So, this is my first competitive team in Gen V. This is not to say I'm new, as I only got into the competitive field in Gen IV, and even then I didn't get much experience besides getting past the stage of complete and total newbie. I've been pretty hit-and-miss with this team, winning about half of my battles, and I'm not sure whether it's me or my team that's coming up short.
The important thing for me in this team is that I wanted to try out some stuff that doesn't get used a whole lot. I was especially interested in Manectric, as I frequent 4chan's /vp/ and several of the more prominent members there have been having a lot of success with it, and with Lightningrod and Switcheroo, it occupies a different niche than Jolteon, Zapdos, and such. At the outset, I was expecting this team to be very Manectric-centered because of this, but I was pleasantly surprised upon realizing that my whole team seems to be playing equal roles in my victories.
Anyway, I'll open up with my team building process.
I started out with a Choice Specs Manectric, for all the reasons listed above. If I could bring it in with a Lightningrod boost, it would essentially be at +2 Special Attack as soon as it comes in, and that'll put a huge dent in just about anything.
With Manectric, I knew I needed a Flying-type on my team, both to lure out Electric attacks that I could bring Manectric in on, plus it could take the Ground attacks that would inevitably come in aimed at Manectric. Gyarados was a shoo-in for this position. I went with a RestTalk variant for this. I understand they're not particularly popular because the sleep counter resets whenever a Pokemon switches out in Gen V, but I haven't had any problems in that regard with Gyarados. It's got the bulk to stay in and take two or three hits, and it can dish out a lot of damage against several major threats, even while sleeping.
Now, with the Gyarados/Manectric core, I anticipated that both I and my opponent would be doing a lot of switching. Considering that Gyarados is Rock-weak and Manectric needs all the help it can get to stay alive, so I needed a Spinner, and perhaps something to set up hazards to take advantage of my opponent's switching. While looking through sets, I realized that I could get both on the same Pokemon, as it gets access to all entry hazards.
Considering how prominent weather was this Gen, at this point I looked at how well I handled its various forms. Sand didn't look like a major problem, Rain was manageable, but I didn't have an answer to Sun. I went with Volcarona for the role of Sun counter, as it could take advantage of the Sun but wasn't useless outside of it, and answered most Drought abusers without much trouble.
Now that Volcarona was on my team, I was bugged by Stealth Rock that much more, and I wanted a contingency so I wouldn't be relying completely on Forretress. I figured I could work this role into my lead position, so something with Magic Coat would probably work best. I didn't want to run Espeon or Xatu, as they weren't every effective aside from their Magic Bounce abuse. So, as I was looking for Pokemon that could viably run Magic Coat, I came across Medicham, and with just a glance I wondered why more people don't run this. It's an ideal anti-lead, so I hardly even had to think about it.
Lastly, all I needed was something else that could fit comfortably into my team. Looking back over it, I realized I needed something that could comfortably clean up, and Krookodile was probably the best choice. It covered the weaknesses of most members of my current team, I could make it fast but bulky, and got awesome coverage.
So this is how my team started out, but I quickly made a lot of changes before settling on what I have now. For example, almost right out the gate, I switched to Scarf over Specs on Manectric to help deal with its frailty, and I dropped Pursuit for Outrage on Krookodile.
I learned that hard way that Jellicent screwed my team over pretty easily. Also, Sun wasn't as big of a threat as I had feared, and Volcarona wasn't adding much to the team, so I dropped it for Lanturn. It handled Jellicent and other bulky waters easily with its Heal Bell niche. It also added another Electric immunity to my team with Volt Absorb and had bulk that Manectric didn't. Also at this time I dropped Outrage for Dragon Claw on Krookodile, and stopped running Rapid Spin on Forretress, as I wanted to see how well I could fare against hazards.
