Team Preview:
After fooling around on the ladder for a little while with a couple mediocre teams I began to understand the metagame better and decided to make a legit contender of a team.
I decided to start with one of the most powerful Megas - Metagross - and build my team around getting a Metagross sweep. I also managed to build a team that doesn't suffer greatly from entry hazards which is a bonus. My EV spreads are all standard so I won't be explaining them.
Ability: Tough Claws [Before Mega Evolution: Clear Body]
Item: Metagrossite
Nature: Naive (+Speed, -Special Defense)
EVs: 252 Atk, 252 Spe, 4 SpA
Moveset:
- Meteor Mash
- Zen Headbutt
- Earthquake
- Grass Knot
There aren't a whole lot of choices to be made with Metagross, but the 4th moveslot is hotly debated. I opted for Grass Knot mainly for Slowbro but also to take care of any other bulky water types that decide to switch in on a Meteor Mash. Once Metagross' checks and counters are weakened or removed, he doesn't really need a setup to sweep. He's overwhelmingly powerful so all you need to do is select the right move for the job. One thing to note is that if my opponent runs Sticky Web I do not Mega Evolve until I'm positive I can sweep, because Clear Body prevents the drop in speed. I rarely switch Metagross into an attack early on, usually preserving him for free switch-ins so I can keep him healthy for late in the game.
Ability: Levitate
Item: Leftovers
Nature: Bold (+Defense, -Attack)
EVs: 248 HP, 216 Def, 44 Spe
Moveset:
- Volt Switch
- Hydro Pump
- Will-O-Wisp
- Pain Split
The first pokemon I added to my team is Rotom-W. A bulky water is mandatory on most teams, and Will-O-Wisp helps me weaken or cripple pokemon that would otherwise prove problematic to my team. Early on Rotom is my switch-in to water attacks such as Scald until my Breloom gets Toxic Orb activated (spoilers!). Volt Switch is the move of choice unless I see a great opportunity to spread burn. He helps deal with Landorus-T and other Metagross as well as serving as a good check to plenty of bulky waters that Metagross doesn't want to risk being Scalded by. He is also my main way to deal with Talonflame and can check Pinsir as well.
Ability: Intimidate
Item: Leftovers
Nature: Impish (+Defense, -Special Attack)
EVs: 252 HP, 240 Def, 8 SpDef, 8 Spe
Moveset:
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Knock Off
Landorus-T is so good it's hard not to put him on a team. I usually lead off with him or Rotom who can Volt Switch into whatever. Stealth Rock and Earthquake are pretty obvious moves and Stone Edge is for coverage. I chose Knock Off over U-Turn because many pokemon on my team have the bulk for hard switches and the utility of removing opponents' items is too good to pass up. This is my other physical wall besides Rotom, he's generally slightly less expendable (pending on the opponent's team) because it is key to save my Intimidate drops for physical sweepers they save for late game. He serves as a great check to other Mega Metagross, Gallade, Pinsir, Lopunny, Terrakion and can scare out Diancie although isn't switching into a Moonblast and living another attack.
Ability: Poison Heal
Item: Toxic Orb
Nature: Careful (+Special Defense, -Special Attack)
EVs: 252 HP, 252 SpDef, 4 Atk
Moveset:
- Leech Seed
- Drain Punch
- Protect
- Spore
Breloom has been the star of many of my battles with the ability to outright wall a lot of things and heal up ridiculously fast with a combination of Leech Seed + Poison Heal. Once my Toxic Orb activates I care very little about Scald and despite not having a grass type attack this is my best switch to bulky waters. Protect is fantastic for extra recovery and makes Breloom great for scouting choiced pokemon. Because of his special bulk this is actually one of my best answers to Thundurus and is amazing against Mega Gyarados because he resists both his STABs. He is also my main switch-in to Bisharp because Knock Off is worthless once I am already poisoned and Knock Off is usually the preferred attack when Bisharp is predicting a switch out. I can still take an Iron Head after that and KO with Drain Punch. Also pretty good versus Excadrill and wins 1 on 1 with Ferrothorn and Rotom-W. The fairy and psychic types which plague Breloom are handled very well by Metagross.
