PBR Surprise Team

BARON9

These sets are meant for PBR. There are certain parts to each set that typically catch opponents off-guard and should prove very effective. In PBR, you can see the other player's Pokemon pre-battle, hence the surprise factor.


***Lopunny has been changed to Kecleon***



036.png

Clefable
@Zoom Lens
Ability: Magic Guard
Nature: Modest
EVs: 252 HP/6 DEF/252 SP ATT
>Fire Blast
>Thunder
>Blizzard
>Softboiled

+++Special Sweeper. With Zoom Lens, accuracy is boosted by 20% when Clefable moves last. She has access to quite a few powerful special moves and the Zoom Lens ensures better accuracy. Softboiled to heal.


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Hitmonchan
@Focus Sash
Ability: Iron Fist
Nature: Adamant
EVs: 6 HP/252 ATT/252 SPEED
>Agility
>Drain Punch
>Ice Punch
>Thunder Punch

+++Boost speed w/ Agility the first turn, then gain health back with Drain Punch STAB, boosted with Iron Fist. Ice Punch/Thunder Punch for boltbeam combo.
Only things to watch out for here are first-strike moves and weather effects.


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Azumarill
@Iron Ball
Ability: Huge Power
Nature: Adamant
EVs: 252 HP/252 ATT/6 SP DEF
>Substitute
>Focus Punch
>Aqua Jet
>Fling

+++Nice Phys Sweeper that can take a hit before setting up Sub, then Focus Punch away, Aqua Jet to strike first, or Fling for a nice surprise. Iron ball ensures ability to move second to set up sub.


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Steelix
@Cutsap Berry
Ability: Sturdy
Nature: Impish
EVs: 200 HP/58 ATT/252 DEF
>Stealth Rock
>Roar
>Endure
>Explosion

+++Stealth Rock, then Roar to force switches. Finally, when a water/fire sweeper comes in, Endure the hit to activate the Cutsap Berry and Explode for a big finish.


352.png

Kecleon
@Lagging Tail
Ability: Color Change
Nature: Adamant
EVs: 200 HP/252 ATT/58 SP DEF
>Trick
>Skill Swap
>Shadow Claw
>Sucker Punch

+++Kecleon can take a few hits, so use Trick to ensure he moves first, or forces a switch. Then, Skill Swap when your opponent is expecting to get a "super effective" hit to shake things up. Follow up with super effective Shadow Claws and when things get rough, Sucker Punch away.



477.png

Dusknoir
@Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
Nature: Careful
EVs: 252 HP/ 58 DEF/ 200 SP DEF
>Will-o-wisp
>Pain Split
>Shadow Sneak
>Focus Punch

+++Standard 1st two options, then Shadow Sneak for a 1st turn surprise, or Focus Punch w/ anticipation of stat-boosters or switches.

Any comments/suggestions welcome.
 
I really like all of these sets, except for lopunny. CTP, loppuny is not awful and useless after switcheroo, and can still pack a punch.

Seeing as hitmonchan uses agility, you could use lopunny as an agilipasser.

Or, a personal favorite of mine,

Switcheroo / Swagger / Psych Up / Baton Pass

Give lagging tail, swagger the switch, psych up, and get out of there!

Great surprise set.
 
I love your whole team but as said Lopunny could have a more usefull Moveset for the rest of the team, btw I especially love steelix I gotta try that sometime
 
This would help if you gave a description of the Cutsap Berry, I don't know what the hell it does! And it isn't in the BerryDex DP on Serebii. Nice team otherwise.
 
it kinda really is in the berrydex if you looked... I did its one of the very last ones but you cant ctrl+f it for some reason,

"Allows the user to attack first just once in a pinch"
 
These are some really creative sets, I have to say. Nice job. I'm not sure I'd put them all on a team together, but I certainly might have to steal at least a couple of them. The Azumarill set is a personal favorite and I'm hoping it's as awesome in practice as it looks in theory.

As for the Custap Berry, has that been officially released yet? If not, it may not be allowed on PBR. If it has been released, I have to get my hands on one!
 
Okay, to clear up a few things, here is what Smogon says about the Cutsap Berry:

"The Custap Berry activates when the Pokémon reaches 25% health. The turn immediately following activation, this Pokémon will go first if it is using a move of the same priority as or a priority higher than the other Pokémon. Higher priority moves will still always go before lower priority moves, regardless of Custap Berry."

So there you have it. How to obtain a Cutsap Berry...you got me there.

Xaio- I like your Lopunny set, but I do want Healing Wish to take up a slot for team support (and realistically, Lopunny won't last too awfully long). Toxic and Charm I could definitely do away with for something else. They're basically fillers.

