Benvenuto Smogon! I've made another team, this time with the express aim of ranking up and making the most of a metagame without Excadrill (thank God he's gone :D) I thought I'd give Rain a spin, since all of the Rain teams I made in the past seemed to suck and I wanted another go at it now that I was a little more savvy with the game. Since I have nowhere near enough patience to play stall, I've decided to go for Rain offense. There's both bulky attackers and speedy strikers, and plenty of balance between offensive types, letting me deal with a lot of the pokemon in the metagame in an offensive manner. The team's not focused on any specific pokemon this time unlike my other ones, although Gyarados + Jolteon is definitely the offensive heart of this team. :P
Somehow I managed to reach a rank of 1407 on the Pokemon Battle Centre server, but sadly I'm not able to connect to the Smogon server for some reason so I don't know how well I'd do there... if anyone could help me out with this issue, let me know. If I could get reqs with this team then that'd be a very nice surprise :D
I Burrascosi Italiani!
The best generation! :D
Deoxys-S @ Life Orb
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 204 HP / 252 SpA / 52 Spe
Timid Nature (+Spe, -Atk)
- Stealth Rock
- Spikes
- Ice Beam
- Psycho Boost
This set is pretty much a mixture of the LO attacker and hazard sets that I've tailored to suit the team the best. Even with the fairly modest speed investment, it outspeeds all Scarfed Rotom-W, +1 Dragonite, +1 Gyarados and so on, meaning I can get a hit on all of them. In a lead match up, Deoxys-S can just spam Ice Beam and get the 2HKO on Dragonite (or alternatively use Ice Beam + Stealth Rock if I think they're going to switch) or use Psycho Boost + Stealth Rock to seal a Volt Switching Rotom-W's fate. Meanwhile, whilst it's not as fast as the standard variant, it has enough bulk to take surprisingly powerful attacks and enough attacking power to not be setup fodder. And of course, blindingly fast access to Stealth Rock and Spikes is another aspect which makes Deoxys-S great. If I can dispose of any Rapid Spinners then it pretty much guarantees that I beat Dragonite with the rest of my team, and the hazard support really helps Scizor and Gyarados secure KO's even when using boosted NVE attacks. Overall, Deoxys-S both eliminates key threats to the time and gives my sweepers the support they need to truly shine, and he's been excellent so far.
Breloom @ Toxic Orb
Ability: Poison Heal
EVs: 236 HP / 244 Atk / 28 Spe
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SpA)
- Spore
- Substitute
- Focus Punch
- Seed Bomb
Breloom is a pretty good solution to a lot of pokemon that can threaten my team if Scizor is gone, such as Gastrodon, Quagsire, Blissey (if Gyarados is also gone o_O) and Ferrothorn, and is a powerful offense presence in its own right. Again, the EVs let me outspeed standard Skarmory (and maybe a little bit of speed creep :P) and improve both Breloom's attacking power and durability in taking resisted hits. Spore is invaluable in stopping certain threats in their tracks, and I'm not in a good position to use Politoed's Hypnosis. Meanwhile, Focus Punch provides an extraordinarily powerful attack that I can use whenever I have a Substitute up or I predict a switch; given Jolteon's effectiveness at passing Substitutes and the switches that Spore causes, that's quite a lot of the time. Seed Bomb is used over Leech Seed as a hard stop to bulky Water types that could otherwise play around me (eg, if Gastrodon has a team member asleep and it keeps breaking my Substitutes with Ice Beam) Overall, Breloom has worked out pretty well for me so far, although I might consider a faster spread if I'm given good enough reasoning.
I'm thinking that I could possibly use Virizion in this slot, since I already have Politoed using a sleep move and Virizion's much more likely to keep a Substitute from Jolteon intact than Breloom when facing special attackers. Thoughts?
