This is a team I made around an original core of Mega Mawile, Azumarill, and Hydreigon. The idea was that these three Pokemon cover perfectly each others' weaknesses, which they do. There isn't a single type that any of these three Pokemon are weak to that isn't resisted by another Pokemon. However, noticing that Hydreigon's speed was slightly lacking, it didn't have access to priority moves, and it wasn't bulky enough, I wanted to go with a different Pokemon that would still cover the Electric and Ground weaknesses of the other two without losing good synergy. Basically, I wanted a Dragon type that had Levitate (or possibly a Dragon/Flying Pokemon). Immediately, two Pokemon came to mind: Dragonite and Latios. As the rest of my core is physical attackers, I wanted a special attacker. However, I still wanted good Defenses, and priority wouldn't be bad either. Latios kind of has a similar problem to Hydreigon in that it's a bit lacking in bulk and in that it's fast, but not that fast. But Dragonite doesn't resist Electric-type attacks, and most Electric type moves can 2HKO it (Thundurus' Thunderbolt, Jolteon's Thunderbolt, etc.), although Latios also adds a Ghost weakness to the team, which wasn't covered in the core. Latios also can easily fit Defog support into its moveset. I couldn't decide which to use, so I used them both.
tl;dr - I used a Mega Mawile, Azumarill, Hydreigon core but Hydreigon wasn't fast enough and was too frail. I couldn't decide whether to use Dragonite or Latios in its place, so I used both in the same team.
Just speedread the descriptions for the sets if they're too long.
Mawile @ Mawilite
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SDef
Adamant Nature
- Play Rough
- Sucker Punch
- Iron Head
- Ice Punch
Mawile is an important part of the core. It's immune to Poison (one of Azumarill's weaknesses), and can help Azumarill to soak up U-turns, Ice-type moves, Dark-type moves, Dragon-type moves, etc. for Hydreigon/Latios/Dragonite as well as take a Stone Miss for Dragonite. Knock Off also does less than usual damage to it because it's resisted, and its item can't be knocked off. The EVs, nature, and first three moveslots are pretty standard. For the last moveslot, I felt that Ice Punch is generally more useful because it hits Grounds, but I might change it to Stone Edge seeing as many people send in their Fire-types against it. This guy usually functions pretty well, hurting foes that switch in with Play Rough and then Sucker Punching them (unless they're obviously going to Burn me or something).
Azumarill @ Splash Plate
Ability: Huge Power
EVs: 168 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def / 84 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Aqua Jet
- Play Rough
- Waterfall
- Superpower
Azumarill is also an important part of the core, originally taking Fighting-type attacks aimed at Hydreigon in addition to helping Mawile with Bug-type and Ice-type attacks (and taking Fire-type attacks for Mawile). In the new core, he can also take Dark-type attacks aimed at Latios. For the item, I like to use Splash Plate because it still gives some extra power to Aqua Jet and Waterfall while not locking me into using one move, while the core's definitely a lot about switching and taking attacks aimed at other Pokemon, I didn't want to have to switch from Azumarill every single turn I put it out. For the last move slot, I use Superpower for Ferrothorn. With Latios/Hydreigon, I can pretty much already deal with Mega Venusaur, and don't really need Ice Punch. I also have Ice Punch on Mawile. With two moves in common, they'd be too similar and Azumarill wouldn't help the team as much. Azumarill has also been working well, and I don't think I should change it to a different Pokemon.
Dragonite @ Lum Berry
Ability: Multiscale
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Dragon Claw
- Fire Punch
- Roost
Dragonite is one of my two replacements for Hydreigon. It helps Azumarill take Fire-type attacks for Mawile, takes Grass-type attacks for Azumarill, and is immune to Ground-type attacks, helping Mawile execute its attacks without fear. I chose Lum Berry because looking around, some people are saying Weakness Policy is overrated. Lum Berry also gets rid of Burn, Toxic, Paralyze, and Sleep, as being a DDer, lots of people are going to want to status me. Weakness Policy also seems kind of useless for my core, as the main point of the core is to absorb each others' weaknesses, not absorb your own. My core is really based around synergy and not around one or two Pokemon helping another sweep all by itself. The last moveslot was a tossup for me, as I really wanted both Earthquake (for Electrics) and Roost. Fire Punch doesn't KO that many more Steel-types than Earthquake, but the ones that it does are the most important. So, I made it have Fire Punch and Roost, no Earthquake. Dragonite's main problem is that it's Physical, so if there's one or two persistent statusers (mainly Burn or Toxic) on the other person's team, I would be screwed without a Special Attacker.
