Introduction
Hello Smogon people, nice to meet you! Just started playing competitive mons after years of lurking and watching my favorite Youtubers (shoutout to PokeaimMD and Lord Emvee) and I just built my first team after a few weeks of copying and pasting other people's teams. Would love if you all could help me become a better player by critiquing this build. The team building and testing phase was a lot of fun, and is a whole other side of competitive Pokemon that I could see myself really enjoying.
Anyway, without further ado, here's the team:
Tapu Bulu @ Leftovers
Ability: Grassy Surge
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Horn Leech
- Superpower
- Stone Edge
- Synthesis
Tapu Bulu is one of my favorite Pokemon this gen, and possibly one of my favorite Pokemon of all time. Grassy Terrain providing passive recovery to all grounded Pokemon and weakening Earthquake, the most prevalent offensive Ground type move in the game which many teams rely on to kill threats that aren't weak to much else, is simply amazing team support. In addition, Tapu Bulu is usually able to win the Terrain war, as it can come in on and beat all of the other Tapu's outside of Lele (and Lele too if it's locked into the wrong move). That means that Tapu Bulu can do it's job rather well, coming in regularly to reset Grassy Terrain for it's teammates. I'm using the classic SpDef set that provides the team with a bulky wall capable of sponging hits and hitting back hard with a Grassy Terrain boosted STAB Horn Leech, along with good neutral coverage options in Superpower and Stone Edge. The passive recovery this thing gets from Leftovers and Grassy Terrain, along with more active recovery in Horn Leech and Synthesis, makes it incredibly hard to kill or wear down. It's a reliable Greninja check, a Gliscor and Lando-T check (but beware of a potential Supersonic Skystrike from Lando-T), a Koko check, a Mega-Alakazam check, etc. Bulu is the backbone of the team; its Grassy Terrain support is invaluable to the rest of the members and the team is built around it, which means it needs to be played carefully on this team - if it goes down to a surprise Poison or Fire move, its loss really hurts the team synergy. Therefore, scouting and having good switch ins to Flying, Fire, Ice, Poison, and Steel type attacks is important. Flying types in particular are a problem for this team, so much so that I replaced what was once Swords Dance with Stone Edge for Pokemon like Tornadus-T and Zapdos.
Kartana @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Leaf Blade
- Sacred Sword
- Smart Strike
- Knock Off
Whereas Bulu is my favorite Tapu, Kartana is my second favorite Ultra Beast behind Blacephalon, who I wanted to fit on this team as well but couldn't find a place for. Kartana is a natural pair with Tapu Bulu, taking advantage of the boost Grassy Terrain gives its already incredibly powerful STAB Leaf Blade. Though it doesn't take advantage of the passive recovery Grassy Terrain gives it as much as some of the other Pokemon on this team, it definitely still appreciates it, especially as it allows it to mitigate the residual damage it takes from hazards or from switching in on a predicted physical attack that it resists, which Kartana can do despite having otherwise pitiful bulk due to its excellent Defense stat and its 9 different type resistances. I'm using Choice Scarf on this set because I need a speedy Pokemon that can hit hard and fast to force either an OHKO or 2HKO on the switch, and the additional power of a Choice Band is often not needed when Grassy Terrain boosted STAB Leaf Blade coming off of a 461 Attack stat hits like a truck even without Choice Band. Leaf Blade and Smart Strike for STAB, Sacred Sword to round out its coverage and Knock Off for the utility and team support it provides. Kartana is my general purpose revenge killer and late game cleaner, as once its defensive checks have been removed or weakened sufficiently it out speeds the entire unboosted metagame, and even many set up sweepers at +1, and has the coverage to kill or massively dent almost everything.
Heatran @ Leftovers
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 HP / 128 SpD / 128 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Magma Storm
- Earth Power
- Stealth Rock
- Toxic
Heatran is one of those Pokemon I love to use and hate to face. It just eats up special attacks for breakfast and hits back hard with a Magma Storm or Earth Power (which is NOT weakened by Grassy Terrain), or cripples and annoys whatever doesn't mind those two moves with Toxic. It provides excellent reciprocal synergy with Bulu - it can easily switch into the Poison, Fire, Ice, Flying and Steel type attacks that Bulu doesn't appreciate taking, and Bulu reciprocates by taking the Fighting, Water, and Ground moves that threaten it, in addition to providing Grassy Terrain support to both weaken Earthquake, the only Ground type move that many teams have, and to give Heatran additional passive recovery each turn in conjunction with Leftovers. Heatran with both Leftovers and Grassy Terrain recovers 12% HP each turn, equal to the passive recovery of the defensive juggernaut that is Poison Heal Gliscor. It's an excellent Stealth Rock user as well, as it can pressure many users of Defog in the tier like Koko, Tornadus-T, Zapdos, etc. In addition, with the combination of Toxic and Magma Storm, it can trap and wear down certain special walls like Chansey, especially if it's receiving Grassy Terrain and Leftovers recovery to shrug off their hits, though Taunt would help it do this better. I chose Magma Storm over Lava Plume because I appreciate the additional power, trapping, and residual damage from Magma Storm more than the accuracy, chance to burn, and larger PP store of Lava Plume.