Politoed @ Choice Specs
Ability: Drizzle
EVs: 228 HP / 252 SpA / 28 Spe
Modest Nature (+SpA, -Atk)
- Hydro Pump
- Ice Beam
- Scald
- Hypnosis
Politoed has two aims: to survive throughout the match to provide constant Drizzle in weather wars and to deal as much damage as possible to help my fast supporters clean up threats I'd rather not take my chances again with my setup sweepers. So Specs Politoed was the obvious choice. The speed EVs outspeed standard Skarmory and hopefully other Specs Politoed, which is pretty useful. Then I just wallop everything with a ridiculously powerful Hydro Pump. Ice Beam is there to nail Dragonite and Celebi if I predict a switch. I used to run Hidden Power Grass to deal with Gastrodon and Quagsire, but now that I have Breloom I decided to replace it with Scald, to give me a 100% accurate STAB that still hits pretty hard and also has a 30% chance of Burning, which is cool if something like Ferrothorn comes in on me. And then I'm using Hypnosis! Why? Focus Blast isn't necessary since I completely want Politoed to lure in Ferrothorn so I can get my Scizor behind a Substitute safely (more on that later) whilst I haven't seen enough Baton Pass teams to warrant using Perish Song. Whilst Hypnosis is inconsistent, it's fantastic when it hits since it gives me so much momentum to just bring Jolteon and Deoxys-S in and just start setting stuff up. However, it does compete with Breloom's spore, so if you have any suggestions for a niche Hidden Power in its place then I'm all up for it. I'm thinking of using Psychic just to fuck over Toxicroak. :P
Another thing I've been considering with Politoed is using a Water Gem set with Hydro Pump / Ice Beam / Toxic / Hypnosis, since this would give me a single Choice Specs Hydro Pump whilst still letting me swap moves, and letting me Toxic threats on stall teams who can otherwise harass the rest of the team. Thoughts? I could use a Toxic user, and I probably shouldn't need more than one Specs Hydro Pump to achieve what I want with this team. if it turns out I do, I could use Life Orb instead :P
Jolteon @ Leftovers
Ability: Volt Absorb
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature (+Spe, -Atk)
- Substitute
- Baton Pass
- Thunder
- Hidden Power Ice
Ah, Jolteon. Your ability to fake opponents out and give my sweepers free switches in is unparalleled (screw you Wobb!) Many opponents simply expect Jolteon to use a Specs Thunder right away and switch in their Ground types, only for me to get a Substitute up and either kill them with HP Ice (lol Gliscor and Landorus) or Baton Pass to a target that can abuse the situation. If they send in Blissey or Chansey, I can just Baton Pass to Gyarados and give him a free switch, letting him Taunt them and set up DDs. If they send in Ferrothorn, I can just Baton Pass to Scizor and set up SDs. Jolteon is an amazing supporter for its ability to lure in walls that get completely wrecked by setup sweepers behind a Substitute. Not to mention he's a decent offensive threat in his own right, Thunder has a good amount of power behind it and anything it doesn't kill has a chance to be crippled with Paralysis, which is very helpful for Politoed and Scizor. If Dragonite comes in with Multiscale intact, I can just Thunder him the first time, possibly paralyze and follow up with Hidden Power Ice. Jolteon even has decent special bulk, and isn't 2HKO'd by Leftovers Gengar's Shadow Ball, among other things. It's also a great switch in to Rotom-W's Choiced Volt Switch, which not only lets me get up a Substitute but also heals off the HP lost from the previous one! Overall, Jolteon is the keystone of the team and gives Gyarados and Scizor many opportunities throughout the match to try and sweep.
Scizor @ Life Orb
Ability: Technician
EVs: 252 HP / 40 Atk / 216 Spe
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SpA)
- Swords Dance
- Bullet Punch
- Bug Bite
- Superpower
Swords Dance Scizor has always been a powerful threat, and can break through a ton of walls with its Bug Bite and Superpower whilst destroying offense with a +2 LO Bullet Punch. Jolteon and Drizzle support is the icing on the cake however, as when Jolteon's facing a Ferrothorn it can pass a Substitute to Scizor, where it stays intact until Scizor gets a Swords Dance, and then I can just beat up on the opponent's team until I run out of juice. The Hp and SpD EVs let me deal more effectively with stuff like Latios and Latias, as I can sponge their attacks much more reliably and set up on them easily. Despite having so many fast attackers on my team, priority support is extremely useful for revenging low health opponents in the late game. Scizor is also a good check to Reuniclus and Latias, who could otherwise give the team problems, and it's also my bulky Steel type which lets me switch him into Dragon type attacks that other team members would be loath to face. As a result, he can come in on an Outraging Dragon and just set up a +2 Bullet Punch to wallop them with when they're finished. Scizor's also one of the main physical presences on this team, and is a fine response to Blissey and Chansey. Gastrodon also hates taking Bug Bites, but it's a shame I can't exactly switch Scizor in on Scald.
