Generic Boring Team (Peak #8)

[jeremy55]

This team has some holes in it so I'm looking for suggestions.

Exeggutor @ Choice Specs
Trait: Chlorophyll
EVs: 252 SAtk / 132 HP / 124 Spd
Modest Nature
- Leaf Storm
- Psychic
- Sleep Powder
- Hidden Power [Ice]

Literally copy+pasted off Smogon, specs exeggutor gives me the power I need to kill pokemon like Musharna and Skuntank that swap into it once they're weakened a bit. Low speed makes him pretty hard to switch in, but opportunities arise against weak offensive pokemon. I usually try to keep him healthy until late game because after hazard damage racks up Leaf Storm is unstoppable and without him Alomomola is annoying to kill.

Skuntank @ Black Sludge
Trait: Aftermath
EVs: 252 Atk / 220 HP / 36 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Taunt
- Crunch
- Sucker Punch
- Poison Jab

Standard Skuntank, no pursuit, because I'm happy enough with him scaring Musharna away, and I'm not afraid of any other psychic or ghost type. A nice thing is that with Nasty Plot Misdreavus around and Exeggutor to Leaf Storm for a big chunk of damage, my team is pretty good against Musharna, something that most of my other teams weren't.

Luxray @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 Atk / 4 Def
Adamant Nature
- Ice Fang
- Wild Charge
- Superpower
- Volt Switch

I like Scarf Luxray because he can switch in to any physical attack that isn't boosted/isn't a stab earthquake, get intimidate up and outspeed and KO a lot of physical pokemon. He doesn't last that long with wild charge and hazard damage but he can take out a few threats beforehand just fine.

Alomomola @ Leftovers
Trait: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Atk
Impish Nature
- Waterfall
- Toxic
- Protect
- Wish

Blah blah Alomomola. Everyone who plays NU knows about this set. It walls every physical that can't sub boost.

Seismitoad @ Leftovers
Trait: Water Absorb
EVs: 252 SDef / 252 HP / 4 Def
Calm Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earth Power
- Scald
- Toxic

Seismitoad has some pretty bad type overlap with Alomomola admittedly, both of them being dying to grass. This is obviously not the most synergistic core ever, but I tried lots of different combinations before settling on this. I needed a special wall with some decent physical bulk who was not weak to SR, could lay SR and could punish people and break subs, and Seismitoad was it, and him being able to take electric attacks for Alomomona obviously helps. Overall they serve me well, but if there is a grass threat on the other team I usually have to swap Skuntank in.

Misdreavus @ Eviolite
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Shadow Ball
- Hidden Power [Fighting]
- Nasty Plot
- Substitute

I wanted a bulky special attacker who had wallbreaking potential to round out my team. Spent a while experimenting and eventually settled on Misdreavus. Early on he's usually switched into a fighting attack or a helpless wall and tries to get a sub and a boost up before doing as much damage as possible and switching out. The lack of leftovers recovery combined with sub damage means he usually dies in the mid-game, but if I keep him healthy until late game he can deal with most walls fine.


Weaknesses:

Ludicolo kills this whole team pretty much. I have to juggle around and hope my opponent is bad with prediction to not lose my entire team during rain dance, or at best sacrifice 2 pokes to kill him. Skuntank can deal with him, but not if he gets a free rain dance up.

Bulk-Up Braviary is a problem. The problem with it is that while usually it's walled with Alomomona, if you guess the Braviary set wrong and keep Alomomona in, you lose instantly. I've taken to swapping in Luxray immediately upon seeing Braviary, he can kill non-sub Braviarys easily and at least make sure the sub is down. Of course Skuntank can taunt, but that's about all he can do as he gets destroyed otherwise. With the right EV's not even Seismitoad's Scald breaks Braviary's sub, so I might need to do some work there. Usually I have a phazer in my team but I could not fit one in here.

Sawsbuck is another relatively common problem, but if he's not scarfed, I can just swap Luxray in to any of his moves, survive and kill. If he's scarfed and being used by someone with good prediction he becomes a problem.

 

[Shuckleking87]

Alomomola also does not wall SD Scolipede, as it can easily get a couple SD boosts and kill mola, with Luxray outspeeding and then being in a taunt attack war with scoliopede. Any faster scarfed poke, most noticably scarfed jynx with lovely kiss can be a major problem. To alleviate the jynx weakness, I would run earthquake over earthpower on seismetoad, as it can take a couple hits and kill back with EQ. However, you also did not explain your pokes that much as well, for instance, why run hp fighting over, thunderbolt on misdreavus? You have to put some effort into your teambuild.

