Starting rating battles team.

[Nightshade Aran]

First off, as I stated in the title, just starting rating battles, while I've fought a bit in free battles, it's not the same from what I've seen in ratings. As well as coming in to getting my team rated so forgive me if I lack any information upfront, I'll gladly provide it upon request.

Also~ This is for cartridge play. It's not easy to come across 5-6 IV/Good Nature legendary pokemon, or moves that are only from past game Tutors, etc. Keep that in mind when making suggestions. =)

Anyways, heres my team:

Dragonite @ Weakness Policy
Ability: Multiscale
Nature: Adamant
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 232 Spe / 4 SpD 24 Def
- Fire Punch Earthquake
- Dragon Claw
- Dragon Dance
- Extreme Speed

This is my main physical sweeper, I chose Dragon Claw over Outrage because, while Outrage hits harder it would give fairies a free switch in. Fire Punch to stop things like Ferrothorn, Scizor or anything ice that stands in the way. Extreme Speed for priority and finishing off weaker foes since I run Adamant and not Jolly. Usually start with a DD and if I get hit with a Super effective move, well, the rest is history. Picked him in my team because Multiscale is amazing and lets him set up a DD easily.

Talonflame @ Sharp Beak
Ability: Gale Wings
Nature: Adamant
EVs: 252 Atk / 208 Spe / 44 Hp
- Roost
- U-Turn
- Flare Blitz
- Brave Bird

I pick this mostly if I see things like Blaziken in the other team, if I know I'll need priority since most of my other team, while fast, lack priority moves, or if the opponent can't set up SR to pretty much have it half dead just coming in. Honestly haven't found myself using U-Turn a lot though, thinking of maybe putting Will-O-Wisp instead. As for it's EV spread, I picked that over max Atk/Spe to give it a bit more of HP so that it can attack longer between possible needs to Roost.

Skarmory @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Sturdy
Nature: Impish
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
-Roost
-Whirlwind
-Brave Bird
-Stealth Rock

This is my usual lead now. I wanted to get Defog on it, but seems I can't figure out a way to breed one for myself with that since its a HG/SS HM move and I'm not going go to that far back. It's a stall and to chip away damage with Whirlwind and letting them make physical contact + Stealth Rocks after Whirlwind forced switch. Brave Bird in case of taunt or sure kill, Roost to let them damage themselves for longer. Doesn't always work out, since he can easily be killed from the special side or from fire/electric attacks.

Greninja @ Life Orb
Ability: Protean
Nature: Timid
EVs: 252 SpA / 252 Spe / 4 Hp
- Scald
- Ice Beam
- Dark Pulse
- Grass Knot

My main special sweeper, has the best coverage out of all of them. Scald over Hydro Pump due to accuracy, I've missed one too many important Hydro's. Scald over Surf, due to burn possibility and hinder physical sweepers. He's there basically to hit hard and hit fast with how fast this pokemon is, very rarely gets out sped, Scarfs not included.

Kangaskhan @ Kangaskhanite
Ability: Scrappy => Parental Bond
Nature: Adamant
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spe / 4 Hp
- Return
- Fake Out
- Earthquake
- Sucker Punch

Yes, I know he's banned, so sue me. I like this pokemon, can't help if pokemon I like are banned in Smogon rules. Anyways, I often lead with this pokemon as well. Fake out start is very nice to delay them setting up or gaining momentum. Return is it's main stab, sucker punch to finish them off (Though sad it fails if the opponent does things like Extreme Speed). Earthquake for more coverage.
Picked it because I like the pokemon, and out of the other Megas I like (Mawile/Lucario/Blaziken) I feel gives me the best results, Mawile did a good job too, it was just too slow for my tastes.

