First thread First Team. Pokemon lets GO!

Edgo

Edgo

Hey everyone!

This is my first thread, so please forgive me if I break any rules.

I’ve absolutely loved Pokémon since Gen1. I have amazing memories of playing with my brother. (He had red and I had blue). I stopped for a while after Gen3 and picked up Pokémon X about a month ago and now starting on the competitive scene. I’ve played about 15 Ranked matches after the same amount of free battles with this team i made. Without much luck, I think it’s time to ask for some advice to help me go well in the VGC. [I just signed up and am yet to play a match, or register my battle box]

I spent a lot of time just looking up teams on Smogon, and decided on which Pokémon i liked the most. My favourite Pokémon on my team is Volcarona and i don’t seem to use it on Rated battles due to not wanting to waste another spot for my spinner. My favourite Mega in the game is Kangaskhan so I can use it for the VGC and rated battles (I believe). I’ve always loved Kangaskhan due to its design and the episode ‘The Kangaskhan kid’ KANGA KANGA KANGASKHAN. I love using my Blastoise as my spinner as I just love the Pokémon. I’ve had a plush Blastoise since I was little and I still love it. Another Pokémon I liked was Crobat so I decided to use it as my stall breaker/staller.

Well that’s enough for the intro; I’m looking for advice to help improve my team for VGC & Rated Battles. I’m pretty new to this whole scene so any advice would be greatly appreciated. J

P.S As I was making this thread, making the team of Pokémon showdown with the exact stats and I found that most of my Pokémon weren’t as good as I thought. Making a few mistakes with EV training and also some of the IV’s were mistaken. Anyway I will be changing the team up and or remaking the Pokémon’s anyway, with the help from you here at Smogon.

My Team:
479-wash.png

Rotom-Wash @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SAtk / 4 Spd
Modest Nature
- Hydro Pump
- Thunderbolt
- Will-O-Wisp
- Protect

See PinoyPwnage's Post

haxorus.gif


KIMMY (Haxorus) (F) @ Choice Band

Ability: Mold Breaker

EVs: 252 Spd / 252 Atk / 4 HP

Jolly Nature

IVs: 18 SAtk

- Earthquake

- Assurance

- Outrage

- Poison Jab

My Rocks and diamonds Pokémon. Sometimes sweeps with outrage/EQ but other than that it gets absolutely demolished. Assurance/poison jab for fairy/ghost Pokémon and the choice band for extra damage. I found this build somewhere on here (apparently outdated) but with superpower instead of Assurance as i don’t have BW2 as of yet. Really looking for some advice with this one!

kangaskhan.gif


SKIPPY (Kangaskhan) (F) @ Kangaskhanite

Ability: Scrappy

EVs: 252 Atk / 252 HP / 4 Spd

Jolly Nature

IVs: 30 HP / 13 SAtk

- Earthquake

- Sucker Punch

- Return

- Fake Out

I LOVE Kangaskhan! It being one of my most favourite Pokémon generally speaking, it also does the most work on my team. Being an awesome switch in, revenge killer and also a sweeper, Kangaskhan is just so awesome. It’s upsetting that Kangaskhanite is banned in OU PO but its available in Battle spot and other competitions so I’m happy. This is the generic Kanga build and I’m loving it at the moment. Does fall second best to a rough skinned Garchomp or anything similar though.

talonflame.png

Talonflame @ Life Orb
Ability: Gale Wings
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 Atk / 4 HP
Adamant Nature
- Brave Bird
- Flare Blitz
- Tailwind
- Protect

See PinoyPwnage's Post

goodra.gif


BABY (Goodra) (F) @ Assault Vest

Ability: Sap Sipper

EVs: 252 SAtk / 252 HP / 4 Def

Modest Nature

IVs: 29 Atk

- Thunderbolt

- Fire Blast

- Focus Blast

- Dragon Pulse

I’ve found Goodra to be especially versatile with its attacks. It’s already high Spdef lead me to choose it at my Special Wall/ Special Attacker. Assault vest works well with this setup and it’s usually my surprise lead. This Pokémon does dish out a lot of damage before being taken out
but still gets pummelled by Dragon and ice type moves. I’ve found its best used as a switch in for Blastoise to take any electric type attacks.



