Hello, Smogon! Well, this is my first RMT I've posted on here, so I would greatly appreciate any advice for my team that you could give me. This team is based around the classic offensive duo of Latios and Lucario, with support given to help facilitate Lucario's sweep. To start off, here's my team building process.
Team Building Process
When I started building the team, I decided to base it around a powerful offensive duo that could cover the others weakness's. I decided on the the core of Latios and Swords Dance Lucario, thanks to their perfect synergy with each other and their ability to destroy teams.
Next I decided to add some form of support for the core. I figured what would most help Lucario sweep would be paralysis support, as it would allow Lucario to rely less on Extreemespeed to kill enemies and just spam it's devestating Close Combats. After some thought, I went with the (strange) decision of Porygon2, due to it's immense bulk (with eviolite), boltbeam coverage, and paralysis support.
Now that I had my offensive core done and a way to support it, I decided to add in a defensive core that could help weaken an opposing team for a sweep. I eventually settled for a defensive core of Gliscor and Jirachi, which gave me Toxic support, Stealth Rocks, Wish support, and even more paralysis.
At this point I ran out of ideas, so I lazily just added in Starmie as a revenge killer.
After some testing, I found that Starmie was, unsurprisingly, not cutting it. Judging from my previous battles, Rain was a huge pain for me to try to handle, as was status problems in general. Also, my team lacked a Grass type attack, which in this metagame infested with Gastrodon, Rotom-W and such, I found to be almost a necessity. I decided to try to fix all the problems I had with an old favorite of mine, Poison Heal Breloom, putting my team where it is now.
The Team
Gliscor (M)
Item: Toxic Orb
Ability: Poison Heal
EVs: 252 HP / 184 Def / 72 Spe
Nature: Impish (+ Def, - Sp. Atk)
- Earthquake
- Taunt
- Toxic
- Protect
Possibly the MVP, Gliscor is incredible. It's amazing physical Defense lets it take almost any physical attack, even a few super effective ones. Thanks to Poison Heal, it heals a huge amount of HP each turn, and when combined with Protect, it can heal off most damage done to it rather easily. It's also not crippled by status, meaning I can switch it into an obvious Will-o-Wisp or Toxic without worry. As for it's moves, Earthquake is it's only attack, but it's all it really needs. With STAB and Gliscor's actually nice Atk. stat, Earthquake can hit for a nice amount of damage on neutral targets. Taunt is fantastic, totally shutting down walls like Ferrothorn or Blissey, and keeping enemies from setting up. It's due to this that Gliscor is on the field most of the time. Toxic let's it cripple walls, and can potentially stall to death with it's last move, Protect. Protect allows Gliscor to stall foes and their Toxic damage, as well as stall for more Poison Heal Hp. In worst case scenario's, I can sometimes spam Protect and get lucky to get more stall time. Overall, amazing pokemon.
Jirachi
Item: Leftovers
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 HP / 224 SpD / 32 Spe
Nature: Careful (+ Sp. Def, - Sp. Atk)
-Iron Head
-Body Slam
-Wish
-Stealth Rock
Ah, Specially Defensive Jirachi. Somehow it always seems to end up on every team I build. Anyway, Jirachi forms the second half of my main defensive core, and along with Gliscor can take most attacks the world throws at them. Jirachi also is the one on my team who sets up Stealth Rocks, which is, as everyone knows, incredibly helpful. Aside from that, Jirachi provides paralysis support in the form of Body Slam, which most of the time works. Once something is paralyzed, it faces the very real risk of being flinched to death by Jirachi's Iron Head. It's happened once or twice that Jirachi has been able to kill a Magnezone, something that is supposed to counter Jirachi, using this method. It's the kind of thing that turns the tides of matches in my favor. On top of all that, it also provides wish support, which can provide healing to one of my sweepers or save a dying wall. Jirachi's numerous uses easily merits it's spot on the team.
