I'm new to both competitive battling and the forums, but I've been watching some streams and come up with an adaptable team that tries to cover each other Pokemon's weaknesses. It's been countered pretty hard in some matches on Showdown but I have a positive win-rate so far.
Sableye @ Lum Berry
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
- Will-O-Wisp
- Taunt
- Recover
- Foul Play
Sableye or Ferrothorn are normally my starting Pokemon due to their defensive builds and stalling/counter-stalling abilities. I'm using a traditional Prankster Sableye build running Foul Play over Confuse Ray or Knock Off because it often surprise kills physically offensive opponents on the switch. I would use Leftovers, but I've found that either Recover will keep me at full health or I'll die to a single hit move, so I replaced it with Lum Berry which has helped a lot against Toxic Spikes and other Will-O-Wisp users.
Ferrothorn @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Def
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Stealth Rock
- Leech Seed
- Gyro Ball
- Power Whip
Ferrothorn serves as my other potential starting Pokemon as well as a usual switch-in from Pinsir or Ninetales against physical threats. Leech Seed serves to force switches and increase the potential damage from Stealth Rock. Gyro Ball and Power Whip give Ferrothorn the ability to knock even bulky Pokemon out without help, although I'm considering switching one to Toxic or Thunder Wave for extra survivability and momentum, since the rest of my team so far has a lot of damage. I originally had Bronzong in this position as a double-screener and Stealth Rock user, but I felt it wasn't worth the space as it couldn't function on its own and often lost large chunks of its health before it could set up a screen.
Goodra @ Assault Vest
Ability: Sap Sipper
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
Modest Nature
- Draco Meteor
- Thunderbolt
- Sludge Bomb
- Flamethrower
I use Goodra as a tanky special mix with the Assault Vest for added survivability. It serves as a switch in from Swampert if I can predict a Grass attack coming, or a Water attack from a Pokemon with higher speed than Ninetales. I prefer Draco Meteor over Dragon Tail or Pulse because it usually one-hit-KO's and I tend to switch it back out after its first attack. I might replace Sludge Bomb with something else, since the only Fiary types I see are Whimsicott, which outspeeds Goodra. Goodra can stick around for a while with its bulk, but in my experience it's been fairly vulnerable to status conditions, tampering with its effectiveness without being able to heal or refresh.
Ninetales @ Air Balloon
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Flamethrower
- Energy Ball
- Nasty Plot
- Dark Pulse
Probably the least conventional member of my party, Ninetales serves as a glass cannon which I switch in against other Fire types that threaten Sableye, Pinsir and Ferrothorn. I use Flash Fire for this purpose, since Drought hinders my team more than it helps. As it functions mainly as a switch-in against Fire types, I've been considering running Hidden Power Water instead of Dark Pulse. The Air Balloon helps Ninetales survive against offensive threats such as Heracross and Pinsir. Since Ninetales is a glass cannon and sometimes doesn't survive more than one hit, I'm thinking of switching the Air Balloon with Choice Scarf or Specs for the extra impact. Ninetales is so far the weakest Pokemon on my team, but in some cases it's managed to knock-out five of my opponent's Pokemon with its high speed after using a single Nasty Plot.
Pinsir @ Pinsirite
Ability: Hyper Cutter
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Return
- Feint
- Close Combat
Pinsir is my physical glass cannon which I can switch in against Predicted Earthquakes, even if it hasn't Mega Evolved yet. I had X-Scissor in the place of Feint earlier because I didn't like to double-up on attacks with the same type, but Feint is fantastic against Protect-using Ghosts and weaker opponents that don't use priority moves. I'm not too worried about the defensive reduction from Close Combat since I will usually switch it out after it attacks like I do Goodra. I prefer to use a Jolly nature over Adamant because of the common Pokemon used in OU that barely outspeed Mega Pinsir. It's extremely weak to Stealth Rock though, since I have no way to remove entry hazards without using Sableye's Taunt.
Swampert @ Choice Band
Ability: Torrent
EVs: 204 HP / 252 Atk / 52 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Waterfall
- Earthquake
- Brick Break
- Avalanche
Swampert is my physical tank and attacker that serves as a switch in against Heatran and Electric types, as well as a potential starter if I don't predict a status user or physical attacker. Its only weakness is covered by Ninetales and Goodra, so it can stick around for a while and accumulate a fair amount of damage with Choice Band. The main problem I have with Swampert is some bad predictions, but besides that it's often the core of my team and can play flexibly enough to counter most threats.
Sableye is able to prevent entry hazards, but if it isn't in play I have no way to remove them later, and they can be a killing point for my team. I'm still not sure if I should switch to a Spinner since I like my team's coverage, but it's the main cause of losing battles for me.
