This team was built on the principle of control: taking and keeping the momentum of the game. Every pokemon on this team has a way of forcing the opponent's hand, giving me a window of opportunity to build momentum.
At A Glance
SWAMPERT | SCIZOR | JOLTEON | GYARADOS | BRELOOM | FLYGON
In Depth
I started off with a recommendation by Justinawe: he claimed that the combination of CB Scizor and Specs Jolteon was rampaging all over the current metagame.
The Partners
Scizor (M) @ Choice Band
Ability: Technician
EVs: 248 HP/252 Atk/8 Spd
Adamant nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Bullet Punch
- U-turn
- Superpower
- Pursuit
U-turn is one of the best moves for keeping momentum, and Scizor is probably its best user, hitting its counters hard and immediately switching to something that will force them out. Bullet Punch is universally useful. Superpower hits Heatran and Magnezone if Scizor's more suitable teammates are down; Pursuit is another fantastic move for keeping control of the battle, putting my opponent in a checkmate position.
Jolteon (M) @ Choice Specs
Ability: Volt Absorb
EVs: 4 HP/252 Spd/252 SAtk
Timid nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Thunderbolt
- Shadow Ball
- Hidden Power [Grass]
- Baton Pass
Thunderbolt is of course the primary move, tearing through anything without a sizeable SpD investment. I rarely use Shadow Ball or Hidden Power, although they are a useful plan B in a pinch. Baton Pass is what really makes this set golden; Jolteon forces switches from such a huge number of things that it is really easy to scout them and move to an appropriate counter. It is annoying that it carries Intimidate drops too, but it is rare that Salamence will be bold enough to risk a Thunderbolt (and if they have the balls to bring in Gyarados then fair play to them!)
Jolteon and Scizor make a very nice offensive combination. Both hit very hard, very fast, giving me immediate checks to some of the more threatening OU presences like NP/SD Infernape, (Adamant) DDGyara, DDTar, CM Latias etc.
Scizor whacks things hard on the physical side with STAB CB U-Turn, frequently luring in bulky waters that have trouble with the Jolteon they then find themselves facing. Forcing switches is the name of the game here, and both do it extremely well, wearing down the opponent while staying in complete control of the game. Jolteon is notoriously fragile, but slow U-turns from Scizor practically guarantee that it can get in with minimal damage.
--
I decided that next I wanted a Stealth Rock user, to exploit the switches that Scizor and Jolteon force. Recently I have had marginal success with Swampert.
The One Who Kicks It Off
Swampert (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Torrent
EVs: 252 HP/4 Atk/252 Def
Relaxed nature (+Def, -Spd)
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Ice Beam
- Protect
Swampert is a fantastic lead in the current metagame, taking on Azelf, Heatran, Metagross and Aerodactyl with relative ease. This is another standard moveset, but standard for a reason - it works amazingly well. SR helps out Scizor and Jolteon as mentioned before; EQ and IB have good coverage and scare off a lot of dangerous pokemon (Metagross, Heatran, Salamence). The real beauty of this set, though, is Protect. Pretty much everything Swampert encounters will be planning to mess him up, and with Protect things get a whole lot easier. Metagross, Heatran and Azelf explode into it; Jirachi and Rotom reveal their Tricks; Choiced U-turners let me know exactly what they're planning. It also allows Swampert to effectively regain 12.5% of its health through leftovers, since it is untouchable on the Protect turn.
Swampert is a handy switch-in to the Heatran and Magnezone that enjoy coming into Scizor. It's also nice to have a general safety-net for Salamence if they come in on a U-Turn or Jolteon Baton Pass. It also gives me another option to handle Rotom (in different ways depending on the type).
--
My next three choices weren't quite so clear-cut, and I spent quite a few games testing different pokemon in these slots. Skarm/Bliss/Roserade didn't work out - my team became too stallish, a playstyle which I'm not great at. I tried combinations of Metagross, Tyranitar and Heatran but the ground weakness was too severe.
