So, I am not an avid user on this site like I am on allisbrawl.com. One person on there decided to battle me so I was like sure, let me throw together a team quickly. I decided to and out came this team. I beat him much more soundly than i could've predicted so i decided to use it on the ladder and so far. I have only lost once with this team. Pretty good i must say for even myself as this team literally was thrown together in 20 minutes. I must warn you guys, nothing is really special about this team as it is my first team in roughly 3 months, so it's not as gimmicky as I tend to be (i do have a semi-successful team leading off with anger-point tauros). I am basically posting this to see if I could have any improvements for my team and as a start off to my return to building half-way decent teams. Might as well start easy. Also to see if I still remember the format. Without further adieu, here is what my team has come to be.
The members:
Team Edit:
I replaced Sceptile with Flygon as he was ultimately the weakest link to the team
Basically, the thought process was, I wanted a team with Machamp. So I started off with Machamp, then adding Aerodactyl since he wasn't weak to psychic nor flying. I needed a spinner so Forretress was added as he can also double as my physical wall. Jolteon was the special sweeper need. Empoleon works as a semi-special sponge and a great special sweeper. I added Sceptile because I wanted a grass type. Roserade could've worked but i felt that he/she was really only good for leading off so I decided to go for something a little faster and decided on Sceptile.
Anyways, here is the overview (don't ask about the nicknames, I was bored) (lastly, I am only naming the ability I am using with pokemon that have more than one ability):
Aerodactyl (Jimmy Ofry)@Focus Sash
Jolly
252/252/6 (ATK/SPD/HP)
Pressure
Stealth Rock
Taunt
Earthquake
Stone Edge
Your basic suicide Aerodactyl lead. He soundly takes care of slower leads (pretty much every other lead out there). Taunts them, sets up SR, and then deals as much damage until he dies. Earthquake and Stone Edge provide great type coverage. I opted Stone Edge over Rock Slide for pure power since he's not going to live long anyways. Rarely do I ever switch him out but if I do, he does make an above average late game sweeper. He does what he has to do and he does a great job in doing it.
Empoleon (Billy George)@Petaya Berry
Modest
252/232/14/12 (SP.ATK/SPD/DEF/HP)
Agility
Substitute
Surf
Ice Beam
Standard Petaya Berry set for Empoleon. This honostly is the first time I am using this set. I have to say, I am surprised by how effective the set is. I really underestimated his combination of power and staying ability. His typing is amazing in defensive aspects. After the Petaya Berry is used, his SP. ATK goes sky high and allows him to sweep teams. He works similar to my Anger Point Tauros as he sets up substitutes until the berry is used. He doesn't need the luck factor and his staying power is a lot better than Tauros. Anyways, he takes care of pesky dragons very well, Salamence can give him some trouble if it carries brick break but in general, Empoleon takes care of them soundly.
Machamp (Humphry Fred)@Leftovers
Adamant
252/252/6 (HP/ATK/SPD)
No Guard
Dynamic Punch
Rest
Sleep Talk
Fire Punch (Team Edit: Payback)
Fairly standard resttalk Machamp. He's very bulky and packs a huge punch, especially with a No Guard Dynamic Punch. I decided to go Fire Punch over Payback as a way to help deal with all the Scizor and Steel-types running amok. He is the main member of this team and takes care of Blissey very well (who basically walls this team when he's gone). He's the main member of my team as my team does not handle special walls very well.
Team Edit:
I decided to go with Payback as it gives him better type coverage and the fact that after reading some damage calculations, Jolteon serves fine as a counter to most sets. The Sword Dance set is the set that Jolteon cannot switch into but he can revenge kill it no problem.
