A Standard Team with a Twist

[santeria]

Well, I'm new here, and while I have done well so far, I just need your help to make my team be the best it can be. All right, here goes:

Jolteon @ Leftovers
Ability: Volt Absorb
EVs: 4 HP/252 Speed/252 Spc. Attack
Nature: Timid
- Baton Pass
- Substitute
- Thunderbolt
- HP Ice
Jolteon, I've found, is an interesting starter. It has base 130 speed to deal with Yanmegas and most other common starters. Most of the time, I set up a Sub on the first turn, and then BP to another team member. However, if the Sub's broken, then depending on the opponent, I 'll either attack or switch out if I can't handle my opponent. I've found that with Jolteon, it allows me to set up on Blissey, because I'll switch it in when it uses TWave, Sub, and BP to Breloom, thus handling Blissey and often many other Pokemon.

Salamence @ Choice Specs
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 4 HP/252 Speed/252 Spc. Attack
Nature: Modest
- Draco Meteor
- Flamethrower
- Hydro Pump
- Dragon Pulse
This nothing more than a typical Specsmence. However, I've found this to be incredibly effective. B/c most Salamences are physical now, most people don't expect it to carry Specs, allowing to ruin physical walls, and kill many Pokemon with Draco Meteor's awesome type coverage. Flamethrower and Hydro Pump deal with everything DM can't hit well, and Dragon Pulse is an alternative if Salamence is the last Pokemon or if I want it to stay out. Otherwise, it's a hit and run Pokemon.

Swampert @ Leftovers
Ability: Torrent
EVs: 240 HP/216 Def./52 Spc. Attack
Nature: Relaxed
- Earthquake
- Surf
- Stealth Rock
- Stone Edge
Swampert is my general tank. Swampert can take hits very well when switching in to enemy attacks, particularly Heatran, and SR on the switch. The Spc. Attack Evs are to make Surf hit harder and to help distinguish it from other Bulky Ground types.

Forretress @ Leftovers
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP/162 Attack/96 Def
Nature: Relaxed
- Rapid Spin
- Spikes
- Explosion
- Gyro Ball
Forretress has many roles on my team: First, absorb physical hits, such as an Outraging Garchomp or a Weavile's Ice Punch. Then, Spikes it on the switch. If I can, set up more Spikes or RS opponents' SR, TS, or Spikes away. Explode when it's low on HP or if I can't take out something with the others. And Gyro Ball effectively hits Gengars, Deoxys-e, and Weavile for heavy damage.

Breloom @ Toxic Orb
Ability: Poison Heal
EVs: 44 HP/252 Attack/212 Speed
Nature: Adamant
- Focus Punch
- Spore
- Substitute
- Seed Bomb
Breloom is often times the muscle on my team. With a BP'd Sub from Jolteon, Toxic Orb automatically activates, making it my status absorber. I can then Spore my opponents, set up a Sub, and then FP away. Seed Bomb is for what FP can't hit, and gets rid of Swampert too. Breloom is capable of destroying an entire team if an opponent isn't careful.

Cresselia @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 20 HP/252 Def./236 Spc. Attk.
Nature: Modest
- Thunder Wave
- Charge Beam
- Ice Beam
- Moonlight
Cresselia is my ultimate wall. It can come in on Gyarados, Garchomp, and many other fearsome Pokemon such as Infernape and shrug off attacks with ease. In the case of DD Gyara and Deoxys-e, I T-Wave it, and shut it down. Garchomp can't handle Ice Beams. T-Wave is a general effective crippler, and Charge Beam's Spc. Attk increase rate can help make Cresselia do more damge offensively. Moonlight heals it.

Want to know what the twist was? There's no Garchomp, Blissey, Gyarados, or Gengar in sight on my team. I try to avoid those guys when I make teams and think outside of the box with Standards.

My overall strategy is to first set up a Sub with Jolteon. Then, I can BP to Swampert, Forretress, or Breloom. I set up SR and pikes early to punish switching, and a BP'd sub to Breloom allows it to activate Toxic Orb. Cresselia and Forretress also take blows from sweepers I know the rest of my team can't handle, and Salamence is the trump card to Draco Meteor everything in sight, and then run away. Breloom can also support with Spore as well. Any input will be gladly appreciated.

 

[Gators1]

I get the honorable and awaited first rate. Yay.

Jolteon: Would you really want Leftovers on him? He's not very sturdy so you wouldn't be getting a lot of recovery so to speak. Maybe a Peteya Berry, so then after all those Sub's, you could take advantage of your high Speed and then Boosted SpA and go on a Kill Spree?

Salamence: Since you are using Choice Specs, why don't you try out a Naive Nature? That way, it could even be a revenge killer. If you do go the way of making him a "Revenge Specs Mence" so to speak, you should take out Dragon Pulse for HP ICE / GRASS in my opionion. I know Smogon says clearly not to do it, but in the sense that it would be a Revenge Killer, you get that type coverage.

Swampert: Since Earthquake and Stone Edge are both physical attacks, and Surf is the only SpA, why don't you change those 52 SpA EV's to Atk Ev's and then give Swampert Waterfall to take advantage of that. Plus, Waterfall might have less BP, but you get the ability to abuse Flinch hax.

Forretress: Couldn't ask for a better set-up myself.

Breloom: Sub Punch FTW. It's quite standard and works very well. Lol, this thing just about swept 2 of my Pokemon in my team. It's a great status absorber.

Cresselia: If there were anything I'd change here it would be to give it less SpA EV's and add more SpD Ev's as most Shadow Ball's might OHKO. Be wary of Tyranitar. It totally shuts down that Cresselia because Sand Stream cuts Moonlight recovery down to 25%, and Crunch / Pursuit does some heavy damage.

Hope I helped.

 

[santeria]

Thanks for the help. Your comments make a lot of sense.

 

[Kid Icarus]

Jolteon's item could go either way. With Petaya Berry you could attempt a late game Jolteon sweep, but with Leftovers you'll be able to use Subtitute more.

Salamence is fine. Going Modest means you can hit with giant force against slower tankish Pokemon. A speed boosting nature gives you more speed, but less firepower. 100 base sp. atk isn't very high.

I think Ice Beam should be used over Stone Edge. Stealth Rock and Cress already give Gyarados trouble, and Ice Beam gives some better coverage. But it's your choice, both options can work. Heck even roar could work since you have no pseudohazer.

Forretress is fine.

Breloom's other option is Leech Seed over Seed Bomb. Leech Seed allows subseeding, and encourages switches to increase SR damage. I've heard many people (including myself) have had success with Leech Seed, but again, it's your choice, both options are completely viable.

Cresselia will have trouble using Moonlight with SS and Hail running around. Sleep Talk and Rest is usually the best way to go with Cress, but you might need T-wave since you have no other status move.

All in all, not a bad team. But if you're going to rely heavily on SR and Spikes for your strategy, you might consider a rapid spin blocker, like Spiritomb or Dusknoir. Other than that pretty stable.

 

[santeria]

Well, with the changes made, I've been doing pretty well, but I have some problems. While I can beat Gengar, it usually KOs at least 1 to 2 of my Pokemon, forcing me to revenge kill with Jolteon. Also, while I can deal with offensive Deoxys-e variants, I'm utterly screwed against Cosmic Power variations. Any tips on how to deal with these better?