Battle Spot Teambuilding Discussion & Help Thread (read post #453, page 19)

[6tennis]

lol the mega contributes to a good amount of its usage, PGL says 39%. But considering that 47% have stealth rock and 45% have roar, I really wouldnt say its usage is largely due to the mega. Politoed isnt even top 50 and if you're using mega pert without toed then its shit. And you can look at items too, swampertite at 39%, and sitrus berry and rocky helmet combining at 42%.

I still remember GroudonEmpire telling horror stories of the swampert/breloom/megamence cores that used to be pretty popular earlier in ORAS.

The more you know, I guess. Also, Swampert/Breloom/Megamence sounds disgusting.

 

[NeoLies]

Yeah, I was also thinking about Mamo since he doesn't die to HP Ice, which apparently every electric poke has. The AV set in particular looks interesting, does anyone have a recommendation for an EV spread? I'm really bad at Battle Spot EVs.

edit: Thinking about it, Raikou also seems very interesting, since it checks the water types that also trouble my team. I will have to think this through, since I've also trained a bulky Serperior and I'd like to try him out. Anyways, could you help me with some good EV spreads for the Mamo and the Raikou? I need to start getting the grasp for dem evs.

 

[Valathis]

Hey all I'm new to competitive battling and was looking for some advice on a team, so far I have.

Greninja @ Life Orb
Ability: Protean
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 HP / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Hydro Pump
- Ice Beam
- Dark Pulse
- Grass Knot

Greninja is my main special attacker that can deal with a variety of change ins, not sure about Hydro Pump VS Scald



Charizard @ Charizardite X
Ability: Tough Claws
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Flare Blitz
- Dragon Claw
- Roost

Charizard X is my main Physical attacker and DDer



Aegislash @ Weakness Policy
Ability: Stance Change
EVs: 252 Hp / 4 SpD / 252 SpAtk
Quiet Nature
- Shadow Ball
- Shadow Sneak
- King's Shield
- Sacred Sword

Aegislash is my special attacker to take out other ghost types and to try and wall some physicals.



Ferrothorn @ Leftovers
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 Hp / 4 Att / 252 SpD
Relaxed Nature
- Gyro Ball/Toxic
- Power Whip
- Leech Seed
- Stealth Rock

Ferrothorn is my lead and wall, mostly to set up stealth rocks


I'm trying to breed an all shiny team for my own amusement and these are the ones I bred so far. The only Pokemon I'm really partial to is my Greninja, I'd like to keep him. Trying to maybe go for an all around team, most likely for singles. Any tips on a team will be appreciated, thank you. =)

 

[cannibal]

Hey all I'm new to competitive battling and was looking for some advice on a team, so far I have.

Greninja @ Life Orb
Ability: Protean
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 HP / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Hydro Pump
- Ice Beam
- Dark Pulse
- Grass Knot

Greninja is my main special attacker that can deal with a variety of change ins, not sure about Hydro Pump VS Scald



Charizard @ Charizardite X
Ability: Tough Claws
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Flare Blitz
- Dragon Claw
- Roost

Charizard X is my main Physical attacker and DDer



Aegislash @ Weakness Policy
Ability: Stance Change
EVs: 252 Hp / 4 SpD / 252 SpAtk
Quiet Nature
- Shadow Ball
- Shadow Sneak
- King's Shield
- Sacred Sword

Aegislash is my special attacker to take out other ghost types and to try and wall some physicals.



Ferrothorn @ Leftovers
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 Hp / 4 Att / 252 SpD
Relaxed Nature
- Gyro Ball/Toxic
- Power Whip
- Leech Seed
- Stealth Rock

Ferrothorn is my lead and wall, mostly to set up stealth rocks


I'm trying to breed an all shiny team for my own amusement and these are the ones I bred so far. The only Pokemon I'm really partial to is my Greninja, I'd like to keep him. Trying to maybe go for an all around team, most likely for singles. Any tips on a team will be appreciated, thank you. =)

Welcome to Smogon and the Battlespot forums! :D

Your team looks like it's off to a pretty good start!
You could consider using Water Shuriken or Scald instead of Hydro Pump if you're worried about low accuracy. Since you have Stealth Rock, Water Shuriken could help pick off things like Blaziken and Talonflame. Do be aware that Stealth Rock is not quite as essential in Battle Spot Singles as it is in most Smogon tiers due to the faster pace of the format. You won't always be able to lead with Ferrothorn (or even bring it to the match) to set them up. It can still be a decent support move, though.

You could also consider running an Adamant nature on your Charizard to boost its damage output. Speed will likely not be as big of an issue since you're running Dragon Dance, especially in the BS meta where people are less likely to run speed-raising natures than they are in OU.

