At a glance:
While this team isn't as focused on a single Pokemon like my previous team was, this team is still extremely good, currently going 32/11 thus far. I'll try to break this down, but for the most part, the roles of main sweeper can go to almost anything, depending on the opponent's team. That's the great thing about this team, it's extremely adaptable.
Main Sweepers:
Handjobs (Ambipom) @ Life Orb
Trait: Technician
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spd / 4 Def
Jolly Nature
- Fake Out
- Last Resort
Technician and STAB boosted Fake Out... 90 power, plus Ambipom's 299 atk power and Life Orb boost... that attack does A TON of damage. Last Resort has a, after STAB, 210 power, before Life Orb. I don't need to explain how often this OHKOs my opponent's pokemon. On top of that, there are very few people who see this coming, for some strange reason.
Broomstick (Hitmonlee) @ Normal Gem
Trait: Unburden
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 Atk / 4 HP
Adamant Nature
- Close Combat
- Fake Out
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
After using the Fake Out, Unburden makes Hitmonlee faster than a lot of common scarfers (according to the Smogon database, Hitmonlee outspeeds every relevent scarfer). This shows the threatening power of Hitmonlee. Once any Pokemon that's got Hitmonlee in check is gone, Hitmonlee becomes the broomstick. I end up sweeping with him more than anyone.
Core/Support:
Flag (Gligar) @ Eviolite
Trait: Immunity
EVs: 252 Def / 252 HP / 4 Atk
Impish Nature
- Earthquake
- Roost
- Stealth Rock
- Toxic
Gligar is just an amazing wall, with immunity to toxic poison, the ability to set up rocks, and having a huge defensive stat. This thing can toxic stall for days, and can usually take a Chandelure's Fire Blast and deliver an Earthquake back. While this won't faint Chandelure, it'll bring it down low enough to allow it to die easily. All in all, however, Gligar is basically here for the same reason as Umbreon, because it's a beastly wall.
Star (Umbreon) @ Leftovers
Trait: Synchronize
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 SDef / 252 HP / 4 Def
Careful Nature
- Wish
- Toxic
- Protect
- Foul Play
Wish support. Toxic stall. Never f*cking dies. Do I need to explain more? The only attack is Foul Play, because it allows Umbreon to not have to use its pretty low stats, but instead use the opponent's attack power against them.
Rounding out the team:
Spook (Chandelure) @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Flash Fire
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 SAtk / 4 SDef
Modest Nature
- Overheat
- Shadow Ball
- Fire Blast
- Energy Ball
Chandelure deals with a lot of ghost and steel type threats to my team, especially Sableye and Bronzong, as well as non-scarfed non-sub Chandelure. The only big threat that Chandelure doesn't deal with easily is an enemy Chandelure that sets up a Substitute. In this scenario, I usually sacrifice Chandelure to break the sub, then revenge kill with Broomstick. Energy Ball also allows Chandelure to 2HKO opposing Blastoise and usually OHKO opposing Swamperts, which is easy to do with some predicting.
ThundrNuts (Raikou) @ Choice Specs
Trait: Pressure
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 SAtk / 4 HP
Timid Nature
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Shadow Ball
- Volt Switch
ThundrNuts deals with Crobat, as suggested by Fat Jatul, which has potential to be an issue against my team. ThundrNuts allows me to deal with said Crobats without needing to unburden my Hitmonlee. On top of this, ThundrNuts also helps to deal with Chandelure, isn't effected by Sableye's Will-o-Wisp, etc. The major thing that I am considering for this Raikou set is changing Hidden Power to HP Grass to deal with Rhyperior.
Threats:
Sub-Calm Mind Chandelure has proven to give me a lot of problems, and Scarf can also give me issues. It may be due to my play style and underestimating my Pokemon's natural bulk, but I feel like Chandelure can prove a major threat. My major responses to Chandelure is usually Umbreon. If it is not a scarf Chandelure, and not under a sub, Spook can handle it easy enough. As a back up, though risky (in the case of Timid nature), Broomstick can OHKO. Under a sub, I can usually take it down with ThundrNuts, or sacrifice ThundrNuts to get a revenge kill. A scarf variant requires either an unburdened Hitmonlee or outplaying my opponent.
Crobat has the obvious super-effective STAB Brave Bird against my main of my two sweepers, taking out Broomstick in an easy OHKO. While Broomstick can easily deal with even a Scarf Crobat, it has a strong chance to miss with Stone Edge. I'm not 100% sure if a Stone Edge can OHKO 100% hp Crobat. Crobat also completely counters my physical wall.
The only counters that I have to Rhyperior is Energy Ball from Spook. Close Combat from Broomstick is, at best, a 2HKO. Rhyperior has scary high natural power, and physical bulk, making this a serious threat to my team.
Sableye is probably the second least, if not the least threatening of these Pokemon to my team. The big issue with Sableye is that a Will-0-Wisp cripples both of my main sweepers, Handjobs and Broomstick, whom are both physical sweepers. Chandelure does counter this easily, switching in on an easily predicted Will-o-Wisp, and firing off a Flash-Fire boosted Overheat will more-or-less OHKO/2HKO anything.
Suggestions:
Removed:
Accelgor @ Leftovers
Trait: Hydration
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 Spd / 4 SAtk / 252 HP
Timid Nature
- Giga Drain
- Spikes
- U-turn
- Final Gambit
Accelgor's job is to deal with bulky walls, specificially steel types that resist Ambipom. The most important wall I need to kill with Accelgor is Bronzong. If there are no walls that Accelgor needs to take down, I will usually Final Gambit another big threat, or their lead to keep them from setting up rocks. The rest of the moveset is mostly for support, scouting, and allowing Accelgor to battle if needed.