Sample Teams for VGC15

[tofucocoa]

Even though VGC has been around for a while, there are always new players to the format looking to battle in local tournaments or on Battle Spot Doubles. Unfortunately, VGC has a rather sharp learning curve, and as such, it is more difficult to build for. You can't simply slap some big threats together and hope you win. You also can't use the same mindset you may or may not have brought over from singles with Doubles. You have to think differently when teambuilding, and this can be a daunting task for new players just entering the metagame. This thread aims to collect good teams contributed by the VGC community into one place, and create a place where an inexperienced player can simply pick a team to use to get their feet wet. Obviously some teams will be better than others, and no team is perfect, but I want this to be a good database for people to pick up a team if they are struggling to build one themselves.

If you post a team, include a description (at least a paragraph long) of how the team works and descriptions of the team members. Do not copy/paste teams that you haven't come up with yourself without giving credit.

Use the following team as a guideline to post your own:

lucariojr's

Importable

Kangaskhan @ Kangaskhanite
Ability: Scrappy
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Double-Edge
- Sucker Punch
- Low Kick
- Fake Out

Sylveon @ Choice Specs
Ability: Pixilate
EVs: 52 HP / 204 Def / 240 SpA / 12 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 30 SpA / 30 SpD
- Hyper Voice
- Psyshock
- Hidden Power Ground
- Hyper Beam

Landorus-Therian @ Assault Vest
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 164 HP / 172 Atk / 4 Def / 76 SpD / 92 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
- U-Turn
- Superpower

Thundurus @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 HP / 128 Def / 92 SpD / 36 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 30 Def
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power Ice
- Taunt
- Thunder Wave

Entei @ Chesto Berry
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 100 HP / 148 Atk / 68 Def / 4 SpD / 188 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Sacred Fire
- Stone Edge
- Rest
- Protect

Aegislash @ Leftovers
Ability: Stance Change
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
Quiet Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Shadow Ball
- Flash Cannon
- Substitute
- King's Shield

Description

this is a fairly standard team that you're likely to encounter on battle spot in some form or fashion. landorus+thundurus core is weak to blizzards, but strong against anything else, kangaskhan+sylveon applies massive pressure to the opponent from turn one, and entei/aegislash handles anything those cores can't. entei acts as a sort of glue to the team, helping spread burns around, resist hyper voice spam, hard check charizard-y, smeargle, etc. aegislash handles trick room and other sylveon well (sylveon can't touch aegislash's substitute, but attacks aegislash directly, which has its pros and cons). it's an easy team to pick up and use though it does have trouble with rain teams, particularly those that know how to get rid of thundurus. it is also heavy on the legendary pokemon, which can be problematic in terms of actually obtaining the team in-game.

TheMantyke's

Team

Kangaskhan @ Kangaskhanite
Ability: Scrappy
Level: 50
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Return
- Power-Up Punch
- Sucker Punch
- Fake Out

Rotom-Wash @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Levitate
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 44 Def / 180 SpA / 4 SpD / 28 Spe
Modest Nature
- Thunderbolt
- Hydro Pump
- Will-O-Wisp
- Reflect

Amoonguss @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Regenerator
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 204 Def / 52 SpD
Calm Nature
- Sludge Bomb
- Rage Powder
- Spore
- Protect

Hydreigon @ Choice Specs
Ability: Levitate
Level: 50
EVs: 28 HP / 36 Def / 236 SpA / 4 SpD / 204 Spe
Modest Nature
- Draco Meteor
- Dark Pulse
- Dragon Pulse
- Earth Power

Landorus-Therian @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Intimidate
Level: 50
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
- U-turn
- Superpower

Aegislash @ Spooky Plate
Ability: Stance Change
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpA
Quiet Nature
- Shadow Ball
- Sacred Sword
- Shadow Sneak
- King's Shield

Team Notes

• Team is mainly a sort of unit between Kangaskhan, Landorus, Hydreigon, and Aegislash with Rotom-w and Amoonguss coming in if certain pokemon are worrysome
• Kangaskhan + Hydreigon is pretty swell for protecting Hydreigon while it nukes something. Hydreigon and Aegislash have amazing switch in synergy; between the two of them, there's a resistance or immunity for every type in the game.
• Rotom-W's mainly for Talonflame or Rain teams. Amoonguss helps vs rain too and synergizes well with Kangaskhan.
• Hydreigon's EVs let it live Jolly Garchomp's Dragon Claw and outspeed 252 neutral nature Landorus-T. Rest is in Special Attack
• Rotom-W's EVs let it live Mega Mawhile's Play Rough with the rest in Special Attack. The Speed is to outrun other Rotoms.
• IIRC, Amoonguss's spread gives him his best overall bulk. I chose Sludge Bomb > Giga Drain because I value the hit on fairies and flying types more.

There's a lot to experiment with here! You ought to try out different movesets on Aegislash, Lando, and Kangaskhan. The whole team's EV spreads are pretty customizable too.

Chenkovsky 's

Team

Venusaur @ Venusaurite
Ability: Chlorophyll
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 196 Def / 60 Spe
Bold Nature
- Giga Drain
- Sludge Bomb
- Leech Seed
- Protect

Gyarados @ Lum Berry
Ability: Intimidate
Level: 50
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Waterfall
- Stone Edge
- Dragon Dance
- Protect

Talonflame @ Life Orb
Ability: Gale Wings
Level: 50
EVs: 220 Atk / 36 SpA / 252 Spe
Naughty Nature
- Brave Bird
- Overheat
- Tailwind
- Protect

Aegislash @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Stance Change
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpA
Quiet Nature
- Shadow Ball
- Sacred Sword
- Wide Guard
- King's Shield

Thundurus @ Chesto Berry
Ability: Prankster
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 116 Def / 44 SpA / 68 SpD / 28 Spe
Calm Nature
- Thunderbolt
- Thunder Wave
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Rest

Terrakion @ Focus Sash
Ability: Justified
Level: 50
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Rock Slide
- Close Combat
- Taunt
- Protect

Explanation

I wanted to test out Mega Venusaur, hearing that it was a decent anti-meta option, and this is the result of those tests and I really like this team. A slight note going in, this team is very offensive and requires you to play aggressively in almost every situation, so bear that in mind when you're testing out. Venusaur is pretty straightforward, it takes on most special attackers without actually needing investment, and given how physical the current meta is maxing out its defense generally improves Venusaurs match-ups. The speed allows Venusaur to outspeed Adamant scarf landog in tailwind, which can be pretty clutch. This team actually was edited from a Mega Gyarados team, liking DD gyarados it stuck around. It's probably the least used member of the team but has a great rain match-up and can go up against sun decently well, so that's nice. Talonflame helps with the relatively low speed of the team so far with Tailwind and Priority. Decent late game to pick off weakened mons, or early game to match opposing early game tailwinds. Aegislash is a glue mon, Wide Guard helps with the fyling-types. Sitrus Berry is good on it, better than lefties if you aren't running sub. Sacred Sword helps with khan and t-tar. Thundurus is a good support, no taunt as Chesto Rest is really good and the HP Ice coverage is necessary. T-Wave is super important for the relatively poor Mega Mence match-up. Taunt Terrakion shuts down status mons, good coverage, focus sash is pretty clutch. Helps with the Khan match-up. this is super tl;dr so I hope it covers everything. If you got any questions on the team feel free to ask me.

