Sorry to burst your bubble, but pokemon is nothing like chess. Especially LC. But the nicknames are cute, so you guys are going to have to suck it up.
Anyways, this is an LC team that I made with my friend, UltimaLink007, who wanted to learn about LC. He wanted to make a team with Dratini in it, so we decided to sort of base it around Dratini, by removing a lot of its checks and trying to include opportunities for it to set up within the team. Because this team was meant to help my friend get into LC, it's relatively straightforward, with little surprises (to those of you who know the kind of teams I post, this may be shocking; cue Skill Swap Celebi and Choice Scarf Gyarados). Even though Dratini wasn't actually sweeping all that much, the team was fantastic, quickly shooting me up the LC ladder to #1 (I am LEECH LIFE for any of the LC regulars that I haven't told/haven't been told) with a high of around 1680.
I have actually never made any edits to this team other than correcting EVs (it was that good on its initial try... and this rarely happens to me in team building...). This can be taken in both a good way and a bad way. Since I have what I'd like to think it a damn good win record with this team, I'll take it in a good way.
Rook GK
Kabuto (
) @ Focus Sash
Swift Swim | Adamant
36 HP / 176 Atk / 36 Def / 236 Spe
- Stealth Rock
- Rock Slide
- Waterfall
- Aqua Jet
This is probably the least "standard" and most gimmicky set on the team... and it really isn't even that much of a stretch. This lead is designed to take advantage of the newest fad of Snover leads, while still working well against other popular leads like Meowth and Houndour (and to a certain extent Diglett...).
Adamant and max Speed hits 15 Speed, outrunning all non-Scarf Snover, as well as leads like Phanphy and most lead Houndour. Because of this, most of the time against lead Snover, Kabuto will just use Rock Slide, and that is the end of that. However, Kabuto also beats Scarf Snover (who is a bigger threat to Dratini in some ways), as they will stay in and use Energy Ball, expecting a OHKO on the common Oran Berry Kabuto lead that GK and Heysup popularized, only to watch their own lead die as well.
Because it outspeeds Houndour, Kabuto beats it. It can beat lead Diglett, but this requires a Sucker Punch mindgame (in theory, I really haven't played many lead Diglett in a while...). Against lead Meowth/Aipom/other Fake Out users, while I can stay in, I usually go to Misdreavus as they lack SR and I value Focus Sash. Against Meowth in particular I do not do this often though, because LO Bite scares the fuck out of me and Misdreavus is vital to my team.
Stealth Rock is always a helpful move, breaking Sashes and turning some 2HKOes into [possible] OHKOes. Rock Slide is necessary for Snover. Aqua Jet is priority which is always insanely useful in LC. I originally had Earth Power over Waterfall to help with Croagunk, but I never got to use it effectively, so I switched to Waterfall...
Kabuto was named after GK because he helped popularize Kabuto as a lead. No, GK is not rook, I just ran out of chess pieces and he got shafted. :(
[a]stunky[/a]
Pawn Macle
Stunky (
) @ Oran Berry
Aftermath | Brave
252 HP / 176 Atk / 4 Spe / 32 SpAtk / 32 SpDef
- Sucker Punch
- Pursuit
- Hidden Power [Ground]
- Explosion
Stunky is here to help hard counter Misdreavus, as well as to take out ScarfGastly, one of the pokemon who is a great check to Dratini after a DD. I asked Ultima to choose between a more offensive LO variant or an Oran variant, and he chose the Oran, which I like because it helps the team with other special threats (random Grass-types/etc). Then we just ripped the EVs/nature from HeYsUp because... I'm lazy.
Sucker Punch and Pursuit allow Stunky to do its job of killing Ghosts. Sucker Punch also is more priority for my team, increasing my team's ability to cope with opposing threats. HP [Ground] means no set up from Aron, who would be a problem with Head Smash, despite my two Aqua Jet users. Explosion is a last ditch move, but is still helpful against pokemon like Gligar, ensuring they won't be able to set up. Also, exploding against an opposing team's last pokemon is kinda fun.
The one thing I dislike about Stunky is how easy it is for Gligar to come in on it, but I suppose I have to live with that, as it does its job better than anything else can. I have plenty of Gligar checks, so this can be worked around....
