Hello, I'm ThatMadeMyDay and I'm completely fresh to competetive battling, having started out a week ago and having played a grand total of 6 hours or less. However, I wanted to try to do well, and have seen decent results so far, though nothing outstanding, about 1200 points on the Smogon server at Pokemon Online. I chose a rain-based team for my first and now I need some assistance tweaking it for the DW OU I've been trying my luck in.
And to show my appreciation, I'll try to make this post look fancy even though I have no clue what I'm doing.
Use rain, don't lose. My only experience is in trouncing the Elite Four from RBY to ADV, and watching youtube videos. The team therefore wasn't made with a specific purpose in mind. I've eventually begun playing it like an escalating team, beginning with weather and rocks while clearing the way for a Hurricane sweep, or Thunder if my Hurricane user goes down first. That said my team can claw it's way to victory without these attacks if I can weaken the opposition sufficently. Keeping hazards away is one of my most important objectives, as these have proven my greatest downfall so far.
Toad (Politoed)@ Choice Specs
Trait: Drizzle
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Hydro Pump
- Ice Beam
- Focus Blast
- Hidden Power [Grass]
Obviously the crux of my team, Politoed is the weather inducer and a very powerful special attacker with the aid of his own rain. Polited is generally the first into the fray, and works very well as a lead. It is slower than most Ninetales and so sets up it's rain and it has good special bulk for a Pokemon without any Special Defense investment apart from 4 leftover EVs. It's main move is Hydro Pump, which is used at least 80% of the time, and it has an impressive range OHKOs. This includes essentially all Fire types and most other targets weak to Water, in addition to foes like Metagross, Scizor, Forretress bar Sturdy, and Physical Skarmory(cannot speak for Special variants). And these are just the Steels. Politoed generally gets at least one kill through either surprise against opponents underestimating him, or by sheer power against frailer teams. He works wonders as long as I don't make mistakes with him.
Metallica
Metallica (Ferrothorn)@Leftovers
Trait: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 48 Def / 208 SpD
Relaxed Nature (+Def, -Spe)
- Stealth Rock
- Leech Seed
- Gyro Ball
- Power Whip
No surprises here. Ferrothorn is my main tank, capable of taking hits like a champ and dish it out against waters and very fast pokemon. Shell Smashers beware! Ferro can wall Dragon, in addition to the Water and Electric attacks that become so dangerous in rain. He is very sturdy and can easily Leech Seed on the switch, getting more recovery and residual damage on the opponent. Due to the rain he can take Fire better than normal, but both of his weaknesses are easily dealth with by the rest of the team, while Ferro deals with his teammates' weaknesses, making for great synergy. Being both a decent attacker, a wall, a Stealth Rocker and immune to Toxic and sometimes appreciative of Thunder Wave, Metallica the Ferrothorn is one of the most important members of the team.
Conkrete
Conkrete (Conkeldurr)@Leftovers
Trait: Guts
EVs: 120 HP / 252 Atk / 136 SpD
Brave Nature (+Atk, -Spe)
- Bulk Up
- Drain Punch
- Mach Punch
- Payback
My second wall, Jellicent deals excetionally well with the rain-boosted Water attacks by being entirely immune, and he can also happily ignore Fighting and Normal, allowing him to easily switch into Fighting types or Focus Blasters wishing to do Metallica harm. Once on the field he can Taunt to prevent setup, WoW to apply residual damage and cripple physical attackers and then he can Recover stall or just use it on a switch to regain his health. A perfect counter to Choice locked Fighting moves. Surf is also surprisingly powerful when boosted by rain and STAB, and while it won't make a huge impact on it's own it's a solid offenive move for a wall. Jellicent has great synergy with Ferrothorn, easily dealing with Ferro's weaknesses while the barb wire can deal with Jelli's weaknesses with little problem. A very useful member, he can be a little outclassed against certain teams he makes up for it against others.
Typhoon Tim (Tornadus)@Choice Specs
Trait: Defiant
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SAtk / 252 Spe
Timid Nature (+Spe, -Atk)
- Hurricane
- Focus Blast
- Hidden Power Ice
- U-turn
The main sweeper and ugly as all hell, Tim may be a UU but his Specs Hurricanes absolutely wreck in the rain. The other three moves are largely filler, Hurricane is often all I need. Tim does bring an unfortunate Stealth Rock weakness, but he is immune to Earthquakes and has immense power, having 6-0ed several teams with no setup other than rain. These were obviously not teams carrying worthwile special walls but hey, a sweep is a sweep. Tornadus is very fast with Timid and max speed, rarely finding the opponent to outpace him. Few things barring Blissey or Eviolite Chansey likes switching into this monster, and he has saved me at several occasions by means of brute force. He isn't perfect and has his checks and counters like any other, but he is still frighteningly powerful once the walls are weakened and the ball starts rolling.
