Hey, first post. This is a team I've been working on for the past couple months, as I shiny hunted them all in game and raised them competitively in order to finally use them. In the mean time, I had been experimenting with the team and playing around with different sets on showdown to see just how well the team works together. I want to preface this post with saying that since all members of the team are legitimately shiny, I am reluctant to swap out one or multiple members but will if that becomes the primary recommendation. I created this team as my first serious attempt to build a team, so I'd like to know how it could be better as despite all my time playing with the team I cannot seem to break out from an elo rating of about 1250~. Is this a fundamental problem with the team, or do I simply need to continue playing and learn from losses? this intro's gone long enough, here it is:
Arabella (Chandelure) (F) @ Choice Specs
Ability: Flash Fire
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Flamethrower
- Shadow Ball
- Energy Ball
- Trick
Most simply, Chandy is the team's most fearsome wallbreaker. reliable STAB attacks coming off a ridiculous 145 special stat further powered by specs will put a serious dent in just about anything. Chandy is actually a good check to the common Cinderace, as Flash Fire prevents pyro ball spam, U-turn is resisted, and High Jump Kick will always result in a crash. Chandy threatens Cinderace out with a potential OHKO with shadow ball, and will survive a sucker punch from full health if it decides to stay in. 252 EVs in special attack allow her to hit as hard as possible, and 252 in speed with a Timid nature allows important speed ties with other base 80 timid pokemon (Notable ones including Togekiss and its flinch hax and Mamoswine). 4 EVs are put into SpD simply to give slightly more bulk against common special attacks such as a rotom's volt switch. Energy Ball is run to kill most water,ground,and rock types and to severely dent Pex. Trick is an interesting move carried in case the team runs into stall we're incapable of breaking through. Potential problems being that Overheat and Fire Blast WANT to be ran for even more possible power, but I dont find much space to fit them unless I want to get rid of a useful tool in trick, or in my spammable fire move flamethrower. Other problems include the ever-present Stealth Rocks cleaving 25% on every switch.
Olympia (Hydreigon) (F) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Draco Meteor
- Dark Pulse
- Earth Power
- Flash Cannon
Closest thing to speed control on the team. Scarf allows her to outrun key threats like Zera, Dragapult, Cinderace, Terrakion, and Mew. Without scarf, the team falls somewhere on the slow side and this is where Hydreigon's job becomes important. With prior chip damage to the bunch, a Draco threatens to ohko all of them(excluding pult who will obviously always die). Timid nature actually allows Hydreigon to outspeed Adamant Cloyster after shell smash, a small point that won me a match I had thought was lost. Dark Pulse is reliable, spammable STAB for when I do not want to be forced to switch after an attack or two. Earth Power is used over flamethrower or fire blast as it hits many similar things (like exca), and fire moves are already found on half the rest of the team. Flash cannon is for fairies like Clef, Hatterene, or opposing Sylveon as its capable of actually doing respectable damage if the switch is predicted. (252 SpA Hydreigon Flash Cannon vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Hatterene: 166-196 (52.2 - 61.6%) -- 97.7% chance to 2HKO after Leftovers recovery). Even with Steel-type coverage however, fairies remain a big problem for Hydreigon and the matchup is typically not attempted unless I'm confident they're unaware I carry it. Being weak to u-turn is another damper on the mood, and an inability to take on Corviknight without a fire move also motivates me to get rid of earth power despite its pros.
Genevieve (Toxapex) (F) @ Black Sludge
Ability: Regenerator
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Toxic Spikes
- Recover
- Haze
Specially defensive Pex but running T.spikes over toxic itself is the fastest way to wrap this up. Genevieve is the team's special wall, and thus runs special investment over the much seemingly much more common defensive variants. This can help win matchups that otherwise shouldn't be won, although in general I do see the reason defensive sets are more popular. 252 HP and 252 SpD grants the largest special pool to tank hits from, and a Calm nature further helps it tank moves like volt switch from rotom, thunderbolt from clef, and thunder/bolt from dragapult. Scald grants us many lucky burns against potential problems on switch in such as exca, and lets it deal at least SOME direct damage as to not be shut down by taunt. Toxic Spikes lays spikes over the opposing team in attempts to poison them all, although the move doesn't see much use because of opposing poison types invalidating them in the early game and the lack of opportunities later. Recover is for recovery, as are black sludge and regenerator. Toxapex is the pokemon on the team most easily capable of shrugging off and healing off damage taken during a match and is a helpful switch in during many turns. Haze is to prevent Pex from becoming set-up fodder for pokemon like Bisharp. Points of issue are electric types, as nothing in the team can really handle them and Genevieve herself is far from equipped to check them herself. Other points are the the possible replacement of spikes for Toxic, since it would likely see more use.
