I'm new to Smogon, and this is my first team that I built for competitive purposes.
The team has been working pretty well for me so far, but it's had mixed results, and it's been hard for me to try and determine what its weakness is. Although it's been better than my non-competitive teams, I am still on the lower end of the ladder, so any feedback would be much appreciated!
Greninja (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Protean
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Hydro Pump
- Ice Beam
- Extrasensory
- Dark Pulse
Greninja is my opening Pokemon, and, when I'm lucky, is a sweeper. The reason I open with Greninja is because it is the fastest member of my team, and the Protean ability allows me to match up against most of the Pokemon that the opponent has that they might be able to open with. Its Life Orb's purpose is to provide the extra damage output at the start of the match.
Talonflame (F) @ Sharp Beak
Ability: Gale Wings
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Brave Bird
- Flare Blitz
- U-turn
- Tailwind
Talonflame is my revenge killer. I usually send it in after Greninja has been defeated, unless the Pokemon the opponent has out is a bad matchup against Talonflame. Once I get the revenge kill with Talonflame, I use U-turn to swap it out with another Pokemon. I also gave it Tailwind so I can up the speed of the Pokemon I'm going to swap out with upon using U-turn.
Bisharp (M) @ Black Glasses
Ability: Defiant
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Knock Off
- Sucker Punch
- Iron Head
- Low Kick
Bisharp is on my team mostly just for a nice damage output against Psychic types, but it's my back-up offensive for when Gallade is KO'd. I also use it to counter Fairy types with Iron Head, and Low Kick is there for other Dark types and to take care of tanks, since they tend to be heavy Pokemon.
Chansey @ Eviolite
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpD
Bold Nature
- Soft-Boiled
- Heal Bell
- Toxic
- Seismic Toss
Chansey acts as a tank and as a healer. If my Pokemon are affected by status moves, particularly timer statuses like Poison or Burn, I swap out to use Heal Bell. I also like to swap out with Chansey when I know the opponent is about to use a hard-hitting move that they've set up. Toxic allows me to put a timer on other tanks, or sweepers, and I can outlast them using Soft-Boiled. Seismic Toss is there to provide Chansey with a reliable damage output.
Rhyperior (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Solid Rock
EVs: 212 HP / 44 Atk / 252 Def
Adamant Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Rock Blast
- Ice Punch
Rhyperior is another tank on my team, but more offensively based, as opposed to Chansey's support base. Ice Punch is to counter other Ground types, and Dragon types. If the opponent is a Flying type, but not Dragon, or if it's a Fire/Flying type like Talonflame, I use Rock Blast instead.
Gallade-Mega @ Galladite
Ability: Inner Focus
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Close Combat
- Knock Off
- Zen Headbutt
Mega Gallade is my sweeper. I usually only use Swords Dance against tanks, simply because I don't want to give an offensive opponent an opening to attack. I open with Knock Off usually, and then switch to Close Combat, unless Zen Headbutt has a type advantage.
Thanks for reading this, and thanks in advance for any advice you may be able to offer!
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