This is a team I've worked on for a few days now. When i started to build it I just wanted a very bulky fire/water/grass core that could handle most attacks and throw some status around. After I'd decided my three pokemon of the FWG core I wanted to grab some offensive power aswell. Mkangashkan is currently the strongest sweeper of the tier in many peoples' opinion and to top my offense off I chose Latios as my general hard hitter from the get-go to break walls and force switches.
I'll get into the specific mons now and my mindset behind why I chose the sets I've chosen aswell as why I chose these mons in particular.
Tentacruel (M) @ Black Sludge
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 SDef
Calm Nature
- Scald
- Rapid Spin
- Protect
- Toxic
I actually had a Greninja in Tentacruels place at first and it worked out alright, but I had trouble dealing with strong special water attacks from Keldeo, Starmie and Manaphy etc. So I wanted to get something to soak special water hits aimed at Heatran and Tentacruel was my choice.
Tentacruel fits really well into my team with it being able to spin hazards away which otherwise hurts my team because it relies alot on switches in general. Scald and Toxic are two very good moves to wear pokemon down and cripple physical attackers hard. I chose Protect as my 4th move because with it I can stall turns to wear out opposing pokemon even better and at the same time regen some HP through Black Sludge. Scouting moves with Protect is also very helpfull.
The EVs are very straight forward. 248 HP to take less stealth rock damage when I switch him in to rapid spin them away. 252 SDef to take special hits very well and then I put the rest into Def for good measures. Could probably put those 8 EVs into speed to speedcreep uninvested base 100s such as bulky Dragonite. I use Clear Body because I want to be able to switch into sticky web and spin it away without the speed drop.
Gourgeist-Super (F) @ Leftovers
Ability: Frisk
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Def
Impish Nature
- Will-O-Wisp
- Seed Bomb
- Leech Seed
- Protect
Gourgeist was my first choice to put in the Grass slot and it has not disappointed me one bit. With amazing physical bulk and a great typing giving it 2 immunities to common physical attacks and a resist to Earthquake this pokemon really shines as a physical wall.
Will-O-Wisp combined with its large defenses makes physical attackers cry and often forces a switch. I chose Leech Seed because with it i can capatalize on the switches it forces and Leech Seed their next pokemon, possibly forcing another switch from them. Seed Bomb is my attack of choice but I'm not sure its the optimal move to use in the slot.
I use protect once again to scout moves, stall turns and recover HP which is even more effective with Leech Seed up. Frisk is unfortunately its only usefull ability but its always great to know what item opponents are running.
EVs are once again straight forward. Max physical bulk and then I put 4 into attack but those 4 points could be spent on Speed or SDef aswell. Leftovers is the obvious item choice aswell.
Latios (M) @ Choice Specs
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Draco Meteor
- Surf
- Psyshock
- Trick
I've had many different pokemon in this slot but I really fell for Latios because of its sheer power and speed. This is the standard Choice set on the Smogon analysis. I use trick to cripple any wall trying to switch into Latios and take the hit. I could also run HP fire for extra coverage but I've never had any trouble dealing with scizor, forretress or ferrothorn up to this point.
Right now I use Choice Specs to hit like a truck the second I switch him in but I've also tried to use a Choice Scarf instead and it works wonders aswell. I'll probably switch between these two items for a while to see which one I prefer in the end.
Kangaskhan (F) @ Kangaskhanite
Ability: Scrappy
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature
- Return
- Power-Up Punch
- Fire Punch
- Sucker Punch
This guy is just ridiculous when it comes to sweeping. I've gotten so many 6-0s from this mon alone its not even fun anymore. I think everyone reading this know just how big of a threat Mkangashkan really is.
Moves are pretty standard except maybe Fire Punch, which I use to nail ghost and steel types.
Mkangashkan is also very bulky even with maximum investment into Speed and Attack. The only thing to OHKO it for sure is pretty much fighting type moves, which Gourgeist obviously can handle very well.
I've EVd it to be as fast as possible because if this thing gets a hit in things are going down. It really doesn't need an adamant nature to be able to wreck stuff, especially if it gets a PuP boost in.
Heatran (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SAtk / 252 SDef
Calm Nature
- Lava Plume
- Roar
- Stealth Rock
- Protect
Heatran was the obvious choice for a bulky fire type. A good type combination gives it resistances to common Special attacking types such as Ice, Psychic, Grass, Dragon and Fairy. Those resistances coupled with 91/106/106 defenses makes Heatran a truly great special wall.
