Firstly, the basis/inspiration of this team is the fact that I acquired the Shinies Haxorus and Rotom (through breeding, only 30 for Axew and 20 for Rotom!) and Charizard from a friend on Y, so I decided to experiment around with creating a competitive team on Showdown featuring these Pokemon.
Haxorus (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Mold Breaker
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 36 HP / 252 Atk / 220 Spd
Jolly Nature
- Dragon Claw
- Earthquake
- Poison Jab
- Swords Dance
Haxorus is my main lead for battle, wreaking havoc on the battlefield on unsuspecting opponents. I've actually been quite surprised with how poorly many people seem to react to Swords Dance and one move, which typically OHKO's just about anything. I picked Dragon Claw over Outrage because I'm not particularly fond of either a) Blindly using the same move over and over again, allowing the opponent to know exactly what will happen b) With Life Orb on, I can't pick a Lum Berry/Persim as an anti-confusion item, and in my experience most circumstances don't typically allow Haxorus to switch out without getting severely damaged/KO'ed immediately upon re-switch in. Also the Life Orb compensates a good amount for the reduced damage output. However, I am very open to discussion on that, and am open to change that.
Earthquake is there for pretty straightforward reasons- hugely powerful, etc.
Poison Jab, a relatively unorthodox choice, is included because I'd really like to have a counter for Fairy types that appear somewhat frequently (Clefairy, Azumarill). Because of it's relative non-use, I take great pleasure in the opponent arrogantly tossing in a Fairy to OHKO Haxorus, then unexpectedly getting OHKO'ed themselves. Plus poisoning the opponent if it doesn't KO is always nice.
Rotom-Wash @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SAtk / 168 SDef / 84 Spd
Calm Nature
- Thunderbolt
- Volt Switch
- Hydro Pump
- Will-O-Wisp
I kept a pretty standard moveset here except for Thunderbolt. I picked that because of extra power in addition to being a STAB-Electric move that doesn't force a switchout, so Rotom-W can hold its own in a a sustained battle as opposed to being forced to use a Water-type move. However, I do notice that this moveset could be disastrous against a Water/Ground type, and after a battle with a Quagsire (thankfully DID NOT have Water Absorb, or I would've lost) I would not want to be placed in a situation where I would be against a Swampert/Quagsire so if there are any moveset change suggestions, or if you guys think that that risk is fairly small, please do address that.
Charizard @ Charizardite Y
Ability: Blaze
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Hasty Nature
- Flamethrower
- Air Slash
- Solar Beam
- Toxic
Charizard is my primary special sweeper for this team. I am currently debating creating a new team that revolves around the same premise as this, only featuring Ninetales instead of Charizard, to compensate the horrible Stealth Rock damage that Charizard takes.
Also I have mixed feelings about possibly replacing Flamethrower with Heat Wave, for the marginal damage increase, or if it would not be worth it in the face of threats such as lower accuracy, and to a lesser extent lower PP.
Air Slash is probably my least used move, and I'm considering replacing it altogether, but I'm unsure what to replace it with; I'd like a Flying STAB move, but anything that you guys recommend I'd definitely give a try.
SolarBeam is basically there to accompany Drought+ EV'd Special Attack and wipe out any Rock, Ground, or Water types that threaten Charizard's existence.
Majority of my team has status inflicting moves, so I included Toxic as a way to nuisance the opponent and help my victory through attrition.
Klefki (F) @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Def
Impish Nature
- Foul Play
- Thunder Wave
- Attract
- Spikes
Due to Klefki's popularity/notoriety for Prankster + a great moveset, I figured she would be good support. I specifically picked female for Klefki on the general hunch that marginally more than 50% of Pokemon that I encounter are male, so Attract would be a more viable option to cripple attacks. After ruining most Pokemon's day with Thunder Wave and/or Attract, laying down Spikes just makes things miserable in general.
Lucario @ Assault Vest
Ability: Inner Focus
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SAtk / 252 Spd
Hasty Nature
- Close Combat/Blaze Kick
- Aura Sphere/Drain Punch
- Extreme Speed
- Earthquake
Contrary to most people's use of Lucario in competitive play, I've made him a physical sweeper. I don't use Close Combat all that often, and I dislike the reduction of defenses unless it is a guaranteed KO, which due to its unreliability (If it leaves 1% Lucario frequently gets KO'ed next round), I've started to experiment with Blaze Kick as a way to deal with something that is often a HUUUUUUGE threat for me: Aegislash+Air Balloon (and ghosts in general). However, I like reliability so the 90 accuracy bugs me a bit, so I'm yet to decide.