Latios (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 30 SAtk / 30 Spd
- Draco Meteor
- Psyshock
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Defog
Latios is Hydreigon's secondary replacement. I chose Life Orb because with Choice Specs I can't reasonably use Defog, which I thought was important, as Hazard Control counts. HP fire is for Bisharp, that I'm sure won't Sucker Punch, Ferrothorn, and Scizor. I felt they were more important than Ttar (which is nailed with Surf). Latios is more similar to Hydreigon in that it's a Levitator and in that it's mainly a Special Attacker (although admittedly Hydreigon was mixed). Unfortunately, it has some of the same problems as Hydreigon in that it's kinda frail without any investment. It also almost never has time to Roost, as many things stay in on it or it's already at full health when they switch. Latios' main purpose is that is immune to Ground and resists Electric, Grass, and Fire. Unfortunately it also presents a Ghost weakness.
Bisharp @ Life Orb
Ability: Defiant
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Sucker Punch
- Knock Off
- Iron Head
I wanted a Pokemon that resisted Ghost- and Steel-type attacks, and that could possibly also set up hazards. Bisharp is the only Pokemon that fits all three of these. It can also block Defogs aimed at its own hazards. The set here is pretty standard. It has fairly good synergy with the rest of my team, as all of its weaknesses are covered by more than one Pokemon. I wanted it to hit fairies, so I went with Iron Head (same reason why I chose Iron Head over another coverage move on Mawile, too). I would definitely consider switching him out with something different.
Excadrill @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Mold Breaker
EVs: 252 Atk / 94 SDef / 162 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Rapid Spin
- Earthquake
- Shadow Claw
- Rock Slide
Lastly, I used Excadrill because I've been really liking it and using it on a lot of my teams, plus it fit the theme of the team more or less. I took the EVs off of somewhere (not sure where though), where they ran 100-something SpD and 80-something Spe. I found it to be too slow, so I tweaked it so that it would outspeed Timid 252 Greninja by one point (and it also outspeeds Adamant 252 Talonflame by quite a few points). Having Rapid Spin helps Latios get rid of hazards, Earthquake kills a bunch of stuff, Shadow Claw for Air Balloon Aegislash (and also because two of my other Pokemon already have Iron Head, so that's good coverage for Fairy- and Rock-types), and Rock Slide for a load of Fire-types. I've been using this spread on lots of other teams, and it works very well offensively. I might change Excadrill to Starmie because Starmie is almost as fast, doesn't need to be locked into one move, and doesn't fear status quite as much.
My main problem with this team is that it has only 1 special attacker, so Will-O-Wisp really hurts. I would definitely consider switching out Excadrill and Bisharp with things that fill similar roles but are specially oriented. I also think that it might be a good idea to switch Dragonite to Kyurem-B and change Latios into a different Ground-immune offensive/semi-offensive defogger. Any thoughts/suggestions about/for my team?
tl;dr - I used a Mega Mawile, Azumarill, Hydreigon core but Hydreigon wasn't fast enough and was too frail. I couldn't decide whether to use Dragonite or Latios in its place, so I used both in the same team.
Just speedread the descriptions for the sets if they're too long.
Mawile @ Mawilite
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SDef
Adamant Nature
- Play Rough
- Sucker Punch
- Iron Head
- Ice Punch
Mawile is an important part of the core. It's immune to Poison (one of Azumarill's weaknesses), and can help Azumarill to soak up U-turns, Ice-type moves, Dark-type moves, Dragon-type moves, etc. for Hydreigon/Latios/Dragonite as well as take a Stone Miss for Dragonite. Knock Off also does less than usual damage to it because it's resisted, and its item can't be knocked off. The EVs, nature, and first three moveslots are pretty standard. For the last moveslot, I felt that Ice Punch is generally more useful because it hits Grounds, but I might change it to Stone Edge seeing as many people send in their Fire-types against it. This guy usually functions pretty well, hurting foes that switch in with Play Rough and then Sucker Punching them (unless they're obviously going to Burn me or something).
Azumarill @ Splash Plate
Ability: Huge Power
EVs: 168 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def / 84 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Aqua Jet
- Play Rough
- Waterfall
- Superpower
Azumarill is also an important part of the core, originally taking Fighting-type attacks aimed at Hydreigon in addition to helping Mawile with Bug-type and Ice-type attacks (and taking Fire-type attacks for Mawile). In the new core, he can also take Dark-type attacks aimed at Latios. For the item, I like to use Splash Plate because it still gives some extra power to Aqua Jet and Waterfall while not locking me into using one move, while the core's definitely a lot about switching and taking attacks aimed at other Pokemon, I didn't want to have to switch from Azumarill every single turn I put it out. For the last move slot, I use Superpower for Ferrothorn. With Latios/Hydreigon, I can pretty much already deal with Mega Venusaur, and don't really need Ice Punch. I also have Ice Punch on Mawile. With two moves in common, they'd be too similar and Azumarill wouldn't help the team as much. Azumarill has also been working well, and I don't think I should change it to a different Pokemon.
