Grass Monotype Team

[Slayr231]

I've been playing the monotype tier for a while now and after some initial success with adapting my grass team to the new generation, I just can't seem to make it work anymore. I've been playing it a lot recently and no matter what I change, nothing seems to be working. So, I'm turning to you nice people to help me bring my team back up to the kick-butt shape it was in before. Without further ado, here's the team:

Ferrothorn @ Leftovers
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 SDef / 252 Def / 4 HP
Sassy Nature
IVs: 0 Spd
- Power Whip
- Gyro Ball
- Stealth Rock
- Leech Seed

Your typical hazards setter. I chose a defensive Ferrothorn because I really need the stealth rocks up and I tried a more offensive EV spread, but Ferrothorn never seemed to live long enough to get them up. Most of the time I'll lead off with this guy, get rocks up, and manage an attack or two before going down. I'm not sure if the grass type has a better hazards setter than Ferrothorn, and I've been pretty happy with this guy so far.

Venusaur-Mega @ Venusaurite
Ability: Thick Fat
EVs: 252 SAtk / 252 HP / 4 SDef
Modest Nature
- Leech Seed
- Giga Drain
- Sludge Bomb
- Hidden Power [Ground]

Do I really need to explain why I have Megasaur on this team? Really? Yes? Fine, Megasaur is here to provide some special pressure as well as covering some weaknesses with that Thick Fat ability. I chose a more offensive spread because I need the type coverage. This guy has been amazing at tanking hits and dealing out damage. I don't really have any complaints because there's not much to complain about.

Ludicolo @ Damp Rock
Ability: Swift Swim
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 SAtk / 4 HP
Modest Nature
- Rain Dance
- Ice Beam
- Giga Drain
- Surf

Ludicolo has been the newest addition to my team and I couldn't be happier. Since the rain covers one of my biggest weaknesses, I went ahead and chose the Damp Rock so I can cover that weakness longer. Ludicolo doesn't seem to mind the loss of power without a Life Orb and has ended up sweeping a couple teams here and there. It has great coverage and is nearly untouchable after using Rain Dance. If it lives long enough to abuse it, that is.

Breloom @ Life Orb
Ability: Technician
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature
- Spore
- Rock Tomb
- Mach Punch
- Bullet Seed

Breloom has taken a hit this gen. I decided to swap out Swords Dance for Rock Tomb because of the extra coverage and unlike last gen, I'm switching out Breloom a lot. Spore is a staple move that no Breloom should go without and Mach Punch brings some much needed priority to the table. It's been difficult getting used to having Breloom as more of an offensive support role causing sleep, rather than being a physical sweeper, but Breloom still comes in handy in nearly every battle.

Shiftry @ Life Orb
Ability: Chlorophyll
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 Atk / 4 SDef
Jolly Nature
- Defog
- Sucker Punch
- Seed Bomb
- Rock Slide

Another pokemon that has taken a hit this gen, but is still very valuable to this team. Shiftry is here for priority support. From KOing that Dragonite with a sliver of HP left to getting rid of that Yanmega that's a little too fast for comfort, Shiftry is there to put that sweeper in their place. Not to mention, the doubled speed in sun doubled with Rock Slide for pesky fire types really comes in handy. Many Charizard-Y's have fallen because of it, and many more will fall in the future.

Tangrowth @ Leftovers
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 48 Def / 208 SAtk
Bold Nature
- Giga Drain
- Ancient Power
- Focus Blast
- Synthesis

Tangrowth is the only member of this team to have remained here since the beginning. Since Talonflame is a huge threat this gen, Tangrowth is here to stop it. Tangrowth can take that Brave Bird and strike back with a super effective Ancient Power. It's amazing how much this mass of vines can take and I laugh at opponents who try to overcome its bulk using physical attacks. Tangrowth has also caused a few rage-quits from a few flying type trainers who didn't like to see their Staraptor fall.

So there's the team. I'm not exactly sure what I could improve on since I have played with this team a lot. It has done extremely well in the past, taking three tournament wins, but I quickly went from nearly undefeated to a losing record. I'm open to any and all advice, including switching pokemon.