Another debate I'm thinking over is Aura Sphere vs Drain Punch. Aura Sphere has perfect accuracy, and is (was...? Do the legendaries getting it count as taking it away...? Whatever) Lucario's signature move, and by being a special move, can be potentially very dangerous against a Pokemon with high Defense and low Special Defense. However, because it's Special, it doesn't benefit from EV's and Drain Punch would benefit and give HP back to Lucario.
I REALLY, REALLY like the ExtremeSpeed on Lucario. Most people do not expect that coming out of Lucario, despite being one of the few wielders of this devastating move. This has been a make or break move in some battles, plus I love the quirkiness of it in the metagame.
Earthquake is there as a powerhouse move, similar to Haxorus, and is meant to backup against Heatran (one of my most feared and despised foes) should Haxorus fail to take it out. It also has replaced Bone Rush because of obvious reliability issues with multi-strike moves, even though it's more "fun" as opposed to being a standard move.
Espeon @ Safety Goggles
Ability: Magic Bounce
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Psychic
- Dazzling Gleam
- Heal Bell
- Toxic
Espeon, my final Pokemon on the team, is meant to be a fast moving support/counter role for midgame. EV's are on Speed so if I need to only pull Heal Bell to save teammates before Espeon get's KO'ed, there's a significantly better chance that I can pull it off. Psychic is there for powerful STAB, meant to wreck threats like Gengar quickly and efficiently. Dazzling Gleam is there to accompany Espeon's high Special Attack and take out a variety of dragons, darks, and Fighting types that appear frequently. Heal Bell and Toxic are there for the support that turns close battles towards my favor.
Overall, I've had pretty good success from this team (winning ~2/3 of the time) and it's really fun to play. As I've mentioned before, Heatran is a very strong threat for my team, and if Hax and Lucario fall then I can really get screwed over by Lava Plume and Magma Storm from it. (Quite frankly I see Heatran as a definite Uber if it wasn't so easily swept by EQ, and it sort of bothers me that it's an OU... sigh).
Also, as you probably will notice, I don't have a Defogger or Rapid Spinner, and that can be a huge issue in some battles that is a glaring hole in my defenses. I was considering putting Defog on Charizard to replace Air Slash, but it seems counterintuitive placing that on the Pokemon that actually gets wrecked the worst from Stealth Rock. Suggestions for fixes would be hugely appreciated.
Thanks for reading/suggestions, and I hope to see your opinions soon!
Haxorus (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Mold Breaker
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 36 HP / 252 Atk / 220 Spd
Jolly Nature
- Dragon Claw
- Earthquake
- Poison Jab
- Swords Dance
Haxorus is my main lead for battle, wreaking havoc on the battlefield on unsuspecting opponents. I've actually been quite surprised with how poorly many people seem to react to Swords Dance and one move, which typically OHKO's just about anything. I picked Dragon Claw over Outrage because I'm not particularly fond of either a) Blindly using the same move over and over again, allowing the opponent to know exactly what will happen b) With Life Orb on, I can't pick a Lum Berry/Persim as an anti-confusion item, and in my experience most circumstances don't typically allow Haxorus to switch out without getting severely damaged/KO'ed immediately upon re-switch in. Also the Life Orb compensates a good amount for the reduced damage output. However, I am very open to discussion on that, and am open to change that.
Earthquake is there for pretty straightforward reasons- hugely powerful, etc.
Poison Jab, a relatively unorthodox choice, is included because I'd really like to have a counter for Fairy types that appear somewhat frequently (Clefairy, Azumarill). Because of it's relative non-use, I take great pleasure in the opponent arrogantly tossing in a Fairy to OHKO Haxorus, then unexpectedly getting OHKO'ed themselves. Plus poisoning the opponent if it doesn't KO is always nice.
Rotom-Wash @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SAtk / 168 SDef / 84 Spd
Calm Nature
- Thunderbolt
- Volt Switch
- Hydro Pump
- Will-O-Wisp
I kept a pretty standard moveset here except for Thunderbolt. I picked that because of extra power in addition to being a STAB-Electric move that doesn't force a switchout, so Rotom-W can hold its own in a a sustained battle as opposed to being forced to use a Water-type move. However, I do notice that this moveset could be disastrous against a Water/Ground type, and after a battle with a Quagsire (thankfully DID NOT have Water Absorb, or I would've lost) I would not want to be placed in a situation where I would be against a Swampert/Quagsire so if there are any moveset change suggestions, or if you guys think that that risk is fairly small, please do address that.