Dragonite @ Lum Berry
Ability: Multiscale
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Dragon Claw
- Fire Punch
- Roost
Dragonite is one of my two replacements for Hydreigon. It helps Azumarill take Fire-type attacks for Mawile, takes Grass-type attacks for Azumarill, and is immune to Ground-type attacks, helping Mawile execute its attacks without fear. I chose Lum Berry because looking around, some people are saying Weakness Policy is overrated. Lum Berry also gets rid of Burn, Toxic, Paralyze, and Sleep, as being a DDer, lots of people are going to want to status me. Weakness Policy also seems kind of useless for my core, as the main point of the core is to absorb each others' weaknesses, not absorb your own. My core is really based around synergy and not around one or two Pokemon helping another sweep all by itself. The last moveslot was a tossup for me, as I really wanted both Earthquake (for Electrics) and Roost. Fire Punch doesn't KO that many more Steel-types than Earthquake, but the ones that it does are the most important. So, I made it have Fire Punch and Roost, no Earthquake. Dragonite's main problem is that it's Physical, so if there's one or two persistent statusers (mainly Burn or Toxic) on the other person's team, I would be screwed without a Special Attacker.
Latios (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 30 SAtk / 30 Spd
- Draco Meteor
- Psyshock
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Defog
Latios is Hydreigon's secondary replacement. I chose Life Orb because with Choice Specs I can't reasonably use Defog, which I thought was important, as Hazard Control counts. HP fire is for Bisharp, that I'm sure won't Sucker Punch, Ferrothorn, and Scizor. I felt they were more important than Ttar (which is nailed with Surf). Latios is more similar to Hydreigon in that it's a Levitator and in that it's mainly a Special Attacker (although admittedly Hydreigon was mixed). Unfortunately, it has some of the same problems as Hydreigon in that it's kinda frail without any investment. It also almost never has time to Roost, as many things stay in on it or it's already at full health when they switch. Latios' main purpose is that is immune to Ground and resists Electric, Grass, and Fire. Unfortunately it also presents a Ghost weakness.
Bisharp @ Life Orb
Ability: Defiant
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Sucker Punch
- Knock Off
- Iron Head
I wanted a Pokemon that resisted Ghost- and Steel-type attacks, and that could possibly also set up hazards. Bisharp is the only Pokemon that fits all three of these. It can also block Defogs aimed at its own hazards. The set here is pretty standard. It has fairly good synergy with the rest of my team, as all of its weaknesses are covered by more than one Pokemon. I wanted it to hit fairies, so I went with Iron Head (same reason why I chose Iron Head over another coverage move on Mawile, too). I would definitely consider switching him out with something different.
Excadrill @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Mold Breaker
EVs: 252 Atk / 94 SDef / 162 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Rapid Spin
- Earthquake
- Shadow Claw
- Rock Slide
Lastly, I used Excadrill because I've been really liking it and using it on a lot of my teams, plus it fit the theme of the team more or less. I took the EVs off of somewhere (not sure where though), where they ran 100-something SpD and 80-something Spe. I found it to be too slow, so I tweaked it so that it would outspeed Timid 252 Greninja by one point (and it also outspeeds Adamant 252 Talonflame by quite a few points). Having Rapid Spin helps Latios get rid of hazards, Earthquake kills a bunch of stuff, Shadow Claw for Air Balloon Aegislash (and also because two of my other Pokemon already have Iron Head, so that's good coverage for Fairy- and Rock-types), and Rock Slide for a load of Fire-types. I've been using this spread on lots of other teams, and it works very well offensively. I might change Excadrill to Starmie because Starmie is almost as fast, doesn't need to be locked into one move, and doesn't fear status quite as much.
My main problem with this team is that it has only 1 special attacker, so Will-O-Wisp really hurts. I would definitely consider switching out Excadrill and Bisharp with things that fill similar roles but are specially oriented. I also think that it might be a good idea to switch Dragonite to Kyurem-B and change Latios into a different Ground-immune offensive/semi-offensive defogger. Any thoughts/suggestions about/for my team?