I started Competitive Battling around late Gen IV OU, and transferred to Early BW shortly after. However, I only battled on a periodic basis, and never truly got to experience what those metagames were really like.
After coming back from a two year hiatus, I've decided to take on the Gen V metagame, and with the release of BW2, it seems that the metagame has shifted gears into offensive weather.
Despite this, I have maintained my philosophy for balance when making a team, as shown in my team making process. There is no weather involved, as I wanted to create a team that could possibly have an answer to everything. In addition to this, I try my best to not change my team's roster out of compulsion:
Team Building (Brief History and Such)
Starting from my Gen IV OU days, I was always thinking of ways on how to counteract most opposing teams, and I started off with a team that I thought could deal with anything. ...Unfortunately, as a beginner, I wasn't aware of the major threats in the metagame, and consistently found myself losing. The team just didn't really have a central focus at the time. That and unfortunately, a Torterra lead in Gen IV OU was basically sending out the poor turtle to the guillotine.
Once BW1 begins, I decided to improve myself as a trainer and switch out Torterra for Ninjask. By then, I finally had a decent team with some synergy, and strategy, although it was basically set up rocks, and then Ninjask Baton Pass into Speed Boost Mix-Blaziken or Salamence. I won quite a bit with this as I can recall, most likely because people were into experimenting with new Pokemon at the time, such as Whimsicott.
After this, I took my two year hiatus like I mentioned. When I returned to the Competitive Scene in BW2, I decided to try Pokemon Showdown with my old team from Pokemon Online. The more I played though, the more I felt how dated my old team was, so I decided to give it some restructuring, as you will now see below. (The descriptions are somewhat brief, as my main commentary about my Pokemon are at the end of this):
Metagross again takes up the lead, and I played it like I did in back then. However, once I learned of the Explosion nerf, I decided to turn my Metagross into a bulky dual-screener, which would allow the likes of my frail Pokemon to survive hits, and proceed to set-up/sweep. However, I found the strategy to be a bit slow, so I changed it. (See my Metagross's current movepool below)
Starmie has always been my go to Rapid Spinner within Pokemon, and it does its job fantastically. I'm very surprised on how a Pokemon with base 100 Special Attack, could net me some KOs against the likes of stronger Pokemon out there.
Unlike the all the Pokemon I've described at this point, I have not had much history with Galvantula. However, the electric tarantula's prowess in the Gen 5 games gave me some incentive to use it within Showdown, and it does so effectively, especially while Drizzle teams are running amok.
Togekiss was my Special Wall back then, and she continues to do her job. Her overall bulk allows me to absorb any special attack, while firing back with her own moves. She's surprisingly bulky on the physical end as well, taking strong hits from STAB moves and surviving them.
Salamence returning should be no surprise to anyone, as his monstrous attack stat provides the physical force needed for me to get rid of any Pokemon lacking in defensive aspects, as well as a way to deal with the other dragon Pokemon in the OU tier currently.
The team rounds itself off with Infernape, another Pokemon whom I've had no history with. It was meant to replace Blaziken after discovering it was banished from OU. Despite this, Infernape does his job as well as Blaziken did in the past, and his Mixed Wallbreaking skills are a force to be reckoned with.
Currently, I am laddering with this team right now. I'm currently at 1404 in Showdown, and I hope to improve that number!
My Replay List (includes Wins AND Losses):
http://www.pokemonshowdown.com/replay/search?user=azngamer405
The Team
Metagross @ Leftovers
Trait: Clear Body
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SDef
Adamant Nature
- Bullet Punch
- Ice Punch
- Earthquake
- Agility
My Metagross's current set, and it hits pretty hard in my opinion. Someone awhile ago suggested this set, but with Stealth Rock instead (Metagross was a dual screener at the time). So I went with that. After a multitude of battles, I came to the conclusion that I honestly don't need to set up entry hazards to get my team going. That, and I found Metagross to be too slow to do anything around middle to late game. As a result, I placed Agility on this set, and to my surprise, he actually has the ability to sweep teams at +2 speed. It's especially hilarious when switch to their Magic Bounce Pokemon, only for my Metagross to gain a free agility from their switch.
