Introduction
Welcome! My name is CL, and this is my team. Allow me to start by just saying this: I am a Breeder. I like the idea of working hard to raise a Pokemon, then each Trainer sending their Pokes out to hammer each other down and see who came up with the best Builds. I do not like the idea of constantly switching your Pokes around while practically ignoring your opponent, which I see many people do on PO, especially with Stall teams (whom I loathe battling against). Due to that, I came up with a team that can not only defeat many Offensive Sweeper teams, but can truly put Stall in its place, and definitely has no problems locking an opponent down and restricting his options.
The Team At A Glance
In-Depth Analysis
Xatu (M) @ Flame Orb
Ability: Magic Bounce
EVs: 248 HP / 4 Def / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature (+Spe, -SpA)
- Psycho Shift
- Thunder Wave
- Protect
- U-turn
Welcome! My name is CL, and this is my team. Allow me to start by just saying this: I am a Breeder. I like the idea of working hard to raise a Pokemon, then each Trainer sending their Pokes out to hammer each other down and see who came up with the best Builds. I do not like the idea of constantly switching your Pokes around while practically ignoring your opponent, which I see many people do on PO, especially with Stall teams (whom I loathe battling against). Due to that, I came up with a team that can not only defeat many Offensive Sweeper teams, but can truly put Stall in its place, and definitely has no problems locking an opponent down and restricting his options.
The Team At A Glance
In-Depth Analysis
Xatu (M) @ Flame Orb
Ability: Magic Bounce
EVs: 248 HP / 4 Def / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature (+Spe, -SpA)
- Psycho Shift
- Thunder Wave
- Protect
- U-turn
When I first started playing competitive Pokemon on the original Shoddy Battle program, I quickly figured one thing out: I really dislike Hazards. However, I dealt with them through things like Rapid Spin or just sucked it up. Lo and behold, here comes Gen 5 with the ability Magic Bounce! I originally tried out a Dual Screens Espeon, but it had problems: it was too frail to decently set up both screens (or sometimes even just one!), especially with Light Clay equipped; it had a mediocre movepool with very little in the way of support; and it couldn't DO much to the opposing Pokes. Due to this, I decided to try out Xatu, who (despite having inferior stats) boasts many more options to play with. My current Build is here purely to bounce back Status and Hazards, as well as seriously cripple as many Pokes as possible before he goes down, or even just to scout. Psycho Shift/Flame Orb is there for Physical Beaters or slow Tanks, and Thunder Wave is there for fast Spec Attackers. Protect scouts and also makes sure he has time to let the Flame Orb kick in so that he can Shift it on the next turn, and U-turn just adds a tiny bit of momentum and breaks the occasional Sash.
Magnezone (N) @ Air Balloon
Ability: Magnet Pull
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpA
Bold Nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power
- Substitute
- Toxic
This Build of Trapzone is the end result of hours worth of testing. Though the original moves have always remained the same (Elec Attack/HP/Sub), the details have changed constantly, whether it was Discharge vs Thunderbolt, or a decision between Signal Beam, Magnet Rise, or anything else available. Nonetheless, Zone does his job damn well, which is to trap opposing Steel Types and take them out with HP Fire. As I said in the intro, I dislike people switching out between things like Ferrothorn and Jellicent while I'm sitting there trying to engage them in a Battle, and that's where Trapzone comes in. The strategy is to send him in against their Ferrothorn, preventing them from switching out with Magnet Pull. Due to Magnezone's typing and his excellent Defense, there's very little a Ferrothorn can do to him. You then proceed to set up a Sub and HP Fire FTW. The Sub is there for two reasons: status immunity and giving him a fighting chance against whatever they send in next. With his 4x Weakness to Ground, 'Zone really isn't all that durable, so the Sub gives you a chance to Toxic whatever they send in to kill you. While he may not be a massive sweeper or very durable, there are many things 'Zone is very effective against and can set up on, making him an invaluable addition to this team.
Dugtrio (M) @ Choice Band
Ability: Arena Trap
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SpA)
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Sucker Punch
- Aerial Ace
A few days ago, I found myself with a problem: Blissey walled the heck out of me and anyone I switched in against her with good Attack, she would just run from. Seeing as my Sweeper is a Spec Attacker and has no chance against Bliss, I inquired on PO as to how I could change this situation. One of the ideas someone mentioned was Dugtrio, and I have been enjoying it immensely ever since. Not only does it give my team another lock-down ability in the form of Arena Trap, the Pokemon itself is pretty darn good. Even with an Adamant nature, Dugtrio hits 339 Speed (equal to Jolly Garchomp), and with a Choice Band, he has a decent 425 Attack; all supported with EdgeQuake, a no-miss, and even Priority in the form of Sucker Punch! All-in-all, when played intelligently, Dugtrio can be a very nasty Poke to face off against, and he does an excellent job of hosing the occasional Blissey when it gives me problems.