I named Stunky after pawn macle because macle stinks like a Stunky, both figuratively and literally. And he is a pawn.
...Just kidding (<macle3). Macle uses a ScarfStunky that I find amusing, and when I think of Stunky I think of him... and once again, pawn was one of the last pieces left.
[a]carvanha[/a]
Knight Vader
Carvanha (
) @ Life Orb
Rough Skin | Jolly
196 Atk / 36 Def / 236 Spe / 36 SpDef
- Substitute
- Aqua Jet
- Crunch
- Zen Headbutt
Carvanha is my team's other pokemon geared for sweeping. With its impressive Attack stat and not too shabby Speed (plus STAB Aqua Jet), it threatens quite a bit, and always ends up taking out at least one or two members of the opposing team. Hopefully Croagunk is dead before Carvanha comes out, but it doesn't have to be thanks to Substitute and Zen Headbutt. Carvanha has an HP IV of 0, making its HP stat 19. I figured LO doing only 1 HP of recoil was more helpful than 1 extra HP on Carvanha's Subs.
Carvanha was also chosen to help draw random scarf Grass and Electric attacks, giving Dratini an opportunity to set up.
Crunch is the attack of choice, seriously denting anything that doesn't resist it. Aqua Jet will pick off anything that is weak to it, with little exceptions. It also helps my team greatly against Gligar. Substitute is more helpful then one would imagine, allowing Carvanha to beat all Fighting-types that dare switchin with the mighty Zen Headbutt.
Carvanha is named Knight Vader because... Vader showed me this set and I've been addicted to it ever since. And Vader is noble like a knight. :)
[a]chinchou[/a]
Bishop Gennifer
Chinchou (
) @ Choice Scarf
Volt Absorb | Timid
132 Def / 220 Spe / 152 SpAtk
- Hydro Pump
- Ice Beam
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Grass]
I do not normally Scarf pokemon in LC. However, this team needed another revenge killer, one to help with problems the team would have like DD Dratini and SD Night Slash Gligar, Agility Chinchou, etc. We almost went with Agility Chinchou, but I am overall glad we did not. Chinchou is sort of a glue to my team... as you can see by my threat list, it holds back a lot of pokemon. It has a lot of key resistances for my team.
We went with Timid for the extra speed, helping against Dratini and other things. Hydro Pump helps to make up for the lack in power, while we still retain a reliable STAB attack with Thunderbolt. Ice Beam hits Gligar (unless I'm feeling ballsy and want to use Hydro Pump) and Grass-types, while HP [Grass] is primarily for other Chinchou, but can be used against other weakened Water-types if I don't want to lock myself into Thunderbolt.
The only "problem" with Chinchou is a problem that all Scarfers have; it is too easy for the opponent to set up on them. I have to be careful using Chinchou early in the match, lest a Dratini or some other damn pokemon sets up against me. This makes Chinchou the most "replaceable" member of my team in some ways...
The extra defensive EVs are there to also help with Dratini. However, if it crits with ESpeed, I'm in a lot of trouble.
I named Chinchou after Gen. Empoleon because Gen always uses a Scarf Chinchou. :D
[a]misdreavus[/a]
Queen HeYsUp
Misdreavus (
) @ Oran Berry
Levitate | Timid
196 HP / 36 Atk / 240 Spe
- Shadow Sneak
- Shadow Ball
- Will-o-wisp
- Hidden Power [Fighting]
Misdreavus is my only Ground-resist... and my only Fighting-resist. So yeah, she is very crucial to the team. That being said, I am very wary of sending her into Fighting-type pokemon (as they often carry Dark-type moves and spam them the first time they're out), and will often sac the 'mon I have in to let her get in safely.
I guess she is technically also "not standard". We chose to use a more bulky Misdreavus to help against Gligar and Fighting pokemon. Thus, we maxed HP and Speed, and threw the leftover EVs in Atk to help power Shadow Sneak up a little bit. Will-o-wisp and Shadow Sneak are more important than either Sub or Nasty Plot on this set, as Will-o-wisp allows Misdreavus to beat Munchlax and stand a chance against Stunky, so she can actually be my Ground/Fighting-resist. Shadow Sneak is priority once again, and is very helpful against pokemon like Magby, Scarf Gligar, and just in general lategame. Shadow Ball and HP [Fighting] round out the set, giving Misdreavus the potential to deal lots of damage still.
