Dimsun
VGC 2012 Seniors Champion
At a Glimpse:
I began with Mamoswine as the base. Mamo is a fantastic mon for chipping away at opponent's bulkier guys, and he's always worthwhile to put on the team.
Metagross and Rotom are both amazing Pokemon. I didn't just do this because of Moof's article on the Smog; on my regionals team, I had switched from Rotom-H to Rotom-W because I needed the extra ability to play against Rain and Sand. It turned out that Rotom W was an amazing partner for Mamo and worked fantastically even when it wasn't with the tusked menace. Metagross is almost standard for every team; he serves a similar role to Mamoswine, chipping away at the opponent. Also, he's great against Cress.
Alright, so I had seen Volcarona on many Regionals teams and wanted to test it. The Volcy is so fantastic and after a Quiver, does quite a bit of work. The high base speed and base special attack benefitted the team so much.
Hitmontop was a natural pick. He's a fantastic part of any team and gets Tyranitar out fast. Once he faints, you can usually come in and clean up the rest of the opponent's team, if you led with him. Wide Gaurd was also really useful and paired well with Mamo.
Well, now this is looking a lot like my regionals team with a Volcarona slapped on! Latios was used because Draco Meteor OHKOs so much. He really doesn't serve a purpose aside from being a pocket nuke against opposing Rotom W, which almost always woudl give this team trouble.
Latios simply wasn't my best choice, and that was made clear when I tried out Salamence! Salamence is fantastic. It's Modest max Sp. Atk Draco Meteor is almost as powerful as Latios', so we aren't really losing anything switching to him. Also, he has Intimidate, isn't weak to Sucker Punch, and has a useful spread move in Heat Wave! His synergy with Mamoswine was phenomenal as well. Also, when I had put him in, I was still using Hitmontop and they gelled really well together. Breloom was put in over Hitmontop to beat Trick Room teams not carrying an obvious Fake Out-er. However, I'm still pretty iffy about Breloom, even though he has proven very useful(and checks Rotom W better then Hitmontop could hope to do), due to his general frailty. So now that we're done with that, let's get on to the team!
In Depth
Mamoswine @ Focus Sash
Trait: Snow Cloak
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Earthquake
- Icicle Spear
- Ice Shard
- Protect
Mamoswine is beautiful. See those tusks? The white is just a covering to make sure the PURE GOLD on the inside isn't damaged.Mamoswine @ Focus Sash
Trait: Snow Cloak
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Earthquake
- Icicle Spear
- Ice Shard
- Protect
In all seriousness, Mamoswine is a fantastic 'mon. He synergizes really well with Salamence, whom helps to weaken threatening physical attackers. At the moment, I was trying Icicle Spear at Zachdro's suggestion. With Mamo, I would definitely put a slash between Icicle Spear and Icicle Crash most of the time, because both moves work well while one has a flinch chance and the other hits through Yache and Sash. Earthquake is great and helps Rotom-W, whom is great partner to have in the back or with Mamoswine because of how well it deals with most opposing Metagross, one of the largest issues for Mamoswine. EVs are generic, as with Sash I don't need max HP to survive attacks. Mamoswine isn't even damaged by weather, so he really is one of the best users of the item. Also, Mamoswine gets Ice Shard, one of the better priority moves in VGC.
Salamence @ Dragon Gem
Trait: Intimidate
EVs: 54 HP / 252 SAtk / 204 Spd
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Draco Meteor
- Heat Wave
- Protect
- Substitute
Salamence is almost as marvelous as Mamo. Dragon Gem Draco Meteor is nearly as powerful as Latios'. However, Salamence has Intimidate, which I consider far superior to Latios' Levitate, if only because Salamence is part flying type. This team actually has three ice resists, so Salamence really doesn't have to worry; I can switch him out on a predicted ice type attack. Substitute is there in case he goes up against Cresselia or the like, while Protect is really one of the most useful moves in VGC. 204 Speed Modest allows it to outspeed max speed Timid Chandelure by one point. Trait: Intimidate
EVs: 54 HP / 252 SAtk / 204 Spd
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Draco Meteor
- Heat Wave
- Protect
- Substitute
Rotom-W @ Electric Gem
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SAtk / 4 Spd
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Thunderbolt
- Hydro Pump
- Protect
- Hidden Power [Grass]
Rotom is fantastic. He almost completely checks most Metagross variants and is a huge help beating Sandstorm teams. Electric Gem Thunderbolt tears a dent in anything that doesn't resist it and is therefore preferred over Sitrus Berry with which Rotom sorely misses damage. Hidden Power Grass is a nasty surprise to opposing Gastrodon, forcing the opponent to either switch out or protect with the slug. Although HP Grass only deals about 80% damage to opposing Gastrodon, Gastro will have typically taken damage prior and faint. Rindo Gastro takes about 40% and is forced to switch. Also, HP Grass deals slightly higher damage to opposing Rotom Wash then Thunderbolt, which is nice. Trait: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SAtk / 4 Spd
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Thunderbolt
- Hydro Pump
- Protect
- Hidden Power [Grass]
Volcarona @ Lum Berry
Trait: Flame Body
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Heat Wave
- Bug Buzz
- Quiver Dance
- Protect
<3 Volcarona, that's allTrait: Flame Body
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Heat Wave
- Bug Buzz
- Quiver Dance
- Protect
No, Volcarona is fantastic and I'm glad I started testing it. Lum Berry blocks opposing Cresselia's Thunder Wave, allowing Volcarona to poke a hole in the opponent's defense. After enough Quiver Dances, this thing will deal over half to anything, even Pokemon that resists Volcarona's two STABs. However, Volcarona also constitutes a weakness to rain in my team.