Toxapex @ Black Sludge
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Haze
- Recover
- Toxic
Another Pokemon I love using and hate seeing, Toxapex joins the squad to take advantage of Grassy Terrain as well and help it do what it does best - sponge hits, Recover off the damage, fish for Scald burns, stop setup sweepers with Haze, and spread status with Toxic. Just like Heatran it greatly appreciates Grassy Terrain weakening Earthquake and providing it with even more passive recovery on top of Black Sludge, meaning that it isn't forced to to click Recover as much and can instead spam Scald or Toxic. It can deal reliably deal with the likes of Greninja, Mega-Diancie, Volcarona, and Mega-Charizard Y (though it needs to be careful of Earthquake from Mega-Charizard X, which Grassy Terrain can help with if necessary). I considered making this set more physically defensive with a spread of 252 HP / 176 Def / 80 SpD and a Bold Nature instead of specially defensive because I already have Heatran and Bulu specially defensive, but I have another bulky water that I use as a physical wall and Water/Poison typing is pretty solid on the physical side of things even with just HP investment and minimal Def investment, so I kept it the classic specially defensive set. If anybody thinks Phys Def or a mixed set would be better on this build, I'd love to hear the reasoning. I am also considering Toxic Spikes over Toxic at the moment - would love feedback on that as well.
Mawile @ Mawilite
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 92 HP / 252 Atk / 164 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Play Rough
- Sucker Punch
- Thunder Punch
- Brick Break
Enter stage right, another powerhouse of the team alongside Kartana, Mega-Mawile! It appreciates Bulu and Heatran as teammates, as Grassy Terrain mitigates it's Earthquake weakness and Heatran makes the opponent think twice about relying on a Fire move to deal with it too. This made Mawile a fairly easy choice as my mega from the beginning. In addition to that defensive synergy, it hits incredibly hard on the offensive side and can be difficult to switch into, which makes it an effective wallbreaker. I'm using an All-Out-Attacking set instead of the Swords Dance set because I want to use it as a wallbreaker more than a sweeper. It gives the team a Fairy type with an actual Fairy type attack in Play Rough, and it has strong priority in Sucker Punch to somewhat patch up it's poor speed and help the team deal with Mega-Alakazam if Bulu is unable to. Thunder Punch is useful for certain Pokemon that are problematic for the team, such as Tornadus-T, Celesteela, Toxapex, and Skarmory. Brick Break is specifically for Heatran, which can be difficult to deal with for this team, being able to OHKO offensive variants and deal significant damage to more defensive ones. However, I'm considering dropping it for Knock Off to provide team support and potentially get rid of a problematic Pokemon's item, such as Leftovers on Celesteela, Heatran, or Ferrothorn. Any feedback on Brick Break vs Knock Off on this set would be much appreciated.
Rotom-Wash @ Wiki Berry
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 200 Def / 56 Spe
Bold Nature
- Hydro Pump
- Volt Switch
- Will-O-Wisp
- Defog
For the final team slot, we have Rotom-Wash! Rotom is chosen because it provides Defog support for the team, can pivot out with Volt Switch for momentum especially on a predicted switch into a special wall or Dragon/Grass type, and to threaten the Flying types that this team can have trouble dealing with, and is a physical wall that can threaten and cripple physical attackers with Will-O-Wisp. This slot was originally Physically Defensive Defog Zapdos with Static, but I changed it to Rotom because I wanted a Defogger that could deal with ground types and wouldn't lose to Heatran. I found that Wiki Berry was more reliable than Leftovers in keeping Rotom healthy throughout the match - I really wanted to fit Pain Split on this set as well, but I couldn't justify giving up Defog or Will-O-Wisp for it. Rotom also provides the team with a key Earthquake immunity outside of Grassy Terrain utilizing Levitate, in case Bulu is unable to or doesn't want to switch in. It can check things like Lando-T, Tornadus-T, and Mega-Pinsir. Unfortunately Rotom-W does not abuse Grassy Terrain in the way that the other members of the team do as it is not grounded, but I feel that not having a Pokemon off the ground would make this team too reliant on Grassy Terrain and too susceptible to hazard stacking.
