Mighty Mash

[Liontank]

Mighty Mash

Hello, I’m Liontank and this is my first post in the Smogon Forum. I would like to introduce myself here with an RMT, as it seems to be a great way to introduce my playstyle and attitudes in general. I’m not new to the competitive scene, thought that I never got great results in this environment. Here I show a team that I’ve been using for a while and with which I have fun playing. It is based on a defensive core that came to my mind and that I used with great results, as well as the Terrakion/Latios offensive core, the one removing the other’s checks and counters. Plus, names are taken from Final Fantasy X, one of my favourite FF games, as the roles covered by my team members remember those of the main characters in the game. English is not my mother language, so forgive me if I make grammatical/syntactic/semantic mistakes :)

TEAM AT A GLANCE:



TEAM MAKING:

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I wanted to base the team around a Specially Defensive Jirachi, as the versatility this mon provides is nearly unique and complements a lot of playstyles.



Gliscor pairs well with Jirachi when it comes to resistances, so I chose a Defensive Sword’s Dance set to give it some offensive presence.



Here is the crucial part: I wanted a wall to add some more resistances to complete the core. I realized that a Bulky Water was the best choice, since I already had an immunity to Electric and a resistance to Grass. Moreover, I wanted a Phazer, since I lacked one. Vaporeon came to my mind, as it is bulky indeed and provides Roar and Wish support, and I implemented it to the team.



Once the defensive core has been built, I asked myself what type of team this could be. Since Gliscor is a bulky stat upper, Jirachi can set up SR and Vaporeon can force a lot of switches, I decided to make a semi-offensive team around the core. Looking at the Smogon analysis I found that Latios can be a good Gliscor partner, and I chose him to be my Choice Scarf revenge killer.



Terrakion came in the team as my Choice Banded wallbreaker, as it synergies well with Latios and generally packs a massive punch.



As my team has a good defensive synergy even without the 6th guy, I decided to include a set-up sweeper that could take advantage of the other members of the team. Since Terrakion takes care of Tyranitar, Gliscor can take care of both Scizor and Jirachi and Latios can take advantage of Tyranitar’s elimination, Trick Room Reuniclus was the perfect candidate for the spot, and was added to the team.

IN-DEPTH SETS:

Changes are in red.

As Rikku, Jirachi can help the team with its versatility and solve situations in original but effective ways.

Rikku (Jirachi@Leftovers)
Trait: Serene Grace
Careful Nature
E.V. Spread: 252 Hp; 224 SpDef; 32 Spd
Moveset:
-Body Slam
-Iron Head
-Fire Punch
-Stealth Rock

COMMENTS:
This Jirachi set is really great. It takes special hits like a champ and some resisted physical hits too, meaning that he is not going down so easily. His flexibility convinced me to use it, and it proves to be really important in every match. Fast special sweepers are in the field? Body Slam + Iron Head is the response. Multiscale Dragonite and flying bitches are a threatening force? SR is there helping you. Steel types not in rain are bothering you? Fire punch and burn'em. A real jack-of-all-trades Pokémon and an important asset to the team.

Wakka powers up, annoys the enemy and finally smashes it out, just as Gliscor does.

Wakka (Gliscor@Toxic Orb)
Trait: Poison Heal
Impish Nature
E.V. Spread: 252 Hp; 184 Def; 72 Spd
Moveset:
-Sword’s Dance
-Earthquake
-Facade
-Protect

COMMENTS:
A great physical sponge, since some top offensive forces are walled by this nosferatu. It also is a great physical attacker, as after a single SD it reaches 452 attack, not really bad for a defensive pivot. His main role is to take out Steel types that could stop Reuniclus' late sweeps. Poison Heal, paired with Protect, is a great way to recover Hp, as well as making him a good status absorber. As for the attacking moves, EQ is obvious and Facade hits levitating things nearly as hard as EQ thanks to Poison. Levitating Ghosts are not welcomed, but Gliscor functions so beautifully that other incoming Pokémon are nailed or crippled by him.

As the female protagonist of the game, Yuna, Vaporeon keeps alive his mates and protects them.