Unlike most Agiligross though, my EV spread is retrofitted for bulk as if it were a Lead Metagross. This allows me to tank Earthquakes and Fire Punches with ease (when not facing a Drought team of course). As for the moveset, it offers coverage to common threats in the OU Metagame, and does decent damage to the likes of Ferrothorn in case I am in a position where I can't switch out of it.
Starmie @ Leftovers
Trait: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Rapid Spin
- Thunderbolt
- Hydro Pump
- Ice Beam
Rapid Spin Starmie also doubles as a Special Attacker for me, and has served well in his role. BoltBeam offers great coverage, especially Ice Beam as certain threats (discussed below) die rather quickly to it. In regards to Ice Beam, I have been notoriously lucky with the Freeze Chance it offers. I've managed to slay a Ferrothorn, and Blissey out of sheer Ice Beam spamming when my physical sweepers were lost earlier in the match. In addition to all of this, Hydro Pump rounds out Starmie's moveset, and offers excellent STAB to the move. However, I am sometimes unlucky with Hydro Pump, as it sometimes misses when I needed the move to hit. I noticed that this usually happens when I'm on the losing end of a match, but it's most likely sheer coincidence that it misses, similarly to how Ice Beam manages to Freeze with only a 10% chance.
Galvantula (M) @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Compoundeyes
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Modest Nature
- Bug Buzz
- Giga Drain
- Thunder
- Volt Switch
Essentially, Galvantula is my premiere revenge killer. The Choice Scarf works wonders against other Scarfed users thanks to Galvantula's excellent Base Speed. It has slain the likes of many threats including the Eon Twins (after they were slightly softened), Scarf Keldo, Tyranitar, and more. Being locked into one move always results Galvantula in being switched out, so there's never really any time for him to make a presence in the battle field, besides just hitting and running. That, and he's rather frail as well, as even resisted hits could possibly be a KO for the spider.
Togekiss (F) @ Leftovers
Trait: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SAtk / 252 SDef
Calm Nature
- Thunder Wave
- Roost
- Air Slash
- Aura Sphere
Togekiss is my premere special wall, and causes havoc among teams who do not have ground types, clerics, or people just unfamiliar with the flinchax strategy. I also mentioned earlier on how it can also take physical hits rather well, so that's a plus for her. Unfortunately, I am forced to switch whenever I see a Stone Edge incoming, as that's usually an OKHO on her. Roost is there to regain health from sponging up hits, or general status conditions, such as poison and burn.
Salamence (M) @ Life Orb
Trait: Moxie
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Hasty Nature
- Outrage
- Dragon Dance
- Earthquake
- Aqua Tail
Salamence can be rather tricky to set up, but once he does, it's absolutely a nightmare to go up against, especially when Moxie starts accumulating. Despite his power, Salamence dies rather easily in BW2 OU's metagame thanks to the prevalence of Ice Moves, and Stone Edge, and his Life Orb does not help in that regard. However, the extra power from the orb is needed to net me KO's that I normally would not receive without it.
Earthquake and Fire Blast are for general coverage, and Outrage is for my STAB. I often take chances on whether or not to keep attacking with Mence after he's confused, but most of the time he does. When he doesn't, he usually faints on the incoming move from my opponent anyways. Overall, he performs his role excellently.
Infernape (M) @ Life Orb
Trait: Blaze
EVs: 200 Atk / 80 SAtk / 228 Spd
Naive Nature
- Fire Blast
- Close Combat
- Stone Edge
- Mach Punch
Infernape is the Mixed Wall Breaker on my team, and can cause serious trouble on my opponent if they are not prepared. Close Combat is it's main STAB, while Stone Edge hits many of the Dragons in OU, and other threats. Fire Blast is used on this set over Overheat, as I detest the Special Attack Drop caused by that move. As a result, I placed some Special Attack EVs on Infernape to compensate. Lastly, Mach Punch is a STAB priority move that has often saved me from ridiculously fast Pokemon with low health.
Special Thanks To:
After coming back from a two year hiatus, I've decided to take on the Gen V metagame, and with the release of BW2, it seems that the metagame has shifted gears into offensive weather.
