Being familiar with the previous two generations, the complications of Natures, Abilities and EVs are difficult for me to work in, hence the need for a rate. I chose Borderline because it seemed a nice balance of challenge without getting overwhelmed by the OU teir. Anyhow, on to the team.
Cloyster @ Leftovers
Ability: Shell Armor
EVs: 252 HP, 200 SpD, 24 SpA, 20 Atk
Nature: Relaxed
-Spikes
-Rapid Spin
-Ice Beam
-Explosion
I wanted to start out with a Spiker, and Cloyster was a natural choice. Rapid Spin is also handy to have on hand. The Nature, Ability, and EV spread, along with Leftovers gives Cloyster hopes of sticking around because I didn't just want a suicide lead. Rapid Spin may be needed later in the game, and it can take out any dragon types or re-set up Spikes. Relaxed Nature also lowers speed, making it able to immediately Rapid Spin away Skarmory's Spikes, (yes I know it's a tier up, but I plan on using the team for fun battles too.) The EVs, well, as I said I'm still newto the concept, but Cloyster's final HP left much to be desired, so I maxed that out. Special Defense was for some added longevity, and the rest punched up Ice Beam and Explosion. It seemed strange for Explosion to be on Cloyster when I wanted it to stick around for later in the battle, but even with the enhancements, Cloyster can be sure to do some major damage when it finally becomes overwhelmed. Besides, Water type is covered by the next member of the team.
Lanturn @ Leftovers
Ability: Volt Absorb
EVs: 40 HP, 252 SpA, 218 SpD
Nature: Bold
-Thunderbolt
-Surf
-Thunder Wave
-Hidden Power Psychic
I'm still looking for an appropriate fourth move on this one. I considered a Rain Dance or Sleep Talk variant, but I have a Sleep Talker, which I'll get to next, and Rain Dance doesn't help any other members of the team. This guy also makes a good Electric counter with Volt Absorb, a useful trait to have being a Water type, and the Electric type provides some resistance to Grass. Thunderbolt and Surf are standard STABs, and Thunder Wave is a common utility move. The EVs take advantage of pumping up Lanturn's Special Attack power, but the rest I just followed because it was a common spread on Smagon for the RSE Lanturn. Anyone has a better one please let me know. Bold is an unusual choice for a Nature, but I figured that Lanturn has no Physical attacks, and the EVs aren't boosting physical defense. As for the item, Leftovers is just an all around good thing to use. After noting a large Fighting weakness on the team, I switched out Confuse Ray, which was basically Filler, to Hidden Power Psychic, adding more coverage. It's worked out well so far.
Ursaring @ Leftovers
Ability: Guts
EVs: 188 HP, 252 Atk, 52 Spe, 8 Def, 12 SpD
Nature: Adamant
-Rest
-Sleep Talk
-Return
-Earthquake
This thing is well crafted to bring the most out of Ursaring's monstrous attack stats. The design combos so well it's amazing. Rest activates Ursaring's Guts Ability, leaving it to wreak havoc Sleep Talking. As for the choice of attacks, I chose Return over Double Edge, as even with Rest there's no point in shortening Ursaring's longevity unless a strong case can be made otherwise. Since I'm playing on a Game Boy it was incredibly difficult to get the Hidden Power to attack the Ghost Types that laugh at Return. I considered running Faint Attack, but with the Adamant Nature cutting into Special Attack it seemed a half-assed effort. Then I remembered that the Gengar family are also Poison types,and since Misdrevous doesn't appear that often, I upgraded to Earthquake. Adamant nature was a given, pumping that Attack even more while sacrificing nothing in Special Attack. EV spread is a bit unusual, but it's working so far, and there's really nothing to explain regarding the Leftovers.
Edit: Just remembered Gengar's Levitate. Anyone with a suggestion, I'd really appreciate it.
Houndoom @ Salac Berry
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 4 HP, 252 SpA, 252 Spe
Nature: Timid
-Sunny Day
-Flamethrower
-Solarbeam
-Pursuit
Houndoom was a favorite of mine in the GSC era, but one thing I noticed is he was too damn slow when I really needed him. The item, EVs and Nature are all there to hopefully eliminate that problem. Flash Fire is a good ability to block Fire moves on the switch. As for the moveset, it's a standard from the GSC days. Pursuit is used over Crunch as a Dark type seems to cause several switches. I'll be honest, I worry about this one, because when I use it, I still think like a GSC player, and need advice on adjusting this guy to the new environment and how to play him. This guy is also the reason I didn't put Rain Dance on Lanturn, as it doesn't go well with Sunny Day.