Aegislash @ Weakness Policy
Ability: Stance Change
EVs: 252 SAtk / 252 HP / 4 SDef
Modest Nature
- Shadow Ball
- Flash Cannon
- Wide Guard
- King's Shield

See PinoyPwnage's Post.


When I use this team, I most often pick Goodra, Kangaskhan and Haxorus. I really like the feel of the double dragon and it can be either really good or really bad. I’ve used different cores on occasions but really not feeling it. I think I’ve found the hardest part being which 3 to bring to battle with me. I am looking forward to the next round of tutoring as i just missed the past round but any help would be greatly appreciated!!!
Thanks in advance for any advice you can give! :)

EDIT
Would like to know what my core should be as i have finally finished breeding and fixing the team up!
 
Last edited:
Im not familiar with VGC, so I dont know if this is a stupid question, but why does Blastoise have Foresight? Is evasion a thing in VGC?

Also Goodra needs Dragon Pulse over Meteor Mash.
 
I'm not really that into VGC but i do have a couple of thing i would do, based on my opinion and probably not was professional advice as some other people might give but where are my thoughts:

Blastoise, In VGC i have only seen the use of Stealth Rock once. Its not that common to have entry hazards therefore making Foresight a bit useless. You can run Blastoise with Rapid Spin tho i suggest a Ice Beam for the Foresight.

Kangaskhan, You might want to pick Power-up Punch instead of Earthquake. Its a consideration because you might take out your own Pokémon with EQ. And with the Parental Bond giving you a +2 each Power-up Punch

In general i see a lot of protect moves. I dont see any protect on your team and in combination with EQ you might want to give a few Pokémon Protect.

I hope this helped a little bit, i'll say again that these are based on my opinion.

EDIT: You might want to change your EV spread on Crobat a little bit. I use (tho not on VGC) 120 HP / 136 Atk / 252 Spd. You outspeed most things except the scarfmons but other than that you get more out of the Brave Birds.
 
Thanks for that, i got beat by a Power-up Punch Kangaskhan before and wondered if it was better than EQ. Im going to start using Power-up Punch now :)

Im not sure about foresight still i thought it was a good idea for rocks agaisnt ghost pokemon, but the ice beam does sound really good.

im gonna try that Ev spread on my crobat since its a bit whacked atm.

Thanks for your input. :)
 
Hi Edgo, and welcome to Smogon! Glad to see more people are starting to play VGC and Doubles. :]

First Impressions

My first impression of this team is that it was made for a Single Battle format, rather than a Double Battle format such as VGC 2014. This is noticeable due to the fact not one member of your team carries Protect; an extremely vital move in VGC or any Doubles metagame for that matter. Most, if not all, experienced VGC players use Protect for the purpose of outplaying and outpredicting your opponent. Not only that, Protect is useful for scouting the first turn to observe what your opponent does and it also disrupts double targeting. Doubles metagames are completely different than Singles metagames; you won't win consistently if you rely on Singles strategies in VGC. But that's why I'm here, so I can help you out. :D

Set Changes

I'll start off by saying entry hazards are rarely used in VGC, especially since the metagame is far too fast-paced and most players don't really switch out as much as they do in Singles. So I see no use of having Rapid Spin at all; you shouldn't have to worry about Stealth Rocks hurting Crobat and Volcarona. Only inexperienced VGC players utilize entry hazards and most of the time, it's just simply not effective. With that said, I highly recommend you replace Blastoise with Rotom-W because he doesn't really have a niche in the VGC metagame unless he's in his Mega Evolutionary form.
479-wash.png