Guts (Sylveon) (M) @ Pixie Plate
Ability: Pixilate
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
Quiet Nature
- Hyper Voice
- Quick Attack
- Mystical Fire
- Psyshock
Now I'm not biased or anything, but I'm super biased. I'm extremely happy to present the next member and the resident dragonslayer, Sylveon. I use Syl over Clef because of its better matchups against most dragons, its more powerful fairy STAB which bypasses subs, and because Clefable is a plague and I don't like fighting it. 252 SpA and Quiet nature to hit as hard as possible, 252 HP for respectable bulk on either side, and 4 SpD to further bolster its good special defense. Guts puts in way more work than one would expect him too, and the brazen way I play him probably contributes a lot to this. Its special bulk allows it to reliably come in often against special attackers like its brother espeon, or like opposing fairies hatterene and clef. Guts is a actually a common (and incredibly unorthodox) lead during ladder play and especially likes facing most Seismitoad(252+ SpA Pixie Plate Pixilate Sylveon Hyper Voice vs. 4 HP / 0 SpD Seismitoad: 262-310 (74.4 - 88%) -- guaranteed 2HKO) or Pelipper(252+ SpA Pixie Plate Pixilate Sylveon Hyper Voice vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Pelipper: 276-325 (85.1 - 100.3%) -- 6.3% chance to OHKO) leads. Hyper Voice disassembles anything that doesn't resist it, and even bulky resistant pokemon like Ferro take close to a fourth of their health. Sash leads typically stay in and attempt to hurt Syl before dying, and are usually met with a neat tech move: Priority STAB quick attack, backed by Pixie Plate. Although revealing the Fairy priority early is typically unwanted, the revelations usually ends with Sylveon nearly always nabbing two kills before dying itself. Mystical Fire is a guaranteed OHKO on all variants of ferro after hyper voice dents it on switch in, and is useful to have against Calm Mind spamming Hatterene or Clefable. Although it also heavily dents Aegi and Excadrill, both pokemon outspeed and one-shot. If the predict happens though, its exciting. Psyshock is carried to put a noticable hole in toxapex allowing for a safer switch on a recovery turn, but sadly doesn't do enough damage on its own to muscle past recovery. Another problem that arises here is Syl's obvious hatred for status, as it completely shuts down its ability to effectively kill or check what it needs to. Burn is the most favorable one, but even a burn quickly wears him down when he has no recovery. On the same note, hazards are a big problem when Guts is a common answer and switches in often as he is left damaged early.
Rusty (Corviknight) (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 248 HP / 80 Def / 180 SpD
Impish Nature
- Brave Bird
- Roost
- Body Press
- Bulk Up
The Bird who earns his wins. Rusty is a fantastic wincon and has Bulk Up'd to victory countless times. His sturdy figure and strong attacks let him do just about anything, but his first and foremost job is as a physical tank. While I say this some of you may smirk at his EV spread. "If he's completely defensive, why the SpD investment?" Well, because it promises the greatest overall bulk while not hampering his ability to take physical hits well thanks to bulk up patching up any weakness on that end. Pressure is ran over Mirror Armor because the ability to PP stall common walls like ferro and pex during the endgame is incredibly important, and surviving an onslaught of fire blasts from fairies such as clef or togekiss is much easier when they have half the pp(and because it was what it hatched with lmao) Impish nature shores up the lacking defense EVs, and is run because of the whole "defensive wall" schtick. Brave Bird is powerful STAB, and can deal with the many fighting types of the tier rather well(Conkeldurr comes to mind first, as bulk up + roost paired with the necessary burn recoil of its ability wear it down fast enough to kill with ease). Roost is practically mandatory recovery, and coupled with leftovers allows Rusty to patch up quickly if its racked up chip damage throughout a match. Body Press deals with steel,dark,rock,ice, and normal types of the tier and gives Rusty a second attack to use which will not deal self-recoil. Body Press allows Corv to most importantly deal with Hydreigon, Exca, and Bisharp before the trio can dispose of it first through excessive boosts. Bulk Up is the last move, and is what ties the moveset into a beautifully powerful team member worth using again and again. The largest problems with the pokemon don't even come from its own faults, but more the lacks of its teammates. As a pokemon weak to electric in a team where the other wall is ALSO weak to electric, it puts the team in a bad spot that usually ends in the bird being sac'd. The other complaint comes from 4-move syndrome, as the team so desperately wants Rusty to run defog but the poor old bird can't fit it onto the set.
