Welcome to Smogon! Take a moment to read the Introduction to Smogon for a run-down on everything Smogon, and make sure you take some time to read the global rules.
Happy New Year everyone and 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 made specifically to be tough to rate and will make you think creatively in order to find the best changes. 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.
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 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. Keep in mind that tutors are limited and spots will be handed out on a first-come first-serve basis.
Please PM all rates to IronBullet by Sunday, 10 January. 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. This round we have TRs available for tutoring in OU and LC.
Charizard @ Charizardite Y
Ability: Blaze
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Fire Blast
- Solar Beam
- Roost
- Focus Blast
I wanted to build around Mega Charizard Y because it's a solid mega in OU with its ridiculous power bolstered further by sun. I feel it's kind of underrated in OU right now and its ability to break nearly everything that isn't Latios, Latias, or Chansey is incredible.
Tyranitar @ Choice Band
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 100 HP / 252 Atk / 156 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Pursuit
- Crunch
- Stone Edge
- Superpower
Tyranitar pairs extremely well with Charizard Y for its ability to easily switch into the Lati twins and remove them while also putting a huge dent into Chansey. I chose Choice Band because the immense power makes Tyranitar an effective trapper and wallbreaker.
Excadrill @ Air Balloon
Ability: Sand Rush
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Rapid Spin
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
- Iron Head
Excadrill is obligatory with Tyranitar because of Sand Rush. Sand Rush allows Excadrill to outspeed the entire meta under sand and it makes for a great late-game cleaner, capitalizing on Tyranitar and Charizard Y crushing walls. I needed to use Rapid Spin because I have no other form of hazard control and hazard control is essential when using Charizard. Air Balloon helps with other
Tornadus-Therian @ Assault Vest
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Hurricane
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Heat Wave
- U-turn
Tornadus-T felt like a nice fit on this because it checked a big threat in Keldeo and other threats such as Serperior. Assault Vest allows it to check these Pokemon more effectively. Hurricane is the obligatory STAB with great neutral coverage while Heat Wave rounds this off, being a more accurate option for hitting Grass-types and Hidden Power Ice helps me lure TankChomp so Excadrill can sweep more easily.
I chose Klefki because I was looking pretty weak to Mega Alakazam and other Fairy-types and because I was using Rapid Spin as my hazard removal I used Spikes. Thunder Wave provides speed control and is useful for stopping threats such as Mega Charizard X if Excadrill faints. Flash Cannon allows Klefki to bait and OHKO Mega Diancie while Magnet Rise allows Klefki to use Hippowdon and Landorus-T as setup bait for Spikes.
The last slot was a difficult choice, but I decided on Celebi because its an effective Water-type check that sets up Stealth Rock while also helping with other Pokemon such as Mega Lopunny and Keldeo. Thunder Wave cripples Pokemon such as Tornadus-T and Bisharp that think they can switch into Celebi for free.
I wanted to build a team around a strong setup sweeper so I chose Toxicroak due to its rise in the metagame and how it also doubles as a Scald switch-in, which is something I didn't want to have to worry about fitting in the team later on.
Krookodile @ Dread Plate
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Knock Off
- Pursuit
- Earthquake
Next up, I added in Krookodile to have a Ground-type to ensure I didn't have much trouble against VoltTurn teams while giving the team Stealth Rock support, as well as Pursuit support and a Dark-type so I can trap Chandelure and have a Psychic-immunity, respectively.
Salamence @ Life Orb
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Draco Meteor
- Fire Blast
- Roost
- Defog
I then added in offensive Defog Salamence to have entry hazard removal, a Ground-immunity, a Fire-type resist, and a more solid Fighting-resist. Offensive Defog Mence also has good synergy with Krookodile, providing a core that could have hazard control while also being able to offensive and somewhat defensively give me a check to many threats due to both having access to Intimidate.
Doublade @ Eviolite
Ability: No Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Shadow Sneak
- Iron Head
- Shadow Claw
I then added in Doublade to be able to act as a solid counter to the likes of CM Reuniclus, Curse Snorlax, Slurpuff, and Mega Aerodactyl among others. Doublade also gives the team another setup sweeper, and a form of priority. I chose Shadow Claw on this particular Doublade since I felt some variants of Reuniclus, especially Trick Room, could be especially threatening and didn't want to immediately be forced into sacking Pokémon to deal with the likes of it.
