Rate my LC Sun team!

I just started playing Little Cup recently and I instantly fell in love with it, so naturally the first thing I did was create a weather-based team. And obviously, that weather was Sun.

vulpix.gif

Vulpix @ Heat Rock
Ability: Drought
Level: 5
EVs: 236 HP / 36 Def / 236 SpD
Nature: Calm
- Will-O-Wisp
- Toxic
- Roar
- Pain Split

Besides setting up the sunlight necessary for the whole team, Vulpix is a great bulky mon that can use Roar to shuffle teams while weakening them by dishing out Toxics and Will-O-Wisps as you please. Pain Split is there to restore HP after being worn down, while Heat Rock extends the duration of Sun, obviously.


helioptile.gif

Helioptile @ Berry Juice
Ability: Solar Power
Level: 5
EVs: 120 Def / 188 SpA / 200 Speed
Nature: Timid
- HP Psychic
- Dark Pulse
- Surf
- Volt Switch

Backed by Solar Power, Helioptile is a fast special sweeper that can do some serious damage when switched in at the right time. Its STAB is in Volt Switch, a fast and powerful Electric type no opponent will enjoy taking a hit from. Fighting- and Ground-/Rock-types can be countered with HP Psychic and Surf, while Dark Pulse hits common stalling Psychics found in LC. Berry Juice is a good HP restorer.


cottonee.gif

Cottonee @ Berry Juice
Ability: Prankster
Level: 5
EVs: 228 HP / 92 Def / 188 SpD
Nature: Modest
- Substitute
- Taunt
- Sunny Day
- Solar Beam

Ah, Prankster. This Ability is perfect for Cottonee, as it lends it increased priority for SubTaunting and activating more sun in case Drought runs out. It also takes advantage of the sunlight with Solar Beam, a powerful STAB move. Berry Juice helps restore health that runs out with Subbing and taking hits from Taunt.


deerling.gif

Deerling @ Life Orb
Ability: Chlorophyll
Level: 5
EVs: 196 Atk / 76 SpD / 236 Speed
Nature: Adamant
- Jump Kick
- Seed Bomb
- Return
- Wild Charge

With Chlorophyll and Life Orb, Deerling becomes a monster in physical sweeping. Invested Speed and Attack EVs ensure that it hits first and it hits hard, often OHKOing with ease. Jump Kick butchers Ice- and Normal-types, Seed Bomb slaughters with STAB, Return also slaughters with STAB, and Wild Charge is there to fend off Flying-types like Fletchling. Many times I've made a comeback from 6-1 with Deerling to win the game. God, I love this thing.


charmander.gif

Charmander @ Life Orb
Ability: Solar Power
Level: 5
EVs: 112 Def / 200 SpA / 196 SpD
Nature: Modest
- Fire Blast
- Dragon Pulse
- HP Grass
- Air Cutter

Charmander pretty much serves as a backup special sweeper should Helioptile fail. A Life Orb- and Solar Power-backed Fire Blast KOs anything but the bulkiest of Water-types, which is what HP Grass is for. Dragon Pulse is a decent move that can come in handy against Dragon-types that resist Fire Blast. Air Cutter is there for its awesome critical hit ratio and helpfulness against Fighting-types.


phantump.gif

Phantump @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Harvest
Level: 5
EVs: 196 HP / 116 Def / 196 SpD
Nature: Calm
- Substitute
- Leech Seed
- Curse
- Will-O-Wisp

Harvest and Substitute, along with Leech Seed, make a Phantump in Sun incredibly hard to KO. Though it lacks Prankster, it uses status moves like Curse and Will-O-Wisp excellently to cripple foes while constantly restoring its own health with Harvested Sitrus Berries.

So tell me what you think! This is my first time posting on the forums and I only started playing PS recently, so I'd really appreciate any advice. Thanks :)
 
First of all, welcome to Smogon TM66!

If you want someone to check out your team, this isn't the correct subforum. Check out the the RMT subforum XY Other Teams if you want someone to rate your team, and remember to read the RMT rules. :) You can also check out #littlecup on IRC or the LC roon on PS! for help.