 

[nitrodavid]

Aegislash with Levitate seams a bit broken.

 

[Laurel]

Aegislash with Levitate seams a bit broken.

Fixed that, thanks.

 

[Nelson Tangela]

What does the Thundurus' EV-spread in the opening post accomplish? I'm just curious because I've been trying to find a spread for my own Bold Thundurus for some time.

 

[nitrodavid]

consider having Wide Guard on Aegislash instead of Sub, Wide Guard stops Darkvoid, EQ, rock slide, Hypervoice, icy Wind (common on Milotic) and heat wave. Two of those which are super effective to Aegislash and all quite common in VGC.

 

[tofucocoa]

obviously the team(s) can be tweaked to suit your likings. this is not a RMT thread, and even if it were wide guard>sub is a subjective change!! (also wide guard doesn't stop dark void)

What does the Thundurus' EV-spread in the opening post accomplish? I'm just curious because I've been trying to find a spread for my own Bold Thundurus for some time.

i don't remember the calcs i did for it, but if i remember correctly, it can take an adamant double edge from kang without sitrus (for leftovers if i ever wanted it), LO latios draco meteor, and outspeeds jolly breloom.

 

[TheMantyke]

Someone suggested on IRC that I post my team here so here we go! I haven't gotten fully into the groove of things again yet so this team is pretty standard and a little rough around the edges. I encourage you to experiment with it.

Team

Kangaskhan @ Kangaskhanite
Ability: Scrappy
Level: 50
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Return
- Power-Up Punch
- Sucker Punch
- Fake Out

Rotom-Wash @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Levitate
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 44 Def / 180 SpA / 4 SpD / 28 Spe
Modest Nature
- Thunderbolt
- Hydro Pump
- Will-O-Wisp
- Reflect

Amoonguss @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Regenerator
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 204 Def / 52 SpD
Calm Nature
- Sludge Bomb
- Rage Powder
- Spore
- Protect

Hydreigon @ Choice Specs
Ability: Levitate
Level: 50
EVs: 28 HP / 36 Def / 236 SpA / 4 SpD / 204 Spe
Modest Nature
- Draco Meteor
- Dark Pulse
- Dragon Pulse
- Earth Power

Landorus-Therian @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Intimidate
Level: 50
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
- U-turn
- Superpower

Aegislash @ Spooky Plate
Ability: Stance Change
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpA
Quiet Nature
- Shadow Ball
- Sacred Sword
- Shadow Sneak
- King's Shield

Team Notes

• Team is mainly a sort of unit between Kangaskhan, Landorus, Hydreigon, and Aegislash with Rotom-w and Amoonguss coming in if certain pokemon are worrysome
• Kangaskhan + Hydreigon is pretty swell for protecting Hydreigon while it nukes something. Hydreigon and Aegislash have amazing switch in synergy; between the two of them, there's a resistance or immunity for every type in the game.
• Rotom-W's mainly for Talonflame or Rain teams. Amoonguss helps vs rain too and synergizes well with Kangaskhan.
• Hydreigon's EVs let it live Jolly Garchomp's Dragon Claw and outspeed 252 neutral nature Landorus-T. Rest is in Special Attack
• Rotom-W's EVs let it live Mega Mawhile's Play Rough with the rest in Special Attack. The Speed is to outrun other Rotoms.
• IIRC, Amoonguss's spread gives him his best overall bulk. I chose Sludge Bomb > Giga Drain because I value the hit on fairies and flying types more.

There's a lot to experiment with here! You ought to try out different movesets on Aegislash, Lando, and Kangaskhan. The whole team's EV spreads are pretty customizable too.

 

[brokestupidlonely]

consider having Wide Guard on Aegislash instead of Sub, Wide Guard stops Darkvoid, EQ, rock slide, Hypervoice, icy Wind (common on Milotic) and heat wave. Two of those which are super effective to Aegislash and all quite common in VGC.

Wideguard actually doesn't block Darkvoid. The rest of the post is valid.

 

[nitrodavid]

so i have also been using this team quite alot now, and the only brick wall is as you mentioned before Rain teams. More specifically Politoad/Mega-Swampert teams. when i get home from work im going to try and swap out Aegislash for Ferrothorn, as i think that should solve up the weakness in that match up. Additionally i swapped the assault vest for the standard choice scarf on Lando, because i was finding the most special attacks Landorus takes is Water/Ice and both of those 1 hit it anyway.

ill run some calc tonight with Entei, because i generally dont like running Rest in VGC because the loss of a turn will usually cost you the game seeing it its worth brining will-o-wisp and changing the chesto berry to a lum berry. so you at least get the advantage of being able to dodge a paralyze in-case they don't have a sleep inducing pokemon.

Whats Another Valid Move on Entei to replace Rest? shame it cant have Extreme speed in VGC unless they bring out an event during the year.

 

[Pyritie]

Whats Another Valid Move on Entei to replace Rest? shame it cant have Extreme speed in VGC unless they bring out an event during the year.

Will-O-Wisp, Snarl, or Iron Head maybe? Its movepool isn't very big. It also has Bulldoze if you want speed control but it also hits your partner so it's not very good.

There's always substitute, sleep talk, and swagger if you're desperate.

