DON'T USE TYPHLOSION
VGC Typhlosion Sun team
(the title is tongue-in-cheek, in case you haven't figured it out)
Oh, what's up? So I've been working on this team for a while, but I only just finalized everything. Ever since Flash Fire was released on Typhlosion, I wanted to take it for a spin on a VGC Sun team (where else did you think I was gonna use it? RU? hahahaha) so I thought of something and then tested it out. I had to weed out a few problems with the team but I got this down. (Sure as hell works better than my Mega Sceptile team did - I wish I had this for regionals...)
Team Building Process:
I started out with this on paper - Mega Charizard Y to get Sun up, Typhlosion for basically the only reason you'd use it (Scarf Eruption WOOOOOOOOOO!,) Rotom-H for my Thundurus counter, Venusaur for a Chlorophyll sweeper who could also put things to sleep, Conkeldurr to beat Heatran, and Cresselia as a back-up Sunny Day user.
I didn't even need to test to realize one big problem with the team: Mega Camerupt. Basically all that thing needed was some Trick Room and it could steamroll through everything. So, I decided to fix that by adding Azumarill to the team - who could also do something about Conkeldurr and Hariyama, so that was a nice addition.
After some testing, I was realizing one Pokemon in particular just really wasn't holding up - Conkeldurr. I felt like I needed it for Heatran, but it just didn't seem to be doing a good job at that - especially if Sun was up and its Heat Waves started really denting it (even with the Assault Vest.) I theorized many Fighting-types that could take its place but got stuck - Terrakion was too frail, and a lot of other Fighting-types (Infernape, etc.) are pretty niche, but I finally found one that would work - Hariyama. In addition, it gave me something that it turns out is just too good not to have in VGC: Fake Out.
The team:
Charizard @ Charizardite Y
Ability: Blaze
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 196 Def / 60 SpA
Bold Nature
- Heat Wave
- Overheat
- Solar Beam
- Protect
You can't have a sun team without Mega Charizard Y. What were you gonna use? Ninetales? I wish I could have that be my whole description, but I can't, so I have to go into greater detail. Charizard here serves to get the Sun up, strengthening Typhlosion's Eruptions and mitigating Rotom-H's Water weakness (what the hell is a Rotom-W?) Pretty standard moveset; moves here are self-explanatory. What you're probably questioning is: Bold Nature?! What are you doing?! These EVs guarantee that Mega Mawile's Sucker Punch never 2HKOes. It also lives Adamant Landorus-T's Rock Slide, so that's nice too. Even without full Special Attack investment, this thing is still a nuke, so I'm not too concerned with that.
Typhlosion @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Flash Fire
Level: 50
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Eruption
- Flamethrower
- Focus Blast
- Solar Beam
Typhlosion here can function in two different ways: Revenge killer or late-game sweeper. That's about it. Seriously, you don't want to lead with this thing (I lost quite a few games because I was dumb enough to lead with it.) Once Typhlosion finds a window to destroy, that's what it's going to do - Sun-boosted full HP Eruptions are basically murder, so it makes it a pretty awesome late-game sweeper (and it can also revenge kill because of Scarf and stuff.) Solar Beam is pretty much just for coverage against Waters, and Flamethrower is for decent non-Eruption STAB (also really helps against Wide Guard.) Focus Blast is basically filler, but I guess it helps against Heatran? Nah, don't ever go for Focus Blast. If you've reached the point where you have to rely on hitting two Focus Blasts in order to win, you've already lost. I run a Modest Nature just to maximize power; Speed-wise, you only really lose out on Jolly Scarf Landorus-T, but that's just not common enough to justify dropping your power.
Rotom-Heat @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Levitate
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 140 Def / 116 SpA
Bold Nature
- Overheat
- Thunderbolt
- Will-O-Wisp
- Protect
What? Were YOU going to run a team with no counters to Talonflame or Thundurus? I wasn't. Of all the Rotom formes, Rotom-H gets the nod due to this being a Sun team (also, I reeeeeeally don't like Hydro Pump so I'd probably still be using this on not-sun teams.) The team also needs some Will-O-Wisp to be able to cripple deadly Physical attackers if needed (I don't like Landorus-T either.) The EVs give me a decent chance to OHKO 204 SDef Mega Mawile without sun, but I stopped investing there because I didn't want to detract from bulk too much. It seems that most Mega Mawiles don't run that much Special Defense, so I'll probably be fine anyway.
