I'll be volunteering at an event next month that a local organization is hosting. There will be a pokemon league of eight gym leaders and an elite four. Each of the twelve of us will be using mono-type teams, and I'll be going ghost for this one. It's been a while (gen 3) since I made a competitive team of any kind, but most of the basics have stuck and I am familiar with most (not all, of course) of the new system.
Before I begin, a few constraints:
The Opener:
Froslass (F) @ Focus Sash
Ability: Cursed Body
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Spikes
- Taunt
- Ice Beam
- Destiny Bond
I like Froslass more than I thought; more than once, she took down 2-3 of the opposing team. Spikes/Taunt always seems to work well, and an early (but failed) Destiny Bond keeps the opponent guessing long enough to lay down another layer (or two!) of spikes before Destiny Bond actually flies in. Ice Beam has proven brutally effective as well against grass-heavy teams, and at least one Skarmory.
Ferroseed openers always seem to mess me up, however, as I most often try to lay down the taunt first and, occasionally, don't land spikes at all if I want to take out the Ferroseed.
The Walls:
Golurk @ Leftovers
Ability: Iron Fist
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def
Adamant Nature
- Giga Impact
- Focus Punch
- Earthquake
- Shadow Punch
I initially had Stealth Rock on him, but after I realised there was no easy way to get my hands on one that could use it, I dropped it for Giga Impact (I wasn't confident on this, but it provides the damage). Golurk can do some work, but I would like to see more from it sometimes.
Edit: Stealth Rock may now be an option, as will be Drain Punch to take the spot of Focus Punch. A bit more useful, albeit not as powerful after a forced switch.
Spiritomb @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpA
Bold Nature
- Will-O-Wisp
- Pain Split
- Dark Pulse
- Calm Mind
Spiritomb has been a beast against some opponents. Opposing Aegislash tend to fall fast if Calm Mind has been set up and I get the drop on them. It's almost tempting to make it more of a sweeper.
The Slash:
Aegislash @ Leftovers
Ability: Stance Change
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Jolly Nature
- Iron Head
- Sacred Sword
- King's Shield
- Shadow Claw
I lucked into a REALLY good Aegislash (other than the nature, but speed is great in some cases) during my initial playthrough of the game without trying, and it's been a major helper in tests. Fairies don't like the Iron Head, and everything else tends to hate Sacred Sword, with Shadow Claw there as a final STAB move. (Ha!) If this guy gets banned, not sure what I'm going to do. Sableye, perhaps, for Knock Off and WoW spam? Or maybe Dusclops/Mega Banette.
The Damage:
Gengar @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Shadow Ball
- Sludge Bomb
- Thunder
- Dazzling Gleam
If Gengar survives, it does what a Gengar does best and does it with proficiency. Sludge Bomb is the main move, with Shadow Ball and Thunder as coverage. I find I haven't been able to use Dazzling Gleam effectively yet, though there has been a lack of dragons. The Life Orb has been giving me flexibility where Choice Scarf/Specs hasn't been.
Chandelure @ Life Orb
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
Modest Nature
- Will-O-Wisp
- Hex
- Flamethrower
- Energy Ball
Chandelure, like Gengar, does really well while it survives. The Hex combo with Will-O-Wisp doesn't tend to go off as much as I would like as I find I never get the chance to set it up. I'm not sure what to replace it with, or if Flash Fire is the best ability to have as it has never benefit me, but has done some harm when I'm not paying attention to Synchronize.
I appreciate the feedback, folks, open to any/all suggestions. Thanks!
Before I begin, a few constraints:
- As a gym leader in our league, we aren't meant to be unstoppable, but we are most certainly a test of skill.
- I don't have access to much in the way of the older games, so anything I can get directly from XY would be best.
The Opener:
Froslass (F) @ Focus Sash
Ability: Cursed Body
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Spikes
- Taunt
- Ice Beam
- Destiny Bond
I like Froslass more than I thought; more than once, she took down 2-3 of the opposing team. Spikes/Taunt always seems to work well, and an early (but failed) Destiny Bond keeps the opponent guessing long enough to lay down another layer (or two!) of spikes before Destiny Bond actually flies in. Ice Beam has proven brutally effective as well against grass-heavy teams, and at least one Skarmory.
Ferroseed openers always seem to mess me up, however, as I most often try to lay down the taunt first and, occasionally, don't land spikes at all if I want to take out the Ferroseed.
The Walls:
Golurk @ Leftovers
Ability: Iron Fist
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def
Adamant Nature
- Giga Impact
- Focus Punch
- Earthquake
- Shadow Punch
I initially had Stealth Rock on him, but after I realised there was no easy way to get my hands on one that could use it, I dropped it for Giga Impact (I wasn't confident on this, but it provides the damage). Golurk can do some work, but I would like to see more from it sometimes.
Edit: Stealth Rock may now be an option, as will be Drain Punch to take the spot of Focus Punch. A bit more useful, albeit not as powerful after a forced switch.
Spiritomb @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpA
Bold Nature
- Will-O-Wisp
- Pain Split
- Dark Pulse
- Calm Mind
Spiritomb has been a beast against some opponents. Opposing Aegislash tend to fall fast if Calm Mind has been set up and I get the drop on them. It's almost tempting to make it more of a sweeper.
The Slash:
Aegislash @ Leftovers
Ability: Stance Change
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Jolly Nature
- Iron Head
- Sacred Sword
- King's Shield
- Shadow Claw
I lucked into a REALLY good Aegislash (other than the nature, but speed is great in some cases) during my initial playthrough of the game without trying, and it's been a major helper in tests. Fairies don't like the Iron Head, and everything else tends to hate Sacred Sword, with Shadow Claw there as a final STAB move. (Ha!) If this guy gets banned, not sure what I'm going to do. Sableye, perhaps, for Knock Off and WoW spam? Or maybe Dusclops/Mega Banette.
The Damage:
Gengar @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Shadow Ball
- Sludge Bomb
- Thunder
- Dazzling Gleam
If Gengar survives, it does what a Gengar does best and does it with proficiency. Sludge Bomb is the main move, with Shadow Ball and Thunder as coverage. I find I haven't been able to use Dazzling Gleam effectively yet, though there has been a lack of dragons. The Life Orb has been giving me flexibility where Choice Scarf/Specs hasn't been.
Chandelure @ Life Orb
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
Modest Nature
- Will-O-Wisp
- Hex
- Flamethrower
- Energy Ball
Chandelure, like Gengar, does really well while it survives. The Hex combo with Will-O-Wisp doesn't tend to go off as much as I would like as I find I never get the chance to set it up. I'm not sure what to replace it with, or if Flash Fire is the best ability to have as it has never benefit me, but has done some harm when I'm not paying attention to Synchronize.
I appreciate the feedback, folks, open to any/all suggestions. Thanks!
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