Hydreigon (M) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest Nature (+SpA, -Atk)
- Dark Pulse
- Flamethrower
- Draco Meteor
- Focus Blast
Here we have the obligatory Scarfer; seems every offensive team's got at least one these days. I really do prefer Hydreigon for the job, myself, as he has the stats and the movepool to make it happen. With 383 Special Attack using a Modest nature, two immunities and six resistances, and coverage that provides SE attacks against 11 of the 17 types, this guy is an absolute beast. I chose Modest over Timid because even with Timid, he's not going to be out-racing too many other Scarf users, whereas Modest gives him the most bang for his buck, especially with STAB Draco Meteor, which is pretty much the mainstay of this team. Hitting an opponent with DM means that they are now in a lose-lose situation; either they let their Poke take it and are down a Poke, or they switch in something that can shrug it off, which are generally either Blissey or a Steel type. If they switch, then I pop in the appropriate Trapmon and take them out. This means that the majority of my games end with me simply switching Hydreigon in and out while Draco Meteor-ing everything they have into the ground, or by sweeping with one of the two following Pokes.
Conkeldurr (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Sheer Force
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 SpA
Brave Nature (+Atk, -Spe) // 0 Spe IVs
- Drain Punch
- Mach Punch
- Rock Slide
- Bulk Up
Well, I suppose calling Conkeldurr a Sweeper is pushing it a little, really. Still, he's done his fair share of beating down the opposing team, with his massive Attack, Bulk Up, and devastating moveset. This version is my personal Build, as I prefer the consistency over the swinginess that is the Guts version. First off, there's Sheer Force making Rock Slide a more accurate Stone Edge, as well as ignoring Life Orb recoil while using it. With Bulk Up also not taking LO damage, that's quite a few turns where I'm not suffering from Burn damage, giving me plenty of time to set up a nasty Drain Punch to recover however much I need (especially since the life-gain from Drain Punch comes before LO recoil). My other preference is that LO means an immediately more powerful Mach Punch; this can be very important when facing something like an Excadrill. A Flame Orb takes a turn to kick in, meaning that your first Mach Punch against an Excadrill might not kill it, and that generally means that you are dead. My version doesn't have that problem, and can swing away immediately and effectively. Lastly, I'm using a Brave nature with 0 Speed IVs; though not really important to the Build or anything, it does allow me to "outspeed" the rare Trick Room team.
Volcarona (F) @ Leftovers
Ability: Flame Body
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature (+Spe, -Atk)
- Fiery Dance
- Quiver Dance
- Bug Buzz
- Psychic
Here we have my favorite sweeper ever, the Fiery Moth o' Doom. With Quiver Dance giving it more stat boosts than should probably be allowed, this little monstrosity can quickly and effectively plow through entire teams of Pokes. One thing I think a lot of people haven't caught on to is that Timid is by far the best nature for Volcarona; after a single Quiver Dance, you can keep up with most Scarfers, as well as use Fiery Dance for further boosting shenanigans if you have the chance. Bug Buzz deals excellent damage, and Psychic is for decent neutral coverage as well as making Volcarona a decent counter to opposing Conkeldurr or other Fighting types; in fact, you generally don't even need a boost due to Volcarona's immense Special Attack stat (369 with Timid). Most of the time, I send Volcarona in to take something like a Mach Punch (which it resists and has Leftovers to heal away), then Psychic the guy away. Either way, the only thing that generally gets in Volcarona's way are Heatran or Jellicent, and either one of those can easily be Trapped by Dugtrio and quickly taken apart.
Problems
Garchomp
This guy can definitely be problematic, especially with a Scarf or Sub. I can generally deal with him through a mixture of Priority and heavy hits (if I manage to Quiver Dance twice before he comes out, then he doesn't stand a chance), but sometimes he just causes serious problems for me. I suppose I could try HP Ice on 'Zone instead of Fire, but any other ideas would be great.
(More to come soon)
Thanks for reading my RMT and please feel free to post any ideas you might have!
Ability: Magnet Pull
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpA
Bold Nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power
- Substitute
- Toxic
This Build of Trapzone is the end result of hours worth of testing. Though the original moves have always remained the same (Elec Attack/HP/Sub), the details have changed constantly, whether it was Discharge vs Thunderbolt, or a decision between Signal Beam, Magnet Rise, or anything else available. Nonetheless, Zone does his job damn well, which is to trap opposing Steel Types and take them out with HP Fire. As I said in the intro, I dislike people switching out between things like Ferrothorn and Jellicent while I'm sitting there trying to engage them in a Battle, and that's where Trapzone comes in. The strategy is to send him in against their Ferrothorn, preventing them from switching out with Magnet Pull. Due to Magnezone's typing and his excellent Defense, there's very little a Ferrothorn can do to him. You then proceed to set up a Sub and HP Fire FTW. The Sub is there for two reasons: status immunity and giving him a fighting chance against whatever they send in next. With his 4x Weakness to Ground, 'Zone really isn't all that durable, so the Sub gives you a chance to Toxic whatever they send in to kill you. While he may not be a massive sweeper or very durable, there are many things 'Zone is very effective against and can set up on, making him an invaluable addition to this team.
