I'm just getting back into playing after a long break. I used to play UU back in BW days and played in OU for a bit when XY first came out, but that was back before Mega Gengar and Lucario had been banned so the meta seems to have changed a whole lot since then.
I like playing with a set up sweeper but that seems a bit harder now than it used to be with the amount of pokes that have enough power to just smash you while you're trying to set up, so this team is built around trying to assist that set up. It's been winning a lot so far, but I'm still very low on the ladder and some of them don't feel like I'm earning it (I got Mega-Aero set up on turn three of one match and then 6-0d from there, pretty sure that wasn't down to my immense skill or anything).
Aerodactyl @ Aerodactylite
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Stone Edge
- Fire Fang
- Aqua Tail
- Hone Claws
The first sweeper. Great speed from the get go and hone claws plus tough claws ups the power and shaky accuracy of his moves. Stone Edge gets everything apart from steels, grounds and fighting so the other two moves aim to cover those as well as possible. (Flying for the fighting types didn't seem as vital.) Considering changing this (see below).
Landorus-I (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Sheer Force
EVs: 168 Def / 252 SpA / 88 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Earth Power
- Psychic
- Sludge Wave
- Rock Polish
The second sweeper. 88 Spe is to outspeed everything after a Rock Polish then the rest into defence to try and protect from Ice Shard as much as I can (I've not encountered one yet though, so not sure if it will actually make a difference or not). I honestly haven't got much justification for the coverage moves; I hate focus blast and its accuracy on a frail sweeper and these seemed the best alternatives. Definitely open to advice here in particular.
Celebi @ Leftovers
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 HP / 36 SpA / 220 SpD
Sassy Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Giga Drain
- Future Sight
- Substitute
- Baton Pass
The first way to help the set up. Sub and Baton Pass to offer either sweeper some protection. Future sight is also intended to dent any switch ins to the sweepers, but it's not been working as well in practice as theory as I need to Sub, FS, BP in that order, but the sub has often faded by that point. I've liked her special bulk, the sub has even survived some super-effective non-STAB hits. The first slot has given me some issues, I used to run Leaf Storm until i tried to then BP to Landorus at -2 and saw the problem there. But Giga Drain just doesn't hit anything like as hard and I miss the power, especially seeing as she's pretty much the only answer to Slowbro on the team right now.
Spread was just taken from what was recommended but I took points that were in Spe out to slow down the baton pass (but I think still be quicker than most relevant pursuits) and put them into SpA.
Jirachi @ Leftovers
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Doom Desire
- Psychic
- Stealth Rock
- Healing Wish
This is another attempt to aid the set up (though not at the same time as Celebi - the idea is that one of them will be out and I can jump at any opportunity). Doom Desire runs the same plan as Future Sight: hit the move, swap to a sweeper, their response will need to survive a nuke while I set up on the switch. It again hasn't been working so well - probably because a lot of counters people send in are steel or bulky waters which both resist it (and steel + Slowbro both resist Future Sight from Celebi too). He used to run Future Sight over Psychic too to give me options on the set up help, but he always felt too passive then so I swapped. He also sets up rocks and has a fast Healing Wish to allow me to be a bit reckless with the sweepers early to make some dents then run away and come back for another go (as well as letting me scout their primary check). I usually lead with him to get rocks up, but he feels like dead weight after that.
Spread has very little thought behind it - hit hard with the nuke and make sure I can get off the Healing Wish before being KOd. Maybe I could take some points out of speed and still be fast enough but hit harder/be bulkier?
Latias (F) @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 16 Def / 240 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Draco Meteor
- Roost
- Defog
- Healing Wish
Defog. Not much more to say really - Draco also helps put big holes into some things and Healing Wish again lets me have another crack with a sweeper (I've won one match with Aerodactyl's third sweep of the game). EVs are just what was suggested by the team builder.
Keldeo @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Justified
EVs: 64 HP / 252 SpA / 192 Spe
Timid Nature
- Surf
- Secret Sword
- Icy Wind
- Hidden Power [Flying]
Revenge killer. She used to be Modest until I realised that she wasn't quick enough to outspeed Jolly base 100s at +1 (current speed is enough to outrun ScarfChomp - I think) and I miss the power now. Icy Wind and HP have been very underwhelming in particular. Surf over Scald for the extra BP (I'd rather kill the sweeper I'm revenging than hope for a burn) and over Hydro Pump for the accuracy. I guess I could drop one of the weak coverage moves to give the option of Surf or Hydro Pump depending on what I'm facing?
Problems
I haven't really encountered any specific mons that are a real pain, but I'm still really low on the ladder and am facing all kinds of things down here. Slowbro has been a problem for me though - I'm considering Thunder Fang on Aero but would really miss whatever I dropped.
Ice weakness - four of my team are weak to it, and this is especially a problem when two of them (Celebi and Latias) are meant to pass/die over to the other two (Aero and Lando).
Aerodactyl's frailty. I'm thinking about swapping him. I initially chose him for the power of Stone Edge - but it doesn't get a Tough Claws boost and Charizard-X hits just as hard with Fire Punch and even harder with Dragon Claw thanks to his Tough Claws (and that's not even looking at the possibility of Flare Blitz and Outrage). This will mitigate the ice weakness slightly, but he's still only neutral.
Revenge Killer doesn't feel like she hits hard enough.
Jirachi feels like dead weight. Is there a better way I could get use out of Doom Desire? It might work better paired with Zard-X or another dragon sweeper as more fairies will try to come out to stop them, and get hit very hard if they do. Maybe a different set/mon entirely and abandon the idea? (Though remember that he's currently my rock setter.)