Misdreavus was named after Heysup, who popularized the use of Shadow Sneak on Misdreavus. Heysup was originally mad when he found out he was a girl on my team, but hey, the queen is the most powerful piece in chess... ;)
[a]dratini[/a]
King eric
Dratini (
) @ Life Orb
Shed Skin | Adamant
28 HP / 244 Atk / 196 Spe / 36 SpDef
- Dragon Dance
- Waterfall
- Outrage
- Extremespeed
Dratini is the king. Once his checks are removed, Dratini has an easy time sweeping on paper. In practice, however, this is not always the case. Still, Dratini is a fantastic sweeper mid or late game, and is totally worth the team slot.
Since my team lacks a sleep absorber, I usually go to Dratini with Sleep moves because of Shed Skin. I don't _have_ to do this though, and sometimes go to a weakened poke like Kabuto or something.
Ultima and I went with 21 HP Dratini instead of 19 HP Dratini. I prefer the 'bulk' so I can at least get one attack in if I need to midgame... the choice is up to preference I suppose. I'm not sure whether Adamant or Jolly is better, but I went with Adamant for an increased damage output, though it is mostly irrelevant in many cases.
Extremespeed is useful not only in lategame sweeping, but Dratini is one of my more powerful priority users, and thus is one of my better revenge killers.
Dratini is named after eric the espeon because he is the king of LC. I originally named it King MAG, who in early early early LC popularized a mixed Dratini set (I always wanted him to call it MarTini back then...), but Magmortified is more of a god than a king... ^_^
Anyways, this is an LC team that I made with my friend, UltimaLink007, who wanted to learn about LC. He wanted to make a team with Dratini in it, so we decided to sort of base it around Dratini, by removing a lot of its checks and trying to include opportunities for it to set up within the team. Because this team was meant to help my friend get into LC, it's relatively straightforward, with little surprises (to those of you who know the kind of teams I post, this may be shocking; cue Skill Swap Celebi and Choice Scarf Gyarados). Even though Dratini wasn't actually sweeping all that much, the team was fantastic, quickly shooting me up the LC ladder to #1 (I am LEECH LIFE for any of the LC regulars that I haven't told/haven't been told) with a high of around 1680.
I have actually never made any edits to this team other than correcting EVs (it was that good on its initial try... and this rarely happens to me in team building...). This can be taken in both a good way and a bad way. Since I have what I'd like to think it a damn good win record with this team, I'll take it in a good way.
Team Chess Peace!
[a]kabuto[/a]
Rook GK
Kabuto (
Swift Swim | Adamant
36 HP / 176 Atk / 36 Def / 236 Spe
- Stealth Rock
- Rock Slide
- Waterfall
- Aqua Jet
This is probably the least "standard" and most gimmicky set on the team... and it really isn't even that much of a stretch. This lead is designed to take advantage of the newest fad of Snover leads, while still working well against other popular leads like Meowth and Houndour (and to a certain extent Diglett...).
Adamant and max Speed hits 15 Speed, outrunning all non-Scarf Snover, as well as leads like Phanphy and most lead Houndour. Because of this, most of the time against lead Snover, Kabuto will just use Rock Slide, and that is the end of that. However, Kabuto also beats Scarf Snover (who is a bigger threat to Dratini in some ways), as they will stay in and use Energy Ball, expecting a OHKO on the common Oran Berry Kabuto lead that GK and Heysup popularized, only to watch their own lead die as well.
Because it outspeeds Houndour, Kabuto beats it. It can beat lead Diglett, but this requires a Sucker Punch mindgame (in theory, I really haven't played many lead Diglett in a while...). Against lead Meowth/Aipom/other Fake Out users, while I can stay in, I usually go to Misdreavus as they lack SR and I value Focus Sash. Against Meowth in particular I do not do this often though, because LO Bite scares the fuck out of me and Misdreavus is vital to my team.
