Rate My Team
Intro
I have played numerous competitive battles over the past week with this team and I have had actually quite a lot of success but there are some major issues.
I am going to list each of my Pokemon and give you a description of the role it plays in my team and then I will explain the problems I am having at the end.
The Team
Talonflame @ Choice Band - The revenge killer
Ability: Gale wings
Evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Me First
- Brave Bird
- Flare Blitz
- U-Turn
Description
Talonflame is mainly used as my revenge killer. When one of my team dies he is usually bought in to clean up. Choice banded Brave Bird does stupid amounts of damage and combined with gale wings makes Talonflame a force to be reckoned with. It also breaks past scarf users. U-Turn is primarily there to give me switch priority. Say when I bring Talonflame in and I know the person wants to save their scarfed Jolteon I will predict and use U-Turn to give me switch priority. Flare Blitz is used for coverage allowing me to OHKO most steel types and do decent damage to a lot of switch ins. Me First is there mainly as a filler, occasionally it gets an insane KO using it on an outrage Garchomp but that's about as far as its usefulness goes.
Landorous @ Leftovers - Defensive stealth rock
Ability: Intimidate
Evs: 252 HP / 240 Def / 8 SpD / 8 Spe
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rocks
- Earthquake
- Knock Off
- U-Turn
Description
Landorous is used as a physical wall and is generally used to pivot into physical attackers who don't have a water/ice attack. Stealth Rocks is needed because my team forces a lot of switches, I have 3 U-Turners and 1 Volt Switcher, this constantly gives me priority and forces my opponents to switch and react to my team allowing me to get chip damage and preventing them from bringing anything weak to rocks in too many times. Earthquake is there for stab and hits very hard even though I am defensively oriented. Knock Off is there to remove Left Overs/Black Sludge/Scarfs/Anything damn annoying and also hits quite hard on pokemon such as Gengar who may predict an earthquake and switch in. U-Turn is there to provide me with switch priority if I predict or because I am very slow allows me to safely bring in offensive threats such as Talonflame.
Rotom Wash @ Chesto Berry - Specially defensive pivot
Ability: Levitate
Evs: 252 HP/ 252 SpD / 4 Def
Calm Nature
- Volt Switch
- Hydro Pump
- Will-O-Wisp
- Rest
Description
This guy is my specially defensive wall. Him being specially defensive kind of sucks because he doesn't wall offensive threats like Talonflame as well as he should but Landorous can handle Talonflame. It's specially defensive for the likes of special fire users as Scizor and Landorous can't handle them. Volt Switch is used again as part of my pivot core allowing me to get switch priority and its a strong stab move for water types as I have very little offensive threats too bulky water types. Hydro Pump is to hit hard to any Pokemon that are weak to it and if you predict they'll switch into a ground type predicting the Volt Switch. Will-O-Wisp is used to cripple physical attackers but my Rotom is specially defensive so he shouldn't be switched into any attackers, but Will-O-Wisp Rotom is a common set and can deter physical attackers from switching in. Rest is there to effectively give me a second life and remove any status which in turn allows me to switch into any potential status moves for my team.
Mega Scizor @ Scizorite - Mixed defensive defogger
Ability: Technician
Evs: 242 HP / 60 Def / 200 SpD
Impish Nature
- Defog
- Roost
- Bullet Punch
- U-Turn
Description
Stealth rocks cripples my talon flame. It prevents me from switching it out multiple times via U-Turn or swapping hence the inclusion of defog. Due to Scizors bulk and defensive typing I can pretty much switch in at any point and use defog, noticeable problems though are stealth rock Heatran though because I can't switch in to it and I only have one offensive water move on my team. Roost is there to give me reliable recovery and allow me to be a nuisance all game long. Bullet punch gives me some offensive threat and U-Turn is used to allow me to switch in team mates safely or when I predict a fire Pokemon coming in.
Latios @ Choice Scarf - Revenge killer
Ability: Levitate
Evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid
- Draco Meteor
- Psyshock
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power Fire
Description
Latios is a great revenge killer as he already has great base speed and when this is combined with choice scarf this allows him to out speed common scarf users. Draco meteor OHKOes pretty much any offensive Pokemon that doesn't resist it. Thunderbolt is there because my team lacks any real electric damage and gets walled by bulky water types. Hidden Power Fire is there to cover steel types and Psyshock is there for coverage and deals with some walls like Mega Vensaur.
