Hello again everyone, here goes my second RMT on Smogon! I've been on the site for a couple of years and have been playing competitively since DPP (Shoddy etc.) when I was 17 years old, then had a break for a couple of years but since returned to see how gen 6 turned out (I'm 23 now). So far I've had hundreds of battles going just to experience this new metagame. I kinda like it and this is how my team eventually turned out. I tried to use pictures but I was too tired to find out how. And since my lead depends on the opponent's team, the order will be kind of random:
Azumarill @ Choice Band
Ability: Huge Power
EVs: 168 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def / 84 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Aqua Jet
- Superpower
- Waterfall
- Play Rough
Standard hard-hitting Azumarill. Using this as my premier Physical hard-hitter. I used to have a Splash Plate on this thing but as I progressed I came to realize that Azumarill really needs Choice Band for some crucial 1 and 2 HKO's which would otherwise be 2 and 3 HKO's.
Espeon @ Light Clay
Ability: Magic Bounce
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Reflect
- Light Screen
- Baton Pass
- Psyshock
Been using this from the start. I just love the feeling of bouncing back status, rocks and other stuff. It might be kind of predictable but I've really been focusing on moments when the opponent would think I won't send in Espeon just to get their hazard ricocheted (like stuff trying to burn Azumarill or set up hazards on a locked Jolteon). Also sets up screens which I found to make things quite a lot easier for this team. I've had a really hard time deciding on what the last two moves should be though. EVs are designed to live at least 1 decent hit and outspeed but I'm not sure which way to go with these either so any suggestions regarding either the moves or the EVs are welcome.
Jolteon @ Choice Specs
Ability: Volt Absorb
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Thunderbolt
- Volt Switch
- Shadow Ball
- Hidden Power [Ice]
Another Eeveelution joins the coup, this time the sharpest looking pokemon in the game, Jolteon. I use the pretty standard Specs set to hit as hard as possible on the Special side while keeping a steady pace outspeeding a significant portion of the metagame. This one has been my lifesaver for so many games it's ridiculous. There are so many teams unprepared for this beast I can hardly believe it. If I see a hard counter though, I try to save this one for late-game. Has trouble with stuff like Ferrothorn, most of which is dealt with by Heatran. Also, takes Electric attacks for Azumarill.
Tangrowth @ Assault Vest
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SDef
Relaxed Nature
- Knock Off
- Giga Drain
- Earthquake
- Hidden Power [Fire]
I felt like my team needed a Grass pokemon to fill in some resistances and deal with Rotom-W, which I used to get screwed by a lot. Starting with Mega-Venusaur, I eventually ended up with Tangrowth, who has proven to be quite good at this job as well. Even though it's stats might be overall worse, it kind of compensates with Assault Vest, while Regenerator and Giga Drain do a fairly decent job at healing. It's got one other thing going that Venusaur can't manage in Knock Off, which can turn the tides for my team as some Pokemon I usually have trouble with (like Scarfers who outspeed Jolteon or pokemon who rely on Lefties to be able to take 1 more hit) are easily dealt with after having their item chopped off. Rotom-W also gets wrecked by this, while Espeon can help bounce back it's WoW when needed. Despite not being amazing offensively the coverage does what it needs to do with EQ beating Heatran and HP Fire beating the Bug/Steel arsenal.
