So, this is my first team and it's an NU team, which doesn't seem to be too favoured amongst people, but I quite like the tier. I haven't thought of a name or anything and I'm not the type to try and do that, so I'll just go straight into it!
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Lead
Primeape @ Choice Band
Ability: Vital Spirit
EVs: 6 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Nature: Adamant +Atk -Sp. Atk
- U-Turn
- Close Combat
- Ice Punch
- Earthquake
Primeape leads out and I chose it mainly because it’s the Pokemon with the best attack that can learn U-Turn, which is a move I generally open with. Close Combat is obviously for STAB bonus whilst Ice Punch can do a serious amount of damage to Pokemon not expecting it, thanks to the EVs and Nature favouring my attack. Earthquake is just another powerful attack, but not one I’ve really used so far.
I do fear Primeape is a bit slow and have considered changing the nature or perhaps going for Choice Scarf instead of Band. Primeape isn’t renowned for its ability to take hits so being slower can really damage me.
Special Wall
Muk @ Black Sludge
Ability: Stickyhold
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 Sp.Def
Nature: Careful +Sp.Def -Sp.Atk
- Posion Jab
- Shadow Sneak
- Toxic
- Explosion
Muk has proven to be fantastic when coming in on special attackers, crippling them with Toxic and then taking their hits as the damage slowly increases. Shadow Sneak also offers the possibility to use Muk as a sort of revenge killer. Explosion is there for when things get a bit too messy (no pun intended) and it can be quite a surprise to people, unlike obvious exploders like Electrode.
Black sludge gets Muk’s health back, but I was thinking of perhaps using Trick instead of Poison Jab. Being a bit of a newbie, I’m not sure if Muk’s ability prevents me doing this, but it could certainly aid in stalling opponents, and they can’t even trick their item back thanks to my ability.
Spinner
Sandslash @ Leftovers
Ability: Sand Veil
EVs: 158 HP / 100 Atk / 252 Spe
Nature: Adamant +Atk -Sp. Atk
- X-Scissor
- Earthquake
- Stealth Rock
- Rapid Spin
Sandslash is quite a popular choice in NU and found his way into my team as a rapid spinner primarily. The HP EVs will hopefully help Sandslash survive a few hits, aided by his fairly good defence stats, so I can get one turn to rapid spin and perhaps another to attack or put up some stealth rocks, otherwise I’ll get the hell out of there.
Even with max EVs in speed, Sandslash is still dangerously slow, but appears to be the best rapid spinner option in NU, so I’ve gone with him. A speed boosting nature or a defensive one could be an option, but I generally scout a lot to ensure Sandslash is safe before switching in.
The Ghost
Haunter @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 Spe / 252 Sp. Atk / 4 Sp.Def
Nature: Timid +Spe -Atk
- Shadow Ball
- Thunderbolt
- Sucker Punch
- Destiny Bond
Gengar has always been a favourite of mine, so I went for his earlier stage, Haunter, but I’m not sure if I picked him because he’s a valuable addition or just because he’s cool! Haunter’s defences are dire; he really cannot take a hit. So, I went for a speed boosting nature, but Haunter’s speed is fairly good anyway. As everyone knows, Special Attack is hwere he thrives, and Shadow Ball and Thunderbolt take advantage of that. Destiny Bond is for when things look hopeless.
As for Sucker Punch, I’m not too sure about its inclusion. Gengar generally carries Focus Blast, which Haunter can’t use, so I had to find something else to use and I wasn’t quite sure what. A Hidden Power could be an option, but at times I wonder if I should just scrap Haunter. However, the ghost type is great to have and, even in NFE, Haunter is one of the best ghost types available in NU, not to mention his ability, levitate, further extending the range of Pokemon he can come in on.
Revenge Killer
Sharpedo @ Life Orb
Ability: Rough Skin
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Nature: Adamant +Atk -Sp. Atk
- Aqua Jet
- Waterfall
- Crunch
- Earthquake
Sharpedo has gone from something I knew nothing about to becoming one of my favourites. Aqua Jet becomes a powerful move with all the bonuses it gets and can usually finish off a Pokemon, whilst a Waterfall or Crunch will certainly 1 or 2 hitKO most Pokemon. Earthquake I’m not so sure about considering many of my Pokemon carry Ground moves, but I have used it with some effect before.
I don’t really have a lot to say about the pedo, it’s a pretty standard, efficient set and has always worked well in my battles.
Defensive Staller
Quagsire @ Leftovers
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Spe
Nature: Impish +Def -Sp. Atk
- Toxic
- Dig
- Recover
- Protect
And finally, the beast that is Quagsire. In the few battles I’ve had, he’s proven to be a real force to be reckoned with and, despite being awfulling boring, has taken down many Pokemon. The idea is to Toxic whatever is there, use a Protect, Dig and waste a turn underground, Protect again and then hopefully the opponent will be dead, not forgetting the damage Dig adds. Leftovers is healing me the entire time and Recover can be used when I’m looking a bit out of sorts.
I can’t really fault Quagsire. Obviously it wouldn’t do great against anything that can rest, but I can stall enough to find out whether they carry a berry for a once off wake up, whether they Sleep Talk or whether neither. The main threat is being poisoned and stalled myself, as I chose Recover over Rest purely because I don’t want to have to carry a berry/sleep talk.
Anyway, thanks for reading and hopefully you can take the time to suggest some improvements or tactics I can use! I’m sure there’s bound to be a few issues with my team. Also hopefully I've done all this right in terms of rules, I'm not amazingly hot on what's allowed and what's not, haha.
