Introduction:
After watching the livestream of the Worlds I decided to have another stab at making a VGC team, I did enter one in the UK nationals, which didn't perform too well at all. This time I wanted to make something that could work consistantly and allow my to get used to VGC gameplay so for next year I'll be better prepared for whatever VGC 2015 throws at us. I also wanted to make use of some of the lesser used Pokemon, or that was what the initial intention was. I also wanted to avoid jumping on any bandwagons created by worlds, so I avoided Pachirisu (people will realise it isn't amazing, just unexpected) and Lapras, which in the Senior finals, didn't actually achieve anything. Anyway on with the RMT!
Team Building Process:
In Depth:
Staraptor @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Brave Bird
- Close Combat
- Final Gambit/Quick Attack
- U-turn
Staraptor is used on the team usually as a lead, allowing me to fire off a quick intimidate over common opposing leads such as Kangaskhan or Talonflame. This combines well with my other usual lead of Manetric, as it builds a double intimidate advantage over the opponent, which is key in this more physically biased meta game. Aside from that role it is the teams Scarf user, giving me some extra speed and power combined, and outspeeds anything really over than opposing base 100 scarfers (speed tie) or higher, which obviously out speed. The EVs are standard fare with max speed and attack, the 4 left over going into HP, as Rocks don't really exist in VGC it serves a better purpose than either of the defense stats. This spread, with the Jolly nature allows me to tie with other base 100 scarfers, most commonly Salamence. The moveset is rather simple, Brave Bird is the main spam button, destroying a lot of the meta, and hitting gives me super effective coverage on Fighting and Grass types. Close Combat is used to help me beat Kangaskhan and Lucario one on one along with denting most Steels not named Aegislash. Final Gambit is used as a 1 for 1 move, generally only in very bad match ups, so it is seldom used. I am contemplating switching it for Quick Attack to revenge on Talonflame. Finally U-Turn is for scouting and allowing chip damage on a potential check, whilst giving a fairly free switch in.
This is one of he Pokemon on the team I don't wish to switch out, though if there is a way to improve the EV spread or moveset that would be greatly appreciated.
Manectric @ Manectite
Ability: Lightningrod
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Volt Switch/Thunderbolt/Protect
- Discharge/Protect
- Overheat
- Hidden Power [Ice]
So next up we have the second common lead, and Staraptor's partner in crime, Mega Manetric gives this team so much needed Special offense, and it allows me to hit hard even in the face of opposing Intimidate or Will-O-Wisp. Usually this Mega evolves turn 1 unless up against an opposing Electric type, in which I will keep it in base form in hopes of over prediction and use it to gain a nice +1 Special Attack. I will also often use it in the base form if I select Medicham during a battle, usually if I feel Intimidate isn't necessary. The EV spread is similar to Staraptor, in the sense of max speed, and Special Attack in this case. Timid allows a speed tie against opposing Manetric, which has came up fairly often in testing. Volt Switch was chosen as the single hitting STAB over Thunderbolt (or Thunder for that matter) to give me some additional scouting and to set up a potential Volt-Turn-Intimidate core midgame, a play which has won me a few battles. Discharge gives me good spread damage, and a paralysis chance. It also combines well with Mamoswine, due to it's immunity to Electric. Overheat is chosen for Aegislash, otherwise I would opt for Flamethrower for more consistent damage, I feel the increase in power is very appropriate in this case. The final move is Hidden Power Ice, used to hit the many Dragons I out speed, as well as being a potential 2HKO on some builds on Zapdos. I am considering the use of Protect somewhere to further enhance its ability to pair well with Mamoswine, however I'm unsure of what to drop for it.
Mamoswine @ Lum Berry
Ability: Thick Fat
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
- Icicle Crash
- Ice Shard
Mamoswine was selected due to some good synergy alongside Manetric, aside from KOing it with Earthquake (though that has helped at times). It also gives me a nice out against Status spreaders with my use of Lum Berry and adds some priority to the team. Thick Fat was the ability of choice to give me a pseudo resistance to Ice and neutrality to Fire, which is a good attribute to have. The main job of Mamoswine is split with being an ultimate Dragon killer, most (basically all but Dragonite) get KOd with Ice Shard, the slower ones with Icicle Crash, it also uses a couple of hard hitting spread attacks in Rock Slide and STAB Earthquake to destroy the opponent. These 2 moves give me great coverage over a lot of threats including Talonflame (OHKO), Mega Lucario (OHKO) Mega Mawile (2HKO) to name a few examples. The EV spread chosen was again maximum speed, and Attack, with an Adamant nature to ensure big damage, with rest in Special defence to help it take a stray Fire attack aimed at it a little better. I am tempted to test out some bulkier spreads to see if it becomes more effective as I have found max speed almost unnecessary a lot of the time.