Something that might work well on your team:

Landorus @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
- Knock Off / Superpower
- U-turn

Standard Scarf Landorus could help by checking threats to Aegislash and Ferrothorn (like Blaziken and Heatran) while offering Intimidate support for physical threats like Kangaskhan and Mawile. Knock Off can help soften up opponents, whereas Superpower is a guaranteed OHKO on Hydreigon and Kangaskhan that aren't invested.

Calcs and such

252+ Atk Landorus-T Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Heatran: 388-460 (195.9 - 232.3%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ Atk Landorus-T Earthquake vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Mega Blaziken: 242-288 (156.1 - 185.8%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ Atk Landorus-T Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Mega Mawile: 168-200 (107 - 127.3%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ Atk Landorus-T Superpower vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Kangaskhan: 192-228 (106.6 - 126.6%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ Atk Landorus-T Superpower vs. 0 HP / 0- Def Hydreigon: 198-234 (118.5 - 140.1%) -- guaranteed OHKO

Even if invested, Superpower can be deadly to Hydreigon and Kangaskhan:
252+ Atk Landorus-T Superpower vs. 252 HP / 0- Def Hydreigon: 198-234 (99.4 - 117.5%) -- 93.8% chance to OHKO
252+ Atk Landorus-T Superpower vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Kangaskhan: 192-228 (90.5 - 107.5%) -- 50% chance to OHKO

However, Landorus needs to watch out for Scarfed Hydreigon, as it can outspeed it and possibly OHKO it with Draco (or at least do a LOT of damage):
252+ SpA Hydreigon Draco Meteor vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Landorus-T: 142-168 (86.5 - 102.4%) -- 12.5% chance to OHKO

Feel free to take my suggestions with a grain of salt, as I'm certainly not the one of the best battlers around here. ;)
Good luck with your team and BS! :)

 

[SuperAceToad]

This is the Mega-Sceptile-Mega Manectric team I mentioned before on Showdown that I'm planning. Would like suggestions on how to make it better before I start breeding. :)
Sceptile-Mega @ Sceptilite
Ability: Overgrow
Level: 50
EVs: 72 HP / 252 SpA / 184 Spe
Timid Nature
- Leaf Storm
- Dragon Pulse
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Focus Blast

Weavile @ Life Orb
Ability: Pressure
Level: 50
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Ice Shard
- Knock Off
- Low Kick
- Icicle Crash

Slowbro @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Regenerator
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
- Scald
- Ice Beam
- Thunder Wave
- Slack Off

Rotom-Heat @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Levitate
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Spe
Bold Nature
- Volt Switch
- Overheat
- Thunderbolt
- Will-O-Wisp

Conkeldurr @ Assault Vest
Ability: Guts
Level: 50
EVs: 148 HP / 108 Atk / 252 Def
Adamant Nature
- Drain Punch
- Mach Punch
- Knock Off
- Rock Slide

Manectric-Mega @ Manectite
Ability: Lightning Rod
Level: 50
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Volt Switch
- Thunderbolt
- Flamethrower
- Hidden Power [Ice]

Would prefer to keep Mega Sceptile, Mega Manectric, and Weavile, but feel free to make move changes to those three if need be, and you can switch my other Pokemon for another mon if better teammates will improve the team's matchups overall

The EV spread on Sceptile outspeeds Base 110s before Mega Evolving, and Base 135s after Mega Evolving, while improving its overall bulk

 

[Jibaku]

SuperAceToad

Some notes
- Coverage vs top 12 mons appear to be fine. Mega Gengar could be annoying
- With Rotom-H as your only Fairy resist, you'll run into huge issues with Mega Gardevoir, Sylveon, Clefable, and Mega Altaria. All 4 of them can beat Rotom-H 1v1, and destroy the rest of your team since you have 3 fairy weaks.
- Cress can be a problem since you rely a lot on Weavile to stop it. But it can throw a Thunder Wave and make Weavile cry. Or it can use Toxic and switch to a Weavile check like Mawile (who is a common Cress partner), and whittle it down. If Cress can constantly force you to send out Weavile, which in turn forces multiple Mawile switch ins, you could run into a problem. Additionally, Trick Room messes up your team archetype.
- Offensive Porygon2 beats 5/6 of your team and 3HKOes Conkeldurr. You might want to consider being more specially bulky.
- No Dragon resist could mean that Latios/Latias can cause some issues, even if you have multiple ways of revenging it. They can switch in to approximately half your team.
- Mega Venusaur counters your whole team. You have literally 0 options against it.

Now I can't think of some quick changes off the top of my head, but it may be worth considering to remove one of Mega Sceptile/Mega Manectric/Weavile. Having 3 fast, frail attackers places a lot of strain in defensive coverage, and those glass cannons aren't particularly strong either (they're mostly niche), which further limits what you can cover.

