Team at a Glance
[pimg]303[/pimg][pimg]132[/pimg][pimg]313[/pimg][pimg]565[/pimg][pimg]272[/pimg][pimg]45[/pimg]
Hey guys, I've been lurking on these forums for a while and have been playing Pokemon competitively since December. After trying out all the tiers I've decided that NU was my favorite, and I've gotten pretty decent at it. My goal for this team was to create a good rain team in NU, and while I think it's almost there, it's not quite good enough, so I hope you guys can help me out.
Mawile is here to set up Stealth Rock, tank hits, and catch people off guard and hopefully score some KO's. Volbeat's job is to set up rain and he does it well. Seismitoad and Ludicolo are the whole point of this team, and they're here to abuse swift swim and spam their STAB moves. Ditto is here to steal momentum and is a good Plan B in case Toady and Ludicolo get KO'd. I also wanted another tank that could protect me against Grass moves and spread status, thus Vileplume.
The Team
[pimg]303[/pimg]
Mawile@Leftovers
Trait: Intimidate
Adamant Nature
EVs: 252 HP/ 252 Atk/ 4 SpD
-Stealth Rock
-Sucker Punch
-Swords Dance
-Iron Head
A rather unconventional SR setter, Swords Dance Mawile catches a lot of people off guard. If I don't lead with Volbeat and set up rain right away, I'll lead with Mawile and set up SR. If I'm able to, I'll set up Swords Dance and start bashing away. A lot of people never even see Mawile so they're not sure what to make of him, and they are shocked when a +2 Sucker Punch hits them in the face. There have been so many times when a Gorebyss or another set up sweeper try and set up on Mawile in vain, only to get smashed. I decided not to invest in defense EVs to maximize hitting power, but I have noticed that Mawile is not able to tank hits as well as he should be, even with Intimidate, and that can be unhelpful when Mawile is trying to tank Flying attacks for Ludicolo. I'd say that as much as I like him, Mawile sometimes just doesn't get the job done and he is replaceable if I have to.
[pimg]132[/pimg]
Ditto@Choice Scarf
Trait: Imposter
Relaxed Nature
Evs: 252 HP/ 252 Def/ 4 SpD
IVs:30 HP/ 30 SpA
-Transform
Ah, Ditto. Despite his unreliability, Ditto is my favorite Choice Scarf user because of how he steals momentum. Is Belly Drum Linoone giving you trouble? No problem! Just switch in Ditto, steal momentum, and wreck the opposing team! The same strategy applies to other set up sweepers that may have KO'd Seismitoad and Ludicolo such as Gorebyss and Dragon Dance Altaria. The given IVs are so Ditto obtains Hidden Power Grass when switching in to Gorebyss allowing for a OHKO. Ditto has saved me in so many matches that you'd be hard pressed to convince me to replace him, but I will if I need to.
[pimg]313[/pimg]
Volbeat @Damp Rock
Trait: Prankster
Bold Nature
EVs: 248 HP/ 252 Def/ 8 SpD
-Rain Dance
-Substitute
-Baton Pass
-Encore
Probably the best Weather setter in NU, Volbeat is what makes this team work. If I see in the team preview that the opposing team is especially weak to my Swift Swim abusers, I'll lead with Volbeat and set up rain immediately. If not, I'll lead with Mawile and (hopefully) weaken up the other team first. With the annoying combinations of Prankster and Encore, I can usually set up rain and pass on a substitute to either Seismitoad of Ludicolo, and at that point my opponent is in serious trouble. Encore is definitely useful, but at times I've wondered if Thunder Wave would be better? Any thoughts? A downside to Volbeat is that if Ludicolo and Seismitoad get KO'd, Volbeat is extremely useless.
[pimg]565[/pimg]
Seismitoad@Life Orb
Trait: Swift Swim
Modest Nature
EVs: 96 HP/ 252 SpA/ 160 Spe
-Hydro Pump
-Sludge Wave
-Earth Power
-Rain Dance
I'm finally getting to the star duo of this team and the first is Seismitoad. At this point Volbeat has set up rain and hopefully passed off a sub, allowing Seismitoad to wreck stuff. Really, the only things that can stand up to this toad are Grass and Poison types and even then, Grass types have to watch out for Sludge wave. Ludicolo, Roselia, and Lickilicky are pokes that get in the Seismitoad's sweeping, but I guess he can't kill everything :/. The 160 Spe EVs are in order to outspeed Rotom-S in the rain. Gorebyss is a stronger swift swim sweeper, but I think Seismitoad's added bulk makes up for it.