Porygon2
Item: Eviolite
Ability: Trace
EVs: 252 HP / 184 Def / 72 SpD
Nature: Bold (+ Def, - Atk)
-Discharge
-Ice Beam
-Thunder Wave
-Recover
Yeah, Porygon2... Strange decision on my part, but... it works surprisingly well here. With the EVs and Eviolite, it has some of the highest defenses in the game. If Gliscor or Jirachi can't take it, Proygon2 can. The lack of resistances is hardly an issue with those defenses, and with it's only weakness being to fighting, it's relatively easy to keep safe. Trace, I've found, is actually very good. Being able to trace Intimidate, Water Absorb, Levitate, Multiscale, Speed Boost, Storm Drain, Natural Cure... the list goes on. It can really give Porygon2 some interesting advantages and lets it check so many things. As for it's moves, Discharge and Ice Beam form the famous BoltBeam combination that so little resists. I chose Discharge over Thunderbolt as the lack of power isn't very noticeable, but the extra paralysis is. Ice Beam, is of course, a solid Ice-type attack that slaughters Dragons. Not much to say there. Thunder Wave is for when I want something to be paralyzed and don't want to risk Discharge not working. Very useful. Lastly, Recover is near mandatory to keep Porygon2 alive. Also, with Porygon2's simply astounding defenses, if it's able to go first, (which is easy enough with Thunder Wave) it can Recover off more damage than the opponent can do to it that turn. Despite it being UU, I feel that Porygon2 still works remarkably well on this team, and it's huge defenses have yet to let me down.
Breloom (M)
Item: Toxic Orb
Ability: Poison Heal
EVs: 236 HP / 212 SpD / 60 Spe
Nature: Careful (+ Sp. Def, - Sp. Atk)
-Bulk Up
-Spore
-Drain Punch
-Seed Bomb
The newest member of my team: Bulk Up Breloom. While I had my doubts about it when I first added it in, it quickly proved it's worth. With the EV investment it has, it can take special attacks rather nicely, and is incredibly useful against rain teams. It can even take Ice Beams most of the time, meaning it can easily set up against the Water Pokemon found on rain teams. In terms of moves, Spore is the move seen on all Breloom, as guaranteed sleep is simply too good to pass up. Being able to completely shut down a pokemon is invaluable, and helps provide numerous set up opportunities. Bulk Up is amazing on Breloom, boosting it's attack to devastating heights and making its weaker defense good. After a few Bulk Ups, it's more than capable of demolishing teams single handedly. Seed Bomb is it's strongest attack, and provides the incredibly useful Grass type attack my team needs. Drain Punch is a secondary STAB and provides even more healing on top of Poison Heal, and can often save Breloom when it OHKO's opponents. Poison Heal is, again, incredible, as it can protect Breloom from being crippled from Burn or Paralysis, and provides massive healing at the end of every turn. The sheer offensive and defensive power Breloom has, I think, made it a better fit than Starmie on this team.
Latios (M)
Item: Expert Belt
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Nature: Timid (+ Spe, - Atk)
-Draco Meteor
-Surf
-Hidden Power (Fire)
-Psyshock
One of the two main stars of the team. I've changed Latios' item from Life Orb to Expert Belt, which helps preserve Latios' health and lets me bluff a choice item, which usually lets me get an extra kill. Latios serves as a sort of revenge killer on the team, being it's fastest member. Being the fastest dragon in the game (along with Latias) helps immensely when I need an opposing dragon dead immediately. Draco Meteor absolutely destroys things, though I tend to use it only when I plan on switching out right after or Latios has done enough damage with it's other attacks. Even after one Draco Meteor it still has enough power to kill a weakened Pokemon, which is very useful at times. Surf hits things like Heatran for great damage and getting a boost in the rain. HP Fire gets (almost) perfect coverage with Draco Meteor, and flat out kills things like Ferrothorn, Scizor (if hit on the switch, otherwise Latios might get killed) and Skarmory with Sturdy broken. Psyshock is the move I tend to keep hidden for awhile, as most people don't expect it and think that Chansey/Blissey and Tentacruel are safe switches. Those Pokemon are either flat out destroyed or severely hurt by Psyshock. It also destroys just about any Fighting type it hits super effectively, which is very helpful. Also, thanks to its good HP and Sp. Def, it can get onto the field without getting too badly hurt. Also, Latios naturally lures in Dark type attacks, which is useful for the last pokemon on my team...