 

[ethan06]

Building off of what Jibaku said, I'm not really seeing what Manectric is bringing to the table with your team... Rotom-Heat covers a lot of what you'd want Manectric to do already, only losing out on Ice coverage and Speed, both of which are covered by Weavile (and to a lesser extent Sceptile). The best thing I can think of to deal with all of Cresselia, Lati@s, Fairies and Mega Venusaur in one slot is Aegislash, which walls and smooshes the first three with Shadow Ball and Flash Cannon and can deal with Venusaur using Safety Goggles, Substitute, repeated Shadow Ball drops, it has a ton of options. If you prefer to keep the speed somewhat you could try Sash Gengar, which gives you more traction against Kangaskhan too, which is nice, but this doesn't really improve your matchup with Venusaur that much (outside of burning it) and makes dealing with Lati@s and TR Cresselia really sketchy so I'd definitely suggest Aegislash first and foremost.

Also, just throwing out ideas here but if you like playing with two megas, think about replacing Conkeldurr with Mega Medicham or Mega Gallade - both can heavily damage Mega Venusaur with Zen Headbutt and can break clean through Porygon2 with their Fighting STAB. Of the two, I'd say Medicham is better for immediate strength (the HJK OHKO on Porygon is so satisfying) but speed-tying with the 100 club isn't always fun so Gallade's extra 10 Speed could come in handy :]

 

[SuperAceToad]

Alright, so off of the previous two posts, I've made the following changes
Sceptile-Mega @ Sceptilite
Ability: Overgrow
Level: 50
EVs: 72 HP / 252 SpA / 184 Spe
Timid Nature
- Leaf Storm
- Dragon Pulse
- Focus Blast
- Hidden Power [Fire]

Weavile @ Life Orb
Ability: Pressure
Level: 50
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Ice Shard
- Knock Off
- Low Kick
- Icicle Crash

Slowbro @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Regenerator
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
- Scald
- Ice Beam
- Thunder Wave
- Slack Off

Rotom-Heat @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Levitate
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 248 Def / 4 SpD / 4 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 30 Atk / 30 Def
- Volt Switch
- Overheat
- Thunderbolt
- Will-O-Wisp

Aegislash @ Safety Goggles
Ability: Stance Change
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpA
Modest Nature
- Substitute
- King's Shield
- Shadow Ball
- Flash Cannon

Gallade-Mega (M) @ Galladite
Ability: Justified
Level: 50
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Close Combat
- Zen Headbutt
- Rock Slide
- Swords Dance

Mega Gallade's higher speed and bulk appeals to me, so I'm using it over Mega Medicham, plus I like Gallade more:)

I'm contemplating whether I could make Rotom-H a bit more specially defensive to make it a better Fairy switch in, but I already have Aegislash, and was told by Jibaku that Fairies beat it 1v1 anyway, although I guess it could wall offensive Heatran pretty nicely

I'm not sure what the best moves on Mega Gallade should be. I could run Ice Punch over Rock Slide, or even use an all out attacker set as opposed to SD

Edit: I just noticed I have a big weakness to Ghost now. My Ghost resist is Weavile
I'm considering switching Slowbro to another Water type. Suicune would be nice, but I already caught Suicune in my Alpha Sapphire, so I can't soft reset for it

 

[Pyritie]

I'm not sure what the best moves on Mega Gallade should be. I could run Ice Punch over Rock Slide, or even use an all out attacker set as opposed to SD

I'd suggest Knock Off over Rock Slide so you can hit bulky psychics and aegislash. Gallade has a ridiculous movepool though, so you might end up finding something else that works there instead.

I'd also recommend leftovers over safety goggles on aegislash. You don't need both safety goggles and substitute unless you really hate sleep powders/spores. Either that or drop substitute and give it shadow sneak instead.

 

[6tennis]

I'd suggest Knock Off over Rock Slide so you can hit bulky psychics and aegislash. Gallade has a ridiculous movepool though, so you might end up finding something else that works there instead.

I'd also recommend leftovers over safety goggles on aegislash. You don't need both safety goggles and substitute unless you really hate sleep powders/spores. Either that or drop substitute and give it shadow sneak instead.

Yeah, if you're running Rock Slide specifically for Talonflame, it's a wasted option, because Talonflame downright destroys Gallade. For an SD set, you should probably be running Drain Punch. Ice Punch is also an option over Knock Off, but I'd say Mega Lopunny runs it better.

 

[Omastar68]

I'd use a more offensive Rotom-H, maybe Trick with a Choice Scarf. Also, I don't trust Mega Gallade's bulk for SD, I'd use 4 attacks(or maybe three and Destiny Bond), though I'm not sure why you're using it in the first place. Both Megas on your team get ruined by Talonflame, and the point of running two Megas is one is good when the other is not(i.e., when you see Talonflame in Team Preview.) Of course, Talonflame doesn't like Slowbro at all, who could also be your Mega, but that won't keep someone with a Talonflame from using it, considering it does a number on 4 of your Pokemon, more with a relevant Natural Gift.

