I don't know what to say here. I tried to create a semi-interesting and versatile team? There are some holes that I think should be filled; it can definitely be better. I'm quite new to this whole thing, so don't be surprised if there's an obvious gaping hole in this team.
Double Powder Butterfree @ FS
Ability: Compoundeyes
EVs: 248 HP/ 8 Def/ 252 Spe
Nature: Jolly
- Sleep Powder
- Stun Spore
- U-Turn
- Bug Buzz
Double powder lead. It's heavy on the Speed EVs, so it can (hopefully) start with a Sleep Powder, which is, of course, pretty good with Compoundeyes. This should force a switch, after which I follow up with Stun Spore. If the matchup is favorable, Bug Buzz; if not, then I U-Turn the heck out of there.
Butterfree, because of FS, would also provide a switch-in to a Ground move that would otherwise KO my main sweeper...
Rock Polish Aggron @ LO
Ability: Rock Head
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Nature: Adamant
- Rock Polish
- Head Smash
- Ice Punch
- Low Kick
Physical sweeper. I switch in when I can force a switch-in (on, like, Raichu or Chansey), then Rock Polish once. (Twice, if I get lucky.) I then proceed to decimate everything with Head Smash. Ice Punch is for bulky Grass and Donphan, Low Kick is for things like Steelix that Head Smash would fail at, for or for countering Dark Pokemon. I'm considering replacing one/both with Earthquake and HP Grass, as it migt fill more holes; would appreciate input on this.
Sub 3 Attack Alakazam @ LO
Ability: Synchronize
EVs: 4 HP/ 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Nature: Timid
- Substitute
- Psychic
- Shadow Ball
- HP Fighting
Special sweeper. I’m reconsidering whether Sub 3 Attack is the best set to use for a special sweeper, especially with a LO. Honestly speaking, I ran this set for a few battles, and I’ve simply never had time to use Substitute. I’m not sure whether a Choice Scarf/Specs would be better, or simply to run LO with four attacks. As it is, this Alakazam is superb against Hitmontop/Hitmonlee, breaks Weezing completely, and can even dent Chansey, Onix, and Steelix with HP Fighting (though not a recommended use). I tried running Focus Blast, but found that it missed way too much for me. (The miss rate seemed to be more like 50% than 30%. Probably bad luck, but I still didn’t like it.) I can switch into my Chansey on a threatening Special switch-in, or to Heracross on a physical one. Completely walled by Spiritomb.
Cleric Chansey @ Leftovers
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 4 HP/ 252 Def / 252 SpD
Nature: Calm
- Aromatherapy
- Softboiled
- Seismic Toss
- Stealth Rock
Special wall. The 252 Def is in there to give it some fortitude against physical attackers, as well as to prevent it from being completely knocked over by a Quick Attack/Sucker Punch or something like that. Honestly, this guy’s uses should be obvious. She’s the only SRer on my team; I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing. Theoretically, I could switch into her after Butterfree dies/switch out and SR, but I’ve never actually done that before in practice. Good/bad idea? Maybe replace SR with Protect, or another more useful move? (I saw a Chansey running Psychic once. Gave my Weezing quite a scare.) Utility decreases as game time goes on.
RestTalkin’ Heracross @ Leftovers
Ability: Guts
EVs: 252 HP/ 40 Atk / 216 SpD
Nature: Careful
- Megahorn
- Bulk Up
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
Pseudo-physical wall/tank/physical sweeper. This guy’s a bit of an all-in-one, and I have to say it actually works surprisingly well. After two Bulk Ups, Megahorn is surprisingly powerful, often doing 50-70% against even Pokemon that resist it. This one stops Houndoom in its tracks, simply because Megahorn is so darn strong. The lack of an actual fighting move is regrettable, but the threat of something like a Close Combat/Brick Break forces some interesting switches. This Heracross is relatively impervious to Psychic Pokemon (except maybe faster Alakazam’s STAB Psychic) because Megahorn is so kickass, and shrugs off almost all physical moves after 2-3 Bulk Ups. (It’s survived Aggron’s Head Smash before!) Mono attacker, but I’ve found it to be very useful. Must be careful of Infernape, Blaziken, and the like. Also, a pretty bad endgame Pokemon if the opponent can wall it.
Rapid Spin Hitmontop @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Def
Nature: Impish
- Rapid Spin
- Foresight
- Close Combat
- Sucker Punch
Pseudo-physical sweeper/Rapid Spinner. Foresight + Rapid Spin is guaranteed to get the job done. Close Combat is an ass-saver, honestly, and Intimidate mitigates its effects slightly. Sucker Punch is there for an obligatory priority move, though I'm not sure if I should choose that over Mach Punch, though on another hand the coverage is much better with Sucker Punch. This Hitmontop is EV'd into Defense because I lack a physical wall on my team. (I'd prefer Pain Split Weezing over Hitmontop, but I don't have a spinner, so...)
Threats
From this list, it can be pretty clearly seen that I probably do want a Weezing somewhere on my team.