Stealth Rock is always a helpful move, breaking Sashes and turning some 2HKOes into [possible] OHKOes. Rock Slide is necessary for Snover. Aqua Jet is priority which is always insanely useful in LC. I originally had Earth Power over Waterfall to help with Croagunk, but I never got to use it effectively, so I switched to Waterfall...
Kabuto was named after GK because he helped popularize Kabuto as a lead. No, GK is not rook, I just ran out of chess pieces and he got shafted. :(
[a]stunky[/a]
Pawn Macle
Stunky (
Aftermath | Brave
252 HP / 176 Atk / 4 Spe / 32 SpAtk / 32 SpDef
- Sucker Punch
- Pursuit
- Hidden Power [Ground]
- Explosion
Stunky is here to help hard counter Misdreavus, as well as to take out ScarfGastly, one of the pokemon who is a great check to Dratini after a DD. I asked Ultima to choose between a more offensive LO variant or an Oran variant, and he chose the Oran, which I like because it helps the team with other special threats (random Grass-types/etc). Then we just ripped the EVs/nature from HeYsUp because... I'm lazy.
Sucker Punch and Pursuit allow Stunky to do its job of killing Ghosts. Sucker Punch also is more priority for my team, increasing my team's ability to cope with opposing threats. HP [Ground] means no set up from Aron, who would be a problem with Head Smash, despite my two Aqua Jet users. Explosion is a last ditch move, but is still helpful against pokemon like Gligar, ensuring they won't be able to set up. Also, exploding against an opposing team's last pokemon is kinda fun.
The one thing I dislike about Stunky is how easy it is for Gligar to come in on it, but I suppose I have to live with that, as it does its job better than anything else can. I have plenty of Gligar checks, so this can be worked around....
I named Stunky after pawn macle because macle stinks like a Stunky, both figuratively and literally. And he is a pawn.
...Just kidding (<macle3). Macle uses a ScarfStunky that I find amusing, and when I think of Stunky I think of him... and once again, pawn was one of the last pieces left.
[a]carvanha[/a]
Knight Vader
Carvanha (
Rough Skin | Jolly
196 Atk / 36 Def / 236 Spe / 36 SpDef
- Substitute
- Aqua Jet
- Crunch
- Zen Headbutt
Carvanha is my team's other pokemon geared for sweeping. With its impressive Attack stat and not too shabby Speed (plus STAB Aqua Jet), it threatens quite a bit, and always ends up taking out at least one or two members of the opposing team. Hopefully Croagunk is dead before Carvanha comes out, but it doesn't have to be thanks to Substitute and Zen Headbutt. Carvanha has an HP IV of 0, making its HP stat 19. I figured LO doing only 1 HP of recoil was more helpful than 1 extra HP on Carvanha's Subs.
Carvanha was also chosen to help draw random scarf Grass and Electric attacks, giving Dratini an opportunity to set up.
Crunch is the attack of choice, seriously denting anything that doesn't resist it. Aqua Jet will pick off anything that is weak to it, with little exceptions. It also helps my team greatly against Gligar. Substitute is more helpful then one would imagine, allowing Carvanha to beat all Fighting-types that dare switchin with the mighty Zen Headbutt.
Carvanha is named Knight Vader because... Vader showed me this set and I've been addicted to it ever since. And Vader is noble like a knight. :)
[a]chinchou[/a]
Bishop Gennifer
Chinchou (
Volt Absorb | Timid
132 Def / 220 Spe / 152 SpAtk
- Hydro Pump
- Ice Beam
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Grass]
I do not normally Scarf pokemon in LC. However, this team needed another revenge killer, one to help with problems the team would have like DD Dratini and SD Night Slash Gligar, Agility Chinchou, etc. We almost went with Agility Chinchou, but I am overall glad we did not. Chinchou is sort of a glue to my team... as you can see by my threat list, it holds back a lot of pokemon. It has a lot of key resistances for my team.
We went with Timid for the extra speed, helping against Dratini and other things. Hydro Pump helps to make up for the lack in power, while we still retain a reliable STAB attack with Thunderbolt. Ice Beam hits Gligar (unless I'm feeling ballsy and want to use Hydro Pump) and Grass-types, while HP [Grass] is primarily for other Chinchou, but can be used against other weakened Water-types if I don't want to lock myself into Thunderbolt.
