Yaaas, Gengar + Prankster Sableye is win
I'm not really sure what role you want Togekiss (or its replacement) to play for this team. Do you want a defensive pivot to help switch between Greninja and Scizor? Do you want someone to counter the threats to Greninja? Is there a specific archetype of pokemon that troubles your team that you want a good answer to? (E.g.: Is status crippling to this team? It kind of looks like it would be, but Greninja can fight through two of the three major status effects, so maybe you don't care as much about it as some would.)Togekiss (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Serene Grace
Level: 50
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpD / 4 Spe
Bold Nature
- Nasty Plot
- Roost
- Air Slash
- Flamethrower
Togekiss has been a not so useful pokemon, at least not nearly as useful as I thought it would be. I previously had Clefable here but grew tired of it.
Ironically, I haven't seen a single flinch from him. That's with Serene Grace, so 60% chance, compared to Dark Pulse's 20%.
Now I want to replace my Togekiss. I was thinking about Lati@s. Or maybe Dragonite. What would you guys suggest?
I'm not really sure what role you want Togekiss (or its replacement) to play for this team. Do you want a defensive pivot to help switch between Greninja and Scizor? Do you want someone to counter the threats to Greninja? Is there a specific archetype of pokemon that troubles your team that you want a good answer to? (E.g.: Is status crippling to this team? It kind of looks like it would be, but Greninja can fight through two of the three major status effects, so maybe you don't care as much about it as some would.)
For my money, I would probably put a Choice Scarf mon in that third slot. Garchomp is the one that comes immediately to mind, but Terrakion or Darmanitan wouldn't do terribly either. You're running a hyper-aggressive team with no gimmick - I think you should double-down on the aggression and try to shore up where your team is weak. That means a fast, hard-hitting physical threat with good coverage.
Yeah, I think Gliscor can probably work pretty well with Greninja and Mega Scizor :)faith_grins' summary is pretty on point here, but while he favors doubling down on offense (which can definitely work), I prefer the defensive pivot idea. Suicune? Gliscor?
I've tried Suicune too. I don't know how to play with that mon. I don't ever use Rest so am not used to its timing and stuff. Haven't tried Gliscor. But also would like to use a different team than ones already in the records. I mean, I might ultimately resort to gliscor cuz I do have a 5IV Gligar, but for the moment I'd like to try others.faith_grins' summary is pretty on point here, but while he favors doubling down on offense (which can definitely work), I prefer the defensive pivot idea. Suicune? Gliscor?
That said, Dragon-Water-Steel is traditionally an awesome core in the maison, and Garchomp would complete that threesome.
Yeah, I think Gliscor can probably work pretty well with Greninja and Mega Scizor :)
It's interesting that a lot of the completely laughable Pokemon can become deadly in certain circumstances. Skarmory4 does basically nothing in Doubles or Triples, where you're supposed to be smashing face anyway, but it actually completely shafts a lot of Singles strategies. Dragonite, particularly lacking Fire Punch (not that Fire Punch it hits it all that hard), just finds it annoying as hell and has to chip away at it before getting phazed. You have to hope its teammates succeed in getting the KO before it sets up Stealth Rock, because Dragonite doesn't like having Multiscale broken. I, for one, am VERY glad that the AI will pretty much never send out Skarm4 second (due to the AI choosing the one of their remaining Pokemon with the strongest attacking move). The threat posed by Skarm is that it stops you from setting up and weakens your ability to freely switch against the opponent's Pokemon, which is core to a lot of Singles strategies. Similarly, Cresselia2 is a joke, unless you don't have Sub, something to set up on it (or quickly KO it), or a Steel- or Poison-type (or Gliscor), in which case it can turn into a nightmare.Actually, if I could hand-pick all of my opponents to be sent out for a battle I needed won with as little headache as possible, using only Battle 41+ sets, I'd put Skarmory4 at the top of the list. Unlike Cressy2, who can at least PP Stall and be highly annoying to take down, the worst thing Skarm can do is phaze. And the AI will generally spend a turn or two using Spikes or attempting Toxic before that happens, whereas Cressy will likely lard up on some evasion boosts while you do whatever it is you intend to do.