Ability: Levitate
Item: Choice Scarf
Nature: Timid (+Speed, -Attack)
EVs: 252 Spe, 252 SpA, 4 HP
Moveset:
- Shadow Ball
- Sludge Wave
- Trick
- Hidden Power Fire
As a whole, my team is not very fast. Landorus has very little speed investment and Metagross doesn't speed up until after Mega Evolution. That's where Choice Scarf Gengar comes in - naturally already fast the Scarf gives him a speed boost to make an excellent revenge killer. Most people don't plan for a Choice Scarf, so I can often remove his main enemies and get a late game sweep by the time they realize what item I'm holding. Trick is mandatory for dealing with stallers or setup sweepers who would otherwise wreck me, but otherwise I prefer to keep the Scarf. I also don't fear speed ties with Mega Metagross, other Gengars or the Latis who all take massive damage from Shadow Ball. If my opponent has any dark types or Scizor running around I often keep him in the back until they are eliminated. I run HP Fire over Focus Blast because I don't want to be in on things such as Tyranitar anyway, and HP Fire still does work on steel types expecting a Sludge Wave. Once the steels are gone I am free to Sludge Wave and this makes him amazing at knocking out most fairies too. Gengar is my best sweeper after Metagross.
Ability: Flash Fire
Item: Air Balloon
Nature: Calm (+Special Defense, -Attack)
EVs: 248 HP, 192 SpDef, 68 Spe
Moveset:
- Lava Plume
- Toxic
- Earth Power
- Taunt
Aside from Rotom-W, my team doesn't enjoy fire types. Heatran balances that out and I already have 2 water type resists. I run Balloon to beat other Heatrans primarily, but it's also useful for Landorus and other ground types. This is my other special sponge and my best switch-in to either of the Latis. He's also my main stallbreaker with Toxic and Taunt is great against CM Clefable or DD Altaria. With the balloon intact, Heatran is a major threat to other Metagross and my main method of dealing with steel types like Skarmory, Scizor and Ferrothorn. Lava Plume is the main move when I feel it's best not to overpredict anything, but Toxic is fantastic when predicting a switch. Taunting Chansey is amazing especially because it gives me a free switch to Gengar if they stay in to Seismic Toss (which often happens to bust my balloon). Also serves as a good check to Talonflame and Taunt prevents Mega Venusar from healing.
Overview:
Metagross and Gengar are the sweepers (physical and special respectively) with Rotom-W and Landorus as my physical tanks and Breloom and Heatran as my special sponges. My bulkier pokemon are used to do things like set up hazards, spread status and weaken opposing checks to my sweepers. I lack any fully reliable recovery, but Breloom can be a mini cleric with leech seed at times.
This team boasts considerable resiliency to entry hazards. None of my pokemon are weak to Stealth Rock while 2 resist. 3 of my pokemon are outright immune to spikes and Heatran avoids them when Balloon is intact. Toxic Spikes do nothing to me, as my only grounded mons are steels and a Breloom with Poison Heal. Breloom doesn't care much about Sticky Web, and Metagross can block the stat drop before mega evolving.
I'd consider it a balanced team because I don't full on stall (except with Breloom) but it's also not totally dependent on sweeps. I think this is a good but not amazing team that can hang with most other teams. I was able to reach the 2700 COIL mark to vote on the Greninja suspect test with this team, and as such I'll be voting to ban Greninja and won't be mentioning him as one of the main threats (because obviously he is a massive problem for my team).
Main Threats:
Tail Glow Manaphy is a serious problem for my team. I don't have much speed on it so Manaphy outruns most of them and can pretty much ohko all my bulky pokemon after a Tail Glow if it's running Scald/Ice Beam and Energy Ball or Psychic for Rotom-W. My best bet is get a Volt Switch off with Rotom if possible and clean up with Gengar or Metagross, otherwise I'm going to have to sacrifice one of my sweepers to remove it probably.
