So I was decently good at Gen VI OU (~1500) and kinda fell outta interest around the start of Gen VII. I've recently picked up competitive Pokemon again, and I made a team earlier today that I thought could work, mostly from what worked before for me. I also wanted to have no more than 2 Pokemon have the same weakness to any type.
I was able to peak around 1250 on the ladder with this team. I'm able to 6-0 lower ladder players, but fall flat against certain other teams. There might be some terms/terminology I'm missing or not using, it's most likely due to that I don't know exactly what they mean (like pivot or stallbreaker). I'm also not sure of what exactly is threatening in the meta now, so some help would be pretty appreciated.
Serperior @ Leftovers
Ability: Contrary
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Leaf Storm
- Dragon Pulse
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Glare
Serperior is my favorite Pokemon to use competitively, simply because I love its gimmick. I ran this in Generation VI as well. I'm a little embarrassed to say I kinda built my team around it. Serperior's role is to be a fast sweeper that can start its course after revenge-killing a low Pokemon, or switching into an ineffective status moves like Spore or Leech Seed, and maybe a Sticky Web or Defog. I have Dragon Pulse and HP Fire for coverage with Dragon types and stuff like Scizor and Ferrothorn. Glare is there for some support if I ever wanted it, although I've ran Giga Drain in the past. I debated using Lum Berry instead of Leftovers because status really hurts Serperior, but I chose Leftovers because I don't have Giga Drain.
Heatran @ Steelium Z
Ability: Flash Fire
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Stealth Rock
- Earth Power
- Lava Plume
- Flash Cannon
Heatran I have because I wanted a Steel type and I knew it worked well for me before. Heatran's my hazard setter on my team, but it's role is mostly to be a bulky attacker that can take care of the Tapus, Ferrothorn, Celesteela, as well as Psychic types and Charizard (although it sucks at those last two), and it can also be a great switch-in to a Fire move. I use Lava Plume over Flamethrower because of its higher chance to burn. Flash Cannon is there for a Steel STAB, and Earth Power for coverage and other Heatran. I wanted to have a damaging rock move like Ancient Power to use after Landorus goes down, but I can't find a good move to replace. The Steelium Z I use to take care of Pokemon like Clefable and any other boosted Pokemon I can't deal with the the rest of my team. I was thinking of running either Leftovers or Air Balloon, but I didn't think they'd be that useful.
Tapu Lele @ Choice Specs
Ability: Psychic Surge
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Moonblast
- Psychic
- Shadow Ball
- Hidden Power [Fire]
I wanted a Tapu, so I chose Tapu Lele. Lele's role is to be an all-out attacker that can also stop enemy priority. Moonblast and Psychic are there for general STAB, HP Fire is there for Steel types, and Shadow Ball is there because my team needed coverage for Ghost and Psychic types, espeically Alakazam. I wanted to have Thunderbolt to deal with rain, but I ran outta room again, similar to Heatran. Choice Specs makes it my hardest-hitter on my whole team, and I find it more important to have the attack instead of speed for certain Pokemon like Toxapex. This might be on me, but there's been a few times where Psychic Terrain actually hurt me when Tapu Lele wasn't on the field anymore.
Landorus-Therian @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Intimidate
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 232 Atk / 68 Def / 208 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Defog
- Knock Off
- Stone Edge
Since I had three special attackers so far, I need a physical attacker. Landorus's role is to be a fast attacker as well as a fast supporter. I went with Choice Scarf since I wanted a scarfer and I need something to outspeed faster Pokemon like Tapu Koko and Greninja (although it sucks against Greninja). Earthquake and Stone Edge are there for generally powerful moves, and I also wanted a fast Knock Off. I needed some hazard removal on my team, so I put it here with Defog. I haven't been able to really utilize it much, though. U-turn is probably useful, but I keep running outta room with the moves. The EV spread was one of the spreads I found on one of Smogon's recommended sets, I don't know too much about it to be honest, I just know that it works.
Lopunny @ Lopunnite
Ability: Limber
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Fake Out
- Return
- High Jump Kick
- Ice Punch
I REALLY needed something to deal with Chansey, so I added Mega Lopunny. Lopunny's role is to be a fast all-out attacker. Fake Out is the only priority move on my team, I think that's one thing I can improve. Return and High Jump Kick are there for powerful STAB moves, and Ice Punch is there for Pokemon like Garchomp and Dragonite. I went with Jolly over Adamant because I felt like Lopunny's Attack was high enough and I wanted to outspeed other Pokemon for the same reasons as Landorus. I was thinking of using Mega Medicham over Mega Lopunny, but I went with Lopunny because Medicham seemed too much like a glass cannon, and loses to Bisharp.