Greninja @ Expert Belt
Ability: Protean
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Scald
- Ice Beam
- Dark Pulse
- Mat Block
Greninja is a Pokemon I can't help but pick, it is so effective at what it does thanks to STAB on everything. In terms of VGC it also packs a pretty good support movepool, though Mat Block is the key one I have chosen, it acts as a First Turn Protect for both Pokemon, though it has +0 priority so it works best with slower Pokemon next to it, and against Pokemon slower than Greninja ( basically anything unscarfed, or not Talonflame, Noivern, (Mega) Aerodactyl or Jolteon). Aside from this it has a massive pool to choose from so picking the right option for the team is a lot easier than with some other Pokemon. The initial STAB of choice is Scald rather than Surf for 2 reasons, firstly the burn chance is too good to pass up and secondly it doesn't hit my own Pokemon, meaning I don't have to Protect or have a resist on my side to make Surf risk free. Ice Beam was the obvious choice for its ability to hit Dragons and Flying types (bar Talonflame (and Moltres I guess)) for big damage. It also has the rare chance to Freeze which could change games at times. The final slot was the hardest to choose, and basically came to a choice of dealing with Ghosts - Dark Pulse - or dealing with Fighting and Poison Types - Extrasensory. I opted for Dark Pulse because Aegislash is a thing, and I often find it to be troublesome if unprepared for.
Delphox @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Magician
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Heat Wave
- Psychic
- Protect
- Hypnosis
Delphox was initially chosen as a wild card for the team so to speak, due to its uncommon nature, and its ability to threaten a few of the more dangerous Pokemon in the tier, thanks to its trolly base speed of 104, and its ability to steal items. After using it though I found it be both effective, and unfortunately useless some of the time. It is the least often selected, only getting the nod against teams that lack Dragons so Mamoswine can be dropped, or lack anything that Staraptor can destroy. Enough with the more negative points though, and on to the reason it can be effective. It has a decent movepool to use in VGC, and thanks to the common Zard Y, Heatwave gets a power boost often, which mitigates the weaker hits of spread damage. Psychic hits fighting types, and gives a nice hit on Mega Venusaur when they crop up. Access to Hypnosis also makes Delphox decent status spreading ability, and as VGC doesn't have a sleep clause, I can often cripple 2 Pokemon easily. Protect is in the last moveslot for the usual reasoning. Sitrus Berry is chosen to give some longevity (by VGC standards anyway) and allows Magician to work its magic (geddit ;) ). The spread is maximum Special Attack and speed, though I am tempted to move 4 extra into HP and allow Delphox to just outspeed Garchomp, as speed tying with itself is not needed in my opinion.
Medicham @ Medichamite
Ability: Pure Power
- Fake Out
- Drain Punch
- Rock Slide
- Psycho Cut
Finally we get onto the alternate mega of the team, and one that I wish I could use more, but it often finds itself outclassed by Manetric in terms of match ups. In regards to the set it plays much like the OU version, with Drain Punch being the main STAB, as High Jump Kick missing is much worse in VGC than in OU, it also gives me some semi reliable healing. The Fighting STAB gives me an obvious answer to Tyranitar, OHKOing even when Burnt on some occasions. The next move is Fake Out, a very useful move for the team, as it it out speeds Talonflame, flinching it, making it very easy to remove.it also is an excellent move to start a battle with, as it grabs some momentum to my side, and renders 1 Pokemon useless turn 1. Psycho Cut is the Psychic Stab though it rarely exploited, just there to make up the moveset. Rock Slide is for spread damage and to hit potential Talonflame switch ins. The EV spread is standard Max Attack and speed rest in HP.
