GRAVITY INTENSIFIED
Greetings Smogon! In the past I have been an active user of gimmicky sets and using field effects to my advantage such as Rain Dance, Sunny Day, Hail, Sandstorm and Trick Room. However I have never gotten the chance to touch Gravity, now that many Pokemon are able to learn Gravity via Move Tutor in HGSS, I have decided to try to create an offensive team based around this unusual, yet potentially powerful move. Now let us have a look at my team:
Smeargle @ Focus Sash
Ability: Own Tempo
EVs: 180 Atk / 80 Def / 248 Spe
Jolly nature (+Spd, -SpA)
- Gravity
- Spore
- Spikes
- Explosion
Smeargle is my Lead and makes sure I get Gravity off from the start of the match. He can also set up a few Spikes if he gets the chance. If switching is not an option, Explosion allows me to quickly sacrifice itself to bring in one of my Gravity sweepers safely in.
Swampert @ Leftovers
Ability: Torrent
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Def
Relaxed nature (+Def, -SpA)
- Stealth Rock
- Hydro Pump
- Blizzard
- Earthquake
Swampert is widely known as a bulky water and having the ability to reliably setup Stealth Rock. My Swampert is just that, except it is also a offensive powerhouse under Gravity with Hydro Pump, Blizzard and Earthquake. Nothing resists this type coverage except Surskit and Shedinja which are rarely seen in the current Metagame anyway. Max HP and Defence is required to survive the many Earthquake I will encounter since Gravity helps my opponent's Earthquakes as well.
Starmie @ Life Orb
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid nature (+Spe, -Atk)
- Gravity
- Hydro Pump
- Blizzard
- Thunder
Starmie is not only capable of setting up Gravity, but it becomes an amazing Special sweeper under the field effect. What it was unable to OHKO in the past with Surf, Ice Beam and Thunderbolt can now be OHKO with the new 100% accurate Hydro Pump, Blizzard and Thunder under Gravity. With its blistering speed, Starmie can easily finish off weakened foes after they have taking damage from entry hazards from switching in.
Metagross @ Life Orb
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 252 HP / 236 Atk / 12 Def / 8 Spe
Adamant nature (+Atk, -SpA)
- Gravity
- Meteor Mash
- Earthquake
- Explosion
Similar to Starmie, Metagross can not only setup Gravity but sweep under its effects. Under Gravity, Meteor Mash has 100% accuracy, and along with Earthquake, the two get perfect coverage (except Ludicolo, Surskit and Shedinja). Explosion is a last resort and a great way to take out a threat to the team. However, I am thinking of changing Explosion for Agility and changing the EVs around so Metagross instantly outspeeds most of the metagame after 1 Agility and proceed to sweep under Gravity.
Forretress @ Shed Shell
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 176 Def / 80 SpD
Impish nature (+Def, -SpA)
- Spikes
- Rapid Spin
- Gravity
- Explosion
Forretress's high defence and neutrality to Ground-type moves allows it to take a few Earthquakes from the opponent before fainting. Forretress can not only set up Spikes (in case Smeargle fails to do his job) to aid my sweepers get valuable OHKOs but also use Rapid Spin to spin away entry hazards to help my sweepers to come in more safely. Forretress can even setup Gravity and Explode to bring in what of my sweepers after it has done its job.
Gengar @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid nature (+Spe, -Atk)
- Hypnosis
- Shadow Ball
- Focus Blast
- Thunder
Gengar is my Spin Blocker. I usually bring Gengar in after one of my Pokemon faints and Gravity is still under effect. Under Gravity, Gengar is a beast. Hypnosis is the equivalent of Spore and Shadow Ball+Focus Blast give perfect coverage and are 100% accurate. Thunder is also 100% accurate and destroys "bulky" waters.
SUGGESTIVE CHANGES:
Personally, I don't think Forretress really fits in my team that well. I already have Smeargle to setup Spikes and already have 3 Gravity users. But Smeargle is not the most reliable lead to setup Spikes and Gravity. I just feel like it is doing too much. Maybe I should get rid of Smeargle and let Starmie/Metagross lead? I also want some kind of Special Wall in my team. Blissey is probably the best option but I don't really know how to implement her into my team. I am also thinking of changing Metagross so it has Agility instead of Explosion, but I fear it might need too much turns to setup. Finally I feel like my team doesn't have a powerful Ground-Pokemon to abuse Earthquakes under Gravity. Sure Swampert can Earthquake but I also want it to be bulky enough to take hits and setup Stealth Rock.
CONCLUSION:
So there's my Gravity-theme team. It is still a new, gimmicky concept but I hope to utilize it well. Unfortunately I am unable to test this team on Shoddy because the HGSS moves have not been implemented yet. Hopefully everyone can give me feedback on how to improve and make this team stronger. Just one thing: please do not suggest I use Celebi or Jirachi, I know according to Smogon they are OU but to me they are event legendaries and I don't want to use them on my team. (don't ask)
