First attempted team

tomtom5858

I'm new to competitive battling. This is my first team, so feel free to poke as many holes in it as possible, make suggestions, or, if it's really terrible, tell me to scrap it.

The Lead
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Infernape@ Focus Sash
Jolly Nature
EVs:4 HP, 252 Att, 252 Spe
-Fake Out
-Close Combat
-Fire Punch
-Stealth Rock

(nickname: Firefly): I really like Infernape. It always gets Stealth Rock up, and Fire/Fighting hits the virtually all common leads for neutral damage at least. If the opponent sends in a special wall (which usually have low defense), then I hit them hard with a physical attack. If for some reason, they’re stupid enough to send in a Skarmory or Blissey, then I can 2KO with Fire Punch or OHKO with Close Combat, respectively, if I got my Rocks up, and if I didn’t, then it’s a 2KO on Blissey, and either 2 or 3KO Skarmory if it uses Brave Bird.





The Special Wall
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Snorlax@Lefties
Careful Nature
EVs: 252 HP, 156 Att, 100 SpD
-Return
-Curse
-Fire Punch
-Rest

(nickname: Patrick): Snorlax is a great special wall, as long as I keep it out of the way of Pokes with boosting moves or CSpecs with Focus Blast/Aura Sphere. It also makes a great late game boosting sweeper, and unlike Blissey, isn't set-up fodder for Ghosts. +1 Return on DD TTar will 3KO, but you need +3 to 2KO. Return over Body Slam because if 'lax is Cursing, it's not going to out speed anything, even if it's paralyzed.





The Spinner
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Starmie@Lefties
Timid Nature
EVs:252 HP, 4SpA, 252 Spe
-Rapid Spin
-Recover
-Surf
-Thunderbolt


(nickname: Alarm): My sweeper doesn’t appreciate entry hazards on my side of the field, as Life Orb recoil and entry hazard damage can add up quickly. Rapid Spin lets them disappear in to thin air. Recover means that I can keep Starmie healthy, and keep removing entry hazards. Surf and TBolt get great coverage, and even with the small investment, they do huge amounts of damage. In addition, Starmie can switch into, outspeed, and OHKO MixApe, who my team had huge problems with before.





The Spiker
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Skarmory@Shed Shell
Impish Nature
EVs: 252 HP, 240 Def, 16 Spe
-Spikes
-Whirlwind
-Brave Bird
-Roost

(nickname: Scar): SkarBliss FTW! Skarmory walls any physical attacker like there's no tomorrow. Tyranitar? A +1 Stone Edge does, at most 50.3% damage, so bar a crit, Skarmory can live to Roost. CB Stone Edge, however, does up to 83.8%, so I have to Roost first. However, due to the low PP of SE, I will win the stall war. Gyarados? Roughly the same story, but easier. Metagross? Do I have to keep repeating myself? Also, Whirlwind makes life hell on PokéEarth for anything at all. A minimum of 12.5% every time they bring something in means that LO sweepers don't fare well, and if I predict a switch, I Whirlwind to rack up even more damage. Shed Shell is to switch out of Magnezone to avoid being OHKOed.




The Sweeper
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Shaymin@Life Orb
Modest Nature
EVs:4 HP, 252 SpA, 252 Spe
IVs: 30 SpA
-Seed Flare
-Earth Power
-Hidden Power [electric]
-Leech Seed

(nickname: IGTEM): Shaymin is my favorite Pokémon. Period. I desperately needed a sweeper, and I thought: what about LO Shaymin? YES SHAYMIN IS AWESOME!!1!!11!
Total thinking time: 0.3 seconds. Anyway, Seed Flare rips giant holes in anything not named Metagross or Blissey. I deal with the former with Earth Power; the latter gets Seed Flared to death. The Special Defense drop really helps hit everything hard if it comes in, and at 40%, it’s the same likelihood that Hypnosis will miss. HP [electric] obliterates any Gyarados brave enough to switch in. Any Gyarados is at the very least, 2KOed by it, even if the Gyara has +SpD nature and 252 SpD EVs, and HP has 30 power. Leech Seed is what I like, as Blissey gives massive recovery. However, Rest is a possibility for recovery, and due to Natural Cure, I don’t need Blissey to restore status. But, I have to switch out after Rest, a problem that doesn’t occur with Leech Seed.