 

[qwerts]

Thundurus @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 HP / 128 Def / 92 SpD / 36 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 30 Def
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power Ice
- Taunt
- Thunder Wave

That's hp dragon iv's lol hp ice is 30 attack 30 def

 

[Xen]

That's hp dragon iv's lol hp ice is 30 attack 30 def

I think he didn't mention the Atk IV because it's already implied it needs to be even for HP Ice, and the Atk is largely irrelevant for Thundurus (so it doesn't need to specifically be 30)

Also, 0 Atk > 30/31 Atk in VGC, if the Pokemon in question isn't utilizing its attack stat

 

[Mymble]

Team

Venusaur @ Venusaurite
Ability: Chlorophyll
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 196 Def / 60 Spe
Bold Nature
- Giga Drain
- Sludge Bomb
- Leech Seed
- Protect

Gyarados @ Lum Berry
Ability: Intimidate
Level: 50
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Waterfall
- Stone Edge
- Dragon Dance
- Protect

Talonflame @ Life Orb
Ability: Gale Wings
Level: 50
EVs: 220 Atk / 36 SpA / 252 Spe
Naughty Nature
- Brave Bird
- Overheat
- Tailwind
- Protect

Aegislash @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Stance Change
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpA
Quiet Nature
- Shadow Ball
- Sacred Sword
- Wide Guard
- King's Shield

Thundurus @ Chesto Berry
Ability: Prankster
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 116 Def / 44 SpA / 68 SpD / 28 Spe
Calm Nature
- Thunderbolt
- Thunder Wave
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Rest

Terrakion @ Focus Sash
Ability: Justified
Level: 50
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Rock Slide
- Close Combat
- Taunt
- Protect

Explanation

I wanted to test out Mega Venusaur, hearing that it was a decent anti-meta option, and this is the result of those tests and I really like this team. A slight note going in, this team is very offensive and requires you to play aggressively in almost every situation, so bear that in mind when you're testing out. Venusaur is pretty straightforward, it takes on most special attackers without actually needing investment, and given how physical the current meta is maxing out its defense generally improves Venusaurs match-ups. The speed allows Venusaur to outspeed Adamant scarf landog in tailwind, which can be pretty clutch. This team actually was edited from a Mega Gyarados team, liking DD gyarados it stuck around. It's probably the least used member of the team but has a great rain match-up and can go up against sun decently well, so that's nice. Talonflame helps with the relatively low speed of the team so far with Tailwind and Priority. Decent late game to pick off weakened mons, or early game to match opposing early game tailwinds. Aegislash is a glue mon, Wide Guard helps with the fyling-types. Sitrus Berry is good on it, better than lefties if you aren't running sub. Sacred Sword helps with khan and t-tar. Thundurus is a good support, no taunt as Chesto Rest is really good and the HP Ice coverage is necessary. T-Wave is super important for the relatively poor Mega Mence match-up. Taunt Terrakion shuts down status mons, good coverage, focus sash is pretty clutch. Helps with the Khan match-up. this is super tl;dr so I hope it covers everything. If you got any questions on the team feel free to ask me.

 

[Zaffos]

I'll add my team in too. I don't think it's the best team, but it can work if you know how to use it well.

Team

Hide

Salamence @ Salamencite
Ability: Intimidate
Level: 50
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Double-Edge
- Earthquake
- Protect

Amoonguss @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Regenerator
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
- Spore
- Rage Powder
- Giga Drain
- Protect

Gengar @ Focus Sash
Ability: Levitate
Level: 50
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Sludge Bomb
- Icy Wind
- Will-O-Wisp
- Taunt

Rotom-Wash @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Levitate
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 100 SpA / 148 SpD / 4 Spe
Calm Nature
- Hydro Pump
- Thunderbolt
- Will-O-Wisp
- Protect

Sylveon @ Life Orb
Ability: Pixilate
Level: 50
EVs: 228 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpA / 12 SpD / 12 Spe
Modest Nature
- Hyper Voice
- Shadow Ball
- Helping Hand
- Protect

Heatran @ Leftovers
Ability: Flash Fire
Level: 50
EVs: 140 HP / 252 SpA / 116 Spe
Modest Nature
- Heat Wave
- Earth Power
- Substitute
- Protect

Explanation

Hide

The main idea of this team is to put the support mons in first to wear down the opponent and let the more offensive mons sweep/cause havoc, but it can work in other ways too. For example, Amoonguss can help weaken the enemy team by sporing it and rage powdering, allowing the other support mons (Gengar and Rotom-W) to Will-O-Wisp or Taunt, but Amoonguss can also work alongside Mega Salamence by Rage Powdering attacks away and allowing Mence to Dragon Dance or Double-Edge a target. Mainly, Salamence, Heatran, and occasionally Sylveon are my late-game cleaners, but Heatran and Sylveon are definitely good at preparing for Mence's sweep beforehand. Heatran can tear away at the opponent with STAB Heat Wave, while Sylveon can use Helping Hand in order for Gengar, Rotom-W, and Heatran to hit harder, therefore killing or weakening threats to Mega Mence.

 

[leremyju]

MMeta Tailwind

importable

BRINGDARUCKUS (Metagross) @ Metagrossite
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 76 HP / 252 Atk / 180 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Meteor Mash
- Zen Headbutt
- Substitute
- Protect

Doge. (Suicune) @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP / 108 Def / 116 SpA / 4 SpD / 28 Spe
Modest Nature
- Scald
- Ice Beam
- Tailwind
- Snarl

3HEADS5U (Hydreigon) (F) @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 84 HP / 252 SpA / 172 Spe
Timid Nature
- Dark Pulse
- Draco Meteor
- Tailwind
- Protect

Dog. (Sylveon) (F) @ Choice Specs
Ability: Pixilate
EVs: 180 HP / 252 SpA / 76 Spe
Modest Nature
- Hyper Voice
- Psyshock
- Hidden Power [Ground]
- Hyper Beam

DRAGONBALLZ (Charizard) (M) @ Charizardite Y
Ability: Blaze
Level: 50
EVs: 132 HP / 64 Def / 164 SpA / 148 Spe
Modest Nature
- Heat Wave
- Overheat
- Solar Beam
- Protect

Landoge. (Landorus-Therian) (M) @ Focus Sash
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
- U-turn
- Protect

explanation

Charizard Y and Mega Metagross are great megas and it is situtational on which one you pick. Both are excellent fairy checks and it depends on whether the opponent has thins like Bisharp, Gengar, opposing weather, etc.. to make your choice. This team focuses some more on bulk and to boost the middling speed of the team with tailwind. Tailwind Suicune is not hte only option, Hydreigon can bring a nasty surprise with its own tailwind. The team can be walled by Heatran, which is why we have a Landorus-T. Pokemon like Bulky Sub MMeta, Bulky ZardY and Specs Sylveon have an easier time under tailwind, once it is up, start playing very aggressively

 

[Mymble]

Team

Latios @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
Level: 50
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Draco Meteor
- Psyshock
- Tailwind
- Protect

Kangaskhan @ Kangaskhanite
Ability: Scrappy
Level: 50
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Fake Out
- Return
- Sucker Punch
- Low Kick

Aegislash @ Leftovers
Ability: Stance Change
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 148 SpA / 108 Spe
Modest Nature
- Shadow Ball
- Flash Cannon
- Wide Guard
- King's Shield