 

[ethan06]

I'd use a more offensive Rotom-H, maybe Trick with a Choice Scarf. Also, I don't trust Mega Gallade's bulk for SD, I'd use 4 attacks(or maybe three and Destiny Bond), though I'm not sure why you're using it in the first place. Both Megas on your team get ruined by Talonflame, and the point of running two Megas is one is good when the other is not(i.e., when you see Talonflame in Team Preview.) Of course, Talonflame doesn't like Slowbro at all, who could also be your Mega, but that won't keep someone with a Talonflame from using it, considering it does a number on 4 of your Pokemon, more with a relevant Natural Gift.

Disagree with almost all of this. Firstly, Rotom-H is one of the best Talonflame counters in the game, so between that and Slowbro this team has Talonflame very well covered. It probably wouldn't impact on Team Preview that much when the rest of the team is a little Talonflame weak, but while switching still exists the Talon weakness shouldn't be all that apparent. Natural Gift is vanishingly rare on Talonflame anyway, and most Natural Gift Talon would be running Ground for Heatran or Grass for Rotom-W, neither of which Rotom-H cares about. Secondly, having two megas that are both weak to Talonflame doesn't matter because Talonflame isn't the only threat that you have to prepare for! Mega Gallade is on this team almost purely for breaking fat things like Chansey, Porygon2, Gliscor (run Ice Punch!) and Mega Venusaur that Sceptile struggles with because it's stupidly fast rather than stupidly powerful (Mega Medicham is much, much better than Mega Gallade at this so I'd definitely recommend it SuperAceToad), and the faster things that Gallade/Medicham can't handle, like Thundurus, Raikou, Scarf Rotom-Wash, Mega Salamence, Mega Lopunny and so on are dealt with by Mega Sceptile. A team that adapts to what it's playing is more often than not a good team.

 

[Omastar68]

Disagree with almost all of this. Firstly, Rotom-H is one of the best Talonflame counters in the game, so between that and Slowbro this team has Talonflame very well covered. It probably wouldn't impact on Team Preview that much when the rest of the team is a little Talonflame weak, but while switching still exists the Talon weakness shouldn't be all that apparent. Natural Gift is vanishingly rare on Talonflame anyway, and most Natural Gift Talon would be running Ground for Heatran or Grass for Rotom-W, neither of which Rotom-H cares about. Secondly, having two megas that are both weak to Talonflame doesn't matter because Talonflame isn't the only threat that you have to prepare for! Mega Gallade is on this team almost purely for breaking fat things like Chansey, Porygon2, Gliscor (run Ice Punch!) and Mega Venusaur that Sceptile struggles with because it's stupidly fast rather than stupidly powerful (Mega Medicham is much, much better than Mega Gallade at this so I'd definitely recommend it SuperAceToad), and the faster things that Gallade/Medicham can't handle, like Thundurus, Raikou, Scarf Rotom-Wash, Mega Salamence, Mega Lopunny and so on are dealt with by Mega Sceptile. A team that adapts to what it's playing is more often than not a good team.

I guess Talonflame is dealt with fairly well, and it definitely isn't all there is. I sort of just assumed Rotom-H is better off being a bulky attacker than mostly bulky, because of its great STAB combinations and larger number of weaknesses compared to Rotom-W, but maybe not. Maybe I'm just kind of biased-I find so many of the Megas amazing(Sableye, Heracross, Lopunny, Salamence, Venusaur, etc.), but Gallade and Sceptile are two of the ones that never really clicked for me, probably because I'm more accustomed to slower, bulkier Pokemon, and the sweepers I do like are still typically less frail(at least if they're Megas.) Of course, my argument against running Mega Sceptile and Mega Gallade together isn't purely arbitrary. As I mentioned before, I think you should only run two Megas on your team if they are substantially different(I.e., Mega Sableye and Mega Mawile), so if you see certain Pokemon on the opponents team in Team Preview one of your Megas doesn't deal with very well, you can use the other one, which will hopefully do a lot better. I just can't think of many Pokemon you might see in Team Preview that would cause you to choose Sceptile over Gallade, except some bulky waters(which Gallade could run Leaf Blade for,) and Pokemon with more than 110 base speed(although Slowbro has Thunder Wave, so...) So I guess the problem I'm perceiving isn't a gigantic Talonflame weakness, but the general uselessness of Mega Sceptile(maybe that's wrong, I think Mega Sceptile is one of the worst Megas, but please correct me if I'm wrong.)

