Hello, everyone, my name is DeltaRott; I'm a long-time observer of high-level Smogon play and have recently decided to try and aspire toward becoming a "good" player of this ever-so-lovable competitive. This is the first team I've built from scratch that I didn't consider to be completely abysmal, and so I wanted to throw it here for review. I should also mention that Sart gave me some help in filling out the latter half of this team, which I'm immensely grateful for.
Celesteela @ Flyinium Z
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Autotomize
- Fire Blast
- Giga Drain
- Air Slash
So here we have the effective star of the team, Flyinium Z Celesteela. I'll be honest and say that while I've experimented with different variations of Autotomize Steela in the past, it wasn't until I saw a few posts about it on forums and discussing the mon in the PS chat that I realized how this mon is kinda slept on. It has some great setup opportunities in the current meta thanks to its natural bulk, and it can get some serious momentum rolling thanks to the snowball effect of Beast Boost.
The one thing that's annoying about using Autotomize Celesteela, in my opinion, is that it really likes to have threats whittled down. That's why my next team member was...
Greninja @ Life Orb
Ability: Protean
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
IVs: 30 Atk
- Spikes
- Hidden Power [Fire]/Hydro Pump
- Gunk Shot
- Dark Pulse
Spikes Greninja can put some immense pressure on particular teams, whittling down key threats such as Tapu Fini on the switch-in and laying down spikes in favorable match-ups in order to ease the probability of Celesteela finding the opportunity to not only set up, but activate Beast Boost. The second move slot is one I'm struggling with in particular; personally I like HP Fire on this set to remove Ferrothorn and Scizor from the mix, but I can also see the merit in Hydro Pump to eliminate Heatran and Tyranitar more efficiently(it should also be noted that Tran in particular isn't something that Celesteela wants to face, regardless of boosts). While I was writing this description I thought of the idea of making Gren physical with Low Kick, but I'll leave that up to the raters to decide.
Tapu Koko @ Zap Plate
Ability: Electric Surge
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 30 Atk
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Ice]/Hidden Power [Fire]
- U-turn
- Taunt
I felt that Tapu Koko was a great addition to this team strictly because of putting more pressure on Fini(and the occasional Mantine), providing Taunt support, and U-turning out in order to grab critical momentum. I feel Koko and Greninja pair well in most situations, but in this instance I also gain an immediate response to opposing Toxapex(which is huge for the team at this point), as well as the Steel/Flying duo of opposing Celesteela and Skarmory as well. While Celesteela can defeat its brethren if already boosted(and Skarm if rocks are up in the same scenario), being able to pressure both of them is great for the team, and in Skarm's case, I can prevent my opponent clearing hazards. I slashed HP Fire because if Gren drops HP Fire, Ferro becomes more of a pain to deal with; additionally, if Protean is revealed by this point I feel like most competent players will anticipate HP Fire on Gren anyway.
Garchomp @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Rough Skin
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Dragon Claw
- Outrage
- Rock Slide
Scarf Garchomp is my next team member thanks to being a good late-game cleaner(if Steela can only manage to dent threats) and boasting the ability to revenge kill two very annoying Pokemon - Charizard X and Volcarona. Being Rona bait isn't favorable in the current meta because it can honestly just win against a lot of teams, and I didn't feel like Edge was accurate enough to consider despite being the more powerful option. In addition, while Koko can force out Zard Y pretty easily, the team really needed a reasonable answer to X at this point. I also like Chomp as a way to wipe out most Magearna after a bit of chip damage, as well as Shift Gear sets(if modest). FWIW, it can also knock out Lele after two rounds of rock damage, which Celesteela only really soft checks considering its offensive build.
Landorus-Therian @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 248 HP / 216 Def / 28 SpD / 16 Spe
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- U-turn
- Hidden Power [Ice]
Everyone's favorite cool cat(or perhaps just Guzma's), Landorus-Therian. At this point in the build, Sart was noticing that the team desperately needed a rocker, and my go-to answer was Landorus-T. Lando provides an immediate defensive answer to opposing Lando-T and options like Marowak-Alola, Tyranitar, etc so that Celesteela can retain its health for when it needs to take a hit in order to set up its sweep, as well as provide rocks. I kept U-Turn around for momentum purposes and HP Ice is so I can nail opposing Lando-T and Zygarde, allowing it to not be instant set-up fodder for either adversary. My spread isn't anything definitive btw; I just went with the standard 28 SpD so that Koko can't straight up murder me with HP Ice and I just threw some EVs in for speed creeping purposes. I think 216 defense also hits a jump point in defenses, if I'm not wrong.
Pheromosa @ Life Orb/Black Belt
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- High Jump Kick
- Ice Beam
- U-turn
- Rapid Spin
Lastly we have my favorite mon in the meta right now(and perhaps in general), Pheromosa. Pheromosa is great on any offense in my opinion, but what really made me gravitate toward this set was the physical pressure it brings to the table(which this team definitely appreciates) and the ability to spin away hazards. Sart commented that maybe the team doesn't need a spinner, and while I do see his point in that none of my mons are necessarily weak to rocks I feel like every bit of health will count. That's why I slashed Black Belt, if only because I don't know if it's really worth it to lose upwards of 10% every turn if it isn't for HJK, which could be partially remedied by Black Belt.
