Hi there! So after "quitting" Pokemon (I think for the.. 15th time?) for a while I came back to the competitive scene to find some of my favorite toys banned to Ubers. Greninja, Aegislash, SmashPass, etc. Also Hoopa-U who I never really got a chance to try out. On the other hand I also got a chance to use the newcomer Volcanion, and I must say I am very, very impressed.
I decided to build a serious laddering team and see where I can take it. I wanted to build my team around a Volcanion + Serperior core, so those are the guys I started with.
I added a Landorus-T for some Stealth Rocks and a more reliable way to break Chansey. It also makes a great lead for when I don't want to lead with Volcanion, and a great offensive pivot.
I ended up adding a Slowbro and an Amoonguss for that classic dual Regenerator core, as well as some status support. Slowbro also gives me something to throw at Talonflame, while Amoonguss is a fantastic check to opposing Serperior if I don't want to gamble on a speed tie.
Finally I needed a spinner so Excadrill.
One thing became immediately apparent; Stallbreaker Talonflame as a literal nightmare for me to face, especially if Volcanion is down. I also wasn't carrying a Mega, and while that's not necessarily a bad thing I ended up replacing Amoonguss with Mega Venusaur for the extra bulk and power. It checks the same things but trades Clear Smog and Spore for greatly improved damage and survivability. I was also having problems with the occasional HO team that was smart enough to pack Dual Screens, so I added Zapdos over Excadrill.
I decided to build a serious laddering team and see where I can take it. I wanted to build my team around a Volcanion + Serperior core, so those are the guys I started with.
I added a Landorus-T for some Stealth Rocks and a more reliable way to break Chansey. It also makes a great lead for when I don't want to lead with Volcanion, and a great offensive pivot.
I ended up adding a Slowbro and an Amoonguss for that classic dual Regenerator core, as well as some status support. Slowbro also gives me something to throw at Talonflame, while Amoonguss is a fantastic check to opposing Serperior if I don't want to gamble on a speed tie.
Finally I needed a spinner so Excadrill.
One thing became immediately apparent; Stallbreaker Talonflame as a literal nightmare for me to face, especially if Volcanion is down. I also wasn't carrying a Mega, and while that's not necessarily a bad thing I ended up replacing Amoonguss with Mega Venusaur for the extra bulk and power. It checks the same things but trades Clear Smog and Spore for greatly improved damage and survivability. I was also having problems with the occasional HO team that was smart enough to pack Dual Screens, so I added Zapdos over Excadrill.
The Team
C'mon punk, make my day
Volcanion @ Choice Specs
Modest - Water Absorb
220 HP, 252 Sp. Atk, 36 Speed
31/0/31/31/31/31
-Steam Eruption
-Fire Blast
-Sludge Wave
-Earth Power
I'm sure we've all seen this set by now and I'm sure we all know how it works. Come in on one of the numerous things that can't really hurt you (read, anything that lacks Earthquake), click Steam Eruption, watch something die. The other moves are in there for coverage but they don't see nearly as much use as Steam Eruption. Fire Blast takes a nice chunk out of incoming Grass types and trash like Trace Porygon-2 and Mega Alakazam hoping to wall his Steam Eruptions. Sludge Wave is supposedly for fairies but I can't think of a single fairy that really wants to take a Steam Eruption anyhow. Even the ones that resist it (Azumarill, really) won't appreciate being Burned. Earth Power is for opposing Volcanion. I'm considering dropping Sludge Wave for Hidden Power (Grass), due to the rising popularity of Water Absorbers like Suicune and Quagsire.
The EV spread lets me outspeed most opposing Volcanion, and standard Skarmory. I'm not sure why I thought that would be a good number to hit, Skarmory is never, ever going to stay in on Volcanion anyways, but... Well, there it is. I also tried Air Balloon and Assault Vest variants of Volcanion but I sorely missed the raw nuclear power of the Specs set.