Importable:
After watching the livestream of the Worlds I decided to have another stab at making a VGC team, I did enter one in the UK nationals, which didn't perform too well at all. This time I wanted to make something that could work consistantly and allow my to get used to VGC gameplay so for next year I'll be better prepared for whatever VGC 2015 throws at us. I also wanted to make use of some of the lesser used Pokemon, or that was what the initial intention was. I also wanted to avoid jumping on any bandwagons created by worlds, so I avoided Pachirisu (people will realise it isn't amazing, just unexpected) and Lapras, which in the Senior finals, didn't actually achieve anything. Anyway on with the RMT!
Team Building Process:
The starting point of this team was my desire to use something I find very underrated, and is extremely powerful in the right hands. Choice Scarf Staraptor is very effective being able to quickly U-Turn, Intimidate on the switch, and generally KO at least one opposing Pokemon.
Next up was to find a good partner to lead with, I wanted to use something just as fast, and also powerful. I had never really used this Mega before so this seemed like the best opportunity to use, Mega Manetric. Similar to Staraptor it gets Intimidate and can abuse Volt Switch and has access to brilliant coverage in Overheat, Hidden Power Ice, and Discharge for Paralysis and spread damage.
The team was quickly taking shape, and I now wanted to start taking on specific threats. I wanted to keep up with my current fast offence style, and decided to use one of my Gen 6 favourites, Greninja. I occasionally lead with this, if not faced by an obvious Fake Out or Talonflame. This is so I can get off a first turn Mat Block to scout and preserve both lead Pokemon. Aside from this it has good coverage from 3 attacks, and can spread additional status through Scald Burns or Ice Beam Freezes.
The next Pokemon I chose was for its access to priority, ability to deal with Dragons and partners up with Manetric nicely as it is immune to Discharge, Mamoswine. With Thick Fat it can also take on Talonflame easily along with taking on a few of the common Megas in Mawile and Lucario.
What I had now was my usual first choice team, I needed two more Pokemon to round the team off. I wanted to use another Mega to use in the place of Manetric, and often I can use either in there regular form alongside the chosen Mega. I decided to use Medicham for this role, as it assists me with Fake Out and wide coverage to hit a wide variety of threats.
Lastly I wanted something to consistently deal with Mega Venusaur, Amoonguss and a few other grass types if Staraptor goes down early. Another Pokemon I had never used, but seemed a good fit for this team, as it has unique (for Kalos) typing, trolly speed of 104 and a good support movepool, Delphox.
Next up was to find a good partner to lead with, I wanted to use something just as fast, and also powerful. I had never really used this Mega before so this seemed like the best opportunity to use, Mega Manetric. Similar to Staraptor it gets Intimidate and can abuse Volt Switch and has access to brilliant coverage in Overheat, Hidden Power Ice, and Discharge for Paralysis and spread damage.
The team was quickly taking shape, and I now wanted to start taking on specific threats. I wanted to keep up with my current fast offence style, and decided to use one of my Gen 6 favourites, Greninja. I occasionally lead with this, if not faced by an obvious Fake Out or Talonflame. This is so I can get off a first turn Mat Block to scout and preserve both lead Pokemon. Aside from this it has good coverage from 3 attacks, and can spread additional status through Scald Burns or Ice Beam Freezes.
The next Pokemon I chose was for its access to priority, ability to deal with Dragons and partners up with Manetric nicely as it is immune to Discharge, Mamoswine. With Thick Fat it can also take on Talonflame easily along with taking on a few of the common Megas in Mawile and Lucario.
What I had now was my usual first choice team, I needed two more Pokemon to round the team off. I wanted to use another Mega to use in the place of Manetric, and often I can use either in there regular form alongside the chosen Mega. I decided to use Medicham for this role, as it assists me with Fake Out and wide coverage to hit a wide variety of threats.
Lastly I wanted something to consistently deal with Mega Venusaur, Amoonguss and a few other grass types if Staraptor goes down early. Another Pokemon I had never used, but seemed a good fit for this team, as it has unique (for Kalos) typing, trolly speed of 104 and a good support movepool, Delphox.