Gyarados @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 56 HP / 248 Atk / 204 Spe
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SpA)
- Dragon Dance
- Waterfall
- Bounce
- Taunt
DD Gyarados is the last member of my team, and the final part of my main offensive core. When Jolteon is threatened by Ground or Fighting types, I can pass the Substitute to Gyarados and proceed to set up a game winning sweep, which is how about a third of the matches I've played have ended. The EV's are an adaption of the standard spread and let Gyarados outspeed Alakazam at +1. The rest are poured into attack and enough HP to give me a Leftovers number (because why not). If anyone has any better suggestions for the Atk and HP then I'll hear them out, but I wanted a substantial investment in Atk so that I could wallop stuff like Rotom-W with a Drizzle boosted Waterfall before I switch to Jolteon. Either way, Dragon Dance Gyarados is a force against both offense and stall, with Taunt letting me shut down phazers and Protect users that could otherwise jeopardize a sweep. Whilst I'm aware of the currently popular Substitute DD set that's bumping around on Smogon, I've tested it with this team and find it underwhelming since it lets pokemon like Skarmory steal my momentum, which sucks for a HO team. Not to mention Gyarados will often be coming in on one of Jolteon's Substitutes, and thus I'll already have protection from status and Scalds for as long as I need. Overall, Gyarados has been amazing on this team, hitting everything hard with its boosted Waterfalls and Bounces. He's the perfect partner for Jolteon, both as a recipient for Substitutes and as a lure for Electric attacks. What a bro.
Anyways, that's the team. Whilst it's pretty fresh off the bat it's been my most successful by far, and I'm sure that could improve with some refining and tweaking. Here's some changes I was thinking about making, and I'd like to hear opinions on these as well as fresh suggestions.
Latios @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature (+Spe, -Atk)
- Dragon Pulse
- Surf
- Psyshock
- Recover
Whilst Latios didn't achieve anything in particular, he was still a very effective attacker in general. I decided to deviate from the standard here and used Recover over Draco Meteor, since I already had some ridiculously powerful attacks in Psycho Boost, Focus Punch and Hydro Pump. Recover was also great for when I think the opponent's going to switch in Ferrothorn and I'd like to Recover off some LO recoil. However, I eventually decided to replace Latios with Breloom since he dealt more specifically with the remaining threats to my team and still provided great attacking power with good recovery.
Somehow I managed to reach a rank of 1407 on the Pokemon Battle Centre server, but sadly I'm not able to connect to the Smogon server for some reason so I don't know how well I'd do there... if anyone could help me out with this issue, let me know. If I could get reqs with this team then that'd be a very nice surprise :D
I Burrascosi Italiani!
The best generation! :D
Team Building Process
My aim for this team was to see what Jolteon could do in the OU metagame, after getting the UU analysis through QC. Whilst he's certainly not the focus of the team he's an amazing supporter that can clean up after your sweepers or give them support coming in. So I started with Jolteon, and I considered what pokemon could make the most of the support he provided.
Since Jolteon's primary support is through Baton Passing Substitutes, I wanted to make sure I was making the most of them so I decided to vouch for bulky setup sweepers that could tank common attacks aimed at Jolteon, and who could synergise with him offensively. Gyaravire was a popular if predictable combination in Gen4 so Gyarados came to my mind first, but I've found that Jolteon was a much more effective partner since the bait n' switch tactic works both ways this time. Jolteon can set up a Substitute and pass it to Gyarados as Blissey comes in, giving Gyarados time to set up a Dragon Dance and threaten a switch. Meanwhile, Jolteon can heal off health lost from Substitute using Volt Absorb and repeat the process if necessary, firing off powerful Electric attacks at opportune occasions. I noticed that Ferrothorn was a good switch into both of them however, so I need someone else to complete the offensive coverage. Scizor is about the best recipient possible when Jolteon's facing Ferrothorn since neither Gyro Ball or Power Whip can break the Substitute when it's in Scizor's control and I can just set up Swords Dances whilst he's trying to break through (or if he's a dope, laying Spikes) And thus the offensive core of the team was pretty much sorted.
