Introduction
Hello everyone! Some of you may already know me, but for those who do not, my username is Mateeus (_1) and I’m finally presenting my very first RMT around the forums, despite lurking around the community for quite a while. Primarily, I’m a Monotype player, and I particularly enjoy using bulkier, more balanced types and playstyles. For this team, my goal was to build a balanced Normal team around Mega Pidgeot, a Pokemon I’ve enjoyed using a lot during Gen 6 and in the current metagame. To my surprise, the results of it were actually good – I managed to peak the ladder with the squad, and I felt it did reasonably well in almost every matchup. I recently got back into playing PS! after some months out of it, therefore an Awakening would describe my feelings toward this team very well, so here it is!
Teambuilding Process
As I said earlier, Mega Pidgeot was the Pokemon I wanted to build around. I felt it could be usable on a Normal team with its 100% accurate, powerful STAB Hurricanes resisted by few threats in the current metagame.
Diggersby was an automatic addition to the team, due to its ability to threaten most of Mega Pidgeot’s checks (special walls, Rock- and Electric-types) while hitting hard on the physical side.
At this point, I needed something that could remove hazards for Mega Pidgeot and get both offensive Pokemon safely on the field. That’s where Defensive Staraptor came in. It also provided the team with a useful defensive pivot that could take physical Fighting-type attacks.
Since Defensive Staraptor made its way through the team, and I desperately needed Stealth Rock to get more kills with Mega Pidgeot and Diggersby, the defensive core of Chansey + Porygon2 was a perfect way to improve synergy and patch the team's Ice weakness.
Lastly, I noticed two remaining issues with the squad: the lack of speed control and a big vulnerability to sweepers that could easily set up on the defensive core. Ditto fixed both of these problems.
The Team
Pidgeot @ Pidgeotite
Ability: Tangled Feet ---> No Guard
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
Say hello to Bird Jesus once again! Unfortunately, Mega Pidgeot found itself in a much less welcoming metagame this time, with competition from Mega Lopunny (which is arguably better for Normal teams) and new threats in the form of Greninja, Tapu Koko and more. That said, it still has some tricks up its sleeve that are worth using, and I think this set makes good use of them. Hurricane and Heat Wave are pretty standard, retaining good coverage and packing quite a punch against teams that don’t have a resist to Flying STAB or a dedicated special wall. Notably, these moves let the team have an easier time against Bug-, Grass- and Psychic-type teams. Roost lets Mega Pidgeot stay in the field for longer, while Toxic was my move of choice for the filler slot due to its ability to cripple defensive switch-ins and popular threats such as Suicune and Mega Latias. Overall, Mega Pidgeot is a good, fast special attacker that offers a lot of utility for the team.
Diggersby @ Rockium Z
Ability: Huge Power
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
Next up is Diggersby, the physical wallbreaker of the team. As Mega Pidgeot is unable to leave its mark on dedicated special walls like Chansey and Hurricane + Heat Wave resists, adding Diggersby was a no-brainer, since it can beat what threatens Mega Pidgeot and vice-versa. A Jolly-natured Swords Dance set fit this team really well, being able to easily set up on Pokemon it forces out such as Tyranitar and Heatran and deliver hard hits against every one of their respective switch-ins without losing the ability to outspeed threats such as Heatran and Breloom. As I wasn't running Mega Lopunny, I opted to choose Rockium Z instead of Normalium so it could nab crucial kills against Skarmory and Celesteela at +2 after Stealth Rock damage and ease prediction versus balanced Dark teams that tend to go Mega Sableye on the Breakneck Blitz, thus making Dark and Steel matchups less of an obstacle. It also kept most of the relevant KOes Normalium Z achieved after a boost bar Hippowdon, Swampert, and Porygon2, which are all worn down by Mega Pidgeot anyways.