Yuna (Vaporeon@Leftovers)
Trait: Water Absorb
Bold Nature
E.V. Spread: 248 Hp; 252 Def; 8 SpDef
Moveset:
-Scald
-Wish
-Protect
-Roar

COMMENTS:
Man, big wishes from Vaporeon are big. Hp recovering is Vaporeon’s first priority, but it has some other roles. First, he’s a great Phazer, as his defensive capabilities let him come in and Roar out any greedy stat upper. Second, he can scout the opponent simply Protecting. Third, he is a nice Burn inducer: should the opponent have a strong physical attacker, let Vaporeon in and Scald, it will eventually be able to cripple him. A surely annoying chunk of meat.

Being capable to deal with fast menaces and modify his playstyle during the match, Latios can be associated to the little Ronso.

Kimahri (Latios@Choice Scarf)
Trait: Levitate
Timid Nature
E.V. Spread: 4 Hp; 252 Sp.Atk; 252 Spd
Moveset:
-Draco Meteor
-Surf
-Hidden Power Fire
-Trick

COMMENTS:
I didn’t like Latios, until I tried this set out and I realized how I was wrong. This set is what makes it so threatening. Using it correctly is like declaring the end of the match in our favour. Latios is one of the most versatile Choice Scarf users. In fact, it has three main roles in this team:
-Revenge Kill: the most obvious. Latios comes in and wreaks havoc with STAB Draco Meteor, then switches out;
-Weather counter: since weather is a crucial part of the current metagame, Latios stands out as a great weather abuser. It can use it greatly, as in rain Steel type Pokémon (bar Ferrothorn) are weaker to Surf, while in Sun frequent Grass types are nailed by HP Fire. Latios also happens to resist Fire and Water type attacks, letting it come in more easily;
-Wall crippler: the opponent might be asking why the heck you go for Latios in response to their Blissey, then they realize that they’re fucked, as a Tricked Choice Scarf wall isn’t that great. The correct usage of Trick spells doom for anyone not prepared to this menace, and even without the Scarf Latios is still speedy and doesn’t lose any previous offensive capabilities.

Heavy hitting is Auron’s main niche, and Terrakion is something capable of emulating him.

Auron (Terrakion@Choice Band)
Trait: Justified
Adamant Nature
E.V. Spread: 4 Hp; 252 Atk; 252 Spd
Moveset:
-Close Combat
-Stone Edge
-X-Scissor
-Quick Attack

COMMENTS:
Wow. Just WOW. This man is THE real business when it comes to remove something from the battlefield. It’s just too easy to come in, select the appropriate move and watch the enemy’s Hp utterly going down. In fact, Terrakion’s role in the team is exactly this: score those crucial KOs that ease life to the other team members, opening up for a potential sweep. I choose to run Quick Attack because it’s really useful when it comes to kill faster pokes at red health (it’s the best option indeed). Even without the right prediction, Terrakion is so strong that proves to be one of the most important member of the team, as it assures at least one KO per match, most likely the crucial one.

The magic heavy hitter of the company, Lulu, resembles to Reuniclus, which has a similar role.

Lulu (Reuniclus@Life Orb)
Trait: Magic Guard
Quiet Nature
E.V. Spread: 192 Hp; 64 Def; 252 SpAtk
I.V. Changes: 0 Speed
Moveset:
-Trick Room
-Psyshock
-Focus Blast
-Shadow Ball

COMMENTS:
Reuniclus is without any doubt one of the greatest Pokémon of the fifth gen, and the Offensive Trick Room set is arguably the best it could run. What Reuniclus does for the team is usually the late-game cleaning, and it does it well. Low Speed effectively becomes an asset for the psychic jelly and while Trick Room is up there’s nearly no chance to stop it. Magic Guard is perhaps what makes Reuniclus really threatening. I often try to switch it in if Toxic Spikes are down, as I gain a great status absorber by doing that. I also laugh as opposing Ferrothorn and the likes try to Leech Seed it. I run the unresisted Focus Blast + Shadow Ball because it really pays off. I prefer Psyshock over Psychic because of Chansey and Blissey, which could ruin my offensive momentum.