 

[Demantoid]

Alright, so off of the previous two posts, I've made the following changes
Sceptile-Mega @ Sceptilite
Ability: Overgrow
Level: 50
EVs: 72 HP / 252 SpA / 184 Spe
Timid Nature
- Leaf Storm
- Dragon Pulse
- Focus Blast
- Hidden Power [Fire]

Weavile @ Life Orb
Ability: Pressure
Level: 50
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Ice Shard
- Knock Off
- Low Kick
- Icicle Crash

Slowbro @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Regenerator
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
- Scald
- Ice Beam
- Thunder Wave
- Slack Off

Rotom-Heat @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Levitate
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 248 Def / 4 SpD / 4 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 30 Atk / 30 Def
- Volt Switch
- Overheat
- Thunderbolt
- Will-O-Wisp

Aegislash @ Safety Goggles
Ability: Stance Change
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpA
Modest Nature
- Substitute
- King's Shield
- Shadow Ball
- Flash Cannon

Gallade-Mega (M) @ Galladite
Ability: Justified
Level: 50
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Close Combat
- Zen Headbutt
- Rock Slide
- Swords Dance

Mega Gallade's higher speed and bulk appeals to me, so I'm using it over Mega Medicham, plus I like Gallade more:)

I'm contemplating whether I could make Rotom-H a bit more specially defensive to make it a better Fairy switch in, but I already have Aegislash, and was told by Jibaku that Fairies beat it 1v1 anyway, although I guess it could wall offensive Heatran pretty nicely

I'm not sure what the best moves on Mega Gallade should be. I could run Ice Punch over Rock Slide, or even use an all out attacker set as opposed to SD

Edit: I just noticed I have a big weakness to Ghost now. My Ghost resist is Weavile
I'm considering switching Slowbro to another Water type. Suicune would be nice, but I already caught Suicune in my Alpha Sapphire, so I can't soft reset for it

Since HP Fire uses an iv spread of 31/e/31/30/31/30 you should change Sceptile's evs to 68/0/4/248/4/184. Running 248 Speed evs could also be considered to outspeed Adamant scarf Landorus-t. There is also no reason to run hp ice ivs on the Rotom if you aren't using it.

 

[GateCreeper]

I guess Talonflame is dealt with fairly well, and it definitely isn't all there is. I sort of just assumed Rotom-H is better off being a bulky attacker than mostly bulky, because of its great STAB combinations and larger number of weaknesses compared to Rotom-W, but maybe not. Maybe I'm just kind of biased-I find so many of the Megas amazing(Sableye, Heracross, Lopunny, Salamence, Venusaur, etc.), but Gallade and Sceptile are two of the ones that never really clicked for me, probably because I'm more accustomed to slower, bulkier Pokemon, and the sweepers I do like are still typically less frail(at least if they're Megas.) Of course, my argument against running Mega Sceptile and Mega Gallade together isn't purely arbitrary. As I mentioned before, I think you should only run two Megas on your team if they are substantially different(I.e., Mega Sableye and Mega Mawile), so if you see certain Pokemon on the opponents team in Team Preview one of your Megas doesn't deal with very well, you can use the other one, which will hopefully do a lot better. I just can't think of many Pokemon you might see in Team Preview that would cause you to choose Sceptile over Gallade, except some bulky waters(which Gallade could run Leaf Blade for,) and Pokemon with more than 110 base speed(although Slowbro has Thunder Wave, so...) So I guess the problem I'm perceiving isn't a gigantic Talonflame weakness, but the general uselessness of Mega Sceptile(maybe that's wrong, I think Mega Sceptile is one of the worst Megas, but please correct me if I'm wrong.)

Mega Sceptile isn't that useless. It's a useful cleaner against the right team. It has decent matchups against the top 12 (save for a few like Aegislash and Talonflame). Sceptile would rather be used against offensive frail teams whilst Gallade would be used for bulkier teams, so I'd say they synergize fairly well.

SuperAceToad If you're not able to get another Suicune (which would benefit this team greatly), Bulky Gyarados could be a nice switch for Slowbro. Mega Sceptile can take great advantage of its Electric weakness as well and it still T-Waves things like Slowbro. Also Mega Sceptile should run 248 Speed EVs to outspeed Adamant Scarf Lando-T and that added bulk actually doesn't help out too much for a frail mon like Sceptile. Most Japanese blogs I've read that use Mega Sceptile use 252 Spe/SpA (248 Spe/SpA if Hidden Power Fire) for the EVs.

What does Hidden Power Fire hit other than Scizor by the way? Mega Sceptile loses against most steels anyways and HP Fire doesn't even OHKO Ferro either.

