Hello all, I'm hoping I can get some advice on how to improve this team at all. So far it's been testing pretty well - I've played about a couple of dozen games with it and I've had about a 75% win ratio. I figure it's looking pretty good already, but some hints are always welcome.
Also, please forgive me if the descriptions of each of my team choices are too lacking for you. Ask me something you'd like to know if it's not clear.
(By the way, if you notice the references with a few of my nicknames and the team name, I love you. :P)
Bold Disciples
Zanza (Volcarona) @ Lum Berry
Ability: Flame Body
EVs: 252 HP/200 Def/56 Spe
Bold Nature
- Quiver Dance
- Roost
- Giga Drain
- Fiery Dance
With Volcarona being my favourite Pokémon to battle with, I decided to base my team around it. Its Special Attack is excellent already, but Quiver Dance allows it to burn through teams after only a couple of uses. I went with a standard Bold Quiver Dance setup – so Zanza possesses the physical bulk required to survive a couple of turns to use Quiver Dance, and then proceed to reboot the universe.
Fiery Dance is a more reliable STAB move than Fire Blast from my experience, and the high chance of a Special Attack boost makes Volcarona even more of a threat. I also run Roost and Giga Drain to patch up my wounds, as well as eliminate any Rock and Water-type threats. I went with a Lum Berry for the item, since status conditions utterly ruin my strategy.
As great as I think Volcarona is, even with a lot of bulk investment, if it so much as grazes itself on a pebble, it dies immediately. As such, the rest of the team is designed to scout potential threats that could end Volcarona, and eliminate them.
Valencia (Mandibuzz) @ Bright Powder
Ability: Overcoat
EVs: 252 HP/152 Def/106 SpD
Bold Nature
- Defog
- Knock Off
- Roost
- Foul Play
Like with Charizard and Talonflame, Stealth Rock is your worst enemy when you use Volcarona. So, a Defogger is pretty much mandatory on this team, and Mandibuzz’s versatility is extremely welcome here. With maximum physical bulk investment, I can comfortably pivot into almost anything that isn’t an Electric move. Knock Off can deal with annoying items like Assault Vest and Eviolite, and Foul Play lets me use my opponent’s strategies against them, though I'd honestly be happy cutting it for a less situational move.
I decided to give Mandibuzz Bright Powder, as Leftovers and Rocky Helmet are both taken by other members of my team, and it’s always fun to watch a 100 Accuracy move miss. Do let me know if there are any alternatives I could use - I wouldn't be surprised if Bright Powder's illegal.
Sharla (Sylveon) @ Leftovers
Ability: Pixilate
EVs: 252 HP/184 Def/72 SpD
Bold Nature:
- Heal Bell
- Wish
- Protect
- Hyper Voice
A standard Bold cleric build for Sylveon. Pretty much every member of my team possesses some considerable bulk. However, not all of them can heal themselves up. With Sylveon, I can keep everybody healthy, as well as tank Dark and Dragon moves if necessary. Protect and Wish are there to heal Pokémon that are suffering as well as Sylveon itself, and Heal Bell neutralises status conditions – particularly bad poison which will come back to bite me if I can't do anything about it. Hyper Voice is here too to prevent Sylveon being Taunt bait as well as deal with Dragon types, and Leftovers let me recover a bit behind Protect. (Note: if the EVs seem a bit strange, it's because my Sylveon in game only has an IV of 22 in Special Defense, so I rearranged the EVs to compensate for this.)
Kardashian (Slowbro) @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Regenerator
EVS: 252 HP/252 Def/4 SpA
Bold Nature
- Scald
- Psyshock
- Thunder Wave
- Slack Off
Yes, I like Bold Pokémon. Sue me. Anyway, with massive physical bulk and Water/Psychic typing, Slowbro can tank almost any physical move that isn’t Dark Type. Generally, if I want to scout some physical threats, this is my go-to Pokémon. Scald's burn chance is always a valuable asset and Psyshock allows me to get some physical damage in a team primarily based on Special attackers. Thunder Wave can cripple my opponent’s strategy if I'm having no luck with Scald or if the opponent is Specially based, and Slack Off is there to work with Regenerator to make Slowbro an even more annoying Pokémon to deal with.