As for legends that don't frighten me, I'd also rather fight Articuno3 (I believe) before Cresselia. The physical variant whose worst move is Reflect for the benefit it gives to its teammates. It hits so laughably softly with STABless 70 BP attacks, and runs a Jolly offensive spread, meaning it not only has no bulk (which is typically what makes Articuno irritating; an Articuno you can't immediately OHKO is an Articuno that gets a Blizzard or Sheer Cold opportunity) but Jolly uninvested Frost Breath deals very little damage, even with a forced crit. Chatelaine Dana really got shafted with her team.
If any body cares to chime in, we all have threat lists for our favorite teams (and a universal threat list at that) but what are traditionally some pokes you've never minded facing, unless (or even) in dire circumstances?
Lapras4 and Sylveon4 may also be added to my list, though I don't run the kinds of teams that make Perishtrapping Lapras an unwelcome sight.
All the sets. They all carry Confuse Ray.And Regigigas is pretty much the opposite of Skarm4 in the context VaporeonIce gave. I frigging hate that behemoth. Very difficult to OHKO without STAB fighting; Slow Start allows it to outspeed some of my faster pokes under TR, and there's always that bloody Confuse Ray on a couple sets. Though most problems vanish if it isn't a lead.
After digging through my Vs. Recorder to find some Gigas fights, I find that my recollection that he doesn't go for Toxic/Confuse Ray/Thunderwave was incorrect, but neither of my battles against a Set 1 Regi show him using Double Team. Admittedly, two battles is a very small sample size and Payback probably looks very enticing against a lead Latios, but at least it would explain why I think of Regi as inappropriately aggressive.All the sets. They all carry Confuse Ray.
I find Gigas pretty annoying in Singles primarily for that reason. Obviously, Set 4 can't do anything against Sub; the issue is that the other sets are decently equipped to break Subs. Suicune and Gliscor obviously don't mind (since Cune easily stalls out set 2's Thunder), but Aegislash, Azumarill, Mega Kangaskhan, Mega Scizor, Greninja, and Mega Metagross all hate being confused (any set) and/or paralyzed (set 2 Thunder, set 3 T-Wave). Dragonite doesn't mind as much with the Lum Berry, but you still need at least two DDs for a shot at a OHKO, so you'd better hope you don't miss when you try to 2HKO with +1 Outrage or OHKO with +2 Outrage. Set 1 isn't strong with Slow Start, but between Bright Powder misses, confusion, enough bulk to easily avoid a Return OHKO, and a super-effective Drain Punch, Mega Kangaskhan doesn't really like fighting the big Regi. I'd argue that Regigigas sets 1-3 are potentially a huge annoyance for any Singles team that isn't running Gliscor, Suicune, or Chansey, and even Chansey can get hit hard by a post-Slow Start Drain Punch.
Welcome to Smogon, and great streak!
When your streak ends, you'll absolutely be leaderboard eligible. But while a streak is still active (e.g. before you lose) we don't add streaks to the leaderboard until they're at at least 1000 wins. So you'll need to either lose a battle or get past battle 1000 before you are added to the leaderboard. That said, we always welcome good discussion of teams even before they are leaderboard eligible, and at 500 wins, your team certainly is well worth discussing!
It's just fine for a streak to use multiple teams, or updated versions of the same team, but definitely provide all the detail you can about the various teams you used, and why you made changes. The one big no-no for a multiple team streak is doing the bulk of the work with one team and then claiming credit for the full streak with another, less reliable team. Be honest (or as honest as you can be, if you've forgotten some of the squads used) about how your team developed and how much earlier versions were used and you'll be great.