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Battle Spot Teambuilding Discussion & Help Thread (read post #453, page 19)

No guys it isn't doubles i'm sorry i forgot to specify it. I already played 4 matches on BSS, i've won 3 out of 4, but i've been using M-Salamence instead of M-Sceptile (Sceptle will be ready tomorrow). Sadly i haven't found any opportunities to use Bronzong and Granbull.

Heatran and Suicune have been the stars of the team so far, for some reason i get really scared when i see a Cresselia or M-Venusaur even though i've got 2 taunters in my team.
 
M-salamence is much better and I feel you should keep using it instead of sceptile. Sceptile would have been alright if you had other reliable pokemon but with granbull and bronzong , it will be impossible to do well after the mid 1500s. You will end up benching them most of the time. If you absolutely must have sceptile, I recommend removing either granbull or bronzong or maybe even removing both. If you do decide to use sceptile, look at this http://www.smogon.com/forums/threads/battle-spot-twitch-streams.3557409/. The second stream contains a M-sceptile team and can give you some ideas how to use it.
 
In case anyone missed the announcement thread:

cant say said:
As for our RMT / teambuilding discussion thread, we've noticed a lot of people posting full 6-mon teams that look mostly finished. We'd really like to utilise the 'Battle Spot' tag that has been added to the actual RMT forum, and showcase as many teams as we can there. Make sure to lurk a few of the good RMTs (check the Archive) to see how to format them nicely! Any un-finished teams should still be posted here, but you should specify why you're posting your team (ie: what's giving you trouble / why the team isn't finished / what you'd like to do with it etc.). Any full RMTs posted here will either be A: be moved to the RMT forum (if they're formatted well / not ugly) or B: deleted and told to fix it up for the RMT forum and/or possibly infracted.

These changes are effective from this point onward, happy teambuilding :]
 
Though I've played Pokemon since Yellow version on the Gameboy Color, I'm relatively new to the competition scene since getting Alpha Sapphire a few months ago. I learned the hard way that my in-game team was a no-go in the metagame. I'm very much a hit-hard-hit-fast kind of player, but I know that won't fly all the time, and adjusting my fighting style takes getting used to. I think I have some grasp of EV training, but there are times even my EV trained Pokemon get beaten hard by stalls and bulk teams. I always seem to have trouble with Mega Kangaskhan, Klefki, and Aegislash. One time I got owned by a Toxic Orb+Poison Heal Breloom. So far I like my Dragon Dance Gyarados as the physical sweeper, and Aggron as my Fairy counter, but I need more walls in my team. Any suggestions on what and how to EV train them?
 
Though I've played Pokemon since Yellow version on the Gameboy Color, I'm relatively new to the competition scene since getting Alpha Sapphire a few months ago. I learned the hard way that my in-game team was a no-go in the metagame. I'm very much a hit-hard-hit-fast kind of player, but I know that won't fly all the time, and adjusting my fighting style takes getting used to. I think I have some grasp of EV training, but there are times even my EV trained Pokemon get beaten hard by stalls and bulk teams. I always seem to have trouble with Mega Kangaskhan, Klefki, and Aegislash. One time I got owned by a Toxic Orb+Poison Heal Breloom. So far I like my Dragon Dance Gyarados as the physical sweeper, and Aggron as my Fairy counter, but I need more walls in my team. Any suggestions on what and how to EV train them?

Hey Garurumon and welcome to Smogon! Nice to see you jumping straight in and giving the Battle Spot metagame a try.

I too am a fan of playing offensively, but the reason that it isn't a really successful strategy is because there are a bunch of really solid defensive Pokemon running around to stop teams from being completely swept by things like Mega Kangaskhan, Mega Salamence, Mega Blaziken, Garchomp and Talonflame, and it should come as no surprise that physical defense is really popular because of that. This means that your Mega Gyarados will have some trouble busting through some of these defensive Pokemon due to it also being a physical hitter. What you need to think about is what sort of Pokemon your Gyarados won't be able to fight through and pair it up with something that will beat it, which should theoretically allow your Gyarados to then sweep through the remainder of your opponent's team (it of course isn't that simple but you should get what I mean). One thing that jumps out to me is Ferrothorn, which is why Rotom-H is a fairly common partner on Gyarados teams. What's also great about Rotom-H is that it will also help you against Mega Kangaskhan, Klefki and Aegislash, so I think it would be a nice addition to your team. (Mega) Gyarados also hates Electric types (unless it's already got a few Dragon Dances up) so pairing it with a Ground-type is the most obvious remedy, Mamoswine is a really good fit as he can also beat Thundurus, who can threaten a Dragon Dance sweep with his priority Thunder Wave.

These are just a few quick thoughts, I think it'd really benefit you as a totally new player to jump on Pokemon Showdown and visit our Battle Spot room. You can talk to us in real time where we can try to help you out a bit better than here!
 
Hey Garurumon and welcome to Smogon! Nice to see you jumping straight in and giving the Battle Spot metagame a try.

