I just recently got into competitive battling, and tried Pokemon Online for the first time. I put in my current team, thinking it’d be good, and went online to battle. I got destroyed. Oops. I realized I needed a little help, so I did some research. This is what I came up with. =)
TEAM BUILDING:
So I actual got the Starmie lead from one of the RMT’s on Smogon. I never even thought about using Starmie as a lead beforehand. Starmie pretty much destroys most other leads out there. Heatran and Infernape cower at Starmie’s power. Tyranitar is also no match for Starmie.
Skarmory provides great physical bulk and spikes support. I personally prefer Stealth Rock over Spikes, but Skarmory does it so well, I couldn’t pass it up. I also got the spread and item from another RMT, and it works so well. Rocky Helmet + Roost = Win.
Scizor is a Pokemon I’ve wanted to use for a while, and aI decided to put it on my team. I originally had a Choice Band Scizor, but I chose Bulky Swords Dance Scizor instead, because I really don’t like getting stuck on a single move. Technician Bullet Punch was very effective against a lot of weaker threats.
Now Scrafty and Volcarona are two of my favorite Pokemon form Gen V. Originally, I went with a Dragon Dance Scrafty, but once I tried the Bulk Up-Rest set, I was hooked. This monster, once set up, and sweep through entire teams. I’ve won many 5-0 battles because of this guy here. Volcarona is also another great pokemon. With a naturally high special bulk already, and access to Quiver Dance, Volcarona can sweep through quite a bit after even just one boost.
I decided to choose Hydreigon as my revenge killer. With a Choice Scarf, Hydreigon can outspeed quite a bit, and with Surf and Flamethrower, provide pretty good coverage.
After quite a few battles, I found that some of the Pokemon on my team didn’t contribute too much. Hydreigon wasn’t fast enough to outspeed other Choice Scarf Dragons, and with it’s main move, Draco Meteor, lowering it’s Special Attack by two stages, I would need to switch it out after only one attack.
Being weak to strong Fighting moves like Superpower, Hydreigon would fall to the likes of Mach Punch. So I switched to Garchomp. With higher speed and power, Garchomp provided exactly what I needed in a revenge killer.
As a continued to battle, I noticed that Scizor wasn’t as amazing as planned. Although he could resist a lot, he just wasn’t able to set up enough. I decided to switch him out for another physical attacker, but the choices were numerous. I realized that my team had no fighting type counter other than Skarmory. So I went with a psychic type of some sort. I first tried Azelf, but as a physical attacker, it just wasn’t good enough. That’s when I found Metagross. Although it adds a second fire weakness to the team, it provides great counters to multiple types, and with only one agility, can outspeed almost all non-scarfed Pokemon.
After playing for a bit, I realized I had a real problem with Water/Ground types, since I had no grass moves on my team. JolteonX recommended I use a Scarfed Alakazam over Scarf Garchomp, and I really liked the idea. Putting Energy Ball on Alakazam could really hit those Water/Grounds hard, and Psyshock allowed me to hit Blissey hard. However, removing garchomp got rid of a great Dragon counter. BUT I didn't need Metagross anymore since I had Alakazam to counter fighting types, so I put an SD Garchomp in instead. He could really pack a punch once he got a boost in, and his bulk wasn't too shabby either.
However, there still was the threat of Whimiscott and other taunters who could stall my team. Again, JolteonX brought up Thundurus, who, with its Prankster ability, could outspeed Whimisott and anyone trying to set up with a Taunt. Hidden Power Ice gave me the Dragon counter I needed, and Thunderbolt can 2HKO Politoed, as well as hit for great STAB.
So after playing a few rounds, I realized I lost my best Blissey counter. So I decided to go back to Garchomp for now, and deal with Whimsicott slowly.
If you couldn't tell already, the Choice scarf goes in the last slot. :P Anyway, MajorGambit enlightened me on Alakazam's new ability, Magic Guard. With this, Alakazam could counter almost any fighting type, even with mach punch. It also doesn't have to deal with entry hazards or burn! AMAZING. This thing can just sweep off anything weak to its moves. It's 120 Speed and 135 Special Attack are also something to boast about.
