Rating Practice Teams + Tutor Programme Round #33

[IronBullet]

Welcome to the latest round of the Rating Practice Teams project! If you're an aspiring rater, then this project will hopefully allow you to pick up on and address any problems with your rating by providing you with teams that have been specifically made to be as tough to rate as possible, and which will make you think creatively in order to find the best changes for the team. Any rates we receive will be replied to with individual feedback from an official Team Rater. At the end of the round, we'll give some general hints and feedback on how things went, and post the best rate that we received as an example of how to rate effectively.

We've decided that it's time to give the old Rating 101 Programme another shot, and so we're bringing it back as a part of this project. Here's how it will work: the project will proceed as normal initially, but after the official TR provides feedback for the rate submitted, the person who submitted the rate will have the option to take on the rater as a tutor for a couple of weeks. Over this period the TR can work with the tutee on the aspects of their rating that need improvement, and hopefully give them the advice they need to become high quality raters. If the person's practice rate seems to be on the right track and they still want to take on a tutor, then it's up to the tutee to describe to the tutor what exactly they would like to work on. For this round, we have TRs available for tutoring in OU, UU, Ubers, NU, and LC. Keep in mind that tutors are limited and spots will be handed out on a first-come first-serve basis.

PM all rates to Celticpride, IronBullet, and Trinitrotoluene by Sunday, 27 September. You may rate more than one practice team, but make separate PMs for each team you rate. Don't forget to indicate which tier your rate is for in the title! If you would like to be assigned a rating tutor, be sure to make that clear in your PM.

Practice Teams by Tier:

• OU Practice Team by Analytic
• UU Practice Team by IronBullet
• RU Practice Team by galbia
• NU Practice Team by Brawlfest
• LC Practice Team by Yagura
  
• Ubers Practice Team by haxiom

 

[Trinitrotoluene]

OU Team by Analytic

Alakazam-Mega (M) @ Alakazite
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Psychic
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Shadow Ball
- Taunt

M-Alakazam is the star of the team. With it's excellent speed tier, and high SpA, this monster can clean up a lot of teams after they're weakened slightly. It is pretty frail and weak to priority, so the next member of the team aims to patch that weakness.

Garchomp (M) @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Rough Skin
EVs: 248 HP / 168 Def / 92 Spe
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Dragon Tail
- Earthquake
- Fire Blast

Seeing as to how weak the team was looking to Bisharp, Scizor and Talonflame, I added TankChomp. The residual damage that it gets off is just great in wearing down opponents, and the team likes the Stealth Rock that it provides. Also checks stuff like M-Lopunny in case Alakazam hasn't mEvod yet.

Klefki @ Leftovers
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Spikes
- Thunder Wave
- Magnet Rise
- Play Rough

The team so weak to stuff like M-Altaria, M-Gardevoir, M-Diancie, and I kinda needed T-Wave support since Zard-X beats the whole team after one DD. I added Klefki as my spikes stacker too, M-Alakazam really appreciates the wearing down of checks like Hippowdon, Clefable, Ferrothorn, Heatran, etc.

Keldeo-Resolute @ Choice Specs
Ability: Justified
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Scald
- Secret Sword
- Hydro Pump
- Icy Wind

The team really struggled vs fat shit. I needed something to break Chansey, M-Sableye, and Hippowdon reliablyreliably taken care of, so I went with Specs Keldeo. Important addition to the team. Weakens all of M-Alakazam's checks so that it has an easier time.

Latios @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 29 HP
- Draco Meteor
- Psyshock
- Defog
- Roost

The team was really weak to Specs Keldeo, TG Manaphy and M-CharizardY. I also needed hazard removal so I added Latios. Not much to say here, just another important addition to the team. Also gave the team a check to M-Manectric which looks pretty threatening.