 

[SuperAceToad]

It's mostly for Ferro, although I guess I already have Gallade and Rotom-H for Ferro, although Rotom-H is my only other mon with fire coverage.
I could put EQ instead or Energy Ball/Giga Drain to have another STAB option.
Yea, I'll take a look at Gyarados. They're actually good partners in Smogon's OU metagame too, so it's only natural they'd be good partners in Battle Spot :)

I thought I had HP Ice on Rotom-H. Will fix

Sceptile-Mega @ Sceptilite
Ability: Overgrow
Level: 50
EVs: 4 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpA / 248 Spe
Timid Nature
- Leaf Storm
- Dragon Pulse
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Focus Blast

Mamoswine @ Life Orb
Ability: Thick Fat
Level: 50
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Icicle Spear
- Earthquake
- Ice Shard

Gyarados @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Intimidate
Level: 50
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Thunder Wave
- Waterfall
- Rest
- Sleep Talk

Rotom-Heat @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Levitate
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 248 Def / 4 SpD / 4 Spe
Bold Nature
- Volt Switch
- Overheat
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Will-O-Wisp

Aegislash @ Leftovers
Ability: Stance Change
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpA
Modest Nature
- King's Shield
- Substitute
- Shadow Ball
- Flash Cannon

Gallade-Mega @ Galladite
Ability: Justified
Level: 50
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Close Combat
- Zen Headbutt
- Ice Punch

What the team looks like now. I switched Mamo in instead of Weavile because he removes a rock and fire weakness, can set up rocks itself, and adds another ice resistance.

Weavile did have STAB Knock Off for Cress, but I already have Aegi

 

[Omastar68]

I made a team, and it seems pretty good, but I feel like there's some stuff that should be changed. Any ideas?

Houndoom@Houndoominite
Ability: Flash Fire<--Solar Power
EVs: 100 Atk/ 156 SpA/ 252 Spe
Naive Nature
-Fire Blast
-Dark Pulse
-Sucker Punch
-Destiny Bond

Porygonn2@Eviolite
Ability:Trace
EVs: 244 HP/ 252 Def/ 12 SpD
Bold Nature
-Foul Play
-Ice Beam
-Recover
-Discharge

Avalugg@Rocky Helmet
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 132 HP/ 236 Atk/ 140 Def
Impish Nature
-Avalanche
-Earthquake
-Mirror Coat
-Recover

Rotom-H@Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 12 Def/ 252 SpA/ 244 Spe
Timid Nature
-Trick
-Overheat
-Volt Switch
-Will-o-Wisp

Mienshao@Focus Sash
Ability: Reckless
EVs: 252 Atk/ 4 SpD/ 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
-High Jump Kick
-Taunt
-U-Turn
-Rock Slide

Garchomp@Yache Berry
Ability: Rough Skin
EVs: 4 HP/ 252 Atk/ 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
-Outrage
-Earthquake
-Rock Slide
-Swords Dance

I never thought I'd use Mega Houndoom, but it's quite useful against Aegislash and Sableye, both of which I had some trouble with when Heracross was my mega. Porygon2 is one of the Pokemon I/m considering replacing, but I'm not sure what to use instead. I was thinking Dusclops, but the fact that it's in PU doesn't bode well for it in BSS. Avalugg is useful against a lot of Pokemon, and can almost guarantee a KO when Sturdy is intact. It also is immune to OHKO moves, which are an unnecessary nuisance. I've considered using Rotom-W over it's hot twin, but I like having those extra resistances, especially to Fairy. Mienshao has done pretty well on this team on a regular basis. My biggest concern there is whether I should use Knock Off or Rock Slide. Garchomp may be No.1 in usage for BSS, but, ironically, I don't typically pick it as one of my three for battle very often. It's still kind of good, though, and can potentially bait the opponent into using something to counter it that ends up being fairly useful against the Pokemon I actually do enter. I might change the item though-type resistant berries are quite situational. Also, feel free to ask about any of the weird-looking EV spreads, they really do have a purpose.

 

[cant say]

I made a team, and it seems pretty good, but I feel like there's some stuff that should be changed. Any ideas?

What are the EVs on Houndoom for? Do you need all that attack to hit something specific with Sucker Punch? I feel like you're losing out on a lot of special attacking power by cutting the EVs so much

If you're going to use an offensive Porygon2 then you should use an offensive spread on it, the physically defensive spread is best used with Toxic and/or Thunder Wave. You might also want to consider using Download which can net you a nice +1 boost to your special attack if you come in on the right Pokemon (stuff like Mega Salamence, Garchomp, Mamoswine and Landorus-T can all be used as Download fodder).

Avalugg is a cool Pokemon so I'm glad to see you using it. I would probably go full 252 HP / 252 Def on him though unless you can give me a good reason for the spread you use.

Using Rotom-H with Mega Houndoom sounds really silly when you can just use Rotom-W instead..

Mienshao is an interesting choice, what made you decide on it? Personally I would use it with a Life Orb and Regenerator. Don't bother with Taunt, Mienshao has no business using it, there are plenty of good options like Knock Off, Substitute or Fake Out

If you decide to not use a Focus Sash on Mienshao then put it on Garchomp instead.