Forretress (Neil Villardo)@Leftovers
Relaxed
252/146/112 (HP/DEF/ATK)
Rapid Spin
Earthquake (Team Edit: Explosion)
Gyro Ball
Spikes (Team Edit: Toxic Spikes)
My spinner. You know the usual go in, get rid of entry hazards, leave. Yup, that's basically what he's used for. He's a great wall on the physical side as he can out-stall almost any physical attacker (basically, if they don't have a fire attack, Forretress is winning the battle). I opted for Earthquake over Explosion so I do not get rid of him at the wrong time (as I usually tend to do that) and help him get rid of some electric type who wants to switch in. He does tend to be set-up bait but it's not that bad since my team is, in general, is fairly bulky. His main job is to get rid of SR and spikes and he does that very well.
Team Edit:
I decided to go with Explosion over Earthquake as a last minute effort to deal with stalling. I was outstalled badly by a CMCune basically because i had no way to get rid of it effectively. Exploding Forretress would've put a major dent into it, probably even had killed it. So I decided for the benefit of the team, an Exploded circle of doom would be better than one that doesn't explode.
Team Edit:
I'm going with Toxic Spikes over Spikes to help me with bulky water pokemon (outside of Gyarados) as I do seem to get walled by them when Jolteon is KO'd.
Jolteon (Karl Yeager)@Choice Specs
Timid
252/252/6 (SP.ATK/SPD/DEF)
Thunderbolt
HP Grass
Shadow Ball
Roar
Pretty standard Specs Jolteon. He still outruns Gyarados after 1 DD which is huge. I'm running HP Grass for those ground pokes that want to switch in but I'm not sure if running HP Ice would be better or ever HP Fire (but that gives him imperfect Speed). Anyways, he's the main special sweeper and he is a great revenge killer has he practically outruns everything. He can take 1 hit as long as it's not boosted or SE. I decided to put Roar on the set to act as a psuedo-haze. I must say, it increases this teams overall bulkiness as it ruins set-ups and BP teams. It also semi-helps with scouting (as in, i can pull out a random poke that he didn't want me to see and i can prepare for it).
Sceptile (Steve Thriggy)@Leftovers
Timid
252/216/42 (SPD/HP/SP.ATK)
Energy Ball
HP Ice
Substitute
Leech Seed
Ah, the final team member. He is annoying. He stalls a lot better than i thought he would (I single handedly outstalled an entirely offensive team with him). Leech Seed and Substitute allow him to stall for a long time. Energy Ball is for stab and HP Ice is for covering most switch-ins (Like flying and other grass types). He is not bulky in anyway but because he is fast, he can substitute before the opponent has a chance to attack to scout for a switch or something and, because of his high speed, he can revenge kill very well. I do not know why he isn't used more often as he is great late-game and not many do his job better (you can probably say Venasaur but Sceptile has a ground resistance and Earthquake is more common in OU than in UU play). His asset to the team was greatly underestimated by me as he has pulled me out in many tight situations.
Team Edit:
Flygon (Verm Aruga)@Choice Scarf
Adamant (Team Edit: Jolly)
252/252/6 (ATK/SPD/HP)
Earthquake
Dragon Claw
Fire Punch
U-Turn
I decided to replace Sceptile with Flygon. Flygon ultimately covers my weaknesses a lot better than Sceptile did and since he's a physical attacker, it balances out the offense on my team since 2 of them really don't count (Aerodactyl is a suicide lead and Forretress is a wall/spinner). He covers my Heatran and my Latias weakness that were previously (almost) uncovered. After using him, my team now feels more complete. Thank you Ontop for the suggestion, he has yet to disappoint.
Team Edit: I decided to go Jolly over Adamant so I can outrun more pokes, especially Salamence after 1 DD.
As for my threats list, the only major concern on my team is Latias. I can deal with it but in general, it causes the greatest concern for my team. I do not have a pure special wall and only Empoleon and Sceptile have moves that hit Latias for SE damage. I could possibly run Signal Beam on Jolteon for Latias or run Dragon Pulse on Sceptile. What do you guys think?
