Follow along with the video below to see how to install our site as a web app on your home screen.
Note: This feature may not be available in some browsers.
Welcome to Smogon! Take a moment to read the Introduction to Smogon for a run-down on everything Smogon, and make sure you take some time to read the global rules.
The moderators of this forum are Alpha1013 and Ithi.
Alright it seems we have a tie between sluGGy and Avendesora...
Oh well, congrats to you both!
Until the end of the month, we'll be running a Halloween special. There'll be two separate psuedo-themes for you guys to post teams for. I'm not expecting anything good, rather try to play into the theme as much as possible.
Part 1 is all about these little creepy shadowy ghost guys. Build a team with at least two of these ghost type Pokémon and get as creepy and weird as possible. To add some extra spice, your team should have some backstory/ lore. Tell a story with your team and have it be on theme. Teams that do not adhere to this will not be counted in the vote.
sidenote: you're allowed to submit multiple teams but they must be in separate posts
There's a soft deadline on 22.10.2024 at 20:59 GMT +3.
Happy posting!
To hopefully get some more submissions I'll change the rules to make it a little easier. The changes are as follows;
- Build a team with at least one ghost type Pokémon
- Giving your team backstory/ lore is now optional.
The soft deadline is on 22.10.2024 at 20:59 GMT +3.
The soft deadline basically means deadline means that you are allowed to submit teams past this deadline until the hard deadline passes which is on 31.10.2024. This is because this is a two part series.
Lore In the middle of a desert stood an immense pyramid hidden under the dunes. The ancients whispered its name in fear, for it harbored a ancient curse. A chamber guarded by Gengar and Cofagrigus was for ever locked with ancient sealing stones, and the two kept watch over a venomous scourge capable of contaminating the whole world.In the outskirts a third guardian, Hippowdown, would dissuade anyone from coming near.No one dared to approach this cursed place until the day an avid explorer decided to cross the boundary.Hippowdon, startled, summoned a sandstorm to dissuade him.But the explorer was an experienced Pokemon trainer and he was too curious to stop for just that.He braved the storm and moved forward, followed closely by his trusty Excadrill, capable of slashing through the sealing stones.As Excadrill tear through the stones, the dreaded curse was unleashed, releasing a black and toxic mist that flew everywhere from the ancient chamber.Realizing his mistake, he called his Pokemon, Suicune and Scizor, to help him block the path he had created. Gengar and Cofagrigus were angry, they were close to breaking free. So, they cursed the adventurer and his pokemon : they were to never know rest, being kept alive by the corrupting mist.It is said that at night in the desert, everyone can hear the laughter of gengar and the tears of a man melting in unison in the distant silence of the wind.
Teambuilding process
I started with gengar specs hex + cofagrifus t spikes. Excadrill is there to toxic Pokémon like Landorus-Therian, Zapdos or even Rotom-wash. The core t-spikes + suicune is really strong. Scizor is here to come on knock offs. Hippowdon allows me to put SR and check zapdos and volcarona
Went with some webs + cofa
Mega Garde is a cool sticky webs mon since it can will-o a lot of drillers trying to dodge focus blast when they try to switch in
Cofagrigus to block spin and troll mega lopunny
Bisharp for clef and defog attempts
Thundurus as a very strong attacker that is hard to outspeed under webs
Serperior to switch and take on Diancie
The extra theme for this special season is going to be based on folklore and different tales/ legends. All of the above Pokémon have some lore or design inspiration that ties them to the theme of 'Myths and Magic'. Your goal is to build a team containing at least two of these Pokémon.
The hard deadline is 31.10.2024 at 20:59 GMT +3.
Happy posting!
sidenote: you are still allowed to post a team for the previous prompt on ghost types. this is just a bonus prompt.
This is an old team I had lying around that features button clicker specs Gengar and fat breaker Heracross. The general idea is to click Shadow Ball until you die to Pursuit or a Dark-type and get a free sub on Heracross.
Mandi found her way onto the team as it needed some form of hazard removal as well as an Alakazam switch-in. You'd be suprised how well Mandi deals with Zam.
The last three kind of just fell into place as I needed hazards, some form of status absorber as well as a water and fire resist. Chomp, Clef and Ferro do this job amazingly.
The team is really fun and I've gotten some funny goobs with Specs Gar. I hope you guys also have fun with it and learn that there is a steep price to pay for the opponent if they don't have a single Ghost resist.
