Hey guys, new to Uber battling this gen. Any tips for my team?
At a glance:
@ Choice Scarf
Trait: Bad Dreams
EVs: 28 HP / 228 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Dark Pulse
- Dark Void
- Nasty Plot
- Trick
Pretty cool against Deoxys leads and other Darkrai. Choice Scarf allows me to put many things to Sleep, and Trick is very useful in forcing switches from boosters and walls. Also takes care of Giratina, who's the biggest impediment to Blaziken that I've run into so far. One of the few Sinnoh Pokemon that I liked, so I definitely want to use him.
@ Leftovers
Trait: Speed Boost
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Flare Blitz
- Hi Jump Kick
- Swords Dance
- Protect
The main player of this team. Should be self-explanatory, sets up and sweeps. Leftovers to help with recoil, and to make Protect more worthwhile. One of my favourite starter Pokemon, which is why I chose to make a team revolved around him.
@ Leftovers
Trait: Drought
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Def
Impish Nature (+Def, -SAtk)
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Stealth Rock
- Thunder Wave
An obvious choice to bring some sunny fun for Blaziken. Besides that, he's a physical wall who provides some utility. Stealth Rock is there to discourage switching and to bait out Spinners for Wobbuffet. This guy switches in on Thunder Wave or Bolt Strike and gives payback with its own Thunder Wave or Earthquake. Really brings the hurt on Tyranitar, Excadrill, Dialga, the Johto birds, and the Unova dragons, among others.
@ Meadow Plate
Trait: Multitype
EVs: 252 HP / 144 SDef / 112 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Grass Knot
- Ice Beam
- Recover
- Thunder Wave
My weather-Pokemon counter. Grass Knot hits Groudon, Kyogre, and Ttar harder than Judgment would, and has more PP. Ice Beam is useful for Skymin and other Dragons/Flyers. The main use is taking care of those guys, and then just surviving and spreading Paralysis. Really good against Rain teams in general.
@ Leftovers
Trait: Shadow Tag
EVs: 92 HP / 164 Def / 252 SDef
Calm Nature (+SDef, -Atk)
- Counter
- Mirror Coat
- Safeguard
- Encore
Takes out some strong threats like Mewtwo and Ho-oh, and helps bring Blaziken in by either drawing out moves that Blaziken resists, or by Encoring Paralyzed enemies that use non-damaging moves. There's some amazing synergy with Darkrai here too, in that Encore can be used on a boosting/stage hazard move, and then Darkrai punishes that further by Trickscarfing, forcing switches into Dark Void. Probably the gal that gives me the most opportunities to turn the game around.
@ Eviolite
Trait: Natural Cure
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Def / 252 SDef
Bold Nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Softboiled
- Heal Bell
- Seismic Toss
- Thunder Wave
Special Sponge + Cleric. Also spreads Paralysis. This works in conjunction with Wob's Safeguard to deal with Toxic Spikes and other status spreaders.
A more in-depth look at how I approach certain Pokemon:
Darkrai is pretty much my only answer to this thing. I can either put it to Sleep, or Dark Pulse it. From what I've seen, Dark Pulse does enough unboosted for Blaziken to finish it off with a sun-boosted Flare Blitz. +2 Dark Pulse should be a OHKO. So yeah, if I see this ghostly dragon in team preview, I make sure to save Darkrai. Otherwise, I'll be banking on keeping it Paralyzed for Arceus and Groudon to chip it down, with Wob setting up Safeguard against Will-o-Wisp. It's very important that I save Darkrai if I notice this on the opponent's team, since it's probably the best counter to Blaziken I can think of. RestTalk Giratina is especially a nuisance which I'm glad to have Darkrai around for Bad Dreams and Dark Pulse.
