Prologue
So, before I'm battling with this team, I was losing quite horribly (I'm quite a beginner in this stuff--only 2 months since I started competitive battling in PS) with my other team. I asked a reddit user, what am I doing wrong? This is his response when I posted my other team to reddit:
"Looks like you just went to smogon and copy/pasted some random movesets for some random Pokemon.
I don't think you understand the basics of team building at all. Your weaknesses are not being covered at all in that setup."
That hit me quite badly, but that critique changed the way I build teams. I decided to think for a new team for hours (even overnight!). I want to get better, so any critiques and suggestions will be appreciated!
Introduction
The goal of this team is to let MegaPinsir set up Swords Dance and then sweep, with threats cleared up beforehand.
Pinsir @ Pinsirite
Ability: Moxie
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 Atk / 4 HP
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Swords Dance
- Return
- Quick Attack
This is the main player of my team. It has decent Def stat, so setting up SD is easier as it can almost most non-SE hits. All it has to do is to MegaEvolve, set up SD, and then sweep using a combination of moves. Return is used to abuse Aerilate and STAB, Earthquake to hit bulky Steel-types and Tyranitar. Although M-Pinsir is fast, it's not fast enough to defeat scarfed Pokemon (e.g. Keldeo), so Quick Attack is there (it will OHKO after 2 SD). The reason I don't use Close Combat is because it has redundant coverage (Rock, Steel) and it won't defeat Skarmory anyway.
The EV spreads maximised Attack and Speed stat. The rest are put into HP, pretty standard. Jolly over Adamant to outspeed non-Scarfed Garchomp.
Then, I listed some threats to M-Pinsir. Talonflame (!!), Terrakion, Air Baloon Excadrill, Mamoswine, Gengar, and scarfed Pokemon (which is, anything faster than it). Stealth Rock is a huge problem, too. So, I decided that the second member of my team is...
Rotom-Wash @ Chesto Berry
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SDef / 252 HP / 4 Def
Sassy Nature
IVs: 0 Spd
- Volt Switch
- Hydro Pump
- Will-O-Wisp
- Rest
Rotom-W is used to defeat most of M-Pinsir's counters, like Talonflame, Mamoswine and Terrakion using Hydro Pump, while it also can be used to get a switch-in for M-Pinsir using Volt Switch. Will-o-Wisp is used to cripple strong physical sweepers such as Lucario. I used Rest-Chesto combination over Leftovers to prevent Toxic Stalling.
EV spread is standard. I used 0 IV Sassy nature to make sure I Volt Switch last, so M-Pinsir don't have to take a hit.
Even though Rotom-W is an awesome Pokemon, it cannot take Grass-types move and strong Outrages well. And thanks to Haxorus' and Excadrill's fearsome ability Mold Breaker, switching Rotom-W to them is not a very good idea. To defeat those two threats, I used to give the slot to Air Baloon Heatran, but bigbear suggested something better....
Landorus-Therian (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 248 HP / 172 Def / 88 Spd
Naive Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- U-turn
Landorus-T is great. It's Rotom-W's 2nd best friend besides Scizor. It has the offencive stats needed to strike fear to the opponent, but has great typing physical defensively.
Stealth Rock to help MegaPinsir sweep, as it helps to make some Pokemon in MegaPinsir's killrange. Earthquake to defeat aforementioned threats, HP Ice is used to laugh at Gliscor and opponent's Landorus (both Incarnate and Therian), and U-Turn to maintain momentum and creates VoltTurn core with Rotom-W.
The EVs are used to outspeed physically defensive Heatran, and to maximise bulk.
At this point, I'm confused what to add next. I still has problems against MegaGengar especially Substitute variants. I was really puzzled, and decided to leave this team overnight. The next day, I decided to dig deeper to the Pokemon list. Then I saw...
Spiritomb @ Choice Band
Ability: Infiltrator
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 HP / 4 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Sucker Punch
- Pursuit
- Trick
- Shadow Sneak
This Sealed 108 Souls not only blocks spins, it also hard counters Gengar. At first, Spiritomb may not seem like a good Pokemon after the addition of Fairy-types, but then you see its ability: Infiltrator, which now ignores Substitute. This is beneficial to defeat Stall Trevenant and Subbing Gengar. Sucker Punch and Pursuit are my trapping moves, which defeats the two aforementioned threats plus Latios and Latias. Trick is used to cripple walls and Special Sweepers. Shadow Sneak is a filler move, because I cannot think any other moves needed. (It used to be Infestation, until I realised how bad the strategy was).