Tornadus-Therian @ Assault Vest
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 116 HP / 140 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
IVs: 30 HP / 30 Def
- Hurricane
- Iron Tail
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- U-turn

The team looked really weak to M-Alakazam, Gengar, and I still wasn't convinced about having Latios as my only check to Keldeo and Manaphy. Hence I added Tornadus-T, who is a great pivot for the team with Regenerator, and a solid pokemon to have overall. Iron Tail to hit M-Diancie which is aa mon that I have trouble taking out.[/CENTER]

 

[Trinitrotoluene]

UU team by IronBullet

Swampert @ Swampertite
Ability: Torrent
EVs: 80 HP / 252 Atk / 176 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Waterfall
- Earthquake
- Ice Punch
- Rain Dance

Mega Swampert is first up, and is the main sweeper of the team. It can act as either an early-game wallbreaker, with its massively powerful Earthquake and rain-boosted Waterfalls, or as a late-game sweeper with its blazing Speed under rain. Waterfall and Earthquake provide excellent neutral coverage, while Ice Punch nails Grass-types and Dragon-types. 176 Speed EVs allow Mega Swampert to outspeed Mega Aerodactyl under rain while 252 Attack EVs and an Adamant nature maximise Mega Swampert's damage output. The rest is dumped into HP to increase overall bulk. Apart from being an amazing sweeper, Mega Swampert also has defensive utility with its great bulk. It provides the team with a secondary check to dangerous threats, such as Mamoswine, Cobalion, Krookodile, and Doublade. It is also immune to Electric attacks, making the team more solid against VoltTurn by checking the likes of Mega Ampharos and Heliolisk.

Aromatisse @ Leftovers
Ability: Aroma Veil
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Spe
Bold Nature
- Moonblast
- Wish
- Protect
- Aromatherapy

Aromatisse functions as the backbone of the team thanks to its very useful typing, good bulk, and access to Wish and Aromatherapy. With none of my Pokemon except Salamence packing reliable recovery, Aromatisse's Wishes can go a long way towards keeping the team healthy throughout the match. Why I've chosen it over Florges is because Aromatisse packs much more physical bulk and HP than Florges, which allows it to survive attacks from Choice Band Fighting-types such as Mienshao and Heracross more comfortably. Aroma Veil also prevents Taunt and Encore from ruining Aromatisse's day, while Florges is very susceptible to it. Aromatisse is my main check to Dragon-types, Dark-types, and Fighting-types, such as Hydreigon, Mienshao, Krookodile, and Salamence.

Bronzong @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Sassy Nature
- Gyro Ball
- Earthquake
- Toxic
- Stealth Rock

Bronzong acts as a reliable defensive pivot, being able to come in on so many attackers, both physical and special, and set up rocks or spread poison around. It sets up Stealth Rock very reliably thanks to its massive bulk and resistances. It is my main counter to many top threats, such as Mega Aerodactyl, Nidoqueen, Salamence, Cresselia, Shaymin, Whimsicott, Abomasnow, Dragalge, Kyurem, Porygon2, Slurpuff, and Tyrantrum. Gyro Ball and Earthquake give it decent neutral coverage, while Toxic handles any bulky Pokemon that Bronzong cannot break through. Overall Bronzong just handles a ton of threats which my team would otherwise fall apart against.

Mienshao @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Reckless
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- High Jump Kick
- U-turn
- Knock Off
- Poison Jab

Mienshao is my late-game cleaner and main revenger. With Mega Swampert and Heliolisk breaking holes through teams with their raw power, Mienshao is usually free late-game to spam its ridiculously powerful High Jump Kicks to destroy both offensive and defensive teams. Knock Off + U-turn cripples and builds up chip damage on its common counters, making it easier to sweep late-game. Poison Jab is preferred over Stone Edge for its ability to hurt Fairies, who can be a nuisance to my team.

Heliolisk @ Choice Specs
Ability: Dry Skin
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Thunderbolt
- Volt Switch
- Hyper Voice
- Grass Knot

Heliolisk is usually what I aim to use early-game to put offensive teams under a lot of pressure. With its great base Speed of 109 it outspeeds a significant portion of the metagame, and importantly the Pokemon that sit at base 108 such as Infernape, Cobalion, and Virizion. Against teams lacking a Ground-type especially, Heliolisk is an absolute terror and usually the Pokemon I lead off with to smack something hard with Volt Switch and put me on the front foot. Its only downside is its terrible physical bulk which makes it the least bulky member of my team, but thanks to its valuable Water immunity it is still quite important defensively.

