I forbade myself from using any legendaries or Ubers, and any moves that can't be obtained purely in Gen VI. I've tried the team out on Pokemon Showdown with positive results, and intend to soon create it in Pokemon X, after some help with tweaking.
Gengar/Mega Gengar @ Gengarite
Ability: Levitate/Shadow Tag
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Nature: Timid
- Shadow Ball
- Substitute
- Focus Blast
- Sludge Bomb
My original intention was for Gengar to be a spinblocker, but it turns out that Mega Gengar's stellar Speed and SpecAtk make it a good front-line combatant too. Its Speed is so high that revenge-killing it is very difficult, and it's able to outpace almost every opponent I've encountered except Gale Wing Talonflame.
I've forgone Disable in this setup for Sludge Bomb instead. This was for two reasons- Firstly, I didn't have confidence in my own strategic ability to use Disable to its full potential, and secondly, for Fairy and Grass coverage.
There are some opponents Megagar can't handle consistently, though. Mega Kangashan tends to break through Substitute with the first hit and then take down Gengar with the child's follow-up blow. I'm sure an unexpected priority move would do significant damage to it too. Nonetheless, this mon really seems to work well when I can predict a switch and get him onto the field with full HP, and he's actually quite the revenge-killer himself.
Rotom-W @ Chesto Berry
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 232 HP / 56 SAtk / 220 Spd
Nature: Modest
- Volt Switch
- Hydro Pump
- Will-O-Wisp
- Rest
Rotom finds less use than Gengar comparatively, but is still quite useful to have around. Hydro Pump is a good damage dealer, and not commonly resisted, so it's good when I don't know if the opponent will switch out or not. I've not found as much application for Volt Switch, though, which might be due to my inexperience. I'm used to switching when a Pokemon is low on HP, not when it's freshly out. Do I just need more skill in its use, or would I be better off switching out the move for something else?
Will-O-Wisp is great for incapacitating physical attackers, but I've still found little use for Rest+Chesto. It seems to be a tad situational, which feels like an odd thing to say about a full-heal move. I guess because Rotom usually goes second, and if I were that fearful of its safety, I'd use Volt Switch instead to get in a replacement unharmed. What do you think?
Azumarill @Sitrus Berry Choice Band
Ability: Huge Power
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def
Nature: Adamant
- Aqua Jet
- Play Rough
-Belly Drum Superpower
- Waterfall
A sweeper who's not much of a sweeper. The main purpose I've actually had for Azumarill is in its priority move, defeating fast opponents like Gale Wing Talonflame or Mega Gengar. I've found very little chance to make use of Belly Drum, which probably means I need to get a tad better at predicting switches (or just need to be a bit braver). The sitrus berry is meant to be for recovery from Belly Drum, but actually it's just been used for general recovery more than anything else, since this Azumarill's set lacks any other healing. Similar, I've found little use for Waterfall despite its greater power, and Azumarill's too slow to make use of the flinch chance. What if I switched out Waterfall for Aqua Ring? And should I get into the habit of using Belly Drum more? Aqua Jet would become a true force to be reckoned with if I did...
Edit: Okay, so I'm removing Belly Drum and Sitrus Berry and going with a Choice Band to allow Aqua jet to take down more stuff. Superpower will allow me to defeat an already-injured Ferrothorn.
Gliscor @ Toxic Orb
Ability: Poison Heal
EVs: 244 HP / 40 Def / 224 Spd
Nature: Impish
- Earthquake
- Substitute
- Toxic
- Protect
A brilliant physical tank. The only time it gets in trouble is with opponents that are vulnerable to neither ground nor poisoning. Its 4x ice weakness isn't too troubling usually, though sometimes I get surprised by a water attack. Fortunately, Protect is useful for scouting in that regard, and with Toxic Orb I can even regain some health while I'm at it! I have few to no concerns with this mon.
Ferrothorn @ Leftovers
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 48 Def / 208 SDef
Nature: Relaxed
0 IV in Speed
- Stealth Rock
- Leech Seed
- Power Whip
- Gyro Ball
I'm glad I didn't take both Spikes and Stealth Rock. The combination of Power Whip and Gyro Ball gives Ferrothorn surprisingly good coverage against a variety of opponents, and even with its poor attack, its low speed means Gyro Ball hits very, very hard. Some opponents try to bust through Ferrothorn, but it usually doesn't work out well for them unless they have fire, especially with Iron Barbs, Leftovers and Leech Seed all working against them. This is often the first pokemon I send out, unless the opponent has an opponent that can Magic Bounce, which leaves two of Ferrothorn's attacks unusable.
Excadrill @ Air Balloon
Ability: Mold Breaker
EVs: 176 HP / 60 Atk / 252 SDef / 20 Spd
Nature: Adamant
- Rapid Spin
- Earthquake
- Swords Dance
- Rock Slide
Honestly, Excadrill actually feels like the weakest link in this team. As reassuring as it is to have a spinner, he's not very fast, and even when he can survive against his opponent, he doesn't seem to bring much to the table that the rest of the team can't do better. Aqua Jet seems to find better use than Rock Slide, and my team is very resilient to Toxic Spikes and not too vulnerable to Stealth Rock, so spinning rarely actually happens. Furthermore, while he's a force to be reckoned with when he's used Swords Dance, his coverage is patchy and his speed is too low for effective sweeping. Weakness to ground isn't reassuring either, and his Air Balloon never sticks around.
I won't pretend Excadrill hasn't come in useful at times, and he does have some capabilities that Gliscor lacks. But still, that's a looot of flaws. Is there a better alternative? A different set, or a different spinner altogether?
