Project LC Team Study [Team 2 Up]

[tcr]

Originally made by Melee Mewtwo
OP taken from Shadow_Sneak

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What is this for?
The basic idea of this thread is to look at a high level player's team under the microscope and see what the community can find and learn from each team. Discussing a team helps not only you learn and think about it, but LC players who are new can learn by reading your post. It is a win-win situtation! Additionally, you are supplied with high-level teams to take ideas from if you like a build, and it gives us a look at what is "good" in the high-stakes Tournament metagame, allowing you to form ideas for tournaments such as LCPL or the official LC Tournament.

How does it work?
Each week (more or less) there will be a high-level team that will be displayed for the community as a whole to discuss. The aim of this discussion will be to analyze the team by identifying roles and explaining their purpose, investigating specific movesets and Pokemon choices, strong points of the team, flaws it may have and even questions concerning unusual or confusing aspects. Essentially, the team will serve as a model to learn from and an example to refer to. Once the discussion is over, the teambuilder will post explaining his decisions and answering any questions or false ideas concerning them.

What do I get out of it?

• A good look at current tournament teams and trends.
• Insight on how teams are built and more knowledge of the LC Metagame.
• A good, intelligent thread!

How do I get featured for discussion?
In order to get featured for discussion, simply PM me to submit a team to me. You can also contact me on Showdown or IRC as well!
Featured LC Teams

Mambo's Snivy Team

Venipede @ Focus Sash
Ability: Speed Boost
Level: 5
EVs: 236 Atk / 44 Def / 220 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Spikes
- Protect
- Pin Missile
- Endeavor

Staryu @ Life Orb
Ability: Natural Cure
Level: 5
EVs: 200 SpA / 240 Spe
Timid Nature
- Hydro Pump
- Ice Beam
- Psychic
- Hidden Power [Fire]

Snivy @ Berry Juice
Ability: Contrary
Level: 5
EVs: 240 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Leaf Storm
- Glare
- Substitute
- Hidden Power [Flying]

Pawniard @ Eviolite
Ability: Defiant
Level: 5
EVs: 156 Atk / 36 Def / 116 SpD / 196 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Sucker Punch
- Iron Head
- Knock Off
- Stealth Rock

Drilbur @ Eviolite
Ability: Mold Breaker
Level: 5
EVs: 36 HP / 236 Atk / 212 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
- Rapid Spin
- Swords Dance

Gastly @ Focus Sash
Ability: Levitate
Level: 5 EVs: 76 Atk / 200 SpA / 200 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Shadow Ball
- Sludge Bomb
- Sucker Punch
- Hidden Power [Fighting]

Rowan's Epic Numel Team

Timburr @ Eviolite
Ability: Guts
Level: 5
EVs: 116 Atk / 156 Def / 236 SpD
Careful Nature
- Drain Punch
- Mach Punch
- Knock Off
- Bulk Up

Numel @ Eviolite
Ability: Oblivious
Level: 5
EVs: 36 HP / 116 Def / 156 SpA / 156 SpD
Calm Nature
- Lava Plume
- Earth Power
- Stealth Rock
- Will-O-Wisp

Spritzee @ Eviolite
Ability: Aroma Veil
Level: 5
EVs: 212 HP / 196 Def / 12 SpA / 76 SpD / 12 Spe
Bold Nature
- Moonblast
- Calm Mind
- Wish
- Protect

Magnemite @ Berry Juice
Ability: Sturdy
Level: 5
EVs: 240 SpA / 236 Spe
Timid Nature
- Flash Cannon
- Volt Switch
- Hidden Power [Ground]
- Recycle

Staryu @ Eviolite
Ability: Natural Cure
Level: 5
EVs: 116 HP / 156 Def / 236 Spe
Timid Nature
- Scald
- Psychic
- Recover
- Rapid Spin

Chespin @ Eviolite
Ability: Bulletproof
Level: 5
EVs: 68 HP / 108 Atk / 76 Def / 76 SpD / 132 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Seed Bomb
- Drain Punch
- Rock Tomb
- Synthesis

 

[tcr]

Mambo's Snivy Team

Venipede @ Focus Sash
Ability: Speed Boost
Level: 5
EVs: 236 Atk / 44 Def / 220 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Spikes
- Protect
- Pin Missile
- Endeavor

