Introduction
This was my first successful Monotype team. I had made other teams before this, but eventually I decided that an offensive team would best suit my playing style. I honestly don't know why I decided to make it flying type. But I made this team, and while it's been really successful so far, it isn't perfect.
The Team
Skarmory @ Leftovers
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpDef
Nature: Calm
- Stealth Rock
- Spikes
- Whirlwind
- Roost
I decided to put Skarmory on my team because I needed a good hazard setter, and out of all of the flying type hazard setters, Skarmory takes the prize. This set makes a really effective lead. I generally like to set up as many hazards as possible, and whirlwind if I expect my opponent to switch in to a Rapid Spinner or Defogger. The hazards that Skarmory sets up definitely help all the other Pokemon get easier KOs. The moves for this Skarmory are pretty self-explanatory. Stealth Rock and Spikes cause damage to anything switching in, Whirlwind forces opponents to take more entry hazard damage, and Roost recovers HP. I opted to go with Special Defense EVs over Physical Defense because most people expect me to have physical EVs and try to hit me with a special attack, only to find that it doesn't do very much.
Tornadus-Therian @ Assault Vest
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 Spa / 252 Spe
Nature: Naive
- Hurricane
- U-Turn
- Heat Wave
- Grass Knot
I added Tornadus-Therian to my team because I needed a fast Special Attacker, and Tornadus seemed to fit the bill. Tornadus, while its primary function is to dish out strong attacks, is actually pretty bulky, and is one of the few Pokemon on my team that can take a couple hits. That, combined with Regenerator and the Assault Vest, makes Tornadus a lot tankier than it may seem. I have Hurricane as my STAB move, and while it isn't as accurate as I would like, it can still do a lot of damage. I originally had Sludge Wave instead of U-Turn, but I changed it when I realized that I barely ever used it, and that I was switching out a lot anyway to activate Regenerator. Heat Wave and Grass Knot are there for coverage against types that are super-effective on my team, most notably Ice.
Landorus @ Life Orb
Ability: Sheer Force
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 Spa / 252 Spe
Nature: Hasty
- Earth Power
- Rock Slide
- Sludge Wave
- Focus Blast
I added Landorus to my team because I had been very successful with it in Battle Spot Singles. Landorus serves as a really good special wallbreaker, and tears apart Steel-Type teams, which are relatively threatening to my team. To be honest, Landorus is probably the least valuable member of my team, and there's probably a better Pokemon that could fill his place. Earth Power is my only STAB move, and combined with the Life Orb and Sheer Force, deals out tons of damage. All of the other moves are really just there for coverage, with Rock Slide for opposing Flying types, Sludge Wave for Fairy types, and Focus Blast for Normal types.
Yanmega @ Leftovers
Ability: Speed Boost
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Spa / 252 Spe
Nature: Modest
- Protect
- Bug Buzz
- Air Slash
- Defog
I added Yanmega to my team because My team was, naturally, extremely weak to Stealth Rock, and I needed a Defogger. I chose Yanmega as my Defogger because I had had success in UU with this set, and because Yanmega is good at taking down Pokemon it's super-effective on. Yanmega actually serves more as a sweeper than a Defogger, but it manages to play both roles pretty well. Against teams that are weak to Bug or Flying type attacks, Speed Boost makes Yanmega nearly impossible to take down. And generally, you wouldn't expect a Yanmega to have Defog, so it can definitely surprise people with that. Protect allows me to set up boosts from Speed Boost, which are essential given that I have a Modest Nature instead of Timid. Bug Buzz and Air Slash are both solid STAB moves, and Air Slash has a pretty good chance for a flinch, which is definitely good. Lastly, Defog is just there so I can get rid of rocks. The Leftovers allow me to switch in on rocks multiple times if necessary, and still have a decent amount of HP left.
Staraptor @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Reckless
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Nature: Jolly
- Brave Bird
- Double-Edge
- U-Turn
- Close Combat
I added Staraptor to my team because I needed a powerful revenge killer. Talonflame would have been my first choice, but since it's banned from monotype, I decided to go with Staraptor. Staraptor serves as an extremely solid revenge killer, and can OHKO a lot of Pokemon that would otherwise be extremely threatening to my team. Brave Bird and Double-Edge are there to dish out heavy damage when combined with Reckless and STAB, U-Turn can help me scout, and Close Combat takes down Ice-Types.
Altaria @ Altarianite
Ability: Cloud Nine (Before Mega-Evolving)
Ability: Pixilate (After Mega-Evolving)
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Nature: Jolly
- Return
- Roost
- Earthquake
- Dragon Dance
I added Altaria to my team because I needed both a Mega and a late-game sweeper, and Mega Altaria is both of those. I generally use Altaria to close off games, or to take down Mega Sableye, which is a really big threat to my team. I have a Jolly nature instead of an Adamant nature because when I originally ran Adamant, I noticed that I had trouble with scarfed Pokemon. Cloud Nine helps me disable rain and sand in Water, Ground, and Rock teams. Return is my STAB move that takes out tons of Pokemon after one or two Dragon Dances, Roost helps me recover if necessary, Earthquake provides coverage against Steel and Poison types, and Dragon Dance helps me set up for my sweep.
Conclusion
All in all, I think this is a pretty good team. As you may have noticed, it's not really very defensive, but it manages to execute offense quite nicely. It is kind of weak to ice types, most notably Weavile and Scarfed Kyurem-B, but other than that, it has very little flaws.