Gengar @ Life Orb - Supposed to stop walls but doesn't really do anything
Ability: Levitate
Evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid
- Sludge Bomb
- Shadow Ball
- Taunt
- Focus Blast
Description
Gengar was intended to be a wall breaker on my team, he would switch into to a wall taunt it or predict the switch and use an offensive move but what generally happens is they don't have any stall Pokemon but if they do it has a move that got one shot Gengar. Taunt is there to stop walls allows me to switch in on Chansey etc and go for a taunt or offensive move if I predict the switch. Shadow ball is there for stab and covers most types neutrally and deals decent damage to a lot of Pokemon. Focus blast to cover normal and fighting types as Talonflame is the only other Pokemon I have that can do decent damage to a bulky fighting type. Sludge Bomb is there for fairies and grass types.
My Problems
Status is a massive problem for me. Scizor and Landorous normally get switched in on walls and physical attackers where they can set up rocks/remove them or try get as much damage off as possible but as soon as they get burned they are only useful as tanks. They have no status inducing moves and do very little damage to any Pokemon. Landorous can still prove effective due to knock off but Scizor will only be kept around if they have any Stealth Rock users but pretty much ends up just spamming recover.
Fighting types are a MASSIVE PROBLEM! I have to switch in Talonflame which I cant do because it's too frail or I can switch in Scizor/Landorous. The problem is a lot of fighting types rock out Ice Punch or Fire Punch and Scizor/Landorous can't take either of them which effectively leaves Rotom is *sigh specially defensive and can't take a drain punch.
My Gengar is also another problem for me. He is there to primarily break walls and has been very effective when the enemy team has sub Gliscor/Breloom. The problem arises when he can't out speed shit and gets one shot. He gets bopped by any scarfed user and he doesn't seem to have a real noticeable impact as he dies for nothing a lot of the time.
Heatran is a major problem for me. Rotom is my only bet to deal with him and depending on the Heatran set he might not last that long. I can't switch Scizor in to Defog rocks while he is on the field and Landorous can't tank offensive based ones. I also have only one fighting move, water move and ground move in my team and only the Rotom can switch in but as its not specially offensive it does very little damage.
Bulky water types are another problem for me because only Latios and Rotom can deal with them but Rotom doesn't even do that much damage to them and when they see I have thunderbolt on Latios they switch a lot. It ends up coming down to multiple switches and me waiting for them to die of burn unless they have a rest Swampert then fuck you (Has happened but thankfully Latios got a crit draco). Also fuk Empoleon. His scald hurts landorous badly can't switch in for earth quake. Scizor can tank but gets burned eventually I'll switch in Latios but he will just swap. Rotom tickles him.
Rotom Wash also walls me as I have no grass moves to deal with it and it ends up becoming which Rotom can out last the other and I can't switch in Landorous for the knock off for fear of hydro pump and Will-O-Wisp and Scizor can't come in to the Will-O-Wisp either and he walls my Talonflame.
How I See It Can Be Fixed
I think I may need to replace some of my defensive core. would like to keep Stealth Rocks and Defog/Rapid Spin but due to the typing's some will need to be replaced (Although I love the whole U-turn/Volt Switch team). I was thinking of Magic Guard Clefable instead of Rotom as it could switch into status attack easily that might threaten Scizor and Landorous and it could actually tank special Pokemon much easier. Sylveon is another option as it is more bulky then Clefable and gets access to heal bell which could revitalise Landorous/Scizor.
I may also need a new Stealth Rock/Defog/Rapid Spin core due to Landorous and Scizors weakness to fighting types with elemental punches but I have though of suggestions like Mandibuzz instead of Scizor but that is another ice weakness and no mega.
I would like an status setter like Sabeleye or Klefki but I would have to forgoe rocks or defog which I can't do on my team unless you can think of anything. Sabeleye would be good to cripple offensive attackers and paired with Magic Guard Clefable or Sylveon they could switch into each others weaknesses. Klefki could potentially paralyse anything out speeding Gengar (Like mega Lopunny) but I would have to swap out Scizor because of the double fire weakness that would come from his inclusion. I would also have to replace Gengar with some one faster and potentially has access to a grass or thunder move. Greninja was my first choice but he got moved to Ubers.
All In All I Need Help!
Any and all help is appreciated. Sorry for the long long post but I seriously appreciate it if you read and contribute ;D