Ban Talonflame Pls
Serperior @ Life Orb
Timid - Contrary
252 Speed, 252 Sp. Atk, 4 Defence
31/0/31/30/31/30
-Leaf Storm
-Dragon Pulse
-Hidden Power (Fire)
-Giga Drain
After noticing that almost all of Volcanion's checks are set-up bait for Serperior, I decided that using them together as an offensive core would be an obvious choice, with Volcanion luring out the bulky Waters that Serperior loves to set up on. This is another set we're probably all familiar with. Leaf Storm is an absurd base 140 power STAB Nasty Plot that basically lets him steamroll unprepared teams and clean up nicely late game. Dragon Pulse and Hidden Power (Fire) are his only coverage options, but they do nicely, with Dragon Pulse hitting Dragonite, Salamence, and the other 4x Grass resisting Dragons, and Hidden Power (Fire) hitting Scizor and Ferrothorn. Giga Drain lets me leech some health back off of my opponents after a couple Leaf Storm boosts, and actually lets me beat the Blobs 1v1 if they don't carry Toxic. Not really much to say here, it's a pretty standard set.
You're taking these rocks whether you want em or not, motherfucker.
Landorus-Therian @ Earth Plate
Adamant - Intimidate
76 HP, 252 Attack, 180 Speed
31/31/31/31/31/31
-Earthquake
-Knock Off
-U-Turn
-Stealth Rock
Oh look, another standard set (seeing a pattern yet?). Offensive Landorus-T finds a place on my team as a reliable answer to Chansey, a sturdy offensive pivot, and one of the best Stealth Rock setters in the game. Adamant + Earth Plate lets him break through walls like Clefable, Chansey, and Mega Venusaur with no trouble at all. Earthquake is the obligatory STAB. Knock Off does quite a bit of damage as well and removes items, making it a very annoying move for a non-Mega to switch into. U-Turn lets me pivot out of incoming threats into a check, and Stealth Rock is Stealth Rock. The EV set is pretty much the Smogon standard set. Max Attack to hit like a freight train full of anvils, 180 Speed to outpace max Speed Jolly Metagross before it Mega Evolves, and the rest goes into HP.
Uw0tm8
Slowbro @ Leftovers
Bold - Regenerator
252 HP, 232 Defence, 24 Sp. Def
31/0/31/31/31/31
-Scald
-Psyshock
-Slack Off
-Thunder Wave
Slowbro was originally part of my dual Regenerator defensive core, but he still gets great defensive synergy with Mega Venusaur, with the pair only fearing the odd threat like Mega Alakazam. Slowbro takes hits like a champ on the physical side, laughing off even the most powerful physical attackers like opposing Landorus-T and Mega Pinsir. He also makes a great check to most variants of Volcanion, although he doesn't appreciate Power Herb Solarbeam or Specs Hidden Power (Grass/Electric). Scald is a STAB with a 30% burn chance, while Psyshock rounds out his STAB coverage by giving him something to hit things like Mega Venusaur and Amoonguss with on the switch. Slack Off is instant recovery, and Thunder Wave lets him cripple incoming threats and set-up sweepers.
I HATE SNAKES
Venusaur @ Venusaurite
Bold - Chlorophyll
248 HP, 96 Defence, 144 Sp. Def, 20 Speed
31/0/31/31/31/31
-Giga Drain
-Sludge Bomb
-Synthesis
-Sleep Powder
Hey look, another set I ripped off of Smogon. Mega Venusaur makes a great defensive core with Slowbro, checking the Electric and Grass types that give him problems. He also makes an excellent check to most variants of Volcanion if he's already Mega Evolved. Anyways, Giga Drain is a nice Grass STAB that can let him drain health off of things like Slowbro and Quagsire. Sludge Bomb is a second STAB that murders Serperior and his Grass type friends, as well as fairies like Clefable (and that one annoying douchebag I ran into with Sap Sipper Azumarill on the lower ladder). Synthesis is instant recovery, and Sleep Powder gives me a 75% chance to instantly cripple a switchin, as well as letting me beat last Pokemon Calm Mind sweepers like Clefable most of the time.
