Lucky's Break (My first RMT!)
Hello, dearest Smogon friends! Today I made a wonderful discovery: Pokémon Showdown! I logged on, threw an NU team together, lost, lost again, revamped my team, and (thanks to the help of my good friend, Don Honchkrorleone) started to collect some wins! I would love some constructive feedback on my team (and some tips on the metagame in general,) so please leave me some love! And don't forget that I'm brand-spanking new to this, so go easy on me!
The team-building process was pretty sporadic, and a spur-of-the-moment type ordeal. I started with Ninjask and Volbeat for their Baton Pass capabilities, and rounded the team out with Armaldo, Marowak, Cincinno, and Kadabra as the recipients of their wonderful boost passes. I quickly learned that this team had many fatal flaws, most notably speed issues and frailty, and not to mention that Baton Passing is much more difficult than I expected it to be! So, I jumbled things up, patched up weaknesses, and, with Don's input, ended up with the team I am currently running. I've been steadily climbing my way up the ladder, and would love some help getting further and further up! So, here it is: Lucky's Break!
The Team
Armaldo @ Leftovers
Trait: Battle Armor
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SDef
Careful Nature (+SDef, -SAtk)
- Rapid Spin
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- X-Scissor
This Armaldo is amazing. He has wonderful coverage with EdgeQuake and X-Scissor, and is my team's answer to Stealth Rock. Despite having a weakness to the nasty hazard, this Armaldo is surprisingly bulky and doesn't find it hard to recover lost health with Leftovers. He works great as a defensive pivot, as well, and at full health is a somewhat reliable answer to the birds that run rampant through NU. I chose Battle Armor over Swift Swim to prevent nasty surprise critical hits, and a Careful nature helps balance out his defenses (and ease up the hurt from Alomomola's Scald.)
Bastiodon @ Leftovers
Trait: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SDef
IVs: 0 Spd
Sassy Nature (+SDef, -Spd)
- Stealth Rock
- Toxic
- Metal Burst
- Stone Edge
I had no intention of using a Bastiodon, until I faced one with Metal Burst that absolutely ruined me. He is a brilliant Pokémon in this tier. He has great resistances and immunities, wonderful defenses, and can actually hit back hard thanks to Metal Burst and Sturdy. Stealth Rock and Toxic provide great team support, and help my Choiced pokes get clean KO's. Stone Edge is there because I hate being Taunted into Metal Burst, and it does decent damage to those nasty birds (Braviary and Swellow, I'm looking at you.) I had Roar instead of Stone Edge, but so far I've gotten better use out of Stone Edge. The nature and IVs help make sure that I go last for Metal Burst, and keep Bastiodon's defenses balanced.
Charizard @ Choice Specs
Trait: Blaze
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spe
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Air Slash
- Fire Blast
- Hidden Power (Grass)
- Dragon Pulse
Charizard with Choice Specs attached has proven to be very deadly for me. He's fast (compared to most of the tier) and powerful, and Fire Blast destroys practically anything that doesn't resist it. Air Slash is there for secondary STAB and works well against the Fighting-types in the tier, and the chance of flinch hax is never a bad thing. HP Grass lets Charizard check Alomomola and other Water-types pretty easily. Dragon Pulse is there for easy prediction; it hits everything that Fire Blast doesn't neutrally, and works great for Altaria or other Dragon-types. A Modest nature gives Charizard more power, which is greatly appreciated.
Sawk @ Choice Band
Trait: Mold Breaker
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Close Combat
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Ice Punch
Sawk is the poo. He's powerful, not sluggish, and....powerful. With a Choice Band, I can go in and click "Close Combat," and almost always be satisfied with the results. He has precise coverage moves for the things that Close Combat can't hit, too. Earthquake is great for Poison-types and for Haunter (thanks to Mold Breaker.) Stone Edge catches Flying- and Bug-types for a ton of damage and pairs well with his first two moves. Ice Punch is mostly filler, but the super effective hit on Amoonguss (that peckerhead) is really appreciated. I really value Sawk being able to hit as hard as possible, so I use an Adamant nature.
Lucky (Ludicolo) @ Leftovers
Trait: Own Tempo
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Giga Drain
- Scald
- Ice Beam
- Substitute
Ludicolo is probably my single-favorite Pokémon on this team. It has great synergy with the rest of the team, and when I play right he can net me 2-3 knock-outs per game. I love this set, even if it isn't generic. Substitute is great for scouting and makes Ludicolo very dangerous. Giga Drain (along with Leftovers) heals back health for more Substitutes and hits reasonably hard. Scald is a wonderful STAB for Ludicolo; that burn chance is well worth the lack of power that Surf or Hydro Pump offer. Ice Beam rounds the set out with a way to hit Flying- and Grass-types super effectively. Timid gives me more speed, which is wonderful. I think this set is so great because once people see Substitute, they expect Leech Seed to follow at some point, and thus don't expect the coverage of that unknown third attack. This Ludicolo really does win me games. (It's so wonderful that it's the only Pokémon on my team to have earned itself a nickname, partially because it's so wonderful, and partially because Scald and Ice Beam hax have been on my side lately.)
Rotom-F @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spe
Timid Nature (+Spe, -Atk)
- Volt Switch
- Blizzard
- Thunderbolt
- Trick
Ah, Rotom-F: my team's beloved revenge killer. This is what I owe Don Honchkrorleone so much credit for. Before this was Rotom-F, it was Ninjask, and I just couldn't decide on a solid replacement for that frail little bug. Don noticed that my team had a serious problem with priority and speed overall, and recommended Scarf Rotom-F. I added it to the team, and have been winning ever since. Rotom-F usually serves as my "lead;" his pseudo-BoltBeam coverage hits almost anything the opponent might start out with, giving me wonderful momentum (especially if I get to lead off with Volt Switch.) Having a Timid nature and Choice Scarf let me revenge kill reasonably well; it's an invaluable asset to my team. Volt Switch hits pretty darn hard off of Rotom-F's great Special Attack, and gains momentum for my team. Blizzard (albeit inaccurate) is a powerful option that obliterates opponents. Thunderbolt is more powerful than Volt Switch and a great option if I have no interest in switching out. And Trick...is Trick. Tricking my Scarf onto some poor wall is a great feeling, and Rotom-F is still powerful and fast enough to be useful afterwards.
Summary
So, that's the team! I'm very satisfied with them right now. I know they are overall on the slower side and that I still have a problem with priority, but for the most part, I feel like these guys work really well together and are a solid band of NU power. Like I said above, I am completely open to constructive criticism and comments, so have at it! And thanks so much for reading my very first RMT! I hope it was as enjoyable to read as it was to write!
And here is an example of how I play the team, just for kicks! (Remember how new I am to this!)
http://pokemonshowdown.com/replay/nu6853154
Hello, dearest Smogon friends! Today I made a wonderful discovery: Pokémon Showdown! I logged on, threw an NU team together, lost, lost again, revamped my team, and (thanks to the help of my good friend, Don Honchkrorleone) started to collect some wins! I would love some constructive feedback on my team (and some tips on the metagame in general,) so please leave me some love! And don't forget that I'm brand-spanking new to this, so go easy on me!
The team-building process was pretty sporadic, and a spur-of-the-moment type ordeal. I started with Ninjask and Volbeat for their Baton Pass capabilities, and rounded the team out with Armaldo, Marowak, Cincinno, and Kadabra as the recipients of their wonderful boost passes. I quickly learned that this team had many fatal flaws, most notably speed issues and frailty, and not to mention that Baton Passing is much more difficult than I expected it to be! So, I jumbled things up, patched up weaknesses, and, with Don's input, ended up with the team I am currently running. I've been steadily climbing my way up the ladder, and would love some help getting further and further up! So, here it is: Lucky's Break!






