This is my first post ever on this forum. I love the site and I love what I've read so far here. I'm pretty new to the metagame, and maybe can't give as much of an in depth look on things as more experienced players, so please be gentle :).
Intense Volt
Like I stated earlier, I'm pretty new. I used to play when HG and SS came out, but never on an online simulator like Showdown where I had instant access to all the pokemon. It was overwhelming, but after a week or so of playing I've found a nice combination that seems to work pretty often. My goal with this team is to put as much pressure as possible on the opponent, forcing them to switch often into predictable pokemon.
Dragonite (M) @ Lum Berry
Trait: Multiscale
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Outrage
- Fire Punch
- ExtremeSpeed
It should be obvious why he's here, I need a hard hitter. If I can get a good switch in on Forretress, Ferrothorn, Blissey or another less offensive pokemon, I can get in a Dragon Dance, maybe two if the opportunity is there. This guy can have a field day against a lot of Pokemon, and I try to use him mid-game at the earliest, after I've eliminated or weakened his threats. He's even better if his Lum Berry is still available after an Outrage. To be quite honest, I only added him on a whim to try to put more offensive power on this team, but so far he works out pretty well.
Landorus (M) @ Life Orb
Trait: Sand Force
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spd
Naive Nature
- Earthquake
- U-turn
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Stone Edge
One of my less favorite choices on this team, honestly. He does well with opposing Sandstorm and Sunny Day teams, but I mainly use him to stop predictable electric attacks or force the opponent to switch, while I switch and try to predict what's coming in. However, late game, once all of his checks are gone, he can do some lethal damage. I thought about trying an expert belt, and the option is still very much open to me as I type this, so if you guys think it would be a better option please let me know.
Rotom-Wash @ Chesto Berry
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 248 HP / 28 SAtk / 228 SDef / 4 Spd
Calm Nature
- Hydro Pump
- Volt Switch
- Thunder Wave
- Rest
Ah, Rotom, probably my main guy here. If I see a rain team, he's going out first. I usually see someone switch in with a Thunderus or Jolteon to try and stop or absorb the Volt Switch, so I just take the chance and Hydro Pump. Whatever it hits it does decently well with in the rain. However, if I see a Gastrodon, I switch immediately so I can keep pressure on. He's not just good facing opposing Rain teams, this guy can cause all kinds of situations to force the opponent to think. I chose Thunder Wave over Will-o-Wisp to give my team the chance at attacking first. This helps Scizor a great deal especially. Also, Rest with the Chesto Berry gets rid of any status ailments and is a more reliable form of healing. Pain Split seemed like a great option, but I never needed to heal more than once if I'm playing correctly with this team.
Jirachi @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Iron Head
- Fire Punch
- Ice Punch
- U-turn
This is sort of my "jack of all trades" guy. I lead with him about 70% of the time. If it's a bad matchup, I can beat them to the punch with U-turn and check the opponent's pokemon. He does pretty well mid-game with taking out weakened dragons, Landorus and Gliscor, and most importantly, Scizor. He's a great switch in for Dragons overall, and starts my process of countering them if not KO'ing them
Scizor (M) @ Choice Band
Trait: Technician
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 SDef
Adamant Nature
- U-turn
- Bullet Punch
- Superpower
- Quick Attack
Scizor and Rotom work so well together, especially with Rotom having Thunder Wave to slow down opposing pokemon. He's my main Psychic killer, especially if I can get them paralyzed first. If I'm unsure about the opponent's decisions, I can U-turn out of there and be conservative, or use Bullet Punch or Quick Attack if there are no pokemon left on his/her team that I feel could switch into it easily. All around, Scizor adds a lot to this team. Sometimes I hate that he's choiced, but I believe it's necessary due to the large power boost.
Latias (F) @ Leftovers
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Dragon Pulse
- Psyshock
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Energy Ball
Alright, I believe this is my weakest link here (at least I feel like it when I switch into her). I wanted something to counter grass and ground types, so I took Recover off and added Energy Ball. Yeah, not so great for anything other than Grass/Ground types in my experience, but it has gotten the job done when called upon at the right time. Then there's Hidden Power Fire, it deals with Scizor and any other Grass and/or Steel type that may switch in due to fear of a Dragon type attack except Heatran. Next up is Psyshock, which has saved my butt quite a few times, since my team cannot effectively deal with Conkeldurr and other prominent Fighting types. Lastly, Dragon Pulse is a nice choice to deal with weakened pokemon, since Latias is so quick.
I would love some recommendations. I honestly feel like this team has some potential if I continue to play it very smartly (something I've gotten MUCH better at this first week being back). Keep in mind that with only a week's worth of play, I couldn't give the best descriptions in the world. I'm sure there are other things these pokemon are great at doing, but I'm still very much in the learning process of it all. A good spinner and/or steal rock user would probably go great with this team since I switch and constantly force my opponent to, so any advice on who to use would be great as well.