Despite this, I have maintained my philosophy for balance when making a team, as shown in my team making process. There is no weather involved, as I wanted to create a team that could possibly have an answer to everything. In addition to this, I try my best to not change my team's roster out of compulsion:
Team Building (Brief History and Such)
Starting from my Gen IV OU days, I was always thinking of ways on how to counteract most opposing teams, and I started off with a team that I thought could deal with anything. ...Unfortunately, as a beginner, I wasn't aware of the major threats in the metagame, and consistently found myself losing. The team just didn't really have a central focus at the time. That and unfortunately, a Torterra lead in Gen IV OU was basically sending out the poor turtle to the guillotine.
Once BW1 begins, I decided to improve myself as a trainer and switch out Torterra for Ninjask. By then, I finally had a decent team with some synergy, and strategy, although it was basically set up rocks, and then Ninjask Baton Pass into Speed Boost Mix-Blaziken or Salamence. I won quite a bit with this as I can recall, most likely because people were into experimenting with new Pokemon at the time, such as Whimsicott.
After this, I took my two year hiatus like I mentioned. When I returned to the Competitive Scene in BW2, I decided to try Pokemon Showdown with my old team from Pokemon Online. The more I played though, the more I felt how dated my old team was, so I decided to give it some restructuring, as you will now see below. (The descriptions are somewhat brief, as my main commentary about my Pokemon are at the end of this):
Metagross again takes up the lead, and I played it like I did in back then. However, once I learned of the Explosion nerf, I decided to turn my Metagross into a bulky dual-screener, which would allow the likes of my frail Pokemon to survive hits, and proceed to set-up/sweep. However, I found the strategy to be a bit slow, so I changed it. (See my Metagross's current movepool below)
Starmie has always been my go to Rapid Spinner within Pokemon, and it does its job fantastically. I'm very surprised on how a Pokemon with base 100 Special Attack, could net me some KOs against the likes of stronger Pokemon out there.
Unlike the all the Pokemon I've described at this point, I have not had much history with Galvantula. However, the electric tarantula's prowess in the Gen 5 games gave me some incentive to use it within Showdown, and it does so effectively, especially while Drizzle teams are running amok.
Togekiss was my Special Wall back then, and she continues to do her job. Her overall bulk allows me to absorb any special attack, while firing back with her own moves. She's surprisingly bulky on the physical end as well, taking strong hits from STAB moves and surviving them.
Salamence returning should be no surprise to anyone, as his monstrous attack stat provides the physical force needed for me to get rid of any Pokemon lacking in defensive aspects, as well as a way to deal with the other dragon Pokemon in the OU tier currently.
The team rounds itself off with Infernape, another Pokemon whom I've had no history with. It was meant to replace Blaziken after discovering it was banished from OU. Despite this, Infernape does his job as well as Blaziken did in the past, and his Mixed Wallbreaking skills are a force to be reckoned with.
Currently, I am laddering with this team right now. I'm currently at 1404 in Showdown, and I hope to improve that number!
My Replay List (includes Wins AND Losses):
http://www.pokemonshowdown.com/replay/search?user=azngamer405
The Team
Metagross @ Leftovers
Trait: Clear Body
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SDef
Adamant Nature
- Bullet Punch
- Ice Punch
- Earthquake
- Agility
My Metagross's current set, and it hits pretty hard in my opinion. Someone awhile ago suggested this set, but with Stealth Rock instead (Metagross was a dual screener at the time). So I went with that. After a multitude of battles, I came to the conclusion that I honestly don't need to set up entry hazards to get my team going. That, and I found Metagross to be too slow to do anything around middle to late game. As a result, I placed Agility on this set, and to my surprise, he actually has the ability to sweep teams at +2 speed. It's especially hilarious when switch to their Magic Bounce Pokemon, only for my Metagross to gain a free agility from their switch.
Unlike most Agiligross though, my EV spread is retrofitted for bulk as if it were a Lead Metagross. This allows me to tank Earthquakes and Fire Punches with ease (when not facing a Drought team of course). As for the moveset, it offers coverage to common threats in the OU Metagame, and does decent damage to the likes of Ferrothorn in case I am in a position where I can't switch out of it.
