First Time Competitive Battler, Need Help

[DatPags]

Hi. I started trying competitive battling for the first time since X and Y were released, so I've been doing research and trying to make a team that I can work with. I tried once, and it was a complete failure. The team I have here is my second attempt, and I thought it was much better until I went to Pokémon Showdown to test it and lost every match. If someone could provide advice and/or fixes that would be greatly appreciated, and if I need a complete revamp of this team, it'd be great if you could point me in the right direction. Thanks!

Scolipede @ Focus Sash
Ability: Speed Boost
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature
- Spikes
- Toxic Spikes
- Protect
- Megahorn
I chose Scolipede as my lead for his ability and his access to Spikes and Toxic Spikes. If I'm up against a fast opponent I'd use Protect to get a first Speed Boost in, then continue with Spikes and Toxic Spikes and then Megahorn for an actual attack. The Focus Sash is for a last resort survival just to get one last attack in if up against a strong opponent.

Dragonite @ Lum Berry
Ability: Multiscale
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spd / 4 HP
Adamant Nature
- Dragon Claw
- Earthquake
- Fire Punch
- Dragon Dance
This guy is my physical attacker. Multiscale will hopefully help it survive the first attack against it, especially if coming in on a switch which it usually does. If it has time I'll set up a Dragon Dance, then Dragon Claw and Earthquake for standard foes and Fire Punch for those pesky Ice types.

Alakazam-Mega @ Alakazite
Ability: Trace
EVs: 252 SAtk / 252 Spd / 4 HP
Modest Nature
- Dazzling Gleam
- Psychic
- Energy Ball
- Shadow Ball
Mega Alakazam is here as my extreme special sweeper. To get him in at top priority I'll set him up with Drifblim (see below). His moveset is well rounded to fit most enemies, and it's special attack is one of the highest in the game. Drifblim's Baton Pass will give it well rounded defenses granted it works, which should make him unstoppable.

Steelix @ Leftovers
Ability: Rock Head
EVs: 128 HP / 128 Atk / 252 Def
Brave Nature
- Double-Edge
- Gyro Ball
- Crunch
- Curse
Steelix is my physical wall. His special defense is disappointingly quite low but it will have to do. I've found this moveset kind-of terrible in battle, except for Gyro Ball, so he needs lots of work. Rock Head also prevents recoil from Double-Edge, but I've seen Gyro Ball does more damage than that on most occasions. Curse is there to power up all his moves, especially Gyro Ball.

Sylveon @ Light Clay
Ability: Cute Charm
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SDef / 4 SAtk
Calm Nature
- Wish
- Light Screen
- Reflect
- Moonblast
Sylveon is set to be more of a special wall. It also works well as a wish passer. Light Screen and Reflect are set up early, prolonged by the Light Clay. It has Moonblast for STAB and Wish to restore HP and help out switching into others.

Drifblim @ Salac Berry
Ability: Unburden
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Spd / 4 SAtk
Timid Nature
- Stockpile
- Baton Pass
- Substitute
- Charge Beam
Drifblim is here as a support and mainly to power up Alakazam. Substitute will protect it for a while, while it Stockpiles to increase defenses. Its high HP makes for some good substituting. Charge Beam is for attacking and raising special attack, which will be Baton Passed onto Alakazam to give it more well-rounded defenses. The Salac Berry and its ability Unburden will increase it's speed by more than double if it's in trouble and gives it a last chance to get a Baton Pass off.

Again, I'm new to the whole competitive battling thing, so any help would be greatly appreciated. If you could refrain from insulting my team if it's that bad or anything harsh I'd like that. Again, if a team remake is needed or a different stradegy could be used for any of these guys let me know. Thanks!

 

[DatPags]

Buuuuuuuuuuump please I really need help with this

 

[ouchalargerock]

Not a horrible team, and I am not sure why you are losing, to tell the truth.

Scolipede: While you are on the right track for this one, you are missing out on one of the best parts of Scolipede. Baton Pass. With two turns in (probably setting Spikes and using Protect), you are able to baton Pass into Dragonite, and allow them to Sweep with either an Extra Moveslot or Swords Dance instead (Scolipede also has Swords Dance if that piques your interest).