Mega Sableye wrecks me since I have no fairy type moves. Heatran is my best answer and I need to get a burn with Lava Plume. After that I probably have to sac Gengar or Metagross to weaken it so I can revenge it afterwards.
^ Those two are my biggest weaknesses by far, everything below this point is problematic but can be overcome much more easily.
Life Orb Bisharp is a serious threat as well. Breloom is my best check but can't switch into an Iron Head. Heatran and Rotom-W don't enjoy dark type moves and Landorus-T's intimidate gives him an attack boost. Gengar and Metagross both outpace Bisharp but Sucker Punch is deadly and if this thing gets up a Swords Dance I am going to lose at least one pokemon.
Mega Lopunny wreaks havoc if my Landorus-T is removed. If it's not running Ice Punch, Breloom can use Protect to force Hi Jump Kick recoil (I try not to reveal protect against teams with Lopunny if I can), but otherwise I have to sacrifice something and bring in Metagross on the free switch.
Baton Pass stuff can get pretty annoying. Taunt on Heatran and Trick on Gengar are the best ways to deal with it.
Specially Bulky Gliscor is a real pain. Breloom can't touch it if it runs Taunt and Gengar can't switch in if it runs Knock Off. Rotom-W can't OHKO with Hydro Pump either, and Heatran is vulnerable to EQ after Balloon pops.
I don't run any dragon, fairy or ice type moves so certain dragon types can give me problems. SD/Sub Garchomp particularly but he's pretty rare.
Not a huge threat but it's worth mentioning that Mold Breaker Excadrill can Earthquake both my Rotom-W and Gengar super effectively.
Most bulky waters can be somewhat problematic. Choice Specs or Scarf Keldeo is capable of cleaning me up late game if I'm missing my key checks for him
It's possible I missed some threats but these are the ones that stuck out to me.
After fooling around on the ladder for a little while with a couple mediocre teams I began to understand the metagame better and decided to make a legit contender of a team.
I decided to start with one of the most powerful Megas - Metagross - and build my team around getting a Metagross sweep. I also managed to build a team that doesn't suffer greatly from entry hazards which is a bonus. My EV spreads are all standard so I won't be explaining them.
Ability: Tough Claws [Before Mega Evolution: Clear Body]
Item: Metagrossite
Nature: Naive (+Speed, -Special Defense)
EVs: 252 Atk, 252 Spe, 4 SpA
Moveset:
- Meteor Mash
- Zen Headbutt
- Earthquake
- Grass Knot
There aren't a whole lot of choices to be made with Metagross, but the 4th moveslot is hotly debated. I opted for Grass Knot mainly for Slowbro but also to take care of any other bulky water types that decide to switch in on a Meteor Mash. Once Metagross' checks and counters are weakened or removed, he doesn't really need a setup to sweep. He's overwhelmingly powerful so all you need to do is select the right move for the job. One thing to note is that if my opponent runs Sticky Web I do not Mega Evolve until I'm positive I can sweep, because Clear Body prevents the drop in speed. I rarely switch Metagross into an attack early on, usually preserving him for free switch-ins so I can keep him healthy for late in the game.
Ability: Levitate
Item: Leftovers
Nature: Bold (+Defense, -Attack)
EVs: 248 HP, 216 Def, 44 Spe
Moveset:
- Volt Switch
- Hydro Pump
- Will-O-Wisp
- Pain Split
The first pokemon I added to my team is Rotom-W. A bulky water is mandatory on most teams, and Will-O-Wisp helps me weaken or cripple pokemon that would otherwise prove problematic to my team. Early on Rotom is my switch-in to water attacks such as Scald until my Breloom gets Toxic Orb activated (spoilers!). Volt Switch is the move of choice unless I see a great opportunity to spread burn. He helps deal with Landorus-T and other Metagross as well as serving as a good check to plenty of bulky waters that Metagross doesn't want to risk being Scalded by. He is also my main way to deal with Talonflame and can check Pinsir as well.
