Hey there! I'm consciousthoughts and I'm here today with my very first RMT.
This is the first team that I built from the ground up in a while and it's worked pretty well so far getting me to mid 1500's in 20 games but I still think it could use some work so I'm very much open to criticisms and modifications.
The team:
https://pastebin.com/3vRsbhQU
Greninja @ Choice Specs
Ability: Battle Bond
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Hydro Pump
- Water Shuriken
- Spikes
- Dark Pulse
To start off, we have the Mizukage himself, Choice Specs Battle-Bond Greninja. When I very first started building this team, it was built around a Dance+Coil Iapapa Zygarde and I felt that Greninja would make a great partner.
i] It's very much of a speedy glass cannon which can be good for creating opportunities for a setup sweeper to either revenge KO or setup.
ii] It can hazard stack if you spot a lack of HC on your opponents team which also supports a Zygarde sweep.
iii] The water shuriken priority, when in Ash-form, can nab Tapu Koko after either 2 rock turns or rocks + t spikes/reg spikes (Which is one of this teams bigger troublemakers).
Zygarde @ Dragonium Z
Ability: Aura Break
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Thousand Arrows
- Outrage
- Extreme Speed
- Dragon Dance
Now we move on to the Wincon, DDance + Dragonium Z Zygarde. This thing is a beast, with it's staple move (Thousand Arrows) having no immunities despite it's typing. As a late game sweeper, this member typically will only need one boost to clean up games, especially if you focus on hazards and chipping early on. As I said before, originally I was running the Iapapa set (and that set is still viable for this team I feel) but in my opinion, the Z move gives Zygarde the ability to be a move dependable revenge killer if necessary. Now when I looked at this member and all of the checks and counters that would give me a hard time, this is the next member that came to mind.
Scizor @ Scizorite
Ability: Light Metal
EVs: 248 HP / 64 Atk / 120 Def / 16 SpD / 60 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Bullet Punch
- U-turn
- Roost
Mega Scizor, by far one of if not my favorite pokemon, competitively and otherwise. When I thought about things that scared Zygarde as well as Greninja, this is what came to mind: scarf Lele, Ferrothorn, Clefable, Tangrowth, pretty much any fast/bulky fairies along with bulky grasses. With that being the case, Mega Scizor was the perfect member to join the team. Now you might question bulky SD + U-turn but I find that this set actually maximizes Mega-Scizor's current potential.
i] SD + Bullet punch can shread through teams that have been weakened by hazards or our other wincons. Also, this clears out fairies for Zygarde.
ii] U-turn can keep up offensive momentum allowing you to get more opportunities to bring in our wincons as well as can 2 hit KO AV Tangrowth and can KO at +2. Also, a good option if Psychic Terrain is up.
iii] With it's bulk + roost, you can literally setup in the face of almost any physical attacker in the tier although you shouldn't mess with potential Z pokemon.
Toxapex @ Black Sludge
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 72 Def / 184 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Toxic Spikes
- Toxic
- Recover
- Scald
With Scizor being the counter/check for Zygarde's threats, I decided it was important to include a defensive member that not only backed up Scizor well by checking it's threats but also could set up hazards reliably. Enter: Toxapex. This member in my opinion is absolutely vital. Toxic spikes are essential for this team, as it will slowly but consistently chip away at your opponent's team making all the priority on our team more dangerous each turn. Toxic is there to hit things that can't be touched by the t spikes ie. Landorus, Mandibuzz, Latios/as, Zapdos, Charizard, etc. In terms of the EV's, I invested a lot into special defensive because I found that most of the fire coverage in the tier and in general that toxapex would switch into were special attacks.
Celesteela @ Leftovers
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 252 HP / 100 Def / 156 SpD
Sassy Nature
- Leech Seed
- Protect
- Heavy Slam
- Flamethrower
Next up is Celesteela, what you can consider the glue of the team. What I found was that even though M-Scizor is a good check to the threats of our wincon, trying to use it as a check as well as a wincon was stretching this member a little too thin. Not just that, but M-Scizor was incapable of dealing with Ferrothorn which my whole team was susceptible to so with all that in mind, I instantly looked to Celesteela.
i] It can act as an extra check for Zygarde's threats, it can 2HKO any Ferrothorn (98% chance to 2HKO if SpD Ferro got up seeds.)
ii] Leech seed + protect + t spikes are a deadly combination.
iii] Switches into Lando/Earthquakers for Toxapex, Lele/Fairies for Gren + Zygarde.
Landorus-Therian @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpA
Impish Nature
- Earthquake
- U-turn
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Stealth Rock
Finally, we have the staple, defensive Landorus-T. I'm sure most of us know what this Pokemon does by now but let's review anyway.
i] Intimidate is such a useful ability. It can eliminate a lot of the fear of switching into physical attackers.
ii] Combined with the rocky helmet, this member can be a huge punisher for phys attackers.
iii] HP Ice for things like opposing Zygarde and Lando-T, the former being potentially dangerous for our team.
iv] Set ups SR which is helpful for punishing switches.
v] Great paired with Toxapex. Switches into any phys attacker that scares it out and vice versa.
vi] U-turn is great for creating offensive momentum.
