Monotype Grass Monotype RMT

[ejd353]

Introduction​

So I've been running grass teams since the original sapphire and working on perfecting it has been tough. I don't know how many teams I've built and broken down and rebuilt just to figure it out. this was my most recent team and I've had wins and losses but it's human nature to want to win more

The Team​

Ludicolo @ Life Orb
Ability: Swift Swim
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Rain Dance
- Giga Drain
- Surf
- Ice Beam
​

I've been running with Ludicolo for the longest. I'm actually surprised other grass teams don't include him. in the beginning I always felt he was my fire and dragon counter and most of the time he excels. rain dance and swift swim combo help him out speed mons that use dragon dance. life orb helps OHKO and surf and rain dance pretty much wipe put anything neutral

Ferrothorn @ Leftovers
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Brave Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Gyro Ball
- Curse
- Power Whip
- Stealth Rock
​

I made ferrothorn my stealth rock runner because I personally feel it's easier to set up with him than cradily. the steel typing helps keep poison at bay. I use curse to make him bulkier and make gyro ball and power whip OHKO . leftovers keeps him healthy at times. I know people consider thunder wave a better move for him but it makes gyro ball harder to pull off effectively. ferrothorn helps out with pretty much anything that isn't fire or fighting or steel.

Roserade @ Focus Sash
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 30 SpA / 30 Spe
- Sleep Powder
- Toxic Spikes
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Energy Ball
​

Depending on whether or not my opponent has poison I'll use Roserade to start. I made her timid to outspeed most other hazard mons that way I can induce sleep and pull off 2 toxic spikes. focus sash is there to give me a chance to pull off sleep powder if she's too slow. I don't really use her for much other than setting up toxic spikes but if she has to fight hp fire can help with steel and bug.

Breloom @ Focus Sash
Ability: Technician
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Mach Punch
- Swords Dance
- Bullet Seed
- Spore
​

Breloom is probably my most offensive mon. technician and mach punch and bullet seed are deadly in their own way. toss in 100% sleep and a swords dance or two and commence sweeping. I also use bullet seed for pokes that want to use substitute. I noticed in a few battles that people use adamant over jolly for more attack but I went with more speed. helps when both pokes are using priority and my higher speed stat gets me the kill. focus sash gets me a second chance at sweeping if your mon faster and capable of OHKOing.

Cradily @ Leftovers
Ability: Storm Drain
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Recover
- Rock Slide
- Seed Bomb
- Curse
​

I first started using Cradily for the rock typing. then I found out it has recover. I built it to stall other pokes originally but a few tweaks like curse instead of toxic and dumping evs into SpD made it tougher and more offensive. curse helps bulk it up and recover keeps it alive. Cradily is good at fighting off flying and fire and lasting through a few kills.

Trevenant @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Harvest
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Horn Leech
- Power-Up Punch
- Will-O-Wisp
- Shadow Claw
​

I use Trevenant mostly because of his tying. my team has a few entry hazards so keeping rapid spin away comes in handy. start off with Will-O-Wisp to cripple pokes not already crippled by poison. power up punch helps boost his attack and horn leech keeps him alive. Shadow claw is for other ghosts. Harvest and Sitrus berry are also in place to keep him alive if I can't pull off a horn leech.

Conclusion​

In conclusion the team needs work. I know it does which is why I'm here. I'm well aware of Mega Venusaur and you may be wondering why he's not here. I just don't use him that much. I wouldn't mind swapping him out for Trevenant but I'd have to look into it more. like I said in the beginning I've been using grass since I was really able to. they're like the underdogs and it's always good to see them come out on top. any help with this team is greatly appreciated.

Importable

Ludicolo @ Life Orb
Ability: Swift Swim
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Rain Dance
- Giga Drain
- Surf
- Ice Beam

Ferrothorn @ Leftovers
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Brave Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Gyro Ball
- Curse
- Power Whip
- Stealth Rock

Roserade @ Focus Sash
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 30 SpA / 30 Spe
- Sleep Powder
- Toxic Spikes
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Energy Ball

Breloom @ Focus Sash
Ability: Technician
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Mach Punch
- Swords Dance
- Bullet Seed
- Spore

Cradily @ Leftovers
Ability: Storm Drain
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Recover
- Rock Slide
- Seed Bomb
- Curse

Trevenant @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Harvest
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Horn Leech
- Power-Up Punch
- Will-O-Wisp
- Shadow Claw

 

[iLlama]

Hey ejd353, nice Grass team you have there. I can definitely see some ways in which your team can be improved, so I'll give you a rate and help you out.

