The Grass is Always Greener!
Hello Smogon! What I have for you today is my very first RMT! I've joined only recently, so I apologize for my noobness.
First, some boring backstory. I normally play OU, but now I find it boring with all the weather and VoltTurn teams running amok. So, a few months ago, I tried out UU. It was fun, but it wasn't my cup of tea. After this, I decided to try out NU just for the hell of it and have loved it ever since! I love how weather teams are almost non-existent and how diverse the tier itself is!
Anyway, this team is based around one of my favorite Pokemon, Serperior. It has been doing okay, but not great, so I would like to get some help from the experts! :) That said, let's go straight to the team!
Team Building Process:
I started with Serperior for obvious reasons.
With all the Ice-types roaming around in NU, I put in Magmortar to patch this up. I added Lapras for this reason, too. However, Lapras would also help out Magmortar by taking the water attacks that he is weak to.
Looking at my team so far, I already saw a big weakness to rock. Plus, I needed a Rock-type of my own to wall the numerous Flying-types in the tier. I originally had Golem, but it only made my team synergy worse. After careful consideration, I went with Metang because he has great typing, could take hits from Flying and Rock-types, and could provide team support by setting up Stealth Rock, just like Golem.
With that settled, I knew I needed a Poison-type to get rid of Toxic Spikes, something Serperior can't stand! I went with Garbodor because it solved this problem and could set up more hazards to support the team.
I noticed that now I had a big weakness to Ground! Plus, I knew I would have trouble with Fighting-types. Not good. However, Braviary fixed up these problems easily and earned a spot on my team.
...And with that, my team was finished! :)
The Team
Metang @Eviolite
Trait: Clear Body
EVs: 252 HP/252 Def/4 SpD
Impish Nature (+Def, -SpA)
-Stealth Rock
-Toxic
-Meteor Mash
-Earthquake
Metang serves a very important role in my team. Not only is he my physical wall, but he also sets up Stealth Rock. Metang's awesome typing means he can come in safely on most pokes in the tier. He is also my answer to both Rock and Flying-types, who otherwise cause problems for my team. Speaking of Flying-types, Stealth Rock severely limits the amount of times one can come in, giving me the advantage. Meteor Mash and Earthquake provides decent coverage, too.
Serperior (M) @Life Orb
Trait: Overgrow
EVs: 4 HP/252 SpA/252 Spe
Timid Nature (+Spe, -Atk)
-Substitute
-Calm Mind
-Giga Drain
-Hidden Power (Rock)
And here he is. The powerhouse. The beast. The Pokemon this entire team was focused around. SubCM Serperior is so underrated in this meta and should really be used more often! He can be difficult to bring in safely, but it is definitely worth the effort! After a few Calm Mind boosts, Serperior, with a Life Orb, has the potential to even OHKO Magmortar! He also has good enough bulk to take a few hits if need be, but that's where Giga Drain comes into play! STAB Giga Drain restores Serperior's health greatly and is necessary on this set because of Life Orb recoil. In addition, Hidden Power Rock is all the coverage he needs to deal with his counters and then some.
Lapras (F) @Leftovers
Trait: Water Absorb
EVs: 248 HP/8 SpA/252 SpD
Calm Nature (+SpD, -Atk)
-Ice Beam
-Thunderbolt
-Surf
-Heal Bell
Whereas Metang serves as my team's physical wall, Lapras is the special wall. Her typing is a mixed bag to say the least, but is pretty useful under the right conditions. Like Magmortar, Lapras can take Ice-type attacks for Serperior and does so really well! Being 4x resistant to Ice is great, especially because there are so many in NU! In addition, Lapras can take the Water-type attacks aimed at Magmortar, laughing at the failed attempt to damage it. WRONG! With Water Absorb, Lapras makes all water attacks completely useless and can use it to get some health back. Surf provides secondary STAB along with Ice Beam and Heal Bell cures the team's status.
Magmortar (M) @Choice Specs
Trait: Vital Spirit
EVs: 24 HP/252 SpA/232 Spe
Timid Nature (+Spe, -Atk)
-Fire Blast
-Thunderbolt
-Focus Blast
-Hidden Power (Ice)
I see these things practically everywhere and it is easy to see why! Simply put, Magmortar is just that good! With a Choice Specs, Magmortar becomes a very dangerous special sweeper, and has near-perfect coverage on top of that! STAB Fire Blast can crack even the hardest nut, plus he can damage Water and Rock-types on the switch with Thunderbolt and Focus Blast respectively. I chose Hidden Power Ice instead of Grass because Altaria walls him to no end without it, and Serperior can scare away Quagsire.