The only "problem" with Chinchou is a problem that all Scarfers have; it is too easy for the opponent to set up on them. I have to be careful using Chinchou early in the match, lest a Dratini or some other damn pokemon sets up against me. This makes Chinchou the most "replaceable" member of my team in some ways...
The extra defensive EVs are there to also help with Dratini. However, if it crits with ESpeed, I'm in a lot of trouble.
I named Chinchou after Gen. Empoleon because Gen always uses a Scarf Chinchou. :D
[a]misdreavus[/a]
Queen HeYsUp
Misdreavus (
Levitate | Timid
196 HP / 36 Atk / 240 Spe
- Shadow Sneak
- Shadow Ball
- Will-o-wisp
- Hidden Power [Fighting]
Misdreavus is my only Ground-resist... and my only Fighting-resist. So yeah, she is very crucial to the team. That being said, I am very wary of sending her into Fighting-type pokemon (as they often carry Dark-type moves and spam them the first time they're out), and will often sac the 'mon I have in to let her get in safely.
I guess she is technically also "not standard". We chose to use a more bulky Misdreavus to help against Gligar and Fighting pokemon. Thus, we maxed HP and Speed, and threw the leftover EVs in Atk to help power Shadow Sneak up a little bit. Will-o-wisp and Shadow Sneak are more important than either Sub or Nasty Plot on this set, as Will-o-wisp allows Misdreavus to beat Munchlax and stand a chance against Stunky, so she can actually be my Ground/Fighting-resist. Shadow Sneak is priority once again, and is very helpful against pokemon like Magby, Scarf Gligar, and just in general lategame. Shadow Ball and HP [Fighting] round out the set, giving Misdreavus the potential to deal lots of damage still.
Misdreavus was named after Heysup, who popularized the use of Shadow Sneak on Misdreavus. Heysup was originally mad when he found out he was a girl on my team, but hey, the queen is the most powerful piece in chess... ;)
[a]dratini[/a]
King eric
Dratini (
Shed Skin | Adamant
28 HP / 244 Atk / 196 Spe / 36 SpDef
- Dragon Dance
- Waterfall
- Outrage
- Extremespeed
Dratini is the king. Once his checks are removed, Dratini has an easy time sweeping on paper. In practice, however, this is not always the case. Still, Dratini is a fantastic sweeper mid or late game, and is totally worth the team slot.
Since my team lacks a sleep absorber, I usually go to Dratini with Sleep moves because of Shed Skin. I don't _have_ to do this though, and sometimes go to a weakened poke like Kabuto or something.
Ultima and I went with 21 HP Dratini instead of 19 HP Dratini. I prefer the 'bulk' so I can at least get one attack in if I need to midgame... the choice is up to preference I suppose. I'm not sure whether Adamant or Jolly is better, but I went with Adamant for an increased damage output, though it is mostly irrelevant in many cases.
Extremespeed is useful not only in lategame sweeping, but Dratini is one of my more powerful priority users, and thus is one of my better revenge killers.
Dratini is named after eric the espeon because he is the king of LC. I originally named it King MAG, who in early early early LC popularized a mixed Dratini set (I always wanted him to call it MarTini back then...), but Magmortified is more of a god than a king... ^_^
-~~-~~-~~-~~-~~-~~-~~-~~-~~-~~-
The team one last time:
[jump="kabuto"][￭][/jump]
[jump="kabuto"][￭][/jump]|[jump="stunky"][￭][/jump]
[jump="stunky"][￭][/jump]|[jump="carvanha"][￭][/jump]
[jump="carvanha"][￭][/jump]|[jump="chinchou"][￭][/jump]
[jump="chinchou"][￭][/jump]|[jump="misdreavus"][￭][/jump]
[jump="misdreavus"][￭][/jump]|[jump="dratini"][￭][/jump]
[jump="dratini"][￭][/jump]
The team one last time:
[jump="kabuto"][￭][/jump]
Yes, the "peace" is intentional...