The Revenge Killer
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Rotom@Choice Scarf
Timid Nature
EVs: 252 HP, 252 Spe, 4 SpA
-Shadow Ball
-Hydro Pump
-Will-o-Wisp
-Trick


(nickname: Scratchy): Ah, the RKOer. My favourite part of any team. Shadow Ball and Hydro Pump get great coverage, as well as decimating Heatran, always getting a 2KO. Will-o-Wisp can imobilize any physical attacker, and Trick majorly screws up any wall. Everything is pretty standard, except for Will-o-Wisp. Getting in a WoW could mean the game for either side, as Gyarados, Tyranitar, Metagross, any physical attacker that isn't Fire type, could KO Rotom without the Burn Damage reduction.







Former Members

Foretress@Lefties
Relaxed Nature
EVs: 252 HP, 56 Att, 200 Def
-Explosion
-Rapid Spin
-Gyro Ball
-Spikes

I had Foretress on here until my entire team got swept by a MixApe. Starmie spins much better, has recovery, and has better type coverage.


Swampert@Lefties
Impish Nature
EVs:152 HP, 252 Att, 54 Def, 54 SpD
-Rest
-Sleep Talk
-Waterfall
-Earthquake

Ah, Swampert. This particular Pokémon go me out of plenty of scrapes, but it's time has come and gone. I don't need a sleep absorber any more, as 2/3 of my team outruns Breloom. Goodbye, dear friend.


Lucario@Choice Scarf
Jolly Nature
EVs: 4 HP, 252 Att, 252 Spe
-Close Combat
-Crunch
-Ice Punch
-Thunder Punch

Lucario. Good times, good times. Coverage, damage, everything but the kitchen sink. Apparently, it needed the kitchen sink, as it failed to do it's job sometimes. Any Poke with recovery would wall this thing like there's no tomorow. Bye.


Blissey@Lefties
Bold Nature
EVs:252 HP, 252 Def, 4 SpD
-Softboiled
-Seismic Toss
-Aromatherapy
-Thunder Wave

Snorlax is better. Period. Got it? Good.
 
Infernape has a lot of fun with this team, especially the Mixed variants. The Swampert is fine when defending against Pokemon like Infernape, but the MixApe variants normally be rocking Grass Knot, so it's a no-no for Swampert. I don't see Fortress walling Infernape either, unless all of the sudden it gets a Water-type, no. Luckily, you can kill 2 birds with one stone here. You can take out both Swampert and Fortress and replace it with Starmie, who can do both Pokemon's jobs. Starmie can be a really good bulky water, while at the same time being able to Rapid Spin. It also has Recovery, which will make it last longer in battle. You can always run 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe@ Timid, but if you want more bulk, 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 Spe@ Timid would be more appropriate.

I realize this this leaves you with a pretty big Tyranitar weak, but you still have a slot left. If you still feel comfortable with having a Rest Talker, then a ResTalk Machamp will probably work magic here. At some point, Skarmory also works well here. Skarmory can take any hit from Tyranitar that isn't Fire Punch. The Whirlwind/Spike combination Skarmory also makes any team's life hell if they ain't prepared for it. Also, the SkarmBliss combo may be old, but it still works, so I'd try it out. Lucario seems fine I guess, but I'd try out Swords Dance Lucario. This thing can still sweep entire teams if unprepared for, so I'd give it a try as well.

Not a bad team for a new comer, props.
 
Pretty good team, but Mixed Infernape will shred it completely, as it's faster than all of your Pokemon bar Lucario and OHKOs in return. Grass Knot will OHKO Swampert, Flamethrower will OHKO Forretress, Shaymin, and Lucario, Close Combat will OHKO Blissey before it evens hits. And for your LeadApe, Most leads actually, will kill it before it kills them. Lead Metagross and Swampert can both survive Fire Punch and Close Combat, respectively, and both will OHKO w/EQ. So I'd recommend getting a Jolteon to replace Shaymin, because Jolteon will ALWAYS be faster than MixApe and will OHKO with HP Ground/ Thunderbolt. And it doesn't leave you Tyranitar weak.
 
Hey I got your message(s) obviously, so yes I'd be happy to rate the team now. Obviously it's pretty solid, Lucario is a somewhat underrated revenge killer with some surprise on his side and SkarmBliss and f/w/g cores are as solid as ever. I immediately notice a lack of a spin blocker. With just SR it's fine, but you want your spikes to stay on the field, don't you? You also possess a nasty weakness to fire type attacks, and while Starmie can usually bail you out, it can be hard to switch in. LO Starmie is also really difficult, and really only Blissey can stop it at the cost of all of your entry hazards.

