So this is my "not hopping on the weather team bandwagon" team I suppose. It's decently effective, but needs some serious work.
AT A GLANCE
A BIT MORE DETAILED GLANCE
Xatu @ Light Clay
Ability: Magic Bounce
EV's: 252 HP/116 Def/140 SpD
Nature: Timid (+Spe, -Atk)
-Reflect
-Light Screen
-Roost
-Psychic
I've always thought dual screens were a very underrated strategy, and they are ever more helpful in this generations metagame. Xatu works well to set up screens but his ability is what really makes him shine. It's easy to predict steath rock/spike users and really turn the tables on them, and this also totally shuts down most statusers such as Breloom, Blissey, and Dusknoir. The EV's and nature are my feeble attempt at making Xatu more bulky, while not wasting his decent speed, but there is probably a much better layout. Roost is for obvious recovery, as well as the added bonus of taking away his Electric and Rock weakness, and Psychic can do decent damage when super effective, also keeps Taunt from totally shutting him down.
Jellicent @ Leftovers
Ability: Water Absorb
EV's: 252 HP/100 Def/156 SpD
Nature: Calm (+SpD, -Atk)
-Scald
-Will-o-Wisp
-Taunt
-Recover
Jellicent has a lot of fun popping into the battle and burning everything he sees. This set is pretty standard with no surprises. Scald for STAB and burn chance, Will-o-Wisp for more burning fun, Taunt for set up fodder, and Recover for healing. His ability grants him a helpful water immunity and a chance to heal with some basic prediction. Also he works well as a spinblocker for any hazard shenanigans that Xatu may cause.
Darmanitan @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Sheer Force
EV's: 4 HP/252 Atk/252 Spe
Nature: Adamant (+Atk, -SpA)
-U-Turn
-Flare Blitz
-Earthquake
-Stone Edge
With such intimidating eyebrows, Darmanitan makes for a scary revenge killer. His monstrous attack stat doing massive damage to anything that doesn't resist it, and his Scarf allowing him to outspeed the majority of the unboosted metagame. U-turn is a great scout move, Flare Blitz for STAB, and the mighty Edgequake combo. Can easily scare away any grass or electric types threatening Jellicent, or probably kill them if they're silly enough to think they can survive a hit.
Weavile @ Focus Sash
Ability: Pressure
EV's: 4 HP/252 Atk/252 Spe
Nature: Adamant (+Atk, -SpA)
-Swords Dance
-Ice Shard
-Night Slash
-Brick Break
Now starts the second half of my team, the 3 pokes that I'm not all too sure about. I mainly chose Weavile because I wanted a strong priority attack, as well as a reliable dragon killer. He serves both of these roles well, but I've found it hard to get him to do much else. Focus Sash allows him to take a hit to get Swords Dance off and attempt a sweep, and his attacks are simply STAB and additional coverage. Sadly, a Mach Punch from just about anything can end his sweep pretty quicky. I can always switch to Jellicent for the fighting attack, but by that time Weavile is usually already at low HP, and it's sometimes actually more practical to just let him die and switch in something else.
Serperior @ Leftovers
Ability: Contrary
EV's: 4 HP/252 SpA/ 252 Spe
Nature: Timid (+Spe, -Atk)
-Leaf Storm
-Hidden Power Ice
-Leech Seed
-Substitute
Serperior has actually shown his worth for me a couple of times. With Leaf Storm giving him a free Nasty Plot with each use, after 1 or 2 boosts, not much stands in his way. Ice and Grass don't offer the best coverage, but anything else can at least be SubSeeded, although this strategy doesn't work nearly as well as it does on Pokemon like Whimsicott or Breloom. The EV spread is to maximize his sweeping potential, but perhaps a bulkier set could be used to take further advantage of SubSeed. Opinions are appreciated.
Lucario @ Life Orb
Ability: Inner Focus
EV's: 4 HP/252 SpA/252 Spe
Nature: Modest (+SpA, -Atk)
-Agility
-Aura Sphere
-Shadow Ball
-Dragon Pulse
Decided to take a mildly new look on an old favorite. Many people run Agility Lucario but most take the physical variant, but I needed a reliable special sweeper. Aura Sphere and Shadow Ball give Lucario perfect coverage, rounding off with Dragon Pulse to take out, well, dragons. This set has done well for me but I feel like it could be replaced with something that would better mesh with the team, I'd love suggestions.
CLOSING THOUGHTS
As you can see, I need a little help with molding this team into it's full potential, as I intend on making into a wifi team when I'm satisfied with it. Thanks for reading, and happy rating!