ABOUT THE ENTRY HAZARDS:

As you could notice, I really don’t need a spinner, since none of my pokes is SR weak and Toxic Spikes hit effectively 2 members of the team, one of which (Terrakion) doesn’t enjoy staying in the battlefield for too long and the other (Vaporeon) is more of a sponge that takes the hit and switches back. Reuniclus isn’t damaged at all and blesses instead Toxic Spikes, as we have seen. Spikes are a little problematic, but aren’t that big of a deal as 3 of my pokes (Latios, Gliscor and Reuniclus) are immune to them.

OFFENSIVE SYNERGIES:

Well, the strategy is this: break walls with Terrakion (and Gliscor), eliminate priority users, get rid of Reuniclus' counters in a way or another, then proceed to sweep under the Trick Room. Once Reuniclus' checks and counters are down, it is basically game over, as the coverage moves provide more than enough offensive momentum. You’ll have to be lucky with Focus Blasts, but when you hit it’s basically another KO and Reuniclus is so bulky that can miss one or two times after needing a Wish. I check out if the opposing team contains Scizor and/or Jirachi, as they’re the two biggest problems to my team, and once eliminated I try to bring in Reuniclus in something resisted and sweep. Even if I’m not capable of maintain Reuniclus alive, I can rely on Latios and Terrakion to finish the job, especially if Tyranitar and Scizor aren’t blocking the way. Even if Gliscor is more of a bulky pivot, he can be amazingly helpful if he manages to set up one or two SD, as he can counter all of the listed Pokémon without effort.

DEFENSIVE SYNERGIES:

The Specially Defensive Jirachi, the Defensive Gliscor and the Defensive Vaporeon are the members of The Mighty Jirachi-Gliscor-Vaporeon core. It is indeed a very efficient core that provides unique synergy, as:
-Gliscor is immune to Ground and saves Jirachi’s metallic ass;
-Gliscor is immune to Electric and neutralizes one of Vaporeon’s weaknesses;
-Jirachi and Vaporeon take godly Ice attacks aimed to the poison bat;
-Jirachi takes well Grass attacks that hinder Vaporeon;
-Vaporeon takes Water aimed at Gliscor and HEALS by doing that (!);
-Vaporeon takes Fire directed to Jirachi like nothing.
As you can see, each member of the core optimally cover the other’s weaknesses. 3vs3-wise, this core is incredibly functional, as not only they are really bulky, but can also pose a reasonable offensive presence (especially Gliscor).

OU THREAT LIST:

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Alakazam: not really a problem, Jirachi takes most of his attacks nicely, can paralyze him and break his Sash in the process. If it happens to get in the way during the Reuniclus sweep, Shadow ball is an OHKO if Alakazam has Life Orb or previous damage and a 2HKO if it has an intact Sash.

Blissey: well, responses are Terrakion’s CC, Gliscor if it hasn’t Ice beam, Jirachi if it hasn’t Flamethrower, Vaporeon if manages to Burn it, Reuniclus’ Psyshock and Latios’ ability of crippling it with Trick. Not an issue, really.

Breloom: the main problematic situation is when none of my Pokes are statused, but when they are, it can’t pose a real threat. Gliscor takes well his STABs and punches back with Facade, while being able to nullify Spore. Although situational, if Toxic Spikes are on my part of the field, then Reuniclus becomes an incredible threat, as it can come in, Poison himself, nullify the incoming Spore and survive a Focus Punch while setting up a Trick Room. Latios resists his STABs an HP Fire is more than enough to kill him. Jirachi resists Grass and takes well Fighting, and can Fire Punch it.

Celebi: Jirachi walls it and can Fire Punch it or set up SR on the switch. Although risky, Terrakion X-Scissors him to death. Latios resists his STABs and can HP Fire him. Reuniclus Shadow Balls him and wins.

Chansey: See Blissey.

Cloyster: problematic if it manages to Shell Smash, but Terrakion and Reuniclus OHKO and Vaporeon can Phaze it out while resisting Ice STAB and being sufficiently bulky to assure the Roar (this works wonderful especially with SR on the field). Also Jirachi can come in on a resisted hit and try to cripple it with paralysis, unless it has HP Fire. If Latios manages to Trick it, it will be enough to shut it down (pay attention to its Ice attacks).