*I know that leftovers is pretty much as common as rocky helmet so I guess it comes down to preference. I won't act like the ability to regenerate Lando isn't valuable but I find that with this team, the rocky helmet is more useful for potentially putting opposing pokemon in range of our various priority attacks.
Okay, so now that we have the team, let's talk overall threats from my experience:
i] Tapu Koko
There's no solid switch in on this team to this pokemon. Lando + Zygarde are immune to it's stab but can be beatdown with HP Ice if your opponent predicts/isn't choiced. That being said, it also outspeeds our entire team if Gren isn't all Ashed up. Even though this pokemon is an absolute threat, I've found that it's typically only in the earlier stages of the game.
ii] Volcarona
There aren't any perfect ways to revenge KO this pokemon after a clean QD. M Scizor + Celesteela give Volcarona a lot of opportunities so getting rocks early and keeping them up is vital. If Gren is in Ash form, however, it will KO +1 SpD Volcarona after ESpeed or rocks so keep that in mind when you see one.
iii] Sableye-Mega
So, I faced a calm mind + W-o-W set which caught me completely off guard and almost swept me but this team is definitely equipped with the tools to outplay it. I'm not sure how common CM is on Sableye but even the regular set can be a pain by potentially spreading burns to our physical attackers as well as bouncing back important hazards.
iv] Stall
etc...
Sableye stall especially can be very troublesome for this team. Minimal to no hazards depending on your opponents team build + both wincons are physical attackers which don't appreciate a burn from Sableye. Now, in my experience, the matchup isn't unwinable, but patience as well as the proper playmaking is critical.
v] Magnezone
Magnezone can trap two really important members of this team in Celesteela and M-Scizor. Celesteela can take one hit at full and 2HKO and with Scizor, it's probably best to limit obviously switching into it as well as keeping up offensive momentum by U-turning.
Last mentions:
I'm very much aware of the lack of hazard control on my team but I felt because of the nature and plan behind the team, there was just no use/room for hazard control.
So yeah, this is the team I built based around DDZ Zygarde. Tell me what you think and where you think improvements can be made! Thanks for your time!
Cheers!
-Consciousthoughts
PS:
Here are a couple of ladder replays if you're interested on seeing potentially how the team can work.
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7ou-652891777
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7ou-652618806
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7ou-652906626
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7ou-653058847
This is the first team that I built from the ground up in a while and it's worked pretty well so far getting me to mid 1500's in 20 games but I still think it could use some work so I'm very much open to criticisms and modifications.
The team:
Greninja @ Choice Specs
Ability: Battle Bond
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Hydro Pump
- Water Shuriken
- Spikes
- Dark Pulse
To start off, we have the Mizukage himself, Choice Specs Battle-Bond Greninja. When I very first started building this team, it was built around a Dance+Coil Iapapa Zygarde and I felt that Greninja would make a great partner.
i] It's very much of a speedy glass cannon which can be good for creating opportunities for a setup sweeper to either revenge KO or setup.
ii] It can hazard stack if you spot a lack of HC on your opponents team which also supports a Zygarde sweep.
iii] The water shuriken priority, when in Ash-form, can nab Tapu Koko after either 2 rock turns or rocks + t spikes/reg spikes (Which is one of this teams bigger troublemakers).
Zygarde @ Dragonium Z
Ability: Aura Break
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Thousand Arrows
- Outrage
- Extreme Speed
- Dragon Dance
Now we move on to the Wincon, DDance + Dragonium Z Zygarde. This thing is a beast, with it's staple move (Thousand Arrows) having no immunities despite it's typing. As a late game sweeper, this member typically will only need one boost to clean up games, especially if you focus on hazards and chipping early on. As I said before, originally I was running the Iapapa set (and that set is still viable for this team I feel) but in my opinion, the Z move gives Zygarde the ability to be a move dependable revenge killer if necessary. Now when I looked at this member and all of the checks and counters that would give me a hard time, this is the next member that came to mind.
Scizor @ Scizorite
Ability: Light Metal
EVs: 248 HP / 64 Atk / 120 Def / 16 SpD / 60 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Bullet Punch
- U-turn
- Roost
Mega Scizor, by far one of if not my favorite pokemon, competitively and otherwise. When I thought about things that scared Zygarde as well as Greninja, this is what came to mind: scarf Lele, Ferrothorn, Clefable, Tangrowth, pretty much any fast/bulky fairies along with bulky grasses. With that being the case, Mega Scizor was the perfect member to join the team. Now you might question bulky SD + U-turn but I find that this set actually maximizes Mega-Scizor's current potential.
i] SD + Bullet punch can shread through teams that have been weakened by hazards or our other wincons. Also, this clears out fairies for Zygarde.
ii] U-turn can keep up offensive momentum allowing you to get more opportunities to bring in our wincons as well as can 2 hit KO AV Tangrowth and can KO at +2. Also, a good option if Psychic Terrain is up.
iii] With it's bulk + roost, you can literally setup in the face of almost any physical attacker in the tier although you shouldn't mess with potential Z pokemon.
