Yo, RMT forums. Lately there's been an influx of "final teams" for gen5 tiers, so I thought I'd contribute as well. I haven't been part of the competitive community for long, but thanks to the great people in the NU community, I think I was able to familiarize with my starting tier of choice pretty well. My teams have always been kind of hit or miss thing, where sometimes I would fall into the common beginner trap of using stupid gimmicks that have little to no chance of working. I like to think I've left that behind and became a somewhat respectable battler. This is most likely the best team I've built as of now, and it's been working well for the time I've played with it. I haven't included ladder peaks, because I like to mix it up when playing and playing a lot of matches in a row with the same team tends to have negative impact on my play.
The team is centered around one of the most powerful offensive force the tier has to offer: Charizard. I decided to use Choice Scarf Zard, because it was the only major set I haven't really tried out yet. Charizard server as my main late-game cleaner, after the rest of the team has killed or severely crippled its checks.
Teambuilding process:
Since my centerpiece doesn't appreciate early SR, Banded Sawk was my first choice for a teammate for its huge offensive presence and the ability to beat the majority of common SR setters.
Because Sawk invites psychic types to come out, I wanted a mon that could take advantage of these, as well as things like Misdreavus and Golurk. I've used a lot of Skuntank, but for this team, I really wanted the pivoting abilities of Liepard instead of taunting and dying to Golurk.
Having entry hazards of my own is mandatory to wear down the opposition and I went with one of the most reliable ones in Golem. This gave me a normal/flying resist and a volt switch absorber, which was the biggest selling point over Probopass.
SR is great, but doing even more hazard damage is always nice if my goal is to cleanup with ScarfZard. I went with Roselia over Scolipede because of Roselia's staying power and because I didn't have any water resistant pokémon at this point.
Most teams get better by slapping a Musharna on them, so I did just that. This gave me the best check to fighting pokémon in the tier.
The Team:
Charizard @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Blaze
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 SAtk / 4 Def
Timid Nature
IVs: 2 Atk / 30 SAtk
- Fire Blast
- Air Slash
- Flamethrower
- Hidden Power [Grass]
Easily one of the most threatening special attacker of the tier is often seen carrying Specs for sheer power, or Life Orb, for smaller gain in power, but also reliable recovery in Roost. Charizard's speed stat allows him to outspeed most of the Choice Scarf users in the tier: notably Primeape, Jynx, Adamant Tauros, both Rotom formes. He usually doesn't come out until I can safely pivot him in and just spam one move to KO everything my opponent has left. If rocks aren't up, he can come in a lot more often and unleash powerful attacks to decimate slower adversaries. Fire Blast is a general nuke attack, which does huge damage to most mons neutral to fire. Air Slash is a reliable secondary STAB, with solid neutral coverage and sexy flinch chance, which can pull you out of trouble should you ever need it. Flamethrower is a more reliable fire-type attack, used for cleaning weakened opponents when the raw power of Fire Blast isn't needed and missing would be terrible. HP Grass is used because everyone should hate Focus Blast. It's BP is nothing to write home about, but it does its job against water and rock type pokémon.
Sawk (M) @ Choice Band
Ability: Mold Breaker
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spd / 4 Def
Adamant Nature
- Close Combat
- Earthquake
- Ice Punch
- Stone Edge
Cookie-cutter CB Sawk, I use him on most Zard teams, because preventing SR is much easier and better than spinning them away. Other than that, Sawk's wallbreaking prowess is nearly unrivaled in NU, thanks to its monstrous attack stat. He also acts as a secondary cleaner, in case Zard has to die before finishing the game. Sawk and Zard are often the last team members alive, to ensure one of them can come in safely and end the other team's existence. Interesting fact: the most used move on the set is Ice Punch: nothing is immune and not many things resist it, making it ideal for late-game spamming, where CC would just invite something like Scolipede in to tank it and force a switch.
Liepard @ BlackGlasses
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 Atk / 4 SDef
Jolly Nature
- Encore
- Pursuit
- Sucker Punch
- U-turn
PivotPard has been getting a lot of hype in the NU community and for a good reason: it stops setup sweepers cold, traps almost as well as Skuntank, packs a solid punch, and it is able to utilise the best damage-dealing move in the game. Liepard's biggest downfall is its frailness, powerful attacks tear it to shreds fairly easily. He usually comes in on a forced switch, or a predicted setup. Base 88 attack doesn't win any awards, but with full investment and Blackglasses, Pard can OHKO standard Golurk with SR and a layer of spikes with Sucker Punch. U-Turn is arguably the biggest asset Liepard has over Skuntank and it's not hard to see why: keeping momentum is ridiculously important in pokémon and Liepard plays his role very well.
