I'm currently trying to create an optimal Battle Spot team that can handle almost any major threat in the game that gets thrown at it (no team is perfect though). The more I playtest it the more I notice I need to switch certain members around. Anyway, here is what I have currently. This is something I have in-game and use online at the moment so I only have access to sets and mons available ingame. I'm currently a bit below 1600 rating in-game. I've messed around with multiple teams though.
Venusaur @ Venusaurite
Overgrow -> Thick Fat
Relaxed
252 HP, 252 Def, 6 SpD
- Synthesis
- Giga Drain
- Sludge Bomb
- Earthquake
I was a little hesitant to run a -Speed nature at first; however, the unhindered Earthquake has worked very well for me. Earthquake absolutely tears into Lucario and M-Lucario, M-Gengar, and Excadrill. It also hits a number of other potent threats. It's incredibly powerful defensively too. This is the Mega Evolution I tend to use because it's usually a safe pick.
Goodra @ Assault Vest
Gooey
Modest
252 HP, 252 SpA, 6 SpD
- Fire Blast
- Sludge Bomb
- Dragon Pulse
- Dragon Tail
I'm very happy with Goodra. Dragon Tail has helped break a couple of stalls online. The rest of his moveset is all pretty much standard fare for Goodra. Fire Blast hits Steels that would otherwise wall Sludge Bomb and Dragon Pulse hard. Sludge Bomb hits Fairies that think they can switch in. Dragon Pulse is generic STAB. Dragon Tail helps for when my team needs phazing. Goodra takes very little damage from special attacks and hits back hard.
Vaporeon @ Leftovers
Water Absorb
Bold
252 HP, 252 Def, 6 SpD
- Wish
- Protect
- Scald
- Ice Beam
Vaporeon has been my key team member thus far. It has given me a number of victories that I couldn't otherwise achieve. Wishing for teammates with a healthpool this high has been incredibly useful in preventing certain members of my team from falling. Wish->Protect has also saved its life and allowed it to stall using its burn chance on Scald. Ice Beam is there for coverage but I could just as easily drop it for Roar.
Blastoise @ Blastoisinite
Torrent -> Mega Launcher
Modest
252 HP, 252 SpA, 6 Def
- Hydro Pump
- Aura Sphere
- Dark Pulse
- Dragon Pulse
I haven't gotten much use out of Blastoise. Since Battle Spot is a team preview based 3v3 I usually pick Venusaur out of my 2 Megas because I find it to be the safer choice being more defensively oriented and using both of its attacking stats. However, I chose Blastoise as my other Mega for when I need something specially oriented and powerful. Bulky and offensive with incredible coverage, Blastoise can usually survive a few hits and retaliate with more powerful hits. It doesn't synergize well with when I choose to take my Wish support because of the weaknesses they share. The few times I have used Mega Blastoise it has been incredibly potent though. Note that I don't take Rapid Spin - hazards aren't too prevalent in Battle Spot. If they become prevalent I will take Rapid Spin over Dragon Pulse.
Talonflame @ Life Orb
Gale Wings
Adamant
252 Attack, 192 HP, 64 Spe
- Swords Dance
- U-Turn
- Flare Blitz
- Brave Bird
Almost mandatory in order to deal with Blaziken - Talonflame helps out my team even if there isn't one. Where most of my team is incredibly bulky and lacking in priority Talonflame does the opposite. Its only job is to come in and remove threats quickly. Whether that's as a revenge killer or a switch in to something that absolutely cannot handle it, it doesn't matter. Playing Talonflame well means scoring a kill or two. Its typing is also covered nicely when running together with Mega Venusaur and Vaporeon.
Ferrothorn @ Rocky Helmet
Iron Barbs
Relaxed
252 HP, 252 SpD, 6 Def
- Leech Seed
- Stealth Rock (considering Curse over SR for Battle Spot)
- Gyro Ball
- Power Whip
In a metagame that's so fast paced there is often little need for Stealth Rock. However, in some recent games I have found that my opponents will play the switching game with me (hard switching, Baton Passing, Volt Switching, U-Turning, or otherwise.) In those cases I feel that Stealth Rock would be helpful in keeping up with the damage output coming into my team. Interestingly enough, Ferrothorn doesn't share any real weaknesses with Venusaur even though they're both Grass types. Ferrothorn is weak to Fire and Fighting while Venusaur's Fire weakness is removed by Thick Fat and resists Fighting. They can safely be run together without much worry. The Iron Barbs and Rocky Helmet combo also serves to weaken Mega Kangaskhan even if it's taken out in one round.