Notice anything about the team so far? Pretty much the entire core gets a massive boost from Drizzle both offensively and defensively. Hidden Power Fire no longer breaks Jolteon's Substitute, which is more useful than you'd expect, and it also fails to kill Scizor when Drizzle is up. Jolteon also gets to play with the more powerful Thunder and can paralyze opponents who are unfortunate enough to switch in. In the meantime, Gyarados gets a more powerful Waterfall and can just spam it to hit Rotom-W for decent damage if it switches in at the beginning of the game. As for Politoed itself, I'm just running a Specs set at the moment. Not really feeling the support set, and wailing on stuff with Hydro Pump is just nice for applying pressure at the beginning of the match and getting surprising KOs. I don't really mind Politoed, and the support it provides with Drizzle is definitely worth the somewhat redundant offensive coverage.
At this point I realised I needed three major things: hazard support, a response to DD Dragonite and a more reliable check to Rotom-W (especially at the beginning of the game), and Deoxys-S provides all of these things. It's pretty bulky, gives me the hazards I need to secure KOs and get a tactical advantage, and with a Life Orb it's also a useful last-ditch attacker. Ice Beam is a good attack in general, whilst Psycho Boost from Deoxys-S is actually pretty powerful. For instance, it OHKO's Rotom-W after Stealth Rock 100% of the time, so this means I can just hit it in a lead situation as it Volt Switches, set up Stealth Rock, and prevent it from coming back in. Psycho Boost is also useful in a number of other situations, especially when it comes to revenging Terrakion.
Erm... I can honestly say that I saw a complete team of 5 pokemon, and I was just like "Meh, Latios" for the 6th slot. Again, the speed was really useful, and it provided more insurance against opposing Dragons, Fighting types, and it can hit stuff hard with its dual pseudo-STAB of Dragon Pulse and Surf. It wasn't amazing, but it didn't disappoint either. Recover helped it stay around a little longer and thus made Latios a better "last pokemon". But eventually, after hearing the feedback from the community, I decided to trade him out.
After much consideration, I decided that Breloom was the best fit for the team. Not only did it provide additional physical force, it also provided a powerful Fighting move that I could use alongside Scizor's, additional sleep support and Seed Bomb to reduce the threat of Gastrodon and Quagsire against this team. He's pretty new, but he's done more than his fair share of sweeping himself, and he synergises better with the team than Latios did in my opinion. He also appreciates being passed a Substitute from Jolteon so he can come in on powerful attacks that might otherwise wreck him, since he has pretty low SpD.
My aim for this team was to see what Jolteon could do in the OU metagame, after getting the UU analysis through QC. Whilst he's certainly not the focus of the team he's an amazing supporter that can clean up after your sweepers or give them support coming in. So I started with Jolteon, and I considered what pokemon could make the most of the support he provided.
Since Jolteon's primary support is through Baton Passing Substitutes, I wanted to make sure I was making the most of them so I decided to vouch for bulky setup sweepers that could tank common attacks aimed at Jolteon, and who could synergise with him offensively. Gyaravire was a popular if predictable combination in Gen4 so Gyarados came to my mind first, but I've found that Jolteon was a much more effective partner since the bait n' switch tactic works both ways this time. Jolteon can set up a Substitute and pass it to Gyarados as Blissey comes in, giving Gyarados time to set up a Dragon Dance and threaten a switch. Meanwhile, Jolteon can heal off health lost from Substitute using Volt Absorb and repeat the process if necessary, firing off powerful Electric attacks at opportune occasions. I noticed that Ferrothorn was a good switch into both of them however, so I need someone else to complete the offensive coverage. Scizor is about the best recipient possible when Jolteon's facing Ferrothorn since neither Gyro Ball or Power Whip can break the Substitute when it's in Scizor's control and I can just set up Swords Dances whilst he's trying to break through (or if he's a dope, laying Spikes) And thus the offensive core of the team was pretty much sorted.