Lava plume was my attack of choice because of the 30% burn chance which is always welcome. Fire Blast could also be used in this slot but I dont like the shaky accuracy. The base power boost that comes with Fire Blast is great but the goal of my Heatran isn't to dish out direct damage.
Stealth Rock is a very important part of my team because the pokemon I use force alot of switches, racking up SR damage passively.
Roar is used to phase out pokemon trying to set up in Heatrans face and to shuffle SR damage.
As you probably can tell by now, I love protect. It works so well with my teams high passive damage from burns and toxics, gives me the ability to scout moves and regen hp.
I use Leftovers over a Balloon because I have three pokemon to take Earthquakes for Heatran and the passive regen is very usefull. I use Flash Fire to give it a Fire immunity to soak Fire attacks aimed at Gourgeist. Flame body wont be very good on this set because any move that makes contact will probably hurt Heatran considerably, as contact moves are physical in nature.
EVs are built with maximum special walling capabilities in mind. Max HP and SDef, rest into whatever.
Togekiss (F) @ Leftovers
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SDef
Bold Nature
- Roost
- Thunder Wave
- Air Slash
- Dazzling Gleam
I wanted to have a Fairy in my team for the very usefull immunity to Dragon type attacks and Togekiss was my first choice. I use a Physical defensive Togekiss because I already have two pokemon aimed at Special defense.
Roost is an obvious choice on any defensive togekiss, getting rid of its Ice, Rock and Electric weakness for a turn and healing 50% HP.
Thunder Wave together with Roost makes Togekiss a true pain to kill, being able to Roost stall until the opposing pokemon gets fully paralyzed to launch its assault.
Air Slash is my primary attacking move.
Attacking a paralyzed pokemon with Air slash combined with Serene Grace gives the opposing pokemon little breathing room and you can wear down almost any pokemon. Dazzling Gleam is a great way to immediately threaten any dragon you switch into, making them switch out into a Thunder Wave.
The biggest threat to Togekiss are pokemon using super-effective moves on his fairy typing as he cant Roost to get rid of them. Fortunately Heatran is completley immune to Poison and resistant to Steel.
EVs are used with maximum physical bulk in mind, a physical defensive Togekiss works surprisingly well and it can still take special hits well with it naturally high Special defense stat.
Thats my team. I would love any feedback and criticism regarding the team as a whole, individual pokemon and sets. I'm also interested in what pokemon/move could be a threat to my team as I'm still fairly new to competitive pokemon and can't spot weaknesses in teams as well as some of you guys can.
Thanks for reading and any feedback! :)
I'll get into the specific mons now and my mindset behind why I chose the sets I've chosen aswell as why I chose these mons in particular.
Tentacruel (M) @ Black Sludge
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 SDef
Calm Nature
- Scald
- Rapid Spin
- Protect
- Toxic
I actually had a Greninja in Tentacruels place at first and it worked out alright, but I had trouble dealing with strong special water attacks from Keldeo, Starmie and Manaphy etc. So I wanted to get something to soak special water hits aimed at Heatran and Tentacruel was my choice.
Tentacruel fits really well into my team with it being able to spin hazards away which otherwise hurts my team because it relies alot on switches in general. Scald and Toxic are two very good moves to wear pokemon down and cripple physical attackers hard. I chose Protect as my 4th move because with it I can stall turns to wear out opposing pokemon even better and at the same time regen some HP through Black Sludge. Scouting moves with Protect is also very helpfull.
The EVs are very straight forward. 248 HP to take less stealth rock damage when I switch him in to rapid spin them away. 252 SDef to take special hits very well and then I put the rest into Def for good measures. Could probably put those 8 EVs into speed to speedcreep uninvested base 100s such as bulky Dragonite. I use Clear Body because I want to be able to switch into sticky web and spin it away without the speed drop.
Gourgeist-Super (F) @ Leftovers
Ability: Frisk
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Def
Impish Nature
- Will-O-Wisp
- Seed Bomb
- Leech Seed
- Protect
Gourgeist was my first choice to put in the Grass slot and it has not disappointed me one bit. With amazing physical bulk and a great typing giving it 2 immunities to common physical attacks and a resist to Earthquake this pokemon really shines as a physical wall.
Will-O-Wisp combined with its large defenses makes physical attackers cry and often forces a switch. I chose Leech Seed because with it i can capatalize on the switches it forces and Leech Seed their next pokemon, possibly forcing another switch from them. Seed Bomb is my attack of choice but I'm not sure its the optimal move to use in the slot.
I use protect once again to scout moves, stall turns and recover HP which is even more effective with Leech Seed up. Frisk is unfortunately its only usefull ability but its always great to know what item opponents are running.