Team Weaknesses:
VoltTurn Cores - My team struggles heavily against the most common abusers of VoltTurn (Rotom-W/H and Scizor). Those two together are extremely hard for my team to deal with. If I fail to put out Stealth Rock then I often take heavy damage over a long period of time while they take very little, even if I predict well. My repeat Electric type weakness doesn't help here.
Boosted Priority - It's very hard for my team to handle boosted attacks with priority and I don't really have options to deal with them. I have specific resistances I can play against certain priority attacks but most of the time a priority user will be boosted to the point that a coverage move will work well enough to remove whatever it is that's resisting priority. I can phaze, but my phazer is susceptible to physical damage.
Stall - Stall isn't a very common tactic in Battle Spot. However, I use a lot of bulky offense and tanks. Tanks don't hit well through stall and are easily stalled out because they often fail to even get a 2HKO on certain things.
General: Poor Resistances - My team doesn't have very diverse resistances. Ferrothorn covers 1/3 of all possible types by himself alone and the rest of my team is either weak or neutral to those types. I ought to reshape my team to resist more types. Many of the types I do resist are stacked and multiple team members will resist the type.
Considerations:
- I could run Mold Breaker Excadrill to help break VoltTurn cores that rely on Rotom forms. It will also help diversify my teams types and coverage.
- I should run more statuses somewhere. I should perhaps replace one of my team members with something that can cripple enemies or set up to support my own team.
- I should consider running something more dedicated to pure damage. Something very hard to switch into. I already have a lot of bulky things to fall back on and it certainly couldn't hurt to have something more reliant on sheer power.
Current Replacement List:
This is relevant to me because this is a team I'm using in-game and it takes time to build new team members. This is what is already available to replace on my team immediately. If you're interested in the information pertinent to something below, just say so. There are so many here that I didn't find it necessary to list too much information about them.
Bulky Offense: Assault Vest Tyranitar, Aegislash (defensive investment), Garchomp, Gyarados, Scizor (and Mega), Avalugg, Cloyster, Ampharos
Walls: Eviolite Chansey
Offense: Blaziken, Charizard X or Y, Gardevoir (and Mega), Azumarill, Hydreigon, Roserade, Volcarona, Greninja, Mawile
Utility: Magic Bounce Espeon (Dual Screens), Galvantula
Everything on the replacement list is something I can easily substitute into my team. I'd just like some constructive criticism so I can build my team to handle more threats at once. I'm relatively new to competitive battling but I have done a lot of reading and thinking and that isn't always enough. Experience and playtesting offers the most but I'd like some opinions too. I've asked for advice elsewhere but was directed back here. I wasn't sure how much experience people have had with Battle Spot here yet.
Venusaur @ Venusaurite
Overgrow -> Thick Fat
Relaxed
252 HP, 252 Def, 6 SpD
- Synthesis
- Giga Drain
- Sludge Bomb
- Earthquake
I was a little hesitant to run a -Speed nature at first; however, the unhindered Earthquake has worked very well for me. Earthquake absolutely tears into Lucario and M-Lucario, M-Gengar, and Excadrill. It also hits a number of other potent threats. It's incredibly powerful defensively too. This is the Mega Evolution I tend to use because it's usually a safe pick.
Goodra @ Assault Vest
Gooey
Modest
252 HP, 252 SpA, 6 SpD
- Fire Blast
- Sludge Bomb
- Dragon Pulse
- Dragon Tail
I'm very happy with Goodra. Dragon Tail has helped break a couple of stalls online. The rest of his moveset is all pretty much standard fare for Goodra. Fire Blast hits Steels that would otherwise wall Sludge Bomb and Dragon Pulse hard. Sludge Bomb hits Fairies that think they can switch in. Dragon Pulse is generic STAB. Dragon Tail helps for when my team needs phazing. Goodra takes very little damage from special attacks and hits back hard.
Vaporeon @ Leftovers
Water Absorb
Bold
252 HP, 252 Def, 6 SpD
- Wish
- Protect
- Scald
- Ice Beam
Vaporeon has been my key team member thus far. It has given me a number of victories that I couldn't otherwise achieve. Wishing for teammates with a healthpool this high has been incredibly useful in preventing certain members of my team from falling. Wish->Protect has also saved its life and allowed it to stall using its burn chance on Scald. Ice Beam is there for coverage but I could just as easily drop it for Roar.
