I really like Clefable because the ability to ignore hazards/weather pretty much entirely is ridiculously valuable in this gen. While the tank sets are of high utility, I just don't really get a ton of enjoyment out of playing them. I also don't have the patience to constantly get into heinous clef on clef action which is a common occurrence once you hit the upper ladder especially. I threw together this team with a few mons I enjoy playing with and it's done fairly well, but it's probably still the weakest team I'm running currently. I'm looking for insight on what better options may be available for some of the supporting pieces:
Raikou @ Lum Berry
Ability: Pressure
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Rash Nature
- Thunderbolt
- Extreme Speed
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Aura Sphere
Raikou is a nifty lead in that he threatens a lot with his speed and high special attack, and has enough natural bulk to stick around for at least a few turns. Lum berry is good insurance when dealing with the likes of T-Wave Azelf or Machamp. Extreme Speed lets me finish off opposing leads that opt to set up turn 1 as well as provide this team with some priority, which it needs. Because I'm already locked into a Rash nature, I run Aura Sphere to chunk Tyranitar that want to come in here. Raikou is at his best when you're getting good milage out of him, if the Raikou doesn't die in the first act he does have a habit of going off in the third. He does suffer a bit from Four moveslot syndrome, has to pick a poison with hidden power (Swampert is a problem) and does always seem to be missing just enough juice to finish off threats in one turn. Being stuck at 329 speed can also be a difficult pill to swallow and while extreme speed is priority, the damage output is pretty pitiful. I mainly used Raikou because I think he's cool and fun, but I'm not married to him at the lead slot.
Hippowdon @ Leftovers
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Slack Off
- Crunch
Hippo helps set the sand which most of my team exploits to rack up passive damage. I went for a specially defensive set to help keep hazards up (Hippo can take care of Starmie that want to rapid spin), besides having solid recovery and a thunder wave immunity. He does kind of struggle doing damage to levitating mons, but it's difficult to abandon crunch and let substitute ghosts set up on me. Hippo is generally effective until he gets burned or poisoned, at which point he gets walled down.
Heatran @ Leftovers
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Protect
- Flamethrower
- Will-O-Wisp
- Earth Power
Heatran was added as a means to deal with the stall variants of Rotom that I'm otherwise bodied by without him. He does have the added benefit of serving as a Jirachi counter, and can take out opposing Heatran that have been chipped. Because I'm running Will-O-Wisp, I opted for Flamethrower over Lava Plume. Protect is to scout opposing choice and rack up passive damage with sand and burn in place. He does struggle to break through the ubiquitous clefable, and is a sitting duck for Gyara that don't get burned. I also don't love adding another body to the earthquake fodder list on this team, but he serves a few critical roles where he is indispensable.
Jirachi @ Leftovers
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 HP / 224 Def / 32 Spe
Impish Nature
- Wish
- U-turn
- Iron Head
- Body Slam
I wanted both a physical wall and a wish passer to help alleviate some of the hazard weakness this team carries. Jirachi is kind of the reliable plug into any role you need mon, and so that's what I've done here. The 32 speed EVs beat Tyranitar, the rest of which I've poured into bulk. Maximizing HP lets Jirachi pass a gigantic wish after which he can get some chip with U-turn. There is nothing particularly inventive here, but the steel typing does let Jirachi deal with some special threats in addition to being a physical wall. Paralysis is the most effective pain that stops Jirachi in his tracks for the most part. I've seen a few too many Jirachi on Jirachi fights here, but I prefer U-turn over Fire Punch to spread Wish and avoid Magnezone if I can help it. Body slam is nice to spread a bit of paralysis to empower Clefable and Hippo to be a bit more proactive.