Staryu @ Life Orb
Ability: Natural Cure
Level: 5
EVs: 200 SpA / 240 Spe
Timid Nature
- Hydro Pump
- Ice Beam
- Psychic
- Hidden Power [Fire]

Snivy @ Berry Juice
Ability: Contrary
Level: 5
EVs: 240 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Leaf Storm
- Glare
- Substitute
- Hidden Power [Flying]

Pawniard @ Eviolite
Ability: Defiant
Level: 5
EVs: 156 Atk / 36 Def / 116 SpD / 196 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Sucker Punch
- Iron Head
- Knock Off
- Stealth Rock

Drilbur @ Eviolite
Ability: Mold Breaker
Level: 5
EVs: 36 HP / 236 Atk / 212 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
- Rapid Spin
- Swords Dance

Gastly @ Focus Sash
Ability: Levitate
Level: 5 EVs: 76 Atk / 200 SpA / 200 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Shadow Ball
- Sludge Bomb
- Sucker Punch
- Hidden Power [Fighting]

Our first team, submitted by Mambo!

Some things to consider are:

• What do think was the main/inspiring idea/goal Mambo had when building this team?
• Is there a discernible core that he tried to build around?
• What are the strong points of the team?
• What are the weak spots?
• How could his use of certain EV/moveset twists help his team vs specific threats or archetypes?
• How does he use some underrated threats to give his team an advantage?

Let's try to get some life back into these forums friends!

 

[Brambane]

Are there any replays available where this team is being used? I am interested in seeing the team in action, especially in a high level game. Additionally, I would like to see each Pokemon's role in battle, specifically Venipede. I have never seen a Venipede in my battles and I have no idea what it does, aside from maybe act as a suicide spiker? Do you always lead with it?

 

[Oma]

Well considering I've built like the exact same team it's easy to see what the goal of each mon is. The main idea was to use Venipede to use Spikes and support a HO team featuring LO Staryu, a really underrated set that hits a huge portion of this metagame for great damage. Venipede's a really cool lead meant to set up spikes, use pin missile to break sashes against things like abra, and use Endeavor after being brought to Sash in order to weaken the opposing Pokemon, making it so that it cannot swap out or the spikes will kill it. I like toxic spikes over protect because more residual damage is great at punishing switches and wearing down walls but Protect stops it from being taunted which is good. Staryu's the star of the show and is able to KO a whole bunch of mons late game thanks to Spikes support and amazing coverage. HP Fire is used for Ferroseed and means that Snivy doesn't need to run it cause Staryu lures out Ferro. Snivy has really good synergy with Staryu because it beats bulky waters and puts on tons of offensive pressure. HP Flying is used to maintain a 17 Speed tier while hitting would-be counters like Foongus, Croagunk, and Larvesta. Sub Glare also paralyzes Pony on the switch so that Staryu can beat it later without risking a tie. Pawniard provides Knock Off support needed in getting KOs while also using Stealth Rock to hurt switch-ins more. It also helps patch a weakness to Fletchling and gives convenient priority. Drilbur runs Swords Dance to give an alternate wincon and also stop Dwebble from spiking your team. Focus Sash Gastly is used to spinblock and also stop set up sweepers like Omanyte, provided Stealth Rock isn't up. Sucker Punch is to break Abra's sash for the rest of the team. If Stealth Rock is up it cant stop sweepers, so I like Abra on this, but breaking Abra's sash and spinblocking is needed. Omanyte sets up on like nothing on this team so it's not that big of a deal but Cotton+Oma or Zig can threaten it. This team has a really big weakness to Fletchling, as Pawniard is the only Flying-resist and it gets hit by Overheat, trapped by Dig, or U-turned into Mienfoo. Since there's not a whole lot of bulk on this team, swapping into Mienfoo is more difficult and sometimes impossible, so you lose your only Fletch resist. Therefore, if Pawn is gone and Fletch is at +2 to break Dril it's GG. Offensive pressure can stop it from setting up tho, and Endeavor from Pede+Sucker Punch from Pawn or Gast can successfully stop fletch from sweeping. Carvanha also beats it if Gastly's sash is broken, so HO can easily overpower this team. Still though, this team abuses the growing popularity of balance and BO by using strong attackers to overpower bulky cores.

 

[Shrug]

Nice thread Amaura, this is cool.