Something to look out for. SD'd ExtremeSpeeds hurt. I try to save Darkrai's Dark Void for this, but if that fails, I have a couple other options to prevent it from sweeping. If they don't boost up ExtremeSpeed, Wob can Counter it no problem. If they do have SD, then I use my aforementioned Encore-to-Darkrai Trickscarf maneuver to force them out. Paralysis can help against it too if I chose to put something else to Sleep, allowing my Arceus, Groudon, and Darkrai to take a ES and dish out some damage back. If I'm really in a pinch, I'll use Blaziken to Protect against ES first, and then play a switching game to burn up ES's PP, but that's a really last resort option. I think I have the tools to handle him, I just need to be manage my switches properly.
Annoying, don't really have a solid plan against it yet. So far I try my Encore-to-Trickscarf strategy on this guy, and it sort of helps. Arceus's Ice Beam does decent damage, as does Groudon's Stone Edge, but Reflect/Light Screen, Roost, and Multiscale are still annoying. Darkrai kind of scares it off with boosted Dark Pulses though, and if I don't KO it before the sweep, I can do enough damage to make Flare Blitz take it down regardless.
This guy packs a punch and will scorch most of my team. Usually I just try to Paralyze him and then switch to Groudon, who can take a hit and will then have a clear shot to OHKO him with Stone Edge. In preparation for him, I try to have Groudon put up Stealth Rock quickly anyways, and also have Wob put up Safeguard to defend against a random Burn on Groudon too. Definitely someone that I'm willing to sacrifice a Pokemon and then use Wob to revenge kill him away for.
But that's mainly for CB versions. The real monsters are the ones with Substitute, and I haven't found an efficient way to handle it. So far, I try to use Wob to Encore him when he attacks and break his Sub with Counter if possible, and then follow up with Darkrai to put him to Sleep. Otherwise, I'll Paralyze him and then make sure that I get KO'd while he doesn't have a Sub, allowing me to bring in Groudon on a Paralyzed Ho-oh. I still need to figure out a consistent way of beating Sub Ho-oh though.
Reshiram is kinda like Ho-oh, but more managable just because of Chansey. I just Paralyze him and let Groudon finish him off. Blaziken can take him out with a boosted Hi Jump Kick as well, so it's just a matter of getting Blaziken out safely. I deal with Dialga and Palkia in similar ways too, and they're much less threatening than Reshiram.
My Darkrai outspeeds others every time, letting me get in a faster Dark Void. On the chance that they're using the same set as me, it's just a 50/50 deal on who gets put to Sleep. But with Wob for Safeguard and Chansey for Heal Bell, I can bring in Groudon or Arceus to take care of it without having to worry about Dark Void. Blaziken can KO it too if I get a couple of Speed Boosts in.
Mostly see these guys as leads. Anyways, Scarfrai outspeeds them (except for Scarf'd Deoxys-S, but I've only seen that once), and Trick really helps against them. If it's Deoxys-S, then usually they try to use a setup move like Stealth Rock, or they try to Taunt in reaction to expecting Dark Void. This is just baiting for trolling with Trick, where I take their Focus Sash/Lum Berry and leave them locked into a useless move, giving me the options to KO them with Dark Pulse, switch, or predict a switch and Dark Void as I see fit.
When it comes to Deoxys-A, I can Trick and take their Focus Sash, leaving me with 1 HP, but also have them locked into Superpower. From there, it's just a matter of switching to Wob and finishing them off with Counter.
For both Formes, I can take a risk of Dark Voiding them to Sleep as well, but usually I want to save that for more dangerous threats like Arceus or Giratina (although there are some RestTalker Giratina that are obnoxious to deal with).
Arceus solos these guys. Skymin and Landorus are OHKO'd by Ice Beam (I try to get Skymin Paralyzed beforehand though just in case of Air Slash hax), Ice Beam does hefty damage to Tornadus, and Terrakion gets wrecked by Grass Knot. If they're Paralyzed, then Groudon can take out Skymin and Thundurus with Stone Edge, and it's bulky enough to handle Terrakion on its own as well.