Lucario (M)
Item: Life Orb
Ability: Justified
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Nature: Adamant (+ Atk, - Sp. Atk)
-Swords Dance
-Close Combat
-ExtreemeSpeed
-Crunch
The main focus of my team. If Lucario is able to successfully set up and it's (few) counters have been removed, it will wreck the opponents team. Seriously. It's Close Combat can OHKO Skarmory if Sturdy is broken. That's impressive, to say the least. The trick is to allow it to set up, and remove the few things that can stop it. Luckily, my team's support allows for numerous opportunities, such as Breloom's Spore or the paralysis support from Jirachi and Porygon2. Speaking of paralysis support, while ExtreemeSpeed is nice and all, it can sometimes leave bulkier things alive with just a little HP left, which can spell Lucario's doom. The paralysis Jirachi and Porygon2 provide allow it to spam Close Combat without worry and kill the things it couldn't with ExtreemeSpeed. Anyway, Swords Dance is obvious, as after one use Lucario's attack power skyrockets. Close Combat kills everything that doesn't resist it. ExtreemSpeed lets Lucario kill faster threats and weakened foes easily. Crunch is there to get rid of Ghosts and Psychics that will try to take a Close Combat. Now about Justified... While it is somewhat difficult to activate as dark attacks are kind of rare , if it is able to activate, and Lucario can get up a Swords Dance, then it's almost guaranteed GG. Almost nothing can take a 2.5 boosted ExtreemeSpeed, let alone it's other attacks. I feel it's better than Lucario's other options, at least.
So, that's my team! I would very much appreciate any feedback you could give me. If you feel that there is anything that I ought to change on my team, please tell me. Here are some things I thought about:
-Breloom: I am aware of Technician Breloom, but I'm currently content with what I'm using. If you think that Technician Breloom would be a better fit, I am willing to try it out.
-Gliscor: My main question here is should I use Protect or Roost? Protect of course has the nice protection and scouting properties, while Roost gives it a real form of healing. Give me your feedback on that.
-Latios: Here I'm really just open to suggestions. Any ideas for a better item or a moveset modification will be welcome.
-Lucario: Mostly just if moves like Bullet Punch or Ice Punch would be a better fit than Crunch. I think Crunch is good for now though.
So, I hope this was an interesting RMT. It is my first RMT, so please pardon me if I made mistakes here and there. Again, please leave feedback!
Gliscor (M)
Item: Toxic Orb
Ability: Poison Heal
EVs: 252 HP / 184 Def / 72 Spe
Nature: Impish (+ Def, - Sp. Atk)
- Earthquake
- Taunt
- Toxic
- Protect
Possibly the MVP, Gliscor is incredible. It's amazing physical Defense lets it take almost any physical attack, even a few super effective ones. Thanks to Poison Heal, it heals a huge amount of HP each turn, and when combined with Protect, it can heal off most damage done to it rather easily. It's also not crippled by status, meaning I can switch it into an obvious Will-o-Wisp or Toxic without worry. As for it's moves, Earthquake is it's only attack, but it's all it really needs. With STAB and Gliscor's actually nice Atk. stat, Earthquake can hit for a nice amount of damage on neutral targets. Taunt is fantastic, totally shutting down walls like Ferrothorn or Blissey, and keeping enemies from setting up. It's due to this that Gliscor is on the field most of the time. Toxic let's it cripple walls, and can potentially stall to death with it's last move, Protect. Protect allows Gliscor to stall foes and their Toxic damage, as well as stall for more Poison Heal Hp. In worst case scenario's, I can sometimes spam Protect and get lucky to get more stall time. Overall, amazing pokemon.