Dragonite: Not too many suggestions for this one. Maybe getting rid of something in place of Stone Edge, or replacing Dragon Claw for Outrage (I understand your reservations against this, but if you can get rid of the other team's Fairy, you are free to use this move). Also, switching your Lum Berry for a Weakness Policy may be an interesting choice with Multiscale.

Alakazam+Drifblim Combo: If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Unless you are having some real difficulty using them, don't change them. It looks interesting, and and I may try a variation of this myself.

Steelix: To tell the truth, I feel like this is outclassed by other defensive walls like Tangrowth and Gliscor, who in my opinion are a but more useful.

Sylveon: Not a bad choice at all. Less likely to draw a taunt than Espeon, and a better wall, all in all.

To tell the truth I am not sure why you are having such huge issues, though. The only real threats I can think of are Assault Vest Tyranitar, which nullifies most of your Special Sweepers (Yes, even against Focus Blast, he is a beast), and most Dark-Types in general can hurt you. The only thing resisting them is Sylveon, who won't be safe for long with the huge influx of Steel and Poison Types. Also, with Knock-Off being buffed this Gen, be careful of that. The only Pokémon it doesn't hit for double damage on your team is Alakazam, but it is weak to Dark. Also, beware Stone Edge. Being super effective against 2 of your Pokémon, and 3 don't have the defenses to survive Stone edge from a good Physical attacker,

Hope this helped, good luck!

 

[DatPags]

Thanks so much for the advice. I will definetly take it into consideration. And I think the main reason I'm having so much trouble is that I'm new to competitive battling, so I dont have strategies down as well as others do. Also, do you see anything wrong with Steelix? I think he has the potential to hit harder while still being the physical wall that he is with all that defense, so would you have any suggestions for a better moveset for him?

 

[welsknight]

Is this pre-bank or Pokebank OU?

If it's Pokebank OU, replace Fire Punch on Dragonite for Extreme Speed. Also, I second the idea of replacing that Lum Berry for a Weakness Policy.

I also second putting Baton Pass on Scolipede, probably in place of Spikes or Toxic Spikes. If you do, you may also want to replace Protect with Substitute, because it can then Baton Pass a sub as well. Finally, I would switch its EVs to 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Atk. Due to its ability and already high base speed, it really doesn't need to invest in Speed (especially with Protect/Substitute).




I would recommend replacing Steelix with a different defensive wall as well. I'd probably recommend one of the following:

Option #1

Skarmory @ Rocky Helmet / Sturdy
Impish Nature / 252 Def / 252 HP / 4 Spd
Brave Bird / Stealth Rock / Whirlwind or Defog / Roost

Since you currently have no form of hazard removal, you could run Defog on Skarmory. Since your team makes use of hazards, you'd only want to use it if absolutely essential. However, Dragonite loses its Multiscale advantage from Stealth Rock, and Scolipede is weak to it as well. Alakazam has low enough HP even before hazard damage. With that in mind, I'd say it's important to have SOME form of hazard removal. Skarmory works very well as a defensive wall, with great bulkiness. Rocky Helmet + Roost can shut down a lot of physical attackers (especially Mega-Kangaskhan). Whirlwind goes through subs and can phase out a foe that tries to set up on you. If this is NOT Pokebank OU, you will not be able to run Defog. If that is the case, you may want to consider working a Rapid Spinner or Defogger in on your team somewhere.


Option #2

Gliscor @ Toxic Orb / Poison Heal
Impish Nature / 252 Def / 252 HP / 4 Spd
Earthquake or Ice Fang / Toxic / Substitute / Protect

Although a very common set, it's common for a reason: it works. Poison Heal lets it replenish 1/8 of its max HP each turn. Since Gliscor as a respectable base 95 Speed, it can basically infinitely stall against anything it out-speeds. Toxic will allow it to slowly whittle down opponents as it stalls them out. It has very good bulk as well. Beware of its 4x weakness to Ice, however.