I too am a fan of playing offensively, but the reason that it isn't a really successful strategy is because there are a bunch of really solid defensive Pokemon running around to stop teams from being completely swept by things like Mega Kangaskhan, Mega Salamence, Mega Blaziken, Garchomp and Talonflame, and it should come as no surprise that physical defense is really popular because of that. This means that your Mega Gyarados will have some trouble busting through some of these defensive Pokemon due to it also being a physical hitter. What you need to think about is what sort of Pokemon your Gyarados won't be able to fight through and pair it up with something that will beat it, which should theoretically allow your Gyarados to then sweep through the remainder of your opponent's team (it of course isn't that simple but you should get what I mean). One thing that jumps out to me is Ferrothorn, which is why Rotom-H is a fairly common partner on Gyarados teams. What's also great about Rotom-H is that it will also help you against Mega Kangaskhan, Klefki and Aegislash, so I think it would be a nice addition to your team. (Mega) Gyarados also hates Electric types (unless it's already got a few Dragon Dances up) so pairing it with a Ground-type is the most obvious remedy, Mamoswine is a really good fit as he can also beat Thundurus, who can threaten a Dragon Dance sweep with his priority Thunder Wave.

These are just a few quick thoughts, I think it'd really benefit you as a totally new player to jump on Pokemon Showdown and visit our Battle Spot room. You can talk to us in real time where we can try to help you out a bit better than here!
Hi, thanks for your welcome and advice! Glad to be here. I look forward to interacting with my fellow players and learning more on these forums. I'll definitely check out Pokemon Showdown.

Oh, a few points I should've made in my earlier post: I don't Mega-evolve my Gyarados. I think him gaining the Dark type will only make him vulnerable to the popular Fairy types, which seem to be all the rage online. I also didn't put any Dark moves in his moveset, so no STAB there. He carries a Lum berry so he can recover from Dragon Dance-boosted Outrage. His defenses are enough to weather most unboosted attacks, but like you've said, Electric moves are the real killer. Fortunately, from my experience, I've been seeing more Fairies than Electrics. Of all the Pokemon I've been using and switching around in Battle Spot, Gyarados is my staple because he's won me the most battles. Lately I've been liking Eelektross, who has no weaknesses and some people seem to forget it has Levitate and immunity to Earthquake. Unfortunately, even with Drain Punch, Eelektross lacks enough bulk and speed to last long. Skarmory serves as the stall and entry hazard. Sometimes it's very successful, but other times it faints very quickly due to lack of Sp. Def and enough speed even boosted from Weak Armor. Aggron, as the physical wall, has the same problem. Its counters almost always happen to be Sp. Atk, which it's pretty much helpless against. I think I'll have to look elsewhere for an anti-Fairy Pokemon. Usually when I whip out my Poison or Steel-type, the opponent switches out the Fairy for the counter. I'm thinking of equipping Flash Cannon on a non-steel Sp. Atk Pokemon, to give the element of surprise. Starmie, Blastoise, and Reuniclus seem like good candidates. This is mostly my musing, but feel free to correct me or offer more invaluable advice. :)
 
Hi, thanks for your welcome and advice! Glad to be here. I look forward to interacting with my fellow players and learning more on these forums. I'll definitely check out Pokemon Showdown.

Oh, a few points I should've made in my earlier post: I don't Mega-evolve my Gyarados. I think him gaining the Dark type will only make him vulnerable to the popular Fairy types, which seem to be all the rage online. I also didn't put any Dark moves in his moveset, so no STAB there. He carries a Lum berry so he can recover from Dragon Dance-boosted Outrage. His defenses are enough to weather most unboosted attacks, but like you've said, Electric moves are the real killer. Fortunately, from my experience, I've been seeing more Fairies than Electrics. Of all the Pokemon I've been using and switching around in Battle Spot, Gyarados is my staple because he's won me the most battles. Lately I've been liking Eelektross, who has no weaknesses and some people seem to forget it has Levitate and immunity to Earthquake. Unfortunately, even with Drain Punch, Eelektross lacks enough bulk and speed to last long. Skarmory serves as the stall and entry hazard. Sometimes it's very successful, but other times it faints very quickly due to lack of Sp. Def and enough speed even boosted from Weak Armor. Aggron, as the physical wall, has the same problem. Its counters almost always happen to be Sp. Atk, which it's pretty much helpless against. I think I'll have to look elsewhere for an anti-Fairy Pokemon. Usually when I whip out my Poison or Steel-type, the opponent switches out the Fairy for the counter. I'm thinking of equipping Flash Cannon on a non-steel Sp. Atk Pokemon, to give the element of surprise. Starmie, Blastoise, and Reuniclus seem like good candidates. This is mostly my musing, but feel free to correct me or offer more invaluable advice. :)

W/o the exact sets(or at least just the items), it's impossible to really judge your team. Also, you're not supposed to post full teams(even if they're really bad-just leave out w/e you're most inclined to get rid of.)

Is this a three mega team? You said Gyara ain't mega, but Mence, Gallade, and Aggron are all Pokemon that shouldn't be used in BSS if you're not going Mega. I feel like Rotom-W is a weakness. Gyara is forced out by it even after multiple DDs, and Rotom-W will likely go for Volt Switch, meaning Hydra, which would be an ok switch in otherwise, will be facing one of its checks. Gyara should also never run Outrage-it's no stronger than Waterfall, has poor coveage(especially w/ Ice Fang covering Dragons already), and locks you in. Gyara also has a decent number of coveage moves, so Rees no reason to run OR on it. Also, while Mega Blastoise would be an ok replace,net for one of your Megas, it shouldn't run Flash Cannon. It isn't boosted by Mega Launcher, so it's much weaker than the moves that are.
 