Starmie @ Leftovers
Trait: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Rapid Spin
- Thunderbolt
- Hydro Pump
- Ice Beam
Rapid Spin Starmie also doubles as a Special Attacker for me, and has served well in his role. BoltBeam offers great coverage, especially Ice Beam as certain threats (discussed below) die rather quickly to it. In regards to Ice Beam, I have been notoriously lucky with the Freeze Chance it offers. I've managed to slay a Ferrothorn, and Blissey out of sheer Ice Beam spamming when my physical sweepers were lost earlier in the match. In addition to all of this, Hydro Pump rounds out Starmie's moveset, and offers excellent STAB to the move. However, I am sometimes unlucky with Hydro Pump, as it sometimes misses when I needed the move to hit. I noticed that this usually happens when I'm on the losing end of a match, but it's most likely sheer coincidence that it misses, similarly to how Ice Beam manages to Freeze with only a 10% chance.
Galvantula (M) @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Compoundeyes
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Modest Nature
- Bug Buzz
- Giga Drain
- Thunder
- Volt Switch
Essentially, Galvantula is my premiere revenge killer. The Choice Scarf works wonders against other Scarfed users thanks to Galvantula's excellent Base Speed. It has slain the likes of many threats including the Eon Twins (after they were slightly softened), Scarf Keldo, Tyranitar, and more. Being locked into one move always results Galvantula in being switched out, so there's never really any time for him to make a presence in the battle field, besides just hitting and running. That, and he's rather frail as well, as even resisted hits could possibly be a KO for the spider.
Togekiss (F) @ Leftovers
Trait: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SAtk / 252 SDef
Calm Nature
- Thunder Wave
- Roost
- Air Slash
- Aura Sphere
Togekiss is my premere special wall, and causes havoc among teams who do not have ground types, clerics, or people just unfamiliar with the flinchax strategy. I also mentioned earlier on how it can also take physical hits rather well, so that's a plus for her. Unfortunately, I am forced to switch whenever I see a Stone Edge incoming, as that's usually an OKHO on her. Roost is there to regain health from sponging up hits, or general status conditions, such as poison and burn.
Salamence (M) @ Life Orb
Trait: Moxie
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Hasty Nature
- Outrage
- Dragon Dance
- Earthquake
- Aqua Tail
Salamence can be rather tricky to set up, but once he does, it's absolutely a nightmare to go up against, especially when Moxie starts accumulating. Despite his power, Salamence dies rather easily in BW2 OU's metagame thanks to the prevalence of Ice Moves, and Stone Edge, and his Life Orb does not help in that regard. However, the extra power from the orb is needed to net me KO's that I normally would not receive without it.
Earthquake and Fire Blast are for general coverage, and Outrage is for my STAB. I often take chances on whether or not to keep attacking with Mence after he's confused, but most of the time he does. When he doesn't, he usually faints on the incoming move from my opponent anyways. Overall, he performs his role excellently.
Infernape (M) @ Life Orb
Trait: Blaze
EVs: 200 Atk / 80 SAtk / 228 Spd
Naive Nature
- Fire Blast
- Close Combat
- Stone Edge
- Mach Punch
Infernape is the Mixed Wall Breaker on my team, and can cause serious trouble on my opponent if they are not prepared. Close Combat is it's main STAB, while Stone Edge hits many of the Dragons in OU, and other threats. Fire Blast is used on this set over Overheat, as I detest the Special Attack Drop caused by that move. As a result, I placed some Special Attack EVs on Infernape to compensate. Lastly, Mach Punch is a STAB priority move that has often saved me from ridiculously fast Pokemon with low health.
Problematic Pokemon
Rotom - W is a very annoying threat, as it often bounces around with Volt Switch, whenever I start off with Metagross. Togekiss can paralyze it, but it's a nuisance to face overall, especially considering how bulky it is. Infernape can also Close Combat it to death, if it was slightly weakened before hand, otherwise, it dies to Rotom-W's water moves. It also forces me to switch out Starmie, when I usually need to use it.
This thing is aggavating to see on Team Previews as it's lightning fast, and can potentially KO most of my Pokemon within one or two hits. It's also annoying to see on rain teams, as I can't launch Thunders freely with Galvantula, knowing this Pokemon has Volt Absorb. The same issue applies with Togekiss and her Thunder Wave, as I can't paralyze it. This leaves either Starmie or Infernape to attack it with Ice Beam and Close Combat respectively, although neither will OHKO it. Metagross should be able to deal with it through Ice Punch, although it's usually fainted by the time I see this thing on the battlefield.
Jolteon is also an annoying Pokemon to deal with because of Volt Absorb, and its blistering speed, but thankfully, Metagross usually KOs it in time. It's still a nuisance on rain teams however, with similar reasons to the Therian Pokemon above.
