Introduction:
Hello everyone! My name is Jay, or Jaysifer, and could use some input on a team I built. I recently started playing VGC again, really only participating during the 2017-2018 seasons (with a laughably bad performance). I had a friend who was really into the competitive season this year and convinced me to come back. After testing a few things this season, I was able to piece together a really rough draft of a team that I've managed to stay in about the 1500+ territory on showdown with. I feel like I have a decent understanding of the threats and meta, however, I could use some help identifying the threats to the team/tips on how to play around them, as well as optimizing spreads. I believe a lot of my struggles with this team are more due to me being a bit inexperienced, so I included some battles as well to see the team in action. Without further ado, here is the team!
Teambuilding:
I started with a Terapagos-Grimmsnarl duo. Terapagos was the main restricted I wanted to use, I love this goofy little turtle guy. The two sets I have seen for our reptilian friend are a choice specs set and a calm mind set, and after a bit of testing, I settled on running the later with screen support and speed control from Grimmsnarl. With support from other members of the team, Terapagos can stick on the field for a hot minute, which has been a coincidental theme for a few other members of the team.
I was seeing a lot of Kyogre rain teams, and wanted a consistent way of handling the incoming damage from Kyogre. Ogerpon-W was the consistent counter I saw, being able to absorb its primary stab and at least take neuteral from any Thunder or Ice Beam shennanigans.
I did some testing with Archaludon and Tornadus on a previous team, and really loved AV Arch and how it played. I figured pairing it with Grimm support would allow for another mon that is really hard to remove from the battlefield. Boosting it's defense with Stamina, paired with Body Press and Electro Shot to boost it's SpA, Arch can quickly become the pokemon equivalent of a raid boss that can be really challenging to take down. I paired the bridge with Pelipper, setting up rain to further enable Electro Shot and provide more speed control with Tailwind.
I was really struggling against Urshifu-Single Strike, and toyed with a few options to cover for it. I ran a Specs Flutter Mane for a minute but was never really impressed with it's performance on the team. I watched a video covering a Comfey team and realized it would work really well into Urshifu with super effective priority in Draining Kiss and Triage, whilst providing additional support in Taunt and Floral Healing, shutting down Amoongus and Smeargle strats and also covering for non-mental herb trick room. Using Comfey has proven to be incredibly effective in keeping my two set up sweepers on the field and out-sustaining the opposing team.
The Team:
"Criiiiick" went the wooden door as you opened it, signifying it's age to the dim, candlelit room that it greeted you to. The air was musty and old, reeking of mildew and-
Sniff Sniff
Lavender? You think to yourself.
The room itself was rather unremarkable. Having no windows or skylight, the room felt constrictive, almost as if it was designed to make you feel trapped. In the center of the room stands a worn, rickety table with two chairs on opposing sides. A set of withered cards lays spread across the center, each facing down, almost pleading for you to reveal their hidden underbelly. Their presence was magnetic, and, against your better judgement, you find yourself sat in front of them. Though the chair across from you is empty, you can't help but feel a presence there, analyzing you expectantly.
You take a deep breath in, the air stinging your lungs as it fills your chest, and on exhale, you turn over the first card...
https://pokepast.es/38ca47743a224907
The Chariot, In reverse. Great. Representing success and willpower, this would normally be a sign of good things to come. In reverse, however, represents opposition and lack of direction. One thing is for sure, the reading has started off on a treacherous beginning.
The Chariot (Pelipper) @ Focus Sash
Ability: Drizzle
Level: 50
Tera Type: Ghost
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Hurricane
- Tailwind
- Weather Ball
- Protect
This is a rather standard Pelipper set, providing speed control with Tailwind and a... well... mediocre offensive presence with Weather Ball and Hurricane. Admittedly, if I bring the bird, it's usually just to set up rain to enable Archaludon or distrupt the enemy teams weather setter. Don't get me wrong, that provides immense utility, but it is the only mon I have that can hit Amoongus super effectively (not factoring in if it tera's) and it rarely gets an OHKO on it. Amoongus is one of the mons that, as a player, I really struggle to deal with, so I added a few ways to check it within the team outside of just all-ining it with offense. I've considered swapping to a Modest nature to maximize damage output, and I'm curious if that would solve the issue with Amoongus a little more effectively, but based on damage calcs from Pikalytics sets, it looks like it is never an OHKO :
252+ SpA Pelipper Hurricane vs. 252 HP / 100 SpD Amoonguss: 176-210 (79.6 - 95%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
Is there a good way to handle Amoongus more offensively? Any recommendations would be helpful.