Notice anything about the team so far? Pretty much the entire core gets a massive boost from Drizzle both offensively and defensively. Hidden Power Fire no longer breaks Jolteon's Substitute, which is more useful than you'd expect, and it also fails to kill Scizor when Drizzle is up. Jolteon also gets to play with the more powerful Thunder and can paralyze opponents who are unfortunate enough to switch in. In the meantime, Gyarados gets a more powerful Waterfall and can just spam it to hit Rotom-W for decent damage if it switches in at the beginning of the game. As for Politoed itself, I'm just running a Specs set at the moment. Not really feeling the support set, and wailing on stuff with Hydro Pump is just nice for applying pressure at the beginning of the match and getting surprising KOs. I don't really mind Politoed, and the support it provides with Drizzle is definitely worth the somewhat redundant offensive coverage.
At this point I realised I needed three major things: hazard support, a response to DD Dragonite and a more reliable check to Rotom-W (especially at the beginning of the game), and Deoxys-S provides all of these things. It's pretty bulky, gives me the hazards I need to secure KOs and get a tactical advantage, and with a Life Orb it's also a useful last-ditch attacker. Ice Beam is a good attack in general, whilst Psycho Boost from Deoxys-S is actually pretty powerful. For instance, it OHKO's Rotom-W after Stealth Rock 100% of the time, so this means I can just hit it in a lead situation as it Volt Switches, set up Stealth Rock, and prevent it from coming back in. Psycho Boost is also useful in a number of other situations, especially when it comes to revenging Terrakion.
Erm... I can honestly say that I saw a complete team of 5 pokemon, and I was just like "Meh, Latios" for the 6th slot. Again, the speed was really useful, and it provided more insurance against opposing Dragons, Fighting types, and it can hit stuff hard with its dual pseudo-STAB of Dragon Pulse and Surf. It wasn't amazing, but it didn't disappoint either. Recover helped it stay around a little longer and thus made Latios a better "last pokemon". But eventually, after hearing the feedback from the community, I decided to trade him out.
After much consideration, I decided that Breloom was the best fit for the team. Not only did it provide additional physical force, it also provided a powerful Fighting move that I could use alongside Scizor's, additional sleep support and Seed Bomb to reduce the threat of Gastrodon and Quagsire against this team. He's pretty new, but he's done more than his fair share of sweeping himself, and he synergises better with the team than Latios did in my opinion. He also appreciates being passed a Substitute from Jolteon so he can come in on powerful attacks that might otherwise wreck him, since he has pretty low SpD.
Deoxys-S @ Life Orb
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 204 HP / 252 SpA / 52 Spe
Timid Nature (+Spe, -Atk)
- Stealth Rock
- Spikes
- Ice Beam
- Psycho Boost
This set is pretty much a mixture of the LO attacker and hazard sets that I've tailored to suit the team the best. Even with the fairly modest speed investment, it outspeeds all Scarfed Rotom-W, +1 Dragonite, +1 Gyarados and so on, meaning I can get a hit on all of them. In a lead match up, Deoxys-S can just spam Ice Beam and get the 2HKO on Dragonite (or alternatively use Ice Beam + Stealth Rock if I think they're going to switch) or use Psycho Boost + Stealth Rock to seal a Volt Switching Rotom-W's fate. Meanwhile, whilst it's not as fast as the standard variant, it has enough bulk to take surprisingly powerful attacks and enough attacking power to not be setup fodder. And of course, blindingly fast access to Stealth Rock and Spikes is another aspect which makes Deoxys-S great. If I can dispose of any Rapid Spinners then it pretty much guarantees that I beat Dragonite with the rest of my team, and the hazard support really helps Scizor and Gyarados secure KO's even when using boosted NVE attacks. Overall, Deoxys-S both eliminates key threats to the time and gives my sweepers the support they need to truly shine, and he's been excellent so far.
Breloom @ Toxic Orb
Ability: Poison Heal
EVs: 236 HP / 244 Atk / 28 Spe
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SpA)
- Spore
- Substitute
- Focus Punch
- Seed Bomb
Breloom is a pretty good solution to a lot of pokemon that can threaten my team if Scizor is gone, such as Gastrodon, Quagsire, Blissey (if Gyarados is also gone o_O) and Ferrothorn, and is a powerful offense presence in its own right. Again, the EVs let me outspeed standard Skarmory (and maybe a little bit of speed creep :P) and improve both Breloom's attacking power and durability in taking resisted hits. Spore is invaluable in stopping certain threats in their tracks, and I'm not in a good position to use Politoed's Hypnosis. Meanwhile, Focus Punch provides an extraordinarily powerful attack that I can use whenever I have a Substitute up or I predict a switch; given Jolteon's effectiveness at passing Substitutes and the switches that Spore causes, that's quite a lot of the time. Seed Bomb is used over Leech Seed as a hard stop to bulky Water types that could otherwise play around me (eg, if Gastrodon has a team member asleep and it keeps breaking my Substitutes with Ice Beam) Overall, Breloom has worked out pretty well for me so far, although I might consider a faster spread if I'm given good enough reasoning.