Six (Rotom-Heat) @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Levitate
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Overheat
- Volt Switch
- Nasty Plot
- Thunder Wave
The last member of the team, and the usual lead scout. Rotom-Heat is a great pokemon with many positives, including its levitate ability letting it switch into choice-locked ground moves as well as its electric typing giving it powerful coverage and a STAB Volt Switch to keep the teams momentum intact. As the team's most prominent pivot, it runs heavy-duty boots to prevent rocks wearing away at the poor oven. 252 HP and 4 SpD give it respectable bulk, while 252 Spe allows Roto to always outspeed base 80 pokemon like togekiss, and at worse tie with its watery brother wash. Timid is run for further speed. Being the only fire move available to it, Overheat is used to blow holes in things which don't resist it, and is our necessary fire STAB for scaring steel types. Volt Switch is both a momentum saver and respectable STAB in one, and will usually scare out most water types into another team member (let's hope not a ground type, but who are we kidding its gonna be a ground type.) Nasty Plot allows Roto to break through things it really shouldn't be such as clef, and is a nice move to avoid sucker punches from Bisharp or even Cinderace. Thunder Wave is the last move ran in order to cripple faster threats that outrun a large majority of the team, but it doesn't see much use due to the ubiquity of ground types. Problems include the lack of electric STAB which doesn't necessitate switches as well as a pretty worthless status in T-wave (unless I'm the problem and t-wave should work just fine).
Arabella (Chandelure) (F) @ Choice Specs
Ability: Flash Fire
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Flamethrower
- Shadow Ball
- Energy Ball
- Trick
Most simply, Chandy is the team's most fearsome wallbreaker. reliable STAB attacks coming off a ridiculous 145 special stat further powered by specs will put a serious dent in just about anything. Chandy is actually a good check to the common Cinderace, as Flash Fire prevents pyro ball spam, U-turn is resisted, and High Jump Kick will always result in a crash. Chandy threatens Cinderace out with a potential OHKO with shadow ball, and will survive a sucker punch from full health if it decides to stay in. 252 EVs in special attack allow her to hit as hard as possible, and 252 in speed with a Timid nature allows important speed ties with other base 80 timid pokemon (Notable ones including Togekiss and its flinch hax and Mamoswine). 4 EVs are put into SpD simply to give slightly more bulk against common special attacks such as a rotom's volt switch. Energy Ball is run to kill most water,ground,and rock types and to severely dent Pex. Trick is an interesting move carried in case the team runs into stall we're incapable of breaking through. Potential problems being that Overheat and Fire Blast WANT to be ran for even more possible power, but I dont find much space to fit them unless I want to get rid of a useful tool in trick, or in my spammable fire move flamethrower. Other problems include the ever-present Stealth Rocks cleaving 25% on every switch.
