INTRO
Hello everyone, I have encountered many great rain teams while battling and felt like sun teams weren't getting as much play. So today I'm going to share my very own sun team! (I will leave the export/import text for showdown at the bottom)
SUN SETTER 1
What kind of sun team would it be without our boy Torkoal? Torkoal is an extremely common pick for sun teams and for very good reasons. This is of course our first sun setter. This mon has a monstrous defense stat and a decent sp. def stat which is perfect for taking hits and covering for your more frail pokemon. For my team I've decided to give my Torkoal Leftovers and have its move set consist of Body press (for coverage and high damage output), Rapid spin (eliminating hazards especially stealth rock), Yawn (crippling enemy threats) and Heat wave (STAB that hits both foes). It's nature is Relaxed (+Def,-Spe) with max defense and HP EV's. And its ability is Drought obviously.
SWEEPER 1
Lilligant is a threat thanks to its high sp. attack and its ability Chlorophyll which doubles its speed in the sun. Lilligant is already decently fast without Chlorophyll but its ability decreases the chance of it being outsped and one shot, so I prefer using this one. You may be thinking "Why not Venusaur?" well it seemed too obvious and Lilligant has always been one of my favorite grass types and this seemed like its time to shine. Lilligant is holding a Life orb to increase its damage and has the moves Solar Beam (reliable STAB), Synthesis (recovery), Toxic (for tanky foes) and Pollen Puff (for some coverage and fast healing of allies). It has a Modest nature
(+SpA, -Atk) and max speed and sp. attack EV's. Side note, Lilligant will lose 10% HP even if Pollen Puff is used for healing allies so you can swap out the Life orb for a Miracle seed or something else, but it's not as much of a problem because it has Synthesis.
SUPPORT 1
Comfey is a great support mon because of its ability Triage and access to helpful status moves. It's pretty bulky and speedy which is also a bonus. Comfey is holding Leftovers and has Floral healing (priority ally heal), Draining Kiss (priority self heal), Encore (messing with enemy strats) and Aromatherapy (for curing status conditions). It has a Timid nature (+Spe, -Atk) and max speed and HP EV's. Its Draining Kiss may not be a big threat but for this team Comfey's job is to stay alive as long as possible and to keep your other mons as healthy as possible.
SUN SETTER 2
A bit of an obvious pick but still a reliable option. Unlike Torkoal who is a defensive sun setter, Ninetales is an offensive sun setter. It may not be as bulky but it has a surprisingly decent sp. def stat with decent sp. attack and speed to go along with it. I didn't exactly know what item to give it so I just went with the safe option of Leftovers again. Ninetales has a pretty typical move set with Solar Beam (powerful coverage), Extrasensory (for more diversity), Flamethrower (reliable STAB) and Nasty Plot (for becoming a bigger threat). It has a Timid nature (+Spe, -Atk) and max speed and sp. attack EV's. Great for setting up the sun with Drought and threatening foes. Ninetales is a bit frail but that can be covered for by its speed and/or your support mon's healing.
SWEEPER 2
Heliolisk doesn't get the most play normally but in the sun it can do tons of damage without needing to set up because of its ability Solar Power. Just like most sweepers, Heliolisk is also a bit frail but it makes up for that with its great speed and sp. attack stats. Mainly Heliolisk is here to threaten water types along with Lilligant. Another bonus of using it is because it deals with flying types who threaten Lilligant, while Lilligant protects it from ground types. I gave it Bright powder but you can choose to swap it out for something else. It has the moves Thunderbolt (reliable STAB), Hyper Voice (STAB + hits both foes), Grass Knot (coverage) and Dragon Pulse (type diversity). You could run a Dry Skin Heliolisk to absorb any incoming water damage to Torkoal or Ninetales but with the sun up if you're gonna lose HP at least do it for the sp. attack increase instead. It has a Timid nature (+Spe, -Atk) with max speed and sp. attack EV's.
SUPPORT 2
For the purpose of our team a Clefairy is actually a much better choice than Clefable. With its ability Friend Guard and Eviolite it's a great support mon in double battles. It has access to good moves and in this team it has Helping Hand (boosting allies), Follow Me (protecting frail allies), Heal Pulse (healing allies) and Encore (for messing with enemy strats). It has an identical role to Comfey but it has slow healing and damage redirection which may be more useful in some cases. It's great for allowing allies to switch in. It has a Calm nature (+SpD, -Atk) with max HP and sp. def EV's.
WHO SHOULD BE MY LEAD?
Depending on which pokemon you're up against your lead can drastically change but here is a list of possible leads:
Full defense lead: Clefairy & Comfey / Torkoal & Support
Partial defense lead: Torkoal & Sweeper
Double sun lead: Ninetales & Torkoal
Full offense lead: Ninetales & Sweeper
Partial offense lead: Support & Sweeper / Ninetales
I don't recommend leading with two sweepers because the sun won't be up yet.
Well that's as far as the explanation goes! If you'd like to use this team please help yourself to the import/export text below. This team isn't perfect and I'd like to hear people's thoughts on it and ways they'd change it!
Torch (Torkoal) (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Drought
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpA
Relaxed Nature
- Body Press
- Rapid Spin
- Yawn
- Heat Wave
Lillil (Lilligant) @ Life Orb
Ability: Chlorophyll
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Pollen Puff
- Synthesis
- Solar Beam
- Toxic
Trino (Comfey) (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Triage
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Floral Healing
- Draining Kiss
- Encore
- Aromatherapy
Fren (Ninetales) (F) @ Leftovers
Ability: Drought
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Solar Beam
- Extrasensory
- Flamethrower
- Nasty Plot
Sunny (Heliolisk) (M) @ Bright Powder
Ability: Solar Power
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Thunderbolt
- Dragon Pulse
- Grass Knot
- Hyper Voice
Clefairy (F) @ Eviolite
Ability: Friend Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Helping Hand
- Follow Me
- Heal Pulse
- Encore