What's also great about Rotom-H is that it will also help you against Mega Kangaskhan, Klefki and Aegislash

Rotom-H tends to get outsped and brutally murdered from my experience, while also having absolutely no chance of KOing back. Can't switch in and WoW it; just gets 2HKO'd by D-E/Rock Slide. If you switch it in after its teammate is torn in half/EQ, you'll be crippled at best if you live and pray that WoW doesn't miss; even then, could probably still outrun and KO you next turn. Khan also effectively has double the crit rate of most lesser pokemon so intimidate doesn't always help either.

Hi, thanks for your welcome and advice! Glad to be here. I look forward to interacting with my fellow players and learning more on these forums. I'll definitely check out Pokemon Showdown.

Oh, a few points I should've made in my earlier post: I don't Mega-evolve my Gyarados. I think him gaining the Dark type will only make him vulnerable to the popular Fairy types, which seem to be all the rage online. I also didn't put any Dark moves in his moveset, so no STAB there. He carries a Lum berry so he can recover from Dragon Dance-boosted Outrage. His defenses are enough to weather most unboosted attacks, but like you've said, Electric moves are the real killer. Fortunately, from my experience, I've been seeing more Fairies than Electrics. Of all the Pokemon I've been using and switching around in Battle Spot, Gyarados is my staple because he's won me the most battles. Lately I've been liking Eelektross, who has no weaknesses and some people seem to forget it has Levitate and immunity to Earthquake. Unfortunately, even with Drain Punch, Eelektross lacks enough bulk and speed to last long. Skarmory serves as the stall and entry hazard. Sometimes it's very successful, but other times it faints very quickly due to lack of Sp. Def and enough speed even boosted from Weak Armor. Aggron, as the physical wall, has the same problem. Its counters almost always happen to be Sp. Atk, which it's pretty much helpless against. I think I'll have to look elsewhere for an anti-Fairy Pokemon. Usually when I whip out my Poison or Steel-type, the opponent switches out the Fairy for the counter. I'm thinking of equipping Flash Cannon on a non-steel Sp. Atk Pokemon, to give the element of surprise. Starmie, Blastoise, and Reuniclus seem like good candidates. This is mostly my musing, but feel free to correct me or offer more invaluable advice. :)

Gyarados, I'd agree that Mamoswine is great with it; covers Electric great and even though it does not resist Rock, most anything with Rock STAB is afraid of Gyarados + Mamo's super effective STABs. Gyara covers Steel/Fighting nicely, while not being completely fucked by Grass. Scarfed Rotom-H might be funny to add Grass coverage / completely disregard Electric types as a threat / help against Fairies / revenge killing. My question here is... what area of Battle Spot are you playing? Singles / Doubles / Triples / Rotation? Each one kind of has it's own list of what is and isn't good, and plays differently :P

Personally, I found Mega Metagross + Gyarados to be interestingly good in Doubles. Gyarados + Garchomp + Mega Venusaur could be good in Singles.
 
W/o the exact sets(or at least just the items), it's impossible to really judge your team. Also, you're not supposed to post full teams(even if they're really bad-just leave out w/e you're most inclined to get rid of.)

Is this a three mega team? You said Gyara ain't mega, but Mence, Gallade, and Aggron are all Pokemon that shouldn't be used in BSS if you're not going Mega. I feel like Rotom-W is a weakness. Gyara is forced out by it even after multiple DDs, and Rotom-W will likely go for Volt Switch, meaning Hydra, which would be an ok switch in otherwise, will be facing one of its checks. Gyara should also never run Outrage-it's no stronger than Waterfall, has poor coveage(especially w/ Ice Fang covering Dragons already), and locks you in. Gyara also has a decent number of coveage moves, so Rees no reason to run OR on it. Also, while Mega Blastoise would be an ok replace,net for one of your Megas, it shouldn't run Flash Cannon. It isn't boosted by Mega Launcher, so it's much weaker than the moves that are.
Oh sorry, my bad. Tbh I haven't set up a solid team yet; I've been switching Pokemon in and out to see how they'll do in competition. Gyarados is my only permanent so far. I'm working on what to place in the next 2 slots. I actually use 4 of the 6 for Battle Maison rather than Battle Spot. To answer ProjectTitan313's question, I'm currently invested in singles; I feel like double and triples would just get more complicated and over my head at this point.
 
Oh sorry, my bad. Tbh I haven't set up a solid team yet; I've been switching Pokemon in and out to see how they'll do in competition. Gyarados is my only permanent so far. I'm working on what to place in the next 2 slots. I actually use 4 of the 6 for Battle Maison rather than Battle Spot. To answer ProjectTitan313's question, I'm currently invested in singles; I feel like double and triples would just get more complicated and over my head at this point.

