What's up smogon? MaChew here with another rmt. Having taken a break from the competitive scene due to work and new games coming out (looking at you, AC Unity) I decided to best way to come back to the scene was to make a new team! We love making new teams, right? So anyway, I came up with quite an odd looking team that makes a lot of sense on paper. I will be testing it later today a few times, and will get back to y'all on that. In the meantime, see if you guys can nit pick for me. I'm not 100% set on a few of the mons here, so a heads up will be appreciated!
EDIT: Thanks for the help so far, changing the team to what I've been trialing, won 3 in a row since making the changes and it feels way better:
On to the team!
The Team at a glance
I wanted to start and build my team around Weavile (quite odd, since most teams revolve around their choice of mega) but from my experience of playing competitive, dragons rule the roost, even with the addition of fairies. Furthermore, I like the dual dark/ice typing, his speed and attack stat, and he looks kinda cool. I also hate how exclusive he was in the game (I could never seem to find him.) I then thought about what mega I would want to build around, and since fairy threatens Weavile, I looked towards Steel types, toying with Scizor, but finally resting on Metagross, since I've never tried him, and always dreaded facing him. I then looked towards the weaknesses both would incur; Since they both would attract fighting types, I had the bright spark of introducing a bulky Azumarril set to the team, giving me an answer to dragons and darks for when my Weavile died, and giving me an answer to Mega Gyarados who rampaged this team, and also resisting fighting, essential for keeping my Weavile healthy. I needed a good stealth rocker next, and since the two MVPs are weak to fire, I needed a safe switch in, and ideally one who either resisted or blocked Volt-turn. Enter, fat Garchomp. Being able to reliably stealth rock as well as deal 26% of the target's health if they hit with a physical move AND being able to deal hefty damage with powerful stabs, Chomp definitely earned a place in my squad. I wanted a fire type next who could keep the ice types off my Garchomp, and who could work as a bird counter (Lati@s and Char-y), so I settled on Heatran. Originally my stealth rocker, I opted (as per suggestions) to go for a more offensive path, putting huge offensive pressure on the steel/ice/bird mons, and giving me a way to shut down set-up sweepers with taunt. Finally, I needed a defogger, and since I swapped out Rotom-W, I still wanted electric STAB. I finally settled on Zapdos, running a bulky set with a modest nature that allows me to hit really hard.
In Depth analysis
Weavile @ Life Orb
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
-Pursuit Poison Jab
- Ice Punch
- Ice Shard
- Knock Off
Alright, the main mon. Let's kick off by explaining this guy's role; he's here to ruin your day. Being a natural counter to the Lati twins, possessing a higher speed and a priority on switch out, he also threatens non bulky psychics like Alakazam, whose only chance to beat me is a focus blast (it's hax if it lands). It also serves to counter most dragons, namely those double weak to ice, M. Sceptile, (M) Garchomp, base Salamence etc but also just generally hits like a complete truck. All moves are there as STABS: Pursuit is because I love pursuit trapping, and imo having 1 out of the team's 24 moves that guarantees a KO against Lati@S is so worth it. However, as suggested below, MegaGross was the far better choice for a pursuit trapper, so I've ran poison jab instead in the hope of luring fairies in, and just general coverage. Ice Punch because if I have enough speed it does serious damage, and Ice Shard for revenge and if I don't have speed, and knock off because asides from the damage (130+STAB) if they're holding an item, which is, you know, all the time, it's utility is super cool and generally nice to have. Full EV spreads to maximise damage and speed, making him a little icy ninja.
Metagross @ Metagrossite
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Bullet Punch
- Earthquake
-Brick Break Pursuit
- Zen Headbutt
OK, the big man himself. His stats in mega form are, on paper at least, completely ridiculous. 110 base speed with jolly means he ties with timid Lati@S, making him not exactly slow. He also has 150/110 defences and a huge 145 attack stat, which means even jolly you'd know if he hit you. To be honest, I'm a bit miffed at his movepool of psychic attacks; I hate accuracy creeps, but I had to bite the bullet and use Zen Headbutt; it's his only decent psychic move (his only physical psychic move iirc) so I'm just gonna have to deal with it. B-Punch for STAB and utility, and to cover fairies that like to be a nuisance. Although traditionally Gross suffers from 4 move syndrome, mine actually fulfills everything I need it to do. Earthquake for coverage and to get the ohko on Zard-X who I outspeed pre D-dance, and pursuit because it's far safer for Gross to switch into Alakazam/Lati@s than Weavile, as Gross can take more hits than Weavile can. EVs for maximum damage.