Salamence @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 248 HP / 236 Def / 24 Spe
Bold Nature
- Defog
- Dragon Tail
- Flamethrower
- Roost

FatMence rounds off the team by providing Defog support and walling physical attackers with its amazing bulk in conjunction with Intimidate. Dragon Tail allows Salamence to shuffle the opponent's team, potentially forcing them to take entry hazard damage, and does a decent amount of damage thanks to Salamence's high base Attack. Flamethrower hits Forretress and Mega Aggron for super effective damage, OHKOing the former even with no Special Attack investment. Finally, Roost provides Salamence with reliable recovery and allows it to continuously switch in with its impressive resistances and bulk in order to clear hazards away. The 24 Speed EVs allow Salamence to outspeed Adamant Honchkrow, and the remaining EVs are put into HP and Defense to maximize Salamence's physical bulk.

 

[Trinitrotoluene]

RU Team by galbia

Delphox @ Life Orb
Ability: Blaze
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Fire Blast
- Psychic
- Grass Knot
- Calm Mind

Calm Mind Delphox is the Pokemon I've decided to build around. It gets really strong after a Calm Mind and it has Grass Knot for coverage against Pokemon such as Seismitoad, Alomomola, and Rhyperior while still being quite fast. It is quite weak to Houndoom, however.

Rhyperior @ Leftovers
Ability: Solid Rock
EVs: 244 HP / 16 Atk / 248 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Stealth Rock
- Rock Blast
- Ice Punch

I added Rhyperior since i needed a Stealth Rock user and Rhyperior is the best one that is also able to check Houndoom decently, Ice Punch in the fourth slot for Flygon so that it can't defog for free.

Durant @ Choice Band
Ability: Hustle
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Iron Head
- X-Scissor
- Superpower
- Crunch

I added Durant as another strong wallbreaker for the team. It is able to do a lot of damage even to Pokemon such as Steelix-Mega with Choice Band superpower. This also gives me a way to quickly kill Psychic-types such as Uxie and Meloetta which bother Delphox quite a bit.

Virizion @ Lum Berry
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Leaf Blade
- Close Combat
- Zen Headbutt

Virizion is my offensive Water-type check. It can switch into a lot of Pokemon that trouble both Delphox and Rhyperior such as Alomomola and set up an SD.

Rotom-Mow @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Leaf Storm
- Volt Switch
- Thunderbolt
- Trick

Rotom-Mow was added since i needed a Choice Scarf user and this can also get useful Momentum for the team with Volt Switch. Trick is used to lure and cripple Amoonguss for my Virizion

Jellicent @ Leftovers
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 248 HP / 216 Def / 44 Spe
Bold Nature
- Taunt
- Will-O-Wisp
- Recover
- Scald

Jellicent completes my FWG core and is a nice Fighting-type immunity of my team that would struggle with Medicham more otherwise. It can also stallbreak Alomomola well.

 

[Trinitrotoluene]

NU Team by Brawlfest

Archeops
Ability: Defeatist
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Acrobatics
- Roost
- Defog
- U-turn / Earthquake

I'm a firm believer that any good stall team should have at least one pokemon in the 110+ speed tier or else it will be overwhelmed by heavy hitting offensively oriented teams. Archeops does this for me, acting as a great threat control for stuff like Jynx and Sawk in the late game. Its also suprisingly strong, still doing exactly what Arch needs to such as grass-killing, while with its bulk being a good fire check. Use U-Turn or else you lose to Mala.

Vigoroth @ Eviolite
Ability: Vital Spirit
EVs: 252 HP / 244 SpD / 12 Spe
Careful Nature
- Body Slam
- Slack Off
- Bulk Up
- Taunt

While Vigoroth may seem outclassed at first glance, it is an incredibly underrated yet powerful threat. The team was built around it as a wincon because it is the only stall breaker that has such a unique combination of speed and bulk without being as passive as stuff like audino or throh. Furthermore, with taunt it acts as a great emergency button against stuff like CM Dino and mushy easily taking them one on one, and with its insane bulk it can even set up against just about every Pokemon in the tier barring ghosts and stronger fighting types which are manhandled by the rest of the team anyways.

Gourgeist-Super @ Leftovers
Ability: Frisk
EVs: 248 HP / 200 Def / 60 SpD
Impish Nature
- Seed Bomb / Foul Play
- Will-O-Wisp
- Leech Seed
- Synthesis

My physical check all. I switch Gourgeist into literally anything to .chew. Seriously though it smashes everything from Tauros to Double Dance Rhydon to SS Costa and is just one of the most reliable physical walls in the tier that also spreads chip damage like crazy.