[pimg]272[/pimg]
Ludicolo@Life Orb
Trait: Swift Swim
Modest Nature
Evs: 252 SpA/ 4 SpD/ 252 Spe
-Hydro Pump
-Ice Beam
-Giga Drain
-Rain Dance
My second and strongest Swift Swim Sweeper (nice alliteration heh) is Ludicolo. Arguably the best Pokemon in NU, Ludicolo's Hydro Pump wrecks everything in the rain. The combination of Hydro Pump, Ice Beam, and Giga Drain give him amazing coverage, and allows him to OHKO or 2HKO much of the tier. My whole team is built to support this guy and Seismitoad, so if they both go down, I really only have Ditto to save me at that point. It usually doesn't come to that, but I've had so many losses come from Seismitoad and Ludicolo coming JUST short of fully wrecking the opposing team. That's probably the biggest thing I'm asking for help with this team: something with a little more offensive presence, that still works within the synergy of this team, in order to help Ludicolo and Seismitoad.
[pimg]45[/pimg]
Vileplume@Black Sludge
Trait: Effect Spore
Bold Nature
EVs: 252 HP/ 208 Def/ 48 SpA
-Aromatherapy
-Sludge Bomb
-Giga Drain
-Sleep Powder
Last but not least: Vileplume. While looking for a good pokemon to use in my last slot, I was looking for something to tank Grass attacks for Seismitoad, cure status, and spread status on the other team. Vileplume is the perfect pokemon for the job. The defense Evs are in order to prevent a 2HKO from a close combat from Sawk, and the SpA Evs are to OHKO Gorebyss after Stealth Rock. Effect Spore is a great ability, and I often get lucky and spread a poison, sleep, or paralysis when the opponent unsuccessfully tries to kill this thing. Aromatherapy is to make sure that Seismitoad and Ludicolo stay healthy, and Sleep Powder helps their job to become easier. Despite not doing much offensively, Vileplume is a great cleric that I would be sad to part ways with if the need arises.
Conclusion
There are some weaknesses to my team. For one, there is a large fire weakness but that is negated with rain up. Noticeable Pokemon that give me trouble are:
Gardevoir, who traces swift swim and then proceeds to kill my pokemon with rain up.
Specially Defensive Ludicolo with Rain Dish, this thing is so annoying to kill and is a great check to rain sweepers like mine.
Oh yeah... and Shedinja. I've seen one of these things and I was totally unable to kill it. Very annoying but I hardly ever see Shedinja so it's hard to justify changing a pokemon or even a move slot for him.
But I would have to say my biggest weakness is my lack of offensive pressure outside of Ludicolo and Seismitoad. Ditto does a good job but often times he's not enough and my swords dance Mawile is sketchy at best.
Thanks for taking the time to read and rate my first RMT on smogon. I hope you like my team and that you can hopefully patch up some of my weaknesses.
Importable:
[pimg]303[/pimg][pimg]132[/pimg][pimg]313[/pimg][pimg]565[/pimg][pimg]272[/pimg][pimg]45[/pimg]
Hey guys, I've been lurking on these forums for a while and have been playing Pokemon competitively since December. After trying out all the tiers I've decided that NU was my favorite, and I've gotten pretty decent at it. My goal for this team was to create a good rain team in NU, and while I think it's almost there, it's not quite good enough, so I hope you guys can help me out.
Mawile is here to set up Stealth Rock, tank hits, and catch people off guard and hopefully score some KO's. Volbeat's job is to set up rain and he does it well. Seismitoad and Ludicolo are the whole point of this team, and they're here to abuse swift swim and spam their STAB moves. Ditto is here to steal momentum and is a good Plan B in case Toady and Ludicolo get KO'd. I also wanted another tank that could protect me against Grass moves and spread status, thus Vileplume.