Golem @ Leftovers
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 60 Spd / 252 Atk / 196 HP
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Stealth Rock
- Sucker Punch
- Rock Blast
Between solid physical bulk even when uninvested, great attack stat, Sturdy, STAB EdgeQuake coverage, access to priority in Sucker Punch and useful set of resistances and immunities, it isn't hard to see why Golem is one of the premier Stealth Rock setters in the tier. While Probopass boasts 4x resistance to normal and flying and Volt Switch, Golem has his own set of qualities which set him apart and make him a good fit on many teams. This is another of those standard sets, maybe boring for some, but it works incredibly well regardless. Rock Blast is the most spammable move, again, nothing is immune, it breaks subs, can crit 5 times in one turn etc. I usually try to keep Golem alive for as long as possible, although it depends on the team I'm facing and sometimes I'll let it die early and preserve other mons. I'm not sure how much speed should I run to creep some common mons, right now I only added 4 extra IVs to possibly outrun other Golems. If anyone has a suggestion, I'll happily listen.
Roselia @ Eviolite
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 248 HP / 252 SDef / 8 Def
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Giga Drain
- Sludge Bomb
- Spikes
- Synthesis
Roselia earned a spot on the team for multiple reasons: Spikes, Spikes, ability to take on dangerous special attackers, such as Ludicolo, and for being able to stay healthy throughout the match, shall I ever need to setup spikes again, in case they get spun away by terrible pokémon. I occasionally lead with Roselia in case my opponent has a Seismitoad, shich can't really do much to it except for the random Sludge Bomb/Wave, and even then it's not much. Spikes are incredibly useful on this team, as entry hazards are pretty much the best way to wear down common Charizard checks. I went with Synthesis over Rest, because I don't like losing momentum by switching out after using a recovery move. This creates some problems against rain, but it's mostly a minor annoyance. Contrary to my usual play with Golem, I am often very happy to let Roselia take one for the team if the mons it does well against are sufficiently dealth with.
Musharna @ Leftovers
Ability: Synchronize
EVs: 252 Def / 240 HP / 16 SDef
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Moonlight
- Psychic
- Toxic
- Heal Bell
Mushy is the glue of the team and by far the pokémon I use the most in NU. Sawk and Primeape are two of the biggest threats the tier has to offer and Musharna is an elegant way of dealing with them. Boasting amazing bulk and solid special attack, it can switch in many many times throughout the battle. Moonlight is a given on every Musharna set, because recovery is king. Psychic is a reliable and powerful STAB. The other moveslots are highly customizable and that's where most Musharnas differ depending on the need of the team. I always like to have a cleric and Musharna is a natural fit for that. Heal Bell in combination with Toxic also gives me a nice way to beat non-HB Mushys 1on1. Toxic is a great thing in general, as I adressed multiple times - wearing down the opposition is what we want to do. Musharna is also my tertiary win condition, as it can take on so many things and beat them. Even with uninvested offenses, Psychic does a lot of damage and so if all else fails, Musharna is always there to step up for Zard and Sawk. It also completes a P/D/F core with Liepard and Sawk, which is a synergy that is always nice to have.
Importable:
Threats:
This team is weak to a couple of really promiment pokémon in the tier, but those weaknesses can be played around somewhat.
SD Rott is a force to be reckoned with and between Megahorn and priotity move in Aqua Jet, it can give this team some trouble.
Eelektross is incredibly dangerous in the right hands. As is always the case, figuring out what set it's running is the key. Choiced Eels are not hard to play around, but EBelt and Lefties ones should be approached with caution.
Arguably the most dangerous pokémon in the tier, Jynx is incredibly dangerous to pretty much any team. It can run a variety of sets, so again, finding out what it is is the key. Entry hazards go a long way in trying to beat this beast, but it often does a ton of damage.
Kangaskhan is a mon that consistently gives me trouble. With strong priority moves, good natural bulk and great power, it is a tough nut to crack. Kanga and Samurott need to be rid of ASAP, because they do a great job at stopping this team in its tracks.
Thank you for pulling through and taking the time to read this. I hope I didn't make a terrible impression with my first RMT, although I know this team could be vastly improved. I only have a single shoutout: the community around the best gen5 tier, be it the forums, #neverused, or the chatroom on PS. Thanks everyone who helped me become a bit better than when I started and for being a fun bunch overall.
The team is centered around one of the most powerful offensive force the tier has to offer: Charizard. I decided to use Choice Scarf Zard, because it was the only major set I haven't really tried out yet. Charizard server as my main late-game cleaner, after the rest of the team has killed or severely crippled its checks.