Lanturn @ Leftovers
Ability: Volt Absorb
EVs: 240 HP / 20 Def / 208 SpD / 40 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Volt Switch
- Heal Bell
- Toxic / Signal Beam

Lanturn synergizes really well with Gourgeist and is my primary Fire emergency button. Great pivot and cleric and as we all know is incredibly annoying to deal with having a burn-spreading scald and maintaining constant momentum. I norms use Toxic but if I forgo U-Turn on Chops Signal Beam is a mandatory.

Skuntank @ Chesto Berry
Ability: Aftermath
EVs: 252 Atk / 188 SpD / 68 Spe
Careful Nature
- Sucker Punch
- Pursuit
- Poison Jab
- Rest

Skuntank is my Ghost killer so that Vigo has a legitimate chance to sweep. Pretty much preserve it and play aggressively against Ghosts and Psychics for pursuit trapping shenanigans. Sucker Punch is reserved for revenge killing. ChestoRest is give it the longevity to avoid burns and voltswitches and constistently trap, but also be a reliable check to Lilligant and Jynx which I hate.

Mawile @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 188 Def / 64 SpD / 4 Spe
Impish Nature
- Play Rough
- Stealth Rock
- Pain Split
- Super Fang / Baton Pass

Mawile is Mawile. Beats Yama and Khan. Sets up rocks. Its really one of few pokemon taht can do anything you need it to in NU while not being a momentum suck, and is just a really reliable SR user. It also doesnt make me any more fighting weak like Donner Would which is good.

 

[Trinitrotoluene]

LC Team by Yagura

Mienfoo @ Eviolite
Ability: Regenerator
Level: 5
EVs: 236 Atk / 36 Def / 236 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Fake Out
- Drain Punch
- Knock Off
- U-turn

Mienfoo is a very good Pokémon in LC and the most common one so I decided to build around it, I use maximum Speed and Attack so that it can hit very hard and fast. Fake Out breaks Sturdy and Focus Sash and lets Mienfoo revenge kill Pokémon that are faster and have left HP left, Drain Punch is the STAB attack and it allows Mienfoo to recover some HP, Knock Off removes items from bulky mons that switch into Mienfoo and hits Ghost- and Psychic-types, and U-turn is for momentum.

Abra @ Focus Sash
Ability: Magic Guard
Level: 5
EVs: 236 SpA / 76 SpD / 196 Spe
Timid Nature
- Protect
- Psyshock
- Shadow Ball
- Dazzling Gleam

Abra is a good teammate for Mienfoo since it can deal with Poison-types like Trubbish and Croagunk that Mienfoo struggles against, it has a Focus Sash which works well with Magic Guard, Protect is to protect it from Fake Out and anticipate moves, Psyshock lets it hit specially defensive Pokémon like Munchlax that switch into Abra, Shadow Ball is for opposing Abra and Honedge, and Dazzling Gleam is for Dark-types like Scraggy.

Aron @ Berry Juice
Ability: Sturdy
Level: 5
EVs: 196 Atk / 116 Def / 36 SpD / 116 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Iron Head
- Rock Slide
- Rock Polish

Next I needed something for Fletchling and something that can deal with Fairy-types and set up rocks and Aron fits that perfectly, it can also function as a late game cleaner with Rock Polish.

Pumpkaboo-Small @ Eviolite
Ability: Frisk
Level: 5
EVs: 84 HP / 196 Def / 228 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Will-O-Wisp
- Synthesis
- Seed Bomb
- Shadow Sneak

Next I found that Ground-types is a very big problem, so I went with Pumpkaboo since it can tank Ground-types like Drilbur and Hippopotas and also spinblock to keep the rocks up, Seed Bomb hits hard even without investment and Shadow Sneak is priority for Abra and Gastly. I went with the Small one because it's fast and can speed tie with Pawniard and burn it.

Staryu @ Life Orb
Ability: Analytic
Level: 5
EVs: 36 HP / 200 SpA / 240 Spe
Timid Nature
- Thunderbolt
- Hydro Pump
- Ice Beam
- Hidden Power [Fire]

Next I wanted a Pokémon that can hit hard and also something that can deal with Fire-types so Staryu is the best pick, it can hit very hard with Life Orb and Analytic and its moveset is very wide so it covers a lot of mons, HP Fire is for Ferroseed which is problematic.

