(VGC) I think I'm gonna go this year

TheMushroomMan · Jan 28th, 2013, 4:22:06 AM

When building my team for VGC, I could't help but think the same thing over and over. "Be prepared for anything." So that's just what I did. The primary basis of this team was to counter anything thrown at it. This will be my first VGC attendance, so I decided to ask around these forums before anything was set in stone. I simply ask for feedback. Thanks in advance. Here they are:

Alakazam @ Life Orb | Magic Guard
Mild | HP 156 / Sp. Atk 212 / Spd 140
»Psychic
»Psyshock
»Guard Split
»Signal Beam

Primary Sweeper. Reliable with both Psychic & Psyshock to take care of both Physical and Special Defenses, and Magic Guard can't ever be a bad thing right? Guard Split is there to knock Tanks and walls down a peg while simultaneously bumping me up. Signal Beam is to cover Dark types.
•Idea was to counteract Walls and Tanks.

Cloyster @ Scope Lens | Skill Link
Sassy | Atk 200 / Def 20 / Sp. Atk 40 / Sp. Def 248
»Icicle Spear
»Protect
»Brine
»Rock Blast

Skill Link is the primary idea here. With both Icicle Spear and Rock Blast to match up. I also added Scope Lens to increase Critical Hit chance, which fits great with the Skill Link as well as each of the 5 hits from Icicle Spear have separate chance for Critical Hit. Brine is a backup for type coverage with STAB as well. Protect is mainly a filler but helps with weak Sp. Def as well.
•Idea was to counter Sturdy and Focus Sash users and Tanks/Walls.

Shuckle @ Chesto Berry | Contrary
Sassy | HP 156 / Def 172 / Sp. Def 180
»Power Split
»Rest
»Rock Slide/Sludge Bomb/Toxic
»Helping Hand

Everyone knows where this is headed. The main reason I caved to Shuckle was due to my discovery of Power Split, which my actually give me a chance to use some offense, however the main idea was to counter powerhouses. I can knock down their sole purpose of being there, their ridiculously high attack, and give me a chance to use something worth attacking with. with a backup of Rest+Chesto to annoy and defend a little longer, Helping Hand to benefit partner, plus with Cloyster's Skill Link, this could be devastating. My main problem is deciding whether to get a STAB Physical, Rock Slide, A poisoning Special, Sludge Bomb, or a draining Poison, Toxic.
•Idea was to counteract Powerhouses.

Porygon2 @ Eviolite | Trace
Bold | Def 116 / Sp. Atk 128 / Sp. Def 168 / Spd 96
»Tri Attack
»Hidden Power [Fight]
»Thunderbolt
»Trick Room

Primarily Tank, with it's Eviolite and high Sp. Attack. Trace is there to counteract wether teams, for many of them are very Ability heavy such as Chlorophyll, Rain Dish, & Ice Body. Also, typically people don't get a negative ability without a counter (which is commonly weather). Hidden Power for unpredictability and coverage, and Thunderbolt for coverage. Trick Room is for countering predominantly fast teams (also for filler).
•Idea was to counter Sweepers (not primarily though).

Breloom @ Toxic Orb | Poison Heal
Adament | Atk 108 / Def 116 / Sp. Def 236 / Spd 48
»Seed Bomb/Fling/Leech Seed
»Spore
»Facade
»Drain Punch

A personal favorite of mine, Breloom is there to piss off High HPs such as Blissey, Milotic, Slaking, etc. With Spore as a reliable Stall. Drain Punch for STAB and (of coarse) draining, and Toxic Orb+Poison Heal+Facade (for even more obvious reasons). My main concern is whether to use Seed Bomb as a high STAB, Fling for Poison, or Leech Seed for even more health, (I'm leaning Towards Leech Seed, but I thought I'd ask first)
•Idea was to counter high HPs.

Claydol @ Light Clay | Levitate
Relaxed | HP 88 / Def 176 / Sp. Atk 140 / Sp. Def 104
»Earth Power
»Ice Beam
»Reflect
»Light Screen

Just a typical Support/Tank. With a Light Clay+Reflect/Light Screen combo to add even more defense to this already bulky team. and Ice beam and Earth Power for coverage. That's pretty much it.
•Idea was....Support. :/

—————————————————————————————————————————————————— ——————————————————————————
I also kept a primarily slow team due to the overuse of Trick Room teams, and in such situations, I would not be hindered. Well there you have it, that's my team. So, give it to me straight.

Golden Piloswine · Jan 29th, 2013, 5:48:33 PM

Ok here's my two cents:

Countering everything is impossible. I do not suggest your strategy to be counter all teams. A more defined strategy is better. There is nothing wrong with being prepared for threats, but if you come across a team with no strategy what will you do then? So as with all my rates, I'm going to try to change the team as little as possible, starting with a little move I like to call Protect.