I get you. I have trouble settling on a team as well. Lots of stuff pairs well w/ Gyara thx to its lovely typing and Intimidate. The aforementioned Mamo is one thing, though it won't help you vs Rotom-W(unless it's something completely ridiculous like 252+SpA specs w/ Freeze-Dry.) Mega Venusaur works quite well w/ Gyara. A strong ground type that isn't weak to water would be nice. Garchomp covers both Gyara's weaknesses(tbh I don't really like the Pokemon. I don't think it's weak by any stretch of the imagination, but it's relatively sparse movepool and stuff make me think it's overrated,) but Rotom-W can still be a problem w/ HP Ice. Other good things w/ Gyara include Manectric(get that SpA boost from switching in on an electric attack, then go mega and-hopefully-sweep,) Ferrothorn, which resist Electric, is ok vs most any ground attack, and has its weaknesses covered by Gyara, and Mega Kangaskhan, since Gyara has fighting covered.
 
I get you. I have trouble settling on a team as well. Lots of stuff pairs well w/ Gyara thx to its lovely typing and Intimidate. The aforementioned Mamo is one thing, though it won't help you vs Rotom-W(unless it's something completely ridiculous like 252+SpA specs w/ Freeze-Dry.) Mega Venusaur works quite well w/ Gyara. A strong ground type that isn't weak to water would be nice. Garchomp covers both Gyara's weaknesses(tbh I don't really like the Pokemon. I don't think it's weak by any stretch of the imagination, but it's relatively sparse movepool and stuff make me think it's overrated,) but Rotom-W can still be a problem w/ HP Ice. Other good things w/ Gyara include Manectric(get that SpA boost from switching in on an electric attack, then go mega and-hopefully-sweep,) Ferrothorn, which resist Electric, is ok vs most any ground attack, and has its weaknesses covered by Gyara, and Mega Kangaskhan, since Gyara has fighting covered.
I like the Mega Venusaur option. I faced against one before, and I couldn't get past its Sp. Def walling and recovery. I too am hesitant about using Garchomp. It does just fine in the regular game, but I'm not sure about online battles. I do have a Manectric, but I'll need to treat it with a reset bag and EV train it again; it's been part of my in-game team since the beginning and has stats not maxed to full potential. For Gyarados, what move do you recommend over Outrage? (Its other moves are Dragon Dance, Waterfall, and Earthquake.)
 
I like the Mega Venusaur option. I faced against one before, and I couldn't get past its Sp. Def walling and recovery. I too am hesitant about using Garchomp. It does just fine in the regular game, but I'm not sure about online battles. I do have a Manectric, but I'll need to treat it with a reset bag and EV train it again; it's been part of my in-game team since the beginning and has stats not maxed to full potential. For Gyarados, what move do you recommend over Outrage? (Its other moves are Dragon Dance, Waterfall, and Earthquake.)
For what it's worth, you'd be crazy to ignore Garchomp.

It's the best 'mon in the meta.
 
I like the Mega Venusaur option. I faced against one before, and I couldn't get past its Sp. Def walling and recovery. I too am hesitant about using Garchomp. It does just fine in the regular game, but I'm not sure about online battles. I do have a Manectric, but I'll need to treat it with a reset bag and EV train it again; it's been part of my in-game team since the beginning and has stats not maxed to full potential. For Gyarados, what move do you recommend over Outrage? (Its other moves are Dragon Dance, Waterfall, and Earthquake.)

Well, I always type in the Pokemon's name and Serebii in the search bar to find its Pokedex entry there, which includes moves it can know. For Gyara the moves you mentioned + Ice Fang would make sense.
 
I like the Mega Venusaur option. I faced against one before, and I couldn't get past its Sp. Def walling and recovery. I too am hesitant about using Garchomp. It does just fine in the regular game, but I'm not sure about online battles. I do have a Manectric, but I'll need to treat it with a reset bag and EV train it again; it's been part of my in-game team since the beginning and has stats not maxed to full potential. For Gyarados, what move do you recommend over Outrage? (Its other moves are Dragon Dance, Waterfall, and Earthquake.)

I suspected this would happen. Please don't use your ingame team online! I have to be blunt and ask; do you know about breeding and IVs / natures? A lot of the new players who just play the story don't which is why I bring it up. It can be annoying due to the time required, but breeding yourself perfect Pokemon to use online is one of the most important things and will help you immensely. Every other person playing online does this so by not, you're already putting yourself at a massive disadvantage. Check out my Helpful Links thread (stickied near the top of this forum), it should have all the necessary info you need to get started. There's also the giveaway subforum over in Wi-Fi where you can grab yourself some battle-ready Pokemon straight away!
 
To answer ProjectTitan313's question, I'm currently invested in singles; I feel like double and triples would just get more complicated and over my head at this point.

Ok, that's what I assumed. Yeah, Doubles can get pretty complicated; Triples is pretty much the craziest one, lol. Rotations and Singles aren't that far away, though.
I specialize in Doubles, tinker with some downright absurd shit in Maison triples, and am trying to make Rotations a side project; I have unfortunately been neglecting Singles since... uh... early BW2? I am a bit.. outdated when it comes to modern archetypes and strategems.
But I'm crazy, no one here argues with this, so stick with Singles; it's the simplest, and so far the most well-resourced one. Don't make my great mistake: just battle, try things out, and don't worry about your ranking / W:L ratio. Nothing wrong with Gyarados at all; it's been a pretty solid pokemon for pretty much all of pokemon history. Hell, it won VGC's World Championships in 2014.
Gyarados + Chompy could be a good start, after that just need a Fairy killer. Mega Metagross, Aegislash, Mega Venusaur, and Ferrothorn all excel at this, plus Fire types also resist Fairy and most can hit back pretty hard. Arcanine, Entei, Heatran, Charizard (either mega does pretty good). Ferrothorn and Mega Venusaur also kill Rotom-W.
 