Thanks for all the cool comments...and blackflag4ever, that should work beautifully.
 
BARON9 said:
Okay, to clear up a few things, here is what Smogon says about the Cutsap Berry:

"The Custap Berry activates when the Pokémon reaches 25% health. The turn immediately following activation, this Pokémon will go first if it is using a move of the same priority as or a priority higher than the other Pokémon. Higher priority moves will still always go before lower priority moves, regardless of Custap Berry."

So there you have it. How to obtain a Cutsap Berry...you got me there.

Xaio- I like your Lopunny set, but I do want Healing Wish to take up a slot for team support (and realistically, Lopunny won't last too awfully long). Toxic and Charm I could definitely do away with for something else. They're basically fillers.

Thanks for all the cool comments...and blackflag4ever, that should work beautifully.
Click to expand...
Until the Custap Berry is officially released, this is kind of an academic point, but I've done research around the internet and I believe that Custap Berry activates right before it takes effect (like Quick Claw), not right when your HP is reduced to 1/4. I think (and hope) that Smogon's information is wrong on this particular point.

This is an important distinction for two reasons:
1. The Element of Surprise. Since Custap Berry doesn't activate until the turn it boosts the speed of a move, your opponent won't know it's coming until it's too late. Of course, if you Endure and no Berry activates, they'll catch on pretty quick, so it might be better on a durable Pokémon that doesn't have Endure.
2. Flexibility. If your Pokémon eats a Salac Berry, but your opponent has a priority move (like Quick Attack), you may be forced to switch out and lose your Speed boost. With Custap Berry, however, you can switch out your low-HP Pokémon and bring it back in against another opponent later in the match because your Berry hasn't been eaten yet. If Stealth Rock or Spikes are on the field, you have to be more careful, but you could potentially use these entry hazards to get your HP down below 1/4 and activate the Custap Berry.
 
My analysis of your team

I don't know if this is meant for 3 vs 3 or 6 vs 6 battles on PBR, but for now, I'll assume the former, as that's more of my area of expertise.

One thing that I can say about your team overall is that although it has a good amount of versatility thanks to its diversity, it's quite vulnerable to sleep inducing moves like Hypnosis or Sleep Powder and confusion inducing moves like Confuse Ray or Swagger (though given how many physical attackers your team has, using Swagger on your team would not be recommended). Only Azumarill (especially) and Dusknoir can manage to even strike before an opponent's Gengar, Roserade, Crobat, etc. could mess around with your team with status ailments.

Moreover, Clefable seems to be the only Special Sweeper on your team. Because of this, your team will be more susceptible to being walled physically. If there was maybe at least 1 more Special Attacker on your team, then maybe you wouldn't have this kind of vulnerability.

In addition to what I said above, I have the following comments on each of your teammates:

Clefable:
As good as that set might sound, Clefable would have to be very wary of powerful Fighting Type moves, especially if they're from the likes of Infernape, Lucario, Heracross, Medicham, and Scarfed Machamp. Also, the set is walled by Pokémon with a high base Special Defense, so you'd have to be wary of Special Walls like Blissey as well (though given the fact that Clefable's your only Special Sweeper, you might not encounter Special Walls as frequently). Magic Guard does keep Clefable from taking damage from Burns, Poison, Sandstorm, Hail, and Leech Seed, but I don't know if it would protect against Spikes or Stealth Rock (not like those would be very important in a 3 vs 3 battle anyways).

Also, just wanted to clarify that Zoom Lens boosts the accuracy of the holder's moves by 20% of the move's base accuracy, so for example, moves with an accuracy of 70 would rise to 84, while moves with an accuracy of 80 would rise to 96.

Hitmonchan:
As you've already pointed out, the Agility/Focus Sash combo will be ineffective if the opponent has an increased priority move. Spikes, Stealth Rocks, Toxic Spikes, Sandstorm, Hail, and Flinching would likewise tear that combo to pieces, while Sleep and Paralysis could likewise ruin it as well.

Otherwise, that Hitmonchan build seems to be a pretty nice build, though it may want to be wary of any Pokémon that use any of the attacks that I outlined above, as that can leave them open to something close to a 1HKO, especially from Psychic and Flying Type attacks.

Azumarill:
Looks like you're going for a more bulky variant, which is fine by me, though maybe you could've boosted its Defense and Special Defense EVs instead of its HP EVs. Flinging an Iron Ball sounds somewhat interesting, though it's also interesting to note that merely being in possession of one helps Azumarill outspeed many slower Pokémon if Trick Room is in effect. Just watch for Grass or Electric Type attacks.