 

[jeremy55]

Alomomola also does not wall SD Scolipede

I'm not worried about SD scolipede as long as I know it's SD. Generally this is pretty obvious. I might have to let 1 poke die to it.

Any faster scarfed poke, most noticably scarfed jynx with lovely kiss can be a major problem.

I can live with 1 poke being asleep. Jynx is good for a reason and him getting a sleep off is something you just have to live with. I'd be much more worried by a non-scarf Jynx than a scarfer. Jynx leads in general are very annoying, but I don't like to run a cleric so I'm ok with dealing with it.

To alleviate the jynx weakness, I would run earthquake over earthpower on seismetoad, as it can take a couple hits and kill back with EQ.

He can do this already with toxic. Jynx swaps are very predictable and I can get a toxic on them easily. He might die but I'm happy to sacrifice Seismitoad for a Jynx kill. Still you're right there's pretty much no reason to run earth power over EQ so I'll swap that out.

why run hp fighting over, thunderbolt on misdreavus?

What pokemon is there that resists shadowball who would be hit supereffectively by tbolt? Because that describes every normal type. It's also perfect neutral coverage. Maybe Braviary, but he at least gets hit for neutral damage by HP fighting which is still good with an NP boost.

You have to put some effort into your teambuild.

I am doing just fine and I did put effort in. Thanks.

 

[Lasagne]

jeremy55, you made this RMT to improve your team, did you not? I'll assume yes, which means you should really take what other people are saying into account as ways to improve. Simply disagreeing with them and shrugging them off will not help the team.

I recommend replacing your seismitoad with a roar piloswine, as it provides better synergy with the team and can phase out opposing braviarys that you say you have trouble with. I also think putting pursuit over poison jab on skuntank would be a good idea. I know you mentioned that you don't want it, but it would be very beneficial to your team, killing gardevoirs and jynxes which would otherwise be very problematic. Dread plate would also be useful on skuntank, making all your moves more powerful. Another thing you definitely want to change is luxrays nature, as it lowers the power of your volt switches, so you should change to either naughty or naive, as the extra speed would be helpful, but you can just stick with boosted attack. And shuckleking is right, thunderbolt is better than HP fighting on misdreavus, as it allows it to beat a lot of things more reliably than it would usually. Taunt is also generally a better option than sub for missy, as it stops things like phasing, hazards etc from being used.

Summary of changes:

Seismitoad --> Roar/Stealth Rock/Earthquake/[Icicle Spear/Ice Shard] Piloswine
Poison Jab --> Pursuit on Skuntank
Black Sludge --> Dread Plate on Skuntank
Adamant Nature --> Naive/Naughty Nature on Luxray
Hidden Power [Fighting] --> Thunderbolt on Misdreavus
Substitute --> Taunt on Misdreavus

 

[Punchshroom]

Thunderbolt Missy is able to hurt Mandibuzz, who could otherwise Whirlwind your boosts away, Toxic stall you as +6 HP Fighting doesn't OHKO or just slowly Foul Play you to death.

You mentioned you like Scarf Luxray because he can weaken physical hits and KO stuff. May I suggest Scarf Tauros? Yes, he doesn't hit threats super effective with his STAB and its speed is pretty overkill with Scarf, but it is that ridiculous speed that can outpace a good majority of opposing Scarfers, particularly Sawsbuck in your case, that makes him so good. In fact, Adamant Scarf Tauros speedties Swift Swim Modest Ludicolo, so it's really fast. STAB Double-Edge hurts plenty of things and Pursuit can KO fleeing Jynx. As of right now, your Adamant Scarf Luxray speedties with Jolly +2 Carracosta, meaning you won't outspeed Swoobat or anything that is faster.

You claimed that Skuntank deals with your Musharna weakness, but have you tried Mandibuzz? Her access to Taunt and Roost makes her a pain for defensive teams to take out, while Foul Play can OHKO Golurk and do good damage to physical attackers in general. It does expose yourself to Jynx more though, not that Skunk fares much better against Jynx since it has no Lum Berry to cure sleep or Pursuit to KO fleeing Choice Jynx.

I generally dislike the idea of 2 bulky Waters on the same team because something like CB Torterrar, SubCM Serperior and the aforementioned Ludicolo, as well as other stuff like SubSmash Gorebyss and Eelektross, would quickly become problems, but right now I can't decide what to replace and what with.