I like the core of gyarados and zygarde because they have many resists boosted even further by Gyarados' Intimidate ability and Zygarde's immense bulk. One Pokémon these two struggle with is Weavile which led me to add both Clefable and Scizor as counter-measures.
Next I wanted spikes to pair with Zygarde's Dragon Tail shuffling. I also needed a water resist that isn't Gyarados so I settled on Roserade since it both sets up spikes as well as resists water. Natural Cure is also a nice bonus since it lets Roserade act as a second status absorber and helps Clefable avoid Rotom's Thunder Wave. For the last slot I wanted another ground immune as well as another paralysis Pokémon which led me to Zapdos. Zapdos also helps in the Gliscor match up with its strong Hidden Power Ice.
The team is quite fun to use and I had a lot of fun building it. If you want to try it out for yourself, watch out for Volcarona with rocks up because it has a slim chance of breaking past Gyarados.
I saw the post week ago and ignored it until I decided to give it a swing td. This team is a bit late and the ghost requirement adheres to the old request.
Shuckle lived a simple life without challenge. While this brought him stability and simple pleasure, it also brought him immense bordem. One day, shuckle's good friend volcanion visited him. Shuckle complains about his boredom everyday and his wish for some excitement. In a spur of passion, shuckle asks for his powerful friend to grant his life some excitement, for glory, for pain, and for fear. Upon hearing this, volcanion decides to grant his old friend's request, and, by the power of plot neccessity, his steam hoop opens up a portal for another dimension to step through. Indescribable horror, irrational evil, twisted minds-the ghosts and dark types entered the pokemon world. Never again would Shuckle's life be peaceful with these mischievious troublemakers!
With that out of the way, lets get to the key team. In making this team, I went with the no brainer route of sticky webs-something I don't have a lot of experience in but recognize the general idea of. While the team went through many iterations, I'll describe the main one. I mainly made this team to build around a double ghost and double dark webs hyper offense. Gengar was my 1st chosen ghost type for its wallbreaking capabilities. I really liked its abiltiy to hit the whole metagame bar tornadus. My 2nd ghost type was m-banette for also its wall breaking capabilities. I like how mbanette has taunt ghost stab for traditional walls and then a destiny bond for offensive threats, allowing me to net 2 kills on a good day. Worse comes to worse, prankster destiny bond always serves as a great failsafe. Bisharp and Shuckle was used for obvious webs set up. Weavile was my chosen webs speed role, being faster than tornadus-t and able to ice shard lando; roseli berry helps weavile beat clef and serves as an alternative lead agaisnt mdiancie. Volcanion serves as the glue for this team, being an offensive option while also being my my talon, scizor, water atks soft answer.
The team is pretty solid and overall a fun one to play. I didn't get a lot of teamtesting outside of low oras ladder cuz all my friends r bums. As such, I can't give a super accurate threatlist. Still, watch out for: talon, sciz, m diancie, av torn, and such.
Celestial Isles Once upon a time, in the ethereal realms of ancient Japan, there existed a series of mystical isles cradled within the embrace of azure oceans. These islands bore a name lost to history — the Celestial Isles. In this enchanting world, legendary Pokémon were not mere creatures but the embodiment of nature’s most potent forces. Each island was home to a guardian.
In the northern isle, Aerodactyl reigns as a fierce protector of the mountains. With his vast wings and sharp intellect, he is both feared and respected, serving as a vigilant guardian who defends the innocent from threats. His long existence has allowed him to witness the passage of time, making him a keeper of ancient histories.
The southern isle is graced by Ninetales, a mystical fox known for her ethereal beauty and cunning. She possesses the power to weave illusions with her foxfire, offering enlightenment to the pure-hearted while tricking those burdened by greed. Villagers honor her with offerings, and her presence ensures prosperity and healing in the land.
In a grand garden further inland, Venusaur thrives as the guardian of nature's balance. This colossal Pokémon nurtures diverse flora and dispels poison and sickness, ensuring that crops flourish and communities thrive. He embodies harmony among all living beings, maintaining ancient compacts that promote coexistence.
To the east, Mega Diancie shines as a jewel of beauty and grace. Her laughter dispels darkness, and she blesses those who respect their homes. With the power to bring forth diamonds from the earth, she nurtures the flora and fauna, guiding villagers through hardships with her radiant presence.
High above the islands, Dragonite serves as a guardian angel, navigating the skies with a heart full of valor and kindness. Known for rescuing lost sailors and guiding young Pokémon home, he embodies strength and compassion, weaving countless tales into his being.