 

[DatPags]

Thanks so much for the feedback. When making this team I forgot to realize that Dragonite can't get Extreme Speed before the Pokebank so oops there. I think I'm already going to give Dragonite a Weakness Policy and give it Fire Punch and also replace Dragon Dance with Stone Edge. Giving Baton Pass to Scolipede also seems like a good idea so it can pass on the Speed Boost stat boosts to someone like Dragonite to sweep. And I'll have to look into whether I want Protect or Substitute. I'll try both and see what works better. And as for replacing Steelix, I think Skarmory will work better with its tolerance to common weaknesses and Stealth Rocks will come in handy. I've faced some Skarmorys recently and they all packed Whirlwind, which crippled anything I'd try and set up. Now that I have this... *evil laugh* And after the Pokebank releases, since I'll be using this team in X and Y, I could see how Defog works to my advantage. I'll see how Gliscor fairs as well. Overall thanks for the help! Much appreciated!

 

[welsknight]

Thanks so much for the feedback. When making this team I forgot to realize that Dragonite can't get Extreme Speed before the Pokebank so oops there. I think I'm already going to give Dragonite a Weakness Policy and give it Fire Punch and also replace Dragon Dance with Stone Edge. Giving Baton Pass to Scolipede also seems like a good idea so it can pass on the Speed Boost stat boosts to someone like Dragonite to sweep. And I'll have to look into whether I want Protect or Substitute. I'll try both and see what works better. And as for replacing Steelix, I think Skarmory will work better with its tolerance to common weaknesses and Stealth Rocks will come in handy. I've faced some Skarmorys recently and they all packed Whirlwind, which crippled anything I'd try and set up. Now that I have this... *evil laugh* And after the Pokebank releases, since I'll be using this team in X and Y, I could see how Defog works to my advantage. I'll see how Gliscor fairs as well. Overall thanks for the help! Much appreciated!

Keep Dragon Dance on Dragonite, especially since this is apparently not a Pokebank OU team (and therefore granting Dragonite Extreme Speed). Dragonite is not fast enough to outspeed a lot of common threats without the Dragon Dance speed boost. The set I would run on Dragonite would be:

Dragonite @ Weakness Policy / Multiscale
Jolly Nature / 252 HP / 252 Spd / 4 Atk
Dragon Claw or Outrage / Earthquake / Fire Punch or Stone Edge / Dragon Dance

 

[DatPags]

Good idea. I'd prefer Dragon Claw over Outrage though (fairies) and I think Stone Edge is better here than Fire Punch for crits and coverage. However I've been in countless situations where a fire-type move would be perfect but my team doesn't have any good ones. Should I give one to Alakazam or someone else or not at all? I was thinking if its on Alakazam replace Energy Ball since Dazzling Gleam and Shadow Ball both cover its weaknesses and Psychic is its only STAB.

 

[welsknight]

Good idea. I'd prefer Dragon Claw over Outrage though (fairies) and I think Stone Edge is better here than Fire Punch for crits and coverage. However I've been in countless situations where a fire-type move would be perfect but my team doesn't have any good ones. Should I give one to Alakazam or someone else or not at all? I was thinking if its on Alakazam replace Energy Ball since Dazzling Gleam and Shadow Ball both cover its weaknesses and Psychic is its only STAB.

The only fire-type attacks Alakazam can learn are Fire Punch (which is useless) and Hidden Power Fire. I would recommend switching Psychic on Alakazam for Psyshock (overlooked this last time) so it can power through Special Walls like Blissey and Florges. You may want to put Hidden Power Fire on Drifblim in place of Charge Beam, which is really not doing you a lot of good anyway.

 

[Chaoswalker]

If you're going to setup your Alakazam, I'd recommend using something that doesn't share two weaknesses with it. You might find yourself passing the boosts and having Alakazam meet a pokemon that it doesn't want to fight. I'll admit though, nothing else seems to be so perfectly built for it.
I would consider Venomoth with Quiver Dance. This could actually be extremely potent if you can burn or eliminate physical attackers. ( who knows though, they might be toast if you can pass megazam two boosts.)

EDIT: Including Venomoth would necessitate a rapid spinner or defogger, though as your team is there are already several Pokemon capable of filling that role. Anyone else have an opinion on this change? I don't want moth getting added to the team needlessly.

Oh, and adding pictures makes people want to look at your RMT more. It's more alluring to the eye.

 

[welsknight]

If you're going to setup your Alakazam, I'd recommend using something that doesn't share two weaknesses with it. You might find yourself passing the boosts and having Alakazam meet a pokemon that it doesn't want to fight. I'll admit though, nothing else seems to be so perfectly built for it.
I would consider Venomoth with Quiver Dance. This could actually be extremely potent if you can burn or eliminate physical attackers. ( who knows though, they might be toast if you can pass megazam two boosts.)