Tyranitar is probably the second biggest weakness for my team but he is nowhere close to as bad as Latias. I can deal with Tyranitar fairly well. Infernape is a glass cannon and if I happen to have Aerodactyl left, he's toast. Same goes for Lucario. Scizor is another problem but it's not that bad since I run roar on Jolteon and can hit it's weaker, Special Defensive stat.
Anyways, any comments will be greatly appreciated. Thank you for your time.
Don't worry guys, the next team I post will have A LOT more originality.
The members:
Team Edit:
I replaced Sceptile with Flygon as he was ultimately the weakest link to the team
Basically, the thought process was, I wanted a team with Machamp. So I started off with Machamp, then adding Aerodactyl since he wasn't weak to psychic nor flying. I needed a spinner so Forretress was added as he can also double as my physical wall. Jolteon was the special sweeper need. Empoleon works as a semi-special sponge and a great special sweeper. I added Sceptile because I wanted a grass type. Roserade could've worked but i felt that he/she was really only good for leading off so I decided to go for something a little faster and decided on Sceptile.
Anyways, here is the overview (don't ask about the nicknames, I was bored) (lastly, I am only naming the ability I am using with pokemon that have more than one ability):
Aerodactyl (Jimmy Ofry)@Focus Sash
Jolly
252/252/6 (ATK/SPD/HP)
Pressure
Stealth Rock
Taunt
Earthquake
Stone Edge
Your basic suicide Aerodactyl lead. He soundly takes care of slower leads (pretty much every other lead out there). Taunts them, sets up SR, and then deals as much damage until he dies. Earthquake and Stone Edge provide great type coverage. I opted Stone Edge over Rock Slide for pure power since he's not going to live long anyways. Rarely do I ever switch him out but if I do, he does make an above average late game sweeper. He does what he has to do and he does a great job in doing it.
Empoleon (Billy George)@Petaya Berry
Modest
252/232/14/12 (SP.ATK/SPD/DEF/HP)
Agility
Substitute
Surf
Ice Beam
Standard Petaya Berry set for Empoleon. This honostly is the first time I am using this set. I have to say, I am surprised by how effective the set is. I really underestimated his combination of power and staying ability. His typing is amazing in defensive aspects. After the Petaya Berry is used, his SP. ATK goes sky high and allows him to sweep teams. He works similar to my Anger Point Tauros as he sets up substitutes until the berry is used. He doesn't need the luck factor and his staying power is a lot better than Tauros. Anyways, he takes care of pesky dragons very well, Salamence can give him some trouble if it carries brick break but in general, Empoleon takes care of them soundly.
Machamp (Humphry Fred)@Leftovers
Adamant
252/252/6 (HP/ATK/SPD)
No Guard
Dynamic Punch
Rest
Sleep Talk
Fire Punch (Team Edit: Payback)
Fairly standard resttalk Machamp. He's very bulky and packs a huge punch, especially with a No Guard Dynamic Punch. I decided to go Fire Punch over Payback as a way to help deal with all the Scizor and Steel-types running amok. He is the main member of this team and takes care of Blissey very well (who basically walls this team when he's gone). He's the main member of my team as my team does not handle special walls very well.
Team Edit:
I decided to go with Payback as it gives him better type coverage and the fact that after reading some damage calculations, Jolteon serves fine as a counter to most sets. The Sword Dance set is the set that Jolteon cannot switch into but he can revenge kill it no problem.
Forretress (Neil Villardo)@Leftovers
Relaxed
252/146/112 (HP/DEF/ATK)
Rapid Spin
Earthquake (Team Edit: Explosion)
Gyro Ball
Spikes (Team Edit: Toxic Spikes)
My spinner. You know the usual go in, get rid of entry hazards, leave. Yup, that's basically what he's used for. He's a great wall on the physical side as he can out-stall almost any physical attacker (basically, if they don't have a fire attack, Forretress is winning the battle). I opted for Earthquake over Explosion so I do not get rid of him at the wrong time (as I usually tend to do that) and help him get rid of some electric type who wants to switch in. He does tend to be set-up bait but it's not that bad since my team is, in general, is fairly bulky. His main job is to get rid of SR and spikes and he does that very well.