Thundurus @ Expert Belt
Ability: Prankster
Nature: Timid
EV: 252 SpA / 252 Spe / 4 SpD
-Taunt
-Thunderbolt
-Thunder Wave
-Hidden Power [Ice]

Not really sure what to say about this, I thought I lacked a bit of coverage, since I didn't have anything electric in my team, or something to absorb Thunder Waves. Has taunt to prevent others from setting up, TWave to stop sweepers from running too fast and getting myself sweeped. HP Ice for ground mostly, since I can't TWave them, more so things like Garchomp/Noivern/Dragonite. Thunderbolt for main STAB. Was thinking maybe removing Taunt for another coverage move, something like Psychic/Focus Blast or something I don't have coverage on my team for already.


Well that's my team, closing statements:

I feel a void in that team somehow, it performs fairly well, sometimes losing due to silly things or luck. Doesn't help I still don't have that "sense" in pokemon battles that lets me fully predict what's coming.

***I can pretty much breed any pokemon that might be better suited for the team to perform better (Even if it's one already there, just in another build).***

Other pokemon I've trained and can be worked in (All data to breed them and EV train them taken from Smogon):

Klefki - Prankster - Bold - Reflect/Foul Play/Light Screen/Thunder Wave

Mawile - Intimidate - Adamant - Ice Fang/Play Rough/Sucker Punch/Sword Dance

Blaziken - Speed Boost - Adamant - Protect/Flare Blitz/Baton Pass/HJK

Azumarill - Huge Power - Adamant - Waterfall/Aqua Jet/Play Rough/ Superpower

Galvantula - Compound Eyes - Timid - Thunder/Bug Buzz/Volt Switch/Sticky Web

Rotom-W - Levitate - Timid - Hydro Pump/Volt Switch/Will-O-Wisp/Rest

Alakazam - Magic Guard - Timid - Psychic/Grass Knot/Focus Blast/Shadow Ball

Tyranitar - Sand Stream - Adamant - Persuit/Crunch/EQ/Stone Edge

Aegislash - Stance Change - Brave - Kings Shield/Sacred Sword/Swords Dance/Shadow Sneak

Gengar - Levitate - Timid - Energy Ball/Shadow Ball/Sludge Bomb/Dazzling Gleam

Volcarona - Flame Body - Timid - Hurricane/Bug Buzz/Fiery Dance/Quiver Dance

Hydreigon - Levitate - Timid - Fire Blast/Dark Pulse/Draco Meteor/Flash Cannon

Sableye - Prankster - Bold - Taunt/Recover/Foul Play/Will-O-Wisp

Houndoom - Flash Fire - Timid - Nasty Plot/Dark Pulse/Flamethrower/Sludge Bomb

Garchomp - Rough Skin - Jolly - Dragon Claw/Fire Blast/Earthquake/Swords Dance

Excadrill - Mold Breaker - Adamant - Rapid Spin/Earthquake/Shadow Claw/Sword Dance

Smeargle - Own Tempo - Timid - Spore/Stealth Rocks/Sticky Web/Parting Shot

 

[Timpsu]

Hey there! Here to give a few suggestions concerning the team.

First of all, I would concider switching Fire Punch on Earthquake to Dragonite. The reason is that otherwise you become very much walled by Aegislash, which is never a good thing. Also, consider taking 20 EVs from Speed, and put 24 EVs to Defense. That lets you survive a Play Rough from CB Azumarill if Multiscale is intact, while the Speed drop doesn't matter. I also don't think Smeargle is a good fit on your team. The reason is that you have no way to punish Defog, nor do you have spinblockers to stop opponent from using Rapid Spin. One solution is to add a spinblocker (Air Balloon Aegislash / Gengar) and a Defiant user (Bisharp / Thundurus), but that means removing too many Pokemon from the original team, so I'm just gonna replace Smeargle. I'm gonna get back to that at the end of the analysis.

Grass Knot is an okey choice on Greninja, but it only covers Quagsire, so if he's a problem for your team, then feel free to continue using Grass Knot. Other option would be to use Extrasensory, which lets you hit M-Venusaur and Conkeldurr hard. Kangaskhan is banned in Smogon rules, and seeing as this is Smogon forums, where we are complied to follow those rules, he needs to be switched. I would maybe switch Swords Dance and Shadow Claw on Excadrill for Iron Head and Rock Slide. Shadow Claw doesn't hit anything notable, and Excadrill's too frail to sweep. I also personally prefer Leftovers over Air Balloon, but that's more of a personal choice.