Alaka: No offense, but having Psychic and Psyshock... is a terrible idea it's just wasting a move slot for two very similar STAB's. Guard Split isn't really good in general VGC because of switches eliminate the crippling you have done. I'm going to give you a more standard Alakazam to use.

...

Cloyster: Not bad at all! :) But there are some changes I'd like to make.

...

Shuckie: Perplexes me a bit. :/ But seems headed in the right direction.

...

Porygon2: Looks great! :) Just a few things.

...

Breloom: Isn't very fast. So I'm suggesting a fast-frail Technician set over yours.

...

Claydol: Is as useless as dry clay... Metagross is a much better option

Metagross:

...

I hope this helps! :) Good luck!!

Jan 28th, 2013, 4:22:06 AM	#1
TheMushroomMan Join Date: Oct 2012 Posts: 1 TX	I think I'm gonna go this year When building my team for VGC, I could't help but think the same thing over and over. "Be prepared for anything." So that's just what I did. The primary basis of this team was to counter anything thrown at it. This will be my first VGC attendance, so I decided to ask around these forums before anything was set in stone. I simply ask for feedback. Thanks in advance. Here they are: Alakazam @ Life Orb \| Magic Guard Mild \| HP 156 / Sp. Atk 212 / Spd 140 »Psychic »Psyshock »Guard Split »Signal Beam Primary Sweeper. Reliable with both Psychic & Psyshock to take care of both Physical and Special Defenses, and Magic Guard can't ever be a bad thing right? Guard Split is there to knock Tanks and walls down a peg while simultaneously bumping me up. Signal Beam is to cover Dark types. •Idea was to counteract Walls and Tanks. Cloyster @ Scope Lens \| Skill Link Sassy \| Atk 200 / Def 20 / Sp. Atk 40 / Sp. Def 248 »Icicle Spear »Protect »Brine »Rock Blast Skill Link is the primary idea here. With both Icicle Spear and Rock Blast to match up. I also added Scope Lens to increase Critical Hit chance, which fits great with the Skill Link as well as each of the 5 hits from Icicle Spear have separate chance for Critical Hit. Brine is a backup for type coverage with STAB as well. Protect is mainly a filler but helps with weak Sp. Def as well. •Idea was to counter Sturdy and Focus Sash users and Tanks/Walls. Shuckle @ Chesto Berry \| Contrary Sassy \| HP 156 / Def 172 / Sp. Def 180 »Power Split »Rest »Rock Slide/Sludge Bomb/Toxic »Helping Hand Everyone knows where this is headed. The main reason I caved to Shuckle was due to my discovery of Power Split, which my actually give me a chance to use some offense, however the main idea was to counter powerhouses. I can knock down their sole purpose of being there, their ridiculously high attack, and give me a chance to use something worth attacking with. with a backup of Rest+Chesto to annoy and defend a little longer, Helping Hand to benefit partner, plus with Cloyster's Skill Link, this could be devastating. My main problem is deciding whether to get a STAB Physical, Rock Slide, A poisoning Special, Sludge Bomb, or a draining Poison, Toxic. •Idea was to counteract Powerhouses. Porygon2 @ Eviolite \| Trace Bold \| Def 116 / Sp. Atk 128 / Sp. Def 168 / Spd 96 »Tri Attack »Hidden Power [Fight] »Thunderbolt »Trick Room Primarily Tank, with it's Eviolite and high Sp. Attack. Trace is there to counteract wether teams, for many of them are very Ability heavy such as Chlorophyll, Rain Dish, & Ice Body. Also, typically people don't get a negative ability without a counter (which is commonly weather). Hidden Power for unpredictability and coverage, and Thunderbolt for coverage. Trick Room is for countering predominantly fast teams (also for filler). •Idea was to counter Sweepers (not primarily though). Breloom @ Toxic Orb \| Poison Heal Adament \| Atk 108 / Def 116 / Sp. Def 236 / Spd 48 »Seed Bomb/Fling/Leech Seed »Spore »Facade »Drain Punch A personal favorite of mine, Breloom is there to piss off High HPs such as Blissey, Milotic, Slaking, etc. With Spore as a reliable Stall. Drain Punch for STAB and (of coarse) draining, and Toxic Orb+Poison Heal+Facade (for even more obvious reasons). My main concern is whether to use Seed Bomb as a high STAB, Fling for Poison, or Leech Seed for even more health, (I'm leaning Towards Leech Seed, but I thought I'd ask first) •Idea was to counter high HPs. Claydol @ Light Clay \| Levitate Relaxed \| HP 88 / Def 176 / Sp. Atk 140 / Sp. Def 104 »Earth Power »Ice Beam »Reflect »Light Screen Just a typical Support/Tank. With a Light Clay+Reflect/Light Screen combo to add even more defense to this already bulky team. and Ice beam and Earth Power for coverage. That's pretty much it. •Idea was....Support. :/ —————————————————————————————————————————————————— —————————————————————————— I also kept a primarily slow team due to the overuse of Trick Room teams, and in such situations, I would not be hindered. Well there you have it, that's my team. So, give it to me straight. Last edited by TheMushroomMan; Jan 28th, 2013 at 5:07:08 AM.