Gliscor @ Toxic Orb
Ability: Poison Heal
EVs: 184 HP / 252 Atk / 72 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Fling
- Acrobatics
- Earthquake
- Protect
Gliscor has been on my team since day 1 as well, as it's one of my favorite looking Pokemon and being exactly the defensive behemoth that I need for this team. I've had loads of different movesets (including Swords Dance, Ice Fang, Stealth Rock etc.) but this is what I found to be the most satisfying for this team. Ice Fang wasn't worth it for me since most Dragons are dealt with by either Azumarill or Jolteon, while I also couldn't ever get a reliable sweep going after Swords Dance. As I didn't have a Flying move anywhere yet I figured Acrobatics was the way to go, leaving me with 2 options: Fling or Flying Gem. At the moment I do not know if Flying Gem is avaible or legal with this set already so I went with Fling, giving Gliscor a chance to spread some Toxic anyway while getting semi-guaranteed Toxic Orb poisoning. Regarding Protect, I figured Gliscor get more out of it than Heatran (healing 12,5% from Poison Heal instead of Heatran's 6,25% Lefties) so I kind of switched moves between these Pokes with Heatran now being the Stealth Rock setter. Besides Heatran being able to absorb burn, I use this as my overall status absorber as well if Espeon is too risky to switch in. I'd really Rock Slide but I'm not sure yet if it's worth it instead of STAB Acrobatics, even though it might ease the struggle against Talonflame and some Dragons. I could also use it instead of Fling, but then I would need a Flying Gem to power up Acrobatics, giving me more overall coverage but less healing capacity. At the end of the day, I'm leaning towards my current set, since I think I can really not miss the Poison healing Gliscor when countering stuff that would otherwise be a real threat (like TTar). Constructive criticism wanted.
Heatran @ Leftovers
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 SDef / 248 HP / 8 SAtk
Calm Nature
IVs: 30 Atk / 30 Def
- Lava Plume
- Stealth Rock
- Roar
- Will-O-Wisp/Toxic
My latest addition to this team. I used to run Volcarona instead of this one. Being able to hit through subs with Bug Buzz is nice but I found Heatran to be able to deal with most of the stuff Volcarona could deal with, if not more. Having no Spinner or Fogger on my team I also found the 50% SR damage to be a tad too much in cases I couldn't prevent SR from entering the field. I also needed something which could immediately sponge Special hits without boosts. On to the moveset, Roar deals with most stat boosting Pokemon my team has had trouble with (like Swords Dance Talonflame and other Volcarona). I'm having a hard time deciding between WoW and Toxic though. I'm kind of leaning towards Toxic since Lava Plume might burn as well. Could use some help here as well.
That's about it. I can't really name any hard counters to this team since obviously I constructed it to have as few as possible. I'll leave that up to you guys so I can try and improve even further.
Azumarill @ Choice Band
Ability: Huge Power
EVs: 168 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def / 84 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Aqua Jet
- Superpower
- Waterfall
- Play Rough
Standard hard-hitting Azumarill. Using this as my premier Physical hard-hitter. I used to have a Splash Plate on this thing but as I progressed I came to realize that Azumarill really needs Choice Band for some crucial 1 and 2 HKO's which would otherwise be 2 and 3 HKO's.
Espeon @ Light Clay
Ability: Magic Bounce
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Reflect
- Light Screen
- Baton Pass
- Psyshock
Been using this from the start. I just love the feeling of bouncing back status, rocks and other stuff. It might be kind of predictable but I've really been focusing on moments when the opponent would think I won't send in Espeon just to get their hazard ricocheted (like stuff trying to burn Azumarill or set up hazards on a locked Jolteon). Also sets up screens which I found to make things quite a lot easier for this team. I've had a really hard time deciding on what the last two moves should be though. EVs are designed to live at least 1 decent hit and outspeed but I'm not sure which way to go with these either so any suggestions regarding either the moves or the EVs are welcome.
Jolteon @ Choice Specs
Ability: Volt Absorb
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Thunderbolt
- Volt Switch
- Shadow Ball
- Hidden Power [Ice]
Another Eeveelution joins the coup, this time the sharpest looking pokemon in the game, Jolteon. I use the pretty standard Specs set to hit as hard as possible on the Special side while keeping a steady pace outspeeding a significant portion of the metagame. This one has been my lifesaver for so many games it's ridiculous. There are so many teams unprepared for this beast I can hardly believe it. If I see a hard counter though, I try to save this one for late-game. Has trouble with stuff like Ferrothorn, most of which is dealt with by Heatran. Also, takes Electric attacks for Azumarill.