Whimsicott @ Pixie Plate
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Encore
- Moonblast
- Energy Ball
- U-turn
Afterwards, I noticed the team's weakness to Hydreigon and specially inclined Dragon-types in general, therefore I added in Whimsicott to mitigate their threat level. Whimsicott also helped a lot as a secondary Suicune check, a secondary Slurpuff check, a Feraligatr check, as well as providing momentum via U-turn. An Energy Ball variant was chosen here since I wanted to be able to hit Feraligatr and Mamoswine among others slightly harder while the longevity provided by other options like Giga Drain didn't really fit the team's playstyle anyhow.
Infernape @ Life Orb
Ability: Blaze
EVs: 76 Atk / 180 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Close Combat
- Earthquake
- Fire Blast
- Grass Knot
Lastly, I added Infernape to be able to help me break through more defensively inclined teams while also providing a Fire-type to ensure I'm not susceptible to Will-O-Wisp, especially from the likes of Sableye. I decided to use mixed Infernape over the likes of Nasty Plot due to the fact I felt it dealt with the more common stall builds at the time slightly better and I already had a few setup sweepers in Doublade and Toxicroak already.
Abomasnow is the pokémon I choosed to build around, its high attack stats and decent defensive ones, alongside a priority and 2 strong STABs it's a real monster for every team in RU. EVs spread is given in order to increase Aboma's special attack as much as possible, 84 evs in attack allow Aboma to OHKO Flygon with Ice Shard. Focus Blast gives a nice coverage move which allows it to hit steel types :)
Slowking @ Leftovers
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 84 Def / 172 SpD
Bold Nature
- Thunder Wave
- Scald
- Psyshock
- Slack Off
Slowking was added to patch up Aboma's weakness. I opted for a more special invested set with Thunder Wave because I felt it was the best way to let Aboma shine at his best. It's a general check to many things in the tier like Camerupt, psychic types, fighting types, Fletchinder, and it can spread burn with scald which is always nice :)
Flygon was added to have an Houndoom check and to have something which gave the team a form of hazard control. It can also get some nice kill on Alomomola and some other physical sponge that can take an eq from the scarf set. Roost over Fire Blast in order to have more longevity and to avoid Sucker Punches from Doom to an extent.
Escavalier @ Assault Vest
Ability: Overcoat
EVs: 248 HP / 168 Atk / 8 SpD / 84 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Megahorn
- Iron Head
- Pursuit
- Drill Run
Escavalier was added because the team struggled againist Aboma, sadly. I choosed Esca over Durant because the latter couldn't really switch on special Aboma unless some gimmick set :( Pursuit and Stealth Rock damage pressure opposite Abomasnow really well and lower the time of opposite Abomasnow can spend on the field.
Rhyperior @ Leftovers
Ability: Solid Rock
EVs: 248 HP / 60 Def / 200 SpD
Careful Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Fire Punch
- Earthquake
- Rock Blast
The team had some issues with Doom, Fletchinder and Tyrantrum, and Rhyperior is a nice check to all of them, although offensive pressure of 2 between these 3 can overwhelm hit and make my team really weak to these threats. It also gave Stealth Rock support which is always nice to have. Fire Punch over Megahorn or Ice Punch because I was pretty weak to Durant and a way to lure him was appreciated!
Delphox is the last mon of the team. It completes the FWG core and gave the team a secondary Durant check, and a Scrafty revenge killer. Nothing much to add there, I had to drop Trick because I needed all the moves :(
Golurk @ Assault Vest
Ability: Iron Fist
EVs: 124 HP / 228 Atk / 16 SpD / 140 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Ice Punch
- Shadow Punch
- Drain Punch
AV Golurk is an underrated Pokemon in my opinion. It has a great movepool which allows it to hit everything in the entire tier decently hard. It also counters Sawk spam and Normal spam, which is really popular right now. No Guard is an option for the ability too but I like the extra recovery with Dynamic Punch due to it not packing leftovers.