Politoed @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Drizzle
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 176 Def / 76 SpA / 4 Spe
Bold Nature
- Scald
- Ice Beam
- Encore
- Protect

Ludicolo @ Assault Vest
Ability: Swift Swim
Level: 50
EVs: 116 HP / 252 SpA / 140 Spe
Modest Nature
- Scald
- Giga Drain
- Ice Beam
- Fake Out

Talonflame @ Choice Band
Ability: Gale Wings
Level: 50
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Brave Bird
- Flare Blitz
- U-turn
- Will-O-Wisp

Explanation

Pretty straight forward rain team. I was building around a Mega Kangaskhan and Latios core, they provide Fake Out and Tailwind support respectively. The two work well together due to their relatively high Speed, and very high damage output which covers both the physical and special spectrum. Latios' STAB coverage is decent enough to be supported by the rest of the team. Low Kick on Kangaskhan provides more utility in the OHKOs it picks up rather than the boosts from Power-Up Punch given the extremely offensive nature of the team. Aegislash is pretty straight forward other than the Speed. Flash Cannon is used instead of Sacred Sword because a quiet nature can't be run with this much Speed investment. If you want to run more Special Attack instead of the HP investment that's your choice. The Speed allows you to nab KOs onto weakened Scizors and outspeed Scarf Tyranitar in Tailwind. If you want to run less Speed again that is your decision. Pretty standard defensive Politoed, both Scald and Ice Beam can OHKO Landorus-T, they require the same amount of investment in Special Attack. Encore shuts down Pokemon reliant on support moves, Aegislash and Cresselia mainly. Helping Hand can be run over Ice Beam, it's a personal choice for you to make. Ludicolo can be run more defensively with a spread of 164 HP / 140 Def / 60 SpA / 4 SpD / 140 Spe with a Bold nature, the bulkier spread helps take on Mega Mawile and Mega Metagross. Ludicolo isn't that complex, the Speed is for Scarf Landorus-T in rain. Then Special Attack is maxed out, the remaining just went into HP to help Ludicolo's poorer Defense while not neglecting Special Defense. Ludicolo doesn't need to be brought alongside Politoed every time, the bulkier spread is better outside of rain or playing against opposing rain than the offensive variant. Choice Band Talonflame is a staple on rain, it handles the Grass-types that are problematic to rain, while Flare Blitz can take on Steel-types. Feel free to ask any questions on the team.

Some Good leads are:

+

+

+

+

+

These aren't the only ways you can lead, but they are the most common ways I find myself leading.

 

[tofucocoa]

repost from a thread that never took off

team

explanation - long

a team i basically netdecked from user: 13Random37 because i'm a useless scrub and blaziken is one of my favorite pokemon. I didn't know the exact sets he used save for his Blaziken set, so I just went with some sets I had in my box/sets I wanted to use. I bred the Blaziken especially for this team, though.

I haven't been active on battle spot at all recently, but I battled consistently for a few days and got a pretty good win/loss record to show for it. I don't remember seeing many rain teams, though one I did face used Life Orb and Protect Ludicolo instead of the Assault Vest set people like to use, which put in a lot of work and was one of my losses. I distinctly remember two losses because of Overheat misses, but if I didn't want to miss I'd use Flamethrower, I guess. The other losses were just me getting outplayed, though Mega Gengar was a big problem since my Landorus wasn't scarfed and Gengar didn't have Shadow Ball.

As for meta trends... I'm not too sure because I didn't take notes. I'm going to try to get myself to take more notes once I build a few of my own teams (yes, it's months into the season and I still haven't built teams I'm comfortable with...), but I do remember seeing a lot of Terrakion and slightly more Cresselia.

I'm not too happy with the Gengar and Landorus sets. I didn't bring landog for the vast majority of my games, and when I did, he was just an Intimidate bot. I found his bulk to be somewhat lacking even with an Assault Vest especially since I liked to switch it in, which chipped at its health badly (maybe I'm setting my standards too high here, though). Choice Scarf probably would've been more useful, especially against Charizard.

Gengar didn't really use Icy Wind too often and there were a few odd situations where I wanted to conserve it but didn't have great switch-ins, so I think I'll stick Protect in that slot if I pull this team out again. The team didn't really need Icy Wind speed control except for Landorus, and Blaziken pretty much did its own thing and didn't need any support outside of getting rid of Talonflame and Thundurus. I don't regret not having Shadow Ball too much since it's nice to hit Sylveon and such and Pokemon that I'd want to use Shadow Ball on are matchups I probably wasn't going to win with Gengar anyway like Heatran, Aegislash, etc. I don't think I ever wanted to finish something off with Shadow Ball/Gengar in general either, since I always led with it and it usually died at around turn 2.

Sylveon was Sylveon. I might try out a Pixie Plate set so I could use Protect to conserve it better, but as long as it could get one Hyper Voice off, I considered its job done. I used Hyper Beam a few times and KO'd a Suicune early, so it was a great filler move. Rotom-W was pretty much necessary for Talonflame. I think I used a spread of something like 252 HP / 76 SpA / 36 SpD / enough Speed to hit 112 so I could Will-O-Wisp Jolly Kangaskhan after Icy Wind, which never happened, with the rest in Defense and with a Calm nature. I haven't been too impressed with Rotom-W based on past experiences, but it most definitely pulled its weight on this team. I didn't use Will-O-Wisp all that often though, so maybe Thunder Wave would've worked a little better and helped Sylveon a little more.

Kangaskhan and Blaziken were the MVPs. I never really liked Fake Out Kangaskhan since it was often really easy to get rid of it. People often use Low Kick over PUP nowadays as well, and I think a lot of my setups were a result of people forgetting how hard +2 Kangaskhan hits. Anyway, I used a bulkier, Adamant Kangaskhan with enough Speed to hit 126 Speed, which speed creeps things speed creeping Bisharp, but otherwise I made the spread months ago so I don't really know specifics outside of the little super training graph that shows mostly HP and Attack investment, so it could be optimized. Protect Kangaskhan has definitely been my favorite way to use it though, because after a Power-Up Punch opponents would aggressively target kang and often get their turns wasted. I didn't try to bluff Fake Out either since I figure showing Protect makes switching in Sylveon and such easier without the threat of people double-targeting that slot. Otherwise, we all know how kang plays. Use Power-Up Punch more though people! Low Kick may get quick KOs but PUP creates easier overall win conditions.