Lanturn, unfortunately, wasn't doing its job as well as I had hoped, and Ferrothorn was a huge bother to my team, as Manectric's Overheat was the only answer I had to it, and people anticipated that easier than I thought and switched in a Flash Fire user. So I dropped Lanturn for Rotom-W, whose HP Fire easily 2HKO's Ferrothorn and can handle Heatran with Hydro Pump. That and it just basically did Lanturn's job better. I also realized how easily I got rocked by hazards without Rapid Spin, and that Forretress wasn't really contributing anything anymore, so I dropped it for another Spinner, Hitmontop, how had the added advantage of dishing out a lot damage, getting a priority move, and the capability of spinning on Ghosts as well.
Now onto the the closeup:
Medicham @ Focus Sash
Ability: Huge Power
Nature: Adamant
4 HP/252 Atk/252 Spe
~Fake Out
~Magic Coat
~Hi Jump Kick
~Zen Headbutt
Medicham is an absolutely fantastic anti-lead, and I'm surprised that nobody else seems to use it. It hits even harder than Machamp with Huge Power, gets Fake Out to break Sashes, and Magic Coat to help deal with hazard-setting leads. In addition, even with hazards set up, I can usually bring it back later in the match, where ir can easily handle just about anything that isn't a devoted physical wall.
Hitmontop @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
Nature: Impish
252 HP/4 Atk/252 Def
~Close Combat
~Rapid Spin
~Foresight
~Mach Punch
With these EVs, it doesn't deal out as much damage as one may expect, but it takes hits very well, and, like I said above, fills the unique roll of being a Spinner that doesn't get stopped by Ghosts. Whenever I can't risk bringing Medicham in, it does the same job nicely, putting a major dent in almost anything not named Skarmory.
Rotom-W @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
Nature: Modest
124 HP/252 SpAtk/132 Spe
~Thunderbolt
~Hydro Pump
~Hidden Power Fire
~Pain Split
Rotom adds a little extra bulk to my team, and acts as a an answer to several situational threats. It gets fantastic coverages with its STABs and HP Fire, and can hit hard while still taking a hit itself. It can outspeed several of the bulkier Pokemon commonly used in the metagame, and Pain Split... well does what it does. Best recovery option available to it, really.
Gyarados @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
Nature: Jolly
248 HP/252 Atk/8 Def
~Waterfall
~Dragon Tail
~Rest
~Sleep Talk
I decided to focus on Gyarados's Special Defense over physical, thanks to Intimidate, especially when paired with Hitmontop's Intimidate. Dragon Tail is a nice answer to stat-uppers, and both it and Waterfall work well with Sleep Talk. It also acts as a nice situational counter to physical Dragons.
Manectric @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Lightningrod
Nature: Modest
4 HP/252 SpAtk/252 Spe
~Thunderbolt
~Overheat
~Hidden Power Ice
~Switcheroo
Manectric really stands out from other Electric-types because of the unique niches it fills. There are plenty of options to bring it in on an Electric attack, it outspeeds anything that's not named Deoxys-S or holding a Scarf of its own. If the opponent doesn't know how to deal with Manectric, then I can grab some serious momentum just off the surprise factor. It outspeeds Garchomp and, if I predict the switch, can reliably take it out with HP Ice without taking a scratch. Overheat can deal serious damage if I don't manage to grab that Lightningrod boost. Switcheroo is also a nice touch that can totally cripple walls.
Krookodile @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Moxie
Nature: Adamant
16 HP/252 Atk/240 Spe
~Earthquake
~Stone Edge
~Crunch
~Dragon Claw
Not quite as fast as Manectric gets, but it can still outspeed almost every OU Pokemon aside from Deoxys-S that's not holding a Choice Scarf itself. Also like Manectric, it can outspeed Chomp and 2HKO with Dragon Claw. Once I've seen most of the opponent's team I can usually sweep a good portion of their team with the appropriate move. Outside of that, it's an effective revenge killer. The only problem I have is I tend to overpredict and wind up using the wrong move. But fortunately, there's usually something I can switch in to take the hit.
