This team is one of my first attempts at making a team completely from scratch as opposed to using a bunch of recommended cores from the forum. I'm fairly confident in this team, because when I lose I usually feel like it's because I played poorly and not because of my team, but it certainly has weaknesses. My only flying resist is Zeraora which means I struggle against Zapdos especially in rain, where I basically rely on Ferrothorn to deal with physical rain attackers. There are definitely things I would like to add to the team, but it feels like I don't have any room to add those things because everything already there feels necessary.
Rillaboom @ Choice Band
Ability: Grassy Surge
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Grassy Glide
- Wood Hammer
- High Horsepower
- U-turn
I originally added Rillaboom because I lost to terrain seed Hawlucha twice in a row and wanted priority. I've found Rillaboom to be very useful for bulky water types, like Swampert, Slowbro,and Slowking, and Grassy Glide allows me to beat Tapu Lele, Zeraora, Barraskewda in rain, Garchomp after a scale shot, and the aforementioned Hawlucha after a close combat. My team was previously very weak to Toxapex and Heatran, but adding High Horsepower allows me to deal with those. Unfortunately I've noticed that I'm often very hesitant to use U-Turn because Pokemon like Volcarona, Zapdos, and Garchomp are everywhere and punish contact, although when those mons aren't present U-turn is useful. I may have considered switching Rillaboom for a different priority attacker, but the grassy terrain has been extremely helpful in healing Ferrothorn and making Earthquakes deal less damage.
Zeraora @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Volt Absorb
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Plasma Fists
- Close Combat
- Knock Off
- Volt Switch
Zeraora is a pivot and speed control. Dragapult typically dies to a knock off after taking two volt switches, which isn't the most reliable way of dealing with it but it usually gets the job done. Plasma fists is nice for defensive flying types and Close Combat hits Kartana and Kyurem (which would wreck my team without Zeraora) when they aren't scarf. When they are scarf however, I'm very weak them and other scarf users like Latios since they resist Grassy Glide. Volt Switch has been useful, but people typically have ground types that they just switch into and I end up having to hard switch anyway. I'm reluctant to remove it though, because I know pivot moves are very good. Knock off is important to hit Latios. I would like to fit a status move onto this Pokemon but every move feels necessary. Zeraora isn't as bulky as it ideally would be and this means it can't take very many Hurricanes.
Slowking @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Sassy Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 0 Spe
- Future Sight
- Scald
- Slack Off
- Teleport
Slowking is another pivot and is my main special wall. It has been extremely important for holding off Nidoking, Latias, Tapu Lele, Heatran, etc, and allows me to get a free switch. I also like to switch it in on Landorus-T to potentially scald it, and if they U-turn I can just heal back most of that damage with a switch. It has minimum speed so that I can Teleport after opposing teleporters. Future Sight is useful to prevent my opponent from bringing in Nidoking or Toxapex, and it synergizes with Rillaboom to let me get a kill on something. Slowking and Ferrothorn have definitely been the MVPs of this team.
Nidoking @ Life Orb
Ability: Sheer Force
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Sludge Wave
- Earth Power
- Ice Beam
- Flamethrower
Nidoking is my special attacker. It outspeeds and beats Heatran, Ferrothorn, and Clefable, and also just deals a ton of damage to anything switching in. It does rely a bit on reads though, because of its speed, and because a lot of common Pokemon are immune to Sludge Wave and Earth Power. I can't bring it in on Garchomp or Landorus to Ice Beam because it would die to Earthquake so I just have to predict. Nidoking has been important for beating opposing Zeraora because it resists Close Combat and is immune to electric.
Ferrothorn @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Iron Barbs
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Atk / 252 Def
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Spikes
- Leech Seed
- Knock Off
Ferrothorn sets up hazards that assist Rillaboom and Zeraora in getting kills. I run Rocky Helmet because it helps me with Kartana and other common contact users, and I can heal with Grassy Terrain. Knock off also allows me to remove a scarf from Kartana. It is my physical wall and it beats Rillaboom, Urshifu, and Bisharp. It does tend to get low very low during battles though, especially in matchups against fighting types like hawlucha where I need Ferrothorn to beat them but Ferrothorn takes a lot of damage, and now it can't reliably beat their other physical attackers.
Mandibuzz @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Overcoat
EVs: 252 HP / 140 Atk / 116 SpD
Careful Nature
- Brave Bird
- Defog
- U-turn
- Roost
Mandibuzz is my defogger. I used to really struggle with Volcarona, so this Mandibuzz is EVd to take Flamethrowers from Volcarona that try to set up and then kill them with Brave Bird. Mandibuzz is also my go-to to take hits from Dragapult, and sometimes Latios. I wish I could fit a dark move onto this set so I could damage Latios and Dragapult but I don't know if I should replace any moves. U-turn has been very useful for getting free switches. Although almost my whole team either resists Stealth Rock or has boots, I don't know if removing defog would be a good idea considering the amount of pivot moves I have.