 

[Cutie Caitlyn]

It only takes a while for a mono Flying to sweep your team because of your team's lack of speed. an Adamant Nature 252 Speed EV Shiftry's not that fast enough to revenge kill them. Also, Ludicolo need at least one turn to set up its Rain. on the other hand, Ferrothorn counters them but with Talonflame on the opposing side:

​

252 Atk Life Orb Talonflame Flare Blitz vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Ferrothorn: 442-530 (125.5 - 150.5%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252 Atk Life Orb Talonflame Brave Bird vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Tangrowth: 229-273 (56.6 - 67.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
252 Atk Life Orb Talonflame Brave Bird vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Shiftry: 562-663 (146.3 - 172.6%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252 Atk Life Orb Talonflame Brave Bird vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Breloom: 894-1061 (341.2 - 404.9%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252 Atk Life Orb Talonflame Brave Bird vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Ludicolo: 499-588 (165.2 - 194.7%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252 Atk Life Orb Talonflame Brave Bird vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Mega Venusaur: 312-369 (85.7 - 101.3%) -- 12.5% chance to OHKO
I'm just telling you that this is a possibility.
but, Tangrowth can really deal with Talonflame using Ancient Power like you said.
4 SpA Tangrowth Ancient Power vs. 4 HP / 0 SpD Talonflame: 256-304 (85.9 - 102%) -- 12.5% chance to OHKO

So here's my suggestion:
-Make Shiftry's nature be Jolly to out speed Pokemons with base 80 speed stat.
-Change Ferrothorn's EV spread. 4 HP / 252 Def / 252 SDef is better than 252 HP / 252 Def / 252 SDef. Only invest HP EV's if you're running on a Counter, Mirror Coat, Wish, Ditto, and Pure Defensive Walls(ex: Special Wall Blissey). Ferrothorn's a Mixed Wall, both walls Physical and Special attacks.
-You can also change Shiftry's Fake Out into Defog to remove annoying entry hazards.

Overall, your team is really good. I bet it can devastate Flying and Fire Monotypes because 4 of your Pokemon have Rock Type attacks. ^^

 

[Slayr231]

Thanks! I ended up taking all of your suggestions and I'm liking the results. I really like Defog on Shiftry because now I'm no longer extremely exposed to entry hazards. All the changes I implemented are in bold. I tried a few battles and my team actually won a couple!

I have my flying weakness down and I can normally pull out the win, but with the nerf to the sun, Shiftry can't abuse it, so I still struggle against fire teams. I've only gone up against two fire teams, so I still need the practice against them. Thanks again for the advice, it really helped!

 

[ninjawhitetiger]

Hey man, I too run a mono grass team, and I ran into the same problem as you did, but I came to a decision about 3 months ago. When making a grass team, It is important to decide if you want an offensive team, or a stall team. I ended up with a stall team, I think that if you pick one or the other for your team (because it is currently mixed) I can be of much more help, I think that once you choose one it is going to take a lot of tinkering as grass types are pretty tricky to use, so once you know what to do pm me and I will try my best to help out (there Is just going to be too much happening for me to post on here as it will be more of a rebuild than a quick fix)

 

[ninjawhitetiger]

It only takes a while for a mono Flying to sweep your team because of your team's lack of speed. an Adamant Nature 252 Speed EV Shiftry's not that fast enough to revenge kill them. Also, Ludicolo need at least one turn to set up its Rain. on the other hand, Ferrothorn counters them but with Talonflame on the opposing side:

​

252 Atk Life Orb Talonflame Flare Blitz vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Ferrothorn: 442-530 (125.5 - 150.5%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252 Atk Life Orb Talonflame Brave Bird vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Tangrowth: 229-273 (56.6 - 67.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
252 Atk Life Orb Talonflame Brave Bird vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Shiftry: 562-663 (146.3 - 172.6%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252 Atk Life Orb Talonflame Brave Bird vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Breloom: 894-1061 (341.2 - 404.9%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252 Atk Life Orb Talonflame Brave Bird vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Ludicolo: 499-588 (165.2 - 194.7%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252 Atk Life Orb Talonflame Brave Bird vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Mega Venusaur: 312-369 (85.7 - 101.3%) -- 12.5% chance to OHKO
I'm just telling you that this is a possibility.
but, Tangrowth can really deal with Talonflame using Ancient Power like you said.
4 SpA Tangrowth Ancient Power vs. 4 HP / 0 SpD Talonflame: 256-304 (85.9 - 102%) -- 12.5% chance to OHKO

So here's my suggestion:
-Make Shiftry's nature be Jolly to out speed Pokemons with base 80 speed stat.
-Change Ferrothorn's EV spread. 4 HP / 252 Def / 252 SDef is better than 252 HP / 252 Def / 252 SDef. Only invest HP EV's if you're running on a Counter, Mirror Coat, Wish, Ditto, and Pure Defensive Walls(ex: Special Wall Blissey). Ferrothorn's a Mixed Wall, both walls Physical and Special attacks.
-You can also change Shiftry's Fake Out into Defog to remove annoying entry hazards.