The first one I settled on was Gyarados - I realised that I needed something that could take Fighting, Ground and Water with relative ease.
The One Who Shrugs It Off
Gyarados (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 248 HP/248 Def/12 Spd
Impish nature (+Def, -SAtk)
- Waterfall
- Roar
- Sleep Talk
- Rest
At first I tried Dragon Dance variants, which worked OK but not brilliantly - I usually have to bring him in relatively early, which means counters to the DD set are often in high health, and he is then down to 50% HP the next time he comes in. However, the Roar/ST set is excellent for this purpose. Having a bulky yet threatening pokemon who can both psuedohaze and take status is a great facet to my team. Forcing switches is the name of the game, and with Roar in combination with Scizor and Jolteon I can almost be certain to reveal at least 5 of the opponent's team swiftly. The ability to restore health is invaluable to a pokemon who can get in easily but with a penalty of 25% each time.
Gyarados obviously has great synergy with Jolteon, and I can play guessing games with my opponent if they expect a Jolteon switch in but get Swampert instead. Scizor and Gyarados both lure bulky waters - Roar and U-turn help to whittle them down and ensure they are not problematic.
--
The next choice is the one that has proven to be the best in my opinion, a truly underrated pokemon who decimates much of the metagame: Breloom!
The One Who Ties It All Together
Breloom (M) @ Toxic Orb
Ability: Poison Heal
EVs: 48 HP/252 Atk/208 Spd
Adamant nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Spore
- Substitute
- Focus Punch
- Seed Bomb
Breloom is really having a fun time in the current metagame. With Scarf TTar running around everywhere and Celebi nowhere to be seen, Breloom really comes into his own. The key to using Breloom is not Sporing too early - with Sleep Clause it is easy to let one pokemon go to sleep then switch to a counter. By Substituting on the inevitable switch, Breloom gets three excellent options to tackle the switch-in. Spore is Breloom's "control" move, allowing him to decide which of his few counters should be neutralised.
Scizor's U-turn, Jolteon's Baton Pass and Swampert's grass- and water-luring abilities provide plenty of opportunities for Breloom to come in and set up a Substitute. Scizor and Breloom really work well together, both with huge attack stats and each being able to prevent their counters from getting comfortable. In addition, Scizor's Pursuit makes life a lot harder for any Celebi, Latias or Rotom who would come in on Breloom's Focus Punch
--
The final team member is the one I have had the most trouble deciding. I wanted another way to control the game by forcing switches and allowing Jolteon or Breloom to get in for free - in addition, I needed something that wouldn't mind being tricked a Scarf from pesky Jirachi. I settled on Flygon.
The One Who Scares You Away
Flygon (M) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 80 HP/252 Atk/176 Spd
Adamant nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Earthquake
- U-turn
- Outrage
- Stone Edge
Earthquake and U-turn are the key moves here, Earthquake scaring off the likes of Infernape, Scarf Heatran, Jolteon et al. while still having the option to regain momentum via U-turn. Outrage is a useful way to deal a lot of damage to random set-up pokemon who I need to remove at the expense of Flygon, and wreaks havoc when Steels are off the field. Stone Edge is a poor move and to be honest I have never used it - I should probably run Fire Blast here.
Flygon's U-turn maintains the team concept of control, while its speed and power keep things in check. It's another answer to Celebi (and one who isn't HP-Fire weak) and another Thunderbolt/Earthquake immunity to keep my opponent guessing.
Strategy
Swampert is first up, and I usually follow the same tactics for the (common) leads:
Metagross - Earthquake while they SR, followed by Protect in the hope that they will Explode
Azelf - Ice Beam while they SR/Taunt, (then another Ice Beam if they Taunted) followed by Protect to see what set they're running (and hopefully catch an Exploder)
Heatran - Earthquake immediately - if I can get rid of Heatran it gives Scizor a much easier time. They rarely run HP Grass, but I protect on the second turn just in case (if I didn't OHKO)
Swampert - They will usually assume that there's mutual agreement of "lets both get SR up". In fact, I will get SR up later - right now I'm going straight to Breloom to set up a Sub and start punching.
