OK, so I've been doing online triples for fun of late, and here's a team I threw together. It's worked out surpisingly well.
Infernape @ Focus Sash
Blaze, Naive, 116 Atk / 140 SpA / 252 Spe
Heatwave
Close Combat
Fake Out
Protect
Typically my opening center pokemon, Fake Out 1st turn if there's something I need to kill, or if there's something I need to stop setting up, and then Heatwave for the rest of the game.
Close Combat is a great move for taking down sandstorm setteruppers, and is generally a solid move to boot.
Possible changes:
I've never actually used protect, so I was considering changing it to Earthquake... except not enough of it's teammates are protect-equipped or immune.
Ninetales @ Ironball
Quiet, Drought, 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpA
HP Ice
Energy Ball
Heatwave
Protect
Hidden Power Ice (minimum speed)
Energy Ball
Minimum Speed goes last Drought user.
Typically this is a corner opening move pokemon. 252 HP gives it a lot more protection than you'd expect, and it hits a lot.
Low speed and Heatwave make it a decent soft counter to Trick Room Teams. He can still be outsped by traditional TR users, but there's been a new strategy of using "mid level speeders" with Trick Room-users. Against fast teams, you play TR. Against TR Teams, you un-TR their TR. It's a fair strategy that catches a lot of people off guard - caught me off guard once recently. This guy does serious damage against mid-level TR teams like this, and if he's positioned right, there's a good chance he'll get one HW in against traditional TR teamers too. Just worry about Rockslide.
Possible changes:
Energy Ball is there for the "Maybe I'm losing the weather war" matches... but I've never lost the weather war in triples online. Also, if I'm winning the weather war I don't really need the power, and If I'm losing he's probably not going to survive long enough to hit. Solar Beam instead?
Typhlosion @ Fire Gem
Timid, 252 Sp.A, 4 spD, 252 Speed
Eruption
Flamethrower
Extrasensory
Hidden Power Grass
AKA "How can you tell I'm being greedy"
Typical weather Eruption Sweeper. Not much to say here, sadly, as he's a 2nd stringer but typically wipes away the field when he comes into play. Extrasensory provides the team's only psychic attack... but I have yet to use it.
Possible changes:
Flamethrower is there from the "OU singles" build, but in theory it could provide a wide-guard coverage move. Smogon's set suggests Heatwave, but that just feels like throwing too many eggs in one basket. It also advocates HP Ground and/or Solar Beam... HPG might be a better coverage move, given the following...
Venusaur @ Leftovers
Modest, Chlorophill, 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Solar Beam
Hidden Power Ice
Sludge Bomb
Sleep Powder
Solar Beam is the typical attack, HP Fire is nice for surprise... that's pretty much the only 2 moves I've ever used on him in triples. X(
Changes made:
Swapped for one w/ HP Ice and Sludge Bomb > Growth. Sludge Bomb has worked well on Victrebell, and there's an aweful lot less strategic switching in triples, so I don't really need to worry that Sludge Bomb's not going to hit. Pretty much I never expect to get a normal hit with it, but it's better than HP Ice against things that don't resist it and aren't weak to ice, like dragon/flying types.
HP Ice works pretty well here, as I usually outspeed flyers in the sun, and most dragons too. Solar Beam is still tricky, given weather shifts, but as long as you're not in a weather war, it's good. When you're in a weather war... it's tricky.
Victreebel @ Life Orb
Modest, Chlorophyll 252 spA /4SpD, 242 speed
Sludge Bomb
Leaf Storm
Weather Ball
Hidden Power Ice
Fast and relatively versitile special attacker, Vic takes down water and ground types hard w/ Lead storm, does a fairy big chunk of damage and threatens poison w/ Sludge bomb, has a strong base 100 attack fire attack in the sun, and has HP Ice for dragons. Typically this can take down a good dragon after a fake out first turn.
Possible changes:
I gots nothing. This is pretty tight, even if it's coverage is a little shakey.
Aerodactyl @ Rock Gem
Jolly, Unnerve, 252 A/4 SpD/252 Speed
Rock Slide
Aerial Ace
Protect
Tail Wind
Tailwind gives me an option to outspeed in opposing weather, or against other fire teams. Rock Slide's about the only moves I've ever used on him though.
Works well with Infernape's Fake Out of an opposing Tail Wind user, this lets me set up first if need be.
Possible changes:
Aerial Ace, Protect??? EQ > AA seems fair, but with 3 fire types EQing seems like the wrong move. As is, 1 coverage, 1 single move, though, is weak.
So... I know this is a bad team. I sort of picked it as a bad team to try out my new HW Infernape. But it's been pretty fun, and versitile. I rolled to the one TR team I faced, but other than that it's been pretty smooth sailing. Opposing weather teams don't win the weather war, and I have yet to face a friendly weather team.
If this team has taught me anything, though, it's that Heatwave Fake Out Infernape is a force to be reconned with. I don't think he's ever been taken out on turn 1, despite being relatively weak. Focus Sash does what it does, and opponents don't seem to want to double attack the middle unless they're using spread moves. Water Spread moves don't take him halfway down, so that's a plus. I suspect double EQ kills him, but rarely do they have 2 EQers, so Fake Out keeps him alive.