Rotom-Wash @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SAtk / 4 Spd
Modest Nature
- Hydro Pump
- Thunderbolt
- Will-O-Wisp
- Protect
Rotom-W is an amazing counter to Talonflame, Azumarill, and most Rain teams due to its nice Electric-Water typing. The given EV spread + Sitrus Berry allows Rotom-W to be pretty bulky and difficult to take down, while dealing a significant amount of damage to many common threats in VGC 2014. Max SpA Rotom-W with STAB Hydro Pump OHKO's threats such as Max HP Mamoswine and Chandelure (given they don't carry Focus Sashes). Its STAB Thunderbolt provides good coverage against Flying-types and Water-types and OHKO's Talonflame while dealing a huge amount of damage towards Max HP Azumarill and Timid Mega-Charizard-Y (6.3% chance to OHKO). Will-O-Wisp cripples physical attackers, notably Mega-Kangaskhan and Mega-Mawile, cutting their Attack stat in half. Protect gives you the chance to scout your opponent and potentially screw up double targeting towards Rotom-W. I also want to mention that if Rotom-W is targeted with a Grass-type move such as Mega-Charizard-Y's Solarbeam, you can switch in to Goodra and absorb the attack. This guy is a beast, you better use him. :P

As for Haxorus, I suggest you give him a Choice Scarf > Choice Band with an Adamant nature to give him the ability to outspeed his Dragon-type rivals Jolly Garchomp and Timid Hydreigon while taking them out in the process. Also, you shouldn't use Outrage in VGC because it is very unpredictable and you might end up attacking the wrong target. So instead of utilizing Outrage, replace it with Dragon Claw because you can actually choose your target and it is much more consistent. Assurance is only fit for more slower, defensive Pokémon; and it only carries a mere 50 BP. I understand you want Ghost-type coverage, but STAB Dragon Claw already deals enough damage to them when compared to Assurance. In my opinion, Rock Slide > Assurance as Rock Slide provides your team with coverage against Ice, Fire, and Flying-types and also OHKOs Mega-Charizard-Y and Talonflame. Not to mention you can get that occasional flinch hax. ;)

Mega-Kangaskhan is bulky enough to withstand multiple attacks even without the 252 HP EVs invested, so I recommend giving her a Jolly nature with an EV spread of 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd. This allows MegaMom to speed tie Mega-Charizard-Y and gives her a nice speed advantage against other common threats found in VGC 2014. By the way, Earthquake on Mega-Kangaskhan only hits once in Double Battles, and you should instead use Power-Up Punch > Earthquake on her. Power-Up Punch raises her Attack stat by two stages, making MegaMom an extremely huge threat, decimating any Pokémon that doesn't resist it.

Crobat doesn't need the defensive EV investment; it's pretty frail and it has far too many weaknesses. Instead, you should provide Crobat with an EV spread of 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd to maximize his offensive capabilities, allowing him to deal heavy damage to Scrafty and Venusaur with STAB Brave Bird. I also recommend giving Crobat Tailwind > Roost for the purpose of giving your team speed advantage and give him the ability Inner Focus and the Focus Sash item so that it is guaranteed you get up Tailwind. Like I mentioned earlier, Crobat isn't really blessed with the best defensive stats; it should be utilized more as a anti-lead thanks to his ability to handle common Fake Out users such as Scrafty. Also, since VGC battles are pretty quick, Toxic isn't too reliable because it will take a while for your opponent to lose a decent amount of damage when badly poisoned. Therefore, you should take out Toxic and give him Protect so that Crobat can scout and shield itself from strong, incoming attacks, leaving his partner to take care of the threat in the process.

I have nothing to change for Goodra; I'll leave it as is. :]

EDIT: It completely slipped my mind that Volcarona isn't legal in VGC 2014 due to the fact he isn't included in the Kalos Pokédex. Therefore, you're going to have to replace Volcarona for another special attacker.

Final Comments

Hope I helped, Edgo! Good luck with your team :D
 
Last edited:
Pinoy Pwnage said:
Hi Edgo, and welcome to Smogon! Glad to see more people are starting to play VGC and Doubles. :]

First Impressions

My first impression of this team is that it was made for a Single Battle format, rather than a Double Battle format such as VGC 2014. This is noticeable due to the fact not one member of your team carries Protect; an extremely vital move in VGC or any Doubles metagame for that matter. Most, if not all, experienced VGC players use Protect for the purpose of outplaying and outpredicting your opponent. Not only that, Protect is useful for scouting the first turn to observe what your opponent does and it also disrupts double targeting. Doubles metagames are completely different than Singles metagames; you won't win consistently if you rely on Singles strategies in VGC. But that's why I'm here, so I can help you out. :D
Click to expand...

