Rate My Team Phoenix

[CoolReborn]

Hello everyone, I was always poking in and poking out on this site to read warstories. Then one day, I found out this site have a simulator and I automatically join the smogon community.

Since I like reading non-OU warstories I decided to create my first NU team. Check it out:

Braviary(M)@ Life Orb
Ability: Sheer Force
EV: 56 HP/ 252 Attack/100 Defense/100 Speed
Nature: Jolly (+Spe,-SpA)
-Brave Bird
-U-Turn
-Superpower
-Roost/Thrash

This is my fast heavy striker pokemon. The sheer force+ Life Orb combo is to wreak havoc on even on the most defensive NU pokemon. Brave Bird is to add the STAB equation to the sheer force+life orb. U-Turn is for the scouting and Superpower is combat Rock/Steel pokemon. The one thing I can't make up my mind is the fourth slot. I originally put Roost in the fourth slot but I never use it so I replace it with Thrash. If the enemy don't have a Rock/Steel/bulky pokemon, I use it right away. It deal heavy damage but being stuck on Trash can be a problem.

I also invest some EVs to HP and Defense because I want Braviary to become less of a glass cannon. I'm thinking of transferring the HP EVs to speed to have a bigger advantage against most pokemon but he seem to outspeed most pokemon without the extra EV Speed boost.

Amoonguss(M)@ Black Sludge
Ability: Effect Spore
Nature: Clam(+SpD,-Attack)
EV:252 HP/252 SpD/SpA 4
-Spore
-Clear Smog/Foul Play/Toxic
-Giga Drain
-Hidden Power Ice/Water

This is my specially defensive mushroom. It can ease the pain of Special attack moves and can handle super effective STAB attacks. Spore is to stop threats from making their moves. Giga Drain is for the extra healing and the soul sucking. I'm suck on the other two slots however. I originally put Toxic in my second slot so I can poison any pokemon that switch in to replace their sleeping pokemon.

Yet again, I don't want Amoonguss to be limited to two offensive moves so I switch Toxic with Foul Play. I could use the enemy's increase power against them. However, I caught on that with a Clam nature and my EV set, Foul Play is better use on another pokemon. So I switch it with Clear Smog to deal with baton pass teams and stats modifications.

Gigalith(M)@ Leftovers
Ability: Sturdy
Nature:Adamant(Attack+, SpA-)
EV 252 HP/ 252 Attack/ 4 Defense
-Stealth Rock
-Earthquake
-Stone Edge
-Iron Defense

This is my physical hybrid and usually my lead pokemon. This pokemon have a high base Defense stat so I didn't believe that I need to invest EVs in it. Stealth Rock is for my hazard, Earthquake and Stone Edge is for the pure offensive strength. Iron Defense is a mix for me. I use it irregularly but when I use it, this pokemon become a living adamant shield. Of course if this pokemon got hit by a critical Super effective move or by a special attack, Sturdy is usually here for the rescue.

Simipour@ Salac Berry/ Liechi Berry
Ability: Gluttony
Nature:Adamant(Attack+, SpA-)
EV: 252 Attack, 252 Spe 4 HP
-Grass Knot/Gunk Shot/Rock Slide
-Shadow Claw
-Ice Punch/Waterfall
-Brick Break

My favorite one out of the elemental monkeys . This pokemon more like a glass cannon. It deal a hit but it can barely take one. I design this pokemon to take advantage of its high base Speed stats and dump EVs in it. I also dump EV to Attack since I wanted to see how a physical Simipour will turn it.

Since Gluttony is the only ability my Blue Angel can use(dream world ability is locked), I first try the Salac Berry. With the high base speed and EVs added to it, the Salac Berry will outsped even Sonic. However, while I typing on this post, I realize that adding a Salac Berry is overkill. The pokemon is already fast enough, why make it even more fast? So I trade Salac Berry for the offensive Liechi Berry. I didn't get to use it though but I hope it is a good idea.

Shadow Claw is use to resist Ghost and Psychic pokemon. I tried Ice punch before but I don't have a STAB move in my set. So I switch it out with Waterfall. Brick Break is to take down damage reducing barriers and give dark-pokemon a surprise.