Drilbur @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Mold Breaker
Level: 5
EVs: 4 HP / 236 Atk / 56 SpD / 212 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
- Rapid Spin
- Shadow Claw

Next I needed something that can spin and deal with Chinchou so I went with Drilbur with Choice Scarf so that I can also beat Scarf Chinchous as well as Gastly which can be a big problem, Adamant instead of Jolly for more power, and in the last slot I chose Shadow Claw to deal with Pumpkaboo.

 

[Trinitrotoluene]

Ubers Team by haxiom

Gengar @ Gengarite
Ability: Shadow Tag
EVs: 248 HP / 84 SpD / 176 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Perish Song
- Protect
- Disable
- Substitute

I started with Perish Song Mega Gengar. It has a really nice matchup against most bulkier archetypes because it can remove a lot of Pokemon that are key parts of the defensive backbone for those archetypes. This enables the rest of the team to deal with bulkier teams that it might otherwise have trouble breaking through and be overwhelmed by status spamming.

Xerneas @ Power Herb
Ability: Fairy Aura
EVs: 184 HP / 28 Def / 252 SpA / 44 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Geomancy
- Moonblast
- Aromatherapy
- Focus Blast

I chose Aromatherapy Geomancy Xerneas as a sweeper that can take advantage of Pokemon Mega Gengar can remove, such as Klefki. At the same time, it also functions as a cleric, supporting by curing status conditions for its teammates mid-game and cleaning late-game. It also soft-checks some offensive threats such as Yveltal, Latias and Latios, though it can only do so a few times.

Lugia @ Leftovers
Ability: Multiscale
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Roost
- Whirlwind
- Toxic
- Ice Beam

Next, I set out to support the offensive core with a strong defensive backbone, so I chose the most potent physical wall in the metagame, Lugia. Lugia's ability to wall Primal Groudon, Mega Salamence, Swords Dance Arceus formes other than Ghost, and other powerful physical threats makes it a key defensive choice. It's ability to spread status is also beneficial, as it synergizes well with Mega Gengar's ability to remove common clerics.

Arceus-Water @ Splash Plate
Ability: Multitype
EVs: 252 HP / 200 Def / 56 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Judgment
- Recover
- Defog
- Toxic

I wanted a reliable Defog user that would be able to keep Stealth Rock off of my side of the field for Lugia, so I chose Water Arceus, a Pokemon that Defog's relatively easily against the best Stealth Rock user in the tier, Primal Groudon. I chose Judgment instead of Ice Beam to help against Ho-Oh, which would otherwise be difficult to deal with especially if it was a Substitute variant.

Groudon @ Red Orb
Ability: Drought
EVs: 252 HP / 56 Def / 200 SpD
Relaxed Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Lava Plume
- Roar

Primal Groudon is a logical choice on any team, being the huge threat that it is in the current metagame; it's almost a shoo-in on most teams because of the utility and offensive power it provides. It also is an important check for Xerneas and Primal Kyogre, and the Stealth Rock user on this team. The standard support set works nicely to help round out the defensive core from the special side.

Ferrothorn @ Leftovers
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpD
Sassy Nature
- Spikes
- Gyro Ball
- Leech Seed
- Protect

Finally, I chose Ferrothorn as the last member of this team because Water Arceus is not a good check to Primal Kyogre, and I needed a secondary check to take pressure off of Primal Groudon. Ferrothorn was a great choice because it also provides this team with a Steel-type that can check Latias and Latios reliably, as well as non-Geomancy Xerneas.

 

[Celticpride]

Hi all, we are going to be extending this round of rating practice teams until Tuesday September 29th. If you are shy about submitting a practice team, don't be! The whole purpose is to help people learn to rate, and we can all learn more :)

 

[Celticpride]

The winner of this round is HJAD ! His NU rate identified several smaller changes that helped the team get better without compromising its purpose. While he did not make many larger changes, this is a good example of how sometimes less is more when rating.