To the west, Volcarona dances through the night, illuminating the skies with her vibrant flames. She inspires hope and renewal in those burdened by life’s challenges, guiding lost travelers and serving as a bridge between realms. Villagers celebrate her with festivals, honoring her role in bringing light to their lives.
The tranquility of the Celestial Isles is threatened when a dark force emerges, intent on consuming the light and life of the realm. The guardians convene at a sacred altar, where they combine their unique abilities to confront this malevolent entity. Ninetales creates illusions to confuse the darkness, Dragonite unleashes a tempest to wash it away, Mega Diancie casts a protective barrier, Aerodactyl scouts for danger, Venusaur entangles the foe with the strength of trees, and Volcarona ignites the skies with her flames.
As they battle together, the guardians’ bonds of friendship and trust deepen, revealing that their combined strength surpasses any individual power. In a climactic confrontation, they successfully banish the dark entity, restoring light and life to the Celestial Isles. The legends of these guardians become symbols of hope, unity, and the enduring power of nature, reminding the inhabitants that as long as they stand together, no darkness can prevail.
The lore :
1) Aerodactyl is based on Tengu.
2) Ninetales is based on Kitsune.
3) Venusaur is based on kodama.
4) Mega-Diancie is based on Zashiki Warashi.
5) Dragonite is based on Ryujin.
6) Volcarona is based on Furaribi.
Teambuilding process :
For this week's team competition, I have chosen to utilize Ninetales. Ninetales is an intriguing Pokémon due to its Drought ability and versatile moveset, which includes Nasty Plot and Safeguard. Once Ninetales uses Nasty Plot, very few Pokémon can safely switch in, with Chansey being a notable exception. However, by employing the Safeguard set, Ninetales can effectively counter Chansey. To establish a solid foundation for setting up and denying entry hazards, Aerodactyl is my first teammate. Given that Venusaur poses a significant threat in sunny conditions, I have selected it as my second partner to capitalize on Ninetales' Drought ability. Mega Diancie joins the team next, providing valuable Magic Bounce and resistance to Knock Off. Dragonite is the fourth member, serving as both a win condition and a check to Volcarona. Finally, Volcarona rounds out the team, as it thrives in sunny weather, enhancing its Fire-type attacks.
I believe Mega Absol has some good potential in this metagame. Given the nature of the offensive builds and how this has adapted to diancie-mega to guarantee hazards in situations like lead aerodactyl, mega absol fairs better much better vs these offenses with priority and a move like will-o-wisp which burns are broken in this gen. The rest is kind of self-explanatory, in a way building with absol is similar to beedrill except the magic bounce utility let you play more aggresively in certain situations. Magnezone makes for a really good partner, enabling important progress vs annoying steel types like skarm and ferro.
Rocky Helmet Torn-T allows for making it a significant annoyance vs bulky stuff and securing the hazards to stay away vs something like stealth rock excadrill. Scarf Rotom as a secondary scarfer and glue of sorts, while also being very important to keep opposing volcanion on check. And the last 2 are breaker of sorts that really appreciate the pivoting. Nidoking is so fire, threw rocks in there cause it is convenient, and with zone there is no need for additional coverage. AV Azu acts as volc insurance (if you can dodge enough flame bodies triggering) and overall good special check vs things like zam, and it is also a rather decent weavile check (seriously, that mon is busted)
By nature of the variance in the tier many things will be pretty annoying, but most things can be outprepared with balls, like a team of this nature demands. Any adjustments are welcome, I believe the scarf rotom may not be at all necessary, but there is some paranoia vs physical fast megas so there is that.
Nidoking (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Sheer Force
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Stealth Rock
- Earth Power
- Sludge Wave
- Ice Beam
Azumarill @ Assault Vest
Ability: Huge Power
EVs: 204 HP / 216 Atk / 88 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Power-Up Punch
- Aqua Jet
- Play Rough
- Waterfall
Things to consider:
-Mega Diancie becomes less of an annoyance if you run tail on the absol, BUT I prefer hitting mega ttar tbh.
-The scarf rotom slot. It could honestly be your own volcanion
Awesome teams from everyone these last two weeks. Here's the vote;
Part 1: Ghosts and Ghouls
Team 1 by Bored Pikachu
Team 2 by Extinct
Team 3 by Waffleztastegood
Team 4 by puck.42
Team 5 by Nefarious2.