Olympia (Hydreigon) (F) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Draco Meteor
- Dark Pulse
- Earth Power
- Flash Cannon
Closest thing to speed control on the team. Scarf allows her to outrun key threats like Zera, Dragapult, Cinderace, Terrakion, and Mew. Without scarf, the team falls somewhere on the slow side and this is where Hydreigon's job becomes important. With prior chip damage to the bunch, a Draco threatens to ohko all of them(excluding pult who will obviously always die). Timid nature actually allows Hydreigon to outspeed Adamant Cloyster after shell smash, a small point that won me a match I had thought was lost. Dark Pulse is reliable, spammable STAB for when I do not want to be forced to switch after an attack or two. Earth Power is used over flamethrower or fire blast as it hits many similar things (like exca), and fire moves are already found on half the rest of the team. Flash cannon is for fairies like Clef, Hatterene, or opposing Sylveon as its capable of actually doing respectable damage if the switch is predicted. (252 SpA Hydreigon Flash Cannon vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Hatterene: 166-196 (52.2 - 61.6%) -- 97.7% chance to 2HKO after Leftovers recovery). Even with Steel-type coverage however, fairies remain a big problem for Hydreigon and the matchup is typically not attempted unless I'm confident they're unaware I carry it. Being weak to u-turn is another damper on the mood, and an inability to take on Corviknight without a fire move also motivates me to get rid of earth power despite its pros.
Genevieve (Toxapex) (F) @ Black Sludge
Ability: Regenerator
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Toxic Spikes
- Recover
- Haze
Specially defensive Pex but running T.spikes over toxic itself is the fastest way to wrap this up. Genevieve is the team's special wall, and thus runs special investment over the much seemingly much more common defensive variants. This can help win matchups that otherwise shouldn't be won, although in general I do see the reason defensive sets are more popular. 252 HP and 252 SpD grants the largest special pool to tank hits from, and a Calm nature further helps it tank moves like volt switch from rotom, thunderbolt from clef, and thunder/bolt from dragapult. Scald grants us many lucky burns against potential problems on switch in such as exca, and lets it deal at least SOME direct damage as to not be shut down by taunt. Toxic Spikes lays spikes over the opposing team in attempts to poison them all, although the move doesn't see much use because of opposing poison types invalidating them in the early game and the lack of opportunities later. Recover is for recovery, as are black sludge and regenerator. Toxapex is the pokemon on the team most easily capable of shrugging off and healing off damage taken during a match and is a helpful switch in during many turns. Haze is to prevent Pex from becoming set-up fodder for pokemon like Bisharp. Points of issue are electric types, as nothing in the team can really handle them and Genevieve herself is far from equipped to check them herself. Other points are the the possible replacement of spikes for Toxic, since it would likely see more use.
Guts (Sylveon) (M) @ Pixie Plate
Ability: Pixilate
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
Quiet Nature
- Hyper Voice
- Quick Attack
- Mystical Fire
- Psyshock
Now I'm not biased or anything, but I'm super biased. I'm extremely happy to present the next member and the resident dragonslayer, Sylveon. I use Syl over Clef because of its better matchups against most dragons, its more powerful fairy STAB which bypasses subs, and because Clefable is a plague and I don't like fighting it. 252 SpA and Quiet nature to hit as hard as possible, 252 HP for respectable bulk on either side, and 4 SpD to further bolster its good special defense. Guts puts in way more work than one would expect him too, and the brazen way I play him probably contributes a lot to this. Its special bulk allows it to reliably come in often against special attackers like its brother espeon, or like opposing fairies hatterene and clef. Guts is a actually a common (and incredibly unorthodox) lead during ladder play and especially likes facing most Seismitoad(252+ SpA Pixie Plate Pixilate Sylveon Hyper Voice vs. 4 HP / 0 SpD Seismitoad: 262-310 (74.4 - 88%) -- guaranteed 2HKO) or Pelipper(252+ SpA Pixie Plate Pixilate Sylveon Hyper Voice vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Pelipper: 276-325 (85.1 - 100.3%) -- 6.3% chance to OHKO) leads. Hyper Voice disassembles anything that doesn't resist it, and even bulky resistant pokemon like Ferro take close to a fourth of their health. Sash leads typically stay in and attempt to hurt Syl before dying, and are usually met with a neat tech move: Priority STAB quick attack, backed by Pixie Plate. Although revealing the Fairy priority early is typically unwanted, the revelations usually ends with Sylveon nearly always nabbing two kills before dying itself. Mystical Fire is a guaranteed OHKO on all variants of ferro after hyper voice dents it on switch in, and is useful to have against Calm Mind spamming Hatterene or Clefable. Although it also heavily dents Aegi and Excadrill, both pokemon outspeed and one-shot. If the predict happens though, its exciting. Psyshock is carried to put a noticable hole in toxapex allowing for a safer switch on a recovery turn, but sadly doesn't do enough damage on its own to muscle past recovery. Another problem that arises here is Syl's obvious hatred for status, as it completely shuts down its ability to effectively kill or check what it needs to. Burn is the most favorable one, but even a burn quickly wears him down when he has no recovery. On the same note, hazards are a big problem when Guts is a common answer and switches in often as he is left damaged early.