Ability: Intimidate
Item: Leftovers
Nature: Impish (+Defense, -Special Attack)
EVs: 252 HP, 240 Def, 8 SpDef, 8 Spe
Moveset:
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Knock Off
Landorus-T is so good it's hard not to put him on a team. I usually lead off with him or Rotom who can Volt Switch into whatever. Stealth Rock and Earthquake are pretty obvious moves and Stone Edge is for coverage. I chose Knock Off over U-Turn because many pokemon on my team have the bulk for hard switches and the utility of removing opponents' items is too good to pass up. This is my other physical wall besides Rotom, he's generally slightly less expendable (pending on the opponent's team) because it is key to save my Intimidate drops for physical sweepers they save for late game. He serves as a great check to other Mega Metagross, Gallade, Pinsir, Lopunny, Terrakion and can scare out Diancie although isn't switching into a Moonblast and living another attack.
Ability: Poison Heal
Item: Toxic Orb
Nature: Careful (+Special Defense, -Special Attack)
EVs: 252 HP, 252 SpDef, 4 Atk
Moveset:
- Leech Seed
- Drain Punch
- Protect
- Spore
Breloom has been the star of many of my battles with the ability to outright wall a lot of things and heal up ridiculously fast with a combination of Leech Seed + Poison Heal. Once my Toxic Orb activates I care very little about Scald and despite not having a grass type attack this is my best switch to bulky waters. Protect is fantastic for extra recovery and makes Breloom great for scouting choiced pokemon. Because of his special bulk this is actually one of my best answers to Thundurus and is amazing against Mega Gyarados because he resists both his STABs. He is also my main switch-in to Bisharp because Knock Off is worthless once I am already poisoned and Knock Off is usually the preferred attack when Bisharp is predicting a switch out. I can still take an Iron Head after that and KO with Drain Punch. Also pretty good versus Excadrill and wins 1 on 1 with Ferrothorn and Rotom-W. The fairy and psychic types which plague Breloom are handled very well by Metagross.
Ability: Levitate
Item: Choice Scarf
Nature: Timid (+Speed, -Attack)
EVs: 252 Spe, 252 SpA, 4 HP
Moveset:
- Shadow Ball
- Sludge Wave
- Trick
- Hidden Power Fire
As a whole, my team is not very fast. Landorus has very little speed investment and Metagross doesn't speed up until after Mega Evolution. That's where Choice Scarf Gengar comes in - naturally already fast the Scarf gives him a speed boost to make an excellent revenge killer. Most people don't plan for a Choice Scarf, so I can often remove his main enemies and get a late game sweep by the time they realize what item I'm holding. Trick is mandatory for dealing with stallers or setup sweepers who would otherwise wreck me, but otherwise I prefer to keep the Scarf. I also don't fear speed ties with Mega Metagross, other Gengars or the Latis who all take massive damage from Shadow Ball. If my opponent has any dark types or Scizor running around I often keep him in the back until they are eliminated. I run HP Fire over Focus Blast because I don't want to be in on things such as Tyranitar anyway, and HP Fire still does work on steel types expecting a Sludge Wave. Once the steels are gone I am free to Sludge Wave and this makes him amazing at knocking out most fairies too. Gengar is my best sweeper after Metagross.