Conkeldurr: Gliscor and Reuniclus can use him as a setup fodder and Latios is sufficiently powerful to take it out.

Donphan: Gliscor can enter on a predicted EQ and really doesn’t take a lot of damage by Ice Shard. Vaporeon can Scald it and Latios can enter on EQ and Surf.

Dragonite: if I manage to have SR on the field, he isn’t that much of a deal, since Multiscale isn’t protecting him anymore. Jirachi can take Outrages and proceed to Body Slam + Iron Head. Latios outspeeds and Draco Meteors his ass with ease. Vaporeon can Protect and Phaze DD variants.

Dugtrio: since it comes to wreck Jirachi and Terrakion, I can only revenge kill it. If it’s Sash is broken, then it becomes set-up fodder for Gliscor, that can SD and kill him. Vaporeon takes it out with Scald. Latios revenge kills it with Surf.

Espeon: Latios is capable of Tricking it and cripple variants that use support moves, then Terrakion smashes it. Jirachi walls variants that don’t carry HP Fire and can Body Slam + Iron Head it.

Ferrothorn: absolutely raped by Terrakion. Also it doesn’t enjoy Reuniclus entering on a predicted Leech Seed and Focus Blasting it to death. Latios can HP Fire for a decent chunk of damage. Jirachi can Fire Punch it, though must pay attention to Leech Seed.

Gastrodon: a bit of a problem, but can be worked out. Terrakion can CC and KO a weakened Gastrodon, while Vaporeon can Phaze it and leave it to Reuniclus and his Psyshock. Latios can also enter in on a resisted hit and Trick it, although it must pay attention to Ice Beam.

Gengar: annoying. Since it is so frail, Latios can come in and revenge kill it, but I must be wary of Shadow Ball. I usually Phaze it with Vaporeon and let Reuniclus do the job later.

Gliscor: not a problem. Vaporeon can Scald and KO and Latios can enter on EQ, outspeed and Surf or Draco Meteor it, depending on the situation.

Gyarados: with SR up, I can just let Vaporeon in and Roar it, as it doesn’t enjoy entering and retreating for too many times. Latios can enter and punish it with Draco Meteor.

Haxorus: it packs a great punch indeed, especially the Choice Banded variant, but Jirachi can take some hits (bar EQ) and try to Parahax him, while Latios can revenge kill with Draco Meteor.

Heatran: Gliscor is the answer n°1 to it, because it manages to at least 2HKO it even the balloon ones, with a combination of Facade and EQ. Latios can Surf and take away a decent amount of health, and Vaporeon can Scald away (pay attention to HP Grass). Terrakion’s CC wreck it.

Hydreigon: Latios outspeeds and kills with Draco Meteor. Terrakion can kill the slower variants (not Choice Scarfed ones) with CC.

Infernape: Gliscor takes everything that it launches with ease and KOs back with EQ. Vaporeon can Scald and Latios resists his STABs and demolish it with either Surf or Draco Meteor.

Jellicent: well, this is bulky indeed. But since it is frail in the physical department, I leave it to Reuniclus, which doesn’t mind get Burned and can Psyshock it. Latios resists Water and can Trick his Choice Scarf to cripple it for the rest of the match.

Jirachi: Gliscor can use the non-Trick variant as set-up fodder, or just EQ it and kill easily. Latios can HP Fire or Surf if it is used in rain. Jirachi can beat it with Fire Punch and Burn hax.

Jolteon: somewhat troublesome, even if uncommon. Jirachi takes well the special attacks that it launches and tries to cripple it with Body Slam. If it lacks HP Ice, Gliscor is the most solid counter.

Landorus: Latios outspeeds and kills it, but beware of U-Turn. Gliscor takes well its hits and can Facade it away (not the best option, but that’s better than nothing). Vaporeon can Scald it and try to Burn him, which terribly cripples it, or even KO.

Latias: the less terrible of the Lati twins, but really fearsome. Jirachi takes well nearly everything it throws and tries to cripple with Body Slam, but must be wary of HP Fire and Trick. Terrakion can X-Scissor if it’s a more defensive variant and doesn’t have enough Speed E.V. investment, but I don’t really rely on this. Reuniclus under Trick Room can Shadow Ball away, but this works better with Latios because of its weaker Special Defence.