Hey Pinoy Pwnage, Thanks for the Rating.

I look forward to breeding a perfect Rotom-W, but are field hazards really not that common?

The tips for Haxorus really help! I felt stuck there and that Choice Band wasn't giving me enough output as i expected.

I feel as Adamant/ATt is more important with my Build for Kanga as i have Suckerpunch and Fakeout. But im wondering after i change EQ for Power-up Punch, more speed would be needed rather than attack.

I feel as if i need to replace Crobat, as there could be much better options. Tailwind for Roost/Choice band over Black sludge makes more sense because hes so frail and the regen wouldn't matter anyway.

I also really like the Volcarona build you provided, its much faster and provides a better output for VGC. Although again, is speed usually preferred over att? (seems like a silly question as speed lets you att first.)

Thankyou very much for your input! :)

I've got so many questions but they are more general pokemon related (Ev training,Iv calculating and others.) But i will look elsewhere for that information as i am going to try and start breeding a decent 31/30/31/31/31/31 Modest Rotom-W.

Look forward for some more input :)
 
No problem man, anytime! :D

And to answer your question, no, entry hazards aren't common at all in VGC 2014. Especially against more experienced VGC players, you're never going to see them use Stealth Rock, Spikes, etc.

Mega-Kangaskhan should preferably have a Jolly Nature > Adamant Nature because it allows her to outspeed multiple threats such as Timid Hydreigon and Adamant Mega-Pinsir. The Jolly nature also lets MegaMom speed tie with Timid Mega-Charizard-Y and Timid or Jolly Salamence. Click here for a nice little VGC 2014 Speed Tier chart; this can help you identify which threats are faster or slower and this can provide you with a general idea of the speed of common Pokémon used in this metagame.

If you wish to replace Crobat, consider using Talonflame; a huge threat with nice dual STABs in Brave Bird and Flare Blitz, not to mention the ability Gale Wings allows him to have +1 priority with Brave Bird.

talonflame.png


Talonflame @ Life Orb
Ability: Gale Wings
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 Atk / 4 HP
Adamant Nature
- Brave Bird
- Flare Blitz
- Tailwind
- Protect
Blessed with an amazing ability in Gale Wings, STAB Brave Bird gains +1 priority and provides great coverage against Bug (Mega-Pinsir), Fighting (Scrafty), and Grass-types (Mega-Venusaur), dealing a significant amount of damage. STAB Flare Blitz absolutely decimates Steel-type threats, notably Mega-Scizor, Klefki, and Bisharp. Tailwind is there to provide your team with speed advantage, and thanks to Gale Wings, you have +1 priority to set up Tailwind. Protect is a staple to any VGC team, and of course its purpose is to scout or to shield you from potentially devastating attacks while your partner Pokémon handles that certain threat. Talonflame's excellent dual STABs provide your team with great coverage, not to mention it has the ability to still function in Trick Room thanks to Brave Bird + Gale Wings.

EDIT: It completely slipped my mind that Volcarona isn't legal in VGC 2014 due to the fact he isn't included in the Kalos Pokédex. Therefore, you're going to have to replace Volcarona for another special attacker.

Oh yeah, if you need a guide on EV training, click here for an article from NuggetBridge that can help you immensely. If you need a guide on IV's or breeding perfect Pokémon, click here for another article from NuggetBridge that is extremely useful.

Hope I helped! :D
 
Last edited:
Thank you very much!! So helpful!

I think i will replace Crobat with Talonflame, as i feel its more of a competitor. The Will-o-Wisp on Rotom-W replaces the toxic on crobat and Talonflame will definately output more damage, especially with that priority ability.

Also thanks for reinforcing the Speed>Attack confusion i had i now understand alot more of the competitve scene :)

Cheers for the links for breeding/training too! So very helpful!!!
 