Very easy to take out, particularly if it's a lead. Arceus and Chansey won't be taking more than 50% from its attacks even in the rain, so they can Paralyze it and heal up while waiting for a full paralysis before damaging it back. Arceus easily gets OHKOs-2HKOs with Grass Knot, so it's pretty quick work. More drastic options include having Groudon bring in sun when it Rests, using Darkrai to put it to Sleep, or revenge-killing with Wob. Blaziken does maybe 70%~ unboosted, and OHKOs with Hi Jump Kick after a Swords Dance too, so it doesn't really block a sweep on its own, but ideally Kyogre and Drizzle are cleared out before then so that the Rain doesn't hinder potential Flare Blitz attempts.
Arceus switches in and handles them no sweat with Grass Knot. Failing that, just doing a bit of damage to Groudon will bring it into KO range for +2 Flare Blitz, and Ttar gets wrecked by Hi Jump Kick anyway. My own Groudon also hurts them pretty well too.
Groudon gets rid of any Sandstorm that might be speeding up the mole, and Earthquake does a good number on him. Blaziken's STAB moves also take him out, so my only real priority is making sure that Sand isn't up so he doesn't outspeed me.
Groudon's also bulky enough to take Scizor's hits and do some damage back. SD Scizor gets trolled by Wob and then either gets KO'd or becomes setup fodder for Darkrai or Blaziken after Encore.
Groudon lures out these Forretress with Stealth Rock, or either one comes out to lay hazards, while they get Thunder Waved on the switch. Proceed with Wob switching in on them when they use Rapid Spin or perhaps a hazard move/Toxic, Encoring them to use the same move, and then switching to Blaziken for a free Swords Dance and sweep. If they do use Toxic/Toxic Spikes, then I just make sure Wob uses Safeguard before switching to protect Blaziken. Sweep still commences.
So yeah, the main idea is to take control of the weather with Groudon and Arceus, and then try to open up an opportunity for Blaziken with Wobbuffet and Darkrai. Chansey keeps the team healthy by sponging and curing, and also slows down the other team.
I've been thinking of swapping Softboiled for Wish on Chansey, which would let Wob and Darkrai be even bigger nuisances, and perhaps even support Blaziken after a whiffed Hi Jump Kick. If I do make the swap, then I might give Arceus Roar over Recover too for some phazing and to kick Lugia out.
Any suggestions and thoughts would be appreciated. Ideas for EV spreads in particular would be nice. Thanks!
At a glance:
Trait: Bad Dreams
EVs: 28 HP / 228 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Dark Pulse
- Dark Void
- Nasty Plot
- Trick
Pretty cool against Deoxys leads and other Darkrai. Choice Scarf allows me to put many things to Sleep, and Trick is very useful in forcing switches from boosters and walls. Also takes care of Giratina, who's the biggest impediment to Blaziken that I've run into so far. One of the few Sinnoh Pokemon that I liked, so I definitely want to use him.
Trait: Speed Boost
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Flare Blitz
- Hi Jump Kick
- Swords Dance
- Protect
The main player of this team. Should be self-explanatory, sets up and sweeps. Leftovers to help with recoil, and to make Protect more worthwhile. One of my favourite starter Pokemon, which is why I chose to make a team revolved around him.
Trait: Drought
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Def
Impish Nature (+Def, -SAtk)
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Stealth Rock
- Thunder Wave
An obvious choice to bring some sunny fun for Blaziken. Besides that, he's a physical wall who provides some utility. Stealth Rock is there to discourage switching and to bait out Spinners for Wobbuffet. This guy switches in on Thunder Wave or Bolt Strike and gives payback with its own Thunder Wave or Earthquake. Really brings the hurt on Tyranitar, Excadrill, Dialga, the Johto birds, and the Unova dragons, among others.
Trait: Multitype
EVs: 252 HP / 144 SDef / 112 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Grass Knot
- Ice Beam
- Recover
- Thunder Wave
My weather-Pokemon counter. Grass Knot hits Groudon, Kyogre, and Ttar harder than Judgment would, and has more PP. Ice Beam is useful for Skymin and other Dragons/Flyers. The main use is taking care of those guys, and then just surviving and spreading Paralysis. Really good against Rain teams in general.