Bird Zeus
Zapdos @ Leftovers
Bold - Pressure
248 HP, 176 Defence, 68 Sp. Atk, 16 Speed
31/0/31/31/31/31
-Thunderbolt
-Roost
-Roar
-Defog
Defensive Zapdos finds a place on my team as a Defogger and a reliable answer to Talonflame. The EV spread gives me great physical bulk while guaranteeing the OHKO on Mega Pinsir and most variants of Talonflame. Thunderbolt is my STAB move, for murdering Talonflame and other Flying and Water types. Roost is a nice way to keep him in the game, especially after switching into Stealth Rocks. Roar stops me from being set-up bait and is a nice way to phase out opposing set-up sweepers and things like CroCune. Defog removes hazards and dual screens, which are a major problem for me. I was originally using Heat Wave over Roar, but the sheer utility of Roar has proven itself to me time and time again, and is definitely worth using over Heat Wave on teams that don't really struggle with Ferrothorn, Scizor, and Bisharp.
So that's about it. Yeah, I'm aware it needs a lot of work, haha. I just want to hear some advise about how I can improve this trashy team into something that's actually usable, and I figured what better place to come than Smogon?
C'mon punk, make my day
Volcanion @ Choice Specs
Modest - Water Absorb
220 HP, 252 Sp. Atk, 36 Speed
31/0/31/31/31/31
-Steam Eruption
-Fire Blast
-Sludge Wave
-Earth Power
I'm sure we've all seen this set by now and I'm sure we all know how it works. Come in on one of the numerous things that can't really hurt you (read, anything that lacks Earthquake), click Steam Eruption, watch something die. The other moves are in there for coverage but they don't see nearly as much use as Steam Eruption. Fire Blast takes a nice chunk out of incoming Grass types and trash like Trace Porygon-2 and Mega Alakazam hoping to wall his Steam Eruptions. Sludge Wave is supposedly for fairies but I can't think of a single fairy that really wants to take a Steam Eruption anyhow. Even the ones that resist it (Azumarill, really) won't appreciate being Burned. Earth Power is for opposing Volcanion. I'm considering dropping Sludge Wave for Hidden Power (Grass), due to the rising popularity of Water Absorbers like Suicune and Quagsire.
The EV spread lets me outspeed most opposing Volcanion, and standard Skarmory. I'm not sure why I thought that would be a good number to hit, Skarmory is never, ever going to stay in on Volcanion anyways, but... Well, there it is. I also tried Air Balloon and Assault Vest variants of Volcanion but I sorely missed the raw nuclear power of the Specs set.
Ban Talonflame Pls
Serperior @ Life Orb
Timid - Contrary
252 Speed, 252 Sp. Atk, 4 Defence
31/0/31/30/31/30
-Leaf Storm
-Dragon Pulse
-Hidden Power (Fire)
-Giga Drain
After noticing that almost all of Volcanion's checks are set-up bait for Serperior, I decided that using them together as an offensive core would be an obvious choice, with Volcanion luring out the bulky Waters that Serperior loves to set up on. This is another set we're probably all familiar with. Leaf Storm is an absurd base 140 power STAB Nasty Plot that basically lets him steamroll unprepared teams and clean up nicely late game. Dragon Pulse and Hidden Power (Fire) are his only coverage options, but they do nicely, with Dragon Pulse hitting Dragonite, Salamence, and the other 4x Grass resisting Dragons, and Hidden Power (Fire) hitting Scizor and Ferrothorn. Giga Drain lets me leech some health back off of my opponents after a couple Leaf Storm boosts, and actually lets me beat the Blobs 1v1 if they don't carry Toxic. Not really much to say here, it's a pretty standard set.
You're taking these rocks whether you want em or not, motherfucker.
