Hi everyone, took a hiatus from battling after Generation VI as the next two generations didn’t interest me (in terms of playing, but I watched people play), but back for this Generation as it looked fun (and is!).
I’m trying to regain my bearings in terms of competitive battling and have been using the below team. I’ve peaked at around mid-1600s while playing at work, and I’m pretty sure that it’s mainly skill issues preventing me from getting better, but I also was never really confident in my teambuilding abilities.
The idea of the team is a more attrition-based balanced style trying to spread status around and knocking out key threats and then using
, 
, or 
late game after the opponent doesn’t have the resources to knock them out to win the game.
The Team:
Dondozo @ Leftovers
Ability: Unaware
Tera Type: Poison
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Liquidation
- Curse
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
Dondozo is used as one of the win-conditions for the team as well as a general bulky water. Dondozo was specifically chosen because of Unaware, which covers me for skill issues when I let a setup sweeper ball out of control. The rest-talk set was chosen to allow Dondozo to be the de facto status absorber. Tera Poison was selected to help better deal with
, 
, and with Tera Grass 
in a last mon situation. Tera Poison also has the tangential benefit of absorbing toxic spikes in an absolute emergency. It has the disadvantage of making the team even weaker to 
so I try to avoid Teraing until after it has been removed.
Garganacl @ Leftovers
Ability: Purifying Salt
Tera Type: Ghost
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Salt Cure
- Body Press
- Iron Defense
- Recover
Garganacl was chosen for two reasons: its ability to win the game by itself late-game and its ability to set up more residual damage and force switches. Tera Ghost was chosen mainly due to the lack of weaknesses (only dark), but Tera Fairy might have some merit. The main purpose of Garganacl is to try to chip the opposing team more through Salt Cure damage, with the ability to win late-game as an added bonus.
Skeledirge @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Unaware
Tera Type: Bold
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Will-O-Wisp
- Slack Off
- Hex
- Torch Song
Skeledirge was chosen as it filled multiple pieces the team needed: it’s a status spreader, it helps deal with, , 
, and DD 
(need to expend Tera for it though in most cases), it abuses status with Hex well, it blocks rapid spin, and it acts as a tertiary win condition. Unfortunately, it makes the team even weaker to ground. Burn spreading helps deal with heavy-duty boots mons and helps to better mitigate .
Dragapult @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Infiltrator
Tera Type: Ghost
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- U-turn
- Draco Meteor
- Hex
- Will-O-Wisp
Dragapult is chosen as it’s a fast pivot, a fast burn spreader, and one of the best abusers of status through Hex. Infiltrator helps burn through substitutes to help rack up residual damage and to cripple substitute physical attackers. Timid is chosen to better deal with:
Hasty Nature (no CB Great Tusk):
252+ Atk Great Tusk Headlong Rush vs. 0 HP / 0- Def Dragapult: 306-361 (96.5 - 113.8%) -- 81.3% chance to OHKO
252+ Atk Great Tusk Knock Off (97.5 BP) vs. 0 HP / 0- Def Dragapult: 330-390 (104.1 - 123%) -- guaranteed OHKO
Timid Nature (no CB Great Tusk):
252+ Atk Great Tusk Headlong Rush vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Dragapult: 276-325 (87 - 102.5%) -- 18.8% chance to OHKO
252+ Atk Great Tusk Knock Off (97.5 BP) vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Dragapult: 296-350 (93.3 - 110.4%) -- 62.5% chance to OHKO
I’m willing to accept a weaker U-Turn as the chance to avoid being OHKO’d allows for two wisp chances in case the first one misses is more important than obtaining marginally higher chip damage through U-Turn.
I’ve been experimenting with T-wave instead of U-Turn to allow for a second status type in case speed control is needed, but the momentum and chip from U-Turn has generally proven to be more useful.
Tera Ghost is chosen in the off-chance that Dragapult is able to sweep when a good number of the opposing mons have been statused.