In Depth:
Staraptor @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Brave Bird
- Close Combat
- Final Gambit/Quick Attack
- U-turn
Staraptor is used on the team usually as a lead, allowing me to fire off a quick intimidate over common opposing leads such as Kangaskhan or Talonflame. This combines well with my other usual lead of Manetric, as it builds a double intimidate advantage over the opponent, which is key in this more physically biased meta game. Aside from that role it is the teams Scarf user, giving me some extra speed and power combined, and outspeeds anything really over than opposing base 100 scarfers (speed tie) or higher, which obviously out speed. The EVs are standard fare with max speed and attack, the 4 left over going into HP, as Rocks don't really exist in VGC it serves a better purpose than either of the defense stats. This spread, with the Jolly nature allows me to tie with other base 100 scarfers, most commonly Salamence. The moveset is rather simple, Brave Bird is the main spam button, destroying a lot of the meta, and hitting gives me super effective coverage on Fighting and Grass types. Close Combat is used to help me beat Kangaskhan and Lucario one on one along with denting most Steels not named Aegislash. Final Gambit is used as a 1 for 1 move, generally only in very bad match ups, so it is seldom used. I am contemplating switching it for Quick Attack to revenge on Talonflame. Finally U-Turn is for scouting and allowing chip damage on a potential check, whilst giving a fairly free switch in.
This is one of he Pokemon on the team I don't wish to switch out, though if there is a way to improve the EV spread or moveset that would be greatly appreciated.
Manectric @ Manectite
Ability: Lightningrod
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Volt Switch/Thunderbolt/Protect
- Discharge/Protect
- Overheat
- Hidden Power [Ice]
So next up we have the second common lead, and Staraptor's partner in crime, Mega Manetric gives this team so much needed Special offense, and it allows me to hit hard even in the face of opposing Intimidate or Will-O-Wisp. Usually this Mega evolves turn 1 unless up against an opposing Electric type, in which I will keep it in base form in hopes of over prediction and use it to gain a nice +1 Special Attack. I will also often use it in the base form if I select Medicham during a battle, usually if I feel Intimidate isn't necessary. The EV spread is similar to Staraptor, in the sense of max speed, and Special Attack in this case. Timid allows a speed tie against opposing Manetric, which has came up fairly often in testing. Volt Switch was chosen as the single hitting STAB over Thunderbolt (or Thunder for that matter) to give me some additional scouting and to set up a potential Volt-Turn-Intimidate core midgame, a play which has won me a few battles. Discharge gives me good spread damage, and a paralysis chance. It also combines well with Mamoswine, due to it's immunity to Electric. Overheat is chosen for Aegislash, otherwise I would opt for Flamethrower for more consistent damage, I feel the increase in power is very appropriate in this case. The final move is Hidden Power Ice, used to hit the many Dragons I out speed, as well as being a potential 2HKO on some builds on Zapdos. I am considering the use of Protect somewhere to further enhance its ability to pair well with Mamoswine, however I'm unsure of what to drop for it.
Mamoswine @ Lum Berry
Ability: Thick Fat
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
- Icicle Crash
- Ice Shard
Mamoswine was selected due to some good synergy alongside Manetric, aside from KOing it with Earthquake (though that has helped at times). It also gives me a nice out against Status spreaders with my use of Lum Berry and adds some priority to the team. Thick Fat was the ability of choice to give me a pseudo resistance to Ice and neutrality to Fire, which is a good attribute to have. The main job of Mamoswine is split with being an ultimate Dragon killer, most (basically all but Dragonite) get KOd with Ice Shard, the slower ones with Icicle Crash, it also uses a couple of hard hitting spread attacks in Rock Slide and STAB Earthquake to destroy the opponent. These 2 moves give me great coverage over a lot of threats including Talonflame (OHKO), Mega Lucario (OHKO) Mega Mawile (2HKO) to name a few examples. The EV spread chosen was again maximum speed, and Attack, with an Adamant nature to ensure big damage, with rest in Special defence to help it take a stray Fire attack aimed at it a little better. I am tempted to test out some bulkier spreads to see if it becomes more effective as I have found max speed almost unnecessary a lot of the time.
Greninja @ Expert Belt
Ability: Protean
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Scald
- Ice Beam
- Dark Pulse
- Mat Block
Greninja is a Pokemon I can't help but pick, it is so effective at what it does thanks to STAB on everything. In terms of VGC it also packs a pretty good support movepool, though Mat Block is the key one I have chosen, it acts as a First Turn Protect for both Pokemon, though it has +0 priority so it works best with slower Pokemon next to it, and against Pokemon slower than Greninja ( basically anything unscarfed, or not Talonflame, Noivern, (Mega) Aerodactyl or Jolteon). Aside from this it has a massive pool to choose from so picking the right option for the team is a lot easier than with some other Pokemon. The initial STAB of choice is Scald rather than Surf for 2 reasons, firstly the burn chance is too good to pass up and secondly it doesn't hit my own Pokemon, meaning I don't have to Protect or have a resist on my side to make Surf risk free. Ice Beam was the obvious choice for its ability to hit Dragons and Flying types (bar Talonflame (and Moltres I guess)) for big damage. It also has the rare chance to Freeze which could change games at times. The final slot was the hardest to choose, and basically came to a choice of dealing with Ghosts - Dark Pulse - or dealing with Fighting and Poison Types - Extrasensory. I opted for Dark Pulse because Aegislash is a thing, and I often find it to be troublesome if unprepared for.