Overall, your team is really good. I bet it can devastate Flying and Fire Monotypes because 4 of your Pokemon have Rock Type attacks. ^^

252 Atk Choice Band Talonflame Flare Blitz vs. 252 HP / 47 Def Tangrowth: 338-402 (83.6 - 99.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
186 SpA Tangrowth Ancient Power vs. 4 HP / 0 SpD Talonflame: 300-356 (100.6 - 119.4%) -- guaranteed OHKO

 

[Cutie Caitlyn]

252 Atk Choice Band Talonflame Flare Blitz vs. 252 HP / 47 Def Tangrowth: 338-402 (83.6 - 99.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
186 SpA Tangrowth Ancient Power vs. 4 HP / 0 SpD Talonflame: 300-356 (100.6 - 119.4%) -- guaranteed OHKO

well, his Tangrowth only has 4SpA EV investment, not 186.
Life Orb is also much better because Talonflame can always use a +1 Priority Roost to regain its health from recoil damages done by Life Orb, Flare Blitz, and Brave Bird. in my opinion. ^^

Hey man, I too run a mono grass team, and I ran into the same problem as you did, but I came to a decision about 3 months ago. When making a grass team, It is important to decide if you want an offensive team, or a stall team. I ended up with a stall team, I think that if you pick one or the other for your team (because it is currently mixed) I can be of much more help, I think that once you choose one it is going to take a lot of tinkering as grass types are pretty tricky to use, so once you know what to do pm me and I will try my best to help out (there Is just going to be too much happening for me to post on here as it will be more of a rebuild than a quick fix)

Balancing Offensive and Stall in one team is good enough to maneuver some hard situations such as a Boosted Sweeper, a Toxic Staller, a Defensive Phazer, Revenge Killer, others, etc. ^^

I'm not against your stall team okay. I'm just saying. :D

 

[Slayr231]

well, his Tangrowth only has 4SpA EV investment, not 186.
Life Orb is also much better because Talonflame can always use a +1 Priority Roost to regain its health from recoil damages done by Life Orb, Flare Blitz, and Brave Bird. in my opinion. ^^

I think he was referring to how I can only put 47 defense EVs on Tangrowth, still be able to take that Brave Bird/Flare Blitz, and put the rest in special attack and not have to rely on recoil damage to KO Talonflame. I like the spread, so I think I'll check it out. I've been a little disappointed with Tangrowth's offensive presence, and this should help patch it up nicely.

Hey man, I too run a mono grass team, and I ran into the same problem as you did, but I came to a decision about 3 months ago. When making a grass team, It is important to decide if you want an offensive team, or a stall team. I ended up with a stall team, I think that if you pick one or the other for your team (because it is currently mixed) I can be of much more help, I think that once you choose one it is going to take a lot of tinkering as grass types are pretty tricky to use, so once you know what to do pm me and I will try my best to help out (there Is just going to be too much happening for me to post on here as it will be more of a rebuild than a quick fix)

Right now, this is a bulky offensive team. Sure it has some stall pokemon on there, but they're all offensively based. Stall isn't really my play style and I don't think grass can pull off a hyper offensive strategy due to all the weaknesses and how many types resist grass. Grass does have some great defensive pokemon with decent attack stats, so I usually pivot around Ferrothorn, Megasaur, and Tangrowth and use the rest as offensive cannons to go in and do their thing until it's time to switch out again. My team is offensively based and I don't think I'll be switching over to a hyper offensive team anytime soon.

 

[Metatyph]

I'll... stay away from the arguments and simply state my opinions.

As I can see, Talonflame poses a huge threat to your team in general. I, too, run a Grass mono, and I curcumvented this by using a defensive Cradily. It also helps tank out quite a few moves, since its bulk isn't bad at all. Also:
0 SpA Cradily Ancient Power vs. 4 HP / 0 SpD Talonflame: 300-352 (100.6 - 118.1%) -- guaranteed OHKO
0 Atk Cradily Rock Slide vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Talonflame: 364-432 (122.1 - 144.9%) -- guaranteed OHKO

You also might want to consider Life Orb Synthesis Shaymin as a special sweeper. Boosted Seed Flare is nothing to scoff lightly at.