Latios: see Latias and take into account that he’s usually much harder to stop.

Lucario: Its paper-thin defences cripples it badly. Gliscor EQs and destroys him, but must be careful to Ice Punch. Also does Terrakion with CC, but must be played carefully as priority moves could wear the Fighting bull off. Reuniclus can resist his Fighting moves and shrug off either Psyshock or Focus Blast and defeat it. Vaporeon can try to Burn it with Scald. In an emergency, Special variants are checked by Jirachi, which can Fire Punch it easily. Latios must be careful to Crunch, but can HP Fire it pretty safely.

Magnezone: Terrakion CC and kills Magnezone, but must pay attention to Scarf sets that outspeed and fire off Steel moves. Gliscor and Jirachi cover each other, as if Magnezone has HP Fire then Gliscor kills it and if it has HP Ice Jirachi walls him. Latios’ HP Fire can wear it down.

Mienshao: Nearly same as Lucario. In addition, Jirachi is a great counter if manages to Paralyze him.

Ninetales: Since Choice Scarf sets aren’t that common, Terrakion can wear it down with Stone Edge. Vaporeon sponges Fire Blast, but must take into account Solar Beam and Energy Ball. Latios resists Fire and can Draco Meteor, killing it easily.

Politoed: Walled by Vaporeon, although a potential burn can be crippling and HP Grass from Choice Specs variants hurts badly. Jirachi can take well potentially everything coming from it bar a Choice Specs rain boosted Hydro Pump, then proceed to Body Slam and eventually Paralyze him. Latios resists nicely a lot of his attacks and can Draco Meteor to destroy it.

Reuniclus: Jirachi is a great check. If the pixie isn’t available, then a great response is Terrakion with X-Scissor.

Rotom-W: Terrakion takes out Specially defensive variants, while Latios takes care of Phisically defensive ones. If Jirachi manages to set up SR, then it can’t abuse Volt Switch.

Salamence: SR- wise, it can’t come in too many times. In conjunction, Vaporeon can Roar it away. If that wasn’t enough, Latios can kill it with Draco Meteor and Terrakion can Stone Edge non-Scarfed variants safely.

Scizor: a great force to be reckoned with. However Gliscor can take it out if played correctly and Latios, although Bug and Pursuit-weak, can use HP Fire to counter it. Fire Punch from Jirachi hinders it.

Scrafty: Terrakion can outspeed and take it out with CC. Gliscor resists its Fighting moves and tries to take him out. Latios is an alternative response, though needs to be careful to STAB Dark moves.

Skarmory: Vaporeon can take it out with Scald. Latios can do the same with HP Fire or Trick it to cripple its defensive capabilities.

Starmie: Generally a victim of Reuniclus’ ending sweeps, but can be taken out also with Latios. Jirachi can help dealing with it by taking almost no damage from it and by paralyzing it.

Tentacruel: Vaporeon can wall it, try to score a Burn and then Wish-Stall. Reuniclus murders it with Psyshock. If Gliscor manages to enter in the battlefield and not to be hit by Scald, then EQ takes care of the jellyfish.

Terrakion: Gliscor is the safest option against the mighty bull, but Vaporeon can take on the set-up variants by Roaring and Latios can outspeed and use Surf.

Tornadus: SR really helps fighting this monster. If Jirachi Paralyzes it, then it is much easier to deal with. Terrakion completely smashes his face with Stone Edge. Latios deals with it with Surf in rain or Draco Meteor in other scenarios.

Toxicroak: Usually taken care of by Reuniclus in Trick Room. Since it is so frail, Latios can Draco Meteor and blow it away. Vaporeon Phazes out set-up variants. Gliscor demolishes it with EQ, but must be careful not to receive an Ice Punch or an HP Ice from Special variants.

Tyranitar: Another victim of Reuniclus, but also Terrakion’s CC, Gliscor’s EQ and Vaporeon’s Burn + Wish-stall.

Vaporeon: very annoying, especially the Hydration ones. Latios is the main response, but Jirachi and Reuniclus are also good choices to deal with it.