Blaziken was probably only picked half of the time, but was still great every time I did bring it. It packs its own speed control, OHKOs top threats (namely Landorus and Terrakion), and looks cool while doing it. It was also my team's method of OHKOing Kangaskhan, which is probably something all teams should be able to do. Not having Fake Out on Kangaskhan kinda forced me to use Protect for Speed Boost, but double protecting was usually no big deal, especially since Blaziken would sometimes outrun tailwind setups when left unchecked, which was usually the result of people expecting fully physical Blaziken and leaving it alone after an Intimidate. I ran two stat reducing moves since, like Gengar, it tends to get KO'd quickly even if it puts in a lot of work in the few turns that it's active and Blaziken needs power, Fire Blast misses (Overheat does that enough already), High Jump Kick sucks, and Low Kick doesn't do as much to Rotom-W and can't KO Kangaskhan as easily. Sometimes running both Superpower and Overheat made me reveal Hidden Power Ice earlier than I'd like, but it didn't hurt me as much as it probably would've in a best of 3 set. Also, U-Turning into Blaziken doesn't give it a Speed Boost, and has made me weep gently into my pillow on many an occasion.

 

[ProjectTitan313]

High Jump Kick sucks

Real men use HJK. Been running Reckless HJK Mienshao for months, and have accumulated a total of:

2 Ghost switchins
1 Protect
2 largely irrelevant misses

As for the number of Garchomp, Suicune, Rotom-W, Rotom-H, MegaKhan, Conkeldurr, Milotic, and even Sylveon creamed, I have lost count. PuP Khan is good, I agree there; but people be hatin' on HJK and its godly 2HKO power ;P
252 Atk Life Orb Reckless Mienshao High Jump Kick vs. 56 HP / 200 Def Sylveon: 92-109 (51.9 - 61.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

I really want to try Blaziken + Crobat. Quick Guard and Haze offer so much utility for Blaziken, and Super Fang/Brave Bird damage puts a lot of things in a lot of danger.

Will post my team later. Can't do PS! importable because I don't play simulators.

 

[Nelson Tangela]

Isn't Haze kind of counterproductive with a Blaziken?

Well I guess you could reset your Overheat and Superpower stat drops, but you'd lose your speed boosts as well...

 

[ProjectTitan313]

Isn't Haze kind of counterproductive with a Blaziken?

Well I guess you could reset your Overheat and Superpower stat drops, but you'd lose your speed boosts as well...

And this is why I should not think of "cool pokemon ideas" when tired. Make that just "Blaziken + Quick Guard" then ._.

Und now, on topic post time yay!

Team

Charizard @ Charizardite-Y
Modest, 156 HP, 92 Def, 220 Sp. Atk, 4 Sp. Def, 36 Speed
Ability: Blaze → Drought

- Heat Wave
- Protect
- Solarbeam
- Ancientpower

Venusaur @ Venusaurite
Modest, 156 HP, 4 Def, 244 Sp. Atk, 12 Sp. Def, 92 Speed
Ability: Chlorophyll → Thick Fat

- Giga Drain
- Protect
- Sleeep Powder
- Sludge Bomb

Mienshao @ Focus Sash
Jolly, 252 Atk, 4 Sp. Def, 252 Speed
Ability: Reckless

- High Jump Kick
- Quick Guard
- Fake Out
- Rock Slide

Aegislash @ Leftovers
Modest, 252 HP, 4 Def, 172 Sp. Atk, 4 Sp. Def, 76 Speed

- Shadow Ball
- King's Shield
- Substitute
- Flash Cannon

Swampert @ Life Orb
Modest, 188 HP, 4 Def, 236 Sp. Atk, 4 Sp. Def, 76 Speed
Ability: Torrent

- Muddy Water
- Wide Guard
- Ice Beam
- Earth Power

Mandibuzz @ Sitrus Berry
Calm, 188 HP, 124 Def, 4 Sp. Atk, 172 Sp. Def, 20 Speed
Ability: Overcoat

- Snarl
- Tailwind
- Roost
- Foul Play

long-winded esplain

Prepare for trouble... and make it double.
Char-Y + Mega Venusaur (MegaSaur from here on out) is a solid double Mega core choice, even though Venusaur is the only one that functions non-Mega. It's also one that I feel is simple enough for people to use as an introduction to double mega teams.
The team is very heavy on the special side, which is quite odd in metagame filled with plenty of brutal physical attackers - but still beneficial.
Another quirk is that it's rather middling in speed. No Scarf user, no Priority (Fake Out, but eh) and aside from Mienshao, everything on the team is outrun by max Speed Adamant Gyarados. I'm thinking most people aren't used to slow, non-TR teams.
The team functions on its bulk and power, along with shock-trooper surprise tactics. Tailwind is vital, patching the team's main flaw.

Charizard is bulky - enough to tank Timid Mega Manectric's Thunderbolt (and by extension, nearly any unboosted Thunderbolt) on the Special side and Jolly Lum Berry Garchomp's Rock Slide on the Physical side. The Speed creeps the popular 252 Speed Adamant Bisharp/Breloom/Metagross benchmark by a few points, to outpace things like BulkyKhan and Mega TTar. The remainder is a heavy investment to Sp. Atk, reaching a gargantuan 227 Sp. Atk stat that outright demolishes nearly anything in your path. Moveset is standard, Heat Wave for insanely strong spread STAB, Protect because this is Doubles and Char-Y is a huge threat that attracts attacks, Solarbeam because fuck Water types. Ancientpower is a hugely underused move - less than 10% of Charizard run it based on PGL. But it acts as a silver bullet for opposing Char-Y and Talonflame, while nailing Gyarados and Salamence for good damage. Also, a +1 everything Char-Y = gg. Its been amazing.

Venusaur acts as either a Chlorophyll boosted Sleep Powder spammer, or a bulky, powerful MegaSaur when Team Preview says "Oh, Talonflame is the only thing hitting MegaSaur SE? Sucks to be this guy, whee~ ". Either way, it's the biggest dick of the group and loves to wave it around. Sleep Powder and Protect create plenty of free turns for Char-Y, Aegislash, Mienshao, or even MegaSaur to get a few cheap shots in. Giga drain and Sludge Bomb are obvious STAB, EVs outrun Scarf Hydreigon in Sun or Mega+Tailwind, max Sp. Atk, rest in HP for MegaSaur's bulk. Simple, yo.

Swampy, based off the Expert Belt set, runs LO and Muddy Water to dramatically increase its usual damage output - especially on neutral hits. The Speed EVs are just enough to outrun max Speed Incarnate Thunry/Tornadus, and by extension, the many Pokemon below it such as Gengar, Latios, Terrakion, Pyroar, Garchomp, etc. Ice Beam + Earth Power have amazing coverage, nailing Zapdos, Thundurus, Aegislash, Lando-T, every Fire type in the game bar Char-Y, (Mega) Salamence, Garchomp, Terrakion, Talonflame, Tyranitar, and a ton of other shit. Notice how almost that entire list threatens Char-Y? Swampy also masterfully covers Rock and is immune to Electric, with no Ice weakness either - so fuck your BoltBeam Thundy/Zapdos. Wide Guard adds a further layer of support, stopping powerful Spread attackers like Lando-T, Garchomp, Sylveon, and Char-Y dead in their tracks. Not only is he a great switch for Char-Y, Swampy is also amazing standing next to it. Also helps MegaSaur by beating down a few Flying types.