Lanturn @ Leftovers
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 40 HP / 252 Def / 160 SpD / 56 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Volt Switch
- Heal Bell
- Whirlpool
Next I wanted to cover the Water weakness of Golurk with a solid Mixed Wall. Lanturn makes for a great pivot and cleric at the same time, providing useful support to the rest of the team. I included Whirlpool in the last slot to trap fat Pokemon without access to recovery.
To complete the Volt-Turn core I added Choice Scarf Scyther to revenge the Fighting and Grass types that threaten my other two mons. Scyther acts as my check to Malamar as well.
Sawk @ Choice Band
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Close Combat
- Earthquake
- Knock Off
- Stone Edge
As I said before Sawk Spam is real, so I wanted to be popular as well and included my own. Its massive attack stat + CB makes this Pokemon an incredible wallbreaker. Having a volt-turn core I needed something to immediately threat my opponent in free switch ins and Sawk definitely achieves that.
I decided to not go with Hitmonchan since I already have a Fighting-type, and Skuntank would make my team too weak to Ground-types, so instead of running a Spinner/Defogger I decided to go with Magic Bounce Xatu. The set is pretty common with Giga Drain is for Quagsire that can be problematic for my physical attackers. It's also for Dual Dance Dino which can sweep my team with some prior damage.
Mawile @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Impish Nature
- Baton Pass
- Stealth Rock
- Toxic
- Superfang
Lastly we have Mawile, my SR setter and second pivot to gain momentum for my strong attackers. It also works well with the volt-turn core. Super Fang allows me to always inflict 50% to my opponent, which is useful to wear down walls for Golurk late game.
Mienfoo @ Eviolite
Ability: Regenerator
Level: 5
EVs: 236 HP / 76 Atk / 196 Def
Careful Nature
- U-turn
- Knock Off
- High Jump Kick
- Fake Out
Mienfoo is one of the most splashable pokemon in the tier, and can pack a very reliable and threatening combination of power and bulk. Mienfoo also has incredible longevity with Regenerator, and the HP investment maximises the amount of HP recovered. Knock Off helps weaken switch ins and reduces the bulk of Fairies by 1/3 or removes their recovery, while U-turn is our healing move. Fake Out 1v1s Abra and allows for Mienfoo to counter Tirtouga with Eviolite.
Gastly likes Mienfoo's U-turns off of fairies and allows for the team to have a Zigzagoon counter. Very hard to switch into for most teams, and lures Vullaby and Pawniard.
Since Gastly has a Focus Sash, and the team has Eviolite Archen, Spin support was needed. Drilbur is the best offensive spinner to compliment Gastly and deal with its few switch ins. Shadow Claw lures and 2HKOes Pumpkaboo giving the team an edge versus Sticky Web and balance variants.
Archen @ Eviolite
Ability: Defeatist
Level: 5
EVs: 76 HP / 20 Atk / 76 Def / 76 SpD / 196 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Roost
Eviolite Archen has great longevity and can forever counter Fletchling. Diglett also cannot trap Archen, nor does Drifloon beat this set as it does Berry Juice Archen. Archen is the best for the team as it is a solid Flying resist to complement Mienfoo and keeps up pressure with powerful EdgeQuake coverage.
Ponyta's burns help add bulk to the team and gives the team a second Pawniard and a Fighting check. Wild Charge is meant to deter Archen and Omanyte from switching in, though if fails to OHKO Omanyte.
Porygon counter traps Diglett which otherwise would be irksome as well as checks Abra and weather sweepers. The coverage is hard to switch into sans Steel types, which get worn down making Archen's life easier.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Mega Gardevoir was the first addition to the team, being one of the hardest Pokemon to switch in on, as well as being an excellent companion to rain teams in general. Gardevoir provides a way to beat opposing Dragon-types, in particular Kyurem-B, as well as Amoonguss and Venusaur. Gardevoir also makes a deadly 1-2 punch with Kingdra with Hyper Voice and Muddy Water being high-powered spread moves. Psyshock was used in order to hit Sylveon harder, though Psychic can be used to hit standard Amoonguss harder. Focus Blast was chosen in order to allow Gardevoir to always beat Ferrothorn after a Hyper Voice.