Cresselia @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Levitate
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 30 HP / 30 SpD
- Lunar Dance
- Ice Beam
- Moonlight
- Thunder Wave

Manectric @ Manectite
Ability: Lightning Rod
Level: 50
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Thunderbolt
- Volt Switch
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Overheat

Gyarados @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 228 Def / 28 SpD
Impish Nature
- Waterfall
- Ice Fang
- Thunder Wave
- Taunt

Venusaur @ Venusaurite
Ability: Chlorophyll
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 36 Atk / 220 Def
Relaxed Nature
- Earthquake
- Sludge Bomb
- Synthesis
- Leech Seed

Diggersby @ Assault Vest
Ability: Huge Power
Level: 50
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 12 Def / 4 SpD / 236 Spe
- Return
- Earthquake
- Quick Attack
- Knock Off

Decided to get rid of Noivern, but now my team is incomplete. I'm really not sure what I want for the last slot. One thing is beating Mega Venusaur(one w/ the same set as mine can be really tough for me to beat. Even if it lacks EQ it can be obnoxious, all I really have against it is paralysis and my own Venusaur.) Other than that though there really isn't much I'm seeing, though ofc I'd like to get more opinions. One thing I'd like for the sixth Pokemon is a flinching move to further take advantage of paralysis. A TrickScarfer would be nice, as I've actually had a bit of trouble from Porygon2. Togekiss might be ok, but it compounds weaknesses and can't switch in on Mega Venusaur. It also can't OHKO w/o a boosting item, and I'd want Choice Scarf for P2, which means Toge would have to rely on flinching Mega Venu(it's pretty likely it will, but you're still rolling the dice instead of being a sure thing.) Toge also doesn't do terribly good damage vs p2, even after Tricking off the Eviolite. Also, would running three Megas be ok? Mega Sableye is pretty decent vs both the things that bother me(as well as Cress, which my team doesn't care for at all,) and deals w/ SwagPlay, a rare but veritable nuisance.
 
Cresselia @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Levitate
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 30 HP / 30 SpD
- Lunar Dance
- Ice Beam
- Moonlight
- Thunder Wave

Manectric @ Manectite
Ability: Lightning Rod
Level: 50
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Thunderbolt
- Volt Switch
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Overheat

Gyarados @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 228 Def / 28 SpD
Impish Nature
- Waterfall
- Ice Fang
- Thunder Wave
- Taunt

Venusaur @ Venusaurite
Ability: Chlorophyll
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 36 Atk / 220 Def
Relaxed Nature
- Earthquake
- Sludge Bomb
- Synthesis
- Leech Seed

Diggersby @ Assault Vest
Ability: Huge Power
Level: 50
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 12 Def / 4 SpD / 236 Spe
- Return
- Earthquake
- Quick Attack
- Knock Off

Decided to get rid of Noivern, but now my team is incomplete. I'm really not sure what I want for the last slot. One thing is beating Mega Venusaur(one w/ the same set as mine can be really tough for me to beat. Even if it lacks EQ it can be obnoxious, all I really have against it is paralysis and my own Venusaur.) Other than that though there really isn't much I'm seeing, though ofc I'd like to get more opinions. One thing I'd like for the sixth Pokemon is a flinching move to further take advantage of paralysis. A TrickScarfer would be nice, as I've actually had a bit of trouble from Porygon2. Togekiss might be ok, but it compounds weaknesses and can't switch in on Mega Venusaur. It also can't OHKO w/o a boosting item, and I'd want Choice Scarf for P2, which means Toge would have to rely on flinching Mega Venu(it's pretty likely it will, but you're still rolling the dice instead of being a sure thing.) Toge also doesn't do terribly good damage vs p2, even after Tricking off the Eviolite. Also, would running three Megas be ok? Mega Sableye is pretty decent vs both the things that bother me(as well as Cress, which my team doesn't care for at all,) and deals w/ SwagPlay, a rare but veritable nuisance.
How about Trick Scarf/Specs Rotom Heat? Or Sash Gengar? I'd even say some form of Alakazam may be useful.
 
How about Trick Scarf/Specs Rotom Heat? Or Sash Gengar? I'd even say some form of Alakazam may be useful.

Alakazam might be really good, thanks for that suggestion. I'll look into Gengar, since it handles most variants of Venusaur(even w/ that bulk HP Fire isn't doing a whole lot.) Not too crazy about Rotom-H though, compounds rock and water weaknesses, and doesn't really handle Venu(great for p2 and Cress, though, so it might be worth a shot.)
 
