Hello guys I'm new to the Smogon community however have been battling on PS for a little over a year and playing Pokemon long before that. I've found decent success with this team peaking around 1450 but have never attempted to truly ladder. The team has a solid core of 5 Pokemon yet is lacking a strong Pokemon in the 6th spot. Without further ado here is the team if you could help me out and give me advice on how to improve or what 6th Pokemon to add that'd be great.
The Star
Diancie-Mega @ Diancite
Ability: Magic Bounce
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Diamond Storm
- Moonblast
- Earth Power
- Stealth Rock
I started the build with Diancie Mega for the absolutely absurd raw attack power. The (160/160/110) Attacking stats, along with the ability Magic Bounce makes Diancie an ideal Mixed Sweeper. Immune to T-Wave and Wil-o-Wisp she cannot be crippled by most conventional methods in the game and bounces back entry hazards as well as support moves building momentum for my team. The full speed investment allows Diancie to speed tie with other strong Pokemon at base 110 such as Gengar and Latios and just outspeed other threats such as Keldeo Infernape and Garchomp after Diancie has Mega Evolved. The investment in health makes up for the poor base 50 health and helps her survive the turn of slow speed before she has mega Evolved. I use Diancie as a late game sweeper once its threats have been eliminated and occasionally as a lead if i don’t expect a the other team to lead with a Mon dangerous too it (Landorus T, Garchomp, Rotom-W, Ferrothorn w/ gyro ball). The biggest threats to Diancie are steel water and Ground type attacks which leads to the next pokemon in the build…
The Anti-Lead
Rotom-Wash @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Hydro Pump
- Volt Switch
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Trick
Rotom-W’s typing makes it resistant to the Steel and Water and immune to Ground type attacks that would crush Diancie. Choice scarfed Wash functions as my main lead, threatening the ever present Landorus T and Garchomp Leads with HP Ice. The scarfed volt switch lets Rotom-W hit the leads of Charizard Mega Y and tornadus for significant damage and escape to a more favorable matchup before getting hit with an attack. Hydro pump for strong stab and Trick to hurt stall teams and boosters. Rotom-W serves to counter common leads in the meta game and to pivot into more favorable matchups. A fast volt switch keeps momentum in my favor and Rotom-W from taking unnecessary damage. It’s typing works well with Diancie however this left my team with a heavy weakness to grass type attacks.
The Sponge
Goodra @ Assault Vest
Ability: Sap Sipper
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 SpD
Sassy Nature
- Dragon Tail
- Earthquake
- Fire Blast
- Draco Meteor
Goodra’s ability Sap sipper raises its Attack by one stage if hit by a grass attack. It functions in perfect harmony with Diancie and Rotom-W’s shared weakness to grass, they both bate grass types in and then either switch or volt switch to goodra and the other team gives goodra a free attack boost. However the primary function of Goodra is to be a SpDf Monster. Goodra’s full EV investment in HP, Spdf and an assault vest Raises its special bulk to astronomical levels. with 389HP and 657 SpDf after assault vest is factored in, It tanks anything special, super effective or not. its movepool and base attack stats of 100 and 110 are wide enough and strong enough to support an assault vest build. Dragon tail prediction is used on those who try and switch into goodra, they are promptly switched back out again. earthquake OHKO's defensive heatran after a sap sipper boost. Fire blast OHKO’s Scizor and Ferrothorn if they try and switch in. I considered using fire punch to make the Sap sipper boost more effective but decided fire blast would save me from having to physically contact Ferrothorn. Lastly Draco Meteor has devastating stab potential. Goodra falls quickly however to physical mons and Toxic and so for the next Pokemon I decided that I needed was a physical wall .
The Spiky Wall
Skarmory @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 248 HP / 236 Def / 24 Spe
Impish Nature
- Brave Bird
- Spikes
- Whirlwind
- Roost
Skarmory is my defensive wall of choice for this build primarily because of its synergy with Goodra. Skarmory is weak to only Fire and electric (both of which goodra resist) and skarmory resists two of goodra’s three weaknesses (dragon and fairy). Additionally it is immune to is immune to poison/toxic. The rocky helmet skarmory holds helps rack up damage on attackers and i found it to be more useful than leftovers as skarmory can already recover with roost. Whirlwind gets rid of Pokemon boosting or switching in, and works well in conjunction with the 3rd move spikes and to rack up more residual damage on switch-ins. Lastly brave bird hits surprisingly hard on opponents who are weak to it. Skarmory obviously functions as my main physical however the combination of goodra and Skarmory are threatened by Pokemon wielding moves such as Psyshock or Secret Sword and another special attack. These first 4 Pokemon function very well together.