Jirachi - Protect. If they Trick, go to Flygon; if not, SR
Aerodactyl - Ice Beam twice. Usually they Taunt then SR... without actually harming Swampert at all.
Mamoswine - Ice Beam to break the sash, then straight to Gyarados. I could probably just SR but Mamoswine is pretty beefy and I prefer to keep Swampert in good shape for the early-game at least.
Once SR is up, I try to stick to Scizor/Breloom/Jolteon/Gyarados and start putting holes in things. Swampert then serves as emergency backup if I need a switch for Metagross or Tyranitar. The goal is to get Breloom in as soon as possible, find out his counters, then whittle them down with Jolteon and Scizor.
This team has problems with:
- Electivire. My team falls to the set of Thunderbolt/Earthquake/Ice Punch/HP[Grass]/Flamethrower - I have to keep switching to find out which of these moves the opponent has. Electivire is especially annoying because it can dent Breloom, so I can't immediately go to it from Jolteon.
- Fast Taunters like Gliscor and Skarmory that can stop Breloom Sporing them.
- Latias & Celebi. Breloom is the main wallbreaker of the team but even he can't break these walls. Scizor helps a lot here but sadly HP[Fire] is still rampant so he has to be careful. Jolteon's Shadow Ball can scare them away but won't prevent them from simply coming back in later. Thankfully as mentioned, Tyranitar is the #2 most common pokemon at the moment, meaning most people are more wary of that than Scizor. If Latias lacks Recover (it often does) I can whittle it down with Focus Punch. Celebi is the main culprit here since its Natural Cure shrugs off Spore with ease.
- Dragons in general. I only have one Steel pokemon, who isn't particularly fond of Flamethower or HP[Fire]. I haven't encountered Kingdra yet but I have a feeling that if given the chance to set up (on Scizor Bullet Punch, for instance), it would decimate me.
Please rate my team, and suggest fixes if you think they are appropriate :)
At A Glance
SWAMPERT | SCIZOR | JOLTEON | GYARADOS | BRELOOM | FLYGON
In Depth
I started off with a recommendation by Justinawe: he claimed that the combination of CB Scizor and Specs Jolteon was rampaging all over the current metagame.
The Partners
Scizor (M) @ Choice Band
Ability: Technician
EVs: 248 HP/252 Atk/8 Spd
Adamant nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Bullet Punch
- U-turn
- Superpower
- Pursuit
U-turn is one of the best moves for keeping momentum, and Scizor is probably its best user, hitting its counters hard and immediately switching to something that will force them out. Bullet Punch is universally useful. Superpower hits Heatran and Magnezone if Scizor's more suitable teammates are down; Pursuit is another fantastic move for keeping control of the battle, putting my opponent in a checkmate position.
Jolteon (M) @ Choice Specs
Ability: Volt Absorb
EVs: 4 HP/252 Spd/252 SAtk
Timid nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Thunderbolt
- Shadow Ball
- Hidden Power [Grass]
- Baton Pass
Thunderbolt is of course the primary move, tearing through anything without a sizeable SpD investment. I rarely use Shadow Ball or Hidden Power, although they are a useful plan B in a pinch. Baton Pass is what really makes this set golden; Jolteon forces switches from such a huge number of things that it is really easy to scout them and move to an appropriate counter. It is annoying that it carries Intimidate drops too, but it is rare that Salamence will be bold enough to risk a Thunderbolt (and if they have the balls to bring in Gyarados then fair play to them!)
Jolteon and Scizor make a very nice offensive combination. Both hit very hard, very fast, giving me immediate checks to some of the more threatening OU presences like NP/SD Infernape, (Adamant) DDGyara, DDTar, CM Latias etc.