+2 252 Atk Huge Power Diggersby Continental Crush (180 BP) vs. 224 HP / 252+ Def Skarmory: 261-308 (79.8 - 94.1%) -- 43.8% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery
+2 252 Atk Huge Power Diggersby Continental Crush (180 BP) vs. 252 HP / 160+ Def Celesteela: 351-413 (88.1 - 103.7%) -- guaranteed OHKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery
+2 252 Atk Huge Power Diggersby Continental Crush (180 BP) vs. 248 HP / 216+ Def Rotom-Wash: 326-384 (107.5 - 126.7%) -- guaranteed OHKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery
+2 252 Atk Huge Power Diggersby Continental Crush (180 BP) vs. 248 HP / 252+ Def Eviolite Chansey: 610-718 (86.7 - 102.1%) -- 93.8% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock
+2 252 Atk Huge Power Diggersby Continental Crush (180 BP) vs. 252 HP / 160+ Def Venusaur-Mega: 307-362 (84.3 - 99.4%) -- 75% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock
+2 252 Atk Huge Power Diggersby Continental Crush (180 BP) vs. 252 HP / 112 Def Sableye-Mega: 346-408 (113.8 - 134.2%) -- guaranteed OHKO after Stealth Rock
+2 252 Atk Huge Power Diggersby Stone Edge vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Tapu Bulu: 227-268 (80.4 - 95%) -- 50% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock and Grassy Terrain recovery
+2 252 Atk Huge Power Diggersby Stone Edge vs. 248 HP / 244+ Def Mandibuzz: 360-424 (85.1 - 100.2%) -- guaranteed OHKO after Stealth Rock
+1 252 Atk Huge Power Diggersby Stone Edge vs. 240 HP / 252+ Def Staraptor: 346-408 (93.2 - 109.9%) -- guaranteed OHKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery
+2 252 Atk Huge Power Diggersby Continental Crush (180 BP) vs. 252 HP / 160+ Def Celesteela: 351-413 (88.1 - 103.7%) -- guaranteed OHKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery
+2 252 Atk Huge Power Diggersby Continental Crush (180 BP) vs. 248 HP / 216+ Def Rotom-Wash: 326-384 (107.5 - 126.7%) -- guaranteed OHKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery
+2 252 Atk Huge Power Diggersby Continental Crush (180 BP) vs. 248 HP / 252+ Def Eviolite Chansey: 610-718 (86.7 - 102.1%) -- 93.8% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock
+2 252 Atk Huge Power Diggersby Continental Crush (180 BP) vs. 252 HP / 160+ Def Venusaur-Mega: 307-362 (84.3 - 99.4%) -- 75% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock
+2 252 Atk Huge Power Diggersby Continental Crush (180 BP) vs. 252 HP / 112 Def Sableye-Mega: 346-408 (113.8 - 134.2%) -- guaranteed OHKO after Stealth Rock
+2 252 Atk Huge Power Diggersby Stone Edge vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Tapu Bulu: 227-268 (80.4 - 95%) -- 50% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock and Grassy Terrain recovery
+2 252 Atk Huge Power Diggersby Stone Edge vs. 248 HP / 244+ Def Mandibuzz: 360-424 (85.1 - 100.2%) -- guaranteed OHKO after Stealth Rock
+1 252 Atk Huge Power Diggersby Stone Edge vs. 240 HP / 252+ Def Staraptor: 346-408 (93.2 - 109.9%) -- guaranteed OHKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery
Staraptor @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 240 HP / 252 Def / 16 Spe
Impish Nature
Here's Defensive Staraptor, the glue to about every balanced Normal team. Seriously, there's no way I would have kept this Pokemon out of the team, as it provides a lot of defensive and offensive utility, thus easing matchups and improving the team's effectiveness. The set is very straightforward yet amazing - Brave Bird hits everything that doesn't resist it quite hard even uninvested, Defog blows off entry hazards for Mega Pidgeot and the defensive core pretty reliably, Roost heightens Staraptor's longevity in tandem with Intimidate and a slow U-turn helps the team take advantage of switches and gain lots of momentum. The EV spread is standard as well, with the 16 Speed EVs allowing Staraptor to outpace neutral natured, max invested base 70 speed Pokemon such as Bisharp and Breloom with little to no sacrifice in bulk - threats such as Mega Lopunny and Scarf Terrakion still can't 2HKO Staraptor even after Stealth Rock damage, allowing it to remove hazards more safely.
Chansey @ Eviolite
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
With Defensive Staraptor already on the team and a desperate need for Stealth Rock to help Diggersby and Mega Pidgeot, I figured the good ol' blob Chansey was the way to go. Just like the black bird above, this set is also simple, yet very effective at what it does: set Stealth Rock and provide mixed defensive utility to the team. By virtue of its gargantuan bulk, Chansey can switch in almost every troublesome special (and weaker physical) hits Mega Pidgeot and Diggersby can't handle, thus providing the squad a safe and reliable defensive backbone in tandem with Staraptor and Porygon2. Toxic and Seismic Toss cripple the opposition with status and fixed damage respectively, while Soft-Boiled lets Chansey stay healthy throughout the match.