I don't know about Grass Knot though. The pokemon have an Adamant nature and the negative side effect is that SpA is reduce. Grass Knot is a special attack so I'm on the fence here. It can take down heavy pokemon with good damage but now I'm seeing if I could replace it. I was thinking of replacing it with a physical move like Rock slide or Gunk Shot. Both doesn't have a 100 percent accuracy but we gotta take risks for rewards, right?

Absol @ Dark Gem/ Psychic Gem
Ability: Pressure
Nature Jolly(Attack+, SpA-)
EV: 252 Attack/4 SpD/252 Speed
-Night Slash
-Psycho Slash
-Swords Dance
-Sucker Punch

Ugh, this pokemon is a mix bag for me. Sometimes this pokemon is a great revenge killer. Night Slash for the basic STAB move. Psycho Slash is counter to mostly fighting pokemon. Sucker Punch to quickly take advantage of the enemy's greed, and Swords Dance if I predict a non-damaging move.

Sadly, this pokemon defensive stats are sub-par. I won't be surprise if this pokemon was 1HKO by a non-super effective move. I have thoughts on the back of my head to replace with pokemon but the answer is always STAB Sucker Punch.

Monferno @ Eviolite
Ability: Blaze
Nature Modest (+SpA,-Attack)
EV: 252 HP, 252 SpA, 4 Spe
-Nasty Plot
-Flamethrower
-Vacuum Wave
-Hidden Power Grass/Water/Electric

Rounding out my team is Monferno. Nasty Plot is a dangerous boost and I wanted a pokemon to base around it. I was going to pick Fire Blast but the extra PP and the 100% accuracy give flamethrower a better choice to me. Vacuum Wave is use to counter faster pokemon. I don't know which Hidden Power I should use. I want to counter Water pokemon but I'm looking for the right pick.

This team is design for high offensive and moderate defensive. Four out of my Six are offensive base and two is for the defensive role. Out of the three other NU team I create, this team is more successful one, with a 80% victory rate. I just want a secondary opinion so I can hammered out the mistakes or help make up my mind.

 

[watashi]

This is a solid team synergy wise, but there are some tweaks that need to be made.

Braviary should probably choose either a Choice'd set with U-Turn or a Roost set with Return / Brave Bird / Superpower. I think the Choice Scarf set will benefit this team more since it lacks a fast, powerful attacker. Dealing with Zangoose—who is a huge threat to your team—will be a lot easier.

Amoonguss is much more suited to being a Physical wall rather than a Special one. Your team currently lacks a reliable Fighting-type counter so I highly suggest using Physically Defensive Amoonguss over your current set.

Gigalith is outclassed by Regirock, who boasts much higher defenses that make up for the lack of Sturdy. A Specially Defensive set has great synergy with Amoonguss and the two can act as the defensive backbone of this team.

Samurott is much more suited for the role of a Physical Water-type than Simipour since it can boost its attack and has Aqua Jet to make up for its lack of speed. It has much more bulk than Simipour as well which is useful for tanking neutral hits.

Absol should use Life Orb as an item for more consistent damage output. Superpower provides much better coverage than Psycho Cut and allows Absol to hit Dark and Steel types. Psycho Cut is only useful for hitting Gurdurr, which beats Absol before a boost regardless.

Monferno's only attack that can do serious damage is Flamethrower, which is relatively weak without a Life Orb boost. On top of that, your spread makes Monferno easily revenge killed. You should try Emboar over it since it run essentially the same set except with the ability to break through Special walls such as Lickilicky using Superpower. I'm talking about the Mixed Expert Belt set, which also happens to act as a great lure for Amoonguss, who is a pain for your team to deal with right now.