Mienshao is a bit of an odd case - for the sake of a "pick up and use" team, replace with Terrakion. Mienshao is a high risk, high reward niche pick that is not noob-friendly.
She's also zelously determined to becmoe the HBIC of the team. Her job is very specific: snapping bones with her foot. As the sole physical attacker, she puts a unique pressure on the foe; something I lke to call Protect Pressure. Mienshao is a well-known Fake Out user, and Fake Out is pretty much always a free turn. Whether its through a flinch, Protect, or fearful switch, your foe loses a turn. And sometimes, all you need is that small, crucial turn to have your partner turn the tides. Being faster than MegaKhan, it can Fake Out first in many matchups. After that, Mienshao is often in a terrifying advantage: if they Protect the Fake Out, they're wide open for a brutal HJK. If they don't Protect, then they probably just wasted a turn and ate an attack. Alive? Probably in HJK range. Dead? next victim plz. Quick Guard trolls Talonflame, Prankster, and Sucker Punches. Rock Slide is basically only there for Char-Y and "see if he protects". Sash because, well, 65/60/60 'bulk'. And guarenteeing a hit is grand, often netting Mienshao a second HJK. Which is cool, since it 2HKO's a HUGE number of things, with a staggering 234 base power. Fast, deadly, and great support all in one. Thanks to Terrakion, Mienshao has a surprise factor with Quick Guard.

Aegislash is just amazing. Ghost is easily the best offensive typing in the game, its not like Normal types exist outside of Kangaskhan and Dark is uncommon at best. This may sound odd, but Aegislash's EVs are based off Swampert's - hits the same Speed benchmark, just maxed HP over Sp. Atk. Sub Aegislash is a well-known set from VGC14 that has lost popularity, not only from Aegislash steadily losing ground since VGC14 (going so far as to drop off the top 12 in Season 8 of BS Doubles; though it's currently #12 in place of Rotom-W now) and the increased use of Wide Guard + Weakness Policy Aegislash to combat threats such as Lando-T, Char-Y, and Sylveon. Substitute makes Aegislash extremely dangerous, as it allows you to set up on Protect, switchins, and foes that are walled - all very common positions for Aegislash. Once behind a Sub, it becomes a terrible game for the foe, as Aegislash can either draw attacks and block them via King's Shield, or get free attacks without fearing incoming hits. It is often effective to set up Sub in Blade form - most people will actually ignore Aegislash in Blade form, expecting you to hold to Aegislash's usual tactic of "Attack -> shield -> attack -> shield". Thanks to the higher than usual Speed investment, it also beats every common Aegislash variant by virtue of Subbing before getting hit. Aegislash is a vital member here: a strong Rock resist, Terrakion counter, and covers Flying/Psychic for MegaSaur, forming part of my MegaSaur+Aegislash+Mandibuzz defensive backbone. It also smashes the vast majority of TR inducers as almost all are hit SE by Ghost or Steel (Porygon2/Z, Girafarig, Audino, Klinklang, and Kecleon are neutral - but Mienshao decimates them anyway). All in all, Aegislash fills a unique defensive and offensive role that nothing else even comes close to matching.

Mandibuzz is, beyond all doubt, the most obscure and niche member of the team. If you want to 'pick up and play', I'd suggest Zapdos as your Tailwind mon.
I once tried adding the Aegislash + Hydreigon combo to my team, to compliment the double Mega core. Hydreigon faltered in nearly any matchup, but I truly feel that the problem was not Hydreigon; it was Speed. My team had no Tailwind, and while Hydreigon can actually set that up, it is rather bad at doing it. For a time, I struggled to find a good Tailwind user. Something bulky, something that didn't stack a bunch of weaknesses, and could do something other than use Tailwind. Togekiss could do nothing to Talonflame, Whimsicott added so many weaknesses and Talonflame issues its funny, Tornadus proved hard to obtain and still Talonflame weak... Suicune was crippled in Sunlight, and was redundant along Swampy.
Then came an epiphany: my favorite Gen 5 Pokemon just so happened to get Tailwind. It also held insane bulk, and looking at the typing she only really adds a Rock weakness which is pretty well covered. It pairs with Aegislash amazingly on defense, resisting Ground+Dark+Ghost and not weak to Fire. Then the gears began to spin: I actually had a legit reason to use my buzzard baby in a metagame it never even thought of. That's right kids, Mandibuzz actually does something other than Defog.
Snarl adds chip damage, and quickly destroys opposing Special attackers - and my team has rather high Sp. Def overall (Mienshao is the only thing with less than 100/90 Special bulk) so it puts me at a great advantage against most basically any special attacker. Tailwind is obvious, doubling my team's speed to crucial, high levels. Roost, combined with Sitrus berry and Mandy's awesome 110/105/95 bulk and Snarl means she sticks around a long time to set Tailwind repeatedly in longer matches, and she's also absurdly difficult to 2HKO or OHKO without a Mega Mawile, Sylveon, or Specs Thundy-T. Foul Play allows her to actually 2HKO MegaKhan, Lando-T, Aegislash, Talonflame, MegaGross, and just about every threat to MegaSaur and Aegislash. So far... she's surprised and impressed both me and many foes, and never let me down.

tl;dr pick your Mega and blast shit until somebody loses. If you aren't used to specialized, niche picks just switch Mienshao -> Terrakion and Mandibuzz -> Zapdos, you don't lose much overall.

 

[Synral]

i could see you having real issues with trick room; half of your team doesn't have protect, which makes it hard to stall out the turns

 

[ProjectTitan313]

i could see you having real issues with trick room; half of your team doesn't have protect, which makes it hard to stall out the turns

Yes, but TR doesn't seem that common to me on battle spot. Luckily, my team is pretty bulky so taking a hit isn't too horrifying. Mienshao, leave it behind. Swampy, yeah, kinda not well off. Mandibuzz, really bulky and doesn't really need Protect. Like Cresselia. MegaSaur and Aegislash stall a lot of turns though. Sleep Powder, sometimes Fake Out, and Aegislash itself threatens TR inducers. But yes, a well made TR team would probably beat me pretty bad but no team is pefect :P

 

[Darkmalice]

Someone suggested on IRC that I post my team here so here we go! I haven't gotten fully into the groove of things again yet so this team is pretty standard and a little rough around the edges. I encourage you to experiment with it.