I'm close to satisfied with this team's performance, but I've reached the peak of what my limited knowledge can offer. Just a few tweaks, and I get the feeling this team is one that will keep me lastingly contented, at least until the Bank is released.
Gengar/Mega Gengar @ Gengarite
Ability: Levitate/Shadow Tag
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Nature: Timid
- Shadow Ball
- Substitute
- Focus Blast
- Sludge Bomb
My original intention was for Gengar to be a spinblocker, but it turns out that Mega Gengar's stellar Speed and SpecAtk make it a good front-line combatant too. Its Speed is so high that revenge-killing it is very difficult, and it's able to outpace almost every opponent I've encountered except Gale Wing Talonflame.
I've forgone Disable in this setup for Sludge Bomb instead. This was for two reasons- Firstly, I didn't have confidence in my own strategic ability to use Disable to its full potential, and secondly, for Fairy and Grass coverage.
There are some opponents Megagar can't handle consistently, though. Mega Kangashan tends to break through Substitute with the first hit and then take down Gengar with the child's follow-up blow. I'm sure an unexpected priority move would do significant damage to it too. Nonetheless, this mon really seems to work well when I can predict a switch and get him onto the field with full HP, and he's actually quite the revenge-killer himself.
Rotom-W @ Chesto Berry
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 232 HP / 56 SAtk / 220 Spd
Nature: Modest
- Volt Switch
- Hydro Pump
- Will-O-Wisp
- Rest
Rotom finds less use than Gengar comparatively, but is still quite useful to have around. Hydro Pump is a good damage dealer, and not commonly resisted, so it's good when I don't know if the opponent will switch out or not. I've not found as much application for Volt Switch, though, which might be due to my inexperience. I'm used to switching when a Pokemon is low on HP, not when it's freshly out. Do I just need more skill in its use, or would I be better off switching out the move for something else?
Will-O-Wisp is great for incapacitating physical attackers, but I've still found little use for Rest+Chesto. It seems to be a tad situational, which feels like an odd thing to say about a full-heal move. I guess because Rotom usually goes second, and if I were that fearful of its safety, I'd use Volt Switch instead to get in a replacement unharmed. What do you think?
Azumarill @
Ability: Huge Power
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def
Nature: Adamant
- Aqua Jet
- Play Rough
-
- Waterfall
A sweeper who's not much of a sweeper. The main purpose I've actually had for Azumarill is in its priority move, defeating fast opponents like Gale Wing Talonflame or Mega Gengar. I've found very little chance to make use of Belly Drum, which probably means I need to get a tad better at predicting switches (or just need to be a bit braver). The sitrus berry is meant to be for recovery from Belly Drum, but actually it's just been used for general recovery more than anything else, since this Azumarill's set lacks any other healing. Similar, I've found little use for Waterfall despite its greater power, and Azumarill's too slow to make use of the flinch chance. What if I switched out Waterfall for Aqua Ring? And should I get into the habit of using Belly Drum more? Aqua Jet would become a true force to be reckoned with if I did...
Edit: Okay, so I'm removing Belly Drum and Sitrus Berry and going with a Choice Band to allow Aqua jet to take down more stuff. Superpower will allow me to defeat an already-injured Ferrothorn.
Gliscor @ Toxic Orb
Ability: Poison Heal
EVs: 244 HP / 40 Def / 224 Spd
Nature: Impish
- Earthquake
- Substitute
- Toxic
- Protect
A brilliant physical tank. The only time it gets in trouble is with opponents that are vulnerable to neither ground nor poisoning. Its 4x ice weakness isn't too troubling usually, though sometimes I get surprised by a water attack. Fortunately, Protect is useful for scouting in that regard, and with Toxic Orb I can even regain some health while I'm at it! I have few to no concerns with this mon.
Ferrothorn @ Leftovers
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 48 Def / 208 SDef
Nature: Relaxed
0 IV in Speed
- Stealth Rock
- Leech Seed
- Power Whip
- Gyro Ball
I'm glad I didn't take both Spikes and Stealth Rock. The combination of Power Whip and Gyro Ball gives Ferrothorn surprisingly good coverage against a variety of opponents, and even with its poor attack, its low speed means Gyro Ball hits very, very hard. Some opponents try to bust through Ferrothorn, but it usually doesn't work out well for them unless they have fire, especially with Iron Barbs, Leftovers and Leech Seed all working against them. This is often the first pokemon I send out, unless the opponent has an opponent that can Magic Bounce, which leaves two of Ferrothorn's attacks unusable.
Excadrill @ Air Balloon
Ability: Mold Breaker
EVs: 176 HP / 60 Atk / 252 SDef / 20 Spd
Nature: Adamant
- Rapid Spin
- Earthquake
- Swords Dance
- Rock Slide
Honestly, Excadrill actually feels like the weakest link in this team. As reassuring as it is to have a spinner, he's not very fast, and even when he can survive against his opponent, he doesn't seem to bring much to the table that the rest of the team can't do better. Aqua Jet seems to find better use than Rock Slide, and my team is very resilient to Toxic Spikes and not too vulnerable to Stealth Rock, so spinning rarely actually happens. Furthermore, while he's a force to be reckoned with when he's used Swords Dance, his coverage is patchy and his speed is too low for effective sweeping. Weakness to ground isn't reassuring either, and his Air Balloon never sticks around.
I won't pretend Excadrill hasn't come in useful at times, and he does have some capabilities that Gliscor lacks. But still, that's a looot of flaws. Is there a better alternative? A different set, or a different spinner altogether?
I'm close to satisfied with this team's performance, but I've reached the peak of what my limited knowledge can offer. Just a few tweaks, and I get the feeling this team is one that will keep me lastingly contented, at least until the Bank is released.
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