Hello Smogon,
I've been a lurker for a very long time here and a fan of Pokemon since RBY, however I didn't get into the competitive scene until Diamond and that was mainly against friends on wi-fi. Recently I took an interest in Pokemon Showdown and wanted to try out a Pokebank team I thought of before Pokebank was due over here (and it's a good job I did, since it's now delayed). I imposed restrictions on myself because I wanted the team as diverse as possible and to make things more challenging when it came to team building; I've used one Pokemon from every generation, I haven't repeated a type and I follow item clause. I feel the team strikes a good balance between originality and being genuinely threatening, but I've hit a recent slump which is why I've come here for advice.
First of all, the team building process. I think Mega Mawile is an absolutely awesome mega, and totally wanted to give it a shot. I normally play fast and frail but that doesn't cut it in the current metagame, and thought Mega Mawile would be a perfect answer to the bulky, slow threats that plague the metagame today. 259 base attack factoring huge power was too much to resist, so Mega Mawile became the focus of the team.
Next I was looking for a Pokemon that could also provide momentum alongside Landorus-T, giving me more opportunities to bring in Mawile safely. I looked at Rotom-W but can't stand how much he is used. However, Rotom-H was the perfect mon I needed. It resists the only two weaknesses Mega Mawile has, and also provided a second fairy resist. It also has a powerful STAB Overheat, decimating the likes of Ferrothorn that like to give Mega Mawile a hard time. It also provided a perfect answer to Genesect, as it resists everything it runs.
I liked how the team was shaping up but was concerned about the water weakness. I also definitely needed a rapid spinner as Rotom-H was crucial to check certain threats and stealth rocks wore it down. It's for this reason I decided to run Starmie, an excellent Pokemon that has thrived in OU since the RBY days. Whilst many think this generation will be the one Starmie falls, I still had faith in analytic shenanigans and an awesome movepool. Starmie also brought some much needed speed to the team.
Finally, I needed a Pokemon from the XY generation that could help with where my team struggled. I wanted something that could take special hits well, as Umbreon was mainly physical as was Landorus-T. I also wanted another water resist, and something that could hit fairly hard. Goodra seemed like the perfect answer. One of the few Pokemon that can comfortably take on Charizard-Y, Goodra provideds outstanding special walling as well as decent firepower. Goodra could also retain momentum against sleep power users, and punish switch ins with fantastic coverage. With that, I had my team:
Now for EVs, items and movesets:
Patrick (Starmie) @
Ability: Analytic
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 SAtk / 4 Def
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Hydro Pump
- Ice Beam
-
- Rapid Spin
Starmie has been an absolute favourite of mine since Misty slaughtered my 7 year old self with it. It's generally believed that Starmie struggled with the recent generation shift but I still find it threatens a lot of things and does its job successfully.
YamIbulky? (Umbreon) (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Synchronize
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 HP / 240 Def / 16 SDef
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Heal Bell
- Wish
- Protect
- Foul Play
My first level 100 in Silver version, Umbreon is fantastic glue for the team and can take on the role of cleric, status spreader (thanks to synchronize), wish passer or wall. I chose to go for a bold Umbreon to wall physical threats and make more efficient use of Foul Play, by being able to comfortably switch in on strong physical attackers and punish them. The EV spread is to nearly max physical bulk, with the remaining 16 thrown into special defense to hit a nice round 300. Umbreon is often underestimated yet provides great answers to threatening attackers like substitute Kyurem-B and Aegislash. This EV spread allows Umbreon to also comfortably shrug off U-turns, with standard Genesect doing 40.1% maximum as long as it doesn't have an attack boost. Heal bell allows Umbreon to rid the team of status whilst comfortably spreading it back to the opponent. Wish allows me to heal up the team and helps a great deal with creating safe switch ins. Protect is for scouting, additional leftovers recovery and works perfectly with wish, and foul play is to attack and prevent Umbreon from being set up bait. Umbreon definitely has problems with certain threats, particularly strong fighting types, but that is what the other team slots are for. Overall, I've been incredibly impressed with the amount of threats Umbreon can take on.