The Team

Armaldo @ Leftovers
Trait: Battle Armor
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SDef
Careful Nature (+SDef, -SAtk)
- Rapid Spin
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- X-Scissor
This Armaldo is amazing. He has wonderful coverage with EdgeQuake and X-Scissor, and is my team's answer to Stealth Rock. Despite having a weakness to the nasty hazard, this Armaldo is surprisingly bulky and doesn't find it hard to recover lost health with Leftovers. He works great as a defensive pivot, as well, and at full health is a somewhat reliable answer to the birds that run rampant through NU. I chose Battle Armor over Swift Swim to prevent nasty surprise critical hits, and a Careful nature helps balance out his defenses (and ease up the hurt from Alomomola's Scald.)

Bastiodon @ Leftovers
Trait: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SDef
IVs: 0 Spd
Sassy Nature (+SDef, -Spd)
- Stealth Rock
- Toxic
- Metal Burst
- Stone Edge
I had no intention of using a Bastiodon, until I faced one with Metal Burst that absolutely ruined me. He is a brilliant Pokémon in this tier. He has great resistances and immunities, wonderful defenses, and can actually hit back hard thanks to Metal Burst and Sturdy. Stealth Rock and Toxic provide great team support, and help my Choiced pokes get clean KO's. Stone Edge is there because I hate being Taunted into Metal Burst, and it does decent damage to those nasty birds (Braviary and Swellow, I'm looking at you.) I had Roar instead of Stone Edge, but so far I've gotten better use out of Stone Edge. The nature and IVs help make sure that I go last for Metal Burst, and keep Bastiodon's defenses balanced.