The Team
[pimg]303[/pimg]
Mawile@Leftovers
Trait: Intimidate
Adamant Nature
EVs: 252 HP/ 252 Atk/ 4 SpD
-Stealth Rock
-Sucker Punch
-Swords Dance
-Iron Head
A rather unconventional SR setter, Swords Dance Mawile catches a lot of people off guard. If I don't lead with Volbeat and set up rain right away, I'll lead with Mawile and set up SR. If I'm able to, I'll set up Swords Dance and start bashing away. A lot of people never even see Mawile so they're not sure what to make of him, and they are shocked when a +2 Sucker Punch hits them in the face. There have been so many times when a Gorebyss or another set up sweeper try and set up on Mawile in vain, only to get smashed. I decided not to invest in defense EVs to maximize hitting power, but I have noticed that Mawile is not able to tank hits as well as he should be, even with Intimidate, and that can be unhelpful when Mawile is trying to tank Flying attacks for Ludicolo. I'd say that as much as I like him, Mawile sometimes just doesn't get the job done and he is replaceable if I have to.
[pimg]132[/pimg]
Ditto@Choice Scarf
Trait: Imposter
Relaxed Nature
Evs: 252 HP/ 252 Def/ 4 SpD
IVs:30 HP/ 30 SpA
-Transform
Ah, Ditto. Despite his unreliability, Ditto is my favorite Choice Scarf user because of how he steals momentum. Is Belly Drum Linoone giving you trouble? No problem! Just switch in Ditto, steal momentum, and wreck the opposing team! The same strategy applies to other set up sweepers that may have KO'd Seismitoad and Ludicolo such as Gorebyss and Dragon Dance Altaria. The given IVs are so Ditto obtains Hidden Power Grass when switching in to Gorebyss allowing for a OHKO. Ditto has saved me in so many matches that you'd be hard pressed to convince me to replace him, but I will if I need to.
[pimg]313[/pimg]
Volbeat @Damp Rock
Trait: Prankster
Bold Nature
EVs: 248 HP/ 252 Def/ 8 SpD
-Rain Dance
-Substitute
-Baton Pass
-Encore
Probably the best Weather setter in NU, Volbeat is what makes this team work. If I see in the team preview that the opposing team is especially weak to my Swift Swim abusers, I'll lead with Volbeat and set up rain immediately. If not, I'll lead with Mawile and (hopefully) weaken up the other team first. With the annoying combinations of Prankster and Encore, I can usually set up rain and pass on a substitute to either Seismitoad of Ludicolo, and at that point my opponent is in serious trouble. Encore is definitely useful, but at times I've wondered if Thunder Wave would be better? Any thoughts? A downside to Volbeat is that if Ludicolo and Seismitoad get KO'd, Volbeat is extremely useless.
[pimg]565[/pimg]
Seismitoad@Life Orb
Trait: Swift Swim
Modest Nature
EVs: 96 HP/ 252 SpA/ 160 Spe
-Hydro Pump
-Sludge Wave
-Earth Power
-Rain Dance
I'm finally getting to the star duo of this team and the first is Seismitoad. At this point Volbeat has set up rain and hopefully passed off a sub, allowing Seismitoad to wreck stuff. Really, the only things that can stand up to this toad are Grass and Poison types and even then, Grass types have to watch out for Sludge wave. Ludicolo, Roselia, and Lickilicky are pokes that get in the Seismitoad's sweeping, but I guess he can't kill everything :/. The 160 Spe EVs are in order to outspeed Rotom-S in the rain. Gorebyss is a stronger swift swim sweeper, but I think Seismitoad's added bulk makes up for it.
[pimg]272[/pimg]
Ludicolo@Life Orb
Trait: Swift Swim
Modest Nature
Evs: 252 SpA/ 4 SpD/ 252 Spe
-Hydro Pump
-Ice Beam
-Giga Drain
-Rain Dance
My second and strongest Swift Swim Sweeper (nice alliteration heh) is Ludicolo. Arguably the best Pokemon in NU, Ludicolo's Hydro Pump wrecks everything in the rain. The combination of Hydro Pump, Ice Beam, and Giga Drain give him amazing coverage, and allows him to OHKO or 2HKO much of the tier. My whole team is built to support this guy and Seismitoad, so if they both go down, I really only have Ditto to save me at that point. It usually doesn't come to that, but I've had so many losses come from Seismitoad and Ludicolo coming JUST short of fully wrecking the opposing team. That's probably the biggest thing I'm asking for help with this team: something with a little more offensive presence, that still works within the synergy of this team, in order to help Ludicolo and Seismitoad.
