Introduction:
This is my first post at Smogon, although I have been reading the forums for several years. I played 4th Gen on and off, and I just recently started playing 5th Gen. I tried a stall team, but it was ineffective and I didn't really like it. This team has had much more success, and it peaked at 1277 on the Smogon server. That's certainly not incredible, but it's the best any of my teams have ever done. I'm posting the team here because I think there are some areas that could be improved with the help of more experienced people.
Team Building Process:
I wanted to build this team around a pokemon that I like, so I chose one of my favorites from 5th gen, Krookodile. I decided to use a choice scarf set because it seemed to be the most effective option.
Next, I looked for a pokemon that would benefit from having ghost and psychic types removed. I picked bulk up Conkeldurr.
Since my first two pokemon were physical attackers, I needed a special attacker. One special attacker who works well with Conkeldurr is Volcarona, because Conkeldurr can remove special walls like Blissey in order for it to sweep.
I knew that if I was using Volcarona, I would need a rapid spinner. I picked Starmie because it would allow me to keep the offensive theme. It also attracts pokemon that Volcarona can set up on, like Ferrothorn.
I had heard that para-shuffler Dragonite was a very good pokemon. I decided to try it because my sweepers seemed like they would benefit from paralysis support.
Finally, I wanted a stealth rock user, as well as wish support. I decided to use Jirachi, because it gave me both those things. It also gave me some useful resistances thanks to its steel typing.
Now, even though I originally built the team with Krookodile in mind, it just wasn't working that well. I replaced him with a Quagsire because it seemed to beat most of my threats.
The Team: (Changes in Bold)
Jirachi @ Leftovers
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 HP / 224 SpD / 32 Spe
Careful nature (+SDef, -SAtk)
- Wish
- U-turn
- Stealth Rock
- Ice Punch
Jirachi is my stealth rocker and wish supporter. I often lead with it to get rocks up as early as possible and then u-turn out. Wish is there to heal other pokemon or to get volcarona in when there are stealth rocks up. This is usually my counter to dragons like Latios, which is why I run ice punch. I switch it in on draco meteors aimed at my conkeldurr or dragonite and proceed to ice punch or u-turn if I think they are going to switch. I have switched to a more specially based EV spread, suggegsted by LK, but I may add a little bit more physical bulk so it can take on gliscor better. This pokemon has been working well for me, but I do think that it can be improved.
Conkeldurr @ Leftovers
Ability: Guts
EVs: 120 HP / 252 Atk / 136 SDef
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Bulk Up
- Drain Punch
- Mach Punch
- Stone Edge
This is the standard Conkeldurr set. Bulk up to raise its already high attack as well as its defense, allowing it to take some hits. Drain punch is great for recovering health and mach punch finishes off weakened pokemon that are faster. I run stone edge over payback because I have Krookodile to take care of ghosts. Also, stone edge comes in handy for hitting things like Gyrados that think they can come in for free. One thing I like to do is use stone edge when I predict they are going to switch in something like Tornadus. Of course, that's when stone edge always seems to miss. Conkeldurr is very effective when Dragonite has paralyzed a good number of my opponents pokemon. Being able to move first and use drain punch helps a lot because I can heal before they attack me. This pokemon also works well with Krookodile because Krookodile can remove the ghost and psychic pokemon, such as Reuniclus, that would stop Conkeldurr. So far, he has worked very well for my team.
Starmie @ Life Orb
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Hydro Pump
- Ice Beam
- Thunderbolt
- Rapid Spin
Starmie is my rapid spinner and special attacker. I needed a rapid spinner so that Volcarona could be effective. I use the standard rapid spin set except with three attacking moves. I rarely find myself in a position where I could safely use recover with Starmie, so it is more helpful to have as much coverage as possible. Ice beam helps kill dragons, as well as grass types like Breloom. Thunderbolt is for bulky waters, who my team have some problems with. Hydro pump is for the most power possible. So far, Starmie has been pretty average. It usually never does much more than clear the entry hazards, but there are times when its type coverage comes in handy. It works very well with Volcarona, clearing the rocks that cripple it. Starmie also lures out Ferrothorn, which Volcarona can set up on. Because Starmie has been ineffective at times, I have considered switching it for something like rapid spin Cloyster, which would be able to take hits much easier. I am trying life orb on Starmie because it needed more power, and it wasn't really taking any hits even with leftovers.