Hello your team looks pretty good, but Volcarona is not actually allowed in VGC because it is not in the Kalos Dex. Also you are going to want to run protect on a lot of your Pokemon because it can such a good move in VGC.
 
Just like Celeberty mentioned, Volcarona isn't legal in VGC 2014 as it is not included in the Kalos Pokédex. Therefore, you should replace Volcarona for Special Attacking Aegislash; a great check to Fairy-types (which you lack) such as Sylveon and Mega-Gardevoir.



Aegislash @ Weakness Policy
Ability: Stance Change
EVs: 252 SAtk / 252 HP / 4 SDef
Modest Nature
- Shadow Ball
- Flash Cannon
- Wide Guard
- King's Shield
STAB Shadow Ball checks Ghost and Psychic-types, and even OHKO's Mega-Gengar (even with Max HP) 100% of the time while STAB Flash Cannon deals a heavy amount of damage against Fairy-types, notably Mega-Gardevoir (252+ SpA Aegislash-Blade Flash Cannon vs. 4 HP / 0 SpD Mega Gardevoir: 132-156 (91.6 - 108.3%) -- 50% chance to OHKO). And thanks to its Steel and Ghost typing, most Psychic-types are walled by Aegislash and are destroyed with its STAB Shadow Ball. Wide Guard protects you and your partner from incoming Heat Waves from Mega-Charizard-Y and Earthquakes from Garchomp. Weakness Policy is an extremely useful item on Aegislash due to the fact it can survive a devastating super-effective attack in its Shield form and strike back with a +2 boost in its Blade form. King's Shield is a slightly better version of Protect that halves your opponent's Attack stat if Aegislash is attacked directly; also allows you to scout the opponent and screw up potential double targeting.

Aegislash makes a solid member to any team in VGC 2014, especially with its offensive and defensive capabilities. Good luck with your team! :P
 
Awesome help guys!!
Cheers for the recommendation Pinoy i'll give it a go! I used Aegislash on my original play through and i loved it!

Now i've got alot of breeding to do! (should i aim for 30 for unused stat for competitive or does it not really matter?

OP will be edited once team is made.
 
Just out of curiosity, how does VGC work, as far as whats legal? Does it need to be obtainable in the wild in Kalos, or can it also be bred, as long as it has the Kalos symbol?
 
TheVoid619 said:
Just out of curiosity, how does VGC work, as far as whats legal? Does it need to be obtainable in the wild in Kalos, or can it also be bred, as long as it has the Kalos symbol?
Click to expand...
The Pokémon that are legal in VGC 2014 are #001 to #150 from the Central Kalos Pokédex, #001 to #153 from the Coastal Kalos Pokédex, and #001 to #147 from the Mountain Kalos Pokédex.

Check out the VGC 2014 Rules if you need more clarification.
 
I watched a few VGC matches today and i noticed a pretty common core/lead.

They start with Mega Kangaskhan and Amoongus. If there is a Mega Kangaskhan against you switch to Aegislash to negate the PuP otherwise use Rage Powder on Amoongus and PuP something else (or Return just whats best in the situation).

I have also seen Mega Kangaskhan and Mienshao as lead, which is a fun lead. Mienshao can Low Kick or Rock Slide the opponents while Mega Kangaskhan uses Return or PuP to deal heavy damage or to set up. You can also play around with Kangashan's Scrappy to hit Aegislash.

I'm not sure if these are the best sets but this is what i remembered from the battles and the EV's are a gamble on Amoonguss.

