Greetings everyone! First time posting, but I've read quite a bit on the articles and other parts of this site (lots of info here has helped me out during friendly matches, much to my friends' dismay).
Having no tournament experience, I thought I would try my hand at building up a team for personal use for those rare times one of my friends thinks they can take me on with their random party (they have no clue what EVs or IVs are, so really not worried about it).
I'm dead-serious about that last part: These guys do not know what they are doing. They rarely use status-inducing moves outside of Toxic, let alone even touching Taunt or entry hazards. The only Weather effects are from Kyogre and Groudon, and they don't know how good those abilities are. Most of their Pokemon are running a Pure Offense set. Not to berate Pure Offense sets, but an entire team of Uber-worthy Pokemon that haven't been EV-trained running Pure Offense sets is cringe-worthy. Never mind the teams they put together with their starter Pokemon...
That said, I've run into a snag: I have no clue what I should do for my 6th slot. Here's the current line-up:
Infernape @ Focus Sash
Trait: Blaze
EVs: 128 Attack, 128 Special Attack, 252 Speed
Nature: Hasty
~ Fake Out
~ Stealth Rock
~ Fire Blast/Overheat
~ Close Combat
This set is based on the DPPt's Lead set, and is intended to be a suicide lead for setting up Stealth Rock. Turn 1 I hit them with Fake Out and stop their Stealth Rock (although my local meta doesn't even know the move exists). On turn 2, if their lead is a slower Pokemon, I slam into it with Overheat/Fire Blast or Close Combat or set up a Stealth Rock (this requires judgement on my part, as Fake Out doesn't tell me if they are faster or slower). Odds are, turn 3 they try to kill Infernape. If they do, Focus Sash should (majority of the time) kick in and save him long enough for another attack.
Again, in my local metagame there aren't that many people who know what to do with their Pokemon. Most of the time, they won't even think about Stealth Rock and be more focused on killing Infernape to care about it, or even care about setting up their own entry hazards.
Forretress @ Light Clay
Trait: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP, 252 Special Defense, 4 Defense
Nature: Relaxed/Impish
~ Light Screen
~ Reflect
~ Rapid Spin
~ U-Turn
This isn't your average Dual-Screener. I chose Forretress over other options because of his typing and stereotyping: Most people won't expect him to be setting up Dual Screens, and my local metagame will give me weird looks for even using those moves. He serves dual-purpose as he can get rid of entry hazards himself (although I'd expect most pro players to switch to a spinblocker once they see him come out). Once the screens are set up, I U-Turn him out (or let him faint, whichever happens first).
I set him up as a Special Defensive-type because a lot of my local meta uses Special Attackers (again, they don't know how to EV train or IV breed). Thus I need him to survive a hard hit. I chose him over other Dual Screeners because he isn't a typical Screener, and because his type combination: My team is currently well-rounded with very few weakness overlaps (Ice being the primary problem).
Mew @ Leftovers
Trait: Synchronize
EVs: 148 Defense, 148 Special Defense, 214 Speed
Nature: Timid
~ Calm Mind
~ Bulk Up
~ Flame Charge
~ Baton Pass
The crux of this team is it's Baton Passer: Mew. I received it from the Fall 2010 giveaway and got lucky on the natures (and on the Speed IV: 31). However, I have been using ever since the day I got it, so EV-wise it isn't looking that good. Until B2, when Join Avenue gave me a way to reset it's EVs without wasting days growing berries.
The trick to this set is Flame Charge. Barring Prankster, this Mew cannot physically be Taunted twice in one go thanks to that move. The only reason I'm doing Flame Charge over Rock Polish is because one of them may smarten up and Taunt Mew (and in case I bring this team to an actual tournament). Worse-case scenario, I just let Mew use Bulk Up a couple of times and use Flame Charge as much as I can. Only real problems are Darkrai and Heatran, as Flame Charge does nothing against Heatran and Darkrai is almost guaranteed to put Mew to sleep before I can Flame Charge (although the only player who had a Darkrai moved out of state).
Flygon @ Muscle Band
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 252 Attack, 252 Speed
Nature: Adamant/Hasty
~ Fire Fang
~ Brick Break
~ Dragon Claw
~ Earthquake
A Pure Offense Sweeper build. I chose Flygon because, at the time I first thought this team up, Garchomp was banished to the Ubers. The Muscle Band is there because it's really the only other option I have (Baton Pass doesn't like Choice items, and my Special Sweeper has the Life Orb). However, seeing that Garchomp has been unbanned for OU play, I have the luxury of switching Flygon out for him entirely. Alternatively I could use a nice Terrakion in his place, although I'd prefer the Garchomp because I like dragons more than bulls.