metagame (Metagross) @ Occa Berry
Trait: Clear Body
EVs: 172 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def / 68 SDef / 12 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Iron Head
- Earthquake
- Bullet Punch
- Protect
Metagross is a mon that serves a similar role to Mamoswine, just in different situations. Bullet Punch is extremely useful priority, while Iron Flinch(Head) has always-hit goodness stuffed inside of it. Earthquake puts a dent in opposing Chandelures thinking they can Overheat this thing to death. The EVs provide great special bulk, along with buffing up Metagross' attack stat and allowing it to just slightly outspeed 4 Speed Hitmontop and Metagross. Trait: Clear Body
EVs: 172 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def / 68 SDef / 12 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Iron Head
- Earthquake
- Bullet Punch
- Protect
Breloom @ Toxic Orb
Trait: Poison Heal
EVs: 116 HP / 252 Atk / 140 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Seed Bomb
- Protect
- Spore
- Drain Punch
Breloom was put on the team for one reason; stopping Trick Room. Aside from that, it also helps when the opponent leads Hitmontop/Cresselia. The biggest issue with this thing is its measly defenses, which allows it to be OHKO'd even by a Non-STAB Heat Wave from Zapdos. Even then though, Spore is a fantastic move and so is Seed Bomb. With 252 Attack EVs and Adamant, Seed Bomb has a good chance to OHKO opposing Rotom, which again is extremely useful. 140 Speed allows Breloom to just barely outspeed 4 Speed Rotom-Wash(Which also means Cresselia! Get rid of that Chesto.). Breloom doesn't really need speed for anything else. Trait: Poison Heal
EVs: 116 HP / 252 Atk / 140 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Seed Bomb
- Protect
- Spore
- Drain Punch
However, I've used Hitmontop in this slot before and found similar success. Without a Wide Gaurd-er, Volcarona has a hard time getting up a quiver or dealing any damage at all. Therefore, Breloom is definitely the most iffy member of my team.
Mamoswine (F) @ Focus Sash
Trait: Snow Cloak
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Earthquake
- Icicle Spear
- Ice Shard
- Protect
Salamence (M) @ Dragon Gem
Trait: Intimidate
EVs: 54 HP / 252 SAtk / 204 Spd
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Draco Meteor
- Heat Wave
- Protect
- Substitute
Rotom-W @ Electric Gem
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SAtk / 4 Spd
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Thunderbolt
- Hydro Pump
- Protect
- Hidden Power [Grass]
Volcarona (M) @ Lum Berry
Trait: Flame Body
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Heat Wave
- Bug Buzz
- Quiver Dance
- Protect
metagame (Metagross) @ Occa Berry
Trait: Clear Body
EVs: 172 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def / 68 SDef / 12 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Iron Head
- Earthquake
- Bullet Punch
- Protect
Breloom (M) @ Toxic Orb
Trait: Poison Heal
EVs: 116 HP / 252 Atk / 140 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Seed Bomb
- Protect
- Spore
- Drain Punch
Trait: Snow Cloak
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Earthquake
- Icicle Spear
- Ice Shard
- Protect
Salamence (M) @ Dragon Gem
Trait: Intimidate
EVs: 54 HP / 252 SAtk / 204 Spd
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Draco Meteor
- Heat Wave
- Protect
- Substitute
Rotom-W @ Electric Gem
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SAtk / 4 Spd
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Thunderbolt
- Hydro Pump
- Protect
- Hidden Power [Grass]
Volcarona (M) @ Lum Berry
Trait: Flame Body
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Heat Wave
- Bug Buzz
- Quiver Dance
- Protect
metagame (Metagross) @ Occa Berry
Trait: Clear Body
EVs: 172 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def / 68 SDef / 12 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Iron Head
- Earthquake
- Bullet Punch
- Protect
Breloom (M) @ Toxic Orb
Trait: Poison Heal
EVs: 116 HP / 252 Atk / 140 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Seed Bomb
- Protect
- Spore
- Drain Punch
So, that's the team. I hope you like it! Please, point out issues I may have made teambuilding or just writing errors in general. Thanks!