Hi guys, this is my first post on this forum and I've found it quite helpful in outlining any weaknesses in my team and I'm hoping others can point out any I have missed so I can improve my team. It has been pretty successful testing it out on Pokémon Pokémon Battle Revolution (Wii) and Pokémon Showdown, but any opinions on my doubles team? Some keen eyes out there will notice some of the abilities were not available on these Pokémon in Generation 4 but were legal in future generations, this was done on purpose to build the team to the highest standard possible!
The Team
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Cherrim @ Leftovers
Ability: Flower Gift
EVS: 252 HP / 168 Defence / 88 Special Defence
Bold Nature
- Protect
- Solar Beam
- Weather Ball
- Aromatherapy
Cherrim's main function on the team is with its ability Flower Gift, which provides a 50% increase on both Cherrim's and its allies Attack and Special Defence stats, these boosts are only active when Cherrim is on the field and sunlight is present. Cherrim fits perfectly as a lead, alongside Ninetales who brings the sun out immediately due to its Drought ability. This Pokémon also supports Leafeon, Mamoswine and Azumarill in physical Attack boosts, but also provides safety in Special Defence as those aforementioned are slightly lacking in it. Cherrim's EV spread and Bold nature allow it to tank both physical and special hits, the latter being supported by its ability previously discussed, plus its item Leftovers gives it some extra longevity, the only issue being one of it's main weaknesses, fire, has its power boosted by Ninetales' sun and therefore puts Cherrim in many compromisable situations. Its moveset allows it to take advantage of the weather condition being provided by its partner, in Solar Beam (removing the charge turn, and giving it the ability to fire off a repeated base 120 special STAB move) and Weather Ball for coverage - the sun's presence converts this move into a base 100 special attacking fire-type move, whose power is also boosted by the sun. The coverage provided by Weather Ball allows Cherrim to defend against super-effective Ice type threats as well as types that resist its STAB Solar Beam (e.g. Poison, Bug, Flying etc). Protect is featured so that Cherrim can scout OHKO Fire-type attacks, which Leafeon or Mamoswine can eliminate with their Ground-type attacks, this also allows Mamoswine and Pachirisu to fire off their multi-target attacks without getting hurt itself. Its final move is Aromatherapy, which provides general support to the entire team, as Leafeon in particular relies on its high speed (with its ability Chlorophyll), paralysis is a major threat to this team, which Cherrim can organise with this status-removing move.
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Ninetales * @ Focus Sash
Ability: Drought
EVS: 252 Special Attack / 4 Special Defence / 252 Speed
Timid Nature
- Heat Wave
- Dark Pulse
- Will-o-Wisp
- Swagger
Ninetales is an essential core member of the team, which would not succeed without its fantastic situational ability. Drought "intensifies the sun's rays" as soon as Ninetales enters the battle and can only be removed if an alternate weather condition is set up. The sun has a giant impact on several members of this team, especially Cherrim who as previously discussed, who relies on its ability which only operates in sunny conditions. The sun also benefits Leafeon greatly as well as Ninetales itself. Ninetales has a relatively simplistic EV spread, ensuring it has maximum Speed abled by its base stat and Timid nature, as well as a high Special Attack to fend off Ice types and fellow threats to Ninetales' Grass type teammates. A small investment into its Special Defence helps it defend against specially orientated Water-type attackers. Speaking of Water-types, all Water-type moves are weakened by 50% when the sun is out, which protects Ninetales and Mamoswine from potentially catastrophic super-effective attacks. Its held item is a Focus Sash, protecting it from being OHKO'd, and since the weather effect is sun, there would be no weather damage to negate the effects of the item, such as a sandstorm. The moveset was carefully selected to allow Ninetales to sweep through potential threats, hinder the opposing team and support its own team. Heat Wave was selected over Flamethrower and Fire Blast for several reasons, firstly because it targets both opponents which is very helpful in this double battle scenario and secondly whilst it does not match up to Flamethrower in terms of accuracy, it does in power and passes Fire Blast in accuracy. Dark Pulse gives decent coverage and allows Ninetales to hit super effectively against Ghost types which threaten the physical attackers with moves like Will-o-Wisp. Speaking of, Will-o-Wisp is Ninetales next move, which was chosen because Heat Wave only has a 10% chance of burning, and with a lack of physical Defence investment in many of the members of this team, it was essential to be able to weaken any physically attacking threats (as when a Pokémon is burned, it halves the damage they do with physical moves). Special Defence is already covered thanks to Cherrim's Flower Gift ability. The final move in the set is Swagger, which raises the targets Attack stat by two stages but confuses it in the process. This could potentially be used on opponent Pokémon if they are Special attackers as they won't benefit from the boost but will suffer with the status condition, however its main purpose in this slot is to assist Leafeon in boosting its already boastful Attack stat as it will not suffer with the condition due to its held item which will be discussed below.
