THE WRITER'S NOTES
Hey everyone, as I was playing emerald and fire red in android -after 5 or so years- I noticed something quite interesting: in the past, way before I entered competitive gaming in PS, I did not use any set ups in my Pokemon. While not even wearing bulk up, my Blaziken and it's circumstantial comrades, used to brake through elite 4 when no more than four members were no more than lv 40. As a result, since gen 6 destroyed my previous 2 dragons and 2 fighting Pokemon team [score around 1900+], I wandered around the new spore resistant and fairy infested metagame.
Having tested combinations with zard y, rotom-wash, -my beloved and now useless- volcarona, machamp, manaphy, -now heavily affected- breloom, and many; I came up with a quite unusual, but effective team for me.
The main characteristics of the new team that I usually overlooked and bested in gen 5:
Okonkwo (Talonflame) @ Choice Band
Ability: Gale Wings
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature
- Brave Bird
- Flare Blitz
- U-turn
- Tailwind
This is the typical set up of Talonflame. It really comes in handy, as it 1HKOs a huge number of threats (even neutral ones, as Sylveon). It is the main switch in prevent of will-o-wisp and accompanies Landorus-Therian -earthquake- and Hitmontop -helping hand-. It is part of the main offensive towards trick room teams with Azumarill, Aegislash, and at times Hitmontop). Eventual tailwind.
Switches:
Water - Azumarill
Rock - Aegislash
Electric - Landorus-T
CatInAHotTinRoof (Landorus-Therian) (M) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
- Superpower
- U-turn
I used to be against choice items, but Zard y, Talonflame, Greninja and many others who it wouldn't 1HKO without choice scarf have made it quite useful. The synergy with Hitmontop (wide guard and intimidate), Thundurus-I (inmune), talonflame (inmune) and Aegislash (wide guard and shuca berry) gives the team its offensive power.
Switchs:
Ice - Aegislash
Water - Azumarill
Frederic Henry (Hitmontop) (M) @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 136 Atk / 60 Def / 60 SDef
Adamant Nature
- Fake Out
- Wide Guard
- Helping Hand
- Close Combat
Frederic is a great team player:
Ghost - Azumarill
Flying - Aegislash
Fairy - Azumarill
Psychic - Aegislash and Azumarill
Hamlet's plot (Aegislash) @ Shuca Berry
Ability: Stance Change
EVs: 252 HP / 112 SAtk / 100 SDef
Quiet Nature
IVs: NaN Spd
- Shadow Ball
- Flash Cannon
- Wide Guard
- King's Shield
It is the other team player i.e. wide guard user and main switch. This EV spread allows its survival through almost anything (thanks to wide guard and shuca berry) but zard y's fire blast. It is the defensive pivot, with Hitmontop, who allows me destroying any multi-target attacked based pokemon.
Adriano (Thundurus) (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Prankster
Shiny: Yes
Happiness: 0
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Thunderbolt
- Thunder Wave
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Protect
Adriano is the front-man who allows Azumarill (Landorus-T's usual switch in) to sweep. It also provides the much needed boltbeam coverage and hits quite hard with it's unexpected t-bolt, since most would wide guard a a Quake-Discharge combination. We all know the effects of HP ice in Landorus and Garchomp.
Switchs:
Rock - Aegislash and hitmontop
Ice - Aegislash
Nathanael (Azumarill) @ Life Orb
Ability: Huge Power
EVs: 252 HP / 44 Atk / 4 SDef
Brave Nature
IVs: NaN Spd
- Aqua Jet
- Play Rough
- Aqua Tail
- Protect
It is the other main sweeper, who I really used to hate with my past team. The life orb allows to 1HKO threats that would otherwise sweep it in the following turn, I'll add a list the next time I check the damage calculator and amaze myself with the difference that it makes in the fast-paced doubles metagame.
Switchs:
Electric: Landorus-T
Grass: Aegislash
Poison: Aegislash
Strategies:
(Option depends on opposite team's pokemon, as there's more than one option for each kind of match)
Zard-y's sun teams:
Rock slide Cat and either
1. Okwonko flareblitz 2. hitmontop fake out 3. Adriano thunder wave
Hail teams:
Frederic Henry's fake out/close combat, Cat to lure mamoswine and mega-abomasnow's ice shard - switch to Hamlet or nathaniel
Okwonko's Flare Blitz or Brave bird and Cat's scarfed superpower (after defeating ice shard users)
Trick room teams:
Okwonko and Frederic Henry (non-ghost setter or gourgeist)
Cat and Adriano (U-turn to Nathaniel or Hamlet, or kill-it-before-it-lays-TRs)
Nathaniel and Hamlet (Fucking dusclops)
Nathaniel and Okwonko (DUSCLOOOOPS N SHIT)
Rain teams:
Okwonko Brave Bird and Frederic Henry Fake out and/or wide guard
Adriano thunderbolt and Frederic Henry Fake out
Main concern: FREAKING ROTOM WASH
I can't really counter it with anything but keeping both pokemon's attack aimed to it in the same turn, mainly Adriano's thunderbolt and Frederic Henry's fake out. I'm considering mega-venasaur and others, but the team synergy really misses any change :(
Replays:
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogondoubles-115681791
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogondoubles-115685623
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogondoubles-115688879
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogondoubles-115677992
Hey everyone, as I was playing emerald and fire red in android -after 5 or so years- I noticed something quite interesting: in the past, way before I entered competitive gaming in PS, I did not use any set ups in my Pokemon. While not even wearing bulk up, my Blaziken and it's circumstantial comrades, used to brake through elite 4 when no more than four members were no more than lv 40. As a result, since gen 6 destroyed my previous 2 dragons and 2 fighting Pokemon team [score around 1900+], I wandered around the new spore resistant and fairy infested metagame.