Max Attack EV combined with CB used to hit things as hard as possible. Max HP EV for sustainability, the rest is added to SpD (Used to be Def, but due to Srn9130's suggestion of the Genesect threat, I changed that to SpD. I don't want Scarfed Special variant to destroy the team).
Then I need to prevent rocks from being set up in my side. The following position was filled with Dual Screen Espeon and Excadrill, but I decided to have Skarmory.
Skarmory @ Leftovers
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 232 Def / 252 HP / 24 Spd
Impish Nature
- Whirlwind
- Defog
- Roost
- Brave Bird
The most stereotypical physical wall is now has a new role of tell entry hazard to get off.
Whirlwind is used to phase out setup sweepers. Roost to heal off damage and,with some prediction, soften the blow of opponent's Thunderbolt. Bravebird for STAB, and Defog is the main purpose of this Skarmory: to "spin" out entry hazards.
24 Speed IV to outspeed Poison heal Breloom.
Then, I need a special scarfer. The position was filled by Kyurem-B, but as Espeon's out of the way, LightningLuxray suggested the following Pokemon.
Latios (M) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 SAtk / 4 HP
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Draco Meteor
- Psyshock
- Surf
- Trick
This is a classic Scarf Latios. It really helps to crush opposing dragons such as Scarf Garchomp and Scarfmence. Draco Meteor is used to complement Latios' hit-and-run strategy, Psyshock is used to laugh at Keldeo and MegaVenusaur, Surf to take care of Heatran. Trick is used to cripple walls on Stall teams.
EV is nothing special, really. I'm considering to run Modest over Timid.
Checks and Counters
-Mega Absol. Sucker punch hurts.
-Mega Kangaskhan. If the player is good, it won't mega until Spiritomb is gone.
-Thundurus. It outspeeds Latios by one base speed.
Former members:
-Magic Bounce Espeon
-Special Scarf Kyurem-B
-Specially defencive Heatran:
Heatran @ Air Balloon
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 SDef / 252 HP / 4 SAtk
Calm Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Roar
- Lava Plume
- Protect
-Excadrill:
Excadrill @ Leftovers
Ability: Mold Breaker
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature
- Rapid Spin
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
- Substitute
Conclusion
I'm quite proud of this team. it synergises very well, and covers each other's weakness. If you want to criticise and change pokemon, feel free. Thank you for reading!
So, before I'm battling with this team, I was losing quite horribly (I'm quite a beginner in this stuff--only 2 months since I started competitive battling in PS) with my other team. I asked a reddit user, what am I doing wrong? This is his response when I posted my other team to reddit:
"Looks like you just went to smogon and copy/pasted some random movesets for some random Pokemon.
I don't think you understand the basics of team building at all. Your weaknesses are not being covered at all in that setup."
That hit me quite badly, but that critique changed the way I build teams. I decided to think for a new team for hours (even overnight!). I want to get better, so any critiques and suggestions will be appreciated!
Introduction
The goal of this team is to let MegaPinsir set up Swords Dance and then sweep, with threats cleared up beforehand.
Pinsir @ Pinsirite
Ability: Moxie
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 Atk / 4 HP
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Swords Dance
- Return
- Quick Attack
This is the main player of my team. It has decent Def stat, so setting up SD is easier as it can almost most non-SE hits. All it has to do is to MegaEvolve, set up SD, and then sweep using a combination of moves. Return is used to abuse Aerilate and STAB, Earthquake to hit bulky Steel-types and Tyranitar. Although M-Pinsir is fast, it's not fast enough to defeat scarfed Pokemon (e.g. Keldeo), so Quick Attack is there (it will OHKO after 2 SD). The reason I don't use Close Combat is because it has redundant coverage (Rock, Steel) and it won't defeat Skarmory anyway.
The EV spreads maximised Attack and Speed stat. The rest are put into HP, pretty standard. Jolly over Adamant to outspeed non-Scarfed Garchomp.
Then, I listed some threats to M-Pinsir. Talonflame (!!), Terrakion, Air Baloon Excadrill, Mamoswine, Gengar, and scarfed Pokemon (which is, anything faster than it). Stealth Rock is a huge problem, too. So, I decided that the second member of my team is...
Rotom-Wash @ Chesto Berry
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SDef / 252 HP / 4 Def
Sassy Nature
IVs: 0 Spd
- Volt Switch
- Hydro Pump
- Will-O-Wisp
- Rest
Rotom-W is used to defeat most of M-Pinsir's counters, like Talonflame, Mamoswine and Terrakion using Hydro Pump, while it also can be used to get a switch-in for M-Pinsir using Volt Switch. Will-o-Wisp is used to cripple strong physical sweepers such as Lucario. I used Rest-Chesto combination over Leftovers to prevent Toxic Stalling.