Clefable @ Life Orb
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Fire Blast
- Ice Beam
- Soft-Boiled
- Thunderbolt
I opted to go wide coverage on this clefable, and when she's able to attack the damage is pretty substantial. IVs are distributed to maximize bulk and special offense. Clef can eat unboosted Dnite outrage/+1 Gyara Waterfall and then deliver a KO. If the opposing Jirachi is paralyzed, Clefable is usually able to mop up and get the kill with Fire Blast. There is some benefit to running an uncommon set in that most opponents switch expecting a more passive Clef. This has led to a few free kills on mons hoping to set up. The major blockers to Clefable's success are Breloom and Tyranitar, which both can come in and switch offensive momentum. I've thought about investing speed instead of bulk to outrun some versions of Breloom, but because it's not going to give me 100% coverage I'm not really excited about sacrificing longevity. Clef could run focus blast but sacrificing coverage leaves me vulnerable elsewhere (i.e then I settle for not covering one of Gyara/Suicune, Dnite, or Steel types). Additionally, she still isn't beating opposing clef. The increased offensive output does let me put a little more pressure than usual to draw out soft-boiled PP and Ice beam always has a freeze chance, but I'm usually needing to play around with a few different mons to get the job done.
Flygon @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- U-turn
- Earthquake
- Outrage
- Thunder Punch
Flygon is the primary source of speed for my time, and can help corral set up threats. Like most Flygon of this ilk, he helps clean up the end of games and deals with stray Jirachi. He does help provide an earthquake immunity, and if Starmie decides it wants to kill Hippo instead of spinning, Flygon puts some pressure with U-turn to keep hazards up. I do struggle to find times to bring him in, he lacks enough punch to dispense stalling mons by himself, and the U-turn/Earthquake mind games can sometimes be a bit of a detriment because of the lack of speedy options to pivot to in the event I choose incorrectly. Nonetheless, Flygon is a good panic button to have in my back pocket if one of the premier set up mons want to come in and cause some trouble.
Threats:
Breloom: Spore is a nuisance for most teams, but the slower build I have here combined with really a lack of reliable options to deal with him without knowing the set immediately make it a bit tricky to play around. Jirachi can beat the offensive sets, but the defensive leech seed sets are problematic. Clefable can sometimes dispatch the ones that run focus punch, but without knowing the set it's difficult to gameplan.
Rain: A specially offensive rain team is a death sentence for me here. Hippo doesn't have enough in the tank to reset the weather and take a hit, meaning I usually only get one shot to beat the rain. I don't really have good stalling capabilities, so if 8 turns of rain are set there is a high likelihood Kingdra eats my team for breakfast.
Opposing Clef: The best plan for killing Clef being 'get Jirachi to wear it down with iron head' is not enough to let me sleep at night. Once Clef starts doing clef things by spreading knock off and thunder wave it disables a lot of what I want to do in other phases of the game. Not the most unbeatable threat compared to other teams but certainly a big problem.
Raikou @ Lum Berry
Ability: Pressure
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Rash Nature
- Thunderbolt
- Extreme Speed
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Aura Sphere
Raikou is a nifty lead in that he threatens a lot with his speed and high special attack, and has enough natural bulk to stick around for at least a few turns. Lum berry is good insurance when dealing with the likes of T-Wave Azelf or Machamp. Extreme Speed lets me finish off opposing leads that opt to set up turn 1 as well as provide this team with some priority, which it needs. Because I'm already locked into a Rash nature, I run Aura Sphere to chunk Tyranitar that want to come in here. Raikou is at his best when you're getting good milage out of him, if the Raikou doesn't die in the first act he does have a habit of going off in the third. He does suffer a bit from Four moveslot syndrome, has to pick a poison with hidden power (Swampert is a problem) and does always seem to be missing just enough juice to finish off threats in one turn. Being stuck at 329 speed can also be a difficult pill to swallow and while extreme speed is priority, the damage output is pretty pitiful. I mainly used Raikou because I think he's cool and fun, but I'm not married to him at the lead slot.
Hippowdon @ Leftovers
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Slack Off
- Crunch
Hippo helps set the sand which most of my team exploits to rack up passive damage. I went for a specially defensive set to help keep hazards up (Hippo can take care of Starmie that want to rapid spin), besides having solid recovery and a thunder wave immunity. He does kind of struggle doing damage to levitating mons, but it's difficult to abandon crunch and let substitute ghosts set up on me. Hippo is generally effective until he gets burned or poisoned, at which point he gets walled down.