Azumarill @ Wacan Berry
Ability: Huge Power
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 180 Atk / 76 SpD
Careful Nature
- Aqua Jet
- Play Rough
- Light Screen
- Protect
Now, Azumarill here, I didn't want to use any of the sets that are on the analysis - Belly Drum doesn't seem right to use given that Sun would weaken Aqua Jet, Choice Band was out because one Choice item is enough, and obviously I can't use Whirlpool because I don't have Gothitelle or anything, so I made this set up. So it gives me a way of not totally sucking against Mega Camerupt while also not being totally worthless if sun's up (it can still set up Light Screen to protect against Special hits, and Play Rough doesn't get nerfed.) Now, this EV spread has a pretty simple explanation despite seeming unusual - This Azumarill always lives Mega Charizard Y's Solar Beam (though I based it on last year's spread - seems that most Megazards run more Bulk now so I can probably live quite comfortably) while still having decent power behind it. Also, the Wacan Berry is just great - This Azumarill literally could not care any less about Thundurus. Just take that Thunderbolt like a champ, Play Rough, then Aqua Jet. Game, set, match.
Hariyama @ Leftovers
Ability: Thick Fat
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 164 Atk / 40 Def / 52 SpD
Brave Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Fake Out
- Close Combat
- Knock Off
- Wide Guard
At first glance, it seems unusual to have Hariyama on this team. Usually, it sees no use outside of Trick Room (I even use a Trick Room Nature and spread on it - this is just in case I'm faced against Trick Room, though.) However, I need a Fighting-type, I need Fake Out, and it needed to be able to take Heatran comfortably even with Sun up. This is what I landed on - Invested just enough in Bulk to always avoid being 3HKOed by Modest Heatran's Earth Power after Leftovers, just enough in Attack to always OHKO 180 HP Heatran with Close Combat, and then the rest in Defense (there are four surplus in Defense due to how EVs work at Level 50, but I have to put the full 508 in, otherwise I go insane.) Knock Off is always nice to have because removing items is always a plus, and Wide Guard is just great for having protection against spread moves.
Cresselia @ Expert Belt
Ability: Levitate
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 52 SpA / 204 SpD
Calm Nature
- Sunny Day
- Ice Beam
- Trick Room
- Helping Hand
Now, this is the one member I'm not so sure about. It started out as a secondary Sun setter, and it's basically mandatory on this team, if not just for checking Landorus-T (EVs are just enough to secure the OHKO) and beating Mega Salamence, but it just consistently feels like the least useful member. Maybe the lack of Moonlight and/or a Sitrus Berry just really hurts its longevity and thus its effectiveness. I mean, when it comes to checking Landorus-T and Mega Salamence, it does its job amazingly, and having Trick Room on it gives me a safety net against opposing Trick Room teams (or use it to make Hariyama "faster" than everything, lol.) However, ever since I put Helping Hand on this set, Cresselia has managed to make itself more useful since now it can do something other than beat Landorus-T and Mega Salamence.
Conclusion
Typhlosion sucks, DON'T USE IT - okay, I'm sorry. I'd try to make the conclusion tongue-in-cheek too, but that'd just be trying too hard. Typhlosion is actually pretty neat in VGC because Eruption is actually somewhat usable, and, due to the move's limited distribution (especially with Heatran being unable to have Eruption in VGC,) Typhlosion is probably the best user of it. So, if you're ever getting around to making a Sun team, do consider putting Typhlosion on it.
Importable
VGC Typhlosion Sun team
(the title is tongue-in-cheek, in case you haven't figured it out)
Oh, what's up? So I've been working on this team for a while, but I only just finalized everything. Ever since Flash Fire was released on Typhlosion, I wanted to take it for a spin on a VGC Sun team (where else did you think I was gonna use it? RU? hahahaha) so I thought of something and then tested it out. I had to weed out a few problems with the team but I got this down. (Sure as hell works better than my Mega Sceptile team did - I wish I had this for regionals...)
Team Building Process:
I started out with this on paper - Mega Charizard Y to get Sun up, Typhlosion for basically the only reason you'd use it (Scarf Eruption WOOOOOOOOOO!,) Rotom-H for my Thundurus counter, Venusaur for a Chlorophyll sweeper who could also put things to sleep, Conkeldurr to beat Heatran, and Cresselia as a back-up Sunny Day user.