Teambuilding process:
Since my centerpiece doesn't appreciate early SR, Banded Sawk was my first choice for a teammate for its huge offensive presence and the ability to beat the majority of common SR setters.
Because Sawk invites psychic types to come out, I wanted a mon that could take advantage of these, as well as things like Misdreavus and Golurk. I've used a lot of Skuntank, but for this team, I really wanted the pivoting abilities of Liepard instead of taunting and dying to Golurk.
Having entry hazards of my own is mandatory to wear down the opposition and I went with one of the most reliable ones in Golem. This gave me a normal/flying resist and a volt switch absorber, which was the biggest selling point over Probopass.
SR is great, but doing even more hazard damage is always nice if my goal is to cleanup with ScarfZard. I went with Roselia over Scolipede because of Roselia's staying power and because I didn't have any water resistant pokémon at this point.
Most teams get better by slapping a Musharna on them, so I did just that. This gave me the best check to fighting pokémon in the tier.
The Team:
Charizard @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Blaze
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 SAtk / 4 Def
Timid Nature
IVs: 2 Atk / 30 SAtk
- Fire Blast
- Air Slash
- Flamethrower
- Hidden Power [Grass]
Easily one of the most threatening special attacker of the tier is often seen carrying Specs for sheer power, or Life Orb, for smaller gain in power, but also reliable recovery in Roost. Charizard's speed stat allows him to outspeed most of the Choice Scarf users in the tier: notably Primeape, Jynx, Adamant Tauros, both Rotom formes. He usually doesn't come out until I can safely pivot him in and just spam one move to KO everything my opponent has left. If rocks aren't up, he can come in a lot more often and unleash powerful attacks to decimate slower adversaries. Fire Blast is a general nuke attack, which does huge damage to most mons neutral to fire. Air Slash is a reliable secondary STAB, with solid neutral coverage and sexy flinch chance, which can pull you out of trouble should you ever need it. Flamethrower is a more reliable fire-type attack, used for cleaning weakened opponents when the raw power of Fire Blast isn't needed and missing would be terrible. HP Grass is used because everyone should hate Focus Blast. It's BP is nothing to write home about, but it does its job against water and rock type pokémon.
Sawk (M) @ Choice Band
Ability: Mold Breaker
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spd / 4 Def
Adamant Nature
- Close Combat
- Earthquake
- Ice Punch
- Stone Edge
Cookie-cutter CB Sawk, I use him on most Zard teams, because preventing SR is much easier and better than spinning them away. Other than that, Sawk's wallbreaking prowess is nearly unrivaled in NU, thanks to its monstrous attack stat. He also acts as a secondary cleaner, in case Zard has to die before finishing the game. Sawk and Zard are often the last team members alive, to ensure one of them can come in safely and end the other team's existence. Interesting fact: the most used move on the set is Ice Punch: nothing is immune and not many things resist it, making it ideal for late-game spamming, where CC would just invite something like Scolipede in to tank it and force a switch.
Liepard @ BlackGlasses
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 Atk / 4 SDef
Jolly Nature
- Encore
- Pursuit
- Sucker Punch
- U-turn
PivotPard has been getting a lot of hype in the NU community and for a good reason: it stops setup sweepers cold, traps almost as well as Skuntank, packs a solid punch, and it is able to utilise the best damage-dealing move in the game. Liepard's biggest downfall is its frailness, powerful attacks tear it to shreds fairly easily. He usually comes in on a forced switch, or a predicted setup. Base 88 attack doesn't win any awards, but with full investment and Blackglasses, Pard can OHKO standard Golurk with SR and a layer of spikes with Sucker Punch. U-Turn is arguably the biggest asset Liepard has over Skuntank and it's not hard to see why: keeping momentum is ridiculously important in pokémon and Liepard plays his role very well.
Golem @ Leftovers
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 60 Spd / 252 Atk / 196 HP
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Stealth Rock
- Sucker Punch
- Rock Blast
Between solid physical bulk even when uninvested, great attack stat, Sturdy, STAB EdgeQuake coverage, access to priority in Sucker Punch and useful set of resistances and immunities, it isn't hard to see why Golem is one of the premier Stealth Rock setters in the tier. While Probopass boasts 4x resistance to normal and flying and Volt Switch, Golem has his own set of qualities which set him apart and make him a good fit on many teams. This is another of those standard sets, maybe boring for some, but it works incredibly well regardless. Rock Blast is the most spammable move, again, nothing is immune, it breaks subs, can crit 5 times in one turn etc. I usually try to keep Golem alive for as long as possible, although it depends on the team I'm facing and sometimes I'll let it die early and preserve other mons. I'm not sure how much speed should I run to creep some common mons, right now I only added 4 extra IVs to possibly outrun other Golems. If anyone has a suggestion, I'll happily listen.