The Underdog
Breloom @ Focus Sash
Ability: Technician
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Spore
- Bullet Seed
- Mach Punch
- Rock Tomb
When looking for a fifth Pokemon i decided I needed a Pokemon with a strong priority attack as well as the ability to inflict status. I decided on Breloom. With Base 130 attack and the ability Technician, Breloom can hit hard and fast with mach punch. Breloom can also reliably put any slower Pokemon to sleep with 100% accurate spore. Spore forces switches and Breloom can hit almost all its least favorite types (Fire, flying, Bug and Ice) with a technician boosted, super effective rock tomb. Rock tomb also lowers opponent's speed one stage.This brings anything below 390 speed under Breloom's own speed of 262. This means threats like Tornadus, Thundurus, Talonflame weavile and Volcarona are all brought down to be slower than Breloom, if they are not OHKO’s by rock tomb. Lastly Bullet seed also receives a boost from technician and is effective at breaking substitute and focus sash users. A focus sash is chosen to help breloom survive at at least 1HP as it is easily Ko'd by many threats in the metagame.
The Teammate
Jirachi @ Leftovers
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 224 HP / 252 Atk / 32 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Iron Head
- U-turn
- Wish
- Zen Headbutt
Jirachi Rounds out my team. The team as a whole being weak to fairies, psychic ice and fighting I chose Jirachi For bulk and versatility. Stab Iron head with it’s 60% Flinch chance crushes fairies and ice pokemon. Similarly Zen headbutt takes down fail fighting Pokemon as well as slow poison ones.. High investment in HP combined with Wish and slow U-Turn lets Jirachi heal teammates who cannot heal themselves such as Goodra or Breloom (full HP to maximize Focus sash) and regain any lost momentum. I have only Just started using Jirachi, previously using Houndoom to hit ice psychic and fairies hard however Jirachi helped to give more overall bulk and longevity to the team.
The team functions very effectively. It is based on momentum and uses opponents moves to benefit my team such as opponents using stealth rocks only to have them bounced back at them by Diancie or firing off grass moves only to end up boosting goodra’s attack. Using entry hazards and moves such as dragon tail and whirlwind helps rack up damage and wear down Pokemon to the point where they can be swept at the end of the game.
Major weaknesses of the team include the lack of a booster against stall teams, a rapid spinner and not being able to effectively heal status as well as the lack of powerful fire attack to to deal with bulk pokemon like scizor ferrothorn and forretress. Aditionally the difficulty in getting stealth rocks down with diancie being susceptible to many attacking types. Individual threats to the team include fast special sweepers such as Mega Alakazam, Keldeo, as well as all out attacking dragon dance sets.
Let me know how you would suggest to improve the team!
Diancie-Meha, Rotom-Wash, Goodra, Skarmory, Breloom, Jirachi
The Star
Diancie-Mega @ Diancite
Ability: Magic Bounce
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Diamond Storm
- Moonblast
- Earth Power
- Stealth Rock
I started the build with Diancie Mega for the absolutely absurd raw attack power. The (160/160/110) Attacking stats, along with the ability Magic Bounce makes Diancie an ideal Mixed Sweeper. Immune to T-Wave and Wil-o-Wisp she cannot be crippled by most conventional methods in the game and bounces back entry hazards as well as support moves building momentum for my team. The full speed investment allows Diancie to speed tie with other strong Pokemon at base 110 such as Gengar and Latios and just outspeed other threats such as Keldeo Infernape and Garchomp after Diancie has Mega Evolved. The investment in health makes up for the poor base 50 health and helps her survive the turn of slow speed before she has mega Evolved. I use Diancie as a late game sweeper once its threats have been eliminated and occasionally as a lead if i don’t expect a the other team to lead with a Mon dangerous too it (Landorus T, Garchomp, Rotom-W, Ferrothorn w/ gyro ball). The biggest threats to Diancie are steel water and Ground type attacks which leads to the next pokemon in the build…
The Anti-Lead
Rotom-Wash @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Hydro Pump
- Volt Switch
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Trick
Rotom-W’s typing makes it resistant to the Steel and Water and immune to Ground type attacks that would crush Diancie. Choice scarfed Wash functions as my main lead, threatening the ever present Landorus T and Garchomp Leads with HP Ice. The scarfed volt switch lets Rotom-W hit the leads of Charizard Mega Y and tornadus for significant damage and escape to a more favorable matchup before getting hit with an attack. Hydro pump for strong stab and Trick to hurt stall teams and boosters. Rotom-W serves to counter common leads in the meta game and to pivot into more favorable matchups. A fast volt switch keeps momentum in my favor and Rotom-W from taking unnecessary damage. It’s typing works well with Diancie however this left my team with a heavy weakness to grass type attacks.