I'm thinking that I could possibly use Virizion in this slot, since I already have Politoed using a sleep move and Virizion's much more likely to keep a Substitute from Jolteon intact than Breloom when facing special attackers. Thoughts?
Politoed @ Choice Specs
Ability: Drizzle
EVs: 228 HP / 252 SpA / 28 Spe
Modest Nature (+SpA, -Atk)
- Hydro Pump
- Ice Beam
- Scald
- Hypnosis
Politoed has two aims: to survive throughout the match to provide constant Drizzle in weather wars and to deal as much damage as possible to help my fast supporters clean up threats I'd rather not take my chances again with my setup sweepers. So Specs Politoed was the obvious choice. The speed EVs outspeed standard Skarmory and hopefully other Specs Politoed, which is pretty useful. Then I just wallop everything with a ridiculously powerful Hydro Pump. Ice Beam is there to nail Dragonite and Celebi if I predict a switch. I used to run Hidden Power Grass to deal with Gastrodon and Quagsire, but now that I have Breloom I decided to replace it with Scald, to give me a 100% accurate STAB that still hits pretty hard and also has a 30% chance of Burning, which is cool if something like Ferrothorn comes in on me. And then I'm using Hypnosis! Why? Focus Blast isn't necessary since I completely want Politoed to lure in Ferrothorn so I can get my Scizor behind a Substitute safely (more on that later) whilst I haven't seen enough Baton Pass teams to warrant using Perish Song. Whilst Hypnosis is inconsistent, it's fantastic when it hits since it gives me so much momentum to just bring Jolteon and Deoxys-S in and just start setting stuff up. However, it does compete with Breloom's spore, so if you have any suggestions for a niche Hidden Power in its place then I'm all up for it. I'm thinking of using Psychic just to fuck over Toxicroak. :P
Another thing I've been considering with Politoed is using a Water Gem set with Hydro Pump / Ice Beam / Toxic / Hypnosis, since this would give me a single Choice Specs Hydro Pump whilst still letting me swap moves, and letting me Toxic threats on stall teams who can otherwise harass the rest of the team. Thoughts? I could use a Toxic user, and I probably shouldn't need more than one Specs Hydro Pump to achieve what I want with this team. if it turns out I do, I could use Life Orb instead :P
Jolteon @ Leftovers
Ability: Volt Absorb
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature (+Spe, -Atk)
- Substitute
- Baton Pass
- Thunder
- Hidden Power Ice
Ah, Jolteon. Your ability to fake opponents out and give my sweepers free switches in is unparalleled (screw you Wobb!) Many opponents simply expect Jolteon to use a Specs Thunder right away and switch in their Ground types, only for me to get a Substitute up and either kill them with HP Ice (lol Gliscor and Landorus) or Baton Pass to a target that can abuse the situation. If they send in Blissey or Chansey, I can just Baton Pass to Gyarados and give him a free switch, letting him Taunt them and set up DDs. If they send in Ferrothorn, I can just Baton Pass to Scizor and set up SDs. Jolteon is an amazing supporter for its ability to lure in walls that get completely wrecked by setup sweepers behind a Substitute. Not to mention he's a decent offensive threat in his own right, Thunder has a good amount of power behind it and anything it doesn't kill has a chance to be crippled with Paralysis, which is very helpful for Politoed and Scizor. If Dragonite comes in with Multiscale intact, I can just Thunder him the first time, possibly paralyze and follow up with Hidden Power Ice. Jolteon even has decent special bulk, and isn't 2HKO'd by Leftovers Gengar's Shadow Ball, among other things. It's also a great switch in to Rotom-W's Choiced Volt Switch, which not only lets me get up a Substitute but also heals off the HP lost from the previous one! Overall, Jolteon is the keystone of the team and gives Gyarados and Scizor many opportunities throughout the match to try and sweep.