The Tower. The room went cold upon its reveal, the flames of the candles flickered in fear. Things just went from bad to worse. Representing chaos, sudden change, and upheaval, this is surely a sign of what's to come.
The Tower (Archaludon) @ Assault Vest
Ability: Stamina
Level: 50
Shiny: Yes
Tera Type: Fairy
EVs: 244 HP / 28 Def / 36 SpA / 148 SpD / 52 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Electro Shot
- Body Press
- Flash Cannon
- Draco Meteor
Archaludon was surprising to me. I did not expect to like this Pokemon as much as I do. Being able to boost its damage output with Stamina and Electro Shot, as well as investing in more bulk really allows this thing to stick on the field. I went with an EV spread I found on Pikalytics, and I've found great success with it paired with screen support and healing from Grimmsnarl and Comfey respectively. My goal with this team was to really play in to the "immovable object" motiff and play around boosting my team members' stats rather passively while the opponent just watches in fear. Body Press is ran due to the consistent damage boost it gets when Arch is hit by a move, Electro Shot to pair with rain support and effectively boosts it's SpA stat. Flash Cannon and Draco Meteor are my stab options, Flash Cannon to chunk Calyrex-Ice down, as well as opposing fairy types, and Draco to try and secure OHKO's on super effective targets like cover legendaries. Fairy Tera is for defensive purposes, baiting in Miraidon Draco and Koraidon Collision Course.
The Fool, reversed. Reflecting your hesitation in this situation, a reversed Fool card often calls for you to question the risks you are taking, and if it really is worth the reward promised. Why are you holding back? Is it because you know entertaining this predicament was reckless? You're in it now, so you better shake that fear off before reading the next cards.
The Fool (Ogerpon-Wellspring) @ Wellspring Mask
Ability: Water Absorb
Level: 50
Tera Type: Water
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Ivy Cudgel
- Horn Leech
- Taunt
- Spiky Shield
I wasn't really sure how people ran this mon. I opted for strict offensive Ogre. Initially added as a check to Kyogre, I realized it can effectively cripple Amoongus too with Taunt, so I ran that over Follow Me. I didn't find myself in a position often where redirection was necessary without taking more damage than I would have cared for on Ogre. Taunt ruins Amoongus and other common support pokemon (clefairy and trick room users come to mind). Ivy Cudgel deals with Incineroar pretty well, even at -1 attack from Intimidate. Horn Leech is to provide some survivability and a way to hit opposing water types. I find myself bringing this member the least amount of times, as everything it does is covered by the other members of the team, and I really only added it for a Kyogre counter, which I don't think threatens my team too much.
The Moon, often associated with deceit and fear. It's starting to settle in; this was a trap. Bait dangled in front of you, and your curiosity leaves you no better than a Magikarp in response. Hook, line, and sinker. What waits for you at the end of the line as you are being reeled up? Only one way to find out.
The Moon (Grimmsnarl) @ Light Clay
Ability: Prankster
Level: 50
Tera Type: Ghost
EVs: 244 HP / 4 Atk / 116 Def / 116 SpD / 28 Spe
Impish Nature
- Light Screen
- Reflect
- Thunder Wave
- Throat Chop
The first mon I added to the team, I have always loved how much utility Grimm brings to the table. Screens allow for an immense amount of survivability on my team, allowing Arch to absorb hits and Terapagos to set up with Calm Mind a lot more effectively. Thunder Wave is to offer a form of psuedo-speed control and paralysis hax, and Throat Chop was opted in over Spirit Break as a way to handle Calyrex-Shadow and Farigiraf. This EV spread is one I found online that allows Grimm to survive a decent amount of non super-effective STAB attacks, as well as a Ghost Tera to avoid Fake Out if needed.