Dugtrio (M) @ Choice Band
Ability: Arena Trap
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SpA)
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Sucker Punch
- Aerial Ace
A few days ago, I found myself with a problem: Blissey walled the heck out of me and anyone I switched in against her with good Attack, she would just run from. Seeing as my Sweeper is a Spec Attacker and has no chance against Bliss, I inquired on PO as to how I could change this situation. One of the ideas someone mentioned was Dugtrio, and I have been enjoying it immensely ever since. Not only does it give my team another lock-down ability in the form of Arena Trap, the Pokemon itself is pretty darn good. Even with an Adamant nature, Dugtrio hits 339 Speed (equal to Jolly Garchomp), and with a Choice Band, he has a decent 425 Attack; all supported with EdgeQuake, a no-miss, and even Priority in the form of Sucker Punch! All-in-all, when played intelligently, Dugtrio can be a very nasty Poke to face off against, and he does an excellent job of hosing the occasional Blissey when it gives me problems.
Hydreigon (M) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest Nature (+SpA, -Atk)
- Dark Pulse
- Flamethrower
- Draco Meteor
- Focus Blast
Here we have the obligatory Scarfer; seems every offensive team's got at least one these days. I really do prefer Hydreigon for the job, myself, as he has the stats and the movepool to make it happen. With 383 Special Attack using a Modest nature, two immunities and six resistances, and coverage that provides SE attacks against 11 of the 17 types, this guy is an absolute beast. I chose Modest over Timid because even with Timid, he's not going to be out-racing too many other Scarf users, whereas Modest gives him the most bang for his buck, especially with STAB Draco Meteor, which is pretty much the mainstay of this team. Hitting an opponent with DM means that they are now in a lose-lose situation; either they let their Poke take it and are down a Poke, or they switch in something that can shrug it off, which are generally either Blissey or a Steel type. If they switch, then I pop in the appropriate Trapmon and take them out. This means that the majority of my games end with me simply switching Hydreigon in and out while Draco Meteor-ing everything they have into the ground, or by sweeping with one of the two following Pokes.
Conkeldurr (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Sheer Force
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 SpA
Brave Nature (+Atk, -Spe) // 0 Spe IVs
- Drain Punch
- Mach Punch
- Rock Slide
- Bulk Up
Well, I suppose calling Conkeldurr a Sweeper is pushing it a little, really. Still, he's done his fair share of beating down the opposing team, with his massive Attack, Bulk Up, and devastating moveset. This version is my personal Build, as I prefer the consistency over the swinginess that is the Guts version. First off, there's Sheer Force making Rock Slide a more accurate Stone Edge, as well as ignoring Life Orb recoil while using it. With Bulk Up also not taking LO damage, that's quite a few turns where I'm not suffering from Burn damage, giving me plenty of time to set up a nasty Drain Punch to recover however much I need (especially since the life-gain from Drain Punch comes before LO recoil). My other preference is that LO means an immediately more powerful Mach Punch; this can be very important when facing something like an Excadrill. A Flame Orb takes a turn to kick in, meaning that your first Mach Punch against an Excadrill might not kill it, and that generally means that you are dead. My version doesn't have that problem, and can swing away immediately and effectively. Lastly, I'm using a Brave nature with 0 Speed IVs; though not really important to the Build or anything, it does allow me to "outspeed" the rare Trick Room team.
Volcarona (F) @ Leftovers
Ability: Flame Body
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature (+Spe, -Atk)
- Fiery Dance
- Quiver Dance
- Bug Buzz
- Psychic
Here we have my favorite sweeper ever, the Fiery Moth o' Doom. With Quiver Dance giving it more stat boosts than should probably be allowed, this little monstrosity can quickly and effectively plow through entire teams of Pokes. One thing I think a lot of people haven't caught on to is that Timid is by far the best nature for Volcarona; after a single Quiver Dance, you can keep up with most Scarfers, as well as use Fiery Dance for further boosting shenanigans if you have the chance. Bug Buzz deals excellent damage, and Psychic is for decent neutral coverage as well as making Volcarona a decent counter to opposing Conkeldurr or other Fighting types; in fact, you generally don't even need a boost due to Volcarona's immense Special Attack stat (369 with Timid). Most of the time, I send Volcarona in to take something like a Mach Punch (which it resists and has Leftovers to heal away), then Psychic the guy away. Either way, the only thing that generally gets in Volcarona's way are Heatran or Jellicent, and either one of those can easily be Trapped by Dugtrio and quickly taken apart.
Problems
Garchomp
This guy can definitely be problematic, especially with a Scarf or Sub. I can generally deal with him through a mixture of Priority and heavy hits (if I manage to Quiver Dance twice before he comes out, then he doesn't stand a chance), but sometimes he just causes serious problems for me. I suppose I could try HP Ice on 'Zone instead of Fire, but any other ideas would be great.
(More to come soon)
Thanks for reading my RMT and please feel free to post any ideas you might have!