Solrock @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 76 Atk / 176 Def / 4 Spe
Nature: Careful
-Reflect
-Shadow Ball
-Rock Slide
-Explosion
Marowak was in this slot, but I couldn't decide between speed and power, and I already had a high attack physical sweeper in Ursaring. I guess this is an early attempt at a mix Pokemon. I would have preferred Medicham, which is a tier up. Solrock is a rock type, compounding my Fighting problem, but the Psychic type can help alleviate that problem. This is what you call a prototype, and I'm still looking for advice to help it fill its role, because I don't know what attacks or EVs to use in making this an effective Mix. Reflect lengthens longevity, something many of my Pokemon benefit from. Rock Slide and Shadow Ball provide the rock and Ghost coverage on the team not provided anywhere else. Explosion finishes things off. Other moves I thought of including were Psychic and Earthquake, though Ursaring knows that. I don't like this one right now, and its Battle record shows me it needs help.
Breloom @ Leftovers
Ability: Effect Spore
EVs: 52 HP, 252 Atk, 204 Spe
Nature: Adamant
-Spore
-Focus Punch
-Leech Seed
-Substitute
This set looked so perfectly obnoxious that I had to try it out, and man am I not disappointed. This guy is one reason I wanted Cloyster to stick around and possibly set up Spikes again, because this guy passes around switches like Halloween candy. Spore is a given, and Focus Punch works well with so many switches and sleep, bringing the vulnerability clause in the attack down to a reasonable level. I'm not usually a Substitute fan, as I prefer longevity and hate to cut down on HP, but between Leach Seed and Leftovers, I get plenty of them, and it's great to see the an opponent tugging at their hair. The EVs were recommended on Smagon, and the Adamant Nature powers Focus Punch. My only real complaint is that with Substitutes, I don't get as much out of Effect Spore as I'd like.
There's the team, and I am in need of advice. Right off the bat I see a huge vulnerability to Gengar, and I'm sure there are other holes. Any advise on the EV spreads are appreciated. Thank you so much for taking the time to help me.
Cloyster @ Leftovers
Ability: Shell Armor
EVs: 252 HP, 200 SpD, 24 SpA, 20 Atk
Nature: Relaxed
-Spikes
-Rapid Spin
-Ice Beam
-Explosion
I wanted to start out with a Spiker, and Cloyster was a natural choice. Rapid Spin is also handy to have on hand. The Nature, Ability, and EV spread, along with Leftovers gives Cloyster hopes of sticking around because I didn't just want a suicide lead. Rapid Spin may be needed later in the game, and it can take out any dragon types or re-set up Spikes. Relaxed Nature also lowers speed, making it able to immediately Rapid Spin away Skarmory's Spikes, (yes I know it's a tier up, but I plan on using the team for fun battles too.) The EVs, well, as I said I'm still newto the concept, but Cloyster's final HP left much to be desired, so I maxed that out. Special Defense was for some added longevity, and the rest punched up Ice Beam and Explosion. It seemed strange for Explosion to be on Cloyster when I wanted it to stick around for later in the battle, but even with the enhancements, Cloyster can be sure to do some major damage when it finally becomes overwhelmed. Besides, Water type is covered by the next member of the team.
Lanturn @ Leftovers
Ability: Volt Absorb
EVs: 40 HP, 252 SpA, 218 SpD
Nature: Bold
-Thunderbolt
-Surf
-Thunder Wave
-Hidden Power Psychic
I'm still looking for an appropriate fourth move on this one. I considered a Rain Dance or Sleep Talk variant, but I have a Sleep Talker, which I'll get to next, and Rain Dance doesn't help any other members of the team. This guy also makes a good Electric counter with Volt Absorb, a useful trait to have being a Water type, and the Electric type provides some resistance to Grass. Thunderbolt and Surf are standard STABs, and Thunder Wave is a common utility move. The EVs take advantage of pumping up Lanturn's Special Attack power, but the rest I just followed because it was a common spread on Smagon for the RSE Lanturn. Anyone has a better one please let me know. Bold is an unusual choice for a Nature, but I figured that Lanturn has no Physical attacks, and the EVs aren't boosting physical defense. As for the item, Leftovers is just an all around good thing to use. After noting a large Fighting weakness on the team, I switched out Confuse Ray, which was basically Filler, to Hidden Power Psychic, adding more coverage. It's worked out well so far.