The Sun, and would you look at that, another reversed card. In your most desperate hour, you might find yourself a bit overly optimistic. Confident that you've made it out of worse, that this is just a bump in the road. Unfortunately for you, this card also resembles the lack of success. It's overwhelming information to take in, but there's only one card left after this. How much worse can it get?
The Sun (Comfey) @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Triage
Level: 50
Shiny: Yes
Tera Type: Ghost
EVs: 252 HP / 156 Def / 100 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Floral Healing
- Draining Kiss
- Taunt
- Protect
Comfey might be my favorite surprise pick of the team. Initially added as a way to cover for Urshifu-Single, the utility it provides with Taunt and Floral Healing has proven to be invaluable to the team, enabling Terapagos and Archaludon to stick on the field as long as possible and stop any possible disruption from redirection/spore strategies. Draining Kiss is ran to hit Urshifu and other fighting/dark/dragon types super effectively and prolong Comfey's presence on the field. EV's are to maximize bulk and Sitrus Berry is for additional survivability on the field. This thing is hard to deal with if you aren't prepared for what it does.
This is it, the last card. You stare as it the theme of the reading comes to fruition. The consequences of your actions, fate sealed. The card often resembles new beginnings, starting over, but you feel malice emanating from this card. It's intentions unclear, but you know one thing. This isn't a fresh start, but a descent into disorder and melancholy. You breathe in the humid air one more time, set the card down and leave. As you close the door behind you, a slight rumble can be felt from within, and you find the door locked again. Your memory of the incident grows foggy. You're left with a feeling of unease, a feeling of dread.
After all, there's no escaping fate.
The World (Terapagos) @ Covert Cloak
Ability: Tera Shift
Level: 50
Tera Type: Stellar
EVs: 204 HP / 36 Def / 108 SpA / 12 SpD / 148 Spe
Modest Nature
- Tera Starstorm
- Earth Power
- Calm Mind
- Protect
As stated before, this was the center of the team initially, and if I'm being honest, I'm not sure if I use it effectively. I be sure to factor in that terastalizing will remove my rain, which can make using Electro Shot complicated. I've contemplated using a different restricted, possibly Miraidon, but I try to use Pokemon I love, and I adore this lil dude. Tera Starstorm is an insanely powerful move, and Earth Power covers for Raiging Bolt and Zamasenta/Zacian. Understanding when to tera is the important thing with this mon, opting out of it to take advantage of Tera Shell against strong super effective hits. Calm Mind boosts it's ability to survive as well as it's damage output, and Covert Cloak stops any Snarl/Fake Out/Electro Web shenanigans. EV's are a spread I found online, I figured a little bit of bulk is not a bad idea with promoting the longevity of this mon
Threats I have noticed:
Spore can be difficult for me to play around for me, with my only real option being to Taunt these mons. I run slow taunts over priority ones, so I have to make sure I play around that. ogerpon can avoid Spore and Taunt the Fungi, but I have to rely on my other pokemon to remove of it effectively, which has proven to be tricky.
If I don't get set up, I can't effectively take these siblings out. I try to cripple them by applying Thunder Wave on them and sustaining Arch or Terapagos through their onslaught.
This thing hits hard, and if I don't predict what set is being ran correctly, it can plow through my team. I have ways of handling it, Flash Cannon from Arch, Reflect and Throat Chop from Grimm, Taunt from Ogre and Comfey. This is a matter of mental prowess usually.