 

[Omastar68]

The EVs on Houndoom don't really make sense, I have to agree. I'm usually better about this stuff, even though I'm not using it anymore, befor e I took it off my team, I found a really good EV spread for Mega Heracross, with the least attack to secure pretty much all the OHKOS it gets while making it quite a bit bulkier overall(252 SpA LO Thundurus has a 9.8% chance to 2HKO w/ T-bolt.) But I digress. The point is I should probably just go 4/ 252/ 252 on Mega Houndoom. Also, would it make sense to run Snarl over Dark Pulse to hit through subs?

I'll probably use T-Wave on Porygon2 now that you mention it-Discharge has a pretty good chance to paralyze, but 100% is way better. The reason I picked Trace is for copying really useful abiliities like Intimidate, Protean, Thick Fat, and Natural Cure(among others, but you get the idea.) Since I'll be using T-Wave now, I'll also be getting some use out of Tracing Prankster. My problem with Download is too many things either have more SpD to begin with, or have equal defenses and put 4 in SpD so Download ends up being useless. I guess it's kind of a toss-up, and then there's Analytic...

Reasons for the EVs on Avalugg: OHKO on 4/0 Yache Berry Garchomp, assuming 120 BP Avalanche. 4/0 Talonflame likely dead after Rocky Helmet+120 BP Avalanche, as opposed to that never happening with 4 in Attack. Guaranteed OHKO on 244/ 168 Bold Thundurus, 4 Atk has no chance to OHKO(outside of Mirrir Coat, of course.) 0/ 0 Mega Blaziken dies after Rocky Helmet and an Earthquake, this doesn't happen with only 4 EVs in Atk. Fairly decent chance to 2HKO 252/0 Aegislash, 4 Atk is a guaranteed 3HKO. I don't know what the most common sets for Lando-T are, but it doesn't matter since the bulkiest it can be, 252/252+Def, is OHKOd by Avalugg's 120 BP Avalanche, even at -1. Anyways, those are hopefully plenty of reasons for the Attack EVs, the rest is split between HP and Def to maximize physical bulk.

I guess I will just use a Rotom-W, is the same set as Rotom-H, just w/ Hydro Pump, of course, a good idea? Or should I use something bulkier?

Mienshao is really good, I'm not really sure what decided me on it, though. I'm kind of surprised you'd use Regenerator and a Life Orb, considering Mienshao's absurd frailty. I can definitely toss out Taunt, since I mostly wanted it for Will-o-Wisp, and that's dealt with thanks to Houndoom, so I'm gonna us Substitute instead. Also, where do you land on Rock Slide vs. Knock Off?

Garchomp's Garchomp-there's really not much to say. I would rather use a different item though, would it make sense for both it and Mienshao to have Focus Sashes? Granted I couldn't enter them together, but that should be fine.

Thanks for the suggestions, would you reccomend keeping Porygon2 on this team or using something else. I have a bit of a Fighting weakness, and it's the only Poke contributing to that weakness that I'm not completely sold on.

http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/battlespotsingles-301895249 this replay demonstrates how useful Trace can be for Porygon2.

 

[ethan06]

Would it make sense to run Snarl over Dark Pulse to hit through subs?

I'd stick with Dark Pulse, honestly - 55 base power is really weak ;(

I guess I will just use a Rotom-W, is the same set as Rotom-H, just w/ Hydro Pump, of course, a good idea? Or should I use something bulkier?

Nope, Scarf Rotom-W seems okay on a team that already has such a great defensive backbone in Avalugg/Porygon, and having the extra outspeeding power against things like Salamence and Garchomp is always great. Definitely run Hidden Power [Ice] over Will-o-Wisp, though - being locked into Will-o-Wisp isn't always desirable and you can't rely on Trick all the time to grant you your freedom ;( Run 12 HP / 88 Def / 156 SpA / 252 Spe Timid to avoid the 2HKO from CB Talonflame Brave Bird (note that this spread takes into account HP [Ice] IVs).

Mienshao is really good, I'm not really sure what decided me on it, though. I'm kind of surprised you'd use Regenerator and a Life Orb, considering Mienshao's absurd frailty. I can definitely toss out Taunt, since I mostly wanted it for Will-o-Wisp, and that's dealt with thanks to Houndoom, so I'm gonna us Substitute instead. Also, where do you land on Rock Slide vs. Knock Off?

Definitely go with Knock Off, it's always a safe bet on anything that runs it. Mienshao has no business trying to hit Talonflame anyway :/ Regenerator and Life Orb are good together because Mienshao's best function is as an offensive pivot with U-Turn, constantly switching in, dealing damage and then switching out again, conserving momentum. Regenerator is just a perk that keeps it from getting worn down too fast by entry hazards + Life Orb + Substitute rather than as a tool to help it take hits, lol.