Trait: Shadow Tag
EVs: 92 HP / 164 Def / 252 SDef
Calm Nature (+SDef, -Atk)
- Counter
- Mirror Coat
- Safeguard
- Encore
Takes out some strong threats like Mewtwo and Ho-oh, and helps bring Blaziken in by either drawing out moves that Blaziken resists, or by Encoring Paralyzed enemies that use non-damaging moves. There's some amazing synergy with Darkrai here too, in that Encore can be used on a boosting/stage hazard move, and then Darkrai punishes that further by Trickscarfing, forcing switches into Dark Void. Probably the gal that gives me the most opportunities to turn the game around.
Trait: Natural Cure
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Def / 252 SDef
Bold Nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Softboiled
- Heal Bell
- Seismic Toss
- Thunder Wave
Special Sponge + Cleric. Also spreads Paralysis. This works in conjunction with Wob's Safeguard to deal with Toxic Spikes and other status spreaders.
A more in-depth look at how I approach certain Pokemon:
Darkrai is pretty much my only answer to this thing. I can either put it to Sleep, or Dark Pulse it. From what I've seen, Dark Pulse does enough unboosted for Blaziken to finish it off with a sun-boosted Flare Blitz. +2 Dark Pulse should be a OHKO. So yeah, if I see this ghostly dragon in team preview, I make sure to save Darkrai. Otherwise, I'll be banking on keeping it Paralyzed for Arceus and Groudon to chip it down, with Wob setting up Safeguard against Will-o-Wisp. It's very important that I save Darkrai if I notice this on the opponent's team, since it's probably the best counter to Blaziken I can think of. RestTalk Giratina is especially a nuisance which I'm glad to have Darkrai around for Bad Dreams and Dark Pulse.
Something to look out for. SD'd ExtremeSpeeds hurt. I try to save Darkrai's Dark Void for this, but if that fails, I have a couple other options to prevent it from sweeping. If they don't boost up ExtremeSpeed, Wob can Counter it no problem. If they do have SD, then I use my aforementioned Encore-to-Darkrai Trickscarf maneuver to force them out. Paralysis can help against it too if I chose to put something else to Sleep, allowing my Arceus, Groudon, and Darkrai to take a ES and dish out some damage back. If I'm really in a pinch, I'll use Blaziken to Protect against ES first, and then play a switching game to burn up ES's PP, but that's a really last resort option. I think I have the tools to handle him, I just need to be manage my switches properly.
Annoying, don't really have a solid plan against it yet. So far I try my Encore-to-Trickscarf strategy on this guy, and it sort of helps. Arceus's Ice Beam does decent damage, as does Groudon's Stone Edge, but Reflect/Light Screen, Roost, and Multiscale are still annoying. Darkrai kind of scares it off with boosted Dark Pulses though, and if I don't KO it before the sweep, I can do enough damage to make Flare Blitz take it down regardless.
This guy packs a punch and will scorch most of my team. Usually I just try to Paralyze him and then switch to Groudon, who can take a hit and will then have a clear shot to OHKO him with Stone Edge. In preparation for him, I try to have Groudon put up Stealth Rock quickly anyways, and also have Wob put up Safeguard to defend against a random Burn on Groudon too. Definitely someone that I'm willing to sacrifice a Pokemon and then use Wob to revenge kill him away for.
But that's mainly for CB versions. The real monsters are the ones with Substitute, and I haven't found an efficient way to handle it. So far, I try to use Wob to Encore him when he attacks and break his Sub with Counter if possible, and then follow up with Darkrai to put him to Sleep. Otherwise, I'll Paralyze him and then make sure that I get KO'd while he doesn't have a Sub, allowing me to bring in Groudon on a Paralyzed Ho-oh. I still need to figure out a consistent way of beating Sub Ho-oh though.
Reshiram is kinda like Ho-oh, but more managable just because of Chansey. I just Paralyze him and let Groudon finish him off. Blaziken can take him out with a boosted Hi Jump Kick as well, so it's just a matter of getting Blaziken out safely. I deal with Dialga and Palkia in similar ways too, and they're much less threatening than Reshiram.