I prefer Rocky Helmet over Leftovers on this setup, as it's funny to watch an opponent's Pokémon slam into Slowbro with barely any effect and take the last of its HP away - and Regenerator and Slack Off let me recover more than enough health.
Zill (Goodra) @ Assault Vest
Ability: Gooey
EVs: 248 HP/252 SpA/8 SpD
Modest Nature
- Dragon Pulse
- Thunderbolt
- Ice Beam
- Focus Blast
Goodra's fantastic defensive capability as well as offensive power makes it easily welcome on my team. Assault Vest lets me invest EVs into Special Attack without sacrificing bulk. And with Goodra’s incredibly versatile movepool, I have coverage for almost anything that gets thrown my way. Other than Sylveon's Hyper Voice, Dragon Pulse is the only way I have to deal with Dragon Types, as well as providing STAB. Thunderbolt can clip the wings of popular Flying-types like Talonflame and Gyarados, and Ice Beam takes care of most other threats, as well as freezing if I'm lucky. It also works great as a mix-up if my opponent has a Ground-type. Focus Blast, while inaccurate, is there to dispose of Dark and Steel types that threaten me, especially Bisharp. T_T
Turing (Metagross) @ Metagrossite
Ability: Clear Body/Tough Claws
EVs: 252 Atk/4 SpD/252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Meteor Mash
- Bullet Punch
- Earthquake
- Zen Headbutt
Mega Metagross possesses an astonishing amount of physical bulk and power. Given that my team is mostly specially offensive, some physical power was necessary. I can also pivot into this Pokémon to scout threats, and even sweep if I like, making it a great backup win condition. With the exception of Earthquake, every move makes contact, allowing me to abuse Tough Claws with STAB. Meteor Mash, Earthquake and Zen Headbutt are all raw power, and Bullet Punch lets me outspeed sweepers with priority. Not to mention deal with pesky Fairy-types like Azumarill and other Sylveons.
When it comes to changes you could suggest, I must state that I absolutely hate Hidden Power. As I just find it too much of a pain to get the right type in game, and the amount of power it has just doesn’t seem worth it to me. So, unless I have no choice in the matter, I’d rather avoid using it.
If you have any other ways of how to improve this team, it’d be great. Thanks a lot!
Also, please forgive me if the descriptions of each of my team choices are too lacking for you. Ask me something you'd like to know if it's not clear.
(By the way, if you notice the references with a few of my nicknames and the team name, I love you. :P)
Bold Disciples
Zanza (Volcarona) @ Lum Berry
Ability: Flame Body
EVs: 252 HP/200 Def/56 Spe
Bold Nature
- Quiver Dance
- Roost
- Giga Drain
- Fiery Dance
With Volcarona being my favourite Pokémon to battle with, I decided to base my team around it. Its Special Attack is excellent already, but Quiver Dance allows it to burn through teams after only a couple of uses. I went with a standard Bold Quiver Dance setup – so Zanza possesses the physical bulk required to survive a couple of turns to use Quiver Dance, and then proceed to reboot the universe.
Fiery Dance is a more reliable STAB move than Fire Blast from my experience, and the high chance of a Special Attack boost makes Volcarona even more of a threat. I also run Roost and Giga Drain to patch up my wounds, as well as eliminate any Rock and Water-type threats. I went with a Lum Berry for the item, since status conditions utterly ruin my strategy.
As great as I think Volcarona is, even with a lot of bulk investment, if it so much as grazes itself on a pebble, it dies immediately. As such, the rest of the team is designed to scout potential threats that could end Volcarona, and eliminate them.
Valencia (Mandibuzz) @ Bright Powder
Ability: Overcoat
EVs: 252 HP/152 Def/106 SpD
Bold Nature
- Defog
- Knock Off
- Roost
- Foul Play
Like with Charizard and Talonflame, Stealth Rock is your worst enemy when you use Volcarona. So, a Defogger is pretty much mandatory on this team, and Mandibuzz’s versatility is extremely welcome here. With maximum physical bulk investment, I can comfortably pivot into almost anything that isn’t an Electric move. Knock Off can deal with annoying items like Assault Vest and Eviolite, and Foul Play lets me use my opponent’s strategies against them, though I'd honestly be happy cutting it for a less situational move.