Overall I feel that my team does a good job against most of the meta, but in a lot of matchups I have like one counter that I have to rely on that keeps taking chip throughout the battle. I know it's weak to Garchomp and Latios, and weak to rain. I should have checks in those Pokemon in Ferrothorn and Slowking in theory, but in practice they usually die or get too low too early.
Rillaboom @ Choice Band
Ability: Grassy Surge
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Grassy Glide
- Wood Hammer
- High Horsepower
- U-turn
I originally added Rillaboom because I lost to terrain seed Hawlucha twice in a row and wanted priority. I've found Rillaboom to be very useful for bulky water types, like Swampert, Slowbro,and Slowking, and Grassy Glide allows me to beat Tapu Lele, Zeraora, Barraskewda in rain, Garchomp after a scale shot, and the aforementioned Hawlucha after a close combat. My team was previously very weak to Toxapex and Heatran, but adding High Horsepower allows me to deal with those. Unfortunately I've noticed that I'm often very hesitant to use U-Turn because Pokemon like Volcarona, Zapdos, and Garchomp are everywhere and punish contact, although when those mons aren't present U-turn is useful. I may have considered switching Rillaboom for a different priority attacker, but the grassy terrain has been extremely helpful in healing Ferrothorn and making Earthquakes deal less damage.
Zeraora @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Volt Absorb
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Plasma Fists
- Close Combat
- Knock Off
- Volt Switch
Zeraora is a pivot and speed control. Dragapult typically dies to a knock off after taking two volt switches, which isn't the most reliable way of dealing with it but it usually gets the job done. Plasma fists is nice for defensive flying types and Close Combat hits Kartana and Kyurem (which would wreck my team without Zeraora) when they aren't scarf. When they are scarf however, I'm very weak them and other scarf users like Latios since they resist Grassy Glide. Volt Switch has been useful, but people typically have ground types that they just switch into and I end up having to hard switch anyway. I'm reluctant to remove it though, because I know pivot moves are very good. Knock off is important to hit Latios. I would like to fit a status move onto this Pokemon but every move feels necessary. Zeraora isn't as bulky as it ideally would be and this means it can't take very many Hurricanes.
Slowking @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Sassy Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 0 Spe
- Future Sight
- Scald
- Slack Off
- Teleport
Slowking is another pivot and is my main special wall. It has been extremely important for holding off Nidoking, Latias, Tapu Lele, Heatran, etc, and allows me to get a free switch. I also like to switch it in on Landorus-T to potentially scald it, and if they U-turn I can just heal back most of that damage with a switch. It has minimum speed so that I can Teleport after opposing teleporters. Future Sight is useful to prevent my opponent from bringing in Nidoking or Toxapex, and it synergizes with Rillaboom to let me get a kill on something. Slowking and Ferrothorn have definitely been the MVPs of this team.
Nidoking @ Life Orb
Ability: Sheer Force
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Sludge Wave
- Earth Power
- Ice Beam
- Flamethrower
Nidoking is my special attacker. It outspeeds and beats Heatran, Ferrothorn, and Clefable, and also just deals a ton of damage to anything switching in. It does rely a bit on reads though, because of its speed, and because a lot of common Pokemon are immune to Sludge Wave and Earth Power. I can't bring it in on Garchomp or Landorus to Ice Beam because it would die to Earthquake so I just have to predict. Nidoking has been important for beating opposing Zeraora because it resists Close Combat and is immune to electric.
Ferrothorn @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Iron Barbs
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Atk / 252 Def
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Spikes
- Leech Seed
- Knock Off
Ferrothorn sets up hazards that assist Rillaboom and Zeraora in getting kills. I run Rocky Helmet because it helps me with Kartana and other common contact users, and I can heal with Grassy Terrain. Knock off also allows me to remove a scarf from Kartana. It is my physical wall and it beats Rillaboom, Urshifu, and Bisharp. It does tend to get low very low during battles though, especially in matchups against fighting types like hawlucha where I need Ferrothorn to beat them but Ferrothorn takes a lot of damage, and now it can't reliably beat their other physical attackers.
Mandibuzz @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Overcoat
EVs: 252 HP / 140 Atk / 116 SpD
Careful Nature
- Brave Bird
- Defog
- U-turn
- Roost
Mandibuzz is my defogger. I used to really struggle with Volcarona, so this Mandibuzz is EVd to take Flamethrowers from Volcarona that try to set up and then kill them with Brave Bird. Mandibuzz is also my go-to to take hits from Dragapult, and sometimes Latios. I wish I could fit a dark move onto this set so I could damage Latios and Dragapult but I don't know if I should replace any moves. U-turn has been very useful for getting free switches. Although almost my whole team either resists Stealth Rock or has boots, I don't know if removing defog would be a good idea considering the amount of pivot moves I have.
Overall I feel that my team does a good job against most of the meta, but in a lot of matchups I have like one counter that I have to rely on that keeps taking chip throughout the battle. I know it's weak to Garchomp and Latios, and weak to rain. I should have checks in those Pokemon in Ferrothorn and Slowking in theory, but in practice they usually die or get too low too early.