So, maybe it's just me, but it was hard for me to set up Spikes with Skarmory. One layer would really be the best I could get until the opponent Taunted or hit me with fire. And then I realized that psyshock on Alakazam wouldn't hit defensively bulky Machamp and Conkeldurr hard enough to OHKO them. So I decided to change it to psychic and add another physical attacker to the team that could also check Blissey. Choice Band Scizor was brought back from the past and took the place of Skarmory.
Overview:
____________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
Detailed Analysis:
Starmie @Expert Belt
Natural Cure || Timid
4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
~Hydro Pump
~Thunderbolt
~Ice Beam
~Rapid Spin
Starmie is probably my favorite lead that I’ve tried. I actually got the idea for Starmie as a lead from another RMT. Starmie is great at countering Infernape and Tyranitar, and scares away a number of other threats like Heatran. The infamous BoltBeam combo handles Dragons and other flying types well, and Natural Cure lets Starmie take status ailments easily. And in mid-game, Starmie can sweep easily, as well as spin away Spikes and rocks.
Scizor @Choice Band
Technician || Adamant
248 HP / 252 Att / 8 Spe
~U-Turn
~Bullet Punch
~Superpower
~Pursuit
Choice Band Scizor adds a huge punch to the team. With a massive 591 attack, it can hit almost everything hard with Bullet Punch. U-turn hits hard with STAB and can be used for scouting, and Superpower hits Blissey hard, and provides coverage against Dark types. Pursuit is great against psychic and ghost types who try to switch out. Scizor provides a great counter to everything that the rest of the team doesn't already hit hard.
Alakazam @Focus Sash
Magic Guard || Timid
4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
~Psychic
~Focus Blast
~Hidden Power Fire
~Grass Knot
So MajorGambit told me about Alakazam’s new ability Magic Guard. I knew Reuniclus had it, but had no idea Alakazam was packing the same amazing ability. After doing a little more research, I found a Focus Sash set to work wonders. Psychic hits everything for strong STAB and handles bulky fighting types like Machamp and Conkeldurr. Focus Blast handles Tyranitar and and other Dark threats. HP Fire OHKO’s a non-specially defensive Scizor, and hits Skarmory pretty hard. Grass Knot covers bulky Water/Ground types such as Swampert and Quagsire that pose an annoyance to my team. Grass Knot hits Swampert and Seismitoad harder than Energy Ball, and is weaker on Gastrodon. But Grass Knot can also hit bulky waters like Milotic hard as well.
Scrafty @Leftovers
Shed Skin || Careful
252 HP / 4 Att / 252 SpD
~Bulk Up
~Drain Punch
~Crunch
~Rest
Scrafty is definitely one of my favorite Gen V Pokemon. With its great 65/115/115 defenses, access to Bulk Up, Rest, AND Shed Skin, Scrafty can easily set up on almost anything, and Rest away any status or damage. Drain Punch keeps Scrafty in for as long as possible, and Crunch is another great STAB move. I’ve won many 5-0 matches against unsuspecting victims with Scrafty. He is a monster!
Volcarona @Lum Berry
Flame Body || Timid
4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
~Quiver Dance
~Bug Buzz
~Fiery Dance
~Hidden Power Rock
Volcarona. Another one of my favorite Gen 5 Pokemon. With 1 Quiver Dance, it can outspeed a ton with 490 Speed, and after 2, a massive 654 speed can outspeed anything non-boosted. With HP Rock, it can take out fellow Volcarona and its other moves give it great coverage. Fiery Dance over Fire Blast for accuracy and a chance to increase SpA. And with 85/65/105, it can easily set up on special attackers due to its natural bulk. Lum Berry allows it to survive a Thunder Wave to set up, or switch in to status moves.
Garchomp @Choice Scarf
Sand Veil || Jolly
4 HP / 252 Att / 252 Spe
~Outrage
~Earthquake
~Aqua Tail
~Dragon Claw
They say revenge never solves the problem. Garchomps begs to differ. With its massive attack power, natural bulk, and large coverage, it can easily be considered one of the best Pokemon in the game. If a Pokemon switches in that isn’t weak to one of its moves, Outrage can hit it for massive damage. Garchomp can also take advantage of Sandstorm sets with Sand Veil, where a timely miss can change the tide of the game. Fairly standard Garchomp set. With a massive 499 speed and 359 attack, it can outspeed almost anything and 1-2HKO them. Aqua Tail covers Heatran and Infernape, while still hitting Volcarona hard. Dragon Claw for early revenging without getting locked into Outrage.