El Pájaro
El Pájaro (Zapdos)@Leftovers
Trait: Lightningrod
EVs: 192 HP / 64 Def / 252 Spe
Timid Nature (+Spe, -Atk)
- Substitute
- Toxic
- Roost
- Thunder
Another UU, another Ground immunity, another SR weakness, this time in a good-looking package. Zapdos is the only member to be added after the teams's formation replacing a random Salamence which was essentially put in for no other reason than it was a Dragon and I hadn't decided how to round out my team. With Salamence gone I got rid of an Electric neutrality and gained an immunity and power up from such attacks, which was sorely needed as Ferrothorn used to be my only Electric sponge. With him gone enemy Thunders would wreck me all day long. In Zapdos I gained another fairly bulky member, I got Substitute, Toxic, additional recovery and a Thunder user all in one. Zapdos is often the second thing my opponent sees if he plans to counter Toad with Electric attacks, I switch in, grab a fre boost and proceed to Sub or Toxic on the switch, or Thunder if it seems beneficial. With 125 Special Attack a Thunder at +1 can do heaps of damage even though I run no investment, and Zapdos is fast enough to use his moves effectively. When checks and counters have been weakened he can act as a less overpowering version of Tornadus, and he has swept on several occations. Overall a far better member than Salamence ever was.
So there you have it, my very first team, decent but not quite as successful as I would have liked. Of course, it might just be me. Any contributions to how it can be improved are welcome, but try not to mock anything if it looks out of place in your experienced eyes. Also, please tell me how good this is for a beginner, good for a first or pretty mediocre?
As is easily visible I have no Rapid Spinner which bites me in the ass against stall, which is why i cited hazards as my greatest weakness earlier. I'd really like a spinner but I'm not sure what to use. I could go for Starmie, but I already have two Water types. Politoed can't be replaced for obvious reasons and Jellicent is an important part of my main defensive duo. This is where I really need help, alternatively tips on how to make do without a spinner.
Other than that, excuse me if I've broken any rules I haven't noticed, and please ignore any spelling errors or grammatical inconsistencies. I have the patience to spend 2 hours on writing this, but not to spend a couple minutes proofreading, hehe.
Have a nice day.
And to show my appreciation, I'll try to make this post look fancy even though I have no clue what I'm doing.
The Strategy
Use rain, don't lose. My only experience is in trouncing the Elite Four from RBY to ADV, and watching youtube videos. The team therefore wasn't made with a specific purpose in mind. I've eventually begun playing it like an escalating team, beginning with weather and rocks while clearing the way for a Hurricane sweep, or Thunder if my Hurricane user goes down first. That said my team can claw it's way to victory without these attacks if I can weaken the opposition sufficently. Keeping hazards away is one of my most important objectives, as these have proven my greatest downfall so far.
Without further ado, the team:
Toad
Toad (Politoed)@ Choice Specs
Trait: Drizzle
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Hydro Pump
- Ice Beam
- Focus Blast
- Hidden Power [Grass]
Obviously the crux of my team, Politoed is the weather inducer and a very powerful special attacker with the aid of his own rain. Polited is generally the first into the fray, and works very well as a lead. It is slower than most Ninetales and so sets up it's rain and it has good special bulk for a Pokemon without any Special Defense investment apart from 4 leftover EVs. It's main move is Hydro Pump, which is used at least 80% of the time, and it has an impressive range OHKOs. This includes essentially all Fire types and most other targets weak to Water, in addition to foes like Metagross, Scizor, Forretress bar Sturdy, and Physical Skarmory(cannot speak for Special variants). And these are just the Steels. Politoed generally gets at least one kill through either surprise against opponents underestimating him, or by sheer power against frailer teams. He works wonders as long as I don't make mistakes with him.
Metallica
Metallica (Ferrothorn)@Leftovers
Trait: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 48 Def / 208 SpD
Relaxed Nature (+Def, -Spe)
- Stealth Rock
- Leech Seed
- Gyro Ball
- Power Whip
No surprises here. Ferrothorn is my main tank, capable of taking hits like a champ and dish it out against waters and very fast pokemon. Shell Smashers beware! Ferro can wall Dragon, in addition to the Water and Electric attacks that become so dangerous in rain. He is very sturdy and can easily Leech Seed on the switch, getting more recovery and residual damage on the opponent. Due to the rain he can take Fire better than normal, but both of his weaknesses are easily dealth with by the rest of the team, while Ferro deals with his teammates' weaknesses, making for great synergy. Being both a decent attacker, a wall, a Stealth Rocker and immune to Toxic and sometimes appreciative of Thunder Wave, Metallica the Ferrothorn is one of the most important members of the team.
Conkrete
Conkrete (Conkeldurr)@Leftovers
Trait: Guts
EVs: 120 HP / 252 Atk / 136 SpD
Brave Nature (+Atk, -Spe)
- Bulk Up
- Drain Punch
- Mach Punch
- Payback
The Fighting type of the team, Conkrete is charged with demolishing Hail teams, revenge killing with Mach Punch and dealing with Tyranitar sets dangerous to the rest of the team and shoving Excadrills s*it in, along with threatening Steels and Special walls like Blissey. Even without a boost Drain Punch hits for massive damage against the right target and heals the hulk using it, while his Mach Punch is envied as a priority move by all bar Scizor and Extremespeed users. Payback works very well with such a slow Pokemon, allowing for massive damage against Psyshics and Ghost-types. Guts turns status moves into a boon by granting an Attack boost, which often means something is about to go down hard.