EV spread is standard. I used 0 IV Sassy nature to make sure I Volt Switch last, so M-Pinsir don't have to take a hit.
Even though Rotom-W is an awesome Pokemon, it cannot take Grass-types move and strong Outrages well. And thanks to Haxorus' and Excadrill's fearsome ability Mold Breaker, switching Rotom-W to them is not a very good idea. To defeat those two threats, I used to give the slot to Air Baloon Heatran, but bigbear suggested something better....
Landorus-Therian (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 248 HP / 172 Def / 88 Spd
Naive Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- U-turn
Landorus-T is great. It's Rotom-W's 2nd best friend besides Scizor. It has the offencive stats needed to strike fear to the opponent, but has great typing physical defensively.
Stealth Rock to help MegaPinsir sweep, as it helps to make some Pokemon in MegaPinsir's killrange. Earthquake to defeat aforementioned threats, HP Ice is used to laugh at Gliscor and opponent's Landorus (both Incarnate and Therian), and U-Turn to maintain momentum and creates VoltTurn core with Rotom-W.
The EVs are used to outspeed physically defensive Heatran, and to maximise bulk.
At this point, I'm confused what to add next. I still has problems against MegaGengar especially Substitute variants. I was really puzzled, and decided to leave this team overnight. The next day, I decided to dig deeper to the Pokemon list. Then I saw...
Spiritomb @ Choice Band
Ability: Infiltrator
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 HP / 4 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Sucker Punch
- Pursuit
- Trick
- Shadow Sneak
This Sealed 108 Souls not only blocks spins, it also hard counters Gengar. At first, Spiritomb may not seem like a good Pokemon after the addition of Fairy-types, but then you see its ability: Infiltrator, which now ignores Substitute. This is beneficial to defeat Stall Trevenant and Subbing Gengar. Sucker Punch and Pursuit are my trapping moves, which defeats the two aforementioned threats plus Latios and Latias. Trick is used to cripple walls and Special Sweepers. Shadow Sneak is a filler move, because I cannot think any other moves needed. (It used to be Infestation, until I realised how bad the strategy was).
Max Attack EV combined with CB used to hit things as hard as possible. Max HP EV for sustainability, the rest is added to SpD (Used to be Def, but due to Srn9130's suggestion of the Genesect threat, I changed that to SpD. I don't want Scarfed Special variant to destroy the team).
Then I need to prevent rocks from being set up in my side. The following position was filled with Dual Screen Espeon and Excadrill, but I decided to have Skarmory.
Skarmory @ Leftovers
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 232 Def / 252 HP / 24 Spd
Impish Nature
- Whirlwind
- Defog
- Roost
- Brave Bird
The most stereotypical physical wall is now has a new role of tell entry hazard to get off.
Whirlwind is used to phase out setup sweepers. Roost to heal off damage and,with some prediction, soften the blow of opponent's Thunderbolt. Bravebird for STAB, and Defog is the main purpose of this Skarmory: to "spin" out entry hazards.
24 Speed IV to outspeed Poison heal Breloom.
Then, I need a special scarfer. The position was filled by Kyurem-B, but as Espeon's out of the way, LightningLuxray suggested the following Pokemon.
Latios (M) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 SAtk / 4 HP
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Draco Meteor
- Psyshock
- Surf
- Trick
This is a classic Scarf Latios. It really helps to crush opposing dragons such as Scarf Garchomp and Scarfmence. Draco Meteor is used to complement Latios' hit-and-run strategy, Psyshock is used to laugh at Keldeo and MegaVenusaur, Surf to take care of Heatran. Trick is used to cripple walls on Stall teams.
EV is nothing special, really. I'm considering to run Modest over Timid.
Checks and Counters
-Mega Absol. Sucker punch hurts.
-Mega Kangaskhan. If the player is good, it won't mega until Spiritomb is gone.
-Thundurus. It outspeeds Latios by one base speed.
Former members:
-Magic Bounce Espeon
-Special Scarf Kyurem-B
-Specially defencive Heatran:
Heatran @ Air Balloon
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 SDef / 252 HP / 4 SAtk
Calm Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Roar
- Lava Plume
- Protect
-Excadrill:
Excadrill @ Leftovers
Ability: Mold Breaker
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature
- Rapid Spin
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
- Substitute
Conclusion
I'm quite proud of this team. it synergises very well, and covers each other's weakness. If you want to criticise and change pokemon, feel free. Thank you for reading!
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