A BIT MORE DETAILED GLANCE
Xatu @ Light Clay
Ability: Magic Bounce
EV's: 252 HP/116 Def/140 SpD
Nature: Timid (+Spe, -Atk)
-Reflect
-Light Screen
-Roost
-Psychic
I've always thought dual screens were a very underrated strategy, and they are ever more helpful in this generations metagame. Xatu works well to set up screens but his ability is what really makes him shine. It's easy to predict steath rock/spike users and really turn the tables on them, and this also totally shuts down most statusers such as Breloom, Blissey, and Dusknoir. The EV's and nature are my feeble attempt at making Xatu more bulky, while not wasting his decent speed, but there is probably a much better layout. Roost is for obvious recovery, as well as the added bonus of taking away his Electric and Rock weakness, and Psychic can do decent damage when super effective, also keeps Taunt from totally shutting him down.
Ability: Water Absorb
EV's: 252 HP/100 Def/156 SpD
Nature: Calm (+SpD, -Atk)
-Scald
-Will-o-Wisp
-Taunt
-Recover
Jellicent has a lot of fun popping into the battle and burning everything he sees. This set is pretty standard with no surprises. Scald for STAB and burn chance, Will-o-Wisp for more burning fun, Taunt for set up fodder, and Recover for healing. His ability grants him a helpful water immunity and a chance to heal with some basic prediction. Also he works well as a spinblocker for any hazard shenanigans that Xatu may cause.
Darmanitan @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Sheer Force
EV's: 4 HP/252 Atk/252 Spe
Nature: Adamant (+Atk, -SpA)
-U-Turn
-Flare Blitz
-Earthquake
-Stone Edge
With such intimidating eyebrows, Darmanitan makes for a scary revenge killer. His monstrous attack stat doing massive damage to anything that doesn't resist it, and his Scarf allowing him to outspeed the majority of the unboosted metagame. U-turn is a great scout move, Flare Blitz for STAB, and the mighty Edgequake combo. Can easily scare away any grass or electric types threatening Jellicent, or probably kill them if they're silly enough to think they can survive a hit.
Weavile @ Focus Sash
Ability: Pressure
EV's: 4 HP/252 Atk/252 Spe
Nature: Adamant (+Atk, -SpA)
-Swords Dance
-Ice Shard
-Night Slash
-Brick Break
Now starts the second half of my team, the 3 pokes that I'm not all too sure about. I mainly chose Weavile because I wanted a strong priority attack, as well as a reliable dragon killer. He serves both of these roles well, but I've found it hard to get him to do much else. Focus Sash allows him to take a hit to get Swords Dance off and attempt a sweep, and his attacks are simply STAB and additional coverage. Sadly, a Mach Punch from just about anything can end his sweep pretty quicky. I can always switch to Jellicent for the fighting attack, but by that time Weavile is usually already at low HP, and it's sometimes actually more practical to just let him die and switch in something else.
Serperior @ Leftovers
Ability: Contrary
EV's: 4 HP/252 SpA/ 252 Spe
Nature: Timid (+Spe, -Atk)
-Leaf Storm
-Hidden Power Ice
-Leech Seed
-Substitute
Serperior has actually shown his worth for me a couple of times. With Leaf Storm giving him a free Nasty Plot with each use, after 1 or 2 boosts, not much stands in his way. Ice and Grass don't offer the best coverage, but anything else can at least be SubSeeded, although this strategy doesn't work nearly as well as it does on Pokemon like Whimsicott or Breloom. The EV spread is to maximize his sweeping potential, but perhaps a bulkier set could be used to take further advantage of SubSeed. Opinions are appreciated.
Lucario @ Life Orb
Ability: Inner Focus
EV's: 4 HP/252 SpA/252 Spe
Nature: Modest (+SpA, -Atk)
-Agility
-Aura Sphere
-Shadow Ball
-Dragon Pulse
Decided to take a mildly new look on an old favorite. Many people run Agility Lucario but most take the physical variant, but I needed a reliable special sweeper. Aura Sphere and Shadow Ball give Lucario perfect coverage, rounding off with Dragon Pulse to take out, well, dragons. This set has done well for me but I feel like it could be replaced with something that would better mesh with the team, I'd love suggestions.
CLOSING THOUGHTS
As you can see, I need a little help with molding this team into it's full potential, as I intend on making into a wifi team when I'm satisfied with it. Thanks for reading, and happy rating!