Team

Kangaskhan @ Kangaskhanite
Ability: Scrappy
Level: 50
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Return
- Power-Up Punch
- Sucker Punch
- Fake Out

Rotom-Wash @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Levitate
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 44 Def / 180 SpA / 4 SpD / 28 Spe
Modest Nature
- Thunderbolt
- Hydro Pump
- Will-O-Wisp
- Reflect

Amoonguss @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Regenerator
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 204 Def / 52 SpD
Calm Nature
- Sludge Bomb
- Rage Powder
- Spore
- Protect

Hydreigon @ Choice Specs
Ability: Levitate
Level: 50
EVs: 28 HP / 36 Def / 236 SpA / 4 SpD / 204 Spe
Modest Nature
- Draco Meteor
- Dark Pulse
- Dragon Pulse
- Earth Power

Landorus-Therian @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Intimidate
Level: 50
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
- U-turn
- Superpower

Aegislash @ Spooky Plate
Ability: Stance Change
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpA
Quiet Nature
- Shadow Ball
- Sacred Sword
- Shadow Sneak
- King's Shield

Team Notes

• Team is mainly a sort of unit between Kangaskhan, Landorus, Hydreigon, and Aegislash with Rotom-w and Amoonguss coming in if certain pokemon are worrysome
• Kangaskhan + Hydreigon is pretty swell for protecting Hydreigon while it nukes something. Hydreigon and Aegislash have amazing switch in synergy; between the two of them, there's a resistance or immunity for every type in the game.
• Rotom-W's mainly for Talonflame or Rain teams. Amoonguss helps vs rain too and synergizes well with Kangaskhan.
• Hydreigon's EVs let it live Jolly Garchomp's Dragon Claw and outspeed 252 neutral nature Landorus-T. Rest is in Special Attack
• Rotom-W's EVs let it live Mega Mawhile's Play Rough with the rest in Special Attack. The Speed is to outrun other Rotoms.
• IIRC, Amoonguss's spread gives him his best overall bulk. I chose Sludge Bomb > Giga Drain because I value the hit on fairies and flying types more.

There's a lot to experiment with here! You ought to try out different movesets on Aegislash, Lando, and Kangaskhan. The whole team's EV spreads are pretty customizable too.

I've tried a similar team on Doubles OU with the exact 6 Pokemon.

I am wondering how you handle Amoonguss? That seems to be a glaring factor for this team, as nothing on your team enjoys facing it. The best you can do is try to damage it as quickly as possible with Hydriegon's Draco Meteor and either Lando-T, Aegislash or Kang, but that's iffy because it requires two teammates (which means Protect can screw it over), Amoonguss' partner can do whatever it wants, and forced SpA drop, not to neglect that you may not be able to KO Amoonguss in one turn anyways (either that or Mega Kang incurs Rocky Helmet and DE recoil).

 

[ck49]

So I got the chance to particip4ate in Nugget Bridge's Major, and went 9-0 before losing in the top 64 with this team. It also got me to the finals of Smogon's VGC tournament a while back. I've been using it since the start of the format, and it's getting a little out of date (and repetitive). Feel free to try it out, since I'm personally retiring it.

Kangaskhan (F) @ Kangaskhanite
Ability: Scrappy
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Fake Out
- Sucker Punch
- Return
- Power-Up Punch

Standard Kangaskhan from VGC14. I didn't change her from my team from last year. I don't like the recoil of double edge, since Kang is pretty bulky on its own. I considered switching to Low Kick, but I also enjoyed PUP shenanigans. I run max speed Jolly because there are too many base 100 pokemon to allow yourself to get outsped by them. Every other team has a Kang or Charizard, and knowing that I will, at worst, speed tie with them is very very good to know.

Bisharp @ Focus Sash
Ability: Defiant
Level: 50
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Knock Off
- Iron Head
- Sucker Punch
- Protect

Standard Bisharp. I run a lot of physical attackers, so having a defiant user is important.

Talonflame @ Life Orb
Ability: Gale Wings
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Brave Bird
- Flare Blitz
- Protect
- Tailwind

Talonflame has dropped in usage this format, and I think it's role on the team has diminished over time. Tailwind is my only speed control. Furthermore, dealing with Venusaur, Ludicolo, and Ferrothorn is huge for this team. I still run Flare Blitz over Overheat because I can use Flare Blitz multiple times and because Flare Blitz is a better neutral move than Brave Bird if you know you outspeed your opponents anyways, because of the chance to burn.

Sylveon @ Choice Specs
Ability: Pixilate
Level: 50
EVs: 182 HP / 252 SpA / 76 Spe
Modest Nature
- Hyper Voice
- Shadow Ball
- Quick Attack
- Hyper Beam

Sylveon is still really good. A lot of people run a spread to survive Kang return or double edge. However, enough people run double edge that suriving return isn't worth it. Surviving double edge means you lose a lot of attacking power and speed. The speed EVs let me outspeed Terrakion and other base 108's after a tailwind. A lot of people rely on outspeeding Sylveon to KO it, so behind tailwind it can sweep teams on it's own. I don't like running coverage moves when more often than not I'd rather not be locked into them. Quick Attack has proved invaluable to finish games off. Hyper Beam can OHKO pretty much anything. Shadow ball is the best coverage move overall. I don't regret not running HP ground or psyshock at all.

Rotom-Wash @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Levitate
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 48 Def / 36 SpA / 24 SpD / 148 Spe
Modest Nature
- Thunderbolt
- Hydro Pump
- Will-O-Wisp
- Protect

Rotom-W stops a lot of things. I got this spread from someone's VGC14 analysis, and never bothered to change the spread. Its fast enough to outspeed (iirc) Adamant Bisharp. It also remains very bulky. Will-o-wisp is huge, but misses a little too much, seemingly moreso than Hydro Pump.

Landorus-Therian @ Assault Vest
Ability: Intimidate
Level: 50
EVs: 68 HP / 252 Atk / 188 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Rock Slide
- Earthquake
- Superpower
- Knock Off

I love Assault Vest Lando-T. It can take stray ice beams, which surprises people. It also is still extremely powerful on its own. With Intimidate, it has good physical bulk. I can't remember what the EV spread does, but the attacks are pretty standard. I think this set is better than choiced Lando-T most of the time.


At the time of making this team, these were 6 of the 7 most commonly used pokemon. Some of them have dropped since then, but the team has stayed solid. It's biggest weakness is it's lack of taunt user. I never had a problem with TR teams because Scrappy Kang and Bisharp can usually KO their set-up pokemon. Similarly, rain teams were never a problem thanks to Talonflame. However, Amoongus and Smeargle caused huge problems. Usually a lead of Kang/Flame can scare them away, but a good team with either of those can deal with my team fairly well. Beyond that, the lack of big holes made it tough to beat. I opted for speed over bulk usually, and that paid off, especially if you are aggressive with predictions in Bo3.