Kingdra @ Life Orb
Ability: Swift Swim
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 29 HP / 0 Atk
- Muddy Water
- Draco Meteor
- Protect
- Hydro Pump
Kingdra was chosen over Ludicolo for its access to Muddy Water, making it an invaluable partner for Gardevoir as a spread attacking pair. Kingdra is also notable for being able to beat opposing Dragon-types under the rain. Hydro Pump was chosen for its high power, especially backed by Rain. A Life Orb was chosen for the increased damage output and ability to change moves.
Politoed @ Damp Rock
Ability: Drizzle
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpA
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Icy Wind
- Protect
- Helping Hand
Standard Politoed was used. Scald provides a decent powered STAB move, but is primarily used for the chance of a burn. Icy Wind was chosen for the ability to provide speed control. Helping Hand is a nice support option, especially for this team as it relies heavily on the strong damage output of the members, and Politoed is otherwise a dead-end to offensive pressure.
Gengar provides this team with a very important switch-in to Kangaskhan, as well as Landorus-T, being able to come in on their STAB moves and burn them. Shadow Ball was chosen to ease the Aegislash matchup, which was otherwise very poor, and also lets it get damage off on Ferrothorn. Rain Dance is the most interesting choice here, used in place of dual-STABs. Rain Dance allows Gengar to reset the weather if Politoed is out of commission, and also allows Gengar to set up rain on Charizards or Tyranitars that come in on it.
Terrakion @ Life Orb
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Rock Slide
- Close Combat
- Protect
- Taunt
Terrakion was used as another Kangaskhan check, as well as a reliable Charizard check. Rock Slide and Close Combat are no-brainers, allowing it to fulfill its primary role on the team. Taunt was used as a way to slow down Trick Room teams, as well as Tailwind offenses.
Jirachi @ Safety Goggles
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 HP / 240 SpD / 16 Spe
Careful Nature
- Iron Head
- Thunder Wave
- Protect
- Follow Me
Jirachi was used a support Pokemon thanks to its access to Follow Me. Jirachi also acts as a solid answer to Fairy-types due to its high Special Defences. Thunder Wave was chosen to cripple speed reliant opponents and paraflinch them with Iron Head. Safety Goggles was chosen to allow Jirachi to effortlessly Follow Me on opposing Amoonguss.
Dodrio (M) @ Choice Band
Ability: Early Bird
Happiness: 0
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Frustration
- Brave Bird
- Quick Attack
- Knock Off
I started building this team around standard CB Dodrio since it's really good at breaking down the Audino+Tangela regen cores that've started to pop up. I prefer Knock Off to Pursuit as it's nice neutral coverage vs Ghost+Probopass so I don't have to predict around them.
Stunfisk (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Static
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
- Discharge
- Earth Power
- Stealth Rock
- Toxic
I always hated how Dodrio is a free volt switch so I decided to get an Electric immunity on early. Stunfisk also provides Stealth Rock and helps annoy Probopass for Dodrio. I decided on going full SpDef to better check offensive Water-types and complement Gourgeist (below) better.
Simisage (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Overgrow
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Seed Bomb
- Knock Off
- Superpower
- Rock Slide
Life Orb Simisage is a nice way to check Waters and a secondary annoyance for bulky offense. Seed Bomb hits Grasses, Knock Off helps versus Tangela and Exeggutor, Superpower hits Probopass, and Rock Slide is for Articuno which I really hate facing. Not many bulky teams can stand up to Simisage's coverage+Dodrio's power.
At this point I noticed the team was really slow and Ice weak and things like Scarf Rotom are pretty annoying. Scarf Floatzel is faster than pretty much everything in the meta, and its coverage allows it to revenge kill Grasses, Waters, and Ices. I decided to not go Switcheroo since the team already breaks down bulky playstyles so well.
Gourgeist+Stunfisk is a nice defensive core that covers most of the meta and only shares a weakness to Ice-types. This is what I use to cover most physical attackers like Stoutland, the moveset is pretty basic and Colbur Berry was chosen to deal with Machoke better, as well as lure Pawniard for Dodrio and the final member.