Previous members:
THREAT ANALYSIS:
Now. What I’m really looking for is an analysis of threats on my team. I haven’t been playing long enough to figure out all the possible counters to my team, but I’ll talk about a few I’ve encountered.
Whimsicott, the little Prankster. Without a trick/taunt on my team, this thing keeps setting up substitutes, taunting, and leech seeding my team. If it leads, Starmie can easily Ice Beam it to oblivion, but if Starmie and Garchomp are gone, the rest of my team are like dude, can't handle it. Normally, I’m able to get off some sort of attack on it and it’ll die, but not without crippling or fainting a few of my Pokemon.
Previous Threats:
Conkeldurr pretty much wreaks through my team. The only real counter I have is if I happen to get a couple of Zen Headbutts off without it killing me, or using Skarmory to Whirlwind/Brave Bird it. But other than that, I don’t have much that can KO it in a couple turns without extremely boosting my Pokemon. Alakazam can counter it.
Swampert/Quagsire any other Water/Ground. They only have one weakness, and it’s one of the types of moves I don’t have on my team. No Grass moves = very hard to take down. Alakazam counters these with energy ball.
Politoed, with its high special bulk, can take a Thunderbolt, so I need to use a physical attacker to hit it. Not too much of a problem, more of an annoyance. Alakazam can hit with Energy Ball and Starmie can Thunderbolt it.
Please help me with my team, suggest options, other threats, possible counters, anything is appreciated. Thanks so much! =D
~h7
TEAM BUILDING:
So I actual got the Starmie lead from one of the RMT’s on Smogon. I never even thought about using Starmie as a lead beforehand. Starmie pretty much destroys most other leads out there. Heatran and Infernape cower at Starmie’s power. Tyranitar is also no match for Starmie.
Skarmory provides great physical bulk and spikes support. I personally prefer Stealth Rock over Spikes, but Skarmory does it so well, I couldn’t pass it up. I also got the spread and item from another RMT, and it works so well. Rocky Helmet + Roost = Win.
Scizor is a Pokemon I’ve wanted to use for a while, and aI decided to put it on my team. I originally had a Choice Band Scizor, but I chose Bulky Swords Dance Scizor instead, because I really don’t like getting stuck on a single move. Technician Bullet Punch was very effective against a lot of weaker threats.
Now Scrafty and Volcarona are two of my favorite Pokemon form Gen V. Originally, I went with a Dragon Dance Scrafty, but once I tried the Bulk Up-Rest set, I was hooked. This monster, once set up, and sweep through entire teams. I’ve won many 5-0 battles because of this guy here. Volcarona is also another great pokemon. With a naturally high special bulk already, and access to Quiver Dance, Volcarona can sweep through quite a bit after even just one boost.
I decided to choose Hydreigon as my revenge killer. With a Choice Scarf, Hydreigon can outspeed quite a bit, and with Surf and Flamethrower, provide pretty good coverage.
After quite a few battles, I found that some of the Pokemon on my team didn’t contribute too much. Hydreigon wasn’t fast enough to outspeed other Choice Scarf Dragons, and with it’s main move, Draco Meteor, lowering it’s Special Attack by two stages, I would need to switch it out after only one attack.
Being weak to strong Fighting moves like Superpower, Hydreigon would fall to the likes of Mach Punch. So I switched to Garchomp. With higher speed and power, Garchomp provided exactly what I needed in a revenge killer.
As a continued to battle, I noticed that Scizor wasn’t as amazing as planned. Although he could resist a lot, he just wasn’t able to set up enough. I decided to switch him out for another physical attacker, but the choices were numerous. I realized that my team had no fighting type counter other than Skarmory. So I went with a psychic type of some sort. I first tried Azelf, but as a physical attacker, it just wasn’t good enough. That’s when I found Metagross. Although it adds a second fire weakness to the team, it provides great counters to multiple types, and with only one agility, can outspeed almost all non-scarfed Pokemon.
After playing for a bit, I realized I had a real problem with Water/Ground types, since I had no grass moves on my team. JolteonX recommended I use a Scarfed Alakazam over Scarf Garchomp, and I really liked the idea. Putting Energy Ball on Alakazam could really hit those Water/Grounds hard, and Psyshock allowed me to hit Blissey hard. However, removing garchomp got rid of a great Dragon counter. BUT I didn't need Metagross anymore since I had Alakazam to counter fighting types, so I put an SD Garchomp in instead. He could really pack a punch once he got a boost in, and his bulk wasn't too shabby either.