->

I can understand how brutal the Fire matchup for Grass teams in general can be and I noticed that you said you were also using Ludicolo as support for the Dragon matchup, however, it's really a lackluster option for Grass teams and offensively it doesn't cover many weaknesses besides slower Fire Pokemon and some, x4 weak to Ice, Dragon options. Although Rain Dance can be nice for alleviating some of this pain as well, I would highly recommend changing Ludicolo -> Whimsicott as the latter is much more valuable in a wider range of matchups and is overall a better Pokemon with better options. With Whimsicott you now have a guaranteed threat to Dragon, Fighting, and Dark teams while having a speed control option with Prankster + Stun Spore as well. Plus, with its nice base speed stat of 115, you can threaten fast opposition, namely non-Choice Scarf Lati@s, Keldeo, and even Garchomp.

Offensive Ferrothorn is a very lack-luster option and is more or less a gimmick and has an extreme niche on Steel teams. On grass, its viability is nonexistent. Utility Ferrothorn is simply too good of a set in general to pass up on, and because of this I would suggest changing Offensive Ferrothorn to Utility Ferrothorn. Utility Ferro gives you great hazard control with Spikes + Leech Seed and retains your offensive options against Fairy and Ice with its Gyro Ball.

->

I can see the allure of having Toxic Spikes + Sleep Powder as an option on Grass teams, but as you said at the end of your RMT, Mega Venusaur is a really great Pokemon to have for Grass. I can understand if you aren't used to having it or may not like it, but without Mega Venusaur, you have little to no hope of having a Grass team that can really succeed and play well. Because of this, you should change Roserade -> Mega Venusaur as it is more than an excellent Pokemon, but it is the staple of Grass teams with its great Defenses, coverage moves, and ability that gives Grass options against Fire, Ice, and Poison. You don't lose your option for Poison coverage with this switch and you gain access to the bulkiest Pokemon available at your disposal. In fact, this is like an upgrade from Roserade to what is one of Grass's best Pokemon.

Having Focus Sash can be nice if you need a switchin to sweepers and dangerous Pokemon, however on Grass it can be impractical at times because you can't remove hazards and your team really depends on having your own hazards up and ready to abuse. You should consider trying out Life Orb as it can turn Breloom into an even more dangerous Pokemon for you to utilize. I would also recommend using Rock Tomb over Swords Dance/Bullet Seed. Rock Tomb covers so many threats, whether it be Bug, Fire, Flying, Ice, Set-Up Pokemon, etc. and is so invaluable to Grass teams. Which move you wish to use it over really comes down to how much Grass coverage you have on your team and whether or not you want to utilize Swords Dance or not, however, Rock Tomb is a must.

A couple suggestions. First, I would recommend changing Curse -> Toxic as having a status abuser, especially on Grass which is much more defensive type, is incredibly valuable. Toxic + Recover is a great way to handle opposing Utility + Hazard control options as well which can come in very handy. I would also swap Seed Bomb with Stealth Rocks because they're simply too good not to have. They pressure all of your weaknesses far too greatly not to have available, plus, Earthquake doesn't really cover anything that Rock Slide doesn't already handle. Lastly, because Grass doesn't really care about Water in general, you should change Storm Drain -> Suction Cups. This helps with abusing Cradily's Toxic + Recover stalling and can prevent your opponent from phazing out your Rocker.

->

Since you mentioned how much you like Ghost typing as a switchin to Rapid Spin and as an opposing Ghost option, you should really look into utilizing Gourgeist-Super over Trevenant. Gourgeist-Super has better Defensive stats than Trevenant while not losing too much attack, giving you greater survivability and chances to abuse Will-O-Wisp as well as covering for Rapid Spinners. Plus, you now have a bulkier switchin to huge threats within the meta and keep yet another option for Poison neutrality.

Importable

Whimsicott @ Life Orb
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Moonblast
- Giga Drain
- Stun Spore
- Taunt / Encore

Ferrothorn @ Leftovers
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 88 Def / 168 SpD
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Protect
- Spikes
- Leech Seed
- Gyro Ball

Venusaur-Mega @ Venusaurite
Ability: Thick Fat
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Bold Nature
- Synthesis
- Sludge Bomb
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Earthquake

Breloom @ Life Orb
Ability: Technician
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Spore
- Swords Dance / Bullet Seed
- Rock Tomb
- Mach Punch

Cradily @ Leftovers
Ability: Suction Cups
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Rock Slide
- Toxic
- Recover

Gourgeist-Super @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Frisk
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Def
Impish Nature
- Shadow Sneak
- Foul Play
- Will-O-Wisp
- Synthesis

I hope that my rate can help you out and good luck!

 

[ejd353]

Hey ejd353, nice Grass team you have there. I can definitely see some ways in which your team can be improved, so I'll give you a rate and help you out.