I decided to give Mandibuzz Bright Powder, as Leftovers and Rocky Helmet are both taken by other members of my team, and it’s always fun to watch a 100 Accuracy move miss. Do let me know if there are any alternatives I could use - I wouldn't be surprised if Bright Powder's illegal.
Sharla (Sylveon) @ Leftovers
Ability: Pixilate
EVs: 252 HP/184 Def/72 SpD
Bold Nature:
- Heal Bell
- Wish
- Protect
- Hyper Voice
A standard Bold cleric build for Sylveon. Pretty much every member of my team possesses some considerable bulk. However, not all of them can heal themselves up. With Sylveon, I can keep everybody healthy, as well as tank Dark and Dragon moves if necessary. Protect and Wish are there to heal Pokémon that are suffering as well as Sylveon itself, and Heal Bell neutralises status conditions – particularly bad poison which will come back to bite me if I can't do anything about it. Hyper Voice is here too to prevent Sylveon being Taunt bait as well as deal with Dragon types, and Leftovers let me recover a bit behind Protect. (Note: if the EVs seem a bit strange, it's because my Sylveon in game only has an IV of 22 in Special Defense, so I rearranged the EVs to compensate for this.)
Kardashian (Slowbro) @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Regenerator
EVS: 252 HP/252 Def/4 SpA
Bold Nature
- Scald
- Psyshock
- Thunder Wave
- Slack Off
Yes, I like Bold Pokémon. Sue me. Anyway, with massive physical bulk and Water/Psychic typing, Slowbro can tank almost any physical move that isn’t Dark Type. Generally, if I want to scout some physical threats, this is my go-to Pokémon. Scald's burn chance is always a valuable asset and Psyshock allows me to get some physical damage in a team primarily based on Special attackers. Thunder Wave can cripple my opponent’s strategy if I'm having no luck with Scald or if the opponent is Specially based, and Slack Off is there to work with Regenerator to make Slowbro an even more annoying Pokémon to deal with.
I prefer Rocky Helmet over Leftovers on this setup, as it's funny to watch an opponent's Pokémon slam into Slowbro with barely any effect and take the last of its HP away - and Regenerator and Slack Off let me recover more than enough health.
Zill (Goodra) @ Assault Vest
Ability: Gooey
EVs: 248 HP/252 SpA/8 SpD
Modest Nature
- Dragon Pulse
- Thunderbolt
- Ice Beam
- Focus Blast
Goodra's fantastic defensive capability as well as offensive power makes it easily welcome on my team. Assault Vest lets me invest EVs into Special Attack without sacrificing bulk. And with Goodra’s incredibly versatile movepool, I have coverage for almost anything that gets thrown my way. Other than Sylveon's Hyper Voice, Dragon Pulse is the only way I have to deal with Dragon Types, as well as providing STAB. Thunderbolt can clip the wings of popular Flying-types like Talonflame and Gyarados, and Ice Beam takes care of most other threats, as well as freezing if I'm lucky. It also works great as a mix-up if my opponent has a Ground-type. Focus Blast, while inaccurate, is there to dispose of Dark and Steel types that threaten me, especially Bisharp. T_T
Turing (Metagross) @ Metagrossite
Ability: Clear Body/Tough Claws
EVs: 252 Atk/4 SpD/252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Meteor Mash
- Bullet Punch
- Earthquake
- Zen Headbutt
Mega Metagross possesses an astonishing amount of physical bulk and power. Given that my team is mostly specially offensive, some physical power was necessary. I can also pivot into this Pokémon to scout threats, and even sweep if I like, making it a great backup win condition. With the exception of Earthquake, every move makes contact, allowing me to abuse Tough Claws with STAB. Meteor Mash, Earthquake and Zen Headbutt are all raw power, and Bullet Punch lets me outspeed sweepers with priority. Not to mention deal with pesky Fairy-types like Azumarill and other Sylveons.
When it comes to changes you could suggest, I must state that I absolutely hate Hidden Power. As I just find it too much of a pain to get the right type in game, and the amount of power it has just doesn’t seem worth it to me. So, unless I have no choice in the matter, I’d rather avoid using it.
If you have any other ways of how to improve this team, it’d be great. Thanks a lot!