However, there still was the threat of Whimiscott and other taunters who could stall my team. Again, JolteonX brought up Thundurus, who, with its Prankster ability, could outspeed Whimisott and anyone trying to set up with a Taunt. Hidden Power Ice gave me the Dragon counter I needed, and Thunderbolt can 2HKO Politoed, as well as hit for great STAB.
So after playing a few rounds, I realized I lost my best Blissey counter. So I decided to go back to Garchomp for now, and deal with Whimsicott slowly.
If you couldn't tell already, the Choice scarf goes in the last slot. :P Anyway, MajorGambit enlightened me on Alakazam's new ability, Magic Guard. With this, Alakazam could counter almost any fighting type, even with mach punch. It also doesn't have to deal with entry hazards or burn! AMAZING. This thing can just sweep off anything weak to its moves. It's 120 Speed and 135 Special Attack are also something to boast about.
So, maybe it's just me, but it was hard for me to set up Spikes with Skarmory. One layer would really be the best I could get until the opponent Taunted or hit me with fire. And then I realized that psyshock on Alakazam wouldn't hit defensively bulky Machamp and Conkeldurr hard enough to OHKO them. So I decided to change it to psychic and add another physical attacker to the team that could also check Blissey. Choice Band Scizor was brought back from the past and took the place of Skarmory.
Overview:
____________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
Detailed Analysis:
Starmie @Expert Belt
Natural Cure || Timid
4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
~Hydro Pump
~Thunderbolt
~Ice Beam
~Rapid Spin
Starmie is probably my favorite lead that I’ve tried. I actually got the idea for Starmie as a lead from another RMT. Starmie is great at countering Infernape and Tyranitar, and scares away a number of other threats like Heatran. The infamous BoltBeam combo handles Dragons and other flying types well, and Natural Cure lets Starmie take status ailments easily. And in mid-game, Starmie can sweep easily, as well as spin away Spikes and rocks.
Scizor @Choice Band
Technician || Adamant
248 HP / 252 Att / 8 Spe
~U-Turn
~Bullet Punch
~Superpower
~Pursuit
Choice Band Scizor adds a huge punch to the team. With a massive 591 attack, it can hit almost everything hard with Bullet Punch. U-turn hits hard with STAB and can be used for scouting, and Superpower hits Blissey hard, and provides coverage against Dark types. Pursuit is great against psychic and ghost types who try to switch out. Scizor provides a great counter to everything that the rest of the team doesn't already hit hard.
Alakazam @Focus Sash
Magic Guard || Timid
4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
~Psychic
~Focus Blast
~Hidden Power Fire
~Grass Knot
So MajorGambit told me about Alakazam’s new ability Magic Guard. I knew Reuniclus had it, but had no idea Alakazam was packing the same amazing ability. After doing a little more research, I found a Focus Sash set to work wonders. Psychic hits everything for strong STAB and handles bulky fighting types like Machamp and Conkeldurr. Focus Blast handles Tyranitar and and other Dark threats. HP Fire OHKO’s a non-specially defensive Scizor, and hits Skarmory pretty hard. Grass Knot covers bulky Water/Ground types such as Swampert and Quagsire that pose an annoyance to my team. Grass Knot hits Swampert and Seismitoad harder than Energy Ball, and is weaker on Gastrodon. But Grass Knot can also hit bulky waters like Milotic hard as well.
Scrafty @Leftovers
Shed Skin || Careful
252 HP / 4 Att / 252 SpD
~Bulk Up
~Drain Punch
~Crunch
~Rest
Scrafty is definitely one of my favorite Gen V Pokemon. With its great 65/115/115 defenses, access to Bulk Up, Rest, AND Shed Skin, Scrafty can easily set up on almost anything, and Rest away any status or damage. Drain Punch keeps Scrafty in for as long as possible, and Crunch is another great STAB move. I’ve won many 5-0 matches against unsuspecting victims with Scrafty. He is a monster!
