at least i tried

[col49]

[youtube]50F1aq8WzhI&list=UUIyHyQeeySgnLQjyIKLA9Ww&index=110&feature=plpp_video[/youtube]

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I'm not one to ladder seriously. I have a rather short attention span, meaning that I usually can't stick with one alt and / or team for any longer than a day or two, and 95% of those teams will be more geared towards testing Pokemon X, or a new move or item on commonly seen Pokemon Y. However, every once and a while I manage to make a half-decent team that still manages to accomplish such a task. thus far, despite flaws and such, this team has managed to go 10-0 in the initial trial runs whilst utilizing some rather uncommon Pokemon, which just makes the experience more enjoyable for yours truly. The team is definitely not without it's flaws, but hey, at least i tried (I'm just an awful name-dropper, and I'm sorry for that).

Gigalith @ Leftovers
Trait: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 88 Atk / 28 Def / 48 Spd / 92 SDef
Adamant Nature
- Rock Blast
- Earthquake
- Explosion
- Stealth Rock

Role: Well, Goal #1 was to try to establish a clear-cut niche for Gigalith. Everyone realizes full well how effective Golem is as an offensive Stealth Rock user, Regirock (while being less common) is already established to be an effective SR-laying tank, but Gigalith is very much underused. By my own mantra, I'm against condemning a Pokemon to assumed outclassed-ness, so I decided it would be best to simply test it out myself to see for myself. I'm happy to report that I at no point felt as though I would rather have either over Gigalith. Sporting a notably higher Attack stat, Gigalith is hitting harder than both Golem and Regirock could without an alternative item, even with my lower offensive investment. Gigalith holds Rock Blast over Regirock, which helps me combat Pokemon such as Haunter, who relies on Substitute to support his frail defenses, should Klang get worn down. Greater bulk and reduced issues with Ice- and Grass-type attacks help combat Offensive Cryogonal and Bullet Seed "anti-leads", respectively, something Golem can't brag. That said, Gigalith serves as my Stealth Rock user, indispensable in a metagame largely occupied by birds, Magmortar, and more. Additionally, Gigalith serves as a rather reliable check to birds and an offensive pivot in general (as I do carry Klang, I can be a little more reckless than some when playing with Gigalith).

Moveset & EVs: The moveset is rather standard for Gigalith, taking into account his shallow movepool. Stealth Rock is a given, as mentioned, with Rock Blast providing my obligatory STAB move, assisting in beating Substitute users and the odd frailer Focus Sash / Sturdy user. Earthquake rounds off his coverage, allowing Gigalith to hit Fighting-, Ground-, and Steel-type Pokemon fairly hard, while offering a method of cleanly 2HKOing Garbodor (though he only really bother Gurdurr). Explosion is actually the icing on the cake, to be perfectly honest. Despite being nerfed, Explosion is still a very powerful move, and many people fail to realize this. I often find the chance to abuse this, and can usually take out Fighting-type switches early in the game, allowing Absol to have a field day on most teams. In this sense, Absol and Gigalith are partners in crime, with Gigalith luring a putting a hole in Fighting-types, with Absol trapping and eliminating Pokemon like Misdreavus from trying to ruin my Explosion. However, if there aren't Flying- or Ghost-type Pokemon on the opponent's team, sometimes I just set up SR and explode. Basically, Gigalith can either last until the end of the game, or just until Turn 2, depending on the scenario.

The EVs are obviously somewhat specialized. Bulk was a large detail in this Gigalith spread, as I needed him to serve as a solid pivot for weaker attacks and such, though I wasn't going to compromise his offensive presence (then he would just turn into an outclassed Regirock...). That being said, 48 Speed EVs allow Gigalith to outpace minimally invested Base 30 Speed Pokemon, as well as Relaxed Quagsire, which is a pretty small price to pay to explode before a Scald can ruin his Attack. 28 Defense EVs and a maximum HP investment allows Gigalith to almost always live through of CB Braviary Superpower's after minimal prior damage, allowing him to turn them into setup bait in a worst-case scenario. Moreover, 92 SpD EVs allow him to take 2 non-LO boosted Ice Beam's from Offensive Cryogonal after Stealth Rock, while also allowing him to better receive hits from the likes of Magmortar and Haunter. The remaining EVs are placed into Attack to pump up his Attack, which still hits a solid 360.