Cresselia @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Levitate
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 30 HP / 30 SpD
- Lunar Dance
- Ice Beam
- Moonlight
- Thunder Wave

Manectric @ Manectite
Ability: Lightning Rod
Level: 50
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Thunderbolt
- Volt Switch
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Overheat

Gyarados @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 228 Def / 28 SpD
Impish Nature
- Waterfall
- Ice Fang
- Thunder Wave
- Taunt

Venusaur @ Venusaurite
Ability: Chlorophyll
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 36 Atk / 220 Def
Relaxed Nature
- Earthquake
- Sludge Bomb
- Synthesis
- Leech Seed

Diggersby @ Assault Vest
Ability: Huge Power
Level: 50
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 12 Def / 4 SpD / 236 Spe
- Return
- Earthquake
- Quick Attack
- Knock Off

Decided to get rid of Noivern, but now my team is incomplete. I'm really not sure what I want for the last slot. One thing is beating Mega Venusaur(one w/ the same set as mine can be really tough for me to beat. Even if it lacks EQ it can be obnoxious, all I really have against it is paralysis and my own Venusaur.) Other than that though there really isn't much I'm seeing, though ofc I'd like to get more opinions. One thing I'd like for the sixth Pokemon is a flinching move to further take advantage of paralysis. A TrickScarfer would be nice, as I've actually had a bit of trouble from Porygon2. Togekiss might be ok, but it compounds weaknesses and can't switch in on Mega Venusaur. It also can't OHKO w/o a boosting item, and I'd want Choice Scarf for P2, which means Toge would have to rely on flinching Mega Venu(it's pretty likely it will, but you're still rolling the dice instead of being a sure thing.) Toge also doesn't do terribly good damage vs p2, even after Tricking off the Eviolite. Also, would running three Megas be ok? Mega Sableye is pretty decent vs both the things that bother me(as well as Cress, which my team doesn't care for at all,) and deals w/ SwagPlay, a rare but veritable nuisance.

SpD Talonflame beats both Mega Venusaur and Porygon2 and benefits from the Intimidate you're throwing around.

Talonflame @ Lum Berry / Maranga Berry
Ability: Gale Wings
EVs: 236 HP / 4 Atk / 44 Def / 188 SpD / 36 Spe
- Brave Bird / Acrobatics
- Taunt
- Will-O-Wisp
- Roost

Just watch out for Discharge on P2 but that it's a roll to 2HKO so repeated Roosting should keep you healthy until it dies..

You may also benefit from something more offensive since your team is very defensive / slow, so just having that one good reliable mon that doesn't need para support to get you out of tough situations would be nice. Not sure what to suggest, beating both Venu and P2 with something offensive is pretty tricky. You could honestly try Glalie but using him on-cart can get really tedious and he needs t wave.

Also, if Cres has a 30 HP IV then drop the EVs to 248, and if the SpD is the same then don't bother putting 4 into it, put it either in SpA or Spe.
 
Oh wow. I actually don't have a useable Cresselia on cart. Just imported the rest of my team from PS-the reason for actress's IVs is that's what I thought they were, turns out they're both actually 28, so for now I'm using Clefable, which has Lefties and Gyara has the Helmet. Sorry about that.

That specially defensive Talonflame looks nice, I'll try that out. I've been avoiding Talon cause of its terrible synergy w/ Gyara, but my Megas can switch in comfortably on Electric and water(Venu does both, MM only electric, and mainly pre mega.) Rock isn't the most common offensive type, and Diggersby resists it, while pretty much every rock type hates to be burned. I'm also kind of skeptical about WoW w/ my team's emphasis on paralysis, most electric types don't care about being burned, so that reallay just leaves it being for ground types.

I'm guessing that Talon is Careful, right?
 
Oh wow. I actually don't have a useable Cresselia on cart. Just imported the rest of my team from PS-the reason for actress's IVs is that's what I thought they were, turns out they're both actually 28, so for now I'm using Clefable, which has Lefties and Gyara has the Helmet. Sorry about that.

That specially defensive Talonflame looks nice, I'll try that out. I've been avoiding Talon cause of its terrible synergy w/ Gyara, but my Megas can switch in comfortably on Electric and water(Venu does both, MM only electric, and mainly pre mega.) Rock isn't the most common offensive type, and Diggersby resists it, while pretty much every rock type hates to be burned. I'm also kind of skeptical about WoW w/ my team's emphasis on paralysis, most electric types don't care about being burned, so that reallay just leaves it being for ground types.

I'm guessing that Talon is Careful, right?

If Cres' IVs are 28/x/31/31/28/31 then it's perfectly usable and I'd have it over Clefable for sure.

Well yeah Electric-types are gonna prey on Gyara and Talonflame, but I couldn't imagine you bringing both too often. You also have (like you mentioned) Manectric, Venusaur and Diggersby who don't really give a shit about Electric-types so you have them covered well enough that compounding the weakness won't be too much of a hindrance...

Will-O-Wisp certainly helps patch Talon's physical defence, but it's mostly used to whittle special attackers down while you continually Roost in their face. Of course you probably wouldn't do this against Electric types, and you can choose not to WoW something that you want para'd. I'm not really sure why you're concerned, you said you wanted to be able to deal with Venu and P2, Talon fills that niche, so use it for that rather than letting it conflict with your team's gameplan....

Yes careful.
 
If Cres' IVs are 28/x/31/31/28/31 then it's perfectly usable and I'd have it over Clefable for sure.