Blastoise @ Blastoisinite
Torrent -> Mega Launcher
Modest
252 HP, 252 SpA, 6 Def
- Hydro Pump
- Aura Sphere
- Dark Pulse
- Dragon Pulse
I haven't gotten much use out of Blastoise. Since Battle Spot is a team preview based 3v3 I usually pick Venusaur out of my 2 Megas because I find it to be the safer choice being more defensively oriented and using both of its attacking stats. However, I chose Blastoise as my other Mega for when I need something specially oriented and powerful. Bulky and offensive with incredible coverage, Blastoise can usually survive a few hits and retaliate with more powerful hits. It doesn't synergize well with when I choose to take my Wish support because of the weaknesses they share. The few times I have used Mega Blastoise it has been incredibly potent though. Note that I don't take Rapid Spin - hazards aren't too prevalent in Battle Spot. If they become prevalent I will take Rapid Spin over Dragon Pulse.
Talonflame @ Life Orb
Gale Wings
Adamant
252 Attack, 192 HP, 64 Spe
- Swords Dance
- U-Turn
- Flare Blitz
- Brave Bird
Almost mandatory in order to deal with Blaziken - Talonflame helps out my team even if there isn't one. Where most of my team is incredibly bulky and lacking in priority Talonflame does the opposite. Its only job is to come in and remove threats quickly. Whether that's as a revenge killer or a switch in to something that absolutely cannot handle it, it doesn't matter. Playing Talonflame well means scoring a kill or two. Its typing is also covered nicely when running together with Mega Venusaur and Vaporeon.
Ferrothorn @ Rocky Helmet
Iron Barbs
Relaxed
252 HP, 252 SpD, 6 Def
- Leech Seed
- Stealth Rock (considering Curse over SR for Battle Spot)
- Gyro Ball
- Power Whip
In a metagame that's so fast paced there is often little need for Stealth Rock. However, in some recent games I have found that my opponents will play the switching game with me (hard switching, Baton Passing, Volt Switching, U-Turning, or otherwise.) In those cases I feel that Stealth Rock would be helpful in keeping up with the damage output coming into my team. Interestingly enough, Ferrothorn doesn't share any real weaknesses with Venusaur even though they're both Grass types. Ferrothorn is weak to Fire and Fighting while Venusaur's Fire weakness is removed by Thick Fat and resists Fighting. They can safely be run together without much worry. The Iron Barbs and Rocky Helmet combo also serves to weaken Mega Kangaskhan even if it's taken out in one round.
Team Coverage:
Grass x 2 (Venusaur, Ferrothorn)
Poison x 2 (Venusaur, Goodra)
Dragon x 2 (Goodra, Blastoise)
Water x 2 (Vaporeon, Blastoise)
Fire x 2 (Goodra, Talonflame)
Ground (Venusaur)
Ice (Vaporeon)
Fighting (Blastoise)
Dark (Blastoise)
Flying (Talonflame)
Steel (Ferrothorn)
No Coverage:
Ghost
Psychic
Fairy
Electric
Bug (not including U-Turn)
Rock
Normal
Team Weaknesses:
Electric (Vaporeon, Blastoise, Talonflame)
Grass (Vaporeon, Blastoise)
Flying (Venusaur)
Psychic (Venusaur)
Ice (Goodra)
Dragon (Goodra)
Fairy (Goodra)
Rock (Talonflame)
Water (Talonflame)
Fire (Ferrothorn)
Fighting (Ferrothorn)
Team Resistances:
Water (Venusaur, Vaporeon, Goodra, Blastoise, Ferrothorn)
Steel (Vaporeon, Blastoise, Talonflame, Ferrothorn)
Grass (Venusaur, Goodra, Talonflame, Ferrothorn)
Fire (Vaporeon, Goodra, Blastoise, Talonflame)
Electric (Venusaur, Goodra, Ferrothorn)
Fairy (Venusaur, Talonflame, Ferrothorn)
Fighting (Venusaur, Talonflame)
Ice (Vaporeon, Blastoise)
Ground (Talonflame)
Bug (Talonflame)
Normal (Ferrothorn)
Rock (Ferrothorn)
Grass (Ferrothorn)
Poison (Ferrothorn)
Psychic (Ferrothorn)
Dragon (Ferrothorn)
Unresisted: Dark, Ghost
Grass x 2 (Venusaur, Ferrothorn)
Poison x 2 (Venusaur, Goodra)
Dragon x 2 (Goodra, Blastoise)
Water x 2 (Vaporeon, Blastoise)
Fire x 2 (Goodra, Talonflame)
Ground (Venusaur)
Ice (Vaporeon)
Fighting (Blastoise)
Dark (Blastoise)
Flying (Talonflame)
Steel (Ferrothorn)
No Coverage:
Ghost
Psychic
Fairy
Electric
Bug (not including U-Turn)