Having tested combinations with zard y, rotom-wash, -my beloved and now useless- volcarona, machamp, manaphy, -now heavily affected- breloom, and many; I came up with a quite unusual, but effective team for me.
The main characteristics of the new team that I usually overlooked and bested in gen 5:
- Two choice item pokemons (Landorus-T - Choice Scarf, Talonflame - Choice Band; really nothing special with sash support, in gen V)
- Two wide guard users (Hitmontop and Aegislash; I had only Machamp in gen 5)
- Two intimidate users (Hitmontop and Landorus-T; I usually swept through these teams without any problem in gen 5, as my physical attackers were really support or utility -Machamp with dynamic punch and wide guard, and Breloom with spore)
Okonkwo (Talonflame) @ Choice Band
Ability: Gale Wings
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature
- Brave Bird
- Flare Blitz
- U-turn
- Tailwind
This is the typical set up of Talonflame. It really comes in handy, as it 1HKOs a huge number of threats (even neutral ones, as Sylveon). It is the main switch in prevent of will-o-wisp and accompanies Landorus-Therian -earthquake- and Hitmontop -helping hand-. It is part of the main offensive towards trick room teams with Azumarill, Aegislash, and at times Hitmontop). Eventual tailwind.
Switches:
Water - Azumarill
Rock - Aegislash
Electric - Landorus-T
CatInAHotTinRoof (Landorus-Therian) (M) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
- Superpower
- U-turn
I used to be against choice items, but Zard y, Talonflame, Greninja and many others who it wouldn't 1HKO without choice scarf have made it quite useful. The synergy with Hitmontop (wide guard and intimidate), Thundurus-I (inmune), talonflame (inmune) and Aegislash (wide guard and shuca berry) gives the team its offensive power.
Switchs:
Ice - Aegislash
Water - Azumarill
Frederic Henry (Hitmontop) (M) @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 136 Atk / 60 Def / 60 SDef
Adamant Nature
- Fake Out
- Wide Guard
- Helping Hand
- Close Combat
Frederic is a great team player:
- Allows Landorus-T to kill defiant Bisharp via fake out and earthquake
- Wideguards the team
- Strengthens Talonflame and, eventually, Aegislash's shadow ball
- Intimidates
- Optional switch-in, as its defensive EVs and sitrus berry allow to take a few hits
Ghost - Azumarill
Flying - Aegislash
Fairy - Azumarill
Psychic - Aegislash and Azumarill
Hamlet's plot (Aegislash) @ Shuca Berry
Ability: Stance Change
EVs: 252 HP / 112 SAtk / 100 SDef
Quiet Nature
IVs: NaN Spd
- Shadow Ball
- Flash Cannon
- Wide Guard
- King's Shield
It is the other team player i.e. wide guard user and main switch. This EV spread allows its survival through almost anything (thanks to wide guard and shuca berry) but zard y's fire blast. It is the defensive pivot, with Hitmontop, who allows me destroying any multi-target attacked based pokemon.
Adriano (Thundurus) (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Prankster
Shiny: Yes
Happiness: 0
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Thunderbolt
- Thunder Wave
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Protect
Adriano is the front-man who allows Azumarill (Landorus-T's usual switch in) to sweep. It also provides the much needed boltbeam coverage and hits quite hard with it's unexpected t-bolt, since most would wide guard a a Quake-Discharge combination. We all know the effects of HP ice in Landorus and Garchomp.
Switchs:
Rock - Aegislash and hitmontop
Ice - Aegislash
Nathanael (Azumarill) @ Life Orb
Ability: Huge Power
EVs: 252 HP / 44 Atk / 4 SDef
Brave Nature
IVs: NaN Spd
- Aqua Jet
- Play Rough
- Aqua Tail
- Protect
It is the other main sweeper, who I really used to hate with my past team. The life orb allows to 1HKO threats that would otherwise sweep it in the following turn, I'll add a list the next time I check the damage calculator and amaze myself with the difference that it makes in the fast-paced doubles metagame.
Switchs:
Electric: Landorus-T
Grass: Aegislash
Poison: Aegislash
Strategies:
(Option depends on opposite team's pokemon, as there's more than one option for each kind of match)
Zard-y's sun teams:
Rock slide Cat and either
1. Okwonko flareblitz 2. hitmontop fake out 3. Adriano thunder wave
Hail teams:
Frederic Henry's fake out/close combat, Cat to lure mamoswine and mega-abomasnow's ice shard - switch to Hamlet or nathaniel
Okwonko's Flare Blitz or Brave bird and Cat's scarfed superpower (after defeating ice shard users)
Trick room teams:
Okwonko and Frederic Henry (non-ghost setter or gourgeist)
Cat and Adriano (U-turn to Nathaniel or Hamlet, or kill-it-before-it-lays-TRs)
Nathaniel and Hamlet (Fucking dusclops)
Nathaniel and Okwonko (DUSCLOOOOPS N SHIT)
Rain teams:
Okwonko Brave Bird and Frederic Henry Fake out and/or wide guard
Adriano thunderbolt and Frederic Henry Fake out
Main concern: FREAKING ROTOM WASH
I can't really counter it with anything but keeping both pokemon's attack aimed to it in the same turn, mainly Adriano's thunderbolt and Frederic Henry's fake out. I'm considering mega-venasaur and others, but the team synergy really misses any change :(
Replays:
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogondoubles-115681791
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogondoubles-115685623
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogondoubles-115688879
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogondoubles-115677992
Last edited:
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