Conclusion:
Well, that's the team! It's my first time back into the VGC scene, so I didn't go crazy min-maxing right away. My goal is to hopefully get some insight on better optimization of EV spreads/moves to handle trickier teams more effectively. I'm open to any and all criticism/suggestions. Thank you for taking time to read through this far, especially given the pretentious story line I made to occumpany the team. Have a wonderful day <3
Battles:
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9vgc2024regg-2149209957
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9vgc2024regg-2149325546-hzzudbn5hjtjri6lkqu05aslgoat7yopw
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9vgc2024regg-2149382476
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9vgc2024regg-2149386321-6t83992ugc983k9587phrmongz23birpw
Hello everyone! My name is Jay, or Jaysifer, and could use some input on a team I built. I recently started playing VGC again, really only participating during the 2017-2018 seasons (with a laughably bad performance). I had a friend who was really into the competitive season this year and convinced me to come back. After testing a few things this season, I was able to piece together a really rough draft of a team that I've managed to stay in about the 1500+ territory on showdown with. I feel like I have a decent understanding of the threats and meta, however, I could use some help identifying the threats to the team/tips on how to play around them, as well as optimizing spreads. I believe a lot of my struggles with this team are more due to me being a bit inexperienced, so I included some battles as well to see the team in action. Without further ado, here is the team!
Teambuilding:
I started with a Terapagos-Grimmsnarl duo. Terapagos was the main restricted I wanted to use, I love this goofy little turtle guy. The two sets I have seen for our reptilian friend are a choice specs set and a calm mind set, and after a bit of testing, I settled on running the later with screen support and speed control from Grimmsnarl. With support from other members of the team, Terapagos can stick on the field for a hot minute, which has been a coincidental theme for a few other members of the team.
I was seeing a lot of Kyogre rain teams, and wanted a consistent way of handling the incoming damage from Kyogre. Ogerpon-W was the consistent counter I saw, being able to absorb its primary stab and at least take neuteral from any Thunder or Ice Beam shennanigans.
I did some testing with Archaludon and Tornadus on a previous team, and really loved AV Arch and how it played. I figured pairing it with Grimm support would allow for another mon that is really hard to remove from the battlefield. Boosting it's defense with Stamina, paired with Body Press and Electro Shot to boost it's SpA, Arch can quickly become the pokemon equivalent of a raid boss that can be really challenging to take down. I paired the bridge with Pelipper, setting up rain to further enable Electro Shot and provide more speed control with Tailwind.
I was really struggling against Urshifu-Single Strike, and toyed with a few options to cover for it. I ran a Specs Flutter Mane for a minute but was never really impressed with it's performance on the team. I watched a video covering a Comfey team and realized it would work really well into Urshifu with super effective priority in Draining Kiss and Triage, whilst providing additional support in Taunt and Floral Healing, shutting down Amoongus and Smeargle strats and also covering for non-mental herb trick room. Using Comfey has proven to be incredibly effective in keeping my two set up sweepers on the field and out-sustaining the opposing team.
The Team:
"Criiiiick" went the wooden door as you opened it, signifying it's age to the dim, candlelit room that it greeted you to. The air was musty and old, reeking of mildew and-
Sniff Sniff
Lavender? You think to yourself.
The room itself was rather unremarkable. Having no windows or skylight, the room felt constrictive, almost as if it was designed to make you feel trapped. In the center of the room stands a worn, rickety table with two chairs on opposing sides. A set of withered cards lays spread across the center, each facing down, almost pleading for you to reveal their hidden underbelly. Their presence was magnetic, and, against your better judgement, you find yourself sat in front of them. Though the chair across from you is empty, you can't help but feel a presence there, analyzing you expectantly.
You take a deep breath in, the air stinging your lungs as it fills your chest, and on exhale, you turn over the first card...
https://pokepast.es/38ca47743a224907
The Chariot, In reverse. Great. Representing success and willpower, this would normally be a sign of good things to come. In reverse, however, represents opposition and lack of direction. One thing is for sure, the reading has started off on a treacherous beginning.
The Chariot (Pelipper) @ Focus Sash
Ability: Drizzle
Level: 50
Tera Type: Ghost
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Hurricane
- Tailwind
- Weather Ball
- Protect
This is a rather standard Pelipper set, providing speed control with Tailwind and a... well... mediocre offensive presence with Weather Ball and Hurricane. Admittedly, if I bring the bird, it's usually just to set up rain to enable Archaludon or distrupt the enemy teams weather setter. Don't get me wrong, that provides immense utility, but it is the only mon I have that can hit Amoongus super effectively (not factoring in if it tera's) and it rarely gets an OHKO on it. Amoongus is one of the mons that, as a player, I really struggle to deal with, so I added a few ways to check it within the team outside of just all-ining it with offense. I've considered swapping to a Modest nature to maximize damage output, and I'm curious if that would solve the issue with Amoongus a little more effectively, but based on damage calcs from Pikalytics sets, it looks like it is never an OHKO :
252+ SpA Pelipper Hurricane vs. 252 HP / 100 SpD Amoonguss: 176-210 (79.6 - 95%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
Is there a good way to handle Amoongus more offensively? Any recommendations would be helpful.
