CharTrio - A new offensive core

[MilkyWay]

Introduction​

Like many pokemon players, I have always loved Charizard and I was very excited to try out its' new mega evolutions when xy came out. From its release I preferred Charizard X to Y because the design and typing appealed to me a lot more than Y's. So, when the generation started, I was eager to build a team around X. While Charizard X is a great pokemon, I was always frustrated by having to choose between Thunder Punch (for Azumarill, while hitting Gyarados and Slowbro harder) or Earthquake (for Heatran, while hitting Tyranitar harder and sometimes avoiding Flare Blitz recoil). Other choices of Outrage, Fire Punch, and Roost made me even more exasperated about choosing a final move for Charizard after Flare Blitz, Dragon Claw, and Dragon Dance. However, one day it occurred to me that Heatran and Tyranitar, who are the primary targets of Earthquake, could both be easily trapped and disposed of by Dugtrio. Thus the CharTrio core was born. Zard X could now run Thunder Punch in the last slot in order to have a much better time getting past all of it's otherwise counters/hard checks

Team Building Process​

I started out with Charizard and Dugtrio for obvious reasons. Because Zard has a huge stealth rock weakness and Dugtrio need its sash intact to be able to function well I needed some hazard control. I originally chose Deoxys-S because of its fast Taunt, access to Stealth Rock, and offensive presence which would make it easy for me to set up stealth rock, but not my opponent. After that I added in Talonflame because it would benefit from the removal of Heatran and Tyranitar. It could also help wear down other psychical walls and sweep late game. Finally, I chose Rotom-W and Aegilash to work as glue for my team with key resistances. Air Balloon Aegilash can also stop Excadrill from spinning rather well. Unfortunately, due to this team having no way of removing hazards, I was getting my ass kicked more often than not because 3 team members were dependent on stealth rock off my side of the field. So, I switched out Talonflame for a Scarf Excadrill to remove hazards while also being able to be a revenge killer and a backup win condition. Also, I changed Deoxys-S to Deoxys-D despite losing some initial offensive presence.

Main Problems​

While this may seem as an RMT intended to show-off my team, it is not. This team has a few crippling problems that I believe can be fixed with intelligent choices, I'm just having trouble coming up with them. The biggest problem is that this team struggles to maintain an offensive presence. Charizard-X is my primary win condition and/or wall breaker so i really can only send him in at the right times, especially considering his stealth rock weakness and Flare Blitz recoil. Therefore, I end up using Excadrill, Aegilash, and Rotom-W as my go to switch ins. Unfortunately, scarf excadrill loses so much momentum when i predict wrong. It has low base power moves besides Earthquake and so many things are immune to Earthquake so being locked into any of its moves is just terrible. The worst part is that many defogers and stealth rock setters can easily switch into it and gain an upperhand in the hazard war. This is arguably one of my biggest problems. My hazard remover not only creates oppurtunties for my opponent to remove my hazards, but it also undoes its own job by making it easier for stealth rock to be set up on my side of the field. I need to get rid of it or its scarf but that would leave me with a terribly slow team. Aegilash pulls its own weight, but doesnt provide too much offensive presence. It gets worn down easily and is slow and predictable with Kings Shield. Rotom-W is in the same boat as Aegilash, but probably doesnt pull its own weight, is extremely easily worn down, and has little offensive presence whatsoever. Due to these flaws in my team Deoxys-D's hazards can easily be removed and I almost auto lose to any team with Landorus-T. It checks Charizard, can threaten Aegilash, isnt trapped by Dugtrio, plays around Rotom-W with U-turn, and completely shuts down Excadrill and sets up hazards on it. The only way i can beat it is if I predict a switch with Rotom-Wash and Hydro Pump it or Will-O-Wisp it, or through exceptionally bad playing by my opponent; such as keeping it in on a Charizard X that hasnt been intimidated. Finally, this team really has no way to stop/punish defoggers from doing their job due to its slowness and Excadrill's problems.

The Team​

Without further ado here is my team, please keep in mind ways to fix the problems above and maybe on how to adjust this team to an era after the broken aliens. Thanks in advance.

Charizard @ Charizardite X
Ability: Blaze
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Flare Blitz
- Dragon Claw
- Thunder Punch
- Dragon Dance

My MVP and really the only member that can always due its job well. The moveset is pretty self explanatory, but I will reiterate my reasoning behind Thunder Punch. Dugtrio traps and kills Heatran and Tyranitar, the main targets of Earthquake on Zard X. Because Earthquake isnt necessary anymore, I chose Thunder Punch to beat Azumarill and make sweeping easier for this monster. I am considering roost though. I went with an adamant nature because I am dragon dancing most of the time anyways and would like to hit as hard as possible. Because Zard X is mainly wall breaking for itself to sweep later, it is also imperative that I can insure OHKO's on threats like Slyveon too. Once enough priority is gone and Dugtrio does its job, this set absolutely wrecks everything.