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Leafeon @ Persim Berry
Ability: Chlorophyll
EVS: 144 HP / 112 Attack / 252 Speed
Adamant Nature
- Leaf Blade
- X Scissor
- Protect
- Dig
Leafeon is the key offensive beneficiary of the sun's effects. It fulfils the role of a physically offensive sweeper well with decent type coverage and an ability that assists its purpose. Leafeon's EVs are not what most would expect, however it needs some HP investment in order to give it some longevity as it does not have the luxury of Leftovers to help it recover health. Its Attack is high enough to create a large dent in the opposing team with the help of its Adamant nature and 112 Attack EVs, aswell as the use of Ninetales' Swagger and Leafeon's Persim Berry to cure the confusion it creates, alongside Cherrim's Attack boost from Flower Gift. The Speed EVs allow for Leafeon to out-speed a Jolly Ninjask with maximum Speed IV and EV investment after its Chlorophyll ability is activated (this ability doubles Leafeon's speed when the sun is out). With immense Speed and Attack boosted by Flower Gift and/or Swagger, Leafeon is more than capable of sweeping through entire teams, its moveset has super-effective coverage against 10 pure types. Leaf Blade is its STAB attack coming in with base 90 physical power, allowing for Leafeon to protect Ninetales from super-effective Water, Ground, and Rock type attacks amongst other things threatening other team members. The move also has an increased critical-hit ratio, which may be looked at as a negative if the Swagger strategy has been implemented, however it allows Leafeon to hit through defence-raising opponents such as Bastiodon and Vespiquen, however the latter also walls all of its moves. X-Scissor provides coverage against other Grass types which wall Leafeon's other two attacks, whilst also providing super-effective hits against Psychic and Dark type opponents. Protect is important for allowing Leafeon to avoid being damaged by Mamoswine's Earthquake and Pachirisu's Discharge, however it is essential for avoiding Fire-type attacks if it is going to be out-sped or if its fourth move cannot OHKO the fire type. This brings us to Leafeon's final and debatably most important move, Dig. Dig allows Leafeon to avoid taking damage for a turn and strike on the next turn, providing super-effective coverage on the teams main weakness, Fire. It also allows Leafeon to provide super-effective or neutral coverage on types its other moves resist, such as Steel. Dig can be assisted by Mamoswine's Rock Slide to ensure a KO on the Fire type in case of a Focus Sash etc.
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Mamoswine @ Life Orb
Ability: Thick Fat
EVS: 252 Attack / 4 Defence / 252 Speed
Jolly Nature
- Ice Shard
- Earthquake
- Stealth Rock
- Rock Slide
Mamoswine is not as heavily affected by the sun's consequences which makes it equally as vital to the team as a Pokémon who does play a role in the sun synergy. Unlike Cherrim, Mamoswine can function perfectly outside of sunlight, whereas Cherrim would result to its Overcast Form, decrease its stats, Solar Beam would take two turns to operate and Weather Ball would revert to a base 50 Normal type attack. Mamoswine's Life Orb steps in to replace the damage increase lost by the lack of Flower Gift boost and has enough Attack EVs to allow it to continue being dominant. It also has a Jolly nature and 252 Speed EVs to speed-tie with the remaining base 80 fully invested Speed Pokémon such as Arbok and Kabutops. However, if sunlight is operating as it should, Mamoswine loses one of its weaknesses in Water due to the decrease in power of the moves, it also becomes neutral to Fire because of it's Thick Fat ability, suppressing the urgency to defend it from sun-boosted Fire attacks. Mamoswine can OHKO almost any Dragon type bar Kingdra when supported by Cherrim's Flower Gift and its own Life Orb, which helps immensely due to Dragon resisting both Grass and Fire type attacks which feature throughout the team. The move making this possible is Ice Shard. Even though Ice Shard is a mere base 40 power move, Mamoswine's ginormous Attack stat accompanied with the support previously described gives it the boost it needs. Ice Shard was selected as the STAB Ice type attack for this Pokémon because it has a +1 priority characteristic meaning more often than not it will strike first, meaning it can be used to OHKO opponents it is strong