Conclusion
And that's the team! True to the title, the whole team is centered around abusing all of the benefits that Grassy Terrain provides to make Pokemon that are already good without it that much better. Please let me know what you think and give any suggestions you can, so that I can better myself and become a more well-rounded player. :)
Hello Smogon people, nice to meet you! Just started playing competitive mons after years of lurking and watching my favorite Youtubers (shoutout to PokeaimMD and Lord Emvee) and I just built my first team after a few weeks of copying and pasting other people's teams. Would love if you all could help me become a better player by critiquing this build. The team building and testing phase was a lot of fun, and is a whole other side of competitive Pokemon that I could see myself really enjoying.
Anyway, without further ado, here's the team:
Tapu Bulu @ Leftovers
Ability: Grassy Surge
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Horn Leech
- Superpower
- Stone Edge
- Synthesis
Tapu Bulu is one of my favorite Pokemon this gen, and possibly one of my favorite Pokemon of all time. Grassy Terrain providing passive recovery to all grounded Pokemon and weakening Earthquake, the most prevalent offensive Ground type move in the game which many teams rely on to kill threats that aren't weak to much else, is simply amazing team support. In addition, Tapu Bulu is usually able to win the Terrain war, as it can come in on and beat all of the other Tapu's outside of Lele (and Lele too if it's locked into the wrong move). That means that Tapu Bulu can do it's job rather well, coming in regularly to reset Grassy Terrain for it's teammates. I'm using the classic SpDef set that provides the team with a bulky wall capable of sponging hits and hitting back hard with a Grassy Terrain boosted STAB Horn Leech, along with good neutral coverage options in Superpower and Stone Edge. The passive recovery this thing gets from Leftovers and Grassy Terrain, along with more active recovery in Horn Leech and Synthesis, makes it incredibly hard to kill or wear down. It's a reliable Greninja check, a Gliscor and Lando-T check (but beware of a potential Supersonic Skystrike from Lando-T), a Koko check, a Mega-Alakazam check, etc. Bulu is the backbone of the team; its Grassy Terrain support is invaluable to the rest of the members and the team is built around it, which means it needs to be played carefully on this team - if it goes down to a surprise Poison or Fire move, its loss really hurts the team synergy. Therefore, scouting and having good switch ins to Flying, Fire, Ice, Poison, and Steel type attacks is important. Flying types in particular are a problem for this team, so much so that I replaced what was once Swords Dance with Stone Edge for Pokemon like Tornadus-T and Zapdos.
Kartana @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Leaf Blade
- Sacred Sword
- Smart Strike
- Knock Off
Whereas Bulu is my favorite Tapu, Kartana is my second favorite Ultra Beast behind Blacephalon, who I wanted to fit on this team as well but couldn't find a place for. Kartana is a natural pair with Tapu Bulu, taking advantage of the boost Grassy Terrain gives its already incredibly powerful STAB Leaf Blade. Though it doesn't take advantage of the passive recovery Grassy Terrain gives it as much as some of the other Pokemon on this team, it definitely still appreciates it, especially as it allows it to mitigate the residual damage it takes from hazards or from switching in on a predicted physical attack that it resists, which Kartana can do despite having otherwise pitiful bulk due to its excellent Defense stat and its 9 different type resistances. I'm using Choice Scarf on this set because I need a speedy Pokemon that can hit hard and fast to force either an OHKO or 2HKO on the switch, and the additional power of a Choice Band is often not needed when Grassy Terrain boosted STAB Leaf Blade coming off of a 461 Attack stat hits like a truck even without Choice Band. Leaf Blade and Smart Strike for STAB, Sacred Sword to round out its coverage and Knock Off for the utility and team support it provides. Kartana is my general purpose revenge killer and late game cleaner, as once its defensive checks have been removed or weakened sufficiently it out speeds the entire unboosted metagame, and even many set up sweepers at +1, and has the coverage to kill or massively dent almost everything.
Heatran @ Leftovers
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 HP / 128 SpD / 128 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Magma Storm
- Earth Power
- Stealth Rock
- Toxic
Heatran is one of those Pokemon I love to use and hate to face. It just eats up special attacks for breakfast and hits back hard with a Magma Storm or Earth Power (which is NOT weakened by Grassy Terrain), or cripples and annoys whatever doesn't mind those two moves with Toxic. It provides excellent reciprocal synergy with Bulu - it can easily switch into the Poison, Fire, Ice, Flying and Steel type attacks that Bulu doesn't appreciate taking, and Bulu reciprocates by taking the Fighting, Water, and Ground moves that threaten it, in addition to providing Grassy Terrain support to both weaken Earthquake, the only Ground type move that many teams have, and to give Heatran additional passive recovery each turn in conjunction with Leftovers. Heatran with both Leftovers and Grassy Terrain recovers 12% HP each turn, equal to the passive recovery of the defensive juggernaut that is Poison Heal Gliscor. It's an excellent Stealth Rock user as well, as it can pressure many users of Defog in the tier like Koko, Tornadus-T, Zapdos, etc. In addition, with the combination of Toxic and Magma Storm, it can trap and wear down certain special walls like Chansey, especially if it's receiving Grassy Terrain and Leftovers recovery to shrug off their hits, though Taunt would help it do this better. I chose Magma Storm over Lava Plume because I appreciate the additional power, trapping, and residual damage from Magma Storm more than the accuracy, chance to burn, and larger PP store of Lava Plume.