Summary of changes:

Braviary —> Choice Scarf set
Amoonguss —> Physically Defensive set
Gigalith —> Regirock
Simipour —> Samurott
Life Orb and Superpower on Absol
Monferno —> Expert Belt Emboar

Set(s)

Regirock @ Leftovers
Trait: Clear Body
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SDef / 4 Atk
Careful Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Rock Slide
- Thunder Wave
- Drain Punch

Amoonguss @ Leftovers
Trait: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SDef
Bold Nature
- Giga Drain
- Spore
- Synthesis
- Sludge Bomb

Samurott @ Life Orb
Trait: Torrent
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spd / 4 Def
Jolly Nature
- Aqua Jet
- Megahorn
- Swords Dance
- Waterfall

Emboar @ Expert Belt
Trait: Blaze
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Naive Nature
- Fire Blast
- Grass Knot
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Superpower

Absol @ Life Orb
Trait: Super Luck
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spd / 4 Def
Adamant Nature
- Night Slash
- Swords Dance
- Sucker Punch
- Superpower

Braviary (M) @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Defiant
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Brave Bird
- Return
- Superpower
- U-turn

 

[CoolReborn]

Well I took FLCL advice and change most of my team.

Braviary
-Swap out Life Orb with Choice Scarf
-Added Return as my fourth slot

Simipour
-Make her a Special Offensive pokemon.

Simipour(F)@ Salac Berry
Ability: Gluttony
Nature: Modest(SpA+,Att-)
EV: 100 HP, 252 SpeA 56 Spe
-Grass Knot
-Ice Beam
-Hydro Pump/Scald
-Nasty Plot

Since this pokemon can take a hit, Nasty Plot is a great way to spread the terror of specially offensive moves. Once the Gluttony ability kick in, the speed boost is the kick she need to create a possible sweep or early punishment. Hydro Pump is for the high STAB but I might switch it for Scald for the 100 percent accuracy, extra PP, and the possibility of a burn status.

Side note-I tried Samurott as a physical offensive pokemon and I realize I have enough offensive physical pokemon on my team. Also aqua jet is not working out for me.


Replacements

Amoonguss---> Beheeyem

Beheeyem(M)@ Chesto Berry
Ability:Synchronize
Nature: Calm(SpA+,Att-)
-Physic
-Calm Mind
-Rest
-Shadow Ball
EV: 100 HP/200 SpA/208 SpA

At a cost of a slightly lower speed and the cost of Spore, Beheeyem can take a better Specially Defensive role compared to Amoonguss. With the powerful Physic move, it can take down the dreaded Fighting pokemon with ease. Shadow Ball is to counter Ghost and Physic pokemon. Calm Mind is for giving the extra support but I might switch out for Barrier for the +2 Defense Boost. Rest is for healing and to create a stall.

Gigalith----->Regirock

Regirock(?)@ Leftovers
Ability: Clear Mind
Natue:Impish(+Def,-SpA)
-Stealth Rock
-Earthquake
-Stone Edge
-Thunder Wave
EV: 252 HP/200 SpD/56 Att

I'm going to miss Bruce but Regirock is the far better choice. This pokemon is the equivalent of Gigalith 2.0. + legendary edition. Stealth Rock is for the hazard, Thunder Wave is to stricken those annoying Cinccinos, Stone Edge and Earthquake is to help Regirock defend himself.

Monferno----> Emboar

Emboar(F)@ Expert Belt
Ability: Blaze
Nature:Adamant(+Att,-SpA)
-Wild Charge
-Hammer Arm
-Fire Blitz
-Earthquake
EV: 216 HP/ 252 Att/40 Spe

The generation shift pays off. This pokemon is an absolute monster on the field. Fire Blitz is for the heavy damage and give me enough recoil damage to active the Blaze ability. I was going to pick Superpower but with the deduction of Attack and Defense vs. the deduction speed, I pick the weaker poison. Wild Charge is to resist Water type and Earthquake is to fight against other Fire types. I might dump the 20 EV Defense and 20 EV Special Defense for 40 EV Speed but maybe at a different time.

Absol----> Ampharos--->Altaria@ Wide Lens
Ability: Nature Cure
Nature: Jolly(+Spe,-SpA)
-Dragon Rush/Dragon Claw
-Cotton Guard
-Roost
-Heal Bell
EV:252 HP/160 Att/96 Spe

After I battle a team with an Ampharos with a Heal bell, I thought it was a perfect addition to my team. I swap out the glass cannon Absol with a Medic Ampharos. With only one weakness and a Hell Bell, I can safety heal my team from status problems. He was doing fine until I found a better Medic for my team: Altaria. It has access to Heal Bell and Roost, so I can take a hit, heal my team, take a hit again, then roost off the damage. Cotton Guard is for the extra defense, and Dragon Rush is to let the pokemon defend herself. Plus I have a chance for a flinch. I'm leaning for Dragon Claw because of the 100% accuracy but with only one offensive move, the extra damage balance it out.