Bulky Waters give my team problems, because I don’t pack a single Electric or Grass attack.
Altaria: I’ve never fought it with this set, but a good Altaria is a problem. I have no switch-ins for it. Aggron is obviously out, with a 4x weakness to EQ. Butterfree is immune to EQ but will suffer horrendously from Outrage. Alakazam cannot take a hit from Altaria; similarly for Hitmonlee and even Chansey to some extent. This leaves Heracross, who may not be able to take an Outrage unBulked. Altaria is a problem.
Azumarill: Similar to Arcanine; I have no direct counters to him, but he doesn’t seriously threaten anything of mine unless I slip up with Aggron. I lack a physical wall on this set, which comes back to bite me sometimes. (Weezing is really nice.)
Charizard: A bit of a mixed bag. Theoretically, he should be easy, with Head Smash and Rock Slide. But short of Stealth Rock (which I sometimes don’t get up until very late), I can’t handle BellyZard very well at all. It might be a problem.
Clefable: ALWAYS a problem for every set of all forever. Theoretically, I should do fine, with three Pokemon with Fighting moves, but you never know what you’re getting with Clefable.
Donphan: This is where my lack of a physical wall really comes to bite me. Butterfree can be a switch-in for a STAB Earthquake, but I haven’t got much else that can stand up to that kind of force. Heracross, maybe.
Drapion: His EQ poses a problem above all else; it makes using Aggron inviable. Drapion is actually a pretty big problem for me. Good thing it’s pretty rare.
Milotic/Gastrodon: Bulky waters can’t actually do a great deal to me (Heracross), but I can’t do a great deal back either.
Any and all (useful) suggestions are welcome! Thanks in advance. :)
Double Powder Butterfree @ FS
Ability: Compoundeyes
EVs: 248 HP/ 8 Def/ 252 Spe
Nature: Jolly
- Sleep Powder
- Stun Spore
- U-Turn
- Bug Buzz
Double powder lead. It's heavy on the Speed EVs, so it can (hopefully) start with a Sleep Powder, which is, of course, pretty good with Compoundeyes. This should force a switch, after which I follow up with Stun Spore. If the matchup is favorable, Bug Buzz; if not, then I U-Turn the heck out of there.
Butterfree, because of FS, would also provide a switch-in to a Ground move that would otherwise KO my main sweeper...
Rock Polish Aggron @ LO
Ability: Rock Head
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Nature: Adamant
- Rock Polish
- Head Smash
- Ice Punch
- Low Kick
Physical sweeper. I switch in when I can force a switch-in (on, like, Raichu or Chansey), then Rock Polish once. (Twice, if I get lucky.) I then proceed to decimate everything with Head Smash. Ice Punch is for bulky Grass and Donphan, Low Kick is for things like Steelix that Head Smash would fail at, for or for countering Dark Pokemon. I'm considering replacing one/both with Earthquake and HP Grass, as it migt fill more holes; would appreciate input on this.
Sub 3 Attack Alakazam @ LO
Ability: Synchronize
EVs: 4 HP/ 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Nature: Timid
- Substitute
- Psychic
- Shadow Ball
- HP Fighting
Special sweeper. I’m reconsidering whether Sub 3 Attack is the best set to use for a special sweeper, especially with a LO. Honestly speaking, I ran this set for a few battles, and I’ve simply never had time to use Substitute. I’m not sure whether a Choice Scarf/Specs would be better, or simply to run LO with four attacks. As it is, this Alakazam is superb against Hitmontop/Hitmonlee, breaks Weezing completely, and can even dent Chansey, Onix, and Steelix with HP Fighting (though not a recommended use). I tried running Focus Blast, but found that it missed way too much for me. (The miss rate seemed to be more like 50% than 30%. Probably bad luck, but I still didn’t like it.) I can switch into my Chansey on a threatening Special switch-in, or to Heracross on a physical one. Completely walled by Spiritomb.
Cleric Chansey @ Leftovers
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 4 HP/ 252 Def / 252 SpD
Nature: Calm
- Aromatherapy
- Softboiled
- Seismic Toss
- Stealth Rock
Special wall. The 252 Def is in there to give it some fortitude against physical attackers, as well as to prevent it from being completely knocked over by a Quick Attack/Sucker Punch or something like that. Honestly, this guy’s uses should be obvious. She’s the only SRer on my team; I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing. Theoretically, I could switch into her after Butterfree dies/switch out and SR, but I’ve never actually done that before in practice. Good/bad idea? Maybe replace SR with Protect, or another more useful move? (I saw a Chansey running Psychic once. Gave my Weezing quite a scare.) Utility decreases as game time goes on.