The Tower. The room went cold upon its reveal, the flames of the candles flickered in fear. Things just went from bad to worse. Representing chaos, sudden change, and upheaval, this is surely a sign of what's to come.
The Tower (Archaludon) @ Assault Vest
Ability: Stamina
Level: 50
Shiny: Yes
Tera Type: Fairy
EVs: 244 HP / 28 Def / 36 SpA / 148 SpD / 52 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Electro Shot
- Body Press
- Flash Cannon
- Draco Meteor
Archaludon was surprising to me. I did not expect to like this Pokemon as much as I do. Being able to boost its damage output with Stamina and Electro Shot, as well as investing in more bulk really allows this thing to stick on the field. I went with an EV spread I found on Pikalytics, and I've found great success with it paired with screen support and healing from Grimmsnarl and Comfey respectively. My goal with this team was to really play in to the "immovable object" motiff and play around boosting my team members' stats rather passively while the opponent just watches in fear. Body Press is ran due to the consistent damage boost it gets when Arch is hit by a move, Electro Shot to pair with rain support and effectively boosts it's SpA stat. Flash Cannon and Draco Meteor are my stab options, Flash Cannon to chunk Calyrex-Ice down, as well as opposing fairy types, and Draco to try and secure OHKO's on super effective targets like cover legendaries. Fairy Tera is for defensive purposes, baiting in Miraidon Draco and Koraidon Collision Course.
The Fool, reversed. Reflecting your hesitation in this situation, a reversed Fool card often calls for you to question the risks you are taking, and if it really is worth the reward promised. Why are you holding back? Is it because you know entertaining this predicament was reckless? You're in it now, so you better shake that fear off before reading the next cards.
The Fool (Ogerpon-Wellspring) @ Wellspring Mask
Ability: Water Absorb
Level: 50
Tera Type: Water
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Ivy Cudgel
- Horn Leech
- Taunt
- Spiky Shield
I wasn't really sure how people ran this mon. I opted for strict offensive Ogre. Initially added as a check to Kyogre, I realized it can effectively cripple Amoongus too with Taunt, so I ran that over Follow Me. I didn't find myself in a position often where redirection was necessary without taking more damage than I would have cared for on Ogre. Taunt ruins Amoongus and other common support pokemon (clefairy and trick room users come to mind). Ivy Cudgel deals with Incineroar pretty well, even at -1 attack from Intimidate. Horn Leech is to provide some survivability and a way to hit opposing water types. I find myself bringing this member the least amount of times, as everything it does is covered by the other members of the team, and I really only added it for a Kyogre counter, which I don't think threatens my team too much.
The Moon, often associated with deceit and fear. It's starting to settle in; this was a trap. Bait dangled in front of you, and your curiosity leaves you no better than a Magikarp in response. Hook, line, and sinker. What waits for you at the end of the line as you are being reeled up? Only one way to find out.
The Moon (Grimmsnarl) @ Light Clay
Ability: Prankster
Level: 50
Tera Type: Ghost
EVs: 244 HP / 4 Atk / 116 Def / 116 SpD / 28 Spe
Impish Nature
- Light Screen
- Reflect
- Thunder Wave
- Throat Chop
The first mon I added to the team, I have always loved how much utility Grimm brings to the table. Screens allow for an immense amount of survivability on my team, allowing Arch to absorb hits and Terapagos to set up with Calm Mind a lot more effectively. Thunder Wave is to offer a form of psuedo-speed control and paralysis hax, and Throat Chop was opted in over Spirit Break as a way to handle Calyrex-Shadow and Farigiraf. This EV spread is one I found online that allows Grimm to survive a decent amount of non super-effective STAB attacks, as well as a Ghost Tera to avoid Fake Out if needed.