So, I'm very happy to hear any constructive criticism you have. As this is my first RMT in a long time, and my only one since I became halfway good, so if I messed anything up, just say so and I fixed it.
The important thing for me in this team is that I wanted to try out some stuff that doesn't get used a whole lot. I was especially interested in Manectric, as I frequent 4chan's /vp/ and several of the more prominent members there have been having a lot of success with it, and with Lightningrod and Switcheroo, it occupies a different niche than Jolteon, Zapdos, and such. At the outset, I was expecting this team to be very Manectric-centered because of this, but I was pleasantly surprised upon realizing that my whole team seems to be playing equal roles in my victories.
Anyway, I'll open up with my team building process.
I started out with a Choice Specs Manectric, for all the reasons listed above. If I could bring it in with a Lightningrod boost, it would essentially be at +2 Special Attack as soon as it comes in, and that'll put a huge dent in just about anything.
With Manectric, I knew I needed a Flying-type on my team, both to lure out Electric attacks that I could bring Manectric in on, plus it could take the Ground attacks that would inevitably come in aimed at Manectric. Gyarados was a shoo-in for this position. I went with a RestTalk variant for this. I understand they're not particularly popular because the sleep counter resets whenever a Pokemon switches out in Gen V, but I haven't had any problems in that regard with Gyarados. It's got the bulk to stay in and take two or three hits, and it can dish out a lot of damage against several major threats, even while sleeping.
Now, with the Gyarados/Manectric core, I anticipated that both I and my opponent would be doing a lot of switching. Considering that Gyarados is Rock-weak and Manectric needs all the help it can get to stay alive, so I needed a Spinner, and perhaps something to set up hazards to take advantage of my opponent's switching. While looking through sets, I realized that I could get both on the same Pokemon, as it gets access to all entry hazards.
Considering how prominent weather was this Gen, at this point I looked at how well I handled its various forms. Sand didn't look like a major problem, Rain was manageable, but I didn't have an answer to Sun. I went with Volcarona for the role of Sun counter, as it could take advantage of the Sun but wasn't useless outside of it, and answered most Drought abusers without much trouble.
Now that Volcarona was on my team, I was bugged by Stealth Rock that much more, and I wanted a contingency so I wouldn't be relying completely on Forretress. I figured I could work this role into my lead position, so something with Magic Coat would probably work best. I didn't want to run Espeon or Xatu, as they weren't every effective aside from their Magic Bounce abuse. So, as I was looking for Pokemon that could viably run Magic Coat, I came across Medicham, and with just a glance I wondered why more people don't run this. It's an ideal anti-lead, so I hardly even had to think about it.
Lastly, all I needed was something else that could fit comfortably into my team. Looking back over it, I realized I needed something that could comfortably clean up, and Krookodile was probably the best choice. It covered the weaknesses of most members of my current team, I could make it fast but bulky, and got awesome coverage.
So this is how my team started out, but I quickly made a lot of changes before settling on what I have now. For example, almost right out the gate, I switched to Scarf over Specs on Manectric to help deal with its frailty, and I dropped Pursuit for Outrage on Krookodile.
I learned that hard way that Jellicent screwed my team over pretty easily. Also, Sun wasn't as big of a threat as I had feared, and Volcarona wasn't adding much to the team, so I dropped it for Lanturn. It handled Jellicent and other bulky waters easily with its Heal Bell niche. It also added another Electric immunity to my team with Volt Absorb and had bulk that Manectric didn't. Also at this time I dropped Outrage for Dragon Claw on Krookodile, and stopped running Rapid Spin on Forretress, as I wanted to see how well I could fare against hazards.