->

I can understand how brutal the Fire matchup for Grass teams in general can be and I noticed that you said you were also using Ludicolo as support for the Dragon matchup, however, it's really a lackluster option for Grass teams and offensively it doesn't cover many weaknesses besides slower Fire Pokemon and some, x4 weak to Ice, Dragon options. Although Rain Dance can be nice for alleviating some of this pain as well, I would highly recommend changing Ludicolo -> Whimsicott as the latter is much more valuable in a wider range of matchups and is overall a better Pokemon with better options. With Whimsicott you now have a guaranteed threat to Dragon, Fighting, and Dark teams while having a speed control option with Prankster + Stun Spore as well. Plus, with its nice base speed stat of 115, you can threaten fast opposition, namely non-Choice Scarf Lati@s, Keldeo, and even Garchomp.

Offensive Ferrothorn is a very lack-luster option and is more or less a gimmick and has an extreme niche on Steel teams. On grass, its viability is nonexistent. Utility Ferrothorn is simply too good of a set in general to pass up on, and because of this I would suggest changing Offensive Ferrothorn to Utility Ferrothorn. Utility Ferro gives you great hazard control with Spikes + Leech Seed and retains your offensive options against Fairy and Ice with its Gyro Ball.

->

I can see the allure of having Toxic Spikes + Sleep Powder as an option on Grass teams, but as you said at the end of your RMT, Mega Venusaur is a really great Pokemon to have for Grass. I can understand if you aren't used to having it or may not like it, but without Mega Venusaur, you have little to no hope of having a Grass team that can really succeed and play well. Because of this, you should change Roserade -> Mega Venusaur as it is more than an excellent Pokemon, but it is the staple of Grass teams with its great Defenses, coverage moves, and ability that gives Grass options against Fire, Ice, and Poison. You don't lose your option for Poison coverage with this switch and you gain access to the bulkiest Pokemon available at your disposal. In fact, this is like an upgrade from Roserade to what is one of Grass's best Pokemon.

Having Focus Sash can be nice if you need a switchin to sweepers and dangerous Pokemon, however on Grass it can be impractical at times because you can't remove hazards and your team really depends on having your own hazards up and ready to abuse. You should consider trying out Life Orb as it can turn Breloom into an even more dangerous Pokemon for you to utilize. I would also recommend using Rock Tomb over Swords Dance/Bullet Seed. Rock Tomb covers so many threats, whether it be Bug, Fire, Flying, Ice, Set-Up Pokemon, etc. and is so invaluable to Grass teams. Which move you wish to use it over really comes down to how much Grass coverage you have on your team and whether or not you want to utilize Swords Dance or not, however, Rock Tomb is a must.

A couple suggestions. First, I would recommend changing Curse -> Toxic as having a status abuser, especially on Grass which is much more defensive type, is incredibly valuable. Toxic + Recover is a great way to handle opposing Utility + Hazard control options as well which can come in very handy. I would also swap Seed Bomb with Stealth Rocks because they're simply too good not to have. They pressure all of your weaknesses far too greatly not to have available, plus, Earthquake doesn't really cover anything that Rock Slide doesn't already handle. Lastly, because Grass doesn't really care about Water in general, you should change Storm Drain -> Suction Cups. This helps with abusing Cradily's Toxic + Recover stalling and can prevent your opponent from phazing out your Rocker.

->

Since you mentioned how much you like Ghost typing as a switchin to Rapid Spin and as an opposing Ghost option, you should really look into utilizing Gourgeist-Super over Trevenant. Gourgeist-Super has better Defensive stats than Trevenant while not losing too much attack, giving you greater survivability and chances to abuse Will-O-Wisp as well as covering for Rapid Spinners. Plus, you now have a bulkier switchin to huge threats within the meta and keep yet another option for Poison neutrality.

Importable

Whimsicott @ Life Orb
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Moonblast
- Giga Drain
- Stun Spore
- Taunt / Encore

Ferrothorn @ Leftovers
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 88 Def / 168 SpD
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Protect
- Spikes
- Leech Seed
- Gyro Ball

Venusaur-Mega @ Venusaurite
Ability: Thick Fat
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Bold Nature
- Synthesis
- Sludge Bomb
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Earthquake

Breloom @ Life Orb
Ability: Technician
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Spore
- Swords Dance / Bullet Seed
- Rock Tomb
- Mach Punch

Cradily @ Leftovers
Ability: Suction Cups
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Rock Slide
- Toxic
- Recover

Gourgeist-Super @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Frisk
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Def
Impish Nature
- Shadow Sneak
- Foul Play
- Will-O-Wisp
- Synthesis

I hope that my rate can help you out and good luck!

sorry about the late response. I tried out the team and I wanna continue trying it out before I give a full response. a few things have come to my attention like the few actual grass moves the team has. when I battled a ground sandstorm team, offensively I struggled because only Breloom and Whimsicott had grass attacks. so I was thinking on Mega Venusaur using Giga Drain instead of Synthesis. and maybe on ferrothorn as well. I got into a stall-off with a hippowdon and didn't get anywhere because of slack off. but off to more battling. I'll reply later with more info. and thanks for all your help.