I didn't even need to test to realize one big problem with the team: Mega Camerupt. Basically all that thing needed was some Trick Room and it could steamroll through everything. So, I decided to fix that by adding Azumarill to the team - who could also do something about Conkeldurr and Hariyama, so that was a nice addition.
After some testing, I was realizing one Pokemon in particular just really wasn't holding up - Conkeldurr. I felt like I needed it for Heatran, but it just didn't seem to be doing a good job at that - especially if Sun was up and its Heat Waves started really denting it (even with the Assault Vest.) I theorized many Fighting-types that could take its place but got stuck - Terrakion was too frail, and a lot of other Fighting-types (Infernape, etc.) are pretty niche, but I finally found one that would work - Hariyama. In addition, it gave me something that it turns out is just too good not to have in VGC: Fake Out.
The team:
Charizard @ Charizardite Y
Ability: Blaze
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 196 Def / 60 SpA
Bold Nature
- Heat Wave
- Overheat
- Solar Beam
- Protect
You can't have a sun team without Mega Charizard Y. What were you gonna use? Ninetales? I wish I could have that be my whole description, but I can't, so I have to go into greater detail. Charizard here serves to get the Sun up, strengthening Typhlosion's Eruptions and mitigating Rotom-H's Water weakness (what the hell is a Rotom-W?) Pretty standard moveset; moves here are self-explanatory. What you're probably questioning is: Bold Nature?! What are you doing?! These EVs guarantee that Mega Mawile's Sucker Punch never 2HKOes. It also lives Adamant Landorus-T's Rock Slide, so that's nice too. Even without full Special Attack investment, this thing is still a nuke, so I'm not too concerned with that.
Typhlosion @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Flash Fire
Level: 50
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Eruption
- Flamethrower
- Focus Blast
- Solar Beam
Typhlosion here can function in two different ways: Revenge killer or late-game sweeper. That's about it. Seriously, you don't want to lead with this thing (I lost quite a few games because I was dumb enough to lead with it.) Once Typhlosion finds a window to destroy, that's what it's going to do - Sun-boosted full HP Eruptions are basically murder, so it makes it a pretty awesome late-game sweeper (and it can also revenge kill because of Scarf and stuff.) Solar Beam is pretty much just for coverage against Waters, and Flamethrower is for decent non-Eruption STAB (also really helps against Wide Guard.) Focus Blast is basically filler, but I guess it helps against Heatran? Nah, don't ever go for Focus Blast. If you've reached the point where you have to rely on hitting two Focus Blasts in order to win, you've already lost. I run a Modest Nature just to maximize power; Speed-wise, you only really lose out on Jolly Scarf Landorus-T, but that's just not common enough to justify dropping your power.
Rotom-Heat @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Levitate
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 140 Def / 116 SpA
Bold Nature
- Overheat
- Thunderbolt
- Will-O-Wisp
- Protect
What? Were YOU going to run a team with no counters to Talonflame or Thundurus? I wasn't. Of all the Rotom formes, Rotom-H gets the nod due to this being a Sun team (also, I reeeeeeally don't like Hydro Pump so I'd probably still be using this on not-sun teams.) The team also needs some Will-O-Wisp to be able to cripple deadly Physical attackers if needed (I don't like Landorus-T either.) The EVs give me a decent chance to OHKO 204 SDef Mega Mawile without sun, but I stopped investing there because I didn't want to detract from bulk too much. It seems that most Mega Mawiles don't run that much Special Defense, so I'll probably be fine anyway.
Azumarill @ Wacan Berry
Ability: Huge Power
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 180 Atk / 76 SpD
Careful Nature
- Aqua Jet
- Play Rough
- Light Screen
- Protect
Now, Azumarill here, I didn't want to use any of the sets that are on the analysis - Belly Drum doesn't seem right to use given that Sun would weaken Aqua Jet, Choice Band was out because one Choice item is enough, and obviously I can't use Whirlpool because I don't have Gothitelle or anything, so I made this set up. So it gives me a way of not totally sucking against Mega Camerupt while also not being totally worthless if sun's up (it can still set up Light Screen to protect against Special hits, and Play Rough doesn't get nerfed.) Now, this EV spread has a pretty simple explanation despite seeming unusual - This Azumarill always lives Mega Charizard Y's Solar Beam (though I based it on last year's spread - seems that most Megazards run more Bulk now so I can probably live quite comfortably) while still having decent power behind it. Also, the Wacan Berry is just great - This Azumarill literally could not care any less about Thundurus. Just take that Thunderbolt like a champ, Play Rough, then Aqua Jet. Game, set, match.