Rusty (Corviknight) (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 248 HP / 80 Def / 180 SpD
Impish Nature
- Brave Bird
- Roost
- Body Press
- Bulk Up
The Bird who earns his wins. Rusty is a fantastic wincon and has Bulk Up'd to victory countless times. His sturdy figure and strong attacks let him do just about anything, but his first and foremost job is as a physical tank. While I say this some of you may smirk at his EV spread. "If he's completely defensive, why the SpD investment?" Well, because it promises the greatest overall bulk while not hampering his ability to take physical hits well thanks to bulk up patching up any weakness on that end. Pressure is ran over Mirror Armor because the ability to PP stall common walls like ferro and pex during the endgame is incredibly important, and surviving an onslaught of fire blasts from fairies such as clef or togekiss is much easier when they have half the pp(and because it was what it hatched with lmao) Impish nature shores up the lacking defense EVs, and is run because of the whole "defensive wall" schtick. Brave Bird is powerful STAB, and can deal with the many fighting types of the tier rather well(Conkeldurr comes to mind first, as bulk up + roost paired with the necessary burn recoil of its ability wear it down fast enough to kill with ease). Roost is practically mandatory recovery, and coupled with leftovers allows Rusty to patch up quickly if its racked up chip damage throughout a match. Body Press deals with steel,dark,rock,ice, and normal types of the tier and gives Rusty a second attack to use which will not deal self-recoil. Body Press allows Corv to most importantly deal with Hydreigon, Exca, and Bisharp before the trio can dispose of it first through excessive boosts. Bulk Up is the last move, and is what ties the moveset into a beautifully powerful team member worth using again and again. The largest problems with the pokemon don't even come from its own faults, but more the lacks of its teammates. As a pokemon weak to electric in a team where the other wall is ALSO weak to electric, it puts the team in a bad spot that usually ends in the bird being sac'd. The other complaint comes from 4-move syndrome, as the team so desperately wants Rusty to run defog but the poor old bird can't fit it onto the set.
Six (Rotom-Heat) @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Levitate
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Overheat
- Volt Switch
- Nasty Plot
- Thunder Wave
The last member of the team, and the usual lead scout. Rotom-Heat is a great pokemon with many positives, including its levitate ability letting it switch into choice-locked ground moves as well as its electric typing giving it powerful coverage and a STAB Volt Switch to keep the teams momentum intact. As the team's most prominent pivot, it runs heavy-duty boots to prevent rocks wearing away at the poor oven. 252 HP and 4 SpD give it respectable bulk, while 252 Spe allows Roto to always outspeed base 80 pokemon like togekiss, and at worse tie with its watery brother wash. Timid is run for further speed. Being the only fire move available to it, Overheat is used to blow holes in things which don't resist it, and is our necessary fire STAB for scaring steel types. Volt Switch is both a momentum saver and respectable STAB in one, and will usually scare out most water types into another team member (let's hope not a ground type, but who are we kidding its gonna be a ground type.) Nasty Plot allows Roto to break through things it really shouldn't be such as clef, and is a nice move to avoid sucker punches from Bisharp or even Cinderace. Thunder Wave is the last move ran in order to cripple faster threats that outrun a large majority of the team, but it doesn't see much use due to the ubiquity of ground types. Problems include the lack of electric STAB which doesn't necessitate switches as well as a pretty worthless status in T-wave (unless I'm the problem and t-wave should work just fine).
