I've been competitive battling on-and-off for years now, and I've come up with a few fairly successful teams. This is my first team since Black and White 2 were released, and here it is:
Togekiss @Leftovers
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 HP/4 Def/252 SpD
Nature: Bold
~Body Slam
~Air Slash
~Aura Sphere
~Roost
I've found the basic ParaFlinch set to be a useful counter to opposing offensive leads. The basic idea is to abuse the 60% paralyze rate with Body Slam (thanks to Serene Grace) and begin spamming Air Slash, which has a 60% flinch rate, giving them a tough time getting an attack through. This set counters the Shell Smash Cloyster lead with a clean OHKO with Aura Sphere, and is enough to frustrate others. Its defenses give it a 374/249/329 slash line, making it a challenge to bring down, especially with Roost in its arsenal. Roost also has the added benefit of removing its pesky Ice, Electric, and Rock weaknesses, allowing Togekiss to defeat foes who have 2x moves. Aura Sphere is more effective than Flamethrower on this set, or most Togekiss sets, as common switch-in Tyranitar would completely destroy a set lacking it.
Breloom @Life Orb
Ability: Technician
EVs: 4 HP/252 Atk/252 Spe
Nature: Jolly
~Spore
~Mach Punch
~Low Sweep
~Bullet Seed
This set can be a menace to face. What it lacks in overall coverage (which actually isn't that bad) it makes up for in versatility and power. Barring a OHKO, this set beats nearly everything one-on-one with the infamous Spore. When their current Pokemon is fast asleep, they can either stay in and sacrifice it or switch in and take a Low Sweep, lowering the new foes speed below Breloom's level. Low Sweep hits hard with 359 Atk and Technician, making it an effective KO move. Breloom's Mach Punch rivals Scizor's Bullet Punch, a feat not to be taken lightly. If the opponent lacks a revenge killer with priority, Breloom always goes down swinging by sending it a powerful punch. Bullet Seed can be massively powerful with some luck, but that isn't the only perk. It breaks Substitutes on the first hit and hits them hard with the next couple. This is not a shroom to be underestimated.
Rotom-W @Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 248 HP/28 SpA/232 SpD
Nature: Bold
~Volt Switch
~Hydro Pump
~Thunder Wave
~Hidden Power Ice
This is very useful as a counter to lots of what rain teams have to offer. All common water types are walled, and the likes of Gliscor and Landorus-T are pummeled by Hydro Pump. The versatility that Rotom-W sees as a defensive pivot is boosted by Volt Switch which lets it escape sticky situations while hitting pretty hard on the way out. HP Ice lets it avoid being walled by Dragons and Grass types, while even though the loss of recovery from Pain Split can hurt, the need to avoid walling and keep momentum outweighs that. It used to know Will-O-Wisp over Thunder Wave, but due to conflicting status conditions, I switched it to Thunder Wave, and that better matches the statuses Togekiss and Jirachi are meant to spread anyway. Rotom-W sees much of its time as an annoying wall to foes who can bring problems to anyone, and it performs its job excellently.
Jirachi @Leftovers
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 HP/32 Atk/224 SpD
Nature: Impish
~Body Slam
~Iron Head
~Wish
~Fire Punch
While at first this may seem repetitive, the doubling-up of ParaFlinch sets is perfectly justifiable. Togekiss and Jirachi cover each others' weaknesses very well, making them able to set up and whittle down different foes. This set isn't only an annoyance, however, as it can take hits from a lot of different types with the large amounts of resistances it possesses. It also can attack with Fire Punch to hit Steel types who would otherwise laugh at this set. The ParaFlinch strategy is very effective for taking down wide ranges of threats, so doubling-up makes sense.
Victini @Life Orb
Ability: Victory Star
EVs: 4 HP/252 Atk/252 Spe
Nature: Jolly
~V-Create
~Bolt Strike
~Brick Break
~U-Turn
Victini creates the Fire/Water/Grass core, which creates both effective offensive and defensive synergy. Victini separates itself from the other Fire types due to the absolute power it can wield while keeping decent Speed and defenses. Also, a lot of people seem to be unaware of moves like Bolt Strike and Brick Break, Bolt Strike maiming Water types who were not expecting the such power, and Brick Break destroying Heatran and Tyranitar switching into Fire. While prediction can make this set very dangerous, it isn't always necessary because of V-Create, which can make a dent into nearly everything. With sun teams running around, this can make the move seem like a nuke, ripping into everything. U-Turn allows it to escape and scout the opponent. With these powerful attacks, I can afford to run Jolly and still keep a powerful offensive force. Overall, this is a dangerous Pokemon.
Ferrothorn @Leftovers
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP/88 Def/168 SpD
Nature: Relaxed
~Stealth Rock
~Leech Seed
~Gyro Ball
~Power Whip
What team does this spiky ball not fit on? There isn't a whole lot left to be said that hasn't been previously mentioned. The all-around high defenses, decently hard-hitting attacks in Gyro Ball and Power Whip, longevity in Leech Seed, etc. I run Stealth Rock over Spikes because everyone carries a Fire attack nowadays, leaving little time to set down all 3 layers. Even with the common weakness, it can perform its job excellently and wall tough foes until hell freezes over. Ferrothorn always finds a way onto my teams, and it isn't hard to see why.