EDIT: Watch out for Sub Special Aegislash, everybody seems to use it. I'll show the set down below

____________________________


kangaskhan-mega.gif

Kangaskhan (F) @ Kangaskhanite
Ability: Scrappy
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spd / 4 HP
Jolly Nature
- Return
- Power-Up Punch
- Sucker Punch
- Protect

amoonguss.gif

Amoonguss @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Effect Spore/Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 120 Def / 136 SDef
Bold Nature
- Rage Powder
- Spore
- Giga Drain
- Protect

mienshao.gif

Mienshao @ Focus Sash
Ability: Inner Focus
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 Atk / 4 SDef
Jolly Nature
- Low Kick
- Feint
- Rock Slide
- Knock Off/Protect

EDIT:

aegislash-blade.gif

Aegislash @ Leftovers
Ability: Stance Change
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SAtk / 4 SDef
Modest Nature
- Flash Cannon
- Shadow Ball
- Substitute
- King's Shield
 
Last edited:
thanks for those sets to watch out for!! im come across that aegislash quite alot.

im thinking of switching out haxorus for a garchomp set like this
Physical Attacker
########
name: Physical Attacker
move 1: Earthquake
move 2: Dragon Claw
move 3: Rock Slide
move 4: Protect
ability: Rough Skin
item: Focus Sash / Rocky Helmet / Lum Berry
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
nature: Jolly / Adamant

since garchomp outspeeds haxorus and is more useful with it's ability. i could also use discharge on rotom for doubles.

what do you guys think?
 
Edgo said:
thanks for those sets to watch out for!! im come across that aegislash quite alot.

im thinking of switching out haxorus for a garchomp set like this
Physical Attacker
########
name: Physical Attacker
move 1: Earthquake
move 2: Dragon Claw
move 3: Rock Slide
move 4: Protect
ability: Rough Skin
item: Focus Sash / Rocky Helmet / Lum Berry
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
nature: Jolly / Adamant

since garchomp outspeeds haxorus and is more useful with it's ability. i could also use discharge on rotom for doubles.

what do you guys think?
Click to expand...
I'm liking that Garchomp set you have, Edgo!

For the item choice, I recommend giving Garchomp a Rocky Helmet to inflict a good amount of damage to common physical attackers running around in VGC, notably Mega-Kangaskhan. You can switch into an incoming first-turn Fake Out from MegaMom, depleting 7/12 of her HP or approximately 58% percent of her health. How useful is that? :P

As for his nature, make him a Jolly Garchomp so that he has the ability to outspeed threats such as Mega-Kangaskhan, Salamence, Hydreigon, Haxorus, and Charizard with positive speed natures. Hope that Garchomp set works out for you! :]
 
Cheers Pinoy!! It's funny because i got the idea after my MegaMom got demolished by the exact same Rocky Helmet Garchomp :P Very keen to start using this Garchomp!

Also, im looking to replace my Goodra for one of the sets Shimo presented. I really like the idea of a Amoonguss with Spore/Gigadrain as i believe i need some grass typing.
But the mienfoo also looks very appealing, I havent seen Feint used much but i feel it has a lot of potential due to the number of people using protect. Knock off would also help alot with those mons that are getting a leg up.
 
Although Goodra would still be a pretty solid member of your team, if you're looking to replace him I suggest using Amoonguss > Mienshao due to the fact Amoonguss can redirect incoming super-effective attacks against your partner while having the ability to put opposing threats to sleep with Spore.

591.png


Amoonguss @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 236 HP / 108 Def / 164 SDef
Calm Nature
- Rage Powder
- Spore
- Giga Drain
- Protect
This is the Amoonguss elite VGC player LPFan used to reach Top 8 (5th place) in the Kansas VGC Regionals. The EV spread allows Amoonguss to survive an Overheat from Modest Rotom-Heat 87.5% of the time and allows him to be defensively bulky all around, making it a daunting challenge to defeat him. The Sitrus Berry + Regenerator ability increases the survivability of Amoonguss on the field for the purpose of providing as much support as possible for his partner Pokémon. Rage Powder is obviously there to allow your partner to set up and deal damage to your opponent while redirecting potentially devastating attacks (Thunderbolt against Talonflame, Close Combat against Mega-Kangaskhan) that could OHKO your partner. Spore allows you to put an opposing threat to sleep and render them useless for the time being, allowing your partner Pokémon to take care of that certain threat. STAB Giga Drain is there for extra recovery and coverage against Water-type threats such as Azumarill and Protect lets you scout your opponent and disrupt common double targeting against Amoonguss.

Good luck with your team; hope I helped! :]
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top