Delphox @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Magician
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Heat Wave
- Psychic
- Protect
- Hypnosis
Delphox was initially chosen as a wild card for the team so to speak, due to its uncommon nature, and its ability to threaten a few of the more dangerous Pokemon in the tier, thanks to its trolly base speed of 104, and its ability to steal items. After using it though I found it be both effective, and unfortunately useless some of the time. It is the least often selected, only getting the nod against teams that lack Dragons so Mamoswine can be dropped, or lack anything that Staraptor can destroy. Enough with the more negative points though, and on to the reason it can be effective. It has a decent movepool to use in VGC, and thanks to the common Zard Y, Heatwave gets a power boost often, which mitigates the weaker hits of spread damage. Psychic hits fighting types, and gives a nice hit on Mega Venusaur when they crop up. Access to Hypnosis also makes Delphox decent status spreading ability, and as VGC doesn't have a sleep clause, I can often cripple 2 Pokemon easily. Protect is in the last moveslot for the usual reasoning. Sitrus Berry is chosen to give some longevity (by VGC standards anyway) and allows Magician to work its magic (geddit ;) ). The spread is maximum Special Attack and speed, though I am tempted to move 4 extra into HP and allow Delphox to just outspeed Garchomp, as speed tying with itself is not needed in my opinion.
Medicham @ Medichamite
Ability: Pure Power
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
Jolly Nature
- Fake Out
- Drain Punch
- Rock Slide
- Psycho Cut
Finally we get onto the alternate mega of the team, and one that I wish I could use more, but it often finds itself outclassed by Manetric in terms of match ups. In regards to the set it plays much like the OU version, with Drain Punch being the main STAB, as High Jump Kick missing is much worse in VGC than in OU, it also gives me some semi reliable healing. The Fighting STAB gives me an obvious answer to Tyranitar, OHKOing even when Burnt on some occasions. The next move is Fake Out, a very useful move for the team, as it it out speeds Talonflame, flinching it, making it very easy to remove.it also is an excellent move to start a battle with, as it grabs some momentum to my side, and renders 1 Pokemon useless turn 1. Psycho Cut is the Psychic Stab though it rarely exploited, just there to make up the moveset. Rock Slide is for spread damage and to hit potential Talonflame switch ins. The EV spread is standard Max Attack and speed rest in HP.
Importable:
Staraptor @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Brave Bird
- Close Combat
- Final Gambit
- U-turn
Manectric @ Manectite
Ability: Lightningrod
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Volt Switch
- Discharge
- Overheat
- Hidden Power [Ice]
Delphox @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Magician
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Heat Wave
- Psychic
- Hypnosis
- Protect
Mamoswine @ Lum Berry
Ability: Thick Fat
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
- Icicle Crash
- Ice Shard
Greninja @ Expert Belt
Ability: Protean
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Scald
- Ice Beam
- Dark Pulse
- Mat Block
Medicham @ Medichamite
Ability: Pure Power
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Fake Out
- Drain Punch
- Rock Slide
- Psycho Cut
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Brave Bird
- Close Combat
- Final Gambit
- U-turn
Manectric @ Manectite
Ability: Lightningrod
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Volt Switch
- Discharge
- Overheat
- Hidden Power [Ice]
Delphox @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Magician
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Heat Wave
- Psychic
- Hypnosis
- Protect
Mamoswine @ Lum Berry
Ability: Thick Fat
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
- Icicle Crash
- Ice Shard
Greninja @ Expert Belt
Ability: Protean
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Scald
- Ice Beam
- Dark Pulse
- Mat Block
Medicham @ Medichamite
Ability: Pure Power
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Fake Out
- Drain Punch
- Rock Slide
- Psycho Cut