against, but slower than, or pick-off Pokémon that have little HP remaining. Earthquake is both essential and a hindrance to the team, it is a base 100 power STAB move for Mamoswine which has the capability to hit both opponents at once, providing super-effective coverage against two of Mamoswine's natural weaknesses (ignoring Thick Fat), Steel and Fire. Although, it also targets the partner Pokémon, meaning due to the fact Pachirisu and Ninetales are weak to Ground and have no means of protecting themselves, it is basically impossible for Mamoswine to use this move while these teammates are on the field, limiting its usability. Azumarill cannot protect itself either, it is not weak to the move itself, however it would still take a great deal of damage from it. Leafeon and Cherrim both resist the move and have the ability to protect, so Earthquake is viable here however it does mean that these cannot attack on this turn, alongside this, Leafeon would not be able to use Dig on the turn the move would hit as it would take double damage. On the other hand, Earthquake in many situations provides a great deal of help to the team, taking care of many types seen as a threat (e.g. Poison and Fire). Apart from Dig, Earthquake is the only physically attacking Ground type move Mamoswine has access to, and it provides far more attack power than Dig, which is necessary to remove bulky Steel type opponents. Stealth Rock is a very helpful support move if Mamoswine can use it early enough in the battle, but due to the fact it usually comes in to clean up the end of matches, it is rarely used, unless an opponent has a focus on Flying or Fire types, in which case bringing out Cherrim to start off is not wise. Stealth Rock allows Ice Shard to OHKO more Pokémon since it cuts down its HP for simply entering the battle. Mamoswine's final move is Rock Slide, which targets both opponents and provides a 30% chance to flinch each recipient of the move. This move gives Mamoswine extensive coverage, allowing it to hit Fire types super-effectively if Earthquake is not an option as previously discussed. It also provides super-effective coverage against Bug types, which are a threat to the two Grass types on the team.
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Azumarill @ Quick Claw
Ability: Huge Power
EVS: 252 HP / 252 Attack / 6 Speed
Adamant Nature
- Waterfall
- Substitute
- Focus Punch
- Ice Punch
Azumarill is an unusual member to be selected for a team revolving around the effects of sunlight due to its Water typing and STAB move being weakened, however it allows the team to further operate outside of the weather condition and incorporate a further strategy into the team. When you first look at Azumarill's stats, one would question why anyone would want to try and use it offensively, however its incredible ability Huge Power doubles its Attack stat, allowing it to serve as a prominent sweeper. Azumarill's EVs allow it to maximise its power, in addition to its Adamant nature, but still regain some longevity. Speed investment is not completely necessary due to its strong partnership with Pachirisu's Follow Me and its own Focus Punch, alongside the potential for its Quick Claw item to take effect and be the first to move when using its other three moves. The general idea when combining these partners together is that Pachirisu will distract the opponent with Follow Me whilst Azumarill sweeps with Focus Punch, however Substitute allows it to function without its partner. Waterfall is incredibly helpful in removing certain threats from the opponents team, allowing Ninetales to be protected from Rock-type Pokémon, Leafeon, Mamoswine and Cherrim from Fire-types and Ninetales and Pachirisu from Ground-types. Despite its power being weakened by the sun, its ability, EVs and STAB characteristic makes up for this loss. Substitute and Focus Punch work hand-in-hand, Substitute allowing Azumarill to keep its focus when using Focus Punch, which requires the Pokémon to not be hit outside of a Substitute in order to work, allowing this Huge Power attacker to fire off base 150 Fighting-type attacks repeatedly. This can also be used alongside Pachirisu as discussed earlier. Finally, Ice Punch provides coverage so Azumarill can defend itself against super-effective Grass-type attacks aswell as Pachirisu from Ground attacks. Azumarill can function within sunlight if partnered with Cherrim thanks to the Flower Gift attack boost.