Azumarill @ Assault Vest/Leftovers
Ability: Huge Power
EVs: 164 HP / 252 Atk / 92 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Aqua Jet
- Waterfall
- Play Rough
- Superpower
I'm really excited to use Azumarill actually, and to not be using the belly drum set (though it is fun to fake it). He's actually quite tanky, especially with an assault vest to boost up his Special Defence. Adamant nature because of the Huge Power ability, boosting Azu's attack through the roof. Aqua jet for priority, as Azumarill is really slow, and waterfall and play rough for heavy stab damage. The last moveslot is pretty open, though. I opted for superpower to get some fighting moves on the team, but could easily run toxic instead to get some status on the enemy team, since dropping Rotom-W meant dropping Will-O-Wisp. Azumarill is actually my prime Mega Gyarados counter, and before he evolves it still counters nicely, shrugging off all it's attacks and dealing nice damage with play rough. EV spread is for maximum bulk and power while having enough speed to outspeed Tyranitar, not that it can do much to me, but i'd like to use waterfall/play rough with priority rather than using aqua jet on him.
Garchomp @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Rough Skin
EVs: 252 HP / 164 Def / 92 Spe
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Dragon Claw
- Fire Blast / fire fang
As suggested by fleggumfl, a fat chomp works much better as my stealth rocker, replacing the role of heatran. Being able to combat and threaten physical attackers with the combo of rough skin and rocky helment, and having the bulk to do so places huge pressure on frail attackers, even those who can hit hard. EV spread is for a mix of health and defences, with enough speed EVs to beat invested base 80's like Venu and Bisharp, pressuring them with either fire fang or fire blast. Standard coverage moves, and with a base 130 attack he still hits relatively hard, while being able to counter every physical attacker! I'm undecided between fire fang and fire blast at this point; fire blast is underwhelming damage and accuracy, but it is safer and it's 0 contact, so it keeps me away from ferrothorn's barbs.
Heatran @ Air Balloon
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Magma Storm
-Stealth Rock Flamethrower
- Rock Slide
-Earth Power Taunt
One of my favourite mons of this meta, Heatran. Since most of the leads are steel, such as Skarmory or Ferrothorn, I can have some fun with them, setting up magma storm first, and then rocks, and then just wearing them down. It serves as a great anti-lead this way. Although M-Storm is 75 accuracy, I love it's utility, it's a fantastic move and really packs a punch. I went for taunt to compliment Magma storm, as it's really helpful for shutting down set-up tanks and destroying Skarmory/Ferrothorn/Chansey stalls, and I ran flamethrower to go along with those two as some more reliable damage, and finally Rock slide to hit those Sp.Def Talonflame tanks as well as generally hitting the fire birds being my prime bird counter.
Zapdos @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 240 HP / 252 SpA / 16 Spe
Modest Nature
- Defog
- Roost
- Thunderbolt
- Volt Switch/heat wave
Finally, Zapdos. Although it takes a weakness to stealth rock, which is a shame for a defogger, it has great recovery in roost, and Volt switch incase it gets into trouble. I was really surprised at it's defensive stats actually; 90/85/90 aren't too shabby on an offensive poke'mon, boasting a 125/100 SpAtk/Speed stat, and allows me run a bulky set on it rather than investing in defence. The speed EVs are to outrun uninvested adamant Bisharp, with heatwave as a possibility of taking one down, although to be honest a modest thunderbolt hits around 67% of it's health, so I might not need it. Standard moveset, 2 attacking stabs and defog/roost combo. I put leftovers on it, though I'm open to adding anything else you could suggest in it's place.
Altogether, I think these 6 mons could gel quite nicely together, and I think they cover each other's weaknesses.
That's the team! I've had a few suggestions so far, and I'm working on changing these and trialing them, but please give your 2 cents worth.
Thanks guys! Peace y'all.
EDIT: Thanks for the help so far, changing the team to what I've been trialing, won 3 in a row since making the changes and it feels way better:
On to the team!