Tangrowth @ Assault Vest
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SDef
Relaxed Nature
- Knock Off
- Giga Drain
- Earthquake
- Hidden Power [Fire]
I felt like my team needed a Grass pokemon to fill in some resistances and deal with Rotom-W, which I used to get screwed by a lot. Starting with Mega-Venusaur, I eventually ended up with Tangrowth, who has proven to be quite good at this job as well. Even though it's stats might be overall worse, it kind of compensates with Assault Vest, while Regenerator and Giga Drain do a fairly decent job at healing. It's got one other thing going that Venusaur can't manage in Knock Off, which can turn the tides for my team as some Pokemon I usually have trouble with (like Scarfers who outspeed Jolteon or pokemon who rely on Lefties to be able to take 1 more hit) are easily dealt with after having their item chopped off. Rotom-W also gets wrecked by this, while Espeon can help bounce back it's WoW when needed. Despite not being amazing offensively the coverage does what it needs to do with EQ beating Heatran and HP Fire beating the Bug/Steel arsenal.
Gliscor @ Toxic Orb
Ability: Poison Heal
EVs: 184 HP / 252 Atk / 72 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Fling
- Acrobatics
- Earthquake
- Protect
Gliscor has been on my team since day 1 as well, as it's one of my favorite looking Pokemon and being exactly the defensive behemoth that I need for this team. I've had loads of different movesets (including Swords Dance, Ice Fang, Stealth Rock etc.) but this is what I found to be the most satisfying for this team. Ice Fang wasn't worth it for me since most Dragons are dealt with by either Azumarill or Jolteon, while I also couldn't ever get a reliable sweep going after Swords Dance. As I didn't have a Flying move anywhere yet I figured Acrobatics was the way to go, leaving me with 2 options: Fling or Flying Gem. At the moment I do not know if Flying Gem is avaible or legal with this set already so I went with Fling, giving Gliscor a chance to spread some Toxic anyway while getting semi-guaranteed Toxic Orb poisoning. Regarding Protect, I figured Gliscor get more out of it than Heatran (healing 12,5% from Poison Heal instead of Heatran's 6,25% Lefties) so I kind of switched moves between these Pokes with Heatran now being the Stealth Rock setter. Besides Heatran being able to absorb burn, I use this as my overall status absorber as well if Espeon is too risky to switch in. I'd really Rock Slide but I'm not sure yet if it's worth it instead of STAB Acrobatics, even though it might ease the struggle against Talonflame and some Dragons. I could also use it instead of Fling, but then I would need a Flying Gem to power up Acrobatics, giving me more overall coverage but less healing capacity. At the end of the day, I'm leaning towards my current set, since I think I can really not miss the Poison healing Gliscor when countering stuff that would otherwise be a real threat (like TTar). Constructive criticism wanted.
Heatran @ Leftovers
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 SDef / 248 HP / 8 SAtk
Calm Nature
IVs: 30 Atk / 30 Def
- Lava Plume
- Stealth Rock
- Roar
- Will-O-Wisp/Toxic
My latest addition to this team. I used to run Volcarona instead of this one. Being able to hit through subs with Bug Buzz is nice but I found Heatran to be able to deal with most of the stuff Volcarona could deal with, if not more. Having no Spinner or Fogger on my team I also found the 50% SR damage to be a tad too much in cases I couldn't prevent SR from entering the field. I also needed something which could immediately sponge Special hits without boosts. On to the moveset, Roar deals with most stat boosting Pokemon my team has had trouble with (like Swords Dance Talonflame and other Volcarona). I'm having a hard time deciding between WoW and Toxic though. I'm kind of leaning towards Toxic since Lava Plume might burn as well. Could use some help here as well.
That's about it. I can't really name any hard counters to this team since obviously I constructed it to have as few as possible. I'll leave that up to you guys so I can try and improve even further.