Venusaur: Reuniclus again can deal with him, although it must be in a Trick Room or risk to be put into Sleep. Jirachi deals well with variants lacking HP Fire. If sun is up and Latios still has the Scarf he can outspeed it and launch a boosted HP Fire. Jirachi can resist its STABs and Fire Punch for great damage.

Virizion: Again, Reuniclus takes with ease its hits and KOs with Psyshock. Latios surely outspeeds and KOs with either Draco Meteor or HP Fire, depending on the situation. Jirachi and his Fire Punch is also a good response.

Volcarona: Having SR up surely helps, then Vaporeon can Phaze it and render it nearly useless. However, Latios can Draco Meteor it to death, as Terrakion can with Stone Edge.

CONCLUSION:


Sorry for the long post, but it takes time to make something (I hope) effective. Thank you for reading and commentating this thread, I appreciate constructive critics and suggestions! See you!

[Pokemasta77]

Looks good but I would change quick attack to earthquake on Terrakion

[magic_leopard]

I would keep quick attack. Priority is far more useful than locking into an unSTABbed move that has immunities just to hit Nidoking super effectively imo.

[NezumiX3]

As mentioned above by magic leopard I would keep Quick Attack as it is the only form of priority that you have on this team. Also, kudos to you on making a pretty solid team seeing as it's your first time on Smogon. There are just a few problems to patch up.

The biggest threat to your team right now is Electivire, an RU pokemon it may be, but being able to hit almost everything in the metagame for super-effective damage is something not many pokemon boast. As a counter I would recommend switching out Vaporeon for a Bulky Attacking Rotom-W. Such would still form the type synergy that you need and Specially Defensive Jirachi can still pass wishes reasonably well among your team.

Another threat is a pokemon you use on your own team, Sub CM Jirachi can come in on a number of your pokemon and start calm minding. After one or two even latios will struggle to bring it down.

Nice Team overall, I'd love to see how it works out!

[MyNhu]

Quick attack vs EQ is totally a matter of preferance. Personally i find EQ much better as you can nab KOs on things like tentacruel when weakened, or Metagross etc etc. Quick attack just seems weak to me. Im just looking at your team and noticing that scizor can really do you in. Keep in mind that scizor is almost always paired with rotom, and whatever scizor isnt flat out KOing rotom is on this team. Scizor KOs - Reuni, terrakion, and Latios once locked into choice draco meteor (wich is almost always) And he can seriously dent or even KO your jirachi. Vaporeon and Gliscor are handled by Rotom without even blinking.. To help fix this i would suggest using a Bulk up Breloom in place of either vaporeon or gliscor. I would more likely than not replace gliscor as his main job is to remove steel? well breloom can do that just as well. He also helps check rain and sand to some degree, and Spore is nice for any team to use. Heres the set

Breloom @toxicOrb
Toxic heal - Careful 232HP 216 Spdef 60 speed

Bulk up
Drain punch
Seed bomb
Spore

[BTzz]

Hey, this is a pretty solid team, but rain teams look annoying to deal with, seeing as nothing on your team likes taking repeated rain-boosted Hydro Pumps and Thunder. Latios is a fine switch into rain sweepers, but your set lacks reliable recovery, so it'll get worn down quickly, even with Wish support. I suggest using a CM Latios. CM Latios can switch into Rotom-W, soften any hits with Calm Mind and heal off any damage. This set can still beat VoltTurn as a +1 LO Surf 2HKOes Scizor. You lose your Scarfer so I suggest using a Choice Scarf Terrakion, with Earthquake over Quick Attacks to hit Nidoking and Toxicroak (SD Toxicroak is a huge threat to your team). Without CB Terrakion, your team becomes a bit weak to stall so you could go with a Calm Mind Reuniclus. CM Reuniclus is a nightmare to most stall teams while also being an excellent cleaner like TR Reuniclus. Scizor can give your team some serious problems as you only solid switches into Bullet Punch can be worn down by U-turn, while Gliscor loses to SD Scizor. Having two Wish passers is kind of redundant, so I would drop Wish on Jirachi for Fire Punch. Fire Punch is very useful for Scizor, but it also does decent damage to Ferrothorn, which is great for Latios.