Toxapex @ Black Sludge
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 72 Def / 184 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Toxic Spikes
- Toxic
- Recover
- Scald
With Scizor being the counter/check for Zygarde's threats, I decided it was important to include a defensive member that not only backed up Scizor well by checking it's threats but also could set up hazards reliably. Enter: Toxapex. This member in my opinion is absolutely vital. Toxic spikes are essential for this team, as it will slowly but consistently chip away at your opponent's team making all the priority on our team more dangerous each turn. Toxic is there to hit things that can't be touched by the t spikes ie. Landorus, Mandibuzz, Latios/as, Zapdos, Charizard, etc. In terms of the EV's, I invested a lot into special defensive because I found that most of the fire coverage in the tier and in general that toxapex would switch into were special attacks.
Celesteela @ Leftovers
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 252 HP / 100 Def / 156 SpD
Sassy Nature
- Leech Seed
- Protect
- Heavy Slam
- Flamethrower
Next up is Celesteela, what you can consider the glue of the team. What I found was that even though M-Scizor is a good check to the threats of our wincon, trying to use it as a check as well as a wincon was stretching this member a little too thin. Not just that, but M-Scizor was incapable of dealing with Ferrothorn which my whole team was susceptible to so with all that in mind, I instantly looked to Celesteela.
i] It can act as an extra check for Zygarde's threats, it can 2HKO any Ferrothorn (98% chance to 2HKO if SpD Ferro got up seeds.)
ii] Leech seed + protect + t spikes are a deadly combination.
iii] Switches into Lando/Earthquakers for Toxapex, Lele/Fairies for Gren + Zygarde.
Landorus-Therian @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpA
Impish Nature
- Earthquake
- U-turn
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Stealth Rock
Finally, we have the staple, defensive Landorus-T. I'm sure most of us know what this Pokemon does by now but let's review anyway.
i] Intimidate is such a useful ability. It can eliminate a lot of the fear of switching into physical attackers.
ii] Combined with the rocky helmet, this member can be a huge punisher for phys attackers.
iii] HP Ice for things like opposing Zygarde and Lando-T, the former being potentially dangerous for our team.
iv] Set ups SR which is helpful for punishing switches.
v] Great paired with Toxapex. Switches into any phys attacker that scares it out and vice versa.
vi] U-turn is great for creating offensive momentum.
*I know that leftovers is pretty much as common as rocky helmet so I guess it comes down to preference. I won't act like the ability to regenerate Lando isn't valuable but I find that with this team, the rocky helmet is more useful for potentially putting opposing pokemon in range of our various priority attacks.
Okay, so now that we have the team, let's talk overall threats from my experience:
i] Tapu Koko
There's no solid switch in on this team to this pokemon. Lando + Zygarde are immune to it's stab but can be beatdown with HP Ice if your opponent predicts/isn't choiced. That being said, it also outspeeds our entire team if Gren isn't all Ashed up. Even though this pokemon is an absolute threat, I've found that it's typically only in the earlier stages of the game.
ii] Volcarona
There aren't any perfect ways to revenge KO this pokemon after a clean QD. M Scizor + Celesteela give Volcarona a lot of opportunities so getting rocks early and keeping them up is vital. If Gren is in Ash form, however, it will KO +1 SpD Volcarona after ESpeed or rocks so keep that in mind when you see one.
iii] Sableye-Mega
So, I faced a calm mind + W-o-W set which caught me completely off guard and almost swept me but this team is definitely equipped with the tools to outplay it. I'm not sure how common CM is on Sableye but even the regular set can be a pain by potentially spreading burns to our physical attackers as well as bouncing back important hazards.
iv] Stall
Sableye stall especially can be very troublesome for this team. Minimal to no hazards depending on your opponents team build + both wincons are physical attackers which don't appreciate a burn from Sableye. Now, in my experience, the matchup isn't unwinable, but patience as well as the proper playmaking is critical.
v] Magnezone
Magnezone can trap two really important members of this team in Celesteela and M-Scizor. Celesteela can take one hit at full and 2HKO and with Scizor, it's probably best to limit obviously switching into it as well as keeping up offensive momentum by U-turning.
Last mentions:
I'm very much aware of the lack of hazard control on my team but I felt because of the nature and plan behind the team, there was just no use/room for hazard control.
So yeah, this is the team I built based around DDZ Zygarde. Tell me what you think and where you think improvements can be made! Thanks for your time!
Cheers!
-Consciousthoughts
PS:
Here are a couple of ladder replays if you're interested on seeing potentially how the team can work.
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7ou-652891777
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7ou-652618806
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7ou-652906626
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7ou-653058847
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