that's get Drapion in and avoid the will o wisp, Taunt it, set up an SD, and hope to god I can kill with Knock Off. I recently participated in a few monotype Tournaments over in Showdown's monotype room, and normally I can do pretty okay against Psychic. But if they had this thing I flat out lost 99% of the time. It's such a devastating mon for my team as it can stall out Gengar if it's Max/Max(252 hp/252 sp.def)with Roost, can Knock Off my item, burn my Drapion....This thing is just bloody annoying.

There are a few other threats, but I want to see what you guys think of the team. I've done a few battles with this team, and while I haven't piloted it to as much success as my Mono Water team back when Greninja was still legal, it's still a lot of fun to play, and an absolute blast to crush all the dreams of Steel teams who think they can come into MY house, and wall my team.

Edited August 16, 2015 by Ssbmfreak36

[Tomas Elliot]

Are you sure Drapion alone is enough for the Psychic match-up? I mean it is literally six vs one, they are going to slowly but inevitable wear it down, and then what are you going to do? So yeah, IMO you'd be wise to include another Pokemon that can help with the Psychic match-up... Have you ever considered Speed Boost Scolipede? After a boost or two (you can rack up those by sending it out against something slower that fears the Megahorn, use Swords Dance on the switch, and then use Protect on the next turn) you can outspeed most Pokemon in existance, even most scarfers in fact, thus solving your speed problems... Since the guy is a physical sweeper, I'd run it over Crobat (it is neutral to Ground, so this change doesn't make the Ground match-up worse), with max Atk, Max Spe, Jolly nature, Swords Dance, Protect, Megahorn and Earthquake for coverage (you don't need the Poison STAB in a Poison monotype, you already win the Fairy match up with Nidoking alone), so that the mighty insect doesn't become a complete sitting duck in the Steel match up (incidentally, your current set for Crobat IS a complete sitting duck in the Steel match up, so yeah, all the more reason to consider this change).

Oh, and this change makes it so that Nidoking doesn't need Sucker Punch anymore, meaning you can run BOTH Ice Beam AND Fire Blast, which helps immensely your team because it gives you a solid out to BOTH the Ground and the Steel match ups, instead of forcing you to choose either (because yes, you NEED Fire Blast to be able to consider Nido an out to the Steel match up, damn Skarmory).

And I would recommend using Venusaur as a full-blown special wall, with Leech Seed, Sleep Powder, Giga Drain and Synthesis, because such a set wins matches alone (literally: it never dies, so people quit out of frustration), and helps immensely in some specific match ups, not to mention the great synergy it has with your other wall.

Overall this is a solid team, give the changes I suggested a try and I am sure it will get even better. And kudos for reviving the RMT section

[Hymdall]

Are you sure Drapion alone is enough for the Psychic match-up? I mean it is literally six vs one, they are going to slowly but inevitable wear it down, and then what are you going to do? So yeah, IMO you'd be wise to include another Pokemon that can help with the Psychic match-up... Have you ever considered Speed Boost Scolipede? After a boost or two (you can rack up those by sending it out against something slower that fears the Megahorn, use Swords Dance on the switch, and then use Protect on the next turn) you can outspeed most Pokemon in existance, even most scarfers in fact, thus solving your speed problems... Since the guy is a physical sweeper, I'd run it over Crobat (it is neutral to Ground, so this change doesn't make the Ground match-up worse), with max Atk, Max Spe, Jolly nature, Swords Dance, Protect, Megahorn and Earthquake for coverage (you don't need the Poison STAB in a Poison monotype, you already win the Fairy match up with Nidoking alone), so that the mighty insect doesn't become a complete sitting duck in the Steel match up (incidentally, your current set for Crobat IS a complete sitting duck in the Steel match up, so yeah, all the more reason to consider this change).

Oh, and this change makes it so that Nidoking doesn't need Sucker Punch anymore, meaning you can run BOTH Ice Beam AND Fire Blast, which helps immensely your team because it gives you a solid out to BOTH the Ground and the Steel match ups, instead of forcing you to choose either (because yes, you NEED Fire Blast to be able to consider Nido an out to the Steel match up, damn Skarmory).

And I would recommend using Venusaur as a full-blown special wall, with Leech Seed, Sleep Powder, Giga Drain and Synthesis, because such a set wins matches alone (literally: it never dies, so people quit out of frustration), and helps immensely in some specific match ups, not to mention the great synergy it has with your other wall.

Overall this is a solid team, give the changes I suggested a try and I am sure it will get even better. And kudos for reviving the RMT section

To be honest Scolipede over Crobat has been a change I've been debating for the longest time. I like Choice Band Crobat a lot, but a fair share of times it is dead, as you say. Brave Bird does hit neutral on two common steel types(Scizor and Ferrothorn), but other than that I click U-turn and just get momentum. Scolipede might also help a SLIGHT bit against Sp.Def Mew, as a +2 Megahorn is GOING to hurt.

I don't quite agree with the Venusaur switch, mainly due to my own playstyle. I personally can't stand stall, and what that Venusaur set does is also lose to Psychic and Fire HARD, particularly things like Mega Charizard X, Victini, and most of all, Jirachi. If Jirachi packs Zen Headbutt, that Venusaur is dead. I can see where you're coming from here, and I may try it eventually, but stall unfortunately just isn't my type of playstyle.

As for the Sucker Punch removal if I include Scolipede, there's actually a decent chance I still run Sucker Punch. This team lacks any form of priority otherwise, and Sucker Punch is a move that most people tend to forget Nidoking can get. I might give it a shot, like everything else, just to see how it works. Poison's an interesting type with just how versatile it is. Unfortunately one of my favorites, Venomoth, became unviable due to the recent change to the Baton Pass clause, but that won't stop me from trying to figure out something. Much obliged for the advice man!