Scizor whacks things hard on the physical side with STAB CB U-Turn, frequently luring in bulky waters that have trouble with the Jolteon they then find themselves facing. Forcing switches is the name of the game here, and both do it extremely well, wearing down the opponent while staying in complete control of the game. Jolteon is notoriously fragile, but slow U-turns from Scizor practically guarantee that it can get in with minimal damage.
--
I decided that next I wanted a Stealth Rock user, to exploit the switches that Scizor and Jolteon force. Recently I have had marginal success with Swampert.
The One Who Kicks It Off
Swampert (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Torrent
EVs: 252 HP/4 Atk/252 Def
Relaxed nature (+Def, -Spd)
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Ice Beam
- Protect
Swampert is a fantastic lead in the current metagame, taking on Azelf, Heatran, Metagross and Aerodactyl with relative ease. This is another standard moveset, but standard for a reason - it works amazingly well. SR helps out Scizor and Jolteon as mentioned before; EQ and IB have good coverage and scare off a lot of dangerous pokemon (Metagross, Heatran, Salamence). The real beauty of this set, though, is Protect. Pretty much everything Swampert encounters will be planning to mess him up, and with Protect things get a whole lot easier. Metagross, Heatran and Azelf explode into it; Jirachi and Rotom reveal their Tricks; Choiced U-turners let me know exactly what they're planning. It also allows Swampert to effectively regain 12.5% of its health through leftovers, since it is untouchable on the Protect turn.
Swampert is a handy switch-in to the Heatran and Magnezone that enjoy coming into Scizor. It's also nice to have a general safety-net for Salamence if they come in on a U-Turn or Jolteon Baton Pass. It also gives me another option to handle Rotom (in different ways depending on the type).
--
My next three choices weren't quite so clear-cut, and I spent quite a few games testing different pokemon in these slots. Skarm/Bliss/Roserade didn't work out - my team became too stallish, a playstyle which I'm not great at. I tried combinations of Metagross, Tyranitar and Heatran but the ground weakness was too severe.
The first one I settled on was Gyarados - I realised that I needed something that could take Fighting, Ground and Water with relative ease.
The One Who Shrugs It Off
Gyarados (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 248 HP/248 Def/12 Spd
Impish nature (+Def, -SAtk)
- Waterfall
- Roar
- Sleep Talk
- Rest
At first I tried Dragon Dance variants, which worked OK but not brilliantly - I usually have to bring him in relatively early, which means counters to the DD set are often in high health, and he is then down to 50% HP the next time he comes in. However, the Roar/ST set is excellent for this purpose. Having a bulky yet threatening pokemon who can both psuedohaze and take status is a great facet to my team. Forcing switches is the name of the game, and with Roar in combination with Scizor and Jolteon I can almost be certain to reveal at least 5 of the opponent's team swiftly. The ability to restore health is invaluable to a pokemon who can get in easily but with a penalty of 25% each time.
Gyarados obviously has great synergy with Jolteon, and I can play guessing games with my opponent if they expect a Jolteon switch in but get Swampert instead. Scizor and Gyarados both lure bulky waters - Roar and U-turn help to whittle them down and ensure they are not problematic.
--
The next choice is the one that has proven to be the best in my opinion, a truly underrated pokemon who decimates much of the metagame: Breloom!
The One Who Ties It All Together
Breloom (M) @ Toxic Orb
Ability: Poison Heal
EVs: 48 HP/252 Atk/208 Spd
Adamant nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Spore
- Substitute
- Focus Punch
- Seed Bomb
Breloom is really having a fun time in the current metagame. With Scarf TTar running around everywhere and Celebi nowhere to be seen, Breloom really comes into his own. The key to using Breloom is not Sporing too early - with Sleep Clause it is easy to let one pokemon go to sleep then switch to a counter. By Substituting on the inevitable switch, Breloom gets three excellent options to tackle the switch-in. Spore is Breloom's "control" move, allowing him to decide which of his few counters should be neutralised.