Absol @ Life Orb
Trait: Super Luck
EVs: 8 SDef / 248 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature
- Sucker Punch
- Night Slash
- Superpower
- Pursuit

Role: Well, I can't really say I was being all too creative here, Absol is already established to be an amazing Pokemon in the current metagame. Dark STAB, complimented by an enormous Attack stat and one of the best priority moves in the game all make Absol a juggernaut in every sense of the term. However, I didn't really turn to Absol until I noticed a neat little utility by the name of Pursuit. For one reason or another, I had never noticed this, and it just opened a handful of new doors for me. Between Pursuit, Sucker Punch, and Night Slash, I can very safely trap and neutralize the vast majority of the tier's Ghost- and Psychic-types, which allows the likes of Exeggutor and Gurdurr to wreak havoc on opposing teams as early as Turn 2 (Gigalith lures Exeggutor, Misdreavus, and occasionally Musharna / Duosion), allowing Absol to serve well on this team's Dark-Fighting-Psychic core. In addition to these attributes, his Sucker Punch allows him to safely revenge-kill dangerous weather-oriented sweepers and / or Gorebyss, who otherwise could provide large issues for this team. Originally I held a Lum Berry on him, which allowed him to bluff a Choice set and take a Misdreavus WoW, but the added oomph proved more useful in most situations.

Movesets & EVs: Well seeing as I've explained in some detail the moveset (beyond saying Superpower is for coverage, but there you have that), there isn't much to say. The EV spread is generally very standard, save the fact that I moved 4 Attack EVs to Special Defense because of my irrigational hatred of 4 / 252 / 252 spreads. Though I would have liked to use an Adamant nature, apparently someone decided to be that guy and start using Jolly SD Samurott, which is a pretty big threat to my team if I misplay with Pelipper, so now I'm using Jolly (though it isn't without other benefits, I must admit).

Gurdurr @ Eviolite
Trait: Guts
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 SDef
Adamant Nature
- Drain Punch
- Mach Punch
- Rock Slide
- Bulk Up

Role: Once again I am left with very little to say. Gurdurr has been proven to be a generally useful Pokemon in the NU metagame. Useful natural bulk and Attack, complimented by semi-reliable recovery in Drain Punch, priority in Mach Punch, and Guts all allow Gurdurr to serve my team as a bulky pivot and late-game cleaner. Gurdurr was my very first thought when it came down to determining my Fighting-type in my core. Though Sawk and, to a lesser extent, Throh could take advantage of Absol's ability to remove opposing Psychic-types, the former was too reliant on a spinner to serve as well as it could, and the former was simply too slow-paced for this team, setting up slowly and relying on Rest to remain healthy. Plus, Mach Punch served this team far too well, allowing me to pick off opposing Absol, Sawsbuck, and so on.

Moveset & EVs: The moveset itself is rather standard, as are the EVs (4 HP EVs-->SpD to avoid the dreaded 4 /252 / 252 spread). I chose Rock Slide over Payback as a coverage move as my team already was fully capable of eliminating Psychic- and Ghost-types without his help, and Stone Edge simply was too likely to miss and often unnecessary really.