I chose Dragon Claw over Outrage because I like being able to switch which move I'm using. I don't like being locked into Outrage for 3 turns simply because I don't expect much to survive Flygon after he's been Baton Passed to (Bulk Up twice, Flame Charge once, pass the buffs and SWEEP LIKE NO TOMORROW). That said, this move list is only for Flygon. Garchomp and Terrakion would have a different list.
Zapdos @ Life Orb
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 252 Speed, 252 Special Attackk
Nature: Timid
~ Roost
~ Heat Wave
~ Hidden power (Ice)
~ Thunderbolt
I was elated to see that one of my favorite Gen 1's was still OU-viable. Zapdos has always been a reliable Pokemon for me, and after exploiting FRLG a few thousand times I managed to get one with decent IVs and HP Ice.
This is the special attacker for the team (potential replacements being Rotom-H/W or Hydregion), and is the reason I didn't put the Life Orb on Flygon. If I use Calm Mind at all with Mew, he's the one who comes out. Otherwise, there's nothing special about him, pun not intended.
Dusknoir @ Shell Bell
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP, 128 Defense, 128 Special Defense
Nature: Adamant/Brave
~ Rest
~ Seismic Toss
~ Night Shade
~ Sleep Talk
This is one I'm having trouble with. I wanted my last Pokemon to be a mixed wall, something that I could switch in if I have to set up another Baton Pass. Dusknoir has infamously low HP, and the Shell Bell is the only other option for healing (I'm not using Berries, don't even suggest them). Because he's defense-focused, his attack stats are terrible forcing me to use Seismic Toss and Night Shade (which means I have to transfer him over from FRLG, and that's a hassle since I erased that file months ago and would have to start over).
Or hack him, since I do have the capability thanks to a Plantinum-compatible AR, but that would mean hacking. I don't like hacking...
I am looking for something to replace Dusknoir with. I was thinking about Imposter Ditto, since anything strong enough to beat my Sweepers after a Baton Pass is bound to be in bad condition afterwards, but I have had no luck finding one (I know where to get one, but the odds are horrendously low).
I'd prefer a mixed wall, but really anything would do as long as it's types don't overlap with something else in my party. But any advice about the rest of the team is welcome too.
Having no tournament experience, I thought I would try my hand at building up a team for personal use for those rare times one of my friends thinks they can take me on with their random party (they have no clue what EVs or IVs are, so really not worried about it).
I'm dead-serious about that last part: These guys do not know what they are doing. They rarely use status-inducing moves outside of Toxic, let alone even touching Taunt or entry hazards. The only Weather effects are from Kyogre and Groudon, and they don't know how good those abilities are. Most of their Pokemon are running a Pure Offense set. Not to berate Pure Offense sets, but an entire team of Uber-worthy Pokemon that haven't been EV-trained running Pure Offense sets is cringe-worthy. Never mind the teams they put together with their starter Pokemon...
That said, I've run into a snag: I have no clue what I should do for my 6th slot. Here's the current line-up:
Infernape @ Focus Sash
Trait: Blaze
EVs: 128 Attack, 128 Special Attack, 252 Speed
Nature: Hasty
~ Fake Out
~ Stealth Rock
~ Fire Blast/Overheat
~ Close Combat
This set is based on the DPPt's Lead set, and is intended to be a suicide lead for setting up Stealth Rock. Turn 1 I hit them with Fake Out and stop their Stealth Rock (although my local meta doesn't even know the move exists). On turn 2, if their lead is a slower Pokemon, I slam into it with Overheat/Fire Blast or Close Combat or set up a Stealth Rock (this requires judgement on my part, as Fake Out doesn't tell me if they are faster or slower). Odds are, turn 3 they try to kill Infernape. If they do, Focus Sash should (majority of the time) kick in and save him long enough for another attack.
Again, in my local metagame there aren't that many people who know what to do with their Pokemon. Most of the time, they won't even think about Stealth Rock and be more focused on killing Infernape to care about it, or even care about setting up their own entry hazards.
Forretress @ Light Clay
Trait: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP, 252 Special Defense, 4 Defense
Nature: Relaxed/Impish
~ Light Screen
~ Reflect
~ Rapid Spin
~ U-Turn
This isn't your average Dual-Screener. I chose Forretress over other options because of his typing and stereotyping: Most people won't expect him to be setting up Dual Screens, and my local metagame will give me weird looks for even using those moves. He serves dual-purpose as he can get rid of entry hazards himself (although I'd expect most pro players to switch to a spinblocker once they see him come out). Once the screens are set up, I U-Turn him out (or let him faint, whichever happens first).