EVs are once again straight forward. Max physical bulk and then I put 4 into attack but those 4 points could be spent on Speed or SDef aswell. Leftovers is the obvious item choice aswell.
Latios (M) @ Choice Specs
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Draco Meteor
- Surf
- Psyshock
- Trick
I've had many different pokemon in this slot but I really fell for Latios because of its sheer power and speed. This is the standard Choice set on the Smogon analysis. I use trick to cripple any wall trying to switch into Latios and take the hit. I could also run HP fire for extra coverage but I've never had any trouble dealing with scizor, forretress or ferrothorn up to this point.
Right now I use Choice Specs to hit like a truck the second I switch him in but I've also tried to use a Choice Scarf instead and it works wonders aswell. I'll probably switch between these two items for a while to see which one I prefer in the end.
Kangaskhan (F) @ Kangaskhanite
Ability: Scrappy
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature
- Return
- Power-Up Punch
- Fire Punch
- Sucker Punch
This guy is just ridiculous when it comes to sweeping. I've gotten so many 6-0s from this mon alone its not even fun anymore. I think everyone reading this know just how big of a threat Mkangashkan really is.
Moves are pretty standard except maybe Fire Punch, which I use to nail ghost and steel types.
Mkangashkan is also very bulky even with maximum investment into Speed and Attack. The only thing to OHKO it for sure is pretty much fighting type moves, which Gourgeist obviously can handle very well.
I've EVd it to be as fast as possible because if this thing gets a hit in things are going down. It really doesn't need an adamant nature to be able to wreck stuff, especially if it gets a PuP boost in.
Heatran (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SAtk / 252 SDef
Calm Nature
- Lava Plume
- Roar
- Stealth Rock
- Protect
Heatran was the obvious choice for a bulky fire type. A good type combination gives it resistances to common Special attacking types such as Ice, Psychic, Grass, Dragon and Fairy. Those resistances coupled with 91/106/106 defenses makes Heatran a truly great special wall.
Lava plume was my attack of choice because of the 30% burn chance which is always welcome. Fire Blast could also be used in this slot but I dont like the shaky accuracy. The base power boost that comes with Fire Blast is great but the goal of my Heatran isn't to dish out direct damage.
Stealth Rock is a very important part of my team because the pokemon I use force alot of switches, racking up SR damage passively.
Roar is used to phase out pokemon trying to set up in Heatrans face and to shuffle SR damage.
As you probably can tell by now, I love protect. It works so well with my teams high passive damage from burns and toxics, gives me the ability to scout moves and regen hp.
I use Leftovers over a Balloon because I have three pokemon to take Earthquakes for Heatran and the passive regen is very usefull. I use Flash Fire to give it a Fire immunity to soak Fire attacks aimed at Gourgeist. Flame body wont be very good on this set because any move that makes contact will probably hurt Heatran considerably, as contact moves are physical in nature.
EVs are built with maximum special walling capabilities in mind. Max HP and SDef, rest into whatever.
Togekiss (F) @ Leftovers
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SDef
Bold Nature
- Roost
- Thunder Wave
- Air Slash
- Dazzling Gleam
I wanted to have a Fairy in my team for the very usefull immunity to Dragon type attacks and Togekiss was my first choice. I use a Physical defensive Togekiss because I already have two pokemon aimed at Special defense.
Roost is an obvious choice on any defensive togekiss, getting rid of its Ice, Rock and Electric weakness for a turn and healing 50% HP.
Thunder Wave together with Roost makes Togekiss a true pain to kill, being able to Roost stall until the opposing pokemon gets fully paralyzed to launch its assault.
Air Slash is my primary attacking move.
Attacking a paralyzed pokemon with Air slash combined with Serene Grace gives the opposing pokemon little breathing room and you can wear down almost any pokemon. Dazzling Gleam is a great way to immediately threaten any dragon you switch into, making them switch out into a Thunder Wave.
The biggest threat to Togekiss are pokemon using super-effective moves on his fairy typing as he cant Roost to get rid of them. Fortunately Heatran is completley immune to Poison and resistant to Steel.
EVs are used with maximum physical bulk in mind, a physical defensive Togekiss works surprisingly well and it can still take special hits well with it naturally high Special defense stat.
Thats my team. I would love any feedback and criticism regarding the team as a whole, individual pokemon and sets. I'm also interested in what pokemon/move could be a threat to my team as I'm still fairly new to competitive pokemon and can't spot weaknesses in teams as well as some of you guys can.
Thanks for reading and any feedback! :)