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Pachirisu @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Volt Absorb
EVS: 252 HP / 4 Special Attack / 252 Special Defence
Calm Nature
- Follow Me
- Super Fang
- Discharge
- Growl
This Pachirisu is heavily inspired by 2014 World Championship winner, Sejun Park (if you don't know who this is I recommend checking his history-making moment out on YouTube!). Pachirisu is the least relevant to the impact of sun however it is a fantastic support Pokémon, mainly to Azumarill but can be useful to the other members of the team aswell. This set of EVs, ability and item make Pachirisu as bulky as can be when it comes to Special Defence, having maximum Special Defence allows it to tank many big hits from prominent special attacking opponents, which is supported by its Calm nature as well as high HP to defend as much as it can from physical attacks. Its moveset allows it to support partners and protect itself, but is quite useless if left alone. Follow Me is Pachirisu's best benefit to the team, it allows Azumarill to fire off Focus Punches easily as well as the rest of its moveset, and also divert super-effective Electric-type attacks away from Azumarill for Pachirisu to absorb and regain health thanks to its Volt Absorb ability. Super Fang cuts opponents health down by half each time it hits, which is very beneficial as its partners can follow-up and finish off the opponent. This is helpful when an OHKO cannot be guaranteed by Pachirisu's partners. Discharge allows Pachirisu to not be rendered useless if it is the last team member standing, its is most useful when partnered with Mamoswine as it can help attack Water-type threats whilst Mamoswine remains unaffected due to its Ground typing. Growl is Pachirisus way of defending itself and its partners to an extent. Due to the amount of focus on Special Defence across the team, Growl lowers both opponents Attack stats to help Pokémon survive physical shots.
Notable Weaknesses
- Below average in terms of type variation, leading to reoccurring weakness throughout the team
- Cherrim cannot be replaced by any other Pokémon as it has a unique ability essential to the team, however this does not necessarily make up for its sub-раr stats
- Ninetales' Focus Sash is irrelevant if both opponents target it
- Leafeon is walled completely by certain Flying types
- Mamoswine is hindered by the fact no teammates can Fly/Levitate, therefore the amount of times it can use Earthquake is limited
- Azumarill may be better off with Aqua Jet to allow it to sweep better
- Pachirisu is rendered almost entirely useless by Taunt users, its Super Fang is also not always very helpful as it is outsped by the entire team except for Cherrim and Azumarill (when the Quick Claw does not activate)
- The majority of the team have a base stat total of 500 and below
The Team
View attachment 239651
Cherrim @ Leftovers
Ability: Flower Gift
EVS: 252 HP / 168 Defence / 88 Special Defence
Bold Nature
- Protect
- Solar Beam
- Weather Ball
- Aromatherapy
Cherrim's main function on the team is with its ability Flower Gift, which provides a 50% increase on both Cherrim's and its allies Attack and Special Defence stats, these boosts are only active when Cherrim is on the field and sunlight is present. Cherrim fits perfectly as a lead, alongside Ninetales who brings the sun out immediately due to its Drought ability. This Pokémon also supports Leafeon, Mamoswine and Azumarill in physical Attack boosts, but also provides safety in Special Defence as those aforementioned are slightly lacking in it. Cherrim's EV spread and Bold nature allow it to tank both physical and special hits, the latter being supported by its ability previously discussed, plus its item Leftovers gives it some extra longevity, the only issue being one of it's main weaknesses, fire, has its power boosted by Ninetales' sun and therefore puts Cherrim in many compromisable situations. Its moveset allows it to take advantage of the weather condition being provided by its partner, in Solar Beam (removing the charge turn, and giving it the ability to fire off a repeated base 120 special STAB move) and Weather Ball for coverage - the sun's presence converts this move into a base 100 special attacking fire-type move, whose power is also boosted by the sun. The coverage provided by Weather Ball allows Cherrim to defend against super-effective Ice type threats as well as types that resist its STAB Solar Beam (e.g. Poison, Bug, Flying etc). Protect is featured so that Cherrim can scout OHKO Fire-type attacks, which Leafeon or Mamoswine can eliminate with their Ground-type attacks, this also allows Mamoswine and Pachirisu to fire off their multi-target attacks without getting hurt itself. Its final move is Aromatherapy, which provides general support to the entire team, as Leafeon in particular relies on its high speed (with its ability Chlorophyll), paralysis is a major threat to this team, which Cherrim can organise with this status-removing move.