[pimg]45[/pimg]
Vileplume@Black Sludge
Trait: Effect Spore
Bold Nature
EVs: 252 HP/ 208 Def/ 48 SpA
-Aromatherapy
-Sludge Bomb
-Giga Drain
-Sleep Powder
Last but not least: Vileplume. While looking for a good pokemon to use in my last slot, I was looking for something to tank Grass attacks for Seismitoad, cure status, and spread status on the other team. Vileplume is the perfect pokemon for the job. The defense Evs are in order to prevent a 2HKO from a close combat from Sawk, and the SpA Evs are to OHKO Gorebyss after Stealth Rock. Effect Spore is a great ability, and I often get lucky and spread a poison, sleep, or paralysis when the opponent unsuccessfully tries to kill this thing. Aromatherapy is to make sure that Seismitoad and Ludicolo stay healthy, and Sleep Powder helps their job to become easier. Despite not doing much offensively, Vileplume is a great cleric that I would be sad to part ways with if the need arises.
Conclusion
There are some weaknesses to my team. For one, there is a large fire weakness but that is negated with rain up. Noticeable Pokemon that give me trouble are:
Gardevoir, who traces swift swim and then proceeds to kill my pokemon with rain up.
Specially Defensive Ludicolo with Rain Dish, this thing is so annoying to kill and is a great check to rain sweepers like mine.
Oh yeah... and Shedinja. I've seen one of these things and I was totally unable to kill it. Very annoying but I hardly ever see Shedinja so it's hard to justify changing a pokemon or even a move slot for him.
But I would have to say my biggest weakness is my lack of offensive pressure outside of Ludicolo and Seismitoad. Ditto does a good job but often times he's not enough and my swords dance Mawile is sketchy at best.
Thanks for taking the time to read and rate my first RMT on smogon. I hope you like my team and that you can hopefully patch up some of my weaknesses.
Importable:
Mawile @ Leftovers
Trait: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SDef
Adamant Nature
- Sucker Punch
- Stealth Rock
- Iron Head
- Swords Dance
Ditto @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Imposter
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SDef
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 30 HP / 30 SAtk
- Transform
-
-
-
Volbeat (M) @ Damp Rock
Trait: Prankster
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SDef
Bold Nature
- Rain Dance
- Baton Pass
- Encore
- Substitute
Seismitoad @ Life Orb
Trait: Swift Swim
EVs: 96 HP / 252 SAtk / 160 Spd
Modest Nature
- Sludge Wave
- Hydro Pump
- Earth Power
- Rain Dance
Ludicolo @ Life Orb
Trait: Swift Swim
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Modest Nature
IVs: 29 HP
- Rain Dance
- Hydro Pump
- Giga Drain
- Ice Beam
Vileplume (F) @ Black Sludge
Trait: Effect Spore
EVs: 252 HP / 208 Def / 48 SAtk
Bold Nature
- Aromatherapy
- Giga Drain
- Sludge Bomb
- Sleep Powder
Trait: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SDef
Adamant Nature
- Sucker Punch
- Stealth Rock
- Iron Head
- Swords Dance
Ditto @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Imposter
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SDef
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 30 HP / 30 SAtk
- Transform
-
-
-
Volbeat (M) @ Damp Rock
Trait: Prankster
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SDef
Bold Nature
- Rain Dance
- Baton Pass
- Encore
- Substitute
Seismitoad @ Life Orb
Trait: Swift Swim
EVs: 96 HP / 252 SAtk / 160 Spd
Modest Nature
- Sludge Wave
- Hydro Pump
- Earth Power
- Rain Dance
Ludicolo @ Life Orb
Trait: Swift Swim
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Modest Nature
IVs: 29 HP
- Rain Dance
- Hydro Pump
- Giga Drain
- Ice Beam
Vileplume (F) @ Black Sludge
Trait: Effect Spore
EVs: 252 HP / 208 Def / 48 SAtk
Bold Nature
- Aromatherapy
- Giga Drain
- Sludge Bomb
- Sleep Powder