Part 2: Myths and Magic
Team 1 by puck.42
Team 2 by Bored Pikachu
Team 3 by MrAldo
READ BEFORE VOTING
This vote will be a little different. Instead of voting for just one team, you'll vote for one team from each round.
For example;
"Team 1 and Team 2"
The team voted for first will be counted as from part 1 and the team voted for second will be counted as from part 2.
Happy voting!
First week : Team 3 , I prefer taunt gardevoir on that team because you could prevent defog and helps against stall team. I also prefer Shadow Ball over Hex on Cofagrigus for Substitute Excadrill.
Second week : Team 3
1st week: team 5. I respect using a shitmon like Banette on double ghost, its look's usable too
2nd week: team 3, mega absol is a pokemon with a lot of interesting traits and I like the volt turn team its on.
Mega Hercacross is one of OU's big breakers with an outrageously high attack stat of 185, only second to Mega Mewtwo X. This coupled with it's ability; Skill Link, that makes all of it's multi-hit moves hit the maximum number of times allows for Mega Heracross to unlock high base power moves such as an effectively 125 base power Pin Missile as well as the amazing coverage move that is 125 base power Rock Blast. With these two moves combined with Close Combat for Fighting type STAB, Heracross hits the entire OU metagame for at least neutral damage allowing it to break past defensive cores and checks with ease.
Aside from it's offensive prowess, Mega Heracross' typing also comes with good resists to common moves such as the ubiquitious Earthquake and Knock Off allowing it many switch in opportunities in a game. It also has a very good defensive profile with an 80/115/105 stat spread that makes it deceptively bulky allowing it to last the whole game and wreak havoc with it's strong attacks.
I hope to see people take advantage of Heracross' fantastic breaking power and breath some new life into this overlooked Pokémon.
The deadline for this week is 08.11.2024 at 20:59 GMT +3.
Happy posting!
Hera biggest issues is that it struggles vs clef and psychics and is very slow.
Slowbro spreads paralysis and is general annoyance and helps with the physical psychics like gallade, medicham, and gross as well some other powerful physical attackers
Sp.def tran and torn can help dance around clef and mega zam
Scarf chomp gives the team a secondary moth check and something to help take pressure off tran dealing with fires
Serp is nice as a status absorber that can switch into mega diancie and helps spread paralysis
Team is a bit weak to clef but slowbro, heatran, and serp can all help in slowing it down as much as possible for hera to eventually break it.
I thought I'd give this a try since Mega Heracross is a pretty interesting mon to play around with.
I gave Mega Heracross a fairly standard moveset, the speed evs allows it to outspeed mainly Rotom Wash but also the niche Crawdaunt.
Cresselia is included mainly because I wanted to put her on the team, she also functions to tank powerful special moves that the team otherwise struggles with.
I chose Clefable as a means to get stealth rocks up, but also to provide additional bulk to the team. Knock off serves as a handy utility move. I didn't like the idea of letting drill get rocks up as well as spin, since that would put a lot of pressure on it.
Excadrill is pretty standard too. sub is nice, but toxic could also work to hit stuff like Zapdos and other potential switch ins.
Volcanion is scarfed to give the team more speed control and a way to deal with Volcarona to some extent.
The last member is Thundurus. He spreads twave which helps the other members of the team, and it also allows the team to deal with Manaphy better. He's also a true ground immunity unlike cress, who can be hit by mold breaker drill.
Mhera has become one of my favorite mons to mess around upon testing this team. It's been fun af to see lowladderfreaks shit themselves at the sight of mhera subbing up on their switch, being forced to trade 1-2 mons in an attempt to break its sub. Its been good elsewhere as well, so its not a shitty 6 only capable of burning under 1.5k squads. Anyways, Mhera and paralysis spreading are a match made in heaven, as it patches one of its biggest weaknesses preventing it from becoming an unkillable monster, its speed.
- the star of the show, ofc ofc. i tried to find a way to deviate from the stndrd spread in order to still click on lando while maxamizing my damage output even more, but i wasnt ever satisfied with the changes so i left it as is. i tried sd as well but it felt redundant as u alrdy 2hkoed the entire tier, and sub means ull most likely get another free turn after killing a defensive switch in.