Garchomp's Garchomp-there's really not much to say. I would rather use a different item though, would it make sense for both it and Mienshao to have Focus Sashes? Granted I couldn't enter them together, but that should be fine.

If you're handing your Life Orb over to Mienshao then definitely use Sash ^-^

 

[Omastar68]

I'll keep Dark Pulse, then. Idon't like not having a way to hit through substitutes, since some Pokemon, particularly Gliscor, make use of Protect and passive recovery, which can make then nearly invincible if they can damage you and you can't do more than break their sub. Still, that's a fairly niche scenario, and may not be necessary to prepare for.

I'm heartened to know I can keep using Scarf on Rotom, I don't like Choice items normally, but it's different when the Pokemon in question has Trick. I was using Will-o-Wisp because I won't be locked into it if my Scarf is gone, and it's typically okay to burn something and then switch if I still have it. Still, if HP Ice is better, I'll use that. Are you sure that the Hidden Power I run should be Ice? My team has an ice-type and a Pokemon with Ice Beam, so would HP Grass, Dark Pulse, or Signal Beam make sense? Also, thanks for the EV spread, it definitely looks better.

I guess I'll try Life Orb and Regenerator on Mienshao, since I'm running Substitute. That would also free up Focus Sash for Garchomp(I don't have anything else weak to ice, so Yache Berry isn't that important.) There's definitely no point using Rock Slide without a Focus Sash-that's the only way Mienshao can retaliate against Talonflame anyways. It really is a shame about Mienshao's bulk though-with access to Bulk Up, Calm Mind, and Drain Punch, as well as Regenerator, it has everything it needs to be bulky except the Defenses themselves.

Ignore the two words w/o a space between them in the first sentence, my laptop is being weird and I don't want to have to rewrite everything just to add a space there.

 

[cant say]

There's no point trying to hit through Gliscor's Subs with a weak move when Gliscor is just gonna tank it and retaliate with STAB Earthquake in return..

Rotom-W loves HP Ice because then it can actually kill the stuff it's meant to check (ie: Garchomp / Mega Salamence). Hidden Power Grass is super redundant alongside Water- and Electric-STAB, and Dark Pulse / Signal Beam don't hit anything relevant at all.

edit @ below: I totally disagree with that. Drain Punch as a secondary STAB option is fine, but using it as your lone STAB option is a silly idea. A frail attacker like Mienshao is used to dish out as much damage as possible, sure you'll lose once in a while because High Jump Kick missed and you KOed yourself, but you're gonna lose more because you miss out on 1-2HKOes because of the power difference between HJK and Drain Punch, such as against Mega Kangaskhan or Rotom-W

 

[Nathano2100]

I would not use High Jump Kick, the risk is too high. I run Drain Punch on mine as i get some damage out while also healing back.

 

[Omastar68]

There's no point trying to hit through Gliscor's Subs with a weak move when Gliscor is just gonna tank it and retaliate with STAB Earthquake in return..

Rotom-W loves HP Ice because then it can actually kill the stuff it's meant to check (ie: Garchomp / Mega Salamence). Hidden Power Grass is super redundant alongside Water- and Electric-STAB, and Dark Pulse / Signal Beam don't hit anything relevant at all.

edit @ below: I totally disagree with that. Drain Punch as a secondary STAB option is fine, but using it as your lone STAB option is a silly idea. A frail attacker like Mienshao is used to dish out as much damage as possible, sure you'll lose once in a while because High Jump Kick missed and you KOed yourself, but you're gonna lose more because you miss out on 1-2HKOes because of the power difference between HJK and Drain Punch, such as against Mega Kangaskhan or Rotom-W

I'll get HP Ice on Rotom-W, then. I see your point on Grass, Electric covers most water types, and Water most Ground and Rock types. Grass helps for some stuff like Swampert, but that's not good enough. Upon reflection, I've realized Signal Beam hits very few important targets, and not one of the top twelve. Dark Pulse is a little better for coverage, but I have Dark coverage already. HP Fire leaves Rotom-W very prone to Dragons, Hex is worthless, and Foul Play fails to take advantage of my more offensive spread for Rotom-W. Thus, HP Ice is the best option.

 

[Lugiafan234]

Hi Guys I'm currently building a team centered around mega Venusaur. What would be good teamates for venusaur? Clefable is a given so what others would you recommend? Below are venusaurs and clefables stats.

Venusaur - Venusaurite
Modest Nature
Thick Fat
252 HP/ 252 Sp.Atk/ 4 Sp.D
31 HP 31 Sp.Atk
Giga Drain
Synthesis
Sludge Bomb
N/A
Not sure on the last move so thats up for discussion too

Clefable - Leftovers
Bold Nature
Unaware
252 HP/ 252 Def/ 4 Sp.D
31 HP,Def,Sp.D
Moonblast
Heal Bell
Wish
Protect