The Team at a glance
I wanted to start and build my team around Weavile (quite odd, since most teams revolve around their choice of mega) but from my experience of playing competitive, dragons rule the roost, even with the addition of fairies. Furthermore, I like the dual dark/ice typing, his speed and attack stat, and he looks kinda cool. I also hate how exclusive he was in the game (I could never seem to find him.) I then thought about what mega I would want to build around, and since fairy threatens Weavile, I looked towards Steel types, toying with Scizor, but finally resting on Metagross, since I've never tried him, and always dreaded facing him. I then looked towards the weaknesses both would incur; Since they both would attract fighting types, I had the bright spark of introducing a bulky Azumarril set to the team, giving me an answer to dragons and darks for when my Weavile died, and giving me an answer to Mega Gyarados who rampaged this team, and also resisting fighting, essential for keeping my Weavile healthy. I needed a good stealth rocker next, and since the two MVPs are weak to fire, I needed a safe switch in, and ideally one who either resisted or blocked Volt-turn. Enter, fat Garchomp. Being able to reliably stealth rock as well as deal 26% of the target's health if they hit with a physical move AND being able to deal hefty damage with powerful stabs, Chomp definitely earned a place in my squad. I wanted a fire type next who could keep the ice types off my Garchomp, and who could work as a bird counter (Lati@s and Char-y), so I settled on Heatran. Originally my stealth rocker, I opted (as per suggestions) to go for a more offensive path, putting huge offensive pressure on the steel/ice/bird mons, and giving me a way to shut down set-up sweepers with taunt. Finally, I needed a defogger, and since I swapped out Rotom-W, I still wanted electric STAB. I finally settled on Zapdos, running a bulky set with a modest nature that allows me to hit really hard.
In Depth analysis
Weavile @ Life Orb
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
-
- Ice Punch
- Ice Shard
- Knock Off
Alright, the main mon. Let's kick off by explaining this guy's role; he's here to ruin your day. Being a natural counter to the Lati twins, possessing a higher speed and a priority on switch out, he also threatens non bulky psychics like Alakazam, whose only chance to beat me is a focus blast (it's hax if it lands). It also serves to counter most dragons, namely those double weak to ice, M. Sceptile, (M) Garchomp, base Salamence etc but also just generally hits like a complete truck. All moves are there as STABS: Pursuit is because I love pursuit trapping, and imo having 1 out of the team's 24 moves that guarantees a KO against Lati@S is so worth it. However, as suggested below, MegaGross was the far better choice for a pursuit trapper, so I've ran poison jab instead in the hope of luring fairies in, and just general coverage. Ice Punch because if I have enough speed it does serious damage, and Ice Shard for revenge and if I don't have speed, and knock off because asides from the damage (130+STAB) if they're holding an item, which is, you know, all the time, it's utility is super cool and generally nice to have. Full EV spreads to maximise damage and speed, making him a little icy ninja.
Metagross @ Metagrossite
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Bullet Punch
- Earthquake
-
- Zen Headbutt
OK, the big man himself. His stats in mega form are, on paper at least, completely ridiculous. 110 base speed with jolly means he ties with timid Lati@S, making him not exactly slow. He also has 150/110 defences and a huge 145 attack stat, which means even jolly you'd know if he hit you. To be honest, I'm a bit miffed at his movepool of psychic attacks; I hate accuracy creeps, but I had to bite the bullet and use Zen Headbutt; it's his only decent psychic move (his only physical psychic move iirc) so I'm just gonna have to deal with it. B-Punch for STAB and utility, and to cover fairies that like to be a nuisance. Although traditionally Gross suffers from 4 move syndrome, mine actually fulfills everything I need it to do. Earthquake for coverage and to get the ohko on Zard-X who I outspeed pre D-dance, and pursuit because it's far safer for Gross to switch into Alakazam/Lati@s than Weavile, as Gross can take more hits than Weavile can. EVs for maximum damage.
Azumarill @ Assault Vest/Leftovers
Ability: Huge Power
EVs: 164 HP / 252 Atk / 92 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Aqua Jet
- Waterfall
- Play Rough
- Superpower
I'm really excited to use Azumarill actually, and to not be using the belly drum set (though it is fun to fake it). He's actually quite tanky, especially with an assault vest to boost up his Special Defence. Adamant nature because of the Huge Power ability, boosting Azu's attack through the roof. Aqua jet for priority, as Azumarill is really slow, and waterfall and play rough for heavy stab damage. The last moveslot is pretty open, though. I opted for superpower to get some fighting moves on the team, but could easily run toxic instead to get some status on the enemy team, since dropping Rotom-W meant dropping Will-O-Wisp. Azumarill is actually my prime Mega Gyarados counter, and before he evolves it still counters nicely, shrugging off all it's attacks and dealing nice damage with play rough. EV spread is for maximum bulk and power while having enough speed to outspeed Tyranitar, not that it can do much to me, but i'd like to use waterfall/play rough with priority rather than using aqua jet on him.
Garchomp @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Rough Skin
EVs: 252 HP / 164 Def / 92 Spe
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Dragon Claw
- Fire Blast / fire fang
As suggested by fleggumfl, a fat chomp works much better as my stealth rocker, replacing the role of heatran. Being able to combat and threaten physical attackers with the combo of rough skin and rocky helment, and having the bulk to do so places huge pressure on frail attackers, even those who can hit hard. EV spread is for a mix of health and defences, with enough speed EVs to beat invested base 80's like Venu and Bisharp, pressuring them with either fire fang or fire blast. Standard coverage moves, and with a base 130 attack he still hits relatively hard, while being able to counter every physical attacker! I'm undecided between fire fang and fire blast at this point; fire blast is underwhelming damage and accuracy, but it is safer and it's 0 contact, so it keeps me away from ferrothorn's barbs.
Heatran @ Air Balloon
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Magma Storm
-
- Rock Slide
-
One of my favourite mons of this meta, Heatran. Since most of the leads are steel, such as Skarmory or Ferrothorn, I can have some fun with them, setting up magma storm first, and then rocks, and then just wearing them down. It serves as a great anti-lead this way. Although M-Storm is 75 accuracy, I love it's utility, it's a fantastic move and really packs a punch. I went for taunt to compliment Magma storm, as it's really helpful for shutting down set-up tanks and destroying Skarmory/Ferrothorn/Chansey stalls, and I ran flamethrower to go along with those two as some more reliable damage, and finally Rock slide to hit those Sp.Def Talonflame tanks as well as generally hitting the fire birds being my prime bird counter.
Zapdos @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 240 HP / 252 SpA / 16 Spe
Modest Nature
- Defog
- Roost
- Thunderbolt
- Volt Switch/heat wave
Finally, Zapdos. Although it takes a weakness to stealth rock, which is a shame for a defogger, it has great recovery in roost, and Volt switch incase it gets into trouble. I was really surprised at it's defensive stats actually; 90/85/90 aren't too shabby on an offensive poke'mon, boasting a 125/100 SpAtk/Speed stat, and allows me run a bulky set on it rather than investing in defence. The speed EVs are to outrun uninvested adamant Bisharp, with heatwave as a possibility of taking one down, although to be honest a modest thunderbolt hits around 67% of it's health, so I might not need it. Standard moveset, 2 attacking stabs and defog/roost combo. I put leftovers on it, though I'm open to adding anything else you could suggest in it's place.
Altogether, I think these 6 mons could gel quite nicely together, and I think they cover each other's weaknesses.
That's the team! I've had a few suggestions so far, and I'm working on changing these and trialing them, but please give your 2 cents worth.
Thanks guys! Peace y'all.
Weavile @ Life Orb
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Poison Jab
- Ice Punch
- Ice Shard
- Knock Off
Zapdos @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 240 HP / 252 SpA / 16 Spe
Modest Nature
- Defog
- Roost
- Thunderbolt
- Volt Switch
Metagross @ Metagrossite
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Bullet Punch
- Pursuit
- Earthquake
- Zen Headbutt
Heatran @ Air Balloon
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Magma Storm
- Flamethrower
- Rock Slide
- Taunt
Garchomp @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Rough Skin
EVs: 252 HP / 164 Def / 92 Spe
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Dragon Claw
- Fire Blast
Azumarill @ Assault Vest
Ability: Huge Power
EVs: 164 HP / 252 Atk / 92 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Aqua Jet
- Waterfall
- Play Rough
- Superpower
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Poison Jab
- Ice Punch
- Ice Shard
- Knock Off
Zapdos @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 240 HP / 252 SpA / 16 Spe
Modest Nature
- Defog
- Roost
- Thunderbolt
- Volt Switch
Metagross @ Metagrossite
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Bullet Punch
- Pursuit
- Earthquake
- Zen Headbutt
Heatran @ Air Balloon
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Magma Storm
- Flamethrower
- Rock Slide
- Taunt
Garchomp @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Rough Skin
EVs: 252 HP / 164 Def / 92 Spe
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Dragon Claw
- Fire Blast
Azumarill @ Assault Vest
Ability: Huge Power
EVs: 164 HP / 252 Atk / 92 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Aqua Jet
- Waterfall
- Play Rough
- Superpower
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