Dragonite @ Leftovers
Ability: Multi-Scale
EVs: 244 HP / 252 SDef / 12 Spd
Careful Nature (+SDef, -SAtk)
- Dragon Tail
- Roost
- Thunder Wave
- Substitute
This pokemon has been amazing. So many people are unprepared for it, especially at the lower levels. In fact, it beats so many pokemon that I often lead with it. Multi-scale is what makes it so amazing. When it is at full health, it can easily take a hit and paralyze the opponent. From there, I roost back to full health. I love when I roost to full health when my opponent uses an ice attack and watching it do pitiful amounts of damage. I usually use roost and substitute until my opponent's paralysis kicks in. Then, once I have a sub up, I start shuffling their team with dragon tail. Obviously, this works best when stealth rocks are up. The more pokemon I can paralyze with this, the easier time I will have sweeping later on. Dragonite has been simply amazing for me, and it has won me at least ten battles all by itself from ragequits by players who weren't prepared for it.
Quagsire@ Leftovers Ability: Unaware
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Def
Careful Nature (+SDef, -SAtk)
- Recover
- Yawn
- Earthquake
- Waterfall
This Quagsire replaced Krookodile because Krookodile just wasn't working that well for me. Unaware Quagsire beats many of the threats who previously gave my team problems, like Blazikin, Cloyster, and Excadrill. Recover is obvious-it's a great move for healing. I use yawn so that I can force out setup pokemon who Quagsire can't damage very well, like Reuniclus. Earthquake is for steels, and for other pokemon like Blazikin. Waterfall is for STAB and to hit most pokemon for at least neutral damage. I have also considered ice beam in order to hit dragons, but it wouldn't do much damage off his special attack. The EVs and nature may not be the best. I wanted him to take both physical and special attacks, so I gave him Careful and maxed out his defense EVs. This probably isn't the best spread though, so help with it would be appreciated.
Volcarona @ Leftovers
Ability: Flame Body
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Butterfly Dance
- Flame Dance
- Bug Buzz
- Hidden Power [Rock]
Volcarona is another pokemon that has worked very well for me. It can come in on many special attackers, as well as some weak physical ones, and set up with butterfly dance. After just one butterfly dance, it outspeeds most pokemon and can kill them with flame dance or bug buzz. I use flame dance because I don't like fire blast's accuracy. The additional special attack boosts are also welcome. STAB bug buzz is also very powerful and is usually used on grass, psychic, and bulky water pokemon. I recently switched hidden power ground to hidden power rock. I did this in order to hit things like Gyarados that like to switch in on me. I'm not completely sure if it will be better than ground, but there doesn't seem to be a consensus on which one is better. Volcarona has good synergy with the rest of my team, especially Starmie. Starmie spins away the rocks that Volcarona hates. It also lures out Ferrothorn, which Volcarona can set up on. I use lum berry partly because of the Ferrothorn who stay in on Volcarona and thunder wave it while it butterfly dances. I also use it because I have noticed that a lot of people try to beat Volcarona by statusing it. However, I am currently testing leftovers because it has been suggested by several people. Volcarona has worked very well for me, often sweeping my opponents team, or at least taking out one or two members. I have considered using a bulky or chestorest set, but the one I use now has been very effective, so I haven't changed it.
Conclusion:
Well, that's my team. I tried to follow all the rules in my post, but if I did anything wrong then let me know. This team has been very fun to play with, but it can definitely improve. A few pokemon that have given me problems are Breloom, Garchomp, Haxorus, Cloyster, Excadrill, Reuniclus, and Blazikin. Hopefully, my addition of Quagsire will help to beat most of those threats. All advice on this team is appreciated.