My Darkrai outspeeds others every time, letting me get in a faster Dark Void. On the chance that they're using the same set as me, it's just a 50/50 deal on who gets put to Sleep. But with Wob for Safeguard and Chansey for Heal Bell, I can bring in Groudon or Arceus to take care of it without having to worry about Dark Void. Blaziken can KO it too if I get a couple of Speed Boosts in.
Mostly see these guys as leads. Anyways, Scarfrai outspeeds them (except for Scarf'd Deoxys-S, but I've only seen that once), and Trick really helps against them. If it's Deoxys-S, then usually they try to use a setup move like Stealth Rock, or they try to Taunt in reaction to expecting Dark Void. This is just baiting for trolling with Trick, where I take their Focus Sash/Lum Berry and leave them locked into a useless move, giving me the options to KO them with Dark Pulse, switch, or predict a switch and Dark Void as I see fit.
When it comes to Deoxys-A, I can Trick and take their Focus Sash, leaving me with 1 HP, but also have them locked into Superpower. From there, it's just a matter of switching to Wob and finishing them off with Counter.
For both Formes, I can take a risk of Dark Voiding them to Sleep as well, but usually I want to save that for more dangerous threats like Arceus or Giratina (although there are some RestTalker Giratina that are obnoxious to deal with).
Arceus solos these guys. Skymin and Landorus are OHKO'd by Ice Beam (I try to get Skymin Paralyzed beforehand though just in case of Air Slash hax), Ice Beam does hefty damage to Tornadus, and Terrakion gets wrecked by Grass Knot. If they're Paralyzed, then Groudon can take out Skymin and Thundurus with Stone Edge, and it's bulky enough to handle Terrakion on its own as well.
Very easy to take out, particularly if it's a lead. Arceus and Chansey won't be taking more than 50% from its attacks even in the rain, so they can Paralyze it and heal up while waiting for a full paralysis before damaging it back. Arceus easily gets OHKOs-2HKOs with Grass Knot, so it's pretty quick work. More drastic options include having Groudon bring in sun when it Rests, using Darkrai to put it to Sleep, or revenge-killing with Wob. Blaziken does maybe 70%~ unboosted, and OHKOs with Hi Jump Kick after a Swords Dance too, so it doesn't really block a sweep on its own, but ideally Kyogre and Drizzle are cleared out before then so that the Rain doesn't hinder potential Flare Blitz attempts.
Arceus switches in and handles them no sweat with Grass Knot. Failing that, just doing a bit of damage to Groudon will bring it into KO range for +2 Flare Blitz, and Ttar gets wrecked by Hi Jump Kick anyway. My own Groudon also hurts them pretty well too.
Groudon gets rid of any Sandstorm that might be speeding up the mole, and Earthquake does a good number on him. Blaziken's STAB moves also take him out, so my only real priority is making sure that Sand isn't up so he doesn't outspeed me.
Groudon's also bulky enough to take Scizor's hits and do some damage back. SD Scizor gets trolled by Wob and then either gets KO'd or becomes setup fodder for Darkrai or Blaziken after Encore.
Groudon lures out these Forretress with Stealth Rock, or either one comes out to lay hazards, while they get Thunder Waved on the switch. Proceed with Wob switching in on them when they use Rapid Spin or perhaps a hazard move/Toxic, Encoring them to use the same move, and then switching to Blaziken for a free Swords Dance and sweep. If they do use Toxic/Toxic Spikes, then I just make sure Wob uses Safeguard before switching to protect Blaziken. Sweep still commences.
So yeah, the main idea is to take control of the weather with Groudon and Arceus, and then try to open up an opportunity for Blaziken with Wobbuffet and Darkrai. Chansey keeps the team healthy by sponging and curing, and also slows down the other team.
I've been thinking of swapping Softboiled for Wish on Chansey, which would let Wob and Darkrai be even bigger nuisances, and perhaps even support Blaziken after a whiffed Hi Jump Kick. If I do make the swap, then I might give Arceus Roar over Recover too for some phazing and to kick Lugia out.
Any suggestions and thoughts would be appreciated. Ideas for EV spreads in particular would be nice. Thanks!