Porygon2 @ Eviolite
Ability: Download
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
Another rather obvious choice, Porygon2 completes the very known and threatening Normal defensive core for this team. After all, it takes extremely strong neutral physical (and even some special!) moves such as Choice Band Dragonite's Outrage and Choice Band Victini's V-Create with relative ease, something Chansey and Staraptor can't ever dream of. Aside from being able to wall a good portion of the metagame and heal itself with Recover, Porygon2 also has some decent offensive prowess with this Download set, especially if the Special Attack boost kicks in. Discharge and Ice Beam provide crucial BoltBeam coverage for commonly seen matchups such as Water, Flying and Dragon as well as a useful 30% paralysis chance that can cripple offensive threats, such as Greninja and Mega Lopunny, hard. Hidden Power Fire rounds off the set, allowing Porygon2 to check otherwise annoying Pokemon such as Bisharp, Mega Scizor, and Ferrothorn.
Ditto @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Imposter
Happiness: 128
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Atk / 252 Def
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 30 Atk / 30 SpA / 0 Spe
As I've said before, I had two problems in my head while deciding the sixth member of this team. It was somewhat lacking in speed, the fastest Pokemon being Mega Pidgeot, which is outsped by many relevant threats and scarfers. I also thought that the team was easily handled by threatening faster Pokemon and set up sweepers such as Mega Lopunny and Mega Pinsir once its rather shaky checks to them were out of the picture. That's where Ditto comes in - with a Choice Scarf equipped and Imposter as its ability, it's able to outspeed the Pokemon it copies and retain their boosts, checking a vast majority of otherwise dangerous set-up sweepers. The selected IV's give Ditto the situational Hidden Power Fire, which is useful to trap and kill Magnezone and do a good chunk against Tapu Bulu / Klefki if Tapu Koko is copied against Fairy. 128 Happiness allows Ditto to beat every Mega Altaria at +1 after Stealth Rock, regardless of their STAB move.
Threatlist
Bulky Calm Mind sweepers in general are a nuisance to this team, given the opportunity for them to set up against the defensive core. These two, however, deserve a special mention for being the biggest threats to the team; Mega Latias can easily 6-0 if it's Stored Power + Refresh due to its speed and ability to cure Toxic, while Suicune PP stalls both Chansey and Porygon2 with Pressure. The best bet against them is to go Mega Pidgeot, get a surprise Toxic and, against the former, hope to get a Confusion with Hurricane.
If there's a reason why the Fighting matchup is incredibly hard for Normal teams, it's probably because of these guys. Simply put, a reliable defensive switch-in for this duo inexists - they can 2HKO everything on the team. Set-up sets (Double Dance Terrakion and Calm Mind Keldeo) are even worse, being able to easily snag an unexpected boost versus Chansey or Porygon2 and proceed to wreck the team. Thankfully, Choice Specs Keldeo is slower than Mega Pidgeot, Staraptor can switch into Choice Scarf Terrakion's Close Combat and Ditto can threaten them should they be set-up varieties.
Even though the Dark matchup isn't the hardest, Curse Alolan Muk and Mega Sableye put up a real challenge if the opponent is skilled. The former can easily win if Diggersby faints, while the latter can Knock Off Eviolites, cripple Diggersby with Will-O-Wisp and avoid Stealth Rock. To deal with them (and their entire team, if Greninja and Hydreigon are weakened), try to preserve Diggersby and get a Swords Dance up against a forced switch, usually in front of Tyranitar or Alolan Muk itself.
It's noticeable that one half of the team is weak to Ice, but Chansey and Porygon2 usually eat most Ice STABs with relative ease. However, Mamoswine and Weavile are very threatening due to their sheer power and access to Knock Off, which allows them to heavily cripple the defensive backbone. Porygon2 usually handles most varieties of the former, while the latter can be revenge killed by Ditto or be put in range of Diggersby's Quick Attack. Keeping Stealth Rock up also helps a lot.
This guy is generally annoying as hell. Between super-effective Technician-boosted priority, a boosting move in Swords Dance, Spore, and the versatility to run various sets, it has what it takes to piss on everything. Try to predict Spore with Ditto, and don't let Pidgeot get below 40% so Mach Punch doesn't kill it. Stealth Rock up, again, helps breaking its usual Focus Sash. As for Toxic Orb / non-Sash sets, try to revenge kill them with Mega Pidgeot or Staraptor, if they're Adamant.
