First Team

[Rayquaza191]

First time building a team and don't know much about the rules, I heard you couldn't use the same item more than once on your team though which kind of sucks. I don't plan on using any Legendaries, I think they're overpowered heh. Anyways I built my team around pokes that I personally liked based on appearance and a bit of a Attack Minded Sandstorm team that could put up a good fight as well.

Metagross
Occa Berry -Adamant - Clear Body
252 HP / 236 Atk / 12 Def / 8 Spe
Stealth Rock
Earthquake
Bullet Punch
Explosion

I lead with him, set up stealth rock, his bulk should hold off any fire types especially with the Occa Berry. He can then counter them with Earthquake and Bullet Punch for the kill, explosion to make sure he takes a poke with him.

Scizor
Life Orb - Technician - Adamant
31/31/31/4/22/31
252 Att/252 Speed/4HP
Moveset:
-Swords Dance
-Bullet Punch
-Brick Break/Superpower
-X-Scissor

Swords dance up on a opponents switch and use his massive attack to wipe opponents. Bullet Punch for stab and priority combined with Technician, X-Scissor for stab as well.

Aggron
Focus Sash - Relaxed
252 HP/252 Attack/4 Special Defense
Moveset:
-Metal Burst
-Stone Edge
-Focus Punch
-Curse

Built around the move Metal Burst, he's built to tank and revenge kill with Metal Burst. Curse when given the opportunity to lower his speed along with his 0 IVs in speed to ensure he goes last.

Tyranitar
Choice Band - Adamant
252 Attack/Not sure about the rest, Speed I'd guess, need help with EV Spread.
Moveset:
-Stone Edge
-Crunch
-Aqua Tail
-Earthquake

Similar to Scizor, varied movepool for attacking prowess combined with Choice Band for him to do some serious damage. Considering 252 Speed EVs, but considering he's good overall stats wise it might be better spent in HP.

Garchomp
Choice Scarf - Jolly
252 Attack/252 Speed
Moveset:
-Outrage
-Earthquake
-Stone Edge
-Sleep Talk

Combined with 252 Speed EVs and Choice Scarf he's all about his speed. Sleep talk opponents which will force most to switch out and attack during the switch in plus a secondary attack he should pull off with his speed that'll make sure to knockout the opponent. A bit of prediction on the switch from the opponent is needed I suppose.

Rhyperior
Life Orb - Jolly
252 Attack/252 Speed/4HP
Moveset:
Rock Polish
Stone Edge
Earthquake
Aquatail

Rock Polish to fix his horrible speed when he has opportunity to set up, Stone Edge and Earthquake cover his stab, Aquatail for extra coverage. Most of his counters should be outpaced after a Rock Polish and his sky high attack to sweep them courtesy of Life Orb.

 

[diinbong]

Hello Rayquaza 191.

I recommend you read the rules threads and take special consideration in the following three;

2. Do not post incomplete teams. If you are smart enough to pick five Pokemon, you can easily pick another one. If you are smart enough to pick nine, you can easily cut that down to six. Make sure to include natures, EV spreads and items. If you are unsure of your selections, make a note of this or simply add a question mark after them so team raters can help you focus on perceived problems first.

3. Have some actual words in your post beyond your six Pokemon and their moves. Not following this makes your post quite boring to read and rate. All Pokemon should have a good reason for being in your team anyway, so why not post that reason? If you are having trouble with this one, start by giving an explanation for each team member. Why are they there? What role do they serve? How do you get them in? Then, give an explanation of how you would open with the team and how you would go about using it. All of these things help people rate your team and allow us to offer more helpful advice.

This does not mean add one sentence saying "Standard x" or "all-around awesome" after each Pokemon. If you put thought into making the team, you can put thought into posting it.

15. As a site dedicated to competitive battling, we request that your team is as competitive as possible within its given metagame. In-game teams, gimmick teams and teams that demonstrate a lack of understanding of the metagame will be closed. Battle Tower teams are permitted. "Theme Teams" are also OK as long as they demonstrate an understanding of the competitive metagame they are to be used in. This is completely up to the discretion of the mods.