So now, to replace Smeargle and Kangaskhan. Ofc, there's a myriad of options, and I'm just gonna give a few suggestions, based on the kind of roles the Pokemon play, and what could be a good replacement in their roles. I think Deo-S is the best replacement for Smeargle, as he's fast enough to ensure SR on the field, and can later come in to revengekill. Dual screens + SR on Deo-S is also an opportunity. However, for cartridge play, if you have a hard time getting Deo-S, I suggest Tyranitar. He has an awesome bulk, and impressive Attack stats, so he doesn't become deadweight after putting down SR. I'm gonna put down a set for both. For Kangaskhan, I think Diggersby is the easiest replacement, if you want a hard-hitting Normal-type with priority. I hope my suggestions have been of help!

Deo-S

move 1: Psycho Boost
move 2: Superpower
move 3: Ice Beam
move 4: Stealth Rock
item: Life Orb / Focus Sash
evs: 20 Atk / 252 SpA / 236 Spe
nature: Naive

Tyranitar

move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Crunch
move 3: Ice Beam
move 4: Earthquake
ability: Sand Stream
item: Leftovers
nature: Relaxed / Impish
evs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD

Diggersby

move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Return
move 4: Quick Attack
ability: Huge Power
item: Life Orb
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
nature: Adamant

 

[Nightshade Aran]

Hey there! Here to give a few suggestions concerning the team.

First of all, I would concider switching Fire Punch on Earthquake to Dragonite. The reason is that otherwise you become very much walled by Aegislash, which is never a good thing. Also, consider taking 20 EVs from Speed, and put 24 EVs to Defense. That lets you survive a Play Rough from CB Azumarill if Multiscale is intact, while the Speed drop doesn't matter. I also don't think Smeargle is a good fit on your team. The reason is that you have no way to punish Defog, nor do you have spinblockers to stop opponent from using Rapid Spin. One solution is to add a spinblocker (Air Balloon Aegislash / Gengar) and a Defiant user (Bisharp / Thundurus), but that means removing too many Pokemon from the original team, so I'm just gonna replace Smeargle. I'm gonna get back to that at the end of the analysis.

Grass Knot is an okey choice on Greninja, but it only covers Quagsire, so if he's a problem for your team, then feel free to continue using Grass Knot. Other option would be to use Extrasensory, which lets you hit M-Venusaur and Conkeldurr hard. Kangaskhan is banned in Smogon rules, and seeing as this is Smogon forums, where we are complied to follow those rules, he needs to be switched. I would maybe switch Swords Dance and Shadow Claw on Excadrill for Iron Head and Rock Slide. Shadow Claw doesn't hit anything notable, and Excadrill's too frail to sweep. I also personally prefer Leftovers over Air Balloon, but that's more of a personal choice.

So now, to replace Smeargle and Kangaskhan. Ofc, there's a myriad of options, and I'm just gonna give a few suggestions, based on the kind of roles the Pokemon play, and what could be a good replacement in their roles. I think Deo-S is the best replacement for Smeargle, as he's fast enough to ensure SR on the field, and can later come in to revengekill. Dual screens + SR on Deo-S is also an opportunity. However, for cartridge play, if you have a hard time getting Deo-S, I suggest Tyranitar. He has an awesome bulk, and impressive Attack stats, so he doesn't become deadweight after putting down SR. I'm gonna put down a set for both. For Kangaskhan, I think Diggersby is the easiest replacement, if you want a hard-hitting Normal-type with priority. I hope my suggestions have been of help!