Exeggutor @ Lum Berry
Trait: Harvest
EVs: 168 HP / 88 Spd / 252 SAtk
Modest Nature
- Leaf Storm
- Psychic
- Sleep Powder
- Rest

Role: Well, I have already posted this set, and I can safely say it's my favourite Exeggutor set atm. In deciding my Psychic-type in my core, I decided that it needed to A.safely check most Sawk, and B.maintain offensive presence. LumRest Exeggutor did all that and more. Not only does he provide my team with a safe switch-in to Golem, Sawk, and more, but he also serves as an awesome status absorber! Though I occasionally miss the drop in power from the Choice Specs set, the ability to constantly be able to switch into Close Combat's and such and Rest of the damage, backed by the ability to put Pokemon to sleep who try to set up on him at -2 easily mitigates that. This also serves as an excellent answer to combating early-game rocks, outspeeding the more common Stealth Rock users and putting them to sleep (Leftovers seem to be generally more common than Leftovers).

Moveset & EVs: The moveset is comparable to that of Offensive Roserade, using it's two most usable STAB moves, backed by Sleep Powder to even out trouble spots and Rest to maintain longevity throughout the match. The EVs given maximize Eggy's offensive presence and allow him to outpace minimally invested Base 65's (namely Alomomola and Flareon), with the remaining EVs pumped into bulk to better check opposing Fighting-types.

Pelipper @ Leftovers
Trait: Rain Dish
EVs: 248 HP / 88 Spd / 104 SAtk / 68 Def
Modest Nature
- Hydro Pump
- Air Slash
- Roost
- Hidden Power [Grass]

Role: Goal #2 was to test out this guy. Pelipper in many respects looks like a very solid 'mon. Reasonable bulk, awesome typing both offensively and defensively, and even some reliable recovery on top. This guy is my go-to for Emboar (if I see him in Team Preview I have to keep SR off the field), as well as my go-to for White Herb Gorebyss. Moreover, his offensive capabilities are often overlooked, which has also played to my advantage. For example, I've had numerous people switch Eelektross directly into him, allowing me to cleanly 2HKO most of the time after SR (when Hydro Pump isn't missing ;-;). Pelipper also allows this team a respectable buffer to Rain Dance teams (or stand-alone rain, whatever it may be), being able to take at least one hit from any given rain user and either KO it or put it into range to be taken out with priority.

Moveset & EVs: The moveset is largely straightforward, barring some changes. Initially this was the onsite Rain Dance set, but I found it a bit awkward to work with, especially when I needed a Flying STAB out of the gate. Thusly, I opted out Hurricane for Air Slash, and replaced Rain Dance with Hidden Power Grass, which, while largely being filler, was a nice option for catching Quagsire and such off-guard, as well as helping me whittle down opposing Water-types.

The EV spread is tailored to better check physical threats, with the offensive investment there to overcome opposing walls such as Vileplume and such. 248 HP EVs minimize SR damage, which with 68 Defense EVs allows Pelipper to never be 2HKOed by a CB Emboar Flare Blitz. 88 Speed EVs allows Pelipper to outpace minimally invested Garbodor and 2HKO him after SR, with the rest pumped into Special Attack to maintain his offensive presence.

Klang @ Eviolite
Trait: Plus
EVs: 120 HP / 136 Spd / 252 Atk
Adamant Nature
- Gear Grind
- Return
- Shift Gear
- Substitute

Role: Originally this spot was filled by a lot of less-than-useful Pokemon, but then I stumbled across Molk's Klang analysis, and then I was like "Hey, I used this in Stage 1 or something, and it was pretty good.", and that's how Klang came to be. Though Jynx is no longer in the tier (one of the reasons I had started running Klang initially), Klang is still an excellent 'mon, both in his abilities to sweep and sponge hits. Klang makes switching into powerhouses like Exeggutor enormously easier for my team, as well as giving me a secondary check to birds. On top of that, Klang gives me another Pokemon that can lure Tangela and kill it fairly well. As Giga Drain does about 12% maximum to Klang, it can easily set up all over Tangela behind a sub. Moreover, his Steel typing also allows him to safely take on Pokemon such as Sub-Split Haunter, who otherwise would basically net a KO almost every time it switched in safely.