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Ninetales * @ Focus Sash
Ability: Drought
EVS: 252 Special Attack / 4 Special Defence / 252 Speed
Timid Nature
- Heat Wave
- Dark Pulse
- Will-o-Wisp
- Swagger
Ninetales is an essential core member of the team, which would not succeed without its fantastic situational ability. Drought "intensifies the sun's rays" as soon as Ninetales enters the battle and can only be removed if an alternate weather condition is set up. The sun has a giant impact on several members of this team, especially Cherrim who as previously discussed, who relies on its ability which only operates in sunny conditions. The sun also benefits Leafeon greatly as well as Ninetales itself. Ninetales has a relatively simplistic EV spread, ensuring it has maximum Speed abled by its base stat and Timid nature, as well as a high Special Attack to fend off Ice types and fellow threats to Ninetales' Grass type teammates. A small investment into its Special Defence helps it defend against specially orientated Water-type attackers. Speaking of Water-types, all Water-type moves are weakened by 50% when the sun is out, which protects Ninetales and Mamoswine from potentially catastrophic super-effective attacks. Its held item is a Focus Sash, protecting it from being OHKO'd, and since the weather effect is sun, there would be no weather damage to negate the effects of the item, such as a sandstorm. The moveset was carefully selected to allow Ninetales to sweep through potential threats, hinder the opposing team and support its own team. Heat Wave was selected over Flamethrower and Fire Blast for several reasons, firstly because it targets both opponents which is very helpful in this double battle scenario and secondly whilst it does not match up to Flamethrower in terms of accuracy, it does in power and passes Fire Blast in accuracy. Dark Pulse gives decent coverage and allows Ninetales to hit super effectively against Ghost types which threaten the physical attackers with moves like Will-o-Wisp. Speaking of, Will-o-Wisp is Ninetales next move, which was chosen because Heat Wave only has a 10% chance of burning, and with a lack of physical Defence investment in many of the members of this team, it was essential to be able to weaken any physically attacking threats (as when a Pokémon is burned, it halves the damage they do with physical moves). Special Defence is already covered thanks to Cherrim's Flower Gift ability. The final move in the set is Swagger, which raises the targets Attack stat by two stages but confuses it in the process. This could potentially be used on opponent Pokémon if they are Special attackers as they won't benefit from the boost but will suffer with the status condition, however its main purpose in this slot is to assist Leafeon in boosting its already boastful Attack stat as it will not suffer with the condition due to its held item which will be discussed below.
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Leafeon @ Persim Berry
Ability: Chlorophyll
EVS: 144 HP / 112 Attack / 252 Speed
Adamant Nature
- Leaf Blade
- X Scissor
- Protect
- Dig
Leafeon is the key offensive beneficiary of the sun's effects. It fulfils the role of a physically offensive sweeper well with decent type coverage and an ability that assists its purpose. Leafeon's EVs are not what most would expect, however it needs some HP investment in order to give it some longevity as it does not have the luxury of Leftovers to help it recover health. Its Attack is high enough to create a large dent in the opposing team with the help of its Adamant nature and 112 Attack EVs, aswell as the use of Ninetales' Swagger and Leafeon's Persim Berry to cure the confusion it creates, alongside Cherrim's Attack boost from Flower Gift. The Speed EVs allow for Leafeon to out-speed a Jolly Ninjask with maximum Speed IV and EV investment after its Chlorophyll ability is activated (this ability doubles Leafeon's speed when the sun is out). With immense Speed and Attack boosted by Flower Gift and/or Swagger, Leafeon is more than capable of sweeping through entire teams, its moveset has super-effective coverage against 10 pure types. Leaf Blade is its STAB attack coming in with base 90 physical power, allowing for Leafeon to protect Ninetales from super-effective Water, Ground, and Rock type attacks amongst other things threatening other team members. The move also has an increased critical-hit ratio, which may be looked at as a negative if the Swagger strategy has been implemented, however it allows Leafeon to hit through defence-raising opponents such as Bastiodon and Vespiquen, however the latter also walls all of its moves. X-Scissor provides coverage against other Grass types which wall Leafeon's other two attacks, whilst also providing super-effective hits against Psychic and Dark type opponents. Protect is important for allowing Leafeon to avoid being damaged by Mamoswine's Earthquake and Pachirisu's Discharge, however it is essential for avoiding Fire-type attacks if it is going to be out-sped or if its fourth move cannot OHKO the fire type. This brings us to Leafeon's final and debatably most important move, Dig. Dig allows Leafeon to avoid taking damage for a turn and strike on the next turn, providing super-effective coverage on the teams main weakness, Fire. It also allows Leafeon to provide super-effective or neutral coverage on types its other moves resist, such as Steel. Dig can be assisted by Mamoswine's Rock Slide to ensure a KO on the Fire type in case of a Focus Sash etc.