Lastly, it's great to be a part of this forum :).
Intense Volt
Like I stated earlier, I'm pretty new. I used to play when HG and SS came out, but never on an online simulator like Showdown where I had instant access to all the pokemon. It was overwhelming, but after a week or so of playing I've found a nice combination that seems to work pretty often. My goal with this team is to put as much pressure as possible on the opponent, forcing them to switch often into predictable pokemon.
Dragonite (M) @ Lum Berry
Trait: Multiscale
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Outrage
- Fire Punch
- ExtremeSpeed
It should be obvious why he's here, I need a hard hitter. If I can get a good switch in on Forretress, Ferrothorn, Blissey or another less offensive pokemon, I can get in a Dragon Dance, maybe two if the opportunity is there. This guy can have a field day against a lot of Pokemon, and I try to use him mid-game at the earliest, after I've eliminated or weakened his threats. He's even better if his Lum Berry is still available after an Outrage. To be quite honest, I only added him on a whim to try to put more offensive power on this team, but so far he works out pretty well.
Landorus (M) @ Life Orb
Trait: Sand Force
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spd
Naive Nature
- Earthquake
- U-turn
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Stone Edge
One of my less favorite choices on this team, honestly. He does well with opposing Sandstorm and Sunny Day teams, but I mainly use him to stop predictable electric attacks or force the opponent to switch, while I switch and try to predict what's coming in. However, late game, once all of his checks are gone, he can do some lethal damage. I thought about trying an expert belt, and the option is still very much open to me as I type this, so if you guys think it would be a better option please let me know.
Rotom-Wash @ Chesto Berry
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 248 HP / 28 SAtk / 228 SDef / 4 Spd
Calm Nature
- Hydro Pump
- Volt Switch
- Thunder Wave
- Rest
Ah, Rotom, probably my main guy here. If I see a rain team, he's going out first. I usually see someone switch in with a Thunderus or Jolteon to try and stop or absorb the Volt Switch, so I just take the chance and Hydro Pump. Whatever it hits it does decently well with in the rain. However, if I see a Gastrodon, I switch immediately so I can keep pressure on. He's not just good facing opposing Rain teams, this guy can cause all kinds of situations to force the opponent to think. I chose Thunder Wave over Will-o-Wisp to give my team the chance at attacking first. This helps Scizor a great deal especially. Also, Rest with the Chesto Berry gets rid of any status ailments and is a more reliable form of healing. Pain Split seemed like a great option, but I never needed to heal more than once if I'm playing correctly with this team.
Jirachi @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Iron Head
- Fire Punch
- Ice Punch
- U-turn
This is sort of my "jack of all trades" guy. I lead with him about 70% of the time. If it's a bad matchup, I can beat them to the punch with U-turn and check the opponent's pokemon. He does pretty well mid-game with taking out weakened dragons, Landorus and Gliscor, and most importantly, Scizor. He's a great switch in for Dragons overall, and starts my process of countering them if not KO'ing them
Scizor (M) @ Choice Band
Trait: Technician
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 SDef
Adamant Nature
- U-turn
- Bullet Punch
- Superpower
- Quick Attack
Scizor and Rotom work so well together, especially with Rotom having Thunder Wave to slow down opposing pokemon. He's my main Psychic killer, especially if I can get them paralyzed first. If I'm unsure about the opponent's decisions, I can U-turn out of there and be conservative, or use Bullet Punch or Quick Attack if there are no pokemon left on his/her team that I feel could switch into it easily. All around, Scizor adds a lot to this team. Sometimes I hate that he's choiced, but I believe it's necessary due to the large power boost.
Latias (F) @ Leftovers
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Dragon Pulse
- Psyshock
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Energy Ball
Alright, I believe this is my weakest link here (at least I feel like it when I switch into her). I wanted something to counter grass and ground types, so I took Recover off and added Energy Ball. Yeah, not so great for anything other than Grass/Ground types in my experience, but it has gotten the job done when called upon at the right time. Then there's Hidden Power Fire, it deals with Scizor and any other Grass and/or Steel type that may switch in due to fear of a Dragon type attack except Heatran. Next up is Psyshock, which has saved my butt quite a few times, since my team cannot effectively deal with Conkeldurr and other prominent Fighting types. Lastly, Dragon Pulse is a nice choice to deal with weakened pokemon, since Latias is so quick.
I would love some recommendations. I honestly feel like this team has some potential if I continue to play it very smartly (something I've gotten MUCH better at this first week being back). Keep in mind that with only a week's worth of play, I couldn't give the best descriptions in the world. I'm sure there are other things these pokemon are great at doing, but I'm still very much in the learning process of it all. A good spinner and/or steal rock user would probably go great with this team since I switch and constantly force my opponent to, so any advice on who to use would be great as well.
Lastly, it's great to be a part of this forum :).