Iron Treads @ Assault Vest
Ability: Quark Drive
Tera Type: Ground
EVs: 248 HP / 4 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Knock Off
- Rapid Spin
- Volt Switch
Assault Vest Iron Treads was picked to be a general pivot/utility mon. It helps deal with certain special
sets and with 
, it provides a form of hazard control, it can knock off heavy duty boots, leftovers, and it can also pivot with a decently fast Volt Switch. The original EV spread was 248 HP / 40 Atk / 216 Spe, just putting it slower than max speed 
because honestly, Iron Treads isn’t beating that mon, but with the release of 
, max speed is now chosen to outspeed it as Court Change is pretty annoying. 4 EVs are put into attack to guarantee a OHKO vs 4 Def Cinderace:
4 Atk Iron Treads Earthquake vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Cinderace: 302-356 (100.3 - 118.2%) -- guaranteed OHKO
In theory, can run 248 speed and give up the ability to speed tie opposing
and give marginally better bulk, but I find the chance to win the speed tie vs non-booster energy is too good to pass up.
I’m not sure what Tera type would be best for this mon as I usually don’t end up Teraing it, I left it as ground to provide a stronger EQ in case for some reason it’s needed. Tera Flying might be good to help better deal with and
Glimmora @ Leftovers
Ability: Toxic Debris
Tera Type: Ghost
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Spikes
- Mortal Spin
- Earth Power
Glimmora is chosen as the hazard-setter of choice as it has the ability to set up rocks and spikes, spin away hazards, absorb toxic spikes, and the ability to poison mons. Earth Power is chosen as the attack of choice as it helps deal with opposing
, opposing poison types, and non-balloon .
Tera Ghost is chosen to spin block, but there’s an argument to be made for Tera Flying to help deal with.
The ability to guarantee poison is important to deal with
as it prevents it from being a switch into Dragapult and it also allows Skeledirge and Dragapult to threaten it:
0 SpA Skeledirge Hex (130 BP) vs. 248 HP / 0 SpD Hatterene: 296-350 (93.3 - 110.4%) -- 62.5% chance to OHKO
252 SpA Dragapult Hex (130 BP) vs. 248 HP / 0 SpD Hatterene: 344-408 (108.5 - 128.7%) -- guaranteed OHKO
If I know the opposing team has a, rather than trying to set up hazards, I’ll use Glimmora to spread poison throughout the opposing team to allow for stronger Hexes.
Physically defensive Glimmora is chosen to allow it to be a more general pivot and to give it the chance to set up multiple layers of toxic spikes. I’ve tried sash on it, but leftovers has felt better. Leftovers has the benefit of allowing Glimmora to switch into heavy duty boots
and poison it at a lower HP threshold:
252+ Atk Sword of Ruin Chien-Pao Icicle Crash vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Glimmora: 148-175 (40 - 47.2%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
The team has some mons that pose some problems to it (what team doesn’t), but the most egregious offenders are, 
, 
(especially water absorb), CB , mixed . Usually when I see the opposing mons in team preview, I try to prioritize playing in such a way that deals with them, whether that involves sacrificing a mon to burn and , eating the trick/trading Glimmora to poison , hoping doesn’t have water absorb and saving Dondozo, or trying to outplay .
Thanks for reading and taking the time to provide suggestions and recommendations!
I’m trying to regain my bearings in terms of competitive battling and have been using the below team. I’ve peaked at around mid-1600s while playing at work, and I’m pretty sure that it’s mainly skill issues preventing me from getting better, but I also was never really confident in my teambuilding abilities.
The idea of the team is a more attrition-based balanced style trying to spread status around and knocking out key threats and then using
, , or late game after the opponent doesn’t have the resources to knock them out to win the game.The Team:
Dondozo @ Leftovers
Ability: Unaware
Tera Type: Poison
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Liquidation
- Curse
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
Dondozo is used as one of the win-conditions for the team as well as a general bulky water. Dondozo was specifically chosen because of Unaware, which covers me for skill issues when I let a setup sweeper ball out of control. The rest-talk set was chosen to allow Dondozo to be the de facto status absorber. Tera Poison was selected to help better deal with
, , and with Tera Grass in a last mon situation. Tera Poison also has the tangential benefit of absorbing toxic spikes in an absolute emergency. It has the disadvantage of making the team even weaker to so I try to avoid Teraing until after it has been removed.