Jirachi
Item: Leftovers
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 HP / 224 SpD / 32 Spe
Nature: Careful (+ Sp. Def, - Sp. Atk)
-Iron Head
-Body Slam
-Wish
-Stealth Rock
Ah, Specially Defensive Jirachi. Somehow it always seems to end up on every team I build. Anyway, Jirachi forms the second half of my main defensive core, and along with Gliscor can take most attacks the world throws at them. Jirachi also is the one on my team who sets up Stealth Rocks, which is, as everyone knows, incredibly helpful. Aside from that, Jirachi provides paralysis support in the form of Body Slam, which most of the time works. Once something is paralyzed, it faces the very real risk of being flinched to death by Jirachi's Iron Head. It's happened once or twice that Jirachi has been able to kill a Magnezone, something that is supposed to counter Jirachi, using this method. It's the kind of thing that turns the tides of matches in my favor. On top of all that, it also provides wish support, which can provide healing to one of my sweepers or save a dying wall. Jirachi's numerous uses easily merits it's spot on the team.
Porygon2
Item: Eviolite
Ability: Trace
EVs: 252 HP / 184 Def / 72 SpD
Nature: Bold (+ Def, - Atk)
-Discharge
-Ice Beam
-Thunder Wave
-Recover
Yeah, Porygon2... Strange decision on my part, but... it works surprisingly well here. With the EVs and Eviolite, it has some of the highest defenses in the game. If Gliscor or Jirachi can't take it, Proygon2 can. The lack of resistances is hardly an issue with those defenses, and with it's only weakness being to fighting, it's relatively easy to keep safe. Trace, I've found, is actually very good. Being able to trace Intimidate, Water Absorb, Levitate, Multiscale, Speed Boost, Storm Drain, Natural Cure... the list goes on. It can really give Porygon2 some interesting advantages and lets it check so many things. As for it's moves, Discharge and Ice Beam form the famous BoltBeam combination that so little resists. I chose Discharge over Thunderbolt as the lack of power isn't very noticeable, but the extra paralysis is. Ice Beam, is of course, a solid Ice-type attack that slaughters Dragons. Not much to say there. Thunder Wave is for when I want something to be paralyzed and don't want to risk Discharge not working. Very useful. Lastly, Recover is near mandatory to keep Porygon2 alive. Also, with Porygon2's simply astounding defenses, if it's able to go first, (which is easy enough with Thunder Wave) it can Recover off more damage than the opponent can do to it that turn. Despite it being UU, I feel that Porygon2 still works remarkably well on this team, and it's huge defenses have yet to let me down.
Breloom (M)
Item: Toxic Orb
Ability: Poison Heal
EVs: 236 HP / 212 SpD / 60 Spe
Nature: Careful (+ Sp. Def, - Sp. Atk)
-Bulk Up
-Spore
-Drain Punch
-Seed Bomb
The newest member of my team: Bulk Up Breloom. While I had my doubts about it when I first added it in, it quickly proved it's worth. With the EV investment it has, it can take special attacks rather nicely, and is incredibly useful against rain teams. It can even take Ice Beams most of the time, meaning it can easily set up against the Water Pokemon found on rain teams. In terms of moves, Spore is the move seen on all Breloom, as guaranteed sleep is simply too good to pass up. Being able to completely shut down a pokemon is invaluable, and helps provide numerous set up opportunities. Bulk Up is amazing on Breloom, boosting it's attack to devastating heights and making its weaker defense good. After a few Bulk Ups, it's more than capable of demolishing teams single handedly. Seed Bomb is it's strongest attack, and provides the incredibly useful Grass type attack my team needs. Drain Punch is a secondary STAB and provides even more healing on top of Poison Heal, and can often save Breloom when it OHKO's opponents. Poison Heal is, again, incredible, as it can protect Breloom from being crippled from Burn or Paralysis, and provides massive healing at the end of every turn. The sheer offensive and defensive power Breloom has, I think, made it a better fit than Starmie on this team.