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Mamoswine @ Life Orb
Ability: Thick Fat
EVS: 252 Attack / 4 Defence / 252 Speed
Jolly Nature
- Ice Shard
- Earthquake
- Stealth Rock
- Rock Slide
Mamoswine is not as heavily affected by the sun's consequences which makes it equally as vital to the team as a Pokémon who does play a role in the sun synergy. Unlike Cherrim, Mamoswine can function perfectly outside of sunlight, whereas Cherrim would result to its Overcast Form, decrease its stats, Solar Beam would take two turns to operate and Weather Ball would revert to a base 50 Normal type attack. Mamoswine's Life Orb steps in to replace the damage increase lost by the lack of Flower Gift boost and has enough Attack EVs to allow it to continue being dominant. It also has a Jolly nature and 252 Speed EVs to speed-tie with the remaining base 80 fully invested Speed Pokémon such as Arbok and Kabutops. However, if sunlight is operating as it should, Mamoswine loses one of its weaknesses in Water due to the decrease in power of the moves, it also becomes neutral to Fire because of it's Thick Fat ability, suppressing the urgency to defend it from sun-boosted Fire attacks. Mamoswine can OHKO almost any Dragon type bar Kingdra when supported by Cherrim's Flower Gift and its own Life Orb, which helps immensely due to Dragon resisting both Grass and Fire type attacks which feature throughout the team. The move making this possible is Ice Shard. Even though Ice Shard is a mere base 40 power move, Mamoswine's ginormous Attack stat accompanied with the support previously described gives it the boost it needs. Ice Shard was selected as the STAB Ice type attack for this Pokémon because it has a +1 priority characteristic meaning more often than not it will strike first, meaning it can be used to OHKO opponents it is strong against, but slower than, or pick-off Pokémon that have little HP remaining. Earthquake is both essential and a hindrance to the team, it is a base 100 power STAB move for Mamoswine which has the capability to hit both opponents at once, providing super-effective coverage against two of Mamoswine's natural weaknesses (ignoring Thick Fat), Steel and Fire. Although, it also targets the partner Pokémon, meaning due to the fact Pachirisu and Ninetales are weak to Ground and have no means of protecting themselves, it is basically impossible for Mamoswine to use this move while these teammates are on the field, limiting its usability. Azumarill cannot protect itself either, it is not weak to the move itself, however it would still take a great deal of damage from it. Leafeon and Cherrim both resist the move and have the ability to protect, so Earthquake is viable here however it does mean that these cannot attack on this turn, alongside this, Leafeon would not be able to use Dig on the turn the move would hit as it would take double damage. On the other hand, Earthquake in many situations provides a great deal of help to the team, taking care of many types seen as a threat (e.g. Poison and Fire). Apart from Dig, Earthquake is the only physically attacking Ground type move Mamoswine has access to, and it provides far more attack power than Dig, which is necessary to remove bulky Steel type opponents. Stealth Rock is a very helpful support move if Mamoswine can use it early enough in the battle, but due to the fact it usually comes in to clean up the end of matches, it is rarely used, unless an opponent has a focus on Flying or Fire types, in which case bringing out Cherrim to start off is not wise. Stealth Rock allows Ice Shard to OHKO more Pokémon since it cuts down its HP for simply entering the battle. Mamoswine's final move is Rock Slide, which targets both opponents and provides a 30% chance to flinch each recipient of the move. This move gives Mamoswine extensive coverage, allowing it to hit Fire types super-effectively if Earthquake is not an option as previously discussed. It also provides super-effective coverage against Bug types, which are a threat to the two Grass types on the team.