Dugtrio @ Focus Sash
Ability: Arena Trap
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Reversal
- Sucker Punch
- Memento

Dugtrio's main job is to trap Charizard's checks and counter such as Tyranitar and Heatran via earthquake (or reversal as at 1hp reversal > earthquake). It can also get rid of annoying threats to Zard X such as Bisharp, Mega-Mawile, and Mega-Manetric, or anything with low hp as long as its sash is intact. Sucker Punch is often useful, and Memento is amazing. After Dugtrio does its job it Mementos, giving Charizard X and easy opportunity to set up and sweep.

Excadrill @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Mold Breaker
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
- Iron Head
- Rapid Spin

At first I thought this was a great set due to being able to revenge kills and spin, but now ive learned that all of Exadrills moves suck to be locked into. Once the opponent learns that Excadrill is scarfed it is also so easy to take advantage of. The only time i ever benefit from this scard is when I take out something but suprise, or rarely sweep with it late game. The scarf needs to go, but, before that, I need another fast team member.

Aegislash @ Air Balloon Leftovers
Ability: Stance Change
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SAtk
Quiet Nature
IVs: 0 Spd
- Shadow Ball
- Shadow Sneak
- Sacred Sword
- King's Shield

I really don't see any reason to explain this set, as it is one of the most common sets in the metagame so instead I will explain Aegilash's role. With an air balloon, Aegilash can stop any spinner cold to help my team make the best use of Deoxys-D's hazards. It's good typing and stats also allows it to switch on on many things and fire off strong Shadow Balls, which eases some of the wall breaking for Charizard X.

Deoxys-Defense @ Mental Herb
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Spikes
- Taunt
- Thunder Wave

While Deoxys-D might not have as much as an offensive presence as it's counterpart, it can almost always set up two layers of hazards while preventing my opponent from doing the same. Unfortunately, anything with substitute can take advantage of it and my team struggles to stop defoggers. But hey, this guy is as broken as shit so i shouldnt be complaining about it. When If it gets banned on plan on using Terrakion as my new lead. It has taunt, stealth rock, and offensive presence, and will perform much better as a lead when it doesnt need to worry about either Deoxys.

Rotom-Wash @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SAtk
Bold Nature
IVs: 28 Spd
- Hydro Pump
- Volt Switch
- Pain Split
- Will-O-Wisp

Another original set here, so i feel no need to explain the moves lol. The 28 speed ivs is to insure that it always get the last volt switch vs. an opposing rotom-w. Why 28 is because I am paranoid people will try the same thing as me but with 29 or 30 ivs. Anyway, Rotoms job is basically switching into attacks nothing else can until it dies because it gets worn down easily. This guy needs to be replaced but if I get rid of him and Excadrill's scarf i will lose my fly-spam checks. Maybe Skarmory could replace both of them along with Deo-D so I can free up space to fix this team?


Thank you for reading, and I look forward to your suggestions.

Importable

Charizard @ Charizardite X
Ability: Blaze
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Flare Blitz
- Dragon Claw
- Thunder Punch
- Dragon Dance
Dugtrio @ Focus Sash
Ability: Arena Trap
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Reversal
- Sucker Punch
- Memento
Excadrill @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Mold Breaker
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 Atk / 4 Def
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
- Iron Head
- Rapid Spin
Aegislash @ Air Balloon
Ability: Stance Change
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SAtk
Quiet Nature
IVs: 0 Spd
- Shadow Ball
- Shadow Sneak
- Sacred Sword
- King's Shield
Deoxys-Defense @ Mental Herb
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Spikes
- Taunt
- Thunder Wave
Rotom-Wash @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SAtk
Bold Nature
IVs: 28 Spd
- Hydro Pump
- Volt Switch
- Pain Split
- Will-O-Wisp
[\hide]

 

[13ulbasaur]

By tabs do you mean those little openale and closeable boxes? You can make those by writing [ hide=Whatever you want ] text text [ /hide ] but without the spaces. As for the sprites, you can find them from http://play.pokemonshowdown.com/sprites/xyani/


Anyway a glaring problem I can see is the lack of a rapid spinner or defogger. Correct me if I'm wrong, I see several mentions of Excadrill but none actually in your team so I'll assume you for have one. Charizard is the star of your team and being weak to rocks, it is essential he should be able to come in safely. Same with Dugtrio, you don't want the sash to be broken. So I would recommend a defogger Skarmory and if Deoxys gets removed, it can use Stealth Rocks too. Excadrill can offer more offensive presence and so can Scizor.

 

[MilkyWay]

By tabs do you mean those little openale and closeable boxes? You can make those by writing [ hide=Whatever you want ] text text [ /hide ] but without the spaces. As for the sprites, you can find them from http://play.pokemonshowdown.com/sprites/xyani/


Anyway a glaring problem I can see is the lack of a rapid spinner or defogger. Correct me if I'm wrong, I see several mentions of Excadrill but none actually in your team so I'll assume you for have one. Charizard is the star of your team and being weak to rocks, it is essential he should be able to come in safely. Same with Dugtrio, you don't want the sash to be broken. So I would recommend a defogger Skarmory and if Deoxys gets removed, it can use Stealth Rocks too. Excadrill can offer more offensive presence and so can Scizor.