Garganacl @ Leftovers
Ability: Purifying Salt
Tera Type: Ghost
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Salt Cure
- Body Press
- Iron Defense
- Recover
Garganacl was chosen for two reasons: its ability to win the game by itself late-game and its ability to set up more residual damage and force switches. Tera Ghost was chosen mainly due to the lack of weaknesses (only dark), but Tera Fairy might have some merit. The main purpose of Garganacl is to try to chip the opposing team more through Salt Cure damage, with the ability to win late-game as an added bonus.
Skeledirge @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Unaware
Tera Type: Bold
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Will-O-Wisp
- Slack Off
- Hex
- Torch Song
Skeledirge was chosen as it filled multiple pieces the team needed: it’s a status spreader, it helps deal with
, , , and DD (need to expend Tera for it though in most cases), it abuses status with Hex well, it blocks rapid spin, and it acts as a tertiary win condition. Unfortunately, it makes the team even weaker to ground. Burn spreading helps deal with heavy-duty boots mons and helps to better mitigate .
Dragapult @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Infiltrator
Tera Type: Ghost
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- U-turn
- Draco Meteor
- Hex
- Will-O-Wisp
Dragapult is chosen as it’s a fast pivot, a fast burn spreader, and one of the best abusers of status through Hex. Infiltrator helps burn through substitutes to help rack up residual damage and to cripple substitute physical attackers. Timid is chosen to better deal with
:Hasty Nature (no CB Great Tusk):
252+ Atk Great Tusk Headlong Rush vs. 0 HP / 0- Def Dragapult: 306-361 (96.5 - 113.8%) -- 81.3% chance to OHKO
252+ Atk Great Tusk Knock Off (97.5 BP) vs. 0 HP / 0- Def Dragapult: 330-390 (104.1 - 123%) -- guaranteed OHKO
Timid Nature (no CB Great Tusk):
252+ Atk Great Tusk Headlong Rush vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Dragapult: 276-325 (87 - 102.5%) -- 18.8% chance to OHKO
252+ Atk Great Tusk Knock Off (97.5 BP) vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Dragapult: 296-350 (93.3 - 110.4%) -- 62.5% chance to OHKO
I’m willing to accept a weaker U-Turn as the chance to avoid being OHKO’d allows for two wisp chances in case the first one misses is more important than obtaining marginally higher chip damage through U-Turn.
I’ve been experimenting with T-wave instead of U-Turn to allow for a second status type in case speed control is needed, but the momentum and chip from U-Turn has generally proven to be more useful.
Tera Ghost is chosen in the off-chance that Dragapult is able to sweep when a good number of the opposing mons have been statused.