EDIT: Including Venomoth would necessitate a rapid spinner or defogger, though as your team is there are already several Pokemon capable of filling that role. Anyone else have an opinion on this change? I don't want moth getting added to the team needlessly.

Oh, and adding pictures makes people want to look at your RMT more. It's more alluring to the eye.

I think Venomoth is greatly outclassed by other options when it comes to passing buffs to Alakazam, such as Nasty Plot Togekiss. But I don't like the combo of Togekiss and Sylveon on the same team (2 is too many fairies IMHO). I'd love to say go Vaporeon > Sylveon and then put in Togekiss, but at that point, we're not looking at even remotely close to the same team, considering we already switched Steelix for Skarmory. I'd say if Drifblim is working, stick with it. Just be very wary of Ghost- and Dark-type moves.

 

[Chaoswalker]

I considered Togekiss, but how is Alakazam to recieve a pass and live through a hit?

I guess to best option is to simply murder all Aegislash and Gengars in the world before they can do any harm.

 

[welsknight]

I considered Togekiss, but how is Alakazam to recieve a pass and live through a hit?

I guess to best option is to simply murder all Aegislash and Gengars in the world before they can do any harm.

Well, in the case of Gengar, Togekiss would take the hit, as Gengar outspeeds it considerably. Aegislash on the other hand should probably be avoided by Alakazam altogether, as it has a priority super-effective move, and Alakazam is unbelievably squishy. However, Aegislash is checked nicely by Dragonite, thanks to Earthquake + Dragon Dance. Dance on King's Shield, then just spam EQ till it dies. lol

 

[DatPags]

If something isn't working or there are better ideas for this team I don't have a problem making substitutions as necessary. I've been looking into Togekiss instead of Drifblim just now and a set involving Nasty Plot and Baton Pass could work. I was thinking adding Substitute in there too since it would remove the whole giving Alakazam balanced defenses and instead making it wipe out anything with special attacks. Baton Passing a Substitute onto Alakazam could let it receive a hit upon being switched in and possibly extra protection. I'll look into Vaporeon now too. I kind of like where this is going to be honest.
P.S: Is chain Baton Passing a thing? If so I could Baton Pass Scolipede's Speed Boosts onto Togekiss along with maybe a sub since I'm thinking about having Substitute replace Protect, and then Togekiss could Baton Pass Scolipede's speed and special attack boosts from Nasty Plot, along with another sub to make it fast and destructive. What are your thoughts? Is this good? I don't know too well (noob problems )

I've been working with movesets for Togekiss and Vaporeon as possibly substitutions for Sylveon and Drifblim, and your feedback would be appreciated. I don't know how these two would do in battle, but it looks promising to me. Then again, it could be a complete failure.

View attachment 5100
Togekiss @ Petaya Berry
Ability: Super Luck
EVs: 252 HP / 130 Def / 126 SDef
Calm Nature
- Baton Pass
- Nasty Plot
- Substitute
- Aura Sphere
Togekiss, in a normal strategy setting for me, would receive the speed boosts from Scolipede along with possibly a sub (I'm making that change to Scolipede permanent). One or two Nasty Plots should give it enough special attack to pass onto Alakazam, and Aura Sphere is for coverage. I was thinking about replacing Aura Sphere with Air Slash or something similar to make use of its ability, but other than that the ability is useless. The Petaya Berry is to give it one last special attack boost to pass to Alakazam, however I may change this to speed or defense boosting berries to make sure it can get off the Baton Pass.

I came up with two sets for Vaporeon as well, as it replaces Sylveon.

View attachment 5102
Vaporeon @ Damp Rock
Ability: Hydration
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SAtk / 252 SDef
Calm Nature
- Rain Dance
- Rest
- Ice Beam
- Scald
This set makes use of Vaporeons hidden ability Hydration. This is similar to most Goodra sets you see out there. It starts with Rain Dance with the Damp Rock to prolong it, and it can restore all its HP with Rest as long as Rain Dance is active. Ice Beam is for coverage against Grass especially and Scald is for a good STAB.