Latios | Levitate | Life Orb
Timid | 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Dragon Pulse | Calm Mind | Recover | Surf

Reuniclus | Leftovers | Magice Guard
Bold | 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 Def
Calm Mind | Focus Blast | Psyshock | Recover

Good luck with the team!

[Liontank]

Thanks you all for the suggestions, they help a lot figuring out the counters to the team! I’ll start answering right now:
About EQ over Quick Attack: I think Quick Attack is the superior option on CB Terrakion, because it has plenty of punch in the form of the other moves. Quick Attack comes in really handy as the priority helps dealing with those 20-25% health pokes not resistant to it. Frailer Pokémons can be taken out even if healthier!

@MyNhu: Thank you very much for the Breloom set! However I think that I will not touch neither Gliscor nor Vaporeon for it, because their main niche is to make an effective defensive core, THEN counter some Steel type in Gliscor’s case and provide Burning and Wish support in Vaporeon’s. I might try it in other spots.

@NezumiX3: Well, E-vire seems to be a problem, though if it lacks Ice Punch either Gliscor or Latios are good counters and Terrakion outspeeds most variants and can KO back. It can be worked out by scouting with Protect. I’ll try out Rotom-W, though, as another levitator seems really appealing, plus it has Volt Switch to keep my offensive momentum. Thank you also for pointing out the SubCM Jirachi weakness, I haven’t encountered a single one, but surely is a problem.

@BTzz: this rating helped a lot, thank you very much! In conjunction with NezumiX3’s, it helped me figuring out how the team could improve. Well, since Scizor can be tough to face, and since I can only lose one of my wishers, I think I can replace Vaporeon for a Bulky Rotom-W, as Will-O-Wisp from Rotom-W is more reliable than Fire Punch from Jirachi, due to the metagame being populated by Rain teams. About the offensive changes: since with Vaporeon’s replacement I lose a Wisher, I think the coresets you’re suggesting can work together.

I’m testing changes out, so I’ll repost later. Thank you again and see you!

[Liontank]

Returned from testing

I tested out Rotom-W and I didn't like it at all... sure, it is great to burn something, but lacks the Phazing move, which isn't great, because Volcarona can handily sweep the entire team, and so do stat-uppers in general. Plus, Water Absorb lets Vaporeon take a predicted Hydro Pump and thank his opponent, something that Rotom-W can’t as easily.

So I left Vaporeon in his place and instead I tried giving Fire Punch to Jirachi. Surprisingly for me, it works! Dealing all that damage to Scizor is awesome, plus I can check some more Steel types than after. Moreover, it has an increased chance of burning; very useful in some circumstances. You were right, all those Wishers are nearly pointless.

Speaking of Breloom, it is great! But lacks Speed, which is unfortunate. I sometimes use it instead of Terrakion, and I can handle more easily Rain teams. But Terrakion is generally speaking superior, because of his instant speed and power. I really don’t like set-uppers, because of two reasons: surprise critical hits and Phazing moves, which occur more likely than not.

I also tried the new offensive core, both with Vaporeon and Rotom-W… Meh, it just doesn’t pay off. With TR Reuniclus, I can at least take out 2 members of the opposing team before dying or switching out, while CM is just too slow and prone to revenge kill by the likes of Escavalier (obviously joking). Also, I miss the raw POWA of Terrakion, while Latios can’t serve as earlier, as it takes a lot to CM, Recover AND attack, while Trick at least forces a switch. CM Latias is good if you manage to earn enough time to set up, but since Latias is frail in the physical department, I rather prefer it to come in, cripple something and go away as fast and safely as possible. Also, Draco Meteor is a fantastic move to have, because can kill something in one turn and this comes really useful sometimes.


I am really pleased about your participation to this thread! If you have some other suggestions, please write them down. Thank you!

[Dietcoke101]

Nice team! I'm living how you used the names of final fantasy characters and based pokemon on them :) Also just saying (about other people's critique) I would leave Terrakion as CB because you already have a scarfer and don't really need the extra speed on Terrakion, since he outspeeds a lot. Just some food for thought :D

[Liontank]

bump