Ability: Flash Fire
Item: Air Balloon
Nature: Calm (+Special Defense, -Attack)
EVs: 248 HP, 192 SpDef, 68 Spe
Moveset:
- Lava Plume
- Toxic
- Earth Power
- Taunt
Aside from Rotom-W, my team doesn't enjoy fire types. Heatran balances that out and I already have 2 water type resists. I run Balloon to beat other Heatrans primarily, but it's also useful for Landorus and other ground types. This is my other special sponge and my best switch-in to either of the Latis. He's also my main stallbreaker with Toxic and Taunt is great against CM Clefable or DD Altaria. With the balloon intact, Heatran is a major threat to other Metagross and my main method of dealing with steel types like Skarmory, Scizor and Ferrothorn. Lava Plume is the main move when I feel it's best not to overpredict anything, but Toxic is fantastic when predicting a switch. Taunting Chansey is amazing especially because it gives me a free switch to Gengar if they stay in to Seismic Toss (which often happens to bust my balloon). Also serves as a good check to Talonflame and Taunt prevents Mega Venusar from healing.
Overview:
Metagross and Gengar are the sweepers (physical and special respectively) with Rotom-W and Landorus as my physical tanks and Breloom and Heatran as my special sponges. My bulkier pokemon are used to do things like set up hazards, spread status and weaken opposing checks to my sweepers. I lack any fully reliable recovery, but Breloom can be a mini cleric with leech seed at times.
This team boasts considerable resiliency to entry hazards. None of my pokemon are weak to Stealth Rock while 2 resist. 3 of my pokemon are outright immune to spikes and Heatran avoids them when Balloon is intact. Toxic Spikes do nothing to me, as my only grounded mons are steels and a Breloom with Poison Heal. Breloom doesn't care much about Sticky Web, and Metagross can block the stat drop before mega evolving.
I'd consider it a balanced team because I don't full on stall (except with Breloom) but it's also not totally dependent on sweeps. I think this is a good but not amazing team that can hang with most other teams. I was able to reach the 2700 COIL mark to vote on the Greninja suspect test with this team, and as such I'll be voting to ban Greninja and won't be mentioning him as one of the main threats (because obviously he is a massive problem for my team).
Main Threats:
Tail Glow Manaphy is a serious problem for my team. I don't have much speed on it so Manaphy outruns most of them and can pretty much ohko all my bulky pokemon after a Tail Glow if it's running Scald/Ice Beam and Energy Ball or Psychic for Rotom-W. My best bet is get a Volt Switch off with Rotom if possible and clean up with Gengar or Metagross, otherwise I'm going to have to sacrifice one of my sweepers to remove it probably.
Mega Sableye wrecks me since I have no fairy type moves. Heatran is my best answer and I need to get a burn with Lava Plume. After that I probably have to sac Gengar or Metagross to weaken it so I can revenge it afterwards.
^ Those two are my biggest weaknesses by far, everything below this point is problematic but can be overcome much more easily.
Life Orb Bisharp is a serious threat as well. Breloom is my best check but can't switch into an Iron Head. Heatran and Rotom-W don't enjoy dark type moves and Landorus-T's intimidate gives him an attack boost. Gengar and Metagross both outpace Bisharp but Sucker Punch is deadly and if this thing gets up a Swords Dance I am going to lose at least one pokemon.
Mega Lopunny wreaks havoc if my Landorus-T is removed. If it's not running Ice Punch, Breloom can use Protect to force Hi Jump Kick recoil (I try not to reveal protect against teams with Lopunny if I can), but otherwise I have to sacrifice something and bring in Metagross on the free switch.
Baton Pass stuff can get pretty annoying. Taunt on Heatran and Trick on Gengar are the best ways to deal with it.
Specially Bulky Gliscor is a real pain. Breloom can't touch it if it runs Taunt and Gengar can't switch in if it runs Knock Off. Rotom-W can't OHKO with Hydro Pump either, and Heatran is vulnerable to EQ after Balloon pops.
I don't run any dragon, fairy or ice type moves so certain dragon types can give me problems. SD/Sub Garchomp particularly but he's pretty rare.
Not a huge threat but it's worth mentioning that Mold Breaker Excadrill can Earthquake both my Rotom-W and Gengar super effectively.
Most bulky waters can be somewhat problematic. Choice Specs or Scarf Keldeo is capable of cleaning me up late game if I'm missing my key checks for him
It's possible I missed some threats but these are the ones that stuck out to me.
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