I can't even rate this team without you following these. Good luck!

edit: You don't need to know everything to post a team, only the team itself. If you can't present raters with a team, they have nothing to rate. If you'd like opinions on small changes and the like, post in the simple question/answer thread. Thanks again.

 

[Rayquaza191]

I was looking for advice, it seems that I apparently have to know everything to get it which would defeat the purpose of asking for the advice to begin with(Honestly, it seems you have to write a research paper). Is there another subforum that helps with the creation of a team rather than rating it?

Edit: Completed the team.

 

[diinbong]

Your team is extremely Steel-based. While this isn't necessarily a bad thing in today's metagame, a hard-hitting Fire-type like Heatran will run through your team easily. This is especially true with Infernape, as Close Combat will easily take out Tyranitar. So, considering this fact and since Garchomp is Uber on the Smogon Tier list, I recommend replacing it with a bulky Water-type like Vaporeon. The majority of your Pokemon have no way of recovering, so going with the standard Wish set (first in the analysis) with Hidden Power Electric to take care of Gyardos and some other Water-types would be a good idea. Hidden Power Ice over Psychic on Lucario will not only get rid of the redundant coverage Psychic provides, but also hit Zapdos and Giscor, two usual counters to Lucario. I also have no idea whatsoever in why you are using an Adamant nature on a special Lucario; this will make your attacks do much less damage, and give a boost to a stat you don't even need! Timid or Modest is the way to go. Losing Garchomp makes your team vulnerable to fast foes and lacking in Speed, so I recommend a Scarfed Flygon over Aggron to absorb the hits your Steel-types are weak to (Fire and Ground).

Flygon @ Choice Scarf
Adamant - Levitate
80 HP / 252 Atk / 176 Spe
Outrage
Earthquake
Fire Blast
U-turn

Earthquake and Outrage are your primary STAB options, resisted only by Levitate Bronzong, Skarmory, and Shedinja. U-turn is to scout for common counters, and works well with the entry hazards provided by your lead, as you can force a lot of switches. I'm sure I don't have to describe its use to you, since it works quite similarly to Garchomp, only with less power. Tyranitar's EV spread should look like 176 HP / 252 Atk / 80 Spe Adamant. 'This EV spread makes Tyranitar fast enough to outspeed 4 Speed EV Skarmory, allowing Tyranitar to Stone Edge for a 2HKO before it can Roost. After maxing out Attack, the remaining of the EVs are placed into HP to bolster Tyranitar's already strong defenses.' Go with 32 HP / 252 Atk / 224 Spe Adamant on your Scizor. 'Max Attack is used so Scizor can do as much damage as possible, while the 32 HP EVs will allow 11 uses of Life Orb, instead of the usual ten (provided you have no damage sustained already). 224 Speed EVs hits a 222 Speed stat, allowing you to outspeed a maximum Speed, neutral nature Tyranitar. So if you don't have a Swords Dance, you can still KO Tyranitar with Brick Break.' Replacing Skarmory with the more versatile Metagross will greatly improve your lead's performance, while keeping the same use.

Metagross @ Occa Berry
Adamant - Clear Body
252 HP / 236 Atk / 12 Def / 8 Spe
Stealth Rock
Earthquake
Bullet Punch
Meteor Mash / Explosion

The 12 Defense EVs allow Metagross to survive a CBDugtrio's Earthquake while at full health and when combined with 252 HP EVs. 8 Spe to beat others in your Speed group, and the rest in Attack. Meteor Mash is the preferred choice of attack over Explosion so you can keep around all game. Scizor can have Roost, or X-Scissor in the last slot, with Brick Break over Superpower.

Good Luck with the team!