Hariyama @ Leftovers
Ability: Thick Fat
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 164 Atk / 40 Def / 52 SpD
Brave Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Fake Out
- Close Combat
- Knock Off
- Wide Guard
At first glance, it seems unusual to have Hariyama on this team. Usually, it sees no use outside of Trick Room (I even use a Trick Room Nature and spread on it - this is just in case I'm faced against Trick Room, though.) However, I need a Fighting-type, I need Fake Out, and it needed to be able to take Heatran comfortably even with Sun up. This is what I landed on - Invested just enough in Bulk to always avoid being 3HKOed by Modest Heatran's Earth Power after Leftovers, just enough in Attack to always OHKO 180 HP Heatran with Close Combat, and then the rest in Defense (there are four surplus in Defense due to how EVs work at Level 50, but I have to put the full 508 in, otherwise I go insane.) Knock Off is always nice to have because removing items is always a plus, and Wide Guard is just great for having protection against spread moves.
Cresselia @ Expert Belt
Ability: Levitate
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 52 SpA / 204 SpD
Calm Nature
- Sunny Day
- Ice Beam
- Trick Room
- Helping Hand
Now, this is the one member I'm not so sure about. It started out as a secondary Sun setter, and it's basically mandatory on this team, if not just for checking Landorus-T (EVs are just enough to secure the OHKO) and beating Mega Salamence, but it just consistently feels like the least useful member. Maybe the lack of Moonlight and/or a Sitrus Berry just really hurts its longevity and thus its effectiveness. I mean, when it comes to checking Landorus-T and Mega Salamence, it does its job amazingly, and having Trick Room on it gives me a safety net against opposing Trick Room teams (or use it to make Hariyama "faster" than everything, lol.) However, ever since I put Helping Hand on this set, Cresselia has managed to make itself more useful since now it can do something other than beat Landorus-T and Mega Salamence.
Conclusion
Typhlosion sucks, DON'T USE IT - okay, I'm sorry. I'd try to make the conclusion tongue-in-cheek too, but that'd just be trying too hard. Typhlosion is actually pretty neat in VGC because Eruption is actually somewhat usable, and, due to the move's limited distribution (especially with Heatran being unable to have Eruption in VGC,) Typhlosion is probably the best user of it. So, if you're ever getting around to making a Sun team, do consider putting Typhlosion on it.
Importable
Charizard @ Charizardite Y
Ability: Blaze
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 196 Def / 60 SpA
Bold Nature
- Heat Wave
- Overheat
- Solar Beam
- Protect
Typhlosion @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Flash Fire
Level: 50
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Eruption
- Flamethrower
- Focus Blast
- Solar Beam
Rotom-Heat @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Levitate
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 140 Def / 116 SpA
Bold Nature
- Overheat
- Thunderbolt
- Will-O-Wisp
- Protect
Azumarill @ Wacan Berry
Ability: Huge Power
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 180 Atk / 76 SpD
Careful Nature
- Aqua Jet
- Play Rough
- Light Screen
- Protect
Hariyama @ Leftovers
Ability: Thick Fat
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 164 Atk / 40 Def / 52 SpD
Brave Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Fake Out
- Close Combat
- Knock Off
- Wide Guard
Cresselia @ Expert Belt
Ability: Levitate
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 52 SpA / 204 SpD
Calm Nature
- Sunny Day
- Ice Beam
- Trick Room
- Helping Hand
Ability: Blaze
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 196 Def / 60 SpA
Bold Nature
- Heat Wave
- Overheat
- Solar Beam
- Protect
Typhlosion @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Flash Fire
Level: 50
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Eruption
- Flamethrower
- Focus Blast
- Solar Beam
Rotom-Heat @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Levitate
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 140 Def / 116 SpA
Bold Nature
- Overheat
- Thunderbolt
- Will-O-Wisp
- Protect
Azumarill @ Wacan Berry
Ability: Huge Power
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 180 Atk / 76 SpD
Careful Nature
- Aqua Jet
- Play Rough
- Light Screen
- Protect
Hariyama @ Leftovers
Ability: Thick Fat
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 164 Atk / 40 Def / 52 SpD
Brave Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Fake Out
- Close Combat
- Knock Off
- Wide Guard
Cresselia @ Expert Belt
Ability: Levitate
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 52 SpA / 204 SpD
Calm Nature
- Sunny Day
- Ice Beam
- Trick Room
- Helping Hand