I like playing with a set up sweeper but that seems a bit harder now than it used to be with the amount of pokes that have enough power to just smash you while you're trying to set up, so this team is built around trying to assist that set up. It's been winning a lot so far, but I'm still very low on the ladder and some of them don't feel like I'm earning it (I got Mega-Aero set up on turn three of one match and then 6-0d from there, pretty sure that wasn't down to my immense skill or anything).
Aerodactyl @ Aerodactylite
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Stone Edge
- Fire Fang
- Aqua Tail
- Hone Claws
The first sweeper. Great speed from the get go and hone claws plus tough claws ups the power and shaky accuracy of his moves. Stone Edge gets everything apart from steels, grounds and fighting so the other two moves aim to cover those as well as possible. (Flying for the fighting types didn't seem as vital.) Considering changing this (see below).
Landorus-I (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Sheer Force
EVs: 168 Def / 252 SpA / 88 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Earth Power
- Psychic
- Sludge Wave
- Rock Polish
The second sweeper. 88 Spe is to outspeed everything after a Rock Polish then the rest into defence to try and protect from Ice Shard as much as I can (I've not encountered one yet though, so not sure if it will actually make a difference or not). I honestly haven't got much justification for the coverage moves; I hate focus blast and its accuracy on a frail sweeper and these seemed the best alternatives. Definitely open to advice here in particular.
Celebi @ Leftovers
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 HP / 36 SpA / 220 SpD
Sassy Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Giga Drain
- Future Sight
- Substitute
- Baton Pass
The first way to help the set up. Sub and Baton Pass to offer either sweeper some protection. Future sight is also intended to dent any switch ins to the sweepers, but it's not been working as well in practice as theory as I need to Sub, FS, BP in that order, but the sub has often faded by that point. I've liked her special bulk, the sub has even survived some super-effective non-STAB hits. The first slot has given me some issues, I used to run Leaf Storm until i tried to then BP to Landorus at -2 and saw the problem there. But Giga Drain just doesn't hit anything like as hard and I miss the power, especially seeing as she's pretty much the only answer to Slowbro on the team right now.
Spread was just taken from what was recommended but I took points that were in Spe out to slow down the baton pass (but I think still be quicker than most relevant pursuits) and put them into SpA.
Jirachi @ Leftovers
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Doom Desire
- Psychic
- Stealth Rock
- Healing Wish
This is another attempt to aid the set up (though not at the same time as Celebi - the idea is that one of them will be out and I can jump at any opportunity). Doom Desire runs the same plan as Future Sight: hit the move, swap to a sweeper, their response will need to survive a nuke while I set up on the switch. It again hasn't been working so well - probably because a lot of counters people send in are steel or bulky waters which both resist it (and steel + Slowbro both resist Future Sight from Celebi too). He used to run Future Sight over Psychic too to give me options on the set up help, but he always felt too passive then so I swapped. He also sets up rocks and has a fast Healing Wish to allow me to be a bit reckless with the sweepers early to make some dents then run away and come back for another go (as well as letting me scout their primary check). I usually lead with him to get rocks up, but he feels like dead weight after that.
Spread has very little thought behind it - hit hard with the nuke and make sure I can get off the Healing Wish before being KOd. Maybe I could take some points out of speed and still be fast enough but hit harder/be bulkier?
Latias (F) @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 16 Def / 240 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Draco Meteor
- Roost
- Defog
- Healing Wish
Defog. Not much more to say really - Draco also helps put big holes into some things and Healing Wish again lets me have another crack with a sweeper (I've won one match with Aerodactyl's third sweep of the game). EVs are just what was suggested by the team builder.
Keldeo @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Justified
EVs: 64 HP / 252 SpA / 192 Spe
Timid Nature
- Surf
- Secret Sword
- Icy Wind
- Hidden Power [Flying]
Revenge killer. She used to be Modest until I realised that she wasn't quick enough to outspeed Jolly base 100s at +1 (current speed is enough to outrun ScarfChomp - I think) and I miss the power now. Icy Wind and HP have been very underwhelming in particular. Surf over Scald for the extra BP (I'd rather kill the sweeper I'm revenging than hope for a burn) and over Hydro Pump for the accuracy. I guess I could drop one of the weak coverage moves to give the option of Surf or Hydro Pump depending on what I'm facing?
Problems
I haven't really encountered any specific mons that are a real pain, but I'm still really low on the ladder and am facing all kinds of things down here. Slowbro has been a problem for me though - I'm considering Thunder Fang on Aero but would really miss whatever I dropped.
Ice weakness - four of my team are weak to it, and this is especially a problem when two of them (Celebi and Latias) are meant to pass/die over to the other two (Aero and Lando).
Aerodactyl's frailty. I'm thinking about swapping him. I initially chose him for the power of Stone Edge - but it doesn't get a Tough Claws boost and Charizard-X hits just as hard with Fire Punch and even harder with Dragon Claw thanks to his Tough Claws (and that's not even looking at the possibility of Flare Blitz and Outrage). This will mitigate the ice weakness slightly, but he's still only neutral.
Revenge Killer doesn't feel like she hits hard enough.
Jirachi feels like dead weight. Is there a better way I could get use out of Doom Desire? It might work better paired with Zard-X or another dragon sweeper as more fairies will try to come out to stop them, and get hit very hard if they do. Maybe a different set/mon entirely and abandon the idea? (Though remember that he's currently my rock setter.)
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