The Sun, and would you look at that, another reversed card. In your most desperate hour, you might find yourself a bit overly optimistic. Confident that you've made it out of worse, that this is just a bump in the road. Unfortunately for you, this card also resembles the lack of success. It's overwhelming information to take in, but there's only one card left after this. How much worse can it get?
The Sun (Comfey) @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Triage
Level: 50
Shiny: Yes
Tera Type: Ghost
EVs: 252 HP / 156 Def / 100 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Floral Healing
- Draining Kiss
- Taunt
- Protect
Comfey might be my favorite surprise pick of the team. Initially added as a way to cover for Urshifu-Single, the utility it provides with Taunt and Floral Healing has proven to be invaluable to the team, enabling Terapagos and Archaludon to stick on the field as long as possible and stop any possible disruption from redirection/spore strategies. Draining Kiss is ran to hit Urshifu and other fighting/dark/dragon types super effectively and prolong Comfey's presence on the field. EV's are to maximize bulk and Sitrus Berry is for additional survivability on the field. This thing is hard to deal with if you aren't prepared for what it does.
This is it, the last card. You stare as it the theme of the reading comes to fruition. The consequences of your actions, fate sealed. The card often resembles new beginnings, starting over, but you feel malice emanating from this card. It's intentions unclear, but you know one thing. This isn't a fresh start, but a descent into disorder and melancholy. You breathe in the humid air one more time, set the card down and leave. As you close the door behind you, a slight rumble can be felt from within, and you find the door locked again. Your memory of the incident grows foggy. You're left with a feeling of unease, a feeling of dread.
After all, there's no escaping fate.
The World (Terapagos) @ Covert Cloak
Ability: Tera Shift
Level: 50
Tera Type: Stellar
EVs: 204 HP / 36 Def / 108 SpA / 12 SpD / 148 Spe
Modest Nature
- Tera Starstorm
- Earth Power
- Calm Mind
- Protect
As stated before, this was the center of the team initially, and if I'm being honest, I'm not sure if I use it effectively. I be sure to factor in that terastalizing will remove my rain, which can make using Electro Shot complicated. I've contemplated using a different restricted, possibly Miraidon, but I try to use Pokemon I love, and I adore this lil dude. Tera Starstorm is an insanely powerful move, and Earth Power covers for Raiging Bolt and Zamasenta/Zacian. Understanding when to tera is the important thing with this mon, opting out of it to take advantage of Tera Shell against strong super effective hits. Calm Mind boosts it's ability to survive as well as it's damage output, and Covert Cloak stops any Snarl/Fake Out/Electro Web shenanigans. EV's are a spread I found online, I figured a little bit of bulk is not a bad idea with promoting the longevity of this mon
Threats I have noticed:
Spore can be difficult for me to play around for me, with my only real option being to Taunt these mons. I run slow taunts over priority ones, so I have to make sure I play around that. ogerpon can avoid Spore and Taunt the Fungi, but I have to rely on my other pokemon to remove of it effectively, which has proven to be tricky.
If I don't get set up, I can't effectively take these siblings out. I try to cripple them by applying Thunder Wave on them and sustaining Arch or Terapagos through their onslaught.
This thing hits hard, and if I don't predict what set is being ran correctly, it can plow through my team. I have ways of handling it, Flash Cannon from Arch, Reflect and Throat Chop from Grimm, Taunt from Ogre and Comfey. This is a matter of mental prowess usually.
Conclusion:
Well, that's the team! It's my first time back into the VGC scene, so I didn't go crazy min-maxing right away. My goal is to hopefully get some insight on better optimization of EV spreads/moves to handle trickier teams more effectively. I'm open to any and all criticism/suggestions. Thank you for taking time to read through this far, especially given the pretentious story line I made to occumpany the team. Have a wonderful day <3
Battles:
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9vgc2024regg-2149209957
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9vgc2024regg-2149325546-hzzudbn5hjtjri6lkqu05aslgoat7yopw
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9vgc2024regg-2149382476
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9vgc2024regg-2149386321-6t83992ugc983k9587phrmongz23birpw