Toxapex @ Black Sludge
Ability: Regenerator
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
- Toxic
- Recover
- Scald
- Knock Off
I didn't want to make a complete Hyper Offense team, so I wanted to have a more bulky support Pokemon. Toxapex's role is really just to be a wall that can switch into resisted hits and remove Toxic Spikes, and that can also cripple the opposing team with Toxic, Scald, and Knock Off. It also was a good fit to fulfill a requirement I had to not have more than two Pokemon on my team weak to the same type. I chose Toxic over Baneful Bunker because I wanted to be to poison special attackers and bulkier Pokemon that don't enjoy status. If Toxic doesn't work, I have Scald for a potential burn that does a surprisingly high amount of damage, to my experience. Having a second source of Knock Off is very useful, especially since I can catch Pokemon switching into it like Gliscor. There are times I wish I had Baneful Bunker instead of Toxic, but running out of room for moves seems to be a thing with this team. Regenerator is there to get some health back while switching, but I keep forgetting it has that.
Problems I've found with this team:
Mega Alakazam: It's very fast and does lots of damage to Toxapex, and Heatran with Focus Blast. Landorus seems to be my best answer to Alakazam, but I often have to hard-switch it in. I've also ran into issues with Lopunny trying to use Fake Out against Alakazam and Psychic Terrain still being up. I've heard that Hyper Offense struggles with Alakazam in general, but I feel like I should have a better answer for it.
Hawlucha: On top of generally not liking this thing competitively, after Unburden it can out-speed all of my Pokemon that have a super-effective move against it. Since a neutral hit doesn't OHKO from my experience, I generally lose a few Pokemon from it.
Greninja: An answer for both Serperior and Landorus, the Pokemon I have to either hit it with super-effective damage, or to out-speed it. Water Shuriken poses a big problem to damaged Landorus, and I'm not always able to get Tapu Lele in safely. Once I do, then I have problems with Lopunny's priority.
Pelipper: I seem to generally struggle with rain teams, and my general answer in Serperior doesn't want to take a Hurricane. I wanted to have Tapu Lele learn Thunderbolt for rain, but I'd lose some coverage for Steel types and Psychic types. Swift Swim users like Swampert can also out-speed Serperior.
And that's pretty much it. Sorry if I sound like I'm not explaining everything clearly (I'm bad at that). I didn't calc for anything because I'm not sure exactly what to calc for.
I was able to peak around 1250 on the ladder with this team. I'm able to 6-0 lower ladder players, but fall flat against certain other teams. There might be some terms/terminology I'm missing or not using, it's most likely due to that I don't know exactly what they mean (like pivot or stallbreaker). I'm also not sure of what exactly is threatening in the meta now, so some help would be pretty appreciated.
Serperior @ Leftovers
Ability: Contrary
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Leaf Storm
- Dragon Pulse
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Glare
Serperior is my favorite Pokemon to use competitively, simply because I love its gimmick. I ran this in Generation VI as well. I'm a little embarrassed to say I kinda built my team around it. Serperior's role is to be a fast sweeper that can start its course after revenge-killing a low Pokemon, or switching into an ineffective status moves like Spore or Leech Seed, and maybe a Sticky Web or Defog. I have Dragon Pulse and HP Fire for coverage with Dragon types and stuff like Scizor and Ferrothorn. Glare is there for some support if I ever wanted it, although I've ran Giga Drain in the past. I debated using Lum Berry instead of Leftovers because status really hurts Serperior, but I chose Leftovers because I don't have Giga Drain.
Heatran @ Steelium Z
Ability: Flash Fire
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Stealth Rock
- Earth Power
- Lava Plume
- Flash Cannon
Heatran I have because I wanted a Steel type and I knew it worked well for me before. Heatran's my hazard setter on my team, but it's role is mostly to be a bulky attacker that can take care of the Tapus, Ferrothorn, Celesteela, as well as Psychic types and Charizard (although it sucks at those last two), and it can also be a great switch-in to a Fire move. I use Lava Plume over Flamethrower because of its higher chance to burn. Flash Cannon is there for a Steel STAB, and Earth Power for coverage and other Heatran. I wanted to have a damaging rock move like Ancient Power to use after Landorus goes down, but I can't find a good move to replace. The Steelium Z I use to take care of Pokemon like Clefable and any other boosted Pokemon I can't deal with the the rest of my team. I was thinking of running either Leftovers or Air Balloon, but I didn't think they'd be that useful.
