Hello all,
I'm relatively new here and while I do have a baseline understanding of the Pokemon metagame, I am by no means talented or knowledgeable in competitive battling. Nonetheless, YouTube has reignited childhood passions and here I am.
I thought the best place to start would be OU, the most standard of Smogon tiers. I've done some Web-browsing and have a general understanding of how to construct a balanced, viable OU team.
Pokemon: Charizard (X)
Nickname: Heatseeker
Item: Charizardite X
Gender: Male
Ability: Solar Power/Tough Claws
Moves: Fire Punch, Dragon Claw, Dragon Dance, Thunder Punch
Stats: 252 Atk, 252 Spd, 4 SpD
Nature: Adamant (+Atk, -SpA)
I want Charizard (X) to be my set-up Physical Sweeper, possibly as a lead to scare out Ferrothorns looking to setup Stealth Rocks for my Charizard (X). But with one Dragon Dance serious damage can be dealt consistently via STAB, especially after Mega-Evolving with the Tough Claws boost. The additional speed will allow me to outspeed a lot of Choice Scarfed Pokemon with slower base Speed stats. I opted for Fire Punch over Flare Blitz for longevity, despite the higher damage output.
Pokemon: Weavile
Nickname: Ninjutsu
Item: Choice Band
Gender: Male
Ability: Pressure
Moves: Icicle Crash, Knock Off, Brick Break, Poison Jab
Stats: 252 Atk, 252 Spd, 4 SpD
Nature: Jolly (+Spd, -SpA)
Weavile is my second Sweeper, also Physical. But its natural high Speed stat allows me to utilize a Choice Band and OHKO opponents with a simple STAB Knock Off. I decided against priority in Ice Shard in favor of coverage for Rock/Steel Types with Brick Break and Fairy Types with Poison Jab. I think it works well with Charizard as they hit for super effective damage on different types which makes for a more inclusive offense.
Pokemon: Gliscor
Nickname: Nightcrawler
Item: Toxic Orb
Gender: Male
Ability: Poison Heal
Moves: Earthquake, Knock Off, Stealth Rock, Stone Edge
Stats: 252 HP, 252 Def, 4 Atk
Nature: Impish (+Def, -SpA)
With two offensive Pokemon, I thought a defensive Pokemon was much needed. Functioning as my Physical "wall", Gliscor can handle neutral Physical attacks with its natural bulk and EV spread. It is also my Stealth Rock-er to subdue opponents' Charizards, Talonflames, and Volcaronas as well. The HP recovery in the form of a status condition/held item/ability prevents any residual damage which will allow Gliscor to tank physical hits over an extended period of time (hopefully).
Pokemon: Rotom (Wash)
Nickname: Scrub-a-dub
Item: Leftovers
Gender: Male
Ability: Levitate
Moves: Hydro Pump, Thunderbolt, Thunder Wave, Will-o-wisp
Stats: 252 HP, 252 SpD, 4 SpA
Nature: Calm (+SpD, -Atk)
To compliment my Physically-defensive Pokemon, my team needed a Specially-defensive Pokemon. This gives me switch-ins for a lot of Pokemon but the secondary role of Rotom (Wash) is to incapacitate opposing threats whether by Paralysis or Burn. And similar to Gliscor, the Leftovers promote its longevity whilst tanking hits alongside dual STAB.
Pokemon: Thundurus (Incarnate Forme)
Nickname: Sparkplug
Item: Leftovers
Gender: Male
Ability: Prankster
Moves: Thunderbolt, Hidden Power (Ice), Taunt, Nasty Plot
Stats: 252 SpA, 252 Spd, 4 SpD
Nature: Modest (+SpA, -Atk)
Thundurus (Incarnate Forme) is my other potential lead and primary Special attacker. Taunt allows it to stop hazards from being setup which can then be followed by a Nasty Plot to deal massive damage via STAB Thunderbolt and Hidden Power (Ice) for coverage against primarily Ground Types. However, its frailty is somewhat of a drawback in terms of its ability to switch-in on attacks and withstand a couple hits when outsped.
Pokemon: Breloom
Nickname: Yoshimitsu
Item: Focus Sash
Gender: Male
Ability: Technician
Moves: Bullet Seed, Mach Punch, Spore, Swords Dance
Stats: 252 Atk, 252 Spd, 4 Def
Nature: Jolly (+Spd, -SpA)
And last but not least, Breloom is what I intend to use as a late-game sweeper when my opponent's Pokemon are worn down and Breloom's priority can finish the deal. If necessary, the Focus Sash setup strategy is available to ensure that its Attack stat is high enough to defeat several Pokemon in succession with its Technician-boosted STAB attacks.
And that is my very first competitive Pokemon team, made for the OU tier. I feel that I could have used another Special Attacker to make it a 3:3 ratio as opposed to 4:2 (Physical:Special) for balance purposes. Looking back, my team seems a bit overly reliant on Physical Sweeps and can be walled by a Mega Slowbro, for example. Or in the same respect, a Scarfed Pokemon could outspeed all my Sweepers and do a serious number on my team before I even have a chance to attack. My team also lacks switch initiative and creativity, but I just wanted to go with something basic to start. Any criticism and tips would be appreciated. Merci.