Immediate Threats:
Alolan Marowak: While I do have options to defeat it, it can prove to be a huge deterrent to my team. Just by its presence alone I have to think twice about ever clicking HJK with Phero or T-bolt with Koko, and in practice if I switch in Lando or Chomp on it I run the risk of a burn crippling it for the rest of the match. It can also prevent a spin from Mosa as well. It can be defeated by whittling it down I suppose, which is essentially what the team does try to accomplish, but the mind games it can create warrants a mention here, I feel. I guess Chandelure by extension can also go here, but it's not nearly as prevalent.
Zapdos: If I remove Life Orb from Pheromosa in favor of Black Belt, this problem might become even worse. Since Gren doesn't run Ice Beam it can't pressure it nearly as well, and my best bet is reading my opponent well enough to be able to click Taunt at the right time with Koko. While it is weak to rocks, it also has an immunity to spikes---which isn't exactly pleasant. I have to play pretty well if I want to defeat Zapdos.
Stall: Considering this is a straight up offense team, this shouldn't really come as a surprise and is more me putting this down in theory more than anything. There's something to be said in Gren pressuring Mega Sableye in order to get up spikes, but it can't hope to defeat a team with Zapdos + Toxapex, etc.
I'm sure there are more threats that escape me right now, but Zapdos and Marowak have proven to be the two big annoyances for me in my time of testing. Although there's definitely room for improvement in both the team and my analytical skills, I did my best to provide you all something I felt was at least solid enough to improve upon. I do want to once again thank Sart for his help in developing the team and thank you for reading what will hopefully be my first step in improving as a Pokemon player in all accounts - whether that be writing up a team analysis or building in general.
Celesteela @ Flyinium Z
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Autotomize
- Fire Blast
- Giga Drain
- Air Slash
So here we have the effective star of the team, Flyinium Z Celesteela. I'll be honest and say that while I've experimented with different variations of Autotomize Steela in the past, it wasn't until I saw a few posts about it on forums and discussing the mon in the PS chat that I realized how this mon is kinda slept on. It has some great setup opportunities in the current meta thanks to its natural bulk, and it can get some serious momentum rolling thanks to the snowball effect of Beast Boost.
The one thing that's annoying about using Autotomize Celesteela, in my opinion, is that it really likes to have threats whittled down. That's why my next team member was...
Greninja @ Life Orb
Ability: Protean
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
IVs: 30 Atk
- Spikes
- Hidden Power [Fire]/Hydro Pump
- Gunk Shot
- Dark Pulse
Spikes Greninja can put some immense pressure on particular teams, whittling down key threats such as Tapu Fini on the switch-in and laying down spikes in favorable match-ups in order to ease the probability of Celesteela finding the opportunity to not only set up, but activate Beast Boost. The second move slot is one I'm struggling with in particular; personally I like HP Fire on this set to remove Ferrothorn and Scizor from the mix, but I can also see the merit in Hydro Pump to eliminate Heatran and Tyranitar more efficiently(it should also be noted that Tran in particular isn't something that Celesteela wants to face, regardless of boosts). While I was writing this description I thought of the idea of making Gren physical with Low Kick, but I'll leave that up to the raters to decide.
Tapu Koko @ Zap Plate
Ability: Electric Surge
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 30 Atk
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Ice]/Hidden Power [Fire]
- U-turn
- Taunt
I felt that Tapu Koko was a great addition to this team strictly because of putting more pressure on Fini(and the occasional Mantine), providing Taunt support, and U-turning out in order to grab critical momentum. I feel Koko and Greninja pair well in most situations, but in this instance I also gain an immediate response to opposing Toxapex(which is huge for the team at this point), as well as the Steel/Flying duo of opposing Celesteela and Skarmory as well. While Celesteela can defeat its brethren if already boosted(and Skarm if rocks are up in the same scenario), being able to pressure both of them is great for the team, and in Skarm's case, I can prevent my opponent clearing hazards. I slashed HP Fire because if Gren drops HP Fire, Ferro becomes more of a pain to deal with; additionally, if Protean is revealed by this point I feel like most competent players will anticipate HP Fire on Gren anyway.
Garchomp @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Rough Skin
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Dragon Claw
- Outrage
- Rock Slide
Scarf Garchomp is my next team member thanks to being a good late-game cleaner(if Steela can only manage to dent threats) and boasting the ability to revenge kill two very annoying Pokemon - Charizard X and Volcarona. Being Rona bait isn't favorable in the current meta because it can honestly just win against a lot of teams, and I didn't feel like Edge was accurate enough to consider despite being the more powerful option. In addition, while Koko can force out Zard Y pretty easily, the team really needed a reasonable answer to X at this point. I also like Chomp as a way to wipe out most Magearna after a bit of chip damage, as well as Shift Gear sets(if modest). FWIW, it can also knock out Lele after two rounds of rock damage, which Celesteela only really soft checks considering its offensive build.