Admittedly, though, I'm unsure about him. He has his weaknesses and I feel I get too few opportunities to Bulk Up safely, and there have been times where I've wished for another Pokemon in his place. He also lacks any direct advantage from the rain which all his teammates enjoy. He might be replaced shortly.
Admittedly, though, I'm unsure about him. He has his weaknesses and I feel I get too few opportunities to Bulk Up safely, and there have been times where I've wished for another Pokemon in his place. He also lacks any direct advantage from the rain which all his teammates enjoy. He might be replaced shortly.
Fantôme
Fantôme (Jellicent)@Leftovers
Trait: Water Absorb
EVs: 248 HP / 216 Def / 44 Spe
Bold Nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Surf
- Taunt
- Will-O-Wisp
- Recover
Fantôme (Jellicent)@Leftovers
Trait: Water Absorb
EVs: 248 HP / 216 Def / 44 Spe
Bold Nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Surf
- Taunt
- Will-O-Wisp
- Recover
My second wall, Jellicent deals excetionally well with the rain-boosted Water attacks by being entirely immune, and he can also happily ignore Fighting and Normal, allowing him to easily switch into Fighting types or Focus Blasters wishing to do Metallica harm. Once on the field he can Taunt to prevent setup, WoW to apply residual damage and cripple physical attackers and then he can Recover stall or just use it on a switch to regain his health. A perfect counter to Choice locked Fighting moves. Surf is also surprisingly powerful when boosted by rain and STAB, and while it won't make a huge impact on it's own it's a solid offenive move for a wall. Jellicent has great synergy with Ferrothorn, easily dealing with Ferro's weaknesses while the barb wire can deal with Jelli's weaknesses with little problem. A very useful member, he can be a little outclassed against certain teams he makes up for it against others.
Typhoon Tim
Typhoon Tim (Tornadus)@Choice Specs
Trait: Defiant
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SAtk / 252 Spe
Timid Nature (+Spe, -Atk)
- Hurricane
- Focus Blast
- Hidden Power Ice
- U-turn
The main sweeper and ugly as all hell, Tim may be a UU but his Specs Hurricanes absolutely wreck in the rain. The other three moves are largely filler, Hurricane is often all I need. Tim does bring an unfortunate Stealth Rock weakness, but he is immune to Earthquakes and has immense power, having 6-0ed several teams with no setup other than rain. These were obviously not teams carrying worthwile special walls but hey, a sweep is a sweep. Tornadus is very fast with Timid and max speed, rarely finding the opponent to outpace him. Few things barring Blissey or Eviolite Chansey likes switching into this monster, and he has saved me at several occasions by means of brute force. He isn't perfect and has his checks and counters like any other, but he is still frighteningly powerful once the walls are weakened and the ball starts rolling.
El Pájaro
El Pájaro (Zapdos)@Leftovers
Trait: Lightningrod
EVs: 192 HP / 64 Def / 252 Spe
Timid Nature (+Spe, -Atk)
- Substitute
- Toxic
- Roost
- Thunder
Another UU, another Ground immunity, another SR weakness, this time in a good-looking package. Zapdos is the only member to be added after the teams's formation replacing a random Salamence which was essentially put in for no other reason than it was a Dragon and I hadn't decided how to round out my team. With Salamence gone I got rid of an Electric neutrality and gained an immunity and power up from such attacks, which was sorely needed as Ferrothorn used to be my only Electric sponge. With him gone enemy Thunders would wreck me all day long. In Zapdos I gained another fairly bulky member, I got Substitute, Toxic, additional recovery and a Thunder user all in one. Zapdos is often the second thing my opponent sees if he plans to counter Toad with Electric attacks, I switch in, grab a fre boost and proceed to Sub or Toxic on the switch, or Thunder if it seems beneficial. With 125 Special Attack a Thunder at +1 can do heaps of damage even though I run no investment, and Zapdos is fast enough to use his moves effectively. When checks and counters have been weakened he can act as a less overpowering version of Tornadus, and he has swept on several occations. Overall a far better member than Salamence ever was.
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So there you have it, my very first team, decent but not quite as successful as I would have liked. Of course, it might just be me. Any contributions to how it can be improved are welcome, but try not to mock anything if it looks out of place in your experienced eyes. Also, please tell me how good this is for a beginner, good for a first or pretty mediocre?
As is easily visible I have no Rapid Spinner which bites me in the ass against stall, which is why i cited hazards as my greatest weakness earlier. I'd really like a spinner but I'm not sure what to use. I could go for Starmie, but I already have two Water types. Politoed can't be replaced for obvious reasons and Jellicent is an important part of my main defensive duo. This is where I really need help, alternatively tips on how to make do without a spinner.
Other than that, excuse me if I've broken any rules I haven't noticed, and please ignore any spelling errors or grammatical inconsistencies. I have the patience to spend 2 hours on writing this, but not to spend a couple minutes proofreading, hehe.
Have a nice day.
