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So, this is a team that I built around a Rotom-Scizor core. I liked the idea of a pivoting core that covers each other's weaknesses and set to work. At the end of the day, I don't really care if don't end up with a Rotom-Scizor core, but the pivoting capability of this team is something I would like to hold on to. I've gotten a decent amount of wins with this team, but in its current state, it doesn't get past "decent." I'm going to skip the teambuilding process because this team has gone through many minute changes, too many for me to remember all of them.
I'll begin with Landorus-T, my usual lead.
Landorus-Therian (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD /
Adamant Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- U-turn
- Stone Edge
Landorus doesn't exactly play one specific role on this team. Usually, I will send him out first to either set up Stealth Rock or U-Turn into a Pokemon that is more suited for the current opponent. There isn't much to say about the moveset, so I'll talk about the EV spread and how I use him. The full investment in Attack is because I want to keep Landorus the offensive threat that he is, with Earthquake and Stone Edge hitting many Pokemon super-effectively, such as Mega Charizard X and Y, Thundurus, Aegislash, and Heatran. 252 HP is to give Landorus some bulk.
Issues: Unfortunately, Landorus isn't fast enough to outspeed many threats such as Thundurus, Latios and Latias, Garchomp, and Mamoswine. The 252 investment in HP doesn't help to make up for its slower speed; any super-effective move puts a noticeable dent in Landorus' HP bar.
I'd really like to keep Stealth Rock support on this team, since this team, in its current state, doesn't contain any reliable hard hitters. I also believe that U-Turn is important for whatever Pokemon fills this role, as it gives the team more fluidity.
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Rotom-Wash @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 248 HP / 216 Def / 44 Spe
Bold Nature
- Volt Switch
- Hydro Pump
- Will-O-Wisp
- Pain Split
This is a physically defensive Rotom-W set to deal with physical monsters of the XY metagame. These include Talonflame, Garchomp, Terrakion, Azumarill, and others. Rotom-W stops physical attackers almost completely, while still retaining respectable special bulk. Will-O-Wisp is to dish out burns to those previously mentioned physical attackers, as well as anything that doesn't like constant residual damage. Hydro Pump is Rotom-W's main attack, beautifully knocking out the likes of Landorus (both Formes after Stealth Rock damage), Terrakion, and Talonflame; anything that is not hit super-effectively is left with a large dent. Volt Switch is for pivoting offensively or defensively, as I believe this team is really good at covering each other's weaknesses.
Issues: My main problems with Rotom-W lie in its poor speed and the unreliability of Pain Split. Sure, Rotom-W is bulky and isn't built for speed, it's not the point of its role. My intention for it, however, is to be able to take a hit and then immediately cripple whatever is in front of it. Rotom doesn't help me by switching into a 2HKO move and being knocked out before I can throw out a burn. As for Pain Split, well... it's not very reliable. For Pain Split to work, Rotom needs speed (which it doesn't have), some predictability (unreliable), and for the other Pokemon to be bulky/have more HP than Rotom does (also unreliable). It's not effective as I need it to be. Rest could be an option with Chansey's Heal Bell, but that breaks the momentum of the gameplay.
What I need out of Rotom is for it to switch into 2HKO moves and be fast enough to dish out a burn, while still retaining its bulk. And because Rotom's function revolves around its bulk, I need a more reliable way to recover it.
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Scizor (F) @ Life Orb
Ability: Technician
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- U-turn
- Bullet Punch
- Brick Break
Issues: 252 HP EVs don't add much to Scizor's bulk. If anything, it's more juice to power up Life Orb. Swords Dance gives Scizor a really nice boost, but it rarely has a chance to comfortably set up. Almost everything outspeeds it, and it doesn't have the defenses to take a hit from much of anything. There's not much to say, other than that it has very lackluster performance.
I suppose that the only way to use non-Choice Scizor nowadays is to give it a Scizorite, but then I lose Mega Venusaur.