Grumpig acts as a further check to Fire- and Ice-types. Psychic and Focus Blast give me strong STAB and a way to hit Audino and Stoutland hard. I decided to creep for Adamant Monferno so I could KO it before it U-turns, with max special attack and the rest in bulk to better check things like Rotom-F. Colbur Berry helps out versus Pawniard and Mightyena so I don't have to try to play around Sucker Punch.
We've reached the end of this round, thanks to everyone who submitted a rate! The winner is HJAD, who presented his NU rate very well, accurately analysed the team's weaknesses and potential improvements, and justified all his suggestions with solid and detailed reasoning. Congrats man!
Here's his winning rate:
HJAD said:
Sweet team you have here. The offensive core of Xatu + Scyther + Sawk is very strong thanks to drops like Steelix + Sceptile succumbing to idea of U-Turn Scyther, Offensive Hazards Control and one of the most powerful wall breakers in the tier right now. Onto the rate and i feel like Assault Vest Golurk isnt really what your team needs. It indeed is an underrated mon however, inorder for it do anything like what you suggested such as providing a valuable sawk spam check or normal check, you are going to need an alternative item, and spread. Not to mention the main purpose of AV Golurk is to lure common special attackers like Samurott, Ludicolo, Jynx, Sceptile, Magmortar, Pyroar or Rotom, however you have viable switchins for those mons in particular. Apart from this, weakness' to common Pokemon such as Malamar and Tauros need to be addressed. Malamar because you have no way of getting damage on it besides Scyther, but Scarf Scyther in Particular is too frail and weak to take on a Superpower'ing Malamar, not to mention your only hazards control is Xatu, which isnt the most reliable way of taking on rockers such as Adamant Steelix, Rhydon or Piloswine which are all popular choices. Your other option to take on Malamar is switching Golurk in directly, however Malamar 2HKO's Golurk consistently with 0 Attack Knock Off. In the long term, Malamar is extremely scary, and with it rising in popularity it needs to be countered with conviction as a result. The other pokemon i deem as extremely threatening is Tauros, this is because with its entire movepool it manages to 2HKO pretty much everything on the team. Your only real check to it is going to be Golurk and Sturdy Sawk, since Mawile is likely to get exploited as a normal check to the more common Fire Blast varients. Sceptile and SD Samurott also make it onto the list, because Sceptile doesnt really have a solid switchin on your team. The closest you have is a scarf scyther which is whittled very easily due to its rocks weakness and frailty and after that nothing is capable of taking a leaf storm / giga drain / focus blast in mawiles case, and as a result you lose out to this mon which is riding a wave of hype since its drop. SD Samurott ive also determined is a problem since at +4 it has no problem carving its way through your team. Lanturn can't come close to killing it, same problem with Mawile, Sawk needs to be conserved at ridiculously high amounts of HP in order to be an effective check, rather limiting your teams usability. They are less problematic since you have ways of dealing with each already being Scyther and Lanturn respectively, but you are going to want another way of hitting them for damage as they are really annoying and popular right now.
Onto the rate, and i really dont like Golurk on this team. It just doesn't check anything like Sawk, or normal spam, since all normal mons will have a way around it via Scrappy / Powerful Coverage and Sawk can just kill it with Knock Off meaning it won't go very far as a check for that. AV isnt the greatest item in the world to use on it either, especially if you were attempting to check Normals / Sawk with it. At the minute, it kinda looks latched onto this team, so im going to swap it out for a true Normal Check. SD Rocks Tank Rhydon > AV Golurk makes incredible sense right now. It gives you a switchin for Normal Types such as Tauros, Kangaskhan and Swellow as well as an invaluable wall breaker. The reason im going for SD is so that it can break temporary checks like Xatu, but mostly so that your team has a way of dealing with Crodino, which after Sawk dies has a free reign to tear this team to shreds. As a result, the added utility of a settup mon pressuring other Rhydon / Steelix is much more welcome than added coverage at this stage.