I set him up as a Special Defensive-type because a lot of my local meta uses Special Attackers (again, they don't know how to EV train or IV breed). Thus I need him to survive a hard hit. I chose him over other Dual Screeners because he isn't a typical Screener, and because his type combination: My team is currently well-rounded with very few weakness overlaps (Ice being the primary problem).
Mew @ Leftovers
Trait: Synchronize
EVs: 148 Defense, 148 Special Defense, 214 Speed
Nature: Timid
~ Calm Mind
~ Bulk Up
~ Flame Charge
~ Baton Pass
The crux of this team is it's Baton Passer: Mew. I received it from the Fall 2010 giveaway and got lucky on the natures (and on the Speed IV: 31). However, I have been using ever since the day I got it, so EV-wise it isn't looking that good. Until B2, when Join Avenue gave me a way to reset it's EVs without wasting days growing berries.
The trick to this set is Flame Charge. Barring Prankster, this Mew cannot physically be Taunted twice in one go thanks to that move. The only reason I'm doing Flame Charge over Rock Polish is because one of them may smarten up and Taunt Mew (and in case I bring this team to an actual tournament). Worse-case scenario, I just let Mew use Bulk Up a couple of times and use Flame Charge as much as I can. Only real problems are Darkrai and Heatran, as Flame Charge does nothing against Heatran and Darkrai is almost guaranteed to put Mew to sleep before I can Flame Charge (although the only player who had a Darkrai moved out of state).
Flygon @ Muscle Band
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 252 Attack, 252 Speed
Nature: Adamant/Hasty
~ Fire Fang
~ Brick Break
~ Dragon Claw
~ Earthquake
A Pure Offense Sweeper build. I chose Flygon because, at the time I first thought this team up, Garchomp was banished to the Ubers. The Muscle Band is there because it's really the only other option I have (Baton Pass doesn't like Choice items, and my Special Sweeper has the Life Orb). However, seeing that Garchomp has been unbanned for OU play, I have the luxury of switching Flygon out for him entirely. Alternatively I could use a nice Terrakion in his place, although I'd prefer the Garchomp because I like dragons more than bulls.
I chose Dragon Claw over Outrage because I like being able to switch which move I'm using. I don't like being locked into Outrage for 3 turns simply because I don't expect much to survive Flygon after he's been Baton Passed to (Bulk Up twice, Flame Charge once, pass the buffs and SWEEP LIKE NO TOMORROW). That said, this move list is only for Flygon. Garchomp and Terrakion would have a different list.
Zapdos @ Life Orb
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 252 Speed, 252 Special Attackk
Nature: Timid
~ Roost
~ Heat Wave
~ Hidden power (Ice)
~ Thunderbolt
I was elated to see that one of my favorite Gen 1's was still OU-viable. Zapdos has always been a reliable Pokemon for me, and after exploiting FRLG a few thousand times I managed to get one with decent IVs and HP Ice.
This is the special attacker for the team (potential replacements being Rotom-H/W or Hydregion), and is the reason I didn't put the Life Orb on Flygon. If I use Calm Mind at all with Mew, he's the one who comes out. Otherwise, there's nothing special about him, pun not intended.
Dusknoir @ Shell Bell
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP, 128 Defense, 128 Special Defense
Nature: Adamant/Brave
~ Rest
~ Seismic Toss
~ Night Shade
~ Sleep Talk
This is one I'm having trouble with. I wanted my last Pokemon to be a mixed wall, something that I could switch in if I have to set up another Baton Pass. Dusknoir has infamously low HP, and the Shell Bell is the only other option for healing (I'm not using Berries, don't even suggest them). Because he's defense-focused, his attack stats are terrible forcing me to use Seismic Toss and Night Shade (which means I have to transfer him over from FRLG, and that's a hassle since I erased that file months ago and would have to start over).
Or hack him, since I do have the capability thanks to a Plantinum-compatible AR, but that would mean hacking. I don't like hacking...
I am looking for something to replace Dusknoir with. I was thinking about Imposter Ditto, since anything strong enough to beat my Sweepers after a Baton Pass is bound to be in bad condition afterwards, but I have had no luck finding one (I know where to get one, but the odds are horrendously low).
I'd prefer a mixed wall, but really anything would do as long as it's types don't overlap with something else in my party. But any advice about the rest of the team is welcome too.
