Introduction
The Team
Kyubii (Ninetales) @ Focus Sash
Ability: Drought
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Flamethrower
- Will-O-Wisp
- SolarBeam
- Hidden Power [Ice]
Ninetails is the go to weather inducer. It's movepool allows it to provide some good offensive attacks all the while giving some needed support with Will-O-Wisp. Offensively it is great at dispatching Excadrill and other steel types, as well as hurting other pokemon who are weak to the moves it carries. Defensive EVs give it some bulk to take incoming hits. Sadly Gen 6 came with a few nerfs. Sun now only lasts 5 turns and HP Ice was cut down by 10 BP. It can be outspeeded by several of the lighter OU pokemon and trying to compete with other weather inducers is difficult.
Groomgroom (Venusaur) @ Venusaurite
Ability: Chlorophyll
EVs: 72 HP / 4 Def / 252 SAtk / 180 Spd
Modest Nature
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Giga Drain
- Growth
- Sludge Bomb
Venusaur has always been a fun one to use in gen 5 thanks to Chlorophyll. The ability turned it into one of the fastest in the game. It doesn't get as much fun in the sun now a days with it only lasting 5 turns. Still, it's a great pokemon in my opinion. It has a lovely Sp.Attk stat that hits pretty hard. Using the old Chloro-sweeper from BW has been pretty useful. HP Fire gives it good coverage against steel types, making Ferrothorn and Scizor. Sludge Bomb and Giga Drain give it two useful STABS to unleash. Growth is the last slot to fill up the set and give some boosting when needed. Probably Venusaur's biggest weakness is overthinking. The downside is that it isn't speced well defensively, so even in Mega form, it is likely to take a lot of damage from fire attacks and physical damage. It also loses Chlorophyll when it mega evolves, making Venusaur a very big thinker when it comes to battling. Choosing when to mega is pretty crucial as it exchanges a boost in stats and Thick Fat for the loss of Chlorophyll and making it more of a target for those speedy attackers. The lack of any item to really boost it's attack or regain health is also some what problematic. I am willing to respec to a more tanky Sp.Def/Sp.Attk spread or something better to give it some more help.
Iron Fist (Infernape) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Iron Fist
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature
- U-turn
- Fire Punch
- Close Combat
- Mach Punch
Scarfed Infernape can be useful at time, but is very much a double edged sword. On the one hand, it has a pretty great attack stat and can really bring the pain. It even works well against Psychic types like Starmie and Alakazam by getting a OHKO (or close to it) with a U-turn. Other threats to the team like Heatran and pokemon weak to fighting type moves are sent packing, especially with Scarf for a bit of a speed boost. Bad thing is that Infernape is pretty frail. Even getting hit by a Fire type attack makes it lose a big chunk of health and being weak to Earthquake isn't a picnic either. Scarfing it adds a bit of difficulty to it, as choosing the right move becomes more crucial as a battle wages on and it loses versatility.
Starship (Cloyster) @ Focus Sash
Ability: Skill Link
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature
- Shell Smash
- Icicle Spear
- Rock Blast
- Ice Shard
If i was to tally up all the kills that my team has gotten me during it's career, I believe Cloyster recieves the honor for most kills. I think why it is so deadly is because not a lot expect to see a Cloyster on a Sun team. Icicle Spear and Rock Blast are great moves that can really chip away health, with Ice Shard being a good Sucker Punch check and priority move. Sub runners like Gengar and Breloom are never safe when this guy is out and especially at full health. Shell Smash-Sash combo does wonders when in the face of a team with low defenses, allowing it to sweep up 3 at a minimum on a good day. Without the Shell Smash, its defenses are well enough to where it can at least take one big hit before croaking. Speaking of priority moves, it is probably Cloyster's biggest weakness. Mach Punch and Bullet Punch especially do heavy damage and it is pretty much asking for trouble after a Shell Smash. Other Skill Link users, mainly Cloyster, give it trouble as well as they can break the sash and give it a bad time.
Dumbo (Donphan) @ Leftovers
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SDef
Impish Nature
- Earthquake
- Ice Shard
- Rapid Spin
- Stealth Rock
Donphan has been getting a lot more play recently and has been more than just set up fodder. Being a spinner with high defense allows it to set up Stealth Rocks and either spin away other hazards, go on the offensive with EQ or Ice Shard, or just get a switch out to something that can do a better job handling the opponent. It's serves as a decent tank in gen 6, letting me take out types that are weak against EQ that I normally wouldn't take on with Donphan in gen 5. Donphan's speed is its biggest hindrance. Tanking is good, but in the clutch of that 1% health after a super effective hit activates Sturday, it can fall short and just get out ran.
Messenger-boy (Dragonite) @ Lum Berry
Ability: Multiscale
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Fire Punch
- Extreme Speed
- Dragon Dance
- Dragon Claw
With the addition of Fairy types, you'd think people, and more importantly for the thread, me, to shy away from dragons and use more conventional pokemon. Well let me tell you, this dragon is hear to stay. Fire Punch and Extreme Speed allow it enough coverage to contend with most faries. Dragon Dance gives it a nice stat boost, which it can get most of the time thanks to the Multiscale-Lum combo. This allows it to get in Dragon Dance against a strong attacker, status inducer, or one with an Ice or Fairy type move. Dragonite has been pretty reliable, even proving that it can take a few hits against an enemy that resists most of its moves. Weakness to Fairy types and not being able to use a Dragon Claw STAB is a bit of a downside. Stealth are especially worrisome as it loses Multiscale and has to go off on its own defensive merits, which are a mixed bag depending on what it's fighting.
Conclusion
All in all, it's a pretty alright team that can certainly chalk up the w's for the most part. It gives good type coverage to make things difficult for many a pokemon and it's speed makes it a deadly combination. An assortment of priority moves and good defense strategy make a pretty good asset as well. The team, like every team I would imagine, does come with its downsides. Weather teams are certainly a bit difficult still as there is more tender footed switching going on in trying to get the upper hand. Trick room teams are especially difficult as the speediness of the team can be its exact downfall. The team is very much like a glass cannon, being able to dish out a lot of fire power, but somewhat frail and can at times hemorrhage pokemon. Pokemon like Reuniclus and Heatran are probably the ones the team has the toughest time dealing with. I'm open to suggestions and I do appreciate any help that can be given by the lovely Smogon community. Thanks for all the help and I hope you can at least be intrigued by my team.