Steelix:
Stealth Rock seems to be less effective in 3 vs 3 battles than it is in 6 vs 6 battles. Although it's effective both in discouraging switches for your opponent and in negating Focus Sash's usefulness, that's just about it in terms of usefulness. I don't see much reason as to why you have Roar on there as well, as the Stealth Rock/Roar combo isn't particularly damaging.

One thing that I find particularly interesting is the Endure/Custap Berry/Explosion combo. It'll definitely be a nasty surprise for the opponent if he/she is unfamiliar with this combo, but Burns, Hail, and Leech Seed usually still ruin it. Moreover, anyone who's familiar with this combo could try to use increased priority moves to attempt to knock Steelix out before it tries to use Explosion, or could even try to use Protect, Detect, or Endure or switch to a Ghost Type as Steelix vainly tries to take its opponent down with it with Explosion. Moreover, even if Steelix used a different move than Explosion, Custap Berry's usage would most likely be wasted, as it only lasts for a single turn.

Finally, being part Ground, Steelix is impervious to Electric Type attacks, including the oh-so-popular Thunder Wave. Being part Steel makes Steelix immune to Poison Type damage and Sandstorm damage as well. Beware of Special Sweepers when using Steelix though.

Kecleon:
Like Clefable, Kecleon needs to watch for Fighting Type moves, as they'll murder the poor chameleon. Thanks to Lagging Tail, Kecleon is likewise vulnerable to the more bulky Fighting Types like Hariyama and Machamp. Not even Sucker Punch is likely to save Kecleon from the wrath of these Pokémon, as they resist Dark Type attacks.

Also, from personal experience, I can tell you that Trick is NOT an increased priority move like you might've previously thought. Sorry, but that is indeed the case. If you don't believe me, then either look up Trick or Switcheroo on sites like http://www.legendarypokemon.net/ or http://veekun.com/, as they'll say the same thing, or test it out yourself.

As for how Skill Swap is useful, I honestly don't know how it would work with Color Change. For now, I'm guessing that Kecleon would remain as whatever type it was when Skill Swap was used, while the opponent's type would remain the same as before until he/she/it was hit with an attack itself.

Finally, it should be noted that Lagging Tail will always force its holder to go last, regardless of Speed, or even if Trick Room was in effect. However, Kecleon may still be able to use Sucker Punch before an opponent could use a move of his/her/its own.

Dusknoir:
I like the fact that you have a Ghost Type to switch to in case your other Pokémon were in danger of being KOed by Normal or Fighting Type attacks, or that you have Normal Types to switch to in case your Dusknoir was in danger of being KOed by Ghost Type attacks. The addition of Shadow Sneak is good, but the lack of any Attack EVs hurts Dusknoir's sweeping capabilities.

Keep in mind that, even with Dusknoir's impressive defenses and the addition of Will-O-Wisp to his arsenal, Dusknoir may not last long enough if the opponent is particularly aggressive. Moreover, Taunt and Substitute will block Will-O-Wisp and Pain Split, so you might want to be a bit careful of that. Finally, Dusknoir can use Pain Split all it wants, but it can't save it if it's badly poisoned from Toxic.

Most importantly, Dusknoir would need to watch for any Pokémon with the Guts ability, as Dusknoir might be unable to KO them before they KO it. Dusknoir should also watch for Normal, Dark, and Steel Type Pokémon that persistently attack Dusknoir, as without the aid of a Substitute to hide behind or a different Fighting Type move like Brick Break, Dusknoir won't be able to KO them with either Focus Punch or Shadow Sneak before they can KO him.


That's all the comments that I have for your team for the moment. Like I said before, it seems to be vulnerable against annoyers, so some renovating may be necessary in order to patch that vulnerability up. You might want to consider adding an extra Special Sweeper as well, since with only Clefable, your team could find itself walled by Physical Walls.
 
Also, from personal experience, I can tell you that Trick is NOT an increased priority move like you might've previously thought. Sorry, but that is indeed the case. If you don't believe me, then either look up Trick or Switcheroo on sites like http://www.legendarypokemon.net/ or http://veekun.com/, as they'll say the same thing, or test it out yourself.
Click to expand...

I know that Trick is not a priority move; I meant that on the following turn, the opponent will be forced to move last w/ the Lagging Tail & ensures Kecleon moves first (or a switch happens).

Thanks for the info, but honestly this team is mostly conceptual. Just 6 creative sets that I thought of one night to hopefully surprise an opponent. Somewhat ripping from what TheMaskedNitpicker said, I like some of these sets but I don't think I would use them all on the same team.
 
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