Jirachee
phoenix reborn
Welcome to the newest round of rating practice teams. If you're an aspiring rater, then these will hopefully allow you to pick up on and address any problems with your rating, provide you with experience rating teams that have been specifically made to be as tough to rate as possible, and make you think creatively in order to find the best changes for the team. Any rates we receive will be replied to with personalized feedback by an official Team Rater. At the end of the round, we'll give some general hints and feedback on how things went, and post the best rate that we received as an example of how to rate the team.
Anyone is welcome to participate and send in their rate, and everyone will be guaranteed to receive feedback appropriate to the effort they put into their rate, regardless of their ability. However, to keep things fair, we won't be considering rates sent in by official Team Raters as winners of the best rate.
If you would like to participate in this round, PM your rate to Jirachee no later than Monday, October 20th. Do not post rates in this thread.
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I made this team to utilize Heracross-Mega's wallbreaking capabilities because it's my favourite Mega evolution in the current metagame. The rest of the team either takes advantage or supports Heracross.
Heracross @ Heracronite
Ability: Moxie
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Pin Missile
- Close Combat
- Rock Blast
- Swords Dance
Mega Heracross is a fucking boss. I chose it because of how strong it is. It can break through physical walls so Landorus-T can sweep easily, or Crawdaunt / Talonflame can pick off weakened teams late game with their priority. It also has pretty nice bulk and resistances which means it can check stuff like Bisharp that could be an issue otherwise. I try to play it early game because it can grab momentum easily.
Landorus-Therian (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 72 HP / 252 Atk / 184 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Swords Dance
- Rock Polish
Landorus-T's biggest selling point is that it provides a reliable win condition against offense while also taking advantage of Heracross's wallbreaking power. Thanks to Intimidate and its great typing it easily finds set-up opportunities against all kinds of threats. Once Skarmory has been weakened, not much is stopping this monster. It can also check dangerous threats such as Terrakion which can be an issue otherwise.
Crawdaunt @ Choice Band
Ability: Adaptability
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Crabhammer
- Knock Off
- Aqua Jet
- Superpower
Crawdaunt actually hits harder than Azumarill despite the huge difference in Attack score between the two. Crawdaunt can serve against all kinds of teams thanks to its immense strength and access to priority. It can lure in a bulky Water type such as Rotom-W and weaken it to make it easier for my late game sweepers to sweep. It can also revenge kill dangerous threats such as Mega Tyranitar in a pinch.
Ferrothorn @ Leftovers
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 248 HP / 92 Def / 168 SpD
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Power Whip
- Gyro Ball
- Stealth Rock
- Leech Seed
Ferrothorn's the main defensive backbone of the team. It can switch into strong Water attacks that the team tends to hate, as well as Dragon and Fairy attacks. More importantly, Ferrothorn sets up Stealth Rock which is invaluable for all kinds of teams. Even though the team is kinda offensive, Ferrothorn fits well because most Defog users have a very hard time switching into it.
Latias (F) @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Draco Meteor
- Psyshock
- Defog
- Recover
A Defog user is a staple on any team carrying a lot of Choiced Pokemon as well as Talonflame, and Latias was my choice. I like it mainly because of the whole lot of resistances it has, checking stuff like Keldeo, while also having pretty solid offensive presence. Since it's my best Keldeo check I decided to opt for Latias over Latios because of the higher defenses. Recover over Healing Wish because I think Latias's health is more important to the team.
Talonflame @ Choice Band
Ability: Gale Wings
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Brave Bird
- Flare Blitz
- U-turn
- Tailwind
I needed a Revenge Killer, and Talonflame is one of the best at that. Choice Banded Brave Bird hits so hard it's unbelievable. It can also lead pretty well because of the fast U-turn and the fact it forces the opponent into pretty obvious moves, for example going to Heatran or Tyranitar, which means Crawdaunt gets a free hit. Tailwind can come in pretty handy late game and a +2 Speed Mega Heracross or Crawdaunt is just about the scariest shit you can face.
Anyone is welcome to participate and send in their rate, and everyone will be guaranteed to receive feedback appropriate to the effort they put into their rate, regardless of their ability. However, to keep things fair, we won't be considering rates sent in by official Team Raters as winners of the best rate.
If you would like to participate in this round, PM your rate to Jirachee no later than Monday, October 20th. Do not post rates in this thread.
___________________
I made this team to utilize Heracross-Mega's wallbreaking capabilities because it's my favourite Mega evolution in the current metagame. The rest of the team either takes advantage or supports Heracross.
Heracross @ Heracronite
Ability: Moxie
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Pin Missile
- Close Combat
- Rock Blast
- Swords Dance
Mega Heracross is a fucking boss. I chose it because of how strong it is. It can break through physical walls so Landorus-T can sweep easily, or Crawdaunt / Talonflame can pick off weakened teams late game with their priority. It also has pretty nice bulk and resistances which means it can check stuff like Bisharp that could be an issue otherwise. I try to play it early game because it can grab momentum easily.
Landorus-Therian (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 72 HP / 252 Atk / 184 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Swords Dance
- Rock Polish
Landorus-T's biggest selling point is that it provides a reliable win condition against offense while also taking advantage of Heracross's wallbreaking power. Thanks to Intimidate and its great typing it easily finds set-up opportunities against all kinds of threats. Once Skarmory has been weakened, not much is stopping this monster. It can also check dangerous threats such as Terrakion which can be an issue otherwise.
Crawdaunt @ Choice Band
Ability: Adaptability
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Crabhammer
- Knock Off
- Aqua Jet
- Superpower
Crawdaunt actually hits harder than Azumarill despite the huge difference in Attack score between the two. Crawdaunt can serve against all kinds of teams thanks to its immense strength and access to priority. It can lure in a bulky Water type such as Rotom-W and weaken it to make it easier for my late game sweepers to sweep. It can also revenge kill dangerous threats such as Mega Tyranitar in a pinch.
Ferrothorn @ Leftovers
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 248 HP / 92 Def / 168 SpD
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Power Whip
- Gyro Ball
- Stealth Rock
- Leech Seed
Ferrothorn's the main defensive backbone of the team. It can switch into strong Water attacks that the team tends to hate, as well as Dragon and Fairy attacks. More importantly, Ferrothorn sets up Stealth Rock which is invaluable for all kinds of teams. Even though the team is kinda offensive, Ferrothorn fits well because most Defog users have a very hard time switching into it.
Latias (F) @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Draco Meteor
- Psyshock
- Defog
- Recover
A Defog user is a staple on any team carrying a lot of Choiced Pokemon as well as Talonflame, and Latias was my choice. I like it mainly because of the whole lot of resistances it has, checking stuff like Keldeo, while also having pretty solid offensive presence. Since it's my best Keldeo check I decided to opt for Latias over Latios because of the higher defenses. Recover over Healing Wish because I think Latias's health is more important to the team.
Talonflame @ Choice Band
Ability: Gale Wings
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Brave Bird
- Flare Blitz
- U-turn
- Tailwind
I needed a Revenge Killer, and Talonflame is one of the best at that. Choice Banded Brave Bird hits so hard it's unbelievable. It can also lead pretty well because of the fast U-turn and the fact it forces the opponent into pretty obvious moves, for example going to Heatran or Tyranitar, which means Crawdaunt gets a free hit. Tailwind can come in pretty handy late game and a +2 Speed Mega Heracross or Crawdaunt is just about the scariest shit you can face.