Infernape @ Focus Sash
Blaze, Naive, 116 Atk / 140 SpA / 252 Spe
Heatwave
Close Combat
Fake Out
Protect
Typically my opening center pokemon, Fake Out 1st turn if there's something I need to kill, or if there's something I need to stop setting up, and then Heatwave for the rest of the game.
Close Combat is a great move for taking down sandstorm setteruppers, and is generally a solid move to boot.
Possible changes:
I've never actually used protect, so I was considering changing it to Earthquake... except not enough of it's teammates are protect-equipped or immune.
Ninetales @ Ironball
Quiet, Drought, 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpA
HP Ice
Energy Ball
Heatwave
Protect
Hidden Power Ice (minimum speed)
Energy Ball
Minimum Speed goes last Drought user.
Typically this is a corner opening move pokemon. 252 HP gives it a lot more protection than you'd expect, and it hits a lot.
Low speed and Heatwave make it a decent soft counter to Trick Room Teams. He can still be outsped by traditional TR users, but there's been a new strategy of using "mid level speeders" with Trick Room-users. Against fast teams, you play TR. Against TR Teams, you un-TR their TR. It's a fair strategy that catches a lot of people off guard - caught me off guard once recently. This guy does serious damage against mid-level TR teams like this, and if he's positioned right, there's a good chance he'll get one HW in against traditional TR teamers too. Just worry about Rockslide.
Possible changes:
Energy Ball is there for the "Maybe I'm losing the weather war" matches... but I've never lost the weather war in triples online. Also, if I'm winning the weather war I don't really need the power, and If I'm losing he's probably not going to survive long enough to hit. Solar Beam instead?
Typhlosion @ Fire Gem
Timid, 252 Sp.A, 4 spD, 252 Speed
Eruption
Flamethrower
Extrasensory
Hidden Power Grass
AKA "How can you tell I'm being greedy"
Typical weather Eruption Sweeper. Not much to say here, sadly, as he's a 2nd stringer but typically wipes away the field when he comes into play. Extrasensory provides the team's only psychic attack... but I have yet to use it.
Possible changes:
Flamethrower is there from the "OU singles" build, but in theory it could provide a wide-guard coverage move. Smogon's set suggests Heatwave, but that just feels like throwing too many eggs in one basket. It also advocates HP Ground and/or Solar Beam... HPG might be a better coverage move, given the following...
Venusaur @ Leftovers
Modest, Chlorophill, 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Solar Beam
Hidden Power Ice
Sludge Bomb
Sleep Powder
Solar Beam is the typical attack, HP Fire is nice for surprise... that's pretty much the only 2 moves I've ever used on him in triples. X(
Changes made:
Swapped for one w/ HP Ice and Sludge Bomb > Growth. Sludge Bomb has worked well on Victrebell, and there's an aweful lot less strategic switching in triples, so I don't really need to worry that Sludge Bomb's not going to hit. Pretty much I never expect to get a normal hit with it, but it's better than HP Ice against things that don't resist it and aren't weak to ice, like dragon/flying types.
HP Ice works pretty well here, as I usually outspeed flyers in the sun, and most dragons too. Solar Beam is still tricky, given weather shifts, but as long as you're not in a weather war, it's good. When you're in a weather war... it's tricky.
Victreebel @ Life Orb
Modest, Chlorophyll 252 spA /4SpD, 242 speed
Sludge Bomb
Leaf Storm
Weather Ball
Hidden Power Ice
Fast and relatively versitile special attacker, Vic takes down water and ground types hard w/ Lead storm, does a fairy big chunk of damage and threatens poison w/ Sludge bomb, has a strong base 100 attack fire attack in the sun, and has HP Ice for dragons. Typically this can take down a good dragon after a fake out first turn.
Possible changes:
I gots nothing. This is pretty tight, even if it's coverage is a little shakey.
Aerodactyl @ Rock Gem
Jolly, Unnerve, 252 A/4 SpD/252 Speed
Rock Slide
Aerial Ace
Protect
Tail Wind
Tailwind gives me an option to outspeed in opposing weather, or against other fire teams. Rock Slide's about the only moves I've ever used on him though.
Works well with Infernape's Fake Out of an opposing Tail Wind user, this lets me set up first if need be.
Possible changes:
Aerial Ace, Protect??? EQ > AA seems fair, but with 3 fire types EQing seems like the wrong move. As is, 1 coverage, 1 single move, though, is weak.
So... I know this is a bad team. I sort of picked it as a bad team to try out my new HW Infernape. But it's been pretty fun, and versitile. I rolled to the one TR team I faced, but other than that it's been pretty smooth sailing. Opposing weather teams don't win the weather war, and I have yet to face a friendly weather team.
If this team has taught me anything, though, it's that Heatwave Fake Out Infernape is a force to be reconned with. I don't think he's ever been taken out on turn 1, despite being relatively weak. Focus Sash does what it does, and opponents don't seem to want to double attack the middle unless they're using spread moves. Water Spread moves don't take him halfway down, so that's a plus. I suspect double EQ kills him, but rarely do they have 2 EQers, so Fake Out keeps him alive.