EDIT: Looks like someone have moved it.
 
This is a good team in theory, but having toxic+will-o-wisp on vulpix is not good, you might want to consider replacing will-o-wisp with fire blast or flamethrower. I don't know anything about the helioptile line, so I cannot rate that, the cottonnee set looks good but in my opinion running modest with no special attack evs is a bad idea. Never seen a deerling before, so I don't know what to make of that, but investing those special defense evs in hp or attack or even speed would probably help. Not mich experience with charmander, but I do know that air cutter is a bad move in general and is outclassed by air slash. I have nothing to rate on the phantump set, it seems to be good. Also, I noticed that your team is really weak to fire types that can use ground moves (I think chimchar gets eq?), but your team is half grass type and really weak to a fletchling-diglett core, which practically ensures that your only fletchling counter, helioptile, gets fainted, leaving an easy sweep because diglett will kill the fire types and fletchling will kill the grass.
 
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Your team is way too reliant on sun to sweep. Also with all these defensive EVs and no Eviolite. You arent taking hits that well. I can try to fix sets to try to help make this better but i dont wanna remodel your whole team so let me explain my changes.

Vulpix's moveset is a total no. Running Fire Blast / Energy Ball or Hidden Power of your choice along side max SpA / Spe is a better option. Changed EVs so you can outspeed obvious threats. Protect is to scout.

Helioptile's BJ is questionable but i went with it. HP Psychic isnt doing much for you. Changed to Thunderbolt for STAB option and changed EVs for speed and power and also changed IVs to take less recoil.

Cottonee was given Encore + Stun Spore to 1) reliably shut down certain threats and get your sun up and 2) mitigate enemy speed so you dont have to use Sticky Web which you should have to help Helioptile and Charmander Sweep

Deerling was fine

Charmander was given Speed / Special Attack and lowered HP IVs to take less recoil. This is a very risky set and will burn out quickly. Use wisely.

Phantump is a tough one to fix since the harvest set is hard to run with all the hard hitters in LC. HOrn Leech is an attacking option you desperately need so you're not taunt bait. EVs were fixed for bulk.

tll;dr i fixed up your team, lemme know how to works out okay?

Vulpix @ Heat Rock
Ability: Drought
Level: 5
EVs: 52 HP / 196 SpA / 236 Spe
Timid Nature
- Will-O-Wisp
- Fire Blast
- Energy Ball
- Protect

Helioptile @ Berry Juice
Ability: Solar Power
Level: 5
EVs: 56 Atk / 12 Def / 188 SpA / 12 SpD / 196 Spe
Hasty Nature
IVs: 11 HP
- Thunderbolt
- Dark Pulse
- Surf
- U-turn

Cottonee @ Eviolite
Ability: Prankster
Level: 5
EVs: 116 HP / 196 Def / 196 SpD
Calm Nature
- Encore
- Stun Spore
- Sunny Day
- Giga Drain

Deerling @ Life Orb
Ability: Chlorophyll
Level: 5
EVs: 196 Atk / 76 SpD / 236 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Jump Kick
- Seed Bomb
- Return
- Wild Charge

Charmander @ Life Orb
Ability: Solar Power
Level: 5
EVs: 12 Def / 196 SpA / 36 SpD / 236 Spe
Timid Nature
- Fire Blast
- Ancient Power
- Hidden Power [Grass]
- Air Cutter

Phantump @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Harvest
Level: 5
EVs: 196 HP / 116 Def / 196 SpD
Impish Nature
- Substitute
- Leech Seed
- Horn Leech
- Will-O-Wisp

im slightly unsure if lowering HP IVs will lessen Solar Power recoil, if not then you can reset IVs to 31.

EDIT: DW it should lower your recoil for helio. charmander might take more bc double recoil.
 
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If you insist on using Phantump under the sun, I'd go for an Oran Berry over a Sitrus Berry; a Oran Berry heals more than a Sitrus Berry.
 
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