While the team has solid ways to get around those three Pokemon, they're general annoyances to deal with due to their support moves such as entry hazards, Leech Seed, Protect and in Toxapex's case, Scald, all of which can heavily cripple the team. Try to apply offensive pressure against them and their respective teams, since Mega Pidgeot + Diggersby can power through most of their teammates with relative ease, and don't forget to preserve Staraptor to clean up their hazards afterwards, as they can be a huge problem later in the match. Also, don't ever let the offensive core get crippled by status from them, as a crippled Mega Pidgeot or Diggersby usually means game over.
Probably the hardest Pokemon to deal with against Electric, Zeraora has the tools to wreck house against this team if played right. Choice Band variants, in particular, are the most threatening, since they have the potential to outspeed and 2HKO everything with a boosted Close Combat and a STAB Plasma Fists that may be boosted by opposing Electric Terrain. Thankfully, both Chansey and Porygon2 can live a hit and retaliate with status or chip damage, while Staraptor easily shrugs off Close Combat from it and can then proceed to gain momentum with U-Turn. Diggersby can also revenge kill it with Quick Attack if it's weakened enough.
At first glance, Kommo-o appears to be easily checkable, but once Ditto is down or it gets a Z-Move boost, it can really be frightening. Taunt variants are especially annoying, since they can disable recovery from Porygon2 and Chansey, then proceed to heavily damage the team. Try to not let it boost, be it playing aggressively with Mega Pidgeot or hard switching Ditto if you know they're Soundproof. If it manages to do so, reduce its Attack with Staraptor then proceed to 1v1 it with Porygon2, or revenge kill it with Ditto if it's Bulletproof.
Offensive variants of these two are very, very easily checkable with Chansey and Ditto. However, if they are using dedicated stallbreaking sets, they simply become major threats, because of their ability to 1v1 the defensive core, outspeed and kill or cripple Diggersby, and take a hit from Mega Pidgeot. A predicted Toxic from Chansey on the switch-in helps, as well as an aggressive one from Mega Pidgeot. Ditto can aid against them too, killing Hydreigon with its own Draco Meteor and preventing Mew from spamming status moves.
Replays
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7monotype-844532842 vs
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7monotype-847174180 vs
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7monotype-858763002 vs
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7monotype-844568228 vs
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7monotype-872023292 vs
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7monotype-871006648 vs
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7monotype-867110008 vs
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7monotype-871058240 vs
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7monotype-846145856 vs
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7monotype-856945786 vs
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7monotype-855666185 vs
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7monotype-844534153 vs
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7monotype-842631017 vs
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7monotype-842622460 vs
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7monotype-876373630 vs
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7monotype-847453063 vs
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7monotype-853710238 vs
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7monotype-844529230 vs
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7monotype-871225426 vs
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7monotype-842770293 vs
Importable
Pidgeot-Mega @ Pidgeotite
Ability: Tangled Feet
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Hurricane
- Heat Wave
- Roost
- Toxic
Diggersby @ Rockium Z
Ability: Huge Power
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Quick Attack
- Swords Dance
Staraptor @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 240 HP / 252 Def / 16 Spe
Impish Nature
- Brave Bird
- Defog
- Roost
- U-turn
Chansey @ Eviolite
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Stealth Rock
- Seismic Toss
- Toxic
- Soft-Boiled
Porygon2 @ Eviolite
Ability: Download
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Recover
- Discharge
- Ice Beam
- Hidden Power [Fire]
Ditto @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Imposter
Happiness: 128
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Atk / 252 Def
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 30 Atk / 30 SpA / 0 Spe
- Transform
Ability: Tangled Feet
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Hurricane
- Heat Wave
- Roost
- Toxic
Diggersby @ Rockium Z
Ability: Huge Power
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Quick Attack
- Swords Dance
Staraptor @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 240 HP / 252 Def / 16 Spe
Impish Nature
- Brave Bird
- Defog
- Roost
- U-turn
Chansey @ Eviolite
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Stealth Rock
- Seismic Toss
- Toxic
- Soft-Boiled
Porygon2 @ Eviolite
Ability: Download
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Recover
- Discharge
- Ice Beam
- Hidden Power [Fire]
Ditto @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Imposter
Happiness: 128
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Atk / 252 Def
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 30 Atk / 30 SpA / 0 Spe
- Transform
Proof of Peak
Conclusion
Even though I've ended with something very close (read: almost identical) to the standard Normal team, using Mega Pidgeot is pretty refreshing and fun at the same time. Obviously, as I stated earlier, I do think Mega Lopunny is the go-to Mega Evolution for Normal teams due to its better speed tier, helpful Fighting STAB and a better array of good matchups. However, Bird Jesus can still be useful in its own ways, and I think this team did a decent job at showcasing them. Hope you have fun with it as much as I did!
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