Deo-S

move 1: Psycho Boost
move 2: Superpower
move 3: Ice Beam
move 4: Stealth Rock
item: Life Orb / Focus Sash
evs: 20 Atk / 252 SpA / 236 Spe
nature: Naive

Tyranitar

move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Crunch
move 3: Ice Beam
move 4: Earthquake
ability: Sand Stream
item: Leftovers
nature: Relaxed / Impish
evs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD

Diggersby

move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Return
move 4: Quick Attack
ability: Huge Power
item: Life Orb
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
nature: Adamant

Thanks for the reply and opinions! but in the most part, I don't agree~

Not to nitpick but...
-Far as I know, Aegislash is weak VS Fire so why exactly would I be walled by it if I kept Fire Punch? Yeah it doesn't hit as hard, but by no means would it wall it, especially after a DD and possible WP proc. EQ wouldn't help much anyways if they have the Air Balloon like you suggested to me.

-Hmm if Dragonite might survive a CB Play Rough then I might just do that speed change even if it makes me die a little inside, I love my speedy pokemon, and being out sped is not something I actively look forward to.

-Yeah, I know Smeargle isn't really a good fit in the team, due to lack of SpinBlocker and getting walled by grass pkmn, that's why the last pokemon on the team (This case Excadrill is usually swapped out, most times for Gengar due to its move coverage as well) Been thinking of adding Skarmory as lead though, with Whirlwind/Stealth Rocks/Defog in exchange for the Smeargle and Excadrill since it would have Defog in exchange of Excadrills Rapid Spin as well and would leave 1 pokemon slot open.

- Grass Knot only covers Quagsire? Pretty sure it can hit Azumarill, Tyranitar, Swampert and quite a few other pokemon as well, not to mention it can be used nicely defensively for incoming electric attacks, I think extrasensory would actually have less coverage overall than Grass Knot.

-Yeah M-Kangaskhan is banned per Smogon rules, but since in Ranking battles there are no "Play under Smogon rules" I'd very much like to keep it and use it since I like it and I don't really play tournaments here or anything like that where Smogon rules are the absolute rule to follow. (I do keep to the OU rule though since Ubers/Legends are impossible to IV breed anyways)

-The reason for Excadrills Shadow Claw is to hit Gourgeist and Trevenant who would otherwise block Rapid Spin. Though I kind of agree missing out on Steel type attack on him isn't good and Rock Slide to completely forgo having to set up. Might take that up. Also about item choice, a lot of what you (And other people) say in general is personal choice, since everything I've done with these pokemon is taken from the pages of this very site and the people that have taken time to make guides for them.
(Though in all honesty I'd rather remove him, been looking into Thundurus as well and previously mentioned Skarmory)


For the suggestions:
-So Deoxy's-S isn't banned or in the Uber category? Seems odd to me. Though trying to find a good IV/Nature one would be a pain since the one I have isn't. But since it isn't banned, it looks like a good one to try to find as well.

-As for Tyranitar: Deleted what I had written upon further inspection~

REALLY don't like that bunny, and I'm not taking out M-Kanga for that anyways.

All in all, again thanks for the input, will think about the Dragonite Def one, and the Smeargle/Excadril change to Deoxys/Tyranitar. =)

 

[poopmars]

Thanks for the reply and opinions! but in the most part, I don't agree~

Not to nitpick but...
-Far as I know, Aegislash is weak VS Fire so why exactly would I be walled by it if I kept Fire Punch? Yeah it doesn't hit as hard, but by no means would it wall it, especially after a DD and possible WP proc. EQ wouldn't help much anyways if they have the Air Balloon like you suggested to me.

-Hmm if Dragonite might survive a CB Play Rough then I might just do that speed change even if it makes me die a little inside, I love my speedy pokemon, and being out sped is not something I actively look forward to.

-Yeah, I know Smeargle isn't really a good fit in the team, due to lack of SpinBlocker and getting walled by grass pkmn, that's why the last pokemon on the team (This case Excadrill is usually swapped out, most times for Gengar due to its move coverage as well) Been thinking of adding Skarmory as lead though, with Whirlwind/Stealth Rocks/Defog in exchange for the Smeargle and Excadrill since it would have Defog in exchange of Excadrills Rapid Spin as well and would leave 1 pokemon slot open.

