The Team
I made this team because I always liked neat little tricks in my teams. This time, I decided to build a team around abusing Shell Smash with Baton Pass. I was able to peak at number 18 in the DW ladder on Pokemon Battle Center. OK FINE, SMOGON WAS DOWN AND I WAS BORED K? I KNOW PBC IS A JOKE. It isn't a big accomplishment, but i felt like the team can do better with the proper tuning. My team's philosophy is to try to set up a sweep as fast as possible. So far this team has been hit or miss, and my journey to the top 20 has been a lot of hits and not so much misses. I want to tune this team so it'll be more consistent. All changes will be in BLACK =D
I made this team because I always liked neat little tricks in my teams. This time, I decided to build a team around abusing Shell Smash with Baton Pass. I was able to peak at number 18 in the DW ladder on Pokemon Battle Center. OK FINE, SMOGON WAS DOWN AND I WAS BORED K? I KNOW PBC IS A JOKE. It isn't a big accomplishment, but i felt like the team can do better with the proper tuning. My team's philosophy is to try to set up a sweep as fast as possible. So far this team has been hit or miss, and my journey to the top 20 has been a lot of hits and not so much misses. I want to tune this team so it'll be more consistent. All changes will be in BLACK =D
IN-DEPTH LOOK!
K. Perkins (Espeon) (M) @ Light Clay Trait: Magic Bounce
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Light Screen
- Reflect
- Psychic
- Hidden Power [Ice]
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Light Screen
- Reflect
- Psychic
- Hidden Power [Ice]
When looking to make a team whose main purpose is to Baton Pass in a Shell Smash, dual screen support is a must. The screens give my Gorebyss a chance to take hits to pass off the Shell Smash. My candidates for dual screening was Deoxys, Serperior, Cresslia, Bronzong, Xatu, or Espeon. Immediately I disregarded Cresslia and Bronzong because I felt that they were taunt bait. I also chose to not use Deoxys or Serperior because they can be Mischievous Heart taunted. My final choices were Espeon or Xatu. They both carry Magic Bounce, so not only do they guarantee screens, they don't allow hazards or phazing. I finally chose to go with Espeon because he makes a fine Shell Smash receiver as well. During team preview, if i feel that my opponent is a threat, I lead with dual screens. If not, i lead with Gorebyss right away. I gave Espeon max speed EVs and a timid nature to ensure that she is able to speed tie other base 110s. Max HP is for survivability. Saucy fact for the day: Magic Bouncing back a Whirlwind from Skarmory is hilarious.
For the moves, Reflect and Light Screen are a given. They're the main reason why I use Espeon. I normally go for Reflect first due to how physically frail Espeon is. If I have time, i'll set up a Light Screen. Psychic is there for STAB. I chose HP [Ice] because my team doesn't have that many ways to check dragon types. I also didn't want to use HP Fire because then i'd get walled completely by Heatran.
In relationship to Kendrick Perkins: Espeon is the man who anchors down the team. Although Perkins may be only average offensively, his defensive presence is what makes him so good. This same philosophy applies to Espeon. Offensively he is average at best, but defensively it is spectacular. On some nights, Perkins really gets off and destroys the game offensively, which is equivalent to the rare occasion where I pass a Shell Smash to Espeon.
J. Harden (Latias) (F) @ Leftovers Trait: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Dragon Pulse
- Calm Mind
- Recover
- Surf
First and foremost, I have her Dragon Pulse because it's her most reliable STAB move. I paired up Dragon Pulse with Surf because Heatran walls her and Surf hits for neutral on all of the pokes that resist Dragon Pulse (Except Empoleon, but i have other pokes to deal with him). The next 2 slots were the toss up slots. I had to make a choice between Calm Mind, Recover, Wish, Roar, Substitute, and more. I decided to go for Calm Mind in slot 3 to make her an offensive threat. For the 4th slot, I was down to Recover or Substitute. Substitute blocked statuses, but I figured the extra survivability from Recover is worth it since she's really only scared of Toxic, which can be switched into by either Metagross or Genesect. Her only weaknesses of Ice and Dragon can also be absorbed by Metagross.
In relationship to James Harden: He is option number 2 behind KD (ok that's a lie Westbrook is #2 but meh). He is the 6th man and the person responsible for the bench's surge. Likewise, Latias is my second choice if i do not feel that Metagross can do a sweep.
T. Sefolosha (Breloom) (M) @ Toxic Orb Trait: Poison Heal
EVs: 12 HP / 252 Atk / 244 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Spore
- Seed Bomb
- Substitute
- Focus Punch
For the moveset, I had many movesets to choose from. I can either do Technician for a huge offense threat, or go more defensively. I decided to use the safest moveset IMO and went with Sub Punch. Sub Punch is extremely safe, and it eases the need to predict as much as some of the other sets. Breloom is one crazy meat mountain. He has something I like to call "The Punch." Sub on the switch, OHKO with FP, ANOTHER sub, ARE YOU SERIOUS, spore. I gave it Spore because it is a must, and Spore coming off of someone with +2 Speed is nuts. Next I gave it Substitute as the first part of the Sub Punch combo. Next Is Focus Punch to complete the combo (lol i called it a combo >_>). Finally I gave it Seed Bomb to deal with Jellicent and Bulky Waters. I don't need a Shell Smash on Breloom for it to be good, but if i manage a Smash on it, something is going to die.