In my second overhaul, I create a more balanced team. A team that varies instead of an all out attack with only two defenders guarding my castle. With increase knowledge in battling and predicting, I don't lose that big compared to my old team. Even if I lose, team phoenix will rise from the ashes and strike back!

 

[Alfalfa]

Trying to balance out the stats is a horrible idea. You have to live with low stats in some areas. Also, make sure the EV spread for each stat is divisible by four; otherwise, you waste precious EVs.

 

[CoolReborn]

Good point

Altaria
EV:161 HP/158 Def/60 Att/100 SpD/29 Spe----> EV: 252 HP/160 Att/96 Spe

Regirock
EV: 252 HP/150 SpD/56 Att/50 Def---->EV: 252 HP/200 SpD/56 Att

Emboar
EV: 216 HP/252 Att/20 Def/20 SpD---> EV: 216 HP/ 252 Att/40 Spe

 

[jake]

hey there bud,

i'm really curious about your ev spread decisions - they're very strange, and i don't understand the reasoning behind any of them. i'd like to suggest that you don't just mess with evs arbitrarily. unless you have a specific purpose for your evs that you can prove with damage calculations (here is a link to a good one) or speed numbers, you should stick to the evs listed on smogon's dex.

for example, you have 96 speed evs listed on altaria. it gets altaria to 220 speed, but amazingly enough, absolutely nothing important is in that range for altaria. you actually undercut timid gorebyss by 3 points, meaning you're outsped and cleanly OHKOed by ice beam. not exactly what you wanted to happen, right? likewise, unless the investment in defenses on anything actually makes a difference against a relevant pokemon (in most cases, it won't), you shouldn't diverge from the given spreads that have basically been tried and tested by experienced players who know what they're doing. i'd really like you to revert to smogon-tested ev spreads unless you have a very specific reasoning behind why you chose each spread. i'll give you the standard spreads for each pokemon in the summary when i've finished talking about everything else.

a few of your moveset decisions are also somewhat questionable. a few pokemon are relatively easy to fix - for example, emboar should be using head smash instead of earthquake, because eq hits nothing important and head smash allows you to drill altaria, who resists your STAB moves. regirock should also be using drain punch > earthquake, since the power difference is minimal and drain punch gives regirock a very welcome form of recovery outside of leftovers. beyond that, though, i'm actually somewhat bewildered at your decision to replace amoonguss entirely for beheeyem. what does beheeyem have over something like musharna, who has much better bulk (although i still think you're using it for the wrong reasons)? if you're really adamant about using a psychic-type there, you should be using physically defensive musharna, but to be honest amoonguss would have done just fine.

i'm also a bit concerned about your altaria set - what is it meant to do? how is it effective, at all? you boost with cotton guard and you have heal bell to prevent status, but when your only means of actually beating something is a move with imperfect accuracy off of a base 70 (aka, mediocre or bad) attack stat, you're really not getting anything done at all. i feel that altaria was a bad replacement for the previous absol, who at least helped you against fast sweepers / opposing psychic-types. this altaria set does absolutely nothing for you, i'm afraid. :( whether you want to keep altaria or replace it with something entirely different, i highly recommend you change it.

summary

return all of your ev spreads to smogon standards

252 hp / 252 atk / 4 spdef @ adamant on regirock
252 atk / 4 def / 252 spe @ adamant on braviary
4 hp / 252 atk / 252 spe @ jolly on emboar
4 hp / 252 spa / 252 spe @ timid on simipour​

head smash > earthquake on emboar
drain punch > earthquake on regirock

physically defensive musharna > beheeyem

musharna @ leftovers | synchronize
bold nature (+def, -atk) | 252 hp / 240 def / 16 spe
psychic / signal beam / calm mind / moonlight

something useful > altaria

another altaria set, akin to what you were looking for

altaria @ leftovers | natural cure
calm nature (+spd, -atk) | 248 hp / 8 def / 252 spdef
roost / roar or perish song / heal bell / dragon pulse​

anyway, i hope i helped clarify a few things and that you continue to enjoy competitive battling