Lanturn, unfortunately, wasn't doing its job as well as I had hoped, and Ferrothorn was a huge bother to my team, as Manectric's Overheat was the only answer I had to it, and people anticipated that easier than I thought and switched in a Flash Fire user. So I dropped Lanturn for Rotom-W, whose HP Fire easily 2HKO's Ferrothorn and can handle Heatran with Hydro Pump. That and it just basically did Lanturn's job better. I also realized how easily I got rocked by hazards without Rapid Spin, and that Forretress wasn't really contributing anything anymore, so I dropped it for another Spinner, Hitmontop, how had the added advantage of dishing out a lot damage, getting a priority move, and the capability of spinning on Ghosts as well.
Now onto the the closeup:
Medicham @ Focus Sash
Ability: Huge Power
Nature: Adamant
4 HP/252 Atk/252 Spe
~Fake Out
~Magic Coat
~Hi Jump Kick
~Zen Headbutt
Medicham is an absolutely fantastic anti-lead, and I'm surprised that nobody else seems to use it. It hits even harder than Machamp with Huge Power, gets Fake Out to break Sashes, and Magic Coat to help deal with hazard-setting leads. In addition, even with hazards set up, I can usually bring it back later in the match, where ir can easily handle just about anything that isn't a devoted physical wall.
Hitmontop @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
Nature: Impish
252 HP/4 Atk/252 Def
~Close Combat
~Rapid Spin
~Foresight
~Mach Punch
With these EVs, it doesn't deal out as much damage as one may expect, but it takes hits very well, and, like I said above, fills the unique roll of being a Spinner that doesn't get stopped by Ghosts. Whenever I can't risk bringing Medicham in, it does the same job nicely, putting a major dent in almost anything not named Skarmory.
Rotom-W @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
Nature: Modest
124 HP/252 SpAtk/132 Spe
~Thunderbolt
~Hydro Pump
~Hidden Power Fire
~Pain Split
Rotom adds a little extra bulk to my team, and acts as a an answer to several situational threats. It gets fantastic coverages with its STABs and HP Fire, and can hit hard while still taking a hit itself. It can outspeed several of the bulkier Pokemon commonly used in the metagame, and Pain Split... well does what it does. Best recovery option available to it, really.
Gyarados @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
Nature: Jolly
248 HP/252 Atk/8 Def
~Waterfall
~Dragon Tail
~Rest
~Sleep Talk
I decided to focus on Gyarados's Special Defense over physical, thanks to Intimidate, especially when paired with Hitmontop's Intimidate. Dragon Tail is a nice answer to stat-uppers, and both it and Waterfall work well with Sleep Talk. It also acts as a nice situational counter to physical Dragons.
Manectric @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Lightningrod
Nature: Modest
4 HP/252 SpAtk/252 Spe
~Thunderbolt
~Overheat
~Hidden Power Ice
~Switcheroo
Manectric really stands out from other Electric-types because of the unique niches it fills. There are plenty of options to bring it in on an Electric attack, it outspeeds anything that's not named Deoxys-S or holding a Scarf of its own. If the opponent doesn't know how to deal with Manectric, then I can grab some serious momentum just off the surprise factor. It outspeeds Garchomp and, if I predict the switch, can reliably take it out with HP Ice without taking a scratch. Overheat can deal serious damage if I don't manage to grab that Lightningrod boost. Switcheroo is also a nice touch that can totally cripple walls.
Krookodile @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Moxie
Nature: Adamant
16 HP/252 Atk/240 Spe
~Earthquake
~Stone Edge
~Crunch
~Dragon Claw
Not quite as fast as Manectric gets, but it can still outspeed almost every OU Pokemon aside from Deoxys-S that's not holding a Choice Scarf itself. Also like Manectric, it can outspeed Chomp and 2HKO with Dragon Claw. Once I've seen most of the opponent's team I can usually sweep a good portion of their team with the appropriate move. Outside of that, it's an effective revenge killer. The only problem I have is I tend to overpredict and wind up using the wrong move. But fortunately, there's usually something I can switch in to take the hit.
So, I'm very happy to hear any constructive criticism you have. As this is my first RMT in a long time, and my only one since I became halfway good, so if I messed anything up, just say so and I fixed it.
