And Fire Will Rain Down
I've decided to pick back up my Pokemon Black game, partially because I have nothing to do, and also because I feel like my game doesn't get enough love as it is. With that in mind, I'd like to mention that this entire team is going to be WiFi only, so of course that comes with certain restrictions, I'd like for you all to keep that in mind while rating and recommending. Now onto the actual team!
First and foremost, the all-important Ninetales. Wouldn't be a sun team without Ninetales, would it? (Well, okay, it probably would be, but it'd be a bit harder to work with)
Okay, so there's a fire pokemon. Which means that stealth rock will in a nusthell eff me up. So now I'm presented with a dilemma. There's three pokemon that can effectively rapid spin away the threats with minimal trouble, but which is the most beneficial? Albeit a bit hesitantly, I decide on Donphan because of the sandstorm help he brings.
Now I start thinking damage. I want a pokemon that could actually make use of the Sunny Day stat to its fullest potential, and thus comes in Darmanitan.
With the physical sweeper out the way, my mind gravitates automatically to special sweeper. In this case, I feel as though I need something that has a decent amount of resists to the common meta and can still pull its weight. I settled on Venusaur.
With this being a Sun team, any type of support I can get my hands on is much appreciated. While there's a couple toss ups for this spot, I eventually settled on Xatu because of Magic Bounce.
The last spot on the team is always reserved for a tanky pokemon, though I've since realized that the general "toss in a Blissey!" rule doesn't always work. With that in mind, I fall back on an old favorite - Dragonite.
Breakdown
Ninetales @ Leftovers
Drought
128 HP / 252 SpA / 20 SpD / 108 Spe
Modest
- Sunny Day
- Solarbeam
- Flamethrower
- Will-o-Wisp
Despite the pecking order, Ninetales rarely comes in front. I'll usually bring in Xatu first for a scout and then U-Turn into Ninetales. This setup is mainly used in anticipation of other weather teams (which I actually haven't run into all that often but it's better to be prepared I think!) and a Solar Beam to a Tyranitar is actually quite funny (and satisfying).
Donphan @ Leftovers
Sturdy
252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Def
Impish
- Rapid Spin
- Earthquake
- Stealth Rock
- Toxic
Donphan is the team's rapid spinner + stealth rock supplier, though of course he's useful in his own right. I'm still toying with Knock Off over Toxic, simply because I've run into some funky item combinations this gen that have me scratching my head, but overall Toxic seems to do pretty all right.
Darmanitan @ Life Orb
Sheer Force
252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant
- Flare Blitz
- U-Turn
- Superpower
- Encore
I hit. Really hard. Is there really anything else to say? I actually had an Arcanine in this spot originally (because I love Arcanine and she was pretty damn good, running through about 3 1/2 pokes before getting k.o'ed by residual damage) but I decided to give Darmanitan a test run, and he does really well. So there's that.
Venusaur @ Life Orb
Chlorophyll
4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest
- Growth
- Energy Ball
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Sleep Powder
Venusaur is another monster hitter. Presuming I can get off a single Growth, just about anything that doesn't resist it is definitely going down from an Energy Ball. I'm on the fence with Solar Beam, simply because of how finnicky weather teams can be, at least I'd be guaranteed a hit with Energy Ball. Sleep Powder over Sludge Bomb because of Donphan's Toxic.
Xatu @ Light Clay
Magic Bounce
252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Spe
Impish
- Light Screen
- Reflect
- U-Turn
- Wish
Dual Screens for everyone! That's basically Xatu's main job, set up the dual screens, (and possibly) a wish and u-turn outta there into Ninetales. I don't really have much to say on this one, it seems relatively straight forward, I think.
Dragonite @ Leftovers
Multiscale
252 HP / 252 SpD / 4 Spe
Careful
- Substitute
- Thunder Wave
- Roost
- Dragon Tail
Paralysis hacks are funny. They hardly ever work for me, but I still firmly believe in this set okay?! In truth, I've been considering switching Dragonite out for Jirachi, simply because I feel like Jirachi synergizes with the team more (and he can lure out a fire attack or two).
Prospects
Arcanine
I ran the standard Physical Attacker set on my old Arcanine and she got the job done pretty well, barring Stealth Rocks on my side. Darmanitan hits a bit harder of course, but if I ever feel the need to look pretty, I may toss in Arcanine again.
Jirach
Jirachi has overall better stats than Dragonite, and goes well with Xatu, but I haven't felt the need to actually replace Dragonite with it. If anyone can give me a proper reason (maybe I haven't run into the right team to convince me otherwise) I may just switch the dragon out.