- ever since i saw mixnite justify a resist berry as its greater set in one of his seemingly never ending feuds with ithi, i decided to try it out as it seemed like a very potent partner. and i say, it gets the job done. absolutely no grounds are switching into hydrei, as they risk the potential of dropping to its more well known set of specs (and ebelt) so its guaranteed to spread paralysis like crazy. it pairs very nicely with mhera, since both of them cover each others typing weaknesses, bar flying and fairy (both incredibly cleaf weak), and dent each others respective checks on either defensive side (again, bar clef). the speed allows it to outspeed 299s, and the rest is an hp dump. again, i tried playing around with the spread, but i couldnt figure out a fit for it, but its been functioning quite well nonetheless. (thx mix for the correction)
- patches up that clef weakness for enough turns to overwhelm it into mheras range. the spread allows it to eat a +1 flame from clef and lives a clean knock from vile. pretty much standard stuff, nothing fancy.
- standard stuff here as well. provides a ground immunity (learnt the hard lessing of levitate mons not being real ground immunities), s/is to mmedi, mlopu, and other contact based heavy hitters that mhera appreciates being parad.
- its almost impossible not to pair this mon up with mhera. they compliment each other way too well. mhera breaks fatty stuff in order for serp to clean, and ofc it wields the hard punishing glare that mhera loves so much. the spread allows it to eat a hurrican from torn, and resto chesto aids in giving it more longevity to its paralyzing run.
- last member of the 6. i was torn between this and keldeo, as i wanted a water type that could serve as a psuedo weave s/i and a volc check. mix suggested volc, and now its here. volc check, eats scalds, and while its speed as a scarfer is kinda awkward (+1 max volc outspeeds by _1_ fkn single point), it also appreciates para circumventing that issue.
- ,
- ,
& pray they get static'd
- way too many entry points for it
- if its somehow not parad
& - the color yellow.
6 is shit but we'll get there.
The opposing Alakazam used Shadow Ball!
It's not very effective...
(Hydreigon lost 18.2% of its health!)
Hydreigon used Thunder Wave!
The opposing Alakazam is paralyzed! It may be unable to move!
Turn 8
Hydreigon, come back!
Go! Excadrill!
Excadrill was caught in a sticky web!
Excadrill's Speed fell!
Pointed stones dug into Excadrill!
[Excadrill's Mold Breaker]
Excadrill breaks the mold!
The opposing Alakazam used Trick Room!
The opposing Alakazam twisted the dimensions!
- the star of the show, ofc ofc. i tried to find a way to deviate from the stndrd spread in order to still click on lando while maxamizing my damage output even more, but i wasnt ever satisfied with the changes so i left it as is. i tried sd as well but it felt redundant as u alrdy 2hkoed the entire tier, and sub means ull most likely get another free turn after killing a defensive switch in.
- ever since i saw mixnite justify a resist berry as its greater set in one of his seemingly never ending feuds with ithi, i decided to try it out as it seemed like a very potent partner. and i say, it gets the job done. absolutely no grounds are switching into hydrei, as they risk the potential of dropping to its more well known set of specs (and ebelt) so its guaranteed to spread paralysis like crazy. it pairs very nicely with mhera, since both of them cover each others typing weaknesses, bar flying and fairy (both incredibly cleaf weak), and dent each others respective checks on either defensive side (again, bar clef). the speed allows it to outspeed 299s, and the rest is an hp dump. again, i tried playing around with the spread, but i couldnt figure out a fit for it, but its been functioning quite well nonetheless. (thx mix for the correction)
- patches up that clef weakness for enough turns to overwhelm it into mheras range. the spread allows it to eat a +1 flame from clef and lives a clean knock from vile. pretty much standard stuff, nothing fancy.
- standard stuff here as well. provides a ground immunity (learnt the hard lessing of levitate mons not being real ground immunities), s/is to mmedi, mlopu, and other contact based heavy hitters that mhera appreciates being parad.
- its almost impossible not to pair this mon up with mhera. they compliment each other way too well. mhera breaks fatty stuff in order for serp to clean, and ofc it wields the hard punishing glare that mhera loves so much. the spread allows it to eat a hurrican from torn, and resto chesto aids in giving it more longevity to its paralyzing run.
- last member of the 6. i was torn between this and keldeo, as i wanted a water type that could serve as a psuedo weave s/i and a volc check. mix suggested volc, and now its here. volc check, eats scalds, and while its speed as a scarfer is kinda awkward (+1 max volc outspeeds by _1_ fkn single point), it also appreciates para circumventing that issue.
- ,
- ,
& 
pray they get static'd
- way too many entry points for it
- if its somehow not parad
& 
- the color yellow.