In relationship to Sefolosha: Sefolosha is the role player on the Thunder. He is all around a good player, and does what ever is needed at the time to help the team. Is is Breloom's philosophy. It can either take a lightning attack aimed at Gorebyss when Latias is weak, or it can all out attack. Complete love for Breloom <3
R. Westbrook (Gorebyss) (M) @ White Herb Trait: Swift Swim
EVs: 116 HP / 160 SAtk / 232 Spd
Calm Nature (+SDef, -Atk)
- Baton Pass
- Surf
- Shell Smash
- Hidden Power [Electric]
I can't have a Shell Smash team without a Shell Smasher. Gorebyss is the reason why I made this team. Out of all of the Shell Smashers, I feel that Gorebyss is the best option. Smeargle is too fragile and Huntail sucks. She is here to pass the Shell Smashes. She usually has no trouble doing so if she is behind screens. Unfortunately, even though she's the bulkiest Shell Smash passer, she is still fragile. In the event that I can not pass a Shell Smash, she is able to attack on her own. This isn't optimal, but she is able to do some damage. If i'm not scared of my opponents team, i sometimes lead with Gorebyess and SS right off the bat. Her EVs were taken straight from the analysis and it reflects the best spread for passing SS as well as attacking.
Shell Smash and Baton Pass were the given 2 moves I had to have. They turn threats into HUGE threats. +2 in both attacks and speed is just nuts. This is truly the fastest setup. Next up, I gave her Surf for STAB and the need to attack. People usually underestimate the power of Gorebyss's surf after a Shell Smash and it usually leads to a KO. She is able to OHKO the standard Hippowdon lead after a smash iirc. The final move is HP electric. I originally had Ice Beam, but many of my other pokemon were able to check Dragons and Gliscor. HP Electric is there incase a Gyarados or another random bulky water switches into me.
In relationship to Russel Westbrook: Westbrook is the Point Guard. He facilitates the ball movement and sets up his teammates to score. He is also able to attack the rim if no other options exist. Likewise, Gorebyss is the pointguard for my team. her presence makes the other pokemon "play better" and she sets up the big pivotal plays for my team.
K. Durant (Metagross) @ Lum Berry Trait: Clear Body
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SAtk / 252 Spd
Naughty Nature (+Atk, -SDef)
- Earthquake
- Ice Punch
- ThunderPunch
- Grass Knot
The ultimate Shell Smash recipient IMO. It has near flawless coverage and doesn't afraid of anything. It is also blessed with amazing typing to resist the most common priority attacks. It resists Extreme Speed, Quick Attack, Bullet Punch, and Ice Shard. It is neutral to Sucker Punch, Mach Punch, Vacuum Wave, and Aqua Jet. It is also naturally immune to Toxic, and with the Lum Berry, it pretty much isn't scared of anything.
His move choices were carefully thought out to give him maximum coverage. Earthquake was first chosen because of it's insane 100 base power and 100 accuracy. It is able to hit fire types, rock types, and steel types for super effective damage. With all of these pros, Earthquake was immediately chosen. I tested Brick Break for the Balloon Trans, but I had other pokemon to check Heatran so I went with Earthquake. Next, I chose Ice Punch to pair with EQ to hit the common resistors of EQ. Ice Punch after a Shell Smash cleanly OHKOs Salamence, Garchomp, Flygon, and even a Dragonite through multiscale. It also OHKOs grass types as well as ground types. Ice Punch is also a clean OHKO against Zapdos. Next Thunder Punch is chosen. It OHKOs full HP bulky Vaporeon as well as most waters. The final move is Grass Knot. I gave it Grass Knot because I have no other way of dealing with Swampert or Quagsire, who are both destroyed by Knot.
In relationship to Kevin Durant: He's Kevin motherfreaking Durant.
His move choices were carefully thought out to give him maximum coverage. Earthquake was first chosen because of it's insane 100 base power and 100 accuracy. It is able to hit fire types, rock types, and steel types for super effective damage. With all of these pros, Earthquake was immediately chosen. I tested Brick Break for the Balloon Trans, but I had other pokemon to check Heatran so I went with Earthquake. Next, I chose Ice Punch to pair with EQ to hit the common resistors of EQ. Ice Punch after a Shell Smash cleanly OHKOs Salamence, Garchomp, Flygon, and even a Dragonite through multiscale. It also OHKOs grass types as well as ground types. Ice Punch is also a clean OHKO against Zapdos. Next Thunder Punch is chosen. It OHKOs full HP bulky Vaporeon as well as most waters. The final move is Grass Knot. I gave it Grass Knot because I have no other way of dealing with Swampert or Quagsire, who are both destroyed by Knot.
In relationship to Kevin Durant: He's Kevin motherfreaking Durant.
S. Ibaka (Gliscor) (M) @ Toxic Orb Trait: Hyper Cutter
EVs: 252 HP / 56 Atk / 200 Def
Impish Nature (+Def, -SAtk)
- Earthquake
- Ice Fang
- Taunt
- Swords Dance
For the moves, Earthquake was the obvious STAB of choice. Ice Fang is there for coverage. Finally, Taunt+SD allows it to set up.
In relationship to Serge Ibaka: Serge is nicknamed "Iblocka" because of how good he is defensively. He blocks sooooooo many shots during games. Likewise, Latias is here to "block" incoming attacks by making them do minimal damage. Ibaka is also no slump offensively, which Latias isn't either.
That is all