Jan 29th, 2013, 5:48:33 PM	#2
Golden Piloswine Join Date: Jun 2012 Posts: 422 Pittsburgh	Ok here's my two cents: Countering everything is impossible. I do not suggest your strategy to be counter all teams. A more defined strategy is better. There is nothing wrong with being prepared for threats, but if you come across a team with no strategy what will you do then? So as with all my rates, I'm going to try to change the team as little as possible, starting with a little move I like to call Protect. Alaka: No offense, but having Psychic and Psyshock... is a terrible idea it's just wasting a move slot for two very similar STAB's. Guard Split isn't really good in general VGC because of switches eliminate the crippling you have done. I'm going to give you a more standard Alakazam to use. ... Ability: Magic Guard Nature: Timid Item: Life Orb EV: 28 HP/252 SpAtk/228 Speed Shadow Ball Psyshock HP Fire Protect Going for a more standard, less counter everything, approach is best for Alakazam. Shadow Ball to put some dents in Cress. Psyshock > Psychic due to Hitmontop being VGC's cock of the wock. HP fire for some fire type coverage since you don't have any :/. Protect is a good strategy move that can win you a game quite often. Also why 228? To out speed everything with 116 and below. I don't believe in putting it up to a 50/50 chance for this Alakazam to move before the other Alakazam's/Dugtrio's so now you know that it won't. Then I put the rest of the Ev's into HP. Cloyster: Not bad at all! :) But there are some changes I'd like to make. ... Ability: Skill Link Nature: Adamant Item: Focus Sash EV: 4 HP/252 Atk/228 Speed Rock Blast Icicle Spear Shell Smash Protect Low SpD doesn't really help matters. So I equipped a sash to survive many common Thunderbolt's. Altered the Ev spread, because I don't understand your reasoning behind it. (Or Alakazam's for that matter.) Brine is a mediocre move. Shell Smash is one of the BIG reasons to use Cloyster. Also since it's lowering it's defenses sash is even more handy. Shuckie: Perplexes me a bit. :/ But seems headed in the right direction. ... Ability: Sturdy Nature: Relaxed/Sassy Item: Mental Herb Ev: 252 HP/4 Def/252 SpD Power Split Rock Slide Helping Hand Rest Here is your utility. :3 Mental Herb because Shuckle is the biggest Taunt bait. Try to use Power Split when your opponent is down to their last two mons, or whenever you see fit. Rock Slide can feed of it's added power. HH is amazing on a defensive powerhouse like this, Meta Alakazam & Breloom will really appreciate it. And Wynaut rest? Resotring HP can always be helpful. Be careful of steel types with serious power like Scizor or Metagross. It will tear your Shuckle apart. ;_; Porygon2: Looks great! :) Just a few things. ... Ability: Trace Nature: Quiet Item: Eviolite EV: 212 HP/248 Def/48 SpA Trick Room Tri Attack Recover Thunderbolt Bold is not as good in Trick Room because it doesn't lower it's speed. The ev spread allows it to survive 252+ Fight Gem Close Combat from Hitmontop, and 252+ Dragon Gem Draco Meteor from Latios. Trick Room is useful with other slow Pokemon like Shuckle & Cloyster. Tri Attack is good STAB. Thunderbolt is much needed type coverage, and Recover is the most annoying thing to face. Breloom: Isn't very fast. So I'm suggesting a fast-frail Technician set over yours. ... Ability: Technician Nature: Adamant Item: Choice Band EV: 4 HP/252 Atk/252/Speed Bullet Seed Low Sweep Mach Punch Stone Edge Fresh off Smogon.com, this set seems to fit your team. Basically relying on Technician boosting, and Choice Band boosting Breloom becomes an offensive powerhouse! Low Sweep is great, and lowering speed makes it even more remarkable. Mach Punch is a good alternative Priority STAB, and Stone Edge is for some critical hitting, flying killing power! >:) Claydol: Is as useless as dry clay... Metagross is a much better option Metagross: ... Nature: Adamant Item: Occa Berry/Steel Gem EV: 252 HP/252 Atk/4 SpD Bullet Punch Zen Headbutt Meteor Mash Protect Basically a standard Metagross. Hit hard and fast with Bullet Punch. Zen Headbutt is a good move, for STAB, coverage, and flinching. Meteor Mash is such a powerful move, and with Steel Gem just so amazing. Your run of the mill standard Metagross. I hope this helps! :) Good luck!! __________________ How do-you feel -about chocolate? Originally Posted by Fat jumpluff Also, I love chocolate... My "The Smog" Article \| ✞ I am proud to be close with Jesus Christ ✞