Tapu Lele @ Choice Specs
Ability: Psychic Surge
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Moonblast
- Psychic
- Shadow Ball
- Hidden Power [Fire]
I wanted a Tapu, so I chose Tapu Lele. Lele's role is to be an all-out attacker that can also stop enemy priority. Moonblast and Psychic are there for general STAB, HP Fire is there for Steel types, and Shadow Ball is there because my team needed coverage for Ghost and Psychic types, espeically Alakazam. I wanted to have Thunderbolt to deal with rain, but I ran outta room again, similar to Heatran. Choice Specs makes it my hardest-hitter on my whole team, and I find it more important to have the attack instead of speed for certain Pokemon like Toxapex. This might be on me, but there's been a few times where Psychic Terrain actually hurt me when Tapu Lele wasn't on the field anymore.
Landorus-Therian @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Intimidate
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 232 Atk / 68 Def / 208 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Defog
- Knock Off
- Stone Edge
Since I had three special attackers so far, I need a physical attacker. Landorus's role is to be a fast attacker as well as a fast supporter. I went with Choice Scarf since I wanted a scarfer and I need something to outspeed faster Pokemon like Tapu Koko and Greninja (although it sucks against Greninja). Earthquake and Stone Edge are there for generally powerful moves, and I also wanted a fast Knock Off. I needed some hazard removal on my team, so I put it here with Defog. I haven't been able to really utilize it much, though. U-turn is probably useful, but I keep running outta room with the moves. The EV spread was one of the spreads I found on one of Smogon's recommended sets, I don't know too much about it to be honest, I just know that it works.
Lopunny @ Lopunnite
Ability: Limber
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Fake Out
- Return
- High Jump Kick
- Ice Punch
I REALLY needed something to deal with Chansey, so I added Mega Lopunny. Lopunny's role is to be a fast all-out attacker. Fake Out is the only priority move on my team, I think that's one thing I can improve. Return and High Jump Kick are there for powerful STAB moves, and Ice Punch is there for Pokemon like Garchomp and Dragonite. I went with Jolly over Adamant because I felt like Lopunny's Attack was high enough and I wanted to outspeed other Pokemon for the same reasons as Landorus. I was thinking of using Mega Medicham over Mega Lopunny, but I went with Lopunny because Medicham seemed too much like a glass cannon, and loses to Bisharp.
Toxapex @ Black Sludge
Ability: Regenerator
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
- Toxic
- Recover
- Scald
- Knock Off
I didn't want to make a complete Hyper Offense team, so I wanted to have a more bulky support Pokemon. Toxapex's role is really just to be a wall that can switch into resisted hits and remove Toxic Spikes, and that can also cripple the opposing team with Toxic, Scald, and Knock Off. It also was a good fit to fulfill a requirement I had to not have more than two Pokemon on my team weak to the same type. I chose Toxic over Baneful Bunker because I wanted to be to poison special attackers and bulkier Pokemon that don't enjoy status. If Toxic doesn't work, I have Scald for a potential burn that does a surprisingly high amount of damage, to my experience. Having a second source of Knock Off is very useful, especially since I can catch Pokemon switching into it like Gliscor. There are times I wish I had Baneful Bunker instead of Toxic, but running out of room for moves seems to be a thing with this team. Regenerator is there to get some health back while switching, but I keep forgetting it has that.
Problems I've found with this team:
Mega Alakazam: It's very fast and does lots of damage to Toxapex, and Heatran with Focus Blast. Landorus seems to be my best answer to Alakazam, but I often have to hard-switch it in. I've also ran into issues with Lopunny trying to use Fake Out against Alakazam and Psychic Terrain still being up. I've heard that Hyper Offense struggles with Alakazam in general, but I feel like I should have a better answer for it.
Hawlucha: On top of generally not liking this thing competitively, after Unburden it can out-speed all of my Pokemon that have a super-effective move against it. Since a neutral hit doesn't OHKO from my experience, I generally lose a few Pokemon from it.
Greninja: An answer for both Serperior and Landorus, the Pokemon I have to either hit it with super-effective damage, or to out-speed it. Water Shuriken poses a big problem to damaged Landorus, and I'm not always able to get Tapu Lele in safely. Once I do, then I have problems with Lopunny's priority.
Pelipper: I seem to generally struggle with rain teams, and my general answer in Serperior doesn't want to take a Hurricane. I wanted to have Tapu Lele learn Thunderbolt for rain, but I'd lose some coverage for Steel types and Psychic types. Swift Swim users like Swampert can also out-speed Serperior.
And that's pretty much it. Sorry if I sound like I'm not explaining everything clearly (I'm bad at that). I didn't calc for anything because I'm not sure exactly what to calc for.