Rock
Normal
Team Weaknesses:
Electric (Vaporeon, Blastoise, Talonflame)
Grass (Vaporeon, Blastoise)
Flying (Venusaur)
Psychic (Venusaur)
Ice (Goodra)
Dragon (Goodra)
Fairy (Goodra)
Rock (Talonflame)
Water (Talonflame)
Fire (Ferrothorn)
Fighting (Ferrothorn)
Team Resistances:
Water (Venusaur, Vaporeon, Goodra, Blastoise, Ferrothorn)
Steel (Vaporeon, Blastoise, Talonflame, Ferrothorn)
Grass (Venusaur, Goodra, Talonflame, Ferrothorn)
Fire (Vaporeon, Goodra, Blastoise, Talonflame)
Electric (Venusaur, Goodra, Ferrothorn)
Fairy (Venusaur, Talonflame, Ferrothorn)
Fighting (Venusaur, Talonflame)
Ice (Vaporeon, Blastoise)
Ground (Talonflame)
Bug (Talonflame)
Normal (Ferrothorn)
Rock (Ferrothorn)
Grass (Ferrothorn)
Poison (Ferrothorn)
Psychic (Ferrothorn)
Dragon (Ferrothorn)
Unresisted: Dark, Ghost
Team Weaknesses:
VoltTurn Cores - My team struggles heavily against the most common abusers of VoltTurn (Rotom-W/H and Scizor). Those two together are extremely hard for my team to deal with. If I fail to put out Stealth Rock then I often take heavy damage over a long period of time while they take very little, even if I predict well. My repeat Electric type weakness doesn't help here.
Boosted Priority - It's very hard for my team to handle boosted attacks with priority and I don't really have options to deal with them. I have specific resistances I can play against certain priority attacks but most of the time a priority user will be boosted to the point that a coverage move will work well enough to remove whatever it is that's resisting priority. I can phaze, but my phazer is susceptible to physical damage.
Stall - Stall isn't a very common tactic in Battle Spot. However, I use a lot of bulky offense and tanks. Tanks don't hit well through stall and are easily stalled out because they often fail to even get a 2HKO on certain things.
General: Poor Resistances - My team doesn't have very diverse resistances. Ferrothorn covers 1/3 of all possible types by himself alone and the rest of my team is either weak or neutral to those types. I ought to reshape my team to resist more types. Many of the types I do resist are stacked and multiple team members will resist the type.
Considerations:
- I could run Mold Breaker Excadrill to help break VoltTurn cores that rely on Rotom forms. It will also help diversify my teams types and coverage.
- I should run more statuses somewhere. I should perhaps replace one of my team members with something that can cripple enemies or set up to support my own team.
- I should consider running something more dedicated to pure damage. Something very hard to switch into. I already have a lot of bulky things to fall back on and it certainly couldn't hurt to have something more reliant on sheer power.
Current Replacement List:
This is relevant to me because this is a team I'm using in-game and it takes time to build new team members. This is what is already available to replace on my team immediately. If you're interested in the information pertinent to something below, just say so. There are so many here that I didn't find it necessary to list too much information about them.
Bulky Offense: Assault Vest Tyranitar, Aegislash (defensive investment), Garchomp, Gyarados, Scizor (and Mega), Avalugg, Cloyster, Ampharos
Walls: Eviolite Chansey
Offense: Blaziken, Charizard X or Y, Gardevoir (and Mega), Azumarill, Hydreigon, Roserade, Volcarona, Greninja, Mawile
Utility: Magic Bounce Espeon (Dual Screens), Galvantula
Everything on the replacement list is something I can easily substitute into my team. I'd just like some constructive criticism so I can build my team to handle more threats at once. I'm relatively new to competitive battling but I have done a lot of reading and thinking and that isn't always enough. Experience and playtesting offers the most but I'd like some opinions too. I've asked for advice elsewhere but was directed back here. I wasn't sure how much experience people have had with Battle Spot here yet.