Volcarona @Lum Berry
Flame Body || Timid
4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
~Quiver Dance
~Bug Buzz
~Fiery Dance
~Hidden Power Rock
Volcarona. Another one of my favorite Gen 5 Pokemon. With 1 Quiver Dance, it can outspeed a ton with 490 Speed, and after 2, a massive 654 speed can outspeed anything non-boosted. With HP Rock, it can take out fellow Volcarona and its other moves give it great coverage. Fiery Dance over Fire Blast for accuracy and a chance to increase SpA. And with 85/65/105, it can easily set up on special attackers due to its natural bulk. Lum Berry allows it to survive a Thunder Wave to set up, or switch in to status moves.
Garchomp @Choice Scarf
Sand Veil || Jolly
4 HP / 252 Att / 252 Spe
~Outrage
~Earthquake
~Aqua Tail
~Dragon Claw
They say revenge never solves the problem. Garchomps begs to differ. With its massive attack power, natural bulk, and large coverage, it can easily be considered one of the best Pokemon in the game. If a Pokemon switches in that isn’t weak to one of its moves, Outrage can hit it for massive damage. Garchomp can also take advantage of Sandstorm sets with Sand Veil, where a timely miss can change the tide of the game. Fairly standard Garchomp set. With a massive 499 speed and 359 attack, it can outspeed almost anything and 1-2HKO them. Aqua Tail covers Heatran and Infernape, while still hitting Volcarona hard. Dragon Claw for early revenging without getting locked into Outrage.
Previous members:
Thundurus @Life Orb
Prankster || Timid
4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
~Nasty Plot
~Thunderbolt
~Hidden Power Ice
~Taunt
Metagross @Life Orb
Clear Body || Jolly
4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
~Agility
~Meteor Mash
~Earthquake
~Zen Headbutt
Garchomp @Life Orb
Sand Veil || Jolly
4 HP / 252 Att / 252 Spe
~Swords Dance
~Dragon Claw
~Earthquake
~Fire Fang
Alakazam @Choice Scarf
Synchronize || Timid
4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
~Psychic
~Psyshock
~Hidden Power Fire
~Energy Ball
Skarmory @Rocky Helmet
Sturdy || Impish
252 HP / 4 Att / 252 Def
~Brave Bird
~Spikes
~Roost
~Whirlwind
Prankster || Timid
4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
~Nasty Plot
~Thunderbolt
~Hidden Power Ice
~Taunt
Metagross @Life Orb
Clear Body || Jolly
4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
~Agility
~Meteor Mash
~Earthquake
~Zen Headbutt
Garchomp @Life Orb
Sand Veil || Jolly
4 HP / 252 Att / 252 Spe
~Swords Dance
~Dragon Claw
~Earthquake
~Fire Fang
Alakazam @Choice Scarf
Synchronize || Timid
4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
~Psychic
~Psyshock
~Hidden Power Fire
~Energy Ball
Skarmory @Rocky Helmet
Sturdy || Impish
252 HP / 4 Att / 252 Def
~Brave Bird
~Spikes
~Roost
~Whirlwind
THREAT ANALYSIS:
Now. What I’m really looking for is an analysis of threats on my team. I haven’t been playing long enough to figure out all the possible counters to my team, but I’ll talk about a few I’ve encountered.
Whimsicott, the little Prankster. Without a trick/taunt on my team, this thing keeps setting up substitutes, taunting, and leech seeding my team. If it leads, Starmie can easily Ice Beam it to oblivion, but if Starmie and Garchomp are gone, the rest of my team are like dude, can't handle it. Normally, I’m able to get off some sort of attack on it and it’ll die, but not without crippling or fainting a few of my Pokemon. Previous Threats:
Conkeldurr pretty much wreaks through my team. The only real counter I have is if I happen to get a couple of Zen Headbutts off without it killing me, or using Skarmory to Whirlwind/Brave Bird it. But other than that, I don’t have much that can KO it in a couple turns without extremely boosting my Pokemon. Alakazam can counter it. 
Swampert/Quagsire any other Water/Ground. They only have one weakness, and it’s one of the types of moves I don’t have on my team. No Grass moves = very hard to take down. Alakazam counters these with energy ball. 
Politoed, with its high special bulk, can take a Thunderbolt, so I need to use a physical attacker to hit it. Not too much of a problem, more of an annoyance. Alakazam can hit with Energy Ball and Starmie can Thunderbolt it. Please help me with my team, suggest options, other threats, possible counters, anything is appreciated. Thanks so much! =D
~h7