Iron Treads @ Assault Vest
Ability: Quark Drive
Tera Type: Ground
EVs: 248 HP / 4 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Knock Off
- Rapid Spin
- Volt Switch
Assault Vest Iron Treads was picked to be a general pivot/utility mon. It helps deal with certain special
sets and with , it provides a form of hazard control, it can knock off heavy duty boots, leftovers, and it can also pivot with a decently fast Volt Switch. The original EV spread was 248 HP / 40 Atk / 216 Spe, just putting it slower than max speed because honestly, Iron Treads isn’t beating that mon, but with the release of , max speed is now chosen to outspeed it as Court Change is pretty annoying. 4 EVs are put into attack to guarantee a OHKO vs 4 Def Cinderace:4 Atk Iron Treads Earthquake vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Cinderace: 302-356 (100.3 - 118.2%) -- guaranteed OHKO
In theory, can run 248 speed and give up the ability to speed tie opposing
and give marginally better bulk, but I find the chance to win the speed tie vs non-booster energy is too good to pass up.I’m not sure what Tera type would be best for this mon as I usually don’t end up Teraing it, I left it as ground to provide a stronger EQ in case for some reason it’s needed. Tera Flying might be good to help better deal with
and
Glimmora @ Leftovers
Ability: Toxic Debris
Tera Type: Ghost
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Spikes
- Mortal Spin
- Earth Power
Glimmora is chosen as the hazard-setter of choice as it has the ability to set up rocks and spikes, spin away hazards, absorb toxic spikes, and the ability to poison mons. Earth Power is chosen as the attack of choice as it helps deal with opposing
, opposing poison types, and non-balloon .Tera Ghost is chosen to spin block, but there’s an argument to be made for Tera Flying to help deal with
.The ability to guarantee poison is important to deal with
as it prevents it from being a switch into Dragapult and it also allows Skeledirge and Dragapult to threaten it:0 SpA Skeledirge Hex (130 BP) vs. 248 HP / 0 SpD Hatterene: 296-350 (93.3 - 110.4%) -- 62.5% chance to OHKO
252 SpA Dragapult Hex (130 BP) vs. 248 HP / 0 SpD Hatterene: 344-408 (108.5 - 128.7%) -- guaranteed OHKO
If I know the opposing team has a
, rather than trying to set up hazards, I’ll use Glimmora to spread poison throughout the opposing team to allow for stronger Hexes.Physically defensive Glimmora is chosen to allow it to be a more general pivot and to give it the chance to set up multiple layers of toxic spikes. I’ve tried sash on it, but leftovers has felt better. Leftovers has the benefit of allowing Glimmora to switch into heavy duty boots
and poison it at a lower HP threshold:252+ Atk Sword of Ruin Chien-Pao Icicle Crash vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Glimmora: 148-175 (40 - 47.2%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
The team has some mons that pose some problems to it (what team doesn’t), but the most egregious offenders are
, , (especially water absorb), CB , mixed . Usually when I see the opposing mons in team preview, I try to prioritize playing in such a way that deals with them, whether that involves sacrificing a mon to burn and , eating the trick/trading Glimmora to poison , hoping doesn’t have water absorb and saving Dondozo, or trying to outplay .Dondozo @ Leftovers
Ability: Unaware
Tera Type: Poison
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Liquidation
- Curse
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
Garganacl @ Leftovers
Ability: Purifying Salt
Tera Type: Ghost
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Salt Cure
- Body Press
- Iron Defense
- Recover
Dragapult @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Infiltrator
Tera Type: Ghost
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- U-turn
- Draco Meteor
- Hex
- Will-O-Wisp
Glimmora @ Leftovers
Ability: Toxic Debris
Tera Type: Ghost
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Spikes
- Mortal Spin
- Earth Power
Iron Treads @ Assault Vest
Ability: Quark Drive
Tera Type: Ground
EVs: 248 HP / 4 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Knock Off
- Rapid Spin
- Volt Switch
Skeledirge @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Unaware
Tera Type: Fairy
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Will-O-Wisp
- Slack Off
- Hex
- Torch Song
Ability: Unaware
Tera Type: Poison
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Liquidation
- Curse
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
Garganacl @ Leftovers
Ability: Purifying Salt
Tera Type: Ghost
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Salt Cure
- Body Press
- Iron Defense
- Recover
Dragapult @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Infiltrator
Tera Type: Ghost
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- U-turn
- Draco Meteor
- Hex
- Will-O-Wisp
Glimmora @ Leftovers
Ability: Toxic Debris
Tera Type: Ghost
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Spikes
- Mortal Spin
- Earth Power
Iron Treads @ Assault Vest
Ability: Quark Drive
Tera Type: Ground
EVs: 248 HP / 4 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Knock Off
- Rapid Spin
- Volt Switch
Skeledirge @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Unaware
Tera Type: Fairy
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Will-O-Wisp
- Slack Off
- Hex
- Torch Song
Thanks for reading and taking the time to provide suggestions and recommendations!