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Azumarill @ Quick Claw
Ability: Huge Power
EVS: 252 HP / 252 Attack / 6 Speed
Adamant Nature
- Waterfall
- Substitute
- Focus Punch
- Ice Punch
Azumarill is an unusual member to be selected for a team revolving around the effects of sunlight due to its Water typing and STAB move being weakened, however it allows the team to further operate outside of the weather condition and incorporate a further strategy into the team. When you first look at Azumarill's stats, one would question why anyone would want to try and use it offensively, however its incredible ability Huge Power doubles its Attack stat, allowing it to serve as a prominent sweeper. Azumarill's EVs allow it to maximise its power, in addition to its Adamant nature, but still regain some longevity. Speed investment is not completely necessary due to its strong partnership with Pachirisu's Follow Me and its own Focus Punch, alongside the potential for its Quick Claw item to take effect and be the first to move when using its other three moves. The general idea when combining these partners together is that Pachirisu will distract the opponent with Follow Me whilst Azumarill sweeps with Focus Punch, however Substitute allows it to function without its partner. Waterfall is incredibly helpful in removing certain threats from the opponents team, allowing Ninetales to be protected from Rock-type Pokémon, Leafeon, Mamoswine and Cherrim from Fire-types and Ninetales and Pachirisu from Ground-types. Despite its power being weakened by the sun, its ability, EVs and STAB characteristic makes up for this loss. Substitute and Focus Punch work hand-in-hand, Substitute allowing Azumarill to keep its focus when using Focus Punch, which requires the Pokémon to not be hit outside of a Substitute in order to work, allowing this Huge Power attacker to fire off base 150 Fighting-type attacks repeatedly. This can also be used alongside Pachirisu as discussed earlier. Finally, Ice Punch provides coverage so Azumarill can defend itself against super-effective Grass-type attacks aswell as Pachirisu from Ground attacks. Azumarill can function within sunlight if partnered with Cherrim thanks to the Flower Gift attack boost.
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Pachirisu @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Volt Absorb
EVS: 252 HP / 4 Special Attack / 252 Special Defence
Calm Nature
- Follow Me
- Super Fang
- Discharge
- Growl
This Pachirisu is heavily inspired by 2014 World Championship winner, Sejun Park (if you don't know who this is I recommend checking his history-making moment out on YouTube!). Pachirisu is the least relevant to the impact of sun however it is a fantastic support Pokémon, mainly to Azumarill but can be useful to the other members of the team aswell. This set of EVs, ability and item make Pachirisu as bulky as can be when it comes to Special Defence, having maximum Special Defence allows it to tank many big hits from prominent special attacking opponents, which is supported by its Calm nature as well as high HP to defend as much as it can from physical attacks. Its moveset allows it to support partners and protect itself, but is quite useless if left alone. Follow Me is Pachirisu's best benefit to the team, it allows Azumarill to fire off Focus Punches easily as well as the rest of its moveset, and also divert super-effective Electric-type attacks away from Azumarill for Pachirisu to absorb and regain health thanks to its Volt Absorb ability. Super Fang cuts opponents health down by half each time it hits, which is very beneficial as its partners can follow-up and finish off the opponent. This is helpful when an OHKO cannot be guaranteed by Pachirisu's partners. Discharge allows Pachirisu to not be rendered useless if it is the last team member standing, its is most useful when partnered with Mamoswine as it can help attack Water-type threats whilst Mamoswine remains unaffected due to its Ground typing. Growl is Pachirisus way of defending itself and its partners to an extent. Due to the amount of focus on Special Defence across the team, Growl lowers both opponents Attack stats to help Pokémon survive physical shots.
Notable Weaknesses
- Below average in terms of type variation, leading to reoccurring weakness throughout the team
- Cherrim cannot be replaced by any other Pokémon as it has a unique ability essential to the team, however this does not necessarily make up for its sub-раr stats
- Ninetales' Focus Sash is irrelevant if both opponents target it
- Leafeon is walled completely by certain Flying types
- Mamoswine is hindered by the fact no teammates can Fly/Levitate, therefore the amount of times it can use Earthquake is limited
- Azumarill may be better off with Aqua Jet to allow it to sweep better
- Pachirisu is rendered almost entirely useless by Taunt users, its Super Fang is also not always very helpful as it is outsped by the entire team except for Cherrim and Azumarill (when the Quick Claw does not activate)
- The majority of the team have a base stat total of 500 and below