Gen 3 has always been my favorite casually, but I'm too young to have really been into the competitive scene when it was first out (started with that towards the end of Gen 4) so I wanted to give it a go. Played with a less serious team up to 1200ish, then decided I needed something better to keep climbing. It's nothing crazy, but a couple weeks later and just hit the ladder (rank 447) with this one last night, so figured I'd throw it up here.The Team
Jolteon @ Leftovers
Ability: Volt Absorb
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 30 HP / 3 Atk / 30 SpA
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Grass]
- Substitute
- Baton Pass
Jolteon serves as a really solid lead, aside from filling some other important holes on this team. It has good matchups against many common leads I've seen (Zapdos, for example), and can abuse these further with Substitute and Baton Pass to grab some early momentum. In its weaker matchups, Baton Pass still serves to nab a safe switch out, given that it outspeeds just about everything. This team has plenty of pivots, as you'll see, so Baton Pass allows Jolteon not only to serve as another one, but also guarantees a switch into one of them without the opponent being able to pull any switching shenanigans. It also beats out Mean Look, which has been useful on multiple occasions. Additionally, this team severely lacks speed without Jolteon, allowing it to serve as a solid revenge killer, especially against Gengar and Starmie, which this team struggles against. His presence is appreciated for taking on Skarmory and bulky waters as well, particularly Swampert, since he carries the only grass move on the team.
Tyranitar @ Leftovers
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 16 HP / 200 Atk / 120 Def / 172 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Rock Slide
- Earthquake
- Hidden Power [Bug]
Dragon Dance Tyranitar is one of the biggest threats in the ADV metagame, and it's the member the rest of the team is built around. There's not overly much to be said, other than that Sand Stream is incredibly helpful at wearing down defensive cores and ensuring KOs alongside Spikes, and that this thing packs a hell of a punch come late game. The fact that it serves as the primary sweeper means that I need to make sure that bulky Water types are whittled down over the course of the early and mid game, as well as Skarmory, and I should also do my best to eliminate threats that outspeed Tyranitar after a boost—which is a lot of things, given the investment. Building around Dragon Dance Tyranitar defines this team as an offensively focused one, which is critical to the remainder of the teambuilding process.
Cloyster @ Leftovers
Ability: Shell Armor
EVs: 252 HP / 16 Def / 88 SpA / 148 SpD / 4 Spe
Bold Nature
- Spikes
- Rapid Spin
- Surf
- Explosion
I can't express how much I love Cloyster on offense in the ADV metagame. The combination of Spikes, Rapid Spin, and Explosion, coupled with good matchups against most of the other spinners and Spikes setters (namely Forretress, Skarmory, and Claydol) is a godsend in terms of gaining and regaining momentum. This thing can easily switch into opposing Spikers and simultaneously set up and prevent opposing Spikes, all while chipping down the opponent, depending on the set. It also serves as a surprisingly good switch into bulky Waters, as though it won't win outright, it can set up Spikes while the opposing Water takes a few turns to take it out, and Cloyster isn't meant to last long enough to really care about eating a Toxic. This team otherwise struggles to switch freely into Water types like Milotic and Swampert, but Cloyster can use their presence as an opportunity to set up. If you're lucky, you'll even nab an Explosion on something on the way out. Starmie gives it the most trouble, since it can always prevent Spikes and threaten to kill you, and in this case I've found it can be best to just explode on the switch and accept that you won't get Spikes up, since Starmie tends to have more longevity, especially with Recover. Gengar is no picnic either, as it prevents spinning, dodges Explosion, threatens with Thunderbolt, and doesn't really care about Surf. I've considered Ice Beam over Surf since Salamence is scary, but ultimately the advantageous matchup over Forretress has outweighed it for me.