Well yeah Electric-types are gonna prey on Gyara and Talonflame, but I couldn't imagine you bringing both too often. You also have (like you mentioned) Manectric, Venusaur and Diggersby who don't really give a shit about Electric-types so you have them covered well enough that compounding the weakness won't be too much of a hindrance...

Will-O-Wisp certainly helps patch Talon's physical defence, but it's mostly used to whittle special attackers down while you continually Roost in their face. Of course you probably wouldn't do this against Electric types, and you can choose not to WoW something that you want para'd. I'm not really sure why you're concerned, you said you wanted to be able to deal with Venu and P2, Talon fills that niche, so use it for that rather than letting it conflict with your team's gameplan....

Yes careful.

Been using your set and it's quite nice, thanks. Good to know about Cress' IVs-I always assumed they're just too bad, still really wish the imperfect IVs were in Atk and SpA(yes, it's Atk is 31), instead of defensive stats which Cress actually cares about. Hopefully I'll find a better one, but I'll use this over Clefable(which is overall worse. Crap physical defense means it can't use Rocky Helmet at all, Healing Wish doesn't restore PP, Clef is a good bit slower, and stat boosters are just too rare for Clef to be much use-especially when some of them beat it anyways.) Shouldn't have been worried about weaknesses Talon brings, especially cause I changed my team(mega Gyara synergizes way better,) I'm so flitty.
 
Hey omastar68, I have some advice which may sound mean but it's not intended to be mean. I just wannna help so basically I think you should stop changing your teams so much. The more you change your teams and use different strategies, it will be harder for you to do well. You should stick with one team and use reliable pokemon especially low ladder(1500s). For example, diggersby and manectric are great pokemon but they aren't really reliable and should only be used when you have a great idea of how they work. Initially, I recommend you have atleast two of the following - mega gengar, mega kangaskhan, garchomp and thundurus (basically S level pokemon). Also, this is my personal opinion, only breed for a team when you reach above 1400s on PS! ladder because if you cross that you can probably cross the 1600s on cart. As for the current team, you can use it but I doubt you will do well on cart. Again, I am not trying to insult you and if I did I'm sorry but this is just my opinion(I could be wrong).
 
Hey omastar68, I have some advice which may sound mean but it's not intended to be mean. I just wannna help so basically I think you should stop changing your teams so much. The more you change your teams and use different strategies, it will be harder for you to do well. You should stick with one team and use reliable pokemon especially low ladder(1500s). For example, diggersby and manectric are great pokemon but they aren't really reliable and should only be used when you have a great idea of how they work. Initially, I recommend you have atleast two of the following - mega gengar, mega kangaskhan, garchomp and thundurus (basically S level pokemon). Also, this is my personal opinion, only breed for a team when you reach above 1400s on PS! ladder because if you cross that you can probably cross the 1600s on cart. As for the current team, you can use it but I doubt you will do well on cart. Again, I am not trying to insult you and if I did I'm sorry but this is just my opinion(I could be wrong).

That's not mean, and it's good to have a number in mind for what you want on PS before breeding for the team. S ranks are really boring to me, especially Garchomp. I've actually had great success w/ Mega Venusaur, so for now she's(why do some more male than female species seem feminine?) definitely a keeper. I was loving Mega Kanga before I found out about the Secret Power thing, but of the two S Megas it probably has better synergy w/ Venu, so I'll probably use it. Thundurus could definitely work, since I like to use T-Wave a lot and it gets priority on it, but I don't like it's fairly poor bulk(I'd probably compensate for is by going Bold-it's paralyzingly anyways, don't need too much speed.) The main problem is bad synergy w/ Gyara and Talon. Thundy I compounds rock w/ both, and resists none of their other weaknesses(electric and water.) I'm ditching Diggersby, so at least the ice weakness doesn't matter too much. I'll try and do something more boring standard before trying more niche stuff(MM is kinda by the book, and AV Diggersby is a perfect or near perfect counter to Mega Gengar, but they're both more niche than something like Kang or Thundy.)


EDIT:
Venusaur @ Venusaurite
Ability: Chlorophyll
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 36 Atk / 220 Def
Relaxed Nature
- Earthquake
- Sludge Bomb
- Synthesis
- Leech Seed

Talonflame @ Maranga Berry
Ability: Gale Wings
Level: 50
EVs: 236 HP / 4 Atk / 44 Def / 188 SpD / 36 Spe
- Brave Bird
- Roost
- Will-O-Wisp
- Taunt

Thundurus @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Prankster
Level: 50
EVs: 244 HP / 168 Def / 68 SpA / 28 Spe
Bold Nature
- Thunder Wave
- Volt Switch
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Swagger

Kangaskhan @ Kangaskhanite
Ability: Scrappy
Level: 50
EVs: 142 HP / 252 Atk / 116 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Double-Edge
- Ice Punch
- Earthquake
- Counter

Mamoswine @ Assault Vest
Ability: Thick Fat
Level: 50
EVs: 196 HP / 252 Atk / 60 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Ice Shard
- Icicle Spear
- Knock Off
- Earthquake