 

[Rayquaza191]

Your team is extremely Steel-based. While this isn't necessarily a bad thing in today's metagame, a hard-hitting Fire-type like Heatran will run through your team easily. This is especially true with Infernape, as Close Combat will easily take out Tyranitar. So, considering this fact and since Garchomp is Uber on the Smogon Tier list, I recommend replacing it with a bulky Water-type like Vaporeon. The majority of your Pokemon have no way of recovering, so going with the standard Wish set (first in the analysis) with Hidden Power Electric to take care of Gyardos and some other Water-types would be a good idea. Hidden Power Ice over Psychic on Lucario will not only get rid of the redundant coverage Psychic provides, but also hit Zapdos and Giscor, two usual counters to Lucario. I also have no idea whatsoever in why you are using an Adamant nature on a special Lucario; this will make your attacks do much less damage, and give a boost to a stat you don't even need! Timid or Modest is the way to go. Losing Garchomp makes your team vulnerable to fast foes and lacking in Speed, so I recommend a Scarfed Flygon over Aggron to absorb the hits your Steel-types are weak to (Fire and Ground).

Flygon @ Choice Scarf
Adamant - Levitate
80 HP / 252 Atk / 176 Spe
Outrage
Earthquake
Fire Blast
U-turn

Earthquake and Outrage are your primary STAB options, resisted only by Levitate Bronzong, Skarmory, and Shedinja. U-turn is to scout for common counters, and works well with the entry hazards provided by your lead, as you can force a lot of switches. I'm sure I don't have to describe its use to you, since it works quite similarly to Garchomp, only with less power. Tyranitar's EV spread should look like 176 HP / 252 Atk / 80 Spe Adamant. 'This EV spread makes Tyranitar fast enough to outspeed 4 Speed EV Skarmory, allowing Tyranitar to Stone Edge for a 2HKO before it can Roost. After maxing out Attack, the remaining of the EVs are placed into HP to bolster Tyranitar's already strong defenses.' Go with 32 HP / 252 Atk / 224 Spe Adamant on your Scizor. 'Max Attack is used so Scizor can do as much damage as possible, while the 32 HP EVs will allow 11 uses of Life Orb, instead of the usual ten (provided you have no damage sustained already). 224 Speed EVs hits a 222 Speed stat, allowing you to outspeed a maximum Speed, neutral nature Tyranitar. So if you don't have a Swords Dance, you can still KO Tyranitar with Brick Break.' Replacing Skarmory with the more versatile Metagross will greatly improve your lead's performance, while keeping the same use.

Metagross @ Occa Berry
Adamant - Clear Body
252 HP / 236 Atk / 12 Def / 8 Spe
Stealth Rock
Earthquake
Bullet Punch
Meteor Mash / Explosion

The 12 Defense EVs allow Metagross to survive a CBDugtrio's Earthquake while at full health and when combined with 252 HP EVs. 8 Spe to beat others in your Speed group, and the rest in Attack. Meteor Mash is the preferred choice of attack over Explosion so you can keep around all game. Scizor can have Roost, or X-Scissor in the last slot, with Brick Break over Superpower.

Good Luck with the team!

Very helpful, as far as Lucario goes I meant to put Modest for Choice Specs, that was a blunder. For the lead I did in fact change my mind from Skarmory to Metagross before you even posted this, you did help clear up as to why they put 12 Def and 8 Speed on Smogon(was pretty curious about it). Not sure I'm willing to part with Garchomp, I don't really aim to follow Smogon by the tiers of pokemon, I purely put him on my team because he worked well with Sandstorm and because I liked him. I could consider Flygon though if I really get into competitive battling. As far as self recovery is that really a necessity in battling? I changed my mind as well and was considering Dugtrio instead for my last slot, Arena Trap is very useful and combined with his Speed+Sandstorm he's very resourceful, besides him I'd consider Rhyperior with Rock Polish rather than Lucario(You are right, a lot of my team is weak to fire). With my new team the only pokemon that could get taken out by a fire type would be Scizor and Metagross(although metagross could Earthquake and then bullet punch for the finish), Aggron isn't weak to fire because he's also rock so he'll be fine.