This is a nice team by Mambo. It's offense with a cool build and some nice, underrated mons that are effective in niches that synergize well together. Some strengths include:

- A solid method of Spikes, and a way to capitalize on them; Spikes work on a ton of LC mons and Staryu has the Speed and power to convert spike damage to free kos. I was actually trying to build Spikes + LO Staryu and couldn't find a Spiker, Venepede works well with Speed Boost and utility.
- All the ways of getting Abra to a Sash - if you predict well you might limit it to one kill! I digressed didnt i sorry anyway
- The offensive synergy - things are either scared out into Spikes (weakening them for later) or have available switchins on your team who can hit hard again.

Im assuming mambo was chilling one say and he was like "spikes offense'd be dope" so he got an underrated Spiker and one of the best spikes sweepers in LO star, stacked a bunch of stuff that went well, and had a team.

One problem for this team is Pump-Grande (XL) + SR imo. Your team, with two Sash users, dislikes SR a lot, and Drillbur spins are solidly stomped by Pump. Pawn can beat, but hates Will-o-wisp; Gastly is a little weak when it packs sash as opposed to Life Orb. Therefore you need to play aggressively to prevent SR and also to force an opening for a spin if they go up, but you already know that. Good team

 

[apt-get]

0/10 gets 6-0ed by scraggy

rate

• What do think was the main/inspiring idea/goal Mambo had when building this team?

Spikes stacking offense, obviously. All the main elements of hazard offense are here, including Pawniard and a ghost. It relies a lot on strong hits to break through the opposing team.

• Is there a discernible core that he tried to build around?

The classic spiker/Pawniard/ghost core is here. Snivy is also present, often a staple of the archetype, though not necessarily needed.

• What are the strong points of the team?

Probably the offensive pressure, although it lacks a lot of key resistances. Mienfoo in pawniard can bring almost anything down; same for Overheat fletchling on 3/6 of the team.

• What are the weak spots?

Hardly any revenge killing power, which makes it very weak to setup sweepers. Scraggy is a prime example of that, although SD overheat fletch also runs over this team. Even something like flame charge numel can bring it down after SR, and I'm not even talking about powerhouses like SD pancham. A team that does very well against balance, but is left defenseless against other offenses and voltturn.

• How could his use of certain EV/moveset twists help his team vs specific threats or archetypes?

the use of 17 speed HP flying Snivy helps the team against bulky grass-types a lot. Sucker Punch gastly can hold its own against Gothita and Abra too.

• How does he use some underrated threats to give his team an advantage?

SD Drilbur is a monster, although it needs a solid backbone to back it up, which isn't really the case with this team. Leaf Storm HP flying snivy is legit and I support it, though.


overall 6.5 ~ 7/10

 

[Berks]

One of the most interesting things about this team (and Mambo's teams in general) are the particular sets that each mon runs. Hidden Power Flying is a solid choice for Snivy and is my personal preference, and helps with taking out Larvesta. An interesting choice which I don't quite understand is Swords Dance on Drilbur in conjunction with Stealth Rock Pawniard, though I suppose that makes the team depend a little less on Drilbur for all its hazard control. Another choice I enjoy on this team is Sash Gastly; sufficient offensive pressure and Drilbur's spin will give the opponent a very hard time keeping hazards on the field, meaning Gastly's sash won't be too hard to keep intact.

Weak points on the team are certainly few and far between; others have mentioned the weakness to PumpXL, but it shouldn't be too much to handle between Gastly and Pawniard. However, it looks like this team has difficulty with Fighting types, with no real dedicated check. However, HP Flying and Psychic on Snivy and Staryu help mitigate this offensively; Early game fighting types are certainly still troubling.

All in all a team/10 from a tutor/10

 

[RZL]

• What do think was the main/inspiring idea/goal Mambo had when building this team?

This team looks like a great and innovative team using Venipede, and full out attacking Staryu. I have honestly never ran either as, I think Recover is paramount. Well inspiration is obviously low ladder. This is what happens when low ladder is good.

• Is there a discernible core that he tried to build around?