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Venusaur (M) @ Venusaurite
Ability: Chlorophyll
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
Modest Nature
- Sleep Powder
- Giga Drain
- Sludge Bomb
- Hidden Power [Fire]
Boy, do I love Mega Venusaur. Not only does it hit hard, it takes hard hits. Sleep Powder is to mess with anyone trying to set up, and generally screwing with an opponent's strategy. I usually throw Sleep Powder at anything that resists Venusaur's attacks (Heatran, Gengar, Lati@s). From there I can switch into a more appropriate Pokemon (usually Rotom-W or Scizor, because they can Volt Switch/U-Turn back out), and continue from there. Giga Drain is for refueling Venusaur as it deals damage. Sludge Bomb is powerful STAB, and hits Fairy-types super-effectively (I'm looking at you, Clefable). The chance to poison the opponent is nice, too. Hidden Power [Fire] is for Scizor, Ferrothorn, Mawile, and the rare Magnezone. Chlorophyll means that Venusaur can go into Mega Charizard-Y's Drought, mega evolve, and usually KO it with Sludge Bomb after SR damage.
Venusaur (M) @ Venusaurite
Ability: Chlorophyll
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
Modest Nature
- Sleep Powder
- Giga Drain
- Sludge Bomb
- Hidden Power [Fire]
Issues: Not much to say here, really. Venusaur's biggest problems are Latios, Latias, Thundurus, Tornadus, Landorus, and the occasional Kyurem-B. Other than those threats, Venusaur does its job beautifully.
I think what Venusaur needs most is better partners. It has good synergy with the rest of the team, for the most part, but there are still a few holes that need to be patched up.
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Chansey (F) @ Eviolite
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
- Soft-Boiled
- Heal Bell
- Toxic
- Seismic Toss
Chansey isn't here because this is a semi-stall team or whatever. Chansey is here to deal with the mess of special attackers that ruin the rest of this team. Landorus can't handle Ice Beams and Hydro Pumps. Rotom-W and Quagsire don't like Grass Knot or Giga Drain. Scizor doesn't like Fire Blast or Flamethrower. Venusaur hates Psychic and Air Slash. Chansey is here to absorb all of those hits and do the only thing it does best: stall cleric.
Chansey (F) @ Eviolite
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
- Soft-Boiled
- Heal Bell
- Toxic
- Seismic Toss
Issues: This metagame is rife with hard-hitting physical attackers. I can't really make a list because of all the things that threaten Chansey. If it uses physical moves, Chansey is afraid of it. Knock Off is Chansey's worst enemy, as it shaves off the bulk that makes Chansey viable. Taunt ruins Chansey. Gengar laughs at Chansey. I have gained some victories by abusing Chansey's stalling ability, but those happen once in a blue moon. Honestly, I put Chansey on this team because I couldn't think of any Pokemon that could absorb special attacks better than Chansey.
I wouldn't mind replacing Chansey for a Pokemon that was a worse special sponge than Chansey. I need something more multi-faceted. And I also really need to keep a Heal Bell-type move, as status noticeably cripples this team.
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Quagsire (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Unaware
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Relaxed Nature
- Scald
- Earthquake
- Recover
- Toxic
Take Chansey's description and replace the word "special" with "physical." I added Quagsire to the team solely to act as a physical sponge. Of course, it does a very good job at doing so, but Quagsire, like Chansey, is very uni-faceted. I've grown a bit of a soft spot for Quagsire, but I don't think it fits well on team, considering Quagsire's abysmal Special Defense stat. What differentiates Quagsire from Rotom-W is its ability to Toxistall, whereas Rotom can't really stay in on an opponent for too long.
Quagsire (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Unaware
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Relaxed Nature
- Scald
- Earthquake
- Recover
- Toxic
Issues: Special attackers. One-trick pony. There isn't much more to say. I think Quagsire opened my team to more weaknesses as opposed to covering some of its more obvious ones. I'll say it outright, however, that the problem isn't that Quagsire isn't a bad Pokemon, this was just a poor teambuilding decision.
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Threats:
(in no particular order)
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Thank you in advance for reading my first XY RMT, sorry if it's too long. I'm open to any suggestions. Educate me as much as possible.
Threats:
(in no particular order)
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Thank you in advance for reading my first XY RMT, sorry if it's too long. I'm open to any suggestions. Educate me as much as possible.
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