Charizard @ Choice Specs
Trait: Blaze
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spe
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Air Slash
- Fire Blast
- Hidden Power (Grass)
- Dragon Pulse
Charizard with Choice Specs attached has proven to be very deadly for me. He's fast (compared to most of the tier) and powerful, and Fire Blast destroys practically anything that doesn't resist it. Air Slash is there for secondary STAB and works well against the Fighting-types in the tier, and the chance of flinch hax is never a bad thing. HP Grass lets Charizard check Alomomola and other Water-types pretty easily. Dragon Pulse is there for easy prediction; it hits everything that Fire Blast doesn't neutrally, and works great for Altaria or other Dragon-types. A Modest nature gives Charizard more power, which is greatly appreciated.

Sawk @ Choice Band
Trait: Mold Breaker
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Close Combat
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Ice Punch
Sawk is the poo. He's powerful, not sluggish, and....powerful. With a Choice Band, I can go in and click "Close Combat," and almost always be satisfied with the results. He has precise coverage moves for the things that Close Combat can't hit, too. Earthquake is great for Poison-types and for Haunter (thanks to Mold Breaker.) Stone Edge catches Flying- and Bug-types for a ton of damage and pairs well with his first two moves. Ice Punch is mostly filler, but the super effective hit on Amoonguss (that peckerhead) is really appreciated. I really value Sawk being able to hit as hard as possible, so I use an Adamant nature.

Lucky (Ludicolo) @ Leftovers
Trait: Own Tempo
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Giga Drain
- Scald
- Ice Beam
- Substitute
Ludicolo is probably my single-favorite Pokémon on this team. It has great synergy with the rest of the team, and when I play right he can net me 2-3 knock-outs per game. I love this set, even if it isn't generic. Substitute is great for scouting and makes Ludicolo very dangerous. Giga Drain (along with Leftovers) heals back health for more Substitutes and hits reasonably hard. Scald is a wonderful STAB for Ludicolo; that burn chance is well worth the lack of power that Surf or Hydro Pump offer. Ice Beam rounds the set out with a way to hit Flying- and Grass-types super effectively. Timid gives me more speed, which is wonderful. I think this set is so great because once people see Substitute, they expect Leech Seed to follow at some point, and thus don't expect the coverage of that unknown third attack. This Ludicolo really does win me games. (It's so wonderful that it's the only Pokémon on my team to have earned itself a nickname, partially because it's so wonderful, and partially because Scald and Ice Beam hax have been on my side lately.)

Rotom-F @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spe
Timid Nature (+Spe, -Atk)
- Volt Switch
- Blizzard
- Thunderbolt
- Trick
Ah, Rotom-F: my team's beloved revenge killer. This is what I owe Don Honchkrorleone so much credit for. Before this was Rotom-F, it was Ninjask, and I just couldn't decide on a solid replacement for that frail little bug. Don noticed that my team had a serious problem with priority and speed overall, and recommended Scarf Rotom-F. I added it to the team, and have been winning ever since. Rotom-F usually serves as my "lead;" his pseudo-BoltBeam coverage hits almost anything the opponent might start out with, giving me wonderful momentum (especially if I get to lead off with Volt Switch.) Having a Timid nature and Choice Scarf let me revenge kill reasonably well; it's an invaluable asset to my team. Volt Switch hits pretty darn hard off of Rotom-F's great Special Attack, and gains momentum for my team. Blizzard (albeit inaccurate) is a powerful option that obliterates opponents. Thunderbolt is more powerful than Volt Switch and a great option if I have no interest in switching out. And Trick...is Trick. Tricking my Scarf onto some poor wall is a great feeling, and Rotom-F is still powerful and fast enough to be useful afterwards.
Summary
So, that's the team! I'm very satisfied with them right now. I know they are overall on the slower side and that I still have a problem with priority, but for the most part, I feel like these guys work really well together and are a solid band of NU power. Like I said above, I am completely open to constructive criticism and comments, so have at it! And thanks so much for reading my very first RMT! I hope it was as enjoyable to read as it was to write!
And here is an example of how I play the team, just for kicks! (Remember how new I am to this!)
http://pokemonshowdown.com/replay/nu6853154