Smogon Community - View Single Post - Teambuilding 101 (Round 1: MMF, FLCL, Zebraiken)

I made my post in a RMT-esque format since I felt that would be the best way to explain things. In my opinion this team is very easy to use because every member has great bulk. This makes misplays a bit less costly, which is extremely helpful for newer players. Although the team looks slow, there is a massive amount of priority, which makes dealing with Cinccino and friends a lot easier.

The Musharna, Gurdurr, Skuntank core is nothing new, and is still extremely effective. The rest of the team members were added to address the weaknesses of the core, namely the lack of resistances ability to break through powerful walls. The duo of Ludicolo and Carracosta perform the latter wonderfully, using brute force to smash through the likes of Amoonguss, Alomomola, and Lickilicky.

Feel free to make any changes that will help yourself be more successful with this team. I would suggest putting a bit of Speed on Musharna and Piloswine to outpace other Pokemon that might creep a little. Carracosta's item and nature, as well as Gurdurr and Skuntank's last moveslots are also up to debate. Also, don't hesitate to ask how questions if you have them; this team isn't perfect!

enjoy!

Sep 30th, 2012, 7:52:05 PM	#55
FLCL Moderator Join Date: Mar 2010 Posts: 1,041	I made my post in a RMT-esque format since I felt that would be the best way to explain things. In my opinion this team is very easy to use because every member has great bulk. This makes misplays a bit less costly, which is extremely helpful for newer players. Although the team looks slow, there is a massive amount of priority, which makes dealing with Cinccino and friends a lot easier. The Musharna, Gurdurr, Skuntank core is nothing new, and is still extremely effective. The rest of the team members were added to address the weaknesses of the core, namely the lack of resistances ability to break through powerful walls. The duo of Ludicolo and Carracosta perform the latter wonderfully, using brute force to smash through the likes of Amoonguss, Alomomola, and Lickilicky. Feel free to make any changes that will help yourself be more successful with this team. I would suggest putting a bit of Speed on Musharna and Piloswine to outpace other Pokemon that might creep a little. Carracosta's item and nature, as well as Gurdurr and Skuntank's last moveslots are also up to debate. Also, don't hesitate to ask how questions if you have them; this team isn't perfect! enjoy! Piloswine @ Eviolite Trait: Thick Fat EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def Adamant Nature - Stealth Rock - Icicle Spear - Earthquake - Ice Shard Piloswine's role is to set up Stealth Rocks for the team and check annoying Volt Switchers such as Zebstrika and the two Rotom Formes. Its excellent bulk—which allows it to survive even super effective attacks on the physical side—guarantees that it gets hazards up in every match if played correctly. Offensively, Piloswine is no slouch either. With maximum investment, it can put the hurt on the many Pokemon in the tier that are weak to its STAB attacks, which grant excellent coverage. Gurdurr @ Eviolite Trait: Guts EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def Adamant Nature - Bulk Up - Drain Punch - Mach Punch - Ice Punch Meet one of the premier bulky attackers in the tier, Gurdurr. It boasts massive bulk and a great attack stat, which can be pumped up to extremely dangerous levels thanks to Bulk Up and Guts. It has the ability to recover HP with Drain Punch, which helps it immensely when it's matched up against Pokemon such as Samurott and Emboar. There are very few physical attackers, or even physical walls, that can come on top against this beast. Outside of sweeping, Gurdurr is also an excellent counter to the various Dark-types that plague Musharna. It can break down bulky Rock and Steel types that wall Skuntank, which greatly increases its utility and usefulness in a match. Skuntank @ Leftovers Trait: Aftermath EVs: 20 HP / 252 Atk / 236 Spd Adamant Nature - Pursuit - Sucker Punch - Poison Jab - Taunt As strong as Gurdurr may be, it is stopped cold by most Psychic-types in the tier. Skuntank's role is to eliminate those Pokemon by virtue of its typing and move-pool. It is immune to Psychic and takes very little from their coverage move of choice, Signal Beam. With Pursuit, Musharna and friends won't be escaping without having a huge chunk of their health ripped out of them. However, Skuntank's usefulness doesn't stop here; it acts as the sole Grass-type resister of this team and can switch into many of them with relative ease. Taunt can preventing hazards from going up and is especially useful against Spikers such as Garbodor or Cacturne, since they usually lack a way to damage Skuntank significantly. Musharna @ Leftovers Trait: Synchronize EVs: 240 HP / 252 Def / 16 SAtk Bold Nature - Calm Mind - Heal Bell - Psychic - Moonlight Musharna makes its way onto the team as one of the most durable Pokemon in the tier. After Dark-types such as Absol, Skuntank, and Cacturne have been removed, it will be able to plow through the opponent with ease, whether they are using a defensive or offensive team. Musharna's physical bulk allows it to absorb Fighting-type attacks from the likes of Sawk and Gurdurr, which is really important in this metagame. Heal Bell is a great move for this team since there's no designated status absorber. Ludicolo @ Life Orb Trait: Swift Swim EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 Def / 252 Spd Timid Nature - Giga Drain - Hydro Pump - Ice Beam - Rain Dance Ludicolo helps check powerful Water-types such as Gorebyss, Samurott, and Simipour that have the potential to break through the previous Pokemon. It acts as a great standalone sweeper with great coverage and power, being able to sweep in the blink of an eye with Rain Dance. Early in the game, Ludicolo can constantly put pressure on the foe, preventing opposing Armaldo, Piloswine, Torterra, Carracosta, and Lairon from setting up hazards. Carracosta @ Life Orb Trait: Solid Rock EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spd Adamant Nature - Aqua Jet - Shell Smash - Stone Edge - Waterfall Carracosta was added last and fills many of the roles that the rest of the team lacked. It prevents Braviary and Swellow from demolishing everything with Brave Bird. It resists Fire-type attacks, which makes Emboar think twice about spamming Flare Blitz. After a Shell Smash, Carracosta is extremely hard to stop; even Amoonguss has a good chance of being OHKOed after Stealth Rocks damage. This allows it to punch holes in the opponent's team, making way for other Pokemon to clean up. __________________ Last edited by FLCL; Sep 30th, 2012 at 10:24:27 PM.