The Sponge
Goodra @ Assault Vest
Ability: Sap Sipper
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 SpD
Sassy Nature
- Dragon Tail
- Earthquake
- Fire Blast
- Draco Meteor
Goodra’s ability Sap sipper raises its Attack by one stage if hit by a grass attack. It functions in perfect harmony with Diancie and Rotom-W’s shared weakness to grass, they both bate grass types in and then either switch or volt switch to goodra and the other team gives goodra a free attack boost. However the primary function of Goodra is to be a SpDf Monster. Goodra’s full EV investment in HP, Spdf and an assault vest Raises its special bulk to astronomical levels. with 389HP and 657 SpDf after assault vest is factored in, It tanks anything special, super effective or not. its movepool and base attack stats of 100 and 110 are wide enough and strong enough to support an assault vest build. Dragon tail prediction is used on those who try and switch into goodra, they are promptly switched back out again. earthquake OHKO's defensive heatran after a sap sipper boost. Fire blast OHKO’s Scizor and Ferrothorn if they try and switch in. I considered using fire punch to make the Sap sipper boost more effective but decided fire blast would save me from having to physically contact Ferrothorn. Lastly Draco Meteor has devastating stab potential. Goodra falls quickly however to physical mons and Toxic and so for the next Pokemon I decided that I needed was a physical wall .
The Spiky Wall
Skarmory @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 248 HP / 236 Def / 24 Spe
Impish Nature
- Brave Bird
- Spikes
- Whirlwind
- Roost
Skarmory is my defensive wall of choice for this build primarily because of its synergy with Goodra. Skarmory is weak to only Fire and electric (both of which goodra resist) and skarmory resists two of goodra’s three weaknesses (dragon and fairy). Additionally it is immune to is immune to poison/toxic. The rocky helmet skarmory holds helps rack up damage on attackers and i found it to be more useful than leftovers as skarmory can already recover with roost. Whirlwind gets rid of Pokemon boosting or switching in, and works well in conjunction with the 3rd move spikes and to rack up more residual damage on switch-ins. Lastly brave bird hits surprisingly hard on opponents who are weak to it. Skarmory obviously functions as my main physical however the combination of goodra and Skarmory are threatened by Pokemon wielding moves such as Psyshock or Secret Sword and another special attack. These first 4 Pokemon function very well together.
The Underdog
Breloom @ Focus Sash
Ability: Technician
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Spore
- Bullet Seed
- Mach Punch
- Rock Tomb
When looking for a fifth Pokemon i decided I needed a Pokemon with a strong priority attack as well as the ability to inflict status. I decided on Breloom. With Base 130 attack and the ability Technician, Breloom can hit hard and fast with mach punch. Breloom can also reliably put any slower Pokemon to sleep with 100% accurate spore. Spore forces switches and Breloom can hit almost all its least favorite types (Fire, flying, Bug and Ice) with a technician boosted, super effective rock tomb. Rock tomb also lowers opponent's speed one stage.This brings anything below 390 speed under Breloom's own speed of 262. This means threats like Tornadus, Thundurus, Talonflame weavile and Volcarona are all brought down to be slower than Breloom, if they are not OHKO’s by rock tomb. Lastly Bullet seed also receives a boost from technician and is effective at breaking substitute and focus sash users. A focus sash is chosen to help breloom survive at at least 1HP as it is easily Ko'd by many threats in the metagame.
The Teammate
Jirachi @ Leftovers
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 224 HP / 252 Atk / 32 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Iron Head
- U-turn
- Wish
- Zen Headbutt
Jirachi Rounds out my team. The team as a whole being weak to fairies, psychic ice and fighting I chose Jirachi For bulk and versatility. Stab Iron head with it’s 60% Flinch chance crushes fairies and ice pokemon. Similarly Zen headbutt takes down fail fighting Pokemon as well as slow poison ones.. High investment in HP combined with Wish and slow U-Turn lets Jirachi heal teammates who cannot heal themselves such as Goodra or Breloom (full HP to maximize Focus sash) and regain any lost momentum. I have only Just started using Jirachi, previously using Houndoom to hit ice psychic and fairies hard however Jirachi helped to give more overall bulk and longevity to the team.
The team functions very effectively. It is based on momentum and uses opponents moves to benefit my team such as opponents using stealth rocks only to have them bounced back at them by Diancie or firing off grass moves only to end up boosting goodra’s attack. Using entry hazards and moves such as dragon tail and whirlwind helps rack up damage and wear down Pokemon to the point where they can be swept at the end of the game.
Major weaknesses of the team include the lack of a booster against stall teams, a rapid spinner and not being able to effectively heal status as well as the lack of powerful fire attack to to deal with bulk pokemon like scizor ferrothorn and forretress. Aditionally the difficulty in getting stealth rocks down with diancie being susceptible to many attacking types. Individual threats to the team include fast special sweepers such as Mega Alakazam, Keldeo, as well as all out attacking dragon dance sets.
Let me know how you would suggest to improve the team!