Scizor @ Life Orb
Ability: Technician
EVs: 252 HP / 40 Atk / 216 Spe
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SpA)
- Swords Dance
- Bullet Punch
- Bug Bite
- Superpower
Swords Dance Scizor has always been a powerful threat, and can break through a ton of walls with its Bug Bite and Superpower whilst destroying offense with a +2 LO Bullet Punch. Jolteon and Drizzle support is the icing on the cake however, as when Jolteon's facing a Ferrothorn it can pass a Substitute to Scizor, where it stays intact until Scizor gets a Swords Dance, and then I can just beat up on the opponent's team until I run out of juice. The Hp and SpD EVs let me deal more effectively with stuff like Latios and Latias, as I can sponge their attacks much more reliably and set up on them easily. Despite having so many fast attackers on my team, priority support is extremely useful for revenging low health opponents in the late game. Scizor is also a good check to Reuniclus and Latias, who could otherwise give the team problems, and it's also my bulky Steel type which lets me switch him into Dragon type attacks that other team members would be loath to face. As a result, he can come in on an Outraging Dragon and just set up a +2 Bullet Punch to wallop them with when they're finished. Scizor's also one of the main physical presences on this team, and is a fine response to Blissey and Chansey. Gastrodon also hates taking Bug Bites, but it's a shame I can't exactly switch Scizor in on Scald.
Gyarados @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 56 HP / 248 Atk / 204 Spe
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SpA)
- Dragon Dance
- Waterfall
- Bounce
- Taunt
DD Gyarados is the last member of my team, and the final part of my main offensive core. When Jolteon is threatened by Ground or Fighting types, I can pass the Substitute to Gyarados and proceed to set up a game winning sweep, which is how about a third of the matches I've played have ended. The EV's are an adaption of the standard spread and let Gyarados outspeed Alakazam at +1. The rest are poured into attack and enough HP to give me a Leftovers number (because why not). If anyone has any better suggestions for the Atk and HP then I'll hear them out, but I wanted a substantial investment in Atk so that I could wallop stuff like Rotom-W with a Drizzle boosted Waterfall before I switch to Jolteon. Either way, Dragon Dance Gyarados is a force against both offense and stall, with Taunt letting me shut down phazers and Protect users that could otherwise jeopardize a sweep. Whilst I'm aware of the currently popular Substitute DD set that's bumping around on Smogon, I've tested it with this team and find it underwhelming since it lets pokemon like Skarmory steal my momentum, which sucks for a HO team. Not to mention Gyarados will often be coming in on one of Jolteon's Substitutes, and thus I'll already have protection from status and Scalds for as long as I need. Overall, Gyarados has been amazing on this team, hitting everything hard with its boosted Waterfalls and Bounces. He's the perfect partner for Jolteon, both as a recipient for Substitutes and as a lure for Electric attacks. What a bro.
Anyways, that's the team. Whilst it's pretty fresh off the bat it's been my most successful by far, and I'm sure that could improve with some refining and tweaking. Here's some changes I was thinking about making, and I'd like to hear opinions on these as well as fresh suggestions.
- Virizion over Breloom. The extra speed would be useful, and Virizion would be much more likely to keep one of Jolteon's Substitutes intact as it comes in. Plus I already have a Sleep move with Politoed. Then again, Virizion pretty much needs to set up to hit hard off the bat, and I don't want too many setup sweepers on this team.
- Life Orb set on Politoed. I'd quite like to be able to Toxic things, but I'm not sure if it's worth the recoil and the decrease in power. In the same vein, what about Water Gem Politoed, who has neither of those disadvantages but only one chance to fire off a powerful attack?
Latios @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature (+Spe, -Atk)
- Dragon Pulse
- Surf
- Psyshock
- Recover
Whilst Latios didn't achieve anything in particular, he was still a very effective attacker in general. I decided to deviate from the standard here and used Recover over Draco Meteor, since I already had some ridiculously powerful attacks in Psycho Boost, Focus Punch and Hydro Pump. Recover was also great for when I think the opponent's going to switch in Ferrothorn and I'd like to Recover off some LO recoil. However, I eventually decided to replace Latios with Breloom since he dealt more specifically with the remaining threats to my team and still provided great attacking power with good recovery.