Sableye @ Lum Berry
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
- Will-O-Wisp
- Taunt
- Recover
- Foul Play
Sableye or Ferrothorn are normally my starting Pokemon due to their defensive builds and stalling/counter-stalling abilities. I'm using a traditional Prankster Sableye build running Foul Play over Confuse Ray or Knock Off because it often surprise kills physically offensive opponents on the switch. I would use Leftovers, but I've found that either Recover will keep me at full health or I'll die to a single hit move, so I replaced it with Lum Berry which has helped a lot against Toxic Spikes and other Will-O-Wisp users.
Ferrothorn @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Def
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Stealth Rock
- Leech Seed
- Gyro Ball
- Power Whip
Ferrothorn serves as my other potential starting Pokemon as well as a usual switch-in from Pinsir or Ninetales against physical threats. Leech Seed serves to force switches and increase the potential damage from Stealth Rock. Gyro Ball and Power Whip give Ferrothorn the ability to knock even bulky Pokemon out without help, although I'm considering switching one to Toxic or Thunder Wave for extra survivability and momentum, since the rest of my team so far has a lot of damage. I originally had Bronzong in this position as a double-screener and Stealth Rock user, but I felt it wasn't worth the space as it couldn't function on its own and often lost large chunks of its health before it could set up a screen.
Goodra @ Assault Vest
Ability: Sap Sipper
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
Modest Nature
- Draco Meteor
- Thunderbolt
- Sludge Bomb
- Flamethrower
I use Goodra as a tanky special mix with the Assault Vest for added survivability. It serves as a switch in from Swampert if I can predict a Grass attack coming, or a Water attack from a Pokemon with higher speed than Ninetales. I prefer Draco Meteor over Dragon Tail or Pulse because it usually one-hit-KO's and I tend to switch it back out after its first attack. I might replace Sludge Bomb with something else, since the only Fiary types I see are Whimsicott, which outspeeds Goodra. Goodra can stick around for a while with its bulk, but in my experience it's been fairly vulnerable to status conditions, tampering with its effectiveness without being able to heal or refresh.
Ninetales @ Air Balloon
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Flamethrower
- Energy Ball
- Nasty Plot
- Dark Pulse
Probably the least conventional member of my party, Ninetales serves as a glass cannon which I switch in against other Fire types that threaten Sableye, Pinsir and Ferrothorn. I use Flash Fire for this purpose, since Drought hinders my team more than it helps. As it functions mainly as a switch-in against Fire types, I've been considering running Hidden Power Water instead of Dark Pulse. The Air Balloon helps Ninetales survive against offensive threats such as Heracross and Pinsir. Since Ninetales is a glass cannon and sometimes doesn't survive more than one hit, I'm thinking of switching the Air Balloon with Choice Scarf or Specs for the extra impact. Ninetales is so far the weakest Pokemon on my team, but in some cases it's managed to knock-out five of my opponent's Pokemon with its high speed after using a single Nasty Plot.
Pinsir @ Pinsirite
Ability: Hyper Cutter
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Return
- Feint
- Close Combat
Pinsir is my physical glass cannon which I can switch in against Predicted Earthquakes, even if it hasn't Mega Evolved yet. I had X-Scissor in the place of Feint earlier because I didn't like to double-up on attacks with the same type, but Feint is fantastic against Protect-using Ghosts and weaker opponents that don't use priority moves. I'm not too worried about the defensive reduction from Close Combat since I will usually switch it out after it attacks like I do Goodra. I prefer to use a Jolly nature over Adamant because of the common Pokemon used in OU that barely outspeed Mega Pinsir. It's extremely weak to Stealth Rock though, since I have no way to remove entry hazards without using Sableye's Taunt.
Swampert @ Choice Band
Ability: Torrent
EVs: 204 HP / 252 Atk / 52 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Waterfall
- Earthquake
- Brick Break
- Avalanche
Swampert is my physical tank and attacker that serves as a switch in against Heatran and Electric types, as well as a potential starter if I don't predict a status user or physical attacker. Its only weakness is covered by Ninetales and Goodra, so it can stick around for a while and accumulate a fair amount of damage with Choice Band. The main problem I have with Swampert is some bad predictions, but besides that it's often the core of my team and can play flexibly enough to counter most threats.
Sableye is able to prevent entry hazards, but if it isn't in play I have no way to remove them later, and they can be a killing point for my team. I'm still not sure if I should switch to a Spinner since I like my team's coverage, but it's the main cause of losing battles for me.