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Lead
Primeape @ Choice Band
Ability: Vital Spirit
EVs: 6 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Nature: Adamant +Atk -Sp. Atk
- U-Turn
- Close Combat
- Ice Punch
- Earthquake
Primeape leads out and I chose it mainly because it’s the Pokemon with the best attack that can learn U-Turn, which is a move I generally open with. Close Combat is obviously for STAB bonus whilst Ice Punch can do a serious amount of damage to Pokemon not expecting it, thanks to the EVs and Nature favouring my attack. Earthquake is just another powerful attack, but not one I’ve really used so far.
I do fear Primeape is a bit slow and have considered changing the nature or perhaps going for Choice Scarf instead of Band. Primeape isn’t renowned for its ability to take hits so being slower can really damage me.
Special Wall
Muk @ Black Sludge
Ability: Stickyhold
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 Sp.Def
Nature: Careful +Sp.Def -Sp.Atk
- Posion Jab
- Shadow Sneak
- Toxic
- Explosion
Muk has proven to be fantastic when coming in on special attackers, crippling them with Toxic and then taking their hits as the damage slowly increases. Shadow Sneak also offers the possibility to use Muk as a sort of revenge killer. Explosion is there for when things get a bit too messy (no pun intended) and it can be quite a surprise to people, unlike obvious exploders like Electrode.
Black sludge gets Muk’s health back, but I was thinking of perhaps using Trick instead of Poison Jab. Being a bit of a newbie, I’m not sure if Muk’s ability prevents me doing this, but it could certainly aid in stalling opponents, and they can’t even trick their item back thanks to my ability.
Spinner
Sandslash @ Leftovers
Ability: Sand Veil
EVs: 158 HP / 100 Atk / 252 Spe
Nature: Adamant +Atk -Sp. Atk
- X-Scissor
- Earthquake
- Stealth Rock
- Rapid Spin
Sandslash is quite a popular choice in NU and found his way into my team as a rapid spinner primarily. The HP EVs will hopefully help Sandslash survive a few hits, aided by his fairly good defence stats, so I can get one turn to rapid spin and perhaps another to attack or put up some stealth rocks, otherwise I’ll get the hell out of there.
Even with max EVs in speed, Sandslash is still dangerously slow, but appears to be the best rapid spinner option in NU, so I’ve gone with him. A speed boosting nature or a defensive one could be an option, but I generally scout a lot to ensure Sandslash is safe before switching in.
The Ghost
Haunter @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 Spe / 252 Sp. Atk / 4 Sp.Def
Nature: Timid +Spe -Atk
- Shadow Ball
- Thunderbolt
- Sucker Punch
- Destiny Bond
Gengar has always been a favourite of mine, so I went for his earlier stage, Haunter, but I’m not sure if I picked him because he’s a valuable addition or just because he’s cool! Haunter’s defences are dire; he really cannot take a hit. So, I went for a speed boosting nature, but Haunter’s speed is fairly good anyway. As everyone knows, Special Attack is hwere he thrives, and Shadow Ball and Thunderbolt take advantage of that. Destiny Bond is for when things look hopeless.
As for Sucker Punch, I’m not too sure about its inclusion. Gengar generally carries Focus Blast, which Haunter can’t use, so I had to find something else to use and I wasn’t quite sure what. A Hidden Power could be an option, but at times I wonder if I should just scrap Haunter. However, the ghost type is great to have and, even in NFE, Haunter is one of the best ghost types available in NU, not to mention his ability, levitate, further extending the range of Pokemon he can come in on.
Revenge Killer
Sharpedo @ Life Orb
Ability: Rough Skin
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Nature: Adamant +Atk -Sp. Atk
- Aqua Jet
- Waterfall
- Crunch
- Earthquake
Sharpedo has gone from something I knew nothing about to becoming one of my favourites. Aqua Jet becomes a powerful move with all the bonuses it gets and can usually finish off a Pokemon, whilst a Waterfall or Crunch will certainly 1 or 2 hitKO most Pokemon. Earthquake I’m not so sure about considering many of my Pokemon carry Ground moves, but I have used it with some effect before.
I don’t really have a lot to say about the pedo, it’s a pretty standard, efficient set and has always worked well in my battles.
Defensive Staller
Quagsire @ Leftovers
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Spe
Nature: Impish +Def -Sp. Atk
- Toxic
- Dig
- Recover
- Protect
And finally, the beast that is Quagsire. In the few battles I’ve had, he’s proven to be a real force to be reckoned with and, despite being awfulling boring, has taken down many Pokemon. The idea is to Toxic whatever is there, use a Protect, Dig and waste a turn underground, Protect again and then hopefully the opponent will be dead, not forgetting the damage Dig adds. Leftovers is healing me the entire time and Recover can be used when I’m looking a bit out of sorts.
I can’t really fault Quagsire. Obviously it wouldn’t do great against anything that can rest, but I can stall enough to find out whether they carry a berry for a once off wake up, whether they Sleep Talk or whether neither. The main threat is being poisoned and stalled myself, as I chose Recover over Rest purely because I don’t want to have to carry a berry/sleep talk.
Anyway, thanks for reading and hopefully you can take the time to suggest some improvements or tactics I can use! I’m sure there’s bound to be a few issues with my team. Also hopefully I've done all this right in terms of rules, I'm not amazingly hot on what's allowed and what's not, haha.
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