To fix these problems up, you might consider replacing Lucario with a Scarf Rotom-w.
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@ Choice Scarf
252 HP / 252 Spe / 4 SpDef
Timid
-Thunderbolt
-Hydro Pump
-Will-o-wisp
-Trick

Rotom-w does many awesome things for this team. Firstly, you now have a spin blocker to help ensure that your spikes stay on the field. Secondly, with HP EVs and this moveset, you can revenge most any threat you will encounter in some way, including but not limited to Infernape, Lucario, Starmie or even Dragonite. Thirdly, trick can really help you out of some sticky situations, such as CM Suicune or Jirachi who currently are very hard for this team to face.

That's all the advice I have, I hope this helps.
 
Hi there TomTom5858,

Nice job for a 1st RMT! When browsing through your team, I noticed that you have a bit of a weakness to Calm Mind sweepers. Once Blissey goes down, there is nothing that will be able to take a boosted attack or deal significant damage back. In addition, Blissey will lose to anything with Recovery, so it isn't the most reliable check to the likes of Suicune with Rest and Jirachi with Calm Mind and Wish. Also, Heatran seems to be difficult to switch into without playing catch-up for a big portion of the match.

To remedy this issue, I would highly suggest changing Scarf Lucario to a Scarf Jirachi. The set is:

Jirachi @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spe / 4 HP
Nature: Jolly
-Thunder Punch
-Fire Punch
-Trick
-Iron Head
Click to expand...

This Pokemon has similar revenging capabilities as Lucario, and it allows you to beat those tricky Set-up Pokemon. Also, if you're in a tough spot, you can Trick your Scarf onto another Problem Pokemon.

I hope that helped. Good luck with the team, and have fun at smogon!
 
@undisputed: As much as I like Jirachi, I found that in a test run (yes, I have a ScarfAchi just lying around) that ScarfRotom-W works much better. My entire team got swept by a SpecsEon with TBolt. Thanks for the rate!
 
It's a bit unfortunate that Scarf Lucario may have to be replaced, but a spin blocker is absolutely essential on any team that utilizes entry hazards. Rotom-W sounds like a great suggestion to fulfill the role of spin blocker. One thing to definitely watch out for would be Tyranitar, especially Dragon Dance variants. Lucario can revenge kill them, but Rotom-w unfortunately struggles with this task. Be sure to scout your opponent's team and use Will-O-Wisp if necessary to catch Tyranitar on the switch.

Additionally, I feel that the theme of this team has shifted to a more offensive pace as of late. Therefore, the SkarmBliss combo, while effective on defensive teams, may not be a good fit on this otherwise offensively-minded team. Skarmory does provide you with useful entry hazards, so it should be fine. However, I would definitely encourage you to try out a standard Curse Snorlax in place of Blissey. It provides basically the same level of special walling ability (Thick Fat is remarkably helpful in this regard), while functioning as a potentially threatening late-game sweeper. A moveset of Curse / Body Slam / Fire Punch / Rest should be sufficient. Snorlax can also work as a good status absorber if the need arises, and it helps you out more as a last remaining weapon against stall teams.

Good luck!
 
@Faladran: Another option is Tricking my scarf onto it as it switches. I tried this, and the TTar was completely neutered. Snorlax is awesome, so I have no problem replacing Blissey.
 
I can see quite a bit of improvement, but I see your team very, very weak to LO Jolteon as I will OHKO half of your team and SEVERELY cripple the rest of your Pokemon if not KO them. the only Pokemon I know that won't get OHKOed is Rotom-W, but he gets 2HKOed and can't do anything life-threatening to Jolteon. And MixApe is still a threat. So LO Jolteon and MixApe combined will just murder your team entirely. I'd suggest getting a CroCune at your own risk. It will OHKO MixApe but will succumb to LO Jolteon, so in conjunction with that, get a Raikou because he will WALL Jolteon entirely and he can hit back hard w/ HP Ground, and Jolteon doesn't carry HP Ground and even if he did, it wouldn't be a OHKO.
 
Snorlax can easily RKO Jolteon, as it can endure two TBolts, and 2KO with Return. As for MixApe, Starmie takes nothing from anything it tries to hit it with (even U-Turn needs a crit), easily outspeeds it, and easily OHKOs with Surf.
 
No offense intended, but this is a very standard, unoriginal team. There are hundreds of teams similar, if not almost the same as this one. However, having said that, it is still quite a balanced team. Although now a lesser seen threat, Choice Scarf Flygon can do some major damage to your team. It maims Starmie with U-turn, kills Infernape with Earthquake, can do some damage to snorlax, and fries Skarmory and Shaymin with fire blast. You might wanna try a dragon of your own... but its up to you.

Just my two cents. Good luck!
 
Hi,

Your team ain't weak to Entry Hazards, although, yes, it is annoying but try Life Orb Starmie, it's damn good!! Hydro Pump 2HKO's 252 HP/224SpD Jirachi including SR Damage.
 
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