Garbodor (M) @Air Balloon
Trait: Stench
EVs: 252 HP/252 Def/4 SpD
Impish Nature (+Def, -SpA)
-Toxic Spikes
-Spikes
-Clear Smog
-Rock Blast
Garbodor supports the team by ridding the field of Toxic Spikes. It also helps that he can set up his own Toxic Spikes. Because my team is pretty Ground weak, I put an Air Balloon on Garbodor to somewhat fix the issue, though I'm considering Leftovers to replace it. I decided to give him Clear Smog and Rock Blast because they are both pretty useful in their own way. Clear Fog removes any stat boosts gained by the opponent, while Rock Blast provides better coverage. Rock Blast also deals with Cryogonal and breaks Substitutes, once again preventing setup sweepers from setting up.
Braviary (M) @Choice Scarf
Trait: Keen Eye
EVs: 252 Atk/4 Def/252 Spe
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SpA)
-Return
-Brave Bird
-Superpower
-U-turn
BRAVE BIRD EVERYTHING!!! In all seriousness though, Braviary helps patch up my weakness to Ground and can take care of the Fighting-types roaming around the tier. Braviary is pretty slow, but Choice Scarf is the perfect solution! With an Adamant Nature, Braviary can hit hard while outspeeding most threats. Unlike his Flying-type brethren, Braviary has access to Superpower! This helps catch some of his counters, such as Probopass, on the switch and can usually 2HKO them. Return provides decent coverage with Brave Bird and U-turn is for scouting the opponent's team.
Importable:
Metang @Eviolite Trait: Clear Body
EVs: 252 HP/252 Def/4 SpD
Impish Nature (+Def, -SpA)
-Stealth Rock
-Toxic
-Meteor Mash
-Earthquake
Serperior (M) @Life Orb
Trait: Overgrow
EVs: 4 HP/252 SpA/252 Spe
Timid Nature (+Spe, -Atk)
-Substitute
-Clear Mind
-Giga Drain
-Hidden Power (Rock)
Lapras (F) @Leftovers
Trait: Water Absorb
EVs: 248 HP/8 SpA/252 SpD
Calm Nature (+SpD, -Atk)
-Ice Beam
-Thunderbolt
-Roar
-Heal Bell
Magmortar (M) @Choice Specs
Trait: Vital Spirit
EVs: 24 HP/252 SpA/232 Spe
Timid Nature (+Spe, -Atk)
-Fire Blast
-Thunderbolt
-Focus Blast
-Hidden Power (Ice)
Garbodor (M) @Air Balloon
Trait: Stench
EVs: 252 HP/252 Def/4 SpD
Impish Nature (+Def, -SpA)
-Toxic Spikes
-Spikes
-Clear Smog
-Rock Blast
Braviary (M) @Choice Scarf
Trait: Keen Eye
EVs: 252 Atk/4 Def/252 Spe
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SpA)
-Return
-Brave Bird
-Superpower
-U-turn
EVs: 252 HP/252 Def/4 SpD
Impish Nature (+Def, -SpA)
-Stealth Rock
-Toxic
-Meteor Mash
-Earthquake
Serperior (M) @Life Orb
Trait: Overgrow
EVs: 4 HP/252 SpA/252 Spe
Timid Nature (+Spe, -Atk)
-Substitute
-Clear Mind
-Giga Drain
-Hidden Power (Rock)
Lapras (F) @Leftovers
Trait: Water Absorb
EVs: 248 HP/8 SpA/252 SpD
Calm Nature (+SpD, -Atk)
-Ice Beam
-Thunderbolt
-Roar
-Heal Bell
Magmortar (M) @Choice Specs
Trait: Vital Spirit
EVs: 24 HP/252 SpA/232 Spe
Timid Nature (+Spe, -Atk)
-Fire Blast
-Thunderbolt
-Focus Blast
-Hidden Power (Ice)
Garbodor (M) @Air Balloon
Trait: Stench
EVs: 252 HP/252 Def/4 SpD
Impish Nature (+Def, -SpA)
-Toxic Spikes
-Spikes
-Clear Smog
-Rock Blast
Braviary (M) @Choice Scarf
Trait: Keen Eye
EVs: 252 Atk/4 Def/252 Spe
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SpA)
-Return
-Brave Bird
-Superpower
-U-turn
Any help is appreciated. Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed it! :)