So I've done quite a few more battles, and I think I'm almost settled on a team(actually serious this time, I've had positive experiences w/ all of these Pokemon and hilarious ones w/ most of them.) What I've discovered is Cresselia really isn't working out for me. It seems like she's a natural fit, w/ T-Wave and Lunar Dance, while also dealing w/ Megamence and Kanga, but such low offensive presence hampered her vs everything. It'd often cost a ton of momentum when I'd have to switch her out, which is especially difficult since my team doesn't have very many immunities. Mega Gengar is way more of a problem w/o Diggersby, and Cress fails epically against it. What I want for that slot is something that can spread paralysis reliably, while making use of Leftovers(not so much a must, but if the new Poke doesn't need them I may as well give them to Thundy. Swagger and paralysis often buy him free turns, which meshes nicely w/ Leftovers,) deals actual damage to opponents that don't have a 4x weakness to its sole coverage move. A set up move Pokemon could work well, and I also kind of want it to beat Mega Kangaskhan and Mega Gengar. Aegislash does pretty much everything but the paralysis, but that's not really good enough for me w/ all my slow(ish) Pokemon. I've thought about Reuniclus, as it can do lots of stuff like Calm Mind, Double Team + Flame Orb, spreads paralysis, and has reliable recovery. Even with all those pros, though, it fails miserably vs Kang and Gengar if Trick Room isn't up, and this isn't a TR team. It's switch in opportunities are also few and far between, and it's physical bulk(probably) won't let it switch in on .mega Blaziken's HJK followed by a Flare Blitz.

Other than that last slot, which is obviously the main thing, there's still some stuff I'd like help w/. First off is Volt Switch or T-Bolt for Thundy. The set I otherwise copied off the strat Dex says T-Bolt, but VS isn't that much weaker, and has tons of utility. Next is Counter on Kangaskhan. It's worked quite well for me, but is it different on cart than PS? On PS it hits twice meaning it returns 4x the damage the opponent deals to Kang, which means opponents who deal 25% or more. To Kang w/ a physical move die if they're not immune to fighting. Another thing is Sucker Punch. I really like the move, and think it's especially good to use since I tossed out Cress, but what, if any, move can it go over? Ice Punch could probably go since I have enough ice coverage already, but I also want to use Rockp Slide(absolutely absurd chance to flinch, particularly w/ paralysis,) and I don't think I should get rid of EQ(again, lots of coverage of that type already, so maybe I could drop it, but idk.)

Next is Mamoswine. The set provably seems fine, and for the most part it is, but I'd like to run Freeze-Dry, as Gyarados can be a problem, and cuts attack w/ Intimidate. There's also that extremely annoying guessing game of mega or not-FD bypasses that entirely. It's also amazing for Mega Swampy(Waterfall kills, but if for some reason it's slower or I decide on a screen user for my sixth slot, I have that to deal w/ it.) Rotom-W is another huge target for FD. It might KO, but compared to Knock Off's damage it's pretty nice. Then there are some lesser things(Suicune before any boosts, Quagsire, etc.) The problem w/ switching over to a Freeze-Dry set is I really want AV for the item(Thundurus is a problem, and AV prevents Grass Knot and Focus Blast from OHKOing. Plus there's other special attackers like Gengar it's a huge help against,) which means no -SpD nature. Is Brave a good option? It makes me even more dependent on spreading paralysis, but that's already a big part of the team, and I'm definitely not going to run a Lonely nature on Mamo or use FD w/ an Adamant nature. Lastly, the choice between Knock Off and a Rock Tomb(or something like that,) is kinda tough, so if I could get a few people to weigh in on that that'd be much appreciated. I went Knock Off for Cress and Porygon2, mainly, but Cress doesn't take nearly enough from Knock Off, and just heals the damage off, while P2 is surprisingly rare.

Sorry for the giant post, but it's better to be too detailed than not detailed enough.
 
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Alright so your team looks pretty good and I think a pokemon that could do amazing on your team is mega heracross (if you remove venusaur). Mega heracross is bulky and has the highest base attack stat in the game. I remember you saying that you love bulky attackers and heracross with 80/115/105 spread can take a lot of hits. Mega heracross has an amazing ability skill link as well as a great pre-mega ability guts. So this gives you a lot of versatility. Hera's biggest check is T-flame which your team seems to be well prepared for so I think it could really do a better job than venu. The best set for it would be

Heracross-Mega @ Heracronite
Ability: Skill Link
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Bullet Seed
- Rock Blast
- Close Combat
- Pin Missile

Bullet seed eliminates the need for freeze-dry and also is a good counter for suicune and rotom-wash
Rock blast is great for rotom-h and predicted talonflame switch-ins.
Close combat destroys kangaskhan and porygon2
Pin missile is great for cress and other psychic types.

As for the last slot why not try cress again. Trick room cress can really help your team as your team can function in and out of trick room. Cress is also a strong wall and can be great support for your two megas with lunar dance. Also, I don't think Gengar is a huge problem for your team since you have thundurus with priority t-wave and a specially defensive maranga berry talonflame(assuming careful nature since it isn't specified) with priority brave bird. Also, volt switch is better imo for your team as you can quickly abuse t-wave and swagger and volt switch out of there to one of your megas so they can finish the job. As for mamoswine, keep knock off because it can get rid of useful items like rocky helmet, eviolite, sitrus berry etc.
 
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