This is my first post at Smogon, although I have been reading the forums for several years. I played 4th Gen on and off, and I just recently started playing 5th Gen. I tried a stall team, but it was ineffective and I didn't really like it. This team has had much more success, and it peaked at 1277 on the Smogon server. That's certainly not incredible, but it's the best any of my teams have ever done. I'm posting the team here because I think there are some areas that could be improved with the help of more experienced people.
Team Building Process:
I wanted to build this team around a pokemon that I like, so I chose one of my favorites from 5th gen, Krookodile. I decided to use a choice scarf set because it seemed to be the most effective option.
Next, I looked for a pokemon that would benefit from having ghost and psychic types removed. I picked bulk up Conkeldurr.
Since my first two pokemon were physical attackers, I needed a special attacker. One special attacker who works well with Conkeldurr is Volcarona, because Conkeldurr can remove special walls like Blissey in order for it to sweep.
I knew that if I was using Volcarona, I would need a rapid spinner. I picked Starmie because it would allow me to keep the offensive theme. It also attracts pokemon that Volcarona can set up on, like Ferrothorn.
I had heard that para-shuffler Dragonite was a very good pokemon. I decided to try it because my sweepers seemed like they would benefit from paralysis support.
Finally, I wanted a stealth rock user, as well as wish support. I decided to use Jirachi, because it gave me both those things. It also gave me some useful resistances thanks to its steel typing.
Now, even though I originally built the team with Krookodile in mind, it just wasn't working that well. I replaced him with a Quagsire because it seemed to beat most of my threats.
The Team: (Changes in Bold)
Jirachi @ Leftovers
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 HP / 224 SpD / 32 Spe
Careful nature (+SDef, -SAtk)
- Wish
- U-turn
- Stealth Rock
- Ice Punch
Jirachi is my stealth rocker and wish supporter. I often lead with it to get rocks up as early as possible and then u-turn out. Wish is there to heal other pokemon or to get volcarona in when there are stealth rocks up. This is usually my counter to dragons like Latios, which is why I run ice punch. I switch it in on draco meteors aimed at my conkeldurr or dragonite and proceed to ice punch or u-turn if I think they are going to switch. I have switched to a more specially based EV spread, suggegsted by LK, but I may add a little bit more physical bulk so it can take on gliscor better. This pokemon has been working well for me, but I do think that it can be improved.
Conkeldurr @ Leftovers
Ability: Guts
EVs: 120 HP / 252 Atk / 136 SDef
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Bulk Up
- Drain Punch
- Mach Punch
- Stone Edge
This is the standard Conkeldurr set. Bulk up to raise its already high attack as well as its defense, allowing it to take some hits. Drain punch is great for recovering health and mach punch finishes off weakened pokemon that are faster. I run stone edge over payback because I have Krookodile to take care of ghosts. Also, stone edge comes in handy for hitting things like Gyrados that think they can come in for free. One thing I like to do is use stone edge when I predict they are going to switch in something like Tornadus. Of course, that's when stone edge always seems to miss. Conkeldurr is very effective when Dragonite has paralyzed a good number of my opponents pokemon. Being able to move first and use drain punch helps a lot because I can heal before they attack me. This pokemon also works well with Krookodile because Krookodile can remove the ghost and psychic pokemon, such as Reuniclus, that would stop Conkeldurr. So far, he has worked very well for my team.
Starmie @ Life Orb
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Hydro Pump
- Ice Beam
- Thunderbolt
- Rapid Spin
Starmie is my rapid spinner and special attacker. I needed a rapid spinner so that Volcarona could be effective. I use the standard rapid spin set except with three attacking moves. I rarely find myself in a position where I could safely use recover with Starmie, so it is more helpful to have as much coverage as possible. Ice beam helps kill dragons, as well as grass types like Breloom. Thunderbolt is for bulky waters, who my team have some problems with. Hydro pump is for the most power possible. So far, Starmie has been pretty average. It usually never does much more than clear the entry hazards, but there are times when its type coverage comes in handy. It works very well with Volcarona, clearing the rocks that cripple it. Starmie also lures out Ferrothorn, which Volcarona can set up on. Because Starmie has been ineffective at times, I have considered switching it for something like rapid spin Cloyster, which would be able to take hits much easier. I am trying life orb on Starmie because it needed more power, and it wasn't really taking any hits even with leftovers.