Metagross @ Choice Band
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 252 HP / 236 Atk / 12 Def / 8 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Meteor Mash
- Earthquake
- Explosion
- Rock Slide
Offense needs answers to defensive cores, and nothing says no to stall like CB Metagross. This adds a second Explosion to my team, and one that Gengar (and anything else for that matter) has to be extremely careful switching into. It also handles Blissey throughout the mid game, as long as it doesn't have Fire Blast, which nothing else on the team is very adept at, aside from arguably Cloyster. Metagross punching holes in opposing walls makes Tyranitar's sweep much easier later on, especially if it can land its Explosion on a key target. This is also one of the more reliable methods this team has for breaking defensive cores, and alongside the pivoting opportunities provided by the next two members, double Explosion keeps plenty of momentum in the hands of the team. The nature of the team also means Metagross gets plenty of opportunities to switch in, especially against the Ice and Grass moves that target the next two members.
Flygon @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 188 HP / 180 Atk / 140 Spe
Naughty Nature
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
- Fire Blast
- Hidden Power [Bug]
Immune to sand and Spikes, Flygon forms a fantastic trio alongside Tyranitar and the next member, Swampert. Since Electric types need to choose between Hidden Powers, Flygon and Swampert can reliably shut them down by working together. Meanwhile, the use of four full attacking slots provides plenty of coverage, and few things switch in completely unafraid. Earthquake and Fire Blast threaten Steel types, while Rock Slide gives Flygon solid matchups against Zapdos and Aerodactyl, as well as letting it hit Salamence. Finally, HP Bug allows it to check Celebi, which this team can struggle against. Overall, Flygon's versatility and longevity thanks to its numerous immunities and resistances and relative bulk make it a fantastic pivot, either nabbing free switches into other Pokemon or, with proper prediction, doing solid damage to the enemy team in its own right.
Swampert @ Leftovers
Ability: Torrent
EVs: 252 HP / 216 Def / 40 SpA
Relaxed Nature
- Earthquake
- Ice Beam
- Hydro Pump
- Roar
Swampert is able to handle any Electric type that Flygon isn't, as well as standing up to numerous other potent threats, including Salamence, Metagross, Tyranitar, and Flygon. Its general bulk allows it to serve as a reasonable check to any number of other things as well, including CM Suicune, which it can Roar away as long as it's relatively healthy. Roar is run over Protect or Toxic to deal with Baton Pass and other set up sweepers, and to retain more offensive coverage, since Swampert needs to serve as a very general tank on this team. It also allows for phasing if sufficient Spikes and/or sand is up. There's no reliable recovery on the team anyway, so Toxic isn't too valuable, and Protect is nice, but ultimately a luxury the team can't afford.
Overview
The execution of this team isn't overly demanding; Jolteon is a flexible lead thanks to its speed and utility moves, and the relative bulk of the core members alongside hefty offensive presence allows the user to force switches early on, scouting for counters and firing off some moves to hopefully land some early damage. Cloyster loves to switch into a lot of enemy walls when they come in to take the early hits and/or set up Spikes, and can set up its own and explode afterward. From there on in, it's all about forcing the right switches, getting the right Pokemon in play, and wearing down the enemy team as quickly as possible. The complementary defenses of the team members, all of whom hold some offensive presence, helps to maintain momentum, as simply switching into attacks before firing off your own will usually favor this team, due to its design. Therefore, you can afford to play relatively straightforwardly a lot of the time. However, the team really shines with good prediction, sniping enemies with powerful hits from CB Metagross and the correct coverage move from Flygon. Once the field is sufficiently clear, Tyranitar can come in on the right turn and set up for a sweep.
Primary Threats
Gengar might just be, on its own, the most dangerous thing for this team to deal with. It switches into Cloyster for free on Rapid Spin, which can heavily disrupt this team's momentum in the early game. Nothing really wants to switch into it for fear of a certain move, and it usually requires multiple switches in order to bait out the correct moves to switch something in safely, usually Metagross on an Ice Punch or Giga Drain. Unfortunately, having Jolteon in the lead slot compounds this problem, since the knowledge of its presence could make a careful opponent hesitant to throw out Thunderbolts, and thus it becomes harder to predict what move Gengar will go for when it comes in. Jolteon's presence in general though, is extremely helpful, since it can revenge kill Gengar. Thankfully, I usually end up seeing this thing pretty early on due to it countering Cloyster, one of my early game Pokemon, and thus I typically still have a full or mostly full team to play around it with.Conclusion
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