Landorus-Therian @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 248 HP / 216 Def / 28 SpD / 16 Spe
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- U-turn
- Hidden Power [Ice]
Everyone's favorite cool cat(or perhaps just Guzma's), Landorus-Therian. At this point in the build, Sart was noticing that the team desperately needed a rocker, and my go-to answer was Landorus-T. Lando provides an immediate defensive answer to opposing Lando-T and options like Marowak-Alola, Tyranitar, etc so that Celesteela can retain its health for when it needs to take a hit in order to set up its sweep, as well as provide rocks. I kept U-Turn around for momentum purposes and HP Ice is so I can nail opposing Lando-T and Zygarde, allowing it to not be instant set-up fodder for either adversary. My spread isn't anything definitive btw; I just went with the standard 28 SpD so that Koko can't straight up murder me with HP Ice and I just threw some EVs in for speed creeping purposes. I think 216 defense also hits a jump point in defenses, if I'm not wrong.
Pheromosa @ Life Orb/Black Belt
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- High Jump Kick
- Ice Beam
- U-turn
- Rapid Spin
Lastly we have my favorite mon in the meta right now(and perhaps in general), Pheromosa. Pheromosa is great on any offense in my opinion, but what really made me gravitate toward this set was the physical pressure it brings to the table(which this team definitely appreciates) and the ability to spin away hazards. Sart commented that maybe the team doesn't need a spinner, and while I do see his point in that none of my mons are necessarily weak to rocks I feel like every bit of health will count. That's why I slashed Black Belt, if only because I don't know if it's really worth it to lose upwards of 10% every turn if it isn't for HJK, which could be partially remedied by Black Belt.
Greninja @ Life Orb
Ability: Protean
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
IVs: 30 Atk
- Spikes
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Gunk Shot
- Dark Pulse
Celesteela @ Flyinium Z
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Autotomize
- Fire Blast
- Giga Drain
- Air Slash
Tapu Koko @ Zap Plate
Ability: Electric Surge
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 30 Atk
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- U-turn
- Taunt
Garchomp @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Rough Skin
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Dragon Claw
- Outrage
- Rock Slide
Landorus-Therian @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 248 HP / 216 Def / 28 SpD / 16 Spe
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- U-turn
- Hidden Power [Ice]
Pheromosa @ Life Orb
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- High Jump Kick
- Ice Beam
- U-turn
- Rapid Spin
Ability: Protean
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
IVs: 30 Atk
- Spikes
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Gunk Shot
- Dark Pulse
Celesteela @ Flyinium Z
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Autotomize
- Fire Blast
- Giga Drain
- Air Slash
Tapu Koko @ Zap Plate
Ability: Electric Surge
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 30 Atk
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- U-turn
- Taunt
Garchomp @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Rough Skin
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Dragon Claw
- Outrage
- Rock Slide
Landorus-Therian @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 248 HP / 216 Def / 28 SpD / 16 Spe
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- U-turn
- Hidden Power [Ice]
Pheromosa @ Life Orb
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- High Jump Kick
- Ice Beam
- U-turn
- Rapid Spin
Immediate Threats:
Alolan Marowak: While I do have options to defeat it, it can prove to be a huge deterrent to my team. Just by its presence alone I have to think twice about ever clicking HJK with Phero or T-bolt with Koko, and in practice if I switch in Lando or Chomp on it I run the risk of a burn crippling it for the rest of the match. It can also prevent a spin from Mosa as well. It can be defeated by whittling it down I suppose, which is essentially what the team does try to accomplish, but the mind games it can create warrants a mention here, I feel. I guess Chandelure by extension can also go here, but it's not nearly as prevalent.
Zapdos: If I remove Life Orb from Pheromosa in favor of Black Belt, this problem might become even worse. Since Gren doesn't run Ice Beam it can't pressure it nearly as well, and my best bet is reading my opponent well enough to be able to click Taunt at the right time with Koko. While it is weak to rocks, it also has an immunity to spikes---which isn't exactly pleasant. I have to play pretty well if I want to defeat Zapdos.
Stall: Considering this is a straight up offense team, this shouldn't really come as a surprise and is more me putting this down in theory more than anything. There's something to be said in Gren pressuring Mega Sableye in order to get up spikes, but it can't hope to defeat a team with Zapdos + Toxapex, etc.
I'm sure there are more threats that escape me right now, but Zapdos and Marowak have proven to be the two big annoyances for me in my time of testing. Although there's definitely room for improvement in both the team and my analytical skills, I did my best to provide you all something I felt was at least solid enough to improve upon. I do want to once again thank Sart for his help in developing the team and thank you for reading what will hopefully be my first step in improving as a Pokemon player in all accounts - whether that be writing up a team analysis or building in general.