Nick
I'm relatively new here and while I do have a baseline understanding of the Pokemon metagame, I am by no means talented or knowledgeable in competitive battling. Nonetheless, YouTube has reignited childhood passions and here I am.
I thought the best place to start would be OU, the most standard of Smogon tiers. I've done some Web-browsing and have a general understanding of how to construct a balanced, viable OU team.
- mixed typings, items, movesets, EV spreads, etc
- offensive and defensive Pokemon with physical or special movesets (mixed only to catch people off-guard)
- well-roundedness to be able to combat a wide variety of Pokemon and strategies as best as possible
Nickname: Heatseeker
Item: Charizardite X
Gender: Male
Ability: Solar Power/Tough Claws
Moves: Fire Punch, Dragon Claw, Dragon Dance, Thunder Punch
Stats: 252 Atk, 252 Spd, 4 SpD
Nature: Adamant (+Atk, -SpA)
I want Charizard (X) to be my set-up Physical Sweeper, possibly as a lead to scare out Ferrothorns looking to setup Stealth Rocks for my Charizard (X). But with one Dragon Dance serious damage can be dealt consistently via STAB, especially after Mega-Evolving with the Tough Claws boost. The additional speed will allow me to outspeed a lot of Choice Scarfed Pokemon with slower base Speed stats. I opted for Fire Punch over Flare Blitz for longevity, despite the higher damage output.
Nickname: Ninjutsu
Item: Choice Band
Gender: Male
Ability: Pressure
Moves: Icicle Crash, Knock Off, Brick Break, Poison Jab
Stats: 252 Atk, 252 Spd, 4 SpD
Nature: Jolly (+Spd, -SpA)
Weavile is my second Sweeper, also Physical. But its natural high Speed stat allows me to utilize a Choice Band and OHKO opponents with a simple STAB Knock Off. I decided against priority in Ice Shard in favor of coverage for Rock/Steel Types with Brick Break and Fairy Types with Poison Jab. I think it works well with Charizard as they hit for super effective damage on different types which makes for a more inclusive offense.
Nickname: Nightcrawler
Item: Toxic Orb
Gender: Male
Ability: Poison Heal
Moves: Earthquake, Knock Off, Stealth Rock, Stone Edge
Stats: 252 HP, 252 Def, 4 Atk
Nature: Impish (+Def, -SpA)
With two offensive Pokemon, I thought a defensive Pokemon was much needed. Functioning as my Physical "wall", Gliscor can handle neutral Physical attacks with its natural bulk and EV spread. It is also my Stealth Rock-er to subdue opponents' Charizards, Talonflames, and Volcaronas as well. The HP recovery in the form of a status condition/held item/ability prevents any residual damage which will allow Gliscor to tank physical hits over an extended period of time (hopefully).
Nickname: Scrub-a-dub
Item: Leftovers
Gender: Male
Ability: Levitate
Moves: Hydro Pump, Thunderbolt, Thunder Wave, Will-o-wisp
Stats: 252 HP, 252 SpD, 4 SpA
Nature: Calm (+SpD, -Atk)
To compliment my Physically-defensive Pokemon, my team needed a Specially-defensive Pokemon. This gives me switch-ins for a lot of Pokemon but the secondary role of Rotom (Wash) is to incapacitate opposing threats whether by Paralysis or Burn. And similar to Gliscor, the Leftovers promote its longevity whilst tanking hits alongside dual STAB.
Nickname: Sparkplug
Item: Leftovers
Gender: Male
Ability: Prankster
Moves: Thunderbolt, Hidden Power (Ice), Taunt, Nasty Plot
Stats: 252 SpA, 252 Spd, 4 SpD
Nature: Modest (+SpA, -Atk)
Thundurus (Incarnate Forme) is my other potential lead and primary Special attacker. Taunt allows it to stop hazards from being setup which can then be followed by a Nasty Plot to deal massive damage via STAB Thunderbolt and Hidden Power (Ice) for coverage against primarily Ground Types. However, its frailty is somewhat of a drawback in terms of its ability to switch-in on attacks and withstand a couple hits when outsped.
Nickname: Yoshimitsu
Item: Focus Sash
Gender: Male
Ability: Technician
Moves: Bullet Seed, Mach Punch, Spore, Swords Dance
Stats: 252 Atk, 252 Spd, 4 Def
Nature: Jolly (+Spd, -SpA)
And last but not least, Breloom is what I intend to use as a late-game sweeper when my opponent's Pokemon are worn down and Breloom's priority can finish the deal. If necessary, the Focus Sash setup strategy is available to ensure that its Attack stat is high enough to defeat several Pokemon in succession with its Technician-boosted STAB attacks.
And that is my very first competitive Pokemon team, made for the OU tier. I feel that I could have used another Special Attacker to make it a 3:3 ratio as opposed to 4:2 (Physical:Special) for balance purposes. Looking back, my team seems a bit overly reliant on Physical Sweeps and can be walled by a Mega Slowbro, for example. Or in the same respect, a Scarfed Pokemon could outspeed all my Sweepers and do a serious number on my team before I even have a chance to attack. My team also lacks switch initiative and creativity, but I just wanted to go with something basic to start. Any criticism and tips would be appreciated. Merci.
Nick