With Rocks on Rhydon, the main value or attraction of Mawile being a normal check that can grab momentum is kinda gone. At the minute, its struggling in the NU tier, with checks to it everywhere. The fact it can't touch Xatu with anything is also annoying, since the best you can do is grab momentum for your wallbreakers right now, swapping it out for a more effective wall is called for. As a result, Mega-Audino > Mawile is the call of action here. Psuedo Check to absolutely everything, Mega Audino is exactly what you need. Sceptile check, Malamar check, Samu check after some damage has gone onto it. It also works excellently as a Steelix Lure, 2HKO'ing it with Fire Blast and lessening the neccesity for Xatu to be called into action. It also helps check Tauros, Magmortar, Kangaskhan if Rhydon or Lanturn are overwhelmed. It also means you maintain an all important dark resist and a knock off sponge too.
Finally, im going to suggest some smaller changes which generally make the team much more playable and overall a more appetising prospect to use. First of all, because we removed the main mon you had to counter barrier Mush, i suggest going with Toxic > Whirlpool on Lanturn. Allows you to check barrier mush, heal bell off the toxic that was synchronized and as a result win 1v1. Also i would suggest going with an Adamant Nature on Scyther > Jolly Nature. You honestly dont need the extra speed, it doesnt allow you to gain any crucial speed tiers so i would suggest it for the extra power. On Sawk, Zen Headbutt > Earthquake is vital as it allows you to hit counters like Vileplume and Weezing for 2HKO'ing damage, which provides more utility than no recoil when killing Garbodor. Colbur Berry > Lefties on Xatu is also ultra important, as it allows you to actually check Sawk spamming Knock Off, Gurdurr or any knock off fighter for that matter. I would also run Grass Knot > Giga Drain to consolidate the OHKO on any Dual Dance Rhydon Varients and swap the spread to 248 HP / 200 Def / 60 Spe Bold Nature to be as least wasteful as possible (idk what those 36 spdef evs do).
Rhydon @ Eviolite
Ability: Lightning Rod
EVs: 240 HP / 16 Atk / 252 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Rock Blast / Stone Edge
- Swords Dance
I'm also going to post some general hints that our TRs gave regarding the issues you should be looking to address when trying to improve the above teams, both as feedback for our participants and as a resource for new raters who want to have a go at them.
OU
Changing Celebi to Ferrothorn to help cover other Water-types more easily, preferably with Chople Berry in order to bait Fighting-types to account for the newly opened weakness.
Tyranitar to Choice Scarf so that it has an easier time trapping Latis, Gengar and Starmie, while also being able to check Bisharp with Superpower.
Using a Lati over Torn-T could help too as it means Excadrill can afford SD and other members of the team can check Serperior easily so it's not a major threat. Latios can also afford reliable recovery unlike Torn which is forced out.
UU
Help with mitigating the special Salamence, Entei and Chandelure weakness, e.g. Mega Houndoom over Infernape.
Optimising Doublade's EV spread.
Reducing the threat of Fairy-types since Doublade can get worn down easily, e.g. Iron Tail + Roseli Berry Krookodile.
RU
Reducing the Durant and Scrafty weakness.
Optimising EVs on Rhyperior, Escavalier and Slowking.
NU
Glaring weakness to Ice, which could be fixed by making Audino more specially bulky.
Better way to set up SR, e.g. by switching out Golurk for Rhydon and equipping Xatu with Heat Wave for Steelix.
Adjust Lanturn's movepool since Whirlpool does nothing for the team.
PU
Optimise Gourgeist's set.
Reduce the weakness to Monferno and Roselia.
Deal with the fact that Simisage is somewhat outclassed by other Water checks and is Spike fodder, which the team is very weak to.
LC
Weakness to Shell Smash users.
Look to address Porygon, Mienfoo and Gastly's suboptimal sets.
Weak to Chespin which can stack Spikes or heavily cripple the team.
Fix the weakness to Scarf Drilbur, Pursuit + Bulk Up Timburr.
Address the reliance on Mienfoo and burns.
Doubles
Optimise EV spreads on Jirachi and Politoed. Optional: Gardevoir (though that's subjective and would require heavy justification).
Address the notable weaknesses to Ferrothorn, Amoonguess, Keldo and Talonflame.
Thanks to all the participants once again, we hope this round has helped address any issues you had with your rating and put you guys on the track to becoming better raters :) Stay tuned for the next edition!