Charizard @ Charizardite Y
Ability: Blaze
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Hasty Nature
- Flamethrower
- Air Slash
- Solar Beam
- Toxic
Charizard is my primary special sweeper for this team. I am currently debating creating a new team that revolves around the same premise as this, only featuring Ninetales instead of Charizard, to compensate the horrible Stealth Rock damage that Charizard takes.
Also I have mixed feelings about possibly replacing Flamethrower with Heat Wave, for the marginal damage increase, or if it would not be worth it in the face of threats such as lower accuracy, and to a lesser extent lower PP.
Air Slash is probably my least used move, and I'm considering replacing it altogether, but I'm unsure what to replace it with; I'd like a Flying STAB move, but anything that you guys recommend I'd definitely give a try.
SolarBeam is basically there to accompany Drought+ EV'd Special Attack and wipe out any Rock, Ground, or Water types that threaten Charizard's existence.
Majority of my team has status inflicting moves, so I included Toxic as a way to nuisance the opponent and help my victory through attrition.
Klefki (F) @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Def
Impish Nature
- Foul Play
- Thunder Wave
- Attract
- Spikes
Due to Klefki's popularity/notoriety for Prankster + a great moveset, I figured she would be good support. I specifically picked female for Klefki on the general hunch that marginally more than 50% of Pokemon that I encounter are male, so Attract would be a more viable option to cripple attacks. After ruining most Pokemon's day with Thunder Wave and/or Attract, laying down Spikes just makes things miserable in general.
Lucario @ Assault Vest
Ability: Inner Focus
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SAtk / 252 Spd
Hasty Nature
- Close Combat/Blaze Kick
- Aura Sphere/Drain Punch
- Extreme Speed
- Earthquake
Contrary to most people's use of Lucario in competitive play, I've made him a physical sweeper. I don't use Close Combat all that often, and I dislike the reduction of defenses unless it is a guaranteed KO, which due to its unreliability (If it leaves 1% Lucario frequently gets KO'ed next round), I've started to experiment with Blaze Kick as a way to deal with something that is often a HUUUUUUGE threat for me: Aegislash+Air Balloon (and ghosts in general). However, I like reliability so the 90 accuracy bugs me a bit, so I'm yet to decide.
Another debate I'm thinking over is Aura Sphere vs Drain Punch. Aura Sphere has perfect accuracy, and is (was...? Do the legendaries getting it count as taking it away...? Whatever) Lucario's signature move, and by being a special move, can be potentially very dangerous against a Pokemon with high Defense and low Special Defense. However, because it's Special, it doesn't benefit from EV's and Drain Punch would benefit and give HP back to Lucario.
I REALLY, REALLY like the ExtremeSpeed on Lucario. Most people do not expect that coming out of Lucario, despite being one of the few wielders of this devastating move. This has been a make or break move in some battles, plus I love the quirkiness of it in the metagame.
Earthquake is there as a powerhouse move, similar to Haxorus, and is meant to backup against Heatran (one of my most feared and despised foes) should Haxorus fail to take it out. It also has replaced Bone Rush because of obvious reliability issues with multi-strike moves, even though it's more "fun" as opposed to being a standard move.
Espeon @ Safety Goggles
Ability: Magic Bounce
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Psychic
- Dazzling Gleam
- Heal Bell
- Toxic
Espeon, my final Pokemon on the team, is meant to be a fast moving support/counter role for midgame. EV's are on Speed so if I need to only pull Heal Bell to save teammates before Espeon get's KO'ed, there's a significantly better chance that I can pull it off. Psychic is there for powerful STAB, meant to wreck threats like Gengar quickly and efficiently. Dazzling Gleam is there to accompany Espeon's high Special Attack and take out a variety of dragons, darks, and Fighting types that appear frequently. Heal Bell and Toxic are there for the support that turns close battles towards my favor.
Overall, I've had pretty good success from this team (winning ~2/3 of the time) and it's really fun to play. As I've mentioned before, Heatran is a very strong threat for my team, and if Hax and Lucario fall then I can really get screwed over by Lava Plume and Magma Storm from it. (Quite frankly I see Heatran as a definite Uber if it wasn't so easily swept by EQ, and it sort of bothers me that it's an OU... sigh).
Also, as you probably will notice, I don't have a Defogger or Rapid Spinner, and that can be a huge issue in some battles that is a glaring hole in my defenses. I was considering putting Defog on Charizard to replace Air Slash, but it seems counterintuitive placing that on the Pokemon that actually gets wrecked the worst from Stealth Rock. Suggestions for fixes would be hugely appreciated.
Thanks for reading/suggestions, and I hope to see your opinions soon!
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