Toxapex @ Black Sludge
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Haze
- Recover
- Toxic
Another Pokemon I love using and hate seeing, Toxapex joins the squad to take advantage of Grassy Terrain as well and help it do what it does best - sponge hits, Recover off the damage, fish for Scald burns, stop setup sweepers with Haze, and spread status with Toxic. Just like Heatran it greatly appreciates Grassy Terrain weakening Earthquake and providing it with even more passive recovery on top of Black Sludge, meaning that it isn't forced to to click Recover as much and can instead spam Scald or Toxic. It can deal reliably deal with the likes of Greninja, Mega-Diancie, Volcarona, and Mega-Charizard Y (though it needs to be careful of Earthquake from Mega-Charizard X, which Grassy Terrain can help with if necessary). I considered making this set more physically defensive with a spread of 252 HP / 176 Def / 80 SpD and a Bold Nature instead of specially defensive because I already have Heatran and Bulu specially defensive, but I have another bulky water that I use as a physical wall and Water/Poison typing is pretty solid on the physical side of things even with just HP investment and minimal Def investment, so I kept it the classic specially defensive set. If anybody thinks Phys Def or a mixed set would be better on this build, I'd love to hear the reasoning. I am also considering Toxic Spikes over Toxic at the moment - would love feedback on that as well.
Mawile @ Mawilite
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 92 HP / 252 Atk / 164 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Play Rough
- Sucker Punch
- Thunder Punch
- Brick Break
Enter stage right, another powerhouse of the team alongside Kartana, Mega-Mawile! It appreciates Bulu and Heatran as teammates, as Grassy Terrain mitigates it's Earthquake weakness and Heatran makes the opponent think twice about relying on a Fire move to deal with it too. This made Mawile a fairly easy choice as my mega from the beginning. In addition to that defensive synergy, it hits incredibly hard on the offensive side and can be difficult to switch into, which makes it an effective wallbreaker. I'm using an All-Out-Attacking set instead of the Swords Dance set because I want to use it as a wallbreaker more than a sweeper. It gives the team a Fairy type with an actual Fairy type attack in Play Rough, and it has strong priority in Sucker Punch to somewhat patch up it's poor speed and help the team deal with Mega-Alakazam if Bulu is unable to. Thunder Punch is useful for certain Pokemon that are problematic for the team, such as Tornadus-T, Celesteela, Toxapex, and Skarmory. Brick Break is specifically for Heatran, which can be difficult to deal with for this team, being able to OHKO offensive variants and deal significant damage to more defensive ones. However, I'm considering dropping it for Knock Off to provide team support and potentially get rid of a problematic Pokemon's item, such as Leftovers on Celesteela, Heatran, or Ferrothorn. Any feedback on Brick Break vs Knock Off on this set would be much appreciated.
Rotom-Wash @ Wiki Berry
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 200 Def / 56 Spe
Bold Nature
- Hydro Pump
- Volt Switch
- Will-O-Wisp
- Defog
For the final team slot, we have Rotom-Wash! Rotom is chosen because it provides Defog support for the team, can pivot out with Volt Switch for momentum especially on a predicted switch into a special wall or Dragon/Grass type, and to threaten the Flying types that this team can have trouble dealing with, and is a physical wall that can threaten and cripple physical attackers with Will-O-Wisp. This slot was originally Physically Defensive Defog Zapdos with Static, but I changed it to Rotom because I wanted a Defogger that could deal with ground types and wouldn't lose to Heatran. I found that Wiki Berry was more reliable than Leftovers in keeping Rotom healthy throughout the match - I really wanted to fit Pain Split on this set as well, but I couldn't justify giving up Defog or Will-O-Wisp for it. Rotom also provides the team with a key Earthquake immunity outside of Grassy Terrain utilizing Levitate, in case Bulu is unable to or doesn't want to switch in. It can check things like Lando-T, Tornadus-T, and Mega-Pinsir. Unfortunately Rotom-W does not abuse Grassy Terrain in the way that the other members of the team do as it is not grounded, but I feel that not having a Pokemon off the ground would make this team too reliant on Grassy Terrain and too susceptible to hazard stacking.
Conclusion
And that's the team! True to the title, the whole team is centered around abusing all of the benefits that Grassy Terrain provides to make Pokemon that are already good without it that much better. Please let me know what you think and give any suggestions you can, so that I can better myself and become a more well-rounded player. :)
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