Roselia @ Eviolite
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 248 HP / 252 SDef / 8 Def
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Giga Drain
- Sludge Bomb
- Spikes
- Synthesis
Roselia earned a spot on the team for multiple reasons: Spikes, Spikes, ability to take on dangerous special attackers, such as Ludicolo, and for being able to stay healthy throughout the match, shall I ever need to setup spikes again, in case they get spun away by terrible pokémon. I occasionally lead with Roselia in case my opponent has a Seismitoad, shich can't really do much to it except for the random Sludge Bomb/Wave, and even then it's not much. Spikes are incredibly useful on this team, as entry hazards are pretty much the best way to wear down common Charizard checks. I went with Synthesis over Rest, because I don't like losing momentum by switching out after using a recovery move. This creates some problems against rain, but it's mostly a minor annoyance. Contrary to my usual play with Golem, I am often very happy to let Roselia take one for the team if the mons it does well against are sufficiently dealth with.
Musharna @ Leftovers
Ability: Synchronize
EVs: 252 Def / 240 HP / 16 SDef
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Moonlight
- Psychic
- Toxic
- Heal Bell
Mushy is the glue of the team and by far the pokémon I use the most in NU. Sawk and Primeape are two of the biggest threats the tier has to offer and Musharna is an elegant way of dealing with them. Boasting amazing bulk and solid special attack, it can switch in many many times throughout the battle. Moonlight is a given on every Musharna set, because recovery is king. Psychic is a reliable and powerful STAB. The other moveslots are highly customizable and that's where most Musharnas differ depending on the need of the team. I always like to have a cleric and Musharna is a natural fit for that. Heal Bell in combination with Toxic also gives me a nice way to beat non-HB Mushys 1on1. Toxic is a great thing in general, as I adressed multiple times - wearing down the opposition is what we want to do. Musharna is also my tertiary win condition, as it can take on so many things and beat them. Even with uninvested offenses, Psychic does a lot of damage and so if all else fails, Musharna is always there to step up for Zard and Sawk. It also completes a P/D/F core with Liepard and Sawk, which is a synergy that is always nice to have.
Importable:
Charizard @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Blaze
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 SAtk / 4 Def
Timid Nature
IVs: 2 Atk / 30 SAtk
- Fire Blast
- Air Slash
- Flamethrower
- Hidden Power [Grass]
Sawk (M) @ Choice Band
Ability: Mold Breaker
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spd / 4 Def
Adamant Nature
- Close Combat
- Earthquake
- Ice Punch
- Stone Edge
Liepard @ BlackGlasses
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 Atk / 4 SDef
Jolly Nature
- Encore
- Pursuit
- Sucker Punch
- U-turn
Golem @ Leftovers
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 60 Spd / 252 Atk / 196 HP
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Stealth Rock
- Sucker Punch
- Rock Blast
Roselia @ Eviolite
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 248 HP / 252 SDef / 8 Def
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Giga Drain
- Sludge Bomb
- Spikes
- Synthesis
Musharna @ Leftovers
Ability: Synchronize
EVs: 252 Def / 240 HP / 16 SDef
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Moonlight
- Psychic
- Toxic
- Heal Bell
Ability: Blaze
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 SAtk / 4 Def
Timid Nature
IVs: 2 Atk / 30 SAtk
- Fire Blast
- Air Slash
- Flamethrower
- Hidden Power [Grass]
Sawk (M) @ Choice Band
Ability: Mold Breaker
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spd / 4 Def
Adamant Nature
- Close Combat
- Earthquake
- Ice Punch
- Stone Edge
Liepard @ BlackGlasses
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 Atk / 4 SDef
Jolly Nature
- Encore
- Pursuit
- Sucker Punch
- U-turn
Golem @ Leftovers
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 60 Spd / 252 Atk / 196 HP
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Stealth Rock
- Sucker Punch
- Rock Blast
Roselia @ Eviolite
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 248 HP / 252 SDef / 8 Def
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Giga Drain
- Sludge Bomb
- Spikes
- Synthesis
Musharna @ Leftovers
Ability: Synchronize
EVs: 252 Def / 240 HP / 16 SDef
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Moonlight
- Psychic
- Toxic
- Heal Bell
Threats:
This team is weak to a couple of really promiment pokémon in the tier, but those weaknesses can be played around somewhat.
Thank you for pulling through and taking the time to read this. I hope I didn't make a terrible impression with my first RMT, although I know this team could be vastly improved. I only have a single shoutout: the community around the best gen5 tier, be it the forums, #neverused, or the chatroom on PS. Thanks everyone who helped me become a bit better than when I started and for being a fun bunch overall.