View attachment 5102
Vaporeon @ Leftovers
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SAtk / 252 SDef
Calm Nature
- Wish
- Toxic
- Ice Beam
- Surf
This one seems like a more common set for Vaporeon based on what I've seen. Switching in on a water attack will help this guy, and then Toxic to the foe right away. Wish helps with its high HP and special defense, Ice Beam for type coverage and weaknesses like the last one, and Surf for a different and slightly more powerful STAB move, except without the chance to burn.

Let me know if these are any good. They seem decent to me but I need more experienced advice before I go along with it. Thanks

 

[ouchalargerock]

I've been working with movesets for Togekiss and Vaporeon as possibly substitutions for Sylveon and Drifblim, and your feedback would be appreciated. I don't know how these two would do in battle, but it looks promising to me. Then again, it could be a complete failure.

View attachment 5100
Togekiss @ Petaya Berry
Ability: Super Luck
EVs: 252 HP / 130 Def / 126 SDef
Calm Nature
- Baton Pass
- Nasty Plot
- Substitute
- Aura Sphere
Togekiss, in a normal strategy setting for me, would receive the speed boosts from Scolipede along with possibly a sub (I'm making that change to Scolipede permanent). One or two Nasty Plots should give it enough special attack to pass onto Alakazam, and Aura Sphere is for coverage. I was thinking about replacing Aura Sphere with Air Slash or something similar to make use of its ability, but other than that the ability is useless. The Petaya Berry is to give it one last special attack boost to pass to Alakazam, however I may change this to speed or defense boosting berries to make sure it can get off the Baton Pass.

Instead of going Sub, go Thunderwave, so you yourself can possible use the wonderful power of ParaFlinch along with that Nasty Plot Boost.

View attachment 5100
Togekiss @ King's Rock
Ability: Super Luck
EVs: 252 HP / 32 SAtk / 124 SDef
Calm Nature
- Baton Pass
- Nasty Plot
- Thunderwave
- Air Slash

Be careful, as Togekiss is known to ParaFlinch, but if you do foresee the obvious switch, simply using Nasty Plot again could work wonderfully.

I came up with two sets for Vaporeon as well, as it replaces Sylveon.

View attachment 5102
Vaporeon @ Damp Rock
Ability: Hydration
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SAtk / 252 SDef
Calm Nature
- Rain Dance
- Rest
- Ice Beam
- Scald
This set makes use of Vaporeons hidden ability Hydration. This is similar to most Goodra sets you see out there. It starts with Rain Dance with the Damp Rock to prolong it, and it can restore all its HP with Rest as long as Rain Dance is active. Ice Beam is for coverage against Grass especially and Scald is for a good STAB.

Just because you are replacing an Eeveelution, does not mean you are required to replace it with one. If I am not mistaken, Vaporeon is being moved down to UU this gen because of the weather nerf. This really makes it hard to find a place on any teams, because it is a toned down mix of Espeon and the new Sylveon. Also, it may not be the best idea to run Rest on a Damp Rock user, giving the opponent time to set up in 2-5 turns. Really, if you are going for a Special Wall, there is better options out there. Using something like Tentacruel or Florges would probably work a lot better.

View attachment 5102
Vaporeon @ Leftovers
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SAtk / 252 SDef
Calm Nature
- Wish
- Toxic
- Ice Beam
- Surf
This one seems like a more common set for Vaporeon based on what I've seen. Switching in on a water attack will help this guy, and then Toxic to the foe right away. Wish helps with its high HP and special defense, Ice Beam for type coverage and weaknesses like the last one, and Surf for a different and slightly more powerful STAB move, except without the chance to burn.

Let me know if these are any good. They seem decent to me but I need more experienced advice before I go along with it. Thanks

Again, using something like Florges would tank any special hits a lot better, and in the case of both walling any Special attackers, and having access to a better assortment of coverage moves (Moon Blast, Psychic, Petal Dance). Also, it is able to Wish Pass too, making me lean a bit toward Florges over Vaporeon, unless you are running a Rain Team.

 

[yeahhhboiii]

Most of these revisions sound pretty great, one set I like to run is a Drifblim with Unburden, Flying Gem, and Acrobatics, with a couple of extra varying moves, i.e. Explosion, Phantom Force, Stockpile, T Wave, Will o wisp, depending on the team.