Landorus-Therian @ Earth Plate
Adamant - Intimidate
76 HP, 252 Attack, 180 Speed
31/31/31/31/31/31
-Earthquake
-Knock Off
-U-Turn
-Stealth Rock
Oh look, another standard set (seeing a pattern yet?). Offensive Landorus-T finds a place on my team as a reliable answer to Chansey, a sturdy offensive pivot, and one of the best Stealth Rock setters in the game. Adamant + Earth Plate lets him break through walls like Clefable, Chansey, and Mega Venusaur with no trouble at all. Earthquake is the obligatory STAB. Knock Off does quite a bit of damage as well and removes items, making it a very annoying move for a non-Mega to switch into. U-Turn lets me pivot out of incoming threats into a check, and Stealth Rock is Stealth Rock. The EV set is pretty much the Smogon standard set. Max Attack to hit like a freight train full of anvils, 180 Speed to outpace max Speed Jolly Metagross before it Mega Evolves, and the rest goes into HP.
Uw0tm8
Slowbro @ Leftovers
Bold - Regenerator
252 HP, 232 Defence, 24 Sp. Def
31/0/31/31/31/31
-Scald
-Psyshock
-Slack Off
-Thunder Wave
Slowbro was originally part of my dual Regenerator defensive core, but he still gets great defensive synergy with Mega Venusaur, with the pair only fearing the odd threat like Mega Alakazam. Slowbro takes hits like a champ on the physical side, laughing off even the most powerful physical attackers like opposing Landorus-T and Mega Pinsir. He also makes a great check to most variants of Volcanion, although he doesn't appreciate Power Herb Solarbeam or Specs Hidden Power (Grass/Electric). Scald is a STAB with a 30% burn chance, while Psyshock rounds out his STAB coverage by giving him something to hit things like Mega Venusaur and Amoonguss with on the switch. Slack Off is instant recovery, and Thunder Wave lets him cripple incoming threats and set-up sweepers.
I HATE SNAKES
Venusaur @ Venusaurite
Bold - Chlorophyll
248 HP, 96 Defence, 144 Sp. Def, 20 Speed
31/0/31/31/31/31
-Giga Drain
-Sludge Bomb
-Synthesis
-Sleep Powder
Hey look, another set I ripped off of Smogon. Mega Venusaur makes a great defensive core with Slowbro, checking the Electric and Grass types that give him problems. He also makes an excellent check to most variants of Volcanion if he's already Mega Evolved. Anyways, Giga Drain is a nice Grass STAB that can let him drain health off of things like Slowbro and Quagsire. Sludge Bomb is a second STAB that murders Serperior and his Grass type friends, as well as fairies like Clefable (and that one annoying douchebag I ran into with Sap Sipper Azumarill on the lower ladder). Synthesis is instant recovery, and Sleep Powder gives me a 75% chance to instantly cripple a switchin, as well as letting me beat last Pokemon Calm Mind sweepers like Clefable most of the time.
Bird Zeus
Zapdos @ Leftovers
Bold - Pressure
248 HP, 176 Defence, 68 Sp. Atk, 16 Speed
31/0/31/31/31/31
-Thunderbolt
-Roost
-Roar
-Defog
Defensive Zapdos finds a place on my team as a Defogger and a reliable answer to Talonflame. The EV spread gives me great physical bulk while guaranteeing the OHKO on Mega Pinsir and most variants of Talonflame. Thunderbolt is my STAB move, for murdering Talonflame and other Flying and Water types. Roost is a nice way to keep him in the game, especially after switching into Stealth Rocks. Roar stops me from being set-up bait and is a nice way to phase out opposing set-up sweepers and things like CroCune. Defog removes hazards and dual screens, which are a major problem for me. I was originally using Heat Wave over Roar, but the sheer utility of Roar has proven itself to me time and time again, and is definitely worth using over Heat Wave on teams that don't really struggle with Ferrothorn, Scizor, and Bisharp.
So that's about it. Yeah, I'm aware it needs a lot of work, haha. I just want to hear some advise about how I can improve this trashy team into something that's actually usable, and I figured what better place to come than Smogon?
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