Here's an importable version. Go wild!

Hide

Kangaskhan (F) @ Kangaskhanite
Ability: Scrappy
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Fake Out
- Sucker Punch
- Return
- Power-Up Punch

Bisharp @ Focus Sash
Ability: Defiant
Level: 50
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Knock Off
- Iron Head
- Sucker Punch
- Protect

Talonflame @ Life Orb
Ability: Gale Wings
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Brave Bird
- Flare Blitz
- Protect
- Tailwind

Sylveon @ Choice Specs
Ability: Pixilate
Level: 50
EVs: 182 HP / 252 SpA / 76 Spe
Modest Nature
- Hyper Voice
- Shadow Ball
- Quick Attack
- Hyper Beam

Rotom-Wash @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Levitate
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 48 Def / 36 SpA / 24 SpD / 148 Spe
Modest Nature
- Thunderbolt
- Hydro Pump
- Will-O-Wisp
- Protect

Landorus-Therian @ Assault Vest
Ability: Intimidate
Level: 50
EVs: 68 HP / 252 Atk / 188 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Rock Slide
- Earthquake
- Superpower
- Knock Off

 

[TheMantyke]

So lucariojr thought it'd be cool to post the teams we used at regionals here. I ended up going 6-2 in swiss and bubbling out of top cut at #20. lucariojr ended up going 7-1 in swiss and made it to top 8. Here's my team, hopes you guys find it enjoyable!

TEAM HEAVY METAL HORSES

I'm pretty satisfied with the team! It struggles against a few things (fire types with sub) but it put in work vs near everything else. A big thanks to Harrison Sayler who got me interested in the Clefairy / Metagross / Breloom core this team was originally centered around and lucariojr and Jio for helping me refine the team into this.

Clefairy @ Eviolite
Ability: Friend Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 172 Def / 20 SpA / 60 SpD / 4 Spe
Bold Nature
- Follow Me
- Helping Hand
- Moonblast
- Protect

I've wanted to use a Friend Guard user since back in 2012. It's nice there's finally a viable user out there. Clefairy's EVs are the same ones on site and let it live Adamant Mega Kangaskhan's Double Edge at full health among other things like Adamant Bisharp's Iron Head. It worked nicely to protect the frailer, more offensively inclined members of the team like Virizion and Hydreigon. Metagross also liked using it for subs.

Metagross @ Metagrossite
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Meteor Mash
- Ice Punch
- Substitute
- Protect

Mega Metagross with a sub is pretty intimidating and Clefairy makes it pretty easy to get one. I changed Zen Headbutt to Ice Punch really late into play testing since I was running into a whole lot of Landorus-T and Salamence. It was an iffy choice since it leaves Metagross open vs Fire and Water-types and I'm not sure it was the best choice for the regional in the end. I had gotten really fond of Substitute and Ice Punch and got risky and really meta specific picking both. Still, Metagross came in for 7/8 games and was a really valuable asset with Iron Head and Sub alone.

Virizion @ Life Orb
Ability: Justified
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Leaf Blade
- Close Combat
- Stone Edge
- Protect

Virizion was probably the star of the show that day. There were a whole lot of sand teams in Georgia and Virizon did terrifically vs them. I found myself very often setting things up for Virizion to do work with Clefairy to defend him. It's also probably the most uncommon Pokemon on the team (which is weird given there's a NFE) but it's nothing super weird.

This team originally revolved around a core of Metagross, Clefairy, and Breloom, Clefairy and Breloom working together on the premise of Breloom being able to spore saftely. I talked the team over with lucariojr and jio and they weren't the biggest fan based on how frail, slow, and rng dependant breloom was and suggested this as a similar alternative. I was hooked after a few games. Virizion's a really cool anti meta Pokemon. It deals with Kangaskhan, Rotom-W, Suicune, and helps with rain and sun (Virizion can't be slept by Venusaur and can outspeed and OHKO Charizard with Stone Edge).

Suicune @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP / 156 Def / 76 SpA / 4 SpD / 20 Spe
Bold Nature
- Tailwind
- Scald
- Ice Beam
- Protect

Suicune works really well with Metagross and Virizion, giving them a speed boost and taking out Fire-types and Landorus. The EVs are the same as on site and allow Suicune to outspeed Landorus-T under Tailwind and OHKO it with Ice Beam. The rest was dumped into defense. Suicune was a pretty rad Pokemon for this team, opening up and closing out games on Tailwind.

Rotom-H @ Expert Belt
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 108 HP / 252 SpA / 148 Spe
Modest Nature
- Overheat
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power
- Protect

Rotom-H kicks off the "techs" section; the above four were kind of the main core and these two filled in for certain match ups. The team wasn't too comfortable vs Amoonguss or Steel-types that resist Fighting and could use some levitating Pokemon. Rotom-H did that and gave me a load of really synergetic resistances to switch into. The EVs here let it outspeed max speed neutral natured base 70s (namely politoed and bisharp). Special Attack's maxed and the rest is dumped into HP

Hydreigon @ Choice Specs
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Draco Meteor
- Dark Pulse
- Earth Power
- Fire Blast

Hydreigon rounded out the team. I needed ways to dent Cresselia, Aegislash, and Gengar and wanted to complete the Fairy - Dragon - Steel core. Hydreigon filled in both rolls. It put in work when it got out, but it felt awkward dancing around being Choice locked, even with Clefairy. This was probably my least used member, I think only accompanying me for two games.

exportable

Suicune @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 156 Def / 76 SpA / 4 SpD / 20 Spe
Bold Nature
- Tailwind
- Scald
- Ice Beam
- Protect

Virizion @ Life Orb
Ability: Justified
Level: 50
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Leaf Blade
- Close Combat
- Stone Edge
- Protect

Clefairy @ Eviolite
Ability: Friend Guard
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 172 Def / 20 SpA / 60 SpD / 4 Spe
Bold Nature
- Follow Me
- Helping Hand
- Moonblast
- Protect

Rotom-Heat @ Expert Belt
Ability: Levitate
Level: 56
EVs: 108 HP / 252 SpA / 148 Spe
Modest Nature
- Overheat
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Protect

Hydreigon @ Choice Specs
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Draco Meteor
- Dark Pulse
- Earth Power
- Fire Blast

Metagross @ Metagrossite
Ability: Clear Body
Level: 54
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Iron Head
- Ice Punch
- Substitute
- Protect