Moveset & EVs: Klang's moveset is compromised of the 4 moves in his movepool his most viable moves, for the most part. Shift Gear is a given, allowing Klang to boost up his Attack and Speed to levels where he can adequately sweep. Gear Grind offers it a primary STAB move which can also break through Substitute, which is an added bonus, with Return providing surprisingly ok neutral coverage, missing out on only Frillish, Lampent, and the occasional opposing Klang / Metang. Substitute, while be occasionally untouched, is an important tool in allowing Klang to set up on Pokemon such as Tangela and Misdreavus, who can hardly touch it without Leech Seed or status.

The EV spread given isn't too complicated, with an Adamant nature and a maximum investment to hit as hard as possible initially, with enough speed to outpace Timid Cryogonal at +2 (as well as min. speed Tangela before a Shift Gear), with the rest invested in HP to preserve bulk.


And there you have it, my team. It's fair, I suppose, but is generally not all too impressive, so any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for reading, I hope it was worth your time.

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Importable:

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Gigalith @ Leftovers
Trait: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 88 Atk / 28 Def / 48 Spd / 92 SDef
Adamant Nature
- Rock Blast
- Earthquake
- Explosion
- Stealth Rock

Absol @ Life Orb
Trait: Super Luck
EVs: 8 SDef / 248 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature
- Sucker Punch
- Night Slash
- Superpower
- Pursuit

Gurdurr @ Eviolite
Trait: Guts
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Drain Punch
- Mach Punch
- Rock Slide
- Bulk Up

Exeggutor @ Lum Berry
Trait: Harvest
EVs: 168 HP / 88 Spd / 252 SAtk
Modest Nature
- Leaf Storm
- Psychic
- Sleep Powder
- Rest

Pelipper @ Leftovers
Trait: Rain Dish
EVs: 248 HP / 88 Spd / 104 SAtk / 68 Def
Modest Nature
- Hydro Pump
- Air Slash
- Roost
- Hidden Power [Grass]

Klang @ Eviolite
Trait: Plus
EVs: 120 HP / 136 Spd / 252 Atk
Adamant Nature
- Gear Grind
- Return
- Shift Gear
- Substitute

 

[watashi]

Hi col49, this is a very nice looking team you have here and it's surprising that nobody commented on it for almost a week. I really like how you utilize extremely underrated Pokemon such as Gigalith, Pelipper, and Klang.

One glaring weakness that this team seems to have is against powerful fire types. Your only two resisters either won't last long (Gigalith) or has poor special bulk (Pelipper). Magmortar seems like the most dangerous one since it can plow through Gigalith and Pelipper with Focus Blast and Thunderbolt; meaning that everything it comes it, it can take something out. To fix this, I would suggest running a Specially Defensive Camerupt over Gigalith. This gives you a reliable check to Magmortar and other fire types while still providing Stealth Rock. The flying and normal type resistances that Gigalith had can be covered to an extent by Klang. Camerupt also acts as a counter to Rotom-S and other problematic electric types so they can't keep Volt Switching in and out.

I hope this will make your team better and good luck!

 

[destinyunknown]

Hi col49,

I agree with FLCL suggestion of using Camerupt, as it fixes some problems your team has.

I think your team is really weak to Quagsire (even if you use Gigalith to lure it) since just Quagsire + some kind of Special Wall simply outstall your team to no end. For this reason, I think you should change Absol's moveset to the Mixed Absol one, as it can easily lure Quagsire and weaken it, thus clearing the way for Klang and Gurdurr. Here's the set:

Absol@Life Orb | Super Luck
Lonely Nature | 88 Atk / 168 SpA / 252 Spe
Sucker Punch / Superpower / Night Slash / Hidden Power Grass

You have the option of using Fire Blast if you really need Tangela out, but it seems that your team handles Tangela reasonably well, and Musharna/Gardevoir look more dangerous.

Hope I helped!