Okay, Venipede, Snivy, and Staryu seem to have good synergy. Venipede sets up spikes, and then Endeavors, or Pin Missiles pokemon, like the ever so discussed Abra. Snivy Leaf Storms to sweep, except when it is facing Foongus which it uses Hidden Power Flying. Hidden Power Fire looks more practical but the speed does not work out. I have never used Full-Out Offensive Staryu, I am assuming Psychic is for Fighting types, and Foongus, Hidden Power Fire is for Ferroseed, and Hydro Pump is a canon. Ice Beam is for Flying types, and Grass types. I would almost call Pawniard and Gastly a core as, together they stop hazards even though this is a core, it is not the core he tried to build around.

• What are the strong points of the team?

Strong points, would be the great offensive synergy with Venipede, Snivy, and Staryu, the combination of Pawniard, and Gastly to block hazards, and an effective use of spikes. I went over the former two above, and LO Staryu looks like it can abuse spikes as, it is very fast, and has great Special Attack. I will also include that Gastly does lose some presence without Life Orb but it still nets some KOes without Life Orb. This is just a straight up good team.

• What are the weak spots?

Fletchling can devastate this team once Pawniard is taken care of, especially if rocks are up. FletchDig must be the bane of this teams existence.
Pumpkaboo-XL as, it walls Drilbur, and the only thing that really threatens it immediately is Pawniard, which abhors burns.
Fletchling, LO Pawniard Sticky Web teams could also threaten this team as, only Snivy outspeeds Pawniard after Sticky Webs, Fletchling can remedy this with an Acrobatics.

• How does he use some underrated threats to give his team an advantage?

His use of Venipede as a lead spiker is perfect as, Venipede deserves more spotlight than it actually gets because it is a great Spiker and maintains momentum.
I also would never expect All-Out Attacking Staryu, and would probably have trouble with it as, I have never faced one before. I assume that this is the optimal way to run it for this team.

I would have suggestions but I don't have any.

 

[doomsday doink]

Hi

Are there any replays available where this team is being used? I am interested in seeing the team in action, especially in a high level game. Additionally, I would like to see each Pokemon's role in battle, specifically Venipede. I have never seen a Venipede in my battles and I have no idea what it does, aside from maybe act as a suicide spiker? Do you always lead with it?

Although the main purpose of Venipede is generally to set up Spikes then attempt to Endeavor one of the opponent's Pokemon (preferably their hazard remover), I tend to lead with something else about 50% of the time. The fact that it's such a predictable lead (and Pokemon in general) allows me to get a solid match-up against their counter-lead which lets me bring in Venipede later and set up some hazards. Keeping its Focus Sash in tact for late game can also be incredibly beneficial, as the team lacks a good switch-in to super offensive Pokemon (e.g. Abra and Carvanha). Both Abra and Carvanha can be checked by Venipede if its Focus Sash stays in tact and it can then proceed to either get up a layer of Spikes or Endeavor something important.

On to the actual analysis of the team, why I picked what I did, how they work together, yada yada yada. First off, props to Omastar42 to for the original concept of Venipede + Snivy + Staryu, it's a really fun offensive core that has some nice surprise factors. I'm not sure if he used HP Flying on his Snivy but I think it's a fantastic option in tandem with Staryu's coverage while still allowing Snivy to hit 17 Speed. He also hit the nail on the head with his analysis of what each Pokemon's role is. The choice of Protect > Toxic Spikes is so that Venipede dodges Taunt (like you said) and so if I decide to keep it around late game, it can check faster offensive Pokemon such as Abra. Fletchling can become a huge issue for the team if Pawniard is KO'd, but the inclusion of two Pokemon with Sucker Punch, two Pokemon with Focus Sashes (one with Endeavor), and the chip damage in Spikes allows the team to fair relatively well against FletchDig. However, a well played FletchDig will surely have the upper hand throughout the match. Apt-get managed to successfully point out the major flaws of the team, especially its general inability to RK opposing Pokemon which is why I tend to preserve Venipede and Gastly's Focus Sashes; however, this prevents me from setting up Spikes or checking other threatening Pokemon and eventually just becomes a hassle to deal with. For those of you don't recognize the team, it's one that I built on a Learning With Jim stream for Smogon's Twitch. I didn't want to fill up half of the stream trying to mend the (relatively manageable) weaknesses so that Jim could actually get a good amount of playing time in. I haven't shifted the team around much since then, but I'll probably take some of the criticisms and fix up the team a bit. Funny how this works as a sort of RMT as well. Oh I almost forgot, TCR sucks