Team Edit:
I decided to go with Explosion over Earthquake as a last minute effort to deal with stalling. I was outstalled badly by a CMCune basically because i had no way to get rid of it effectively. Exploding Forretress would've put a major dent into it, probably even had killed it. So I decided for the benefit of the team, an Exploded circle of doom would be better than one that doesn't explode.
Team Edit:
I'm going with Toxic Spikes over Spikes to help me with bulky water pokemon (outside of Gyarados) as I do seem to get walled by them when Jolteon is KO'd.
Jolteon (Karl Yeager)@Choice Specs
Timid
252/252/6 (SP.ATK/SPD/DEF)
Thunderbolt
HP Grass
Shadow Ball
Roar
Pretty standard Specs Jolteon. He still outruns Gyarados after 1 DD which is huge. I'm running HP Grass for those ground pokes that want to switch in but I'm not sure if running HP Ice would be better or ever HP Fire (but that gives him imperfect Speed). Anyways, he's the main special sweeper and he is a great revenge killer has he practically outruns everything. He can take 1 hit as long as it's not boosted or SE. I decided to put Roar on the set to act as a psuedo-haze. I must say, it increases this teams overall bulkiness as it ruins set-ups and BP teams. It also semi-helps with scouting (as in, i can pull out a random poke that he didn't want me to see and i can prepare for it).
Sceptile (Steve Thriggy)@Leftovers
Timid
252/216/42 (SPD/HP/SP.ATK)
Energy Ball
HP Ice
Substitute
Leech Seed
Ah, the final team member. He is annoying. He stalls a lot better than i thought he would (I single handedly outstalled an entirely offensive team with him). Leech Seed and Substitute allow him to stall for a long time. Energy Ball is for stab and HP Ice is for covering most switch-ins (Like flying and other grass types). He is not bulky in anyway but because he is fast, he can substitute before the opponent has a chance to attack to scout for a switch or something and, because of his high speed, he can revenge kill very well. I do not know why he isn't used more often as he is great late-game and not many do his job better (you can probably say Venasaur but Sceptile has a ground resistance and Earthquake is more common in OU than in UU play). His asset to the team was greatly underestimated by me as he has pulled me out in many tight situations.
Team Edit:
Flygon (Verm Aruga)@Choice Scarf
Adamant (Team Edit: Jolly)
252/252/6 (ATK/SPD/HP)
Earthquake
Dragon Claw
Fire Punch
U-Turn
I decided to replace Sceptile with Flygon. Flygon ultimately covers my weaknesses a lot better than Sceptile did and since he's a physical attacker, it balances out the offense on my team since 2 of them really don't count (Aerodactyl is a suicide lead and Forretress is a wall/spinner). He covers my Heatran and my Latias weakness that were previously (almost) uncovered. After using him, my team now feels more complete. Thank you Ontop for the suggestion, he has yet to disappoint.
Team Edit: I decided to go Jolly over Adamant so I can outrun more pokes, especially Salamence after 1 DD.
As for my threats list, the only major concern on my team is Latias. I can deal with it but in general, it causes the greatest concern for my team. I do not have a pure special wall and only Empoleon and Sceptile have moves that hit Latias for SE damage. I could possibly run Signal Beam on Jolteon for Latias or run Dragon Pulse on Sceptile. What do you guys think?
Tyranitar is probably the second biggest weakness for my team but he is nowhere close to as bad as Latias. I can deal with Tyranitar fairly well. Infernape is a glass cannon and if I happen to have Aerodactyl left, he's toast. Same goes for Lucario. Scizor is another problem but it's not that bad since I run roar on Jolteon and can hit it's weaker, Special Defensive stat.
Anyways, any comments will be greatly appreciated. Thank you for your time.
Don't worry guys, the next team I post will have A LOT more originality.