Excadrill has Rapid Spin, but because of its scarf it loses so much momentum doing so. In other words using a scarfed excadrill as my spinner is by no means a consistent way of keeping hazards of my side of the field and needs to be fixed, maybe by Skarmory.

Yes, thats what i mean by tabs, thanks.

 

[13ulbasaur]

Excadrill has Rapid Spin, but because of its scarf it loses so much momentum doing so. In other words using a scarfed excadrill as my spinner is by no means a consistent way of keeping hazards of my side of the field and needs to be fixed, maybe by Skarmory.

Yes, thats what i mean by tabs, thanks.

Oh wow, I don't know how I missed the excadrill, I was sure I scrolled up to check several times. But yeah I would have to agree that equipping a rapid spinner with a choice item is a bad idea. It might be a good idea to take off the band or replace him entirely. For a fast Poke, I might suggest a Greninja, it's very versatile with Protean and might be able to fend off some threats from your team, such as Choice Specs Latios. But take my advice with a grain of salt, and I think wait for the better player's opinions.

Anyway I think this is a fairly solid team. I don't have much to say.

 

[Albacore]

This team looks decent, however, I do have a problem with the inclusion of the usual Deo-D hazards lead on this team. Deo-D is usually seen on HO as a suicide lead and excels at that role. Not only is this team not nearly offensive enough to really justify a suicide lead as opposed to a bulky rock setter, but it does't have a Defiant abuser either, so removing hazards is going to be easy for your opponent (especially since you can easily give free turn to the likes of Latios, Skarmory and Mandibuzz, which can switch into and force out Rotom-W, Excadrill, and Aegislash respectively). So I think it would be a good idea to replace Deo-D with a bulky SR setter such as Heatran, Ferrothorn, or Tyranitar. You can even run a bulky Recover Deo-D set, but the usual Taunt Mental Herb Deo-D set really doesn't fit on this team IMO. In the same vein, Air Balloon Aegislash is a bit out of place too, I'd run Leftovers on it instead.

 

[MilkyWay]

This team looks decent, however, I do have a problem with the inclusion of the usual Deo-D hazards lead on this team. Deo-D is usually seen on HO as a suicide lead and excels at that role. Not only is this team not nearly offensive enough to really justify a suicide lead as opposed to a bulky rock setter, but it does't have a Defiant abuser either, so removing hazards is going to be easy for your opponent (especially since you can easily give free turn to the likes of Latios, Skarmory and Mandibuzz, which can switch into and force out Rotom-W, Excadrill, and Aegislash respectively). So I think it would be a good idea to replace Deo-D with a bulky SR setter such as Heatran, Ferrothorn, or Tyranitar. You can even run a bulky Recover Deo-D set, but the usual Taunt Mental Herb Deo-D set really doesn't fit on this team IMO. In the same vein, Air Balloon Aegislash is a bit out of place too, I'd run Leftovers on it instead.

I changed the Air Balloon on Aegilash to Leftovers. I plan on replacing Deoxys-D, but I'm not sure with what. Also, Ive tested out Skarmory, Azumarill, Greninja, and Entei with slightly different versions of this team. So far CB Entei seems like the best fit due helping wear down Zard's counters and burning them. I'm still trying to find space for entei and something to replace deo d, i will post those changes soon after more testing.

 

[Explorer]

Honestly, you are right about Aegislash and Excadrill serving as momentum-killers. I would suggest replacing Aegislash with another, faster spin blocker: Gengar.

Gengar (M) @ Life Orb
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 4 HP/252 SpA/252 Spe
Nature: Timid
IVs: 0 Atk
-Shadow Ball
-Sludge Wave
-Focus Blast/Hidden Power Ice/Thunderbolt
-Hidden Power Ice/Destiny Bond/Thunderbolt/Psychic

Gengar provides your team with much-needed speed as well as great power, a built in Ground immunity, and nice coverage. Shadow Ball and Sludge Wave should be the two STABs of choice. In addition to Ghost-weak targets, Gengar can now destroy Togekiss and Sylveon, two powerful Fairy-types. From there you have some options.
->Focus Blast helps retain the same coverage provided by Aegislash, hitting Tyranitar, Heatran, and Ferrothorn hard.
->Hidden Power Ice hits many common Dragon-types for 4x SE damage, most notably Garchomp and Dragonite, as well as Gliscor and both Landorus formes.
->Thunderbolt hits Bulky Waters that are not part Ground and Talonflame hard
->Destiny Bond takes advantage of Gengar's great speed and lets it get kills it might not be able to otherwise
->Psychic works well for the numerous Fighting-types in the tier, but it is most useful (IMO) for MEga Venusaur.

With this handled, I would advise you switch Excadrill's item to an Assault Vest or Air Balloon. Choice Scarf Rapid Spin, as you said earlier, kills momentum. I think all the moves work though.