Latios (M)
Item: Expert Belt
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Nature: Timid (+ Spe, - Atk)
-Draco Meteor
-Surf
-Hidden Power (Fire)
-Psyshock
One of the two main stars of the team. I've changed Latios' item from Life Orb to Expert Belt, which helps preserve Latios' health and lets me bluff a choice item, which usually lets me get an extra kill. Latios serves as a sort of revenge killer on the team, being it's fastest member. Being the fastest dragon in the game (along with Latias) helps immensely when I need an opposing dragon dead immediately. Draco Meteor absolutely destroys things, though I tend to use it only when I plan on switching out right after or Latios has done enough damage with it's other attacks. Even after one Draco Meteor it still has enough power to kill a weakened Pokemon, which is very useful at times. Surf hits things like Heatran for great damage and getting a boost in the rain. HP Fire gets (almost) perfect coverage with Draco Meteor, and flat out kills things like Ferrothorn, Scizor (if hit on the switch, otherwise Latios might get killed) and Skarmory with Sturdy broken. Psyshock is the move I tend to keep hidden for awhile, as most people don't expect it and think that Chansey/Blissey and Tentacruel are safe switches. Those Pokemon are either flat out destroyed or severely hurt by Psyshock. It also destroys just about any Fighting type it hits super effectively, which is very helpful. Also, thanks to its good HP and Sp. Def, it can get onto the field without getting too badly hurt. Also, Latios naturally lures in Dark type attacks, which is useful for the last pokemon on my team...
Lucario (M)
Item: Life Orb
Ability: Justified
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Nature: Adamant (+ Atk, - Sp. Atk)
-Swords Dance
-Close Combat
-ExtreemeSpeed
-Crunch
The main focus of my team. If Lucario is able to successfully set up and it's (few) counters have been removed, it will wreck the opponents team. Seriously. It's Close Combat can OHKO Skarmory if Sturdy is broken. That's impressive, to say the least. The trick is to allow it to set up, and remove the few things that can stop it. Luckily, my team's support allows for numerous opportunities, such as Breloom's Spore or the paralysis support from Jirachi and Porygon2. Speaking of paralysis support, while ExtreemeSpeed is nice and all, it can sometimes leave bulkier things alive with just a little HP left, which can spell Lucario's doom. The paralysis Jirachi and Porygon2 provide allow it to spam Close Combat without worry and kill the things it couldn't with ExtreemeSpeed. Anyway, Swords Dance is obvious, as after one use Lucario's attack power skyrockets. Close Combat kills everything that doesn't resist it. ExtreemSpeed lets Lucario kill faster threats and weakened foes easily. Crunch is there to get rid of Ghosts and Psychics that will try to take a Close Combat. Now about Justified... While it is somewhat difficult to activate as dark attacks are kind of rare , if it is able to activate, and Lucario can get up a Swords Dance, then it's almost guaranteed GG. Almost nothing can take a 2.5 boosted ExtreemeSpeed, let alone it's other attacks. I feel it's better than Lucario's other options, at least.
So, that's my team! I would very much appreciate any feedback you could give me. If you feel that there is anything that I ought to change on my team, please tell me. Here are some things I thought about:
-Breloom: I am aware of Technician Breloom, but I'm currently content with what I'm using. If you think that Technician Breloom would be a better fit, I am willing to try it out.
-Gliscor: My main question here is should I use Protect or Roost? Protect of course has the nice protection and scouting properties, while Roost gives it a real form of healing. Give me your feedback on that.
-Latios: Here I'm really just open to suggestions. Any ideas for a better item or a moveset modification will be welcome.
-Lucario: Mostly just if moves like Bullet Punch or Ice Punch would be a better fit than Crunch. I think Crunch is good for now though.
So, I hope this was an interesting RMT. It is my first RMT, so please pardon me if I made mistakes here and there. Again, please leave feedback!