Ferrothorn is only really a thorn in Rain, as I now have to switch into Infernape to deal with it (Close Combat), however, it usually carries Thunder Wave to paralyze me, as well as a Rain Boosted Gyroball, in which, Infernape usually faints to. Togekiss can also decently handle it, provided that the Thunder Wave hits it, and the flinchax begin to work, before I KO it with Aura Sphere.
While Gliscor is manageable, it's overall bulk can be annoying to face if I don't have Starmie or Metagross left on my side.
My Team at a Glance (Importable)
Rotom - W is a very annoying threat, as it often bounces around with Volt Switch, whenever I start off with Metagross. Togekiss can paralyze it, but it's a nuisance to face overall, especially considering how bulky it is. Infernape can also Close Combat it to death, if it was slightly weakened before hand, otherwise, it dies to Rotom-W's water moves. It also forces me to switch out Starmie, when I usually need to use it.
This thing is aggavating to see on Team Previews as it's lightning fast, and can potentially KO most of my Pokemon within one or two hits. It's also annoying to see on rain teams, as I can't launch Thunders freely with Galvantula, knowing this Pokemon has Volt Absorb. The same issue applies with Togekiss and her Thunder Wave, as I can't paralyze it. This leaves either Starmie or Infernape to attack it with Ice Beam and Close Combat respectively, although neither will OHKO it. Metagross should be able to deal with it through Ice Punch, although it's usually fainted by the time I see this thing on the battlefield.
Jolteon is also an annoying Pokemon to deal with because of Volt Absorb, and its blistering speed, but thankfully, Metagross usually KOs it in time. It's still a nuisance on rain teams however, with similar reasons to the Therian Pokemon above.
Ferrothorn is only really a thorn in Rain, as I now have to switch into Infernape to deal with it (Close Combat), however, it usually carries Thunder Wave to paralyze me, as well as a Rain Boosted Gyroball, in which, Infernape usually faints to. Togekiss can also decently handle it, provided that the Thunder Wave hits it, and the flinchax begin to work, before I KO it with Aura Sphere.
While Gliscor is manageable, it's overall bulk can be annoying to face if I don't have Starmie or Metagross left on my side.
My Team at a Glance (Importable)
Metagross @ Leftovers
Trait: Clear Body
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SDef
Adamant Nature
- Bullet Punch
- Ice Punch
- Earthquake
- Agility
Starmie @ Leftovers
Trait: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Rapid Spin
- Thunderbolt
- Hydro Pump
- Ice Beam
Galvantula (M) @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Compoundeyes
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Modest Nature
- Bug Buzz
- Giga Drain
- Thunder
- Volt Switch
Togekiss (F) @ Leftovers
Trait: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SAtk / 252 SDef
Calm Nature
- Thunder Wave
- Roost
- Air Slash
- Aura Sphere
Salamence (M) @ Life Orb
Trait: Moxie
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Hasty Nature
- Outrage
- Dragon Dance
- Earthquake
- Fire Blast
Infernape (M) @ Life Orb
Trait: Blaze
EVs: 200 Atk / 80 SAtk / 228 Spd
Naive Nature
- Fire Blast
- Close Combat
- Stone Edge
- Mach Punch
Trait: Clear Body
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SDef
Adamant Nature
- Bullet Punch
- Ice Punch
- Earthquake
- Agility
Starmie @ Leftovers
Trait: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Rapid Spin
- Thunderbolt
- Hydro Pump
- Ice Beam
Galvantula (M) @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Compoundeyes
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Modest Nature
- Bug Buzz
- Giga Drain
- Thunder
- Volt Switch
Togekiss (F) @ Leftovers
Trait: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SAtk / 252 SDef
Calm Nature
- Thunder Wave
- Roost
- Air Slash
- Aura Sphere
Salamence (M) @ Life Orb
Trait: Moxie
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Hasty Nature
- Outrage
- Dragon Dance
- Earthquake
- Fire Blast
Infernape (M) @ Life Orb
Trait: Blaze
EVs: 200 Atk / 80 SAtk / 228 Spd
Naive Nature
- Fire Blast
- Close Combat
- Stone Edge
- Mach Punch
Special Thanks To:
