Hi guys! This is my first RMT on Smogon and I am very new to competitive battling. This team is only the 2nd team I have made and I can't seem to break the 1600 ranking, but I have played with this team a lot and improved it a lot since I first started. So even though I am a total newb, I have worked really hard on this team and I hope you guys will give me some advice to get unstuck! Thank you! Without further ado: Team Froggie Power!
This team is supposed to be a balanced rain team. Also something you should know about me is that I'd rather lose with Pokemon I like than win with Pokemon I don't like, so that is the reason for a few of my choices. Also I think Rotom-Wash is the ugliest thing ever so I would rather not use one haha even though I am sure people will suggest it. :)
Rainy (Politoed) (F) @ Leftovers
Trait: Drizzle
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SAtk
Bold Nature
IVs: 30 SAtk
- Payback
- Protect
- Scald
- Perish Song
Rainy is, obviously, my rain-maker. I like Perish Song on her because I can deal with Pokemon trying to set themselves up for a sweep. Payback is a move that I pretty much never use, so suggestions on how to use it or a different move to use are welcome. Would it be a bad idea to have Rain Dance instead of Payback, to deal with Ninetales or Tyranitar without switching out all the time? Other than that, this lady is pretty self-explanatory as it is on almost every rain team.
Othello (Starmie) @ Leftovers
Trait: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Rapid Spin
- Ice Beam
- Thunder
- Scald
My absolute least favorite member of my team. I really don't like Othello but don't know what to put in his place! I tried a Tentacruel for a long time, but had even less success. I could just not be using this type of rapid spinner right. Any suggestions for something to go in this place would be really helpful! I do like having the move Rapid Spin, because it allows my Dragonite to come into the battle without getting his scales broken. But I think I would rather have someone more offensive, because Othello can't really make a dent in anything.
Dicer (Toxicroak) (M) @ Black Sludge
Trait: Dry Skin
EVs: 244 HP / 132 Atk / 120 Def / 12 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Sucker Punch
- Bulk Up
- Drain Punch
- Substitute
My proudest achievement! I love, love, love this badass froggy and I have figured out a great way to use him. In the rain, Dry Skin + Black Sludge allows me to substitute whenever I want and get pretty much all of my HP back in the same turn. Add Drain Punch on top of that, and this guy pretty much never dies unless you can OHKO him. I love it and I have tons of success with him. After a few Bulk Ups, Sucker Punch can take out any Psychic types that may give him trouble. His only nemesis is Roar/Whirlwind, but I guess that can't be helped.
Siren (Vaporeon) (F) @ Leftovers
Trait: Hydration
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 Spd
Bold Nature
- Scald
- Rest
- Protect
- Toxic
I like this girl as well, as in the rain Rest+Hydration is so awesome. She can take tons of hits and survive Outrages from pretty much every dragon. She is a very valuable member of my team! I think she works really well on this team but of course I am always open to suggestions. She is also a great staller because I can use Toxic, and then keep Protecting and Resting until the opponent dies of poison. I have workshopped her a lot (using Water Absorb instead of Hydration, as well as a different move set), and this is the one I like the best so far.
Saturn (Dragonite) (M) @ Lum Berry
Trait: Multiscale
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Earthquake
- Outrage
- ExtremeSpeed
This guy is another one that I've put a lot of work into in order to find a set I like. My strategy right now is to switch in after one of my Pokemon has died, as long as it's not a Cloyster or a set-up sweeper. I usually then get 2 "free" Dragon Dances: one when they switch out and one when they do their first move. (If they don't switch out and I feel threatened, I will just do one Dragon Dance). I like him, but sometimes if I don't pay really close attention he can get killed easily. Any suggestions for this slot are welcome, but I'd love to have some kind of a dragon. Salamence is my favorite dragon, but when I tried him he seemed too frail to be able to survive long enough to do some sweeping. But suggestions are, again, welcome!
Omega (Jolteon) (F) @ Leftovers
Trait: Volt Absorb
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Thunder
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Volt Switch
- Signal Beam
I think she is the unsung hero of this team. I usually start out with her, but sometimes not. Then I can either do a free Volt Switch into someone I think would be better equipped to take the enemy out; or, if it's a Garchomp or Gliscor or something like that, I can do Hidden Power Ice and usually kill them in one hit! It's great. She is really strong, but usually dies quickly if I switch her in on the wrong thing. I also love the Volt Absorb ability and it is really helpful. I like her move set, but Signal Beam is what I use the least probably. Any suggestions are welcome.
My Nemeses:
For one reason or another I have a really hard time with all of these guys, and any and all ideas to counter them would be great! Dicer (Toxicroak) can usually take out Ferrothorn, but if he is already dead then I don't know what to do. Blissey is just too bulky for me to handle sometimes. Skarmory gives me such a headache with the Stealth Rocks + Whirlwind thing. And I usually do well against other weather teams (surprisingly), but sometimes it's hard for me to take out Ninetales.
I am tempted to replace my Starmie with an ice-type attacker, but I don't know how good of an idea that would be. I am also really tempted to have someone carry Flamethrower to take out stupid Ferrothorn, but I feel like I would never use it because of the rain.
Anyways, that's my team! I have worked really hard on it over the past few months, so constructive criticism is welcome! Who should I replace? Whose moves should I change? Who has some EV's that don't seem like the best? Let me know! Thank you guys!