Heatran @ Leftovers
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Protect
- Flamethrower
- Will-O-Wisp
- Earth Power
Heatran was added as a means to deal with the stall variants of Rotom that I'm otherwise bodied by without him. He does have the added benefit of serving as a Jirachi counter, and can take out opposing Heatran that have been chipped. Because I'm running Will-O-Wisp, I opted for Flamethrower over Lava Plume. Protect is to scout opposing choice and rack up passive damage with sand and burn in place. He does struggle to break through the ubiquitous clefable, and is a sitting duck for Gyara that don't get burned. I also don't love adding another body to the earthquake fodder list on this team, but he serves a few critical roles where he is indispensable.
Jirachi @ Leftovers
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 HP / 224 Def / 32 Spe
Impish Nature
- Wish
- U-turn
- Iron Head
- Body Slam
I wanted both a physical wall and a wish passer to help alleviate some of the hazard weakness this team carries. Jirachi is kind of the reliable plug into any role you need mon, and so that's what I've done here. The 32 speed EVs beat Tyranitar, the rest of which I've poured into bulk. Maximizing HP lets Jirachi pass a gigantic wish after which he can get some chip with U-turn. There is nothing particularly inventive here, but the steel typing does let Jirachi deal with some special threats in addition to being a physical wall. Paralysis is the most effective pain that stops Jirachi in his tracks for the most part. I've seen a few too many Jirachi on Jirachi fights here, but I prefer U-turn over Fire Punch to spread Wish and avoid Magnezone if I can help it. Body slam is nice to spread a bit of paralysis to empower Clefable and Hippo to be a bit more proactive.
Clefable @ Life Orb
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Fire Blast
- Ice Beam
- Soft-Boiled
- Thunderbolt
I opted to go wide coverage on this clefable, and when she's able to attack the damage is pretty substantial. IVs are distributed to maximize bulk and special offense. Clef can eat unboosted Dnite outrage/+1 Gyara Waterfall and then deliver a KO. If the opposing Jirachi is paralyzed, Clefable is usually able to mop up and get the kill with Fire Blast. There is some benefit to running an uncommon set in that most opponents switch expecting a more passive Clef. This has led to a few free kills on mons hoping to set up. The major blockers to Clefable's success are Breloom and Tyranitar, which both can come in and switch offensive momentum. I've thought about investing speed instead of bulk to outrun some versions of Breloom, but because it's not going to give me 100% coverage I'm not really excited about sacrificing longevity. Clef could run focus blast but sacrificing coverage leaves me vulnerable elsewhere (i.e then I settle for not covering one of Gyara/Suicune, Dnite, or Steel types). Additionally, she still isn't beating opposing clef. The increased offensive output does let me put a little more pressure than usual to draw out soft-boiled PP and Ice beam always has a freeze chance, but I'm usually needing to play around with a few different mons to get the job done.
Flygon @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- U-turn
- Earthquake
- Outrage
- Thunder Punch
Flygon is the primary source of speed for my time, and can help corral set up threats. Like most Flygon of this ilk, he helps clean up the end of games and deals with stray Jirachi. He does help provide an earthquake immunity, and if Starmie decides it wants to kill Hippo instead of spinning, Flygon puts some pressure with U-turn to keep hazards up. I do struggle to find times to bring him in, he lacks enough punch to dispense stalling mons by himself, and the U-turn/Earthquake mind games can sometimes be a bit of a detriment because of the lack of speedy options to pivot to in the event I choose incorrectly. Nonetheless, Flygon is a good panic button to have in my back pocket if one of the premier set up mons want to come in and cause some trouble.
Threats:
Breloom: Spore is a nuisance for most teams, but the slower build I have here combined with really a lack of reliable options to deal with him without knowing the set immediately make it a bit tricky to play around. Jirachi can beat the offensive sets, but the defensive leech seed sets are problematic. Clefable can sometimes dispatch the ones that run focus punch, but without knowing the set it's difficult to gameplan.
Rain: A specially offensive rain team is a death sentence for me here. Hippo doesn't have enough in the tank to reset the weather and take a hit, meaning I usually only get one shot to beat the rain. I don't really have good stalling capabilities, so if 8 turns of rain are set there is a high likelihood Kingdra eats my team for breakfast.
Opposing Clef: The best plan for killing Clef being 'get Jirachi to wear it down with iron head' is not enough to let me sleep at night. Once Clef starts doing clef things by spreading knock off and thunder wave it disables a lot of what I want to do in other phases of the game. Not the most unbeatable threat compared to other teams but certainly a big problem.