I appreciate any and all advice anyone has! I am open to all suggestions
Togekiss @Leftovers
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 HP/4 Def/252 SpD
Nature: Bold
~Body Slam
~Air Slash
~Aura Sphere
~Roost
I've found the basic ParaFlinch set to be a useful counter to opposing offensive leads. The basic idea is to abuse the 60% paralyze rate with Body Slam (thanks to Serene Grace) and begin spamming Air Slash, which has a 60% flinch rate, giving them a tough time getting an attack through. This set counters the Shell Smash Cloyster lead with a clean OHKO with Aura Sphere, and is enough to frustrate others. Its defenses give it a 374/249/329 slash line, making it a challenge to bring down, especially with Roost in its arsenal. Roost also has the added benefit of removing its pesky Ice, Electric, and Rock weaknesses, allowing Togekiss to defeat foes who have 2x moves. Aura Sphere is more effective than Flamethrower on this set, or most Togekiss sets, as common switch-in Tyranitar would completely destroy a set lacking it.
Breloom @Life Orb
Ability: Technician
EVs: 4 HP/252 Atk/252 Spe
Nature: Jolly
~Spore
~Mach Punch
~Low Sweep
~Bullet Seed
This set can be a menace to face. What it lacks in overall coverage (which actually isn't that bad) it makes up for in versatility and power. Barring a OHKO, this set beats nearly everything one-on-one with the infamous Spore. When their current Pokemon is fast asleep, they can either stay in and sacrifice it or switch in and take a Low Sweep, lowering the new foes speed below Breloom's level. Low Sweep hits hard with 359 Atk and Technician, making it an effective KO move. Breloom's Mach Punch rivals Scizor's Bullet Punch, a feat not to be taken lightly. If the opponent lacks a revenge killer with priority, Breloom always goes down swinging by sending it a powerful punch. Bullet Seed can be massively powerful with some luck, but that isn't the only perk. It breaks Substitutes on the first hit and hits them hard with the next couple. This is not a shroom to be underestimated.
Rotom-W @Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 248 HP/28 SpA/232 SpD
Nature: Bold
~Volt Switch
~Hydro Pump
~Thunder Wave
~Hidden Power Ice
This is very useful as a counter to lots of what rain teams have to offer. All common water types are walled, and the likes of Gliscor and Landorus-T are pummeled by Hydro Pump. The versatility that Rotom-W sees as a defensive pivot is boosted by Volt Switch which lets it escape sticky situations while hitting pretty hard on the way out. HP Ice lets it avoid being walled by Dragons and Grass types, while even though the loss of recovery from Pain Split can hurt, the need to avoid walling and keep momentum outweighs that. It used to know Will-O-Wisp over Thunder Wave, but due to conflicting status conditions, I switched it to Thunder Wave, and that better matches the statuses Togekiss and Jirachi are meant to spread anyway. Rotom-W sees much of its time as an annoying wall to foes who can bring problems to anyone, and it performs its job excellently.
Jirachi @Leftovers
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 HP/32 Atk/224 SpD
Nature: Impish
~Body Slam
~Iron Head
~Wish
~Fire Punch
While at first this may seem repetitive, the doubling-up of ParaFlinch sets is perfectly justifiable. Togekiss and Jirachi cover each others' weaknesses very well, making them able to set up and whittle down different foes. This set isn't only an annoyance, however, as it can take hits from a lot of different types with the large amounts of resistances it possesses. It also can attack with Fire Punch to hit Steel types who would otherwise laugh at this set. The ParaFlinch strategy is very effective for taking down wide ranges of threats, so doubling-up makes sense.
Victini @Life Orb
Ability: Victory Star
EVs: 4 HP/252 Atk/252 Spe
Nature: Jolly
~V-Create
~Bolt Strike
~Brick Break
~U-Turn
Victini creates the Fire/Water/Grass core, which creates both effective offensive and defensive synergy. Victini separates itself from the other Fire types due to the absolute power it can wield while keeping decent Speed and defenses. Also, a lot of people seem to be unaware of moves like Bolt Strike and Brick Break, Bolt Strike maiming Water types who were not expecting the such power, and Brick Break destroying Heatran and Tyranitar switching into Fire. While prediction can make this set very dangerous, it isn't always necessary because of V-Create, which can make a dent into nearly everything. With sun teams running around, this can make the move seem like a nuke, ripping into everything. U-Turn allows it to escape and scout the opponent. With these powerful attacks, I can afford to run Jolly and still keep a powerful offensive force. Overall, this is a dangerous Pokemon.
Ferrothorn @Leftovers
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP/88 Def/168 SpD
Nature: Relaxed
~Stealth Rock
~Leech Seed
~Gyro Ball
~Power Whip
What team does this spiky ball not fit on? There isn't a whole lot left to be said that hasn't been previously mentioned. The all-around high defenses, decently hard-hitting attacks in Gyro Ball and Power Whip, longevity in Leech Seed, etc. I run Stealth Rock over Spikes because everyone carries a Fire attack nowadays, leaving little time to set down all 3 layers. Even with the common weakness, it can perform its job excellently and wall tough foes until hell freezes over. Ferrothorn always finds a way onto my teams, and it isn't hard to see why.
I appreciate any and all advice anyone has! I am open to all suggestions