Here's the winning rate:

hey brawlfest,

sweet team you have here, it utilises a really underrated pokemon in Vigoroth. People underestimate how bulky this thing actually is, and its access to taunt allows it to stall/balance break extremely effectively. Of course, it neeeds certain support to deal with certain pokemon, such as ghosts, which are sorted with Skuntank and Fighting Type Pokemon like Hariyama and Sawk, which with their huge attack stats combined with fighting stab can break a Vigoroth Bulking Up. Onto my slight concerns with the team, Archeops seems annoying to deal with, with no recovery bar lefties on Mawile, a pressured like crazy Lanturn and an Archeops which actually can't touch opposing Archeops unfortunately. Tauros is also annoying for similar reasons. Fire Blast allows it to pressure Mawile and Gourgeist-S really heavily, as well as having the capability to spam Rock Climb vs the rest of the team. You do have Archeops, but you dont want to play with Rock Slide / Speed Ties, especially when using stall/balance. Klinklang is my final concern. Setting up on almost all of your mons bar Lanturn, it seems like a sweep waiting to happen. You have to keep an already pressured Lanturn healthy in order to have a hope of beating it, and get a scald burn possibly to ease that situation but it isn't a healthy scenario to face at team preview.

Onto my suggestions, and i feel like changing / swapping pokemon around wouldnt be a good solution to these individual problems. Instead, a much more delicate change in EV Spreads may be all thats neccesary in order to make these individual pokemon much less of a problem to take on. One thing that strikes me is how arbitrary your Lanturn spread is. It seems really inefficient, considering Lanturn already has a high HP stat. Investing straight into defenses rather than 240 HP gives you more bulk for less investment. Also, since you do want this to check Klinklang, and in some cases Archeops as well as the prominence of Earthquake as coverage on Magmortar to hit Lanturn for a lot of HP, more defense investment may be a thing that improves you matchup vs these mons. 40 HP / 220 Def / 208 SpD / 40 Spe Calm Nature > Current Spread on Lanturn not only helps you take on the likes of Archeops and Klinklang much more easierly thanks to a huge increase in Physical Bulk, as well as EQ Magmortar varients. The EVs allow you to not be 2HKO'd by Klinklang's +1 return, which allows you to get 2 scalds off at the very minimum. Your original spread was 2HKO'd with ease by +1 return. Also Archeops doesnt just OHKO Lanturn with any prior damage, instead, it takes just over half from EQ, compared to close to OHKO.

This next change is also supposed to help with your Klinklang weakness. As i previously said, Klinklang does settup on a shitton of mons on your team. The only thing that can really take it on is Lanturn and Foul Play Gourgeist (> Seed Bomb). If you have troubles deciding between Seed Bomb and this Klinklang should be enough of a reason to make the moveset change.) Some people may think to pressure Vigoroth with the likes of Klinklang and SD Samurott, if they dont have a ghost type / fighting type to effectively take it on. As a result, i feel like an EV Spread Change to 252 HP / 156 SpD / 100 Spe Careful Nature > Current Spread on Vigoroth could come in handy when taking on the likes of SD Samurott, since you can taunt before it SDs and have no worries, taunt before 96 Spe Klinklang subs / shift gears, so you beat it 1v1 and outspeed Hitmonchan that try and creep Samurott (if you want an to try for a sweep and its your only feasible play.)

Finally, we want a way to take on Tauros effectively. Fire Blast Tauros is a huge threat to this team thanks to its ability to KO Mawile after a Rock Climb + Fire Blast and having a chance to 2HKO Gourgeist-Super with your current spread. As a result, i think it would be more optimal to run a 252 HP / 148 Def / 108 SpD Impish Nature > Current Spread. This is a more picky change, however, there is no point in risking a 30% roll chance (same as scald) for Gourgeist to get 2HKO'd for basically no reason. This swap means you can take a Tauros Fire Blast Twice after Stealth Rock and come out the otherside with a non-dead Gourgeist 100% of the time (bar an untimely critical hit).

summary

40 HP / 220 Def / 208 SpD / 40 Spe Calm Nature > Current Spread on Lanturn
Foul Play > Seed Bomb on Gourgeist-Super
252 HP / 148 Def / 108 SpD Impish Nature > Current Spread on Gourgeist-Super

252 HP / 156 SpD / 100 Spe Careful Nature > Current Spread on Vigoroth.

good luck in the future, cool team
~HJAD

Congrats on a job well done man!

 

[IronBullet]

This round of Rating Practice Teams has officially concluded, thanks to everyone who participated and congrats HJAD for submitting the winning rate! We didn't get a lot of rates this round so we'll be taking a short break from the project, but keep an eye out for the next edition in a few weeks' time :)