Ursaring @ Leftovers
Ability: Guts
EVs: 188 HP, 252 Atk, 52 Spe, 8 Def, 12 SpD
Nature: Adamant
-Rest
-Sleep Talk
-Return
-Earthquake
This thing is well crafted to bring the most out of Ursaring's monstrous attack stats. The design combos so well it's amazing. Rest activates Ursaring's Guts Ability, leaving it to wreak havoc Sleep Talking. As for the choice of attacks, I chose Return over Double Edge, as even with Rest there's no point in shortening Ursaring's longevity unless a strong case can be made otherwise. Since I'm playing on a Game Boy it was incredibly difficult to get the Hidden Power to attack the Ghost Types that laugh at Return. I considered running Faint Attack, but with the Adamant Nature cutting into Special Attack it seemed a half-assed effort. Then I remembered that the Gengar family are also Poison types,and since Misdrevous doesn't appear that often, I upgraded to Earthquake. Adamant nature was a given, pumping that Attack even more while sacrificing nothing in Special Attack. EV spread is a bit unusual, but it's working so far, and there's really nothing to explain regarding the Leftovers.
Edit: Just remembered Gengar's Levitate. Anyone with a suggestion, I'd really appreciate it.
Houndoom @ Salac Berry
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 4 HP, 252 SpA, 252 Spe
Nature: Timid
-Sunny Day
-Flamethrower
-Solarbeam
-Pursuit
Houndoom was a favorite of mine in the GSC era, but one thing I noticed is he was too damn slow when I really needed him. The item, EVs and Nature are all there to hopefully eliminate that problem. Flash Fire is a good ability to block Fire moves on the switch. As for the moveset, it's a standard from the GSC days. Pursuit is used over Crunch as a Dark type seems to cause several switches. I'll be honest, I worry about this one, because when I use it, I still think like a GSC player, and need advice on adjusting this guy to the new environment and how to play him. This guy is also the reason I didn't put Rain Dance on Lanturn, as it doesn't go well with Sunny Day.
Solrock @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 76 Atk / 176 Def / 4 Spe
Nature: Careful
-Reflect
-Shadow Ball
-Rock Slide
-Explosion
Marowak was in this slot, but I couldn't decide between speed and power, and I already had a high attack physical sweeper in Ursaring. I guess this is an early attempt at a mix Pokemon. I would have preferred Medicham, which is a tier up. Solrock is a rock type, compounding my Fighting problem, but the Psychic type can help alleviate that problem. This is what you call a prototype, and I'm still looking for advice to help it fill its role, because I don't know what attacks or EVs to use in making this an effective Mix. Reflect lengthens longevity, something many of my Pokemon benefit from. Rock Slide and Shadow Ball provide the rock and Ghost coverage on the team not provided anywhere else. Explosion finishes things off. Other moves I thought of including were Psychic and Earthquake, though Ursaring knows that. I don't like this one right now, and its Battle record shows me it needs help.
Breloom @ Leftovers
Ability: Effect Spore
EVs: 52 HP, 252 Atk, 204 Spe
Nature: Adamant
-Spore
-Focus Punch
-Leech Seed
-Substitute
This set looked so perfectly obnoxious that I had to try it out, and man am I not disappointed. This guy is one reason I wanted Cloyster to stick around and possibly set up Spikes again, because this guy passes around switches like Halloween candy. Spore is a given, and Focus Punch works well with so many switches and sleep, bringing the vulnerability clause in the attack down to a reasonable level. I'm not usually a Substitute fan, as I prefer longevity and hate to cut down on HP, but between Leach Seed and Leftovers, I get plenty of them, and it's great to see the an opponent tugging at their hair. The EVs were recommended on Smagon, and the Adamant Nature powers Focus Punch. My only real complaint is that with Substitutes, I don't get as much out of Effect Spore as I'd like.
There's the team, and I am in need of advice. Right off the bat I see a huge vulnerability to Gengar, and I'm sure there are other holes. Any advise on the EV spreads are appreciated. Thank you so much for taking the time to help me.
