Hi everyone, i used to be quite into competitive battling back in Gen 6, but all this new stuff is quite baffling so I thought I'd come here for some help. I initially built my team around Charizard X and then might have branched off a little bit towards the end for some coverage, but I think you can see the general idea of what I was going with.
Serperior @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Contrary
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Leaf Storm
- Defog
- Glare
- Hidden Power [Fire]
So this is probably the part of my team that I'm the most unsure about. Contrary Serperior has always done me very well in the past due to the plain sweeping ability it gets after a Leaf Storm or two so I thought for sure that I'd like to have it in my current team again. However, Serperior feels a little bit lackluster and perhaps unnecessary due to me already having two other sweepers being Charizard X and Kartana. The moves and EVs are pretty self-explanatory and the HP Fire is for general coverage against types that Serperior would otherwise struggle to break through. The Choice Scarf also leaves me vulnerable to switch outs.
Charizard-Mega-X @ Charizardite X
Ability: Blaze
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Flare Blitz
- Earthquake
- Roost
My absolute favourite mega Pokemon in the game and what I absolutely wanted to base my team around. Full offensive sweeper set for Charizard X that relies on getting set up early game before stealth rocks are set, but Serperior and Tapu Fini can also cover this using Defog if necessary. I opted for Earthquake over Dragon Claw for the additional coverage particularly to help against Heatran which seems to be prevalent on most teams and I otherwise struggle to breakthrough.
Kartana @ Normalium Z
Ability: Beast Boost
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Leaf Blade
- Sacred Sword
- Giga Impact
Absolutely amazing Pokemon I think it is the entire definition of what a Physical Sweeper should be, easy to set up and plenty of resistances. Running Normalium Z to OHKO Pokemon that I might otherwise not have coverage to deal with, or to begin setting up using Beast Boost to my advantage.
Tapu Fini @ Leftovers
Ability: Misty Surge
EVs: 248 HP / 16 Def / 12 SpA / 40 SpD / 192 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Defog
- Moonblast
- Scald
- Taunt
Tapu Fini is mainly here to provide coverage against fire type and ground type Pokemon that may otherwise pose a difficulty for Charizard X to deal with. Defog can help clear entry hazards particularly Stealth Rocks for Charizard. Not entirely sure about Taunt as I don't see myself using it too much at the moment. I'm not too sure about the EV spread but it allows me to out speed plenty of matchups as well as tank a few hits to proc burn on remove those pesky entry hazards. Leftovers also helps with this.
Landorus-Therian (M) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 232 Atk / 68 Def / 208 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- U-turn
- Explosion
- Hidden Power [Ice]
Landorus usually lets me scout the opponents using U-turn so I can pick matchups a bit more appropriately or to utilise Intimidate before going into a tankier Pokemon such as Ferrothorn. Choice Scarf allows me to out speed most Pokemon in order to do this as well, HP Ice can be used to check other Landorus' that I may come up against. Finally, Explosion is a last resort to deal hefty damage to an opponent's Pokemon, the EV spread is reflective of Landorus' purpose to serve as a nice pivot for the team.
Ferrothorn @ Leftovers
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 24 Def / 232 SpD
Sassy Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Stealth Rock
- Leech Seed
- Gyro Ball
- Protect
Ferrothorn brings utility and tankiness to my team, allowing me to set up stealth rocks early game as well as stall my opponent in order to slowly deplete their health using Leech Seed and Protect, this coupled with Leftovers makes Ferrothorn difficult to take down. Landoruus works as a nice switch in against Popkemon such as Heatran which Ferrothorn ordinarily will struggle against. Gyro Ball works for some damage when needed. Typical EV spread allows Ferrothorn to be switched into most attacks with little issue.
So that's pretty much it. Sorry if some of my explanations were lacking, but I'm not the most knowledgeable at the moment and I really hope that I can improve with some help from people on this forum. Thanks for taking the time to read this.
Serperior @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Contrary
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Leaf Storm
- Defog
- Glare
- Hidden Power [Fire]
So this is probably the part of my team that I'm the most unsure about. Contrary Serperior has always done me very well in the past due to the plain sweeping ability it gets after a Leaf Storm or two so I thought for sure that I'd like to have it in my current team again. However, Serperior feels a little bit lackluster and perhaps unnecessary due to me already having two other sweepers being Charizard X and Kartana. The moves and EVs are pretty self-explanatory and the HP Fire is for general coverage against types that Serperior would otherwise struggle to break through. The Choice Scarf also leaves me vulnerable to switch outs.
Charizard-Mega-X @ Charizardite X
Ability: Blaze
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Flare Blitz
- Earthquake
- Roost
My absolute favourite mega Pokemon in the game and what I absolutely wanted to base my team around. Full offensive sweeper set for Charizard X that relies on getting set up early game before stealth rocks are set, but Serperior and Tapu Fini can also cover this using Defog if necessary. I opted for Earthquake over Dragon Claw for the additional coverage particularly to help against Heatran which seems to be prevalent on most teams and I otherwise struggle to breakthrough.
Kartana @ Normalium Z
Ability: Beast Boost
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Leaf Blade
- Sacred Sword
- Giga Impact
Absolutely amazing Pokemon I think it is the entire definition of what a Physical Sweeper should be, easy to set up and plenty of resistances. Running Normalium Z to OHKO Pokemon that I might otherwise not have coverage to deal with, or to begin setting up using Beast Boost to my advantage.
Tapu Fini @ Leftovers
Ability: Misty Surge
EVs: 248 HP / 16 Def / 12 SpA / 40 SpD / 192 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Defog
- Moonblast
- Scald
- Taunt
Tapu Fini is mainly here to provide coverage against fire type and ground type Pokemon that may otherwise pose a difficulty for Charizard X to deal with. Defog can help clear entry hazards particularly Stealth Rocks for Charizard. Not entirely sure about Taunt as I don't see myself using it too much at the moment. I'm not too sure about the EV spread but it allows me to out speed plenty of matchups as well as tank a few hits to proc burn on remove those pesky entry hazards. Leftovers also helps with this.
Landorus-Therian (M) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 232 Atk / 68 Def / 208 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- U-turn
- Explosion
- Hidden Power [Ice]
Landorus usually lets me scout the opponents using U-turn so I can pick matchups a bit more appropriately or to utilise Intimidate before going into a tankier Pokemon such as Ferrothorn. Choice Scarf allows me to out speed most Pokemon in order to do this as well, HP Ice can be used to check other Landorus' that I may come up against. Finally, Explosion is a last resort to deal hefty damage to an opponent's Pokemon, the EV spread is reflective of Landorus' purpose to serve as a nice pivot for the team.
Ferrothorn @ Leftovers
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 24 Def / 232 SpD
Sassy Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Stealth Rock
- Leech Seed
- Gyro Ball
- Protect
Ferrothorn brings utility and tankiness to my team, allowing me to set up stealth rocks early game as well as stall my opponent in order to slowly deplete their health using Leech Seed and Protect, this coupled with Leftovers makes Ferrothorn difficult to take down. Landoruus works as a nice switch in against Popkemon such as Heatran which Ferrothorn ordinarily will struggle against. Gyro Ball works for some damage when needed. Typical EV spread allows Ferrothorn to be switched into most attacks with little issue.
So that's pretty much it. Sorry if some of my explanations were lacking, but I'm not the most knowledgeable at the moment and I really hope that I can improve with some help from people on this forum. Thanks for taking the time to read this.