Dragonite @ Leftovers
Ability: Multi-Scale
EVs: 244 HP / 252 SDef / 12 Spd
Careful Nature (+SDef, -SAtk)
- Dragon Tail
- Roost
- Thunder Wave
- Substitute
This pokemon has been amazing. So many people are unprepared for it, especially at the lower levels. In fact, it beats so many pokemon that I often lead with it. Multi-scale is what makes it so amazing. When it is at full health, it can easily take a hit and paralyze the opponent. From there, I roost back to full health. I love when I roost to full health when my opponent uses an ice attack and watching it do pitiful amounts of damage. I usually use roost and substitute until my opponent's paralysis kicks in. Then, once I have a sub up, I start shuffling their team with dragon tail. Obviously, this works best when stealth rocks are up. The more pokemon I can paralyze with this, the easier time I will have sweeping later on. Dragonite has been simply amazing for me, and it has won me at least ten battles all by itself from ragequits by players who weren't prepared for it.
Quagsire@ Leftovers Ability: Unaware
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Def
Careful Nature (+SDef, -SAtk)
- Recover
- Yawn
- Earthquake
- Waterfall
This Quagsire replaced Krookodile because Krookodile just wasn't working that well for me. Unaware Quagsire beats many of the threats who previously gave my team problems, like Blazikin, Cloyster, and Excadrill. Recover is obvious-it's a great move for healing. I use yawn so that I can force out setup pokemon who Quagsire can't damage very well, like Reuniclus. Earthquake is for steels, and for other pokemon like Blazikin. Waterfall is for STAB and to hit most pokemon for at least neutral damage. I have also considered ice beam in order to hit dragons, but it wouldn't do much damage off his special attack. The EVs and nature may not be the best. I wanted him to take both physical and special attacks, so I gave him Careful and maxed out his defense EVs. This probably isn't the best spread though, so help with it would be appreciated.
Volcarona @ Leftovers
Ability: Flame Body
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Butterfly Dance
- Flame Dance
- Bug Buzz
- Hidden Power [Rock]
Volcarona is another pokemon that has worked very well for me. It can come in on many special attackers, as well as some weak physical ones, and set up with butterfly dance. After just one butterfly dance, it outspeeds most pokemon and can kill them with flame dance or bug buzz. I use flame dance because I don't like fire blast's accuracy. The additional special attack boosts are also welcome. STAB bug buzz is also very powerful and is usually used on grass, psychic, and bulky water pokemon. I recently switched hidden power ground to hidden power rock. I did this in order to hit things like Gyarados that like to switch in on me. I'm not completely sure if it will be better than ground, but there doesn't seem to be a consensus on which one is better. Volcarona has good synergy with the rest of my team, especially Starmie. Starmie spins away the rocks that Volcarona hates. It also lures out Ferrothorn, which Volcarona can set up on. I use lum berry partly because of the Ferrothorn who stay in on Volcarona and thunder wave it while it butterfly dances. I also use it because I have noticed that a lot of people try to beat Volcarona by statusing it. However, I am currently testing leftovers because it has been suggested by several people. Volcarona has worked very well for me, often sweeping my opponents team, or at least taking out one or two members. I have considered using a bulky or chestorest set, but the one I use now has been very effective, so I haven't changed it.
Conclusion:
Well, that's my team. I tried to follow all the rules in my post, but if I did anything wrong then let me know. This team has been very fun to play with, but it can definitely improve. A few pokemon that have given me problems are Breloom, Garchomp, Haxorus, Cloyster, Excadrill, Reuniclus, and Blazikin. Hopefully, my addition of Quagsire will help to beat most of those threats. All advice on this team is appreciated.