Scizor's U-turn, Jolteon's Baton Pass and Swampert's grass- and water-luring abilities provide plenty of opportunities for Breloom to come in and set up a Substitute. Scizor and Breloom really work well together, both with huge attack stats and each being able to prevent their counters from getting comfortable. In addition, Scizor's Pursuit makes life a lot harder for any Celebi, Latias or Rotom who would come in on Breloom's Focus Punch
--
The final team member is the one I have had the most trouble deciding. I wanted another way to control the game by forcing switches and allowing Jolteon or Breloom to get in for free - in addition, I needed something that wouldn't mind being tricked a Scarf from pesky Jirachi. I settled on Flygon.
The One Who Scares You Away
Flygon (M) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 80 HP/252 Atk/176 Spd
Adamant nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Earthquake
- U-turn
- Outrage
- Stone Edge
Earthquake and U-turn are the key moves here, Earthquake scaring off the likes of Infernape, Scarf Heatran, Jolteon et al. while still having the option to regain momentum via U-turn. Outrage is a useful way to deal a lot of damage to random set-up pokemon who I need to remove at the expense of Flygon, and wreaks havoc when Steels are off the field. Stone Edge is a poor move and to be honest I have never used it - I should probably run Fire Blast here.
Flygon's U-turn maintains the team concept of control, while its speed and power keep things in check. It's another answer to Celebi (and one who isn't HP-Fire weak) and another Thunderbolt/Earthquake immunity to keep my opponent guessing.
Strategy
Swampert is first up, and I usually follow the same tactics for the (common) leads:
Metagross - Earthquake while they SR, followed by Protect in the hope that they will Explode
Azelf - Ice Beam while they SR/Taunt, (then another Ice Beam if they Taunted) followed by Protect to see what set they're running (and hopefully catch an Exploder)
Heatran - Earthquake immediately - if I can get rid of Heatran it gives Scizor a much easier time. They rarely run HP Grass, but I protect on the second turn just in case (if I didn't OHKO)
Swampert - They will usually assume that there's mutual agreement of "lets both get SR up". In fact, I will get SR up later - right now I'm going straight to Breloom to set up a Sub and start punching.
Jirachi - Protect. If they Trick, go to Flygon; if not, SR
Aerodactyl - Ice Beam twice. Usually they Taunt then SR... without actually harming Swampert at all.
Mamoswine - Ice Beam to break the sash, then straight to Gyarados. I could probably just SR but Mamoswine is pretty beefy and I prefer to keep Swampert in good shape for the early-game at least.
Once SR is up, I try to stick to Scizor/Breloom/Jolteon/Gyarados and start putting holes in things. Swampert then serves as emergency backup if I need a switch for Metagross or Tyranitar. The goal is to get Breloom in as soon as possible, find out his counters, then whittle them down with Jolteon and Scizor.
This team has problems with:
- Electivire. My team falls to the set of Thunderbolt/Earthquake/Ice Punch/HP[Grass]/Flamethrower - I have to keep switching to find out which of these moves the opponent has. Electivire is especially annoying because it can dent Breloom, so I can't immediately go to it from Jolteon.
- Fast Taunters like Gliscor and Skarmory that can stop Breloom Sporing them.
- Latias & Celebi. Breloom is the main wallbreaker of the team but even he can't break these walls. Scizor helps a lot here but sadly HP[Fire] is still rampant so he has to be careful. Jolteon's Shadow Ball can scare them away but won't prevent them from simply coming back in later. Thankfully as mentioned, Tyranitar is the #2 most common pokemon at the moment, meaning most people are more wary of that than Scizor. If Latias lacks Recover (it often does) I can whittle it down with Focus Punch. Celebi is the main culprit here since its Natural Cure shrugs off Spore with ease.
- Dragons in general. I only have one Steel pokemon, who isn't particularly fond of Flamethower or HP[Fire]. I haven't encountered Kingdra yet but I have a feeling that if given the chance to set up (on Scizor Bullet Punch, for instance), it would decimate me.
Please rate my team, and suggest fixes if you think they are appropriate :)