- Grass Knot only covers Quagsire? Pretty sure it can hit Azumarill, Tyranitar, Swampert and quite a few other pokemon as well, not to mention it can be used nicely defensively for incoming electric attacks, I think extrasensory would actually have less coverage overall than Grass Knot.

-Yeah M-Kangaskhan is banned per Smogon rules, but since in Ranking battles there are no "Play under Smogon rules" I'd very much like to keep it and use it since I like it and I don't really play tournaments here or anything like that where Smogon rules are the absolute rule to follow. (I do keep to the OU rule though since Ubers/Legends are impossible to IV breed anyways)

-The reason for Excadrills Shadow Claw is to hit Gourgeist and Trevenant who would otherwise block Rapid Spin. Though I kind of agree missing out on Steel type attack on him isn't good and Rock Slide to completely forgo having to set up. Might take that up. Also about item choice, a lot of what you (And other people) say in general is personal choice, since everything I've done with these pokemon is taken from the pages of this very site and the people that have taken time to make guides for them.
(Though in all honesty I'd rather remove him, been looking into Thundurus as well and previously mentioned Skarmory)


For the suggestions:
-So Deoxy's-S isn't banned or in the Uber category? Seems odd to me. Though trying to find a good IV/Nature one would be a pain since the one I have isn't. But since it isn't banned, it looks like a good one to try to find as well.

-As for Tyranitar, I have this one, which was also posted in a thread here, I could always remove Pursuit or Super Power for Stealth Rocks/EQ:

Tyranitar

Tyranitar @ Assault Vest
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 248 HP / 120 SDef / 140 Atk
Adamant Nature
- Crunch
- Pursuit
- Stone Edge
- Superpower

Could maybe use that in exchange for Excadrill if I put Skarmory/Deoxys-S as leads.

REALLY don't like that bunny, and I'm not taking out M-Kanga for that anyways.

All in all, again thanks for the input, will think about the Dragonite Def one, and the Smeargle/Excadril change to Deoxys/Tyranitar. =)

Eq can not be king shielded so do not get attak drop also has more base power
and fire punch is 3oko 252+ Atk Dragonite Fire Punch vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Aegislash-Shield: 130-154 (40.1 - 47.5%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Leftovers recovery

252+ Atk Dragonite Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Aegislash-Shield: 172-204 (53 - 62.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery

 

[Nightshade Aran]

Eq can not be king shielded so do not get attak drop also has more base power
and fire punch is 3oko 252+ Atk Dragonite Fire Punch vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Aegislash-Shield: 130-154 (40.1 - 47.5%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Leftovers recovery

252+ Atk Dragonite Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Aegislash-Shield: 172-204 (53 - 62.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery

I was just asking Timpsu about exactly that, if EQ would proc the debuff from Kings Shield, good to have the answer waiting for me here. I'll swap that and it's def when I go play again later. (Updating the first post to reflect the changes)
But say I do change that, what about the rest of the team in general, I feel like a whole lot of EQs are in there, M-Kanga/Dragonite/Excadrill (Really wouldn't mind replacing Excadrill)

 

[Nightshade Aran]

Sorry for the double post, would still like more opinions on the team~
Updated it now though and made 2 changes, might perform a little bit better. (Skarmory > Smeargle | Thundurus > Excadrill)

Swapped:

Smeargle @ Focus Sash
Ability: Own Tempo
Nature: Timid
EV: 252 HP / 252 Spe / 4 Def
- Spore
- Stealth Rocks
- Sticky Web
- Parting Shot

for:

Skarmory @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Sturdy
Nature: Impish
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
-Roost
-Whirlwind
-Brave Bird
-Stealth Rock

and also swapped:

Excadrill @ Air Balloon
Ability: Mold Breaker
Nature: Adamant
EV: 252 Atk / 252 SpE / 4 Hp
- Rapid Spin
- Earthquake
- Sword Dance
- Shadow Claw

for:

Thundurus @ Expert Belt
Ability: Prankster
Nature: Timid
EV: 252 SpA / 252 Spe / 4 SpD
-Taunt
-Thunderbolt
-Thunder Wave
-Hidden Power [Ice]