RestTalkin’ Heracross @ Leftovers
Ability: Guts
EVs: 252 HP/ 40 Atk / 216 SpD
Nature: Careful
- Megahorn
- Bulk Up
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
Pseudo-physical wall/tank/physical sweeper. This guy’s a bit of an all-in-one, and I have to say it actually works surprisingly well. After two Bulk Ups, Megahorn is surprisingly powerful, often doing 50-70% against even Pokemon that resist it. This one stops Houndoom in its tracks, simply because Megahorn is so darn strong. The lack of an actual fighting move is regrettable, but the threat of something like a Close Combat/Brick Break forces some interesting switches. This Heracross is relatively impervious to Psychic Pokemon (except maybe faster Alakazam’s STAB Psychic) because Megahorn is so kickass, and shrugs off almost all physical moves after 2-3 Bulk Ups. (It’s survived Aggron’s Head Smash before!) Mono attacker, but I’ve found it to be very useful. Must be careful of Infernape, Blaziken, and the like. Also, a pretty bad endgame Pokemon if the opponent can wall it.
Rapid Spin + 3 Attacks Hitmonlee @ Black Belt
Ability: Limber
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Nature: Adamant
- Rapid Spin
- Close Combat
- Blaze Kick
- Rock Slide
Pseudo-physical sweeper/Rapid Spinner. Close Combat has saved my ass a few times, and is invaluable on this fast Hitmonlee. RS is there for obvious purposes; this Hitmonlee is EV’d into speed, too, which means it should have no trouble clearing rocks. Rock Slide is there for coverage (I prefer Rock Slide’s greater accuracy over Stone Edge); to be honest, I’m not exactly certain what I put Blaze Kick there for. This is probably the Pokemon I have the least affinity for in this set, though I do need an RSer (learned that after 3 layers of Spikes and 2 Toxic Spikes were set up on me...), so a better/more fitting one would be welcome.
This slot was formerly held by a CB-Trick Spiritomb (running Trick, WoW, Pain Split, and Shadow Ball) until I realized it sucked and was walled by bulky Grass. I do really miss WoW though.
Ability: Limber
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Nature: Adamant
- Rapid Spin
- Close Combat
- Blaze Kick
- Rock Slide
Pseudo-physical sweeper/Rapid Spinner. Close Combat has saved my ass a few times, and is invaluable on this fast Hitmonlee. RS is there for obvious purposes; this Hitmonlee is EV’d into speed, too, which means it should have no trouble clearing rocks. Rock Slide is there for coverage (I prefer Rock Slide’s greater accuracy over Stone Edge); to be honest, I’m not exactly certain what I put Blaze Kick there for. This is probably the Pokemon I have the least affinity for in this set, though I do need an RSer (learned that after 3 layers of Spikes and 2 Toxic Spikes were set up on me...), so a better/more fitting one would be welcome.
This slot was formerly held by a CB-Trick Spiritomb (running Trick, WoW, Pain Split, and Shadow Ball) until I realized it sucked and was walled by bulky Grass. I do really miss WoW though.
Rapid Spin Hitmontop @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Def
Nature: Impish
- Rapid Spin
- Foresight
- Close Combat
- Sucker Punch
Pseudo-physical sweeper/Rapid Spinner. Foresight + Rapid Spin is guaranteed to get the job done. Close Combat is an ass-saver, honestly, and Intimidate mitigates its effects slightly. Sucker Punch is there for an obligatory priority move, though I'm not sure if I should choose that over Mach Punch, though on another hand the coverage is much better with Sucker Punch. This Hitmontop is EV'd into Defense because I lack a physical wall on my team. (I'd prefer Pain Split Weezing over Hitmontop, but I don't have a spinner, so...)
Threats
From this list, it can be pretty clearly seen that I probably do want a Weezing somewhere on my team.
Bulky Waters give my team problems, because I don’t pack a single Electric or Grass attack.
Altaria: I’ve never fought it with this set, but a good Altaria is a problem. I have no switch-ins for it. Aggron is obviously out, with a 4x weakness to EQ. Butterfree is immune to EQ but will suffer horrendously from Outrage. Alakazam cannot take a hit from Altaria; similarly for Hitmonlee and even Chansey to some extent. This leaves Heracross, who may not be able to take an Outrage unBulked. Altaria is a problem.
Azumarill: Similar to Arcanine; I have no direct counters to him, but he doesn’t seriously threaten anything of mine unless I slip up with Aggron. I lack a physical wall on this set, which comes back to bite me sometimes. (Weezing is really nice.)
Charizard: A bit of a mixed bag. Theoretically, he should be easy, with Head Smash and Rock Slide. But short of Stealth Rock (which I sometimes don’t get up until very late), I can’t handle BellyZard very well at all. It might be a problem.
Clefable: ALWAYS a problem for every set of all forever. Theoretically, I should do fine, with three Pokemon with Fighting moves, but you never know what you’re getting with Clefable.
Donphan: This is where my lack of a physical wall really comes to bite me. Butterfree can be a switch-in for a STAB Earthquake, but I haven’t got much else that can stand up to that kind of force. Heracross, maybe.
Drapion: His EQ poses a problem above all else; it makes using Aggron inviable. Drapion is actually a pretty big problem for me. Good thing it’s pretty rare.
Milotic/Gastrodon: Bulky waters can’t actually do a great deal to me (Heracross), but I can’t do a great deal back either.
Any and all (useful) suggestions are welcome! Thanks in advance. :)