Brodie (Mawile) (F) @ Mawilite
Ability: Intimidate
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 136 Spd / 252 Atk / 122 HP
Adamant Nature
- Sucker Punch
- Play Rough
- Swords Dance
-
Mawile is the mega on the team and shows absolutely no mercy. An Adamant nature is used to maximize attack with 136 EVs in speed to outspeed important base 65s like Scizor and Jellicent as well as speed creep opposing Mawile with the same idea. The remaining EVs are thrown into HP to add some bulk, which helps a great deal combined with Intimidate. Mega Mawile provides an amazing answer to Conkeldurr, as it can take advantage of Knock Off spam and responds with a clean KO. Sucker punch is for brutal priority coming off effectively 259 base attack, and Play rough is for fantastic STAB resisted only by steel, fire and poison.
Cupcakes (Rotom-Heat) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 176 Spd / 6 Def / 248 SAtk / 80 HP
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Overheat
- Trick
- Will-O-Wisp
- Volt Switch
The underestimated sibling of Rotom-W, Rotom-H has put in incredible work for this team. The EV spread is to outspeed max speed Greninja, provide maximum firepower and add a bit of bulk to take advantage of fantastic defensive typing. Overheat is a brilliant STAB move that wrecks Steel types (with the exception of Heatran), Trick is fantastic for crippling bulky counters like Chansey, and will-o-wisp provides status, and can be life saving when factoring in the choice scarf against an opposing speedy threat. Volt switch is the main move however, providing momentum for my team and working brilliantly in conjunction with Landorus-T. Rotom-H comfortably absorbs the burns aimed at Mawile, and happily takes on Ground and Fire moves. Furthermore, Rotom-H answers Mega Pinsir and Talonflame, two major threats to any team. I have been incredibly impressed with Rotom-H but I really rely on Starmie spinning efficiently, as Rotom-H is worn down with ease if they're on the field.
Fluffy (Landorus-Therian) (M) @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 232 Def / 248 HP / 14 Spd / 16 Atk
- Earthquake
-
- Stealth Rock
- U-turn
Landorus-T is my favourite of the gen V trio and always manages to do its job successfully. The set is generic and unoriginal but that's because it works. Earthquake is for brutal STAB coming off a base 145 attack.
Flubber (Goodra) (F) @ Assault Vest
Ability: Sap Sipper
EVs: 248 HP / 252 SAtk / 8 SDef
Quiet Nature
- Draco Meteor
- Dragon Tail
- Thunderbolt
- Flamethrower
My absolute favourite Pokemon, Goodra is absolutely awesome and provides excellent bulk to take on the threatening special attackers in the metagame. I'm using a generic set because I feel it is the best use of Goodra. The EVs provide a nice balance between bulk and firepower. However whilst I wouldn't dream of taking Goodra off the favourites team, I can never agree on the moveset. I find draco meteor and dragon tail vital, but I'm uneasy on the coverage moves. Thunderbolt is for bulky waters like Azumarill, as well as the ever annoying Togekiss. Flamethrower is fantastic for predicted Genesect switch ins and makes Goodra a perfect answer to Ferrothorn. In terms of other moves, power whip isn't worth it for Rotom-W as Goodra handles him well already and most Rotom-W outspeed. Earthquake seems like a great option to lure Heatran, especially when considering it's Mega Mawile's sworn enemy, but I can't decide on which coverage move to give up. I also considered sludge bomb since fairies can be such a pain, but the coverage it provides is fairly inferior in most situations. 4MSS aside, Goodra has saved me plenty of times and always pulls its weight. Sap sipper is the chosen ability because being able to absorb sleep powder is incredibly useful. Furthermore, sap sipper makes Goodra a better answer to Mega Venusaur, who plagues this (and basically every other) team.
Final Notes
After making the above changes with the help of the feedback I've been given, this team has managed to ascend the ladder all the way to the 13th spot. However, Azumarill is still a massive worry if I don't predict correctly. I also really miss having a knock off user, but I'm not sure where there's room on this team as all the moves seem fairly vital. Fairies in general are still a major nuisance if Mawile is gone and Rotom has tricked his scarf away, but at this point I find it's hard to edit this team without creating holes in other areas. If anybody has any further suggestions, I'd love to hear them.Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed my first RMT (and post).
Attachments
-
1.1 KB Views: 883
-
12.2 KB Views: 814
-
192.3 KB Views: 772
-
79.4 KB Views: 826
-
76.2 KB Views: 800
-
8.5 KB Views: 814
Last edited: